Hilary and Haylie Duff seem to be inseparable these days — the celeb sisters are teaming up once again, this time to lend their voices to an upcoming animated film called "Foodfight!" The movie takes place in a grocery store, which comes to life after hours and features such characters as Mr. Clean, Charlie the Tuna and Twinkie the Kid dominating the action. There's no word yet on which characters the Duff sisters will play. "Foodfight!" — which will be in 3-D — is due out in the fall of 2006. ...

Audioslave's forthcoming second album now has a name: Out of Exile, which will hit record stores May 17 and feature "The Curse," "Your Time Has Come" and the current radio single, "Be Yourself." Audioslave's spring tour kicks off April 14 in Las Vegas. ... Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, the White Stripes, Kid Rock and the Pixies will headline the 12th annual Music Midtown Festival in Atlanta, which takes place June 10-12. Additional artists confirmed include Loretta Lynn, Bloc Party, the Killers, Joan Jett and Coheed & Cambria. Meanwhile, native son and producer Jermaine Dupri has been recruited to curate the festival's urban stage. ...

Fat Joe is making us wait even longer for his All or Nothing LP. The record has been pushed back to May 24; his camp has blamed "sample clearance issues" for the delay. ... Kanye West will release the "Kanye West Video Anthology" on March 22. In addition to his videos, the DVD will feature retooled versions of previously released material, like the "Jesus Walks" remix with Common and Mase, as well as a couple of songs that have never hit shelves, such as "Heavy Hitters With GLC." ... "American Idol" champ Ruben Studdard has been knocked down yet again with another lawsuit, this time from his own godfather. Ronald Edwards, also the singer's former manager, filed a $500,000 countersuit against the Velvet Teddy Bear on Friday, according to The Associated Press, accusing him of failing to pay management fees and other expenses. This comes on the heels of Studdard's $246,000 suit against Edwards, filed March 5, in which the singer accuses his former manager of mismanaging his money while acting as a business advisor. ...

Guitarist Vernon Reid announced on his blog that he will be a guest member of the Roots when they hit the road in June. His group, Living Colour, will be playing the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at the end of April. ... Lenny Kravitz donated a signed black-and-white Epiphone Flying V guitar to help raise money for Brazil's fight against hunger, according to Reuters. He personally handed the instrument to Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at a photo op before his concert in Brasilia on Saturday. The $5,000 axe will be auctioned off on a government Web site as part of the president's "Zero Hunger" program. Now that Kravitz wrapped his first tour of Latin America over the weekend, U.S. audiences will get to see him perform Stateside when his tour here kicks off on April 5 in Dallas. ...

Meat Beat Manifesto will embark on their first U.S. tour in seven years beginning June 9; a full itinerary for the 20-city trek has not yet been announced. The electronic duo's new album, At the Center, will hit stores on May 24. ... Montreal trio the Unicorns may have called it quits, but we haven't heard the last of them yet. Two of the members, singer Nicholas Diamonds and drummer J'aime Tambour, will continue on as a hip-hop outfit called Th' Corn Gangg. The duo recently made their U.S. debut at South by Southwest and an album and tour are expected later in the year. ... Prolific singer/songwriter and studio/touring musician Mindy Jostyn died March 10 after a battle with cancer. Jostyn had worked with such artists as Carly Simon, Cyndi Lauper, John Mellencamp, Joe Jackson, Shania Twain, Jon Bon Jovi and Billy Joel, according to her Web site. Her latest solo album, Coming Home, is due later this year. ...

03.21.2005

Britney Spears displayed a new, long-haired brunette 'do when she launched a global campaign for her perfume, Curious, on Friday. "I've always wanted to have a fragrance of my own, and now I've seen my dream come true," she said at a press conference in New Orleans. "It's really nice to share something this personal and special with my fans around the world." The singer posed with fans from Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Africa, Spain and Ireland, who won contests to come and meet Britney. ... Meanwhile, Spears has prevailed in a lawsuit filed against her by a clothing company that was disputing her use of the phrase "In the Zone" for her album of that name. San Diego athletic-clothing company Lite Breeze Inc. claimed trademark infringement, since it used the phrase in association with its promotion of music and live sporting events, but the judge granted the singer's request for a summary judgment and ruled in the favor of the defense. ...

