Jay-Z
Photo: Scott Gries/ Getty Images

Jay-Z knows plenty about the power of words, and now he's rewarded six student writers from a field of 700 essay entries with $5,000 each to help their schools. Jay, who had his New Jersey Nets-investor cap on for this venture, launched the contest as part of a rivalry with Charlotte Bobcats owner Robert Johnson. On December 14, the NBA teams raced to the 80-point mark and the owner of the team that hit it last (that'd be Jay's Nets) agreed to donate the $30,000. "It was great to see the students' school spirit in their essays," Jay-Z said. "They showed they want a well-rounded education in a comfortable environment. I hope that these donations help them to achieve their goals." Three schools in New York and three in New Jersey received donations. ...

Von Bondies singer Jason Stollsteimer — who got into a much-publicized fracas with Jack White in 2003 — testified in record producer Jim Diamond's case against the White Stripes on Wednesday (June 14), according to The Associated Press. Diamond told a Detroit court he found a profane note pinned to his door, and Stollsteimer testified that he too was left with a note on his door — with a knife stuck in it. White denied posting a note to Diamond's door and has previously called Stollsteimer's claims that he also was responsible for that note "a laughable lie." ...

One of the defendants in Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's stolen-wedding-video case pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny on Wednesday, according to AP. In a New York court, Tito Moses revealed that he had in fact tried to bilk the couple of $1 million through their "representative" — who turned out to be an undercover cop. Justice Bonnie Wittner said Moses will spend one and a half to three years in prison for the crime. The other man accused in the case, Steven Wortman, has pleaded not guilty to his multiple charges. ...

Things keep turning up roses for "American Idol" victor Taylor Hicks. People magazine has named the 29-year-old crooner the hottest bachelor. That's right — Hicks beat out the likes of Nick Lachey, Jake Gyllenhaal and Matthew McConaughey, giving even more hope to average Joes everywhere. ... Bruce Springsteen is feeling the heat from an unlikely source: a labor union. AP reports that the Boss heard from the Milwaukee chapter of an artists union shortly before he staged his tribute to blue-collar folk hero Pete Seeger on Wednesday. The venue he chose, the Bradley Center, is non-unionized. ...

Diddy, the master of promotion, will have to wait a little longer before he starts hyping his next LP, which he's planning to call PD5. The album — due to feature Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera and Nas — has been bumped to October 3. ... Dem Franchize Boyz member Maurice "Parlae" Gleaton was arrested Tuesday night in an Atlanta studio after it was raided by police, according to Dem Franchize Boyz's label, Virgin Records. According to AP, police found drugs, weapons and money in the studio. Everyone present — except two minors, whose parents subsequently picked them up from authorities — were arrested. "Based on what we know, the facts will show that Parlae will be exonerated of any charges in this matter," read a statement issued by the label. ...

With a Cookbook already on the market, Missy Elliott is about to put her life story out there for big-screen consumption. Missy will come to theaters with a little help from Robert De Niro, who will produce the biopic through his Tribeca Films, Variety reports. Elliott's manager, Mona Scott, will also be involved in producing the film, which is still untitled. ... Russell Simmons celebrated the fifth anniversary of his Hip-Hop Summit Action Network Wednesday morning by ringing the opening bell of the NASDAQ Stock Exchange. He was accompanied by Diplomats member Jim Jones, Damon Dash, HSAN President/ CEO Dr. Benjamin Chavis and Warner Music Group Executive Vice President/ HSAN board member Kevin Liles, among others. Simmons is also promoting HSAN's financial-literacy program, called Get Your Money Right. ...

Who says punk rock isn't educational? A 12-year-old girl from Halifax, England, is crediting the cover of Green Day's American Idiot for saving her life. According to BBC News, Ruby Wilson was clearing leaves in her garden when she found a hand grenade, which she recognized from the picture on her Green Day T-shirt. (The album's cover features a hand clutching a heart-shaped hand grenade with blood dripping off it.) Wilson's dad called the army, who blew up the grenade, a remnant from the weapons factory that used to stand nearby. ... The Veronicas have had to pull out of their North American tour with Ashlee Simpson after doctors advised singer Lisa Origliasso, who has developed nodules on her vocal cords, to rest her voice and get treatment. A full recovery is expected in six weeks, and the band plans to tour the U.S. this fall. ...

Former Weezer bassist Matt Sharp has already announced that he's reforming his neo-new-wave act the Rentals, but now he's taking the band on the road. Sharp had already announced a pair of California shows — July 2 in Solana Beach and July 7 in Los Angeles — but the band will embark on a proper North American tour July 21 in Bakersfield. They'll venture outside California before returning to the Golden State to wind down the tour August 15 in Anaheim. Sharp also plans to record a new Rentals album, their first since 1999's Seven More Minutes. ... Reggie and the Full Effect have pulled themselves off this summer's Warped Tour, according to a message posted on the band's Web site. "Instead, we are going to be in the studio working on a new record with Sean Beavan (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson)," James Dewees, a.k.a. Reggie, wrote. "We hope you understand, and look forward to seeing everyone in the late fall." ...

Pneumatic retro-futurists Stereolab have a long and eclectic career that Rhino Records will chronicle with the retrospective Serene Velocity — A Stereolab Anthology, which documents the band's 1993-2004 stint with Elektra Records. Remastered by Stereolab founder Tim Gane at Abbey Road Studios, the collection features 16 tracks including 7-inch versions of "Jenny Ondioline (Part 1)" and "Wow and Flutter," plus an interview with Gane and singer Laetitia Sadier. ... Four suspects in the beating of dance artist Kevin Aviance were arraigned in a New York court this week, charged with first-degree gang assault and first-degree assault as a hate crime, AP reports. Akino George, Gregory Archie, Jarell Sears and Gerard Johnson did not enter pleas at their arraignments and are being held on $25,000 bail. They are scheduled to return to court Friday and face up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Aviance, who suffered a broken jaw, was released from the hospital Monday and hopes to perform at gay-pride events scheduled later this month.

