Lil Jon's long-awaited entry into adult cinema, "Lil Jon's Vivid Vegas Party," hit video stores this week after months of delays wrought by legal entanglements. According to a press release, Jon was instrumental in every aspect of the DVD, "from coaching the actresses in their fine art to writing a sensual score to accentuate the story line." The DVD is available in "explicit and non-explicit versions" and is the first of two flicks featuring the self-appointed King of Crunk alongside a bevy of adult-film starlets. Jon does not "act" in the movie, although he does pop up "throughout the film during its many intimate scenes and at one point exclaims, 'I love my job!' " ...

Diddy announced Tuesday that he will launch a young women's sportswear line, adding to his Sean John apparel collection, which already boasts sportswear for men. Sean John will team with G-Ill Apparel Group to distribute the contemporary collection, set to debut in spring 2007. ...

Only in Paris Hilton's world could a court issue a restraining order against the actress/celebutante that forces her to stay at least 100 yards away from an event producer who claimed she threatened him -- unless they're at a party together, in which case the distance is shortened to 25 feet. According to The Associated Press, a court commissioner signed off on the unusual three-year order against Hilton, 25, who must stay away from 37-year-old party planner Brian Quintana. Quintana testified last month that Hilton harassed and threatened him after their friendship ended. ...

Metallica will perform a number of classic Black Sabbath tunes in homage to the Ozzy Osbourne-led metal legends, who are part of 2006's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. The members of Metallica will also introduce Sabbath during the 21st annual induction ceremony, set for Monday in New York. A post on Metallica's Web site states that Sabbath "wrote the book on heavy music, and like many other snot-nosed kids, we read it religiously over and over again. For all of us in Metallica, Black Sabbath are a major influence not only on our music, but on our lives." Kid Rock will also be on hand to present inductees Lynyrd Skynyrd, while Sting will introduce A&M Records founders Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss. ...

Boy George pleaded guilty to a charge of third-degree false reporting on Wednesday (March 8) in a deal that saved him from going to jail. According to an Associated Press report, the former Culture Club singer (real name George O'Dowd) agreed to pay a $1,000 fine, enter a drug-rehabilitation program in England and perform five days of community service in Manhattan to resolve his arrest last year on a cocaine charge. George, 44, was arrested in October after calling 911 to report an alleged burglary of his Manhattan apartment, and when police arrived they found a small pile of cocaine next to his computer. The charge of criminal possession of a controlled substance was dropped as part of the plea bargain. ... In other legal news, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer filed a lawsuit Wednesday against one of the nation's largest radio chains, Entercom Communications, claiming that it engaged in payola by accepting gifts, trips and cash in exchange for playing certain songs on its 105 stations, according to an AP report. The move signals a switch from Spitzer's previous suits, which have targeted record labels he said used payola to gain airtime. An Entercom spokesperson denied the charges. ...

Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell has been added to the cast of VH1's "The Surreal Life 6," which already includes Poison's C.C. DeVille, '80s video stalwart Tawny Kitaen and Sherman Helmsley of "The Jeffersons." Smash Mouth's upcoming single, "Story of My Life," is featured in the show, according to the band's publicist, and all the castmembers will appear in the song's video. ...

Good news for fans of Snow Patrol: The countdown to a new album is on. Reps for their label, Interscope Records, have confirmed that the Patrol's new LP, Eyes Open, will hit stores May 9. The albums features 11 cuts, including the first single, "Hands Open," and "Chasing Cars," a song Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody has singled out as a personal favorite. Other tracks include "Beginning to Get to Me," "Make This Go on Forever" and "Headlights." ...

Saves the Day will precede the April 4 release of their forthcoming album, Sound the Alarm, with a 51-date North American tour, which kicks off Wednesday in Santa Cruz, California. The final stop on the trek will be May 7 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, as part of the Bamboozle Festival. ...

Vendetta Red announced Tuesday that they've decided to throw in the towel, confirming months of speculation that the band was inactive. The group released a statement via its MySpace page but offered no explanation as to what caused the split. Vendetta Red will perform for the last time April 8 at El Corazón in Seattle. ...

