Jessica Simpson on the August cover of <i>Harper's Bazaar</i>
Photo: "Harper's Bazaar"

Jessica Simpson is a big spender, she recently admitted to Harper's Bazaar — big surprise there. But the singer/actress also revealed that while sister Ashlee "goes to a thrift store and can buy something for 20 bucks ... I have to go buy a black button-down at Barneys. For $900. Because it's a collector's item," she said in the magazine's August issue, which features Jessica on the cover. When asked which career she would pick if she had to choose between music and movies, she replied, "In my music career, there have been moments of failure, and with acting I haven't had that yet. But music is opening up my heart and every emotion inside of me." ...

Speaking of Ashlee, you might not want to wait around for that supposed Robert Smith collabo she's been raving about. "I would be hugely surprised if I end up working with Ashlee this year, but I haven't ruled it out," he told Billboard.com. He added: "I went to see her in 'Chicago.' ... I was impressed. The fact is, when she got onstage and sang, she was really good." ...

50 Cent has beef again — but this time, it isn't with a rival rapper. On Friday (July 20), he filed a lawsuit seeking at least $1 million in damages from online-ad company Traffix Inc. for using his image without permission in a graphic advertisement, Reuters reports. Even further, 50 says that the ad — which features a cartoon version of him and the message "shoot the rapper and you will win $5,000 or five ringtones guaranteed," according to the suit — promotes violence and threatens his safety. The suit cites the "vile, tasteless and despicable" use of the rapper's image and says it "quite literally calls for violence against" him. A lawyer representing Traffix declined to comment to Reuters. ...

"I'll just say no until I get my way, and I did," Kelly Clarkson told Reader's Digest for the magazine's August issue, in regards to conflicts with RCA over her new album My December. The singer added that label execs "hated 'Miss Independent' on my first album. ... The song I wrote that they hated the most was 'Because of You.' I fought and fought for it, it became successful and they finally got behind it." Clarkson also talked "American Idol," saying she did her own hair and makeup for the first half of the inaugural season. ...

Want a side of Ne-Yo with your Big Mac? If so, you're getting your wish — the R&B artist, along with Twista, Kenna and others, are going to be performing 10 free gigs at McDonald's restaurants ... in the parking lot. Billboard.com reports that the happy meal on wheels will begin Thursday at the Venice Beach Recreation Center in California, then hit up eight other cities before wrapping September 25 in Austin, Texas. ...

Lindsay Lohan turned herself in to police on Thursday in connection with her Memorial Day car accident, The Associated Press reports. Lohan was fingerprinted, photographed and booked on charges of driving under the influence and suspicion of misdemeanor hit-and-run at around 4 p.m. and was released about an hour later on $30,000 bail. Shortly after the Memorial Day crash, Lohan, 21, was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving at a Los Angeles hospital, where she was taken for treatment. Police have still not revealed the results of tests on a substance they said at the time was believed to be cocaine found during the investigation. The singer/actress' blood-alcohol level at the time of the crash was above the California legal limit of .08, but police have not said how high it was. A court date was scheduled for August 24. ...

J.K. Rowling posted a long letter to fans on her Web site on Friday saying she felt "a heady mixture of excitement, nerves and relief." (To read the full missive, in which she doles out a long list of acknowledgements, you'll have to go to JKRowling.com, use a "port key" and do some digging.) ... Annie Lennox has pulled out the big guns for an AIDS-prevention fundraising song on her upcoming Songs of Mass Destruction album, due in October. The album will feature a self-described "powerful feminist anthem" titled "Sing," which has a chorus of 23 iconic female singers, among them Madonna, Sarah McLachlan, Celine Dion, Fergie, Faith Hill, Pink, Dido, Shakira, Joss Stone and KT Tunstall. ...

The track list for James Blunt's forthcoming LP, All the Lost Souls, has been revealed. The disc, scheduled for a September 18 release, will boast 10 tracks: "1973," "One of the Brightest Stars," "I'll Take Everything," "Same Mistake," "Carry You Home," "Give Me Some Love," "I Really Want You," "Shine On," "Annie" and "I Can't Hear the Music." ... Afraid Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke might come down on you "like a ton of bricks"? Hopefully your name isn't Gordon Brown. Yorke is speaking out about carbon emissions in a new video post on TheBigAsk.com — the Web site for a climate-change virtual-march effort backed by Friends of the Earth. "I'm reminding my [member of Parliament] to remind [new British Prime Minister] Gordon Brown that he's committed to a bill to reduce our CO2 emissions double-quick-time, and if he doesn't, we're going to come down on him like a ton of bricks." ...

Korn avatars will perform the band's new single, "Evolution," in MTV's Virtual Pimp My Ride program this Monday, July 23. Fans will also be able to listen to the band's entire new album, Untitled, before it hits the streets July 31. In related news, Korn are said to be mulling a covers album, on which they'd tackle tracks including Nine Inch Nails' "Head Like a Hole" and "Love My Way" by the Psychedelic Furs. ... The Asbury Park Press reports that New Jersey State Police made 20 arrests on Wednesday at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, during a Tool concert. Police claim the arrests included charges of underage drinking and possession of marijuana but did not provide a more detailed breakdown of arrests. ...

Feist, My Morning Jacket's Jim James, the New Pornographers' A.C. Newman, author Sarah Vowell, Grizzly Bear and others are coming together to help "to try to settle the debate: words or music — which is better?" The one-night-only shindig will go down August 26 at the Beacon Theatre in New York, be hosted by comedian and "Daily Show" contributor Demetri Martin and benefit the free writing programs put on by literary hipster supreme Dave Eggers' nonprofit tutoring program, 826NYC. ...

New Order over? Uh, that's news to Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris, who said they will carry on with the group even though departed bassist Peter Hook recently said on Xfm that the band was through. "We would have hoped he could have approached us personally first," they said in a statement to BBC News. "New Order have not split up, they continue to exist." ... The Cure are working on a three-hour documentary film to celebrate their 30th year as a band. The film, which would be released as a DVD, will chronicle the group's career. ...

A source tells RollingStone.com that Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck will tour as the Yardbirds with the band's original bassist and drummer starting in October. The source added that Eric Clapton, another former member, will not be participating. ... Testament inked a deal with Nuclear Blast onstage in front of 20,000 fans at a concert in Germany on Wednesday. A new album featuring original members Eric Peterson, Chuck Billy, Alex Skolnick, Greg Christian and new drummer Nick Barker (Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth) is on the way. ...

Onetime Flavor Flav love interest Brigitte Nielsen has checked into rehab to treat an undisclosed condition, according to manager Steven Tempone. The AP reported that Tempone said the towering blond actress and 44-year-old co-star of the "Strange Love" reality show, "[checked in] on her own free will and we're proud of her and wish her very well." ... According to the San Jose Mercury News, many Ozzfest fans who scored free tickets to this summer's heavy-metal extravaganza are deciding to stay home. The paper claims only about 50 percent of the people who had tickets to recent shows actually showed for the concert. About 18,000 were expected at Thursday's Ozzfest date at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California, but the city took security precautions in the event that all 30,000 people who received free tickets made it out to the venue. ... Al Gore III, the 24-year-old son of former Vice President Al Gore, has been charged with possession of marijuana and prescription drugs, according to TMZ.com. He was arrested on July 4 in Laguna Niguel, California, after being stopped for speeding. ...

