At a hearing held Friday to determine if C-Murder will get a new murder trial, a key prosecution witness testified that she had seen someone other than the rapper with a gun moments before 16-year-old Steve Thomas was shot and killed, though that testimony had not been included in the original trial. C-Murder's attorneys argue that that and similar information was wrongly withheld, and they claim that witnesses had criminal records — such as warrants for traffic tickets — expunged in exchange for testimony. Prosecutors denied this charge, saying the only help they offered was to protect witnesses from the rapper's friends, since some had received anonymous threatening phone calls. C-Murder was convicted in September of killing Thomas on January 12, 2002, at a nightclub MC battle in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. The hearing will resume on January 15. ...

The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul has found her king. Mary J. Blige married record producer Kendu Isaacs in a quiet ceremony on December 7 at the singer's home in New Jersey. Blige has regularly credited Isaacs for rescuing her from depression and drug abuse. ... Ozzy Osbourne, who is recovering from emergency surgery after breaking eight ribs, a vertebra and his collarbone in an ATV accident a week ago, is now breathing on his own, according to a statement from Wexham Park Hospital near London. The singer also learned of some other good news on Monday (December 15): His duet with daughter Kelly, "Changes," debuted at #1 on the U.K. singles chart. ...

Rumors had been circulating that Beyoncé would be showing appreciation to her gay fans by performing at New York club Roxy's weekly gay dance party on Saturday, and the singer did indeed fulfill everyone's hopes. B took to the stage and sang "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy." ... Sean Paul has finished a couple more songs — tentatively titled "Close to Me" and "Rebirth" — for his next record, which he hopes will feature some unexpected collaborators. "There's a big list," he said recently. "There's so many people I wanna work with. And that's the greatest thing that I have, I have that opportunity right now." ...

Metallica have announced the first 17 dates of their upcoming tour with Godsmack. The Madly in Anger With the World Tour will launch March 2 in Phoenix, with dates currently scheduled through March 31 in Denver. Tickets will go on sale on Saturday. Dates for April and May will be announced shortly. ... Simple Plan have several songs written for their next album, which they plan to release next year. The Montreal rockers are thinking about the Black Eyed Peas and Rancid as possible collaborators. ...

"American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest has signed on to replace longtime "American Top 40" host Casey Kasem beginning January 10. The revamped show will feature live performances and contests. ... In other "American Idol" news, Frenchie Davis, the singer who was kicked off the show for working at an adult-oriented Web site, will star in a touring revival of the 1980s musical "Dreamgirls." Davis, who has also appeared in "Rent," will play Effie Melody White in the production, which will debut in San Jose, California, from January 9-25 before traveling to Sacramento and Seattle. ...

Aerosmith will reward fans who donate food to the homeless by offering them a pass to attend soundcheck at the band's Thursday show at the Los Angeles Forum. The offer is open to the first 2,000 people who bring a minimum of one standard-sized grocery bag of nonperishable food to the venue the day of the show. Fans will also receive a coupon for a discount to that evening's show. ... As a holiday gift to his wife, Heather Mills-McCartney, and baby daughter Beatrice, Paul McCartney recorded an orchestral version of the unreleased Beatles track "Mother and Child." McCartney entered a North London studio last week with an ensemble of violinists and harp players to record the song, which he plans to play for them on Christmas. McCartney started writing "Mother and Child" in the '60s, and the song was originally intended to appear on Let it Be, but it was never completed. There are no plans to release the number as a commercial single. ...

Amel Larrieux has set a January 20 release date for her second solo album, Bravebird. The former Groove Theory singer just scored a Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals Grammy nomination for "Where Is the Love" with Stanley Clarke and Glenn Lewis. ... George Wendt (best known as Norm from "Cheers"), bassist Mike Watt, superpimp Rudy Ray Moore (a.k.a. Dolemite) and a renowned Egyptian belly dancer are featured in Cobra Verde's new video, "Riot Industry!" The song is included on the Cleveland rockers' Easy Listening, which was recently released on MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer's Muscletone label. ...

Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon has formed an entertainment company with Randy Spelling (son of TV's Aaron Spelling) called Ice Water Inc. The company has an ambitious agenda: to produce music, movies and fashion lines. ... Early next year, former Afghan Whigs singer Greg Dulli and Queens of the Stone Age guest vocalist Mark Lanegan (ex-Screaming Trees) will enter a studio in San Rafael, California, to record a collaborative project under the name the Gutter Twins. ...

