Rihanna
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Between the commercials, the halftime extravaganza and lingerie-clad counter-programming, it's hard to remember that the reason the Super Bowl is the most-watched TV event of the year is because of, you know, the football game.

Music has increasingly become the biggest distraction from the gridiron action, and this year, that's truer than ever, with a Grammy-night-worthy roster of acts lining up to get a bit of shine on football's biggest day.

There is, of course, the prime-time halftime slot, which has become a haven for classic-rock acts, with one of the biggest one taking the stage this year: the Boss. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will run onto the field between halves — two days before their latest album, Working on a Dream, drops — but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Faith Hill will sing "America the Beautiful" before the game on Sunday, and Jennifer Hudson will give her first public performance since the murders of her mother, brother and nephew when she sings that national anthem at the game.

On Thursday, the Pepsi Smash concert will air live from the Ford Amphitheatre on VH1, with sets from Rihanna, Fall Out Boy and Lifehouse, with actor Jerry O'Connell hosting. The next night, Enrique Iglesias will headline Pepsi Musica Super Bowl Fiesta at the Ford on Telemundo, which will air Saturday. Friday night will also bring the Miller Lite Super Party in St. Petersburg at Williams Park starring Hoobastank, and the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration at the USF Sun Dome.

Saturday night boasts the Hard Rock Hotel's Rock & Soul Super Saturday Night show featuring the ubiquitous Will.I.Am and DJ Ruckus, with possible appearances by invited guests including Paris Hilton, Brody Jenner and the Kardashians.

That's not to be confused with the Seminole Hard Rock Revolution party on Friday night, hosted by "Entourage" star Kevin "Johnny Drama" Dillon and Khloe Kardashian, with music from DJs Colleen Shannon and Selfborn.

If you're in Florida, you gotta see Flo Rida, right? You're in luck, because the "Low" rapper is playing at the Green Iguana in Tampa as part of a Low Dough Pregame Show. Celebrity DJ Samantha Ronson will take to the decks at another Green Iguana outlet in Tampa, in the Westshore Hotel, following the game for a Celebrity Postgame Show, and Tampa's Club Underground is promoting the I Am Legend Super Bowl party, hosted by Jay-Z, on Saturday night.

Not to be outdone, Diddy, NFL legend Deion Sanders and boxer Winky Wright are hosting what's being called a three-day, star-studded party leading up the game called the Good Life Experience at the Venue in St. Petersburg from January 29-31. Among the guests promised to drop by are comedian Dane Cook and football legend Warren Sapp, and Diddy is set to host the final night's events, called the Icons of the Good Life Diamonds and Pearls Gala.

And just like you can't have a party without Will.I.Am, you can't host an event without the equally everywhere-at-once Dave Navarro, who will be MCing the Rock-N-Babes gig at the Hula Bay Club in Tampa on Saturday with J-Mello. Another party staple, DJ AM, will be spinning with DJ Jazzy Jeff at a Super Bowl kickoff party at AJA on Thursday night in Tampa. Journey and John Legend will also be part of the pregame festivities, performing adjacent to Raymond James Stadium at 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Some other random acts making the scene: DJ Kid Capri at the 2009 Players After Party; Cheap Trick singer Robin Zander at the Band Together charity show on Saturday at the Sirata Beach Resort in St. Petersburg; actor Kevin Costner with his band, Modern West, at the Super Sunday HQ party on Saturday night at TPepin Hospitality Centre with New York Giants legend Michael Strahan; Nelly and Jermaine Dupri co-hosting the Under the Veil 2 party on Saturday night at the Museum of Science and Industry; and Nick Lachey teaming up with NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson for the Super Skins Party at the Hula Bay Club in Tampa on Friday, followed by the Super Skins Celebrity Golf Classic the next day.

We'd be remiss if we didn't mention that Snoop Dogg is performing at the Anheuser-Busch-sponsored pregame Bud Bowl concert at Channelside in Tampa on Friday night, with 3 Doors Down playing the next night.

