• After news broke yesterday that Scott Weiland had been arrested for DUI (his second) on November 21st, his rep quickly released a statement: “Scott Weiland was recently involved in a minor accident in Los Angeles and denies he was driving under the influence. He voluntarily took a Breathalyzer test which the defense believes registers well within the legal limit. He is anxious to get to court on December 13th and clear this matter up.”
• Akon has pleaded not guilty to endangering a minor and a second-degree harassment violation. The collaboration king was charged last week in conjunction with a June fan-tossing incident and was released from jail without bail yesterday; he’s due back in court January 16th and faces up to one year and fifteen days in prison if convicted.
• The world’s largest music group and cell-phone maker have struck a deal that hopes to bite a chunk out of Apple’s music and phone dominance: Universal has announced a partnership with Nokia called Comes With Music that will offer new music-phone buyers free unlimited downloads by Universal artists for twelve months after their purchase via Nokia’s new Ovi mobile Web service — and users can keep the tracks when the year is up.
• After six years of groundwork, plans to build a $28 million museum honoring the legacy of Motown have been scrapped by label founder Berry Gordy Jr. and Detroit development officials. The city pulled out after nothing had been built on the site of the intended Motown Center, which Gordy on blames lack of funding. Planners say there is a possibility of moving forward on project far smaller than the intended museum/venue combo.
• U2 producer Daniel Lanois’ sixth solo album, Here Is What Is will be the first album digitally released in a “high resolution CD-quality WAV” format when it becomes available on December 15th. The album will be on sale in WAV and MP3 at redfloorrecords.com, and includes conversations with famed producer Brian Eno from Lanois’ documentary of the same name, which also features previously unheard U2 tracks.

[Photo: Getty]