Alice in Chains
Photo: James Minchin

They came of age alongside such contemporaries as Nirvana, Soundgarden and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Now, seven years after the death of troubled frontman Layne Staley, multiplatinum rock group Alice in Chains are returning to the spotlight with a new singer, a new album and a forthcoming world tour. And while fans have cautiously watched the new venture take shape, the band is confident they can recapture the magic that made Alice in Chains one of the most influential acts of the 1990s.

"We've seen the crossed arms for the first couple of songs," relates vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell of their recent shows. "[But] then, by the end, people are having fun. They've let go of whatever personal reservations they may've had, and they're seeing why we're doing this."

The decision to re-form Alice in Chains with Comes With the Fall singer William DuVall taking co-vocalist duties with Cantrell was a difficult one for the group, which also includes original members Sean Kinney and Mike Inez. The trio had frantically tried to save Staley from a devastating drug addiction, and his passing left the band shaken beyond repair.

"When Layne [died], I doubt we even thought about doing this," Kinney solemnly recalls. "We never thought about getting a new singer. It wasn't an option and it wasn't how we went about this. We just slowly took little steps until it felt right."

"We hadn't committed to do anything after that initial charity show that we did [in 2005]," Cantrell explained. "Playing that show with a group of friends, including William, seemed to cough up a real f---ing sh--ball of f---ing grief. It was something that we had been walking around with, and something that we chose not to discuss in public. It was a private matter for us. So it's something we couldn't take lightly and we knew we didn't have to do. It just continued to feel right enough to continue trying, and it continues to feel right to move forward."

Like other bands that have reformed over the years with missing members, questions over the legitimacy of using the Alice in Chains name have been floated in some circles. But for Cantrell, there was no other option.

"The band's changed. I get that," Cantrell said. "But some of the [questions] are kind of annoying, like, 'How could you call yourself Alice in Chains?' Well, because it's our f---ing band. And we decided as a group that we can live up to that name, and we will, and it's our choice. But it's cool that it strikes such a chord and that it's so personal to everybody, and we dig that."

The evolution of Alice in Chains is evident in the new album, Black Gives Way to Blue, slated for a September 29 release. The LP comes from a matured sensibility, and Cantrell promises its themes will fill in the band's missing pieces. There's also more to the lyrics than drug use and depression, he asserts.

"It's easy just to f---ing put a blanket thing on those two particular subjects because that sh-- was there and we did write songs about that. But there are songs about our relationships with each other, there are songs about my brother, there are songs I wrote for my dog, there are songs Layne wrote for his girlfriend. We didn't just write about f---ing drugs," Cantrell laughed. "It's there, but it's an easy catchphrase and I find that that's kind of a drag sometimes living inside of that.

"It was a dark factor to all of that," he continued, "but I think that came from just dealing with things through a gut level and in a truthful way. But there are a lot of other subjects that we wrote about, and on this record there are a lot of subjects we brought to it. There's a lot to address, and from the time we stopped to where we are now, that's all on the record."

In the end, it's a contemplative experience for Cantrell, as he and his bandmates prepare to begin the next chapter in the storied history of Alice in Chains.

"There's a bigger message for us personally," he said, "which is, 'Sh-- happens to everybody, and life is not always good, and you take your f---ing lumps.' We've done it together, so regardless of how well this record does financially, we're really proud of the music that we created and we're really looking forward to the future. More than all of that, I'm totally f---ing proud of all of us for manning the f--- up and continuing to live."

• Alice in Chains

Alice In Chains' Jerry Cantrell
Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

It's been nearly two years since the surviving members of Alice in Chains — guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Inez and drummer Sean Kinney — announced they'd be returning to action for a series of reunion gigs. At the time, some in the band even hinted at the possibility of some fresh Alice tunes somewhere down the line.

Now, two highly successful tours later (see "Alice In Chains Unlock North American Fall Tour" and "Velvet Revolver Team With Alice In Chains For Summer Tour"), Alice in Chains — with Comes With the Fall frontman William DuVall stepping in for late singer Layne Staley — are ready to write and hope to have an LP recorded by the end of 2008.

"Definitely possibly," Cantrell responded with a healthy guffaw when asked whether fans could expect an Alice record next year. "I don't think you can put a time limit on it, because first we have to come up with a record we're satisfied with, and I think we can do that."

No, Alice in Chains haven't written any complete songs for their forthcoming record yet, but Cantrell said they have been tinkering with a few ideas here and there, and they'll start writing in earnest after the holidays.

"The body of stuff that's been coming out so far — all the riffs and song ideas — are really cool," Cantrell explained. "It's really aggressive and everything Alice was, but it's moved on into a different thing too. It's [indicative of the] transformation of this band. The dynamic is different, and it should be. But Mike, Sean and I, we're still here. We're still a big part of how this band sounds. The elements that remain and the element that William brings to the band are powerful things. I couldn't put a time on it, but I can tell you that [writing songs] is what we are working toward. We're gathering material and doing other business to help this band move forward."

Liberated from the constraints that often come from aligning with a record label, Alice in Chains are free to explore their options — and may even release new material on their own. Right now, Cantrell can't say for sure what the future holds for his band, but he does know what the plan is.

"We've spent a good part of the first part of the year absorbing what we did last year and the tour before that, and I got right into writing. So it's been a good three, four months where we were writing pretty hard and compiling stuff," Cantrell said. "Then we decided to tour [with Velvet Revolver]. The focus for us is seeing what we can come up with, and I'm completely confident that we can come up with some great stuff. It's always been about creating good music, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to do that and for this band to move forward.

"I don't think any of us expected, a couple of years ago, that this would happen," he continued. "It's a bold move, and it's not something to be undertaken lightly. We've had a good time up until this point. We have two solid tours under our belt, and the band has really become tighter. William's had time to get comfortable in his role, and we, of course, got to know him a lot better. The response has been great from the fans. So an album is the next logical step."

Cantrell said he was blown away by the response to the Alice reunion runs but attributes it all to the strength of the band's back catalog.

"It was very satisfying because people showed up and they cared," he said. "Not only did the die-hard fans that had been there before come out, but a whole new generation of young kids. That's what we were excited about — seeing 13-year-olds showing up in Alice shirts. That's cool and a testament to the music."

If you weren't able to catch any of the band's recent live gigs, you won't be getting a second chance anytime soon. Cantrell said Alice in Chains have no plans to tour until there's an album on the shelves to promote.

"I wouldn't expect us playing live again until we come up with a record, and I'm glad we still have the opportunity to do what we do, and we feel good about it," he said. "The focus is on writing, and it's something I enjoy doing. We have a great body of riffs and song ideas already, and we're looking forward to adding to that. We're still sketching things out, but the general feeling is we're very confident the music is going to be strong, and it will have all of the elements of what this band has been about. I'm pretty stoked about it."

Fans also shouldn't expect a live Alice in Chains record any time soon, as has been rumored online; reports surfaced recently claiming the band had recorded an all-acoustic set in Milwaukee that it would eventually release as its comeback LP. Not true, said Cantrell.

"That was a little bit of a false statement by the opening act for those shows we did, our friend [comedian] Craig Gass," he explained. "I guess as part of his routine, he told the crowd that we were doing this live album. We didn't plan on making a record; it's just something he worked into his act. We were like, 'Dude, you can't say that, because people will take you seriously and then we're the ones they'll hold responsible.' It's an unfounded rumor. We definitely recorded a lot of our gigs but with no intention of releasing a record. It was just for us to document. But then again, who knows what that stuff can turn into in the future? Right now, it's more important that we make a studio album first."

Cantrell said he may even try to release another solo album somewhere down the line — the follow-up to 2002's Degradation Trip — but the Alice record is his top priority. For a while there, he said, his experience with Roadrunner Records sort of soured him on working again on his own — and with a label. But again, nothing's set in stone for his future solo plans.

"I love creating music, something that means something to me, and in turn, ends up meaning something to somebody else," he said. "I've been lucky enough to do that and not have a straight gig, so it looks like I still have that opportunity and still have that desire to do that. I'm sure sometime in the future I'll do another record — I've got a few in me."

• Alice in Chains

Kevin Federline
Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Britney Spears' assistant was served with court papers Sunday morning to give a deposition in a legal matter between the singer and Kevin Federline. Mark Vincent Kaplan, Federline's attorney, told The Associated Press that Alli Sims will be asked to offer a statement "in connection with the Britney Spears/ Kevin Federline issue," although he didn't elaborate. He added that Sims is "believed to have relevant information" but didn't go into specifics about that either. On Wednesday, Kaplan filed documents in Los Angeles Superior Court for primary physical custody of Federline's two sons with Spears. ...

Diddy will executive produce the upcoming biopic of the Notorious B.I.G., Variety reports. "Soul Food" director George Tillman will be behind the lens for "Unbelievable: The Life, Death and Afterlife of the Notorious B.I.G.," for which an open casting call was launched nationally on Sunday. ...

Jennifer Lopez has pegged October 9 as the release date for her English-language album Brave, her second LP of the year and sixth studio disc overall. The set is highlighted by the just-released single, "Do It Well," and will be produced by J.R. Rotem (50 Cent, Christina Aguilera), among others. J. Lo's other album this year, Como Ama Una Mujer, is the best-selling Spanish-language debut LP ever. ... Amy Winehouse, who was hospitalized last week for severe exhaustion, has scrapped two planned shows in Germany opening for the Rolling Stones, RollingStone.com reports. The singer told Britain's News of the World, "I don't know how to explain what happened. ... I can't remember what I looked like. I couldn't recognize myself. It was terrifying." ...

Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, Kid Rock and Velvet Revolver will anchor Los Angeles radio station KROQ's Inland Invasion fest — which has been renamed the L.A. Invasion, since its relocation from a venue in Devore, California, to one in Carson. Against Me!, Chris Cornell, Hot Hot Heat, Satellite Party, Paramore and Cypress Hill round out the bill for the show, which will take place September 15. ...

The French publisher of the "Harry Potter" series will not seek damages against a 16-year-old who allegedly posted online an unauthorized French translation of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," publishing house Gallimard Jeunesse said Monday (August 13), The Associated Press reports. The case is still being investigated by French authorities, who will decide whether to bring it to trial. ... Robert Smith of the Cure, Julian Casablancas of the Strokes, Frank Black and Tom Waits will judge this year's International Songwriting Competition, RollingStone.com reports. ...

