Kid Rock sued for alleged punch

Nashville, Tenn. – A disc jockey has sued Kid Rock for $575,000, claiming the singer punched him at an adult entertainment club in February.

Jerry Campos of Cedar Hill, Tenn., is seeking $500,000 in punitive damages and $75,000 in compensatory damages in the lawsuit filed Monday.

Nick Stern, a spokesman for Kid Rock, didn’t return a phone call Wednesday night seeking comment.

On Monday, the performer pleaded no contest to criminal assault and was given a suspended sentence of 11 months and 29 days in jail. He also was ordered to complete eight hours of anger management classes and pay $180 to replace Campos’ eyeglasses.

The lawsuit claims the 34-year-old singer struck Campos, 30, on the left side of his face on Feb. 16, during a 3 a.m. altercation at Christie’s Cabaret.

Amazon.com turning 10 years old

Seattle – Amazon.com Inc. is planning a concert featuring Bob Dylan and Norah Jones to celebrate its 10th anniversary next month.

The concert will be streamed live on the Internet retailer’s home page the evening of July 16 – 10 years after Chairman and CEO Jeff Bezos officially launched the virtual bookstore.

Amazon’s Seattle-area employees will be invited to attend. Tickets will not be sold to the general public.

While no other names were disclosed, Amazon said this week the concert will feature additional musical performances, readings by authors and behind-the-scenes footage from “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” one of Amazon’s hottest-selling DVDs.

Stem cells always on Nelson’s mind

Austin, Texas – Country singer Willie Nelson is making a name for himself in a new field – stem cell research.

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas is planning to establish the Annie and Willie Nelson Professorship in Stem Cell Research. An official announcement is planned later this week, a university official said.

“That’s a nice thing,” Nelson told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “I think everybody should do what they can to call more attention to that.”

Nelson and his wife received the honor for helping to raise about $250,000 for the stem cell program at a March 4 concert in Grand Prairie, the Austin American-Statesman reported in Saturday’s editions.

The first Nelson professor will be Dr. Eric Olson, who chairs the medical center’s molecular biology department. He described the honor as “pretty cool.”

African dates added to Live 8

London – Three more Live 8 concerts to raise awareness of poverty in Africa were expected to be added to the lineup as organizers announced plans for a separate concert featuring African artists.

Bob Geldof said in a speech Thursday at an event in Dublin, Ireland, that concerts would be held in Tokyo, Toronto and Johannesburg, South Africa.

Live 8 organizers have been criticized by some people in the British music industry for a lack of African artists at the main London event, for which more than 130,000 tickets will be released.

Singer Peter Gabriel, who is helping organize Africa Calling, said the concert would give African musicians an opportunity to be heard.

“We have a chance to redress the balance. Africa Calling will be about voices of Africa undiluted,” he said.

Birthdays

Singer Barry Manilow is 59. Actor Thomas Haden Church is 44. Actor Greg Kinnear is 41. Actor Jason Patric is 39. Rhythm-and-blues singer Kevin Thornton is 36. Tennis player Venus Williams is 25.