Carl Anderson, the actor and singer best known for his stage and film portrayal of Judas in the rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar," has died of leukemia at age 58, his manager said on Wednesday,.Anderson, who reported to have been diagnosed with leukemia last summer during a national revival tour of the first musical by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice, died on Monday Feb 23, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.According to the Los Angeles Times, Anderson had been planning to appear in a worldwide tour that was to open at the Vatican in the fall.The part of Judas in "Jesus Christ Superstar" was originated on Broadway in 1971 by Ben Vereen, but Anderson stepped into the role when Vereen fell ill, and the two performers later took turns playing the role.Anderson caught the attention of a talent agent and landed an audition for the part after his rock band was seen at a Palm Sunday church service performing songs from "Superstar," which then had been a hit in England but not yet had a U.S. debut.The show, a rock opera about the last week in the life of Christ, depicting Jesus as a fallible human and Judas as more a victim than a villain, was protested by some religious groups but went on to become a box office hit.Anderson subsequently was cast as Judas in the 1973 movie adaptation directed by Norman Jewison and starring Ted Neeley as Jesus. The film garnered Anderson Golden Globe nominations for most promising newcomer and best musical actor.The Virginia-born actor returned as Judas for a 1992 North American touring revival of "Superstar" and again 10 years later in a production co-starring rocker Sebastian Bach in the title role. Anderson also appeared in Steven Spielberg's 1985 drama "The Color Purple and in the short-lived 1997 Broadway musical "Play On!," a jazzy update of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," set in 1940s Harlem.Anderson recorded several albums in the 1980s and 1990s that included such hits as "How Deep Does It Go," "Pieces of a Heart," and the duet with soap opera star Gloria Loring, "Friends and Lovers." He also sang on recordings by Stevie Wonder and jazz star Nancy Wilson.

Prince is taking that little red Corvette out of the garage again. On the heels of his blistering Grammy "Purple Rain" performance, the '80s funk legend has announced he will hit the road with the New Power Generation for his first major arena tour in six years in support of his new CD, Musicology. To help hype the tour, Prince says the upcoming gigs may be the last time fans get to see him jam out some of the best-known hits live. That presumably means that tunes like "Little Red Corvette," "1999" "Purple Rain," When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy" could be shelved after the Musicology shows."It's older music, but it's going to be played in a newer way," says the 45-year-old musician, adding that he's been "wanting to make room for new music." The Musicology trek will kick off March 29 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles before crisscrossing the country with stops in at least 38 cities, including Atlanta, Dallas and Cleveland, as well as smaller markets like Ames, Iowa, and Oklahoma City, before wrapping up June 12 at the CenturyTel Center in Bossier, Louisiana. More dates expected to be added in the coming weeks, including stops in Chicago, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, Houston, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, Portland, Oregon, Seattle and San Francisco. Prince who's set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 16--is also offering an opportunity to see His Purpleness up close and personal. The stage will be set up in the round, something Prince hasn't done since his Lovesexy tour in the late 1980s. No word whether he'll reenact the bathtub scene for "Doves" as he had done in previous outings. Better bring your slicker just in case. The Artist Formerly Known as the Artist is also negotiating with several record labels to release Musicology--which will mark his first major-label release since the late-1990s. "We're talking to several labels at once," Prince says. Whichever company he ultimately goes with, he adds, will be the "most hyped about pushing the product." "Musicology is very important to us. [It] means that when we create music, we let it dictate our next moves in life," he says. That's a far cry from his days working under contract at Warner Bros. Records, when he was so unhappy about the terms of his deal that he used to scrawl "Slave" across his face during appearances. In a sign o' the times, Prince is also encouraging fans to download Musicology tracks via his NPG Music Club Website (www.npgmusicclub.com) in the coming weeks. He's also hyping the record with a scheduled appearance on the syndicated The Ellen DeGeneres Show on March 3. Prince also plans on giving out free copies of Musicology to everyone who buys a ticket to his shows, which he's hyping as one long dance party. "Usually the people who purchase concert tickets, they've been supportive of my music for a long time--for over 20 years now," he explains. Prince also notes that he and the NPG crew will do some festivals, including headlining the July 2-4 Essence Festival in New Orleans. The tour will also hit foreign markets. "We want to go around the world and probably go back again," says Prince. Tickets prices will range between $50 and $75 with a majority of the dates going on sale this weekend. Here's a rundown of the cities confirmed for his Musicology tour:

