Our April Fools’ Album Picks
Photo: MTV News

April Fools' Day is possibly the most hilarious (and torturous) 24 hours of the year, a day filled with plastic dog poop, really awful pranks that result in moderate-to-severe head injuries and guilting and shaming those closest to you. Or, at least, that's how it is here at MTV headquarters.

So, in the spirit of the day — and in an attempt to avoid being Maced by MTV News Director of Operations Jonathan Goldner (that dude's hilarious) — I've holed myself up in my office and have decided to grind out a list of the funniest albums of all time. These are the musical equivalents of plastic dog poop ... records that must surely be a joke (perhaps even a mean-spirited one), because there really is no other explanation for their existence.

As a side note, just because I find all these albums to be hilarious doesn't mean they're terrible. In fact, looking at the list again, I'm struck by how many of them I actually like. Still, that's beside the point. April 1 is a cruel day, and I must roll with the punches. So, for your April Fools' Day pleasure, may I present the greatest musical pranks of all time — a handful of records that probably aren't meant to be laughed at, but, as Q-Tip once said, sometimes you've gotta laugh to keep from crying.

Lou Reed, Metal Machine Music (1975): Either the funniest album of all time or the worst (or probably both), Lou Reed's ear-splitting, dissonant and downright atonal double album (!) was greeted with reviews that compared it to "the tubular groaning of a galactic refrigerator" and "a night in a bus terminal" upon its initial release. Anyone who made it through the album's four noisy, feedback-drenched sides probably agreed — they probably also believed that Reed was either joking or had gone completely insane. Reed himself maintained the album was not a joke (he reportedly also claimed it "invented" heavy metal), though in a 2002 interview, he did admit, "I was serious about it. I was also really, really stoned." We're laughing with you, Lou.

Bob & Doug McKenzie, The Great White North (1981): Toqued up Canadian brothers (as played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas) record comedy/concept album about beer, back bacon and black holes, land an improbable cameo by Rush's Geddy Lee, inexplicably score a hit single ("Take Off") as a result. All very funny. The fact that this won the Canadian Grammy for Comedy Album of the Year? Hilarious.

Neil Young, Trans (1982): Imagine Neil Young — hirsute, warbly godfather of grunge — singing almost entirely through a Vocoder. Now imagine he's singing songs with titles like "Computer Age," "Transformer Man" and "Computer Cowboy." Slap a goofy, "Tron"-esque cover on that nightmare, and you've got Trans, an album that befuddled pretty much, well, everyone. Most thought it was an elaborate joke; others believed it was Young at his most satirical, poking fun at the soulless, electro-pop that dominated the decade. Regardless, his record label — Geffen — wasn't pleased, and thanks to this album (and 1983's goofy, 25-minute long Everybody's Rockin'), they sued Young for releasing "uncharacteristic, uncommercial" records. For that reason alone, you need to listen to this.

Ween, 12 Golden Country Greats (1996): OK, for starters, this is a Ween album, recorded using legendary Nashville session musicians like Hargus "Pig" Robbins and Russ Hicks. There are songs featuring Muhammad Ali samples and songs with titles like "Piss Up a Rope" and "Mr. Richard Smoker." Oh, and despite the title, there are only 10 tracks on 12 Golden Country Greats.

Beastie Boys,Country Mike's Greatest Hits (1998): Hey, another country piss-take ... and this one is due to severe head trauma! Sometime between the release of 1994's Ill Communication and 1998's Hello Nasty, Mike D was hit on the head and lost all his memory. According to fellow Beastie Adam Yauch, while he was in the grips of amnesia, D believed himself to be a crooner named Country Mike. Acting on a psychologist's advice, the Beasties played along, recording an album of country cuts with titles like "Don't Let the Air Out of My Tires" and "Country Delight." Some appeared on the 1999 Sounds of Science anthology; the rest have become much-sought Beasties' nuggets. Roughly 90 percent of this is actually true, BTW.

Beck, Midnite Vultures (1999): Do you like party-dude, popping-and-locking Beck, or serious, guy-and-an-acoustic-guitar Beck? Well, if you prefer the former, then boy you must love this album. Sadly, most didn't ... mostly because, for the first time in his entire career, people weren't sure if Beck was joking or not. And while the jury's still out, it's hard to think of anyone being serious while thrusting through tracks like "Sexx Laws" or "Hollywood Freaks." And don't even get me started on album closer "Debra," a gut-busting exercise in libidinous bleating and pleading. Beck hasn't been nearly as funny at any point before (or after).

The Bloodhound Gang, Hooray for Boobies (2000): This album is called Hooray for Boobies. What more do you need to know?

Coheed and Cambria, Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness (2005): Possibly the goofiest thing Coheed have ever done, and given everything they've done, well, that's saying something. From the doomy riffs of "Welcome Home" to the overarching (and overwrought) story line to the hidden tribute to Led Zeppelin that closes the record, this is prog rock at its most hilarious (to say nothing about Claudio Sanchez's hair or the fact that the band toured behind the album with a winged guillotine onstage). The fact that no one in the band seems to be laughing along with the listener transports this into the realm of high art.

Trans Am, T.A. (2002): Washington, D.C.'s Trans Am have always excelled at pointing out the rather ridiculous extremes of genres like prog and post-rock, but on T.A., they push the pointing into overdrive. Positively bathed in '80s synth sheen and featuring feathered and airbrushed liner notes, it's a completely hilarious send-up, one that also includes brilliantly stoopid joints like "Party Station" and "Different Kind of Love," not to mention a drunken impression of Derek Fisher lifted off someone's answering machine. You have to be smart to be this dumb.

Questions? Concerns? Hit me up at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

• Beastie Boys
• Beck
• Neil Young
• Coheed and Cambria

Madonna
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

Justin Timberlake got one heck of a 27th birthday surprise on Thursday (January 31) when Madonna presented him with a cupcake and champagne on the set of her new video, Madge's representative told MTV News. The clip, for "4 Minutes to Save the World," is currently being shot in London with directors Jonas & Francois (who helmed Justice's "D.A.N.C.E.") (Maroon 5, James Blunt) and will feature JT as well as Timbaland. The track will appear on Madonna's yet-untitled LP, due this year. ...

In Style magazine is teaming with the Grammys for the first-ever Grammy Salute to Fashion, which will take place February 7 and feature a performance by Rihanna. The event peeks at the spring collections from the fashion houses of Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Diddy, Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez and Jessica Simpson. It will be hosted by producer Jimmy Jam and also feature a showcase for the Recording Academy's own fashion line, Grammy Brand. ...

Beck's Odelay deluxe reissue is filled with unreleased and rare tracks, and other goodies — but incorrect lyrics weren't supposed to be among them. "The first pressing of the recent Odelay [reissue] was found to have gone out with unproofed lyrics that were taken from a lyrics Web site as place holders for layout purposes," his publicist said in a statement. "Beck apologizes for this unfortunate oversight and is making arrangements for the corrected lyrics to be available gratis via Beck.com. Subsequent pressings of the Odelay [reissue] will also include the corrected lyrics." ...

The routing for this year's Warped Tour will find the 14th annual edition of the fest kicking off June 20 in Pomona, California, and swinging through 45 cities across North America before winding up August 17 in Los Angeles. Venues for the trek have not yet been announced, and tickets won't go on sale until March. Confirmed performers include Gym Class Heroes, Every Time I Die, the Academy Is ..., Relient K, From First to Last and Reel Big Fish, who will all perform on the entire tour. ...

George Clooney toured the United Nations headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Thursday as part of a ceremony anointing him a U.N. messenger of peace, according to The Associated Press. The "Michael Clayton" actor, who recently returned from a trip to Sudan, took on his new U.N. "role" — for which he will promote the world body's peacekeeping missions — after launching many of his own efforts to end the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. ...

Dizzee Rascal and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have been added to the list of performers for this year's Plug Independent Music Awards, to be held March 6 in New York. Funnyman Patton Oswalt will host, with José González and St. Vincent — who, like Cave and Rascal, are also nominated for Plug honors — also performing. ... Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore slipped out an exclusive iTunes EP on Wednesday, according to Pitchfork. Live From SoHo showcases Moore — with SY drummer Steve Shelley and others — performing nine songs at an Apple store in New York in October. ... She & Him — Zooey Deschanel's music project with indie folkie M. Ward — are plotting to release their first album, Volume 1, March 18 via Merge. The group has also been added to San Francisco's Noise Pop, slated for February 26 through March 2. Working for a Nuclear Free City, Quasi, White Denim, Entrance and Great Northern have also been tossed onto the fest's bill. ...

Antony has handcrafted a white silk dress and is planning to put it up for auction February 14 on eBay. Proceeds will go to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, a grassroots group that fights for the rights of people to self-determine their gender identity and expression. ... The indie-rock community is continuing to reach out to help Callum Robbins, the 2-year-old son of former Jawbox frontman J. Robbins who has an incurable spinal disease. Now rare items by Mission of Burma, Shellac, Shudder to Think, John Vanderslice, Kristin Hersch and others are The bidding will end in seven or eight days, depending on the item. ...

J Mascis's Witch project — the sludgy, metal-ish answer to his main band, Dinosaur Jr. — have thrown together their second album, Paralyzed, and it will see the light of day March 18. Witch are also scheduled to play this year's South by Southwest music festival, set for March 12-16 in Austin, Texas. ... Ex-Jesus Lizard frontman David Yow had been touring with his new band, Qui — until he suffered a collapsed lung during a stop in Pittsburgh earlier this week. According to Pitchfork, he was released from the hospital Tuesday night and is planning to attend Thursday's Los Angeles premiere of "Al's Beef," a short-form Western in which he acted. While Yow has recovered, though, Qui's live dates in February and March are still scrapped. ...

Ahoy, Pirate Bay — you've got a bit of a problem on your hands. Four men who run the popular file-sharing site are facing charges of conspiracy to break copyright law in Sweden, according to BBC News. While the site's servers don't contain copyrighted material, they do offer links to the download location of movies, TV shows, albums and software. A prosecutor reportedly said the site — which was temporarily shut down two years ago after police seized its computers — was commercially exploiting copyright-protected materials because it got its money from advertising revenues. "In case we lose the pending trial (yeah right) there will still not be any changes to the site," replied a post on the site. "The Pirate Bay will keep operating just as always. We've been here for years and we will be here many more." The men could go to prison for up to two years if convicted, according to BBC News.

1.30.08

All hail Madonna: the singer is the richest woman in music, according to Forbes.com. Madge reportedly earned a staggering $72 million between June 2006 and June of last year, with her Confessions tour raking in $260 million. Also earning big bucks were Shakira ($38 million), Beyoncé ($27 million), Gwen Stefani ($26 million), Christina Aguilera ($20 million), Mariah Carey ($13 million), Hilary Duff ($12 million), Avril Lavigne ($12 million), Britney Spears ($8 million), Carrie Underwood ($7 million), Nelly Furtado ($7 million), Fergie ($6 million), Jennifer Lopez ($6 million) and Norah Jones ($5.5 million). ... Brangelina better have a lifetime supply of Pampers — the couple are expecting more children, according to UsMagazine.com. Angelina Jolie, who already has four children with Brad Pitt, is reportedly pregnant with twins with her mate. ...

Kevin Federline's lawyer wants Britney Spears to pay up. Mark Vincent Kaplan filed a motion Tuesday asking the court to make Spears foot his client's attorney bill, according to TMZ. The Web site estimates the fees to be more than $500,000 since the custody battle began in July. A hearing on the request is set for March 10. ...

The 3-D flick "Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" accounted for roughly 90 percent of ticket sales at Fandango.com and MovieTickets.com as of Wednesday morning (January 30), even though it will only open in 684 digital theaters on Thursday at midnight, Reuters reports. ...

The Academy Awards have a backup plan in the event that the ongoing writers' strike doesn't resolve itself by then, The Associated Press reports. The February 24 ceremony's contingency program would include "history and packages of film and concepts that are not normally ones that we would have for the show if we were moving straight ahead," Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis reportedly said Wednesday. The Academy is in talks with the Writers Guild of America, AP says. ... Death Cab for Cutie have slapped a title onto their next album, which is due in May. According to a post on the indie-rockers' Web site, they're calling it Narrow Stairs. ...

What would a year be like without the Snoop Bowl? Snoop Dogg announced on Wednesday that he will stage the event for a sixth time — and he's going to have to hustle, since he's planning for it to happen Saturday. The charity game will be held at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Arizona, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Matt Leinart Foundation, a group set up by the Arizona Cardinals quarterback that helps disadvantaged youth. Leinart will be in attendance at the Bowl. ... A day later is the Super Bowl, of course, and ESPN is planning to sport an odd musical combo on its "Sunday NFL Countdown" pregame show prior to Sunday's big game. Acoustic heavy-metal duo Rodrigo y Gabriela will perform and chat on the show. ...

Keep your eye out for unreleased freestyle and video footage from Eminem, Notorious B.I.G., Wu-Tang Clan and other hip-hop superstars that will surface on UrSession.com, a new social-networking site that launches Thursday in beta form. The site, hatched by System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian, along with King Tech and MTV News' own Sway, will also feature a music label and an area that allows artists to audition their music. The unreleased hip-hop footage is coming courtesy Sway and Tech's "Wake Up Show." ... Ruben Studdard just can't catch a break anymore. The former "Idol" champ, who was dropped by J Records last year after his 2006 LP, The Return, tanked, is suing a concert promoter for breach of contract. TMZ reports that Studdard is seeking $45,000 from Dallas company Peachez Inc. in a suit filed Monday in New York Supreme Court. ...

