MADONNA will celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the United Nations on Saturday as co-chair of their Pasadena, California chapter fundraiser. Actor Morgan Freeman will also co-chair the event, which will focus on human rights . . . LeANN RIMES will perform the holiday benefit show Country Cares on December 8th in Auburn Hills, Michigan. All proceeds from the concert, which will also feature American Idol CARRIE UNDERWOOD and MARTINA McBRIDE, will go to Habitat for Humanity to aid in rebuilding Gulf Coast homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina . . . After hitting the road with AEROSMITH on October 30th in Uncasville, Connecticut, LENNY KRAVITZ will release a collectors' edition of his multiplatinum Greatest Hits on November 8th. The set will feature seventeen of the rocker's hits, as well as a bonus DVD of music videos for "American Woman," "Fly Away," "Are You Gonna Go My Way" and others . . . 311 have added fourteen dates to their current fall tour, which will now run through December 14th in Los Angeles . . . LES CLAYPOOL will release the 5 Gallons of Diesel DVD, featuring live performances, videos and behind-the-scenes footage, on November 15th . . . VICTOR WILLIS, the original "policeman" in Seventies outfit the VILLAGE PEOPLE, was a no-show in court on Thursday, and an arrest warrant was issued. Willis, who co-wrote "Macho Man" and "In the Navy," was arrested in July after police allegedly found a gun and crack cocaine in his car . . .

GENE SIMMONS' Rock School champs NO COMMENT will open for JUDAS PRIEST at Priest Feast on October 30th in Long Beach, California. ROB ZOMBIE and ANTHRAX are also on the bill . . . Seventies hits by ALICE COOPER, KOOL AND THE GANG and KC AND THE SUNSHINE BAND will be featured on the soundtrack for Inside "Deep Throat", due December 13th. The documentary, now out on DVD, explores the making and myth of the early porn film . . . JIMMY EAT WORLD, TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS and TORTOISE will perform at a series of shows benefiting the Chicago charity P.L.A.Y. (Possibilities in Life: Art for Youth) at Chicago's Metro venue November 8th through 13th . . . Indie buzz band CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH will hit the stage at New York's Irving Plaza on December 31st. Their sought-after self-titled debut, originally out earlier this month, will be re-released on January 23rd . . . WALLFLOWERS frontman JAKOB DYLAN will headline the Light of Day fundraising concert in Los Angeles on December 12th. Proceeds from the show will benefit the Parkinson's Disease Foundation . . . Late West coast rapper EAZY E's oldest son LIL EAZY E will release his debut album, The Prince of Compton, featuring a cameo from former NWA member ICE CUBE, on January 24th . . . ROBERT CRAY will perform at New York's B.B. King's on November 6th in support of his album Twenty, which hit stores last spring . . .

NELLY will combine hits from his Top Ten 2004 simultaneous releases, Sweat and Suit, with a handful of new tracks for the collection Sweatsuit, due November 22nd. DIDDY, PAUL WALL, MISSY ELLIOTT, MOBB DEEP, SNOOP DOGG, TIM McGRAW, RONALD ISLEY and the late NOTORIOUS B.I.G. will all guest on the set . . . On December 6th, JOHN LEGEND will release the performance DVD Live at the House of Blues, recorded at the Los Angeles venue last August. The set features renditions from the R&B newcomer's debut, Get Lifted, as well as reworked versions of "Number One" (with KANYE WEST) and "I Can Change" (with SNOOP DOGG) . . . SOUL ASYLUM are preparing to release their first album in seven years in March. This will also be their first since the death of bassist KARL MUELLER, who finished his portion of the recording sessions before succumbing to throat cancer this June. The Minneapolis rockers will perform -- backed by former REPLACEMENTS bassist TOMMY STINSON and former NPG drummer MICHAEL BLAND -- in their hometown on October 24th, followed by a show at New York's Bowery Ballroom on the 26th . . . RILO KILEY frontwoman JENNY LEWIS will release her first solo album, Rabbit Fur Coat -- featuring DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE's BEN GIBBARD and BRIGHT EYES' CONOR OBERST on a cover of the 1989 TRAVELING WILBURYS song "Handle With Care" -- on January 24th . . . In more Death Cab news, the band will perform at the mtvU 2005 Woodie Awards, where college students vote for their favorites. The awards show will take place at New York's Roseland Ballroom on November 2nd and will premiere on mtvU and mtvu.com November 10th . . . ASHLEE SIMPSON hits the road in support of her second album, I Am Me, on November 9th in Portland, Maine, wrapping December 12th in Columbus, Ohio . . . The BRAZILIAN GIRLS video album Live in NYC, recorded at the band's sold-out September 14th concert, is now available through iTunes, making it the first video album offered exclusively through the online music store . . . Latin pop stars RICKY MARTIN, JON SECADA and FRANKIE J will perform at New York radio station KTU's An Intimate Evening with KTU concert at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom on November 8th . . . Former TERROR SQUAD rapper CUBAN LINK will guest star on Sunday's episode of NBC's Law and Order: Criminal Intent, on which he will play a pimp that works with child prostitutes . . .

