Corinne Bailey Rae
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images

The husband of British soul singer Corinne Bailey Rae, saxophone player Jason Rae, 31, was found dead Saturday in an apartment in Leeds, England. According to BBC News, a police spokesperson said officers arrested a 32-year-old man on suspicion of supplying controlled drugs following the discovery of the body.

Police are awaiting toxicology reports on Rae, as the postmortem examination was inconclusive. Rae, the saxophone player in the funk band the Haggis Horns — who have played with Bailey Rae and Amy Winehouse — was scheduled to play a gig at a club in Leeds on Sunday.

BBC News reported that acclaimed singer Bailey Rae, 29, met Jason Rae while working in a coat-check room at a jazz club when she was an English literature student at Leeds University. They married in 2001. Her record label issued a statement on Sunday, saying, "EMI Records would like to offer its sincere condolences to Corinne Bailey Rae and the Rae family at this tragic time. ... We ask that the media respect Corinne's privacy and that of her entire family."

The Times Online reported that Bailey Rae has always been adamant that she's never taken drugs, and that earlier this year she was involved in a project for young people who were asked to use their songwriting talents in the war against drugs.

"Helping to raise awareness among teenagers about the danger of drugs is vital, and combining this with the chance to showcase local songwriting talent is a great idea," she said at the time. "The impact of drugs in our local communities cannot be underestimated."

The Haggis Horns released their debut album, Hot Damn!, in September and were slated to play a string of dates across England over the next few weeks.

Bailey Rae, who broke through in the U.S. in 2006 with her self-titled second album, was nominated for a 2008 Grammy for her song "Like a Star." She was included on Herbie Hancock's Grammy-winning River: The Joni Letters and is reportedly working on a new album.

• Corinne Bailey Rae

The Roots and Patrick Stump on Saturday
Photo: MTV News

WEST HOLLYWOOD, California — "Y'all acting real industry right now," Roots' drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson joked to the crowd during a lull in his band's three-and-a-half-hour performance on Saturday night. "If y'all were really in the industry, you'd be up at Clive Davis' party right now."

And he couldn't have been more correct. For five years now, the Roots' pre-Grammy jam session has been the most unpredictable, least industry party during the most industry week in Hollywood. And this year's was no different. If anything, it was the most free-flowing and lively session yet. And it certainly ended later than ever before.

Held at the tiny Key Club on the same night as music executive Clive Davis' annual pre-Grammy party (which took place at the palatial Beverly Hilton), the 2008 session was loose and unpredictable, the kind of event that musicians dream of playing and music fans dream of attending. There were unlikely, thoroughly amazing colaborations — like Seal strolling onstage unannounced to cover a Bowie tune as Fall Out Boy frontman Patrick Stump played rhythm guitar and the rest of the Roots kept pace — totally off-the-wall song selections (the Roots and neo-soul singer Bilal funking up Radiohead's "Everything in Its Right Place") and a good-natured, party-up vibe that didn't stop until the clock hit nearly 4 a.m.

Taking the stage at 12:11 a.m. — bear in mind, the event was tentatively scheduled to start at 10 p.m. — ?uest took a seat behind his kit, loosened his tie and snapped a quick snare line; sousaphonist Damon Bryson (don't call him the tuba player) added a somber low end and guitarist Kirk Douglas launched into a version of Bob Dylan's "Masters of War." The song built into a chaotic maelstrom, then fell away to a ?uest drum solo, which really became a drum duet when Travis Barker joined him on a second kit. The two passed the rhythm back and forth for a full eight minutes before Barker exited to thunderous applause and the song ended at around the 17-minute mark (we weren't kidding about the "longest-running" part).

The entire Roots crew then filled the stage, and worked through a version of "Proceed" (from '94's Do You Want More?!!!??!) which they dedicated to late producer and friend Jay Dee, a.k.a. J Dilla. That gave way to a funky instrumental, powered by a hard-charging horn section and featuring James Brown-ian grunts from MC Black Thought. Soon after, Stump got onstage and lended his voice to a cover of the Police's "Walking on the Moon" (turns out he does a mean Sting impression), and then sung the hook on "Birthday Girl," the first single from the Roots' upcoming album Rising Down.

At roughly 1:45 a.m., Stump was giving pounds to the band and preparing to leave the stage when suddenly, Seal strode up, and after a lengthy discussion with Douglas, the band thrust into a version of Bowie's "Rebel, Rebel," with Mr. Heidi Klum delivering lines like "Hot tramp, I love you so!" with vampish aplomb. The unlikely group then worked its way through jazzy takes on Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary" and the Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like an Eagle," all while members of the crowd — including Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy — went nuts, reaching toward the stage and thrusting Blackberrys, iPhones and cell phone cameras aloft.

And the guest stars just kept on coming. The Roots then brought Bilal up to jam through a couple of numbers — including the aforementioned take on Radiohead — which unfortunately killed the momentum Seal had built. Perhaps realizing that, Black Thought called hip-hop legends MC Lyte and Doug E. Fresh up to the stage, for a medley of old-school hip-hop hits ("Cha Cha Cha" and Slick Rick's "La Di Da Di" being two of the standouts), which got the crowd back on its feet, and by the time 3 a.m. hit, Fresh, Thought and "American Idol" runner-up Blake Lewis were engaging in a beatboxing battle that blew the roof off the place.

Then Corinne Bailey Rae stepped to the microphone to do a little work, and at 3:13 in the morning, ?uestlove finally stood up from the drum kit. The Roots' B-Team then assembled to help fellow Philly-ites Fat City Reprise play a few tunes. By this time, the crowd at the Key Club had started to thin, and from the side of the stage, ?uest could be seen eyeing a sheet of paper, a sort of set list comprised of 17 bullet-pointed items for the night. His eyes made his way down to the 17th of those points — "Get the f--- off the stage!" — so he decided to do just that, reassembling the Roots for one final musical outpouring, a thank you for the crowd, some onstage embraces and then, it was over.

It was epic. It was hectic. It was disorganized. It was everything a party is supposed to be. And, yes, it raged until long past curfew. In fact, as the crowd members spilled out into the streets, many of them happened to drive by the Beverly Hilton, site of the Clive Davis party. Not surprisingly, things had been shuttered there for hours. At this hour, the industry was already asleep.

Don't sleep until February 10 — geek out on the Grammys with MTV News' complete coverage right here!

• Will.I.Am, Gym Class Heroes, Fall Out Boy, More At The Roots' 5th Annual Jam Session
• 2008 Grammy Awards Performers And Presenters
• 2008 Grammy Award Nominees: Akon, Fergie, T.I., More
• Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, More At The In Style And Grammy Salute To Fashion
• Ashlee Simpson, Pete Wentz, Paris Hilton, More At The Fuse TV Pre-Grammy Party

• The Roots
• Patrick Stump
• Travis Barker
• Blake Lewis
• Corinne Bailey Rae

Kevin Federline
Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

08.10.07

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hilary Duff's <i>Dignity</i>
Photo: Hollywood Records

Duffing Up: You may have caught a little lady named Hilary Duff on "TRL" recently — that's because of her Dignity, which drops this week. The set is powered by the "TRL"-topping first single, "With Love" — if you took advantage of iTunes' preorder, you already got the video for it. Going the extra mile, the singer has loaded up the deluxe edition with a Duff-at-home retrospective video, featured on an accompanying DVD, as well as exclusive art.

She'll B Back: Beyoncé waited a spell before rolling out the deluxe edition to her latest studio effort, B'Day. Packaged with different cover art, the revised set also boasts a dozen extra tracks, including Spanish-language cuts, remixes and more. That includes the Shakira duet "Beautiful Liar" and three additional mixes of that song. Maybe fans should have held off celebrating her B'Day so soon last year.

Wall-to-Wall: Paul Wall has two tough acts to follow this week, but based on the platinum success of his The Peoples Champ two years ago, the Houston grill master is banking on his Get Money - Stay True follow-up all the same. It's a more diverse outing than you might think — partially recorded at a Texas studio frequented by Willie Nelson, the disc also features (+44) rocker Travis Barker — as Expensive Taste, along with cohort Skinhead Rob — plus Snoop, Jermaine Dupri, Rick Ross, Fergie and more. It's a custom fit.

Kings of the Times? Casual music fans might mistakenly think Kings of Leon's Because of the Times is the group's second disc, since 2004's Aha Shake Heartbreak broke them out on the strength of three singles. But Because is actually their third opus, and it features 13 songs — including a seven-minute opening cut called "Knocked Up" that sounds like a fitting theme song for the soon-to-be-released Judd Apatow movie of the same name.