March 29: Staples Arena, Los Angeles
March 31: Glendale Arena, Phoenix
April 2: American Airlines Center, Dallas
April 6: Ford Center, Oklahoma City
April 7: Qwest Center, Omaha, Nebraska
April 8: Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa
April 10: Assembly Hall, Champaign, Illinois
April 12: Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
April 13: U.S. Banks Arena, Cincinnati
April 14: Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh
April 16: Value City Arena, Columbus Ohio
April 17: Gund Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
April 18: Bryce Jordan Center, State College, Pennsylvania
April 21: Colonial Center, Columbus, South Carolina
April 22: Thompson-Boiling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee
April 23: RBC Center, Raleigh, North Carolina
April 25: Office Depot Center, Ft. Lauderdale
April 26: St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa
April 27: Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Florida
April 29: BJCC Coliseum, Birmingham
April 30: Philips Arena, Atlanta
May 1: Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, Mississippi
May 4: Kemper Arena, Kansas City
May 5: Savvis Center, St. Louis
May 6: Gaylord Entertainment Denter, Nashville
June 12: CenturyTel Center, Bossier City, Lousiana

Maybe we should start calling him the Artist Formerly Known as the Artist Who Hates Contracts. Prince has over the years tossed aside his name, the symbol replacing his name, his recording contracts and a marriage all to sever himself from those earthly ties that bind. Has he suddenly had a change of heart? According to several reports, the reclusive rocker has secretly married a former employee 18 years his junior and bought a house for them in Toronto. Despite ending his three-year marriage to dancer Mayte Garcia because he said he did not believe in the "social conventions" of a marriage contract, Prince reportedly tied the knot on New Year's Eve with Manuela Testolini, a 25-year-old Canadian from Toronto who used to work at Prince's Paisley Park Studios outside Minneapolis. The two purportedly got married on the sly in a small Jehovah's Witness ceremony in Hawaii. Flying even further from his previous condemnations of business formalities, the couple has, according to Toronto's National Post, purchased a $3.5 million mansion in one of the city's richest neighborhoods. Prince's bride has a new home on the Bridle Path. Land registry records uncovered by the newspaper indicate the sprawling, secluded home was bought by a company called Gamillah Holdings, whose president just happens to be Testolini. While it doesn't appear that Prince is ready to abandon his headquarters at Paisley Park, the alleged new home does have its advantages. The estate lies on a quiet, curving street called the Bridle Path, which gives the area its name. Dotted by huge mansions and towering trees, the area is a short drive from downtown Toronto and is a preferred neighborhood for the city's corporate elite. Prince's spokeswoman, Jessica Brenner of Susan Blond Inc., could not confirm the reports of his marriage and house-hunting. "He doesn't tell me anything personally related," she says. If the reports are true, this would mark the second marriage for the eccentric 43-year-old rocker, whose full name is Prince Roger Nelson. He and Garcia married in 1996 and dissolved their union in 1998 in what he called a symbolic gesture. ("Mayte and I are joined for life," he said at the time, "and the best way to demonstrate it is to do away with the legal bonds that people demand.") Following a re-commitment ceremony in 1999, it is believed they split for good in 2000 (about the same time Prince went back to using his name)--although reps for the fiercely private singer wouldn't confirm it. During their union, they had a son who died soon after birth of a rare bone disorder. As for Prince's latest coupling, there is no word on when he and Testolini might take up residence in Toronto. The Post reports renovation work is underway and Gamillah Holdings, after handing over a down payment of about $900,000, has been making its mortgage payments since January 1. If and when he heads north, Prince will join a number of well-known Americans who have taken up residence in and around Toronto. They include: Lucy Johnson, the daughter of former U.S. president Lyndon Johnson, and cottagers Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn.

It turns out Michael Jackson isn't guilty of copyright infringement, that is. A federal judge has removed the embattled pop star from defendant status in a seven-year-old lawsuit involving an early compilation album of Jackson 5 songs. The album, Pre-History: The Lost Steeltown Recordings, credits two songs to the Jackson 5 that were actually written and recorded by the 1960s band Ripples & Waves. Record producer Gordon Keith and members of Ripples & Waves sued the sibling boy band for misrepresenting the music as their own. Jackson brothers Tito, Marlon, Jackie and Jermaine reached a confidential out-of-court settlement back in December, but Michael did not take part. Court records show that he later reached settlements with members of the band, but not with Keith. The process of testifying in the copyright suit proved to be a difficult task for Jackson. Last May, he traveled to Indianapolis to answer questions about Pre-History, but collapsed from an anxiety attack before taking the stand. He returned in June to complete his testimony, while his lawyer, Brian Oxman, explained away the bizarre behavior by explaining that his client simply didn't like lawsuits. It seems all that excruciating testifying business was worth it in the end. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Philip Simon ruled that Michael Jackson (news) had nothing to do with the release of the compilation album, and cleared him of any liability to Keith, the only plaintiff left in the case. "Jackson has testified that he had no involvement in the production or release of the album, that he did not select or approve of the songs on the album [and] that he did not receive any royalties from the album," Simon wrote in his statement. Not that there were many royalties to receive--according to Nielsen SoundScan, Pre-History only sold 6,000 copies. Keith said he was not surprised by the ruling. "When you're up against might and money, the small guy loses out," he told the Indiana Post-Tribune. "I'm sorry we lost out. But at the same time, I'm sorry this came about in the first place." Meanwhile, the ruling leaves Jackson free to concern himself with other legal matters at hand. Jackson stands charged with seven counts of child molestation, plus two counts of administering an intoxicating agent to a minor. He has pleaded innocent to all the charges against him. The entertainer remains free on $3 million bail. If convicted of all charges, he faces more than 20 years in prison.

