Dixie Chicks' <i>Taking the Long Way</i>
Photo: Columbia Records

Back in 2003, the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines triggered an avalanche of criticism when she said onstage that she was "ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas," which raised the ire of the country music establishment and gave rise to death threats and radio-station-sponsored mass burnings of the group's CDs.

Three years after the Dixie Chicks backlash, Bush's approval rating has hit the lowest point in his presidency, and the timing couldn't be better for the release of the Chicks' Taking the Long Way, a Rick Rubin-produced LP that reiterates the band's controversial position. It's safe to assume that at least some Dixie Chicks fans have forgiven and forgotten, as 526,000 copies of Taking the Long Way sold its first week out. The disc tops the next Billboard album sales chart, bringing an end to rock's monthlong run at #1.

While first-week sales of the band's 2002 album, Home, were considerably stronger at 780,000, the Dixie Chicks easily outran "American Idol" Season 5: Encores, the latest compilation borne of the hit television series.

Encores, which features contributions by "Idol" finalists Paris Bennett, Bucky Covington, Chris Daughtry, Ace Young, Kellie Pickler, Elliott Yamin, Kevin Covais, Mandisa, Melissa McGhee, Lisa Tucker, Katharine McPhee and winner Taylor Hicks, opens at #3. It moved 154,000 copies — the best-selling debut of the five "American Idol" season-end compilations — but not even "Idol" could tackle "High School Musical."

One of the year's surprise hits, the soundtrack to the Disney Channel original movie continues to keep pace, selling more than 174,000 copies during its 20th week in stores. Sales of the disc swelled 113 percent on the heels of the film's DVD release, helping it claim the #2 slot.

Dixie Chicks and the "Idol" finalists weren't the sole newcomers to the chart — 16 albums managed to crack Billboard's top 200, according to the latest SoundScan figures. We Don't Need to Whisper, the debut disc from Angels & Airwaves — led by Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge — is among the newcomers, capturing the #4 spot with 127,000 week-one scans. Last week's #1, Red Hot Chili Peppers' double album Stadium Arcadium follows at #5 after selling 113,000 copies its third week in stores. Rascal Flatts' Me & My Gang takes #6 with 85,000 units sold.

Don Omar's latest, King of Kings, debuts at #7 with 68,000 scans, followed by another newcomer to the chart, WWE: Wreckless Intent, a compilation featuring Three 6 Mafia, Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall. That album sold 66,000 copies during its initial week of release, outperforming Tool's 10,000 Days, in at #9, by just 700 units. Carrie Underwood's appearance last week during the "American Idol" finale paid off, as her Some Hearts enjoyed an 84 percent surge and rounds out the top 10 with 65,000 copies sold.

Stand Still, Look Pretty from Michelle Branch's side project the Wreckers opens at #14 with 44,000 copies sold, followed at #16 by Def Leppard's covers album, Yeah!, which racked up 42,000 sales. Less Than Jake's latest, In With the Out Crowd, debuts in the #78 spot with 14,000 copies sold, while Yo Gotti's Back 2 Da Basics bows at #84 with 13,000 units scanned.

Halifax's Inevitability of a Strange World ranks #130 with 7,000 sales, and Da Muzicianz's self-titled debut opens at #137 with close to 7,000 scans. The Walkmen's A Hundred Miles Off debuts at #163 with 6,000 copies sold, while Damone's Out Here All Night follows at #168 after moving 5,000 discs.

• Dixie Chicks
• Angels & Airwaves
• Taylor Hicks
• Katharine McPhee
• Red Hot Chili Peppers

Mary J. Blige
Photo: Getty Images/Stephen Shugerman

Mary J. Blige will headline the Essence Music Festival, which is usually held in New Orleans but will take place at Reliant Park in Houston until the hurricane-ravaged city is rebuilt. Additional artists for the festival, happening July 1-3, remain to be announced. ...

You may have missed it if you're not a boxing fan, but R. Kelly's expanded his body of work to include a remix of the national anthem, which is now circulating on the Internet as a bootleg clip. Before the Bernard Hopkins-Jermain Taylor match at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay two weeks ago, the R&B singer put a little step into "The Star-Spangled Banner," adding dancers steppin' in the ring. Between phrases, Kelly urged the crowd to clap along — but boxing fans seemed offended and have taken to tearing Kelly apart on message boards. As ESPN's Scoop Jackson wonders in his column, "Did Kelly bastardize it, or beautify it?" ... Snoop Dogg's record as a Pee Wee Football coach just keeps improving. After his Rowland Heights, California, Rolling Raiders took their division's Super Bowl title, Snoop's team bested the Victorville, California, Hawks in the inaugural Friendship Bowl this past weekend. According to the Victorville Daily Press, Coach Snoop said of his team's 40-0 trouncing of the Hawks following the shutout, "That's just business as usual. I wouldn't expect nothing less. We took them behind the toolshed and whooped them." ...

Scott Storch is heated about being snubbed for a Producer of the Year Grammy nomination, but he did wipe the frown off his face to party in Miami on Friday night. Timbaland, Alex Rodriguez, Pharrell Williams and Hulk Hogan all came out to wish him a happy birthday. ... Michelle Branch posted a late-night tirade recently on her Wreckers band Web site, taking her fans to task for them "bitching" about her new music taking so long to come out, and complaining that her record label forced her to do "a lame ass tour" while she was pregnant and made her record with Santana when she didn't want to (the message board was then taken down). Now her partner in the Wreckers, Jessica Harp, and her manager Stuart Dill have responded to the rant, explaining that the singer is under a lot of pressure, and her response was understandable. Harp told the Tennessean newspaper, "Perhaps Michelle did overreact a little bit, but she's human. It was the middle of the night. ... Everyone gets angry sometimes. I completely support her." Meanwhile, Dill told the paper, "There are always pressure points and often huge hurdles in making a record and getting it out." The Wreckers album is due in May. ...

The soundtrack to the forthcoming film "Underworld: Evolution" will feature exclusive fresh and remixed material from My Chemical Romance, Hawthorne Heights, Alkaline Trio, Senses Fail, Slipknot, Atreyu, Trivium and others. In addition, the album will include the first solo recording from Linkin Park's Chester Bennington and a track from Puscifer, Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan's side project with former Nine Inch Nails guitarist Danny Lohner. ... Beck's Guero won Best Made-for-Surround Title last week at the 2005 Surround Music Awards. Ben Harper won Best Concert Video for "Live at the Apollo" at the ceremony, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. ... Boy George's Monday (December 19) court appearance on drug charges was adjourned by a Manhattan judge because the singer is in England. The singer, who was arrested October 7 after he called 911 to report a burglary and police found cocaine in his apartment, is due back in court February 1.

The Rolling Stones spent a good part of 2005 on the road, and will start off 2006 in much the same way. The group has booked 14 more North American gigs, and has lined up a host of openers for those dates. Sloan will warm up crowds in Boston on January 13 and 15, Metric will perform for the tour's New York stops on January 18 and 20, Antigone Rising will take the stage in Chicago on January 23 and 25 and in Baltimore on February 1, and Queens of the Stone Age will join the trek for the March 4 date in Las Vegas and the March 6 stop in Los Angeles. ... Toronto's No Warning have called it quits. But there's a new project on the way from some of the band's members, according to a statement posted on the group's MySpace page. The unnamed band is "very different ... musically with a fresh start, but we promise you will dig it." No Warning's last album, Suffer, Survive, was released in 2004 through Linkin Park's Machine Shop imprint. ...

After more than a decade of making ultra-literate, low-fi alt-country, the Silver Jews are finally gearing up to launch their first-ever tour. The band — a vehicle for the work of poet/musician David Berman that occasionally also features guitars and drums from former Pavement members Stephen Malkmus and Bob Nastanovich — will hit the road starting March 10 in Athens, Georgia, and wrap things up March 25 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Silver Jews released their fifth album, Tanglewood Numbers, in October. ... Travis have just finished their third session at London's Hospital studio with producer Nigel Godrich, who twiddled the knobs on the band's 1999 album, The Man Who, and the 2001 follow-up, The Invisible Band. The group has written around 20 songs for the still-untitled new album, which is tentatively due next year. ...