Bloc Party, Múm, Of Montreal and more have been confirmed for the ninth annual Iceland Airwaves festival, set for October 17-21 in downtown Reykjavík. ... The Shins have beefed up their fall tour schedule with a smattering of new U.S. dates. After playing Seattle's Bumbershoot festival on September 1 and Chicago's Download Festival the following day, the band will take a month off, then hit the road again beginning October 5 in Berkeley, California. From there, the Shins will play more West Coast and Southwest dates before dipping down South and winding their way up the East Coast for a two-day stand at New York's Terminal Five on October 23-24. They'll cap the tour with a pair of gigs at Las Vegas' Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel on October 27-28. ...

Wilco are bumping a pair of concerts because guitarist Nels Cline has come down with the chicken pox, according to the band's site. The Tuesday night show in Duluth, Minnesota, will now be staged September 4, and a concert scheduled for Winnipeg, Manitoba, will be postponed or scrapped entirely. ... "You Hear It First" vets the Shout Out Louds will tour for a month after they drop their new album, Our Ill Wills, on September 11. The indie-pop quintet will embark at the LA Weekly Detour festival in Los Angeles on October 6 and stay on the road through a November 3 show in Dallas. ...

According to Killswitch Engage bassist Mike D'Antonio, the band will head out for a co-headlining run with Lamb of God this winter. Suicidal Tendencies and Every Time I Die are in talks to open the gigs. ... Alice in Chains have been working on its first new material in more than a decade, according to frontman William DuVall. He said working with the band has "been deeply rewarding" and the new material sounds "insane." No word yet on when the reunited grunge rockers will release their next LP. ...

"Big Lebowski" fans who incessantly re-enact scenes and dialogue from the cult flick are about to be able to make their interpretations even lifelike: action figures are on the way. Seven-inch scale figures devoted to the Dude and Walter will be available in October and can be preordered here. ... Barenaked Ladies will host another cruise in 2008 called Ships & Dip III and leaving Miami on January 27. Tickets go on sale March 22. Meanwhile, Lynyrd Skynyrd (with guests the Marshall Tucker Band) are also hosting another cruise, while Sister Hazel and Toad the Wet Sprocket are signed on for Rock Boat VIII. ...

According to the Asbury Park Press, police charged 33 people with underage drinking last week at the Family Values Tour's Wednesday stop at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. Thirteen others were arrested on various other charges, including resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and assaulting a trooper. In all, 46 people, ranging in age from 16-47, were taken into custody during the gig, which was headlined by tour founders Korn. ... A James Brown trustee accused of misappropriating $350,000 of the late singer's money has resigned, the Chicago Tribune reports. David Cannon turned over a check for the sum at a hearing on Friday. A follow-up hearing has been slated for September 24 as wrangling continues over Brown's estate.

08.10.07

Think 50 Cent is taking his upcoming face-off with Kanye West lightly? In an interview posted on SOHH.com on Friday (August 10), Fiddy threatened to end his rap career if he gets upstaged by 'Ye when their albums go head to head on September 11. "If Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent on September 11, I'll no longer write music," he said. "I'll write music and work with my other artists, but I won't put out anymore solo albums." 50's Curtis will square off against West's Graduation. ...

Lily Allen has canceled gigs once again, this time because she has strep throat and sinusitis, she says in a post on her MySpace blog. "I'm back in London eating my mum's chicken soup, 'cause I'm afraid the traveling has caught up with me," she wrote in the post. "Before anyone starts trying to accuse me of neglecting my fans, I want to apologise and say how sorry I am, but I can't risk causing any permanent damage." Defending herself further, the singer also posted an image of her holding her doctor's note. ...

D'Angelo received suspended jail sentences Friday after pleading guilty to charges of driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license, AP reports. A Virginia judge revoked his license for 13 and a half months and fined him $1,250, with additional penalties suspended. A reckless-driving charge was dropped. ... Beastie Boys finally said hello to Brooklyn, New York, on Thursday night with — if you can believe it — their first-ever concert in the borough. RollingStone.com reports that the group, which played at McCarren Pool in Greenpoint, aptly opened the set with "Hello Brooklyn" and closed it with "No Sleep Till Brooklyn." ...

Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae and Joss Stone are chipping in for Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino, which arrives in stores September 25. Paul McCartney, Elton John, Robert Plant and other classic-rock vets also salute the bluesman on the two-disc set, the sales from which will go toward buying instruments for public schools in New Orleans, rebuilding Domino's home there and helping other Crescent City-related programs. ... Emma Bunton, a.k.a. Baby Spice, gave birth to a, um, baby boy in London on Friday. It's the first child for the singer and boyfriend Jade Jones, who used to be in a pop act of his own: boy band Damage. ...

Bright Eyes are lighting up their tour schedule with seven additional dates: September 14 (Boise, Idaho); September 15 (Spokane, Washington); September 18 (Fairbanks, Alaska); September 19-20 (Anchorage, Alaska); September 23 (Eugene, Oregon); and September 24 (Chico, California). ... Waiting for a Cure LP? Well, the wait just got a bit longer. The band's new album was supposed to drop earlier this year, got bumped to the fall — and now won't be ready until the spring, Billboard.com reports. The band is busy touring and frontman Robert Smith hasn't finished writing yet. ...

Underoath will hit the road with Every Time I Die, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster and Poison the Well for a fall tour beginning September 22 in Houston and ending November 6 in Orlando, Florida. ETID, who are still on the Sounds of the Underground Tour, will drop their new Ferret release The Big Dirty on September 4. Earlier this week, they posted "No Son of Mine" — a track from the Steve Evetts-produced (Dillinger Escape Plan, Sepultura) effort — on their MySpace page. ... Queens of the Stone Age will not perform as part of Samsung and AT&T's free Summer Krush series on Monday in Los Angeles, as previously reported by Billboard.com. Plain White T's will play the gig instead. ...

As promised, Pearl Jam have posted the edited and unedited videos of their performance of "Daughter" at Lollapalooza on their Web site. Some segments of the performance were missing in AT&T's live "Blue Room" webcast, including critical remarks frontman Eddie Vedder made about President Bush. A spokesperson for AT&T recently told MTV News the omissions were not intentional and were mistakenly made by a webcast vendor. ...

Spoon, Coheed and Cambria, Devin the Dude and others have been confirmed for this year's CMJ Music Marathon, going down October 16-20 in New York, Billboard.com reports. UNKLE will play one of their first gigs ever with a live band, and surprise VMA Video of the Year nominees Justice will also hit up the fest. ... Franz Ferdinand, Hot Chip, Deerhoof, Grizzly Bear and David Byrne are among the acts who are contributing performances of songs written by David Shrigley for Worried Noodles, an unusual package containing two CDs and a hardcover book by the Scottish artist. The book of words and drawings was previously issued and caught the attention of the musicians, who have chalked up new songs for the set. ...

Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones flick is rolling into next year. The film, originally slated for an August 26 theatrical release, will open in April instead, to allow the band more time to promote it. ... Speaking of rock docs, IFC has secured the rights to "Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten," a flick about the former Clash frontman that will hit select theaters November 2 and be televised on the cable channel thereafter. ... An unreleased Mick Jagger song produced by John Lennon in Los Angeles in 1973 will surface on The Very Best of Mick Jagger, due October 2. Jagger recorded the song, which has been on bootlegs for decades, with a cast of all-stars that included Harry Nilsson, Jack Bruce, Al Kooper and others. ...

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the release of Pink Floyd's first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, a special edition of the album will be released August 28. The three-disc collection will look like a cloth-covered book, and include remastered stereo and mono versions of the album plus bonus tracks. The effort will also include a 12-page reproduction of Syd Barrett's notebook. ... Notorious ex-David Bowie manager Tony Defries will release his autobiography, Gods and Gangsters, in 2008. Also known for his work with the Beatles and Stevie Wonder, Defries is best remembered for helping to fashion the string of iconic characters rolled out by Bowie in the 1970s, as well as helping launch the solo careers of Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Luther Vandross and John Mellencamp. ... The world's leading record label, Universal Music Group, has announced that it will experiment with offering a large part of its catalog for download without copy protection at least through January. According to The New York Times, Universal (home to 50 Cent, Amy Winehouse and Akon) will offer the songs without DRM through RealNetworks, Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, Google and some artists' sites — but not on top download service iTunes.

• Britney Spears
• Kevin Federline
• Jennifer Lopez
• Amy Winehouse
• The Smashing Pumpkins

Britney Spears
Photo: Alexander Tamargo/ Getty Images

Britney Spears isn't crazy about a handful of billboards promoting "The MJ Morning Show" in Florida — and she's threatening legal action because of them, according to documents obtained by TheSmokingGun.com. In a letter sent last week to Clear Channel Communications lawyer Donna Schneider, the pop star's counsel Lynda Goldman claims the billboards — which feature a snarling, bald Spears next to radio host Todd Schnitt, and the headlines "Total Nut Jobs," "Shock Therapy" and "Certifiable" — are "outrageous to the extreme." In the letter, Goldman demands the billboards be removed and says Spears is entitled to "very substantial damages" from Clear Channel because her "likeness has a multimillion-dollar value for authorized commercial exploitations." ...

Jennifer Hudson, Steve Carell and Eddie Murphy are among the 115 people who have been asked to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Ryan Gosling, Daniel Craig, Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston have also been invited to be a part of the group, which is responsible for the Academy Awards. ...

Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler declared a teary-eyed Sara Caplan in contempt of court on Monday. The former Phil Spector defense attorney refused to testify that she saw forensics expert Henry Lee pick up possible evidence in the murder case, The Associated Press reports. The judge ordered her jailed until she testifies but stayed the order to allow for an immediate appeal. ... Paris Hilton's mother and father visited her in jail over the weekend, and Kathy Hilton told MSNBC that the heiress "is doing as well as she can." When asked how his Father's Day was treating him on Sunday, Rick Hilton said, "It's not one of my best." ... Shar Jackson has hired an attorney in her flap with Star magazine over its claims that she is pregnant with Kevin Federline's baby, according to TMZ.com. She said her children are being affected by the rumors and is willing to submit to a pregnancy test to prove she's not expecting. ...

