Ashton Kutcher will walk the catwalk on Sunday, joining Cindy Crawford, Jason Ritter, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Tyson Beckford, Daisy Fuentes and Serena and Venus Williams for the third annual Runway for Life, taking place at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. The celebrity fashion show benefits St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. ... It's his prerogative -- Bobby Brown is baring his life on a reality show that will start airing this summer. "Being Bobby Brown" will also feature his wife, Whitney Houston, their daughter, his children from previous relationships, and his brother Tommy, who acts as his personal manager. The show will run for eight episodes, starting June 30 at 10 p.m. on Bravo. ...

Paula Abdul guest stars as herself in an upcoming episode of "All of Us," in which Robert (played by Duane Martin) becomes a correspondent on "Entertainment Tonight." Also guest starring on the episode, airing May 3 at 8 p.m. on UPN, is singer Keyshia Cole. Meanwhile, the "American Idol" judge finds herself at the center of a scandal -- thanks to claims made by a former contestant that he had an affair with her -- which is being explored the next night on a special edition of "Primetime Live." "Fallen Idol" airs May 4 at 10 p.m. on ABC. ... Bono spent the weekend at Bill Gates' house following a recent U2 tour stop in Seattle, the Microsoft co-founder told Reuters. The friendship was sparked after the two discovered their similar passion for philanthropy. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is currently the world's biggest charitable organization, and Bono, who is well known for his activism, has recently been campaigning for One.org. ...

After the defense shake-up on Monday, when Michael Jackson lost one of his lawyers, the singer faced another blow when a travel agent testified on Tuesday (April 26) that she was hired to book one-way tickets to Brazil for the accuser's family. Cynthia Montgomery said she couldn't book one-ways for Americans to Brazil, so she issued round-trip tickets at a cost of $15,000. She received limited immunity for her testimony since she was instrumental in secretly videotaping Jackson when he flew from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara, California, to give himself up in November 2003, and faces federal charges for that, as well as a lawsuit from Jackson for invasion of privacy. In turn, she's suing Jackson for unpaid bills, including not paying for that very surrender flight. Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe is expected to take the stand Wednesday. ...

Dates for neo-soul singer and pianist John Legend's upcoming headlining tour have been announced. Legend will kick things off June 12 at the House of Blues in Orlando, Florida, and wrap up 39 dates later at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California. Legend will make several notable stops along the way, including an appearance at Central Park's Summer Stage in New York on June 18. ... With their legal issues nearly resolved, Beatallica's Web site is (almost) back up and running. The band has announced that beatallica.org will return on May 6 and that the group plans to hit the road for shows in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin soon to play its patented blend of Beatles tunes in a Metallica style. When the site relaunches, it will have tunes and lyrics from previous releases A Garage Dayz Nite and The Gray Album, but the status of new material is still currently in limbo. ...

RealNetworks announced three new tiers of service on Tuesday (April 26) called Rhapsody 25, Rhapsody Unlimited and Rhapsody to Go. The Rhapsody 25 service allows anyone in the U.S. to listen to 25 full-length songs a month for free, while Rhapsody Unlimited is an enhanced version of the standard Rhapsody service, which will now let users download an unlimited number of songs for $9.99 a month. The Rhapsody to Go level adds the ability to transfer an unlimited number of songs to compatible portable players for $14.99 a month. ... Having wowed crowds on their sold-out reunion tour, influential post-rock outfit Slint are calling it a day once again, but not before they try to grab one last handful of cash. The band has put select pieces of gear up for bid on eBay, including frontman Brian McMahan's white Fender Telecaster and amplifier and guitarist David Pajo's black Fender Stratocaster. Dudes need to eat. ...

Guitars designed and decorated by No Doubt, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge, Aerosmith's Joe Perry and AC/DC's Brian Johnson are being auctioned off next week at Rock the Cure. The benefit, to raise money for breast cancer research, will take place May 3 at the Hard Rock Cafe in Los Angeles. Also included in the collection of guitars for auction is a six-string designed by Wendy and Kim Cobain, mother and sister of Kurt Cobain, who decorated it with never-before-seen pictures of the late Nirvana frontman. Fans can also bid online at www.juliensauctions.com through May 3. ... Stars singer/guitarist and Broken Social Scene contributing vocalist Amy Milan is readying her first solo record. Produced by Canadian mainstay Ian Blurton and due later this year, Honey From the Tombs will be much different from her work with her pop-romantique Montreal outfit. "I've been mixing bluegrass and country with pop," she said. "I've been working on this record for eight years, and it's called that because honey doesn't go bad over thousands of years and all of these songs have been written since I joined Stars." ...

