Jennifer Lopez's <I>Brave</I>
Photo: Epic

Tome of the Brave: Jennifer Lopez already put out an album this year — the Spanish-language Como Ama Una Mujer — is on tour with husband Marc Anthony and is reportedly expecting twins ... so naturally, what better time to put out another album? Brave, her sixth studio effort and fifth English-language one, has producer J.R. Rotem's fingerprints all over it and is underscored by the first single, "Do It Well." As she told MTV News, expect "dance, funk, R&B, hip-hop, all that stuff, all mixed up together to make some great pop music."

Jesus Superstar: Make no mistake about it, Kid Rock hasn't lost a shred of his ego in the four years it took him to put together his new LP. But the Devil Without a Cause has apparently found salvation since then, as he's now transformed into Rock N Roll Jesus. Dedicated to recently passed Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, the disc finds Rock backed by his Twisted Brown Trucker Band over songs like "Blue Jeans and a Rosary," "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" and "Half Your Age," a jab at someone who won't be telling Rock she loves him anytime soon: the recently re-wed Pam Anderson.

Forever Young: She Wants Revenge are still fresh, having just released their self-titled debut last year, but now they're back with a ... new LP! (Thought we were going to say "back with a vengeance," huh? Nah, we'll spare you the pun.) The dark dance-rock duo get infinitely darker on This Is Forever, and Adam "Adam 12" Bravin recently told MTV News that they gorged themselves on the soundtracks to "Blade Runner," "Scarface" and other flicks during the recording of the effort. Keep your eye out for a potential DVD, featuring a video for each Forever track, coming down the pipe.

Spankalicious!: Repping the hip-hop set this week is Baltimore party-rapper Spank Rock, who has been on the fast track to fame after opening for Björk and drawing raves from Thom Yorke last year. Now he and producer Benny Blanco have put their skulls together for Bangers & Cash, an EP that must make Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone proud. Blanco chips in more than a few 2 Live Crew samples while Spank Rock does some rapid-fire spitting. Don't miss "Shake That" and "Loose."

Vanessa Carlton isn't saying die — while she parted ways with former label A&M after her second album, Harmonium, tanked, she's since hooked up with none other than Irv Gotti for the release of her third one, Heroes & Thieves. Carlton wrote her Inc. release in New York and recorded it in San Francisco — but she didn't do it all solo, as Linda Perry and Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins helped her on the production end. Oh, and some lady by the name of "Stevie Nicks" guests on a track, "The One."

Band on the Run: Sizzling Seattle sophomores Band of Horses might cause a brain cramp or two with the title of their second album, Cease to Begin, which leans toward country at times but will fit snugly into "indie-rock" record bins all the same. The disc, produced by frequent Modest Mouse and Shins collaborator Phil Ek, has been getting glowing reviews, having made Rolling Stone's annual Hot List. Especially colorful song titles include "Cigarettes, Wedding Bands," "Lamb on the Lam (In the City)" and "The General Specific."

Moving Units?: Doing the dance-punk thing are Los Angelenos Moving Units, who hope their moniker comes to fruition following the release of Hexes for Exes. The group's second LP sounds bigger than the act's previous releases, thanks to additional electronic-drum and synthesizer sounds and contributions from a new fourth member, guitarist Victor Velazquez. "The Kids From Orange County" points out the fact that said L.A. neighbors can't live without the metropolis, while "Paper Hearts," a song about lost love, takes the album in a darker direction. If all else fails, the band should be getting some extra interest thanks to an opening spot for the Smashing Pumpkins at a San Francisco show earlier this year.

Troubadour Time: Four noteworthy indie singer/songwriters are stepping up to the plate this week with new material, with Robert Pollard leading the pack. Leave it to the former Guided by Voices majordomo, who can be found pictured in the dictionary next to the term "prolific," to crank out two new studio albums in one week — Coast to Coast Carpet of Love is more of a power-pop effort, while Standard Gargoyle Decisions (the one with the batty album cover) is more glam-rock.

While Uncle Bob will be turning 50 on Halloween, underground stalwart Scott Walker has a few years on him. Now he's hoping to share some pearls of wisdom with his new album, And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go to the Ball? "How much of a body does intelligence need to be potentially socialized in an age of ever-developing AI? This is but one of many questions that informed the approach to the project," Walker declared of the LP in a recent statement.

For his part, Jens Lekman has something to say on his latest effort, Night Falls Over Kortedala. The album is essentially a scorching screed in which Lekman rails against the same-named neighborhood in his Swedish hometown of Gothenburg. "What a depressing suburban hell this place is," he said in a recent press release, adding that he's been mugged countless times and is surrounded by shady characters. "As soon as I've finished this record, I will get the hell out of here." Still, he does provide some levity via "Shirin" — the tune is an ode to his barber.

While Lekman finds himself mostly in solitude, Scout Niblett has more than a few friends along for the ride on her fourth LP, This Fool Can Die Now: Steve Albini, who recorded the effort, as well as Will Oldham and a two-person rhythm section. The 14-track effort includes "Do You Want to Be Buried With My People?" and "Let Thine Heart Be Warmed."

Song Title of the Week:

"Yellow Guy/ Pink Eye" from Sleeping People's Growing

Album Cover of the Week:

Moving Units' Hexes for Exes

New Releases:

