Former Against Me! drummer Warren Oakes
Photo: Marc Broussely/ Getty Images

Dudes leave bands all the time, for reasons that are exotic and distinctly "Behind the Music"-ian (drugs, money, women, jealousy, religion, solo careers, etc.), which is to say that the average person cannot relate to any of them. Warren Oakes is different. He left Florida agit-punks Against Me! for a reason that is understandable and completely proletarian: He wanted to sell burritos.

Therefore, Warren Oakes is a hero — the "Working Class" kind John Lennon keened about all those years ago. This has less to do with the burritos as it does with the principles of the whole thing. Here, let me explain.

Oakes played drums in Against Me! for something like eight years, toured prodigiously hard (200 shows a year, mostly in a van), recorded four fantastic, hard-charging albums (2002's Reinventing Axl Rose, 2003's As the Eternal Cowboy, 2005's Searching for a Former Clarity and 2007's major-label bow, New Wave) and always looked like he was having an absolute blast. He was the bearded, blissed-out yin to frontman Tom Gabel's gruff, gravelly yang ... the kind of guy every band needs, especially when the going got tough and the crowds got hostile. And both happened quite frequently during his time in Against Me! (for reasons I documented in a column back in 2007).

If Oakes looked eternally pumped, this is basically because he was living the rock-and-roll dream. Make no bones about it, AM! will probably never be a successful rock outfit. They're probably never going to sell out arenas or move millions of units. But that wasn't the point: Oakes scratched out a living playing drums in a band, he toured the world with his best friends, and he did it all as hard as he could for as long as he possibly could. (That's why kids join bands in the first place, isn't it?)

Of course, this couldn't last forever. Economics and savings accounts and adulthood and the like are most certainly not very rock-and-roll, yet they are rather huge aspects of reality (who knew?). So in April, half out of necessity and half out of sheer exhaustion, Oakes decided to bring the rock chapter of his life to a close. He left Against Me! to sell burritos in Gainesville, Florida.

Or at least, that's what he told me on Tuesday.

See, I am an Against Me! fan. So when I first heard that Oakes was out of the band (and subsequently read Gabel's rather matter-of-fact blog post about the situation), I figured he had been fired, which bummed me out. So I called down to Boca Fiesta, the burrito joint Oakes had just opened, hoping to speak with him. I left a message with a manager named Jeff, but never expected Oakes to call back. But he did.

We talked about the AM! situation, and Oakes wanted it to be known that he wasn't fired, but rather, his leaving the band "was really a mutual decision ... it was really amicable." He said he still considers the guys in the band to be "more than friends — they're family," and added that Boca is already carrying Against Me! guitarist James Bowman's homemade hot sauce on the menu.

I asked him about his decision to leave the band — whether he thinks it was courageous or heroic or even a little bit sad. He laughed and said he didn't, that he just couldn't continue to put his life on hold and dedicate all his time and energy to Against Me!

"I was feeling a little burnt-out on traveling all the time. It's a full commitment being in Against Me! I mean, it's 365 days a year, touring and working on new songs, and I always wanted to give 110 percent. Being in the band was a full-time job," he said. "But it came to the point where I did have to face facts and realize I was starting to express interest in having some other things going on, and trying to split my time and energy just wasn't going to cut it. So that was it. It was really sad — I was really bummed at first — but then the peace came. It felt really natural and it was a great run."

And then Oakes had to go, as the dinner rush at Boca was beginning. He told me that Against Me! fans can always find him behind the counter at the joint ("I've done everything so far — washed dishes, tended bar, made guacamole!" he laughed) and said that if I'm ever in Gainesville, I should stop in for a bite. We ended our conversation — Oakes hoped I wouldn't make everything sound too negative — and I started writing this column.

Originally, I had intended to canonize Oakes, to make his plight seem tragic and his decision heroic. But really, this situation happens every day, to people not just in bands but on assembly lines or insurance offices. Dreams are put on hold, or chucked aside forever, because reality comes calling. That Oakes did it does not make him a hero, it makes him like the rest of us. And perhaps that's his lasting legacy ... the everyman former drummer who ditched the dream and walked headlong into the rest of his life with grace and joy. Like I said, the burritos aren't the main point — it's the principle of it all.

Questions? Concerns? Hit me up at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

• Against Me!

Paramore's Hayley Williams
Photo: Aaron Pinkston/ Pinkston Productions

The Warped Tour — featuring Paramore, Gym Class Heroes, Angels & Airwaves, Against Me!, the Academy Is ..., Cobra Starship and dozens of others — has announced the full schedule for the summer's trek, which kicks off on June 20 in Pomona, California.

While Paramore will tag along from July 1-6, a number of other bands have signed on for the whole trek, including the Horrorpops, Reel Big Fish, From First to Last, Relient K, Aggrolites, Protest the Hero, Anberlin, Everytime I Die, Greeley Estates, Norma Jean, Say Anything, Story of the Year, Charlotte Sometimes, the Bronx, Pennywise, Rise Against, the Devil Wears Prada and We the Kings.

The tour is slated to finish on August 17 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Among the other acts dropping in for runs of dates are: A Day to Remember, All That Remains, As I Lay Dying, August Burns Red, Bedouin Soundclash, Bouncing Souls, Danger Radio, GBH, Jack's Mannequin, Ludo, Madina Lake, Sick City, the All-American Rejects, the Dillinger Escape Plan, the Pink Spiders and the Vandals. The full roster of bands can be found at WarpedTour.com.

Vans Warped Tour 2008 dates:

» 6/20 - Pomona, CA @ Pomona Fairgrounds
» 6/21 - San Francisco, CA @ Pier 30/32
» 6/22 - Ventura, CA @ Seaside Park
» 6/25 - Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Pavilion
» 6/26 - Las Cruces, NM @ NMSU Practice Field
» 6/28 - Salt Lake City, UT, venue TBA
» 6/29 - Denver, CO @ Invesco Field at Mile High
» 7/1 - Maryland Heights, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
» 7/2 - Bonner Springs, KS @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
» 7/3 - Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center
» 7/5 - Selma, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
» 7/6 - Houston, TX @ Sam Houston Race Park
» 7/9 - Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheater
» 7/10 - Orlando, FL @ Central Florida Fairgrounds
» 7/11 - Tampa, FL @ Vinoy Park
» 7/12 - Miami, FL @ Bicentennial Park
» 7/13 - Jacksonville, FL @ St. Johns County Fairgrounds
» 7/14 - Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
» 7/15 - Virginia Beach, VA, venue TBA
» 7/16 - Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
» 7/17 - Cleveland, OH @ Time Warner Cable Amphitheater
» 7/18 - Detroit, MI @ Comerica Park
» 7/19 - Toronto, ON, venue TBA
» 7/20 - Montreal, QC, venue TBA
» 7/23 - Mansfield, MA @ Tweeter Center
» 7/24 - Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
» 7/25 - Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
» 7/26 - Uniondale, NY, venue TBA
» 7/28 - Englishtown, NJ @ Raceway Park
» 7/29 - Burgettstown, PA @ Post Gazette Pavilion
» 7/30 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
» 7/31 - Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
» 8/1 - Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheatre
» 8/2 - Tinley Park, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
» 8/3 - Minneapolis, MN, venue TBA
» 8/5 - Saskatoon, SK, venue TBA
» 8/6 - Calgary, AB, venue TBA
» 8/8 - Boise, ID, venue TBA
» 8/9 - Seattle, WA, venue TBA
» 8/10 - Portland, OR, venue TBA
» 8/13 - Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
» 8/14 - San Diego, CA, venue TBA
» 8/15 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
» 8/16 - Wheatland, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre Lot
» 8/17 - Carson, CA @ Home Depot Center

Planning on going to the Vans Warped Tour or any other big music fests this year? Be sure to join the You R Here community, where you can upload your concert photos, videos and reviews. Go there now to check out coverage of last year's .

• MTV News Raw: Paramore Say 'Everything's Cool'

• Paramore
• Angels & Airwaves
• Gym Class Heroes
• Cobra Starship
• Against Me!

Panic at the Disco's Brendon Urie
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Throughout history, rock and roll has been on a mission to systematically destroy punctuation.

This is primarily because punctuation is about rules, conformity and order — three things that rock, in its truest, purest essence, is vehemently opposed to. Semicolons, slashes, commas and periods most certainly do not rock, so in order to smash the system, they are co-opted by rock bands and used for nefarious, decidedly "rock" purposes, which is why we have band names like Motörhead, Mötley Crüe and Hüsker Dü (wanton umlaut abuse), songs like Led Zeppelin's "D'yer Mak'er" (an apostrophic calamity) and albums like At the Drive-In's In/Casino/Out (I have no idea).

In fact, rock has been at war with punctuation for so long now that seemingly every offense has been made — W.A.S.P., Enuff Z'Nuff, the Academy Is ..., Blue Öyster Cult, Blink-182, (hed) p.e. — though in recent years (perhaps owing a debt of gratitude to, uh, trailblazers like Neu! and Wham!), no mark as been as overused as the humble exclamation point.

