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For The Record: Quick News On Beanie Sigel, Jessica Simpson, Lou Rawls, Avril Lavigne, T.I., Fall Out Boy & More

Beanie convicted of misdemeanor assault; Simpson/ Lachey house sells; Rawls' funeral set for Friday.

Beanie Sigel's legal woes are finally behind him. On Tuesday afternoon (January 10), the rapper was convicted of misdemeanor simple assault in Philadelphia, according to The Associated Press. Sigel was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to pay $180 in court costs. The charges stemmed from a fight back in 2003, during which Sigel punched a 53-year-old man in both of his eyes, fracturing his left eye socket. ...

"Malcolm in the Middle" co-star Justin Berfield, a longtime friend of Jessica Simpson's family and producing partner with Joe Simpson of E!'s "Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive," has purchased the former Calabasas, California, home of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, according to Berfield's spokesperson. The home, on the market for $3.75 million for only a few days, was sold for an undisclosed amount. Berfield is selling his Hollywood home, previously owned by both George Clooney and Jamie Pressly, for just under $2 million. ...

Lou Rawls will be laid to rest on Friday at the West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles, with the Reverend Jesse Jackson officiating. Fans will get to pay their respects to the legend on Thursday at a public viewing at the Angelus Funeral Home starting at 3 p.m. ... Along with getting ready for the premiere of the fifth season of "American Idol," Randy Jackson has been producing a duets record with Sam Moore from '60s soul stalwarts Sam & Dave ("Soul Man"). Jackson is also developing a morning talk show for FOX with "So You Think You Can Dance" host Lauren Sanchez. ...

Back in August, Ozzy Osbourne announced that he was looking for a guitarist to work with him on his next studio LP. Ozzy called on those interested to send in demos of their fretwork, but didn't specify whether he was in need of a lead or rhythm guitarist -- raising speculation regarding the state of the Ozzman's relationship with longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde. This week, Osbourne's fans learned that Ozzy was in fact looking to replace Wylde -- but not anymore. "Ozzy would like to thank everyone who took the time to send in submissions to be his new guitar player," reads a posting on his Web site. "At the time we announced the search, [Wylde's] itinerary with Black Label Society was quite overwhelming. Fortunately, Zakk has now been able to go back and rearrange his schedule to make sure that he would be available to write, record and tour with Ozzy in 2006 and beyond. Therefore, the search for a new axeman has been called off." ...

Avril Lavigne transforms from what she calls a "little tough-ass" punkette into a Fifth Avenue princess in the new issue of Harper's Bazaar, out January 17, in which she models Gucci, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent. "It's insane how much I've changed," Lavigne told the mag. "A couple of years ago, I started wearing skirts. I'm starting to feel more feminine. I'm getting into hair and makeup and image. That's the best part of being a girl." Lavigne doesn't just want to model for a magazine spread, though -- she wants to walk down the runway and do ads for high-end products. "I'm not 6 feet tall, but I know I can do that," she said. She's already started an acting career, but she says she wants to be "really careful" about that so she doesn't come off as "cheesy." Also on the 21-year-old's agenda: planning her upcoming wedding to fiance Deryck Whibley from Sum 41. "Everything has come super fast for me, a lot faster than for most people," she said. "I don't have the average lifestyle. I just know in my heart I'm doing the right thing." ...

Swizz Beatz held a surprise birthday bash for his better half, singer Mashonda, on Monday night at Cain in New York. Bobby Brown showed up at the shindig, as did Fabolous, Ray J and T.I. ... Sergio Mendes, the Brazilian samba star whose career is being revitalized by Will.I.Am, will release "Yes, Yes Y'all" featuring Black Thought of the Roots and Chali 2na of Jurassic 5 as the first single from his new album, Timeless. Due February 14, the LP also includes appearances by Justin Timberlake and Stevie Wonder, among others. ... The weekend before the Southern Entertainment Awards January 22 in Tunica, Mississippi, several hip-hop bigwigs from the South will gather for panels discussing the industry. Killer Mike, 8Ball & MJG and Outkast manager Blue Williams are among those scheduled to attend the January 20-21 events at the Grand Casino. ...

Contrary to earlier reports, the new album from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs will not be called Coco Beware. Seems that when the album's producer, Squeak E. Clean, told MTV News in November that the album would be called CoCo and would focus on the life and times of YYY frontwoman Karen O's cat, he was only kidding (a fact he forgot to mention). Rather, the new album will be called Show Your Bones and will hit stores on March 28, according to Interscope Records. The first single will be called "Gold Lion," and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs will film a video for the song sometime this month in Los Angeles. ... Previously released songs from Fall Out Boy, Audioslave, Hot Hot Heat, Gavin DeGraw and Jimmy Eat World will be featured on Music From the WB Television Series One Tree Hill - Volume II: Friends With Benefit, due February 7. Jack's Mannequin's "The Mixed Tape" will be the first single and singer and cancer survivor Andrew McMahon will perform the song on the show as part of a benefit concert hosted by one of the central characters. Proceeds from the soundtrack will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. ...

H.I.M. guitarist Mikko "Linde" Lindstrom fell on a slippery street in Helsinki, Finland, last week and fractured his left wrist, according to the band's label rep. He will need to wear a cast until the end of January, so the band has had to postpone its current tour of the U.K. and Ireland until April. ... A Pansy Division retrospective, titled The Essential Pansy Division, will be in stores on January 24. The disc will feature 30 tracks as well as a bonus DVD. ...

