Whitney Houston's <i>I Look To You</i>
Photo: Sony BMG

After seven years off the charts, Whitney Houston has proven she's still got it. The R&B diva will debut at #1 on next week's Billboard 200 albums chart with her comeback album, I Look to You. The LP notched 305,000 in sales last week (and 6,000 copies were sold before its official release), a strong showing that handily outperformed 2002's Just Whitney, which managed just 205,000 in its first week for a #9 debut.

There is plenty of company in the top 10 this week for Houston, according to numbers provided by Nielsen SoundScan, with five other debuts. Trey Songz comes in at a solid #3 with Ready (131,000). The Juggalos came out for makeup rappers Insane Clown Posse, whose Bang! Pow! Boom! is #4 (50,000). Hard-rockers Chevelle have a respectable debut at #6 with Sci-Fi Crimes (46,000), rapper Pitbull pulls into #8 with Rebelution (41,000), and emo rockers the Used hit #10 with Artwork (35,000).

Other than that, the rest of the top 10 is mostly unchanged: Miley Cyrus climbs up a notch to #2 with her Wal-Mart exclusive EP Time of Our Lives (153,000); Colbie Caillat drops four spots to #5 with her second album, Breakthrough (47,000); Kings of Leon bump down three spots to #7 with the still-strong Only by the Night (45,000) and Taylor Swift's equally indomitable Fearless holds at #9 (35,000).

Just outside the top 10, the Black Eyed Peas' The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) falls to #11 (34,000) as it passes the platinum mark three months after its release. Classic rockers the Black Crowes land at #12 with their double live/studio disc Before the Frost ... Until the Freeze (32,000), and Young Chris debuts at #19 with Man I Want to Be (26,000).

It was a brief sojourn in the top 10 for English alt-popster Imogen Heap, whose Ellipse shed nearly 70 percent of its first-week business to drop 24 spots to #29 (15,000). The Josh Homme-produced third effort from the Arctic Monkeys, Humbug, got the cold shoulder, as it dropped more than 60 percent from its debut, swooning 35 spots to #50 in week two (10,000). And rapper Beanie Sigel's Broad Street Bully didn't have much punch, debuting at #77 (6,000).

Next week's charts should be on fire, with the chart debut of the Beatles reissues, Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3, and new ones from Boys Like Girls, Raekwon and Phish.

• Whitney Houston Previews I Look To You

• Whitney Houston Performs On "Good Morning America"

• Whitney Houston
• Trey Songz
• Chevelle
• The Used
• Pitbull

Finger Eleven
Photo: Andrew MacNaughtan/ Wind-Up Records

It's been four years since the release of Finger Eleven's self-titled third LP — an album that's sold close to 563,000 copies, mostly on the strength of its sole hit single, "One Thing." And while the band's lead singer doesn't expect every fan of that effort will still be interested in Finger Eleven's forthcoming disc, Them vs. You vs. Me, he does hope to escape the same fate that's crippled the careers of such promising artists as Los del Rio, Right Said Fred and the Baha Men.

"Listen, you're either a one-hit wonder or a no-hit wonder," said frontman Scott Anderson, when asked if he fears Finger Eleven will succumb to the same disease that claimed the commercial relevance of Vanilla Ice and Gerardo. "Basically, it depends on what your intentions are. If you set out to write a big hit single, you have to be an artisan in order to make it sound like you weren't manipulating something. If it gets away from expression and you try to write some sort of top-40 bullsh-- thing, it sounds like you're just not a very good artist."

And on Them vs. You vs. Me, which drops March 6, Anderson claims Finger Eleven didn't even attempt to replicate the success of "One Thing." They didn't set out to craft a hit song — it was business as usual in the studio. If one of the tracks on this next album garners the same sort of response from fans, the singer said that's purely coincidental.

"If you sit down with your band and something happens in an organic sense, then that's fine — then, it can go wherever," he continued. "Once that success happens, if you try to purposely do that again, I think your career's over. Bands think all of their songs are f---ing gold. Otherwise, you wouldn't put it on your record. We had to be very careful with this album, and unfortunately for the label, and for the sake of our career, there isn't 'One Thing: Part Two' on this record. I wouldn't know how to do that. But I can say there are some badass mellow songs on it, and some badass rock songs too. There's nothing else we can do. The band — every band worth anything — always thinks there's an evolution to their sound between records. Otherwise, they're just phoning it in, and it will probably sound like that.

"We had, for the first time in our careers, a hit, and it's like, 'You know what, we're one of those bands that needs to go away for a bit,' " Anderson added, explaining the time gap between albums. "They're still playing that song. You get sick of those types of bands. I know I do. I don't mind the break, but if [our fans have] moved on, you can't really blame them. But we're just stupid enough to believe in the music we make, that it's going to be all right. We would have come back and had, like, those crap records where the band maybe works hard on one or two songs. But we have to live with a f---ing record, and anyone who actually thought we were cool deserves something we believe in."

Finger Eleven, who'll be on tour with Hinder and Black Stone Cherry through March 3 in New Orleans, plan to promote Them vs. You vs. Me on the road; they'll be heading out March 16 in Fresno, California, with Chevelle and labelmates Evanescence, for a run of gigs that concludes April 5 in Glens Falls, New York. The album boasts a dozen fresh cuts, including "I'll Keep Your Memory Vague," "So-So Suicide" and "Sense of a Spark."

Produced by Johnny K (Disturbed, 3 Doors Down), Them vs. You vs. Me marks a progression in the band's sound that Anderson said came totally naturally.

"I think that's what time can give you," he explained. "To skew it and sculpt it in a very intentional way, that's fake as hell. I think I'm just jealous because I would love to be able to do that. For us, it took just a whole pile of stabs in the dark, and just writing, and having another member react to it, and then finally hacking a song out of it. That is basically what this record is — a collection of ideas we believe in. Whether they go together perfectly, I'm not sure that's the nature of a Finger Eleven album anyhow."

The band recently shot a video for the album's first single, "Paralyzer" — a tune the singer described as a "self-deprecating joke about how stupid I feel going out to nightclubs." The clip was shot with director Barnaby Roper (Snow Patrol, Moby) in Los Angeles, and follows the story of a man who gets caught up in a groove.

"The band's sort of playing on this rooftop in this totally isolated downtown area, and there's just one dude, and the idea is that he sort of catches the beat of the song, and has this wicked little dance-off with this chick and hilarity ensues," Anderson said. "It's by far the most entertaining part of the video. We're there, we're rocking out and the concept idea actually worked out for once. It's a sexy video, and I had nothing to do with it."