Pioneered by post-apocalyptic rock outfit Godspeed You Black Emperor! (who would later change their name to Godspeed You! Black Emperor, for reasons apparent only to them) in 1994, exclamation-point abuse came to the forefront in 2000, thanks to bicoastal, post-millennial funk act !!! and bands like On! Air! Library! and Against Me! (who felt so strongly about exclamation points that they would include nine of them in the title of their 2006 live album Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live in London!!!.)

And even more recently, we've seen an exponential growth of exclamation-point abuse, thanks mainly to much-blogged acts like the Go! Team, Los Campesinos!, Die! Die! Die!, ¡Forward Russia!, Thunderbirds Are Now!, Oh No!! Oh My!! — bonus points for double exclamation points — and You Say Party! We Say Die!, which seemed to indicate that we were heading toward a terrifying future in which all new bands were required to choose names that sound like interjections.

But then, last week, something rather extraordinary happened. Bravely — and rather inexplicably — Panic at the Disco decided to drop the "!" from their name, stemming the tide of exclamation overuse and royally ticking off their loyal (and seemingly nuts) fanbase in the process. The bandmembers tried to play it off by saying the point was "never part of the name to us," and that they axed it because it was "annoying to write." But the damage had already been done ... as several of their fans pointed out on sites like PATDOnline.com, the loss of the exclamation point seemed to indicate that Panic were doing everything in their power to put their past behind them (though we're not sure why they'd want to do that.)

And it's not like Panic had foregone all punctuation-related shenanigans this time around ... after all, they decided to title their album Pretty. Odd., as in two seemingly disparate yet equal statements. Conjoined and yet separated by periods. Seriously.

So, really, what's the deal? By dropping the exclamation point and adding a pair of periods, are Panic bucking the system or paying homage to the long and winding history of rock and roll punctuation abuse? Were they ditching their past and heading full-bore into the future? Well, according to an expert, yes ... on all counts.

"Well, you have the right to call yourself whatever you want, and I guess that right extends to adding or removing exclamation points," Geraldine Woods, the author of Webster's New World Punctuation: Simplified and Applied, told MTV News. "It was always a rather interesting choice, because an exclamation point usually doesn't belong in the middle of a sentence, but I think creative people tend to play around with punctuation a great deal — e.e. cummings comes to mind — because there's a form of rebellion in it. I mean, you learn all the rules, and then you get to break them.

"It seems like [Panic have] put some thought into the changes ... they're not just changes for changes' sake," she added. "Pretty. Odd. works because it conjures up images of something that is both pretty and odd, which is interesting," she added. "And it's grammatically interesting, because without the period, the word 'pretty' would be modifying the word 'odd.' So it takes on a completely different context."

See, even though fans are mourning over the loss of the exclamation point, they can take solace in the fact that Panic are now w-a-a-y more grammatically interesting. Of course, there's no denying that their new namesake is decidedly less, well, urgent ... but hey, maybe for album number three, they'll bring the exclamation point back. After all, if rock history has showed us anything, it's that exclamation points rock.

"Exclamation points are used to convey emotion, to increase the immediacy of what you're saying. They instill a sense of emergency and urgency," Woods said. "To change that, especially for a rock band, seems kind of odd to me. There's certainly a reduced sense of 'panic' in Panic at the Disco now."

• Panic at the Disco
• The Academy Is...
• (hed) pe
• Enuff Z'nuff
• Against Me!

Photo: MTV News

On The Record: The 20 Best Albums Of 2007

This is not a perfect list, because this was not a perfect year. I think the general consensus is that something big happened (or is happening) in 2007, but no one seems to be able to agree on just what that "event of monumental import" was. Maybe it was In Rainbows, the OiNK bust or the defections of several high-profile artists from the major-label stables. Perhaps it was none of those things, and it's all still business as usual, but I sort of doubt it.

There's definitely a movement afoot, though. And these 20 albums were all part of it — some because they changed the flow of the industry, others because they were simply released in 2007. Below, you'll find game-changers, weirdo-folk, not-punk punk albums, expansive-yet-minimalist electro — and absolutely no Neon Bible. And, like I said, you'll probably find some faults with my list (I probably should've included Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and Bruce Springsteen's Magic, for starters) but I'd like to think that's also why it's also a pretty good one: After all, there was no clear-cut choice for Album of the Year in 2007, just a whole lot of efforts that could possibly lay claim to the title (or couldn't, depending on who you asked). If we learned anything, it's that practically everyone could agree on positively nothing. And if that's not a pretty accurate assessment of the past 12 months ... well, then I don't know what is.

Also, I'd love to hear your feedback and read your lists, so feel free to e-mail me at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

20. The Go! Team, Proof of Youth
The sound of the blog bubble bursting, complete with '70s guitars, double-dutch cadences, thunderous drumming, glorious fuzz and a cameo by Chuck D. Unfairly abandoned by pretty much everyone who loved the Go! Team's 2004 debut, Thunder, Lightening, Strike (because it's basically the same record), Proof of Youth stands as an example of the inherent stupidity of today's fast-moving blogosphere, and a cautionary tale to bands like the Black Kids and Vampire Weekend. If only all failures sounded this good.

The Best Of 2007 The Top Albums: MTV News Staffers Pick Their Top 10 Albums The Biggest Arrests: Paris Hilton, T.I. And More Had An Arrest-Ing 2007 The Hottest Couples: 50 Cent And Ciara And More Smoking-Hot Couples For the rest of MTV News' year-end top 10s, check out our Best of 2007 page, where you'll find the hottest hip-hop, catchiest singles and more.

19. Black Moth Super Rainbow, Dandelion Gum
Stuff a vocoder in your mouth. Strap a pair of Casio keyboards to your feet. Wander the Mojave Desert for a month. Do the Black Moth Super Rainbow. Gleefully psychedelic, completely nonsensical, unbelievably sunny folk-tronica from the wilds of Pittsburgh. Every bit as WTF as the name implies.

18. Patrick Wolf, The Magic Position
A guy who looks like an extra from "The Legend of Zelda" releases the year's most melodramatic album — 40 minutes of gilded, whimsical, overly indulgent Baroque-pop, full of stabbing violins, synthesizers that pop like fireworks and chiming church bells; becomes even more flamboyant (if that's possible); establishes himself as a sex symbol on both sides of the aisle; has onstage meltdown in NYC; threatens to quit the music industry via a messageboard post; recants his threat days later; then starts a feud with fellow balladeer Mika over "authenticity." And you thought you had a busy year.

17. The Shins, Wincing the Night Away
Not only is this album better than you remember, it's also probably the only thing on this list that the dude in the cubicle next to you owns (well, this or Kanye). Packing away the sunny, strummy indie-pop for darker, nocturnal mood music, the Shins crafted a weird winner that somehow managed to debut at #2 on the Billboard albums chart (despite leaking to the Internet like three months early), and finally get them out from underneath the shadow of that dude from "Scrubs." Hopefully.

16. Kanye West, Graduation
The swagger is nothing new. Neither is the lack of humility. But never have both sides of Kanye co-existed so successfully on one record (maybe Daft Punk helped broker the peace). On Graduation, West reveals the complexities contained within himself, looking back while moving forward, slowing down a step — really, there's nothing on here that grabs you with the immediacy of "Jesus Walks" — to bask in his successes, while still holding his competitors in check and keeping one eye toward the future. A truly accomplished, truly human album that still manages to work in a song based around a Steely Dan sample. And that's much harder to do than it looks.

15. Okkervil River, The Stage Names
World-weary, scruffy rock from the weariest, scruffiest band in Austin, Texas, Stage Names is beautiful, tear-in-yer-beer stuff, but it's also probably the most self-aware album released this decade (either this or Panic! at the Disco's A Fever You Can't Sweat Out) full of too-smart references to the Beach Boys, Marcel Duchamp artwork, Paul Simon and Nena's "99 Luftballons." It's meant to be a concept record of sorts, about the exploration of high art and low art, which sort of explains the tender ballad about the death of porn star Savannah. Sort of.

14. Jens Lekman, Night Falls Over Kortedala
Sumptuous, swirling pop from Sweden's finest troubadour. Sonically, it's all over the map: booming orchestral numbers, sparkly samba, morose Northern soul, all sung in Lekman's sleepy, mahogany-rich baritone. Also, "I took my sister down to the ocean/ But the ocean made me feel stupid" is probably the most emo line of the year. Deep, man ... deep.

13. LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver
Just last week, I named James Murphy's "All My Friends" as "the best song of 2007," and the album is nearly as good. Building on the, well, dancey-but-not-dance roots he's been laying down for a few years now, Silver is the record in which Murphy puts electroclash (remember that?) to bed for good and establishes himself as a truly important artist: the kind of guy who's not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve (check "All My Friends" or "New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down"), or get funky in really goofy ways, or record a 45-minute exercise track for Nike. And we need guys like that.

