John Mayer
Photo: Mat Szwajkos/ Getty Images

In addition to adding the two most-nominated artists of the year to the performing roster for Sunday's Grammys — Kanye West and, via satellite, Amy Winehouse — the show will also feature live sets from John Mayer and gospel great BeBe Winans. Added as presenters are Usher, Will.I.Am, Dierks Bentley, Cuba Gooding Jr., Carole King and Roselyn Sanchez. ...

Common has come up with a title for his new LP: The Believer. The Chicago legend told MTV News he hopes it will be out by November. ... Timbaland has signed a deal to release a straight-to-mobile-phone album, one track at a time over the next year. The unusual scheme hatched with Verizon Wireless, which will give its V Cast subscribers an exclusive chance to access the songs each month, according to Billboard Biz. Tim, who is up for five Grammys, will work with a different artist on each track while touring the country on the Verizon Mobile Recording Studio Bus, which will spin off making-of footage for V Cast subscribers on a dedicated Timbaland channel. Each mobile track will be released just days after it is produced in full-length download, ringtone and ringback version, and will only be available through V Cast and Verizon for $1.99. At the end of the year, a compilation album will be released through Verizon. ...

Pitbull and Baby Bash likely ran into each other at last year's Wango Tango music festival in Southern California — they both performed there — and now the two are joining forces for MTV Trés' Sucker Free Latino spring tour. The two headliners will hit 13 cities starting March 15 in Orlando, Florida, and ending April 4 in San Diego. ... Family, friends and close music-industry associates of the late Big Pun gathered in a private ceremony Thursday night at New York's Studio 450 to honor the eight-year anniversary of the Latino rapper's untimely death. Donations were made both to Pun's family and his foundation, the Christopher Rios Memorial. An attendee told MTV News that the rapper's daughter, Vanessa, paid tribute to her father with a rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You." ...

Teddy Geiger is still busy working on the follow-up to 2006's Underage Thinking — as well as his role in the upcoming flick "The Rocker" — but in the meantime the 19-year-old troubadour has launched a cell phone contest with Mozes. During the month of February, fans can leave messages for Geiger on Mozes.com, after which he'll pick one of the fans to chat with. ... Flyleaf and Seether will team up this spring for an eight-week U.S. tour that kicks off April 8 in Denver and runs through May 31 at a yet-to-be-announced city. A partial list of dates can be found at either band's Web site. ... Thrice have a busy May ahead — the SoCal rockers have a show booked for almost every night that month. The band will actually set out on tour the month before that, beginning April 16 in San Diego, and will bring it to a close May 29 in Hollywood. ...

Members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Saturday Night Live" castmembers Andy Samberg and Seth Meyers, and others turned up at New York's Webster Hall on Monday night for a party thrown by Chloë Sevigny. The actress invited legendary punks the Slits to play at the event, which celebrated Sevigny's new clothing line. ... Working for a Nuclear Free City — whose Businessmen and Ghosts album was a finalist for this year's Shortlist Music Prize — are hoping to capitalize on the success with a brief run. The Brits will hit the road February 29 in San Francisco and continue playing gigs through Austin, Texas' South by Southwest fest in mid-March. ... Still hooked on Phish? Fans can gobble up a bunch of rare items donated by the now-defunct jam heroes for an online charity auction being put on by the mother of the band's drummer, Jon Fishman. Posters signed by Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell, as well as rare Phish shirts and additional items from Oysterhead, Moe. and the String Cheese Incident. Proceeds from the auction, which ends February 21, will go to the Mimi Fishman Foundation, which raises funds for various charities. ...

Now that his Rolling Stones movie, "Shine a Light," is about to hit the big screen, legendary director Martin Scorsese is set to begin work on a yet-untitled documentary about reggae icon Bob Marley. Variety reports that the movie will be authorized by Marley's family and will be released in February 2010, on what would have been Marley's 65th birthday. ... Walt Disney Parks and Resorts are creating a live-performance attraction based on "American Idol" at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park in Florida. The yet-unnamed attraction, which should open this year, will allow budding singers to "audition" on an "Idol"-like set in front of an audience of 1,000, with a daily winner getting a pass to the show's regional auditions. Visitors will be able to pick their song beforehand, rehearse in a sound booth and, if they pass the audition, work with a vocal coach before performing in front of the live audience and a panel of judges during one of the seven daily shows. ...

Republican presidential candidate John McCain might have a lot of independent-minded supporters, but heartland rocker John Mellencamp ain't one of 'em. The Arizona senator and Republican front-runner stopped playing the unabashedly liberal Indiana singer/songwriter's "Our Country" at his campaign events after Mellencamp's publicist sent a letter questioning the logic of using the tune, according to The Associated Press. "Are you sure you want to use his music to promote Senator McCain's efforts?" read a letter sent to the candidate's campaign on Monday. "Logic says that the facts might prove to be an embarrassment, were they to be circulated widely." The McCain camp said Thursday that the song, and a few others by Mellencamp, would no longer be played at events. Mellencamp publicist Bob Merlis told AP that the situation made Mellencamp uncomfortable and that he couldn't imagine McCain would want to be associated with him. "You know, here's a guy running around saying, 'I'm a true conservative,' " Merlis said. "Well, if you're such a true conservative, why are you playing songs that have a very populist pro-labor message written by a guy who would find no argument if you characterized him as left of center?" ...

Billy Joel will be the last artist to play New York's Shea Stadium before it's torn down. The piano man will perform at "The Last Play at Shea, From the Beatles to Billy" on July 16, during the New York Mets' final season before moving to Citi Field in 2009. The show will make Joel the only artist to have played both Yankee and Shea Stadiums.

2.7.08

Lindsay Lohan just spoke publicly for the first time since leaving rehab in early October — she gave an interview to the U.K. edition of Glamour for its new cover story — but the starlet has more to say. She told Harper's Bazaar for its own LiLo cover story that she'd like to have a low-key relationship, that she's trying to smoke cigarettes less often and that she's "always been a homebody." She also spilled who she would like to make music with next — "I'd love to work with Timbaland. I'd love to work with Kanye West, 50 Cent if I could" — and admitted, "When I look back on this last year, it's like, what was I thinking?" Harper's Bazaar's March issue, in which the story appears, hits stands February 19. ...