• Finger Eleven
• Chevelle
• Evanescence

Evanescence's Amy Lee
Photo: Karl Walter/Getty Images

For Evanescence, much of the last five months has been spent performing live gigs and promoting The Open Door, the band's sophomore release. Amy Lee's posse performed for thousands across the U.S. before crossing the pond to tour Europe, and next month they're hitting Japan and Australia.

Their world tour just got a lot longer: On Friday afternoon, the band released dates for the second leg of the North American trek — and said a third leg will be announced soon, which will carry the group into the early summer (see "Evanescence Live In NYC: Amy Lee Headbangs, Serenades Her 'New Hometown' " and "Evanescence Set For Fall Tour; Amy Lee Reveals Inspiration Behind 'Sober' ").

So far, Evanescence has scheduled 14 U.S. gigs, beginning on March 16 in Fresno, California. Tickets for all of the shows on this leg — which includes a March 25 stop in the band's hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas — will go on sale January 27.

The Open Door has sold nearly 1.5 million copies since its release in late September (see "Evanescence Butcher The Killers In Battle For Billboard #1"), and earlier this month, Lee announced that she's gotten engaged to her boyfriend of more than a year, a psychiatrist named Josh (his last name has not been disclosed).

Joining Evanescence for this upcoming run of arenas will be Chevelle and labelmates Finger Eleven. Chevelle will release Vena Sera, their fifth studio LP, April 3; Finger Eleven will issue Them vs. You vs. Me on March 6.

Evanescence tour dates, according to the band's publicist:

· 3/16 - Fresno, CA @ Selland Arena
· 3/17 - Las Vegas, NV @ Pearl / Palm Hotel
· 3/19 - Las Cruces, NM @ Pan American Center
· 3/21 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Ford Center
· 3/22 - Council Bluffs, IA @ Mid American Center
· 3/23 - Cedar Rapids, IA @ U.S. Cellular Center
· 3/25 - Little Rock, AR @ Alltel Arena
· 3/27 - Louisville, KY @ Louisville Gardens
· 3/28 - Nashville, TN @ Gaylor Entertainment Center
· 3/30 - Norfolk, VA @ Constant Convocation Center
· 3/31 - Hartford, CT @ Dodge Music Center
· 4/02 - Reading, PA @ Sovereign Center
· 4/04 - Providence, RI @ Dunkin Donuts Center
· 4/05 - Glen Falls, NY @ Glen Falls Civic Center

• Evanescence
• Chevelle
• Finger Eleven

Chevelle's Pete Loeffler
Photo: Ethan Miller/ Getty Images

Thanksgiving's going to be awkward this year at the Loeffler homestead.

More than a year ago, the departure of bassist Joe Loeffler left the remaining members of Chevelle — Joe's bros, drummer Sam and frontman Pete — in a tight spot. With an upcoming U.S. run featuring openers Taproot and 30 Seconds to Mars just weeks away, the Loefflers scrambled to fill the void, enlisting former Filter guitarist Geno Lenardo as a temp before adding brother-in-law Dean Bernadini to the fold full time. At first, the shakeup was attributed to "irreconcilable differences," but Joe later accused his brothers of firing him (see "Chevelle Extend Road Trip Through October").

So, suffice it to say, family gatherings have been nightmarish ever since last summer's drama.

"It's a bad scene," Pete Loeffler explained from his hotel room at the Palms Casino Hotel in Las Vegas, speaking for the first time about the split. "It's rare that we're ever in the same house at the same time. I haven't even spoken to him in over a year, and I probably shouldn't go into it too much, but he's demanded a lot of things and says if we don't give them to him, he'll sue us. So for the sake of my family, my friends and my own sanity, we have to figure it out. I'm not sure what's going to happen. But what fans need to know is that it was never easy, and it was never a good experience."

Loeffler said he and Sam made the right decision in finally accepting Joe's decision to quit. The situation was more complex than just some in-fighting. What it came down to was that touring with Joe became a chore and the brothers seldom got along while on the road — or off.

"We were always covering it up onstage," he explained. "As soon as we got offstage, he would go off and do his own thing. I hope someday we'll be friends again. There were times where you didn't speak for a long time, and you'd still get onstage every night and play. I don't think he liked the lifestyle — the work side of it, the real side of it. People need to know that he quit many, many times before, and that [the last] time, he quit as well. He took a train home from Kansas City, Missouri, and the [rest of the] band flew home. And when we did get home, it was the same old thing — Joe quit again. When he was confronted on it, he denied it, and we said, 'Well, too bad, because now, it's really over.'

"You can only do that so many times, and you can only treat people like sh-- so many times before you have to deal with those consequences," Loeffler continued. "People need to know that it was really his decision — he just didn't want to make it. Well, he made it, and then he denied it. He didn't want to be in the band. He really didn't. I truly do hope someday we can patch things up and be brothers again, which is what I told him the last time we spoke. But he said, 'You'll hear from my attorney.' He hasn't tried to contact us in months."

The writing sessions for Chevelle's forthcoming fifth studio LP, which is slated for release in March, haven't felt any different for Sam and Pete, because Joe "never wrote anything," said Pete. "He would only show up to the studio and have to learn it right there. I've always written everything and I have always brought it to the band, and we go over what we think is good. He really wasn't a part of that. He was more like a touring partner."

Chevelle have been recording the effort in Las Vegas in the Studio at the Palms (the same locale the Killers completed their latest LP, Sam's Town) for just a week or so with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette (Cold, I Am Ghost), who helmed 2004's This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In). Later this month, the band will head to Virginia, where Loeffler will track his vocals. The finished product should feature a dozen of the 15 tracks Chevelle wrote for the yet-untitled disc (although Sam has suggested Your Terrible Memories), including the tentatively titled "Anti-Saint," "Humanoid," "Saturdays of Our Youth," "Straight Jacket Fashion," "One Cell" and "Gucci Clan."

The band began writing material for the album last year, and then devoted four full months to getting the songs finished. Loeffler said he's asked 30 Seconds to Mars' Jared Leto and Helmet's Page Hamilton to contribute guest vocals to the effort but does not know if their schedules will permit it.

"This record is going to be heavy and melodic, but it's also going to be poking fun at a few things," the singer/guitarist said. "The song 'Gucci Clan' is about those pretty boys who get all done up in their expensive clothes and that whole club scene, which you run into a lot out here in Vegas. So we kind of poke fun at that whole scene, where you've gotta look like you're wearing $10,000 worth of clothing. I think it's ridiculous."

