Nicole Richie
Photo: Robyn Beck/ Getty Images

Nicole Richie has finally confirmed that she's pregnant. In an interview with ABC News' Diane Sawyer that will air Thursday on "Good Morning America" and Friday on "20/20," the socialite — with Joel Madden beside her — said, "Yes, I am. We are. I'm almost four months." In the interview, Richie also talks about her upcoming jail time, saying, "It's something that I did wrong, and if I could personally apologize to every single person that has lost a loved one from drunk driving, I would. ... This is my way of paying my dues and taking responsibility and being an adult." ...

Eminem smells something rotten: Apple. His publisher, Eight Mile Style, and "copyright manager," Martin Affiliated, are suing the company, claiming it can't sell Em's songs on iTunes because Universal didn't have the right to license them to Apple, according to Wired.com. Eight Mile Style previously sued Universal when the company licensed his music to Apple for a 2004 ad and to stop Em ringtones from being sold online by Universal-licensed companies. ...

Paris Hilton's now-infamous house — where she was seen being mobbed by paparazzi and stuffed into the back seat of a police cruiser last month — is on the market. The Spanish-style house is located in West Hollywood, California, and has four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms. Her asking price: $4.25 million. ...

Another day, another problem for Lindsay Lohan. Signe Dupuy, the woman who claimed the actress pulled an illegal U-turn in April in Los Angeles that wound up causing an accident, is suing Lohan in small-claims court, TMZ.com reports. She alleges that Lohan and her bodyguard Jaz Bennett hit her car. Dupuy had previously also claimed that Bennett gave her a fake name and number after the accident. ...

Less than a week after Britney Spears bodyguard Cesar Julio Camera was charged with battery after wrestling with photographers, now there's a new complaint over the incident — against the singer herself. Andrew Deetz and Kyle Henderson claim in a statement released by their lawyers Tuesday (July 31) that Spears threatened them after they took pictures of her at a spa in Las Vegas, The Associated Press reports. According to the statement, Camera allegedly pushed Henderson against a wall until security asked the photographer to leave, after which the bodyguard allegedly attacked Deetz. After that, Spears is said to have thrown a baby bottle at Henderson and threatened Deetz, saying, "I am going to kill you!" and telling him to get a restraining order against her, because she was going to kill him or hire someone who would. Spears' lawyer Gary Stiffelman did not comment to AP about the statement. Deetz and Henderson said in the statement that they are preparing to sue. ...

DMX is in the doghouse again, this time for failing to fulfill a contract to promo a canine-clothing line, AP reports. New York State Supreme Court Judge Jane Goodman has ordered the rapper to fork over $242,000 to Amusing Diversions Inc., which produced and marketed Boomer 129, a dog-clothing company named after X's dog. DMX was supposed to promote the merchandise on TV, at concerts and elsewhere, but didn't. ...

Remy Ma is expected to be indicted later this week on charges stemming from her attempted-murder arrest earlier this month for allegedly shooting her close friend, Makeda Barnes-Joseph, according to the rapper's attorney, Ivan S. Fisher. Fisher told MTV News the announcement should be made shortly, after which a date will be set for Remy to formally respond to the accusations. As it stands, she's currently scheduled to appear in court on August 14, but Fisher believes that date will soon change. "It's not gonna happen [then]," he said. ...

Who will be the next Jordin Sparks? We won't know for a good long while, but the ball got rolling Monday as "American Idol" auditions kicked off at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium. A publicist for the show told AP that 12,000 people came to try out for season seven. Auditions will be held in the coming weeks in Dallas; Omaha, Nebraska; Atlanta; Charleston, South Carolina; Miami; and Philadelphia. The season begins airing in late January. ...

While we're on the subject of "American Idol," castoff Corey Clark is in the headlines again, this time for an arrest early Monday morning in Arkansas on a drug charge. Clark, best known for his disqualification from the show's second season and alleged affair with judge Paula Abdul, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia at 2:30 a.m. Monday, according to AP. He was also wanted on an outstanding warrant from Arizona after he failed to appear in that state on a summons tied to his arrest last year for violating a court order and trespassing. ... The Sunday Times of London is 'fessing up to a Fergie faux pax: The magazine has printed an apology for a June 1 story in which it claimed the Black Eyed Pea was being paid by Candie's Inc. to drop references to the brand in her lyrics. "Although Fergie has a commercial deal with Candie's in which she appears in advertisements for its clothing, this does not include the incorporation of the Candie's brand into her lyrics," read a statement by the newspaper. ...

Twista is apparently too twisted for McDonald's. The restaurant chain has yanked the rapper from the parking-lot tour also starring Ne-Yo and Kenna, citing his "controversial lyrics." "Although we respect free speech and artistic expression, we do not condone or perpetuate derogatory language," the company said in a statement. "We want to ensure these free concerts are fun as well as appropriate for all of our customers." Twista responded in a statement issued Tuesday, saying, "Being that Mcdonald's and I have worked together in the past, it was unsettling that I would be removed from the tour after undergoing the planning process. ... The recent trend of finger-pointing, and playing the blame game with certain media outlets and certain individuals needs to stop. We live in a society that advocates free speech." The free 10-city tour is set to begin August 7 in Chicago. ...

Mandy Moore says she feels bad for Zach Braff — she says the director's likely tired of hearing about her new album Wild Hope, she told the British version of Marie Claire for its September issue. The album revolves around love gone bad, and even if she admits that "the record's not necessarily all about him," she said, "[The] poor guy's probably heard about it in every interview." ... More than 10 years into their career, the Alkaline Trio are finally ready for the big time. The punk-rockers will issue their next album, which they'll record after playing this summer's Warped Tour, on Epic Records, Billboard.com reports. ...

Can't understand what Keith Richards is saying half the time? Maybe reading will help. The Rolling Stones guitarist has signed a book deal reportedly worth more than $7 million, Reuters reports. The autobiography, which will be co-written with James Fox, is slated for a fall 2010 release. ... Cheap Trick covering the Beatles is nothing new — but how about them doing it with Al Jourgensen? The pop-rock titans will perform Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in its entirety at the Hollywood Bowl on August 10-11 in celebration of the album's 40th anniversary, and the Ministry frontman will join them for "I Want You (She's So Heavy)." ...

The managers of Graceland — home to Elvis Presley — are planning a $250 million overhaul, AP reports. The plans include a massive tourist complex larger than a football field, a convention hotel and a high-tech museum. ... The Eagles are about to lay an egg: the classic-rock band's first new studio album in 28 years, if you can believe it. Guitarist Joe Walsh tells Billboard.com that the effort, which will feature songwriting by all four bandmembers, is "almost out. We're just finishing vocals and mixing it. We're all finally signing off on it." ...

eMusic, the second-largest online music store in the U.S., has signed a deal with AT&T that will allow users to download songs directly to their cell phones. The site will offer nearly all its 2.7 million songs from independent labels as part of the deal, with tracks priced a bit higher than they are on the Web site, though an extra downloadable copy of the song will be offered as an incentive. ... Another legendary director passed away late Monday: Michaelangelo Antonioni, the Italian titan responsible for "L'Avventura," "Blowup" and "Zabriskie Point." Antonioni, who was 94, died from a stroke. Visionary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman also passed away Monday.

07.30.07

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline finalized their divorce Monday (July 30) in Los Angeles Superior Court, The Associated Press reports. "They are divorced. Everything is finalized," Spears' lawyer Laura Wasser said after the hearing. A court commissioner signed the orders for dissolution of marriage, child custody and an alimony agreement, the latter of which won't be made public unless an enforcement issue arises. The child-custody order — which details the former couple's timeshare schedule and transportation matters — was sealed for the time being for safety reasons, pending a hearing slated for August 14. ...

Could a 17-second snippet of a song called "Candy Shop" be a leak from Madonna's upcoming album? Fans speculate that it's of a track Madonna was working on with either Timbaland or Pharrell — but reps for none of the three camps would confirm. "I have no comment about the song 'Candy Shop,' " Madonna's longtime rep Liz Rosenberg told MTV News. "Madonna has studio time booked and is continuing to work on her new CD. The songs are not mixed, and until that time, we can't finalize the track list." The yet-untitled album is due later this year. ...

Christina Aguilera scratched two shows in Australia slated for Saturday and Monday due to the flu — more specifically, a viral upper-respiratory tract infection. "I want to personally apologize to all of my fans for having to cancel my last two shows here in Melbourne," the singer said in a statement. "Thank you for all of the continued love and support and I hope to perform for you all again next time." In the statement, the singer didn't address ongoing pregnancy rumors. ... Lindsay Lohan is "in a very good place right now," her mother Dina told reporters Monday outside a New York courthouse, where she was battling with Michael Lohan over custody of three of their children. Lindsay's exact whereabouts is still unknown. ...

According to Jermaine Dupri, fans will have to wait a while longer for new Janet Jackson music — she's not going to be featured on the "Rush Hour 3" soundtrack. The producer posted a message on his MySpace page saying, "To answer all questions about [the] 'Rush Hour 3' soundtrack, I ended up not doing it 'cause the movie takes place in Paris and a lot of the music didn't fit. So all of you looking for that Janet record, you gotta wait till she's finished with the new album. Sorry." ...

