Britney Spears' new single, "Gimme More," premiered Thursday night (August 30) on Z100 and subsequently surfaced on the New York radio station's Web site. She opens the song by singing, "It's Britney, b---h," and producer Danjahandz closes it by saying, "Bet you didn't see this coming." In related news, "Access Hollywood" reports that a source told the news site that Spears' manager Larry Rudolph — who had been in hiding — has finally been subpoenaed in the singer's child-custody dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline. ...
Eve and 50 Cent are featured on the double-cover of Rap-Up's September/October issue, and both rappers do plenty of talking inside. For her part, Eve talked about her DUI arrest, fellow female rappers and her plans to start a family. While she didn't comment directly on the case, she did confirm that Sean Penn visited her while she was in jail but said he did not bail her out. Eve lashed out at Don Imus — "he's old enough to know better" — but only had good things to say about Lil' Kim, Foxy Brown, Lauryn Hill — and Dr. Dre. "Me and Dre will always forever be cool. There's a respect, musically. ... We get in [the studio] and it's like shadowboxing." The magazine hits stands Tuesday. Eve talked more directly about her troubles with the law when People caught up with her Tuesday night at a nightclub in Las Vegas. She said she can't get used to the alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet she is being forced to wear. "When they told me I was getting it on, I thought it was going to be like a beeper, but it's like a pair of Bose headphones," she told the mag. She will be allowed to remove the bracelet on September 8. ...
Also featured in Rap-Up is 50 dishing about a handful of female artists. He said Beyoncé is "definitely hot" and called Ciara "talented" but dumped on rumored love interest Mya ("I don't think she's ever gonna be a success"). Fiddy also reiterated that he doesn't beef with Jay-Z and Diddy; riffed on his September 11 competitor, Kanye West; and also shared his feelings on the president. "Me and George Bush were both actually born on July 6, he's just a little older than me. And he does have a talent: He has less compassion than a regular human being." He added, "Me and George Bush are so different. ... I actually go to war, when I go to war. Bush just sends [people] to war. When I took a trip to Iraq — 'cause I went to perform for the soldiers in Iraq — they had the same vehicles that I ride around in New York." While he's not crazy about President Bush, 50 did reveal who he would like to be the successor: "I'd like to see Hillary Clinton be president. It would be nice to see a woman be the actual president and ... this is a way for us to have Bill Clinton be president again, and he did a great job during his term." ...
According to "Access Hollywood," an attorney for Owen Wilson told the TV show that the actor didn't overdose on drugs but rather slit his wrists during his failed suicide attempt on Sunday. The lawyer, who is not named, said Wilson had been taking antidepressants and was not aware of any other drugs in his system at the time of the incident. ...
Snoop Dogg will host this year's MTV Europe Music Awards, to be held in Munich, Germany, on November 1. "I've called up the homeys from east to west and I guarantee it's gonna be off tha chain, ya dig," Snoop told MTV U.K. Foo Fighters and British pop singer Mika are set to perform at the ceremony, which will have a new category this year: New Sounds of Europe. ... Miami's Bang! Music Festival is getting a big dose of Chicago music. Kanye West and Smashing Pumpkins will headline the extravaganza, which has ballooned to two days this year. The Bravery, Riverboat Gamblers and others are also confirmed for the fest, to be held at Miami's Bayfront Park Amphitheater. ... T-Pain is adding a twist to Baby Bash's Cyclone by appearing on the new Lil Jon-produced single of the same name. The Latino rapper also rubs elbows with producer J.R. Rotem, Danity Kane's Aundrea Fimbres and Paula DeAnda on the disc, which streets October 16. ...
Hulk Hogan's son Nick Bollea has posted on his MySpace page a message to fans regarding the Sunday night car accident that left 22-year-old passenger John Graziano critically injured. "I want to thank everyone who has sent their support to me. Right now I would like to ask all of you to focus your prayers on my friend John," reads the post. His sister Brooke expressed similar sentiments in a post on her own MySpace page: "You have all been so sweet to reach out to me and my family during this time. As you guys may know, Nicky has been released from the hospital, but my best friend John is still in the hospital. Every single prayer helps John heal, so please, keep praying and don't give up." ...
