Max Records in "Where the Wild Things Are"
Photo: Warner Bros.

By now, you've probably watched, rewatched, embedded, Tweeted, re-Tweeted, status-updated and texted about the trailer for Spike Jonze's "Where the Wild Things Are." The sneak peek debuted Wednesday on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (!) and the Apple Movie Trailers site, then quickly made the rounds on every social-networking site known to mankind (and some that probably haven't even been invented yet).

For some, the mere appearance of the trailer was enough to send them into a tizzy. After all, the buzz surrounding Jonze's take on the Maurice Sendak children's classic has been, to use one word, troubling, with rumors of disastrous test screenings and reshoots. But what really stood out for others — and gave some the shivers — was the music in that trailer.

More specifically, the use of the Arcade Fire's rousing "Wake Up," from their 2004 album Funeral. For months, there have been rumors about the music that will be featured in "Wild Things," with some reports saying Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O created the film's soundtrack along with Deerhunter's Bradford Cox, something Cox would neither confirm nor deny when MTV News spoke to him last year.

Well, as it turns out, O's name is listed in the just-released "Wild Things" trailer, alongside musician Carter Burwell, who has scored all of Jonze's previous feature films as well as a little film you might have heard of called "Twilight." Under the "Music By" tag, Cox's name is nowhere to be seen.

But, more importantly, given that it's their song featured in the trailer, will the Arcade Fire's music also be featured in the film? Well, maybe. A spokesperson for the Fire told MTV News that he was reaching out to them for comment on "Wild Things" and their involvement with the film but had received no answer by press time. He did, however, confirm to MTV News that the version of "Wake Up" featured in the trailer was "a new version, re-recorded specifically for the film," so perhaps the band didn't just stop there.

But that's all just speculation at this point. Until we have some definite answers, why don't we all sit back and watch that trailer one more time.

• "Where The Wild Things Are"

• Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire's Win Butler
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

What do you do if your first film became an unlikely cult hit and your follow-up was eviscerated by critics and ignored by audiences? Well, you adapt a "Twilight Zone"-style story into a suspense-driven morality tale and enlist possibly the most well-respected indie rockers in the world to record the score.

At least that's the approach being taken by "Donnie Darko" and "Southland Tales" writer/director Richard Kelly, who recruited the Arcade Fire to record 80 minutes of original music for his upcoming feature, "The Box," staring Cameron Diaz and Frank Langella. In an exclusive interview, Kelly walked MTV News through the origins, outcome and motivations behind the collaboration.

From the start, the director had only one choice in mind to score the movie. "They're just, like, my favorite band, period," he said. "I saw the Neon Bible tour. I went to, like, four shows. And I just have always felt that their stuff was really cinematic." At the Hollywood Bowl show in September 2007, Kelly went backstage and handed a copy of the "Box" script to songwriter/vocalist Win Butler.

"He read it pretty quickly and gave me a call back to say that they were really intrigued," Kelly said. "He and [singer] Régine [Chassagne] were interested in potentially doing some music for it."

What was it about the script that convinced the band — which, at the time, was finishing off five years of constant touring and recording — to take on the project? Kelly believes the band responded in a personal way to certain themes in the story. "They're really political," he said. "And I think with 'The Box,' it's a morality tale, and it takes place in 1976, but conceptually, there's a real message to the film in terms of what it has to say about the nuclear family, and about greed, or about what everyone is willing to do to achieve a certain level of happiness in their life."

Kelly adapted the script from a '70s-era short story by "Twilight Zone" vet Richard Matheson. The film follows Diaz as one-half of a miserable suburban couple (James Marsden plays her husband) who are approached by a mysterious stranger (Langella) with a creepy proposition: press the button on this box and you'll receive $1 million, but someone on the planet will die as a consequence.

After Arcade Fire signed on, Kelly, Butler, Régine and violinist Owen Pallet, along with engineer Marcus Jobs (who'd worked on both of the band's albums) met up in a Toronto studio and, for the entirely live recordings, they assembled a full orchestra, including strings, brass and a Mellotron, as well Régine's vocal elements. "It was really amazing to see them work," Kelly said. "They're really dedicated artists."

The band's focus was on a Russian style of composition, explained Kelly, with "the strings being really raw and emotional. I think they were able to create a score that feels like it's from another era."

He added, "It's kind of like ['Psycho' composer] Bernard Hermann on acid, what they did. It's very lush, and kind of a very bombastic, emotional score — and kind of Hitchcock. It feels like a score from the 1970s."

Of his reluctance to discuss the collaboration until now, the director admitted, "It's like when there's something really cool happening, you get nervous." But now the film is completed and plans are being worked out to release the score as a separate soundtrack. "I put that in Win's court," Kelly explained, "because it's his music, and I just feel really blessed that they were willing to score the film, so it'll be out there. It'll be a big release, I'm sure."

Kelly can only hope for the same for the film itself. After the triumph of indie darling and Jake Gyllenhaal launching pad "Donnie Darko," the director frittered away much of his Hollywood cred with alternate-reality head-scratcher and box-office bomb "Southland Tales," staring The Rock. Both films, incidentally, had killer soundtracks. With "Box," Kelly has promised to deliver a commercially viable movie — with yet more kick-ass tunes — that maintains a genetic link with the trippy sci-fi suspense of "Darko."

"I'm really excited for people to hear what they've come up with," said Kelly of the Arcade Fire soundtrack. The same is undoubtedly true for his latest film, which hits theaters late in 2009.

Check out everything we've got on "The Box."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

• Arcade Fire

Bruce Springsteen
Photo: Paul Hawthorne/ Getty Images

On The Record: Long Live Happiness

Like most good ideas, this one was started over a case of beer.

I wasn't there, of course, but as far as I can tell, the story goes like this: On the night of November 2, in an apartment in Minneapolis, after a particularly rousing show by Bruce Springsteen — a show I rather inexplicably attended and wrote about in an edition of Bigger Than the Sound — and several bottles of Miller High Life, a group of friends unwittingly came up with a concept that could possibly change music forever.

As far as "concepts" go, it was a pretty simple one (in fact, even calling it a concept probably makes things sound more complicated than they need be), and the fact that no one has thought of it yet only sort of underscores just how screwed up the music industry is these days. But anyway, here it is, in its most basic terms: Starting right now, bands should write and play music that's aimed at positively everyone (or at least everyone who enjoys pumping their fists, shouting and partying hard). The goal of any piece of music should be to facilitate a sense of community, inasmuch as it should be awesome and make the listener want to hear it again, at very loud volumes, while surrounded by his or her friends (or even complete strangers) and should lead to gratuitous fist-pumping and shouting. In order to carry that communal vibe one step further, the performers of said music should consider themselves no better than those listening to it and, as such, should attempt to live the lifestyle they are singing/writing about (i.e. they should party or support unions or vote, etc.).

And really, that was about it. Having settled on the parameters, they then go about trying to name this new musical concept, and after much consternation (and more High Lifes), they decide to call it "Inclusion Rock." They then set out to name all the bands that play Inclusion Rock, and they come up with a list: first and foremost, Bruce Springsteen. The Arcade Fire. The Hold Steady. And, of course, their own band, the Plastic Constellations (there were probably others, but hey, everyone was too drunk to remember).

Now, as some of you know, I have spent much of this column's life talking about TPC (starting way back in May, when I rated them a 5.0 on the "Scale of Awesome"), particularly because I've always been a fan of their beery, cheery live sets and their criminally overlooked albums, which deal almost exclusively with topics like brotherhood, drinking in people's back yards and battling dragons. Little did I know, however, that they were also rock and roll philosophers of the highest degree. So when I spoke to them last week down in Austin, Texas, at South by Southwest — on the eve of their second-to-last show — I made sure to ask them about the idea of Inclusion Rock.

"Bruce Springsteen epitomizes what Inclusion Rock is — the idea that music is a force for community gathering and it's something that's intended to break down the wall between the listener and performer," TPC frontman Jeff Allen told me. "I was lucky enough to see Bruce Springsteen in St. Paul [Minnesota] a couple months ago, and it was the best show I've ever seen in my entire life. Hung out with some friends afterwards and we talked about what Bruce meant, and we decided that there was a kind of music called Inclusion Rock. You pump your fists a lot, but that's OK. It's OK to pump fists."

And, for a second, I think he's on to something. Perhaps Inclusion Rock can change everything. After all, the Boss, U2, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Thin Lizzy ... they all played wholly inclusive rock and roll. The idea of inclusion led a bunch of bored kids from Queens to pick up guitars (even though they didn't know how to play them) and start the Ramones. Hard-core and punk were formed on the ideals of inclusion. Even alt-rock, in its truest form, was about including those who weren't included anywhere else. And now, a whole new generation of acts will carry the inclusion mantle into the 21st century and bring music to the masses. Who, it would seem, doesn't want to be included?

Well, as it turns out, lots of people. Seems most Inclusion Rock artists don't sell tons of records (aside from maybe the Arcade Fire), and the average music fan would be hard-pressed to pick them out of a lineup. The Hold Steady are loved by plenty, but you'll never see them top the Billboard charts. Andrew W.K., who is all about inclusion (and partying) has pretty much given up music and moved on to motivational speaking. And TPC — whose latest (and last) album, We Appreciate You, might just be the most inclusive record ever written — never broke six figures in sales for their entire career. If these are our nation's foremost purveyors of Inclusion Rock, well, most people aren't buying what they're selling.

Instead, we seem to be drawn to artists who are all about exclusion. Beyoncé cautions listeners that they "aren't ready" for her jelly. Fergie scored a hit last year with a song ("Glamorous") in which she spends roughly 75 percent of the track singing about private jets and expensive jewelry, all while insisting she's just a regular girl who eats Taco Bell. Nickelback's "Rockstar" is all about wanting girls and drugs and access to the VIP room and features a video loaded with cameos by millionaires like Gene Simmons and Wayne Gretzky. And 50 Cent's entire catalog is focused on status, material possessions and the flaunting of both.

As a matter of fact, there's not a whole lot of inclusion to be found anywhere on the Billboard charts or the radio dial (or in the blogsosphere), and I'm not really sure why. Perhaps it's because we all hate ourselves or everyone around us, or that we all long to be told stories about the good life by those privileged enough to live it. Maybe it has something to do with the fractious ways in which we spend our days, interact with those around us and consume music. Perhaps we are afraid of our neighbors or of allowing our true selves to be seen. We're safer hiding, which means that the future will only be more and more exclusive.

But I'm hoping that's not the case. I think Inclusion Rock can win, if we're all willing to let it. So I'd encourage you all to go home tonight, open your windows and blast Bruce's Born to Run or the Ramones' debut or the Hold Steady's Boys and Girls in America or even the Plastic Constellations' We Appreciate You. And then head out into the street and hug a complete stranger. You might get punched. Or you might just spread the Inclusion Rock message. Or you might just get drunk and totally rock out for a while. Either way, we all win. Together.

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

Fall Out Boy aim for World Record with Antarctic show. I will be along with them for the ride. Seriously.

DMX claims to have no idea who Barack Obama is. Barack Obama breathes a sigh of relief.

Paramore aren't breaking up. Tell your younger sister to step back from the ledge.

