Barenaked Ladies Almost Down Two

The lead singer of the Canadian pop band Barenaked Ladies and three other people survived a plane crash in rural southeastern Ontario, authorities said Monday.

Ed Robertson's Cessna 206 floatplane crashed in a wooded area near Bancroft, Ontario, on Sunday afternoon as he was trying to take off from Baptiste Lake, Ontario Provincial police Sgt. Bruce Quigg said. Quigg said no one in the plane was injured.

Robertson's friend Gord Peel told The Belleville Intelligencer newspaper that the other passengers were Robertson's wife, Natalie, and their friends Julie and Jeff Jones.

Peel, who said he has known Robertson for about a decade, arrived on the scene shortly after the crash and found the four friends walking on a road, shaken but unharmed.

He said the plane stalled but Robertson managed to set it straight down into the trees with its nose resting on the ground. They had to get out through the windows but did not have a scratch, he said.

"Everyone is fine and that is the important thing," Adam Smith, the band's manager, said Sunday night in an e-mail. "That's all the comment we have at this time."

Spokeswoman Julie Leroux said Monday that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada is assessing the accident scene to determine whether an investigation will be launched.

Robertson, 37, is host of "Ed's Up" on the Outdoor Life Network. The show documents his travels by plane. He received his pilot's license in 2005 and is described on the OLN Web site as a "recreational pilot." Episodes involve landing his Cessna on water near cities across North America.

This is the second time this summer that a member of the Barenaked Ladies has made headlines. Singer Steven Page was arrested in upstate New York last month and charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Da Brat Headed To Jail.

Da Brat has just been given one helluva spanking.

An Atlanta judge today sentenced the Unrestricted rapper to three years in prison for bashing a woman with a rum bottle at a Halloween party last year.

DeKalb County Superior Court Judge Gail Flake also slapped the 34-year-old rapper, whose real name is Shawntae Harris, with seven years' probation and 200 hours of community service for the Oct. 31 incident, which occurred at mentor Jermaine Dupri's Studio 72 nightclub in Tucker, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta.

The hip-hopster and the victim, a waitress at the nightspot, apparently had an existing beef which boiled over. Police were called in after Da Brat was accused of slashing the employee's face with the glass bottle, sending her to the hospital.

Da Brat pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault in the hopes of winning a light sentence or avoiding jail time altogether.

But the judge wasn't in a forgiving mood, noting that the victim suffered permanent facial scars.
The rapper and a half-dozen family members all broke down after hearing the sentence.

"I love y'all," she said to her relatives as a deputy hauled her away, per the Atlanta-Journal Constitution.

"We love you too," came the family reply.

Aside from the rum punch, Da Brat's rap sheet includes a pistol-whipping incident that earned her a year's probation and lots of community service, as well as pay a $1,000 fine.

15 Big Stars On One Track...WHAT?

What would it sound like if 15 of the hottest female singers joined voices? The answer will be revealed Sept. 2.

That's when "Just Stand Up" hits airwaves and iTunes. The song features Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood. All sales of the star-studded single will benefit cancer research.

The charity tune was conceived by Antonio "L.A." Reid, who produced it with longtime creative colleague Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds.

All 15 singers will share the stage to perform the song live on Sept. 5 during the "Stand Up to Cancer" television special, set to air simultaneously on ABC, NBC and CBS. Other stars expected to turn out for the hourlong fund- and awareness-raising program include Jennifer Aniston, Lance Armstrong, Katie Couric, Sally Field, Salma Hayek, Meryl Streep, Forest Whitaker and Reese Witherspoon.

Founded in 2007, Stand Up to Cancer is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation that calls on entertainment-industry people and platforms to help fight cancer.

Collins vs. McCartney - The Bigger Divorce

Phil Collins' ex-wife may no longer be in his heart, but she'll definitely always have a place in his bank account.

The easy-rocking star has waved goodbye to marriage No. 3 and hello to a reported $46.68 million divorce settlement which, if accurate, shapes up to be the biggest ever celeb payout in British legal history, trumping even the astronomical amount Heather Mills received—said to be $45.37 million—from Paul McCartney earlier this year.

Collins, 57, and Orianne Cevey, 35, were married for seven years before separating in 2006. They have two children together, sons Nicolas, 8, and Matthew, 4.

It isn't the first time relationship woes have caused a dip in the Genesis frontman's fortunes, with Britain's Daily Telegraph even claiming that divorce settlements have eaten into as much as one-third of his estimated $280 million net worth, having shelled out nearly $84 million to his ex-wives.

After taking advantage of technological advances and infamously dumping wife No. 2 Jill Tavelman by fax back in 1994, he was forced to pay $34 million.

DMX Arrested Again

Chart-topping rap star DMX was arrested at a store in Florida on Thursday for failing to appear in an Arizona court on drug charges, authorities said.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was taken into custody outside a Wal-Mart store in north Miami Beach on a warrant issued by a Maricopa County Superior Court commissioner.

The 37-year-old, who has a home outside Phoenix, failed to appear on Tuesday for a pretrial conference on charges relating to marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession, one of several legal battles he faces in Arizona.

He was arrested in May on drug and animal cruelty charges after sheriff's deputies raided his Cave Creek, Arizona, home. Authorities alleged that there were dog carcasses and malnourished pit bulls at the residence.

DMX also faces two felony charges for taking the identity of another person and giving false information during a trip to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, in an alleged attempt to avoid paying the bill.

"This guy is treating our legal system like a revolving door and it's time we closed the cell door on him," Arpaio told Reuters.

Simmons had his first five albums open at No. 1 on the U.S. pop album charts, but his most recent release, 2006's "Year of the Dog ... Again," ended that run by debuting at No. 2.

