28-year-old Julius Jones, who was wounded in the 1999 New York nightclub shooting that led to Sean "Puffy" Combs' current court trial, testified in that trial that a man called "Scar" threatened to kill Combs and his companions just prior to the shooting, the Associated Press reported.

The article also said that "he saw Combs protege Jamal 'Shyne' Barrow fire the bullet that injured him."

AP also reported that Dale Evans, the singer-actress who was known as "Queen of the Cowgirls," died on Wednesday (2/7) of heart failure at age 88. With her husband Roy Rogers, Evans made Western movies that featured them singing. She and Rogers are best known for the song "Happy Trails to You."

U2 [ tickets ] played to 1,800 people at London's Brixton Academy on Wednesday (2/7), Variety reported.

Marilyn Manson [ tickets ] was detained in Rome on Monday (2/5) for indecent exposure for his "butt-baring stage attire," RollingStone.com reported. Then, in Bologna on the following night, authorities charged Manson for indecent exposure stemming from a similar incident in 1999. Reportedly, no tour dates have been canceled.

According to Qonline, "Trainspotting" author Irvine Welsh is collaborating on a musical with the Bitter Springs and Vic Godard.

Rockpile's landmark power-pop album, "Seconds of Pleasure," was due for re-issue by Sony/Legacy early this year. The album's release has now been delayed, with no new release date set. A representative from the label explained that "the artists have come forward with never-before-released live material that they would like to see included in our reissue of 'Seconds of Pleasure.'"

Rockpile is best remembered as a short-lived supergroup, consisting of Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, Billy Bremner and Terry Williams. "Seconds of Pleasure, originally released in 1980 on Columbia, was the band's only studio album.

We thank the O.C. Weekly for publishing this exchange between Ted Nugent [ tickets ] and Bill Maher. The exchange occurred on Maher's show "Politically Incorrect" on Jan. 19:

MAHER: This kid [Eminem], who I think is brilliant--I really think that he’s a genius. Okay, but he talks about killing his wife. I mean, he’s on Dr. Dre’s new record, and there’s a charming interchange between the two of them where Eminem says, "You know, Dr. Dre, I’d like to tell you how much I love you." And Dr. Dre says back to him, "Thank you. And by the way, if you ever need help in killing your wife, I’m there for you."

NUGENT: Only Dr. Dre sucks more than Eminem, so go ahead, Bill. . . . The whole concept that anyone would be entertained by that just kind of falls on deaf ears. It’s almost like dancing to "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang" and giving it some moral context.

MAHER: Ted, you have not kept up with the music industry.

NUGENT: You’re damn right I haven’t. I actually practice my guitar. I’m way out of touch. Yeah, my musicians can actually play. Who do we think we are?

MAHER: I could say some really mean things to you right now.

NUGENT: And they would all be stupid, so go ahead.

MAHER: They wouldn’t be.

NUGENT: I have the greatest musicians in the world.

MAHER: You are so wrong about that.

NUGENT: Most of the rap we’re talking about, it’s all electronic. It’s not even human beings playing. It’s like electronic stuff where they push buttons.

MAHER: Have you listened to it?

NUGENT: Yeah, I’ve listened to it.

MAHER: Really, you’ve listened to it?

NUGENT: I’ve got a house full of kids, and I listen to it all the time.

MAHER: Let me tell you something in terms you can understand: Dr. Dre is the Phil Spector of rap producers.

NUGENT: Aghh! I don’t think so.

MAHER: I knew you couldn’t understand.

NUGENT: Did you ever hear "River Deep, Mountain High" [co-penned by Spector]?

MAHER: I did.

NUGENT: And the orchestration and the intense orchestration that--you don’t hear any of that anymore.

MAHER: I brought my brain past the ’70s.

NUGENT: I just haven’t heard that kind of creative collaboration, but to each his own.

MAHER: All right. Because you closed off at a certain point.

NUGENT: I don’t think so. I just did 146 concerts this year and had the time of my life. In fact, Kiss and Ted Nugent was the No. 1 rock tour in the world. I apologize. I know it’s not a rap tour, but I use real musicians. To each his own.