Organizers of the Melbourne leg of Australia's Big Day Out festival were defending themselves Tuesday against charges that they could have done a better job with security during a set Monday by bombastic reunited rockers Rage Against the Machine. According to the Herald-Sun, dozens of fans in the crowd of 46,000, the biggest ever for a Melbourne Big Day Out show, climbed to precarious spots on top of marquees, speaker stacks and trees, forcing headliners Rage to stop playing for a bit as security pulled them down. Two men were also seriously injured during the set after falling off a marquee — one dislocated his shoulder and the other suffered spinal shock — and one crowd-surfer was pulled over the barrier unconscious, according to the paper. Fans reportedly complained of overcrowding and a floor plan that made the crowd aggressive, though organizers said that considering it was the first year at a new venue, things went smoothly. "This is the first year at a brand-new venue and, generally, everything ran very well," said spokesperson Miranda Brown. In all, 11 people were transported to the hospital during or after the event and 413 were treated, mostly for minor injuries. ...

Mötley Crüe have written 10 songs for their forthcoming LP, according to bassist Nikki Sixx. "I'm very proud of the songs," he said in a post on his Web site. "I think we're onto some of the better songs we've had in years. Time will tell, of course." Some of the songs slated to appear on the record include "A Scar on Hollywood Blvd" and "The Saints of Los Angeles." Sixx said the record will be named The Dirt — calling to mind the band's autobiography, "The Dirt - Mötley Crüe: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band" — and the lyrics will follow the story in the book. "It's challenging and exciting to have to write the songs into time capsules spreading over years," Sixx said in his post. "I've written a lot of songs with [guitarist] Mick Mars ... and the chemistry in the studio as we're writing is unbelievable." ... Pink is not alone: Like the pop singer, Chrissie Hynde is joining People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' protest over horse-drawn carriages in New York. The Pretenders frontwoman, who was married years ago while sitting in a horse-drawn carriage in Manhattan, will lead a PETA protest and talk with tourists on Thursday. She's also backing a recently introduced bill that would ban horse-drawn carriages in NYC. ...

30 Seconds to Mars premiered their new short film, "A Beautiful Lie," Wednesday on MySpace. The band claims the video for the title track from its 2005 platinum album marks the first time a music clip has been shot 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Greenland. "Shooting in Greenland was a dream come true and one of the most exciting adventures we've ever had as a band," singer Jared Leto said in a statement. "Although incredibly challenging and at times it seemed just out of our reach, once we finally arrived, the beauty and magnificence of the terrain, the wonderful culture of the people, and the amazing journey itself were all inspiring beyond belief. Almost everyone has heard of global warming by now but for the people of Greenland it is a real and tangible problem of today, not an issue of tomorrow. This journey changed our lives." The band and the video's director worked with the National Resource Defense Council to find ways to offset the environmental impact of filming, including minimizing fuel consumption and buying certificates supporting renewable-energy generation that offset the environmental effects of burning coal, gas and other fossil fuels across North America. ...

Papa Roach are down a drummer following the departure of Dave Buckner, frontman Jacoby Shaddix confirmed in a post on the band's MySpace page. "It was one of the hardest things we have ever had to do," he wrote of the split. "He's taking this time to get his life together. We are still friends and still talk on a regular basis. The road is a hard place to live, and if you are falling apart, it will destroy you. He will be missed." There's no word yet on whether the band has found or is searching for Buckner's replacement. ... Chevelle and Finger Eleven — who opened for Evanescence last year — will hit the road together again starting February 19 in Flint, Michigan. Dates run through April 2 in Denver. ... Face to Face will reunite for some upcoming live shows after breaking up in 2003. There are no immediate plans for a full scale tour, but the punk outfit will play select festival dates in the U.S., including Bamboozle Left, which is set for April 5 in Irvine, California. ...

John Oates' mustache — yeah, the one you might've seen on your parents' old Hall & Oates records — is so famous that it's getting its own cartoon, according to Glenwood Springs, Colorado's Post Independent. "My mustache has superpowers," Oates, who has since shaved off the 'stache, told the paper. The 'toon is reportedly in development. ... While dating your tourmate would be pretty convenient, Miley Cyrus insists that she and Jonas Brothers heartthrob Nick Jonas are not an item. "We're just really good buds," the singer told USA Today. The "Hannah Montana" starlet was on the road with the band of brothers for the Best of Both Worlds Tour from October till December, before the Jonases were replaced by Aly & AJ. ... It's still unclear who, exactly, is in the re-formed New Kids on the Block, but after 14 years apart, the reunited boy band has a new song on its Web site. Portions of a new, untitled track have been posted on the NKOTB site over a montage of images highlighting their career. The piano ballad features the lines, "I know it's hard to see me go/ To see me standin' so close to the door/ And I know it's hard when I'm far away/ But I promise you when I get back, I'll stay." The clip ends with the words, "Are You Ready?" flashing on the screen.

• Madonna
• Rihanna
• Sonic Youth
• Zooey Deschanel
• Beck

Beck's <i>Odelay - The Deluxe Edition</i>
Photo: Geffen Records/ UMe

On The Record: The Jigsaw Jazz. The Get-Fresh Flow. The Macho Nachos.

It's the weekend, and I'm eating in a Williamsburg, New York, taquería, the kind of place with luchador-themed artwork on the walls and Macho Nachos on the menu. There is a white guy behind the counter, with plugs in his earlobes and brightly colored hi-tops on his feet, who takes your order. There is an Asian guy in the kitchen, wearing diamond earrings and a hairnet, who makes your Macho Nachos. There is an older Hispanic guy, wearing an apron and a tired look, who brings the food to your table. There is a community bulletin board by the front door with fliers advertising "Williamsburg Kung Fu" and apartments for lease ("Pet-friendly. No musicians"). Bikes are parked outside. People with miniature dogs walk by. This scene is not uncommon in any way.

There is a girl standing behind the bar (did I mention they had a bar there?) who is playing songs on her silver MacBook Pro. She is rather inexplicably making her way through the entirety of Beck's Guero album, which makes me think three things as I shovel Macho Nachos into my mouth: 1) "This album is better than I remembered (but still not as good as I wished it had been)"; 2) "Apparently it's cool to like Beck again"; and 3) "Oh, wow, I am currently eating Macho Nachos in a completely perfect metaphor for Beck's entire career."

This is probably not what Beck wants to hear, but it's sort of the truth. For nearly 15 years now, he's made a living out of being the hipster taquería of the music industry, building MSG-laden, cheez-heavy songs from garbage bins and dusty record crates, grabbing freely and liberally from seemingly disparate eras, genres and cultures. He's been lo-fi, hi-fi, WiFi, DIY and so fly, seemingly switching identities (the next Dylan, devil-dodging Delta bluesman, junk-heap messiah, Nick Drake, etc.) with each album, but he always stays on message, serving up completely delicious — but completely disposable — slabs of musical Macho Nachos.

This is all well and good, and certainly has afforded Beck the kind of career that's relatively unheard of in this day and age: He is practically untouchable, he does basically whatever he pleases and it doesn't really matter if he sells records. (One might argue that he probably doesn't even need to be on a label at this point. He's just as equipped to go it alone as Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails were, if not more so.) But here's the thing: You get the feeling that for all his antics, Beck is the kind of guy who cares about his legacy. (I have no real evidence to support this claim, aside from the fact that he still seems stung by the one misstep in his career — 1999's over-the-top Midnite Vultures — inasmuch as every album he's released since has been a conscious attempt to distance himself from it.) He, perhaps more than anyone, is aware that even the Macho-est of Nachos will go soggy eventually.

So, really, what is Beck's musical legacy? It's a question that seems somewhat silly, given the fact that he's still making music (dude didn't even put out a proper album last year and he still got a Grammy nod) but one that's also important to ask, because it raises the bigger question of whether legacies can even exist in this era — when music is treated as a commodity and people no longer listen to songs, they "consume" them. You can debate back and forth about just which artists working today will be remembered fondly in, say, 10 years, but not counting acts like R.E.M. and Sonic Youth (they're already in), I can only come up with a list of Radiohead, R. Kelly, Jay-Z, the White Stripes, Pearl Jam and — gulp — maybe Linkin Park. And, of course, Beck ... who just might end up with the greatest musical legacy of them all.

This is due mainly to Odelay, his 1996 sample-heavy, mishmash of a magnum opus that not only cast him as the face of the "anything's possible!" ideals of mid-'90s alt-rock (though these are also the same ideals that gave birth to nü-metal, as my old friend Andrew Beaujon points out in The Washington City Paper), but is probably one of the most forward-thinking records of the past dozen years, if not the most.

Working with sample-meisters the Dust Brothers on Odelay, Beck created an album that cycled through genres and cultures with the kind of unapologetic aplomb that would make M.I.A. famous nearly a decade later. There's '80s nostalgia that predates LCD Soundsystem or Calvin Harris. Somber, abstract acoustic stuff that sounds like Bright Eyes. Electro-samba-who-gives-a-f--- like CSS. Mashed-up stuff like Danger Mouse's Grey Album or Girl Talk's Night Ripper. It is truly the first album that I can think of to treat popular culture (and all the detritus that comes along with it) as nothing more than a series of building blocks, meant to be scattered about, broken down and then reassembled as something completely new.

In short, Odelay sounds like the Internet, and it managed to do so before the Internet was, you know, The Internet.

And, lo and behold, it has just been reissued — legacy-building is a full-time job, after all — as a two-disc deluxe edition, complete with a pair of unreleased songs ("Inferno," which has been a Holy Grail of sorts for fans, and "Gold Chains"), an entire album full of ephemera (most of which the avid Beck-head will already own); a nonsensical essay written by Thurston Moore; and a series of interviews with high school students conducted by author Dave Eggers (sample exchange: "So, what has Odelay meant to you?" "Is that what's playing now?" "Yeah, that's the music, by Beck." "Is he Irish?").

Listening to it now, I'm filled with the bizarre sensation that only comes when you've liked a band long enough to have them release deluxe editions of albums: I feel unspeakably old, sort of sad, but also really excited. Odelay is the prime example of an artist operating at the peak of his powers — working at the rare intersection of critical acclaim and commercial success that only happens once in most careers. And, yes, while its reissue also raises some rather strange questions (chiefly, was this album more the handiwork of Beck or the Dust Brothers?), those are more like flies swarming around the feast. You need to swat 'em away and enjoy.

And it's delicious on so many levels. Odelay is like the soundtrack to an era that's forever gone, one that seems sort of embarrassing nowadays. But, somewhat amazingly, it's also the soundtrack to the era we're living in right now, which is about as fine a musical legacy as an artist can have. So have the Macho Nachos, seriously. They're f---ing awesome.

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

I don't know if I buy this ... after all, I doubt Britney can even point out Stockholm on a map.

It would be awesome if Gnarls Barkley were working on a concept album about Jack Klugman.

Maybe the Mars Volta should spend less time concentrating on all the Ouija-board voodoo and more time writing another album like Frances the Mute.

Questions? Concerns? More dead than alive? Hit me up at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

• Beck

<i>Hannah Montana 2: Non-Stop Dance Party</i>
Photo: Disney

Hannah Montana and Beck top this week's releases, but fans of either shouldn't get too psyched just yet — they're not delivering new studio material per se. Also on tap are country superstars young and old, some hard-rockers and more indie-rock acts than you can shake a pair of Converse kicks at. Let's get the party started.

Going the Extra Miley: Miley Cyrus fans are going to be doing some serious damage to their piggy banks this week. Just check out what the pop tart has in store: Her "Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" flick, which she recently spoke with MTV News about, hits theaters Friday; while Tuesday (January 29) sees the release of "One in a Million," a DVD with four episodes from her show, and her Hannah Montana 2: Non-Stop Dance Party CD. The last disc is a whole lot like the "High School Musical 2": Non-Stop Dance Party" set Disney put out in December — each reworked LP presents the original release as a continuous remix. Tucked inside the CD is a music video, a slide show and, best of all, printable party invitations!

An Ode to Odelay: Beck is also back this week, with his watershed '90s album Odelay getting the deluxe-edition treatment. The new edition of the nearly 12-year-old LP — the one with the shaggy-haired dog on the cover — has more than twice as many tracks as the original, including unreleased session tunes produced by the Dust Brothers; rare remixes by UNKLE, Aphex Twin and Mickey P.; and B-sides galore, including a Spanish-language version of "Jackass" recorded with a mariachi band. The deluxe reissue is a cause for celebration indeed.

Walla World: Death Cab for Cutie actually formed the year after Odelay came out, and this week guitarist/producer Chris Walla cranks out his much-talked-about second solo album, Field Manual. The project caused a bit of a stir last year, after the Department of Homeland Security seized files containing the album for still-unclear reasons. "It's a crazy, weird, heavy-rock record," Walla told MTV News while putting together the album. Giving fans an extra reason to buy the physical version of the effort, the limited edition comes in a cloth-bound hardcover, but those who went the digital route and pre-ordered the disc on label Barsuk's site got three non-album MP3 bonus tracks.

Good Mojo?: Walla's got a bit of a story behind his new one, but it's nothing compared to the trials and tribulations involving spirits, nervous breakdowns and love triangles that led up to the release of the Mars Volta's The Bedlam in Goliath. With Red Hot Chili Pepper John Frusciante, new drummer Thomas Pridgen and a boatload of returning members in tow, the band's fourth album includes such typically head-scratching Volta titles as "Aberinkula," "Cavalettas" and "Conjugal Burns." Tech-savvy fans might want to hold off for a week until a different edition of the album drops. That version will come with a USB stick featuring the album, a video and artwork, and will be encased in a wooden Ouija board, which ties in with the album's kooky theme. Monthly content updates will also grant fans B-sides, more videos, a video game and beyond.