Michael Jackson was pulled over by police and asked to identify himself after shopping at a Wal-Mart while wearing a ski mask.An employee called police Tuesday, police Lt. Bill Kimminau said. The employee gave a description of the vehicle and Jackson was stopped a short time later. Authorities asked Jackson to identify himself, which he did by removing his mask."There were no problems, and that was it," Kimminau said. Jackson spokeswoman Raymone Bain said the incident was a trifle."The police car pulled to the side and just asked that he show his face, and he did, and that was it," Bain said. "There was no altercation or any kind of encounter."The singer is known to wear disguises when in public.Jackson is staying at a 56-acre ranch in Old Snowmass while vacationing with his children. He has been keeping a relatively low profile, but has been spotted at several shops in nearby Aspen. He is facing child molestation charges in California. His visit was announced in a press release Bain issued Feb. 20 to address rumors the 45-year-old singer had checked himself into a drug rehabilitation facility. "Michael's children indicated to him a few days ago that they'd like to see and play in the snow," Bain said. "Mr. Jackson was enjoying his getaway until ... someone deliberately and viciously began reaching out to media organizations with this claim." Bain also released a statement from Jackson that said: "I am appalled. Let me state for the record that I have not checked myself into any rehabilitation center in Aspen, Colorado; I am here for a few days with my children. I am outraged by these constant rumors."

Prosecutors dropped seven of 21 charges against R&B singer R. Kelly in his child pornography case, in what they described as a routine pretrial move.Kelly was arrested in June 2002 after a videotape surfaced allegedly showing him having sex with an underage girl. He remains charged with 14 counts of child pornography, and has pleaded innocent.The seven counts dropped involved charges of soliciting a minor to appear in child pornography, said Jerry Lawrence, spokesman for the Cook County state's attorney's office."It's a matter of course in cases like this that we'd drop charges right before trial," Lawrence said Friday.At a December court hearing, defense lawyer Edward Genson had moved to dismiss those counts, arguing the statute Kelly supposedly violated was enacted after the tape allegedly was shot. A statement released Friday by the public relations firm that represents Kelly called the decision to drop the seven charges "the first official acknowledgment of the weakness of their case." Genson said he had no comment.No trial date has been set. The next hearing is April 2. Kelly, whose first name is Robert, also has been charged with child pornography in Florida. The 37-year-old singer is known for hits ranging from the Grammy-winning "I Believe I Can Fly" to sexually charged material such as "Ignition," off his recent double-platinum album, "Chocolate Factory."

Could it be that Grammy-licious Beyonce Knowles won't end up being Mrs. Jay Z after all? RWDmag.com reports that, despite Jay-Z telling Lyor Cohen at his recent farewell bash that he planned to marry Beyonce. She claims that she has no immediate plans to walk down the aisle and has no idea who her ideal man is. The pair have been dating since singing together on the track titled "03 Bonnie & Clyde" in 2002, although both have always refused to publicly comment on their relationship. Jay-Z made the surprise announcement of his plans to marry Beyonce at a January 28 record company party, during a speech directed at the then-departing Def Jam boss Lyon Cohen, saying, quote, "You've been one of the best friends I could have had ... Apart from this woman beside me, who I love and who I will marry very soon."

It seems every little step Bobby Brown takes these days leads him back to the big house.A judge in DeKalb County, Georgia, on Friday ordered the R&B bad boy locked up for 60 days for violating the terms of his probation stemming from his conviction on a 1996 drunken driving charge.State Court Judge Wayne Purdom, who has probably seen more of Brown than most of his fans at this point, could've given the singer a full four months in the pen but opted for two after the former King of New Jack Swing presented evidence showing he had undergone counseling, paid $105 in supervision fees and completed 240 hours of community service. "Since you did complete most of the original conditions, I don't feel obliged to sentence you to 120 days," Purdom told the singer. According to DeKalb District Attorney spokeswoman Courtney Johnson, Brown "will serve the 60 days and the only other condition he will have is he won't be able to drive for 60 days after his release and not have any traffic violations." In January 2003, Brown, 35, pleaded guilty to a slew of charges dating back to 1996, including driving under the influence, failing to show proof of insurance, speeding and failing to maintain a lane while driving. He was subsequently sentenced to two years' probation and an eight-day jail term. Brown landed back behind bars Feb. 20 and had been held without bond until Friday's sentencing hearing after authorities learned he had failed to live up to the terms Purdom had set for him. According to Johnson, Brown's lapses included failure to report to a probation officer, to pay a supervision fee of $35 a month, to undergo treatment for substance abuse, to enroll and complete 60 days of house arrest and to submit to random drug tests. Purdom made no mention in Friday's hearing of the December domestic spat between Brown and wife Whitney Houston (news), in which he was arrested and charged for allegedly hitting her. Houston, who was cut and bruised during the altercation, said she preferred to work out the matter privately and Brown issued a public apology, but authorities still charged Brown with battery. A preliminary hearing in that case is scheduled for May 5. Prosecutors brought the incident to light at a hearing last Friday, but Purdom didn't say whether it played a role in his ultimate sentencing. Meanwhile, Houston was MIA for the hearing. She usually shows up to support him during his myriad legal hassles. The one bright spot for Brown is that his lawyer, Maurice Bennett, did manage to get the singer credit for the seven days he's already spent in jail. Bennett could not immediately be reached for comment as of press time. If Brown keeps on his best behavior for the next four months, he can petition to have the remainder of his probation suspended, says Johnson. Otherwise, his probation on the DUI charges is scheduled to end on Feb. 17, 2005.