Desert gold: Paul Wall is shoving off to the Persian Gulf for his second USO tour. "Being a part of a USO tour and performing for the troops is amazing," Wall said. "It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and to forget what's happening overseas," he said in a statement. "This is my way of letting them know I realize what they're sacrificing and am truly grateful." ... The Black Eyed Peas will headline the "Jerusalem Rocks!" festival, set to take place September 9 in Israel. The multi-culti act will be joined by Arrested Development and various local acts. ...

Korn's Jonathan Davis has one thing to say to Devo's Jerry Casale: no hard feelings. Responding to the flap that ensued over Korn's fake movie trailer that appeared to cop Devo's "de-evolution" concept, Davis said in a statement to Rolling Stone: "Korn never claimed to be the first to expose de-evolution, our hats are going off to Devo for that." He added, "They are pioneers for sure! However, we are glad to see that our efforts have them speaking up again! It's good to have them back." Davis closed with a requisite plug: "In the meantime, our researchers continue to uncover key evidence of de-evolution at the highest levels (EvolutionDevolution.com)." ...

Chamillionaire, Forest Whitaker and Babyface were among the attendees at Russell Simmons' eighth annual Art for Life event Saturday night. The charitable festivities took place in East Hampton, New York, and raised $1.4 million for underprivileged children in New York. ... Polow Da Don, Mark Ronson and Timbaland protégé Nate "Danjahandz" Hills were among those who made it on Vibe's 14th annual Juice list. Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama graces the cover. ... Damon Dash hobnobs with Ashton Kutcher, Sofia Coppola and Renée Zellweger on Vanity Fair's 68th Best-Dressed List, which appears in the magazine's September issue. George Clooney was named to the list's Hall of Fame, while Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made it to the couples list — surprised? ...

Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin and bassist Duff McKagan joined ex-GN'R drummer Steven Adler and his Adler's Appetite for a couple of Appetite for Destruction songs during a concert at the Key Club in West Hollywood, California, on Saturday. Slash, who had made it to the venue earlier that evening, did not end up performing during the quasi-reunion. The gig was scheduled in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the release of the band's 1987 debut, Appetite for Destruction. ... Peter Hook threatens offhandedly in a post on his MySpace page that he might take his former New Order bandmates to court, now that they've decided to continue performing as the band without him. He says Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris shouldn't assume they "have the rights to do anything New Order-ey" because he has "still got a third." ...

Metric will swing through the States for a three-week trek starting September 19 in Philadelphia and winding down October 9 in Seattle, RollingStone.com reports. The indie-rockers will record their fourth album in November. ... Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba will ship out for his first solo trek in five years on September 14 in Rochester, Michigan. With Augustana and John Ralston in tow, Carrabba will conclude the extensive trek November 14 in New York. ... The Offspring have parted ways with drummer Atom Willard and recruited Saves the Day's Pete Parada to take his place. Parada will make his debut with the Offspring next month when they perform at the Summer Sonic festival in Japan. Willard, in the meantime, has moved over fulltime to Angels & Airwaves. ...

It was a rough weekend for aging rock legends. First, Kiss singer/guitarist Paul Stanley had to sit out a show in San Jacinto, California, on Friday night after suffering a bout of tachycardia, which caused his heart to speed up to twice its normal rate. On his Web site, Stanley, 55, explained that during a rehearsal for the show, "my heart spontaneously jumped to 190-plus beats per minute, where it stayed for over an hour, necessitating paramedics to start an IV and give me a shot to momentarily stop my heart and get it into a normal pattern." The rest of the group played as a trio in Stanley's absence ...

The news was a bit better for Ozzy Osbourne, who was treated at and released by a Denver hospital over the weekend. Reuters reports that a statement from Osbourne's management on Sunday read: "Ozzy Osbourne had a minor outpatient procedure at Rose Medical Center late last night. He was released early this morning and is doing well." Osbourne, 58, is expected to perform at Monday's Ozzfest in Kansas City, Missouri. KUSA-TV in Denver reported that the surgery, which took place after Saturday's Ozzfest show, was for a blood clot in Osbourne's leg. He had complained of leg pain prior to the gig. ... Is Kelly Osbourne following in Ashlee Simpson's footsteps? Ozzy's daughter is joining the cast of "Chicago" at the Cambridge Theatre in London's West End for a seven-week run. She'll play Mama Morton, the matron of Cook County Jail. ...

Atlanta metallers Daath are stuck in Denver, meaning they'll miss some more Ozzfest dates. According to the bandmembers, they missed last week's stops in Phoenix and Oklahoma City because the airport shuttle bus they rented to get from city to city during the summer tour had broken down. Plans have been made to rent the band an RV, but complications with the vehicle haven't been resolved. There's no word yet on when Daath will return to the tour. ... DevilDriver have joined this summer's Ozzfest, taking over the second-stage slot abandoned last week by Mondo Generator. ... In the meantime, New York metal act Bloodsimple have been added to a competing fest: the Family Values Tour. They'll play the second stage. ...

Al Gore III, son of the the former vice president, pleaded guilty on Monday to two felony and three misdemeanor counts of drug possession stemming from his arrest while driving in Orange County, California, earlier this month. He agreed to enter a nine-month drug program, and the charges could be dropped if he finishes it. ... Visionary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman died Monday on an island off the coast of Sweden. He was 89. Woody Allen once called the director — three of whose films won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film — "probably the greatest film artist ... since the invention of the motion picture camera," according to The Associated Press.

• Paris Hilton, Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan, More At The "Rush Hour 3" Premiere

• Eminem
• Paris Hilton
• Lindsay Lohan
• Remy Ma
• Twista

Paula Abdul
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Federal Transportation Safety Administration officials are investigating a breach of security at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport on Thursday involving Paula Abdul and a companion, according to The Associated Press. Southwest Airlines was alerted to the breach while the "American Idol" judge's 12:20 p.m. flight was in the air and then screened all passengers and baggage once the plane landed in Burbank, California. A McCarran spokesperson told the AP that someone not employed by Southwest Airlines, the TSA or the Department of Aviation, led Abdul past the mandatory checkpoint. ...

Four "American Idol" hopefuls were sent packing Thursday night, narrowing the field for the show's fifth season to 16. Brenna Gethers, Heather Cox, David Radford and Jose "Sway" Penala scored the fewest votes in the second round of "Idol" eliminations determined by the viewers. Host Ryan Seacrest revealed that more than 42 million votes were cast this week. ...Tool have titled their upcoming album 10,000 Days, according to the band's spokesperson. The record is due around their Coachella performance on April 30. ...

Matisyahu will descend upon Tower Records in Northridge, California, for a live performance two days after the release of his new album. Youth hits stores March 7, and customers who purchase the Hasidic rapper's disc at Tower in Northridge will receive a wristband for the gig and signing two days later. The show will be staged in the Tower Records parking lot, and the first few hundred people who buy Youth beforehand will be able to stand in front of the stage. ... Thursday night, fresh off their European tour, Detroit's Slum Village gave an intimate performance at Club Twenty Twenty in Santa Monica, California. During the show the group — which dropped its self-titled album last year — paid tribute to recently deceased friend and hip-hop producer Jay Dee. ...

Former Jackson 5 drummer Johnny Jackson was found dead at his home in Gary, Indiana, on Wednesday night, according to The Associated Press. The 54-year-old was found stabbed in the chest not long after a neighbor complained of a disturbance between Jackson and a woman on the first floor of his complex. The unidentified woman has yet to come forward, and no murder weapon was found at the scene. Police are currently treating the case as a homicide and an investigation is still taking place, according to the AP. Johnny Jackson, who grew up near the Jackson family home, joined the superstar pop group — which included a young Michael Jackson — in 1967, replacing original drummer Milford Hite. Reports have varied over the years as to whether or not Johnny was directly related to the Jackson clan. ...

When is a band sticker on a bicycle more than it seems? When police think it's an act of terrorism. Officials at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, shut down four buildings and called out the bomb squad on Thursday when they spotted a bike with sticker that said "this bike is a pipe bomb." According to the AP, it turns out the sticker was a promo for a punk band of the same name, but police didn't find that out until they blocked off streets for blocks around the Oasis restaurant near campus and called in the bomb squad from 65 miles away. The bomb experts hit the bike with a high-pressure hose and tore it apart with a Jaws of Life device before finding out that it was the name of a Pensacola, Florida, band on Plan-It-X Records. The bike's owner was interviewed by cops and released without charge. ... The U.S. Justice Department said Thursday that it had opened an investigation into alleged price-fixing in the sale of digital downloads, according to the AP. The inquiry is almost identical to the one launched in December by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, according to two music industry executives. The Justice Department would not name the companies it has targeted. ...