Timber!: Timbaland has spent so much time sitting behind the boards, it's a wonder his legs haven't atrophied to the point that he needs a wheelchair. Proving that he can indeed rock the mic, the producer steps up with a studio LP of his own this week. The results are what you might expect — Shock Value is nothing short of a historic payback affair, with everyone from Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado to Fall Out Boy and the Hives to Madonna and Elton John. As the saying goes, it's all about who you know ...

Twofer Tuesday:

The Academy Is ...' Santi and Corinne Bailey Rae's "Live in London & New York": The Academy will soon be touring with the aforementioned Paul Wall on this year's Honda Civic Tour, but before they do, they're eking out their second album, Santi. The Chicago band stretches out with bigger songs crafted to be performed at larger venues — including the first single, "Big Mess on Our Hands Tonight," "LAX to O'Hare" and "Sleeping With Giants (Lifetime)." Fellow 2006 Woodie Award nominee Rae is trying to keep her own hype going by issuing a video to accompany her self-titled album from last year. The U.K. singer/songwriter's "Live" item captures performance footage plus four promo clips, as well as a bonus CD encompassing her show at NYC's Webster Hall last fall.

Shadows Fall's Threads of Life and Poison the Well's Versions: Expect this devilish duo to duke it out for biggest metal debut of the week. Produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver) and led by first single "Redemption," Shadows' set also features such inspirational titles as "Failure of the Devout," "Burning the Lives" and "Dread Uprising." While that band is on Atlantic, former roster act Poison the Well have since re-relocated to their indie sphere — Ferret, specifically — for their fourth studio album. Don't expect to hear typical metalcore on the release — the act employs everything from mandolin and slide guitar to horns and banjo.

Chevelle's Vena Sera and Static-X's Cannibal: Both hard-rocking squads were chart-topping contenders in their heyday, but are either still formidable? Chevelle will try to top the #8 Billboard albums chart debut their This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) made two and a half years ago with Vena Sera, which features "Antisaint," "Brainiac" and "Straight Jacket Fashion." Static-X's Start a War opened at #29 in 2005, and the industrial-metal cretins hope for more success with Cannibal, which Wayne Static produced on his own.

Various artists' "Hip Hop Life" and "Urban Spotlight": Don't overlook either of these street DVDs, hip-hop fans. Exclusive performances, battles and rare chats with Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Jadakiss, MC Lyte and Fat Joe bulk up "Hip Hop Life," a documentary about the underground freestyle. In the other corner, Snoop Dogg, Mobb Deep, Ice Cube, E-40 and Too Short climb onto the "Urban Spotlight" disc, which is the premiere issue of the video-interview "magazine."

Anthony Hamilton's Southern Comfort and David Gray's Shine: The Best of the Early Years: Soul singer Hamilton earned his repute largely due to his 2003 debut, Comin' From Where I'm From, but the set he's dropping this week actually culls material from before that release. Recorded with three producers — Fanatic, Doug Coleman and Ced Solo — the 11-track set includes "Don't Say What You Won't Do," "Magnolia's Room" and "Never Give Up." Gray is also unearthing some early material in the form of Shine, which corrals "Birds Without Wings," "Faster, Sooner, Now" and "A Century Ends."

Song Titles of the Week: The track list to the Chariot's The Fiancee: "Back to Back," "Faced Each Other," "They Drew Their Swords," "And Shot Each Other," "Deaf Policeman," "Heard This Noise," "Then Came to Kill," "Two Dead Boys," "Forgive Me Nashville" and "Trumpet."

Other Notables:

Various artists' "Radio On": Co-produced by iconic filmmaker Wim Wenders ("Paris, Texas," "Buena Vista Social Club"), this flick is coming back from the grave nearly 30 years after it was made. The movie features an early Sting, and the accompanying soundtrack features David Bowie, Kraftwerk, Devo and others.

The Jai-Alai Savant's Flight of the Bass Delegate: DJ Ralh Darden has some friends in the Mars Volta, and they're trying to get the punk-and-reggae-loving Chicago artist some extra attention with this disc issued through Gold Standard Laboratories, co-helmed by Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. Songs include "Scarlett Johansson Why Don't You Love Me," "White on White Crime" and "Data Massaganna."

Everybody Else's Everybody Else: Named after a Kinks B-side, the trio came about after two other acts — Boston's the Push Kings and Richmond, Virginia's Waking Hours — moved to L.A. and disbanded. Their debut was recorded with Rick Parker (Sugarcult, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) and features 12 punk-rock slices, including "Button for Punishment," "Meat Market" and "I Gotta Run."

New Releases:

· A Hero From a Thousand Places - Mistakes (Novus Ordo)
· John Abercrombie - The Third Quartet (ECM)
· The Academy Is ... - Santi (Atlantic) [Buy Now]
Read: "The Academy Is ... Say New Album Sounds Nothing Like Fall Out Boy"
· The Almost - Southern Weather (Tooth & Nail/ Virgin)
· American Head Charge - Can't Stop the Machine (with DVD; Nitrus)
· Andiamo - Love, From Italy (Denon)
· Bang Gang - Something Wrong (From Nowhere)
· Vicky Beeching - Painting the Invisible (Sparrow)
· Blood Tsunami - Thrash Metal (Candelight)
· Boys Like Girls - Boys Like Girls (Columbia) [Buy Now]
· Jonatha Brooke - Careful What You Wish For (Bad Dog)
· Brandi Carlile - The Story (Columbia)
· Rodney Carrington - King of the Mountains (Capitol) [Buy Now]
· Kendel Carson - Rearview Mirror Tears (digipak; Train Wreck)
· CéU - CéU (Six Degrees)
· The Chariot - The Fiancee (Solid State)
· Chevelle - Vena Sera (Epic) [Buy Now]
· Jarvis Cocker - Jarvis (enhanced; Rough Trade)
· Cruachan - The Morrigan's Call (Candelight)
· Bethany Dillon - Waking Up (Sparrow)
· Hilary Duff - Dignity (special edition with bonus disc also available; Hollywood) [Buy Now]
· Matt Dusk - Back in Town (Decca)
· Elk City - New Believers (Friendly Fire)
· Kurt Elling - Nightmoves (Concord)
· Everybody Else - Everybody Else (The Militia Group)
· Ferocious Eagle - The Sea Anemone Inside of Me Is Mighty (54° 40' or Fight!)
· Flickerstick - Live From Atlanta: Two Nights at Tree Sound Studios (Flickerstick)
· Fountains of Wayne - Traffic and Weather (Virgin) [Buy Now]
· MC Frontalot - Secrets From the Future (Level Up)
· Funeral - From These Wounds (Candlelight)
· Further Seems Forever - The Final Curtain (DualDisc; 567) [Buy Now]
· Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly - The Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager (Atlantic)
· Matthew Herbert - Score (!K7)
· Tim Hughes - Holding Nothing Back (Sparrow)
· Idlewild - Make Another World (Sanctuary) [Buy Now]
· Alan Jackson, George Strait and Jimmy Buffett - Live at Texas Stadium (MCA Nashville)
· The Jai-Alai Savant - Flight of the Bass Delegate (GSL)
· Rose Kemp - A Hand Full of Hurricanes (One Little Indian)
· Kings of Leon - Because of the Times (RCA) [Buy Now]
Read: "Kings Of Leon Growing Up, But New LP Still Goes 'Below The Waist' "
· Let's Go Sailing - The Chaos in Order (Yardley Pop/ GR2)
· Jeff Lorber - He Had a Hat (Blue Note)
· Los Straitjackets - Rock en Español, Vol. 1 (Yep Roc)
· Maxïmo Park - Our Earthly Pleasures (Warp) [Buy Now]
· Martina McBride - Waking Up Laughing (RCA)
· Mêlée - Devils & Angels (Warner Bros.)
· Monstrance - Monstrance (two CDs; Ape House)
· Mother Hips - Kiss the Crystal Flake (Camera)
· Paul Motian/ Bill Frisell/ Joe Lovano - Time and Time Again (ECM)
· Nicole C. Mullen - Sharecropper's Seed (Word)
· My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult - The Filthiest Show in Town (Rykodisc)
· Omnium Gatherum - Stuck Here on Snakes Way (Candlelight)
· The Orangeburg Massacre - Moorea (Pluto/ East West)
· Ozomatli - Don't Mess With the Dragon (Concord) [Buy Now]
· John Platania - Blues, Waltzes and Badland Borders (Train Wreck)
· Poison the Well - Versions (Ferret) [Buy Now]
· Dino Saluzzi and Anja Lechner - Ojos Negros (ECM)
· Saxon - The Inner Sanctum (two CDs; SPV)
· See You Next Tuesday - Parasite (Ferret)
· Martin Sexton - Seeds (Kitchen Table)
· Shadows Fall - Threads of Life (Atlantic) [Buy Now]
Read: "Dave Grohl's Party Calls Can't Distract Shadows Fall From Recording LP"
· Sh--ake Monkey - Street Beef (Outlook)
· David Shultz and the Skyline - Sinner's Gold (Triple Stamp)
· Sia - Lady Croissant (live; Astralwerks)
· Sick Puppies - Dressed Up as Life (Virgin)
· Emilie Simon - March of the Empress (Milan)
· Spellbound - Incoming Destiny (Locomotive)
· Leeroy Stagger - Depression River (Boompa)
· Stars of the Lid - And the Refinement of Their Decline (two CDs; Kranky)
· Static-X - Cannibal (Warner Bros.) [Buy Now]
· Koko Taylor - Old School (Alligator)
· T-Squad - T-Squad (Disney)
· This Beautiful Republic - Even Heroes Need a Parachute (Forefront)
· Throbbing Gristle - Part Two - The Endless Not (limited edition; Mute)
· Throne of Katarsis - An Eternal Dark Horizon (Candlelight)
· Timbaland - Shock Value (Interscope) [Buy Now]
Read: "Timbaland Still In Shock Over Jay-Z, Madonna, Elton Collaborations"
· Lao Tizer - Diversify (Yse)
· Tyler Read - Only Rock & Roll Can Save Us (Immortal)
· Umphrey's McGee - The Bottom Half (Sci Fidelity)
· Gina Villalobos - Miles Away (Face West)
· Paul Wall - Get Money - Stay True (Atlantic) [Buy Now]
Read: " 'Mature' Paul Wall Still Raps About Girls, Grills With Mariah, T.I."
· Welcome - Sirs (Fat Cat)
· James Zabiela + Nic Fanciulli - One + One (Ministry of Sound)
· Various artists - FabricLive 32: Tayo (FabricLive)
· Various artists - One Tree Hill: The Road Mix - Volume 3 (Maverick)
· Various artists - "Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof" soundtrack (Maverick)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· Beyoncé - B-Day - Deluxe Edition (with bonus CD; Columbia)
Read: "Beyonce Turns Heads With Sports Illustrated Cover, Shakira Duet"
· Black Sabbath - The Dio Years (Rhino)
· Colin Blunstone - One Year (Water)
· Laura Branigan - Greatest Hits: The Best of Branigan (Rhino)
· Anne Briggs - The Time Has Come (Water)
· Ruth Brown - The Definitive Soul Collection (two CDs; Rhino)
· Crusaders - Gold (Hip-O/UMe)
· Disrupt - Unrest/ The Rest (Relapse)
· Marvin Gaye - Number Ones (Motown/UMe)
· J. Geils Band - Greatest Hits: Best of the J. Geils Band (Rhino)
· Gilberto Gil - Gilberto Gil (Water)
· David Gray - Shine: The Best Of The Early Years (Astralwerks)
· Anthony Hamilton - Southern Comfort (Merovingian)
· The Honey Drippers - Volume One (Rhino)
· John Lee Hooker - The Best of Friends (Shout! Factory) and Gold (Hip-O/UMe)
· Killing Joke - Inside Extremities, Mixes, Rehearsals and Live (two CDs; Candelight)
· Chris Knight - The Trailer Tapes (Drifter's Church)
· Alison Krauss - A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection (Rounder)
· Mario Lanza - The Essential Mario Lanza (two CDs; RCA)
· Chris LeDoux - Cowboys Ain't Easy to Love/ Paint Me Back Home in Wyoming; Songbook of the American West/ Sing Me a Song Mr. Rodeo Man; Songs of Rodeo & Country by Chris LeDoux/ Life as a Rodeo Man; Used to Want to Be a Cowboy/ Thirty Dollar Cowboy; Western Tunesmith / He Rides the Wild Horses; and Whatcha Gonna Do With a Cowboy/ Under This Old Hat (Capitol Nashville/ EMI)
· Huey Lewis & the News - Time Flies ... The Best of Huey Lewis & the News (Rhino)
· Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
· My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult - The Resurrection of Luna (Rykodisc)
· Ono - Open Your Box (remixes; Astralwerks)
· Dolly Parton - Coat of Many Colors; Jolene; and My Tennessee Mountain Home (Rhino)
· Pentagle - The Time Has Come: 1967-1973 (Castle)
· Robert Plant - Dreamland; Now and Zen; and The Principle of Moments (Rhino)
· David Lee Roth - A Little Ain't Enough and Sonrisa Salvaje (Friday Music)
· Run-DMC - Live at Montreux 2001 (Eagle)
· Skid Row - Greatest Hits: 40 Seasons - The Best of Skid Row (two CDs; Rhino)
· Todd Snider - Peace, Love and Anarchy (Oh Boy)
· Stanley Brothers - The Definitive Collection - 1947-1966 (three-CD box set; Time Life)
· Steel Pulse - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
· The Temptations - Number Ones (Motown/UMe)
· Big Joe Turner - The Definitive Blues Collection (two CDs; Reprise)
· UB40 - Under the Influence: A Collection of Musical Influences & Inspirations (Under the Influence)
· Karyn White - Superwoman: The Best of Karyn White (Shout! Factory)
· Chris Whitley & Jeff Lang - Dislocation Blues (Rounder)
· Yes - Greatest Hits - Highlights From the Very Best of (Rhino)
· Zombies - Live at the Bloomsbury Theatre, London (two CDs; Rhino)
· Various artists - '80s British Gold (Hip-O/UMe)
· Various artists - Joe Meek's Freak Beat: You're Holding Me Down - 30 Freak Beats, Mod & R&B Nuggets (Castle)
· Various artists - Motown Number Ones, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (Motown/UMe)
· Various artists - Mullets Rock! Too!: Mullets in Love (two CDs; Sony Legacy)
· Various artists - Old School Jams: Gold (Hip-O/UMe)
· Various artists - Soft Rock Gold (Hip-O/UMe)

Music DVDs:

· Abba - "The Visitors: The Essential Albums of All Time" (Classic Rock Legends)
· Emerson, Lake & Palmer - "Music in Review" (Classic Rock Legends)
· Linkin Park - "Breaking the Rabbit" (Locomotive)
· Duncan McTier - "Live in Vienna" (MVD Visual)
· Mentors - "El Duce Vita" (MVD Visual)
· Metallica - "Master of Puppets: The Essential Albums of All Time" (Classic Rock Legends)
· Nirvana - "Behind the Music: The Ultimate Critical Review" (Classic Rock Legends)
· Corinne Bailey Rae - "Live in London & New York" (with CD; Capitol)
· Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Behind the Music: The Ultimate Critical Review" (Classic Rock Legends)
· Run-DMC - "Live at Montreux 2001" (Eagle Eye)
· Bobby Rush - "Live at Ground Zero Blues Club" (MVD Visual)
· The Shirelles - "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (MVD Visual)
· Siouxsie - "Dreamshow: Live at the Royal Festival Hall With the Millennia Ensemble" (Rhino)
· T. Rex - "Music in Review" (Classic Rock Legends)
· Johnny Tillotson - "Rock 'N Roll Legends" (MVD Visual)
· Dionne Warwick - "Live in Concert" (Image)
· Yes - "Close to the Edge: The Essential Albums of All Time" (Classic Rock Legends)
· The Zombies - "Live at the Bloomsbury Theatre, London" (Rhino)
· Various artists - "Hip Hop Life" (Universal)
· Various artists - "Radio On" (Plexifilm)
· Various artists - "Rock 'N Rolls Greatest Teen Idols" (MVD Visual)
· Various artists - "Urban Spotlight" (MVD Visual)

Coming Attractions:

April 10:

· Bright Eyes - Cassadaga (Saddle Creek) [Preorder]
Read: "Bright Eyes Slim Down With Single LP, Fatten Up With Loads Of Collabos"
· Hellyeah - Hellyeah (Epic) [Preorder]
Read: "Vinnie Paul Returns To Make 'Hellacious' Magic With Hellyeah"
· Various artists - Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters Colon the Soundtrack (William Street)

April 17:

· Avril Lavigne - The Best Damn Thing (deluxe limited edition with DVD due same day; RCA) [Preorder]
Read: "Don't Know How To Spell 'Avril Lavigne'? Prepare To Be Scolded"
· Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero (Nothing) [Preorder]
Read: "Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero Preview: Beginning To Solve The Mystery"
· Patti Smith - Twelve (Columbia) [Preorder]

April 24:

· Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare (Domino)
· The Nightwatchman - One Man Revolution (Epic)
Read: "Nightwatchman, Rage Reunion Have Morello Fired Up For Political Fights"
· Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet (Atlantic)
Read: "Porcupine Tree's Wilson Talks Complex New LP, Project With Opeth's Akerfeldt"

• MTV News RAW: Hilary Duff
• MTV News RAW: Beyonce
• MTV News RAW: Timbaland
• Studio Essentials: Academy Is ...