Chevelle don't plan on changing anything about their style to conform to rock's current trends. "It's heavy as sh--," he said. "We're gonna have vintage tones on this record. We're trying to move away from that more typical modern-rock sound and trying to get better tones on this record. Everything is going to sound better, and the music will be a little more focused. I don't know where the landscape of rock is right now, but I don't think it's in a good place. If you do one thing and you do it well, eventually it will come back around for you. I don't know about other bands, but we're sticking to what we know and love."

• Chevelle

Kanye West
Photo: ShowBizIreland/ Getty Images

After helping anchor Coachella and Wango Tango, Kanye West has signed on for another big extravaganza: San Diego's Street Scene 2006. Slated for August 4-5, the 22nd installment of the fest will feature Snoop Dogg, Tool, Wu-Tang Clan, My Chemical Romance, Yellowcard, AFI, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Queens of the Stone Age, Bloc Party, She Wants Revenge, Sean Paul and tons more. Two-day passes can be bought starting Monday (May 22), while single-day tickets will go on sale in July. ...

Cam'ron shared some crew love at New York's Nokia Theatre early Sunday morning, coming onstage to support comic Katt Williams, who headlined a show that started a little past midnight. Williams' debut LP, It's Pimpin', Pimpin', drops on Cam's Diplomat Records later this year. ...

During an interview Friday with Los Angeles radio station KROQ, Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose discussed the run-in he had Thursday with fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger in New York. Rose said the altercation, inside the Plumm nightclub, started over a drink. "I moved his girlfriend's drink so it wouldn't spill," Rose explained, adding that Hilfiger then smacked his arm and told him to put the drink back. "He just kept smacking me," said Axl. "It was the most surreal thing, I think, that's ever happened to me in my life." Rose filled out a police complaint against the designer. Following the fracas, which took place at Rosario Dawson's birthday party, Guns N' Roses performed an acoustic set, and Axl dedicated the song "You're Crazy" to "My good friend Tommy Hilfiger" during the performance. ...

"Veronica Mars" star Kristen Bell and music legend Prince have won the annual World's Sexiest Vegetarians poll put on by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway and Joaquin Phoenix were also in the running. ... Three 6 Mafia are performing live at WWE's "Friday Night Smackdown!" which will be taped Tuesday in Bakersfield, California, to air Friday on UPN. WWE: Wreckless Intent — featuring "Some Bodies Gonna Get It," the Mafia's theme song for wrestler Mark Henry, along with tracks by Saliva, Silkk the Shocker and P.O.D. — hits stores Tuesday. ...

The Arctic Monkeys will embark on their upcoming North American tour without bassist Andy Nicholson, who will miss the shows due to exhaustion. "Owing to fatigue following an intensive period of touring, Andy shall be taking a rest," the band's management said in a statement. Nick O'Malley will stand in for Nicholson on the tour, which begins in Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 27. Of course, the British press has interpreted the news to mean that Nicholson is out of the band, but a U.S. spokesperson for the Monkeys said Nicholson will rejoin them after the North American tour wraps. ...

Queen Latifah will be honored with the William "Jazz" Jones Brightest Star Award by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Newark at the organization's 18th annual Evening of the Stars on Monday (May 22) in New York. The gala, featuring Kenan Thompson and Miri Ben-Ari, recognizes contributions toward improving the quality of life of inner-city children and their families. John Sykes, president of network development for MTV Networks, will be presented with the 2006 Award for Caring, and one young person will receive the organization's Youth of the Year Award at the ceremony. ... Salma Hayek is hosting Wednesday's Colombia sin Minas concert, a special acoustic showcase featuring Juanes, Alejandro Sanz and Ana Gabriel. The benefit concert, held at Los Angeles' Gibson Amphitheatre, will raise money to aid children victimized by antipersonnel mines in Colombia. ...

Staind, Flyleaf, Nonpoint, Wicked Wisdom and Dope are among the bands confirmed for the JJO Band Camp 2006 festival, scheduled for August 6 at Willow Island in Madison, Wisconsin. More acts will be announced in the coming weeks. ...Primus and the Flaming Lips have been confirmed as the headliners for this year's Hedgpeth Festival, set to take place July 28 and July 29 in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. Mike Patton's Peeping Tom, They Might Be Giants, the Kings of Leon, Blue October and Minus the Bear are also on the festival's bill. ... When it comes to Las Vegas entertainers, few can fill Wayne Newton's shoes, but Toni Braxton is going to give it a try. The singer will take over for Newton as the headliner at the Flamingo Las Vegas hotel and casino, she announced at a press conference Friday. "Toni Braxton: Revealed" kicks off August 3 and is set to run six nights per week through March 2007. ...

Chevelle have been forced to pull out of the first eight dates of their forthcoming tour with Nickelback and Hoobastank after bassist Dean Bernardini sustained an injury to his left hand. The canceled dates run from the tour's June 30 opener in Cincinnati though a July 26 stop set for Columbia, Maryland. The trek is scheduled to wrap up September 16 in Kansas City, Missouri. ... Me First and the Gimme Gimmes have been busy recording material for their forthcoming album. The band, featuring members of Foo Fighters, NOFX, Lagwagon, No Use for a Name and Swingin' Utters, has been working in the studio since April, putting its spin on songs written by Johnny Cash, the Dixie Chicks, Garth Brooks and Hank Williams, among others. There's no word yet on when the yet-untitled release will be in stores. ... Conan O'Brien will host the 58th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which will air live August 27 from Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium on NBC. Emmy nominations will be announced July 6. O'Brien previously hosted the ceremony in 2002. ...

Freddie and the Dreamers leader Freddie Garrity died Friday while hospitalized in Wales, The Associated Press reports. He was 69. Freddie and the Dreamers, a British band best known for the 1965 U.S. hit "I'm Telling You Now," sparked a loose-limbed dance called "The Freddie," inspired by Garrity's bouncy onstage moves. ... Longtime Grateful Dead crewmember Lawrence "Ramrod" Shurtliff died of lung cancer Tuesday, the AP reports. Guitarist Bob Weir called the 61-year-old, who served as president of the Dead's board of directors when the band incorporated in the 1970s, "our rock."

05.19.2006

Brandy has signed on to judge "America's Got Talent," a televised contest created by "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell, The Associated Press reports. David Hasselhoff and British newspaper editor/TV personality Piers Morgan will also be on the panel that decides the fates of aspiring entertainers vying for a $1 million prize. The series, set to debut June 21 on NBC, will be hosted by Regis Philbin. ... Staind will perform at the 90th running of the Indianapolis 500 as part of ABC's pre-race telecast, beginning at noon EST on May 28. A day earlier, the band will headline Indianapolis' annual X-103 May Day concert, which also features Three Days Grace and Flyleaf. ...

