Ludacris and Kanye West scored a courtroom victory Thursday (June 1) when a jury decided they did not copy another group's material for "Stand Up," the 2003 Luda track they co-wrote, according to The Associated Press. After less than a day of deliberating, the jury concluded that "Stand Up" did not sound like "Straight Like That," an obscure song by New Jersey's I.O.F. Luda capped off the two-week trial by signing autographs outside the courthouse; West did not appear in court. ...

The long-awaited Justin Timberlake film "Alpha Dog" has a new studio (Universal Pictures is taking over for New Line), release date (early 2007) and a line on the Oscars. Whether it's Timberlake's performance or something else about the film that has Universal thinking about gold statues, Variety reports that the studio may give "Alpha Dog" a limited run in December so that it qualifies for the next Academy Awards. ...

Mariah Carey is proud of her legs -- even if she won't admit whether she's insured them for $1 billion, as rumored, to protect her stake as Gillette's new celebrity spokesperson. The razor company honored the singer on Tuesday at New York's Radio City Music Hall for having "Celebrity Legs of a Goddess," unveiling a 16-foot replica of Carey's stems. ([article id="1533238"]Click to see Mariah with her giant likeness[/article]). "It's a little overwhelming," Carey told MTV News. "I'm not saying that I have [legs of a goddess], Gillette said it." She attributes her leg appeal to genetics, dieting, and working out. Though she was a fast runner in school ("I beat everybody but a boy named Ricky in my sixth-grade class"), Carey said that she prefers to work out in the water. "Other than that, exercise is not my favorite. It is what it is." ...

After trekking through Europe and Australia this summer, Death Cab for Cutie will return to the States for an August stint. The tour begins August 3 at the Kuyahoga Festival in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and ends August 15 in San Diego. ... Courtney Love has signed up for a new human-rights exhibition from Amnesty International, which features 100 celebrities posing with placards printed with messages including "Protect the Human," "Torture Is Terror," "Control the Arms Trade," and "Stop Violence Against Women." Patrick Stewart, Christian Slater, Billy Zane, Dougray Scott, John Hurt, Alex Kingston, director Anthony Minghella and producer Harvey Weinstein are among those featured in the photographs. Instead of being incorporated into an advertising campaign, the photos will be on display at London's Covent Garden until Tuesday. ...

Pete Doherty was searched for drugs and cleared for release at an airport in Spain on Thursday, according to The Associated Press. Doherty and his band Babyshambles were en route from London to Barcelona when their easyJet captain noticed the troubled British rocker was spending too much time in the bathroom and alerted police in Barcelona. An easyJet spokesperson said the airline had found a bloody syringe in the bathroom -- recalling Doherty's incident with MTV News Germany last week; see video of the incident on MTV Overdrive) -- but the Spanish authorities denied that claim. Regardless, Babyshambles have been banned from flying on easyJet. ...

The brothers Jonas -- or the Jonas Brothers, as they prefer to be called -- have at long last confirmed August 1 as the release date for their debut record, It's About Time. Originally scheduled for the spring, the record was delayed so the group could swap in an acoustic version of "Please Be Mine," "Year 3000" and "What I Go to School For" and swap out "Dear God" and "Hey We're Gonna Be Alright." The Brothers hit the road with another set of siblings, Aly & AJ, Wednesday in Westbury, New York. They'll wrap up the 15-date trek July 8 in Arlington, Texas. ... Swedish neo-new-wavers the Sounds released a four-song live EP featuring tracks from their current album, Dying to Say This to You, this week. The band hits the festival circuit this summer and joins the Vans Warped Tour July 17 in Vancouver, British Columbia. ...

