Words of Love

The legal dispute between Courtney Love and the two surviving members of her late husband's band Nirvana was so bitter that Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic once petitioned the court to force her to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. (That request was denied.) But now, it's all harmonious between the two parties, Love told Howard Stern during his Friday morning radio broadcast. The settlement of that lawsuit means a long-awaited Nirvana retrospective, possibly including the previously unreleased track ''You Know You're Right,'' will be out soon. ''You'll get the new Nirvana record at Christmas,'' she told Stern. ''We love each other. We're getting along. We worked it all out.''

''You Know You're Right'' was at the center of the dispute, with the band wanting to release it last year on a Nirvana boxed set timed to the 10th anniversary of the band's landmark ''Nevermind'' album. Love, who wanted to use the song on a single-disc Nirvana retrospective, filed an injunction that killed the boxed set. The dispute grew into all-out war between Love and Kurt Cobain's ex-partners over who should have custody over Cobain's musical legacy. Now, though, Love told Stern that everyone is on good terms again, thanks to a settlement involving ''lots and lots of money.''

Terms of the settlement were unclear, as was the nature of the Nirvana album Love said is in the works. She did not specify whether it would be a boxed set or a single disc, or whether ''You Know You're Right'' would appear on it. But Novoselic confirmed news of an imminent settlement to Billboard in a recent interview, saying that all parties had agreed upon the content of the record. ''That way, the band wins, the estate wins, the fans win, everybody wins, so it's good will,'' he said.

Love told Stern she'd also settled her long-running legal dispute with Universal Music Group over her former band Hole's contract, a dispute which outlived the band. Her lawyer, however, tells Billboard that both sides are ''still talking,'' hoping to reach a resolution before a scheduled Oct. 1 trial date.

It was a big weekend for Love. The thriller ''Trapped,'' featuring her first major film role in three years, was released, opening at No. 10 on the weekend box office chart. And MTV2 handed her the reins and let her broadcast 24 hours of programming of her own choosing on Saturday and Sunday. She also told Stern that she had completed a new album's worth of songs but will hold off on releasing it until next year because ''it would be stupid to compete with Kurt.''