Mötley Crüe filed a $20 million suit against manager Carl Stubner — who also represents Tommy Lee — on Monday, alleging that he hurt the band's reputation, diverted revenue and mismanaged Lee's career. In the lawsuit, the band claims Stubner "promoted Lee's solo activities to the detriment of the band, and at the same time, mismanaged Lee's career so as to harm the Mötley Crüe brand and Lee's reputation as a musician and bandmember." A call to Sanctuary Group, which is also named as a defendant in the suit, was not immediately returned. ... Robert De Niro isn't getting his way in court. A federal judge declined to dismiss a suit that alleges the actor misrepresented his health on an insurance form for his 2005 Fox flick "Hide and Seek," AP reports. Fireman's Fund claims De Niro wrote on the form that he had never been diagnosed with or treated for prostate cancer — but according to court documents, he was diagnosed with the disease in 2003 after undergoing a prostate-gland biopsy. The diagnosis and treatment delayed the movie production, with the group paying Fox more than $1.8 million to cover the delay. A hearing set for July 2 will decide whether the case should go back to state court. ...

The Smashing Pumpkins have lined up their first TV performances in seven years, and David Letterman will be doing the hosting honors. The band will unveil new Zeitgeist material when they play his "Late Show" on July 9 and 13. ... 50 Cent will make some serious money from his affiliation with Queens, New York, beverage brand Glacéau — his Formula 50 is one of the brand's VitaminWater flavors — but reports that surfaced late last month estimating that he'll earn $400 million thanks to Coca-Cola's $4.1 billion buyout of the company were about $300 million off, according to Forbes. 50's profile on the magazine's Celebrity 100 list estimates that the deal, which is not yet finalized, will net the rapper $100 million. ...

Avril Lavigne's next single, "When You're Gone," is scheduled to hit radio Monday (June 18). The video, directed by Marc Klasfield (Jay-Z, Gnarls Barkley) premieres on "TRL" Thursday. ... Lavigne was named Favorite Canadian Artist by viewers at Sunday's MuchMusic Video Awards, and broke down in tears during her acceptance speech, thanking fans for their votes. She also performed "Girlfriend" on the show, and took the Best International Video by a Canadian prize for the clip. Other viewers-choice winners include Favorite International Group My Chemical Romance (the band also won Best International Video - Group), Favorite International Artist Hilary Duff and Favorite Canadian Group Billy Talent. ...

Michael Jackson settled a $48 million lawsuit on Monday that had been brought by New Jersey financial company Prescient Acquisition ofHackensack, AP reports. A lawyer for Prescient owner Darien Dash said Dash had helped Jackson secure $573 million in financing to purchase Sony Corp.'s half of the Beatles' song catalog Jackson co-owned with the company. The lawyer also claimed Dash had helped Jackson refinance a $272 million bank loan. Terms of the settlement have not been released. ... Lou Pearlman will be transported from Guam to Florida to face a bankruptcy charge, according to AP. It could be two to three weeks before the former 'NSYNC and Backstreet Boys manager, who appeared before a federal judge in Guam on Friday, arrives there. ... Julia Roberts gave birth to her third child, Henry Daniel Moder, on Monday. ...

Cody L. Conover, a 25-year-old man from Lancaster, Kentucky, died Friday while attending the Bonnaroo festival, AP reports. Conover was taken to the United Regional Hospital in Manchester, Tennessee, at 11 a.m. Friday with no visible signs of trauma, and was pronounced dead shortly afterward. Conover's death is the sixth fatality in the event's six-year history. Investigators are looking into drugs and heat as possible causes of death. It will be several weeks before police determine the official cause. ... Also at Bonnaroo, legendary jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman, 77, collapsed onstage Sunday night midway through his 90-minute set. The Dallas Morning News reported that Coleman crumpled to the stage and had to be carried off by his bandmembers after succumbing to apparent heat stroke. Coleman was taken to a local hospital and was in stable condition Sunday night. ...

Velvet Revolver's upcoming North American run with Alice in Chains is scheduled to launch August 5 in Baltimore. Seventeen dates have been announced for the first leg of the tour, which will hit cities including Toronto; Mansfield, Massachusetts; Wantagh, New York; Scranton, Pennsylvania; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Tinley Park, Illinois; and St. Paul, Minnesota. ... Radiohead posted some new material on their Dead Air Space blog Friday, in a post titled "a bit of tape from the studio." The 1:27-long clip features video of a reel-to-reel tape player churning out selections from songs — some sound like they may be backward — and is accompanied by the description, "I keep bits of tape which have been chopped out of the mixes when they were edited ... stick em on a reel ... when you play it back it sounds like ... this." ...

Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society have parted ways with Roadrunner Records after just one album, the band announced Sunday. Roadrunner released 2006's Shot to Hell, which has sold 121,000 copies since it hit stores in September. The band promises an "exciting announcement" regarding its future will be made in the coming weeks. ... The Dillinger Escape Plan have confirmed rumors that they have parted ways with drummer Chris Pennie; he now plays drums with Coheed and Cambria. The band has enlisted Stolen Babies' Gil Sharone to help finish current album recording sessions. The band revealed in a statement that its forthcoming album will be titled Ire Works and will be produced by Steve Evetts (Saves the Day, Earth Crisis); the set is due in stores this fall. ...

Former Static-X guitarist Tripp Eisen was paroled from a New Jersey correctional facility in April, Blabbermouth reported Friday. According to records posted on the New Jersey Department of Corrections Web site, Eisen (whose real name is Tod Salvador) served 11 months for attempting to lure or entice a child stemming from his arrest for allegedly meeting and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in January 2005. He was fired from Static-X following his arrest. ... A pirated copy of Michael Moore's U.S. health care exposé "Sicko" was available on YouTube and BitTorrent over the weekend — two weeks ahead of the documentary's June 29 release, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The trade paper's source said distributor Weinstein Company plans to take "a very aggressive approach to protecting the film." Moore hasn't commented on the leak, though he did say he wasn't opposed to the unauthorized distribution of his "Fahrenheit 9/11" in a 2004 interview with Scotland's Daily Herald. "I don't agree with the copyright laws and I don't have a problem with people downloading the movie and sharing it with people as long as they're not trying to make a profit off my labor," Moore said at the time. "The more people who see it, the better."

6.15.2007

50 Cent defends hip-hop in the July issue of Spin — and says Oprah Winfrey is simply out of touch with his audience. "She doesn't ever say anything that anybody from the ghetto is gonna ID with," 50 said. "Take a poll. You go out and find me some young black women who ID with Oprah. ... She can escape the fact that she's black because she's a billionaire." 50 also said in the interview that hip-hop takes more heat than it deserves. "I think it affects people a lot more to see a film where somebody realistically gets their head blown off than to listen to somebody rapping for three minutes." ...

50 and Winfrey share space on Forbes magazine's annual Celebrity 100 list, which ranks the most powerful and highest-paid celebs — 50 comes in at #32 and Oprah's #1. Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake and Diddy also make the cut, while Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton do not — blame "diminished brand value" for their absence, editor Lea Goldman told Reuters. Last year's champ, Tom Cruise, drops to #8 on the list, while Tiger Woods takes #2 and Madonna is #3. ...

In yet more 50 Cent news, the rapper has caught a break with authorities — he won't have to testify in Allen Iverson's upcoming trial, a federal judge ruled Friday (June 15). The charge stems from a 2005 incident in which the basketball star and members of his security team brawled with customers at a bar in Washington, D.C. Prosecutors had suggested 50 knew members of the security squad, but the rapper replied that since he wasn't involved in the fight and wasn't named in the lawsuit filed by two of the patrons, he shouldn't have to testify. A federal judge agreed with 50 and let him off the hook. ...

Fall Out Boy haven't finished mining last year's Infinity on High — Pete Wentz and the gang, who are slogging through their Honda Civic Tour, have posted a video for "The Take Over, the Break's Over" exclusively on FriendsOrEnemies.com. ... Ludacris and Nick Cannon are teaming up for "Ball Don't Lie," an indie drama starring street-ball champ Grayson T. Boucher (a.k.a. the Professor), Variety reports. ... Try this one on for size: Bruce Willis will star alongside his daughter Rumer in a teen-remake of the landmark '70s crime movie "Chinatown" that starred Jack Nicholson, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "The Sophomore" will be helmed by music-video director Brett Simon (Good Charlotte, the Killers) and begin principal photography in August. ...

White Stripes have added a New York stop to their Icky Thump promotional tour. But instead of taking over a shuttered Tower Records branch — as the band is doing in West Hollywood, California, on Wednesday — Jack and Meg will play Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza on Tuesday. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m., and will only be available at the venue's box office. ... Lily Allen posted a blog entry on her MySpace page Thursday responding to reports that she was late for her Tuesday show at New York's Roseland Ballroom. Allen said she took the stage at her scheduled start time. "Anyone who thought I was going on earlier, I'm sorry you were misinformed," she wrote in the post. "I would never turn up two hours late for a gig ....... EVER." The singer also announced that she won't be posting her thoughts as freely going forward. "I'm not going to write here so often now," Allen explained. "This used to be one of my favourite things to do. I could come on here and vent how I feel honestly and get feedback from you guys. But the tabloid f---s have ruined it." ...

Jill Scott capped her two-night run at New York's Radio City Music Hall on Thursday with guests Robin Thicke and Chaka Khan. After that, she toasted the night away at Manhattan's Rooftop Garden for her private afterparty that also brought out Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson and dance queen Tweetie. ... Power 105 radio personality Ed Lover is set to host a town-hall discussion as a part of Kevin Powell's three-day "Black and Male in America" conference in Brooklyn this weekend. The festivities kick off Friday night with panel workshops and will feature speeches and activities by the likes of Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Davey D and Powell over the following days. ...

During his appearance last week with Korn at the annual Download Festival at Donington Park in England, Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison became the first artist to take the fest's stage for a fifth time — with four different bands. He's currently touring with Korn as their fill-in drummer while kitman David Silveria is on hiatus. In the past, Jordison has played Download with Slipknot, his side project Murderdolls, and he also joined Metallica onstage at the fest in 2004. ... H.I.M. will shoot a video for the track "Passion's Killing Floor" on Thursday in Los Angeles with director Meiert Avis (U2, Avril Lavigne). The cut will be included on the "Transformers" soundtrack album and is the first single from the band's forthcoming LP, Venus Doom, which is due September 18. ...