12. The National, Boxer
The sound of sepia. Sad like the photos you see pinned to the walls in really old bars. Beautiful like being drunk on a rooftop in Brooklyn, the city twinkling in the distance. Painful like the hangover the following morning. The songs on Boxer are all of those things, often at the same time. A remarkable record.

11. Feist, The Reminder
Sure, there's the song that sold the iPods, but there's also the churning, torch-y "My Moon My Man," the heartbreaking "The Park" and the slinky "Brandy Alexander," to name just a few. Intimately performed, expertly arranged indie balladry, with Leslie Feist's voice weaving through it all: lithe, supple, sexy and undeniably powerful. Probably — OK, undoubtedly — the breakthrough album of 2007.

10. Yeasayer, All Hour Cymbals
What world music would sound like if it was played by a bunch of hipsters from Williamsburg. Hints of African guitars, drone-y Eastern European notes, Celtic rhythms, plus chants, chimes and handclaps, all whirled together into a heady sonic brew. In a thousand years, when they excavate Bedford Avenue, they'll probably discover copies of Cymbals and think we were a much more evolved society. Either that or really big fans of Forest for the Trees.

9. Deerhunter, Cryptograms
If you believe the rumors (and given the generally terrifying WTF-ness of Deerhunter, I do), Cryptograms is really two albums in one: the first half — from "Intro" to "Red Ink" — was recorded in one manic session, on a single reel of tape, with frontman Bradford Cox still battling the lingering effects of walking pneumonia. The second half (starting with "Spring Hall Convert" and ending with "Heatherwood") was recorded in another one-day session, on another reel of tape. That the two halves are so sonically disparate — one murky and atmospheric, the other luminous and relatively straightforward — not only lends credence to those rumors, but also speaks volumes about the ever-evolving talent of the band itself, and makes Cryptograms an experience unlike most you'll hear this decade. And given that Deerhunter are currently on hiatus, that experience might — unfortunately — only be a one-time thing.

8. Modest Mouse, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Not as accessible as Good News for People Who Love Bad News, not as good as The Lonesome Crowded West (or The Moon & Antarctica, for that matter), We Were Dead represents Modest Mouse at the great divide: On one side, the past. On the other, the future. So, accordingly, the album borrows equally from both, packed with rambling, shambling guitar exercises and (relatively) straightforward radio rock. There was even a slow number or three. That the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard albums chart seemed to be the most amazing thing of all, and it only gave MM the validation they deserved. No matter where Isaac Brock and company decide to go from here, they've already won.

7. Panda Bear, Person Pitch
Like the Animal Collective that begat him, Panda is less about making music and more about stringing together atmosphere, creating pockets of sound as big as entire universes. Here, he collects the wooshes of subway cars, the crunch of gravel under boots, wind, water (and a bunch more), and combines them with some really beautiful vocal harmonies, a little acoustic strumming and the occasional odd "woo-hoo" to create an album that's warm like an old blanket but also chilly like a snowdrift. Bizarrely accessible, sort of spooky, and really all you could ask for from so-called "experimental rock."

6. The Field, From Here We Go Sublime
A masterwork of techno (do people still even use that word?) both minimal and maximal, Sublime — the handiwork of Swedish DJ Axel Willner — recalls cellular division, slowly melting ice caverns and fields of blossoming sunflowers, often in the same song, and often using little more than a bass line, a kick-drum and a looped sample. Devastating in its simplicity and scope, it's more intelligent dance music than Intelligent Dance Music, which may not make sense, only it does. You get me?

5. Tegan and Sara, The Con
An album of beautiful complexity and brutal honestly, The Con covers all manners of love, loss and heartbreak, and does it all with a restraint and a maturity that belies the Quin sisters' age. W-a-a-y more confident and ballsy than any "follow-up to a breakthrough" album should be, yet still self-effacing and full of enough doubts to fill 1,000 diary pages. Expertly helmed by producer Chris Walla, it's a record that unfurls gradually, revealing just a bit more with each listen. For some reason, it reminds me of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, though I can neither explain nor condone that statement.

4. The White Stripes, Icky Thump
To some, it's just another example of Jack White's ever-expanding ego. To others, it's another addition to his "guitar god" résumé. I think I fall somewhere in between. Sure, there's parts of Thump that are a bit much — mainly the bagpipes that drag down the middle of the record — but there's also plenty of great moments, too: the fret-melting majesty of the title track, the delightfully silly vaudeville of "Rag and Bone," and straightforward, floor-pounding rock of "Bone Broke." For the first time, White also drops the whole "magical bluesman" shtick and opens up a bit, and — surprise — he seems just as conflicted and unhappy as you or I. Which only makes him, and the entire album, that much more likeable.

3. Radiohead, In Rainbows
The album that changed everything, only it probably didn't (though it's nice to oversimplify sometimes). When all the smoke surrounding its release strategy cleared, fans were left with an album that either enthralled or mystified ... there really was no in between. For me, it was the former: Radiohead put away the electronics on this one and just decided to play, making beautiful, intricate songs about decidedly human things — failing relationships, infidelity, whatever the hell "15 Step" is about. It's the album that sounds like the next logical step, and while some didn't want to hear Radiohead slip gracefully into their 40s, that's what they got. And I'll take AARP Radiohead over almost any other band on the planet. They may sound old, but, dude, they are old. Except Jonny Greenwood. He's apparently a vampire.

2. Against Me!, New Wave
The massive choruses. The even more massive hooks. The major label. The big-name producer. The boy/girl duet. The protest song that made fun of protest songs. There probably wasn't a more unapologetic record made this year — seriously, New Wave might actually redefine the word "unabashed" — and Against Me! are totally aware of this, and they don't care what you (or the majority of their old fans) think, which is why Against Me! are awesome, and why this album totally rules. Punk rock is probably dead already, but if it isn't, well, this is the album that killed it off forever. Good riddance.

1. Wilco, Sky Blue Sky
When all is said and done, the sky is still falling and the rivers continue to run red with BitTorrent. The industry is dead, except that it's probably not. We are living in the future, only no one seems to realize it, because we might just be living in the past. You are part of the problem, and the solution, all at the same time. And none of this really matters. What cuts through the fog and the noise is simplicity. And on the surface, Sky Blue Sky is the most simple record of the year: straightforward like Summer Teeth, sparkling in execution, bravely unflinching in subject. It resonates because it's true and beautiful and seemingly not of this era. But it's also unfathomably complicated: a record about relationships, about being so in love and wanting to make it work so bad, about giving of yourself and taking from someone else about being back to back, in the foxhole — impossible Germany, unlikely Japan — against overwhelming odds, but determined to fight until the bitter end. No one said simplicity was ever easy.

• Radiohead
• Kanye West
• The Shins
• Feist
• LCD Soundsystem

T.I.
Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

T.I. is under house arrest as he awaits his trial on weapons charges — but he doesn't want that to get in the way of the holidays. The rapper (real name: Clifford Harris) has asked a judge to let him host a Thanksgiving Day celebration at his home in Jonesboro, Georgia, according to The Associated Press. On Tuesday, his attorneys requested that a list of family members be given "approved visitation to have dinner with the defendant" from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on November 22. T.I. isn't allowed to have visitors without prior approval and can't have more than three visitors at a time, with minor exceptions. His October 26 release on bond is being supervised by a monitoring service, which would also be present for the Thanksgiving celebration. ...

Lawyers for Britney Spears and Kevin Federline will be in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday for an emergency hearing in their ongoing custody dispute, TMZ.com reports. The hearing was reportedly called by Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan, who is alleging that the singer has not followed drug-testing procedures. Neither Spears nor Federline are expected to show. In other Brit news, her longtime photographer and friend Mark Lidell revealed to "Extra" what went wrong at the notorious OK! magazine photo shoot earlier this year. "Paparazzi absolutely killed and ruined our day ... they were everywhere ... and it made our shoot absolutely impossible." He said Spears later told him, " 'Mark, if you want me to come back afterwards, I'll do my best and get back' ... but she had to go and finish off the music video [for 'Gimme More']." ...

Embattled pop star Amy Winehouse has been granted a visa allowing her to enter the United States but will still not be making any of her previously scheduled appearances, her publicist confirmed to MTV News on Wednesday (November 7). The "Rehab" singer was set to appear at the mtvU Woodie Awards on Thursday and as the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" (which is now in reruns anyway, due to the writers' strike) this weekend. Some speculated Winehouse's recent visa troubles were thought to have something to do with her recent arrest for marijuana possession in Norway. Winehouse will next visit the States in January to kick off her U.S. tour. ...

Lily Allen doesn't show much skin when she performs — but she's stripping down to model lingerie as part of a new six-figure deal, according to MTV UK. Like Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dita Von Tesse and Kate Moss before her, Allen has signed with risqué clothing company Agent Provocateur. The singer has also recently modeled for a shampoo company and is working on a TV show. ...

Michael Jackson's Neverland nightmare might be coming true — according to TMZ, the estate has gone into foreclosure per a Notice of Default report for California's Santa Barbara County. The singer was reportedly delinquent on a $23 million loan as of October 12. ...