An Early Valentine: If you think the Mars Volta's USB stick approach is cool, check out what Bullet for My Valentine have in store for their new one, Scream Aim Fire. The deluxe iTunes version of the metalcore band's release comes with a PDF booklet featuring three- to five-page comic books for three of the album's 11 songs. A comic book for each song will eventually be made and located on SafTheComics.com. The band has also made 15-second animated trailers hyping the comics.

Voices of Protest: As far as sophomore metal releases go, Bullet are up against Protest the Hero this week. The Whitby, Ontario, quintet divided their Fortress into two movements, "On Conquest and Capture" and "Isosceles" — try to wrap your head around that while you're headbanging. "It's really a look at past, present and future, through the battles that have been fought and are being fought and supposedly will be fought," singer Rody Walker told Metal File last week.

Vintage Country: Lost Highway Records has a big week, with the release of Shelby Lynne's Just a Little Lovin' and Willie Nelson's Moment of Forever. Curiously, the veteran Nelson is going for younger appeal — Kenny Chesney produced the effort and sings with the Red-Headed Stranger on one track ("Worry B Gone"), and Nelson covers Dave Matthews' "Gravedigger" to boot. On the flipside, Lynne has her eyes set on the past — her effort mostly consists of songs the late Dusty Springfield had in her repertoire.

Song Title of the Week:

"Funishment" from Dub Trio's Another Sound Is Dying

Album Cover of the Week:

Quinn Walker's Laughter's an A--hole/ Lion Land

Other Notables:

Xiu Xiu's Women as Lovers
Fans of the experimental indie-rock band that currently resides in San Fran, keep your heads up for two special versions of the group's new release. The first 2,000 copies of Women as Lovers will have a bonus DVD housing 16 music videos, four tour films and 100 photos. Xiu Xiu have also littered the iTunes version of the album with five unreleased songs, but all editions will contain songs like "In Lust You Can Hear the Axe Fall" and "Master of the Bump (Kurt Stumbaugh, I Can Feel the Soil Falling Over My Head)."

Vampire Weekend's Vampire Weekend
Along with MGMT, these unlikely New York indie-rockers have somehow managed to propel themselves onto mainstream-rock radio in the matter of weeks — and Vampire Weekend haven't even needed major-label support to pull it off. The four guys met while going to school at Columbia University and less than two years ago formed the band, which fuses indie-rock and pop with African sounds. Don't miss "Mansard Roof," "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" and "The Kids Don't Stand a Chance."

Jeffrey Lewis' 12 Crass Songs
You might not know this other New York up-and-comer, anti-folk troubadour Lewis, but there's probably an even greater chance you're even less familiar with Crass, the anarchic punk band around which his new album revolves. For the project, Lewis updated the band's lyrics to reflect modern times and reimagined the crusty punk music as lush folk.

New Releases:

· Airbourne - Runnin' Wild (Roadrunner)
· Austins Bridge - Austins Bridge (Daywind)
· Ayreon - 01011001 (special edition has bonus DVD; limited edition has two CDs and bonus DVD; Inside Out)
· Beat Circus - Dreamland (Cuneiform)
· Ron Blake - Shayari (Mack Avenue)
· The Blind Boys of Alabama - Down in New Orleans (Time Life)
· Sarah Brightman - Symphony (Manhattan)
· Bullet for My Valentine - Scream Aim Fire (Jive)
· Course of Nature - Damaged (Silent Majority)
· Dailey & Vincent - Dailey & Vincent (Rounder)
· Danger Radio - Punch Your Lights Out (EP; Photo Finish)
· Dispatch - Zimbabwe: Live at Madison Square Garden (two CDs; Republic) [Buy Now]
· Dub Trio - Another Sound Is Dying (Ipecac)
· Emigrate - Emigrate (limited "premium" version also available; Pilgrim/ Motor Music)
· Able Baker Fox - Voices (Second Nature)
· Future of the Left - Curses (Too Pure)
· The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead (Sub Pop)
· Human Bell - Human Bell (Thrill Jockey)
· Ida - Lovers Prayers (Polyvinyl)
· Joe Jackson - Rain (with DVD; Rykodisc)
· Jorn - The Gathering (Locomotive)
· Jeffrey Lewis - 12 Crass Songs (Rough Trade)
· The Lion's Share - Emotional Coma (Locomotive)
· Louis XIV - Slick Dogs and Ponies (Atlantic) [Buy Now]
· Shelby Lynne - Just a Little Lovin' (Lost Highway)
· The Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath (Universal) [Buy Now]
Read: "Mars Volta To Release 'The Record That Did Not Want To Be Born' "
· Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath - Eclipse at Dawn (Cuneiform)
· Idina Menzel - I Stand (Warner Bros.)
· Pat Metheny with Christian McBride & Antonio Sanchez - Day Trip (Nonesuch)
· Willie Nelson - Moment of Forever (Lost Highway)
· Németh - Film (Thrill Jockey)
· Thao - We Brave Bee Stings and All (Kill Rock Stars)
· Ghislain Poirier - No Ground Under (Ninja Tune)
· Popa Chubby - Deliveries After Dark (Blind Pig)
· Primal Fear - New Religion (Locomotive)
· Protest the Hero - Fortress (Vagrant) [Buy Now]
· Radar Bros. - Auditorium (Merge)
· Robyn - The Rakamonie EP (Cherry Tree/ Interscope)
· Adam Rudolph & Moving Pictures - Dream Garden (Justin Time)
· Saba - Jidka: The Line (Riverboat)
· The Shackeltons - The Shackeltons (Loveless)
· Sons and Daughters - This Gift (Domino)
· Stone Rider - Three Legs of Trouble (Trustkill)
· Bill Strickland - Music to Make the Impossible Possible (Concord)
· Tab the Band - Pulling Out Just Enough to Win (North Street)
· Tiles - Fly Paper (Inside Out)
· Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL Recordings) [Buy Now]
· The Vandermark 5 - Beat Reader (first 1,000 copies come with bonus CD; Atavistic)
· Quinn Walker - Laughter's an A--hole/ Lion Land (Voodoo-Eros)
· Chris Walla - Field Manual (digipak; limited edition comes in cloth-bound hardcover; Barsuk) [Buy Now]
Read: "Death Cab For Cutie's Chris Walla Plans Band's Next Move After Homeland Security Debacle"
· Kate Walsh - Tim's House (Verve Forecast)
· Webb Wilder and the Beatnecks- Born to Be Wilder (live; Blind Pig)
· The Wrights - The Wrights (Alan's Country)
· Xiu Xiu - Women as Lovers (Kill Rock Stars)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· Beck - Odelay - Deluxe Edition (two CDs; Geffen/UMe) [Buy Now]
· Big Daddy Kane - Greatest Hits: The Very Best of Big Daddy Kane (Rhino) [Buy Now]
· Jim Carroll - Praying Mantis (Noble Rot)
· Billy Ray Cyrus - Love Songs (Mercury Nashville)
· Das EFX - Greatest Hits: The Very Best of Das EFX (Rhino) [Buy Now]
· Celine Dion - A New Day Has Come - Collector's Edition (with DVD; Columbia/Legacy) and A New Day Has Come/ Falling into You/ Let's Talk About Love (three-CD box set; Epic) [Buy Now]
· The Doors - The Future Starts Here: The Essential Doors Hits (Rhino) [Buy Now]
· Linda Eder - Greatest Hits (Rhino)
· Fourplay - Greatest Hits: The Best of Fourplay (Rhino) [Buy Now]
· Hannah Montana - Hannah Montana 2: Non-Stop Dance Party (Disney) [Buy Now]
· John Lee Hooker - Greatest Hits: The Very Best of John Lee Hooker (Rhino)
· T.D. Jakes - Praise & Worship (Integrity Music/ Epic/ Legacy)
· Elmore James - Greatest Hits: The Very Best of Elmore James (Rhino)
· Al Jarreau - Love Songs (Rhino)
· Lungfish - Rainbows From Atoms (Dischord)
· MC Lyte - Greatest Hits: The Very Best of MC Lyte (Rhino) [Buy Now]
· Charles Mingus - Greatest Hits: The Very Best of Charles Mingus (Rhino)
· Van Morrison - A Sense of Wonder; Avalon Sunset; Back on Top; It's Too Late to Stop Now (two-CD live album); Tupelo Honey; and Wavelength (Polydor/Ume)
· Obituary - The Best of Obituary (Roadrunner)
· Lee "Scratch" Perry - Chicken Scratch - Deluxe Edition (Heartbeat)
· Jean-Luc Ponty - Greatest Hits: The Very Best of Jean-Luc Ponty (Rhino)
· Spineshank - The Best of Spineshank (Rhino)
· Chris Stills - Chris Stills (KCJ)
· Suffocation - The Best of Suffocation (Roadrunner)
· Sugar Ray - Greatest Hits: The Best of Sugar Ray (Rhino) [Buy Now]
· Sun Ra & His Artkestra - Some Blues but Not the Kind Thats Blue (Atavistic)
· Al B. Sure - Greatest Hits: The Very Best of Al B. Sure (Rhino)
· Randy Thompson - Further On (Jackpot)
· Ben Vaughn Combo - Beautiful Thing (Noble Rot)
· Vickie Winans - Praise & Worship (Verity/Legacy)
· Various artists - Classic African American Gospel (Smithsonian Folkways)
· Various artists - Grammy Nominees 2008 (Hip-O)

Music DVDs:

· Louis Armstrong - "The Portrait Collection" (Hip-O)
· Andrea Bocelli - "Vivere: Live in Tuscany" (with CD; Decca)
· Dispatch - "Zimbabwe: Live at Madison Square Garden" (HD; Bomber/ AEG Network Live/ VDI Entertainment)
· The Ex - "The Ex in New York: Building a Broken Mousetrap" (Touch and Go)
· Bill Gottlieb - "Riffs" (Kultur)
· The Mamas & the Papas - "Straight Shooter" (Standing Room Only)
· Barry Manilow - "Songs From the Seventies" (two DVDs; Rhino)
· Nickelback - "The Ultimate Video Collection" (Roadrunner)
· Various artists - "Ken Russell: In Search of the English Folk Song" (Kultur)
· Various artists - "Play Your Own Thing: A Story of Jazz in Europe" (EuroArts)
· Various artists - "The Very Best of Praise & Worship" (Verity/Legacy)

Digital Releases:

· Dean & Britta - Variations (EP; Zoë/Rounder)

Coming Attractions:

February 5:
· Christina Aguilera - "Back to Basics: Live and Down Under" (two DVDs; RCA) [Preorder]
· Jack Johnson - Sleep Through the Static (Brushfire) [Preorder]
· Lenny Kravitz - It Is Time For A Revolution (Virgin) [Preorder]

February 12:
· Michael Jackson - Thriller 25 (with DVD; Epic/Legacy) [Preorder]
Read: "Michael Jackson, Akon Are 'Startin' Somethin' ' On Thriller 25 Track -- Listen To It Here!"
· Metric - "Live at Metropolis" DVD (Last Gang) [Preorder]
· Simple Plan - Simple Plan (Lava/Atlantic) [Preorder]

February 19:
· Foxy Brown - Brooklyn's Don Diva (Black Rose Entertainment/ Koch) [Preorder]
· Mike Doughty - Golden Delicious (ATO) [Preorder]
· Various artists - Kidz Bop 13 (enhanced; Razor & Tie)

• Vampire Weekend Ready To Prove Online Demo Wasn't A Fluke

• Beck
• Miley Cyrus
• Chris Walla
• The Mars Volta
• Vampire Weekend

Evel Knievel on April 26, 1994
Photo: MTV News

Straight from what I imagine to be the fortress-like confines of "Iron Mountain" — a deep storage facility located mysteriously, according to one of my colleagues, "somewhere in New Jersey" — comes the kind of tape that is typically retrieved and appreciated anew only in times of death. Sadly, that is the archival gem we present to you today.

Last week, we said goodbye to an American icon, one whose heyday pre-dated MTV but whose impact could be felt on the channel as recently as last year. In his 2005 video for "Touch The Sky," Kanye West paid homage to legendary daredevil, Evel Knievel, who in the 1960s, '70s and '80s wowed audiences worldwide with death-defying stunts that often succeeded and sometimes did not. Those sometimes resulted in nearly 40 broken bones over the course of a career that was celebrated in New York on the night of April 26, 1994.

Evel himself was the headliner, hosting a slightly bizarre multi-media meditation on the stunts that made him famous. Addressing several hundred hipsters at an East Village club that's long since closed, he spoke of the philosophy that allowed him, time and again, to fly in the face of death, usually atop a motorcycle.

"I've always said it's far better to take a chance in life and to win a victory or suffer defeat, even if you're checkered by failure, than it is to live in a grey twilight and never know a victory or defeat because you never had the chance or the guts to try either."

Admittedly, though, the bigger draw on that spring night some 14 years ago was Evel's unlikely opening act, a quirky singer-songwriter from California named Beck. My boss was convinced that this kid had nailed it with "Loser," a slacker-anthem for the ages, tailor-made for the Gen-X set.

At the time, Beck hadn't yet spoken to MTV — and by the end of that night, he still hadn't. His refusal of our rather enthusiastic interview request wasn't really all that surprising at the time: After all, this was the height of Alternative Nation, three weeks after Kurt Cobain's suicide. In a time long before there was no shame in an artist leasing songs for use in commercials, there was a certain honor in refusing to speak to "the man," and we rather grudgingly respected his "cred."

Evel did too, believing in a slightly ambiguous and sort of esoteric way that he and the musician, 30-plus years his junior, attracted a similar crowd. "The young people that are here, judging from their attitude, I think are people that care, and have a sense about themselves, and that are real good-thinking, strong-thinking, good, moral human beings," he said.

And so it was, a pre-"Iconoclast" coming together of two cultural forces, one just taking off, and another, who after more than a few crash-landings, was now taking the time to simply enjoy the ride.