• Hilary Duff
• Beyoncé
• Paul Wall
• Kings Of Leon
• Timbaland

Norah Jones
Photo: Paul Hawthorne/ Getty Images

The week following this year's Grammy Awards was a busy one for music retailers as fans of artists like the Dixie Chicks, Justin Timberlake, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers turned out in force to snatch up music from this year's biggest winners. Overall sales of the 200 LPs comprising Billboard's weekly albums chart climbed more than 500,000 copies from the previous week to nearly 4.2 million. Last week, however, was a much different story, with the din of opening cash registers tapering off substantially.

Total sales of Billboard's top 200 fell by more than 1 million, with nearly every album on the chart experiencing declines. Take Norah Jones' Not Too Late, for example. Last week's chart champ racks up another 100,000 sales and holds the #1 spot even after sustaining a 53 percent sales hit, according to the latest SoundScan totals.

The sales plunge may also have something to do with last week's lack of noteworthy new releases. Just 10 artists managed to debut on the latest chart, including the newest installment from the Kidz Bop Kids.

Kidz Bop 11 — a cavalcade of unintentionally surreal covers of hits performed by a collection of preteens — opens at #4 on the latest chart, selling nearly 75,000 units. The set features pint-size takes on songs including Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," Timberlake's "My Love," and John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change." Bowing at #10 is Portable Sounds, the latest from Christian artist Tobymac. The record sold close to 51,000 copies its first week in stores, to be the second of only two newcomers to crack the top 10.

Following Jones at #2 is Daughtry, the eponymous debut from "American Idol" finalist Chris Daughtry's rock outfit; the LP sold 84,000 copies, and climbs seven chart positions, though sales of the disc dropped 17 percent. Fall Out Boy's Infinity on High jumps two slots to #3, selling 79,000 units, while Akon's Konvicted finishes at #5 with 73,000 sold.

Robin Thicke's The Evolution of Robin Thicke holds at #6 for a third-straight week, with sales reported at 68,000, while Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds continues to occupy the #7 spot with 62,000 scans. Corinne Bailey Rae's self-titled album falls four spots to #8, with 56,000-plus units grabbed up, while Gerald Levert's posthumous LP In My Songs follows at #9 with 55,000 sold.

Elsewhere on the chart, Anberlin's Cities opens at #19, with nearly 34,000 copies sold its first week in stores. The Ataris' Welcome the Night opens at #85 with 9,800 scans, while Kittie's Funeral for Yesterday surfaces at #101 with 8,700 sold. Everlife's self-titled LP bows at #121 with 7,100 scans, while Comeback Kid's Broadcasting follows at #129 with 6,500 sales. K-os' Atlantis: Hymns for Disco debuts at #152 after moving 5,700 copies, while Showdown's Temptation Come My Way debuts at #191, selling 4,500 units.

• Norah Jones
• Daughtry
• Fall Out Boy
• Akon
• Robin Thicke

Madonna
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

Madonna's new collection, M by Madonna, will be available in H&M stores next month. In the meantime, check out the whole clothing-and-accessories collection — which the singer designed — at the Web site for the Swedish magazine Detnye. ...

Former Destiny's Child singer Michelle Williams is joining the Chicago production of "The Color Purple," producers announced Tuesday (February 27). Williams will tackle the role of sultry blues singer Shug Avery. Former "American Idol" finalist LaToya London told MTV News last month that she will be starring in the same production, which opens April 17. ... Los Angeles police are investigating reports that James Blunt ran over someone's foot and then drove off as he was leaving an Oscar party Saturday. "James was leaving a party and his car was swarmed by paparazzi," Blunt's publicist said in a statement. "He was driving 2 mph and trying to navigate his car through all of the people." ...

Foxy Brown held a press conference in a Brooklyn, New York, church on Monday to explain her recent arrest at a Florida beauty-supply store. "The only crime I'm guilty of is being a young black woman," Brown said, claiming that the altercation began when she was dragged out of the store's bathroom while she was undressed. The rapper, who is currently on probation for a 2004 assault on two New York manicurists, said she expects the charges — resisting an officer and battery — will be dropped. "I am the victim of an overzealous police department engaged in police brutality," she said. Brown will appear before a New York judge Thursday for a probation update hearing, and could face jail time if it is determined that the Florida run-in violated the terms of her sentence. ...

Ice Cube has signed on to co-produce and star in the urban comedy "First Sunday," playing half of a duo that bungle an attempt to rob a church — and end up getting convinced of the error of their ways by their hostages. ... Variety reports that Janet Jackson has agreed to star opposite Tyler Perry in "Why Did I Get Married?" Based on Perry's stage play of the same name, the movie will follow a couple that go on vacation every winter with friends to re-examine their marriages. "Dreamgirls" castmember Sharon Leal and singer Jill Scott will also star in the film. ...

Pretty Ricky — who topped the Billboard albums chart in January — are routing their 2007 tour based on Eventful.com's Demand function, through which fans request acts to come to specific cities. Pretty Ricky have pledged to play any city with more than 1,000 unique demands "no matter how far the flight is," Eventful CEO Jordan Glazier said. ... Corinne Bailey Rae, who just released "I'd Like To" as her next single, is returning to the studio after her spring tour with John Legend. "I'm definitely writing," she told MTV News. ... Influential Los Angeles public-radio station KCRW is releasing a covers album exclusively at Starbucks locations beginning March 13. "Sounds Eclectic: The Covers Project" features the Flaming Lips covering Radiohead's "Knives Out"; Dido remaking James Taylor's "Fire and Rain"; and the Magic Numbers turning Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love" into an acoustic ballad. R.E.M., Sia, Damien Rice, Nikka Costa and Rufus Wainwright are also included. ...

Arctic Monkeys have settled on "Brianstorm" as the first single from Favourite Worst Nightmare, due April 24. The purchasable single (yes, some bands still release them) will also feature "Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend" with Dizzee Rascal on guest vocals. ... Former Something Corporate guitarist William Tell will release his solo debut, You Can Hold Me Down, March 13. Thom Panunzio (No Doubt, Aerosmith) produced the album. ... It looks like Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese's next flick will reteam him with "The Departed" scripter William Monahan, Variety reports. Monahan is set to rewrite a treatment for the rock and roll flick "The Long Play," which follows two friends through 40 years in the music business. Paramount Studios announced that Rolling Stone Mick Jagger will also be involved in the project. Monahan is reuniting with "Departed" star Leonardo DiCaprio as well, according to The Hollywood Reporter: The two are working on an adaptation of the police thriller "Confessions of Pain," another Hong Kong film from the creative team behind the "Departed"-inspiring "Infernal Affairs." ...

Run-DMC are releasing "Live at Montreux 2001" on CD and DVD on April 3. Both collections include hits like "Walk This Way," "It's Tricky" and "Mary Mary." ... Christina Milian is hard at work on her follow-up to last year's So Amazin', according to a post on the singer's MySpace page. Milian revealed that she has already collaborated with Cool & Dre and J.R. Rotem and is set to join the Runners and Timbaland protégé Nate "Danja" Hills in the studio in the coming weeks. Milian also plans to team up with Latin songwriters and producers for the project. ... The Ego Trip collective, along with MC Serch, hosted a "(White) Rapper Show" wrap party Monday night at Southpaw in Brooklyn, New York. Brand Nubian's Lord Jamar was also in attendance as castmembers including Persia, G-Child and John Brown performed. Hallelujah holla back! ... In addition to reuniting the Jesus and Mary Chain for the first time in nearly a decade at Coachella, Scotland's battling Reid brothers, Jim and William, have teamed with their sister Linda Reid and ex-JAMC guitarist Ben Lurie to record their debut album as Sister Vanilla. The album, Little Pop Rock, is due April 3 on Chemikal Underground and features the brothers' patented fuzzy, garage-rock sound layered with Linda's girlish vocals on songs such as "Jamcolas" and "Can't Stop the Rock." ...

