ROCK AND ROLL HOOTCHIE-KOO

Rapper DMX was indicted in White Plains, NY, on two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree and unlawful possession of marijuana. Both charges stem from a January incident in which he ran his Jeep Cherokee off the highway. DMX allegedly had a loaded 9mm pistol in the car and two marijuana cigarettes in separate ashtrays. DMX, who could face up to seven years in prison if convicted, will be arraigned in the next week, after which a trial date will be set. "I was going hunting," he said. "I figured if the 9mm didn't drop the deer, the Chronic would."… False, but rampant, rumors of Luther Vandross' death spread online like wild fire Thursday (6/29). Despite that brouhaha, the R&B singer is alive and preparing for a show at the Essence Music Festival on July 1 in New Orleans. "I never knew the Internet was such a good place to spread rumors," Vandross said. "I always thought it was just a great place for porn."… Online music retailer CDNow said Thursday it was continuing talks with "multiple parties" to find an investor or a merger deal, and hoped to complete a transaction in the next several weeks. The cash-strapped company, whose stock has tumbled in recent weeks—closing on Thursday off 1/8 to 2-13/16 on Nasdaq—said earlier in the month that it expected to announce a deal by June 30. "The company has not agreed on terms with any party, including a price for an investment or acquisition of all or part of the securities of CDNow," the company said. A spokesman for the company also denied rumors that CDNow executives were currently hawking oranges at freeway on-ramps… Citing a need for further technical tests, EMI has delayed the launch of its downloadable music sales to consumers until July 18.The company had originally planned a July 1 launch. EMI's retail partners will begin beta testing on July 1. The company plans to sell a minimum of 100 albums and 40 associated singles through the downloading initiative. "We needed more time to digitize desirable releases by the likes of Marcy Playground, Poison and Yanni, among others," a company tech guy said.