Michelle Branch will perform at a benefit for the Skin Cancer Foundation in New York City's Central Park on June 1st . . . Elton John will sing and play piano on "How Can We Still Be Dancing," a song from Brian Wilson's next album . . . DON McLean's "American Pie" will be reissued on June 24th with two previously unreleased bonus tracks . . . Ice-T will release a new album, "Ice-T Presents Pimpin' 101," on June 17th . . . Kelly Rowland will make an appearance in the slasher flick "Freddy vs. Jason," due in August . . . Burt Bacharach and Hal David's new musical, "The Look of Love," will debut on Broadway in New York on May 4th.

Eric Clapton, Queen, Ricky Martin and Lionel Richie have joined the lineup for the tenth annual Pavarotti and Friends charity concert in Modena, Italy, on May 27th . . . Britney Spears will host the Zootopia concert on June 1st in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Third Eye Blind and Jewel will perform . . . Jane's Addiction will release "Hypersonic," the band's first album of new material in twelve years, on July 22nd . . . Modest Mouse, Hot Hot Heat, Sahara Hotnights, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and Radio 4 will perform at the third annual Siren Music Festival in Coney Island, New York, on July 19th . . . Charlie Robison's "Live" will be released on May 6th.

50 Cent sold his life story to MTV Books after a month-long bidding war, though the initial title, "Number One With Nine Bullets," will be changed . . . U2, the Corrs and Samantha Mumba will perform at the opening ceremonies for the eleventh Special Olympics World Summer Games on June 21st in Dublin . . . A New York judge dismissed a $5 million lawsuit filed by a fan who claimed that a John Fogerty concert damaged his hearing . . . R. Kelly, P. Diddy and India.Arie will perform at the Detroit Music Festival, set for August 1st and 2nd . . . Pat Green will release Wave on Wave, the follow-up to his breakthrough Three Days, on July 15th . . .

Rare material by David Gray, Randy Newman, and Shelby Lynne will be included on etown live volume 3, due June 3rd . . . Florida police arrested a man who had been impersonating Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti and using the identity to get free hotel rooms and drinks . . . Missy Elliott will make an appearance on Blaque's new album, due in July . . . In a new anti-piracy campaign, the RIAA is using an instant messaging feature on song-swapping software to let users know that unauthorized downloading of music is illegal . . . Notorious B.I.G., Fat Joe, Lenny Kravitz and others will appear on the soundtrack to "Bad Boys 2," due July 15th . . .

Beyonce Knowles, Lisa Marie Presley, Whitney Houston and Celine Dion have joined the lineup for Divas Duets, which will air live on VH1 on May 22nd . . . Justin Timberlake has added vocals to a song on the Black Eyed Peas' upcoming album Elephunk, due this summer . . . Thirty Beach Boys songs will be collected on Sounds of Summer, a new compilation due June 10th . . . Kelly Clarkson, Alice Cooper, Brian McKnight, Ziggy Marley, Smash Mouth and Fabolous will be featured in Summer Music Mania 2003, a two-hour special to air on Fox on May 22nd . . . Legendary songwriting team Holland-Dozier-Holland ("You Can't Hurry Love," "Reach Out I'll Be There") will be inducted into the Hollywood Rockwalk on May 12th . . .

Nashville producer Tony Brown is in critical condition in a Los Angeles hospital after sustaining a head injury in a fall earlier this month . . . Jazz trumpeter Walter Fuller died on April 20th in San Diego; he was ninety-three . . . Delbert McClinton, Marcia Ball and others will perform at the Kiss Goodbye to Breast Cancer benefit concert on May 29th in Austin . . . Royal Trux frontman Neil Michael Hagerty will release The Howling Hex this summer . . . Erasure's Loveboat, which was released in the UK in October 2000, will be issued in the U.S. on June 17th. The album was co-produced by Flood (U2, Nine Inch Nails) . . . S.T.U.N. will release their major label debut, Evolution of Energy, on June 24th . . .

Christina Aguilera was honored by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation at the organization's fourteenth annual Media Awards over the weekend in Los Angeles for her "Beautiful" video . . . Norah Jones and the Roots will give a free concert at New York City's Battery Park on May 9th as part of the Tribeca Film Festival . . . A San Diego jury ruled that the estate of Jimi Hendrix interfered with a guitar shop's attempt to sell an instrument owned by the late guitarist. Rock Stars Guitars was awarded $131,000 in the settlement . . . R.E.M., Al Green and Lucinda Williams will perform at the second annual Austin City Limits Festival, September 19-21 in Austin . . .

Korn's Fieldy and Limp Bizkit's DJ Lethal will make guest appearances on DMC's solo album, Chex, Thuggs and Rock and Roll, due in the fall. As previously reported, Kid Rock will also appear on the set . . . The Eagles are planning to release a new single, "Hole in the World," during their Farewell I Tour, which begins next month . . . Nancy Sinatra, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey will perform at a May 10th USO show in Hollywood . . . Debbie Harry, Shirley Horn, Nancy Sinatra and others will sing at There'll Be Another Spring, a tribute concert to Peggy Lee on June 23rd in New York . . .

(May 1, 2003)