Rock News: Music's high and low notes

MICHAEL JACKSON

Michael Jackson will indeed be performing on the 29th Annual American Music Awards Wednesday night. It just won't be a live performance. Instead, the pop star will be shown in a never-before-seen clip performing his hit single "Man in the Mirror."

He is, however, slated to appear on the show to receive the Artist of the Century Award.

Jackson is at the center of the lawsuit that AMA producer Dick Clark filed last month against Recording Academy President/CEO Michael Greene. The suit alleged that Greene caused Jackson to breach a verbal contract with Clark by insisting the pop star could not perform on next month's Grammys telecast if he performed on any other show during the current awards season.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS

Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland wants his fans to know that he and his wife, Mary, have moved beyond the situation that led to his most recent brush with the law.

In a 90-second message posted on the band's official Web site (stonetemplepilots.com), the singer assures listeners that everything is fine with his family. CD Now All-Star Music News also reports Weiland thanks those who attended the two STP shows in December, including the one New Year's Eve in Orlando, Fla., which he describes as having gone "famously."

Weiland pleaded guilty to spousal abuse in Las Vegas court Dec. 19, concluding the case stemming from his November arrest on domestic violence charges, as long as he remains out of trouble for six months and attends counseling sessions. He was arrested at the Hard Rock Hotel after an argument with his wife involving prescription drugs.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN

System of a Down is taking to the road. The band will headline a North American tour beginning on Valentine's Day in Las Vegas. In tandem with these tour dates, the group's second single, the CD's title track "Toxicity," was shipped to alternative and rock radio formats Tuesday.

In mid-December, System of a Down shot the promo video for "Toxicity" with band bassist Shavo Odadjian making his directorial debut.

With Clutch opening the shows, the following is the complete itinerary for System of a Down's Winter 2002 dates:

DATE VENUE CITY

2/14 The Joint Las Vegas, NV

2/15 Mesa Amphitheatre Mesa, AZ

2/17 Music Hall Austin, TX

2/18 Bronco Bowl Dallas, TX

2/19 Uptown Theatre Kansas City, MO

2/21 Aragon Ballroom Chicago, IL

2/22 Deltaplex Grand Rapids, MI

2/23 State Theatre Detroit, MI

2/25 Egyptian Room Indianapolis, IN

2/26 Promowest Pavilion Columbus, OH

2/27 Koolhouse Toronto, CANADA

3/1 Verdun Arena Montreal, CANADA

BT, PETER GABRIEL, SARAH MCLACHLAN

Newly recorded collaborations with Peter Gabriel and Sarah McLachlan were among the items stolen from BT's home studio in late December. MTV News reports thieves broke into the electronic music guru's Los Angeles studio during the Christmas holidays while he was recording in London and made off with more than $75,000 worth of equipment, including computers storing 11 tracks for his upcoming album and hundreds of other recordings.

"One of the FireWire hard drives that was stolen included my sound library since I was 15 years old," BT said. "It's a really heavy thing, a really hard thing to have happen when you are gone. The guys that work for me were crying over the phone -- grown men crying. It was a really difficult blow to take, but it's made me more determined."

Since he returned from Europe, BT has recovered parts of half of the stolen songs, he said. He also learned from Gabriel on Tuesday that the British singer had saved a copy of most of their collaboration.

BT said his most expensive and rare equipment was not in the studio that was burglarized. He also did not lose his collaboration with the Roots.

But he said his McLachlan collaboration may not ever be heard, depending on the availability of the Canadian singer or his luck in retrieving the stolen goods.

BT has been working on the follow-up to 2000's "Movement in Still Life" since last fall. The album was to have hit stores in the spring but now the release date likely will be pushed back.

DEF LEPPARD

The Def Leppard home videos "Historia" and "In The Round In Your Face" are being released on a single DVD, and along with additional material -- videos for the songs "Slang," "Work It

Out," "All I Want Is Everything," "Goodbye," and "Promises."

STEVE EARLE

Steve Earle's cover of Bruce Springsteen's "State Trooper," recorded in 1986 in Chicago, will be included as a bonus track on a reissued version of Earle's debut album, "Guitar Town," coming out later this month. Earle has written liner notes specifically for the album, which includes digitally remastered versions of the 11 tracks. In those notes, Earle writes that he was inspired by a Springsteen concert in Tennessee.

"Guitar Town" was a No. 1 country album after it was released in 1986 and included two Top 10 country hits.

(The above two items thanks to UPI's Mike Cooper in Atlanta)

FABIAN

Fabian -- one of the many teen idols who came along in the wake of Elvis Presley's arrival on the rock 'n' roll scene in the 1950s -- received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Tuesday.

Born Fabian Anthony Forte in Philadelphia in 1943, Fabian made his movie debut in 1959 as a good old boy in "Hound-Dog Man," directed by Don Siegel -- who later directed Clint Eastwood in such hits as "Dirty Harry" and "Coogan's Bluff." He co-starred with James Stewart in the 1962 comedy, "Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation," and with Hugh O'Brien in the 1966 film version of "Ten Little Indians."

In the recent TV movie, "Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The Early Years (1955-1970)," he appeared uncredited as himself. Prior to that, his most recent project was the 1999 TV movie, "Mr. Rock 'n' Roll: The Alan Freed Story," in which he and fellow teen idol Frankie Avalon made special appearances.

(Thanks to UPI Hollywood Reporter Pat Nason)