Lil Wayne, Against Me!, Juelz Santana, Arctic Monkeys and Fat Joe, all in the same place? Indeed — you'll find those artists, as well as Ol' Dirty Bastard, Lady Sovereign, Pete Doherty and others, showcased in "The Vice Photo Book," a new volume culling shots from the magazine's 13-year history. The 336-page tome will be sold for $45 at bookstores starting in December. ...

Swizz Beatz and T-Pain took the stage on Tuesday night at the "Women of King" Calendar party held at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York. Q-Tip, radio personality Wendy Williams and Dres of Black Sheep were all on hand as D-Nice manned the turntables at the shindig, which was sponsored by Remy Martin. ... Talib Kweli, Strong Arm Steady and Jean Grae got together onstage at Belvedere Vodka's Apollo Lounge in New York's Harlem neighborhood on Tuesday night in an effort to draw more young people to the famed Apollo Theatre. Fonzworth Bentley was in attendance. ...

Diddy got a break on Tuesday when a district attorney in New York decided not to charge him with assault in an alleged incident last month. Well, now comes more good news for the music mogul, albeit of a very different variety: His YouTube search for someone to hold his umbrella has ended, he announced on Tuesday on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." He gave the job to Heather Thompson, who remarked, "I understand who the star is in this relationship." Diddy said he's looking for four assistants in total, so his YouTube quest goes on. ...

In what could amount to a case of Jessica Alba mirroring Madonna, the "Fantastic Four" actress, who doesn't have any stage experience, has been approached to star in a new Broadway production of David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow" in which Madge previously starred, the New York Post reports. According to the Post, James Gandolfini is being considered for one of the male lead roles. ...

My Bloody Valentine fans, the wait is over — that reunion album you've been hoping for is a go, and apparently it's even happening this year. TheDailySwarm.com reports that on Monday VBS.tv will launch an exclusive video interview between My Bloody Valentine mastermind Kevin Shields and Ian Svenonius (Weird War, the Make Up) as part of the online TV channel's "Soft Focus" series. In the conversation, Shields reportedly said a yet-untitled album — which involved the band getting back in the studio for the first time since 1995 — will be dropping this year. "It sounds like what we sounded like — different but not radically different. People will go, 'Yeah, it sounds like My Bloody Valentine,' " he reportedly said. ...

Sub Pop — the record label that boasts "Podfisting our way to your blog. Or whatever" as one of its current slogans — has launched a new digital-download music store. Among the initial 200 offerings in the store, which will eventually incorporate out-of-print material, are releases by the Shins, Sleater-Kinney, David Cross, Low, Band of Horses and Iron and Wine. Customers who purchase files through the store will be able to download them multiple times, which also means that fans will be able to get additional bonus tracks or improved sound quality if and when the releases are enhanced. ...

Radiohead's name-your-own-price album scheme has resulted in only two of five listeners paying for the band's new In Rainbows LP, but the noble pursuit might have landed Radiohead some additional profits. Billboard reports that the band's seven previous albums have sold 35.8 percent more copies since Radiohead made the In Rainbows announcement on September 30. ...

Pete Doherty showed signs of improvement in his ongoing battle with drugs last month when a judge gave him a suspended jail sentence after seeing signs of progress — but now there's more bad news for the Babyshambles frontman. "Peter sadly relapsed last week and is now looking to check himself back into a rehab clinic so that he can try to continue the hitherto excellent attempts he had made to break free of heroin," his record label, EMI, said in a statement, according to AP. The announcement was made after a video of Doherty recently injecting himself with heroin surfaced online. According to EMI, Doherty considers the incident "a stupid, stupid action for which I feel only shame." ...

Cowboy Junkies go to church: The Canadian alt-rockers recently returned to the Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto, where they recorded 1988's The Trinity Session, to commemorate the album, which many consider to be their most important work. Ryan Adams, Vic Chestnutt, Jeff Bird and Natalie Merchant joined the Junkies for The Trinity Revisited, a reworking of the album that is coming out in the form of a DVD/CD set on February 26, in time for the original effort's 20th anniversary. ...

Actors have been showing their support for the writers' strike in recent days, but former Disney chief Michael Eisner has a much different take on the protest: In a word, it's "stupid," he says. "I've seen stupid strikes, I've seen less stupid strikes. ... This is a stupid strike," he reportedly remarked during a panel discussion at a conference in New York on Wednesday, Reuters reports. "It's a waste of their time," he added. "[The studios] have nothing to give. They don't know what to give." ...

Politically inclined music fans are probably familiar with HeadCount, the voter-registration that teamed with the Dave Matthews Band, the Allman Brothers Band and other artists to register 50,000 people for the 2004 election. Well, the volunteer-run group is coming back for next year's races — and has an even loftier goal in mind: to register 200,000 new voters. HeadCount — which more recently became aligned with O.A.R. as well — is seeking volunteers to join its street teams, which will register people at future concerts. Go to HeadCount.org for more info. ...

Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Hank Thompson died of lung cancer on Tuesday, days after he canceled his tour, AP reports. October 8 — which turned out to be the day of his last show — had been declared "Hank Thompson Day" by Texas Governor Rick Perry and Waco Mayor Virginia DuPuy. Thompson was 82.

11.06.07

Britney Spears is giving an early Christmas gift to ex-husband Kevin Federline — $120,000, for the legal bills he has amassed in his child-custody battle with the pop singer, the Los Angeles Superior Court confirmed to MTV News on Tuesday (November 6). Commissioner Scott Gordon made the ruling in light of the "disparity between the parties' income" and that "the vast majority of the ... litigation deals with [Spears'] conduct," according to documents released Tuesday, TMZ reports. As it was revealed last week, Spears earns approximately $737,000 each month, while Federline made $7,436, after business expenses, in all of 2006. Federline's lawyer had originally requested $160,000, the total costs for Federline's fees, according to UsMagazine.com. He currently receives $15,000 a month from Spears in child support and $20,000 in spousal support, which expires November 15. ...

Should Stephen Colbert be pointing his finger at Barack Obama's camp for his presidential bid being shot down in South Carolina? According to CNN, two of the Illinois senator's supporters called state Democratic Party officials to urge them to keep the "Colbert Report" host off the primary ballot. Obama's campaign is denying that it had any connection to the phone calls. "Democrats in South Carolina, including supporters of ours, had strong feelings on both sides of the ballot issue, and ultimately it was South Carolina Democrats who made this decision," said Kevin Griffis, Obama's South Carolina communications director. At least one member of the executive council — which denied Colbert's bid by a 13-3 vote — said he felt pressured by former State Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum to oppose Colbert's bid to be on the ballet, according to CNN. Tenenbaum is a well-known Obama supporter, and his camp has embraced her endorsement publicly. "She said it wouldn't be fair to the other candidates. That he [Colbert] wouldn't be sincere. That he was only running in one state," said the official, who requested anonymity, according to CNN. "The Obama people, they just didn't want him at all." Tenenbaum said that was a mischaracterization, telling CNN, "I called them to see what they were thinking and if they had made up their mind. I am a volunteer in that campaign, and so I am not a staffer. And I thought it could have taken votes away from a lot of people." South Carolina State Representative Bakari Sellers, who has also endorsed Obama, revealed to CNN that he also made calls to members of the executive council in an attempt to persuade them to deny Colbert's bid. "I placed the calls as a concerned Democrat, realizing that we are a country in despair," Sellers said. "It is not a time for games or to make a mockery of the process." It's unclear what effect the calls had on the executive council's vote. ...

Obama's got someone else on his side — Borat. In a recent Reuters interview, the crazy Kazakh spilled that he would like to see the junior senator from Illinois be president ... er, "premier." "I cannot believe that it possible a woman can become Premier of US and A," he said, clearly referencing Democratic candidate Senator Hillary Clinton. "In Kazakhstan, we say that to give a woman power, is like to give a monkey a gun — very dangerous. We do not give monkeys guns any more in Kazakhstan ever since the Astana Zoo massacre of 2003 when Torkin the orang-utan shoot 17 schoolchildrens. I personal would like the basketball player, Barak Obamas to be Premier." Borat gave the interview to hype the Tuesday release of his new book, the not-so-concisely titled "Touristic Guidings to Minor Nation of U.S. and A. and Touristic Guidings to Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan." He had previously planned two books but wound up combining them into one volume. ...

When 50 Cent famously said earlier this year that he would retire if he were to lose to Kanye West in their much-hyped album showdown, his critics were apparently listening. Christian media watchdog group the Resistance is demanding that the rapper keep his promise and quit, according to TMZ. "It is time for 50 Cent to be a man of his word and retire," Mark Dice, a spokesman for the group, reportedly said. "The world will be a better place when this satanic piece of filth retires and stops making music." The group is also asking for people to go to 50 Cent's MySpace and post comments asking him to quit. ... Jay-Z unleashed his American Gangster album on Tuesday, but don't go looking for it on iTunes — it won't be available there. In a statement issued Tuesday, the hip-hop mogul said he isn't selling the album on iTunes because he doesn't want the songs available for individual purchase. "As movies are not sold scene by scene, this collection will not be sold as individual singles," he said. That's probably just as well for Universal Music, which distributes Jay's Def Jam label — earlier this year, the company's chief, Doug Morris, refused to re-up a multi-year contract with iTunes to put Universal music in the online store. Morris has been trying to enlist other industry heavyweights to team up for a competing online music service. ...