GREEN DAY and OZZY OSBOURNE have donated autographed items and memorabilia to a charity auction to benefit Habitat for Humanity's efforts to rebuild the homes of victims of Hurricane Katrina. Other artists involved include NO DOUBT, BLINK-182, GOOD CHARLOTTE, JIMMY EAT WORLD, NEW FOUND GLORY, ROB ZOMBIE, the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, the USED and 311. Held by Unite the United, founded by the organizers of the Warped and Taste of Chaos tours, the auction begins October 24th at unitetheunited.com . . . Also benefiting Habitat for Humanity is WARREN HAYNES' seventeenth annual Christmas Jam, on December 17th in Asheville, North Carolina. TREY ANASTASIO joins the lineup, which includes RAY LaMONTAGNE, GOV'T MULE, IVAN NEVILLE and JOHN MEDESKI . . . In other Anastasio news, PHISH will celebrate the tenth anniversary of their December 31, 1995, concert at New York's Madison Square Garden, considered one of their best live performances, with the release of Phish: New Year's Eve 1995: Live at Madison Square Garden, in stores December 20th . . . The BILLY JOEL five-disc collection, My Lives, featuring twenty-three unreleased tracks handpicked by the singer-songwriter, hits stores December 6th . . . PATTI SMITH will be honored with the Woman of Valor award at Seattle's Rockrgrl conference, which takes place November 10th through 12th. The singer will be celebrated on November 10th, which also marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of her debut album, Horses . . . Grammy award-winning country artist LEE ANN WOMACK will perform at the Avon Foundation's fiftieth anniversary on October 25th at New York's American Museum of Natural History, with special guests including actress Salma Hayek. Avon is a public charity that has helped to battle breast cancer and domestic violence . . . MICHAEL JACKSON received a jury summons at his Neverland Valley Ranch just four months after he was acquitted of child molestation charges. It's unlikely that the troubled pop star will have to serve jury duty now since he is currently residing in Bahrain . . .

While in town for a two-night stint at Washington, D.C.'s MCI Center on October 19th and 20th, U2 frontman BONO had lunch with President Bush on Wednesday to follow up on discussions they had in July at the G8 Summit in Scotland . . . The ROLLING STONES have been added to the performance lineup for this year's American Music Awards, airing live on ABC from Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium on November 22nd. The veteran rockers will be featured via satellite from the Salt Lake City stop of the Bigger Bang tour. MARIAH CAREY, KENNY CHESNEY and ROB THOMAS will also perform on the telecast . . . As a special Halloween treat Sirius Satellite radio will broadcast performances by the WHITE STRIPES and O.A.R. on October 30th and 31st, respectively . . . Diva JENNIFER LOPEZ will grace the cover of the 2006 edition of the Pirelli calendar, which features steamy shots of supermodels Gisele Bundchen, Kate Moss and rocker JACK WHITE's wife Karen Elson. The calendar will be unveiled on November 18th in Paris . . . NELLY, KELLY ROWLAND of DESTINY'S CHILD, ASHANTI, OUTKAST's BIG BOI and GERALD LEVERT will honor PATTI LABELLE during An All-Star Salute to Patti LaBelle: Live From Atlantis, airing November 8th on UPN. Rapper/actress EVE will host the event -- featuring a LaBELLE reunion for a performance of "Lady Marmalade" -- that celebrates the R&B legend's forty-five years as a recording artist . . . BON JOVI has added twelve more dates to the Have a Nice Day tour, in support of their new Top Ten release of the same name. The trek will make stops in Uniondale, New York, Atlanta, Nashville, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Seattle and Phoenix with dates running through March 11, 2006, in Las Vegas . . .