Christina Aguilera just made her first public appearance this week since giving birth in January, and now comes news that the singer is already digging into her next album. "This whole incredible thing has taken place in my life," the new mom recently told Ryan Seacrest on his radio show, so there's "so much in me to write about. The next record, I want to have a lot of fun with it. [I've been] brainstorming for the last nine months. This next album will have a whole new me, a different me, so it's a lot to look forward to." She also spoke about her son, Max Liron Bratman — "he's constantly changing, and doing these incredibly cute things and stinky things" — and even touched on Paris Hilton spilling the beans about Aguilera's pregnancy during VMA weekend last year. "It was funny," Aguilera said, taking the high road. "We all looked at each and laughed it off. She did it in a sweet way. It wasn't a tattle-on-me sort of thing." ...

Britney Spears' father, Jamie, had previously been granted temporary conservatorship powers over the singer for a week, during which time it was expected when the powers were granted that she would be in the hospital. Now that she's out, some legal questions were raised in court Thursday (February 7) when Spears' co-conservator, Andrew Wallet, and the attorneys for the conservatorship appeared for an emergency ex parte hearing. Since the hearing was closed and the court documents were sealed, according to a court clerk, no one could say what happened in the hearing. But Adam Streisand, who tried to represent the singer at a previous hearing, only to be ejected from the court, was definitely not present on the singer's behalf, since prior to the hearing, his firm released a statement that he "has decided he will not represent her at this time." Streisand met with Britney Spears on Wednesday "to discuss her legal rights in connection with the conservatorship over her person and estate," but following the meeting, he learned that there was a court order preventing the singer from retaining counsel of her own choosing. ... Despite all Britney Spears' troubles, she still has Danjahandz on her side. The producer recently told MTV News that he'd like to hook up with the singer in the future. "I would work with her again. Hopefully she'll get better," he said, admitting that he hadn't heard of her recent hospitalization. "I definitely have ideas [of] what I would do with her." ...

As had been previously rumored, when Beyoncé takes the stage at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night, she'll be joined by none other than reclusive rock legend Tina Turner, the Recording Academy has announced. Other additions to the show's lineup included Kid Rock, who will perform, as well as presenters Akon, Nelly Furtado, Prince, Jason Bateman, Tony Bennett, Cher, Tom Hanks, Quincy Jones, Joe Mantegna, Ringo Starr, Dave Stewart and Stevie Wonder. ...

Can't remember the last time you bought a CD single? Well, here's a reason to consider picking one up: Ashlee Simpson will meet fans and sign copies of her new "Outta My Head" single February 14 at a Walmart in Dallas. ... Sevendust have a friend in ... Chris Daughtry? Yup, it's true: The Daughtry frontman recently teamed with the hard-rockers to chip in a guest vocal for the band's new song "The Past." The track will be included on Sevendust's April 1 LP, Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow, which will also feature contributions from Alter Bridge's Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy. ... This year's South by Southwest festival just got a little more hip-hop-friendly. Ice Cube and N.E.R.D. have hopped onto the sprawling roster for the Austin, Texas, shindig, which will go down March 12-16. ... The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund — a group that helps career musicians in need — is putting up for auction an original Clash T-shirt printed by bassist Paul Simonon. The item will be up for bidding on eBay for 10 days starting Saturday. As MTV News reported late last year, Simonon originally gave the shirt to punk poet Patti Smith 30 years ago, and after she passed it to her drummer, Jay Dee Daughtery, he in turn donated it to Sweet Relief — but the group was not able to raffle the tee because of sweepstakes laws. ...

Don't believe those stories about how infighting and personal disputes are the reason the Spice Girls have canceled most of the remaining dates of their reunion tour. Trying to combat the rumors, the Girls posted a one-minute apology video to fans on their Web site on Wednesday, reiterating that the decision to cancel shows in China, South Africa, Australia and Argentina was due to "family and personal commitments." In the video, Mel C explains: "There has been a lot of rubbish in the media over the last few days, so we wanted you to hear it from the horse's mouth. We're very sorry not to be able to get to all the places we really, really wanted to get to." Several members say that the tour went a month longer than they had actually intended when they first announced the reunion last year. Victoria Beckham adds, "Our kids need to go back to school, and we always said our families are our priorities. So we want to thank all our fans. Sorry we haven't got to see everybody." The singers then get into a mock fight before Mel B screams, "We hate each other? Are you kidding? We love each other!" ...

A star-studded gala organized by Madonna at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday night to benefit sick and poor children around the world raised $3.7 million. Hosted by Chris Rock, the $2,500-to-$10,000-a-plate dinner and live auction attracted guests Drew Barrymore, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Dita Von Teese, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Amy Adams, Brooke Shields and Salma Hayek. But, according to The Associated Press, the event also made some officials, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, a bit uncomfortable with its mix of charity and commercial promotion. The event was paid for by luxury-goods maker Gucci, which used the occasion to promote the opening of its flagship store in New York's Manhattan borough on Friday and put its logo along with UNICEF's behind the walkway on the red carpet. Rihanna, Timbaland and Alicia Keys performed at the event. The night's most expensive auction item was a $600,000 bid to tour with Madonna and take a dance class with her and Gwyneth Paltrow. ...

Eva Mendes left rehab briefly on Thursday. "Eva is attending to some personal business in Los Angeles and intends to return to complete her treatment shortly," a representative for the actress who was not named told TMZ.com. ... Having conquered the reality-TV world, Public Enemy court jester Flavor Flav has signed on to try his hand at scripted comedy. The sometime rapper will star in a new half-hour comedy series on MyNetworkTV called "Under One Roof," which creators call a classic "fish-out-of-water" story. In the show, for which 13 episodes have been ordered, Flav will play Calvester Hill, a former convict who moves in with his wealthy, conservative brother and, predictably, wreaks havoc by parading his old prison cronies through the house, teaching his nephew to be a gangsta rapper and butting heads with Walter's uptight wife, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series is slated to launch in the spring.