Stephen King has posted an angry rant aimed at ABC on his Web site. "Those of you who are familiar with the wonderful world of television may have noticed that 'Desperation' — probably the best TV movie to be made from my work — has been scheduled by ABC to run, not just against 'American Idol,' but against the 'American Idol' finals!" the author wrote. "Am I bitter? Hell, yes, I am bitter!" ... The name Nevaeh (pronounced "neh-VAY-ah") is proliferating faster than any baby name in more than 100 years — and, according to The New York Times, it all stems from Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D., who appeared on MTV in 2000 with his baby daughter, whose name is "heaven spelled backwards," he explained. According to the paper, there were just eight newborn American girls named Nevaeh in 1999, and last year there were 4,457 — the fastest climb among all names in more than a century, the entire period for which the Social Security Administration has such records. ... The Dillinger Escape Plan will issue an iTunes-exclusive EP on June 13. The release will feature new versions of "Unretrofied" and "The Perfect Design," along with four covers: Nine Inch Nails' "Wish," Massive Attack's "Angel," Soundgarden's "Jesus Christ Pose" and Justin Timberlake's "Like I Love You." ...

William Hung will be crowned this year's Artichoke King at the Castroville Artichoke Festival this weekend in Castroville, California. Marilyn Monroe was the first "Artichoke Queen" in 1947. ... They Might Be Giants are going to help creep up "Coraline," the stop-motion animation adaptation of "Sandman" writer Neil Gaiman's award-winning book. The band will provide songs to the film, while Dakota Fanning will lend her voice to the young girl who walks through a secret door in her new home and discovers an eerie alternate version of her life, complete with counterfeit parents and children sucked dry. Henry Selick ("James and the Giant Peach," "The Nightmare Before Christmas") will direct the film, which is due in 2007. ...

Warped Tour stalwarts and self-described "gypsy punks" Gogol Bordello will host a concert to benefit the Romani Jag Organization, a group that raises awareness about the struggle of Roma gypsies in Ukraine and, most recently, an increasing trend of anti-Roma police brutality. The event will be held June 9 at New York's Irving Plaza. ... Montreal stoner rockers Priestess haven't even released an album in the U.S., but that's not stopping them from heading out on tour this summer. Their debut, Hello Master, drops on June 13 and two days later the power rock quartet will hit Los Angeles' Spaceland for their tour opener. The trek wraps up July 12 in Philadelphia and will see the band on the road with the Bronx, Riverboat Gamblers and the Electric Six. ...

The Senate voted Thursday to approve a drastic hike in fines for television and radio stations that violate indecency rules. According to Reuters, the tenfold increase in fines per violation from $32,000 to $325,000 for airing profanity or sexually explicit material still pales in comparison to the bill passed by the House last year, which would push fines up to $500,000 per violation and require the Federal Communications Commission to consider revoking a station's license after three indecency violations. House and Senate leaders will now have to hash out a compromise before an increase becomes law.

• Kanye West
• Tool
• Cam'ron
• Guns N' Roses
• Three 6 Mafia

Chevelle's Pete Loeffler (file)
Photo: Amy V. Cooper

They've spent most of 2005 crossing the continental U.S. to drum up business for their latest disc, This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In), losing a founding member in the process. But road exhaustion and a lineup change apparently aren't going to slow Chevelle down.

The Chicago rockers — who have 12 gigs, including a CBGB benefit concert on August 4, left on their current summer tour with Taproot and 30 Seconds to Mars (see ) — revealed on their official Web site that they'll be taking a brief timeout from touring before heading back out on the road for a 27-date fall run that's set to kick off in Bakersfield, California, on September 12.

News of Chevelle's fall tour extension comes less than a month after Joe Loeffler's departure from the band; the bassist's bandmate brothers — drummer Sam and singer/guitarist Pete — fired Joe, citing "irreconcilable differences," and promptly replaced him with former Filter guitarist Geno Lenardo.

Aggro-rockers Taproot, who will release their latest offering, Blue Sky Research, on August 16, will continue as the support act for at least part of the fall tour. Taproot's forthcoming album features contributions from Billy Corgan and Gratitude/ Far frontman Jonah Matranga.

It's anticipated that additional openers will be announced in the coming weeks.

From Bakersfield, Chevelle's fall jaunt will hit Seattle, Los Angeles, Denver, Milwaukee, San Antonio, Chicago and Minneapolis, including stops at college campuses, before winding down on October 21 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Chevelle tour dates, according to the band's official Web site:

• 8/2 - Boston, MA @ The Roxy
• 8/3 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
• 8/4 - New York, NY @ CBGB (benefit concert)
• 8/5 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
• 8/6 - Atlanta, GA @ 99X Downtown Rocks at Underground Atlanta
• 8/8 - Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
• 8/9 - Tampa, FL @ Jannus Landing
• 8/11 - Birmingham, AL @ Sloss Furnace
• 8/14 - Madison, WI @ Willow Island at Alliant Energy Center
• 8/16 - West Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom
• 8/17 - Columbia, MO @ Blue Note
• 8/18 - Kansas City, MO @ Beaumont Club
• 9/12 - Bakersfield, CA @ Montgomery World Plaza
• 9/13 - Ventura, CA @ Ventura Theatre
• 9/14 - Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
• 9/16 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Avalon
• 9/17 - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
• 9/18 - Scottsdale, AZ @ Venue of Scottsdale
• 9/21 - El Paso, TX @ The Zone
• 9/23 - San Antonio, TX @ Sunset Station
• 9/24 - Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Amphitheatre
• 9/25 - Lubbock, TX @ South Beach
• 9/27 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
• 9/30 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
• 10/1 - Spokane, WA @ Big Easy
• 10/2 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox
• 10/3 - Boise, ID @ Big Easy
• 10/5 - Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
• 10/6 - Fresno, CA @ Big Fresno Fair
• 10/7 - Sparks, NV @ New Oasis
• 10/10 - Rapid City, SD @ Rushmore Plaza
• 10/11 - Fargo, ND @ Playmaker's
• 10/13 - Carbondale, IL @ Southern Illinois University
• 10/14 - Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
• 10/15 - Duluth, MN @ Reif Recreation Center, College of St. Scholastica
• 10/17 - Milwaukee, WI @ Rave
• 10/18 - Minneapolis, MN @ Quest Club
• 10/20 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
• 10/21 - Louisville, KY @ Jillian's

• Chevelle
• Taproot

Jennifer Lopez (file)
Photo: Sony

Jennifer Lopez is getting ready to launch her fourth fragrance, an upbeat, fruity, floral perfume called Live Jennifer Lopez, due in October. Live's top notes include orange and pineapple; the heart of the scent is red currant, peony and violet; and beneath that will be caramel, vanilla and sandalwood. J. Lo claims this perfume will "reveal the core of her inner being." ...

