Mariah Carey will be honored for her dedication to VH1's Save the Music Foundation at the group's 10th anniversary gala, to be held September 20 at New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Jon Bon Jovi has also been added to the event -- he will perform as part of a tribute to founder John Sykes -- which will be co-headlined by John Mayer. ...

Justin Timberlake recently revealed to MTV News that he had written and produced a new song for Reba McEntire, but he didn't let us know that he'll be singing with the country crooner as well on the yet-unnamed track. Kelly Clarkson joins McEntire on "Because of You," the first single from Reba Duets, due September 18. ...

Speaking of Clarkson, we already knew she was going to be hitting the road hard this summer in support of her upcoming third album My December (due July 24), but now she's finally revealed the venues for the outing. After an appearance at the U.S. portion of the July 7 Live Earth event -- which will take place at New Jersey's Giants Stadium -- the 36-date tour will kick off July 11 at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon, and take her to cities including Denver, St. Louis, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Dallas and Los Angeles in August before wrapping up at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas on September 28. ...

Paris Hilton might not have to serve her full 45-day sentence due to jail overcrowding and a state requirement that grants inmates time off for good behavior, The Associated Press reported Thursday (May 10). "It's possible that it could be 21 days, 23 days," Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore told the news service. "It's a complicated formula that the state sets down. It's possible that she could do less time." He said the amount of time the heiress will spend in jail will be determined when she is booked into the county system. ...

Amy Winehouse stopped by New York's Aer on Thursday night to celebrate the U.S. gold certification of her Back to Black album. The Bombay Sapphire-sponsored bash included appearances by Mos Def, Talib Kweli and L.A. Reid. ... Meanwhile, producer Nate "Danjahandz" Hills was honored Thursday night at a dinner held at Manhattan's Gin Lane. The Timbaland protégé was recognized for his contributions to multiple hit singles and presented with his two Grammy Awards. ...

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" hasn't even opened yet, but Johnny Depp is already saying he's open to the idea of starring in a fourth installment, according to an Entertainment Weekly interview, Reuters reports. "As long as you're doing it for the right reasons, why not?" he says in the magazine, which hits newsstands Friday. "If we came up with a story where we could explore something absurd or funny or totally insane." ...

According to Little Rock, Arkansas, radio station KHTV, Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee got married over the weekend to her therapist/fiancee Josh Hartzler -- the same weekend news of guitarist John LeCompt's firing and drummer Rocky Gray's resignation went public. A spokesperson for Lee would not confirm the nuptials on Wednesday, but John Lee -- Amy's dad -- confirmed to EvanescenceFan.net that his daughter tied the knot Sunday during a very private ceremony. ... Korn frontman Jonathan Davis and wife, Deven, welcomed their second son, Zeppelin, two weeks ago, according to various reports. The child joins the couple's other son, Pirate, as the newest member of the Davis kith. ...

As expected, Static-X have been added to the bill for this summer's Ozzfest, alongside headliner Ozzy Osbourne, Lamb of God, Lordi and others. Of course, this year's fest will be free for fans, and the news comes just days before the distribution of ticket codes begins Saturday. Ozzfest launches July 12 in Seattle. ... English rockers New Order are no more, according to bassist Peter Hook. In a post on Hook's MySpace page, he wrote that revealing the band's demise was a relief and that he hated keeping the split a secret. Hook appears on the debut LP from Perry Farrell's Satellite Party, Ultra Payloaded, which hits stores on May 29. He has also formed a new band, Freebass, with former Smiths bassist Andy Rourke and Stone Roses/ Primal Scream member Mani. ...

This year's Austin City Limits (September 14-16) festival is packed with major talent. The Texas fest will feature White Stripes, the Killers, Björk, Amy Winehouse, Queens of the Stone Age, Muse, Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, Wilco, Bob Dylan, My Morning Jacket, Arctic Monkeys, Joss Stone, Spoon, Heartless Bastards, Yo La Tengo, Joseph Arthur, Peter Bjorn & John, the Decemberists, Paolo Nutini, Regina Spektor, M.I.A., Butch Walker, Ben Kweller, Kaiser Chiefs, LCD Soundsystem and about 100 other acts ranging from bluegrass to jam band, techno, country and gospel. ... Hot Hot Heat's forthcoming LP, Happiness, LTD, has been slated for a September 11 release. The album was produced by the band, along with Rob Cavallo (My Chemical Romance, Green Day), Butch Walker (Pink, Avril Lavigne) and Tim Palmer (Ozzy Osbourne, H.I.M.). ...