• 2008 Grammy Awards Performers And Presenters
• 2008 Grammy Award Nominees: Akon, Fergie, T.I., More
• Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, More At The In Style And Grammy Salute To Fashion

• John Mayer
• Timbaland
• Usher
• Will.I.Am
• Kanye West

Lloyd Banks' <i>Rotten Apple</i>
Photo: G-Unit Records

Spoiling the Barrel: Lloyd Banks has a friend in 50 Cent — there's no questioning that, given the three guest appearances he makes on Banks' Rotten Apple. Fellow G-Unit members Tony Yayo and Young Buck also crop up on Banks' sophomore set. But plenty of other singers take a bite out of the Apple as well: Rakim ("Dollar Bill"), Scarface ("Iceman"), Musiq Soulchild ("Addicted") and Mobb Deep ("Get Clapped"). And if you want another dose of G-Unit, don't miss Kev Samples' The Rush, a mixtape issued in conjunction with DJ Whoo Kid. The Death of R&B is just a preview of the upcoming LP debut by the singer, but it holds its own with guest spots by Jamie Foxx, T-Paine and Ray J.

Ted's Excellent Adventure: Subtitled "Look Where We Are Now," the special edition re-release of Teddy Geiger's Underage Thinking has much to flaunt. Tacked onto the end of the CD are eight extra songs: five demos, two remixes and an additional track, "As We Get Older." There's also a bonus DVD attached, and it's packed with videos for "For You I Will (Confidence)" and "These Walls," plus day-in-the-life footage, photos and a scrapbook.

Take a Bite: Their theme song "Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)" came and went along with the crash-and-burn Samuel L. Jackson novelty flick, but now Cobra Starship properly launch their career with While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets. A near-fatal snake bite that Uruguay-born frontman Gabe Saporta suffered in the Arizona desert nearly did him in, which inspired the band's moniker. Some of the venom might still be running through his veins, what with tracks titled "Being From Jersey Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry," "Ballad of Big Poppa and Diamond Girl" and "Church of Hot Addiction."

With next-generation metal mavens Lamb of God and Mastodon scraping the ceiling of the Billboard albums chart in recent months, Trivium might make a splash with their junior effort, The Crusade. The Orlando, Florida, posse recall Megadeth and other thrashers throughout the effort, which includes the nine-minute instrumental title track "To the Rats" and the opening tracks "Ignition" and "Detonation." Just don't be turned off by the Molly Hatchet-like cover art.

Let the Eagles Soar: While it had been reported that Eagles of Death Metal's debut DVD would be called "Death by DVD" — a play off their latest CD, Death by Sexy — it looks like the Eagles have landed a different name: "DVD by Sexy." Directed by Liam Lynch — who sat behind the camera for Eagles amigos Tenacious D ("The Pick of Destiny") and Sarah Silverman ("Jesus Is Magic") — the set is littered with rehearsal footage, five live performances and videos featuring Jack Black, Dave Grohl and more.

Road Trip: New music from across North America hits stores every Tuesday, but this week we're bothering to make a stink about it. The journey starts in Chicago, where the Baldwin Brothers have tapped Mark Lanegan and members of the Bellrays and Lo Fidelity Allstars for their second LP, The Return of the Golden Rhodes. The so-called "junk-tronica" act closes out its lounge-oriented effort with a ballad, "The Party's Over," which features Lanegan.

In the meantime, avant-pop artists Chin Up Chin Up are also serving up their second release, This Harness Can't Ride Anything. Frontman Jeremy Bolen hops into the saddle to dish about animals, Minnesota and breasts, on songs like "Blankets Like Beavers" and "I Need a Friend With a Boat." Thrill Jockey pop experimentalists Califone and Pit Er Pat also ante up with new CDs — Roots and Crowns and Pyramids, respectively — but as far as Chicago goes, this week really belongs to Bloodshot Records. After 12 years, the label is taking stock of its rootsy, bar-friendly indie acts with its first-ever DVD, "Bloodied but Unbowed: Bloodshot Records - Life in the Trenches." It scans through videos by Ryan Adams, Alejandro Escovedo and the Old 97's and hangs with others in a series of bonus features.

Venture next up to Toronto, where newbies Tokyo Police Club are building heavy buzz amid stints opening for Art Brut, Enon and Polyphonic Spree. Their debut LP, A Lesson in Crime, runs just 16 minutes in length but has been drawing raves from indie-rock musos. While you're in Hogtown, don't miss F---ed Up: The punks might sound a bit conventional, but they've been drawing raves from fellow Canadians the Arcade Fire. (Arcade Fire's violinist, Owen Pallett, a.k.a. Polaris Music Prize-winner Final Fantasy, contributes to FU's Hidden World.) The band's frontman is schizophrenic and cuts his face with razors, its rhythm guitarist is a transient, the lead guitarist raises chickens, and their manager refuses to see them perform. Isn't that reason enough?

Hop across the border to Buffalo, New York, where rockers This Day & Age are dropping The Bell and the Hammer. Produced by Ed Rose (Motion City Soundtrack, the Get Up Kids) and the band, its second release seems to have sprouted feet, what with tracks like "More of a Climb, Less of a Walk" and "Walking Contradictions." Trot a bit further down the state to the Big Apple, where Lower Manhattan-ites Chavez are taking a look back with Better Days Will Haunt You. The guitar-heavy band bundles its only two albums — 1995's Gone Glimmering and the following year's Ride the Fader — along with B-sides, compilation tracks and an unreleased cut. A DVD with a tour doc, promo clips and Easter eggs seals the deal.

Drift over to Beantown for a spell, where Protokoll were nominated for four Boston Music Awards — but, alas, didn't win any. The band self-released its eponymous EP in August 2005, but it's finally getting a proper release through IHeartComix. Ellis Paul — who's scooped up 13 BMAs over the years — is being celebrated with the self-explanatory Essentials. The two-disc set also has two new songs by the philosophical troubadour.