12.16.2005

R. Kelly appeared in a Chicago court Friday (December 16) to once again try to get the child-pornography charges against him dismissed. His attorneys argued that the prosecutors' phrasing that the singer "knew or should have known" that the girl was underage was contradictory, vague and unconstitutional. They'll get to make the argument about the wording, which, the state attorney's office said, is used in "all kinds of statutes," during a hearing scheduled for February 10. ...

With barely enough time to recover after being voted world's worst dog owner by readers of New York Dog and Hollywood Dog magazines, Paris Hilton has topped PETA's worst-dressed list, thanks to her fondness for wearing fur. "Now we know what happens to all of Paris Hilton's cast-off pets," PETA writes. Also on the animal-rights activists' list are Kimberly Stewart, Victoria Gotti, Lisa Gastineau and Tara Reid, who are all castigated ("Gotti's fur coats make her an accessory to murder, and it's a look that goes well with cement shoes") for their furry wardrobes ... Talk about father of the year. Master P has agreed to fill in for his son, Romeo, in the upcoming second season of the hit reality show "Dancing With the Stars." With Romeo reportedly sidelined by a basketball injury, P will team up with professional dancer Ashly DelGrosso, the bubbly stepper who paired with ex-New Kids on the Block member Joey McIntyre last season. P will be battling against actresses Tia Carrere, Tatum O'Neal and Lisa Rinna, journalist Giselle Fernandez, actor George Hamilton, WWE personality Stacy Keibler, ex-98 Degrees member Drew Lachey, ESPN host Kenny Mayne and legendary wide receiver Jerry Rice. ...

A whole mess of A-listers are featured in David LaChapelle's forthcoming photo book "Artists and Prostitutes" — from Madonna (as a Hindu goddess), Paris Hilton (wearing a bikini reading "Eat the Rich") and Diddy (about to lick a gold-painted woman) to Jennifer Lopez (in a "Flashdance" pose), Alicia Keys (with piano aflame), Pink (setting her bedroom on fire with a flame thrower), Eminem (with a stick of dynamite strategically placed) and Outkast (climbing through a window into a room with naked women on all fours). The limited-edition book, due in March, also includes iconic shots of Britney Spears, Cameron Diaz, Sarah Jessica Parker and others. ... Mya, Jill Scott and Stevie Wonder are on the lineup to pay tribute to Dionne Warwick for her 45th anniversary show, to be held at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles on January 26. Also on the bill are Gloria Estefan, Olivia Newton-John, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, Angie Stone and Nancy Wilson, among others. Warwick will perform for the first time with all of her composers, including Burt Bacharach and Isaac Hayes. The gala will be taped for a broadcast to be announced at a later date. ...

Former "American Idol" contestant Julia DeMato, 26, appeared in Connecticut's Danbury Superior Court on Friday morning and pleaded not guilty to drug-possession charges stemming from an incident on December 4. The singer, who was arrested in the parking lot of Brookfield, Connecticut's Pancho and Gringos and charged with possession of narcotics, two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of less than four ounces of marijuana, is due back in court on January 12. ... Before Story of the Year join the Deftones, Thrice and As I Lay Dying on the Taste of Chaos Tour in mid-February, they'll be taking Every Time I Die and From First to Last on the road with them for a 15-date run that'll kick off in Salt Lake City on January 5. The tour will traverse the Midwest, dart over to the East Coast for two dates, and then make two stops in Canada before winding down on January 31 in Columbia, Missouri. ...

Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis is stepping out in February with her first solo shows in support of her forthcoming album, Rabbit Fur Coat. She'll perform with the Watson Twins February 2 in Los Angeles, February 3 in San Francisco and February 5 in New York. ...Metric have announced dates for the second leg of their tour in support of Live It Out: The 20-date trek will kick off March 7 in Boston and end five weeks later in Detroit. The Toronto synth-rockers have also scored an opening slot for the Rolling Stones, on January 18 and 20 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Meanwhile, their single "Monster Hospital" was recently remixed by MSTRKRFT, a Death From Above 1979 side project. ... Bombastic Scottish noisemakers Mogwai will release their new album, Mr. Beast, in March, according to Matador Records. The band will launch a U.S. tour in support of the LP in early 2006. ...

• Mary J. Blige
• Snoop Dogg
• Pharrell Williams
• Michelle Branch
• My Chemical Romance

<i>Now That's What I Call Music! 20</i>
Photo: Utv Records

With 1999's Supernatural, an album featuring duets with Dave Matthews, Rob Thomas, and Eric Clapton, among others, iconic guitarist Carlos Santana stumbled upon an award-winning, cash-culling formula: Recruit some of music's biggest names, and record tracks with them. Santana's Supernatural, which has gone on to sell more than 11.5 million copies, was followed by 2002's Shaman, which debuted as Billboard's #1 with close to 300,000 in first-week sales; that album included guests Dido, Macy Gray, Seal and Nickelback's Chad Kroeger.

Sticking with that blueprint for success, Carlos Santana once again collected a handful of hitmakers for his latest outing, All That I Am, which features Michelle Branch, Outkast's Big Boi, Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, Joss Stone, Metallica's Kirk Hammett and "American Idol" runner-up Bo Bice. The ingredients were all there for All That I Am's chart-topping debut, and with sales of more than 142,000, Santana gave it the old college try. But the producers behind the unstoppable retail force known as the Now That's What I Call Music! series drafted some equally imposing all-stars for the 20th installment in the best-selling compilation franchise.

According to the latest SoundScan totals, Now 20, which boasts tracks from Missy Elliott, Black Eyed Peas, Franz Ferdinand, Coldplay, the Pussycat Dolls, Ciara, Destiny's Child, Kelly Clarkson, Fall Out Boy and others, crushed Santana to take Billboard's #1, with week-one sales of close to 378,000. But Carlos shouldn't take the defeat too hard — few can top the consistently successful Now collections when it comes to chart debuts.

Santana and the wow of Now aside, it was a frail week at retail for chart newcomers. This week's Billboard totals reflect the advent of the holiday-shopping season, as the chart is riddled with greatest-hits collections released in droves toward the tail end of the year. This week, Blink-182's Greatest Hits debuts at #6 with close to 72,000 copies sold, while Slipknot's 9.0: Live, which is loaded with live renditions of some of the mask-donning metal band's most powerful tracks, opens at #17 with 42,000 plus scans.

John Fogerty's The Long Road Home: The Ultimate John Fogerty/ Creedence Collection debuts at #13 with 47,000 copies sold. Sliver: The Best of the Box, a collection of unreleased Nirvana tracks and a sampling of tunes issued via last year's With the Lights Out box set, debuts at #21 on the chart, selling more than 38,000 units. Ozzy Osbourne's Under Cover, an album of classic rock covers (several of which first appeared on Ozzy's Prince of Darkness box set), debuts at #134, with nearly 9,000 in sales.

A number of previously released hits discs also experienced a surge in sales this week — most notably, Guns N' Roses' Greatest Hits, which takes #60 with more than 17,000 copies sold thanks to an 18 percent increase in retail interest, and Hilary Duff's Most Wanted, in at #52 with 20,000 scans reflecting an 11 percent sales spike.

As for the chart's top 10, Nickelback's All the Right Reasons holds strong at #3 with sales of close to 101,000 while the Black Eyed Peas, who are dominating airwaves with the single "My Humps," finish at #4 with 86,000 in sales for their latest, Monkey Business. Destiny's Child's #1's falls four spots to #5 with week-two scans of 85,000, while Martina McBride's Timeless takes the #7 spot with sales of 63,000 and change. Wherever You Are, the latest from Christian rockers Third Day, debuts at #8 with nearly 63,000 copies flying off record-store shelves, followed at #9 by Rod Stewart's Thanks for the Memory ... The Great American Songbook, Volume IV, which sold 62,000 copies. Ashlee Simpson's I Am Me rounds out the top 10 with sales of 54,000.

