Axl Rose
Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images

Two more Guns N' Roses dates have been added to the band's schedule — and like the two gigs announced last week, these additional bookings are in New York at the Hammerstein Ballroom. GN'R will be performing at the NYC venue May 12 and 14, followed by their previously announced concerts set for May 15 and 17. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are priced at $63. ...

Nelly reached a settlement with a photographer who was allegedly beaten up by the rapper's bodyguards last year, The Associated Press reported Friday (April 21). Nelly has agreed to pay Jerry Livingston $20,000 to settle the claim; the photographer had been taking photos of Nelly's concert on April 12, 2005, but was then allegedly dragged to the side of the stage and beaten multiple times after the bodyguards believed he had been videotaping the event. ...

Want to hear Kevin Federline's debut album, Playing With Fire? Well, if you plan to be in Las Vegas on Friday, you may just get your chance. There will be a listening party Friday night for K-Fed's LP at the posh Las Vegas nightclub Pure, according to the club's Web site. Federline will be hosting the event, but there's no word on whether wife Britney Spears will be attending. ...

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl is a dad. Grohl and wife Jordyn Blum welcomed Violet Maye Grohl into the world on Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles, he announced on his band's Web site Friday. Violet weighed in at 6 pounds, 15 ounces and 21 inches tall — "just perfect" in the words of her father. ... Bro! 311 are hitting the road this summer on the totally sweet Unity Tour '06, which kicks off July 20 in Santa Cruz, California, and runs through a September 9 stop in Santa Barbara, California. (They will also play dates in cities with names that do not include the word "Santa," including Memphis, Cleveland and Boston). Joining 311 on the trek are reggae legends the Wailers and Hawaiian act Pepper. Tickets will go on sale at the end of April, according to 311.com. ...

It seems that Cold frontman Scooter Ward has had a change of heart about disbanding his group. In a posting to his MySpace page, Ward said that while he'd announced back in late February that the band was finished, "Cold will take a break" as he continues work on his latest project, the Witch, which also features Cold drummer Sam McCandless. "Cold will be back soon," Ward wrote. "This, for me, is the best of both worlds. The more music, the better." ... Murderdolls frontman Wednesday 13 will issue his third solo outing, Fang Bang, in late summer, through a new label deal he's forged with Rykodisc/ Restless Records. Wednesday 13 has also parted ways with his entire backing band, which toured with him in both 2004 and 2005 — bassist Kid Kid, guitarist Ghastly, and drummer Piggy D. Joining Wednesday 13 when he performs April 27 in Chicago and April 29 in Toledo, Ohio, will be Murderdolls guitarist Eric Griffin, drummer Racci Shay, and former Skrape bassist Brix.

04.20.2006

Diddy's planning to drop his next — and last — solo album September 19, he told MTV Europe, and to make it special, he's recruited a lot of help, including Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera, Brandy, Busta Rhymes, Nas and Will.I.Am. "I'm taking from what I've learned from dance music, electro-clash, techno, hip-hop, soul and pop, and kind of fusing it together," Diddy said. "It's like everything in hip-hop is so hardcore with guns and problems and beef, and nobody is being romantic — not in a corny way, but just giving all of yourself. It's still going to have that gangsta vibe to it, but it's a musical journey. It's going to feel good." Diddy said the first single will be a club track. "We are going to bring a lot of high fashion, a lot of energy, a lot of sex, a lot of drugs, spirituality, good times," he explained. "We're going to have something for the kids, but it's really an adult thing. It's definitely pornographic, orgasmic, gangsta, to the point where your soul feels good. It's like a spiritual revolution. It's like being sanctified." And if that sounds like an odd combo, Diddy sums it up as "Little Richard-style for the ladies." ...

A Miami judge dismissed an invasion of privacy lawsuit filed by an unidentified woman against Scott Stapp and Kid Rock on Wednesday, saying the woman cannot sue if she remains anonymous, according to The Associated Press. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Gerald Hubbart told the lawyer for the woman who appears in the infamous, but as yet unreleased, sex video featuring the two rockers that she could refile the suit in 20 days if she's willing to use her real name. ...

On Thursday morning (April 20), Pixies frontman Frank Black and his wife welcomed their fourth child, a girl named Lucy Berlin Thompson. Little Lucy weighed in at a shade under 8 pounds, 10 ounces and is apparently destined for superstardom: "She's gorgeous," Black said in a statement. "She's got lips like Angelina Jolie." ... Rancid have been floating under the radar since the 2003 release of their sixth album, Indestructible. But this summer, fans of the Tim Armstrong-led punks have something to look forward to. Rancid will release a yet-untitled DVD, featuring 31 videos shot between 1993 and 2003, in July, according to the band's official site. They're also planning a tour to coincide with the DVD's release. ...

A.F.I. will head out this spring with Dillinger Escape Plan and Nightmare of You. So far just a handful of dates have been firmed up: June 13 (Montreal), June 15 (Toronto), June 20 (Boston), June 22 (New York), June 24 (Philadelphia) and July 11 (Denver), with more to be announced in the coming weeks. A.F.I.'s forthcoming LP, Decemberunderground, is set for June 6. ... There's a new Coheed and Cambria video for the song "The Willing Well: IV - The Final Cut," but it's not something anyone will likely ever see. Frontman Claudio Sanchez and his girlfriend recently shot the super-low-budget clip, which depicts an unfaithful woman being tortured and murdered by her chainsaw-wielding boyfriend. "We did all the makeup ourselves with a bunch of clay and fake blood, and it looks really good," Sanchez said. "We had a great time doing it and we thought there was nothing wrong with it. Then we saw a movie that was kind of in the same vein and we were like, 'Man, this is kind of f---ed up.' " Although drummer Joshua Eppard said the video is his favorite the band has ever made, Coheed's label and management have advised the group not to release the video in any form. ...