Now that Britney Spears is entering a new phase in her life, so is her summer camp. The Britney Spears Camp for the Performing Arts is "spinning off" to become its own entity, the Summer Stars Camp for the Performing Arts. It will still be funded by the Britney Spears Foundation, the singer wrote on her Web site. The foundation will also be making new grants to City of Hope and Gida's Club Worldwide, she said, "which represents the beginning of our work on behalf of children battling cancer." ... Going to this summer's Warped Tour? If so, tour founder Kevin Lyman's got some advice for you: Don't trust scalpers. A number of fans have been punk'd by scammers trolling the areas outside the festival stops, peddling counterfeit tickets, laminated backstage passes and all-access wristbands, Lyman said Thursday. "Do not buy anything in the parking lot," Lyman cautioned, "because you will be wasting your money." Others are hawking fake goods on eBay. Some of the forged tickets are so convincing, he said, that at first glance it's almost impossible to tell that they're not Ticketmaster-issued. ...

Cam'ron might have one of the meanest rides in New York — a new Lamborghini — but it was an NYPD patrol car that upstaged him Thursday. Police pulled the Diplomats general over in Harlem for a routine traffic stop and ended up arresting him for outstanding traffic tickets, according to a source close to the case. Cam was later released. ... Whoever is chosen to be the new singer of INXS (via the band's new reality show, "Rock Star: INXS," premiering Monday on CBS at 9 p.m. ET/PT) also wins a label deal. The band has just signed with Epic Records to do a new album, their first since the death of Michael Hutchence in 1997. "We can't wait to get back into the studio to record again," INXS' Andrew Farriss said. "It's been too long." The band is also planning a tour. ... Fans of My Morning Jacket are going to have to be patient. The release date for the Southern rockers' upcoming fourth studio LP, Z, has been pushed back two weeks from September 26 to October 5, according to their publicist. ...

In a posting on the message board of Chevelle's Web site, former bassist Joe Loeffler tore his bandmate brothers a new one and refuted the group's assertion that his departure was self-imposed. According to Joe, his bros — drummer Sam and singer/guitarist Pete — gave him the boot. "This is exactly what I expected from them. Try and make it look like I didn't want to be in the band. I was fired, plain and simple; in fact, there wasn't even a discussion about it — they just dropped it on me," he wrote. "I made no decision and am not taking a break. I will be working on getting a new job immediately. A break also means there's a chance to come back, and nothing could be farther from reality. I was fired and they have not said a word to me since. I would never ask to be back in." Epic Records, the band's label, would not comment on Joe's allegation. ...

Dropsonic, the first rock band on Dallas Austin's Rowdy Records, will release their third album, Insects With Angel Wings, on August 23. The Atlanta trio have been likened to Led Zeppelin and Fugazi. ... Rhino Records will release a three-CD, single DVD box set on August 16 called Weird Tales of the Ramones. The 85-song collection includes rare, demo and album versions of cuts like "Beat on the Brat," "Judy Is a Punk," "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment," "Do You Remember Rock & Roll Radio?," "The KKK Took My Baby Away" and, of course, "I Wanna Be Sedated." The DVD is chock-full of videos, as well as a live version of "Blitzkrieg Bop." ...

07.06.2005

Usher is hosting a black-tie fundraiser for his nonprofit New Look Foundation, which helps disadvantaged youth, Friday at New York's Capitale. The event will raise money for Camp New Look, to be held next week at Clark Atlanta University to give 150 children a chance to learn about the business side of the entertainment and sports industries. ...

Gavin Rossdale's new band, Institute, is hitting the road next month to support their upcoming debut, Distort Yourself, due September 13. The 13-date trek kicks off August 11 in San Diego and wraps August 30 in New York. The band's first single, "Bullet-Proof Skin," goes to radio August 2 and will be featured in the Jamie Foxx movie "Stealth." ... It's not quite their autobiography, but Maroon 5 are working on a book about their life on the road. The story, due from MTV Books in March, will be told mainly via never-before-seen photos, which will be fleshed out by text from the bandmembers about their experiences. ... System of a Down keep adding more dates to their upcoming North American trek with the Mars Volta. On August 27, the bands perform in Worcester, Massachusetts, followed by a string of seven new September dates that'll have the rockers visiting Vancouver, British Columbia; Calgary, Alberta; Edmonton, Alberta; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Minneapolis; Detroit; and Chicago. Three October dates have also been added: Denver on October 2, Seattle on October 5, and in Portland, Oregon, on the following night. ...

Rest easy, U2 fans: Bono's prized Stetson hat will be returned to its rightful owner in due time, the BBC reports. That's because the Irish rock stars were the victors in their legal battle with former stylist Lola Cashman, whom U2 collectively claimed stole several personal items she later attempted to sell at auction. Several of the items, including the aforementioned hat, some earrings and a pair of trousers, Bono wore during the band's Joshua Tree tour, and also appeared on the frontman in the film "Rattle and Hum." Cashman maintained the items were presented to her as gifts, but a Dublin, Ireland, judge believed Bono's side of the story instead. ... Run-DMC co-founder the Reverend Run will release his debut solo album, Distortion, on September 13. Run (born Joey Simmons), will debut his first single, "Mind on the Road," on the upcoming "Madden 2006" video game (August 9) and will star in his own MTV reality show, "Run's House," in the fall. The album will feature the songs "Boom Ditty," "I Use to Think I Was Run," "Break'em Til It's Broken," "Got a Way," "Home Sweet Home," "Distortion," "Changetime," "Beats to the Rhyme" and "High and Mighty Joe." ...