Argentinean director Alejandro Chomski ("Hoy y Mañana") has been tapped to direct "Reggaeton," which is being co-produced by Jennifer Lopez's Nuyorican Productions. According to Variety, the movie is expected first out of the gate in what is shaping up to be a bumper crop of films based on the bilingual hip-hop/Latin/reggae hybrid style of music. It is slated to begin filming in New York and Puerto Rico in the spring.

03.07.2006

The night before "Crash" scored the Academy Award for best picture, the 26th annual Golden Raspberry Awards -- prizes that no one in the movie business vies for -- were handed out. The biggest Razzie "winner" was "Dirty Love," written by and starring Jenny McCarthy. The film took trophies for Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay; McCarthy was named Worst Actress, and ex-husband John Asher took the prize for Worst Director. Rob Schneider scored Worst Actor for "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo," while Hayden Christensen was named Worst Supporting Actor for "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith." Paris Hilton's work in "House of Wax" was recognized with a Worst Supporting Actress Razzie; Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman were named the Worst Screen Couple for their roles in "Bewitched"; "Son of the Mask" took the award for Worst Remake or Sequel; and Tom Cruise and fiancee Katie Holmes were named Most Tiresome Tabloid Target. ...

Bobby Brown was arrested in Webster, Massachusetts, Friday on misdemeanor charges of unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and having an uninsured trailer, The Associated Press reports. The minor violations, which date back 14 years, were noticed when a police officer conducted a routine warrant check. The 37-year-old singer was released on a $40 bond after being held for about an hour. ... Gordon Parks, a writer, musician, photographer and director best known for helming the movie "Shaft," died Tuesday (March 7) at the age of 93, according to the AP. As a photojournalist, Parks shot for such publications as Life magazine, though his most famous image -- 1942's "American Gothic," showing a female black janitor holding a broom and a mop in front of the American flag -- came while he was documenting life in America alongside such legendary shooters as Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans at the U.S. Farm Security Administration. His first film, "The Learning Tree," came in 1969 and was based on one of his own novels. "Shaft," an iconic detective drama now referenced in countless hip-hop songs and eventually remade with Samuel L. Jackson, followed two years later. ...

Former Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge has settled on a release date and title for the debut album by his new band Angels & Airwaves -- well, almost. According to a spokesperson for A&A's label, Geffen Records, the record is tentatively titled We Don't Need to Whisper but will most definitely be in stores May 23. ... That same day brings the debut album from the Raconteurs, the retro-leaning project featuring the White Stripes' Jack White, singer/songwriter Brendan Benson and two members of the Greenhornes. Their album is called Broken Boy Soldiers and features 10 tracks, including "Hands," "Intimate Secretary" and "Blue Veins." The first single from the album, "Steady as She Goes," is available on a limited-edition seven-inch starting Tuesday. ... Yellowcard have added several shows to their Virgin College Mega Tour, including stops in San Diego (April 18), Salt Lake City (April 21) and Wichita, Kansas (April 24). New Capitol labelmates Mae are opening. ... The Red Hot Chili Peppers have unveiled the album art for their forthcoming double LP, Stadium Arcadium, on their Web site. The Chilis have also posted a teaser trailer for Arcadium -- featuring a snippet from the disc's first single, "Dani California" -- as well as a 30-second downloadable "Dani" ring tone. Stadium Arcadium lands in stores May 9. ...

Pearl Jam have revealed the track list for their upcoming self-titled LP, which is scheduled to drop May 2. Thirteen cuts, including "Life Wasted," "Marker in the Sand" and "Wasted Reprise," will appear on the LP. The first single, "World Wide Suicide," has been posted to the band's bootleg site. ... Bad Boy rapper Black Rob (born Robert Ross) remains in the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack, New Jersey, after authorities picked him up on a fugitive warrant on February 24. Manhattan district attorney's office spokesperson Edison Alban said the MC -- who had agreed to turn himself in January 24 to begin serving a two-to-six-year prison sentence on a felony charge for possession of stolen property -- is awaiting a date for an extradition hearing. ... Daddy Yankee is the latest artist to partner with Reebok. His shoe and apparel line launch Wednesday. ... Elton John's annual AIDS Foundation Oscar party raised $2.9 million for the fight against HIV -- almost triple the amount from a year ago, according to a spokesperson for the event. John Legend performed and sang a duet with John on "Ordinary People" and "Rocket Man." ... For one week, Sirius Satellite Radio is devoting an entire station to the music of Pink Floyd and guitarist David Gilmour. Classic rock channel the Vault started the Gilmour marathon Monday, just in time for Tuesday (March 7)'s release of the guitarist's third solo album, On an Island, his first studio outing in more than two decades. ...