The Toadies, best known for their 1994 rock radio hit "Possum Kingdom," are making a habit of reuniting. The band, which teamed up for gigs in March and June, will join up for four performances next month in Texas. The band will play March 12-13 in Austin as part of the South by Southwest festival, and then hit Houston (March 14) and Dallas (March 17). ... Boston punk vets the Dropkick Murphys — who have gotten a fresh dose of attention thanks to the inclusion of their song "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" in "The Departed" — are heading out with reggae squad the Aggrolites for a 13-date trek. It commences Friday at the House of Blues in Las Vegas and concludes — fittingly — with a St. Patrick's Day bash at the Agganis Arena in Boston. ... Hanson are heading out on a short tour of the Northeast in advance of the May 22 release of their fourth album, The Walk. The brothers' four-gig run will make stops in Sayreville, New Jersey (March 1); New Haven, Connecticut (March 2); Allentown, Pennsylvania (March 4); and New York (March 6).

02.26.2007

Bobby Brown has been ordered to remain in county jail until he forks up $19,000 in late child-support payments, The Associated Press reports. For the second time, the singer was picked up by Massachusetts authorities while watching his daughter compete in a cheerleading competition. He was arrested Sunday night at Attleboro High School in Canton after failing to appear at a child-support hearing in October. It is doubtful Brown will be released from jail before Tuesday morning, an Atlanta attorney told AP. ...

Britney Spears manager Larry Rudolph insisted to TV's "Extra" that the singer is not on suicide watch while receiving help at the Promises Residential Treatment Center in Malibu, California, according to AP. She was admitted there Wednesday after entering — and then exiting — rehab twice previously. ...

Anna Nicole Smith's remains cannot be moved to the Bahamas until Florida appeals judges hear a challenge from the deceased model's mother, the West Palm Beach court ruled Monday, AP reports. The appeals court will hear Virgie Arthur argue that a decision by a judge last week — a ruling that gave control of Smith's body to the attorney of her baby daughter — should be overturned. Other attorneys have until 2 p.m. Tuesday to respond to the challenge, the West Palm Beach court ruled. ...

As suspected, the Rage Against the Machine reunion will be more than a Coachella one-off. The band will team up with its pals in the Wu-Tang Clan for three Rock the Bells shows in addition to the April 29 closing-night headliner spot at Coachella — which marks Rage's first show together in seven years. The Bells gigs will take place in New York (July 28); San Bernardino, California (August 11); and San Francisco (August 18). The lightning-fast Coachella sellout helped spur the addition of the shows, a source told the Los Angeles Times, though a Bells organizer promised that these four shows will be it for Rage in 2007. The complete Rock the Bells lineup will be announced March 26, with tickets on sale March 31. Sharp observers might remember that a 1997 Rage/Clan tour fell apart after only a handful of shows when internal disputes forced Wu-Tang off the road. ...

The long talked-about — at least by Pete Wentz — Kanye West/ Fall Out Boy collaboration has finally surfaced. A West-produced remix of FOB's single "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" hit the Internet over the weekend, featuring a reworked track and guest verse by the Chicago rapper. ... "American Idol" has teamed with King.com for a rhythm-based Web browser game featuring songs such as "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Lady Marmalade." ... Ludacris' father, Wayne Bridges, died Sunday in an Atlanta hospital, the rapper's management confirmed to MTV News. The cause of death was not disclosed. Although characteristically shy regarding his personal life, Ludacris publicly dedicated his Grammy performance and two awards to his ailing father earlier this month. Representatives for Def Jam Records, Ludacris' label, had no statement as of press time. ...

The Roots and Wolfmother are headlining the Rites of Spring Music Festival on April 20-21 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Drive-By Truckers, Keller Williams and Mat Kearney are also on the bill. ... More information is out about the Queens of the Stone Age's upcoming album, Era Vulgaris, due in June. Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor, Strokes singer Julian Casablancas, onetime Queens singer Mark Lanegan and previous collaborator ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons are among the guests on the disc, according to a QOTSA spokesperson. ... Korn will be the musical guests on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" Thursday. The band is currently working on a new album due in June, and its "MTV Unplugged" disc hits stores March 6. ...

The 27th annual Golden Raspberry Awards — a.k.a. the Razzies — were presented Saturday, with the biggest disses going to "Basic Instinct 2," "Little Man" and "Lady in the Water." The annual celebration of film's lowest moments named "Basic Instinct 2" 2006's Worst Picture, Worst Sequel and Worst Screenplay, while the film's star Sharon Stone took the Razzie for Worst Actress. Shawn and Marlon Wayans shared the Worst Actor gold for "Little Man" and were named Worst Screen Couple (tied with Shawn and Kerry Washington) for the comedy, which was also named Worst Remake/Ripoff — of a 1954 Bugs Bunny cartoon. Carmen Electra took Worst Supporting Actress for her performances in both "Date Movie" and "Scary Movie 4," while M. Night Shyamalan was doubly "honored" — as Worst Director and Worst Supporting Actor — for "Lady in the Water." The Worst Excuse for Family Entertainment Razzie went to JoJo's "RV." ...

Chevelle and horror master Wes Craven are teaming for a contest that will allow fans to make a video for the band's new single, "Well Enough Alone," from "The Hills Have Eyes 2." Entrants can register at FoxAtomic.com, where they can download footage from Craven's "The Hills Have Eyes" and the upcoming sequel. The winner, chosen by Craven from the 20 highest-rated finalists based on peer voting, gets $3,500 and a trip to Los Angeles to meet with Fox Atomic studio executives to pitch a movie idea. ... The Bravery have set a May 22 release date for their second album, The Sun and the Moon. Three tracks from the Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Korn)-produced set, including first single "Time Won't Let Me Go," are currently streaming on the band's Web site. ...

The Recording Industry Association of America is sending thousands more complaints to universities across the nation than it did last year, AP reports. Ohio University, Purdue, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Tennessee and the University of South Carolina have received the most complaints of copyright infringement over college computer networks, according to the RIAA. "It's something we feel we have to do," RIAA President Carey Sherman said. "We have to let people know that if they engage in this activity, they are not anonymous." While each university acts on RIAA complaints differently — some don't even notify students of the claims while others suspend accused offenders — those believed to be sharing hundreds of files may face expensive civil suits filed by the RIAA.

• DVD Of The Week: 'The Departed'

• Madonna
• Foxy Brown
• Ice Cube
• Corinne Bailey Rae
• Beyoncé

Norah Jones
Photo: Danny Clinch/ Blue Note Records

Last week, Fall Out Boy's Infinity on High usurped Norah Jones' Not Too Late — the previous week's #1 — as the nation's top-selling LP, relegating the jazzy songstress to the chart's #2 position and scoring the Chicago rockers the first chart-crowning debut of their careers. This week, Jones returned the favor.

With nearly 211,000 copies of Not Too Late sold during the album's third week of release, Jones reclaims Billboard's coveted throne, leaving Fall Out Boy in the proverbial dust. Sales of Infinity on High dipped by more than 50 percent, dropping FOB to the chart's #5 slot with second-week sales reported at close to 119,000, according to the latest SoundScan results.

But the bigger news is the windfall from the 2007 Grammy Awards, handed out early last week. Whether you took home a statuette or not didn't matter much to consumers — even albums by nominees who didn't win experienced major sales boons.

The biggest spike in retail interest came for the Dixie Chicks, whose Taking the Long Way was honored with five Grammys, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year prizes (see "Timberlake Rocks; Blige Weeps; Chicks, Chilis Clean Up At Grammys"). Sales of the LP rose a whopping 714 percent to top 103,000, landing the Chicks in the chart's #8 slot; during the previous week, Taking the Long Way sold nearly 13,000 units, and occupied the #72 position.