B2K's remaining members Raz-B, J-Boog, and Lil Fizz recently cleared the air by stating that the group had no plans to replace former group member Omarion and that they would move forward as a trio if necessary. J-Boog told MTV.com, "I hollered at O (Omarion). We talking. At first we was all mad. But what's mad going to get you? Hey, I'll talk to you. I'll slap five 'cause it comes down to business anyway. We can hug all day, but that don't mean I'm going to mess with you on the business side. O can be managed by Chris (Stokes), we manage ourselves, get all the contracts right, we can do B2K again." Raz-B added, "I just want to finish all this legal stuff so I can show my boy O maybe he can see the light and be with the crew again. If not, we'll continue to keep moving." The group is also planning to hit the road this summer after passing on the opportunity to make up missed tour dates with Omarion last month. Raz-B said, "We're getting ready to go back on the road this summer, probably with Bow Wow. It's gonna be interesting. Everybody's gonna come out and see if we still got it, if it was a one-man or four-man group. But the talent is here." B2K is also working on a new album tentatively titled B2K Presents J-Boog, Raz-B and Lil Fizz.

Not a bad birthday present for someone who turns 48 this week: Teena Marie returns to Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks after an absence of almost 13 years. Her "Still in Love" (featuring Baby) is the first title on the Cash Money Classics imprint to appear on this survey and is Teena Marie's first chart entry since the spring of 1991, when "Just Us Two" peaked at No. 42. With "Still in Love" opening at No. 70, Teena Marie's chart span stretches to 24 years, nine months and three weeks, counting back to the debut of "I'm a Sucker for Your Love" in May 1979. Her biggest R&B hit to date is "Ooo La La La," which was No. 1 on that chart for one week in April 1988. If "Still in Love" can find its way to the Billboard Hot 100, it will be Teena Marie's first appearance on that tally in 16 years, since "Ooo La La La" peaked at No. 85. "Lovergirl," which reached No. 4 in 1985, remains Teena Marie's biggest Hot 100 hit.

Limp Bizkit's remake of the Who's "Behind Blue Eyes" is a new entry on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 72. The original peaked at No. 34 in 1971. "Behind Blue Eyes" was written by the Who's Pete Townshend (news). This is his first writing credit on the Hot 100 since his record "Face the Face" peaked at No. 26 in January 1986. The charting of Limp Bizkit's "Behind Blue Eyes" marks only the second time a cover of a Who song that appeared on the Hot 100 has returned to the chart. The other Who remake to chart was the New Seekers' medley of "Pinball Wizard/See Me, Feel Me," which went to No. 29 in 1973.

Elton John and Rod Stewart both received airplay on their respective remakes of "Pinball Wizard," but neither released the song on a commercial single, so neither version charted on the Hot 100.

J-Kwon holds at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 with his first chart entry, "Tipsy" (So So Def/Arista). "Tipsy" will have to move up at least five places to tie the No. 3 peak position of "Topsy," a 1958 hit for Cozy Cole.

Songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David have generated plenty of chart news this year, with a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 ("Slow Jamz" by Twista Featuring Kanye West & Jamie Foxx ), a Modern Rock Tracks hit ("I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself" by the White Stripes) and a Club Play hit on the dance chart ("Walk On By" by Cyndi Lauper). But there's more. Bacharach and David have the title song on Steve Tyrell (news)'s "This Guy's in Love" (Columbia), which is No. 3 on Top Jazz Albums. And while "Here I Am: Isley Meets Bacharach" falls off Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums this week, it is likely to return, given that its remake of the Dusty Springfield hit "The Look of Love" is starting to garner airplay.

