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Looks like Louis Vuitton has won a lawsuit against Britney Spears' music label after having a counterfeit pink Vuitton-upholstered dashboard in her music video for 'Do Something'. The video shows Spears driving in a pink heavy Hummer and tapping her fingers on a dashboard that looks like the famous Vuitton's 'Cherry Blossoms' design. Via mclady

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By Amy Farnsworth, Globe Correspondent

Starting over in the music world isn't easy, especially when you're a former pop princess. Mandy Moore was only 15 years old when she was signed to Epic Records in the late '90s, a sweet blond kid who became a mainstay on the covers of glossy magazines and MTV's "TRL." With her sugary hit single "Candy," she drew preteen fans in swarms, performed in arenas , and released three albums of pop tunes. Roles in the films "The Princess Diaries" and "A Walk to Remember," and her own MTV show , soon followed.

But it was a landscape crowded with blond pop princesses -- Jessica Simpson, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears -- and even then Moore knew she needed to find a way to stand out. "I was always the youngest [of them]," Moore says, "always the underdog. I didn't really know my place. But I also knew at the end of the day we were all going to differentiate ourselves and do our own things."

Simpson took on reality TV. Aguilera went "Back to Basics." And Spears, well, she's Britney.

Moore, too, has found her own way. In 2003, she released "Coverage" -- a collection of cover songs ranging from Elton John's "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" to John Hiatt's "Have a Little Faith in Me" -- then took a hiatus from music to focus on her acting career. She began gravitating toward more mature parts. In 2004, she starred in the dark comedy "Saved!" as Hilary Faye, an Evangelical mean girl. A recurring role as herself on the HBO series "Entourage" won her some hipster cred. This summer she'll appear as a woman preparing for marriage in "License to Wed" and alongside Billy Crudup in the edgy romance "Dedication." And for the first time in four years, she has an album of new material, "Wild Hope," which comes out today.

"I feel like the roles are reflective of my age," Moore says. "It all has to make sense with the music I'm doing now too. It's just a tricky road to navigate. I don't want to play a high school kid anymore."

Now 23, her hair a dark shade of brown, Moore is also taking control of her musical choices. She switched labels to Firm Music, which gave her the freedom to choose her own producer. She selected John Alagia , who has worked with Dave Matthews Band and John Mayer.

"I wanted to try to make this a transition for her," Alagia says. "I heard some of her earlier recordings. I wanted to make a record she was really proud of and hopefully have some longevity with this record."

• White Stripes Look To Crush Mandy Moore's Wild Hope, In New Releases MTV.com
• CD Review: Mandy Moore's Wild Hope Cinema Blend

Background information

Parlophone, Capitol, Apple, Vee-Jay, Polydor, Swan, Tollie, Associated acts Tony Sheridan, The Quarrymen, The Plastic Ono Band, The Dirty Mac, Wings, Traveling Wilburys, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, Ringo Starr All-Starr Band, Billy Preston

Beatles.com

The Beatles led the mid-1960s musical "British Invasion" into the United States. Although their initial musical style was rooted in 1950s rock and roll and homegrown skiffle, the group explored genres ranging from Tin Pan Alley to psychedelic rock. Their clothes, styles, and statements made them trend-setters, while their growing social awareness saw their influence extend into the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s.

Propelled by the success of her second album, "B-Day," and the award-winning film "Dreamgirls," Beyonce is up for best female R&B artist, best collaboration (with Jay-Z on both "Deja Vu" and "Upgrade U"), video of the year (for "Irrreplaceable" and her duet with Shakira on "Beautiful Liar") and the viewer's choice award.

The letter said she might be sued but offered her the chance to settle out of court.

Barg couldn't imagine anyone expected her to pay $3,000 — $7.87 per song — for some 1980s ballads and Spice Girls tunes she downloaded for laughs in her dorm room. Besides, the 20-year-old had friends who had downloaded thousands of songs without repercussion.

"Obviously I knew it was illegal, but no one got in trouble for it," Barg said.

But Barg's perspective changed quickly that Thursday in March, when she called student legal services and found out the e-mail was no joke and that she had a pricey decision to make.

Barg is one of 61 students at UNL and hundreds at more than 60 college campuses across the country who have received letters from the recording industry group, threatening a lawsuit if they don't settle out of court.

"Any student on any campus in the country who is illegally downloading music may receive one of these letters in the coming months," said Jenni Engebretsen, an RIAA spokeswoman.

Barg's parents paid the $3,000 settlement. Without their help, "I don't know what I would have done. I'm only 20 years old," she said.

At least 500 university students nationwide have paid settlements to avoid being sued, Engebretsen said. Students who don't take the offer face lawsuits — and minimum damages of $750 for each copyrighted recording shared if they lose.

UNL officials have been told 32 more letters are on the way. At least 17 UNL students who did not take the settlement offer have been sued, according to the RIAA, although the university has been asked to forward only five subpoenas.

But the students coughing up the cash question why they're the ones getting in trouble.

"They're targeting the worst people," UNL freshman Andrew Johnson, who also settled for $3,000. "Legally, it probably makes sense, because we don't have the money to fight."

Johnson got his e-mail in February, with the recording industry group's first wave of letters targeting college students. He had downloaded 100 songs on a program called LimeWire using the university network.

The money to settle came from the 18-year-old's college fund. He'll work three jobs this summer to pay back the money.

Johnson compares what he did to people driving 5 miles per hour over the speed limit.

"It's not like I downloaded millions of songs and sold them to people," Johnson said.

But just one song can bring a lawsuit, Engebretsen said.

"It is important to send the message that this is illegal, you can be caught, and there are consequences," she said.

The industry realizes attitudes need changing, and money from the settlements is reinvested in educational programs schools and other groups can use to spread the word that song sharing can have severe consequences.

Some of the programs are tailored to start with third-graders.

"We do recognize that by the time students reach college, many of their music habits are already formed," Engebretsen said.

Earlier this month, members of Congress sent a letter to officials from 19 universities, including UNL, asking for information about schools' anti-piracy policies.

According to the letter, more than half of college students download copyrighted music and movies. The information requested is intended to help assess whether Congress needs to advance legislation to ensure illegal downloading "is no longer commonly associated with student life on some U.S. campuses," the letter says.

Barg is still angry about her letter from the recording industry group, which she calls bullying. But she agrees sharing music is common, and that other students don't understand the consequences.

"Technically, I'm guilty. I just think it's ridiculous, the way they're going about it," Barg said. "We have to find a way to adjust our legal policy to take into account this new technology, and so far, they're not doing a very good job."

Barg thinks the university should send an e-mail to all students, warning them that the recording industry won't look the other way.

As campus clears out for the summer, UNL officials are considering launching a new educational campaign in the fall.

"If we can do anything to help educate students about what illegal file-sharing is, we're willing and interested in doing that," said Kelly Bartling, a university spokeswoman.

Bartling said no one wants students to have to worry about how to pay tuition because of an expensive settlement. "It is a hugely expensive lesson," Bartling said.

Johnson, the UNL freshman, doesn't think the threats from the recording industry group are going to solve the problem. Friends who know he got in trouble still share music online.

"People are still going to do it until they get caught, and they can't catch everyone," Johnson said.