After three albums and six years, hard-charging indie-rockers the Hot Snakes have decided to throw in the towel. "It was a complete thrill to be a part of and satisfied my insatiable hunger for sinister, throbbing action," guitarist John Reis wrote on his Swami Records Web site. "Thank you to all that urged us along and leant (sic) an ear for us to abuse." Last year's Audit in Progress was the group's last, and the Snakes disband with the distinction of being the last group to record on the late John Peel's BBC show. Several farewell dates have been lined up. ... Broken Social Scene's Arts & Crafts Canadian label is branching out. The first non-Broken-related signing is Milton, Ontario, teen collective the Most Serene Republic, whose debut, Underwater Cinematographer is due July 12. Indie stalwarts the American Analog Set will release their sixth record, Set Free, on September 20, and Australian chanteuse New Buffalo will drop her North American debut August 23. Meanwhile, Broken Social Scene guitarist Jason Collett will release his sophomore disc, Idols of Exile, in early '06. ...

Celebrating its 25th year, the annual CMJ Music Marathon is getting ready to take over New York. The initial lineup for the September 14-17 event includes the Arcade Fire, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Blackalicious, Dungen, the Wrens, !!!, Mary Timony, Annie, Funeral for a Friend, Pony Up! and Mahjongg. Hundreds of others are expected to be announced. ... The Constantines will release their third disc, Tournament of Hearts, on October 11 for Sub Pop. Meanwhile, Sub Pop labelmates Wolf Parade will release their debut, Apologies to the Queen Mary, on September 27. Produced by Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock, the Montreal art-rockers' 12-song album will be preceded by a four-track EP and an appearance on McSweeney's Believer compilation. The collection will features indie-rockers covering indie-rockers. Wolf Parade will tackle Frog Eyes, Spoon will transform Yo La Tengo, and the Shins will put their stamp on the Postal Service. ...

Deep Dish's new album is called George Is On, but it might as well be called Stevie Is On. That's because the album, due July 12, features none other than Stevie Nicks on a remake of "Dreams." Deep Dish are currently doing DJ nights to support the release, hitting Austin's Sky on Wednesday, Boston's Axis on July 12, and Los Angeles' Avalon on July 15. ...

• Jennifer Lopez
• Britney Spears
• INXS
• My Morning Jacket
• Chevelle

Kanye West (file)
Photo: Getty Images

Less than 24 hours before Saturday's Live 8 global concerts, Kanye West has been added to the Philadelphia bill. The rapper will be gracing the same stage as such previously announced performers as Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys and Destiny's Child. ...

The second Waxploitation Sudan Charity Auction will launch July 12 on eBay, with rare and signed items donated by a range of stars, including Angelina Jolie, Radiohead, Bam Margera, Outkast, Björk, Kanye West, Serena Williams, Trent Reznor, Beastie Boys, System of a Down, Nelly, Ciara, Red Hot Chili Peppers, David Banner, Sum 41, Foo Fighters and John Legend. The items can be bid on at eBay.com/the_wax_trust. The auction will assist victims of the deadly ethnic cleansing in Sudan. ... R. Kelly appeared in a Chicago court Friday (July 1) only to get — you guessed it — another postponement in the pretrial process for his upcoming child-pornography trial, which insiders were suggesting would start "soon." At the next hearing, set for July 20, the judge is expected to rule on a number of issues, including whether or not the prosecution has to limit the scope of time for when it says the alleged sex tape was made, since the defense says the time frame is too broad. Also, expect haggling over the forensic pediatrics methods used to determine if the girl on the tape in question was underage. After those two issues are resolved, a trial date can be set. ...

Back in April, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor called on his fans to remix "The Hand That Feeds." The result? "Hundreds of remixes [that] I've enjoyed and cringed at," Reznor wrote on his Web site; the most impressive was a cross-hatch that involved Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters." Now, Reznor wants fans to "remix, reinterpret and ruin" NIN's new single, "Only." Those interested can download the song's master multi-tracks from nin.com, and use one of four software programs to remix the track as they see fit. "There is no agenda here other than for you to explore, experiment and have fun with it," Reznor wrote. "I'm looking forward to hearing what you come up with." ... Chevelle's bassist, Joe Loeffler, will not be taking the stage during the band's upcoming summer tour with Taproot and 30 Seconds to Mars, according to the Chicago rockers' Web site. "After three years of nonstop touring and recording, Joe is taking a break to be home with family," reads the band's statement. "We'll miss having him on the road with us, but as his brothers and bandmates, we respect his decision and are looking forward to getting out there and playing for the fans." Chevelle have recruited former Filter guitarist Geno Lenardo to fill in. ...

Remember Robin Thicke? Also known simply as Thicke? The former You Hear It First artist (alum of 2002 class) is at it again, and this time, he's got some help. Thicke has teamed up with Pharrell Williams for his next single, "Wanna Love You Girl," for which he's just shot a video with director Paul Hunter. You can hear the song at startrakmusic.com/web/. ... On Thursday, Apple reported more than 1 million Podcast subscriptions in just the first two days of its new iTunes Podcast Directory. The latest version of iTunes (4.9) makes it easier to subscribe to podcasts, with bookmarking of 'casts and the ability to display podcast artwork in color. ...

Blues Traveler have set a September 12 release date for their eighth studio album, ¡Bastardos! Ex-Wilco multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett produced the record. ... With their fourth album expected in the fall, Sigur Rós are launching a world tour this month that will hit North America in September. The Stateside trek kicks off September 6 in Atlanta and wraps up October 6 in Las Vegas. ...

06.30.05

R. Kelly's been ordered to fess up — a Chicago judge has ordered the R&B singer to give a deposition in a civil suit filed by a woman who claims her privacy was violated when Kelly taped them having sex without her knowledge. Tina Woods' lawyer, Susan E. Loggans, said the judge's decision was significant because Kelly had thus far avoided giving a deposition in this and other cases. Loggans said she doesn't want the deposition to take place until after Kelly's criminal trial for child-pornography charges, since his lawyer has said he'd likely take the Fifth so that he wouldn't incriminate himself in the criminal case. If the criminal trial doesn't start by this summer, Loggans said, she'd petition to have the deposition moved up sooner. ...

A defense attorney for Jesse James Hollywood is claiming the release of the movie "Alpha Dog," based on his client, could deny him the right of a fair trial, according to The Associated Press. The film, which features Justin Timberlake as a member of Hollywood's gang, will be released at the same time as the start of the trial. Hollywood is accused of plotting the kidnap and slaying of 15-year-old Nick Markowitz in August 2000 as payback for a drug debt owed to him by Markowitz's half-brother. ... With only two days to go before Live 8, the lineup for the concerts is continuing to shift. Sheryl Crow has pulled out of the Paris show, according to a post on her Web site, which cites "substantial and personal challenges" as the reason the 43-year-old singer will be unable to appear. Meanwhile, Canada's Live 8 organizers have confirmed that Darryl McDaniels (a.k.a. DMC of Run-DMC) has been added to the Barrie, Ontario, bill. ...