04.25.2005

The prosecution is wrapping up its case against Michael Jackson in what's expected to be the last week of testimony against him. The singer's lawyers argued in and out of court on Monday, trying to convince the judge not to allow the testimony of Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe (they lost that one), and fighting with each other outside of court. Neither Thomas Mesereau nor Brian Oxman would comment on their argument, but it was later learned that Oxman would no longer be on the defense team as of Thursday. In the meantime, another one of the "Neverland 5" -- former employees who claim they witnessed Jackson molesting various boys and lost their jobs after testifying before a grand jury -- took the stand. Kassim Abdool testified that he witnessed Jackson kissing the 1993 accuser. ...

An airborne bottle cut rock band Kasabian's set short Friday night at the Academy in Glasgow, Scotland, after an audience member pitched the projectile at guitarist Sergio Pizzorno's head, leaving him with a sizable gash that required six sutures. In a statement, Pizzorno said it was "a shame the actions of one person put an end to our best gig all year" and recommended that those who see the band live in the future, should they feel the urge to throw anything, "throw bras and knickers from now on." ...

For Shakira's new video for the dancehall-flavored "La Tortura," she worked with director Michael Haussman (Kanye West, Madonna) to create a combative moment in a couple's relationship. Filmed in an art deco building, her significant other, played by Alejandro Sanz, sings about his "transgressions" en Español while Shakira fires back that she won't forgive him. The clip debuts Tuesday at 6 p.m. on MTV, while her album, Fijacion Oral Part 1, is due June 7. ... Ricky Martin, moved by his visit to the tsunami-ravaged villages of Southeast Asia, is partnering with Habitat for Humanity to help build and restore 224 houses in Thailand's Pang Nga province. A donation from the Ricky Martin Foundation will help more than 1,000 people move out of temporary shelters and overcrowded camps. Work is expected to begin this month and be completed in March 2007. The singer's spokesperson said Martin will make another trip to lend a hand in the rebuilding process. ...

You Hear It First band and Fred Durst protégés Ringside will open for Weezer from April 26 in Vancouver to May 14 in Atlanta. The tour marks the first outing for the duo of singer/songwriter Scott Thomas and producer/actor Balthazar Getty. ... Claymates can now show their admiration for Clay Aiken every time they make a purchase. MasterCard affiliate Myplash (short for "my plastic cash") just released an Aiken debit card, as well as a Simple Plan edition, and will continue putting music celebrities on their cards. ...

Two months after 32-year-old Tracey Gardner-Tetso failed to meet up with friends at a Mötley Crüe concert in Washington, D.C., the band is stepping up to match the $10,000 reward put up by the Victims' Rights Foundation. "We hope our involvement helps brings more attention to this case and anyone with information will step forward," bassist Nikki Sixx said in a statement. Tetso is white, 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighs 130 pounds and has long blond hair and blue eyes. She was last seen driving a 1996 black Pontiac Trans Am with tinted windows and Maryland plates LRN 534. The car was found March 17th in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Anyone with information should call police at (410) 407-2020. ... Tupac's mom, Afeni Shakur, is happy that T.I. and Lil' Flip have resolved their beef and said it's a "wonderful lesson" for the rest of the rap community. "It's been nearly 10 years since everything between Tupac and Biggie, and rappers today are paying a lot of lip service to the lessons they learned from that tragedy," she said in a statement, "but how many of them are actually showing it in their actions? I'm proud of the way T.I. and Lil' Flip have settled their differences." ...

Get ready to call Lance Bass' bluff -- the 'NSYNC singer is going to put on his game face during a no-limit round of Texas hold 'em on "Poker Royale: Celebrities Vs. Poker Pros." Also playing for a chance at a $50,000 prize are actresses such as Jennifer Tilly and Mimi Rogers and poker champs such as Scott Fischman and Kenna James. The seven-episode series debuts May 6 at 9 p.m. ET on GSN. ... Faith Evans' songs from her album The First Lady are now available as ring tones on Virgin Mobile. The ring tone for her first single, "Again," will be exclusive for one month, while the "Goin' Out" and "Tru Love" will be exclusive for two months. ... Fantasia will be the opening act for soul singer Kem for three weeks beginning June 8 in St. Louis and wrapping up July 1 in Atlanta. The "American Idol" winner's new single, "Free Yourself," was the most added song at urban mainstream radio last week. ...

Patti Smith, Nellie McKay and Huey Lewis are joining the Jammys lineup, which already includes Sinead O'Connor with Burning Spear. Mavis Staples and Phish bassist Mike Gordon have also been added to the bill. The jam-music awards show takes place Tuesday at New York's Madison Square Garden. ... Dark Star Orchestra co-founder Scott Larned, 37, died Sunday from heart failure, the band announced on its Web site. As keyboardist for the world's preeminent Grateful Dead cover band, who specialized in re-creating entire Dead shows onstage down to the smallest musical detail, Larned's demise eerily follows that of three actual Grateful Dead keyboardists: Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (1945-73) and Brent Mydland (1952-90), who died while they were still members of the group, and Keith Godchaux, who left the band in 1979 and died in 1980. ...