Ted Nugent, Anthrax's Scott Ian, Sebastian Bach, Biohazard's Evan Seinfeld and Jason Bonham, the son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, will be the stars of VH1's forthcoming series "SuperGroup." Set to start airing May 18, the program will team these five rockers up, presenting them with a chance to form the "heaviest 'SuperGroup.' " The audience will watch as either history — or just mistakes — are made. The series follows the rockers over a two-week period in Las Vegas; rock manager Doc McGhee will guide the guys through the process. The entire experiment will culminate with a massive concert in Sin City. ... Lamb of God will hit a Richmond, Virginia, recording studio on March 13 to begin pre-production on the as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2004's Ashes of the Wake. The metallers have once again called on producer Machine (White Zombie, Bloodsimple) to helm the LP. A late August release date has been tentatively set. ... Ben Folds will launch a 22-date tour in Seattle on Saturday — one that will keep him busy through late April. The trek will hit several college campuses along the way, and wind down in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 28.

03.02.2006

Paris Hilton has been ordered to appear in Los Angeles Superior Court on September 18 at 9:30 a.m. for the first date of her trial against actress/model Zeta Graff, who filed a $10 million defamation suit against Hilton last year. Graff, who also happens to be the ex-girlfriend of Hilton's former squeeze Paris Latsis, is suing the heiress for allegedly planting gossip about her in the tabloids, including one "Page Six" item in the New York Post that claimed Graff attacked Hilton at a club when she was with Latsis. Set for September 11 is a final status hearing during which the judge will discuss the case with both sets of attorneys and make any additional orders before the trial kicks off the following week. ...

If you missed the deadline for thinkMTV's Storm Corps, you may have another chance to spend your spring break helping those in the Gulf Coast region. Rapper/actor/activist Mos Def is one of the hip-hop leaders supporting Katrina on the Ground, an alternative spring-break initiative to lend a hand to the lives and homes devastated in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Starting Sunday, students will make the trek to the Gulf's hardest-hit areas of Mobile, Alabama; Biloxi, Mississippi; and New Orleans to help rebuild communities and provide legal assistance and financial advice. While the deadline has passed for the weeklong outing that starts Sunday, there is still time to apply for the remaining three weeks in March. Check out KatrinaOnTheGround.com for more information. ...

Franz Ferdinand will issue a five-track "single" for "The Fallen" on March 27 in the U.K. — meaning staunch Franz fans in the U.S. will need to look for a copy in the imports section of their neighborhood record store. The single will feature the new tracks "Lauren Wells," "Brown Onions," "Jeremy Fraser" and the "Ruined by Justice" remix of "The Fallen." ... On the subject of overseas ventures, Staind will perform a series of live shows in Germany for U.S. military personnel returning from combat duty in the Persian Gulf. The first show is scheduled for Friday at the U.S. Army Garrison, Mannheim, followed by performances March 16 at the U.S. Army Garrison, Franconia; and March 17 at the U.S. Army Garrison, Baumholder. The band, on tour in Europe, will return to the States in mid-April for the Jägermeister Music Tour. ...

Depeche Mode's "Suffer Well" (from last year's Playing the Angel) has been translated into Simlish, the native language of virtual gaming community the Sims. The track can be heard on the "The Sims 2 Open for Business" game-expansion pack. ... Stereolab have launched a brief U.S. tour that'll keep them busy through the rest of this month. Hot Chip, Espers, and Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt of the Sea and Cake will open various legs of the trek. The band performs in San Francisco Thursday (March 2), and dates run through March 29 in San Diego. ... Mogwai have kicked off a brief U.S. tour that hits Columbus, Ohio, Thursday. The jaunt will expire March 15 in Austin, Texas, where the band will perform as part of this year's South by Southwest music conference. ... Also hitting SxSW is Sia, who caused a smash with her song "Breathe Me" on the "Six Feet Under" season finale and soundtrack. The Aussie native will kick off a tour in Austin on March 18 in support of her recent album Colour the Small One, hitting Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and New York through April. ... British rockers Gomez will play at SxSW as well, in anticipation of their next album, How We Operate. The band's three singers will also play acoustic shows in Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York to hype up the new, Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters)-produced record, which comes out May 2. ...

British rapper Mike Skinner, a.k.a. the Streets, has set an April 25 release date for his third album, The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living. The album has been described as an autobiographical account of Skinner's last few years. ... Rammstein already have three videos crafted for their new album Rosenrot, due March 28. While Jonas Akerlund (Blink-182, Madonna) directed the clip for the first single "Mann Gegen Mann," the band also banked footage for the video for the title track and for "Benzin" (which was recently remixed by Beastie Boy Ad-Rock). The video for "Rosenrot" promises to be disturbing, involving burning at the stake and authentic scourging and flagellation, sans stuntmen (not surprisingly, it's already been banned from daytime play in Germany). ... Alkaline Trio will kick off their Occult Roots of Alkaline Trio: Early Songs for Eerie People Tour on March 30 in Sparks, Nevada. The band's set list for the trek will include material from the Trio's entire catalog, with some tracks being performed acoustically. Dates run through April 15 in Sayreville, New Jersey. Against Me! have been tapped as the tour openers. ... Massive Attack's Collected, due April 4, will feature some previously unreleased material alongside the pioneering electronic-music group's best tunes. A greatest-hits DVD will also be included, with Jonathan Glazer's just-completed clip for new single "Live With Me" as a bonus.

• Anthrax
• Biohazard
• Franz Ferdinand
• Depeche Mode
• Alkaline Trio

Paris Hilton
Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Paris Hilton has been ordered to appear in Los Angeles Superior Court on September 18 at 9:30 a.m. for the first date of her trial against actress/model Zeta Graff, who filed a $10 million defamation suit against Hilton last year. Graff, who also happens to be the ex-girlfriend of Hilton's former squeeze Paris Latsis, is suing the heiress for allegedly planting gossip about her in the tabloids, including one "Page Six" item in the New York Post that claimed Graff attacked Hilton at a club when she was with Latsis. Set for September 11 is a final status hearing during which the judge will discuss the case with both sets of attorneys and make any additional orders before the trial kicks off the following week. ...

If you missed the deadline for thinkMTV's Storm Corps, you may have another chance to spend your spring break helping those in the Gulf Coast region. Rapper/actor/activist Mos Def is one of the hip-hop leaders supporting Katrina on the Ground, an alternative spring-break initiative to lend a hand to the lives and homes devastated in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Starting Sunday, students will make the trek to the Gulf's hardest-hit areas of Mobile, Alabama; Biloxi, Mississippi; and New Orleans to help rebuild communities and provide legal assistance and financial advice. While the deadline has passed for the weeklong outing that starts Sunday, there is still time to apply for the remaining three weeks in March. Check out KatrinaOnTheGround.com for more information. ...

Franz Ferdinand will issue a five-track "single" for "The Fallen" on March 27 in the U.K. — meaning staunch Franz fans in the U.S. will need to look for a copy in the imports section of their neighborhood record store. The single will feature the new tracks "Lauren Wells," "Brown Onions," "Jeremy Fraser" and the "Ruined by Justice" remix of "The Fallen." ... On the subject of overseas ventures, Staind will perform a series of live shows in Germany for U.S. military personnel returning from combat duty in the Persian Gulf. The first show is scheduled for Friday at the U.S. Army Garrison, Mannheim, followed by performances March 16 at the U.S. Army Garrison, Franconia; and March 17 at the U.S. Army Garrison, Baumholder. The band, on tour in Europe, will return to the States in mid-April for the Jägermeister Music Tour. ...

Depeche Mode's "Suffer Well" (from last year's Playing the Angel) has been translated into Simlish, the native language of virtual gaming community the Sims. The track can be heard on the "The Sims 2 Open for Business" game-expansion pack. ... Stereolab have launched a brief U.S. tour that'll keep them busy through the rest of this month. Hot Chip, Espers, and Sam Prekop and Archer Prewitt of the Sea and Cake will open various legs of the trek. The band performs in San Francisco Thursday (March 2), and dates run through March 29 in San Diego. ... Mogwai have kicked off a brief U.S. tour that hits Columbus, Ohio, Thursday. The jaunt will expire March 15 in Austin, Texas, where the band will perform as part of this year's South by Southwest music conference. ... Also hitting SxSW is Sia, who caused a smash with her song "Breathe Me" on the "Six Feet Under" season finale and soundtrack. The Aussie native will kick off a tour in Austin on March 18 in support of her recent album Colour the Small One, hitting Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago and New York through April. ... British rockers Gomez will play at SxSW as well, in anticipation of their next album, How We Operate. The band's three singers will also play acoustic shows in Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York to hype up the new, Gil Norton (Pixies, Foo Fighters)-produced record, which comes out May 2. ...

British rapper Mike Skinner, a.k.a. the Streets, has set an April 25 release date for his third album, The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living. The album has been described as an autobiographical account of Skinner's last few years. ... Rammstein already have three videos crafted for their new album Rosenrot, due March 28. While Jonas Akerlund (Blink-182, Madonna) directed the clip for the first single "Mann Gegen Mann," the band also banked footage for the video for the title track and for "Benzin" (which was recently remixed by Beastie Boy Ad-Rock). The video for "Rosenrot" promises to be disturbing, involving burning at the stake and authentic scourging and flagellation, sans stuntmen (not surprisingly, it's already been banned from daytime play in Germany). ... Alkaline Trio will kick off their Occult Roots of Alkaline Trio: Early Songs for Eerie People Tour on March 30 in Sparks, Nevada. The band's set list for the trek will include material from the Trio's entire catalog, with some tracks being performed acoustically. Dates run through April 15 in Sayreville, New Jersey. Against Me! have been tapped as the tour openers. ... Massive Attack's Collected, due April 4, will feature some previously unreleased material alongside the pioneering electronic-music group's best tunes. A greatest-hits DVD will also be included, with Jonathan Glazer's just-completed clip for new single "Live With Me" as a bonus.

