Nick Cannon has split up with his fiancee, Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks, according to People. "Selita and Nick are taking a break to focus on their careers but still very much love each other and remain the best of friends," Ebanks' representative Melissa Raubvogel told the magazine. In early May, Cannon and Ebanks became engaged after the actor took her on a ride in a chauffeured Rolls-Royce Phantom to New York's Times Square -- right across the street from the MTV offices -- where "Selita, will you marry me?" appeared on the giant Jumbotron. ...

A year after Jadakiss [article id="1542616"]was arrested in Yonkers, New York,[/article] and hit with drug and gun charges, prosecutors have dropped the case against the rapper (born Jason T. Phillips) and his co-defendant, Kristian Smith. The Associated Press reports that the Westchester Country district attorney's office asked a judge to dismiss the charges against 'Kiss last week, less than a month after a jury acquitted a third man who was arrested in the case. Darnell Frazier was cleared when DNA tests didn't link any of the three men to the guns found in the car. The rapper's lawyer said it was a "travesty" that the case went as far as it did and that the charges have affected his career. ...

After stunning the music world with their pay-what-you-want download scheme for their upcoming album, In Rainbows, Radiohead are putting the finishing touches on a major-label deal to get the album in stores as well. In an interview with BBC Radio 4, the band's managers said they expect to sign a deal within the week. "We've got about seven days to sort it out. We tend to fly by the seat of our pants," co-manager Chris Hutton said. "The band are incredibly proud of this record and feel that it deserves to be brought into the mass marketplace. That's why we need a record company who have that infrastructure to deliver the CD." ...

Did "Hannah Montana" fans get cheated? Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel is seeking documents from five ticket-sale sites as he investigates whether a fast sellout of a Miley Cyrus concert violated scalping laws, AP reports. Frustrated parents have complained about scalpers selling tickets at four to five times the face value. McDaniel has given the companies 20 days to respond and, on September 21, issued a consumer alert warning parents to research who was selling the tickets before purchasing them. The city council in Kansas City, Missouri, is also looking into the sales. ...

Billy Corgan is stepping up to help the family of Dr. Robert Moog preserve the late electronic-synthesizer pioneer's legacy. The Bob Moog Foundation, which was created after his death in 2005, is planning a Bob Moog Museum and trying to preserve decaying Moog artifacts -- schematics, Moog prototypes, reel-to-reel tapes and beyond. "I directly appeal to any musician who has been touched by the work of this great man and spirit to help contribute to the foundation, to please help preserve the work and legacy of Dr. Moog before time has taken an irreversible toll on his archives," Corgan said in a statement. "I humbly also ask any fan of electronic music to consider a donation to the foundation, in recognition of his influence on many of your favorite musical artists." ...

Modest Mouse are still hungry -- even though the group has toured extensively in support of March's We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, it has pieced together another road itinerary. Issac Brock and his crew will start with a two-night stand in Spokane, Washington, on Halloween and end with a show in New Orleans on December 15. Man Man and Love as Laughter will open all dates. Also, the band's AOL Spinner Session debuts Friday, while its MySpace video campaign -- a 10-day event that will include the premieres of four MM clips -- begins Wednesday. ... Ben Lee is also plotting a trek, to hype his recently released CD, Ripe. He'll hit the road November 1 in Santa Barbara, California, and bring his tour to a close December 13 in San Diego. ...

M.I.A. recently spent a couple of days making beats and rhymes with girls at a juvenile-detention center in Australia via Heaps Decent, an initiative that gives a boost to indigenous and underprivileged youth hoping to break into the music biz. According to a post on the Heaps Descent MySpace page, the yet-untitled song they created will soon be released, with all proceeds going to the initiative. M.I.A. screams "popo mind control!" on the hook of the song, according to the post, but its title is not yet known. ...

Can't wait until November 13 for the Killers B-sides album, Sawdust? Well, you can get a taste of what the band has in store with its just-released cover of the Joy Division song "Shadowplay." The Killers' label has posted a stream of the track right here. ... Nirvana's historic "MTV Unplugged in New York" performance is finally coming to DVD. Due November 20, the disc will contain the 66-minute unedited show -- including "Something in the Way" and "Oh, Me," which were featured on the accompanying CD but not in the show when it originally aired. Previously unreleased rehearsal and documentary footage will flesh out the set. ...

It seems like just about everybody has something to say about Britney Spears these days. On the Thursday (October 4) broadcast of "Oprah," Sinéad O'Connor sympathized with Spears, reportedly saying, "She had two babies within the space of two years, [there] doesn't seem like a terrible amount of support from the people around her," according to AP. She later added: "I think to attack someone as a mother is very dangerous. I would say that's what puts a young girl on a precipice which is very, very dangerous, in my opinion. Some people may end up really regretting the way they're treating her." ...

