A host of celebs came out Monday night to help Usher celebrate the re-release of Confessions. Naomi Campbell, Nick Cannon and Farnsworth Bentley were among those who attended the party at New York's Butter nightclub. The retooled Confessions features three new songs, including the Alicia Keys duet "My Boo." ...

P. Diddy has been ordered to pay $35,000 a month in child support to the mother of his 10-year-old son, Justin, according to Reuters. In New York's Westchester County Family Court, Judge David Klein upheld an August ruling that had set the payments based on a yearly income of $50 million for Diddy. The hip-hop mogul was also ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees and retroactive support to the boy's mother, fashion stylist Misa Brim. ...

He has all the reason in the world to smile, but Xzibit's new single has to do with ice grills. X-to-tha-Z has chosen "Hey Now (Mean Muggin')" as the official first single off his Weapons of Mass Destruction LP to follow up the street jam "Mutha Mutha." X's album has now been slated for a December 14 release. ... Cash Money has pulled together Juvenile's hottest tracks for a greatest-hits collection. Bounce anthems "Back That Thang Up," "Ha" and "Set It Off" are only a few of the songs on the hit list. The Greatest Hits, set for release October 19, will be Juve's last Cash Money production and marks his official departure from the label. ...

Even after the finale of the Vote for Change Tour on October 11, Bruce Springsteen's work to oust Bush from office won't be complete. The rocker will host another Vote for Change concert in his home state of New Jersey at East Rutherford's Continental Airlines Arena on October 13. The bill will include Springsteen and the E Street Band, John Fogerty, Jackson Browne and Springsteen's wife and E Street Band singer/guitarist, Patti Scialfa. Tickets for the show will go on sale via Ticketmaster on October 6 and range from $75-$100. ... A month's worth of new tour dates will keep Alter Bridge on the road through mid-November. Shows in Vancouver (November 1); Seattle (November 2); Green Bay, Wisconsin (November 11); and the final new date in St. Louis (November 14) are in support of their debut album, One Day Remains, which dropped in August. ...

If you thought Nine Inch Nails' quintessential album The Downward Spiral sounded good, it's about to get a lot better. A double-disc CD/SACD version (stereo, high-resolution stereo and 5.1 surround sound) of the 1994 LP is set for release November 23. The companion disc features remixes, demos, B-sides and non-album tracks. Also due that same day is a DVD audio version of the album that pairs remastered versions of the original tracks with an image gallery and the videos for "Closer," "March of the Pigs" and "Hurt." ... Former NIN drummer Chris Vrenna, who played on The Downward Spiral, will soon hit the skins on Marilyn Manson's Against All Gods Tour, filling in for the injured Ginger Fish, who suffered broken bones and a severe concussion when he fell off his drum riser in Germany on September 24. ...

Wireless-phone carriers are now getting into the digital-download game. On Tuesday (October 5), AT&T Wireless launched the mMode Music Store, which allows users to download songs to their cell phone for 99 cents apiece. Those songs can later be transferred to a PC. ... The Black Eyed Peas have signed a deal with Motorola and T-Mobile that will allow fans to win concert tickets, meet the group members and visit them during the shooting of their next music video. One fan will also get the opportunity to create the official ring tone for BEP's new album, which will be available as a download. Motorola and T-Mobile customers will also get first listens and exclusive content. More information is at www.blackeyedpeastour.com. ...

The Daniel Pearl Foundation, formed in memory of The Wall Street Journal reporter slain in Pakistan in 2002, will rally musicians to promote Harmony for Humanity, a series of concerts being staged worldwide as part of Daniel Pearl Music Day. Artists who have signed on to pay tribute to Pearl from October 8-17 include Elton John, who will perform "Daniel" in Las Vegas; and R.E.M., who will dedicate their October 13 performance at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles to Pearl's memory. So far, hundreds of artists -- both amateur and professional -- in 29 countries have pledged to dedicate their shows to Daniel Pearl Music Day, and more can register at www.danielpearl.org. ... The Roots, Third Eye Blind, the Coup and Michelle Shocked have signed on to the second annual We the Planet Music and Activism Festival, organized by Julia Butterfly Hill's nonprofit Circle of Life. The event takes place November 13 at Oakland, California's Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, with the goal to raise environmental awareness and social consciousness. Last year's event drew 10,000 people. ...

Starting November 3 in Chicago, the Donnas will hit the road with the Von Bondies and the Starlite Desperation. The tour wraps December 1 in New York. ... According to a new study by professors at Wayne State University and Auburn University, listening to country music might hurt a lot more than just your social standing -- it might also weaken your will to live. The professors studied radio stations in 49 metropolitan areas, and found that the greater the amount of country music played, the higher the suicide rate among listeners. The study found that country's recurring themes of "marital discord, alcohol abuse and alienation from work ... nurture a suicidal mood" in listeners. ...