Fourteen years after three teens were sent to jail for the May 1993 murder of three 8-year-old boys in Arkansas, a lawyer for the so-called West Memphis Three has said new DNA evidence proves his clients' innocence. The Arkansas Times reported that police are conducting new interviews to determine how a hair from a stepfather of one of the boys ended up at the crime scene. Attorneys for the three convicted men — whose plight was highlighted on the 2000 Free the West Memphis 3 album on songs by Steve Earle, Tom Waits and late Clash leader Joe Strummer — said there was no DNA evidence at the scene that matches their clients'. The mother of one of the victims has stated recently that she now believes the three convicted men, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley, are not guilty. ... One of the co-owners of the Station nightclub in Rhode Island, where 100 people were killed in a fire during a Great White show in 2003, has created a charity fund to help pay for educational expenses for children who lost parents in the blaze. The Providence Journal reports that club co-owner Jeffrey Derderian has asked people to set aside their anger over the tragedy and contribute to the Station Education Fund to help the 76 children, ages 4 to 23, who lost parents in the blaze.

07.19.2007

Everything is "flantastic" in Mariah Carey's world these days, she says in a new voicemail message on her Web site. She tells fans she recently bagged a 10th track for the follow-up to The Emancipation of Mimi, hopes to squeeze out the effort by the end of the year and is heading to Atlanta to work with "JD" — most likely Jermaine Dupri — on a "stone groove/ smash-hit wonder — or at least a stone groove, hopefully." Carey said she'll be holed up in the studio working on the effort for the next few months; she didn't elaborate on her new movie "Tennessee," though, "because [I want] the performance to speak for itself." ...

Britney Spears shot her first video in years at a warehouse in Los Angeles on Thursday (July 19). ... Eve showed up to court a day early and met all the conditions of her probation on Thursday, Los Angeles' KNBC reports. The rapper, whose real name is Eve Jihan Jeffers, pleaded no contest to a DUI charge last month and was sentenced to 36 months' probation. ...

Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Common, Mos Def, Q-Tip, Talib Kweli, Saigon and Queen Latifah held an impromptu jam session at S.O.B.'s in Manhattan on Wednesday night following the Pepsi DJ battle hosted by Hot 97's DJ Enuff and DJ Kast One. 'Ye got things hot for the crowd when he kicked into "Can't Tell Me Nothing," and Mos and Kweli reunited onstage. Drag-On and Rah Digga also popped in for performances, and Just Blaze was in the house as a judge of the DJ battle. ...

Zac Efron and Amanda Bynes celebrated the premiere of "Hairspray" on Wednesday night in Baltimore, the city that inspired the film — and is home to its creator, John Waters. "It's very flattering," Efron said amid screaming fans, according to The Associated Press. "It feels great to be bringing this movie back to Baltimore." Waters also cropped up at the event, and when asked about the screaming teen girls, he remarked, "I look over there and many of them could be arrested if they saw my other movies, so times have changed."...

Say it ain't so — the Los Angeles Times reports that Nirvana music will be featured in the background during an entire episode of TV's "Cold Case." ... The Mitch Schneider Organization, the publicity firm that represents the Smashing Pumpkins, has issued a sarcastic response to a phony letter purportedly from Billy Corgan that appeared in last week's edition of The Stranger in Seattle. "Although this 'open letter' is apocryphal, there are some references and statements in it that do in fact make a few interesting points that should be pondered," the statement reads. "The letter states in Billy's words that there would be no My Chemical Romance or Panic! at the Disco without the Pumpkins. While this isn't so, it is a little-known fact the Pumpkins' music is responsible for the swing dance craze of 1997." ...

You've heard Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" covered by everyone from Guns N' Roses to Wyclef Jean to Avril Lavigne — now it's Babyface's turn. The R&B legend redoes that song — as well as Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight," Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle" and other rock classics — on his 11th album, Playlist. The set will christen the relaunched Mercury Records when it drops September 18. ... Michael Jackson took his children on a tour of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space and American Indian Museums on Wednesday, before either museum opened to the public. ...

Elliott Smith is anything but forgotten, with his posthumous LP New Moon debuting at #24 on the Billboard album charts not too long ago. Now his friend Autumn de Wilde is hoping to enrich the singer/songwriter's legacy with a new book filled with rare interviews and photographs. Simply titled "Elliott Smith" and due in November, the tome will also contain contain forewords by Beck and Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla, personal ephemera, handwritten lyrics, as well as a CD featuring five unreleased songs recorded at small L.A. gigs in 1997 — including covers of "All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down" by Hank Williams Jr. and "Clouds" by Quasi, the indie-rock duo who occasionally backed up Smith. A portion of the proceeds will go to two charities: Austin, Texas' Sims Foundation in Austin and Portland, Oregon's Outside In. ...

Wanted dead or alive: the makers of energy drink Mijovi. Well, the situation isn't that dire, but all the same, Jon Bon Jovi wants the owner of the coffee-based beverage to change its name, since he claims it's too similar to his, AP reports. A letter Jovi's lawyer sent to Marcos Carrington highlights the company's marketing terms "itsmijovi" and "itsmilife," the latter being the name of a Bon Jovi song. Carrington replied that the words are meant to mean "it's my jovial life" and that he named the drink after his girlfriend Jovita. ... The Reverend Al Sharpton, who had insisted that shock-jock Don Imus be fired for making racist comments, told AP in a telephone interview Wednesday that he wouldn't object if Imus were to return to the airwaves. "He has a right to make a living," Sharpton said, adding that he hoped any station that would hire Imus would make sure he wouldn't make insensitive remarks about race or gender. ...

M.I.A. is playing a smattering of festivals this summer, and along the way she's making a few pit stops and small clubs. She'll hit up Brooklyn, New York's Studio B (July 25); San Francisco's Rickshaw Shop (July 28); Los Angeles' Echoplex (July 30-31); and, after playing Lollapalooza in Chicago on August 3, she'll perform at the city's House of Blues the following day. ... Underground hip-hop prince Aesop Rock will tour heavy in support of his August 28 LP, None Shall Pass. He'll head out with Cage and Blockhead September 8 in Philadelphia and stay on the road with them through September 11 in Pittsburgh, after which he'll hook up with Octopus Project and tour with them and Blockhead from September 13 in Chicago through September 26 in Burlington, Vermont. Finally, he'll set out for his longest stretch, with Black Moth Super Rainbow and Blockhead, in San Francisco on October 10 and bring that run to a close November 20 in Atlanta.

• Jessica Simpson
• Ashlee Simpson
• The Cure
• Kelly Clarkson
• Ne-Yo

Flavor Flav performs at SXSW on Friday
Photo: John Shearer/ Wire Image

AUSTIN, Texas — Every March, the music industry throws on a pair of shorts, slathers on the SPF 45 and heads on down to Austin for South by Southwest, a weeklong celebration of bands, BBQ and (sometimes free!) beer. It's a brutal bacchanal and music marathon powered by thousands of acts playing in hundreds of venues — at all hours — plus an unreal number of open bar tabs and fancy private parties.

Sleep is not exactly a top priority, so MTV News has dispatched three of its most tireless reporters into the fray. They'll be filing reports a few times each day (scroll down for the evening report), which will chiefly serve as a way of keeping you up to speed about what's going on deep in the heart of Texas, but also double as a convenient way — for us, anyway — of making sure everyone's still alive.

The Day

James Montgomery, MTV News writer: Another afternoon, another 36 Kool-Aid-colored wristbands to weigh down my wrists. At every day party I attend, my wrist gets slapped with a brightly colored piece of plastic (or, as is the case at the Levi's/Fader fort, two pieces), which — in theory — are supposed to keep the unwashed masses from gate-crashing and allow me preferred access to VIP areas and/or free booze. But the only thing they're really good for is snagging on clothing and making me look like this guy.

I know, I know ... cry me a river. But after only three days at SXSW, I'm totally starting to feel the inner Andy Rooney in me come to life (and he loves Robyn Hitchcock). Maybe it's the fact that every dude here is wearing a tank top, or the fact that every girl looks she's Karen O's stunt double. Who knows? ...

