Britney Spears
Photo: Alexander Tamargo/ Getty Images

Britney Spears suffered a setback in her child-custody dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline during a hearing on Monday (September 17). An anticipated "secret witness" — who turned out to be one of the singer's ex-bodyguards — came forward to file a declaration to the court and make himself available to testify on "issues of nudity by Ms. Spears, drug use and safety issues involving the children post-rehab," according to his attorney Gloria Allred. Spears' attorney chose not to cross-examine Tony Barretto, so the ex-bodyguard did not take the stand, which "shocked" Allred, she said. "Since neither the court nor Ms. Spears' attorney chose to examine our client from the witness stand regarding the particulars of his highly explosive and relevant declaration, it stands unrefuted and unchallenged," Allred told reporters outside the courthouse. However, contents of that declaration were not made public Monday, nor were the court's minutes from the closed hearing, so there's no word on how the declaration was received. Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan told reporters he didn't see a quick end to the custody dispute, since the next hearing isn't set until November 26, with another court date to follow in December. "I don't see it being resolved before that time," he said. To make matters worse for Spears, she lost two members of her team on Monday. Attorney Laura Wasser is no longer providing her with legal representation in the custody battle, Wasser confirmed to MTV News — the singer has new representation in Marci Levine, according to Levine's office. Shortly after Wasser threw in the towel, Spears' management company, the Firm, quit as well, according to People. "It saddens us to confirm media reports that we have terminated our professional relationship with Britney Spears," read the statement. "We believe Britney is enormously talented and has made a terrific record, but current circumstances have prevented us from properly doing our job. We wish Britney the best." ...

Meanwhile, the level of absurdity surrounding the Spears/Federline saga has reached a new height. As the former spouses' custody battle continued in Los Angeles Superior Court, another story started to unravel outside the courthouse: that of an alleged contract hit on Federline's life. According to the FBI's Los Angeles office, a "non-specific," "low-credibility" and "uncorroborated" threat on Federline's life was received. "Since there was no federal jurisdiction, we shared the information with the local authorities," FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller told MTV News. "We take every threat seriously. But there was no specificity, no corroboration, and it could not be substantiated." The LAPD, who seemed to take the threat a little less seriously, laughed when asked about it, telling MTV News, "We do not have a current investigation." Federline's rep had no official comment, but his lawyer told reporters outside the courthouse on Monday, "Until I see what the alleged threat was, I can't speak to that." ...

Dave Grohl has opened up to U.K. newspaper The Guardian about the death of his former Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain. "Kurt dying shocked me into running away from music for a while," he divulged. "I started Foo Fighters because I didn't want to retreat. I couldn't imagine joining another band and sitting behind the drum set, because I would always think about Krist [Novoselic] and Kurt." Grohl also revealed that while one of the Foos' earliest songs, "I'll Stick Around," was not directed at Cobain's ex-wife, Courtney Love, he wouldn't be surprised if similar comparisons are made over "Let It Die." The song, featured on the Foos' new album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, features the lyric "A simple man and his blushing bride/ Intravenous, intertwined." The tune was "written about feeling helpless to someone else's demise," Grohl said. "I've seen people lose it all to drugs and heartbreak and death. It's happened more than once in my life, but the one that's most noted is Kurt. And there are a lot of people that I've been angry with in my life, but the one that's most noted is Courtney. So it's pretty obvious to me that those correlations are gonna pop up every now and again. I still remain a little secretive about it all." ...

Even at Sunday night's Emmys, where he wasn't nominated for anything, Kanye West couldn't win. The rapper notorious for loudly expressing his award-show-freeze-out frustrations playfully lampooned his sore-loser reputation during a skit in which actor Rainn Wilson ("The Office") beat Kanye at a game of "Don't Forget the Lyrics" based on 'Ye's song "Stronger," with the loser doomed to retiring from show business. After West slipped up and sang "that's how long I've been on you," comedian Wayne Brady joked that Mr. West picked "the wrong time to speak properly," pointing out that the lyric ends with the words "on ya." A smiling West exclaimed, "I never win!" The consolation? West had a front-row seat for the Los Angeles ceremony, right next to multiple winner Tony Bennett. Later on in the evening, he popped over to Justin Timberlake's concert at the Staples Center for a rendition of West's "Stronger," according to TMZ.com. ...

The stars of "High School Musical" are still in negotiations for a third flick, Corbin Bleu told People magazine. "Truthfully as long as it's a good script and as long as everybody is being paid fairly, I would be more than happy to go and have one last hurrah," he said. The 18-year-old actor also revealed that he's never actually been to an "HSM" premiere due to various scheduling conflicts. ... Comic book fan Ghostface Killah is partnering with Adult Swim for a free tour set to hit college campuses next month. The trek, which will feature Witchdoctor as the opening act, will begin October 1 at the State University of New York in Albany and run through an October 19 gig at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Indie-rockers ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and Dethlok — the once-fictional animated band featured on the Adult Swim program "Metalocalypse" — are joining forces for a separate free trek, but shows have not been announced beyond the October 29 start date. ...

Will Ferrell isn't your typical actor, so it makes sense he wouldn't be your typical charity donor either — he's raising money for a friend's cancer foundation by auctioning a cameo spot in his new flick, The Associated Press reports. Online bidding for an appearance in "Step Brothers" began Monday and ends September 26, and the opening bid was $5,000. The winner will be announced September 27; get to meet with Ferrell at the Cancer for College golf tournament dinner at Temecula Creek Inn in Temecula, California; and shoot a scene with the actor in October. The proceeds will go to Craig Pollard's Cancer for College foundation — Pollard and Ferrell were fraternity brothers at the University of Southern California. ...

Apparently Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor plans to disband the group's current lineup following the final gig on its current tour, which is set for Tuesday in Honolulu. Reznor told Honolulu's Star-Bulletin that he wants "to switch things around a bit." Nine Inch Nails, he said, "as a rock band configuration [has] done it and we've done it again. I see other ways I can present the material in concert, more challenging, something new. I don't want it to go stale." The band has been touring together for more than two years and currently includes drummer Josh Freese, guitarist Aaron North, bassist Jeordie White and keyboardist Alessandro Cortini. ... Marilyn Manson is teaming up with a French family-run distillery, Matter-Luginbuehl, to produce thousands of bottles of his own brand of absinthe, called "Mansinthe." Production on the line started last month, and so far, 6,000 bottles have been made. No word on when "Mansinthe" will be commercially available, or for that matter, where. ... Former Evanescence members Ben Moody and David Hodges have collaborated with Celine Dion for a track slated to appear on the singer's forthcoming Taking Chances LP, due November 13. The duo wrote and produced one track for Dion, called "This Time." ...

Live Nation, which runs the House of Blues chain, has either canceled or moved to alternate venues five heavy-metal concerts previously scheduled at House of Blues clubs located on Walt Disney Co. property in Anaheim, California, and Orlando, Florida, according to the Los Angeles Times. In Anaheim, a gig that had been booked two months earlier and was set to feature Machine Head, Arch Enemy, Throwdown and Sanctity on September 7 was moved to a different venue; a show that was supposed to feature Cannibal Corpse, the Black Dahlia Murder, the Red Chord and the Absence on September 13 was also shifted to a different club; and Obituary's planned September 26 concert has been canceled. Two other shows, scheduled for the House of Blues in Orlando, have been moved as well. John Vlautin, vice president of communications for Live Nation, said in a statement that "House of Blues offers a range of entertainment to match the audience at our venues. It was determined that the mix of entertainment at our two Disney locations should be different from our other venues." ...

