Tickets for some of Christina Aguilera's 2007 shows with Danity Kane and the Pussycat Dolls go on sale soon. Tix for five concerts, including Denver and Cleveland, will be available Saturday, while ones for five additional gigs, including Los Angeles and New York, will be available Monday. Members of Aguilera's fan club will get first crack at those shows beginning Wednesday (October 18). ...

John Legend will sign copies of his new album, Once Again, and perform a brief set of songs from the LP in New York on Tuesday at Virgin Megastore's Union Square location. Fans who purchase the disc there will get a wristband granting admittance to the in-store event while supplies last. ... Kevin Federline will appear on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" Thursday to perform the song "Privilege" alongside collaborator Bosko -- who also produced "Crazy," K-Fed's track with Britney Spears. ... Jamie Foxx is bringing his Laffapalooza urban-comedy fest to Atlanta this weekend, as well as a celebrity basketball game on Sunday that will benefit the Learn Through Laughter Foundation, an at-risk youth initiative. ...

U2 are launching an Internet scavenger hunt on Monday in which fans who piece together clues posted on different Web sites can win a chance to see the group's final Vertigo Tour show in Hawaii on December 9. The U2 site will dole out clues in the Hunt the Lyric quest over two weeks, with each clue featuring a highlighted letter that will add up to the answer to the quiz's final question. ... After 14 tumultuous years with Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston filed for divorce this week, The Associated Press reports. Houston, 43, had filed for separation from Brown, 37, last month, asking for custody of the couple's 13-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina. ... Yoko Ono filed a $10 million lawsuit against EMI on Wednesday over royalties pertaining to late husband John Lennon's catalog, AP reports. The three-page document, which included a summons, accuses EMI and Capitol of "willfully and knowingly underreporting royalties" by masking the "true use and disposition of Lennon's recordings." An EMI spokesperson wouldn't comment specifically on Ono's lawsuit. ...

Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong's solo debut, A Poet's Life, won't hit stores until February 6, but fans will soon be able to download the disc for free, in piecemeal fashion. The tracks should be on record label Epitaph's Web site before the end of the month. Two cuts from the LP, "Hold On" and "Wake Up," have been posted to Rancid's MySpace page. ... Dashboard Confessional have scrapped a planned Friday gig in Las Vegas. The band's site says the cancellation is due to technical difficulties but doesn't go into specifics. Ticket refunds will be available at points of purchase. "We are very sorry for this and will do our best to come back through the area as soon as possible," reads a statement on the site. ... On the other hand, Static-X have confirmed a Vegas gig for October 26. The show will be part of the "Saw III" release party, to take place at the club Rain. Hydrovibe will also be on the bill. ...

Dave Matthews Band have set a November 7 release date for the double-disc collection The Best of What's Around, Vol. 1. While the first disc will feature studio-recorded hits, the second is a collection of eight unreleased live highlights selected by the band's fans. ... Matt Damon was so struck by what he saw during a trip to the Sahara Desert to scout locations for a documentary about long-distance runners that he has created the H2OAfrica charity, whose mission is to help bring clean water to Africa. According to the organization's Web site, while filming "Running the Sahara," the movie's crew will help scout areas that are in need of clean water and publicize the new organization's mission. The movie is about three ultra-marathoners who are trying to be the first people to run across the Sahara -- covering over 4,000 miles in 80 days. ...

Head Automatica are down a member following the departure of drummer Larry Gorman, a founding member of the band. According to a label spokesperson, it's unclear at this point whether Gorman's exit was self-imposed or forced on him by the rest of the band, which also features frontman Daryl Palumbo. Gorman and Palumbo had also been bandmates in Long Island, New York, hardcore outfit Glassjaw, who have been working on fresh material for their first album in four years. Gorman quit Glassjaw in 2004 and was replaced by Durijah Lang. A statement on Gorman's departure from Head Automatica is expected in the next day or so. ... Apple announced this week that a small number -- less than 1 percent, by the company's count -- of video iPods released on September 12 were shipped carrying the RavMonE.exe virus, which only affects Windows computers. Up-to-date antivirus software included with most Windows computers should detect and remove it, and so far Apple said it has received "less than 25 reports" about the problem. New Nanos, Shuffles and Mac OSX users weren't impacted, and all video iPods shipped since are virus-free, but Apple took the opportunity to tweak rival -- and Windows manufacturer -- Microsoft, adding, "As you might imagine, we are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses, and even more upset with ourselves for not catching it." ...