06.13.2006

Daisy Duke's going to the disco. Jessica Simpson has chosen "A Public Affair" as the first single off her new album of the same name, and while some may assume the song would be a commentary on her divorce from Nick Lachey, it's actually an ode to going out with the girls. "That was a statement she wanted to make," said Epic Records President Charlie Walk at a Monday night listening session for the record. "Everything she does is a public affair ... [but] this is about having fun." The song has an early Madonna vibe with a touch of Motown and Earth, Wind & Fire's "Let's Groove."

"All the girls are stepping out for a public affair/ All night, let's rock 'cause the party don't stop/ You know the cameras come out for a public affair," Simpson sings in a breathy, higher register. She actually debuted the Lester Mendez (Shakira, Carlos Santana)-produced tune Thursday at New York's Butter during a Natasha Bedingfield party, where Wyclef Jean, Cheyenne and Swizz Beatz enjoyed the song without at first knowing whose it was. "It was cool to watch everyone dancing to it," Walk said, "and people that heard it wanted to hear it again and again." "X-Men: The Last Stand" director Brett Ratner is shooting the star-studded, roller-disco-themed video June 26 and 27 in Los Angeles. The single is due June 23 and the album will be out August 29. ...

In the meantime, it appears Jessica's sister has had enough of U.S. culture promoting bad body image. So now Ashlee Simpson is trying to do something about it by helping a group of teenage girls make a mural that celebrates the female figure in the new issue of Marie Claire. The girls from Los Angeles' Green Dot Public Schools painted messages of empowerment such as "Beautiful Mind," "Confidence Is Sexy" and "Women Rock" on the mural. "Everyone is made differently, and that's what makes us beautiful and unique. I want girls to look in the mirror and feel confident," the singer told the magazine. Still, that doesn't mean Simpson hasn't succumbed to the dangers she's trying to discourage. Simpson reveals, for instance, that she was on the verge of having an eating disorder while studying dance at New York's School of American Ballet. "I would eat half a Nutri-Grain bar and some Blow-Pops and call it a day. I was super skinny." But whatever cosmetic changes she might make to herself, she says her beauty image is only skin deep. "Have there been times when I've been insecure? Hell, yeah! But have I ever felt unhappy with what I'm actually doing in my life? No." ...

Korn frontman Jonathan Davis has been released from the London hospital where he had been receiving treatment for a blood illness since Friday, and plans to return to the United States within the next day or two, The Bakersfield Californian reports. Davis' father, Rick, told the Californian that his son will "remain under close medical attention. He'll probably go directly to a medical facility." British doctors diagnosed Davis with immune thrombocytopenic purpura, an autoimmune disorder in which a low blood-platelet count prohibits the blood from clotting as it should. The singer's blood-platelet count fell critically low due to an allergic reaction to a medication he'd been taking. "His spirits have been good through the whole thing, but he appreciates the severity of the disorder and the importance of getting medical attention," said Rick Davis, adding that the rest of Korn are still in London with Davis and will be on the same flight with him when he returns. "They said they would not leave their brother behind." ...

A motion was filed last week by the prosecutorial team who'll be trying rapper C-Murder (whose real name is Corey Miller) a second time for the January 2002 fatal shooting of 16-year-old Steve Thomas outside a nightclub in Harvey, Louisiana. According to The Associated Press, the motion seeks to place Miller, who has been under house arrest since late March when the Louisiana Supreme Court overturned his second-degree murder conviction, back behind bars while he awaits the start of his second trial. The AP reports that in the motion, the prosecution suggests Miller violated the terms of his house arrest with an unauthorized visit to a drive-in restaurant. The filing also claims Miller returned home late from a court-approved trip and has traveled beyond the range of his electronic-monitoring equipment twice. A judge has yet to rule on the motion. ...

Usher is the latest celebrity to lend New Orleans a hand, AP reports. The singer showed up at the International School of Louisiana on Tuesday (June 13), hooking up with volunteers to help clear vines and brush at the charter school, which has been closed since August 29. Usher visited neighborhoods in New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish on Monday. "I'm here to physically do something and hopefully motivate other people to do the same," he told AP. ... Jack Black has a big weekend ahead, with "Nacho Libre" hitting theaters Friday, and Sunday marking his first Father's Day. The actor announced the arrival of his son, who was born Saturday to Black and his wife Tanya Haden, to "Access Hollywood" at Monday's Los Angeles premiere of "Nacho Libre." And Black explained to Us Weekly that he's got his eyes on the poppa prize: "I'm going to be the best daddy on the planet, and I'm going to enter the best daddy competition. And I'm going to win it." ... Black may face some competition from Matt Damon, who welcomed his first child with wife Luciana Bozan on Sunday, AP reports. Daughter Isabella was born in Miami, and mother and baby are "wonderful, fine," Damon's publicist said. ...

Jennifer Lopez has won a court battle over her "Flashdance"-inspired video for "I'm Glad." The dismissal of the 2003 copyright-infringement suit filed by Maureen Marder, the former welder/dancer who inspired the 1983 film, was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeal for the 9th Circuit on Monday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Marder's suit, which named Lopez along with Sony Music Entertainment and Paramount Pictures, alleged that she'd refused to grant sequel rights or permit further use of her story after "Flashdance." The court found that the terms of the release Marder signed in 1982 were broad enough to OK the "I'm Glad" video. ... Kylie Minogue made a brief return to the stage on Saturday with her first live performance since she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, Reuters reports. Kylie joined sister Dannii Minogue onstage at London's G-A-Y club, performing Dannii's song "Jump to the Beat." ...

