Amy Winehouse
Photo: Getty Images/ Stuart Wilson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

08.20.07

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Van Halen 'Jump' Headfirst Into Reunion Tour

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

Fall Out Boy
Photo: Paul Hawthorne/ Getty Images

When Tim Burton's kinda-spooky, kinda-silly "The Nightmare Before Christmas" first lurked into theaters in October 1993, it was greeted with lavish critical praise and ... well, that's about it.

Though it would eventually go on to gross a respectable $50 million at the box office, the film struggled to connect with mainstream audiences and was regarded by execs at Disney as a bit of a flop — a grand, goth-lite experiment in stop-motion animation that failed to live up to commercial expectations.

But when the film was released the following year on VHS, something amazing happened: "Nightmare" became massive, spawning merchandise and a devoted cult following that included tons of goth kids, their younger siblings, basically every emo-punk band on the planet and a whole lot of decidedly un-emo acts too.

So when Disney announced earlier this year that it planned to bring "Nightmare" back to the big screen — it arrives in select theaters October 20 in a fancy, digital 3-D format — the logical decision was to reach out to some of those bands to supply music for the film.

As it turns out, a whole lot of them were more than happy to comply. Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, Marilyn Manson, Fiona Apple and She Wants Revenge will all appear on a special two-disc edition of the "Nightmare" soundtrack, contributing cover versions of songs featured in the film. The double-disc set will hit stores October 24.

"Disney approached our management about us doing a song," Fall Out bassist Pete Wentz told MTV News. "And we're obsessed with that film and Danny Elfman [who wrote the score]. And of course I've got my 'Nightmare' tattoos, so we were like, 'Yes!'

"The songs in the film are pretty much the best things ever," he continued. "They're Elfman at his prime. And our song 'Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner' [from 2005's From Under the Cork Tree] blatantly rips off a crescendo from one of them. They're absolutely amazing."

Fall Out Boy contribute a raucous version of "What's This?" (a song belted out in the film by protagonist Jack Skellington). Fellow Decaydancers Panic! at the Disco offer up an orchestrated version of "This Is Halloween" (sung by the citizens of Halloweentown in the film), as does Marilyn Manson. Fiona Apple covers the somber "Sally's Song," while She Wants Revenge do "Kidnap the Sandy Claws."

Also included on the second disc of the set are two demo versions of songs Elfman originally wrote for the film, "Making Christmas" and "Oogie Boogie's Song." Disc one presents Elfman's score — including 10 original songs — in its entirety.

For Panic frontman Brendon Urie, just the chance to be included alongside Elfman was reason enough to get on board. Well that and a little good-natured band rivalry of course.

"Everyone in Panic loves Danny Elfman, so it's a bonus to be included alongside him," Urie said. "And I spoke to [drummer Andy Hurley] from Fall Out Boy about it, and he said they were on it, so we wanted to get on there too. So many bands that we're friends with and bands we tour with are a part of it and such huge fans of the movie. We all watched it as kids and we all watch it now, so it's really cool to be a part of it."

• Fall Out Boy
• Panic at the Disco
• Marilyn Manson
• Fiona Apple
• She Wants Revenge

Nick Lachey in the May 4 issue of <I>Rolling Stone</I>
Photo: Albert Watson/Rolling Stone

Nick Lachey opens up about the dissolution of his marriage to Jessica Simpson in the next issue of Rolling Stone, on newsstands Friday. There's no easy explanation for the breakup, he says, adding that he doesn't blame "Newlyweds," the interference of his father-in-law, Joe Simpson, or even Jessica's alleged infidelities. "We just didn't work," Lachey said. "I don't know if we would have worked if we'd been soybean farmers in Iowa. ... I don't know if there were other men. But if she did cheat, it was the result of something bigger, not the reason we didn't work." Lachey said that he and Jessica never discussed the cheating allegations (he chose to trust her), but sometimes he wishes he'd caught her in the act, just so he'd know for sure. "That would be clear-cut. End of story." Lachey revealed that he tried to convince Jessica to try marriage counseling when she asked for a divorce, "But she didn't want to go." Lachey also said that he's opted not to pursue spousal support, though he legally reserved that right in February. ...

Twenty of the more than 100 original ringtones that will be available as Pepsi Cool Tones on Motorola phones this summer will be written and produced by Mariah Carey. "I had a lot of fun with this project," Carey said. "It was a great creative outlet because musically I could do things here that I would never think to do for one of my albums." Carey will also star in a Pepsi ad directed by Paul Hunter, due to air in May, and will kick off her summer tour in July with a Pepsi Smash concert at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Speaking of Carey commercials, Mariah is also selling the Escada dress she wore in her Intel Centrino Duo commercial. The auction, to benefit VH1's Save the Music Foundation, runs through May 3 at VH1Auctions.com. And Carey fans who want to benefit themselves can enter to win a specially designed — it's got butterflies — Intel Centrino laptop autographed by Mariah at intel.com/centrinoduo. ...

Want LL Cool J's body? The rapper/actor wants to show you how to get one just like it, via a fitness book he's planning to co-write with his trainer, Dave Honig. They've just inked a deal (along with writer Jeff O'Connell) to create "LL Cool J's Platinum Body," which will describe an accessible fitness program with four levels of increasing intensity. Rodale plans to publish the book in January 2007. ... Paris Hiltonhas just signed a deal to develop and market sunglasses, in addition to her other accessories ventures of watches, handbags, small leather goods, cosmetics and fragrances. Hilton has also expanded her watch line to be distributed throughout Europe (excluding Russia) and is working on a third fragrance as well. ... Fresh off her opening slot on the Coldplay tour, Fiona Apple is hitting the road for a headlining trek of her own. Kicking off June 20 in Phoenix, the 34-date tour will run throughout the summer, wrapping up August 10 in Cleveland. Openers will include Damien Rice and David Garza. In addition to the tour, Apple will play two May shows, in Florida and South Carolina, plus a July 26 performance as part of New York's Central Park Summerstage concert series. ...

