Mar 10, 2006 6:05 PM

From the Peas to the Roots

On March 21st BLACK EYED PEAS will release Renegotiations: The Remixes, an eight-track EP of reworked cuts off their multiplatinum 2005 blockbuster, Monkey Business, on iTunes. The album features remixes by JAZZY JEFF, ERIK SERMON, DJ PREMIER and PETE ROCK.

Ryan Adams Fans Get Busted

The FBI busted two RYAN ADAMS fans for posting portions of Adams' September release Jacksonville City Nights without the consent the guitarist's label, Lost Highway Records, on a fan Web site a month before the album hit stores. According to a provision of the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act (FECA), publishing music or movies before their public release is a federal crime. Milwaukee resident Robert Thomas and Jared Browser of Jacksonville, Florida, face up to eleven years in prison if convicted.

Jackson's Neverland Gets Shot Down

Workers at MICHAEL JACKSON's Neverland Ranch were barred by the state of California on Thursday, and the pop icon was fined $69,000 because the workers compensation insurance policy had expired. According to a spokesman for the California Department of Industrial Relations, the "stop order" was issued after a worker reported that a co-worker who suffered an injury did not have the state-required health coverage. Coverage for sixty-nine employees lapsed on January 10th. Jackson and his family may still live at the Santa Barbara County ranch and may continue to run it by hiring an outside company whose employees are covered by workers compensation. The operators have five days to appeal.

System Cancel Benefit

SYSTEM OF A DOWN cancelled their fourth annual Souls Concerts, an event aimed at raising awareness about Armenian Genocide, slated for April 23rd in Los Angeles. The band did not cite a reason for the cancellation but said on their official Web site, "System will always continue to fight for this truly important cause, and encourages all of our friends and fans to help educate the world about a forgotten genocide and the importance of recognizing this atrocity." Meanwhile, the rockers will hit the road this summer as main stage headliners for this year's Ozzfest.

Beastie Boys Screen Documentary

The BEASTIE BOYS' documentary Awesome: I Fuckin' Shot That! will be screened at 200 movie theatres on March 23rd, a week before opening at limited theaters across the nation. Exclusively featured with the fan-filmed footage will be the thirty-minute short film, A Day in the Life of Nathanial Hornblower -- the alter ego of Beastie ADAM YAUCH -- played by comedian DAVID CROSS. Participating theaters can be found at AwesomeIShotThat.com/March23.

Randolph Teams With DMB

ROBERT RANDOLPH will open ten nights of the DAVE MATTHEWS BAND's four-month summer trek. The pedal-steel guitarist's run begins August 25th in Irvine, California . . . In other DMB news, singer-songwriter DAVID GRAY will play the main stage of the band's August 8th Randall's Island gig in New York City. The event will feature two stages and additional performers TEA LEAF GREEN and SLIGHTLY STOOPID.

Lachey, the Fray Hit the Small Screen

NICK LACHEY has signed on to star in the sitcom She Said, He Said for the newly formed TV network CW . . . The March 19th episode of ABC's Grey's Anatomy will feature the FRAY's first single "How To Save a Life," from the mellow rockers' album of the same name.

Spoon, Yo La Tengo Head to Chi-Town

SPOON, YO LA TENGO, MISSION OF BURMA, MOUNTAIN GOATS, the NATIONAL, JENS LEKMAN, TAPES 'N TAPES and the HOT MACHINES are among the indie bands tapped for the first-ever Pitchfork Music Festival. The uber-indie fest will go down on July 29th and 30th at Chicago's Union Park, with twenty-seven additional acts to be announced in the coming weeks. Daily passes are currently on-sale at pitchforkmusicfestival.com.

Metallica Man Receives Vaughn Award

METALLICA frontman JAMES HETFIELD will be honored with the STEVIE RAY VAUGHN Award at the second annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert, slated for May 12th in Hollywood, California. The award recognizes Hetfield's efforts to help other afflicted addicts.

"Idol" Begins Final Trek

The fifth season of FOX's American Idol is down to a dozen finalists. On March 14th, the remaining six male and six female contestants will battle it out with STEVIE WONDER songs. Viewers will vote off a contestant each week until May 24th, when a new Idol will be named.

The Roots, Mos Def Lead Chappelle CD

The soundtrack for the MICHEL GONDRY-directed concert film, DAVE CHAPPELLE's Block Party, out now in theaters, will be released on March 14th. The album features the ROOTS, ERYKAH BADU, MOS DEF, TALIB KWELI, DEAD PREZ, COMMON and JILL SCOTT . . . KELIS has switched the title of her June 13th release from The Puppeteer to Kelis Was Here. The album's first single "Bossy," featuring TOO SHORT, will be released on April 4th on 12-inch vinyl . . . TOOL release their first album in five years, 10,000 Days, on May 2nd. The rockers will headline the Coachella Valley Music Festival on April 30th, and tour Europe in support of the release this summer.

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