Elizabeth Stanley and James Snyder star in "Cry Baby"
Photo: Joan Marcus

It's an invasion of the indie-pop guys on Broadway. First, Duncan Sheik wrote the music for "Spring Awakening," and now Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger has done the same for "Cry-Baby," which opens Thursday (April 24).

Like the John Waters-directed, Johnny Depp-starring 1990 cult movie from which it's adapted, "Cry-Baby" is a satire on "Grease": A good girl falls for a bad boy in 1950s Baltimore, and along the way explores the class struggle between the preppy "squares" and the blue-collar "drapes." Waters' "Hairspray" previously made the leap from screen to stage (to screen again), and the team behind both productions think that lightning might strike twice, if they can figure out the formula. One big risk was not using the original songs in the movie, or even the same songwriting team they used to adapt "Hairspray."

"All the rest of the people working in it are the same people that did 'Hairspray,' " Schlesinger told MTV News, "but Marc Shaiman wasn't available to do the songs, so I did them with David Javerbaum, who is the executive producer of 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart' and a hilarious lyricist."

Schlesinger isn't unfamiliar with doing scores — he also wrote the music for the movies "That Thing You Do!" and "Music and Lyrics" — but this was his first Broadway production. His first order of business was seeing "Hairspray," "because I felt it would be insulting if I hadn't. I'm not current on musicals," he confessed, "so I tried to catch up."

As for the music, it was written to fit the setting. "It's sort of half rockabilly stuff, and pre-rock and roll," he said, "sort of a pastiche of period kind of stuff." One big number is a take on Patsy Cline's "Crazy": In "Screw Loose," the singer is actually a bit insane (antagonist Lenora is so obsessed with Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker that she's carved his name in her arms). "A Little Upset" becomes the show's "Jailhouse Rock."

"The guys who wrote the script put in placeholders for what they thought the songs should be about, but they also said, 'If you have a better idea, that's OK,' " Schlesinger said. "They didn't always have a title, but they would say, 'In this song, this action needs to happen.' I think with musicals, it's much more part of the script. They don't want songs that would stop the show; they need songs that keep the plot moving."

And some songs didn't even require lyrics. "Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby (Baby Baby)" is one that anyone can sing along to, as the show's heroine, Allison, finds out when she's forced to join in. ("Some of my favorite songs aren't deep," Schlesinger admitted.) Lyrics or no, he said all the songs were "so much work" to write, but that's what made it "so much fun" for him.

"I didn't realize how huge of a job this would be when I started," he said. "It's just insane. But it's really liberating when it's a really strict assignment like this, in a weird way, because you can't sit around and wait for your muse to strike. You have a short amount of time to do it, whereas if you're making a record for your own band, it's kind of like staring at a blank page. In a way, not having parameters is harder. But I like switching gears. I'm kind of a chameleon."

• "Cry-Baby" On Broadway

• Fountains of Wayne

Cassidy's <i>I'm a Hustla</i>
Photo: J-Records

Cassidy will have to observe the release of his new album, I'm a Hustla, from behind bars.

The rapper, who turned himself in on June 17 for the murder of a 22-year-old man in Philadelphia, will be in jail, waiting for a July 19 preliminary hearing when his sophomore album (which features production by Swizz Beatz), hits stores. Cassidy was officially charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated assault and weapons charges.

Prior to his arrest, the rapper was also getting media attention for his beef with 50 Cent, who warned the MC on Hot 97 to watch his mouth. Fans of Cassidy might take a look at the most recent project from another jailed rapper who also had words for 50 if they're concerned about the future of Cassidy's career. Shyne recorded his entire album Godfather Buried Alive behind bars and saw it debut at #3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Out Tuesday, June 28:

• 1 Cause 1 Effect - Dropped the Axe (Bungalo)
• Arcana - Le Serpent Rouge (Projekt)
• Astral Doors - Evil Is Forever (Locomotive)
• A Band of Bees - Free the Bees (Astralwerks)
• Bering Strait - Pages (Universal South)
• Bizarre - Hannicap Circus (Sanctuary)
• Cassidy - I'm a Hustla (J-Records)

Read: "Swizz, Mary J. Keep Bangin' On Cassidy's 'I'm A Hustla' "
Buy Now: I'm a Hustla (J-Records)

• Bill Charlap - Plays George Gershwin: The American Soul (Blue Note)
• CKY - An Ånswer Can Be Found (Island)

Read: "CKY Line Up Fall Tour, Won't Have To Pack Any Shoes"
Buy now: An Ånswer Can Be Found (Island)

• Communic - Conspiracy in Mind (Nuclear Blast)
• Rita Coolidge - And So Is Love (Concord)
• Darkest Hour - Undoing Ruin (Victory)
• Debbie Davies - All I Found (Telarc)
• Raheem DeVaughn - The Love Experience (Jive)
  Buy Now: The Love Experience (Jive)
  
• DevilDriver - The Fury of Our Maker's Hand (Roadrunner)
• The Early November - The Acoustic EP (Drive Thru)
• Richard Elliot - Metro Blue (ARTizen)
• Esthero - Wikked Lil' Grrrls (Reprise)
• Fountains of Wayne - Out-of-State Plates (Virgin)
  Read: "Fountains Of Wayne To Spout 26-Song Rarities Collection, Tour In June"
• Sean-Gemini - Inner Me (Lightyear)
• Terry Gibbs - Feelin' Good: Live in Studio (Mack Avenue)
• Gorerotted - A New Dawn for the Dead (Metal Blade)
• Vivian Green - Vivian (Columbia)
  Buy Now: Vivian (Columbia)
  