After months of delays, the free-download site SpiralFrog finally launched on Monday, offering users the chance to choose from more than 700,000 songs and 3,500 videos from a number of independent labels and Universal Music Group acts like Amy Winehouse, Timbaland, Rihanna and Fall Out Boy. The ad-supported site requires users to wait 90 seconds while downloading tracks and sign in every month to answer some questions about their buying habits. Unfortunately for iPod users, the site doesn't work with the biggest-selling MP3 player, and users can't burn the songs onto CDs.

09.14.07

Kanye West's Graduation is proving to be quite the bear. The album leads with 781,000 copies sold over the 603,000 moved by 50 Cent's Curtis according to projections, Billboard reports. "It's just a few days out," Fiddy told the news outlet, qualifying the numbers. He said the music industry "would consider me to be a hip-hop favorite because of my sales history, and people like to root for the underdog." He also took some time Thursday to sound off about Sunday's VMAs on New York's Hot 97, saying he was shorted compared to 'Ye — even though West has also been complaining he didn't get enough airtime during the show. Fif also managed to take a swipe at his record label, Interscope, during the VMA rant: "As far as the VMAs were concerned, Kanye received the upper hand. I ain't going to front. He had four looks — his song 'Stronger,' his new record 'Good Life,' he had a performance with Soulja Boy, 'Crank [That],' and then he came out with me. So I feel like Def Jam is doing a better job of promoting the CD than Interscope. Interscope is just relying on my base and the actual music. I was on the VMAs for one minute and 20 seconds. I should've just stayed home." ...

Last weekend, Britney Spears had the VMAs to worry about — this weekend, it's her kids. On Friday (September 14), a Los Angeles Superior Court judge postponed making a ruling on whether court documents relating to the singer's divorce and custody case with ex-husband Kevin Federline should be sealed or open to the public. "Access Hollywood" and People magazine were among the media outlets representing the public's interests. Outside the courtroom, Spears' divorce attorney Laura Wasser spoke to reporters, telling them this is a frustrating time for the singer. "I think she just wants to be a mom," Wasser told reporters, "and both of her kids' birthdays are this week, and I think she would've liked to celebrate with them without having to worry about the entire nation — the entire world — being concerned about what's going on with her personally and her custody battle with Mr. Federline." On Monday, the judge will hear Federline's order to show cause for primary physical custody of the couple's two children: Sean Preston, who turned 2 on Friday; and Jayden James, who turned 1 on Wednesday. ...

Earlier this week, the "American Idol" judges had at Britney Spears' VMA performance — now "Dancing With the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba is following suit. "When I watched it, I think they gave her a great place to make a comeback," she told Newsweek. "It was more mature than we've seen in the past. The thing that was unfortunate is that the center of the performance was Britney, and she was only giving about 30 percent. That's why it fell short. The backup dancers focused all the energy right to Britney, and she was the weakest link. ... I think fear got the best of her." ... Jamie Foxx got a place on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on Friday, and when he chatted with reporters at the induction ceremony, he inevitably gave his two cents on Spears' performance. "I think Britney's gonna be fine," he said. "I think that she was courageous to get up there and do her thing. I wish her well for that." ...

Common and Q-Tip will co-headline this year's 2K Sports Bounce Tour, which will kick off September 22 in Milwaukee and conclude October 14 in Los Angeles, according to Filter magazine. Q-Tip is featured in "NBA 2K8" as a playable character and is on the video game's soundtrack as well. ... Mark Ronson — who manned the ones and twos inside the Palms' Pearl Theatre during last weekend's Vegas VMAs — has slapped two U.S. tour dates onto his itinerary: October 3 (Los Angeles) and October 5 (New York). ...

A fire broke out at the Austin City Limits Music Festival on Friday afternoon, injuring four people, according to Austin360.com. The flames erupted inside a trailer located behind the beverage-vendor tents between two of the festival stages, and Pete Yorn's set was stopped as the fire was extinguished. All four people were transported to Brackenridge Hospital, and two are in critical condition. ...

Madonna, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher attended a Kabbalah conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Friday to celebrate the Jewish New Year, according to The Associated Press. She reportedly didn't speak with the media, and the conference was closed to TV cameras. ... Master P visited Monroe Middle School in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday and spoke to roughly 800 students about the importance of education, good financial management and a vision for success, AP reports. The rapper was approached by math teacher Bonnie Mwanda, who reportedly heard he would be in town and thought his success might be an inspiration for her students, many of whom come from similar backgrounds as the hip-hop mogul. "If the principal tells me y'all have a good year, I'm going to bring Romeo back to do a concert," he told the students, according to AP. ...

Fred Durst has been keeping a relatively low profile these days, but the Limp Bizkit frontman was given a 120-day suspended jail sentence after pleading no contest to seven misdemeanors way back on August 16, AP reports. He was also ordered to perform 20 hours of community service and fined $1,500 for assault, battery and reckless driving, for deliberately hitting two people with his car in Los Angeles in October 2006. Moreover, Durst was hit with a restraining order, is not allowed within 100 yards of the two victims — whose names have not been revealed — and cannot possess a firearm. ...

Elton John made a surprise appearance onstage during a Prince concert at London's O2 arena Thursday night. BBC News reports that John joined Prince for a cover of the Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road." After the two-hour-plus show, Prince ducked into the O2's smaller theater and played another two-hour gig, which included covers of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" and another Beatles song, "Come Together." ... Led Zeppelin fans are getting more time for a chance at tickets to see the band perform a one-off reunion gig November 26 at London's O2 arena. Organizers behind the concert — a tribute to late music icon Ahmet Ertegun — are extending the lottery-application process to Wednesday, Billboard reports. The Web site set up to handle registrations received 89.5 million attempts in a 12-hour period on Thursday, according to the news outlet. ...

Members of underground-rock heroes Shudder to Think will reconvene for a one-off gig at New York's Mercury Lounge on Monday, Pitchfork reports. Frontman Craig Wedren and guitarist Nathan Larson — whose conflicts were part of the reason the band broke up in the late '90s — will get together with drummer Kevin March for the gig, although bassist Stuart Hill will not be accompanying them. ... Glassjaw have booked three California dates for next month. The reunited band will play October 28 in Hollywood; October 29 in San Diego; and October 30 in Pomona, California. ... Iconic punk band Operation Ivy's 1991 self-titled compilation LP will be reissued on November 6 on Hellcat. The classic release has been remastered and will also be available for download for the first time. ... PJ Harvey's White Chalk album has shifted from a September 25 release date to October 2. ...

AT&T's Blue Room, the site where political comments made by Pearl Jam during Lollapalooza were censored a month ago, has announced a new policy to avoid repeating that controversial practice during its webcast of this weekend's Austin City Limits Music Festival. According to AT&T spokesperson Steven Schwadron, "AT&T has developed an AT&T Blue Room policy to maintain integrity of the live performances featured on the site. AT&T will not edit any audio during the live webcast, of performances. We may edit visual content — either through camera angle changes or video blackouts — if there is strong sexual content. Also, we are going to have a clear viewer-discretion messaging both before and during the webcasts. The terms and conditions of the site, which users accept when they choose to view the webcast, requires users to be at least 13 years of age." ...

It's been 42 years since Johnny Cash's arrest in Starkville, Mississippi, for picking flowers from a resident's garden. But a judge who is reviewing the matter could potentially pardon the late musician, according to BBC News, and the city plans to instead honor him with the Johnny Cash Pickin' Festival from November 2-4. Cash wrote the track "Starkville City Jail" — which he performed at his legendary live At San Quentin prison LP — after spending a night in the city's prison.

