Dream
Photo: Bad Boy

We couldn't get enough of them. Their songs were our soundtrack, and we laughed, danced, cried and loved along with them. They flashed across our radio and TV burning brightly — but where have they been lately? As you'll find out in our new regular feature Where Ya Been?, sometimes the stories behind your favorite songs are more interesting than the hits themselves.

Who: Dream

Biggest hit: 2001's "He Loves U Not"

Claim to fame: Members came together after responding to an 800-number solicitation for a girl group and impressed Bad Boy boss Sean "Puffy" Combs so much in a hotel audition that he signed them on the spot.

Why do I know that name?: Before "American Idol," there was Dream. The Southern California R&B quartet consisted of Ashley Poole, Diana Ortiz, Holly Arnstein and Melissa Schuman. Poole got on board by calling (800) BE-A-STAR, while Schuman and Arnstein auditioned at the suggestion of their vocal coaches, with the latter recommending her lifelong friend Ortiz for the prefab four.

Their manager set up a Beverly Hills Hotel audition for Combs, who initially seemed unimpressed with the 14-year-olds. "It was really scary but awesome," Poole said of the audition. "We sang some songs for Puffy from our demo, he shook our hands and said, 'Good luck.' We were like, 'Oh, didn't get that!' And then 10 minutes later, he was sending us a contract to sign."

The road to riches: Their debut album, It Was All a Dream, was released in January 2001, when all four were 16 or younger, and spawned the pop/urban hit "He Loves U Not." Legendary music-biz titan Clive Davis told the girls that the song would have been a hit no matter who sang it, but Poole said the fact that "four white girls on a hip-hop label" sang it made the song even more massive. The girls performed at the NFL's Pro Bowl in 2001, toured with 'NSYNC, Britney Spears, 98 Degrees and future Where Ya Been? subjects the Baha Men. Dream appeared at the American Music Awards and the VMAs. And, of course, Poole, 20, who is working on her debut solo album, said they thought the ride would last "forever."

Reality bites: Schuman left in 2002 to pursue acting and was replaced by Kasey Sheridan. The follow-up single to "He Loves U Not" tanked, in part, Arnstein said, because it came out just before the September 11 terrorist attacks.

So the girls hit the studio to record album number two, Reality, which hung in limbo as release dates came and went. The video for the first single, "Crazy," portrayed the formerly fresh-scrubbed teens in a sexier light, a decision that was the beginning of the end.

"I think the second album is 100 times better than our first one," said Arnstein, 20, who is preparing to go to San Francisco State to study psychology and now sings in the "Fleetwood Mac meet Coldplay" band Whirlmagnet. "There was this push for us to be more sexual and this emphasis on being skinny. We always had this mentality that we were real, we were really friends and really in love with music and having a good time. Suddenly that was not the game. It was, 'How much weight can you lose and how sexual can you be?' "

Reality was never released in the U.S., and the group's members drifted apart, with lead singer Blake the first to jump ship. "The music and chemistry were amazing, and we really were best friends and family," Poole said. "We did love each other, but we were very young, and as anyone who has ever been 18 knows, it's a confusing time in your life."

The moral: If the Dream seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Who: Marcy Playground

Biggest hit: 1997's "Sex and Candy"

Claim to fame: Held record for longest run at #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart at 18 weeks — until they were beaten by Nickelback's "How You Remind Me."

Why do I know that name?: In the book on "one-hit wonders," Marcy Playground's ubiquitous late-'90s hit deserves a whole chapter. The song got so big, singer John Wozniak said, it had its own accountant. The band, which also features bassist Dylan Keefe and drummer Dan Rieser, got together in New York in the mid-'90s and took the name of the experimental elementary school Wozniak attended in the late '70s. Marcy Playground signed with Capitol and released their self-titled debut in February 1997 to little acclaim. But a DJ at a San Diego station started playing the strangely alluring "Sex and Candy," and pretty soon it was getting so much radio play that Wozniak said the head of radio promotions at Capitol actually said, "We gotta f---in' shut down this record! It's killin' your guys' career!"

Dude, what happened to you?: "We were actually pretty frickin' flabbergasted with the hugeness of it all," Wozniak said. "It was like going from playing fun little pickup games of grade-school T-ball to, all of a sudden, being a major-league baseball team in the pennant race for the World Series. If you listen to that song, it's pretty clear it wasn't written to be a hit. It's just a quirky little weird song. But it was too much. It's literally on hundreds of compilations. It became a quintessential '90s moment, and that's cool and I'm happy about that, but we had to tone it down a bit."

