Ashlee Simpson
Photo: Getty Images/ Frederick M. Brown

You probably didn't take Ashlee Simpson as a fan of Salvador Dalí, but the famed artist's surrealism is exactly the look she went for in her new video, according to Billboard.com. The singer shot a clip for "Out of My Head (Ay Ya Ya)," the Timbaland-produced first single from her yet-untitled March album, on Thursday. "One of my favorite artists is Salvador Dalí," she told the site. "You'll see a little bit of that surrealism in [the clip]. There's a bit of 'Being John Malkovich' in there too. It's a little out there." Simpson also said she will title the album during the holidays and hopes to kick off a small-club tour in February. ...

Kanye West has backed out of what would have been his first concert on U.S. soil since the unexpected death of his mother, Dr. Donda West, last month. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that West dropped off the bill for the KDWB Jingle Ball at the Target Center slated for Friday night (December 7) in Minneapolis with only a few days' notice, due to an unspecified "family matter." "American Idol" runner-up Blake Lewis and Fabolous will fill in for West on the bill, which also includes Avril Lavigne, Timbaland, Good Charlotte and Jordin Sparks. "We tried to get [West] on the air to explain all this to fans, but he refused," said Rob Morris, the station's program director. "We did everything we could to save this thing." ...

West, Avril Lavigne, Common and Coldplay are just a few of the many celebs who have pitched in for Waxploitation's new Darfur Benefit Auction, which launched Thursday. Lavigne, Com, the Flaming Lips, Norah Jones, Nickelback and Deftones signed guitars for the auction; 'Ye, Coldplay, Gnarls Barkley, Bloc Party, TV on the Radio, Wilco, the Decemberists, Aesop Rock, Macy Gray, Thievery Corporation and Gorillaz signed other items; and there are additional items from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lupe Fiasco, Don Cheadle, and Bam Margera. All proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam America. ...

Speaking of eBay charity auctions, Gorillaz's Damon Albarn, Robert Plant, Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch, PJ Harvey and others have written and signed postcards for a British one that's currently up. One of Plant's postcards quizzically has just two words above his John Hancock: "Mitigating circumstances." Daddy G of Massive Attack and actress Helen Mirren also pitched in for the effort, which is raising money for Carers UK, an organization that gives financial and emotional support to individuals who provide unpaid health and social care. ...

J.K. Rowling has posted a new entry on her Web site, calling out the launch of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" at the National History Museum in London and insisting that the book is her fave of the series. "As for mourning Harry — and I doubt I will be believed when I say this — nobody can have felt the end as deeply as I did. The writing of 'Harry Potter' has been inextricably linked with my life for 17 years, and saying goodbye has been just as tough as I always knew it would be." Rowling also revealed that a documentary surrounding her is on the way. "J.K. Rowling - A Year in the Life," which will air later this month in the U.K., shadows the author working on "Deathly Hallows," on tour and at the launch. ...

After visa issues forced Velvet Revolver to cancel their tour of Japan, and "health issues" forced the band to postpone its Australian tour — a week after the DUI arrest of singer Scott Weiland — the group has announced a New Year's Eve show at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. The band also said that part of the proceeds from a limited-edition T-shirt sold at its Wednesday benefit with Alice in Chains at Universal City, California's Gibson Amphitheatre will be donated to victims of the recent Southern California fires. Meanwhile, the Australian tour dates have been rescheduled for February and will kick off with a show on the 15th in Brisbane. ... It was a rare bit of good legal news for Kid Rock this week when a judge in New Orleans dismissed Louisiana musician Troy Landry's claim that the rapper's song "Somebody's Gotta Feel This" was too similar to one of his songs. According to The Associated Press, U.S. District Judge May Ann Vial Lemmon said the works were not "so strikingly or substantially similar as to preclude independent creation." Landry sued Rock (born Robert Ritchie) and Atlantic Records in 2004, claiming that an eight-second snippet of "Feel This" that was featured in a beer commercial was similar to a song Landry released on a 1994 record. ...

Madonna is suing the board and management company of her luxury New York apartment — which includes a 6,000-square-foot duplex, a gym and a beauty salon — for not allowing her to expand it into a neighboring apartment, according to the Daily News. In a recently filed summons, the singer reportedly accuses the board and management company of breach of contract for holding up the sale of the other apartment. ... In other Madge news, Billboard.com reported Thursday that her new album would be called Licorice and drop in late April, but her label is saying not so fast. "Wrong title. Release date wrong etc.," Warner Bros. spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg told Reuters. She did not, however, appear to deny the reported participation of Kanye West and Pharrell on the effort. ... Björk has reunited with director Michel Gondry — who got behind the camera for some of the singer's best-known videos, including "Human Behaviour" and "Army of Me" — for a new clip, RollingStone.com reports. The collaboration, for her song "Declare Independence," marks their first hookup in 10 years. ...

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have lined up three gigs he'll play in the summer at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, according to Billboard.com. Sixty-six Springsteen concerts have reportedly sold out at the venue in the past, and the upcoming gigs will be held July 27, 28 and 31. ... So is that much-rumored new studio album by the Pixies still in the works? "Helll no," Kim Deal recently told RollingStone.com about participating on a potential new effort. "Because I don't want to," she added. She said she didn't think her bandmates wanted to make one either. "I was kind of waiting for [Frank Black and guitarist Joey Santiago] to get together and do demos, and they never did." ... "Wire" fans, there's another reason to get psyched, beyond the upcoming launch of the show's new season: Two soundtracks are on the way, Pitchfork reports. ... And All the Pieces Matter - Five Years of Music From "The Wire" will include music and dialogue from the lauded HBO show; tracks by Steve Earle, Solomon Burke and others; as well as variations of Tom Waits' "Down in the Hole" theme sung by the Blind Boys of Alabama and others. Beyond Hamsterdam: Baltimore Club Tracks From "The Wire" will highlight underground B-More rappers like Rod Lee, Tyree Colion and Diablo. Both discs drop January 8, two days after the new season starts airing. ...

Will Smith, Ralph Macchio wannabe? Believe it or not, the "I Am Legend" actor is entertaining the idea of a "Karate Kid" remake, according to AP. While there aren't many more details yet on that shocker, there is some more news on the "I Am Legend" front: The flick's theatrical release in China is being held up due to the country's plan to temporarily ban American movies in an effort to help China's domestic-film industry. ... Kiefer Sutherland, who has served three of the 48 days he has been sentenced to spend in jail, is a "model prisoner," said Officer John Balian, a spokesman for the Glendale City Jail in California, according to People.com. Sutherland reportedly spent Thursday folding jail laundry and has been assigned to serve meals to the other inmates. "He's not happy to be here," Balian said. "But you can tell from his demeanor that he's sorry and takes responsibility for what he's done." ...

A fifth person has been charged with conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice in the case involving Amy Winehouse's husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, BBC News reports. James Kennedy is due in court Friday. ... Billy Joel has released a new anti-war song — though the piano man isn't heard singing on the track. Instead, 21-year-old New York singer/songwriter Cass Dillon handled the duties. Joel thought "somebody young, about a soldier's age," should be heard on "Christmas in Fallujah," he recently told AP. The track went on sale on iTunes starting Tuesday, and net proceeds are going to Homes for Our Troops, a charity group that constructs homes for wounded Iraq and Afghanistan vets. ...

Hip-hop icon MC Lyte is prepping the debut from her new group, Almost September, which also features producer/DJ Jared Lee and singer Whitey White. Manager "Blue" Williams said the trio have a "grown-up rap" feel that mixes Lyte's rhymes with soulful funk akin to the Brand New Heavies. The group's first single, "Beautiful," will be available on iTunes before the end of the year. ...

Drowning Pool bassist Stevie Benton has been diagnosed with Bell's Palsy, an often-temporary neurological disorder that causes paralysis of the face, after being rushed to the hospital Thursday. According to a statement from his publicist, Benton felt ill during the band's Wednesday night show in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and has been ordered to stay off the road for at least six weeks. "I'm really bummed that because of this, we can't perform this last string of shows," he said in the statement. "I want to thank the fans for their continued support."

12.6.07

Time to pucker up for Madonna's next album — Billboard.com reports that the singer has settled on the title for it: Licorice. The effort, which will reportedly feature "Candy Shop" and "The Beat Goes On" (featuring Pharrell), is due in late April and will be Madge's last effort for longtime label Warner Bros. Kanye West is said to be a guest on "The Beat Goes On," according to the site, which also reports that Madonna's vintage track "The Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" will get an update on the new disc. ...

Jessica Sierra pleaded not guilty on Thursday (December 6) to charges of disorderly intoxication, resisting arrest and violating conditions of her parole on earlier felony battery and possession charges, according to The Associated Press. The former "American Idol" finalist was arrested early Sunday morning outside a bar in Ybor City, near Tampa, Florida, after causing an unspecified disturbance while working inside the establishment. Sierra's lawyer reportedly said he is consulting with doctors to map out a comprehensive drug and alcohol plan for the ex-"Idol" contestant, who is currently being held without bail. Sierra is to remain in jail at least until her next hearing on December 20. ...

Gym Class Heroes, the Academy Is ... and Relient K will help anchor next year's Warped Tour, according to Alternative Press. Every Time I Die, From First to Last and the Bronx are also among the first 18 bands named for the summer trek, with the dates yet to be announced. ... Speaking of summer fests, Bonnaroo will take place June 12-15 in Manchester, Tennessee, Billboard.com reports. The lineup will be revealed in late January or early February. ... Your chance to download Radiohead's In Rainbows is about to end. The band has announced that the InRainbows.com Web site will close Saturday. But you can still plunk down $80 for the box set at Radiohead's online w.a.s.t.e. store, while supplies last. ...

Ne-Yo and Macy Gray are joining Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy and others as they pitch in for presidential aspirant Senator Barack Obama. Ne-Yo and the Goo Goo Dolls will play at an Obama fundraiser in Universal City, California, on Monday, while Gray, Tweedy and others will perform at the senator's Friday event in Obama's hometown of Chicago. On a related note, Wilco will set out for a two-week U.S. tour in February. ... Paris, you've got nothing on Britney — Spears outdid Hilton on eBay in terms of related items sold this year. AP reports that 34,345 Brit-related items were sold, compared with 27,377 for Paris. A mere 8,099 items related to Lindsay Lohan were auctioned, while on the movies front, "Transformers" beat out Harry Potter with 442,342 and 344,825 related items sold, respectively. ...

Indie-rockers, state attorneys general and anti-smoking activists are finding themselves on the same side, oddly enough — some of them are reportedly peeved about an ad for Camel cigarettes that appeared alongside a cartoon-heavy indie-rock feature in the magazine's November 15 issue, Pitchfork reports. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. has stopped promotions for its "The Farm" marketing campaign after nine attorneys general sued the company over the ads, according to North Carolina's Winston-Salem Journal. More states are reportedly expected to also sue R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., which could face a fine of more than $100 million for violating a 1998 agreement between 46 states and tobacco manufacturers. The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement banned the use of cartoons to sell market cigarettes in 1997, effectively killing off Joe Camel. Also being debated, according to Pitchfork, are Camel-sponsored concerts that have featured the Flaming Lips, Band of Horses and the Faint. ...

Alicia Keys will ring in the new year with a performance on the roof of New York's Rockefeller Center as part of Carson Daly's shindig on NBC. The show, which will air December 31 at 11:35 p.m. ET, will also feature Lenny Kravitz performing in Times Square. Keys will sing two songs from her latest album, As I Am. ... LL Cool J, Rev Run, Petra Nemcova, Brett Ratner and other celebs are participating in an ongoing online charity auction staged by Russell Simmons' Diamond Empowerment Fund. "Diamonds Give" features 15 lots of donated diamond pieces and runs through December 16 on eBay. ...

It sounds like U2 might be going back to the future on their upcoming album. The band, which flirted with dance beats and techno on such albums as 1991's Achtung Baby, is incorporating trance, metal and Moroccan influences on its new disc, according to an interview with Bono in The Independent. The singer said fans will "feel the difference. ... Normally when you play a U2 tune, it clears the dance floor. And that may not be true of this. There's some trance influences." He also said the yet-untitled and unscheduled album has some "very hardcore guitar" and "real molten metal" from guitarist the Edge that doesn't sound "like anything we've ever done before, and we don't think it sounds like anything anyone else has done either." Though he wouldn't categorize the album as "world" music, Bono said its sound was inspired in part by a religious music festival the guys attended in Fez, Morocco, where they were exposed to Sufi music. "It was a real humbling thing for a punk-rock shouter, listening to these people who just close their eyes for 40 minutes and sing the most sophisticated melodies." So far, U2 have recorded enough material for two records, he added. ...

Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson recently hung with locals, bathed in an irrigation ditch in their boxers and visited an orphanage in Peru this week, according to AP. An image that surfaced shows the two, who reportedly stayed at a cheap hotel room that cost less than $50 per night, smiling and waving in Cuzco. Cameron Diaz, Bill Gates and others visited the area earlier this year. ... Courtney Love has a new video on her hands ... kind of. A clip featuring manga character Princess Ai — whose universe of properties was co-created by Love — will premiere at the New York Anime Festival on Saturday. "Princess Ai: Broken Leash," which includes live action, animation and music, will appear as part of a CD/DVD anthology due in fall 2008. ... It's hard to keep old punks down. After their recent reunion tour of England this year, punk grandfathers the Sex Pistols will hit the road again next summer, according to Reuters. Guitarist Steve Jones did not give any specifics about the 2008 tour on his Los Angeles radio show on Wednesday, other than to say that the group might play an upcoming charity show at London's Royal Albert Hall organized by Who singer Roger Daltrey. ...

And the battle over James Brown's estate goes on. According to AP, two former trustees for the late singer's estate say the judge who is handling the disputes made them resign in late November. In recently filed court documents, Buddy Dallas and Alford Bradley reportedly said they want to retract their resignations and that South Carolina Circuit Judge Jack Early used "improper judicial influence." They are also seeking for the appointment of their successors to be overturned.

• Ashlee Simpson
• Kanye West
• Avril Lavigne
• Gorillaz
• Velvet Revolver

"The Beyoncé Experience Live" DVD
Photo: Sony Music

With the bloated blimp of overspending that is Black Friday about to descend and wreak havoc on the lands, artists are booking it to the stores a few days in advance to make sure they can horn in on the commercial cornucopia before the frothing masses get there first. But don't worry about getting lost and dizzy amid the rush of rabid shoppers — here's a handy guide of highlight gifts you'll find hitting stores this week ...

Dangerously in LoveSounds?: Still need proof that compact discs are going the way of the dodo? According to BestBuy.com, three of the top five hottest-ticket music items going on sale this week aren't even CDs — they're DVDs. One of the video discs in question is "The Beyoncé Experience Live," which commemorates a tour so huge it needed two corporate sponsors in its tag line ("... brought to you by Samsung and L'Oréal Paris"). The DVD features her September 2 show at Los Angeles' Staples Center, where Jay-Z made a special appearance and Destiny's Child reunited for "Survivor." The gig went down two days before her 26th birthday, which ties in quite nicely with the fact that the show was based around her latest album, B'Day.

Best Buy's most in-demand item for the week is Justin Timberlake's "FutureSex/LoveShow - Live From Madison Square Garden" DVD — and we're guessing that has something to do with the fact that it's available only at Best Buy. The two-disc set presents his August 15 show at New York's Madison Square Garden and has song-by-song commentary from JT himself, as well as 80 minutes' worth of extra stuff, including pre- and post-show clips, chats with Timberlake and his performers, and a deeper look into the making of the show. Best Buy is actually circumventing the Tuesday-release tradition and debuting the set instead this coming Friday, which just happens to be the biggest shopping day of the year (go fig).

And in case you're wondering what the other in-demand DVD is this week, it's "Crossroads: Eric Clapton Guitar Festival 2007," which also features John Mayer, Sheryl Crow and more.

Very Ape: Gorillaz are taking after themselves this week — the duo chased their 2001 self-titled debut with their G-Sides compilation the following year, and now they're following up 2005's Demon Days with a similar collection, D-Sides. Fans will drool over a new version of "Hong Kong"; demo versions of "Dare" and "Don't Get Lost in Heaven"; and a bonus CD that boasts remixes by DFA, Hot Chip, Jamie T and others. There's also a special dual-box version that comes with badges, stickers, a patch and exclusive artwork by Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett.

