Taylor Swift arrives at the 2009 CMT Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday
Photo: Rick Diamond/ Getty Images

Yes, technically a bunch of other artists won hardware at the Country Music Television Awards on Tuesday night, but mostly the show seemed like a dream factory come true for reigning teen country queen Taylor Swift. The 19-year-old megastar made her MC debut as T-Swizzle in a cute rap clip with T-Pain for "Thug Story," performed her single "You Belong With Me" and ended the show by joining one of her favorite bands, '80s pop-metal stars Def Leppard, on their indelible arena rocker "Pour Some Sugar on Me."

The night began with a skit about Swift living her fantasies (keep wishing about the whole "Star Trek" and Tennessee Titans thing), and in between the performances, for the second year in a row, she dominated two categories: Best Video of the Year and Best Female Video, both for her elaborate "Romeo and Juliet"-style "Love Story" clip.

"I wanna thank CMT for letting me live so many of my dreams this year!" Swift said. "I want to thank Shania Twain for always making such theatrical videos, and I want to thank Garth Brooks for always putting his fans first. I take my cues from you. And I want to thank my little brother, Austin, for agreeing to be my date tonight."

Though it was clearly Swift's night, it was Brad Paisley who actually won the show's award tally, taking home Best Male Vocalist ("Waiting on a Woman"), Performance of the Year ("Country Boy" with Alan Jackson, George Strait and Dierks Bentley) and Best Collaboration ("Start a Band" with Keith Urban). Accepting for the latter, whose video features two kids playing "Rock Band," Urban urged, "Learn guitar, kids ... the real thing." Paisley added, " 'Rock Band' never got anyone a date ... never."

Other winners included Rascal Flatts for Group Video of the Year ("Every Day"), Sugarland for Duo Video of the Year ("All I Want to Do") and Kid Rock for Wide Open Country Video ("All Summer Long"). Accepting his award, the always humble Rock joked that his win must really have been based on the creativity of the video for the song — which mashes up Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" and Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London."

"What's more creative than a strip pole on a pontoon boat?" Rock quipped.

In addition to the appearances by T-Pain and Def Leppard, the show featured a number of other decidedly non-country visitors, including rocker Ted Nugent as a presenter and Sugarland hooking up with fellow Georgians the B-52s on that band's pop classic, "Love Shack."

• Taylor Swift Performs At The 2009 CMT Awards

• Taylor Swift
• T-Pain
• Def Leppard

Britney Spears on the cover of April's <i>Allure</i>
Photo: Michael Thompson/Allure Magazine

In the April issue of Allure magazine, Britney Spears admits that she let herself go in recent months and that the beginning of her marriage to Kevin Federline has been somewhat rocky. The singer said that she was grateful that paparazzi shots revealed she was gaining more pounds than usual because "it made me see that I needed to lose weight." Pointing to her stomach, she told the magazine, "As you can see, I still have the honeymoon aftereffect ... I was just lounging around and eating and laying out and just didn't have a care in the world." That didn't help the honeymoon transition into a successful marriage, she said, because "hardcore" reality set in after the first three weeks. "Before we got married, we were on tour, and we were like kids, ordering room service, saying, 'Let's go out tonight.' And then all of a sudden, you have the kids," she told the magazine, referring to Federline's children, Kori and Kaleb, "you have the diapers, get the dogs to the vet. It's this whole reality, you know. But we handled it fine, and now things are starting to go really smooth." However, she's no longer hoping to have a child of her own in the immediate future. "I'm not pregnant," she said. "It's not something I've striving for." ... (See photos of Britney Spears in April's Allure.)

R. Kelly lost another round in court on Friday, when a Chicago judge rejected his bid to declare the Illinois child-pornography statute unconstitutional (and thereby dismiss the charges against him). Kelly's defense tried to make the argument that if it's not illegal to have sex with a 17-year-old, since that's the age of consent, it shouldn't be illegal to take pictures of a 17-year-old engaging in a sex act. Cook County Assistant State Attorney Shauna Boliker, however, successfully argued that the state lawmakers broadened the scope of the pornography statute and that the charges should stand. Kelly is due back in court on April 21. ... The diamond wedding ring Michael Jackson gave to ex-wife Debbie Rowe is on the block on eBay with a starting bid of $50,000. "This beautiful ring was given to Debbie and she would love someone to have it who appreciates the beauty and intention in which it was given," reads a note on the auction site. The bidding on the platinum ring — which has a two-carat, center-cut diamond surrounded by 14 brilliant-cut diamonds — is being sold on a reserve basis, which means the buyer must meet an unspecified target price. There were four early bids, but as of Tuesday (March 8), no legitimate bids had been made for the sale, which ends Thursday. ...

A week after confirming their split with guitarist Tripp Eisen — who was recently arrested on charges of kidnapping, sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child — Static-X leader Wayne Static announced on the band's Web site on Monday that former guitarist Koichi Fukuda has rejoined the group. Fukuda played on the band's debut, Wisconsin Death Trip, and toured with the group for two years before leaving to spend more time with his family. Fukuda has been recording with Static-X since October and will perform live with them at the Galaxy in Santa Ana, California, on March 25. ... Hilary Duff, poet? Well, at least for one night, when she guest stars on "George Lopez" as a feminist named Kenzie who enters a poetry slam. Her episode airs Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. ...

Tweet has just finished shooting a video for the theme song to the updated version of "Kojak," which premieres March 25 on USA. Ving Rhames plays the title role. The clip for "When I Need a Man" was directed by Antti J. Jokinen (Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This"). "What I wanted to do was give Kojak a great intro," Tweet said in a statement. "I wanted to make a statement with this song — 'Don't mess with Kojak.' " The track will also appear on Tweet's album It's Me Again, out March 22. ... Carmen Electra is going to be a sex slave — for her new role on the Sci Fi Channel's half-hour animated series "Tripping the Rift." Electra is joining the voice cast for the second season, which debuts in July, as "Six," a sexy android whose function is to serve the carnal needs of a stumpy purple alien named Chode. She has the added value of being brainy as well, and acts as the unheeded voice of reason on Chode's smuggling vessel. ...

Several celebs are donating the clothes off their backs to benefit the Children's Defense Fund, Cure Autism Now, and the UNICEF Tsunami Relief Fund. The "Clothes Off Our Back" auction at www.clothesoffourback.org features clothing and accessories worn during the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, Golden Globes, and movies such as "Be Cool," including Tyra Banks' Elie Saab gown, Leonardo DiCaprio's Prada tuxedo, Mark McGrath's Holland ESQ suit, Cate Blanchett's Judith Leiber handbag, Jimmy Jam's Stetson hat and Sarah Jessica Parker's Vivienne Westwood pants. ... The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers slapped an Illinois watering hole with a copyright-infringement lawsuit on Monday, after it was learned that the Led Zeppelin classic "Whole Lotta Love" was performed there by a cover band back in October. Each year, ASCAP files an average of 200 lawsuits against businesses that "present musical entertainment" to the public without permission, an attorney representing the organization said. ASCAP has issued licenses to more than 100,000 music venues nationwide; one is required if a bar or club wants to bring in a cover band or DJ to perform, for example. The bar in question, 602 North in Glendale Heights, could not be reached for comment. ...

