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50 Cent to Unleash Summer Album
50 CENT is shooting for a July 18th release date for his third studio album, according to a line from the Queens native's new diss track, "Not Rich, Still Lying," aimed at his former G UNIT hip-hop protege the GAME. The album -- expected to feature collaborations with MASE, MOBB DEEP and EMINEM -- is the follow-up to last year's five-times platinum The Massacre, which sold over one million copies in its first five days. Last year, the Queens native also released his first feature film, Get Rich or Die Tryin' (named for his debut CD), loosely based on his life.
Axl Rose, Scott Weiland Get Slaphappy
GUNS N' ROSES frontman AXL ROSE filed court papers earlier this month in an attempt to gain all ownership of the band's back catalog. The move -- in response to an earlier lawsuit filed by Rose's former bandmates SLASH and DUFF McKAGAN alleging that the reclusive singer stiffed them out of their share of the multimillion-dollar publishing deal -- has sparked a heated media battle between Rose and his former bandmates' current group, VELVET REVOLVER. Last week, Rose fired the first shots, releasing a statement in which he claimed Slash had called McKagan "spineless" and Velvet Revolver frontman SCOTT WEILAND "a fraud." In response, Weiland posted a statement on his band's Web site in which he called Rose a "fat, Botox-faced, wig-wearin' fuck" and claimed that the Rose has an "unoriginal, uncreative little mind."
Treach Joins the Jersey Mafia
NAUGHTY BY NATURE's TREACH will make a guest appearance on the sixth and final season of HBO's already legendary mob series, The Sopranos. The rapper, who began pursing a career in acting in 1992, has been featured in several movies and television shows, most notably a reoccurring role in the HBO prison drama, Oz.
"Chef" Calls it Quits
Soul legend ISAAC HAYES has requested to be released from his contract with the controversial cartoon series, South Park, and the Comedy Central network, citing the show's increasingly frequent jabs at religious groups. Hayes, himself a Scientologist, stated that South Park has crossed the line from satire into bigotry and no longer wishes to be a part of the show. Hayes has been the voice of "Chef," the grade-school lunchroom cook with lovemaking on his mind, since the show began airing in 1997.
Sting Brings More Broken Music
STING will get back on the road this summer with a return to his Broken Music Tour, taking the stripped-down show to Latin America and Europe. The rocker has one U.S. date next month: Las Vegas' Tiger Jam on April 29th. The duet Sting recently recorded with SHERYL CROW, "Always on Your Side," is the top debut on this weeks Billboard Hot 100 and is now available for download at iTunes.
Pixies Reunion Film Unveiled
A documentary chronicling the PIXIES' year-long reunion tour, loudQuietloud: A Film About the Pixies, premiered this week at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin. Directed by Matthew Galkin, (LCD SOUNDSYSTEM's "Disco Infiltrator" clip) and Steven Cantor (the Emmy-winning WILLIE NELSON: Still Is Still Moving, LISA LOEB's upcoming reality show #1 Single), the film captures some of the group's captivating live performances, as well as offstage drama. Bassist KIM DEAL struggles to stay sober, and frontman FRANK BLACK (formerly BLACK FRANCIS) tries to be as attentive as possible to his then-pregnant girlfriend and kids. Additional screenings are slated for April 26th in Los Angeles, and New York's Tribeca Film Festival from April 25th through May 7th.
C-Murder Freed of Murder Rap
Louisiana rapper C-MURDER (Corey Miller), the brother of MASTER P, could be walking out of prison for the first time in over three years as early as Monday. On Friday, the Louisiana Supreme Court overturned his second-degree murder conviction -- ruling that the jury should have been informed of the past criminal records of witnesses testifying against him -- and ordered a new trial. The rapper, who adopted the name C-MILLER last year, still faces attempted murder charges in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for allegedly shooting a club owner and patron in 2001. The district attorney's office has not determined whether it will retry Miller's murder case.