Chris Brown has his hands full with a just-released new album, Exclusive, and an upcoming movie, November 21's "This Christmas," but he's taking on another project — and this one's for a good cause. Brown is starring in a new video that encourages middle school students to get interested in math and fundraising. The video — which incorporates elements of the singer's "Run It" clip and will be shown in thousands of schools — is part of the Math-a-Thon program St. Jude Children's Research Hospital has been running for almost three decades. Students who participate in Math-a-Thon complete math problems after getting pledges from family and friends, and the money raised is used to help children with cancer and other diseases. Brown visited the Memphis, Tennessee, hospital last year and has been a steady supporter. "We can all make a difference in the lives of others," Brown said in a statement. "I'm proud to help St. Jude. I feel like I'm just a regular person helping out." ...

Backstreet Boys, Joss Stone, Grizzly Bear, Band of Horses and Garth Brooks have all been forced to scrap their planned late-night talk-show appearances this week due to the ongoing writers' strike, RollingSyone.com reports. ... Prepare to be judged — by Will.I.Am. The Black Eyed Pea will be among the preliminary-round judges for a Super Bowl-related battle-of-the-bands competition being put on by Doritos. The band that wins "Crash the Super Bowl 2" will get a major-label contract and see its original song air during the big game on February 3. Voting is being held at SnackStrongProductions.com. ...

A man has been charged in connection with vandalism at the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts in Georgia last month, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Kenneth Anthony Wilson, 43, was charged late last week with a felony second-degree charge of criminal damage to property and is being held at jail in DeKalb County jail on a $1,500 bond. The building had been defaced and a noose had allegedly been hung around the neck of a statue commemorating the deceased rapper, though police later said the object was actually a cross hung on a string. Police also said defamatory stickers and papers were left on the statue and that a pair of underwear had been wrapped around its head. A police spokesperson told the newspaper that authorities doubt Wilson, who is black, had a racial motive in the incident. ...

Though they still haven't spoken in detail about the nervous condition affecting drummer Meg White which forced them abandon their world tour this summer, the White Stripes announced on their Web site that they've been in the studio and have cooked up some new tunes. The post reports that "the White Stripes have just filmed an exciting new video and recorded three never-before-heard original songs (with a special collaboration) and one unique new version of a song from their latest album, 'Icky Thump.' " No information was given about the release date of the new music or the debut of the video. ... Danish lo-fi rockers the Raveonettes have a new home: Vice Records. The duo's fourth album, Lust Lust Lust, will drop early next year. ...

Prince has beef — with his fans. Lawyers for the singer have been hitting Prince fan sites with cease-and-desist letters demanding that the sites remove all images, artwork, fan-submitted pictures related to Prince, including ones of tattoos and license plates that refer to him, according to RollingStone.com. A handful of Prince fan sites have assembled to create a new site, PrinceFansUnited.com, and said in a post on it that they vow to "defend their position in the proper court of law, as well as fully prosecute any claims to which they are justly entitled." ... Expect to hear music again at legendary New York punk club CBGB, which closed last year — but if you go there to check out a band, expect to be surrounded by men's clothes when you do. The space will soon be home to a new John Varvatos boutique, Billboard.com reports, but the fashion designer told the news outlet that he plans to hold in-store performances at the location and will be integrating the permanent CBGB stage into its design as well. ...

Jimmy Page has more to say about his fractured finger, which forced Led Zeppelin to postpone their hugely anticipated reunion show last week. The guitar icon, who apologized for the concert's postponement on Monday, spoke to reporters at the Classic Rock Awards, according to BBC News. While he said the injury would take "a little while to heal," he also admitted that, "I've broken fingers before, a lot worse than this." "It's a nuisance because it's really needed," he added of his finger, saying that the damage wasn't permanent. The concert has moved to December 10, though it will still be held at London's O2 arena. BBC News also reports that Meat Loaf was not at the awards to receive his classic-album award — the singer, who seemed to have declared an end to his career when he ended a recent concert midway and canceled two shows last week, is reportedly recovering from a bout of acute laryngitis. According to BBC News, it was the illness that caused Meat to cancel two subsequent shows on his U.K. tour. ...

Move over, Elvis Presley — Garth Brooks is now the best-selling solo artist in history. The Recording Industry Association of America recently honored Brooks with a Special Career award for selling 123 million units in total. Presley has sold 118.5 million units. ... Country singer/songwriter Rosanne Cash, the eldest of late country icon Johnny Cash's five children, reports on her Web site that she will have brain surgery for a "rare but benign condition." The condition caused Cash, 52, to cancel four November dates on her Black Cadillac tour, but she said she expects to fully recover from the unnamed ailment and start touring again in the spring after she finishes work on her new album.

• 50 Cent, Akon, Common, RZA, Busta Rhymes Back T.I.

• T.I.
• Britney Spears
• Michael Jackson
• Lil Wayne
• Against Me!

Amy Winehouse
Photo: Getty Images/ Stuart Wilson

First Amy Winehouse pulled out of shows in Norway and Denmark two weeks ago, then she pulled the plug on her V Festival appearances last week — now the U.K. starlet is shelving her remaining 2007 North American tour dates until next year. "Due to the rigors involved in touring, Amy Winehouse has been advised to postpone her upcoming September U.S. and Canadian tour dates," Winehouse's publicist said in a statement Tuesday (August 21), according to The Associated Press. "Amy's European and U.K. tour dates in October and November remain in place. Plans are being made to reschedule her U.S. tour for early 2008. Until then, Amy has been ordered to rest and is working with medical professionals to address her health." It is unclear whether the change in her North American tour plans will affect Winehouse's previously announced performance at the VMAs on September 9. ...

Forget 50 Cent — Kanye West considers Justin Timberlake his biggest rival. In an interview with XXL magazine for its October issue — which hits stands September 11 — Kanye called Justin his "biggest inspiration and biggest competition," adding that "he's the only other person that gets an across-the-board response and respect level — black radio, white radio. If Justin hadn't come out and killed the game, I can't say that my album, singles and videos would be on the same level that they're on. We push each other. I look at me and Justin like Prince and Michael Jackson in their day." ...

Award-show nominations and #1 records don't seem to be enough for Nelly Furtado this year, so the Canadian beauty decided to add directing to her lengthy list of 2007 accomplishments. Furtado recently made her debut behind the camera shooting a clip for the Loose song "Do It" with co-director Aaron A., her tour documentarian. The video was filmed on location in Detroit during a tour stop and included her dance team, among others. Furtado also announced that she will re-release Loose with bonus material — including her cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" — this fall. ...

Spike Jonze has launched a series of diary-style video interviews through online-broadcast network VBS.TV. The series will capture Jonze interviewing and traveling the world with various artists and entertainers, including the premiere guest, M.I.A. The set kicks off this week with a six-part episode that follows Jonze and M.I.A. around London and at the singer's various enclaves. An interview with Kanye West is scheduled to go live next week. ...

R. Kelly appeared Tuesday in a Chicago court where prosecutors and defense attorneys ironed out a few more details in the R&B singer's child-pornography trial before jury selection starts September 17. After the prosecution tried for a reversal, Judge Vincent Gaughan upheld his ruling that the media and public could view the sex tape that allegedly depicts Kelly having sex with an underage girl and is at the heart of the charges. Gaughan said he wouldn't reconsider his original ruling because the girl who prosecutors say is in the video isn't cooperating with investigators and denies that she's the person on the tape. Had she said she was, the judge would give her victim status and protect her from a public viewing. Instead, he ruled Tuesday that the state can't call her a "victim" but must instead call her an "alleged victim" or the "state's witness." To attempt to prove that she is in fact the girl on the tape, the prosecution wants to call an expert witness to testify that denial is a common issue with victims of child pornography, but the defense argued that the theory is not backed up by science. Judge Gaughan delayed ruling on this, as well as whether an expert could testify that the veins in Kelly's hand are consistent with those in the hand of the man in the video. He is expected to rule on those matters at the next hearing, on September 10. ...

Another day, another problem for Foxy Brown. The troubled rapper is being accused of lying to police during a traffic stop on Wednesday in suburban Mahwah, New Jersey. According to Bergen County's The Record, Brown (born Inga Marchand) was pulled over for talking on a cell phone and failing to stop at a stop sign while driving her SUV. After a check found that the car's registration had been suspended, Brown, 27, reportedly gave officers a different version of her real name and a birth date that was a year off. When the information didn't come up, Brown then gave her correct information, at which point the officers found out that her license was suspended. She was taken to police headquarters and given seven traffic tickets and released. The traffic tussle came one day after Brown was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a New York neighbor with a BlackBerry. But still, Brown has some good news to help take her mind off things — according to the New York Post, she said outside a store in New York earlier this week, "I'm getting married in September. I'm pregnant." ...