Now that's a good story: Wozniak said as "Sex and Candy" was emerging as a hit, he stood firm when his manager asked if he'd be interested in selling his publishing rights. " 'At some point a company will come along and offer you a bunch of money to sell it,' my manager said. But I said, 'No way,' " Wozniak said. "As the song climbed the charts, the offers kept coming in: $100,000, $500,000, $750,000, and my manager and lawyer are screaming at me saying, 'You have to do this!' I kept saying no, then to get them off my back, I said if someone offers $1 million in cash and $750,000 for my next record, I'll take it, knowing that would never happen. They told me I was insane and that nobody would do that. A week after the song hit #1, they came to me and said they had three offers for that amount. I just thought, 'Wow, that's kind of dark' -- but hell yeah, I took it!"

For our next trick: The follow-up, 1999's Shapeshifter, tanked, which Wozniak said was fine, since they purposely tried to make a noncommercial album. Fed up with the expectations put upon them because of "Candy," the guys asked to be dropped from Capitol. Rieser began playing with Norah Jones; Keefe got a job with National Public Radio; and Wozniak bought the legendary Mushroom recording studio (BTO, Heart) in Vancouver, British Columbia, and filled it with vintage recording equipment. The band released the album MPIII in 2004 on the Reality Entertainment label, and Wozniak just finished his heartfelt singer/songwriter solo debut, Leaving Wonderland ( ... In a Fit of Rage) and is looking for a label to release it.

"I would never want another 'Sex and Candy,' " Wozniak, 35, said. "I don't mind having a hit, but 'Sex and Candy' was too much for anybody, especially as a first hit."

The moral: Hit song + its own accountant = career killer.

To catch up with more missing artists, check out "Where Ya Been? Willa Ford Strips Down, Jesse Camp Drops Out".

Ever wonder what happened to Crazy Town? How about the Baha Men? Vitamin C? Tell us which faded stars you'd like us to check up on, and you just might find them in a future edition of Where Ya Been? Send us your suggestions and we'll get digging.

• Dream: Where Ya Been?

• Dream
• Marcy Playground

Kanye West (file)
Photo: Lester Cohen/WireImage.com

Former Meat Puppets bassist Cris Kirkwood was sentenced to 21 months in an Arizona federal prison Monday (August 2) for assaulting a post-office security guard with his own baton in December. Prosecutors also requested $7,000 in retribution to be paid to the victim, and three years' supervision upon his release. Kirkwood pleaded guilty to a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon in May. ...

It's not the Pope. It's not the Medici family. It's Kanye West, the new patron of the arts. West revealed in an interview with Q magazine that he commissioned a painter to re-create Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling for his dining room. "It's gonna have over 50 cherubs and saints," West boasted. ... If Barbara and Jenna Bush want to follow in the Olsen twins' footsteps, a New York modeling agency will help them take the first step. Ambassador Promotions has offered a modeling contract to the first daughters, for what the company says could be a multimillion-dollar deal if the Bush twins accept. "Whether the president wins re-election or not, the girls could be true winners for the fashion world," the company's president, Dave D'Orazio, said in a statement. ...

Britney Spears' soon-to-be stepson is named Michael Jackson — kind of. Shar Jackson revealed to Us Weekly that she named her baby boy (fathered by Spears' fiancé, Kevin Federline) Kaleb Michael Jackson after Paul Walker's character in the movie "The Skulls," while the middle name is after Federline's father. "Yeah, it's funny that 'Michael Jackson' is in there, but his name is Kaleb Michael," she told the magazine. Jackson said that Federline arrived after her nearly eight-hour labor and delivery was over, and since then, they've been talking almost every day. ... Former Dream member Melissa Schuman posted on her message board that next week she's scheduled to record a duet with Backstreet Boy Nick Carter. The song is called "Still There for Me," and it's for an upcoming film, but she wouldn't disclose which one. ...

Want 50 Cent on your phone? The rapper's signed a ring tone, voice and image deal with mobile content provider Zingy, so mobile users can get original recordings from him. "I'm doing things that don't usually go with artists of my lyrical content," 50 said in a statement. "I will continue to break boundaries through all industries as long as people embrace it." The 50 goodies will be available on AOL, Boost Mobile, *MTV, Nextel, Sprint PCS, T-Mobile and Zingy.com. ... Bryan "Baby" Williams (a.k.a. Birdman) has settled a lawsuit that alleged he had failed to pay King's Jewelers in Florida $85,000 for jewelry he ordered. According to The Associated Press, Williams and the jewelry company settled for $57,000. The settlement stipulated that the rap boss may keep the jewelry and that neither party admits liability or wrongdoing. Baby reportedly ordered a $23,500 pendant that said "BM" in white gold and diamonds, as well as nine white gold, diamond-studded pendants reading "Cash Money Records," worth a total of $54,000. Williams' publicist could not be reached by press time. ...

