Avenged Sevenfold

Eagles Land Billboard #1 Over Britney Spears; Avenged Sevenfold, Backstreet Boys Also Crack Top 10

7 Nov 2007 01:21:00 EST

SoundScan rule change allows Eagles' first studio LP in 28 years, sold exclusively at Wal-Mart, to be included on albums chart.
By Chris Harris

Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden
Photo: Eagles Recording Co.

Ouch. She couldn't do it again.

Despite early projections — which, based on first-day sales figures, had beleaguered pop star Britney Spears' first studio LP in four years opening at #1 on next week's Billboard albums chart — it simply wasn't meant to be. That's thanks to an 11th-hour reversal of Billboard's policy to not include albums sold exclusively through one retailer in the top 200 (see "Britney Spears' Blackout Denied #1 Debut On Billboard Chart After Last-Minute Rule Change").

Instead, the Eagles' first studio LP in 28 years, Long Road Out of Eden, will take the chart's peak position, with sales of nearly 711,000 copies, despite only being sold in Wal-Mart. That more than doubles the 290,000 scans generated by Spears' Blackout, which fell more than 40,000 short of experts' earliest sales estimates. Eden is the Eagles' first release — apart from a few compilations — to debut at #1 since the mostly live Hell Freezes Over, which also entered on top back in 1994, with 266,700 copies sold. Eden is the band's sixth release to bow at #1, and one of 2007's best debuts, joining Carrie Underwood's Carnival Ride, which racked up 527,000 in its first week; Linkin Park's Minutes to Midnight (with 623,000 scans); 50 Cent's Curtis (691,000); and Kanye West's Graduation (957,000).

So rather than score the fifth #1 debut of her career, Spears finds herself in a position she's never been in before: second place. Before Blackout's release, all four of Brit's previous outings debuted at #1: 1999's ... Baby One More Time (with 120,600 sold), 2000's Oops! ... I Did It Again (with 1.3 million), 2001's Britney (with 745,700) and 2003's In the Zone (609,400).

But Brit and the Eagles weren't the only newcomers to next week's chart. In fact, four other new albums will enter the top 10, and in all, 22 LPs will enter this latest chart, during what was a rather strong week for record sales, according to the latest SoundScan totals.

Following Britney at #4, with 93,800 copies snatched up during week one, is the latest eponymous offering from California rockers Avenged Sevenfold. The band's previous outing, 2005's City of Evil, opened at #30 with 33,000 sold. Coming in at #5 with 83,600 scans is Josh Turner's Everything Is Fine, and bowing at #7, thanks to sales of 81,100, is the sixth studio LP from the Backstreet Boys, Unbreakable. The band's previous offerings fared better, for the most part. While 1997's Backstreet Boys debuted at #29 with 40,000 scanned, 1999's Millennium took the #1 spot with 1.2 million sold, and 2000's Black and Blue also opened at #1, selling 1.6 million. The band's 2005 LP, Never Gone, entered at #3 with 291,000 sold.

Underwood's Carnival Ride is wedged between Brit and Avenged Sevenfold at #3, with sales of 170,100, and at #6, it's Raising Sand, a collaborative offering from Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant and bluegrass revivalist Alison Krauss, selling another 81,200 units in its second week. Josh Groban's Noël drops three spots to #8, with 76,100 sold. Meanwhile, Italian singer Andrea Bocelli takes the chart's #9 position, having scanned 67,500 copies of his retrospective The Best of Andrea Bocelli: Vivere release. Rascal Flatts' Still Feels Good rounds things out at #10, with 53,200 copies flying off store shelves.

Elsewhere on the chart, V Is for Vagina, the long-awaited debut album from Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan's side project, Puscifer, debuts at #25, with sales reported at more than 26,500. Rappers Playaz Circle follow at #27, having sold 26,100 copies of their new one, Supply and Demand, while Baby Bash's Cyclone enters at #30, with 25,800 scans. R&B stalwart Will Downing's After Tonight fills the #37 slot, with 21,500 in week-one sales, and rapper Project Pat's Walkin' Bank Roll checks in at #47, with 17,200 copies grabbed up.

After months of delays, Otep's The Ascension finally makes its debut on the top 200, entering at #81 after selling more than 10,200 copies. Armor for Sleep's Smile for Them follows at #93 with 9,400 scans, while the various-artists soundtrack to the Bob Dylan biopic "I'm Not There" opens at #95, with 9,200 copies sold. Levon Helm's Dirt Farmer takes over the #102 position, with more than 8,600 copies scanned, and Thursday's Kill the House Lights enters the chart at #113, with 7,700 in sales.

Saves the Day return to the chart at #119, with their latest, Under the Boards, selling 6,700 copies, while the Insane Clown Posse's Jugganauts: The Best of ICP takes the #124 spot with 6,300 scans. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra's EP — which, like the Eagles' new release, is being sold exclusively at Wal-Mart — follows at #132 with 5,800 copies sold, while Taking Back Sunday's Notes From the Past enters at #141 with 5,600 scans. Lastly, opening at #153 with nearly 5,100 copies sold, is Graham Colton's Here Right Now.

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Britney Spears And Backstreet Boys Battle Like It's 1999; Plus Avenged Sevenfold, Playaz Circle And More, In New Releases

30 Oct 2007 08:00:00 EDT

Also due Tuesday: new albums by Puscifer, Pack, Project Pat, Eagles; Smashing Pumpkins, Jonas Brothers, Joy Division reissues.
By Kurt Orzeck

Britney Spears' Blackout
Photo: Jive

Halloween must have scared away Mario. The singer — who is in the limelight with his touching new MTV documentary, "I Won't Love You to Death: The Story of Mario and His Mom," — seemed to have settled on Tuesday (October 30) as the release date for his forever-delayed album, Go, which was originally due in November 2006. But after at least five previous postponements — and despite what the album's Web site says — it's been put on hold once again. It's now "due" December 11. So instead, you'll have to do your trick-or-treating to the sounds of another artist you may have heard of, one whose recent single "Gimme More" has a perfect chorus when it comes to candy ...

Britney's Back!: Spears has been the tabloids' #1 obsession in recent months, but her new album, Blackout, is probably going to have to hit that spot on the Billboard albums chart if she wants to keep her career out of the grave for good. As it turns out, she's actually been going in the opposite direction Mario has — her album was originally pegged for November 13, but her label shifted it to October 30, allegedly due to online leaks. Lucky for Brit, Blackout has been drawing red-hot reviews, with The Associated Press going so far as to call it "her best work ever." But if you don't trust the press, maybe producer Danjahandz, who worked on the album, will convince you: "If you're a fan of Britney, you're going to love it," he recently promised to MTV News.

Backstreet Boys ... Are Back as Well!: Britney's most successful album ever was actually her debut, ... Baby One More Time, which went platinum 14 times after being released by Jive on January 12, 1999. A few months later, the same label put out one of the last hugely popular albums by another bubblegum-pop act: the Backstreet Boys' Millennium, which went platinum 13 times. That number definitely overshadows the weak single-platinum status of the group's most recent release, 2005's Never Gone, which didn't even peak at #1 on the Billboard albums chart. The group's fifth album, Unbreakable, is also its first without Kevin Richardson — although the rest of the gang hasn't replaced him yet — and also falls on the act's 10th anniversary. The Boys beefed up the effort for a deluxe edition, which has a pair of extra songs — "Downpour" and "In Pieces" — a poster and more. Fans should also be on the lookout for "There's Us," which only comes with copies being sold at Wal-Mart stores, and "Nowhere to Go," available on the Japanese edition.

(M.) Shadows' Fall: While Brit and Backstreet are among the biggest "TRL" stars of all time, Avenged Sevenfold made for an unlikely fave when they topped the countdown last year. The guys shunned the teen love at the time, but they're still lapping up the mainstream, apparently: In a recent press release, frontman M. Shadows divulged that the band found inspiration in T.I. — and even more jaw-dropping, Toby Keith — for its new self-titled, self-produced album. Still, one would suspect they're still poppin' with Guns N' Roses too ... anyone else see the resemblance between their "It's So Easy" and Avenged's "Almost Easy"? At any rate, the heavily tatted hard-rockers have made sure their new effort is distinct by adding a bunch of incentives: Fans who preordered were treated to a limited-edition 7-inch picture disc featuring their cover of Pantera's "Walk." Beyond that, though, the group went batty for the Music Video Interactive version of the album — it has pre-encoded MP3s for all the songs, make-your-own ringtones, a studio tour, an animated short and other features that amount to two hours of bonus material.

Rap Trio: Does Lil Wayne have a monthly guest-appearance quota or what? The ubiquitous Weezy is surfacing yet again on an album that doesn't belong: Playaz Circle's Supply & Demand. His spot on the group's "Duffle Bag Boy" has upped the anticipation for the release — which is actually the first one by the duo, even though they've been around for 10 years. Making their second stab are the Pack, a three-member squad out of Berkeley, California, who were a You Hear It First act way back when. Their new set, Based Boys — yet another Jive release happening this week — features an assist from Too Short, who discovered them two years ago, on the onomatopoeically titled "Booty Bounce Bopper." Project Pat has twice as many releases as those the two aforementioned groups combined, but he is making a debut of sorts: His sixth album, Walkin' Bank Roll, is also his first for Koch. Three 6 Mafia crop up on "Don't Call Me No Mo," while UGK's Pimp C spots him on "Talkin' Smart."

Reissue Parade: It's no wonder artists' new releases are debuting so poorly these days — fans probably aren't throwing down because of the inevitable deluxe editions that have been routinely cropping up a few months after the initial release. This time around, it's the Smashing Pumpkins and the Jonas Brothers who are guilty as charged. Billy Corgan and company unleashed their Zeitgeist in mid-July, but now comes a revised edition that has a full-length DVD documentary, titled "Inside the Zeitgeist," and three bonus cuts: "Ma Belle," "Stellar" and "Death From Above." The Jonas Brothers, on the other hand, just put out their second album in early August but are already chasing the self-titled effort with a deluxe edition that features two new songs — including "We Come to Party," an exclusive duet with Miley Cyrus — plus a DVD containing a full concert, four videos and photos.

Being more appropriately resurrected are a batch of Joy Division albums that are getting the expanded-reissue treatment this week to coincide with the recent release of "Control," the new documentary about ill-fated frontman Ian Curtis. The only two studio albums the band recorded, 1979's Unknown Pleasures and the following year's Closer, are getting bolstered with a second disc of unreleased live performances, as is the seminal post-punk band's 1981 rarities collection, Still.

Soundtrack Stew: Speaking of "Control," the soundtrack for the film is also happening this week, and it's got a few notable tracks. The Killers toss in a cover of Joy Divison's "Shadowplay," while portions of New Order's score for the movie is also included, as is a song performed by the movie's actors, who learned to play instruments so they could properly portray the band. Tracks by artists from that era, including Iggy Pop, the Velvet Underground and David Bowie, flesh out the disc. Also on the soundtrack front is the "30 Days of Night" musical accompaniment, which was crafted by ex-Air and Redd Kross drummer Brian Reitzell; and the "Bee Movie" soundtrack, which boasts Sheryl Crow's "Here Comes the Sun." But the soundtrack that really takes the cake this week is the one for the Bob Dylan biopic "I'm Not There." The two-disc set is more like a massive tribute album — it features 34 songs, including Eddie Vedder's take on "All Along the Watchtower," a collaboration between Willie Nelson and Calexico for "Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)," plus performances by Ya La Tengo, Cat Power, Sonic Youth and loads more.

A Soaring Cost: As mentioned above, the Backstreet Boys are coaxing their fans to Wal-Mart by putting an extra track on the version of Unbreakable that the retail giant is selling. Taking that trend a leap forward are the Eagles, who, shocking, are making Long Road Out of Eden, their first studio album in almost three decades, available only through Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores terrestrially. The double-disc set, which comes in environmentally friendly packaging, features 20 songs but retails for just $11.88. The fact that the MP3 download version on WalMart.com costs a buck less than that could explain the partnership.

Song Titles of the Week:

The track list to the Gunshy's There's No Love in This War:

· 1. May 14, 1943: The Khaki-Whacky Girls
· 2. August 13, 1943: Eddie Was a Good Friend of Mine
· 3. August 27, 1943: A Fortunate Man
· 4. October 28, 1943: Jule, I'm Not Ready to Die
· 5. December 18, 1943
· 6. December 26, 1943: Humphrey Bogart & His Lady
· 7. June 1, 1944: Instruments of Modern Man
· 8. June 11, 1944: Pretty in the Red & White Dress
· 9. June 22, 1944: Standing Outside the Royal Opera House
· 10. July 3, 1944: I Shot a Man
· 11. September 5, 1944: The Armchair Advisors
· 12. November 14, 1944
· 13. March 7, 1945: There's No Love in This War
· 14. September 5, 1945: Let Them Dance
· 15. September 6, 1945: Til My Belly Hangs Over My Belt
· 16. September 30, 1945: A Soldier's Blues
· 17. October 11, 1945: Tell Them That I Said Hello

Album Cover of the Week:

Nicole Atkins' Neptune City

Other Notables:

Puscifer's V Is for Vagina
Yes, Maynard James Keenan really did endow the long-awaited first album by his side project with this title — and thanks to it, you won't be finding the album at Target stores. The CD is still coming out anyway — it probably helps that the band is releasing the disc through its own label — and is being streamed on the band's MySpace page. Don't miss appearances by Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello and Brad Wilk, Primus drummer Tim Alexander and more.

Various artists' "The Unholy Alliance - Chapter II: Preaching to the Perverted" DVD
Some are classifying this package as a Slayer release, but given that the 90-minute concert set also includes a bunch of live performances by Lamb of God, Mastodon, Thine Eyes Bleed and Children of Bodom, we're not going to. Aside from parts of a concert shot at the tour's stop in Vancouver, British Columbia, on July 13, 2006, the disc also has interviews, backstage footage, behind-the-scenes clips and more.

Armor for Sleep's Smile for Them
The New Jersey post-hardcore band logged a couple of releases with Equal Vision before hopping aboard the Sire train for its third one. The gang, which has been on the road with the Academy Is ... and Cobra Starship, recently leaked its new material onto P2P programs and posted "Williamsburg" onto its MySpace page. Other Smile for Them tracks include, er, "Smile for the Camera," "Run Right Back In" and "Stars in Your Eyes."