Likewise, nominee Corinne Bailey Rae's self-titled album experienced a 132 percent sales surge, scanning another 120,000 copies — enough to help the disc hop four places to #4. Even the 2007 Grammy Nominees compilation — featuring 23 tracks from this year's contenders — enjoyed a 116 percent increase in sales, climbing from #7 to #3 with more than 131,000 copies sold.

Sales of FutureSex/LoveSounds by Justin Timberlake — who walked off with the Best Dance Recording and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration awards — soared 123 percent for a total of 108,000, earning JT the #7 spot. John Mayer's Continuum, winner of the Best Pop Vocal Album, was the beneficiary of a 182 percent sales jump, ending the week with more than 80,000 scans at #10 — up from #29 the week before. The Best Rock Album winner, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium, climbs to #12 from #39, selling 67,000 units — a sales increase of 194 percent. Big winner Mary J. Blige's The Breakthrough sold more than 43,000 — a 161 percent sales spike — and ends up at #21, climbing more than 30 chart positions.

Gnarls Barkley's Best Alternative Album-winning St. Elsewhere soars 192 percent to finish at #44 — up from #111 — with 27,000 scans, and James Blunt's Back to Bedlam closes out the week at #47 after experiencing a 152 percent increase in sales.

Elsewhere on the chart, Robin Thicke's The Evolution of Robin Thicke continues selling like hotcakes, holding at #6 with around 116,000 units scanned; sales of the disc jumped 90 percent. And ending the week at #9 — down six spots from #3 but still up 34 percent in sales — is Daughtry, the self-titled debut from "American Idol" finalist Chris Daughtry's rock act, with 102,000 copies sold.

When it comes to new releases, a mere four pop up on the latest chart, including the late Gerald Levert's In My Songs. The first posthumous release from the singer, who died in November at age 40, In My Songs is Levert's highest-charting debut, opening at #2 with 165,000 copies sold. Further down the chart is Lucinda Williams' West, bowing at #14 with 57,000 scans, while Van Morrison's Van Morrison at the Movies follows at #35 with week-one sales of 29,000-plus. And finally, debuting at #84 with 13,000 sold is the latest solo mixtape by the Dipset's JR Writer, JR Writer: Writer's Block 4; the album was largely produced by the Diplomats' Dukedagod.

• It's Showtime!: 2007 Grammy Awards Photos

• Norah Jones
• Gerald LeVert
• Fall Out Boy
• Dixie Chicks
• Robin Thicke

Corinne Bailey Rae, Imogen Heap, Chris Brown, Carrie Underwood, and James Blunt
Photo: Getty Images

It's no secret — particularly to various employees at Gambleversity.com, MyBookie.org and/or BetOnAnythingThatMoves.net — that we here at MTV News enjoy the occasional foray into the exhilarating world of wagering.

Of course, the key word here is occasional. But with Sunday's Grammy Awards on the horizon, we convened the MTV News Bet-ological Braintrust — which is really nothing more than a couple of writers and "Hammerin' " Hank Goldberg on speakerphone — and determined just which of the Grammy's 108 categories are most ripe for some sweet speculation (see "Mary J. Blige, Chili Peppers Top Grammy Nominations List" and "Reunited Police To Kick Off Grammy Awards").

While there are plenty of intriguing possibilities — the battle between Eddie Blazonczyk's Versatones' Batteries Not Included and Lenny Gomulka & the Chicago Push's As Sweet as Candy for Best Polka Album should be a barn-burner — we decided to focus on the Best New Artist category.

After all, since Best New Artist debuted way back in 1960, no other Grammy category has been so perplexing, so spotty and so downright hit-or-miss. To wit: Past Best New Artists include A Taste of Honey (chosen over Elvis Costello), Christopher Cross (over the Pretenders) and — most famously — Milli Vanilli (over people who actually sang on their records), along with more lasting artists like the Beatles, Bobby Darin and Mariah Carey.

As such, it's a difficult field to handicap, but we like a challenge — especially one that involves someone named Imogen.

So after crunching the numbers and weighing the odds, here is our take on who will be hoisting the Best New Artist award on Grammy night:

Corinne Bailey Rae

Why She'll Win: History. From 1997-2003, a solo female artist took home the Best New Artist award each year, including coffee-shop idols Paula Cole and Norah Jones. And even before that run, the Recording Academy had shown an infatuation with girls-with-guitars (see past winners like Tracy Chapman and Sheryl Crow). Also, Rae penned "Put Your Records On," a nominee for Song of the Year and one of the year's most ubiquitous tracks on Adult Contemporary radio — which is important, considering that the nominees for this entire category seem to have been selected by fans of Adult Contemporary radio.

Why She Won't: Again, history: Since 2003, the award has gone to a hard-rockin' Goth quintet (Evanescence), a not-rockin' Cali quintet (Maroon 5) and John Legend.

Odds: 3:2

Carrie Underwood

Why She'll Win: Well, she's sold nearly 5 million copies of her debut album, Some Hearts; won both the Horizon Award (roughly, the country version of the Best New Artist) and Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2006 CMA Awards; and was named Oklahoman of the Year by Oklahoma Today magazine. Oh yeah, and in 2005, she won a little show called "American Idol." With all that on her side, it's difficult to think of reasons why Underwood won't win Best New Artist. Except ...

Why She Won't: ... she's a country artist, and this ain't the CMAs. In the past 20 years, only two country singers have won the Best New Artist Grammy, though given the whole "Idol" thing, it's entirely possible that voters will overlook that. Add to that the fact that she's sold a lot of records, and she's a very good bet — but not as good as Corinne Bailey Rae.

Odds: 3:1

James Blunt

Why He'll Win: He's kind of a male version of Bailey Rae: a good looking, soccer-mom approved purveyor of light, breezy balladry — but with a penchant for dating models. His "You're Beautiful" was the ubiquitous song of 2005, which Grammy logic dictates would make him an obvious choice for Best New Artist award in 2007 (remember, common sense doesn't always apply). Plus, it doesn't hurt that the tune is also nominated for both Record and Song of the year.

Why He Won't: Perhaps growing tired of the kind of snarky commentary about the Best New Artist Award you've been reading right here, Academy voters have seemingly shied away from bestowing the award on one-hit-wonder candidates in recent years — and if Blunt doesn't have all the markings of a one-and-done guy, well, then we'll eat our Vegas-approved gambling visors.

Odds: 8:1

Chris Brown

Why He'll Win: If Academy voters are looking to cast their stamp of approval on a rising star, then Brown is clearly their guy. Not yet 18, he's already recorded a platinum-plus album and starred in a certified box-office blockbuster ("Stomp The Yard"), plus, we hear he's quite popular with the young ladies. If he did win Best New Artist, he wouldn't be the first multi-platform guy to do so, but he would be the first in quite a while: way back in 1961 comic/TV star Bob Newhart took home the BNA trophy for his stand-up album Button Down Mind. (Incidentally, this is probably the first paragraph in the history of the written word to find parallels between Chris Brown and Bob Newhart.)

Why He Won't: He's very young — after all, we're talking about the Grammys here, not the Kid's Choice Awards. Plus, it's scientifically proven that Academy members react to throngs of squealing girls like Dracula reacts to sunlight.

Odds:11:1

Imogen Heap

Why She'll Win: A betting person would say there's no way Heap wins. It's debatable whether even half of the American record-buying public has heard of her, let alone her music. Still, crazier things have been known to happen ...

Why She Won't: Without resorting to the Internet, can you name three Imogen Heap songs?

Odds: 20:1

The show's over but there's plenty of Grammy hotness here on MTVNews.com. Check out photos of the hottest red-carpet and onstage action; join our reporters as they hit all the Grammy week parties; and let us know what you think about the performers, winners and losers. Plus see videos of all the nominees on MTV.com and check out exclusive video footage from the big night right here.

• Grammys Backstage: Get Cozy!
• Grammys Red Carpet: Fire-Starters

• The 49th Annual Grammy Nominees
• 49th Annual Grammy Awards Performers And Presenters
• Grammy Parties: Scarlett, Christina, Justin, Katharine And More

• Chris Brown
• Imogen Heap
• Corinne Bailey Rae
• James Blunt
• Carrie Underwood

Mary J. Blige at the 49th annual Grammy Awards nominations on Thursday
Photo: Lester Cohen/ WireImage.com

It's definitely turning out to be Mary J. Blige's year.

Fresh from winning nine Billboard Music Awards last week, Blige was the top nominee for the 49th annual Grammy Awards announced Thursday morning (December 7), with eight nods related to her aptly titled album, The Breakthrough.

