"Stop writing about me and start writing about how people are dying overseas for our country," Lindsay Lohan advised in Elle's September issue. The actress/singer -- who reveals that she's always aspired to be a pinup -- said she wants to follow Marilyn Monroe's example and perform for troops. She also explained that she's not afraid to go to Iraq, though the trip she's planned with Hillary Clinton has been held up. Lohan, who insisted that media scrutiny won't derail her career -- "I'm never not going to be in the movies. I'm not going anywhere" -- detailed some of her nightclub exploits but offered little sister Ali a Hollywood warning: "Stay away from the boys. And watch who you associate with publicly, especially if someone has a certain rep. ... I guess people would say she'd have to stay away from me, but that's not true. Because I'll nurture someone if they're out with me and take care of them." ([article id="1538183"]Check out photos from Lohan's Elle shoot here[/article].) ...

The Killers, the Raconteurs, the Roots, Fiona Apple the Mars Volta, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Jurassic 5 and Widespread Panic are among the artists set to perform at this year's Vegoose music festival, set for October 28-29 at Las Vegas' Sam Boyd Stadium and Star Nursery Field. The lineup for Vegoose at Night, an after-dark series of Sin City club shows set for October 27-31, will be announced in the coming weeks. ... Organizers of a concert in Malaysia featuring the Pussycat Dolls were fined the equivalent of $2,714 for the group's "sexually suggestive routines" onstage at the July event, local newspaper Malay Mail reported. "I believe the way the Pussycat Dolls behaved onstage amounted to gross indecency," Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Rais Yatim said, according to the paper. "The Pussycat Dolls reportedly put on a show which not only featured scantily dressed performers but also included sensuous elements." ...

Paris Hilton will be promoting her debut album Paris -- due August 22 -- with a string of in-store appearances and record-release parties. Hilton will visit the Miami area August 15, appearing at Specs in South Beach and hosting a party at Suite in Miami Beach. On August 16, she'll be in New York for an in-store at FYE and a release party at Marquee. And Hilton hits Los Angeles on August 18 for a Best Buy appearance and a party at Privilege. ... The soundtrack to the forthcoming video game "NHL 2K7" will feature music from a dozen bands, including Hot Hot Heat, the Postal Service, the Constantines, Band of Horses, Mudhoney, Nebula and Sleater-Kinney. "NHL 2K7" will arrive in stores next month for Xbox 360, Xbox and PlayStation 2. ...

Parade magazine asked 10,000 Americans to share their pop-culture opinions and -- surprise! -- those polled had plenty to say about Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson. Britney's darker hair is a hit -- 6 percent call her blond-to-brown move their favorite big change -- but her apparent parenting goofs scored 22 percent of the "stupidest celebrity stunt" vote. And 7 percent of those polled said they'd be happy if Britney disappeared from the public eye altogether -- though Paris was the big "winner" in that category, with nearly one-third of respondents wishing they never hear her name again. Jessica and Nick Lachey's divorce broke 18 percent of hearts (only the Hilary Swank/ Chad Lowe split was deemed a bigger bummer, with 22 percent of the vote), while Ashlee Simpson's "new nose" was the third-favorite transformation, coming in behind Clay Aiken's updated 'do (33 percent) and Janet Jackson's major weight loss (25 percent). ... Former Da Band member Young City is being held in a Gwinnett County, Georgia, jail following a July 31 arrest. The rapper, whose real name is Rodney Hill and who went by Chopper on MTV's "Making the Band 2," was pulled over for speeding and detained when authorities noted that he had an outstanding warrant in Baltimore on an armed robbery charge. According to his spokesperson, Barnes is being held without bond while he awaits extradition to Maryland. ...

Dirty Pretty Things singer/guitarist Carl Barat recently broke his collarbone, but the band's U.S. tour -- which kicked off Tuesday in Los Angeles -- is carrying on as scheduled, with the Paddingtons' Josh Hubbard filling in for Barat on guitar. Dirty Pretty Things have an in-store appearance at San Francisco's Amoeba Music set for Wednesday (August 9) at 6 p.m. ... Every Time I Die will release the DVD "Sh-- Happens" on October 31. The band will tour with Atreyu, From First to Last and Chiodos beginning October 7 in Phoenix. Dates are scheduled through a November 19 show in Las Vegas. ... Rock Kills Kid frontman Jeff Tucker was victimized by a burglar who entered his Honolulu hotel room on Sunday at approximately 5:30 a.m. "At first I thought I was dreaming," explained the singer, who awoke to find the intruder standing over him. "Second, I thought it was a hotel worker putting towels in the room. I looked at him and said 'Hello,' and he bolted." The man managed to swipe Tucker's wallet, cell phone, credit card and room key. Tucker and the band's manager, Rodney Afshari, chased down the burglar and held him until police arrived. Brandon Riester, who police say is in the U.S. Navy, was arrested and charged with one count of burglary. ...

A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit filed by Rush members Geddy Lee and Neal Peart against three Collier County sheriff's deputies is without merit. The bandmembers filed the suit against the deputies who'd been involved in a 2003 altercation with Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel restaurant in Naples, Florida, claiming the band lost business due to the injuries Lifeson sustained during the skirmish. The judge decided that Lee and Peart have no legal standing as they were not involved in the fracas. Lifeson's suit against the officers, which seeks millions of dollars in damages, should not be affected by the judge's decision. ... The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is keeping the video and audio tapes of Mel Gibson's drunken-driving arrest out of the hands of the media, saying they are part of an "investigatory file," The Associated Press reports. The tapes, which capture Gibson's anti-Semitic tirade, "are records of the investigation and part of the investigatory file in this matter," said Gary P. Gross, principal deputy for the county counsel's office. They will remain sealed for the time being. ... Bassist Mario Cipollina, a founding member of Huey Lewis & the News, pleaded guilty Monday to felony counts of heroin and methamphetamine possession, AP reports. Cipollina, who left the band in 1994, is being held without bail on the charges -- which violate the terms of his probation for burglary and theft convictions. He is due back in court August 21 and could be sentenced to more than four years in prison if convicted.

