· The lawyer for 50 Cent's ex Shaniqua Tompkins failed to convince a New York judge on Tuesday that the rapper's lawyer, Brett Kimmel, should be excused from a case regarding the freezing of insurance money from the 50-owned $2.4 million home that Tompkins lived in before it burned down in May. Tompkins' lawyer told MTV he had argued that Kimmel should be taken off the case because he had discussed child-support issues with Tompkins in 2005, but the judge said Kimmel had not discussed anything related to the current case that would create a conflict of interest.

  
· Barenaked Ladies singer Steven Page was arrested on fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance early Wednesday morning in upstate New York. Police said they found Page and two women in a Fayetteville-area apartment that contained cocaine and marijuana. Page was released on $10,000 bail and ordered to return for count on Thursday.

· Grammy-winning singer Natalie Cole, 58, has been diagnosed with the liver disease hepatitis C. The disease was discovered during a routine exam and is likely due to the singer's past drug use. Doctors say she is responding well to medication.
 
· Elton John is the latest rock icon to get immortalized by Ben & Jerry's. The Vermont ice cream company has cooked up Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road — a swirl of chocolate ice cream, peanut-butter cookie dough, butter brickle and white chocolate chunks — to celebrate John's first-ever gig in the state. The limited-edition flavor will be available July 18-25 in Vermont scoop shops, with proceeds going to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
 
· The Arctic Monkeys are beginning work on their third album, and they've tapped Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford to produce again. Ford predicted that the album might sound more "psychedelic" than the band's first two records.
 
· We've already told you that the U.S. has way too many summer festivals — most of which feature Jack Johnson and/or Vampire Weekend — leaving Canada stuck trying to come up with interesting lineups. But Toronto's Virgin Festival 2008 (September 6-7) has done a pretty good job, lining up Foo Fighters and Oasis as headliners, as well as Bloc Party, the Kooks, Against Me!, MGMT, Moby, the Fratellis, Silversun Pickups, Spiritualized and Paul Weller.
 
· If you missed out on the Scarlett Johansson's Tom Waits cover album Anywhere I Lay My Head, fear not, there's an iTunes Live Session EP available now that features Waits covers and a take on the Cure's "Boys Don't Cry."

· Chances are, you'll never make beats as cool as French electronica duo Justice, but if you have the cash, you can at least wear the rocking clothes they designed for the international Surface to Air collective. Heads up, though: The leather jacket will run you almost $1,300.

·The upcoming deluxe editions of U2's first three albums — Boy, October and War — are streaming for free on imeem.com, a week before their July 22 release date.

· Coheed and Cambria will perform the entire Amory Wars saga live during a string of dates titled Neverender. The group will perform the tracks from an entire album of the four-part sci-fi epic each night during four-night stands at New York's Terminal 5 (October 22-25) and Los Angeles' Avalon (November 5-8).

· For years, rappers have been sampling funk legend George Clinton's iconic tunes. Now, the funkmaster is biting a move from his many followers by lending his name and music to the horny goat weed-infused Atomic Dogg energy drink.

· Time for Classic Rock Corner, kids! Farm Aid 2008 will be held on September 20 at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts, and feature sets by founders John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Willie Nelson, and longtime board member Dave Matthews, with more artists to be announced soon.

· Later this year, the once-again defunct Police will release a live CD/DVD of their reunion tour, culled from a pair of shows in Buenos Aires, Argentina, coupled with a documentary called "Better Than Therapy."

· Folk icon Bob Dylan, who has spoken of his admiration for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, reportedly put the kibosh on son Jakob Dylan playing at September's Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

· There's no stopping it now. Jessica Simpson's country album is due out September 9. Now you can check out the barn-rocking video for the first single, "Come on Over."

· Black Eyed Peas rapper Taboo married Jaymie Dizon on Saturday in Pasadena, California. Among the guests were fellow Peas Will.I.Am and Apl.De.Ap, who served as groomsmen, and Fergie.
 
· Amy Winehouse's dad has said that the singer could suffer a "slow and painful" death from emphysema and that she will stop performing live shows "for the foreseeable future" to focus on her health. Mitch Winehouse said Amy's last performance for the time being will be September 6.

· Keyshia Cole, Ashanti, Raheem DeVaughn, Chrisette Michelle, Dwele, Lyfe Jennings, Bilal, Musiq Soulchild and Goapele have signed on to play select dates of the upcoming Heineken Red Star Soul Tour. The outing begins August 6 in Los Angeles and runs through an October 1 gig in New York.

· A 32-year-old man died in his tent during Scotland's T in the Park festival over the weekend. Friends found the man dead in his tent at the event, during which a 22-year-old man was also stabbed in the head and body by as-yet-unknown assailants.

· Slipknot fans are used to their favorite masked warriors injuring themselves during intense performances. So most probably won't be surprised to see DJ Sid Wilson (a.k.a. #0) scooting around in a wheelchair after breaking both his heels while jumping off the stage at the first show of the Rockstar Energy Mayhem festival last week.