OK ... deep breath. Spent the afternoon at the SPIN party, where there was free popcorn, free ice cream, free cigarettes and, of course, more free wristbands! There was also a middling set from New Orleans funk act Galactic featuring cameos by a who's who of rappers that no one cares about (Lyrics Born, the Coup's Boots Reilly), a Kirsten Dunst sighting and a truly awesome early evening performance from the Kings of Leon, who rock nearly as hard as their pants are tight (and that's very).

Off now to get some dinner ... then hopefully catch a sweaty, late-night set from Girl Talk. Oh, also, my buddy in Beirut just invited me on a four-hour "BBQ excursion" set for Saturday afternoon. Wristbands or no, things are lookin' up, indeed!

John Norris, MTV News correspondent: By and large, the consensus in the local media and among people I have talked to seems to be that while the significance of SXSW has changed — I mean, we all know where music is "broken" in 2007, and it ain't at one gig at one festival — the festival still plays a vital role. As a one-stop shop for those who don't have bands rolling through their town every week, and for artists to get their music seen and heard by those in and out of the mainstream biz.

Among the bands, at varying levels of notoriety, that have introduced themselves to me on the streets of Austin and gotten their music into my hands in the past couple of days: Aloke, the GoStation, Locksley, New Year's Day, the Animators, the Stock Market Crash and some pretty cool garage girls from Atlanta who go by the lovely name the Coathangers (who count in their arsenal a fairly demure jam called "Nestle in My Boobies").

Finally, I have been avoiding going on a vegan rant for the last few days and just sucked it up and dealt with foraging around town to find non-animal-product dining. When in Rome ... yeah, yeah. Well, I'm sure as hell not gonna start eating flesh slathered in barbecue sauce, that's for sure. I'm often in situations like this — it means repeated trips to Asian places, which at least know what tofu is — so I've been twice to P.F. Chang's and once to Veggie Heaven. But then you slip and eat cheese sometimes. At last year's SXSW, even Chrissie Hynde — as much an icon of animal rights as a goddess of rock — told me she occasionally will eat cheese and she's been vegan for more than 30 years. Really, I love longhorns. To look at. Or pet. Not to eat, sit on or wear. End of screed.

Gil Kaufman, MTV News writer: I'm going to announce a moratorium on the bad-name thing, though Chicago's Flosstradamus get an honorable mention. Let me just say this now: If Australia's Youth Group don't become the next U2, something is seriously amiss. These guys have the kind of swaying, epic songs — like "Shadowland" — that fill up a dingy daytime bar show and make it feel like a stadium.

The pressure to melt down in public for new hot messes like Amy Winehouse must be intense, but it doesn't seem to be slowing down the hottest mess on everyone's tongue this week, Atlanta's notorious Black Lips. More than six years into their career, the band still knows how to shock, or revolt, as when guitarist Cole Alexander lost his lunch mid-solo just two songs into the band's set. Pro that he is, he never missed a lick, though the crowd did take a step back.

Note to the dude walking down the street with earplugs in: Bro, yeah, it's loud in the venues sometimes, but you can take them out on the way to lunch.

One of the reasons rock stars love South By (that's what the cool kids call it, for real) is they can just blend in, because every hipster doofus worth his salt has rats-nest hair, too-tight jeans and an expensive-looking ripped shirt. So, if you walk down the street and see Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore hanging on the corner, or Joan Jett waiting for a cab outside your hotel, yeah, it's them.

Speaking of which, I was on the phone in the elevator and I see a guy walk in with a huge clock around his neck and a bunch of dookie chains and my first thought is, "What kind of a bozo thinks he can cop that look from Flavor Flav in 2007?" Oh, my bad, it was Flavor Flav! We chatted, I wished him luck on his show Friday night (March 16) and when the doors opened, he gave me a knuckle pound and zoomed out into the lobby on his wheelies.

Here's what I missed today but heard about from people who were better line-jumpers than me: Pete Townshend jamming on "The Seeker" with the Fratellis, and Vietnam — or "those dudes with the giant beards," as one patron described them.

The Evening

James Montgomery: If you like slightly tubby guys with super scraggly beards, rare, out-of-print Boredoms 7-inches and uttering the phrase "They're still playing the same song?!" then the Ecstatic Peace Records and Tapes showcase was the place to be Friday night. Owned and operated by Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore, Ecstatic Peace releases records (actual records; like, on vinyl and everything) by a whole lot of erudite, experimental bands that you've never heard of, many of which — including the ethereal Gown, the drone-y Black Helicopter and the unpronounceable Charalambides — were on display tonight.

Of course, doe-eyed dreamboat Michael Pitt's little grunge outfit, Pagoda was there too, but I spotted John digging them pretty hard, so I'll leave it to him to document their set. Needless to say, it didn't take me long to get my fill of avant instrumentalism, and I was quickly out the door. But not before snagging a copy of the free Ecstatic Peace 'zine for my reading leisure. Thanks, Thurston!

Then it was off to Stubb's, where a little of the old "I'm with MTV News ... my camera crew is inside, and I need to get to them now!" routine (note: professional!) got me to the front of the line and into the much-hyped gig by Damon Albarn's new project, the Good, the Bad and the Queen. I'd been hearing a lot about how the whole thing was some sort of semi-conceptual play, a sort of time-skipping portrayal of life in London throughout the 20th Century, and I was anxious to check it out myself.

Sadly, all I got out of the performance a whole lot of former Clash bassist Paul Simonon's booming, bubbly low-end (I mean, seriously, dude was loud) and a few pictures of Albarn in a top hat. Playing on a stage littered with streamers and Union Jacks, in front of an impressionistic portrait of London, the atmosphere was right, but the music — all percolating, dubby basslines and three-quarter-speed guitars — wasn't. Truth be told, the whole thing was a complete snoozer. And if it was come sort of concept, I wasn't getting it. Maybe, on this night, I just wasn't smart enough for any of it. Not sleeping and existing solely on ribs and cigarettes tends to do that to a person.

John Norris: While I didn't stick around at Stubb's long enough to check out the Good, the Bad and the Queen, there was still plenty of the Snide, the grungy and the unexpected to go around.

Began my travels at Buffalo Billiards, where you rack 'em up downstairs and upstairs you hear music — cool music on this night, in the form of Nashville's Clem Snide, the band fronted and really embodied by one of the dryer, wittier guys in indie music, Eef Barzelay. He led his two backing players through a 40-minute set full of Clem Snide's trademark tunes that build and build ... and suddenly end. Eef's sarcasm was in abundance as well, in songs like "Girls Don't Care" and in his between-song patter, like when he told the SXSW crowd "You quench me. Your applause is like calamine lotion on my mosquito-bitten skin." Oh and he even busted out a bit of Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable."

Three encounters making my way down a packed 6th Street: former MTV VJ and walking musical encyclopedia Matt Pinfield, shooting a show for DirectTV; my old pals Taylor and Zack Hanson, being interviewed for another video outlet; and Damaris Drummond, a performance artist who is planning to cover herself with vintage Atari joysticks on Saturday and ask people to choose one to play with. Where in Austin will this happen? "Wherever they will let me," says Damaris. I am not kidding.

Nor am I kidding when I say that Michael Pitt rocks. Pitt may be the easy-on-the-eyes actor who starred in "The Dreamers" and "Last Days," but he has apparently put acting on the backburner indefinitely to concentrate on his neo-grunge band Pagoda, who played outdoors at the Mohawk. With Pitt on guitar and wailing vocals (playing a Cobain-like character has clearly had an impact on him), plus bass, drums and cello (!) the band ripped through one impassioned song after another, and you might have thought it was 1993 all over again. Only one beef though: say something, dude. I get it, you want to downplay the "movie star as frontman" thing; who wouldn't? But apart from "Thanks Thurston" and "This is our last song," Pitt was totally mute ... and he tended to overdo the whole back-to-the-crowd thing. Mike — you can play guitar, you can sing and scream, your band is good. Lighten up.