Following close behind with six nominations were the Red Hot Chili Peppers, whose Stadium Arcadium garnered six nods, including Album of the Year, for which they'll vie against fellow multiple nominees the Dixie Chicks, Gnarls Barkley, John Mayer and Justin Timberlake.

Blige was nominated in most of the major R&B categories, including Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, Record and Song of the Year for "Be Without You"; Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for her duet with U2 on "One"; R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for "Love Changes" (with Jamie Foxx); Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for "I Found My Everything"; and Best R&B Album.

The Chili Peppers were close behind with nominations for Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, Best Rock Song and Short Form Music Video for "Dani California," as well as Best Rock Album and Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package for Stadium Arcadium.

Though they were largely shunned by country radio due to their political outspokenness, the Dixie Chicks were embraced by the Recording Academy, with nods for Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, Song and Record of the Year (for "Not Ready to Make Nice"), in addition to Album of the Year and Country Album for Taking the Long Way.

The Academy voters spread the wealth this year, handing out multiple nominations to a number of singers and bands, including five each for Blunt, the Dixie Chicks, John Mayer, Prince, Gnarls Barkley's Danger Mouse, producer Rick Rubin and Black Eyed Peas member and producer Will.I.Am. Right behind with four each were Beyoncé, songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox, Gnarls Barkley, T.I and Timberlake, whose second solo album, FutureSex/LoveSounds, earned an Album of the Year nomination, as well as Best Pop Vocal Album nods and a Best Dance Recording notice for "SexyBack." Timberlake also earned a Best Rap/Sung Collaboration nomination for "My Love" with T.I.

Former "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood has become a major country star, and her album, Some Hearts, is one of the year's top sellers, having sold 3.7 million copies, according to SoundScan. She earned nods for Song of the Year, Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Jesus Take the Wheel," as well as a Best New Artist notice (where she'll go up against Chris Brown, Imogen Heap, Corinne Bailey Rae and Blunt).

Getting a surprisingly low number of nominations was Bob Dylan's acclaimed Modern Times album, which had been tipped as a frontrunner (given the past Grammy love shown to the folk legend). Dylan came away with just three: Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song for "Someday Baby" and Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album. He was shut out of the major categories.

And though her debut is just now catching fire in the U.S. after entering the U.K. charts at #1 in February, jazzy British singer Corinne Bailey Rae made some serious noise in her first year of Grammy eligibility, including a spot in the Record of the Year race for her song "Put Your Records On," which will be up against Blunt's "You're Beautiful," Blige's "Be Without You," the Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice" and Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy."

Rubin was honored in the Producer of the Year, Non-Classical category for his work on albums by Johnny Cash, the Chili Peppers, the Dixie Chicks and Neil Diamond. He'll face off against Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley, the Rapture), Howard Benson (Hoobastank, Flyleaf, Papa Roach) and Will.I.Am (Blige, Fergie, Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, Sergio Mendes).

Christina Aguilera was recognized for her ambitious double album, Back to Basics, with a Best Female Pop Vocal Performance nom for "Ain't No Other Man," a category that will pit her against Pink ("Stupid Girls"), Natasha Bedingfield ("Unwritten"), Sheryl Crow ("You Can Close Your Eyes") and newcomer KT Tunstall ("Black Horse and a Cherry Tree"). Aguilera was also nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album.

One of the most interesting categories is shaping up to be Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal. The eclectic nominees include the Black Eyed Peas ("My Humps"), indie darlings Death Cab for Cutie ("I Will Follow You Into the Dark"), the Fray ("Over My Head [Cable Car]"), Keane ("Is It Any Wonder?") and the Pussycat Dolls ("Stickwitu").

Nelly Furtado got some love in the Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals race for her duet with Timbaland on "Promiscuous," Madonna earned a pair of notices in the Best Electronic Dance Album and Dance Recording categories, Beck's vocals on "Nausea" snagged him a Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance bid, and "Steady, as She Goes" by White Stripe Jack White's other band, the Raconteurs, is up against Coldplay ("Talk"), U2 & Green Day ("The Saints Are Coming"), the Chili Peppers ("Dani California") and the Fray ("How to Save a Life") for Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocal.

The Best Alternative Music Album category pits a trio of relative newcomers against a pair of vets, with the Arctic Monkeys, Gnarls Barkley and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs taking on the Flaming Lips and Radiohead's Thom Yorke. Some hip-hop categories also feature a mix of veterans and young stars going at it, with Best Rap Solo Performance pitting Busta Rhymes, Mos Def and Missy Elliott against T.I. and Lupe Fiasco; and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group featuring a square-off between the Roots, Outkast, Nelly, Ludacris and Chamillionaire. The Best Rap Album contest also features the Roots, Ludacris and Fiasco, who will go up against Pharrell and T.I.

And even though he's been off the radar for most of the past year, past Grammy winner Eminem earned two nominations in one category (for a pair of songs with very similar names): "Smack That," his duet with Akon, and "Shake That" (featuring Nate Dogg) both got the nod for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

The awards, for albums released between October 1, 2005, and September 30, 2006, will be handed out on February 11 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Selected List of Grammy Nominations

Record of the Year
· Mary J. Blige - "Be Without You"
· James Blunt - "You're Beautiful"
· Dixie Chicks - "Not Ready to Make Nice"
· Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy"
· Corinne Bailey Rae - "Put Your Records On"

Album of the Year
· Dixie Chicks - Taking the Long Way
· Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
· John Mayer - Continuum
· Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
· Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds

Song of the Year
· Mary J. Blige - "Be Without You" (Mary J. Blige, Bryan-Michael Cox and Jason Perry, songwriters)
· James Blunt - "You're Beautiful" (James Blunt, Amanda Ghost and Sacha Skarbek, songwriters)
· Dixie Chicks - "Not Ready to Make Nice" (Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison and Dan Wilson, songwriters)
· Corinne Bailey Rae - "Put Your Records On" (John Beck, Steve Chrisanthou and Corinne Bailey Rae, songwriters)
· Carrie Underwood - "Jesus Take the Wheel" (Brett James, Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson, songwriters)

Best New Artist
· James Blunt
· Chris Brown
· Imogen Heap
· Corinne Bailey Rae
· Carrie Underwood

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
· Christina Aguilera - "Ain't No Other Man"
· Natasha Bedingfield - "Unwritten"
· Sheryl Crow - "You Can Close Your Eyes"
· Pink - "Stupid Girls"
· KT Tunstall - "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
· James Blunt - "You're Beautiful"
· John Legend - "Save Room"
· John Mayer - "Waiting on the World to Change"
· Paul McCartney - "Jenny Wren"
· Daniel Powter - "Bad Day"

Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal
· Black Eyed Peas - "My Humps"
· Death Cab for Cutie - "I Will Follow You Into the Dark"
· The Fray - "Over My Head (Cable Car)"
· Keane - "Is It Any Wonder?"
· Pussycat Dolls - "Stickwitu"

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
· Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder - "For Once in My Life"
· Mary J. Blige and U2 - "One"
· Sheryl Crow and Sting - "Always on Your Side"
· Nelly Furtado and Timbaland - "Promiscuous"
· Shakira and Wyclef Jean - "Hips Don't Lie"

Best Pop Vocal Album
· Christina Aguilera - Back to Basics
· James Blunt - Back to Bedlam
· Elvis Costello/ Allen Toussaint - The River in Reverse
· John Mayer - Continuum
· Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds

Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal
· Coldplay - "Talk"
· The Fray - "How To Save a Life"
· The Raconteurs - "Steady, as She Goes"
· Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Dani California"
· U2 and Green Day - "The Saints Are Coming"

Best Hard Rock Performance
· Buckcherry - "Crazy Bitch"
· Nine Inch Nails - "Every Day Is Exactly the Same"
· System of a Down - "Lonely Day"
· Tool - "Vicarious"
· Wolfmother - "Woman"

Best Metal Performance
· Lamb of God - "Redneck"
· Mastodon - "Colony of Birchmen"
· Ministry - "Lies, Lies, Lies"
· Slayer - "Eyes of the Insane"
· Stone Sour - "30/30-150"

Best Rock Song
· Bob Dylan - "Someday Baby" (Bob Dylan, songwriter)
· The Killers - "When You Were Young" (Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermer and Ronnie Vannucci, songwriters)
· Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Dani California" (Flea, John Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis and Chad Smith, songwriters)
· Snow Patrol - "Chasing Cars"
(Nathan Connolly, Gary Lightbody, Jonny Quinn, Tom Simpson and Paul Wilson, songwriters)
· Neil Young - "Lookin' for a Leader" (Neil Young, songwriter)