Questions, concerns, Inclusion Rock acts I missed? Send 'em to me at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

• Bruce Springsteen
• The Plastic Constellations
• Arcade Fire

Amy Winehouse
Photo: Vince Bucci/ Getty Images

When it comes to Amy Winehouse, never believe what you read. Despite reports that she would be appearing at the Grammys on Sunday, the singer's publicist told MTV News a decision hasn't been made either way. And no, Amy hasn't left rehab yet, although she did depart the Capio Nightingale clinic, where she's been staying the last few weeks, to make a pre-scheduled meeting at the United States Embassy. According to her rep, the meeting was arranged so that the singer could discuss renewing her visa. ...

It sounds like Snoop Dogg may be welcome in England again. The rapper, who has been banned from the U.K. since a melee at London's Heathrow Airport in 2006, told Larry King on Friday that he's been given the green light to travel to the country again. After writing to the British government recently in a bid to get his ban overturned, the rapper told King, "I was wrongfully accused, and now I've been accepted back in. The judge overturned it. He looked at the evidence and looked at what I've been doing, just checked my character out and found me to be innocent, and now I'm able to go back out there. So, everybody in the U.K., big Snoop Dogg will be back to come give you all what you want." British authorities have not yet confirmed the rapper's claims. ...

Raymundo Ortega, the man who is suing Lindsay Lohan for her collision with his van in October 2005, has dropped his claim against the Ivy — the restaurant in West Hollywood, California, where Lohan had dined before the crash — according to TMZ.com. Ortega has alleged that Lohan, who was 19 years old at the time, drank alcohol at the Ivy before the crash, but the restaurant insisted Lohan did not. The next court date is reportedly set for March 21. ...

The Spice Girls' triumphant world reunion tour has hit a roadblock. The group announced on Friday that dates in Australia, China, South Africa and Argentina have been scrapped due to "family and personal commitments." The last stop of the tour is now going to be in Toronto on February 26. "Sadly the tour needs to come to an end by the end of February due to family and personal commitments for Emma, Geri, Mel B, Melanie C and Victoria," the group announced on its Web site, explaining that the rest of the dates were canceled "due to the phenomenal demand for tickets in the U.K. and the U.S., along with the touring logistics for such a massive production [that] it was not possible to fit everything in." And though there is rumored tension once again in Spice World, the note ends with the good news that "as the girls return to normal family life and the kids go back to school, they are reviewing all the options, who knows what the future might bring!" ...

Muse will release a live DVD/CD on March 17 in the U.K., although it's yet unclear if the set will see a U.S. release. H.A.A.R.P. - Muse Live at Wembley Stadium shows the band onstage performing tracks like "Knights of Cydonia," "Hysteria," "Butterflies and Hurricanes" and "Starlight" during a two-night stretch at the venue last summer. ... P.O.D. founding guitarist Marcos Curiel — who split from the band in 2003 — is back in the fold, and the group has signed a new deal with INO/Columbia that includes its new LP, When Angels and Serpents Dance. "Things are exciting again," singer Sonny Sandoval said in a statement. "When the four of us are in a room making music it's definitely right, and Marcos brings that passion for music into the band." Helmet's Paige Hamilton, Suicidal Tendencies' Mike Muir, the Marley Sisters — and a gospel choir! — crop up on the April 8 release, the first single of which is "Addicted." ...

The Arcade Fire are considering suing Fox after one of their songs was used in a Super Bowl ad, allegedly without the group's permission, according to Pitchfork. The ad, which promoted Fox's NFL coverage and also appeared on the network during the regular football season, features the group's song "No Cars Go." It's reportedly unclear if Fox asked the Arcade Fire for permission to use the song, if the network owes the band any money, or if the move was illegal. ... Iron and Wine will tour the U.S. with Califone throughout April. The gigs start April 9 in New Orleans and end April 20 in Louisville, Kentucky. ... Grizzly Bear are hitting the big time. The New York indie-rockers will give their biggest performance yet with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the city's Walt Disney Music Hall on March 1. Following that, the Grizzlys will hook up with Paul Simon for a three-part series at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The veteran singer/songwriter handpicked the group for "Love in Hard Times: The Music of Paul Simon," which will take place April 23-27. ...

The green dress Keira Knightley wears during key romantic scenes with James McAvoy in "Atonement," which is up for seven Academy Awards, is being auctioned for charity on ClothesOffOurBack.org. Bidding was at $3,000 as of press time, and the auction will end March 1. Proceeds will go to Southern California children's charity Variety. ... Incubus' Make Yourself Foundation has ponied up $10,000 for Denver environmental-advocacy organization Rock the Earth — the largest single donation the group has ever received. RTE is aiming to boost its education, advocacy and outreach at concerts and other events by 50 percent within the next year. "One person working diligently alone can do wonders, but many people working harmoniously together can accomplish worlds," frontman Brandon Boyd said in a statement. ...

A TV station and a cameraman who had been accused of getting in the way of people as they fled Warwick, Rhode Island's Station night club during a 2003 fire that killed 100 people have reached a tentative $30 million settlement with survivors and victims' relatives, according to The Associated Press. It's believed to be the largest settlement of several reached so far with the dozens of people and companies who've sued over the blaze, which began when pyrotechnics used by the night's main attraction, Great White, ignited highly flammable soundproofing foam around the stage. Last month, Station co-owner Michael Derderian was granted early release from prison by a state parole board. He is set to be freed from prison in October 2009. ...

There's lots of news on the Vines front. Singer Craig Nicholls has been diagnosed and treated for Asperger syndrome — a developmental disorder that specialists say might be responsible for some of his bizarre episodes in the past — and now the group is hammering away at a new album produced by Rob Schnapf (Foo Fighters, Beck). The Aussies have lined up three dates to hype the release, which is due in the spring: They will play March 14 at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas; March 17 at New York's Bowery Ballroom; and two days later at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California. But while the band is focused on the future, Capitol/EMI will take a look back on March 11 with The Best of the Vines, which culls tracks from the group's first three studio efforts. ...

Black Light Burns, the band featuring ex-Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland, are planning to release an album's worth of covers. According to a MySpace post from Borland, the band recorded several covers late last year, and "when we finished, we realized that it's super-fun and that we like a lot of songs, so we started to record more." The yet-untitled record will include the band's takes on PJ Harvey's "Rid of Me," the Jesus Lizard's "The Art of Self-Defense" and INXS' "Devil Inside." ... The recently reunited Mighty Mighty Bosstones have been added to the lineup for this year's Bamboozle festival. They'll share the stage with the likes of Paramore, Gym Class Heroes, and the Academy Is ... at the fest, which will take place May 3-4 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. ... Seven Mary Three, the band that hit it big in 1996 with its song "Cumbersome," are back and will release their sixth album, Day&NightDriving, on February 19.

2.2.08

"American Idol" runner-up Katharine McPhee married actor Nick Cokas on Saturday in Beverly Hills, California, according to People.com. "[Nick] is the love of my life," McPhee told the site. "This is a once in a lifetime occasion and everything is just perfect." Fellow season-five "Idol" contestants Kellie Pickler and Mandisa were among the 305 guests in attendance, the site reported. McPhee and Cokas met in 2005 when they performed in a Los Angeles theater production of "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir." ...

Jay-Z will headline June's Glastonbury Festival in the U.K., BBC News reports. Jigga wanted to "break with tradition this time and put on something totally different" for the three-day shindig, organizer Michael Eavis reportedly said. The rest of the roster is yet unrevealed, save for Neil Diamond, who will play the closing night, June 29. ...

R. Kelly is being sued by a Nevada concert promoter who says the R&B star failed to show up for a performance in Minneapolis for which he was paid $120,000, according to TMZ.com. Kelly reportedly missed the gig so that he could appear in a Chicago court for a hearing. A suit filed in Atlanta District Court this week by Royalty Records reportedly claims Kelly agreed to perform December 6 with Ne-Yo and Keyshia Cole, but then rescheduled the show for December 20, the day he was set to appear in court. The promoters are seeking the return of the payment, TMZ.com says. ...

Amy Winehouse spent Wednesday night in a hospital ward after being rushed there from a rehab facility to be treated for dehydration. BBC News reports that the singer was put on an IV drip to rehydrate her after a bout of vomiting connected to her treatment for drug addiction. Her father, Mitch, said "everything is going according to plan, and she's perfectly OK," confirming that she has since been moved back to the rehab facility. He also reportedly told the Daily Mirror that he's not sure she's well enough yet to attend next week's Grammys, where she's up for six awards. ...

Madonna has pegged April 29 as the release date for her yet-untitled album, her rep confirmed to MTV News. ... Janet Jackson debuted her new single, "Rock With You," Friday (February 1) on Z100.com. The song is featured on the singer's new album, Discipline, which is due February 26. ... Michael Jackson's 25th anniversary Thriller celebration just got a bit more thrilling. Chris Brown, Akon, Nick Cannon, Quincy Jones, Imogen Heap, DJ Spooky, Will.I.Am and others have shared their thoughts about the iconic album for a related 40-episode podcast series that will run throughout the year. Grab the Thrillercast widget right here. ...

While Britney Spears is undergoing a mental-health evaluation at a Los Angeles hospital, one of Britain's leading modern-dance troupes, the Rambert Dance Company, will perform a piece called "Meltdown," described as a choreographic interpretation of the singer's recent problems. Agence France-Presse reported that the performance at the Southbank Center in London on Friday will feature music from Richard Thomas, who masterminded the tunes in "Jerry Springer: The Opera." An excerpt of the piece shown on BBC News featured a Spears character dancing in a skimpy pink top, black vinyl hot pants and a pink cowboy hat while being harassed by photographers dressed in black. She is later carried away by dancers dressed as doctors in white coats. ... Britney has some company in the psych ward, as various outlets are reporting that actor Justin Chambers, who plays Dr. Alex Karev on "Grey's Anatomy," checked himself into the same hospital as the singer to deal with exhaustion and a sleeping disorder on Monday. ...

There's some big Metallica news on the horizon, according to MetClub, their fan organization. The band, which will spend much of the summer touring Europe, is expected to reveal the dates for a North American trek next week. We'll keep you posted. ... The Roots recently got together with TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone and Tunde Adebimpe to record a new song for the soundtrack to a Danny Glover-produced documentary on the civil-rights movement. Anthony Hamilton, the Blind Boys of Alabama and others also lent their skills to the musical accompaniment to "Soundtrack for a Revolution." ...

The Beatles might not be around anymore, but they're going into outer space thanks to a new NASA effort, The Associated Press reports. The space agency will broadcast the group's song "Across the Universe" across the galaxy to the North Star on Monday. NASA's first-ever beaming of a radio tune into deep space marks the 40th anniversary of the song and the 50th anniversary of the space agency. "Send my love to the aliens," Paul McCartney reportedly said in response to the event. ... "Law & Order" stay Jesse L. Martin will play Marvin Gaye in the upcoming biopic "Sexual Healing," according to Playbill.com. ...

Justin Timberlake, Madonna and others have some blockbuster Super Bowl ads in store for Sunday, but Eels are taking a slightly different approach. The experimental group is in talks to bring the shortest-ever Super Bowl ad to the airwaves — a one-second spot hyping its recently released collection Useless Trinkets (B-sides, Soundtracks, Rarities and Unreleased. Eels made a five-second spot for the set but are trimming it down to just one second for the prospective Super Bowl TV spot. ...

Eva Mendes is in rehab for a substance-abuse problem, according to TMZ.com. The "We Own the Night" actress has reportedly been at the Cirque Lodge in Utah, where Lindsay Lohan was treated last year, for several weeks. According to FoxNews.com, Mendes' rep said, "Eva has been working hard for the past year and made a positive decision to take some much-needed time off to proactively attend to some personal issues that, while not critical, she felt deserved some outside professional support." ...