And Deborah Gibson -- who, like Britney, was a one-time teen queen -- has given her two cents on the matter to "Entertainment Tonight." "I think this is probably Britney's lowest point now ... and maybe it'll be what she needs to get herself back together. And then maybe she will regain custody. That's what I hope. I think that has to affect you on such a primal level, to have your kids taken away, so maybe this is the wake-up call that she needs. ... I really think people see Britney as little girl lost. A girl who did not have a childhood, which I can relate to in a way, and she started even younger publicly. ... She's rebelling. She's living her life in reverse in a way." ...

Isaac Hanson, 26, the eldest member of Hanson, remained hospitalized Wednesday night after complaining of chest and shoulder pain following a performance Tuesday night at the House of Blues in Dallas. AP reports that Hanson was taken to Baylor University Medical Center on Tuesday night after the show and was reported to be in stable condition. A Dallas TV station, KDFW, reported that Hanson was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, caused by a blood clot in the extremities breaking away and traveling to the lungs. ... Los Angelenos have an extra incentive to keep their cars parked and instead take public transportation to the LA Weekly Detour festival on Saturday. Those who bring their Saturday Metro tickets to the Goldenvoice booth at the fest will be able to enter a contest for free Coachella 2008 tickets. Bloc Party, Justice, Turbonegro and more are heading up this year's Detour fest. ...

Don Imus is close to finishing a deal that would get him back on the air, according to Variety. The controversial shock jock has an impending deal with Citadel Broadcasting that would deny any move to satellite radio -- earlier this year, Sirius Satellite Radio expressed interest in Imus. Citadel is owned by ABC Radio, which syndicates conservative talk-show host Sean Hannity and others. ... A man has been arrested in Los Angeles in conjunction with the theft of confidential photos and computers being used for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." The man, whose identity has not been released, was taken into custody after a sting operation in which the man intended to sell some of the photos, police told AP. ...

The Recording Industry Association of America scored a victory on Thursday when a jury decided that a Minnesota woman had in fact shared copyrighted music online and ordered her to pay $222,000 in damages, AP reports. The six record companies had alleged that Jammie Thomas had shared 1,702 songs online, and the jury ordered her to pay the companies $9,250 for each of the 24 songs that had been focused on in the case. Thomas, her attorney and the jury declined to comment afterward, according to AP, but the RIAA's lead attorney, Richard Gabriel, said, "This does send a message, I hope, that downloading and distributing our recordings is not OK." It was the first-ever file-sharing case to go to trial in the RIAA's four-year campaign to stop illegal downloading.

10.03.07

Lily Allen has signed on for a low-budget spoof of the classic Jane Austen novel "Pride & Prejudice." MTV U.K. reports that Allen will play Lydia Bennett in "Jane Austen Handheld," joining a cast that includes "Star Wars" legend Carrie Fisher and British comedian Russell Brand. ...

Doug Neumann, general manager of Crush Management -- home to Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, Gym Class Heroes, etc. -- is making an unusual move by stepping out with a covers album of songs by said artists. Neumann, who also went to the Berklee College of Music (go figure!), is redoing the tracks with jazz arrangements and help from members of the bands on the Decaydance label, which is co-owned by FOB bassist Pete Wentz. Tracks include covers of FOB's "Dance, Dance"; Panic's "Time to Dance"; Cobra Starship's "Bring It (Snakes on a Plane)" and more. "One day we were at karaoke and he belted out [Def Leppard's] 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' like it was nobody's business!" Cobra Starship's Gabe Saporta said in a press release. Wentz added, "This dude had me when his shirt came off; the voice he belted out was just the icing on top of hot man cake." ...

Sarah Silverman actually has something nice to say about Paris Hilton, believe it or not. The salty-tongued comedian -- who famously jabbed at Hilton at the 2006 VMAs, the 2007 MTV Movie Awards and, most recently, at 2007 VMAs -- complimented the heiress on her recent appearance on the "Late Show With David Letterman," during which the host questioned her repeatedly about [article id="1563367"]her time in jail.[/article] "I thought she handled herself well," Silverman told People, though she added that Letterman was "being a hilarious pain. I thought it was like old, classic Dave." She also reiterated that she doesn't regret her Britney Spears dis at this year's VMAs. "We're not hanging out like we used to," she said. ...

The track list for Jay-Z's [article id="1570153"]musical accompaniment[/article] to the November 2 flick "American Gangster" is good to go, RollingStone.com reports. His American Gangster will include "And the Winner Is," "Welcome," "The Demise" and more. Meanwhile, Island Def Jam has firmed up the track list for the film's proper soundtrack. It will feature two new slices from Anthony Hamilton and classic cuts by Public Enemy, John Lee Hooker and more. ... Nick Cannon and actors Brian White and Keith Robinson were on hand at Nikki East in Manhattan, New York, on Tuesday night as Def Jam princess Chrisette Michele performed at the New York leg of the Hennessy Artistry Tour. ...