Lionel Richie, who was one of the principal players in Live Aid 20 years ago (and, of course, is Nicole Richie's dad), says now is "the exact time, the exact moment we can make a difference" with Live 8. Richie told MTV Radio that while he thinks putting together the simultaneous shows in several different cities will be a "huge undertaking" and a "logistical nightmare" compared to the original concerts, which only took place in Philadelphia and London, he thinks it will all be worth it if it impacts the G8 conference and the fate of the African continent. "It's pretty clear that those people have so much power, and we need to wake them up and say, 'We're letting an entire continent go straight to hell. It's not what we need to be doing.' Let's get in there and make the wise decision." ... On Wednesday, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former employee against James Brown, in which the woman claimed the singer raped her 17 years ago and then used threats to silence the claim. According to a Reuters report, Chicago U.S. Magistrate Sidney Schenkier ruled that the two-year statute of limitations on such a claim had expired. Accuser Jacque Hollander, 48 — who said she recently developed Graves' Disease as a result of the 1988 rape — plans to appeal the dismissal of the suit, which sought $100 million in damages. ...

Madonna's got another lawsuit on her hands. This time, she and her Maverick film company are being sued by two men, Jim McLay and Barry Kohout, who claim the Material Girl's company defaulted on a $100,000 loan. The suit was filed in Camden, New Jersey's federal court earlier this week. ... Jimmy Eat World, Local H, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists and the reunited Promise Ring are among the acts booked for Flower 15, a six-night showcase and fund-raiser scheduled for November 8-15 at Chicago's Metro club. The concerts will benefit the local charity P.L.A.Y. (Possibilities in Life: Art for Youth), and with concerts running day and night, organizers hope to raise $50,000. Tickets go on sale August 27; more information on the festival can be found at Flower15.com. ... Switchfoot have chosen "Stars" as the first single from their new album, Nothing Is Sound. The LP is due September 13. ...

Rock scribe Dave Marsh will be penning yet another Bruce Springsteen book, this time chronicling the Boss' life on the road. Wenner Books just inked a deal with Marsh for him to write "Bruce Springsteen: On Tour," which will be a full-color, illustrated, tour-by-tour history, due by fall 2006. ... Mark Romanek, Anton Corbijn, Jonathan Glazer and Stéphane Sednaoui will be the next video directors featured in "The Directors Label" DVD series, which previously spotlighted the work of Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry and Chris Cunningham. The DVDs, which will collect the best videos from each of the directors, are due September 13. ... Before joining the John Mayer Trio for some dates in the fall, Ray LaMontagne will headline a theater tour beginning Friday in Northampton, Massachusetts. The 28-date tour culminates August 17 in Atlanta. ...

• Kanye West
• Ciara
• Nine Inch Nails
• Radiohead
• Chevelle

Chevelle's Pete Loeffler (file)
Photo: Terry Woodside

The hard-riffing brothers Loeffler — otherwise known as Chevelle — will be spending much of this summer not in their native Chicago but on a bus, rocking their way across America with aggro-rock stalwarts Taproot and Jared Leto's 30 Seconds to Mars in tow.

Chevelle, still riding high on the success of their single "The Clincher" (see ), have spent the majority of 2005 on the road in support of their latest disc, This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In), released in September. The band closed out each night of the SnoCore Tour earlier this year, which was followed by a headlining jaunt.

Both Taproot and 30 Seconds to Mars have new albums on the way: Taproot's Blue Sky Research, which features contributions from Billy Corgan and Gratitude/ Far frontman Jonah Matranga, hits stores on August 16, the same day as 30 Seconds to Mars' sophomore release, A Beautiful Lie.

Chevelle's rock-and-roll train pulls into Indianapolis, on July 9 and will make stops in Detroit, Atlanta, New York, Boston and Philadelphia before rolling to a stop in Columbia, Missouri, on August 17.

Chevelle tour dates, according to the band's label:

• 7/9 - Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Egyptian Room
• 7/11 - Detroit, MI @ State Theatre
• 7/12 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Orbit Room
• 7/14 - Fort Wayne, IN @ Piere's
• 7/15 - Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
• 7/16 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart's
• 7/18 - Toledo, OH @ Headliners
• 7/19 - Pittston, PA @ The Staircase
• 7/21 - Hampton Beach, NH @ Hampton Beach Casino
• 7/22 - Northampton, MA @ Pearl Street
• 7/23 - Atlantic City, NJ @ House of Blues
• 7/25 - Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
• 7/26 - Dewey Beach, DE @ Bay Center
• 7/29 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
• 7/30 - Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
• 8/1 - Portland, ME @ State Theatre
• 8/2 - Boston, MA @ The Roxy
• 8/3 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
• 8/5 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
• 8/6 - Atlanta, GA @ Downtown Rocks at Underground Atlanta
• 8/8 - Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
• 8/9 - Tampa, FL @ Jannus Landing
• 8/11 - Birmingham, AL @ Sloss Furnace
• 8/14 - Madison, WI @ Willow Island
• 8/16 - West Des Moines, IA @ Val Air Ballroom
• 8/17 - Columbia, MO @ Blue Note

• Chevelle
• Taproot
• 30 Seconds To Mars

"American Idol" finalists (file)
Photo: FOX

On April 19, the final 12 "American Idol" finalists will release a cover of Diana Ross' "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" to benefit the American Red Cross. Desmond Child produced the song as well as the B-sides, covers of Ray Stevens' "Everything Is Beautiful" and "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," made famous by Cher, Neil Diamond and the Hollies. ...

The Osbournes have been hit with yet another health scare. Aimee, the eldest child of the Osbourne clan, is currently being treated at an undisclosed hospital in Los Angeles after a lump was removed from her breast, The Associated Press reports. Sharon, who battled colon cancer in 2002, released a statement on Wednesday saying the operation went well and she expects her daughter to make a full recovery. ... Officials at Duke University announced on Wednesday that the school will continue with its iPod initiative, the goal of which is to integrate the device into the university's courses. A few important changes will be taking effect in the coming school year, though — the iPods will now only be given out to students who are enrolled in a course integrating it specifically into the curriculum, rather than handing out iPods to the entire freshmen class, which the school did last fall. ...

