Jersey City, New Jersey, police think the shots fired outside a Doubletree Hotel on September 10 allegedly targeting 50 Cent could be linked to the rapper's feud with Lil' Kim, according to the New York Daily News. The newspaper reports that police are investigating Damion "World" Hardy, a 28-year-old ex-con who is also reportedly Kim's boyfriend. 50 and Kim have been engaged in a war of words ever since 50 pulled out of Kim's video for "Magic Stick," a hit record he wrote for her. Only hours before the incident, 50 was on New York's Hot 97 unleashing a scathing freestyle dis directed at Kim. ...

Ludacris will be serving up Chicken-N-Beer on Tuesday -- literally. Beginning this week, patrons of the Gladys Knight & Ron Winans Chicken & Waffles restaurant in Atlanta can order the "Ludacris Special," which includes two chicken breasts, two legs or two thighs with sides of macaroni and cheese, collard greens and a cold Bud Light. ...

The performance lineup for the American Music Awards has beefed up to include Sheryl Crow, Outkast, Ruben Studdard and nominees Kid Rock (Favorite Male Artist, Favorite Album), Ricky Martin (Favorite Latin Artist) and Clay Aiken (Favorite Male Artist). The 31st annual American Music Awards, which has already slated Ashanti, Hilary Duff, Metallica and Britney Spears to perform, will air November 16 on ABC. ... Though Hell on Earth promised a live suicide as part of their act this weekend, whether or not they actually delivered is a matter of debate. The little-known Florida metal band had planned to let a terminally ill friend commit suicide onstage, but when local authorities filed an injunction against the group, the band decided to host the suicide at a separate, undisclosed location, which would be broadcast over the Internet. But that, too, ran into difficulties, when Hell on Earth's Web site was locked up due to a flood of data, which the operator of the host site characterized as a denial-of-service attack. No video was shown on the Web page, and no suicides were reported in the St. Petersburg area, according to the St. Petersburg Times, though an Internet shock jock for www.radiofreesatan.com claims he has video of what purports to be a man committing suicide, but even he says he doesn't believe it's real. ...

The digital age catches up with Guns N' Roses when three of the band's home videos get reissued on DVD. "Welcome to the Videos," originally released on VHS in 1998, and "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II," both issued in 1992, are slated to come out on DVD on October 28. ... November 4 is the date that feels most right for Bon Jovi to release their reworked greatest-hits set This Left Feels Right. A dozen new versions of hits such as "Wanted Dead or Alive," "Bad Medicine" and "Everyday" are paired with new tunes "Last Man Standing" and "Thief of Hearts." In other Bon Jovi news, singer and namesake Jon and his wife Dorothea are expecting their fourth child this spring, according to www.BonJovi.com. ...

A double album from Led Zeppelin's frontman is on the way. Sixty Six to Timbuktu, due November 4, features all of Robert Plant's solo singles, along with material from Listen and the Band of Joy, groups he was in prior to joining Led Zeppelin in 1968. ... Alleged drunk driver Diana Ross' trial has been postponed from December 9 to January 14. ... Despite the loss of founding member Charlie Colin, Train aren't off the rails of their current U.S. tour. The bassist has been replaced by Johnny Colt, formerly of the Black Crowes. Colin and the band parted on good terms and the possibility of working together in the future has not been ruled out. ...

While a lack of medical benefits has been the bane of many signed artists, that may soon be a problem of the past. As part of a union pact, all five major U.S. record companies have agreed to provide health care for all of their musicians. In the past, artists who didn't earn enough in album royalties weren't eligible for coverage. The pact could take effect before the end of the year. ... If you thought the Rolling Stones' greatest-hits package 40 Licks was a must have, you might also want "Four Flicks," a four-DVD set of live Stones footage, which goes on sale November 11. Three discs feature recent full concerts from Madison Square Garden in New York, Twickenham Stadium in London and the Olympia Theater in Paris. The final disc features two Stones documentaries, "Licks Around the World" and "Tip of the Tongue." ...

10.03.2003

Lil' Kim's not wanted anymore, and the Queen Bee is smiling about it. The arrest warrant issued for her by Teaneck, New Jersey, police last week is no longer in effect. A member of Kim's camp posted $350 in bail on Tuesday for her, and police say she will be notified if and when she needs to appear in court for a 1996 charge of marijuana possession. ...

Mya will bring her latest album, Moodring, to the fans with a month-long tour. The outing starts on October 11 at the Big Fresno Fair in California then wraps up back in Los Angeles on November 11. Up-and-coming soul singer Javier will open. ... On October 28, Snoop Dogg will appear in ESPN's original television series "Playmakers." The network's first dramatic series chronicles the adventures of a fictional professional football team both on and off the field. Executives plan to reprise the role if the program is renewed for another season. ...