The eighth album from De La Soul is also the first hip-hop LP released by the Sanctuary Urban label, a new imprint run by Mathew Knowles (Beyoncé's dad). The trio's follow-up to 2001's AOI: Bionix is due September 28 and features appearances by Common, Carl Thomas, Ghostface, and, on its title-track first single, Bonz Malone. A second single, "Shopping Bags," is expected to surface simultaneously in August. This fall, look out for a De La-designed model in Nike's Dunk line of shoes. ...

Badly Drawn Boy will launch a North American fall tour on October 5 in Vancouver, British Columbia, to support his new album, One Plus One Is One. The first leg will conclude October 28 in Houston. ... "Ramones Raw," unreleased video footage shot by Marky Ramone, is being released on DVD later this year. "Raw" includes backstage interviews, as well as home video of the pioneers of punk dating from the early '80s. ... The Pixies have added a pair of Los Angeles dates, September 22 and 23, to their fall tour schedule. The gigs mark the band's first shows in the L.A. area in 12 years. Grant Lee Phillips will open both shows, with the Distillers joining him on the first night and the Thrills on the second. The Pixies' North American fall tour starts September 4 in Bend, Oregon. ...

Courtney Love got a last-minute visa to perform at the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, where she proclaimed, "They let me in, they let me in." ... Fans attending the Projekt Revolution tour at New Jersey's PNC Bank Arts Center on Friday got more than they bargained for when Jay-Z came out to perform an encore with headliners Linkin Park. The rap-rockers and the Roc rapper performed "Dirt Off Your Shoulder," "Jigga What?" and "Big Pimpin'." ...

7.30.2004

Britney Spears is close to buying a home with Kevin Federline, according to her mother, Lynne Spears, who posted a note to fans on the singer's Web site. "Britney and I have been doing mother-and-daughter trips all over California trying to find just the right house" for the singer to live in with her fiancé, her mother wrote. "We think we might have found the right one." In between house-hunting, the singer is also cleaning out her closet in preparation for the move, having already sent a dozen boxes of stuff home to Louisiana for her cousins, and is starting a physical-therapy regimen for her knee. "She's been waking up, doing little things around the apartment in the morning, going to physical therapy in the afternoon, and then has downtime at night," Lynne wrote. She said that her daughter is enjoying her time "doing normal, everyday things" and helping her little sister, Jamie Lynn, with projects for her upcoming Nickelodeon show. ...

Why buy an Usher album with an ordinary debit card when you can purchase it with one endorsed by the singer himself? Usher is launching the Usher Raymond IV Debit MasterCard, a card featuring Mr. Entertainment's face against a black background with the word "success" under his name. Fans can pick up the card at Bankfirst, www.ushermc.com and at booths set up at concert venues on his tour, which kicks off August 5. ... Michael Jackson got a break in his effort to reduce his bail — an appeals court recognized his defense motion and suggested that an evidentiary hearing be heard to determine if his $3 million bail was too high for the crimes with which he is charged. ... Meanwhile, a teenager was hospitalized after his all-terrain vehicle flipped over at Neverland Ranch. He's reportedly in good condition, but he had to be airlifted out of the ranch by helicopter to receive treatment at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. The boy was at or near the main house, and it's not known whether Jackson was there as well. ...

P. Diddy is movin' on up — to New Jersey. The rap mogul recently bought a 21-room, 17,000-square-foot Bergen County mansion for more than $10 million. According to The Associated Press, the brick colonial home sits on 3.5 acres of land and features a six-car garage, outdoor pool with waterfall, a movie theater and a 700-gallon aquarium. ... Less than six months after Nick Oliveri parted ways with Queens of the Stone Age due to his inability to get along with Josh Homme, the bassist was booted out of Mondo Generator's touring van and left curbside in Germany because he was fighting with the sound man. Due to the row and Oliveri's subsequent abandonment, a show in Italy had to be canceled last week. ...

On Thursday, a federal judge ruled that if Rosa Parks is unable to testify in the lawsuit she brought against Outkast for using her name as the title of a 1998 song without permission, a doctor for Parks must explain the hindrance. According to The Associated Press, lawyers for the defense had asked to interview the civil-rights icon to clarify her claims of emotional and mental distress over the song. ... Juliet isn't going to be too pleased. Seems like Lil' Romeo is giving his love to another girl. The 14-year-old money-stacker has a new single coming soon called "My Cinderella," which features Nick Cannon. The song is the first offering from his September 21 LP, Romeo-Land. Fans will get to see Romeo perform the track during the season premiere of his TeenNick series, "Romeo!," on August 28. ...