• The Greencards - Weather and Water (DualTone)
• Anthony Hamilton - Soulife (Rhino)
• Hot Apple Pie - Hot Apple Pie (Dreamworks Nashville)
• Isle of View - Gentle Firefly Radio (Undecided)
• Clay Jones - Mountain Tradition (Rural Rhythm)
• Sean Jones - Gemini (Mack Avenue)
• Ladybug Mecca - Trip the Light Fantastic (Nu-Paradigm)

Read: "Rebirth Of Digable Planets Has Ladybug Mecca Tripping"

• Jamie Liddel - Multiply (Warp)
• A Life Once Lost - Hunter (Ferret)
• Lina - The Inner Beauty Movement (Red Urban)
• Little Barrie - We Are (Artemis)
• Longwave - There's a Fire (RCA)
  Buy Now: There's a Fire (RCA)
  
• Pat McGee Band - Save Me (Kirtland)
• Shannon McNally - Geronimo (Back Porch/EMI)
• David Mead - Wherever You Are (Eleven Thirty)
• Noiseshaper - Rough Out There (Sounds From the Roof)
• Open Road - Lucky Drive (Rounder)
• Joan Osborne - One of Us (Artemis)
• P$C - 25 to Life (Atlantic)
• The Posies - Every Kind of Light (Rykodisc)
  Buy Now: Every Kind of Light (Rykodisc)
  
• Ernest Ranglin - Surfin' (Telarc)
• Skeletons and the Girl-Faced Boys - Git (Ghostly International)
• The Soviettes - LP III (Fat Wreck Chords)
• John Stevens - Red (Maverick)
• George Strait - Somewhere Down in Texas (MCA Nashville)
• The String Cheese Incident - One Step Closer (SCI Fidelity)
• Throwdown - Vendetta (Trustkill)
• Thunderstone - Tools of Destruction (Nuclear Blast)
• Tsar - Band-Girls-Money (TVT)
• Vio-Lence - Eternal Nightmare (Megaforce)
• Patricia Vonne - Guitars & Castanets (CoraZong)
• Steve Walsh - Shadowman (33rd Street)
• John Williams -- "War of the Worlds" soundtrack (Decca)
• World Leader Pretend - Punches (Warner Bros.)

Read: "World Leader Pretend: Bluffing Their Way To The Top"
Buy Now: Punches (Warner Bros.)

• Ying Yang Twins - U.S.A. (United State of Atlanta) (TVT)

Read: "WYing Yang Twins Fly The Flag For The U.S.A. (United State of Atlanta)"
Buy Now: U.S.A. (United State of Atlanta) (TVT)

• Various artists - Spectral Sound, Vol. 1 (Spectral Sound)
• Various artists - Wendy Williams Brings the Heat, Vol. 1 (Virgin)
• Various artists -- "Devil's Rejects" soundtrack (Hip-O)
• DVD: Chicago/ Earth, Wind & Fire -- "Live at the Greek Theatre" (Image)
• DVD: Low -- "In Europe" (Plexifilm)
• DVD: Bette Midler -- "The Divine" (Shout! Factory)
• DVD: Niacin - "Live in Tokyo" (Eagle Rock)
• DVD: Lee Ritenour -- "Overtime" (Eagle Rock)
• DVD: Tom Russell - "Hearts on the Line" (HighTone)
• DVD: Keller Williams -- "Sight" (SCI Fidelity)
• DVD: Various artists -- "Eminem Presents the Anger Management Tour" (Aftermath/Interscope)

July 5:

• R. Kelly - TP3 Reloaded (Sony)
• Sufjan Stevens -- Illinois (Asthmatic Kitty)
• Various artists - "Fantastic Four" soundtrack (Wind-Up)

July 12:

• All-American Rejects - Move Along (Interscope)

Read: "All-American Rejects 'Had To Step It Up' On New LP — Or Else"

• Black Dahlia Murder - Miasma (Metal Blade)
• Bow Wow - Wanted (Sony)

July 19:

• DMX - Here We Go Again (Ruff Ryders)

Read: "Mase Advises DMX To Rap Again, Wait For The Lord's Call"
Buy Now: Here We Go Again (Ruff Ryders)

• Frank Black - Honeycomb (Back Porch)

Read "Frank Black Covers Elvis, Duets With Ex-Wife On Dylanesque Album"

• Cassidy
• Cky
• Ying Yang Twins
• Fountains of Wayne
• Ladybug Mecca

Fountains of Wayne (file)
Photo: Zach Cordner

New York power-pop combo Fountains of Wayne will give fans a musical travelogue of their near-decade together with the release of Out-of-State Plates. Due on June 28, the double-disc set contains a whopping 26 non-album tracks recorded at various stages during the band's career.

Intended to appeal to both die-hard fans and newbies snared by the hit "Stacy's Mom," the set is a motherlode of rarities and unreleased tracks; there are also five covers and two brand-new songs. The title might seem to continue the automotive theme that the band used on its last two albums, 1999's Utopia Parkway and 2003's Welcome Interstate Managers, but the band's Adam Schlesinger said he sees the "plates" as records.

The success of Interstate set the stage for another album — so why this odds-and-ends collection? "The short answer is we don't have a new album to put out," Schlesinger said with a tiny chuckle. "It had been accumulating for a long time and was getting to be a pile too big to release all at once. We had been kicking around the idea since Utopia's Parkway, and we didn't do it then." He added that the track list may change a bit before the album hits stores.

Of the new songs, Schlesinger described "Maureen" as "what you would expect a Fountains of Wayne song to sound like: power pop, though it is actually one of the fastest we've ever recorded." He said the other new song, "The Girl I Can't Forget," is actually "about a guy who can't remember the events from the night before."