Plenty light and comfortable is Mancunian troubadour Damon Gough, a.k.a. Badly Drawn Boy. Although large open-air Stubb's may not have been the best setting for his sound, Gough lit up the night with his peppy alt pop, including the winning title track from his most recent release, Born in the U.K. Plus, he's a dead ringer for my MTV News buddy Aaron Pinkston, who was watching the show with me. There could be a sitcom in here. Couple of bearded, longhaired, beanie-wearing dudes from opposite sides of the Atlantic. It could work ...

Gil Kaufman: If there's anyone who loves the Ramones more than me, it's Japanese punk bands. Which is why the Japan Night showcase is always at the top of my list. This year was no disappointment, with a killer set from Osaka's The50Kaitenz, a power trio who rocked a blistering set of Ramones-inspired rockabilly while wearing matching black suits with Colonel Sanders-style black string ties. They were followed by the equally off-the-charts Pistol Valve, a 10-woman collective with eight horn players, an electric violinist and DJ, all combining forces (like Voltron!) to create a truly unique brand of Afro-Cuban-funk-jazz-hip-hop-a--go-go, all while wearing fedoras and varying stages of lingerie.

After flashing my badge, dropping some names, pretending to call my nonexistent cameraman and using every slimy excuse I could think of to jump in front of the two-block long line, I finally got in to see hot not-mess Brazilian funk carioca trio Bonde do Role. The group — really just two MC's and a DJ — mash up party-ready Bailefunk rhythms with hip-hop and samples that range from classic rock to Brazilian dance and snatches of the "Grease" soundtrack, and they had the packed house bouncing off the walls. They got even the most jaded hipsters to throw down.

Can James snag himself a nap? Are there more Beyoncé covers in John's future? Will Gil's line-cutting come back to haunt him? Check back all weekend for our SXSW coverage!

Earlier this week:

· "Tom Morello's SXSW Gig Turns Into Raucous All-Star Jam With Slash, Perry Farrell"

· "Amy Winehouse Raises Eyebrows, Bloc Party Draw A Mob As SXSW Wakes Up"

· "Pete Wentz Clones Descend, Lily Allen Warbles As SXSW Gets Under Way"

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

[This story was originally published on 3.16.2007 at 8:45 p.m.]

• Five Coolest Things At SXSW 2007
• Morello Jams With Slash, Farrell At SXSW

• Kings Of Leon, Mastodon, Flava Flav, More Rock SXSW '07

• Flavor Flav
• Lyrics Born
• Galactic
• Kings Of Leon
• Beirut

Lil' Kim
Photo: Peter Kramer/ Getty Images

Besides appearing at the VMAs and a few parties here and there, Lil' Kim has been taking it pretty light since her release from prison on July 3. Come October 7, however, she'll be rapping for the first time since her release as part of VH1's Hip Hop Honors special. She'll be paying tribute to fellow Brooklyn, New York, rap pioneer MC Lyte and is expected to perform "Lyte as a Rock." Diddy, Outkast, Ludacris, Fat Joe and Lil Jon will also perform at the event, helping salute Ice Cube, Wu-Tang Clan, Russell Simmons, Beastie Boys and others. The program will air on October 17. ...

Shortlist Music Prize co-founder Greg Spotts has purchased the rights to the name and will revive the album contest — modeled after the U.K.'s Mercury Music Prize — this fall. Spotts and co-founder Tom Sarig feuded over the future of the award last year and Sarig launched the New Pantheon Award without Spotts. Sufjan Stevens, who won that award, will be considered a previous Shortlist winner. ...

Red-hot songwriter and producer Sean Garrett (Beyoncé's "Ring the Alarm," Fergie's "London Bridge") is working with Gwen Stefani on her second solo album. "I've also been talking with [Interscope Geffen A&M chief] Jimmy [Iovine] about Enrique [Iglesias]," Garrett said. "He's somebody I'd love to work with." ... Kanye West, Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, Gwen Stefani, Diddy, Nick Lachey and dozens more will be featured in "Big Red Book," a collection of photos benefiting model Petra Nemcova's Happy Hearts Fund. The charity organization, founded by Nemcova after her experience in the 2004 tsunami, aids children who have been affected by natural, economic and health-related disasters. The book is currently in production, with stars such as Russell Simmons, Serena Williams and Joaquin Phoenix having their photos shot in New York this week. ...

Guns N' Roses continue to add dates to their upcoming fall run of North America. The band's newest bookings are in Jacksonville, Florida (October 20); Nashville (October 22); and Estero, Florida (October 27). The tour kicks off with two back-to-back gigs in Las Vegas on Saturday and Sunday, and stops are planned in San Francisco; San Diego; Reno, Nevada; and Tampa, Florida. ... Flavor Flav may have more women than he can handle as he tries to find a girlfriend on the second season of "Flavor of Love," but the 47-year-old rap legend is also getting hot and heavy with his real first love: music. Hip-hop's greatest hype man is releasing his debut solo LP October 31. The first single from the self-titled album is set to be "Flavor Man," and the disc will come out on Flav's own Draytown Records — a play on his real last name, Drayton. The Public Enemy rapper insists that this will be his first and last solo effort. ...

Tool canceled a show Tuesday night, calling off their gig at the AT&T Center in San Antonio because singer Maynard James Keenan was too sick to perform. In an interview posted on local radio station 99.5 KISS-FM's Web site, guitarist Adam Jones explained, "It's very unfortunate 'cause when I get sick or [drummer Danny Carey] or [bassist Justin Chancellor] get sick, we can still go on with the show. But Maynard's got fever, he's coughing up stuff, he's hoarse and he doesn't want everyone to think he sucks by going out and trying anyway. He needs to just get over it, rest, and hopefully we can continue." Jones encouraged fans to hold on to their tickets, explaining that the band will try to make the date up. ... Former D Generation frontman Jesse Malin has completed work on Glitter in the Gutter, the follow-up to his 2004 disc The Heat. The album is expected to drop early next year, and will feature guest appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Ryan Adams, Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme and the Foo Fighters' Chris Shiflett. ... Homme's Eagles of Death Metal will release "Death by DVD" on October 10. The DVD chronicles the recording of 2006's Death by Sexy and features additional behind-the-scenes footage. ...

On Monday, MetaMachine, the company behind the file-sharing service eDonkey, became the latest of the major P2P sites to settle with the record industry. The company agreed in a settlement with the major labels to pay $30 million to avoid potential copyright-infringement lawsuits, and to abide by a permanent injunction barring the company from allowing users to distribute copywritten works. "We are pleased to have reached this settlement and see it as another important milestone in the ongoing transformation of the digital music marketplace," Recording Industry Association of America CEO Mitch Bainwol said. "With this new settlement, another domino falls, and we have further strengthened the footing of the legal marketplace." Bainwol said the settlement leaves LimeWire as one of the only major rogue P2P companies that have not yet settled with the recording industry. ...

