Group asks Bono to help stop game

Between publicizing the plight of the diseased and impoverished and fronting the world's biggest rock band, can Bono find the time to help put a stop to a new video game? The Venezuelan Solidarity Network hopes so. Upset at the plot and concept behind the forthcoming game Mercenaries 2: World in Flames, the group wants Bono to step in and prevent the game from hitting store shelves later this year. The U2 frontman sits on the board of Elevation Partners, the venture capital firm that is a majority stakeholder in the partnership between Pandemic and BioWare, the firms behind the game.

Mercenaries 2 follows guns for hire as they help topple a "power hungry tyrant" in Venezuela. While no real names are used, protestors see the plot as a clear parallel to the US' troubled relationship with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez and are labeling the shooter as anti-Venezuela propaganda. The group hopes to gather the signatures of various religious leaders for a petition to Bono.

"The aim of the video game is full devastation, so any 'person' who moves should be 'shot,' and all the buildings, such as the headquarters of PDVSA, the Venezuelan public oil company, can be 'destroyed,'" the letter to Bono reads. "Our concern is that this game will only deepen an already antagonistic relationship between the US and Venezuelan governments. Millions of Venezuelans fear an invasion from the US; knowing that a company that works for the US military has created a game in which their country is completely destroyed will increase those concerns."

Pandemic has worked on an Army-commissioned military-training program, which later was polished for retail as the game Full Spectrum Warrior. The Venezuelan Solidarity Network hopes to gather the signatures by March 31 and send the letter to Bono the next day.

Britney wins tabloid injunction in UK

UK residents salivating for the latest juicy details of Britney Spears' rehab stint will have to head for US gossip sites. Lawyers for the pop diva won a British court injunction today designed to prevent publication of stories about her recent stay in rehab. The injunction bars unidentified "person or persons ... who has/have been leaking information about Ms. Spears' time in a rehabilitation clinic from further disclosures invading her privacy," according to a statement from Schillings, the 25-year-old pop star's London law firm. The injunction was issued at the High Court by Judge Charles Gray.

Spears left Promises Malibu Alcohol and Drug Rehab Treatment Facility in California "after successfully completing their program," her manager, Larry Rudolph, said in a statement this week, asking that Spears' privacy be respected.

Spears entered rehab February 22 after a bout of bizarre behavior that included shaving her head, getting tiny lips tattooed on her wrist, beating a paparazzi car with an umbrella, and aborting two previous visits to rehab. Schillings said Spears planned to ask the court to force media outlets that had printed stories about her time in rehab to reveal their sources so that the source of the leak could be identified "and action can be taken against him/her." A 30-day stay at the Mediterranean-style villa in the Santa Monica Mountains costs $48,000.

Chris Cornell honored for charity work

Chris Cornell, the former Soundgarden and Audioslave singer who has since gone solo, will be honored for his efforts to help addicts with their recovery during a dinner and concert in Hollywood May 11, organizers said this week. Cornell, a recovering alcoholic himself, will receive the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award during the third annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert organized by the MusiCares Foundation, which is the charitable arm of the Recording Academy, the group that hands out the Grammys. The fund provides members of the music community access to addiction recovery treatment regardless of their financial situation.

Cornell, who will release his second solo album, Carry On, June 5, will perform during the event at the Music Box theater. Other scheduled acts include David Gahan of Depeche Mode, blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and the band Army of Anyone, whose lineup includes two former members of Stone Temple Pilots and former Filter singer Richard Patrick. Metallica singer James Hetfield was honored at last year's event and fought back tears as he recounted his struggle with alcoholism.

Dead Kennedys feud over licensed song

The Dead Kennedys have found something new to fight about with former frontman Jello Biafra. It seems East Bay Ray, Klaus Flouride, and D.H. Peligro have licensed the band's song "Too Drunk to F***" to the new Quentin Tarantino-Robert Rodriguez double feature Grindhouse, and the fillmakers are using the song for a rape scene. Biafra issued a statement objecting to the move, saying, "Some people will do anything for money...I'd sure love to be a fly on the wall when [Flouride] tries to explain to his teenage daughter putting a song in a rape scene for money."

The trio hit back yesterday, issuing a statement saying, "Jello is getting paid extremely well, and we challenge him to put his money where his mouth is and donate his share to a woman's cause, if he is truly concerned with the issue." Biafra and his former bandmates have frequently sparred in recent years, most recently in a lengthy legal battle over the rights to its back catalog.

Rick James' estate files lawsuit

The estate of Rick James has sued the late R&B singer's former music publisher, claiming it entered into contracts with European firms even after it was told its contract was not being renewed. The complaint, filed last week in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims Brooklyn Music Publishing continues to collect commissions from the European publishers and has refused to turn over all the documents and information to the trust and its new publisher, Wixen Music Publishing. The complaint claims that Brooklyn Music once had the rights to publish James' lucrative catalog, which does not include his biggest hit, "Super Freak."

After James died in 2004, the trust became unhappy with the administration of publishing rights by Brooklyn, claiming its expenses were too high. Prior to the contract's expiration, the trust gave notice to Brooklyn that the agreement would not be renewed. The estate claims Brooklyn retaliated by not providing key copyright authorship information regarding James' works and has refused to turn over master recordings, as well as the money received from foreign sub-publishers.