She missed New York's Fashion Week, but now Jennifer Lopez is eyeing a different week to show off her new clothes. The singer/actress/designer will premiere her latest JLo and Sweetface gear during Fashion Week Miami Beach, which runs October 11-15 in Florida. Lopez's JLo line will be on the runway at Tents at the Fifth on October 12 -- with an afterparty to follow at the Funkshion Lounge. The Sweetface collection will debut October 14 at the Hotel Nash. ...

Jay-Z will star in a series of promotional spots for the NBA on TNT. The commercials will give "an introspective look into the mind of the entertainment mogul," according to TNT. ... After landing the Billboard #1 spot for the third time in his career with Release Therapy, Ludacris is set to host and perform on "Saturday Night Live" next. The rapper/actor will appear on the November 18 episode. ...

Australia and New Zealand's Big Day Out music festival will celebrate its 15th year with a lineup topped by Tool and including homegrown heroes Jet, as well as My Chemical Romance, the Killers and Muse. The 2007 tour kicks off January 19 in Auckland, New Zealand, and is slated to run through a February 4 show in Perth, Australia. Also on the roster are the Violent Femmes, Peaches, Spank Rock and the Sleepy Jackson. ...

On November 2, Gorillaz -- already the world's most famous animated band -- will look to get even more famous with the release of their official autobiography, "Gorillaz: Rise of the Ogre." Published by Riverhead Books and featuring illustrations by band co-creator Jamie Hewlett, "Ogre" follows the band from its earliest days to its world-uniting weeklong stint at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater. Among the nuggets of childhood info: As a child, bassist Murdoc attended Sodsworth Comprehensive School and was in a band called Burning Sensations, and a young 2D found solace in George A. Romero's "Dawn of the Dead." For more information, fans can check out the band's official site, Gorillaz.com. ...

AFI will return to the East Coast later this month for five club gigs. The band invades Rochester, New York, on October 28, followed by shows in Sayreville, New Jersey (October 30); Washington, D.C. (November 1); Providence, Rhode Island (November 2); and Albany, New York (November 4). The Explosion will join the band for all five dates, while A Static Age and the Loved Ones will also handle opening-act duties for select shows. AFI are currently working on their first full-length DVD, which will boast live footage captured last week in Long Beach, California, as well as behind-the-scenes clips, all the band's videos and interviews with members of AFI's Despair Faction fan club. The band is seeking photo submissions from fans for inclusion on the DVD. Visit AFireInside.net to learn how to take part. ...

The final few shows at New York's CBGB are being detailed this week. On Thursday, the Pietasters, Big D and the Kids Table and the Lost City Angels will take the punk club's fabled stage for an evening of ska tunes. Agnostic Front, Murphy's Law and Sick of It All have been booked for Sunday. Bad Brains are playing three nights, with Avail and the Dub Trio joining them on Monday, the Bouncing Souls opening for them Tuesday and another gig slated for October 11. The Dictators, the Sic F---s and the Bullys play CBGB one last time on October 13. And on October 15, the venue's final night in business, Patti Smith will take the stage for a sold-out evening of tunes. ...

Meat Loaf was the clear choice to play Jack Black's dad in the upcoming Tenacious D film "The Pick of Destiny," the singer/funnyman tells Playboy in its November issue, out Friday. "We look alike, obviously. ... But it was mostly his energy that inspired us to cast him. Just watching him sing is an education in rock." Black revealed that getting the Meat man to show off his pipes onscreen was easier than one might think. "We basically said, 'Will you sing in the movie, yes or no?' He said, 'For you guys, yes, because I like your stuff.' " "Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny" hits theaters November 17. ... Princeton University will host a hip-hop symposium Friday featuring noted professor Cornel West, rapper Talib Kweli, California Representative Maxine Waters and former Source editor Bakari Kitwana. The Center for American Progress-sponsored panel discussion is open to the public and will address the role of hip-hop in post-9/11 America. BET host Jeff "Cousin Jeff" Johnson will serve as moderator. For more information on the event, visit Princeton.edu. ...

Atreyu, who spent this summer on Ozzfest, have signed with Hollywood Records. The band's previous outing, A Death-Grip on Yesterday, was released on Victory Records in March and has sold more than 210,000 copies. "As a group of friends playing music, our main goal is to grow and spread our brand of metallic rock around the world," frontman Alex Varkatzas said. "We try to progress and grow on each album we record. We feel that Hollywood Records is the perfect place to continue to grow, while maintaining our freedom to do whatever the hell we want with our songs." ... Pete Yorn and the Brand New Heavies have been added to the Voodoo Music Experience lineup and will join already-announced artists including Red Hot Chili Peppers, My Chemical Romance and Wu-Tang Clan at New Orleans' City Park for the October 28-29 event. Yorn and the Heavies are each scheduled to perform on the Experience's second day, which will be headlined by Duran Duran. ...

The reopening of Cincinnati's historic downtown Fountain Square will be celebrated on October 14 with a night of music from Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek, Los Lobos and OK Go. The city's favorite funky son, former Parliament-Funkadelic bass master Bootsy Collins, will host the festivities. ... Meeting Teddy Geiger on his latest tour may be as easy as bringing some reading material along to the concert. The November issue of Seventeen -- with Geiger on the cover -- will serve as a meet-and-greet pass to the first 50 fans who show up to the venue. Carry a copy of the magazine, show up at least two hours before the gig starts and you could chat with the singer/songwriter before he takes the stage. Geiger's tour hits West Hollywood, California's Troubadour on Thursday.