An attorney for Buckcherry has answered claims made in a lawsuit filed last week against the group and its label by a 16-year-old girl who said she was given alcohol and coerced into exposing herself for one of the band's videos. "The claims in this case are completely bogus," lawyer Skip Mille said in a statement issued Tuesday. "This woman obtained access to the video shoot by using a phony ID. Strict precautions were taken to insure that only people over the age of 18 would gain access to the shoot. The casting ad called for talent over 18 only, signs were posted to that effect at the venue and IDs were checked. This person signed a talent release form and verified her age by writing what we have now discovered to be a false birth date on the release to match her phony ID. She was later seen boasting into the camera about her exploits in the video. This lawsuit was filed almost a year after the video was shot, following the financial success of the band. We are going to defend this action vigorously and let the evidence speak for itself." ... "Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis and his Mantra films pleaded guilty Tuesday to violating federal laws protecting children from sexual exploitation, the Los Angeles Times reports. In a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice, Francis agreed to pay a $500,000 fine to settle Los Angeles charges that he failed to maintain identity and age records of the women who appeared in his films. Sexually explicit footage of minors appeared in at least two DVDs released, Francis said in a statement. Mantra Films will pay an additional $1.6 million in fines and restitution to settle similar charges in Florida, pleading guilty to 10 counts of breaking federal record-keeping and labeling laws that govern sexually explicit material.

09.12.2006

In an interview with New York magazine, Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose explained what's been holding up the release of the oft-delayed Chinese Democracy, an album he's spent more than a decade working on. "It's not about being a control freak," he said. "It's about being maybe smart enough to go, 'No, that's a bad idea.' That's all it's about — keeping the ability to at least have a shot as opposed to something that's just an obvious disaster. I want to make a good record. I don't want to throw a brick. This cannot be Shaq at the free-throw line." Rose added that the disc will surface before the end of 2006. In the meantime, Guns N' Roses have booked two more live gigs as part of their brief U.S. trek. Fans can catch the band in Sunrise, Florida, on October 24 and in Tampa, Florida, on October 25. ...

Superstars can't help but love the "Jackass" crew — at least that's what Steve-O maintains. "There's a sexiness about the bad boy, the naughty boy, the dude who doesn't smell as good as the other guys, the guy that might be a little bit dirtier — that's why the Paris Hiltons and Jessica Simpsons, they love us," he told MTV News. "At the end of the day, we're all as dirty as each other and we know that." Chris Pontius revealed that he's recorded a song titled "Karazy" — though Pontius said the track may not be what you expect. "A bunch of papers have been publishing stories about me writing a song about one of our friends having sex with Jessica Simpson," Pontius said. "I never really wrote that song. If someone wanted me to write that song, I could. It would be a hit, you can count on that." ...

Christina Aguilera will join Tony Bennett for a rendition of "Steppin' Out With My Baby," featured on the TV special "Tony Bennett: An American Classic," set to air November 21 on NBC. Stevie Wonder, Elton John, John Legend and Barbra Streisand will also duet with Bennett on the show honoring his 80th birthday. All but Aguilera are also featured — along with Bono — on Bennett's Duets: An American Classic LP, due September 26. ... Jennifer Lopez is celebrating the launch of her Live Luxe Jennifer Lopez fragrance with an iPod giveaway. Beginning Friday, one JenniferLopezBeauty.com visitor per day will score a limited-edition video iPod engraved with Lopez's signature and pre-loaded with her music and a behind-the-scenes look at the Live Luxe ads. ...

Brand New will release the yet-untitled follow-up to 2003's Deja Entendu on November 21. No other information regarding the LP has been revealed. ... With New York's BoostMobile Rock Corps concert — featuring T.I., Panic! at the Disco, Young Jeezy and Taking Back Sunday — less than two weeks away, would-be attendees need to start racking up volunteer hours. New York City Department of Parks-sponsored cleanups are scheduled for Tuesday (September 12) at Brooklyn's Prospect Park, Wednesday at Roberto Clemente State Park in the Bronx and Thursday at Rufus King Park in Queens. The work starts at 3:30 p.m., and participants have to pre-register at BoostMobileRockCorps.com to log time for the September 23 concert — four hours of work buys one ticket. ... British act Mojave 3 will cross the pond for a 19-date run of North American venues. The tour kicks off September 24 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and dates are planned through October 28 in Nashville. ...

Spokane, Washington, newspaper The Spokesman-Review reports that a local police officer resigned after he was caught breaking the law at a Tool concert. Jonathon Smith, who had been on the force for three years, left the department last month when he was given a choice between resigning and being fired after two fellow officers said they spotted him buying — and then consuming — two cookies containing marijuana at Tool's August 27 show at the Gorge Amphitheatre. Smith will not face arrest. ... Audioslave's Chris Cornell offers advice in the October issue of Men's Health (on newsstands September 19), and says you don't have to feel down to be creative. "If you're depressed long enough, it's almost a comfort, a state of mind that you've made peace with because you've been in it so long. But I never felt like I had to be depressed or unhappy to write songs." The happy family man explains in the "Take It From Me" column that he isn't concerned that domestic bliss is hindering his songwriting. "Now with my wife and my babies, I don't slip into that type of depression anymore. And I'm having the best time I've ever had in terms of creativity." ...

Long-defunct post-hardcore legends Texas Is the Reason, who disbanded back in 1997, will reunite for a one-off gig at New York's Irving Plaza on November 25. The concert will mark the 10th anniversary of the release of the band's sole LP, 1996's Do You Know Who You Are? ... Idiot Pilot recently tracked the drums for the follow-up to 2004's Strange We Should Meet Here. According to the band's MySpace page, Travis Barker (Blink-182) and the Dillinger Escape Plan's Chris Pennie were called upon to handle the drum parts for the yet-untitled LP. ... The track list for Primus' upcoming They Can't All Be Zingers: The Best of Primus hits compilation has been revealed. Look for the disc — out October 17 — to boast 16 classic Primus cuts, including "John the Fisherman," "Too Many Puppies," "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver," "My Name Is Mud" and "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver." The Primus DVD "Blame It on the Fish" will also be out October 17, and the band will launch a North American tour in support of both efforts in November. ...

Seal is the latest musician to join artists including Patti Smith, Ryan Adams, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Black Crowes brothers Chris and Rich Robinson, and Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth in a concert tribute to the music of Bob Dylan. The event, to be held at New York's Lincoln Center, will benefit the Music for Youth Foundation, which brings music education to at-risk youth. Other artists who will perform at the November 9 event include Natalie Merchant, Rosanne Cash, Cat Power, Warren Haynes, Phil Lesh, Bob Mould and Jill Sobule."For Seal, and all the other artists performing, the reason they said yes was because they so revere Bob Dylan as a master of lyrics and sound," producer Michael Dorf said. "They are honored to pay respect to this legend. The artists performing represent rock, blues, jazz and folk — exemplifying how Dylan's music transcends all genres of music; with fans of all ages."

• Lil' Kim
• Kanye West
• Christina Aguilera
• Guns N' Roses
• Flavor Flav

Marilyn Manson, who's getting ready to marry burlesque queen Dita Von Teese, is about to take another kind of plunge — down the rabbit hole. He's co-starring in an upcoming re-imagining of "Alice in Wonderland" called "Living in Neon Dreams." MGM was originally aboard to distribute, but the film has been retooled as a smaller, indie film, and so far Daryl Hannah, Nia Vardalos, Alan Cumming and Jonathan Pryce are also aboard. In an inspired casting move, Manson will play the Queen of Hearts. Shooting is slated to begin this month in Cape Town, South Africa. ...