If it's good enough for Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson, it's good enough for, um, Def Leppard and Bryan Adams? The British metal act and Canadian rocker will join forces this summer for the Rock 'N Roll Double-Header Tour, in which they'll play shows at 26 minor-league baseball stadiums. The tour is scheduled to kick off with a June 1 date in Portland, Oregon, at PGE Park (home of the Beavers), and end on August 10 in Lansing, Michigan, at Oldsmobile Park (home of the Lugnuts), according to a Def Lep spokesperson. The stage will be setup in the outfield and fans will be encouraged to sit on blankets on the field or watch from the stands. ... British buzz band Aqualung have the first single from the soundtrack to the upcoming Ashton Kutcher/ Amanda Peet romantic comedy, "A Lot Like Love." The band's "Brighter Than Sunshine" will be heard in trailers for the film, which traces the lives of a would-be couple as they keep running into each other over the course of seven years. Other artists featured on the soundtrack are Jet, the Cure, Travis, Butch Walker and Hooverphonic. The film hits theaters April 22, the soundtrack is in stores April 12, and Aqualung's first U.S. album, Strange and Beautiful, drops March 22. ...

Mandy Moore will soon add another stamp on her passport when she plays host for a series of events benefiting UNICEF in Japan. Moore, who has already been tapped to be the face of Coach's international spring advertising campaign, will travel to the land of the rising sun next month to cut the ribbon at the handbag and accessory brand's flagship store in Nagoya. The limited-edition Coach Scribble Signature wristbands will serve as a ticket to the charity concert at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium on April 9, which will feature Moore as well as N.E.R.D. ...

03.07.2005

After months of speculation, there's finally substantive information on Weezer's upcoming fifth studio album. Namely, the name: Make Believe. The band confirmed the title in a post on Weezer.com, adding that the artwork for the LP was also very close to being completed. The group stopped short of giving up all the info, though; there's still no confirmed release date. ...

Foxy Brown turned herself in to New York City police late Monday evening (March 7) to face assault charges stemming from an incident at a nail salon in August. Details are scarce, but Foxy was issued an appearance ticket and released without bail, according to an NYPD spokesperson. ...

The Velvet Teddy Bear, Ruben Studdard, is involved in a not-so-cuddly lawsuit with his godfather/former business adviser. A lawyer for the "American Idol" crooner has slapped Ronald Edwards with a suit alleging that Edwards withdrew checks that add up to $90,000 from Studdard's account, ran up big charges on his credit cards and misused $246,000 without getting Studdard's permission. The suit is asking for unspecified damages. Edwards' attorney says that his client came to the aid of Studdard when the "Idol" contest starting heating up and had power of attorney to help Studdard by paying his rent and cell-phone bills as well as his accountant. The next step for Edwards in the battle against his godson will come in the form of a counterclaim, which his attorney says will be filed next week. ...

Snoop Dogg's Puff Puff Pass Tour is dropping like it's hot — on DVD. The two-disc set, featuring live performances of such hits as "Gin & Juice" and "Murder Was the Case," is due out March 22. The second disc features behind-the-scenes footage as well as the rapper's thoughts on the war in Iraq, Al Sharpton and George W. Bush. ... Snoop, Twista and WC are among the guests on Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rapper Layzie Bone's debut solo album, It's Not a Game, due May 31. Krayzie Bone and the Outlawz also make appearances on Layzie's first recording since the 2001 side project Mo Thugs Family Presents Thug by Nature. ...

The cost for expediting the visa process for U.K. bands coming to perform in the U.S. has some rockers' knickers in a twist. In the ramp-up to South by Southwest — which starts at the end of the week — many British bands are complaining that getting temporary visas has become increasingly difficult. With a 15-day express fee running more than $1,000 per visa request, some British advocacy groups, like the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, are grousing that U.K. bands will lose money by hauling themselves across the pond. The London Times has said that bands like Coldplay and Franz Ferdinand, who are well established in the States, may be awarded travel grants to ease the difficulty of entering the U.S. ... British rockers Muse will headline this year's Campus Invasion Tour. Razorlight will open on the trek, which begins April 8 at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, and ends April 28 at Kent State University in Cleveland. ...

Last week a few tracks trickled out to the Internet via Seattle radio station the End 107.7, and now the entirety of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine has leaked online. The album, which has been in label limbo for more than two years, features such tracks as "Oh Sailor," "Red Red Red" and "Window." Sony still has yet to set a release date for the album. ... The same day the traditional version hits stores, Bruce Springsteen's upcoming album Devils & Dust (April 26) will also be released in DualDisc format. The two-sided disc will have the full album on one side, and live acoustic performances of the title track, "Long Time Comin'," "Reno," "All I'm Thinkin' About" and "Matamoras Banks" on the DVD side, with spoken introductions from the Boss. ...

Oasis have titled their sixth studio album Don't Believe the Truth. The record, due May 31, includes "Lyla," which recently hit the singles charts in the U.K. ... Scottish alt-rockers Teenage Fanclub will drop their latest effort, Man-Made, in May, via their own PeMa label. Fans anxious for the Fanclub's new material will get their chance to hear it in late March, but will need to cross the Atlantic to get it: a pair of shows has been set, the first in London at the Scala on March 29 and the second at Glasgow's Mitchell Theatre on March 31. Man-Made will be the band's first studio album since 2000's Howdy! ...

Hoboken, New Jersey's Yo La Tengo are officially an institution. The indie rockers will release the career-spanning retrospective Prisoners of Love: A Smattering of Scintillating Senescent Songs, 1985-2003 on March 22. The collection will be available in two versions: a two-disc "best-of" set and a three-disc anthology with a disc of 16 rarities and outtakes. The trio also recently completed soundtracks for the Sundance films "Game 6" and "Junebug," and they have a DVD slated to drop later in the year. ... Finch and Vendetta Red are pairing up for a spring tour that kicks off April 14 in West Hollywood, California, and wraps up April 30 at the Bamboozle festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Vendetta Red, who are playing several dates near their hometown of Seattle beforehand, will be previewing songs from their next album, Sisters of the Red Death, due this summer. ...

