Producers are in a rush to begin filming Queen of the Damned, based on the third novel in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, because if the cameras don't begin to roll by the end of 2000, the film rights revert to Rice. So come September, dishy R&B singer Aaliyah Haughton-- fresh from her role in the Jet Li flick Romeo Must Die -- will travel to Australia to take on the role of Akasha, a vampire queen who is awakened from her 6,000-year slumber by the music of Lestat, the vampire-turned-rock star. Tom Cruise, who played Lestat in Interview with the Vampire, won't be onboard for the latest chapter; instead director Michael Rymer snared Irish actor Simon Townshend after American Beauty's Wes Bentley backed out. Horror fanatic and former mortician aide Jonathan Davis of Korn will compose the score . . .

It's that time of year again. To hell with what wise men say, a glorious gaggle of Elvis fools will rush into Memphis this Friday for Elvis Week. While we're still two years away from the big quarter-century-post-death Elvis shindig, the holiest week in rock & roll is still a draw for tens of thousands of the jump-suited and mutton-chopped, as well as those who just dig his music. Festivities kick off Friday with a double feature of the King's celluloid (Jailhouse Rock and Viva Las Vegas) at the Orpheum Theater. The following day, a number of E's MGM co-stars will offer recollections of Elvis, also at the Orpheum. That evening (Orpheum again) Turner Entertainment and Graceland will premiere That's the Way It Is, the new cut of the 1970 MGM concert film, which won't air on the small screen until 2001. Sunday highlights include a gospel brunch at Elvis Presley's Memphis restaurant, where fans can eat while gospel singers perform tracks Presley made famous, another double feature that afternoon (Girl Happy and Speedway) and an Elvis Dance Party at the Memphis Marriott East that evening. On Tuesday, Aug. 15, the day before the King's last, there will be a 9 p.m. candlelight vigil that runs into the following day. Other activities to be scheduled include an Elvis Trivia Contest, an Elvis Art Contest and Exhibition, additional film screenings and various forms of live music. A big hunk o' fun to be had, indeed . . .

Online hip-hop community Okayplayer.com is hosting a two-month-long nationwide showcase. Although specific dates have not yet been confirmed by tour organizers, the tour will kick off Oct. 4 in Worcester, Mass., and will wrap up sometime after Thanksgiving in Philadelphia. Artists slated to perform on the tour include the Roots, Jill Scott, Mos Def, Dead Prez, Jaguar, Bilal Oliver and Bahamadia. Common will interrupt his European tour to join the Okayplayer line-up for spot dates . . .

Cypress Hill's "All Day Mind Opening Music Festival," otherwise known as Smoke Out, has announced the acts for the third-annual herbal affair. System of a Down , Pennywise, Long Beach Dub Allstars, Dilated Peoples , Redman, Eric Sermon, 311, Xzibit, Gangstarr, Medusa and SX10 are onboard, along with headliners Cypress Hill. The event promises to have a Massive Munchie Garden, Psychedelic Laser Show, tattoo and henna artists and fourteen non-stop hours of music. The show will take place Oct. 7 in San Bernardino, Calif., with tickets going on sale Sept. 1. For more details go to www.smokeout.net . . .

Everybody's a critic: Oasis were forced to leave the stage for the second time in a month on Sunday after drummer Alan White was struck by a rock hurled by someone in the 35,000-strong crowd at Portugal's Sudvest Festival. According to a rep for the band, Oasis were pelted with bottles and rocks from members of the crowd from almost the minute they stepped on stage, something the band's Ignition Management has called "utterly deplorable and thuggish." The band were in the final half hour of its set, when it became clear that they were in danger of getting hurt, prompting Liam Gallagher to demand the audience to stop, saying "We're here to play fucking music. If you don't fucking like it, we'll go play somewhere else where people do," before walking off stage in a huff, followed by the rest of the band. The management issued a statement condemning the behavior of the Portuguese fans, adding, "Do we have to wait until a musician is seriously hurt on stage before these attacks are condemned?" . . .

As the Democratic Presidential ticket of Al Gore and Vice Presidential running mate Joseph Lieberman presented themselves at a Nashville rally on Aug. 8, the vocal stylings of Jewel could be heard. The singer performed her hits "Who Will Save Your Soul?" and "You Were Meant for Me" at the event that made Gore's choice of the Connecticut Senator official. Despite the support, Jewel has no plans to play at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles next week . . .