New Releases:

· Carrie Akre - Last the Evening (Loveless)
· Armor for Sleep - Smile for Them (Sire) [Buy Now]
· Nicole Atkins - Neptune City (Red Ink)
· Avenged Sevenfold - Avenged Sevenfold (MVI also available; Warner Bros.) [Buy Now]
Read: "Avenged Sevenfold Say New LP Will Have You 'Banging Your Head The Entire Time' "
· Away Team - Training Day (Hall of Justus)
· Baby Bash - Cyclone (Arista) [Buy Now]
· Backstreet Boys - Unbreakable (deluxe digipak also available; Jive) [Buy Now]
· Ian Ball - Who Goes There (Dispensary)
· Bigelf - Hex (Custard)
· Jeff Austin Black - Human (Rainman)
· Black Cobra - Feather and Stone (At a Loss)
· Black Ghosts - Any Way You Choose to Give It (EP; I Am Sound)
· Blues Traveler - Cover Yourself (C3) [Buy Now]
· Bobaflex - Tales From Dirt Town (TVT)
· Buck 65 - Situation (Strange Famous)
· Jonathan Butler - Live in South Africa (with DVD; Rendezvous)
· Capital - Homefront (Revelation)
· Charalambides - Likeness (Kranky)
· The Color Fred - Bend to Break (Equal Vision)
· Graham Colton - Here Right Now (Republic)
· Will Downing - After Tonight (Peak)
· Eagles - Long Road Out of Eden (two CDs; only available at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores) [Buy Now]
· Efterklang - Parades (Leaf)
· Endeverafter - Kiss or Kill (Razor & Tie)
· Enter Shikari - Take to the Skies (Tiny Evil)
· Genitorturers - Flesh Is the Law (Retribution)
· Jeff Griffith - If It Ain't One Thing It's Another (Arrowhead)
· The Gunshy - There's No Love in This War (Latest Flame)
· The Harlem Experiment - The Harlem Experiment (Ropeadope)
· Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer (Vanguard)
· Intronaut - The Challenger (Translation Loss)
· Richard Lloyd - The Radiant Monkey (Parasol)
· Luna Halo - Luna Halo (American)
· Steve Moore - The Henge (Relapse)
· Youssou N'Dour - Rokku Mi Rokka (Nonesuch)
· Otep - The Ascension (Koch)
· Othello - Alive at the Assembly Line (Hip Hop Is Music)
· Lorenzo Owens - Better Days: The Encore (Federal Distribution)
· The Pack - Based Boys (Jive) [Buy Now]
· Amanda Perez - Hand of Fate (digipak; Upstairs)
· Playaz Circle - Supply & Demand (Disturbing Tha Peace)
· Project Pat - Hypnotized Minds Presents: Project Pat - Walkin' Bank Roll (Koch/ Hypnotized Minds)
· Puscifer - V Is for Vagina (digipak; Puscifer Entertainment)
Read: "Tool's Maynard James Keenan Unleashes 'Body Candy' With Puscifer Side Project"
· Saves the Day - Under the Boards (Vagrant) [Buy Now]
· Sally Shapiro - Disco Romance (Paper Bag)
· Shooting Spires - Shooting Spires (Cardboard)
· Sightings - Through the Panama (Load)
· Alice Smith - For Lovers, Dreamers & Me (Epic)
· Britney Spears - Blackout (Jive) [Buy Now]
Read: "Britney Spears' New Album, Blackout: A Track-By-Track Report"
· Aaron Stout - Queens Live in Caskets (Monotreme)
· Anna Ternheim - Anna Ternheim (EP; Decca)
· Terror - Rhythm Amongst the Chaos (EP; Reaper)
· Kate Tucker & the Sons of Sweden - Kate Tucker & the Sons of Sweden (Red Valise)
· Josh Turner - Everything Is Fine (MCA Nashville)
· The Wonder Years - Get Stoked on It! (No Sleep)
· Various artists - "30 Days of Night" soundtrack (digipak; Ipecac)
· Various artists - "Bee Movie" soundtrack (RCA)
· Various artists - "Control" soundtrack (Rhino)
· Various artists - "I'm Not There" soundtrack (two CDs; Columbia)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· Arrested Development - Since the Last Time (Vagabond)
· Andrea Bocelli - Vivere: The Best of Andrea Bocelli (deluxe edition with DVD also available; Decca)
· Chad & Jeremy - Greatest Hits (Acrobatic)
· John Coltrane - The Impulse! Albums: Volume One (Verve)
· Demented Are Go - In Sickness & in Health and Kicked Out of Hell (Anagram Psychobilly)
· Nick Drake - Fruit Tree (box set with four CDs and one DVD; Fontana/UMe)
· The Highwaymen - Folk Hits Collection (Varèse Sarabande)
· Insane Clown Posse - Jugganauts: The Best of ICP (Island)
· Jonas Brothers - Jonas Brothers - The Bonus Jonus Edition (with DVD; Hollywood)
· Joy Division - Closer; Still; and Unknown Pleasures (deluxe editions; each comes with an extra CD; Rhino)
· Damian Marley - Mr. Marley (Universal Republic)
· The Moody Blues - The Magnificent Moodies (Great American Music Co.)
· Patrick Moraz - Windows of Time (MVD Audio)
· Pillbugs - Monclovia (Rainbow Quartz)
· Queen - Queen Rock Montreal (two CDs; Hollywood) · Leon Russell - Americana; Life and Love; The Live Album; Make Love to the Music; and Wedding Album (Wounded Bird)
· Frank Sinatra - The Cole Porter Songbook (Acrobatic)
· Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist (with DVD; Reprise)
· Thursday - Kill the House Lights (Victory)
· Barry White - An Evening With Barry White (live; Eagle)
· World Party - Best in Show (Seaview)
· Gary Wright - Human Love (Koch)
· Various artists - A Santa Cause: It's a Punk Rock Christmas (two-CD digipak; Immortal)

Music DVDs:

· All That Remains - "Live" (Razor & Tie)
· Carmine & Vinny Appice - "Drum Wars: The Ultimate Battle" (Power Rock)
· The Beatles - "Help!" (available as a two-DVD digipak or deluxe box set with 60-page booklet; Apple Corps Ltd/ EMI) and "Impact! Songs That Changed the World - The Beatles: I Want to Hold Your Hand" (SRO Entertainment)
· The Bee Gees - "Impact! Songs That Changed the World - The Bee Gees: Stayin' Alive" (SRO Entertainment)
· Cactus - "Live" (MVD Visual)
· Ray Charles - "Live at Montreux 1997" (Eagle Vision)
· Bob Dylan - "The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965" (Columbia)
· Patty Griffin - "Live From the Artists Den" (ATO)
· Jamiroquai - "Live at Montreux 2003" (Eagle Vision)
· Jay-Z - "Classic Albums: Reasonable Doubt" (Eagle Vision)
· Tom Jones - "This Is Tom Jones Christmas" (Time Life)
· Bob Marley - "Impact! Songs That Changed the World - Bob Marley: I Shot the Sheriff" (SRO Entertainment)
· Method Man - "Live From the Sunset Strip" (HD Entertainment)
· Elvis Presley - "Destination Vegas" (Video Music) and "Impact! Songs That Changed the World - Elvis Presley: Heartbreak Hotel" (SRO Entertainment)
· Queen - "Queen Rock Montreal" (Eagle Vision) and "Queen Rock Montreal + Live Aid" (two DVDs; Eagle Vision)
· Django Reinhardt - "King of Jazz Guitar" (Quantum Leap)
· Edwin Starr - "The Edwin Starr Story" (Wienerworld)
· Neil Young - "Under Review 1976-2006" (Chrome Dreams)
· Various artists - "20 to Life: The Life and Times of John Sinclair" (Steve Gebhardt)
· Various artists - "The Unholy Alliance - Chapter II: Preaching to the Perverted" (Columbia)

Digital Releases:

· Inanna - Butterfly Remixes (Jook)
· North Elementary - Lovesday Dead Down: Remixed Recordings and Extras (available on iTunes only)
· Tim Fite - Untitled Halloween EP (available for free on TimKite.com starting Wednesday)
· Various artists - Big Change: Songs for FINCA (available on iTunes only)

Coming Attractions:

November 6:
· Angels & Airwaves - I-Empire (Geffen)
Read: "Angels & Airwaves' Revolution Has Begun — Just Wait 29 Years, Tom DeLonge Insists"
· Chris Brown - Exclusive (deluxe edition comes with DVD; Jive)
Read: "Pharrell, Will.I.Am Joining Chris Brown's Exclusive Club"
· Jay-Z - American Gangster (Roc-A-Fella)
Read: "Jay-Z's American Gangster: A Guided Tour By Jigga, Jermaine Dupri, Pharrell And Others"

November 13:
· Alicia Keys - As I Am (J)
· The Killers - Sawdust (Island)
· Ja Rule - The Mirror (Murder Inc./ Universal)
Read: "Ja Rule Leaves Bitterness — And 50 Cent Beef — Behind On New Album"

November 20:
· Beyoncé - "The Beyoncé Experience Live" DVD (Columbia)
· Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City (digital-only reissue with bonus tracks; Vice) and Flux (digital-only EP; Vice)
· Daft Punk - Alive (enhanced two-CD deluxe edition; Virgin)
· Gorillaz - D-Sides (special two-CD, glossy-box edition due same day; Virgin)
· Nine Inch Nails - Y34RZ3R0R3MIX3D (with DVD; Interscope)

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Britney Spears Back In Stores; Chris Brown On The Way

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Britney Spears Plans An Early Blackout; Plus Diddy, Black Eyed Peas, Bobby Brown, Justin Timberlake & More, In For The Record

10 Oct 2007 08:35:00 EDT

Diddy hit with another suit; Peas cancel concert mid-show in El Salvador; Brown recovering from mild heart attack.
By MTV News staff

Britney Spears (file)
Photo: Ethan Miller/ Getty Images

Britney Spears' arraignment was delayed earlier this week, but the singer needs to make another adjustment on her calendar — her upcoming Blackout LP has bumped from a November 13 release to October 30. Jive, her label, chalked up the release-date shift to album tracks being leaked online. "Due to these numerous unauthorized online leaks, the label is doing everything possible to prevent and avoid any future illegal distribution of songs, including moving up the release date of the album to October 30," it said in a statement. ...

Hip-hop promoter James Waldon has filed a $5 million lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs, claiming that after he chatted with the Bad Boy boss at the Box nightclub in New York, three of Combs' bodyguards attacked him. According to The Associated Press, the 27-year-old said one bodyguard punched him in the mouth, knocking him backward onto a table, while two others repeatedly hit and kicked him, then chased him around the club before he escaped. Waldon claimed the beating left him with a number of injuries, including mouth and teeth problems. Combs' lawyer said he had not yet seen the filing. ... In other Diddy legal news, a Los Angeles judge ruled Wednesday that the hip-hop mogul doesn't have to provide photos of his rings to a man who says Combs hit him outside the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel nightclub in February, according to The Associated Press. Gerald Rechnitzer's lawyer had argued that the photos were critical to his case. ...

Bobby Brown is recovering after suffering a mild heart attack, according to People. His representative Paedra Parks told the magazine that the singer is in "great spirits and has a great prognosis from his doctor." Brown's girlfriend, Alicia Etheridge, rushed him to the Tarzana Regional Medical Center in Tarzana, California, on Tuesday afternoon when he experienced chest pains. He is expected to be released later Wednesday (October 10) and still plans to perform at Los Angeles radio station V100's Taste of Soul fest on Saturday. ...

Black Eyed Peas ended a concert mid-show in San Salvador, El Salvador, last week after Fergie apparently became ill, according to AP. The singer announced onstage that she was suffering from food poisoning, saying, "I've never canceled a show in my life," according to a video that has been circulating online. The show's organizer announced Tuesday that the show will be rescheduled in 90 days, and refunds will also be offered. ... Justin Timberlake has become the first male solo artist this decade to score six top 40 hits from the same album, according to Billboard. His FutureSex/LoveSounds song "Until the End of Time" recently jumped from #41 to #28 on the magazine's Hot 100. The last solo male artist to accomplish the feat? Michael Jackson, naturally. ...

Kiefer Sutherland released a statement Wednesday in regards to his recent DUI arrest. "I'm very disappointed in myself for the poor judgment I exhibited recently, and I'm deeply sorry for the disappointment and distress this has caused my family, friends and co-workers on '24' and at 20th Century Fox. I appreciate the support and concern that has been extended to me these last weeks both personally and professionally." Sutherland will have to serve 48 days in county jail — 30 for driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of .08 percent, as well as 18 for violating his probation for another DUI case in 2004. He will be sentenced December 21. ...

Disgraced boy-band svengali Lou Pearlman is hitting back at allegations in a Vanity Fair story in which former members of male groups he worked with alleged inappropriate activities and sexual improprieties. Speaking to Radar magazine, Pearlman called the story "slander" and denied any wrongdoing. "I don't think there's anything wrong [with having one's] own sexual preference, but no, I've never dated nor have I been interested in men sexually," Pearlman said in response to a question about whether he is gay. He dismissed a number of the allegations against him as mostly sour grapes from people who are or have been in litigation with him, or whose careers did not take off. Pearlman also denied giving massages to any of his former clients and the allegation that he told a young man that in order to get into a band he had to perform a sex act on him. He also said former Take 5 member TJ Christofore made up a story about Pearlman wrestling on a bed with a number of young men while wearing only a towel. "T.J. [Christofore] is making up this story," Pearlman said. "He sued me in child-labor court and lost. If what he says is true, you would think he would have brought it up to help his case. The fact that he never mentioned this in court should tell you where he's coming from. He's just trying to join the lynch party. Besides, I've never owned a towel that could wrap all the way around me anyway." ...

Forget about Angelina Jolie, Jessica Biel and Scarlett Johansson — Charlize Theron is the sexiest woman alive, according to Esquire magazine. The "In the Valley of Elah" actress graces the cover of the mag's new issue, which streets Tuesday. ... It seems that a few hospital staffers wanted to know a little too much about George Clooney. Twenty-seven employees at North Bergen, New Jersey's Palisades Medical Center — where the "Michael Clayton" actor and his girlfriend were hospitalized in September after being involved in a motorcycle accident — have been suspended for four weeks for allegedly looking at Clooney's confidential medical information. "This is the first I've heard of it," Clooney said in a statement. "And while I very much believe in a patient's right to privacy, I would hope that this could be settled without suspending medical workers." ...