Just a week after Google gobbled up YouTube amid concerns over how the company would deal with illegally posted videos on the site, the Universal Music Group announced suits against two online video companies, Grouper Networks and Bolt Inc., for alleged copyright infringement. The Los Angeles Times reported that the federal lawsuits alleged massive infringement by the two companies for permitting users to post hundreds of music videos from artists including Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Black Eyed Peas without authorization. "User-generated sites like Grouper and Bolt that derive so much of their value from the traffic that our videos, recordings and songs generate cannot reasonably expect to build their business on the backs of our content and the hard work of our artists and songwriters, without permission and without in any way compensating the content creators," a Universal spokesperson told the paper. A Grouper spokesperson said the company is vigilant about removing copyrighted content when notified and intends to win the lawsuit. Bolt's president posted a note on the company's Web site urging users to refrain from posting copyrighted material from Universal and others. ...

Chris Rock's mother, Rose Rock, plans to file a lawsuit against Cracker Barrel restaurants claiming racial discrimination over an incident in May in which she said she was seated but ignored for more than a half-hour at a Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, outlet of the chain. According to AP, she asked a manager about the delay and was told she could have a free meal but was never given an explanation for the lack of service. ... The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry filed 8,000 criminal and civil copyright infringement cases in 17 countries on Tuesday. The suits are aimed at uploaders who have posted hundreds -- in some cases thousands -- of copyrighted songs on the Internet. The action by the international group that represents 1,450 record companies around the world said many of the suits were filed against the parents of children who have shared music files illegally. The action included the first-ever suits by the IFPI against users in Brazil, where it said more than 1 billion tracks were illegally downloaded last year.

10.17.2006

Ashlee Simpson has joined the one-night-only, 10th-anniversary performance of "Chicago" slated for November 14 at the Ambassador Theater in New York. The performance will benefit victim-assistance organization Safe Horizon and will also feature former Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson and original castmembers. ...

Kevin Federline has rolled out the track list to his debut CD, Playing With Fire. The October 31 release will feature 14 tracks, including a hidden one: "Intro," "The World Is Mine," "America's Most Hated," "Snap," "Lose Control," "Dance With a Pimp" (featuring Ya Boy), "Privilege" (featuring Bosco), "Crazy" (featuring Britney Spears), "A League of My Own," "Playing With Fire," "Caught Up Intro," "Caught Up," "Kept on Talkin' " and "Middle Finger" (hidden). ...

Lady Sovereign, 30 Seconds to Mars, Ghostface, the Subways, Murs, Slug of Atmosphere and Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello have been announced as presenters at the mtvU Woodie Awards, to be taped October 25 at New York's Roseland Ballroom. Brandon Reilly of Nightmare of You will DJ the preshow. ... Busta Rhymes has signed former Blackstreet singer Chauncey Black to his Flipmode Squad label. The singer's solo debut will feature production from Dr. Dre and Teddy Riley and guests such as the Game, Young Buck and Rah Digga. ...

Bono testified again in court on Tuesday (October 17) against ex-stylist Lola Cashman, who U2 claim stole and tried to hock band memorabilia, The Associated Press reports. "We want out stuff back. We want her to stop selling it," the singer said in an Irish High Court. Cashman has said the band gave her the items as gifts. ... Bobby Brown has paid $11,000 in delinquent child-support payments, according to AP. A Massachusetts judge said two weeks ago that the singer would be arrested if he were to enter the state without settling up. ...