Nine Inch Nails have their own item to tide people over with until they release a new studio album: Y34RZ3R0R3MIX3D, which, if you sub in the E's for 3's and the A for an 4, actually makes a whole lotta sense as the follow-up to April's Year Zero. Released by Interscope — despite Trent Reznor declaring his freedom from the label and promising to leak the remixes himself earlier this year — the disc features songs reworked by the Faint, Interpol's Sam Fogarino, Stephen Morris (Joy Division, New Order) and others. More striking is that the package comes with a DVD-ROM containing the master tracks for every Year Zero tune, allowing customers to rearrange them through Apple GarageBand or Ableton Live. Reznor has also promised that a new site, Remix.NIN.com, will be erected in conjunction with the release of Y34RZ3R0R3MIX3D, so even more remix fun might be in store.

Rap Roundup: There's no stopping Trent Reznor, and there's no stopping JR Writer, either — with the release of his second LP, this week's Writer's Block 5, the New York MC now has three more chapters in his ongoing mixtape series than he does studio albums. This time around, he's brought Cam'ron, Jim Jones, the Diplomats and Juelz Santana along for the ride.

Speaking of rides, Philadelphia's Freeway is hoping to make sure Roc-A-Fella's fall stays red-hot with the release of his own sophomore effort, Free at Last. For the forever-in-the-works LP — Free previously told Mixtape Monday that it was supposed to drop July 4, 2005 — the up-and-comer attracted a few people you might have heard of: Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Rick Ross, Scarface and Jadakiss, among others.

In other collabo news, Timbaland's head-scratching hookup with MySpace faves One Republic resurfaces this week: A remix of "Apologize," which previously appeared on April's Timbaland Presents Shock Value, is tacked onto the end of the rock band's Dreaming Out Loud. And last but not least, Cormega called on a few buddies — Dwele and Keek Da Sneak among them — to participate on the soundtrack to his autobiographical flick "Who Am I?," which is dropping as a DVD/CD combo.

Jordan's Flow: Don't try to pin down Jordin Sparks on her debut — "It's hard to make everything fit together," the "American Idol" winner admitted to MTV News last month of the various pop, R&B, country and hip-hop strains found on the self-titled disc. It's stamped with her two singles, "Tattoo" and "This Is My Now" — but Sparks has a lot of work to do to measure up to Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood, given that the songs haven't cracked the top 10 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Look for bonus songs on the Wal-Mart, Sony and iTunes editions.

Rating the Reissues: While we're on the bonus-track tip, here's a quick peek at this week's top re-releases, to see if they're worth your while:

Fall Out Boy's Infinity on High
· What's new: bonus CD with five songs, including three live tracks and two B-sides
· Worth it?: Thnks fr ncldng bns mtrl! A CD can hold more than five songs, ya know.

Bloc Party's A Weekend in the City (digital only)
· What's new: one new track, "Flux," which is also being made available via a new EP of the same name
· Worth it?: This one's pretty simple. Don't own the CD? Get the new digital version. Got the CD? Buy the new track or the EP.

Nirvana's "Unplugged in New York" DVD
· What's new: the band's performances of "Something in the Way" and "Oh Me," which did not appear in the original broadcast but were featured on the subsequent CD, plus five previously unreleased rehearsal performances, MTV News interviews with the band and audience members, and a 14-minute documentary called "Bare Witness"
· Worth it?: A bonus hour of archival Nirvana footage is to rock fans what the TV equivalent of an hour's worth of bonus "Seinfeld" material is to TV junkies.

Amy Winehouse's Frank
· What's new: nada
· Worth it?: Earlier this year, U.S. retailers selling import copies of the singer's 2003 debut were forced to remove it from their shelves after receiving a letter from Universal Republic threatening legal action prior to this domestic release. Maybe all that would have been avoided if the label had simply added some bonus content to the reissue.

U2's Joshua Tree
· What's new: Unreleased photos and new liner notes on the single disc, a bonus disc of B-sides and demos from the original album sessions on the deluxe edition, and a DVD of Joshua Tree Tour footage and other rare clips on the limited-edition box set.
· Worth it?: Now this is a reissue done up right.

Mystery Men: Shedding light on some of this week's less familiar notable artists:

· Doug Neumann: A.k.a. "Uncle Doug," he is the general manager of Crush Management, home to Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, etc. On Doug Does Decaydance, Neumann dishes up jazzy covers of songs by those artists and others.

· Bonnie "Prince" Billy: A.k.a. Will Oldham, Palace, etc., he is one of indiedom's most treasured folk/country crooners — and he mastered the art of the ironic cover song waaay before it became cool. On Ask Forgiveness, he reinterprets tracks by R. Kelly, Danzig, Frank Sinatra and more.

· Joe Lally: Bassist for Fugazi, he hit up bandmates Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto — as well as other Dischord Records-related artists like Ben Azzara (the Capitol City Dusters) and Eddie Janny (Rites of Spring) — for his second effort, Nothing Is Underrated.

· James Murphy and Pat Mahoney: Members of LCD Soundsystem, they dig into classic New York disco and funk sounds — and slip in their own group's "Hippie Priest Bum-Out" — on FabricLive.36.

What's This, Isis?: A few of this week's underground heavy-rock sludge-slingers have a little something in common ...

MGR: Instrumental side project by Isis's Mike Gallagher

Tusk: Experimental band featuring three-quarters of Pelican, who have toured extensively with Isis

Boris and Merzbow: The Japanese rock band and extreme-noise composer have teamed many times in the past, including in 2005, when they made Sun Baked Snow Cave. The CD, which consisted of one 62-minute track, came out courtesy Hydra Head Records, the label founded by Aaron Turner, frontman of ... Isis.

Song Title of the Week:

"Stabbin' Daggers" from Sebastian Bach's Angel Down

Album Cover of the Week:

Pole's Steingarten Remixes

Other Notables:

Various artists' The Brit Box: U.K. Indie, Shoegaze, and Brit-Pop Gems of the Last Millennium
Rivaling The Heavy Metal Box for most badass packaging of the year, this four-CD collection doesn't just come in any old packaging — the discs are housed in a miniature red telephone box, fitting for the 1985-2000 era it revolves around. Fans of Coldplay and Snow Patrol who need a brush-up on history should look no further than this set, which rakes together chestnuts from the Smiths, Placebo — and all the relevant acts in between.

Opeth's The Roundhouse Tapes
Eighteen months into touring in support of 2005's Ghost Reveries, the Swedish death-metal masters played a gig at the Camden Roadhouse in London and documented this show, which took place November 9, 2006. Opeth are signed to powerhouse metal label Roadrunner but, keeping their karma intact, they're releasing it through their former label Peaceville "for helping us back in the day," frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt said in a statement. There are only nine songs featured on the set, but the fact that it takes two CDs to contain them should give you an idea of the kind of epics that are in store.

Six Organs of Admittance's Shelter From the Ash
Comets on Fire guitarist Ben Chasny is back with his 10th dose of droney electronic/acoustic music via his side project. For the eight-song release, the improv-happy artist banded together with the F---ing Champs' Tim Green, the Magik Markers' Elisa Ambrogio, Will Oldham (see above) collaborator Matt Sweeney and Comets on Fire's Noel Harmonson. Fans of minimalism, surrealism and other arty "isms" take note.

New Releases:

· Ayo - Joyful (Interscope)
· Sebastian Bach - Angel Down (Merovingian/ Get Off My Bach) [Buy Now]
· B-Legit - Throwblock Muzic (SMC)
· Blut Aus Nord - Odinist (Candlelight)
· Bonnie "Prince" Billy - Ask Forgiveness (Drag City)
· Boris with Merzbow - Rock Dream (two CDs; Southern Lord)
· British Sea Power - Krankenhaus? (EP; Rough Trade) [Buy Now]
· Cloudland Canyon and Lichens - Exterminating Angel (Holy Mountain)
· Cormega - "Who Am I?" soundtrack (Legal Hustle) [Buy Now]
· Coyote - Outsides (Hot Dog City)
· Doro - All We Are: The Fight (with DVD; Locomotive)
· Melissa Etheridge - The Awakening Live (with DVD; Island) [Buy Now]
· Ex-Boyfriends - In With (Absolutely Kosher)
· The Foreshadowing - Days of Nothing (Candlelight)
· Freeway - Free at Last (Roc-a-Fella) [Buy Now]
· Golden Death Music - Ephemera Blues (Helmet Room)
· Haram - Drescher (Lovitt)
· Javaughn - Superstar (Tuff Gong/ Ghetto Youths)
· Bela Karoli - Furnished Rooms (Helmet Room)
· Joe Lally - Nothing Is Underrated (Dischord)
· Limbonic Art - Legacy of Evil (Candlelight)
· Mago de Oz - A Costa Da Morte (two CDs; Locomotive)
· Major Stars - Mirror/Messenger (Drag City)
· MGR - Wavering on the Cresting Heft (Conspiracy)
· James Murphy & Pat Mahoney - FabricLive.36 (FabricLive)
· Doug Neumann - Doug Does Decaydance (Decaydance)
· Nine Inch Nails - Y34RZ3R0R3MIX3D (with DVD; Interscope) [Buy Now]
· NOFX - They've Actually Gotten Worse Live (Fat Wreck Chords) [Buy Now]
· October File - Holy Armour From the Jaws of God (Candlelight)
· One Republic - Dreaming Out Loud (Interscope)
· Opeth - The Roundhouse Tapes (two CDs; Peaceville)
· Pole - Steingarten Remixes (EP; Scape)
· Pure Inc. - Pure Inc. (Locomotive)
· Sear Bliss - The Arcane Odyssey (Candlelight)
· Sentai - Full Representation (Ruffian)
· Seven Witches - Deadly Sins (Locomotive)
· Six Organs of Admittance - Shelter From the Ash (Drag City)
· Jordin Sparks - Jordin Sparks (19 Entertainment/ Jive) [Buy Now]
Read: " 'American Idol' Champ Jordin Sparks Puts Finishing Touches On Debut, Considers Acting"
· Statehood - Lies and Rhetoric (Statehood)
· Keith Sweat - A Christmas of Love (Rhino) [Buy Now]
· Too Pure to Die - Confidence & Consequence (Trustkill)
· Tusk - The Resisting Dreamer (Tortuga)
· The Valerie Project - The Valerie Project (Drag City)
· JR Writer - Writer's Block 5 (Babygrande)
· Various artists - Pink 2 (Swank)
· Various artists - "Alvin and the Chipmunks" soundtrack (Razor & Tie)
· Various artists - "Enchanted" soundtrack (Disney)
· Various artists - "Fred Claus" soundtrack (Reprise)
· Various artists - "Halo 3" soundtrack (Sumthing Else)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· Anberlin - Lost Songs (Tooth & Nail)
· Bulldozer - The Day of Wrath; The Final Separation; IX: Circle of Hell; and Neurodeliri (Metal Mind)
· Nat King Cole - Remixes (D-Rom Ltd)
· Cyclone - Brutal Destruction (Metal Mind)
· Dead Poetic - The Finest (Tooth & Nail)
· Donald Fagen - Nightfly Trilogy (box set with four CDs and three MVI DVDs; Rhino)
· Fall Out Boy - Infinity on High (deluxe edition with bonus CD; Island) [Buy Now]
· Fight K5 - The War of Words Demos (Metal God)
· Floodgate - Penalty (Metal Mind)
· Gang Green - I Can't Live Without It; Older ... Budweiser; and You Got It (Metal Mind)
· Genesis - 1983-1998 (box set with five CDs and five DVDs); and CD-plus-DVD reissues of Calling All Stations; Genesis; Invisible Touch; and We Can't Dance (Rhino)
· Gorillaz - D-Sides (two CDs; glossy-box limited edition also available; Virgin) [Buy Now]
· Great Kat - Beethoven on Speed and Worship Me or Die (Metal Mind)
· Ed Harcourt - Until Tomorrow Then: The Best Of ... (limited-edition version comes with bonus CD; Astralwerks)
· The King Khan & BBQ Show - The King Khan & BBQ Show (In the Red)
· MC5 - I Can Only Give You Everything (Get Back)
· Newsboys - The Greatest Hits (Sparrow)
· Phish - 08.13.93: Murat Theatre - Indianapolis, IN (three CDs); 10.21.95: Pershing Auditorium - Lincoln, NE (three CDs); 11.14.95: University of Central Florida Arena - Orlando, FL (three CDs); 12.01.95: Hersheypark Arena - Hershey, PA (two CDs); 12.29.97: Madison Square Garden - New York, NY (three CDs); Colorado '88 (three CDs); and Vegas 96 (two CDs and one DVD; Jemp)
· Django Reinhardt - The Electric Years (two CDs; Avid Jazz)
· The Shangri-Las - Leader of the Pack (Cleopatra)
· Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes - The Jukes (Hip-O-Select)
· Traveling Wilburys - The Traveling Wilburys Collection (deluxe edition with two CDs and one DVD; Rhino)
· U2 - Joshua Tree (deluxe edition has extra CDs; super-deluxe edition has two CDs and one DVD; Island) [Buy Now]
· Keith Urban - Greatest Hits (special edition comes with DVD; Capitol Nashville)
· Randy VanWarmer - Beat of Love/ Things That You Dream and Warmer Terraform (Collectors' Choice)
· Amy Winehouse - Frank (Universal Republic) [Buy Now]
· Various artists - The Brit Box: U.K. Indie, Shoegaze, and Brit-Pop Gems of the Last Millennium (four-CD box set; Rhino)
· Various artists - Psychobilly Box: Rockabilly Roots and Hootenanny (two CDs; Cleopatra)
· Various artists - Putumayo Kids Presents: Celtic Dreamland (Putumayo Kids)
· Various artists - Rock 'N' Skiffle: Brit Beat Beginnings (four-CD box set; Proper Box/ City Hall)
· Various artists - The Rubble Collection: Volumes 11-20 (10-CD box set; Fallout)
· Various artists - "Wild Style!" Soundtrack - 25th Anniversary Edition (two CDs; Mr. Bongo)

Music DVDs:

· Beyoncé - "The Beyoncé Experience Live" (Columbia)
· Cowboy Mouth - "The Name of the Band Is Cowboy Mouth" (Valley Entertainment)
· Fight - "War of Words - The Film" (digipak comes with bonus DVD; Metal God)
· Genitorturers - "Live in Sin" (Retribution)
· Kaada/Patton - "Live" (Ipecac)
· Kiss - "Kiss Loves You" (8th Grade)
· Jonny Lang - "Live at Montreux 1999" (Eagle Vision)
· Paul McCartney - "Ecce Cor Meum" (EMI Classics)
· Meat Loaf - "3 Bats Live" (two DVDs; Hip-O)
· Negativland - "Our Favorite Things" (Other Cinema)
· Nirvana - "Unplugged in New York" (Geffen)
· Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - "Greatest Hits Live" (Quantum Leap)
· Queen - "Under Review 1946-1991: The Freddie Mercury Story" (Chrome Dreams)
· The Rolling Stones - "Under Review 1967-1969" (Chrome Dreams)
· Sigur Rós - "Heima" (digipak; limited deluxe edition comes includes book; XL Recordings)
· Tegan and Sara - "It's Not Fun, Don't Do It!" (Sire)
· Justin Timberlake - "FutureSex/LoveShow - Live From Madison Square Garden" (two DVDs; available exclusively at Best Buy, starting Friday)
· Vader - "And Blood Was Shed in Warsaw" (Metal Mind)
· Wolfmother - "Please Experience Wolfmother: Live" (Interscope)
· Joe Zawinul - "A Musical Portrait" (Arthaus Musik)
· Various artists - "A Very Special Christmas: 20th Anniversary Music Video Collection" (Victory Multimedia)
· Various artists - "Crossroads: Eric Clapton Guitar Festival 2007" (two DVDs; Rhino)
· Various artists - "Fuzz: The Sound That Revolutionized the World" (Brink)
· Various artists - "Glade Electronic Music Festival" (Groove Zone)
· Various artists - "Opry Video Classics: Legends" (Time Life)

Digital Releases:

· Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City (reissue with bonus material; Vice) and Flux (EP; Vice)
· The Format - B-Sides and Rarities (Vanity Label)
· Idlewild - A Distant History: Rarities 1997-2007 (EMI)
· Inner City - Good Life: The Best of Inner City (EMI)
· Nils Lofgren - Nils Lofgren (Hip-O Select)
· Katy Perry - Ur So Gay (EP; Capitol)

Coming Attractions:

November 27:
· Christina Aguilera - "Back to Basics: Live" DVD (RCA)
· Common - ThisIsMe Then: The Best of Common (Relativity/Legacy)
· Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds: Deluxe Edition (with DVD; Jive)

December 4:
· Daft Punk - Alive 2007 (limited-edition version comes with bonus CD; Virgin)
· Ghostface Killah - The Big Doe Rehab (Def Jam)
· Godsmack - Good Times, Bad Times: 10 Years of Godsmack (also available with DVD; Republic)
· Wyclef Jean - Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant (Columbia)
Read: "T.I. Kick-Starts Wyclef Jean's LP; Mary J. Blige, Akon Tagging Along"
· Styles P - Super Gangster (Extraordinary Gentleman) (Koch)

December 11:
· Bow Wow and Omarion - Face Off (also available with bonus DVD; Columbia)
Read: "Bow Wow Says His Face Off With Omarion Will Mean A 'Whole Bunch Of #1 Records' "
· R. Kelly - "Trapped in the Closet, Chapters 1-22" DVD (Jive)
· Mario - Go (J)
Read: "Mario Gets Back To Making Music With Akon, Timbaland, Neptunes"

• Beyoncé
• Fall Out Boy
• Nine Inch Nails
• Gorillaz
• Nirvana

Sean Penn
Photo: Philip Cheung/ Getty Images

The raging Southern California wildfires that intensified over the weekend are threatening the homes of a number of stars who reside in Malibu. Mel Gibson, Jennifer Aniston, Tom Hanks, Courteney Cox and David Arquette, James Cameron, Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn, Rob Reiner, David Geffen, David Duchovny, Mark Hamill, Olivia Newton-John and Bill Murray are among the stars who have been evacuated or whose homes are potentially in jeopardy. ...

