Fat Joe is wanted for questioning by police in Miami Beach, Florida, as a witness to a double murder that occurred outside a restaurant in South Beach over the Memorial Day weekend. The police report states that the Terror Squad leader allegedly was in the company of Lessli Paz of New York and Joey Navarro of Florida in a Cadillac Escalade truck when Jermaine "Wufgang" Chamberline approached the vehicle and fired a weapon on the two men, killing them both. However, Jeffrey Lichtman, Fat Joe's attorney, told MTV News: "The cops never contacted Joe directly. I called the cops, I told them he is out of the country on music business, but if they want to speak to him, we will. The police then told me they already apprehended the [alleged perpetrator,] but they may take us up on the offer. And we have not heard back from them since." ...

Harry Potter fans have two fewer days to scratch off on their calendars. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" will be hitting theaters Wednesday, July 11, instead of on July 13, Warner Bros. confirmed to MTV News on Wednesday (May 30). ...

Busta Rhymes, Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne, Eve, Rick Ross and Rich Boy are on the lineup for Boost Mobile's RockCorps concert in Atlanta, scheduled for June 9. Volunteers have until the day of the show to fulfill the commitment required to get into the event, which serves as a thank you to young people making a difference in their communities. Taking Back Sunday will be headlining upcoming events in Portland, Oregon; Houston; Philadelphia; and Chicago. Check out the RockCorps site for volunteer opportunities. ...

Would you share your dreams with Jeezy? What if he could make them come true? The rapper is inviting fans to e-mail their wish (100 words or less) to dreams@corportatethugzent.com. Young Jeezy will review each dream and choose one to fulfill. "If it wasn't for certain people supporting me, I don't think I'd be able to accomplish what I have," Jeezy said in a statement announcing the contest. "That's why I'm doing this for my fans. ... I wanted to show them how thankful I am that they're helping me realize my dreams. For me, this whole contest, and even my career, will make me feel like I've accomplished a lot if I can help someone else realize their dreams too." Submissions will be accepted until June 21, and the winner will be announced July 23. ...

Paula Abdul found her purpose in life on "American Idol," she said in an interview featured in the new issue of OK! magazine. "Being a judge on 'American Idol' overshadows being a Grammy Award winner and selling millions of records," she said. "My purpose is bringing out everybody's best and being that cheerleader to other people's success." Abdul also responded to claims about her sometimes strange behavior on TV, saying, "I'm sick of it. I've never been drunk. I don't do recreational drugs. It's defamation of character." ...

Harry Potter isn't getting expelled from school -- school libraries in Gwinnett County, Georgia, that is. The Associated Press reports that a judge on Tuesday upheld a previous decision against Laura Mallory, who had argued that the fiction series is trying to indoctrinate kids into witchcraft. The mother of four, who was not represented by an attorney at the hearing, said she still wants the volumes removed and might take the case to federal court. ...

Rihanna has been added to the Live Earth concert lineup in Tokyo, which will also feature Linkin Park, as previously reported. ... The fallout from Brandy's deadly December 30 car crash continues. In papers filed last Wednesday, the 28-year-old singer sued Mallory Ham -- who was cited in a previous suit for alleged reckless and careless driving -- contending that Ham caused the accident that resulted in the death of a woman. According to AP, Brandy's suit denies allegations made against her in a previous lawsuit, requests a jury trial and asserts her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. Ham filed a countersuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday claiming that Brandy "recklessly, wantonly, unlawfully and maliciously" operated her car. Ham seeks compensation for unspecified medical bills, pain and suffering, legal costs and punitive damages.

Ozzy Osbourne will own #3 on the next Billboard albums chart with his Black Rain -- and tells Details that he knows he's fortunate to be around to enjoy the success. "I've been terribly lucky," Osbourne said in the June/July issue. "When I had my ATV accident, I was going not more than three or four miles an hour, and I ended up in a coma for eight days. My heart stopped twice. I don't remember any of it. I went back to the hospital after the accident and the doctors were telling me, 'Your left lung was completely full of blood. You broke your rib, your collarbone, your neck -- you're lucky to be alive' " -- and for more than just the most obvious reason, the singer explained. "If I had been going 120 miles an hour it would have been a cool way to go -- but four miles an hour? Ozzy Osbourne?!' " ...

Pixies frontman Frank Black -- or, should we say, Black Francis -- will return September 11 with a new album, Bluefinger. The record, which Black will release under his decades-old Francis moniker, features 11 tracks and was recorded when the singer was, as he puts it, "gripped" by the spirit of late Dutch musician and painter Herman Brood. "Thank you Herman. You were at the distant edge of my vision for years when suddenly I was under your influence like a cloud of opium, like the scent of the house of the rising son," Black said in a statement. "Herman Brood did turn me back into Black Francis. Funny how things work out. You just never know." You totally don't, dude. ... iTunes started selling thousands of songs without copyright protection on Wednesday, including tracks by EMI artists Coldplay, Pink Floyd and Norah Jones, AP reports. The iTunes Plus songs do not feature digital-rights management, have a higher sound quality and are priced 30 cents more than typical 99-cent songs. The unrestricted content will allow some iTunes tracks to work on Microsoft's Zune and other portable players. ...

Sorta crunchy/ sorta Christian Philly rockers Mewithoutyou would like to have dinner with you -- and 200-300 of your closest friends. On their current headlining tour, which runs until June 29, Mewithoutyou are inviting fans to join them in pre-show potluck dinners -- where "two hours before doors [open] fans are invited to the venue to eat and drink and talk and sing and get to know each other." In addition to the food, MWY are encouraging fans to bring "a board game, horseshoes, piñata, song, dance, prayer, juggling pins, unicycle, etc." to the festivities, and want you to know that "they are open to presentation and lesson ideas as well." But the good vibes don't end with the pre-show potlucks: any and all fans "skilled at non-guitar instruments" are invited to join the band onstage during their live set. For more information, check out the band's MySpace page.

