A copyright-infringement lawsuit that was filed against Britney Spears back in May by an Indiana songwriter, who'd claimed he penned Brit's song "Sometimes," has been dismissed. Spears' attorney David Baum told The Associated Press that his client "demonstrate[d] without question that the song was written completely by Jörgen Elofsson," who also wrote the track "(You Drive Me) Crazy." In his suit, Steve Wallace claimed he'd written the song back in 1990, but didn't copyright it until 2003 -- four years after the track appeared on Britney's ... Baby One More Time. Wallace executed what's known as a "poor man's" copyright, when he mailed a copy of the song to himself in 1990. Wallace also presented the court with an e-mail he claims Spears wrote to him, which read, "I now know for a fact that you wrote ['Sometimes']. But there's nothing I can do about it. That's all I can say about it." Baum said the e-mail was an obvious fake. ...

Laugh all you want at Kevin Federline, whose rap "Y'all Ain't Ready" from his supposed forthcoming album The Truth leaked on the Internet last week. But Mr. Britney Spears is lining up producers who are nothing to sneeze at, starting with Scott Storch, whose rep confirmed the two are about to go into the studio together. ... Paris Hilton has been asked to testify as a witness in a criminal case against Darnell Riley, a man accused of breaking into the Bel Air, California, home of "Girls Gone Wild" mastermind Joe Francis in an attempt to kidnap him. Hilton was delivered the subpoena last week at her Hollywood Hills home. "She's not charged with anything. She just happens to be a witness," a spokesperson for the Los Angeles district attorney clarified to The Associated Press on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Riley has pleaded not guilty to the charges of burglary, robbery, kidnapping and carjacking stemming from the January 2004 incident. ...

Beyoncé's family's charity, the Survivor Foundation, has donated $1 million to St. John's Downtown and the Bread of Life, organizations that are building homes in Houston for displaced Hurricane Katrina victims. "I've known the Knowles family for many years and this is a true reflection of their generosity and humanitarian spirit," Rudy Rasmus, pastor of St. John's Downtown, said in a statement. ... J. Lo and Britney aren't the only ones to have sequel scents this fall -- Beyoncé's gotten in on the act with her True Star Gold, which she launched Tuesday at Chicago's Marshall Field's department store. The fragrance has top notes of melon, kiwi and red currant, a heart of pumpkin flower and golden pollen, and milk notes paired with raspberry, honey, lily, and tulip wood. "I'm very proud of it," Beyoncé told the crowd at her public appearance to promote the perfume. "I hope you guys love it. I do." ...

The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office's Child Support Enforcement Unit has issued a bench warrant for Beanie Sigel, as he failed to appear in court on Wednesday morning (November 9) as scheduled. According to the chief assistant to the Philadelphia district attorney, Beanie was supposed to go to court for two cases of failure to pay child support. Sigel's lawyer Fortunato Perri Jr. says Beanie's been dealing with the child-support matter for the past couple of years and his failure to appear was nothing more than an oversight. Sigel is expected in court on Thursday morning. ... Jennifer Lopez and husband Marc Anthony spent their Tuesday night at an anti-poverty gala at the United Nations, to honor the winners of the Global Microentrepreneurship Awards. The nine developing-world winners, who were from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Liberia, South Africa, India, China, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Peru, used small loans to start up businesses. Chelsea Clinton was among the attendees. ...

Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Chris Brown and Akon have been added to the list of performers for Saturday's Vibe Awards. They join Ciara, Ludacris, Pharrell and more. Will.I.Am, T.I., Nick Cannon, Rihanna, Teairra Marí, George Clinton and Taryn Manning are among the list of just-announced presenters for the show, which will air Tuesday on UPN. ... Fresh from performing at the EMAs this week, Madonna's already lined up her first club gig to promote her new album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. "I think I'm going to play Camden Palace, which I played like a hundred years ago," she told MTV News. Actually, it was back in 1983, following the release of her first hit, "Everybody," but who's counting? And the London club formerly known as Camden Palace is now called KoKo's, but as long as you know that's where she'll be on Tuesday, the day her album comes out, you're good to go. But if you can't make it there, you'll be able to hear the show at 5 p.m. ET via XM Satellite Radio, AOLMusic and multiple wireless providers, since she's broadcasting it simultaneously worldwide via Network LIVE. ...

Ashanti's putting her butt on the line for Mudd jeans, since she's just signed on to be the spokesperson for their Delicious Curves fit. The juniors line comes in 17 designs and features such embellishments as crystals, lace trim, embroidery, bleaching and tacking, even though it retails at the moderate price of around $30-$40. Ashanti will rep the jeans in a national campaign that will include a TV spot and personal appearances called "Delicious Days," starting at New York's Macy's on Friday and Chicago's Sears on December 3. ... David Bowie is planning on releasing a digital EP of his live collaborations with the Arcade Fire. The EP will be available for download from the iTunes music store starting on Monday, and features Bowie and the Arcade Fire duetting on the tunes "Five Years" and "Wake Up," plus Bowie going solo on "Life on Mars?" All proceeds from the downloads of the EP will go to Hurricane Katrina relief charities. ... 311 will release "Speak Easy" as the second single from Don't Tread on Me. ...

11.08.2005

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. ...