More disturbing information has surfaced concerning alleged animal abuse at rapper DMX's Arizona home. According to a report in The Arizona Republic, several of the 12 undernourished pit bulls recovered from the grounds back in August suffered from valley fever, an infectious lung disease that also affects humans. Also, three dogs that were discovered buried in the rapper's backyard may have died from heat after air conditioning in the house reportedly broke down. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, which is still investigating the matter, told the Republic that a "usable amount of marijuana" was also recovered from the rapper's home, along with a small amount of cocaine. The cause of death of the three dogs, which showed signs of bruising, could not be determined, as their bodies were severely decomposed. Two burned dogs, a 20-pound puppy and a 40-pound female, were found together, wrapped in a beige bed sheet and placed inside a plastic bag. ...

Mos Def and hipster rapper Spank Rock have come together to remix French house duo Justice's VMA-nominated "D.A.N.C.E." The two MCs are now labelmates after Mos Def recently signed to Downtown Records (also home to Gnarls Barkley and Cold War Kids), the rapper's label and management confirmed to MTV News. The remix was produced by 19-year old Baltimore beatmaker Benny Blanco who, along with Spank Rock, just released a 2 Live Crew tribute EP, Bangers & Cash. ...

The Police have been forced to cancel two gigs on their current world tour due to frontman Sting's alleged voice problems. The band canceled an Antwerp, Belgium, concert set for October 2, along with another in Manheim, Germany, that was scheduled for October 3. Sting is suffering from a throat infection and doctors have told him to rest his pipes. ... Leave it to the Flaming Lips to conjure a Halloween party for the ages. According to Oklahoma City's OK Gazette, the hometown heroes are participating in the city's Ghouls Gone Wild parade on October 27. Frontman Wayne Coyne will be the grand marshal — and march in his famed plastic bubble, no less! — and the band is trying to rally 1,000 costumed folks to be part of its March of a Thousand Flaming Skeletons. ... Mötley Crüe's upcoming live double-disc set, Carnival of Sins, has been scheduled for an October 23 release. The set features 23 tracks spanning the band's entire career, including "Too Young to Fall in Love," "Home Sweet Home," "Shout at the Devil" and "Dr. Feelgood." ...

The Beatles fans pumped for the November 6 double-DVD re-release of the band's "Help!," might want to buy a ticket to Cleveland — the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum has constructed a new exhibit devoted to the 1965 flick. The exhibit, which will open November 16, will feature rare artifacts and photos shot during the making of the movie, including George Harrison's original script, call sheets, costumes and more. Speaking of Harrison, nine albums from his solo catalog debuted digitally on Tuesday, with the rest set to be made available next year. Fans will probably want to nab the iTunes versions, as they come with bonus tracks.

10.09.07

Looks like there's finally some good news for Britney Spears. The singer has been passing her court-ordered random drug tests and has a 50/50 chance of regaining custody of her children, her lawyer Sorrell Trope told People. Also, while Spears has lots of court dates to keep track of these days, she has one less for her calendar this week — her arraignment on misdemeanor driving charges (for hit and run, causing property damage and driving without a valid California license). Though her arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday, a Los Angeles judge decided Tuesday (October 9) that Spears could have until October 25 to enter a plea. The judge also ordered the singer to be booked by police and show proof of that booking by her arraignment, according to a court clerk. Spears' next hearing in her custody case will be the following day, on October 26. ...

Kiefer Sutherland will serve time in Los Angeles County Jail as part of a plea deal in his DUI arrest, AP reports. He will have to serve 48 days in county jail — 30 for driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of .08 percent, as well as 18 for violating his probation for another DUI case in 2004. The actor must also enroll in an 18-month alcohol-education class and go to weekly alcohol-therapy sessions for six months. On Tuesday, Sutherland's attorney Blair Berk entered a no-contest plea on the actor's behalf for driving with a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit, though a second misdemeanor DUI charge was dropped. The actor was most recently arrested for driving under the influence in Los Angeles in September — he was already on probation for the 2004 DUI arrest. He will be sentenced December 21. ...

Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Linkin Park and — yes, you're reading this right — Daughtry are tied for the most American Music Awards nominations this year, it was announced Tuesday. Each artist earned three nods for various categories. In terms of pop/rock, Akon, Timbaland and Timberlake are facing off for Favorite Male Artist; Beyoncé, Fergie and Avril Lavigne are vying for Favorite Female Artist; Linkin Park, Maroon 5 and Nickelback are competing for Favorite Band, Duo or Group; and Daughtry, LP's Minutes to Midnight and JT's FutureSex/LoveSounds are going head to head for Favorite Album. As for rap/hip-hop, Fabolous, T.I. and Young Jeezy are vying for Favorite Male Artist; Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Pretty Ricky and Shop Boyz for Favorite Band, Duo or Group; and Bone Thugs' Strength & Loyalty, T.I.'s T.I. vs. T.I.P. and Jeezy's The Inspiration for Favorite Album. And on the soul/R&B front, Akon, Ne-Yo and T-Pain are up for Favorite Male Artist; Beyoncé, Fantasia and Rihanna are squaring off for Favorite Female Artist; Beyoncé's B'Day, R. Kelly's Double Up and JT's FutureSex/LoveSounds have been nominated for Favorite Album. There are also Favorite Artist categories for adult-contemporary music (Daughtry, Norah Jones and John Mayer); alternative rock (Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance and the White Stripes) and Latin music (Daddy Yankee, Juan Luis Guerra y 440 and Jennifer Lopez). Daughtry, Plain White T's and Robin Thicke have been noticed for Favorite Breakthrough Artist, while Carrie Underwood landed two country-music noms: for Favorite Female Artist and Favorite Album (Some Hearts). For the first time, the AMAs are opening up voting to the general public online — it began Tuesday on the AMA site and ends November 2. The show, to be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will be broadcast live at Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre on November 18 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. ...

John Graziano, the young Marine who was injured in Nick Hogan's car crash in late August, is on life support and will require lifelong care, Florida's St. Petersburg Times reports. According to documents obtained by the newspaper, the 22-year-old Graziano will, at best, be able to open and close his eyes from time to time. His mother is petitioning a judge to let her assume guardianship of her son, who remains in critical condition. A hearing will be held Wednesday. ...

Rehab was a "sobering" experience for Lindsay Lohan, she told In Touch in her first interview since leaving Utah's Cirque Lodge Treatment Center on Friday. The actress also insisted that while she went to the clubs right after finishing a rehab stint in July, she's not going to be rekindling her nightlife anytime soon — to avoid distractions, she'll be staying in Utah until she starts shooting the upcoming flick "Dare to Love Me." "Going out all the time was very self-destructive," she said. "Partying and having all of those pictures taken distracts from the work that I do. It's not why I started acting. I didn't get into acting to be written about. ... I want to act like a woman rather than a teenager. I am doing the best I can." Lohan also opened up about seeing her estranged father for the first time in more than three years, while at Cirque Lodge. "It was really good for me ... it was really important for me to get a connection back with my dad, because I hadn't had that in a while." And if you heard those rumors about Lohan developing a relationship with a man while in rehab ... well, apparently they were true. "Yes, I am seeing someone," she confirmed. "His name is Riley. I am really happy and taking it day by day." The Riley in question is Riley Giles, a 25-year-old snowboarder from California. Last but not least, just as Paris Hilton said she was committing herself to philanthropic efforts after her own debacle, Lohan revealed that she's trying to put together a December trip to Africa with the Red Cross. ...

"Hannah Montana" fans will want to change the channel from Disney to ABC on Tuesday night when Miley Cyrus breaks out a new duet with her father, Billy Ray, on "Dancing With the Stars." The two will perform "Ready, Set, Don't Go" on the results show, with the single hitting country-radio stations immediately afterward. ... What do Diddy, Panic! at the Disco's Ryan Ross and Fred Durst have in common? They've all earned the less-than-distinguished honor of being selected for Blender's "The 40 Worst Lyricists in Rock" list. Will.I.Am, Billy Corgan, Anthony Kiedis, Common, Dashboard Confessional, Timbaland and, of course, Kevin Federline, also make the (F) grade, with Sting landing in the #1 spot. The list appears in the magazine's November issue, which streets October 16. ... Kid Rock commented to Dave Letterman about his ex-wife Pamela Anderson's recent remarriage — she got hitched to Rick Salomon in Las Vegas over the weekend. After making a salty remark about the couple on "The Late Show With David Letterman," he quipped, "I wish them much happiness." ...

Wyclef Jean seems to be the go-to guy for special causes these days. After playing at "CGI and MTV Present: Giving - Live at the Apollo" late last month, he's now been tapped for another special performance, at supermodel Petra Nêmcová's upcoming Heart of Gold Ball benefit auction. The event, to take place Wednesday at Cipriani Wall Street in New York, will have various sports, travel and event packages up for auction. All proceeds will go to Nêmcová's Happy Hearts Fund, which supports education and medical and emotional support for children affected by natural disasters. ... Say what you will about those rumors of Britney Spears putting in an application for a fall-back bartending gig while staying at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica, California, last week. The manager at the hotel's Cameo Bar tells MTV News that while Spears has been there in the past, anyone applying has to have one to two years of fine-dining experience and must pass a drug test. The manager didn't confirm whether Spears had in fact submitted an application. ...

Avenged Sevenfold will play a free gig at the Key Club in West Hollywood, California, on October 20. The set will be taped for later broadcast on MySpace's "The List." Want in? No problem. Just show up in your Halloween costume and get there early — entry to the show will be on a first-come, first-served basis. ... Jimmy Eat World are going all in with their new single "Big Casino," fashioning their Chase This Light album-release party after the gambling concept. On Monday, the band will turn Los Angeles' El Rey Theatre into a faux casino, with fans able to play poker, blackjack, craps and other games for prizes — a flyaway to see the band perform in another city, JEW merchandise, El Rey tickets and more. The band will end the evening with an intimate set as Chase This Light drops at midnight. Entrants will get gambling money and a commemorative poster. ...

Causes, a charity album benefiting three organizations working to stop the Darfur conflict, will be released on iTunes on November 27 and feature exclusive and rare tracks from Bloc Party, the Shins, Bright Eyes, Animal Collective, the Cure, Death Cab for Cutie, the (International) Noise Conspiracy, Travis and Spoon. All proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam America. The album will only be available on iTunes for 90 days, though a limited-edition CD can be ordered right here. ... Queens of the Stone Age are booked for "The Late Show With David Letterman" on Wednesday and are expected to perform their latest single, "3's & 7's." ...

R.E.M. are teeing up a new album for the spring, and what better place to reveal some of it than on ... CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360"? On Wednesday, Michael Stipe and company will perform "Until the Day Is Done," which will be synced up to clips of CNN's "Planet in Peril" environmental documentary. The song will also play over the doc's closing credits and appear on the band's yet-untitled spring LP. R.E.M. Live, a CD/DVD that stands as the band's first concert release, is due October 16. ... Hot Rod Circuit have called it a day. The band issued a statement about the split but didn't offer a reason for it. The boys thanked their fans for supporting them and said they'll miss playing live gigs. ... Senator Hillary Clinton's 60th birthday bash has just gotten a little bit sweeter: Elvis Costello will perform at the Thursday concert, to be held at New York's Beacon Theatre. Tickets range from $250-$2,300 for the bash, for which 2,800 people are expected to attend. Let's hope Costello isn't planning to jump out of a cake. ...

Capitol/Priority is putting some shine on classic rap material with a pair of releases from the vault. N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton is getting the 20th-anniversary treatment via a bonus-track-laden reissue due December 4. The set will feature five extras: a live version of "Compton's N the House" performed by Dr. Dre and MC Ren, and covers of Compton tracks by Snoop Dogg and C-Murder, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Mack-10 and WC. Also on the way is the label's Featuring ... Eazy-E, which pulls together his top collaborations and hard-to-find solo recordings. Four out-of-print tracks are getting new life on the disc, including his "Beverly Hills Cop III" soundtrack contribution, "Luv 4 Dem Gangsta'z," and a rare "We Want Eazy" remix. That disc hits stores December 4 too. ...

Jammie Thomas, the woman who was hit last week with the first-ever copyright infringement jury verdict, said she plans to appeal the $220,000 fine. She announced the decision on her MySpace page, explaining that her lawyer's appeal will take issue with the jury's decision that making songs available online violates copyright laws. "This would stop the RIAA dead in their tracks," she wrote. "Every single suit they have brought has been based on this making-available theory, and if we can win this appeal, they would actually have to prove a file was shared." At press time, Thomas announced that more than $3,800 had been raised so far on FreeJammie.com. ... TiVo has announced that it will offer users of its set-top boxes access to Rhapsody's library of more than 4 million songs. (Rhapsody is part of a joint venture with Viacom Inc., MTV's parent company.) TiVo subscribers with broadband boxes will be able to listen to music streamed over the Internet from Rhapsody in the coming months, though they won't be able to download songs through their TiVo box.

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Britney Spears Reportedly Passing Drug Tests; Plus Kiefer Sutherland, Lindsay Lohan, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce & More, In For The Record

9 Oct 2007 09:10:00 EDT

Sutherland to serve 30 days in jail for DUI; Lohan calls rehab 'sobering'; Timberlake, Knowles nominated for American Music Awards.
By MTV News staff

Britney Spears
Photo: Hot Shots Worldwide / Splash News/ Newscom

Kiefer Sutherland will serve 30 days in Los Angeles County Jail as part of a plea deal in his DUI arrest, The Associated Press reports. He must also enroll in an 18-month alcohol-education class and go to weekly alcohol-therapy sessions for six months. On Tuesday, Sutherland's attorney Blair Berk entered a no-contest plea on the actor's behalf for driving with a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit, though a second misdemeanor DUI charge was dropped. The actor was most recently arrested for driving under the influence in Los Angeles in September — he was already on probation for a DUI arrest stemming from 2004. He will be sentenced December 21. ...

Causes, a charity album benefiting three organizations working to stop the genocide in Darfur, will be released on iTunes on November 27 and feature exclusive and rare tracks from Bloc Party, the Shins, Bright Eyes, Animal Collective, the Cure, Death Cab for Cutie, the (International) Noise Conspiracy, Travis and Spoon. All proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam America. The album will only be available on iTunes for 90 days, though a limited-edition CD can be ordered right here. ... Queens of the Stone Age are booked for "The Late Show With David Letterman" on Wednesday and are expected to perform their latest single, "3's & 7's." ...

08.08.07

Mariah Carey has a suggestion for troubled young female celebs: Find your center. When asked by Glamour what words of advice she would give Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears, she replied, "I wouldn't want to speak to those people specifically, but I would say you need to be very centered, and spiritually know where you're at, all the time. Don't read the tabloids. Don't be obsessed with what people are writing or saying. Live your life for you. My lifestyle has changed since making it. It's not a financial struggle, but I'm still struggling in a lot of ways." Carey graces the cover of the magazine's November issue. ...

