The Cyrus family might need to get an extra seat ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Last week, Billy Ray Cyrus, father to Miley (a.k.a. Hannah Montana), offered Britney Spears a nice home-cooked meal for the holiday, and, according to TMZ, the embattled pop star told the paparazzi she's in! "We would love to be there for you and we care about you," Billy Ray told In Touch magazine. "Miley is a big fan and she wants to reach out too." Given Brit's track record of being at the right place at the right time, however, the Cyruses might not want to hold their breath. TMZ has also reported that Spears will celebrate Thanksgiving with her children on Wednesday, while ex-husband Kevin Federline will have the boys on Thursday. ...

Something appears to have gone down between R. Kelly and his publicist of 14 years, Regina Daniels, but since she seems to have quit, we may never know what it was. Daniels released a statement over the weekend that read, "I have prided myself on loyalty, respect and professionalism. It saddens me that I was not always shown those same courtesies during my 14-year tenure as Mr. Kelly's publicist. ... There are some lines that should never be crossed professionally or personally. Mr. Kelly crossed a line that forever altered the scope of our relationship. For this reason I made the decision to resign." Kelly, who is awaiting trial on 14 counts of child pornography, is currently on tour. A spokesperson for Kelly's label could not be reached for comment at press time. ...

Dr. Jan Adams, the plastic surgeon who operated on Kanye West's mom, Donda West, before she died, will appear on Tuesday's "Larry King Live," according to CNN. It will be the doctor's first on-camera interview since Donda's death November 10. ... Amy Winehouse has enough turmoil in her life with her husband's recent arrest, but now she's under fire from the United Nations' drug chief too. Antonio Maria Costa, the head of the U.N. Drugs and Crime Office, has launched a public attack on alleged celebrity cocaine users, and he's included Kate Moss and Winehouse on his list. "Rock stars, like Amy Winehouse, become popular by singing 'I ain't going to rehab' even though she badly needed, and eventually sought, treatment," Costa said. He singled out the two Brits for glamorizing a global drug trade that threatens to devastate parts of Africa. ...

Ashley Tisdale told "Extra" after the [article id="1574605"]American Music Awards[/article] that she's about to start up on "High School Musical 3"; production on the sequel starts in March. "We actually rehearse in February and then we start in March," she said. ... Christina Aguilera is feeling blue these days -- at least as far as her decorating scheme for her nursery is concerned. Her pal Christina Milian, who attended Aguilera's baby shower November 10, revealed its blue theme to Us Weekly. "Her son is going to be pretty lucky," Milian told the magazine. "She is going to be a cool mom. I got her a bunch of baby bath stuff, a whole little bathrobe and everything." ...

Never made it to one of Mariah Carey's concerts last year? Don't worry, because she's bringing the show to your living room, starting December 4, courtesy of her live DVD, "The Adventures of Mimi." The disc includes behind-the-scenes footage, a karaoke feature and Spike Lee's mini-movie "Lovers & Haters," which spoofs a day in the life of Mariah. The musical performances, shot in high-definition, feature such hits as "We Belong Together," "Vision of Love," "Always Be My Baby," "Make It Happen" and "It's Like That." Boyz II Men make a guest appearance on the duet "One Sweet Day." Carey said in a statement she was "very excited" to finally release the DVD, through an exclusive deal with Best Buy, since "this particular show had some really special moments that my real fans will truly enjoy." ... Strangely enough, Carey's "Glitter" didn't make Spin magazine's list of the worst movies made by musicians, although that might have been because the competition was so stiff. In the mag's December issue, the Beatles vie against KISS, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Prince, Perry Farrell, Bob Dylan and Daft Punk for top honors. The Fab Four's "Magical Mystery Tour" is described as "mercifully short," Farrell's "Gift" is "cringe-inducing" and Daft Punk's "Electroma" may disappoint anyone "who came of age after 1916" since "this movie is not a 'talkie.' " ...

Ashlee Simpson, currently on the cover of CosmoGirl!, told the magazine as an aside that she wanted to one day start a clothing line. So when MTV News hit [article id="1574211"]CosmoGirl!'s Born to Lead Awards[/article] last week in New York, we asked the youngest Simpson what she had in mind and how her line compared to the clothing brands started by her older sister Jessica. "Mine might be a little darker," she said. "I'm all about a good black dress. Every girl needs a good black dress, and good sweaters -- the good comfy stuff." Ashlee said starting a clothing brand was still in the planning stages, and she was in no rush. "Timing is everything," she said. "For me, I want to have the right line. There's definitely ideas I would like to express, and it would be something fun to explore. Nothing's set in stone yet." ... Sean Kingston, however, is feeling a little more pressure when it comes to starting his clothing line, he tells MTV Base, because it's not his older sister he's in competition with; it's other rappers. His goal is to be a "young Puffy Combs." "I'm trying to have my own record label, I'm trying to sign artists, develop artists, and I'm trying to come out with my own clothing line and watch line," he said. He's already commemorated his label, Time Is Money Entertainment, as a tattoo on his right hand as well as a watch. "It has a lot of colored diamonds in it," he said. ...