• Britney Spears
• R. Kelly
• Static-X
• Hilary Duff
• Tweet

Snoop Dogg has recorded an undisclosed new song for the video game "True Crime: Streets of LA," a driving/action game due this fall. The soundtrack also features more than 50 original songs, including one from Westside Connection, as well as previously released material from Ice-T and the D.O.C., among others. ... New songs from Fatboy Slim ("Don't Let the Man Get You Down," which samples the Five Man Electrical Band's 1971 hit "Signs") and the X-ecutioners ("Like This") will be released September 30 on the soundtrack to the snowboarding video game "SSX 3." Previously unreleased remixes of N.E.R.D.'s "Rock Star" and Placebo's "Bitter End" are also included, along with Chemical Brothers and Basement Jaxx tracks. ...

Quincy Jones is reaching out to many hip-hop producers for help on his next album. For the LP, Jones wants the producers to remix one of his classic cuts, and in turn he will rework one of their songs. Jones' spokesperson said it's too early to disclose the album's lineup, but revealed it will be hip-hop heavy. However, a rep for Alicia Keys said she will be involved in the project. ... Although he never made it into orbit, 'NSYNC's Lance Bass has been named as the 2003 Youth Spokesperson for World Space Week, October 4-10, by the Spaceweek International Association. Coinciding with Space Week, the certified cosmonaut is the focus of a contest called "Lance's Lab," in which students design a hypothetical space station for Bass to live in. Winners get the chance to meet Bass at an awards ceremony in early 2004. ...

Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison recorded two tracks with Otep for their next album, tentatively titled Suicide Trees. The group's second album will follow last year's Sevas Tra. ... Staind, Eve 6, Sevendust, Shinedown, Trapt, Socialburn and others will perform at the End of Summer Weenie Roast #9 concert, which is scheduled for October 5 in Charlotte, North Carolina. ...

"Here and Now," "Never Too Much" and "Superstar" are among the Luther Vandross hits that will be included on Live at Radio City Music Hall 2003, due October 14. The R&B star, who is recovering from a stroke he suffered in April, recorded the performance on Valentine's Day. ... Details have also surfaced on another anticipated live R&B collection, Raphael Saadiq: All Hits at the House of Blues, due October 14 as well. Saadiq and his 10-piece band recorded the album July 3 in Hollywood, where his Tony Toni Toné bandmates as well as D'Angelo and Devin the Dude made guest appearances. ...

Following the success of the July 30 Toronto concert to battle the fear of SARS, the government of Hong Kong has organized a four-week-long music festival between October 15 and November 9 to try to put an end to the hysteria surrounding the disease. SARS hit the region hard, killing 299 and infecting over 1,700 others. Headliners will include the Rolling Stones, who will play November 7 and 9, Carlos Santana, Craig David and Westlife. ... The inaugural Def Leppard convention, called "Lepcon," will take place in Las Vegas in May. The event will consist of a performance by tribute band Pyromania, raffles, auctions, contests and guest speakers. In addition, a couple whose relationship revolves around Def Leppard will get married at the event. It is too early to tell whether anyone from Def Leppard will be able to attend. Profits will go to the Raven Drum Foundation, which provides free spiritual therapy for those in crisis. ...

New York's DFA Records will release its first 12-inch-singles compilation on September 30. DFA Records Compilation #1 will feature tracks from Black Dice, the Juan Maclean, LCD Soundsystem and a previously unavailable CD track by the Rapture. ... Supporting their sophomore disc, You Forgot It in People, Canadian art-rock collective Broken Social Scene will embark on a 28-date North American tour starting September 18 in Buffalo, New York, and finishing two months later on November 11 in San Diego. Opening the tour on various dates will be Arts & Crafts labelmates Stars and Broken Social Scene guitarist/bassist Jason Collet. ...

Perfecto Presents ... Paul Oakenfold: Great Wall, a double album of remixes, is due September 30. Tracks include Oakenfold's take on Madonna's "Hollywood," along with Björk and Dave Gahan remixes. ... Some Girls, the new project from Juliana Hatfield, her Blake Babies bandmate Freda Love and Heidi Gluck, will launch a monthlong U.S. club tour September 16 in Providence, Rhode Island. The trio are promoting their debut, Feel It, due Tuesday. ... The Juliana Theory are working on material for the follow-up to their major-label debut, Love. The LP is reportedly more in line with their earlier records than their recent prog-rock-driven output. ...

09.03.03

Missy Elliott is nearly done with her as-yet-untitled fifth album, which is due in November. Timbaland is once again on board as a producer. ... Meanwhile, a live version of Elliott's "Work It" will be released October 14 on Sessions@AOL, a compilation of tunes culled from the bi-weekly series on AOL Music and the Fuse television network. Coldplay, Avril Lavigne, Alicia Keys, Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton are also on the album. ...

Nelly shook his tailfeather with the man who invented the remix, so since he and P. Diddy are so chummy, maybe Puffy will make a new beat for one of the pimp-juice-drinking MC's hits. The captain of the St. Lunatics is currently soliciting producers for a remix album, which should contain reworkings of a selection of cuts from his two LPs, Country Grammar and Nellyville, the Tics' group effort, Free City, and Ali's solo debut, Heavy Starch. ... Obie Trice is pulling a Willy Wonka with the release of his debut album, Cheers, due September 23. Three copies of the LP will contain a "golden ticket" that entitles the bearer to chill with Eminem in the studio while he records his next album. ...

Radiohead singer Thom Yorke joined R.E.M. onstage in Vancouver on August 29 for their encore on "E-Bow the Letter" and "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)." The next night at the same venue, R.E.M. vocalist Michael Stipe returned the favor by joining Radiohead for an encore of "Karma Police." In addition, R.E.M. dedicated "Orange Crush" to Radiohead, who gifted their own "Lucky" to Stipe and friends. ... Neil Young's 17th annual Bridge School Benefit concert is set for October 25 and 26 at Shoreline Amphitheater outside San Francisco. Pearl Jam, who will be making their sixth appearance at the event, are the only band announced so far. ...

The Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council recently hosted a community get-together called Jam Master Jay Day in the Hollis section of Queens, New York, and now the group says it has the support of Queens councilman Leroy Comrie in its efforts to have 203rd Street named after the slain Run-DMC DJ. They have given up hope of the renaming becoming official by October 30, which is the one-year anniversary of the hip-hop icon's death. Instead, they want to have the change take place by January 21, which is JMJ's birthday. The Youth Council says it will meet with Community Board 12 in Queens in two weeks to further discuss the matter. ...

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog has renamed his debut album Come Poop With Me. The comedy album now carries a release date of October 7 and features appearances by Adam Sandler, Jack Black, Horatio Sanz, Subway spokesperson Jared Fogel, members of the "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" house band and Conan himself. ... The Flaming Lips will open for the Red Hot Chili Peppers on the West Coast leg of their fall tour. The trek begins October 8 in Las Vegas and ends October 21 in Seattle. ...