• Kanye Lectures On The Importance Of Graduation

• Kanye West
• Justin Timberlake
• Nine Inch Nails
• Celine Dion
• Machine Head

Kanye West and 50 Cent at the 2007 VMAs
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Kanye West's Graduation is proving to be quite the bear. The album leads with 781,000 copies sold over the 603,000 moved by 50 Cent's Curtis according to projections, Billboard reports. "It's just a few days out," Fiddy told the news outlet, qualifying the numbers. He said the music industry "would consider me to be a hip-hop favorite because of my sales history, and people like to root for the underdog." He also took some time Thursday to sound off about Sunday's VMAs on New York's Hot 97, saying he was shorted compared to 'Ye — even though West has also been complaining he didn't get enough airtime during the show. Fif also managed to take a swipe at his record label, Interscope, during the VMA rant: "As far as the VMAs were concerned, Kanye received the upper hand. I ain't going to front. He had four looks — his song 'Stronger,' his new record 'Good Life,' he had a performance with Soulja Boy, 'Crank [That],' and then he came out with me. So I feel like Def Jam is doing a better job of promoting the CD than Interscope. Interscope is just relying on my base and the actual music. I was on the VMAs for one minute and 20 seconds. I should've just stayed home." ...

Last weekend, Britney Spears had the VMAs to worry about — this weekend, it's her kids. On Friday (September 14), a Los Angeles Superior Court judge postponed making a ruling on whether court documents relating to the singer's divorce and custody case with ex-husband Kevin Federline should be sealed or open to the public. "Access Hollywood" and People magazine were among the media outlets representing the public's interests. Outside the courtroom, Spears' divorce attorney Laura Wasser spoke to reporters, telling them this is a frustrating time for the singer. "I think she just wants to be a mom," Wasser told reporters, "and both of her kids' birthdays are this week, and I think she would've liked to celebrate with them without having to worry about the entire nation — the entire world — being concerned about what's going on with her personally and her custody battle with Mr. Federline." On Monday, the judge will hear Federline's order to show cause for primary physical custody of the couple's two children: Sean Preston, who turned 2 on Friday; and Jayden James, who turned 1 on Wednesday. ...

Earlier this week, the "American Idol" judges had at Britney Spears' VMA performance — now "Dancing With the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba is following suit. "When I watched it, I think they gave her a great place to make a comeback," she told Newsweek. "It was more mature than we've seen in the past. The thing that was unfortunate is that the center of the performance was Britney, and she was only giving about 30 percent. That's why it fell short. The backup dancers focused all the energy right to Britney, and she was the weakest link. ... I think fear got the best of her." ... Jamie Foxx got a place on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on Friday, and when he chatted with reporters at the induction ceremony, he inevitably gave his two cents on Spears' performance. "I think Britney's gonna be fine," he said. "I think that she was courageous to get up there and do her thing. I wish her well for that." ...

Common and Q-Tip will co-headline this year's 2K Sports Bounce Tour, which will kick off September 22 in Milwaukee and conclude October 14 in Los Angeles, according to Filter magazine. Q-Tip is featured in "NBA 2K8" as a playable character and is on the video game's soundtrack as well. ... Mark Ronson — who manned the ones and twos inside the Palms' Pearl Theatre during last weekend's Vegas VMAs — has slapped two U.S. tour dates onto his itinerary: October 3 (Los Angeles) and October 5 (New York). ...

A fire broke out at the Austin City Limits Music Festival on Friday afternoon, injuring four people, according to Austin360.com. The flames erupted inside a trailer located behind the beverage-vendor tents between two of the festival stages, and Pete Yorn's set was stopped as the fire was extinguished. All four people were transported to Brackenridge Hospital, and two are in critical condition. ...

Madonna, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher attended a Kabbalah conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Friday to celebrate the Jewish New Year, according to The Associated Press. She reportedly didn't speak with the media, and the conference was closed to TV cameras. ... Master P visited Monroe Middle School in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday and spoke to roughly 800 students about the importance of education, good financial management and a vision for success, AP reports. The rapper was approached by math teacher Bonnie Mwanda, who reportedly heard he would be in town and thought his success might be an inspiration for her students, many of whom come from similar backgrounds as the hip-hop mogul. "If the principal tells me y'all have a good year, I'm going to bring Romeo back to do a concert," he told the students, according to AP. ...

Fred Durst has been keeping a relatively low profile these days, but the Limp Bizkit frontman was given a 120-day suspended jail sentence after pleading no contest to seven misdemeanors way back on August 16, AP reports. He was also ordered to perform 20 hours of community service and fined $1,500 for assault, battery and reckless driving, for deliberately hitting two people with his car in Los Angeles in October 2006. Moreover, Durst was hit with a restraining order, is not allowed within 100 yards of the two victims — whose names have not been revealed — and cannot possess a firearm. ...

Elton John made a surprise appearance onstage during a Prince concert at London's O2 arena Thursday night. BBC News reports that John joined Prince for a cover of the Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road." After the two-hour-plus show, Prince ducked into the O2's smaller theater and played another two-hour gig, which included covers of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" and another Beatles song, "Come Together." ... Led Zeppelin fans are getting more time for a chance at tickets to see the band perform a one-off reunion gig November 26 at London's O2 arena. Organizers behind the concert — a tribute to late music icon Ahmet Ertegun — are extending the lottery-application process to Wednesday, Billboard reports. The Web site set up to handle registrations received 89.5 million attempts in a 12-hour period on Thursday, according to the news outlet. ...

Members of underground-rock heroes Shudder to Think will reconvene for a one-off gig at New York's Mercury Lounge on Monday, Pitchfork reports. Frontman Craig Wedren and guitarist Nathan Larson — whose conflicts were part of the reason the band broke up in the late '90s — will get together with drummer Kevin March for the gig, although bassist Stuart Hill will not be accompanying them. ... Glassjaw have booked three California dates for next month. The reunited band will play October 28 in Hollywood; October 29 in San Diego; and October 30 in Pomona, California. ... Iconic punk band Operation Ivy's 1991 self-titled compilation LP will be reissued on November 6 on Hellcat. The classic release has been remastered and will also be available for download for the first time. ... PJ Harvey's White Chalk album has shifted from a September 25 release date to October 2. ...

AT&T's Blue Room, the site where political comments made by Pearl Jam during Lollapalooza were censored a month ago, has announced a new policy to avoid repeating that controversial practice during its webcast of this weekend's Austin City Limits Music Festival. According to AT&T spokesperson Steven Schwadron, "AT&T has developed an AT&T Blue Room policy to maintain integrity of the live performances featured on the site. AT&T will not edit any audio during the live webcast, of performances. We may edit visual content — either through camera angle changes or video blackouts — if there is strong sexual content. Also, we are going to have a clear viewer-discretion messaging both before and during the webcasts. The terms and conditions of the site, which users accept when they choose to view the webcast, requires users to be at least 13 years of age." ...

It's been 42 years since Johnny Cash's arrest in Starkville, Mississippi, for picking flowers from a resident's garden. But a judge who is reviewing the matter could potentially pardon the late musician, according to BBC News, and the city plans to instead honor him with the Johnny Cash Pickin' Festival from November 2-4. Cash wrote the track "Starkville City Jail" — which he performed at his legendary live At San Quentin prison LP — after spending a night in the city's prison.

09.13.07

50 Cent, Common, Nicole Scherzinger and others have all had their say about Britney Spears' VMA performance — now the "American Idol" judges are having at her. "We've decided that we're all going to collectively manage Britney," Simon Cowell remarked at a press conference earlier this week, according to "Access Hollywood." "We're going to manage Britney, take her career over," Randy Jackson added. Cowell snickered that he would "keep her away from the stupid friends, buy her some underwear," while Paula Abdul — as always — tried to put a positive spin on her VMA performance: "I never count her out." Spears' fellow former teen icon Joey Fatone has also chimed in on the performance, telling "Extra," "I felt bad but didn't. It looked like she was really lost. A lot of people ... really want her to seek help ... there's something not right here, something needs to obviously be done before anything tragic happens. She's a great girl ... I've known her for many years." ...