· Trent Reznor is having way too much fun. In addition to giving albums away for free, the NIN leader has hidden tickets to his upcoming show under rocks in Los Angeles' Griffith Park, sending fans on a frenzied scavenger hunt.

· Snoop's recent dip into country with the boot-scootin' "My Medicine" was just the beginning. The Big Dogg is set to remake Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" along with Teddy Riley and DJ Quik for the upcoming album Johnny Cash Remixed.

· Turns out that whole David Lee Roth peanut-allergy police story was a big misunderstanding. According to a new report, the man assisted by Ontario cops last month was not Diamond Dave, but an impostor. Roth's publicist released a statement on Thursday in which the high-kicking singer explained, "I was in Canada only from July 1st through the 4th for a performance at the Quebec City Summer Festival. I had no encounters or incidents with the police. The only thing I'm allergic to is criticism."

· The planned July 17 auction of hundreds of items from the estate of the late Godfather of Soul, James Brown, has reportedly been put on hold due to a dispute over where the proceeds should go.

· Tuesday was a rough day for Morbid Angel lead singer David Vincent. The death metaller was detained by Italian authorities at the Milan airport for "possession of contraband weapons" when they noticed his luggage contained a bullet belt given to him as a signing bonus by the owner of his label, Earache Records. He was arrested and questioned for several hours before being released, without the belt.

· The handwritten lyrics to John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance" have sold at auction for $833,654.

· Mobb Deep's Havoc and Prodigy are suing their ex-manager, Norman Bell, claiming he used their recordings on best-of albums that they didn't authorize and that he didn't pay them for the recordings.

· With his 50th birthday looming near, and photographs of himself being transported via wheelchair making the rounds, Michael Jackson is no doubt feeling nostalgic for the '90s. That explains why he reportedly met with the reunited New Kids on the Block last week to discuss collaborating on his upcoming album.

· David Simon, creator of much-beloved HBO series "The Wire," is turning his attention from the urban blight of Baltimore to the urban blight of New Orleans. He's developing a series for HBO called "Treme," about a Crescent City neighborhood where many musicians live and, of course, suffer at the hands of corrupt politicians and a messy criminal justice system. Cheery stuff!

· A new kind of venue is coming to Brooklyn's hipster haven, Williamsburg. Peter Shapiro, the man behind New York's socially conscious jam-band favorite Wetlands (closed since 2001), is building a 20,000 square-foot venue called Brooklyn Bowl, which will feature bowling alleys overlooking a 600-capacity venue. Shapiro said he's trying to make the club one of the greenest nightspots ever, with initiatives such as banning bottles of beer and water and serving only locally sourced beverages on tap.

· Nobody here is trying to tell Amy Winehouse how to live her life. But does it really make sense for the troubled "Rehab" singer to be launching her own club night at London's Camden Monarch on Thursday (July 10)? Love the name, though: "Snakehips at the Monarch."

· Vanessa Hudgens has finally revealed who leaked those nude photos of her last year: "stupid people."

· Here's the rehearsal footage of the Flaming Lips practicing their cover of the Who's "Tommy" in preparation for Saturday's VH1 Rock Honors concert (airing July 17). All we can say is: fish-eye lens, lots of smoke, a strobing gong, alien helium vocals and some kind of silver tassel rah-rah drum stick being waved around by singer Wayne Coyne. Have we mentioned how much we love the Lips?

· After the free Bon Jovi All-Star Concert in Central Park on Saturday, Sheryl Crow, 3 Doors Down and Josh Groban are getting in on the musical action at the All-Star Game in Yankee Stadium on July 15.

· First he brushed the dirt off his shoulder in homage to Jigga. Now presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has given a shout-out to Weezy at a town-hall meeting in Powder Springs, Georgia. Obama delivered a speech about high school dropout rates and told teens that they were better off staying in school than wishing for NBA or hip-hop glory. "You are probably not that good a rapper. Maybe you are the next Lil Wayne, but probably not, in which case you need to stay in school," he said.

· It will probably take another month for Michigan authorities to determine what caused the deaths of a 33-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man at last weekend's inaugural Rothbury Festival, which featured sets from Snoop Dogg, Dave Matthews and John Mayer. Initial autopsies showed no sign of foul play.

· The Smashing Pumpkins are celebrating their upcoming 20th anniversary by playing a series of mostly smaller venues in August, with the promise of "unique sets and songs." The only date announced so far is an August 9 gig in Hammond, Indiana. In November, the band will play anniversary shows in New York, Los Angeles and their hometown of Chicago.

· Ludacris has reportedly signed a multimillion-dollar deal with AT&T to be their spokesperson and appear in commercials beginning next month. Somewhere, Bill O'Reilly is changing phone companies.