Ethereal Icelandic rockers Sigur Rós have pieced together a pair of releases for November 6. Hvarf/Heim is a double-CD: Hvarf encompasses five new recordings of songs — some previously unreleased — from various junctures in the band's career. Heim features six live acoustic versions of songs from Sigur Rós' four albums. A DVD is also on the way — "Heima" follows the group as it performed a series of free concerts in its native Iceland last summer. ...
Bob Marley's family intends to sue Universal Music Group and Verizon Wireless over a recently announced deal in which the companies said they plan to use some of the reggae legend's songs for products including ringtones, Billboard.com reports. Fifty Six Hope Road Music Limited, the company owned by Marley's family, told the news outlet that the companies' agreement was signed without the family's permission and doesn't mesh with Marley's Universal contract. A statement sent in response by Universal said the label hadn't received a suit and claimed, "We are offering Bob Marley ringtones through Verizon in accordance with the terms of a long standing contract between Bob Marley and UMG." ...
El DeBarge — a member of R&B squad DeBarge — was arrested Sunday for investigation of domestic violence, AP reports. The singer (real name: Eldra DeBarge) is being held without bail at a jail in Los Angeles because he has two previous warrants for his arrest in narcotics cases. ... The driver involved in the car crash that killed "A Christmas Story" director Bob Clark and his son has pleaded no contest to two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, AP reports. Hector Velazquez-Nava will be sentenced September 27 and faces up to six years in prison.
Say what you will about those supposed Britney Spears tracks floating around online, but the singer is planning to debut the first single from her new album as early as this weekend. The single is called "Gimmie More," was produced by Danjahandz and is an up-tempo dance track — and is also the song for which the singer was seen shooting a video last month. "It's about feeling good, celebrating womanhood," Danja told MTV News earlier this year. "And if you don't dance to it, I really don't know what you're listening to. It's a new Britney." In related news, Spears will host the grand opening of Las Vegas nightclub LAX at the Luxor on Friday. DJ AM — who, along with Christina Aguilera, is an investor in the club — will man the decks. And the infamous Versace gown Spears was supposed to wear during her aborted OK! magazine shoot went up for auction on eBay on Wednesday (August 29). USA Today reported that bidding on the dress started at $5,700, with proceeds going to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Amy Winehouse can add the VMAs to the growing list of shows she won't be playing this year. The U.K. starlet — who last week postponed her U.S. tour until 2008 — has canceled her scheduled performance at the awards show on September 9. ... Lindsay Lohan plans to meet with her estranged father, Michael, while she is in rehab, a source told People.com, according to the site. People.com says multiple sources have revealed that Lohan's lawyer Blair Berk is helping negotiate Michael Lohan's visit to the Cirque Lodge in Sundance, Utah. ...
Christina Aguilera is on for the Emmy Awards. The singer will perform the Tony Bennett standard "Steppin' Out (With My Baby)" with the jazz legend at the ceremony, which will air September 16 on Fox. The two sang the song together on the TV special "Tony Bennett: An American Classic," which is nominated for eight Emmy Awards. ...
Gwen Stefani has gotten together with Hewlett-Packard for a creative twist on her Harajuku Lovers line. Starting Wednesday at HP.com/Gwen, fans can make and print CD labels, stationary and more by mashing HL content into their own customized designs. ... Jay-Z and Eve hosted a Rocawear party at the Venetian in Las Vegas on Tuesday night in celebration of the weeklong Magic Fashion Convention. The shindig — which was sponsored by Giant magazine and Mercedes-Benz — also featured cameos by Nick Cannon, Travis Barker and Young Jeezy, among others. ...
Lil Wayne is being sued by a concertgoer who alleges that she was knocked to the ground and trampled at the rapper's October show at Baltimore's Morgan State University, according to the Baltimore Sun. Tyrique Layne, who was a student at the university at the time, claims she needed to stay in the hospital overnight as a result of the injuries she sustained at the concert when a large amount of cash was thrown into the crowd. Layne's suit claims she is suffering headaches, neck and back pain, fatigue and other symptoms as a result of her injuries, and she is seeking $1 million plus interest and costs. ...