· 9th Wonder - The Dream Merchant 2 (Ryko)
· A Wilhelm Scream - Career Suicide (Nitro)
· Yolanda Adams - What a Wonderful Time (Columbia)
· Jeff Allen - Happy Wife, Happy Life Revisited (Koch)
· Alter Bridge - Blackbird (Republic)
· Astral Doors - New Revelation (Locomotive)
· Band of Horses - Cease to Begin (Sub Pop) [Buy Now]
· Pato Banton - Never Give In (Cornerstone Ras)
· Patterson Barrett - I Must Be Dreaming (Burnside)
· Beirut - The Flying Club Cup (Ba Da Bing!)
· Birds & Batteries - I'll Never Sleep Again (self-released)
· Karla Bonoff - Karla Bonoff Live (two CDs; self-release)
· Vanessa Carlton - Heroes & Thieves (Motown) [Buy Now]
· Deana Carter - The Chain (Vanguard)
· Cyrus Chestnut - Cyrus Plays Elvis (Koch)
· City Sleeps - Not an Angel (Trustkill)
· Marc Cohn - Join the Parade (Decca)
· Josie Cotton - Invasion of the B-Girls (Scruffy)
· The Crash Motive - Consequence (Wind-Up) [Buy Now]
· Shannon Curfman - Fast Lane Addiction (CC/Koch)
· Deadstring Brothers - Silver Mountain (Bloodshot)
· Brian Dewan - Words of Wisdom (Eschatone)
· Diamond Rio - A Diamond Rio Christmas: The Star Still Shines (Word)
· Edit - Certified Air Raid Material (Alpha Pup)
· DJ Envy & Red Cafe - The Co-Op (Koch)
· Extra Golden - Hera Ma Nono (Thrill Jockey)
· Faber Drive - Seven Second Surgery (Republic)
· The Fiery Furnaces - Widow City (Thrill Jockey)
· The Future Kings of Nowhere - The Future Kings of Nowhere (307 Knox)
· Josh Groban - Noel (Reprise) [Buy Now]
· David Guetta - Poplife (enhanced; Ultra)
· Deborah Harry - Necessary Evil (Eleven Seven)
· Robert Hazard - Troubadour (Rykodisc)
· Will Hoge - Draw the Curtains (Rykodisc)
· Gerry Hundt - Since Way Back (Blue Bella)
· Information Society - Synthesizer (Dancing Ferret)
· The Isley Brothers featuring Ronald Isley - I'll Be Home for Christmas (Def Soul Classics)
· Johnossi - Johnossi (Control Group)
· Kid Rock - Rock N Roll Jesus (Atlantic) [Buy Now]
· The Kilborn Alley Blues Band - Tear Chicago Down (Blue Bella)
· The Kin - Rise and Fall (Aletheia)
· Koop - Koop Island (Atlantic)
· Patti LaBelle - Miss Patti's Christmas (Def Soul Classics)
· Nils Landgren Funk Unit - License to Funk (Act Music)
· Shawn Lee - Hits the Hits (Ubiquity)
· Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Cortedala (Secretly Canadian) [Buy Now]
· Jennifer Lopez - Brave (deluxe edition comes with DVD; Epic) [Buy Now]
· Leo - Nightmares (Rock Ridge)
· Bill Lupkin - Hard Pill to Swallow (Blue Bella)
· Claire Lynch - Crowd Favorites (Rounder)
· Mannheim Steamroller - Christmas Song (American Gramaphone)
· The Marble Index - Watch Your Candles Watch Your Knives (Rock Ridge)
· Cass McCombs - Dropping the Writ (Domino)
· Nick Moss & the Flip Tops - Play It 'Til Tomorrow (Blue Bella)
· Moving Units - Hexes for Exes (Metropolis) [Buy Now]
· MV & EE With the Golden Road - Gettin' Gone (Ecstatic Peace)
· The Naked Brothers Band - "The Naked Brothers Band" soundtrack (Nick Music/ Columbia) [Buy Now]
· Scout Niblett - This Fool Can Die Now (Too Pure)
· Nire - Vespers (Abandoned Love)
· Oblivion Sun - Oblivion Sun (Prophase)
· Obra Squara - Sunshyness (self-release)
· The Octopus Project - Hello, Avalanche (Peek-a-Boo)
· Old Time Relijun - Catharsis in Crisis (K)
· Parkway Drive - Horizons (Epitaph)
· Plumb - Blink (Curb)
· Robert Pollard - Coast to Coast Carpet of Love and Standard Gargoyle Decisions (Merge)
· Polysics - Polysics or Die!!!! Vista (MySpace)
· Prince Ali - Curb Side Service (Hiero Imperium)
· Prints - Prints (Temporary Residence)
· Puddle of Mudd - Famous (Geffen) [Buy Now]
· Ravens & Chimes - Reichenbach Falls (Better Looking)
· Dusty Rhodes and the River Band - First You Live (Side One Dummy)
· LeAnn Rimes - Family (Curb) [Buy Now]
· Riverside - Rapid Eye Movement (Inside Out)
· Rockfour - Memories of the Never Happened (Cooking Vinyl)
· She Wants Revenge - This Is Forever (Geffen) [Buy Now]
Read: "She Wants Revenge Embrace Their Inner Depeche Mode On This Is Forever"
· The Silver Seas - High Society (Cheap Lullaby)
· Sleeping People - Growing (digipak; Temporary Residence)
· Mindy Smith - My Holiday (Vanguard)
· The Smithereens - Christmas With the Smithereens (Koch)
· So They Say - Life in Surveillance (Fearless)
· Spank Rock and Benny Blanco - Bangers & Cash (EP; Downtown)
· Steriogram - This Is Not the Target Market (Rock Ridge) [Buy Now]
· Trent Summar & the New Rob Mob - Horseshoes & Hand Grenades (Palo Duro)
· Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover (Jagjaguwar)
· Tankard - Beast of Bourbon (Locomotive)
· Tuatara - West of the Moon (Fast Horse)
· Ugly - Ugly (Rock Ridge)
· Van Zandt - My Kind of Country (Columbia Nashville)
· Scott Walker - And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go to the Ball? (limited edition; 4AD)
· Ohmega Watts - What's Happening (two CDs; Ubiquity)
· Robert Wyatt - Comicopera (Domino)
· Y Society - Travel at Your Own Pace (Wax Orchard)
· Year Long Disaster - Year Long Disaster (Volcom)
· Various artists - Balance 012 Mixed by Lee Burridge (three-CD box set; EQ)
· Various artists - Chaos Restored With Justin Martin (Buzzin' Fly)
· Various artists - The Gift: A Tribute to Ian Tyson (Stony Plain)
· Various artists - Now Esto Es Musica Latino 3 (EMI)
· Various artists - Tokyo Calling 2 (King Street)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· All That Remains - Behind Silence and Solitude (Razor & Tie) [Buy Now]
· Roy Ayers/ Ubiquity - Lifeline (digipak; Verve)
· Eric Clapton - Complete Clapton (two CDs; Reprise) [Buy Now]
· Stanley Clarke - Children of Forever (Verve)
· Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins - Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins (Verve)
· Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery (Shout! Factory)
· Sara Evans - Greatest Hits (RCA)
· Fatboy Slim - LateNightTales (two CDs; Thrive) [Buy Now]
· Ian Gillan - Gillan's Inn - Deluxe Tour Edition (with DVD; Immergent)
· The Gladiators - No. 1 Singles (Heartbeat)
· Johnny Hartman - I Just Dropped by to Say Hello (Verve)
· The Isley Brothers - The Definitive Collection (Hip-O)
· Quincy Jones and His Orchestra - Quintessence (Verve)
· Mat Kearney - Nothing Left to Lose (Columbia) [Buy Now]
· The Ramsey Lewis Trio - The In Crowd (Verve)
· Moby Grape - Grape Jam; Moby Grape; and Wow (Sundazed)
· Oliver Nelson - The Blues and the Abstract Truth (Verve)
· Nighthawks - Metro Bar (Intuition)
· Luciano Pavarotti - Pavarotti Forever (two CDs; Decca)
· Ramp - Come Into Knowledge (Verve)
· Sonny Rollins - Sonny Rollins on Impulse! (Verve)
· Selah - Timeless: The Selah Collection (four-CD box set; Curb)
· Sarah Vaughan - Gold (Verve)
· Various artists - Every Child Deserves a Lifetime: Songs From the For Our Children Series (Shout! Factory)
· Various artists - Greetings From Los Angeles ... Eight Years of Acetate Records (Acetate)
· Various artists - Jazz Divas: Gold (two CDs; Verve)
· Various artists - An Olde English Christmas (Decca)
· Various artists - Summer Records Anthology 1974-1988 (Light in the Attic)

Music DVDs:

· Jeff Allen - "Happy Wife, Happy Life Revisited" (Koch)
· Ian Anderson - "Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull" (C&B)
· Leonard Bernstein - "The Gift of Music: An Intimate Portrait" (Deutsche Grammophon)
· Twinkie Clark - "Twinkie Clark and Friends: Live in Charlotte" (Verity)
· Bing Crosby - "Bing Crosby's White Christmas All Star Show" (Quantum Leap)
· Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs - "Best of the Flatt & Scruggs TV Show, Vol. 3" and "Vol. 4" (Shanachie)
· Bob Mould - "Circle of Friends" (MVD Visual)
· The Brian Setzer Orchestra - "One Rockin' Night: Live in Montreal" (Surfdog)
· Bernie Worrell - "Stranger: Bernie Worrell on Earth" (PD 101)
· Various artists - "Coping With Babylon: The Proper Rastology" (Sonerito)
· Various artists - "20 to Life: The Life and Times of John Sinclair (Steve Gebhardt)
· Various artists - "Coping With Babylon: The Proper Rastology" (Sonerito)

Digital Releases:

· British Sea Power - Krankenhaus? (Rough Trade/ World's Fair; hits terrestrial stores November 20)
· Radiohead - In Rainbows (available Wednesday on Radiohead.com as a DRM-free MP3 download; Discbox, which will ship on or before December3, also contains a second, enhanced CD; additional artwork; and vinyl)

Coming Attractions:

October 16:
· Jimmy Eat World - Chase This Light (Interscope)
· Angie Stone - The Art of Love & War (Stax) [Preorder]
· Thrice - The Alchemy Index: Vols. I & II: Fire & Water (Vagrant)[Preorder]

October 23:
· Seether - Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces (Wind-Up) [Preorder]
Read: "Seether Frontman Won't Respond To Amy Lee's Attack: 'I Just Refuse To Lower Myself To That Level' "
· Serj Tankian - Elect the Dead (Serjical Strike/ Reprise)
Read: "System Of A Down Frontman Serj Tankian On Intimate Solo LP: 'I Believe In It' "
· Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride (Arista) [Preorder]

October 30:
· Avenged Sevenfold - Avenged Sevenfold (MVI also available; Warner Bros.) [Preorder]
· Backstreet Boys - Unbreakable (deluxe digipak also available; Jive) [Preorder]
· Mario - Go (J) [Preorder]
Read: "Mario Gets Back To Making Music With Akon, Timbaland, Neptunes"

• Jennifer Lopez
• Kid Rock
• She Wants Revenge
• Band of Horses
• Spank Rock

Irv Gotti and Ja Rule
Photo: Bryan Mitchell/ Getty Images

As he has for most of his career, Irv Gotti said he's going to have the last laugh very soon. Heck, he's laughing so much right now, he can barely get a whole sentence out.

"God!" he answered recently with a huge laugh about how he came to sign pop singer Vanessa Carlton to his infamous record label, the Inc. (see "Yeah, Irv Gotti Knows Who Vanessa Carlton Is — He Just Signed Her"). "God himself [oversaw] this project. He's executive-producing all of my projects into 2007."