Other notable debuts on this week's chart include former Phish-erman Trey Anastasio's Shine, which opens at #64 with 16,000 copies sold, and Imogen Heap's Speak For Yourself, which debuts at #182 with 6,000 in sales.

For more on Blink-182's break, see the feature "Tom DeLonge: No More Compromises"

• blink-182
• Santana
• Missy Elliott
• Fall Out Boy
• Kelly Clarkson

John Mayer (file)
Photo: Getty Images

Grammy-winning singer/songwriter John Mayer's got some leftover lyrics that didn't make the cut for his forthcoming album, Continuum, and he'd like his fans to help put those words to good use. Mayer's column in September's Esquire provides those surplus lyrics, along with a challenge — write an entire song around them. Those interested in accepting Mayer's offer can send a CD with their song to the magazine's music department; the best of the best will be posted on Esquire's Web site. The winner of the contest will receive a Fender John Mayer Signature Stratocaster, and something you can't put a price on — the freedom to "tell people we wrote a song together," Mayer writes in his column. ...

The final track list has been revealed for Franz Ferdinand's forthcoming LP, You Could Have It So Much Better ... With Franz Ferdinand. The disc hits stores October 4 and features, in order, the tracks "The Fallen," "Do You Want To," "This Boy," "Walk Away," "Evil and a Heathen," "You're the Reason I'm Leaving," "Eleanor Put Your Boots On," "Well That Was Easy," "What You Meant," "I'm Your Villain," "You Could Have It So Much Better," "Fade Together" and "Outsiders." The foot-stompin', Pixies-esque track "Turn It On," which early on the band's label considered a strong second-single contender, is missing from the disc. ... Congratulations to new mama Michelle Branch. The 22-year-old singer/songwriter and bass-player hubby Teddy Landau welcomed their first child, 7-pound, 12-ounce daughter Owen, into the world on Wednesday, her publicist said. Mother and child are now resting comfortably at a Los Angeles hospital. ...

Stevie Wonder, Ciara, Amerie, John Legend, Brian McKnight and Toni Braxton are among the acts scheduled to appear at the 10th annual Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards on September 17 in Los Angeles. Aretha Franklin, who will perform a duet with Wonder, will receive the Lena Horne Award for Outstanding Career Achievements. ... Sean Paul has set a September 27 release date for the follow-up to his 2002 breakthrough, Dutty Rock. The album will be titled The Trinity. ...

Sleater-Kinney have lined up two months' worth of fall dates in support of their new album, The Woods, kicking off with a string of shows opening for Pearl Jam on their mostly Canadian tour from September 11 through October 1. Beginning on October 3 with a show in Philadelphia, Sleater-Kinney will headline a month of gigs with support from the Ponys. The swing will also include a stop on Saturday with the White Stripes in George, Washington, and a slot on the Arthurfest show in Los Angeles on September 4. ... Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum fractured his hand recently, in what the band's label characterized as a "boating accident." As a result, he'll be unable to perform with the group on the first few dates of its forthcoming headlining tour, which resumes on August 11 in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Velvet Revolver have seven shows lined up before they hop aboard the Ozzfest 2005 train on August 23 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sorum, undergoing physical therapy at the moment, will be back with the band on that first Ozzfest date. The band will be hiring a drummer to fill in for Sorum in the interim, but a decision on just who that will be has yet to be made. ...

On the heels of last year's reunion tour, the Pixies are hoping to keep the gravy train rolling with the release of "Pixies Sell Out," a DVD capturing the best moments from seven of those shows. One date — a July 3, 2004, gig in Belfort, France — is presented in its entirety and features 27 Pixies classics, like "Here Comes Your Man," "Monkey Gone to Heaven" and "Where Is My Mind." Bonus material on the DVD includes additional performances from last year's Coachella Festival in California, New Orleans' Voodoo Music Experience, Scotland's T in the Park Festival and Fuji Rock in Japan. "Pixies Sell Out" is due in stores on October 4. ...

The members of Broken Social Scene have had a change of heart — the band's upcoming disc, originally called Windsurfing Nation, will now be self-titled. The 14-track album, due October 4, contains new songs "Finish Your Collapse and Stay for Breakfast," "Swimmers," "Hotel," "Banwitch" and the former title track, which features rapper K-Os. Dears frontman Murray Lightburn also makes an appearance on the LP. ...

08.03.2005

Legendary producer/mogul Quincy Jones is composing the score for 50 Cent's debut flick, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," Jones' publicist said Wednesday (August 3). It will be his first film score since 1985's "The Color Purple," which earned him two Oscar nominations. Jones will be working on the project with composers Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer. ...

Christina Aguilera is blocking her ears for a new fall campaign for YouthAIDS, which has a theme of "Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil." Salma Hayek, Ashley Judd, Cindy Crawford, Penélope Cruz, LL Cool J, Elijah Wood and Josh Lucas also cover their mouths and ears for the black-and-white campaign, which hopes to raise awareness and protect youth from HIV/AIDS. Aguilera's poster reads, "Hear no evil? 3 million people died of AIDS last year. When truth spreads, AIDS won't." ... Linkin Park DJ Joseph Hahn directed a short in Los Angeles over the weekend called "The Seed." Hahn plans to enter the movie, about a homeless veteran losing his mind on the banks of the L.A. River, in the Sundance Film Festival. ...

Joe Simpson is tired of having to deny rumors and reports that his daughter Jessica and her husband, Nick Lachey, are getting divorced, so much so that he's hired "the most powerful lawyer in the city" to take legal action against media outlets that run false reports, he told "Access Hollywood" Tuesday. "You can only say, 'No, that's not true' so often and then everybody thinks you are lying. ... We don't have any responsibility in the media anymore. You can say whatever the hell you want to and it's not right." Some of the other stories he said were false were reports that he had Botox injections and Jessica had plastic surgery. "Who believes that?" he said. "I mean, they just print it because Jessica sells magazines, Ashlee sells magazines." ... Speaking of famous sibs, on-the-rise singer Natasha Bedingfield considers her more famous brother, Daniel, "a hard act for anybody to follow," she told MTV Europe, and being a "typical younger sister," she wants to reach his level — but on her own terms. "He is an amazing person and very gifted," she said, "but I have to make my own way. The proof is in the pudding, really. It's like, listen to the music, make your own judgment. I think that is what's been so exciting is that people are enjoying the music for the music, and it's not about being somebody's sister." ...

Ryan Cabrera, Tyler Hilton, the Click Five, Kaci Brown and B5 are among the artists taking turns appearing in a free mall tour, launching Friday in Jersey City, New Jersey. The 25-date Simon DTour Live concludes October 23 in Austin, Texas. ... Cabrera, meanwhile, will release his second album, You Stand Watching, on September 20. The singer produced most of the album himself, including lead single "Shine On." ...

Melissa Etheridge is now cancer-free. "I stand before you a totally healthy person," the singer, who is growing back her hair, told "Extra" in an interview that will air Wednesday. She credits her partner, Tammy Lynn Michaels, with helping her beat breast cancer. "At the end of the whole thing, when it was over, I came home to a bouquet that said, 'In sickness and in health,' and she means it," Etheridge said. "And the love and support of someone like that is worth all the money in the world." Meanwhile, Etheridge's greatest-hits album, The Road Less Traveled, due October 18, will also include four new songs including one called "This Is Not Goodbye" and a cover of Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart." ... John Mayer, Carlos Santana and Keith Richards are among the guests on blues legend Buddy Guy's new album, Bring 'Em In. Due September 20, the LP features reworkings of favorites by Curtis Mayfield, Otis Redding and others. ...

Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, the Flaming Lips, the Shins, Primus, Widespread Panic, Digable Planets and Ryan Adams are among the performers set to hit Sin City for the Vegoose music festival on October 29 and 30. Tickets for the event, being held at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, run $128.50 a pop for a two-day pass, and will go on sale August 13 via the event's official Web site, vegoose.com. ... Taking time off from their day jobs as Bam Margera's bearded yes-man and portly punching bag, Ryan Dunn and Don Vito are planning on launching their very own rock tour. Dubbed Dunn and Don Vito's Rock Night, the tour kicks off Wednesday in Austin, Texas, and wraps September 11 in Revere, Massachusetts, and promises to live up to its billing as "the stupidest rock tour of the year" by incorporating live music with stunts by Dunn and Vito. The actual music comes courtesy of rock acts Open Hand and Fight Paris. ...

Supergrass recorded their new album, Road to Rouen, due September 27, in a barn-turned-barebones-recording-studio. Instead of their trademark buzzsaw pop, Rouen is said to be all over the place, using zithers, ukuleles, brass, strings and a model of drum machine used by Sly & the Family Stone. "We've had some trying times over the last couple of years," singer Gaz Coombes said, "and it changes the way you do things. It changed the way I wrote songs." Tracks on the album include "Tales of Endurance (Parts 4, 5 & 6)," "Sad Girl," "Coffee in the Pot," "Kick in the Teeth" and "Low C." The band plans to embark on an international acoustic tour, and then do a U.S. tour early next year. ... New York's Central Park will play host to what's being touted as "America's largest dance music event" on September 16. ULTRA.NY, which will coincide with this year's CMJ Music Marathon, will bring more than five hours of electronica to the Park's Rumsey Playfield, compliments of the Chemical Brothers, Paul Oakenfold, Timo Maas, Danny Tenaglia and others. ...

• John Mayer
• Franz Ferdinand
• Ciara
• Michelle Branch
• Sean Paul

Jennifer Lopez (file)
Photo: Jeff Vespa/WireImage

Jennifer Lopez's pilot for "South Beach" was picked up by UPN, the network announced Thursday (May 19). The singer/actress is one of the producers of the hour-long drama, which will star Vanessa Williams and follow three young adults trying to get ahead in Miami. The show's planned as a mid-season replacement and has no airdate yet. ... Mandy Moore is wrapping up her work on the new season of "Entourage," for which she'll guest star on five episodes after the series starts up again on June 5 at 9 p.m. on HBO. "My episodes don't air until late July," the singer/actress posted on her Web site Wednesday. "The cast and crew have been so welcoming to me. I'm sad that tomorrow is my last day." ...

Irv Gotti got his wish in court Thursday (May 19), when a Brooklyn, New York, federal judge tentatively granted the Murder Inc. music mogul's request to separate his and his brother's money-laundering case from that of Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff and other defendants charged with more severe crimes, such as murder. Logistically, there are several ways the case may proceed, according to the U.S. attorney's office, from trying all the defendants together but with two juries to holding two or three separate trials. Gerald Shargel, who filed the separation motion for Irv and Chris Gotti, said he was pleased with the decision and hopes to get a separate trial for his clients. Gotti is scheduled to go to trial October 17. ...

Audioslave closed down a block of Hollywood Boulevard on Wednesday to perform a free show for fans in the band's hometown. After performing "Your Time Has Come" and "Be Yourself" for "Jimmy Kimmel Live," the band returned for an eight-song set that included "Set It Off," "Your Time Has Come" again (which was recorded for a video), "Doesn't Remind Me," "Like a Stone" and "Show Me How to Live," among others. After taking on Soundgarden's "Spoonman," singer Chris Cornell told the tens of thousands of fans that packed the street, "That was for all the Audioslave fans who came to see us last time and heard nothing but new songs." After the crowd broke through a barricade during "Killing in the Name," some men came onstage and appeared to ask the band to end the show, but guitarist Tom Morello asked for one more, "Cochise." ...

Dido is releasing a live CD/DVD on June 7. Dido: Live, recorded in August over three nights at London's Brixton Academy, was shot by David Barnard, who has done DVDs for Björk and Travis. ... Michelle Branch just shot a video for Santana's "I'm Feeling You" in San Francisco, she posted on her Web site. "That was fun! No word on when you will be able to hear/see it, though," she wrote. "Rumor has it his album has been pushed back to September." In the meantime, the debut album from Branch's new band the Wreckers might be delayed as well. "Maverick wants more time to set it up, so it might come out as late as January or February 2006," she wrote. "There goes my romantic idea of not working next year." That romantic idea is due to the fact that she's due — in about 12 weeks. ...

British electronic pop duo Goldfrapp have set a September 20 Stateside release date for their third album, Supernature. The first single, "Ooh La La," will be released in August. ... Morningwood, the New York buzz band featuring former members of the Wallflowers, Cibo Matto and Spacehog, will release their self-titled debut August 2. Gil Norton, best known for his work with the Pixies and Foo Fighters, produced the album. ... Tiffany's trying for a comeback, thanks to a show named after a song by another teen queen. "Hit Me Baby One More Time" will be a one-hour battle of the bands competition program this summer featuring veteran hit-makers such as Wang Chung, Flock of Seagulls, Tommy Tutone, the Knack and the Motels each performing their greatest hit and then covering a contemporary song, while the audience votes on its favorite. The show, which will last three episodes, starts airing June 2 at 9 p.m. on NBC. ...

Bassist Jay Russell has quit Connecticut proto-emo troupe Hot Rod Circuit, according to the band's Web site. Russell reportedly wanted to focus his attention on his other band, Diamond Jay and the Rough. As a result, Hot Rod Circuit have been forced to cancel their current tour with the Get Up Kids. HRC will still show up for this summer's Warped Tour, with Rob Fitzgerald of New Jersey's Hero Pattern filling in. ... Reignition Records will release The Killer in You: A Tribute to the Smashing Pumpkins on September 20. The disc will feature 11 tracks, including Poison the Well doing "Soma," Hopesfall taking on "Eye," Vaux's rendition of "1979," A Static Lullaby's "The Everlasting Gaze" and Eighteen Visions' cover of "Quiet." ...

05.18.2005

Britney Spears is beginning to decorate the baby's nursery, she wrote on her Web site. "My mom and I are going to start talking about ideas this week for the baby's room," she wrote. "She is so gifted in decorating and interior design and I'm grateful to have her help." The singer's house is still being renovated, she said, which is why she and husband Kevin Federline have been traveling so much, but her other half thinks that "everyone will work faster if we stay at the house. All the construction is really loud in the morning, but I feel he may be right," she wrote. She's also working on a "prayer and meditation" room. ...

Paris Hilton makes good use of her nearly trademark phrase "That's hot" by shilling for Carl's Jr.'s new spicy BBQ burger in a racy ad that premieres Thursday, featuring the heiress/actress sudsing up a Bentley — and herself — while wearing a swimsuit. "I'm really cold because the water's spraying, but it's pretty hot," Hilton said. "I wanted to do one of the Carl's Jr. commercials because I always think they're really clever and sexy." ... Michael Jackson's young cousins Simone and Rio Jackson took the stand on Wednesday, both claiming that they had witnessed the accuser and his brother drinking and masturbating at Neverland, with the implication being that the singer didn't need to "teach" them to do either. Rio testified that he stayed with the accuser and his brother in a guest room, and he walked in on them once watching a TV show with "naked women" while they were "doing nasty stuff." Meanwhile, Simone said that she saw the accuser and his brother take two bottles of wine out of the kitchen late one night. "They didn't see me," she said. However, the accuser's sister told Simone that "she had to go to Brazil and that she didn't want to go." Meanwhile, rebuttal video producer Christian Robinson, who called Jackson a "PR nightmare," described the accuser's mother as being excited to do the video, but refusing to sign a standard model release. ...

