POP/ROCK - March 6, 1996

Lollapalooza News: As expected, Lollapalooza organizers have announced that Metallica will headline the sixth edition of the traveling rock festival this summer, with Seattle’s Soundgarden in the No. 2 slot, taking the tour in a more heavy-metal direction than in previous years. Also joining is veteran punk band the Ramones, making Lollapalooza the final leg of the group’s retirement tour. Berkeley band Rancid is also expected to join the lineup soon, with another slot likely to boast a rotating roster of “guest” performers. The tour, which this year will be held in field sites rather than more formal amphitheaters, is to begin in late June, although no specific dates or locations have been announced.

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Jackson Family United: Lawyers for pop star Michael Jackson and the rest of his family have asked a Los Angeles judge to dismiss their clients from a breach of contract lawsuit filed over the ill-fated 1994 “Jackson Family Honors” TV special, claiming that it was Jackson Communications Inc., and not individual family members, who signed the contract for the show. Smith-Hemion, the show’s production company, claims it is Jackson’s fault the show lost money because the pop star was sick and postponed the show when it was first scheduled and then only made a cursory appearance and did not perform when the charity event finally took place. A ruling is expected in a few weeks; the case is set for trial June 18. In a related 1994 case, an L.A. Superior Court judge ordered Jackson Communications to pay $1.6 million to Smith-Hemion, but the latter’s lawyers said Monday that Jackson Communications has not done so.

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Tupac Gets a Court Date: An April 15 trial date has been set for rapper Tupac Shakur, who is charged with carrying a loaded 9-mm handgun in a car. Shakur and his half-brother, Maurice Harding, were arrested in April 1994 after a loaded weapon was allegedly found under Shakur’s seat following a stop on Hollywood Boulevard for speeding. Both men have previous convictions for carrying a concealed firearm and could face up to three years in prison if convicted. Shakur is currently free on $1.4-million bail while he appeals a 1994 New York conviction for sexual abuse. He also faces a March 21 hearing in Los Angeles for failing to complete a work-crew assignment that was part of his probation terms from a 1994 misdemeanor assault and battery conviction.