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For The Record: Quick News On Jay-Z And Nas, Kanye West, Britney Spears, Velvet Revolver, Madonna & More

Jay-Z and Nas come out for Kanye's b-day bash, Britney to premiere new video on her show, Velvet Revolver still together.

Most men would not have the power to bring both Jay-Z and Nas out to the same party, but Kanye West is not most men. The producer celebrated his 28th birthday Wednesday night at the Bulgari store on Fifth Avenue in New York, and the two rap rivals made an appearance. Chris Tucker, Grafh, Farnsworth Bentley and P. Diddy also came through to wish Yay a happy born day. ...

Britney Spears is providing more than just a window into her relationship with Kevin Federline on her reality show -- she's also giving a sneak peek of some new music. Not only is the theme song to "Britney and Kevin: Chaotic" a track she originally recorded for In the Zone called "Chaotic," but the hour-long finale, called "Veil of Secrecy," will feature the premiere of her video for her new single, "Someday (I Will Understand)." The song was written by Spears and produced by Guy Sigsworth, while the clip was directed by Michael Haussman. The episode, which reveals how Britney and Kevin kept their wedding-day plans under wraps, airs Tuesday on UPN at a new time, 8 p.m. ([article id="1501842"]Click for photos from the show[/article].)... Velvet Revolver announced on Tuesday that they'd be cutting their current European tour short by five gigs, fueling speculation that the band has thrown in the proverbial towel following weeks of rumored ego clashes between singer Scott Weiland and guitarist Slash. One Finnish news organization actually reported that the band was toast. But according to the group's publicist, that's "absolute rubbish." Everything's fine with Velvet Revolver, who scrapped the final dates of the tour so they could return to American soil and get started on their second album. Other rumors suggesting Weiland was headed back to rehab are also false, the band's rep said. ...

Legendary '70s funk act Earth, Wind & Fire are plotting a comeback on September 20 with an all-star album, Illumination. It features production on two songs from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis ("Pure Gold," "Love Dance"), production and vocals from the Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am ("Lovely People") and four songs produced by Raphael Saadiq, including "Show Me the Way," a duet with bandleader Maurice White. Organized Noize produced "This Is How I Feel," featuring Outkast's Big Boi, Sleepy Brown and Destiny's Child's Kelly Rowland. Brian McKnight joins the group for "To You," Floetry sit in on "Elevated" and, no kidding, smooth saxophone blower Kenny G guests on a cover of Outkast's "The Way You Move." ...

Madonna is featured on the cover and in an exclusive 15-page fashion spread in housewife mag Ladies' Home Journal, hitting newsstands Tuesday, the same day her latest children's book, "Lotsa de Casha," drops in stores. In the magazine's story, she talks about her reformed wild ways, the poison of television and the struggle of balancing a successful marriage with motherhood. "I can assure you, five years ago, there's no way I would have said, 'I'm going to write kids' books and give all the money to charity,' " the singer said in the interview. "I never thought I'd be doing that [but] I like the idea people can change, and that everybody has to go through a painful process before they can realize they're idiots." On her former wild escapades, Madonna admits, "Sometimes now I sit back and say, 'What was I thinking before I was thinking?' There were times I really had an altruistic goal and wanted to help people. And then other times I just wanted to show off. Let's just call a spade a spade. I knew I could get people to pay attention to me." ...

Death Cab for Cutie, the Flaming Lips and Jimmy Eat World are among the artists, um, crashing the soundtrack for the upcoming comedy "Wedding Crashers." The Lips contribute a new song, "Mr. Ambulance Driver," which frontman Wayne Coyne has said will appear on the band's in-the-works new album, At War With the Mystics. The Jimmy Eat World tune, "(Splash) Turn Twist," was previously only available on a few hard-to-find EPs and international releases. Other acts on the soundtrack include Rilo Kiley and Bloc Party. The wedding crashers themselves, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, also contribute a sultry version of the Jewish classic "Hava Nagilah." The soundtrack hits stores on July 12, and the movie is due in theatres July 15. ... Kelly Osbourne has reached quite a milestone. Ozzy's little girl managed to snag three #1 spots simultaneously on the Billboard dance charts, a first since the Dance Airplay chart debuted in August 2003. "One Word," the debut single from Kelly's sophomore LP, Sleeping in the Nothing, has hit the top of the Hot Dance Music/ Club Play chart, the Hot Dance Singles chart and the Dance Radio Airplay chart. ...

Perry Farrell's newest band, the Satellite Party -- which includes former Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and world-music percussionist Gabriele Corcos -- will be performing at this summer's two-day Lollapalooza (July 23-24) in Chicago. The group will be joined onstage by special guest Tony Kanal, according to a spokesperson for the No Doubt bassist. ... The Couch Tour is returning this summer, and will feature the likes of Coheed and Cambria, Alien Ant Farm and Tsunami Bomb, along with some of the biggest names in skateboarding, like Bam Margera, showing off their skills. The trek kicks off June 4 in Murray, Utah, and wraps July 8 in Spokane, Washington. ...