Dave Matthews loves helping the environment. Dave Matthews' fans love having the munchies. As a result, Matthews has teamed up with Vermont ice-cream team Ben & Jerry and SaveOurEnvironment.org to create the Enviro-Roadie talent search. They're looking for an 18- to 25-year-old who will serve as the "official ambassador" for the DMB, Ben & Jerry's and Save Our Environment, and will hit the road with the band to host an exhibit designed to educate people on the issue of global warming. And of course, he or she will also hand out samples of Ben & Jerry's new flavor — Dave Matthews Band Magic Brownies. For more information about the contest, check out BenJerry.com. ... Elvis Costello performed Tuesday night at an event at New York's Chelsea Piers, sponsored by environmental organization Riverkeeper, to honor Viacom's Tom Freston for his help in protecting and restoring the Hudson River, which is drinkable but not quite as swimmable as some celebs would like. (Click here for photos.) "I hear that they're getting close to it, but cold water. That's my excuse [for not swimming in it], cold water," model Christy Turlington laughed. Other stars who showed up at the gala included Uma Thurman, Jon Bon Jovi, "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels, Alison Krauss and Cedric the Entertainer, who was happy to chat about his voiceover work in "Madagascar" and "Charlotte's Web." "Animated movies are a lot of fun, mainly because you get to do something for the kids, and the kids watch movies a million times, so you kind of go down in infamy like that," he said. ...

With her tour in support of Feels Like Home recently wrapped, Norah Jones is back to writing songs for her third album. According to a post on Jones' Web site by her band's bassist, Lee Alexander, the mellow singer has already been "writing her behind off," though they haven't decided when they'll enter the studio to record the next album. ... The All-American Rejects, Rise Against and Chad Gilbert of New Found Glory will all be spending part of their summer at band camp, literally. They are among a slew of celebrity guests who will be featured as part of Power Chord Academy's Summer Rock N Roll youth camp, which provides training and advice to aspiring musicians. Sessions will be held in San Diego (June 16-July 23), Chicago (July 10-23) and New York (July 24-August 6). ...

Bob Saget, the tall, lanky dad from television's "Full House," is trying his pimp hand at the rap game. The MySpace.com page of California's the Stone Movement — a self-described jam-rock/hip-hop hybrid featuring frontman Stu Stone and comedian Jamie Kennedy — features a track called "Rollin' With Saget," on which the affable goofball not only curses (much like his character did in the film "Half Baked"), but ... um ... raps. The song, about an evening on the town with the Sag, makes references to Bob rolling blunts, hooking up with girlies in the VIP, stepping to Eminem and DMX and using guns. In one verse, Saget even boasts about the size of his junk. ... On June 17, former Dead Kennedys leader Jello Biafra will square off against the MC5's Wayne Kramer in the latest "Iron Chef"-inspired "Iron Composer" contest, the monthly songwriting competition that pits two musicians against each other on the stage of the Experience Music Project's Songwriting Stadium in Seattle. An audience watches as the two race to write a song on the spot; battlers get one instrument, a pencil and paper and a single member of the house band to collaborate with on the impromptu tune. Oh, and each composer must down a shot of booze during each of the five nine-minute segments. One of the judges for the next competition will be actor Dean Haglund (one of the Lone Gunmen from "The X-Files"). Among the previous competitors are members of Harvey Danger, the Presidents of the United States of America, the Fastbacks and the Supersuckers. ...

The Offspring are headlining the opening weekend of the inaugural Dew Action Sports Tour, a season-long professional tour in action sports (skateboarding, BMX and freestyle motocross). The band — which is also donating its next single, "Can't Repeat" (from its upcoming greatest-hits album), as the tour's theme song — will be sharing a stage with Crossfade, Acceptance and the Exies on June 10 and 11 at the Panasonic Open in Louisville, Kentucky. ... Dave Ogilvie, the legendary producer who's had a hand in some of industrial music's biggest releases, has started his own band, to be called Jakalope. Ogilvie, who produced Skinny Puppy's Last Rights and Marilyn Manson's Anti-Christ Superstar, said the band's upcoming album, It Dreams, will feature poppy industrial tracks. Ogilvie even tapped Trent Reznor to write a few songs for Jakalope's debut, which has no release date yet. ...

• Jennifer Lopez
• Mandy Moore
• Irv Gotti
• Audioslave
• Dido

Michelle Branch (file)
Photo: Maverick

LOS ANGELES — Michelle Branch may now be a married woman, but that hasn't stopped the 21-year-old's own husband from labeling her a home wrecker.

The singer, who exchanged vows with her bass player, Teddy Landau, last May, has been sowing a few wild oats onstage as one half of the Wreckers, her new side project with longtime friend and fellow songstress Jessica Harp.

"Ironically, my husband named us the Homewreckers," Branch laughed, revealing the origin of their name, which was later shortened to the Wreckers. "Jess and I would always find ourselves in sticky situations with men who were either married or had girlfriends, so it's kind of a salute to our troubled romantic past."

Right now, the ladies are busy touring the country with Gavin DeGraw, Tyler Hilton and Bethany Joy Lenz for the "One Tree Hill" Concert Tour (see "Gavin DeGraw, Michelle Branch Play for 'Hill' Fans in L.A."). The Wreckers' song "The Good Kind" is featured on the show's soundtrack.

The pair first met five years ago when both were still struggling songwriters trying to break into the industry. "This is something we've always talked about because we've always written together and sung together," Harp said. "We were both at a point in our respective careers where it just seemed like the right time and a fun time to try it out. So we just went with it."

"It was selfish," Branch added. "We both wanted to have a friend on the road. It's nice to have a partner in crime and not have all that pressure on you all the time."

This isn't the first time the girls have hit the road together. While trying to break into the music scene in Nashville, Harp was recruited by her friend to join her on tour as a backup singer. However, Branch admits that the new collaboration with Harp does have its struggles. "It's funny to go from being on tour as 'Michelle Branch' and dealing with that then being on tour as 'The Wreckers' and being a new artist, but everyone still expects it to be the Michelle Branch thing," she said during a recent tour stop in Los Angeles. "So that's a balance that we're trying to figure out every day."

Branch assures her fans that the new direction is something she is very proud of. "Hopefully anyone who has listened to my music and seen the change from my first album to my second album, this is just a natural evolution of it all," said the singer, who still pens most of the songs, with help from Harp. "It still sounds like my music, but it's produced a little bit more like how I've wanted it to sound since day one."

Harp calls their upcoming album, which melds Branch's popular folk rock with Tennessee native Harp's country influences, "very organic." "It has a lot of instrumentation that wasn't really present in [Michelle's] records. There are banjos, mandolins and fiddles. It has a little country flavor to it."

Their first official single will be "Leave the Pieces," a song about love and heartbreak that Harp says most women will be able to relate to. "The chorus basically says, 'You're going to break my heart, but just leave the pieces when you go.' " The girls will be making the video for the single in the next few weeks.

Branch and Harp also finished recording a song for the new Santana album called "Feeling for You." The Wreckers' debut album is scheduled to drop sometime in June.

In addition to Harp, Branch also has her husband by her side out on the road. "I feel bad because I'm not wearing my ring today," Branch said. "My husband's like, 'Where are your wedding rings?' " But it's nice to have that partner in crime, that person who's always behind you no matter what."

The couple wed in a surprise ceremony and are expecting their first child later this summer. Branch admitted she does know the sex of the baby, but prefers to keep that information private.

"It was funny because yesterday we were down in catering and [Gavin DeGraw] had no idea that I was even pregnant," said Branch, who just entered her fifth month. "I was like, 'What? You just think I'm this fat, raving bitch?' He was like, 'Yeah, well, I guess!' "

• Michelle Branch

Tyler Hilton in San Francisco on the "One Tree Hill" Concert Tour
Photo: Getty Images

LOS ANGELES — Forget about "As seen on TV." Wednesday night the folks behind the WB's "One Tree Hill" showed there's plenty of demand for "As heard on TV."

At the Wiltern LG stop of the "One Tree Hill" Concert Tour, fans of the show (and, assumedly, nonfans as well) turned out to hear Gavin DeGraw, Michelle Branch and others whose music has been featured on the teen drama.

(Click to see photos of the concert at the tour's stop in San Francisco.)

