Rock the Mic openers Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes brought out a few familiar friends Monday night at New York's Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach Theater. Missy was joined by Ginuwine and Lil' Mo, while Bussa Bus brought out P. Diddy and Lumidee. Afterward, Diddy stayed backstage and watched Jay-Z perform. ... ([article id="1473687"]Click for photos from the Rock the Mic tour[/article].)

Tenacious D -- the acoustic cock-rock duo featuring actor/comedians Jack Black and Kyle Gass -- will unleash their first DVD, "Tenacious D: The Complete Masterworks," on September 9. The two-disc set will feature the duo's November 2002 set at England's Brixton Academy, episodes of the D's short-lived HBO series and "an intimate portrait of Jack and Kyle and their life of carnal debauchery on the road." ... It's Showtime for hip-hop's busiest band, the Roots. Not Showtime as in time to hit the stage, but Showtime the cable network. The group's lead MC, Black Thought, has signed on to play a troubled parolee during the second season of the network's drama "Street Time." Meanwhile, his partner Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson and producer Barry Cole have just inked deals to be the show's musical supervisors. "Street Time" premieres August 6. ...

The Buzzcocks and Pearl Jam played a little game of "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" on Sunday in Camden, New Jersey. During the Buzzcocks' set, Eddie Vedder joined in to sing "Why Can't I Touch It?" as former Buzzcocks bassist Steve Garvey also took the stage. Then, when Pearl Jam encored with Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World," Buzzcocks guitarist Steve Diggle stepped up to contribute to the guitar squall. ... Simon Cowell has signed a contract to remain with "American Idol" for the next three years, but at a hefty price. In addition to an astronomical salary, the Fox network will help him launch his own production company, Simcow Ltd., and will offer him a first-look agreement for a new reality show. ...

A tooth and a lock of hair allegedly from the King himself, Elvis Presley, is up for grabs on eBay. The tooth (previously owned by ex-fiancee Linda Thompson and then acquired and later sold by the Elvis Presley Museum) and hair (from Elvis' haircut upon enlisting in the military) have been framed with a "Love Me Tender" gold record and are currently fetching bids in excess of $200,000. ... One lucky fan will lend their vision to Tori Amos' video for "Taxi Ride," off her album Scarlet's Walk. Fans can vote for their favorite concept at toriamos.com, with the most inspired concept grabbing a $2,000 prize. ...

After taking just enough time off from their last tour to unpack and repack their bags, Something Corporate are, once again, on the road, this time touring for six weeks with 311. The U.S. tour kicks off in Bakersfield, California, on July 15. The band is also finishing up its sophomore album, North, to be released in October. ... Really, folks, Erykah Badu is almost finished with her long-talked-about third LP, Worldwide Underground. The hip-hop-loving singer even has a first single on tap called "Block on Lock (Other Side of the Game Pt. 2/Danger)." It's due to hit the airwaves soon, but her LP won't drop until September. ...

07.07.2003

St. Lunatic Murphy Lee recently shot a video for the Jermaine Dupri collaboration "What the Hook Goin' Be?," the first single from his solo album, Murphy's Law, due in September. The album will also include Lil' Wayne, Snoop Dogg and the Murphy Lee/P. Diddy/Nelly "Bad Boys II" single "Shake Your Tailfeather." "Benny Boom shot both videos," Lee said. "They're amazing." ...

The Donnas shot a video for a remix of "Too Bad About Your Girl" in Los Angeles over the weekend. The song will be featured on the soundtrack to the skateboarding movie "Grind," which opens August 15 and stars Mike Vogel ("Grounded for Life"), who will also appear in the video. ... Beyoncé Knowles, Shania Twain, Craig David and David Gray partied in London's Hyde Park for an open-air concert benefiting disadvantaged children on Sunday. More than 100,000 tickets were sold and more than $1.6 million was raised for the Prince's Trust, the charity headed by Prince Charles, the Associated Press reports. ...

Nelly will soon kick off a six-city tour, and this time it isn't just to rock the stage. Nelly will be hitting Miami, Atlanta, Houston, New York, Los Angeles and St. Louis to find a model for his new women's clothing line, Apple Bottom. According to Nelly's publicist, proceeds from the tour will go to the Jes Us 4 Jackie Foundation with the hopes of increasing the number of donors on the National Marrow Donor Program Registry. ... "Time," a previously unreleased track from Saliva, has found a home on the soundtrack to the "Tomb Raider" sequel, alongside a remixed Moby track, Paul Oakenfold's reworking of P.O.D.'s "Satellite," and album cuts by Filter, the Dandy Warhols and Conjure One, which features guest singer Sinéad O'Connor. "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" hits the silver screen July 25, and its soundtrack drops three days earlier. ...

Eddie Vedder has written the introduction to rock photog Charles Peterson's latest collection, "Touch Me I'm Sick," due in November. Like Peterson's previous work, this volume continues to document the grunge era, focusing on the birth of the Seattle scene via early live shots of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and Sleater-Kinney, among others. ... My Bloody Valentine founder Kevin Shields is scoring "Lost in Translation," Sofia Coppola's follow-up to "The Virgin Suicides." The soundtrack, due August 9, will include four score pieces, along with the first two Shields songs to be released in 13 years, plus material from Air, Jesus and Mary Chain and Death in Vegas. ...

Eighties icon Cyndi Lauper has collaborated with the Minus 5, the side project of R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Young Fresh Fellows' Scott McCaughey, on a song for the upcoming Wig in a Box, an audio tribute to the play-turned-cult-film "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." Their "Midnight Radio" will appear next to cuts by the Breeders, Polyphonic Spree, Spoon and Jonathan Richman as well as Hedwig creators Stephen Trask and John Cameron Mitchell. The LP is due October 21 and will benefit the Hetrick-Martin Institute, home to the Harvey Milk High School for gay, lesbian and transgender students. ...

Felix Da Housecat will follow-up his acclaimed Kittenz and Thee Glitz with A Bugged Out Mix on September 9. ... David Bowie's last trek to the Big Apple was documented by a series of photographs to be released in the upcoming book "David Bowie: Live in New York." Portrait photographer Myriam Santos-Kayda followed the singer during his October 2002 marathon tour, capturing him on five nights in five venues in each of the five boroughs. The book, due in October with a foreword by Bowie, contains shots of the Thin White Duke onstage and backstage. ...