MUSIC NEWS COMES ALIVE!

THE FOUR SPICES OF THE APOCALYPSE
As "Sporty" Spice Girl Melanie C's new single tops the British charts, Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton has revealed plans for her solo album debut. Bunton told BBC's Radio One that she's been working on 18 solo songs, some with producer Rodney Jerkins. Meanwhile, Melanie C's new single, "I Turn To You," the fourth from her album "Northern Star," shot to No. 1 on the U.K. chart this week. Mel "Scary Spice" B has reportedly just shot a video for her single, "Tell Me," which is due out on Sept. 18 in the United Kingdom. Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham's first non-Spice Girls track, "Out Of Your Mind," is currently being shipped to record stores in Britain. The third album by all four Spice Girls is set to hit stores Nov. 7. "We just wish they'd get back together," said one industry insider, "so we only have to suffer through one album and not four."

Naomi Judd filed for divorce Aug. 14 from her husband of 11 years, Larry Strickland, in Williamson County Chancery Court. Judd's divorce papers allege adultery and inappropriate marital conduct on Strickland's part. Strickland has been the manager for Naomi Judd as well as co-manager for the Judds for several years. "If divorce is good enough for Eminem and Beck, its gotta be right for me," she said.

Garth Brooks, who earlier this week announced his intention to turn his Nashville home into a Graceland-like attraction to be called Garthland, has been told by his neighbors to forget about the idea. At a town meeting Wednesday night, more than 100 locals showed up to voice their disapproval of the project, complaining about the potential influx of traffic and rowdy crowds into the normally quiet neighborhood. "I don't know of a single person in there that was for it," Nashville Councilwoman Bettye Balthrop said. The council did approve ChrisGainesLand, believing that crowds there would be easily managed.

As our own legal eagle Roy Trakin professed in his exclusive interview with incarcerated Death Row Records chief Suge Knight, competing lawsuits by the family of slain rap star Tupac Shakur and the family of his accused assailant have ended with a settlement for an undisclosed sum. Following Shakur's death in 1996, his family countersued prime suspect Orlando Anderson, who already had sued Shakur for alleged assault. Shakur's family charged Anderson with wrongful death, and alleged he was involved in the Las Vegas shooting that took the rapper's life. Anderson was shot to death May 29, 1998. His estate claimed that only hours before Anderson was killed, his attorney was told he would receive a $78,000 settlement from the Shakur estate. When no money was paid, a breach of contract suit was filed on behalf of Anderson's family. "We don't know what happened that night, but we know everyone there deserves a slice of the pie," a L.A.-based Crip said.

TICKET SALES WERE OUTRAGEOUS IN BALI
INXS' upcoming tour of New Zealand featuring guest singer Jon Stevens has been canceled because of poor ticket sales, Pollstar said. The four-show tour faltered at the box office but promoters blamed the economic climate for the low-ticket sales. Said a spokesman for the band, "This wouldn't have happened had we toured a real country."

Rock star and ever-popular hitsdailydouble.com subject Ted Nugent suggests in his new book that students could have stopped last year's Columbine High School massacre by rushing one of the two gunmen. Nugent, a member of the NRA, also wrote that the tragic blood bath proved people should be allowed to carry concealed weapons. Nugent added that, with very little tweaking, his theory could also help reduce beanballs in baseball games and overcharging at grocery stores.

Michael Jackson says he will begin work on the feature film "The Nightmares of Edgar Allan Poe." The King of Pop would play the American goth poet, after his new album is released in January, USA Today reports. Jackson is excited about the script for the "very scary" movie and is looking for a director, his co-exec producer, Gary Pudney, said. "Michael has had conversations with Steven Spielberg, who is a good friend," he said. "Spielberg was enthusiastic and suggested several people, including Tim Burton." An industry insider clarified, "Actually, Spielberg thought Burton would make a good Poe, but don't tell Jacko that."