03.01.2006

Could it be three albums in less than two years for Beck? He released both Guero and Guerolito in 2005 and is now finishing up yet another album, according to a spokesperson for him. The album was recorded in a week with Nigel Godrich before Guero, and is said to be the bridge between that album and Sea Change. There's no official release date for the currently untitled record. Meanwhile Beck continues to use his Web site to showcase new songs. Most recently he posted two covers from Nick Drake's Pink Moon: "Which Will" and "Parasite." ...

Common will be among the recipients of the Chicago chapter of the Recording Academy Honors Award, celebrating those who have "improved the environment for the creative community." Chaka Khan, Les Paul and the late Lou Rawls will also be honored at the gala, to be held March 23 at the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower. ... On Friday Saved Latin will perform at the Knitting Factory in New York. Why is this news? Well, because Saved are actually Fall Out Boy's super-secret pseudonym. The double-platinum pop-punkers had been promising a spate of secret shows for months now, and the Friday gig at the tiny Knitting Factory is the first. Tickets are long-gone (sorry) and fetching upward of 60 bucks a pop on various online bidding sites. As far as the name? Well, a spokesperson for the band's label, Island Records, claims it's taken from the film "Rushmore" (at one point, Jason Schwartzman's Max Fischer declares "I saved Latin, what did you ever do?"). ... Ciara's working on her second album, and according to producer Rodney Jerkins, she's trying some new things. "I told her, 'Let's push the envelope the way Janet Jackson did back in the day,' and she wasn't afraid to try," he said. ... Joe Simpson has big things planned in 2006 for his new Papa Joe Records. "We've got Barefoot, that's our first one," he said recently. "We've got a girl named Valeria, who's a beautiful Latina girl. We've got a guy named Chris James, who's Craig David-ish, he's got a great record he wrote, produced and did all himself. And then we've got a surprise coming. We won't let you know who it is yet, but you'll be familiar when you see it." ...

Garage rockers are starting a war — or at least a war of words. Underground garage rocker Billy Childish — who has released more than 50 records in his various bands (Pop Rivets, the Milkshakes, Thee Headcoats) — has called out the White Stripes in the latest issue of GQ magazine, saying of the Detroit duo: "I can't listen to that stuff. They don't have a good sound. ... Jack's half into the sound and music, but then he wants to be a pop star as well, so you've got a big problem." Jack White shot back on the band's Web site: "As for Billy Childish, Meg and I really feel sorry for you. It must be lonely sitting in all of that garage-rock bitterness, Billy." ... Pearl Jam have set a May 2 release date for their eighth studio album and first in four years. The self-titled release, produced by Adam Kasper, will be their first on J Records. The first single, "World Wide Suicide," will be made available as a free, unrestricted download on PearlJam.com for two days beginning March 8. ... While Scott Weiland has said he wants to make a concept album for Velvet Revolver's second release, bassist Duff McKagan was hesitant to confirm it. "I think a lot's been said, but when it comes down to it we have to make the best record all of us collectively, and separately, ever made," he said. "Now we know who each other are and who we are as a band. The first record was really just us coming together and being straight in the studio, but now it's gonna be deeper and bigger and all that. Concept record? I don't know, but it's gonna be killer." ...

Anthony Hamilton plans to return to his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, to shoot the video for his next single, "Ain't Nobody Worryin'." "Some people compare it to Marvin Gaye 'What's Going On,' " he said. "It talks about the political state of the world right now and the spiritual state of the world, and I think it's necessary. I like to just remind people like, 'Hey, don't forget to pray and don't forget to reach out and make sure somebody else is OK.' " ... Natasha Bedingfield is still promoting her 2004 record Unwritten in the States (the album came out here in 2005), but the New Zealand pop star is taking any free time to work on the follow-up. "I've been touring for the last six months in America and I'm kind of due just to write," she said recently. "It makes me the happiest girl in the world." ... Janet Jackson is expected to re-emerge sometime in 2006, and according to the co-producer of her new album, fans can expect the singer to return to her Control roots. "We're celebrating 20 years since the Control album, so it would be crazy not to at least acknowledge that a little bit," Jimmy Jam said. "So we're digging out all the old sounds that we haven't used in years and she sounds fantastic. It's a record for the hardcore Janet fans: It's very danceable, very upbeat, very happy." ... Russian-born, Bronx-bred singer/songwriter Regina Spektor will release her second major-label effort, Begin to Hope, June 13. Produced in New York with David Kahne (Tony Bennett, the Strokes), Hope is the follow-up to 2004's critically lauded Soviet Kitsch. ...

A second show has been added to Rufus Wainwright's upcoming stint at Carnegie Hall in New York, during which the crooner will perform the 1961 Judy Garland live album Judy at Carnegie Hall in its entirety. Fans now have a chance to hear Rufus sing "Over the Rainbow" on both June 14 and June 15. No word yet on whether Wainwright plans to re-enact Judy's banter with the audience, but judging from his previous charismatic live appearances, it'd probably be a safe bet. The online-only presale for both dates begins Thursday at CarnegieHall.org. ... Helmet have reunited with the producer of their first two albums, Wharton Tiers, to helm their next record, due in early summer before the band heads out on the Warped Tour. "Wharton was my only choice to co-produce this project with me," singer Page Hamilton said in a statement. "I want to get back to my roots with this release, and what's really cool is that we are actually using the same tape machine that we recorded our first two albums with." ... The Essential Judas Priest, a two-CD retrospective chronicling the career of Rob Halford's band of British heavy-metal heroes, will drop April 4. The collection ranges from 1976's Sad Wings of Destiny through 2005's reunion record, Angel of Retribution. Look for the discs to feature the Priest classics "Breaking the Law," "Hell Bent for Leather," "Ram It Down," "You've Got Another Thing Comin'," "Turbo Lover" and "The Ripper." ... Poison are celebrating their decades-long career with The Best of Poison: 20 Years of Rock, also out April 4. The collection features 18 of the most popular Poison specimens, including "Talk Dirty to Me," "Nothin' but a Good Time," "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," "Something to Believe In" and "Unskinny Bop." The LP will include one fresh cut: a cover of Grand Funk Railroad's "We're an American Band." ...

• Franz Ferdinand
• Depeche Mode
• Beck
• The White Stripes
• Mos Def

Eminem's <i>Curtain Call - The Hits</i>
Photo: Aftermath

Cleaning Out Their Closets: What Eminem is labeling his Curtain Call may or may not be, but it's sure to please retailers looking for an extra holiday-sales boost. "When I'm Gone," the less foreboding "Shake That" (featuring Nate Dogg) and "Fack" give some fresh flavor to the comp, while Em's "Stan" duet with Elton John from the 2001 Grammys crops up on an album for the first time. Also premiering on an Em record are "Dead Wrong RMX" (featuring Notorious B.I.G.) and "Renegade" (featuring Jay-Z), both featured on the deluxe edition's second CD, Stan's Mixtape. The disc has five more extras, including the unreleased "Sh-- on You" featuring D12.

Ja Rule's Exodus sounds as ominous as Curtain Call but appears to be a bit more obligatory. Ja has released an album a year since his 1999 debut, Venni Vetti Vecci, and he's keeping his USC-like streak intact with a 17-song anthology. But the only real treats are the newly recorded "Me" (produced by the exalted and exonerated Irv Gotti) and an intro and outro, as well as the "Murder Remix" of J. Lo's "Ain't It Funny," which had already been floating around as a B-side.

Ja's lack of new tuneage could explain why Def Jam and the Inc. are giving the rarities-laden Collectables by Ashanti a bigger push, even if Ja rears his lil' head on new blends of "Only U" and "Rain on Me." Ashanti also seems to be the only one going for titular accuracy: Collectables has a bunch of other remixes, plus four brand-new slices — Irv Gotti's production is slathered over all those, too — and some Tiffany-esque album artwork that might be worth putting in a time capsule for future kicks.

Tricks and Nicks: Lindsay Lohan's lived up to her promise on A Little More Personal (Raw) by directing the video for the brutally candid "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)," but how covers of Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me" and Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen" shed more light on Lindsay's own life remains to be seen. As does the meaning of the album cover, which pictures a topless Lindsay with an enigmatic red symbol painted across her back and a crucifix dangling over it. Maybe it's personal.

See You on the Other Disc: Like their ex-guitarist Brian "Head" Welch, Korn are also hoping to be born again — and rock the bejesus out of you in the process. The limited-edition run of their seventh record, See You on the Other Side, has loads of other-side action on the second disc, which has a couple of live videos, two mixes of "Twisted Transistor" and three more songs ("It's Me Again," "Eaten Up Inside" and "Last Legal Drug [Le Petit Mort]"). Both versions have artwork that'd even give Bunnicula the chills.