In other Brit news, she attended an unscheduled meeting with Kevin Federline and his attorney on Wednesday — five days before they were due to meet before a family court judge. The meeting was reportedly held at the Century City, California, offices of Spears attorney Laura Wasser. Federline has been trying to seek full custody of the former spouses' two sons, Jayden James and Sean Preston. ...

Lil' Kim — who took a swipe at 50 Cent on her 2005 LP, The Naked Truth — is finding herself right alongside him in a new lawsuit filed by a record producer, The Associated Press reports. Carlos Evans claims in papers recently filed in a New York court that he was contracted to produce, engineer and mix Kim's "Magic Stick" (featuring 50 Cent), a song that sold 2 million copies, but that he wasn't paid the royalties he was promised. He adds that while he was paid the $7,500 advance he was guaranteed for the song, his requests for a royalties audit have been ignored. His suit seeks $1 million in compensatory damages and $1 million in punitive damages. Theodore Sedlmayr, a lawyer for Rotten Apple Records — which is also named in the suit — told AP the late-royalty problems stem from the fact that Evans put a lengthy sample, which had to be licensed and paid for, in the song. "Atlantic is trying to get it straightened out. If after the accounting Mr. Evans is entitled to anything, he'll get it then," Sedlmayr told the news service. ....

Snoop Dogg, Talib Kweli, Mobb Deep, DMC and others will come together November 29 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York for the J.A.M. Awards, a Jam Master Jay- and Run-DMC-inspired event intended to reflect the positive aspects of rap. The event — being put on by Hot 97, the Jam Master Jay Foundation for Music and other organizations — will be co-hosted by DMC, who said in a statement that it "is not designed merely for music fans, but also for people who want to see hip-hop answer its critics with a resounding voice of hope and inspiration." Eminem has also donated money for the cause, and the shindig will also feature Raekwon, Papoose and other to-be-named artists. ...

Beyoncé, Gwen Stefani and Jennifer Lopez are this year's best-dressed women, according to People. Kirsten Dunst and Janet Jackson aren't so lucky, though — they're cited for wearing the worst red-carpet dresses of the year in the magazine's "Best & Worst Dressed" issue, out Friday. Angelina Jolie, Jessica Biel, Cameron Diaz, Avril Lavigne, Lily Allen and Reese Witherspoon are also noted in the issue, as are a handful of men: Terrence Howard, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and George Clooney among them. ... Shakira, teacher's pet? Perhaps: PeopleEnEspanol.com reports that the singer has been taking Western-civ classes at the University of California, Los Angeles, over the course of the summer. ...

The White Stripes, who announced earlier this week that their U.S. tour would be scrapped due to Meg White's acute anxiety, have tabled their U.K. tour as well, BBC News reports. The band's eight-date arena tour, which was slated for October 24-November 2, would have been its largest U.K. trek to date. ... Foo Fighters have drummed up four shows in addition to their scheduled Saturday performance at Southern California radio station KROQ's LA Invasion. The band — which drops its Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace on September 25 — will grace New York (September 20); New Orleans (October 2); Atlanta (October 4); and Atlantic City, New Jersey (October 6). The rock act will also tape a performance for the "Nissan Live Sets on Yahoo! Music" series on Tuesday and be the featured musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" on October 13. ...

Queens of the Stone Age — who performed with the Foos during the VMAs — apparently have an unlikely fan in "chef-at-large" Anthony Bourdain. They stopped by his "No Reservations" Travel Channel show last week to shoot an appearance for the program. In the episode, Bourdain is cooking a holiday meal in his Connecticut home while the band is performing in the basement. QOTSA emerge wearing cheesy Christmas sweaters, dine with Bourdain and perform the holiday jingle "Silver Bells," retitled "Turkey Bells." The ep also allegedly features karaoke, Christmas carols and a Japanese businessman, so stay tuned. ... System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian — who also performed with the Foos — has announced a bunch of tour dates in support of his solo debut, Elect the Dead, which hits stores October 23. His North American tour kicks off October 12 at the Vic Theatre in Chicago and will make stops in Toronto, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, before concluding October 28 in San Francisco. ...

Led Zeppelin are getting a whole lotta love from fans after announcing a one-off reunion gig on Wednesday. More than 20 million fans have attempted to get tickets for the November 26 concert at the O2 arena in London in honor of late music icon Ahmet Ertegun, according to Agence France Presse. The venue can hold up to 20,000 people, and a lottery is being held in which tickets will be drawn at random. ...

Prince is planning to sue eBay, YouTube and other Web sites as part of an effort to "reclaim the Internet," according to the MediaGuardian.co.uk. Lawsuits pertaining to his material will be launched in the U.S. and U.K. through the anti-piracy firm Web Sheriff, which represents Prince. Over the course of the past two weeks, the artist's legal reps have asked for the removal of more than 2,000 videos that are alleged to have been uploaded illegally online. Web Sheriff Managing Director John Giacobbi said Prince "wants to create a template for other artists" but that he "doesn't really want to go around suing people — he'd much rather people just respected his rights. He will be victorious." ...

A security guard who worked a Guns N' Roses concert nearly 11 years ago is suing Axl Rose for battery and negligence, according to court documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in late August and obtained by TMZ.com. Gary Armijo claims that he was positioned at the front of the stage at the GN'R show in Universal City, California, on December 20, 1996, and that the singer came to the front of the stage and intentionally kicked the guard in the head, causing injuries. Armijo says he has experienced pain and suffering, sleeplessness, headaches and loss of earnings, and has incurred medical expenses as well. ...

The Cure have rescheduled for next year 18 of the 19 gigs they had intended to play in North America this year. The band's 4Tour North America run will now take them from May 9 in Washington, D.C., through June 20 in New York. In between will be an additional performance at the Sasquatch! Music Festival in George, Washington, on May 25 — the band has been promised a show-closing 150-minute slot for the fest. Those who want refunds on their 2007 tickets can do so at the original point of purchase until November 1. ... "Spawn" creator and toy magnate Todd McFarlane told Reuters he's spawning plans to direct a feature flick. He said he's eyeing low-budget concepts: "You're going to have some young kid do those anyway, so let me have a crack at it." McFarlane was at the annual GameStop convention, showcasing a new lineup of toys based on "Halo 3." ...

Bobby Byrd, James Brown's longtime sideman and co-singer, died of cancer on Wednesday, according to The Augusta Chronicle of Georgia. Byrd sung the classic "get on up" refrain in "Get Up I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine." He was also the co-founder of the Famous Flames, which became Brown's first backing band.

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• 50 Cent
• Kanye West
• Britney Spears
• Madonna
• Master P

Justin Timberlake in the video for "God's Gonna Cut You Down"
Photo: Lost Highway Records

If Justin Timberlake adds any more titles to his résumé, we're not going to be able to fit them all onto a single line. The singer/actor/dancer/producer/clothing designer has tacked video-treatment writer onto his long list of recent endeavors, courtesy of the moody new clip for the Johnny Cash song "God's Gonna Cut You Down."

The concept for the all-star video came to Timberlake while he was taking a break from recording with producer Rick Rubin, who helmed Cash's award-winning American album series and Timberlake's "(Another Song) All Over Again."

"We were in the studio and we took a break to listen to the new Johnny Cash album [American V: A Hundred Highways], which was not yet released at that point," Rubin said. "And when we got to that song, [Justin] said, 'Stop!' "

Timberlake then laid out a plan for a video to accompany the spare, moody song, which would feature a series of stars dressed in Cash's signature black. "And he said, 'I'm signing up to be the first one,' " Rubin said.

Timberlake tops a list of 36 stars who appear in the clip, including Iggy Pop, Kanye West, Coldplay's Chris Martin, actor Terrence Howard, Anthony Kiedis and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chris Rock, Maroon 5's Adam Levine, Kate Moss, Sheryl Crow, Woody Harrelson, Amy Lee of Evanescence, Tommy Lee, the Dixie Chicks, Keith Richards, Bono, (+44)'s Travis Barker, Kid Rock, Jay-Z and Johnny Depp.