Ex-Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5 has quit his new band Loser in order to spend more time on the road as Rob Zombie's guitar player. "I've been juggling two careers for over one year now," John 5 said in a statement. "I found it impossible to be in two places at once." As a result, Loser, whose debut album, Just Like Us, was slated for release June 6, was dropped by their label. ... The long-awaited return of crackly indie rockers Sparklehorse appears to be on the horizon. According to a post on their official Web site, the follow-up to 2001's It's a Wonderful Life is complete with a tentative release date of September. Though (as usual) the record was mostly recorded by brain trust Mark Linkous in his Static King studio, collaborations on the record include Danger Mouse (who also handled some mixing chores), the Flaming Lips' Steven Drozd, producer Dave Fridmann and ambient electronic artist Christian Fennesz, as well as frequent associates Scott Minor, John Hott and Sophie Michalitsianos. The still-untitled fourth album will also include an unreleased Wonderful Life track that features Tom Waits on piano. ...

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers are hitting the road, and they're bringing some friends along for the ride. Pearl Jam and former Phish frontman Trey Anastasio will join the band on select dates of the Highway Companions Tour, which kicks off June 9 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Petty & the Heartbreakers will also provide the opening music for the NBA Playoffs and Finals broadcasts on ABC Sports and the Eastern Conference Finals on ESPN. Classics "Runnin' Down a Dream," "I Won't Back Down," "Learning to Fly," "Makin' Some Noise" and "You Wreck Me" will be played over highlights and other coverage. Two new songs, "Saving Grace" and "Big Weekend," from Petty's upcoming summer release, Highway Companion, will also be used. ABC Sports coverage of the NBA playoffs begins Saturday at 3 p.m. ... After singing in her movie "Prey for Rock & Roll," Gina Gershon is putting out an album of her own, but don't expect her to be a rocker chick. "I'm doing weird music right now," she said. "It's kind of swampy country blues. It's totally different. It's weird; it's funky. But we'll see. You think it'll sound one way, and then it'll sound like something else." Gershon said she starts recording next month in Nashville and then she'll put a band together. ...

Scruffy Canadian rocker Sam Roberts has put the finishing touches on his second album. Due May 16, Chemical City was recorded at a church in Australia and is the follow-up to We Were Born in a Flame, which scored a Juno Award (Canada's Grammy equivalent). Roberts and his band will tour this spring in support of fellow Montrealers the Stills. ... Lifehouse, Everclear and Vanessa Carlton will perform at A Concert for Lili Claire, a benefit being held May 6 at Las Vegas' Mandalay Bay Events Center. All proceeds raised through ticket sales will be earmarked for the Lili Claire Foundation's Family Resource Center, for the creation of programs designed for individuals and families living with Williams syndrome, Down syndrome, autism and other neurogenetic disorders. Jason Alexander, who played George Costanza on the long-running sitcom "Seinfeld," will host the event.

• Guns N' Roses
• Kevin Federline
• Britney Spears
• Cold
• Diddy

Cold's Scooter Ward (file)
Photo: Amy V. Cooper

Cold's Scooter Ward had a decision to make.

Sitting on a sandy beach in his native Florida, the singer found himself wrestling with suicidal contemplations, triggered by the dissolution of his engagement, his sister's deteriorating health, and label rejection. A crippling addiction to drugs and alcohol probably wasn't helping matters much.

"It was the worst time in my life," Ward explained. "The band was falling apart. My sister was [diagnosed] with cancer. My fiancee had left me. Our record deal had fallen apart. I was in a pretty dark place. It was either, 'Is this going to be the end, or am I going to keep writing music?' "

As he sat there weighing his options — to be or not to be — from out of nowhere and right on cue, foreboding storm clouds coated the sky and pounded the earth with a heavy rain. "When that happened, the music came back to me," Ward said. "Everything just changed. I guess you've got to be in your darkest place to come through sometimes. They always say when you get to the worst point in your life, you either turn it around or you die. I turned it around."

Ward immediately checked himself into rehab, got clean in three months' time ("I never even felt like I was awake before [rehab]"), and started writing material for Cold's fourth album, the appropriately titled The Calm That Killed the Storm.

"When I started writing the record, it just helped my life, and everything started getting better," Ward said. "By the end of the record, everything was better. Cold went through such a hard time that we made a record that gives us hope when we listen to it. It gives me hope when I listen to the lyrics. This experience just made me a stronger person."

If nothing else, Ward said the new album serves as a chronicle of the personal and professional turmoil and pain he'd endured before putting pen to paper this time around. Ward is close to finishing the record's last track and said the album is targeted for a late June release. The Calm will feature a piano ballad, "Different Kind of Pain," as well as the tracks "Back Home" and "When Angels Fly Away."

Ward said there's a "message of hope" that runs throughout the disc — which is out of character for the normally crestfallen Cold.

"It still has that dark vibe to it, but it's the most real record that I've ever done," Ward said. "With [the last album] Year of the Spider, I tried to be real, and I got there with a couple of songs, but this one is just all real. There's definitely that message of 'Just don't give up.' There's got to be something out there, and if you just hold on to it, it will come to you."

Producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette (Chevelle, Iggy Pop) was summoned to guide the band through the recording process. "We incorporated a lot of piano and a lot of strings on a few of these songs, and we brought Baskette in for the guitar sounds because we love the way he brings the heavy guitars. It's definitely the biggest record we've done yet soundwise, productionwise."

It's also Cold's first complete offering.

"Every time we've made a record, I've always had one thing wrong with it," Ward revealed. "I've always been like, 'Oh God, it's still not the record that I've always wanted to do.' But finally, with this one, we've found what we've always wanted to — a record I am 100 percent behind, that has every element of Cold we could have."

• Cold

Marilyn Manson (file)
Photo: Interscope

Marilyn Manson is tying the knot with longtime girlfriend and burlesque beauty Dita Von Teese. The freaky fiancé popped the question to the 31-year-old Von Teese on March 22, according to the new issue of Us Weekly, which hits newsstands Friday. The wedding bells are expected to toll within a year. ...

Good Charlotte have started recording the follow-up to their breakthrough album, The Young and the Hopeless. Eric Valentine is again producing, and the disc is scheduled for a September release. ... Armed with a bunch of songs written in their hometown of Sacramento, Deftones plan to hit a studio in June for the follow-up to last year's self-titled LP. ... Matt Sharp's full-length debut, the countrified Matt Sharp, is due May 4, though online retailers will get a three-week head start on the on-sale date. Sharp, who left Weezer after 1996's Pinkerton, released the EP Puckett's Versus the Country Boy last year. ...

Three months after guitarist Terry Balsamo packed his bags to shack up with Evanescence, Cold have parted ways with another guitarist. Kelly Hayes has left and has been temporarily replaced by Matt Laughran of the pre-Cold group Grundig. Eddie Rendini of Miami quintet Darwin's Waiting Room has filled the vacancy left by Balsamo. ... Industrial rockers Ministry's new album, Houses of the Molè, due June 22, will include the song "No W," essentially an update of the band's 1992 track "N.W.O." The new tune will also be featured alongside contributions from Sum 41, New Found Glory and NOFX on the compilation Rock Against Bush, due April 20. ...

Parliament/Funkadelic bassist Bootsy Collins will release his new album, Play With Bootsy, on June 8. The space-age funkateer got some of his friends to help him out, including Snoop Dogg, Macy Gray, Fatboy Slim, Lady Miss Kier and, of course, George Clinton. ... Team Love, a label started by Bright Eyes mastermind Conor Oberst, will release its maiden LP, Tilly & the Wall's Wild Like Children, on June 22. The imprint will be distributed by Bright Eyes' Omaha-based label, Saddle Creek Records. ...

The London-based International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, representing companies like Universal Music and EMI, said in a report issued Tuesday that global music sales fell 7.6 percent in 2003, the fourth consecutive year the number has been in decline. U.S. sales had a strong second half but still declined by 6 percent. The group attributed the drop to illegal copying and broadening entertainment options like video games and DVDs. ...

04.06.2004

The "American Idol" finale will be held at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre (home of the Oscars) rather than the Universal Amphitheater, which hosted last year. The two remaining finalists will sing May 25, and the winner will be announced the following night. ...

Talib Kweli has just released The Beautiful Mix Tape in advance of his upcoming album, The Beautiful Struggle. It features more than a dozen tracks and guest stars like Busta Rhymes, Styles of the LOX, Common, Kanye West, Fabolous, Black Thought and Jean Grae. It also features a song, "Lonely People," that samples Ray Charles' version of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby." ... Kweli will also be a special guest in Xzibit's monthly Rhyme Night talent showcase on April 17 at the Key Club in Hollywood. ... Pink isn't the only one getting cozy with Bobby McGee in an upcoming Janis Joplin biopic. Actress Renée Zellweger will star and co-produce "Piece of My Heart," expected to hit the big screen next year. ...

Godsmack will film their April 9 concert in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to release as part of an upcoming DVD. The show, which also features Ill Niño and Dropbox, is part of a brief tour Godsmack booked to support their recent acoustic EP, The Other Side. Godsmack's tour opening for Metallica resumes April 20 in Uniondale, New York. ... Fans on the East Coast and in the Midwest wondering if a reunited Pixies would ever come to their town can breathe easy. The Pixies announced plans Monday for a proper North American fall tour that will begin September 4 in Bend, Oregon. Most dates and cities are still being booked, but some are already final: September 18 (Austin, Texas), October 14 (Atlanta), November 11 (Minneapolis), November 13 (Chicago) and November 24 (Toronto). ...

While continuing to traverse the U.S. with Hoobastank and ImaRobot on the Campus Invasion Tour, the Lostprophets are in the process of setting up their first Stateside headlining tour in May. Dates have yet to be confirmed. Campus Invasion wraps up April 24 in Norfolk, Virginia. ... Jem, who released her debut LP, Finally Woken, last month, will sing a cover of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" during a wedding reception on the season finale of "The O.C." The episode airs May 5. ... Great White have scheduled two more shows to benefit the victims and survivors of the Station club fire in Warwick, Rhode Island. Dates are April 22 in Ventura, California, and April 25 in Whittier, California. Proceeds will go the Station Family Fund. ...

