"Twilight" Soundtrack
Photo: Atlantic

After two weeks at #1, AC/DC's Black Ice — which has already broken the 1 million-sold barrier — has been bitten by the "Twilight" phenomenon.

The vampire flick opens next Friday, but before hitting the local cineplex, fans of the much-anticipated adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's novel hit their local record stores to pick up a copy of the movie's soundtrack, which features tracks by Muse, Perry Farrell, Paramore and Linkin Park.

The "Twilight" soundtrack debuts at #1 on next week's Billboard albums sales chart, having sold about 164,700 copies in its first week on store shelves. It becomes the year's third soundtrack to top the chart, following this summer's "Mamma Mia" soundtrack and the "Juno" set, which was released in 2007, but climbed to #1 in January. According to the latest sales totals compiled by Nielsen SoundScan, AC/DC's latest falls one spot to #2, with 159,500 week-three scans reported.

"Twilight" was among 17 new releases impacting next week's chart, and one of four to enter in the top 10. Following the soundtrack to "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," which holds at #3 with just under 110,000 sold, Hinder's Take It to the Limit bows at #4, after selling 81,400 units. Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli's Incanto opens at #8 with 62,200 copies scanned, and country star Brad Paisley's Play debuts at #9 with 53,700 sold.

Meanwhile, Pink's Funhouse drops three spots to #5, with 72,900 scans, while John Legend's Evolver falls two positions to #6, selling another 72,000 copies. T.I.'s Paper Trail holds for a second week at #7, thanks to almost 68,800 scans. Rascal Flatts' Greatest Hits, Volume 1 rounds things out at #10, with 39,100 sold.

A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip enters the chart at #11, after selling 34,200-plus copies of his latest, Renaissance, while Sarah Brightman's Winter Symphony debuts at #38, with 13,500 sold. Shiny Toy Guns' Season of Poison follows at #47, with sales reported at 12,200, and rapper UNK's Second Season makes its debut at #104, with 5,200 copies sold. Travis' Ode to J. Smith follows at #122, with week-one sales reported at about 4,600, while Switchfoot's The Best Yet trails at #123, with 4,500 sold.

• AC/DC
• Paramore
• Perry Farrell
• Travis
• Switchfoot

The Beatles
Photo: Apple Corps Ltd.

There's a Beatles music game coming from MTV, but it's not going to be a "Rock Band."

MTV and Beatles license-holder Apple Corps announced Thursday (October 30) that the two groups will join forces to create the first-ever Beatles-themed video game set for release in the holiday season of 2009.

"It's not a 'Rock Band' game," Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos said during a conference call, speaking for the MTV-owned studio behind the original "Guitar Hero" and the "Rock Band" series. "It's a new creative exploration of their music and a celebration of their legacy in a way that hasn't been done before." The developer added that it will be a "music-making game. ... There will be interactive performance of the music ... and stuff you haven't seen from us before."

The game is being described as a "journey" through the band's career, from its first album to its last, though whether that means the project will encompass every Beatles song was not something the reps were willing to divulge. Reps also did not comment on whether gamers would be able to play as the musicians themselves.

(For the full press release, check out our Multiplayer blog.)

The game will have major Beatles backing. According to the official press release announcing the project, "the game was creatively conceived with input from Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, and enjoys their full blessing. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of the Beatles' innovative "LOVE" project, will provide his expertise and serve as music producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project."

The press release also included comments about the game from McCartney, who said, "The project is a fun idea which broadens the appeal of the Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out." Ono, the widow of John Lennon, said, "It's cool. I love it and hope it will keep inspiring and encouraging the young generation for many decades."

Further details on the game itself were kept to a minimum, but the parties revealed that it is already in development and will be compatible with "Rock Band" instruments.

The MTV and Apple Corps representatives on the conference call declined to say whether this deal would deliver the band's music to "Rock Band" itself.

It's been reported that MTV and Activision have both been courting the Beatles, arguably the biggest band that has yet to lend their music to either the "Guitar Hero" or "Rock Band" franchises. But MTV won out, with Senior Vice President of Games Paul DeGooyer saying that the announcement is the culmination of a conversation between MTV and Apple Corps that had been going on for 17 months. Asked if this deal precluded owners of "Guitar Hero" from playing along to the Beatles any time soon, Rigopulos said, "To the extent that peripherals from other games work with 'Rock Band' games, they will be able to experience the Beatles game."