Wesley Snipes was acquitted of tax fraud but was convicted on three misdemeanor counts of failing to file a tax return in a Florida court on Friday, according to AP. Snipes had faced up to 16 years in prison if convicted on all charges but can now only get up to three years. The "Blade" star and two co-defendants had been indicted in 2006 after Snipes stopped paying, using tax-protest arguments long rejected by the courts. ...

With a song called "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" on fellow "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson's new album under her belt, Paula Abdul has announced on her Web site that she's prepping a solo album for this summer. It would be her first album of new material in 13 years. She also promises that she and Randy will give fans a "surprise" during the Super Bowl on Sunday. ... Tom Petty may be playing halftime, but "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks will kick off the Super Bowl by performing the national anthem. Even before Sparks takes center stage, Alicia Keys will perform as part of the pregame show. ...

Fearless Records have assembled a compilation featuring punk bands' takes on crunk classics. Punk Goes Crunk is set to hit stores April 8 and will feature covers by All Time Low, the Devil Wears Prada, Hot Rod Circuit, New Found Glory and Say Anything, among others. ... Remember Lit, that guys with the music video in which they're climbing across Pamela Anderson like she's the Himalayas? Well, the "Miserable" band is back in writing mode, according to its Web site. "Lit is currently writing together, and I hope that there will be more news to give you this year," a post on the site claims. The band's last album, which was self-titled, hit stores back in 2004.

• Amy Winehouse
• Snoop Dogg
• Spice Girls
• P.O.D.
• Arcade Fire

Jordin Sparks performs the national anthem during the Super Bowl XLII pregame show.
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images

For years now, the NFL has been bedazzling the Super Bowl with busloads of Hollywood stars and singers in an attempt to distract viewers from the fact that the game is usually a snooze-worthy blowout. But thanks to the New York Giants' historic last-minute victory Sunday night over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots, as well as an arena-rock-worthy halftime show from American icon Tom Petty, the people behind the big game finally got the mix of music and smash mouth right. (Except for the moments when it got things so, so wrong, which were also kind of great.) And so, we give you the first Super Bowl Musical Monday Morning Quarterback Report. (Also check out our take on Super Bowl movie ads — are you pumped for the next potential blockbusters?)

The Big Winners

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Classic rock has become the new standard at the big show, thanks to recent gigs by the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and last year's guitar-stroking extravaganza from Prince. And despite the suggestive beating-heart-pierced-by-Flying-V-guitar opening, laid-back Petty played his four-song halftime gig as if he were just strolling in for another night of work by the world's best bar band. No corny medleys, no hokey gimmicks, just unforgettable anthems that, frankly, by the end of the night couldn't have been more apt for both teams: "I Won't Back Down" (Giants), "Free Fallin' " (Patriots) and the nothing-but-hustle rocker "Runnin' Down a Dream" (Giants again).

Justin Timberlake: Though he mostly just got his ass kicked, the singer/actor proved his comic chops again in the hilarious Pepsi/Amazon "Magnetic Attraction" ad that mixed his slapstick abilities with a cameo from his "D--- in a Box" co-star, Andy Samberg.

Metal: As if the game needed any more aggro help, the Patriots entered to Ozzy Osbourne's iconic "Crazy Train," while the promos for Fox's "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" pulled out Danzig's dark "Mother," a Toyota ad went indie by using Fu Manchu's "Mongoose" and the ad for the big-screen adaptation of "Iron Man" pulled out Audioslave's stomping "Cochise." And as the clock ran out, Europe's "The Final Countdown" brought an end to the Patriots' dream-turned-nightmare.

Kanye West: On the cusp of the Grammys, West's "Stronger" pumped over the loudspeakers as the soon-to-be world champion Giants ran out onto the field.

Jordin Sparks: Her dad, former Giants player Phillippi Sparks, never made it to the big dance, but his daughter did him proud with a stirring rendition of the national anthem in front of her hometown fans.

Alicia Keys: The Grammy winner plugged her upcoming tour with a rousing pregame medley that included "Fallin'," "If I Ain't Got You" and "As I Am."

Madonna/Shakira: Now we get how the Material Girl is the highest-paid female singer on the planet. Her brief appearance in an ad for Sunsilk hair products reportedly brought in millions. Shakira can't complain either. Not only did she get to plug her years-old hit "Whenever, Wherever," but she played alongside Madonna and Marilyn Monroe, which isn't bad company.

Alice Cooper: We have no idea what the original shock-rocker was doing crouching on the ground with his albino snake at the end of that Bridgestone Firestone ad (maybe lying in wait for co-star Richard Simmons to jog by?), but it worked.

Arcade Fire: The Canadian band's "No Cars Go" was used as a bumper by Fox during one of those dancing-robot bits, giving them massive exposure, though not likely the kind they desire. According to Pitchfork, although Fox asked permission to use the tune, it's unclear if the band gave its consent.

Kina Grannis: The unknown singer/songwriter, who won a Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" competition and a deal with Interscope Records, was introduced on one of the world's biggest stages, singing her acoustic ballad "Message From Your Heart." The ad reportedly cost $5 million, so you better believe that they think she's got the goods.

Latch Key Kid: A close second to Grannis in terms of worldwide coming-out parties was the election-themed Coke ad scored to "Good Times" by Southern California musician Kid (real name: Gavin Heaney). The spot, featuring Democrat James Carville and Republican Bill Frist cavorting together, perfectly fit the mood of the cheery ditty about sharing good times with good friends.

The Flaming Lips: Our personal pick for the ultimate halftime band (think about it: aliens, spaceships, giant inflatable hands, dancing Santas and exploding confetti cannons!) subverted straight society for the umpteenth time when their proggy, Pink Floyd-like ode to running from lava flows, "Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung," accompanied a Ford Sync ad.

Bower: The fat guy who jump-started the car with his nipples in the Mountain Dew AMP ad? None other than Michael Bower, the guy who played Donkeylips on Nickelodeon's "Salute Your Shorts" and a budding rapper in the Eminem mode.

The Losers

Paula Abdul: The "American Idol" judge's pre-taped, lip-synced "performance" of "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," the first single from fellow judge Randy Jackson's new album, nearly rivaled the former pop star's infamous "baked potato" dance to "Vibeology" at the 1991 Video Music Awards. Save for the impressive male-dancer-assisted high kick/ split she pulled off near the end, the painfully '80s Janet Jackson rip-off tune and skinny-tie-era backup dancers made Adbul look like the Mrs. Robinson of dance pop. Judging those kids on "Idol" just got a lot harder.

Ben Roethlisberger: The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback's off-key warbling of "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" was supposed to be bad, we get it. But it was so bad, some Steelers fans might have preferred it if he entered a Superbike race instead.

Michael Jackson: At this point nobody wants to see the actual King of Pop in a TV ad, but the slimy digital reptiles doing the "Thriller" dance to promote the 25th anniversary of the singer's landmark album (oh, and SoBe Life Water too) were almost as creepy as a trip to Neverland Ranch.

LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Macy Gray and Missy Elliott: That fake-grinning, head-nodding Diet Pepsi Ad to the tune of Haddaway's club classic "What Is Love" was so cheesy that we agreed with "A Night at the Roxbury" star Chris Kattan when he yelled, "Stop it!" at the end.

"American Idol": Between Roethlisberger's lame ad and Abdul's crash-and-burn performance, not to mention bionic host Ryan Seacrest's painful "red carpet" interviews with the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, the show wasn't done any favors by its host network.

• Justin, Busta, Missy, Light Up Super Bowl Ads

• Tom Petty
• Justin Timberlake
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Kanye West
• Jordin Sparks

Missy Elliott
Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

The next time you see Missy Elliott, she's going to be in 3-D. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Walt Disney Studios is creating a stereoscopic 3-D video for Missy that combines the tunes "Ching-a-Ling" and "Shake Your Pom Pom." The songs will appear on the February 5 soundtrack to the dance sequel "Step Up 2: The Streets" and might resurface on the rapper's yet-untitled new LP, due in May. The video will premiere on "TRL" on Monday. ...

A New York judge denied Foxy Brown's request to get out of jail early so she can go to California for an ear examination and for a repair of her electronic ear implant. According to The Associated Press, the Manhattan district attorney's office reported on Monday that State Supreme Court Justice Melissa Jackson will not allow Brown, 29, to go to Los Angeles for the treatment, which prosecutors argued she could get just as easily in New York, where she is being held for violating her probation. ...

Styles P, Ray J and Large Professor have huddled together with AZ to help the hip-hop lyricist with his new album — it's Undeniable. The disc is due February 19. ...

Former "American Idol" finalist Clay Aiken, who has faced questions about his sexuality since entering the spotlight more than four years ago, recently told New York magazine that not only is he sick of answering questions about his preferences, he's tired of thinking about something that he simply doesn't have time for. Aiken told the magazine that his social life is "nonexistent, really I'm not a nighttime person." While he's in New York performing in the Broadway production of "Monty Python's Spamalot," he does not plan on dating anyone and is not involved with anyone. "Heck, no," he said, adding that his only companions are "my dogs." Not only that, but Aiken, 29, claims that he's never had a romantic relationship, unless you count the girls he took to dances in high school. "I just don't have an interest in ... any of that at all. I have got too much on my plate," he told the magazine. "I'd rather focus on one thing and do that when I can devote time to it, and right now, I just don't have any desire." ...

The Arctic Monkeys scored a record seven nominations for this year's NME Awards, including nods for Best Album, Best Live Band, Best Album Artwork, Best Video, Best Track and Best British Band, for which they'll be competing against Babyshambles, the Cribs, Klaxons and Muse. The news was more mixed for Amy Winehouse, who is up for Best Solo Artist, but also Worst Dressed and Villain of the Year, where she'll get stiff competition from U.S. President George Bush and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The awards will be handed out in London on February 28. Radiohead are in the running for Best Album, and the Arcade Fire, Foo Fighters, the Killers, Kings of Leon and My Chemical Romance are up for Best International Band. My Chem also picked up a nomination for Worst Band, where they will compete with Fall Out Boy, 30 Seconds to Mars and Panic at the Disco. ...

Peter Bjorn and John made a big splash in '07, but bandmember Peter Morén has actually been hammering away at an album of his own for many years, and it's finally good to go. The Last Tycoon, the Swede's first solo outing, is more low-key and acoustic than PB&J's Writer's Block release, and is due April 8. The album incorporates vibraphones, strings, synthesizers, a musical saw, drum machines and more. ... Andrew McMahon (Jack's Mannequin, Something Corporate) is the subject of a new documentary narrated by Tommy Lee. "Dear Jack," due later this year, revolves around the singer/pianist's recent battle with leukemia. "Andrew is such a hero, and I jumped at the opportunity to help tell this incredible story," Lee — who played drums for the first Jack's Mannequin album, Everything in Transit — said in a statement. Check out the trailer right here. ... Almost five years after the release of his major-label debut, Chariot, which featured the hit "I Don't Want to Be," Gavin DeGraw will finally release his more rock-leaning self-titled follow-up this spring, according to Billboard. The first single is "In Love With a Girl." ...

