By Antracia Moorings

Memorialized: A section of Interstate 40 in Tennessee is a step closer to being named after legendary soul musician Isaac Hayes. The state senate unanimously passed a measure Thursday to rename the stretch of road “Isaac Hayes Memorial Highway.” The House approved it without opposition in April, and Gov. Phil Bredesen is expected to sign the bill without objection. Isaac Hayes Memorial Highway would be near Memphis, where Hayes had a home until he died of a stroke in 2008 at the age of 65. He was raised in Tipton County, north of Memphis. Hayes won Academy and Grammy awards for his “Theme from Shaft.” He was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. He also acted in movies and provided the voice of Chef on the animated TV show “South Park.”

Bump in the Road: Dr. Dre’s lawsuit against Death Row Records hit a major wall when the judge threw out most of his claim against the company. The suit focused on the reissue of “The Chronic,” Dre’s breakout hit of the early 1990s. U.S. District Judge Christina A. Snyder said that the artist can only sue for unpaid royalties, and that his claims of false advertising and copyright infringement were without merit. In the suit, Dr. Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, sued the company that brought Death Row out of bankruptcy. The new firm's name is WIDEawake Death Row Entertainment LLC, who was set to release “The Chronic Re-Lit & from the Vault,” in addition to a greatest hits CD. Dre argued that the use of his image in the re-released album signified that he endorsed the product, when he had not. Snyder ruled that the new version of the album used the same cover image as the original, which didn’t imply that Dre was endorsing the product currently.

“The Chronic” was a highly successful project, selling 4.5 million copies in the U.S., and a total of eight million copies worldwide. This was, however, only Dre’s second-best selling album. His second album, “The Chronic 2001,” sold over seven million copies in the United States alone. He also has substantial stakes in other artists like 50 Cent and Eminem, who’ve each sold millions of copies themselves. Dre is the ultimate businessman, with a net worth of roughly $150 million. Given that he is worth so much, one might wonder if his lawsuit over $75,000 in unpaid royalties is just to settle a grudge and make it public that he’s not endorsing this album.

New Gig: Mekhi Phifer has joined the colossal ensemble cast of “Flypaper,” a crime caper about a man caught in the

Briefly: The prestigious National Arts Club paid homage to Russell Simmons, Phat Farm menswear creator, by bestowing upon him a gold medal of honor for Lifetime Achievement in music. The Queens, N.Y., native is the first hip-hop figure to be celebrated by the New York-based organization, which aims to stimulate, foster and promote public interest in the arts and educate the American people in the fine arts.

Finally: Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr. says he’s delighted by the fanfare surrounding his new autobiography, the aptly titled “An Actor and a Gentleman.” “The reaction to this book, not just sales but conversations at book-signings, is the best award I’ve ever received,” says the 74-year-old star, who in 1983 won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for ‘An Officer and a Gentleman.’ “An Actor and A Gentleman,” available now, charted on best-seller lists in its first week out.