Jill Scott sang "We Are All Earthlings" for an episode of Sesame Street that will air on February 4th. "I grew up in front of the television set learning from Sesame Street," Scott said. "I never thought I would be on the show, playing with all the Muppets" . . . Gorillaz received six nominations for the Brit Awards, the U.K.'s equivalent of the Grammys, which will take place on February 20th in London; Dido, Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue received four nods each, and Sting will be honored with the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award . . . Steve Earle will mark the fifteenth anniversary of Guitar Town's release with an expanded reissue, due January 29th, and a concert on February 6th in Nashville to benefit the Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing . . .

Four members of the crew working on the Eminem movie Eight Mile in Highland Park, Michigan, were injured on Sunday during a scene in which a house was set on fire . . . Songs by PJ Harvey, Stereo MC's and Shuggie Otis will be included on the Six Feet Under soundtrack, due on March 5th . . . Ted Demme, who directed the feature film Blow as well as co-founding the television program, Yo! MTV Raps, died of a heart attack on January 13th at age thirty-eight . . . Mick Jagger recorded a voice-over for an episode of The Simpsons, which will air later this year . . . Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears will host a Super Bowl Party/charity auction at the Planet Hollywood in New York City on February 3rd . . . Iron Maiden are breaking their yearlong sabbatical to play two benefit gigs on March 20th and 21st in London to raise money for former drummer Clive Burr, who suffers from multiple sclerosis . . .

Tracks from Green Day, Vertical Horizon and OutKast will also appear on the soundtrack to The New Guy, due on February 19th . . . A U.S. district judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against Marc Anthony alleging that he and writer Cory Rooney did not write Anthony's hit single, "I Need to Know" . . . Adam Ant was arrested on January 12th in London on charges of firearm possession and assault . . . The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion will release Plastic Fang, their first album in three years, on April 9th; Elliott Smith, Dr. John and Bernie Worrell make guest appearances on the album . . . Bob Weir's Ratdog will kick off a twelve-date tour on February 1st in St. Petersburg, Florida . . . Midnight Oil have signed with Liquid 8 Records and will release their new album, Capricornia, on February 19th . . .

Alien Ant Farm will headline the seventh annual SnoCore Rock Tour, which kicks off on February 15th in Providence, Rhode Island; Spearhead and Nikka Costa will play select dates on the SnoCore Icicle Ball Tour, which begins on February 15th in Los Angeles . . . Master P and his son Lil' Romeo have signed on to appear in a new Nickelodeon sitcom titled Pieces of the Puzzle . . . Two new Tom Waits songs will be included on the soundtrack to Big Bad Love, due on February 19th . . . The String Cheese Incident will kick off their annual, seven date Winter Carnival on March 21st in Denver . . . Bobby McFerrin will release his twelfth album, Beyond Words, on March 12th.

(January 15, 2002)