Fergie will be pushing Candie's in an advertising campaign for the fashion brand that kicks off with February TV spots and March magazine ads. The singer puts on a show for a peeping Tom spying on her home life in the TV commercial, which will feature her song "Glamorous." ...

The Game appeared in a New York court on Tuesday to plead not guilty to a charge of criminal impersonation of a public servant stemming from a November arrest. The rapper had been busted for allegedly telling a taxi driver that he was an undercover police officer and ordering him to race through the streets of Manhattan, New York. Game's next court appearance is scheduled for March 29. Jeffrey Lichtman, the rapper's lawyer, told The New York Post that he expects prosecutors to dismiss the case. ...

Could Courtney Love be the new Paula Abdul? It's very unlikely. While Us Weekly reported that Love has been approached by "Idol" producer Nigel Lythgoe to consider a judging spot on the televised talent competition, Lythgoe refuted the claim. "I did not call Courtney Love and am afraid someone may have misrepresented me," he told MTV News. "Courtney Love is a very talented artist, but the judges for 'American Idol' are Paula, Randy and Simon. We have no plans to add to or replace any of them." ... February is a short month, but it's a busy one, what with Groundhog Day, the Super Bowl, the Grammys, Valentine's Day, the Oscars — and a whole lot of unexpected TV guest stars thanks to ratings sweeps. Nelly Furtado pops up on the CBS drama "CSI: NY" on February 7; Mary J. Blige guests on that network's "The Ghost Whisperer" on February 9; Fab Five Freddy and Sticky Fingaz will be featured on the February 13 episode of NBC's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent"; Stephen Colletti of "Laguna Beach" does a two-episode run on the CW's "One Tree Hill" on February 7 and 14; and Three 6 Mafia join gossip blogger Perez Hilton in NBC's "1 Vs. 100" mob on February 23. ...

AFI have tacked two additional shows onto their upcoming West Coast tour: March 1 at the University of California, Davis; and March 3 in San Bernardino, California. ... Alex Kapranos wants to take you out — well, he wants to tell you where to eat, at least. Tuesday night at New York's Tribeca Cinemas, the Franz Ferdinand frontman (and former chef) threw a book bash for "Sound Bites" — his first publication highlighting his fave foods and flavors and funny gastro encounters while touring with his band. (His adventures include eating potentially fatal blowfish in Japan. Mmm ... yummy.) Also on hand was bassist Bob Hardy and a bevy of delectable dishes and desserts from Kapranos' favorite Big Apple eateries, Les Halles and the Peter Pan Donut Shop. ... Nickelback aren't putting all the profits from their next single into the piggy bank. Instead, the hard-rockers are donating the proceeds from digital sales of their "If Everyone Cared" song and video to Amnesty International and the International Children's Awareness Canada. ...

The Clipse are hitting the road, kicking off a U.S. tour February 27 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Malice/ Pusha T duo will perform in cities including Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles on the 21-date trek, which wraps up March 29 in Carrboro, North Carolina. ... Silversun Pickups have been added to the first day of Coachella, set for April 27. The smokin'-hot indie-rockers — whose "Lazy Eye" clip is making waves on MTV — will also appear on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on February 19. ... Kings of Leon have set April 3 as the release date for their third album. Because of the Times — the title to which refers to a preachers' conference some of the bandmembers attended in their youth — was partially produced by Ethan Johns, who has worked with the Tennessee band throughout its career. The first single is "On Call." ...

The never-ending legal battle between Beach Boys singer Mike Love and former bandmate Al Jardine has taken a new turn, AP reports. On Tuesday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge James R. Dunn rejected Love's motion to rule in favor of the lawsuit Love filed against Jardine way back in 2003. Dunn instead ruled that, in light of sufficient evidence, the case should go to trial, although he did not set a date. Love's '03 suit was submitted after Jardine filed a $4 million action against the singer in '01, claiming that Love excluded his former bandmate from concerts that year. Dunn tossed out part of Love's suit in September 2006 but let him continue to pursue $2 million in court costs and $1 million in earnings that Love claimed Jardine was wrongly paid for using the Beach Boys' name. ...

Sony BMG announced Tuesday that it had reached a proposed settlement with the Federal Trade Commission that would allow consumers to trade in CDs with its controversial "rootkit" anti-piracy software through June 30. The company has also agreed to pay up to $150 to repair any damage to computers caused by users trying to remove the stealth digital-rights-management software, which was revealed to cause serious security risks. The proposed settlement also prohibits Sony BMG from collecting user information for marketing purposes and from installing software without users' consent. Sony is also required to provide a way for users to easily uninstall the rootkit software. A final decision on the settlement will occur after public hearings wrap up on March 1. ... After a nearly 30-year gap, the Eagles are apparently finishing their first new album since the Carter administration. Singer/drummer Don Henley told an audience at a private concert on Saturday that the band was close to finishing the untitled album. "It's coming out in 60 to 90 days, if we don't kill each other first," he said, according to a report in the Las Vegas Journal-Review. The band's representatives did not comment on the report. The album would be the group's first studio effort since 1979's The Long Run.

01.30.2007

The family of the woman killed in a freeway crash involving Brandy on December 30 filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against the singer Tuesday (January 30), according to Reuters. The suit claims 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj's death was caused by "reckless driving" on the part of Brandy, whose Land Rover initially hit Aboudihaj. The vehicle driven by Aboudihaj then slammed into a third car and was hit broadside by a fourth vehicle. On Monday, the California Highway Patrol suggested to the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office that Brandy, who was traveling alone, be charged with a misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter. That charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Investigators have ruled out alcohol, drugs and cell phone use as factors. ...

