When it comes to Amy Winehouse, never believe what you read. Despite reports that she would be appearing at [article id="1575921"]the Grammys[/article] on Sunday, the singer's publicist told MTV News a decision hasn't been made either way. And no, Amy hasn't left [article id="1580228"]rehab[/article] yet, although she did depart the Capio Nightingale clinic, where she's been staying the last few weeks, to make a pre-scheduled meeting at the United States Embassy. According to her rep, the meeting was arranged so that the singer could discuss renewing her visa. ...

It sounds like Snoop Dogg may be welcome in England again. The rapper, who has been banned from the U.K. since [article id="1529623"]a melee[/article] at London's Heathrow Airport in 2006, told Larry King on Friday that he's been given the green light to travel to the country again. After writing to the British government recently in a bid to get his ban overturned, the rapper told King, "I was wrongfully accused, and now I've been accepted back in. The judge overturned it. He looked at the evidence and looked at what I've been doing, just checked my character out and found me to be innocent, and now I'm able to go back out there. So, everybody in the U.K., big Snoop Dogg will be back to come give you all what you want." British authorities have not yet confirmed the rapper's claims. ...

Raymundo Ortega, the man who is suing Lindsay Lohan for [article id="1510973"]her collision with his van[/article] in October 2005, has dropped his claim against the Ivy -- the restaurant in West Hollywood, California, where Lohan had dined before the crash -- according to TMZ.com. Ortega has alleged that Lohan, who was 19 years old at the time, drank alcohol at the Ivy before the crash, but the restaurant insisted Lohan did not. The next court date is reportedly set for March 21. ...

The Spice Girls' triumphant [article id="1563553"]world reunion tour[/article] has hit a roadblock. The group announced on Friday that dates in Australia, China, South Africa and Argentina have been scrapped due to "family and personal commitments." The last stop of the tour is now going to be in Toronto on February 26. "Sadly the tour needs to come to an end by the end of February due to family and personal commitments for Emma, Geri, Mel B, Melanie C and Victoria," the group announced on its Web site, explaining that the rest of the dates were canceled "due to the phenomenal demand for tickets in the U.K. and the U.S., along with the touring logistics for such a massive production [that] it was not possible to fit everything in." And though there is rumored tension once again in Spice World, the note ends with the good news that "as the girls return to normal family life and the kids go back to school, they are reviewing all the options, who knows what the future might bring!" ...

Muse will release a live DVD/CD on March 17 in the U.K., although it's yet unclear if the set will see a U.S. release. H.A.A.R.P. - Muse Live at Wembley Stadium shows the band onstage performing tracks like "Knights of Cydonia," "Hysteria," "Butterflies and Hurricanes" and "Starlight" during a two-night stretch at the venue last summer. ... P.O.D. founding guitarist Marcos Curiel -- who split from the band in 2003 -- is back in the fold, and the group has signed a new deal with INO/Columbia that includes its new LP, When Angels and Serpents Dance. "Things are exciting again," singer Sonny Sandoval said in a statement. "When the four of us are in a room making music it's definitely right, and Marcos brings that passion for music into the band." Helmet's Paige Hamilton, Suicidal Tendencies' Mike Muir, the Marley Sisters -- and a gospel choir! -- crop up on the April 8 release, the first single of which is "Addicted." ...

The Arcade Fire are considering suing Fox after one of their songs was used in a Super Bowl ad, allegedly without the group's permission, according to Pitchfork. The ad, which promoted Fox's NFL coverage and also appeared on the network during the regular football season, features the group's song "No Cars Go." It's reportedly unclear if Fox asked the Arcade Fire for permission to use the song, if the network owes the band any money, or if the move was illegal. ... Iron and Wine will tour the U.S. with Califone throughout April. The gigs start April 9 in New Orleans and end April 20 in Louisville, Kentucky. ... Grizzly Bear are hitting the big time. The New York indie-rockers will give their biggest performance yet with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the city's Walt Disney Music Hall on March 1. Following that, the Grizzlys will hook up with Paul Simon for a three-part series at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The veteran singer/songwriter handpicked the group for "Love in Hard Times: The Music of Paul Simon," which will take place April 23-27. ...

The green dress Keira Knightley wears during key romantic scenes with James McAvoy in "Atonement," which is up for [article id="1579989"]seven Academy Awards,[/article] is being auctioned for charity on ClothesOffOurBack.org. Bidding was at $3,000 as of press time, and the auction will end March 1. Proceeds will go to Southern California children's charity Variety. ... Incubus' Make Yourself Foundation has ponied up $10,000 for Denver environmental-advocacy organization Rock the Earth -- the largest single donation the group has ever received. RTE is aiming to boost its education, advocacy and outreach at concerts and other events by 50 percent within the next year. "One person working diligently alone can do wonders, but many people working harmoniously together can accomplish worlds," frontman Brandon Boyd said in a statement. ...

