The judge in the case pitting Britney Spears against Us Weekly said Thursday that she needs more time before ruling on a motion by the magazine to dismiss a $20 million libel suit filed by the singer, according to The Associated Press. Spears filed the suit in December, alleging the magazine printed a false report that had her and husband Kevin Federline acting "goofy" in the presence of their lawyers while screening an alleged sex tape that they were worried would be released. Spears has claimed both the story and the existence of the tape are false. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for May 3. ...

Oscar-winning Memphis rappers Three 6 Mafia are being sued by a fan who claims he was beaten at one of the rap group's August 2003 concerts, AP reports. The members could land in a Pittsburgh courtroom next month to be deposed in the suit filed by Ramone Williams, a then-19-year-old fan who says he was thrown to the floor, hit with a chair, stomped on and kicked in the face at the gig. He is suing them for inciting the audience during their performance and for failing to end the violence once it started. Three 6's lawyer told the AP that his clients deny Williams' allegations. ...

The South by Southwest music conference is usually filled with secret shows announced at the last minute, and this year has proven to be no different. What wound up being a poorly kept secret after rumor got around was Beastie Boys' Thursday night show at Stubb's, where the band played a set consisting mostly of songs from their two most recent albums, To the 5 Boroughs and Hello Nasty. The Flaming Lips also went the secret route with a rare acoustic set at Eternal. ... During an interview at SXSW, the Foo Fighters' Taylor Hawkins confirmed that the band's next single will be "Miracle" from the acoustic side of In Your Honor and that rehearsals for its upcoming summer tour will commence in May. ...

Linkin Park's Chester Bennington and his wife, Talinda, had a baby boy on Thursday in Los Angeles, the AP reports. Tyler Lee weighed in at 9 pounds, 3 ounces, according to a statement from their publicist. ... Nick Lachey is slated to play a single man living in Manhattan in the new CW comedy "She Said/ He Said," a spokesperson for the channel told the AP on Friday. The pilot will be shot in April, and the show's fate will be determined soon after; the fledgling network — formed by merging the WB and UPN — will announce its schedule May 18. ...

He's paid his bills but appears to have packed his bags. A day after Michael Jackson avoided a lawsuit from the state by settling up a bill of several hundred thousand dollars with the employees at his Neverland Ranch in California, the singer's representatives announced that he's locking the doors of the main house on the 2,600-acre ranch. According to The Associated Press, Jackson's spokesperson said because Jackson is currently residing in the Middle Eastern country of Bahrain, he has decided to close the house and lay off some workers. ... Pink, Chris Brown and Bow Wow will perform at Nickelodeon's 19th annual Kids' Choice Awards, hosted by Jack Black and set for April 1 at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. Ludacris, Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan Justin Timberlake, Cameron Diaz, Nick Cannon, Jon Heder, Emma Roberts, Jesse McCartney and Avril Lavigne are among the celebrities scheduled to take part in the festivities. ... In other Chris Brown news, an airdate has been set for his acting debut on UPN's "One on One": March 27. The R&B up-and-comer makes a cameo on the show, playing himself but getting turned down by an older woman. ...

More details have emerged about the role that Jay-Z protégé Ne-Yo will take on in his big-screen debut, the forthcoming urban dance film "Step Show," directed by Sylvain White (the upcoming "I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer"). According to The Hollywood Reporter, actor/choreographer Columbus Short ("You Got Served") will portray the streetwise dancer courted by step-show-competing fraternities, and Ne-Yo will play his college roommate. ... "Welcome Back, Kotter" creator and star Gabe Kaplan said rapper-turned-thespian Ice Cube is a fine choice to play his old role in the forthcoming big-screen adaptation of the television classic. Kaplan told "Access Hollywood" that Cube is the perfect guy. ... He has shown what kind of crossover appeal he has." On "Kotter," Kaplan played a teacher who returns to his Brooklyn, New York, high school, where he leads a class of apathetic students; the sitcom was based on Kaplan's own experiences as an educator. As for who he'd like see cast in Cube's movie version, which will be set in South Central Los Angeles, Kaplan said, "Snoop Dogg will play Horshack, Vanilla Ice would play Barbarino ... I don't know." ...

At New York's Splashlight Studios on Thursday, Microsoft and Epic Records announced the launch of a partnership that will feature a new Epic musician's music and videos — as well as a chance to compete against them — through Xbox Live every month. Kicking off the program will be Natasha Bedingfield, whose video for her hit song "Unwritten" will be available for download through Live onto the Xbox 360. Bedingfield will also play on Live against select gamers in April, a continuation of the Xbox Game With Fame celebs-vs.-gamers program that Microsoft has run with stars like Outkast and Maroon 5 since early 2004. To kick off the program, Bedingfield performed a three-song acoustic set at Splashlight. Attendees were treated to hands-on sessions with spring and summer 360 titles, including "99 Nights," "Dead Rising" and, in its first even semi-public outing, "Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis." ...