5.29.2007

Fantasia will try to show the rest of America what the theater critics have been raving about when she performs June 10 at the Tony Awards. The "American Idol" champ has been lighting up Broadway lately with her starring role in "The Color Purple." ...

Marilyn Manson said he could have collaborated with Eminem -- if only the rapper weren't so "over-the-top." "The song he asked me to sing was -- and this may sound strange -- too misogynistic," Manson told Spin in the magazine's June issue. "It was the one about killing his girlfriend and putting her in a trunk. ... It was too over-the-top for me to associate with. First of all, I don't drive. And I wouldn't put a girl in a trunk; that's where I keep other stuff. That's my dry, deadpan humor kicking in." ...

Justin Timberlake is launching his own record label, a joint venture with Interscope Records, Chairman Jimmy Iovine announced Monday. Timberlake will be chairman and CEO of Tennman Records, distributed by Interscope Geffen A&M. "We are all excited about the talent we have to offer already on our roster, and I cannot wait to introduce the world to my new discoveries," Timberlake said in a statement. Tennman's first signings will be announced in the coming weeks. ...

Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas pleaded not guilty late last week to two counts of misdemeanor pot possession stemming from a DUI arrest in March, according to E! Online. A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for June 28. ... Actress Lana Clarkson's death was a homicide, a coroner testified in the trial of Phil Spector on Tuesday (May 29), according to The Associated Press. Dr. Louis Pena said in Los Angeles Superior Court that a gun may have been forced into Clarkson's mouth, causing a bruise, before she was fatally shot. "Something struck the tongue," he testified, adding that she also had bruises on her right arm and wrist. Pena also said Clarkson had no history of depression or suicide attempts. "I found her to be a hopeful person from the notes I read," he said. ...

The Police kicked off their reunion tour in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Monday night, starting the set with "Message in a Bottle" and playing hits including "Roxanne," "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and "Walking on the Moon" for the 20,000-strong audience, which included Eddie Vedder and Penélope Cruz, according to a Reuters report. "Since we haven't been together in 25 years, I'd like to introduce the band," Sting joked. "Andy, this is Stewart." The trio ended the show with a performance of "Next to You." ... Think Prince's tour schedule couldn't look -- or smell -- any weirder? The artist, who has lined up unconventional residencies in London and Los Angeles for later this year, will hype his new 3121 perfume line with a July 7 gig at 4 p.m. on the eighth floor of Macy's in downtown Minneapolis, according to the city's Star Tribune newspaper. Seats to the show will be sold in "Ultimate Prince Xperience" packages, which will run $250 apiece but also feature a ticket to his show at Target Center later that night, as well as two special-edition bottles of his "Eau de Parfum." Prince's new scent for women goes on sale the same day. ...

DMX fans, don't get too excited about that upcoming collection you may have heard about. The Definition of X: Pick of the Litter, due June 12, will be a greatest-hits comp culling 20 tracks from his five Def Jam LPs. ... Tom Morello's Nightwatchman project is hitting the road next month with Thrice frontman Dustin Kensrue. The tour kicks off in Dallas on June 17, with gigs booked in Houston (June 18); New Orleans (June 19); Atlanta (June 21); Charlotte, North Carolina (June 22); Vienna, Virginia (June 23); Philadelphia (June 25); New York (June 26); and Cambridge, Massaschusetts (June 27). ... Ryan Adams, Amos Lee, the Meat Puppets and Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood will bulk up the eighth annual Moe.Down, organized by jam band Moe. The gala, which will be held August 31-September 2 at Turin, New York's Snow Ridge Ski Area, will feature Moe performing six sets. ...

Minus the Bear's upcoming LP, Planet of Ice, featuring the lead single "Knights," is due August 21. The band wrapped up a one-month tour with a performance at the Sasquatch! Music Festival on Sunday and is currently planning an extensive tour to support the disc. ... Grab the glow sticks: Klaxons will light up the U.S. by performing in six additional cities in a couple of months: Los Angeles (July 10); San Francisco (July 11); Seattle (July 12); Portland, Oregon (July 13); Chicago (at the Pitchfork Music Festival on July 15); and Minneapolis (July 16). ... The Cult are still conjuring up their first new studio album since 2001's Beyond Good and Evil, but now they've got a new label to issue it through: Roadrunner. The yet-untitled CD, due September 25, is being produced by Primal Scream collaborator Youth and will be released in conjunction with the band's new New Wilderness imprint. ...

Senator Hillary Clinton has narrowed her would-be campaign songs to five choices -- including U2's "Beautiful Day" and KT Tunstall's "Suddenly I See" -- and added five write-in contenders to the running, including Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way?" and the Police's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic." Votes are now being accepted at Clinton's campaign Web site. ... Right Said Fred singer Richard Fairbrass was attacked by counter-protesters while taking part in a gay-rights march in Moscow on Sunday, BBC News reports. Fairbrass was detained by Moscow police after he was injured, and told BBC that he felt sorry for the man who hit him. "How threatened can he be, how insecure is he to be threatened by a bisexual pop singer who's most famous for singing 'I'm Too Sexy'?" ... Bo Diddley was released from Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, on Thursday -- where he had been since suffering a stroke May 13 -- and is now being treated at Shands Rehab Hospital in Gainesville, Florida, near his home. Diddley is expected to stay at the facility for two weeks and will continue speech and occupational therapy as an outpatient.