You know whose fault all this illegal music-file downloading is? Your Internet service provider, that's who! At least according to longtime U2 manager Paul McGuinness, who laid the blame on ISPs in a fiery speech Monday at the annual MIDEM international music conference in France. According to the Los Angeles Times, McGuinness' keynote address targeted ISPs as both the primary culprits and potential healers of the worldwide record industry's ongoing ills. "I think the failure of ISPs to engage in the fight against piracy, to date, has been the single biggest failure in the digital music market," he said. "They are the gatekeepers with the technical means to make a far greater impact on mass copyright violation than the tens of thousands of lawsuits taken out against individual file-sharers." McGuinness added that he thinks the prosecution of music fans for illegally downloading music is "counterintuitive," even if there is an "educational and propaganda" effect to them, then issued a challenge to ISPs to do the right thing, suggesting legislation might be required if they don't. McGuinness also had harsh words for record companies who don't treat artists fairly and said U2 have always been one of those bands who "understood that it would be pathetic to be good at the music and bad at the business and [has] always been prepared to invest in their own future. ... We were never interested in joining that long, humiliating list of miserable artists who made lousy deals, got exploited and ended up broke and with no control over how their life's work was used, and no say in how their names and likenesses were bought and sold."

1.28.08

Joel Madden needs to see a shrink — in an upcoming episode of the new Starz comedy "Head Case," that is. The Good Charlotte frontman and new dad will appear on the February 13 episode of the show, which revolves around a judgmental psychotherapist (Alexendra Wentworth) who sees celebrity clients when she isn't out shopping. If you're already psyched for the show, go to Amazon.com's Unbox section to check out the original short-form episodes that launched it. ...

Thank your lucky stars — the Grammy Awards ceremony will go on this year as planned, according to an interim agreement announced Monday (January 28), The Associated Press reports. While the Grammy telecast was still good to go following last week's announcement that the striking Writers Guild of America would not protest it, the interim agreement means content for the show will be written under a WGA contract. "In the interest of advancing our goal of achieving a fair contract, the [WGA West] Board felt that this decision should be made on behalf our brothers and sisters in the American Federation of Musicians and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists," WGA West President Patric Verrone reportedly said in a statement. "Having our talented writers on the team further ensures the highest level of creativity and innovation, something our audience has come to expect every year," Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow reportedly said in a statement of his own. ...

Miley Cyrus' Saturday show in New Orleans had a bit of a hiccup when the singer otherwise known as Hannah Montana announced that she wasn't feeling well and left the stage, according to a video posted on TMZ.com. Cyrus returned to finish her set, albeit in a seat, and dad Billy Ray sang with her. ...

Rivers Cuomo, Adam Sandler, Tony Hawk, baseball player Nomar Garciaparra and Andy Samberg kicking around a soccer ball together on a Saturday afternoon? According to ESPN.com, that was the scene over the weekend when the celebs took the field at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, for Garciaparra and wife/ ex-soccer pro Mia Hamm's charity Celebrity Soccer Challenge. Cuomo scored his team's first goal, and he later reportedly said, "It was a dream come true. Passing with [the L.A. Galaxy's] Landon Donovan and going against Mia Hamm — it's just unreal. I was terrified, but I was so excited that the excitement overcame the terror." Milo Ventimiglia, Elisabeth Shue, Seth Meyers and others also participated in the event, the proceeds of which went to the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. ...

Jim Jones is reissuing his Harlem's American Gangster mixtape, hosted by Dame Dash and featuring the Byrd Gang crew, February 19. Fans are already familiar with the tape, which was previously available in limited form, but it has since been remixed, remastered and bolstered with new tracks, including "Rockefeller Laws." "Some people do soundtracks to the movies about Harlem," he said in a statement. "We do soundtracks to the streets of Harlem, which made us who we are today." His new studio LP will drop in the summer. ...

Modest Mouse and the National have something special to jot down on their calendars: opening dates for R.E.M. The tour will launch after the release of Michael Stipe and the gang's April 1 album, Accelerate. The cities are as follows: Vancouver, British Columbia (May 23); Los Angeles (May 29); Berkeley, California (May 31); Morrison, Colorado (June 3); Chicago (June 6); Toronto (June 8); Raleigh, North Carolina (June 10); Columbia, Maryland (June 11); Mansfield, Massachusetts (June 13); Wantagh, New York (June 14); Philadelphia (June 18); New York (June 19); and Atlanta (June 21). ... Hot Chip, Spank Rock, Peaches and others are liberally reworking classic tracks by the Pharcyde, Masta Ace, Tone Loc and others for a new collection, Delicious Reimagined, due early this year. Raunchy electro-clash singer Peaches — who has collaborated with everyone from Pink to Iggy Pop — remixed Loc's "Wild Thing" almost 20 years after the song originally came out, adding her own new vocals along the way. ...

Hayden Panettiere spoke about the warrant for her arrest — which she was slapped with in the fall after confronting Japanese fishermen to protest the hunting of dolphins — at a related demonstration in Washington, D.C., on Sunday. According to The Washington Post, the "Heroes" actress and Save the Whales Again! Campaign spokeswoman told a crowd, "I was wearing a wetsuit and shoes. I was like, if I'm going to jail, I ain't going to jail in a bikini." ... peta2 has a few new friends you might know: MTV News' own John Norris, as well as the stars of "Rob & Big." Norris stars in a new online video for the youth animal-rights organization that explains why he went vegan, while Rob Dyrdek and Chris "Big Black" Boykin appear in an ad with their dog, Meaty, along with the statement "Have the Balls to Spay or Neuter Your Dog." ...

Black Lips have drooled out an exclusive iTunes Live Session EP that the so-called "flower punk" band recorded over the summer in San Francisco. The Lips are also in the running for Yahoo's User's Choice program, the winner of which will play a performance in the company's studio in Santa Monica, California. And they've also lined up a run that will start February 4 in Seattle and end March 22 in Atlanta. ... The second half of Thrice's four-disc concept album will be in stores in the spring. The Alchemy Index, Vols. III & IV: Earth & Air, is scheduled for release April 15. ... From Autumn to Ashes drummer Jeff Gretz recently suffered two broken bones in his foot and will be forced to sit out the band's tour for the next few months. Flood of Red's Graham Griffith will fill in for Getz for most of the tour's remaining stops. ...

New Kids on the Block fans are going to have to keep "Hangin' Tough" — despite reports over the weekend, the old-school boy band is not planning to stage a comeback. While the once-hugely popular teen heartthrobs' Web site has apparently relaunched, bandmember Danny Wood wrote on his MySpace page on Monday morning, "I wanted to address the rumors of the NKOTB Reunion Tour. There has been no talk of this and you are getting it from the source directly. ... You can't believe everything you read." Still, he added, "Never say never!" Let's keep our hopes up.

• Missy Elliott
• Foxy Brown
• Styles P
• Clay Aiken
• Arcade Fire

Jennifer Lopez
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Whoopi Goldberg and Jessica Biel are among the celebs captured in a new Disney installment of work by esteemed Vanity Fair photographer Annie Leibovitz. In the images, Lopez is portrayed as Jasmine and Anthony as Aladdin in a "Whole New World" scene, while Biel is dressed as Pocahontas, running through a forest. "I was a huge Disney fan growing up as a kid, and Cinderella, Snow White, Pocahontas, Ariel — all those characters were huge for me," Biel said in a statement. The "Disney Dream Portrait Series" will be featured throughout the year at Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida. ...

Gnarls Barkley don't have a release date or name yet for their second album, but it's nearing completion, according to Billboard.com. Danger Mouse is busying himself with other projects in the meantime, including lending production to the Black Keys' Attack & Release; Martina Topley-Bird's The Blue God; and Shortwave Set's new LP, which is tentatively titled Replica Sun Machine. ...

Mary J. Blige recently spoke with MTV Base about the ongoing New York steroid probe in which she was recently named. "I really don't want to clear anything up, because I've been spoken about for so many years — rumors I'm pregnant, I'm a man, I'm this, I'm that, why? At the end of the day, I have nothing to prove to anyone. I am Mary and that's that." A report that surfaced in the Times Union last week claimed Blige was among tens of thousands of people who might have used or received prescribed shipments of steroids and injectable human-growth hormone in recent years, although law-enforcement officials said they don't have any evidence that laws were violated. ...

Krist Novoselic, the former Nirvana bassist who has been politically active in Seattle in recent years, has voiced his support for a 2008 presidential candidate, and it's ... Ron Paul? Novoselic alluded to the Republican long-shot candidate in his Seattle Weekly column earlier this month, saying, "The Internet is already doing this with campaign phenomenon like Howard Dean in 2004, and this year with Ron Paul." The Web site PoliticalBase.com shows that he made a $250 contribution to the candidate in mid-September. ...

Björk has nixed her planned appearance at the Big Day Out on Friday night (January 25) in Sydney, Australia. "Doctors have advised Björk to rest due to swelling of the vocal cords," Ken West and Vivian Lees, who produce and direct the festival, said in a statement posted on the Icelandic singer's Web site. "This is a great disappointment to Björk, who is on her first tour of Australia in 12 years." She is slated to rejoin Big Day Out on Monday for a show in Melbourne, followed by performances February 1 in Adelaide and February 3 in Perth. ...

The Reminder (Feist), Kala (M.I.A.), Neon Bible (the Arcade Fire), Cross (Justice) and Sound of Silver (LCD Soundsystem) have all made the cut as finalists for the Shortlist Music Prize. Also in the running are In Our Bedroom After the War (Stars), Sky Blue Sky (Wilco), Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Spoon), Businessmen and Ghosts (Working for a Nuclear Free City) and Untrue (Burial). The winner will be announced in February. ... Dem Franchize Boyz will bounce back on April 1 with their third effort, Da Point of No Return, which is anchored by the first single, "Talkin' Out Da Side of Ya Neck." Also look for featured appearances by Mannie Fresh on "Mr. Feel Good" and Blaze on "Turn Heads." ...

Marvel Studios is the latest company to reach an agreement with the striking Writers Guild of America, it was announced Friday. "Marvel Studios' signing of an interim agreement with the Writers Guild is more good news for our membership," WGA East President Michael Winship and WGA West President Patric Verrone said in a joint statement. "Marvel is committed to fairly compensating their writers and now they can move forward with their planned production schedule." ... Yes! Will Ferrell has received the James Joyce award in Ireland, where he has been traveling with his dad and brother to trace their family roots, according to The Associated Press. The "Blades of Glory" actor accepted the award — which has been given to Jesse Jackson and others in the past — on Wednesday night and addressed more than 1,000 students at the University College Dublin. "As I perused my leather-bound volumes of 'Ulysses,' 'Finnegans Wake,' 'Dubliners,' 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,' standing in my mahogany library, a lot of feelings ran across my mind. Like: 'Damn, I should have read these books,' " he reportedly said. ...

My Morning Jacket — who sold out their June 20 show at NYC's Radio City Music Hall in just over 20 minutes — have arrived at a title for their new album. Evil Urges, the band's fifth LP, is due June 10. ... Bono hailed Bill Gates on Friday when the Microsoft chairman announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will spend $306 million on environmentally friendly technology and farming techniques to help aid millions of impoverished Africans. "It's a very special moment in time, I think, for Davos, and people here," Bono said in the Swiss city, according to The Associated Press. "This is Bill Gates' last trip to Davos as Microsoft leader, and I think it is an extraordinary thing that this man has not just changed the world once, but has now set aside the next act of his life to change the world again, and I think we should just mark this moment." ...

