VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR
Beastie Boy Mike D will undergo surgery to repair his injured shoulder following a bicycle accident this week in New York City. Doctors said the rapper will need at least six weeks of rest, followed by an intense rehab regimen to fully recover. The shoulder separation occurred when D was riding home Sunday morning from rehearsals for the band's now-postponed tour with Rage Against The Machine (hitsdailydouble.com, 7/25). He was diagnosed with a fifth-degree acromioclavicular joint dislocation. For those without a medical degree, that means D suffered a really bad boo-boo.
USHER "A LITTLE TIRED AND THIRSTY," SAYS MANAGER
Singer and actor Usher is taking a break from recording to recover from exhaustion and dehydration, his manager said Friday. Usher was recently hospitalized after he passed out in a recording studio. Usher, 21, is in New York working on his first album since 1997, which is scheduled to be released Oct. 31. "His doctors have prescribed strict bed rest for two weeks and lots of fluids,'' said manager Jonnetta Patton. "He would like his fans to know that he is fine, and, most importantly, that they remember who he is."
CAT IN HAT NOT BACK SO SOON
Erykah Badu's long awaited and highly anticipated new release has been pushed back… again. Badu's third album, "Mama's Gun," was originally scheduled to drop Sept. 19, but the project has been pushed back and its release date has yet to be re-scheduled. Badu is still working on the project, even though its first single, "Bag Lady," has already been delivered to radio. "We love it when a single is released and radio is playing it, and fans can't buy it because it's not on the shelves," said a jolly executive at the Universal/Motown Record Group, before he crawled inside Badu's trademark turban. "It makes life in the music business so much more exciting."
MASCIS DELIVERS ULTIMATUM
Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis has signed to Ultimatum Music, which will release Mascis' first solo album of new material, "More Light," in October. "We can only hope J. sells more than he did then when he was at Warners," an Ultimatum security guard said.
TOMMY, CAN YOU HEAR ME?
A system designed to help the hearing-impaired at concerts has provided bootleggers with a new tool to make illegal live recordings of exceptional quality, according to the record industry. This latest wrinkle in the multimillion-dollar bootlegging industry takes advantage of a federal law requiring arenas to offer patrons use of an assistive listening device. "We know through criminal investigations and informants that this is a common practice,'' said Frank Creighton, Senior VP of anti-piracy at the Recording Industry Association of America. "Boy, if you thought we suffered a lot of negative backlash from suing Napster and MP3.com, wait till you see what happens when we go after the hearing-impaired."
BOLLOCKS TO YOUR NEUTRALITY!
Oasis said Friday in London that they are suing the organizers of the Paleo Festival in Nyon, Switzerland, according to Reuters. Frontman Liam Gallagher stormed off the stage a third of the way through Oasis' scheduled 90-minute set at the fest on Wednesday (hitsdailydouble.com, 7/27). Gallagher claimed the band was being hit by water balloons, bottles, cans and coins from the crowd. But organizers said the crowd wasn't tossing things, and threatened to sue Oasis for ruining the show. "If anything, attendees were spitting on them because they just suck," an organizer said.
A ROTTEN FUTURE IN POLITICS
Ex-Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten has been credentialed to do live coverage of the Democratic National Convention for Web site eYada.com. "Who'd have thought that one of the world's most famous anarchists would be allowed into the world's smokiest political backroom?" said Bob Meyrowitz, CEO and founder of eYada.com. "Fuck all you wankers!" Rotten added, giving everyone a small taste of the depth of his political commentary.
