Singer-songwriter Paula Cole will play a show for the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence at the Pickfair Estate in Los Angeles on Nov. 30. The Center, founded in 1983, is an affiliate of the Handgun Control Organization and works to educate the public on issues related to gun violence. Cole, who will perform along with Lisa Loeb and Dweezil Zappa, was asked to appear based on the track "Be Somebody" from her new album, Amen. Others appearing at the event include President Clinton and Whoopi Goldberg. Ticket prices start at $250 ...

This may be the season of giving, but PRODIGY are looking more like the grinches of rock & roll. The band have declined to give permission for use of a sample of one of their songs in the BBC-sponsored children's charity record "It's Only Rock and Roll." Artists such as MICK JAGGER, KEITH RICHARDS and KID ROCK have all recorded segments for the record, and initially Prodigy agreed to allow a sample to be used. But according to London's Heat magazine, four days before the record was to be pressed, reps for the band demanded the sample be pulled. "The word I got back was that they didn't like the original song," says producer Arthur Baker. "The record's a charity record for children. The hipness factor doesn't come into it." But Baker didn't reserve his ire just for the "Firestarter" bunch. He also slagged U.K. pop stars such as OASIS, ROBBIE WILLIAMS, BONO and JARVIS COCKER for refusing to be involved with the record ...

RICKY MARTIN is everywhere, and now clips of his Christmas special on CBS have been leaked to eBay.com. On Nov. 11, two sellers attempted to unload video copies of Ricky Martin: One Night Only, which is due to air on the network next week. Tapes were sent to members of the press to review, but according to CBS, who owns the tapes, the previews are only "loaned" to TV reviewers (though they are rarely returned). An article in Friday's Hollywood Reporter revealed that CBS's lawyers are in touch with the legal team at the popular auction site to work out how to prevent unauthorized sales of their copyrighted shows; at press time it was unclear whether they will take legal action against the sellers. But since the bidding is already over, here's what one of the sellers, who called himself poppstarz, was offering: "This is an advance VHS copy of the Ricky Martin TV special that's set to air Nov. 26 on CBS. Can't wait to see it? Want a commercial-free tape direct from the network? Here you go. It was sent to press to promote the show and includes a release describing what's on the tape." When the auction closed on Tuesday, the high bid was $305, which snared the copy for a CBS employee, who told the trade magazine, "It's our tape. We wanted it back" ...

On Feb. 1, Dreamworks will release MORPHINE's The Night, an album of new material the band delivered to the label before singer/songwriter MARK SANDMAN's death in July ...

Rhino Record's new Handmade imprint is about to unleash a seven-CD box set documenting the recording of the STOOGES' seminal 1970 Fun House album. 1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions comprises all seven hours and 55 minutes of the sessions led to the ground-breaking thirty-six-minute album. The set includes many tracks that didn't make the album, as well as all the fights, asides, inside jokes and naughty bits that went down during those four days in May of 1970 when Iggy and his Stooges went into Los Angeles' Elektra Sound Recorders to record their second (and what turned out to be final) album. The box set comprises 142 tracks -- 109 are songs (including nine never-before-released tracks) while thirty-three are unedited studio dialog. If you want this historical record of one of the most stupefying moments in raw rock history, you're going to act quickly -- it will only be available in an individually numbered limited edition of 3,000 copies, and will only be available on the Web www.rhinohandmade.com . . .

CREED have cancelled their New Year's Eve show in Lakeland, Fla. Instead, the Floridians will join METALLICA, KID ROCK and SEVENDUST a couple hundred miles south at Miami's Orange Bowl that night ...

Nearly three months after the death of founding BLUES TRAVELER bassist Bobby Sheehan, the group has chosen a replacement. TAD KINCHLA, the twenty-six-year-old brother of guitarist Chan Kinchla, will assume the role immediately. In a statement released Thursday afternoon, Chan said "as painful as the situation has been for us, having the opportunity to play with a great musician and my brother makes me excited about the future." The band plan a return to the studio in 2000 . . .

In March, CYPRESS HILL will release the two-disc set Skull and Bones: Cypress Hill V. The first CD will be all new tracks, and the second will be the group's recent collaborations with likes of KORN, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and FEAR FACTORY ...