• Bruce Springsteen
• Snoop Dogg
• Rihanna
• John Legend
• Will.I.Am

Cam'ron's <i>Killa Season</i>
Photo: Diplomat /Asylum Records

'Tis the Season: Cam'ron fans have been waiting to hear Killa deliver on the Jay-Z disses he not-so-subtly previewed earlier this year with a press conference and video spoof for the songs "Lick It or Not" and "Wet Wipes." Cam milks the press conference for all its worth, including it on a DVD accompanying the limited-edition run of Killa Season. That version also has behind-the-scenes footage of Cam's recent movie of the same name, plus two bonus songs.

Rac-A-Fellas: Pick up your copy of the Raconteurs' Broken Boy Soldiers debut in Japan and you'll find a bonus song, "The Bane Rendition." If you're searching for Jack White's other band in Australia, you'll have to look under "S" instead, since the group has to go by the name the Saboteurs down there for copyright reasons. But if you're in the States, you'll find the record in its 10-track splendor. Songs include "Steady, As She Goes," "Store Bought Bones" and "Intimate Secretary."

Milian Dollar Baby: If you were ahead of the ball, you might have requested a copy of Christina Milian's So Amazin' over iTunes, netting you two bonus songs and a couple of unreleased mixes of the first single, "Say I." But that's OK if you didn't, since all versions of the Cool & Dre-produced record are enhanced with the "Say I" video. And the singer adds a little hustle to her flow on "Who's Gonna Ride," featuring Three Six Mafia.

Stankonia: The third whiff from Hoobastank has a seven-minute songs with flutes ("More Than a Memory") and a vocal contribution from an actual barking sergeant. But if that's not enough reason to pick up Every Man for Himself, a limited-edition version comes with a bonus tee (no, it's not scratch and sniff), and both editions are enhanced with some video treats.

Lean on Them: Hip-hop artists seek help from big-name producers on virtually every record, but this week sees a bunch of rock acts canoodling with members of other bands. Rookies Rock Kills Kid cozy up with ex-Drive Like Jehu member Mark Trombino for their major-label blast-off, Are You Nervous? (should they really be the ones asking that question?). Five albums in, Mason Jennings looks for a shot of adrenaline from Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock, whose Glacial Pace imprint is putting out the Minneapolis singer/songwriter's LP (which unlocks additional content on MasonJennings.com). And another singer/songwriter, Marykate O'Neil, enlisted Jill Sobule to co-write and perform on much of her new one, 1-800-Bankrupt.

Cure keyboardist Roger O'Donnell, whose The Truth in Me was made entirely on a Moog, beckoned Postal Service member Jimmy Tamborello and Notwist keyboardist Martin Gretschmann to remix two tracks from the record. O'Donnell's second record also christens his new label, 99 X Out of Ten. Run Run Run — a band that cites the Cure as a big influence — hook up with Bauhaus' David J for their debut LP, Endless Winter. J, Z Trip and Madonna producer Marcus Brown bolster the limited-edition double-disc version of the record with remixes, while the album itself huddles together some tracks from the Los Angelinos' self-released EPs.

Age Discrimination: None of the Finals are more than 25 years old, which should give their John Naclerio (My Chemical Romance, Brand New)-produced debut, Plan Your Getaway, an even younger appeal. Instrumentalist Mike Oldfield sold more than 16 million copies of his Tubular Bells record when he was still in his teens, and his performances from eight years later are captured on the DVD "Live at Montreux 1981." And singer/songwriter/super-producer T Bone Burnett — who hasn't released a solo LP in 14 years — is making up for lost time by simultaneously releasing the new DualDisc The True False Identity and the compilation Twenty Twenty: The Essential T Bone Burnett.

Song Title of the Week:

"My Electric Underwear" from Whirlwind Heat's Types of Wood

Other Notables:

Ashley Parker Angel's Soundtrack to Your Life vs. Radioinactive's Soundtrack to a Book: Where's Soundtrack of Our Lives when we need them? Surely they'd break the stalemate between this week's two soundtracks that technically aren't. The former O-Town singer's "There and Back" TV show has led him to happiness, as he plainly states on "I'm Better," "Feel So Alive" and "Perfect Now." Radioinactive, a member of avant-garde hip-hoppers the Shapeshifters, is anything but simple on his Book, for which he culled a synthesizer built in 1975, a robot from '78 and a recording made by a cult leader in '82. Radio's charming cover photo — it's a shot of him as a kid, playing with a droid — gives him even more of an advantage.