DAVE MATTHEWS AND FRIENDS will be performing on a secret island in the Bahamas, and members of the DAVE MATTHEWS BAND official fan association, the Warehouse, are invited to jump aboard the Majesty of the Seas and Sovereign of the Seas ships on February 3, 2006, for the special concert. The Caribbean jam band cruise will feature performances by OZOMATLI, NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS, G. LOVE AND SPECIAL SAUCE, TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS, BOB WEIR AND RATDOG and MIKE DOUGHTY's band . . . USHER will join ALICIA KEYS, R. KELLY and MARY J. BLIGE on the performance lineup for 25 Strong: The BET Silver Anniversary Celebration, the anniversary of the black entertainment network, airing November 1st . . . CHARLIE DANIELS received the Icon award Tuesday at BMI's 2005 Country Awards in Nashville. TIM McGRAW was also a big winner at the ceremony with his hit "Live Like You Were Dying" named song of the year . . . In other Charlie Daniels news, ironically the country artist -- along with ROBERT EARL KEEN and the HACIENDA BROTHERS -- is without a label, now that Koch Nashville has closed its doors after the purchase of its parent company, Koch Entertainment . . . ELTON JOHN will perform at a benefit gala for the tenth anniversary of the New York Restoration Project and founder BETTE MIDLER's sixtieth birthday in New York City on October 31st. STING will also be honored at the event for his environmental work. The NYRP, which reclaims and restores city gardens and open spaces, is also conducting an online auction, through November 8th, with chances to record with FAITH HILL in her studio and go backstage at a DAVE MATTHEWS BAND concert . . . CLAY AIKEN will embark on his second consecutive holiday tour, Joyful Noise 2005 on November 2nd in Vancouver. The forty-show trek, with opener lite-classical piano prodigy WILLIAM JOSEPH, will conclude in Clearwater, Florida, on December 30th . . . SOMETHING CORPORATE singer ANDREW McMAHON, who was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia in May, is now cancer-free after receiving a stem-cell transplant from his sister in August . . .

ELTON JOHN, MARY J. BLIGE, ROD STEWART, JOSH GROBAN, GWEN STEFANI, OZZY OSBOURNE, STEVEN TYLER, PHIL COLLINS, PINK, GAVIN ROSSDALE, KELLY OSBOURNE and VELVET REVOLVER are featured on the SHARON OSBOURNE-produced recording of ERIC CLAPTON's "Tears in Heaven." The single, originally recorded following last year's devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia, is now available exclusively at iTunes to benefit both the survivors of the tsunami and the victims of Hurricane Katrina through Save the Children . . . QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE will release their first concert DVD/live album, Over the Years and Through the Woods, on November 22nd. The set will feature the QOTSA hits "No One Knows," "Go With the Flow" and "Little Sister," as well as the new track "Fun Machine" and the previously unreleased "Make It Wit Chu" . . . The latest compilation of the country legend's songs, The Legend of JOHNNY CASH, hits stores on October 25th. The collection features twenty-one tracks from Cash's six-decade career, including "I Walk the Line," "Highwayman" and "Ring of Fire" . . . MUDVAYNE will hit the road, headlining the Masters of Horror tour, beginning November 18th in West Des Moines, Iowa . . . GRETCHEN WILSON, MARTINA McBRIDE and SUGARLAND have been added to the performance lineup for the thirty-ninth annual Country Music Association Awards, taking place on November 15th at New York's Madison Square Garden. Piano Man BILLY JOEL will also be in attendance to present the CMA's Entertainer of the Year award -- the nominees are ALAN JACKSON, KENNY CHESNEY, TOBY KEITH, BRAD PAISLEY and KEITH URBAN -- with SHANIA TWAIN . . .