Head south and pass by NYC, where you'll find Bitch stepping away from her Ani DiFranco project Bitch and Animal to put out a disc of her own. She plucks away at a ukulele, bass and electric violin on Make This/ Break This — and makes an appearance in John Cameron Mitchell's new flick, "Shortbus." And then head to Long Island Shores with singer/songwriter Mindy Smith as she celebrates the Smithtown 'burb she grew up in. Her sophomore set was co-produced by Smith and longstanding Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt collaborator Steve Buckingham.

Continue south. First you'll hit Philadelphia, where metal marauders Passion blast censorship on The Fierce Urgency of Now, and after that, camp out in Washington, D.C., since there's some action there. Joe Lally has corralled Fugazi partners Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, Scott "Wino" Weinrich and members of the Hot Snakes and Rites of Spring for Ingleside Terrace, a solo LP he's releasing under the name French Toast. In the meantime, the Drugstore Cowboys whittle down pop, crunk and hardcore into a unique blend for the long-winded Chapter 3006 of Dance Moves for the Apocalypse: If Octomaiden Was a Diabetic Joykill Addict.

Skip past Virginia and hit North Carolina, where Chapel Hill stalwarts Portastatic are still tearing it up. Laura Cantrell, Annie Hayden and Peter Holsapple guest on Be Still Please, which features "I'm in Love (With Arthur Dove)," a song devoted to the American abstract painter. Eric Bachmann — the centrifugal force behind Chapel Hill crews Archers of Loaf and Crooked Fingers — arranged the strings and horns for Micah P. Hinson and the Opera Circuit. Hinson, who was brought up in a Christian fundamentalist household in Memphis, Tennessee, reflects on dating a Vogue cover model, going bankrupt and overcoming drug problems. One of the best-known Tennessee singers of all, Dolly Parton, finds her three recent bluegrass albums combined into The Acoustic Collection 1999-2002, a box set that also features a DVD. Don't miss the clip of Norah Jones singing with Parton.

Skulk around the South and you'll find Augusta, Georgia, rising folk star Josh Kelly delivering his third LP, Just Say the Word. Over in Athens, the New Sound of Numbers get a boost from the Elephant 6 collective — Olivia Tremor Control's John Fernandes in particular — to help them scatter their Liberty Seeds. Florida's Sister Hazel get a hand from Shawn Mullins and songwriter Richard Marx for their LP Absolutely, while further west, Austin, Texas' the Lovely Sparrows fuse folk with Latin sounds on their debut EP, Pulling Up Floors, Pouring on (New) Paint. And Texas-born punk-rocker Jason Bayless picked up a camera to document Hawthorne Heights, Silverstein, NOFX and others on the Warped Tour, footage that's been compiled as "Wake Up Screaming."

Go all the way west to Long Beach, California, where I Am Ghost — recruited by Brett Gurewitz of Warped Tour regulars Bad Religion — are releasing their debut, Lovers' Requiem. Make a beeline for the north, where eclectic singer/songwriter Tommy Guerrero is stirring it up in the Bay Area with From the Soil to the Soul, which features local rapper Lyrics Born. Up in Seattle, the Blood Brothers are setting forth their fifth LP, Young Machetes, which was co-produced by the aforementioned Guy Picciotto. Also in that city — where the trek comes to a close — Crooked Fingers member Barbara Trentalange has compiled a Photo Album of Complex Relationships, with other members of her band lending support; Damien Jurado ushers in And Now That I'm in Your Shadow; and These Arms Are Snakes sing about "Child Chicken Play," "Hell's Bank Notes" and "Abracadabra" for Easter. And last but not least, Washington state heroes the Melvins live on with (A) Senile Animal, which features Big Business backing them. How's the odometer lookin'?

Song Title of the Week:

"Tomorrow Will Not Be Another Day" from Robert Pollard's Normal Happiness

Other Notables:

Robert Randolph & the Family Band's Colorblind: Dave Matthews lends his pipes to "Love Is the Only Way" and Eric Clapton his guitar prowess to a cover of the Doobie Brothers' "Jesus Is Just Alright" on the latest output by the lauded pedal-steel guitarist. Randolph was nominated for a Grammy the last time around, for Unclassified — maybe Colorblind will result in greater spoils.

120 Days' 120 Days: Purported to be the first Norwegian band to sign directly to an American label, the Vice artists were originally called the Beautiful People but changed their name after performing at Reading, Leeds and other major European fests. Their guitar-fueled brand of electronic music draws comparisons to Primal Scream and Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music, and 120 Days' maiden release boasts "Sleepwalking," "Sleepless Night #3" and "Be Mine."

Nikki Sudden's The Truth Doesn't Matter: The troubled troubadour passed away in March during his U.S. tour, mere days after his final studio album and autobiography were completed. Sudden actually recorded the 15 tracks — including "Gin Palace (Jordan's Dragoons)," "Beyond Hope" and "All This Buttoning and Unbuttoning" in Berlin late last year.

New Releases:

• 120 Days - 120 Days (Vice)
  
• A Static Lullaby - A Static Lullaby (Fearless)
  Buy Now: A Static Lullaby (Fearless)
  
• The Aquarium - The Aquarium (Dischord)
  
• Baldwin Brothers - The Return of the Golden Rhodes (TVT)
  Buy Now: The Return of the Golden Rhodes (TVT)
  
• The Be Good Tanyas - Hello Love (Nettwerk)
  
• Bitch - Make This/ Break This (Kill Rock Stars)
  
• Blood Brothers - Young Machetes (V2)
  Read: "Blood Brothers Chop It Up About Machetes, Brace For Trail Of Dead Tour"
  Buy Now: Young Machetes (V2)
  
• Buffalo Killers - Buffalo Killers (Alive)
  
• Jimmy Buffett - Take the Weather With You (RCA)
  Buy Now: Take the Weather With You (RCA)
  
• Califone - Roots and Crowns (Thrill Jockey)
  
• Chavez - Better Days Will Haunt You (Matador)
  Buy Now: Better Days Will Haunt You (Matador)
  
• Chin Up Chin Up - This Harness Can't Ride Anything (Suicide Squeeze)
  
• Circle II Circle - Burden of Truth (Locomotive)
  