A mysterious white powdery substance authorities discovered in a locked bedroom inside rapper DMX's Cave Creek, Arizona, home is not a drug after all, according to Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies. Police — who initially believed the substance to be a drug — have not disclosed what it actually is. But officers also seized a useable amount of marijuana during the Friday morning raid, as well as drug paraphernalia, the carcasses of three dogs and a dozen other dogs that seemed malnourished. Police are working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to determine whether DMX was legally permitted to own the weapons. It still hasn't been determined what the three dogs that were found buried in the rapper's backyard died from, but police do not believe they had been used for dogfighting. ...
Beyoncé and Shakira have more than just VMA nominations to get excited about — their "Beautiful Liar" debut is also up for a Latin Grammy, for Record of the Year. Ricky Martin and Calle 13 have four noms apiece, while Juan Luis Guerra leads the pack with five. ... Wyclef Jean keeps inviting more and more guests to take part in his new album The Carnival Volume ll (Memoirs of an Immigrant), which is set to drop November 6. The ubiquitous Lil Wayne and, more surprisingly, System of a Down singer Serj Tankian, have stepped in to help out. ... Kelly Clarkson's live comeback is hitting an early stride. According to her label, tickets for the singer's October 15 and 16 shows at New York's Beacon Theatre sold out in under 20 minutes, prompting the addition of a third show on October 14, which also sold out over the weekend. ...
Ashlee Simpson, Madonna and Hilary Duff are among the loads of artists featured in a new book of photography that revolves around the weekly Saturday night party thrown in New York by trendsetters the Misshapes. Simply called "Misshapes," the book — which also showcases My Chemical Romance, Mandy Moore, Bloc Party, the Killers and more — will be released Tuesday by MTV Press. (See "Misshapes" snaps of Ashlee Simpson, Joel Madden, Pete Wentz, Madonna and more.) ... Nikki Sixx will be the first-ever rock star to act as featured speaker at the National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month luncheon in Washington, D.C., on September 6. Sixx's autobiography, "Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star," hits bookshelves September 18. ...
Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown's battle isn't over — the divorced couple have been wrangling over their 14-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina. In newly released legal papers filed last month and obtained by People.com, Brown claims he hasn't spoken with his daughter since June. "Since Whitney has been awarded sole legal and physical custody of Bobbi Kris, she has attempted to eliminate me from Bobbi Kris' life," the suit reads. "I did all I could to see my daughter ... I also paid approximately $10,000 for Whitney and Bobbi Kris to live in a nice hotel while Whitney was going through rehab ... I basically lived out of my car." In Houston's declaration to the court, she claims Brown has been "almost totally uninvolved in taking care of" Bobbi Kristina and warns, "Bobby is going to try to get child or spousal support from me ... Bobby is fully capable of working and earning substantial sums of money if he would control his personal behavior." Despite the feud, the couple have been spotted together in public recently, having dinner and posing for photos with fans, according to People.com. ...
Linkin Park have already proven themselves to be good Samaritans — they've been donating $1 from every ticket on their Projekt Revolution tour toward planting trees. Now Chester Bennington and the gang are taking their goodwill efforts one step further by building a home for a low-income family in the Gulf Coast. The band has launched a contest named after its recent single "What I've Done" in which the winner and a guest will be able to join LP to construct the house at an undisclosed location in an area affected by Hurricane Katrina. To enter, fans must submit to Contest@MusicForRelief.org a video clip that is less than two minutes long and explains what the person has done to improve the world. Fans can also participate by recording their video at the Music for Relief booth at Projekt Revolution, but all entries must be in by September 29. "We will help build [the home] alongside the family that will move into the house," bassist Phoenix said in a statement. "We hope to remind people that there is still a lot of work to be done." ...