• Evel Knievel Shares The Stage With Beck In 1994

• Beck

White Stripes
Photo: Autumn De Wilde

Jack White went all out for the new White Stripes video, for their third Icky Thump single, "Conquest." In preparation for the clip — which is in keeping with the song's Spanish theme — he actually trained with Dennis Borba, a noted bullfighter. The video will debut November 26 on MTV and was shot over two days in Artesia, California, by director Diane Martel (Ciara, the Killers). The group's cover of the song made popular by Patti Page — the tune also appears in a recent eBay TV ad — is also coming out in the form of four singles, which is giving the duo the chance to bust out some new music they recorded with Beck. There are three different-colored vinyl versions of the single, and the B-sides for each are as follows: "It's My Fault for Being Famous," for which Beck contributed vocals and piano (black); "Honey, We Can't Afford to Look This Cheap," for which Beck played slide guitar (white); and "Cash Grab Complications on the Matter" (red). Beck co-produced all three songs during a recording session in his living room. The digital maxi-single has all three tracks plus an acoustic mariachi version of "Conquest." The vinyl singles, due December 18, also come with a matador trading card and a poster. ...

To be expected, Kanye West has canceled his planned performance at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, according to "Entertainment Tonight." The event is scheduled to tape Thursday and air December 4 on CBS. West's mother, Donda, passed away on Saturday. ...

Amy Winehouse's U.K. tour will start Wednesday (November 14) as planned despite the recent troubles surrounding her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, BBC News reports. The singer, who canceled shows over the summer due to "health issues," will begin the trek at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena. Singer/songwriter Remi Nicole, who is supporting Winehouse at the show, told the news outlet, "All I know is it's going ahead. She's professional and she knows what she's got to do. I'll be there to support her. If it was my husband, I'd be a bit upset." The tour will end with a two-night stand at the Carling Brixton Academy in London on December 16-17. As for the other matter, The Daily Mirror reports that Winehouse visited Fielder-Civil on Tuesday for the first time since he was refused bail on Saturday. His trial on allegations of "perverting the court of justice," or the U.S. equivalent of obstruction of justice, begins November 23, and he could face life in prison. ...

First Ghostface Killah got his very own action figure — and now he's telling fans how they can live just like him with a new book, "The World According to Pretty Toney." The MTV Press volume, which revolves around Ghost's alter ego, "offers nuggets of street wisdom [on] livin', hustlin', lovin', eatin', and the all-encompassing Toneology," according to a press release. The January 8 book, co-written with J. Brightly, also comes with a bonus CD with 20 minutes of Pretty Toney tunes related to the themes in the book. Keep an eye out for new Pretty Toney airing in December on MTV2 as well. ... Los Angeles rock radio station KROQ has unveiled the list of performers for the second day of its annual Almost Acoustic Christmas shows. Muse, Feist, Jimmy Eat World, Modest Mouse, Silversun Pickups, Spoon and the Shins are all on the bill for the December 9 shindig, which will take place at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. Linkin Park, Angels & Airwaves, Avenged Sevenfold and others will light up the December 8 show. ...

Matt Damon is the Sexiest Man Alive, People declares with its 2007 issue of the same name. "You gave an aging suburban dad the ego boost of a lifetime," he said in a statement issued to the mag. Justin Timberlake, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, Javier Bardem, Ben Affleck and others make the cut on the Hot List; while Milo Ventimiglia, Josh Duhamel, Taye Diggs and others were named "Simply Sexy." The Rock, Rainn Wilson ("Year of the Nerd"), George Clooney and others also appear in the issue, which streets Friday. ... Affleck, Eva Mendes and Reese Witherspoon want to make sure you have health insurance. The actors — along with Jeremy Piven, Joaquin Phoenix and others — have joined forces for a new public-service announcement calling for "affordable, quality health care for all Americans," according to a press release. The ad, a joint effort between the AARP, the Entertainment Industry Foundation and the Motion Picture & Television Fund, rolled out on Tuesday. ...

Don Imus isn't just coming back to radio on December 3 — the controverial shock jock will also be resurfacing that same day on RFD-TV, a cable and satellite channel that caters to rural viewers. He has signed a five-year deal with the channel. ... KT Tunstall, whose scheduled Tuesday appearances on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and "Last Call with Carson Daly" have been stymied by the writers' strike, has decided to join the protesters instead. She's planning to busk for the strikers at the NBC headquarters in Burbank, California, on Wednesday. ... And on the subject of the strike, TV Guide announced Wednesday that it is canceling its Online Video Awards ceremony and TV broadcast in light of the strike. The winners will be announced November 26. Tunstall is also due to play at the upcoming Nobel Peace Prize Concert honoring winner Al Gore. The event, which will also feature performances by Alicia Keys, Earth, Wind & Fire and others, will take place December 11 in Oslo, Norway. Uma Thurman and Tommy Lee Jones will co-host. ...

The Beatles will be going digital next year, if Paul McCartney gets his way. "It's all happening soon," he told Billboard.com of the plans to get the group's catalog into the digital sphere. "Most of us are all sort of ready. The whole thing is primed, ready to go — there's just maybe one little sticking point left, and I think it's being cleared up as we speak, so it shouldn't be too long. It's down to fine-tuning, but I'm pretty sure it'll be happening next year, 2008." McCartney cited contractual issues as the reason for the delay. ... Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark are reconvening for the annual "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve," which will take place on ... wait for it ... December 31! The ABC specials start at 10 p.m. ET and will include musical performances from New York's Times Square and Hollywood. ...

If you like E-40 and chicken wings, you're in for a treat: The Bay Area rapper — who also owns a Fatburger joint with former NFL player Chester McGlockton — is planning to open a Wingstop Restaurant in Benicia, California. "I was introduced to Wingstop in Dallas, and as soon as I tasted the wings I was hooked," he said in a statement. "People here [in the Bay Area] are going to love these wings." ... Every Time I Die and Escape the Fate will co-headline the annual Take Action! Tour, which raises money for various nonprofit groups. The trek, put on by Hopeless/ Sub City Records, will launch in February. ... Hayden Panettiere, "hero" to dolphins, was recently honored with a Compassion in Action Award by Peta2, the youth branch of the animal-rights organization. The actress was recognized for attempting to disrupt Japan's annual dolphin hunting by paddling out to sea with five surfers and "taking on an angry mob of boathook-wielding Japanese anglers," according to a press release. ...

Dispatch are immortalizing their record-breaking three-night, sold-out run at New York's Madison Square Garden in July with a new concert film due January 29. A limited-edition collector's version of "Dispatch: Zimbabwe - Live at Madison Square Garden" — which was directed by noted rock photographer Danny Clinch — will also have a Zimbabwe documentary, Clinch pics and other extras. Dispatch became the first indie band to ever sell out MSG thanks to the July shows. ... Try this one on for size: San Francisco singer/songwriter and former Cake collaborator Chuck Prophet accidentally got locked in a recording studio — and while he was waiting to get out, decided to re-record an album, Waylon Jennings' 1975 LP, Dreaming My Dreams. Prophet's version is available for download and as a limited edition of 1,000 copies. ...

Who needs Ticketmaster? Going.com users will be able to buy tickets through the social-networking site starting Wednesday (November 14), The Associated Press reports. The site, which accommodates user-organized events and allows users to see who else is planning to hit a given show, will not be selling tickets through traditional outlets. The first show for which tickets are being offered is Moby's Thursday concert in New York. "Ticketing was the last-mile solution for the 300,000 local monthly RSVPs that occur on our site," CEO and founder Evan Schumacher reportedly said in a statement. "Our goal was to connect the long tail of promoters with event-seeking audiences."

11.13.07

Lindsay Lohan began her community service at an American Red Cross blood-services facility in a Los Angeles suburb on Monday, People reports. She reportedly arrived at noon, was greeted in the parking lot by members of staff and left at 7 p.m. Lohan must serve 10 days of community service as part of a plea deal she struck in August for her two DUI convictions. ...

Pete Wentz hosted a karaoke contest called "Viva La Karaoke" at his bar Angels & Kings on New York's Lower East Side on Monday night. Karaoke fanatics — including two MTV News producers — tried to impress the judging panel, which consisted of Wentz, designer Tommy Hilfiger and MTV News' Kim Stolz. The hodgepodge crowd included Ashlee Simpson, who was at her beau's side all night; Aussie rockers Jet; Travis McCoy from Gym Class Heroes; and Wentz's Fall Out Boy bandmate Patrick Stump, who serenaded the crowd with R. Kelly's "Space Jam" joint, "I Believe I Can Fly." When asked why he opted for the Kelly song, Stump spilled to MTV News: "That was the only one I knew we had in the karaoke machine." "He did a good job, it was pretty good," Simpson added. "It was funny to watch." ...

Surprise — Radiohead's break with EMI might not have been a clean one. According to the U.K.'s Guardian, the band's former label had been promoting Radiohead's back catalog through a misleading online ad that the label subsequently yanked. The paper reports that people Googling the band's name would encounter an ad reading "Radiohead - New Album 'Rainbow' now available as boxset," referring to the band's recent In Rainbows release, at the top of the search page. But the ad actually directed to the box set of the band's back catalog that is being issued by EMI subsidiary Parlaphone — not the In Rainbows box set the band is putting out. Both box sets are dropping in December at the same price, which led fans to question EMI's motives. "Parlophone were aware of the data source glitch and removed the link immediately," EMI publicist Chris Latham told the Guardian, to which Radiohead's spokesperson — who went unnamed — reportedly replied, "We accept that it was a genuine error and that it has been rectified." Radiohead announced Monday that In Rainbows will arrive in North America in physical form on January 1 via their own TBD Records, which is teaming with ATO Records Group for the release. ...

Beyoncé's planned show in Malaysia was canceled in September after Muslim groups protested her refusal to obey the country's strict dress code for performers. But could the singer also be too controversial for ... the U.S.? According to The Associated Press, some Las Vegas residents are fuming over a billboard of a bikini-clad Beyoncé, claiming the advertisement is too obscene. The ad is for local radio station KWNZ, and some are petitioning to have it taken down. "It's obscene," Pamela Keeney, one of the citizens who take offense to the ad, reportedly said. "I have my two little grandkids coming over here, and they don't need to be seeing that. You can change the channel on the TV, but you can't change that." KWNZ is standing by the billboard and has reportedly received the backing of city spokesman Chris Good. At this point, there are no plans to take down the billboard. ...

Hopefully Foxy Brown fans didn't get too excited when her upcoming album, Brooklyn's Don Diva, bumped up from its originally scheduled December 4 release date to November 20 a couple of months ago — the LP has now been shelved until next year. The jailed rapper's fourth effort is now due February 5. ... Maroon 5 have friends — and they've got photos to prove it. The band performed at the Palms Casino Resort over the weekend, drawing the likes of Avril Lavigne, Deryk Whibley, "Saturday Night Live" star Seth Meyers and more. Maroon 5 posted their personal snaps online. ...

Are you getting into the holiday spirit? So is John Mayer, apparently. The guitarist, whose Mayercraft Carrier Cruise Ship sets sail from Miami early next year, is putting together a December 8 concert that will feature three separate sets: an acoustic performance; songs by his John Mayer Trio; and a final segment that will revolve around Mayer's Continuum album and feature his entire band. Those planning to attend the show, which will benefit multiple charities and take place at Southern California's Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, are being asked to bring an unwrapped toy worth $10 or more to benefit Toys for Tots. ...

Beastie Boys, the Roots and R.E.M. are among the fleet of artists who will be docking at the Big Cypress Indian Reservation in the South Florida Everglades for the sixth annual Langerado Music Festival, set to happen March 6-9. Matisyahu, 311, Of Montreal, the National, Shout Out Louds, the Walkmen and others will also play at the throwdown, which will feature 80 acts on five stages. ... Common is hopping aboard the endorsement train — the Chicago MC has allied himself with Lincoln to help market the car company's 2008 Navigator and other brand initiatives. He will appear in TV, radio and print ads for the vehicle, with the first, simply dubbed "Common," debuting nationwide November 25 during NFL Sunday Night Football on NBC. Expect to see more tie-ins between Lincoln and Common's various projects — his concerts, hat lines, books, etc. He will also be appearing on behalf of the company at auto shows and dealer events. But rest assured, Common fans, he's taking on a good cause too: He will get together with fellow Chicago artists Office for a benefit concert to be held January 12 at the Windy City's House of Blues. The event, called the "Chicago Youth Owning Their Future Benefit Concert and Silent Auction," will raise money and awareness for the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship. Office are also slated to perform January 9 at Lincoln Park's Biograph Theatre, and the performance will be broadcast on Chicago Public Radio as part of a new series spotlighting local talent. ...

In between aimless drives around Los Angeles and trips to court for child-custody hearings, Britney Spears has found time to partner with the photo agency X17 to raise money for UNICEF by auctioning a signed copy of her new album, Blackout, on eBay. In a press release from the agency, Spears said, "I think it's important to give back, and with the release of Blackout, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to give the fans a chance to bid on something to help children everywhere." In other Brit news, Billy Ray Cyrus is the latest celeb to reach out to the troubled singer, according to In Touch. "Honey, you are welcome to a Nashville Thanksgiving at our house," he told the magazine. "We would love to be there for you and we care about you. ... Miley is a big fan and she wants to reach out too. We want her to know that's it's never too late to make things right." And in yet another Britney development, the album artwork for her recently released album, Blackout, might be even more controversial than was originally thought. According to TMZ, the hunky priest in whose lap Spears sits is an "International Male" model. The Catholic League had slammed Spears for the imagery late last month. ... Robin Thicke has canceled all the dates on an upcoming U.S. tour on doctor's orders. According to a note posted on the soul singer's Web site over the weekend, Thicke will have to reschedule the dates "due to doctor-ordered vocal rest until the end of the year." He had been scheduled to start the 14-date tour Sunday in Englewood, Colorado, and play clubs and theaters through a December 13 date in Long Beach, California. ...