Velvet Revolver's Scott Weiland and Duff McKagan will be taking a break from recording the band's second LP to act as guest judges on USA's "Nashville Star" Tuesday, according to the band's publicist. The episode will also feature a performance by Hank Williams Jr. ... (ONe), the forthcoming debut from former Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro's new band, the Panic Channel, will be in stores September 12. "If there was a channel that showed nothing but hysteria and panic, it would be the highest-rated channel on TV," Navarro said. "We like to think of creating music as a way to channel the panic into something tangible." The group also features drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Chris Chaney, both former Jane's members. On May 16, the day the band will launch its first-ever tour in San Diego, a two-song digital-only release will be made available, including the tracks "Why Cry" and "Tea House of the Spirits." ... California metallers Bad Acid Trip have been added to the second stage for this summer's Ozzfest. The band, which has toured with System of a Down, released their debut, Lynch the Weirdo, on System frontman Serj Tankian's Serjical Strike label in 2004; the album was produced by System guitarist Daron Malakian. This year's Ozzfest begins June 29 in Auburn, Washington, and will run through August 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida. System of a Down, Disturbed, and Hatebreed are among the bands lined up for the tour, which also includes Ozzy Osbourne for 10 dates. ...

Taking Back Sunday and Angels & Airwaves will hit the road together this summer on a North American tour. While details are sketchy, a spokesperson for TBS' label, Warner Bros., said the trek will kick off June 22 in Jackson, New Jersey, and that dance-minded rockers Head Automatica have been tapped to open. ... Seether will release a live acoustic album called One Cold Night on July 11. The collection, recorded at Philadelphia's Grape Street on February 22, will also include a DVD. Meanwhile, Seether just shot a video for "The Gift" in Oaxaca, Mexico, with director Meiert Avis. ... Alanis Morissette will reprise her role in the play "The Exonerated" for a week in London from May 23 to 28. Morissette first starred in the off-Broadway production in 2003 as Sunny Jacobs, a hippie who spent 16 years on death row after being framed for the murder of two policemen in the mid-1970s. ...

Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Peter Criss will be among the first inductees in the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, according to the official Kiss Web site. The museum will honor artists or groups that were either born in Long Island, New York, or resided there for a significant portion of their career. Billy Joel, the Ramones, Neil Diamond, Louie Armstrong, Twisted Sister and Tony Bennett will also be honored by the fledgling hall. In related news, Kiss have teamed up with Gemini Cosmetics, Inc. to develop a line of his-and-her Kiss fragrances that will hit stores in September. "Like Kiss, these fragrances make no apologies for embodying an attitude that is unrepentedly sexy, aggressive and incredibly unique," Stanley said in a press release. Simmons explained that the fragrances, the latest in an ever-growing line of Kiss-related products that even includes coffins, "have the smell of success for us ... and for all the men and women who will wear it. These fragrances hit all the right notes and will top the charts in no time."

04.18.2006

Michael Jackson had planned to release his forever-forthcoming Hurricane Katrina charity single on a fledgling label called Two Seas Records, which was set up by his benefactor, Bahraini Prince Abdulla Hamad Al Khalifa. But now the singer's signed to the label himself, promising to record a new album for release by next year, the label announced Tuesday (April 18). British music-industry exec Guy Holmes, who has been named CEO of the label, will also take on the role of Jackson's manager. "I am incredibly excited about my new venture," Jackson said in a statement, "and I am enjoying being back in the studio making music." ...

Jennifer Lopez is putting the finishing touches on her upcoming Spanish-language album, Como Ama Una Mujer (which translates to How a Woman Loves), but she's already brainstorming her next project, she revealed to Harper's Bazaar in the magazine's May cover story (Click to see Lopez's Harper's Bazaar photos.) The singer said her follow-up will be a ska-tinged pop album and spoke highly of former ska-pop queen Gwen Stefani. "Women who've started their own trends, who don't care what other people are thinking ... I admire Gwen Stefani's style and Madonna's. Those two have blazed their own trails." Meanwhile, Lopez has revised the dates for her upcoming international tour. She's nixed shows in Mumbai, India, and Istanbul, Turkey, and has added one in Sofia, Bulgaria, on May 2. ...

Ashley Parker Angel shows off his lack of cooking skills on Tuesday's episode of Diddy's weeklong series, "Celebrity Cooking Showdown." "I do not cook," Parker Angel said. "I'm the first one to say it. Coming into this thing, I knew how to make Eggo [waffles] and ice cubes, and that was like it." Competing with the likes of Tom Arnold, Patti LaBelle and Gabrielle Reese, the former O-Town singer said he had to overcome his fear of chopping off his fingers to please his partner chef, Wolfgang Puck. "Wolf was like, 'Faster, faster,' and I play guitar, I play piano, I need my fingers, you know?" If Parker Angel makes the cut, he'll compete again on Thursday for the final cook-off. The show airs at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, and the winner will be announced live on Friday. ...

Yellowcard will hit the road this summer for a string of festival and club dates. The tour kicks off in earnest May 7 at the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis, Tennessee, and makes stops at radio festivals in Boston, Providence and Columbia, Maryland, before hitting its stride with the first club gig June 1 at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona. The club tour is currently scheduled to run until the end of June, but more dates are expected to be announced shortly. Matchbook Romance and Hedley will join YC for the shows. ... After visiting an AIDS clinic in Masaka, Uganda, last week, Alicia Keys was in Durban, South Africa, Tuesday to visit more Keep a Child Alive-sponsored sites, including the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's Ithembalabantu ("people's hope" in Zulu) Healthcare Center. The clinic provides free medical care and antiretroviral treatment to thousands of children and families living with HIV/AIDS. Keys and the KCA group spent two hours visiting a few hundred patients, about 50 of whom were children. ...

Hoobastank and Korean R&B singer Se7en are scheduled to perform live at MTV Japan's Video Music Awards May 27. The event — which will take place at the National Yoyogi Stadium No. 1 Gymnasium — will also feature Japanese R&B singer AI, reggae duo Def Tech and Japanese pop icon Kumi Koda, as well as Rihanna for the red-carpet show. Andrew W.K. and Pamela Anderson join previously announced Asian celebrity presenters such as Anna Tsuchiya, Melody and Soul'd Out. ... "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" sure worked its magic on the box office — the fourth film in the franchise became the first digitally remastered 2D IMAX film to reach the milestone of grossing $20 million, Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX announced Tuesday. "Harry Potter" also set records for IMAX with the biggest three-day opening weekend and highest per-screen average. ...

The reunited Alice in Chains will perform at the 2006 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally August 11 in Sturgis, South Dakota, according to the event's Web site. Other artists lined up to perform include Kid Rock, Alice Cooper, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blue Öyster Cult. Alice in Chains will launch a brief U.S. club tour on May 18 in Los Angeles, with Comes With the Fall frontman William DuVall and other guest vocalists filling in for the late Layne Staley. No other dates have been revealed. ... Due to an undisclosed illness, Head Automatica have been forced to pull out of three of the dates on the band's current tour with Coheed and Cambria and Avenged Sevenfold. Head Automatica, whose frontman Daryl Palumbo battles Crohn's disease, missed a performance scheduled in Houston on Monday and will not appear at shows set for San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday and Grand Prairie, Texas, on Wednesday. Head Automatica's new album, Popaganda, hits stores June 6. ...

Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee has been suffering from tendonitis in recent weeks, impeding his ability to pound the kit. But it appears the injury hasn't impacted Tommy's skills behind the ones and twos, as he's lined up a number of DJ gigs. Lee will be manning the turntables at Boston's Avalon (April 29); Louisville, Kentucky's Atlas (May 6); Las Vegas' Ice (May 27); Atlantic City, New Jersey's Mixx (June 9); and Las Vegas' Hard Rock Hotel (July 17). ... Panic Channel, featuring former Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro and drummer Stephen Perkins, will head out on a 17-date club tour that kicks off May 16 in San Diego. Dates run through June 7 in Los Angeles. Navarro will also co-host the upcoming Erotica LA convention, set for June 23-25, with adult-film star Jenna Jameson. ... Melissa Etheridge announced on her Web site Tuesday that her partner, Tammy Lynn Michaels, is pregnant with twins. "We are thrilled to announce that Tammy is pregnant, and expecting our twins sometime around this fall," read the statement. "To answer the obvious question: We used an anonymous donor from a [sperm] bank." ...

Jimmy Tamborello, the electronic whiz kid behind the Postal Service, will release a solo album titled Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake under the moniker James Figurine. Due July 11, the 10-track disc will include vocal collaborations with Rilo Kiley and Postal Service associate Jenny Lewis, Kings of Convenience's Erlend Øye as well as designer/animator/poet Geoff McFetridge. ... Having toured the country — twice — and sung out loud and proud against President Bush on "The Tonight Show," Conor Oberst is now hard at work on a follow-up to the two Bright Eyes albums he released last year, Digital Ash in a Digital Urn and I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning. According to the band's label, Saddle Creek, Bright Eyes — now consisting of Oberst, Saddle Creek utilityman Mike Mogis and trumpet player Nate Walcott — are writing and recording a new album right now, and they've gotten help from singer/songwriter M. Ward and Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss. The still-untitled LP is tentatively due in spring 2007. Bright Eyes will take a break from recording beginning in June to play a handful of shows in Canada, plus an appearance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. ...

Vanessa Carlton performs on an upcoming episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," in which two grandparents raising three orphaned grandchildren in Philadelphia get a renovated home. The renovation takes place over the course of two back-to-back episodes airing April 30 beginning at 7 p.m. on ABC. Since the children's late mother suffered from breast cancer, Carlton's performance takes place at a breast cancer awareness fundraising concert. ... Patti LaBelle isn't someone you'd immediately associate with country music — nevertheless, the R&B singer is going to serve as a guest judge on "Nashville Star." "So much of country music's heritage comes from rhythm and blues," the show's executive producer Jeff Boggs said. "Her advice for our contestants will be invaluable." LaBelle will give the five remaining hopefuls helpful hints during episode six, which airs live Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on the USA network.

[This story was originally published at 12:58 pm E.T. on 04.19.2006]

• Nick Lachey
• Mariah Carey
• LL Cool J
• Velvet Revolver
• Fiona Apple

Fiona Apple and Zach Galifianakis in the "Not About Love" video
Photo: Epic

Fiona Apple's clip for the song "Not About Love" took one day to shoot, cost her only a few digital tapes and was never intended to be a proper music video.

It also hardly features Apple at all, focusing instead on the impassioned lip-syncing and bizarre interpretive dancing of bearded comedian Zach Galifianakis, perhaps best known (though probably not) for his short-lived 2002 talk show "Late World With Zach."

Despite all that — or perhaps because of it — the "Not About Love" clip has managed to become both an Internet sensation and a mainstay on mtvU, MTV's channel for college campuses. Ask anyone associated with the video, and they're just glad to hear someone is watching at all. When they made it back in October, the clip was only intended as filler for the DualDisc edition of Apple's Extraordinary Machine album (see "Fiona Apple's Long-Delayed LP Slotted For October 4 Release").

"When Zach and [director] Michael [Blieden] and I were making the video — we did it all at Zach's house in Venice [California] — I was telling them, 'My secret hope in doing this is that it actually won't just be on the DualDisc. I hope it actually gets turned into a proper music video,' " Apple laughed. "Which was sort of a weird goal because the whole thing is pretty low-key. Basically I'm with Zach the whole time and he's singing, and I just sit there trying not to laugh. And not succeeding."

"We just did the thing because we're all friends. I mean, I never really even learned the words to the song," Galifianakis said. "And all of a sudden I've gotten a bunch of e-mails from people telling me they've seen the video on TV and stuff like that, though I wouldn't be able to verify those claims because I don't even have cable."

Galifianakis and Apple had been friends for a while — both are regulars at Largo, the Los Angeles club that hosts a weekly performance by musician Jon Brion — though the idea for a collaboration between the two didn't materialize until Galifianakis gave Apple a tape of him lip-syncing. Suddenly it all clicked.

"I saw this video that he made where he's lip-syncing this Anita Baker song, and I thought it was the funniest thing. I would watch it every day because I thought it was a good way to start the day," Apple said. "So we had to do this DualDisc thing, and I asked him to do one of my songs. 'Not About Love' seemed like the best one to do, because it's has a lot of tempo changes in it and it's this sort of like schizo song."

The video's "performance" was taped in Galifianakis' bedroom under atypically laid-back conditions ("I think Fiona just, like, walked over to my house one afternoon" Galifianakis said), and then he and director Blieden hit the streets to record several dancing scenes, which run the gamut from strangely bad to just plain strange.

"We were just walking around the city, and I would put on my headphones and just dance in public. It was kind of hard work. I had to have my inhaler with me the whole time," Galifianakis said. "I can dance really well, really poorly. When I was a kid, me, my brother, sister and cousins would make up our own Earth, Wind and Fire videos, so a lot of my dance moves come from that."

And while Galifianakis isn't currently scheduled to re-enact the "Not About Love" video onstage with Apple during her opening slot on Coldplay's North American tour (see "Coldplay (And Their Fans) Unveil Dates For Next Tour Leg"), he said they've discussed it. In the meantime, he'd like to see if he could parlay this whole video thing into a paying career, though so far his only attempt to reach out to other artists failed miserably.