· Amnesty International is launching a campaign called the Small Places Tour in which bands will play hundreds of shows across the globe to help raise money and spread the word about global human rights issues on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The spokesmen for the tour are U2's the Edge and Peter Gabriel, and acts are encouraged to sign up on MySpace for a single gig or a full-blown tour.

· After resting her voice following some medical issues earlier this year, former "American Idol" Jordin Sparks is hitting the road for a 16-date North American tour with Jesse McCartney beginning August 5.

· A few more details on the Madonna/ Britney Spears video hookup have emerged. First off, the filming of the top-secret clip was temporarily delayed due to technical issues on the Los Angeles set. Filming is now scheduled to begin Wednesday for the clip, which will feature an elevator that Spears will dance in and around. One source said the video will be very "deep" and promised, "You've never seen Britney like this before. It will blow your mind."
 
· More drama for the Game: The rapper reportedly got into a fistfight at the weekend funeral for one of his cousins, after he allegedly failed to pay for half of the $14,000 burial as promised. Police are reportedly investigating the incident.
 
· Add moody rockers the National to the list of acts that are stumping for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. The band's online shop now offers an Obama-themed shirt that features a contemplative photo of the Illinois senator and the phrase "Mr. November."
 
· Metallica is giving you choices when it comes to buying their upcoming album Death Magnetic, from the $24.99 option — which includes a high bit rate digital copy of the album delivered at midnight on its street date, plus downloads of ringtones and two summer shows — all the way up to the limited-edition $124.99 package, which adds a 5-LP box of 180 gram vinyl, a special lithograph and a fat package of goodies.
 
· My Morning Jacket's critically praised Evil Urges is only a month old, but frontman Jim James has already begun work on the band's next album.
 
· Speaking of bands already working on follow-ups, the normally glacial Portishead, whose recent album, Third, was a decade in the making, are planning their next effort as well.
 
· While you await that long-promised gospel album from DMX, rest assured the gap will be filled by the upcoming solo LP from the Geto Boys' Bushwick Bill, Testimony of Redemption. The album will feature such tracks as "Praise for a Good Woman," "God's Side Is the Best Side" and "Pull the Trigger on the Devil."
 
· Van Halen singer David Lee Roth, a certified emergency medical technician, needed some emergency aid himself last month while visiting Ontario. According to reports, he was caught speeding by cops and when they stopped his car they realized he was having an allergic reaction to nuts.

· We already knew Oasis' Noel Gallagher wasn't too keen on shaking things up at Glastonbury with a headlining spot for Jay-Z, but now he's proven to be resistant to change in other ways. He's said you shouldn't expect a Radiohead-esque album giveaway for the band's upcoming Dig Out Your Soul. In fact, he expects to make his money back, because that thing was hella expensive to record!

· You've probably heard that while CD sales have taken a nosedive, vinyl record sales have been on the upswing since 2004. Now major retailer Best Buy is following Circuit City's lead by launching a program to stock some vinyl in its stores.

· In other vinyl news, Capitol Records will rerelease eight classic titles, all of which were previously out of print on vinyl — and six of which will be newly remastered on limited-edition 180 gram LPs — on August 19. The albums include Coldplay's Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head; A Perfect Circle's Mer de Noms; Radiohead's OK Computer, Kid A, Amnesiac and Hail to the Thief; and the Steve Miller Band's Greatest Hits.

· Who's the next great '90s alt-rock band to reunite? In addition to their previously announced set at the Virgin Mobile Festival, art rockers Shudder to Think will play at least eight more dates, beginning September 9 in Chicago.

· How much would you pay to see Bon Jovi play a show in New York's Central Park this Saturday? If you're a hard-core fan, as much as $1,500 a ticket ... even though the show is free.

· The biggest solar-powered concert in San Diego's history, the third annual Stay Classy Tailgate, will take place on July 12 with a headlining set by the Flobots.

· Kanye West's management team is reportedly trying to get the keyboard-thrashing, blog-bashing rapper to attend anger-management classes for his own good — and to help him score some lucrative endorsement deals.
  
· New York rapper William Troy McCune is suing the producers of the 2007 documentary "Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life" for $5 million, alleging that they included footage of him battling Biggie without his permission.

· Rap trio Onyx are prepping a comeback with a pair of albums. The first disc, Cold Case Files: Unsolved Murders, due August 19, features lost studio sessions from the group's most recent albums and cameos from Method Man and late group member X-1. It will be followed in 2009 by the group's new studio album Black Rock.
 
· Bruce Springsteen will release a live digital EP, Magic Tour Highlights, on July 15 that will feature four songs and four videos, including late E Street Band keyboardist Danny Federici's final performance with the group. Guests on the tracks include Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello and Byrds legend Roger McGuinn.

· It's no secret that Spike Lee loves the rock musical "Passing Strange." He even wrote a glowing open letter a few months back, urging folks to "go see 'Passing Strange' and tell them Spike sent you." Now, the director has scheduled a press conference on Wednesday, in which he'll unveil plans to shoot the stage production, concert-film style, for a movie that will most likely air on cable.