• Lloyd Cole - Antidepressant (One Little Indian)
  Buy Now: Antidepressant (One Little Indian)
  
• Cobra Starship - While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets (Decaydence)
  Read: "Cobra Starship Owe Success To Talking Snake From The Future"
  Buy Now: While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets (Decaydence)
  
• Cold War Kids - Robbers & Cowards (Downtown)
  
• J.D. Crowe & the New South - Lefty's Old Guitar (Rounder)
  
• Deep Fried Funk Brothers - Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire (SMC)
  
• Doxies - In Search Of ... (Co-Opt)
  
• Drugstore Cowboys - Chapter 3006 of Dance Moves for the Apocalypse: If Octomaiden Was a Diabetic Joykill Addict (Lujo)
  
• Kyle Eastwood - Now (Rendezvous)
  
• El Goodo - El Goodo (Empyrean)
  
• Five.Bolt.Main - Live (Rock Ridge)
  
• French Toast - Ingleside Terrace (Dischord)
  
• F---ed Up - Hidden World (Jade Tree)
  
• Teddy Geiger - Underage Thinking (special-edition re-release with demo bonus tracks and DVD; Columbia)
  Read: "Teddy Geiger Milks 'Fat Cows' For Underage Re-Release"
  Buy Now: Underage Thinking (Columbia)
  
• Cedric Gervais - Experiment (Ultra)
  
• Gothic Archies - The Tragic Treasury: Songs From a Series of Unfortunate Events (Nonesuch)
  
• Grave Digger - Yesterday (EP; Locomotive)
  
• Tommy Guerrero - From the Soil to the Soul (Quannum)
  Buy Now: From the Soil to the Soul (Quannum)
  
• Wayne "The Train" Hancock - Tulsa (Bloodshot)
  
• Micah P. Hinson - Micah P. Hinson and the Opera Circuit (Jade Tree)
  
• Hybrid - I Choose Noise (with bonus DVD; Distinctive)
  Buy Now: I Choose Noise (Distinctive)
  
• Hymns - Brother/Sister (Rock Ridge)
  
• I Am Ghost - Lovers' Requiem (Epitaph)
  
• Shooter Jennings - Live at Irving Plaza 4.18.06 (Universal South)
  Buy Now: Live at Irving Plaza 4.18.06 (Universal South)
  
• Damien Jurado - And Now That I'm in Your Shadow (Secretly Canadian)
  Buy Now: And Now That I'm in Your Shadow (Secretly Canadian)
  
• Josh Kelley - Just Say the Word (Icon)
  Buy Now: Just Say the Word (Icon)
  
• Jess Klein - City Garden (United Opportunity)
  
• Know the Score - All Time Low (Eulogy)
  
• Kultur Shock - We Came to Take Your Jobs Away (Koolarrow)
  
• Joe Lally - There to Here (Dischord)
  
• Ali Lohan - Lohan Holiday (YMC)
  
• Lost Immigrants - Waiting on Judgement Day (Palo Duro)
  
• Lovely Sparrows - Pulling Up Floors, Pouring on (New) Paint (EP; Abandoned Love)
  
• Moanin' Michelle Malone - Sugarfoot (Valley)
  
• Natalie MacMaster - Yours Truly (Rounder)
  Buy Now: Yours Truly (Rounder)
  
• Melvins - (A) Senile Animal (Ipecac)
  Buy Now: (A) Senile Animal (Ipecac)
  
• The Memory Band - Apron Strings (Discristina Stair)
  
• Bette Midler - Cool Yule (Columbia)
  Buy Now: Cool Yule (Columbia)
  
• The New Sound of Numbers - Liberty Seeds (Cloud)
  
• Owusu & Hannibal - Living With ... (Ubiquity)
  
• Oxford Collapse - Remember the Night Parties (Sub Pop)
  
• Brad Paisley - A Brad Paisley Christmas (Arista)
  Buy Now: Brad Paisley (A Brad Paisley Christmas)
  
• Passion - The Fierce Urgency of Now (Goodfellow)
  
• Pernice Brothers - Live a Little (Ashmont)
  Buy Now: Live a Little (Ashmont)
  
• Pilot Scott Tracy - We Cut Loose! (Alternative Tentacles)
  
• Pit Er Pat - Pyramids (Thrill Jockey)
  
• Robert Pollard - Normal Happiness (Merge)
  Buy Now: Normal Happiness (Merge)
  
• Portastatic - Be Still Please (Merge)
  
• Protokoll - Protokoll (EP; IHeartComix)
  
• Robert Randolph & the Family Band - Colorblind (Warner Bros.)
  
• Sammie - Sammie (Motown)
  Buy Now: Sammie (Motown)
  
• Kev Samples - The Rush (Titan/Pyramid)
  
• Emmanuel Santarromana - Fab 4 Ever (Pschent/Wagram)
  
• Senses Fail - Still Searching (deluxe edition comes with DVD; Vagrant)
  Read: "Senses Fail Frontman Says Depression, Anxiety Made New LP Better"
  Buy Now: Still Searching (Vagrant)
  
• Sister Hazel - Absolutely (Adrenaline)
  Buy Now: Absolutely (Adrenaline)
  
• Slowtrainsoul - Santimanitay (Quango)
  
• Mindy Smith - Long Island Shores (Vanguard)
  Buy Now: Long Island Shores (Vanguard)
  
• Spider and the Webs - Frozen Roses (EP; K)
  
• Rod Stewart - Still the Same ... Great Rock Classics of Our Time (J)
  Buy Now: Still the Same ... Great Rock Classics of Our Time (J)
  
• Sting - Songs From the Labyrinth (Deutsche Grammophon)
  Buy Now: Songs From the Labyrinth (Deutsche Grammophon)
  
• Nikki Sudden - The Truth Doesn't Matter (Secretly Canadian)
  
• Trent Summar & the New Row Mob - Horseshoes and Hand Grenades (Palo Duro)
  
• Sybarite - Cut Out Shape (Temporary Residence)
  
• James Taylor - James Taylor at Christmas (Columbia)
  Buy Now: James Taylor at Christmas (Columbia)
  
