Young Buck's court date in Los Angeles this week in connection with the melee at last fall's Vibe Awards was once again postponed, this time to October 25. The G-Unit rapper has already pleaded not guilty to assault with a deadly weapon. ...

When Burt Bacharach, the famous composer whose credits include "What the World Needs Now Is Love" and "I Say a Little Prayer," announced last fall he was working with Dr. Dre, music fans might've assumed he was just getting senile in his old age (he's 77). Well, the music is now actually coming out. His new album, At This Time, due November 1, features three tracks with drum loops provided by Dre. Elvis Costello, Rufus Wainwright and Chris Botti also appear on the album. ... Attention Bright Eyes fans in the St. Louis area: Your show will go on. Two weeks after he announced he was canceling a show at St. Louis club the Pageant because of the venue's association with Clear Channel Communications, Bright Eyes' main man Conor Oberst has found a new (non-corporate) home for the November 12 gig: the Jesse Auditorium on the campus of the University of Missouri - Columbia. The bad news? Tickets to the Pageant will not be honored (though refunds are available). Tickets for the new show go on sale through Ticketmaster starting Friday (September 30). ...

Here's some good news for any of the almost 57,000 Switchfoot fans who picked up a copy of the band's newest disc, Nothing Is Sound, at a Christian retail outlet and then, after buying the LP, wondered, "Gee, why can't I import these tracks to my iPod?" Turns out you threw money down on a defective album. According to a spokesperson for EMI CMG, which distributes Switchfoot's albums to Christian retail only, a manufacturing defect in the CDs' content-protection technology prevented fans from burning copies of the album or transferring the tracks to portable MP3 devices. Hence, the company's pulled all of the copies that were out there, and is recalling all of those copies that have been sold. Those who bought one of the defective copies (they've got the Sparro Records logo on them) and would like a fresh copy of the disc can return to the point of purchase for a new one. ... New Jersey rock act Thursday, who're currently composing material for the follow-up to 2003's War All the Time, want their fans to help them battle breast cancer -- by designing a T-shirt, through the Shirts for a Cure Project. Proceeds from the sale of the winning tee will benefit breast-cancer organizations. It doesn't hurt that the winner will also get a boatload of autographed Thursday swag, too. Designs should be e-mailed to thursday@shirtsforacure.com before October 4. ...

Remember Jin? The onetime Ruff Ryders member declared "I Quit" a year ago, but now the Chinese-American MC is back with Emcee's Properganda (October 25), a 14-track album in which he asserts his love and respect for hip-hop history on songs like "Perspectives" and "Top 5 (Dead or Alive)." ... Alanis Morissette is putting out a greatest-hits album, and for her first single, she's planning to release the cover she did of Seal's "Crazy" for Gap's fall ad campaign, via a video she shot last week in Los Angeles with Meiert Avis. The Collection, due November 15, will include 19 songs, including tracks from her "MTV Unplugged" album and her contributions to soundtracks for "Dogma," "City of Angels" and "De-Lovely." "It was a torturous challenge to come up with the songs," she said. "Rather than seeing my songs as children, I view them as rooms in the big house that is my life. All of them are a snapshot of a period of time and a passage in my life." The Collection will also include behind-the-scenes footage, while a limited-edition two-disc set will feature an hour-long documentary. ...

A tribute album to late singer Elliott Smith, To Elliott From: Portland, is slated for release on February 7. Among the acts contributing covers to the set are the Decemberists, Helio Sequence, the Thermals, Crosstide and more. Elliott's former roommate, singer/songwriter Sean Croghan, covers the previously unreleased song "Hard Times." Ten percent of proceeds will go to the Elliott Smith Foundation's Free Arts for Abused Children program. ... Ozomatli, Blackalicious and Fishbone are among the acts that will perform at a Sublime tribute show on October 24 at the Music Box @ Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. Members of Sublime and other special guests will also take the stage. All proceeds will go to MusiCares' Musicians Assistance Program and hurricane relief efforts. ...

As if MySpace wasn't mind-numbingly addictive enough, the masterminds behind the leading online gathering place have announced several new features geared toward its college crowd. Current students, as well as alumni, will now have the ability to rate their professors, list their courses, link up with classmates and proudly display their Greek affiliation on their user profiles. And for you naughty kids who like to jones on your professor, you can now rate them on a hotness scale. ... Reel Big Fish's Scott Klopfenstein has been hospitalized in New Zealand, where he'll remain for an indefinite period of time. Doctors there have been running tests on the multi-instrumentalist and singer, according to the band's manager. Signs of Klopfenstein's condition first emerged a few weeks back, in the form of partial paralysis and blurred vision. At this point, doctors have determined his illness could be one of two things: Guillain-Barré or Miller Fisher syndrome, both being rare, acquired nerve diseases characterized by abnormal muscle coordination, paralysis of the eye muscles, absence of the tendon reflexes, generalized muscle weakness and respiratory failure -- all of which could be preceded by a viral illness. Reel Big Fish will continue to tour Australia and will play in Hawaii on October 10. ...