Depeche Mode's reissues vs. Dinosaur Jr.'s reissues: While they weren't exactly from the same era — DM got off to an earlier start in 1980 — both bands peaked artistically in the late '80s and reveled in the doom and gloom throughout. Now their best works are being remastered for all you fancy-pants fans: DM's Speak & Spell, Music for the Masses and Violator are being dished out again, this time with a bonus DVD of 5.1 and enhanced-stereo mixes, DVD-only B-sides and remixes, a short film about the making of the record and deluxe packaging with lyrics and hard-to-find pics. Dinosaur Jr.'s notable Green Mind and Where You Been have three bonus tracks apiece, but alas, no extra disc. Also due this week is frontman J Mascis' self-explanatory Live at CBGB's: The First Acoustic Show, an unreleased LP limited to just 5,000 copies and available only at the Coalition of Independent Music Stores. The 1993 gig — at which Mascis played a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Every Mother's Son" — clinches him the brass ring.

The Wedding Present's Search for Paradise: Three songs from last year's Take Fountain, plus a heap of remixes and B-sides, constitute the U.K. band's second release since reuniting in 2004. Tacked onto the set is a DVD containing a film that accompanies a live acoustic version of "Perfect Blue," behind-the-scenes stuff and clips for "Interstate 5," "I'm From Further North Than You," "Ringway to Seatac" and "Don't Touch That Dial."

The Twilight Singers's Powder Burns: No less than Ani DiFranco and Joseph Arthur helped Greg Dulli and his Twilight Singers with their fourth effort, Powder Burns, which they partially documented in New Orleans with Neville Brothers (and Joseph Arthur) collaborator Mike Napolitano. That location alone brings extra weight to songs like "Toward the Waves" and "Underneath the Waves."

New Releases:

• Ashley Parker Angel - Soundtrack to Your Life (Universal)

Buy Now: Soundtrack to Your Life (Universal)

• Bananarama - Drama (The Lab)

Buy Now: Drama (The Lab)

• The Bank Robbers - Tomorrow Belongs to Me (No Milk)
• Bal-Sagoth - The Chthonic Chronicles (Candlelight)
• Ignacio Berroa - Codes (Blue Note)
• Big 10-4 - Testing the Atmosphere (Universal)
• The Blue Bloods - Death of a Salesman (I Scream)
• T Bone Burnett - The True False Identity (DualDisc due same day; Columbia)
• Cam'ron - Killa Season (limited-edition version with DVD and two bonus tracks due same day; Rap-a-Lot)
  Read: "Mixtape Monday: LL Cool J Stays Hungry, Cam'ron Delivers A Preview"

Buy Now: Killa Season (Rap-a-Lot)

• Crackjaw - Giants From the Stereo (I Scream)
• Paul Di'Anno - The Living Dead (with DVD; Cleopatra)
• Dir En Grey - Withering to Death (Warcon)
• Dirtie Blonde - Dirtie Blonde (Jive)
• Dissection - Reinkaos (The End)
• Don Caballero - World Class Listening Problem (Relapse)
• Tim Easton - Ammunition (New West)
• The Finals - Plan Your Getaway (EP: Stab Me)
• Gigi - Gold & Wax (digipak; Palm Pictures)
• Hawnay Troof - Dollar and Deed (two CDs; Retard Disco)
• Hillstomp - The Woman Who Ended It All (In Music We Trust)
• Hoobastank - Every Man for Himself (limited-edition version due same day; Island)
  Read: "Hoobastank Find Inspiration For New LP In Scott Weiland's Cold Shoulder"

Buy Now: Every Man for Himself (Island)

• Ignite - Our Darkest Days (Abacus)
• The iOs - In Sunday Songs (Kanine)
• Mason Jennings - Boneclouds (Epic)
• Lotus - The Strength of Weak Ties (Harmonized)
• The Marked Men - Fix My Brain (Swami)
• Mary Lee's Corvette - Love Loss & Lunacy (digipak; Western Force)
• David Mead - Tangerine (Tallulah)
• Melvins - Houdini Live: A Live History of Gluttony and Lust (Ipecac)
• Minutes Til Midnight - Godless Regardless (EP; self release)
• Christina Milian - So Amazin' (enhanced; Island)

Buy Now: So Amazin' (Island)