Hip-hop oral history tome "Rakim Told Me" is about to get the remix treatment. Though a self-published version, covering the most influential albums from the 1980s, came out last year, the book will be updated with new chapters on albums from the 1990s. Hip-hop journalist and XXL scribe Brian Coleman is including interviews from artists such as the Fugees, De La Soul, Ice-T, Cypress Hill, the Roots, the Wu-Tang Clan, Digable Planets, A Tribe Called Quest and Naughty by Nature, which he says will make it the "definitive" version of the book, with more than 30 all-new chapters. "It may or may not have the same title when it comes out," Coleman said. Villard, a division of Random House, said the company is aiming to put out the new version by next June, by which point the previous version will be withdrawn from the market, Coleman said. ...

Boxing legend Bernard Hopkins is stepping into the ring for the last time on June 10, and he'll have Houston rap heavyweight Bun B by his side as he steps through the ropes at Atlantic City, New Jersey's Boardwalk Hall. "It's an honor to be able to be part of a legend's career in this way," Bun B said in a statement. "I'm honored to be able to walk with him." Bun B is currently putting together a performance for the 12-round, light heavyweight "Fight to the Finish" match, which will air live on HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

More dates have been revealed for the resurrected Family Values Tour, which will feature Korn, the Deftones, Stone Sour, Flyleaf and Dir En Grey. The tour will hit Noblesville, Indiana (August 29); Holmdel, New Jersey (September 1); Hartford, Connecticut (September 3); Cleveland (September 6); Pittsburgh (September 8); Clarkston, Michigan (September 9); Darien Center, New York (September 10); Cincinnati (September 12); and Columbus, Ohio (September 13). ... Coheed and Cambria will be heading out with Dillinger Escape Plan, Chiodos, and 3 in August for a brief U.S. tour. Only four dates have been revealed for the trek: August 3 in Columbus, Ohio; August 4 in Indianapolis; August 7 in Grand Rapids, Michigan; and August 8 in Toledo, Ohio. Additional dates will be announced in the coming weeks. ...

Hopesfall have parted ways with drummer Adam Baker, replacing him with Jason Trabue. The band has offered no official statement on the lineup shift, but a spokesperson for the band confirmed the moves. ... Baseball writer and ESPN "Baseball Tonight" analyst Peter Gammons will release his debut LP, Never Slow Down, Never Grow Old, on July 4. The album will feature Gammons, who sings and plays guitar, doing covers of Warren Zevon's "Model Citizen" and the Clash's "Death or Glory." George Thorogood, Juliana Hatfield, former Letters to Cleo vocalist Kay Hanley, Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein and big leaguers Bronson Arroyo, Trot Nixon, Tim Wakefield and Jonathan Papelbon will be making guest appearances on the disc.

05.31.2006

The owners and creators of "American Idol" are being sued by a fan who says the show stole his idea for a Web game based on the singing competition. Adam Pick claims in a lawsuit filed last week in Los Angeles Superior Court that he invented an interactive fantasy game called "Idol Go Home," in which people could reverse the voting process by picking who should get booted instead of who should win. "It's fantasy football with a reality-TV twist," Pick said of the game, which would let users post blogs and photos as well. But after pitching the idea and giving "Idol" a prototype of the site, Pick claims show representatives said they weren't interested, but that Pick could launch his own site. Once he did so, Pick says, "Idol" demanded that he shut down the site, while at the same time, according to his lawsuit, "Idol" modified its site to incorporate Pick's ideas. Pick is seeking monetary damages and an injunction restraining the show from using his idea. Fox had no comment. ...

Prince will be presented with lifetime-achievement honors at the 10th annual Webby Awards, set for June 12 in New York. One of the first artists to release a Web-only album (1997's Crystal Ball), Prince is being recognized for his innovative use of the Internet to distribute music and connect with fans. "Besides being a musical genius, Prince is a visionary who recognized early on that the Web would completely change how we experience music," Webby Awards founder Tiffany Shlain said. Previously announced special-achievement honorees include Gorillaz and the founders of MySpace. ...

Hilary Duff's dog Lola now has her very own blog, hosted in the fan-club-only section of the singer/actress' official site, HilaryDuff.com. And what does the pampered pet of a pop star have to say? So far the Chihuahua has posted her endorsement of a dog-care book written by the owner of a Maltese pal. ... Black Eyed Peas are starring as superheroes who spend their days making candy and their nights defending hip-hop in a series of digital films -- a.k.a. online commercials -- promoting Snickers. The "digi-sodes" launch Monday on InstantDef.com. ...