Hulk Hogan's son Nick Bollea was racing another car before he crashed into a tree on Sunday night, according to a Florida woman who told The Associated Press she witnessed the accident. "We knew something was going to happen. You know that this is a bad situation and these guys are hot-dogging," said Frances Vitalis, who claimed to be riding on a motorcycle with a friend behind the cars. A police spokesperson declined to comment to the wire service, citing an ongoing investigation. ... Lawyers in the Phil Spector trial, along with the judge, have agreed that the jury should only consider a second-degree murder charge, as opposed to a lesser charge like manslaughter, the Los Angeles Times reports. Attorneys have now finished the last procedural steps before closing arguments begin September 5. On Tuesday it was announced that Spector had retained San Francisco attorney Dennis Riordan to replace Bruce Cutler, although Riordan will not act as lead counsel. ...
Hard-to-find tracks by Beastie Boys, Interpol and the Decemberists populate the fourth installment in the Give.Listen.Help series, a charity comp available at Urban Outfitters outlets. Most proceeds are going to Art of Elysium, a group that promotes art therapy for hospitalized children. ... Bloc Party will head up the second LA Weekly Detour festival, set for October 6 in downtown Los Angeles. Justice, Satellite Party, Shout Out Louds, Raveonettes, Turbonegro, Kinky and others flesh out the roster for the outdoor throwdown. ... Two of a kind? Mary-Kate Olsen and Ben Kingsley engage in a passionate kiss in their new flick "The Wackness," which finished shooting last week. The 21-year-old Olsen plays a pot dealer's customer in the movie, and the 63-year-old Kingsley acts as the dealer's therapist. ...
Hellogoodbye and Say Anything have been tapped to headline the MySpace Music Tour. The bands will christen the social-networking site's new concert series with a Seattle show on October 16 and plow through a gig in Las Vegas on November 23. MySpace Records artists Polysics will open many dates, from the Seattle show through the Halloween concert in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Presale tickets will be made available exclusively to MySpace members beginning Friday. ... Slayer are pulling together footage from last year's Unholy Alliance Tour with Lamb of God and Mastodon for a DVD due October 30. The simply titled "Unholy Alliance Tour" DVD captures the July 13, 2006, stop in Vancouver, British Columbia, and also includes footage of the other two acts on the bill, Children of Bodom and Thine Eyes Bleed. Behind-the-scenes clips and interviews, many of which were conducted by the bandmembers, flesh out the set. ...
The fire sale of houses and gear from disgraced former boy-band mogul Lou Pearlman — who is currently in jail in Florida and is being accused of defrauding investors of more than $500 million — continues. According to Florida's St. Petersburg Times, in addition to a deal to sell Pearlman's Atlantic City, New Jersey, condo for $335,000 as part of his ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, a deal is under way to sell his Orlando estate for $7.1 million. A Saturday auction of "boy toys" owned by Pearlman — including life-size R2D2, Anakin Skywalker and Han Solo figures, a pimped-out Escalade-style golf cart and a host of weapons — brought in another $280,000. ... Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards doesn't like what the Swedish papers have been saying about the band, so he's taking the fight straight to them. Reuters reports that Richards is demanding that newspapers Expressen and Aftonbladet apologize for their stinging reviews of the Stones' performance in Stockholm earlier this month. "Never before have I risen to the bait of a bad review," Richards said in a statement. "But this time ... I have to stand up for our incredible Gothenburg audience and for our fans all over Sweden ... to say that you owe them, and us, an apology." ...
The free ride for Grateful Dead fans is over. Rhino Records, which controls most of the Dead's music, announced recently that the formerly downloadable live tracks that were posted on the Taper's Section on the band's Web site will now only be available as audio streams. The Section's webmaster, David Lemieux, explained in a note to fans on Monday that the site was always intended "for streaming only." ... A judge ruled Friday in favor of the Recording Industry Association of America, agreeing with RIAA lawyers that "making available" copyrighted works on peer-to-peer networks constitutes copyright infringement, according to a story on Wired.com. The ruling makes clear that it is illegal to share a song in a P2P folder, even if there's no proof that someone else downloaded it.
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