Best Rock Album
· John Mayer Trio - Try!
· Tom Petty - Highway Companion
· Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers
· Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
· Neil Young - Living With War

Best Alternative Music Album
· Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
· Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics
· Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
· Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
· Thom Yorke - The Eraser

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
· Beyoncé - "Ring the Alarm"
· Mary J. Blige - "Be Without You"
· Mariah Carey - "Don't Forget About Us"
· Natalie Cole - "Day Dreaming"
· India.Arie - "I Am Not My Hair"

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
· John Legend - "Heaven"
· Ne-Yo - "So Sick"
· Prince - "Black Sweat"
· Lionel Richie - "I Call It Love"
· Luther Vandross - "Got You Home"

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
· George Benson and Al Jarreau - "Breezin' "
· Jamie Foxx (featuring Mary J. Blige) - "Love Changes"
· Chaka Khan, Gerald Levert, Yolanda Adams and Carl Thomas - "Everyday (Family Reunion)"
· Sly & the Family Stone, John Legend, Joss Stone with Van Hunt - "Family Affair"
· Prince and Támar - "Beautiful, Loved and Blessed"

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
· Anita Baker - "Christmas Time Is Here"
· George Benson and Al Jarreau (featuring Jill Scott) - "God Bless the Child"
· Mary J. Blige (featuring Raphael Saadiq) - "I Found My Everything"
· Sam Moore (featuring Billy Preston, Zucchero, Eric Clapton and Robert Randolph) - "You Are So Beautiful"
· Temptations - "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)"

Best Urban/Alternative Performance
· Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy"
· Sergio Mendes (featuring Erykah Badu and Will.I.Am) - "That Heat"
· Sergio Mendes (featuring the Black Eyed Peas) - "Más Que Nada"
· Outkast - "Idlewild Blue (Don't Chu Worry 'Bout Me)"
· Prince - "3121"

Best R&B Song
· Mary J. Blige - "Be Without You" (Johnta Austin, Mary J. Blige, Bryan-Michael Cox and Jason Perry, songwriters)
· Prince - "Black Sweat" (Prince, songwriter)
· Beyoncé (featuring Jay-Z) - "Deja Vu" (Shawn Carter, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Beyoncé Knowles, Makeba, Keli Nicole Price and Delisha Thomas, songwriters)
· Mariah Carey - "Don't Forget About Us" (Johnta Austin, Mariah Carey, Bryan-Michael Cox and Jermaine Dupri, songwriters)
· India.Arie - "I Am Not My Hair" (Drew Ramsey, Shannon Sanders and India Arie Simpson, songwriters)

Best R&B Album
· Mary J. Blige - The Breakthrough
· Jamie Foxx - Unpredictable
· India.Arie - Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
· Prince - 3121
· Lionel Richie - Coming Home

Best Contemporary R&B Album
· Beyoncé - B'Day
· Chris Brown - Chris Brown
· Janet Jackson - 20 Y.O.
· Kelis - Kelis Was Here
· Ne-Yo - In My Own Words

Best Rap Solo Performance
· Busta Rhymes - "Touch It"
· Missy Elliott - "We Run This"
· Lupe Fiasco - "Kick, Push"
· Mos Def - "Undeniable"
· T.I. - "What You Know"

Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
· Chamillionaire (featuring Krayzie Bone) - "Ridin"
· Ludacris and Field Mob (featuring Jamie Foxx) - "Georgia"
· Nelly (featuring Paul Wall, Ali and Gipp) - "Grillz"
· Outkast - "Mighty 'O' "
· The Roots - "Don't Feel Right"

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
· Akon (featuring Eminem) - "Smack That"
· Beyoncé (featuring Jay-Z) - "Deja Vu"
· Eminem (featuring Nate Dogg) - "Shake That"
· Jamie Foxx (featuring Ludacris) - "Unpredictable"
· Justin Timberlake (featuring T.I.) - "My Love"

Best Rap Song
· Yung Joc - "It's Goin' Down" (Chadron Moore and Jasiel Robinson, songwriters)
· Lupe Fiasco - "Kick, Push" (Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, songwriter)
· Ludacris (featuring Pharrell) - "Money Maker" (Christopher Bridges and Pharrell Williams, songwriters)
· Chamillionaire (featuring Krayzie Bone) - "Ridin" (Anthony Henderson, J. Slainas, O. Salinas and Hakeem Seriki, songwriters)
· T.I. - "What You Know" (A. Davis & Clifford Harris, songwriters; Donny Hathaway, Leroy Hutson and Curtis Mayfield, songwriters)

Best Rap Album
· Lupe Fiasco - Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
· Ludacris - Release Therapy
· Pharrell - In My Mind
· The Roots - Game Theory
· T.I. - King

[This story was originally published at 12:53 p.m. ET on 12.7.2006]

• The 49th Annual Grammy Nominees
• Justin, Ludacris, Amy Lee And More Announce The 49th Annual Grammy Nominees

• Mary J. Blige
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Justin Timberlake
• James Blunt
• Carrie Underwood

Corinne Bailey Rae
Photo: Running Media

Corinne Bailey Rae's blend of folk and R&B has earned her the unofficial title of America's favorite new British import, but her eclectic sound has also come with some downfalls.

"You always feel a little bit out of place in every social situation," Bailey Rae said at the BET Awards earlier this summer, surrounded by flashy rappers and sultry singers. "If I was a guitar fan, I would feel like the music was too black. And at a blacker venue, the music is too white," she said of her own sound before turning her attention back to the awards crowd. "My whole vibe is not really fronty and aggressive and blingy ... but I'm taking it in as a spectacle."

And as atypical as she might be, America seems to be taking her in too. Bailey Rae was nominated at the BET Awards for her single "Put Your Records On," which is slowly garnering radio play across the country (she resumes her first U.S. tour on August 12 in Dallas).

"It's just a fun song about not being afraid to be different and not being afraid to be yourself and to think how you think," she said. "And it's about finding your identity in music, which is something I feel like I did as a teenager — finding ballads that no one else seemed to like that you could make your own, and the stories they said in their songs were how I view life. So it's about music and identity."

Overseas, the single is already a smash and has helped Bailey Rae sell more than a million copies of her self-titled debut. Now, she's set her sights on America, where the album debuted at #17 in June.

"It's really fun to be over here," the 27-year-old singer said. "It's so familiar to British people, culturally, so it's only a little bit of an adjustment."

Bailey Rae was a skilled violinist as a child and formed a rock band in her teens, but lately she's been drawing comparisons to more soul, blues and pop acts like Billie Holiday, Macy Gray and Norah Jones.

"I've written a soulful record but it's informed by my sort of indie guitar past," Bailey Rae said. "A lot of the songs are more acoustic-based, some of the songs are sort of more upbeat, some of them are more like singer/songwriter things. All different people like it, I guess, because it's not really about contemporary music and the latest sound and how to package things up. It's just about melodies and words and it's something I'm really enjoying in my life at the moment."

Corrine Bailey Rae tour dates, according to Capitol Records:

• 8/12 - Dallas, TX @ Gypsy Tea Room/ Ballroom
• 8/13 - Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
• 8/14 - Austin, TX @ Antone's
• 8/16 - Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl @ Center Stage
• 8/18 - Annapolis, MD @ Rams Head On Stage
• 8/20 - Alexandria, VA @ The Birchmere
• 8/21 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
• 8/23 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
• 8/25 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club/ Lounge
• 8/29 - Chicago, IL @ Park West
• 8/30 - Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theatre

• Corinne Bailey Rae

2008 Grammy Award Nominees: Akon, Fergie, T.I., More

• Akon
• Amy Winehouse
• Jay-Z
• Christina Aguilera
• Justin Timberlake

It's Showtime!: 2007 Grammy Awards Photos

• Beyoncé
• Dixie Chicks
• Jamie Foxx
• Stevie Wonder
• The Police

49th Annual Grammy Awards Performers And Presenters

• Beyoncé
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Dixie Chicks
• Gnarls Barkley
• Rihanna

Justin, Ludacris, Amy Lee And More Announce The 49th Annual Grammy Nominees

• Justin Timberlake
• Mary J. Blige
• Evanescence
• Chris Brown
• Ludacris