01.09.2006

Mariah Carey's "pretty gun-shy" about ever getting married again, but that's not just because of her failed marriage to music mogul Tommy Mottola. The singer tells Good Housekeeping for its February issue that her parents' divorce still affects her. "I always said when I was little that I was never going to get married," she told the mag, "but then I was always the girl who didn't understand why people would live together. 'If they're living together, then why don't they get married?' I'm actually sort of a prude like that, I guess." Carey, who fought rumors last month that she had gotten engaged to her boyfriend, tells the mag she would only consider getting married again if she knew she was starting a family, and she's not too sure that should be her goal. "I mean, to me, if you're getting married, it's about having kids," she said. "Still, I worry sometimes about having kids when you're really famous, because the kids aren't asking to be brought into this world as famous people." She reserves the right to change her mind, though. "I can't even predict the next 10 minutes, let alone the next 10 years!" ...

The house Nick Lachey famously landscaped (and moved all his furniture into) is on the market. Jessica Simpson and her soon-to-be-ex are selling the Los Angeles-area house the couple lived in while filming "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica." The asking price? $3.75 million, according to People magazine.

Twista is banged up but should be back on his feet soon. Early Saturday morning he was driving home when another car hit his vehicle and drove off. Since then he's been resting at home under a doctor's care. "I want to thank all of my fans and supporters for checking in on my health," he said in a statement. "I was the victim of a hit-and-run car accident [but] the grind does not stop, as I will shortly be back in front of my fans, giving them the energetic performances they have come to expect from me." ...

Part of the reason Madonna keeps in such good shape is that she's afraid of getting fat, she reveals in the February issue of Elle, on stands Thursday. ([article id="1519925"]Check out photos here.[/article]) "I wish I were comfortable enough to look zaftig," she told the mag, "but I choose men who like carved-out women, the can-you-run-for-the-bus kind of guy. I'm naturally inclined toward men like that." The singer traces her desire to win men over back to her relationship with her father, who she said doesn't get excited about much of anything. "A good part of my life was spent trying to wow him, to get his approval," she said. Even so, she doesn't think her fame will help any man in her life, especially the big guy upstairs. "In the big picture, it means very little," Madonna said. "At the end of my life, God doesn't give a sh--." ... When Michael Jackson took off for Bahrain after his acquittal on child-molestation charges last year, it seems he forgot to leave a check for the vet. Martin Dinnes, owner of Dinnes Memorial Veterinary Hospital, which cares for the exotic menagerie of animals at Jackson's now-abandoned Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, California, has sued the singer for more than $91,000 in unpaid bills, according to an Associated Press report. In the suit, Dinnes claims that in addition to treating Jackson's animals, he helped the singer acquire his collection of flamingoes, giraffes, elephants and orangutans. ...

Courtney Love lost ownership of the historic Olympia, Washington, home she bought in 1997 after a foreclosure auction over the weekend, according to The Associated Press. The home, which will go to a Los Angeles mortgage company as it received no bids, was on the block because the company filed suit last year seeking foreclosure when Love reportedly failed to pay more than $386,000 in debt on the property. Love could have prevented the auction by paying off the debt. Kurt Cobain's sister, Kim, was living in the house before the auction. ... The first three dates of Rob Zombie's North American spring tour with Lacuna Coil have been announced: March 18 in Miami; April 6 in Columbus, Ohio; and April 7 in Detroit. More dates will be announced in the coming weeks. ...

British rapper Ms. Dynamite would probably rather forget her birthday. The 25-year-old MC was charged on Saturday with punching a police officer in the face after being arrested for allegedly kicking at the front door of the Paragon Lounge in West London. According to The Associated Press, Dynamite (whose real name is Niomi McLean-Daley) was out celebrating with her brother when she allegedly hit the female officer. She was charged with disorderly conduct and assaulting an officer while her brother was charged with obstructing police work. Both were released on bail; a hearing is set for Friday. ... Simon Cowell is developing a singing-contest show called "Duets," in which, like "Dancing With the Stars," pros will pair with celebrities. Cowell will not be a judge on the series, which FOX has signed on to air (cast contingent), according to the network. ...

Six of the eight "Laguna Beach" castmembers appear in a spring ad campaign for Bongo that will show up in fashion and entertainment magazines such as Seventeen, Teen Vogue and Us Weekly for their February issues. The cast holed up in a Santa Monica, California, mansion and headed down to the beach for some sun and surf, and hired Orange County band the Colour to play during the mid-November shoot (castmember Alex Murrel joined the group to sing "Wild Thing"). Other craziness that ensued? Talan Torriero announced his ill-fated engagement to Kimberly Stewart, and everyone pushed each other into the mansion's pool. ... Massive Attack have finished seven tracks with producer Neil Davidge for their forthcoming Weather Underground LP. According to the band's Web site, an early 2007 release is being eyed. The band also has a best-of in the works. The two-CD set, called Collected, will include the tracks "Unfinished Sympathy," "Safe From Harm," "Protection," "Angel" and "Teardrop." Look for Collected in late March. ...

Former You Hear It First artist Regina Spektor has finished the follow-up to her 2004 album, Soviet Kitsch. According to a post on ReginaSpektor.com, the new album is called Begin to Hope, and it's tentatively due to hit stores sometime this spring or summer. "There is still much work to be done, and I am looking forward to making more visual and video art to go along with it," Spektor wrote. ...

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