Diddy's planning to drop his next -- and last -- solo album September 19, he told MTV Europe, and to make it special, he's recruited a lot of help, including Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera, Brandy, Busta Rhymes, Nas and Will.I.Am. "I'm taking from what I've learned from dance music, electro-clash, techno, hip-hop, soul and pop, and kind of fusing it together," Diddy said. "It's like everything in hip-hop is so hardcore with guns and problems and beef, and nobody is being romantic -- not in a corny way, but just giving all of yourself. It's still going to have that gangsta vibe to it, but it's a musical journey. It's going to feel good." Diddy said the first single will be a club track. "We are going to bring a lot of high fashion, a lot of energy, a lot of sex, a lot of drugs, spirituality, good times," he explained. "We're going to have something for the kids, but it's really an adult thing. It's definitely pornographic, orgasmic, gangsta, to the point where your soul feels good. It's like a spiritual revolution. It's like being sanctified." And if that sounds like an odd combo, Diddy sums it up as "Little Richard-style for the ladies." ...

A Miami judge dismissed an invasion of privacy lawsuit filed by an unidentified woman against Scott Stapp and Kid Rock on Wednesday, saying the woman cannot sue if she remains anonymous, according to The Associated Press. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Gerald Hubbart told the lawyer for the woman who appears in the infamous, but as yet unreleased, sex video featuring the two rockers that she could refile the suit in 20 days if she's willing to use her real name. ...

On Thursday morning (April 20), Pixies frontman Frank Black and his wife welcomed their fourth child, a girl named Lucy Berlin Thompson. Little Lucy weighed in at a shade under 8 pounds, 10 ounces and is apparently destined for superstardom: "She's gorgeous," Black said in a statement. "She's got lips like Angelina Jolie." ... Rancid have been floating under the radar since the 2003 release of their sixth album, Indestructible. But this summer, fans of the Tim Armstrong-led punks have something to look forward to. Rancid will release a yet-untitled DVD, featuring 31 videos shot between 1993 and 2003, in July, according to the band's official site. They're also planning a tour to coincide with the DVD's release. ...

A.F.I. will head out this spring with Dillinger Escape Plan and Nightmare of You. So far just a handful of dates have been firmed up: June 13 (Montreal), June 15 (Toronto), June 20 (Boston), June 22 (New York), June 24 (Philadelphia) and July 11 (Denver), with more to be announced in the coming weeks. A.F.I.'s forthcoming LP, Decemberunderground, is set for June 6. ... There's a new Coheed and Cambria video for the song "The Willing Well: IV - The Final Cut," but it's not something anyone will likely ever see. Frontman Claudio Sanchez and his girlfriend recently shot the super-low-budget clip, which depicts an unfaithful woman being tortured and murdered by her chainsaw-wielding boyfriend. "We did all the makeup ourselves with a bunch of clay and fake blood, and it looks really good," Sanchez said. "We had a great time doing it and we thought there was nothing wrong with it. Then we saw a movie that was kind of in the same vein and we were like, 'Man, this is kind of f---ed up.' " Although drummer Joshua Eppard said the video is his favorite the band has ever made, Coheed's label and management have advised the group not to release the video in any form. ...

Ex-Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5 has quit his new band Loser in order to spend more time on the road as Rob Zombie's guitar player. "I've been juggling two careers for over one year now," John 5 said in a statement. "I found it impossible to be in two places at once." As a result, Loser, whose debut album, Just Like Us, was slated for release June 6, was dropped by their label. ... The long-awaited return of crackly indie rockers Sparklehorse appears to be on the horizon. According to a post on their official Web site, the follow-up to 2001's It's a Wonderful Life is complete with a tentative release date of September. Though (as usual) the record was mostly recorded by brain trust Mark Linkous in his Static King studio, collaborations on the record include Danger Mouse (who also handled some mixing chores), the Flaming Lips' Steven Drozd, producer Dave Fridmann and ambient electronic artist Christian Fennesz, as well as frequent associates Scott Minor, John Hott and Sophie Michalitsianos. The still-untitled fourth album will also include an unreleased Wonderful Life track that features Tom Waits on piano. ...

