Kelly Clarkson (file)
Photo: RCA

Landing in stores this week is the second album from "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson.

For Breakaway, the follow-up to her 2003 debut, Thankful, Clarkson enlisted songwriting help from Avril Lavigne (who co-wrote the album's title track), ex-Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody and David Hodges, who also worked with Evanescence (see "Kelly Clarkson: Just Listen").

In other unusual-collaboration news, the Jay-Z/ Linkin Park mash-up album Collision Course hits stores this week. It includes tracks that layer Jay's "Dirt Off Your Shoulder" over Linkin Park's "Lying From You," and mixes the rapper's "99 Problems" with the rockers' "Points of Authority" and "One Step Closer." A DVD featuring a live performance is included with the CD (see "Jay-Z And Linkin Park Show Danger Mouse How It's Done").

From rap and rock to straight-up rap, Nas releases Street's Disciple, his follow-up to 2002's grandiosely titled God's Son. The double-disc set may have a slightly less epic name, but the track titles, including "A Message to the Feds, Sincerely, We the People," "Nazareth Savage" and "Me & You (Dedicated to Destiny)" prove the rapper has yet to tone down his attitude ("Nas: A Fire Inside").

Atlanta's T.I. had to narrow down a list of approximately 70 potential tracks for his third album, Urban Legend. The disc follows 2003's Trap Muzik.

Out Tuesday, November 30:

• Afroman - Jobe Bells (Hungry Hustler)
• Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway (RCA)
  Read: "Kelly Clarkson: Just Listen"
  Buy Now: Breakaway (RCA)
• Dirty Vegas - One (Capitol)
• Drovers - Dreamland (Fundamental)
• The Exies - Head for the Door (Virgin)
• Josh Groban - Live at the Greek (Warner Bros.)
• Gerald Levert - Do I Speak for the World? (Atlantic)
• Jay-Z & Linkin Park - MTV Ultimate Mash-Ups Presents: Collision Course (Roc-A-Fella/Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Jay-Z And Linkin Park Show Danger Mouse How It's Done"
  Buy Now: MTV Ultimate Mash-Ups Presents: Collision Course (Roc-A-Fella/Warner Bros.)
• Wynton Marsalis - Unforgivable Blackness (Blue Note)
• Modern Day Zero - Coming Up for Air (Bullet 339)
• Nas - Street's Disciple (Sony)
  Read: "Lindsay Lohan Inks Record Deal"
  Buy Now: Speak (Casablanca)
• Ludacris - Red Light District (Def Jam)
  Read: "Ludacris LP Salutes Austin Powers, Takes Aim At Bill O'Reilly"
  Buy Now: Red Light District (Def Jam)
• Cam'ron - Purple Haze (Roc-A-Fella)
• Diana DeGarmo - Diana DeGarmo (RCA)
  Buy Now: Diana DeGarmo (RCA)

December 14:

• Ashanti - Concrete Rose (Def Jam)
  Buy Now: Concrete Rose (Def Jam)
• Tupac Shakur - Loyal to the Game (Interscope)
  Read: "Eminem Signs On For Another 'New' Tupac Album"

• Kelly Clarkson
• Nas
• Jay-Z
• Linkin Park
• T.I.

Courtney Love leaves the Los Angeles court on November 10th
Photo: Neil Jacobs/ Getty Images

There was no love lost on Friday between Fabolous and Power 99 DJ Golden Girl at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center. According to the DJ, a member of Fabolous' entourage slammed her to the ground after she and a girlfriend asked for a ride on the rapper's tour bus out of the venue. "He told me no, so I said, 'That's OK. I won't play your records anymore,' " Golden Girl said of the incident. "There were words exchanged, and then his bodyguard pushed me. Then he picked me up and slammed me to the ground." The alleged assault took place backstage at the station's annual Powerhouse concert. In response, Fabolous released the following statement via his label: "In regards to the incident in Philadelphia, I was on my tour bus and did not witness the alleged incident so I'm not aware of any details concerning the matter. I never touched or did anything to Golden Girl, therefore, I am not involved and do not have anything further to say or do with that incident." At press time, no charges were filed. ...