The summer music-festival scene just got a bit less crowded. Less than two months after announcing their plan to host a three-day camping music festival on a 500-acre farm in Vineland, New Jersey, the forces behind Lollapalooza (C3 Presents) and England's Reading Festival (Festival Republic) have announced that they've pulled the plug on the event. Originally scheduled for August 8-10, the Vineland Festival, which never announced a lineup and had faced considerable opposition from area residents concerned about noise and traffic, will now attempt to launch in 2009. Organizers cited "overall festival traffic in the Northeast"— apparently referring to the just-announced All Points West Festival, which is scheduled for the same weekend in Liberty State Park, New Jersey, and is being coordinated by the people who bring you Coachella every year. Organizers also noted big bands touring the area around the same time as the reason for scrapping the event. ...

Heads up, straight-edge hardcore fans: Ex-Minor Threat drummer Jeff Nelson has thrown up for auction on eBay a bunch of rare and unique items from the band and other hardcore acts. Items include fliers, posters, 7-inches and more. ... Want your name to appear in a Saosin release? The band is launching a contest with mobile marketing company Mozes that will give fans the chance to have their name featured in the credits of the booklet that will accompany their forthcoming "Saosin Live" DVD/CD package. Interested? Text SAOSINDVD to 66937 and join the band's mobile list and follow the prompt. ... UB40 might want to rename themselves "UB39," at least for the time being: The British group, which was huge in the '80s, has lost its frontman. "No words can express how upset I feel today that I have been forced to make this decision," Ali Campbell wrote in a Friday post on his Web site. UB40 said in a statement of their own that they will continue without Campbell, a founding member of the band.

1.24.08

Despite widespread reports that Sean "Diddy" Combs had changed his name to Sean John, his rep clarified the situation to MTV News on Thursday (January 24). "Recent reports of a name change are totally false, he is still Diddy," the rep wrote. "He is currently in 'Sean John' mode as the upcoming Sean John fashion show is scheduled for February 8 in New York." ...

One of Britney Spears' friends was deposed Thursday by Kevin Federline's lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan as he prepares for an April trial involving a request by Spears' ex for primary physical custody of their children. Sam Lufti had previously avoided a notice to appear by Federline's team of lawyers but was eventually served in November. ... Lionsgate said Thursday that it had reached an agreement with striking writers to work on its projects, according to Reuters. "Lionsgate signed an interim agreement with the Writers Guild of America today," the entertainment company reportedly said in a statement. "The writers' issue seems on its way to being solved, and Lionsgate felt it was an important time, particularly in view of our TV series, to have our writer partners get back to work. We look forward to a broad industry agreement soon." ...

John McCain is getting support from another Vietnam veteran, albeit a fictional one: Rambo. Sylvester Stallone recently voiced his support for the Arizona senator, who is in a tight race for the Republican presidential nomination, on TV's "Fox and Friends," according to a press release from his campaign. "I like McCain a lot," Stallone said. "A lot. And you know, things may change along the way, but there's something about matching the character with the script. And right now, the script that's being written — and reality — is pretty brutal and pretty hard-edged, like a rough action film. ... You need somebody who's been in that to deal with it." When host Brian Kilmeade informed McCain of the "Rocky Balboa" star's endorsement on Thursday morning (January 24), he reportedly replied, "I'm going to Philadelphia and running up the steps." ...

Bono swung by the Pentagon to talk about Africa and global poverty with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday, according to Reuters. The two reportedly met for 20 minutes and discussed plans to construct a new U.S. military command for Africa. The U2 singer was reportedly in Washington, D.C., to meet with congressional budget committees, and his meeting with Gates was not publicized ahead of time. ... Trey Anastasio spent the weekend in the pokey for violating the conditions of his drug-treatment program last year, The Associated Press reports. The former Phish frontman was punished for an unspecified violation of a court contract that resulted after he pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in April. Anastasio, who lives in Richmond, Vermont, was in a jail in upstate New York for two days. ...

Scarlett Johansson has finally firmed up details surrounding her first music album, a collection of mostly Tom Waits covers. Anywhere I Lay My Head will drop May 20 and feature 10 Waits tribute tracks plus an original cut. The "Nanny Diaries" actress hammered out the effort in Maurice, Louisiana, during a five-week visit at Dockside Studio in spring 2007. She got some assists from Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner, Sean Antanaitis from Celebration and TV on the Radio's David Sitek, who produced the LP. ... The 35th annual Village Voice Pazz & Jop Poll has named Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem as its top album of 2007. The rest of the top 10 albums in the poll, voted on by hundreds of rock critics, included In Rainbows (Radiohead), Kala (M.I.A.), Back to Black (Amy Winehouse), Neon Bible (Arcade Fire), Graduation (Kanye West), Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Spoon), Raising Sand (Robert Plant and Alison Krauss) and Magic (Bruce Springsteen). Winehouse topped the singles list with her hit "Rehab," followed by "Umbrella" (Rihanna), "All My Friends" (LCD Soundsystem), "1234" (Feist), "D.A.N.C.E." (Justice), "Paper Planes" (M.I.A.), "Stronger" (Kanye West), "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" (UGK) and "Young Folks" (Peter Bjorn and John). ...

This year's New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest will take place April 25-27 and May 1-4 and feature sets from the Roots, Raconteurs, Keyshia Cole, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Santana, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Sheryl Crow, Galactic, Ozomatli with Chali 2na, Jimmy Buffett and dozens of other roots, blues, soul, Cajun and jazz artists. ... Motion City Soundtrack, Phantom Planet and the Hush Sound have slipped onto the bill for the Honda Civic Tour, which will be anchored by Panic at the Disco. The cities the trek will hit have also been announced: San Francisco (April 10); San Diego (April 12); Phoenix (April 13); Tulsa, Oklahoma (April 15); Ruston, Louisiana (April 17); Dallas (April 18); Austin, Texas (April 19); Houston (April 20); Clearwater, Florida (April 22); Miami Beach, Florida (April 23); Lake Buena Vista, Florida (April 24); Atlanta (April 26); North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (April 29); Washington, D.C. (April 30); Orono, Maine (May 2); Troy, New York (May 3); Rochester, New York (May 6); New York (May 7); Philadelphia (May 9); Wallingford, Connecticut (May 10); Boston (May 11); Montreal (May 13); Toronto (May 14); Cleveland (May 16); Columbus, Ohio (May 17); Indianapolis (May 18); Detroit (May 20); Chicago (May 23); Milwaukee (May 25); Minneapolis (May 27); St. Louis (May 30); Council Bluffs, Iowa (May 31); Kansas City, Missouri (June 1); Denver (June 3); Salt Lake City (June 4); Vancouver, British Columbia (June 6); Seattle (June 7); Portland, Oregon (June 8); Las Vegas (June 13); and Anaheim, California (June 14). ...

Uncle Murda was shot in the head late Tuesday night but the injury was not serious, according to New York's Daily News. The popular upstart rapper, who was signed to Roc-A-Fella Records by Jay-Z and backed by DJ Green Lantern, suffered a minor head wound after he was grazed by a bullet while sitting in a parked car in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. There is no word on whether the rapper has been released from the hospital. Calls made by MTV News to reps for Uncle Murda were not returned as of press time. ... Danny Glover was convicted for trespassing on Thursday (January 24) in Niagara Falls, Ontario, according to AP. Canadian Niagara Hotels had charged the actor and two other men after they protested at a Sheraton in September 2006. The protest was part of a larger effort to boost salaries and improve working conditions for hotel workers in North America. They will be sentenced February 8. ...

Los Angeles city officials have asked a judge to ban members of the Mob Piru street gang from congregating in a neighborhood of Compton, California, and included on their list of 200 gang members was former Death Row Records boss Marion "Suge" Knight. The Los Angeles Times reports that Knight's name was on the request, which would ban members of the gang from congregating, carrying guns, drinking alcohol in public or staying out past 10 p.m. Knight, who has struggled to get his label back online after a number of legal tangles and prison time, told the paper he thought the injunction was a "publicity stunt" and that it should not have included him. "This is crazy," he said. "I'm a 42-year-old businessman, not a gang member. I don't even live in Compton anymore." A hearing on the matter is slated for Thursday (January 24). ...

Perez Hilton won an $85,000 judgment on Wednesday in a defamation lawsuit brought by celebrity DJ Samantha Ronson. According to AP, a judge ordered Ronson to pay the blogger $85K, plus an additional $2,000 if Hilton (born Mario Lavandeira) requests it, in the suit over a report on Hilton's blog last year. The post repeated a claim from CelebrityBabylon.com that said Ronson planted cocaine found in friend Lindsay Lohan's car during a May car crash involving the actress. "Perez Hilton will take steps to make sure every dime is collected," his lawyer Bryan J. Freedman said. "This should make one careful before filing a lawsuit against him." The judge removed Hilton from the suit in November after the blogger's attorneys argued he was protected by free-speech rights. Ronson's attorney unsuccessfully argued that Hilton's lawyers' fees were excessive and that he should get no more than $13,400 to recover his legal costs. ...

And the hits just keep coming ... just not the ones the music industry is looking for. According to numbers released by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, global music sales fell by around 10 percent in 2007, falling at a faster rate than they did in 2006, despite a growth in digital-music sales of around 40 percent. The IFPI said illegal downloading continues to be a major problem, with the ratio of illegally downloaded tracks to legal tracks sold at around 20 to 1. Also included in the report was news that the first-ever global music-download sales chart was topped by Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend," which sold 7.3 million downloads across the world. ...

Gallows, a punk band from England, are the latest act to be banned from playing the House of Blues at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, according to The Onion's A.V. Club. The group was reportedly barred from playing its scheduled show there Tuesday night because Disney objects to the group's lyrical content. Machine Head and Cannibal Corpse suffered similar fates at venues located on Disney property last year.

• Jennifer Lopez
• Gnarls Barkley
• Mary J. Blige
• Björk
• Feist

Zac Efron
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Zac Efron is doing fine after having his appendix removed Tuesday (January 15), according to People.com. The star — who recently signed on for "High School Musical 3" — was rushed to Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after suffering from appendicitis, TMZ.com reports. "Zac had his appendix removed and is recuperating," the actor's representative, who was not named, reportedly said in a statement. ...

A very revealing photo of Heidi Montag graces the new cover of Maxim, and for the accompanying interview, she also revealed to the mag that she wants to be the next Madonna. "But it's not like with most pop artists, where they have a song sent to them that has nothing to do with their emotions or lives," she insisted about her yet-untitled, in-the-works LP. "It's all about me and my life. I'm taking my time to make sure it's a classic. I don't want to be the next pop person who's in or out. I want to be like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Stevie Wonder — all the greats." Montag also dished on new parents Nicole Richie and Joel Madden recalling that one time they "came up to [Montag's fiance,] Spencer [Pratt,] and me at the Beverly Hills Hotel [in California] and started yelling something Spencer said about Nicole in an interview, like, two years ago. ... Joel was yelling, 'You've been talking sh-- about my girl!' " ...

Madden has blogged on the Web site for his clothing company, DCMA, about arriving home with his and Richie's daughter, who was born on Friday. "Well I am finally home with my beautiful girlfriend and our brand new little daughter," the Good Charlotte frontman wrote. "Harlow Winter Kate Madden was born on January 11th 2008 at 3:13 p.m. She weighed in at 6 pounds and 7 ounces. She is 19 inches long and growing everyday already! She really is a wonderful addition to the GC/DCMA/DEADEXEC family. We are so blessed to have this beautiful little baby in our lives. I want to thank everyone for all the love and kind words they've sent our way. We apologize we weren't accepting gifts/cards/calls at the hospital, but if you'd like to send something, we'd rather you make a donation to the Richie-Madden Foundation, which we started in Harlow Winter's honor. She looks so much like her mom it's crazy! She eats like a little maniac and she's really sweet. She barely ever cries, even when daddy is changing her diaper, and believe me I suck when it comes to diapers, but I'm learning! I can't wait to show off some pictures, until then, THANKS!! and GOD BLESS... Joel." ...