A crowd of 1,000 Haitians carried Wyclef Jean on their shoulders through the streets of a slum and to a small-business project he helped establish on Monday, as the former Fugee visited the country for the first time since President Rene Preval named him a roving ambassador in January, AP reports. Jean met with legislators, went with model Petra Nemcova to a school and then spoke with businessmen and foreign ambassadors to plea for aid for the country. "We need all your money, we need all y'all's support, but let's put it to programs ... that teach kids how to move the country forward," he reportedly told the crowd. ... Is Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke too good for Paul McCartney? The former Beatle told the U.K.'s Channel 4 that Yorke denied his request to record a duet. "I asked Thom to do a duet, but he said he couldn't because he only felt happy working on his own and Radiohead's material," McCartney reportedly said. ...

Linkin Park, Angels & Airwaves, Avenged Sevenfold and Bad Religion are among the acts that will take the stage for the first night of Los Angeles rock radio station KROQ's annual Almost Acoustic Christmas shows at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. Paramore, Rise Against and Serj Tankian will also perform at the concerts, which are scheduled for December 8-9. ... Maroon 5 and Santana have joined the Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R. and other acts to help nonpartisan organization HeadCount try to meet its new goal of registering up to 200,000 new voters for next year's elections. Check out the list of all the artists supporting HeadCount and sign up to volunteer at the group's Web site, HeadCount.org. ... Would you like Shins with that? Wendy's will soon start bundling free downloads from Rhapsody with burger orders. The fast-food chain plans to give away more than 100 million downloads to people who buy medium and large combo meals, with the songs redeemable at Wendys.com. (Rhapsody is a joint venture with MTV Networks). ...

Metric have slapped together their first-ever DVD, "Live at Metropolis," and plan to roll it out February 12. The disc will showcase the Canadian indie-rockers' performance at Montreal's Metropolis concert hall during their tour in support of last year's Live It Out, and it will also include videos for the album's three singles: "Monster Hospital," "Poster of a Girl" and "Empty." iTunes will have an exclusive preview of the DVD starting in December — for 99 cents, fans will be able to get their hands on three audio tracks from the show, as well as the DVD trailer. ... And if you're a Metric fan in the New York area, you'll likely want to hit up Broken Social Scene's gig at Webster Hall on Wednesday. Metric's Emily Haines will join the band onstage — along with Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis, Scott Kannberg (Pavement), Andrew Kenny (American Analog Set) and others — as it performs BSS songs and selections from core member Kevin Drew's recent Spirit If ... release. ...

Plain White T's plan to keep the momentum going with an upcoming U.K. run and a new album, Billboard reports. After Tom Higgenson and the gang play a series of headlining gigs overseas in January, they'll delve into their next effort, for which they have "about 17 ideas — eight or nine of them are pretty much full songs so far," he told the magazine. "As soon as we get a few days off I'll try to finish the rest of them." ... You're probably already acquainted with James Blunt — after all, he previously participated in VH1's "You Oughta Know" series — but just in case, he's signed up for the tour again. The upcoming "You Oughta Know" stretch will also feature Sara Bareilles, a 27-year-old singer/songwriter who scored big on iTunes with her debut, Little Voice, over the summer. The trek launches February 4 in Seattle and winds down March 4 in Atlanta. ...

Did he really want to hurt him? Troubled ex-Culture Club singer Boy George was charged with false imprisonment on Tuesday (November 13) after police said he allegedly chained a man to a wall in his London home. According to the Daily Telegraph, 28-year-old Norwegian escort Auden Carlsen claims that in April, George (born George O'Dowd), 47, invited him to pose for photographs in his apartment, where George grabbed and chained him. George was released on bail and is scheduled to return to court November 22. ... First Celine Dion teamed with former members of Evanescence for help writing her recently released new album, Taking Chances — and now comes news that the "Power of Love" singer has a secret affinity for ... AC/DC? "I've been a big fan of AC/DC for about 15 years or 20 years — the sound guys introduced me to [their music]," she told the U.K.'s The Daily Telegraph. "I like hard rock and, if I'm doing stadiums, I want the engineers to crank the sound system up high with rock and roll, heavy-metal music — it helps me to get the adrenalin rushing." ...

The stockholders of satellite radio XM voted on Tuesday to approve a merger with competing Sirius Satellite Radio with a preliminary account indicating that 99.8 percent of shareholders gave the marriage a thumbs up, according to a statement issued by XM. The U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission still has to approve the merger, which XM is confident will happen before the end of the year. ... MusicWorld, Canada's only remaining music chain, is closing its stores, according to CanWest News Service. The chain, which has been in bankruptcy, is liquidating its 72 stores, and has also announced a change in direction that will involve a stronger online presence and expansion into areas that don't involve music. The Canadian branch of U.K. company HMV is considering purchasing some of the stores, according to CanWest. Sales of CDs, music DVDs and other music items have reportedly dropped 20 percent since last year in the country. ...

Ministry have tapped Meshuggah as the main support act for their goodbye tour, which they're calling the "C U LaTouR." Hemlock are also on the bill for the trek, which kicks off March 28 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and wraps May 8 in Chicago. On a related note, Meshuggah have named their next record, which should be in stores early next year, obZen. ... Hard-rockers Taproot have finished recording their forthcoming LP, Our Long Road Home. "The title is a unique and expressive tribute to our newly found collective freedom of creativity as a band, with no strings attached," the band said in a statement. "It's a tribute to the casual and comfortable settings of being at home with friends and family — a place we love to be." ... Ozzfest 2007 veterans 3 Inches of Blood have booted drummer Alexei Rodriguez after he was allegedly involved in a physical altercation with Saxon drummer Nigel Glockler at the U.K.'s Hard Rock Hell festival over the weekend. The band apologized for Rodriguez's actions in a statement, adding that his actions are in no way "a reflection of our band. Alexei's behavior was appalling and completely unacceptable, and it is our decision to immediately remove him from the band." ...

Uncle Kracker is standing by his claim that he didn't sexually assault a woman in North Carolina, The Detroit News reports. The singer (real name: Matthew Shafer), who made the same assertion after being arrested on the second-degree forcible-sex-offense charge in August, also now says he regrets pleading guilty in September to a lesser charge of misdemeanor assault so he could avoid a trial. He told the News that the 26-year-old woman who was involved in the incident hit him first, and that the incident started when he bumped into her at a club after a concert. Authorities have maintained that Shafer put his hand up her skirt. "There was no sexual anything involved," Shafer told the News. "Assault is a far cry from sexual battery. You can either wait a year, spend 150 grand, go to trial, make more of a debacle out of it, or you can get it over with." In September, he was sentenced to 12 months of probation, ordered to undergo an alcohol assessment and was fined $1,500.

• Blinged-Out Ghostface Doll Isn't Just For Child's Play

• The White Stripes
• Amy Winehouse
• Ghostface Killah
• Beck
• KT Tunstall

Lily Allen
Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Lily Allen has been forced to postpone six West Coast tour dates, as well as her previously announced appearance at this year's MTV Video Music Awards on September 9, as her work visa has been revoked. Allen's publicist said in a press release that authorities revoked the visa earlier this month when Allen was entering the U.S., and that because the reinstatement process is taking longer than expected, she won't be able to launch her tour September 6 in San Diego. There's no word yet on when the concerts — which were set to take place in San Francisco, Las Vegas and Seattle, among other cities — might be rescheduled. "I am so disappointed that I won't be able to come to the States at this time," Allen said in the press release. "I was really looking forward to playing these shows and being part of the Video Music Awards. I want my fans to know that I'll be back as soon as I possibly can." ...

Yung Joc has partnered with Rockport to launch the "Roc With Joc" contest, a multi-city talent search for the next aspiring music mogul. The search kicked off Thursday in Detroit and will make stops in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Atlanta, where contestants can call into radio stations to list their various skills. The Bad Boy rapper will then bring the finalists to the album-release party for his August 28 LP, Hustlenomics, after which the winner will hit the road with Joc to put their talents to the test. ...

Jordin Sparks has signed to — what else? — 19 Recordings/ Jive Records, the label run by "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller. Her lead single "Tattoo" — produced by Stargate (Beyoncé and Ne-Yo) and co-written with Amanda Ghost (James Blunt's "Beautiful," Beyoncé and Shakira's "Beautiful Liar") — will hit radio August 27, while her yet-untitled debut is set to street in November. ... Paris Hilton had another encounter of sorts with police on Thursday when she launched her new clothing line at Kitson, a Los Angeles boutique. The store was mobbed — cops and city workers were called to manage the crowd, and a traffic lane had to be shut down. ...

Jamie Foxx will portray another musician on the big screen — but this time, it's probably not someone you've heard of. In "The Soloist," which is based on a 12-part Los Angeles Times series, the actor will play a homeless schizophrenic who dreamed about playing at Los Angeles' Walt Disney Concert Hall. "Atonement" director Joe Wright and "Ghost Rider" producer Gary Foster are also on board for the DreamWorks flick. ... A video clip of Jack White playing a kung-fu Elvis Presley in the upcoming flick "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" is making the rounds online. The comedy, co-written by Judd Apatow, will also star John C. Reilly and Jenna Fischer. ...

Nine Inch Nails have surreptitiously revealed on their Web site that a Year Zero remix album, Y34R Z3R0 R3M1X3D, is in the works. ... Beck has pumped out a new track, "Timebomb," his first new material since October's The Information. The song will be available exclusively on iTunes on Tuesday, then be made available to other digital outlets starting a week later. Interestingly, the single is not preceding an album — Beck doesn't have any LP plans at the moment. ... Flea joined Patti Smith onstage for a free outdoor concert at the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, California, on Thursday night. Playing to a massive crowd that virtually spilled over into the Pacific Ocean, the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist helped Smith burn through "Gloria," "Pissing in a River" and the show-closing "People Have the Power," as well as covers of the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter," Elvis Presley's "Love Me" and Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit." ...

After an investigation, what authorities originally thought was a sexual assault on a 15-year-old girl by a male college student during Tuesday's Dave Matthews Band concert at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York, has taken a bizarre turn. According to Albany TV station WNYT, the unidentified girl actually had consensual sexual contact with a 15-year-old male in the woods at the venue, and authorities said she was drunk at the time on alcohol provided by the mother of one of her friends. The woman, Lisa Vedder, reportedly bought a bottle of vodka on the way to the venue and provided it, in sports bottles, to her daughter and several friends. Vedder, 42, has been charged with three counts of unlawfully dealing with a child and could face additional charges of endangering the welfare of a child for providing the alcohol to her daughter. ...

Police are investigating the "suspicious" deaths of two men who attended Thursday's Ozzfest stop at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. According to New Jersey State Police Captain Al Della Fave, paramedics were summoned to the venue at 3:15 p.m. to treat Raymond Guarino, 26, of Forked River, who went into cardiac arrest. Guarino was resuscitated on site and then transported to nearby Bayshore Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 11:25 p.m. Police, who searched his vehicle and found small amounts of cocaine and marijuana, have received information that Guarino ingested both drugs, as well as alcohol, during the concert. An autopsy is being performed, but it could be up to six weeks before toxicology results come in. Police believe that another concertgoer — Patrick Norris, 24, of Coram, New York — who died at the same hospital at 10 p.m., had also ingested the same combination of drugs and suffered cardiac arrest. Meanwhile, police arrested 83 people during Ozzfest's Thursday stop. Fifty-nine were charged with underage drinking, while 30 others were booked on a variety of charges. ...

Kid Rock's onetime DJ Uncle Kracker was arrested Friday morning (August 17) in Raleigh, North Carolina, and charged with a second-degree forcible-sex offense, The Associated Press reports. According to police spokesman Jim Sughrue, a 26-year-old woman complained that a man had committed an unwanted sexual act against her at the Ess Lounge, a downtown nightclub. Kracker, 33, whose real name is Matthew Shafer, was arrested at a nearby hotel and is being held at the Wake County Jail on a $5 million bond. There are no additional details regarding the arrest, and Kracker is due to appear in court Friday afternoon. ...

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Fidler admonished Phil Spector's defense attorneys on Thursday, saying they made a "deliberate and egregious" violation of discovery rules pertaining to forensics expert Dr. Michael Baden's testimony. Without the jury present, Fidler said he would give an instruction to jurors at the end of the case to make sure they knew what happened.

08.16.07

Allure magazine didn't get its scheduled interview with Britney Spears, but it did complete its photo shoot, which features the star topless. (Check out excerpts right here.) The accompanying article is an amusing meditation on Britney's past, Dick Cheney (!) and the writer's experiences waiting for the interview to happen. For more, check out allure.com/go/britney. ...

Always bank on Jay-Z: The hip-hop mogul has topped Forbes.com's list of "Hip-Hop Cash Kings" after earning an estimated $34 million in 2006. 50 Cent ranks second with an estimated $32 million, and is followed by Diddy ($28 million), Timbaland ($21 million), Dr. Dre ($20 million), Eminem ($18 million), Snoop Dogg, Kanye West ($17 million), Pharrell ($17 million), Scott Storch ($17 million), Ludacris ($16 million), T.I. ($16 million), Outkast ($14 million), Lil Jon ($14 million), Ice Cube ($13 million), Jermaine Dupri ($12 million), Swizz Beatz ($12 million), Chamillionaire ($11 million), Game ($11 million) and Yung Joc ($10 million). ...

