Music News

NEW YORK (Billboard) - There hasn't been much heard from the Limp Bizkit camp in quite some time, but the group's ex-guitarist, Wes Borland, will soon change that.

LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears and Kevin Federline reached a settlement in their divorce Thursday, a spokesman for Federline's attorney said. After a five-hour meeting with their attorneys present, Spears and Federline signed "a global settlement on all issues of their marriage," said Michael Sands, a spokesman for Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinians launched a campaign on Thursday to enter next year's Eurovision song contest, hoping to go head to head with contestants from Israel and other countries.

LOS ANGELES - Eric Clapton is having a jam session with more than a dozen of his favorite guitar-playing pals, and everyone is invited. Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival, scheduled July 28 in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview, Ill., will benefit Crossroads Centre, the drug-rehab facility he founded in Antigua a decade ago. Tickets go on sale Saturday.

NEW YORK - Some singers take two-year breaks between albums. Rihanna is working on her third disc, just two years after releasing her first. "It's a nonstop pace, very speedily, and Def Jam does not play, that's all I can tell you," she joked of her record label in an interview with The Associated Press. "We just keep going and going — it's fun, we make sure that we have fun while we do it."

LCD Soundsystem, "Sound of Silver" (DFA-Capitol): LCD Soundsystem, the brainchild of DFA Records founder and producer James Murphy, is once again biting and audacious on "Sound of Silver."

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Rolling Stones have denied a Fox News web report that they will play the Live Earth show in Britain on July 7.

PRINCETON, N.J. - Paul Moravec, who has composed more than 90 works and won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize in music, has been named artist in residence at the think tank where Albert Einstein pondered the universe.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Now there's yet another thing no longer hanging over Britney Spears' head.

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - The world's largest annual harp festival opens in Edinburgh on Friday after playing its way into the Guinness Book of World Records with a 25th anniversary concert in the Scottish capital last year.

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Former Soft Cell principal Marc Almond will release his first album in four years in June, as he slowly returns to regular duties after a near-fatal motorcycle crash in 2004.

A dance show based on Nirvana's landmark 1991 Nevermind album debuts in Seattle this weekend. The production opens at the Moore Theatre in the band's home city and will be performed by Seattle's Spectrum Dance Theater.

Radiohead have denied claims they are about to sign a record deal with Starbucks.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Even velvety pipes get rundown every once in awhile.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The reunited Smashing Pumpkins will end their six-and-a-half year hiatus on May 22 when they play a theater show in Paris, the first date of a tour of European festivals, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

Jack White is to appear in a new film as Elvis Presley, according to reports.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - May 22 will be the greatest day for Pumpkinheads.

NEW YORK (Billboard) - R&B; singer Akon landed his second No. 1 on the Hot 100 singles chart Thursday, as "Don't Matter" jumped two places to the top.

Marilyn Manson and Slayer have announced plans for a joint tour of North America.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Paris Hilton should know by now that, even if the stars are blind, the cops aren't.

Happy Mondays have announced plans for a full comeback, including live dates and their first new album in more than 15 years.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - A different kind of showstopper for Michelle Branch.

Michael Jackson is in discussions about creating a 50-foot robotic replica of himself to roam the Las Vegas desert, according to reports.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - He's already earned serious props from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for his tireless campaigning on behalf of Africa's poor.

NEW YORK - Jennifer Lopez, who has proudly declared herself "just a girl from the Bronx," delighted fans in her old neighborhood by appearing at a local record store to sign autographs and promote her first all-Spanish album.

Amy Winehouse has revealed the real reason behind the recent cancellation of two London live shows.

Los Angeles (E! Online) - A good sense of humor and a wild mop of curls weren't enough to keep Chris Sligh's Idol momentum going.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Plans by environment crusader Al Gore for a climate change rock concert at the U.S. Capitol are running into some Republican opposition.

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - A Maryland man accused of stalking Michelle Branch was arrested at her concert in Sheboygan this week after she spotted him in the crowd.