• These Arms Are Snakes - Easter (Jade Tree)
  Buy Now: Easter (Jade Tree)
  
• Third Day - Christmas Offerings (Essential)
  Buy Now: Christmas Offerings (Essential)
  
• This Day & Age - The Bell and the Hammer (One Eleven)
  
• Barbara Trentalange - Photo Album of Complex Relationships (Coco Tauro)
  
• Trivium - The Crusade (Roadrunner)
  Buy Now: The Crusade (Roadrunner)
  
• Victory - Fuel to the Fire (Locomotive)
  
• Tom Wurth - Tom Wurth (Aspirion)
  
• Wynonna - A Classic Christmas (Curb)
  Buy Now: A Classic Christmas (Curb)
  
• Young Quon - Doin It ... Movin (Suave House 2)
  
• Various artists - Radio Disney Party Jams (Disney)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Burt Bacharach & Friends - Gold (Hip-O)
  
• Jeff Beck - Beck-Ola and Truth (Epic/Legacy)
  
• Chavez - Better Days Will Haunt You (two CDs and one DVD; Matador)
  
• The Cure - Head on the Door, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me and The Top (Rhino)
  Buy Now: Head on the Door, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me and The Top (Rhino)
  
• Roger Daltrey - Gold (two CDs; Hip-O)
  
• Charlie Gracie - The Best of Charlie Gracie: Cameo Parkway 1956-1958 (ABKCO)
  
• Elton John - Elton John's Christmas Party (Hip-O)
  Buy Now: Elton John's Christmas Party (Hip-O)
  
• Kiss - 20th Century Masters: The Best of Kiss - Millennium Collection, Volume 3 (Island)
  Buy Now: 20th Century Masters: The Best of Kiss - Millennium Collection, Volume 3 (Island)
  
• Eartha Kitt - She's So Good (ASV Living Era)
  
• Ali Lohan - Lohan Christmas (UMe)
  
• Barry Manilow - Barry Manilow I, One Voice and This One's for You (Arista/Legacy)
  
• Mobb Deep - Life of the Infamous: The Best of Mobb Deep (Loud/Legacy)
  Buy Now: Life of the Infamous: The Best of Mobb Deep (Loud/Legacy)
  
• Anne-Sophie Mutter - Simply Anne-Sophie (Deutsche Grammophon)
  
• Dolly Parton - The Acoustic Collection 1999-2002 (box set with three CDs and one DVD; Sugar Hill)
  
• Andy Partridge - Fuzzy Warbles Collector's Album (box set; Ape House)
  
• Ellis Paul - Essentials (two CDs; Philo)
  
• Righteous Brothers - 20th Century Masters: The Best of the Righteous Brothers - Millennium Collection (Polydor)
  
• Andreas Scholl - The Best of Andreas Scholl (Decca)
  
• Unwritten Law - 20th Century Masters: The Best of Unwritten Law - Millennium Collection (Interscope)
  Buy Now: 20th Century Masters: The Best of Unwritten Law - Millennium Collection (Interscope)
  
• Spanky Wilson & the Quantic Soul Orchestra - I'm Thankful (Ubiquity/Tru Thoughts)
  
• Betty Wright - I Love the Way You Love Me (Water)
  
• Rob Zombie - 20th Century Masters: The Best of Rob Zombie - Millennium Collection (Geffen)
  Buy Now: 20th Century Masters: The Best of Rob Zombie - Millennium Collection (Geffen)
  
• Various artists - Around the World for Lovers (Verve)
  
• Various artists - How Cool Is That Chrismas? (Epic)
  
• Various artists - Now That's What I Call Christmas! 3 (BMG Strategic Marketing)
  
• Various artists - "American Hardcore - The History of American Punk Rock (1980-1986)" soundtrack (Rhino)
  Read: "Think You Know Punk Rock? Hardcore Vets Recall Real Blood-And-Sweat Years"

Music DVDs:

• Eagles of Death Metal - "DVD by Sexy" (Downtown)
  
• Fairport Convention - "35th Anniversary Concert" (Music Video Distributors)
  
• Nuclear Assault - "Louder Harder Faster" (Screaming Ferret)
  
• Barre Phillips - "Live in Vienna" (Music Video Distributors)
  
• Porcupine Tree - "Arriving Somewhere" (two DVDs; Snapper)
  
• Rufus Reid - "Live in Vienna" (Music Video Distributors)
  
• Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. - "Tupac vs. Biggie: The Legacy Continues" (two DVDs; Music Video Distributors)
  
• U.K. Subs - "Warhead: 25th Anniversary Marquee Concert" (Music Video Distributors)
  
• Barry White - "Live in Europe 1975" (Hudson Street)
  
• Various artists - "Bloodied but Unbowed: Bloodshot Records - Life in the Trenches" (Bloodshot)
  
• Various artists - "Wake Up Screaming: Vans Warped Tour Documentary" (Music Video Distributors)

Coming Attractions:

October 17:

• C-Murder - The Tru Story ... Continued (limited-edition version with DVD and bonus tracks; Koch)
  Preorder: The Tru Story ... Continued (Koch)
  
• Glenn Danzig - Black Aria II (Megaforce)
  Read: "Glenn Danzig Preps 'Final' Tour, Film, Box Set And, Uh, Dolls"
  Preorder: Black Aria II (Megaforce)
  
• Xzibit - Full Circle (Koch)
  Read: "Xzibit's An Indie Rapper Again, With Game And Quik In Tow"
  Preorder: Full Circle (Koch)
  

October 24:

• My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade (Reprise)
  Read: "My Chemical Romance Unveil Black Parade Track List, Album Art"
  Preorder: The Black Parade (Reprise)
  
• Sparta - Threes (Hollywood)
  Read: "Sparta Return With New LP, Outlook, Tour — And No Need For 'Hipster Points' "
  Preorder: Threes (Hollywood)
  
• Various artists - "The Nightmare Before Christmas" soundtrack (special two-CD edition; Disney)
  Read: "Fall Out Boy, Panic, Marilyn Manson Add To New 'Nightmare Before Christmas' Soundtrack"

October 31:

• Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist (Maverick)
  Read: "Deftones Plan Tour With Deadsy Before LP Drops On Halloween"
  Preorder: Saturday Night Wrist (Maverick)
  
• Lady Sovereign - Public Warning (Def Jam)
  Preorder: Public Warning (Def Jam)
  
• Kevin Federline - Playing With Fire (Reincarnate)
  Read: "Federline Moving Songs From The Lab To Clubs For Testing"
  Preorder: Playing With Fire (Reincarnate)
  

• Lloyd Banks
• Teddy Geiger
• Cobra Starship
• Trivium
• Mobb Deep

Teddy Geiger
Photo: Peter Kramer/ Getty Images

Teddy Geiger had quite the rock-star moment recently.