Could a Spice Girls reunion happen after all? Mel C has dismissed the idea in the past, but now comes news that she recently told the BBC, "We've been discussing it and it could possibly happen. I've always said, 'I don't want to do it, the past is the past. It was amazing, it was magical. We could never re-create it.' But this year people have been talking about it, and some of the girls have expressed an interest in doing it." She said if a reunion is to happen, it would only serve as a brief "thank you" to fans. ... June 16 marks the 10th anniversary of the U.K. release of Radiohead's OK Computer — the disc hit U.S. stores July 1, 1997. The band has been writing material in recent months, but there's no word yet on when a new album will surface. ... Moby has signed up with Mute North America, making Mute his record label throughout the world. He is currently working on a new album, and will play a DJ gig on Friday at New York's Nublu. Moby will also DJ at events in Italy next month, performing at Naples' Powerstock Festival (July 27), Jesolo's Il Muretto (July 28) and Milan's Amnesia (July 29). ...

Former Backstreet Boys and 'NSYNC manager Lou Pearlman appeared before a federal judge in Guam on Friday, according to The Associated Press. The feds allege he defrauded a bank by securing almost $20 million in personal and business loans using phony documents from an accounting firm that didn't exist. Pearlman, who was held over Friday, is set to appear in another hearing next week. ... Texas officials announced Thursday that seven convicted sex offenders have been arrested after MySpace provided details about the former members of the social-networking site, Reuters reports. MySpace began cooperating with state authorities last month after initially refusing to provide information, questioning whether revealing users' identities is legal.

• MTV News RAW: 50 Cent
• MTV News RAW: My Chemical Romance

• Britney Spears
• Jennifer Hudson
• The Smashing Pumpkins
• Avril Lavigne
• 50 Cent

Velvet Revolver's Scott Weiland and Slash
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — The rumors are indeed true: Velvet Revolver and the remaining members of Alice in Chains will be joining forces late this summer for a run of U.S. and Canadian gigs that will stretch well into the fall. But when you have two huge names on the same bill, the question one must ask is: Who will end up opening for whom?

"We'll be closing out the shows, as far as we know," Velvet guitarist Slash said with a gravelly laugh, adding that the trek, which kicks off in August, will run through October. Texan rockers Sparta have been tapped as the opening act for the tour's second leg, and Velvet Revolver are still mulling a number of potential openers for the trek's first half.

While Alice in Chains' imminent plans remain something of a mystery, it is believed the reunited band has been working on new material, with plans to release a full-length LP in the not-so-distant future. Last year, Alice in Chains re-formed for a series of highly successful summer and fall gigs throughout the U.S. (see "Alice In Chains Unlock North American Fall Tour"), with Comes With the Fall frontman William DuVall taking over at the mic for the late Layne Staley, who died from a lethal mix of heroin and cocaine back in 2002 (see "Layne Staley, Alice In Chains Singer, Dead At 34").

Velvet frontman Scott Weiland said he didn't catch any of Alice in Chains' reunion shows last year, but he's looking forward to the matchup nonetheless. "They're good friends of ours, and obviously they have amazing songs," he said. "People have been saying the shows were amazing, and they were drawing some pretty big crowds, so we figured it would be kind of a cool gig. It would be fun to watch them play every night and listen to those songs."

Before the tour, though, comes Libertad (see "Scott Weiland Pumped For Velvet Revolver LP, Solo Collabo With Pharrell"). Weiland and Slash agree that fans will be hearing a different Velvet Revolver when the band finally dishes the follow-up to 2004's Contraband on July 3. According to them, VR have become a collection of seasoned rockers who are more laid-back and comfortable with one another.

"The first record ... rocks with a real focus, and it is what it is," Weiland said. "I think it's vicious, and we felt we had something to prove because people doubted us in a certain way. On this record, we'd been touring for 18 months straight, and [in that time], you learn how to be a band. You learn each other's idiosyncrasies and then there's a trust that develops from that. So when you want to try new things musically, you feel a lot more safe to be able to do that in the studio and when you are writing and recording. That's probably why this record has a bolder feel. It's a more soulful record, as well as more experimental."

"I think everybody just felt a lot more comfortable," Slash added. "When we first started, we were just so excited to have four other guys to be able to do the same kind of thing with. That first record — it represents that period for us. But we've just grown over this period of time, and we stuck it out with each other, so the vibe is much more relaxed. Everybody just played what they wanted to play."

Libertad will feature a dozen tracks in all. "Get Out the Door" is a funk-filled number that tells the story of "someone tripping through West Hollywood and coming up upon a transvestite who they did not know was a transvestite and having an encounter that they weren't quite ready for," Weiland said. The album's likely second single, "The Last Fight," relays the story of a soldier who spends his last night in the U.S. arguing with his lover before heading to fight overseas. A cover of Electric Light Orchestra's "Can't Get It Out of My Head" is also tossed into the mix.

"That was [producer Brendan O'Brien's] idea," Slash said. "He goes, 'I have this great idea for a cover,' but then he wouldn't tell us what it was. Towards the end of the recording for this album, he finally comes out with it. I didn't know if we could cover that song, and I was against it at first. But I knew Scott was perfect to sing that sort of song. So Brendan was patient with me and had us just do an acoustic version of the track. The thing that did it for me was when Scott put a vocal on it. It just came out really good."

Velvet Revolver recently shot a video for Libertad's first single, "She Builds Quick Machines," with director Dean Karr (Marilyn Manson, Deftones). Weiland said the clip was "fun to make" and was born of an idea he's had for quite some time.

"We came up with this idea, and it just sort of coincided with the album idea and title," he said. "It originally started as just a spaghetti Western and then morphed into a combination of a spaghetti Western married to this freedom-fighter concept," with a splash of "City of God" thrown in for kicks. "We spoke with several different directors, and no one could wrap their head around that concept. It was a two-day shoot, and we had no idea if it would look like crap or if it was going to look amazing. We knew it had to be cool, that it had to have a vibe and it couldn't look cheesy. ... And it came out looking badass.

"I've always been such a huge fan of those spaghetti Westerns," continued Weiland, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Clint Eastwood — circa "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" — in the video. "I always thought it would be cool to do a remake of 'A Fistful of Dollars,' so it was kind of a childhood dream to be able to do something like that."

The video pits Velvet Revolver against a crew of bad men who kidnap a fallen angel — literally a chick with wings who falls like a meteor from high above the Earth, crashing into the desert sand with atomic force. The VR boys use explosives, Molotov cocktails and powerful six-shooters to exterminate the evildoers and rescue the winged woman.

Originally, the treatment had Slash carrying matching black Les Pauls "symmetrically, spinning the guitars in a manner similar to Bruce Lee's nunchuck scene meets 'V for Vendetta' 's classic knife fight. One of the bandits draws a knife but is pinned against the wall as Slash flings one of the guitars through his midsection." A second bandit would then start firing off shots at Slash, who'd deflect the bullets with his other axe.

Sadly, the scene was never shot. Slash wasn't too jazzed about the idea.

"There was no way I was going to be doing that," Slash said. "There's certain things you do with guitars, and there's a line where there's cool and uncool — and that stepped over that line."

• Velvet Revolver
• Alice in Chains

Rage Against the Machine
Photo: Epic

Rage Against the Machine have added one more show to their reunion. The Rock the Bells tour, headlined by Rage and the Wu-Tang Clan, will make a second stop in New York scheduled for July 29 at Randall's Island. Tickets for the gig, which was added after the July 28 show sold out in 20 minutes, go on sale May 4 at 10 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster. The four-stop Rock the Bells tour hits San Bernardino, California, on August 10 and San Francisco on August 18. ...

Jessica Alba leads FHM's "100 Sexiest Women" poll, selected by the magazine's readers worldwide. Hilary Duff is the youngest to make the list — ranking #39 at age 19 — while Halle Berry is the highest-ranking woman over 40 at #16. Jessica Simpson (#15), Christina Aguilera (#21), Mandy Moore (#24), Beyoncé (#25), Shakira (#28), Jennifer Lopez (#40), Lindsay Lohan (#41), Fergie (#44) and Mariah Carey (#45) landed spots in the top half of the list. ... The two-part "Idol Gives Back" special has raised more than $60 million for Charity Projects Entertainment Fund, Fox announced Thursday. An updated total will be announced on Tuesday's "American Idol," and donations will continue to be accepted through May 31 via AmericanIdol.com. ...

After drinking heavily, Phil Spector pulled a revolver and shotgun on former girlfriend Dorothy Melvin, hit her twice in the head and forced her to strip at gunpoint, she testified in a Los Angeles courtroom Friday (April 27), according to Reuters. Melvin was the first witness in the Spector trial and was called by prosecutors to support the claim that the music producer had threatened women with guns in the past. "I was sobbing and I said: 'Why are you doing this, Phillip? Why are you doing this?' I was crying. I was terrified," she testified. During cross-examination, Melvin said she didn't press charges over the alleged 1993 incident and stayed in touch with Spector for more than 10 years afterward. ...

A Bahamian court rejected an appeal by Anna Nicole Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, on Friday and is allowing Larry Birkhead to leave the country with his and Smith's daughter, Dannielynn, The Associated Press reports. The judges ruled that a court in the U.S. would most likely have the last word in terms of the custody dispute between Arthur and Birkhead. Also on Friday, Birkhead went to a Nassau registry and obtained a revised birth certificate for the baby that does not list Smith's companion Howard K. Stern and features the name "Dannielynn Hope Marshall Birkhead." ...

Fans of filthy-minded blip-hop and Tom Waits rejoice: The 10 finalists for the sixth annual Shortlist Music Prize have been announced. The albums in the running — selected by a taste-making panel featuring Sufjan Stevens, Franz Ferdinand and, uh, Panic! at the Disco — include Spank Rock's YoYoYoYoYo, Waits' Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards, Band of Horses' Everything All the Time, Cat Power's The Greatest, Hot Chip's The Warning and Regina Spektor's Begin to Hope. The winner of the Shortlist Music Prize will be announced in May. Somewhere Bob Marley is smiling. Stevie Wonder, Ben Harper and Damien Marley joined Steven Marley onstage for renditions of his pop's "Buffalo Soldier" and "Could You Be Loved" at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California, Thursday night. Mos Def and Jurassic 5's Chali 2na also gave surprise performances at the gig. ...