Following a successful tour with this year's Ozzfest, Marilyn Manson will headline his own North American jaunt starting October 10 in Los Angeles. Dates run through Halloween in Dallas. ... The seventh annual MOBO Awards, an English ceremony to celebrate Music of Black Origin, will take place September 25 at Royal Albert Hall. Nominees include Beyoncé, Ashanti, Justin Timberlake and Kelly Rowland for Best R&B Act and 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Eminem, Jay-Z and Joe Budden for Best Hip-Hop Act. ...

The Polyphonic Spree will kick off a North American tour September 19 in their hometown of Dallas. The outing, which will feature the Starlight Mints on the first leg and the Sleepy Jackson on the second, ends with a two-night stay November 23 and 24 in San Diego. ... The Special Goodness, Weezer drummer Pat Wilson's side project with former Rocket From the Crypt drummer Atom, are planning to issue their next record through punk staple Epitaph. "We are proud to announce that we've agreed in principle to sign with Epitaph Records," reads a posting on the band's Web site. ...

Crazy Town's last album, Darkhorse, debuted near the bottom of the Billboard albums chart, and now singer Shifty Shellshock has sunk even lower. Shellshock, a.k.a. Seth Binzer, has teamed up with Rick Solomon, who once dated actress Shannen Doherty, and producer Zack Bautzer to release "Beverly Hills Pimps and Ho's," a DVD series that shows some of Hollywood's hottest actresses in compromising positions. ... Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise have set a November 11 release date for their fourth album, Still Lovin' You. "It's more natural sounding with natural instruments and no loops," Bradley said of the music. "I'm trying to get back to the old 1975 vibe. A little country in it, but mostly R&B with a rock flavor." ...

Chris Slusarenko and Superdrag's Sam Powers will sit in with Guided by Voices for the group's upcoming tours of the U.S. and Europe, respectively, following the departure of bassist Tim Tobias, according to a post on GBV's Web site. ... No doubt spurned on by the band's overseas critical acclaim and #1 spot on the albums chart in their U.K. home, Atlantic Records has bumped up the Stateside release of The Darkness' debut album from early next year to later this month. The throwback hard rock band's Permission to Land will now hit U.S. stores on September 16. ...

Echo and the Bunnymen will launch a North American tour on October 23 in Boston. Dates run through November 7 in Anaheim, California. The band will follow the U.S. jaunt with a lengthy world tour. ... Barenaked Ladies' sixth studio album, Everything to Everyone, is due October 21. Members of the Blue Man Group guest on a song on the LP called "Shopping." ...

Ambient experts Enigma will release a new album, Voyageur, on September 30. ... Nü-ish metal band Static-X are inviting fans to show up on Thursday for the shooting of their video for "The Only," the first single from their upcoming album, Shadow Zone, due October 7. The band is seeking 20 males and 20 females 18 years of age or older, and the shoot is taking place at GMT Studios in Culver City, California. ...

• Snoop Dogg
• Alicia Keys
• Quincy Jones
• Staind
• Otep

The Donnas were booted from their own after-show party at New York's Belmont Lounge on Friday when the gals got a little too drunk and rowdy. The Strokes were there to witness and partake in the revelry, but the Used's Bert McCracken, who attended the show, couldn't make the late night soiree. ...

In an effort to increase the set time for bands, the fifth annual March Metal Meltdown will be extended to three days instead of the usual two. The heavy metal festival, set for March 7-9 in Irvington, New Jersey, will feature '80s British metalheads Status Quo; Fozzy, featuring pro wrestler Chris Jericho; and hometown heroes Overkill, among many others. ...

Though she's known to take years between albums, Icelandic songstress Björk will follow-up her 2001 album Vespertine with a potential new album this summer, tentatively called LakeExperience, according to an oblique message on her official Web site. In the stream-of-consciousness post, Björk said that she has recorded "song a day. song a day. for how many days. I do not know. but some days." Work-in-progress video snippets of new material featuring shots of coffee cups and laptops are available at www.bjork.com. ... Faith Hill will perform a free concert for about 8,000 soldiers at Fort Bragg in North Carolina on Thursday. Fort Bragg is home to the 82nd Airborne Division and the Army Special Operations Command, and anyone with military I.D. may be admitted. ...

Blur have announced that former Verve guitarist Simon Tong will accompany them on the road when they tour this summer. He will not, however, be joining as a full-time member. Blur have been without a guitarist since original axeman Graham Coxon left last year before the band started recording in Morocco. Singer Damon Albarn played guitar on most of the record, which comes out later this year. ... If you think this year's Lollapalooza lineup is too radio-friendly, you might want to check out Ipecac Records' traveling road show, which will feature the Melvins, Tomahawk and Skeleton Key. The U.S. tour is tentatively scheduled to begin in late April or early May and additional bands may be announced in the coming weeks. ...

Are the Flaming Lips the new go-to band for cred? First it was touring with Beck, then it was a Top of the Pops performance with Justin Timberlake. Now the Chemical Brothers are testing this theory — the British dance duo recently revealed plans to collaborate with the Oklahoma pop oddities on at least one new track on their upcoming, as-of-yet untitled album, according to their fan Web site Planet Dust. ... On Friday, the recording industry filed an opposition to Verizon Internet Services, Inc.'s motion to postpone a judge's ruling that the ISP must surrender the name of a person suspected of being the source for thousands of unlicensed song files. A federal judge had agreed to a subpoena filed by the RIAA in July that would force Verizon to give up the offender's identity. Verizon opposed that order last month. ...

Hold onto your mullets: Def Leppard are getting ready to play the U.S. The first of 17 scheduled shows is March 21 in Pittsburgh, and the dates run through May 4 in Atlanta. ... Pigface, the Chicago industrial outfit revolving around ex-Ministry member Martin Atkins, are auctioning off an onstage wedding during their upcoming U.S. spring tour to promote their new album, Easy Listening. Fans can bid to win the chance nuptials on eBay until Valentine's Day. ...

02.07.03

The first gold and platinum plaques of 2003 were doled out by the recording industry, for album sales of 500,000 and 1 million, respectively. Queens of the Stone Age, the White Stripes and Baby a.k.a the #1 Stunna were each awarded their first gold records. ...