Rapper El-P has enlisted the talents of Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and the Mars Volta for his forthcoming LP. A posting to El-P's MySpace page reports he's about four songs away from completing the record, which will feature Reznor on the track "Flyentology" and the Volta on an as-yet-untitled cut. ... In other Mars Volta news, the band has completed work on their forthcoming album — the follow-up to 2005's Frances the Mute. The album will be called Amputechture, and should be out later this summer. No official release date has been set, and there is no additional specific information about the offering. The Mars Volta will be hitting the road on August 11 in Portland, Oregon, as direct support on the Red Hot Chili Peppers' North American tour. Dates for that trek run through November 5 in St. Paul, Minnesota. ...

The unidentified architect behind the National Day of Slayer campaign — which directed Slayer's fans to commemorate June 6 by, among other things, listening to the metal band's music and spray-painting "Slayer logos on churches, synagogues or cemeteries" — has taken credit for inspiring the desecration of a Catholic seminary in Yonkers, New York, last week. Police have yet to apprehend the vandals who'd painted the building with pentagrams, upside-down crosses, and Slayer-related messages, including "Reign in Blood," the title of the group's classic 1986 album. A message posted on the National Day of Slayer Web site states that "reports of activism surrounding [the fledgling holiday] have been coming in by the hour. One notable instance was the desecration of a local church in Yonkers, where celebrants spray-painted a pentagram, and more significantly, 'Reign in Blood,' on the steps of the church. We are overwhelmed with the response."

[This story was originally published at 2:01 p.m. on 06.14.06]

• Jay-Z
• Diddy
• Dem Franchize Boyz
• Missy Elliott
• Green Day

Chris Brown
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

With the summer tour season kicking off in a few weeks, 16-year-old Chris Brown says he's going on a major outing with some of the other hot young stars of hip-hop and R&B.

"Summer tour plans? We have a big summer tour called Up Close and Personal," he said last weekend in Chicago (see "Singles, Film, All-Star Tour: Chris Brown Says 'Gimme That' "). "It's me, Lil Wayne, Juelz Santana, Dem Franchize Boyz, Ne-Yo. We have a couple of other artists, but they're not confirmed yet. It's gonna be like 8,000-, 10,000-seaters. I can't wait. We gonna go out there and have fun."

Brown has some experience hanging out with these guys. Santana's assist on Brown's "Run It!" helped that song become a hit. And Lil Wayne raps on the remix of "Gimme That."

"He's one of my favorites," Brown said of Weezy. "Lyrically, he's incredible to me. I was like, 'I really want to get Lil' Wayne on the record.' He was like, 'Yeah, I'll do it.' The song was already done. When he put his vocals on it, he enhanced the track. I was like, 'Yeah, I can't wait to shoot the video.' "

Brown said he co-directed the video and came up with the concept.

"The chemistry was great," he said. "The dancing came out great, as well as my idea of going back to the '20s and '30s. It was like, 'Yeah, my vision was complete.'

"Just something different," he added about why he wanted to give his vid a retro look. "The beat sounded like a regular club beat. You go in the club and start dancing. I said, 'Well, what if they got Lil Wayne in a suit? What if they got me in a suit? What would they think?' Let's do something out the box that nobody would think about."

Brown said he's already writing songs for his next album and plans to begin recording his LP in October. This time around, he wants to work with Pharrell Williams and Kanye West and maybe get up with Scott Storch again ("Gimme That").

Reps for Dem Franchize Boyz and Ne-Yo have confirmed that they'll be going on the Up Close and Personal Tour. Lil' Wayne's publicist said the Cash Money Millionaire has been in talks for the tour, but nothing has been solidified. Santana's rep couldn't be reached.

• Chris Brown Singing, Dancing And More

• Chris Brown
• Ne-Yo
• Dem Franchize Boyz
• Lil Wayne
• Juelz Santana

Korn's Jonathan Davis in the studio with Dem Franchize Boyz
Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES — Jonathan Davis has several grills, but Wednesday night he made sure to wear his favorite one.

"Everybody got diamonds, but I got rubies," he said, flashing a red sparkling smile.

The occasion was a studio collaboration with Atlanta snap hip-hop provocateurs Dem Franchize Boyz on a mash-up of their "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It" and Korn's "Coming Undone."

"Rock and crunk, they the same thing," DFB's Apollo said at the landmark Village recording complex, where John Mayer was playing Ping-Pong in the lobby. "It's just two different names for it."

"It's all energy," Davis added. "Crunk music's like heavy hip-hop, so it mixes right. It's perfect."

The mash-up was actually suggested by Virgin Records, home to both Korn and Dem Franchize Boyz. And it turned out both acts were fans of each other.

"It's a family thing," DMF's Butter said in between bites of a midnight dinner. "The family came together and produced a nice thing. And we'll continue to work together."

Rather than just have a remix producer combine the two singles, the acts enlisted Scott Spock of the Matrix, who produced "Coming Undone," to mix elements from both tracks with new parts recorded specifically for the mash-up.

"The songs are at almost the same tempo and I knew it would work right off, so it was just [a matter of] going into the studio to make it happen," Davis said. "So we hooked up with the boys ... and they're talented. It's fun and just different."