Michael Jackson's inner circle continues to collapse, as one of his former publicists and another family friend have teamed up to write a tell-all book. Former PR rep Bob Jones and Stacy Brown have written "The Man Behind the Mask," to be published in May by Select Books, which will detail Jackson's alleged relationships with young boys such as Macaulay Culkin and Kieran Culkin. The older Culkin has previously denied that anything inappropriate happened. ... Jackson's sister Janet, meanwhile, is slated to be one of the presenters at the fourth annual Atlanta Heroes Awards, along with Big Boi, Jon Bon Jovi, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The ceremony, which will take place April 21, will honor Usher and the B-52's, among others. ...

Andre 3000 will be honored at the 2005 General Motors International Style Awards in Atlanta on May 6. The Style Atlanta award, as it is known, will also be bestowed upon another high-profile Andre at the black-tie event: Andre Leon Talley, editor-at-large at Vogue magazine. ... Toni Braxton is back recording and her new, still-untitled album should be out by September. Braxton, who has a recurring role on "Kevin Hill," has the first single ready; the song is produced by Scott Storch and titled "Please." ...

Riding high on the rock-radio success of their new single, "The Clincher," Chevelle are heading back out on the road for another round of tour dates. Having just wrapped their headlining stint on the 2005 SnoCore Tour, they'll start all over again on April 8 in Louisville, Kentucky. Their new jaunt runs across most of the South before finishing up on May 21 in Urbana, Illinois. ... Travis Meeks from Days of the New (best known for their 1997 hit "Touch, Peel and Stand") may not have made the cut to be the singer for Velvet Revolver, but he's got something on Scott Weiland — a reality show chronicling his recovery from drug addiction. Meeks will be featured on an upcoming episode of "Intervention," A&E's new documentary series, where he reveals that he's addicted to crystal meth while his girlfriend and family try to get him into treatment. Meeks gets out of rehab in about two weeks; the show airs shortly before then, on April 17 at 10 p.m. ET. ...

Fall Out Boy's lyricist and bassist Peter Wentz wants to be the next Emily Strange — he's got a dark and twisted clothing line inspired by his book called "The Boy With the Thorn in His Side" that features bats, monsters and other figures from his childhood nightmares and slogans like "We Are All Gods and Monsters" and "Girls Love Monsters Too." The clothing line includes men's and women's wear, jewelry, belt buckles, hats, patches, buttons, stickers and wristbands, and is available via mall chain Hot Topic and online at www.clandestineindustries.com.

04.06.2005

Gwen Stefani's L.A.M.B. line is expanding to include sneakers, which she plans to have in stores by fall. The singer's just inked a licensing deal with K-Swiss' Royal Elastics, which will land the shoes in high-end boutiques and department stores. "It's very much about my style and how I like to put things together," Stefani said in a statement, "and I'm really excited to be adding a collection of L.A.M.B. sneakers to my closet." The collection will feature classic silhouettes incorporating song lyrics and will cost from $99-$180 a pair. ... Speaking of sneaks, Stefani's partner in crime for her current single, "Hollaback Girl," is getting some action for his shoe line as well. Pharrell Williams (who produced Gwen's single) has started a street skate team led by pro Terry Kennedy and including the producer's younger brother, Kato. Dubbed the "Ice Cream" skate team (after Pharrell's sneaker line), they'll tour for seven months in Northern California before releasing a DVD this fall. ...

This fall, KnuckleBonz, Inc. will be releasing a collectible figurine of the late "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott as part of its Guitar Hero series, which already includes Slash, Randy Rhoads and Zakk Wylde. To be fashioned out of polyresin, the statue will display the Pantera/ Damageplan guitarist with his "Dean from Hell" axe. A limited edition of 3,333 of the hand-painted figures will be produced. Those who simply must have one can visit www.guitarhero.net and pre-order it for $99. ... Busta Rhymes is getting a lot of action thanks to the Pussycat Dolls, who recruited the rapper for their first single, "Don't Cha" (out April 19), as well as their video, which will be shot next week in Los Angeles with director Paul Hunter. The Dolls are planning a stint of radio shows this spring, including KIIS-FM's annual Wango Tango in Los Angeles, while their debut album is expected this summer. ...

Ryan Seacrest is bringing his "American Top 40" radio countdown show to the small screen. Ryan Cabrera, Gavin DeGraw and Maroon 5 are among the performers on the April 24 FOX special, while Avril Lavigne, Ciara and the Black Eyed Peas will also appear. The show kicks off at 8 p.m. ET. ... Dude, next time your aunt wants to take you on a Bookmobile tour of the Library of Congress, you should totally go! Kurt Cobain's there! Flavor Flav too! The library just announced the newest additions to its U.S. National Recording Registry, which collects "culturally, historically or aesthetically important" sound recordings that document life in the American 20th century. And this year, those recordings include Nirvana's Nevermind, Public Enemy's Fear of a Black Planet and the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. Other recordings making the cut this year include John Williams' 1977 soundtrack to "Star Wars," Neil Armstrong's first words on the moon and a 1923 recording of President Woodrow Wilson addressing Congress. ...

Russell Simmons wants you to get down with down dog. The hip-hop mogul is releasing a new series of yoga videos called "Yoga Live." Though he has been practicing yoga for more than 10 years, don't expect to see Simmons in full lotus on the workout tapes; the four videos covering the basics are taught by three different professional yogis. ... Sony BMG has come up with a novel way to convince kids to pay for music downloads: give them away for free. The world's biggest music company is currently footing the bill for dorm residents to download songs for free on a number of campuses, according to an Associated Press report. Several rival companies are also offering free or discounted downloads, and schools expect that students will eventually pay $5-$8 a month in dorm fees for the services, which some universities plan to use to help lure prospective students to their campuses. ...

Guitar-pop act the Shins will embark on a 25-date tour Wednesday night (April 6) at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. They'll be taking New Zealand's the Brunettes with them for the 19-city road trek that stops in Chicago, New York, Nashville, Seattle and Denver before eventually returning to Portland for two encore performances at the Crystal Ballroom May 15-16. ...

• Janet Jackson
• OutKast
• Chevelle
• Toni Braxton

Chevelle live on the SnoCore Tour in St. Louis, MO 02.14.2005

• Chevelle

MTV.com LIVE: Chevelle Photos 09.15.2004

• Chevelle

Chevelle live at Buzzfest at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston, TX 10.30.2004

• Chevelle

Kid Rock, Missy Elliott, Clay Aiken, More At 2003 AMAs

• Ruben Studdard
• Clay Aiken
• Kid Rock
• Sean Paul
• Missy Elliott

Chevelle Live From Ozzfest 07.19.02

• Chevelle