MTV2 Headbangers Ball Volume 2, due September 28, follows up last year's first volume with 40 tracks spanning two discs. One features established artists such as Slipknot, Korn and A Perfect Circle, while the second disc includes more underground bands, including Dillinger Escape Plan and Cradle of Filth. ... New bassist John Moyer, formerly of Union Underground, played his first live gig with Disturbed on Saturday at the House of Blues in the band's hometown of Chicago. Moyer replaced Fuzz, who left as a result of personal conflicts with the group last year. After Saturday's performance at the Rolling Rock Town Fair in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Disturbed will spend the rest of the year working on their new album, the follow-up to 2002's Believe. ...

The radio broadcaster famous for introducing Superman to fans in the 1940s ("It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Superman!") during the "Superman" show's decade-long radio run passed away on Wednesday in his New York apartment, according to The New York Times. Jackson Beck was also known for voicing the character of Bluto in more than 300 "Popeye" cartoons. He was 92. ... This month also brought the passing of another unsung Hollywood figure. According to The Associated Press, Irvin Shortess "Shorty" Yeaworth Jr., who directed the 1958 horror film "The Blob," died in a car accident in the Middle East on July 19 at the age of 78. ...

Kylie Minogue staged a special one-off performance at London's Hammersmith Apollo to launch her album Body Language, and now the show is being released on DVD. The "Body Language Live" DVD, due September 7, will include surround sound, interviews, backstage footage and three music videos (for "Slow," "Red Blooded Woman" and "Chocolate"). ... P.O.D. frontman Sonny Sandoval has signed on as an investor in Gamecaster Inc., a gaming-events company, according to a spokesperson for the band. Sandoval was named the music director of the company and will also perform as on-camera talent in the role of pit reporter, providing commentary and interviews with competitors at televised video-game competitions. The first event is scheduled for August 24 in San Diego. ... On Jack Irons' first solo album, Attention Dimension, set for release in August, the former Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer is joined by some of his old bandmates and friends, including Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard and Eddie Vedder, who lends his vocals to a cover of Pink Floyd's "Shine on You Crazy Diamond"; RHCP bassist Flea and Primus' Les Claypool. ...

• Kanye West
• Meat Puppets
• Britney Spears
• Dream
• Backstreet Boys

Kid Rock was among those who performed for the troops Wednesday night at Camp Doha in Kuwait as part of the kickoff show of the USO's Project Salute 2003, the first large-scale entertainment tour in the Persian Gulf since Operation Iraqi Freedom began. A second show is scheduled for later this week at an undisclosed location. Others onboard for the tour include Bubba Sparxxx, Nappy Roots and Wayne Newton, athletes Ervin Johnson and Duce Staley and actress Alyssa Milano. ...

The White Stripes have chosen "The Hardest Button to Button" as the second single from their fourth album, Elephant. A video for the track will be shot next month, but the band has not yet decided on a director. ...

R. Kelly will be staking his claim to greatness this fall when he releases The R. in R&B, a collection of his greatest hits and remixes of some of his biggest singles. There will be at least one new song included on the album, and according to Kelly's spokesperson, the track will be released in the beginning of July. Kelly's label is withholding the name of the song for now, but they say Kells will shoot a video for it in mid-July. ... P. Diddy visited a Hollywood soundstage Tuesday for the filming of Dream's new video, "Crazy," with director Matthew Rolston (Mary J. Blige). The song is the first single from the group's second album, Reality, due August 12. ...

The annual Farm Aid benefit show is set for September 7 at the Germain Amphitheater in Columbus, Ohio. Founders Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp, along with Dave Matthews, are the only acts confirmed thus far for the show, which raises awareness and money for family-owned farms. ... Even when Madonna doesn't actively court controversy, it still seems to blow her way. Recently, the former material girl signed on to be a host for a benefit on Sunday for Bony Pony, a Malibu animal reserve and children's camp. But PETA, the watchdog for four-legged creatures the globe over, has intervened and pointed out to Madonna that the organization is not an animal sanctuary, it's an exotic animal rental business with what PETA referred to as a "troubling history." ...

The canceled Concert for Nelson Mandela, originally scheduled for February, has been recast for November 30. Bono and the surviving members of Queen are the only artists confirmed thus far for the event, which will take place in Capetown, South Africa. ... Bubbles, Blossom and Buttercup rock, as all fans of "The Powerpuff Girls" know, and on August 12 they'll do so to the tunes of Vitamin C, Sahara Hotnights and Shonen Knife. Powerpuff Girls: Power Pop is the third album to be inspired by the Cartoon Network series. ...

LL Cool J has joined the cast of "Slow Burn," a crime thriller featuring Ray Liotta that begins shooting next month in Montreal. The rapper will play a stranger who manipulates a district attorney going after a powerful gang leader. ... Talib Kweli had a bunch of his friends with him Wednesday night at New York's S.O.B.'s. Mos Def, Common, Kanye West, Skillz and Pharoahe Monch joined him onstage at his show. ...