The owners of the hip-hop magazine The Source are at odds with Russell Simmons and his Hip-Hop Summit Action Network (HSAN). According to sources close to the magazine, co-owners Dave Mays and Ray Benzino are upset that Simmons pulled out of speaking at the magazine's event Join the SIPHA: Hip-Hop Voter Education Rally. "Russell Simmons has been exploiting hip-hop for years," Mays and Benzino said in a statement. "We invited and expected him to participate in the largest annual hip-hop weekend of the year, and he bailed from the event because he is afraid of the authenticity and influence of The Source magazine." In a statement of his own, Simmons said, "I only want to promote positivity and dialogue within the hip-hop community. I have no ill will toward them and wish them well." The rally, a part of The Source Awards weekend, will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Miami Arena in Miami. Louis Farrakhan, Al Sharpton, Ja Rule, Ludacris, Fat Joe and others are expected to speak. ... In other HSAN news, the organization has teamed up with PlayStation2 for "Race to the Polls" to encourage voters to participate in the upcoming presidential election. Scheduled for Thursday at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, the event will include a concert featuring Ludacris, Public Enemy and Mase. There will also be a celebrity gaming tournament, which will include such players as Lil' Kim, Anne Hathaway, the Reverend Run, Foxy Brown and more. ...

Sundance is airing a documentary film about the Vote for Change Tour along with the final live performance of the trek in Washington, D.C. "National Anthem: Inside the 'Vote for Change' Concert Tour" will air Monday at 7 p.m. ET. R.E.M., Jurassic 5, Pearl Jam, the Dave Matthews Band and Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band are among the artists performing. ... Domestic shores will soon be buzzing with the sounds of the Hives. The Swedish rockers have lined up a fall tour, November 20 in New York to December 12 in Las Vegas, to support Tyrannosaurus Hives and its second single, "Two-Timing Touch and Broken Bones." ...

You can find him in the club and at school — Mos Def has set up a short tour of clubs and universities around the country that starts October 18 at Seattle's Benaroya Hall. The Emmy-nominated performer ends his 10-city run November 7 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. ... Courtney Love is hosting a weekly radio show on "Indie" 103.1 FM in Los Angeles, at least for rest of the month. Her show, "Kitty Radio," named after her Web site, airs Fridays at 7 p.m. PT and will culminate with a Halloween show on October 30 called "The Devil Doll Ball." Fans can hear the show online at www.indie1031.fm. ...

Scott Weiland got the thumbs-up from a judge presiding over his probation-status-report hearing Thursday in Pasadena, California. He's due back for another check-in on December 17, according to the Los Angeles district attorney's office. ... New tracks from the Darkness and the seven B-sides that accompanied their commercial singles are available on the U.K. band's Web site. Other offerings include a live version of "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" recorded at Knebworth, as well as the track "Holding My Own," previously available only in Japan. ...

Deftones singer Chino Moreno has been working with Public Enemy-rapper-turned-reality-TV-star Flavor Flav. There's no word, however, on whether this meeting of musical minds will ever see the light of day. ... De La Soul are hitting the road to promote their recently released album, The Grind Date. Their 34-date trek will kick off Sunday in Las Vegas and wrap up on November 20 in Los Angeles. ...

Still feeling the afterglow of her appearance on the White Stripes' Elephant, bluesy rocker Holly Golightly is gearing up for her 10th studio album, Slowly But Surely. The LP, produced by Liam Watson, the engineer of Elephant, and recorded at the same Toe Rag Studios, is due Tuesday. Golightly will kick off a 35-date U.S. tour October 15 at the CMJ fest in New York and wrap things up on November 24 in Hoboken, New Jersey. ... It's Everclear's 10-year recording anniversary and in lieu of a candlelit dinner, the band is presenting fans with a best-of album and a tour supporting the release. On November 3, the group will kick off the trek in Philadelphia, and remain on the road through December 5 in Phoenix. The band will show fans how much it loves them by giving each ticket-holder a free souvenir — a CD called Closure that features some of the band's unreleased and live acoustic tracks. ...

Having co-written the new song "I Believe in You" with Kylie Minogue for her forthcoming greatest-hits set, Scissor Sisters' frontman Jake Shears has parlayed that experience into the inspiration for his group's new album. Although the band's self-titled debut is less than six months old, the group has begun working on a follow-up, which it hopes will be out next fall. ... Rosanne Cash will join Marshall Crenshaw at New York's Rubin Museum of Art on Friday (October 8) to launch the museum's Chelsea Connection series. The duo will perform songs inspired by the museum's "Wheel of Life" exhibit as part of the special acoustic set. ...

10.07.2004

Gwen Stefani released the cover art for her forthcoming solo debut album, Love, Angel, Music, Baby, on her official Web site. The album is due in stores November 23. ...

Like Justin Timberlake before them, Destiny's Child are lovin' it. The trio have just signed on for a new partnership with McDonald's that includes the hamburger giant's sponsorship of their worldwide tour, dubbed "Destiny Fulfilled and Lovin' It," that begins in the spring. DC will lend their support as worldwide ambassadors for World Children's Day at McDonald's, the company's annual global fund-raiser which benefits the Ronald McDonald House Charities. The group will also be featured in new commercials for the chain and in restaurant merchandising. "We're lovin' the chance to work with McDonald's and know that together we'll create lots of fun and cool surprises," Beyoncé said in a statement. ... Jessica Simpson's upcoming Christmas album will be sold exclusively at 7-Eleven convenience stores starting this month. The seven-track disc, called A Special Limited Edition Christmas Collection, features her duet with younger sister Ashlee, "Little Drummer Boy"; her song with husband Nick Lachey, "Baby, It's Cold Outside"; and an acoustic version of "Angels." 7-Eleven customers can also enter to win, starting November 1, an all-expenses-paid trip for a private concert with Jessica to take place in early 2005. ...

Mase and Lil' Flip will headline KKBT Los Angeles' 2004 Hip-Hop Halloween Concert Bash. Proceeds from the show, to be held on October 30 at the Shrine Auditorium, will benefit the Feed My Flock Foundation, a charity dedicated to helping underprivileged schools in Los Angeles. ... Some Michael Jackson fans who attended the singer's 30th anniversary concert in 2001 got a little less than they bargained for, and one of them is suing Ticketmaster and the venue, Madison Square Garden, for allegedly selling fans seats with an obstructed view of the stage. The judge who approved the class-action lawsuit said the suit could potentially cover more than 7,800 ticket buyers who were given no advance notice that their seats were in a section with a blocked view, according to The Associated Press. The woman who filed the suit says she purchased six tickets for $98.50 each, plus service charges, and is asking for $14 million in damages. ...

Britney Spears has gotten a divorce of sorts — she's parted ways with her longtime manager, Larry Rudolph, who's been working with her since she was 15. ... Meanwhile, an auction went up on eBay for what the seller claimed were the singer's wedding-night undies. "I was lucky enough to be working at the wedding and I got to take home some amazing Britney memorabilia," the seller claimed. The auction, however, after reaching bids in the hundreds of dollars, has been taken down. ...

Courtney Love appeared in a Los Angeles court on Thursday (October 7) to set a preliminary hearing date in her assault-with-a-deadly-weapon case. Her lawyer requested that the hearing take place October 27, which is right in the middle of the singer's brief tour of the California coast. Opening all but the last show will be the Icarus Line; Juliette Lewis and the Licks will serve as the warm-up act for the singer's final show, October 30 in Los Angeles. ... Two years of murder and mayhem on the Warped Tour are finally coming to life. "Punk Rock Holocaust," which was shot on the road over the last two summers, will make it to DVD on November 23. With a body count of more than 110, the film claims to have the most onscreen deaths of any slasher flick. ...

Between his own projects, former Queens of the Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri is keeping busy by lending a hand to the Mark Lanegan Band. Oliveri will accompany the former Screaming Trees frontman for five shows on his tour, beginning October 10 in San Diego and ending October 15 in Portland, Oregon. ... Now you can frighten everyone (except maybe burlesque babe Dita Von Teese) by looking just like Marilyn Manson this Halloween. A mask taken from an actual mold of the rocker's face is available on Manson's official Web site (www.marilynmanson.com) for $24.95. ...