Previews of the Broadway revival of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun starring Sean "P. Diddy" Combs as Walter Lee are less than a month away, but insiders tell Page Six of the New York Post that the rapper has yet to read the script. "He thinks it will be easy to remember and is too busy right now," a production source tells the gossip column. The show's producers are so worried about Combs' that they've cast his understudy very carefully. "Puffy signed on for a 15-week run," notes the source, "but it's eight performances a week. Not many professional actors can handle that, much less Puffy." Representative for the show was contacted by Page Six and simply said, "That is not true."

A special Physician and friend of NetWeb Records passed away of a heart attack Dr. Alfred L. Goldson,M.D., FACR. Professor and Chairman, Department of Radiation Oncology of Howard University Hospital....Our Love To His Family...You Will Be Missed.

Norah Jones ' "Feels Like Home," the follow-up to her multiplatinum, Grammy-winning debut album, has sold over 1 million copies in its first week, the highest sales debut for an album since 2001.No act has posted more than 1 million in sales since 'N Sync sold 1.9 million copies of "Celebrity" in the summer of 2001. "Feels Like Home" was released Feb. 10, and for the week ending Sunday, it sold 1,022,149 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. "This is the kind of achievement that one can only expect from a truly original, extraordinary artist like Norah," Bruce Lundvall, head of Blue Note Records, Jones' label, said Wednesday. "It's not very often that an artist can span so many genres and enjoy such broad appeal. But that's what happens when the music is this good." Jones' first album, "Come Away With Me," was a surprise hit when it was released in 2002. The album of folky jazz tunes wasn't expected to sell 100,000, but has now sold more than 8 million copies. It also won eight Grammys last year, including album of the year.It continues to be a strong seller, and actually rose in sales, from about 43,000 in the previous week to 80,000 for the week ending Sunday. Jones' platinum debut eclipsed a strong debut from rapper Kanye West, whose acclaimed "College Dropout" sold about 441,000 copies. The Jones record and the Grammys sent more people into record stores: Nielsen SoundScan reported it was the biggest selling week outside of a holiday season week since it began tracking sales in 1991. More than 17 million albums were sold last week, Nielsen SoundScan said. Plenty of Grammy-winning artists enjoyed a spike in sales. OutKast's "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below," which won album of the year at the Feb. 8 ceremony, sold 275,000 compared with 111,000 a week earlier; Beyonce, who won the most trophies at five, sold 99,000 copies of "Dangerously in Love," up from 49,000 a week earlier. Luther Vandross ' "Dance With My Father," the winner of four Grammys, including song of the year for the title track, sold 58,000, up from 20,000.

A travel agent sued Michael Jackson on Wednesday, claiming the pop star failed to pay her $18,000 for the infamous charter jet flight that brought him from Las Vegas to Santa Barbara where he surrendered to authorities on child molestation charges.The lawsuit adds to the litigation swirling around the flight. Jackson's defense team is suing the jet's owner, alleging that cameras were covertly installed on the aircraft, and that Jackson and his lead lawyer were secretly videotaped during the flight.Cynthia Montgomery, who has handled Jackson's travel arrangements for three years, said in her lawsuit that their practice was for her to pay for charter air travel in advance and be reimbursed by Jackson.The lawsuit seeks $50,000 in damages stemming from the alleged failure to pay for use of the jet, which was chartered from XtraJet of suburban Santa Monica.Montgomery's lawyer, Robert T. Moore II, said he has been trying to negotiate payment with Jackson's attorneys but has gotten nowhere. "They told us in so many words that we're not going to get paid," Moore said. He said Montgomery had to pay for the plane up front because "Michael Jackson is kind of a slow pay and XtraJet would not deliver the jet without payment up front." Jackson's attorney, Mark Geragos, and his brother, lawyer Matthew Geragos — who has been negotiating with Moore — did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment Wednesday. The Nov. 20 flight from Nevada to Santa Barbara Municipal Airport created earlier controversy when it was discovered that someone had secretly videotaped Jackson and Mark Geragos during the flight. In a lawsuit filed in November against XtraJet, Geragos claimed that the charter company covertly installed two cameras in the plane's cabin. Jackson's attorneys won a temporary restraining order against XtraJet, barring any release of the tapes.

In her first public appearance since her breast was exposed during the Super Bowl halftime show, Janet Jackson received an award for her humanitarian and charitable contributions.Behind the Bench, an association of wives of NBA players, honored Jackson at their annual fund-raiser Friday at the Beverly Hills Hotel."She has done a wonderful job giving back to communities across America. That fact has not changed," Behind the Bench spokesman Vince McCaskill said. "She was on board with this seven months ago. We never even considered her not being here."Jackson had not appeared in public since singer Justin Timberlake tore off part of her costume, exposing her breast, during a performance in front of some 90 million television viewers. The stunt prompted a Federal Communications Commission investigation, and Jackson released a videotaped apology. Timberlake also apologized.Behind the Bench, formed in 1995, has raised nearly $1 million for charities in Los Angeles, the host city of this year's NBA All-Star game.Previous award recipients include Hank Aaron, Muhammad Ali, Dorothy Height, Alonzo Mourning and David Robinson.

