Ciara is ready to sit in the director's chair. The singer has teamed up with Glamour for the Nissan-sponsored Reel Music contest spotlighting emerging female artists. Three singers -- Tiffany Evans, Paula Campbell and Samantha Jade -- are currently competing for listener votes at Glamour.com/reelmusic, and the winner will score a video directed by Ciara. Pink's video for previous Reel Music contest winners Pretty Boys debuted in January. ...

Kelly Clarkson doesn't want fans to have to wait until the winter to hear her third album: The singer has pegged July 24 as the release date for My December. Its first single, "Never Again," recently debuted at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. ...

Bye, Mom: Usher confirmed to CNN Monday (May 7) that he is no longer being managed by his mother, Jonnetta Patton. The two have worked together professionally over the duration of the singer's career, but he says the split will actually bring them closer together. "At this time in my life, I am simply more interested in building the strength of my family. And in order to do that, I feel it's best to separate my business life from my personal life," he said. "This is great for me because it means I now get to have my mother strictly as my mother with no added pressure." Usher, who became engaged to stylist Tameka Foster in March, has not announced a new manager. ...

Paris Hilton filed a notice of appeal with Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday over her 45-day jail sentence, according to documents obtained by TMZ.com. Lawyers are required to file a notice before actually lodging the appeal and must prove Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer abused his discretion by imposing the sentence. Late Saturday, Hilton said the sentence, which she received for violating the terms of her probation by driving with a suspended license, was "cruel and unwarranted," Reuters reports. "I don't deserve this," Hilton said. Her mother, Kathy, called the sentence "a joke" in an interview with Hollywood.com. "This is pathetic and disgusting, a waste of taxpayers' money with this nonsense." Paris' longtime spokesman Elliot Mintz is no longer working with the heiress, he confirmed to People. Mintz said he e-mailed Hilton after her sentencing on Friday, and "offered my sincerest apology for any misunderstanding she received from me regarding the terms of her probation." Hilton maintains that she did not realize her license was suspended. ...

A preliminary injunction hearing in Beyoncé's copyright-infringement suit did not take place Friday as scheduled and has been adjourned until May 14. Attorneys for the singer, who is being sued by the Royalty Network -- the copyright owner of the Des'ree song "I'm Kissing You," which Beyoncé reinterpreted with "Still in Love (Kissing You)," featured on her B'Day - Deluxe Edition -- have until Monday to file a response to the suit. Beyoncé's camp and the Royalty Network came to an earlier agreement filed last month, which states that Columbia and Sony would "engage in no further distribution" of the album or video anthology until the injunction hearing takes place. ... Chris Brown's "Wall to Wall," the first single from his sophomore album, Exclusive, leaked to the Web on Friday. The pulsating track was written by Brown, along with Sean Garrett, who produced the track with newcomer Big Walt. ...

Phil Spector attempted to rape former friend Dianne Ogden-Halder at gunpoint after threatening to kill her, she told a Los Angeles court on Monday, according to Agence France Presse. Ogden-Halder said the music producer wouldn't let her leave his home in Pasadena, California, on two separate occasions in the '80s -- the second time, he put a handgun to her head. "He was talking, screaming, like he had been taken over by something. He was demonic," she said. "It was not like it was him, it was like he wasn't Philip." Ogden-Halder said she didn't tell police about the incident because she wanted to protect Spector from bad publicity. "I thought it was an isolated incident and that he needed help," she said. "Now I feel guilty ... I don't know." ...

The estate of late Damageplan/Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott has reached a settlement in its wrongful-death lawsuit against the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio, where the musician was gunned down during a 2004 shooting incident. The Columbus Dispatch reported Saturday that the lawsuit was dismissed last week after Abbott's family and two band employees injured in the shooting agreed to a "nominal settlement," according to Rebecca Price, an attorney for the club. She would not disclose additional terms of the agreement. The suit claimed the club's owners were negligent in not stopping Nathan Gale, Abbott's killer, from entering the club with a gun and ammunition. ...

TV on the Radio will grace their fellow New Yorkers with an acoustic set when they support Air at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. The performances are part of the David Bowie-curated High Line Festival, which ends May 19 -- Bowie appeared on TVOTR's 2006 album, Return to Cookie Mountain. ... Rave on: Trip-hoppers Unkle set up camp at Joshua Tree's Rancho de la Luna studio in Southern California with Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, the Cult's Ian Astbury, Massive Attack's 3D, Jeordie White (a.k.a. Twiggy Ramirez, Nada Surf's Matthew Caws, Eagles of Death Metal's David Catching and others for their new LP, War Stories. Recorded live by QOTSA producer Chris Goss, the 14-track album is due July 24 through Unkle co-founder James Lavelle's Surrender All label. The two-CD limited edition features an instrumental version of the album plus a 50-page booklet. ....

Panic Channel are on hiatus. According to a statement released by Dave Navarro -- who joins fellow ex-Jane's Addiction members Chris Chaney and Stephen Perkins in the band's lineup -- frontman Steve Isaacs "has decided to move to New York and begin a new chapter of his life." The band isn't breaking up, Navarro wrote, "However, the distance certainly doesn't make it very easy for us to do anything right now. I guess we will just call it a hiatus." Navarro said he may take the time off to start work on another solo LP. ...