Five thousand limited-edition vinyl copies of Desert Sessions 9 & 10, the side project from Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme that features Polly Jean Harvey and Dean Ween, among other musicians, were seized by customs officials at New York's JFK Airport on Wednesday. The shipment was headed for the States in time for the album's release October 7 but did not have the correct paperwork. It has been returned to Island Records in the U.K., which will attempt to resend it with the appropriate documentation. ... The White Stripes' Jack White will play guitar on the debut single by Detroit alt-country act Blanche. "Who's to Say," which comes on a 7-inch vinyl disc, can be ordered directly from Blanche's label at www.cassrecords.com. ...

In the mood for some buzzing, grinding noise? The soundtrack for the remake of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" will include previously unreleased tracks by Static-X, Nothingface, Soil, Fear Factory and a yet-unheard remix of a Pantera song. The disc will also contain album cuts by Hatebreed, Motograter, Morbid Angel, Lamb of God, Index Case and others. The movie hits theaters October 17 and the soundtrack will come out November 4. ... Probot, the long-awaited heavy metal project by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, has finally been given a release date: February 10. Venom's Cronos, Saint Vitus' Wino, Cathedral's Lee Dorrian and Motörhead's Lemmy all contribute to the disc. In November, the band's label will issue 6,666 copies of a two-track single comprised of the Cronos-helmed "Centuries of Sin" and Wino's "Emerald Lies." ...

Radiohead were named Best Act in the World Today for the third year in a row at the Q Awards in London on Thursday, although in a taped thank-you message, the band said "Radiohead aren't talking to Q," most likely because of a bad review the magazine gave Hail to the Thief. Blur's Think Tank won Best Album, Christina Aguilera's "Dirrty" won Best Single, Electric Six's "Gay Bar" won Best Video and the Thrills won Best New Act. Duran Duran, Jane's Addiction and the Cure also took home awards. ... Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood has gone solo -- as a soundtrack composer. His score to the film "Bodysong" is due October 27, while the movie hits British theaters in December. ...

Sarah McLachlan, Brian McKnight, Ronald Isley and Burt Bacharach are the first performers announced for the annual City of Hope gala dinner to benefit the Los Angeles research hospital. This year's event, scheduled for Thursday at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, California, will honor Recording Academy President Neil Portnow with the Spirit of Life Award. ... Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and "American Idol" finalist Trenyce are headlining the 13th annual Divas: Simply Singing! benefit concert October 25 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles. Singer/actress Sheryl Lee Ralph organizes the event, which raises funds for Project Angel Food and the Black AIDS Institute. ... Cherrywine, the velvety funk band formed by ex-Digable Planets member Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler, will hit the road for a three-week nationwide tour on October 22. The trek begins with two dates in New York and ends November 15 in San Francisco. ...Gift of Gab, the lyricist from rap duo Blackalicious, is putting the finishing touches on his first solo album, Fourth Dimensional Rocketships Going Up, due out on January 27 on Quannum Records. The first single, "The Writz," will be released at the end of October. ...

Underworld's reworked reissue of their 1996 EP Born Slippy received a little help from filmmaker Danny Boyle, who created a four-minute edit of his film "Trainspotting" to accompany the new release, due October 27 in the U.K. ...

You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours, is the adage shared by Fatboy Slim and Blur frontman Damon Albarn. Fatboy Slim, a.k.a. Norman Cook, co-produced the single "Crazy Beat" for Blur's album, Think Tank, and Albarn has since returned the favor. The new, hip-hop-flavored Fatboy Slim as-yet-untitled LP features Albarn on one track, as well as bassist Bootsy Collins and Blackalicious' Lateef, among others. ...

Tina Turner has provided the lead song for the animated Disney movie "Brother Bear," which hits theaters November 1. The track, "Great Spirits," marks Turner's first recording since her 1999 album, Twenty Four Seven. Phil Collins sings five new songs on the film's soundtrack, which comes out October 21. ...

Tantric have finished recording their Toby Wright-produced second album, After We Go, which will be released early next year. In the meantime, the band will embark on a club tour kicking off October 6 in Chicago and wrapping up October 25 in Las Vegas. ... When the annual CMJ Music Marathon kicks off on October 22 in New York, Yoko Ono will be there. John Lennon's widow plans to discuss her views on music, art, activism and human rights in an interview to be conducted by music journalist Robert Christgau. ...