Akon hosted a pre-American Music Awards dinner event at One Sunset in L.A. on Saturday night. Tyrese, Young Jeezy, music exec Steve Rifkin and actress Dania Ramirez were all on hand. The "Heroes" star also took part in a cover shoot for Latina magazine earlier in the day; Ramirez will help launch new Editor in Chief Mimi Valdes' regime beginning with the March 2008 issue. ...

Rapper Lil' Romeo has accomplished a lot in his young life, and now he's achieved one more goal. Master P's son, who plays point guard for the Beverly Hills High basketball team, has received a full-ride scholarship to play hoops for the University of Southern California next year. ... Damon Dash apparently owes Uncle Sam some cash. According to a list of New Yorkers who owe back taxes published by the New York Post, Jay-Z's former business partner, who is worth more than $50 million, owes more than $2 million in back taxes. Dash reportedly sued his former accountant in April for submitting erroneous tax returns on his behalf for years. Dash isn't alone: Former Velvet Underground member John Cale is reportedly on the hook for $157,000 in taxes and jazz giant Ornette Coleman is about $7,800 short. ...

Just as New Line has stepped up its marketing campaign for its upcoming movie "The Golden Compass," the film studio finds itself with a little competition -- from a DVD that Koch Entertainment plans to put out called "Beyond the Golden Compass." New Line filed a copyright-infringement suit Thursday (November 15) in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, claiming the Koch version was a "cynical and transparent effort to unfairly compete with and capitalize on the massive publicity and promotional effort" aimed at the $180 million version, starring Nicole Kidman, by insinuating the two releases were related. New Line wants to prevent the knockoff from coming out and $10 million in damages. ...

Atlanta's Deerhunter, one of the hits of last month's [article id="1572490"]CMJ Music Marathon[/article], have announced on their Web site that they're taking a hiatus. "I would like to announce that the show we are playing at Primavera in Barcelona will be our last for quite some time," frontman Bradford Cox wrote. "After that the band are going on hiatus. We all need some time to organize our lives. Thanks to everyone who has helped us out. This has been a crazy year that I will always remember." Cox will no doubt spend the coming months promoting his solo project, the Atlas Sound, which releases its debut in February. The hiatus could be a comparatively short one, since Deerhunter are scheduled to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in England in May. ... Ne-Yo, who was recently named a friend of Ronald McDonald House Charities, is lending his star power to raise awareness with a visit to an Upper East Side location in New York on Tuesday, World Children's Day. But when it comes to his own children's charity, Ne-Yo is switching sides -- to Burger King. Ne-Yo announced on Monday (November 19) that Burger King would be the title sponsor for his Compound Foundation's fundraiser, a Brazilian-themed masquerade ball to be held December 5 in Atlanta. ...

Young Jeezy, Bill Maher, David Banner, "ATL" director Chris Robinson and Laker Lamar Odom hit the scene at the Hennessey "Flaunt Your Taste" soiree Friday night in Los Angeles. D-Nice and DJ Rashida spun at the gig, which was held in Madonna's former digs in the Hollywood Hills. ... Lil Jon and Aftermath rapper Bishop Lamont were just a few celebs on hand Saturday afternoon filming PSAs for the Rock the Vote campaign at Travis Barker's Beverly Hills shop Famous Stars & Straps. ... Though Mike Tyson faced more than four years in prison, the former heavyweight champ was sentenced Monday to one day in an open-air jail for cocaine possession and driving under the influence, AP reports. The boxer will serve his day in jail Tuesday for DUI. He received three years of probation for the cocaine charge and also will have to pay a fine, submit to drug testing and serve 360 hours of community service. ...

Spirit, the debut album from English singer Leona Lewis, is the #1 album in the U.K. this week, breaking the record set by the Arctic Monkeys last January to become the chart's fastest-selling debut album of all time, according to MTV UK. The season-three "X Factor" winner sold 375,000 copies of her album, beating the Monkeys' 363,735 and smashing chart debuts from the reunited Spice Girls, Celine Dion and a greatest-hits set from Led Zeppelin. ... Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Showtime's "The Tudors") was arrested Sunday afternoon at the Dublin Airport and has been charged with public drunkenness and breach of peace, according to The Associated Press. Rhys Meyers, 30, was refused permission to board a London-bound flight when police confronted the actor twice after erratic, abusive behavior at an airport gate and at a desk of the British airline BMI. The actor was released on bail and is due in court for his arraignment December 5.