Producers/songwriters Kiyamma Griffin and Floyd Howard filed an $11 million lawsuit against Mary J. Blige, MCA Records and the singer's Mary Jane Productions on January 24 that alleges fraud and breach of contract, among other complaints. They claim they've never been paid royalties for contributions to the tracks "Sexy" and "No Happy Holidays," from 1999's Mary; and "Flying Away," "Destiny" and "2 U," from 2001's No More Drama. ... An array of artists, including Blige, Musiq, Mark Anthony, India.Arie and Eric Clapton pay homage to Stevie Wonder on the tribute album Conception: An Interpretation of Stevie Wonder's Songs, due March 18. The 14-track LP features selections from Wonder's best albums, such as 1976's Songs in the Key of Life and 1973's Innervisions. A cover of "That Girl" by R&B singer Joe and rapper Mr. Cheeks began appearing at radio last week. ...

LeAnn Rimes was forced to postpone her upcoming European tour after she and husband Dean Sheremet were hospitalized for severe cuts and bruises they suffered in a car accident with a drunk driver. Rimes was returning from filming a guest appearance on NBC's "American Dreams" on January 31 when the accident occurred in Hollywood. She was treated and released from a local hospital, and the driver was arrested for driving under the influence. ...

Jimmy Eat World frontman Jim Adkins and his promoter friend have started a label called Western Tread, based in their hometown of Phoenix. The imprint's first release will be a vinyl version of Jimmy Eat World's eponymous, self-titled LP that features the bonus track "Splash, Turn, Twist." It will be followed by an EP by the duo the Format, who will release a full-length debut next year on Elektra Records. The label's first full-length LP, due in early summer, will come courtesy of Phoenix's Reubens Accomplice. ...

Bret Michaels' fast-approaching 40th birthday (on March 15) has put him in a reflective mood. On April 22 the Poison vocalist will release Songs of Life, a solo album that looks back on all of the major events in his life, from the birth of his daughter Raine to the death of his uncle in Vietnam. ... Jagermeister tour participants (Hed) Planet Earth are set to release their third album, Blackout, on March 18. The LP follows 2000's Broke. The album's title track surfaced at radio this week. ...

• The Donnas
• Björk
• Faith Hill
• The Used
• Def Leppard

Stock up on the Faygo, cuz the clowns are coming to town. Insane Clown Posse are set to kick off their first full-scale headlining tour to support their latest album, The Wraith: Shangri-La, January 22 in Fargo, North Dakota. Thirty confirmed shows conclude March 9 in Peoria, Illinois, and additional dates are expected. ...

"In the Name of Love: Two Decades of U2," a retrospective on the Irish rockers, will open at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on February 8. Among the rare artifacts in the exhibit are the first U2 T-shirt made in an art class, a bio of the Hype — one of the band's early names — and rejection letters from two record companies. ... Mickey Finn, percussionist for the glam rock band T. Rex, died January 11 in a hospital in Croydon, England, following a prolonged illness, Reuters reported. Finn's manager Barry Newby told the news service that the musician, who played in the band between 1970 and 1975, is believed to have died of kidney and liver problems, but the exact cause of death hasn't been determined. ...

Police in England has recovered 500 tapes of original Beatles material following raids on suspected music thieves in London and the Netherlands, the BBC reported. The tapes contain the "Get Back" sessions, which have previously only been available as bootlegs. The songs were recorded in 1969 for an album called Get Back, but those plans were scrapped, and some of the songs later wound up on Let It Be. ... Ex-Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash stepped onstage with former Black Sabbath singer Glenn Hughes and Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins on January 11 in Los Angeles to protest military action in Iraq. Also attending the event was Martin Sheen and Ron Kovic, the disabled Vietnam vet who wrote the book "Born on the Fourth of July," the basis of the 1989 film starring Tom Cruise. ...

"Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator," a documentary on the life of troubled pro skateboarder Mark Rogowski, once considered among the best in the sport, will make its world premiere January 18 at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. As his popularity was waning in 1992, Gator, who had appeared in Tom Petty's half-pipe-starring video for "Free Fallin'," raped and murdered a 21-year-old woman. ... File-swapping service Kazaa suffered a legal setback Friday, when lawyers for its parent company, Sharman Networks, failed to have the lawsuit brought against it by the motion picture and recording industry dismissed. A federal court judge in Los Angeles denied the motion, prompting the copyright-holding industries to comment in a statement that Sharman's "attempts to play an intricate and shameless shell game ... have rightly failed." ...

The Flaming Lips will release an enhanced DVD of their second single, "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Part 1", on January 21. The enhanced DVD single will feature acoustic versions of the song, video and two rare instrumentals, "Fish Fry & the Bigot's Drunk" and "Galactic Melancholy," from frontman Wayne Coyne's soundtracks to the documentary "Okie Noodling" and his film "Christmas on Mars," respectively. ... Idlewild will release The Remote Part, the follow-up to their 2001 album 100 Broken Windows, in the U.S. on March 25. The Scottish rockers will promote the LP with a North American club tour beginning March 5 in Boston and later hitting the South by Southwest music conference in Austin. ...

Bygone hard rockers Def Leppard will appear as themselves in Tuesday's episode of the new NBC sitcom, "Hidden Hills." ... Hillbilly humorists Hayseed Dixie, a group that achieved infamy with 2001's A Hillbilly Tribute to AC/DC, which featured backwater send-ups of "Highway to Hell," "You Shook Me All Night Long" and "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," are at it again. Kiss are the target of Hayseed's latest homage, Kiss My Grass: A Hillbilly Tribute to Kiss, which features covers of such timeless Kiss cuts as "Lick It Up," "Detroit Rock City" and "Cold Gin." A tour to support the LP kicks off February 18 in Charlotte, North Carolina. ...

01.10.03

In addition to such previously confirmed performers as No Doubt, Shania Twain, the Dixie Chicks and Celine Dion, the NFL is set to announce even more girl power for the pre-game stage lineup at the Super Bowl. Beyoncé Knowles and Michelle Branch will both be joining Branch's "Game of Love" compatriot Carlos Santana and his band. Super Bowl XXXVII will take place January 26 in San Diego, and will air live on ABC at 3 p.m. PT/ 6 p.m. ET. ...

It's time for the fellas to get their say. Nas continues to be one of the most sought-after MCs for remixes, as he appears on the new version of TLC's "Girl Talk," which is produced by the Trackmasters. ... Mariah Carey will kick off the motor sports festivities at the Daytona 500 by singing the national anthem, the Daytona International Speedway announced Thursday. The Daytona 500 will take place February 16 and will be broadcast live on Fox. ...

The members of Incubus are putting their time between albums to good use. Drummer Jose Pasillas and guitarist Mike Einziger, who is up for a Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical Grammy for his work on the band's latest LP, Morning View, are among the musicians working with an 11-piece orchestra for an evening of psychedelic funk billed "The Time-Lapse Consortium." The ensemble will perform at the Roxy in Los Angeles on January 24. Meanwhile, the group's DJ Kilmore is sharpening his remixing skills, and singer Brandon Boyd has been surfing. ... Toni Braxton has selected a second single from her More Than a Woman LP, and this one most likely won't be mired in controversy like "Me and My Boyfriend," the singer's original choice for her next single until Jay-Z released his " '03 Bonnie & Clyde" track, which used the same Tupac sample. The diva has chosen to go with "Lies, Lies, Lies" instead. ...

