Mario Etheridge, the bouncer at Detroit's CCC Club suspected in the shooting death of D12's Proof, was arraigned on weapons charges Saturday morning in Detroit's 36th District Court. Etheridge's attorney, Randall Upshaw, entered not guilty pleas on his client's behalf during the hearing. According to the Detroit Free Press, Magistrate Steve Lockhart set Etheridge's bond at $70,000 -- an amount he has yet to post. He's due in court for a preliminary hearing April 26. ...

According to Jimmy Rosemond, who manages the Game, the Compton, California, MC wasn't in court in Greensboro, North Carolina, on March 28 because an appearance summons never showed up in his mailbox. In a statement issued Monday afternoon (April 17), Rosemond said "there was a change of address in which Game did not receive his court summons." (Last week a judge issued a bench warrant for the Game's arrest after he missed his court date.) The Game still faces charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest in Greensboro, stemming from an October incident at a local mall. "It was a simple mistake and yes, a paper warrant was issued," Rosemond said. "However, his attorneys are working to clear this matter immediately." ...

Pink's not "Stupid" -- she knows it's time to move on from her controversial clip and demonstrate that the rest of her new album, I'm Not Dead, isn't all gimmick. The singer shot a video for the wistful "Who Knew" over the weekend in Los Angeles, following a couple at a carnival with directors Samuel Bayer (Green Day, Good Charlotte), Robert Hales (Fort Minor, Jet) and Brian Lazzaro (Rilo Kiley, Mest). "It's about the death of friendship," Pink said. "You're best friends forever, and then three years later, you haven't seen each other in two years. What happened? You grow apart and people come in and out of your life for different reasons, seasons." Pink also has a video for "U and Ur Hand" already in the can, directed by "Stupid Girls" auteur Dave Meyers. ... Ashanti pulled out of a planned concert in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday after her cousin was killed by a drunk driver while running an errand for the singer before the show. According to the Cape Times Web site, 20-year-old Quinshae Snead was thrown into oncoming traffic from a car in which she was a passenger after it was struck by an unlicensed 17-year-old drunk driver who had stolen his mother's car. The teen was arrested for drunk driving. Ashanti was on the bill for the Redd's Divas Concert at the Coca-Cola Dome, which also featured Lauryn Hill, Regina Belle and a host of popular African singers. ...

The White Stripes are being sued by a Detroit producer who claims he helped produce the band's signature lo-fi sound. Jim Diamond -- the Dirtbombs bassist who is credited as a co-producer on the Stripes' 1999 self-titled debut and sound mixer on 2000's De Stijl -- is now seeking royalties from them. A spokesperson for the Stripes acknowledged the suit but had no further comment on it. Bert Deixler, the Los Angeles attorney representing the band in the case, told The Associated Press that the suit "is meritless [and] will be defended with vigor." A June 12 trial date has been set for the case. ... If you're just about to pay your taxes, Moby wants you to think about where the money you're giving the government is going. "A lot of times, when you think of government policies, it seems very abstract and sort of arbitrary, until all of a sudden it's tax time, and you realize that your tax dollars are actually funding what the government does," he said. And that means partly bankrolling the Iraq war, which he claims is costing $244.2 million per day, or $170,000 per minute, or $2,379 per person. "Apart from that it's the biggest foreign policy disaster in the United States and that thousands of American soldiers are being killed and maimed, the fact that it's coming out of everyone's pocket really just adds insult to injury," Moby said, suggesting people feel free to write "not for Iraq" on the envelope. ...

Former Great White manager Daniel Biechele has written letters of apology to the families of 100 people who died in a nightclub fire at a Great White show in February 2003, the AP reports. Biechele was the one who lit the pyrotechnics display that sparked the blaze. He pleaded guilty to 100 counts of involuntary manslaughter and will serve up to 10 years in prison under a plea bargain that did not require him to write the letters. "Mr. Biechele feels genuine sorrow at what happened in this case, and he's been wanting to say something to the victims for a long time," his lawyer, Tom Briody, told the AP. Biechele's sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 8. ... A judge in New Orleans has thrown out a lawsuit by a man who claims to have been sexually and physically assaulted by Michael Jackson in 1984, the AP reports. Joseph Bartucci Jr., who was 18 at the time of the alleged incident, claimed Jackson lured him into a limo at the world's fair and held him for nine days, and that he repressed the memory until 2003. U.S. District Judge Eldon Fallon's reason for the dismissal was not released along with the judge's order. ...

