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For The Record: Quick News On Destiny's Child, P. Diddy, Blink-182, Britney Spears, Modest Mouse, The LOX & More

Destiny's Child are releasing their new album, Destiny Fulfilled, one day early -- on Monday, November 15. The group's record label cites consumer demand, Internet leaks and CD piracy as its reasons for pushing up the release. ...

Thirty-five was live. After attending the New York premiere of Jay-Z's "Fade to Black" film at the Ziegfeld Theater, P. Diddy celebrated his 35th birthday with a party at Cipriani's in lower Manhattan. Usher, Mariah Carey and Clive Davis all helped P.D. party. ... Wedding bells tolled last week for Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and former Miss USA Shanna Moakler. The couple wed October 30 in Santa Barbara, California, at a ceremony inspired by the animated cult classic "The Nightmare Before Christmas." ...

Not everyone thinks Jessica Simpson's scented body-care line Dessert is so sweet. The singer is being sued for breach of contract to the tune of nearly $190,000 by a Los Angeles company called Cosmojet, for products it manufactured and sold to Dessert but for which it was not paid in full. Simpson's business partner Randi Shinder said that the company had refused payment on a portion of a shipment that didn't meet its "high product standards," while the singer's rep pointed out that Simpson has no involvement in the day-to-day operation of the business, so she would have no knowledge of and no responsibility for billing and payment. ... Meanwhile, Britney Spears' foray into the perfume world has been pretty successful. According to Elizabeth Arden's first-quarter results, released Thursday, Spears' Curious fragrance, which launched in September, "has exceeded both retailer and industry expectations," and is currently the #1 fragrance in U.S. department stores. ...

MTVU has announced the winners of the 2004 Woodie Awards, which are given to artists who have made an impact on the college music scene over the last year. Modest Mouse were the big winners, taking home the Woodie of the Year and the Best Video of the Year awards. Other winners include Sum 41, Taking Back Sunday, Coheed and Cambria, the Killers and N.E.R.D. ... The supergroup calling itself Band Aid 20 has just added Paul McCartney and Bono to its ranks. The former Beatle will play bass on "Do They Know It's Christmas?," the original version of which benefited Ethiopian famine relief, while the U2 frontman will reprise his line, "Well tonight, thank God it's them instead of you." The new version will also benefit famine relief in Africa, specifically in Sudan. ...

Michael Jackson has a new accuser. A Louisiana man named Joseph Thomas Bartucci Jr. is suing the singer for sexual assault and battery based on an incident he says took place in May 1984, which he claims he didn't recall -- having repressed the memory -- until watching Court TV in November 2003, when he learned of the current criminal charges against Jackson. Bartucci, who was 18 at the time of the alleged abuse, claims he's suffered a list of ailments as a result, including scarring, aggravation of pre-existing heart problems, eyesight impairment, suicidal tendencies and post-traumatic stress disorder. Jackson's lawyer Thomas Mesereau said in a statement: "These issues will be fully litigated in a court of law. There will be no further comment regarding this matter." ... The Ruff Ryders are up and riding again. The crew consisting of DMX, Drag-On, the LOX, Infa.Red and Cross, among others, are back in the studio recording another compilation. Tentatively titled Ruff Ryders: Ride or Die Vol. 4, the album is slated to drop in early 2005. The release will be the group's first on Artemis Records. ...

What's a hip-hop artist with a successful sneaker line to do when the weather gets cold? Roll out a line of signature boots! Bryan "Baby" Williams is teaming up with Lugz Shoe Company (with whom he launched his "Birdman" collection last spring) to put out a line of boots called the "Birdman Nightwing" on November 5. The leather boots will come in a range of colors and heights, including a high boot with fur. The ad campaign will feature the debut of the "Never Fold" concept, focusing on strength, self-discipline and tenacity. Commercials will start airing this month, featuring Baby in situations where he "never folds." ... The Roots are back in the studio recording their next album. According to drummer ?uestlove, the LP will be titled Game Theory and is due in August. The set will be the hip-hop band's seventh, and will serve as the follow-up to this year's The Tipping Point. ...

The live video for the song "Pantomime," from Incubus' forthcoming DVD "Live at Red Rocks," due November 23, has been posted on the band's Web site (www.enjoyincubus.com). Meanwhile, Brandon Boyd and company have added a drumhead, baseball cap and Incubus "Chuck" mask -- all autographed -- to the auction block for their Make Yourself Foundation charity. Fans can bid on these and other items at www.makeyourselffoundation.org. ... For his follow-up to 2001's Rockin' the Suburbs, ivory-tickling rocker Ben Folds has recorded a tribute to the late Elliott Smith, with whom Folds toured in 1998 when he fronted the trio Ben Folds Five. Folds' as-yet-untitled second solo album is expected to drop in February. ... First season "American Idol" runner-up Justin Guarini has landed a role in the upcoming Beach Boys-based musical "Good Vibrations," which opens on Broadway on January 27 (preview performances will start December 20). Guarini has also been composing new music and is in final discussions with a new record label about his next album. ...

