Axl Rose was released from a jail in Stockholm, Sweden, on
Tuesday for allegedly biting a hotel security guard in the leg while intoxicated. Rose reportedly admitted to the
charges, agreed to pay a $5,500 fine and pay the guard $1,360 in damages. Rose dedicated "Patience" to
the "rent-a-cop" the next night during his performance in Oslo.
The former girlfriend of Kiss' Gene Simmons has settled her slander lawsuit with the bassist over her portrayal
as a "sex-addicted nymphomaniac" during a VH1 rockumentary about the band. A joint statement was released
saying they reached an "amicable resolution", that Georgeann Walsh Ward received no money from Simmons
and acknowledged that Simmons had not role in putting the show together.
According to his spokeswoman Raymone K. Bain, Michael Jackson is shopping for a home in Europe. He hopes to make
Europe his principal residence and travel back and forth to Bahrain. Bain will be taking over as general manager
of Michael Jackson Co. which oversees Jackson's business affairs. Jackson is planning to restart his career in
Europe with the release of his new album next year.
Bruce Willis recently filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against a paparazzo for defamation, claiming
the photographer fabricated a story about being assaulted by Willis outside a West Hollywood restaurant.
According to Tom Petty's interview with Rolling Stone magazine, the singer doesn't plan on pursuing legal action
over the similarity of his song, "Mary Jane's Last Dance," to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Dani California."
CBS was reportedly sent a cease-and-desist letter from Orange County punk act Supernova over the use of their band
name in their second season of Rock Star debuting on Wednesday.
LL Cool J was presented the "golden note award" and Bill Withers was honored with the "rhythm &
soul heritage award" during the 19th annual ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards last week.
Merle Haggard is scheduled to receive the BMI Icon award at the BMI 54th annual country awards on Nov. 4th in Nashville,
Tennessee. The award is given to BMI songwriters and artists who have had "a unique and indelible influence
on generations of music makers." Haggard has previously earned 58 BMI Awards.
Prince was named Best Male R&B Artist at the 2006 BET Awards and closed the show with a performance of "3121",
the title-track to his current album. Chaka Khan received the BET Lifetime Achievement Award and Harry Belafonte
was given the BET Humanitarian Award at the event.
Tina Turner has confirmed that she is working on the theme song for the upcoming James Bond film Casino Royale.
Garth Brooks' exclusive deal with Wal-Mart will see the release of another project slated for early December. More
details on this item are expected in the next few months.
Incubus, Shirley Manson, Kings Of Leon and Iggy Pop will be special guests performing at the next episode of VH1's
Decades Rock Live series honoring the Pretenders. The concert will be broadcast in early autumn.
Eagle Rock Entertainment have plans to release: the Pixies DVD - Acoustic: Live In Newport, the Steve Earle DVD
- Live At Montreux 2005, the James Brown CD & DVD - Live At Montreux 1981, the Suzanne Vega CD & DVD -
Live At Montreux 2004 and the various artists DVD - MusiCares Presents A Tribute To Brian Wilson on Aug. 22nd.
The Who have launched TheWhoLive.tv which will make downloads available of their performance in London on Sunday
at Hyde Park with proceeds going to Pete Townshend's Double O charity.
Depeche Mode will release a 3-disc set entitled Touring The Angel: Live In Milan on Sept. 25th containing a live
audio CD and two DVDs containing the full-length live show and exclusive extras.
A new 21-track compilation of Buck Owens' #1 country hits, The Ultimate Collection, will be released on Aug. 1st.
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has confirmed that healing Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards will star in the
third Pirates Of The Caribbean film as Jack Sparrow's father.
The Jesus And Mary Chain will see their 5 Warner Bros. albums (1985's Psychocandy, 1987's Darklands, 1989's Automatic,
1992's Honey's Dead and 1994's Stoned & Dethroned) as remastered DualDiscs on July 11th via Rhino Records.
An exclusive version of Morrissey's new single, "The Youngest Was The Most Loved," has been made available
for download at iTunes. The single includes 3 unreleased tracks ("A Song From Under The Floorboards,"
"Ganglord" and "If You Don't Like Me, Don't Look At Me") as well as 3 live versions of the
single.
A Robert Plant 9-CD box set covering his solo years will be released via Rhino Records on Sept. 12th under the
title Nine Lives. Included in the set will be a single DVD with videos, performance footage, his Rock & Roll
Hall Of Fame induction and more.
Wet Wet Wet vocalist Marti Pellow is expected to release his new studio album, Moonlight Over Memphis, in September.
Vince Gill is planning to release a 43-track 4-CD box set of new material entitled, These Days, on Oct. 17th. The
music will range from traditional country to rock to bluegrass and jazz featuring guest performers including Phil
Everly, Bonnie Raitt, Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, Michael McDonald and wife Amy Grant among others.
Big Black's original trio of Steve Albini, Santiago Durango and Jeff Pezzati have plans to reunite briefly for
Touch and Go's 25th Anniversary Celebration on Sept. 8th to 10th.
Poison plans to reissue remastered versions of their first 3 albums (1986's Look What The Cat Dragged In, 1988's
Open Up And Say...Ahh! and 1990's Flesh & Blood) as 20th Anniversary Edition CD packages featuring rare and
unreleased bonus tracks.
THINKFilm Home Entertainment will release the Beastie Boy's audience-filmed first-ever concert music DVD, Awesome:
I F****n' Shot That!, on July 25th.
Los Lonely Boys have recorded a song called "Outlaws" with Willie Nelson for their new studio album,
Sacred, due out July 18th. Meanwhile, Nelson will re-launch XM Satellite Radio's Hank's Place on July 10th as Willie's
Place. The new traditional country station will eventually broadcast from a new studio to be built next year in
Nelson's biodiesel truck stop in Carl's Corner, Texas.
Reworked, remastered and expanded versions of Heaven 17's albums (1981's Penthouse And Pavement, 1983's The Luxury
Gap and 1984's How Men Are) will be released in the U.K. on Aug. 7th.
Twisted Sister's final album, A Twisted Christmas, will be released via Razor & Tie Records on Oct. 17th and
contain their versions of holiday classics.
Venom will release an expanded edition of their 1997 album, Cast In Stone, on July 18th via Sanctuary Records.
The album will include a bonus disc (as did the original) of re-recorded classic Venom tracks with the new addition
of 5 songs from a rare 1996 mini album.
Seattle's Nevermore plan to film their first-ever DVD during a performance at the Zeche Club in Bochum, Germany,
on Sept. 12th. Nevermore is comprised of several former members of Sanctuary.