Christina Milian has lots to say these days about her ex Nick Cannon, and none of it's pretty. Milian told Blender magazine for its May cover story that she found out Cannon was cheating on her after hacking his Sidekick. (Click here to see photos of Milian in Blender.) While filming the Wes Craven thriller "Pulse" in Romania, Milian started getting calls from her friends back home, asking if the couple were still together. "All the time we were together, I heard nothing," the singer told the mag. "No rumors, no gossip, and then all of a sudden I'm in Romania and I start hearing stuff." Once she found the code to Cannon's phone and cracked it, Milian says her concerns were confirmed. "I did something no woman should do," she said. "But sometimes you're entitled to ... and I think a lot of women do it, but it's my first time doing it." She had more to say about the breakup for Rap-Up's latest cover story, revealing that when she broke up with Cannon, he admitted cheating on her "for the entire three years we were together. The whole time with different girls, not just one, but different girls. He said to me that these girls helped his ego and made him look good," she said. Milian added that any characterization by Cannon that they're still friends is completely false and that she's already called his mother to ask him to stop saying that. Milian finds space to vent on her upcoming album, So Amazin', too. She gets even on the song "Who's Gonna Ride," which features the opening line "I ain't one to cuss, but f--- you." The album, produced in part by Milian's new boyfriend, Andre Lyon, -- Dre of Cool and Dre -- is due May 16. ...

Incubus will perform during Amnesty International's Make Some Noise, an acoustic benefit concert set for April 29 in Portland, Oregon. Actress Mira Sorvino will host the event, which will also feature performances by Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello (as Nightwatchman), Collective Soul and Suzanne Vega. ... There have been several additions to this year's Coachella Music and Arts Festival, set for April 29 and April 30 in Indio, California. Head Automatica, the Rakes and Catherine Wheel frontman Rob Dickinson will all be performing as part of the first day's lineup. Others confirmed for the festival include Tool, Madonna, Depeche Mode, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Franz Ferdinand. ... The season six finale of "The Gilmore Girls" will pack an extra punch of indie love, featuring appearances from Yo La Tengo, Joe Pernice, Sparks, Sam Phillips, Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon (with daughter Coco) and, for good measure, Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe O'Brian from "24"). The episode will air May 9 on the WB. ...

On Saturday, Deron Miller, lead singer for Bam Margera's favorite act, CKY, posted an announcement on the forum of the band's Web site, proclaiming "CKY Has Dropped Island Records." In the post, Miller wrote that, "We had been asking to be let go since 2003, when it was clear that the label had no idea how to market a band that doesn't write songs about breaking up with their girlfriends. To this day I truly don't know why they signed us in the first place." Later in the post, Miller explained that CKY were actually quite stoked to be off Island. "They wanted to do our fourth album, but giving them a fourth chance to deliver disappointing, empty promises seemed ludicrous." A spokesperson for Island -- who released CKY's 2002 album, Infiltrate Destroy Rebuild, and last year's An Answer Can Be Found -- said the label had no comment on the matter. Miller promised that even without a label, the band would press on with their current Australian tour. ...

"Guitar Hero" -- the 2005 video game sleeper hit that gave players the chance to strap on plastic guitars and rock out -- is coming back to the PS2 this November. Publisher RedOctane and developer Harmonix announced that "Guitar Hero II" will feature 55 songs in a still-secret set list. The game will also allow players to team up with separate guitars playing the role of rhythm, lead and bass. More information is expected at the Electronics Entertainment Expo in May. ... Reports began to surface last week that Neil Young had entered a studio earlier this month to record Living With War, an entire album's worth of protest songs featuring the track "Impeach the President," bolstered by a 100-voice choir. His label, Warner Bros., said it had no information about the record, but Young himself confirmed the album Monday via a post on his Web site, NeilYoung.com. In the lengthy message, Young wrote that the album was, in fact, called Living With War, a "metal version of Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan ... a power trio with trumpet and 100 voices." The album is apparently 10 songs long, and though there is no release date set, Young did thank Warner and Reprise Records "for the support." He didn't mention "Impeach," but Young did conclude his post with lyrics to the title track, which features the hook "I'm living with war every day/ I'm living with war right now/ And when night falls I pray for peace."

04.14.06

Madonna, Elton John, INXS, Staind, and Ozomatli are among the artists participating in Music Rising's online ticket auctions, raising funds to replace musical instruments and equipment destroyed during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Sixty-five auctions are already under way, with the rest being added each weekend throughout the month at

www.ticketmaster.com. ...

Jennifer Lopez was hit with a lawsuit on Tuesday. TV writer Jack Bunick filed a federal suit in New York against the singer, as well as CBS, UPN, and MTV's parent company, Viacom, for copyright infringement. He claims that the UPN show that Lopez executive produces, "South Beach," improperly used his script in a January 11 broadcast of the two-hour season premiere "Pilot/ I'm Not Your Baby." (The script for that episode was credited to Matt Cirulnick, Greg Cirulnick, and co-executive producer Philip Levens). ...

Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore and Paula Abdul are teaching kids how to be safe on the Internet via a series of PSAs that will begin airing this week. Other celebs featured in the spots include Celine Dion, Tony Danza, Donny Osmond, Kathy Ireland, and the cast of "7th Heaven." The campaign is sponsored by the KlaasKidds Foundation and the Child Safety Network, who are providing fingerprint cards, child photo I.D. cards, DNA kits, and access to the national database of registered sex offenders. ... Florida's chapter of the Recording Academy will present their Honors award to the Backstreet Boys on Monday. Puerto Rican pop artist Ednita Nazario is also being honored. ...

"Laguna Beach" star Alex Murrel is recording an album due June 20 on Eyecon/ Universal Records. She's also hitting the road this spring on the Rock Your Prom Tour. ... O.A.R. and Jack's Mannequin are teaming for a summer tour kicking off June 8 in Phoenix. The trek will wrap August 13 in Wallingford, Connecticut. ... The Strokes have added several more U.S. stops to their current North American tour. Before the New York rockers head to Canada May 6 for eight gigs, they'll hit Tucson, Arizona, April 29 and then return to the States May 20 with a concert in Glen Allen, Virginia. The band will also play Memphis (May 22); Birmingham, Alabama (May 23); North Charleston, South Carolina (May 25); and June 11, they'll be in Santa Barbara, California, for the tour's final stop. ... MySpace and Cingular have teamed to offer unsigned acts the ability to create and sell ring tones. The process is available MySpace.com/CingularStudio. ...

Death Cab for Cutie, the Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth, Secret Machines, Wolfmother, the Go! Team, the Hold Steady and She Wants Revenge will constitute the bill for this year's Kuyahoga Festival, which is being sponsored by Cleveland rock station WXRK. The concert will be held August 3 at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, with more bands being added in the coming weeks. ... The Sword, former Guided by Voices frontman Robert Pollard, Blue Cheer, Rhymefest and Erase Errata have been added to the lineup for this year's Intonation Music Festival, which is set for June 24 and June 25 at Chicago's Union Park. The bill also features previously announced performers Lady Sovereign, Lupe Fiasco, the Constantines, High on Fire, Annie and headliners Bloc Party and the Streets. ... Colin Meloy of the Decemberists and Sufjan Stevens are among the acts on The Sound the Hare Heard, the latest compilation from Kill Rock Stars. Death Vessel, Wooden Wand and Devin Davis are also included on the album, due in May. ...

Queen Latifah's Flavor Unit film company inked a first-look deal with Focus Features and Rogue Pictures this week. Under the terms of the agreement, Latifah and her producing partner Shakim Compere will develop feature projects for both Focus and Rogue. So far, Flavor Unit's productions include "Bringing Down the House," "The Cookout" and "Beauty Shop." Latifah is expected to star in some of the new projects, but the deal is structured to nurture new talent as well. ... Ice Cube will continue his break from movies for the next month and a half to hit the road in support of his upcoming seventh solo album, Laugh Now, Cry Later (June 6). The 22-date swing is slated to kick off Thursday with a show at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California, according to Cube's spokesperson, and it includes dates in San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Atlanta, Houston, Denver and Las Vegas. The tour is currently slated to wrap up with a June 3 date at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. ...

Rob Thomas and Jewel are teaming up for a summer tour. The two will trek cross-country for seven weeks starting May 23 in Clearwater, Florida, and wrapping July 5 in San Diego. Jewel's next album, Goodbye Alice in Wonderland, is due May 2. ... "Let's Rock Again!," the behind-the-scenes documentary chronicling the life and career of late Clash frontman Joe Strummer, is scheduled for release on DVD on June 27. The movie, directed by the punk icon's longtime friend Dick Rude, has personal interviews and backstage footage shot in the 18 months leading up to Strummer's death in 2002. The film traces Strummer's beginnings from his days fronting the Clash to his tireless tours with late-period band the Mescaleros. That's not to be confused with a second, in-the-works Strummer doc directed by close friend Julian Temple. ...

Despite rumors to the contrary, Solange Knowles is not pregnant with a second child, she assured fans Thursday. "There is absolutely no validity to this rumor," Beyoncé's younger sister said in a statement. "The bloggers are circulating old photos of me from my baby shower over two years ago and misrepresenting them as current photos." Solange also said that she's been busy producing, recording, and negotiating future movie deals. ... Babyface filed suit Thursday in Los Angeles against Anita Baker, claiming the singer failed to pay him for a song he produced for her. Babyface claims he's owed $100,000 for co-writing "Like You Used to Do" during a Detroit session in May 2004. The song was used on Baker's gold album My Everything. Babyface is also asking to be paid $150,000 for two shows that he agreed to do with Baker in July 2005 that she canceled (He was paid, however, for the concerts they did do together).

[This story was originally published at 9:50 am E.T. on 04.17.2006]