Four onstage collaborations have been announced for the American Music Awards: Pharrell and Gwen Stefani performing "Can I Have It Like That," Bow Wow, Omarion and Ciara doing a medley of "Let Me Hold You" and "Like You," Cyndi Lauper and Sarah McLachlan singing "Time After Time," and Santana and Los Lonely Boys playing "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love." The AMAs will air live November 22 on ABC. ... New or rare tracks from Kanye West ("We Can Make It Better"), R. Kelly ("Let Your Light Shine") and Diddy ("By Faith") have been added to Come Together Now, a benefit album for victims of Hurricane Katrina due November 22. The Kanye track also features Talib Kweli, Common, Q-Tip and Rhymefest, while the Diddy tune features Fred Hammond. ...

An Eminem concert taped at the Anger Management tour stop at Madison Square Garden in August will premiere December 3 on Showtime. "Eminem Live From New York City" was directed by Hamish Hamilton, who also directed Usher's March Showtime special, "One Night One Star." ... Lugz is putting its boot down over the Apple iPod ads featuring Eminem. The shoe company sent a cease-and-desist letter to the computer maker and its longtime advertising agency on Friday demanding that the latest iPod ads be taken off the air immediately because Lugz thinks they're a bit too similar to one of its ads featuring Funkmaster Flex's music from 2002. Both spots are hip-hop-inspired and feature dancers in silhouette moving across an urban environment. A spokesperson for Apple could not be reached for comment at press time. ...

Think your birthday party was cool? Well, think again. For her upcoming bat mitzvah and 13th birthday celebration next week, Amber Ridinger (who also happens to be the daughter of Miami power couple J.R. and Lauren Ridinger) can boast she'll have performances from Omarion, Marques Houston, Ashanti and Ja Rule, and a guest list that includes the New York Mets' Mike Piazza and the Inc. boss Irv Gotti. The bash will take place November 12 in Miami Beach, Florida, and will also feature beats spun throughout the night by Nicole Richie's fiance, DJ AM. ... Xzibit will voice a character in "Hoodwinked," an animated retelling of "Little Red Riding Hood," due in theaters December 23. Anne Hathaway, Anthony Anderson, Jim Belushi, Chazz Palminteri and Glenn Close co-star. ...

Pro-Keds, the shoe company recently purchased by Dame Dash, will be releasing a limited-edition sneaker designed by Houston rapper Bun B. The all-black shoe is inscribed with "Free Pimp C!" in tribute to Bun's UGK partner, who is currently in jail. The shoe is expected to be released in February, just in time for the NBA All-Star Game in Houston. ... Korn have booked a series of shows around the December 6 release of See You on the Other Side, the band's first album sans born-again guitarist Brian "Head" Welch. The gigs will give fans a sneak preview of what's to come on the band's 2006 U.S. tour, which is expected to kick off in March. The group will headline the 93X Nutcracker on December 3 in Maplewood, Minnesota, and ROCK 105.3's Rock Before X-Mas show on December 11 in San Diego, and will also play at 93 Rock's Christmas Khaos in Miami on December 16. Korn will join Mudvayne, Sevendust, 10 Years and Bobaflex on two Masters of Horror Tour dates: December 17 in San Antonio and December 18 in Dallas. ...

Ozzy Osbourne says he had "absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with" the August 20 egging of Iron Maiden during the band's final Ozzfest 2005 set in Devore, California. In an interview with Doug Podell, a DJ at Detroit's WRIF 101.1 FM, Ozzy said, "I do not condone any of that kind of crap, even though the singer [Bruce Dickinson] was saying bad things, so I heard. That very night, the bass player comes into my dressing room, and says, 'I would like to apologize for our singer.' I was absolutely confused about what was going on. And all of a sudden, this ruckus broke out. If you do have a beef with someone onstage, you leave your problems off the stage, because people pay money to see a show, not a goddamn fight." ... The White Stripes plan on making 10 versions of their latest single, "The Denial Twist," while on tour in the U.K. During every show the Stripes will record the song, which concertgoers can then download onto blank CD-Rs that will be passed out at the venue, according to the band's Web site. The discs will come with artwork exclusive to each show. ...

Seminal pop-punk act the Smoking Popes recently thrilled fans when they announced plans to re-form for one show during this week's Flower 15 musical showcase in Chicago, but the good news doesn't stop there. During a recent interview on Chicago radio station WXRT, lead Pope Josh Caterer announced that after their November 11 gig at Flower 15, they plan on reissuing some of their older material in early 2006, and that they intend on launching a full-scale tour as well. He also mentioned that the Popes will soon begin working on new material for their first album since they called it quits in early 1999. ... North Carolina's Codeseven are on an indefinite hiatus, but claim they have not disbanded. An official statement from the band claims it has "no plans for touring or writing and will not be making any music for some time. Yes -- there is a possibility that the five of us may never play Codeseven songs together ever again. We are all still very good friends and still hang out all the time. We are also still very passionate about music and the music we've created over the years." The statement cites the band's inability to make ends meet as one reason for the decision. ...