With the reunion of the surviving members of Alice in Chains in full swing, Arts Publications will release a fresh reprint of the biography of late Chains frontman Layne Staley. The book, called "Layne Staley: Angry Chair," has been out of print for a number of years. The tome's author, Adriana Rubio, has been inundated with e-mails and phone calls from fans looking for a copy in recent weeks. The Arts Publications Web site is currently accepting pre-orders for the book. ... Aston "Family Man" Barrett, who was reggae legend Bob Marley's bass player, filed a lawsuit in London's High Court this week against Marley's family and record label. According to Reuters, the suit claims Barrett and his late brother, Marley drummer Carlton Barrett, were the "bedrock" of Marley's music. The bassist claims that he's owed royalties from Island Records, as well as earnings from songs he said he co-wrote with the late Marley, who died of cancer 25 years ago. Island has attempted to have the case dismissed, as Barrett had previously accepted a settlement. The trial is expected to last three weeks.

03.16.2006

Late rapper Tupac Shakur will be immortalized in wax at the Madame Tussauds wax museum in Las Vegas as part of the new "Tupac Eternal" exhibit. The Shakur figure will be unveiled at a ceremony April 5 in the city where he was gunned down nearly a decade ago. The wax model was carved by the same sculptor who worked on the museum's Beyoncé statue, using hundreds of photos and measurements provided by the rapper's mother, Afeni Shakur, with each of the MC's iconic tattoos hand-painted onto the figure. ...

On April 3 UPN will re-air a 2005 episode of "Half & Half," showcasing current "American Idol" finalist Ace Young, TV Guide reports. The "Idol" heartthrob starred as a client seeking representation at a talent agency. ... Just weeks after being found guilty of sexually abusing two underage girls in Vietnam, British singer Gary Glitter (born Paul Gadd) plans to appeal his three-year prison sentence, according to The Associated Press. Glitter, 61, told his lawyer, Le Thanh Kinh, that "he was innocent so he has to appeal to clear this matter." The singer would be eligible for parole in November and would likely be deported at that time. ...

Cypress Hill's Mellow Man Ace and Sen Dog — otherwise known as the Reyes Brothers — are joining forces for their first joint release, Ghetto Therapy, June 13. The LP, which includes top producers Warren G, Cypress Hill's B Real and Fredwreck, will be powered by the lead single "We O.G.'s" featuring Warren and Snoop Dogg. Expect the track to hit radio in May. ... Tre Hardson, former member of influential West Coast rap group the Pharcyde, is set to release his sophomore solo disc, SlimKid3's Café, April 4. To push his latest effort, Hardson is launching a cross-country trek called the Rap Renegades Tour that will also feature Speech of Arrested Development, Modill, Longshot and Hardson's new five-piece band, Fuqawi. The tour will kick off its West Coast leg April 6 in Arcata, California, and wrap April 28 in Santa Rosa (at the Last Day Saloon, coincidentally), with additional tour dates to be announced in the coming weeks. ...

On May 9 Fearless Records will release Punk Goes 90's, a compilation featuring several contemporary punk, emo and metal bands' takes on some of that decade's biggest hit records. The disc will feature Mae's rendition of Nine Inch Nails' "March of the Pigs" (produced by Blink-182's Mark Hoppus), Emery tackling Toad the Wet Sprocket's "All I Want," Copeland doing Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" and Hit the Lights covering "Hey Jealousy" by the Gin Blossoms. The record will also boast contributions from Bleeding Through, Anberlin, Cartel, Eighteen Visions, the Starting Line and others. ... Vagrant Records is teaming up with Major League Baseball to bring Warped Tour-goers the "Vagrant Stage" during this summer's festival. Senses Fail, Saves the Day, From Autumn to Ashes, the Bled, Reggie and the Full Effect, Moneen, Emanuel, Protest the Hero and Down to Earth Approach will take the stage during each stop along the Warped route. Sense Fail and Saves the Day will pull double duty, performing plugged-in sets on the main stage and going acoustic on Vagrant's stage. ...

"Doom" co-creator John Carmack and well-endowed video game adventurer Lara Croft are among the major gaming figures who will be inducted Thursday (March 16) at San Francisco's Walk of Game. Inspired by Hollywood's Walk of Fame, the Walk of Game is located in the floor of the recently sold Sony Metreon entertainment complex. The Walk was opened last year with six inductees, including Atari founder Nolan Bushnell and Sonic the Hedgehog. This year Carmack and "Civilization"-creator Sid Meier will receive Lifetime Achievement stars. Croft and the video game franchises "EverQuest," "Final Fantasy" and "Starcraft" will get regular stars. Selections were decided by 500,000 votes cast online in October. ...

Remnants of Fats Domino's pianos have been pulled from his devastated New Orleans home, The Associated Press reports. Recovery workers from the Louisiana State Museum managed to unearth a black Steinway baby grand, a white Steinway grand and an electric Wurlitzer keyboard from the legendary jazz player's abode that was submerged beneath 10 feet of water when the city was flooded in August. The museum hopes Domino will donate the black Steinway for inclusion in a future exhibit on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. ... Phil Collins, 55, is headed for his third divorce. The former Genesis singer has announced his separation from third wife, Orianne, according to The Associated Press. The pair married in 1999 and have two sons, ages 4 and 1. Collins also has three children from his two prior marriages. "They have been living separately since the beginning of the year and both cite the fact that they have been growing apart for some time now and this has put too much pressure on their relationship," according to a statement. ...