the industry

Avril Lavigne’s Music Sounds Likes Other People’s Music

Photo: Getty Images

Lavigne Sued Over “Girlfriendâ€: Seventies power-pop band the Rubinoos sues Avril Lavigne, claiming her cheerleader-rock song “Girlfriend†sounds like their 1978 track “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.†Curiously, neither Toni Basil nor the Ramones, both of whom the song gloriously does rip off, are party to the suit. [Billboard]

Prince Returns to First Avenue: Prince will play an after-show this weekend at First Avenue, legendary club where Purple Rain was shot; the Purple One hasn’t played there since 1987. For the first time ever, we wish we lived in Minneapolis. [Pitchfork]

Grateful Dead Roadie Story on Film: Home Before Daylight, memoir by longtime Grateful Dead roadie Steve Parish, will be adapted for film by Michael Grais (Poltergeist). The Dead’s Bob Weir will provide music. In an uncommon release schedule, the movie will play one theater per night for 35 years. [Variety]

Kevin Reilly to Join Fox: Former NBC programming chief Kevin Reilly, pushed out last month in favor of wunderkind Ben Silverman, is in talks to join Fox. Reilly might share power with his former boss at FX, Peter Luguori, current head of programming at the network. Reilly already tanning, bleaching teeth in order to become more wunderkindy himself. [Variety]

Tracy and Hepburn Play Launched: Spence and Me, a play about the last days of Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, is being developed by producers David Brown and Bill Self. Jerry Zaks will direct a workshop of John Dayton’s script, to be performed privately later this month in the penthouse Brown shares with his wife, Helen Gurley Brown. The appetizers will be excellent. [Playbill]

Gillen Joins London Glengarry: Aiden Gillen (The Wire) joins previously announced Jonathan Pryce in West End revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, opening in October. Check out Gillen’s hideous head shot and try to figure out how that dude got elected Mayor of Baltimore. [Playbill]

Nobel Laureate Publishes Novel Online: Nobel Prize winner Elfriede Jelinek is publishing her newest novel, Envy, online, avoiding the standard publishing model. Also, she is sort of crazy like a loon! [AP]