Justin Timberlake
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty images

Justin Timberlake will not be making his big-screen debut in "Edison" after all. The crime drama — now titled "Edison Force" — that also stars LL Cool J and Oscar winners Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey, is bypassing theatrical release to go direct to DVD. The good news for Timberlake fans is that the disc hits stores Tuesday. And Timberlake's "Alpha Dog" — based on a 2000 murder allegedly involving Jesse James Hollywood — has prosecutors in Santa Barbara, California, in hot water. Lawyers for Hollywood have asked an appeals court to take the Santa Barbara County district attorney's office off the murder case because Deputy District Attorney Ron Zonen shared confidential files with producers of the film, the Los Angeles Times reports. Hollywood was apprehended in Brazil last year for the 2000 kidnapping and killing of a 15-year-old boy. Appellate justices are expected to enter their decision — which could take Zonen or the entire D.A.'s office off the case — in two or three months. ...

Korn will perform acoustically for the first time ever on TV Tuesday. Jonathan Davis and company will strip down "Coming Undone" and "Twisted Transistor" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," in part to promote their upcoming Family Values Tour. ... Bobby Valentino has a Special Occasion brewing for September 19. The R&B singer's second LP — being issued by DTP/ Island Def Jam — will feature production by Rodney Jerkins, Sean Garrett and Dre & Vidal. ...

A judge has released C-Murder from home confinement, characterizing his participation in a home-monitoring program as a "burden" on the police department in Gretna, Louisiana, The Associated Press reports. C-Murder is awaiting a retrial on a second-degree murder charge stemming from the 2002 slaying of a 16-year-old boy at a now-defunct nightclub in Harvey, Louisiana. The rapper has been under house arrest since March 20. Prosecutors had petitioned a judge to send C-Murder back to jail, claiming he'd violated the terms of his home confinement by moving outside the range of the police's monitoring equipment numerous times. ...

Actor/filmmaker Zach Braff has already released one indie-friendly soundtrack with his directorial debut, "Garden State," so it's no surprise that his next film, "The Last Kiss," also features a list of indie-rock tearjerkers. Braff posted the track list for the movie's soundtrack on his Web site. The disc — featuring tracks by Coldplay, Fiona Apple, Rufus Wainwright, Snow Patrol, Rachel Yamagata and Imogen Heap — is due August 9. ... Hawthorne Heights, Relient K, Emery, Plain White T's and the Sleeping have been tapped to perform on the fourth annual Nintendo Fusion Tour, which kicks off September 27. As with previous versions of the tour, the bands are only part of the attraction: Fans will get a chance to test out a variety of new Nintendo products, including the anxiously awaited Wii, Nintendo's next-gen system. ...

Gnarls Barkley and Peeping Tom will head out on a 10-date run that starts Thursday in Costa Mesa, California. Peeping Tom will also play several headlining gigs with the Dub Trio on Gnarls tour off-nights. The trek concludes August 17 in New York. ... What's the perfect date for a band like Slipknot to release a DVD? Halloween, naturally. Slipknot are tentatively planning to issue the yet-untitled follow-up to 2002's Disasterpieces on October 31. There's no word yet on what footage the disc will feature. ... Australians have had enough of Barry Manilow, apparently. Officials have been blasting his music at the Cook Park Reserve outside of Sydney as a way of keeping people away from the park at night on the weekend, AP reports. The six-month campaign, which only started recently, already has locals peeved. ...

Mastodon will head out on a U.S. headlining run with Converge and the Bronx that's set to kick off in Baltimore on September 6. The band has 14 gigs lined up through September 23 in Seattle, with stops planned in New York, Chicago, Detroit and Portland, Oregon. Mastodon's forthcoming LP, Blood Mountain, is due September 12. ... The Bled's Michael Pedicone has been recruited to fill in for Helmet drummer Mike Jost, who has stepped off this summer's Warped Tour following the recent birth of his child. Pedicone will play two sets on each Warped date, one with his own band and one with Helmet. He learned all of the songs in Helmet's set in a single day. ... Ill Niño have officially parted ways with Roadrunner Records, less than a year after the release of the band's third album, One Nation Underground. Ill Nino guitarist Ahrue Luster and wife, Xylia, welcomed a baby girl Friday. ...