The former drummer for heavy metal band Judas Priest was jailed Friday for eight years for the attempted rape of a 17-year-old boy whom he was giving drum lessons.David Holland was convicted last month of one charge of attempted rape and five counts of indecent assault on the teenager, who has learning difficulties, at the drummer's rural English home in 2002.Sentencing Holland in Northampton Crown Court, Judge Charles Wide said the drummer had planned the abuse and must never again be allowed to work with children. Holland, 55, denied the charges.Wide said Holland had misrepresented himself to the boy's parents as a beneficial influence and won favor with the teenager by giving him cigarettes, alcohol and pornography.Holland joined Judas Priest in 1979 and stayed for a decade, through its most successful period. The hard-rocking British band churned out a string of heavy-metal classics, including "You've Got Another Thing Coming," "Living After Midnight" and "Hell Bent for Leather

."You know when OutKast's Andre 3000 hopped around onstage at the Grammys in front of a bright-green tepee--his backup dancers (barely) clothed in feathered headbands and matching fringed hot pants--and you thought to yourself, "Ooh, somebody is not going to like this"? Well, somebody didn't like it.As CBS' corporate boss got chewed out Wednesday in Washington, D.C., for airing Janet Jackson's bare right breast during the Super Bowl, the San Francisco-based Native American Cultural Center called for a boycott of the network for airing OutKast's "racist" "Hey Ya!" production number during the Grammys ."We're not attacking OutKast as artists," the group's chairman Andrew Brother Elk said Wednesday, "They can go out and make fools of themselves if they want to, but we are going to question the commercialization of our symbols."Specifically, the group is taking issue with the "fake tepee," the headdresses, the braided wigs and the "war paint" as smeared on the faces of the University of Southern California marching band, whose members also took part in the number.Brother Elk cited the use of feathers, sacred symbols of Native Americans, as a particular abuse. He said he understood if a majority of Grammy viewers missed the distinction."If people were wearing yarmulkes and the Hasidic dress and bumping and grinding, we would see that as ridiculous, but for some reason we don't see what OutKast did as ridiculous," Brother Elk said.The group is questioning why under-fire CBS didn't see the routine as "ridiculous," or worse."Our point is: How could no one...say, 'This is not entertainment, this is racism?' " Brother Elk said.The Native American Cultural Center has called for a boycott of CBS, the Grammy organizers at the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences and OutKast's label, Arista Records.In reports published Tuesday, a CBS spokesperson was quoted as saying the network was "very sorry if anyone was offended." There has been no word on the subject from the Recording Academy or Arista.CBS' apology, which was not formally extended to Brother Elk's group, wasn't good enough anyway, he said. He wants one directly from CBS CEO Les Moonves.Moonves is a man with a lot on his plate these days--not much of it good.On Wednesday, Moonves' boss, Viacom President Mel Karmazin, apologized to Congress for Jackson's breast and pledged to make live TV a little less live in order to prevent further bust-outs.Earlier, Federal Communications Chairman Michael Powell testified the Jackson affair was "just the latest example in a growing list of deplorable incidents over the nation's airwaves."Brother Elk's group is looking to add OutKast's Grammy performance to that tally. He said he has lodged a formal complaint with the FCC . No word from the commission Wednesday on its status.And there was a blanket "no comment" Wednesday from the office of the Tennessee attorney who helped a woman file, and withdraw, a class-action lawsuit against Jackson and Justin Timberlake , et al., over their Super Bowl display. In dropping the suit, the egregiously offended woman vowed to monitor CBS and see if it was serious about changing its ways.OutKast won three Grammys, including Album of the Year (Speakerboxx/The Love Below), on Sunday's CBS telecast.The duo is up for a leading six awards at next month's 35th annual NAACP Image Awards--unless the Native American Cultural Center gets its way. Brother Elk said he's calling on the NAACP to drop OutKast from its roster of potential honorees.A NAACP spokesman said he wasn't yet familiar with the complaint, but noted that no nominee had ever been nixed from the show. In addition to OutKast, this year's contenders include the under-indictment R. Kelly.Janet Jackson , meanwhile, steered clear of the Grammys and is steering clear of this latest broadcast controversy."If there's anything demeaning with what happened at the Super Bowl it demeaned only Janet Jackson," Brother Elk said. "In the case of the Grammys, the performance demeaned a whole group of people."