Different is something Korn have been attracted to a lot as of late. Their just-wrapped arena tour featured four additional members (see "Korn Rock Hometown, Have Street Named After Them On 'Official Korn Day' "), and the band's about to perform acoustic for the first time in its 14-year career.

"We're doing 'AOL Acoustic Sessions,' " Davis said. "When that was first brought up to us, I was like, 'Hell no,' but then I got more into it. I thought it would be cool because what we did with the new album, we didn't want to set any kind of boundaries of what Korn should be. Korn doesn't have to be straight heavy metal."

For the acoustic set, Korn will play "Alone I Break," "Thoughtless," "Coming Undone" and "Falling Away From Me."

"It should be interesting," Davis said. "I can't wait to hear these songs acoustic, but a couple of them I wrote on acoustic guitar, so I know it'll translate. ... Hopefully fans will appreciate it. Some will hate it, but whatever. Who cares? We're gonna go for it. We haven't practiced, we're just showing up a couple of hours early and going for it."

As for those grills, Davis said he actually "rolls with them" more than fans might expect.

"I wear them onstage and everything," he said. "I never wanted to wear all kinds of rings and jewelry and sh--, but I might as well throw them on my teeth."

• Korn
• Dem Franchize Boyz

Beyonce, Chris Brown and Busta Rhymes
Photo: Sony, Jive and Scott Gries/Getty Images

It is the subject matter behind nearly half of the current top 20 songs in the country, yet it is going mostly unnoticed. In fact, you've already missed it twice since you started reading this article.

So what is it? It is it. And there's no denying it is red-hot in music right now. It is all over the charts:

Beyonce's "Check on It," Chris Brown's "Run It!," the Black Eyed Peas' "Pump It," Dem Franchize Boys' "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It," Busta Rhymes' "Touch It," Da Back Wudz's "I Don't Like the Look of It," Juelz Santana's "There It Go (The Whistle Song)," the Purple Ribbon All-Stars' "Kryptonite (I'm on It)" ... and it goes on.

It is actually nothing new to music, nor is telling listeners what to do with it.

The Rolling Stones, alone, have addressed it several times — "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)," "It Must Be Hell" and "It's Not Easy" — all the while asking us to "Paint It Black," "Let It Bleed" and "Let It Loose."

Hundreds of artists, from the Doors to the Spice Girls to Van Morrison, have demanded that listeners simply "Do It." And who can forget what Devo told us to do to it?

It has clearly got history, but why is it suddenly so ubiquitous?

Dean Jutilla, a spokesperson for eBay, who have plastered it across television screens and billboards in recent months as the center of their latest advertising campaign, has a theory about it.

"I think because it is such a personal thing, and only you can identify with your own it, is probably why so many artists are talking about it," Jutilla said. "It means so many things to so many people"

And Jutilla has a point. In an attempt to find out exactly what it is, MTV News asked a variety of it experts and got, well, a variety of answers.

"It's basically something really unique about you and having some star potential," said "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson, who is always talking about singers having it or not having it. "It's the thing that Elvis had, the thing that Michael Jackson had, the thing that so many greats have. When you walk into the room and you leave, everyone remembers you or people are saying, 'God, I like that person,' or 'I want to be like that person,' or 'I want to dress like them,' or 'I want to sing like them,' just having some kind of inspirational, motivational factor about you."

Of course Jackson is more of a pop and rock guy, and it seems to be more prevalent in hip-hop and R&B, so we went to expert rap author Kris Ex, who most recently penned 50 Cent's biography.

"If you gotta ask, you ain't got it, ain't getting' it and can't touch it, much less pump it or check on it," Ex declared. "It is what it is and that's all that it is. That's all there is to it, really. Well, there may be more, but I'm not at liberty to talk about it. It's like a secret society — or something."

Yesi Ortiz, a DJ at Los Angeles hip-hop station Power 106, certainly doesn't need to ask.

"Come on, everyone knows that it is the secret code word for Jennifer Lopez's [most famous asset]," she said.

J. Lo aside, Ortiz probably has the most accurate definition of it as it is used in many of today's popular songs, but you never know. And that is basically the whole point of it.

"It is such a personal thing for people," Jutilla reiterated. "And they're very, very protective of their it. No matter what it is to them. They'll even be feisty protecting their it. They are very fascinated and intrigued by it. They'll spend a lot of money on it, whatever that is. I think people find their it empowers them. It brings people together."

Last year, actor Crispin Glover dared to direct a movie called "What Is It?," but when we reached out to him to ask what it is, he simply replied, "The question is not 'What it is,' but what is it?"

So where does that leave us? Perhaps we're best left turning to former Faith No More singer Mike Patton, who asked and then answered "What is it?" it in that band's biggest hit, "Epic": "It's it."

Or maybe we should listen to the Beatles and simply "Let It Be."

• Chris Brown
• Busta Rhymes
• Beyoncé
• Black Eyed Peas
• Dem Franchize Boyz

Jack Johnson's <i>Sing-a-Longs and Lullabies For the Film "Curious George"</i>
Photo: Universal

While "Curious George" failed to drum up enough ticket sales over the weekend for a first-place finish at the box office, the film's soundtrack, Sing-a-Longs and Lullabies for the Film "Curious George," made a big impression at the nation's record stores — scoring mellow surfer-turned-singer Jack Johnson his first-ever Billboard-topping debut.

Johnson — who composed original material for the animated movie — has come close to the top of the albums chart before, but he's never had the chance to light that proverbial cigar. His 2003 outing, On and On, opened at #3 with sales of more than 132,000. And nearly a year ago, In Between Dreams sold 229,000 its first week out for another #3 debut.