From the dozens of covers that the band plays live, these five made it onto Plates: Burt Bacharach's "Trains and Boats and Planes," the Electric Light Orchestra's "Can't Get It Out of My Head," Jackson Browne's "These Days," Aztec Camera's "Killermont Street" and Britney Spears' "... Baby One More Time." The latter has been played on the radio (on Howard Stern's show) as a bootleg, but has never been released.

Plans call for the band to headline the second annual Sing for the Children sing-a-thon to benefit New York's homeless children on May 22; the concert will take place in Central Park and Ben Kweller will open. The band is currently putting together a tour to accompany the album's release.

One reason for FOW's sporadic output over the years is Schlesinger's other band, Ivy. The trio released its fifth LP, In the Clear, earlier this year and will be on tour, off and on, up until the release of Plates in June. Schlesinger also lent his talents to the band the Click Five, who just finished touring with Ashlee Simpson and will join Aaron Carter for some dates. "There are two songs of mine on the Click Five record. Right now I'm also working with an L.A. band called Big City Rock. They've kind of got an '80s influence but they're still power pop. It's definitely up my alley."

Track list for Fountains of Wayne's Out-of-State Plates, according to the band's publicist:

Disc one:

 
• Maureen
• California Sex Lawyer
• Janice's Party
• Karpet King
• Baby I've Changed
• I Know You Well
• You're Just Never Satisfied
• I'll Do the Driving
• Nightlight
• I Want You Around
• Trains and Boats and Planes
• Places
• Can't Get it Out of My Head

Disc two:

• The Girl I Can't Forget
• ...Baby One More Time
• Elevator Up
• Comedienne
• Kid Gloves
• Today's Teardrops
• She's Got a Problem (live)
• These Days
• I Want an Alien for Christmas
• The Man in the Santa Suit
• Killermont Street
• Half a Woman
• Imperia

• Fountains of Wayne

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (file)
Photo: Getty Images

On Monday, a galaxy of comedy and musical stars will fill New York's Beacon Theatre for Comedy Love Call, a fund-raiser to benefit autism education and research. Sure, the assembled talent is impressive — Adam Sandler, Conan O'Brien, Jon Stewart and a host of others will provide the jokes, Fountains of Wayne and Nellie McKay the tunes — but there's one name that appears on the Beacon marquee that shines a little brighter than the rest: Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.

For years, we've been entertained by the comedic canine's sarcastic wit and scatological material. We've marveled at his fearlessness in the face of celebrity and his seemingly endless supply of cigars. Now he's agreed to lend his considerable celebrity to Comedy Love Call. Does this signify a new turn for the sharp-tongued pooch? Can a celebrity "spay-and-neuter-athon" with Bob Barker be far off?

Triumph was gracious enough to sit down with MTV News for a brief chat to candidly discuss his street cred, his beef with Star Jones and his first brush with Grammy success. And he didn't mention pooping even once.

MTV: You don't do many charity events. What was it that drew you to this one? The impressive list of talent assembled? The chance to poop on the Fountains of Wayne?

Triumph: Impressive? Fountains of Wayne? I've got flea bites bigger than Fountains of Wayne. Conan O'Brien? Have you seen him naked? Down there, it's like Ronald McDonald had his nose done.

MTV: Do they even normally let dogs inside the Beacon Theatre?

Triumph: OK, you're obviously trying to set me up for a Courtney Love joke, so let's just agree that she's unattractive and move on.

MTV: Lately MTV News' headlines have been dominated by stories of 50 Cent's many, many beefs. The guy's been shot nine times and lived — obviously he's not someone most people would mess with. What if he attends Comedy Love Call? Would you have the guts to hit him with some of your insult humor?

Trimph: 50 Cent? I'm not impressed. I've been shot eight times: twice for rabies, six times for gonorrhea.

MTV: 50's had beef with a whole lot of rappers: Fat Joe, Jadakiss, the Game, etc. Is there anyone out there you've got beef with? And why?

Triumph: Star Jones. They didn't let me near her at the Grammys. I understand to lure her to the red carpet, they told her it was actually an enormous fruit roll-up.

MTV: Let's talk about the Grammys for a moment. Your album, Come Poop With Me, was nominated in the Best Comedy Album category, but you lost to Jon Stewart and the cast of "The Daily Show." Did you feel like you were robbed?

Triumph: I didn't care, I was so star-struck. Maroon 5! Now I'm able to say I saw Maroon 5 before they were back working at Big O Tires with Matchbox 20. And then there was this amazing thing that was four feet tall and purple. I think it was either Prince or Tommy Lee's ...

MTV: Have you seen anything on MTV lately that you feel deserves to get pooped on?

Triumph: The Black Eyed Peas, which are like regular peas that talk back to Ike Turner.

Tickets for Comedy Love Call are $150 and available through Ticketmaster. For more information about the event, or about autism, visit ComedyLoveCall.com.

• Fountains of Wayne

Fountains of Wayne's Chris Collingwood (file)
Photo: MTV News

Blame it on all the anti-smoking laws.

At virtually any concert nowadays, cell phones have taken the place of cigarette lighters as the chief objet d'hommage. At choice moments during the show, rather than hold their Bics aloft, swaying to and fro with their arms slopped over a buddy's shoulder, concertgoers increasingly choose to call their friends or family members instead, to share the experience or, in some cases, to goad them.