Despite the rumors that CLIVE DAVIS is being pressured to step down from his throne as CEO at Arista Records, the label's current golden goose, CARLOS SANTANA, feels such loyalty to Davis that he is prepared to ask the label head to produce his next album. "Carlos was devastated by the news," said Michael Jensen, a spokesperson for the guitar icon. "He would not have been at Arista if it wasn't for Clive Davis. He'll support [Davis] any way he can." With a heavy heart, Santana jetted down to Los Angeles to begin filming the video for the second single for his chart-topping album. According to Jensen, the musician will be hard at work Thursday through the weekend to bring the WYCLEF JEAN-penned "Maria Maria" alive for the MTV crowd. It's not clear whether the Fugee man will make an appearance in the video, but insiders hint that he might...

Former N.W.A. members DR. DRE, ICE CUBE and MC REN joined forces with SNOOP DOGG to record the new track "Chin Check" for the soundtrack of Cube's movie Next Friday, which hits theaters Jan. 12 ...

You had to know that THE WHO's shows at Chicago's House of Blues this past weekend weren't going to be their last. PETE TOWNSHEND has said on his official Web site (www.petetownshend.co.uk) that the band plans to perform a charity show in London for the Teenage Cancer Trust. There is no definitive date or venue just yet, but Townshend says he hopes to have something scheduled for either before Christmas or soon after. "What these recent Who shows have done," he goes on to say, "is fuel speculation both in and out of the band's circle about further major touring for the Who. I don't rule anything out at this stage.... [Before] anything else happens, we need new songs." Townshend also reveals that, in the coming months, the band hopes to do some private studio sessions to be broadcast over the Internet...

It looks like MADONNA will have time to work on her faux English accent. She just plunked down over $8 million for a mini-mansion in London's South Kensington district...

The U.K. charity single for "It's Only Rock and Roll" featuring high-wattage stars like MICK JAGGER, IGGY POP and JOE COCKER will also be accompanied by a video. Out on Dec. 13, the all-star jam will feature footage of Jagger trading vocals with OZZY OSBOURNE and the SPICE GIRLS, as well as shots of Keith Richard pulling off his signature riffs...

In a related story, ROLLING STONES guitarist, RON WOOD attended rock goddess MARIANNE FAITHFULL's London show on Monday night, to promote her Vagabond Ways album, and was not on his best behavior. He heckled her throughout her set, shouting out requests and adding his own asides at top volume. Perhaps in an effort to shut up the wrinkly rocker, Faithfull asked him onstage to play guitar for three songs. According to the wags at Q, Wood played incredibly, despite his over-the top behavior. He added melodic guitar on "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan," "Ship of Fools" and "Why'd Ya Do It?"...

The spate of rock star robberies continues -- although this time the theft wasn't quite so heinous. RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS bassist Flea lamented in a post on the band's Web site that someone stole a pair of his trousers when the band played in Milan on Sunday night. According to the artist born Michael Balzary, "Someone snuck into my dressing room and stole my turquoise Fila pants [from] the bottom of my Fila suit." He goes on to write, "The pants were one of a kind and really mean a lot to me, and are not worth any money at all. As material possessions go, they are close to my heart. They were taken out of the room where I meditate and warm up for the shows and is a sacred place to me. If anyone know who has the pants or has them I would be so happy to get them back wit no questions asked and will put the person who returns them on the guest list... forever to all of our shows"...

SNOOP DOGG is in a new house: the hip-hop troupe THA EASTSIDAZ. The trio -- composed of Snoop, his childhood buddy TRAY DEE and twenty-one-year-old rapper GOLDIE LOC -- will release their debut album, Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz, on Dogghouse/TVT on Jan. 18. DR. DRE, KURUPT, WARREN G. and NATE DOGG will be among the guest stars. Tha Eastsidaz first single, "G'd Up," will hit stores Dec. 7, and will be available as a free download at tvtrecords.com on Nov. 22 ...

BLUR, MOBY, ALL SAINTS, LEFTFIELD, GOLDIE, ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION and FAITHLESS will join NEW ORDER on the soundtrack to the upcoming film, The Beach. Shot in Thailand, the movie stars LEONARDO DICAPRIO and is directed by DANNY BOYLE (Trainspotting). The release date for the soundtrack is Feb. 8, three days before the movie opens...

Without his 'N SYNC homies by his side, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE today headed to Boston to participate in Team Harmony VI, an event geared at teens and designed to promote racial tolerance. More than 10,000 school kids from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and New York were expected to show up for the "interactive rally," which was also expected to feature appearances by a variety of local sports figures and performers, Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes and, yes, even a reformed skinhead...

KRIS KRISTOFFERSON will star as a detective investigating the murder of JonBenet Ramsey in the upcoming CBS miniseries Perfect Murder, Perfect Town. Production began last week, but there is so far no scheduled air date ...