11.04.2004

We're getting toward the end of the year, and that means another posthumous Tupac album is on the way. As previously reported, Loyal to the Game will feature a substantial production contribution from Eminem, who built tracks around previously unreleased Tupac vocals. Em is also said to be rapping on this project, as are his G-Unit homies. Raphael Saadiq, Scott Storch and DJ Quik also produced songs on the set, due December 14. ...

The release date for Snoop Dogg's forthcoming R&G: Rhythm & Gangsta - The Masterpiece has been pushed up to November 16. According to his label reps, the high demand for the album was the deciding factor in moving its release up a week. The disc includes the hit single "Drop It Like It's Hot," featuring Pharrell. ... Nelly will make an appearance on country star Tim McGraw's second NBC special, set for broadcast November 24, the night before Thanksgiving. The two artists paired up for the unlikely hit collaboration "Over and Over," which appears on Nelly's Suit album. ...

The fall line of Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. bag collection is now available. The collection includes clutches, handbags, totes and travel gear, in a choice of patterns called Icon Pebble, Donegal and Rasta Ribbons. The bags can be bought at LeSportsac's Web site. ... After switching her new single from "Autobiography" to "La La," Ashlee Simpson has also updated her plans to make her next video, which she was originally slated to shoot this week. Now Simpson will shoot the clip November 11 and 12 in Los Angeles with director Joseph Kahn. ...

Michael Jackson lost a round in court Thursday (November 4) when his defense team tried to get Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon removed from the singer's child-molestation case, claiming that Sneddon was a little too gung-ho in prosecuting him, to the point that he was overstepping the bounds of his office. But the California attorney general (who weighed in earlier this week with a written argument) and the judge in the case disagreed. Judge Rodney Melville ruled that Sneddon hadn't been overzealous, and if he were to become so, the judge would see to it that it was taken care of. Jackson is scheduled to start his trial on January 31. ... Madonna is starring in a PSA for Israel's Tourism Ministry, in which she says the country is a safe place to visit. The 30-second video was taped during the singer's recent trip there and will be shown at the World Tourism Fair in London next week. ...

The gang from UPN's "All of Us" bump into Xzibit -- literally -- at a basketball game when they're searching for a missing child, in an episode scheduled to air November 9 at 8 p.m. ET. Xzibit sends a member of his staff to look for the child, while telling the child's father, "And when you do find him, give him a copy of this, my new album, Weapons of Mass Destruction. It's for the kids." ... Sure, Jimmy Eat World may have just released a new album, Futures, but they're getting ready to add to their discography again. In early 2005, they'll release an EP, featuring four tracks that didn't make Futures' final cut. ... The new Disney/ Pixar superhero comedy "The Incredibles" doesn't blast into theaters until Friday, but you can own a little piece of the film right now. Currently available for download on the iTunes Music Store is The Incredibles: The Remixes, a three-song EP featuring music from the film, reworked by acts like UNKLE and the Greenskeepers. ...

The Pixies have launched a digital-downloads store that will offer nearly every show from their current North American tour in MP3 format on Musictoday.com. The shows are downloadable from the site for $11.99. Meanwhile, Disclive, the company that sold Pixies live CDs from the first dates of the band's "warm-up" tour, has announced another set of upcoming live dates that will also be available in limited-edition runs of 1,000. ... First Avenue, the downtown Minneapolis nightclub famous for helping Prince launch his career, has closed its doors after 34 years. The club was home to a wide spectrum of rock and funk acts over the years, but it was the movie "Purple Rain" that brought it to national attention as the local venue where Prince first honed his eccentric, new wave-soul sound. First Avenue's closing was announced on its Web site Tuesday. ...

A monument will soon mark the place where Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson -- better known as three-fifths of the Beach Boys -- grew up. On May 20, a tribute to the group will be erected at the end of 119th Street in Hawthorne, California. The Wilsons' actual boyhood home was razed years ago to make room for the Century Freeway. The monument design will be chosen from 16 entries by a panel of city officials and Wilson family members. ... Ex-Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin have reunited for a song on Chamberlin's upcoming album, Life Begins Again from the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex. The Righteous Brothers' Bill Medley and ex-Catherine Wheel singer Rob Dickinson also contribute vocals on the album, due January 25. ...

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