Diddy has had a tumultuous few days — first he was sued by a former associate who claimed the hip-hop mogul owes him $19 million for work by the Notorious B.I.G., and then he accepted legal responsibility for his sixth child, The Associated Press reports. In the suit, James Sabatino claims he flew the late rapper to Miami in 1994 to play a gig and hit the studio — he recorded a 17-minute freestyle session, and 90 minutes of Biggie video was allegedly captured on video as well. Since Sabatino paid for the travel expenses and studio time, he says it was understood that the music and video belonged to him, even though a contract was never signed. Diddy claims the delay was due to Los Angeles police naming Sabatino as a person of interest in Biggie's death and that it might be misconstrued if people discovered Bad Boy had paid Sabatino. The ex-associate was later imprisoned on unrelated charges but continued trying to get the money from Diddy and was told it would be coming soon, the suit alleges. Sabatino is seeking $19 million for actual and punitive damages. While that dilemma recently emerged, Diddy put another one to rest when he took legal responsibility for his 15-month-old daughter, Chance — who is said to have factored into his split with ex-girlfriend Kim Porter. Diddy previously denied he had fathered the child of an Atlanta woman, Sarah Chapman, but has acknowledged that DNA tests have confirmed that he is the father. Diddy has arranged support terms and visitation over his daughter with Chapman. ...

Trent Reznor is a free man. According to a post on Nine Inch Nails' Web site, he and his band have fulfilled their contractual obligations to Interscope. "I've waited a long time to be able to make the following announcement: As of right now, Nine Inch Nails is a totally free agent, free of any recording contract with any label," he said in the post. "I have been under recording contracts for 18 years and have watched the business radically mutate from one thing to something inherently very different and it gives me great pleasure to be able to finally have a direct relationship with the audience as I see fit and appropriate. Look for some announcements in the near future regarding 2008. Exciting times, indeed." NIN were signed to TVT prior to joining Interscope in 1994. ...

Beanie Sigel's attorney says the rapper will surrender to authorities next week after an arrest warrant was issued for his failure to return a rented car, AP reports. Sigel (real name: Dwight Grant) is planning to face the charges on October 15, Fortunado Perri told the news service, elaborating that the Payless rental car — which was due back in August and reported stolen September 6 — is being covered. "Whatever money is owed to the company has been paid or will be paid shortly," Perri added. The car was returned to Payless on Friday as detectives were on their way to arrest Sigel at his home in the Philadelphia suburb of Lansdale. It is not yet known who returned the vehicle, which had accumulated $5,000 in late fees. ...

Paris Hilton's alleged bean spillage during VMA weekend aside, Christina Aguilera isn't doing too good a job keeping her supposed pregnancy under wraps. "Access Hollywood" reports that Aguilera picked out a baby registry at a trendy boutique in West Hollywood, California, on Saturday night. With husband Jordan Bratman and his mother and sister in tow, the singer shopped for blankets, bottles, bags and other items for what "AH" called an "upcoming baby shower." ...

Want to live just like Ozzy and Sharon? Your chance is about to arrive. The Osbournes are planning to auction art, furniture and collectibles from their homes in Southern California and England, with a portion of proceeds going to the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Foundation. Items up for sale include Jack Osbourne's black leather bedroom furniture, a cast-iron crucifix that was hung in Ozzy's den and other memorable objects that appeared on "The Osbournes." The auction will be held November 30-December at the Gibson Guitar Showroom in Beverly Hills — although bids can also be placed by phone or online — and Ozzy will also perform a related benefit show at Los Angeles' Staples Center the first night. Expect to hear plenty more from Ozzy in the near future, by the way: In addition to his upcoming tour with Rob Zombie, he'll likely be headlining Ozzfest next year, according to Billboard. When asked if he would be at the top of the bill, he said, "As far as I know." He did not say whether the fest would be free again, stipulating that it was Sharon's decision. He did, however, say he's still up for recording a new Black Sabbath album, though the band's plans are up in the air. ...

Amy Winehouse, the Arctic Monkeys, Paul McCartney and Kylie Minogue were honored at the annual Q awards on Monday (October 8). Winehouse's Back to Black earned Best Album, the Monkeys were named Best Act in the World Today, Macca was awarded as a Q Icon and Minogue landed Q Idol honors. ... Speaking of Winehouse, producer Mark Ronson tells RollingStone.com, "As soon as I finish up the Daniel Merriweather record, I am going back into the studio with Amy Winehouse to work on her new record. ... She is actually dying to go back into the studio already. ... She can't go in November because she is on tour, so we are figuring it out." Winehouse's second album, Back to Black, hit U.S. stores in March. ...

A new book claims that Bono's daughter, Jordan Hewson, was nearly kidnapped by Irish criminals as part of an abduction plot 10 years ago, according to The Irish Examiner. Author Frances Cahill, daughter of murdered crime boss Martin Cahill, says in her recently released book, "Martin Cahill, My Father," that her dad stopped the alleged plot, through which five other Irish criminals were hoping to get a multimillion-dollar ransom from the singer (the U.S. equivalent of roughly $8 million). "He told them it was a bad idea," Cahill reportedly writes in the book. "Martin had nothing against Bono's family. They had never done him any harm and he wasn't going to get involved." ...

Deftones have begun work on the follow-up to last year's Saturday Night Wrist, which took the band more than three years to record and release. According to a MySpace post from the guys, they've been working on the effort since late July and will maintain a blog to document the recording process. ... In addition to the standard CD version of their new self-titled album, Avenged Sevenfold will also be releasing a MVI version of the effort on October 30. The interactive DVD will feature a making-of featurette, a studio tour, pre-encoded MP3s of all the tracks, an animated short and more. ...

Cribs bassist Gary Jarman was hospitalized over the weekend and has been treated for blood poisoning, his publicist confirmed to MTV News. It's believed the rocker contracted the condition after accidentally cutting himself with the strings of his bass during a recent gig. He had complained of pains in his arms on Saturday but managed to make a gig in Sheffield, England, that same night. He was admitted early Sunday morning and is doing fine, according to his publicist. ... Want to get down and dirty with Moby? Stop by New York's Hiro Ballroom on Thursday night when he, Juan McClean, Stretch Armstrong and DFA artist Alex Frankel christen his new DJ series, called "Degenerates." Moby will tinker around with new material as part of the residency, which is expected to be ongoing and will encompass additional DJs. ...

Jena, Louisiana, Mayor Murphy R. McMillin is lashing out over John Mellencamp's new track "Jena," which the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-nominated rocker recently wrote and posted online (with an accompanying video) in support of the Jena Six. "The town of Jena has for months been mischaracterized in the media and portrayed as the epicenter of hatred, racism and a place where justice is denied," McMillin reportedly told AP. "However, the Mellencamp video is so inflammatory, so defamatory, that a line has been crossed and enough is enough. ... I do not want to diminish the impression that the hanging of the nooses has had on good people. I do recognize that what happened is insulting and hurtful. ... [But] to put the incident in Jena in the same league as those who were murdered in the 1960s cheapens their sacrifice and insults their memory." Prior to the mayor's reaction, Mellencamp discussed his intention behind the track via a post on his site. "The song is not written as an indictment of the people of Jena but, rather, as a condemnation of racism," he wrote. ...

Bruce Springsteen defended his anti-war stance in an interview with "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday, telling correspondent Scott Pelley that it would be "unpatriotic" not to speak out on his new album, Magic, and accompanying tour. "It's unpatriotic at any given moment to sit back and let things pass that are damaging to someplace that you love so dearly and that has given me so much," Springsteen said. "I still feel and see it as a beacon of hope and possibility. That part of America is live and well." He also sounded off on other political issues of the day, saying, "When people think of the American identity, they don't think of torture. They don't think of illegal wiretapping. They don't think of voter suppression. They don't think of no habeas corpus. No right to a lawyer ... you know. Those are things that are anti-American." ...

Not too long ago, the thought of a Police reunion tour was inconceivable. Now comes news that the rock legends, who are currently on tour in Europe, might throw together a new studio effort while they're at it. "I would see it as a challenge, to make an absolutely brilliant pop album at this stage of our career, and that would be something quite remarkable," guitarist Andy Summers told reporters in Dublin, Ireland, over the weekend, according to AP. But he added that the trio have not discussed the project in detail and that the reunion tour is "all-devouring." ...

Maybe the third time will indeed be the charm for Pamela Anderson, who married Rick Salomon — perhaps best known for making that sex tape with Paris Hilton — on Saturday in Las Vegas. Anderson wore a white denim Valentino dress, People reports, and the vows were squeezed in between the 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. shows of Hans Klok's "The Beauty of Magic," which Anderson is a part of, at the Planet Hollywood resort. It's Anderson's third marriage and Salomon's second.

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Kevin Federline Fighting Britney Spears Over Custody Of Sons; Plus Zac Efron, Amy Winehouse, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, 'Harry Potter,' Kanye West, 50 Cent & More, In For The Record

8 Aug 2007 09:24:00 EDT

Efron 'fesses up about 'High School Musical'; Winehouse hospitalized for exhaustion; Lopez awarded almost $545,000 in lawsuit.
By MTV News staff

Kevin Federline
Photo: MTV NEWS

Kevin Federline's lawyer filed documents in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday (August 8) for primary physical custody of his two sons with Britney Spears, People reports. Less than two weeks ago, the couple's divorce was finalized, at which point they agreed to joint custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James. Federline, who previously resisted the 50/50 custody agreement, has been worried Spears has been exposing the boys to unnecessary risk, a source told the magazine. ...

Zac Efron may be showing off his assets in his revealing Rolling Stone cover shot, but he's more modest when it comes to talking about his star-making turn in "High School Musical." "I didn't even sing on the first album," he told the magazine. "It wasn't my voice in the movie. Even though I wanted to do it. So what do you do when the entire cast is supposed to accept an award at the Billboard Awards and your voice is only on the album in a select few lines. I felt extremely guilty." He also explained why he refused to go on the "High School Musical" tour: "If I had to hear the 'High School Musical' songs anymore, I probably would have jumped off something very tall," he said. ...

Fresh from her slightly tardy performance at last weekend's Lollapalooza, Amy Winehouse was hospitalized on Wednesday for "exhaustion." According to a press release from the 23-year-old "Rehab" crooner's U.S. label, Universal Republic, "Amy Winehouse was admitted to [University College London Hospital] this morning, suffering from severe exhaustion. Amy was discharged from the hospital this afternoon and has been advised to take complete rest. Scheduled performances in Norway and Denmark this week have been canceled." ...

Jennifer Lopez has a new flick in theaters and an album on the way too, but her purse is getting even heavier thanks to a court decision awarding her almost $545,000 in a lawsuit against her first husband, The Associated Press reports. Lopez had filed the breach-of-contract lawsuit over Ojani Noa's plans to publish a tell-all book in which he was expected to claim the singer/actress had multiple affairs. The court-ordered arbitrator who made the Monday decision also decided that Lopez should be awarded a permanent injunction barring Noa from criticizing or disparaging her. In other J. Lo news, she'll shoot a video for her new single "Do It Well" in Los Angeles on August 16-17. ...

Beyoncé is turning up all over the place — ads for the singer's new Emporio Armani Diamonds fragrance are appearing in September issues of magazines. The scent is available at Macy's exclusively in August and will hit other major department stores next month. ... A 16-year-old French boy was arrested and spent a night in jail for allegedly translating "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" into French and posting it online within days of the book's late July release. The boy was released Tuesday after being questioned and could face charges of violating intellectual property, although prosecutors say he was likely not seeking commercial gain by posting the translated book online. The official French translation of "Deathly Hallows" is due October 26. ...

50 Cent knows Kanye West better than you think. After accepting a challenge on BET's "106 & Park" to debate with West the merits of their respective new albums — which will go head to head in stores when they street on September 11 — Fiddy replied, "Kanye, he's not going to want to show up." During the VMA announcement Tuesday, West made 50's prediction come true, declining the proposed debate and calling it "the stupidest thing." "What am I going to debate about?" he said. "I'm going to go in the studio and make music." But 'Ye, who said he doesn't have beef with anyone, had something positive to say as well: "With 50's album dropping and my album dropping on the same day, everybody wins because you get a lot of good music at the same time." ...

Jack White and his wife, model Karen Elson, welcomed their second child, a boy named Henry Lee White, on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the White Stripes frontman. The couple's first child, a daughter named Scarlett Teresa White, was born in 2006. White and Elson were famously married on a canoe by a traditional shaman priest in Brazil in 2005. ... Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson "still talk every day," the actress told Harper's Bazaar for the magazine's September issue, adding that her ex-husband "still cracks me up." Hudson also revealed that she hopes to eventually have four children. ... Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter are expecting their second baby, People reports. It's due in December. ... Melanie Brown, who has been speaking out publicly about her child with Eddie Murphy, has been married since June, AP reports. A marriage certificate filed with Nevada's Clark County lists the date of her nuptials with boyfriend Stephen Belafonte as June 6. ...

Sum 41 have a new twist in their tour schedule: more dates on the Warped Tour. In addition to playing the Tuesday show in St. Louis and the Bonner Springs, Kansas, gig the following day, Deryck Whibley and the gang will grace the fest for four additional California dates August 22-25 (Fresno, Sacramento, San Diego and Carson). ... Avenged Sevenfold's forthcoming self-titled LP will be in stores October 16. The disc is the follow-up to 2005's City of Evil and is the band's first self-produced effort. ... Former "American Idol" finalist Gina Glocksen's longtime boyfriend Joe Ruzicka proposed to her onstage during the American Idols Live Tour stop in Rosemont, Illinois, on Tuesday — and she accepted, Illinois' Daily Southtown reports. The rocker, who hails from nearby Naperville, often referenced Ruzicka on the show and dedicated her performance of Heart's "Alone" to him. ...

Rock fans, do your bidding: speakers, cabinets, a Jacuzzi and more items from Jerry Garcia's house in Marin County, California, will be auctioned on eBay beginning Sunday. The house was purchased in 1997 by Henry Koltys, an attorney and software developer, after which he put into storage the items that he's auctioning. Meanwhile, a piano that Bruce Springsteen owned in the late '70s is also up for bidding on eBay, RollingStone.com reports. Bob Dylan and Keith Richards have also played on the piano, which had a starting bid of $10,000. ... The farm that hosted the legendary Woodstock music festival in 1969 is up for sale, AP reports. The asking price is $8 million. ...