Joel Madden was caught in an interesting predicament on "Live! With Regis and Kelly" on Thursday morning (August 16) when Philbin let a little secret slip: the Good Charlotte frontman has a "surprise" for girlfriend Nicole Richie. "You're going to present her, maybe, with — did I hear the right thing, or should I not even talk about this?" Philbin said on the program, to which Madden, who was appearing on the show with his band, coyly replied, "Uh, what?" After Philbin clarified by saying, "A little ring or something," Madden answered, "I was hoping it would be a surprise, but now. ..." Philbin tried to change the subject after that, turning to Joel's brother Benji and asking who he is dating. Nicole is four and a half months pregnant with her and Joel's child. ...

A judge is allowing the four parties who are suing Brandy over the fatal multi-car crash she was involved in late last year to combine their civil-court cases, TMZ.com reports. The trial will start January 28. ...

Rock the Bells just got a little quieter. The show that was slated for Sunday at Sacramento, California's Sleep Train Amphitheatre — but wasn't set to feature Nas, Rage Against the Machine and the Roots, among others — has been scrapped due to poor ticket sales, The Sacramento Bee reports. The Saturday gig at San Francisco's McCovey Cove parking lot is still a go, and promoters just released 5,000 more tickets for the show. ...

Mike Jones, OK Go and the Rapture are getting a kick out of "MLS Represent," a new Major League Soccer/ Adidas campaign that is asking artists to come up with theme songs for MLS teams. The Polyphonic Spree, Meg & Dia, Barenaked Ladies, Kinky and Bad Brains are also involved in the effort, the results of which can be heard here. ... Elvis Costello covering Christina Aguilera? Why not? The esteemed singer/songwriter has contributed a rendition of Xtina's "Beautiful" to the "House" soundtrack, due September 18. ...

Serj Tankian recently debuted his new solo track "The Unthinking Majority" and accompanying video on his Web page, and now his System of a Down pals Daron Malakian and John Dolmayan are following suit by getting their Scars of Tomorrow project rolling. "Accompanied by some great musicians, we are preparing to go into the studio really soon to record our debut album," Malakian wrote in a post on the band's just-launched MySpace page. ...

Blaqk Audio are setting out to prove that CexCells on the road. AFI's Davey Havok and Jade Puget will bring their recently released project to the masses with 13 North American dates starting August 30 in San Francisco and ending September 27 in Los Angeles. And in the event that you're in Southern California this week, the group will sign copies of its debut LP at Best Buy stores in West Hollywood and Oceanside on Friday and Saturday, respectively. ...

Seether have canceled two upcoming concerts — in Idaho Springs, Idaho (Saturday), and Southaven, Mississippi (August 24) — after frontman Shaun Morgan's brother Eugene passed away Monday. In a MySpace post, the band said Morgan's brother "was an awesome human being, the type of person you want to be around. He never failed to put a smile on the face of all who he met and left a lasting impression on all whose lives he touched." ...

A new Pearl Jam release? No way. The band got together with famed photographer and rock-doc director Danny Clinch for "Immagine in Cornice (Picture in a Frame)," a film that provides highlights of five concerts Eddie Vedder and the gang played in Italy last year. The flick also follows PJ as they travel through the country, and includes interviews and more. Fans who preorder the DVD on the band's site during a pre-sale on August 22 will get a bonus limited-edition tee. ...

Violent Femmes have a new blister to pick at: Founding bassist Brian Ritchie has sued Gordon Gano, claiming the singer wrecked the band's reputation by allowing its best-known song, "Blister in the Sun," to be used in a Wendy's commercial. Ritchie also alleges that he wasn't given credit for, and proper account of, some of the band's songs. Gano told The Associated Press that the suit was "a complete surprise. ... We just played a really, really good tour [in South Africa]." Ritchie is seeking unspecified damages, a ruling that would declare him to be half-owner of the Femmes' catalog, and an accounting of royalties. ...

Bruce Springsteen will release his first album in five years with the E Street Band on October 2. The 11-song Magic was produced by Brendan O'Brien (Velvet Revolver, Red Hot Chili Peppers), and features "Radio Nowhere," "You'll Be Comin' Down," "Livin' in the Future," "Your Own Worst Enemy," "Gypsy Biker" and "Girls in Their Summer Clothes." ... Eric Clapton dropped $120,000 this week for 12 paintings by graffiti artist Lee Quinones, RollingStone.com reports. Each painting portrays the artist shoplifting a different '70s album, from James Brown's Sex Machine to Isley Brothers' Get Into Something. ...

And the remakes keep coming: "The Shield" producer Kurt Sutter will write and direct a new take on Bruce Lee's landmark martial-arts flick "Enter the Dragon," to be called "Awaken the Dragon." The cast and shooting schedule have yet to be revealed. ... Phil Spector murder-trial defense witness Dr. Michael Baden's credibility was called into question on Wednesday when prosecutors scrutinized the fact that the forensics expert is married to defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden. ...

Legendary jazz drummer and bebop founder Max Roach died Wednesday night in New York. Roach, considered to be one of the greatest jazz drummers of all time, worked with everyone from Duke Ellington and Sonny Rollins to Miles Davis and Charles Mingus.

• Lily Allen
• Beck
• Patti Smith
• Flea
• Dave Matthews

Photo: DGC/ Geffen/ Virgin/ Matador/ Capitol

On The Record: Billy Corgan And The Pinkerton Effect

Ever wanted to get tons of irate, condescending e-mails from dudes with handles like "disenchanted_zero," "*sivamOrningstar*" and "paladinofdarkness"? Just write a column in which you: A) take a few potshots at Billy Corgan; B) compare the new Smashing Pumpkins to Perry Farrell's disastrous Satellite Party project; and C) call the band's Zeitgeist album "not much more than the second (or third) Corgan solo record."

That's what I did last week in Bigger Than the Sound, which means it's been "angry e-mails ahoy" for seven days now. Seems Pumpkins fans worldwide don't take kindly to people ripping their chrome-domed leader, and were eager to make me aware of that fact. (Sample missive: "Billy Corgan is not a sell out, or a money whore, and your bias for his actions for bringing HIS band back is just unnecessary ... Zwan was a cry for help, a way for Billy to get back into the scene, and while it bombed, it had shown that Billy's passion for music — yes, Billy does enjoy what he does whether you choose to believe that or not — was alive and well.")

Phew! And while most of my e-mail exchanges were equally, uh, zesty, I did find out that most (rational) Pumpkins fans — when pressured — would admit that Zeitgeist isn't that great. In fact, the phrase I kept hearing over and over was something along the lines of, "It's better than Machina but not as good as Adore."

And to me, that was hilarious. Because almost 10 years after its release, Pumpkins fans have finally come around to Adore, a somber, beautiful, experimental and accomplished album that everybody hated. Reaction was so bad that Corgan famously went on "The Howard Stern Show" and said he was "disappointed" by his fans, and declared, "Rock is dead" — then followed that up by doing an interview with Rolling Stone's David Fricke, in which Corgan compared Adore to Lou Reed's ambitious 1973 clusterf--- Berlin and summed up his feelings about Smashing Pumpkins fans thusly:

"There's definitely the moment where you go, 'What happened?' You have this feeling of desertion: Maybe they don't love you anymore."

Of course, it probably didn't help matters any that Corgan supported the album with videos featuring him looking like a goofy Nosferatu and rocking a rather inexplicable cowboy hat, but the fact remained that pretty much no one gave Adore a chance. Until the Pumpkins were dead and buried, that is — and the fans realized it's pretty great.

Not only that, but a lot of SP fans I recently spoke with now see Adore as possibly the most important record the Smashing Pumpkins ever made: a stylistic departure that's colored everything Corgan has done since, and without a doubt the line of demarcation between "classic" Smashing Pumpkins and whatever the hell has been going on since. No one may have gotten it at the time, but now, with nearly 10 years' worth of hindsight, people understand Adore, appreciate it as both a historical document and a slightly misguided-yet-ultimately-rewarding goth-tronica album.

It's something that we're calling the Pinkerton Effect, after Weezer's 1996 effort, which was initially maligned but in recent years has come to be recognized as both the band's finest hour and a touchstone of emo's second wave. It applies to any album that flies over pretty much everyone's head when it's first released, yet only grows in import and stature given time. A Pinkerton Effect album usually follows the "breakthrough" album in most bands' catalogs, oftentimes killing (or seriously wounding) said band's career and leading to the departure of "original members." It is a record for which you could say, "After [insert title here], nothing was ever the same." (By that school of thought, you could also call this the Paul's Boutique Effect.)

And all that got me thinking: If Adore has finally been rewarded with Pinkerton status, then why shouldn't other equally deserving albums receive the treatment? So, off the top of my head, here are a couple of efforts that I feel are due a little love.

Pavement's Wowee Zowee (1995, Matador)
Following on the heels of 1994's (snicker) breakthrough Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, Zowee was Pavement at their most stony, most boozy and, well, most annoying ("Half a Canyon"). Yet it also showcased frontman Stephen Malkmus' growing obsession with twee folk, English pop and goofy prog — three things he's still exploring today on his solo albums. Initially seen as a huge misstep by most of the band's fans — and, ahem, most of the band — it has, over time, become a favorite of both, and just last year, Matador reissued the album as a deluxe two-disc edition.

The Amps' Pacer (1995, 4AD/Elektra)
Kim Deal originally intended the Amps to be nothing more than a side project, but when it became apparent that her sister's struggles with heroin meant that there weren't going to be any Breeders albums coming anytime soon, the band — which included Breeders drummer Jim MacPherson and two members of Dayton, Ohio's the Tasties — became the Kim Deal project. The resulting album, Pacer, was recorded over one long summer, and the resulting songs are delightfully raw, slightly off-kilter and incredibly immediate. And when Deal eventually reconvened the Breeders for 2002's Title TK, the result sounded a whole lot like the Amps. Perhaps expecting a repeat of Deal's success with the Breeders' Last Splash album, Elektra shipped a huge first pressing of Pacer, which led to its availability in discount bins for years. And that makes the fact that very few people have discovered it all the more puzzling, because at its best, Pacer sounds like Guided by Voices covering the Pixies, Belly and the Breeders — and if you're saying that, then there's really no "at worst."

Beck's Midnite Vultures (1999, DGC)
The first album on which Beck assumed the lion's share of the production duties was also the first in his career to be considered a "misstep," which for a guy who spent the first half of the '90s recording leaf-blower solos, is saying something. Midnite Vultures is all sexed-up falsettos, horny robots and piss-take R&B jamz, so it's not difficult to see why so many critics and fans were left scratching their heads. Reportedly, Beck was deeply hurt by the reaction to Vultures' jokiness and has spent most of the time since its release trying to downplay the inherent humor in his music. And that's a shame, because listening to Vultures now, it's hard not to be struck by just how ahead of the game it seems — both lyrically (ahem, Har Mar Superstar, Annie) and sonically. Because for all the horny hullabaloo surrounding it, Midnite Vultures is, at its very core, a very forward-thinking electronic pop album, one that feels futuristic even today (though maybe that's because of all the robo-humping).

Modest Mouse's The Moon and Antarctica (2000, Epic)
The Mouse made the leap to the majors with Moon, an album that saw them reining in their shambling, 10-minute guitar excursions and focusing on (relatively) tight, ruminations on topics both personal and universal. The album title serves as a metaphor for the isolation and depression frontman Isaac Brock felt living in Seattle and Gainesville, Florida, and those twin themes manifest themselves on nearly every song on the record. Opening with the tinny guitars of "3rd Planet," weighing down in the middle thanks to "The Cold Part," "Alone Down There" and "The Stars Are Projectors" (a near-17-minute exercise in bottom-scraping) and ending with the breakneck "What People Are Made Of," Moon is far from easy listening. But those who made it all the way through were rewarded with the most fully realized MM album to date, a theme-driven exercise that Brock has been attempting to duplicate (with decidedly greater commercial results) ever since.

1515's Take: Some Of Our Greatest Minds Weigh In With Their Pinkerton Effect Picks

Faith No More's Angel Dust (1992, Slash)
Robert Mancini, MTV News editorial director: So Faith No More break through big time with the bombastic bounce of "Epic," delivering rap-rock to an eager world and seemingly introducing themselves to the masses as a bunch of righteous dudes always up for a good time (sure, the whole goldfish thing was weird, but the song was pure pop gold). And how did they choose to build on that mainstream success? With songs like "Crack Hitler," "Jizzlobber" and "Be Aggressive" (an ode to gay oral sex). Frontman Mike Patton found lyrical inspiration in fortune cookies, Scientology and sleep-deprivation experiments, all of which are fairly apparent when you dig into Angel Dust (perhaps the most appropriately named album of all time). Patton wasn't exactly engaging while touring behind Angel Dust either, almost daring audiences to hang in there as he sat at the front of the stage eating cigarettes (seriously... they made opening act Helmet look like Mouseketeers). Critics applauded the album, but fans (at least those lured in by their MTV success) were, well, "perplexed" might be putting it mildly. I even remember seeing the band live and watching in astonishment as one college gymnasium slowly bled its audience as the band's new direction sent kids hoping for another "Epic" back to their cars scratching their heads. It was, of course, pure genius. The album is now considered the band's high-water mark, its dark, ambitious vision elevating FNM beyond the rap-rock genre they inspired. Bottom line: Angel Dust is why Faith No More matter, and people who don't love it are not to be trusted. Period.