Simmons has also acted in several action movies, including "Cradle 2 The Grave" and "Exit Wounds."

Moon Man Brings Big Performers

Kid Rock is returning to the Video Music Awards for another hit performance — and this time it doesn't involve a fistfight with Tommy Lee.

The boisterous rocker is slated to perform "All Summer Long" off his platinum-selling CD "Rock 'N Roll Jesus." Though it was released nearly a year ago, it has surged on the charts and is currently one of the top five selling CDs.

Last year, Kid Rock wasn't a performer, but he was involved in one of the ceremony's most talked about moments when scuffled with Tommy Lee while they were sitting in the audience. Both were at one time married to Pamela Anderson, who was also in attendance.

The fight was not shown on camera, but provided fodder for jokes from the likes of Diddy and Jamie Foxx.

Rock is the third act confirmed for the VMA's, to be held Sept. 7 in Los Angeles. Other performers are Lil Wayne and Jonas Brothers, though there is a possibility that Britney Spears — who's bleary kickoff performance at last year's VMA's became one of 2007's most talked about moments — may join them.

MTV told The Associated Press earlier this week they are in negotiations to have the star there in some capacity, and she's already taped two promotional ads for the show with host Russell Brand.

Clay Aiken A father

Former "American Idol" runner-up Clay Aiken is a father.

The 29-year-old crooner from Raleigh announced the birth of Parker Foster Aiken on his Website's blog Friday.

"No hyphens. One first name," he wrote. "One middle name. One last name."

Aiken's mother, Faye, told Raleigh TV station WRAL the child was born in North Carolina.

Aiken was a favorite of fans during the second season of "American Idol," where he finished second to Ruben Studdard. His album "Measure of a Man" went double platinum in 2003, and he made his Broadway debut this spring in "Monty Python's Spamalot."

The baby's mother is Jaymes Foster, Aiken's friend and record producer whom he met while performing on "American Idol." Their son was born at 8:08 a.m. Friday, and weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces and was 19 inches long, according to the statement on the Web site.

"The little man is healthy, happy, and as loud as his daddy," Aiken wrote. "Mama Jaymes is doing quite well also."

Britney Parties, Dad Supervises

Count on Britney Spears to steal the spotlight at a soiree, even when she's not even doing anything.

Brit, along with dad Jamie Spears, made a late appearance at Phil Maloof's Beverly Hills music-label bash for the Rev Theory band Wednesday night.

"The Spears family is very close friends with the the Maloof family and vice versa," a source tells E!. "They came out to support them."

The popster arrived around 11:30, as the party was dying down, and held court in a roped-off VIP room at the front of the house.

"It was like an exhibit at a zoo," says another partygoer, Katie Thiele. "There was a line of people waiting to look in and see the Britney exhibit."

Britney, who was drinking Coke and smoking, didn't seem fazed. But one unwelcome party guest got under her dad's skin.

A paparazzo snuck in to the private party—meant to celebrate the band's appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live—posing as an event photographer. Brit's dad quickly recognized the snapper and told him to leave.

"He said, 'You're just like Adnan,' " a source tells E!.

Brit, wearing a black minidress, seemed to be enjoying herself, despite the party-crashing pap. "She looked great," Thiele says. "She was chatting with friends. She looked like she was having a good time."

Dr. Dre To Release Vodka/Album

Hip-hop mogul Dr. Dre's cognac and vodka brands will hit liquor stores in the next 60 days, according to celebrity booze marketer Drinks America Holdings Ltd.

The products are the fruits of a joint venture between Wilton, Conn.-based Drinks America and Dr. Dre's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, a unit of Universal Music.

Aftermath Congac will come out first, followed by an 80-proof flavored and unflavored sparkling vodka, Drinks America said Monday in its fourth-quarter earnings statement.

It added that the marketing for the beverages will be tied in with the release of Dr. Dre's long awaited "Detox" album. In late, July Dr. Dre told USA Today that the album would be out in "November or December."

Drinks America, which also markets Donald Trump vodka and Willie Nelson whiskey, said its net loss for the year ended April 30 narrowed to $6.3 million, or $0.08 per share, from $9.4 million, or $0.14 per share. Its stock slipped a penny to 29 cents on NASDAQ's over-the-counter Bulletin Board Tuesday.

Jonas Brothers Will Soon Hit The TV

Everyone loved the Jonas Brothers in Camp Rock, and little girls love them onstage. Now, the trio has officially confirmed they're headed to the Disney Channel for their very own show.

"[It's] actually gonna happen. September—in like seven weeks from whatever today is—we start production," the popular tween musicians told Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS-FM Morning Show.

According to Nick, Joe and Kevin, the series' format has changed somewhat, from spy genre to a program like HBO's Flight of the Conchords, which the group says is one of their favorite shows: "We can just pick up a guitar and break into song—in really funny situations."

And while the guys say they're excited about the upcoming project, we're pretty sure fans are just as thrilled. There's nothing like having the option to TiVo a Jonas TV appearance and rewatch it 24/7!

New Beatles Tape Sells For Over $23000

A newly discovered tape of The Beatles laughing and chatting during an early recording session has sold for about $23,000, an auction house reported Tuesday.

Cameo Auctioneers said the reel-to-reel tape was recorded in 1964 and had recently been discovered by a man in northern England while he was clearing out his father's attic.

The half-hour tape sold to an Internet bidder Tuesday afternoon for $23,446 including tax and the buyer's premium, the auction house said, adding that it had yet to contact the winner.

The tape features John Lennon and Paul McCartney collapsing into fits of giggles as they try to finish the ballad "I'll Follow the Sun."

It also carries versions of other Beatles songs including "I Feel Fine," "I'm a Loser" and "Don't Put Me Down Like This."