"I know a guy who is Alicia Keys' trainer, so I told him to invite her to one of my shows, to see what she thought," Galifianakis laughed. "So she came to watch me do standup and she absolutely hated it. We met afterward and she didn't want to look at me. So I think I can cross her off my list. But I'd like to keep trying to appear in videos, because I'm a complete whore."

• Fiona Apple

Death Cab For Cutie
Photo: Autumn de Wilde

It's been a pretty rocky three months for organizers of the New Pantheon Award ceremony.

When it was first announced back in November, the New Pantheon Award was trumpeted as a better version of the Shortlist Music Prize, the award created to spotlight albums that flew beneath the mainstream's radar. Pantheon organizer Tom Sarig said it would be "a platform and a way to shine a light on musicians who might not get the attention they deserve," though many failed to see the difference between it and the Shortlist (see "Linkin Park's Bennington, Shinoda Help Do The Honors For Shortlist's Successor"). Gregg Spotts, who founded the Shortlist with Sarig back in 2001, even went so far as to threaten his former colleague with legal action if the New Pantheon ceremony was to continue on as planned.

And now, less than two weeks before the first New Pantheon Award was supposed to be handed out — nominees include Death Cab for Cutie, Fiona Apple and the Kings of Leon (see "Death Cab, M.I.A., Fiona Among New Pantheon Finalists") — organizers have announced that the event has been rescheduled, moved from February 6 to an undetermined date in March.

"We've decided to reschedule the inaugural event for the New Pantheon Award to give us greater opportunity for reaching our goals of making the best show possible," Sarig said in a statement released to MTV News late Wednesday. "The New Pantheon was created as a forum to shine a light on and build audiences for the most creative albums of the year by emerging artists. Rescheduling to March 2006 will in effect allow us to achieve the vision we set out to accomplish."

No reason was given for the abrupt rescheduling, and Sarig was unavailable for further comment as he's out of the country. But a spokesperson for his management company, Esther Creative, said that the event was moved to March in order to accommodate the schedules of all the artists who wanted to be a part of the initial NP ceremony and concert.

The spokesperson went on to add that the rescheduling in no way means that the ceremony is in danger of being canceled altogether, saying that rumors of its demise are "completely incorrect" and that NP is still "completely on."

• Death Cab For Cutie
• Fiona Apple
• M.I.A.

Death Cab for Cutie
Photo: Appio

Though we won't know the winner of the inaugural New Pantheon award until next month, the list of nominated albums just got a whole lot, uh, shorter.

Organizers for the New Pantheon — a replacement for the on-hiatus Shortlist Music Prize, given to the year's most outstanding under-the-radar album (see "Linkin Park's Bennington, Shinoda Help Do The Honors For Shortlist's Successor") — gave MTV News an exclusive first look at the 10 albums that'll compete for the hardware.

Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine, M.I.A.'s Arular, Sufjan Stevens' Illinois, Antony and the Johnsons' I Am a Bird Now, Death Cab for Cutie's Plans, Bloc Party's Silent Alarm, the Kings of Leon's Aha Shake Heartbreak, Animal Collective's Feels, the Arcade Fire's Funeral and the Decemberists' Picaresque are the 10 finalists for the inaugural New Pantheon award, which will be handed out February 6 in Los Angeles.

That list was culled from an initial slate of more than 90 albums, submitted by the New Pantheon's panel of celebrity judges, which include Beck, ?uestlove of the Roots, country musician Keith Urban and actor Adam Brody ("The O.C.").

Back in November, Tom Sarig — one of the founders of the Shortlist Prize and the man behind the New Pantheon — stated that his goal was to honor "left of center" albums that the mainstream might have missed, and for the most part, it looks like he's succeeded. Only Apple's Machine and Death Cab's Plans could be considered "hit" albums. Antony and the Johnsons' Bird did take home the Mercury Prize — given to the most outstanding British or Irish act — in September.

To be eligible for the award, an album must not have been certified as gold (500,000 copies shipped) by the RIAA in the period of July 1, 2004, to October 30, 2005.

• Death Cab For Cutie
• M.I.A.
• Fiona Apple
• Bloc Party
• Kings Of Leon

Fiona Apple
Photo: Autumn de Wilde

Critics have thrown more than a few pejoratives at Fiona Apple. They've called her a brat, a drama queen, a recluse, a waif and numerous other comments. But it's not likely that any of them would accuse the singer of being lifeless.

Well, that's exactly what she is in the video for "O' Sailor," the first proper single from her latest album, Extraordinary Machine (the quickie live clip for "Parting Gift" was a teaser). In it, Apple plays a sullen ghost, morosely wandering the ocean liner Queen Mary.

The ambiguous, dreamlike video — filmed over two days in Long Beach, California, last month — was directed by Floria Sigismondi in her signature macabre style. The director recently helmed the White Stripes' "Blue Orchid" and has masterminded iconic clips for Marilyn Manson ("The Beautiful People"), Christina Aguilera, Interpol and others.

"It's a ghost story," Sigimondi said. "It's Fiona singing from a place where her lover has thrown her overboard and left her to sink, drown and die. She haunts this big, old ship."

As ghostly plumes of smoke envelope the ship's corridors, a pale and ghostly Apple — dressed in an elegant silk gown and looking like 1940s starlet Veronica Lake — listlessly meanders past the ship's crew. The presence of water is implied, but never actually shown. Sigismondi, who was specifically chosen by Apple to lens the clip, wanted the story to be nebulous.

"You don't know if the sailors are really there, or if she's there alone and they're memories that she's singing about," the director said. "She's sort of there in spirit. I got really attached to the line [in the chorus], 'Letting it go by the boards' — a phrase that sailors use for throwing something overboard that they don't need."

Eventually, the video segues into a surreal dance sequence (choreographed by Michael Rooney, who also designed the chorus-line dance moves for Apple's "Paper Bag" clip) where the sailors trap and hang Apple in a chandelier, from which she sings forlornly about her former lover.

While the clip isn't as creepy as some of Sigismondi's previous videos, it's certainly darker than any of Apple's. "It's not that spooky," Sigismondi said. "But her performance is really heartfelt. It's an emotional video, like the emotional song. It has a lot of wounded soul, and that's what I tried to convey."

Meanwhile, the long backstory behind the making of Extraordinary Machine — an early version of which leaked online before most of the songs were re-recorded — looks like it might have a happy ending.

