May 30, 2007

Fantasia Is Off To The Tonys; Plus Eminem, Marilyn Manson, Justin Timberlake, Black Eyed Peas & More, In For The Record

By MTV News staff (MTV.com)

Fantasia will try to show the rest of America what the theater critics have been raving about when she performs June 10 at the Tony Awards. The "American Idol" champ has been lighting up Broadway lately with her starring role in "The Color Purple." ...

Marilyn Manson said he could have collaborated with Eminem - if only the rapper weren't so "over-the-top." "The song he asked me to sing was - and this may sound strange - too misogynistic," Manson told Spin in the magazine's June issue. "It was the one about killing his girlfriend and putting her in a trunk. ... It was too over-the-top for me to associate with. First of all, I don't drive. And I wouldn't put a girl in a trunk; that's where I keep other stuff. That's my dry, deadpan humor kicking in." ...

Justin Timberlake is launching his own record label, a joint venture with Interscope Records, Chairman Jimmy Iovine announced Monday. Timberlake will be chairman and CEO of Tennman Records, distributed by Interscope Geffen A&M. "We are all excited about the talent we have to offer already on our roster, and I cannot wait to introduce the world to my new discoveries," Timberlake said in a statement. Tennman's first signings will be announced in the coming weeks. ...

Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas pleaded not guilty late last week to two counts of misdemeanor pot possession stemming from a DUI arrest in March, according to E! Online. A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for June 28. ... Actress Lana Clarkson's death was a homicide, a coroner testified in the trial of Phil Spector on Tuesday (May 29), according to The Associated Press. Dr. Louis Pena said in Los Angeles Superior Court that a gun may have been forced into Clarkson's mouth, causing a bruise, before she was fatally shot. "Something struck the tongue," he testified, adding that she also had bruises on her right arm and wrist. Pena also said Clarkson had no history of depression or suicide attempts. "I found her to be a hopeful person from the notes I read," he said. ...

The Police kicked off their reunion tour in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Monday night, starting the set with "Message in a Bottle" and playing hits including "Roxanne," "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and "Walking on the Moon" for the 20,000-strong audience, which included Eddie Vedder and Penélope Cruz, according to a Reuters report. "Since we haven't been together in 25 years, I'd like to introduce the band," Sting joked. "Andy, this is Stewart." The trio ended the show with a performance of "Next to You." ... Think Prince's tour schedule couldn't look - or smell - any weirder? The artist, who has lined up unconventional residencies in London and Los Angeles for later this year, will hype his new 3121 perfume line with a July 7 gig at 4 p.m. on the eighth floor of Macy's in downtown Minneapolis, according to the city's Star Tribune newspaper. Seats to the show will be sold in "Ultimate Prince Xperience" packages, which will run $250 apiece but also feature a ticket to his show at Target Center later that night, as well as two special-edition bottles of his "Eau de Parfum." Prince's new scent for women goes on sale the same day. ...

DMX fans, don't get too excited about that upcoming collection you may have heard about. The Definition of X: Pick of the Litter, due June 12, will be a greatest-hits comp culling 20 tracks from his five Def Jam LPs. ... Tom Morello's Nightwatchman project is hitting the road next month with Thrice frontman Dustin Kensrue. The tour kicks off in Dallas on June 17, with gigs booked in Houston (June 18); New Orleans (June 19); Atlanta (June 21); Charlotte, North Carolina (June 22); Vienna, Virginia (June 23); Philadelphia (June 25); New York (June 26); and Cambridge, Massaschusetts (June 27). ... Ryan Adams, Amos Lee, the Meat Puppets and Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood will bulk up the eighth annual Moe.Down, organized by jam band Moe. The gala, which will be held August 31-September 2 at Turin, New York's Snow Ridge Ski Area, will feature Moe performing six sets. ...

Minus the Bear's upcoming LP, Planet of Ice, featuring the lead single "Knights," is due August 21. The band wrapped up a one-month tour with a performance at the Sasquatch! Music Festival on Sunday and is currently planning an extensive tour to support the disc. ... Grab the glow sticks: Klaxons will light up the U.S. by performing in six additional cities in a couple of months: Los Angeles (July 10); San Francisco (July 11); Seattle (July 12); Portland, Oregon (July 13); Chicago (at the Pitchfork Music Festival on July 15); and Minneapolis (July 16). ... The Cult are still conjuring up their first new studio album since 2001's Beyond Good and Evil, but now they've got a new label to issue it through: Roadrunner. The yet-untitled CD, due September 25, is being produced by Primal Scream collaborator Youth and will be released in conjunction with the band's new New Wilderness imprint. ...

Senator Hillary Clinton has narrowed her would-be campaign songs to five choices - including U2's "Beautiful Day" and KT Tunstall's "Suddenly I See" - and added five write-in contenders to the running, including Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way?" and the Police's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic." Votes are now being accepted at Clinton's campaign Web site. ... Right Said Fred singer Richard Fairbrass was attacked by counter-protesters while taking part in a gay-rights march in Moscow on Sunday, BBC News reports. Fairbrass was detained by Moscow police after he was injured, and told BBC that he felt sorry for the man who hit him. "How threatened can he be, how insecure is he to be threatened by a bisexual pop singer who's most famous for singing 'I'm Too Sexy'?" ... Bo Diddley was released from Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska, on Thursday - where he had been since suffering a stroke May 13 - and is now being treated at Shands Rehab Hospital in Gainesville, Florida, near his home. Diddley is expected to stay at the facility for two weeks and will continue speech and occupational therapy as an outpatient.