Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe BRITNEY SPEARS Reports of the demise of the relationship between Britney Spears and 'N Sync's Justin Timberlake appear to have been greatly exaggerated. Advertisement Despite widespread reports by the BBC, the New York Post and various British tabloids, the pop diva denies the couple has separated -- telling MTV Italy, "No, that's not true. Me and Justin did not split up." The rumors were fueled by reports that Spears had been seen crying at a Hollywood restaurant with actress friend Tara Reid, and by claims that she'd stopped wearing the diamond friendship ring Timberlake gave her last summer. PUDDLE OF MUDD Puddle of Mudd singer Wes Scantlin and his fiancée were arrested Sunday evening after witnesses claimed they say the couple arguing alongside a highway near Piru, Calif. Allstar News quotes witnesses saying they saw Scantlin force Michelle Rubin into a sports utility vehicle driven by a third party. The car sped off while the struggle inside continued, and police pulled the vehicle over down the road. Advertisement A spokesman for the Ventura County Jail said Scantlin and Rubin were both arrested on domestic violence charges and released on $20,000 bail each. No comment from Interscope Records, the band's label. Puddle of Mudd kicks off a North American tour Tuesday in Austin, Texas. CONNIE FRANCIS 1950s and '60s pop singer and actress Connie Francis is suing Universal Music Corp. in federal court in New York. In court documents, Francis alleges that Universal over the years has breached its contractual obligations to her, systemically grossly underreported record royalties due her, and intentionally inflicted emotional distress upon her by licensing the use of her recordings in two sexually explicit motion pictures featuring rape scenes and deviant sexual conduct. The entertainer's lawyer, Brian Caplan, said they're seeking tens of millions of dollars in compensatory and punitive damages, the rescission of her recording agreements, and the return of her master recordings. Francis was raped in a Long Island, N.Y., hotel room in 1974, which led to years of depression. Later, she was a member of President Reagan's task force on violent crime, which addressed the issues of the plight of crime victims. DAVE MATTHEWS BAND Dave Matthews Band is working on its sixth studio album for RCA with an eye toward a summer release for the as-yet-untitled recording. Billboard.com reports the follow-up to 2001's "Everyday" includes re-recordings of several songs originally taped for "Everyday" but later shelved. Advertisement That music found its way onto the Internet, and has also appeared in DMB live setlists. Dave Matthews Band's two-leg summer North American tour begins April 4 in Washington, D.C., pauses for the month of June, and starts up again July 5 in West Palm Beach, Fla. Soulive, Gov't Mule, Robert Randolph, and Bela Fleck & the Flecktones will support on various dates. NO DOUBT No Doubt kicks off a North American tour in support of its current album, "Rock Steady," RollingStone.com reports. Tour dates: 3/18: Sacramento, CA, Memorial Auditorium 3/20-21: Seattle, Paramount Theater 3/23: Portland, OR, Roseland Theater 3/25: San Jose, CA, Event Center Arena 3/27-28: Universal City, CA, Universal Amphitheater 3/30: Las Vegas, Hard Rock Hotel: The Joint 4/2: Orem, UT, McKay Events Center 4/3: Denver, Fillmore Auditorium 4/5: Kansas City, MO, Uptown Theater 4/6: Chicago, Aragon Ballroom 4/7: West Lafayette, IN, Elliott Hall of Music 4/9: Detroit, State Theater 4/11: Toronto, Kool Haus 4/12: Amherst, NY, Alumni Arena/University of Buffalo 4/14: Ithaca, NY, Cornell University 4/15: Lowell, MA, Paul E. Tsongas Arena 4/17-18, 20: New York, Roseland 4/22: Philadelphia, Electric Factory 4/23: Pittsburgh, PA, Amphitheater at Station Square 4/25: Cleveland, OH, Tower City Amphitheater 4/26: Washington, DC, Charles E. Smith Center Advertisement 4/27: Charlotte, NC, Center Cityfest 4/29: Myrtle Beach, SC, House of Blues 5/1: Lake Buena Vista, FL, House of Blues 5/2: West Palm Beach, FL, Sunfest 5/4: Nashville, River Stages 5/7: Houston, Verizon Wireless Theater 5/9: Austin, TX, Austin Music Hall 5/10: Dallas, Bronco Bowl 5/12: Bernalillo, NM, Santa Ana Star Casino CHER Cher says her upcoming tour in support of her new album, "Living Proof," will be her last. "I want to do some movies and I really haven't had time to," the 55-year-old singer told MTV News. "There's a musical that I really want to do called 'The Enchanted Cottage,' and that is the thing that is really closest to me right now. I have never had the chance to sing and act in a movie." Cher -- who won a Best Actress Oscar for 1987's "Moonstruck" -- believes musicals could make a comeback following last year's Oscar-nominated "Moulin Rouge." "The old kind, where people just break out into song for no reason, I don't think that can happen," she said. "But I think people really enjoy music, they enjoy acting, and if you can find a way to bring that together in something that appeals to people now, I think it works." Advertisement "Living Proof" debuted at No.9 on the Billboard Top-200 album chart this week. Dates for Cher's road trip will be announced soon. LOS LOBOS Los Lobos has wrapped up work on its 11th studio album. Co-produced by the band and legendary producer John Leckie, "Good Morning Aztlan" will be released on June 4. "'Good Morning Aztlan' is where we're at in our lives as songwriters and musicians, putting it down exactly how we see it and hear it, just singing and playing our hearts out," said Louie Perez. "What really amazes me after this long, we've not only becoming stronger as a band, but we've been able to maintain a sense of enthusiasm and discovery about ourselves and our music." 2002 marks the 25th anniversary of Los Lobos' recording career. The band's first album, "Los Lobos Del Este De Los Angeles," was released in 1977. In 2001, the band released the Grammy-nominated four-CD box set "El Cancionero Mas Y Mas: A History Of The Band From East L.A."