12.12.03

Jay-Z will change clothes on Christmas Day — into a Santa suit. Not literally, but he will give out $10,000 worth of toys to the kids of the Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, New York. Each year, Jay gives back to the folks of his old stomping grounds; in addition to the toys, he'll also hand out food and donations to some of the families. ...

While Jay and P. Diddy make moves to buy basketball teams, fellow rap star Master P will make moves while on a basketball team. The No Limit general signed on to play with the Las Vegas Rattlers of the ABA minor leagues. The 6' 4'' Master P, whose real name is Percy Miller, joins the team as a forward and guard. Miller has played basketball before, with Fort Wayne of the CBA and San Diego of the IBL. He also tried out for the Charlotte Hornets in 1998 but didn't make the cut. The ABA season lasts through mid-March. ... Last month The Source revealed a recording of a young Eminem making offensive statements against black women, and now the magazine has reiterated the claim that the tape was recorded in 1993 and not earlier, as Eminem's camp has said. In a release Thursday, The Source claimed that the recordings were made direct-to-tape and that the Maxell cassette tape used was not manufactured until 1992. Also in the statement, the magazine's Dave Mays invited Eminem to come to The Source for a roundtable on racism and the hip-hop community. ...

A surprise guest at the Cash Money Millionaires annual Thanksgiving Day turkey giveaway in New Orleans was erstwhile member B.G. Relations between B.G. and CM had been acrimonious since the rapper left the fold and formed his own Chopper City Records, but the two camps started talking again after the murder of No Limit rapper Souljah Slim in November. However, a spokesperson for Cash Money said that the idea of B.G. returning to the label, as Juvenile did this year, was premature. ... Mariah Carey has invited a 16-year-old singer and cancer victim to open for her on Monday in Santa Barbara, California. Becca Solodon, a high school student who plays piano and guitar, had a leg amputated two weeks ago due to the progression of her disease. When Carey found out about Solodon's condition, she personally invited the teenager to record a song with her production team and perform at the concert. Solodon chose to record the Lifehouse song "Simon." ...

As if the Carter family didn't have enough drama — what with Nick and Aaron's parents divorcing and their father being arrested this past August for domestic battery — Aaron has now fired his mother from being his manager and moved in with his father, who remains his manager. "I feel betrayed by my own mother," Aaron said in a statement. "All these problems started when she booted my dad. I worked hard for months and I come home and owe money!" In the meantime, mother Jane Carter filed for custody of Aaron and his twin sister, Angel, in a Florida family court this week. ... After appearing in a Beverly Hills, California, courtroom Thursday to address felony drug charges, Courtney Love had another hearing Friday — to address additional misdemeanor drug charges against her, for being under the influence on the night of her arrest, October 2. This hearing, like Thursday's, was also postponed — to January 28, one day after the next Beverly Hills hearing — to allow the judge time to get Love's probation reports to determine if she's eligible for drug diversion. ...

Christopher Martin, the Play of Kid 'N Play, and Cheryl James, Salt from Salt-N-Pepa, have teamed up with New York Knicks guard Allan Houston's entertainment company H20 Productions to stage "Rise," a hip-hop musical that's set to open in Atlanta on Sunday before embarking on a 19-city tour. The 22-member cast features members of Whodini and Tamika Scott of Xscape. ... Rap veteran Erick Sermon has signed to Universal/ Motown Records. Formerly of the legendary duo EPMD, the Green Eyed Bandit is expected to release a new solo album in the spring. ...

Album tracks by Radiohead, Coldplay, Ryan Adams and a previously unreleased track by a surprise supergroup called Revboy will be included on the Amnesty International album Music for Human Rights. But don't look for it in stores — the disc is only available to those who become members of Amnesty through a donation of $15 or more. ... Original Marilyn Manson bassist Gidget Gein appears in the video for Manson's next single, "Saint," which was filmed last month at Los Angeles' Argyle Hotel. "XXX" actress Asia Argento directed and stars in the clip alongside Eric Szmanda of "CSI." The video is expected to surface in January. ...

A limited-edition Slayer sneaker called Old Skool will be issued by Vans in the spring. The shoe is black with the band's logo in red across the tongue and the back. And the side of the sole is splattered with fake blood. ... Sonic Youth are working on their first DVD series and are assembling bonus tracks for the two-CD reissue of 1990's Goo. A post on the group's Web site says it plans to compile all its videos with commentary by the band and its peers for the first DVD. ... Sugarcult have set a March 9 release date for the follow-up to their 2001 debut, Start Static. Titled Palm Trees and Power Lines, the album was produced by Gavin MacKillop (Goo Goo Dolls, Toad the Wet Sprocket). ...