plus: DMX [ tickets ] strikes plea bargain. New Nelly [ tickets ] album due in June.

Creed [ tickets ] has filled the bill of its January-February tour dates by adding Virgos to the lineup. Virgos, which was previously signed to Atlantic Records, plans to release a new album on Creed's independent label Blue Collar Records this spring. As previously reported, Tantric will occupy the middle slot on the bill.

Pete Townshend, in a posting on his official website, writes that the Who's manager is beginning to sketch out U.S. tour plans for the group, "probably starting in L.A. in June and ending in the Northeast in August. That could all change, though."

Townshend also writes that he is currently working on a novel.

Prior to the Who's two charity shows at London's Royal Albert Hall on Feb 7-8, the band will play two nights at the 2,000-capacity Portsmouth Guildhall on Jan. 27-28.

Rapper DMX (whose real name is Earl Simmons) avoided potential prison time on Wednesday (1/9) by agreeing to produce public service announcements telling children to stay away from guns and be kind to animals, the Bergen (N.J.) Record reported. He reportedly pleaded guilty to 13 counts of animal cruelty, two counts of maintaining a nuisance, and one count each of disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The charges date back to June 1999, and the rapper and his wife reportedly could have faced a 10 year prison sentence if convicted on charges of possessing a weapon for an unlawful purpose, endangering the welfare of a child, possessing hollow-point ammunition and possessing a high-capacity magazine.

Police went to the Simmons' home after DMX's business manager (who is also his cousin) was shot in the foot. (The shooting remains unsolved.)

At the house, investigators allegedly "found the Simmons house reeking of dog urine and feces and filled with flies," according to the newspaper. DMX's mother in law, who refused to testify against the rapper, allegedly told detectives that DMX "had spent the past week smoking crack" and had "walked past her holding a pistol two days earlier."

Police claimed a search of the house turned up a 9mm pistol, a high-capacity magazine and hollow-point bullets (both illegal), and six glass crack pipes.

Rapper Nelly, who won an American Music Award on Wednesday (1/9) for Favorite Artist - Rap/Hip-Hop, is putting the final touches on his sophomore album, "Nellyville." Universal Records has scheduled the album for release on June 25.