Ghostface Killah will be hawking an autographed, limited-edition 20x30 painting of himself for $119 inside copies of his upcoming The Pretty Tony Album, due April 20. The canvas portrait was created by the art team Terryphunk (www.terryphunk.com). ... On his Web site, Rush Limbaugh blasted John Kerry and the MTV Choose or Loose half-hour special he appeared on. Specifically, Limbaugh accused Kerry of pandering when he claimed to have listened to hip-hop. "Can't you just see old J.F. Kerry and Teresa Heinz riding around in the Range Rover at one of their mansions with hip-hop playing? You really think Eminem is their CD player right now?" ... A Static Lullaby have hired former Death by Stereo drummer Jarod Alexander to replace Ben Newsham, who left the band in December. The band's upcoming tour starts April 18 in Asbury Park, New Jersey, and runs through May 11 in Los Angeles. ...

• Marilyn Manson
• Good Charlotte
• Deftones
• Cold
• Ministry

He'll still be in the house, but 50 Cent will not be performing at Sunday night's Grammy Awards. He had been announced as a performer several weeks ago. … One of 50's bodyguards has been charged in a shooting that occurred outside a Jersey City, New Jersey, hotel in September. Shots were fired outside the hotel's lobby in what was initially believed to be a gunfight involving the rapper. But Hudson County prosecutors say that so far the evidence they have implicates only one gunman, William Floyd, who fired warning shots in the air. He's being charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon with unlawful intent. ...

Following guitarist Terry Balsamo's defection to Evanescence, Cold have tapped Eddie Rendini, formerly of Darwin's Waiting Room, as his replacement. The band plans to begin work on its fourth album later this year. ... Linkin Park canceled Friday's (February 6) concert with P.O.D. and Hoobastank in Inglewood, California, after singer Chester Bennington was diagnosed with bronchitis and acute laryngitis and was advised by his doctor not to perform. The show has been rescheduled for March 15. Tuesday's show in West Valley City, Utah, is still on. ...

Hilary Duff, Ashanti, Usher, Will Smith and Fefe Dobson will join pro hoopsters LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and others for the NBA's "Read to Achieve" special. The one-hour program will premiere February 14 at noon ET and will be simulcast on ABC, TNT, BET, Nick GAS, and NBA TV, as well as several online outlets. ... Missy Elliott has signed on to be one of the new spokespeople for M.A.C. cosmetics. For the company's upcoming Viva Glam campaign, Elliott joins Christina Aguilera, actress Chloë Sevigny, supermodel Linda Evangelista and pop icon Boy George. All proceeds from the cosmetic line's Viva Glam V pink lipstick and lip gloss go to the M.A.C. AIDS Fund, which raises money for people living with HIV and AIDS. ...

First comes Love, then comes marriage, or so Courtney Love figures, as she's offering to perform a marriage ceremony for a lucky radio contest winner. Fourteen alternative rock stations throughout the country are participating, including WHFS-FM in Washington, D.C., and K-ROCK (WXRK-FM) in New York, according to the singer's Web site. ... The first two artists from crunkmaster Lil Jon's new record label, Black Market Entertainment, are joining forces for the label's first album release. The LP, due February 24, has the unwieldy title The King of Crunk & BME Recordings Present Trillville & Lil Scrappy. ...

A year after Esquire printed a story about the Flaming Lips, in which Beck was called "a di--," the musician has responded with a sarcastic letter to the magazine. The letter, printed in the February issue, states, "Your insights really brought to light the depths of my character and showed all the world who I truly am. ... I have been given cause to reflect on what may be important in my life and what may be irrelevant. Like last week, when, during my shopping spree at Louis Vuitton, I started thinking about how cool it was when I was broke and drove that old Chevy with the brakes that didn't work and had no money for food. ... I am really going to turn things around and do something meaningful with my life now, like publish a magazine with Britney Spears' butt on the cover. That would probably be 'keeping it real' and leaving something noble behind for posterity. ... Thanks, Esquire, for changing my life for the better." ...

The remixes are in for Madonna's next single, "Love Profusion." The maxi single, out in March, will include six remixes, including a bonus mix of "Nothing Fails" by Peter Rauhofer, who has also left his touch on Madge's most recent entries — her collabo with Britney, "Me Against the Music," "American Life," and her Gap commercial jingle with Missy Elliott, "Get Into the Hollywood Groove." ... Dido helped shut down a white power Web site after learning it was using two of her songs to promote its hateful messages. Owners of the site had misinterpreted the tracks "White Flag" and "This Land Is Mine" as racist and thought they represented their views. When she discovered this, Dido contacted her label, which called the British Photographic Industry. The site was then closed down. Dido is currently working on material for her next album. ...

The Chemical Brothers, Paul Oakenfold, Paul van Dyk, Sasha and John Digweed are headlining the sixth annual Ultra Music Festival, scheduled for March 6 at Bayfront Park in Miami. Perry Farrell, Goldie, Tiesto, Erick Morillo and Richie Hawtin are also among the big names DJing, while the Rapture, Junkie XL and Miss Kittin are among several acts performing live sets. ... Billy Talent singer Ben Kowalewicz is likely to look twice before tossing another broken mic stand with wild abandon. After he did just that at a show Tuesday in Edmonton, Alberta, while performing the single "Try Honesty," the stand conked drummer Aaron Solowoniuk in the head, leaving him unconscious and in need of 18 stitches. The show was stopped and Solowoniuk was taken to a hospital. Billy Talent's two-week trek with MxPx and Simple Plan, beginning February 13 in St. Petersburg, Florida, has not been affected by the accident. ...