Gotti's laughter has been bolstered with what he called blessings bestowed upon him over the past few months. First, his artist Lloyd almost left his label — which was in limbo without a distribution deal at the time — to go to Atlantic. The R&B singer returned to the Inc with the heat rock "You," featuring Lil Wayne (see "Irv Gotti Rebuilding The Inc. With A Little Help From Lloyd"). Then Gotti inked a new deal with Universal Records and the Universal Music Group, not only getting the millions he wanted, but also a brand-new distribution deal. Then the proven Carlton joined his label — which already has Ja Rule, Ashanti and hitmaking producer 7 Aurelius, who Gotti described as "Prince if he f---ed with hip-hop."

"I'm gonna make a prediction," I.G. said. "Don't be shocked and amazed if at one time, you're looking at the Billboard top 200, and in the top 20, you see four or five Murder Inc. records. You're gonna be like, 'I thought them f---ers was over.' "

The only place Gotti and company have been is in the boardroom making deals and in his studio making music. After Gotti was acquitted of money laundering last year, he severed ties with Def Jam and the Universal Music Group. Although he had nothing but great things to say about Def Jam, he spit what he called justified venom at some of the Universal Music Group executives, namely Jimmy Iovine and Doug Morris. He accused them of sabotaging his project, being ungrateful for the millions of dollars he made for the company and turning their backs on him as friends. Gotti maintains that he never had any beef with executive Zach Horowitz.

A few months ago, Horowitz and Morris contacted Gotti's lawyers about a meeting. "They wanted to sit back down and discuss things with me," Irv said. "At first my lawyer [asked the Universal execs], 'Are you crazy? You're going to get me fired. You know Irv ain't f---ing with y'all.' But then the lawyer said an interesting thing. He [told Universal's lawyers], 'Maybe I can get Irv to the meeting if you offer him his masters.' They were like, 'If you get him to the meeting, we want to talk to him.' "

Gotti said his talk with the two was "quintessential, real talk." "Doug explained the level of what I was getting myself into [with] the federal investigation," Gotti said. "He put it to me like, 'Irv, you put my job at risk. What did you want me to do? ... I'm the chairman. You put me in harm's way.' How he explained it to me, he made a lot of sense. No bullsh--."

Irv accepted Morris' apology — but not before he conveyed one last emotion. "I turned it back to him like, 'I understand, but f---, man, you could have been my man still,' " Gotti said. " 'You could have called me and said, "I'm praying for you, I hope you get through this." ' We went at it. To be honest, after we went at it, I understood where he was coming from. He understood where I was coming from."

With everyone on the same page, all Gotti had to do was turn down an offer from the Warner Brothers Music Group and sign back with Universal — which wasn't too difficult, because Warner underwhelmed him.

"The deal they put on the table wasn't even comparable. It was like night and day," he said. "I remember telling Dame Dash [about the Universal deal]. He said, 'What? Nobody is getting deals like this anymore. Sign that now!' I swear to you."

With the business done, all Gotti has to do is get back to making records. He said Carlton, Lloyd, 7, Ashanti and Ja Rule are all working on their 2007 releases now. Gotti's especially excited for Ja's comeback.

"He has a [song] he did that I made him a $100,000 bet on," Gotti said. "I said, 'We'll put the money in escrow and wait till we're 50 years old and we'll collect on the bet.' I said, 'Rule, you will not make a bigger [song] than this one we just made.' It's called 'Father Forgive Me.'

"Everybody says, 'Can Rule do it? Can he come back?' I say Rule is the best songwriter I have ever been around," Gotti said. "This guy makes big records in his sleep that people would love to have. You better not ever count me and Rule out. It's too much talent. I'm saying that through experience of me being around the best rappers alive."

The working title for Ja's next album is Love Is Pain. "It's a sequel of sorts to Rule's biggest-selling album, Pain Is Love," Gotti said. "Vanessa's album is tentatively called Heroes and Thieves. The title track is about how we don't know who comes in our lives, whether they be good or bad. A lot of her songs sound like they should be title tracks of movie soundtracks.'

Gotti said he and 7 will produce Carlton's project along with Rick Rubin and 3rd Eye Blind's Steven Jenkins. Linda Perry is writing some material too. Carlton also will appear on a sure single from Aurelius' album, Channel 7. "Sixty percent of his album is done," Gotti divulged. "Every song is like the biggest record anyone has ever heard. His first record is gonna be called 'M-A-K-E-L-O-V-E-T-O-M-E.' The record is like a Gwen Stefani 'Hollaback Girl' vibe, and we took the Hall and Oates' 'Method of Modern Love' hook. Instead of 'M-E-T-H-O-D-O-F-L-O-V-E,' Vanessa is singing, 'M-A-K-E-L-O-V-E-T-O-M-E.' "

The only project Gotti didn't give too much info on is Ashanti's next record. The label's princess is recording on her own, unlike her first three albums, which I.G. oversaw.

"She's the captain of her ship," he said. "With her project, I wouldn't even comment on it. I would say get [the info] from her. Bust she's still on Murder Inc., and it's still coming in '07, and it's all good."

• Irv Gotti
• Ja Rule
• The Inc. Records
• Vanessa Carlton
• Lloyd

Irv Gotti and Vanessa Carlton
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — A funny thing happened to Irv Gotti on the way to a business meeting.

The multiplatinum hip-hop producer had recently signed a deal with Universal Records for his label, the Inc., and was visiting with the bosses to discuss business matters. (" 'Pinky and the Brain' sh--," he quipped.)

An A&R rep noticed Gotti in the Universal building hallway and prodded him to join another meeting in the adjoining offices where, oddly enough, Vanessa Carlton happened to be working out a deal to join the label's roster. In a twist of fate even he admits is surprising, Gotti ended up signing the pop singer to his company, the one formerly known as Murder Inc. Now, he and Carlton are pushing to finish her new album in time for a spring release.

"I see Vanessa and I say to myself, 'I know her from somewhere,' " Gotti, preparing for a Carlton showcase at the Canal Room, remembered of their initial chance meeting. "I didn't quite know yet to put the name on it, [but I knew] she was an artist. She started playing and her voice, it completely took me over. I start rambling, running my mouth basically. And just going crazy.

"After I calmed down," Gotti continued, "she played 'A Thousand Miles,' and once I heard the piano riff, I spazzed out again.

" 'You're the girl from "White Chicks," ' " Gotti recalled Carlton jumping in, finishing his thought for him. They laughed about the song being parodied in the Wayans brothers' comedy.

With that number, Gotti knew exactly who Carlton was and began wondering if she would be willing to work with him. Gotti learned Carlton had become a free agent after parting ways with A&M Records following her commercially disappointing 2004 album, Harmonium. At first, a hesitant Gotti only offered Carlton his production assistance. He says he was surprised when her enthusiasm matched his.

"He just has this bundle of energy," Carlton said of meeting Irv. "I was so thrilled. I had been waiting for this reaction [to my music] my whole life and [that day] was the beginning of our friendship and our working relationship."

The two exchanged contact information and soon began paging each other. When Carlton signed her first message to Gotti with her first initial — he affectionately calls her "V" — he says he knew the odd pairing was destined to be. As Gotti explains, the V pendent he wears on his necklace is in remembrance of his late grandmother, who would only allow Gotti to call her "V," even though her nickname had nothing to do with her birth name.

Carlton also called their union coincidental. And she was quick to add that Irv, despite recent baggage from a federal court case (see "Gotti Brothers Found Not Guilty Of Money Laundering") and parting ways with his longtime distributor Def Jam, isn't as strange a bedfellow for her as many would think.

"I don't have an opinion on someone until I meet them, and he instantly struck me as a music guy," Carlton said. "It didn't matter what genre he usually works in or what imaging he has for himself. All I was looking for was someone who I would connect with personally, and there was energy there I wanted to be a part of."

The new duo were tightlipped about what to expect from Carlton's forthcoming album. Irv did reveal that a few surprises are possible, but most likely the effort will consist of Carlton continuing to evolve her sound. Gotti noted he wouldn't force her to become more urban nor would he be overbearing in the creative process, as he is notoriously known to be. "This is the first time where I'm gonna be a co-pilot," Irv said, adding that he usually plays the role of "dictator."

Carlton explained that just having Irv around is enough support for her. "What he gives me the most is this cushion," she said. "And I feel now like I'm sitting on the best patch of songs I've ever written. It's like baking bread, and I think this is the best loaf so far."