A lawsuit alleging that Madonna and her director-husband, Guy Ritchie , stole the idea for the 2002 film remake of "Swept Away" will go to court May 4. In the suit, self-described singer, songwriter, director and actor Vincent D'Onofrio alleges Madonna and Ritchie took his idea for a remake of the 1975 Italian comedy and then cut him out of the credits and compensation.The movie, directed by Ritchie, stars Madonna as a wealthy woman stranded on a desert island with a sailor. It bombed at the box office and was panned by critics. D'Onofrio sued Madonna, Ritchie and Sony Pictures in Superior Court in October 2002, claiming he pitched the idea to Madonna in April 1997 and had several meetings with her and Ritchie. Attorneys for Madonna and Ritchie have said D'Onofrio does not have proof of a contract with the female singer or Sony. D'Onofrio's attorney said he would seek $10 million in damages. D'Onofrio is not the actor of the same name who portrays Detective Bobby Goren on NBC's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."

Singer Dionne Warwick has defended Michael Jackson , calling his child molestation case a "complete injustice."I've watched him grow to become the icon that he is, and I wouldn't even consider believing the claims against him," the 63-year-old Warwick said at a press conference Tuesday.Jackson has pleaded innocent to seven counts of performing lewd or lascivious acts on a child under 14 and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent, reportedly wine, to get the boy to comply. He is free on $3 million bail. "I think it's a complete injustice, the way it's (the trial) being done," Warwick said. The Grammy-winning singer is scheduled to perform a concert in Singapore on Thursday. She canceled a performance in mid-2003 because of the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS .Warwick's hits include "That's What Friends Are For," "I Say a Little Prayer," Walk on By" and "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" The U.S. Embassy here said Warwick has been presented an American Honor Citizen Award for her work to raise funds for AIDS awareness and research worldwide and for promoting American music around the world.

Prince and the NPG played an hour long instrumental set Monday (August 18) at B.B. Kings Blues Club in Los Angeles, following a screening of the artist's DVD, Prince Live At The Aladin Las Vegas, released Tuesday (August 19) on NPG Music Club/Hip-O Records. Taking the stage at 10:30 p.m., dressed in a purple double-breasted suit and white shirt, the rock-fueled R&B act didn't say a word to the crowd as he and his band ripped through a funk heavy jam session including few of his staple hits. However, when the band played a New Orleans inspired version of "When The Saints Go Marching In," the animated audience sang the lyrics. The preview of 80-minute DVD began at 8 p.m. at the Loews Cineplex Odeon Universal Citywalk. Joined by Sheila E., Maceo Parker, and Nikka Costa, Prince and the NPG didn't perform his massive pop hits of the '80s, "Little Red Corvette," "When Doves Cry," or "Let's Go Crazy." Instead the set list included the likes of newer lesser-known tracks, plus mid-'80s picks, "Pop Life," "Take Me With U," "Sometimes It Snows In April," and "Strange Relationships," from his albums, Around The World In A Day, Purple Reign, Parade, and Sign O' The Times. Prince also included surprise covers of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love," as well as the JB's "Pass The Peas" and Nikka Costa's "Push & Pull." Parker and Costa joined Prince and the NPG for their respective tracks. Some 150 NPG Music Club contest winners attended both the screening and exclusive performance. Longtime Prince supporters, Morris Day, Costa, and No Doubt member Tony Kanal, attended the festivities, but did not join Prince on stage.

Beyonce with her multi-platinum Columbia solo debut, "Dangerously in Love," entrenched in the top-10 of The Billboard 200 and the single "Baby Boy" climbing the Hot 100, Beyoncé Knowles is already planning her next set. The artist says she will release a new album in February, featuring tracks that didn't make the cut for "Dangerously in Love."

As if their open-mouth kiss on the MTV Video Music Awards wasn't enough, Britney Spears and Madonna have teamed up on the first single from Spears' new album,"Me Against the Music," which Spears debuted earlier this month at the NFL kick-off concert in Washington, D.C., will be submitted Sept. 30 to U.S. radio outlets for airplay consideration. A video for the cut premieres Oct. 13 on MTV.

The parents of R&B singer and actress Aaliyah have reached an undisclosed settlement in a negligence lawsuit over her death in a 2001 plane crash, family attorneys said. A chartered Cessna 402B carrying Aaliyah and eight others crashed shortly after takeoff on a flight from Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas to the Miami suburb of Opa-locka. Investigators believed the plane was 700 pounds overloaded.

Paul McCartney has begun work on his next Warner Bros. studio album, he told fans yesterday (Sept. 18) during a cyberchat on MSN. "I'm taking it really easy and not in any hurry to get it finished -- particularly with our new arrival on the way," he said, referring to his upcoming baby with wife Heather Mills

R. Kelly and Bryan "Baby" Williams are teaming up to produce Best Of Both Worlds 2. Although no release date is set, the album will include an all-star line up. "Baby" told AllHipHop.com, "It's still early in the recording process. It's gonna come out on Cash Money and his (Kelly's) label, Rockland. So far it's just his folks and our folks." In addition to the R. Kelly collaboration, "Baby" said that Cash Money is preparing to release albums from Lil Wayne, the Big Tymers and Juvenile. The upcoming album marks Kelly's second attempt to record a collaboration with a rapper, his first was Best Of Both Worlds in early 2002 with Jay-Z. It was released around the time that Kelly was accused of taping sexual acts with an underage girl.