Tool have added several new dates to their touring schedule. The band will make stops in Cape Girardeau, Missouri (June 16); Evansville, Indiana (June 17); Sioux City, Iowa (June 25); Cincinnati (June 29); Youngstown, Ohio (July 1); Grand Rapids, Michigan (July 5); Huntington, West Virginia (July 7); and Mansfield, Massachusetts (July 12). ... Chevelle have been forced to postpone their current tour until further notice following the theft of the band's equipment trailer. Containing all the band's gear, the trailer was stolen Wednesday from the Clarion Dallas Park Central Hotel in Dallas. Most of the stolen goods were labeled "Chevelle," and the band has asked that anyone who notices the gear being sold on eBay report the matter to police. ...

Tim Roth is bulking up the cast of "The Incredible Hulk." The actor, who will play the green-eyed monster Abomination in the summer 2008 flick, joins Edward Norton as Bruce Banner/ the Hulk and Liv Tyler as Betty Ross. ... "The Terminator" is returning, but Arnold won't be back -- and neither will director James Cameron, Variety reports. Halcyon Co. has bought out the franchise for an undisclosed sum from feuding producers Andy Vajna and Mario Kassar and is targeting "Terminator 4" for a summer 2009 release. Castmembers and a director have not been hired yet, but "Terminator: Rise of the Machines" scribes John Brancato and Michael Ferris have already penned a script. "T3" executive producer Moritz Borman will produce the fourth installment as well. ...

No thanks for smoking: The Motion Picture Association of America announced Thursday that smoking will be factored into movie ratings, the Los Angeles Times reports. "There is broad awareness of smoking as a unique public-health concern due to nicotine's highly addictive nature, and no parent wants their child to take up the habit," MPAA Chief Executive Dan Glickman stated. Depictions that glamorize smoking may receive a higher rating, according to the organization. ... During Wednesday night's "American Idol" results show, host Ryan Seacrest announced an upcoming spinoff contest that will seek the best band in the land. Groups of all ages and styles hoping to vie for that title were encouraged to send in their demo tapes for the tentatively titled "The Search for the Next Great American Band," with information on submissions available on the official "Idol" Web site. No airdate for the show has been announced. ...

Sculptor Daniel Edwards, who famously made a life-size nude of Britney Spears giving birth, now has Paris Hilton in his sights. According to Reuters, he has crafted a sculpture of the heiress dead, naked and holding a cell phone in one hand. "It's really kind of a wakeup call for anybody who really pays attention to Paris Hilton close enough that they might end up emulating her," Edwards said of the piece, which is called "The Paris Hilton Autopsy." ... The New York Dolls will play a full set for their fallen comrade at the seventh annual Joey Ramone Birthday Bash, to be held May 19 at the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza. Slinky Vagabond, featuring members of the Sex Pistols, Blondie and David Bowie's touring band, will also perform. ...

Brad Pitt's green building project in New Orleans began construction Thursday, AP reports. An environmentally friendly house, based on the winning design in a competition Pitt staged, is expected to be finished in August and is intended to serve as a model for redevelopment in the area. "I'm crying out for one of our leaders to really make this a priority," Pitt, who is in Prague, said in a statement. ... Jason Wahler has checked into rehab, according to People. The "Laguna Beach" star was sentenced to 60 days in county jail and 36 months' probation after pleading no contest to misdemeanor-battery charges in March. ...

Michael Moore, who has been unabashed in his disdain for the Bush White House, is facing an investigation by the U.S. Treasury Department over his latest film, the health-care exposé, "Sicko." AP reports that the Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker is under scrutiny for taking ailing 9/11 rescue workers to Cuba for treatment earlier this year, allegedly without the proper clearance from the government. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control notified Moore in a May 2 letter that it was conducting a civil investigation for possible violations of the U.S. trade embargo restricting travel to Cuba, AP reports. "Sicko" premieres May 19 at the Cannes Film Festival and hits U.S. theaters on June 29.

05.09.2007

Fergie previewed her solo show Tuesday night with a private concert for contest winners at Franklin High School in Seattle. Her 20-date Verizon VIP Tour -- which is skipping paper tickets in favor of cell phone photo-message passes -- officially kicks off May 21 with a show in Pittsburgh. Following shows in cities including Cleveland (May 23), Atlanta (June 2), Dallas (June 6) and New York (June 21), the tour will wrap up July 24 in Portland, Oregon. Fergie is also Seventeen's June cover girl, and contributed a "Letter to Me at 17" to the magazine. The 32-year-old calls out her 17-year-old self's "giant bangs" and "bad perm" but congratulates her for not compromising her principles or disrespecting her body. "Sure, you'll be a giant flirt and wear sexy clothes, but you'll never take it to an unhealthy level and act on it," she says in the note. Fergie also warns young Stacy about the rough patches ahead (massive debt, drug addiction) and tells her to stay strong for the big bright spots in her future (Black Eyed Peas, solo success, Josh Duhamel). "Don't worry," she concluded. "You'll always come back to your roots." ...