Fall Out Boy have "an album's worth of material" good to go but aren't ready to put out their fifth LP just quite yet, frontman Patrick Stump told Billboard.com. "There's always something that hits me, like a sense of urgency — now is the time for an album — and we're not there yet," he said. "I just get this kind of wanderlust of some kind to go back into a studio. It's always a very defined point." Stump added that the band's Infinity on High, which came out in February, hasn't worn out its welcome yet. "I don't really feel like we're done with this one yet," he said. "I feel like it's still in its cycle. There's a lot of songs on it I'm really proud of." Meanwhile, in regards to the new material, Stump said there are "lots of bizarre ideas" in the mix, "everything from folk to ... actually, I was experimenting with piano phases, like Steve Reich, the composer. There'll be some weird stuff, but at the end of the day, it's probably just gonna be a pop record." Stump also said he recently filmed a guest spot for an episode of "Law & Order" that will air in February. ...

Beyoncé's tour comes to a close November 12 in Taiwan — so, fittingly, she's decided to put out a concert DVD eight days later. "The Beyoncé Experience Live!," recorded at Los Angeles' Staples Center on September 2, features her performances of "Survivor" with the reunited Destiny's Child and "Upgrade U" with beau Jay-Z. It has more than two hours' worth of content in total. ... Tool's long-promised "Vicarious" DVD will be in stores December 18 and include an extended cut of the video for the title track, bonus material and special packaging. ...

The jury trial of Vincent "Don Vito" Margera — Bam Margera's uncle — on two counts of sexual assault on a child is slated to begin Tuesday. Margera is on trial for allegedly groping three underage girls at an autograph signing in August 2006 in Colorado. The jury in the trial was slated to be seated on Monday (October 22), according to a court spokesperson. ...

Ozzy Osbourne has heart — he's donating all his net profits from his November 30 show at Los Angeles' Staples Center, including ticket sales and merch, to the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program run by his wife. ... Korn frontman Jonathan Davis has beefed up his upcoming solo tour with additional dates — the trek will get under way November 9 in Hartford, Connecticut, and run through December 11 in Las Vegas. In related news, ex-Sevendust guitarist Clint Lowery is now an ex-Korn guitarist too. He has been replaced by Shane Gibson after being forced to leave the band's current "B---h We Have a Problem" run due to a family emergency. ...

Want to get your hands on some Gorillaz stickers, badges and a "Choose Pazuzu" patch? Then make sure to pick up the special-edition version of their upcoming D-Sides collection, which has bumped from a November 6 release date November 20. The special set will also come in a glossy box and have two exclusive prints by Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett. ... The ever-outlandish Mars Volta fans are going to be required to wear costumes to the one-off show they'll play at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on New Year's Eve. The band's next album, The Bedlam in Goliath, drops January 29. ...

The hip-hop promoter who was allegedly attacked by three of Diddy's bodyguards reportedly served the hip-hop mogul on Friday with papers over the rough-up, although they were reportedly having none of it. According to TMZ, James Waldon tried to hand Diddy papers at his Sean Jean store in New York, but his bodyguards apparently smacked them to the ground before eventually retrieving them. They reportedly chased away Waldon, who alleges in his $5 million suit that three of Diddy's bodyguards attacked him after he chatted with the Bad Boy boss at the Box nightclub in New York. ... Relient K have parted ways with drummer Dave Douglas, who will bolt after the group's tour winds down in late December, it was revealed in a Friday post on the band's Web site. No explanation has been given for the departure of Douglas, who had been in Relient K for seven years. Douglas was quoted in the post as saying he will be devoting most of his time to his Gypsy Parade project. ...

Seems there's trouble in the world of CKY. Apparently a physical altercation recently broke out between various members of the group, and they've taken to MySpace to air their dirty laundry. In a post from guitarist Chad Ginsburg, he claims he broke his foot at a gig in St. Louis, and that frontman Deron Miller "has quit CKY to pursue his own band." He added that he, along with drummer Jess Margera, will carry on as CKY. Of course, Miller has a different side to the story. He claims he didn't quit the band, but, "after the San Diego show, I started getting really depressed and couldn't eat or sleep, so of course, I started drinking more and more moderately." According to Miller, he overheard several of his bandmates talking smack about him in St. Louis, and heard some "extremely personal, painful things that were mostly untrue and stupid." Miller said he confronted the rest of the band, after which "a fight broke out. I slapped Jess' hat off of his head and [Miller was jumped] after I put on my backpack to leave the bus." He said he left the band's tour to "detox" and is considering returning to the fold "if I can get and return some apologies, because let's face it, CKY [carrying on] would both be laughable and illegal." Miller also warned that if any of the songs he wrote for the band's forthcoming album end up on the LP, he'd take legal action. ...

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie can't get enough of each other — the couple are putting together a series for HBO, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The two are creating their first production project, a drama that will chronicle workers in an international aid organization who are assigned to dangerous areas. The series doesn't have a name yet, but it will be written by Scott Burns, who produced Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" and co-wrote "The Bourne Ultimatum." ...

Cake are hitting the road for the latest edition of their Unlimited Sunshine Tour series in support of their recently released B-Sides and Rarities compilation. The tour, which kicks off November 28 with a show in Anaheim, California, will also feature performances by Brazilian Girls, Detroit Cobras, Oakley Hall, King City and Agent Ribbons. ...

Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson's divorce is almost officially over — the ex-couple have filed their divorce papers in Los Angeles County Superior Court, according to TMZ. A judge might sign off on the papers later Monday. Robinson filed for divorce in November, and he will share joint custody with Hudson of their only child, son Ryder. ... Lance Hahn, the J Church bassist who also originally fronted the San Francisco punk band, died Sunday from complications arising from kidney disease, according to Austin360.com. He was 40. In July, a tribute album called Let's Do It for Lance! was released to help raise money so Hahn, who had no health insurance, could pay his medical bills. ...

It was a scary moment for punk godmother Patti Smith during a show at Shepherd's Bush Empire in London on Sunday, when the 60-year-old singer took a fall and almost hit the edge of the stage during a show, according to a report. During an encore of her signature tune "Rock N Roll N-----," England's NME reports that Smith tripped on a speaker and fell on her face, cutting her elbow and laying on the ground for a few "agonizing" seconds. Smith allegedly joked about the fall, saying, "I'm not even f---ing embarrassed because I've done far worse," perhaps alluding to the scary fall she took in 1977 in Tampa, Florida, when she tripped off a stage and broke two vertebrae in her neck. ...

Country legend Porter Wagoner has been diagnosed with lung cancer and has been hospitalized in serious condition in Nashville, according to The Associated Press. Wagoner, 80, known for his rhinestone-dripping stage outfits and blond pompadour, is a Country Music Hall of Famer whose hits include "Misery Loves Company," "Green, Green Grass of Home" and "Skid Row Joe." He helped launch the career of Dolly Parton when he hired her as a duet partner in 1967, and Parton has said she wrote the smash hit "I Will Always Love You" (famously covered by Whitney Houston) in Wagoner's honor. ...

Police in Johannesburg, South Africa, have arrested five people in connection with the murder of reggae singer Lucky Dube, who was shot and killed during an attempted carjacking on Thursday. Reuters reports that the men were arrested in an early morning raid on Sunday, during which stolen goods were found in the house in which they were captured.

10.19.07

If you thought Jay-Z was a little premature in announcing his "retirement" four years ago, you're not alone. The hip-hop mogul admits in a new interview with XXL that he "pulled the retirement ripcord too many times." He added, "I want to never say that again. ... People looking at me like, 'Please shut up.' I was looking at [my retirement movie] 'Fade to Black' the other day. I was embarrassed. I couldn't watch. I'm not playing with you. I had to turn it off. I was cringing." On November 6, Jay-Z will issue American Gangster LP — the second album he has put out since making the "retirement" announcement in 2003. ...

Prosecutors in Philadelphia have withdrawn charges against Beanie Sigel after the rapper resolved a dispute over a rental car he had kept long past its return date, The Associated Press reports. Sigel (born Dwight Grant) had rented a 2007 Nissan Altima from Payless Car Rental in July but didn't return the vehicle by its August 13 due date. He also failed to contact the rental company. The car was reported stolen September 6 and was later returned October 5, just as detectives headed to Sigel's home to inquire about the car. Sigel has accumulated $5,000 in late fees, but he has since paid them, which caused prosecutors to withdraw the charges. ...

A Kurt Cobain biopic based on "Heavier Than Heaven," the widely praised 2001 biography of the late Nirvana singer written by Seattle journalist Charles Cross, will be executive produced by Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, according to Variety. The script for the yet-untitled film is slated to be written by "Kite Runner" screenwriter David Benioff, and Universal Pictures is funding the film. The producers have not addressed whether they have the rights to Nirvana's music for the film or which parts of Cobain's life it will cover. ...

Naomi Watts has officially pecked her way into the "Birds" remake, Variety reports. The actress is the first castmember to be announced for the new take on the Alfred Hitchcock classic, while "Casino Royale" director Martin Campbell is reportedly in talks to helm the flick, which will be produced by Michael Bay and is eyeing a 2009 theatrical release. Watts will play Melanie Daniels, a role originally taken on by Tippi Hedren, who recently sounded off to MTV about her distaste for the controversial project. ... What would Fashion Week in Southern California be like without Paris Hilton? The heiress helped close out Petro Zillia's closing show, dubbed "So L.A.," Thursday night in Culver City — although she apparently missed her sister Nicky's spring Chick collection earlier in the week. ...

Bruce Springsteen, Joss Stone, KT Tunstall, Bob Dylan and others are featured on Serve2, a recently released Hard Rock International compilation disc that benefits the Artists Against Hunger & Poverty arm of the World Hunger Year project. Unreleased tracks by those artists — plus Mat Kearney, O.A.R., the Hold Steady and more — will be featured on the set, which is available at Hard Rock Cafes. ... In addition to reuniting for some upcoming shows in November, it appears the Verve have been busy cooking up some new tunes, with the possibility of a new album in 2008. Bassist Simon Jones wrote in his blog that among the band's first new tracks in a decade are the songs "Sit and Wonder," "Judas," "Appalachian Springs," "Mona Lisa" and "Rather Be." ... U.K. shoegazers Swervedriver are also re-forming, bringing their 10-year hiatus to a close. The group is planning a worldwide tour for early next year. ... American Music Club will deliver The Golden Age — their second post-reunion effort, in fact — February 5. The track list hasn't been revealed yet. ...

Hellyeah have set November 13 as the release date for "Below the Belt," their new live DVD. The set will feature footage from the day the hard-rockers got together for the first time, along with performance footage from the making of their album, their first studio sessions and live clips from their world tour. The DVD will also boast personal interviews, as well as a few surprises. ... Irate Aerosmith fans are filing a lawsuit against the band for nixing its September 26 concert on the Hawaiian island of Maui last month, according to The Honolulu Advertiser. The class-action suit claims the band bailed from the sold-out show so it could play a bigger one in Chicago instead; that the late cancellation was unnecessary; and that it caused many fans to lose money they spent — somewhere between $500,000 and $3 million in total — on plane tickets, car rentals and hotels. The suit was filed on behalf of all ticket holders, and, under state law, plaintiffs could be eligible for triple their losses in damages and up to $5,000 if age 62 or over. ...

Stone Roses mastermind Ian Brown is giving his music a classical makeover by enlisting an orchestra to rework his hits. The singer's fifth solo release, The World Is Yours, was released last month, and Brown plans to play a set of classical concerts to put an interesting twist on his famous works. More details will be revealed in the coming weeks. ... Eels are putting out a 10th anniversary best-of set and a collection of rarities, both of which will feature a DVD and land in stores January 15. The sets will be called Meet the Eels: Essential Eels Vol. 1, 1996-2006 and Eels Useless Trinkets: B-Sides, Soundtracks, Rarities and Unreleased 1996-2006. ...

South African reggae star Lucky Dube was shot and killed in an apparent carjacking attempt on Thursday in Johannesburg, South Africa. AP reports that Dube, 43, died when he tried to drive away during the incident and crashed into a tree after being shot twice by two unknown male assailants. Dube's son had reportedly gotten out of the car shortly before the singer was shot.

[This story was originally published at 11:26 am E.T. on 10.22.2007]

• Fall Out Boy
• Beyoncé
• Tool
• Black Sabbath
• Ozzy Osbourne

Joel Madden
Photo: Evan Agostini/ Getty Images

Joel Madden spoke on Ryan Seacrest's radio show on Tuesday (September 18) about his plans to marry Nicole Richie, People reports. The Good Charlotte rocker — who saw his marriage-proposal secret slip after Regis Philbin spilled the beans — told Seacrest, "Obviously, marriage is in our future. I don't know when or where or how, but right now our priority is our family and is the baby. That's all we've been thinking about. We are in love and are really happy." Richie announced on "Good Morning America" in late July that she was four months pregnant. And it looks like Madden is taking on some of the shopping responsibilities. "I already went to Target and got a stroller and a playpen," he told Seacrest. ...

Vanessa Hudgens, who has recently been dogged by leaked nude photos, is facing a new problem: The "High School Musical" star's attorney is suing her for $150,000 in unpaid fees, TMZ.com reports. The suit, filed by Brian L. Schall, alleges that she owes him for contract-signing services dating back to October 2005 and that he wants 5 percent of her earnings. ...

Kanye West and Jay-Z were all smiles on Tuesday, the day before the first-week-sales figures for 'Ye's Graduation and 50 Cent's competing Curtis were due to be released. "Everyone is coming up to me and telling me how proud they are of me," West told The Associated Press, adding, "it feels overwhelming." Jay was a bit more cautious in his enthusiasm over the yet-unannounced results, saying, "We're not gloating. He's celebrating his win ... in his mind, he believed he could win the whole time." ...

Hell has frozen over ... and Zack de la Rocha has finally put the finishing touches on his forever-in-the-works solo LP, Billboard reports. According to the news outlet, sources say de la Rocha plays keyboards on the yet-untitled effort — which has been in the works since the singer initially left Rage Against the Machine in 2000 — and that it sounds like a cross between Led Zeppelin and Dr. Dre. Ex-Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore also collaborated heavily on the album, according to Billboard, and some of it was recently recorded at Jack Johnson's Los Angeles studio. De la Rocha is reportedly unsigned and considering offers for how to distribute the LP. ...

Nicole Scherzinger is launching her second single this week, "Baby Love" (featuring Will.I.Am). But the Black Eyed Pea doesn't get to play her love interest in the video, despite the song being "about us being in love." "I love Will, but I'm not in love with Will," the singer laughed. "I have a guy playing my lover, a sweet guy with a great energy that I cast for it." Francis Lawrence (Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani) directed the clip, which takes place off the coast of Southern California's Catalina Island. ... Fat Joe has hooked up with Imperial Records — a division of Capitol and Terror Squad — for the release of his eighth album, The Elephant in the Room. The LP, due early next year, will be studded with stars: Diddy, Rick Ross and Fabolous make guest appearances, while Scott Storch, Danjahandz and DJ Khaled lend their production skills. ...

