MC Gravy picked to play Notorious B.I.G.

Brooklyn MC Gravy, largely unknown outside of New York City mixtape circles, has some big shoes to fill. Make that some B.I.G. shoes. Jamal "Gravy" Woolard has been picked by Fox Searchlight Pictures to play Notorious B.I.G. in Notorious, a forthcoming biopic about the late rapper.

The two rappers share a similar history, having gotten into the rap game after years of dealing drugs. Woolard also bears a striking resemblance to the larger-than-life emcee, who was gunned down in Los Angeles in March 1997.

Woolard's biggest claim to fame to date is that he was shot in the buttocks before a radio appearance outside NY hip-hop station Hot 97's studios last April, and then proceeded to brush off his wound and go inside for his interview with a bullet lodged in place.

Gravy joins a cast that includes Derek Luke, who will play Sean "Diddy" Combs, Anthony Mackie as Tupac Shakur, and Angela Bassett, who will play Biggie's mother Violetta Wallace, who is serving as executive producer of the flick.

Former 3LW member Naturi Naughton has also been given an as-yet-unspecified role in the film, which begins filming in New York this month with director George Tillman and is slated for release January 16, 2009.

Woolard beat out more than a hundred other would-be Biggies who vied for the role. It wasn't the rapper's first shot at Hollywood, as he previously auditioned for the lead role in the film Fat Albert.

"He is a talented and charismatic actor, and I am excited that he will bring Christopher's character to life," Wallace said in a statement about Woolard, citing his Gravy's "charming personality, warm spirit, wonderful sense of humor and beautiful smile."

Other entertainers had vied for the role of B.I.G., including Beanie Sigel, Guerilla Black, and Sean Kingston, who jumped the gun in 2007 when he announced that he had landed the role.

Gnarls Barkley video won't "Run" on TV

Lucky for Gnarls Barkley, the number of people that still watch music videos on TV rather than on the Interweb might be negligible. The duo's music video for "Run," the first single off its forthcoming album, The Odd Couple, has been deemed inappropriate for TV--but not because of any sex or violence.

In fact, the retro-styled video, inspired by classic dance shows like Soul Train, can't run because its strobe effects failed the Harding Test, which regulates TV content that could trigger epileptic seizures.

The video kicks off with a fictional public access TV show called City Vibin' hosted by Justin Timberlake. While the first half features Gnarls' Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse performing the song on the show, the latter half transforms the show's set turned into a psychedelic rollercoaster ride of sorts.

"I don't know exactly what's going on, but we're having issues. I think (the video) is cool. It works for me. But I'm not necessarily that easily seasick," Danger Mouse told Billboard.com. "We can't predict how people are going to interpret it."

The Odd Couple hits stores April 8. The duo is about to shoot a video for the second single, "Who's Gonna Save My Soul."

NIN experiment reaps rewards

Some experiments go awry, but others hit the jackpot. Nine Inch Nails' innovative release of its latest album, Ghosts I-IV, is clearly the latter, as Information Week reported today that the band's official site sold out of a $300 edition of the album, despite also offering part of the album as a free download.

Fans bought 2,500 copies of the deluxe autographed edition of the new album in just three days, crashing the site's servers. Ghosts, a four-volume, 36-song instrument collection, was also offered in four other versions, including as a free, DRM-free downloads of its first nine songs.

Nine Inch Nails' mastermind Trent Reznor also licensed Ghosts I-IV under a Creative Commons license that allows fans to copy and distribute the music they buy.

Keith Richards: Male model?

In what is either staggering genius or yet another sign that the apocalypse is upon us, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is set to become the new public face of Louis Vuitton, the French luxury fashion house said this week.

The ad campaign, which has previously featured former Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US actresses Scarlett Johansson and Uma Thurman, will feature the 64-year-old Richards cradling his guitar on a hotel-room bed.

"Some journeys cannot be put into words. New York. 3 am. Blues in C," runs the slogan of the ad, shot by US photographer Annie Leibovitz and due to appear in the magazine press next month.

Richards plans to donate the fee for the ad to the Climate Project, launched by Nobel-winning former US Vice President Al Gore and backed by Louis Vuitton.

Jammys to give Phish lifetime honor

Nearly four years since they broke up in the summer of 2004, the four members of Vermont jam band Phish will receive a lifetime achievement honor at the annual Jammy Awards. The event is set for May 7 at The Theater at New York's Madison Square Garden.

The event's organizers did not say whether all four members of Phish--Trey Anastasio, Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon, and Page McConnell--will attend the event, and whether or not they would perform. The group has not performed since its final show in Vermont during the summer of 2004.

"We are extremely proud to present our Lifetime Achievement Award to Phish," Jammy cocreator Peter Shapiro said in a statement. "Few bands have meant as much to the improvisational music community as they have, so celebrating their career is something that is a natural thing for us to do." Jammy nominees and performers will be announced at a later date.

Perry sues Label over Blunt royalties

US songwriter and record producer Linda Perry propelled English singer James Blunt to chart-topping success, and now she says the label which profited from the crooner owes her millions of dollars. Perry has sued Warner Music Group for unpaid royalties from Blunt's smash debut album, Back to Bedlam, which sold more than 11 million copies worldwide.

Perry's California-based record company, Custard, filed suit against Warner Music Group and one of its labels, Atlantic Records, which distributed Bedlam. In a complaint filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, the lawsuit claims breach of contract and seeks lost royalties and $5 million in punitive damages.

Perry, the former lead singer and songwriter for rock group 4 Non Blondes, has written and produced hits for Gwen Stefani, Pink, and Christina Aguilera.

"Atlantic's wrongdoing follows the far too familiar scenario involving a large multinational corporate record company which takes advantage of a small, independent production company after the production company presents the major label with a promising new artist," the lawsuit said.