Timberlake getting taste for comedy

Fresh off his second successful stint as host of Saturday Night Live--complete with "D*** in the Box"--Justin Timberlake says he's ready to give comedic acting a try. The singer, who so far has appeared in feature-length dramas like Alpha Dog and Black Snake Moan, was in Park City, Utah this week to promote the latter. When asked if he'd be willing to act in a comedy, he told MTV News, "I'd love to. It's interesting, because moving into film, [it's always been] drama for me. I've been attracted to very, very flawed characters." Asked if he'd be willing to do something along the lines of a Will Ferrell straight-ahead laughfest, the star said he'd love to start bringing funny back. "Like a broad comedy?" he asked. "Maybe I'm a little more precious with it, but yeah I'd love to."

Brian Wilson tribute headed to DVD

A 2005 tribute to legendary singer Brian Wilson is headed to DVD. The 2005 event was held by MusiCares, the music industry's organization that provides a safety net for music people in times of need, and celebrated Wilson as its person of the year. Now the tribute is set to be released on DVD, featuring performances from Red Hot Chili Peppers ("I Get Around"), Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora ("City Blues"), and Jeff Beck ("Surfin' USA"). The event also features the Backstreet Boys, Shelby Lynne, and Earth, Wind & Fire, as well as a five-song set from the Brian Wilson Band. This year's MusiCares Person of the Year is Don Henley, who will be honored at an event in Los Angeles on February 9.

Tom Waits settled dispute with car maker

Tom Waits has settled his lawsuit against German car maker Adam Opel AG and its advertising agency, McCann Erickson, for using a sound-alike in a series of TV commercials after he rebuffed their requests to provide his voice for the ads. Waits will donate his net settlement proceeds to an unnamed charity, according to a statement issued today on behalf of the gravelly voiced singer. Financial details of the settlement were not disclosed. Waits had sued Adam Opel, a General Motors subsidiary, claiming they had hired a singer to impersonate his distinctive vocal style in the ads after he had refused their requests. The singer had sought an injunction and at least $300,000 in damages for breach of various private rights and copyright infringement of music works. "I'm glad to be out of the car sales business once and for all," Waits said in a statement today. In March 2004, Waits won a legal dispute against Tandem Campmany Guasch, a Spanish production company that had misappropriated his singing style for a sound-alike TV spot. He separately won $2.5 million in a case against Frito-Lay in the United States, which was affirmed on appeal in 1992, for using his vocal style in a commercial marketing the Salsa Rio Doritos chips.

Strokes guitarist involved in car chase

Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. and his solo project's backing band were involved in a high-speed police chase while leaving Texas, according to a post on Hammond's MySpace page. The singer, currently on tour in support of his debut album, Yours to Keep, was aboard the band's tour bus when it collided with a pickup truck being chased by police. In the post, keyboardist/guitarist Marc Philippe Eskenazi wrote, "It turned out that the cops had been chasing a suspect in a pickup truck in a high speed chase a la OJ Simpson since the Texas state border. It seemed that the pickup was going to get away until he came into contact with youknowwho (us). It appeared that since our trailer has such a wide load-though sadly no such bumper sticker yet-we proved an obstacle passed which no mere pickup truck could speed ahead! But those crazy criminals will do anything to get a laugh, won't they. Those knuckleheads smashed into our trailer and spun out of control, crashing into the side ramp, and awaited their vacation in the Texas State Penitentiary. Book 'em, boys!"

EMI merges Capitol, Virgin, trims staff

Less than a week after its firing its top music executives amid a profit warning, UK label giant EMI has decided to merge its Capitol and Virgin labels into a single unit called The Capitol Music Group. The Capitol and Virgin Records imprints will survive, but the company is streamlining its executive and staffing ranks. As part of the restructuring, Virgin CEO Jason Flom will take over the new organization, reporting directly to EMI Chairman Eric Nicoli. Capitol CEO Andrew Slater has left the company after six years on the job. "Jason Flom quickly demonstrated his leadership and artist development abilities since he has been at Virgin. I am confident that he will take us to new levels of success," Nicoli said in a statement. The shakeup is part of EMI Group's recently announced effort to deliver $217 million in annual savings across its business.