"I don't understand why people do that," admitted Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger, who often sees fans holding up their Nokias and Samsungs toward the stage when his band performs. "Are they calling a friend so they can save money on a concert ticket, or are they recording it onto some elaborate voice-mail system?" The answer to both questions is yes, but either way, the impulse to call friends and family in the middle of a deafening performance often springs from primal motivations.

An informal survey conducted over two months in and around various New York concert venues suggests that a desire to share the experience is the common denominator of concert cell-phone communication.

In early June, three students from I.S. 61 in Staten Island, New York — Victoria Largo, Amanda Montenez and Danielle Reilly, all 14 — explained the vicissitudes of concert cell-phone usage as they waited for the start of Z100's Zootopia concert at Madison Square Garden, which featured Jessica Simpson, William Hung, a reunited Backstreet Boys, Black Eyed Peas and the three girls' favorites, Maroon 5 and J-Kwon.

"My friend was supposed to go to the Z100 Jingle Ball [also at Madison Square Garden, featuring Outkast, Simpson, Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez] in December, but she was sick," Reilly said. "So I got her ticket, and she made me promise that I would call her. I played her half the concert."

"I couldn't go to the Jingle Ball," added Montenez, "so my friend played most of Beyoncé's set over my house phone, until her mother made her hang up. Mostly, I can't call anyone, because I use all my cell-phone minutes before I get to the concert."

"I'm going to call my friend Catherine when J-Kwon is on," said Largo, who later admitted that "you can't really hear anything except screaming."

Indeed, there was screaming during J-Kwon's energetic hip-pop set, but the deafening screeching of thousands of the three girls' peers was very often complemented by the spectacle of a veritable forest of cell phone-wielding arms raised toward the stage. The process repeated during each set's zenith, like the Black Eyed Peas' "Where Is the Love," Simpson's "With You" and Hung's "She Bangs."

Tom Ryan, a mobile-music consultant to major-label and independent record companies, digital music services and wireless carriers, saw the phenomenon of cell phones at concerts writ large while watching Radiohead and the Pixies at this year's Coachella Festival in Indio, California. He chalks it up to "proliferation of camera phones in the past 18 months," and "the ability to share what previously couldn't be shared."

"A sound recording can be enjoyed at any time," Ryan explained, "but the actual experience of a single concert is a unique, never-to-be-repeated experience. The cell phone enables someone to insert themselves into that experience — like, 'This is me at the Radiohead show.' It's a desire to express yourself at an amazing show, and you're bringing your friends into the concert, even if they could never enjoy it as much as you."

Although teenagers are easily the most flagrant concert cell-phone sharers, no species of music fan is immune. Peter, a 47-year-old dad, held up his phone for the purpose of capturing a performance at a Fountains of Wayne show in mid-July at New York's World Financial Center.

As the band played "Bright Future in Sales," he said that this was the first time he had used his phone for this purpose. "My sons are big fans of the s-word in this song," he said, "so I recorded it to my voice mail. I'm sure it's going to sound terrible, but they'll think it's funny." ("Some parents," added Schlesinger, "tell their kids we're saying 'ship,' so the song will go, 'I'm gonna get my ship together.' After all, if you don't get your ship together, it'll sink.")

But sometimes, cell-phone concert communication is not used for such warm and fuzzy purposes. On July 22, two brothers from Long Island congregated in the parking lot of the Jones Beach Amphitheater in suburban New York with four friends before a concert from Arkansas goth rock giants Evanescence. In their case, the phone symbolizes sibling rivalry.

Jason Jacobs, 27, said, "Sometimes, I'll go to a show without my brother, and I'll call him up during a song to gloat — like 'ha, ha, you're not here,' instead of sharing the experience."

"Half the time," said the younger Jacobs, 23-year-old Justin, "I'd just pretend to listen when he does that, and put the phone down," adding that he calls his friends at concerts in order to say "wish you were here. If a certain song reminds me of someone, I'll call them."

Further toward the theater in the parking lot was Veronica, a 22-year-old from Little Neck, Queens. She declined to give her surname but described a similar motivation: "I called my ex-boyfriend when I was at a Something Corporate show at Roseland [in Manhattan]. Our song was 'Constantine,' which is an emotional song about a girl, so I called him when they played it because it made me think of him. But tonight, I'm not going to call anyone, because I want to pay attention to the music. Nobody can hear anything anyway."

Also declining to give her full name was Corrine, a 27-year-old from Long Island who spent most of Evanescence's hour-long, turbulent, exhortative concert singing along to the band's songs with steely determination. But when Evanescence's leader, Amy Lee, sat at a Baldwin piano and coaxed out the delicate opening chords of "My Immortal," the band's hit ballad, Corrine dialed a number and then held her phone above her head.

Asked who she had called after the song ended, she answered, "My ex-husband. That song is the epitome of our relationship."

Occasionally, cell phones are not used to generously share the experience of live music, but to dull the pain of experiencing live music one does not like.

Take David Blotner, a 20-year-old New York University student. At a show from neo-cabaret wunderkind Nellie McKay at New York's South Street Seaport in mid-July, he stared at his phone with tremendous concentration. After she began her first tune, Blotner, a fan of Eminem and Billy Joel who was accompanying his cousin, said he knew this was not his thing — "She sounds like a 60-year-old woman," he lamented.

So Blotner began to play a game, GemDat Bowling, on his phone as his cousin and roughly 150 others paid rapt attention to McKay. "It's the best five dollars I've ever spent," he declared. "I've logged at least 50 hours playing it whenever I'm bored. I got a perfect game one time, and it was the proudest moment of my life."