"I had no idea yet how to market the album, which I'd just finished, since Johnny [Cash, who passed away in 2003] was not there and I wasn't thinking about doing a video," Rubin said (see "Johnny Cash Dead At 71").

Inspired by Timberlake's brainstorm, Rubin called up acclaimed video director Mark Romanek, who helmed the award-winning clip for Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt" (see "Johnny Cash Says Unlike Most Videos, 'Hurt' Wasn't Too Painful"). Though Romanek loved the concept and added some ideas to it, he couldn't sign on due to scheduling conflicts, so he suggested controversial director Tony Kaye ("American History X"). Kaye, who directed the time-tripping clip for the Chili Peppers' "Dani California" (which is from an album also produced by Rubin), hasn't directed many rock videos, but like many of the celebs in the shoot, he's among the luminaries in Rubin's thick address book of friends and professional acquaintances.

"I got together with Tony — he loved Johnny and he's really interested in the idea of music driving images," Rubin said. Once they agreed on the concept, Rubin asked a few friends to make a list of the 10 coolest people on the planet. "At least five of the people in the video were on everyone's list," he said, "and Iggy was on a lot of lists, so it just felt right to open with him. I don't know what that message is, but it just feels right."

Like the other stars, punk icon Pop is filmed wearing all black. The film's lightning-fast, blink-and-you-might-miss-it series of quick-edit shots (many of which are close-ups of the stars' faces) contrast with the slow tempo of the song.

The video progresses through a series of quick mini-dramas, most of which were improvised, including Howard in a limo reading a Bible, Rock singing along with the lyrics, Timberlake staring at the camera, Depp standing on a balcony playing guitar, and Bono leaning on a graffiti-filled wall between angel's wings and a halo while wearing a paper hat. The segments were filmed in Los Angeles, New York, London and (in Richards' case) Amsterdam.

Rubin said that for many of the artists in the clip — who also include Kris Kristofferson, Patti Smith, Q-Tip, Dennis Hopper, the Clash's Mick Jones, Sharon Stone, Shelby Lynne, Lisa Marie Presley, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Corinne Bailey Rae, Graham Nash and the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson — their reactions capture reflective moments spurred by hearing the song for the first time. Lynne sheds tears in an intense closeup, and a serious-looking Kid Rock stomps and claps his hands along to the funereal beat. "Each person got to design their own moment," Rubin said. "But Tony was looking more for the instant emotional impact than a pre-planned skit. Nobody was asked to lip-sync, so pretty much everything was spontaneous."

After a slide-show-like recap of all the famous faces, the clip ends with Rubin and actor Owen Wilson sitting somberly in the back of a limousine.

We get Iggy and Bono, but what's Wilson's connection to the whole thing? "It just made sense that if I was honoring Johnny, I'd have a friend there with me," Rubin said.

He also said Kaye has directed a clip for the Cash tune "Help Me" that is not celebrity-driven, but is equally gripping and slated for release in the coming months.

Check out Kurt Loder's exclusive 2003 interview with Johnny Cash.

• MTV News RAW: Johnny Cash

• Kanye West, Flea, Travis Barker, More in Johnny Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down"

• Johnny Cash
• Justin Timberlake
• Kanye West
• Jay-Z
• Bono

Johnny Cash's <i>American V: A Hundred Highways</i>
Photo: Lost Highway

Johnny Cash's American V: A Hundred Highways earned the #1 spot on Billboard's albums chart with 88,000 copies sold during a slow holiday week at retail — overall sales for the nation's top 200 albums were down by nearly 450,000 units, according to SoundScan.

Had Chris Carrabba waited seven days to release his latest studio offering, Dusk and Summer, he may have finally scored that Billboard-topping debut that's eluded Dashboard Confessional, who opened at #2 on the previous albums chart with 134,000 copies sold — right behind the first-place finisher India.Arie with Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship.

American V was one of only four new releases to crack the top 200 this week, and one of only two to debut in the chart's top 10. The latest Rick Rubin-helmed release from the late music legend contains "Like the 309," the final song Cash wrote and recorded before his September 2003 death. A Hundred Highways is the first of Cash's acclaimed American recordings to reach the top 20 on the Billboard 200.

The Sufferer & the Witness, the fourth studio release from Chicago punks Rise Against, scores the #10 spot after selling more than 48,000 during its first week of release.

The two other newcomers to the chart include the soundtrack to last weekend's #1 film, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." The record opens at #24 with sales of 30,000 and change. Latin sensation Diana Reyes' Las No. 1 de la Reina bows at #143 with 6,000 scans.

Nelly Furtado came close to returning to #1 this week, following the chart-capping success of her Loose two weeks prior. But the album came up 7,000 copies short of swiping the rug out from under Cash, climbing one spot to #2 with 81,000 discs scanned. India.Arie's Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship follows at #3 with nearly 69,000 sales, just in front of the Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way, which stays put at #4 with sales of 57,000 and then some.

Gnarls Barkley climb one spot to #5 after selling close to 56,000 copies of their St. Elsewhere last week, while Rihanna's A Girl Like Me drops one to #6 with over 55,000 sales. Rascal Flatts' Me & My Gang comes in at #7 with close to 55,000 scans. And in at #8 is the soundtrack to the Disney Channel original movie "High School Musical," which continues to rack up sales. Close to 52,000 people grabbed a copy this past week, bringing the disc's six-month sales total to over 2.6 million.

And what of Carrabba, you wonder? Well, Dashboard's Dusk and Summer slid seven spots on this week's chart to #9. Week-two sales of the LP dropped a fairly standard 63 percent, to finish with just under 50,000 scans.

Check out "MTV News RAW: Johnny Cash" to watch one of the music legend's last interviews.

And see "How Nelly Furtado Got Her Ghetto Pass" for an in-depth look at Loose.

• Johnny Cash
• Rise Against
• Dashboard Confessional
• Nelly Furtado
• Gnarls Barkley

Rise Against's <I>The Sufferer & the Witness</I>
Photo: Geffen Records

With all the fireworks happening this Independence Day weekend, you'd expect an explosion of activity in the record racks too, right? Wrong. Not only is there a lack of releases this week, there aren't even any new Hank Williams Jr. or Darryl Worley tunes to light your sparklers to.

Instead you'll have to settle for Chicago iconoclasts Rise Against, who're squeezing out their fourth record, The Sufferer & the Witness. The 13-track affair, co-produced by Bill Stevenson (Black Flag, Descendents), features the hardcore-ish "Survive," rapid-fire "Bricks" — featuring the refrain "we'll never die" — and a surprise ballad, "Roadside." Look for guest-singing appearances by Holy Roman Empire's Emily Schambra and Drag the River's Chad Price.

If it's more topical — and critical — listening that you're after this week, look no further than Blow Up Hollywood's The Diaries of Private Henry Hill, a concept album that's based on the writings of a U.S. solider who died in Iraq. Hill's journals were passed along to his father, who in turn gave them to Blow Up frontman/ homeless-shelter coordinator Steve Messina. The third studio LP by the New York ensemble is boosted by a bonus DVD and includes the ominously titled "Shots Fired," "Shock and Awe" and "Salvation."

Too critical for your tastes? Well, the closest you're going to get to nationalist sentiment is with Johnny Cash, a reputed renegade who perplexed patriots throughout his career. This week hails American V: A Hundred Highways, presumably the final chapter in the series overseen by Rick Rubin, as it contains the last song Cash wrote and recorded: "Like the 309." Bundled with touching notes by Rubin, the opus features covers of songs by Bruce Springsteen ("Further Up on the Road"), Hank Williams ("On the Evening Train"), Gordon Lightfoot ("If You Could Read My Mind") and other American heritage artists.