Usher's already got four movie deals under his belt, but he may soon have a fifth — if he manages to convince Tom Cruise to team up. "We're going to make an action film together," Usher told Us Weekly. The singer's rep told MTV News that the two did meet up to discuss working together for an unnamed project, but cautioned that they're just in discussions at this stage. ... The Used sent a letter on Monday to Wet Seal, reminding the clothing chain of the living and dying conditions of rabbits bred for their pelts. "Young people today realize that fur is horrifically cruel," the band wrote, "and they don't want to support a store that supports the mistreatment of animals." The PETA supporters are asking Wet Seal to stop carrying fur in both its stores and its catalog. ...

Fantasia is returning to the "American Idol" stage for the first time since she won the crown last spring. The raspy singer will treat viewers of the April 6 show to her new single, "Baby Mama." ... Can't wait to hear Nine Inch Nails' new album, With Teeth? Well, if you live in one of 13 metropolises across the U.S., you're in luck. According to a post on NIN.com, beginning on March 26 in Los Angeles, fans will be able to attend special NIN-sponsored listening parties, where they will receive a "limited edition" gift. And if you preorder the album at one of the listening parties, you'll also get a 7-inch vinyl single featuring Teeth's first single, "The Hand That Feeds," and "Home," a nonalbum track. A full list of cities hosting the parties can be found on NIN.com. ...

SXSW isn't just for indie-rockers. Pop stars and celebrities were also seen making the rounds at the four-day Austin, Texas, festival. Jessica Simpson, the Distillers' Brody Dalle and Har Mar Superstar were among the many catching Queens of the Stone Age and the Bravery at the DKNY party in an airport hangar. R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe went to the Ritz to check out slow-burn Brooklyn rockers Calla, and the diminutive Elijah Wood was at various shows, including Bloc Party, the Go! Team and Canadian chanteuse/Broken Social Scener Leslie Feist's daytime set that was almost hijacked by an abrupt weather shift. Gorillaz/Blur frontman Damon Albarn dropped by the Houston hip-hop showcase Wednesday night that included Jay-Z cohort Bun B and Devin the Dude. Erykah Badu and her enormous afro logged time backstage during M.I.A.'s set at the Fader party, and Mick Jagger's ex Jerry Hall sang with Rachel Fuller at Crowne Plaza. ...

Roxy Music will be appearing at June's Isle of Wight Festival, according to BBC News. Morrissey, Supergrass, R.E.M. and Idlewild will also be performing over the three-day event. Reunited bandmembers Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzerana, Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson are also working on new material and will record their first album since 1982's Avalon. ... British pop trio Saint Etienne are finishing up their latest album, Tales From Turnpike House, which will be released in the U.K. on June 6. The disc will feature 12 tracks, including "Side Streets," "Teenage Winter" and "Lightning Strikes Twice," and will include a guest appearance from 1970s British icon David Essex. Tales From Turnpike House will be the band's first studio album since 2002's Finisterre. ...

The popularity of Sparta and the Mars Volta has inspired Fearless Records to release a compilation of 17 At the Drive-In rarities, B-sides, and unreleased live cuts. Called This Station Is Non-Operational, the May 24 release will feature a cover of the Smiths rarity "This Night Has Opened My Eyes" as well as a rendition of Pink Floyd's "Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk." ... According to Monster Magnet's Web site, guitarist Phil Caivano has taken leave of the band. Frontman Dave Wyndorf described the split as "amicable" in a posting to the site's main page, and announced he's be filling in for Caivano at least until recording of the band's forthcoming new album is completed. He also said the band was in the process of auditioning for Caivano's replacement. ...