• Fountains of Wayne

Michael Jackson has had another run-in with the law — this time for wearing a ski mask and worrying store officials. The pop star entered a Wal-Mart in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, Tuesday morning with his head covered, accompanied by another man with a hat pulled down over his eyes, and when he was asked to remove the mask by managers, he refused. Police were called, but the two men had left the store by the time officers arrived. Police later pulled over their black SUV, at which point Jackson removed the mask. Officers described it as a routine call. ...

Pharrell Williams has decided to give acting a try — and no, we're not just talking about his direct-to-DVD flick, "Dude, We're Going to Rio," which hits stores Tuesday. He's signed on to work on a short indie film titled "The Ecology of Love," which should hit the film-festival circuit this summer. ...

Like he did with his last album, David Banner will release a "Chopped & Screwed" version of his most recent full-length, MTA2: Baptized in Dirty Water. It'll be out in stores on March 23. Universal Records has had such a good response to these slowed-down remix albums that it plans to issue "Chopped & Screwed" versions of all its major Southern hip-hop releases, including LPs from the Big Tymers and Lil' Wayne. ... Thanks to a back catalog that sold like hotcakes last year, not to mention the 1.5 million copies of St. Anger picked up by fans, Metallica are hanging with the big boys (and girls) at #5 on Rolling Stone's list of the top moneymaking musicians of 2003. Metallica's $39.1 million puts them behind leaders the Rolling Stones ($84.1 million), Bruce Springsteen ($81.7 million), Eagles ($62.9 million) and the Dixie Chicks ($39.8 million). Further down the list are Robbie Williams, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez and Dave Matthews. ...

Continuing to support their third album, Welcome Interstate Managers, Fountains of Wayne have lined up a spring tour of the U.S. Following the conclusion of a two-week European jaunt on March 10 in Madrid, Spain, the power-pop quartet will launch a brief string of dates beginning April 22 at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. ... Wu-Tang Clan headmaster RZA will release a live performance DVD, "The RZA Live in Germany," on April 13. That's the same day the second installment of "Kill Bill," which RZA scored for director Quentin Tarantino, hits theaters. ...

Jadakiss was previously scheduled to appear as himself in a February 16 episode of "Eve," in which Eve's character, Shelly, enlists his help to get her friends into a club; the episode will now air March 1 at 8:30 p.m. ET on UPN. ... Dax Shepard from MTV's "Punk'd" is trying his hand at acting. Shepard appears on Friday's (February 27) episode of "Life With Bonnie" as a young commercial director who is looking for something other than the title character's wholesome image to sell soup, the product she's set to endorse. The episode airs 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC. ...

Classic rocker Eric Clapton will present the three-day celebration Crossroads Guitar Festival in Dallas' Fair Park from June 4-6. The charity event will begin with guitar seminars and showcases, and will end with an all-star jam at Cotton Bowl Stadium, which will feature Clapton, Buddy Guy, Eric Johnson, B.B. King, Brian May, Steve Vai and many others. Proceeds will to go the Crossroads Centre, an addiction treatment center founded by Clapton in 1997. ... The artists of indie-rap label Def Jux will embark on a six-week tour starting March 21 in the label's hometown of New York. Aesop Rock, RJD2, Mr. Lif and a half dozen others will tour the country in support of Definitive Jux Presents III, a compilation album of music from the label due out March 23. The road trip wraps up May 1 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ...

Jewel has extended her tour through June, when she will play a series of dates on the West Coast. The tour launches on March 11 in Bozeman, Montana, and now runs through June 21 in Bend, Oregon. Jewel continues to tour for her 2003 album, 0304, which hit shelves last June. On March 23, she will release the live DVD "Live at Humphrey's by the Bay," which was recorded during her 2001 tour. ...

02.26.2004

Increased FCC scrutiny to clean up the airwaves prompted the ousting of controversial radio host Howard Stern's syndicated show from six Clear Channel-owned stations. After an interview with Rick Solomon, the purveyor and co-star of the infamous Paris Hilton sex tape, went over the line and was deemed offensive to blacks and women by Clear Channel executives, the show was pulled from stations in Orlando, Florida; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; San Diego; Pittsburgh; Louisville, Kentucky; and Rochester, New York. Infinity broadcasting, a subsidiary of MTV's parent company, Viacom, syndicates the morning program nationwide from New York's WXRK-FM. ...

The president of Northeastern University in Boston has canceled an April 2 concert by Ludacris that was to be the headlining event for the school's annual Springfest festival. President Richard M. Freeland cited riots by students after the New England Patriots' Super Bowl victory in which one person died. School officials called the move a "postponement," saying a concert of this size could happen again if the student body worked with the school to improve its relationship with the community. ... One of the most legendary unreleased records of all time, the Beach Boys' Smile, will finally hit shelves in the fall, 37 years after its intended release. Currently touring behind the record in the U.K., Brian Wilson recently entered the studio with original lyricist Van Dyke Parks to complete the material and sift through the hours and hours of recorded material that was scrapped in the spring of 1967 due to Wilson's growing drug problems and mental-health issues. ...

Estelle Axton, co-founder of influential soul label Stax Records, died at the age of 85 on Tuesday at a hospital in Memphis. Starting in 1957, Axton helped build the label into a hit factory with artists like Otis Redding, Booker T. & the MG's and the Bar-Kays. Axton is also credited with maintaining a sense of harmony between black and white musicians during a time of racial prejudice. ... Pre-production is under way on "Hip-Hop Cops," a movie spotlighting a division of the New York Police Department focused on rap-related crimes whose existence the NYPD has always denied. Radar Pictures will distribute the film, which looks past the police upward to City Hall. ...