Eminem's legal tangles will keep the rapper from performing in England at the end of the month. The artist also known as Marshall Mathers "does not have permission to leave the U.S. due to forthcoming legal matters," according to Polydor, his U.K. label, referring to his two trials, one for weapon possession and one for assault, from two separate altercations in June. Eminem was scheduled to perform at the Carling Weekend, which combines the Reading and Leeds Festivals Aug. 25-27 . . .

Bittersweet Motel, the Phish documentary show by Todd Phillips, will begin to crisscross the U.S. this month. The film will visit theaters in New York and California on Aug. 25 before venturing throughout the country. For a complete listing of screening dates and venues go to www.bittersweetmotel.com . . .

Having successfully collaborated on "Runaway," a track on the upcoming The Ecleftic: Two Sides to a Book, Wyclef Jean and Earth Wind and Fire returned to a studio two months ago. According to EWF's longtime publicist Rick Scott, the sometime-Fugee and Seventies soul legends re-recorded the track for EWF's forthcoming album, featuring vocals by Wyclef. EWF have also enlisted other in-demand artists to appear on the album, as well as to produce some tracks. According to Scott, the band has already recorded four tracks with Eric Benet, and three with the Roots, with Roots bandmember Ahmir Khalib at the helm. They're also due to go into the studio with R&B diva Angie Stone. Look for the as-yet-untitled album in stores early next year . . .

Prince, never shy about expressing his opinions, has weighed in on the Napster controversy. What concerns the former Artist is that he wants other artists to be compensated for their work, and not the record company bigwigs. The musician elaborates in an essay posted at his official Web site www.NPGOnlineLTD.com. Prince claims that downloading music ultimately leads the Napster user to buying the artist's CD in order to get the best possible version of the musician's work. "The real music lover looks 4 an MP3 of the song online, downloads it and burns it on2 a CD," he wrote in "Princespeak." "He knows that he doesn't have a perfect copy of the song (MP3 is, after all, a sound 4mat which does involve a certain amount of loss in sound quality), and it is clear, in his mind, that if the original album is ever released under the above-mentioned conditions, he will purchase it" . . .

Despite the jokes that 'N Sync's Joey Fatone doesn't get any girls, the zaftig singer has proven everybody wrong and teamed up with dishy Motor City teen trio Blaque to record a song for Bring It On, the teen comedy/drama about cheerleading (described as "Rocky with pom poms") which features the band in a small role, opposite Kirstin Durst. The single, titled "As Is," will be released later this month, to coincide with the Aug. 25 release of the movie . . .

The benefit album for the West Memphis Three, three Tennessee teens convicted for the murder of three eight-year-old boys in 1993, will be released on Oct. 26. Steve Earle, the Supersuckers (with Eddie Vedder), Tom Waits, Mark Lanegan and Joe Strummer with the Long Beach Dub Allstars are among the artists featured on the compilation. Head Supersucker Eddie "Spaghetti" Daly spearheaded the project, and it will be released on Aces and Eights, his imprint on Koch. The proceeds from the album will go to the appeals process of the three defendants who maintain their innocence, despite being portrayed as Satanists by prosecuting attorneys and convicted on a questionably obtained confession. The case was the focus of the 1996 documentary Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills . . .

King and queen of the teen pop prom, Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, pulled in their respective Hottie of the Year honors at this year's Teen Choice Awards in Santa Monica, Calif., on Aug. 6. Timberlake's honor was only trumped by 'N Sync's four music awards for Choice Single ("Bye Bye Bye"), Song of the Summer ("It's Gonna Be Me"), Choice Music Video ("It's Gonna Be Me") and Choice Pop Group. In addition to Female Hottie honors, Spears took home the Choice Female Artist award, while Sisqo won for Choice Male Artist. Other winners include the Backstreet Boys for Choice Album, Blink-182 for Choice Rock Group and Jessica Simpson for Choice Breakout Artist. The show will air on Fox on Aug. 22 . . .

