May 08, 2006 5:28 PM

The Beatles, Axl, Justin Timberlake and More

iTunes Beats Beatles in the Battle Over Apple

A London High Court judge ruled today in favor of Apple Computer in the copyright dispute over the company's iTunes Music Store with the BEATLES' Apple Corps record label. Apple Corps had argued that Apple Computer violated a 1991 trademark agreement by moving into the music business. Apple Corps -- owned by PAUL McCARTNEY, RINGO STARR, JOHN LENNON widow YOKO ONO and the estate of the late GEORGE HARRISON -- has held off distributing the Beatles catalog online, but recently revealed plans to do so once the songs were remastered.

Timberlake, Aguilera Slated for MTV Movie Awards

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, LUDACRIS and T.I are among the crossover music acts dropping in on this year's MTV Movie Awards, which will air June 8th from Culver City, California. Performing will be CHRISTINA AGUILERA and AFI, who will both sample new material from their new albums. Hollywood babe JESSICA ALBA is set to host. Other red carpet-ready stars for the event include WILL FERRELL, KATE BECKINSALE, MATT DILLON, KATE HUDSON and OWEN WILSON, who is up for five nominations.

No Dark Side to the Pink Floyd Fortunes

Perhaps it's the myth you can sync PINK FLOYD's Dark Side of the Moon and the Wizard of OZ that has kept the album's sales strong for generations. Last week the psychedelic rockers' 1973 release broke a record when it reached 1,500 weeks on the Billboard charts. Released in March of 1973, Dark Side entered the charts at Number Ninety-Five and would remain on the charts for another 736 weeks, or until July 1988. The classic stoner album would make its way back to the chart and spend an additional 759 weeks on the Top Pop Catalog Albums chart thereafter, selling a combined total of forty million records. This summer bassist ROGER WATERS will perform the album in its entirety on his fall tour, kicking off September 9th in Holmdel, New Jersey.

Fats Domino Cancels NOLA Set, But Jazz Fest Goes On

Legendary New Orleans pianist FATS DOMINO -- presumed missing in the weeks following August's Hurricane Katrina -- canceled his closing set at Sunday's New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival due to undisclosed health problems. Domino reportedly woke up that morning felling ill and was briefly hospitalized. LIONEL RICHIE took over headlining duties and closed out the second weekend of the first Jazz Fest since the destructive hurricane. Other performers this past weekend included PAUL SIMON, IRMA THOMAS and JIMMY BUFFETT. After his brush with doctors, Domino visited the festival grounds and apologized to the crowd for his cancellation.

Anthrax, Jennings Tapped as Summer Concert Openers

ANTHRAX will open for ROB ZOMBIE's upcoming American Witch Across America Tour, set for later this summer. The tour -- to support the metal rocker-turned film maker's new album Educated Horses -- kicks off June 30th in El Paso, Texas . . . SHOOTER JENNINGS -- kin to country all-stars WAYLON JENNINGS and JESSI COLTER -- will open two of the five ALICE IN CHAINS club performances: May 18th in Los Angeles and May 19th in San Diego. Openers for Alice in Chains' other three shows (Chicago on May 21st; Boston on May 22nd; New York on May 23rd ) are yet to be announced.

Axl Sets Fall Release Date for "Democracy"

At Rolling Stone's 1000th issue bash last Thursday SKID ROW frontman SEBASTIAN BACH told us he would definitely be checking out one or more of GUNS N ROSES' shows this week at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. He had just spoken to frontman AXL ROSE, who was rehearsing for the long-awaited gigs. Bach was more bold Saturday, when -- while co-hosting EDDIE TRUNK's radio show -- he called the reclusive rocker, who visited the studio for his first radio interview since 2002. On-air, Axl said the follow-up to GNR's The Spaghetti Incident? -- a project ten years in the making -- would be out later this fall. Axl also said he had been pressured, unprepared, into doing the 2002 reunion tour. Following the four New York dates, GNR will open two German dates of the Rolling Stones' summer European trek, July 10th in Nurnberg and July 12th in Leipzig.

Suge Knight Down to His Last Eleven Dollars

Last Friday's appearance at a federal court bankruptcy hearing for Death Row Records founder MARION "SUGE" KNIGHT shed some light on the troubled mogul's money problems. Suge had filed for bankruptcy April 4th after a Los Angeles Superior Court ordered he hand over his stake in Death Row and a March 2005 ruling that ordered him to pay $107 million in damages. According to Suge's Chapter 11 filing, he owes $134.7 million in debts. Suge's biggest asset -- now that he is reportedly down to his final eleven dollars in the bank -- is his $4.4 million music publishing and copyright catalog, but due to tax debts, the IRS will have first claim to those properties. The bankruptcy hearing is set to resume June 23rd.

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