Beck, the Polyphonic Spree and the Electric Light Orchestra will appear on the soundtrack to "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," a film by Michel Gondry, the director of videos by the White Stripes and Björk. The film, which stars Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood and Kirsten Dunst, opens March 19, while the soundtrack streets March 16. ... Metal matriarch Sharon Osbourne will play a lesbian bartender in an episode of NBC's Will & Grace, set to air March 25. The episode was taped last week. ...

Following up his 2001 album, The Good Times, was not one of the many things Afroman forgot to do because he got high. The toke-happy MC will drop his new LP, Afroholic: The Even Better Times, on April 20, through his own Hungry Hustler Records. ... Wilco will play six shows in April before performing at Coachella on May 1. The dates will start on April 21 in Columbia, Missouri, and run through April 29 in Tucson, Arizona. ...

Richard Hayne, Urban Outfitters' chairman, has made an enemy of Ministry's Al Jourgensen with that "Voting Is for Old People" T-shirt. In a letter to Hayne sent Wednesday, the singer wrote, "Mr. Hayne, I am sure I don't have to give you a history lesson regarding the incredible amount of lives lost fighting for the right to vote in America alone. I am shocked and appalled at your recklessness. I see your actions as a blatant attempt to quash the efforts of Punkvoter.com, Music for America, Rock the Vote, and other pro-youth-vote organizations. It is public knowledge that you contribute to the Republican Party. Could this be the motivation behind your anti-vote strategy to suppress the youth vote you have so much influence over?" ... Kinks singer Ray Davies may have been hurt worse than most expected when he was shot in the leg in New Orleans last month, according to a statement released by his spokesperson. Because of ongoing treatment, Davis was forced to cancel his appearance at the 14th annual Tibet House Benefit concert, which took place Wednesday at New York's Carnegie Hall. ...

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Fountains of Wayne's Jody Porter on the set of "Mexican Wine"
Photo: S-Curve

After having been spoofed on "Saturday Night Live" and every late-night talk show, "American Idol" will get another comedy licking courtesy of Fountains of Wayne, who mock a televised talent show in their new video for "Mexican Wine."

The power-popsters' video for the second single off Welcome Interstate Managers opens with the pseudo show's host announcing last week's returning champions, Katie and Linda Lipschitz of Piscataway, New Jersey. Asked what song they'll perform, the 10-year-old identical twins shout, " 'Mexican Wine' by Fountains of Wayne!" and break into song.

Although Katie's on harpsichord and Linda's playing guitar and "singing," it's Fountains singer Chris Collingwood's voice we hear.

"American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest had agreed to participate in the video, which was shot in Los Angeles in December, but scheduling conflicts prohibited his appearance, according to the band's spokesperson. Chris Applebaum (Britney Spears, Kid Rock), who also directed FoW's "Stacy's Mom" video, helmed the satire.

The scene shifts to the deck of a "Big Pimpin' " yacht for the song's second verse, where Collingwood, bassist Adam Schlesinger, guitarist Jody Porter and drummer Brian Young are performing for a fabulous crowd amid a line of dancers. The bandmembers also mingle with the crowd until a pillow fight between nubile young ladies breaks out.

The set then changes to a mock-up of Duran Duran's "Rio" video, complete with a scuba-diving swimsuit model sipping a glass of Mexican wine underwater.

The final scene returns to the talent show's soundstage, where little Linda Lipschitz stands behind a makeshift kitchen counter. Her sister is absent until Linda removes the lid from a big, simmering pot. There she finds Katie's head, framed by black beans — à la Wall of Voodoo's "Mexican Radio" video — and singing the remainder of the song as the judges rejoice.

"Mexican Wine" is expected to surface at radio beginning January 20, with the video airing at the end of the month.

• Fountains of Wayne

Duran Duran
Photo: Capitol

Arnold Schwarzenegger is terminating his opponents, Duran Duran are prepping a comeback tour and album and British glamour pusses the Darkness are rockin' like Dokken. What the hell is going on?

Didn't we already do the '80s revival thing a few years ago? Everywhere you look now, though, it feels like the era of Ronald Reagan all over again. We have a Republican president in office and record budget deficits, Fountains of Wayne are paying homage to '80s icons the Cars in the "Stacy's Mom" video (which also borrows a scene and its look from the seminal '80s movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High") and Howard Stern is prepping a remake of an iconic movie from the decade of big hair and shoulder pads, "Porky's."

Eighties radio stations and theme nights at bars are old news by now, but plenty of "Pretty in Pink"-era bands are grabbing at the brass ring one more time, among them the reunited classic lineups of Judas Priest and Living Colour, as well as Cyndi Lauper, poodle-haired rockers Europe, New Edition and Tears for Fears. And if you attended September's KROQ Inland Invasion: Flashback to the Future show in San Bernardino, California, you'd be excused for thinking you'd already stepped back into the Pac-Man-era through a time machine. The show featured sets from the Cure, Psychedelic Furs, Berlin, Violent Femmes, Dramarama, Bow Wow Wow, Marc Almond of Soft Cell, General Public, Echo & the Bunnymen, and the reunited original lineup of Duran Duran.

Even one of the era's most reviled musical genres, hair metal, is enjoying a renaissance. As he slaps the manly drag makeup on again, Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider doesn't care if it pisses off his peers when he says his band's recent comeback is no more than nostalgia. "Just look at history: When I was in high school, there was a '50s revival. In the '80s, all the kids were walking around with Doors and Beatles jackets," he said, pointing out the 20-year history (re)cycle. "In the '90s, it was the '70s disco. Now, it's the 2000s, and ... hair band heaven, baby."