• Misery Index - Discordia (Relapse)
• Mower - Not for You (Suburban Noize)
• Charlie Musselwhite - Delta Hardware Co (Real World)
• Neaera - Let the Tempest Come (Metal Blade)
• Roger O'Donnell - The Truth in Me (99 X Out of Ten)
• Marykate O'Neil - 1-800-Bankrupt (Nettwerk/ 71 Recordings)
• The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers (V2/ Third Man)
  Read: "Jack White: Don't Call The Raconteurs A Side Project")

Buy Now: Broken Boy Soldiers (V2/ Third Man)

• Radio 4 - Enemies Like This (Astralwerks)

Buy Now: Enemies Like This (Astralwerks)

• Radioinactive - Soundtrack to a Book (Stranger Touch)
• Rock Kills Kid - Are You Nervous? (Reprise)
  Read: "Rock Kills Kid Bring Music From Windowless Room To Radio"

Buy Now: Are You Nervous? (Reprise)

• Run Run Run - Endless Winter (Song and Dance)
• Russian Circles - Enter (digipak; Flameshovel)
• Sam Roberts - Chemical City (digipak; Secret Brain/ Fontana)

Buy Now: Chemical City (Secret Brain/ Fontana)

• Saviours - Crucifire (Level Plane)
• Sinister - Afterburner (Candlelight)
• This Is Hell - Sundowning (Trustkill)
• The Twilight Singers - Powder Burns (One Little Indian)
• Unwed Sailor - Circles (EP; Burnt Toast)
• Ben Vaughn - Ben Vaughn Presents: Designs in Music (Soundstage 15)
• Viking Skull - Born in Hell (456 Entertainment)
• Vreid - Pitch Black Brigade (Candlelight)
• The Wedding Present - Search for Paradise (with bonus DVD; Manifesto)
• Whirlwind Heat - Types of Wood (Brille)

Buy Now: Types of Wood (Brille)

• Whitestarr - Luv Machine (Contango)
• The Wonder Stuff - Suspended by Stars (Reincarnate)
• The Year Of - Slow Days (digipak; Morr)
• Benjamin Zephaniah - Naked (One Little Indian)
• Zyklon - Disintegrate (Candlelight)
• Various artists - "Over the Hedge" soundtrack (Epic)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Cannonball Adderley Quartet - Why Am I Treated So Bad (Blue Note)
• T Bone Burnett - Twenty Twenty: The Essential T Bone Burnett (two CDs; DMZ /Columbia /Legacy)
• Serge Chaloff - Boston Blow Up (Blue Note)
• Depeche Mode - Music for the Masses, Speak & Spell and Violator (deluxe editions with a bonus DVD for each; Rhino)

Buy Now: Music for the Masses, Speak & Spell and Violator (Rhino)

• Dinosaur Jr - Green Mind and Where You Been (remastered with bonus tracks; Rhino)
• Hallows Eve - History of Terror (two CDs plus bonus DVD; Metal Blade)
• Hanson - 20th Century Masters: The Best of Hanson - The Millennium Collection (Universal)
• The Jazz Crusaders - At the Lighthouse (Blue Note)
• Stan Kenton - Sophisticated Approach (Blue Note)
• J Mascis - Live at CBGB's: The First Acoustic Show (limited to 5,000 copies, only on sale at Coalition of Independent Music Stores; Rhino)
• Material Issue - 20th Century Masters: The Best of Hanson - The Millennium Collection (Universal)
• Lou Rawls - Tobacco Road (Blue Note)
• Johnny Rodriguez - 20th Century Masters: The Best of Hanson - The Millennium Collection (Universal)

Music DVDs:

• America and Friends - "Live at the Ventura Theater" (Cleopatra)
• Louis Armstrong - "King of Jazz" (Music Video Distributors)
• Blondie - "Live 1978" (Eagle Vision)
• Chick Corea Akoustic Band - "Rendezvous in New York" (Image)
• Chick Corea & Origin - "Rendezvous in New York" (Image)
• Culture Club - "Live in Sydney" (Eagle Vision)
• Dublin City Ramblers - "Favourite Irish Folk Songs" (Doonaree)
• Duran Duran - "The Ultimate Review" (Classic Rock Legends)
• Herb Ellis - "Live" (Music Video Distributors)
• Little Feat - "Little Feat & Friends in Jamaica: Burgers & Paradise" (Hot Tomato)
• G.B.H. - "Charged on Stage: City Baby Attacked by Rats" (Music Video Distributors)
• Ray Gallen - "Irish Heartbeat: A Bodhrán Tutorial" (Doonaree)
• Journey - "Live in Houston 1981: The Escape Tour" (Columbia)
• Mike Oldfield - "Live at Montreux 1981" (Eagle Vision)
• Lee Scratch Perry - "Lee Scratch Perry in Concert: The Ultimate Album" (Music Video Distributors)
• Amalia Rodrigues - "The Spirit of Fado" (Music Video Distributors)
• Randy Sabien - "Live in Minneapolis" (Music Video Distributors)
• Sham 69 - "Hersham Boys" (Music Video Distributors)
• Shaskeen - "Irish Pub Session" (Doonaree)
• Stiff Little Fingers - "In Concert: Handheld & Rigidly Digital" (Music Video Distributors)
• Liz Story - "Solid Colours" (Music Video Distributors)
• Thin Lizzy - "Rock Milestones: Thin Lizzy's Live and Dangerous - The Essential Albums of All Time" (Classic Rock Legends)
• Brian Torff & Manfredo Fest - "Some Call It Jazz" (Music Video Distributors)
• The Toy Dolls - "Our Last DVD?" (Music Video Distributors)
• The Ernie Watts Quartet - "Live" (Music Video Distributors)
• Various artists - "The Best of the Beat Club, Volume 1" and "Volume 2" (Eagle Vision)
• Various artists - "Jazz Shots From the East Coast, Vol. 1" and "The West Coast, Vol. 1" (Music Video Distributors)
• Various artists - "Jazz Voice: The Ladies Sing Jazz, Vol. 1" and "Vol. 2" (Music Video Distributors)

Coming Attractions:

May 23:

• Angels & Airwaves - We Don't Need to Whisper (Geffen)
  Read: "Tom DeLonge Spills More About Angels & Airwaves' Plans For World Domination"

Buy Now: We Don't Need to Whisper (Geffen)

• Don Omar - King of Kings (Universal)
  Read: "Reggaeton Star Don Omar Out To Spread Latino Unity"

Buy Now: King of Kings (Universal)

• The Walkmen - Hundred Miles Off (Record Collection)

Buy Now: Hundred Miles Off (Record Collection)

• The Charlatans UK - "Live at Last" (Standing Room Only)
• Les Claypool - Of Whales & Woe (digipak; Prawn Song)
• Peeping Tom - Peeping Tom (Ipecac)

Read: "Norah Jones Curses Up A Storm For New Mike Patton Project"

• AFI - Decemberunderground (Interscope)

Buy Now: Decemberunderground (Interscope)

• Head Automatica - Popaganda (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Daryl Palumbo Spreads Head Automatica Popaganda"

Buy Now: Popaganda (Warner Bros.)

• Paul Oakenfold - A Lively Mind (Maverick)

Buy Now: A Lively Mind (Maverick)

• Cam'ron
• Raconteurs
• Christina Milian
• Ashley Parker Angel
• Hoobastank

Lil' Kim
Photo: Evan Agostini/Getty Images

Nearly 2 million viewers tuned in last week to catch the premiere episode of "Lil' Kim: Countdown to Lockdown," making it the most-watched series debut for BET. The six-episode show — which airs Thursday nights — captures Kim's final two weeks of freedom before entering prison to serve 12 months behind bars for perjury. ...

50 Cent, G-Unit, Mike Jones, Nick Cannon, RZA, Mobb Deep, Tony Yayo, DJ AM, Gabrielle Union, Jeremy Piven, Trina, Raekwon, Sleepy Brown and Timbaland are among the hip-hop elite slated to tee off for charity in a celebrity-golf tournament taking place in Arizona March 20-21. The event is part of the three-day Scion Release Invitational, a celebration to kick off the launch of Scion's new Release sportswear collection. All of the proceeds from the game will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of America. ... Wal-Mart's about to open its 2,000th Supercenter, and it'll celebrate the momentous occasion with a free concert featuring Ryan Cabrera. He'll perform March 18 in the parking lot of said store — located in Beaumont, California. The show is open to the public and starts at 4 p.m. ...