Calexico have set aside the month of September for touring. After hitting up a variety of festivals — Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and Touch and Go's 25th anniversary shindig among them — the band will play September 18 in New Orleans. From that day forward, Calexico will play daily (except for one day off, September 26) through the end of the month, closing with a show in Lawrence, Kansas. ... TV on the Radio have set September 12 as the release date for their upcoming album, Return to Cookie Mountain. A video for the single "Wolf Like Me" was shot this weekend in Brooklyn, New York, by director John Watts. ... Canadian orchestral rockers the Dears have finalized the U.S. release of their upcoming third album. Due October 3, Gang of Losers will be released on Arts & Crafts, the label home to Stars and Broken Social Scene. ...

Roger O'Donnell, keyboardist for the Cure, has remixed "Cutting Ballons" by Cassettes Won't Listen, and the fresh version will be posted Tuesday on Stereogum.com. ... Rockers Clinic and indie-folk group Adem who share the same homeland (Britain) and record label (Domino), have announced records coming out this fall. Adem's sophomore disc, Love and Other Planets, will be released September 12 and Clinic's fourth album, Visitations, is due October 10. ... Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie was assaulted in a hotel bar in Madrid, Spain, on Friday, BBC News reports. The singer was advised by a doctor not to fly to the U.K. — where the band was due to perform on "Top of the Pops" — until Sunday afternoon, though he was able to play a show in Barcelona as scheduled on Saturday. Gillespie's manager said the singer is back home and doing well despite two black eyes.

07.14.2006

Justin Timberlake hit the stage at London's Hammersmith Palais on Thursday night for a set that showcased songs from his upcoming album, FutureSex/ LoveSounds along with Justified favorites. Timbaland joined Timberlake onstage during the intimate gig, which sold out in four minutes. (Check out photos of Justin rocking the crowd right here.) Timberlake's video for "SexyBack" premieres on MTV's "Making the Video" July 25 at 4:30 p.m. ET. ...

A civil court jury, in a split decision Friday (July 14), awarded former Michael Jackson business associate F. Marc Schaffel $900,000, The Associated Press reported. Schaffel originally sued for $3.8 million in the money dispute. The jury also awarded Jackson $200,000 in his cross-complaint against Schaffel. ...

Don't worry, Britney Spears fans: The singer says she has no intention of packing in her performing career when her second child arrives. "After this baby, I'm going to get really intense with it," Spears told Harper's Bazaar, explaining that she's looking forward to getting back into fighting shape once her baby is born. The pregnant pop star — who poses nude in the magazine's August issue — said she "can't wait" to return to the stage, "but I really have to take my time and do it right and be safe. Actually ... not that safe. When you perform, you have to be dangerous." ...

She plays Scarlett Johansson's best friend in next year's "The Nanny Diaries," an assassin in the upcoming "Smokin' Aces," and for a new project, Alicia Keys will be taking on the role of a producer — and a witch. Keys and producer/partner Jeff Robinson have signed a first-look film production deal to develop live-action and animated projects with Disney, Variety reports. Their first film, a remake of the 1958 comedy "Bell, Book and Candle," will star Keys as a witch who casts a love spell to lure a rival's fiance. ... Chris Brown will perform on Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance" on Thursday. The live one-hour results show airs at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Fox. ...

Cobra Starship, the project featuring Midtown's Gabe Saporta and a who's who of the MySpace scene — including members of the Academy Is ..., Gym Class Heroes and the All-American Rejects — will celebrate the release of Snakes on a Plane: The Album, featuring their song "Snakes on a Plane: Bring It," with a show at the Key Club in Los Angeles on August 16. ... Pete Doherty wants a chemical implant to help him beat his drug addiction, he told a judge in London on Thursday. During a progress review of his drug-rehabilitation program, the troubled Babyshambles rocker said he will, within the next two weeks, have a small implant that would stop him from getting high off opiates placed in his abdomen. "You are going in the right direction," Judge Jane McIvor told Doherty, who has yet to pass a drug test while in rehab. "I think your concentration should be, within six months of the order, to get a negative test." ...