After being photographed by a British newspaper walking along a train track in Cornwall, Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher has been questioned by British Transport police for trespassing on a railway line. Gallagher admitted breaking the law and officials are deciding whether or not to prosecute. Oasis are currently in Cornwall working on their next studio album. ... The parent company of record chain Tower Records will likely file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, reported the San Diego Union Tribune. The move would involve a debt-for-equity trade in which the current owners of the company, the Solomon family, would give up the chain to the company's bondholders, Reuters reported. ...

02.05.2004

Britney Spears is in the throes of boot-camp-like rehearsals in Los Angeles for her upcoming tour, but she's also keeping an eye on future movie projects. Besides recently signing on to star in and produce "Door to Door," the singer initiated a meeting last week with the producer of the James Bond film franchise, Barbara Broccoli, about the possibility of appearing as a Bond girl in the next installment. A rep for MGM described the meeting as "very cursory" since there is yet no treatment, no script and, consequently, no roles set for Bond 21, production for which is scheduled to start in London in January 2005. ...

Following her breast-baring performance at Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show, Janet Jackson will not be attending this weekend's Grammy Awards. Janet had been scheduled to present a special Grammy to Luther Vandross, who has been recuperating from a stroke for the past 10 months. ... R. Kelly got a breather in the case against him in Polk County, Florida, as a judge on Thursday (February 5) granted a continuance to address the defense's request to throw out digital pictures of a nude underage girl found at his Florida residence in his child-pornography trial in that state (he's also facing trial in Illinois on the same charge). The new court date to deal with the suppression of evidence is March 11. ...

P. Diddy, Nelly, Sean Paul, Nick Cannon, Ashton Kutcher, Paris Hilton and Nick Carter are among the stars slated for the NBA's All-Star Celebrity Game, set for February 13 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Viewers at home hoping to catch the action, or at least see what Hilton will be wearing while serving as an assistant coach, can watch the game live on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET. ... The Roots will celebrate their Grammy nomination (for Best Rap Album) this weekend in Los Angeles with a secret jam-session show that's expected to attract a host of other musicians, including Norah Jones, John Mayer and Outkast's Andre 3000. ...

Scott Weiland got a start date of February 18 for his DUI trial at a hearing Thursday (February 5) in Los Angeles. His attorney and doctor, meanwhile, released statements that the singer had not changed rehab facilities in the last month in defiance of the court order, but rather at the suggestion of his recovery counselors. "We were under the impression that Scott's move was not against the court's wishes," his attorney Michael Nasatir said. Weiland's primary recovery specialist, Dr. Drew Pinsky, said that the rehab move to a non-lockdown facility was made after detox to help Weiland "get back to the basics of sobriety while he pursued other treatment, which is a long treatment ... but that does not require a hospital." The joint statements also claimed that Weiland was addressing mental-health issues that "have an organic neuropsychological basis and are pharmacologically treatable." Weiland's rep could not elaborate on what the singer's mental-health issues are. ...

Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor is in Los Angeles writing songs for his next record, the follow-up to his 1999 double album, The Fragile. Veteran producer Rick Rubin will likely work with Reznor on the record. No release date has been scheduled. ... Authorities in California have put the kibosh on Beck's plans to give his pet rabbit, Rocket, to the lucky winner of an essay contest. Turns out awarding certain animals to contest winners is a violation of a state penal code. So the iconoclastic artist has decided to put Rocket up for adoption at an animal shelter run by the Pasadena Humane Society. That probably means an end to the rodent's acting career — his last role was as a rabbit in Beck's Sea Change DVD. ... Ryan Adams is home recovering from surgery to repair his left wrist, which he broke in Liverpool, England, after falling off the stage during a show. Doctors have placed his arm in a cast and expect it to take between six weeks and two months for the bones to heal. Even then, it's likely that Adams will only gain 80 percent of the mobility in his wrist. It is unknown how the injury will affect his guitar-playing in the future. ...

A 32-year-old club promoter was forced to listen to two and a half hours of opera music last week in Florida as punishment for playing 50 Cent's music too loud. Michael Carreras was ticketed for violating Miami Beach's noise-ordinance law and was given an option by the police officer: Pay a $500 fine or listen to opera. He chose the latter and visited Judge Jeffrey Swartz's chambers to serve out his punishment. The selection? "La Traviata." ... The Beastie Boys are nearly finished with their first album in six years. The as-yet-untitled follow-up to 1998's Hello Nasty is in the mixing stage and is expected to drop this summer. ...

Jeff Tweedy is set to publish his first book, "Adult Head." The lyricist for Uncle Tupelo and Wilco has collected a series of poems for Zoo Press' first run of its Nightingale Editions series, due out in March. A sample, from "Singing Combat": "I believe your sorrow was sunshine/ Murdered for longing, your broken package/ A crushed open can of a pure bug's beauty/ Crawling up lip and lash on your face/ Before afternoon smiled for climbed stairs/ All because your laugh suggested combat." ... Ben Kweller's third solo album, On My Way, will hit shelves April 6. The LP, which was produced by Ethan Johns, will feature the songs "I Need You Back," "The Rules" and "Here Me Out." Kweller will tour with Death Cab for Cutie starting March 24 in Omaha, Nebraska. Dates are scheduled through May 15 in Anaheim, California. ...