When AFI's new album, Decemberunderground, hits stores Tuesday, the most devoted fans might want to pick up four copies. The band has placed one of four different collectible booklets behind the disc's cover insert, each featuring the face of a group member. The limited-edition booklets will be available exclusively in the album's first pressing. ... Rob Thomas and Matchbox Twenty have donated $200,000 to the Consortium for Worker Education, a resettlement agency aiding music education in Gulf Coast high schools affected by Hurricane Katrina, The Associated Press reports. Thomas will also raise money for the fund during his current tour with Jewel, which hits Portsmouth, Virginia, on Wednesday (May 31). Music instruction in school will "groom generations of musicians who are so vital to rebuilding New Orleans, its infrastructure and its culture," Thomas said in a statement. ... Now that he's through sending off ousted "American Idol" contestants, Daniel Powter is hitting the road. The "Bad Day" singer will launch a U.S. tour beginning July 17 at Philadelphia's Theatre of the Living Arts. The trek wraps up with a two-night stand at West Hollywood's Roxy Theater on August 4 and 5. ...

Foo Fighters have added two more dates to their upcoming acoustic jaunt, which the band has nicknamed its "Afoostic" tour. But that's become something of a misnomer, now that the Foos have announced that one of the just-announced shows will be performed electric. That performance will be held August 18 at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa's Event Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, while the band will play a proper stripped-down set August 15 at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. ... Tegan and Sara will release their first DVD, "It's Not Fun. Don't Do It!," August 8. Content includes a full concert shot at the Phoenix in Toronto, a tour documentary filmed by the twin sisters, the making of 2004's So Jealous and all the duo's videos. ...

A National Guardsman who lost his right arm near the shoulder and left arm above the wrist in Iraq filed suit Friday in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, against filmmaker Michael Moore for allegedly including him in "Fahrenheit 9/11" without his permission, claiming defamation and invasion of privacy. Sergeant Peter Damon, who was injured in October 2003, was featured in a 10-second clip in Moore's documentary that depicted him awaiting surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. But those 10 seconds of footage were from an interview with NBC News' Brian Williams, and Damon claims that he was never asked, nor did he consent, for the interview to be used elsewhere. Damon says he disagrees politically with Moore and that the interview made it appear as if he were complaining about the war effort instead of talking about the pain he felt when he lost his arms. (Moore has denied any intention to demean the service of U.S. troops through the film.) Damon's seeking $100 million and also named Harvey and Robert Weinstein, Miramax, Lionsgate and NBC in the suit. The Weinsteins, NBC and Lionsgate had no comment. ...

Former Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros frontman Perry Farrell will deliver the keynote address at the upcoming CMJ Rock Hall Music Fest, to be held June 14 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Farrell's DJ alter ego, Peretz, will man the ones and twos along with Mike Boogie and Prince Paul during the festival's opening-night shindig. ... Original Black Flag singer Keith Morris and onetime Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke joined L.A. punks the Bronx onstage for the last show of the band's monthlong residency at Los Angeles' Spaceland Monday night. Clarke produced the Bronx's 2003 self-titled debut. ...

Third Eye Blind's hits have been compiled for a CD/DVD set aptly titled Third Eye Blind: A Collection. The 19-track CD includes "Semi-Charmed Life," "How's It Gonna Be" and "Jumper," along with B-sides and bonus tracks. The DVD features all seven of Third Eye Blind's videos as well as two clips for the previously unreleased "Losing a Whole Year." ... Canadian indie rock veterans Sloan are lining up festival dates in the U.S. and Canada, but they don't plan to kick off a full-fledged tour until the fall. According to a post on the band's Web site, Sloan continue to work on their next album, which is due in September. But fans won't have to wait that long to hear something fresh from the foursome. "Look to criticize the new single in July," the update notes.