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers are hitting the road, and they're bringing some friends along for the ride. Pearl Jam and former Phish frontman Trey Anastasio will join the band on select dates of the Highway Companions Tour, which kicks off June 9 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Petty & the Heartbreakers will also provide the opening music for the NBA Playoffs and Finals broadcasts on ABC Sports and the Eastern Conference Finals on ESPN. Classics "Runnin' Down a Dream," "I Won't Back Down," "Learning to Fly," "Makin' Some Noise" and "You Wreck Me" will be played over highlights and other coverage. Two new songs, "Saving Grace" and "Big Weekend," from Petty's upcoming summer release, Highway Companion, will also be used. ABC Sports coverage of the NBA playoffs begins Saturday at 3 p.m. ... After singing in her movie "Prey for Rock & Roll," Gina Gershon is putting out an album of her own, but don't expect her to be a rocker chick. "I'm doing weird music right now," she said. "It's kind of swampy country blues. It's totally different. It's weird; it's funky. But we'll see. You think it'll sound one way, and then it'll sound like something else." Gershon said she starts recording next month in Nashville and then she'll put a band together. ...

Scruffy Canadian rocker Sam Roberts has put the finishing touches on his second album. Due May 16, Chemical City was recorded at a church in Australia and is the follow-up to We Were Born in a Flame, which scored a Juno Award (Canada's Grammy equivalent). Roberts and his band will tour this spring in support of fellow Montrealers the Stills. ... Lifehouse, Everclear and Vanessa Carlton will perform at A Concert for Lili Claire, a benefit being held May 6 at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center. All proceeds raised through ticket sales will be earmarked for the Lili Claire Foundation's Family Resource Center, for the creation of programs designed for individuals and families living with Williams syndrome, Down syndrome, autism and other neurogenetic disorders. Jason Alexander, who played George Costanza on the long-running sitcom "Seinfeld," will host the event.

04.19.06

Nick Lachey opens up about the dissolution of his marriage to Jessica Simpson in the next issue of Rolling Stone, on newsstands Friday. There's no easy explanation for the breakup, he says, adding that he doesn't blame "Newlyweds," the interference of his father-in-law, Joe Simpson, or even Jessica's alleged infidelities. "We just didn't work," Lachey said. "I don't know if we would have worked if we'd been soybean farmers in Iowa. ... I don't know if there were other men. But if she did cheat, it was the result of something bigger, not the reason we didn't work." Lachey said that he and Jessica never discussed the cheating allegations (he chose to trust her), but sometimes he wishes he'd caught her in the act, just so he'd know for sure. "That would be clear-cut. End of story." Lachey revealed that he tried to convince Jessica to try marriage counseling when she asked for a divorce, "But she didn't want to go." Lachey also said that he's opted not to pursue spousal support, though he legally reserved that right in February. ...

Twenty of the more than 100 original ringtones that will be available as Pepsi Cool Tones on Motorola phones this summer will be written and produced by Mariah Carey. "I had a lot of fun with this project," Carey said. "It was a great creative outlet because musically I could do things here that I would never think to do for one of my albums." Carey will also star in a Pepsi ad directed by Paul Hunter, due to air in May, and will kick off her summer tour in July with a Pepsi Smash concert at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Speaking of Carey commercials, Mariah is also selling the Escada dress she wore in her Intel Centrino Duo commercial. The auction, to benefit VH1's Save the Music Foundation, runs through May 3 at VH1Auctions.com. And Carey fans who want to benefit themselves can enter to win a specially designed -- it's got butterflies -- Intel Centrino laptop autographed by Mariah at CentrinoContest.Intel.com. ...