Have MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO's new album, Bitter, and wish you could listen to her other records before deciding whether to buy them? Well, wish no more, lucky souls. Web site AudioHighway.com is streaming each of Ndegeocello's three albums, for free (!), in their entirety (!!). You can also watch her videos and enter a contest to win tickets to one of her upcoming shows...

On Tuesday, Emusic.com, the Internet's leading seller of downloadable music, announced the acquisition of CDuctive.com, the Internet source of music from over 350 independent labels, in a swap of $38 million dollars worth of stock. Among the artists represented in CDuctive.com's catalog are GREEN DAY, HOLE, RONI SIZE, X-ECUTIONERS and ELLIOTT SMITH. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year ...

EMINEM has had quite a week. Yesterday, he was forced to cut his European tour short after coming down with a chest infection (he's fine and recuperating in Detroit, his manager assures). Then he found out that the National Football League has decided to nix a series of ads based on his infamous "My Name Is" song, after they discovered it was about drugs, teen suicide, sexual assault and drunk driving. The NFL campaign, dubbed "My Name Is Joe," is a series of four commercials based on the accomplishments of football heroes JOE MONTANA, JOE NAMATH, "MEAN" JOE GREEN, and JOE GIBBS. Although the ads were fan favorites, the league yanked them after Sarah Levinson, president of NFL properties, had a good listen to the original song. According to Eminem label rep Dennis Dennehy, "[The NFL] sought out the song, and decided to use it, and then they decided not to use it. Eminem's life goes on"...

MARILYN MANSON had a busy night last Thursday. According to his official Web site (www.marilynmanson.net), after performing at the MTV Europe Awards, the rocker headed out to Dublin club HQ to catch a performance by IGGY POP. In what was no doubt a proud moment for Manson, the Iggster invited him up on stage to sing along on "Avenue B" (the title track to Pop's latest album) and "TV Eye." Imagine if Pop had asked any of the other rock celebs reportedly in the audience -- MICK JAGGER, BONO and DEF LEPPARD's JOE ELLIOT -- to join in the jam. The mind reels ...

Now that they've smoothed out their differences with Jive Records, the BACKSTREET BOYS are ready to start earning the fat check that label is reported to have gone along with their new contract. The Boys are planning to schedule six weeks of U.S. tour dates during February and March. After that, they'll get busy recording their next album, slated for release in September or October. Watch this space for specific tour dates, as they become available ...

On Dec. 1, WYCLEF JEAN, 'N SYNC, MONICA and DESTINY'S CHILD will perform a benefit concert at New York's Beacon Theater supporting LIFEbeat, the music industry charity dedicated to fighting AIDS. Sponsor Levi's will donate a dollar to the charity for every viewer who logs onto the live webcast of "Music with a Message: World AIDS Day 1999" at www.levi.com . . .

VAN HALEN fans have always been rabid, but there's been little reason to fear them -- until now. A week after the rock band parted ways with singer GARY CHERONE, former frontman DAVID LEE ROTH began being bombarded with threatening emails. According to Reuters, the singer received eleven e-mail death threats while he was appearing in Lubbock, Texas. The musician's bodyguard turned over the missives to the FBI, but details about their specific contents are unavailable. Despite the threats, Roth decided to play his scheduled show...

Just like their set lists that are always subject to change at the eleventh hour, PHISH keyboardist Page McConnell and his wife Sofia have changed the name of their daughter (who was born on Nov. 13) from Lola Satya to Delia Edna McConnell . . .

On the thirtieth anniversary of THE WHO's Live at Leeds album, Feb. 15, 2000, the band will release The Who: The BBC Session, an album collecting their performances on the British network between 1965 and 1973. The album's liner notes are promised to feature track-by-track recording details for the twenty-five included songs, which are: "My Generation/Radio One Jingle," "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere," "Good Lovin'," "Just You and Me, Darling," "Leaving Here," "My Generation," "The Good's Gone," "La La La Lies," "Substitute," "Dancing in the Street," "Disguises," "I'm a Boy," "Run Run Run," "Boris the Spider," "Happy Jack," "See My Way," "Pictures of Lily," "A Quick One," "Substitute (Version Two)," "The Seeker," "I'm Free," "Shakin' All Over," "The Relay," "Long Live Rock" and "Boris the Spider/Radio One Jingle"...

LEANN RIMES has two jitter-inducing performances scheduled for November: She will perform two songs recorded for the CBS Easter miniseries Jesus for Pope John Paul II on Thanksgiving Day. Then she heads to England on the 27th for a command performance before Queen Elizabeth. The Pontiff will continue hobnobbing with celebs when TOM JONES and Van Morrison perform at the Vatican's annual Christmas concert in Rome...