Apple said she's asked Jon Brion, who produced the album's original sessions, to compile his version of the LP with an eye toward releasing it in the not-too-distant future (see "Fiona Apple's Long-Delayed LP Slotted For October 4 Release").

"Then Jon and I can go in and mix them the way we want," Apple said. "I really think it would be cool to compare [the two versions]."

According to both Apple and Brion, this version would be much different from the one that leaked online in February (see "Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Songs Leaked On The Radio"). "People assume they have a [completed] record when they don't," Brion told MTV News, noting that the leaked version was missing key instrumental tracks and contained unauthorized mixes and overdubs. He recently told WNYC-FM in New York that he believes his version of the album will be released next year, and a source noted that it's possible the album will be a digital-only release. Brion also may play some dates with Apple on her tour this fall (see "Fiona Apple Announces Extraordinary Tour Dates").

"I think that I actually got really lucky to have two versions of these songs," Apple said. "Nobody really gets to do that — not on purpose, anyway. And if somebody likes one or the other better, it doesn't make a difference to me, really. I think it gives them both more attention. I lucked out a little bit."

Check out "Fiona Apple: The People's Champ".

• Fiona Apple

Nickelback
Photo: Roadrunner

A cool wind wafted into American record stores from Canada last week in the form of Nickelback's fifth offering, All the Right Reasons, while a raging Twista, which first started swirling over Chicago, cut a path across the U.S. and left The Day After in its wake.

In the end, Nickelback's release had a bigger impact, debuting atop Billboard's albums chart with sales nearing 325,000 — the band's first #1 debut. Making the foursome's triumph even sweeter is the fact that All the Right Reasons also represents the band's best week-one sales showing; 2001's Silver Side Up debuted at #2 with 178,000 scans while 2003's The Long Road finished at #6 with more than 200,000 copies sold.

Twista tried to make it two #1's in a row with The Day After, which follows 2004's chart-topper Kamikaze. The Chicago rapper fell short of his goal, with After's sales clocked at under 129,000. His #2 finish hindered female country singer Sara Evans' run for Billboard glory; her newest offering, Real Fine Place, debuts at #3 with sales of nearly 126,000. The previous week's #1, Gretchen Wilson's All Jacked Up, falls three spots to #4, followed at #5 by Sheryl Crow's Wildflower, which netted second-week sales of 106,000. Kanye West's Late Registration hangs tough at #6 with over 94,000 copies soaring off shelves.

Fiona Apple's Mike Elizondo-produced second stab at Extraordinary Machine affirms the songstress' comeback, finishing its opening week at #7. The album sold close to 94,000 copies, besting Franz Ferdinand's latest by more than 10,000 scans; Apple's 1999 release, When the Pawn Hits ... debuted at #13 with 103,000 sold.

You Could Have It So Much Better, Franz Ferdinand's follow-up to their breakthrough self-titled debut, moved just over 81,000 copies during its initial week in stores to claim Billboard's #8 post. The Black Eyed Peas follow Franz at #9 with sales of 79,000 and change for Monkey Business while Faith Hill's Fireflies leaps 30 spots to #10, thanks to a 194 percent surge in retail interest that translated to week-10 scans of just under 79,000.

Trina's latest, Glamorest Life, came close, but couldn't quite score that top-10 cigar, debuting this week at #11 with 77,000 plus scans. Hers was one of several prominent discs to debut on the most recent Billboard chart. Melissa Etheridge's Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled opens at #14 with 66,000 in sales, while Shinedown's Us and Them takes #23 with 47,000 albums sold. O.A.R.'s newest, Stories of a Stranger, surfaces at #39 with sales of 28,000 and then some, and the Deftones' B-Sides & Rarities claims the #42 spot with nearly 27,000 scans. Liz Phair's latest, Somebody's Miracle, hits #46 with 24,000 in sales, while Dwele's Some Kinda ... opens at #54 (21,000), Atmosphere's You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having takes the chart's #66 (19,000) with My Morning Jacket's Z at #67 (18,000).

See "Fiona Apple: The People's Champ" for more on Extraordinary Machine.

• Nickelback
• Twista
• Fiona Apple
• Franz Ferdinand
• Trina

Fiona Apple
Photo: Karl Walter/Getty Images

Fiona Apple is cranking up her touring machine for the first time in five years. The singer will kick off a three-week tour on November 22 with a show in Portland, Oregon, in support of her third album, Extraordinary Machine.

The tour of major cities on the coasts and the Midwest will feature stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland, Boston and New York. The singer, famous for her conflicted take on love and life, isn't sure how she feels about hitting the road again. "I haven't even really been playing piano.  I guess it just hasn't even occurred to me that I miss it," she said in an interview just weeks before the album was released.

She predicted that playing live will be a "totally different experience" this time around, though, hopefully devoid of the kind of nerves that famously plagued her in the past. "This is all like a big science experiment for me just to see how am I going to handle it this time, how am I going to feel," she said. "I'm noticing a considerable amount of anxiety is not here. Although I'm remembering that a lot of this job revolves around anxiety, performance anxiety, all the time. I'm so nervous about not delivering and that's kind of a bitch, you know?"

The album, which was more than three years in the making, became the subject of heated debate among fans who demanded its release after Apple's label allegedly shelved it. Apple has said that she was the one who decided to can the album she recorded with longtime friend and collaborator Jon Brion in favor of a re-recorded version with Dr. Dre/ Eminem cohort Mike Elizondo. Though she has performed some promotional live dates with Brion and Elizondo, it has not yet been announced who will be in Apple's touring band.

Fiona Apple tour dates, according to a label spokesperson:

• 11/22 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
• 11/23 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
• 11/25 - San Francisco, CA @ SF Weekly Warfield
• 11/26 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern LG
• 11/28 - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
• 11/30 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
• 12/2 - Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
• 12/4 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
• 12/5 - Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
• 12/7 - Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
• 12/8 - Upper Darby, PA @ Tower Theatre
• 12/9 - Upper Darby PA @ Tower Theatre
• 12/11 - New York, NY @ Nokia Theatre Times Square

For more on Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine, check out the feature "Fiona Apple: The People's Champ"

• Fiona Apple

Franz Ferdinand's <i>You Can Have It So Much Better</i>
Photo: Sony

Yes, You Really Can Have It Better: Franz Ferdinand take us out for a second time with You Can Have It So Much Better, and while early birds who did the preorder thing were gifted with a bonus B-sides EP, the DualDisc has some treats of its own, including a 5.1 surround-sound version of the principal 13 tracks, plus studio and interview DVD footage. Tracks include: "Eleanor Put Your Boots On," "I'm Your Villain" and "Outsiders."