Even '80s artists we thought were gone for good are coming on strong. With all of his public-relations troubles and the stalling of his music career, Michael Jackson is still one of the most imitated artists today. Justin Timberlake's latest video, "I'm Lovin' It," is a direct homage to Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel" clip, down to the skinny, leggy model the singer is pursuing down a city street. Every other kid on the "Wade Robson Project" jerked their body like an extra in the "Beat It" video and VH1 is so psyched about the decade it just aired a sequel to its recent hit series called "I Love the '80s Strikes Back."

As always, new bands are looking backwards for inspiration. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and the Raveonettes worship at the altar of '80s noise pop legends the Jesus and Mary Chain, while Outkast's Andre 3000 and Big Boi channel the decade's reigning ambassador of funk, Prince, on their double album, Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below. Limp Bizkit drill deeper, sampling the Fat Boys' "Stick 'Em" on "Head for the Barricade" from Results May Vary, and No Doubt, never shy about their affection for the decade of their youth, cover the Talk Talk song "It's My Life" for their upcoming greatest-hits collection.

It seems no one can resist the pull. "I'm a '70s baby, but I'm trying to step into the '80s a little bit," Musiq recently said of his upcoming single, "Forthenight." "It has a little bit of a nice four-on-the-floor, skating-rink kind of feel-good vibe."

That roller-boogie groove was thick at one of the hottest '80s nights in New York, the weekly Berliniamsburg party at Luxx in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood. Before it shut down this summer, the event often looked like a casting call for "Valley Girl," according to frequent attendees.

The decade's signature hairstyles have come back around as well. Kelly Osbourne has single-handedly made the bi-level new wave cut cool again, while the mullet has gone from the butt of jokes to a (somewhat) legitimate hairstyle and the subject of a UPN show, "The Mullets." Rockers Cracker even toured under the name Ironic Mullet last year and just released an album of country covers inspired by those dates called Countrysides.

Fashionistas are not immune to the retro fever, either. Wide, studded belts and old-school Puma sneakers are popping up across the country and in fashion spreads, as are a disturbing celebrity cluster of Michael Jackson-inspired fedoras (Usher, Justin, Ashton Kutcher, Britney) and the always fly 1980s LL Cool J staple, the Kangol hat. Paint splattered, neon-colored clothes have shown up in two recent videos (check G-Unit's "Stunt 101" and Chingy's "Holidae In") and the brightly colored tights Valley girls used to wear under their short, tight acid-washed miniskirts (back also, as "distressed" denim)

Thanks to bands like the Strokes, the skinny tie, tight trousers and the T-shirt- with-a-suit-jacket combo are coming back around. Also hitting stores are such new wave staples as pointy-toed shoes and the early hip-hop standby, the white-on-white sneaker.

The movies are also being invaded by the day-glo decade. Gangsta epic "Scarface" was recently re-issued on DVD and shown in theaters on its 20th anniversary, and a "Fletch" remake is in the works from Kevin Smith ("Clerks"). The past year has seen return engagements from the Terminator, slashers Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger and, coming up, a Latin update of an '80s popcorn hit, "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights." The producers behind the film version of "Chicago" are working on a musical remake of the 1984 Kevin Bacon film "Footloose," and though Britney Spears was rumored to be interested in playing ultimate '80s babe Daisy Duke in a big-screen version of "The Dukes of Hazzard," her participation is just a rumor for now.

J. Lo got in on the retro-movie action earlier this year with her video for "I'm Glad," which mimicked one of the decade's cultural touchstones, "Flashdance," but the best news of all came a few weeks ago when producers announced that a sequel to one of the era's most beloved teen movies, "Sixteen Candles," was in the works. No word yet on whether Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall or Michael Schoeffling (better known as MIA hunk Jake Ryan) will participate in "32 Candles."

Broadway is not immune to a touch of nostalgia, as a musical based on the life of flamboyant Culture Club leader Boy George, "Taboo," is slated to open on the Great White Way in November.

The wayback machine has even hit the toy aisle, with those lovable, scrunchy-faced Cabbage Patch Kids recently featured in an oversized display in the Times Square Toys 'R' Us in New York. Following the recent revivals of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Strawberry Shortcake, even the Smurfs are getting an update via such newly unveiled figurines such as Techno Smurf, Hip-Hop Smurf and Laptop Smurf. And, among the toys making the official Toy Wishes magazine list of hottest holiday items for this year? Care Bears and My Little Pony, the latter discontinued in 1992 after a smash run in the '80s.

Snider isn't the only hair metal dude cashing in on the retro craze. People may not be buying their new albums, but bands like Poison and Queensrÿche are on top of the world every Monday night at the Viper Room in Los Angeles. "It's out the door, it explodes every week," said bar boss Sal Jenco of the weekly celebration of cheesy hair rock from the cover band Metal Shop.

The four-year-old theme night has gotten more and more popular over the past few years as everyone from Kiss' Paul Stanley to Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, Kelly Osbourne, JC Chasez and Slipknot's Corey Taylor have stopped by to jam or hang out with the Shop. "[The people who come] are recapturing something from their past, from happier times," said Jenco of the 400-500 patrons who make the weekly pilgrimage. "It's people from their early 20s into their 40s. It's a lot of fun, lot of hot chicks. People let their hair down, no pun intended, and have a great time and aren't too concerned with the typical Hollywood attitude."

So, whether you're rockin' the Member's Only jacket, Coogi sweater or Flock of Seagulls cassette, make sure you keep that flannel shirt, Starter jacket and baby-doll dress in the closet. Because you know the '90s rehash is just around the corner.