Killswitch Engage have pumped out a cover of Dio's "Holy Diver" that will appear on the special-edition version of the band's 2006 effort, As Daylight Days. The reissue, due in stores August 28, will also be bundled with three additional tracks and a DVD featuring a trio of song clips and two rehearsal performances. ... Black Tide, the young metal outfit from Miami that had encountered problems joining Ozzfest's second stage because of age issues, are in luck. Since the band is too young to perform on the fest's Jägermeister-sponsored second stage — its youngest member is only 14 years old — it's hopped onto the main stage instead. Black Tide will be the stage's opening act and will make their fest debut Friday in Tinley Park, Illinois. ...

The Chemical Brothers have sketched out the first three dates for their upcoming U.S. tour. The electronic heroes will play New York's Hammerstein Ballroom on September 21, the Concourse in San Francisco on September 28 and Los Angeles' Nocturnal the following day. ... The lineup for the first-ever Farm Aid show in New York, on September 9, has been set. It will include the Counting Crows, Guster, Matisyahu, Ditty Bops, Derek Trucks Band, Allman Brothers Band, the Supersuckers, Warren Haynes and Montgomery Gentry. Those acts join a bill that already includes Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews. ... Tom Hanks is suing one of the producers of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," claiming he is still owed profits from the 2002 flick. The suit — which was also filed by Nia Vardalos, who wrote and starred in the film — seeks unspecified monetary damages.

08.07.2007

Lauryn Hill arrived more than two hours late and performed an uneven if not memorable set on Monday night at Brooklyn, New York's Wingate Field as part of the free Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series. The enigmatic singer, overdressed for a hot summer night, showed up at 10 p.m. for the scheduled 7:30 show and ran through a number of her more popular solo and Fugees hits — but often reconfigured them into unrecognizable scat chants. Hill told the audience her sometimes-inaudible voice was hoarse, but her tone improved as she continued. Hill closed the show with her Grammy-winning "Doo Wop (That Thing)" and then immediately exited after thanking the 10,000-plus people who showed up for the park jam. ...

Alicia Keys, Erykah Badu and Common will light up the Red Star Soul concert series over the course of the next three months, Billboard.com reports. Common and Chrisette Michele will kick off the campaign August 15 in Los Angeles, with Com playing additional shows in Detroit (September 4); Atlanta (September 18); and Washington, D.C. (September 26). Raphael Saadiq, Michele and Teedra Moses will play at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on August 28; Badu and Michele will hit up Chicago on September 13; and Badu will also play Philadelphia on October 13. ...

If you're a fan of Kelly Clarkson and football, get ready for some red-hot double coverage: She'll help kick off the NFL season when she sings before the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts game September 6. The half-hour pre-game show — which will also feature performances by Hinder, Faith Hill and John Mellencamp — will air on NBC at 8 p.m. ET. Clarkson's performance will be part of a free concert she'll be giving at Indianapolis' Monument Circle. ...

Lily Allen's U.S. work visa was canceled upon her arrival at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday, BBC News reports. The singer, who had come to the States for the VMAs announcement on Tuesday (August 7), was held at the airport for five hours due to her June arrest in London for alleged assault. A spokesperson for Allen said the singer was questioned but that her work visa will be sorted out by her next visit. Allen is slated to tour the U.S. in September and is still expected to attend — and perform at — the VMAs on September 9. ... Madonna's representative Liz Rosenberg says that despite reports of a snag in the singer's adoption of David Banda, the process is going smoothly. "None of that stuff is true," Rosenberg told UsMagazine.com in regards to a Reuters report that suggested the adoption might be compromised. "The adoption process is going along very well and according to proper procedure," she asserted. ...

The Reverend Al Sharpton is staging a "day of outrage" on Tuesday to urge the public to divest from the music industry until it forces rappers to stop using derogatory terms including the N-word. Sharpton led a rally in Detroit outside the former studios for Motown Records, but he has also organized 19 additional protests elsewhere in the U.S. "The opposition has tried to use the argument of free speech, but they don't have the freedom to use people's pension funds against their own will and interest," he said in an interview with Reuters. ... A London judge has dismissed a suit over a U.K. photo agency using a 2004 image of J.K. Rowling's 3-year-old son, saying the legal action didn't have a realistic chance of success, according to Bloomberg News. "Our aim has only been to protect our children from press intrusion during their childhood," Rowling said in a statement, adding that she and her husband plan to appeal the ruling. ...

AFI side project Blaqk Audio will embark on their first tour September 5 in Atlanta, in support of the forthcoming Cexcells, which lands in stores August 14. The trek runs through September 27 in Los Angeles. ... Buzz is building over the next Hives LP, which will be called The Black and White Album, according to Billboard.com. There's no release date scheduled yet. ... Black Tide, a young metal band from Miami that had been tapped to replace Circus Diablo on Ozzfest's second stage, have now found themselves having to drop off the bill — without even playing a single note. As it turns out, the band is too young — the second stage is being sponsored by Jägermeister, and the group's youngest member is only 14 years old. ...

They've gone and done it: McFarlane Toys has created Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora action figures, and is planning to unveil them this month. Go here for details. ... Anthrax have nixed plans to record their next album with Slipknot's Corey Taylor, citing scheduling conflicts with Taylor's other projects. The band's searching for a new singer to enter the fold. ... Boston hardcore legends Sam Black Church will reunite for a September 22 gig at the Roxy in Boston; this will be the band's first live set in more than six years. Darkbuster, Madball and Unearth will also play at the show. ...

Louisiana native Terrance Stewart, also known as DJ Bay Bay, was arrested Monday and charged with rape and witness intimidation, according to a report in Louisiana newspaper The Shreveport Times. Stewart served as the inspiration behind rapper Hurricane Chris' breakout hit "A Bay Bay," which is a nod to the DJ. According to Shreveport police, an unidentified woman was found drunk and unconscious on Thursday night at the club where Stewart was spinning, and police believe the woman was raped during the party. Stewart is being held in jail on a $150,000 bond; his lawyer issued a statement defending his client's innocence. "Mr. Stewart is innocent of these charges and intends to vigorously defend himself against them," lawyer Eric Johnson said. "We are very confident that after the case is tried by a judge or jury that Mr. Stewart will be exonerated." Police are also searching for another DJ, Ron Johnson, who they believe was also involved in the incident. ...

What better way to bring the bizarre Phil Spector trial down the homestretch than with an appearance by blockbuster-movie director Michael Bay? On Monday, the filmmaker — one of the last three rebuttal witnesses being presented by the prosecution — said he didn't see deceased actress Lana Clarkson at a Hollywood party weeks before her death, as the defense had suggested, the Los Angeles Times reports. According to defense attorneys, Bay had snubbed Clarkson at the party, hurting her so much that it helped drive her to suicide. Bay, who was called to rebut testimony from defense witness Punkin Pie Laughlin, said he had cast Clarkson in a commercial about a decade ago and that he would have recognized her had he seen her at a party. ...

Pete Doherty tested positive for drugs during a review of the Babyshambles frontman's court-ordered participation in a treatment program on Tuesday, spurring a London judge to warn him to quit drugs within a month or face jail time, The Associated Press reports. "If he does not show his motivation it's prison, as simple as that," Judge Davinder Lachlar said at the hearing. "Depending on what information I have when [Doherty] next [comes] to court, the decision will be made." Doherty is due in West London Magistrates' Court on September 4 for another hearing.

Related Artists

Avenged Sevenfold And All-American Rejects OD On DVD Extras, In New Releases

17 Jul 2007 08:02:00 EDT

Also due Tuesday: Now 25, Too Short, Chemical Brothers, Editors, MxPx, Rooney, Magic Numbers, Yellowcard.
By Kurt Orzeck

Avenged Sevenfold's All Excess
Photo: Warner Bros / Wea

This week's an odd one, with almost too many titles hitting stores to count ... but probably just a few that'll have you reaching for your wallet. Luckily for us, there's enough variety among the litter to have some fun. Let's go.

Video Vipers: Avenged Sevenfold are greasing up a new, self-titled album for an October release, but while that's still in the works, 'Fold fanatics can sink their teeth — or eyes, rather, or ... oh well, never mind — into "All Excess," a new DVD. The title doesn't just allude to the band's hard-partying, c'mon-don't-we-really-look-like-GN'R-now? ways but also hints at what you'll find inside the set: more video bonuses than frontman M. Shadows has tattoos. Piled onto the disc is a documentary, live footage, music videos and segments capturing the making of each of them. "There's footage from some early shows, when we still sucked," Shadows told MTV News' Chris Harris. "[You'll] learn everything about us with this DVD."

Turn the volume knob down a notch or two and you'll be ready for the All-American Rejects, who are teeing up a video set of their own this week. This one's got a funny name too — "Tournado" — but that was actually the band's craftily named trek with Motion City Soundtrack, Gym Class Heroes and others. The resplendently packaged DVD captures the band's gig in the Twin Cities, plus the requisite on-the-road documentary, photo gallery — and a not-so-requisite batch of skits.

Hey guys, wait for us! Underoath are also anteing up with a DVD, the piously titled "777" (well, they are Christians, after all). Frontman Spencer Chamberlain and the crew have dumped onto their disc 75 minutes of unreleased footage from the Warped Tour, Taste of Chaos and other stints, as well as videos and a making-of doc.

So it's Tyson Ritter vs. M. Shadows vs. Spencer Chamberlain. You decide. They all sound like porn stars to us.

Now and Then: Who are we kidding — a quick glance at the listings below will tell you that this week's heaviest hitter is definitely Now That's What I Call Music! 25, and if the set featured more than just previously issued fare, we'd have more to say about it. It doesn't, so we don't.

A Bit of Hip-Hop: With all the rock that's been hitting stores the last two weeks — Smashing Pumpkins, Interpol, Against Me!, etc. — you'd figure rap would want to step up its game on the whole. But that really hasn't been the case (MCs must still be fearing the mighty T.I.) That said, Too Short is plopping a new effort into his massive catalog, and for once the title isn't about chicks or pimps or ego — in a sweet gesture, he's named it I Love the Bay. New York rapper Akir is also stepping up to the plate — well, sorta: His paradoxically named debut, Legacy is back again, thanks to Babygrande, with guest spots by Jean Grae, Immortal Technique and others still intact.

Well, Aren't They Special: When all else fails, there's always the vaults. This week, two ladies and a Guy are back thanks to bonus-track-laden special editions of their noted LPs. Erykah Badu's Baduizm is getting beefed up via B-sides, U.K.-only cuts and more hard-to-find tunes, while sister-in-soul India.Arie's Acoustic Soul is getting similar treatment. Guy's eponymous release is getting a full disc of extras, though ... feeling jealous, ladies? Don't be: As far as reissues go, Garbage have them all beat — the special limited-edition version of their best-of Absolute Garbage boasts a second disc of remixes by Massive Attack, Crystal Method, UNKLE and more.

Chemical Balance: While we're on the subject of electronic music, don't forget the mighty Chemical Brothers. That's right, mighty: While the group's releases have been slipping Stateside — 1997's Dig Your Own Hole peaked at #14 on the Billboard albums chart, followed by 1999's Surrender at #32, 2002's Come With Us also at #32 and 2005's Push the Button at #59 — the group's last five releases have all hit #1 in the U.K. That includes its new one, We Are the Night, which docks at U.S. shores this week. Featured on the effort are legendary Canadian beat poet Bill Bissett, members of Klaxons, Fatlip of the Pharcyde and progressive-rockers Midlake.

Throwing a Changeup: Or maybe we should say "gyro ball" ... either way, if you're looking for something different this week — and happen to like a little rinky-dink team of scrappers called the Boston Red Sox — you'll want to dig your cleats in a little deeper. Music From the Mound is a new compilation curated (supposedly) by Japanese pitching import Daisuke Matsuzaka (a.k.a. Dice-K). Featured on the disc — seriously, don't laugh — is a song called "Gyro Ball" featuring no less than J. Geils harmonica player Magic Dick, onetime Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and Sox TV announcers Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy. The team's charity, the Red Sox Foundation, will be getting all proceeds from the album, which features other anthems for a nation ... Red Sox Nation, that is.

Song Title of the Week:

"Handicapitation" from Birdflesh's Mongo Musicale

Album Cover of the Week:

Winters' Black Clouds in Twin Galaxies

Other Notables:

Los Campesinos!'s Sticking Fingers Into Sockets
This Welsh band came together thanks to a common affection for Super Furry Animals and the Decemberists — which should give you an indication of its indie-pop goodness. Before heading into the studio to record their proper debut with Broken Social Scene producer David Newfeld, Los Campesinos! are bowing with this enhanced EP. Look out for "We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives," "You! Me! Dancing!" and other timelessly titled tracks.

Eastern Conference Champions' Ameritown
These guys wish they were from Wales, or somewhere in British, even though the solidly American squad named their album the way they did. The group hooked up with Oasis and Verve producer Owen Morris for this LP and just toured with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club too. And while BRMC aren't from overseas either, they're also all about My Bloody Valentine, Spacemen 3 and other louder-than-thou Brit psych bands. Expect to hear lotsa soaring vocals, heavily distorted psych guitars and big drums on this LP.

Mick Harvey's Two of Diamonds
You might know him from the Bad Seeds or the Birthday Party ... eh, you probably haven't heard of Mick Harvey at all. The longtime (read: decades-long) Nick Cave collaborator has a few things of his own to say, which he details on his follow-up to 2005's One Man's Treasure. Enlisting PJ Harvey pianist/drummer Rob Ellis — oh, and a double-bass, too — Harvey spills his soul on "Slow-Motion Movie Star," "Home Is Far From Here" and "Out of Time Man." So are we!