Scottish band Travis stopped by No. 10 Downing Street in London on Thursday to leave a note stuck to the door for British Prime Minister Tony Blair. "Some steps forward," the giant Post-It read. "Much more to do at G8. Make poverty history." This year's G8 summit begins Saturday in Saint Petersburg, Russia. You can send your own reminder to G8 leaders at Live8Live.com. ... Muse will begin a three-week North American tour Tuesday in San Francisco in support of their recently released LP, Black Holes and Revelations. The trek will make a total of 14 stops — including gigs in San Diego, Denver, Chicago, Boston and New York — before winding down August 6 in Atlanta. ... The Yeah Yeah Yeahs asked fans to strut their best YYY stuff on camera for the band's Cheated Hearts clip, and hours of video — of lipsticked men posing as Karen O and rec room interpretations of Brian Chase and Nick Zinner — poured in. The final "Cheated Hearts" video and select outtakes are posted at YeahYeahYeahs.com. ...

Mastodon will be issuing a limited edition 7-inch for the tracks "Crystal Skill" and "Capillarian Crest," which both appear on the band's forthcoming LP Blood Mountain, due September 12. Look for the 7-inch to surface August 8. ... A 40-year-old man who stabbed four people inside the Masquerade nightclub in Ybor City, Florida, during a Corrosion of Conformity concert June 23, 2005, pleaded guilty Thursday to second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, two counts of aggravated battery with a knife and aggravated assault with a knife, the St. Petersburg Times reports. Pyne, who killed Thomas Laskas and stabbed Laskas' wife, Wendy, and two other concertgoers, will be sentenced July 24. ...

Gap will host free, all-ages concerts at select stores on the next three Thursdays. The Chicago flagship (located at 555 North Michigan Avenue) will host Love Arcade (July 20), Living Things (July 27) and Plain White T's (August 3). A Los Angeles store (Grove at Farmer's Market) will feature Graham Colton Band with Joe Purdy (July 20), Waking Ashland (July 27) and the Hush Sound (August 3). New York's 680 Fifth Avenue shop will be rocked by Mike Doughty with Tristan Prettyman (July 20), Matt White (July 27) and Army of Me (August 3). A San Francisco Gap 2040 Chestnut Street) hosts Thriving Ivory with Samantha Stollenwerck (July 20), American Music Club with Graham Colton (July 27) and Ronnie Day (August 3). ... Lennon, who released her debut album, 5:30 Saturday Morning, in 2001, will end her recording silence with Damaged Goods, due September 19. So what's taken so long?" I've spent the last three years making sure it would be an album I'm truly proud of, and it is," the singer/songwriter/pianist said.

• Justin Timberlake
• LL Cool J
• C-Murder
• Gnarls Barkley
• Peeping Tom

The Concretes live at CMJ
Photo: Candice Lawler

Every fall for the last 24 years, hordes of musicians, music-business types, college-radio programmers and fans have descended upon New York for the CMJ Music Marathon. The event includes discussion panels and seminars about the business, but what's most interesting are the concerts: This year, nearly 1,000 bands played at 56 venues over four manic days. Everyone's looking to discover the next Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers or Marilyn Manson (all then-unknown acts that garnered major attention from gigs at the Marathon), and most of the bands playing the convention are looking to become the next big thing.

It really is a marathon, with acts taking the stage at all hours of the day (and night). Loads of name acts — from Sonic Youth to TV on the Radio — performed at the convention, (click for photos), but we were most interested in catching the bands that are flying slightly below the radar. So, thanks to the New York subway system and more than a few cabs, we managed to find 10 acts that we believe are destined for big things. (Yes, quite a few of them are Canadian, but Montreal and Toronto are two of the most thriving scenes in North America at the moment.) Think of us as clerks in your local cool record store — except we're not going to sneer at you if you ignore what we say and buy the new Good Charlotte album instead.

Who: Adem
What: Homesongs
Why: Singer/songwriter Adem is also the bassist for the band Fridge, but that won't begin to prepare you for the stately beauty of his songs. His music isn't for every mood: The songs are sloooooow, with a folk flavor, aching choruses and understated musical accompaniment (acoustic guitars, autoharp, string bass, hand-held percussion). It's definitely not something you put on when you want to rock out — the album isn't called Homesongs for nothing — but if you like beautiful melodies that unravel slowly, you won't find anything better this year.

Who: Arcade Fire
What: Funeral
Why: If a single band was the buzz of the ball, it's this sprawling Montreal ensemble. Combining rock energy with violins, accordions, all manner of guitars and, in a live setting, anything they can beat with drumsticks, the band's sound is that of controlled chaos: The instruments meshing with Win Butler's shaky, almost David Byrne-like yelp into a beautiful, caterwauling sound that seems as if it could spin out of control at any moment. That air of imminent destruction is just one reason the Arcade Fire's music is so exciting.