08.08.2006

Justin Timberlake has busted out the cover art for FutureSex/LoveSounds -- and it pictures him busting up a disco ball. The snazzy singer grins as he stomps on the glass, although it's highly unlikely that'll discourage clubs from playing his wildly successful, "TRL"-topping new single, "SexyBack." The LP hits stores September 12, while "All Eyes On: Justin Timberlake" airs on MTV Tuesday, August 15, at 11 p.m. ...

Mark your calendars now: "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" is scheduled to hit theaters November 21, 2008, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The sixth chapter of the franchise hasn't announced a cast or director yet. The boy wizard's next big-screen adventure, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," will premiere in July 2007. ...

Singers aren't the only ones who will be competing on the upcoming season of "American Idol." Amateur and professional songwriters will face off for the chance to write songs for the show's finalists that might better suit their singing styles, producer Simon Fuller told the Los Angeles Times. ...

"Who's the heiress of them all?" A box bearing Paris Hilton's name will pose that question beginning October 1 when the actress/singer's latest fragrance, Heiress, hits stores. Like many perfumes, Paris' new signature scent draws on fruity (orange, passion fruit and peach), floral (jasmine, ylang-ylang) and earthy (vetiver, tonka bean) inspirations. But Heiress is out to set itself apart from the flood of celeb scents with its packaging -- the bottle features a built-in mirror. ... Mya is returning to the airwaves this month with "Ayo," the first single from her forthcoming album, Liberation. The singer's fourth LP is due November 14. ...

Eva Longoria, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Tina Fey, Wentworth Miller, Stephen Colbert, Helen Mirren and Bradley Whitford have been confirmed as presenters for the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. The show, to be hosted by Conan O'Brien ("Late Night with Conan O'Brien"), will broadcast live on NBC from Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium on Sunday, August 27, at 8 p.m. ET. ...

Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx is launching his own clothing line, named Royal Underground, Women's Wear Daily reports. The partnership between Sixx and Kelly Gray -- the former co-president and spokesmodel for St. John Knits -- will feature contemporary sportswear. "I don't think anyone else could have convinced me to get back into this business," Gray said, "but he has a passion for clothing that is unparalleled. I was happy to take a year off, but [Sixx] had a passion for this business that I have only seen in the mirror." ...

Calling it one of the "biggest conspiracies in entertainment history," Michael Jackson claims that he has recently received documents that reveal a plan by former associates to force him into involuntary bankruptcy. According to a press release from Jackson's spokesperson, the documents purportedly show a plot by former attorneys to force the singer into insolvency by conspiring with other attorneys, vendors and creditors. The statement said Jackson has instructed his legal team to file claims against some of the alleged conspirators for "conspiracy, bad faith and self dealing," with the possibility that the documents could be forwarded to the U.S. attorney general for review and possible involvement. "Mr. Jackson is neither shocked nor surprised by these revelations," Jackson's general manager, Raymone K. Bain, said. "Based on the timing of events that have impacted his personal and professional life in recent years, he has long been suspicious that some of those whom he entrusted to act on his behalf, and to advise him with respect to his personal and business affairs, may not have always acted in his best interests." ...

Paul and Heather Mills McCartney's split is becoming increasingly bitter. For their divorce proceedings, they've hired the same lawyers who represented Prince Charles and Princess Diana when they split, Reuters reports. A spokesperson for Mills confirmed on Tuesday (August 8) that McCartney has frozen their joint bank account and sent a letter to Mills claiming that three bottles of cleaning fluid had been removed from his Sussex home and taken to Mills' nearby office instead. Earlier Tuesday, she was kept out of McCartney's London home after discovering that the locks had been changed, and police were called to the residence after Mills' security guard scaled a wall to let her in. The Associated Press reports that Mills stayed the night with daughter Beatrice, 2, after entering the home. "She said it was hilarious. It was just a complete mix-up," a spokesperson for Mills said, although a spokesperson for McCartney would not comment on the matter. ...

Phil Spector was ordered Monday to disclose whether he discussed the death of actress Lana Clarkson with his former personal assistant, AP reports. The order came as part of proceedings in a lawsuit filed by a former Spector assistant who is alleging sexual harassment and wrongful termination. Spector's former assistant Michelle Blaine claims she was fired because she wouldn't promise not to talk to prosecutors about what the producer may have told her about the shooting death of Clarkson at Spector's mansion. Spector's murder trial -- on charges that he shot and killed Clarkson -- is scheduled to begin in January, while the harassment suit is set to go to trial when the criminal case is over. Spector has said in the harassment suit that he did not kill Clarkson, but he pleaded the fifth when asked if he discussed the death with Blaine. ...

The Dixie Chicks have canceled shows in 14 cities due to sluggish ticket sales, replacing the gigs with dates in other locations, AP reports. Tour stops in cities including Houston and Memphis -- which were listed as part of the schedule released in May -- are no longer on the band's itinerary, while stops in cities such as Nashville and Denver have been pushed to later dates. Although several shows have been canceled, the number of North American shows remains the same, the band's spokesperson said, with added Canadian concerts taking the place of some U.S. stops. "We hope that our fans who were looking forward to a stop that is no longer on the tour will be able to join us at a nearby arena this fall," the Dixie Chicks said in a statement. "We are sorry for any confusion or inconvenience these changes have caused."