On Wednesday, MTV and Apple Corps started the buzz, announcing in an e-mail that an "unprecedented global music project" from the two organizations would be announced Thursday. Video game reporters were sent that blast, leading to immediate speculation that the announcement would entail a version of "Rock Band" featuring the band.

Music games have been hugely popular in America since the launch of "Guitar Hero" in 2005, and this year has seen the introduction of band-specific editions of the games. "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith" was launched mid-year, and a Wal-Mart-exclusive AC/DC version of "Rock Band" is shipping next month.

Check out the Multiplayer blog, updated daily, for even more gaming coverage.

• The Beatles
• Aerosmith
• AC/DC

AC/DC's <i>Black Ice</i>
Photo: Columbia

With first-week sales of just over 784,000, rock legends AC/DC's latest LP, Black Ice — which was sold exclusively in the U.S. through Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and the band's official Web site — has earned the distinction of becoming the year's best-selling rock debut, surpassing the 721,000-plus week-one sales put up by Coldplay's Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends. Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III, which sold over a million units its first week in stores, remains the year's best first-week seller.

Black Ice marks the band's second stint at #1 (1981's For Those About to Rock ... We Salute You reached the peak several weeks after its initial release), and the first chart-topping debut of the band's more than 30-year-career. AC/DC will also be the first band to get to get its very own version of MTV's video game "Rock Band," which is due on November 2 and will be sold exclusively at Wal-Mart/ Sam's Club for PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii.

The chart's second-biggest seller, the soundtrack to "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," enters the top 200 at #2, selling nearly 297,000 units, according to the latest sales data compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The only other new release to enter the chart's top 10 belongs to gospel duo Mary Mary, whose The Sound scanned almost 37,000 copies to bow at #7.

T.I.'s Paper Trail falls one spot to #3, selling more than 93,000 units, while Kenny Chesney's Lucky Old Sun slips three spots to #4, scanning almost 88,000 copies. Metallica's Death Magnetic follows at #5 with approximately 52,000 units scanned, while Kid Rock's Rock N Roll Jesus lands at #6 with just under 41,000 sold. Ne-Yo's Year of the Gentleman holds for a third week at #8, with more than 30,000 scans, while the self-titled debut from Jennifer Hudson, who suffered a heartbreaking family tragedy in recent days, slides four spots to #9, selling close to 29,000 units. Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III sold more than 25,000 copies, climbing two spots to #10.

Also new to next week's chart is Hank Williams III's latest, Damn Right, Rebel Proud, which enters at #18 with just under 20,000 copies snatched up, while Lee Ann Womack's Call Me Crazy debuts at #23 with nearly 17,000 sold. Escape the Fate's This War Is Ours opens at #35, with just under 13,500 sold, while Of Montreal's Skeletal Lamping bows at #38. Craig Morgan's That's Why follows at #39, while folk-pop artist Brett Dennen's Hope for the Hopeless bows at #41. Calle 13's Los de Atras Vienen Conmigo makes its debut at #89, and Disciple's Southern Hospitality follows at #98.

• AC/DC
• Metallica
• Kid Rock
• Ne-Yo
• Jennifer Hudson

Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea in 1999
Photo: MTV News

• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• AC/DC
• Jane's Addiction
• Metallica
• Beastie Boys

AC/DC at MTV in 2003
Photo: MTV News

Where do old interviews go to die? Since 1988 they've gone into the MTV News vault, but we've been exhuming them to bring you these classic natterings. Here's the latest in the series, which runs every Tuesday.

By the time AC/DC was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 (along with the Police, the Clash, and Elvis Costello), the Australian band had been together for 30 years, and — remarkably for a riff-based hard-rock act — was still going strong.

Founded by sibling guitarists Malcolm and Angus Young, and fronted from very early on by reprobate singer Bon Scott, the group traced its lineage back into the 1960s, when the Youngs' older brother and future producer, George Young, was a member of the Easybeats (whose 1966 world hit "Friday on My Mind" remains a garage-rock staple). AC/DC broke through in the mid-'70s with a sound that was pure guitar assault, propelling songs that addressed the most primal rock-and-roll interests ("Big Balls," "Love at First Feel"). And that classic sound never changed, even after Scott died of alcohol poisoning in 1980 and was replaced by English bellower Brian Johnson.