Livin' It Up: The White Stripes' cover of Tegan and Sara's "Walking With a Ghost" has been called "as crudely uptight as an investment banker carousing on the Lower East Side" in The Village Voice, but that probably won't stop fans from picking up the same-named EP, which is also saddled with four unreleased live tracks. Ray LaMontagne's got an EP of his own, Live From Bonnaroo 2005, a memento boasting an unreleased song ("Empty") and five more LaMontagne lamentations.

Franz Ferdinand, on the other hand, are refuting the less-is-more philosophy. "Live" may sport a succinct title, but the content is anything but: The two-DVD treasure chest brims with 45 concert clips from U.S. and Europe gigs, a tour doc, karaoke videos and, believe it or not, an actual kitchen sink. But they've got nothing on Tori Amos, whose beastly Original Bootlegs binds together the six double-disc "official bootlegs" (can we please do away with this oxymoron) in an embossed slipcase. "After years of paying top dollar for low-quality bootlegs, Tori Amos diehards now have an alternative," says her Web site. And there's even an alternative to the one that costs $67.98: bootlegging.

Ben Folds doesn't have 12 discs in his live package, but he does have 83 musicians lending him their skills. While Folds only has his piano to tinker with on "Live in Perth," songs like "Brick," "Zak and Sara" and "Steven's Last Night in Town" are supplemented with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. Eat that, Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony.

Sonic Youth take, to an extent, a more scaled-down approach with the next installment in their postmodernist SYR improv series, even if the music contained therein is anything but scaled down. SYR 6: Koncertas Stan Brakhage Prisiminimui contains nothing but the title track, although it speaks for itself: Recorded at an April 12, 2003, benefit gig held for the Anthology Film Archives, the instrumental recording correlates with avant-garde auteur Stan Brakhage's silent films.

Last but not least, John Legend — who's already issued two concert records despite having only one studio album to his name — also has a DVD, "Live at the House of Blues." Kanye and Snoop step onstage with Mr. Ordinary, and there's some backstage stuff on there too. Phew.

Song/Album Title of the Week:

"I'm N Luv (Wit a Stripper)" on T-Pain's Rappa Ternt Sanga

New Releases:

• Tori Amos - The Original Bootlegs (12-CD box set; Epic)
• Ashanti - Collectables by Ashanti (Def Jam)
  Read: "What's Ashanti Doing In A Cheap Hotel With Joey Buttafuoco?"
  Buy Now: Collectables by Ashanti (Def Jam)
• Bang Sugar Bang - Thwak Thwak Go Crazy (SOS)
• Chris Botti - To Love Again - Holiday Gift Pack (limited edition with bonus CD)
• Pier Bucci - Familia (Crosstown Rebels)
• Eddie Cane - Eddie Cane Presents (Thump)
• Carl Craig - Fabric 25 (Fabric)
• Eminem - Curtain Call - The Hits (two-CD deluxe edition also available; Aftermath)
  Read: "Slim Shady's Phattest, Brightest Compiled For Eminem Hits LP"
  Buy Now: Curtain Call - The Hits (Aftermath)
• Faun - Renaissance (Dancing Ferret)
• Michael Franti and Spearhead - Live in Sydney (DualDisc; Music Video Distributors)
• God Forbid - Out of Misery (EP; We Put Out)
• Ja Rule - Exodus (Def Jam)
  Buy Now: Exodus (Def Jam)
• Jackie-O Mother---er - Flags of the Sacred Harp (ATP)
• Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter II (Cash Money)
• Korn - See You on the Other Side (limited-edition version with bonus CD also available; Virgin)
  Read: "Korn Taking European Fans To Other Side ... Of The Atlantic"
  Buy Now: See You on the Other Side (Virgin)
• Ray LaMontagne - Live From Bonnaroo 2005 (limited-edition EP; Junket Boy)
• John Legend - Get Lifted/ "Live at the House of Blues" (CD with DVD; Columbia)
• Lindsay Lohan - A Little More Personal (Raw) (Casablanca)
  Read: "Lindsay Lohan Album Preview: It Really Is More Personal"(live; Casablanca)
  Buy Now: RA Little More Personal (Casablanca)
• Don Omar - Da Hitman Presents Reggaeton Latino (Machete Music)
• Patrick Phelan - Cost (Jagjaguwar)
• Robi Draco Rosa - Al Natural (DVD Audio; Sony International)
• Sonic Youth - SYR 6: Koncertas Stan Brakhage Prisiminimui (Smells Like)
• Styles P - Time Is Money (Ruff Ryders)
• Super Deluxe - Surrender! (Control Group)
• T-Pain - Rappa Ternt Sanga (enhanced version also available; Jive)
• Tender Forever - The Soft and the Hardcore (K)
• White Stripes - Walking With a Ghost (EP; V2)
  Buy Now: Walking With a Ghost (V2)
• Various artists - Our New Orleans: A Benefit Album for the Gulf Coast (Nonesuch)
• Various artists - "The Aristocrats" soundtrack (V2)
• Various artists - "Jarhead" soundtrack (Decca)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Alkaline Trio - Crimson - Deluxe Edition (with bonus disc; Vagrant)
  Read: "Alkaline Trio Make It A Double: Deluxe Crimson Coming Soon"
  Buy Now: Crimson (Vagrant)
• Kevin Ayers - The BBC Sessions: 1970-1976 (two CDs; Hux)
• Bee Gees - Love Songs (Polydor)
• Tony Conrad - Outside the Dream Syndicate (Table of Elements)
• The Hope Blister - Underarms & Sideways (two CDs; 4AD)
• Jazzanova - The Remixes 2002-2005 (Sonar Kollectiv)
• Ernie K-Doe and Chris Kenner - The R&B Kings of New Orleans: The Best of Ernie K-Doe and Chris Kenner (Fuel 2000)
• Bob Marley & the Wailers - Man to Man (four CDs; Jad)
• Alanis Morissette - The Collection (limited-edition digipak with DVD)
• New Order - Singles (two CDs; Rhino)
• Todd Terry - The Todd Terry Trilogy: Past, Present and Future (three CDs; Ink)
• Various artists - The Best of the R&B Kings of New Orleans (Fuel 2000)
• Various artists - Chicano Rappers (box set; Thump)
• Various artists - Dance Freak & Boogie (box set; Thump)
• Various artists - Doo Wop: Vocal Group Greats (three CDs; Shout! Factory)
• Various artists - "Rocky V" soundtrack (enhanced; Bungalo)

DVDs:

• Paul Anka - "Rock Swings: Live at the Montreal Jazz Festival" (Verve)
• Bauhaus - "Shadow of Light/ Archive" (Beggars Banquet)
• Harry Connick Jr. - "The Happy Elf" (Anchor Bay)
• Ben Folds and WASO - "Live in Perth" (Epic)
• Franz Ferdinand - "Live" (two DVDs; Epic)
• Jimbob - "Live From London" (Cherry Red)
• Kraftwerk - "Minimum-Maximum" (two DVDs; Astralwerks)
• John Legend - "Live at the House of Blues" (Columbia)
• John Lennon - "Imagine" (two-DVD deluxe edition; Warner Home Video)
• New York Dolls - "All Dolled Up" (Music Video Distributors)
• Newtown Neurotics - "The Long Goodbye" (live; Cherry Red)
• Snoop Dogg - "Boss 'N Up" (movie with bonus CD; Universal)
• Toyah - "Wild Essence: Live in the 21st Century" (Cherry Red)
• UFO - "Too Hot to Handle: The Story of UFO" (Music Video Distributors)
• Phil Upchurch - "In Concert" (Music Video Distributors)
• Various artists - "All Access Presents: The Remix, Volume 1" (Music Video Distributors)

Coming Attractions:

December 13:

• Beck - Guerolito (remix album; Interscope)
  Read: "Beastie Boys, Dust Brothers Get Their Hands On Beck's Guero"
  Buy Now: Guerolito (Interscope)
• Bo Bice - Real Thing (DualDisc also available; RCA)
  Read: "Bo Bice Working With Ben Moody, Members Of Nickelback, Bon Jovi, Skynyrd For LP"
  Buy Now: Real Thing (RCA)
• Daddy Yankee - Barrio Fino en Directo (with DVD; Interscope)
  Read: "Daddy Yankee Sticks To His Roots, Won't Lean On Snoop"

December 20:

• Notorious B.I.G. - Duets (Bad Boy)
  Read: "Biggie Duets LP Features Eminem, Snoop, Tupac, Nas, Ludacris"
  Buy Now: Duets (Bad Boy)
• Mary J. Blige - The Breakthrough (Geffen)
  Read: "Mary J. Blige's Breakthrough Is Coming Out This Year After All"
  Buy Now: Breakthrough (Geffen)
• Jamie Foxx - Unpredictable (DualDisc also available; J)
  Read: "Jamie Foxx Has 'Too Many Drinks,' Samples Charles On New LP"
  Buy Now: Unpredictable (J)

December 27:

• From Monument to Masses - Schools of Thought Contend (Dim Mak)
• Lil' Flip - I Need Mine (Columbia)
• Sevendust - Best of Sevendust (Chapter One: 1997-2004) (Columbia)

• Eminem
• Lindsay Lohan
• Korn
• Ashanti
• Ja Rule

Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba
Photo: MTV News

When Chicago punks Alkaline Trio hit the music scene in 1998, frontman Matt Skiba was belting out tunes about bloody heartbreaks and, uh, catching on fire. Now, seven years and six albums later, he's crooning about Charles Manson and murder conspiracies.

