Mariah Carey's signed on to be the only performer at Macy's annual Fourth of July fireworks show, to be broadcast live on NBC. The one-hour special, which will start at 9 p.m. ET, will be broadcast in high definition. ...
Stevie Wonder, Ciara, T.I., John Legend and Omarion are joining the performance roster for the BET Awards, the channel announced Monday. The lineup already includes Mariah Carey, Destiny's Child, Missy Elliott and the Game, who will perform live at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre on June 28 at 9 p.m. ET. ... Eminem is planning to hit the seedy seaside gambling mecca of Atlantic City, New Jersey, to help celebrate the opening of the House of Blues casino and poker room. The Detroit MC will perform in the HOB's Foundation Room on July 9, the night after the Counting Crows grace the same stage. ...
More drama is on the way for R. Kelly. The singer has completed a mini movie for his five-part song, "Trapped in the Closet," and at the end, viewers are promised that chapters 6-10 are on the way soon. All five videos that comprise "Trapped in the Closet" will be released on a DVD accompanying Kelly's new album, TP3 Reloaded, which lands in stores July 5. ... Pink's already managed to wrangle the RZA, Rob Thomas and Billy Mann to work on her upcoming record, and now she's got a new name to add to the list — Butch Walker, who produced and co-wrote Avril Lavigne's "My Happy Ending." Walker also recently went back in the studio with Avril to record a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine," and co-wrote and sings backup on "Good Times," the theme to Tommy Lee's new reality show, "Tommy Lee Goes to College." ...
The "Hustle & Flow" soundtrack isn't even out yet, but two videos for it are already in the can. T.I. and Lil Scrappy guest on the first single from the soundtrack, "I'm a King" by P$C, which was produced by Lil Jon; they shot a video last week in Atlanta with director Benny Boom. Newcomer Webbie's "Bad Bitch" (featuring Trina) is the second single, for which a video was shot last week in Miami with director Dr. Teeth. The soundtrack, due out July 12, also features Mike Jones, Paul Wall, Boyz N Da Hood, 8Ball & MJG, Trillville and Al Kapone. ... Going bananas wondering how Peter Jackson's "King Kong" turned out? You'll have your chance to see the trailer on Monday — the two-and-a-half-minute teaser clip will be broadcast at the same time (8:59:30-9:02 p.m. ET) on 10 channels: NBC, SCI FI, USA Network, Bravo, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemundo, Mun2, TRIO and Universal HD. ...
When you're rolling with 50 Cent's G-Unit, you'd better be sporting only the hottest gear on the market. Like, say, a watch that doubles as an MP3 player. 50's line of G-Unit Watches feature everything from spinning bezels and iced-out faces to the world's first MP3-playing watch — available in 256 or 512 megabytes of storage (that's eight and 16 hours of music, respectively). The G-Unit line of timepieces will range in price from $299 to $3,500 and will be in stores nationwide next month. ... Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Lovers line, which was originally supposed to hit stores in May or June, is now slated to come out July 5. The product line will initially feature casual women's clothing (shirts, sweats, thermals, long underwear and tank tops) and a few accessories (such as stickers and patches, as well as the already-released Hewlett-Packard camera case), but will then expand to include men's, kids', babies' and plus-size clothing, as well as intimates, handbags, accessories and stationary. ...
Mandy Moore has officially started recording her new album, according to a voice message the singer left on her Web site for fans. After vacationing in Mexico, she said it was "time to hunker down and do some work." "I have had such a blast with the whole writing process," she said, calling the experience "overwhelming." Now that that's over, she's "so, so excited" that the musicians she's working with have started tracking their parts, and she's about to join them. ... With her third album, Extraordinary Machine, collecting dust on some shelf in the basement of Epic's headquarters, and on the iPod of anyone with even a working knowledge of computers, Fiona Apple's starting anew, and hoping the second time's the charm. According to an Epic spokesperson, Apple's taking another stab at her third disc, and has been working with Brian Kehew (Moog Cookbook). No word yet on when — if ever — this one might surface. ...
About to throw out your torn stockings? Stop and put them to good use instead by dressing up like Courtney Love. San Diego's Comic-Con is holding a costume contest on July 16 to see who can dress up most like Princess Ai, the rocker's comic-book alter ego. See begoths.com/princessai.php for more info. ... Meanwhile, Love's got another lawsuit on her hands — a man who says he was injured while the singer was making her "Mono" video has filed a claim in Los Angeles Superior Court, naming Love as well as her record label and video production company as those responsible. A conference hearing has been scheduled to address the matter on October 28 in Van Nuys, California.