Rivers Cuomo is engaged to Kyoko Ito, whom he met when he performed solo at the Middle East club in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1997. The Weezer singer's spokesperson told Boston magazine the two will wed in the summer after Cuomo graduates from Harvard. ... A week after performing a five-hour, 66-song set in Memphis, Tennessee, for 311 Day (March 11), Nick Hexum is taking on another marathon. The 311 singer is running in the Los Angeles Marathon XXI on Sunday for his pro-environmental cause, Liberal Hexum. ...

Journalist, author, poet and activist Kevin Powell — whom you'll remember from the first season of MTV's "The Real World" — is running for higher office. Powell's seeking a seat in Brooklyn, New York's 10th Congressional District. Powell, who's running on a platform that includes education reform, better access to health care, economic development, financial literacy and "job training instead of jail sentencing in poorer neighborhoods," said the events of 9/11, as well as the war in Iraq and the government's shortsighted response to Hurricane Katrina, encouraged the move. "I want to use my voice, in Washington, D.C., on a national stage, in a way that affirms our humanity, not denies it," he said. "It is time for new leadership, a new generation, to push us forward, and I want to be a part of that wave of fresh ideas, of new visions, for these times, for the 21st century." For more on Powell's campaign, check out KevinPowell2006.com. ...

Hoobastank's forthcoming Every Man for Himself will now hit stores May 16. The disc was originally slated for release April 18. The band's also booked a series of television appearances: "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" (May 12), "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" (May 16), "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (May 18) and "Last Call With Carson Daly" (May 25). ... It's going to be a busy May for Mogwai, who've just lined up 20 North American dates to chase the band's appearance April 30 at this year's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The first is set for May 2 in Salt Lake City, and dates run through May 27 in San Francisco. The Scottish indie-rockers' most recent record, Mr. Beast, came out earlier this month.

03.14.2006

A dark-haired Lindsay Lohan graces the April cover of Cosmopolitan, and within its pages the singer/actress gets personal about family problems, body-image issues and guys. Lohan talks about her first onscreen love scene — with Elijah Wood in the upcoming "Bobby" — and says she hopes she'll have time for a real boyfriend when she's done shooting "Chapter 27" in New York. (Successful candidates need to be confident, loyal and have a good sense of humor, "because I come with a lot of baggage.") The 19-year-old, who says sleeping around doesn't appeal to her, admits she's harboring her fair share of crushes. And in a multiple-choice questionnaire, she skips over Orlando Bloom, Jude Law and Brad Pitt to write in votes for favorite heartthrobs Johnny Depp and scruffy indie-rocker Devendra Banhart. ...

California authorities have granted Michael Jackson a 24-hour extension to settle an unpaid-wages dispute at his Neverland Valley Ranch. A spokesperson for the California Department of Industrial Relations said the singer's representatives have been in touch with the office and they are "trying to get the money together" to pay the more than $500,000 in fines Jackson was ordered to shell out by Tuesday (March 14). Authorities shut down Neverland March 9, alleging that Jackson failed to pay his employees and maintain workers'-compensation insurance. Jackson owes $69,000 for allowing his insurance policy to lapse two months ago, as well as $306,000 in back wages and $100,000 in fines. If he does not pay up by the end of Wednesday, department spokesperson Renee Bacchini said her office will file a civil action in court seeking the funds and the singer could face contempt charges. A spokesperson for Jackson did not return calls for comment. ...

Banking on the massive appeal of "American Idol," the TV Guide Channel is launching a live pre-show called "Idol Tonight" that will take viewers behind the scenes of each week's competition until this season's winner is announced in May. The one-hour show premieres Tuesday at 7 p.m. and will be hosted by former-"Idol"-finalist-turned-entertainment-correspondent Kimberly Caldwell. ... Yellowcard, Simple Plan and "X-Men" Iceman Shawn Ashmore are just some of the celebrity gamers who have customized Xbox 360 faceplates for charity. Starting Friday fans will be able to bid on the faceplates over at eBay.ca/XboxCelebrityFaces, with all proceeds going to the Children's Miracle Network of Canada. ... Sorry ladies: Jack Black is reportedly off the market. The Tenacious D frontman and "Nacho Libre" actor eloped with his girlfriend, musician Tanya Haden, according to People magazine. The pair met at a private high school in Santa Monica, California, but only began dating recently. "They love each other very much. We're thrilled," the bride's father, noted jazz saxophonist Charlie Haden, told the mag of his daughter's recent nuptials. Black's publicist would neither confirm nor deny the story. ...

