Nelly gets animated on the Web

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Animated versions of Nelly and his rap collective St. Lunatics star in "Rip Van Nelly," a new online Macromedia Flash game. With a Rip Van Winkle-like premise, Nelly wakes up under the St. Louis Arch after a 20-year nap, and users must navigate the rapper through a series of events in his hometown on his way to a concert. Designed by Pileated Pictures, the game debuted on Tuesday on Nelly's official Web site. In other news, Nelly will on June 27 join Missy Elliott, Timbaland and Angie Martinez in celebrating New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter's 27th birthday. A limited number of tickets to the party - which will take place at the WWF theme restaurant/club in Times Square - are on sale to the public via Ticketmaster.