Publisher preps Dr. Dre bio

Dr. Dre fans growing tired of waiting for the long-delayed Detox album will have something to tide them over, at least in the form of a book. Thunder's Mouth Press is set to release Dr. Dre: A Biography, the appropriately titled biography of the legendary hip-hop producer-rapper. The tome charts Andre Young's rise from the son of a 16-year-old single mom, to his cofounding of N.W.A., and his eventual rise one of the most acclaimed producers in hip-hop. The 336-page book is written by Ronin Ro, who has also penned biographies on Sean "Diddy" Combs and Run DMC, as well as Have Gun Will Travel, about the rise and fall of Death Row Records, which Dre cofounded with Suge Knight. Dr. Dre: A Biography will hits stores February 27.

Rage guitarist talks reunion

With three of its members having moved on to found Audioslave and frontman Zack de la Rocha unheard from for years, last week's announcement that Rage Against the Machine would reunite for Coachella took many by surprise. Rage and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello told MTV News this week that the timing was right from a political standpoint, with the Democrats having taken control of Congress and President George W. Bush's popularity seemingly on the decline. "To deliver a knockout blow to the Bush administration," Morello said in explaining the reunion. "And hopefully, one night in the desert is all it will take. They're teetering, so ... Is it coincidence that in the seven years that Rage Against the Machine has been away that the country has slid into right-wing purgatory? I think not. It occurred to all of us that the times were right to see if we can knock the Bush administration out in one fell swoop, and we hope to do that job well. This administration has done enough damage that it may take generations to undo. This is an administration that believes it's beyond the laws of the land, which is fine for emperors, but not so great for presidents. One thing this president isn't above is the laws of physics, and there is no action without reaction. And we're part of that reaction."

Whitney Houston looks to expedite divorce

To many of her fans, Whitney Houston's marriage to Bobby Brown seemed like it would never end, through a string of trials and tribulations. Now it seems that Houston can't make it end fast enough. The singer has asked a court to fast-track her divorce from Brown, according to court papers. The singer filed for divorce in October, but Houston recently requested a default judgment in a bid to speed up proceedings. Houston is seeking full custody of the couple's 13-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

Ozzy distributes hearing aids

Looking to do some reparations for his decades of ear-bleedingly loud music, Ozzy Osbourne appeared at an NFL charity event yesterday to distribute $1 million worth of hearing aids. The rock star showed up at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, to give out the hearing aids to needy children, the NFL said, as part of the football league's Super Bowl weekend festivities. Ozzy has a new album on the way, and told Revolver magazine that he stepped up his game this time around. "I always try to make a great album," he said. "It's not like I go in there and go, 'You know what? I've had a great run--I'm gonna do a piece of s*** for my next album!' But to be perfectly truthful to you, Down to Earth was just a filler album to me. But this album I put in the same league as No More Tears, Blizzard of Ozz, and Diary."

Ghostface to launch online poker site

Looking to capitalize on the online poker craze, Ghostface Killah is planning to launch his own poker site next week. The Wu-Tang Clan rapper plans to launch GFKPoker.com to allow fans to go online and play alongside the GFK poker team or other featured hip-hop guests. The GFK poker team consists of Ghostface, rapper Shawn Wiggs of Ghost's Theodore Unit, Hot 97 personality Angie Martinez, and Ghostface's executive producer and manager, Mike Caruso. "Ghost has a studio he records at in Staten Island called Redline," Caruso tol HHNLive.com. "There was an old studio in the back room that we gutted out and made a lounge/poker room. All the engineers--Method Man, Tru Life, and dudes that play poker meet and play cards there. The site will go live February 8.

Gary Glitter could be granted amnesty

Disgraced ex-rocker Gary Glitter, imprisoned in Vietnam for sexually molesting two young girls, is on a list of inmates to be possibly released this month, his lawyer told Reuters today. The 62-year-old glam rocker was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison during a one-day trial in March last year and subsequently lost an appeal. But each year at major national holidays, the Vietnam president authorizes amnesty for prisoners. In two weeks time, Vietnam will ring in the Lunar New Year, or Tet, the Southeast Asian country's most important celebration, and Glitter is on the list of those with a chance to receive amnesty. "My client is on the list for Tet amnesty consideration and I expect to hear the final decision in a few days," Glitter's lawyer Le Thanh Kinh told Reuters in Ho Chi Minh City. "If he is amnestied he will be released very soon, probably next week." Glitter denied he molested the girls while living in a villa in the southern resort town of Vung Tau. He was arrested at Ho Chi Minh City airport in November 2005 while trying to leave the country.