Actress-turned-musician Bethany Joy Lenz, who plays Haley James Scott on the show, kicked things off with the upbeat song "Crazy Girls." Wearing a multicolored pastel dress and a guitar, the actress easily jammed onstage with her fluid folk-rock tunes. Later slipping behind a piano, Lenz delivered her ballad "John and Junior" as well as some advice.

"So often we think we know what we want, but if you wait, really there's something so much better," she told the crowd. "It's inspiring. Just wait. Wait to be the best."

She brought out co-star Tyler Hilton for their duet, "When the Stars Go Blue," a song originally recorded by Ryan Adams. The two recorded a cover specifically for the "One Tree Hill" soundtrack.

"Bethany and I started talking about doing a rock and roll version of it, and bringing in some of our influences," Hilton said recently. "We just went in the studio and had a great time with it."

Hilton later teamed up with co-star Brian Greenberg for a cover of Oasis' "Wonderwall," which garnered a rousing response from the crowd. Before heading out for the night, Hilton closed his set with "When It Comes," the current single off The Tracks of Tyler Hilton.

One non-musical highlight of the evening involved emcee Sophia Bush, a "Hill" alum who's engaged to the show's Chad Michael Murray. "Would you guys be cool with it if we called and left him a message?" Bush asked the eager crowd as she dialed up her honey on a cell phone. "Hi, honey, some people want to say hi to you!" As the actress gave the signal, the Wiltern LG was filled with deafening screams.

"He's going to go crazy when he hears that," Norris laughed. "He really wanted to be here tonight."

Later, the night's other emcee, actor Lee Norris (better known to "Hill" fans as Mouth), recalled his experience meeting the concert's next act. "These young women coming out are beautiful and talented," he said. "They stopped by 'Tree Hill' and they sang for us and they blew everybody away."

"Everybody that wasn't supposed to be working that day came into work just to see them," agreed Bush.

The Wreckers — Michelle Branch and partner Jessica Harp — came out and switched up the momentum by using banjos, mandolins and fiddles. Branch, in a white fitted tee, showed off her five-month-pregnant belly. Harp, meanwhile, preferred to make her way to the front of the stage, nearly mixing in with the crowd, as the two debuted songs off their upcoming album, due in June.

Branch also performed some of her own songs, like "Are You Happy Now?" and "All You Wanted," and teamed up with Harp for a new version of her Grammy-winning "The Game of Love," originally featuring Santana. It was easily a crowd favorite.

"I'm feeling very nostalgic this evening," Branch revealed halfway through their set. "The last time I was performing here at the Wiltern was the night that I got my record deal."

As the evening wound down, Bush and Norris invited some fellow cast members back to the stage as well as "One Tree Hill" creator Mark Schwahn. "I want to thank my partner, executive producer Joe Davola, who came into my office two years ago and said, 'There's this guy named Gavin DeGraw and you gotta hear him,' " recalled Schwan, introducing the evening's headliner.

Finally, DeGraw came out, opening with "Just Friends" and ending the night with his hit "I Don't Want to Be," the show's theme song.

The "One Tree Hill" Concert Tour will wind its way through North America through the end of March before ending March 31 in Minneapolis.

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

• Gavin DeGraw
• Tyler Hilton
• Michelle Branch

Game (file)
Photo: Appio

The Game is the latest celebrity to design a cap for New Era's 59 Fifty "Capture the Flag" series. The red, white and black fitted hat features an embroidered "B" on the front and reads "The Black Wall Street: Live for Everything, Die for Nothing." NBA star Chris Webber will be the next celeb to submit a design for the series. ...

50 Cent will soon be able to add radio producer/personality to his list of credits when "G-Unit Radio" takes over Eminem's Sirius hip-hop radio channel, Shade 45, on Saturdays starting in March. The Queens rapper will produce and host weekly programming for the channel along with DJ Whoo Kid. 50 will talk about his new venture Friday night at 8 p.m. ET on Shade 45. ... P. Diddy has been added as a presenter for Sunday's 77th Academy Awards, marking his first time on the Oscar stage. Mike Myers is also a late addition. ...

Michelle Branch, who married her bassist, Teddy Landau, last May, is pregnant. The singer is due in August, according to her rep. ... Jennifer Lopez told People magazine that her life with Marc Anthony is "more normal than it's ever been." Acknowledging that she exchanged vows with Anthony in the backyard of her home in the Hollywood Hills on June 5 the singer said that their marriage is no longer a secret: "Yes, we're married. I mean, come on, everybody knows." She also told the magazine that while she's enjoyed being a stepmom to Anthony's three kids, she's hoping for children of her own. "One healthy baby would be enough for me," she said. ...

Ice Cube is in negotiations to take on Cary Grant's role in a remake of the 1948 comedy "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House," according to Variety. "Next Friday" director Steve Carr is helming the movie, about a New Yorker who moves to a crumbling house in Connecticut. ... For a creature that may or may not actually exist, Sasquatch has some killer taste in music. The mythical man-beast has lined up Kanye West, the Pixies, Modest Mouse and a host of others to play the 2005 Sasquatch! Music Festival, to be held May 28 at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. Tickets are $55 (Sasquatch gotta eat!) and go on sale Saturday though the House of Blues Web site (www.HOB.com). ...

Butler County, Ohio, police have a warrant out for Krayzie Bone's arrest. The Bone Thugs-N-Harmony member, whose real name is Anthony Henderson, failed to show up at a court hearing Wednesday to secure payment of more than $40,000 in back child support. ...Whitney Houston was rushed to an undisclosed Paris hospital on Thursday (February 24) after getting sick on a Europe-bound flight, according to her spokesperson. The singer, who suffers from gastroenteritis — an inflammation of the stomach and intestines — was apparently stricken with food poisoning and was rushed to the emergency room following a bout of "severe vomiting" on the flight. Houston is doing well and should not have to stay in the hospital overnight, her rep said. ...

"American Idol" judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson will soon release "Ultimate Voice Coach," a DVD package aimed to make anyone "Idol"-ready. The three-disc set will feature three hours of video instruction from top vocal coaches as well as five karaoke songs. Aspiring singers will also get the chance to have their crooning rated on the "Ultimate Voice Coach" Web site. The package hits stores April 5. ... Former Soul Coughing frontman Mike Doughty has set a May 3 release date for his solo album, Haughty Melodic. Semisonic singer Dan Wilson produced the project. ...

02.23.2005

Prince, who won Best Original Score for "Purple Rain" in 1984, will return to the Oscars stage for the first time in two decades on Sunday as a presenter. Leonardo DiCaprio, John Travolta, Sean Penn and Kate Winslet have also recently been added as presenters. ...

Lil' Mo is getting ready to have her second little one. The singer is currently in a hospital in Odenton, Maryland, giving birth to her daughter. Meanwhile, Mo will release her next album this spring through Cash Money Records. ... Ryan Cabrera and Vanessa Carlton are performing together in Los Angeles for a private event where fans will get a one-of-a-kind cell-phone ringtone converted from one of Carlton's live songs. To get into the show, you have to win a sweepstakes called "Sweeten Your Tone" sponsored by the makers of Swedish Fish, Sour Patch and Chiclets. Enter before March 31 at any of the candies' Web sites. ...

Two Bacon Brothers, a man from a land Down Under, a "Barely Breathing" musician, and a pint-sized singer/songwriter joined forces on Tuesday night to raise money for the victims of the tsunami disaster. Kevin Bacon and brother Michael, Colin Hay of Men at Work, Duncan Sheik, Toby Lightman and others performed their own sets on the stage of New York's Canal Room before gathering together to sing the Beatles tune "With a Little Help From My Friends." P.M. Dawn also played a set. ... Hitting shelves on April 16 is "Scratch: All the Way Live," the DVD follow-up to 2001's turntablist documentary "Scratch." The concert film captures a Scratch Tour stop at Los Angeles' House of Blues, and features performances by Mix Master Mike, The X-ecutioners and DJ Z-Trip. ...