New Releases:

· A Fine Frenzy - One Cell in the Sea (Virgin)
· Almah - Edu Falaschi (Candlelight)
· Big Shug - Street Champ (Babygrande)
· Birdflesh - Mongo Musicale (Candelight) [Buy Now]
· Bottom of the Hudson - Fantastic Hawk (Absolutely Kosher)
· Colbie Caillat - Coco (Republic)
· The Chemical Brothers - We Are the Night (Astralwerks) [Buy Now]
· The Cribs - Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever (Warner Bros.) [Buy Now]
· Deathspell Omega - Fas (Southern Lord)
· Destroyer Destroyer - Littered With Arrows (Goodfellow)
· Minnie Driver - Seastories (Zoë/Rounder)
· Eastern Conference Champions - Ameritown (Suretone)
· Editors - An End Has a Star (Fader Label) [Buy Now]
· Federation - It's Whateva (Reprise)
· Eliza Gilkyson - Your Town Tonight (Red House)
· Great White - Back to the Rhythm (Shrapnel)
· Emerson Hart - Cigarettes & Gasoline (Manhattan)
· (Hed) p.e. - Insomnia (Suburban Noize)
· Mick Harvey - Two of Diamonds (Mute)
· Ryan James - Directed (High Tail)
· Ben Jelen - Ex-Sensitive (digipak; Custard)
· Eilen Jewell - Letters From Sinners & Strangers (Signature Sounds)
· Lillian Axe - Waters Rising (Locomotive)
· Livin' Out Loud - What About Us (Pyramid)
· Los Angeles Jazz Ensemble - Expectation (with DVD; Kind of Blue)
· Los Campesinos! - Sticking Fingers Into Sockets (enhanced EP; Arts & Crafts)
· The Magic Numbers - Those the Brokes (enhanced; Astralwerks)
· Raul Malo - After Hours (New Door)
· Meat Puppets - Rise to Your Knees (Anodyne)
· Memfis - The Wind Up (Candlelight) [Buy Now]
· MxPx - Secret Weapon (Tooth & Nail) [Buy Now]
· The Rocket Summer - Do You Feel (Island)
· Rooney - Calling the World (Geffen)
· Rose Funeral - Crucify Kill Rot (Candlelight)
· Matt Shulman - So It Goes (Jaggo)
· Slough Feg - Hardworlder (Candlelight)
· Mark Soskin - One Hopeful Day (Kind of Blue)
· Sound the Alarm - Stay Inside (Geffen)
· Strata - Strata Presents the End of the World (Wind-Up) [Buy Now]
· Tech N9ne - Tech N9ne Collabos: Misery Loves Kompany (Strange Music)
· Too Short - I Love the Bay (Up All Nite)
· Suzanne Vega - Beauty & Crime (Blue Note)
· Violent Storm - Storm Warning (Gold Storm)
· Winters - Black Clouds in Twin Galaxies (Candlelight)
· Wise Intelligent - Wise Intelligent Is ... The Talented Timothy Taylor (Intelligent Muzik/ Shaman Work)
· The Phil Woods Quintet - American Songbook II (Kind of Blue)
· Yellowcard - Paper Walls (deluxe edition with DVD due same day; Capitol) [Buy Now]
· Various artists - A Shaman Work Retrospective: Looking Back to Move Forward (Shaman Works)
· Various artists - Daisuke Matsuzaka: Music From the Mound (EMI Catalog Marketing)
· Various artists - FabricLive 34: Krafty Kuts (Fabric)
· Various artists - Now That's What I Call Music! 25 (UTV)
· Various artists - Toolroom Knights, Vol. 1 (two CDs; Toolroom)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· Akir - Immortal Technique Presents: Akir - Legacy (Babygrande)
· Laurie Anderson - Big Science (Nonesuch)
· India.Arie - Acoustic Soul - Special Edition (Motown/Universal)
· Chet Atkins - The Essential Chet Atkins (two CDs; RCA/Legacy)
· Chet Atkins and Les Paul - Chester & Lester (RCA/Legacy)
· Erykah Badu - Baduizm - Special Edition (Motown/Universal)
· Bobby Bare - Bobby Bare Sings Lullabys, Legends and Lies (two CDs; RCA Nashville/ Legacy)
· George Benson - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
· Grant Lee Buffalo - Fuzzy (Noble Rot)
· Cheech & Chong - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
· Confederate Road - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
· Rodney Crowell - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
· Detente - Recognize No Authority (MVD Audio)
· The Dramatics - The Very Best of the Dramatics (Stax) [Buy Now]
· Holly Dunn - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
· Einstürzende Neubauten - Palast der Republik (MVD Audio)
· Freddy Fender - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
· Ella Fitzgerald - The Very Best of the Harold Arlen Song Book and The Very Best of the Irving Berlin Song Book (Verve)
· Eddie Floyd - The Very Best of Eddie Floyd (Stax)
· Garbage - Absolute Garbage (limited-edition two-CD set; Almo Sounds/ Geffen/ UMe) [Buy Now]
· The Groundhogs - The Best of the Groundhogs (Caroline)
· Arlo Guthrie - The Best Of (Rhino)
· Guy - Guy - Special Edition (Motown/Universal) [Buy Now]
· Robyn Hitchcock - Jewels for Sophia (Noble Rot)
· John Lee Hooker - Jealous (Shout! Factory)
· K-os - Collected (Virgin)
· The Knife - Silent Shout - Deluxe Edition (two CDs and one DVD; Mute) [Buy Now]
· Johnny Lee - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
· Little Milton - The Very Best of Little Milton (Stax)
· Neal McCoy - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
· Natalie MacMaster - The Collection (Foreign Media)
· Charles Mingus Sextet with Eric Dolphy - Cornell 1964 (live; two CDs; Blue Note)
· Gary Morris - Hits (Rhino)
· Willie Nelson - Live at Billy Bob's Texas (limited edition; with DVD; Smith Music Group)
· Louis Prima - Jump, Jive an' Wail: The Essential Louis Prima (Capitol/EMI)
· Rammstein - Völkerball (available as a standard digipak with one CD and one DVD; a special-edition digipak with one CD and two DVDs; or limited-edition photo book with two CDs and two DVDs; Universal) [Buy Now]
· The Rivingtons - Papa Oom Mow Mow: Rockin' R&B and Boss Ballads (Shout! Factory)
· Saxon - Best of Saxon, The Eagle Has Landed and Power & the Glory (Caroline)
· Seals & Crofts - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
· Keely Smith - The Essential Capitol Collection (Capitol/EMI)
· Johnnie Taylor - The Very Best of Johnnie Taylor (Stax)
· Susan Tedeschi - The Best of Susan Tedeschi: Episode Two (Sheridan Square)
· Rufus Thomas - The Very Best of Rufus Thomas (Stax)
· Teddy Thompson - Up Front & Down Low (Verve Forecast)
· UFO - Lights Out (two CDs), Masters of Rock and Obsession (Caroline)
· Manuel Valera - Vientos (Anzic)
· Warren G - Regulate: G Funk Era (two CDs; Def Jam) [Buy Now]
· Various artists - Crickets: Best of the Fading Captain Series 1999-2007 (two CDs; Recordhead)
· Various artists - Freeway Jam: To Beck and Back (Tone Center)
· Various artists - Seriously Good Music: Bollywood, Burleque, Celtic, Gypsy and Reggae (Petrol/EMI)

Digital Releases:

· Seizure Crypt - Hello, My Name Is ... Madness (available through Interpunk and on SeizureCrypt.com)

Music DVDs:

· Aerosmith - "In Performance" (with book; Hurricane) [Buy Now]
· All-American Rejects - "Tournado" (Interscope) [Buy Now]
· Avenged Sevenfold - "All Excess" (Warner Bros.) [Buy Now]
· James Brown - "Mr. Dynamite" (MVD Visual)
· Johnny Cash - "Music in Review" (with book; Classic Rock Legends) [Buy Now]
· Bob Dylan - "The Golden Years 1962-1978" (Chrome Dreams)
· E-40 - "The Best of E-40: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow - The Videos" (Jive/Legacy)
· Donald Fagen - "The Nightfly Trilogy" (three-MVI box set; Rhino)
· Garbage - "Absolute Garbage" (Almo Sounds/ Geffen/ UMe) [Buy Now]
· Green Day - "In Performance" (with book; Hurricane) [Buy Now]
· Green Day - "Rock Case Studies" (with book; Classic Rock Legends) [Buy Now]
· The Moody Blues - "Videobiography" (Classic Rock Legends)
· Nirvana - "In Performance" (with book; Hurricane) [Buy Now]
· Rolling Stones - "Rock Case Studies" (with book; Classic Rock Legends) [Buy Now]
· Jill Scott - "Live in Paris" (Hidden Beach)
· Sublime - "The Ultimate Bundle for the Sublime Fan" (two DVDs and one DVD; MVD Visual) [Buy Now]
· Tanya Tucker - "Tanya Tucker" (MVD Visual)
· Underoath - "777" (Tooth & Nail) [Buy Now]
· Gene Watson - "Gene Watson ... Sings His Greatest Hits" (MVD Visual)
· The Who - "Videobiography" (Classic Rock Legends) [Buy Now]
· Various artists - "60's Rock 'N' Roll Jukebox" (MVD Visual)
· Various artists - "Reggae Nashville Deep Roots Music 1 - Revival/ Ranking Sounds" (MVD Visual)
· Various artists - "This Ain't Your Mom's Hardcore: Volume Two" (MVD Visual)
· Various artists - "The Undagrind" (MVD Visual)
· Various artists - "We Love Ella! A Tribute to the First Lady of Song" (Verve)

Coming Attractions:

July 24:
· Prince - Planet Earth (Columbia) [Preorder]
· Sum 41 - Underclass Hero (Island) [Preorder]
Read: "Sum 41 Kill President In New Song — Deryck Whibley Says It's 'A Metaphor' "
· Tegan and Sara - Con (deluxe edition with DVD due same day; Vapor/Sanctuary)

July 31:
· Common - Finding Forever (Universal) [Preorder]
Read: "Kanye West, Lily Allen Finding Something In Common"
· DevilDriver - The Last Kind Words (Roadrunner) [Preorder]
· Korn - Untitled (deluxe edition with bonus DVD due same day; Epic) [Preorder]
Read: "Korn Are Cracking Up Over Eighth LP's 'Gothic Feel,' Munky Says"

August 7:
· Constantine Maroulis - Constantine (6th Place)
Read: " 'American Idol' Vets Bo Bice, Constantine Maroulis Can't Stop Rockin' "
· Okkervil River - The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar)
· UGK - Underground Kingz (two CDs; Jive) [Preorder]
Read: "Ex-Con Pimp C Juiced For UGK Album, Says He Has Lessons To Teach"

Related Artists

Avenged Sevenfold Say New LP Will Have You 'Banging Your Head The Entire Time'

9 Jul 2007 08:00:00 EDT

Self-titled, self-produced follow-up to 2005's City of Evil due in October.
By Chris Harris

Avenged Sevenfold
Photo: Michael Buckner/ Getty Images

In October, the hard-partying, grill-sporting dudes in Avenged Sevenfold will release the self-titled follow-up to 2005's City of Evil, the band's breakout LP that's sold close to 810,000 copies in the U.S. alone. The album is the California metalcore act's first attempt at self-producing, but according to frontman M. Shadows, that wasn't always the plan.

"We were going to do it with Rob Cavallo," said Shadows, referring to the producer behind Green Day's 2004 LP American Idiot and My Chemical Romance's 2006 effort The Black Parade. "It was such a great match — he loved the songs we'd been working on. But he was too busy working on Kid Rock's next record, and he wasn't going to be able to work on ours until later on in the year."

Avenged didn't know what to do. Here they were, sitting on a ton of new songs and facing pressure from their label to release the material as soon as humanly possible. "We respect Rob, but we couldn't wait," the singer said. "We had to do it ourselves. We had to get back out there on the road, and we needed to record this album."

Initially, the band's label, Warner Bros., wasn't thrilled with the idea of Avenged handling the production duties for their fourth album on their own. But all it took was a small sampling of the demo recordings they'd been working on for the label to give Avenged the go-ahead. Four months later, Avenged Sevenfold are just weeks away from finishing the LP. The band will head to New York later this month to mix the disc with studio engineer Andy Wallace (Linkin Park, System of a Down).

Shadows said the band had no problem producing the album themselves. "We met with a lot of different producers and felt that we would be going more in their direction, rather than doing what we wanted to do," Shadows said. "We wanted to make our record. We've spent a lot of time in the studio, and we've learned how to do everything. It was the only way we would be able to get our ideas across, 100 percent, to our fans."

From the sound of it, Avenged Sevenfold might be the band's heaviest set to date.

"It was a very conscious decision on our part to make the most down-to-the-bone Avenged Sevenfold album we could," the frontman said. "There's no glitz or glamour — just a heavy-hitting record that encompasses all of Avenged Sevenfold. It's a record that new fans and old fans will love. It's easily our best-sounding record. We spent so much time on textures and different vibes, and we'd try everything in the studio. Whatever worked worked, and whatever didn't, we'd throw out. We've had four months in the studio where we've just been experimenting and making this sh-- hit heavy."

While the album's song titles might change between now and the disc's fall release, Shadows did discuss the track "Scream," which he described as a "romantic murder story" about a man hunting down a woman he's attracted to and a woman who seems to enjoy the pursuit.

"It's, like, 140 beats per minute and has this slow swagger to it," he said. "It's got super-catchy melodies and all of this stuff going on where, if you play it in a car, you're just going to f---ing drive down the street and be in heavy-metal bliss.

"We wanted to make a record we'd be really proud of, and the biggest difference with this record is that it's all groove-oriented — no more machine-gun drums going 120 miles per minute," he continued. "It's very 'one-two, one-two,' where you're just banging your head the entire time. It's not as sporadic. We're making a good record for our fans, and they're the only ones who count."

The LP will also feature the cuts "Almost Easy," a song that was originally crafted for the "Transformers" movie soundtrack but wasn't finished in time for the final pressing; "Dear God," which features singer Shanna Crooks and, Shadows said, has "more of a country flavor to it and reminds me of [the Eagles'] 'Hotel California' "; and "Gun Slinger." Shadows said that from a lyrical standpoint, he tried to steer clear of metaphor and concentrate on the world around him.

"Almost all of the songs are very personal," he said. "There's nothing in there about biblical times. It's all about trying to understand yourself and become a better person through your life experiences. It's about not taking human relationships for granted and just wanting to be a better person. I also think it's the best vocal performance I've ever done."

While Avenged's City of Evil was a "TRL" favorite thanks to singles like "Bat Country" and "Seize the Day" (see "Avenged Sevenfold Salute Dimebag, Shun Metalcore On Evil"), many metal fans cringed at the suggestion that the LP was, in fact, a metal album. Shadows has long maintained that his band is metal through and through. But none of the criticisms or potshots influenced the band during the Avenged Sevenfold sessions.

"The last thing we wanted to do was let anyone get in our heads," he said. "We didn't try to make a heavier record to prove people wrong. In the end, I don't think those people matter. There are certain people who will talk sh-- about you no matter what you do. We made this record for the 18- to 25-year-old kid who just wants to blast some heavy sh-- out his window — something you can groove to and rock out to that means something."