From an "Umbrella" to a handbag: Rihanna has made a match with Marc Jacobs as she and the fashion designer have partnered to produce a new pair of purses named after the leggy singer. The two models are available as a part of Jacobs' spring line. ... Missy Elliott has stepped up with two new tunes for the February 5 soundtrack to "Step Up 2 the Streets." The MC's "Ching-A-Ling" — which is already sizzling in the streets — and "Shake Your Pom Pom" will appear on the soundtrack, and might resurface on her yet-untitled new LP, due in May. The soundtrack also features Cassie, who stars in "Step Up 2 the Streets," as well as T-Pain, Flo Rida, Trey Songz, Plies and Scarface. ...

Twista has inked a deal with Koch to release a project with his longtime group, the Speedknot Mobstaz. The Mobstaz's forthcoming sophomore album, Mobstability II: Nation Bizness, is set to feature Jim Jones and production by Cuzzo and China White Productions. ... The Grammys will not be getting a free pass from the Writers Guild of America. The Los Angeles Times reports that the Grammys have not asked for a special waiver to allow striking Guild employees to work on the show, but even if they did request one, it would not likely be granted. In addition, a number of top musicians who also have Screen Actors Guild cards, including Justin Timberlake and Queen Latifah, are being lobbied by the WGA not to attend the February 10 show, according to AdAge.com. ...

In a $35 million lawsuit filed on Monday, Victory Records claimed that Virgin/EMI "improperly induced" Hawthorne Heights to disregard their contract with the independent Chicago label. In a news release on the suit, Victory also claimed that Virgin/EMI paid $55,000 to the band, which used the money to fund the initial phase of a 2006 lawsuit against Victory, and helped the bandmembers search for a music-industry lawyer to help them with their legal action. "The facts alleged in this case demonstrate classic interference with contractual and business relations," Victory lawyer Robert Meloni said. "They did more than merely offer a carrot to the band, but also saddled the horse, paid for a rider to take the reins, and led it out of the barn." The suit seeks $10 million in compensation and $25 million in punitive damages for Virgin/EMI's "willful, wanton and deliberate conduct." Victory maintains that HH owe the label two more albums, but the band, which lost guitarist Casey Calvert in November after a fatal drug interaction, has vowed not to record for Victory again. ...

Rancid fans, time to grow those Mohawks back — the band started recording new material in a California studio on Monday. The punks' yet-unnamed follow-up to 2003's Indestructible is due later this year, on guitarist Brett Gurewitz's Epitaph/Hellcat label, of course. ... Tiger Army have welcomed an old comrade back into their ranks. Stand-up-bass player Geoff Kresge, who toured with the psychobilly band from 1999-2004 — and who also has a stint with AFI on his résumé — replaces Jeff Roffredo, who "left the band on good terms to pursue other interests," according to a press release from the band's publicist. Tiger Army hit the road earlier this week and have a heap of shows planned for throughout the year. ...

Now that Marilyn Manson and Twiggy Ramirez have reconciled, what better way to celebrate than with some concerts? Manson has tacked on a few more to his upcoming trek, which starts Saturday in Orlando, Florida. The newly added gigs will be staged in Phoenix (February 27); Dallas (February 29); Austin, Texas (March 1); and Houston (March 2). Veteran rock act Ours will be the opening act on the tour, according to Pollstar.com. ... Here's a novel idea: Yellowcard are giving fans who buy the rockers' Live From Las Vegas at the Palms release an early chance at getting tix to one of their upcoming shows. The iTunes exclusive will be available starting January 22, and fans who snatch it up before January 29 will get a Ticketmaster code allowing them to nab up to four tickets for the band's trek, which starts March 7 in Salt Lake City and ends April 12 in Los Angeles. From Las Vegas at the Palms immortalizes Yellowcard's show at the Palms Casino Resort's Pearl venue in October. ...

EMI — home to Coldplay, the Rolling Stones and other acts — will slash a third of its work force, or 1,500-2,000 jobs, over the course of the next months, multiple outlets reported Tuesday. According to the Web site for England's Telegraph, the reunited Verve could be the next major group to withhold its upcoming album in light of the major-label shake-up. The paper reports that the Verve may join Robbie Williams and Coldplay in threatening to hold onto their next albums unless they receive assurances about the company's financial health and how their albums will be marketed. The company's new boss, Guy Hands, was reportedly to be grilled by the managers of some of the label's top acts on Tuesday as he revealed plans for streamlining the company. ...

"American Idol" judge Randy Jackson is known for name-dropping, but his new album, Music Club Vol. 1, might finally back up some of his boasting. Jackson's upcoming solo album, due March 11, will feature pals ranging from Mariah Carey and Joss Stone to Jason Mraz, former "Idol" contestants Elliott Yamin and Katharine McPhee and country star Travis Tritt. Fellow judge Paula Abdul will be featured on "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," her first new recording in more than a decade. Last week, TVGuide.com reported that Jackson and Abdul had been rehearsing a video for the single, and that she was in talks to perform it at the Super Bowl on February 3. Also included on the album are Van Hunt, Three 6 Mafia, Angie Stone, Richie Sambora and Keb' Mo'. ...

My Morning Jacket are going big time: The longhaired Kentucky rockers will headline a show at New York's Radio City Music Hall on June 20. The band's yet-untitled album will drop 10 days earlier. ... Noise Pop just got a bit noisier. The Walkmen, the Dodos, MSTRKRFT, Stellastarr and the Helio Sequence have climbed onto the roster for the San Francisco fest, which is happening February 26-March 2. Jamie Kennedy's comedic documentary "Heckler" — which features George Lucas, Rob Zombie, David Cross and others — will open the Film Festival portion of the event. ... Carla Bruni has been making headlines lately amid her high-profile romance with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Now the chanteuse can parlay that attention into promotion for the wide release of No Promises, an album that is currently only available Stateside on iTunes and at Barnes & Noble stores. The disc — which is being issued through Downtown Records, home to Gnarls Barkley and Spank Rock, and pays tribute to English-language literary legends — will hit retail stores nationwide February 19.

1.14.08

Nearly six years after the alleged sex tape first surfaced, the court proceedings in the R. Kelly case continue to move at a snail's pace. The prosecutors originally sought to have testimony from one expert witness, Dr. Sharon Cooper, cover several different areas — the age of the girl on the tape based on forensic pediatrics, the identification of the man on the tape based on the vein pattern on his hands, and the behavior profile of the girl based on the psychology of child sex-abuse victims. Judge Vincent Gaughan had previously ruled that Dr. Cooper could testify about the victim's age, but not the behavior profile, so prosecutors had asked him to reconsider. At a hearing on Monday (January 14), Gaughan ruled once again that Dr. Cooper would not be able to testify about why the girl in the case would deny that she was a victim, or how common denial is in sex-abuse cases. Kelly is due back in court March 12 for another pre-trial hearing, while the trial itself is slated to start on May 9. ...

And the Wu-Tang Clan infighting goes on. U-God — who complained about RZA being callous toward him in the studio nearly four years ago — is now suing Wu's label, alleging that he is owed $170,000, according to TMZ.com. U-God (born Lamont Hawkins) reportedly filed papers in a New York district court, alleging that Wu Music owes him money for services rendered dating back to March of last year. Wu Music is licensed to Universal Music. ...

Paula Abdul doesn't just have the seventh season of "American Idol" on her mind these days. "I want kids!" the singer recently told Ladies' Home Journal for its February issue. "If it doesn't happen naturally, I can always adopt." The 45-year-old Abdul opened up even more about her personal life, saying of 32-year-old boyfriend J.T. Torregiani, "I've experienced real loneliness, so I love knowing there's someone I can share the good and the not-so-good with." ... Everyone's wondering how the seventh season of "Idol" is going to fare in light of some retooling and the writers' strike, but if you ask Chris Daughtry, the show is "in a state of decline." The Daughtry frontman recently spoke with RollingStone.com about the show, adding that if it doesn't right itself, "it's probably not gonna last too much longer. I'm sure that'll be used against me, but that's the truth, you know?" He also said the show is "definitely lacking some credibility at this point." ...

White Stripes, Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon, Mark Ronson, Klaxons, Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Cheifs and recent MTV Artist of the Week Kate Nash have all landed Brit Award nominations, although Leona Lewis, Mika and Take That have scored the most, with four apiece. Rihanna, Ronson, Kaiser Chiefs, Kylie Minogue and Paul McCartney are slated to perform at the February 20 ceremony. ... R.E.M. have pulled the curtains back on a new Web site surrounding the April 1 release of their 14th studio album, Accelerate. Their NinetyNights.com Web site has daily high-definition-video snippets shot by Arcade Fire collaborator Vincent Moon ...

Björk attacked a newspaper photographer who was attempting to take her picture at the Auckland International Airport on Sunday, according to reports in the New Zealand press. The singer, who was flying in to perform at the Big Day Out concert on Friday, reportedly ripped New Zealand Herald photographer Glenn Jeffrey's shirt after he snapped a photo of her. Jeffrey told the New Zealand Press Association that he was warned by a man traveling with Björk not to take her picture, and once he did, the singer came up behind him, grabbed the back of his shirt and tore it before tumbling to the ground. In 1996, Björk attacked a reporter in an airport in Bangkok, Thailand, after she objected to being photographed. ... The Walkmen and White Rabbits will hop along the U.S. this month for nine shows. On the itinerary are Pittsburgh (Wednesday); Detroit (Thursday); Milwaukee (Friday); Madison, Wisconsin (Saturday); Chicago (Sunday); St. Louis (January 21); Columbus, Ohio (January 22); Philadelphia (January 23); and Baltimore (January 24). ...

For the first time in 25 years, former Clash members Mick Jones and Topper Headon reportedly shared the same stage at a gig by Jones' new band, Carbon/Silicon. The duo performed "Train in Vain" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" during the set. ... Megadeth have recruited Chris Broderick (Nevermore, Jag Panzer) to be their newest guitarist, following the recent departure of Glen Drover. Broderick will make his live debut with the band on February 4, at a gig in Finland. ...

Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali said the band will not be revived following the late November death of frontman Kevin DuBrow. In an online statement, Banali claims he had been "approached to see if I would be interested in contacting Rudy Sarzo and Carlos Cavazo and to audition singers for Quiet Riot." He said that he's even fielded an offer to re-form "the version of Quiet Riot that included Paul Shortino, Carlos Cavazo and Sean McNabb." But Banali rejected any suggestions of the band performing live. "My friendship, love and respect for Kevin DuBrow, as well as my personal love and affection for Kevin's mother and his family, makes it inconceivable for me to ever entertain any ovation to re-form or to continue Quiet Riot," he wrote. "It would also be a disrespect to the fans who have supported [the band] for nearly 25 years." ...

Roger Avary, the Oscar-winning co-writer of "Pulp Fiction," was arrested on Sunday after a fatal single-car crash in Ojai, California. According to a Reuters report, Avary, 42, was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence, and was released from jail after posting $50,000 bail. Andreas Zedini, a 34-year-old passenger in the car, died of his injuries at a local hospital. Avary's wife, Gretchen, 40, was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries after being thrown from the car.

