Eminem is in Los Angeles this week shooting the video for his next single, "Superman." Dr. Dre , along with the Shady Records roster of D12 , Obie Trice and 50 Cent , will make cameos in the Paul Hunter-directed clip. ...

Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson will make his Broadway debut on January 20 when he takes over the male lead in "Chicago." Richardson will work with the production through early March; the Backstreet Boys hope to begin work on a new album shortly thereafter. ...

The White Stripes have sent a limited number of vinyl singles -- 3,000, to be exact -- called "Merry Christmas From the White Stripes" to independent record stores across the U.S. this week. The record features the rarity "Candy Cane Children," "Silent Night" sung by Meg White and the biblical reading "Story of the Magi" done by Jack White. ... And speaking of holiday singles, Rob Thomas has released "A New York Christmas" via online outlets such as www.bestbuy.com and www.towerrecords.com, as well as through a Web site fans can access through Matchbox Twenty's latest album, More Than You Think You Are. Proceeds will benefit the Blythedale Children's Hospital in Westchester, New York. ...

Skate king, video-game icon, actor and Huck Jam mastermind Tony Hawk goes under the spotlight Wednesday night (December 11) on an episode of CBS' "60 Minutes II." Hawk talks about how he went from a child outcast to one of the most successful (and well-paid) athletes of his time. Check out CBSNews.com for more. ...

A U.S. District Judge awarded Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee $740,000 each in their fight against the porn company that distributed and sold their infamous honeymoon sex tape. The Seattle-based Internet Entertainment Group lost by default, since representatives of the company failed to appear in court. Anderson and Lee's damages are their share of profits from the video cassette and DVD sales of the film. IEG's total earnings from the video, including Internet sales at $15 a pop, were upwards of $77 million. ... Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil's pretrial motions hearing, which was scheduled for Monday at the Beverly Hills Superior Court, has been postponed. He's due back in court December 26, at which point a trial date in his misdemeanor battery charge -- he allegedly attacked a record producer in a nightclub parking lot in April -- is expected to be set. ...

C-Murder's second-degree murder trial now has a start date. The rapper, whose real name is Corey Miller, is set to stand trial on March 17. His defense still awaits rulings on two appeals of earlier motions, one about allowing previous bad acts into evidence, and another about a contraband charge, regarding a cell phone Miller allegedly smuggled into jail. ...

Roni Size, Dillinja and other drum'n'bass stars remix producer Adam F's hip-hop tracks featuring the likes of LL Cool J, Redman, M.O.P. and others on Drum and Bass Warfare, due March 11 on System Recordings. The second of the two-CD sets features the tracks mixed together by championship turntablist DJ Craze. ... Weezer drummer Pat Wilson's side project, the Special Goodness, will release their Stateside debut, Land, Air, Sea, on March 4. Wilson sings and plays guitar in the group, which also features former Rocket From the Crypt drummer Adam "Atom" Willard and Weezer engineer Chad Bamford. ...

The music was free, but the T-shirts ain't -- defunct file-sharing service Napster is auctioning off the remainder of its assets on Wednesday (December 11) in San Francisco, according to the Associated Press. Up for grabs are computers, laptops and shirts with the pioneering company's cat logo. ...

12.10.2002

P. Diddy got onstage at Madison Square Garden in New York Monday night to introduce his latest signing to the Bad Boy crew, New Edition. In the audience, such celebs as Jay-Z and Chris Rock watched as Michael Bivins, Johnny Gill, Ronnie DeVoe, Ricky Bell and Ralph Tresvant rummaged through their catalog of classics for the performance, which earned the group several standing ovations. ... Whether or not he's a full-fledged member of New Edition remains to be seen, but his boys from Boston say that Bobby Brown will definitely make it on the new album they record for Bad Boy. "Bobby Brown is with us no matter what he goes through," Michael Bivins said. "He's always in our hearts." ...

Liz Phair has nearly completed her first album in more than four years in a Los Angeles studio. The follow-up to 1998's Whitechocolatespaceegg is being helmed by a host of producers, including the Matrix, and Phair herself is producing four or five tracks. The songs she previously recorded with Michael Penn will not be among the tracks slated for the as-yet-untitled album, which Capitol Records hopes to release in the first half of next year. ...

Fearless Records is set to release Punk Goes Acoustic, a compilation LP featuring punk bands performing their songs unplugged. Bands on the album, which will hit stores March 13, include Thursday, Planes Mistaken for Stars, Rufio, Midtown and Piebald. ...

Taproot were late, but well worth the wait for fans who stuck around the "Last Call With Carson Daly" set last Monday. The rockers were stranded in Chicago due to inclement weather, and when producers realized that the band would eventually arrive for its taping -- albeit hours late -- they gave the 150 audience members the opportunity to stick around, and the 115 who took advantage of the offer were treated to a special half-hour set. Taproot's episode is scheduled for broadcast on Friday. ...