The Wallflowers aren't content to stand on the sidelines anymore and are getting back in the game with Rebel, Sweetheart, due out May 24. Their new album is produced by Brendan O'Brien, and the first single, "The Beautiful Side of Somewhere," will be released to radio next month. Other songs include "Days of Wonder," "The Passenger," "Here He Comes (Confessions of a Drunken Marionette)," "God Says Nothing Back" and "All Things New Again." ... The Kaiser Chiefs are gearing up to hit American shores to support their debut album, Employment, due March 15. The trek begins March 13 in Seattle and wraps up March 26 in Boston. ...

Former Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus will release his third solo album, Face the Truth, on May 24. Malkmus won't be touring behind the 11-track disc anytime soon as he's expecting his first child, but select U.S. dates are in the works, including a March 18 appearance at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. ... Former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon will launch his first U.S. solo tour on March 17 at South by Southwest. The outing, which will feature Astralwerks Records mates 22-20s and the Golden Republic (on East Coast dates), wraps up April 1 in New York. ... Ex-Helium frontwoman Mary Timony will release her third solo effort, Ex-Hex, on April 19. The follow-up to 2002's The Golden Dove, the record was produced by Fugazi's Brendan Canty and will see Timony returning to a more guitar-oriented sound. ...

• Game
• 50 Cent
• Michelle Branch
• Jennifer Lopez
• Whitney Houston

Jay-Z is just one of the artists who have donated money (file)
Photo: Roc-A-Fella

As the tsunami-ravaged countries of Southeast Asia gradually begin to recover from the disaster, the list of artists and celebrities pledging their support continues to grow.

Linkin Park's Music for Relief has only been up and running for a little more than a week, but the charity has already garnered the support of some major musical talent: Jay-Z, Hoobastank, Michelle Branch, Korn and Staind are among the acts who have donated money, and more are expected to be announced in the coming days.

Tsunami Relief: What You Can Do To Help

"We don't have a specific monetary goal, but we hope that anyone and everyone who can help will," Linkin Park guitarist Brad Delson said. "Celebrities and fans alike can help save lives."

And musicians are doing more than just contributing funds. Thursday night (January 6), DJ duo Deep Dish will perform at UNICEF's "Save the Children" benefit show in Washington, D.C. On January 12, the first lady of the Terror Squad, Remy Martin, will host a benefit concert at New York City venue Joe's Pub; M.O.P. are scheduled to perform at the event.

That same night, Taking Back Sunday, My Chemical Romance and Coheed and Cambria will take the stage at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey, to raise funds. And on January 16, Senses Fail, the Starting Line and Midtown will play the second date in the Starland's Concerts for Tsunami Relief series (staged in association with New York's WXRK-FM).

Sting has announced that he will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from his February 10 show in Perth, Australia, to tsunami victims.

And the list of musicians and celebrities scheduled to appear on NBC's January 15 charity telethon continues to grow. Christina Aguilera, Sheryl Crow and Tim McGraw have been added to the lineup, which will also feature appearances from George Clooney, Sarah Jessica Parker, Clay Aiken and Téa Leoni.

Across the pond, the management of Millennium Stadium in Wales is inching closer to confirming a massive charity show to be held on the weekend of January 22 and 23 (see "Stars Pitch In To Aid Tsunami Victims; Live Aid-Style Concert A Possibility"). Rupert Moon, the stadium's business manager, said things were "falling into place," and that an announcement should be made regarding the show within the next 48 hours.

"We've been working very hard with band managers, agents and so on, and we're working on getting a cross-section of acts: British, European and international bands," Moon said. "What we need now is for one of them to step out of the shadows and say, 'OK, we'll put our names to this.' And that will sway a lot of people."

• Linkin Park
• Jay-Z
• Hoobastank
• Michelle Branch
• Korn

How hot are copies of Lloyd Banks' new album, The Hunger for More? A distribution house in the Northeast was robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash and approximately eight boxes of the CDs (200 copies) over the weekend. A downtown New York record store had nearly 100 copies of the CD stolen from its racks by a single perpetrator on Tuesday, the album's first day in stores — though they were later recovered. ...

Michelle Branch is now a married woman. She married her bass player, Teddy Landau, in a ceremony that took place just days before her 21st birthday, which is on Friday. ... Meanwhile, Branch has signed on to be a guest creator for the new Estée Lauder cosmetics line, Flirt!, which will have a rotating cast of creators who sign on twice a year. The singer's collection will be a line of nail polish with matching lip color, with each shade named after a song from her album Hotel Paper. The collection will debut in October in Kohl's department stores. ...

Joan Jett is going to play one hot mom in an alternate version of Hoobastank's next video, "Same Direction." Though the band shot a clip on Monday and Tuesday of this week in Los Angeles, it's shooting a second take on Friday with a new concept, which will include a cameo by the mother of all tough-chick rockers. ... You make the burgers, Hoobastank will bring the buns. One lucky fan can win a private backyard barbecue and concert with the band. To enter, fans have to sign up for Yahoo! Messenger, and then put five or more people on their Yahoo! Messenger list between now and August 2. Fans of the band can check out www.hoobastank.com for details. ...

Mariah Carey has been tapped to sing the Olympic anthem at the opening ceremonies for the 2004 Olympic Games, to be held August 13 in Athens, Greece. ... Almost all of the Roc-A-Fella family is scheduled to converge on the Pontiac Silverdome near Detroit on Friday for the Roc-A-Fella 4th of July Takeover. Jay-Z, Cam'ron and the Diplomats, Twista and members of State Property are scheduled to perform. Dame Dash, who will also be on hand, says that this is only the beginning of his family's massive gatherings; he's planning a Roc-A-Fella tour in the coming months. ...

The organization Black Americans for Life is urging blacks to protest BMG Entertainment, the parent group of Usher's record label, LaFace, over the lyrics on an Usher remix by rapper Joe Budden that advocate violence against pregnant women. On the remix of "Confessions," Budden rhymes, "Pray that she abort that/ If she's talkin' bout keepin' it/ One hit to the stomach/ She's leakin' it." The group is also requesting that the remix be pulled immediately. ... Scott Weiland's finally got a start date for his DUI trial in Los Angeles — on Wednesday, a judge decided that the case should go to trial on Friday. ...

In the July issue of Glamour U.K., Christina Aguilera talks about her love life — with both men and women. Of her boyfriend Jordan Bratman, she says that they're not engaged, as rumored, but that she's fallen in love. "He's amazing in every way and he's not part of the hype," she told the magazine. "I always fall for guys who hate the spotlight, which is obviously difficult for them. ... It's hard for a man to enter my world because they can get stuck in my time, my schedule. But I'm not going to change who I am and what my world is about just to appease someone else." That includes experimenting with women, apparently. "The female body is sexier than the male and I have a deep appreciation for it," she said. "People should be attracted to people, and their sex shouldn't matter." Aguilera admitted to kissing Pink once, at a party "years ago," when they were playing spin the bottle. The magazine asked if it was a bad kiss, and Aguilera said, smiling, "No. Not at all." ...

William Hung's new cover of Queen's "We Are the Champions" isn't quite taking off like his rendition of "She Bangs," but the "American Idol" reject has made a fan in Queen guitarist Brian May. "People send us covers every day," May said. "The only time we ever say no is if it's something abusive to women or racially abusive or something like that ... but if people are honestly interpreting the song, then how could you possibly tell them you didn't want them to do that? As they say, it's the greatest compliment, so thank you, Mr. Hung." ... Couldn't travel to Sweden to catch the last Incubus show? Have no fear, the band will be releasing Live in Sweden 2004 on July 13, as part of a series of bootleg CDs that includes Live in Japan 2004 and Live at Lollapalooza. Fans can listen to tracks from the upcoming release, which includes the first live performance of "Crowded Elevator," and later purchase the CD in its entirety, at www.incubusbootlegs.com. The band will donate a portion of the proceeds from each CD to its Make Yourself Foundation. ...

