Kanye, Knievel look to settle case

Evel Knievel is willing to work it out with Evel Kanyevel. The 68-year-old daredevil has agreed to use a mediator to settle his trademark infringement lawsuit against rapper Kanye West, who based the 2006 music video for his song "Touch the Sky" around Knievel's failed attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in Idaho in 1974.

The Associated Press reported that Knievel and West have told a federal judge that they will use a mediator to try to settle the lawsuit Knievel filed last December. In the video, which the lawsuit described as "vulgar, sexual, and racially-charged," West dons the familiar Knievel star-studded jumpsuit and jumps a canyon in a vehicle that looks "visually indistinguishable," the suit claims. West's attorneys argued the video amounted to satire, covered under the First Amendment. Knievel and West will share mediation expenses.

Songwriter retracts Avril blast

What a difference a legal threat can make. Chantal Kreviazuk, the Canadian singer/songwriter who claimed Avril Lavigne used one of her songs without permission and dismissed Lavigne's songwriting skills in an interview in the June issue of Performing Songwriter magazine, has retracted her comments. Kreviazuk's comments came to light in the wake of a copyright infringement lawsuit filed against Lavigne by 1970s band the Rubinoos over her song "Girlfriend."

"I would like to apologize for any misconceptions concerning Avril Lavigne, which may have resulted from statements I made in my interview with Performing Songwriter magazine," Kreviazuk said in a statement. "It was not my intention to call Avril's songwriting ability or ethics into question. My statements and any inference from my statements, which call into question Avril's ethics or ability as a respected and acclaimed songwriter, should be disregarded and are retracted. Avril is an accomplished songwriter and it has been my privilege to work with her."

The retraction comes just a few days after Lavigne posted on her Web site that "Chantal's comments are damaging to my reputation and a clear defamation of my character and I am considering taking legal action."

Corgan shot photos of Hilton

Smashing Pumpkins' fans who picked up the partially reunited rock group's new album this week might be surprised to see photos of Paris Hilton in its CD jacket. Turns out frontman Billy Corgan shot the photos himself, according to Launch Radio.

"Actually the original idea was we were gonna see if Lindsey [sic] [Lohan], Britney [Spears], and Paris [Hilton] would all shoot," he said. "But ultimately we decided that that was probably gonna be too prohibitive 'cause then you would get into, like, those girls fighting amongst each other. Paris I knew personally, and hung out with her a few times, and so I asked her. I said, 'Would you be willing to do this?' And God bless her, she came, she showed up at 10:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning, sat in the chair, got made up and shot her. So anybody who thinks that those aren't real photos, those are real. We took those photos."

Porter says she dumped Diddy

Kim Porter, the longtime girlfriend of Sean "Diddy" Combs and the mother of three of his four children, said this week that she has left the hip-hop mogul. "After 10 years, I have decided to end my on-again/off-again relationship with Sean 'Diddy' Combs," Porter said in a statement to TV show The Insider. "In ending this relationship, I made a decision that was in the best interest of myself, Sean and our family. I look forward to moving on with my life and my career, and wish him prosperity, health and happiness in life and in love. We will remain friends and committed parents to our children." Diddy and Porter, a 35-year-old model, have a 9-year-old son, Christian, and 6-month-old twin daughters, D'Lila Star and Jessie James. Diddy has another son, Justin, with ex-girlfriend Misa Hylton-Brim.

Busta faces four trials

Busta Rhymes lost in a bid to consolidate two of his pending criminal charges and will now likely face four trials. The embattled rapper, accused in separate incidents of attacking a man who accidentally spit on his car and of beating and kicking a former employee last year, had sought to consolidate those cases but was rejected by Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Larry Stephen.

Now Rhymes--real name Trevor Smith, 35--must face a separate trial for each, as well as trials for unrelated charges of driving drunk and driving with a suspended license. Rhymes has consistently rejected plea deals from the District Attorney's office to spend a year in jail to cover all the cases.

Popper gets pot charge dismissed

John Popper will be able to conduct his preparations for the apocalypse without interruption. The singer and harmonica, best known as the frontman for jam band Blues Traveler, has been granted a conditional dismissal in a marijuana case that resulted in his arrest in March. The misdemeanor charge of possession of pot and drug paraphernalia will be dropped if Popper avoids getting caught with marijuana for at least a year, the Associated Press reported. If Popper avoids a marijuana arrest in the next year, the charge will be dropped.

The charge had stemmed from an incident in which Popper's SUV was pulled over doing more than 110 mph on a highway in Washington. The driver of the SUV, 34-year-old Brian Gourgeois of Austin, Texas, was charged with reckless driving. But officers said a search of Popper's SUV turned up a huge weapons cache, much of which was stowed in secret compartments. But Popper was licensed to own the weapons with exception of some brass knuckles and a knife that were found. A weapons charge for those items was dropped.