The last of four secret Van Halen rehearsal shows reportedly took place Sunday night in Los Angeles before more than 500 fans — including guitarists Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Kirk Hammett of Metallica. Also on hand, apparently, was Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde, who attempted to get onstage during the set but was denied by frontman David Lee Roth. In a video making the rounds on the Internet, Wylde, who appeared to be in the front row, tried to hoist himself onto the stage. Security shuffled in to remove him, but Roth took to the microphone. "Nah, nah, nah. Are you in show biz?" he said. "Then get off the stage. Get off the f---ing stage." ...

Legendary punk rockers the Sex Pistols have announced that they'll squeeze into their bondage pants again for one night only on November 8 at the Brixton Academy in London for a 30th anniversary celebration of the release of their landmark 1977 album, Never Mind the Bollocks ... Here's the Sex Pistols. Original singer John Lydon, guitarist Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cook and bassist Glen Matlock will be on hand for the show, the group's first in more than four years. Bollocks, the only studio album recorded by the Pistols, features such punk classics as "God Save the Queen" and "Anarchy in the U.K." ...

The Gorillaz are prepping their second B-sides collection, D-Sides. The 22-track double-disc is slated for release November 6 and will feature demos; B-sides ("68 State," "Murdoc Is God," "Hongkongaton"); and remixes of songs like "Kids With Guns" and "Dare" by everyone from DFA and Hot Chip to Jamie T and Soulwax. ... Our long national nightmare is over ... sort of. After years of holding out, Radiohead have finally begun offering their albums for download. The group, which has held back from offering landmarks like The Bends and OK Computer to iTunes in the past because of its dislike for the site's practice of allowing individual songs for download, is now offering all its albums and some early singles in a high-quality, DRM-free format on 7digital.com. The albums will only be sold as complete packages. ...

David Bowie has made a $10,000 donation to the Jena Six Legal Defense Fund and is lending his voice to aid the six black teenagers who defenders have said faced overly aggressive prosecution and extended incarceration over their role in an alleged altercation with a white classmate in the small town (population: 3,000) of Jena, Louisiana, last year. The teens are alleged to have assaulted a white student in December, months after an incident on campus in which three nooses were hung on a tree at the local high school set off a series of tense, racially charged confrontations. "There is clearly a separate and unequal judicial process going on in the town of Jena," Bowie said in a statement. "A donation to the Jena Six Legal Defense Fund is my small gesture indicating my belief that a wrongful charge and sentence should be prevented." Thousands of people, including rapper Mos Def, are expected to descend on the town on Thursday to protest the prosecution of the five teenagers and a minor. ...

Perry Farrell — whose Satellite Party has stumbled out of the starting gate with poor sales of their Ultra Payloaded debut — is kissing the major labels goodbye and launching his own indie label, Bells Are Ringing. Although it was originally released by Columbia in late May, Ultra Payloaded will now act as the first Bells Are Ringing release. "I'm very excited to become part of this new independent trend where artists will have more creative freedom, make higher profits on the sales of their music, and most of all, it allows me, the artist, to own my art, my masters," Farrell said in a statement. ... Don't tell Neil Young: Alabama Governor Bob Riley has announced that the state's tourism agency will be using Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" to market the state next year, AP reports. The classic-rock song was released in 1974 as a response to Young, who was critical of the South. ...

The Dead Kennedys will release a greatest-hits collection on October 9 called Milking the Sacred Cow. The set will feature a dozen tracks, including "Holiday in Cambodia," "Too Drunk to F---" and "Halloween." ... The dates for Sevendust's upcoming Ladies Get Out of Jail Free Tour '07, along with 10 Years, Black Light Burns and Neverset, have been revealed. The trek launches October 19 in Maplewood, Minnesota, and gigs are booked through November 10 in Atlanta. ... 3rd Strike have re-formed with a brand-new lineup. The band is currently working on new songs and posted one of them, "Battlecry," on its MySpace page. The band has booked an October 19 gig at West Hollywood, California's Whisky A Go Go, and the gig will also feature Drowning Pool and the Exies. ...

Expect to see even more kids accompanying Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie in the future. "We're not done," Pitt recently told AP. "[People] say, 'Any plans for a fifth?' And I say, 'And a sixth, and a seventh, and an eighth and a ninth.' That's my answer," he said. The actor, who stars in Friday's "Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," also let it be known that he and Jolie have crafted a 9-foot-wide bed that fits them and their four children. "One more [child] and we'll have to go to 11 feet," he said. ...

Wesley Snipes must pay United Talent Agency $1.7 million in a default judgment issued Tuesday, according to CBS News. The company, which helped the "Blade" actor get roles in multiple films, sued him in July 2006 for an alleged breach of oral contract. UTA claims Snipes agreed to pay 10 percent of any money he earned for movie roles the talent agency got for him, but he did not pay commissions for "The Shooter," "Chaos" and other films.

09.17.07

Dave Grohl has opened up to U.K. newspaper The Guardian about the death of his former Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain. "Kurt dying shocked me into running away from music for a while," he divulged. "I started Foo Fighters because I didn't want to retreat. I couldn't imagine joining another band and sitting behind the drum set, because I would always think about Krist [Novoselic] and Kurt." Grohl also revealed that while one of the Foos' earliest songs, "I'll Stick Around," was not directed at Cobain's ex-wife, Courtney Love, he wouldn't be surprised if similar comparisons are made over "Let It Die." The song, featured on the Foos' new album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, features the lyric "A simple man and his blushing bride/ Intravenous, intertwined." The tune was "written about feeling helpless to someone else's demise," Grohl said. "I've seen people lose it all to drugs and heartbreak and death. It's happened more than once in my life, but the one that's most noted is Kurt. And there are a lot of people that I've been angry with in my life, but the one that's most noted is Courtney. So it's pretty obvious to me that those correlations are gonna pop up every now and again. I still remain a little secretive about it all." ...

Even at Sunday night's Emmys, where he wasn't nominated for anything, Kanye West couldn't win. The rapper notorious for loudly expressing his award-show-freeze-out frustrations playfully lampooned his sore-loser reputation during a skit in which actor Rainn Wilson ("The Office") beat Kanye at a game of "Don't Forget the Lyrics" based on 'Ye's song "Stronger," with the loser doomed to retiring from show business. After West slipped up and sang "that's how long I've been on you," comedian Wayne Brady joked that Mr. West picked "the wrong time to speak properly," pointing out that the lyric ends with the words "on ya." A smiling West exclaimed, "I never win!" The consolation? West had a front-row seat for the Los Angeles ceremony, right next to multiple winner Tony Bennett. Later on in the evening, he popped over to Justin Timberlake's concert at the Staples Center for a rendition of West's "Stronger," according to TMZ.com. ...

The stars of "High School Musical" are still in negotiations for a third flick, Corbin Bleu told People magazine. "Truthfully as long as it's a good script and as long as everybody is being paid fairly, I would be more than happy to go and have one last hurrah," he said. The 18-year-old actor also revealed that he's never actually been to an "HSM" premiere due to various scheduling conflicts. ... Comic book fan Ghostface Killah is partnering with Adult Swim for a free tour set to hit college campuses next month. The trek, which will feature Witchdoctor as the opening act, will begin October 1 at the State University of New York in Albany and run through an October 19 gig at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Indie-rockers ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and Dethlok — the once-fictional animated band featured on the Adult Swim program "Metalocalypse" — are joining forces for a separate free trek, but shows have not been announced beyond the October 29 start date. ...

Will Ferrell isn't your typical actor, so it makes sense he wouldn't be your typical charity donor either — he's raising money for a friend's cancer foundation by auctioning a cameo spot in his new flick, The Associated Press reports. Online bidding for an appearance in "Step Brothers" began Monday and ends September 26, and the opening bid was $5,000. The winner will be announced September 27; get to meet with Ferrell at the Cancer for College golf tournament dinner at Temecula Creek Inn in Temecula, California; and shoot a scene with the actor in October. The proceeds will go to Craig Pollard's Cancer for College foundation — Pollard and Ferrell were fraternity brothers at the University of Southern California. ...

Apparently Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor plans to disband the group's current lineup following the final gig on its current tour, which is set for Tuesday in Honolulu. Reznor told Honolulu's Star-Bulletin that he wants "to switch things around a bit." Nine Inch Nails, he said, "as a rock band configuration [has] done it and we've done it again. I see other ways I can present the material in concert, more challenging, something new. I don't want it to go stale." The band has been touring together for more than two years and currently includes drummer Josh Freese, guitarist Aaron North, bassist Jeordie White and keyboardist Alessandro Cortini. ... Marilyn Manson is teaming up with a French family-run distillery, Matter-Luginbuehl, to produce thousands of bottles of his own brand of absinthe, called "Mansinthe." Production on the line started last month, and so far, 6,000 bottles have been made. No word on when "Mansinthe" will be commercially available, or for that matter, where. ... Former Evanescence members Ben Moody and David Hodges have collaborated with Celine Dion for a track slated to appear on the singer's forthcoming Taking Chances LP, due November 13. The duo wrote and produced one track for Dion, called "This Time." ...

Live Nation, which runs the House of Blues chain, has either canceled or moved to alternate venues five heavy-metal concerts previously scheduled at House of Blues clubs located on Walt Disney Co. property in Anaheim, California, and Orlando, Florida, according to the Los Angeles Times. In Anaheim, a gig that had been booked two months earlier and was set to feature Machine Head, Arch Enemy, Throwdown and Sanctity on September 7 was moved to a different venue; a show that was supposed to feature Cannibal Corpse, the Black Dahlia Murder, the Red Chord and the Absence on September 13 was also shifted to a different club; and Obituary's planned September 26 concert has been canceled. Two other shows, scheduled for the House of Blues in Orlando, have been moved as well. John Vlautin, vice president of communications for Live Nation, said in a statement that "House of Blues offers a range of entertainment to match the audience at our venues. It was determined that the mix of entertainment at our two Disney locations should be different from our other venues." ...

After months of delays, the free-download site SpiralFrog finally launched on Monday, offering users the chance to choose from more than 700,000 songs and 3,500 videos from a number of independent labels and Universal Music Group acts like Amy Winehouse, Timbaland, Rihanna and Fall Out Boy. The ad-supported site requires users to wait 90 seconds while downloading tracks and sign in every month to answer some questions about their buying habits. Unfortunately for iPod users, the site doesn't work with the biggest-selling MP3 player, and users can't burn the songs onto CDs.

• Good Charlotte
• Nicole Scherzinger
• Will.I.Am
• Van Halen
• Fat Joe

Kevin Federline's <I>Playing With Fire</I>
Photo: Reincarnate Music

This week's crop of new releases aren't all that scary, per se — unless you've been fearing those K-Fed and Kellie Pickler debuts and think that tough lass Lady Sovereign could kick your butt. But it does give us an opportunity to put a musical twist on trick or treating. And, for the "hell" of it, we've provided 31 entries to make this 31st extra special.

Kevin Federline's Playing With Fire

• Trick: Uh ... yeah.
• Treat: Britney Spears makes an appearance on "Crazy," and there's a hidden track called "Middle Finger" — wait, is that part of the trick?

Lady Sovereign's Public Warning

• Trick: Speaking of middle fingers, the temperamental Lady Sov is more than happy to show hers.
• Treat: Missy Elliott turns up on an album-capping remix of Sov's white-hot single, "Love Me or Hate Me."

Gorillaz's "Phase Two - Slowboat to Hades" DVD

• Trick: The amount of money you have to pony up to collect all the components of the comprehensive Demon Days "multimedia experience," of which this is a part.
• Treat: Forty selections, 3-D features, a bonus CD-ROM with 16 games, — that's bananas!

Ice-T's Gangsta Rap

• Trick: A mouthful of appearances by a "Who's that?" of rap, including Marc Live, Kryst and Smoothe Da Hustler.
• Treat: It's his first straight-up rap album since 1999. And did you know that the T stands for "treat"?

Deftones' Saturday Night Wrist

• Trick: C'mon, dudes, throw in the towel already.
• Treat: Really cool cover art and a song called "U, U, D, D, L, R, L, R, A, B, Select, Start."

Pitbull's El Mariel

• Trick: A guest spot by Trick Daddy (on "Born N Raised").
• Treat: Assorted contributions from Lil Jon, Fat Joe, Pharrell, Rick Ross, Wyclef Jean, DJ Khaled, Mr. Coolipark and the Neptunes — good God, that's impressive.

Isis' In the Absence of Truth

• Trick: The band's recently released DVD, "Clearing the Eye," easily could have been appended to this disc.
• Treat: Some of the best sludge/dirge/doom/melodic/cheese-free metal you'll hear all year.

Kellie Pickler's Small Town Girl

• Trick: "I have no idea what I'm doing," which she let slip before an "American Idol" performance, pretty much says it all.
• Treat: A jewel case comes with the CD!

Ron Artest's My World

• Trick: Historically, basketball-player-turned rappers haven't fared too well. Yeah, we're looking at you, Shaq.
• Treat: Mike Jones makes an assist, and DJ Kay Slay spins some beats.

Flavor Flav's Flavor Flav

• Trick: Just watch this.
• Treat: Knowing that a rapper who once spat against the establishment can also write a song called "Unga Bunga Bunga."

Coheed and Cambria's "The Last Supper: Live at the Hammerstein Ballroom" DVD

• Trick: Frontman Claudio Sanchez is putting out an LP by his side project, the Prize Fighter Inferno, the same day — ha.
• Treat: On top of Coheed's May performance at the New York venue, they've chalked up a fan's perspective of the show, plus three videos and behind-the-scenes footage.

Prize Fighter Inferno's My Brother's Blood Machine

• Trick: This is a side project from Coheed and Cambria, who are putting out a DVD the same day — ha.
• Treat: This gives Coheed fans a chance to see the band's ongoing narrative through the eyes of a different character, who is alternately known as Jesse and the Prize Fighter Inferno.

Sunn0))) & Boris' Altar

• Trick: Kurt Cobain amigo and Earth guru Dylan Carlson plays on "Her Lips Were Wet With Venom" — a song that only appears on the vinyl version of this collaborative affair.
• Treat: Soundgarden's Kim Thayil comes out of the cave to provide a few licks on "Blood Swamp" and pen the liner notes.

Lyrics Born's Overnite Encore: Lyrics Born Live!

• Trick: The San Francisco underground hip-hop hero is taking stock of his career with a live album recorded in ... Australia.
• Treat: An hour's worth of live material, three new slices and smart lyrics that'll make you feel born again.

The Who's Endless Wire

• Trick: No Keith Moon. No John Entwistle.
• Treat: The band's first new LP in almost 25 years gives fans their due: Nineteen tracks, plus a bonus DVD with limited editions.

The Who's "Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970"

• Trick: A lesser-quality version of this thing — minus the remastered surround sound by Pete Townshend, the 40-minute Townshend interview and two songs — came out just over two years ago.
• Treat: Keith Moon. John Entwistle.

Every Time I Die's "Sh-- Happens: The Life. The Stage. The Road. The DVD."

• Trick: Bonus home videos that will bring out your inner smartass.
• Treat: Two hours' worth of metal madness, including footage from a Christmas concert and the Warped Tour, plus a behind-the-scenes/don't-try-this-at-home treat for the tricksters out there: Bandmembers actually setting their hair on fire.

Various artists' "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" soundtrack

• Trick: Borat.
• Treat: Three videos, a sing-along clip, audio snippets from the movie and excerpts from the score by Sacha Baron Cohen's real-life (seriously) brother Erran.

Battle of Mice's A Day of Nights

• Trick: A project drummed up by two lovers, the band/relationship went so swimmingly that Josh Graham (Red Sparowes) and Julie Christmas (Made Out of Babies) wound up having to record some of this LP in separate rooms.
• Treat: You want raw? You got it. "The sonic philosophy of the band reflects a huge, primal range of emotion: love, lust, jealousy, whiskey and blind rage," Christmas said in a press release.

Aiden's Rain in Hell EP

• Trick: Have you seen these guys? They dress up for Halloween every day of the year.
• Treat: Covers of Billy Idol's "White Wedding" and the Misfits' "Die, Die My Darling," plus a lengthy DVD to boot.

Bad Religion's "The Riot: December 29, 1990 at the El Portal Theater in Lovely North Hollywood, CA" DVD

• Trick: Yeah, if Bad Religion come to your door, make sure to take them up on that treat.
• Treat: This special-edition set immortalizes the band's chaotic show, plus some footage of the make-up gig they staged about a month later for the fans who were turned away by police.