With Jane's Addiction on ice and his latest project, the Panic Channel, without a label deal, Dave Navarro has taken up a new side gig: porn-movie director. The guitarist has shot a feature-length adult film titled "Dave Navarro: Broken," the first in a series of flicks to be directed by celebrities. The film for Teravision — owned by adult star Tera Patrick and rocker husband and former Biohazard member Evan Seinfeld — is due September 27 and features an all-star cast of porn actors and actresses (Victoria Sin, Spyder Jonez, etc.). ...

Ben Lee really likes the new Against Me! album, New Wave. In fact, the Australian pop singer likes it so that he has posted a song-for-song cover album on his MySpace page and blog that are available for download or streaming. He's even cooked up his own cover for the effort, Ben Lee Sings Against Me! New Wave — it replaces the fearsome panther on the Florida punk band's original with a less ferocious kitty cat. ...

Devra Robitaille, one of Phil Spector's ex-employees, testified Tuesday that he once threatened her at gunpoint when she attempted to leave his house. The scenario is similar to the ones outlined by four additional women during the music producer's murder trial. After the defense announced it was conditionally resting its case — and that Spector would not be taking the stand during the trial — the prosecution called Robitaille as a rebuttal witness, contrary to the wishes of the defense. She recalled being in Spector's house during a party in which he became heavily intoxicated, after which she said she was going to go home. "He said no and locked the door," testified Robitaille, who added that she had a romantic relationship with Spector. "I remember standing in the lobby with a door in front of me, and when I turned, there was a gun pointed at my temple. ... It was like a long-barreled shotgun." She added that Spector repeated three times, " 'If you leave, I'll blow your f---ing head off.' " Robitaille said he eventually put down the gun and let her leave. ...

Some Lollapalooza footage — of performances by LCD Soundsystem and the Black Keys — finally went up on AT&T's Blue Room site last week, following the revelation that its webcast of the festival featured several edits of anti-President Bush comments made by Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder. Clearances are still being sought for Pearl Jam and other artists, while Lupe Fiasco's comments against Bush — which were also reportedly edited — have not been posted. ...

Five people were arrested early Sunday morning at a campground near the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington, following the Warped Tour performance at the venue Saturday night. The Associated Press reported that sheriff's deputies were called out to the campground following reports of a person being injured at another nearby campground. When officials arrived, they reportedly saw a number of campers involved in fights and a comfort station with portable toilets and sinks that had been set on fire. Some of the 400 campers in the area allegedly set additional fires and pelted deputies with beer bottles, cans and rocks, shattering the windshield of a fire truck with debris. Those incidents led to five arrests for obstructing a law-enforcement officer, disorderly conduct and intimidating a public servant. ...

Additional shows for Van Halen's first tour in more than 22 years — with original frontman David Lee Roth — have been added in Philadelphia (October 3); Detroit (October 20); and Washington, D.C. (November 1). Tickets for the previously announced gigs went on sale over the weekend, and fans snatched them up fast — sellouts were reported in at least five markets so far. ...

Pete Doherty — who was arrested on suspicion of drug possession in London early Monday morning — was released Tuesday because authorities didn't get him to court on time. The charge of breaching bail conditions that he was facing has been dropped as a result of the technicality. ...

The Jacksonville, Florida, chapter of the NAACP is protesting an editorial cartoon that criticized the "no snitchin' " street mantra and ran in the Friday edition of The Florida Times-Union. The image shows a black man wearing a "Don't Snitch" T-shirt, holding a smoking gun and standing over a gunshot victim. Behind him are two children, one a girl with dreadlocks who also wears a "Don't Snitch" shirt and says, "I didn't see nuttin'." In the cartoon, the man responds, "Now that's a good little ho." The comic, which is captioned "The new rule of law!," also has a billboard in the background with an image of a rapper holding a gun below the words "rap your life away," with BET and Warner Music Group called out at the bottom of the billboard. According to local TV affiliate NBC12, on Sunday, a Times-Union editorial-page editor apologized for the "bad judgment" in using the word "ho" in the cartoon. "The object of the cartoon was to comment on the rise of a no-snitching culture, something that is widely in the news today," Mike Clark explained.

08.20.07

Lily Allen had some choice dirty words for President Bush and U.S. immigration on Saturday during her performance at the V Festival in Stafford, England. "This next one is about people who are awkward on the train, U.S. immigration officials and George Bush in general," she said before the song "Everything's Just Wonderful." The outburst, in which she referred to Bush as a "f---ing c---," came just days after Allen was forced to scrap U.S. dates and an appearance at the Video Music Awards in light of the revocation of her working visa in the U.S. "I've been banned from America. That's nice. Oh well, that means I can't go back there. Good," Allen said, according to MTV UK. ...

Wanna hang in the recording studio with Timbaland? The winner of MTV's charity eBay auction will be flown to Las Vegas, stay at the Palms Casino Resort for three days (September 7-9) to check out the VMAs, and hit the Palms studio with the mega-producer as well. Other items up for bid include VMA gift bags, poker-table felt and other memorabilia. Head to the auction — all proceeds of which go to the Staying Alive Foundation, which helps young people fight AIDS and HIV — before it ends Monday (August 20). ...

Good news if you've been digging Talib Kweli's new collabo with Justin Timberlake, "The Nature" — the track will appear as a bonus on Kweli's Ear Drum, due Tuesday. ... "They gonna mix it with Biggie, it was all a dream!": Keyshia Cole's tour rolled through New York on Sunday, with the singer performing at the Nokia Theatre. As one of the highlights, she brought out Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim to perform their hit "Let It Go." Newcomer J. Holiday opened. ...

It's not exactly Lilith Fair, but Avril Lavigne, Fiona Apple and Sheryl Crow will anchor the first-ever Girlfrenzy, a daylong concert that will revolve around female artists and take place October 27 at Irvine, California's Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. Colbie Caillat, Antigone Rising and Sara Bareilles will also perform. ... The Friday premiere of "High School Musical 2" on the Disney Channel drew an estimated 17.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched basic-cable program in history. The first flick attracted 7.7. million in 2006, while the record was previously held by a "Monday Night Football" game that was watched by 16 million in 2006. ...

Gwen Stefani has stapled a seven-date West Coast leg onto her Sweet Escape tour. Sean Kingston will open for the singer when she hits Las Vegas (October 26); Tuscon, Arizona (October 29); San Diego (October 30); Stockton, California (November 1); Oakland, California (November 2); and Phoenix (November 8-9). ... Want to look just like Jessica Simpson? A recently launched e-commerce site, Seen On!, has more than 500 products associated with the actress. ...

We all know Kevin Federline the cocky rapper, but how about Kevin Federline the cocky rocker? That's the role Britney Spears' ex will play on the next season of "One Tree Hill" — he'll be the frontman of fictional band No Means Yes. ... Veronica Mars — er, Kristen Bell — is also doing the guest-appearance thing. She'll appear on a multi-episode arc on "Heroes" in October. ...

Dr. Dre is suing Death Row over the rights to his classic multiplatinum album, The Chronic. The producer/rapper (real name: Andre Young) filed a suit in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Los Angeles on Wednesday in which he claims he created, produced and was the primary performer on the album's master recordings. In 1992 — before the album's November release — Dr. Dre gave Death Row a license to distribute the LP in trade for royalties. Four years later, he gave up his 50 percent ownership interest in the label, agreeing to give it the copyright as long as he continued receiving royalties. In 2000, Dre told Death Row he was overturning the agreement and wanted the copyright back after the label failed to pay him royalties. In the new lawsuit, he says he made good on his part of the original, and that the label and the Chapter 11 trustee involved with the label's bankruptcy case are violating his rights as the owner of the copyright by continuing to distribute The Chronic without his authorization. Dre wants the bankruptcy court to declare that the 1992 and '96 agreements have been rescinded, and force the label and trustee to pay restitution and restore the copyrights to him. Lastly, he's asking for a permanent injunction that would prevent Death Row from offering the copyrights for sale in the future without his written approval. ...

Method Man has agreed to visit 15 New York high schools to warn students about the dangers of drugs as part of a plea deal he reached earlier this year on a marijuana-possession charge. The Associated Press reported that the "How High" star (born Clifford Smith) is thrilled to give the talks, according to his lawyer, who added, "he's never been in trouble before. He's not a stereotypical rapper." Meth was arrested May 17 after toll-booth workers on the Brooklyn, New York, side of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel reported smelling marijuana smoke coming from his SUV. ...

A motley crew of opening acts will help Bon Jovi christen Newark, New Jersey's Prudential Center on October 25-November 10. My Chemical Romance (October 25-26), Big & Rich (October 28 and 30), Gretchen Wilson (November 1 and 3), Daughtry (November 4 and 7) and the All-American Rejects (November 9-10) will help the NJ native sons do the honors. ... Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose will make a guest appearance on the debut solo album from former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach. Angel Down will hit stores November 20 and feature Rose on two tracks: "(Love Is) a B---hslap" and a cover of Aerosmith's "Back in the Saddle." ... The soundtrack to Rob Zombie's "Halloween" is set for release Tuesday and will feature 24 tracks, including Nazareth's "Love Hurts," Rush's "Tom Sawyer" and the Misfits' "Halloween II." ...