Master P appeared in federal court in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Thursday to plead guilty to failing to file a corporate tax return seven years ago for his company Bout It Incorporated, the Associated Press reports. P, born Percy Miller, could receive a combination of probation and fines at his sentencing hearing, which has not yet been set. On Thursday morning a man unsuccessfully attempted to serve the rapper with papers relating to another matter, going so far as trying to block him from passing through the courthouse's metal detector. ...

Recording just one album would be too easy for Robert Pollard. The Guided by Voices frontman has tracked 15 songs for his band's next album, the follow-up to last year's Earthquake Glue, while also working on his next solo album, Fiction Man. Matador is expected to release the GBV LP this summer, while the solo effort is in line for Pollard's Fading Captain series, due next month. Meanwhile, seven shows that were recently postponed after Pollard hurt his back have been rescheduled to begin March 5. ... Stereolab have announced a batch of U.S. tour dates in support of their new album, Margerine Eclipse. It will be the band's first Stateside visit since the death of keyboardist Mary Hansen. The trek will kick off March 28 in Costa Mesa, California, and wind down April 20 in Washington, D.C. ...

Swedish garage rockers the Division of Laura Lee will follow their 2002 debut, Black City, with Das Not Compute on May 11. The LP, recorded in their native country with Kalle Gustafsson and Don Alstherberg, includes the songs "Sneaking Up on Mr. Prez," "We Are Numbers" and "There Is a Last Time for Everything." ... A series of underground pop and garage music compilations along the lines of the much-touted Nuggets collections will be released through Rhinohandmade.com. The first pair of releases, Come to the Sunshine: Soft Pop Nuggets From the WEA Vaults and Hallucinations: Psychedelic Pop Nuggets from the WEA Vaults, came out Tuesday, and editions devoted to folk rock and garage rock will be released later this year. There are only 7,500 copies of each edition available. ...

• 50 Cent
• Cold
• Hilary Duff
• Usher
• Missy Elliott

Evanescence's Amy Lee (file)
Photo: MTV News

Hoping to end the mounting tension between herself and Cold, Evanescence's Amy Lee apologized for comments she made last week suggesting that Cold were breaking up.

"I spoke out of turn about the status of Cold," Lee posted on Evanescence's message board, EVboard.com. "I just wanted to say that really sucked of me. I didn't realize that Cold hadn't made any statements about the future of their band, and we don't really know anyway. Cold's fans hate me now. My bad. ... Sometimes you forget you have a microphone in your hand."

While announcing that Cold guitarist Terry Balsamo, who'd been touring with Evanescence since November, was now a full-time member of the band, Lee claimed Cold would not make any more records because singer Scooter Ward was in rehab. Two days later, Ward confirmed Balsamo's departure, said Cold would persevere and questioned Lee's right to comment on his band with a message-board post on Cold's Web site, Coldonline.com (see ).

Lee also posted an apology on the same Cold message board Ward used. It read: "Dear Cold fans, I'm sure the last thing you want to hear right now is more of me running my mouth, so I'm going to make this short and simple. It was not my place to make statements about the status of Cold — Cold is not my band. I apologize. I've never claimed to be perfect and I'm not too proud to admit when I'm wrong."

Evanescence's label, Wind-Up Records, did not comment on the posts.

• Evanescence
• Cold

Scooter Ward of Cold and Amy Lee of Evanescence (file)
Photo: MTV

Currently without a guitarist, Cold will persevere.

While seeking a replacement for axeman Terry Balsamo, who defected to Evanescence, Cold prepare to drop "Wasted Years," the third single from Year of the Spider, according to a post by Cold singer Scooter Ward on the band's Web site, Coldonline.com. When the tune will surface is not yet known. It follows previous singles "Stupid Girl" and "Suffocate" off Cold's third album.

Ward also said Cold will start work on their fourth album when they finish an as-yet-unannounced forthcoming tour.

There appear to be no hard feelings between Ward and Balsamo. "Terry was and is a great person, and I don't think anyone should ever speak ill of him," he wrote.

The same can't be said about Ward's opinion of Evanescence singer Amy Lee, however. After confirming Balsamo's departure, which was announced by Lee during an interview Friday in Australia (see "Evanescence Name New Guitarist"), Ward admitted he was taken aback at Lee's proclamation that Cold were breaking up because of Ward's multiple stays in rehab.

"I also don't know why Amy threw my life out there like she did," Ward wrote. "I never did anything but treat her with respect, but this is the life I choose and not everything can be a secret. I just wish she would have let me tell my story when I was ready."

In the Australian interview, Lee said she was "pretty sure that [Ward] is in and out of rehab and having real problems."

• Cold
• Evanescence

Cold's Jeremy Marshall
Photo: Amy V. Cooper

A black cloud seems to keep following Cold.

Before a scheduled concert in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania on Monday, bassist Jeremy Marshall broke his arm in what his label described as a "general touring accident." Neither the record company nor the band's publicist could provide information about what caused the break.

Marshall was taken to a hospital and the band canceled that evening's show. Cold would have had to pull out of a Wednesday concert in Toronto as well, but headliners Staind canceled the date because of concerns about the SARS epidemic (see "Avril Lavigne, Sum 41 Work To Fight Toronto's SARS Woes").

Cold will resume the tour May 30 in Buffalo, New York, where Marshall will play with his arm in a cast.