It just got cheaper for Sigur Rós fans to covet the Icelandic band's catalog. Their 1997 debut, Von, which had previously been available only as an import, will get a proper domestic release by One Little Indian on October 26. ... The Music will promote the October 19 release of their new album, Welcome to the North, with a North American tour beginning October 14 at the CMJ festival in New York. The outing, which includes dates with Velvet Revolver and Incubus, ends November 23 in Portland, Oregon. ... Celebrity DJ/producer Mark Ronson has teamed with entertainment executive Rich Kleiman to launch Allido Records. "Mark asked me to serve as the Damon [Dash] to his Jay-Z," Kleiman said. The New York-based label serves as home to Chicago MC Rhymefest and Australian soulster Daniel Merriweather. ...

10.04.2004

Gwen Stefani will open the American Music Awards on November 14 with a performance of her debut solo single, "What You Waiting For?" ...

Dorian Moore, the producer of Nelly's "Tilt Ya Head Back," told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the song was originally meant to be a duet for Nelly and Britney Spears, but that Jive, Spears' label, pulled out because the song sounded too "urban." Moore said that Christina Aguilera and Janet Jackson were considered next before Aguilera eventually landed the song. ... Britney Spears' mother wrote in to the singer's Web site about how surprised she was at her daughter's recent last-minute wedding. "I know I've said we've had a whirlwind week before, but this one took the cake!" she wrote. "We were ALL surprised. And that's really saying something because it is very unlike Britney to be able to keep a secret." After some shock and some lingering thoughts about the other plans that had been made, Lynne Spears said that "there were happy tears." "The kind of wedding Britney had -- small and intimate, with a grand celebration in the works for later -- was always my dream and I couldn't have been happier," she added. "On top of it all, Britney and Kevin have a brand new beautiful home which they are going to be moving into ... it reminds us of the kind of landscaping you would find in rural Mississippi -- with the creek, trees and overgrown greenery. Getting their home in order will be Britney's next project." ...

Louisiana state judge Alan Green was indicted last week on corruption charges after a lengthy investigation of the Jefferson Parish courthouse in which authorities say he took more than $20,000 in bribes. Green was the judge presiding over the murder trial of rapper C-Murder, who is currently facing a mandatory life sentence for the crime. ... Fantasia will portray her idol, Aretha Franklin, on an upcoming episode of "American Dreams." Meanwhile, the "American Idol" winner is working with Missy Elliott, Jermaine Dupri, the Underdogs and Rodney Jerkins on her debut album, due November 23. ... Jerkins is also producing tracks for Lindsay Lohan, Jennifer Lopez, Tyra Banks and his wife, Joy Enriquez. The Orlando, Florida-based producer is recording his own instrumental album, Versatility, due early next year. ...

The three-CD/DVD Nirvana box set will hit stores on November 23, the band's label, Geffen, confirmed Monday (October 4). ... The Pixies have added two New York shows to wrap up their North American fall reunion tour, both on December 18 at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Mike Watt and the Secondmen will open the 7 p.m. show and 50 Foot Wave will open the midnight show. ... Two albums for the price of one, a sneak preview of another LP and previously unreleased songs -- Cormega is offering it all on October 19. Mega's albums The Realness and The True Meaning are being re-released as a two-for-one special-edition CD. Included as a bonus on the set are the records "Squad Up" and "How We Ride," which features Tupac Shakur. Mega will also be giving fans a sample of his previously unreleased Testament LP, which was recorded several years ago and will finally hit stores on February 22. ...

Mandy Moore is now a brand -- the singer has launched a line of vintage contemporary tees called Mblem, featuring classic lyrics like Blondie's "Gonna getcha, getcha, getcha," as well as nostalgic family photos. "I'm a real jeans-and-T-shirt kind of girl," Moore said in a statement. "I'm constantly searching for the perfect T-shirt, so I figured I'd just create my own." ... Andre Agassi's Grand Slam for Children -- which took place Saturday in Las Vegas and featured performances by John Mayer, Josh Groban, India.Arie and Faith Hill -- ended up raising more than $6 million for charity. "It is gratifying to know that the money we raised tonight will directly benefit children who require our immediate assistance," the tennis star said in a statement. The money raised benefits the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, a not-for-profit organization assisting at-risk youth in Vegas. ...

Charlie Watts, drummer for the Rolling Stones, has won his battle with throat cancer and will be able to join his bandmates for a new world tour, according to CNN. After a four-month struggle with the disease, which included six weeks of radiotherapy treatment at a London hospital, the 63-year-old Watts has reportedly been given a clean bill of health. ... The Rolling Stones are documenting their 2002-2003 world tour with a two-CD live set. "Live Licks," out November 2, features guest appearances from Sheryl Crow on "Honky Tonk Women" and Solomon Burke on "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love," as well as 11 tracks never before released on a Stones live disc, including "Neighbours," "Monkey Man" and "Rocks Off." ...

Tom Waits will only play one show in the U.S. this year: October 18 at the Paramount Theater in Seattle. The gravelly voiced singer's 20th album, Real Gone, which features Marc Ribot on guitar and Brian "Brain" Mantia on drums, is due out Tuesday. Waits is considering a U.S. tour next year. ... Banyan, Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins' side project, will release Live at Perkins Palace on October 12. Former Minutemen/ Firehose bassist Mike Watt, Wilco guitarist Nels Cline and former Death Row Records session musician Willie Waldman join Perkins on the album. ...