Ashanti and Nas have been added to the lineup for the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards in New York City on August 29th; Kylie Minogue, Johnny Knoxville, Avril Lavigne, Paul Abdul and others have signed on as presenters . . . Kosheen and Groove Armada are each scheduled to play a set at the AXE Effect Party in Ibiza, Spain, this Saturday night for 250 fans . . . Christina Aguilera has picked "Dirty," which features a guest rap by Redman, as the first single from her upcoming album; the single is due next month, with the record due in October . . . Master P will star in Two Cops, an upcoming feature film with Harrison Ford; he will also appear in Undisputed with Wesley Snipes, due later this month . . .

The Hot Club of Cowtown will release their third record, Ghost Train, on September 17th . . . Money Mark will begin a twenty-three-date tour on August 23rd in Phoenix in support of his latest album, Change Is Coming . . . DJ Dan joined the Area2 tour in Chicago last night and will perform on the roving festival through August 16th in Seattle . . . The Gourds will release their fifth studio album, Cow Fish Fowl or Pig, on September 10th . . . James Brown was presented with the BMI Icon Award at the 2002 BMI Urban Awards in Miami on August 6th . . .

The Donnas, Jimmy Eat World and Le Tigre will perform on the second annual Plea For Peace/Take Action Tour, which will benefit the National Hopeline Network; the tour begins on September 13th in Massachusetts . . . 98 Degrees' Nick Lachey has been working on demos for his first solo album, which he hopes to release early next year; the group went on hiatus last fall . . . Saliva frontman Josey Scott will sing "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Sirius Rhythm of the Road NASCAR event on August 11th at Watkins Glen race track in New York . . . Magnetic Fields frontman Stephin Merritt, Dudley Klute and L.D. Beghtol will revive their side project, the Three Terrors, at New York City's Bowery Ballroom on September 15th . . .

Beth Orton and Aimee Mann will co-headline a benefit concert for Amnesty International at the John Anson Ford Theater in Los Angeles on August 21st . . . Former Stone Roses guitarist John Squire will release his debut solo album, Time Changes Everything, in September . . . Members of SheDaisy and Rascal Flatts will announce the nominees for the thirty-sixth-annual Country Music Academy Awards on August 29th in Nashville; the Awards are set for November 6th from the Grand Ole Opry House . . . Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor has been working on tracks with Tapeworm, his side project featuring Tool singer Maynard James Keenan . . .

Korn are allowing a fan to film the video for the band's next single, "Alone I Break"; the process will be filmed for MTV Treatment, a new reality show to debut later this year . . . Songs by Mandy Moore, Smash Mouth, Jessica Simpson and others will be included on the soundtrack to Lizzie McGuire, due August 13th . . . Master P, Lil' Romeo, Westlife and others will perform at the Blockbuster Teenfest '02 on August 31st in San Diego . . . Nelly won three Teen Choice Awards, including Song of the Summer for "Hot in Herre," on August 4th in Universal City, California, to lead all acts . . . BB Mak and Mario will perform at Arthur Ashe Kids' Day to launch the U.S. Open on August 24th in Flushing, New York . . .

Performances by Wyclef Jean and Ziggy Marley will be aired on Comcast Cable on August 11th . . . Jurassic 5 will release Power in Numbers, which features guest appearances by Nelly Furtado and Big Daddy Kane, on October 8th . . . Gillian Welch and David Rawlings received four nominations including Album of the Year and Artist of the Year for the first annual Americana Awards, to be held September 13th in Nashville . . . The City of Philadelphia will declare August 8th to be YES Day, honoring the band at City Hall for having sold out the most shows in Philadelphia history . . . Mary J. Blige, Common, Mos Def, Jill Scott and the Roots will contribute songs to the soundtrack to "Brown Sugar," due September 24th . . .

Elton John will perform at a fund-raiser on September 18th for former Attorney General Janet Reno, who plans to run for governor of Florida . . . Willie Nelson will be the subject of a documentary, Still Is Still Moving, which will kick off PBS's American Master Series on October 2nd . . . The Strokes will launch a twenty-nine-date U.S. tour on October 1st in Portland, Maine . . . The Meat Puppets' Curt Kirkwood, Nirvana's Krist Novoselic and Sublime's Bud Gaugh will release their self-titled debut album as Eyes Adrift on September 24th . . . Clintwood, Virginia, is planning to open a museum in honor of hometown hero Ralph Stanley in mid-2004 . . . O Brother, Where Art Thou? actor/singer Chris Thomas King will release Dirty South Hip-Hop Blues on October 9th . . .

Songs by Shane MacGowan, Sack and other Irish musicians will be remixed by dance artists for Collaborations: The Best of the Irish Independent Music Scene, a compilation to benefit the Chernobyl Children's Project . . . Queen guitarist Brian May is working with members of the Yardbirds for their upcoming album . . . Oasis' Noel Gallagher, Stereophonics' Kelly Jones, and members of Ocean Colour Scene and the Stone Roses will appear on Paul Weller's sixth album, Illumination, due in the U.K. on September 16th . . . DMX and members of Rage Against The Machine have collaborated on the song "Here I Come" for the upcoming soundtrack to Cradle 2 the Grave . . . Fabolous will appear in an ad for Reebok's Classic Leather Blaze clothing line starting tomorrow . . .

(August 8, 2002)