Just as Cash's renditions of other people's songs are being collected, so are the songs that inspired him to make music in the first place. Roots & Branches: Artists, Songs & Recordings That Inspired the Legend of Johnny Cash boasts the Kingston Trio's "Jackson," Jimmie Rodgers' "In the Jailhouse Now," Roy Orbison's "You're My Baby" and more.

On the subject of recycling other people's songs, Rodney Jerkins is putting a new twist on the idea. The premier hip-hop producer shows his Versatility with an album that boasts 13 instrumental songs and six additional cuts that consumers can break down into individual tracks and re-create. Those who reshape one or more of the bonus tracks can submit the mixes — along with the CD's proof-of-purchase — to Jerkins, and the winner will get a chance to be a songwriter on a future Jerkins-produced album. Versatility drops on his own Darkchild Records imprint.

Also going the innovative route are the Eastern Stars, who spray Moog, ukulele and omnichord over the 11 tracks featured on July 5th, 1961. The newbies — Rob Corradetti and Kaia Wong — looked to Moldy Peaches, Velvet Underground and Pink Floyd for inspiration on their first effort, according to a track-by-track breakdown. The New York folksters are giving the record a soft release this week in New York and San Francisco — so it can relish the 45th anniversary of the album title, which the band calls "a date on which nothing of political or social significance occurred, yet a date on which everything imaginable happened: birth, death, tragedy, baseball and slugging back to work with holiday hangovers." The record gets a wide release in August.

Also seeing a limited release this week is Ziggy Marley's Love Is My Religion, which he's only delivering to Target stores through Tuff Gong Worldwide. It's the first time Marley has gone with an exclusive distributor and, more significantly, the first time Target is selling a record exclusively — took a little while to catch up to Best Buy, eh? "One of my father's goals was to release an album independently. ... Unfortunately, he never had the chance," Marley said in a press release. "This album and the way it is being sold is important to me in honoring my father's spirit." Bob Marley's spirit living on through a major retailer? Who knew? Marley's Love Is My Religion, his second solo release, features African percussion and "Into the Groove," "Be Free" and the title track.

Also pushing musical boundaries are Banco de Gaia, whose Farewell Ferengistan encompasses electronic and Middle Eastern beats, ambient passages and Qawaali drumming. "Flow My Dreams, The Android Wept" not only references the novella by author Philip K. Dick, which was adapted to became "Blade Runner," but the song includes a clip from the score to "A Clockwork Orange," as well.

Last but not least, this week brings the first CD by Peter Gammons, longtime ESPN analyst, baseball critic and, apparently, guitarist. Sadly, the 61-year-old will be celebrating the release of Never Slow Down, Never Grow Old in a hospital bed — he's still recovering after suffering a brain aneurysm last week. With a varied guest list that includes George Thorogood, Juliana Hatfield, Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein and a smattering of Sox players, all proceeds will be going toward Epstein's Foundation to be Named Later, a nonprofit that helps disadvantaged kids in the Boston area. Don't get hooked on "Tanqueray" or "NyQuil Blues."

Song Title of the Week:

"The Ticket That Exploded" from Eastern Stars' July 5th, 1961

New Releases:

• Banco de Gaia - Farewell Ferengistan (Six Degrees)
  
• Blow Up Hollywood - The Diaries of Private Henry Hill (MJ12)
  
• Johnny Cash - American V: A Hundred Highways (Lost Highway)
  Buy Now: American V: A Hundred Highways (Lost Highway)
  
• Eastern Stars - July 5th, 1961 (Mental Monkey)
  
• Fat Jon - The Ample Soul Physician: Afterthought (Ample Soul)
  
• Peter Gammons - Never Slow Down, Never Grow Old (Rounder)
  
• Rodney Jerkins - Versatility (Darkchild/ Bungalo/ Universal)
  Read: "Want A Song From Superproducer Rodney Jerkins? He'll Sell You 11 For Just $18"
  
• Ziggy Marley - Love Is My Religion (Target stores only; Tuff Gong)
  
• Marc McGuinn - One Man's Crazy (Blue Flamingo)
  
• Alice Peacock - Who I Am (Universal)
  
• Rise Against - The Sufferer & the Witness (Geffen)
  Buy Now: The Sufferer & the Witness (Geffen)
  
• Tom Tyler - Asleep at the Switch (D.C.)
  
• Hans Zimmer - "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" soundtrack (Disney)
  
• Various artists - Beat Classic (D.C.)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• J.J. Cale - The Definitive Collection (Hip-O/ UMe)
  
• Carolyn Hester - Carolyn Hester (Empire Musicwerks)
  
• Delbert McClinton - The Definitive Collection (Hip-O/ UMe)
  
• Glenn Yarbrough - Come Sit by My Side (Empire Musicwerks)
  
• Various artists - '80s #1 Hits (Madacy)
  
• Various artists - Best of "Miami Vice" (Hip-O/ UMe)
  
• Various artists - Roots & Branches: Artists, Songs & Recordings That Inspired the Legend of Johnny Cash (Hip-O/ UMe)
  
• Various artists - Summer Beach Party: Songs From the Classic Beach Movies of the '60s (Varèse Sarabande)

Music DVDs:

• Emerson, Lake and Palmer - "Collector's Rarities: The Live Broadcasts" (Classic Rock Legends)
  
• The Kinks - "Collector's Rarities: The Live Broadcasts" (Classic Rock Legends)
  
• The Nylons - "Live in Tokyo and More ..." (Unidisc)
  
• Van der Graaf Generator - "Collector's Rarities: The Live Broadcasts" (Classic Rock Legends)

Coming Attractions:

July 11:

• Muse - Black Holes & Revelations (Warner Bros.)
  Preorder: Black Holes & Revelations (Warner Bros.)
  
• Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras From the Illinois Album! (Asthmatic Kitty)
  Preorder: The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras From the Illinois Album! (Asthmatic Kitty)
  
• Thom Yorke - The Eraser (XL Recordings)
  Preorder: The Eraser (XL Recordings)
  
• Various artists - Now That's What I Call Music! 22 (Sony)

July 18:

• Alien Ant Farm - Up in the Attic (New Door)
  Preorder: Up in the Attic (New Door)
  
• The Bronx - The Bronx (digipak; Island)
  
• The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Don't You Fake It (Virgin)
  Read: "The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: You Can Call Them Sellouts"
  Preorder: Don't You Fake It (Virgin)

July 25:

• Flogging Molly - Whiskey on a Sunday (DualDisc; Side One Dummy)
  
• Jurassic 5 - Feedback (Interscope)
  Preorder: Feedback (Interscope)
  
• Pharrell Williams - In My Mind (Star Trak/ Interscope)
  Read: "Pharrell Williams: Fired Up"
  Preorder: In My Mind (Star Trak/ Interscope)
  

• Rise Against
• Rodney Jerkins
• Johnny Cash
• Ziggy Marley
• Peter Gammons

Chris Daughtry on Tuesday's "Idol"
Photo: Ray Mickshaw/Fox

Did Chris Daughtry cross the line?

That's the question "American Idol" chat-room devotees are debating after the rocker sang a rendition of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" Tuesday nearly identical to a version Live recorded for a 2001 compilation — without giving them credit.

Daughtry never claimed it was his arrangement outright, but the judges seemingly assumed it was his, praising him for the arrangement. Live, who also included the cover on their 2004 greatest-hits album, were never mentioned.

Last week Daughtry sang Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" in an arrangement similar to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 1989 cover, but fully acknowledged it in his pre-performance segment. For that reason fans in various chat rooms believe he was not trying to mislead the public with "I Walk the Line" and have suggested he might have mentioned Live, only to see it edited out.