11.07.2005

Eminem's Curtain Call just got a little longer. The album will be available in a special two-disc edition that beefs up his collection of greatest hits with a disc devoted to his memorable collaborations. A final track list has yet to be hammered out, but expect to find Em's landmark duet of "Stan" with Elton John in the mix. The set will also feature three new tracks, including the single "When I'm Gone," which you can preview on Monday evening (November 7) on MTV Overdrive. ...

50 Cent, Ciara, Usher, Kelly Clarkson and Mariah Carey are among the top contenders for this year's Radio Music Awards, which will be broadcast live from Las Vegas on December 19 at 9 p.m. on NBC. Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is up for the most Song of the Year nominations, hitting across adult hit, mainstream, rock, and active/alternative rock formats. ... Mariah is doing an in-store at the Los Angeles Virgin Megastore on November 15, the day her Emancipation of Mimi album will be re-released. She'll start signing copies beginning at 7 p.m. that night, but you'll have to get a wristband to be in the line, so get there early. ...

Nelly, who's also got a re-release on the way (of his Sweat and Suit albums, packaged as one LP on November 22), had a big birthday last week. Ashanti, Jermaine Dupri and Murphy Lee were among the celebs who showed to watch him blow out the candles in St. Louis on Wednesday. Ashanti led the crowd in a rendition of "Happy Birthday," after which Nelly kicked off an hour-long freestyle session with the other VIP guests. Meanwhile, Nelly will be honored on November 16 in New York by Russell Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit Action Network for his contributions to the 4Sho4Kids Foundation and leukemia awareness. ... LL Cool J is putting the finishing touches on his 12th album, My Favorite Flavor, due in February. Mary J. Blige, Ginuwine, Teairra Marí, Juelz Santana, Freeway, Mary Mary and Lyfe guest on the LP, which was produced by Scott Storch, Jermaine Dupri and others. ...

Inclement weather kept the members of Korn from making it to Colorado Springs, Colorado, on November 3, where the band was to meet and greet contest winners at radio station KILO 94.3 FM. Instead, Korn found themselves stranded in the small town of Walsenburg, about a two-hour drive south of the station. The group waited out the storm in a Mexican-American diner, and called in to the station with news, weather and traffic updates. Meanwhile, several fans made the pilgrimage to Walsenburg, and the station hired limos to shuttle the contest winners to the eatery. According to the station's programming director, Ross Ford, Korn were "hanging out at a small middle-of-nowhere restaurant where a hundred or so locals [had gathered]. The guys played to the crowd, spent several hours signing autographs, taking pictures, eating enchiladas and enjoying the offerings of small-town Colorado." ...

Shonen Knife drummer Mana "China" Nishiura was killed in a three-vehicle accident in New Jersey on November 4. Nishiura, who joined the group in 2001 after the band's founding drummer, Atsuko Yamano, took over on bass following the departure in 1999 of Michie Nakatani, was on tour with her band DMBQ at the time of the crash. The band's Econoline van was clipped by a Mitsubishi Eclipse near the Delaware Memorial Bridge, spun out of control and careened over a barrier before rolling several times down an embankment and into the path of a Ford pickup truck. Nishiura was thrown from the van and was later pronounced dead at the scene. The van's other passenger -- the four other members of DMBQ and the band's manager -- were transported to a nearby hospital and treated for their injuries, which were not serious. ...

A few New Yorkers walking near Manhattan's Union Square late Saturday night were treated to a surprise performance by the Arcade Fire. Singer Win Butler and two other members of the band showed up at the downtown park around 2 a.m. and played a handful of songs, according to passersby who first reported the performance to music blog Brooklyn Vegan. The band covered songs by New Order, the Pixies, the Cure and Talking Heads in addition to performing its own song "Tunnels." A spokesperson for the label was unaware of the band's surprise set until reading about it online. ... Remember the Hives? The punky Swedish five-piece with the matching suits and the inflated sense of purpose are preparing a return to record-store shelves. First, on November 22, they'll release the live DVD "Tussles in Brussels," which captures a particularly feisty show from -- you guessed it -- Brussels, Belgium. Then, hot on the heels of the DVD comes the announcement that they're getting back to work on a new album, with sessions tentatively scheduled to start in early January. ...