To hold fans over until the album's release, Avenged will issue "All Excess," their first DVD, on July 17. Shadows said the outing traces Avenged's roots, with video footage captured during the band's first official meeting.

"It shows fans how we wrote every record and where we recorded them, and there's footage from some early shows, when we still sucked," he said. "It has everything in it, and you learn everything about us with this DVD."

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Foxy Brown Misses Probation Meeting; Plus Lindsay Lohan, Harry Potter, Phil Spector, Avenged Sevenfold & More, In For The Record

26 Jun 2007 06:19:00 EDT

Lohan chose to extend rehab stay, mom says; 'Deathly Hallows' party planned in NYC; Spector defense calls first witness.
By MTV News staff

Foxy Brown
Photo: Fernando Leon/ Getty Images

Despite police confirming Foxy Brown had indeed filed a robbery report, the rapper's management team is now claiming she was not stripped of valuable possessions — including a hearing aid and credit cards — over the weekend in Brooklyn, New York, but rather that she simply "lost" her bag. According to New York's Daily News, Chaz Williams of Black Hand Entertainment displayed the stolen Louis Vuitton bag and several other items to the newspaper to prove his claim and also stated Brown does not need to cooperate with authorities any longer regarding the incident. Brown may also be heading for more hot water, as the News also reported she missed a scheduled probation meeting Friday, which resulted in a stern letter probation officials posted on the door of her home. ...

Dina Lohan told the Daily News that her daughter Lindsay voluntarily chose to extend her stay at the Promises Malibu Alcohol and Drug Rehab Treatment Facility in Malibu, California. "She's going to be dong extended care," she said. "It was her choice." The singer/actress entered the treatment center after a tumultuous Memorial Day weekend. Also, a New York judge on Tuesday (June 26) ordered Dina Lohan and her husband Michael Lohan to undergo family therapy, although it's not yet determined if they'll be attending the sessions together, according to The Associated Press. ...

The last installment of the "Harry Potter" series is going to have fans dancing in the streets — for real. Scholastic is throwing a "Deathly Hallows" celebration at its New York headquarters that will feature magicians, jugglers, face-painting, wand-making and a giant Muggle board on which fans can leave personal messages. What's being dubbed "Harry Potter Place" will be open to the public on July 20 from 5 p.m.-11 p.m., with a big clock counting down to the 12:01 a.m. release of the book the following day. ...

Phil Spector's defense called its first witness, a forensics expert, to the stand Tuesday. Dr. Vincent DiMaio testified that he believed actress Lana Clarkson probably committed suicide in light of the blood spatter and gunshot residue evidence. "She's got blood on her hands, she's got gunshot residue — that's 99 percent suicide," he said. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler recessed trial for the day before the prosecution could begin cross-examining DiMaio. While the defense began calling witnesses Tuesday, the prosecution still wants Spector's ex-attorney Sara Caplan to take the stand about a missing piece of evidence. ...

Avenged Sevenfold are looking to give one lucky fan the chance to produce the band's forthcoming LP for a day. Those interested must upload a short video (less than two minutes long) to either YouTube, DailyMotion or another sponsoring Web site explaining why they would be the best pick to get into the studio and work with the band. Entries must also be sent to a7xproducerforaday@yahoo.com, and the winner will be chosen on Monday. Technical know-how in the recording studio is not required. ... The Smashing Pumpkins have announced the lineup of opening acts for their upcoming sold-out residency tour. Among the groups scheduled to share the stage with the band for its first full U.S. tour since 2000 are: Celebration, Scissors for Lefty, Deerhunter, the Films, Gliss, Fair to Midland, War Tapes, Test Your Reflex, Idiot Pilot, Moving Units, Stars Of Track and Field, Black Angels and the 88. ... Swizz Beatz, Bryan Michael-Cox and Polow Da Don collaborated over the weekend, but not for a new song — rather, the trio teamed up to host the Producers Ball Sunday night at Los Angeles' Wilshire Royale Hotel. DJs Gomez Warren and Trauma spun tracks as Bow Wow, Jermaine Dupri, Johnta Austin and Kim Kardashian danced along. ...

Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson detailed his relationship with Jay-Z in a recent interview with The Kansas City Star. The Pro Bowl star, who sports a Roc-A-Fella necklace like Jay, called the rapper and executive a mentor of his. "He definitely didn't want me to do that Fantasia video ['When I See U']," Johnson explained. "I definitely got cussed out for that one. He told me there were a lot of things he wanted to do, but he couldn't do them. He said, 'You gotta be able to look at yourself as a business, as stock, and the less things you do, the more people will have interest in you. The more things you do, you water down your value.' " ... "American Idol" finalist Melinda Doolittle will travel to Zambia on Thursday with first lady Laura Bush and the group Malaria No More for a mission that will include the distribution of 500,000 bed nets funded by this year's "Idol Gives Back" charity special. A press release announcing the four-day trip said Doolittle will see the impact of malaria firsthand as she helps deliver the first installment of the $70 million raised during the "Idol" telethon to help aid children in the U.S. and Africa. ...

Buff "300" star Gerard Butler will join Ludacris in Guy Ritchie's upcoming crime caper "RocknRolla." The film, written and directed by Ritchie, is slated to begin production in London soon, according to Variety magazine. It revolves around a Russian mobster who orchestrates a crooked land deal, putting millions of dollars up for grabs and attracting London's criminal underworld. ... Henry Rollins has signed on to front the Ruts — the reggae-influenced British punk band that split up following the 1980 overdose death of charismatic frontman Malcolm Owen — for a benefit gig in London next month. Proceeds from the July 16 show, to be held at London's Carling Academy, will benefit guitarist Paul Fox — who is suffering from untreatable lung cancer — and various cancer charities. Rollins will take the place of Owen during the reunion concert. ...

Thrice have parted ways with their label, Island Records. In a statement from the band, the boys claim that, "over the past couple of years, we've realized that we have different visions for the band's future and we both agree that we'd be better off going our separate ways at this point. We're very grateful for all the help and support they've given us for the past four years. Thankfully, they've been generous enough to let us keep the record we're currently recording, and we're hopeful that this change in plans won't delay its release." Thrice are now looking for a new label home and plan to continue working on the follow-up to 2005's Vheissu, which might be out before year's end. ... Staind singer Aaron Lewis has announced the dates for his latest string of solo acoustic shows. The band's Web site reports that the Have Guitar, Will Travel gigs will kick off July 27 at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and be staged at theaters around the country through an August 29 date at the Hampton Beach Casino in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. Staind will play a few weeks of shows before Lewis' solo dates, opening for Nickelback in early July and headlining a handful of shows on the East Coast. ...

In a move that should surprise absolutely no one, the release of the first volume of Neil Young's oft-delayed collection, The Archives Vol. 01, has been bumped to 2008. The notoriously perfectionist Young has reportedly been working on the massive eight-CD/two-DVD set (which spans 1963-72 and includes a truckload of rare, unreleased and live audio and video material) for more than a decade — and that's just the first volume. The set, described as "the definitive audiobiography," is now slated to arrive early next year, but don't hold your breath. Check the collection's site for more info. ... Joss Stone has been in the news in recent months after a controversial appearance at the Brit Awards, but it seems the soul singer is actually turning the tables and making news now. Stone donned a blazer and glasses for a parody news broadcast poking fun at infamous blogger Perez Hilton. "I'm sure he-slash-she tries," Stone said in the YouTube clip. "[But] the torrent of lies spew forth from a mouth that is so spoiled it make never be cleansed without your help." The clip then throws to a link for HelpPerezHilton.com, which is registered but currently without any content. ...

Disgraced former boy band impresario Lou Pearlman is back in the United States after arriving in Los Angeles on Monday, according to AP. Pearlman had been under arrest on one charge of bank fraud in the U.S. territory of Guam after his expulsion from Indonesia earlier this month. He is accused of fraudulently securing $20 million in loans for himself and his companies using faked financial documents from a bogus accounting firm. ... Hundreds of Internet radio webcasters participated in a Day of Silence on Tuesday (June 26) to protest the recent hike in fees that they will have to pay to stream radio stations online. Among the broadcasters protesting the new royalty rates — slated to go into effect on July 15 and retroactive to January 1, 2006 — are Rhapsody, Pandora, Live365, WOXY.com, Soma FM, KCRW, MTV Radio and Radio Paradise. Many of the broadcasters have warned that they could be forced out of business if the rates go into effect, because they would result in annual fees of nearly $1 billion for a marginal industry that struggled to pay $20 million in fees last year. ...

A woman who successfully defended herself against a lawsuit by the Recording Industry Association of America has turned around and filed suit against the music industry trade group, a host of major labels and the company that helps the RIAA investigate alleged copyright infringers. According to Wired.com, after defending herself for two years against a financially debilitating suit by the RIAA, Tanya Andersen filed suit on Monday against Atlantic Recording Corporation, Priority Records, Capitol Records, UMG Recordings, BMG Music, the RIAA, MediaSentry and Settlement Support Center, claiming that the RIAA's methods are criminal and that its lawyers are needlessly harsh in pursuing defendants. It also claims that MediaSentry's investigations, which have allegedly been the "sole" basis of tens of thousands of copyright infringement lawsuits filed by the RIAA, are "illegal, flawed and negligent."

06.25.2007

Christina Aguilera told The Associated Press she's been reading scripts with the hopes of launching an acting career. "I am looking forward to moving into another form of what I feel is another creative outlet for me and that would be acting," she said. Without shedding light on which scripts or roles she is considering, she added, "[Acting] is something that, when I attempt to do it, I want to do it right so it's important for me that I do choose the right first role for myself." ...

50 Cent is embroiled in another feud — he and Shaniqua Tompkins, mother of his 10-year-old son, Marquise Jackson, are wrangling over child-support payments, AP reports. The rapper's monthly payments of $25,000 for child support and household expenses aren't enough for Tompkins, whose lawyer Raoul Felder says, "[50 is] worth tens and tens of millions of dollars." On the other hand, the rapper's lawyer Brett Kimmel told the Daily News, "Her demands keep escalating." 50 showed up to a family court in Long Island, New York, on Friday in an armored SUV with a satellite dish. Closed-door hearings are scheduled to continue this week. ...

"American Idol" hopefuls, it's time to start warming up those pipes — auditions for the seventh season of the show will begin July 30 at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium. Wristbands will be given out from July 28 until 8 a.m. on the 30th. Auditions will continue at Dallas' Texas Stadium (August 6); Omaha's Qwest Center (August 10); a to-be-determined venue in Atlanta (August 14); Charleston, South Carolina's North Charleston Coliseum (August 18); Miami's AmericanAirlines Arena (August 22); and Philadelphia's Wachovia Complex (August 27). ...

Britney Spears and Rosie O'Donnell, together at last? According to People, Spears' choreographer told the magazine the singer will join Cyndi Lauper and others onstage Saturday at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre for a stop on the True Colors concert tour, which has sometimes featured O'Donnell playing drums. In a video blog shot during a stop in Texas, O'Donnell said, "Brit, if you're watching, honey, you and me — we're gonna share, like, a backstage moment, 'cause I love you, kid!" O'Donnell, who is expected to perform standup at the show, said Spears' alleged appearance was news to Lauper, whose representative declined to comment to People. ...

Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Kelly Rowland and John Legend will join Nigerian artists in Africa next month for the Thisday Festival, which celebrates the 200th anniversary of the abolishment movement this year. The event unfolds July 14-15, and many of the participating artists are visiting the country for the first time. "I've heard nothing but good things and can't wait to get over there and give back some of the love that I've been given from over there," Ne-Yo said in a statement. "It's an honor and a pleasure to even get the opportunity to visit, let alone perform. ...

Paris Hilton was having some trouble late last week squaring away her first post-jail interview, but the problem was cleared up over the weekend thanks to CNN's Larry King. The famed host will talk with the heiress in a one-hour interview slated to air Wednesday, less than 24 hours after her release. "I am thrilled that Larry King has asked me to appear on his program to discuss my experience in jail, what I have learned, how I have grown and anything else he wants to talk about," read a statement issued by Hilton's spokesperson. "It will be an honor to do his show." Another statement served to quash rumors about money being involved: "Contrary to media reports, Paris Hilton is not being paid for any television interview. Nor is Paris being paid for any collateral, including video and photographs related to any television interview." ...

Diddy, Nas, Suge Knight, Penélope Cruz and Erykah Badu were just a few of the A-listers who holed up in Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel to see the first of Prince's "3121 Live" concerts on Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times. Prince tried to get Nas on the mic, but the rapper turned down the offer by simply saying, "I love Prince." Badu tried to participate but bailed on the mic, while former Prince collaborator Nikka Costa was game — she joined him for "Purple Rain." ... Joey Fatone is hosting NBC's "The Singing Bee," a sing-along variety game show that will premiere July 10 at 9:30 p.m. ...

Saigon hosted a Remy Martin-sponsored Black Music Month event Friday at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club in New York. The Brooklyn rapper/actor also took to the stage to perform and at the end of the night donated $10,000 to the In Arms Reach charity foundation. ... Warner Music Executive Vice President Kevin Liles met with President Bush at the White House late last week for Black Music Month. ... Reverend Run will be honored as a BMI Icon at the songwriters' organization's seventh annual Urban Awards, to take place September 7 at Las Vegas' New York New York Hotel & Casino. Run will join past recipients of the award, such as James Brown, Little Richard, L.A. Reid and Babyface. ...

Forensics expert Lynne Herold testified Monday (June 25) that Phil Spector might have been walking or running toward actress Lana Clarkson — instead of standing in front of her — when she was fatally shot, AP reports. Under questioning by the defense, the prosecution witness said Spector might have been moving at the time of the shooting. ... Tom Sizemore is going behind bars for a long time. On Monday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Cynthia Rayvis sentenced the actor to 16 months in state prison for violating drug probation, AP reports. Sizemore "abused the privilege of probation" and "needs to be in a lockdown setting," said Rayvis, who suggested he be sent to San Diego County's R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility because of its notable drug-treatment program. ...

The publicity firm representing the family of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott has issued a statement regarding Zac Crain's forthcoming biography of the late Pantera/Damageplan guitarist. In the statement, Dime's family claims it "has not authorized nor cooperated with Crain" on "Black Tooth Grin: The High Life, Good Times, and Tragic End of 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott," which is set for release on November 5. The family adds: "Mr. Crain did not know Dimebag personally. Mr. Crain's request to the family was denied. Among other reasons, during his tenure as music editor of the Dallas Observer, Mr. Crain wrote nothing but negative reviews about Pantera's music." The book claims to be "the first biography of 'Dimebag' Darrell," and chronicles the guitarist's rise with Pantera. ...