Infectiousness in pop music is usually a good thing, but Avril Lavigne could do without this form of contagiousness. The 18-year-old rocker's name is used to identify a new computer virus, which attaches itself to e-mail that may have her name in the subject line and attempts to disable anti-virus and security software. Stranger still, if it's the 7th, 11th or 24th of the month, a browser directed at Lavigne's official Web site, www.avril-lavigne.com, will open. The virus, which follows fellow celebrity-named bugs Anna Kournikova, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, only affects PCs using the Windows operating systems. ...

"Can Fly! The R. Kelly Story," the 1998 children's book about the singer's rise to stardom, is being re-released on March 1. The author, Kim Dulaney, said the decision was made due to public demand. ... Jurassic 5's Chali 2na is two songs into recording a solo album. The rapper told the Los Angeles Times the LP would explore a variety of sounds outside of hip-hop. ... R&B and hip-hop fans: Are you going for a fashion statement that's equal parts Ziggy Stardust and P.M. Dawn? You're in luck. Producer 7 Aurelius, who has worked with Ashanti, Janet Jackson and Foxy Brown, is debuting his own clothing line. Creatively titled "Aurelius," the line will debut next week in Milan and will feature a signature "7" stitched on all the outfits. ...

The Walkmen will be doing a two-week tour of the West Coast starting January 23 in Vancouver and wrapping up February 7 in Seattle. After that, the band will hit the studio to record its second album. ... Rich Robinson of Black Crowes fame will set out with his new band Hookah Brown for an eight-date tour of the Northeast, beginning January 21 in Baltimore. The shows will feature some Black Crowes songs alongside Hookah originals, as the band looks for a record deal. ...

• Insane Clown Posse
• U2
• T. Rex
• The Flaming Lips
• Def Leppard

Bruce Springsteen
Photo: Danny Clinch

Bruce Springsteen is reliving his glory days.

The New Jersey rock legend and his E Street Band will debut at #1 on next week's Billboard 200 with The Rising, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday (August 7). In the past few weeks, Springsteen, who will perform at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, has been paying the cost to be the Boss with a media frenzy, including a live performance on "The Today Show."

The Boss' reunion opus with his musical compatriots sold over 525,000 copies in its first week to take the top position. Springsteen's numbers far surpass his closest competitors, Linkin Park, whose remix album, Reanimation, sold 270,000 copies since its release on July 30 to debut in the #2 seat next week.

While rock will rule on next week's chart, hip-hop will continue to flourish. With "Hot in Herre" showing no signs of cooling down and popularity of "Dilemma" growing each day, Nelly's Nellyville sold 244,000 copies to maintain its #3 position for the second week in a row. The Eminem Show continued to roll on the road to 5 million and will hold fast to its #5 slot. Eminem, who just released "Cleaning out My Closet" as the second single from his Show, saw just a minor sales drop-off: He sold 176,000 copies compared to 193,000 the previous week.

Sandwiched between the MCs with the million-dollar tongues will be Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 10, featuring a hodgepodge of hits from acts such as Britney Spears, Ja Rule, Jennifer Lopez and Aaliyah. The compilation will drop two places to #4 with 180,000 albums sold.

"Angry American" Toby Keith will spend his second week on the charts underneath Eminem. The country artist, who debuted at #1 this week, will take the most significant plunge of all the artists still in the top 10 (Lil' Wayne, Mario and Boyz II Men will all drop out); he'll come in at #6 with almost 174,000 records sold, compared to 338,000 the previous week.

With Let Go selling just shy of 112,000 last week, Avril Lavigne actually sees an increase in sales while dropping one spot on the albums chart to #8. Fellow spunky siren Amerie will debut at #9 with All I Have. Amerie's sales (89,000) reflect how she keeps it short and sweet: She was featured on the recent Usher Evolution Tour during Nas' set and raked in less than 10 minutes stage time, while her single, "Why Don't We Fall in Love," clocks in at less than three minutes. The Red Hot Chili Peppers will drop two spots to round out the top 10 after selling 76,000 more of their latest, By the Way.

Def Leppard's 10th studio album, X, won't crack the top 10, having sold just over 71,000 copies to land at #11. Filter's The Amalgamut will start off at #32 after selling 32,000 copies, and Beth Orton's Daybreaker moved over 28,000 records to come in at #40. Darius Rucker's platinum-selling days as part of Hootie & the Blowfish are seemingly long behind him, as his long-talked-about solo debut, Back to Then, will make its Billboard bow at #127 after selling 9,300 units in its first week.

Other notable debuts next week will be Dr. Dre protégé Knoc-Turn'Al, whose EP L.A. Confidential Presents Knoc-turn'Al will chart at #74 (16,000 sold), and Reggae Gold 2002, a compilation of dancehall hits such as Tanto Metro & Devonte's "Give It to Her" and Sean Paul's "Gimme the Light," which will come in at #184 (6,100 sold).

• Bruce Springsteen
• Linkin Park
• Amerie
• Filter
• Def Leppard

"How High" co-stars Method Man and Redman have signed on for another fish-out-of-water movie for Universal Pictures, this time playing undercover cops who investigate a drug ring. The script is still being written by Don Scott, who co-wrote "Barbershop," the upcoming comedy starring Ice Cube and Eve. ... Members of Naughty By Nature past and present once handed down the credo to "guard your grill, knuckle up," and Wednesday they had to follow their own mantra, according to sources within NBN's camp — during a live appearance on New York radio station Hot 97, Treach urged former Naughty producer and DJ, Kay Gee, to meet him at an undisclosed location and handle their differences. The two came to blows later that day, and although police were called to the scene to calm things down, no one was arrested. ...

Billy Corgan collaborated on the song "Sacred and Profane" for Berlin's first studio album since 1986's Count Three and Pray. Due September 3, Voyeur blends Berlin's signature new wave with the pop balladry of their biggest hit, "Take My Breath Away." ... Garbage drummer Butch Vig, who suffered a bout of hepatitis A last November, is down in the dumps again. Vig, suffering from an acute inner ear infection, had had to drop off the band's U.S. tour and has been temporarily replaced with Matt Chamberlain. ... Asesino, the band featuring Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares and Static-X bassist Tony Campos will open for Static-X on the Puro Marano Tour. The nine-show trek starts June 7 in Houston, and the last date is June 28 in Ventura, California. ...

