BOBBY BROWN was arrested on Thursday for violating
his probation for the third time. A warrant for Brown's arrest was
issued last June after traces of cocaine were found in the singer's
urine, breaking his probation stemming from a 1998 drunken driving
charge. Brown was arrested by customs officers at Newark Airport in
New Jersey and sent to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where the original
incident occurred. Brown will next appear in court on May 22 . .
.
NINE INCH NAILS fans hopeful for repeat appearance
from MARILYN MANSON on Wednesday night were doubly
disappointed. Trent Reznor was forced to cancel the May 10 show at
Uniondale, N.Y.'s Nassau Coliseum. A spokesperson for Nothing
Records revealed that the shows were scotched because Reznor was
suffering from swollen vocal chords and vocal strain, and was not
optimistic about making up the show, advising fans to obtain
refunds at the point of purchase. NIN do not have a show on
Thursday night, allowing the signer to recover. At press time,
there were no plans to cancel the band's May 12 show at Columbia,
Maryland's Merriweather Post Pavilion . . .
COURTNEY LOVE, SUSAN SARANDON,
EMMYLOU HARRIS, MELISSA ETHERIDGE
and ROSEANNE CASH are among the celebrity moms who
will come out in support of tighter gun control laws this Mother's
Day in Washington, D.C. The Million Mom March was conceived by
Donna Dees-Thomases, a New Jersey mother who was outraged by the
shootings last August at the North Valley Jewish Community Center's
Granada Hills Day Camp in Los Angeles. While the march will take
place in cities across the country, the D.C. event, emceed by Rosie
O'Donnell, will be the most star-studded, featuring performances by
Harris and Etheridge as well as speeches from Love, Sarandon and
Reese Witherspoon at the National Mall . . .
COMMON, DE LA SOUL and
TALIB KWELI of BLACK STAR are set
to headline the inaugural UrbanFest L.A, held on University of
Southern California's campus June 24-25. The outdoor music festival
will feature dozens of R&B and hip-hop acts, including Avant,
Spooks, Mary Mary, Ideal, Dwayne Wiggins and gospel singer Yolanda
Adams. Sponsored by USC's Urban Focus and Wherehouse Records, the
festival is presented in conjunction with USC's fourth annual Urban
Focus Music Conference, "Get Connected: Music, Technology &
You." Proceeds benefit Urban Focus Music Foundation, the Rhythm
& Blues Foundation, Music & Kids, Inc. and Temple of
Hip-Hop Kulture . . .
Bummed about not getting tickets to see 'N SYNC
this summer? There may still be hope. Beginning Friday, MCY.com
will begin giving away fifteen pairs of tickets for each remaining
date on the group's sold-out tour (which the digital entertainment
company is sponsoring). Fans can register once a day for the
tickets -- the first batch will be for the May 18 show in Atlanta,
Ga. -- as well as for a chance for a Grand Prize package including
a trip to New York to see the July 25 Madison Square Garden show
and a backstage visit with the group. And if you still don't win
anything (or your parents fail you again), you can still
order an on-demand 'N Sync Webcast featuring live performance clips
and backstage footage . . .
You would never think that the karmically balanced BEASTIE
BOYS would ever piss anyone off (at least not any more),
but flautist James W. Newton filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the
threesome, alleging copyright infringement. Newton -- who is an
noted jazz and classical player -- claims that the Boys used an
unauthorized six-second snippet of his song "Choir" for two songs
"Pass the Mic," and "Pass the Mic (Pt. 2, Skills to Pay the
Bills)." In 1992, the Boys entered into a licensing agreement with
ECM Records, the label that distributes Newton's music, but Newton
-- who owns all his own publishing -- claims that he wasn't
contacted by the label or the band concerning the sample. Newton --
who is also putting the screws to Capital Records, the Beasties'
Grand Royal Records, Brooklyn Dust Records and Universal Polygram
International Publishing -- is asking $150,000 for the alleged
unauthorized use . . .
In addition to landing a Bob Dylan special, HBO has picked up
another big-ticket event. The cable station will broadcast live
'N SYNC's July 27 performance at New York City's
Madison Square Garden. According to HBO, more than eighteen cameras
will be in place to catch the summer's biggest boy band performing
one of the last shows of their forty-one city North American tour.
"It is a great honor to be part of the elite group of stars that
have performed live on HBO, and we look forward to the opportunity
to show the world the talent and showmanship of these five talented
young men," said group manager Johnny Wright. 'N Sync launched
their summer tour Tuesday night in Biloxi, Miss. . . .
The BLACK CROWES' have fired bassist Sven Pipien
after months of rumors that relations were tense between him and
the rest of the band. The personnel shift is rather daring as the
band will be kicking off its summer tour with Jimmy Page on June
24. Greg Rzab (who's played with Buddy Guy) will replace Pipien and
will play on the new album, which the Crowes are currently working
on in their native Atlanta . . .
CHRISTINA AGUILERA has delayed a trip to England
after being hit with the flu and an ear infection. Doctors told the
teen singer to rest for the upcoming two weeks, forcing her to
cancel a performance in Monaco as well as promotional appearances
in England behind the release of her third single, "I Turn to You,"
which had been set for U.K. release on May 22 . . .
On May 9, a Federal Appeals court rejected MICHAEL
BOLTON's appeal of a plagiarism suit won by RONALD
ISLEY in 1994. The court upheld a $5.4 million ruling
against Bolton for using portions of the 1964 ISLEY
BROTHERS hit, "Love Is a Wonderful Thing," in his song of
the same name, released in 1991. The three-judge panel of the Ninth
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a jury had sufficient evidence
to reach its decision in 1994. Isley had sued Bolton accusing him
of violating the song's copyright. "It's a wonderful, wonderful
victory for the jury system," said attorney John McNicholas, who
represented Isley. In addition to upholding the original
settlement, the panel awarded Ronald and MARVIN
ISLEY sixty-six percent of all past and future royalties
from the single and twenty percent of past and future royalties
from Bolton's album, Time, Love and Tenderness . . .