Canadian noise-pop duo Death From Above 1979 have covered a song from their Vice Records labelmates Bloc Party. Their version of "Luno," from Bloc Party's album Silent Alarm, is currently streaming on DFA1979's MySpace page (myspace.com/deathfromabove1979) and will also be the B-side to their upcoming U.K. single "Black History Month." ... After a two-year hiatus, techno jam band the Disco Biscuits have revived their Camp Bisco festival. Camp Bisco IV: The Trance-Formation is scheduled for August 26-27 at Skye-top Festival Grounds in Van Etten, New York, and will feature sets from Umphrey's McGee, the New Deal, Conspirator, John Brown's Body, the Benevento Russo Duo, Brothers Past and Big in Japan. The Biscuits will play two sets each night. ...

06.08.2005

A New York Supreme Court judge said "no, no, no" to Beyoncé this week. The Destiny's Child singer was ordered to pay the Wilhelmina modeling agency a hefty sum after the judge ruled that she had failed to honor her contract with the company when she didn't pay them a commission and service fee for setting up a deal with L'Oreal in 2001. Wilhelmina's president, Sean Patterson, said the singer "just got some bad advice" from her lawyers. A spokesperson for Beyoncé could not be reached for comment at press time. The judgment is still being calculated, but Patterson estimated that it would be between $1 million and $1.8 million. ...

The 48th annual Grammy Awards will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 8, organizers announced on Wednesday (June 8). The CBS-broadcasted show returns to its traditional Wednesday slot after airing on a Sunday the last three years. Nominations will be announced on December 7. ... Hilary Duff has been tapped to be the face of Candie's fall ad campaign. The teen queen will be promoting the launch of the company's new junior division clothing line, which will be sold exclusively in Kohl's department stores. "I am so excited to be the new Candie's girl! There have been so many cool people that have done [their] ads in the past, and I feel like I am in good company with a lot of really cool people," said the singer/actress, who will be joining the ranks of former Candie's spokespeople Kelly Clarkson, Dixie Chicks and Destiny's Child. ...

The cancellation of the Zooma Tour left artists like Ben Harper with wide-open schedules. Rather than spend his summer in the backyard barbecuing, though, he's going to embark on a U.S. and Canadian tour. Harper's trek kicks off on July 12 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and hits 15 cities before wrapping up on August 1 in Atlanta. After the outing, Harper will head into the studio to work on his next album. ...

It's not impossible to imagine the Flaming Lips as the house band at, say, a cantina on Mars. But on a Carnival Cruise Line ship? Well, starting this October, that's just what they'll be, serving as the headlining act on the inaugural Xingolati Groove Cruise. The event, aboard the Carnival Paradise liner, is a four-day jaunt from Los Angeles to Ensenada, Mexico, where the ship will be transformed into a floating music festival. The Lips will perform a set in the ship's main auditorium, screen their recent career-spanning DVD, "The Fearless Freaks," and host the first-ever "Pacific Ocean Zaireeka Party," a playing of their obscure, 1997 four-disc album that requires four boom boxes to play. Other acts along for the trip include G. Love and Special Sauce and Medeski, Martin & Wood. The cruise sets sail on October 14. ... In support of their just-released album, Man-Made, Scottish rockers Teenage Fanclub are planning their first Stateside trip in four years. The group, which in its 16-year career has only ever made a handful of U.S. appearances, will kick off a 14-date tour on July 18 in Carrboro, North Carolina, and will finish up August 8 in San Diego. ...

Lit's A. Jay and Jeremy Popoff suffered a tragic loss this weekend when their parents were involved in a fatal motorcycle accident. Their mother, Sheri Suglia, and their stepfather, Kerry Suglia, were cruising down the Ortega Highway in Lake Elsinore, California, after a visit with the brothers when their motorcycle was struck by a drunk driver in an SUV. Kerry was killed on impact, while Sheri is in critical condition after suffering multiple injuries. A memorial fund has been established in their stepfather's name, and you can leave messages of support for A. Jay and Jeremy and their family on the band's Web site, litlounge.com. ...

David Coverdale is joining Whitesnake on the road this summer for a world tour. "I'm back with a mission," Coverdale said. "It's an appropriate time to reintroduce good, uplifting, positive rock and roll." The U.S. leg of the tour -- which will feature such Whitesnake hits such as "Here I Go Again" and "Is This Love" as well as early material from Coverdale's other band, Deep Purple -- kicks off June 22 in Seattle and wraps July 30 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The tour coincides with a new live DVD out in early July, "Whitesnake: The Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues Show," recorded in October at London's Hammersmith Apollo. ... Taproot have set an August 16 release date for their next album, Blue Sky Research. Toby Wright (Korn) produced the LP, and Billy Corgan and Gratitude's Jonah Matranga contributed lyrics. ...

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