Kevin Richardson is opening a music-industry school in Louisville, Kentucky, in August. Called Music Workshop, the Backstreet Boy's venture will include a recording studio. ... Jessica Simpson, who just shot photos for an anti-smoking campaign by Circle of Friends, will sign copies of her new book, "I Do: Achieving Your Dream Wedding," Tuesday at Planet Hollywood in New York from 4:30-6 p.m. The Virgin Megastore across the street will be selling copies one day before it is available elsewhere. ... Hoobastank performed new material from their forthcoming second album for the first time at the Roxy in Los Angeles Wednesday. The as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2001's self-titled debut is due September 30. ...

Joe Jackson will return to the U.S. for three weeks of shows to support his latest record, Volume 4, his first album with the Joe Jackson Band in 23 years. The first show is in Hartford, Connecticut, on August 9 and the tour ends in West Hollywood, California, on August 28. ... Bill Callahan will take his (Smog) persona on the road for the second time in support of his latest album, Supper, which was released in late March. The six-week trek begins June 27 in Iowa City, Iowa, and wraps up August 9 in Chicago. ...

06.18.03

Pink is writing material for her new album with Rancid's Tim Armstrong. "They wrote like nine or 10 songs and they're all ridiculously good," Rob Aston, the rapper in Armstrong's side project the Transplants, said backstage at Saturday's KROQ Weenie Roast. When asked about the collaboration, Pink said, "I don't tell who I'm working with yet. We're friends." ...

Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro joined Christina Aguilera at Los Angeles' Staples Center Tuesday for their Stripped collaboration, "Fighter." After the shirtless rocker left the stage, Aguilera gushed, segueing into the next song, "Speaking of what a girl wants, Dave Navarro is so hot. I used to sleep with his Rolling Stone cover underneath my pillow." ... Jennifer Lopez leads the list of contenders for the 2003 Teen Choice Awards with 12 nominations, followed by 50 Cent with eight. Justin Timberlake and Eminem will vie for seven awards each at the Los Angeles ceremony, which will be broadcast live on August 8. ...

DJs Grandmaster Flash, Funkmaster Flex, DJ Premier and Kid Capri will lead an all-star tribute to Jam Master Jay at Tuesday's BET Awards, which will be broadcast live from Hollywood. 50 Cent, Beyoncé Knowles, Missy Elliott, Ashanti, R. Kelly, Snoop Dogg and Lil' Kim are also performing. ... In other Grandmaster Flash news, the DJ is co-writing an autobiography and has signed up to be a spokesperson for American Eagle Outfitters and Pro-Keds footwear. ...

Mourn not for AC/DC guitarist Angus Young. A report on the daily music newsletter Unlimited Media that Young died last Thursday is most inaccurate. It's unclear where the rumor came from, but the group is on the road and scheduled to play shows in Germany on Friday and Sunday. ... Before the first bomb bursts in air, Kelly Clarkson will kick off the telecast portion of the annual Macy's Fourth of July fireworks spectacular, to air on NBC at 9 p.m. ET. Sheryl Crow, John Mellencamp and Beyoncé Knowles will also perform at the event, which will be hosted by Carson Daly. ...

Westsiiide! Activision has tapped Ice Cube, Mack 10, E-40 and others to lay tracks for the new game "True Crime: Streets of L.A." Described as a California-flavored version of "Grand Theft Auto," the game features a replica of all 250 square miles of Los Angeles, through which players have to fight, drive and shoot. ... Mariah Carey has something precious she'd like to share with a young fan: the gift of music. Last Thursday, the singer donated an autographed microphone with the words "Love Always, Mariah" emblazoned on it to VH1's Save the Music auction. The auction, underway now on eBay.com, is designed to raise money to help schools continue to create music programs and music education. ...

Nas and Jagged Edge will appear in a PSA campaign to get guns off the streets of Connecticut as part of the Bush administration's Project Safe Neighborhoods. Billboards on transit buses ask people to call 211 if they have questions about firearms. ... Goodie Mob's Big Gipp will release his solo debut, Mutant Mind Frame, on July 22. Guests on the album include E-40 and Outkast's Big Boi on "Ham Sandwiches and Coupe De Villes," 8Ball and MJG on "All Over Your Body" and Sleepy Brown on the first single, "Steppin' Out." ...

3LW will be the official spokesmodels for a new clothing line called Southpole Juniors. Meanwhile, the girls have been requested by the South African Board of Tourism to perform in the country, which they will do once finished touring with LL Cool J in August. ... It looks like Prince has had a little too much time to think between the December 2001 release of his last album, The Rainbow Children, and now. On Thursday, the purple crusader will release the new studio concept album N.E.W.S. through his NPG Music Club Web site. The multi-directional album features four 14-minute songs, "North," "South," "East" and "West." ...