11.16.07

Amy Winehouse is once again at the center of a viral fiasco, according to a new video posted on TMZ.com. The clip has been making the rounds ... we're not sure exactly what's happening in it, but check it out for yourself right here. Meanwhile, a sixth man has been charged with obstruction of justice in [article id="1573876"]the case[/article] involving Winehouse's husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, BBC News reports. His friend Michael Brown -- who, along with Fielder-Civil, is accused of assaulting a bartender on June 20, causing grievous bodily harm with intent -- was remanded in court on Friday (November 16). He, Fielder-Civil and four other men are due in court November 23. ...

Protesters descended on Washington, D.C., on Friday, demanding that new Attorney General Michael Mukasey, a former judge, launch a federal investigation into the [article id="1570075"]Jena Six case.[/article] According to The Associated Press, organizers said more than 100 busloads of people -- who also demanded the enforcement of hate crimes involving nooses being hung in public -- had joined the march, which was organized by the Reverend Al Sharpton. Mukasey reportedly responded with a statement saying his agency is working to "investigate aggressively dozens of noose-hangings and other recent racially and religiously motivated" crimes across the country, and that such investigations aren't visible to the public. On Friday, a state judge allowed the juvenile trial of [article id="1571756"]Mychal Bell,[/article] the only member of the Jena Six to stand trial, to be made open to the public. In related news, the Jena Six are part of Essence magazine's new list of this year's most influential people. Readers voted Democratic presidential candidate [article id="1572990"]Senator Barack Obama[/article] to the top of the list, which also includes Sharpton, Beyoncé, Don Cheadle, Timbaland, Barry Bonds and Oprah Winfrey. ...

John Legend is hooking up again with Kanye West for his third album, for which he says he already has "three songs I love already," according to Billboard.com. The singer/pianist revealed that he's already worked with Will.I.Am and singer/songwriter Rick Knowles for the yet-untitled effort, and that he plans to also get together with Pharrell, West "and we'll see who else" next. He expects to be done with the project by the end of the spring and get it out by late summer or early fall. Legend also commented on [article id="1573999"]the passing of West's mother,[/article] Donda West, saying, he plans to go to her funeral next week. "She loved him and supported him unconditionally," he said. "She was really there for him a lot and was ... really a great example for him. You could tell how close they were, and I just can't imagine how devastated he is right now." ... Jay-Z's November 11 show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York will be webcast on MSN.com on Tuesday. Diddy and Lil Wayne made guest appearances during the show. ...

Madonna is hooking up with Gucci to raise money for orphans in the impoverished southern African nation of Malawi. According to a Reuters report, the singer will host a fundraising dinner with a musical performance and party on February 6, as part of the opening of the biggest Gucci store in the world, on New York's Fifth Avenue. Madonna said the event will benefit UNICEF and Raising Malawi, a charity she co-founded in 2006 to help end poverty in the country. The event is expected to raise $2 million and will feature such co-chairs as Salma Hayek, Adrien Brody, Lucy Liu, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher and Gwyneth Paltrow. Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie's bid to adopt a child from Malawi has been unresolved since last year. ... Europe, prepare yourself for another dose of the Smashing Pumpkins. The band will stage an arena tour starting January 27 in Serbia and ending March 3 in Finland, swinging through England, Italy, France and elsewhere along the way. The trek will be the Pumpkins' third overseas outing in support of the [article id="1543759"]Zeitgeist[/article] album they dropped earlier this year. ...

A James Brown trustee was threatened with contempt of court on Thursday over his involvement in the late rock icon's finances, according to Georgia newspaper The Augusta Chronicle. David Cannon, who resigned in August after facing allegation that he had misappropriated at least $7 million of Brown's money, reportedly invoked the Fifth Amendment after refusing to answer questions about how much money he made while he was employed by the singer. If Cannon is found in contempt of court, he could face up to six months in jail. ...

Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash and his wife, Perla, have filed a civil suit against a real-estate agent, claiming they were duped into buying a house, according to TMZ.com. The suit, filed this week in Los Angeles County Superior Court, names Gregory Holcomb and Sotheby's International Realty as defendants. The suit claims the couple "thought they had found their dream house" -- but were wrong. Slash (real name: Saul Hudson) and his wife claim they were told the house was on a private, gated street, but it turns out it was on a public street with very little parking. They also say it was much smaller than the 7,800 square feet it was listed as being and that there were other issues with the home's title, the suit reads. The couple are seeking $1 million for "grief, shame, humiliation, embarrassment, anger, worry, disappointment, nervousness, stomach disorders, backaches, loss of appetite and inability to concentrate on work," all of which was allegedly brought on by the house purchase. ... In related news, the members of Velvet Revolver are at a loss for why they were denied entry to Japan. The band had to cancel four scheduled concerts in the country after immigration officials denied the band's request for visas. Velvet Revolver are appealing the decision, but the process could take months to resolve. "We want to apologize to our fans in Japan that we won't be able to perform our scheduled concerts," the band said in a statement. "We don't understand why the authorities won't give us visas when they granted them for us in 2005 for what was a successful tour and a great experience. We love Japan and look forward to our return there." ...