• Heidi Montag Poses For Maxim

• Good Charlotte
• Justin Timberlake
• Queen Latifah
• Hawthorne Heights
• The Verve

Radiohead's <I>In Rainbows</I>
Photo: XL

Like most of the media world, we here at MTV News obsess and argue relentlessly over our year-end top 10s. This year, we thought we'd share them! Our staff top 10s will be rolling out all this week, along with several less conventional lists we've come up with, like couples, guilty-pleasure songs, albums, hot messes, arrests and much more. Enjoy, and share your own top 10s in You Tell Us!

1. Radiohead, In Rainbows: I didn't rush out and buy the iPhone, and I didn't sprain an index finger ordering up this Sominex special. Sgt. Pepper's couldn't have stood up to the scrutiny that this low-audio quality Internet stunt album got, and now that I have finally paid my $0 (yeah, I'm one of those guys, so what?), I have to say I'm ... is "underimpressed" a word? Fewer electronic squiggles and more rock than the last couple of glitch-a-ramas, but if this is the best of two years of jamming, what the hell did they leave on the cutting room floor?

2. M.I.A., Kala: I can totally dig the Pixies and Jonathan Richman references, and I love Bollywood soundtracks, chaos and big, frantic tribal spaz beats. But somehow the combo of all that plus M.I.A.'s barky, accented chicken-squawk vocals and all those annoying kids hectoring in the background felt like a spangly Chuck Taylor All-Star to my brainpan. Hip-hop should feel like fun, not homework.

3. Björk, Volta: Like Radiohead, Björk is one of those artists critics are required to fawn over, despite her insistence on treating melody like it's a cop's foot and she's Britney's out-of-control Beemer. We get it: You're avant-garde. But if the rumbly, bleep-bloop "Earth Intruders" is as catchy as it gets, I promise to pay anyone out there $100 if they can prove they listened to this whole album more than twice by this time next year.

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

4. Dr. Dog, We All Belong: If by We All Belong, they mean "we all belong to a cabal of hipsters who've chosen to overlook the fact that half these songs sound kinda like a dirty hippie barbershop quartet playing Beach Boys covers," well, then I guess I'm not a belong-er.

5. The Good, the Bad & the Queen, The Good, the Bad & the Queen: Remember what it felt like to watch the 2004 men's-basketball "Dream Team" get their asses handed to them by Argentina? That was kinda like listening to this dubbed-out, tuneless mess featuring members of the Clash, Gorillaz/Blur, the Verve and Fela Kuti's band.

6. Feist, The Reminder: Man, that "1234" song was awesome! And the one-continous-shot video with the dancing and the color-coordinated outfits? And the choreography? So awesome. Did I mention that I totally dig "1234"?

7. The Arcade Fire, Neon Bible: I wanted to love this album so badly. I really did. What with the songs about terrorists and Jessica Simpson's dad (same difference?) and that one that sounds like John Cafferty & the Beaver Brown Band's "On the Dark Side" ("Keep the Car Running" — go check it out yourself)? But unlike the band's debut, with the exception of a few cuts — OK, "Keep the Car Running" — it felt like an indie-rock college term paper on postpartum depression.

8. Bat for Lashes, Fur & Gold: Remember that Björk bet? Double or nothing, baby! I like freaks and I like folk, but I guess I just don't like creepy Halloween music if the scariest it gets is a tune about "The Wizard."

9. Animal Collective, Strawberry Jam: The next time I want to listen to a broken $25 Casiotone keyboard being defiled by a cheap drum machine over a staticky intercom while some stoner rambles on about bubbles exploding and tickling the bath, I'll just go to my buddy Eric's house and watch him cook dinner. Because at least he always has two good import beers on tap. ...

10. Angels & Airwaves, I-Empire: Oh, who am I kidding? Nobody pretends you're supposed to like this one.

• Radiohead
• M.I.A.
• Björk
• Feist
• Arcade Fire

Justin Timberlake
Photo: Michael Buckner/ Getty Images

Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds came out way back in September 2006, but he doesn't want you to forget about him this holiday season. The singer has compiled two new gifts for fans: a special edition of the album and a new DVD to boot. FutureSex/LoveSounds Deluxe Edition, due November 27, will feature his "Until the End of Time" duet with Beyoncé and other to-be-named bonus tracks featuring big-name artists. The reissue will also house a bonus DVD with unreleased concert footage, making-of clips, director commentaries and more. The double-DVD "FutureSex/LoveShow Live From Madison Square Garden," on the other hand, will drop a week earlier — and only be available at Best Buy. Expect to see the August 15 concert in full on the disc, as well as before and after footage, song-by-song commentary from JT, backstage clips, interviews and more. ...

Britney Spears is inviting her fans — the ones who haven't been too turned off by VMA performance or new video, at least — to an open casting call for dancers on Monday (October 15) at the Millennium Dance Complex in North Hollywood, California. The tryouts will be held from 5-9 p.m., with "all styles welcome," according to "Access Hollywood." The tryouts will be for an upcoming tour and her next video, although it's not yet known for which song it will be. Spears reportedly planned to hold the auditions last week but was a no-show. ...

Lindsay Lohan has filed a countersuit against a man who accused her of negligence and drinking when she hit his parked van in West Hollywood, California, in October 2005. According to CBS' Los Angeles TV affiliate, the actress is asking for more than $75,000 in damages for the repair of her car and the cost of renting other vehicles after she hit the vehicle owned by Raymundo Ortega, who subsequently sued Lohan for at least $200,000 in damages. She also says Ortega made an illegal U-turn and that he and an unspecified number of defendants were "negligent in the ownership, operation, repairs and maintenance" of his van, according to the suit. As for Ortega's claim that she drove drunk, Lohan says the California Highway Patrol report — which his lawyers have called hearsay — does not support that allegation. The suit says Ortega made the drunk-driving claim "as a battering ram to force a settlement." A trial date for both suits has been set for April 7. ...

50 Cent got real with a roomful of high school students in Connecticut on Friday, which was named "50 Cent Curtis Jackson Day" in Bridgeport, the Connecticut Post reports. More than 50 juniors and seniors from three high schools were invited to Mayor John M. Fabrizi's office for what they were initially told was a discussion with city and school officials about services for young people, but they got a surprise visit from 50, who told them to look past some of his lyrics and judge him by the man he has become. "I say in one of my songs I hate cops. I don't hate cops," he said, reportedly nodding to Bridgeport Chief of Police Bryan T. Norwood. "But I am expressing the feelings of a young boy who sees the cops take his brother away, and hates them for it." When asked how he could rectify his beliefs with some of his other lyrics, he said, "Rap is very competitive. You can't show your vulnerabilities, or another artist will use that against you in their content. Also, you don't paint the whole picture at one time, with one color. I want to show more of my character, but it has to come out over time." 50, who has been in Bridgeport filming a new movie, "Righteous Kill," said he's been wanting to get involved in the city — so he presented a $25,000 check from his G-Unity Foundation to an education program called Hall Neighborhood House. During the events, 50 made two more interesting remarks — he suggested his feud with Kanye West was actually just a marketing ploy ("His label and my label are both owned by Universal Music Group"), and replied to a question about his moniker with a pun: "50 Cent is a metaphor. It means change." ...

Ashlee Simpson might have broken out a few tunes from her upcoming, yet-untitled LP over VMA weekend, but apparently it's not quite there yet. The singer had originally aimed for the LP to come out in November, but her label has now slotted it for a first-quarter 2008 release. ... Taking a cue from Avril Lavigne, Ashley Tisdale is on a mall tour to support her debut album, Headstrong. The "High School Musical 2" star's trek kicked off Sunday in Columbus, Ohio, and runs through November 1 in Dallas. ... Beyoncé is heading to Shanghai. The singer will perform at the Chinese city on November 3 as part of her international tour — despite the fact that she previously had to scrap a show in Malaysia after it was preceded by dress-code problems. China previously canceled a show by boyfriend Jay-Z after calling his lyrics too "vulgar," and officials also told the Rolling Stones in the past not to perform their racier material. Beyoncé is set to play Wednesday in Ethiopia and Saturday in Romania, after which she'll hit Turkey, India, Thailand, Indonesia and then China — first on November 1 at Macau — Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan. ...

Q-Tip brought out Stevie Wonder for his encore Sunday night at the Key Club in West Hollywood, California. The two performed "Superstition," with DJ Scratch from the legendary EPMD on the ones and twos. ... John Legend has pegged February 12 as the release date for Estelle's Shine, the first album to come via his HomeSchool label through Atlantic, Billboard reports. Legend acts as executive producer on the effort, while Wyclef Jean, Will.I.Am, Swizz Beatz and Mark Ronson also contribute production, and Kanye West and Cee-Lo make guest appearances. Legend told the mag he's three songs into his next, yet-untitled album, which he hopes to have out in the summer. ...

Pink knows how to party like an animal. The ardent People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals supporter hosted a party for the activist group's president, Ingrid Newkirk, in Los Angeles over the weekend. The bash, which featured pink champagne and veggie "not" dogs among its offerings, served to boost Newkirk's new book, "Let's Have a Dog Party," and Bill Maher, Kevin Nealon — and Pink's dogs — were also in attendance. In other PETA news, the Suicide Girls will soon be seen in the group's noted "We'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" series — they are posing Monday for photos that will be used in the nude-ad campaign and other advertising efforts. ...

Paris Hilton felt "empty" as a partygoer, and now she wants to "leave a mark on the world," she told Newsweek for its new issue, which hits stands Monday. In the article — called "Ms. Hilton Gets Serious. Please Stop Laughing." — she maps out plans for a five-day trip to Rwanda that will have her visiting schools and health-care clinics. "I'm scared, yeah. I've heard it's really dangerous," she said about going abroad. "I've never been on a trip like this before." Scott Lazerson, founder of Playing for Good — the children's charity the heiress will be traveling with — added that, "She's using her celebrity and the cameras that follow her for the good of humanity." The article also reveals that Lazerson is planning to film the trek and sell it as a reality show, called "The Philanthropist," that would feature other celebrities helping the poor. ...

What's a Radiohead? That's what at least one member of the Bush White House is wondering after Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto revealed that he's a big fan of the band and plans to pick up its new album, In Rainbows, according to The Washington Times. Another deputy press secretary, Scott Stanzel, called himself an "appreciator" of Radiohead's music as well, while National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe added that he's "90 percent sure" he's got a few of their songs on his iPod — although none from 2003's Hail to the Thief, which is widely considered to be a slam on the president. When Press Secretary Dana Perino was asked about the group, she replied, "I don't even know what that is. Is that a band?" ... Kirsten Dunst, Blondie frontwoman? Works for Deborah Harry. The group's singer said she's given Dunst her blessing to take on the role for an upcoming, yet-untitled Michel Gondry flick. "She's probably capable of a lot of things she hasn't been asked to do yet, and doing something that's sort of left of center would be great for her," Harry told AOL's Spinner. "I've met with her a couple of times and hung out with her socially. She's just a sweetie." ...

The Arcade Fire joined none other than Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band onstage at a Sunday show in their native Canada, Billboard reports. The indie-rockers joined the more seasoned squad for a rendition of "State Trooper," then performed their own song "Keep the Car Running" with backing from the E Street Band at Ottawa's Scotiabank Place. ... Marilyn Manson's Chatsworth, California, mansion is on the market and can be yours for a cool $1.1 million, according to the Los Angeles Times. The five-bedroom abode features a recording studio, an office-library and a "bonus room." There's also a pool and a covered barbecue. ... Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, who checked into a rehab facility over the summer, botched his lines when he made an unexpected appearance on "Saturday Night Live" over the weekend. Host Jon Bon Jovi did his best to salvage the appearance by bringing his band onstage to play music. ...

