MUSIC NEWS SMALL ENOUGH TO CARRY ON MOST DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

Legendary performer Ray Charles has signed a multi-record recording contract with InVision Records, a newly-formed label and a wholly owned subsidiary of Falcon Entertainment Corp. The 12-time Grammy-winner will release all new material on the InVision label. "All of us here at InVision Records are thrilled to be working with Ray Charles as he enters the sixth decade of his amazing career," said Mark Eddinger, InVision Records President. "I feel that his decision to sign with us validates the label's grassroots approach to dealing with artists and their music." There's no truth to the rumor that the blind pianist was attracted to the startup because of its name. "I'm very happy to be involved with InVision Records," said Charles. "They go a step further with a commitment to make sure that their artists are satisfied with their music. Nobody does that anymore."

Charges against former Smashing Pumpkins bassist D'Arcy Wretzky for possession of crack cocaine were dropped Friday (5/19) following her completion of a court-ordered drug prevention class. In February, Judge Nicholas Ford gave the bassist just more than three months to attend four drug-abuse prevention classes as part of a program offered to first-time offenders in lieu of a trial. Wretzky, 32, maintained her innocence after that hearing. "I didn't do it," she said at the time. "I gave somebody a ride. That was it." Wretzky, who quit the Smashing Pumpkins in September, was arrested at 2:30 a.m., Jan. 25, after being accused of buying a third of a gram of crack cocaine from a housing complex on West Lake Street in Cook County, IL. Privately, Wretzky admitted she was happy to prove that she could, in fact, get arrested in this town.

A Superior Court jury slammed ex–Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra on Friday (5/19), finding him liable for nearly all charges brought against him by his former bandmates. Damages stemming from charges that Biafra's label, Alternative Tentacles, didn't promote the group's back catalog, failed to pay royalties and other complaints totaled more than $100,000. The jury also is expected to award punitive damages. In addition, the jury found that the collective Dead Kennedys—Biafra, guitarist East Bay Ray (born Ray Pepperell), drummer D.H. Peligro (Darren Henley) and bassist Klaus Fluoride (Geoffrey Lyall)—own the band's catalog. Biafra argued that the songwriter for each track owned that work. Biafra said he plans to appeal. In a related case, Biafra countersued Ray, charging him with mismanaging the band's business partnership, Decay Music. In that case, the jury found Ray liable for fraud, ordering him to pay Biafra $5,000. It also found him liable for breach of fiduciary duty but awarded no damages.

Following in the footsteps of other media crossover stars such as David Bowie, Ice Cube and Jon Bon Jovi, Icelandic chanteuse Bjork has received major justification for her move to acting. A 10-member jury headed by French director Luc Besson awarded the Cannes Film Festival's Golden Palm to Lars von Trier on Sunday for his musical melodrama "Dancer In The Dark," which starred Bjork. Sources said the elfin singer stole the show when she scooped the Golden Palm award for best actress then promptly said her acting career was over. "I knew when I said yes that this would be my first and last role," Bjork said. "After three months of shooting, I was feeling like a fish out of water. It was too much in the world of words and not enough in the world of music. For me, the only thing that matters is the music, I have no ambitions on the acting."