Jane's Addiction [ tickets ] and Marilyn Manson [ tickets ] have called off a co-headlining tour that was expected to launch after Christmas.

Only five dates had been scheduled, including a New Year's Eve show at New York's Madison Square Garden. No reason was given for the cancellation.

Sales of music didn't fall nearly as much in 2003 as they did the year before, according to Neilsen SoundScan, which tracks retail sales.

SoundScan reports that overall music sales--including 15.9 million legal digital downloads--are down 2.2% from a year ago, compared to a 12.9% drop in 2002.

CD album sales, which represent 96% of all album sales, fell 3% in 2003, versus 8.8% a year ago. Total album sales fell 4.7%. Sales of cassette albums continue their freefall, with sales down 40.3% in 2003.

One especially bright spot is music-video sales, which have climbed 75.2% over 2002's level (16.4 million versus 9.3 million), thanks primarily to the boom in DVD sales.

Nominees in the Best Original Song category for the Golden Globe Awards, which will be handed out on Jan. 25 in Los Angeles, are: Elton John [ tickets ] and Bernie Taupin for "The Heart of Every Girl," from "Mona Lisa Smile"; Howard Shore, Fran Walsh and Annie Lennox for "Into the West" (from "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"); Pearl Jam for "Man of the Hour" (from "Big Fish"); Bono, Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer for "Time Enough for Tears" (from "In America"); and Sting [ tickets ] for "You Will Be My Ain True Love" (from "Cold Mountain"), which was performed by Alison Krauss.

Rapper Nas [ tickets ] was charged with assault after a Dec. 10 brawl at a nightclub in New York City's Greenwich Village. According to published reports, the fight was broken up by a bouncer, after which Nas allegedly threw a bottle that hit and cut an unidentified man.