For Crimson, what Skiba considers their "most ambitious" record to date, Alkaline Trio took a detour from their usual introspective, heart-wrenching relationship tales and shifted the focus to deeper subject matter — like the true-to-life tales of Manson family member Sadie Mae Glitz ("Sadie") and the court case of the West Memphis Three ("Prevent This Tragedy").

And now, in a move that makes Crimson only more ambitious, on December 6 the group is re-releasing a two-disc deluxe version that includes the original album (which dropped in May) and a bonus CD of 10 never-before-heard demos and four acoustic versions of Crimson cuts. It will also come with the clips of the singles "Time to Waste" and "Mercy Me."

The reissue gives the band yet another chance to tell more people about the plight of the West Memphis Three (see "Rollins Raises Black Flag To Salute West Memphis Three"). Skiba became enthralled with the case after watching an HBO documentary on the situation, in which three teenagers were convicted of killing three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas, based in part on their alleged involvement in satanic cults and their affinity for heavy metal.

"The more I looked at the case, the more I realized that there was something terribly wrong and they probably had imprisoned the wrong people," said Skiba, a longtime member of the Church of Satan (see "Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba: 'Satanism's Fun' "). "It's pretty crazy in this day and age that witch hunts are still happening, and with us being partial to black and being Metallica fans, you know, it could have [happened to] any of us if we were there at the wrong place, the wrong time."

Crimson deluxe-edition bonus disc track listing, according to their record label:

• "Time to Waste" (Demo)
• "The Poison" (Demo)
• "Burn" (Demo)
• "Mercy Me" (Acoustic)
• "Dethbed" (Demo)
• "Settle for Satin" (Demo)
• "Sadie" (Acoustic)
• "Fall Victim" (Demo)
• "I Was a Prayer" (Acoustic)
• "Prevent This Tragedy" (Demo)
• "Back to Hell" (Demo)
• "Your Neck" (Demo)
• "Smoke" (Demo)
• "Time to Waste" (Acoustic)

• Alkaline Trio

My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way (file)
Photo: Digital Pyrotechnics/Getty Images

The past few months have been pretty sweet for My Chemical Romance. They've maintained an improbable reign atop the "TRL" countdown with their "Helena" video, scored four Video Music Award nominations for the clip, headlined the Warped Tour and seen sales of their Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge album surge past the 825,000 mark.

So what's left for them to do? How about launch their first-ever headlining tour.

As announced late last week, My Chemical Romance will embark on a 28-city marquee-topping tour this fall, with OGs (original goth-punks) the Alkaline Trio and jokey pop-punkers Reggie & the Full Effect as supporting acts. And while MCR's label, Reprise Records, was rather tight-lipped about additional details last week, the first batch of dates on the tour have bobbed to the surface.

The first confirmed date is September 15 at the PromoWest Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio, with an additional 15 dates confirmed thus far (the band is slated to begin a British tour on November 1).

And for MCR frontman Gerard Way, September 15 can't come fast enough. When MTV News caught up with him recently, he was literally bounding with excitement as he discussed his band's grandiose plans for its tour, details of which had only been hinted at in previous months (see "My Chemical Romance Reanimate Helena For Online Video Game") and in the "Helena" video itself (see "My Chemical Romance Aim For Smashing Pumpkins Status").

"We'd talked about bringing out dancers for our headlining tour in the fall, but it's a big undertaking; you have to have a bus full of dancers. We've always wanted to do a big theatrical tour. But you have to do it in steps," Way said. "You can't just spring it on people all at once. So we've been working on video content and lighting for the fall tour — just some stuff we've never had. And hopefully with our next U.S. tour — which might be for our next album — we'll have some real theatrical stuff."

OK, so you can't blame the band for taking baby steps: Going from battle-of-the-bands showcase at New Jersey's Starland Ballroom to arena-rock spectacle in just a few short years is kind of difficult. And besides, Way said, if you want stadium-ready tunes and theatrics, you'll just have to wait for My Chem's next album.

"We've got about eight songs written for the next record, and we love all of them. It's a reflection of the band maturing," he said. "The band knows what it does well, and it still does that, but we're taking a few risks. Some slower tempos, some heavier stuff. There's more of the arena-rock element that was hinted on with the last record."

My Chemical Romance's fall tour dates, according to Reprise:

• 9/15 - Columbus, OH @ PromoWest Pavilion
• 9/16 - Cleveland, OH @ Scene Pavilion
• 9/17 - Ypsilanti, MI @ Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center
• 9/18 - Chicago, IL @ University of Illinois at Chicago Pavillion
• 9/20 - St. Paul, MN @ Myth
• 9/21 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave/Eagles Club
• 9/22 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
• 9/23 - Grand Prairie, TX @ Nokia Live
• 9/24 - San Antonio, TX @ Sunset Station
• 9/25 - Houston, TX @ Reliant Arena at Reliant Park
• 9/27 - Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Amphitheatre
• 9/28 - San Diego, CA @ SOMA
• 9/29 - San Diego, CA @ SOMA
• 10/2 - San Jose, CA @ Event Center Arena
• 10/3 - Reno, NV @ Reno Hilton Amphitheatre
• 10/5 - Orem, UT @ McKay Events Center

• My Chemical Romance
• Alkaline Trio
• Reggie & The Full Effect

Alkaline Trio (file)
Photo: Vagrant Records

Matt Skiba, lead singer and guitarist for Chicago punk purists Alkaline Trio, feels that there are a lot of misconceptions out there regarding Satanism, and, as a longtime member of Anton LaVey's Church of Satan, can tell you that it's not all fire, brimstone and threats of eternal damnation.

Really, the faith's simply about theatrics, how to comport yourself when you're out and about (for instance, one of the church's Ten Commandment-like mandates forbids followers from bothering others in open territory, but "if someone bothers you, ask him to stop — if he does not stop, destroy him") and maintaining a cool, sinister image. And, doggonit, it's "really fun," Skiba explained.

But try telling that to some of the band's fans.

"We've had kids come to our shows and ask us why we hate Jesus," Skiba said. "It's like, 'Well, we don't hate Jesus at all. We just think religion is silly, and it's a really popular thing, but that doesn't mean we have to agree with it. Nothing against what people believe. If it gets you through your day, that's fine. I think for us — and for a lot of people in the Church of Satan — we definitely like ruffling people's feathers and poking fun at organized religion a little bit. Kids are sometimes bummed, but that's sort of the intention."

Some of the folks over at Pepperdine University's Christian college radio station have taken issue not only with Skiba and drummer Derek Grant's Satanist leanings (bassist Dan Adriano does not practice the religion) but also the original title for the band's newest disc — which hit stores this week.

"There was a time before we finished [Crimson] that we were going to call it Church and Destroy," Skiba explained. "Pepperdine University has a college radio station that I guess had played our stuff in the past, but they said that they would definitely not be playing our [next] record if we called it Church and Destroy. We were kind of half-kidding about the title because we just thought it was funny, and they were bummed out about it, which made us want to call it Church and Destroy that much more. But it just didn't really fit the record."

While Skiba says his and Grant's beliefs haven't shaped the band's sound at all over the last seven years, or the songs on Crimson, produced by Jerry Finn (Green Day, Blink-182), Satanism has certainly played a role in the group's gothic aesthetic — one Alkaline Trio co-opted from Brit-punk legends the Damned, and one that punk's current crop of eye-makeup-wearing acts, like AFI, Good Charlotte and My Chemical Romance, bit from the Trio.

"The Church of Satan was something, aesthetically, that we were always really fascinated with and wanted to emulate," he said. "I think it's a good look. I think we're pretty sharp dressers and, to see some of the more popular bands today maybe biting our style a little bit, at least it's good bands doing it. If anything, it's flattering and, in some ways, it makes our job a little more interesting. We have to kind of, I guess, reinvent our style a little bit. We've been wearing black and red clothes and eyeliner for years and there's maybe some bands that are just starting to do that. We just have to keep looking for new duds."

This fall, Alkaline Trio will be hitting the road in support of Crimson, the band's sixth album and its follow-up to 2003's Good Mourning, with My Chemical Romance; no word yet on dates, venues or potential city stops yet. First though, Alkaline Trio will head out in mid-June for a monthlong tour with support acts Rufio and Thieves Like Us (featuring members of F-Minus) on the first half of the run, and Rise Against and Death by Stereo on the latter half.