Pete Doherty was arrested on suspicion of drugs after being pulled over in a car with two other people in east London early Monday morning (August 20), following Babyshambles' Sunday performance at the V Festival. The three are in police custody at a London station. A magistrate warned Doherty earlier this month that he would face prison if he didn't prove that he was trying to stop using drugs. ... Emo rockers Piebald have called it quits. According to a statement from the band, the pop-punks will pack things up as soon as their current tour concludes September 7 in Englewood, Colorado. No reason was given for the breakup, but the statement claims, "This is a time of new beginnings, positive vibes and a congratulatory nod to the past. There has been talk of a few shows to give the band an official sendoff, but as of yet, those shows are not booked and unknown." ...

Police have charged some of the more than 80 people arrested during last week's Ozzfest stop at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, with "unruly behavior in the mosh pit." The individuals were charged with assault if they flailed their arms or legs in a way that police felt would hurt others. Meanwhile, in the wake of the arrests and two deaths that occurred at the venue during the show, the PNC Bank Arts Center has announced a total ban on alcohol outside the venue, according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger. The first show affected, a Velvet Revolver gig Friday night, found most patrons refraining from the typical hard-charging tailgating that usually goes on in the parking lot before shows at the venue, which has seen 500 arrests this season. ...

Uncle Kracker gave a statement to People magazine about being arrested on a second-degree forcible-sex-offense charge in North Carolina on Friday. "It's regrettable that someone would make this kind of allegation, not only because it's not the kind of thing I'd do, as the father of three girls, it's the kind of thing that I wouldn't stand for," the former Kid Rock DJ and solo singer said. "Anyone can say anything about anybody but it doesn't make it true or correct. This is one of those cases. I'm saddened that anyone might think I'm capable of this sort of thing." Kracker (born Matthew Shafer), was arrested early Friday morning after an alleged incident at a downtown Raleigh nightclub called the Ess Lounge; he was released later that day on $75,000 bond. Saturday night, Kracker took the stage in his hometown during a show by pal Kenny Chesney to duet on the tune "When the Sun Goes Down."

• Van Halen 'Jump' Headfirst Into Reunion Tour

• Amy Winehouse
• Kanye West
• Justin Timberlake
• Foxy Brown
• Ben Lee

Lupe Fiasco
Photo: MTV News

• Lupe Fiasco
• Ben Harper
• Amy Winehouse
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Against Me!'s Tom Gabel performs on Friday at Lollapalooza
Photo: Jeff Gentner/Getty Images

CHICAGO — If you wandered into Grant Park Friday night for the last few hours of Lollapalooza, you might have thought you'd accidentally stumbled into a wormhole and landed in 1997, when the original Lolla was rich with techno acts like Orbital and the Orb.

(Get your Lollapalooza fill: Watch the Roots' ?uestlove Perry Farrell, Cold War Kids, Stephen Marley and more chill in the shade with Tim Kash and see snaps of Daft Punk, M.I.A., Perry Farrell, the Rapture and more.)

Even though it's 10 years later, co-founder Perry Farrell still loves himself some dance music, and show closers LCD Soundsystem and Daft Punk delivered a one-two punch that felt anything but retro. Sitting atop a gigantic pulsating pyramid of lights and rocking the shiniest robot helmets this side of "Battlestar Galactica," Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo played a 90-minute mash-up of their hits that got the glow sticks waving and proved you don't need Marshall stacks to blow some wigs back.

Opening with the haunting alien siren song from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," the duo emerged at the top of the pyramid to the strains of "Robot Rock," with the bass pumping in time to the explosion of blinding lights. In a battle of flashing lights, hundreds of fans hoisted their cell phone cameras to get a souvenir of the moment, with the sea of blue screens bobbing in time to the techno beats. Suddenly the show had turned into a full-scale rave, replete with popping and locking, pantomime-esque liquid dancing and glow-stick poi.

Like any good DJs, the pair knew just when to pick up a song, drop in a beat and then loop it back around later in the set, teasing the crowd repeatedly with bits of their hits "Around the World" and "One More Time." And though it was the hot rumor of the day, Chicago's favorite son, Kanye West, did not make a special appearance atop the pyramid when the duo busted out their pulse-pounding "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger," which West samples on his new hit song "Stronger" (see "Kanye West's 'Stronger' Video: Japanese Motorcycle Gangs, Mad Scientists — And Cassie").

Prior to Daft Punk's set, LCD Soundsystem helped spark the pseudo-rave with an hourlong set on a different stage. The group's mastermind, James Murphy, might look like the IT guy from your office with his dirty white pants, loose T-shirt and glasses. But the Clark Kent of dance music busted out his rock alter ego, blasting his dance beats with a punk fury on tunes like "North American Scum." He even teased some of the more aggro dudes in the audience by pointing out that if there aren't any girls around them when they dance, "you're doing it wrong." With a sound that at various points mashed up the Godzilla stomp of Rage Against the Machine with the techno fury of the Prodigy and the odd Hendrix-worthy guitar freak-out, Murphy brought dance music out of the clubs and into a field full of people who looked like the only bangin' they'd ever done before was of the head variety.

Those who brought along their dancing shoes got plenty of chances to cut a rug — er, grass — earlier in the day too, although there was a solid slab of political punk rock tossed into the mix as well. The day got off to a promising start with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists' set, which mixed punk rock and politics so smoothly that many in the crowd might not have realized they were getting some fiber mixed into their Lolla smoothie. Leo pulled a Beyonc— and slipped two songs into the set, disappearing somewhere near the drum riser for a few seconds but then bouncing back up unscathed to set off an atomic blast of punk rock with the vicious "Bomb. Repeat. Bomb."

Though their politics are mostly of the personal variety, the 20-member Polyphonic Spree put on their own candidate-worthy rally, taking the stage in matching all-black outfits that were as weather-inappropriate as it gets. Lead singer Tim DeLaughter shook his fists and raised his arms in victory as a chorus of eight backup singers, an electric flute player, harpist and a dozen other bandmates raised the roof with such hallelujah rock as "Running Away" and "Hanging Around." By the time he got to the line "Hey! It's the sun! And it makes me smile!" in the rousing anthem "It's the Sun," it was clear DeLaughter didn't mind the fact that said orb was beating down on him mercilessly.

It wasn't the sun that was messing with rapper M.I.A. — though she bounded into the crowd in her silver spangly shorts, silver high tops and African print shirt, the "Galang" singer was clearly having some trouble hitting the notes. At one point she apologized for blowing her voice out at a previous gig in Los Angeles, then produced a mysterious spray that she claimed White Stripes singer Jack White had FedExed her the day before to help her get through the show. With a remixed video of "The Jungle Book" playing on the big screen that made it look like Mowgli were scratching at an invisible turntable, M.I.A. worked the stage during "Sunshowers" as the bass hit so hard it felt like it might cave in chests 75 yards deep.

The beats were equally banging just a few stages down, where New York's the Rapture were slaying the crowd with "Get Myself Into It," a disco-punk-funk throwdown that had the crowd — dressed in funny hats, sunglasses and headbands — shaking its collective booty as the sun began to set over the city's iconic skyline.

The early part of the day, though, belonged to Against Me!, who gave a smashing performance from the first note with anthems like "New Wave," "Haste Killed Creativity" and the Condoleezza Rice-baiting "From Her Lips to God's Ears (The Energizer)," during which one Mohawk-ed kid up front was rocking so hard he literally threw up a little.

One of the afternoon's strongest sets was turned in by Los Angeles' Silversun Pickups, who won the crowd over not even 10 minutes into their hourlong performance. With the overwhelming heat punishing the crowd and bandmembers — who had sweat straight through their clothing — frontman Brian Aubert punished his guitar unrelentingly, as if he were slapping someone in the face. Halfway through the band's set, the singer stopped for a second to take in the thousands of fleshy music lovers before him; he seemed floored by it all, almost intimidated. Hoisting a beer in the air, Aubert returned the love: "Cheers, you guys." When the Silversuns launched into their "hit single," "Lazy Eye," the audience started cheering in unison with the song's bass line — and one person raised a stuffed-animal chicken above his head in an awkward salute. Aubert crisscrossed the stage, swinging his guitar from side to side amid a distorted wash of guitar squalls.

And of course, it wouldn't be Lollapalooza without Perry Farrell, who took the stage with his new act, Satellite Party. But fans of the alt-rock icon's better-known band, Jane's Addiction, were the real winners on Friday. Satellite Party — which have gone through a recent lineup overhaul — opened with a cover of Jane's "Stop!," eliciting "Wooos" and "Eee-yeahs" from the audience. The band took on a few more Jane's numbers, like "Mountain Song," "Been Caught Stealing" and the set's closer, "Jane Says." At one point, Farrell even invited former Porno for Pyros guitarist Peter DiStefano onstage for a rendition of that band's hit "Pets" (Perry introduced the song by telling the crowd, "I wish I could reach out and pet you all").