The Cure have announced dates for a U.S. tour this fall, which will coincide with the release of the band's yet-untitled LP. The tour will launch September 13 in Tampa, Florida, and run through October 17 in Dallas. In the meantime, the Cure continue to hammer away at the LP. ... Cameron Diaz has something to say to Peruvians: sorry. The actress apologized over the weekend for toting around a bag with a red star and "Serve the People" written in Chinese — a symbol and communist phrase that evoke memories of the Maoist Shining Path. The insurgency's fight against Peru's government in the '80s and early '90s left 70,000 people dead. "I sincerely apologize to anyone I may have inadvertently offended," she said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press. "The bag was a purchase I made as a tourist in China and I did not realize the potentially hurtful nature of the slogan printed on it." ... iTunes is now the third-biggest music retailer in the U.S., according to a new survey by NPD Group. The Apple store has a nearly 10 percent market share, leaving it behind Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (15.8 percent) and Best Buy Co Inc. (13.8 percent) but ahead of Amazon.com Inc. (6.7 percent) and BestBuy.com (1.1 percent).

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Kanye West Plays 'Nothing' For The Ladies; Plus Katharine McPhee, Wyclef Jean, Daddy Yankee & More, In For The Record

5 Jun 2007 05:55:00 EDT

McPhee puts singing aside for movie role; Jean to enter Cartel's 'bubble'; Yankee joins Puerto Rican Day Parade.
By MTV News staff

Kanye West
Photo: Gareth Cattermole/ Getty Images

Kanye West did his fair share of hopping around over the weekend. Aside from popping up during Swizz Beatz's set on Sunday, West also dropped in on DJ Gomez Warren's set at Holly's in Los Angeles on Friday to play his new track "Can't Tell Me Nothing," as actresses Sanaa Lathan and Gabrielle Union looked on. ...

"American Idol" season five runner-up Katharine McPhee is headed to Hollywood ... again. The singer is slated to make her feature-film debut in the dark indie romantic comedy "The Last Caller," according to The Hollywood Reporter. The coming-of-age story about a self-involved woman in search of love will not require McPhee to sing. "This is the first thing that I read that I really wanted to do," McPhee said. "I'm up for a couple of big studio projects, but they weren't starring roles. I wanted to start off doing something a little different. It's something that a lot of people wouldn't expect me doing." ...

It's gotten a little wet inside Cartel's "bubble" thanks to a busted wall, but that isn't stopping Wyclef Jean from heading in to jam with the band on Thursday. The artists will crank out the song "Wasted," a collabo that will appear on the "Band in a Bubble" group's yet-untitled July 24 LP. Cobra Starship entered the bubble Tuesday (June 5). ... Daddy Yankee is set to appear Sunday on the MTV Tr3s float for the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York. Nina Sky and DJ Tony Touch will also join the festivities on the Pepsico float, while Kat DeLuna is scheduled to appear on radio station Z100's float. This year's parade will feature singer Ricky Martin as the event's inaugural "king." ... Ghostface Killah, RZA, Method Man, GZA and Raekwon return the favor to Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Cilvaringz with guest spots on his solo debut, I. The set — which features production from RZA, Bronze Nazareth and others, and comes with a bonus DVD chronicling Wu's 1997 world tour — hits stores June 12. ...

The jury in the Phil Spector trial was shown the revolver that killed Lana Clarkson when the top detective in the investigation of the actress' death testified Tuesday, The Associated Press reports. The gun still had blood on it when Detective Mark Lillienfeld, who was wearing gloves, removed it from an envelope. Lillienfeld said a holster visible inside a bureau to the side of the chair where Clarkson's body was slumped in the foyer was later shown to fit the gun, which was found at Clarkson's feet. ... Tom Sizemore surrendered to authorities Tuesday morning, less than a month after being arrested on suspicion of seven drug-related charges, according to TMZ.com. ...

Avenged Sevenfold have titled their forthcoming DVD, slated for a July 17 release, "All Excess." The band continues to write tracks for the follow-up to 2005's City of Evil, which may be out before the end of the year. ... Bam Margera has snatched up unreleased songs by CKY, Children of Bodom, In Flames, Clutch and others for Bam Margera Presents ... Viva la Bands, Vol. 2. The CD/DVD package — which will also feature songs by Gwar, Dimmu Borgir and the Sounds — hits stores September 4. ...

Hellyeah's Fire It Up tour just got a little hotter — they're extending the trek with an additional leg. The band will treat Australia to five shows between June 27 and July 3, then touch down in the States again for eight more U.S. gigs starting July 6 in Milwaukee and ending July 16 in San Diego. After that, the metalheads will hop on the Family Values Tour. ... Speaking of which, think you could create something special for the Family Values 2007 tour poster? Brickfish.com is hosting a contest for rock fans to come up with a cool poster design for the tour. The competition ends June 27, and participants must be 14 years of age or older to be considered. The winning design will be transformed into the festival's official poster, and earn its creator a Hoshino guitar autographed by Korn. ...

David Bowie and the Beastie Boys will be among those honored Tuesday at the 11th annual Webby Awards at New York's Cipriani. The show, which recognizes the best in online creativity, will present Bowie with a lifetime achievement award for his numerous Web-related initiatives over the years and the Beasties for their concert film "Awesome, I F---ing Shot That." ... Tony Hawk, John Cena, Jewel, William Shatner and tennis star Serena Williams are among the stars lined up to race stock cars in the series "Fast Cars & Superstars," premiering Thursday on ABC. ... Chiodos have set a September 4 release date for their new album Bone Palace Ballet, which they are currently recording with producer Casey Bates (Fear Before the March of Flames, Gatsby's American Dream). ...

Lala.com, the Web site that lets fans trade used CDs for $1, launched new features Tuesday, offering users the chance to stream any song or album for free in the hope that they will eventually buy some of the music. The site is picking up the tab for millions of dollars in royalties — which the Los Angeles Times put at about a penny each time someone listens to a song — and a spokesperson said that the new service will also let users access all the music in their iTunes library from any computer and download music straight from the Web to an iPod.

06.04.2007

The Game has been charged for allegedly making a criminal threat and possession of a firearm in a school zone during a pickup basketball game in February, The Associated Press reports. The rapper was arrested on the charges last month and subsequently released on $50,000 bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Los Angeles, and faces more than five years in prison if convicted. ...

Mya tells Vibe Vixen that she learned a lot about the music business — and the kind of woman she wanted to be — while touring with Dru Hill in 1997. "Seeing the thrill, the lifestyle, seeing them with different girls all the time, I remember saying to myself, 'I don't want to be one of those girls.' " Mya also revealed in the interview published in the June/July issue that she was taught a harsh lesson about the industry at 17. "Someone that was instrumental in my career harassed me," she said. "I wasn't going to entertain it, but also didn't know how to say, 'F--- you, leave me alone.' I just internalized it." Those days are over, and in recent years, Mya's made a point of standing up for herself. After 50 Cent claimed — in the 2006 dis track "Not Rich, Still Lying," aimed at the Game — that he had sex with her, Mya denied his story both in the press and to his face. "I saw him and addressed him about it in person at Violator [Management offices]." Mya said. "He said, 'You're gangsta right now. You're the talk of the town.' ... I just let him know how I felt." ...

Andre 3000, Pink, Fall Out Boy's Andy Hurley, Carrie Underwood, GZA, RZA, AFI's Davey Havok, Joss Stone and Prince join last year's winners Natalie Portman and Benji Madden and dozens of other musicians, actors and athletes up for the "World's Sexiest Vegetarian" title on Peta2.com. ... The "High School Musical" soundtrack was a chart-topping success without a physical single, but Disney is switching it up for the sequel. "What Time Is It" will be released as a CD single on July 17, ahead of the August television premiere of "High School Musical 2." The track features Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Zac Efron, Lucas Grabeel, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale. ...

You know Don Imus made a major mistake when Too Short, of all people, is chastising the fired shock jock. In the raunchy rapper's newly launched "$hort Stories" column in Ozone Magazine, Short explained the same people responsible for firing Imus — corporate suits — pushed him to record material that used similarly vulgar language. "I did an album called You Nasty with naked women on the cover, and almost every song on it was nasty," he wrote of his 2000 LP. "That was not my idea. The president of the label asked me to make the nastiest album I could, so I did it, not realizing how important the positive songs are to my career." Short later noted his own influence on rap in regards to vulgar words, but he called for better clarity in deciding the context of entertainment. "If it becomes illegal to make those kinds of songs, is it going to be illegal for comedians to say [explicit content] in their jokes?" he said. "Can it be said in movies or on TV? Will it become illegal to show murders and rapes on TV, or will the ban be on rappers only?" ...

A judge ruled Monday (June 4) that attorneys cannot use Lana Clarkson's diary-like writings in the Phil Spector murder trial, AP reports. The writings were found on the late actress' computer and included "The Story of My Life," a composition in which she discussed having drug problems and talked about having visions of a dead actress who committed suicide. "I don't consider anything in this particular document to be significant," Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler concluded. ... Charles Patton, who is a business associate of Lupe Fiasco and co-owns their 1st & 15th record label, was sentenced to 44 years in prison last month, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Patton, a Desert Storm veteran, allegedly used funds from heroin trafficking to start up the company, an assistant state attorney told the paper. In 2003, Patton was arrested at his home — while Fiasco was present — after authorities discovered $1 million dollars' worth of cocaine in a storage locker belonging to him. Representatives for Fiasco have not responded to requests for comment. ...

Hi-Five singer Tony Thompson was found dead in Waco, Texas, on Friday night, AP reports. He was 31. Zomba Label Group CEO and President Barry Weiss released a statement of condolence, saying, "His rich vocal tone and artistry were readily apparent even at the young age of 15, when we signed him at Jive." Friends of Thompson's speculated that the death may have been an accidental overdose, according to a report in the Waco Herald-Tribune. Thompson had recently returned to Waco from Dallas and was working on new music. Hi-Five debuted in 1990 with a self-titled debut album that went multiplatinum thanks to the hits "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)" and "Can't Wait Another Minute." ...

After a plea went out over the weekend to help find missing Ra Ra Riot drummer John Pike, police in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, said they recovered Pike's body on Sunday off the coast of Buzzard's Bay, local NBC affiliate WHDH reported. Pike, 23, was last seen at around 3 a.m. Saturday, leaving a party he attended after a show in Providence, Rhode Island. He sent a text message to his girlfriend early Saturday morning but was not heard from after that. An autopsy will be performed this week to determine the cause of death. A message on the Syracuse, New York, band's MySpace page read, "We will always love and miss you, John." ...

MySpace filed a request in a Pennsylvania state court on Monday, seeking legal guidance on how to provide local authorities with the e-mail addresses of convicted sex offenders who had used the social-networking service, Reuters reports. Federal law prevents Internet service providers such as MySpace from revealing users' communications without a search warrant. The request comes after MySpace agreed last month to cooperate with a group of U.S. attorneys general seeking information on predators who have used the site. ...

A new Federal Communications Commission policy that penalizes broadcasters for accidentally airing profanities was declared invalid by a federal appeals court on Monday, AP reports. The court ruled 2-1 in favor of a Fox-led challenge to the policy but did not outlaw the policy outright. Instead, the court returned the case to the FCC. The new policy was put in place after Bono's F-bomb at the Golden Globe Awards aired in January 2003. ... The highly anticipated Apple iPhone will hit stores on June 29, according to TV ads that began running Sunday night. The keyboard-less touch-screen phone/music player will be available at Apple and AT&T stores.

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Fall Out Boy Deny Biting Avenged Video, Promise 'Beef-Free' '07

22 Dec 2006 12:42:00 EST

'That scene is an homage to Slash, for sure,' Pete Wentz says of contested clip.
By James Montgomery

Joe Trohman in "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" and Avenged Sevenfold's Synyster Gates in "Seize the Day"
Photo: Def Jam/ Warner Bros.

Astute Fall Out Boy fans have no doubt already picked up on the several subtle (and, well, not-so-subtle) references contained in the new video for "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race," including knowing nods to FOB's early Take This to Your Grave days and blink-and-you'll-miss 'em cameos by the Antler Boy — the star of their "Sugar, We're Goin Down" clip — and the Vampire King from the "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, a Little More 'Touch Me' " video.

But nestled deep within all those nostalgic chestnuts is one scene that has fans of both FOB and Avenged Sevenfold all aflutter: a funeral sequence in which Fall Out guitarist Joe Trohman rises from the grave and rips through a white-hot guitar solo atop a casket.

To the untrained eye, it would seem like just another example of over-the-top shred-ocity, but to Avenged fans, it's clearly a dig at their favorite band's ultra-maudlin "Seize the Day" clip, which features axeman Synyster Gates performing a casket-top solo ("Avenged Sevenfold Abandon Strippers, Get Somber For 'Seize The Day' Clip"). And needless to say, plenty of them are less than pleased.

"It seems blatantly obvious to me that most of the vid is mocking A7X ... WTF, losers," read one angry post on Chapter-Four.net, an Avenged Sevenfold fan site.

"Pathetic. As if I didn't hate those guys enough. I really wish their 15 minutes would end already," read another.

Needless to say, the whole thing sort of caught Fall Out Boy by surprise. After all, they see the scene as more of a tribute to former Guns N' Roses flamethrower Slash's knee-buckling solo in the epic "November Rain" video. Or at least that's what they're saying.

"I've never actually seen the Avenged Sevenfold video," FOB bassist Pete Wentz told MTV News in an e-mail. "We met the guys on the Warped Tour. They have always been really nice every time we met them. That scene is an homage to Slash, for sure. If we were ripping I'd never say we weren't ... it's not my style.

"We just thought it'd be insane to have Trohman on the lid of a coffin coming out of the ground," he continued. "It's pretty much the sweetest thing ever — and definitely the most ridiculous."

And we kind of believe him, since Wentz — who's spent much of the past year feuding with both the Killers and the Internet in general — see "Killers, Fall Out Boy Heat Up The Beef Again; Wentz Calls Flowers 'Arch-Nemesis' " — has pledged that he'll live a "beef-free 2007," and going after Avenged doesn't seem like a very good way to usher it in.

"Yeah, I'm trying to be beef-free," Wentz wrote. "There's been no beef yet. But hey — it's not even January."

Fall Out Boy's new album, Infinity on High, is slated for release in February (see "Who Will Rule The School In '07? Big Albums Due From Em, 50, Britney, FOB, Weezy").

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