"Wait till you get a load of that loaf," Gotti finished.

• Irv Gotti
• Vanessa Carlton
• The Inc. Records

Prince (file)
Photo: Getty Images

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. ...

02.22.2005

Kanye West and a small entourage checked out "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" composer/songwriter Jon Brion's performance on Friday at Largo in Los Angeles. Apparently this wasn't the first time the Grammy-winning rapper has stopped by to watch Brion play at his weekly residency, but if Kanye would have stuck around for the second set, he would have witnessed inventive bluegrass takes on Radiohead and Strokes songs. ...

Jessica Simpson was treated for dehydration due to a stomach virus at a Chicago hospital on Monday while in town to shoot a segment for Friday's "Oprah." Simpson's stay was brief, and she returned to Los Angeles on Tuesday. Her rep said the singer is "already feeling better." ...

Jay-Z announced Tuesday (February 22) that he's opening an education center focusing on music, sports and fashion. The S. Carter Academy in New York will open in the spring, with enrollment starting in March, around the same time a commercial with Jay and New York Knicks star Jamal Crawford promoting the facility is scheduled to start airing. ... Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, currently incarcerated while awaiting trial on charges of murder and racketeering in the Murder Inc. drug-money scandal, has been put in solitary confinement at the Manhattan Detention Center. According to his lawyer, prosecutors requested that McGriff be taken out of the general population because he is a "problem" inmate. The defense has since complained about the move, causing the judge in the case to look into the matter. McGriff is due back in court on March 18, the same day as Irv and Chris Gotti. ...

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler is going solo — in his personal life, anyway. The singer announced Sunday that he is separating from his wife of 17 years, Teresa, according to The Associated Press. He has two kids with Teresa: Chelsea, 16, and Taj, 13. In a statement released by his publicist, Tyler announced the split and said, "We're just a family trying to work through a difficult time." ... Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow and Aerosmith's Joe Perry are among the musicians who have designed Gibson guitars to be auctioned off to benefit the Expedition Inspiration Fund for Breast Cancer Research. The auction will be held May 3 at the Hard Rock Cafe in Los Angeles and online at www.juliensauctions.com. ...

Phil Lesh has been tapped to host the fifth annual Jammy Awards, to be held April 26 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden. The awards, which honor the world's best jam bands, will be given out in eight categories, including Live Performance of the Year, Archival Live Album of the Year and New Groove of the Year. ... Erykah Badu has recently been in the studio with the Neptunes working on her next album. The follow-up to 2003's Worldwide Underground is expected to be released later this year. ...

After more than two decades playing together and a sold-out reunion concert on Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin, the Jayhawks have called it quits. Singer Gary Louris told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that "we haven't completely closed the door, but ... I'd say it's dead." The band released five major-label albums over the course of its career, with its last recorded work being 2003's Rainy Day Music. ... Antonio Banderas and Carlos Santana will join Beyoncé and Josh Groban as performers at Sunday's Academy Awards. The two will perform the Best Song from a Motion Picture nominee "Al Otro Lado Del Rio" from "The Motorcycle Diaries." ...

Henry Rollins is taking his talking show "Caught in the Zipper" to the Zipper Theater in New York for a slew of dates. The volatile singer/spoken-word artist will perform there March 22-27, March 29, and March 31-April 2. ... Glenn Danzig will reunite with his old Misfits bandmate Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein at shows February 28 at the Roxy Theatre in Boston, March 1 at the Spirit Performance Center in New York, and March 2 at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. The duo, who performed together for the first time in 20 years at two surprise West Coast dates last year, will play a 30-minute set of Misfits favorites after Danzig's regular set in support of his new album, Circle of Snakes. Danzig also recently completed Black Aria II, the follow-up to 1993's classical album Black Aria, and is writing a movie adaptation of "Gerouge," one of the comic-book titles distributed by his Verotik publishing company. ...

• Prince
• Ryan Cabrera
• Lil' Mo
• Vanessa Carlton
• Kevin Bacon

Britney Spears <I>Greatest Hits: My Perogative</I>

Before she exercises her prerogative to take another break from the music business, Britney Spears is giving her fans a parting gift.

The domestically inclined pop star is releasing an album of her biggest hits this week. Greatest Hits: My Prerogative includes her breakout hit "... Baby One More Time," coming-of-age track "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman," Madonna collaboration "Me Against the Music," and the Bobby Brown cover and title track "My Prerogative."

Ja Rule had a large amount of material to pick from as well when he put together his new album, R.U.L.E. The disc's 18 tracks were picked from around 25-30 songs Ja recorded in the studio. R.U.L.E. features collaborations with Ashanti, R. Kelly, Jadakiss and Fat Joe and the street single "New York."

Fabolous gives some Real Talk on his third album, produced by Just Blaze. The disc also features Lil' Mo, T.I. and Sean Paul. But the hottest grouping of artists can be found on the soundtrack to "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie." Avril Lavigne, the Flaming Lips, Wilco, Motörhead, the Shins and Ween are just a few of the artists who've recorded songs for the soundtrack.

Anticipation has been similarly mounting for the release of the soundtrack to the video game "Halo 2." The disc features tracks by artists including Incubus, Hoobastank and Breaking Benjamin.

Also out this week are albums by New Edition, whose last studio release was in 1996 (One Love); Vanessa Carlton, whose sophomore album is coming two years after the release of her debut (Harmonium); NOFX (The Greatest Songs Ever Written (By Us)); Neko Case (The Tigers Have Spoken); Elton John (Peachtree Road); and Handsome Boy Modeling School (White People).

Out Tuesday, November 9:

• An Angle - And Take It With a Grain of Salt (Drive Thru/Sanctuary)
• Tony Bennett - The Art of Romance (Columbia)
• Vanessa Carlton - Harmonium (A&M Records)
  Read: "Vanessa Carlton Recalls Her Days As A Naughty Ballerina"
  Buy Now: Harmonium (A&M Records)
• Bill Carrothers - Armistice 1918 (Sketch/Cryptogramophone)
• Neko Case - The Tigers Have Spoken (Anti/Epitaph)
• Will Downing - Christmas, Love and You (GRP)
• Fabolous - Real Talk (Elektra/Atlantic)
  Read: "Fabolous Breathes Easy With Lil Jon, Sean Paul, Lil' Mo On His LP"
  Buy Now: Real Talk (Elektra/Atlantic)
• Glide - Curvature of the Earth (spinART)
• Grizzly Bear - Horn of Plenty (Kanine)
• Handsome Boy Modeling School - White People (Atlantic)
• Hellogoodbye - Hellogoodbye (EP, Drive Thru/Sanctuary)
• Ja Rule - R.U.L.E. (Def Jam)
  Read: "Ja Rule Nearly Extended His R.U.L.E."
  Buy Now: R.U.L.E. (Def Jam)
• Elton John - Peachtree Road (Rocket/Universal)
• Toby Keith - Greatest Hits 2 (Dreamworks Nashville)
• Love.45 - Love.45 (Rock Ridge)
• Mystics - Hushabye Again (Collectables)
• New Edition - One Love (Bad Boy)
  Read: "One Love But Two Sounds: Classic New Edition And '04 BBD Flow"
  Buy Now: R.U.L.E. (Def Jam)
• Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Dirt on the Strings: The Instrumental Collection (S&P)
• NOFX - The Best Songs Ever Written (By Us) (Epitaph)
• Carl Palmer - Working Live - Vol. 2 (Sanctuary Classics)
• Queen - On Fire: Live at the Bowl (Hollywood)
• Linda Ronstadt - Hummin' to Myself (Verve)
• Seal - Best of 1991-2004 (Warner Bros)
• Derek Sherinian - Mythology (InsideOut)
• Britney Spears - Greatest Hits: My Prerogative (Jive)
  Read: "Britney Fans, You Can Stop Speculating Now — Official Hits LP Track List Revealed"
• Stray Cats - Rumble in Brixton (Surfdog)
• Stroke 9 - All In (Rock Ridge)
• Toothpick - Time Travelin' Couch (V1)
• Shania Twain - Greatest Hits (Mercury Nashville)
  Buy Now: Greatest Hits (Mercury Nashville)
• John Wells - The Dash (Cross Movement)
• Michael Wolff & Impure Thoughts - Dangerous Vision (Artemis)
• Various artists - All-Star Bluegrass Celebration (Rainmaker)
• Various artists - Give 'Em the Boot IV (Hellcat)
• Various artists - "Halo 2" soundtrack (Sumthing Else)
• Various artists - Music From the Chocolate Lands (Putumayo)
• Various artists - "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" soundtrack (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Avril Lavigne Gives Squishy SpongeBob Song A Harder Edge"
• Various artists - We Like to Party (V1)
• DVD: Poi Dog Pondering - "Audio Visivo" (Koch)
• DVD: Something Corporate - "Live at the Ventura Theater" (Geffen)