10.03.2006

Britney Spears has her hands full now as a mother of two, but she's still finding time to deliver new music on her Web site. Though the new version of BritneySpears.com is still under construction, the singer has hidden a snippet of what appears to be a song called "Rebellion" on the main page -- it can be heard after the growling noises simmer down and Britney morphs into a Bengalese tiger. In the song, she sings, "Be wary of others, the ones closest to you/ The poison they feed you and the voodoo that they do ... But in rebellion, there's a sparkle of truth/ Don't just stand there, do what you got to do ... You'll find it so compelling with everyone yelling/ 'Cause your soul, you're not selling, 'cause you're rebelling." Still no word on when the new album is due, or if the tiger will get a guest spot. ...

A federal judge dismissed a copyright-infringement lawsuit brought by Minneapolis singer/songwriter Jennifer Armour against Beyoncé, ruling that Armour's "Got a Little Bit of Love for You" and Beyoncé's "Baby Boy" were "substantially dissimilar."Armour claimed that her former manager submitted demos of her song to labels including Beyoncé's Columbia Records and Atlantic, home of "Baby Boy" collaborator Sean Paul, and that Beyoncé borrowed lyrics from the little-known songwriter's track. "It's unfortunate that lawsuits such as this one occur," Beyoncé said in a statement, "but I am grateful and relieved to have this behind me and I am eager to move on." ...

Kristin Cavallari is looking forward to spending a couple of months in the company of nerds. The "Laguna Beach" star-turned-actress confirms in the next issue of Us Weekly (on newsstands Friday) that she will star in a remake of the 1984 cult classic "Revenge of the Nerds." The flick is being co-produced by Adam Brody of "The O.C." and is due next year. Cavallari -- who will play Kaley, a Pi-Delta-Pi sorority sister -- told the magazine that she's "so excited" to be in the movie. "I love the original, so it's an honor to be a part of [the sequel]." ...

Beck, TV on the Radio, Gym Class Heroes and Imogen Heap will perform at the 2006 mtvU Woodie Awards, to be taped October 25 at the Roseland Ballroom in New York. Their performances -- along with the rest of the big show -- will air on MTV November 4. ... And speaking of Beck, if you can't get enough of his just-released new disc The Information, videos for two bonus tracks that don't appear on the album -- "Inside Out" and "This Girl That I Know" -- are now available on Beck.com. And in yet more Beck news, he's been tapped to perform on the October 28 episode of "Saturday Night Live." My Chemical Romance will play on the October 21 broadcast. ...

Big League Entertainment intends to file suit against T.I. and his manager this week for breach of contract. Mike Green, president of Big League Entertainment, claims T.I. violated an agreement with the promotions company when he performed last month at New York's Radio City Music Hall for Boost Mobile Rock Corps volunteers. T.I. was scheduled to headline Saturday's Hot 97-co-sponsored Back to School Jam, which instead ended with DMX's abbreviated set and a fan injury. "People think T.I. didn't show up that night, but I didn't allow him to make it," Green explained. "He did a show in the area just a week before and breached what he had with us, because he wasn't supposed to perform in the area for 30 days before our show. So I didn't allow him to perform. I'm going to sue the hell out of him." ... Lil' Kim joined Senators Hilary Clinton and John Kerry in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday (October 3) for a daylong conference devoted to at-risk youth and how they are affected by the child-welfare system. ...

U2's upcoming "definitive" greatest-hits CD will feature their recently unveiled cover of the Skids' "The Saints Are Coming," recorded with Green Day, as well as another new song. Both were produced by Rick Rubin at London's famed Abbey Road Studios last month, according to U2's Web site. The untitled set, due November 21, will contain 16 of the band's biggest songs. ...

Rumors of Michael Jackson's musical demise have been greatly exaggerated -- at least that's the word from Ron "Neff U" Feemster's uncle. Hip-hop producer Feemster, who has worked with Eminem, 50 Cent and Ne-Yo, flew to Jackson's new home in Ireland in September, according to his uncle, manager Charles "Big Chuck" Stanton. The manager told the Los Angeles Times that Jackson is working on a music comeback that is a step away from his recent soft R&B sound and toward an edgier urban style. Jackson sought out Feemster's services, and when the young producer met with the pop star, he found a "musically focused and creatively fired-up Jackson." Stanton told the paper that Jackson is "ready to take over the world. ... He's got some hot records. Will.I.Am did one, Teddy Riley [did one]. We're giving Michael a lot of edgy street records. He's putting melodies to some hard party records." Jackson's spokesperson said neither Will.I.Am nor Riley had worked in the studio with Jackson, but that the producers may have sent him MP3 files to listen to. ...

Hardcore legends Bad Brains will help close out New York's famed CBGB next week, with three shows featuring the group's original lineup scheduled for October 9-11. The club, which launched the careers of the Ramones and Blondie, will host its last show October 15 with headliner Patti Smith. ... The Beastie Boys will lead the Gimme Shelter: Rock & Rescue NYC benefit concert Wednesday at the Hiro Ballroom in New York's Maritime Hotel. The event, hosted by Rational Animal and the ASPCA, will raise funds for local rescue groups and promotes the city's mission of wiping out animal euthanasia by 2010. Nellie McKay, Marshall Crenshaw, the Choke, the Star Spangles and members of Blue Öyster Cult will perform at the benefit, which will also feature an appearance by Debbie Harry. For more information, visit GimmeShelterRockAndRescueNYC.org. ... The man who pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder after shooting Grammy-winning singer Marc Cohn ("Walking in Memphis") in the head during an attempted carjacking last August in Denver was sentenced on Monday to 36 years in prison, according to a Reuters report. Joseph Yacteen, 27, faced a maximum 48-year sentence, but the judge in the case believed the shooter could be rehabilitated.