Sound Bites: Eminem, Moon Unit Zappa, Eddie Vedder

December 11 -- Brits Buy Eminem Over Innocence

More British buyers opted for "Stan," Eminem's controversial song that deals with murder and suicide, than for its polar opposite — an upbeat children's song from cartoon character Bob the Builder, "Can We Fix It." The songs came in at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on yesterday's British pop charts. The rapper wasn't so successful the last time he went head to head with a British cartoon character: When "My Name Is" hit the British charts last year, the song was kept from the top spot by yellow furry puppet Flat Eric's "Flat Beat." "What is it with puppets and your charts in Britain?" Eminem said to U.K. tabloid The Sun. "A puppet beat me once before, and I sure wasn't going to let it happen again."

Man Pleads Innocent to Threatening Moon Unit Zappa

The man arrested for sending a death threat to Moon Unit Zappa pleaded innocent today in federal court before being transferred to a secure psychiatric facility. Prosecutors say Timothy Mark Brownfield, 40, believed that Zappa and her father — the late rocker Frank Zappa — stole his lyrics and used them for their 1982 song "Valley Girl." The tune, sung by Moon when she was 14, satirizes teenage girls from California's San Fernando Valley. Brownfield, who lives in Tustin, Calif., faces five years in federal prison if convicted of sending a threatening communication, according to a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Vedder Reportedly Splits From Wife

The gossipmongers continue to whisper about Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder's marriage to Hovercraft frontwoman Beth Liebling, and now the New York Post has called it over, though representatives of the various parties say they know nothing. The paper says Vedder brought catalog model Jill McCormick on the road for the band's recent tour — and Liebling was not pleased.