Deftones' Deftones (2003, Maverick)
Chris Harris, MTV News reporter: It was no easy task, following up an album like 2000's White Pony — often regarded by fans as the band's crowning achievement and most mature studio offering. Hell, it even featured a breathtaking duet between cherubic frontman Chino Moreno and Tool's Maynard James Keenan. But in 2003, the Deftones made magic once again with their self-titled masterpiece, an experimental album that was initially shunned for being "too eclectic," but with songs like "When Girls Telephone Boys" and "Hexagram," Deftones showed the Sacramento, California, band at its brutal best. The LP marked a turning point in the band's career, crossing many different genres and ideas that only previous efforts had hinted at; fans were worried, at first, that the 'Tones were heading in a more electronic direction. The album laid the groundwork for even more ambient expeditions found on last year's Saturday Night Wrist. Moreno's obvious love affair with My Bloody Valentine and the Cure was never as evident as on Deftones, on which the band separated itself from the nü-metal heap, abandoning excess breakdowns for more emotional territory.

The Magnetic Fields' I (2004, Nonesuch)
Rodrigo Perez, MTV.com producer: Following up the classic triple-album opus 69 Love Songs wasn't an easy task. The discs were such a critical achievement, it cemented Stephin Merritt's spot in the pantheon of classic songwriters and he was all but dubbed "the modern-day Cole Porter" afterward. (I don't know about you, but that's keeper résumé material). The unspectacularly named I and its equally understated production made the whole affair feel like such a letdown in comparison to 69 Love Songs' grand aspirations. And how could it not be? Instead of an eclectic crop of songs with a panorama of synthesizers, drum machines and soaking-wet spacial reverb, I was completely acoustic and recorded with a dead-as-wood sound. This, we later learned, was for practical reasons: Merritt was diagnosed with a defect in the ear that causes loud noises to feed back exponentially and become rather painful. The Magnetic Fields were taking things down to a whisper in preparation for their live shows. The album showcased only acoustic guitars, upright pianos, ukuleles, cello and banjo, and any initially disappointed fan that stuck around long enough to get past the semi-drastic sound makeover realized that these were the same-old dramatic, bittersweet, sarcastic, wry and winsome songs wrapped in a new package.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's Some Loud Thunder (self-released, 2007)
Christopher "CJ" Smith, MTV News segment producer: Unlike the Arcade Fire, these Brooklyn, New York, "true" indie-rockers had a bunch of unreleased tunes they had been honing live throughout their brief existence — and quite good ones at that. Consequently, it was expected that their sophomore album would be a surefire follow-up in the vein of the leap the Talking Heads made from 77 to More Songs About Buildings and Food (i.e. no evolution whatsoever). Instead, the band made a departure record with the psychedelic Thunder, leaving its still-new fans baffled. Many even tried to claim the record was "a step back" — whatever that means, considering the band only had one record. But as is often the case with a record that defies expectations, one day it just clicked: production from Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips) and the band's new direction suddenly made sense. It's an album that reveals itself to me — and any listener who was ready to accept that a band can evolve into something new, just that quickly.

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

Judge rules Avril's response to Rubinoos' lawsuit contains "musical similarities" to Rubinoos' song "Nothing a Little Love Wouldn't Cure." Double-lawsuit bonanza ensues. (See "Avril Lavigne Responds To Lawsuit, Says She's Been 'Falsely Accused.' ")

This is an actual quote from Bang Camaro mastermind Alex Necochea: "Basically, all our songs are about girls and power." Bang Camaro rule. (See "Bang Camaro Prove That If One Metal Singer Is Awesome, 20 Are Awesomer.")

Dorks on parade: The "Harry Potter" premiere red carpet. (See " 'Harry Potter' Cast, Hannah Montana, Ashley Tisdale Enchanted At 'Phoenix' Premiere.")

Unhappy with my Pinkerton list? Got one of your own? Hit me up at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

• Beck
• Modest Mouse
• The Smashing Pumpkins
• Weezer
• Pavement

Beck's <I>The Information</I>
Photo: Interscope Records

Too Much Information?: Beck concocted a video for each song on last year's The Information — an album that contained 15 songs, the most the singer/songwriter had put on one album since 1994. He presented those clips in the form of a bonus DVD that came with the original CD release, but just in case that's not enough Information for you, he's now teeing up a brand-new, three-disc version. The hefty — and definitive, we hope — deluxe-slipcase edition features a trio of bonus tracks on disc one; a second CD boasting six remixes; and a DVD with a grand total of 17 videos. Hopefully that's not nausea you're feeling.

Nine Live: Nine Inch Nails are also feeling generous these days, lumping together 24 live performances — as well as alternate angles, two music videos, three rehearsal clips, an image gallery and discography — for "Nine Inch Nails Live: Beside You in Time." The band's North American winter tour gets the most lovin', with 19 selections — including "Love Is Not Enough," "March of the Pigs" and "The Hand That Feeds" — while the summer tour is immortalized with five clips, including "Somewhat Damaged," "Closer" and "Only."

On the Money: Money Mark must be pretty hot on Jack Johnson's MySpace friends list these days, having lent the singer/songwriter some piano support on a tour of Japan. Now Johnson is returning the favor by putting out Brand New by Tomorrow, the fourth effort by the "fourth Beastie Boy," on his Brushfire Recordings. Mark Ramos-Nishita gets an extra hand from Beach Boys bassist Carol Kaye on "Pick Up the Pieces," the first single, and sings mostly about heartbreak over the course of songs like "Color of Your Blue," "Eyes That Ring" and elsewhere.

Hip-Hop From Down Below: Slim Thug has a new tribe he's propping up from his native Houston: the Boss Hogg Outlawz, who Serve & Collect this week. Slim slaps vocals on just about every track on the group's effort, with newcomers like J-Dawg and Young Black also providing support.

About 350 miles to the east, in New Orleans, another established rapper is helping promote his hometown homies. The Chopper City Boyz, who have been all over B.G.'s albums in the past, are getting another boost from the big guy on their 19-track platter. On five slices, B.G. shows the group some brotherly love — seriously; one of the Chopper City Boyz is Hakim, B.G.'s younger sibling.

In yet another assist, Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Bronze Nazareth presents the Wisemen in the form of Wisemen Approaching, a guest-heavy effort that also features GZA, Killah Priest and Vast Aire.

Kicking it even deeper in the underground are Snowgoons, the German mixtape production team that counts DJ Illegal among its friends. They unload collabos with Sean Price, Pumpkinhead and others on their latest, German Lugers.

And ringing the darkest hip-hop note of all are Dälek, the bleak Mike Patton pals who usher in their fourth studio album, Abandoned Language. While as dense as their previous efforts, Dälek's latest is decidedly less noisy and even edges toward mainstream accessibility on the throwback track "Isolated Stare." But it's also equally macabre, as evidenced on the David Lynch homage "Lynch."

Hey Wait, I Know You ...: Think Michael Pitt didn't pull off a convincing Kurt Cobain in Gus Van Sant's pseudo-biopic "Last Days"? Give the actor another shot with Pagoda, the new full-length from his real-life band of the same name.

Do Dean & Britta look familiar too? That's because Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips also partnered up — in the true sense of the term; they have been romantically involved — for Luna, the indie-rock titans who disbanded two years ago. Their new one was produced by David Bowie agent Tony Visconti, features help from Sonic Boom, and contains covers of Donovan and Lee Hazlewood tunes — not to mention an ode to a dead bunny ("Crystal Blue R.I.P.").

This week you might also recognize Bob Dylan bandmember Elana James, who steps up with a self-titled effort. And John Bigham, a guitarist who has cropped up on Eminem and Fishbone albums, chalks up The Good Girl Blues, the second effort by his Soul of John Black project.

Dig Pack: Patrick Park got his foot in the door before it closed: The singer/songwriter landed a spot on the final episode of "The O.C." Now he's trying to milk the limelight for what it's worth with a just-released exclusive iTunes EP, Stickbirdsongs, which features the track he performed on the show: "Life's a Song." Post-punks the Draft also have an exclusive iTunes EP: a self-titled effort that features "Stop Wastin' My Time," "Up All Night," "The Devil in the Shade" and "Na Na Na."

Junkie XL is trotting out his digital-only soundtrack to the new Electronic Arts game "SSX Blur," an electronic-music effort that contains 15 songs, the titles to which reference various snow parks and hills across the world.

Chicago indie label File Thirteen continues its Digital Demand Series with two new entries this week: A Careless Act of Faith (Singles + Rarities) by arty noise-punks Thumbnail; and New Action Four EP, a rarities comp by the Thumbnail/Atombombpocketknife affiliates.

Other indie-rockers doing the digital-only thing this week: Ferraby Lionheart is reissuing his self-titled EP; Brooklyn, New York's Takka Takka have an eponymous effort of their own, albeit a full-length one; and Chicago's Baby Teeth run through songs by Windy City artists Liz Phair, Joanna Newsom and Curtis Mayfield on their We Live Here EP.

Song Title of the Week:

"Death to Birth" from Pagoda's Pagoda

Other Notables:

Various artists' A Touch of Class Still Sucks!: New York production duo A Touch of Class are often credited with "discovering" the Scissor Sisters, but whether you agree with that notion or not, the two parties did work together on the Sisters' early efforts. This week, A Touch of Class follow up their A Touch of Class Sucks! compilation from four years ago with a new set brandishing their tweaked versions of songs by the Sisters, Le Tigre, the Gossip, Erasure and more.

Radio Moscow's Radio Moscow: The Black Keys love their '70s classic rock, and they know what it smells like. Member Dan Auerbach helps Ames, Iowa, psychedelic blues-rockers Radio Moscow tap into their love of Jimi Hendrix and the Allman Brothers on this debut effort, which also delves into country and East Indian sounds. Songs include: "Lickskillet," "Ordovician Fauna" and "Luckydutch."

The National Lights' The Dead Will Walk, Dear: Where are the drums? Not to be found here, on this traditional-folk release that's hoping to cozy up alongside the Sufjan Stevens and Iron & Wine discs in your collection. The conceptual Americana release is the first by the trio and was recorded in a pair of houses in New York and Pennsylvania, as well as a church in Maryland.

New Releases:

· 4hero - Play With the Changes (digipak; Milan)
· Barn Burning - Werner Ghost Truck (Tarnished)
· Chris Berardo & the DesBerardos - Ignoring All the Warning Signs ... (Lamon)
· B.G. and the Chopper City Boyz - We Got This (Koch) [Buy Now]
· David Bromberg - Try Me One More Time (Appleseed)
· Paul Brown & Friends - White Sand (Peak)
· Johnny Bush - Kashmere Gardens Mud: A Tribute to Houston's Country Soul (Icehouse)
· Canon - Wide Awake (Mercy)
· Daath - The Hinderers (Roadrunner)
· Dälek - Abandoned Language (Ipecac)
· Dash Rip Rock - Hee Haw Hell (Alternative Tentacles)
· Dean & Britta - Back Numbers (Rounder)
· Do Make Say Think - You, You're a History in Rust (digipak; Constellation)
· Dr. Dog - We All Belong (Park the Van)
· Kelly Flint - Drive All Night (BePop)
· Donna Hughes - Gaining Wisdom (Rounder)
· Elana James - Elana James (Snarf)
· Thomas Lunch - Diagrams Without Instructions (digipak; Ingrooves)
· Money Mark - Brand New by Tomorrow (Brushfire) [Buy Now]
· My Teenage Stride - Ears Like Golden Bats (Becalmed)
· Andy Narell - Tatoom: Music for Steel Orchestra (Heads Up)
· National Lights - The Dead Will Walk, Dear (Bloodshake)
· Pagoda - Pagoda (Ecstatic Peace)
· Radio Moscow - Radio Moscow (Alive)
· Daryle Singletary - Straight From the Heart (Shanachie)
· Slim Thug and the Boss Hogg Outlawz - Slim Thug Presents: Boss Hogg Outlawz - Serve & Collect (Koch) [Buy Now]
· Snowgoons - German Lugers (Babygrande)
· SoSoHuman - Twenty-Six (Undeniable)
· The Soul of John Black - The Good Girl Blues (Cadabra)
· Otis Taylor - Definition of a Circle (Telarc)
· Temple of Brutality - Lethal Agenda (enhanced; Warcon)
· Nick Warren - Paris GU30 (two CDs; Global Underground)
· Matt Wertz - Everything in Between (Nettwerk)
· Willard Grant Conspiracy - Let It Roll (Reincarnate)
· Winterpills - The Light Divides (Signature)
· Wisemen - Wisemen Approaching (Babygrande)
· Joe Zawinul - Brown Street (two CDs; Heads Up)
· Various artists - A Touch of Class Still Sucks! (HBD)
· Various artists - Fabric 32: Luke Slater (FabricLive)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· Akimbo - Harshing Your Mellow (Alternative Tentacles)
· Beck - The Information (deluxe-slipcase reissue with bonus CD and DVD; Geffen) [Buy Now]
· Bobby Blue Bland - The Definitive Collection (Geffen)
· Buckaroos - The Best of the Buckaroos (Sundazed)
· Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers - Gene Clark with the Gosdin Brothers (Sundazed)
· Guy Clark - Better Days (DBK Works)
· Robert Cray - The Definitive Collection (Hip-O)
· John Denver - The Essential John Denver (two CDs; RCA/Legacy)
· Goo Goo Dolls - Let Love In (with DVD; Warner Bros.)
· Sneaky Pete Kleinow - The Sneaky Pete Anthology (Sundazed)
· Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Instru-Mental (Spitfire)
· Johnny Mathis - Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration (Columbia/Legacy)
· Buddy Alan Owens - The Best of Buddy Alan Owens (Sundazed)
· Boz Scaggs - Silk Degrees (Columbia/Legacy)

Music DVDs:

