the scoop

the scoop

lil jon gets bigger

Lil Jon is known for crunk music, but he’s hoping his upcoming album will show that he has a broader appeal.

“It’s not just music for the United States: It’s world music,” Lil Jon said of his new sound in an interview. “I’m touching so many different kinds of people on this album as well as keeping my core fan base at the same time.”

The producer and rapper, best known for hits like “Get Low,” Usher’s “Yeah” and Ciara’s “Goodies,” is working on a new album following his release from his longtime label, TVT Records. TVT filed for bankruptcy earlier this year and its assets were purchased by the digital entertainment company The Orchard.

The working title of the CD was “Crunk Rock,” but Lil Jon says he’s thinking of changing the title to reflect the album’s new direction — and his new freedom.

“It’s totally given me a new energy, a new everything,” he said of his release. “When you have a lot of stress and negativity around you, when you cut that away, you cleanse. ... I’m starting over, basically.”

And Lil Jon, 37, says he’s looking to incorporate different musical styles in his synth-rap sound, working with dance acts, soca musicians, rock stars and more.

“I want people to say it’s a breath of fresh air from everything that’s out there,” he says. “It’s still going to be me and what they know me for, but it’s still going to be newer.”

‘star trek’ online

“Star Trek” fans have been waiting years for an online game that would allow them to roam Federation space from the bridge of their own starship.

Leonard Nimoy — Mr. Spock, of course, from the original “Star Trek” series — probably hasn’t been tapping his keyboard in anticipation, however. “My people on Vulcan have been playing this game for ages,” he told a crowd at this year’s Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas.

Nimoy was on hand to introduce footage from the massively multiplayer “Star Trek Online,” which Trekkers have been craving ever since it was first announced in 2004. After the original developer, Perpetual Entertainment, went out of business earlier this year, Cryptic Studios — creator of the popular “City of Heroes” online game — has taken command of the project.

Cryptic chief executive officer Jack Emmert said the game will begin in 2409, 30 years after the events of “Star Trek: Nemesis,” the most recent film in the series. You will begin in command of a small ship, then work your way to the helm of a Federation or Klingon vessel.

‘the godfather’ has returned

The 2006 game based on “The Godfather” wasn’t particularly well-received — the film’s director, Francis Ford Coppola, hated it — but that isn’t stopping Electronic Arts from developing a sequel.

The first “Godfather” game attempted to create an open-world crime game in 1940s New York. The follow-up assumes that you succeeded in becoming Don of New York and are now trying to spread your empire to Florida and Cuba. Players can still expect plenty of “visceral hand-to-hand brutality,” EA says, but “The Godfather II” incorporates a strategy game into the mix. In

new video games

In stores this week: The fall video-game season kicks off with “Madden NFL 09” (EA Sports, most systems). ... And a few things for the girls who couldn’t care less about football: “Imagine Teacher” (Ubisoft, DS) and “The Cheetah Girls: Passport to Stardom” (Disney, DS).

redemption for britney?

Britney Spears may get a shot at redemption during this year’s MTV Video Music Awards.

Widely panned for her glazed-over performance at last year’s show, Spears is now in negotiations with MTV to make an appearance at the Sept. 7 ceremony, a spokesperson for MTV said Tuesday. While the network said nothing has been finalized — only Lil Wayne and the Jonas Brothers are confirmed so far — Spears is already appearing in promotional ads for the telecast.