Watcha 2000, the ambitious rock-en-español tour that includes the likes of Mexican punk-rap-rockers Molotov and Colombian dance-pop duo Aterciopelados, has confirmed more dates. Along with the previously announced California shows in Universal City (Aug. 11), Chula Vista (Aug. 12) and San Jose (Aug. 13), the Watcha 2000 Tour will travel to Denver (Aug. 16), Chicago (Aug. 17), Detroit (Aug. 19), Worcester, Mass. (Aug. 22), New York (Aug. 23), Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (Aug. 25), San Juan, Puerto Rico (Aug. 26), Miami (Aug. 27) and Dallas (Aug. 31). ...

The Reggae Times reports that the Jamaica Tourist Board has demanded that Reggae Sunsplash International (RSI), organizers of Jamaica's annual Reggae Sunsplash concert, repay two-thirds of the $100,000 sponsorship money they were given. RSI has also been accused of misusing funds. This year's concert has already been canceled due to lack of funding. ...

The veteran Jamaican reggae band Wailing Souls are donating a portion of profits from their current album, Equality (Musicblitz), to the Trench Town Development Association. The association is dedicated to improving the inner-city Trench Town community of Kingston, Jamaica, that spawned the likes of Bob Marley. "The town gave us so much love, kindness and strength while we were recording Equality, and this is our way of saying thank you," Wailing Soul Lloyd "Bread" McDonald said in a statement. Musicblitz also will donate money when Wailing Souls songs are downloaded for free from its Web site. ...

The Islamic Revolutionary Front, a coalition of 18 religious groups in Pakistan, is trying to get cable TV banned in the country. The Front has already demanded it be banned in the Northwest Frontier Province by July 23. The Front objects to the half-dozen Indian channels that often show sexually explicit dancing, which they consider obscene. The channels are popular throughout Pakistan, but that hasn't stopped the fundamentalists from threatening direct action. ...

The Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America announced Thursday morning (July 20) that they filed a copyright infringement lawsuit Thursday in New York against Scour Inc. (www.scour.com), a Napster-like file-sharing service whose majority shareholder is Hollywood mogul Michael Ovitz. Scour allows users to download high-quality copies of current films, such as "Gladiator" and "X-Men," as well as songs from such artists as Beck, Eminem and Britney Spears. The two entertainment-industry organizations are seeking an injunction, as well as monetary damages, against the service for allegedly distributing copyrighted material. ...

International recording star Alejandro Fernández, the Mexican singer whose Entre Tus Brazos is at #6 on the Billboard Latin 50 albums chart, is being sued in a Miami-Dade County, Fla., court by Angel Mora, a photographer of celebrities, and his wife, Celia Oliveira, the Associated Press reported. Lawyers for the couple claim that Oliveira, then three months pregnant, and Mora were assaulted in November by Fernández and two executives of Sony Discos after Mora took a picture of Fernández outside the Sony Music building in Miami Beach. A defense attorney said the court would find the case without merit. ...

Neuma Gonçalves da Silva, the Brazilian "First Lady of Samba," died of a stroke on Monday (July 17). She was 78. Gonçalves was part of the Managueira samba school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The school, located in one of Rio's shantytowns, became one of the nation's most famous Carnival participants under her leadership. She also invented a literacy system involving colloquial curses as a way to teach local children how to read and write. ...

Ahi Nama, a record company with distribution in Cuba and the United States, is releasing albums by a new generation of Cuban performers, including Bamboleo, Maraca and Laito Jr. Bamboleo's No Qué Bueno Esta! (That's No Good!) mixes live recordings and remixes, while multi-instrumentalist Maraca's Descarga Total! coincides with his current North American tour. Laito Jr. offers Sarandonga, in the tradition of Cuban sonora music. ...

Wicklow Records is folding. A press release announcing the label's demise is said to be "pending," according to a representative. Wicklow suspended all its new releases in June, leaving completed albums by Madagascar's Tarika, Finland's Värttinä and Mongolia's Yat-Kha in limbo. "We're ecstatic," said Dita Sullivan, manager and wife of Cuban artist Juan-Carlos Formell, whose Wicklow album Songs From a Little Blue House won a Grammy Award last year. "We begged them not to take up our option six months ago. Now, finally, we can get on with our lives again." ...

Toots & the Maytals, along with singers Maxi Priest, Andrew Tosh and Ky-Mani Marley, will headline the ReggaeBlitz Summerfest 2000 tour. The tour begins Aug. 7 in Philadelphia and closes Aug. 27 in Houston. The headliners have all contributed new tracks to the recent ReggaeBlitz All-Stars compilation CD, which also includes Black Uhuru and Shabba Ranks. Visit reggaeblitz.com for more information. ...

Argentine rocker Fito Paez will play six U.S. dates, starting on July 20 in Boston and finishing on Aug. 5 in Miami. The one-time Grammy nominee, who has enjoyed more than 30 hits in Latin America and had songs covered by such stars as Brazil's Caetano Veloso, will perform with an orchestra on the tour. ...

"Buena Vista Social Club," the Oscar-nominated film by director Wim Wenders, will have its network television premiere on July 19 on PBS, hosted by Panamanian salsa star Rubén Blades. A DVD version of the film, including two songs not on the Grammy-winning CD, will be released in October. The Buena Vista Social Club album has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide and earned its producer, American guitarist Ry Cooder, a nomination for Producer of the Year at this year's Latin Grammys. ...

— sonicnet.com staff report