May 11, 2006 6:17 PM

Snoop Dogg, the Stones, She Wants Revenge and More

SNOOP DOGG flew back to England this week to appear at a Heathrow police station where he accepted a "caution," a plea bargain that takes responsibility for an offense in return for no further action in the case. Late last month, Snoop and five members of his entourage were arrested for starting a fight when some were refused into a British Airways' first-class lounge at Heathrow airport. Seven police officers reportedly were treated for minor injuries, while one suffered a fractured hand during the incident. The airline has since banned the multiplatinum rapper from future flights.

Keith Richards Released From Hospital

ROLLING STONES guitarist KEITH RICHARDS was released from Auckland, New Zealand's Ascot Hospital Thursday after undergoing head surgery on Monday to relieve pressure and headaches. On April 27th, the sixty-two-year-old rocker was choppered to the hospital from Fiji where he was treated for a mild concussion, sustained after an undisclosed accident (initial reports varied from a fall from a coconut tree to a jet-ski spill). Richards released a statement thanking his doctors and "the beautiful ladies who make painful nights less painful and shorter." The rocker also added, "I hope I wasn't too much of a pain in the arse -- after all, it was my head that was fixed." Richards will remain under close observation as an outpatient to the hospital, returning for checkups. The Stones, who were scheduled to begin their European summer tour in Barcelona, Spain, later this month, have postponed the tour's launch to June. Openers will include GUNS N' ROSES, KASABIAN, KAISER CHIEFS and the CHARLATANS.

She Wants Revenge, Hold Steady Hit the Road

After the massive boost of opening for DEPECHE MODE's summer tour, Los Angeles indie rockers SHE WANTS REVENGE will headline their own North American jaunt, kicking off in their hometown on June 13th. In August, the band will hit both the Blossom Music Festival in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, on August 3rd before heading to Chicago's Lollapalooza where they will take the stage on August 6th . . . Also touring this summer are Brooklyn indie-punks the HOLD STEADY. The band -- currently in a Hoboken, New Jersey studio laying tracks for their upcoming album -- will preview new songs on the road, starting with a hometown show July 27th and wrapping August 8th in Pennsylvania.

Universal Coughs Up $12 Million in the Name of Payola

Universal Music Group -- the world's largest record label and home to METALLICA, U2, GWEN STEFANI, KANYE WEST, the KILLERS and others -- will pay a $12 million settlement in New York Attorney General ELIOT SPITZER's payola inquiries. Universal was charged with bribing radio station employees for air play. Along with the $12 million that will go toward charity, Spitzer has ordered the label to cough up an additional $100,000 in investigation costs and reform adjustments. Of the four major labels, Universal is the third to get slapped with a settlement: Last July Sony Corp. agreed to pay $10 million, while Warner Music Group followed agreeing to $5 million last November.

Aguilera Going "Back to Basics"

CHRISTINA AGUILERA's third studio album, Back to Basics, originally slated for release in June, will now hit stores August 15th. The pop diva's new album feeds off the vintage jazz of BILLIE HOLIDAY, ETTA JAMES and ELLA FITZGERALD, and reunites Aguilera with songwriter/producer LINDA PERRY, who worked on 2002's Stripped. Basics' first single, "Ain't No Other Man," which the singer will premiere live at the MTV Movie Awards on June 8th, is set to hit stores the following week on June 12th.

Site of Proof Shooting Shuttered

Detroit's 8 Mile Road's C.C.C. club -- where D12 rapper PROOF was shot to death in a gun battle early morning on April 11th -- will shut down operations for a year. Last month prosecutor Kym Worthy sued the notorious late-night spot's owners -- who now will have to pay fines for operating illegally after hours -- citing other disturbances and liquor violations within the past two years the club has been operating. Fine settlements are expected to be announced at a Thursday hearing.

Don't Mess With Tom Petty

TOM PETTY management and Ticketmaster have canceled more than 400 pre-sale tickets for the classic rocker's June 26th and 27th St. Paul, Minnesota shows (with PEARL JAM) after fans complained of finding jacked-up prices on scalper and other secondary market sites. An estimated 800 tickets for Petty's June 20th concert at New York's Madison Square Garden have also been canceled, according to a statement given by a Petty spokesperson to Billboard. Unlike the ROLLING STONES, MADONNA, ELTON JOHN and PAUL McCARTNEY, whose ticket prices reach over a hundred bucks a pop, Petty has remained adamant in keeping tickets for his tour stops priced reasonably, with prices ranging between $45 and $85 per ticket. Petty's summer tour, which will feature tracks off his forthcoming solo album Highway Companion -- launches June 9th in Charlotte, North Carolina. In addition to Pearl Jam, both TREY ANASTASIO and the ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND will support on different legs of the three-month run.

Alice Cooper Honored in North Dakota

Forget Hollywood, veteran rocker ALICE COOPER will put his handprint down on Fargo, North Dakota's Walk of Fame (which we're told is "bustling") when he play's the city's Civic Center on May 15th. But that's not all the Peace Garden State has in store for Cooper, with a population of some 60 -- yup, just 60 people -- the town of Alice, North Dakota will give Alice Cooper its key to the city. Cooper, who hosts the syndicated radio show Nights With Alice Cooper five times a week, hits the road this summer beginning June 30th in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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