Silverchair have had to cancel all upcoming tour plans, including 14 North American dates, because frontman Daniel Johns' reactive arthritis, which was diagnosed late last year, has left him too disabled to perform. Though the condition is causing him chronic joint swelling, impaired movement and extreme pain, doctors expect him to eventually make a full recovery. ... Natalie Merchant is asking high school students to submit 1,000-word essays for a contest that will coincide with her summer tour with Chris Isaak. Details on the "My Generation" theme contest, which has a June 20 deadline and a $2,500 grand prize, are available at www.nataliemerchant.com. ... Former Weezer bassist Matt Sharp scheduled a performance for Saturday at Chispa Studios in Los Angeles. ...

Def Leppard have set a July 30 release date for their 10th studio album, X. The British rockers collaborated on the new material with longtime producer Pete Woodruffe, Marty Frederickson (Aerosmith) and Andreas Carlsson and Per Aldeheim (Britney Spears). ... Deathray, a quartet composed of former Cake members Greg Brown, Victor Damiani and, most recently, Todd Roper, will release the five-track EP White Sleeves June 11. The group, which also includes singer Dana Gumbiner, will support the follow-up to their 2000 eponymous debut with a handful of West Coast tour dates that begin June 20 in Los Angeles. ... To coincide with their latest world tour, the Rolling Stones are re-releasing 22 classic albums on August 20 in the new dual-layer hybrid Super Audio CD format, which can be spun on both SACD machines and regular CD players. The material was all originally released between 1963 and 1971. ...

Cathedral will head into the studio July 1 to record their new album, Songs of Praise. ... Engorged's new, self-titled album hit stores June 4. ... Death metal band Marduk had to pull from their upcoming tour with Danzig due to problems with immigration. ... Downthesun, the first signing to Slipknot's now-defunct Maggot Records label, has signed with Roadrunner Records. ... Shadows Fall will tour with Kittie, Poison the Well and Killswitch Engage. ... Due to the declining relevance of singles as a format, Billboard announced that its Hot Rap Singles chart, which depended heavily on sales and therefore was often skewed by obscure independents, will be replaced with the Hot Rap Tracks chart. The new chart will lean more on radio airplay with the intention of more accurately reflecting the most popular rap songs in the country. ...

05.31.02

Incubus, Papa Roach, Rob Zombie, System of a Down and P.O.D. will headline the annual KROQ Weenie Roast in Los Angeles on June 15. Moby, Puddle of Mudd, Hoobastank, Jimmy Eat World, Unwritten Law, the Strokes, Bad Religion, Jack Johnson, the Vines and New Found Glory will also perform at the radio festival, one of the biggest in the country. ... A puppetized Wu-Tang Clan will hang, bang and perform "In Da Hood" on the first episode of "Crank Yankers," Comedy Central's all-star crank call series, which premieres June 2 at 10:30 p.m. ET. Tenacious D and Ween are among the folks promised for future episodes. ... After he finishes recording his third album this summer, Aaron Carter will launch the Rock, Rap and Retro Tour on August 6 in Nashville. The 30-date outing will wrap up in Boston on September 21, around the time the follow-up to Oh Aaron is expected to surface. ...

Tool have tacked 11 additional dates on to their summer tour with Tomahawk, scheduled to begin July 11 in Bakersfield, California. The new dates run from July 23 in Fort Worth, Texas, to August 12 in Trenton, New Jersey, while the announcement of an additional leg remains forthcoming. ... Jewel, Wyclef Jean and Lifehouse are among the artists confirmed for the 32nd annual Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle. The eclectic summer festival traditionally takes place over Labor Day weekend (August 30-September 2) and features more than 2,500 artists, including Modest Mouse, Ani DiFranco, Kelly Willis, the Mekons, Beachwood Sparks and a reunited Concrete Blonde. ... Sonic Youth will promote their 16th album, Murray Street, due June 25, with a month-long tour kicking off August 1 in Dallas and wrapping up September 1 at the Bumbershoot Festival. On August 11, the New York City rockers will play a free show at Central Park's Summerstage. ...

The White Stripes will capitalize on their white-hot popularity by re-releasing their first two albums, The White Stripes and De Stijl, on June 3. Their third album, White Blood Cells, catapulted the Detroit duo into the mainstream, courtesy of the single "Fell in Love With a Girl. ... Ziggy is descending from the stars once again. On June 6, David Bowie's classic The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars will be released with bonus outtakes and demos to celebrate the disc's 30th anniversary, and this summer, Cowboy Pictures will reissue the David Bowie concert film "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars." ... Prince will again open up his Paisley Park home studios for a week of concerts, moderated discussions, music workshops and listening sessions. Xenophobia, as the royal pop star is dubbing the fan club-exclusive event, will run from June 21 to 27, and include appearances by Maceo Parker (June 21), Norah Jones (June 24) and Musiq (June 26). ... The Recording Academy has created a number of new Grammy categories, including Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best Urban/Alternative Performance. Best Rap Solo Vocal Performance has been split into separate male and female fields, bringing the total of rap categories to five. ...

A benefit concert to alleviate the medical costs of Sean McGrath, formerly of Saves the Day and currently with the Alps, who is undergoing chemotherapy after having been diagnosed as having gastrointestinal cancer in April, will take place June 15 at New York's Irving Plaza. The "Hold on to Your Friends" concert will feature peformances from Thursday, Midtown, Taking Back Sunday, the Alps and others. ... Tracks from Felix Da Housecat, Detroit Grand Pubahs, Peaches, Bis and Miss Kittin & the Hacker are featured on the ghetto tech compilation DefiningTech, due June 11. John Selway also appears on the experimental electro album under his alias Memory Boy. ... Female drum'n'bass DJ Reid Speed will spend the summer on the road in support of her recently released mix album, Resonance. Reid Speed hits Baton Rouge, Louisiana, June 1 and travels from the East Coast to the West before closing the tour July 21 in Salt Lake City.

• Method Man/Redman
• Naughty By Nature
• Garbage
• Silverchair
• Def Leppard

Def Leppard
Photo: UNI/Mercury

In 1996, during the tail end of the alternative music explosion, Def Leppard recorded the alt-ish album Slang, replacing their trademark studio sheen with edgy songs and somewhat ragged production in an effort to blend with the times.

Their follow-up three years later, Euphoria, was more an attempt to retrace their steps and return to the multilayered guitar glory and soaring choruses of the band's other "-ia" albums, 1983's Pyromania and 1987's Hysteria. Now, as Def Leppard prepare to enter the studio to work on their eighth record, they find themselves striving for the best of both worlds.

"Off the top of my head, I can conservatively say it will be half-Slang, half-Euphoria," singer Joe Elliott said recently from his home in Dublin, Ireland. "I think some of the hits will be like classic Def Leppard, but we may let some of the songs go through sounding slightly less polished than normal. I think overall it may have a rockier edge than the Euphoria album." The band has 10 songs nearly completed and many others still under construction. Elliott won't offer any track titles, but he said the lyrics have a positive tone.