Willie Nelson's Songbird

• Trick: Rabble-rouser Ryan Adams is all over this sucker, producing and performing on every track, including renditions of songs by Leonard Cohen, Gram Parsons, Jerry Garcia and the Red-Headed Stranger himself.
• Treat: Dude, it's Willie Nelson.

Tupac's "The Complete Live Performances: Live at House of Blues Los Angeles & Club 662 Las Vegas" DVDs

• Trick: Were these really the only two concerts 'Pac ever performed?
• Treat: Finally, a Tupac DVD that isn't a documentary. Plus, guest spots by Snoop, Tha Dogg Pound, Outlawz and K-Ci & JoJo.

Icy Demons' Tears of a Clone

• Trick: Can a clone really cry?
• Treat: Woodwinds, rich percussion and kraut-inspired electronics — a treat indeed.

My Morning Jacket's "Okonokos: The Concert" DVD

• Trick: A double-CD live album last month, and now this, a separately sold third disc to go along with it? Come on, get real.
• Treat: These guys dressed up in Victorian outfits, decorated the stage like a forest, tapped one of Pink Floyd's lighting guys and covered Duke Ellington for this show. Now that's far out.

Anders Parker's Anders Parker

• Trick: This guy's put out a pile of albums under his own name as well as Varnaline, and released LPs with Space Needle and Gob Iron. Get it straight, man.
• Treat: He borrows lyrics from Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Paul Westerberg — all in one song ("Winter Coat") — and roped in members of Wilco, the Mekons and Gigolo Aunts to help out.

Gob Iron's Death Songs for the Living

• Trick: What, more Anders Parker? Sheesh.
• Treat: He's got Son Volt's Jay Farrar as a partner on this project, and they revitalize a spate of folk classics, mixing in some fresh instrumentals along the way.

Cross Canadian Ragweed's Back to Tulsa: Live & Loud at Cain's Ballroom

• Trick: The DVD is sold separately — what, is this becoming a trend?
• Treat: With no overdubs or vocal tweaking, this is the Oklahoma alt-country act at its most honest.

My Latest Novel's Wolves

• Trick: Yet another band from Glasgow, Scotland.
• Treat: This album was named, in part, after graphic-novel master Neil Gaiman's "The Wolves in the Walls." Plus it's got a song called "The Job Mr Kurtz Done."

Mixel Pixel's Music for Plants

• Trick: Wait a second, plants can't hear!
• Treat: If you like the Moog, you are in for a treat indeed.

Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose

• Trick: Ha, Meat Loaf.
• Treat: There is no treat.

Song Title of the Week:

"Your Tearz Are My Ice Cream" from Experimental Dental School's 2 1/2 Creatures

New Releases:

• 40 Below Summer - Last Dance (Crash)
• The Accursed - Seasons of the Scythe (Screaming Ferret)
• Aiden - Rain in Hell (EP with DVD; Victory)
• Ron Artest - My World (Lightyear); Read: "Ron Artest Battles In Basketball/Boxing Game, Funds His Own Rap LP"
• Bang Tango - From the Hip (Perris)
• The Bangkok Five - Who's Gonna Take Us Alive? (Execution Style/ Universal)
• Battle of Mice - A Day of Nights (Neurot)
• Birdman & Lil Wayne - Like Father, Like Son (Cash Money)
• Blenders - Songs From the Soul (Oarfin)
• The Blue Van - Dear Independence (TVT)
• T. Graham Brown - The Present (Aspirion)
• Burden Brothers - Mercy (Kirtland)
• Tracy Byrd - Different Things (Rocket Science)
• Jeremy Camp - Beyond Measure (BEC)
• The Catz in the Hatz - Resilience (Rhombus)
• D Christopher - A Moment of Your Time (Universal)
• Coko - Grateful (Compendia)
• Bootsy Collins - Christmas Is 4 Ever (Shout! Factory)
• Colour Revolt - Colour Revolt (EP; Tiny Evil)
• Copeland - Eat, Sleep, Repeat (Militia Group)
• Cross Canadian Ragweed - Back to Tulsa: Live & Loud at Cain's Ballroom (live; with DVD; Universal South)
• Brian Culbertson - A Soulful Christmas (GRP)
• David & the Citizens - Until the Sadness Is Gone (Friendly Fire)
• Dead Poetic - Vices (Tooth & Nail)
• Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist (Maverick); Read: "Deftones Plan Tour With Deadsy Before LP Drops On Halloween"
• The End of the World - You're Making It Come Alive (Flameshovel)
• Endwell - Homeland Insecurity (Victory)
• Experimental Dental School - 2 1/2 Creatures (Cochon)
• Feathers - Synchromy (Hometapes)
• Kevin Federline - Playing With Fire (Reincarnate); Read: "Federline Moving Songs From The Lab To Clubs For Testing"
• Figgs - Follow Jean Through the Sea (Gern Blandstein)
• Flavor Flav - Flavor Flav (Draytown)
• Four Letter Lie - Let Your Body Take Over (Victory)
• Gob Iron - Death Songs for the Living (Transmit Sound/ Legacy)
• The Honeydogs - Amygdala (CC)
• Ice-T - Gangsta Rap (Melee)
• Icy Demons - Tears of a Clone (Eastern Developments)
• Isis - In the Absence of Truth (Ipecac)
• Phil Keaggy - Roundabout (Tag)
• Kylesa - Time Will Fuse Its Worth (Prosthetic)
• Lady Sovereign - Public Warning (Def Jam)
• Laibach - Volk (Mute)
• Michael Landau Group - Live (two CDs; Tone/Unconscious)
• Phil Lesh and Friends - Live at the Warfield, San Francisco, CA (Image)
• Low Frequency in Stereo - The Last Temptation of ... the Low Frequency in Stereo (Gigantic)
• Lyrics Born - Overnite Encore: Lyrics Born Live! (Quannum)
• Mad Tea Party - Big Top, Soda Pop (Whose That)
• Barry Manilow - The Greatest Songs of the Sixties (Arista)
• Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose (Virgin)
• Nellie McKay - Pretty Little Head (Black Dove)
• Mixel Pixel - Music for Plants (Kanine)
• Craig Morgan - Little Bit of Life (Broken Bow)
• Moros Eros - I Saw the Devil Last Night and Now the Sun Shines Bright (Victory)
• My Dying Bride - A Line of Deathless Kings (Peaceville/Snapper)
• My Latest Novel - Wolves (Bella Union)
• Willie Nelson - Songbird (Lost Highway)
• Newsboys - Go (enhanced; Inpop)
• Niobe - White Hats (Tomlab)
• Anders Parker - Anders Parker (Baryon)
• Kellie Pickler - Small Town Girl (19/ BNA)
• Pitbull - El Mariel (TVT); Read: "Pitbull Barks About Parties, Politics On October's El Mariel"
• The Prize Fighter Inferno - My Brother's Blood Machine (Equal Vision); Read: "Coheed And Cambria Singer Steps Into The Ring With Prize Fighter"
• Qwel & Meaty Ogre - Freezerburner (Galapagos)
• Residents - The Residents Present Tweedles! (Mute)
• Ben Riley's Legendary Monk Septet - Memories of T (Concord)
• Kate Russell - Powerful Stuff (Aspirion)
• Joe Satriani - Satriani Live! (two CDs; Red Ink)
• Scars of Tomorrow - The Failure in Drowning (Victory)
• Spider Rockets - Ever After (self-release)
• SunnO))) & Boris - Altar (Southern Lord)
• Sunny Sweeney - Heartbreaker's Hall of Fame (Independent)
• Tea Leaf Green - Rock 'N' Roll Band (Sci Fidelity)
• Terra Diablo - Terra Diablo (Nocturnal)
• This Moment in Black History - It Takes a Nation of A--holes (Cold Sweat)
• To Live and Shave in L.A. - Noon & Eternity (Menlo Park)
• Claude VonStroke - Beware of the Bird (Dirtybird)
• We Are the Fury - Venus (One Big Spark/ East/West)
• The Who - Endless Wire (Republic; limited-edition version with DVD also available)
• Women & Children - Paralyzed Dance, Tonight (Narnack)
• Your Black Star - Sound From the Ground (Reignition)
• Various artists - Anjunabeats Volume Four: Mixed by Above & Beyond (Anjuna Beats)
• Various artists - Lullaby Renditions of Led Zeppelin (Baby Rock)
• Various artists - Trustkill Takeover Volume II (Trustkill)
• Various artists - The Voices and Faces Project, Vol. 1 (Voices & Faces)
• Various artists - "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" soundtrack (Atlantic)
• Various artists - "Flushed Away" soundtrack (Astralwerks)
• Various artists - "Happy Feet" soundtrack (Atlantic)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Animal Collective - Hollinndagain (Paw Tracks)
• Randy Bachman - Anthology (Friday)
• Bad Brains - Live at CBGB 1982: The Audio Recordings (MVD Audio)
• Clint Black - Killin' Time/ Put Yourself in My Shoes (Hux)
• Blackbeard - I Wah Dub and Strictly Dub Wize (Caroline)
• Collage - Moonshine (enhanced; Metal Mind)
• Sonny Curtis - Beatle Hits Flamenco Guitar Style (El)
• Desmond Dekker - ... In Memoriam 1941-2006 (MVD Audio/ Secret)
• Sheena Easton - The Lover in Me (Cherry Pop)
• The Exploding Hearts - Shattered (Dirtnap)
• Flotsam and Jetsam - Doomsday for the Deceiver (with two bonus discs; Metal Blade)
• John Fogerty - The Long Road Home: In Concert (Fantasy)
• Buddy Guy - Can't Quit the Blues (box set with three CDs and one DVD; Silvertone/Legacy)
• John Lee Hooker - Hooker (four-CD box set; Shout! Factory)
• Ice Cube - Laugh Now, Cry Later ("O.G." limited-edition version with DVD; Lench Mob)
• Millie Jackson - It Hurts So Good (Southbound)
• Louis Jordan - The Aladdin "X" & Vik Recordings 1953-55 (Rev-Ola Bandstand)
• Joy of Cooking - The Complete Joy of Cooking (two CDs; Acadia)
• Kinks - Arista Years and RCA Years (seven- and six-CD limited-edition box sets; Velvel)
• The Knife - Deep Cuts (enhanced) and The Knife (Mute)
• Jerry Lee Lewis - Killer Rock 'N' Roll (Varèse Sarabande)
• Lil' Romeo - Greatest Hits (Koch)
• Arthur Lyman - Mele Kalikimaka (Empire Musicwerks)
• Johnny Mathis - Gold: A 50th Anniversary Christmas Celebration (Columbia/Legacy)
• Mobb Deep - Life of the Infamous: The Best of Mobb Deep (Loud/Legacy)
• Opeth - Ghost Reveries (special-edition digipak with DVD; Roadrunner)
• The Paris Sisters - The Complete Phil Spector Sessions (Varèse Sarabande)
• Sandi Patty - The Voice of Christmas (Word)
• Relient K - The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek (Gotee)
• Peggy Scott - She's Got It All: Rare 70's Soul (Shout! Factory)
• Nina Simone - The Nina Simone Collection (three CDs; Metro) and Remixed & Reimagined (RCA/Legacy)
• Chris Thompson - If You Remember Me: The Very Best of Chris Thompson (Renaissance)
• Vader - Reborn in Chaos (Metal Mind)
• Michelle Williams - Heart to Yours/ Do You Know: Master Series (two CDs; Music World)
• Various artists - Big Blues Box 2 (three-CD box set; Fuel)
• Various artists - Death Row's 15th Anniversary (Koch)
• Various artists - The Hi Records Story (Hi)
• Various artists - Hip Hop Forever III - Mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff (enhanced; Rapster)
• Various artists - Ultimate Jazz Christmas (Blue Note)

Music DVDs:

• AC/DC - "A Classic Album Under Review: Back in Black" and "Thunder Rock: Interviews" (MVD Visual)
• Bad Religion - "The Riot: December 29, 1990 at the El Portal Theater in Lovely North Hollywood, CA" (MVD Visual/ L.A. Access)
• Beatles - "She Loves You" (MVD Visual)
• Black Crowes - "Freak 'N' Roll Into the Fog - The Black Crowes All Join Hands" (Blu Ray)
• Johnny Cash - "Johnny Cash in Ireland" (Mercury/Universal)
• Coheed and Cambria - "The Last Supper: Live at the Hammerstein Ballroom" (Columbia/ Equal Vision)
• Alice Cooper - "Live at Montreux 2005" (Blu Ray)
• Cross Canadian Ragweed - "Back to Tulsa: Live & Loud at Cain's Ballroom" (Universal South)
• Cutting Crew - "Live at Full House Rock Show" (MVD Visual/ Inakustik)
• Bob Dylan - "1966 World Tour (The Home Movies)" (MVD Visual) and "Ralph J. Gleason Presents: Dylan Speaks - The Legendary 11965 Press Conference in San Francisco" (Eagle Vision)
• John Entwistle - "Thunderfingers: A Tribute to the Legendary John Entwistle of the Who" (MVD Visual)
• Every Time I Die - "Sh-- Happens: The Life. The Stage. The Road. The DVD." (Ferret)
• The Farm - "Back Together Now! Live" (MVD Visual)
• Tennessee Ernie Ford - "A Ford Show Family Christmas" (Kultur)
• Gorillaz - "Phase Two - Slowboat to Hades" (with bonus CD-ROM; EMI)
• Joy Division - "Under Review" (MVD Visual)
• Kiss - "Kissology: The Ultimate Kiss Collection - Vol. One 1974-1977" (two DVDs; VH1 Classic)
• Ronnie Lane - "The Passing Show: The Life & Music of Ronnie Lane" (Eagle Vision)
• Phil Lesh and Friends - "Live at the Warfield, San Francisco, CA" (two DVDs; Image)
• Little Steven - "Live at Full House Rock Show" (MVD Visual/ Inakustik)
• Barry Manilow - "First & Farewell" (two DVDs; Rhino)
• Freddie Mercury - "Lover of Life, Singer of Songs" (EMI)
• Van Morrison - "Live at Montreux 1980 and 1974" (Eagle Vision)
• My Morning Jacket - "Okonokos: The Concert" (ATO/RCA)
• Omarion - "Invitation Only" (MVD Visual)
• Roy Orbison - "In Dreams" (Orbison/Legacy)
• Pendragon - "And Now Everybody to the Stage" (MVD Visual)
• Pink Floyd - "Shine On: Interviews" (MVD Visual)
• Joe Satriani - "Satriani Live!" (Red Ink)
• The Style Council - "Live at Full House Rock Show" (MVD Visual/ Inakustik)
• Tea Leaf Green - "Rock 'N' Roll Band" (Sci Fidelity)
• Trick Daddy - "The Real Entourage" (Body Head)
• Tupac - "The Complete Live Performances: Live at House of Blues Los Angeles & Club 662 Las Vegas" (two DVDs; Eagle Vision)
• The Who - "Live at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970" (Eagle Vision)
• Young Jeezy - "Thug Motivation" (MVD Visual)
• Various artists - "Stop the War Coalition Benefit Concert" (MVD Visual)

Coming Attractions:

November 7:

• James Blunt - Back to Bedlam (limited-edition version with bonus CD; Atlantic)
• Foo Fighters - Skin and Bones (RCA)
• Jim Jones - Hustler's P.O.M.E. (Product of My Environment) (Koch); Read: "NFL Players Shooting Jump Shots During Games? Blame Jim Jones"
• Dave Matthews Band - The Best of What's Around, Vol. 1 (two CDs; RCA)
• Ol' Dirty Bastard - A Son Unique (Def Jam)

November 14:

• Army of Anyone - Army of Anyone (Firm)
  Read: "Army Of Anyone Want To Be Judged By Their Fifth Album, Not Their Debut"
• Fat Joe - Me, Myself and I (Virgin); Read: "Fat Joe On September Release: 'Bet The Kitchen Sink On Me' "
• The Game - Doctor's Advocate (Geffen); Read: "Game Says Song On New LP Makes Him 'The One-Man N.W.A' "
• Plus-44 - When Your Heart Stops Beating (Interscope); Read: "Plus-44 Address Blink Breakup On LP, Want Fans To 'Hear The Truth' "
• Tenacious D - "The Pick of Destiny" soundtrack (Epic)

November 21:

• Jay-Z - Kingdom Come (Roc-A-Fella); Read: "Jay-Z's 'Retirement' Is Finally Over: New Album Due In November"
• Killswitch Engage - As Daylight Dies (Roadrunner); Read: "Killswitch Engage Turn On The Heavy For Glass-Shattering As Daylight Dies"
• U2 - U218 Singles (limited-edition; with DVD; Interscope)

• You Hear It First Gets Grimey

• Kevin Federline
• Lady Sovereign
• Gorillaz
• Ice-T
• Pitbull

Jennifer Lopez
Photo: Evan Agostini/ Getty Images

She missed New York's Fashion Week, but now Jennifer Lopez is eyeing a different week to show off her new clothes. The singer/actress/designer will premiere her latest JLo and Sweetface gear during Fashion Week Miami Beach, which runs October 11-15 in Florida. Lopez's JLo line will be on the runway at Tents at the Fifth on October 12 — with an afterparty to follow at the Funkshion Lounge. The Sweetface collection will debut October 14 at the Hotel Nash. ...