Arguably the most morally complex supervillain in comic book history, Magneto is finally getting his own movie — a prequel to the popular "X-Men" trilogy that will be directed by "Batman Begins" scribe David Goyer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The flick will follow the master mutant beginning with his imprisonment at Auschwitz in Germany, primarily focusing on his friendship with — and ultimate separation from — Professor Charles Xavier, who disapproves when Magneto uses his newfound powers to hunt down and kill those who imprisoned him. Played in the first three "X-Men" films by Sir Ian McKellen, a yet-unannounced actor in his 20s will take on the character in the new flick, the paper reports. Goyer, whose film "The Invisible" opens Friday, will work from a "Magneto" script by Sheldon Turner ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning," "The Longest Yard"). ...

Alice in Chains have started working on new material for their forthcoming LP, according to a source close to the band. There's no word yet on whether the reunited group has found a permanent replacement for late frontman Layne Staley or will record the album with Comes With the Fall's William DuVall, who fronted AIC during their North American tour last year. ... System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian is planning a fall release for his debut solo album, Elect the Dead, which he's described as a rock album. Tankian will perform a song at this weekend's Coachella festival with Fair to Midland, who are signed to his Serjical Strike label. ...

Roots drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson posted a blog on his MySpace page Monday detailing an incident with the Drug Enforcement Agency at a Buffalo, New York, airport after a recent DJ gig. ?uestlove said that because of a last-minute ticket purchase and the large amount of cash in his possession, security asked him to remove his pants and also requested that he point out the Roots in the rap magazines he was carrying. The drummer was also questioned about carrying currency from various countries. "This was single-handedly the most embarrassing moment of my career," Thompson wrote. "It was just so ... degrading, man. That is all I can describe it as." ...

Papa Roach have recruited Unwritten Law drummer Tony Palermo to fill in for Dave Buckner, who is sitting out the band's current tour. "[Buckner] has taken time off from touring with the band due to personal matters," according to a statement. "All the members of Papa Roach are looking forward to having Buckner back on the road with them in the very near future." ... Bad news for Blood Brothers fans hoping to catch the band's performance at next weekend's Bamboozle festival: They've pulled out of the gig. "After touring since mid-October, our collective health is in pretty bad shape," the band said in a statement. "We apologize and hope you understand." ...

Angelina Jolie spoke with politicians and the media on Thursday in Washington, D.C., about the plight of orphans as a part of the Global Action For Children committee, which opened its headquarters in the nation's capital earlier this week. "This is a happy day because it is not often enough that these children are represented in this town," Jolie said. ... MySpace has announced a deal to license the company's brand to entrepreneurs in China in the hopes of building a tailored social-networking site that will pass the country's stringent government regulations, according to The New York Times. The initiative is set to be called MySpace China, and a Chinese man will replace the ever-popular Tom as users' first friend.

04.26.2007

If Sanjaya Malakar annoyed you on "American Idol," be thankful you didn't know him in high school. The former "Idol" finalist told People magazine that he used to play guitar and sing in chemistry class — and didn't win a lot of fans. "Everyone would say, 'Shut up, Sanjaya.' ... People either loved me or hated me." The singer, who revealed that he was also teased in school because he got along so well with the girls, plans to continue pursuing a music career. "I'd love to go to Berklee College of Music [in Boston]," he said. "I play guitar. I play spoons. Not very well, but I can play them!" ...

Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora will work with "Idol" contestants for Tuesday's rock-themed performances. ...

50 Cent might need to pump some iron before performing his new song "Straight to the Bank" live for the first time. The rapper will spit the song at the highly touted WBC Super Welterweight Championship fight between "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather and "The Golden Boy" Oscar de la Hoya on May 5 at Las Vegas' MGM Grand. 50 — who was recently featured in "De la Hoya/ Mayweather 24/7," an HBO documentary chronicling the events building up to the fight — will also lead Mayweather's entourage into the ring. ...

On Thursday (April 26), New York radio giant Hot 97 announced the first confirmed performers for its annual Summer Jam concert. The lineup includes Diddy, Ludacris, Young Jeezy, and Birdman and Lil Wayne. The June 3 show is once again set to take place at New Jersey's Giants Stadium and will also feature Akon, Chris Brown, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Rich Boy, T-Pain and Elephant Man. ...

Phil Spector's defense lawyer Bruce Cutler lashed out against police in a Los Angeles courtroom Thursday, The Associated Press reports. Cutler — who previously defended mob boss John Gotti — said police "had murder on their mind" when they found actress Lana Clarkson dead in the music producer's mansion. Authorities "interviewed and acted in such a way that anything that was consistent, the evidence will show, with their preconceived notions and theories they embraced," said Cutler, resuming the opening statement he started delivering Wednesday. "And anything that was not consistent or inconsistent with that 'murder on their mind,' they ignored." ...

Cam'ron issued a statement Thursday clarifying the comments he made on Sunday's "60 Minutes" regarding his reluctance to cooperate with authorities. "Although I was a crime victim, I didn't feel like I could cooperate with the police investigation," Cam'ron explained in a statement, referring to the 2005 Washington, D.C., shooting he was involved in. "Where I come from, once word gets out that you've cooperated with the police that only makes you a bigger target of criminal violence. ... But my experience in no way justifies what I said. Looking back now, I can see how those comments could be viewed as offensive, especially to those who have suffered their own personal tragedies or to those who put their lives on the line to protect our citizens from crime. ... I apologize deeply for this error in judgment." During the "60 Minutes" interview, Cam'ron was asked if he'd contact police if he knew he lived next door to a serial killer. The rapper responded that he would just move. ...

Legendary movie-industry lobbyist Jack Valenti died Thursday, AP reports. The former Motion Picture Association of America president created the organization's movie-ratings system and was a fierce proponent of copyright legislation. Valenti also served as a White House aide to President Lyndon Johnson. He was 85. ...

The White Stripes weren't kidding when they said they'd be hitting Canada hard in support of Icky Thump. After a slot at the Bonnaroo Festival on June 17, the duo will kick off their North American tour with a date at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby, British Columbia, on June 24, followed by shows in all 10 Canadian provinces — including a special 10th anniversary show on July 14 in Nova Scotia. "Having never done a full tour of Canada, Meg and I thought it was high time to go whole hog," singer/guitarist Jack White said in a message on the band's Web site. The Canadian dates will be followed by gigs in New York and Boston, as well as 16 states that White said the band has not yet played, including Connecticut, South Carolina and Alabama. ...

Snoop Dogg has been barred from entering Australia after failing a "character test," Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews said on Thursday, according to a Reuters report. Snoop's visa was canceled after he pleaded no contest to gun and drug charges in the United States earlier this month. "He doesn't seem the sort of bloke we want in this country," Andrews told a local radio station. Snoop was scheduled to attend the MTV Australia Video Music Awards on Sunday. ... Eve was arrested early Thursday morning in Los Angeles and charged with driving under the influence after the rapper/actress crashed her car into a divider on Hollywood Boulevard, a spokesperson for the LAPD confirmed to MTV News. Police confirmed that Eve posted bail and has been released from custody. ...

Kanye West, Lily Allen, Natasha Bedingfield and Rod Stewart have been added to the lineup for the Concert for Diana, a July 1 event that will be held at Wembley Stadium in London to commemorate what would have been the late Princess of Wales' 46th birthday. Pharrell, Elton John, Joss Stone and Duran Duran are also on the bill. ... LL Cool J is not Broadway bound after all. The New York Post's Wednesday report that the rapper/actor was in talks to star in a revival of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" was "incorrect," according to his representative. ...

Interpol's July 10 release will be called Our Love to Admire, according to the band's management. The album will feature 11 songs, including the first single, "The Heinrich Maneuver," as well as "Pioneer to the Falls" and "The Lighthouse." The band will play at Coachella in Indio, California, this weekend and at the Sasquatch! Music Festival in George, Washington, on May 27, before heading overseas to play the summer-festival circuit. ... Beastie Boys have settled on a name for their upcoming seventh studio album. In an interview with the NME, and confirmed by the band's management (in a "well, if he's saying it, it's pretty much confirmed" sort of way), Mike D said that the record will be called The Mix Up, and will be released in June. D said that the new disc, the follow-up to 2004's To the 5 Boroughs, features the B-Boys forgoing sampling in favor of live instrumentation, hearkening back to their Check Your Head heyday. ...

Nina Sky's Natalie and Nicole Albino celebrated their 21st birthday Wednesday night at New York's Guest House and debuted their latest single, "Clothes Off," from their July 17 release, The Musical. ... Pitbull, John Singleton and actors Rick Gonzalez and Dania Ramirez turned out for a Hennessey-sponsored Pre-Latin Billboard Awards party Wednesday night at the Catalina Beach Club in Miami. ... Bad news for Happy Mondays fans: Bez has not secured a visa and will not be joining the band onstage for its Coachella performance Sunday. The act — with Bez in tow — will begin a U.K tour next month. ... Hugh Grant was arrested and held for questioning in London on Wednesday night on suspicion of assault after a photographer claimed the actor threw a container of baked beans at him on Tuesday, AP reports. Grant was released on bail, and police say no charges have been filed. ... A court in Jaipur, India, has issued an arrest order for Richard Gere and Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, on the grounds that their kiss at a recent public event "transgressed all limits of vulgarity," AP reports. Shetty has been ordered to appear in court on May 5. Gere, who is not currently in India, could be arrested and face up to three months in jail if he returns.

• MTV News RAW: Hilary Duff

• Rage Against the Machine
• Jessica Simpson
• Hilary Duff
• Alice in Chains

Chris Daughtry
Photo: Mark Davis/ Getty Images

Maybe it was all those theme weeks on "American Idol," but Chris Daughtry is having fun with the cover songs he's playing on his current headlining tour.

"When we were in Seattle, I did a little Seattle montage, little bits from 'Nutshell' from Alice in Chains and 'Cover Me' from Candlebox and 'Black' from Pearl Jam," Daughtry recalled. "Actually, the only reason I chose Candlebox, and I love Candlebox, was that [singer] Kevin Martin was at the show, so I thought I'd freak him out a little bit."