More good news for Led Zeppelin fans — not only is the band getting back together for a November 26 reunion gig, but it will soon be shaking up the digital sphere by making its songs available online. On Monday, Zep announced plans to make all their LPs available — as full albums, or à la carte — through all digital-music services on November 13. Their songs will soon be available as ringtones and mobile features in an exclusive deal with Verizon Wireless as well. The band also launched its MySpace page on Monday. In a separate deal, the band is expected to receive $60 million in exchange for lengthening its ties to music publisher Warner/ Chappell Music for at least 10 years, according to The New York Times. ... The Police have put the kibosh on two more shows — their Monday and Tuesday concerts in Manchester, England — due to frontman Sting's throat infection. The band's Friday and Saturday shows, set for Cardiff and London, respectively, will go ahead as planned. ...

Houston rapper Big Moe (born Kenneth Moore) died on Sunday, The Associated Press reports. The 33-year-old rapper, a member of DJ Screw's Screwed Up Click posse, was best known for his 2002 single "Purple Stuff," from his second album, Purple World. ...

Remember the Mighty Mighty Bosstones? Well, the long-dormant ska-core kings will return December 30 for a performance at the Hometown Throwdown in Cambridge, Massachusetts, following "numerous threats of bodily injury from the under-18 crowd," the band joked on its MySpace page. No word on whether the band plans to write and record, but we'll keep you posted. ...

A pair of concerts slated to take place simultaneously in Tel Aviv, Israel, and the West Bank town of Jericho on Thursday — to support the call for a solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict — have been scrapped. The free shows, due to be headlined by Bryan Adams, were called off after Palestinian supporters reportedly said they were threatened over the stance of the show's organizer, the One Voice group, which some Palestinians say ignores their perspectives on lasting peace and Palestinian refugee issues. The Jericho gig was canceled last week, according to a BBC News report, and Israeli organizers followed suit. ...

Universal Music Chairman/CEO Doug Morris is hoping to join forces with other record companies to create an industry-owned music-subscription service to compete with iTunes, BusinessWeek reports. The magazine says Morris has already roped in Sony BMG Music Entertainment as a potential partner and is talking with Warner Music Group as well. The labels control a combined 75 percent of the music sold in the States. Morris also reportedly wants to involve wireless carriers and plans to name the service Total Music. ...

Could Jon Peter Lewis be getting a second wind? The former "American Idol" contestant self-released his first album, Stories From Hollywood, in November 2006 after he didn't have any luck scoring a major-label record contract after participating on the show. But now the disc is getting wider distribution thanks to a new deal with Iowa indie label Authentic Records. Lewis also has a new tour in the works — it starts November 15 in, fittingly, Cedar Falls, Iowa. ...

And just when you thought you'd heard the last from Corey Clark, the former "Idol" contestant faces up to two years in jail and a potential fine of up to $150,000 after pleading guilty to a felony charge of harassment. Four other charges were dismissed as part of the plea deal. The harassment charge stems from Clark's violation of a court order by placing calls to his father-in-law in August 2006. Months earlier, his wife, Monica Rodriguez Gonzalez, filed for the order — which banned him from contacting her or eight other people, including their child — after claiming he had abused her. Clark will be sentenced in early November in an Arizona court.

10.12.07

Nicole Scherzinger is on the November cover of Blender and, beyond showing skin (naturally), she reveals that she was uncomfortable with herself in the early days of the Pussycat Dolls. "At my first photo shoot, I looked at the costumes and cried. I wasn't used to showing so much of my body." The singer makes another revelation: that she's been single since August — when she broke up with "Laguna Beach" star Talan Torriero. She explained her frustration with dating, oddly dropping Ryan Gosling's name — who she has not been romantically attached to — along the way. "You get these crushes on guys, and then you meet them and you realize you just loved the role they were playing. Like, who doesn't love Ryan Gosling after you see 'The Notebook'? Then you meet the person and you're like, 'Huh? What?' " Scherzinger added that she's holding out for "the hottest man in the universe." The magazine hits newsstands Tuesday. ...

Foxy Brown refused to get on a correction-department bus twice on Friday (October 12) for a court arraignment, The Associated Press reports. The rapper (real name: Inga Marchand), who is serving a one-year jail term for violating her probation, refused to take the bus from New York's Rikers Island prison to a court in Brooklyn. She's now due in the court Tuesday instead, and if she again refuses to get on the bus, authorities might put her in handcuffs and force her to go. ...

Is Lindsay Lohan leaving L.A. for good? Her dad, Michael, told People that she's been looking for a house in Utah and plans to return there to live, receive counseling and go to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings after filming her upcoming movie "Dare to Love Me" in Los Angeles. He also said when she leaves for L.A. on Monday to begin shooting the movie, she'll be accompanied by a sober companion trained to deal with people overcoming addiction. "Lindsay's companion is really, really tough, and she's really nice, she's an amazing lady, a great influence on Lindsay's life," he said. ...

Beyoncé in your ear? The singer has her own clothing line and a handful of fragrances — now a new cell phone is being devoted to her. Samsung's limited-edition Beyoncé Special Edition B'Phone handsets comes out November 4 on Sprint.com and at select Wal-Mart stores. The phone, an update to the UpStage model, plays MP3s, has a preloaded Beyoncé-style start-up screen and has access to premium video and music content — including a tune she sung when she was 10 — that can be downloaded onto the phone from the Sprint site. The B'Phone also features the Sprint Music Manager, through which unprotected songs can be transferred from a PC to the handset via a USB cable. B previously appeared in ads for Samsung's Ultra Music campaign earlier this year. ... In other merchandise news, starting Monday, White Stripes cameras will be on sale on the band's Web site, if you can believe it. The "Jack" Holga Camera comes with a fisheye lens accessory, while the "Meg" Diana+ Camera has a ring-flash accessory. Both come with custom filters as well. The first 333 orders will come with a "mystery gift." ...

Columbia has pegged November 6 as the release date for Nas' 12-track Greatest Hits album. Don't miss two new cuts on the disc: "Less Than an Hour," the theme to "Rush Hour 3"; and "Surviving the Times," which features Cee-Lo. ... Speaking of rap release dates, Pitbull has locked in November 27 for his next effort, Boatlift. Look for featured-guest spots by Trina ("Go Girl"), Jim Jones ("Sticky Icky") and Lloyd ("Secret Admirer"). ... Last we heard about the new Coldplay album, the band was recording at church altars and developing a "strengthening Hispanic theme" for the effort. Well, it appears the lads are one step closer to bringing the yet-untitled release to fruition — BBC Radio 6 reports they've hit the rehearsal and remix stage. ...

J.K. Rowling might be the second-richest female entertainer in the world according to Forbes, but she can't always get her way when it comes to money. An Indian court tossed out a claim made by the "Harry Potter" author that sought damages from the organizers of a four-day religious carnival for building a replica of Hogwarts Castle. Rowling and her publishers wanted the equivalent of $50,000 from the organizers, but the Delhi High Court disagreed. The court did, however, order that characters from the massively popular book series not be used in the event and say that permission to exhibit the castle would expire on October 26. The castle is constructed out of canvas, papier mâché and bamboo. ...

In the months following Anna Nicole Smith's accidental death from a drug overdose in February, much of the attention has been placed on the fate of her daughter, Danielynn, and former boyfriends. But on Friday, attention turned back to the model's death as California Department of Justice agents raided the homes and offices of two doctors connected with Smith: Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, who prescribed methodone to her, and — according to People — psychiatrist Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, who reportedly authorized the 11 prescription medications that were found in the Florida hotel room in which Smith died. The Medical Board of California said in April that it was investigating Eroshevich. California Attorney General Jerry Brown held a press conference Friday in which he said the raids, which were conducted at six locations, pertained to the "prescribing and dispensing practices of several California licensed doctors and pharmacies." He said no arrests have been made but added, "You don't go to a judge and get a search warrant for somebody's home unless you think some rather serious crime has been committed." He also said he didn't know if Smith's body, which is buried in the Bahamas, might be exhumed due to the investigation. ...

There's one more reason to catch Coheed and Cambria at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York next week — the band will be playing for a good cause. The prog-sters will put on a show October 19 at the Highline Ballroom, and all proceeds will go to the New York chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. The band, which issues its No World for Tomorrow album October 23, will also be asking for donations online. ... Four kids have been named grand-prize winners of the Kidz Bop talent-search contest: Desiree Jimenez (age 11; from Virginia Beach, Virginia); Jacob Muck (age 13; from Splendora, Texas); Jesse O'Brien (age 12; from Schwenksville, Pennsylvania); and Dalton Watts (age 13; from Theodore, Alabama). The winnerz will get to co-star in an upcoming Kidz Bop video that will be shot in November in the Turks and Caicos Islands. They'll get all-inclusive family vacations there too. ...

Dinosaur Jr. will roar again next month with a new tour set to start November 20 in Millvale, Pennsylvania, and last until December 15 in Aspen, Colorado. ... Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan is scheduled to release his second solo album, Hourglass, October 23. Gahan wrote and produced the follow-up to his 2003 solo debut, Paper Monsters, which will feature the songs "Saw Something," "Use You," "Endless," "21 Days" and "Love Will Leave." The album is also available as a CD/DVD set, with the video disc containing a four-song studio session, an EPK, the "Kingdom" video and B-roll. ... Red-hot indie-rock band the National — who call Brooklyn, New York, home these days — played the opening gig at Terminal 5, the first major venue to open in midtown Manhattan in more than 10 years, according to Billboard. Against Me!, the Shins, the Decemberists, M.I.A. and others are booked to play the venue in the coming weeks. ...

Robert Rodriguez and Rose McGowan's trip to "Planet Terror" was apparently very romantic — the director and actress are engaged, People reports. McGowan was previously engaged to Marilyn Manson, while Rodriguez has five children from a prior marriage. ... Celebrity stylist Cher Coulter, who has worked with Britney Spears and Brad Pitt among others, suffered a fractured neck and cut on her head after being involved in a minor car crash in Hollywood early Friday morning. She was apparently riding in the back seat of Orlando Bloom's car — the actor was not injured. Bloom filed a report with police after a vehicle reportedly cut him off, causing the actor to hit a parked car.

• Justin Timberlake
• Britney Spears
• Lindsay Lohan
• 50 Cent
• Ashlee Simpson

Arcade Fire Live at The Warfield in San Francisco, CA 09.18.2005

• Arcade Fire

2005 Austin City Limits Festival

• Coldplay
• Franz Ferdinand
• Kaiser Chiefs
• Arcade Fire
• Jason Mraz

Photos: The KROQ Inland Invasion 5 - 09.18.2005

• Beck
• Jet
• Garbage
• Kasabian
• 311

Coachella Valley Music Festival 04.30 - 05.01.2005

• Nine Inch Nails
• Arcade Fire
• Bloc Party
• The Bravery
• The Futureheads

Coldplay, Weezer, Nine Inch Nails And More At The 2005 Coachella Festival

• Razorlight
• Rilo Kiley
• Keane
• Weezer
• Coldplay

Arcade Fire Photos: The Making of the "Rebellion (Lies)" Video

• Arcade Fire