A woman is being held without bond on a murder charge in connection with the stabbing death of former Jackson 5 drummer Johnny Jackson, who was found dead in his home in Gary, Indiana, on Wednesday. Yolanda Davis, 44, told police that she stabbed Jackson, 54, with a steak knife when he lunged at her during a fight, according to The Associated Press. Davis could face up to 65 years in prison if she is convicted. ... Paul Rachman's documentary "American Hardcore," a film that recounts the evolution of America's hardcore punk movement from 1980 to 1986, has been picked up by Sony Pictures Classics, according to Reuters. The movie, which screened at this year's Sundance Film Festival and will be featured at this month's South by Southwest Film Festival, includes concert footage featuring Black Flag, Bad Brains, Jerry's Kids, Suicidal Tendencies and Wasted Youth. Inspired by Steven Blush's book "American Hardcore: A Tribal History," the documentary is expected to hit theaters this fall. ...

Overcast, an influential, erstwhile Massachusetts metal band that counted among its members Killswitch Engage bassist Mike D'Antonio and Shadows Fall frontman Brian Fair, will regroup after eight years apart for a special appearance at this year's New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, set for April 28-30 in Worcester, Massachusetts. According to the band's Web site, it will also return to a recording studio in May to breathe new life into more than 10 classic Overcast tunes and record two previously unreleased cuts, all of which will appear on the forthcoming Reborn to Kill Again. Killswitch guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz (who has produced LPs for Unearth and Underoath) will helm the project. There's no word yet on when the disc will surface, but discussions with several labels are ongoing. ... Political punkers Anti-Flag have teamed up with U.S. Representative Jim McDermott, a Democrat from Washington state, to urge congressional leaders to fund a study on the use of depleted uranium as munitions. The band released a new song, "Depleted Uranium Is a War Crime," through the After Downing Street coalition's Web site. According to the band, the song is a critique on the military's use of the deadly chemical "without studying its long-lasting and detrimental effects to humanity." The cut will appear on the group's forthcoming For Blood and Empire LP, which is due March 21. ...

Saliva will perform at this year's Elvis Presley Festival, which is set for June 2-4 in Tupelo, Mississippi. According to The Associated Press, rockabilly, country and gospel acts the Dempseys, Cowboy Mouth, Jeff Bates, Travis LeDoyt, Chris Cagle, Chely Wright and the Landmarks join Presley's backing vocalists the Jordanaires in the lineup for the eighth annual event. ... Murderdolls frontman Wednesday 13 has entered a North Carolina recording studio, where he's started tracking the follow-up to last year's Transylvania 90210: Songs of Death, Dying, and the Dead. He's written more than 30 tracks for his sophomore solo outing so far, including "Buried With Children," "My Home Sweet Homicide" and "Morgue Than Words." Wednesday 13 will be producing the effort, which could surface in late spring. Wednesday's also recorded two covers ("Burn the Flames" by Roky Erickson and Motörhead's "R.A.M.O.N.E.S."), but it's not clear whether either track will appear on the as-yet-untitled LP. ... A federal judge has ordered Rod Stewart to hand over more than $3 million to a Las Vegas casino where the singer was supposed to perform in late December 2000. Stewart canceled the gig, claiming he was unable to sing due to a recent throat surgery, and the Rio Hotel and Casino filed a breach-of-contract suit to recoup to the $2 million advance the singer was paid. According to The Associated Press, Stewart was ordered to cough up an additional $153,483 in contempt-of-court sanctions and legal costs for withholding information from attorneys representing Harrah's Entertainment before the start of last year's trial. The court also awarded Harrah's more than $1 million in interest, penalties, and related legal expenses.

[This story was orignally published at 9:05 a.m. ET on 03.08.2006]