06.20.2005
Destiny's Child might be over, but that's not going to make Beyoncé stop the music. She's already planning on going back in the studio to do a single for "The Pink Panther" soundtrack, she told MTV Europe, and she's hoping to do more music for the upcoming screen version of the musical "Dreamgirls," which she starts shooting in December. "I grew up listening to the soundtrack and hearing about that play," she said. "I wish I could have seen it in the flesh, but they're redoing it, and I'm so excited. For the first time, I feel that I'm going to be challenged." But as far as a new solo album, don't hold your breath. "I'm not sure if that's going to happen [anytime soon]," she said. ...
Karl Mueller, bassist for '90s alt-rock hitmakers Soul Asylum, died on Friday at his home in Minneapolis at the age of 41. Mueller was diagnosed with throat cancer last year, and while he was an only child, his bandmates Dave Pirner and Dan Murphy are listed as his "brothers" in the obituary which ran in his hometown paper the Minneapolis Star Tribune. A memorial service for Mueller is set for Wednesday in Minneapolis. ... If you were upset last month when the White Stripes announced their U.S. tour dates — and conveniently forgot to include any on the East Coast — well, cheer up. Because on Monday (June 20), they rectified this slight by confirming a whole slew of new shows. The second leg of the tour starts September 8 in Milwaukee and makes stops in East Coast strongholds like New York, Boston and Atlantic City, New Jersey, before coming to a close October 2 with a hometown show at Detroit's Masonic Temple Theatre. Brendan Benson and the Greenhornes will serve as opening acts on various dates. ...
Paris Hilton, Wilmer Valderrama, the cast of HBO's "Entourage" and members of Good Charlotte and Linkin Park are among the celebs who have created custom sneakers that will be auctioned off as part of Reebok's Trick Your Kicks program. Bidding for each pair of shoes starts at $100, and proceeds from the auctions, ending Friday, will benefit the Forefront Organization, a nonprofit global network of human-rights defenders. Visit www.rbk.com for more info. ... Hilton is going for an '80s sound on her upcoming album, and she's got former Go-Go's guitarist Jane Wiedlin aboard to help her do it. The "Surreal Life" star told the Advocate (June issue) that the hotel heiress "has no attitude whatsoever" and "takes direction well." "I'm just happy to be of service," Wiedlin told the magazine. "I was so excited they offered me the job. I mean, come on, it's Paris Hilton!" ...
The Game's expecting quite a few players to show up at his party at New York's Quo on Tuesday night — because he's playing with them earlier that day. The rapper's joining members of the NBA such as Baron Davis (of the Golden State Warriors), Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards) and Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) for an all-star basketball game, the annual Rucker's Basketball Tournament in Harlem. ... Nelly wants to help you lose some weight — he's releasing a diet version of his Pimp Juice energy drink, called PJ Tight. It's got an apple flavor like the original, but less sugar, so it's only 20 calories. And if you're interested, Nelly's also looking for fans to contribute the rhyme for the jingle; check out www.letitloose.com. You have time, though, since the contest doesn't end until October 20. ...
For all you "American Idol" hopefuls who didn't make it to Hollywood: The producers of the FOX talent show will be launching an online version of the program this fall in the form of an Internet radio station, according to Reuters. Contestants can upload their music to the service, called "American Idol Underground," for a $50 entry fee. Each track will be given a minimum of 200 spins, and listeners can rate it on a scale of 1-10. The top-rated tracks each month will be presented and scored by a panel of celebrity judges, who will pick the best performance in each musical genre. Prizes have yet to be determined, but don't look for a crossover onto the small screen — the online service will have no direct integration into the television show. ... Drummer Mike Chiplin, a founding member of U.K. rock outfit Lostprophets, has left the band. According to a statement issued by the group's reps, the Lostprophet "lads have all grown up together," so "the departure is an amicable one with Mike leaving to pursue other musical opportunities." The band is working on its third album, which should hit stores early next year. ...
In between playing the Philadelphia Live 8 concert on July 2 and their appearance at this summer's Lollapalooza festival on July 23, the Kaiser Chiefs will be playing three East Coast gigs with the Cribs. The first, at Philly's Theatre of Living Arts, is set for July 20, while the band plans to invade New York's Webster Hall on July 21 and Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club on July 22. Both bands will also perform at San Francisco's Fillmore on July 25. ... Deftones frontman Chino Moreno and his side project Team Sleep will be playing a dozen North American club shows with openers Idiot Pilot, beginning July 2 in New York. The band will hit Detroit, Nashville and Indianapolis before wrapping things up in Lawrence, Kansas, on July 18. ...
Madonna has picked a title for her upcoming documentary, a sequel of sorts to 1991's "Truth or Dare." She's calling the Jonas Akerlund-directed film "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret." ... The Used have hired director Kevin Kerslake (Velvet Revolver's "Fall to Pieces," Ryan Cabrera's "True," Nirvana's "Come as You Are") to helm the soon-to-be-shot clip for their next single, "I Caught Fire." ...