Dashboard Confessional will release a deluxe edition of 2006's Dusk and Summer on May 22. The re-release will feature the radio version of "Stolen," along with "Vindicated," two unreleased live recordings from "The Henry Rollins Show" on IFC, a free "Stolen" ringtone and Dashboard cell phone wallpaper. ... Pete Doherty was arrested Saturday in London for suspicion of drug possession after a traffic stop, BBC News reports. The Babyshambles singer was released on bail and is scheduled to return for further questioning next month. Doherty was ordered into drug treatment in April 2006 after pleading guilty to drug-possession charges.

05.04.2007

Jessica Biel wants a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T for her acting abilities, she told Elle for its June issue, The Associated Press reports. "Parts that I really want aren't going to me," she said. "Like 'The Other Boleyn Girl' with Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman. ... There's still the occasional script that the director doesn't want to see you for. They want that top tier of girls." The magazine hits newsstands Tuesday. ...

Nelly Furtado will perform her current single, "All Good Things," and her first hit, "I'm Like a Bird" on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" Tuesday. ...

Hilary Duff is a big girl now, but she still needs her mom. The 19-year-old singer said in the May issue of CosmoGirl that she's always had an "incredibly special relationship" with her mother and older sister Haylie, but explained that living together as adults became difficult. "If I was leaving the house at night my mom would say, 'You know you have to be somewhere early in the morning,' and I'd be like 'I know, Mom!' " Duff said that living apart has its advantages, but she said "it was kind of weird" when her mother moved out. "The reality is that I need her. She's smart and tough and there's still so much for me to learn from her. But I need her in a different way now than I did when I was 16." ...

Sum 41 are seeking fans to be in their new video for "Underclass Hero," the band announced on its Web site. The shoot will take place in the Los Angeles area Monday night, and those who appear in the clip will earn a ticket to see the band perform at an exclusive concert set in the "very near future." Those interested -- you must be 18 or over -- should send an e-mail to underclassvideo@yahoo.com for more information. ...

Borat probably doesn't have too many friends in Kazakhstan anymore, but that hasn't stopped the West Kazakhstan Philharmonic Orchestra from enlisting Sacha Baron Cohen's real-life brother to headline its performance on Friday (May 4), AP reports. Trumpet player Erran Baron Cohen worked with the Kazakh orchestra on his 16-minute "Zere," which is debuting at London's St. James's Church. So who's the joke on? ... Police plan to charge Eve on Friday with driving under the influence and not showing proof of insurance in connection with an accident in Hollywood on April 26 when she crashed her gold Maserati into a road divider. Reuters reported that the Los Angeles city attorney's office will charge the rapper/actress (born Eve Jihan Jeffers) in the incident, though officials would not say what her blood-alcohol level was at the time of her arrest. The crime typically carries a sentence of three to five years' probation, a minimum fine of $390 and an alcohol treatment program. ...

Diddy is hosting an afterparty for Saturday's Floyd Mayweather/ Oscar de la Hoya boxing match in Las Vegas. The post-battle bash is set to begin at Vegas' Empire Ballroom at 10 p.m. ... You can never have enough Ozzy, and Apple apparently understands that. Those who preorder Osbourne's forthcoming album Black Rain via iTunes will get the bonus track "Love to Hate," which does not appear on the version of the album that will be sold in stores. ... Snow Patrol alert: The rock group, which is featured on the "Spider-Man 3" soundtrack, will be sweeping through the States from July 17 through August 7. ... Black Light Burns, the band featuring former Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland, have announced dates for their upcoming headlining run. The trek kicks off May 25 in Traverse City, Michigan, and dates are booked through June 30 in Columbus, Ohio. ...

Want to be an "American Girl"? Open auditions for the live-action feature film based around the popular doll series will be held Monday in Los Angeles, Tuesday in Chicago and May 14 in New York. Girls must be 8-12 years old and available for filming in Toronto May 29-July 13. "American Girls" is due in theaters July 2, 2008, and Abigail Breslin has already climbed onboard to star as Kit. Go to AmericanGirl.com for more info.... Oliver Stone's anti-war TV advertisement, sponsored by MoveOn.org, was unveiled Thursday, Agence France Presse reports. In the ad, soldier John Bruhns demands President Bush withdraw troops from Iraq while Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic -- on whom Stone's film "Born on the Fourth of July" was based -- narrates. ... George Lucas was honored at the San Francisco International Film Festival on Thursday, Reuters reports. The director received the Irving "Bud" Levin Award, named after the founder of the fest, at a black-tie dinner. ... Liv Tyler has signed on to play the love interest of the new Hulk, Edward Norton, in the upcoming "The Incredible Hulk" movie. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tyler will play Betty Ross, the longtime love of Dr. Bruce Banner, the mild-mannered alter ego of the Hulk. Ross is a fellow scientist trying to help Banner rid himself of the monster that dwells within him. ...

Steven Kovacik, the former owner of Vail, Colorado's 8150 club, has reached a $40,000 settlement with several artists -- including Van Halen and Led Zeppelin -- who sued him for allowing cover bands to play copyright-protected songs at his venue without a valid ASCAP license, the Glenwood Springs Post Independent reported Thursday. Van Halen Music Company and members of Led Zeppelin were named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed February 16, which claimed Kovacik allowed unauthorized public performances of the songs, which the suit contended constituted copyright infringement. ... Don Imus' lawyer said Friday that the radio host's inflammatory comments could have been edited before they made it on air, The Associated Press reported. Attorney Martin Garbus claimed that the networks' decisions to not employ the delay button meant "both knew the language complied with [Imus'] contract." Imus plans to file a lawsuit to collect the unpaid portion of his $40 million contract.