Skiba says the band is perhaps more satisfied with Crimson than any of its previous albums. The LP combines elements from Alkaline Trio's earliest work with some never-before-heard, experimental components. One of the tracks, "Sadie," was inspired by Manson family member Sadie Mae Glutz, while the case of the West Memphis Three served as the catalyst for "Prevent This Tragedy."

In the end, though, Skiba says there's no need to fear the Trio. In fact, he likens the Church of Satan, and how he became an active constituent, to punk music in general.

"My attraction to the Church of Satan ... is the same thing that initially attracted me to punk rock," he said. "It was something that wasn't very entirely popular, and it was sort of like the adversary to mainstream culture and beliefs."

• Alkaline Trio

While the new album opens by saying, "Everything's been said before/ There's nothing left to say anymore," Marilyn Manson manages to squeeze out 13 more songs on the sleazy The Golden Age of Grotesque. The first single, "mOBSCENE," utilizes the classic cheerleading lilt for what is usually "be aggressive, b-e aggressive," but Manson twists it for his purposes into "be obscene."

Also on the album are other smirking song titles like "Slutgarden," "Use Your Fist and Not Your Mouth" and "Doll-Dagga Buzz-Buzz Ziggety-Zag."

While Manson is busy in the Golden Age, Cold think it's the Year of the Spider. The album, more melodic than efforts past, finds Scooter Ward singing about being a loner, a loser, a winner in his own mind, a good one, a bad one and a sick one with a smile.

Alkaline Trio use their emo-punk to say Good Mourning while Third Eye Blind release their third album, Out of the Vein, whose primary function is emotional bloodletting. The lyrics on the record stay pretty intently focused on a relationship gone wrong. Note: "Pretty intently" means 12 out of 14 songs.

Out Tuesday, May 13:

• Affair - No Substitute (MTM)
• Matti Alfonzetti - Machine (MTM)
• Alkaline Trio - Good Mourning (Vagrant)
• Bill Anderson - Classics (Varese)
• Aria - Soldier Boy (Oh)
• Alex Bach - Miles to Go (Orchard)
• Beavershot - Beavershot (Raucous)
• Biloxi - Right the Music (MTM)
• Black Tape for a Blue Girl - With a Million Tear Stained Memories (Projekt)
• Blue Epic - Love and Hate (EP, TVT)
• Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies - Daddy of Western Swing (Proper Box)
• Chimaira - Impossibility of Reason (Roadrunner)
• Lucia Cifarelli - From the Land of Volcanos (Universal)
• George Clinton - Six Degrees of P-Funk: The Best of George Clinton (Sony)
• Cold - Year of the Spider (Interscope)
  Hear: The Leak: Cold - Year of the Spider
  Buy Now: Year of the Spider (Interscope)
• Rusty Cooley - Rusty Cooley (Lion Music)
• Paul Craver - Let the Music Play (Ripete)
• Deadbolt - Haight Street Hippie Massacre (Headhunter)
• Deadline - Back for More (Captain Oi!)
• Sir Bald Diddley & His Wigouts - Man With Two Left Hands (Raucous)
• The Duece Project - Stone Cold (Warner Bros.)
• Dying Fetus - Stop at Nothing (Relapse)
• Dysrhythmia - Pretest (Relapse)
• John Eddie - Who the Hell Is John Eddie? (Universal)
• Empire - Trading Souls (Lion Music)
• FBC - Born to Hustle (Shot Callin)
• Fiend - Can I Burn 2 (Fiend Entertainment)
• Eternal Flame - King of the King (MTM)
• The Forgotten/The Headaches - Split (People Like You)
• Frantic Flintstones - EP Collection (Raucous)
• Frolic - Beaten: The Black and Blue Album (Orchard)
• Hirsh Gardner - Wasteland for Broken Hearts (MTM)
• Dana Gillespie - Staying Power (Ace)
• Griffin - Turn the Light On (Orchard)
• The Guild League - Private Transport (Matinee)
• Cornell Hurd - Live at Jovita's: Don't Quit Your Night Job (Behemoth)
• Hybrid Freak Division - Non Conformative (Lion Music)
• Ignition - Ignition (MTM)
• Jadis - Fanatic (Inside Out Music)
• King Drapes - King Drapes Stomp (Raucous)
• Kuprij/Ferrigno/Leal - Promised Land (Lion Music)
• The Liberty Ship - Northern Angel (EP, Matinee)
• Love and Rockets - So Alive (Psychobaby)
• Marilyn Manson - The Golden Age of Grotesque (Interscope) Read: "Marilyn Manson Hits Below The Belt On Grotesque New LP"
  Buy Now: The Golden Age of Grotesque (Interscope)
• Marcel - You, Me and the Windshield (Universal)
• Lars Eric Mattsson - Power Games (Lion Music)
• Melodie Group - Updownaround (Matinee Recordings)
• The Meteors - Psychobilly (People Like You)
• Nasum - Helvete (Relapse)
• Ohm - Ohm (Lion Music)
• Franky Perez - Poor Man's Son (Atlantic)
• Jeff Potter & the Rhythm Agents - Rhythm Riot (Raucous)
• Reckless Kelly - Under the Table and Above the Sun (Sugar Hill)
• Ritual - Think Like a Mountain (Inside Out Music)
• Lee Rocker - Upright and Kickin' (Raucous)
• Ruthless - Ruthless 4 Life (Dirty South)
• Slur - Independence (Tarpit)
• T-Rock - Defcon, Vol. 1: Lyrical Warfare (Secret Service Ent.)
• Todd Snider - Near Truths and Hotel Rooms Live (Oh Boy)
• Street Talk - Restoration (MTM)
• Sweet Jimmie - I Still Got It (Orchard)
• Los Tahures - Mi Borrachera (Sony)
• Tennis - Laundromat (Sound Gizmo Audio)
• Third Eye Blind - Out of the Vein (Elektra)
  Buy Now: Out of the Vein (Elektra)
• 1349 Rykkinn - Brown Ring of Fury (Jester)
• Pat Travers - P.T. Power Trio (Blues Bureau)
• Deanna Varagona - All the Goodbyes Have Been Taken Hello (Gadfly)
• Joop Walters - Workshop (Lion Music)
• Weak - Weak (Orchard)
• Lizz Wright - Salt (Verve)
• Yo Gotti - Life (TVT)
• Various artists - 26 Tracks (Ninth World Music)
• Various artists - Hits of 1952 (Memoir)
• Various artists - Circuit Party, Vol. 8 (SPG)
• Various artists - Drew's Famous Big Country Hits (Turn Up The Music)
• Various artists - Old School Jams, Vol. 4 (SPG)
• Various artists - Lowrider Oldies, Vol. 7-9: Cruisin Chrome Series (Thump)
• Various artists - It'll Come to You: The Songs of John Hiatt (Vanguard)
• Various artists - Sk8erboy Rock, Vol. 1 and 2 (Critique)
• Various artists - Xtasy: The First Roll (KMJ)

May 20:

• Deftones - Deftones (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Deftones Almost Done With Deftones — For Real This Time"
  Buy Now: Deftones (Warner Bros.)
• Less Than Jake - Anthem (Warner Bros.)
  Buy Now: Anthem (Warner Bros.)
• Live - Birds of Pray (MCA)
• Staind - 14 Shades of Grey (Elektra)
  Read: "New Staind LP Marked By Grey Matters"
  Buy Now: 14 Shades of Grey (Elektra)
• The Thorns - The Thorns (Sony)

May 27:

• Lillix - Falling Uphill (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Lillix Pair Angelic Voices With Rock Sensibilities On Debut"
• Local H - No Fun (Thick)
• Vince Neil - Live One Night Only (Image)

June 3:

• Jewel - 0304 (Atlantic)
  Read: "Jewel Bites Into A Musical Pickle-And-Peanut Butter Sandwich"
  Buy Now: 0304 (Atlantic)
• Monica - All Eyez on Me (J)
  Read: "Monica Revises Leaked LP With Help From Missy Elliott"
• Sugar Ray - In Pursuit of Leisure (Atlantic)
  Read: "Babies, Marriage Somehow Lead Sugar Ray To Write A Club Song"
• Train - My Private Nation (Sony)

June 10:

• Duran Duran - Singles Box Set 1981-1985 (Capitol)
• Justin Guarini - TBD (RCA)
• Metallica - St. Anger (2 CDs, Elektra)
  Read: "Metallica Album Preview: Damage Inc. Is Back In Business"
  Buy Now: St. Anger (2 CDs, Elektra)
• Radiohead - Hail to the Thief (Capitol)
  Read: "New Radiohead Album, Hail To The Thief, Due In June"
• Luther Vandross - Dance With My Father (J)

June 17:

• Petey Pablo - Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry (Jive)

June 24:

• Gang Starr - The Ownerz (Virgin)

July 8:

• Beyoncé - Dangerously in Love (Sony)
• Triumph the Insult Comic Dog - TBD (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Eminem Enemy Triumph Previews LP; Beefs With Bow Wow, Benji"

July 15:

• Macy Gray - The Trouble With Being Myself (Sony)

• Marilyn Manson
• Cold
• Alkaline Trio
• Third Eye Blind
• Chimaira

Bouncing Souls
Photo: Richard Ballard

ASBURY PARK, New Jersey — Twelve hours, four stages and more than 40 bands marked the end of the three-day Skate and Surf Festival on Sunday. Held at the Asbury Park Convention Hall, the second installment of the now annual event featured performances from Bouncing Souls, Face to Face and the Descendents, among many others.