Jay-Z will star in a series of promotional spots for the NBA on TNT. The commercials will give "an introspective look into the mind of the entertainment mogul," according to TNT. ... After landing the Billboard #1 spot for the third time in his career with Release Therapy, Ludacris is set to host and perform on "Saturday Night Live" next. The rapper/actor will appear on the November 18 episode. ...

Australia and New Zealand's Big Day Out music festival will celebrate its 15th year with a lineup topped by Tool and including homegrown heroes Jet, as well as My Chemical Romance, the Killers and Muse. The 2007 tour kicks off January 19 in Auckland, New Zealand, and is slated to run through a February 4 show in Perth, Australia. Also on the roster are the Violent Femmes, Peaches, Spank Rock and the Sleepy Jackson. ...

On November 2, Gorillaz — already the world's most famous animated band — will look to get even more famous with the release of their official autobiography, "Gorillaz: Rise of the Ogre." Published by Riverhead Books and featuring illustrations by band co-creator Jamie Hewlett, "Ogre" follows the band from its earliest days to its world-uniting weeklong stint at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater. Among the nuggets of childhood info: As a child, bassist Murdoc attended Sodsworth Comprehensive School and was in a band called Burning Sensations, and a young 2D found solace in George A. Romero's "Dawn of the Dead." For more information, fans can check out the band's official site, Gorillaz.com. ...

AFI will return to the East Coast later this month for five club gigs. The band invades Rochester, New York, on October 28, followed by shows in Sayreville, New Jersey (October 30); Washington, D.C. (November 1); Providence, Rhode Island (November 2); and Albany, New York (November 4). The Explosion will join the band for all five dates, while A Static Age and the Loved Ones will also handle opening-act duties for select shows. AFI are currently working on their first full-length DVD, which will boast live footage captured last week in Long Beach, California, as well as behind-the-scenes clips, all the band's videos and interviews with members of AFI's Despair Faction fan club. The band is seeking photo submissions from fans for inclusion on the DVD. Visit AFireInside.net to learn how to take part. ...

The final few shows at New York's CBGB are being detailed this week. On Thursday, the Pietasters, Big D and the Kids Table and the Lost City Angels will take the punk club's fabled stage for an evening of ska tunes. Agnostic Front, Murphy's Law and Sick of It All have been booked for Sunday. Bad Brains are playing three nights, with Avail and the Dub Trio joining them on Monday, the Bouncing Souls opening for them Tuesday and another gig slated for October 11. The Dictators, the Sic F---s and the Bullys play CBGB one last time on October 13. And on October 15, the venue's final night in business, Patti Smith will take the stage for a sold-out evening of tunes. ...

Meat Loaf was the clear choice to play Jack Black's dad in the upcoming Tenacious D film "The Pick of Destiny," the singer/funnyman tells Playboy in its November issue, out Friday. "We look alike, obviously. ... But it was mostly his energy that inspired us to cast him. Just watching him sing is an education in rock." Black revealed that getting the Meat man to show off his pipes onscreen was easier than one might think. "We basically said, 'Will you sing in the movie, yes or no?' He said, 'For you guys, yes, because I like your stuff.' " "Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny" hits theaters November 17. ... Princeton University will host a hip-hop symposium Friday featuring noted professor Cornel West, rapper Talib Kweli, California Representative Maxine Waters and former Source editor Bakari Kitwana. The Center for American Progress-sponsored panel discussion is open to the public and will address the role of hip-hop in post-9/11 America. BET host Jeff "Cousin Jeff" Johnson will serve as moderator. For more information on the event, visit Princeton.edu. ...

Atreyu, who spent this summer on Ozzfest, have signed with Hollywood Records. The band's previous outing, A Death-Grip on Yesterday, was released on Victory Records in March and has sold more than 210,000 copies. "As a group of friends playing music, our main goal is to grow and spread our brand of metallic rock around the world," frontman Alex Varkatzas said. "We try to progress and grow on each album we record. We feel that Hollywood Records is the perfect place to continue to grow, while maintaining our freedom to do whatever the hell we want with our songs." ... Pete Yorn and the Brand New Heavies have been added to the Voodoo Music Experience lineup and will join already-announced artists including Red Hot Chili Peppers, My Chemical Romance and Wu-Tang Clan at New Orleans' City Park for the October 28-29 event. Yorn and the Heavies are each scheduled to perform on the Experience's second day, which will be headlined by Duran Duran. ...

The reopening of Cincinnati's historic downtown Fountain Square will be celebrated on October 14 with a night of music from Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek, Los Lobos and OK Go. The city's favorite funky son, former Parliament-Funkadelic bass master Bootsy Collins, will host the festivities. ... Meeting Teddy Geiger on his latest tour may be as easy as bringing some reading material along to the concert. The November issue of Seventeen — with Geiger on the cover — will serve as a meet-and-greet pass to the first 50 fans who show up to the venue. Carry a copy of the magazine, show up at least two hours before the gig starts and you could chat with the singer/songwriter before he takes the stage. Geiger's tour hits West Hollywood, California's Troubadour on Thursday.

10.03.2006

Britney Spears has her hands full now as a mother of two, but she's still finding time to deliver new music on her Web site. Though the new version of BritneySpears.com is still under construction, the singer has hidden a snippet of what appears to be a song called "Rebellion" on the main page — it can be heard after the growling noises simmer down and Britney morphs into a Bengalese tiger. In the song, she sings, "Be wary of others, the ones closest to you/ The poison they feed you and the voodoo that they do ... But in rebellion, there's a sparkle of truth/ Don't just stand there, do what you got to do ... You'll find it so compelling with everyone yelling/ 'Cause your soul, you're not selling, 'cause you're rebelling." Still no word on when the new album is due, or if the tiger will get a guest spot. ...

A federal judge dismissed a copyright-infringement lawsuit brought by Minneapolis singer/songwriter Jennifer Armour against Beyoncé, ruling that Armour's "Got a Little Bit of Love for You" and Beyoncé's "Baby Boy" were "substantially dissimilar."Armour claimed that her former manager submitted demos of her song to labels including Beyoncé's Columbia Records and Atlantic, home of "Baby Boy" collaborator Sean Paul, and that Beyoncé borrowed lyrics from the little-known songwriter's track. "It's unfortunate that lawsuits such as this one occur," Beyoncé said in a statement, "but I am grateful and relieved to have this behind me and I am eager to move on." ...

Kristin Cavallari is looking forward to spending a couple of months in the company of nerds. The "Laguna Beach" star-turned-actress confirms in the next issue of Us Weekly (on newsstands Friday) that she will star in a remake of the 1984 cult classic "Revenge of the Nerds." The flick is being co-produced by Adam Brody of "The O.C." and is due next year. Cavallari — who will play Kaley, a Pi-Delta-Pi sorority sister — told the magazine that she's "so excited" to be in the movie. "I love the original, so it's an honor to be a part of [the sequel]." ...

Beck, TV on the Radio, Gym Class Heroes and Imogen Heap will perform at the 2006 mtvU Woodie Awards, to be taped October 25 at the Roseland Ballroom in New York. Their performances — along with the rest of the big show — will air on MTV November 4. ... And speaking of Beck, if you can't get enough of his just-released new disc The Information, videos for two bonus tracks that don't appear on the album — "Inside Out" and "This Girl That I Know" — are now available on Beck.com. And in yet more Beck news, he's been tapped to perform on the October 28 episode of "Saturday Night Live." My Chemical Romance will play on the October 21 broadcast. ...

Big League Entertainment intends to file suit against T.I. and his manager this week for breach of contract. Mike Green, president of Big League Entertainment, claims T.I. violated an agreement with the promotions company when he performed last month at New York's Radio City Music Hall for Boost Mobile Rock Corps volunteers. T.I. was scheduled to headline Saturday's Hot 97-co-sponsored Back to School Jam, which instead ended with DMX's abbreviated set and a fan injury. "People think T.I. didn't show up that night, but I didn't allow him to make it," Green explained. "He did a show in the area just a week before and breached what he had with us, because he wasn't supposed to perform in the area for 30 days before our show. So I didn't allow him to perform. I'm going to sue the hell out of him." ... Lil' Kim joined Senators Hilary Clinton and John Kerry in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday (October 3) for a daylong conference devoted to at-risk youth and how they are affected by the child-welfare system. ...

U2's upcoming "definitive" greatest-hits CD will feature their recently unveiled cover of the Skids' "The Saints Are Coming," recorded with Green Day, as well as another new song. Both were produced by Rick Rubin at London's famed Abbey Road Studios last month, according to U2's Web site. The untitled set, due November 21, will contain 16 of the band's biggest songs. ...

Rumors of Michael Jackson's musical demise have been greatly exaggerated — at least that's the word from Ron "Neff U" Feemster's uncle. Hip-hop producer Feemster, who has worked with Eminem, 50 Cent and Ne-Yo, flew to Jackson's new home in Ireland in September, according to his uncle, manager Charles "Big Chuck" Stanton. The manager told the Los Angeles Times that Jackson is working on a music comeback that is a step away from his recent soft R&B sound and toward an edgier urban style. Jackson sought out Feemster's services, and when the young producer met with the pop star, he found a "musically focused and creatively fired-up Jackson." Stanton told the paper that Jackson is "ready to take over the world. ... He's got some hot records. Will.I.Am did one, Teddy Riley [did one]. We're giving Michael a lot of edgy street records. He's putting melodies to some hard party records." Jackson's spokesperson said neither Will.I.Am nor Riley had worked in the studio with Jackson, but that the producers may have sent him MP3 files to listen to. ...

Hardcore legends Bad Brains will help close out New York's famed CBGB next week, with three shows featuring the group's original lineup scheduled for October 9-11. The club, which launched the careers of the Ramones and Blondie, will host its last show October 15 with headliner Patti Smith. ... The Beastie Boys will lead the Gimme Shelter: Rock & Rescue NYC benefit concert Wednesday at the Hiro Ballroom in New York's Maritime Hotel. The event, hosted by Rational Animal and the ASPCA, will raise funds for local rescue groups and promotes the city's mission of wiping out animal euthanasia by 2010. Nellie McKay, Marshall Crenshaw, the Choke, the Star Spangles and members of Blue Öyster Cult will perform at the benefit, which will also feature an appearance by Debbie Harry. For more information, visit GimmeShelterRockAndRescueNYC.org. ... The man who pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder after shooting Grammy-winning singer Marc Cohn ("Walking in Memphis") in the head during an attempted carjacking last August in Denver was sentenced on Monday to 36 years in prison, according to a Reuters report. Joseph Yacteen, 27, faced a maximum 48-year sentence, but the judge in the case believed the shooter could be rehabilitated.

• Jennifer Lopez
• Jay-Z
• Ludacris
• My Chemical Romance
• The Killers

Katharine McPhee
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images

"American Idol" runner-up Katharine McPhee is already fielding sponsorship offers. KFC has offered the singer $10,000 and a year's supply of Famous Bowls to write and star in an advertisement, while Eat'n Park has offered her $100,000 and a lifetime supply of Smiley Cookies to record a new jingle for the restaurant chain. ...

Paris Hilton is getting frisky again. The hotel heiress shot a video for her forthcoming debut album on a beach in Malibu, California, on Wednesday and Thursday, during which the top of her purple-and-green one-piece swimsuit accidentally came off in front of the paparazzi. Chris Applebaum (Britney Spears, Hilary Duff) directed the clip for the reggae-oriented "Stars Are Blind," which features the heiress frolicking in the sand. Hilton can be "nice and naughty," she sings, imploring the listener all the more with, "Let's see what this love could do/ Baby, I'm perfect for you." Hilton's album is due this fall, according to her label spokesperson. ...

On Wednesday a California federal appeals court dismissed a lawsuit filed in 2003 against Jennifer Lopez and LL Cool J. The court decided singer Debra Laws did not have a case against the artists or Sony Music for allegedly misappropriating her 1981 song "Very Special" in their 2002 collaboration, "All I Have." Since Sony obtained a license to use a 10-second segment of Laws' song, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Laws should instead sue her label and publisher for breach of contract for entering a license agreement without her authorization. ... Tupac Shakur's incarcerated father, Dr. Mutulu Shakur, is releasing A 2Pac Tribute: Dare 2 Struggle on June 16 to commemorate what would have been the 35th birthday of his late son. The album will feature incarcerated rappers alongside signed artists such as the Outlawz. Mutulu Shakur has been imprisoned for 19 years for activities in support of the Black Liberation Movement. ...

A July 17 court date has been set for Foxy Brown's trial on charges that she assaulted two New York nail-salon employees in an August 2004 dispute over payment for a manicure. Brown was charged with misdemeanor assault following the fight, during which she's alleged to have kicked one worker and slapped another in the face. The Associated Press reports that Brown appeared Friday (May 26) before a Manhattan criminal court judge who extended orders of protection for the nail-salon workers. Brown went before a different judge in December during a hearing in which the rapper was expected to enter a guilty plea to the charge. Those proceedings came to a halt when Judge Melissa Jackson accused the rapper of making faces at her and disrespecting the court. ...

Michael Jackson is scheduled to accept the Legend Award at the MTV Music Awards Japan in Tokyo on Saturday, his first public appearance since being acquitted of child-molestation charges last June. Jackson's spokesperson told the AP that the awards show will kick off a tour of Asia for Jackson, who plans to visit Singapore, Shanghai and Hong Kong. ... Gorillaz, Kaiser Chiefs, KT Tunstall and James Blunt were the big winners at the Ivor Novello Awards, songwriting honors presented by the British Academy of Composers & Songwriters in London on Thursday. Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett took Songwriter of the Year honors for their Gorillaz work, while Kaiser Chiefs' Employment scored the best-album prize. Tunstall's "Suddenly I See" beat out Coldplay and the Arctic Monkeys for Best Song Musically and Lyrically, James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" was named the International Hit of the Year and the Most Performed Work, and New Order were honored with the Outstanding Song Collection award. ...

Radiohead's Thom Yorke hit the band's site Thursday to post an answer to a burning fan question: What is that song that plays over the speakers at the end of the band's shows? "It's a track that Richard Russell sent me from XL. ... Turbulence 'Notorious,' " Yorke's post on Radiohead's Dead Air Space blog read. "The record is coming out in the summer I think on XL [Recordings, which is putting out Yorke's The Eraser LP]." ... Backstreet Boys' Brian Littrell is kicking off his very first solo tour in New York on June 11. Littrell will visit cities including Milwaukee and Chicago on the eight-date Welcome Home tour, which wraps up June 20 with a performance at a Christian music festival in Canal Fulton, Ohio. ... Breaking Benjamin have set an August 8 release date for their new album, Phobia. The first single, "The Diary of Jane," will go to radio outlets in early June. ...

The Sex Pistols have been immortalized by Kubrick, a Japanese toy company that creates cube-based action figures resembling LEGO Minifigures. The collectibles are available as a limited-edition five-piece set featuring plastic likenesses of Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious, Steve Jones and Paul Cook. The toys will set you back $60 and were created to commemorate next year's 30th anniversary of Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols' release. ... Rob Zombie has recruited former Amen and Wednesday 13 bassist Matt "Piggy D." Montgomery to replace Rob "Blasko" Nicholson, who left Zombie's ranks earlier this month to join Ozzy Osbourne's touring band. Montgomery made his first public appearance with Zombie performing on Wednesday's "Late Show with David Letterman." ...

Ben Jelen, who has been working with Linda Perry on an album tentatively titled East, is heading east to road-test the new tunes with his Zodiac 7 band. The tour kicks off June 3 in Hollywood and stops in cities including Phoenix, New York and Philadelphia before closing up in Boston on June 25. Fans that miss Jelen on this jaunt can catch up with the musician on MusicPlusTV.com, which will stream an interview June 4 and a live performance June 5. ... A DVD devoted to New York hardcore legends H20 will hit stores July 18. Called "One Life, One Chance," the disc features the band's historic 10th anniversary gig at New York's Knitting Factory, as well as music videos, interviews, footage from the studio and the road and additional live performances filmed all over the world.