Jennifer Aniston tops Forbes.com's first-ever list of top-selling celebrity faces -- the list is based on newsstand sales of People, Us Weekly, In Touch Weekly, Life & Style, OK! and Star over a six-month period ending June 30. The actress was on every one of the mags' covers, save In Touch Weekly, at least once during the half-year period, helping sell more than 5 million collective copies of the magazines. As it so happens, her ex-husband, Brad Pitt, is second on the list. ... Congrats are in order for Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis, who is now a daddy -- making many of us at MTV News feel really old. He and girlfriend Heather Christie welcomed a son in Los Angeles on Tuesday. ... Brace yourself: A Kidz Bop world tour is in the works. So far only U.S. dates -- stretching from October 12-13 in Davenport, Iowa, through November 7 in Kalamazoo, Michigan -- have been announced. ...

John Mellencamp has posted a raw acoustic track in support of the Jena Six. The clip, called "Jena," is accompanied by a black-and-white video that intersperses modern footage with clips from the '60s civil-rights era. In the chorus of the song, Mellencamp sings, "Whoa Jena, take your nooses down." ... The final tally for the Rolling Stones two-year A Bigger Bang world tour -- which helped earn them a place in Guinness World Records -- has been revealed: According to Billboard, the band grossed $558,255,524 between August 21, 2005, and August 26, 2007.

Tool have booked seven dates thus far for their upcoming trek. The band is scheduled to perform November 14 in Austin, Texas, and will hit Houston; New Orleans; and Casper, Wyoming, before playing a two-night stint in Los Angeles on December 10-11. More dates will be revealed in the coming weeks. ... The October 23 soundtrack to "Saw IV" will feature new songs from Avenged Sevenfold, Drowning Pool, Sixx: A.M., Ministry, Saosin, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Every Time I Die, the Red Chord, Nitzer Ebb and more. Both the digital and CD release will feature exclusive tracks. ...

Phil Spector is seeking new lawyers for his murder retrial after his lead attorneys told a judge on Wednesday (October 1) that they were quitting the case, Reuters reports. The development means that the retrial, in which the music producer will again face a charge of murdering actress Lana Clarkson, will be delayed for several months. The music producer's first trial ended in a 10-2 deadlock, with the majority favoring conviction, last month. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler, who oversaw the first trial, said he wants the retrial to begin within four months. He set a hearing for October 23. "Of course now [Spector] is faced with this ordeal all over again, and I'm sure from that point of view he's not happy," his former lead attorney, Roger Rosen, reportedly said on Wednesday. ...

Microsoft has some new Zune portable media players just in time for the holidays, with a number of new features aimed at taking on the iPod. In addition to two new flash-drive based 4GB ($149.99) and 8GB ($199.99) models, there is now an 80GB version for $249.99. The devices have a new feature that lets users wirelessly sync their music to a PC, and though you can still only play them three times, Microsoft has done away with the three-day limit on sharing songs that have been transferred from one device to another. There is also a new online community called Zune Social, where users can chat about music and create a free, customizable Zune Card that automatically updates to show what music they're listening to on their Zune and lets others play samples of the songs. ...

Turns out that one-night-only reunion show by Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard's Brad side project won't be one night only after all. In addition to the benefit gig they're playing October 17 at New York's Webster Hall -- to help raise funds for the Huntington's Disease Society of America -- Brad will play a warm-up gig the night before at NYC's Highline Ballroom, then treat their Seattle hometown to a show on October 19 at Neumos. A new album is also in the works. ... She Wants Revenge are setting out for a tour just in time for the release of their second album, This Is Forever, which drops Tuesday. The so-called "dark wave" band will fire up the trek Thursday in Los Angeles and continue through a November 13 show in Sacramento, California. ...

Mickey Mouse's beef with metal is apparently continuing, as more heavy shows slated at House of Blues clubs located on Walt Disney property have been moved to other venues. Two dates on the upcoming Operation Annihilation Tour -- featuring Shadows Fall, Static-X, 3 Inches of Blood and Divine Heresy -- have been adjusted. The October 31 gig, originally planed for the HOB in Anaheim, California, has been moved to the Galaxy Theater in Santa Ana; the October 20 show slated for the HOB in Orlando, Florida, has been canceled outright. "It is sad to say but it looks like Mickey can't handle the metal," Shadows Fall's Brian Fair said in a statement. "We have been informed that the [Walt Disney Co.] has decided to cancel all metal shows taking place at the House of Blues on Disney property in both Anaheim and Orlando. I, for one, am surprised that Disney isn't down with the metal. After all, what is more metal than freezing the decapitated head of your founder?" ...

During the first day of a landmark jury trial in Minnesota -- the first file-sharing case to go to trial in the Recording Industry Association of America's four-year campaign to stop illegal downloading -- a Sony executive admitted that the RIAA's battle against downloaders has cost the music industry millions of dollars and has been a money-losing proposition for the major labels. According to the Ars Technica blog, the executive also admitted under cross-examination that the music industry has no idea of what actual damages it is incurring because of file-sharing.