The band's single "Stupid Girl" is getting strong airplay, and its new album, Year of the Spider, has sold nearly 140,000 copies in just two weeks. But in spite of these recent highlights, the past 12 months have been rough for Cold. Frontman Scooter Ward's sister and girlfriend were stricken with cancer and two people close to the band died of drug overdoses. Cold funneled the pain and sadness from these experiences into their record, which aches as hard as it rocks (see "Cold Turn Year Of Loss Into Year Of The Spider").

• Cold

Staind's Aaron Lewis
Photo: John Shearer

With two consecutive #1 albums, it's safe to say Staind are no longer on the outside looking in.

The band's fourth album, 14 Shades of Grey, will take the pole position on next week's Billboard albums chart, having sold more than 220,000 copies its first week in stores, according to SoundScan. Its predecessor, Break the Cycle, also placed above all others when it was released two years ago, though it sold considerably more copies — about a half million.

Emotionally disturbed frontmen seem all the rage at retail, as the Deftones' eponymous fourth album will come in at #2, with more than 167,000 copies sold. Thanks to nail-biting anticipation that culminated in a distinct and refreshingly fierce single, "Minerva," the Sacramento quintet retained much of its fanbase in the three years since the release of White Pony. Although Deftones placed one spot higher on the chart, White Pony sold about 10,000 more copies in its first week.

Kelly Clarkson, we hardly knew ye. A need to bask in the past might explain why the first-season "American Idol" winner's debut album, Thankful, has been making steady progress on the chart just as the TV program's second idol, Ruben Studdard, was being anointed. Next week, Clarkson's LP will move up four spots to #3 (105,000), after having increased its weekly total by nearly 27,000 copies.

Evanescence's Fallen hasn't yet begun to act like its title. Since its release three months ago, the tumultuous emotional rocker has been a fixture in the top 10 as the first single, "Bring Me to Life," continues its rock radio reign. With more than 1.1 million in total sales, Fallen will retain its hold on the #4 spot by selling more than 103,000 copies, a weekly increase of more than 6,000 copies.

Pimpin' came easy to Southern thug David Banner, whose major-label debut, Mississippi: The Album, will place at #9, with more than 75,000 copies sold. One half of late-'90s duo Crooked Lettaz owes a debt of gratitude to "undaground legend" Lil' Flip, who helped make "Like a Pimp" a hit at rap radio.

The rest of next week's top 10 finds 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin' finally easing up on the throttle and moving from #2 to #5 (101,000); the soundtrack to "The Matrix Reloaded" dropping a spot to #6 (94,000); Norah Jones' Come Away With Me cracking the 6 million mark at #7 (83,000); the soundtrack to "Lizzie McGuire" holding at #8 (77,000); and The Very Best of Cher slipping a spot to #10 (73,000).

Ricky Martin's Almas Del Silencio, his first Spanish-language studio album since 1998's Vuelve, will land at #12, with more than 65,000 in first-week sales. Country singer Jo Dee Messina's Greatest Hits will place at #14, and the clown prince of parody "Weird Al" Yankovic will proudly wear his Poodle Hat at #17.

With more guests than the Hilton during a Shriners convention, DJ Kay Slay's The Streetsweeper, Vol. 1 will find itself at #22. If the beef farmer and self-professed drama king has a problem with his placement, bet on hearing all about it on his next mixtape.

Two current chart champions will take massive nosedives following their big first-week debuts. Marilyn Manson, whose The Golden Age of Grotesque took the #1 slot, will plummet 20 spots, thanks to a 73,000 dip in weekly sales. Cold's Year of the Spider, meanwhile, will take a chilling 26-spot descent to #29 as weekly sales withered from 101,000 to just 37,000.

Other notable debuts on next week's chart include Powerman 5000's long-awaited and completely redone third album, Transform, at #27; Birds of Pray, Live's follow-up to 2001's V, at #28; horny punks Less Than Jake's Anthem at #45; singer/songwriter semi-supergroup (Shawn Mullins, Matthew Sweet, Pete Droge) the Thorns' self-titled debut at #62; the various-artist collection Punk-O-Rama Vol. 8 at #79; and California pop band Rooney's self-titled LP at #141.

• Staind
• Deftones
• Kelly Clarkson
• Ricky Martin
• David Banner

Marilyn Manson
Photo: Interscope

Marilyn Manson retained his Midas touch with the The Golden Age of Grotesque, while Cold's latest LP could barely get any hotter on next week's Billboard albums chart.

Manson moved more than 118,000 copies of his band's fifth album in its first week of release to lay claim to the #1 spot, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday (May 21). Although the total barely surpassed the debut-week numbers of his previous album, 2000's Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death), by about 1,000 copies, it placed 12 spots higher on the chart. Manson's only other album to debut at #1 was 1998's Mechanical Animals, which sold upward of 222,000 copies in its first week.

Jacksonville, Florida's favorite sons — Limp Bizkit notwithstanding — Cold will make an impressive bow at #3 with Year of the Spider. Thanks to the single "Stupid Girl," which was created with the help of Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, Cold's third album sold more than 101,000 copies.

Between the two big debuts lies 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin'. The year's most successful album will jump three spots to #2, as its 15-week sales run has the 5 million mark in sight.

The remainder of next week's top 10 includes Evanescence's Fallen, surpassing sales of a million at #4 (96,000 last week); Norah Jones' Come Away With Me slipping four spots to #6 (87,000); Kelly Clarkson taking two steps forward with Thankful to #7 (78,000); the soundtrack to "Lizzie McGuire" also advancing a couple of slots to #8 (77,000); The Very Best of Cher dropping five places to #9 (71,000); and last week's leading LP, the Isley Brothers' Body Kiss, now bringing up the rear at #10 (67,000).