05.25.2006

Is Ludacris a straight shooter? That's for the jury to decide, as they say. The rapper testified in a New York courtroom Thursday (May 25) that he had never heard the expression "straight like that" prior to recording his 2003 hit "Stand Up," according to The Associated Press. He also said he's never received any copies of the song "Straight Like That" by New Jersey's I.O.F., who are suing Ludacris for copyright infringement. "I do not know what the term 'straight like that' means, sir," Ludacris said on the stand, addressing the prosecution. Kanye West, who co-wrote "Stand Up," was also in court and is expected to testify before the trial ends. ...

Jack White has revealed the reason he left Detroit for Nashville earlier this year. "I couldn't take the negativity anymore," he recently told AP. "It was so super-negative. It was draining me, I had to get somewhere where I could breathe again." White spent time in Nashville to produce Loretta Lynn's 2004 album, Van Lear Rose, and he lives there now with his wife, model Karen Elson, and their new daughter, Scarlett. ...

Foo Fighters have tacked a few new dates onto their long-awaited acoustic tour. Having already sold out their July 13 gig in Berkeley, California, the band will also play the following day there, also at the Berkeley Community Theatre. Two Canadian dates have been added as well: July 10 at Vancouver, British Columbia's Orpheum Theatre, and August 23 at Toronto's Hummingbird Centre. ...

Former Yellowcard guitarist Ben Harper gave his mom a not-so-special Mother's Day present when he was arrested in the wee hours of May 14 under suspicion of DUI, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Harper's vehicle was pulled over at 4:27 a.m. for speeding when an officer smelled what he said he believed was marijuana in the car. "The officer then asked me to perform a Breathalyzer test, and I declined, because I had been at a show and had a few drinks," Harper told MTV News. "So they took me in under suspicion and made me take the test then, and I blew a number under the legal limit." He was released on $5,000 bail and told to return for a court hearing June 8 for charges related to a separate speeding incident. ...

Alice in Chains, who wrapped up a five-date tour in New York on Tuesday, have lined up four more U.S. club gigs for August. In the interim, the reunited rockers will head overseas for a spate of festival appearances. More dates are believed to be forthcoming, but for now the band plans to perform August 3 in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire; August 4 in Sayreville, New Jersey; August 5 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; and August 12 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. ...

KT Tunstall will contribute a brand-new song, "Warm," to the soundtrack of "Ruby Red Chequer," the first film from Kevin Spacey's London-based Old Vic Theatre Company. There are also rumors that Tunstall may make a cameo in the film, but at the moment, her label, Virgin Records, says that hasn't been confirmed. ... Apparently Janet Jackson wasn't letting herself go when she gained 60 pounds — she tells Us Weekly that she was plumping up for a role she ended up having to forgo anyway. As it turned out, the movie "Tennessee" conflicted with Jackson's plan to finish her forthcoming album, 20 Years Old, in time for its September 26 release date. "They wanted to see me in a different light, as a heavier woman. They really wanted to make a statement with the film," Jackson tells the magazine. "I didn't feel bad about myself at all. It was part of my job." ...

You may be able to buy two Nintendo Wiis for the price of one PlayStation 3, if the latest price announcement regarding the fall's new video game systems holds true. Nintendo announced Thursday that its forthcoming Wii won't cost more than $250 when it launches at the end of the year. The specific price is still a mystery, though $10 can probably be safely excluded. Sony's PS3, expected in the U.S. on November 17, is still penciled in at $499 for the basic version and $599 for the fully featured edition. Nintendo also announced that the company intends to ship 6 million units of the Wii by March 31. ... McFarlane Toys has announced plans to create a line of figures based on the hit TV show "Lost." Slated to reach stores this fall, the first series of figures will feature Jack, Kate, Hurley, Locke, Charlie and Shannon, each replete with a detailed base and backdrop that focuses on a specific moment in the character's story." (Click to see the Charlie Pace "Lost" figure.) There are also plans to release "Lost" deluxe box sets that re-create key moments between characters, plus dioramas of some of the show's famous locales, like the crash site and the hatch.

Howard Stern and CBS settled their breach of contract suit on Wednesday, but neither side was revealing the details of the deal, according to AP. CBS Radio sued Stern in February, accusing the shock jock of using the CBS airwaves to promote his move to Sirius Satellite Radio during the final 14 months of his time at CBS and cutting his $500 million Sirius deal without properly disclosing his plans to CBS, as required in his contract. ... 2 Live Crew and Copiah County, Mississippi, resolved a federal lawsuit with an undisclosed settlement on Wednesday, Mississippi's Clarion-Ledger reports. The Miami rap group and concert promoters had filed a $15 million claim against the county, alleging that 2 Live Crew were forced to cancel a June 2000 performance after authorities set up a roadblock near the outdoor show and arrested 92 people. Earlier this month, a former Copiah County sheriff testified that he did not want the concert in town, and confirmed that approximately 90 deputies manned roadblocks near the field hosting the show. ...

Morningwood are kicking off their Tour Off Your Clothes Tour (a reference to the band's "Take Off Your Clothes" anthem) June 13 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Rock Kills Kid will open for several shows on the tour, which hits cities including Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco before wrapping up with Morningwood's opening stint for the Go-Go's at Los Angeles' Greek Theater on July 14. The band will also perform on "The Late Show With David Letterman" on June 21. ... Eamon is back, and it sounds like he's got more relationship troubles to deal with. The singer, whose hip-hop- and doo-wop-inspired "I Don't Want You Back" hit back in 2003, is set to release a new single, "How Could You (Bring Him Home)," next month. The track, produced by Frankie J beatmaker Happy Perez, will be featured on Eamon's second album, Life Is Good, due August 1. ... An April 16 trial date has been set for Phil Spector's embezzlement suit against his former assistant Michelle Blaine, AP reports. Spector will stand trial in January for the 2003 shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson.

[This story was originally published at 1:36 pm E.T. on 05.26.2006]

• Katharine McPhee
• LL Cool J
• Jennifer Lopez
• Tupac
• Foxy Brown

50 Cent
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

50 Cent was named Songwriter of the Year on Monday, as the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers presented its Pop Music Awards in Beverly Hills, California. Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" shared Song of the Year honors with Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" (written by Johnta Austin, Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal). Green Day also took the Creative Voice Award, while Annie Lennox was presented with the Founders Award. The ceremony featured a brief Eurythmics reunion, as Lennox was joined by guitarist Dave Stewart for a performance of her solo hit "Why." ...

Madonna is catching some heat from the Catholic League following the Sunday launch of her Confessions world tour, in which she wore a crown of thorns and sang "Live to Tell" while hanging from a mirrored cross. "When the Material Girl first embraced Kabbalah, we thought her newfound faith would inspire her to show some respect for religion," said Bill Donohue, who heads up the Catholic civil-rights organization, in a statement issued Monday. "But I guess you really can't teach an old pop star new tricks. Madonna has been spicing up her act with misappropriated Christian imagery for a long time now. ... Do us all a favor, Madge, and stick to singing and dancing." Madonna's tour continues through September 4, with dates throughout North America and Europe. ...

U2 and Mariah Carey took home handfuls of Grammys less than four months ago, but it's already time to start planning for next year's big event. The 49th annual Grammy Awards will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 11, it was announced Tuesday (May 23). The ceremony will air live on CBS. ... The Hip-Hop Action Network's Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment went down in Miami over the weekend, drawing Fat Joe, Pitbull, Remy Ma, MC Lyte, and members of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and the Diplomats. Action Network Chairman Russell Simmons was there too, of course, and Doug E. Fresh acted as summit co-moderator. ...

Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the Gorillaz and the man who put faces to Murdoc, 2D, Russel and Noodle, was honored as the Designer of the Year by London's Design Museum on Monday. Hewlett was awarded approximately $47,000 for his contributions to the group's graphics, "live" performances and Gorillaz.com. A collection of Hewlett's work will be on display at the Design Museum through June 18. ... Legendary rocker Lou Reed headlined a free concert in New York on Tuesday, marking the grand opening of the building at 7 World Trade Center — the first new edifice at the World Trade Center site in its outdoor park. The bill also features Brazilian Girls, Citizen Cope, Ollabelle and Suzanne Vega. ...

Julia Roberts, Anna Paquin and Martin Short are among those who will present Tony Awards on June 11. The ceremony will be broadcast live at New York's Radio City Music Hall on CBS at 8:00 p.m. ... Norah Jones is set to make her feature acting debut alongside Natalie Portman, Jude Law and Rachel Weisz in the romantic comedy "My Blueberry Nights," Variety reports. The film, director Wong Kar Wai's first English-language feature, will star the Grammy winner as a woman traveling the U.S. in search of the meaning of love. It will shoot in locations across the country this summer. ...

Imogen Heap has turned the expression "Don't get your hands caught in the cookie jar" into reality. After a gig in Knoxville, Tennessee, the singer indulged in a few shots of Jägermeister, went to the reception area of her hotel and snuck a cookie box into her suitcase — only to get busted by management. A security camera caught Heap in the act, and after management called police, she returned the item. ... Like your coffee with a Kiss? Then you're in luck. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley will be at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, June 27 to christen the Kiss Coffeehouse, the so-called "most outrageous coffee and dessert shop ever constructed." The restaurant will have various blends of Kiss-brand coffee and will be adorned with 20-foot-tall smoking Kiss boots and rare memorabilia. ...

John Clark, a 23-year-old Indianapolis man who claims he's Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds' illegitimate son, was arrested Friday for trying to extort $9 million from the Grammy-winning artist. According to AP, Clark threatened to go public with his claims but offered to keep quiet in exchange for payment. Indianapolis authorities said Clark was charged with felony theft and misdemeanor intimidation after accepting a bogus $9 million check from one of Babyface's attorneys and signing a faux nondisclosure agreement. "The story was that he was going to ruin Babyface's reputation by claiming to be Babyface's illegitimate baby," prosecutor Carl Brizzi told the wire service. Clark contends he's Edmonds' son and has the documents to prove it, but Brizzi said he's failed to produce them. Clark is being held without bond at the Marion County Jail, and an initial hearing on the matter is set for Tuesday. ... 3LW are back after a four-year break — and they've got Jermaine Dupri on their side. The producer twiddles the knobs and is featured on the R&B group's new single, "Feelin' You," while Scott Storch, Dre & Vidal and others help out elsewhere on the group's third LP, Point of No Return, due August 15. ...

Ex-Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, a former resident of San Bernardino County, California, was presented with a certificate by county officials Tuesday proclaiming May 23 Sammy Hagar Day. Hagar plans to open his upcoming tour in San Bernardino on June 3. ... On Monday, Seattle's city council recommended that a new park be built adjacent to the future home of an African-American museum that will be named in late guitarist Jimi Hendrix's honor. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the final decision rests with Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent Ken Bounds, who will be advised by a park-naming committee. Councilwoman Jean Godden argued for the resolution, saying that while there may be some concerns as to "what kind of a role model he was, given his problems with substance abuse" that "if you think about it, there's hardly anyone who's a genius and has contributed to culture who hadn't had some personal flaws." There's no word on when Bounds will issue his decision. ...

Bloodsimple, featuring former members of Long Island, New York's Vision of Disorder, are down a drummer following the departure of Chris Hamilton. The band, which released its debut, A Cruel World, a little more than a year ago, has yet to name a replacement, and details concerning the split have not been released. Bloodsimple will head back to the studio this summer to record their sophomore LP, which is being eyed for a late 2006 release. ... Machine Head, Converge, Vision of Disorder and Horse the Band have been added to select dates on this summer's Sounds of the Underground tour as special guests. The festival, featuring As I Lay Dying, In Flames, Trivium and others, kicks off July 8 in Cleveland and runs through August 12 in Universal City, California. ...

Sony BMG's tentative settlement of 15 consumer class-action suits was granted final approval by a federal judge Monday, AP reports. The agreement, which was given preliminary approval in January, will allow consumers to exchange CDs with XCP or MediaMax copy-protection software for replacement discs without software. Sony will also offer a patch to remove the software from computers and has pledged to stop manufacturing CDs with the XCP and MediaMax software.

05.22.2006

After helping anchor Coachella and Wango Tango, Kanye West has signed on for another big extravaganza: San Diego's Street Scene 2006. Slated for August 4-5, the 22nd installment of the fest will feature Snoop Dogg, Tool, Wu-Tang Clan, My Chemical Romance, Yellowcard, AFI, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Queens of the Stone Age, Bloc Party, She Wants Revenge, Sean Paul and tons more. Two-day passes can be bought starting Monday (May 22), while single-day tickets will go on sale in July. ...

Cam'ron shared some crew love at New York's Nokia Theatre early Sunday morning, coming onstage to support comic Katt Williams, who headlined a show that started a little past midnight. Williams' debut LP, It's Pimpin', Pimpin', drops on Cam's Diplomat Records later this year. ...

During an interview Friday with Los Angeles radio station KROQ, Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose discussed the run-in he had Thursday with fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger in New York. Rose said the altercation, inside the Plumm nightclub, started over a drink. "I moved his girlfriend's drink so it wouldn't spill," Rose explained, adding that Hilfiger then smacked his arm and told him to put the drink back. "He just kept smacking me," said Axl. "It was the most surreal thing, I think, that's ever happened to me in my life." Rose filled out a police complaint against the designer. Following the fracas, which took place at Rosario Dawson's birthday party, Guns N' Roses performed an acoustic set, and Axl dedicated the song "You're Crazy" to "My good friend Tommy Hilfiger" during the performance. ...

"Veronica Mars" star Kristen Bell and music legend Prince have won the annual World's Sexiest Vegetarians poll put on by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway and Joaquin Phoenix were also in the running. ... Three 6 Mafia are performing live at WWE's "Friday Night Smackdown!" which will be taped Tuesday in Bakersfield, California, to air Friday on UPN. WWE: Wreckless Intent — featuring "Some Bodies Gonna Get It," the Mafia's theme song for wrestler Mark Henry, along with tracks by Saliva, Silkk the Shocker and P.O.D. — hits stores Tuesday. ...

The Arctic Monkeys will embark on their upcoming North American tour without bassist Andy Nicholson, who will miss the shows due to exhaustion. "Owing to fatigue following an intensive period of touring, Andy shall be taking a rest," the band's management said in a statement. Nick O'Malley will stand in for Nicholson on the tour, which begins in Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 27. Of course, the British press has interpreted the news to mean that Nicholson is out of the band, but a U.S. spokesperson for the Monkeys said Nicholson will rejoin them after the North American tour wraps. ...

Queen Latifah will be honored with the William "Jazz" Jones Brightest Star Award by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Newark at the organization's 18th annual Evening of the Stars on Monday (May 22) in New York. The gala, featuring Kenan Thompson and Miri Ben-Ari, recognizes contributions toward improving the quality of life of inner-city children and their families. John Sykes, president of network development for MTV Networks, will be presented with the 2006 Award for Caring, and one young person will receive the organization's Youth of the Year Award at the ceremony. ... Salma Hayek is hosting Wednesday's Colombia sin Minas concert, a special acoustic showcase featuring Juanes, Alejandro Sanz and Ana Gabriel. The benefit concert, held at Los Angeles' Gibson Amphitheatre, will raise money to aid children victimized by antipersonnel mines in Colombia. ...

Staind, Flyleaf, Nonpoint, Wicked Wisdom and Dope are among the bands confirmed for the JJO Band Camp 2006 festival, scheduled for August 6 at Willow Island in Madison, Wisconsin. More acts will be announced in the coming weeks. ...Primus and the Flaming Lips have been confirmed as the headliners for this year's Hedgpeth Festival, set to take place July 28 and July 29 in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. Mike Patton's Peeping Tom, They Might Be Giants, the Kings of Leon, Blue October and Minus the Bear are also on the festival's bill. ... When it comes to Las Vegas entertainers, few can fill Wayne Newton's shoes, but Toni Braxton is going to give it a try. The singer will take over for Newton as the headliner at the Flamingo Las Vegas hotel and casino, she announced at a press conference Friday. "Toni Braxton: Revealed" kicks off August 3 and is set to run six nights per week through March 2007. ...