ISAAC HAYES hosted a benefit concert at the China Club for alternative cancer research and battered women Tuesday night. The event, called CafT Soul, benefits the Sheppard Foundation, which studies non-toxic alternatives in cancer treatment, and Sanctuaries for Families, which offers shelter and counseling to battered women and their families. Other performers included ERYKAH BADU, MAXI PRIEST and SOLO ...

When glam rocker GARY GLITTER was sentenced on Friday to four months jail time for his vast digital library of child pornography, it was only a matter of time before his song "Rock and Roll, Part Two" would begin to slip from its vaunted position as America's favorite sports arena anthem. Now, according to Reuters, a few National Hockey League teams are already planning to pull the tune from their home arenas' game-time playlists. The Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and the Colorado Avalanche have all said they are unlikely to keep playing the song...

The BACKSTREET BOYS have reportedly renewed their contract with Jive Records, signing on for at least another two albums with the label. The boy band's ire had been raised when Jive signed their primary rival, N' SYNC, in September, and had threatened the label with a breach-of-contract suit. But, according to Billboard, BSB were wooed back by a deal speculated to pay between fifty and sixty million dollars for their next couple albums, the first of which is expected to come out next fall. The label will have an option for an additional three albums, which would bring the band another thirty million. And, as if that's not enough to keep the Boys rolling in dough for the rest of their lives, the contract is also reported to increase their royalty rate to more than 20%. That should buy them outfitted in cargo pants and hair gel until they're old and gray ...

Just because METALLICA are headbangers doesn't mean they're not tech savvy. The platinum-selling rockers have made a deal with more than 150 Web sites to play S & M in its entirety a week before it's in stores. Beginning on Nov. 19, the band will begin streaming their collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony (conducted by Michael Kamen) twenty-four hours a day, on a track-by-track basis, meaning that fans will be able to listen to whatever track they want as many times as they want for the seven days that the twenty tracks are up. The songs will be accessible at Elektra.com, Metallica.com, MTV.com, Entertaindom.com, UBL.com, and a bevy of radio station and online retail sites. Check Metallica.com for more details...

SIR ELTON JOHN will receive the Legend's Award during the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards next year. John has had more than thirty Top 40 hits and won both a Grammy and an Oscar for the 1994 hit single "Can You Feel the Love Tonight". The ceremony, which takes place in Los Angeles, will air February 23...

Grammy-winning R&B singer BRANDY passed out from dehydration on the set of her sitcom, Moesha, on Thursday, Nov. 11. Her condition was not thought to be serious, but she was taken to a local Los Angeles hospital for observation following the collapse, according to Marcy DeVeaux, a spokeswoman for Big Ticket Television, which produces the UPN show. DeVeaux said she didn't know what caused the singer's condition, but revealed that the singer plans to take time off to recover, putting the show in hiatus until after Thanksgiving . . .

Before the GOO GOO DOLLS embark on their holiday season tour of military bases around the world, they'll be taking a day to visit the studios of Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, MTV's Total Request Live, and Comedy Central's The Daily Show. On Nov. 29, the Goos will hit all three television shows, but their Daily Show appearance won't air until Dec. 8. You'd think the band wouldn't need to do any further self-promotion; it was recently determined that the various singles from their latest album, Dizzy Up the Girl, have logged one million radio plays since the album's release in September of '98. The band will be honored for that accomplishment on Tuesday (Nov. 16) via a ceremony at Los Angeles' Museum of Television & Radio...

After playing shows in San Diego, San Francisco and Sacramento (on Dec. 26, 28 and 29, respectively), the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS will wind up in -- you guessed it! -- their hometown, Los Angeles, for a New Year's Eve performance at the Great Western Forum. The Peppers won't be all alone in the City of Angels: In addition to an arena full of besotted fans, they'll be joined by opening acts 311 and BICYCLE THIEF...

Former-JANE'S ADDICTION/PORNO FOR PYROS drummer STEPHEN PERKINS will join TOMMY LEE's METHODS OF MAYHEM for the band's upcoming spring tour. Perkins will not become an official band member, however. Lee, the former drummer for MOTLEY CRUE, will give up the sticks for the guitar, but may join Perkins for some live drum-offs . . .

BILL CRANDALL, JENNY ELISCU, CHRISTINA SARACENO, JAAN UHELSZKI
(November 17, 1999)