Rock News: Music's high and low notes

DICK CLARK

The man known as the "world's oldest teenager" is suing the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences for more than $10 million.

Dick Clark -- whose company, Dick Clark Productions Inc., produces the American Music Awards -- accuses NARAS President and CEO Michael Greene of implementing a black list preventing performers from appearing on both the AMA and the Grammies telecasts.

Clark appeared visibly upset as he announced details of the lawsuit at a news conference in Beverly Hills, Calif., Wednesday. He said during the past several years, artists who have wanted to perform on both shows -- including Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Toni Braxton -- "have been precluded from doing so because of this arbitrary and unfair policy."

In papers filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Clark alleged that Spears withdrew from the American Music Awards show two years ago -- after his production company had announced her performance and built an elaborate set for her -- because Greene told her that she would not be able to appear on the Grammys telecast if she also did the AMA show.

Clark said he spoke to Greene following the incident and that Greene said at the time that the "situation is indeed out of control." He said Greene promised him "the blacklist policy would be terminated." However, the lawsuit alleges that as recently as last month, Greene caused Jackson to breach an oral contract with Clark to appear on the upcoming 29th Annual American Music Awards, to perform and to receive an Artist of the Century award.

Clark accused Greene of "intentional interference" that will hurt the AMA's TV ratings and diminish the value of the Jan. 9 televised on ABC.

In response, NARAS denied any wrongdoing and called the suit "nothing more than a last-minute publicity stunt created in hopes of driving some attention to the plaintiff's show by attacking the Grammy Awards."

Nominations for the 44th Annual Grammy Awards will be announced Jan. 4. The awards will be presented Feb. 27 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, in ceremonies to be televised on CBS.

Although the suit indicates Jackson breached a contract to appear on the AMA, Clark said he is not taking any legal action against Jackson.

"I've known Michael Jackson since he was a kid," said Clark. "To have another party interfere with that friendship makes me very, very angry. This lawsuit is confined to C. Michael Greene." He added that he and Jackson will "stay friends forever, despite this bump in the road."

(Thanks to UPI Hollywood Reporter Pat Nason)

OLYMPIC MUSIC

Creed, Dave Matthews Band, Sheryl Crow and 'N Sync are among the artists who'll entertain athletes and spectators alike at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City this February.

Each night during the games, a different band will take the stage at Olympic Medals Plaza for a one-hour free show:

DATE BAND

2/9 Dave Matthews Band

2/11 Foo Fighters

2/13 Barenaked Ladies

2/14 Sheryl Crow

2/15 Smash Mouth

2/16 Brooks & Dunn

2/17 Train

2/19 Creed

2/20 Marc Anthony

2/23 'N Sync

2/24 Martina McBride

2/25 The Temptations (for Team 2002 members only)

Additional performers will be announced in January.

ENTERTAINING THE TROOPS

Jessica Simpson and 98 Degrees' Nich Lachey are among the entertainers who'll be heading overseas this holiday season to bring some cheer to U.S. troops.

The USO "We Deliver America" tour --- sponsored by Nissan North America --- will bring the celebrities to undisclosed locations to entertain service personnel on land and at sea. Also taking part in the tour --- Wayne Newton, comedians Drew Carey and Louis Dix, country singer Neal McCoy and some of the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.

38 SPECIAL

38 Special -- the Lynyrd Skynyrd offshoot band led by Donnie Van Zant -- is playing a new kind of southern rock these days, an aspect of the genre that has not yet been attempted: Christmas music.

The band's latest album, "A Wild-Eyed Christmas Night," is meant to remind old-time fans of the band's Andy Warhol moment, when "Wild-Eyed Southern Boys" went platinum in the early 1980s on the strength of the Southern Rock anthem "Hold On Loosely." Now they're singing about "A Wild-Eyed Christmas Night," but this time around, the partygoers aren't the wild-eyed southern boys drinking in the parking lot or having a party over at Joe's while his folks are out of town.

"I've been as good as I can be," they sing. "Let's call the gang over/sounds like a party to me."

The Boys are grown up now and partying in their own house, while (ahem) "the kids are in bed," although not specifically listed as actually sleeping.

Don Barnes -- whose songwriting collaboration with Jim Peterick signaled the band's rise to stardom -- has teamed up with Peterick again for the blues-pop lament "It's Christmas and I Miss You." There's also the suitably raucous southern rock Christmas song flag-waver, "Hallelujah, It's Christmas."

(Thanks to UPI's John Swenson in New York)