Drummer Peter Criss has left KISS [ tickets ]' farewell tour and has been replaced by Eric Singer. In a joint statement, Ace Frehley, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley said, "Eric has been a member of our family, and his drumming and singing have been the cornerstone of past KISS tours. We are stoked that we can bring our ultimate spectacle to KISS fans worldwide."

During Wednesday’s testimony (1/31) in the trial of Sean “Puffy” Combs and two others, Leonard Curtis Howard, one of Combs bodyguards testified that he had never seen Combs carrying a weapon, according to the Associated Press.

Combs faces weapons and bribery charges stemming from a December 1999 shooting incident at a New York nightclub.

Organizers have canceled this year's North By Northwest Music Conference (NXNW) in Portland, Ore. The event's sponsor ceased sponsorship and, according to a NXNW press release, the Portland music scene didn't provide adequate support. The search is underway for a new city.

The Who [ tickets ]'s Nov. 27 charity show at London's Royal Albert Hall--featuring Eddie Vedder, Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller and Bryan Adams--will be released on DVD this spring, Rollingstone.com reported.

Inside.com is running an article about Amanda Williford, a 20-year-old singer who has been signed by Lava/Atlantic to release an album under the name Willa Ford. Williford has apparently been hated by Backstreet Boys [ tickets ] fans for years for dating band member Nick Carter.

According to the article, "Her defamers log on to message boards in Yahoo's clubs section--there are currently 42 such clubs devoted to her, with cute names like 'The Abusive Slut Has Herpes''--and call for her death."

Which reminds us of a short story by Henry Slesar, the title of which escapes us, about a man who is targeted for death by a group-for-hire. The way this group kills is to dispatch an emissary to the target's office and inform him that hundreds of people are currently wishing for his death, and that the psychic weight of this will kill him.

According to a press release, "The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) today announced a coalition rally at the Grammy Awards against hip-hop artist Eminem [ tickets ]'s hate lyrics. The Rally Against Hate will begin at 3 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 21 outside Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles."

On a related note, liveDaily Briefly bets that Eminem attends the Grammys.