November 16:

• Eminem - Encore (Aftermath)
  Buy Now: Encore (Aftermath)
• Bon Jovi - 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong (Island)
• Destiny's Child - Destiny Fulfilled (Sony)
  Read: "Destiny's Child: Reunited And It Feels So Good"
  Buy Now: Destiny Fulfilled (Sony)
• Lil Jon & East Side Boyz - Crunk Juice (TVT)
  Read: "Lil Jon's Crunk Juice Finalized; Usher, Luda, Nas, Snoop, Chris Rock On Board"
  Buy Now: Crunk Juice (TVT)

November 23:

• U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (Interscope)
  Buy Now: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (Interscope)
• Gwen Stefani - Love, Angel, Music, Baby (Interscope)
• Fantasia Barrino - Free Yourself (J Records)
  Read: "Missy Elliott, R. Kelly Helping Fantasia With Her Debut LP"
• Ruben Studdard - I Need an Angel (J Records)
  Read: "Ruben Studdard Decides Christmas Just Isn't Spiritual Enough"
  Buy Now: I Need an Angel (J Records)

November 30

• Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway (RCA)
  Read: "Kelly Clarkson Tries For Another 'Breakaway' Hit"
  Buy Now: Breakaway (RCA)
• Nas - Street's Disciple (Sony)
  Read: "Nas: A Fire Inside"
  Buy Now: Street's Disciple (Sony)
• T.I. - Urban Legend (Atlantic)
  Buy Now: Urban Legend (Atlantic)

December 7:

• Lindsay Lohan - Speak (Casablanca)
• Ashanti - Concrete Rose (Def Jam)
• Cam'ron - Purple Haze (Roc-a-Fella)
• Diana DeGarmo - Diana DeGarmo (RCA)

• Britney Spears
• Ja Rule
• Fabolous
• New Edition
• Vanessa Carlton

Vanessa Carlton (file)
Photo: Interscope

Vanessa Carlton doesn't like to do as she's told.

When the time came to follow up her 2002 platinum debut, Be Not Nobody, convention dictated that she shouldn't stray too far from whatever made the rollicking love song "A Thousand Miles" such a hit. But Carlton, who sat demurely behind a piano when many of her pop contemporaries were shaking it in half-shirts, has never been about meeting other people's expectations.

"I had my midlife crisis when I was about 17," Carlton explained, referring to when she was an aspiring professional ballerina. "I wanted to dance, but I wanted to do it my way. I started skipping all these classes, and I was deemed the bad, lazy dancer, the bad girl."

The video for "White Houses," the first single off her second album, Harmonium, due November 9, showcases the 24-year-old singer/songwriter's own unconventional style of dancing, while also displaying her two passions (see "Sick Of Sitting Down, Vanessa Carlton Gets Up and Dances"). She plays two roles in the clip: one Vanessa is seated at the piano while the other prances around in interpretive — and special-effects-enhanced — ways. The video also works as a metaphor for how she balanced the two sides of her personality while butting heads with her old dance instructors.

"It was very depressing, and the only thing that got me through it and kept me healthy is the music that I was writing. I was like, 'At least this is mine.' I started to become the dancer who could play [piano], not just the one who skips class. I was the dancer who had something else in her life."

Harmonium gives Carlton's fans a clearer view of the singer's whole personality, one that's a few shades darker than even the gray-mired outlook exhibited on Be Not Nobody.

"There are darker themes to the record," Carlton explained. "There's a song about a girl who's dead. There is a song about insomnia, which I have suffered from for many years — but now I sleep like a baby. There's a song on there in particular — ah it kills me — about a girl I met on tour who's dying of cancer. She's 5 years old.

"A lot of people listen to this record and they're like, 'Uh, I didn't know that those were the types of songs that you wrote. That's really cool,' " she added.

Whether the fans who fell in love with previous singles "A Thousand Miles," "Pretty Baby" and "Ordinary Day" will agree doesn't concern Carlton any more. The time for worrying about that is long over.

"Really, the pressure was in the studio," she said. "The pressure was making and maintaining the sounds of a record that is true to the state that I am in as a musician. It's completely going to represent me, it's not going to be dressed in fear and rehashing. The record is in jeopardy of going back to those old tricks up until the very last day you are mixing it, because there's always forces conspiring against you to prevent change, especially when you're in a business where you have money, where you're a monetary value to somebody else. If you're an investment, you don't want to change the investment if it worked the first time."

By Carlton's definition, Harmonium is already successful, long before it ever sells its first copy. If she's an artist, the album is simply an example of self-expression. No longer grouped with Avril Lavigne and Michelle Branch as part of a crop of young female singer/songwriters who play their own instruments, Carlton's new challenge is trying to balance her artistic credibility with a fanbase built upon "TRL" appeal.

"On a certain level, I don't care if people think I'm as cool as Radiohead," she said. "Ultimately, what's important to me is the quality of the music and if I'm telling the truth. If I happen to be on 'TRL' with a song that the MTV audience happens to like, but also Flaming Lips fans are going to like, too, that's great."

Vanessa Carlton tour dates, according to A&M Records:

• 10/26 - Toronto, ON @ Mod Club
• 10/27 - Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe
• 10/29 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
• 10/30 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
• 11/1 - Alexandria, VA @ The Birchmere
• 11/3 - New York, NY @ Joe's Pub
• 11/5 - Savannah, GA @ School of Art & Design
• 11/12 - Denver, CO @ Soiled Dove
• 11/14 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
• 11/16 - West Hollywood, CA @ The Roxy Theatre
• 11/18 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
• 11/20 - Seattle, WA @ Crocodile Cafe
• 11/21 - Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater

• Vanessa Carlton

A November 4 release has been set for Ruben Studdard's upcoming gospel album, the start of a barrage of "American Idol" music. Clay Aiken's holiday record is due November 16, Fantasia's debut album is due November 23, Kelly Clarkson's sophomore set will follow November 30, and Diana DeGarmo's debut will round things out on December 7. ...

At least half of Metallica know what they'll be doing in early 2005: entering the studio. In two separate newspaper interviews, guitarist Kirk Hammett and drummer Lars Ulrich said that the band plans to log studio time sometime after the completion of its North American tour on November 20. ... Vanessa Carlton will embark on a 17-date tour next month in support of her new album, Harmonium, due November 9. The singer/pianist is bringing a full orchestra with her on the outing, which begins October 21 in Minneapolis and ends November 21 in Portland, Oregon. ...

Like Slipknot? Old enough to drive? Fluent in German? If you meet those three qualifications, then head on over to the German version of eBay, where you can bid on an official Slipknot Mercedes-Benz. The car features the Slipknot logo on its hood and doors and was used to promote the band's latest album, Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses). Bidding — in Euros — was at the equivalent of $1,473.30 as of press time. ... Like countless bands before them, Yellowcard are getting in on the live DVD market. "Beyond Ocean Avenue: Live at the Electric Factory," in stores November 2, features concert footage taken from the band's two sold-out performances at Philadelphia's Electric Factory in May. Also included on the DVD is the "Beyond Ocean Avenue" documentary, a behind-the-scenes look at the band's rise to fame. ...

The Reverend Al Sharpton, Styles P and Marsha Ambrosius, one half of Floetry, all took the stage Sunday night at the Anthony Hamilton and Angie Stone concert in New York. ... The ill-fated Field Day festival is having another go at it. A year after plans for a two-day festival in a pasture on Long Island, New York, were downsized to a miserable, rain-soaked single-day affair at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, promoter Andrew Dreskin has gotten permission from the town of Red Hook, New York, to put on the show next July. Although bands have yet to be confirmed, he hopes to get Radiohead, Beck and the Beastie Boys — all of whom played Field Day in 2003 — to return. ...

P. Diddy, Dame Dash and the rest of the music moguls may need to make room for one more. Joe Simpson, father and manager of Jessica and Ashlee, has formed JT Records, named for Joe and his wife, Tina Simpson. The first act signed to the imprint, to be distributed by Ashlee's label Geffen, is the band Barefoot. ... California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order on Friday demanding the state chief information officer develop a policy regarding the illegal use of peer-to-peer file-sharing applications on state computers. Schwarzenegger, much to the delight of the recording industry, is the first state executive to enact such an order. ...