According to the latest SoundScan figures, Sing-a-Longs and Lullabies for the Film "Curious George" achieved week-one scans of close to 163,000 to claim the coveted Billboard title. Johnson had a little help from friends Ben Harper, Matt Costa and G. Love, who contributed to the disc.

Holding strong to the #2 spot is Mary J. Blige's The Breakthrough, which finished out the week with 152,000 copies sold, a 24 percent sales boost. Last week's #1, Barry Manilow's The Greatest Songs of the Fifties, slides two spots to #3 after selling close to 142,000 units during its second week in stores. Tuscan tenor Andrea Bocelli's Amore drops one chart position to #4 with nearly 117,000 week-two sales.

Johnson's "Curious" collection wasn't the top five's sole newcomer. Dem Franchize Boyz's On Top of Our Game makes the cut, bowing at #5 with close to 106,000 copies sold. Il Divo's Ancora follows at #6 with 96,000 sales, while Eminem's Curtain Call: The Hits checks in at #9 after moving 82,000 discs. Jamie Foxx's Unpredictable drops six spots to #10, selling just over 81,000 copies.

This week's chart is chock full of debuts that held their own during a strong week for overall record sales. Comedian Ron White's latest, You Can't Fix Stupid, claims the #14 spot with 64,000 copies sold, while Remy Ma's There's Something About Remy pops up at #33 with 37,000 sales. K.T. Tunstall's Eye to the Telescope finishes at #47 with nearly 28,000 scans, and the "One Tree Hill" Volume Two: Friends With Benefit soundtrack — which features Audioslave, Fall Out Boy, Hot Hot Heat and more — takes #54 after moving 25,000 units. In Flames' Come Clarity opens at #58 with sales of 24,000, and Belle and Sebastian's The Life Pursuit comes in at #65 with 20,000 plus copies sold. Beth Orton's Comfort of Strangers finishes at #93 with 13,000 sales, and Collective Soul's Home ends up at #183 with close to 7,000 scans.

Many of this year's Grammy winners, nominees and performers prolonged the excitement of last week's event with the big sales week that followed in its afterglow. Sales of John Legend's Get Lifted shot up a whopping 780 percent for the Best New Artist, Best R&B Album and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance winner (who also performed with Stevie Wonder before Super Bowl XL). Get Lifted leaps from #187 to #18 with 52,000 copies sold. Mariah Carey, who took home three awards, including Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, watches her The Emancipation of Mimi climb seven to #7 thanks to a 70 percent sales boost that translated to 90,000 plus copies sold. Breakaway, the latest from Kelly Clarkson — who won two Grammys, including Best Female Pop Vocal Performance — finishes at #8 after jumping 16 positions and 109 percent with 83,000 copies sold.

The compilation album showcasing this year's Grammy nominees climbs 17 spots to #15 thanks to a 114 percent spike in sales. And while Fall Out Boy didn't win a Grammy, their From Under the Cork Tree does win big on Billboard's chart, scoring a #28 finish with sales of 42,000 and change (a 27 percent upswing). Late Registration by Kanye West, the recipient of Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Solo Performance Grammys, experienced a 92 percent swell to score the #30 spot with 39,000 copies sold. Gorillaz's Demon Days, which contains the Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals-winning track "Feel Good Inc.," climbs 15 spots to claim the #34 slot after an 80 percent sales boost.

Meanwhile, Gwen Stefani's multi-nominated debut, Love, Angel, Music, Baby, finished the week with a 65 percent retail rise, amounting to over 28,000 copies sold, to grab #45. Sales of U2's Album of the Year winner How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb shot up 512 percent, putting the LP back in the top 200 at #49, following the previous week's chart no-show. Green Day's American Idiot, which features Record of the Year winner "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," follows at #50, with sales up 55 percent to 27,000. And Coldplay's X&Y didn't score a Grammy, but sales of the disc surged 67 percent to nearly 27,000, earning the disc a spot at #52.

Check out MTV News' complete coverage of the 48th annual Grammy Awards. And check out "What's the 411, Mary" for Blige's answers to celebrity questions.

Get your MTV News fresh daily as a podcast — in video or audio. Click on Mac or PC for more info.

• Jack Johnson
• Mary J. Blige
• Dem Franchize Boyz
• Il Divo
• Eminem

<i>Sing-a-Longs and Lullabies From the Film "Curious George"</i>
Photo: Universal

See Jack Sing: Jack Johnson's curious transmutation into children's-music performer might turn off some fans, but it hasn't alienated his friends Ben Harper, Matt Costa and G. Love, all of whom croon along on Sing-a-Longs and Lullabies From the Film "Curious George." Jack runs through the "Schoolhouse Rock" staple "Three Is a Magic Number" — reconfigured as a lesson in environmentalism, with the three R's being reduce, reuse and recycle — and, more curiously, the White Stripes' "We're Going to Be Friends."

Not-So-Everyday People: Different Strokes by Different Folks is more of a various-artists tribute to Sly & the Family Stone, but chances are you'll find it under "S," not "VA," in the CD bins. With rumors swirling about the long-dormant Sly resurfacing at the Grammys, some of today's biggest names have been wise to show their affection in advance: Big Boi ("Runnin' Away" and "[You Caught Me] Smilin' "), Will.I.Am ("Dance to the Music"), Maroon 5 ("Everyday People"), John Mayer ("You Can Make It if You Try"), Joss Stone ("Family Affair") and the Roots ("Star"). Groovy.