While filming his "These Walls" video in late July, the singer/songwriter got a last-minute invitation to appear on "America's Got Talent." Since he was shooting outside of Los Angeles, a helicopter was sent to pick him up.

"It was my first helicopter ride, second video shoot," Geiger recalled fondly. "Times like that, you definitely say, 'What am I doing here?' "

Perhaps another one of those times was his 18th birthday a couple of weeks ago, when Geiger celebrated by debuting the "Walls" video on "TRL."

"We shot it in a desert area," Geiger said of the Marc Webb-directed clip, which has been a staple on the countdown ever since. "It was nice and pretty but a couple of very hot days."

"These Walls" is the follow-up to Geiger's breakthrough single, "For You I Will (Confidence)," and the second single from his debut, Underage Thinking (see "Teddy Geiger Swings From 'Monkey' To Letterman To Levi's Ad").

Geiger said he's re-releasing the album October 10 with demos he wrote before he was signed, including one he penned when he was just 10 years old called "Amazingly Fat Cows." "It's a hidden track, though, so you'll have to search," he said.

In the meantime, Geiger has launched a fall tour with Holly Brook and Alexa Ray Joel sponsored in part by Seventeen magazine, which just made Geiger the first guy to grace its cover in five years. (That cover also doubles as a backstage pass throughout the tour.)

"This was my first kind-of big cover deal, so there was a lot of stuff I still felt awkward about," the singer said.

While on the road, Geiger will work out some ideas for his next album.

"I have a little portable studio set up," he said. "I've demoed maybe 40 songs since the last album came out, and I have just kind of been going at it on the road. I definitely want to get on [the second album] soon, but the more time in between, the more material I'll have."

Teddy Geiger tour dates, according to Columbia Records:

• 9/27 - Boise, ID @ Big Easy
• 9/28 - Yakima, WA @ Central Washington State Fair at State Fair Park
• 9/29 - Monterey, CA @ Monterey County Fairgrounds
• 9/30 - Las Vegas, NV @ Clark County Amphitheatre
• 10/2 - Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
• 10/3 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
• 10/5 - West Hollywood, CA @ The Troubadour
• 10/6 - Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort
• 10/7 - Murphys, CA @ Ironstone Vineyards
• 10/10 - Vienna, VA @ Jammin' Java
• 10/11 - Levittown, NY @ Ritual
• 10/13 - Park City, UT @ Eccles Center for the Performing Arts
• 10/14 - Palmdale, CA @ Fall Festival
• 10/17 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
• 10/18 - Chicago, IL @ Schubas
• 10/19 - Cincinnati, OH @ TBA
• 10/21 - Melbourne, FL @ Maxwell C. King Center
• 10/22 - Orlando, FL @ Back Booth
• 10/23 - Gainesville, FL @ Common Grounds
• 10/25 - Jacksonville, FL @ Freebird Live
• 10/26 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Centennial Square
• 10/27 - St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre
• 10/29 - Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
• 11/1 - Columbia, SC @ University of South Carolina
• 11/2 - Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre
• 11/4 - Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock Cafe
• 11/8 - Montreal, QC @ Metropolis

• Teddy Geiger

Teddy Geiger
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images

Teddy Geiger titled his debut album Underage Thinking, so he's obviously comfortable with poking fun at his age. Still, the 17-year-old never dreamed one of his favorite funnymen would do the same.

"He made a joke about me, and I was like, 'David Letterman just made a joke about me. That's so awesome,' " Geiger said of his recent visit to "The Late Show." "He kept making fun of my age the entire time, and so when he introduced me to play, he was like, 'Ladies and gentlemen, Teddy Geiger, and he's going to be performing "The Wheels on the Bus." ' "

Geiger was actually on the show to perform "For You I Will (Confidence)," his breakthrough "TRL" hit. And between the song and Geiger's role as a budding singer/songwriter on "Love Monkey," he's become quite the buzz act this spring.

The show, which stars Tom Cavanagh of "Ed," only lasted a few weeks on CBS (despite positive reviews), but VH1 recently announced it will air the rest of the season.

"I had a great experience on the whole thing," Geiger said. "And I still go to shows and people will be like, 'Hey, I first heard you on "Love Monkey." ' That's definitely when you know it was worth it, because there are people coming out to shows and people listening to the album who wouldn't have if I hadn't done the show."

In fact, the song Geiger is releasing as his second single, "These Walls," was one he debuted on the show.

"It's the one other song on the album that's kind of the same idea as 'For You I Will,' " he said. "It's very much about getting yourself together and trying to go out there and do something that you really don't think you can."

Geiger's currently looking at treatments but has yet to decide on a video concept. He's already vetoed one, though — his own.

"In the lyrics it says, 'Everybody tries to put some love on the line,' so I came up with the idea of a contest where people are trying to balance hearts on wires," he said. "It's ridiculous. That's just my brain. Sorry."

Geiger is wrapping up a Midwestern trek with Dirtie Blonde and hopes to hit the radio-festival circuit this summer. He's already written 30 songs since finishing Underage Thinking and will keep writing on the road.

"I try not to write two songs about the same thing, although on occasion it happens, so I guess it kinda helps to change stuff up. It puts me in a different spot to work on something that sounds different and feels different and is different."

Geiger is reading scripts, as well, and plans to get back into acting sometime. "I definitely have always been interested in film and working in that, and I never actually thought that I'd be able to do it," he said.