Who: The Concretes
What: The Concretes
Why: Sweden's newest exports are unique for a number of reasons, the most obvious being that they sound absolutely nothing like the garage-rock crowd that came into vogue in 2002 thanks to the Hives. A curious but sublime conflation of '60s girl-groups, Mazzy Star and the sweet side of the Velvet Underground, the eight-member collective is dynamic, romantic and soft. Plus, they sing in cute Swedish accents and dress like they're going to the prom.

Who: Controller.Controller
What: History
Why: Two guitarists that look like back-up members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a bassist who could fill in for any member of Hot Hot Heat and a longhaired drummer who's probably auditioned for Slayer. Oh, yeah: there's also lead singer Nirmala Basnayake, a pint-sized powerhouse who struts around the stage with such unabashed sexiness that she makes Karen O look like a shrinking violet. Their debut EP, History, is one of the most visceral, confident and thrilling bows in recent memory, as the Toronto natives rip through seven songs of their self-described "death disco" in just over 24 minutes.

Who: The Dears
What: No Cities Left
Why: If you crossed the graceful side of Blur with the Smiths and Tindersticks, you might come close to the sound of the Dears. A unisex six-piece, the Montreal group plays sumptuous, sophisticated and elegant orchestral rock with epic horns, keyboards and soaring strings. Britpop is not only back, but alive and well in Quebec.

Who: Death From Above 1979
What: You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine
Why: Girls kiss each other, beers fly and utter mayhem breaks out in the moshpit: That's a typical Death From Above 1979 concert experience. Who needs guitars? The Toronto dirtbag duo — who reportedly met in prison and live in a former funeral parlor — forgo the traditional six-string crunch in favor of an immense, intense barrage of of metallic bass, machine-gun drums and howling vocals.

Who: Hope of the States
What: The Lost Riots
Why: England's Hope of the States don't do anything by half: The seven-piece band includes three guitarists (two of whom double on keyboards) and a full-time violinist; they play big, sweeping, majestic songs with loads of echo and big themes; and they perform in front of fast-moving films that include lots of Cold War-era American military footage. The twist? They're all in their early 20s. How a bunch of young guys came up with such a huge concept — let alone their sound, which combines the bombastic elements of Radiohead with the sonics of Godspeed! You Black Emperor and vocals reminiscent of early '90s mumblers like Dinosaur Jr. and the Afghan Whigs — is just part of this band's unique allure.

Who: Pinback
What: Summer In Abaddon
Why: California's Pinback puts a new spin on indie-pop, adding complexity with sweet melodies and intricate song structure. On their most recent LP, Summer in Abaddon, the band's airy vocals are layered over delicate piano chords; percussion is occasionally treated as an afterthought, though it plays a starring role on the rock track "AFK." Thick basslines hold court over pop songs like "Fortress," while carefully crafted lyrics govern more atmospheric tracks like "The Yellow Ones." The band's music seems spare at first, but repeated listens reveal layers of dynamic instrumentals and smart lyrical structures.

Who: Q and Not U
What: Power
Why: With their third album, Power, the Washington, D.C., funk-punkers strike the right balance between the arty hardcore of fellow District alumni Fugazi and the sexed-up balladry of Purple Rain-era Prince. On the first single, "Wonderful People," singer/guitarist Chris Richards belts out comical pickup lines like the Purple One on helium while a four-on-the-floor disco beat and squiggly synthesizers boogie in the background. Throw in some jagged guitars, sing-song choruses and an extended flute solo or two, and you've got an experimental disco/punk album where Green Day meets the Village People — with a flute player.

Who: Straylight Run
What: Straylight Run
Why: This Long Island band (whose debut album will enter the Billboard albums chart at #100 next week) makes emo music for the optimistic masses. The group, which features former Taking Back Sunday members John Nolan and Shaun Cooper, combines the melancholy genre's moody and introspective lyrics with brighter hooks, energetic rhythms and the occasional power chord — although the group's soaring keyboards and vocal harmonies leave no shortage of melodrama. Fronted by Nolan and his sister Michelle, Straylight Run's debut album is optimistic, dramatic and upbeat, and unashamed of its emo soul, as evidence by song titles like "Existentialism on Prom Night," "Another Word for Desperate" and "Sympathy for the Martyr."

• Adem
• Arcade Fire
• The Concretes
• Controller.Controller
• The Dears