Courtney Love pleaded not guilty — for the second time — to a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon in a Los Angeles court on Wednesday. She's accused of attacking L.A. musician Kristin King when she found her sleeping on her ex-boyfriend's couch in April. King had previously testified that Love dumped a bottled of whiskey all over, threw the bottle at her face, threw a lit candle at the back of her head, sat on her, pulled her hair, dug her nails in her arm, pinched her breasts, and chased with her a flashlight, leaving her with bruises, nail marks and a chipped tooth. Love rolled her eyes when the prosecution asked the court to remind the singer that a restraining order was still in place prohibiting Love from contacting King. Love is due back in court December 15. ...

Alicia Keys flexed her literary muscles Tuesday night at the release party for her book "Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems and Lyrics." Held at New York's Harlem Grill, the party, which also celebrated the recent release of Keys' DVD "The Diary of Alicia Keys," turned into a poetry slam hosted by poet/actor Mums and featured performances by Keys, Kanye West, Mos Def and Common, among others. ... The New York restaurant where Keys filmed her "You Don't Know My Name" video was devastated by a fire early Wednesday morning (November 10). More than 100 firefighters came to the aid of Harlem's neighborhood institution Pan Pan, where it took them close to 90 minutes to get the fire under control. According to TV station NY1, the owners of the restaurant say that Pan Pan's future is uncertain, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. ...

It's splitsville for Nicky Hilton and her money-manager husband, Todd Meister. On Monday a Las Vegas judge granted an annulment to the couple, who had been married for less than three months. Court papers, now sealed, indicated that neither side sought any compensatory gain. "Both parties have ended the marriage amicably, and they remain good friends," the couple said in a joint statement. The two had wed in a surprise ceremony orchestrated by Hilton's sister, Paris, on August 15. ... Also breaking up are Madonna and her longtime manager Caresse Henry, who, after 13 years, have "mutually agreed to go their separate ways," according to the singer's rep. ...

Classic rockers Cream are re-forming for a week-long residency in London next week. Singer/guitarist Eric Clapton, drummer Ginger Baker and singer/bassist Jack Bruce will soon begin to rehearse for the shows at the Royal Albert Hall, the same venue that housed the band's last gig nearly 36 years ago. ... Some of Johnny Ramone's vintage movie posters, including ones for "Frankenstein" and "Dracula," will be going up on the auction block on November 18 at Heritage Galleries in Dallas. The late guitarist, a known fan of sci-fi and horror movies, consigned parts of his collection before his death in September. ...

Do you love your iPod, but are troubled by its inability to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays? Well, sunglasses manufacturer Oakley has the product for you: the Thump, the world's first-ever "digital music eyewear." The shades come in seven color combinations and two different versions: 128 megabytes, which holds 60 songs; and 256 megabytes, which holds 120 songs. Prices start at $395. ... Glassjaw have a show scheduled on December 26 in New Jersey, but Todd Weinstock won't be there. The guitarist believes he's no longer a part of the band, since no one thought of inviting him to play. Instead, guitarist Justin Beck and singer Daryl Palumbo will perform with a hired bassist and drummer. In a statement, Weinstock said, "After seeing Beck's vision of Glassjaw, I realized I was not part of it anymore." ...

Damon Dash was honored for his philanthropy efforts with Team Roc Tuesday night at B.B. King's in New York by the S.H.I.N.E. (Seeking Harmony in Neighborhoods Everywhere) organization. Roc-A-Fella recording artists Rell, Denim, Nicole Wray and Samantha Ronson performed. ... Jason Mraz is midway through recording his follow-up to 2002's Waiting for My Rocket to Come. Steve Lillywhite, coming off of U2's new album, is producing the sessions in both Woodstock, New York, and Mraz's hometown of San Diego. ...