Angus, Malcolm and Brian turned up in the MTV studios in August of 2003 — not quite so crazy after all those years (they were then hovering around 50), but still funny and wryly self-deprecating. I forget why they were in town; it must have been for a show, because AC/DC hadn't released a new album since 2000's Stiff Upper Lip — and in fact, still hasn't. That'll be changing soon, though. The band is reported to have a long-in-the-making new record ready to roll out in October, along with a world tour. Always shrewdly marketed, the group must realize that the commercial environment has changed radically in the eight years since its last release. Thus the lack of a traditional label. Instead, the new album — still untitled — will be coming out exclusively through Wal-Mart. Let there be rock, as the band once put it — by any means necessary.

Enjoy digging through The Loder Files? You'll find more here, and there's much more to come from the vaults — check back every Tuesday!

• The Loder Files: A Trip Inside The MTV News Vaults

• AC/DC

Miley Cyrus

• Miley Cyrus
• AC/DC
• M&M

• Black Sabbath
• Metallica
• AC/DC
• Pantera
• Slayer

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• Slayer
• Iron Maiden
• Black Sabbath
• Kiss
• Pantera

Christmas came a bit early around these parts, with the recent arrival of AC/DC's "Live At Donington" DVD. Recorded live during the band's August 1991 set at the legendary English venue, the DVD captures a ton of the band's classic anthems (no "Sin City," but we're not going to get greedy) and adds audio commentary from Angus and Malcolm Young. Hopefully the holiday season will deliver plenty of gems like this. Until then, we have a fistful of metal news to stuff in your stocking:

On Saturday (December 7), four contest winners were blindfolded and whisked to the Houdini Mansion outside Los Angeles where Slipknot are wrapping up work on their new album. The fans got to sample a handful of new tracks; the rest of the world will have to wait until the spring. ... After several years away from the band, original Cryptopsy singer Lord Worm has returned. The band is hard at work writing material for its fifth album, which will be recorded in March. ... Haste the Day's Burning Bridges, the Indianapolis Metalcore band's first release on Solid State, hits stores March 23. ...

The new full-length studio album from black metal architects Mayhem, Chimera, is due in March. ... Mastodon have completed a video for the track "March of the Fire Ants" and plan to begin recording the follow-up to last year's Remission in January with producer Matt Bayles (Botch, Burnt by the Sun). ... Crisis are finishing up their new album, Like Sheeps Led to the Slaughter, with producer Billy Anderson (Neurosis). The disc is due in the spring on The End Records. ... Viking-obsessed black metal band Enslaved's Below the Lights has been nominated in the Norwegian Music Awards' Best Album category. ...

Three members of Orange County's Throwdown have formed side projects: the Lost, a band in the vein of HIM and Mötley Crüe, features bassist Dom Macaluso and guitarist Tommy Love, while the a Perfect Circle-inspired Medic includes singer Dave Peters on guitar. Following an appearance at a Syracuse, New York, Hardcore Festival on New Year's Day, Throwdown will embark on tours of Japan and the U.K. ... Texas' Embodyment have called it a day. The group leaves behind three albums on Tooth & Nail/Solid State and last year's Songs for the Living, released on XSRecords. ...

Solid State Records is releasing a best-of collection from Zao, who split from the label for Ferret Records this year. Due December 23, Legendary will contain 14 songs from six of the band's seven releases on Solid State as well as a three-song demo recorded when singer Corey Darst was fronting the band. ... Meanwhile, in the wake of their singer's split to join Zao, the remaining members of Society's Finest have formed the Kinetic Sense and are looking for a singer in the Dallas area. ...

Grotesque Swedish death metal band Deathwitch will release their latest slaughterfest, Violence, Blasphemy, Sodomy, on February 24. Track titles include "Blood Sucking F---," "Abhorrent Sadistic Tormentor" and "Coffin Fornicator." ... Disfear, another group of Swedish metal merchants, have hired Entombed guitarist Uffe Cederlund as the band's second guitarist. Cederlund will perform double duty on the Entombed, Disfear and Raised Fist European tour, which began December 3. ... Bleeding Through frontman Brandan Schieppati and guitarist Brian Leppke have formed a new project with members of the defunct Sante Sangre called Unholy. The band will record a demo in January following Bleeding Through's current round of touring commitments. ...