Van Halen have begun unveiling 2008 tour dates on their Web site. So far [article id="1566974"]the reunited band[/article] has lined up five gigs, in Oklahoma City (January 22); Houston (January 28); Omaha, Nebraska (February 4); Fort Lauderdale, Florida (February 12); and St. Louis (March 30). More are expected to be announced. ... The reunion outing by the Police was named the top-grossing and top ticket-selling tour of 2007 at the fourth annual Billboard Touring Awards on Thursday night. The band's first tour in more than 20 years grossed more than $171 million from 53 shows attended by 1.5 million people. Justin Timberlake won the Breakthrough award for his FutureSex/LoveShow tour, which grossed more than $115.8 million from 100 shows attended by 1.5 million people. Prince took home the Top Boxscore award for his 21-date stand at the O2 arena in London. ...

The Kaiser Chiefs are planning to deliver new music soon, but it remains to be seen whether they will be dishing it up in the form of a new album or something else, according to their publicist. The group believes fans are more interested in tracks than LPs these days, the publicist said. ... Spreading the love: Lenny Kravitz has teamed with MySpace for a contest that will enable 10 of the rocker's friends on the social-networking site to hop aboard his Get on the Bus With the Love Revolution Tour. Interested? Go to Kravitz's MySpace page, submit a photo and explain why you think you should be part of his tour. The winners will travel on a customized Love Revolution Tour bus during the tour, get full backstage access and take part in a magazine photo shoot. ...

The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund -- a Los Angeles nonprofit group that helps musicians who are in financial need in the face of illness, disability or other problems -- is offering an original Clash shirt screened by bassist Paul Simonon to a lucky donor. Simonon gave the shirt to punk poet Patti Smith 30 years ago, and after she passed it to her drummer, Jay Dee Daughtery, he in turn donated it to Sweet Relief. Go to SweetRelief.org for more info. ... Underground musicians are continuing to step up to help Callum Robbins -- the infant son of Jawbox founder J. Robbins and his wife, Janet -- who is suffering from spinal muscular atrophy. Gordon Withers, a cellist who plays with indie-rock band Betwixt, is offering up string versions of Jawbox songs in the form of a new CD. Jawbox on Cello: A Benefit for Cal Robbins will be released digitally on December 18 through Ioda and available at Withers' concerts as well. All proceeds from sales of the disc will go to the Cal Robbins Care Fund. ...

Castmembers of "30 Rock" and "Saturday Night Live" will put on a pair of one-time-only sold-out live performances this weekend at New York's Upright Citizens Brigade Theater to benefit a [article id="1573641"]strike[/article] fund established by the Writers Guild of America, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The "SNL" show will take place on Saturday at 11:30 with host Michael Cera ("Superbad") and musical act Yo La Tengo. The "30 Rock" show will be on Monday at 8 p.m. ... As the strike nears the end of its second week, the Reporter also notes that Universal Media Studios began notifying regular actors on "Bionic Woman," "The Office" and "30 Rock" on Thursday that they will be suspended on half-pay for five weeks, citing the "force majeure" clause in their contracts that allows studios to withhold pay if production is suspended. ...

Meanwhile, Variety reports that back channel talks are underway to get "Late Show With David Letterman," "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" back on the air. The most positive estimate of when that could happen is after Thanksgiving, though early December is more likely. None of the shows wants to be the first to go back, so discussions are partly aimed at trying to get at least two of the shows to return on the same date. ... With awards season on the horizon, several kudoscasts are facing serious problems if the strike continues, according to Variety. The Golden Globes, Grammys, SAG Awards, Independent Spirit Awards and the Academy Awards all rely on writers, and at this point, the show-runners haven't commented on how they'll deal with the issue. ...

Is Courtney Love taking a cue from Radiohead? On her MySpace blog, the rocker claims she'd like to let fans [article id="1570871"]name their price[/article] for online downloads in the future. "The kamikaze pilot in me wants to do the same damn thing," she said. "I'm grateful for Radiohead for making the first move. I'd do it differently. That's why B-sides are no longer B-sides, but have to be A-sides, to an extent. I love risk, and most everything I've ever done well has been because everyone said I was crazy to do it. That's why words like 'risk management' and 'time management' are resonating with me now."