A TV station and a cameraman who had been accused of getting in the way of people as they fled Warwick, Rhode Island's Station night club during a [article id="1471728"]2003 fire that killed 100 people[/article] have reached a tentative $30 million settlement with survivors and victims' relatives, according to The Associated Press. It's believed to be the largest settlement of several reached so far with the dozens of people and companies who've sued over the blaze, which began when pyrotechnics used by the night's main attraction, Great White, ignited highly flammable soundproofing foam around the stage. Last month, Station co-owner Michael Derderian was granted early release from prison by a state parole board. He is set to be freed from prison in October 2009. ...

There's lots of news on the Vines front. Singer Craig Nicholls has been diagnosed and treated for Asperger syndrome -- a developmental disorder that specialists say might be responsible for some of his bizarre episodes in the past -- and now the group is hammering away at a new album produced by Rob Schnapf (Foo Fighters, Beck). The Aussies have lined up three dates to hype the release, which is due in the spring: They will play March 14 at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas; March 17 at New York's Bowery Ballroom; and two days later at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California. But while the band is focused on the future, Capitol/EMI will take a look back on March 11 with The Best of the Vines, which culls tracks from the group's first three studio efforts. ...

Black Light Burns, the band featuring ex-Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland, are planning to release an album's worth of covers. According to a MySpace post from Borland, the band recorded several covers late last year, and "when we finished, we realized that it's super-fun and that we like a lot of songs, so we started to record more." The yet-untitled record will include the band's takes on PJ Harvey's "Rid of Me," the Jesus Lizard's "The Art of Self-Defense" and INXS' "Devil Inside." ... The recently reunited Mighty Mighty Bosstones have been added to the lineup for this year's [article id="1579503"]Bamboozle festival.[/article] They'll share the stage with the likes of Paramore, Gym Class Heroes, and the Academy Is ... at the fest, which will take place May 3-4 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. ... Seven Mary Three, the band that hit it big in 1996 with its song "Cumbersome," are back and will release their sixth album, Day&NightDriving, on February 19.

2.2.08

"American Idol" runner-up Katharine McPhee married actor Nick Cokas on Saturday in Beverly Hills, California, according to People.com. "[Nick] is the love of my life," McPhee told the site. "This is a once in a lifetime occasion and everything is just perfect." Fellow season-five "Idol" contestants Kellie Pickler and Mandisa were among the 305 guests in attendance, the site reported. McPhee and Cokas met in 2005 when they performed in a Los Angeles theater production of "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir." ...

Jay-Z will headline June's Glastonbury Festival in the U.K., BBC News reports. Jigga wanted to "break with tradition this time and put on something totally different" for the three-day shindig, organizer Michael Eavis reportedly said. The rest of the roster is yet unrevealed, save for Neil Diamond, who will play the closing night, June 29. ...

R. Kelly is being sued by a Nevada concert promoter who says the R&B star failed to show up for a performance in Minneapolis for which he was paid $120,000, according to TMZ.com. Kelly reportedly missed the gig so that he could appear in a Chicago court for a hearing. A suit filed in Atlanta District Court this week by Royalty Records reportedly claims Kelly agreed to perform December 6 with Ne-Yo and Keyshia Cole, but then rescheduled the show for December 20, the day he was set to [article id="1576877"]appear in court.[/article] The promoters are seeking the return of the payment, TMZ.com says. ...

Amy Winehouse spent Wednesday night in a hospital ward after being rushed there from a rehab facility to be treated for dehydration. BBC News reports that the singer was put on an IV drip to rehydrate her after a bout of vomiting connected to [article id="1580228"]her treatment for drug addiction.[/article] Her father, Mitch, said "everything is going according to plan, and she's perfectly OK," confirming that she has since been moved back to the rehab facility. He also reportedly told the Daily Mirror that he's not sure she's well enough yet to attend [article id="1575921"] next week's Grammys,[/article] where she's up for six awards. ...

Madonna has pegged April 29 as the release date for her yet-untitled album, her rep confirmed to MTV News. ... Janet Jackson debuted her new single, "Rock With You," Friday (February 1) on Z100.com. The song is featured on the singer's new album, Discipline, which is due February 26. ... Michael Jackson's [article id="1575462"]25th anniversary Thriller celebration[/article] just got a bit more thrilling. Chris Brown, Akon, Nick Cannon, Quincy Jones, Imogen Heap, DJ Spooky, Will.I.Am and others have shared their thoughts about the iconic album for a related 40-episode podcast series that will run throughout the year. Grab the Thrillercast widget right here. ...