The never-before-released BOB MARLEY song "Slogans" will appear on Africa Unite: The Singles Collection, due November 8th. The track, which is being released with ERIC CLAPTON on guitar, is said to have been recorded in a Miami bedroom in 1979 and was discovered in 2003 by the reggae legend's son ZIGGY MARLEY . . . Animated versions of the members of MEGADETH will appear in two episodes of Duck Dodgers, the space-age cartoon featuring Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, on the Cartoon Network's sister station Boomerang, October 28th and November 4th . . . LINDSAY LOHAN will release her second album, A Little More Personal, on November 22nd . . . JOHN VANDERSLICE, HANK WILLIAMS III, ATMOSPHERE and AMBULANCE LTD will perform at the inaugural Anti Pop Music Festival, which kicks off Tuesday in Orlando, Florida, and concludes October 23rd . . . DISTURBED frontman DAVID DRAIMAN has been diagnosed with severe vocal cord inflammation, forcing the band to cancel the last seven dates of their European tour before heading to Minneapolis on November 4th for the Jagermeister tour . . . SLIPKNOT guitarist JIM ROOT broke his wrist the day before the band launched the Subliminal Verses Tour: The Final Volume in Cincinnati on October 14th and was unable to join his fellow bandmates on stage. It is unknown yet whether Root will continue with the trek, since he'll be in a cast for at least six weeks . . . RUSH will release the thirtieth anniversary multi-CD and DVD package, Rush-R30, on November 22nd . . .

The reunited BLACK CROWES will perform their first-ever headlining show at New York's Madison Square Garden on December 31st with openers MY MORNING JACKET and NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS. Tickets go on sale October 22nd . . . Unreleased music by 50 CENT, CAM'RON and BEANIE SIEGEL will be featured on the CD/DVD package FUNKMASTER FLEX Car Show Tour, due December 6th. Also on the set are tracks by JADAKISS, NAS, XZIBIT, MIKE JONES, PAUL WALL, T.I., FOXY BROWN and FABOLOUS, as well as performance footage of the rappers at DJ Flex's annual car show . . . JIMMY BUFFETT and the CORAL REEFER BAND will headline a $200-per-ticket Hurricane Katrina benefit concert on October 20th at San Francisco's Fillmore . . . MARIAH CAREY will release The Emancipation of Mimi: Platinum Edition on November 15th. The deluxe version of the multiplatinum album will hit stores as an audio CD -- featuring four new tracks including the pop diva's latest hit "Don't Forget About Us" -- and as a limited-edition, two-disc set with a DVD of the videos off Emancipation . . . DEPECHE MODE will sign copies of their new album, Playing the Angel, at New York City's downtown Tower Records on October 18th. The threesome will play a warm-up club show on October 26th in New York, before kicking off their world tour November 2nd in Fort Lauderdale, Florida . . . BUDDY GUY, JEFF TWEEDY, RYAN ADAMS AND THE CARDINALS, AIMEE MANN, CAT POWER and VIC CHESNUTT will perform a series of free shows dubbed Music Downtown at New York's Tribeca Performing Arts Center from November 14th to 20th . . . After opening for the FOO FIGHTERS/WEEZER co-headlining tour, HOT HOT HEAT will hit the road on their own on November 6th in Louisville, Kentucky, wrapping December 4th in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina . . .

JOHN LEGEND will return to the road on October 21st in Trenton, New Jersey, wrapping on November 29th in Merrillville, Indiana . . . LOS LOBOS will play their entire 1992 album, Kiko, during their annual holiday shows at the Fillmore and House of Blues, beginning December 16th in San Francisco, and running through December 30th in Las Vegas . . . SONIC YOUTH's JIM O'ROURKE has left the New York-based art rock pioneers to direct films. The multi-instrumentalist was the music consultant for 2003's School of Rock . . . Private Investigation: The Very Best of DIRE STRAITS and MARK KNOPFLER hits stores November 15th. The collection features songs spanning the singer-songwriter/guitarist's career fronting the British band, as well as tracks from his solo albums . . . Songwriter BAKER KNIGHT died October 12th of natural causes at his home in Birmingham, Alabama. Knight penned over 1,000 songs during his career, recorded by artists such as ELVIS PRESLEY ("The Wonder of You"), PAUL McCARTNEY ("Lonesome Town," also recorded by RICKY NELSON) and DEAN MARTIN ("Somewhere There's a Someone"). He was seventy-two years old . . . ANNA NALICK will open for ROB THOMAS on his first solo tour, beginning November 8th in Portland, Oregon . . . PAT BOONE will celebrate his fiftieth year in show business with two albums due in 2006. The crooner will release the love song collection Hopeless Romantic -- featuring the track "Waltz for the Lonely," which he wrote with late guitar legend CHET ATKINS (also Atkins' last recorded performance before his death) -- and the spring release We Are Family, with performances by SMOKEY ROBINSON, the FOUR TOPS and JAMES BROWN . . . GOD LIVES UNDERWATER vocalist DAVID REILLY died in a Pennsylvania hospital on October 16th at thirty-four years old, from an untreated infection. The singer was slated to release his debut solo album, How Humans Rx, in early 2006 . . .