"Something the Lord Made," the HBO television movie starring rapper Mos Def as surgical pioneer Vivien Thomas, picked up three Emmy awards Sunday night, including one for outstanding Made for Television Movie. While he didn't win, Mos Def had been nominated for Outstanding Actor for a Made for Television Movie. ... Television are re-forming for a concert at New York's Roseland on October 2, and Patti Smith and her band will share the bill. ...

Former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra plans on joining Ministry onstage in the next few days to perform some tunes by Lard, Biafra and Ministry singer Al Jourgensen's side project, which released two albums in the '90s. The five-date string of shows begins Friday in Los Angeles. Ministry are on the road to support their latest album, Houses of the Molé, which dropped in June. ... Even with three solo albums under her belt, Moldy Peaches member Kimya Dawson remains relatively unknown, but a crop of her friends, including Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins, Vanessa Carlton, Daniel Johnston and GN'R/ Primus drummer Brain, is trying to change that. They all appear on Dawson's fourth LP, Hidden Vagenda, due October 5. ...

Brooklyn, New York, production team/record label DFA — a.k.a. Death From Above — will release DFA Compilation #2 this November. The 18-track LP collects music previously released on a series of 12-inch singles over the past two years. Artists on the album include the Rapture and LCD Soundsystem. ... Collective Soul are returning after a four-year hiatus with Youth, due November 16. The album's first single, "Counting the Days," was released to radio earlier this month. ...

09.17.2004

Phil Spector's new lawyer, Bruce Cutler, who is best known for representing mobster John Gotti, convinced a Los Angeles judge this week to delay a preliminary hearing for the producer's murder trial to December 16. "I think Bruce Cutler is a genius," Spector, who has fired several lawyers since his arrest in February 2003, told reporters. "There was no crime committed, and I'm sure he'll bring forth evidence that the district attorney has been hiding." ...

Fabolous has a little bit more breathing to do before he gives birth to his next LP. Fab's Real Talk has been pushed back to November 9. ... 4AD has announced that it will reissue the first three Pixies albums on heavyweight 180-gram vinyl. The 1987 mini-album Come on Pilgrim, 1988's Surfer Rosa and 1989's Doolitte will all get the deluxe treatment. All three re-releases come with original artwork, except for Doolitte, which will now come with an insert including the lyrics. ... Proving he's a true Renaissance man, Marilyn Manson will not only release his greatest-hits album, Lest We Forget: The Best of Marilyn Manson, on September 28, but he's staging a second exhibition of his paintings. The exhibit, called "Trismegistus," features more than 20 paintings, many of them new. The first show was held on Tuesday in Paris, and a second is scheduled for September 21 in Berlin. U.S. dates for "Trismegistus" are expected to be announced shortly. ...

When's the last time you went to a party and saw porn stars Heather Hunter and Janet Jacme hangin' with Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown? Well, all the women were at Harlem's Cherry Lounge Thursday night to celebrate the opening of DJ Clue and Timbaland's new club. P. Diddy, Fat Joe and Bruce Willis made sure the fellas had ample representation as well. ... Having dropped frontman Jon Spencer's name from atop their moniker, the Blues Explosion are getting ready to hit the road in support of their upcoming album, Danger. The tour starts November 3 in Madison, Wisconsin, and concludes November 30 in the Blues Explosion's hometown of New York. ... Bay Area slang master E-40 has signed with Lil Jon's BME Records. Jon is already working on the album with the help of producer Rick Rock (Tupac, Busta Rhymes). ...

"Scarface," the 1983 Al Pacino drama that has inspired numerous hip-hop lyricists, is being turned into a video game. Due in the fall of 2005, the game will allow users to navigate Tony Montana through Miami's drug culture. ... Instruction, the Long Island rockers featuring former Quicksand guitarist Tom Capone along with former members of Errortype: 11, will open for Helmet from October 20 in Vancouver, British Columbia, to November 10 in Toronto. The band's debut, God Doesn't Care, produced by Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Kiss), was released last month. ... Razorlight, whose debut album is favoring well in the band's home country of England, have set an October 26 U.S. release date for the record. The first single, "Golden Touch," has just been shipped to radio. ...

• Ruben Studdard
• Clay Aiken
• Kelly Clarkson
• Metallica
• Vanessa Carlton

Jennifer Lopez made a cancer-stricken 5-year-old's dream come true recently, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Serena Castanon of Oxnard, California, has acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and during her extended hospital stays, she's been watching Lopez's movies on a laptop from her hospital bed. So Make-A-Wish helped Serena meet her idol earlier this summer, and also treated her to a beauty makeover. ...

Snoop Dogg is giving one back to the kids with the upcoming Snooper Bowl, a charity football event that will pit the rapper's all-star youth football team from California against a Jacksonville, Florida, team on February 5, 2005, the day before Super Bowl XXXIX. There will be halftime and post-game concerts featuring performers from Snoop's label. The game will raise money for Snoop's Save a Life Foundation, which works with inner-city youth and children's hospitals. ... Vanessa Carlton is heading up an event promoting the power and influence of women voters called "Vaginas Vote, Chicks Rock." Also appearing at the event, taking place September 13 at New York's Apollo Theater, will be Rosario Dawson, Julia Stiles, "The Vagina Monologues" playwright Eve Ensler, Susan Sarandon and Gloria Steinem, among others. ...

First 'NSYNC, then the Spice Girls, and now 98 Degrees can count a member in the Broadway cast of "Rent." Drew Lachey will fill Joey Fatone's shoes when he steps in to star as Mark in the production, starting September 10 and running through March 11. ... Cure frontman Robert Smith headed home to London for "personal reasons" after his performance Wednesday at the Salt Lake City stop on the Curiosa Festival tour. According to the band's Web site, the August 21 Seattle show at the Gorge will be rescheduled as a special show called "An Evening With the Cure," to take place in Everett, Washington, on August 31 at the Everett Event Center. All tickets for the August 21 date will be honored at the show on August 31, and additional tickets can be purchased at the venue's box office. ...

Michael Moore has signed a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster to publish a book of letters sent to him by U.S. troops stationed in Iraq called "Will They Ever Trust Us Again," as well as a companion reader to the highly successful documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11," titled "The Official Fahrenheit 9/11 Reader." According to Reuters, the former, set to hit stores in November, features letters received by Moore in the past year, while the latter, with a release date slated to coincide with the documentary's DVD/home video release in October, includes a full transcript of the film. ... Dave Navarro went into the studio Wednesday night with ex-Deep Purple/ Black Sabbath singer Glenn Hughes and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. "It should be a blast," Navarro wrote on his Web site before heading in to record with former bandmate Smith. "I haven't recorded with Chad in years. ... The track is like a '70s-rock-meets-Rage-Against-the-Machine vibe." No word yet on where the song will appear. ...

Motörhead are launching a tour to support their new album, Inferno. The 15-date trek kicks off September 10 in Hollywood and lasts through October 9 in Hartford, Connecticut. ... Originally released on video in 1986, Van Halen's "Live Without a Net" is coming out on DVD for the first time. Shot during the band's 5150 tour, the 90-minute DVD, out September 14, features performances of "Why Can't This Be Love?" "Best of Both Worlds" and the Sammy Hagar solo cut "I Can't Drive 55." ... Depeche Mode will release their performance film "Devotional" as a DVD this fall. Directed by Anton Corbijn, the film was recorded during the band's 1993 world tour and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Long-Form Music Video. It'll be in stores September 20 as a two-disc DVD set, with extras such as six remastered promo videos, including "Walking in My Shoes," and a series of back projections that were used on the second half of the tour. ...

Omaha, Nebraska, synth rockers the Faint are set to release their fourth disc, Wet From Birth, on September 14. Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes produced the album, written and recorded in a rented warehouse stockpiled with broken washers and dryers. ... Alt-country chanteuse Neko Case will release a live album, The Tigers Have Spoken, November 9. The versatile singer, who often lends her voice to the New Pornographers, is also working on a studio album, due next spring. ...

8.18.2004

For those who were worried sick about Tinkerbell, rest easy — she's been found and is safe. Paris Hilton's Chihuahua went missing last Wednesday, and after a week away from her owner — and with a $5,000 reward offered, according to posters displayed all over the West Hollywood area — the pet is being pampered once again. ...

Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, R.E.M. and the other bands performing at upcoming Vote for Change concerts in swing states will unite for one special final show in Miami in October. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, John Fogerty, Bright Eyes, Ben Harper, Jurassic 5, Dixie Chicks, James Taylor, My Morning Jacket and Death Cab for Cutie will also perform at the show. ... Besides great football realism, the other highlight of "Madden NFL Football 2005" is the soundtrack. In order to hear the exclusive remixes and pre-release album tracks, however, you had to get the game ... until now. The soundtrack, featuring cuts from Franz Ferdinand, Green Day, New Found Glory and Will.I.Am, is now available on Apple's iTunes music store for 99 cents per song. ...

Dennis "D-Roc" Miles, a guitarist in Ice-T's band Body Count, died Tuesday of mycosis fungoides, a cancer that attacks the lymph nodes and skin. Miles is the third original member of the band to pass away in recent years. ... Former teen pop star Tiffany married English businessman Ben George earlier this month. Tiffany, who has an 11-year-old son from her first marriage, has said the couple plans to have children soon. ...

Incubus will perform with Café Tacuba at the fifth annual Latin Grammy Awards on September 1 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Ozomatli have also been added as performers, while Christina Milian and Wilmer Valderrama are among the latest presenters announced. ... Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea and John Frusciante, Nelly Furtado, Siouxsie Sioux, Gina Gershon and David Blaine were among the celebrities who turned out for PJ Harvey's show Tuesday at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood. ...

AFI are releasing a 13-track retrospective to showcase music from their six releases on indie label Nitro Records. AFI, including rare tracks like those only available on vinyl ("Lower It") and import ("A Winter's Tale"), is due out November 2. ... To coincide with the compilation album Rock Against Bush, Vol. 2, which sold more than 25,000 copies in its first week, Anti-Flag, Strike Anywhere, Midtown and Tom Morello's alter ego the Nightwatchman will embark on a tour primarily consisting of swing states, beginning September 18 in Portland, Oregon. The three-week trek, which also makes stops in Washington state, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania, winds down October 9 in Pittsburgh. ... After drawing an estimated 110,000 fans to their farewell show at Boston's Hatch Shell, indie rockers Dispatch have inked a deal with Universal to distribute their back catalog. The label will also release a CD/DVD that chronicles the November performance. ...

Troubled Libertines singer/guitarist Pete Doherty pleaded guilty to weapons possession in a London court on Tuesday and could face jail time. Doherty, who's been in and out of rehab, was found with a switchblade knife on June 18. Sentencing is scheduled for September 1. Meanwhile, the Libertines played a showcase gig in New York on Tuesday and has another scheduled in Los Angeles on Thursday, in support of their self-titled second album, due August 30. ... Former MTV producer, Shortlist Music Prize co-founder and first-time filmmaker Greg Spotts is releasing a political documentary called "American Jobs," an investigation exploring the loss of American jobs, revealing parallels between plant closures and offshore outsourcing. "While our politicians argue about the relative strength of recovery [of the economy], thousands of Americans are losing their jobs to low-wage foreign competition, and these jobs are never coming back," Spotts said in a statement. The film will premiere at the Seattle Town Hall on September 13 and will also be screened at the Silverlake Film Festival in Los Angeles in late September. Clips can be seen at www.americanjobsfilm.com. ...

God Lives Underwater's 2000 album, Up Off the Floor, which was never released due to record-label entanglements, will finally hit shelves on September 28 through Locomotive Music/ Megaforce Records. "The driving impetus for the songs was quite personal," said singer David Reilly. Bandmate Jeff Turzo got married and, he says, "I tried to get clean. So Jeff and I started out with a very positive writing perspective. My being clean lasted about three months and as it deteriorated, the songs became about a struggle and not any kind of victory, and then eventually about a denial and a total loss. I am happy to see this record finally released." ... John Mellencamp is including two new songs on his upcoming career retrospective. The two-CD Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits will be more expansive than his previous best-of, The Best That I Could Do (1978-1988), issued seven years ago, and will include such digitally remastered hits as "Jack and Diane," "Hurts So Good," "Pink Houses," "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.," "Wild Night" and "Peaceful World," as well as liner notes written by Rolling Stone's Jann Wenner. ...

• Jennifer Lopez
• Snoop Dogg
• Vanessa Carlton
• The Cure

Lil' Kim appeared in a U.S. District Court in New York on Wednesday (July 28) and pleaded not guilty in a superceding indictment that included her manager Hillary Weston. Kim (real name Kimberly Jones) was indicted in April for perjury and obstruction of justice, stemming from her alleged involvement in a 2001 shooting outside the offices of New York radio station Hot 97. During her hearing, a new trial date was set for February 28, according to her attorney Mel Sachs. "Kim has been unfairly accused and unjustly charged," Sachs said. "She has been wrongfully targeted and singled out because of who she is in the music industry." ...

Disney will release Hilary Duff's first concert DVD, "Hilary Duff: The Girl Can Rock," on August 10. The disc features more than 50 minutes of Duff's Metamorphosis tour and will contain her music videos for "Come Clean" and "So Yesterday." Fans will also get a behind-the-scenes look at her tour, her first surfing lesson and exclusive footage of the pop star recording her new album. ... Maroon 5, Yellowcard, All-American Rejects, Vanessa Carlton and Fabolous are among the artists who have autographed tank tops to benefit MusicEdge and Ban's fight to keep music programs in schools. The shirts will be auctioned off on eBay on August 5. ... B2K's Raz-B has signed on as an ambassador for the Jacquie Youth Foundation in Houston. The singer will perform and appear in a celebrity basketball game on August 28 to raise funds for the foundation's new shelter for girls. ...

Black Eyed Peas have contributed the unreleased "For the People" to the soundtrack for "Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie," due August 10, three days before the movie opens. The theme song to the popular TV show appears as a hidden track. ... The Latin Recording Academy has named Carlos Santana 2004's Person of the Year. Black Eyed Peas, Dave Matthews, Rob Thomas, Ozomatli, Robi Rosa and others will honor the rocker at a Los Angeles ceremony scheduled for August 30, hosted by George Lopez and Cheech Marin and produced by Quincy Jones. ...

Big Hutch checked into jail on Wednesday. The rapper (real name Gregory Hutchinson) was indicted for conspiracy to traffic 1,000 pounds of marijuana in a case pursued by agents of the Drug Enforcement Association, according to his publicist. "I was driving, and federal marshals pulled me over and picked me up," Hutchinson said in a statement. "They told me I had been indicted for drug trafficking." Hutchinson also offered advice to others who might find themselves in a similar situation, saying, "If you are with one or more individuals, and you ever suspect something unusual is going on, just jump up and say, 'I don't know what is going on here, but I have an important appointment,' and leave immediately." Hutchinson's publicist said she expects the rapper to be out of jail within a year. ...

Lenny Kravitz is one of the stars slated for Gap's fall campaign, called "How Do You Wear it?" Also included in the campaign, which will break next week in print ads in September issues of fashion magazines, are actresses Sarah Jessica Parker, Jada Pinkett Smith and Jessica Alba and actors Michael Vartan, Josh Duhamel and Peter Krause, as well as New England Patriot Tom Brady. The television campaign featuring Kravitz and Parker will debut during the MTV Video Music Awards on August 29. ... R.E.M. will release "Leaving New York" as the first single from their as-yet-untitled new album, due October 5. The band has also announced it will tour in the fall, although dates have yet to be finalized. Meanwhile, guitarist Peter Buck will make a guest appearance on the Thrills' Let's Bottle Bohemia, due September 14. ...

An all-star lineup of Paul Oakenfold, BT, the Crystal Method and Junkie XL performed at a party Tuesday in Los Angeles celebrating the addition of the Best Electronic/Dance Album category at the Grammys. "This is a big step," DJ and host of the event Jason Bentley said at a reception before the show. "Now we just need to encourage artists to submit their albums." ... Jason Mraz has recorded a version of "Rainbow Connection" for For the Kids Too, a follow-up to 2002's For the Kids compilation that features children's music by Sarah McLachlan, Guster and others. The new album, due October 19, also features They Might Be Giants, Nada Surf, Butterfly Boucher, Ron Sexsmith and Lisa Loeb. ... Godsmack’s live DVD "Changes" will be released September 14. The disc will feature material shot early this year at a concert in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. ...