Daughty's also been mixing in U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and some Led Zeppelin, so can fans look forward to some of his famous renditions from "Idol"?

"No, no, no, no, no," Daughtry said. "I definitely steer away from that. I mean, you play these songs so many times that you get bored of them yourself. And if you're bored, the crowd's gonna be bored."

The one exception could be an acoustic version of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line," but "I wouldn't count on it," he said.

Daughtry seems to be doing just fine without the "Idol" material. His debut LP jumps back up to #2 on next week's Billboard albums sales chart (see "Norah Jones Holds Billboard #1, Daughtry Climbs Back To #2") and his tour is in full swing. "We're playing in these small clubs and it's been super hot and super sweaty and girls [are] getting in fights in the front rows," he said. "It's a rock show, man."

Daughtry attributes the wild vibe to newfound fans — rockers who have caught onto his successful album but didn't know him as an "Idol" contender (see "Chris Daughtry Toasting Band's #1 Success With ... Billy Bob Thornton?").

"I'm getting new fans every day," he said. "And we've got some serious rock fans in the crowd now and it's awesome."

Daughtry will be on the road through April, but plans to book more tours for the remainder of the year. "You miss your family a lot, but I'm loving everything I'm doing, so it helps when you really love what you do," he said. "And I stay in touch with them as much as I can. Me and my wife are closer than ever. We talk on a daily basis and you've just gotta keep it fresh and keep them involved with your everyday life as much as possible."

In the meantime, Daughtry's likely second single, "Home," made its debut last week as the elimination song on this season of "Idol." "I was home when I wrote it, but I knew that I was gonna be gone for a while," Daughtry said. "I'd never been away from my family that long, so I kinda got into that mindset and just set out and wrote the song in 10 minutes."

Daughtry still talks with his fellow season-five finalists and shrugs off a question about Taylor Hicks' album taking the #50 spot on the albums chart the week his own album hit #1.

"I don't look at it as any competition," Daughtry said. "We're two totally different artists doing two totally different things. And I wish nothing but the best for anyone who gets an album off this show."

In fact, Daughtry doesn't focus much on charts or reviews at all.

"That we can go out and play a sold-out show every night, that's the reward," he said. "The fans love it and they get the music and they feel like they can relate to it, and that's all an artist can ever ask for."

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

• Daughtry
• Pearl Jam
• Alice in Chains

Joel Madden and Hilary Duff
Photo: Vince Bucci/ Getty Images

Hilary and Joel are no longer an item. Madden confirmed to MTV News on Tuesday (November 28) that his relationship with Duff is over. He said there are no hard feelings between the two, and that he is focusing his energy on Good Charlotte's Good Morning Revival, due next year. ...

Game and Snoop Dogg are in talks to co-headline a second How the West Was One Tour. "We have to get the paperwork right and the money and the promoters and the agents and all that stuff, but once we figure that out, we will hit it," Game said. And speaking of the rapper, he's thrilled with the reviews Doctor's Advocate has earned. "As long they love the record then I'm good," he said. "I don't care about being #1 or #2, it's just about making a good record, making classic music and having longevity in hip-hop." The album recently opened at #1 on the Billboard albums chart, with 358,000 copies sold. ...

Fergie will perform on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2007" as well as host the Hollywood portion of the event. Natasha Bedingfield and Meat Loaf will also perform in Hollywood. ... Another Black Eyed Pea, founding member Apl.De.Ap, is using his birthday celebration Tuesday night in Hollywood to support a worthy cause. Apl and his indie label, Jeepney Music, announced that proceeds of his bash will go to Operation Smile, an international medical charity that originated 24 years ago in Apl's home country, the Philippines. The Peas play Los Angeles' Staples Center on Friday. ...

A book report from Britney Spears' junior high days can be in your hands Monday if the price is right. No, the singer isn't going into the term-paper business, but she has donated her take on a translation of Sophocles' "Antigone" — which scored her an 88 and a reminder to "write more neatly" — to be sold via a Christie's auction. One of 170 items Spears donated to go up on the block, the single page is expected to draw a winning bid ranging from $500-700, with proceeds benefiting the singer's charity foundation. ... Christina Aguilera has commissioned Italian designer Roberto Cavalli to exclusively design the '40s- and '50s-style costumes for her Back to Basics tour, according to a report in Women's Wear Daily. Think white satin tuxedos, white fox stoles and silk bustiers with tails for the onstage look of Aguilera's U.S. run, which kicks off in February. ... In other fashion news, young startlets' takeover of the modeling world continues, with Lindsay Lohan recently shooting the spring 2007 ad campaign for Miu Miu, the girlier, lower-price line from Italian fashion label Prada. ...

New Jersey's Eyeball Records will reissue My Chemical Romance's debut album, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, on December 12. The updated version of the 2002 LP, which was produced by Thursday frontman Geoff Rickly, will feature two previously unreleased videos from the band. ... A Guns N' Roses concert scheduled to go down Tuesday at Milwaukee's Bradley Center has been canceled due to Axl Rose suffering an ear infection and strep throat, according to a press release. Doctors have ordered the singer to rest for several days. "I have been fighting this off for a long time but the doctor told me tonight that the only way not to jeopardize the balance of the tour is immediate rest," Rose said in a statement issued Monday. "We will now have three days off before continuing Friday. We are sorry to miss the fans in Milwaukee." ...

Connecticut state police arrested two men Tuesday in connection with the shooting of a 21-year-old man waiting to purchase a PlayStation 3 earlier this month, The Associated Press reports. William J. Robertson and Andrew Patnaude were charged with attempted murder, robbery and assault, and are being held in lieu of $1 million bail pending court appearances. Michael Penkala, who was shot outside a Wal-Mart in the early hours of November 17 when he refused to give up a wallet containing more than $2,500 in cash, is still recovering from his injuries. ... Comedian Tracy Morgan of "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock" note was arrested early Tuesday in New York on charges of drunk driving, AP reports. Police told the news outlet that the 38-year-old failed a breathalyzer test at a police station, after which he was allowed to leave without posting bail but had to surrender his driver's license. ...

The reunited Dinosaur Jr. commence a series of gigs starting Tuesday night in Portland, Maine. The band will stage four more U.S. shows before heading overseas to play the All Tomorrow's Parties "Nightmare Before Christmas" shindig, some concerts opening for Sonic Youth and more. The band also has set a May 8 release date for its first-ever DVD, "Dinosaur Jr.: Live From the Middle East," which was filmed at the Boston club of the same name. The trio's first studio album in 18 years is also due around that time. ... Nirvana's breakthrough single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" has been named the best pop song of the last 20 years by Britain's Q magazine, besting the likes of Madonna, U2 and Britney Spears. "The thing about 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' it was a watershed moment in rock music. It changed everything," Q's deputy editor, Gareth Grundy, said. "It put heavy music back on the map in the early '90s, really, that combination of punk-rock anger and the heavy Black Sabbath '70s metal. It was something new. Sulky kids everywhere loved Nirvana and continue to do so." ...

Metallica's James Hetfield jammed with Alice in Chains during the band's Sunday night set in San Francisco. Hetfield joined the band band onstage for a rendition of "Would?" ... An exhibit curated by Franz Ferdinand guitarist Nick McCarthy will open Saturday at Los Angeles' Lightbox Gallery. Featuring the works of Manuela Gernedel, Celia Hempton, Shana Moulton, Jo Robertson, Niklas Schechinger and Hank Schmidt in der Beek, Lucy Stein and Anna Witt, the exhibit is expected to run through January 20. ... The reunited Glassjaw will play a handful of shows next month, hitting Nashville (December 14); Fort Worth, Texas (December 16); Tulsa, Oklahoma (December 17); Kansas City, Missouri (December 18); Minneapolis (December 19); and New Haven, Connecticut (December 31). ... Buckcherry and Three Days Grace will tour together early next year. The road trip's routing will be announced next month. ... After a few weeks of work, hardcore icons Agnostic Front have written 10 songs for their forthcoming LP. The band will track the effort before February, and have East Coast gigs lined up through January.

11.27.2006

After just four months of marriage, Pamela Anderson has filed for divorce from Kid Rock. Anderson cited "irreconcilable differences," according to divorce papers filed last week in Los Angeles Superior Court. "DIVORCE: Yes, it's true," Anderson wrote on her Web site, next to a picture of the couple. "Unfortunately impossible," she added, cryptically. The couple were married in three separate ceremonies, beginning on July 29. ...

Beyoncé is looking for dancers for her upcoming world tour. Five U.S. cities will host open-call auditions: Los Angeles (December 6-7), Atlanta (December 9), Houston (January 6), New York (January 11-12) and Chicago (January 27). Dancers may be male or female and of any nationality, but must be at least 18 years old. For more information see www.beyonce.com. ...

"American Idol" alum Jennifer Hudson has signed with Arista Records to release her yet-untitled debut album, the label announced Monday (November 27). Hudson is set to make her big-screen debut with a buzz-worthy performance in next month's Dreamgirls, which also stars Jamie Foxx and Beyoncé. A spokesperson for the label said Hudson will begin recording her debut LP next year. ...

The late Princess Diana's sons — Princes William and Harry — are planning to mark the 10th anniversary of their mother's death with a charity concert at London's 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium on July 1. The show, to be hosted by the two princes, commemorates what would have been Diana's 46th birthday. London's Sunday Times reported that among the artists likely to appear include Elton John, Beyoncé, George Michael and Kylie Minogue. Pharrell Williams and the Killers have also reportedly been approached to participate. ...

U2's claim to the top-grossing tour of all time was brief. The Irish band's barely nine-month-long reign was brought to an end by (who else?) the Rolling Stones. Billboard reports that the Stones' A Bigger Bang Tour — which began in the fall of 2005 — shattered the $377 million gross of U2's year-long trek by grossing $437 million and drawing 3.5 million people to 110 shows. If, as expected, the tour stretches into 2007, it could end up bringing in more than $500 million. ...