Sony Music chairman and chief executive Tommy Mottola, who was responsible for building the careers of Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and other superstars, announced Thursday he was leaving the company to start his own music label.The departure ends Mottola's 14-year tenure at Sony, though the new label is being created in partnership with Sony. Mottola joined the company back when it was CBS Records in 1987. Sony is letting him out of his contract two years early."I have been thinking about taking up this new challenge for about a year, and really made the decision to go forward only recently," Mottola said. "I am thrilled that I will continue my long-standing relationship with Sony to create a company that I believe will become a blueprint for the music business in the coming years."There is no name yet for Mottola's new company, but it will be a partnership with Sony Music. A replacement for Mottola is expected to be named within the next few days, Sony said."With all of the changes in the music industry, Tommy felt it was important to him that he return to his great passion for label and artist development," said Nobuyuki Idei, Sony Corp's chairman and CEO."We deeply appreciate all that he has done to extend Sony's presence around the world, and we look forward to working with him in the future." Sony enjoyed several high-profile, mulitplatinum hits from acts including Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Lopez , Dion and the Dixie Chicks last year; it garnered numerous Grammy nominations on Tuesday, including several in the major categories.But Sony is third among the five major music labels in terms of market share; it had 15.24 percent of the albums market in 2002, a dip from 15.83 percent in 2001.Last year, Mottola also was involved in an embarrassing feud with one of Sony's biggest stars, Michael Jackson,. Jackson, disappointed with below-average sales and a perceived lack of promotion for his album, "Invincible," publicly accused Mottola of being a racist. Several black industry executives spoke in Mottola's defense.Among Mottola's biggest successes was Mariah Carey; he signed the unknown when he was president of Columbia Records. Carey made her debut in 1990 and went on to sell more than 50 million albums in her career. Carey and Mottola wed in 1993 and split up after four years. She left Columbia in 2001, expressing dissatisfaction with the promotion of her music there. Another artist who benefited from Mottola's marketing skill was Jennifer Lopez, who was known as an actress and dancer but not a singer when she was signed to Epic Records by Mottola. All of her releases have sold at least 1 million copies. In recent months, Mottola had embarked on marketing strategies to link its superstars with brands to boost sales. For example, Dion will soon be featured in ads for Chrysler; Destiny's Child lead singer Beyonce Knowles is the new pitchwoman for Pepsi.

Reports have surfaced that Sean "P. Diddy" Combs is bringing his Bad Boy Entertainment imprint to Elektra Records, headed by Sylvia Rhone, for an estimated $10 million. The amount is substantially lower than the $100 million he was initially demanding from potential distributors.However, a Combs spokesperson has released the following statement: "The story is totally inaccurate. Bad Boy is in serious negotiations with several companies for a deal significantly larger than the rumored amount. Once we have a signed deal, Bad Boy will be issuing a press release.Elektra's urban roster currently includes Lil' Mo, Fabolous, Angie Martinez, Missy Elliott, Tweet, Ray Benzino, nd Knoc-Turn'Al.Combs and his previous distributor Arista Records parted ways in 2002, and Combs was able to retain ownership of his catalogue, which includes multiplatinum hits from the late Notorious B.I.G., Mase, and 112.Wherever Combs ends up, he has new albums from Carl Thomas, Dream, Loon, and Cheri Dennis slated for release this year.

Jermaine Dupri recently confirmed that he is dating Janet Jackson. Reports circulated several months ago saying that the pair was dating, but then Jackson had also been linked to Justin Timberlake. In the latest issue of Honey magazine, Dupri shares that he and Jackson are a couple, and he explains exactly how special Jackson makes him feel, saying, "I love being around her! When I'm with her I don't think about anything else. She's a very beautiful person.Dupri, who was recently named president of black music at Arista Records, has also moved his So So Def Recordings over from Columbia Records to Arista. Following the changeover, So So Def artists Jagged Edge and Bow Wow will remain with Columbia, while Da Brat, Fundisha, and Dupri's new acts will be distributed by Arista.Calls to Arista for comment were not returned by press time.

Erykah Badu and Common aren't shy about sharing the details of their love affair with the press. The artists steam up the cover of the February issue of Essence, and the magazine features an interview with the couple. Topics discussed include how they met, whether their children get along, their fears, how they feel about marriage, and the "important work" the couple is planning.Common shared how and when he met Badu, explaining, "Back in 1996, when I heard Erykah's first single, 'On And On,' I knew I wanted to work with her. So a friend of mine gave me her number. I called, and our conversation that day, how I can say it? It was long and warm. I felt as though our spirits had known each other before.Badu addressed the question of whether or not a marriage is in the works by saying, "I don't know what the future has for us, really. Our relationship is much bigger than being boyfriend and girlfriend, wife and husband. I believe that we have some very important work to do together as people."