Although the Derderian brothers had hoped to postpone civil proceedings until after their criminal case surrounding the 2003 Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island is closed, a judge ruled otherwise. The Derderians and the former manager of Great White, the band playing at the time of the fire, face 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter. ... Soft Cell singer Marc Almond is recovering faster than expected from a recent motorcycle accident and was moved this week from Royal London Hospital to a private facility. "Although he has some way to go to full recovery he is looking forward to getting back to work when he can," a statement on Almond's Web site read. ...

The Exies will release their second major-label album, the Nick Raskulinecz-produced Head for the Door, on November 30. First single "Ugly" was released to radio last week. The band is currently opening some shows for Velvet Revolver. ... Paperwork on both sides of the peer-to-peer debate was filed in court earlier this week. While groups representing the movie and music industries filed friend-of-the-court briefs that urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower court's ruling that services like Grokster and Kazaa were not responsible for the widespread copyright infringement that takes place on their networks, Streamcast Networks, the company behind Morpheus, filed a brief pushing the court to uphold the ruling. ...

11.09.2004

Britney Spears isn't limiting her writing to her Web site — the singer scrawled a missive on the wall of a Hollywood shop, alerting readers that her husband, Kevin Federline, is "the sexiest man alive." In capital letters, Spears also noted while photographers captured the moment, "Britney Spears wuz here with her fine hubby." ...

Lil' Flip is being sued for copyright infringement yet again. According to reports, Louisiana songwriter/producer Tommy Granville is suing the Houston MC for $1.5 million in damages and an unspecified amount for alleged willful infringement of Granville's copyrights. The suit alleges that Flip used three of Granville's melodies, without permission, for his Columbia debut, Undaground Legend. Earlier this year, NamCo America, the owner of the "Pac-Man" video-game franchise, filed a $10 million lawsuit against Flip for sampling sounds from "Pac-Man" for his hit "Game Over." Representatives for Columbia Records, Lil' Flip's label, declined to comment. ... Want to work for Good Charlotte? For no money? Well, you're in luck! Because over at DCFlagRecords.com, the Web site for Benji and Joel Madden's record label, they're taking applications for "people all over North America to help run our record co." Duties include "working with our worldwide street team" and "gorilla marketing," all for no pay. Just send the band an e-mail stating "in 25 words or less ... what you are willing to do," and the boys will take it from there. ...

Gwen Stefani is offering a unique incentive to pre-order her upcoming album — if you buy Love, Angel, Music, Baby in advance at in advance at Musictoday.com, you'll get a free limited-edition T-shirt that she's custom designed. The black shirt features the singer's new logo, with the phrase "Love, Angel, Music, Baby" written on the front and back. ... "The Devil's Rejects," the new film from director/occasional musician Rob Zombie, is set for an August release. The film, a sequel to Zombie's 2003 gorefest "House of 1000 Corpses," was originally due in theaters in February of next year, but Zombie announced last week that the film would not be ready by that date. ...

The Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea will speak at the second annual We the Planet Music & Activism Festival, which will take place Saturday in Oakland, California. Already on the lineup are the Roots, Third Eye Blind, Joan Baez, the Coup, Michelle Shocked and Mickey Hart. The festival, which will include workshops on civil disobedience and building grass-roots movements, will run primarily on solar power and generators using biodiesel fuel. ... Madonna, who released her fourth children's book, "The Adventures of Abdi," this week, plans on putting out the fifth and final book of the series, "Lotsa De Casha," in June. She's also releasing a box set of her first three children's titles ("The English Roses," "Mr. Peabody's Apples" and "Yakov and the Seven Thieves") this holiday season, according to her publisher. ...

Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens), who was removed from a flight and asked to leave the U.S. in September when his name appeared on a terrorism watch list, will be honored with the Man for Peace award from a foundation headed by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, according to The Associated Press. A press release from the Gorbachev Foundation said the singer will receive the prize "for his dedication to promote peace, the reconciliation of people and to condemn terrorism" at a ceremony on Wednesday. ... Zone.MSN.com offers the chance for you to see if there's something you should know with its latest quiz-show-style game, "OutSmart Duran Duran," in which you're pitted against Simon LeBon and Roger Taylor, answering questions about everything from Alfred Hitchcock to the Notorious B.I.G. If the Wild Boys are too tough for you, try one of the other stars who lent their smarts to the pre-existing "OutSmart" games, like Beyoncé, Fantasia or Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. ...