Smell Of Success?: Trina's putting plenty of promotional power into her new fragrance these days, but you've probably also gotten a whiff of her new album via the heavily rotated "Don't Trip" (featuring Lil' Wayne). The Diamond Princess already has a second single for the clunky titled Glamorest Life, "Here We Go" featuring Kelly Rowland, and she also teams with Trey Songz and Darren Philes on "Reach Out" and "Shake," respectively.

A Golden Opportunity: Twista is great at nabbing Grammy nominations, but he seems even more skilled at attracting Grammy (and Oscar, for that matter) winners. The MC hooks up with Mariah ("I'm a Winner"), Jamie Foxx ("So Lonely") and Pharrell ("Had to Call") on The Day After, not to mention high-shelf producers Timbaland, the Neptunes, David Banner and — surprise! — Scott Storch.

Right On: Chad Kroeger has proven himself to be one of Canada's more, uh, straightforward hard-rock songwriters ("Hero," "Someday," "How You Remind Me"), and fans of his conventional approach probably won't be disappointed by All the Right Reasons, the latest by his Nickelback. Tracks include: "Follow You Home," "Photograph" and "Animals." (One more thing: The band revisits the highway-themed artwork it used for 1996's Curb, but this time there's actually a car on the road.)

Pure And Not-So-Simple: The latest release by Simple Plan is anything but: The standard MTV Hard Rock Live has three live-video enhancements, but what's being dubbed the special "Mega-Fan" package is bundled with three acoustic bonus tracks ("Perfect," "Welcome to My Life," "Crazy"), a DVD of the entire concert in 5.1 surround sound, a 30-page color booklet and some secretive "special" merch items.

Best-Of Bonanza: Rack 'em up — The Best of Beta Band, The Best of C-Murder, Served Up Texas Style: The Best of the Smokin' Joe Kubek Band, The Best of Master P (reissue), The Best of Silkk the Shocker, The Best of Snoop Dogg, Tina Turner's All the Best: The Hits, The Best of Urban Knights and The Very Best of Jesse Colin Young. Oh, and that's not to mention Melissa Etheridge's Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled and Essential Harry Belafonte, Ravi Shankar and Frank Sinatra With the Tommy Dorsey Band comps.

Frontmen Frontin': The solo itch is especially strong this week, what with new opuses by American Music Club's Mark Eitzel (Candy Ass), Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson (Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull) and Depeche Mode's Andy Bell (Electric Blues). But there's another guy stepping away from his team, too, so to speak: Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, who makes an unlikely backup-singing appearance on Dream #29 by Grammy nominee (and Grease castmember) Cindy Bullens. Bullens, who used to sing for Elton John, also knuckles down with Captain Fantastic and Delbert McClinton.

Song Titles Of The Week: "Puke a Pitch Black Rainbow to the Sun" and "Oh Celebrate Your Vague Words and Coquettish Sovereighnty" (Boduf Songs' Boduf Songs).

Other Notables:

Broken Social Scene's Broken Social Scene Vs. Liz Phair's Somebody's Miracle: A few curious connections here. Both the Canadian ensemble and alt-rock queen take to the breeze with "Windsurfing Nation" and "Wind and the Mountain," respectively; for another, BSS' "Superconnected" and "Handjobs for the Holidays" sound, if only titularly, like classic Phair, while her "Stars and Planets" and "Lost Night" recall BSS' 2002 track "Stars and Sons" and 2001 record Feel Good Lost. BSS win on the extras, front, though: Limited versions of their new one come with a seven-track bonus EP.

Deftones' Rarities & B-Sides: Rhino is doing this odds-and-sods collection up right with 25 tracks spread over a CD and DVD, including Cure, Helmet and Jawbox covers. What might worry fans, though, is the fact that it's coming out on Rhino, a reissue label, and not Deftones' primary label, Warner cousin Maverick — could this be a hint?

My Morning Jacket's Z: The Louisville sluggers continue with their tradition of gorgeously decorated releases (this one features a vibrant pencil drawing of some aquamarine creatures), which is one reason to consider nabbing Badman Recording Co.'s simultaneous double-LP release; the other is that it has a bonus track, "Chills," which has appeared as a B-side in Europe and comes with Z's Japanese pressing.

New Releases:

• 1349 - Hellfire (Candlelight)
• Aiden - Nightmare Academy (enhanced; Victory)
• Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine (also available as DualDisc; Epic)
  Read: "Fiona Apple's Long-Delayed LP Slotted For October 4 Release"
  Buy Now: Extraordinary Machine (Epic)
• Arild Andersen Group - Electra (ECM)
• Ian Anderson - Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull (Benz-Street)
• Atmosphere - You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having (two CDs; Rhymesayers)
• Anita Baker - Christmas Fantasy (Blue Note)
• Andy Bell - Electric Blues (enhanced; Sanctuary)
• Clint Black - Drinkin' Songs & Other Logic (Equity Music Group)
• Black Label Society - Kings of Damnation: 98-04 (Spitfire)
• James Blunt - Back to Bedlam (Custard/Atlantic)
• Boduf Songs - Boduf Songs (Kranky)
• Ronnie Bowman - The Mountain (Koch)
• Jim Brickman - The Disney Songbook (enhanced; Walt Disney)
• Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene (Arts & Crafts)
  Read: "Broken Social Scene's Agenda: Two LPs, Touring, Hating On Audioslave"
  Buy Now: Broken Social Scene (Arts & Crafts)
• Alex Bugnon - Free (Narada)
• Cindy Bullens - Dream #29 (Letsplay)
• Chris Cagle - Anywhere but Here (Capitol Nashville)
• Chevreuil - Sport (Sickroom)
• Cream - Royal Albert Hall: London May 2-3-5-6 2005 (Reprise)
• Cross Canadian Ragweed - Garage (with limited-edition DVD; Universal South)
• Deadly Snakes - Porcella (In the Red)
• Deftones - Rarities & B-Sides (two CDs; Rhino)
  Buy Now: Rarities & B-Sides (Rhino)
• DJ Dan - Lift (Thrive)
• DOO - Cold Shower (Dreyfus)
• Will Downing - Soul Symphony (GRP)
• Dr. John - Live at Montreaux, 1995 (Eagle)
• Dwele - Some Kinda (Virgin)
• Ebony Eyez - 7 Day Cycle (Capitol)
• Linda Eder - By Myself: The Songs of Judy Garland (Angel)
• Mark Eitzel - Candy Ass (Cooking Vinyl)
• Sara Evans - Real Fine Place (RCA)
• Exodus - Shovel Headed Kill Machine (Nuclear Blast)
• The Fall - Fall Heads Roll (Narnack)
• Rosie Flores - Christmasville (Emergent)
• Flyleaf - Flyleaf (Octone)
• Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better (also available as DualDisc; Domino/Epic)
  Read: "Set A Man On Fire, Name Next LP — Franz Ferdinand Do Whatever They Want"
  Buy Now: You Could Have It So Much Better (Domino/Epic)
• Béla Fleck - Crossing the Tracks (Rounder)
• Kirk Franklin - Hero (Gospocentric)
• Paula Frazer - Leave the Sad Things Behind (Birdman)
• Ghostface Killah - 718: Stapleton to Somalia (Koch)
• Robert Glasper - Canvas (Blue Note)
• The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike (Columbia)
• Kevin Gordon - O Come Look at the Burning (Crowville Collective)
• Delia Gonzalez and Gavin Russom - The Days of Mars (DFA/Astralwerks)
• Sara Groves - Add to the Beauty (INO/Columbia)
• Eric Hansen - Across the Universe: A Beatles Journey (Narada)
• Reverend Horton Heat - We Three Kings: Christmas Favorites (Yep Roc)
• Marcos Hernandez - C About Me (TVT)
• Bruce Hornsby - Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz Radio Broadcast (Jazz Alliance)
• Hyatari - The Light Carriers (Earache)
• The (International) Noise Conspiracy - Armed Love (American)
  Read: "(International) Noise Conspiracy Prefer Armed Love To Hippie Love"
  Buy Now: Armed Love (American)
• Jemima James - Book Me Back in Your Dreams (Tomato)
• Jimmy Eat World - Stay on My Side Tonight (EP; Interscope)
• Anders Jormin - Xieyi (ECM)
• Journey - Generations (Sanctuary)
• Kiss Me Deadly - Misty Medley (Alien 8)
• Kenny Lattimore and Chanté Moore - Uncovered (Jive)
• Ladytron - Witching Hour (Rykodisc)
• Les Nubians - Les Nubians Presents Echos (Triloka)
• Let Go - Let Go (Militia Group)
• Lichens - The Psychic Nature of Being (Kranky)
• Little Feat - Barnstormin' Live: Volume Two (Hot Tomato)
• Living Things - Ahead of the Lions (Jive)
• Look What I Did - Minuteman for the Moment (Koch)
• Loose Cannon - Who Do U Think U R? (KGB)
• Steven Lynch - The Craig Machine (What Are)
• The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers (Capitol)
• Make Believe - Shock of Being (Flameshovel)
• Master P - Ghetto D (Priority)
• Metric - Live It Out (Last Gang)
  Read: "Metric Make It Through A Blue State To Live It Out"
  Buy Now: Live It Out (Last Gang)
• Mugison - Is This Monkey Music? (Ipecac)
• My Morning Jacket - Z (ATO/RCA)
  Buy Now: Z (ATO/RCA)
• Nickelback- All the Right Reasons (Roadrunner)
  Read: "Nickelback Go The John Mellencamp Route For New Video"
  Buy Now: All the Right Reasons (Roadrunner)
• O.A.R. - Stories of a Stranger (Lava)
• Sinéad O'Connor - Throw Down Your Arms (Sanctuary)
• Jeffrey Osborne - From the Soul (Koch)
• Paths of Possession - Promises in Blood (Metal Blade)
• Liz Phair - Somebody's Miracle (Capitol)
• PorkBelly Futures - Way Past Midnight (Wildflower)
• Randy & the Bloody Lovelies - Lift (Cheap Lullaby)
• Enrico Rava, Stefano Bollani and Paul Motian - TATI (ECM)
• Herlin Riley - Cream of the Crescent (Criss Cross)
• The Ripple Effect - Hybrids (Kindred Rhythm)
• Bobby Rush - Night Fishin' (Deep Rush Visuals)
• Sa-Ra - The Second Time Around (Sound in Color)
• Sean T - Ain't Playin (Sumday)
• Jake Shimabukuro - Dragon (Hitchhike)
• Shinedown - Us and Them (limited edition also available; Atlantic)
• Si*Sé - More Shine (Mob)
• Simple Plan - MTV Hard Rock Live (deluxe edition with DVD also available; Lava)
• Soulfly - Dark Ages (Roadrunner)
  Buy Now: MTV Hard Rock Live (Lava)
• Sound Tribe Sector 9 - Artifact Perspectives (System)
• Sponge - The Man (Idol)
• The Standard - Albatross (Yep Roc)
• Straylight Run - Prepare to Be Wrong (EP; Victory)
• Ticonderoga - The Heilig-Levine LP (54º40' or Fight!)
• Tokyo Rose - New American Saint (Sidecho)
• Tragedy Khadafi - Thug Matrix (Fastlife)
• Trina - Glamorest Life (Atlantic)
  Read: "Snoop Dogg Seduces, Lil' Wayne Spends On Trina's New LP"
  Buy Now: Glamorest Life (Atlantic)
• Tunnel Rats - Both Sides (Thump)
• Twista - The Day After (Atlantic)
  Read: "Twista To Reunite With Kanye And Jamie Foxx On Kamikaze Follow-Up"
  Buy Now: The Day After (Atlantic)
• Richard Vission - Automatic (two CDs; Thrive)
• Kirk Whalum - Performs the Babyface Songbook (Rendezvous)
• Why? - Elephant Eyelash (Anticon)
• Various artists - 2K6 Basketball: The Tracks (Decon)
• Various artists - 40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas (Peak)
• Various artists - Armageddon Over Wacken: Live 2004 (three CDs; Cleopatra)
• Various artists - Destination Lounge: New York City (two CDs; Revive the Soul)
• Various artists - Goth Electro: Tribute to Depeche Mode (Cleopatra)
• Various artists - I Believe to My Soul (Rhino)
• Various artists - Putumayo Presents: Celtic Crossroads (Putumayo World Music)
• Various artists - Queensbridge Project (Fastlife)
• Various artists - The Sound of Young New York & Toronto (Plant)
• Various artists - Show D.I.T.C. Presents: Street Talk (Lumberjack)
• Various artists - WOW Hits 2006 (enhanced; Chordant)
• Various artists - "Wipeout Pure" soundtrack (Distinctive)

Notable Reissues:

