Courtney Love takes on Fred Durst in the first single from her upcoming solo album, America's Sweetheart. The Celebrity Skin-esque rager "Mono," now available for download on her Web site www.courtneylove.com, is a murder fantasy seemingly justified by the sexual assaults at Woodstock that took place during Limp Bizkit's set: "Now he's gone/ I smashed his tires, I bled his brakes/ It had to be done ... You merciless villain/ We drowned them all in their swimming pools." ...

It's fitting that Clay Aiken, a man who rarely, if ever, drops the f-bomb, topped the list of the Ten Best-Mannered People of 2003, according to the National League of Junior Cotillions. Others in the company of Aiken include former Gen. Tommy Franks, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, first lady Laura Bush and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. ... It may take up to six months before the Prince of F---ing Darkness is back to his ruling ways. That's how long Sharon Osbourne reportedly predicted it would take for husband Ozzy to fully recover from injuries sustained last week when his ATV flipped over on him. Breathing on his own and joking with nurses caring for him in a U.K. hospital now, Ozzy broke eight ribs, his collarbone and a vertebra in the crash. When he's well enough to endure the three-hour operation, doctors will attach a supportive seven-inch steel plate to the back of his neck to prevent possible paralysis should he receive another neck injury, The New York Times reports. ...

Apparently when R. Kelly and Cassidy were passing out the card keys to their rooms, they sent one to Miami. Trina raps on a remix of "Hotel" along with Cass while Kelly sings some new lyrics. ... Perry Farrell and Deborah Harry duet on the song "The Patience Bossa," one of the tracks on the children's album A World of Happiness, due February 2. Similar to the 1972 LP Free to Be ... You and Me, the album, which also features contributions from Lisa Loeb, Isaac Hayes, Samuel L. Jackson and Magic Johnson, teaches kids virtues and life lessons. ...

Eve has made a habit of enlisting her musician friends to guest star on her sitcom, "Eve," and next up on her list is Jadakiss. The rapper will appear as himself in an upcoming episode in which Eve's character Shelly enlists his help to get her friends into a club. The episode airs February 16 at 8:30 p.m. on UPN. ... Systematic, the band Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich brought to Elektra Records, have parted ways with the label. But they seem to still be on good terms with Metallica, who invited Systematic to open their New Year's Eve show in Las Vegas. "We are very excited and will be happy to get the night started for those guys," guitarist Adam Ruppel wrote on Systematic's Web site. "I think those guys need to let us jump in a van and do their next tour." ...

Officials in Switzerland have dismissed a criminal investigation into the antics of Marilyn Manson that began after the religious group Christians for Truth complained about the rocker's stage show. The organization had claimed Manson incited violence and was offensive to the majority of the population. But on Monday, the Zurich district prosecutor's office announced that there was no evidence to support claims that Manson had violated laws protecting religion during the February 2001 concert in question. ... You can run to Canada to escape the draft and the reign of George W. Bush, but illegal file-sharers may still be snagged in the recording industry's web. The Canadian Recording Industry Association announced its plan to file legal action against music pirates, using the same tracking software as its American counterpart. A spokesperson for the organization did not specify when the wave of litigation would commence. …

12.16.03

North and South have just collided on wax -- 50 Cent has added his brash lyrical content to a remix of Ludacris' "Blow It Out." The track has popped up on mixtapes; no word yet where it will officially land. ...

Pharrell Williams, Mandy Moore, Jason Mraz, Missy Elliott and P. Diddy are all taking part in an anti-piracy media campaign created by the Sony Music Creative Services department. The goal of the program is to encourage music fans to download music though legitimate channels such as iTunes.com and Napster.com. The slogan of the campaign is "I download ... legally." Other artists who have pledged their support include 3 Doors Down, Sheryl Crow, Lenny Kravitz, LL Cool J and Aaron Lewis of Staind. The first advertisements will appear in Billboard magazine. ...

Jay-Z's flirtation with the sports world apparently extends to its magazines, too. Jay joins Denver Nuggets rookie sensation Carmelo Anthony for a photo pictorial in the new issue of ESPN: The Magazine, which hits stands this week. ... Meanwhile, Jay has teamed up with Nokia to create the Black Phone, a limited-edition version of the Nokia 3300 music phone. The Black Phone comes loaded with the entirety of Jay-Z's recently released The Black Album (as MP3s) plus Jigga ring tones. Nokia says registered users of the phone will receive regular text and voice messages from the rapper himself for a limited time, as well -- no doubt reminding you to pay your bill. The Black Phone will retail for $124 and hits select Sam Goody and Media Play stores on Friday. ...

Ethan Hawke, Cyndi Lauper, Isaac Hanson and New York Gov. George Pataki came to honor the hobbits at a screening of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" Monday night in New York. While Pataki joked that he'd like to play a hobbit, the actors who did play them -- Elijah Wood (Frodo), Sean Astin (Sam), Billy Boyd (Pippin) and Dominic Monaghan (Merry) -- gleefully countered that the governor was too tall and should consider trying to be an elf instead. ... First Britney Spears auctioned off the car from her "Me Against the Music" video, and now she's giving away the clothes she wore in the clip as well. The singer has partnered with LidRock to give away the pinstripe suit and hat she sported in the video through a sweepstakes happening in conjunction with the release of a remix of the song. The LidRock cups are available via the Sbarro chain. ...

Volatile Australian rock band the Vines will release their second album, Winning Days, on March 23. The disc was produced by Rob Schnapf, who worked on their first album, 2002's Highly Evolved. "F--- the World," a song about the destruction of the environment, was released this week for download at many digital retail sites and on the band's site, www.thevines.com. The first single from the album will be the opening track, "Ride." Other track titles include "Animal Machine," "TV Pro," "Evil Town" and "Amnesia." ... Finally over the medical situation that prevented him from attending his initial court date, Tray Deee of the Eastsidaz appeared in Long Beach Municipal Court in California on Friday to plead not guilty to a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon, which stemmed from an incident in November in which he allegedly fired into a crowd. His trial date has not yet been scheduled. ...

Looking for the next White Stripes, Bright Eyes or Jimmy Eat World? Chances are you'll find them at the 2004 Noise Pop Festival. The annual indie rock fete is in its 12th year and hits San Francisco for its leap-year edition February 24-29. Confirmed to play are the newly reunited American Music Club, Super Furry Animals, the Locust, Gold Chains, Dillinger Escape Plan, Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players and the Detroit Cobras. ... Prior to the festival, Super Furry Animals will launch their North American tour February 2 in Minneapolis. Dates run through February 28 in Los Angeles. ...

The Black Eyed Peas will play their fifth annual Pea Pod benefit on Friday and Saturday at the intimate Key Club in Los Angeles. The shows, which also feature the Jungle Brothers and DJ Maseo of De La Soul, will benefit the Five Acres Children's Home of Los Angeles. ... After postponing the start of his North American tour last week due to a case of the flu, David Bowie has rescheduled the dates for the end of his trek. The cities and rescheduled dates are Philadelphia (March 29), Boston (March 30), Toronto (April 1), Fairfax, Virginia (May 16), and Atlantic City, New Jersey (May 29). ... Alt-country rockers Old 97's will launch a short tour January 17 in Chicago. Dates run through January 25 in New York. The band's last record was 2001's Satellite Rides; the group plans to return to the studio early next year. ...