Beyoncé told MTV Europe that holding open calls for musicians and dancers for her upcoming tour wasn't easy — but it was worth the effort. "I found the most incredible women," she said of the worldwide auditions. "I sat there one day and looked at thousands of women, and it was just so great to see that it was a lot of people's first auditions and they had the opportunity to learn." Beyoncé said the all-female band and eight dancers she discovered at open calls will support her on the European tour, which will include Destiny's Child selections as well as her solo songs. "I do a little bit of everything," she said. ...

The Killers will kick off their "Read My Mind" tour April 6 in Santa Barbara, California. The 17-date trek is scheduled to wrap April 29 in Boston. Tickets are already on sale through the band's fan club and at various Target stores (no, we're not kidding), and will be available to the rest of us non-fan-club-joining, non-Target-shopping schlubs February 3. ...

The Game, Nelly, and Joel and Benji Madden will act as celebrity judges in Music Nation's online music-video competition, which will result in three rock, pop and urban artists getting signed to Epic. Producers J.R. Rotem (Britney Spears, Destiny's Child) and Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, All-American Rejects); Jive Urban Music President Mark Pitts; and Epic President Charlie Walk are also on the panel. Voting, which the public can also participate in, is now open for the 15-week competition at MusicNation.com. ...

U.K. starlet Lily Allen will pad the release of her debut, Alright, Still — which just dropped Stateside — with a performance on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend. The singer's club tour will follow: MTV Discover & Download Presents Lily Allen opens Monday in Los Angeles and ends February 18 in Boston. She'll also appear on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" February 13. ... Avril in April: Lavigne has set April 17 as the release date for her third studio LP, The Best Damn Thing. Expect the singer's album — the follow-up to 2004's Under My Skin — to include "Keep Holding On," which appeared on the "Eragon" soundtrack; "Girlfriend," which is the LP's first single; plus "I Can Do Better," "The Best Damn Thing," "When You're Gone" and "Innocence." Husband/ Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley, Butch Walker (Under My Skin) and Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance) produce. ...

Paris Hilton filed a federal lawsuit against the operators of ParisExposed.com, seeking to shut down the subscription-based site — which features personal photos, videos, diaries and other Hilton belongings once housed at a storage facility — The Associated Press reports. The site launched last week, and its creators claim they obtained Paris' personal effects through an auction initiated after Hilton neglected to pay her storage fees. According to the suit, Hilton was "shocked and surprised" to learn her belongings — including a passport, medical records, financial statements and other legal documents displayed on the site — were sold at a public auction, maintaining that the moving company she hired two years ago was supposed to pay the storage fees. Hilton's publicist Elliot Mintz told AP that his client would like the site closed and "all of these items returned to her." ...

Jennifer Lopez has had enough of JLo — her fashion line, not her nickname. Lopez's new juniors brand Justsweet will debut in time for a fall back-to-school launch, replacing the street-inspired JLo line in department stores and featuring apparel more in tune with her higher-end Sweetface brand. Lopez will show her new line — which will include dresses, fragrance, eyewear, outerwear and jewelry as well as jeans and sportswear — at New York's Fashion Week in September. ... Toni Braxton pulled her lawsuit against her ex-manager Barry Hankerson and his Blackground Records LLC on Monday after a federal court directed her to justify the basis of the suit. The singer had claimed Hankerson owed her $10 million after convincing her to leave longtime label Arista and sign to Blackground. ...

Beck has announce the track list for the three-disc deluxe edition of The Information, due February 27. Highlights include three previously unreleased tracks ("Inside Out," "This Girl That I Know" and "O Menina"); remixes by Bumblebeez and Jamie Lidell; and Michel Gondry's video for "Cellphone's Dead." ... Jurassic 5's Chali 2na, Blackalicious rapper Gift of Gab and Digable Planets' Ladybug are among the guests contributing to New Orleans funk band Galactic's hip-hop-style album, due in the summer. Mr. Lif, Lyrics Born, the Coup's Boots Riley and Lateef the Truthspeaker will also be featured. ...

My Chemical Romance, the Killers, Muse, Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian lead the field for the Shockwave NME Awards with four nominations each. All five bands go head-to-head in the Best Album category, while MCR and the Killers face off for Best International Band — against the Strokes, CSS and We Are Scientists — and Muse, Kasabian and the Monkeys do battle with Oasis and Babyshambles for the Best British Band honor. The prizes, which are voted on by NME readers, will be handed out March 1 at London's Hammersmith Palais. ... The Good, the Bad & the Queen — the collective featuring Blur's Damon Albarn, former Clash bassist Paul Simonon, Verve guitarist Simon Tong and drummer Tony Allen — will begin a North American tour March 11 in Toronto. Just five dates have been announced thus far, including a gig in New York on March 12; one in Washington, D.C., on March 14; and a stop in New Orleans on March 18. The band's eponymous debut was released last week. ...

Pretty Girls Make Graves have revealed their plans to disband once their upcoming tour wraps in May. Drummer Nick DeWitt has left the band, and there's no word yet whether he will continue to play with the group through the end of the still-unscheduled tour. With DeWitt gone, "the rest of us feel like it wouldn't be right to continue on without him," the band said in a statement. "The five of us feel very lucky to have met and worked with some truly amazing people over the years." ... Scarlet have also decided to call it quits, following the recent departure of their latest frontman, Brandon Roundtree. "We feel it would be unfair to fans, and to ourselves, to try and continue with yet another singer," the band said in a statement.