• Chuck Berry - The Definitive Collection (Universal)
• Harry Belafonte - The Essential (RCA)
• Beta Band - The Best of Beta Band (Astralwerks)
• Blood, Sweat & Tears - Blood, Sweat & Tears (limited-edition hybrid SACD; Mobile Fidelity)
• Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man (limited-edition hybrid SACD; Mobile Fidelity)
• C-Murder - The Best of C-Murder (Priority)
• C-Murder - The Tru Story: Continued (Koch)
• Digable Planets - Beyond the Spectrum: The Creamy Spy Chronicles (Blue Note)
• Melissa Etheridge - Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled (Island)
• Fates Warning - Still Life & Chasing Time (limited edition; three CDs; Metal Blade)
• The Human League - Crash (Astralwerks)
• Iron Maiden - Death on the Road (live; two CDs; Columbia)
• Smokin' Joe Kubek - Served Up Texas Style: The Best of the Smokin' Joe Kubek Band (Bullseye)
• Gerald LeVert - Voices (Rhino)
• Master P - The Best of Master P (Priority)
• Master P - Ghetto D (Priority)
• Master P - Ice Cream Man (Priority)
• Paris Combo - Living Room (DRG)
• Paris Combo - Paris Combo (DRG)
• Elvis Presley - Hitstory (BMG)
• Propaganda - A Secret Wish (ZTT)
• Screeching Weasel - Weasel Mania (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Ravi Shankar - The Essential (Private Music)
• Silkk the Shocker - The Best of Silkk the Shocker (Priority)
• Frank Sinatra - The Essential Frank Sinatra With the Tommy Dorsey Band (RCA)
• Snoop Dogg - The Best of Snoop Dogg (Priority)
• Talking Heads - Talking Heads Brick (eight-CD DualDisc box set; Rhino)
• Peter Tosh - Talking Revolution (two CDs; Pressure Sounds)
• Tina Turner - All the Best: The Hits (Capitol)
• Urban Knights - The Best of Urban Knights (Narada)
• The Edgar Winter Group - They Only Come Out at Night (limited-edition hybrid SACD; Mobile Fidelity)
• Jesse Colin Young - The Very Best of Jesse Colin Young (Artemis)
• Various artists - Air - LateNightTales (Another Late Night)

DVDs:

• America - Live (Eagle Vision)
• Ian Anderson - Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull (Benz-Street)
• Blondie - Live (collector's edition with bonus CD; Eagle Vision)
• Body Count - Cypress Hill's 6th Annual Smoke Out Presents: Body Count Featuring Ice-T (Eagle Vision)
• Cream - Royal Albert Hall: London May 2-3-5-6 2005 (Reprise)
• Cream - Farewell Concert: November 26th 1968, Royal Albert Hall (restored extended edition; Image)
• Dio - Evil or Divine (collector's edition with bonus CD; Eagle Vision)
• Dr. John - Live at Montreaux, 1995 (Red Distribution)
• Einstèrzende Neubauten - Liebeslieder (Navarre)
• Hall & Oates - Live (Eagle Vision)
• Happy Mondays - Live in Barcelona (Music Video Distributors)
• Ian Hunter and the Rant Band - Just Another Night: Live at the Astoria, London (Music Video Distributors)
• Iron Maiden - Death on the Road (live; two DVDs; Columbia)
• Jesus Jones - Live at the Marquee (Music Video Distributors)
• Jethro Tull - Nothing Is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (collector's edition with bonus CD; Eagle Vision)
• Murphy's Law - Up With Us ... Down With Them (Music Video Distributors)
• Ned's Atomic Dustbin - Shoot the Neds! In Concert (Music Video Distributors)
• Paths of Possession - Promises in Blood (Metal Blade)
• Pink Floyd - London 1966*1967 (Navarre)
• Pixies - Sell Out: 2004 Reunion Tour (Rhino)
• The Police - Synchronicity Concert (A&M/Universal)
• Scorpions - Moment of Glory: Berliner Philharmoniker Live (collector's edition with bonus CD; Eagle Vision)
• Cat Stevens - Majikat: Earth Tour 1976 (collector's edition with bonus CD; Eagle Vision)
• George Thorogood and the Destroyers - 30th Anniversary Tour: Live (collector's edition with bonus CD; Eagle Vision)
• Tupac - Live at the House of Blues (Death Row)
• Tina Turner - Live in Amsterdam/ One Last Time (collector's edition; two DVDs; Red Distribution)
• Twisted Sister - Live at Wacken: The Reunion (Eagle Rock)
• The Wonder Stuff - Construction for the Modern Vidiot (Music Video Distributors)
• Bobby Womack - Soul Seduction Supreme (Music Video Distributors)
• Various artists - "Extra: A Selection of Outstanding Electronic Music Videos (Navarre)

Coming Attractions:

October 11:

• Ricky Martin - Life (Columbia)
• Alicia Keys - Unplugged (J)
  Read: "Alicia Keys Taps Mos Def, Common For 'Inspired' 'Unplugged' "
  Buy Now: Unplugged (J)
• Story of the Year - In the Wake of Determination (Maverick)

October 18:

• Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel (Reprise)
• Ashlee Simpson - I Am Me (Geffen)
  Read: "Ashlee Remembers 'SNL' Incident But Forgets Boys On New LP"
  Buy Now: I Am Me (Geffen)
• Thrice - Vheissu (Island)
  Read: "Thrice Going Underground — In A Sense — For Enigmatic Vheissu"
  Buy Now: Vheissu (Island)

October 25:

• Chamillionaire - The Sound of Revenge (Universal)
• Destiny's Child - #1's (DualDisc; Columbia)
  Read: "Destiny's Child Look Back With #1's Before Going Their Separate Ways"
  Buy Now: #1's (Columbia)
• Fefe Dobson - Sunday Love (enhanced; Island)

• Franz Ferdinand
• Twista
• Trina
• Simple Plan
• Nickelback

Fiona Apple live at the Oakland Arena in Oakland, CA 1.31.2006

• Fiona Apple

MTV.com LIVE: Fiona Apple Photos 12.13.2005

• Fiona Apple

The 48th Annual Grammy Nominees

• Mariah Carey
• Kanye West
• John Legend
• 50 Cent
• Black Eyed Peas

Dave Grohl, Jack Black, Fiona Apple, More At Tenacious D Hurricane Katrina Benefit

• Jack Black
• Queens of the Stone Age
• Foo Fighters
• Eagles
• Fiona Apple

Classic Unplugged Photos

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