To commemorate their 20th anniversary, Christian hair-metal band Stryper are reuniting for a summer tour. Meanwhile singer/guitarist Michael Sweet plans to release two solo records: one of rock songs and the other filled with hymns. ... Sum 41's Deryck Whibley was onboard to catch a first listen of labelmate Andrew W.K.'s new LP, due September 9, on a boat cruise around New York Tuesday. Also digging the "party till you puke" vibe — doubly nauseous thanks to the turbulent waters — were Zwan guitarist Matt Sweeney and indie-rock funnyman David Cross. ... Weezer have covered Green Day's "Worry Rock," off 1997's Nimrod, for an audio homage to the Bay Area trio. A Different Shade of Green, which also features contributions from underground rockers Knockout, Inspection 12 and Rudiger, will be available July 22 at Hot Topic stores, and in other retail outlets shortly thereafter. ...

After seven years, electronic chill-out trio Morcheeba will release their first greatest-hits set, Parts of the Process, July 1. The 18-track LP includes two new songs, "Can't Stand It" and the single "What's Your Name," featuring Big Daddy Kane. ... Electronica has always perceived itself as a futuristic medium, but DJ Paul Oakenfold has been looking for inspiration by going back in time. The techno artist has remixed the Elvis Presley song "Rubberneckin'," which was originally featured in his 1969 movie "Change of Habit." The track was later released as the B-side to the 1970 single "Don't Cry Daddy." The computer-fueled "Rubberneckin' " will come out in September. ...

Early MTV staple Dexy's Midnight Runners, best known for their #1 1983 hit, "Come On Eileen," are reuniting 17 years after breaking up. A tour of the U.K. set for October and November promises hits as well as new songs plucked from a greatest-hits album they plan on releasing there in September. ... Los Angeles rockers H Is Orange are auctioning off a personalized song on eBay. The highest bidder will have a song about him or her on the band's next album. ... Crash Radio will perform on the BMX Movie Tour this summer, a trek that will feature the premiere of the BMX film "Reincarnation." The outing begins July 21 in New York and ends August 3 in Portland, Oregon. ...

• Kid Rock
• The White Stripes
• R. Kelly
• Dream
• Talib Kweli

Dream's Diana, Holly, and Ashley
Photo: Bad Boy

Never mind the spelling — if Christina Aguilera can return a little more "Dirrty" for her second album, girl group Dream can come back more "Krazy" than we remember.

P. Diddy's pop experiment is finally finishing its second album and has selected "Krazy," a collaboration with (appropriately enough) Loon, as the first single. The disc will also feature Eve, on a song called "That's OK," and P. Diddy. Dream also worked with the Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins and Wade Robson, although it is not yet clear whether those tracks will make the project.

The as-yet-untitled album is due August 12, but "Krazy" will hit radio and video outlets in mid-May.

Dream's new disc is the group's first with Kasey Sheridan, who joined after Melissa Schuman left last April (see "Dream Member Quits To Pursue New Dream: Acting"). The girls' first record, It Was All a Dream, sold more than 1.5 million copies with help from the hit "He Loves U Not."

• Dream
• Loon
• Diddy
• Eve

• Destiny's Child
• 3LW
• 702
• Dream
• SWV

Dream's Melissa Schuman
Photo: Bad Boy

The Dream is over, so to speak, for Melissa.

While appearing as a guest host on Wednesday's (April 3) "TRL," P. Diddy announced a lineup change for Dream, his Bad Boy Records girl group. Seventeen-year-old Melissa Schuman, whom P.D. referred to as "one of the older members" of the group, has left to pursue an acting career. P. Diddy later told MTV News that there was "really nothing more" to Melissa's departure and that there were no hard feelings.

Melissa was the last girl to join Dream's original lineup, entering as a friend of group member Holly Blake. As pop legend now has it, the girls were performing at a showcase in Beverly Hills in early 2000 when they were spotted by the man then known as Puffy, who immediately offered them a deal with Bad Boy. They went on to score a #2 hit with their first single, "He Loves U Not," selling more than 1.5 million copies of their debut album, It Was All a Dream, and taking part in last summer's "TRL" tour.

Although Melissa has left, the remaining members — Holly, Diana Ortiz and Ashley Poole — are already about halfway finished with their second album, which Bad Boy hopes to release by the fall. They've got an A-list of writers and producers working with them, including the Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins, 'NSYNC's right-hand man, Wade Robson, and P. Diddy himself. A single is expected out late this summer.

And what about that vacant fourth spot in the lineup? P. Diddy said they've had auditions and have narrowed it down to a few girls, but there's also a chance that Dream may continue on as a trio.

—John Norris

• Dream

Dream
Photo: Bad Boy

SANTA MONICA, California — P. Diddy better make some space in his producer's booth when Dream return to the studio this fall.