Want LL Cool J's body? The rapper/actor wants to show you how to get one just like it, via a fitness book he's planning to co-write with his trainer, Dave Honig. They've just inked a deal (along with writer Jeff O'Connell) to create "LL Cool J's Platinum Body," which will describe an accessible fitness program with four levels of increasing intensity. Rodale plans to publish the book in January 2007. ... Paris Hilton has just signed a deal to develop and market sunglasses, in addition to her other accessories ventures of watches, handbags, small leather goods, cosmetics and fragrances. Hilton has also expanded her watch line to be distributed throughout Europe (excluding Russia) and is working on a third fragrance as well. ... Fresh off her opening slot on the Coldplay tour, Fiona Apple is hitting the road for a headlining trek of her own. Kicking off June 20 in Phoenix, the 34-date tour will run throughout the summer, wrapping up August 10 in Cleveland. Openers will include Damien Rice and David Garza. In addition to the tour, Apple will play two May shows, in Florida and South Carolina, plus a July 26 performance as part of New York's Central Park Summerstage concert series. ...

Velvet Revolver's Scott Weiland and Duff McKagan will be taking a break from recording the band's second LP to act as guest judges on USA's "Nashville Star" Tuesday, according to the band's publicist. The episode will also feature a performance by Hank Williams Jr. ... (ONe), the forthcoming debut from former Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro's new band, the Panic Channel, will be in stores September 12. "If there was a channel that showed nothing but hysteria and panic, it would be the highest-rated channel on TV," Navarro said. "We like to think of creating music as a way to channel the panic into something tangible." The group also features drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Chris Chaney, both former Jane's members. On May 16, the day the band will launch its first-ever tour in San Diego, a two-song digital-only release will be made available, including the tracks "Why Cry" and "Tea House of the Spirits." ... California metallers Bad Acid Trip have been added to the second stage for this summer's Ozzfest. The band, which has toured with System of a Down, released their debut, Lynch the Weirdo, on System frontman Serj Tankian's Serjical Strike label in 2004; the album was produced by System guitarist Daron Malakian. This year's Ozzfest begins June 29 in Auburn, Washington, and will run through August 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida. System of a Down, Disturbed, and Hatebreed are among the bands lined up for the tour, which also includes Ozzy Osbourne for 10 dates. ...

Taking Back Sunday and Angels & Airwaves will hit the road together this summer on a North American tour. While details are sketchy, a spokesperson for TBS' label, Warner Bros., said the trek will kick off June 22 in Jackson, New Jersey, and that dance-minded rockers Head Automatica have been tapped to open. ... Seether will release a live acoustic album called One Cold Night on July 11. The collection, recorded at Philadelphia's Grape Street on February 22, will also include a DVD. Meanwhile, Seether just shot a video for "The Gift" in Oaxaca, Mexico, with director Meiert Avis. ... Alanis Morissette will reprise her role in the play "The Exonerated" for a week in London from May 23 to 28. Morissette first starred in the off-Broadway production in 2003 as Sunny Jacobs, a hippie who spent 16 years on death row after being framed for the murder of two policemen in the mid-1970s. ...

Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss will be among the first inductees in the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, according to the official Kiss Web site. The museum will honor artists or groups that were either born in Long Island, New York, or resided there for a significant portion of their career. Billy Joel, the Ramones, Neil Diamond, Louie Armstrong, Twisted Sister and Tony Bennett will also be honored by the fledgling hall. In related news, Kiss have teamed up with Gemini Cosmetics, Inc. to develop a line of his-and-her Kiss fragrances that will hit stores in September. "Like Kiss, these fragrances make no apologies for embodying an attitude that is unrepentedly sexy, aggressive and incredibly unique," Stanley said in a press release. Simmons explained that the fragrances, the latest in an ever-growing line of Kiss-related products that even includes coffins, "have the smell of success for us ... and for all the men and women who will wear it. These fragrances hit all the right notes and will top the charts in no time."

[This story was originally published at 1:05 pm E.T. on 04.19.2006]