All the while, Farrell pranced around the stage with a bottle of Dom Pérignon in hand, taking swigs from it and then spitting it out at the audience. He was at his flamboyant best, twirling and windmill-ing across the stage like a cheerleader at homecoming. This is, after all, Perry's party, and at times, he seemed to demand everyone's respect: "I'm singing my guts out for you mother----ers, and all you're doing is drinking beer." At one point, Farrell attempted a jump-kick but failed to land it, instead dropping down like a ton of bricks, right on his keister.

But Satellite Party did deliver, rocking out numbers like "Wish Upon a Dog Star" and "Insanity Rains." The set was so groovin', even the sign-language interpreter was shaking her thang. All that was missing were the glow sticks.

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Against Me!
Photo: Janette Beckman

On The Record: Why Against Me! Are The Only Punk Band That Matters

For the past week, a good friend of mine has basically been following Against Me! around the country, dragging his (incredibly patient) girlfriend with him to sweaty, fist-pumping gigs in Seattle and Billings, Montana — the latter of which took place at a brewery, on a stage flanked with kegs at 4 in the afternoon.

He described the Billings show to me thusly: "F---ing massive and scary. ... It was 103 degrees in there, with no air conditioning. And a lot more violent than the Seattle show, though dudes were hugging each other and kids were singing along to everything," which is awesome on about 100 different levels, primarily because it all took place here (though I suspect none of those pictured were doing the fighting or hugging).

Of course, for those who have been following AM! since their early days, shows like the one in Billings are nothing new. In fact, it was probably much tamer than a lot of their formative warehouse gigs (though they did keep it old skool by taking their shirts off mid-set). Then again, it's pretty safe to say that almost no one who's followed the band since its early days was at the Billings show ... and not just because it was in Montana.

See, Against Me! have some of the dumbest "fans" out there — the kind of crusty, DIY gutter punx who hold nothing to be more verboten than the concept of "selling out," which is something they've pretty much accused AM! of doing for almost a decade now. See, ever since frontman Tom Gabel decided to switch up his one-man punk-troubadour act by adding additional musicians to the mix, there have been detractors. And as the band leapt from indie to indie and tinkered with its sound, the catcalls only got louder, until — in late 2005, when AM! signed with Sire Records — they became a full-blown wail, one that manifested itself in blatantly stupid and juvenile acts like hate-filled message board screeds and vandalism (as detailed in the current feature on the band in Spin: "On their most recent tour, somebody sprayed 'AGAINTS [sic] D.I.Y.' on the band's van.").

Of course, the whole idea of "selling out" is pretty ridiculous in this day and age, when bands fill their videos with product placements, rock out on tours sponsored by multinational automotive companies and lend their songs to commercials for Chili's. And I'm pretty sure Gabel knows all that, is aware of just how dumb his DIY detractors must sound, and is determined to piss them all off to the Nth degree. After all, it's the only way to explain his band's new album, New Wave.

Not only is Wave a very major major-label debut — big producer (Butch Vig), big choruses, big hooks — it's also pretty much the best punk album released this year, so long as you define "punk" as "doing whatever the f--- you want."

It's a blazing 33-odd minutes packed full of protest songs about music videos and file-sharing ("Up the Cuts,") and protest songs about the ineffectiveness of protest songs ("White People for Peace"); open-hearted duets with slightly embarrassing titles (the truly excellent "Borne On the FM Waves of the Heart," featuring Tegan Quin of Tegan & Sara); and roiling numbers in which Gabel declares his desire to have been born a woman named Laura ("The Ocean"). It's bold and ballsy and really excellent, and for a punk record, it's surprisingly free of the genre's less-than-desirable aspects — the exclusion, the pissy attitude, the inherent sexism — so, if that's selling out, well, then I'm buying.

And sure, most of the band's fans will probably never listen to the album, based solely on the fact that, A) it's on Sire (after all, what does Seymour Stein know about punk?); and B) it's getting written up in places like Spin and MTVNews.com. But if you can't understand why that line of "reasoning" is beyond dumb, well, then you're probably one of the reasoners.

I'm not trying to say that maintaining a DIY ethos isn't admirable — it certainly is, especially in 2007 — but sticking to your guns and decrying Against Me! as sellouts to the very idea of punk (especially when "punk" now encompasses everything from Panic! at the Disco to Paramore) is beyond laughable. It's not like punk is dead or dying or whatever you wanna scream, it's just that — like pretty much everything these days — it's so beyond definable that I really fail to see why a band on a major is automatically disqualified from the club.

But if you wanna miss out on one of the year's most invigorating records based solely on a loosely applied set of principles, well, then that's your prerogative. It's just that Gabel is already one step ahead of you. Like he told me in May, roughly two months before New Wave hit stores:

"I guarantee that our new record will get the same reaction that all our records get with our existing fans. Some will be like, 'It's awesome,' and others will be like, 'I absolutely hate it.' But fast-forward a few years, and the ones who said they hated it are the ones who say they loved it all along and are asking us to play the songs at shows."

It's very much the talk of a guy who's been around the block a time or two, one who's been called a "sellout" more than he cares to recall. But this time is different, and he knows it. Rarely — if ever — has selling out sounded so good.

B-Sides: Other Stories I'm Following This Week

It's like the Gym Class Heroes are trying to kill me with irony. Or crap. (See "Gym Class Heroes Better Work On Their Mustaches — Group Prepping Hall & Oates Mash-Up Album.")

Korn announce plans for their own brand of biofuel. With this and the seemingly endless stream of manure they've been releasing as albums, they just might be the greenest band ever. (See "Korn Go Green: Band Concoct Own Biofuel, Korntastic; Converts To Biodiesel For Tour.")

Paul Rudd and I can both appreciate the beauty of guys like Reggie Willits and Yovani Gallardo. (See "Paul Rudd Dishes On Jessica Alba Kiss, Fantasy-Baseball Obsession, Fear Of Mustard.")

Questions? Concerns? Angry 'Punk's Not Dead' missives? Hit me up at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

• Against Me!
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Against Me!
Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records

For nearly a decade now, Tom Gabel has made a career of pissing people off.

He played shows in Laundromats as a one-man acoustic act known as Against Me! before forming a full band (adding electric guitars = selling out!). He leapt from indie No Idea Records to equally indie Fat Wreck Chords (changing labels = selling out!), tinkered with Against Me!'s sound on 2003's As the Eternal Cowboy (production = selling out!) and finally decided to sign with a major label in late 2005 (major label = selling out!). Whatever the situation, it seems he's always derived some sort of glee from stirring up great anger in others.

Or maybe he just doesn't care.

"There is no pleasing everybody," he said. "I guarantee that our new record will get the same reaction that all our records get with our existing fans. Some will be like, 'It's awesome,' and others will be like, 'I absolutely hate it.' But fast-forward a few years, and the ones who said they hated it are the ones who say they loved it all along and are asking us to play the songs at shows."

That new record is New Wave, a hard-charging, fist-pumping exercise in gravel-voiced punk rock due July 10. It comes on the heels of the band's 2005 effort, Searching for a Former Clarity, which bowed in the Billboard Top 200 and pushed Against Me! into the upper echelon of independent-label artists, up against a glass ceiling they had no choice but to smash through.

In December 2005, they signed with Sire, ending a five-year dance with major-label suitors and enraging a large portion of their punk fanbase. When news broke last year that they were working with producer Butch Vig (Nirvana, Garbage) on their new album, people got even more ticked.

"It's such a predictable reaction, because it's like, 'Here's our major-label debut, it's produced by a big-name guy, Butch Vig.' Of course people are gonna say it's overproduced," Gabel sighed. "And the amazing thing is, this is the first time we received production. Our earlier records, they weren't produced, per se. Cowboy was us going into a room and making a record. That's it."

And though Vig turned the knobs on Wave, Gabel said the album isn't a departure from anything Against Me! have done in the past. "You forget about his résumé after five minutes. You're like, 'This is my buddy Butch, and we're making a f---ing record together.' "

New Wave is 33 minutes of the same empowered, energized, honest-to-goodness punk that the band's fans — and its many detractors — have come to love (or, you know, despise).

"The record was written while on tour, pretty much in a year, and it's a reflection of everything that happened during that time. When I listen to it, I can pinpoint every song, like, 'We were there when we wrote this one, we were there when we wrote that one,' " Gabel explained. "And it's about all the growth, all the personal struggles, all the decisions we made in that year. It's not personal — it's something I wanted to share with everyone and something I want everyone to share with me."

Which is why Against Me! decided to call the record New Wave in the first place. Detractors be damned. This album is an unabashed call to arms.

"We felt like that was our mission statement or our manifesto for the record," he said. "Instead of sitting back and complaining about how there's no good music out there, you should be energized and take things over. Be the bands you want to hear. It meant 'wave' in a literal sense, coming and washing away mediocrity."

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