Dem's Deluxe: After hooking up with Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat and Bow Wow for the So So Def remix of "I Think They Like Me," Dem Franchize Boyz could be ATL's top commodity in early '06. They ride into record stores in style with a deluxe edition of On Top of Our Game, which is supplemented with a DVD featuring videos for the "I Think They Like Me" remix and "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It" (featuring Peanut and Charlay); a live performance; behind-the-scenes footage; and two bonus audio cuts, "My Girlfriend" and "Super Clean."

Orton's O'Rourke-ian Twist: For her fourth record, Beth Orton ganged up with Sonic Youth laptop whiz Jim O'Rourke — but don't expect many embellishments, as Orton keeps her songs spare throughout Comfort of Strangers. The limited edition comes with a bonus disc boasting five tracks: "What We Begin," "On My Way Home," "Comfort of Strangers #9," "Did Somebody Make a Fool Outta You ... ?" and "Northern Sky."

Religious Awakening: Christianity seeps into Belle and Sebastian's seventh effort, The Life Pursuit, on parts one and two of "Act of the Apostle Part 1," which centers around a girl who dreams about the Old Testament. (A limited deluxe edition is bundled with a six-track live DVD and comes with hardbound book packaging.)

There are even more titular nods to Big Brother on the second volume of the "Elizabethtown" soundtrack, which finds Rachael Yamagata chipping in "Jesus Was a Crossmaker," and Washington Phillips wondering "What Are They Doing in Heaven Today." (Also featured: My Morning Jacket, Ryan Adams, Ulrich Schnauss and Pinback.) And on another soundtrack — for "Transamerica" — the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band nestle "I Find Jesus" alongside cuts by Duncan Sheik, Lucinda Williams and Dolly Parton.

If you're familiar with Chick Corea, it's probably because of his legendary piano playing or collaborative performance with the Foo Fighters at the 2004 Grammys. But you probably didn't know Corea is a devout Scientologist, a fact he makes no bones about on his latest CD. Based on a 1939 novella by L. Ron Hubbard, The Ultimate Adventure is about a homeless man who is transported to the mythical City of Brass from "Arabian Nights" and finds himself living among alien races like the Jinns, Ifrits and Ghouls. Try making a soundtrack to that.

Conga expert Miguel Angá Díaz provides a "musical religious service" on Echu Mingua, an album he named after his Yoruba saint. (Yoruba being an ancient African religion that worships multiple deities known as Orishas.) He's joined by everyone from Chucho Valdés to French hip-hop artists to a West African kora musician.

And last but not least, Hamell on Trial lace their latest, Songs for Parents Who Enjoy Drugs, with a particularly blasphemous song about President Bush performing sexual acts with the Bible.

Song Title Of The Week:

"Matrimonioids (For: Elvin + Susana Estela)" from Prefuse 73's Security Screenings

Other Notables:

Various artists' To: Elliott - From: Portland: Although a tribute to Elliott Smith might seem premature, this salute is more personal than meets the eye. Eric Matthews, who covers "Needle in the Hay," actually played on an unreleased version of the track with Smith; "Hard Times" is performed by Sean Croghan, a former roommate of Smith's; and the Thermals recorded "Ballad of Big Nothing" with Smith's ex-girlfriend Joanna Bolme at Jackpot Studios, which Smith had a hand in constructing. Past renditions by the Decemberists, Swords and the Helio Sequence help flesh out the 15-track set.

In Flames' Come Clarity: Ferret Music is bolstering the promotion behind one of its biggest acts, underground metal titans In Flames, in style. Various stores are offering free patches, tour samplers, posters and more with purchase of the CD — and in one of the more unique offers, Denver's Independent Records gives you two bucks off the disc if you show them your concert-ticket stub. There's also a special edition with a bonus DVD of rehearsal footage floating around.

Rick Moranis' The Agoraphobic Cowboy: Yes, you're reading right — that's actor Rick Moranis, last heard on the "Little Shop of Horrors" soundtrack, cowboying up with his country best on The Agoraphobic Cowboy. Equally inspired by his love of Ray Stevens and his recent exposure to Widespread Panic, Moranis' effort was previously released online but is finally hitting stores this week. Giving Cowboy an extra layer of bizarreness, the album has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Comedy Album.

New Releases:

• Aceyalone (accompanied by RJD2) - Magnificent City (Decon Inc.)
• AM Syndicate - Empire (Sickroom)
• AV Club - AV Club (Insubordination)
• The Avett Brothers - Four Thieves Gone: The Robbinsville Sessions (Ramseur)
• Sibylle Baier - Colour Green (Orange Twin)
• Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit (Matador)
• Layzie Bone & Young Noble - Thug Brothers (Real Talk)
• Pat Boone - Hopeless Romantic (Gold Label)
• Burst - Origo (Relapse)
• Century - Faith and Failure (Tribunal)
• The Chuck Norris Experiment - The Chuck Norris Experiment (Devil Doll)
• Clogs - Lantern (Brassland)
• Jason Collett - Idols of Exile (Arts & Crafts)
• The Coors - Home (Atlantic/Rhino)
• Chick Corea - The Ultimate Adventure (Stretch)
• Cross Culture - Proof Positive (Selectric)
• The Danger O's - Little Machines (EP; Blackout)
• Deadboy and the Elephantman - We Are Night Sky (Fat Possum)
• De/Vision - Subkutan (Dancing Ferret)
• Jack DeJohnette - The Elephant Sleeps but Still Remembers (Kindred Rhythm)
• Dem Franchize Boyz - On Top of Our Game (deluxe edition with DVD also available; Virgin)
  Buy Now: On Top of Our Game (Virgin)
• DJ Reflex - Sandunga Music (Cutting)
• Fefe Dobson - Sunday Love (enhanced; Island)
  Buy Now: Sunday Love (Island)
• Electric Six - Señor Smoke (Metropolis)
• Eyes of Fire - Prisons (enhanced; Century Media)
• Jen Foster - The Underdogs (American Garage Recorded Entertainment)
• Burnt Friedman and Jaki Liebezeit - Secret Rhythms, Vol. 2 (Nonplace)
• Gastr Del Sol - Harp Factory on Lake Street (Table of Elements)
• Gates - The Dew Line (Table of Elements)
• A Global Threat - Where the Sun Never Sets (BYO)
• Hamell on Trial - Songs for Parents Who Enjoy Drugs (Righteous Babe)
• Sarah Harmer - I'm a Mountain (Zöe/Rounder)
• Hem - No Word From Tom (Nettwerk)
• Himsa - Hail Horror (Prosthetic)
• Brotha Lynch Hung & MC Eiht - The New Season (Real Talk)
• Charlie Hunter Trio - Copperopolis (Rope-a-Dope)
• In Flames - Come Clarity (special edition due same day; Ferret)
• Elton John - "Billy Elliot: The Musical" original cast recording (Decca)
• Jack Johnson and Friends - Sing-a-Longs and Lullabies from the Film "Curious George" (Universal)
  Read: "Jack Johnson Says 'Curious George' Shouldn't Monkey Around With Adult Themes"
• Matson Jones - The Albatross Mates for Life, but Only After a Lengthy Courtship That Can Take Up to Four Years (EP; Sympathy for the Record Industry)
• The Ladies - They Mean Us (Temporary Residence)
• Latrice - Illuminate (Ultra)
• Th' Legendary Shack*Shakers - Pandelirium (Yep Roc)
• Lesbians on Ecstasy - Giggles in the Dark (Alien 8)
• Jackie Leven - Shining Brother Shining Sister (Silverline)
• Lil Al - Hood Raised (SMC)
• Lil Uno - The Streets (Toltec)
• Lokyata - Purified by Anger (Indianola)
• Jason Miles - What's Going On? Songs of Marvin Gaye (Narada)
• The Minus 5 - The Minus 5 (Yep Roc)
• Misstress Barbara - Come With Me ... (Uncivilized World/ Koch)
• Rick Moranis - The Agoraphobic Cowboy (Artistshare)
• Cindy Morgan - Postcards (Reunion)
• Monday Morning - Fool's Paradise (enhanced; Selectric)
• Mr. Pookie - Return of Tha Rippla (Boss Entertainment)
• Mylo - Destroy Rock & Roll (Red Ink)
• Anna Nalick - Wreck of the Day (DualDisc; Columbia)
• Oceansize - Everyone Into Position (Beggars Banquet)
• Beth Orton - Comfort of Strangers (limited edition with bonus disc also available; Astralwerks)
• Penuckle - The Sun Beckons (Red Urban)
• Prefuse 73 - Security Screenings (Warp)
• Psychic Ills - Dins (The Social Registry)
• San Quinn - The Rock: Pressure Makes Diamonds (SMC)
• Remy Ma - There's Something About Remy: Based on a True Story (limited edition also available; SRC/Universal)
• Sherri Roberts, Phil Woods and Lew Soloff - The Sky Could Send You (Pacific Coast Jazz)
• Ray Russell - Goodbye Svengali (Cuneiform)
• Shrift - Lost in a Moment (Six Degrees)
• Slowride - C/S (Deep Elm)
• Sly & the Family Stone - Different Strokes by Different Folks (Epic/Legacy)
• Small Arms Dealer - A Single Unifying Theory (Deep Elm)
• Southcott - Flee the Scene (Rust)
• State Radio - Us Against the Crown (Nettwerk)
• Kelley Stoltz - Below the Branches (Sub Pop)
• The String Cheese Incident - On the Road: Big Summer Classic, On the Road: Fall 2005, On the Road: Spring 2005 and On the Road: Vegoose 2005 (Nettwerk)
• Stroke 9 - Cafe Cuts: A Collection of Acoustic Favorites (Rock Ridge)
• Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives - Live at the Ryman (Universal South)
• Swearing at Motorists - Last Night Becomes This Morning (Secretly Canadian)
• Telepathe - Farewell Forest (EP; The Social Registry)
• The Thrillseekers - Night Music Volume One (Water)
• Bill Toms & Hard Rain - The West End Kid (B.T.)
• KT Tunstall - Eye to the Telescope (Virgin)
• Univers Zero - Live (Cuneiform)
• Jason Whitton - Thriftstore Cowboy (VAVV)
• The Mary Lou Williams Collective - Zodiac Suite: Revisited (Mary)
• Joachim Witt - Bayreuth 3 (Dancing Ferret)
• Various artists - Hi Power 2006 (Thump)
• Various artists - Idol Tryouts Two (Ghostly International)
• Various artists - Lowrider 2006 Tour (Thump)
• Various artists - Mews Too: An Asthmatic Kitty Compilation (Asthmatic Kitty)
• Various artists - New Arrivals, Vol. 1 (Mpress)
• Various artists - Run the Road Volume 2 (Vice)
• Various artists - To: Elliott - From: Portland (Expunged)
• Various artists - Totally Country Vol. 5 (BMG Heritage)
• Various artists - "Elizabethtown, Vol. 2" soundtrack (RCA)
• Various artists - "One Tree Hill Volume Two: Friends With Benefit" soundtrack (Maverick)
• Various artists - "Transamerica" soundtrack (Nettwerk)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Art Blakey - Live! At Slug's N.Y.C. (Empire Musicwerks)
• Richard Cheese - The Sunny Side of the Moon: The Best of Richard Cheese (Surfdog)
• Chamillionaire - The Sound of Revenge (special edition with bonus DVD; Universal)
• The Bob Crewe Generation - The Best of the Bob Crewe Generation: Music to Watch Girls By (Varèse)
• Ray Davies - The Storyteller (Koch)
• Dave Douglas - Keystone (Koch)
• John Entwistle - Mad Dog, The Rock and Too Late the Hero (Sanctuary)
• José Feliciano - Introduction to José Feliciano (Fuel 2000)
• Roberta Flack - The Very Best of Roberta Flack (Rhino)
• Dexter Gordon - Getting Around - RVG Series (Blue Note)
• Andrew Hill - Smokestack - RVG Series (Blue Note)
• Mastodon - Call of the Mastodon (Relapse)
• Hank Mobley - Workout - RVG Series (Blue Note)
• Lee Morgan - The Gigolo - RVG Series (Blue Note)
• Pérez Prado - The Best of P#233;rez Prado: The Original Mambo # 5 (RCA Victor/ Legacy)
• The Prodigy - Their Law: Singles 1990-2005 (XL/Beggars)
  Buy Now: Their Law: Singles 1990-2005 (XL/Beggars)
• Remembering Never - Suffocates My Words to You (One Day Savior)
• Satyricon - Dark Medieval Times (The End)
• Horace Silver - Horace-Scope - RVG Series (Blue Note)
• Nat Stuckey - The Very Best of Nat Stuckey (Koch)
• Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - An Introduction to Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee (Fuel 2000)
• Richard Thompson - The Life and Music of Richard Thompson (five CDs; Free Reed)
• Stanley Turrentine - Joyride - RVG Series (Blue Note)
• Whitesnake - The Definitive Collection (Geffen)
• Trisha Yearwood - Jasper County (MCA Nashville)
• Various artists - Electro Slash Disco: Underground 80's Dance Floor Sounds (Koch)
• Various artists - Lost Classics of Salsa, Vol. II (Libertad)
• Various artists - Sleepless in Seattle: The Birth of Grunge (High Wire)
• Various artists - "Golden Boy" original Broadway cast recording (DRG)