Funk legend SLY STONE is auctioning off his 1996 custom "Quad" four-wheel Harley-Davidson motorcycle -- on which he appeared in public last month for the first time in twelve years -- on eBay, through October 22nd . . . Rock legend NEIL YOUNG, who recently released his latest studio effort Prairie Wind, will be the musical guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien for an entire week, November 1st through the 4th . . . BRIGHT EYES -- who embark on a thirty-one date tour on October 22nd in Santa Barbara, California -- will release their first live album, Motion Sickness on November 15th exclusively through the Coalition of Independent Music Stores . . . . A blue silk shirt that once belonged to ELVIS PRESLEY was stolen from the State Fair of Texas, where it was on exhibit last Wednesday . . . DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL, currently readying the follow-up to 2003's A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar, raised $150,000 for hurricane relief by donating all ticket and merchandise sales from three recent shows . . . In addition to the Halloween release of his encyclopedic compilation of rarities, Suitcase 2, ex-GUIDED BY VOICES frontman ROBERT POLLARD will release his first solo double-disc, From a Compound Eye, on January 26th. In other GBV news, the live DVD of the indie outfit's final show together last New Year's in Chicago, The Electrifying Conclusion, hits stores November 15th . . . Louisiana native MARC BROUSSARD's live EP, Bootleg to Benefit the Victims of Hurricane Katrina, is due October 25th, with all proceeds after production costs going to hurricane relief. The acoustic soul singer will headline twenty shows, beginning October 26th in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, before hitting the road as the opener for BONNIE RAITT . . . Grammy-winning country singer RANDY TRAVIS releases his all-acoustic, gospel-heavy album Glory Train on October 25th . . . After opening for him on his summer tour, ALO (ANIMAL LIBERATION ORCHESTRA) has signed to JACK JOHNSON's Bushfire Records . . .

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE will join the PSYCHEDELIC FURS and HOT HOT HEAT at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom for the Q101 Twisted 12 concert series on December 17th. FALL OUT BOY, COHEED AND CAMBRIA and ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS are also billed for the alternative radio station's three-night affair, which kicks off December 16th . . . BRYAN ADAMS will release Anthology on October 18th. The double disc features two new songs, including the PAMELA ANDERSON duet single "When You're Gone." Adams is currently touring arenas with DEF LEPPARD through mid-November . . . In a tribute to the late WAYLON JENNINGS, country singers JESSI COLTER and JOHN ANDERSON will perform with the late crooner's long-time backing band at an American Diabetes Association benefit in Nashville on October 28th. Jennings died of complications from the disease in 2002 . . . BARENAKED LADIES have announced a holiday season tour across North America beginning November 21st. The Canadian pop band will perform both Christmas and Hanukkah classics, as well as their own tunes . . . On October 25th ANGIE STONE will release Stone Hits: The Very Best of Angie Stone, a CD featuring two new songs, as well as hits from her previous three solo efforts. On the same day, Stone Hits Live: The Very Best of Angie Stone, a live concert DVD from a performance at Atlanta's Civic Center, will hit stores . . . Renowned blues musicians BO DIDDLEY, RUTH BROWN, WILIE SMITH, IVERSON MINTER, JAMES COTTON and CALVIN JONES will appear on actor/blues musician STEVEN SEAGAL's 2006 release, tentatively titled Mojo Priest . . . Paste magazine will throw their first Rock 'n' Reel Festival, celebrating independent music and films, October 22nd and 23rd in Atlanta. Performers slated to play include LOW, OVER THE RHINE, ERIN McKEOWN, MINDY SMITH, MARK OLSON and VICTORIA WILLIAMS . . .