Paris Hilton is "ready to face the consequences of violating probation," she said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon (May 9) by her attorney, according to The Associated Press. "I do not expect to be treated better than anyone else who violated probation. However, my hope is that I will not be treated worse." The heiress, who has retained a new attorney, DUI specialist Richard Hutton, said she felt the "need to correct what I believe are misperceptions about me." She added that she is not "above the law." ...

Jay-Z swung by New York's City Hall on Wednesday to watch his mother receive a proclamation from the City Council for her "outstanding contributions to the community," AP reports. Gloria Carter oversees the Shawn Carter Scholarship Fund, which offers higher-education aid and mentoring programs for disadvantaged youth, and she helped victims of Hurricane Katrina recover in Houston in 2005. "Very proud of her," Jay-Z said as they left the Council Chambers. ... Diddy, Nelly Furtado and Tom Jones have joined the lineup for the Concert for Diana, a July 1 event that will be held at Wembley Stadium in London to commemorate what would have been the late Princess of Wales' 46th birthday. Kanye West, Pharrell, Elton John, Lily Allen, Joss Stone and Duran Duran are also on the bill. ...

Akon has released a statement in the wake of a video that surfaced online and allegedly featured him dancing suggestively with an underage girl onstage in Trinidad. His statement also comes amid sponsor Verizon pulling out of Gwen Stefani's The Sweet Escape tour, which the rapper has been a part of. "I want to sincerely apologize for the embarrassment and any pain I've caused to the young woman who joined me onstage, her family and the Trinidad community for the events at my concert in Port of Spain on April 12," he said in the statement. "It was never my intention to embarrass or take advantage of my fans in any way, especially those under the age of 18. That is why we tried to make sure that the club did not admit anyone under 18 in the audience. Somehow, that standard was not met. Again, I apologize to those concerned and to all my fans and I pledge to all that we will strive to make sure this type of incident does not happen again." A spokesperson for Verizon confirmed to MTV News that the company has backed out of not just the Stefani tour but a new V Cast cell phone campaign that was set to feature Akon. The spokesperson stated the decision was made for a variety of reasons, not solely the underage-dancing incident. ...

A third woman has now testified that Phil Spector pulled a gun on her in the past, AP reports. Stephanie Jennings said in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday that the record producer previously threatened her with a gun and held her hostage in a hotel room. When she called 911, "[Spector] made the comment that, 'You can call your mom all you want, she can't help you now,' " Jennings said, adding that he didn't realize she was calling the emergency number. Spector was gone by the time police arrived, according to Jennings, and they didn't take her claims seriously. "They were treating me as if I was a call girl," she said. Jennings said she did not press charges and that Spector later invited her to subsequent parties. ...

Katharine McPhee and Kelly Rowland performed a musical tribute to the Bee Gees on Tuesday night as the group was honored at the BMI Pop Awards. The Gibb brothers were saluted as BMI Icons at the event, which was held in Beverly Hills, California. ... Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith is ganging up with an unlikely ally -- ex-Black Sabbath frontman Glenn Hughes -- for a performance at West Hollywood, California's Whisky a Go Go on June 2. The two worked together on Hughes' solo project from last year, Music for the Divine. This is the singer's first performance in support of the album. ...

Mandy Moore will perform "Extraordinary" on the season finale of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on May 20. The "Makeover" team will spend the two-hour show rebuilding the home of a single mother with two adopted, HIV-positive sons and lending a hand at Camp Heartland, which helps children with HIV. ... Chrisette Michele, who was featured on singles by both Jay-Z ("Lost One") and Nas ("Can't Forget About You") earlier this year, will open for Musiq Soulchild on tour. The two hit the road beginning July 6 in Baltimore and make stops in cities including Chicago (July 11), Philadelphia (July 20) and Los Angeles (August 4) before wrapping things up August 6 in San Francisco. ...

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah will be in Los Angeles Thursday and Friday shooting scenes for "The Great Buck Howard," a film starring John Malkovich, Tom Hanks and Emily Blunt. CYHSY will play themselves in the film and contribute new songs as well. ... Is Ozzy Osbourne taking a tip from Stephen Colbert and the Decemberists? The Ozzman is asking fans to craft the video for his new single, "I Don't Wanna Stop," using performance footage of him and his band that was shot on green screen from seven angles. The winning entry will be serviced as the official clip for the song. Get your hands on the hi-res footage right here. ... Coheed and Cambria are beginning recording sessions for their next LP with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Stone Sour) in Los Angeles. Bassist Michael Todd, who left the band last August citing unspecified "personal reasons," has returned to the fold, and will contribute to the tentatively titled No World for Tomorrow. The disc should surface this fall, and will be the final chapter in the ongoing saga of Coheed and Cambria Kilgannon, the main characters in a story that wraps all the band's concept albums into one.