While Britney Spears is undergoing a [article id="1580689"]mental-health evaluation[/article] at a Los Angeles hospital, one of Britain's leading modern-dance troupes, the Rambert Dance Company, will perform a piece called "Meltdown," described as a choreographic interpretation of the singer's recent problems. Agence France-Presse reported that the performance at the Southbank Center in London on Friday will feature music from Richard Thomas, who masterminded the tunes in "Jerry Springer: The Opera." An excerpt of the piece shown on BBC News featured a Spears character dancing in a skimpy pink top, black vinyl hot pants and a pink cowboy hat while being harassed by photographers dressed in black. She is later carried away by dancers dressed as doctors in white coats. ... Britney has some company in the psych ward, as various outlets are reporting that actor Justin Chambers, who plays Dr. Alex Karev on "Grey's Anatomy," checked himself into the same hospital as the singer to deal with exhaustion and a sleeping disorder on Monday. ...

There's some big Metallica news on the horizon, according to MetClub, their fan organization. The band, which will spend much of the summer touring Europe, is expected to reveal the dates for a North American trek next week. We'll keep you posted. ... The Roots recently got together with TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe to record a new song for the soundtrack to a Danny Glover-produced documentary on the civil-rights movement. Anthony Hamilton, the Blind Boys of Alabama and others also lent their skills to the musical accompaniment to "Soundtrack for a Revolution." ...

The Beatles might not be around anymore, but they're going into outer space thanks to a new NASA effort, The Associated Press reports. The space agency will broadcast the group's song "Across the Universe" across the galaxy to the North Star on Monday. NASA's first-ever beaming of a radio tune into deep space marks the 40th anniversary of the song and the 50th anniversary of the space agency. "Send my love to the aliens," Paul McCartney reportedly said in response to the event. ... "Law & Order" stay Jesse L. Martin will play Marvin Gaye in the upcoming biopic "Sexual Healing," according to Playbill.com. ...

Justin Timberlake, Madonna and others have some [article id="1580742"]blockbuster Super Bowl ads[/article] in store for Sunday, but Eels are taking a slightly different approach. The experimental group is in talks to bring the shortest-ever Super Bowl ad to the airwaves -- a one-second spot hyping [article id="1579612"]its recently released collection[/article] Useless Trinkets (B-sides, Soundtracks, Rarities and Unreleased. Eels made a five-second spot for the set but are trimming it down to just one second for the prospective Super Bowl TV spot. ...

Eva Mendes is in rehab for a substance-abuse problem, according to TMZ.com. The "We Own the Night" actress has reportedly been at the Cirque Lodge in Utah, where Lindsay Lohan [article id="1571340"]was treated[/article] last year, for several weeks. According to FoxNews.com, Mendes' rep said, "Eva has been working hard for the past year and made a positive decision to take some much-needed time off to proactively attend to some personal issues that, while not critical, she felt deserved some outside professional support." ...

Wesley Snipes was acquitted of tax fraud but was convicted on three misdemeanor counts of failing to file a tax return in a Florida court on Friday, according to AP. Snipes had faced up to 16 years in prison if convicted on all charges but can now only get up to three years. The "Blade" star and two co-defendants had been indicted in 2006 after Snipes stopped paying, using tax-protest arguments long rejected by the courts. ...

With a song called "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" on fellow "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson's new album under her belt, Paula Abdul has announced on her Web site that she's prepping a solo album for this summer. It would be her first album of new material in 13 years. She also promises that she and Randy will give fans a "surprise" during the Super Bowl on Sunday. ... Tom Petty may be playing halftime, but "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks will kick off the Super Bowl by performing the national anthem. Even before Sparks takes center stage, Alicia Keys will perform as part of the pregame show. ...

Fearless Records have assembled a compilation featuring punk bands' takes on crunk classics. Punk Goes Crunk is set to hit stores April 8 and will feature covers by All Time Low, the Devil Wears Prada, Hot Rod Circuit, New Found Glory and Say Anything, among others. ... Remember Lit, that guys with the music video in which they're climbing across Pamela Anderson like she's the Himalayas? Well, the "Miserable" band is back in writing mode, according to its Web site. "Lit is currently writing together, and I hope that there will be more news to give you this year," a post on the site claims. The band's last album, which was self-titled, hit stores back in 2004.