The long-simmering feud between Apple Computers and Apple Records, which has kept Beatles music off iTunes, could be close to an end. According to Fortune magazine, iTunes is close to a deal that would not only bring the Beatles catalog online for the first time, it would also give iTunes an exclusive on the Fab Four's music for a limited time. Among the issues reportedly being hammered out is how long that limited period of exclusivity will last, and whether the Beatles and their representatives would allow the band's music to be used in an iPod commercial. Neither side would comment officially on the negotiations. ...

Yoko Ono issued a full-page notice in Sunday's New York Times under the title "Forgive Us." The message, in observance of the approaching 26th anniversary of the murder of her husband, John Lennon, was a plea for forgiveness from the world's poor and suffering people "for having been unable to stop the tragedy" [apparently a reference to violence and hunger]. "Know that your loss is our loss," she wrote, later noting, "As the widow of one who was killed by an act of violence, I don't know if I am ready yet to forgive the one who pulled the trigger." ...

Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward said that, contrary to reports, he will not be working with Heaven & Hell, which finds Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler reuniting with Ronnie James Dio, the band's singer from 1979-83, as well as former Sabbath/Dio drummer Vinny Appice. "I realize there has been some speculation as to whether or not I am participating in the Heaven & Hell project," Ward wrote in a post on his official Web site. "I want to confirm that I will not be involved in either the recordings for the upcoming CD or the subsequent tour. I want to wish the guys — Tony, Geezer, Ronnie and Vinny — much success for the coming year." A posting on Iommi's Web site from October lists Ward as being involved in the project. ...

Sartorially splendid, sonically somber New York quartet Interpol have hit the studio to begin work on their third album, their first for Capitol Records. According to a post on their official Web site, the band are holed up in a New York studio and "the atmosphere and environs of a recording facility affect the sound and feel of an album in the subtlest ways. And we are affected. And it is subtle." There's no indication of when fans will get to hear any of said subtlety, but the guys add that everything "sounds great so far, but we'll be here for a while yet." ...

The Black Eyed Peas will release their first live DVD, "Live From Sydney to Vegas," on December 5. Bonus footage includes videos for "Union" and "Bebot" and a live performance of Fergie's "London Bridge." ...

• In Focus: Hilary Duff

• Hilary Duff
• Good Charlotte
• Game
• Snoop Dogg
• Black Eyed Peas

Paris Hilton
Photo: Mark Mainz/ Getty Images

Life just got a little simpler for Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. "The Simple Life" debutantes have reportedly made amends over dinner after a much-publicized two-year feud. "I don't know if it was a business or personal discussion. Let's just watch it unfold," Hilton's publicist Elliot Mintz told People magazine. But Paris herself tells In Touch that the friendship is back on. "I love Nicole, and I'm so glad we're friends again. ... I'm really happy she's back in my life." Hilton and Richie are scheduled to begin filming the fifth season of "The Simple Life" — featuring the glamour girls working as camp counselors — later this fall. ...

U2 have announced the title of their upcoming greatest-hits disc. U218 Singles will feature 16 of the band's best-known tracks plus two new songs — including their Green Day collaboration, "The Saints Are Coming." The hits compilation will feature a bonus CD with 10 live performances from their 2005 Vertigo Tour, U2.com reports. ...

DMX landed in more driving trouble Monday, hit with three summonses for operating an uninspected car with a suspended registration — without a driver's license, New York's Journal News reports. The rapper was stopped in Yonkers, New York, by Westchester County police who impounded the 2001 Chevrolet Suburban he was driving. DMX is due in court to answer the charges December 18. ... The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network will honor Kanye West at their fourth annual Action Awards, a benefit dinner scheduled for October 16 at Chelsea Piers in New York. Magic Johnson and Steve Stoute will also be recognized for their "outstanding contribution to the empowerment of people and communities," according to the organization. ...

If you've just got to see the Killers up close — and will pay for the privilege — you might as well do some good in the process. Exclusive VIP packages for the Vegoose Music Festival — which hits Las Vegas October 28-29 and features the Killers, the Raconteurs, Jurassic 5, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, the Mars Volta and more — are available, with proceeds benefiting Common Ground Collective, Rock the Earth, Tipintina's Foundation and Head Count. VIP treatment — including side-stage viewing, backstage performances and signed artist merchandise — is up for auction at StubHub.com/Vegoose-Charity.

Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor took the stage with Alice in Chains on Saturday to handle lead vocals for the Alice classic "Would?" The impromptu collaboration took place during the 99.5 Fan Fest in San Antonio, Texas. ... Taylor's other band, Slipknot, will release the double-disc DVD set "Voliminal: Inside the Nine" on December 5. The effort will boast in-the-studio footage, as well as material captured backstage, onstage and in the band's tour bus during Slipknot's most recent global trek. The first disc includes a 90-minute film created and directed by M. Shawn Crahan (known to fans as Clown), which was shot on handheld cameras. The second disc features live footage shot in various venues throughout the world, along with music videos and interviews with each member of the band. The disc also boasts the first up-close look at the "death masks" the band used onstage during the tour. ..

Prior to the release of their DVD "Phase Two — Slowboat to Hades" on Halloween, Gorillaz will release the first in a series of EPs exclusively on iTunes, with each accompanied by previously unreleased videos. The first, DARE, is due October 24, while Dirty Harry (November 7), El Mañana (December 5) and Feel Good Inc. (December 26) will follow. ... What do Will Ferrell, Queen Latifah and Spoon have in common? Not much, but the band is all over the soundtrack to "Stranger Than Fiction," a comedy starring Ferrell and Latifah that hits theaters November 10. The film's score was composed by Spoon's Britt Daniel along with Brian Reitzell, and the soundtrack album features four Spoon tracks — including "The Book I Write," a new song written for the film. The Jam, M83, Maximo Park and Wreckless Eric are also featured on the soundtrack, due November 7. ...

According to Lou Barlow's Web site, Sebadoh's classic lineup — Barlow, Eric Gaffney and Jason Loewenstein — has reformed and will be touring this spring. Barlow has yet to reveal specific details about the tour, beyond the start and finish dates: February 25 to April 7. .. Recent "You Hear It First" artists Dirty on Purpose apparently don't mind sleeping away from home. The Brooklyn, New York, indie rockers are hitting the road yet again in support of their debut album, Hallelujah Sirens. The 20-date trek kicks off October 19 in Allston, Massachusetts, and wraps up December 8 in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. ... Rock Kills Kid and the Shys are among the acts signed on to play an October 17 benefit for the Young Progressive Majority, a Los Angeles-based group committed to increasing the vote for local progressive candidates and issues. The concert, billed Party For Progress, will be held at the Knitting Factory in L.A. Visit the Majority's Web site, GoYPM.org, for more information. ...

Story of the Year will anchor this fall's Taste the Poison tour, which launches Friday in Columbia, Missouri, and is scheduled to hit 30 cities before wrapping up November 17 in St. Louis. The bill also features Anberlin, Greeley Estates and Monty Are I. ... The Accident Experiment, which features erstwhile P.O.D. guitarist Marcos Curiel, will be touring this fall in support of their recently released debut LP, United We Fear. The trek, which also includes openers Northwest Royale and Indorphine, kicks off Friday in Tulare, California. Dates are booked through a December 9 gig in San Diego. ... Converge will be touring this fall in support of the forthcoming No Heroes, which lands in stores October 24. The run begins November 2 in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and will make stops in a total of 23 cities before winding down December 3 in Revere, Massachusetts. ...

Thrice frontman Dustin Kensrue has signed a deal with Equal Vision Records, who will be releasing the singer's solo debut, Please Come Home, on January 23. "Before I ever played in a band, I would take my acoustic guitar wherever I went and would sing and play for whoever was around," Kensrue said in a statement. "I wanted these songs at their core to work in that street corner kind of sense, just a guy with his guitar, a voice and a story to tell." ... The Alkaline Trio have been working on fresh material and plan to hit the studio in February to record the follow-up to 2005's Crimson. The effort is slated for release this spring. According to kitman Derek Grant's blog, "the first notes of the new album have been written, for those in doubt." ...

Acclaimed Internet radio station WOXY.com is back ... again. The alternative rock tastemaker site, which was forced to shut down operations last month after running out of funds, has been revived thanks to an infusion of cash from CD-swapping site LaLa.com. Under the new deal, WOXY.com will be funded "indefinitely" and will go back on the air immediately as a free destination with links to LaLa's e-commerce site that will allow listeners to add songs or albums they hear to their "wanted for trade" list or to buy them outright.

10.09.2006

My Chemical Romance have booked three club dates around the October 24 release of The Black Parade. The band hits New York's Webster Hall on October 24, Axis in Boston on October 25 and Chicago's House of Blues on October 26. More dates are expected to be announced in the coming days. My Chemical Romance are also among the performers set to take the stage for this year's Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans on October 29. ...

After investigating Eminem for domestic violence in Michigan's Macomb County, police say they are not going to press charges against the Detroit rapper. According to reports, Em was involved in a dispute with his niece and estranged wife Kim on September 24. ... Ciara will embark on a six-week run of U.S. theaters beginning October 26 in Washington, D.C. The trek is scheduled to run through December 10 in New York. Ciara: The Evolution is due December 5. ... Bo Bice underwent emergency intestinal surgery on Thursday and is currently recovering in a Nashville hospital. The "American Idol" runner-up, who has been battling intestine problems since last summer, was recently diagnosed with the intestinal condition intussusception. Bo will miss some tour dates, but doctors are hopeful his latest surgery will be the final resolution to his health problems. ...

Lloyd Banks often hits fans with an assortment of witty one-liners and clever punch lines. But the G-Unit rapper took to his alma mater, August Martin High School in Jamaica, New York, last week, with a much more straightforward message: Get your education. Banks donated $10,000 to the school library and offered words of encouragement to an auditorium full of students. "I wanted to be a writer. I loved English," Banks explained to Fox's New York affiliate. "I wanted to know how to count my money, so I love math. You got to take what you want out of [school] and it will definitely put you in the right direction." ...

MySpace has announced its Rock for Darfur concert series, comprising 20 benefit shows around North America on October 21 aimed at raising awareness and funds for the humanitarian crisis in the African country of Sudan. Among the artists pledging to donate part of their ticket proceeds from their concerts that day to Oxfam's relief efforts in the Sudan are Alice in Chains, TV on the Radio, Atreyu, Ziggy Marley, Teddy Geiger, the Secret Machines, Jamie Cullum, Citizen Cope, the Fray, Insane Clown Posse, Amos Lee and Gov't Mule. A public service announcement promoting the shows featuring Samuel L. Jackson will air in theaters this month. ...