The saga of Madonna's adoption of 1-year-old David Banda from Malawi continued on Monday, as the child was flown from the African nation to London in the company of one of the singer's bodyguards and a personal assistant. According to Reuters, Banda made the trip despite 50 rights groups that filed court documents asking for an injunction to block the adoption. On Monday, Malawian authorities waived local rules against non-residents adopting children to grant Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie an interim adoption. "My husband and I began the adoption process many months prior to our trip to Malawi," Madonna said in a letter posted on CNN.com. "I did not wish to disclose my intentions to the world prior to the adoption happening, as this is a private family matter. ... Nevertheless, we have gone about the adoption procedure according to the law like anyone else who adopts a child. Reports to the contrary are totally inaccurate. The procedure includes an l8-month evaluation period, after which time we hope to make this adoption permanent." "It is expected that the family will be reunited within the next few days," Madonna's longtime representative Liz Rosenberg said in a statement. ...

James Blunt will play a benefit show for Doctors Without Borders on November 16 at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California. Tickets for the show are $40 and go on sale Wednesday at noon PT via HOB.com. Blunt is also raising money for the organization by auctioning one-on-one meetings with fans at each stop on his tour. Blunt's trek hits Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday. ... Jermaine Dupri, Stevie Wonder and Gavin DeGraw will be honored at the November 1 Songs of Hope IV benefit for City of Hope, an organization that aids the fight against life-threatening diseases such as cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS. "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson will MC the event, which will be held at Esquire House 360 in Beverly Hills, California. Songs of Hope IV will have sheet music and original lyrics signed by artists including Mariah Carey, Paul McCartney and Paul Simon up for silent auction and features performances by Wonder and DeGraw. ...

Wesley Snipes was indicted Tuesday on eight counts of tax fraud, AP reports. Federal prosecutors accuse the actor of fraudulent claims of $12 million in refunds on taxes already paid. The indictment, filed in Tampa, Florida, also alleges that the actor failed to file tax returns between 1999 and 2004. Snipes has not been arrested because authorities don't know where he is. He faces a maximum of 16 years in prison if convicted. ...

Leonardo DiCaprio is pitching in to develop a reality-TV series focusing on the environment, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The show, "E-topia," which is being shopped to networks, will document the monthslong effort to transform an American town into a "green" utopia of tomorrow. DiCaprio is a co-creator and executive producer of the project, which will feature an environmental "call to action" at the end of each episode. ...

On January 23, the Shins will return to record stores with their third full-length album, Wincing the Night Away. Produced by frontman James Mercer and former Beck collaborator Joe Chiccarelli, Wincing features 11 tracks, including "Sleeping Lessons," "Pam Berry," "A Comet Appears" and the first single, "Phantom Limb." ... Jet have been forced to postpone part of their current European tour so frontman Nic Cester can rest his pipes after developing acute laryngitis. The postponed dates were originally scheduled through October 25. The singer lost his voice two weeks ago during a performance in New York and has since developed nodules on his vocal cords as a result of returning to the stage earlier than his doctors had advised. ...

Brooklyn queen MC Lyte returned to her NYC stomping grounds Monday night to perform at the launch party for Black Girls Rule! Inc., a nonprofit mentoring service founded by DJ Beverly Bond. Lyte, who was honored at VH1's Hip-Hop Honors -- which airs Tuesday on VH1 -- and DJ Jazzy Joyce were recognized by the organization for their achievements as women in the music industry. DJ Premier presented the awards, and Dres of Black Sheep and writer/activist Kevin Powell were also in attendance. ... Several Ramones tracks have been retooled in kid-friendly form by some of punk's current leaders. Brats on the Beat: Ramones for Kids, which hits stores November 21, will boast a cover of "Blitzkrieg Bop" by Pennywise's Jim Lindberg, "Rock 'N' Roll High School" performed by Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba, the Donnas' Brett Anderson tackling "California Sun" and the Dwarves' Blag Dahlia doing "Rockaway Beach." ...

Runner James Murphy, the magnate of New York dance-rockers LCD Soundsystem, has teamed up with Nike for 45:33: Nike+ Original Run, an original composition only available through iTunes. The "album" contains a single eponymous track that runs 45 minutes and 33 seconds. The second project in the Nike+ Original Run series follows Drive, a soundtrack by Crystal Method. "In testing, I found that 'hard, fast, propulsive' music was NOT the best running music for me," Murphy said. "Sometimes the best way to keep running is to find the parts of the run that are actually rests -- that while you're still running, you're viewing some of the run as soothing and recuperative, rather than constantly feeling like you're running for your life." 45:33 is currently available on iTunes.