Ex-Dream Theater keyboardist Kevin Moore recently recorded the soundtrack for a Turkish horror spoof called "Okul" ("The School"). After finding out that Moore was on hiatus in Istanbul, Turkey, the film's director and producers tracked him down, and Moore delayed the recording of his third Chroma Key album to work on the project. "Okul" will be released in Turkey on January 9, but there are no plans for a U.S. showing. ...

— compiled by Ryan J. Downey, Robert Mancini and Jon Wiederhorn

• Slipknot
• AC/DC
• Mayhem
• Mastodon
• Enslaved

After crashing his four-wheel ATV and breaking his collarbone, eight ribs and a vertebra in his neck, Ozzy Osbourne was on a ventilator and recovering in critical condition at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, west of London, on Tuesday (December 9). The accident occurred on his Buckinghamshire estate during a day off from promoting the single "Changes," a duet with daughter Kelly. Although surgery was required to mend the collarbone and to stop some bleeding in his lungs, the injuries were not life-threatening and there seems to be no risk of paralysis from the fractured vertebra. ...

Ironically, Korn have chosen "Y'all Want a Single," a song railing against their record label's insistence on including some radio-friendly fare on their heavy-handed new album, Take a Look in the Mirror, as their next single. The song, which follows the track "Right Now," won't be pushed to radio outlets in the traditional sense. Instead, the band is urging fans to request the song at radio, though it's unclear how successful such a campaign for airplay will be given the track's expletive-laden chorus. ... Black Eyed Peas, Elton John, Dido, Dave Matthews, John Mayer and Elvis Costello are among the artists slated to perform at the 2004 MusiCares Person of the Year gala February 6 in Los Angeles. The event will honor Sting, and in addition to the concert there will be a special tribute dinner and silent auction. ...

Paris Hilton may have another reality show in the works. Coming on the heels of "The Simple Life," the hotel heiress is reportedly in talks with FOX to star in a new show, per the network's first-look option with her, according to the New York Post. FOX and Hilton's spokespeople did not return calls for comment. ... Parliament/ Funkadelic mastermind George Clinton was arrested early Saturday morning in Tallahassee, Florida, and charged with one count of felony possession of cocaine and one count of misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Local reports say Clinton was sitting alone in the passenger seat of a car parked at a gas station when cops approached. He was let out on $2,650 bail that same morning. His court date has not yet been scheduled. ...

Not all of AC/DC's deeds are dirty and done dirt cheap. The band's 1980 album, Back in Black, is the world's second-best-selling album. Its astounding 42 million copies sold puts the Thunder from Down Under's LP just behind Michael Jackson's Thriller, which moved more than 56 million copies. ... Dave Grohl is adding one more hat to his copious rack. Besides moonlighting with Queens of the Stone Age and his metal project Probot, Grohl will produce the major-label debut of New Jersey quintet Rye Coalition, who opened several shows for Queens of the Stone Age. Expect the album to hit stores in the spring. ...

12.08.03

After trying to choose between "(I Got That) Boom Boom" and "Outrageous," Britney Spears has instead selected "Toxic" as her follow-up single to "Me Against the Music." "It's a very fun, upbeat song," Spears said of the track, on which she sings of being addicted to the wrong type of guy. "Bloodshy did it, they're great producers. The way they did it musically was very cool, and really different, that's why I like it so much." ...

LL Cool J will play "Secret Santa" on Monday (December 8) at Russell Simmons' annual holiday party for disadvantaged youth. Simmons and his wife, Kimora Lee, will host the holiday fete for 250 kids from various youth organizations. This year, the kids will get to meet stars like Jay-Z, Reverend Run, Ashanti, Tweet and Amerie. ... Now that Coldplay's Chris Martin and actress Gwyneth Paltrow have confirmed their pregnancy, wedding watchers are starting to speculate that the couple are planning to marry — if they haven't secretly wed already. Paltrow and Martin filled out an application for a marriage license in Santa Barbara, California, last week, according to "Entertainment Tonight," yet the couple have already acquired a license in New York as well, where they were slated to have a wedding reception at a hotel this past weekend, according to British media reports. Paltrow and Martin were both spotted wearing what appeared to be wedding bands, but referred to them as "friendship rings." Martin's rep had no comment, and calls to Paltrow's publicist were not returned by press time. ...