As is the case with all the remaining contestants, Daughtry is not available for comment and a spokesperson for "American Idol" had no comment.

After the 26-year-old McLeansville, North Carolina, native performed Tuesday, Randy Jackson praised him for taking a song everyone knows and putting a twist on it. Simon Cowell said he made a great song his own.

Jacob Clifton, who covers "Idol" for TelevisionWithoutPity.com, noted that a similar situation happened last season after Carrie Underwood sang the Janis Joplin staple "Piece of My Heart" in a rendition similar to Faith Hill's.

	'Idol' Season Five Performances
	Top 12 Finalists

"I think it's more a sign of the judges being out of touch or the show's producers deliberately trying to fool the public," Clifton said. "The fact is Chris should not be blamed for using the arrangements that he does. I think the show does him a disservice by not being open about it because in the end it's going to come out. And since his appeal is in being real ... it could hurt his musical career in the long run. I would make sure the judges knew that the arrangements were from recent covers."

Also quick to defend Daughtry was Kimberly Caldwell, a second-season finalist and current host of the TV Guide Channel's "Idol Tonight."

"That's stupid, so what?" she said. "We're doing cover songs, so leave it alone. Who cares? He didn't steal it and say, 'I wrote these words.' Everybody needs to get over it and find something else to talk about. It makes me really angry because I'm a huge Chris Daughtry fan and everybody really enjoyed that performance. Maybe somebody should have said, 'And I wanted to get the vibe of Live' as well, but they didn't, so whatever. Let's move on."

Not so fast, said DJSlim, who writes a popular "Idol" blog at Idol.Slimtainment.com.

"The bottom line is stealing and taking credit for Live's works should result in Chris being removed from the show or at least having to make a public apology," he said. "I know it is a strong punishment but in the day of copyrights and trademarks, 'Idol' is the first to send the law in after us when we steal their work, so why should they allow their contestants to do the same?"

David Bloomberg, editor of RealityNewsOnline.com and FoxesOnIdol.com, concurred with DJSlim.

"He definitely should not have taken credit for the arrangement or allowed people to praise his originality," Bloomberg said. "In his video piece, he talked about doing something different with the arrangement when he had to know he was simply using somebody else's arrangement. Then he stood onstage and let the judges talk about how he made it his own when he really did nothing of the sort."

Calls to Live's management were not returned by press time.

Cowell has called Daughtry one of his three favorites to win, along with Taylor Hicks and Kellie Pickler (see " 'American Idol' Final 12 Celebrate Making The Cut").

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

• Johnny Cash
• Live
• Stevie Wonder

Ne-Yo
Photo: Def Jam

Last week's fabricated "beef" between R&B upstart Ne-Yo and emo-pop quintet Hawthorne Heights — a campaign that pitted urban rhythm against rock angst and the major-label machine against the D.I.Y. ethos — didn't end in the rock band's favor.

While it isn't clear just who or what started the competition (see "Hawthorne Heights' Anti-Ne-Yo Campaign 'A Joke,' Label Claims"), Ne-Yo has certainly finished it, taking #1 on Billboard's albums chart with his debut offering, In My Own Words. With week-one sales clearing the 301,000 mark, Ne-Yo (22-year-old Jay-Z protégé Shaffer C. Smith) topped the competition in a race to the Billboard finish line that wasn't a grueling marathon so much as a refreshing jog.

According to the latest SoundScan figures, Ne-Yo's closest rival was last week's #1 album, the soundtrack to the Disney Channel original movie "High School Musical," which drops to #2 with sales nearing 128,000 (see "What Is 'High School Musical' And How Did It Get To #1?").

Hawthorne Heights' If Only You Were Lonely finished at #3, generating first-week sales of close to 114,000 and earning Hawthorne's label, Victory Records, one of its strongest debut showings.

The latest from country crooner Alan Jackson, Precious Memories, opens at #4, earning more than 107,000 scans during its first week in stores. That was enough to bump Mary J. Blige's The Breakthrough — with scans nearing 81,000 — down one spot to #5.

In at #6 is the retrospective collection The Legend of Johnny Cash, which experienced a 88 percent increase in sales during the week leading up to Sunday's Academy Awards, where Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon were up for acting Oscars for their performances in the Cash biopic "Walk the Line" — and Witherspoon took Best Actress for her portrayal of June Carter Cash (see "Oscar Wrap-Up: A Best Picture Party Crasher, Virgin Winners ... And A 'Pimp' "). The "Walk the Line" soundtrack also enjoyed a sales boost, jumping 156 percent and climbing 34 chart positions to #11 with nearly 57,000 scans. And sales of Johnny and June's 16 Biggest Hits soared 188 percent to end the week with nearly 9,000 copies sold and a #126 finish.

	You Hear It First: Jay-Z's Picks Step back in time as Def Jam's president introduces Ne-Yo, Teairra Marí and Rihanna.

Jack Johnson and Friends' Sing-a-Longs and Lullabies for the Film "Curious George" hangs tight in the top 10, finishing at #7 with sales of over 73,000. Following her appearance last week on "American Idol," sales of Carrie Underwood's debut offering, Some Hearts, swelled 18 percent, moving close to 73,000 units and securing the reigning Idol an eighth-place finish. James Blunt's Back to Bedlam slips four spots to #9 with nearly 67,000 scans, while Andrea Bocelli's Amore falls three chart positions to #10 with 59,000 sales.

While Ne-Yo and Hawthorne Heights were clearly the new releases to keep an eye on this past week, the Billboard album sales chart has a number of fresh entries, including a fair share of live discs. Kid Rock's concert LP Live Trucker bows at #12 with 56,000-plus scans, while the latest from Hank Williams III, Straight to Hell, claims the #73 slot with over 14,000 sales. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band's Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 opens at #93 with close to 12,000 sales.

The latest from Old 97's frontman Rhett Miller, The Believer, scores the #138 spot, with week-one sales of nearly 8,000, and the new one from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's Bizzy Bone, Thugs Revenge, emerges at #168 with 6,000 scans. Elvis Costello teamed up with the Netherlands' Metropole Orkest for the live album My Flame Burns Blue, and cracks the chart at #188 with close to 6,000 sales, while Bayside's Acoustic live LP checks in at #200 with over 5,000 copies sold.

• Ne-Yo
• Hawthorne Heights
• Johnny Cash
• Jack Johnson
• Carrie Underwood

In the battle between booty-shaking and reckless driving, the edge still goes to rising star Carrie Underwood. For the fifth week in a row, "Jesus, Take the Wheel" clutches the No. 1 spot on Billboard's country airplay chart, as Trace Adkins' "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" apparently loses its shot at the top spot, falling from No. 2 to No. 3.

Both songs had a decrease in spins last week, which means that Brad Paisley's "When I Get Where I'm Going" -- No. 2 with a bullet -- is potentially poised to reach the summit next week.

Or maybe not. After 29 weeks on the chart, Josh Turner's "Your Man" continues its steady climb, now at No. 4 with a bullet. He's just ahead of Faith Hill's "Like We Never Loved at All" at No. 5, Keith Urban's "Tonight I Wanna Cry" at No. 6 and Sugarland's "Just Might (Make Me Believe)" at No. 7. Rounding out the Top 10 are Tim McGraw's "My Old Friend" at No. 8, Kenny Chesney's "Living in Fast Forward" at No. 9 and Billy Currington's "Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right" at No. 10.

George Strait claims the week's highest debut with "The Seashores of Old Mexico," a cover of a Merle Haggard song, splashing in at No. 48. Other new singles include Neal McCoy's "The Last of a Dying Breed" at No. 52, Martina McBride's cover of Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone" at No. 53, Underwood's "Before He Cheats" at No. 59 and new artist Eric Church's "How 'Bout You" at No. 60.