While the Warped Tour travels from town to town with many of skateboarding and BMX culture's best-known athletes and favorite artists, the stationary Skate and Surf tends to be more down-home, offering quarter-pipes and rails to anybody bold enough to show up with a bike or a board and a $10 registration pass. Booking more up-and-comers and locals than high-profile acts, S&S nonetheless did tap several Warped 2002 bands for the final day, including Allister, the Movielife and Alkaline Trio.

Topped with ska, thrash, emo, pop and hardcore, punk was the basic flavor of the day. In the Paramount Theater's "Surf Stage," Chicago emo-punk quartet Allister entertained with several cuts off their as-yet-unnamed upcoming release, time-filler special requests and a hopped-up rendition of the "Fraggle Rock" theme. Meanwhile, New Jersey's misplaced Cali-ish pop-punk-styled Dodgeball provided a soundtrack to BMX launches. Fellow Garden Staters Stick Figure Suicide braved the not-so-popular "Arcade Area" stage, where the common complaint was the acoustic quality, which tended to sacrifice much of the music's low end. "It's even worse with bad bands," complained 15-year-old Hillairy Brown of Morris County, New Jersey. "It resonates the horrible by at least ten times."

At the end of a four-hour skate session, the street course was cleared from the Main Stage floor to accommodate a fuller audience. The highlighted lineup began with thrashers From Autumn to Ashes, followed by the much-beloved mystery band of the day. Any newly-won fans looking for albums or information on the energetic albeit enigmatic Lords of Semen, however, will have trouble coming up with anything.

Though melodic power-pop song structures belied the image, mullet wigs, head bands, too-short jean shorts and armless T-shirts were among the elements that transformed New Brunswick, New Jersey, emo-punk outfit Midtown (who appeared as themselves on Saturday) into the rock posturing Lords. "You can never clap enough for the Lords of Semen," they self-solicited.

Socially conscious Orange County, California, quartet Thrice and Long Island, New York, hardcore five-piece the Movielife (both currently on tour with Midtown and Face to Face through May) followed with equally blistering half-hour sets before the aptly-named Alkaline Trio shifted the show into high gear with 40 minutes of power chords and lyrical confessionals.

Jersey's punk Bon Jovi, the Bouncing Souls (also slotted at 40 minutes) touched on all of their albums — from Good, Bad & the Argyle's "I Like Your Mom" to "Private Radio" on the band's latest, How I Spent My Summer Vacation, with such favorites as the soccer sing-a-long "Ole" and "Kate Is Great" mixed in. The boys conquered Cock Sparrer's "We're Coming Back" (with "our friend Dave" guesting on guitar and vocals) before opening the flood gates, inviting fans to join in on "Manthem." By the end of the finale, the band was completely lost onstage amid a sea of young, ecstatic faces, from which spilled the first "Oi! Oi! Oi!" all day (at least from what we witnessed).

In keeping with the crowd's cravings, Face to Face (narrowed down to a three-piece from the foursome they once were) followed with a similar approach as the Souls. Catering to the veteran fans, they squeezed in only a couple of new tunes (and a couple of plugs for the new album). "Even if you don't like us, stick around because one of the best punk bands ever is next, the legendary Descendents," singer/guitarist Trevor Keith said during the set. "Definitely my favorite punk rock band." Where Face to Face invited crowd participation — "Pretty good, pretty good ... for a bunch of five-year-olds," Keith taunted during "Pastel" — the ultimate act incited it.

Taking the stage five minutes after they were scheduled to be ending, the Descendents experienced some minor technical difficulties before beginning with their self-titled anthem. "Just because we've gone away ..." sang intermittent frontman/full-time biochemist Dr. Milo Aukerman, "We're not gonna let the music die/ Join us if you've got the energy." The crowd kept up perfectly with 25 songs in 50 minutes (including a brief pause for an encore). Fans sang along to the classics — "Clean Sheets," "Sour Grapes," "Get the Time" — and the newer stuff from Everything Sucks. Some surely started committing to memory the two brand-new tunes, "Blast Off" and another unnamed neophyte.

When the band returned for its encore, drummer Bill Stevenson strapped on the guitar while guitarist Stephen Egerton picked up the sticks for "Coolidge." "It's like rotating your tires to get more mileage out of them," Aukerman said as each returned to his more traditional position. "It's all on tape; we faked it," joked bassist Karl Alvarez.

The seats cleared early in the set, though an undiscouraged pack remained, raising fists in the air and dancing until the final notes of "I'm Not a Loser" subsided and Aukerman bid the crowd farewell with a quick "Thanks a lot guys. We'll see you next decade."

Read about all of the shows we've recently covered in Tour Reports.

• Descendents
• Bouncing Souls
• Alkaline Trio

Alkaline Trio
Photo: Vagrant Records

They are known as the Alkaline Trio, but the way the red-hot Chicago punk band goes through drummers, they could be called the Next in Line Trio.

Since founding member Glenn Porter left the group a little more than a year ago, the trio have had three different drummers, and they'll have a fourth by fall.

Porter was replaced by former Smoking Popes drummer Mike Felumlee, who left a year later to spend time with his family. Face to Face's Rob Kurth filled in temporarily for Alkaline Trio's breakthrough slot on Blink-182's spring club tour.

The group is now rehearsing with former Rocket From the Crypt drummer Atom, who will tour with the trio this summer before the Suicide Machines' Derek Grant takes over and follows them into the studio.

"We're in drummer limbo," singer/guitarist Matt Skiba said. "But we're making the best of a bad situation. We've gotten to play with some great drummers." Alkaline Trio, whose lineup also includes bassist/vocalist Dan Andriano, can't afford to let an abandoned member slow them down. Since the release of From Here to Infirmary in April, they have been expanding their fanbase at the same blistering pace as their two-minute pop songs.

First they went out with the world's biggest pop-punk hitmakers, Blink-182. Now they're building a hit of their own with the single and video "Stupid Kid." "Making your band your career just seems like a pipe dream when it's not happening, and when it does, it seems so surreal," Skiba said.

Alkaline Trio's tour with Blink-182 not only changed their popularity level, it also altered the label many are putting on them. Before, they were lumped in with emo bands; now they're being called pop punk, which is fine for Skiba, who "grew up on Green Day and the Ramones." "Blink's audience is not punk-rock kids at all," Skiba said. "It's like preppy frat boys and little girls and sh--. But it was interesting, and the people were nice to us." From Here to Infirmary was recorded earlier this year at Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minnesota — otherwise known as "the middle of nowhere," Skiba joked. The band's quarters were rumored to be haunted, which helped put a little extra spook — and humor — into the record.

"People were telling us that it was haunted by some Mafia dude's wife," Skiba said. "We heard the same story from totally different people. We were sleeping in the same room because we were so scared. Once we sort of got over it, we spent a lot of time scaring each other. It got kind of 'Blair Witch.'" Despite the studio's locale, Skiba and Andriano, both longtime Chicago residents, didn't forget where they came from. The album includes such Windy City references as "If a--holes could fly/ This place would be busier than O'Hare" ("You're Dead") and "I'm dying tomorrow/ This house, this street, Chicago" ("I'm Dying Tomorrow").

"I love Chicago," said Skiba, who recently moved to Los Angeles to "try something new." "My best friends live [in Chicago]. It's a pretty big part of my life." Alkaline Trio will play Chicago a few times during their upcoming tour schedule. First they'll play several dates on the Vagrant America tour, which kicked off July 5 and includes the Get Up Kids, Saves the Day, Dashboard Confessional, the Anniversary, Hot Rod Circuit, No Motiv, Reggie and the Full Effect, Ultimate Fakebook and Hey Mercedes on various dates. In August the group will headline the Plea for Peace/Take Action tour.

Alkaline Trio tour dates, according to the band's publicist:

• 7/22 - Detroit, MI @ St Andrews Hall
• 7/24 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
• 7/26 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
• 7/27 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
• 7/28 - Minneapolis, MN @ Quest Club
• 7/29 - Louisville, KY @ Krazyfest
• 7/31 - St. Louis, MO @ Mississippi Nights
• 8/1 - Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
• 8/23 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
• 8/24 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
• 8/26 - Latham, NY @ Club 797
• 8/27 - New York, NY @ Wetlands Preserve
• 8/28 - Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
• 8/29 - Buffalo, NY @ Sideshow Music Hall
• 8/30 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre
• 8/31 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Laga
• 9/1 - South Amboy, NJ @ Krome
• 9/2 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero
• 9/3 - Washington, D.C. @ Nation
• 9/5 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle

• Alkaline Trio

MTV.com LIVE: Alkaline Trio Photos 06.24.2005

• Alkaline Trio

MTV.com Exclusive: Alkaline Trio Photos 06.24.2005

• Alkaline Trio