"We want to write a lot on this album and produce," Melissa Schuman said Tuesday. "We got a taste of that on our last album a little bit, but we're gonna take advantage of it this time."

After bringing the "TRL" tour to a close next week along with road partners Destiny's Child and Eve, Dream's first priority is to get some much-needed rest to prepare for the job ahead. "We're gonna slow down a little," Holly Arnstein said.

The girls' recording plans don't mean they're done mining their debut, It Was All a Dream, released in January. The quartet plans to shoot a video for the album's latest single, "In My Dreams," in the coming weeks.

Dream were up for two awards at Tuesday night's Soul Train Lady of Soul awards but went home empty-handed after turning in a performance of "He Loves U Not" (see "Aaliyah's Absence Felt At Lady Of Soul Awards").

• Dream

Dream
Photo: MTV News

Dream have made it through another rite of passage for budding pop stars, triumphing over a lawsuit brought by a talent agent who claimed to have discovered them before their current management did.

Last week, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge dismissed claims brought against the members of the girl group and their parents by agent Judith Fontaine, lawyers on both sides of the case said.

In light of the ruling, Fontaine's claims against Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and his Bad Boy Entertainment imprint, Dream's label, are also likely to be dismissed, according to Fontaine's lawyer, Brian Rishwain.

The judge said that under California law Dream were allowed to cancel their contract with Fontaine without penalty because they were minors at the time, according to Dream's lawyers.

Rishwain said Fontaine is considering an appeal.

In January, lawyers for Bad Boy called the suit frivolous and accused Fontaine of trying to cash in on the success of Dream's debut album, It Was All a Dream (see "Talent Agency Sues Puff Daddy Over Dream").

Dream, who are among the acts on MTV's "TRL" tour, recently released a remix of their single "This Is Me" that includes vocals by P. Diddy and new Bad Boy artist Kain.

For a feature interview with Dream, check out "Dream: Dream Team".

• Dream

Destiny's Child live at the TRL tour opener
Photo: MTV

ALBANY, New York — As fans sang along with Destiny's Child during their performance of "Survivor" close to the end of their set at MTV's "TRL" tour kickoff here, the trio looked the same but different.

About eight hours earlier, at DC's dress rehearsal for the show at the Pepsi Arena, they had some kinks to work out. (Click for photos from the event.) "Now that you're out of my ... Hold up, hold up," Beyoncé Knowles said during a "Survivor" test run, wearing the same grass skirt she and her group would wear during the real show. Opting to focus on getting the choreography down pat, DC's frontwoman, who looked just as good as she does in the videos even without her hair and makeup done, stopped singing and just did the dances in the routine. Meanwhile, Michelle Williams had all her steps and lyrics together, though the same couldn't be said for her outfit, as her skirt kept falling off. Luckily, all the members of the multiplatinum group had jeans shorts on underneath.

"Where's the pyro?" Knowles asked minutes prior as they walked through "Jumpin' Jumpin'." "I thought we was going to have pyro." She wanted to make sure everything was right for the first show, especially since Destiny's Child, the tour's headlining act, were featured on the bill after hitmakers 3LW, Dream, Jessica Simpson, Eve and Nelly, who was accompanied by his crew, the St. Lunatics.

Although nobody on the tour wanted to be outdone, the competition level was friendly — at least for the first show. "Its all good," Nelly said. "All the acts been doing they thing [previous to the tour] so it ain't like nobody's holding the other up. I definitely appreciate their music and they've been supportive of us. When we practice they coming out to see what we doing." Nelly said he's going to enjoy going out on the road with the predominately female lineup.

"You on tour for 48 dates, two-and-a-half months, with nothing but ladies, bad ladies at that," he explained with a smile. He said he had nothing against mixing business with pleasure and would be up to dating one of his tourmates.

"If it's on and poppin', then it's on and poppin'," he continued, still grinning.

Eve knew what Nelly was going through. Often when she tours, like on the Ruff Ryders/ Cash Money outing in 2000, she's the only female on the bill. "I like [this 'TRL' outing] because it's a girlie tour," said Eve, who, like Nelly, said she'll tone her show down slightly, acknowledging that she'll be performing in front of more children than usual. "I love my dogs, but it's good to be around girls and talk. Plus, I was cool with everybody before the tour." An hour before the 7 p.m. show time, game faces weren't exactly on, but everybody was going through their preparations backstage. Eve was lost in adoration as she held Nelly's puppy in her arms in front of the 'Tics' dressing room. Jessica Simpson and her entourage were joking as one of the girls she was with taped her on a home video camera. 3LW were singing a cappella further down the hall and some of the members of Dream were chatting it up on cell phones while their dancers stretched.