• Justin Timberlake
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Fountains of Wayne
Photo: S-Curve

After years of being perceived as a cult band, Fountains of Wayne are getting strong airplay with "Stacy's Mom," the first single off their new album, Welcome Interstate Managers.

True to their sardonic nature, the bandmembers credit the song's success to Rachel Hunter, the former wife of Rod Stewart and star of the "Stacy's Mom" video (see "'Your Mom's Hot!': Fountains Of Wayne Nab Rachel Hunter For Smokin'-Mama Homage").

"I think her gyrating on a kitchen counter in an S&M outfit has something to do with it," said guitarist and songwriter Adam Schlesinger without the least hint of a smile. "She's perfect for the video, because she's the right age and she is a mom and she still looks really good. She had a great sense of humor about doing it, too. She already knew Fountains of Wayne and was already a fan, so she agreed to do it."

Currently, Fountains of Wayne are in the middle of a tour opening for Matchbox Twenty. Just don't tell Schlesinger that.

"Well, really they're on tour with us, but we're letting them go last because, technically, they have a lot more fans than we do," he joked.

Although "Stacy's Mom" is still providing the coins that fill the Fountain, the band is eyeing the album opener "Mexican Wine" as the possible second single from Welcome Interstate Managers (see "Fountains Of Wayne Deliver No-Joke Rock Despite Success Of 'Stacy's Mom'"). Built around a Beatles-y melody and some whimsical lyrics, "Mexican Wine" addresses the general ennui of a society that endures mildly unpleasant events on a daily basis.

"That was my attempt to imitate the way [vocalist] Chris Collingwood usually writes," Schlesinger said. "My songs tend to be a lot more straightforward narrative, and Chris' have been more free associative. I was really jealous of his ability to write this semi-nonsense that still held together, so I tried to sit down and come up with a bunch of images that didn't make a whole lot of sense, and then say at the chorus, 'What the hell, we might as well get drunk.'"

Fountains of Wayne are awaiting approval from their label before they start discussing the track with video directors. From what little thought they've put into it so far, they've determined that it probably wouldn't be a simple shoot.

"It seems like one of those songs that can't really be literalized the way 'Stacy's Mom' was," Schlesinger said. "If you tried to create visuals line for line, it would be prohibitively expensive at the very least."

Collingwood has a suggestion for this dilemma, though it's unclear whether he's kidding or not: The only way to deal with lyrics that make no sense is to concoct a video that makes no sense.

"We have this idea of having a goat with headphones on, and he's listening to 'Mexican Wine,'" Collingwood said. "And then for the second verse, there are two goats with headphones."

• Fountains of Wayne

Fountains of Wayne
Photo: Joseph Cultice

It's hard not to chuckle over "Stacy's Mom," a song detailing one boy's unrequited love for his girlfriend's mother.

But don't let lines like "Since your dad walked out, your mom could use a guy like me," said from the perspective of a hormone-raging teen, divert from the infectious hooks and melody. There's nothing funny about this band's dedication to crafting good songs.

"I think it might be unintentionally funny," singer/guitarist Chris Collingwood said of the humor found in the single as well as the sardonic "Bright Future in Sales" and stream-of-consciousness construction "Mexican Wine," all from their latest album, Welcome Interstate Managers. "I don't think we go out of our way to make jokes. Certain situations might be humorous, but we're not like They Might Be Giants or 'Weird' Al [Yankovic]. Hopefully, it's not funny to the point of novelty."

Any fan can gladly explain that FoW are witty, sure, but also sensitive, clever, endearing and deep, often all in the same song. But that's not to say that there's nothing funny about Collingwood and his songwriting partner, multi-instrumentalist Adam Schlesinger. From their band's name, taken from (what else) an outdoor-fountain store in the North Jersey town of Wayne, to back-catalog tunes like "Laser Show," which name-checks the members of Metallica, and "Red Dragon Tattoo," in which Collingwood claims to "look a little more like that guy from Korn," FoW's cheekiness is tempered by their deft ability to reel in ears with more hooks than a macramé class.

Nowhere is this blend more apparent than in the latter portion of Welcome Interstate Managers. The song "Hackensack" is a hometown boy's heart-wrenching lament for his teenage-crush-turned-movie-star that drops Christopher Walken's name, and "Fire Island" is a coming-of-age remembrance about house parties thrown while the folks were away. Further on, the band even breaks away from its traditional power pop to venture into quirky realms, country songs and piano ballads.

"We wanted to make a very varied record," Schlesinger said, "and we're interested in a lot of different kinds of music. On this record we thought it would be fun to try all those different things rather than force ourselves to make a record that was all kind of the same thing. ... In the end, we just felt like it would end up still sounding like our band as long as it was something that we wrote and Chris was singing, and hopefully we would get away with it."

The combination of cute and clever, time-honored and relatively experimental is paying off. "Stacy's Mom," perhaps thanks to the hilarious video that features supermodel Rachel Hunter (see "'Your Mom's Hot!': Fountains of Wayne Nab Rachel Hunter For Smokin'-Mama Homage"), is the band's biggest hit single since "Radiation Vibe" from 1996's self-titled debut. And Welcome Interstate Managers has them selling more albums per week than ever before (8,000).

Success, however, hasn't barred the longtime friends and bandmates from some affable ribbing.

"Adam will be better able to tell you how 'Stacy's Mom' came about," Collingwood explained. "And if he said that he slept with my mom, that's not true. He's just still mad about the whole me-sleeping-with-his-mom thing."

• Fountains of Wayne

Bonnaroo 2007 Performances

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46th Annual Grammy Awards Green Carpet

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Fountains of Wayne Photos

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