Underwood returns to No. 1 on the country albums chart, trading places with Turner. The Legend of Johnny Cash lives on at No. 3, followed by the latest albums from Adkins, Rascal Flatts, Urban, Chesney and Sugarland. Walk the Line settles in at No. 9, followed by Miranda Lambert's Kerosene, at No. 10

New albums hitting the chart include Jamey Johnson's The Dollar at No. 20 and Alabama's three-disc boxed set, Livin' Lovin' Rockin' Rollin': The 25th Anniversary Collection, at No. 28. Kenny Rogers also makes several appearances on the chart: 21 Number Ones at No. 11, Golden Legends: Kenny Rogers at No. 57 and 42 Ultimate Hits at No. 75.

• Carrie Underwood
• Trace Adkins
• Brad Paisley
• Josh Turner
• Faith Hill

Jamie Foxx's <i>Unpredictable</i>
Photo: J-Records

For five weeks, Mary J. Blige and Jamie Foxx have waged a civil game of cat and mouse for the Billboard albums chart's ultimate prize.

The balanced contest — Blige's The Breakthrough opened at #1, Foxx's Unpredictable settled into the top spot for the following two weeks and Mary J. evened the score with last week's #1 — continues its seesawing action as Unpredictable outsells The Breakthrough by fewer than 2,500 copies to reclaim #1.

Sales of Foxx's second album were clocked at more than 97,000, according to the latest SoundScan numbers, while Blige's The Breakthrough sold close to 95,000 copies for the chart's #2 ranking.

As has been the case since late December, the remainder of Billboard's Top 200 doesn't provide much bonus excitement. With the exception of James Blunt's Back to Bedlam, there hasn't been significant movement in the chart's top 10.

Eminem's Curtain Call: The Hits climbs one position to #3 with sales of 74,000 plus, while last season's "American Idol" winner, Carrie Underwood, slips to #4, selling more than 73,000 copies of her debut Some Hearts.

The career retrospective The Legend of Johnny Cash climbs five spots to #5 with nearly 55,000 discs sold (a 37 percent boost), and Nickelback's All the Right Reasons finishes sixth with close to 50,000 scans. Chris Brown's self-titled debut follows at #7 with nearly 49,000 sales, while Notorious B.I.G.'s Duets: The Final Chapter slips three spots to #8, selling 43,000.

Blunt, a chart-topper in the U.K. whose album was released on these shores more than a year ago, finds himself among Billboard's top 10 albums for the first time. Back to Bedlam, which has sold more than 425,000 copies to date, has been inching its way up the chart since October, and claims the #9 spot with 41,000 sold. Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi netted sales of 40,000 to stay in Billboard's top 10.

Only two discs made their Top 200 debut this week. Gospel singer Juanita Bynum's A Piece of My Passion opens at #55 with 16,000 copies sold while Too Short's Pimpin' Incorporated claims the #80 slot with 11,000 scans.

Neil Diamond's latest, the Rick Rubin-produced 12 Songs, was the week's biggest gainer. On the heels of Diamond's recent appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," the album enjoyed a 259 percent sales jump, surging from #119 to #22 with more than 27,000 copies sold. The soundtrack to the Golden Globe-winning films "Walk the Line" and "Brokeback Mountain" also experienced sales gains — "Walk the Line" was up 19 percent to finish at #29 with 23,000 copies sold while "Brokeback Mountain" scored the chart's #54 spot thanks to a 124 percent sales increase. Matisyahu's Live at Stubb's experienced a 26 percent spike in interest, reaping sales of 22,000 and jumping 11 chart positions to #33. Sales of Nine Inch Nails' With Teeth were up (30 percent to finish at #117 with 8,000 copies sold), as were Avenged Sevenfold's City of Evil (up 17 percent to take #63 with 15,000 sold) and Death Cab For Cutie's Plans (up 26 percent to claim #39 with 20,000 sold).

See "The Metamorphosis Of Jamie Foxx" for a feature on the actor's move to music. And check out "Throwback With Mary J. Blige" for more on Blige's Breakthrough.

• Jamie Foxx
• Mary J. Blige
• James Blunt
• Eminem
• Johnny Cash

Eminem
Photo: Interscope

At the finale of last season's "American Idol," Carrie Underwood was crowned the victor, besting runner-up Bo Bice and scoring a major-label recording contract. Bice inked a deal of his own and released his debut offering, The Real Thing last week. And according to the latest SoundScan figures, the Billboard albums chart stacks up in much the same fashion that the "Idol" finale played out.

Bo's stab at #1 was spoiled by Underwood — who passes the 1-million-sold mark and climbs to the chart's #2 slot with Some Hearts — and Eminem, who holds court at the top of this week's chart for a second week with Curtain Call: The Hits Em outsold Carrie by more than 50,000 copies to end the week with close to 324,000 scans, bringing the two-week sales total for Mr. Mathers' latest to over 766,000. The 20th installment in the Now That's What I Call Music! compilation series — including tracks from Fall Out Boy, Ciara, Kelly Clarkson, the Pussycat Dolls and Black Eyed Peas — netted sales of over 259,000 for a comfortable third-place finish.

Bice's The Real Thing opens on Billboard's albums chart at #4, with 227,000 copies sold during its first week in stores. Underwood's Some Hearts debuted at #2 with sales of more than 314,000 when it was released last month. And Carrie isn't the only "Idol" veteran to top Bice's initial take. 2004's "American Idol" champ Fantasia sold more than 239,000 copies of her 2004 LP Free Yourself. 2003 winner Ruben Studdard's 2003 debut Soulful topped Billboard with 416,000 scans, while runner-up Clay Aiken's Measure of a Man, released that same year, also debuted at #1 with 613,000 copies sold. And Kelly Clarkson's inaugural LP, 2003's Thankful, opened at #3 with 297,000 sold.

Kenny Chesney's The Road and the Radio follows The Real Thing on the latest albums chart, finishing at #5 with 217,000 copies sold. Nickelback's All the Right Reasons is up one to #6 with 192,000 scans. Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi finished the week out at #7 with sales of 191,000, and Clarkson's latest, Breakaway, sold 180,000 copies to climb back into the top 10 at #8. Black Eyed Peas' Monkey Business finished ninth with 158,000 copies sold. The late Johnny Cash rounds out the top 10 with the career-spanning collection The Legend of Johnny Cash garnering sales of 154,000.

In addition to Bice, there were a handful of newcomers to this week's chart, including Ludacris Presents Disturbing Tha Peace. The disc, featuring five solo artists, four groups and guest appearances by Jamie Foxx, Stat Quo, Rich Boy, and Gangsta Boo, opens at #11 with 151,000 copies sold. R&B artist Anthony Hamilton's Ain't Nobody Worryin' cracks the top 20 with a #19 showing, thanks to sales of more than 112,000. And reggaetón heavyweight Daddy Yankee enters the chart at #24 with 100,000 plus scans of his Barrio Fino en Directo. Youngbloodz's Ev'rybody Know Me debuts at #44, with sales nearing 58,000.

Offerings from two prominent artists managed to penetrate the top 200, but just barely. Snoop Dogg's Bigg Snoop Dogg Presents: Welcome to Tha Chuuch - Tha Album, a collection of tracks from Snoop's mixtape series, opens at #184 with sales nearing 15,000; the album features contributions from Nate Dogg, Daz Dillinger and Kurupt. And Beck's Guerolito, featuring tracks from his album Guero remixed by the likes of the Beastie Boys' Ad-Rock, the Dust Brothers' John King and Boards of Canada, debuts at #191 with 14,000 plus scans.

For more on Eminem, see the feature "Anger Management: Behind The Anger." And check out "Bo Bice: Live on the Sunset Strip" for more on the "Idol" runner-up.

• Eminem
• Carrie Underwood
• Bo Bice
• Kenny Chesney
• Nickelback