Kids everywhere might drop a hint to their parents by giving them the new Snow Patrol DVD with the long-winded title of "Mums and Dads of the World Be Patient With Your Children," due November 23. Coinciding with the home video is the DualDisc re-release of the band's latest album, Final Straw. Meanwhile, in memory of the late John Peel, the band has made its cover of the Undertones' "Teenage Kicks," purported to be Peel's favorite song, available on its Web site. ... MxPx are releasing a DVD this fall that they consider to be the culmination of an era for them. The "B Movie" DVD, out November 23, shows the band touring Europe and Japan, working in the recording studio and performing a special homecoming show at Seattle's Graceland in September. "This is coming out at the right time for us," singer Mike Herrera said in a statement. "If we never did anything again, it's something worthy for us to leave people with." They don't plan on never doing anything again, though — the group is also working on an album due next summer. ...

• Fabolous
• Alicia Keys
• Courtney Love
• Glassjaw
• Cream

Fiction Plane's Joe Sumner at the West Hollywood House of Blues
Photo: MTV News

WEST HOLLYWOOD, California — "We're cool, we're different," Fiction Plane's Joe Sumner sang at Tuesday's kickoff of the MTV You Hear It First Tour, unknowingly providing the perfect description of the outing.

And judging by the performances, the bands on the House of Blues bill, which also included Kenna and the Exies, are certainly different — from each other and from the flavors currently controlling rock radio. Adding to the uniqueness of the rock edition of the tour (Bubba Sparxxx and Common are headlining an urban version) is that there's not yet a legitimate hit between the three acts.

Fiction Plane opened their set channeling heavy Nirvana influences into a decidedly British rock foundation — like Bush, but with the garage rock wail and curious coolness of the Strokes.

After opening with the title track to their debut, Everything Will Never Be OK, the foursome put a surprisingly romantic twist on the cynical "Hate."

Frontman Joe Sumner makes nothing of being Sting's son (see "Fiction Plane Sulk, Sneer And Mope — Who The Heck Is Sting?"), but it's hard to forget live. Even the way he frames his mouth around the microphone with his hands at his sides is reminiscent of his dad. And when he melodically sings intense lines other artists would scream, it recalls one of the charms of the Police's more rocking tunes.