THIRD EYE BLIND frontman STEPHAN
JENKINS will make his acting debut in Metal God,
starring Jennifer Aniston and Mark Wahlberg, playing a headbanging
Judas Priest-loving bully. Jenkins told TV Guide that it
was ironic casting, since the only person he ever picked a fight
with during high school was a Judas Priest fan. His karma obviously
got him because Jenkins was stricken with flu during the filming
last week. "I had been vomiting and had a fever when we were
shooting. I really looked the part," he said. For the uninitiated,
Metal God is based on the life of current Priest singer,
Tim "Ripper" Owens, a former Judas Priest fan, who went from
singing in a Judas Priest cover band to performing with the real
thing. The film is due in theaters later this year . . .
Tickets are on sale now for DAVID BOWIE's June 19
concert at New York's Roseland Ballroom, but don't bother calling
Ticketmaster. The concert will be a private affair for BowieNet
members, who can purchase their ducats at
www.davidbowie.com. The exclusive offer, which allows
members to sign up for a shot at free tickets and a meet-and-greet
with Bowie before the show, ties in with the launch of BowieNet
V.2. Earlier this month, Bowie revealed in a BowieNet chat that
there would also be non-exclusive concerts at the Roseland on June
16 and 17, but further information on those shows is not yet
available. "The Roseland shows will be something special I think,
as they will feature songs that I haven't sung in years and a
couple that I've never done live," said Bowie, adding that he won't
be touring much for the rest of the year due to "the imminent
arrival of a new family member" . . .
According to the powers that be at the Hard Rock Cafe corporate
headquarters in Orlando, Fla., the WALLFLOWERS
won't be making their first live appearance since 1998 at the
Cafe's Rock Fest in Chicago, on July 22. "They were on the bill a
month ago, but they pulled out," said Chris Tomasso, spokesperson
for the chain. METALLICA, THIRD EYE
BLIND, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, KID
ROCK, BARENAKED LADIES,
TRAGICALLY HIP, VERUCA SALT,
GUSTER and NINE DAYS are still
confirmed for the event. Tickets for the event will go on sale on
June 3 through Ticketmaster and at the Chicago Motor Speedway box
office. For any other updates or drop-outs from the lineup, consult
the Hardrock.com Web site . . .
EVE 6 have just finished recording sessions in
South Beach, Fla., where they teamed again with producer Don
Gilmore for the follow-up to their platinum self-titled debut. The
new album, to be titled Horrorscope, was mixed by Tom
Lord-Alge, and is slated for a summer release. The first single is
called "Promise" . . .
AFGHAN WHIGS frontman GREG DULLI
will release a side project as the TWILIGHT
SINGERS on August 29. The album, Twilight as Played by
the Twilight Singers was recorded between 1997 and this year
and features a number of Dulli's musical acquaintances, including
drummer Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees), multi-instrumentalist
Shawn Smith (Brad) and guitarist Harold Chichester (Howlin'
Maggie). "After nine years of non-stop touring, recording and
putting up with bullshit both real and imagined, I realized that I
didn't really have a life outside of my group," Dulli says
explaining the project . . .
C.P. Lee's new book Like a Bullet of Light on the films
and TV appearances of BOB DYLAN will have a new
entry by the end of the year. Dylan has just inked a deal with HBO
to star in a one-hour special created for him by Larry Charles, the
Emmy-award winning producer of Mad About You. According to
insiders the show will be a throwback to the TV shows of
yesteryear, focusing on Dylan, but will also feature musical guests
and comedy skits. Why has Dylan decided to tackle a TV variety
special? According to a source close to the musician, "He had such
a great time doing Dharma and Greg last year, he wanted to
do more television" . . .
Fresh off a round of trivia testing with Regis Philbin on Who
Wants to Be a Millionaire last week, LANCE
BASS and 'N SYNC plan to poll a different
sort of audience on May 9 as guests on Sesame Street. The
boys will perform "Believe in Yourself" . . .
LIMP BIZKIT frontman FRED DURST
has been cleared of fifth-degree assault and disorderly conduct. In
a hearing at Ramsey County District Court in St. Paul on Friday, a
Minnesota judge dismissed the misdemeanor charges against Durst,
which stemmed from an onstage incident last July during which
security guard Pat Estes claims Durst kicked him in the head.
Though Durst and Estes reached a partial settlement in regard to
his pain and suffering several weeks ago, the case isn't over yet,
according to Estes' attorney. A separate civil claim filed by AIG
Claims Services, Inc. in East Lansing, Mich., is seeking close to
$50,000 (if not more) from Durst for Estes' worker's compensation
bills . . .
Despite his recent legal troubles, DMX's acting
career is on the upswing. Director Andrzej Bartowiak has enlisted
the rapper to appear opposite Steven Seagal in the upcoming Warner
Brothers flick Exit Wounds. According to the studio, DMX
will play "a man with a mysterious past" who helps Seagal's police
officer character break a corrupt crime ring. Shooting begins next
month, but no release date has been set. DMX made his big screen
debut earlier this year in Romeo Must Die . . .
ANDREW DANSBY, CHRISTINA SARACENO, GABRIELLE SCHAFER, RICHARD
SKANSE, JAAN UHELSZKI, JENNIFER VINEYARD
(May 12, 2000)
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- Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2008 All Media Guide, LLC.