It was another disappointing week for the record industry. Aside from the chart debuts, only two albums in the top 40 saw an increase, albeit a marginal one, in their weekly sales totals. The overwhelming popularity of "The Matrix Reloaded" helped its soundtrack move up three spots to #5 as it sold more than 3,000 additional copies for a total of 96,000. Lil' Kim's La Bella Mafia also enjoyed a rise, leaping from #36 to #28, with help from a very slight sales swell.

Perhaps only the folks at the Universal Music Group, the largest major-label conglomerate and home to Manson and 50 Cent's label Interscope and Cold's Geffen, are smiling, with artists in next week's win, place and show slots.

Third Eye Blind's first album in four years, Out of the Vein, will make its presence known in the #12 slot. The single "Blinded (When I See You)" helped propel sales of more than 62,000 copies. That's 12,000 fewer copies sold than the first-week draw of their 1999 LP, Blue. But, indicative of the record industry's predicament, Blue's debut numbers placed it nearly four times further down the chart at #40.

With their highest first-week sales ever, disturbed pop-punks Alkaline Trio can cheer up now that Good Mourning landed at #20. Fans can't seem to get their fill of the rambunctious rambler "We've Had Enough," so more than 40,000 picked up their fifth LP, the follow-up to 2001's From Here to Infirmary.

Other notable debuts on next week's chart include Cleveland hardcore sextet Chimaira's The Impossibility of Reason at #117; and ESPN Presents Stadium Anthems, featuring bleacher bangers such as "We Will Rock You," "Celebration" and "Blitzkrieg Bop," at #149.

• Marilyn Manson
• Cold
• Third Eye Blind

Cold's Scooter Ward
Photo: MTV News

While penning Cold's newest song, Scooter Ward was faced with a real mental challenge.

Not only was this the first time the Floridian frontman was forced to work within an existing theme, in this case a video game, but the game he was writing for is the first spy thriller to combine conventional weapons with psychic ones.

"ESPionage," due this fall for all major consoles, anoints its special-agent hero with psychic powers, such as telekinesis, pyrokinesis, remote viewing and mind control. Its publisher, Midway, which last year tapped Adema to compose the theme for "Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance" (see "Adema 'Immortal'-ized On New Mortal Kombat Game"), this year turned to Cold for "ESPionage"'s theme song, "With My Mind."

"They sent me the trailer and the story line, and I was stoked," said Ward, who favors action games like "Tomb Raider" and other role-playing games over racers and first-person shooters. "It's kind of like 'Metal Gear Solid' but better because you can use mind control. You find out you have mind powers gradually as the game progresses. So as you discover these powers, you can actually pick up boxes; and bodies that you've shot, you can pick up and throw them at other people. You have mind control, so you can turn somebody's mind around. If two enemies are standing there, you can change one and make them turn on his buddy. It's cool."

"With My Mind" is one of three songs commissioned by Midway for its upcoming titles. Vanessa Carlton wrote and recorded the theme song to "Spy Hunter 2" (see "Video Gamers Can Drive A Thousand Miles With Vanessa Carlton"), and DMC turntable champion DJ Rocky Rock and World Freestyle Champion MC Supernatural composed music for the one-on-one basketball game "NBA Ballers."

Ward, whose band's latest album, Year of the Spider, is filled with personal, introspective lyrics (see "Cold Turn Year Of Loss Into Year Of The Spider"), was helped by the fact that the game's theme is somewhat in sync with his lyrical aesthetic.

"The kind of lyrics I write are usually dark and have mind-control things going on too," he said. "[The lyrics for 'With My Mind'] follow the progression of the character's mind powers throughout the game. It starts off simple, then it becomes more prominent as the song builds."

Cold performed "With My Mind" for the first time Thursday at E³, the Electronic Entertainment Expo held in Los Angeles (see "Video Gamers Drool Over New War Games, Movie Tie-Ins, Handhelds"). Kelly Hayes' fuzz-toned seven-string built an atmosphere of riffs while Ward, clinging to his microphone stand like it was on the only thing holding him up, fired off double-entendres about being on someone's mind and actually controlling it.

"I can take your thoughts away," he crooned while bassist Jeremy Marshall caused Midway's exhibition booth to shudder under his bottom and drummer Sam McCandless pounded out a rumbling beat. "I can take you far away with my mind."

After premiering the song, Cold also played Year of the Spider's "Remedy" and the single "Stupid Girl" before launching into "Just Got Wicked," from 2000's 13 Ways to Bleed Onstage.

Cold's ties to video games will continue on a future pressing of Year of the Spider, which will include a game designed by esteemed game designer American McGee (see "Cold Pair Up With Weezer Frontman For 'Stupid Girl,' Battle Giant Spiders").

• Cold

Buzzfest Photo Gallery

• Fall Out Boy
• Audioslave
• Nickelback
• Seether
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Cold live at Rare in New York City 09.15.2005

• Cold

WXTM Radio XFEST Concert: Tower City Amphitheatre, Cleveland, OHIO

• Cold
• Seether
• Smile Empty Soul
• (hed) pe
• Staind

Cold live at The Fire in Philadelphia

• Cold

Cold photos from the recording of the "Stupid Girl" video

• Cold

• Cold

Cold 'Gone Away' Video Shoot In Jacksonville, FL 03.27.2002

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Cold Photo Flipbook

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