Puddle of Mudd shot a video this week in downtown Los Angeles for their next single, "Spin You Around." Victoria's Secret model Marisa Miller stars in the clip. ... Mos Def has finished a new album, tentatively titled The New Danger. The LP, due out September 28, is not the much-discussed rock album from his band Black Jack Johnson, but rather a straight hip-hop album. Mos is currently filming his role as Ford Prefect in the upcoming flick "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." ...

After years of slumping sales partially blamed on illegal downloaders, the music industry finally has something to celebrate. For the first half of 2004, sales are up 7 percent, or 19.8 million units, compared with the same period last year. Paid digital downloads are also steadily on the rise. ... Perry Farrell, David Byrne and Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne are among the artists collaborating with Thievery Corporation on their next album, due early next year. ...

The Polyphonic Spree are asking fans to create a video for "Hold Me Now," the first single from Together We're Heavy, due July 13. The winning video will be submitted to MTV and the director will receive $5,000. Details are available on the band's Web site. ... Jack Russell, lead singer of Great White, has sued his former publicist Charrie Foglio for slander, according to The Associated Press. The suit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that Foglio threatened to tell charity organizations associated with the 2003 concert at which 100 fans were killed in a fire that Russell and his manager Obi Steinman were withholding money they promised to use for a fund to benefit survivors. While Russell claims that the profits from the tour went solely to the charity, Foglio alleges that Russell was keeping some of the proceeds for himself. ...

Keith Richards will join Norah Jones, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams and Dwight Yoakam for Return to Sin City: A Tribute to Gram Parsons. The event, which honors the late country-rock legend, consists of two concerts, July 9 at the Santa Barbara Bowl in Santa Barbara, California, and July 10 at the Universal Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. ... Electronic music fans can get their fix with Warp Records' DVD collection, "Warp Vision (The Videos 1989-2004)," a video compilation 15 years in the making, due September 21. Among the artists featured are Aphex Twin, Nightmares on Wax, Autechre, Antipop, Plaid and LFO. ... The Goo Goo Dolls will perform a special Fourth of July concert in their hometown of Buffalo, New York. A DVD featuring footage from the show is slated to be released later this year. ...

06.30.04

While Britney Spears is sidelined with her bad knee, she's thinking about her next project — a greatest-hits album. Due November 16, the still-untitled LP will include some new material as well as a limited-edition remix bonus CD. A new song will be the first single, which is slated to hit radio September 14. A separate greatest-hits DVD will be released on the same day. ...

The cover of Green Day's seventh album, American Idiot, lends itself to the political themes contained therein — the artwork features a hand squeezing the blood out of a heart-shaped grenade. ... Avril Lavigne has announced four dates for her fall and winter tour. The first show is October 31 in Philadelphia. The pop rocker will also play Boston (November 1), Denver (November 14) and Glendale, Arizona (November 17). ...

Jennifer Lopez continues to work on her next record, due out by the holidays. She's enlisted Corey Rooney as a producer, according to her Web site. She's also recorded a cover of Dean Martin's "Sway" — in both English and Spanish — for the end titles of the flick "Shall We Dance?" ... A Perfect Circle are looking for the perfect video director. The band is holding a contest to find "the most creative, arresting and imaginative realization in film, animation or any visual medium" for its next single, "Blue." Those interested should sign up for the band's street-team mailing list at www.aperfectcircle.net, after which they will be sent the contest details and a special version of "Blue" to use in their video. One grand-prize winner will receive $1,000 and the chance to have the video included on an upcoming DVD. ...

Kimberly Mathers, the ex-wife of Eminem, was sentenced on Wednesday (June 30) to a year in prison for leaving a court-ordered drug treatment program without permission. According to a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Corrections, Mathers will only have to serve 140 days of the sentence. After her jail time is completed, she will be ordered to enter a drug treatment program. If she completes this, the remaining balance of her jail time will be suspended and she will go back on probation. If, on the other hand, she fails to finish the program, she will have to serve another year in jail. ... Lindsay Lohan's father, Michael Lohan, had another brush with the law on Tuesday when he was arrested at Nassau County Court in Mineola, New York. According to Suffolk County Police Lieutenant Kenneth Fasano, Lohan was at the courthouse to appear at a conference for unrelated charges. While at the courthouse, he was arrested for allegedly failing to pay a bill of $3,834.53 to Long Island's Oheka Castle where he had booked suites for April 12 and 13. Lohan was released from the Suffolk County Police Second Precinct on $250 bail. His court date has been set for August 26 at the First District Court in Suffolk County. ...

Carmen Electra wants to call your bluff — she's hosting a strip-poker game to be aired on In Demand. The Strip Poker Invitational, to air July 18, will be a game of seven-card Texas Hold 'Em, played by six women for a shot at a $50,000 pot. ... Meanwhile, Carmen's hubby, Dave Navarro, is joining her for another set of games — the couple are hosting the second annual awards show for gamers. G-Phoria, which takes place July 31 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, will air on G4techTV on August 6. ...

A little thing like the cancellation of Lollapalooza 2004 isn't about to stop the String Cheese Incident from touring. The group will play the 10,000 Lakes Festival in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, on July 4 before embarking on its own trek July 9. The String Cheese tour will kick off with two performances at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, and run through August 21 in Raleigh, North Carolina. "Despite what the industry is saying," bassist Keith Moseley said, "we still believe people want to see live shows." ... Joe Barresi, who worked on the Queens of the Stone Age's self-titled, 1998 debut, is back in the QOTSA fold, assisting frontman Josh Homme in producing the next album, the follow-up to 2002's Songs for the Deaf. The LP is due before the end of the year. ...

Jimmy Eat World's still-untitled fourth album will come out in October. The follow-up to the band's self-titled 2001 disc was again produced by Mark Trombino. Jimmy Eat World entered a studio in Tempe, Arizona, earlier this year and finished mixing in the beginning of June. ... The Lost Boyz's Legal Drug Money was the album that propelled Mr. Cheeks' rap career, and now it's also the name of the Queens, New York, native's independent label. Cheeks' first release from his company is his third solo LP, Ladies and Ghettomen, which comes out in September. The first single features Truth Hurts and is called "It's Alright." ...

Gravelly voiced crooner Tom Waits has finished work on his forthcoming album, Real Gone. The LP, slated for an October 5 release on Anti Records, was written and produced by Waits and his wife, Kathleen Brennan. For the first time in Waits' career, there will be no piano on the album. ... Vans Warped Tour alums CKY canceled all remaining summer tour dates after bassist Vern Zaborowski was let go from the band due to personal and professional reasons. Chad Ginsburg filled in on bass for three shows this past weekend. The band will continue to work on its third album, the follow-up to 2002's Infiltrate Destroy Rebuild, while searching for a replacement. ...

• Lloyd Banks
• Michelle Branch
• Hoobastank
• Jay-Z
• Mariah Carey

Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Kid Rock, More At 2008 Country Music Awards

• Miley Cyrus
• Taylor Swift
• Carrie Underwood
• Keith Urban
• Julianne Hough

Tyler Hilton, Michelle Branch, Gavin DeGraw, More On The "One Tree Hill" Concert Tour

• Gavin DeGraw
• Tyler Hilton
• Michelle Branch

Law, Jagger, Joss Stone At "Alfie" Premiere 10.08.2004

• Mick Jagger
• Michelle Branch
• Joss Stone

Faking the Video Episode Guide

• Monica
• Sleepy Brown
• Bubba Sparxxx
• Michelle Branch

World AIDS Day: Staying Alive Concert

• Diddy
• Dave Matthews
• Dave Matthews Band
• Beyoncé
• Missy Elliott

Michelle Branch live at Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC, October 9, 2003

• Michelle Branch

MTV Exclusive: Michelle Branch Photos

• Michelle Branch

• Michelle Branch

Spankin' New Summer Music 2003 Photos

• Ludacris
• Ruben Studdard
• Mya
• Lillix
• Ashanti

• Metallica
• Avril Lavigne
• Sum 41
• Snoop Dogg
• Lisa Marie Presley