He's also signed up to model the new Levi's RedWire Jean. "It actually has a little pocket made for iPods," he said. "It's a pretty cool little device."

On top of all that, Geiger is finishing his senior year of high school.

"I would have gone to college for something music-business-related or production-related, but I'm kinda getting a little bit of an education right now in that," he said. "I feel like if there's something I'm really interested in, I might go and try to pursue that, but nothing has really struck me as something that I'd really want to spend that much time learning about right now."

If Geiger does go back, there are a few schools near his home of Rochester, New York, that would love to have him. In fact, the city just gave the singer his own day.

"My guitarist said it was the best Teddy Geiger Day ever, and I agree," he joked.

• Teddy Geiger

Prince
Photo: Universal Records

The chances are good that Prince is going to party like its 1989 — the last time he hit #1 on the Billboard albums chart — only this time the victory is even sweeter. The musical icon sold 183,000 copies of his 3121 to earn the chart's crown, marking the first time one of his LPs has hit the top spot its first week in stores.

It's tough to imagine that Prince hasn't done it all over the course of a career that's coming up on its 30th anniversary. There couldn't be an unattained milestone left for him to shoot for as an artist, right? Wrong. This week Prince's 3121 became the very first batch of funk-fueled tracks in his entire catalog to debut in Billboard's #1 slot, according to the latest SoundScan totals.

It's his first #1 disc since the "Batman" soundtrack — he also hit the top with 1985's Around the World in a Day and spent a good chunk of 1984 at #1 with 1984's Purple Rain — to reach the albums chart's apex. Musicology, for instance, racked up a higher week-one-sales tally than 3121 — the 2004 album sold 191,000 copies — but failed to climb past the #3 spot.

Perhaps it was the prospect of seeing Prince perform live inside his Minneapolis manse later this year that bolstered album sales. Taking a cue from Willy Wonka, Prince's label placed purple tickets inside an undisclosed number of 3121 copies, which will admit those fortunate fans to the private gig.

With Prince on top, the soundtrack to the Disney Channel flick "High School Musical" has been unseated, but it only falls one spot to #2, with sales nearing 152,000. James Blunt's Back to Bedlam follows at #3 with 111,000 units scanned, while the latest effort from Barry Manilow, The Greatest Songs of the Fifties, rockets back into the top 10 thanks to a 140 percent sales spike. Manilow's appearance last week on "American Idol" helped propel the disc 20 spots to #4, with sales nearing 78,000. Ne-Yo's In My Own Words slides one space to #5, selling close to 72,000 copies, and The Legend of Johnny Cash hangs tough in the top 10, down two spots to #10 with 53,000 sales.

Prince's 3121 wasn't the chart's sole fresh face. Five new releases manage to penetrate the top 10 this week, while 13 others speckle the rest of the Billboard 200. New Orleans rapper B.G.'s The Heart of Tha Streetz, Vol. 2: I Am What I Am put up Billboard's second-best debut showing, opening at #6 with 62,000 plus scans. Both Sides of the Gun, the new one from Ben Harper, claims the #7 opening after selling more than 59,000 copies. Teddy Geiger's inaugural release, Underage Thinking, is right behind at #8, selling just 200 more copies than country star Alan Jackson's Precious Memories, which debuts this week at #9 with more than 56,000 sales.

Kenny Rogers' latest, Water & Bridges, net more than 44,000 scans to grab #14. A little further down the chart is Heroine, the sophomore LP from industrial screamo outfit From First to Last. More than 33,000 copies of the record were bought up — it couldn't have hurt that the band has been opening for Fall Out Boy for the last few weeks — to hit #25. My Chemical Romance's new live collection, Life on the Murder Scene, bows at #30 with nearly 31,000 sales — not bad for a DVD package chronicling the band's mercurial rise to "TRL" stardom.

The first Latin-flavored installment in the ever-popular Now compilation franchise opens at #36 with 27,000 copies sold; Now ¡Esto Es Musica! Latino features tracks from the likes of Daddy Yankee, Don Omar, Juanes, Thalia, and Alejandro Fernandez. Chicago's XXX follows at #41 with 23,000 plus scans, and Christian rockers Kutless take the #45 slot with 22,000 units of their Hearts of the Innocent snatched up. In at #87 is the soulful Slow Motion 2 compilation, which moved nearly 13,000 copies on the strength of tracks from D'Angelo, Ginuwine, Floetry, Toni Braxton, Boyz II Men and other R&B hitmakers.

For Blood and Empire, the first major-label offering from political punkers Anti-Flag, debuts at #100 with sales nearing 11,000, while the Sounds' Dying to Say This to You debuts at #107 with 10,000 plus scans. The Game's forthcoming Dr. Dre-produced sophomore effort The Dr.'s Advocate, isn't set to hit stores until June 6, but G.A.M.E., a collection of old Game tracks, appeared on shelves last week and sold more than 6,800 copies to debut at #151. Murs and 9th Wonder's Murray's Revenge, occupies the #166 slot with more than 6,000 sales. Kill, the latest from death metallers Cannibal Corpse, checks in at #170 with over 6,000 copies sold, and Vol. 1, the debut disc from Hurt, takes #175 with nearly 6,000 sales.

• Prince
• B.G.
• Ben Harper
• Teddy Geiger
• From First To Last

Snoop, Pharrell, Ciara, Danity Kane, Luda, More Mingle At VMA Forum

• Snoop Dogg
• Pharrell Williams
• Method Man
• Danity Kane
• Chamillionaire

MTV.com LIVE: Teddy Geiger Photos 04.16.2006

• Teddy Geiger

TRL Guestbook

• Beyoncé
• Justin Timberlake
• Christina Aguilera
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Nelly Furtado

JoJo, Bow Wow, Pink, Nelly, Jesse And More On The 2006 Kids' Choice Orange Carpet

• JoJo
• Chris Brown
• P!nk
• Bow Wow
• Avril Lavigne

MTV.com Exclusive: Teddy Geiger Photos 01.30.2006

• Teddy Geiger