DVDs:

• Jim Brickman - "Jim Brickman at the Magic Kingdom: The Disney Songbook" (Disney)
• The Crown - "14 Years of No Tomorrow" (three DVDs; Metal Blade)
• Bireli Lagrene and Gipsy Project "Live in Paris" (Dreyfus)
• Mint Condition - "Live From the 9:30 Club" (Image Entertainment)
• The Prodigy - "Their Law: Singles 1990-2005" (XL/Beggars)
• Sasha & John Digweed - "Delta Heavy" (System)
• The Sugarcubes - "Live Zabor" and "The DVD" (Rhino)
• Andrew W.K. - "Who Knows? Live 1992-2004" (Music Video Distributors)
• Whitesnake - "Live in the Still of the Night" (with CD; Hip-O)
• Various artists - "Blow! Volume 5: Pushin' the Raw and Uncut" (Inner City)
• Various artists - "Champions in Action: Volume 1," "Volume 2" and "Volume 3" (Music Video Distributors)
• Various artists - "Don Diva Presents: A Gangster's Story" (Don Diva)
• Various artists - "Don Vito Presents: Crunk and Famous" (Koch Vision)
• Various artists - "Fresh 96: 10th Anniversary Special Edition, Part One" and "Part Two" (Music Video Distributors)
• Various artists - "Gotta Serve Somebody: Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan" (Image Entertainment)
• Various artists - "GT Extravaganza Singers" (Music Video Distributors)
• Various artists - "Hustle Up Latino" (Hustle Up)
• Various artists - "Punk Is Dead" (Image Entertainment)
• Various artists - "Scribble Jam: Archive Number 2" (Scribble Jam)
• Various artists - "Street Heat Hood Fights" (Cornbread)
• Various artists - "Street Heat, Volume 16: Young Jeezy" (Cornbread)
• Various artists - "Tribunal Records: The Video Collection" (Tribunal)

Coming Attractions:

February 14:

• Jaheim - Ghetto Classics (Warner Bros.)
• Sergio Mendes - Timeless (Concord)
  Read: "Will.I.Am Wants To Pull A Rick Rubin With Sergio Mendes, Macy Gray"
• The Sword - Age of Winters (Kemado)

February 21:

• Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (Domino)
  Read: "You Hear It First: Arctic Monkeys"
  Buy Now: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (Domino)
• Ray Davies - Other People's Lives (V2)
• William Orbit - Hello Waveforms (Sanctuary)

February 28:

• Hawthorne Heights - If Only You Were Lonely (Victory)
• Kid Rock - Live Trucker (Atlantic)
• Ne-Yo - In My Own Words (Def Jam)
  Read: "You Hear It First: Jay-Z's Picks"

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• Jack Johnson
• Dem Franchize Boyz
• Sly & the Family Stone
• Remy Ma
• Chamillionaire

2006: The Best of Studio Photos

• Lil Jon
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• Kelis
• Beck
• Nelly Furtado

Best of 2006: Backstage & Party Moments

• Fall Out Boy
• P!nk
• Kanye West
• Busta Rhymes
• Hype Williams

Dem Franchize Boyz, Carlos Mencia, Gabrielle Reece and Laird Hamilton

• Dem Franchize Boyz

Hail to the King

• Da Brat
• Dem Franchize Boyz
• Jermaine Dupri
• Nick Cannon

MTV.com Exclusive: Dem Franchize Boyz Photos 11.02.2005

• Dem Franchize Boyz