· Chet Atkins - "A Life in Music" (MPI)
· Sidney Bechet - "Treat It Gentle: The Life and Times of a Jazz Master" (Kultur)
· Bratz - "Fashion Pixiez" (Lionsgate)
· Bob Dylan - "Don't Look Back - 65 Tour Deluxe Edition" (two DVDs; New Video Group)
· Charlie Gracie - "Fabolous!" (Alpha Video)
· Johnny Mathis - "Gold: 50th Anniversary Celebration" (Columbia/Legacy)
· Nine Inch Nails - "Nine Inch Nails Live: Beside You in Time" (Nothing)
· Dolly Parton & Friends - "Dolly Parton & Friends" (two DVDs; MPI)
· Pink Floyd - "The Roger Waters Years: Up Close and Personal" (with book; Hurricane)
· Carlos Santana and Wayne Shorter - "Live at the 1988 Montreux Jazz Festival" (Image)
· Flip Wilson - "The Best of the Flip Wilson Show" (three DVDs; Rhino)

Coming Attractions:

March 6:
· Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (deluxe edition with book also available; Merge) [Preorder]
· Jonny Greenwood - Jonny Greenwood Is the Controller (Trojan)
· Albert Hammond Jr. - Yours to Keep (enhanced; New Line)
· Korn - MTV Unplugged (Virgin) [Preorder]
Read: "Korn Quiet Down With The Cure, Amy Lee For 'MTV Unplugged' "
· Relient K - Five Score and Seven Years Ago (Capitol) [Preorder]
Read: "Relient K Pump Serious Rock, Sugary Pop In The Tank For Upcoming LP"

March 13:
· Gillie Da Kid - The Best of the GDK Mixtapes (Babygrande)
· Lloyd - Street Love (Motown) [Preorder]
· Musiq - Luvanmusiq (Atlantic) [Preorder]

March 20:
· C-Murder - Screamin' 4 Vengeance (Capitol) [Preorder]
· Decemberists - "A Practical Handbook" DVD (Kill Rock Stars)
· LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (Capitol) [Preorder]
· Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Epic) [Preorder]
· Young Buck - Buck the World (Interscope) [Preorder]

• Beck
• Nine Inch Nails
• Slim Thug
• Money Mark
• B.G. & The Chopper City Boyz

Pink
Photo: Amy Graves/ WireImage

The Pink-directed video for Pretty Boys' "Hello Bonjour" — winner of Glamour's Reel Music contest — premiered in Los Angeles on Tuesday and is up and running at Glamour.com/reelmusic. Pink, who said she was drawn to the woman-centric contest because "it's important for females to support other females," admitted that she wasn't sure that she'd like working behind the camera. "And then the Virgo in me took over and I ... got really into it and wanted to control everything!" she said. ...

(See snaps of Pink introducing Pretty Boys in concert right here.)

Taylor Hicks is suing his former manager, claiming that since he fired Jan Childs before winning "American Idol," the ex-manager doesn't have the right to continue earning a percentage of Hicks' gross earnings. Hicks filed suit last week in Jefferson County, Alabama, stipulating that he fired Childs in September 2004 after employing him since the previous October as his personal manager and adviser. Hicks says their original agreement states that, if he didn't get a recording contract during their first year of working together, he had the right to fire him. Though they stayed on friendly terms, Hicks claims that without any "input, advice, or counsel" from Childs, he entered the "American Idol" contest in October 2005, and by February the following year, went on to sign a record and management deal. Childs is arguing that their agreement was never terminated and that he is owed up to 20 percent of Hicks' gross earnings. ...

Hometown heroes Fall Out Boy have been tapped to perform during halftime of Sunday's NFC Championship Game between the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field in Chicago. We're usually not ones to give out advice, but if FOB are looking to conjure up some of that '85 Bears magic, perhaps Pete Wentz can don a "Rozelle" headband, à la renegade quarterback — and extreme-sunglasses enthusiast — Jim McMahon. ... Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello's debut solo album as the Nightwatchman will land in stores April 24. One Man Revolution will feature 13 songs, with Morello playing acoustic guitar and singing lead vocals for the first time. Morello, who has performed as the Nightwatchman a handful of times — most notably at protest events — plans to tour this spring and will perform in March at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas. ...

Slash, Perry Farrell, J.J. Abrams and others took in Las Vegas' Beatles Revolution Lounge as the club marked its grand opening Thursday night. Donovan gave a performance at the venue, which serves drinks such as Strawberry Fields and Marshmallow Pie. ... There's no shortage of singers on Forbes' "20 Richest Women in Entertainment" list — Madonna (#4), Mariah Carey (#6), Janet Jackson (#7), Jennifer Lopez (#9), Britney Spears (#12) and Christina Aguilera (#19) all make the cut with multimillion-dollar sums. But none come close to hitting the $1 billion mark that "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling (#2) and talk-show host/ media mogul Oprah Winfrey (#1) cross. ...

The families of four teen girls who claim they were sexually abused by adult men they met on MySpace have sued the site, alleging negligence, recklessness, fraud and misrepresentation, according to The Associated Press. Four separate suits were filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday. One was on behalf of a 15-year-old girl from Texas who was lured to a meeting, drugged and assaulted in 2006 by an adult MySpace user who is serving a 10-year sentence in Texas after pleading guilty to sexual assault. The other three were filed by a 15-year-old girl from Pennsylvania; a 14-year-old from upstate New York; and two South Carolina sisters, ages 14 and 15. The families are seeking monetary damages in the millions based, in part, on one lawyer's claim that the popular social-networking site waited "entirely too long to attempt to institute meaningful security measures that effectively increase the safety of their underage users." MySpace has been adding security measures over the past year that include limits on how adults can contact younger members and a recent software update that would allow parents to monitor their children's use of the site. ...

Beck will issue a deluxe version of 2006's The Information on February 27. The set will feature the original track list, along with three bonus tracks and additional remixes. ... According to a post on Björk's Web site, the Icelandic songstress has started work on the follow-up to 2004's Medulla. The upcoming LP is being eyed for a late spring release. The singer has joined forces with Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons for the effort, which will also feature two yet-untitled tracks produced by Timbaland. "This record is a Björk production par excellence," the post explains. "No stone left unturned to seek out the perfect pitch." ... Keri Russell ("Mission: Impossible III," "Felicity") is pregnant, AP reports. The engaged actress is expecting the baby, her first, this summer. ...

Mike Patton's Peeping Tom have unveiled dates for their upcoming headlining run, which commences March 30 in Dallas. The trek will run through April 27 in Indio, California, where the group will be performing as part of this year's Coachella Festival. ... The Decemberists will be back on the road this spring for a 32-date U.S. trek that kicks off March 21 in Jersey City, New Jersey. The tour runs through May 5 in Bellingham, Washington. ... Bayside and Meg & Dia have been confirmed for this year's Warped Tour bill, joining previously announced acts including Bad Religion, Coheed and Cambria, Matches, Escape the Fate, the Unseen and Cute Is What We Aim For. ...

Some attendees at Texas Governor Rick Perry's black-tie gala inaugural ball were offended by rocker Ted Nugent's night-capping performance at the event, which included machine guns as props and the 58-year-old hunting enthusiast rocker taking the stage in a half-shirt emblazoned with a Confederate flag. According to AP, the Motor City Madman also shouted some offensive remarks about non-English speakers. Perry's spokesperson downplayed the incident, saying, "Ted Nugent is a good friend of the governor's. He asked him if he would play at the inaugural. He didn't put any stipulation of what he would play." ... Denny Doherty, a member of '60s folk-rock heroes the Mamas and the Papas, died Friday (January 19), AP reports. He passed away in his home after a short illness, his sister told the outlet. Doherty was 66.

01.18.2007

Kelly Clarkson has become the new face of NASCAR. The pop star has made a season-long deal with the organization and will perform a concert before the Daytona 500, appear in TV spots, become involved with NASCAR's charitable efforts and perform at other NASCAR events. Look for the Grammy winner to be the spokeswoman for NASCAR Day on May 18 and wrap up the season with a performance at the Nextel Cup Series' Champions Banquet on December 3. ...

Lindsay Lohan spent her first night in rehab doing the same thing that a whole lot of Americans did at home, OK! magazine reports. "I'm actually watching 'American Idol' and laughing so hard," the singer/actress said from a Los Angeles treatment center on Wednesday. "I'm fine," Lohan told the magazine in the interview. "Nothing to worry about. Thank you so much for checking in, I do appreciate it." ...

Usher has been fined $425 for speeding in Georgia on July 4, The Associated Press reports. The singer, who was caught driving 103 mph on Interstate 75, was also ordered to perform 20 hours of community service. He signed autographs for a half-hour inside the Cartersville courthouse. ... Taylor Hicks will release "Just to Feel That Way" as the second single from his self-titled debut album. Hicks' tour kicks off February 22 in Tampa, Florida. ...

Austrian construction-industry magnate Richard Lugner has a wish — to dance with Paris Hilton — and he plans to make it come true. The 74-year-old entrepreneur has invited the celebutante to be the star guest at the Vienna Opera Ball, AP reports, and he expects to waltz with her. In past years, Pamela Anderson, Sophia Loren and others have also been personally invited to join Lugner in his private box at the events. ... Nick Lachey has been named Cosmopolitan's Fun, Fearless Man of the Year. The singer leads a pack of 13 honorees, including Ludacris; actors Brandon Routh, Jeremy Piven and Chris Evans; and New York Mets third baseman David Wright. Carmen Electra will emcee a luncheon for the men on Monday at New York's Cipriani 42nd Street. ...

Korn's forthcoming MTV Unplugged album will now hit stores March 6, two weeks after the originally scheduled February 20 release date. The album will feature 11 tracks, including a cover of Radiohead's "Creep" as well as guest appearances by Evanescence's Amy Lee on "Freak on a Leash," and the Cure on a collaborative mash-up of the British band's "In Between Days" and Korn's "Make Me Bad." ... Avenged Sevenfold have a DVD due this year, the band confirmed to fans. "There is definitely going to be an Avenged Sevenfold DVD out this spring," an update from the band reads, "but we can't say much more other than filming just wrapped here in Huntington Beach [California] and we're super pumped for you to see it." Avenged have begun writing material for the follow-up to 2005's City of Evil and will enter the studio in May. ...

During an impromptu banter Q&A session at a Jeff Tweedy show Wednesday night in Nashville, the Wilco frontman confirmed the release date and title of the Chicago alt-country experimentalists' sixth studio album. Sky Blue Sky, the follow-up to 2004's A Ghost Is Born, will be out May 15. ... Think Switzerland is "beautiful"? So does James Blunt, apparently. The British singer is moving to an exclusive Swiss ski resort, according to AP. ... Yo La Tengo have eked out an EP that's available exclusively on iTunes. The simply titled Live Session EP boasts four songs: a new track, "El Es Gay"; live versions of two I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass cuts, "Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind" and "The Weakest Part"; and "Luci Baines," a cover of a song by the American Four, a band that featured late Love frontman Arthur Lee. ...

Hanson are slated to appear on the game show "Deal or No Deal," and they have Jackie Munroe to thank — NBC apparently tapped the brothers after learning the contestant is a big fan of them. The show will air Wednesday. The band is also planning to issue a new album, The Walk, May 22. The LP will consist of 14 tracks, including "Great Divide," "Running Man" and "Something Going Round." ... Placebo fans who have been aching for the band's Meds to reach the States: Your overseas shipment is about to arrive. The album — which came out internationally last year and includes guest spots by R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe and the Kills' Alison Mosshart — will be available in U.S. stores Tuesday. The revitalized edition will feature three added cuts: "Lazarus," "Uneedmemorethanineedu" and a cover of the Kate Bush track "Running Up That Hill." ... MtvU regulars Cute Is What We Aim For will co-headline Alternative Press' Bands You Need to Know Tour with Circa Survive. The jaunt runs March 16 through April 22 and will also feature As Tall as Lions and Envy on the Coast. ...

Reunited hardcore heroes Lifetime — who are signed to Pete Wentz's Decaydance imprint — will play seven shows in February to support their eponymous February 6 LP. The band will open the trek at Washington, D.C.'s Black Cat on February 9 and bring it to a close at Middlesex County College in Edison, New Jersey, February 24. ... Orchestral Texas rockers Explosions in the Sky — best known for their score to the film "Friday Night Lights" — will release their fifth album, All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, February 20. The band will hit the road for a 24-date trek in support of the release, its first studio album in four years. The tour begins February 19 in Brooklyn, New York, and wraps up April 2 in Denton, Texas. ... The Draft — a band comprising former members of Hot Water Music — will continue to support their first LP, In a Million Pieces, with 10 West Coast shows that begin Friday and run through January 27. After that, they'll head to the U.K. to tour with the Bouncing Souls.

• Pink Introduces Pretty Boys In Concert

• P!nk
• Fall Out Boy
• Mariah Carey
• Madonna
• Timbaland

Woodie Awards 2006 Performers

• Imogen Heap
• Beck
• Gym Class Heroes
• TV On The Radio

AFI, MCR, Killers, Foo Fighters, More At KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas 2006

• My Chemical Romance
• AFI
• The Killers
• Gnarls Barkley
• Evanescence

2006: The Best of Studio Photos

• Lil Jon
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• Kelis
• Beck
• Nelly Furtado

Best of 2006: Live Performances Highlights

• Christina Aguilera
• AFI
• Gnarls Barkley
• My Chemical Romance
• Lady Sovereign

MTV.com Exclusive: Beck Photos 10.20.2006

• Beck

Beck, 30 Seconds To Mars, Lupe Fiasco, More At The 2006 mtvU Woodie Awards

• Beck
• The Subways
• 30 Seconds To Mars
• Lupe Fiasco
• Lady Sovereign

Beck's Inspiration For "The Information"

• Beck

The 2006 MTV Video Music Award Nominees

• Shakira
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Madonna
• Panic at the Disco
• Christina Aguilera

Radiohead, Common, Matisyahu, More At The 2006 Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival

• Radiohead
• Matisyahu
• Beck
• Common
• Ben Folds

MTV.com LIVE: Beck Photos 10.07.2005

• Beck