	"Kenna Leaves The Shadows Of Fred Durst, Neptunes For His Own Spotlight". Related Artists Kenna The Exies Fiction Plane ]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1474033/20030716/kenna.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1474033/20030716/kenna.jhtml 16 Jul 2003 06:10:00 EDT Anthony Hamilton, Jin, Exies, Fiction Plane also onboard for two-part trek. By Robert Mancini Common Photo: MCA Common and Bubba Sparxxx are teaming up with up-and-comers Kenna, Anthony Hamilton, Jin, the Exies and Fiction Plane to take the emerging artist showcase You Hear It First on the road. The artists, most of whom have been featured as part of MTV News' weekly new-artist series, have signed on for the first MTV You Hear It First Tour. The trek's rock leg — featuring sets from Kenna, the Exies and Fiction Plane — will kick off July 15 at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California. An urban leg — featuring Bubba Sparxxx, Common, Anthony Hamilton and Jin — gets rolling on July 27 in New York. Since its launch in early 2000, the YHIF franchise has spotlighted a steady stream of artists who were relatively unknown at the time, including Sean Paul, T.A.T.U., the Vines, Ms. Dynamite, Rooney, the Mooney Suzuki, the Distillers and others. Bubba Sparxxx, the Exies, Fiction Plane, Anthony Hamilton and Jin are all YHIF alums. Here's how the MTV You Hear It First Tour breaks down: Kenna, the Exies and Fiction Plane 7/15 - West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues 7/18 - Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues 7/21 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues Common, Anthony Hamilton, Bubba Sparxxx and Jin 7/27 - New York, NY @ B.B. Kings 7/28 - Washington, DC @ 930 Club 7/29 - Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadaro 7/30 - Boston, MA @ Roxy Related Artists Common Bubba Sparxxx Kenna Anthony Hamilton Jin ]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1473277/20030625/common.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1473277/20030625/common.jhtml 25 Jun 2003 03:43:00 EDT MTV's sixth annual Campus Invasion Tour begins April 19. By Corey Moss Fabolous Photo: MTV News It doesn't take a lesson in Math 101 to know two is greater than one. MTV's sixth annual Campus Invasion will break out into two tours this spring, with Fabolous and Talib Kweli headlining a hip-hop outing, and the Used, the Exies and Finch on a rock trek. Only the first 11 dates have been announced, with Fab and Kweli kicking things off April 19 at Lincoln University in Philadelphia. The rockers will hit the road on May 3 at Towson University in Towson, Maryland. At least nine additional dates altogether will be announced. The Campus Invasion Tour, which has featured Sum 41, Moby, Nickelback, Black Eyed Peas and Garbage in past years, also brings with it an interactive expo area featuring a variety of contests and activities for students. On the hip-hop outing, Fabolous will be promoting Street Dreams, which debuted at #3 on the Billboard albums chart in March, while Kweli, a member of Black Star with Mos Def, is supporting his November solo release, Quality (see "Talib Kweli Promises New Black Star LP, Rejoices At Demise Of Bling Bling"). The Used, from tiny Orem, Utah, and Finch are using the Campus Invasion Tour to warm up for their Vans Warped Tour slots, while the Exies are heading out with Everclear in the summer. The Exies, named after John Lennon's nickname for existentialist art students (see "The Exies: Melodic Hollywood Existentialism"), will roll out "Kickout," the follow-up single to "My Goddess," before their trek kicks off. MTV Campus Invasion '03 Tour dates: 4/19 - Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln University (Fabolous and Talib Kweli) 4/23 - Columbia, SC @ University of South Carolina (Fabolous and Talib Kweli) 4/25 - St. Louis, MO @ St. Louis University (Fabolous and Talib Kweli) 4/26 - Baton Rouge, LA @ Southern University (Fabolous) 4/29 - Greenville, NC @ East Carolina University (Fabolous and Talib Kweli) 4/30 - Auburn, AL @ Auburn University (Fabolous and Talib Kweli) 5/3 - Towson, MD @ Towson University (Used, Exies and Finch) 5/4 - Albany, NY @ SUNY Albany (Used, Exies and Finch) 5/8 - Los Angeles, CA @ Cal State Dominguez Hills (Talib Kweli) 5/10 - Redlands, CA @ University of Redlands (Talib Kweli) 5/13 - Pomona, CA @ Cal State Pomona (Talib Kweli) Related Artists Fabolous Talib Kweli The Used The Exies Finch ]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1471155/20030409/fabolous.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1471155/20030409/fabolous.jhtml 9 Apr 2003 03:51:00 EDT Band's lovelorn sendoff 'My Goddess' taking off at radio. Related Artists The Exies ]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/yhif/exies/ News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/yhif/exies/ 19 Nov 2002 10:05:00 EST The Exies - These Are the Days These Are the Days Artist: The Exies Label: Eleven Seven Music Director: Christopher Skane/ryan ewing Album: A Modern Way of Living with the Truth ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1209208&vid=216546 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1209208&vid=216546 17 Mar 2008 12:00:00 EDT The Exies - Different Than You Different Than You Artist: The Exies Label: Eleven Seven Album: A Modern Way of Living with the Truth ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1209208&vid=139318 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1209208&vid=139318 28 Mar 2007 12:00:00 EDT MTV.com LIVE: The Exies Photos 10.15.2004 Related Artists The Exies ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1495840 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1495840 13 Jan 2005 12:00:00 EST You Hear It First Tour Related Artists Kenna Fiction Plane The Exies ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1474020 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1474020 16 Jul 2003 05:22:00 EDT The Exies Photos Related Artists The Exies ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1459017 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1459017 5 Dec 2002 04:11:52 EST