Aguilera says she's mulling scripts

In a press conference this week to promote her first concert in mainland China, Christina Aguilera told reporters that she's been reading scripts with the hopes of launching an acting career. "I am looking forward to moving into another form of what I feel is another creative outlet for me and that would be acting," she said, according to the Associated Press. "[Acting] is something that, when I attempt to do it, I want to do it right, so it's important for me that I do choose the right first role for myself."

Aguilera performed at the Shanghai Grand Stage, which has previously hosted performances by the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and the Black Eyed Peas. Aguilera said she was already moving on from the retro sounds of her double-disc album Back to Basics, promising that her next record will be "completely different from this one." Aguilera offered no hints what that new style would be but did make one promise: It will be a single album. "We're going to keep it short and sweet," she said.

50 Cent to play alongside De Niro, Pacino

De Niro, Pacino, Fiddy--kinda has a ring to it, no? 50 Cent is in talks to join acting legends Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in Righteous Kill, a crime thriller that starts shooting in September. Fiddy--real name Curtis Jackson--would play a drug dealer who helps two cops tracking a serial killer. De Niro and Pacino play the two cops and reportedly will be onscreen together for nearly the entire film.

The longtime friends shared no screen time in 1974's The Godfather: Part II and only one scene in 1995's Heat. 50 Cent was the star of 2005's Get Rich Or Die Tryin', a movie loosely based on his life.

Morrissey sustains infection, cancels shows

Morrissey was forced to halt his performance last night in Boston after just seven songs, as a throat infection made it too difficult for the veteran singer to continue. In his show at the Bank of American Pavilion, Moz informed the audience that he was too ill to go on, adding, "unfortunately it will not just be the emotions cracking tonight, but my voice as well."

Doctors ordered the singer to give it a rest for the next three days, forcing Moz to cancel tonight's gig in Northampton, Massachusetts, and Friday's set in Philly. Saturday night's show at New York City's Madison Square Garden and all subsequent gigs are set to take place as planned. Morrissey is set to appear and perform Friday on Late Show With David Letterman. The appearance was taped on Monday.

Spoon to headline Wired's NextFest

Following in the footsteps of artists like David Byrne & Gilberto Gil, Girl Talk, and Peeping Tom, Spoon is set to headline a concert to benefit Creative Commons in Los Angeles as part of Wired magazine's NextFest. The event, set for the Henry Fonda Theater, is on Sept. 10. The concert will kick off NextFest, Wired's world’s-fair-style event showcasing future technologies in design, entertainment, communication, healthcare, transportation, sustainable living, and more.

Spoon's latest album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, hits stores July 10. In 2004, the Austin, Texas-based band participated in the Creative Commons-licensed WIRED CD: Rip. Sample. Mash. Share., which also included tracks from the Beastie Boys, David Byrne, My Morning Jacket, a pre-Gnarls-Barkley Danger Mouse & Jemini, and the Rapture.

Diplo creates music nonprofit

In traveling around the world, DJ/producer Diplo has met plenty of folks interested in making music but without the resources to do so. In an effort to give aspiring artists a chance, the Mad Decent Records chief has teamed with partners Andrew Levins and Nina Agzarian to launch a new nonprofit music initiative called Heaps Decent. The venture seeks to connect current popular recording artists with students from underprivileged communities around the world with programs on music education and technical skill development.

The first product of Heaps Decent is already available through iTunes. Diplo helped a group of students in Maningrida, Australia to produce the song "Smash A Kangaroo." The song was made through contributions from Apple, Obey, Serrato/Rane, and Ableton.

"This project is a way to give back in larger ways and to be proactive, and the new faster forms of multimedia and communication are working in our favor to even the field," Diplo said in a statement. "I feel like any artist with any level of success can find it easy to take some time out and give back to an initiative, such as Heaps Decent. I hoped to help to build this initiative in Australia as a test and continue to carry this project to other places where creativity and volunteering can work hand in hand with the next studio to begin in the Rocinha favela in Rio de Janeiro in January 2008."