Rapper
Eminem pleaded not guilty Thursday (6/8) to felony charges stemming from a brawl outside the Hot Rocks Caf in Warren, MI, last weekend, during which the rapper allegedly pulled out an unloaded gun and hit a man over the head.
Marshall Mathers (the rapper's real name) was arraigned on one count of carrying a concealed weapon and another of assault with a deadly weapon, charges which could land Eminem in prison for five years if convicted. The 27-year-old rapper was released on $100,000 bail, under the conditions that he won't possess a weapon and won't try to contact
John Guerra, the bar patron who allegedly was seen locked in an "intimate kiss" with Eminem's wife,
Kim. His next court date is a preliminary examination hearing set for July 11, which falls on one of his days off from the tour. Eminem's not guilty plea was based on the fact that it was another man, and not the real Slim Shady, who perpetrated the crime…
Allman Brothers lead guitarist
Dickey Betts went on a rampage last weekend at his house in Osprey, FL. According to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office report—which lists the "character of case" as a "mentally ill person"—Betts threatened his wife with a knife, put his foot through a TV and overturned furniture. Then he ran off, eluding police helicopters and dogs, before he was finally taken into protective custody and brought to a crisis unit. Betts, who has previous arrests for domestic violence and disorderly conduct, had been told the week before that he would not be invited on the band's summer tour…
Stayfree is sponsoring its first ever "Girls Room" tour this summer.
Capitol Records'
rising stars
Amy Correia,
Tara MacLean,
Shannon McNally and
Kendall Payne will travel through the U.S., playing in cramped nightclubs and retaining water in all major cities. The tour will only be on the road five days out of every month. The occasionally moody and sometimes late foursome will work in a rotating lineup and will never wear white pants. Stayfree has rejected
Pamprin's repeated calls for co-sponsorship of the tour… Seattle's answer to
The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, the
Experience Music Project, is ramping up for its big June 23 grand opening. Firstly, the musical museum is re-launching its Web site,
emplive.com.
MTV and
VH1 are also on-board for EMP's grand opening weekend extravaganza. MTV will be on-hand to tape the June EMP concert featuring
Metallica,
Dr. Dre with
Eminem and
Snoop Dogg,
Red Hot Chili Peppers,
Kid Rock and
Filter. And VH1 will tape the next night's concert featuring
matchbox twenty,
No Doubt,
Alanis Morissette,
Beck and
The Eurythmics. Both concerts will be broadcast on June 30, with the MTV concert at 7 p.m. ET/PT and the VH1 concert at 9 p.m. ET/PT. "The energy and ideas behind EMP are not confined within the museum walls," said
Diane Andolsek, EMP's director of online development. "They are also contained in really cool T-shirts, bumper stickers and snowglobes available in the gift shop."… Organizers of a London memorial concert for the late
Ian Dury were hoping for a reunion of
The Clash during the June 16 show, since
Joe Strummer,
Mick Jones and
Topper Headon were all slated to appear. But in the wake of rumors to that effect, singer-guitarist Strummer pulled out of the event. Organizers hoped the planned
Bay City Rollers reunion would suffice… Indiana's favorite son, with the exception of Pacers coach
Larry Bird,
John Mellencamp has his fingers in two forthcoming films. In "After Image," Mellencamp will portray a crime scene photographer. It's the singer's first role since his acting and directing debut in 1992's "Falling From Grace." Composer
James Horner also approached Mellencamp to co-write the closing song for the
George Clooney-
Mark Wahlberg film "The Perfect Storm." Moviegoers probably haven't been this excited since
Vanilla Ice hit the silver screen…
Madonna's luxury home in London was burglarized while she was off celebrating the British premiere of "The Next Best Thing." While Madonna dined with boyfriend director
Guy Ritchie and costar
Rupert Everett, thieves forced their way through the front gate but failed to gain entry to the house. Though nothing was stolen, Madonna still admitted she felt violated. "But then again," she said, "I've felt that way since that ‘Sex' book."