"There's no anger there, and nothing controversial, but at the same time they're not bland and boring," he said. "We're just going for things that are fist-pumping when they need to be and thought-provoking when they can be. Hopefully it will be clever without sounding too clever." Like Euphoria, the new disc will be recorded in Elliott's home studio, Joe's Garage. But this time the band plans to work with an assortment of producers, including Euphoria's Pete Woodroffe, Marti Frederiksen, who worked on Aerosmith's Just Push Play, and Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who produced four of the band's biggest albums, including Pyromania and Hysteria. "I sent Mutt a song to critique, and he really dug it, but he suggested a few changes, so I said, 'Go for it. Let's see what you come up with,'" Elliott recalled. "The problem is, he's right in the middle of a Shania Twain album, and he's pretty busy with that. So I don't think he'll be doing a lot of producing for us. But we've got Marti and Pete, and hopefully we can get one or two other people in to give the project freshness and variety." Although many of their past records were largely written in the studio, Def Leppard decided to write most of the new one before heading in to record it. Of course, that doesn't mean the band knows exactly where it's headed.

"We're very open-minded as to where this record's going, and that's very exciting," bubbled Elliott. "It's almost like putting on your hiking boots, packing your lunch and a flask of soup and heading off into the mountains, but not being sure which path you're going to take. You just hope you end up taking the most scenic or user-friendly route." Elliott said Def Leppard hope to have the new record in stores early next year so they can tour in the summer.

• Def Leppard

Def Leppard
Photo: Universal

Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliott, guitarist Phil Collen and members of David Bowie's '70s band Spiders From Mars have recorded a double-CD of Bowie covers under the name Cybernauts.

The 25-track set, Cybernauts Live, consists of 18 live songs and seven studio cuts for a total of nearly two-and-a-half hours of music. The Cybernauts project grew out of Elliott's admiration for Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson, who died of cancer in 1993.

"He was a genuine hero of mine, became a good friend of mine, and died tragically," Elliott said during a June 8 interview from his home in Dublin. "We wanted to let the world know that there was more than Jimi Hendrix in the dead file that comes under the term 'classic guitar player.' " The day Ronson died, Def Leppard performed a version of "Ziggy Stardust" in Stockholm, Sweden. A year later, they were invited by Ronson's sister Maggie to partake in a Mick Ronson memorial show at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. For the event, they hooked up with the Spiders From Mars rhythm section — bassist Trevor Bolder and drummer Mick "Woody" Woodmansey — and learned songs from The Man Who Sold the World (1970), The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust (1972), Hunky Dory (1971) and Aladdin Sane (1973).

"It was a great honor for me and Phil to be involved and pretend for 45 minutes to be Bowie and Ronson," Elliott said. At this point, Elliott and Collen are back writing with Def Leppard, so Cybernauts have no plans to tour America, but never say never.

"The good thing about this is it's not a record that's tagged to a particular point in time," Elliott said. "These are classic songs, and it's entirely possible that we might get back together and do some sort of tour together some time in the future. In the meantime, it's available online for anyone who wants it." The discs were scheduled to go on sale June 7 on the band's Web site, www.cybernautsruleok.com, but as of June 8, the site still wasn't equipped with the proper security measures to handle credit card orders, Elliott said. At present, the site has posted a message saying, "We'll have it available again as soon as possible. Please accept our apologies." Elliott said he expected the problems to be straightened out by Monday morning, when the discs will go on sale for 17 pounds (about $25). "I've basically been running this entire thing myself as an exercise in fun, which turned out to be slightly frustrating," he said. "But at least I see what it's like now to be part music mogul, part manager and part record company executive. Kind of like Puff Daddy, but I'm sure he has people doing it all on his behalf, and he takes the credit. I've actually physically been handling this all myself. It was something to do, and it was rewarding, but next time I think I'd rather go fishing." The tracklist for Cybernauts Live: Disc one:

• "Watch That Man"
• "Hang Onto Yourself"
• "Changes"
• "The Supermen"
• "Five Years"
• "Cracked Actor"
• "Moonage Daydream"
• "Angel No. 9"
• "Jean Genie"
• "Life On Mars?"
• "The Man Who Sold the World"
• "Starman"
• "The Width of a Circle"
• "Ziggy Stardust"
• "White Light White Heat"
• "Rock & Roll Suicide"
• "Suffragette City"
• "All the Young Dudes"

• "All the Young Dudes"
• "Moonage Daydream"
• "Manic Depression"
• "The Man Who Sold the World"
• "Time"
• "Panic in Detroit"
• "Lady Grinning Soul"

• Def Leppard
• David Bowie

An apparent rock memorabilia collector went way too far when he collected mementos from Def Leppard's locked tour bus in Kelowna, British Columbia on Monday night.

• 1/14 - Bozeman, MT @ Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
• 1/15 - Casper, WY @ Casper Events Ctr.
• 1/16 - Colorado Springs, CO @ World Arena
• 1/18 - El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center
• 1/19 - Lubbock, TX @ Fair Park Coliseum
• 1/21 - Cape Girardeau, MO @ Show Me Center
• 1/22 - Chattanooga, TN @ Soldiers & Sailors
• 1/23 - Knoxville, TN @ Civic Coliseum
• 1/25 - Salem, VA @ Civic Center
• 1/26 - Bristol, TN @ Viking Hall
• 1/28 - West Lafayette, IN @ Elliott Hall Of Music
• 2/1 - Marquette, MI @ Lakeview Arena
• 2/2 - La Crosse, WI @ La Crosse Center
• 2/4 - Salisbury, MD @ Wicomico Civic Center
• 2/5 - Wilkes Barre, PA @ Pennsylvania Civic Center
• 2/7 - Montreal, QC @ Molson Centre Theatre
• 2/8 - Quebec City, QC @ Colisee De Quebec
• 2/10 - Fredericton, NB @ Aitken Centre
• 2/11 - Moncton, NB @ Coliseum Moncton
• 2/12 - Halifax, NS @ Metro Centre

• Def Leppard

Hair Aware

• Busta Rhymes
• Gwen Stefani
• Cyndi Lauper
• Rod Stewart
• P!nk

Lohan, Cannon, Simpson, Teutuls And More At VH1 Big In '05 Awards

• Lindsay Lohan
• Jessica Simpson
• Bo Bice
• Nick Cannon
• Kelis

Kanye West, Destiny's Child, Linkin Park, Jay-Z: Live 8 Philadelphia

• Black Eyed Peas
• Destiny's Child
• Kanye West
• Kaiser Chiefs
• Will Smith