Chevelle have been forced to pull out of the first eight dates of their forthcoming tour with Nickelback and Hoobastank after bassist Dean Bernardini sustained an injury to his left hand. The canceled dates run from the tour's June 30 opener in Cincinnati though a July 26 stop set for Columbia, Maryland. The trek is scheduled to wrap up September 16 in Kansas City, Missouri. ... Me First and the Gimme Gimmes have been busy recording material for their forthcoming album. The band, featuring members of Foo Fighters, NOFX, Lagwagon, No Use for a Name and Swingin' Utters, has been working in the studio since April, putting its spin on songs written by Johnny Cash, the Dixie Chicks, Garth Brooks and Hank Williams, among others. There's no word yet on when the yet-untitled release will be in stores. ... Conan O'Brien will host the 58th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, which will air live August 27 from Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium on NBC. Emmy nominations will be announced July 6. O'Brien previously hosted the ceremony in 2002. ...

Freddie and the Dreamers leader Freddie Garrity died Friday while hospitalized in Wales, The Associated Press reports. He was 69. Freddie and the Dreamers, a British band best known for the 1965 U.S. hit "I'm Telling You Now," sparked a loose-limbed dance called "The Freddie," inspired by Garrity's bouncy onstage moves. ... Longtime Grateful Dead crewmember Lawrence "Ramrod" Shurtliff died of lung cancer Tuesday, the AP reports. Guitarist Bob Weir called the 61-year-old, who served as president of the Dead's board of directors when the band incorporated in the 1970s, "our rock."

• Madonna Kicks Off Her 'Confessions' World Tour

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DMX
Photo: Jason Campbell

BET is developing a new DMX reality series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Revolving around the rapper's life, "DMX: Soul of a Man" is slated to be part of the channel's next season of programming. ...

Coldplay, Gorillaz, James Blunt and Kaiser Chiefs are among the artists nominated for the 51st annual Ivor Novello Awards, songwriting honors presented by the British Academy of Composers & Songwriters. Coldplay lead the list with three nominations — "Speed of Sound" is up for International Hit of the Year as well as Most Performed Work (running against Blunt's "You're Beautiful" in both categories), while "Fix You" faces off with Arctic Monkeys' "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and KT Tunstall's "Suddenly I See" for the Best Song Musically and Lyrically prize. The awards will be presented May 25 in London. ...

In related news, a songwriters panel consisting of Jimmy Jam, Linda Perry, John Rich of country duo Big & Rich and Michael Giacchino — the composer for "Lost" and "Mission: Impossible III" — convened on Thursday in Hollywood for the "I Create Music" Expo. The first-time event, put on by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, also featured Tom Petty, Jill Scott, Glen Ballard, Mike Elizondo and John King of the Dust Brothers sharing words of wisdom with 1,000 budding songwriters and composers. "Songwriting is interesting because it's done behind the scenes and everybody kind of has their own way of doing it," said Jimmy Jam, who took a break from producing Janet Jackson and Jessica Simpson's new records to attend. "The artists make the songs come alive, but without the songs, the artists don't really have anything. Songwriting is the backbone of music, so this is all about music creation, the music creator and to shine a little spotlight on them, which I think is fantastic." ...

The funeral for Keith Bender Jr., the 35-year-old Detroit man police say was shot by D12's Proof at the CCC Nightclub on April 11, has been scheduled for Thursday morning at New Galilee Baptist Church in Detroit. A Keith Bender Jr. Memorial Fund has been established for his family, and donations may be made at any Chase bank in the Detroit area. Proof was fatally shot during the April 11 incident, allegedly by Bender's cousin, Mario Etheridge. ... Lil Jon shot the breeze with none other than Kid from '80s rap group Kid 'N Play at a screening of Larry Clark's "Wassup Rockers" in Santa Monica, California, Monday night. Actor Michael Rapaport also kicked it with Jon for a bit. ...

Phil Spector's murder trial will hardly be a speedy one. The music producer's murder case has been pushed all the way to January 16, The Associated Press reported Tuesday. The trial had been set for September, but Superior Court Judge Larry P. Fidler told lawyers he had scheduled another trial for the same date. Spector is accused of murdering actress Lana Clarkson in February 2003. ...

"American Idol" producers are assigning two voting phone numbers to each contestant beginning Tuesday (April 25). "We're getting like 33 million, 34 million calls each week, and we've never gotten quite that many before," Co-Executive Producer Ken Warwick explained. "We normally went to the two and three phone numbers in the finale, but this year, we start this week." ... Pink Floyd's Roger Waters will perform the band's classic 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon, from start to finish on his forthcoming North American tour. The 19-gig trek kicks off September 6 in Holmdel, New Jersey, and wraps up October 12 in Seattle. Waters will perform two nights at New York's Madison Square Garden. ...

Want to see a private performance by the All-American Rejects with 15 of your friends? If you answered "You bet," check out the American Eagle Outfitters Web site, where entries for the "Road Trip Party" contest are being accepted until May 2. The grand-prize winner — along with guests — will be flown out to Los Angeles in June for the concert. Before the show, the winner and his or her lucky friends will get to hang out with the band, and the prize also includes hotel accommodations and a $500 shopping spree. First-prize winners will win an All-American Rejects autographed guitar and a $500 American Eagle gift card. The second prize is a $50 gift card and an AAR CD signed by the band. ... Dashboard Confessional's forthcoming album has been given a title: Dusk and Summer. A summer release is planned. ...

OK Go will open select dates for She Wants Revenge as well as Panic! At the Disco this summer — when they're not headlining their own shows, that is. In most of the cities they're scheduled to play, the bandmembers will pair with YouTube.com and select a fan to shoot a 10-minute interview and the band's performance in exchange for editing something for the site. OK Go will release their new single, "Invincible," at the end of May. ... The Fiery Furnaces are hitting the road from June 8 in Detroit to June 30 in Washington, D.C. The duo are supporting the just-released Bitter Tea. ... Slipknot turntablist Sid Wilson will release his debut full length, The New Leader, in June. The album, to be issued under the alias DJ Starscream, will showcase a heavier side of mash-ups, which Wilson has dubbed "mosh-ups." ...

Metric frontwoman Emily Haines is taking a break from her synth-rock day gig to make her solo debut with Knives Don't Have Your Back, due September 26. Recorded over four years in four cities — New York, Los Angeles, Montreal and her hometown of Toronto — the 12-track album was produced by John O'Mahoney (Strokes, System of a Down) and Metric guitarist Jimmy Shaw. Knives also includes collaborations with fellow Canadian musicians Justin Peroff (Broken Social Scene) and Evan Cranley (Stars). ... Arcade Fire's touring violinist, Final Fantasy (a.k.a. Owen Pallet), will release his sophomore solo album, He Poos Clouds, on June 13. Eight of the album's 10 songs have a rather interesting inspiration: "Dungeons & Dragons." After his European trek comes to an end, Final Fantasy will play several American dates, including stops in New York; Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Columbus, Ohio.

Hoboken, New Jersey, indie rockers Yo La Tengo are self-releasing an album of covers played at annual WFMU fundraisers from 1996-2003. Songs on the 31-track album, titled Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics, were recorded during the eight-year period when the band played requests on host Gaylord Fields' show in exchange for donations to help fund the independent radio station. For sale on the band's Web site, the disc includes the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," T. Rex's "20th Century Boy" and Velvet Underground's "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'." ... FX's fireman drama "Rescue Me" will release a soundtrack May 30 to coincide with the premiere of its third season. Bands on the disc include the Von Bondies (whose "C'mon, C'mon" serves as the series' theme), Stereophonics, the Subways, Ray LaMontagne, Wolf Parade and Our Lady Peace. ...

04.24.2005

Nelly will host a celebrity-softball tournament in Richmond, Virginia, on May 2 to raise money for his 4Sho4Kids Foundation. The game will take place at the Diamond, home of minor-league baseball team the Richmond Braves, and tickets cost start at $10. St. Lunatics rapper Murphy Lee, Goodie Mob's Big Gipp, actress Gabrielle Union and Green Bay Packer/ occasional fantasy-football demigod Ahman Green will join Nelly for the game. Head to ClearChannelRichmond.com/
celebsoftball.html for more info. ...

Ever wanted to read the innermost thoughts of Jessica Simpson, Nick Lachey, the Game and Bam Margera? Now you can. BlogStar has a new service that'll beam the blog stylings of all four — plus a host of other celebs — directly to your Sprint cell phone. The stars will document their day-to-day lives via camera-phone pics and text messages, and for a fee of $5 per blog, Sprint customers will be able to access the action. For more info check out BlogStar.com. ... Russell Simmons held another Hip-Hop Summit over the weekend, this time at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. Panel contributors Nas, LL Cool J, Jim Jones, T.I., Papoose, manager Chris Lighty and Maino gave advice and spoke about economic empowerment in the urban community. (See what went down at the event in these photos.") ...

Clothing designer Marc Ecko announced a First Amendment federal lawsuit against Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. and the City of New York on Monday (April 24), challenging the city's new anti-graffiti legislation. The case, centered around artists under the age of 21, asks a federal judge to issue an order preventing the city and New York Police Department from enforcing recent amendments to the city's anti-graffiti laws, which went into effect January 1. The laws criminalize simple possession of spray paint and broad-tipped markers for anyone under 21, regardless of the reason for their possession. They also prohibit anyone under 21 from purchasing spray paint. Ecko's move comes as a hoax video he shot promoting his StillFree.com Web site — in which it appears that his crew tags the president's plane, Air Force One — is gaining buzz online. ... In an unlikely pairing, 50 Cent will appear on daytime talk show "The View" to discuss what may be an even more unlikely topic: kids and nutrition. The rapper will join fitness guru Jorge Cruise on Friday's episode, which airs at 11 a.m. ET on ABC. In perhaps a better fit, Jewel is slated to appear on daytime drama "The Young and the Restless," where she will perform two songs ("Again and Again" and "Good Day") at a coffeehouse benefit concert. The episode airs May 31. ...

Beyoncé is already hard at work on her next solo album, pulling 12-hour days, reports producer Sean Garrett, who boasts that "the songs are sick." "She's in a place I've never seen her in before," Garrett told MTV Radio. "She's very vibrant, very happy, and her mindset is incredible. She's in a zone." Meanwhile, Garrett's already finished up three tracks for Britney Spears' upcoming album. They're "trying to do some real crazy-ass stuff that the world is going to love," he said. Garrett has also worked on a song called "London Bridge" for the upcoming solo album from the Black Eyed Peas' Fergie. "It's going to be stupid," Garrett said. "The beat is amazing. I think everyone will get to know Fergie's personality. It's crazy." ...

The Black Eyed Peas have announced a benefit concert, scheduled to take place May 28 at Johannesburg Stadium at Ellis Park in South Africa. The Peas' charity organization, the Peapod Foundation, will raise awareness and funds for the Shanduka Foundation's Adopt-A-School program in South Africa. "Two years ago we played to commemorate 10 years of freedom in South Africa, and I made a promise that we would return to give a free show to the people who may never have to chance to get down and celebrate with the Black Eyed Peas," Will.I.Am said in a statement. The Peas will perform alongside South African musicians and dancers. ...

The 15th anniversary of the death of French pop provocateur Serge Gainsbourg is celebrated on the upcoming tribute album Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited (June 20), which features covers performed by Franz Ferdinand, R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe, Cat Power, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, Portishead, Feist, Tricky, the Kills and the Rakes. ... After winning MTV's "Battle for Ozzfest" in January 2005, touring on that summer's version of the 'Fest and then releasing an album on Sanctuary Records, Texas screamers A Dozen Furies have called it quits. Drummer Mike Miller broke the news on the band's site, ADozenFuries.com, writing, "After two amazing, short years, A Dozen Furies has called it a day. We could go on and on about all of the reasons why, but when it comes down to it, it's because we've grown apart." Miller then wrote that ADF would play a farewell gig at the Ridglea Metal and Hardcore Fest on May 6 in Fort Worth, Texas, but according to another post on the site, the band has since canceled that appearance. ...

Starting Friday, you'll be able to hear Neil Young's brand-new protest album, Living With War, streaming in its entirety on NeilYoung.com. Since breaking news of the album on his site last week, Young has been revealing song titles and posting lyrics. At the moment you can read the words to seven of the album's 10 tracks, including "After the Garden," "The Restless Consumer" and "Flags of Freedom." The album will be available from digital retailers starting May 2 and will hit stores in early May. ... The self-titled LP by former Young collaborators Pearl Jam goes after the Bush administration head-on, frontman Eddie Vedder admits in the new issue of Newsweek. "It's just not the time to be cryptic," he told the magazine about the May 2 release. "I mean, our tax dollars for this [Iraq] war are being funneled through huge corporations — one of which, [Halliburton,] Dick Cheney used to be head; and there's an even greater disparity between rich or poor in this country. It offends me on a really deep level."

• DMX
• Coldplay
• Gorillaz
• Proof Of D-12
• Lil Jon

The Gorillaz's Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett
Photo: MTV News

After a five-night stand at Harlem's Apollo Theater that featured a backing orchestra, tons of bells and whistles and even a gratuitous Dennis Hopper cameo, it's difficult to imagine just what Gorillaz mastermind Damon Albarn could do for an encore.

Which is why it's not totally surprising to learn that there might never be another curtain call for the animated group. Because in the grand tradition of Ric Flair, George Foreman and Jay-Z, it looks like Gorillaz are retiring — maybe.

"We're putting Gorillaz back on the shelf after these last few gigs and working on other things for a while," Albarn said. "It's been brilliant, and this time it's been a runaway success, so why not just leave it like that? So we're retiring. We've been taking notes and we're going to do it hip-hop style, like Jay-Z."

But don't go into mourning just yet, Gorillaz fans. Buoyed by the success of the Apollo shows — tickets sold out in less than an hour for the five-night stint, which saw Albarn and Co. perform the band's Demon Days in its entirety (see "Gorillaz Taking Up Residency At New York's Apollo Theater") — Albarn admitted he was looking to give the 'Rillaz a proper send-off with a glamorous run of shows in Las Vegas.

"There's a possibility of doing these shows one more time, in Las Vegas. But we're not sure when. I love the idea of Gorillaz — on their third-ever [set of gigs] — playing Vegas," Albarn laughed. "And, of course, it'll be big and all bells and whistles. And then that's it."

Albarn said the Vegas shows would be staged in lieu of the Gorillaz's oft-rumored world tour (see "Gorillaz Target 'Dirty Harry' As Third Single; World Tour Begins To Jell"), which he said has been put on the back burner. He also pooh-poohed a string of reports in the British tabloids that quoted a source within the band saying Gorillaz would break up at Christmas.

"That was one of our drunk friends ranting down in the pub. It's stupid," Albarn sighed. "The great thing about Gorillaz is that when we're not working with them, they're relatively low-maintenance."

Also on the docket for Gorillaz before they call it quits are a video game ("It's in the early stages, but it will cost 8 million pounds to make," Albarn said) and a movie, which Albarn and Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett plan on financing themselves. The dynamic duo are also hard at work on a Chinese opera called "Monkey: Journey to the West," which they hope to have completed by the end of the year.

And if this really is the end of Gorillaz, Albarn and Hewlett have made sure to give them a suitably morbid sendoff in the band's newest video for the song "El Mañana." It's a dark, somber clip that ties up the loose ends of the band's previous videos (for "Feel Good Inc.," "DARE" and "Dirty Harry") and even sees a member of the group die.

"Noodle is killed off in the last video, for 'El Mañana.' She's on the island from the 'Feel Good' video — which represents mental freedom — and in the end it gets blown out of the sky by black helicopters," Albarn said. "And Noodle is on the island, and she goes down in a ball of flames into the abyss. And it's fitting because the song is about the end of something. But it's got some hope in it. ... Maybe in time something good will happen."

But Albarn admits that even in death, nothing is permanent. So while Gorillaz may be gone for now, the day could come when they will make a triumphant return. Just don't expect some sort of fiery rebirth for Noodle. After all, Albarn said, he's already seen enough of that.

"She could come back from the fire, but not like Darth Vader," he said. "I mean, that 'Star Wars' thing, when he's burning in the lava, it looks really fake and rubbish. It looks like a B movie or something. It was rubbish. We'd never do something that bad. Unless, of course, we wanted to do it on purpose."

• Gorillaz

Joey Fatone, Gorillaz, and Thomas Jones

• *NSYNC
• Gorillaz

2005 EMA Red Carpet and Highlights

• Green Day
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2005 MTV Europe Music Awards Nominees

• Coldplay
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2005 MTV Video Music Awards Nominees

• Green Day
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Gorillaz Photos

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Gorillaz Flipbook

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