CMJ and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum are throwing a multi-day music fest next year, in which as many as 100 bands are slated to take part. The CMJ/ Rock Hall Music Fest will take place in Cleveland in eight venues June 9-11. "This is the type of major festival that Cleveland has talked about for years," Rock Hall chairman Terry Stewart said in a statement. "It will showcase both established performers and emerging artists that could become tomorrow's stars, and it represents an unprecedented collaboration between all the major music venues in town." ... The Beastie Boys, System of a Down, Chemical Brothers, the Streets and the Donnas will be heading Down Under in January for the Big Day Out touring festival. The tour kicks off in Auckland, New Zealand, on January 21 and wraps up in Perth, Australia, on February 6. ...

New York radio personality/MTV alum Ed Lover has decided to throw his hat into the label game with the launch of his Full Blast imprint. Echo, an Atlanta-based female MC, will be Lover's first act. ... Groove Armada are releasing a best-of collection, called simply The Best Of ... The 14-track LP, due October 26, will include such hits as "I See You Baby" as well as a new track, "Take Me Home." ... There's no rest for drummer Joey Jordison. Soon after Slipknot return from Japan in November, he'll fill in on drums for Frost of Norwegian metal band Satyricon, who's unable to enter the U.S. due to visa problems. ...

• Marilyn Manson
• Ludacris
• Foxy Brown
• Deftones
• Flavor Flav

As a warm-up for Tuesday's (November 25) Madison Square Garden headlining concert in New York, Jay-Z played the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Massachusetts, on Sunday. Jay was backed by a live band, directed by the Roots' ?uestlove, for large portions of the set, which included a string of songs from his debut LP, Reasonable Doubt. ...

Beyoncé, Clay Aiken, Evanescence, Foo Fighters and Shania Twain will join No Doubt and Sting as performers at the 2003 Billboard Music Awards, taking place December 10. The show will air live from Las Vegas on FOX. ... Justin Timberlake plans to share the love on his upcoming NBC special — by inviting the Black Eyed Peas to join him on a performance of their song "Where Is the Love?" The one-hour show, "Justin Timberlake: Down Home in Memphis," will feature a personal tour of his hometown, highlighting Memphis' musical legacy. The show airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET. ...

With Bizzy Bone back in the fold, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony are at full strength and hoping to drop their next album in the summer — once they've secured a record deal. In the meantime, Bizzy and Layzie are pressing on with a duo LP called Forever Young, which they plan to release in the spring. ... Who wouldn't want to wake to the soothing sounds of Public Enemy's mouthpiece Flavor Flav shouting, "Yeahh boyee!," "Get up and get, get down," and "Rock that Sh--, homie!"? For $85, you can drift through dreamland under Flavor's watchful eye with the Legends Flavor Flav Talking Alarm Clock. Only 500 limited-edition versions of the miniature rapper holding his trademark clock necklace are available at www.ecko.com and at selected retailers. ...

Kate Pierson of the B-52's has opened a hotel in the Catskills area in upstate New York called Kate's Lazy Meadow Motel. The eight-unit house features rooms and suites in "mind-blowing mid-century modern/space age/rocket-your-socks-off decor," according to the motel's Web site. ... Alanis Morissette's follow-up to 2002's Under Rug Swept is expected to drop in February. Titled So Called Chaos, the LP promises to include everything from soft ballads to dance music to pure rock. Before then, the singer will do a quick turn in the off-Broadway play "The Exonerated," from December 2-7 in New York. She'll portray Sunny Jacobs, a woman freed from death row after her murder conviction is overturned. ...

Feliz Navidad from Carlos Santana. On December 16, a collection of unreleased and remixed tracks from the Supernatural and Shaman recording sessions will be available on Ceremony - Remixes and Rarities. The disc, limited to 100,000 copies, will include the new songs "Curacion (Sunlight on Water)," "Truth Don Die" and "Manana." ... The members of Matchbox Twenty, who just released the EP titled EP, are taking off with other projects. Singer Rob Thomas, drummer Paul Doucette and rhythm guitarist Adam Gaynor have each been working on solo projects, while lead guitarist Kyle Cook is laboring away on an album with his band the New Left. The projects are expected to surface next year. ...

The organizers behind the Milwaukee Metalfest are planning on taking their show on the road and migrating south. Jack Koshick and Rob Grohl are working on a Florida Metalfest, to be held in the St. Petersburg area, March 6 and 7. No bands have been confirmed as of yet. ... Iron Maiden will play just eight shows in North America next year to support their latest album, Dance of Death. The group will perform two dates in Canada, starting January 20 in Montreal, before playing four gigs in New York (January 23-27), and finishing up with two shows in Los Angeles (January 30 and 31). ...

"Jambands," a new book written by Jambands.com founder Dean Budnick, is all the schooling you need to firmly grasp the musical inspirations of the noodle-dance, the closed-eye headshake, and the "I'm catching butterflies that aren't really there" boogie. Due January 6, the book, packaged with an accompanying live album, documents the rise of the scene from the days of the Grateful Dead to their successors, including Moe, the Disco Biscuits and Robert Randolph & the Family Band. ... On her new album, Educated Guess, Ani DiFranco ups the ante of her "do it yourself" aesthetic to "do everything yourself." For the first time in her 14-year career, the folksy punk balladeer performed all the production duties — from recording and to the final mixes — herself. Educated Guess, the follow-up to Evolve, is due January 20. ...

CNET Networks has purchased online music outlet MP3.com from Vivendi Universal for an undisclosed amount of money. On December 2, the site, which hosts music from over 250,000 largely unsigned acts, will shut down completely. It will be relaunched next year as a music-information site, and will no longer provide downloads. ...

11.24.03

Like the ride Britney has in her video for "Me Against the Music"? The sports car — autographed on the hood and the steering wheel by the singer — is being auctioned off to benefit the Britney Spears Foundation. The auction, happening on ebay.com, starts December 1 and ends December 11. Also being auctioned is Brit's sporty outfit from her NFL Kickoff concert. Her Reebok boots, black football pants, black NFL shorts and black-and-white referee halter top are to be auctioned off between now and Sunday to benefit the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. For more information, go to marybirdauction.com. ...

50 Cent knows what's up. With the high anticipation of his in-store releases, he's already prophesizing that he will have to push up the release date of his next solo album. "Probably Fourth of July weekend," he said about when he wants to put the LP out. "But it will probably come out in June due to the bootleggers." ... Whether it snows or not, White Stripes fans can expect a "White Christmas" from their favorite red-suited character. Stripes frontman Jack White has contributed two new songs, "Never Far Away" and "Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over," as well as three covers to the soundtrack to his film debut, "Cold Mountain." The soundtrack drops December 16, and the flick opens on Christmas Day. ...

Beck, fidgeting with a keyboard and twiddling knobs on a drum machine, tugged on his sweater and said, "It's getting hot in here," at KCRW's A Sounds Eclectic Evening concert Saturday in Universal City, California, before launching into Nelly's song of the same name, different spelling. He later revisited the "Hot in Herre" chorus during "Where It's At," a highlight of the solo set that also included Mutations' "Nobody's Fault But My Own," an oldie from One Foot in the Grave, a couple of tracks from Sea Change and a pair of songs by his late friend Elliott Smith. An acoustic set from Shelby Lynne was the surprise performance at the Universal Amphitheatre event, which also featured Liz Phair (also acoustic), Jurassic 5, Damien Rice, the Polyphonic Spree, Jem and Gary Jules. ...