Pink has just completed the video for her next single, "God Is a DJ." Directed by Jake Scott (No Doubt, Soundgarden) and shot on location in Los Angeles last week, the video recalls Studio 54-era dance clubs, with lots of "sparkle" and "glimpses of the world behind the velvet rope," according to the director's reps. ... Ludacris has signed on to the ensemble cast of "Crash," a movie following the interactions of several people in urban Los Angeles. Ludacris, who was most recently seen in "2 Fast 2 Furious," joins Sandra Bullock, Thandie Newton and Ryan Phillippe in the flick. ...

Last week, after just under a month of pre-production with producer Rick Rubin, Weezer and the bearded studio guru began the recording process for the group's fifth album, the follow-up to last year's Maladroit. ... 3 Doors Down have mapped out a tour that will kick off January 2 in Toledo, Ohio, and run through January 27 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The band will precede the tour with holiday performances Thursday in New York at the Z100 Jingle Ball and December 30 in Albany, Georgia. ...

Veteran dancehall artist Buju Banton is scheduled to appear in Magistrate's Court Monday in Kingston, Jamaica, after being arrested for marijuana possession last week. According to the rapper's spokesperson, local police confiscated two fully grown marijuana plants from his recording studio and also seized a licensed firearm. It is unclear what penalty Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, could face if found guilty. ... Erykah Badu will hit the road on February 3 for a six-week tour in support of her most recent album, Worldwide Underground. Badu's trek starts in New Orleans and hits 25 other cities before finishing up March 17 in Nashville. ...

The G-Unit, Jay-Z and even Reverend Run all have their own sneakers, so it's only right that some of hip-hop's original trailblazers be given their props (and tennis shoes) too. Fila has announced that it will be debuting the "Rock Steady" in April. Named after the legendary crew of b-boys, the Rock Steady Crew, the sneaker will come in two editions: white, royal blue and diablo red; and white on white and ash. Both will bear the logo "Rock Steady Crew 77" on the heel. ... After postponing the first two shows of his North American tour, David Bowie has put off two more, as his doctors have ordered him to remain in bed while he shakes the flu. Tuesday's show in Boston and Wednesday's show in Philadelphia — in addition to the previously postponed Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., performances — will be rescheduled, so fans should retain their tickets until new dates are announced. ...

The company behind the "Girls Gone Wild" video series is in cahoots with Jive Records, home to Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake, to put together a line of compilation CDs, the first of which will drop early next year. The "Girls" aren't just going wild on your stereo; there's a film project, clothing line and restaurant chain also in the works. ... Depswa guitarist James Mills has left the band, which is currently seeking a replacement. "Guitarists with chemical dependencies need not apply," the band said in a post on its Web site. Interested axemen should e-mail depswa@depswa.com with a brief description of their background. The band released the album Two Angels and a Dream in June, but is currently looking for a new record deal. ...

The Rx Bandits have canceled the seven remaining dates they had scheduled opening for Something Corporate, from Tuesday through December 18 in San Diego, for "personal reasons." Local bands in various markets will fill in the slot. ... Power of Soul, a new Jimi Hendrix tribute album, will feature contributions from Prince, Musiq, Sting, George Clinton and Bootsy Collins, Eric Clapton, and a previously unreleased Stevie Ray Vaughan medley of "Little Wing" and "Third Stone From the Sun." The album, the proceeds from which will benefit the United Negro College Fund, hits stores on May 4. ...

• Ozzy Osbourne
• Korn
• Black Eyed Peas
• AC/DC
• John Mayer

Justin Timberlake, Rolling Stones, More, Perform In Toronto

• Justin Timberlake
• The Rolling Stones
• AC/DC
• Rush

Police, AC/DC, Gwen Stefani, More At Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductions

• The Police
• No Doubt
• Elvis Costello
• AC/DC
• Aerosmith