Mike D went under the knife last week for shoulder reconstruction surgery. The injured Beastie Boy dislocated the shoulder in a bicycle accident the previous week. Doctors have told the rapper to keep his arm in a sling for the next four-to-six weeks, and they project a three month period before the shoulder is fully healed. The Beasties are also offering refunds for the cancelled Rhyme & Reason shows that were scheduled for this summer. Fans can get their refunds through Ticketmaster or all points of purchase. The group's official Web site claims that rescheduled tour dates will be announced in the near future . . .

After four years, Jakob Dylan and his Wallflowers are finally releasing their third album. Breach will be in stores on Sept. 26, with eleven new tracks, including a duet with Elvis Costello called "Murder 101." Other recognizable names on the album include Frank Black, Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, Aimee Mann and Jon Brion. Co-produced by Mann's husband Michael Penn and Fiona Apple manager Andy Slater, the first single will go to radio later this month, and the band plans both a North American and Australian tour . . .

U2 have jumped on the Jonas Akerlund band wagon, and hired the in-demand video director (who has worked with the likes of Madonna, the Smashing Pumpkins and Britney Spears) to direct a video for their forthcoming single "Beautiful Day." According to a report from Akerlund's hometown newspaper, Aftonbladet, the director has been discussing the project with the Irish superstars for the past few months, but apparently U2 have decided that it was finally time to jump in front of the cameras, and convinced Akerlund and his crew to come to Paris next weekend. "We're filming next week in Paris," said Akerlund, adding that the song is "jSvligt bra," which to the uninitiated means, "damn good." Akerlund refused to take any credit for the story line of the forthcoming video, instead revealing that it's "pretty much the band's idea, which I am to fulfill" . . .

Jimi Hendrix's estate won a battle for the guitarist's nom de Web. In a hearing last week, the United Nations Intellectual Property Organization ruled that Denny Hammerton of Minneola, Fla., must relinquish rights to www.jimihendrix.com to Experience Hendrix, headed up by the musician's half-sister Janie Hendrix. According to the ruling, Experience Hendrix owns and administrates "substantially all rights relating to Jimi Hendrix, including rights in his music, name, image and recordings." They had previously been operating the official Web site at www.jimi-hendrix.com. Hammerton, who registered the domain name in the name of the Jimi Hendrix Fan Club, insisted he had registered the name before Experience Hendrix registered its trademark. But arbitrator Marylee Jenkins overrode the Florida man's claims. Hammerton's pleas might have fallen on more sympathetic ears if he had been a first time offender. But last month, he was ordered to surrender www.jethrotull.com, when band members brought the case before U.N. arbitrators, complaining that he had attempted to sell it to them for $13,000 (pounds 8,700). The World Intellectual Property Organization ruled that he had set up the addresses in bad faith and failed to show a legitimate interest in them . . .

Carly Simon offered up a rendition of "My Funny Valentine" accompanied by President Bill Clinton on saxophone at a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign on Sunday. Miramax mogul Harvey Weinstein hosted the $15,000 per couple fundraiser at his Martha's Vineyard home, tapping fellow Vineyarder Simon and Jimmy Buffett to perform for sixty-five guests . . .

In keeping with the newfound efforts of the Republican Party to attract Latino voters, the GOP Convention played the Robi Rosa-penned, Ricky Martin-performed track "The Cup of Life/La Copa de la Vida" just as George W. Bush accepted his party's nomination for President Aug. 3. But Rosa was not pleased. "It is perverse that the Republicans are trying to forge a connection to the Latin community with the use of my song . . . and by parading famous Latinos on stage," Rosa said in a statement. "Seventy-five percent of the delegates to the Republican convention earn over a million a year -- I don't see the connection at all. I can't wait to see what famous Puerto Rican they are going to pull out of their closet when they campaign in New York" . . .

Britney Spears and Eminem have just joined 'N Sync, Janet Jackson and Rage Against the Machine as performers at this year's MTV Video Music Awards. Former host Chris Rock, Sting, the Rock, Eve, 98 Degrees , Destiny's Child, Nelly and Ricky Martin are among the presenters. The show will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York City Sept. 7 . . .

ANDREW DANSBY, GABRIELLE SCHAFER, CHRISTINA SARACENO, JAAN UHELSZKI
(August 10, 2000)