Kung Fu, the label operated by the Vandals' Joe Escalante that launched the Ataris' career, is tentatively eyeing a May release for a Warped Tour DVD that will include performances from the Ataris, Poison the Well, Tsunami Bomb, Simple Plan and other artists to be announced. ... Defunct Swedish post-hardcore rockers Refused will see their legacy chronicled via the Refused Are F---ing Dead collection, which will be comprised of never-before-seen material and videos. Meanwhile, Refused's landmark 1998 album, The Shape of Punk to Come, has been remixed and remastered in 5.1 surround DVD audio format, with the re-release (as well as remastered editions of Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent and The EP Compilation) set for early next year. ...

Pioneering English punk band the Buzzcocks will perform a series of club shows before heading back to their homeland. Eight shows are scheduled from November 28 through December 6, including stops in New York, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The trek promotes the band's latest, self-titled album, which dropped in September. ...

• Jay-Z
• Beyoncé
• Flavor Flav
• Alanis Morissette
• Justin Timberlake

Bobby Brown was released from the DeKalb County jail on Friday (August 29), seven days after being arrested in a restaurant while dining with his wife, Whitney Houston. According to a DeKalb County Sherriff's Office spokesperson, Brown was originally sentenced to 14 days in jail by a county judge for violating terms of his probation. While that time was cut in half for good behavior, Brown was not out of the woods yet — he was released to police from the City of Atlanta to answer charges stemming from an arrest last year. Brown pleaded guilty to driving without a license and no contest to possession of marijuana. He must now comply with the rest of his sentence from the DeKalb judge, which includes rehab and house arrest. ...

Jay-Z and Lil' Kim lead the list of nominees for the 2003 Source Hip-Hop Music Awards with five each, including Album of the Year. 50 Cent, Nelly and Cam'ron and the Diplomats earned four nominations, while Missy Elliott, Ludacris and Disturbing Tha Peace, Pharrell Williams and the Neptunes, Eve, Scarface, Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz, LL Cool J, the Clipse, Baby and David Banner garnered three nods. Eminem, nemesis of The Source owner Ray Benzino, is not nominated. The show is scheduled for October 13 in Miami and will air on BET on November 11. ...

Murder Inc. head Irv Gotti has decided to fight his arrest for possession of ecstasy and Viagra. In Alameda County Court on Monday, Gotti's lawyer entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of his client, saying they are going to file a motion claiming the search of Gotti backstage at an R. Kelly concert in Oakland, California, was illegal. The court date to hear the motion is scheduled for November 10. ...

The Black Eyed Peas have just signed on to perform with Juanes at the Fourth Annual Latin Grammy Awards. The event's Web site reports that the performance roster will also include Banda El Recodo, who will appear with both A.B. Quintanilla III and the Kumbia Kings. The show airs September 3 at 9 p.m. on CBS. ...

Following their final two scheduled dates this weekend, New Found Glory will take about a week off before starting work on the follow-up to last year's Sticks and Stones. Pre-production will begin in an open space in the Hurley factory, located in Costa Mesa, California. NFG drummer Cyrus Bolooki recently shared some studio time with his younger brother Andrew's band All That's Left. Bolooki produced three tracks for the group, including "Please Don't," which features Ryan Key of Yellowcard. ... Mötley Crüe-bassist-turned-songwriting-gun-for-hire Nikki Sixx penned the title track for Meat Loaf's new LP, Couldn't Have Said It Better, due September 23. Others who lent Mr. Loaf a hand include ballad-writer extraordinaire Diane Warren (Aerosmith, Celine Dion) and Stephen Trask of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" fame. ...

Taking Back Sunday shot a video for "You're So Last Summer" on Sunday with a bunch of fans and Public Enemy faceplate Flavor Flav. The song is the third single from the hardcore band's debut, Tell All Your Friends. ... In other TBS news, the band and Blink-182 will perform a benefit concert for uninsured pro surfer Jason Bogle, who is suffering from bone cancer. The show is set for September 6 at San Diego's 4th & B. ... On Monday in Toronto, the Sex Pistols had to leave the stage for a minute, or five, to compose themselves after an antagonizing concertgoer in the front row kept spitting on frontman Johnny Rotten. The surly singer called the phlegmy fan a "f--in' lumberjack," then led the band offstage. The group returned with a cover of the Stooges' "No Fun" and finished the set. ...

8.26.2003

The court hearing for DeAngelo Bailey's civil suit against Eminem, scheduled for Tuesday (August 26), was adjourned for about eight weeks while the judge reviews motions from both sides. Bailey is suing for damages he claims resulted from his being dissed as a bully in Eminem's song "Brain Damage," off 1999's The Slim Shady LP. ...

After their string of September shows with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Queens of the Stone Age are slated to headline their own tour, according to the band's site. The jaunt will launch in Montreal on September 28 and end in Santa Barbara, California, on October 30. ... Michelle Branch, the Breeders, Blur, Aimee Mann and Bush, artists whose songs complemented poignant moments in the much-mourned TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," are among those set to appear on Radio Sunnydale, a 12-track LP due September 30. ...

R. Kelly has written the first single for ATL, an Atlanta-based R&B group formed through a talent competition. "Calling All Girls" will be featured on The ATL Project, due October 14. ... Avril Lavigne and fellow Canadian Chantal Kreviazuk have recorded "O Holy Night" for the upcoming holiday album Maybe This Christmas, Too. Other tracks slated for the album, due November 14, includes the Used's "Alone This Holiday," the Flaming Lips' "Winter Wonderland," Guster's "Donde Esta Santa Claus?," Badly Drawn Boy's "Donna & Blitzen," the Polyphonic Spree's "Winter Wonderslumber," Eisley's "The Winter Song" and something from the Barenaked Ladies. ...

David Banner will release Mississippi: The Chopped & Screwed Album on September 9. "Chopped and screwed is when a song is taken and the tempo is slowed down — that's called screwed [after the late DJ Screw] — and at the same time the lyrics and the beats are chopped up," Banner explained. "Like crunk, it's a form that I felt needs to be exposed to a broader audience." ... 12 Memories, Travis's follow-up to 2001's The Invisible Band, is due October 14. The first single, "Re-Offender," will hit radio and video outlets in September. ...

Soul singer Brian McKnight will launch his own ISP on Wednesday. For $14.95 per month, users can access all the major features offered by such competitors as AOL and Earthlink, including pop-up blockers and spam control, and will also receive an @bmcknight.net e-mail address. ... Sevendust will kick off a set of acoustic shows at the House of Blues in Chicago on September 3. The trek will take them through Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Georgia, Florida and Nashville, among other places. A full itinerary can be found on the band's Web site, www.sevendust.com. Sevendust's new album, Seasons, hits stores October 7. ...

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have written a handful of new songs, which they plan to record when they hit the studio in the spring to follow-up Fever to Tell. Two new songs, "Down Boy" and "Rockers to Swallow," were performed at the U.K.'s Reading and Leeds festivals over the weekend. A third new tune is titled "Ten by Ten." ... The Icarus Line, notorious for breaking open a display case containing a Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar at South by Southwest in 2002, are putting the finishing touches on their second album, Penance Soiree. V2 is expected to release the follow-up to 2001's Mono early next year. ...

On September 21 Tom Waits will join several artists from around the world, including Hamza El Din and Philip Glass, at the New York benefit concert Healing the Divide, organized by actor Richard Gere to promote "peace and reconciliation." The event will include an address from Nobel Peace Prize winner the Dalai Lama. Epitaph Records' Anti imprint has a new Waits album on its release schedule for March, though there are no further details available as of yet. … Yo La Tengo will hit the road next month in support of their upcoming Today Is the Day EP, which is scheduled for release through Matador Records on October 21. The CD and 12-inch set will be composed of six tracks, including alternate versions of the songs "Cherry Chapstick," from 2000's And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out, and "Today Is the Day," from this year's Summer Sun. ...

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