Yo La Tengo will headline a concert benefiting the Kerry campaign in New York on August 12. Titled "The End of an Error," the event will feature music, comedy and politics; is co-chaired by Sandra Bernhard and Kerry's stepson Chris Heinz; and will feature comics Demetri Martin, Eric Bogosian and Rachel Dratch, author Jonathan Lethem, "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" 's Ted Allen and others. ... The Bangles will be handed an honorary degree on Friday from the Liverpool Institute of the Performing Arts by none other than Paul McCartney, who helped found the school in 1996. In March 2003, the Bangles took time out from their European tour to conduct a master class at the institute, which was reportedly the highest attended and most popular session the school has ever held. All four Bangles will be inducted as "Companions," an honor reserved for people who have not only achieved greatness within the performing arts, but who have also passed advice and help to LIPA students, and it will be the first time an entire band will receive this honor. ...

7.27.2004

Britney Spears will appear at the 2004 Teen Choice Awards, which are taping August 8 in Universal City, California, and will air August 11 on FOX. Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are hosting the show, which will also feature appearances by Jennifer Garner, Jimmy Fallon, Mischa Barton, Christina Applegate, Anne Hathaway, Wilmer Valderrama, Chad Michael Murray, Tyra Banks and Shawn and Marlon Wayans. Teens can vote for the awards at www.teenpeople.com/teenchoice. ... Britney's little sister, Jamie Lynn, is starring in a new live-action comedy series on Nickelodeon called "Zoey 101," in which she'll play a 13-year-old attending a newly coed beachside boarding school. In the premiere episode, Jamie Lynn's character, Zoey Brooks, aims to make the basketball team, much to the chagrin of the boys already on the team. The show, shot on location in Malibu, California, will air on Sundays starting in early 2005. ...

Filmmaker Michael Moore's controversial "Fahrenheit 9/11," whose box-office receipts total more than $100 million, will be screened in the overwhelmingly pro-Bush Crawford, Texas, home of the president's vacation ranch. Via his Web site, Moore extended an invitation for Bush to join the expected 1,000 people at the screening. "The premiere will give us a chance to serve up some chips, salsa and a whole lot of truth," Moore wrote. "And let's face it, you've got some of the funniest lines in the film." ... Rapper Loon will appear in court on September 8 for a preliminary hearing on his charge of one count of assault with a deadly weapon. The MC missed a June 3 preliminary hearing at Beverly Hills Superior Court and a bench warrant was issued for June 30. Loon and co-defendant William Reyes turned themselves in that day. ...

Katy Rose is using the Chicks With Attitude Tour with Liz Phair and the Cardigans to promote her new single, "I Like." "It's a very powerful song," Rose said. "We usually open the show with it. It's basically saying that maybe I could like myself one day and maybe I could like you one day, because anything can happen, really." ... Rooney are returning to the studio next month with Keith Forsey, who produced the band's self-titled debut, to record the follow-up. In the meantime, the band has released separate exclusive live tracks to Napster and Rhapsody! and is encouraging radio stations to play "Pop Stars," although it will not be an official single. "It's about the candy-coated glossy poppy music," singer Robert Carmine said. "It was written like three or four years ago at the peak of all that Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys [stuff]." ...

Former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic's first book, "Of Grunge & Government: Let's Fix This Broken Democracy!," will hit bookshelves on September 15. One part memoir, one part political platform, Novoselic tells the story of his musical and political coming-of-age. ... OK Go are giving bands the OK to go political. Lead singer Damian Kulash has written a how-to guide for bands interested in becoming politically active. His "How Your Band Can Fire Bush," a manifesto/resource guide, can be found at www.okgo.net, and provides tools for bands to talk to their fans and the press about politics. For your Bush-bashing convenience, Kulash has also included a two-page fact sheet of what President Bush has and has not accomplished while in office. ...

The Polyphonic Spree's two-week tour to promote the release of their second album, Together We're Heavy, will begin August 13 in Chicago. Seven East Coast dates stand between the kickoff and the trek's finale, August 25 in New York. ... Sorry, ladies — Reel Big Fish frontman Aaron Barrett has married his girlfriend of more than two years, Molly Terrence. The couple were wed during an impromptu ceremony in Las Vegas on July 21, in a ceremony that included Barrett's fellow bandmates and some friends. Reel Big Fish had been in town for a show at the House of Blues, and finish up their tour this week before they head off to Hawaii for another wedding — that of their bassist, Matt Wong. ... Following their departure from Geffen Records in March, Cold have inked a deal with Atlantic Records and have completed eight songs for their follow-up to 2003's Year of the Spider. Producer Dave Fortman is expected to join the band when Cold hit a Massachusetts studio to record the new material. ...

• Lil' Kim
• Hilary Duff
• Maroon 5
• Big Hutch
• Vanessa Carlton

Vanessa Carlton on the set of "White Houses"
Photo: MTV News

Vanessa Carlton has always said that she's a dancer first, and in her upcoming video, fans are finally going to see the proof of it. The singer plays a dual role in the clip for "White Houses," in which she both stays seated at her trademark piano and bounces around it — and on it — to the annoyance of her piano-player self.

"There's a bit of schizophrenia in the video," Carlton said during a break from shooting. "I'm a musician who just sits there forever, and I'm someone who likes to jump around and move. I actually have legs!"

Carlton studied ballet as a teenager, but a sudden growth spurt forced her to leave her love of dance behind. Now that she's older, she's reclaiming her love of dance through a song that takes her back to that time period. "White Houses," the first single off her upcoming Harmonium, due October 19, tells the tale of a girl coming of age, experiencing her first passions and reflecting on what she's gained and lost in the process.

"It's about jealousy, it's about losing your virginity, it's about living on your own," she said. "It's a story that most people can relate to, that chapter in your life from 16 to 25, where you're trying to figure out who you are, and you go through all these triumphs and tragedies on a daily basis, and how they shape you. It's really the journey of one girl and her perception of her environment and how she starts out as a wide-eyed person, but everyone gets hardened by life, but not necessarily to the point where you can't feel anymore — all these things, in one little snapshot of a song."

Confronting feelings from that tumultuous time, Carlton said, also meant confronting what ruled her life at the time, and finally getting over the hurt feelings of leaving something she loved behind.

"For the first time in years, I have somehow mustered up the courage to get myself to dance, not just in front of other people, but to get myself to dance by myself," she said. "That was a huge transition for me to be completely, 'I'm a ballet dancer, that's all I do, do it hours every day' to being this musician. I've always played piano, it's been part of my life, but I always kind of looked at this as some kind of release from who I really am, which is a dancer. There was a lot of pain when I stopped dancing, and to be able to go back to it, I feel like I'm somehow healed."

Don't worry — she's not wearing a tutu. Carlton said she's more interested in "finding shapes and a feeling in dance" than doing anything too formal, to show that there can be something other than what she characterizes as the "masculine, gyrating, sharp" forms usually seen in music videos these days. "You don't feel anything real from it, except for Beyoncé's booty thing," she said.

And she won't be dancing on tour, "because who will be playing the piano?" she asks. In the meantime, she's enjoying being able to incorporate dance in her life again, even if it is just for one video.

"I'm so sick of sitting down," she said. "I can't wait to finally get up and move around."

• Vanessa Carlton

Jessica, 50 Cent, AFI, More Get Fashionable At The VMA Style Villa

• Jessica Simpson
• 50 Cent
• *NSYNC
• Gnarls Barkley
• Vanessa Carlton

Christina Aguilera, Terrence Howard, Nelly Furtado, More At 'EW' 's Must List Party

• Christina Aguilera
• Vanessa Carlton
• Nelly Furtado

Jeremy Piven, Naomi Watts, Colin Farrell, Alexis Bledel, More At Fifth Annual Tribeca Film Festival

• Vanessa Carlton

Vanessa Carlton, Will Demps, David Draiman

• Disturbed
• Vanessa Carlton

MTV.com LIVE: Vanessa Carlton Photos 11.09.2004

• Vanessa Carlton

Avril, Pink, Nelly, No Doubt, More On 2003 Grammy Red Carpet

• Nelly
• Kelly Rowland
• No Doubt
• Foo Fighters
• Avril Lavigne

Alanis, Vanessa Carlton, Robbie Williams, More Rock The Vote

• Alanis Morissette
• Peter Gabriel
• Robbie Williams
• Vanessa Carlton
• Chuck D

American Music Awards Red Carpet

• B2K
• Beyoncé
• Destiny's Child
• *NSYNC
• Justin Timberlake

45th Annual Grammy Award Nominees, Presenters, And Performers

• Ashanti
• Norah Jones
• Avril Lavigne
• John Mayer
• Nelly

Vanessa Carlton Photos

• Vanessa Carlton