09.29.2005

Atlanta's Philips Arena was the site of the Heal the Hood charity concert a few weeks ago, and now Usher has announced he'll hit the venue for another benefit show. Usher has named his concert Project Restart and is calling on some of his friends who are major in the game to perform as well. The proceeds from the show, set for October 9, will go to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. Five thousand of the storms' evacuees who have relocated to Georgia will be given free tickets. Usher is also planning to enlist a few corporations to help find homes for 1,000 families who lost their residences in the hurricanes. ...

Britney's done it, Paris has done it, heck, even Beyoncé's done it -- and now it's Hilary Duff's turn. The just-turned-18 singer is planning to launch a line of fragrance products next fall in conjunction with Elizabeth Arden, which previously partnered with Britney Spears on her Curious and Fantasy scents. "I love wearing a beautiful fragrance and don't feel completely dressed without one," Duff said. "I love to layer my fragrances with perfumes, body gels and dusting powders." She said she's looking forward to creating a line that is "fresh and innovative," that "everyone will enjoy wearing, including me." ... The leaked Fugees single "Be Easy" has a new name -- the group is now calling it "Take It Easy." The trio's upcoming as-yet-untitled album is slated for release in early 2006. ...

Trina is readying her third studio album, Glamorest Life, due October 4. Her rep says it's "all about the best in life" as well as the rapper's "most personal work to date." It's also pretty stacked with guest appearances. Songs include first single "Here We Go" featuring Kelly Rowland, "Sexy Girl" featuring Snoop Dogg, "Don't Trip" featuring Lil' Wayne, "Shake" featuring Lil Scrappy and "Da Club" featuring Mannie Fresh. ... Despite tabloid suggestions to the contrary, Pink insists that she's not pregnant. "I might look like it, but I'm not," she wrote in a letter to fans on her Web site. She also wrote that she's still putting "finishing touches, tweaks here and there" on her new album. "I will settle for nothing less than my twisted perfection. (I think you all won't settle either)." As for her live DVD, she said she plans to release it with the album next year. ...

According to a post on Nine Inch Nails' Web site from frontman Trent Reznor, the group's drummer, Jerome Dillon, is in the hospital -- his second stay this month. No further information was available at press time. "Just spent the day discussing touring up through next summer, then played our asses off to the least responsive audience I can ever remember playing to," Reznor wrote. "As I'm walking to the bus to leave Sacramento as soon as I can, I learn Jerome is back in the hospital. I have no idea what this means." ... Rob Zombie, Def Leppard's Vivian Campbell, Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell, former Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5, and former Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones will join Dave Navarro's covers band, Camp Freddy, on Thursday night (September 29) for a gig at Hollywood's Key Club. Proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross New Orleans Relief Fund. ...

In what has become a monthly occurrence, the Recording Industry Association of America has announced its latest round of copyright-infringement lawsuits against alleged Internet pirates. This round targeted 757 individuals for illegally distributing music on services such as eDonkey, Grokster and Kazaa. Among those sued are students at 17 universities. In addition to the "John Doe" suits, 163 lawsuits were filed against named defendants earlier this month. ... Ex-Breaking Benjamin drummer Jeremy Hummel is suing his former bandmates, claiming he was unceremoniously booted him from the group and hasn't been paid the royalties he's due. According to the Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader, the suit, which seeks more than $8.25 million in damages, claims that back in March 2004, Hummel asked the band if he could take paternity leave for four to six weeks; he wanted to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. That request was granted, and Breaking Benjamin hired a substitute drummer. Seven months later, Hummel, who was still on paternity leave, got a call telling him he was out. The suit also claims Hummel doesn't receive profits from the band's second EP or for the two tracks Breaking Benjamin recorded for the "Halo 2" and "National Treasure" soundtracks. ...

Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood is planning to pen a memoir as soon as he's done with the group's current tour. Wood just inked a deal with Macmillan, after submitting a sample chapter and putting the project up for auction; the final bid reached seven figures. ... Adam Ant is also working on a memoir. Ant recently got a book deal for his autobiography, which he's calling "Stand and Deliver," with U.K. publisher Sidgwick and Jackson, who plan to put it out next fall. ... Now that Sinéad O'Connor's putting out her first reggae record, Throw Down Your Arms (October 4), she's going to head out on the road to support it with her first U.S. tour in seven years. Since her production team of Sly & Robbie were so instrumental in getting her to take on songs by Burning Spear, Peter Tosh, Lee "Scratch" Perry and Bob Marley, she's bringing them along with her as her backing band. O'Connor's 10-day trek kicks off November 28 in Minneapolis and wraps December 10 in Philadelphia. ...

Happy Mondays filmed a show in Barcelona, Spain's Razzmatazz club last December, and now the show is coming out on DVD. "Happy Mondays Live in Barcelona," due October 4, also includes soundcheck footage and an interview with frontman Shaun Ryder. ... Not to be outdone, fellow Brit band the Wonder Stuff are releasing a DVD of their own, called "Construction for the Modern Vidiot," also due October 4. This one includes footage from shows from 2000 through 2002 throughout England, including the Fleadh Festival and the Longest Day, as well as behind-the-scenes footage of "a life of doing the gigs for the very sake of doing the gigs, and nothing else." ...