Despite the leak of Paris Hilton's version of the song "Screwed," Haylie Duff is plowing ahead with her plans to include her version of the song on her own upcoming debut album, since she procured the first rights to record and release the song from both of the songwriters and from their publisher, her rep said. There's no release date for either of the two fledgling singers' albums. ... Meanwhile, Hilton's book does have a release date -- "Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-In-Chic Peek Behind the Pose" is due out via Simon and Schuster on September 7. ...

Rick James will be buried on Saturday at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York, according to The Associated Press. A public viewing will be held from 11 a.m. to noon at St. John Baptist Church followed by a funeral service and burial. James passed away on Friday at his home in California. ... Lenny Kravitz, who earlier this month announced a fall tour to promote his album Baptism, is canceling the outing -- for now -- citing family matters as the reason. "I was really looking forward to getting out there to meet and play for my fans," Kravitz said in a statement Thursday (August 12). "Unfortunately, things come up in life that you cannot control. I hope my fans will understand and I will definitely make it up to them with these shows next year." Kravitz's 19-city tour was to begin September 11 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. ...

Christina Aguilera fans who bought VIP-ticket packages to her canceled summer tour but have yet to receive a refund take note -- a hearing is being held in the matter, and the singer is inviting you to attend. Since the company that provided the ticket packages, FansRule, went bankrupt, the hearing is being held at the Bankruptcy Court in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, during which the singer's lawyers will fight a motion that seeks to have the FansRule trustees' payment a higher priority than repayment to consumers. ... On August 27, Jay-Z will release the third shoe in his series of S. Carter kicks with Reebok -- the S. Carter Basketball Mid. To celebrate the release, Jay will be doing a Footlocker in-store in Miami on August 30. ...

JoJo and Gavin DeGraw are joining a whole host of tennis stars (such as Serena Williams and Mandy Moore's ex Andy Roddick) to headline Arthur Ashe Kids' Day, an annual daylong festival of children's tennis activities. The event, the kickoff to the U.S. Open, will take place on August 28 at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, and will be hosted by Quddus of "TRL." ... Prior to their October tour with New Found Glory, Green Day are lining up a club tour to perform their new album, American Idiot, due September 21, in its entirety. So far, shows are scheduled for Los Angeles (September 16), Chicago (September 18), New York (September 21) and Toronto (September 24). ...

More dates for the Beastie Boys' fall tour have been announced. Tickets for shows in and around Los Angeles (September 13), Philadelphia (October 11) and Atlanta (October 15) go on sale this weekend. Meanwhile, a second San Francisco show (September 17) has been added after the first sold out. ... George Clinton pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor drug charges on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press. The rainbow-haired funk musician was arrested in December in Tallahassee, Florida, when he was found in his car with cocaine in his pocket and a glass pipe. Clinton has been sentenced to 200 hours of community service (he plans to teach free music-education courses) and two years of probation. ...

While Frank Black is making the rounds with the reunited Pixies, the singer is also working on dropping albums of his own. The two-CD Frank Black Francis, due this fall, compiles both pre-Pixies demos and new versions of Pixies tunes; while an album of new Black solo material that was recorded in Nashville is planned for the spring. ... Before Tommy Stinson was known as a member of Guns N' Roses and after he left the Replacements, he was in Perfect. The group's album, Seven Days a Week, never came out. But now, retitled to reflect the LP's troubled history (three labels and three release dates that never came), Once, Twice, Three Times a Maybe is finally hitting shelves, via Rykodisc, on September 14. ...

Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin has plans to start a record label called Aretha Records, on which she plans to release her future albums. Her next LP, a collection of duets, will be released by the new Sony/BMG conglomerate. ... Louisville, Kentucky, live-tronica quartet VHS or Beta will release their sophomore disc, Night on Fire, on September 21. The album will feature production work by Mocean Worker. ...

8.11.2004

The suit brought against Snoop Dogg by two Louisiana women who alleged that their images were used on the cover of the "Girls Gone Wild Doggy Style" tape without their permission has been settled. The women, who were 17 and 18 years old at the time the pictures were taken, according to The Associated Press, claimed that they were told by Mantra Films Inc. owner Joseph R. Francis that their photos would not be used in connection with the video. The terms of the settlement were approved on July 21, but have not been revealed. ...

Metallica are the subject of a "tribute night" to be held Friday by the Fresno Grizzlies, the AAA affiliate of baseball's San Francisco Giants. Grizzlies players will wear Metallica-themed jerseys, and the band's songs will be played between innings. The jerseys will later be auctioned off to benefit the Grizzlies' community fund. The team ran a similar Jimmy Buffett tribute night in May. ... Those searching for spiritual salvation at Target stores will have to look elsewhere. The monolithic chain store has stopped selling the Kabbalah red string bracelet, which retailed for $25.99 on its Web site. A representative at Target's guest relations division said the company received a number of phone calls and e-mails complaining about the product, but would not confirm that the objections were the reason for the product's removal. There is some good news: You can still purchase the ubiquitous red string at the Kabbalah Centre's official Web site, for just a penny more. ...

Founding member of the Kinks Dave Davies has been partially paralyzed by a stroke. According to The Associated Press, Davies collapsed on June 30 while promoting his new solo album, Bug. The guitarist, who is paralyzed on the right side of his body but has some feeling, will reportedly have to spend at least another month in the hospital. Doctors feel that with the help of physiotherapy, he will recover. ... Mandy Moore posted a new message on her Web site about how she's been writing more songs with her friend James (most likely James Renald, the writer of her single "Cry"), but feels like she's been slacking on getting her new album together. "I've been kind of a lazy bum recently," she wrote. "In between watching some wonderful films, hanging with some new friends and going to the occasional meeting, I've been writing a bunch ... and I'm really excited to find the right producer, band, and get working on the record for real." ...

Mariah Carey may have thought a plagiarism lawsuit against her was dismissed, but an appeals court has reinstated the suit, allowing two songwriters to sue her for her 1999 hit with Xscape, "Thank God I Found You." Songwriters Seth Swirsky and Warryn Campbell say "Thank God" is a retooling of their "One of Those Love Songs," a track they wrote for Xscape. ... Metal outfit Cradle of Filth will hit the road later this year on an MTV2-sponsored North American tour. Mudvayne will co-headline the trek. No word on the other bands that will join the tour, and dates and cities have not yet been announced. ...

Tanya Donelly plans to record her next album in front of a live studio audience at the end of the month. On August 27 and 28, the former member of Throwing Muses, the Breeders and Belly will record 10 songs at a performance in Bellow Falls, Vermont. Joining her will be members of the Dambuilders, Come, Buffalo Tom, Fuzzy and others. ... Actress-turned-rocker Juliette Lewis doesn't think KFC is finger-lickin' good -- she's just sent a letter to the fast-food chain taking them to task for their treatment of animals, on behalf of PETA. "I was deeply disturbed to learn from my friends at PETA that KFC continues to permit outdated and cruel treatment of chickens by its suppliers," she wrote, urging the company to replace its current animal-handling methods with less-violent methods. ...

"Just Say No" advocate Nancy Reagan would be proud -- the new album by Social Distortion, due September 28, is titled Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll. The LP's first single, "Reach for the Sky," recently surfaced at radio. ... James Brown has been busy getting all his memories in order for his upcoming autobiography. "I Feel Good: A Memoir of a Life of Soul" will hit bookshelves in January 2005. ... Grateful Dead bassist and blood-and-organ-donor advocate Phil Lesh will host a blood drive at New York Blood Center's Upper East Side headquarters on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lesh will sign posters and pose for photos with donors between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. ...