As the house lights went down, the girls in the audience — there were about twice as many girls as guys — went bananas at the sound of Carson Daly's voice. A snippet of "TRL" was played on huge screens above the stage. Then the tour's hostess, Beyoncé's little sister, Solange Knowles, welcomed everyone. An announcement was made that 3LW had escaped a juvenile correctional facility and had taken over the venue. The three little women (who are growing by the second) came out wearing orange jail jumpsuits, and went into a dance routine off of Notorious B.I.G.'s "Warning" that ended with the three girls bent over showing "3LW" on their three little butts. Before the show, the girls admitted to MTV News that they were a little nervous about being the opening act and setting the tone, but they obviously accomplished their mission to set the party off. Songs such as "Playas Gon' Play" and their finale, "No More (Baby I'ma Do Right)," kept the crowd raucous and on its feet.

Dream received love during their set and the show was running smoothly until Jessica Simpson began her performance. Joining her dancers on stage, Simpson walked on then quickly scurried off. Her dancers didn't seem to know what happened and the fans could obviously see that something was wrong. The music stopped and there was a brief moment of unsettling silence.

A crew member came onstage and informed the audience that Simpson was experiencing "technical difficulties." The singer then came onstage and told the anxious crowd the real deal. Apparently baby had too much back.

"My pants just split in half and I'm wearing my mother's jeans," she said before starting her show over the cheers.

In the middle of her gig, Simpson and her dancers shook their booties to the sounds of Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back," and she told the audience that this was the fourth time in her career that she had pants rip onstage. Poking fun at herself, she promised to wear better pants next time she was in Albany.

Eve's stage set looked like the entrance to a fortress. Two gigantic golden scorpions stood tall on the far left and right with the Ruff Ryders logo in the middle. Two girls dressed like Egyptian belly dancers entered before the giant logo opened up to reveal Eve, who had on her own ancient-looking garb. She ripped off her coverings to show her shapely body in jeans and a sheer shirt. Songs such as "What Y'all Want," "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" and "Who's That Girl?" took the crowd to the next level of excitement as guys and girls waved their blue and green glowsticks in unison while some danced in the aisles and on top of their chairs.

It took Nelly's performance a while to kick off as each one of the St. Lunatics had a videotaped skit play for the crowd before their team captain came onstage on a four-wheel motorcycle with rims. "We goin' down down baby," everybody sang, before later chanting Nelly's now signature call, "UH OH!," as he closed with "E.I." Destiny's Child brought the drama as their performance started. Surrounded by fire, the trio rose like the Phoenix, being elevated from the floor onto the stage. Wearing all white, the ladies performed a Caribbean-tinged version of "Independent Women Part I," then took it back with their first hit, "No, No, No." "Bug A Boo," "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name" followed before each of the girls had their own soulful solos — Kelly with "Story of Beauty," Michelle with her take on "Ooh Child" and Beyoncé with "Dangerously in Love." "This is our opening night, and I'm glad we opened here," Kelly told the crowd.

A gospel medley and a jelly shaking rendition of "Bootylicious" followed before they paid tribute to Tina Turner with a performance of "Proud Mary." "We'll be jumpin', jumpin', jumpin' down in Al-Bany," they sang, segueing into "Jumpin' Jumpin'." Then came "Survivor," where Beyoncé got those pyrotechnics she hoped for. Running just about an hour overtime, DC exited the stage exactly at midnight, but not before they closed — dancing barefoot and surrounded by dozens of yellow balloons with drawn smiles on them — with "Happy Face." Fitting, as the song matched the grills of the tired, yet still excited throng.

• Destiny's Child
• Eve
• Nelly
• Jessica Simpson
• Dream

Dream
Photo: Bad Boy

They won't be jamming on "It's a Small World," but Dream, BBMak, Sugar Ray, Shaggy and the Baha Men will each be performing on ABC's upcoming concert special, "Walt Disney World Summer Jam Concert." The one-hour show, scheduled for June 10 at 7 p.m. ET, will feature music from three different locations. Onboard the Disney Wonder cruise ship in the Bahamas, Dream will perform "He Loves U Not" and "This Is Me," while BBMak will play "Ghost of You and Me" and "Unpredictable" at Disney's newest theme park, Disney's California Adventure in Southern California.

At the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, Shaggy will play "Angel," Baha Men will perform "Who Let the Dogs Out" and "Getting Hotter," and Sugar Ray will do "Every Morning" and "When It's Over," their latest single.

Along with the performances, "Walt Disney World Summer Jam Concert" will feature spots with the groups giving their top 10 lists of what to do this summer.

• Dream
• BBMak
• Shaggy
• Sugar Ray
• Baha Men

Ludacris, Fabolous, Rick Ross, Juelz Santana And More In The Dream's "Rockin' That Thing" Remix Video Shoot

• Fabolous
• Ludacris
• Juelz Santana
• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• Dream

Dream: Where Ya Been?

• Dream

Dream

• Dream

• Dream