Kevin Federline will be holed up at Kitson Men in Los Angeles for a couple of hours on Wednesday, not to shop, but to launch a clothing line — and preview tracks from his upcoming album. Federline will host a party from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at the popular shop, celebrating the premiere of Five Star Vintage's Holiday 2006 collection. DJ Irie is also scheduled to preview tracks from K-Fed's LP at the event, ahead of its October 31 release. ... Kelly Clarkson, Marc Anthony, Rascal Flatts and Madeleine Peyroux will join Tony Bennett for a November 9 concert at Los Angeles' Kodak Theatre, in honor of the crooner's 80th birthday. All ticket proceeds from the event will benefit the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps, an organization founded by Paul Newman. George Clooney will co-host the event with Newman, Billy Crystal, Jack Nicholson and Bruce Willis. ...

A new track by Prince called "The Song of the Heart" will be the first single on the "Happy Feet" soundtrack, due October 3. Other tracks on the record include Pink covering Rufus and Chaka Khan's "Tell Me Something Good," Patti LaBelle, Yolanda Adams and Fantasia collaborating on "I Wish" and a mash-up of Jason Mraz's cover of Steve Miller Band's "The Joker" with Chrisie Hynde's cover of Bread's "Everything I Own." The stars of the movie, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Robin Williams and Brittany Murphy, also cover songs by the likes of Elvis Presley and Queen. "Happy Feet" opens November 17. ... The track list to the "Saw III" soundtrack has been revealed. The album, due October 24, will feature songs from 20 different artists, including Slayer, Lamb of God, Disturbed, Blue October, Avenged Sevenfold, Mastodon, Ministry and Meshuggah. ...

Good news for people who love bad news: Modest Mouse have announced that they won't be releasing their much-anticipated new album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, on December 19, as has been previously reported. Instead, the record will see the light of day in 2007 (according to the Mouse's label, Epic Records, no firm date has been settled upon, but fans can expect it in "the first quarter" of next year). Obviously realizing the news was a major bummer to their fans, MM decided to soften the blow by also confirming a slate of shows, starting with a November 5 gig at Avalon in Los Angeles. They'll also make appearances in Miami, New York and Anaheim, California, before heading over to London. For more information on the tour, check out ModestMouse.com. ...

Seminal New York proto-punk rock band the New York Dolls have announced a headlining trek, topping Little Steven's Underground Garage Tour. As much of a seismic influence on Aerosmith and Kiss as Morrissey and the Sex Pistols, the Dolls' trashy aesthetic and insouciant rock-and-roll abandon in the otherwise drab early '70s set the template for legions of bands to follow. While three of the original bandmembers — guitarist Johnny Thunders, drummer Billy Murcia and behemoth bassist Arthur "Killer" Kane — have passed away, original vocalist David Johansen and guitarist Sylvain Sylvain recruited a new lineup (including former Hanoi Rocks bassist Sam Yaffa) and unleashed a comeback album earlier this year. ...

Babyshambles have postponed the remaining dates of their British tour so that frontman Pete Doherty can focus on his drug-rehabilitation efforts, the band's label announced Saturday. "The band apologizes to fans but hopes that they will understand the importance of Peter being able to best continue his good progress in recovering from addiction," EMI said. "The dates will be rearranged for as soon as possible and all tickets will remain valid." ...

Fantasia and comedian Lewis Black will perform at the second annual Quill Awards, recognizing books selected by American readers. The ceremony will be held Tuesday at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. ... YouTube and Universal Music Group have reached an agreement that allows the video-sharing giant to legally post videos from UMG's roster of artists on the site, both companies announced Monday (October 9). Under the partnership, Universal's artists will be compensated an undisclosed sum in return for YouTube receiving access to thousands of videos in the UMG archives. The deal also allows for music from Universal artists to safely be incorporated into user-generated videos that are uploaded to the site. UMG is the first of the major record companies to strike such an arrangement with YouTube — which was sold to Google on Monday, according to The Associated Press. ...

Tower Records is having a going-out-of-business sale. The legendary music chain's assets were sold at a bankruptcy auction on Friday to the liquidation firm Great American Group, which bid $134.3 million for what was once the most dominant music retailer in the country, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Great American began liquidation and going-out-of-business sales on Saturday at the company's 89 U.S. stores, ending a 46-year run that was done in beginning a decade ago by competition from mass retailers like Wal-Mart and Internet sales. The court-supervised auction was the end of a saga that began its final act in August, when major suppliers refused to ship product to the bankrupt chain because it was unable to pay its bills.

• Paris Hilton
• DMX
• U2
• Kanye West
• The Killers

Guns N' Roses' Axl Rose performs at KROQ's Inland Invasion 5
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic.com

DEVORE, California — Muse came to KROQ's sixth annual end-of-summer Inland Invasion festival on Saturday armed with an extra set. Just in case.

"We played with Guns N' Roses once before and they didn't show up, so we had to play longer," singer Matthew Bellamy explained backstage. "So we have plenty of songs ready."

At 10:50 p.m., nearly two hours after the previous band had left the stage, it was looking like those songs were going to come in handy. After all, something needed to calm the edgy crowd, which was booing, throwing full cups of beer (even at $11.50 each!) and starting fires in the lawn section.

Fortunately — and fittingly — just as another army of security guards was rushing in, the stage went dark and the familiar guitar riff of "Welcome to the Jungle" rang through the speakers.

"Do you know where the f--- you are?" Axl Rose asked in his signature squeal. Well, yeah, we've been here for 10 hours now.

But really, Southern Californians have waited 14 years for Rose to return to the stage, what was another few hours? And at least we got a full show.

Guns N' Roses treated the sold-out Hyundai Pavilion audience to a 19-song, hit-filled set featuring all but three tracks from Appetite for Destruction and only four new songs. There were a few surprises — guitarists Robin Finck and Richard Fortus played an instrumental version of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful," and Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach joined in on "My Michelle" — but it was mostly Rose doing what he does best: wailing, posing and snake-dancing to songs from "Sweet Child O' Mine" to "You Could Be Mine."

Axl's four costume changes were unnecessary and even the metal-mocking Sunset Strip faves Metal Skool don't solo this much, but it was still the kind of show you hold your bladder for. Watching Rose, whose rare banter was more geeky excitement than mysterious vanity, joke about their downloaded tracks and jump onto Dizzy Reed's grand piano during the unreleased ballad "The Blues" were must-see moments, even for the many musicians who stuck around to catch a glimpse.

"It's a dream come true for me," Buckcherry singer Josh Todd said backstage. "Guns N' Roses really inspired me when I was a youth."

"I wish I could go back to my 14-year-old self and say, 'Hey, you're going to be opening for Guns N' Roses,'" added Rise Against singer Tim McIlrath.

GN'R, of course, weren't the only anticipated reunion act at Inland Invasion, as Alice in Chains also entertained the crowd with a greatest-hits set.

Singer William DuVall matched the late Layne Staley's vocals to a T, but the highlight was a cameo from Linkin Park's Chester Bennington, who sang "Man in the Box" with as much conviction as the original.

"I just came out to see Muse and as soon as I got here I was asked if I would sing," Bennington said beforehand. "I'm kind of nervous. I'm like on recall, going through it in my head."

Backstage, it seemed everyone was raving about Muse, a bit of a shock considering they were the odd men out on the metal-leaning bill. Perhaps it's because the British rockers instantly won over the crowd by opening with their latest — and biggest-to-date — single, "Knights of Cydonia," and then took the audience on a ride through their progressive catalog.

Avenged Sevenfold and Buckcherry (riding a huge comeback wave through SoCal with their infectious single "Crazy Bitch") might have been more appropriate openers for GN'R than Muse and Alice in Chains, but it was nice to spread the sleaze-rock around the bill.

The former, whose M. Shadows announced it was their last show before returning to the studio, brought a whole lot of Sunset Strip flavor to their show in the form of four, ahem, dancers, who came out of their cages to seduce to the singer for the "Bat Country" finale.

30 Seconds to Mars went with a visually stimulating show of a different sort, taking the stage from the back of the venue, wearing all-white ninja costumes and masks and carrying flags.

When he wasn't shaking hands with fans or climbing around the stage, singer Jared Leto was expressing gratitude for their newfound fanbase.

After reminiscing about coming to KROQ shows as a fan and sneaking from the lawn to the front of the stage, Leto dedicated the band's breakthrough single, "The Kill," to the people in the back, telling them, "Don't be scared, just don't get caught."

Atreyu, Rise Against and Papa Roach also took the stage Saturday, with the latter mixing in their earlier rap-rock favorites with cuts from the just-released The Paramour Sessions.

"We're going to do everything possible to steal the show," singer Jacoby Shaddix said backstage. "I know it's hard with GN'R, but you've got to set the bar high."

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

• KROQ's Inland Invasion: Devore, CA, September 23, 2006

• Guns N' Roses
• Alice in Chains
• Muse
• Avenged Sevenfold
• 30 Seconds To Mars

Pete Wentz, Dave Navarro, Perry Farrell, More At 2008 NME Awards

• Fall Out Boy
• Alice in Chains
• Dave Navarro
• Perry Farrell
• Eric Avery

2008 Grammy Parties

• Ashlee Simpson
• Fall Out Boy
• Rihanna
• Paris Hilton
• Miley Cyrus

KROQ's Inland Invasion: Devore, CA, September 23, 2006

• 30 Seconds To Mars
• Guns N' Roses
• Alice in Chains
• Atreyu
• Buckcherry

Alice In Chains: Where Ya Been?

• Alice in Chains
• Jerry Cantrell

Lollapalooza: Through the Years Retrospective

• Pearl Jam
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Rage Against the Machine
• Tool
• Alice in Chains

SXSW 2002 Highlight Photos

• Jerry Cantrell
• Alice in Chains
• The X-Ecutioners
• Quarashi
• Sparta

Classic Unplugged Photos

• 10,000 Maniacs
• Alice in Chains
• Arrested Development
• The Cure
• Blackstreet