The Dave Matthews Band will perform two nights at Boston's historic home of the Red Sox, Fenway Park, as part of their summer tour. Sheryl Crow will open up both gigs, scheduled for July 7 and 8. ... On Tuesday morning Superior Court Judge Francis J. Darigan Jr. set a trial date for one of the two owners of the Station — the Warwick, Rhode Island, nightclub where 100 people died in a 2003 blaze during a Great White concert. According to The Associated Press, Michael Derderian's case will begin July 31 in Rhode Island's Kent County. Derderian and his brother, Jeffrey, are facing 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter — two for each of the 100 lives lost in the fire, which was sparked when Great White's pyrotechnics ignited flammable soundproofing foam inside the venue. Jeffrey Derderian will be tried following the conclusion of his brother's trial. ... British rockers Hard-Fi are crashing the U.S. in style. To celebrate the Stateside release of their debut album, Stars of CCTV, the band will play a free show at Tower Records in Sherman Oaks, California, Tuesday at 7 p.m. for fans who buy the LP that same day. The gig marks the beginning of the quartet's North American headlining tour, which will include four more back-to-back in-store appearances in San Francisco, San Diego, Portland and Seattle. ...

Seventeen years after their last tour, the members of pioneering new-wave band the Cars — well, a couple of them anyway — are gearing up for a major U.S. summer tour with fellow new wavers Blondie. The New Cars, featuring original members Elliot Easton (guitar) and Greg Hawkes (keyboards), will be joined on the Road Rage Tour 2006 by singer/guitarist Todd Rundgren and his old Utopia bandmate, bassist Kasim Sulton, as well as former Tubes drummer Prairie Prince. Each online ticket purchase for the tour will come with a free download of a disc with five songs each from the New Cars and Blondie. The tour kicks off May 12 at the Grand Casino Tunica Event Center in Robinsonville, Mississippi, and is slated to wrap July 1 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York. ...

OK Go frontman Damian Kulash was booked on resisting-arrest charges by police in Orlando, Florida, after ignoring an officer's orders to head inside the local House of Blues where the band was performing. Instead Kulash insisted on loitering outside with several of the group's fans. According to the band's Web site, Kulash was "locked up for about nine hours, during which time he ate corn flakes and made friends with a couple of guys." He was released Tuesday morning — which means OK Go's gig Tuesday night in Jacksonville, Florida, will go on as scheduled. ... Also in trouble is Less Than Jake frontman Chris Demakes, who was arrested last week while the Gainesville, Florida, ska band was filming a video in Los Angeles for the track "Overrated" — the first single off In With the Out Crowd, due May 23. According to a label spokesperson, the band was in the Topanga Plaza shopping mall, performing for people chowing down in the food court. Security guards asked the band to hit the bricks, and when that took a little too long Demakes was hauled off by police for trespassing.

• Lil' Kim
• 50 Cent
• Timbaland
• Ryan Cabrera
• Weezer

Hoobastank's Doug Robb
Photo: MTV News

Hoobastank frontman Doug Robb wants you to know that despite published reports, he does not have beef with Velvet Revolver singer Scott Weiland. But Velvet Revolver fans are a completely different issue.

"We were on the Velvet Revolver tour, and some of the shows were amazing, but some of them were terrible," he laughed. "The audience was filled with guys who love Guns N' Roses and Stone Temple Pilots and think everyone else should go to hell. People would turn their backs to us the whole time and keep their middle fingers in the air. But they were probably really upset because they found some rust spots on their Camaros, or because they got their mullets caught in the door while tailgating, and they were like, 'Ow! Damn it! I'm gonna go mess with Hoobastank!' "

Those experiences — plus some rather chilly backstage behavior from Weiland (see "Hoobastank Singer Has A Few Words For Velvet Revolver, NHL") — inspired Robb to write "If I Were You," the first single from Hoobastank's upcoming album, Every Man for Himself, which is due on April 18. It's a song that takes to task those who don't appreciate what they have, especially when so many have nothing at all.

"When we were on tour, we had all that sh-- happening with the audience, and then you have stuff with Scott Weiland, and then you go onto the bus and turn on 'Entertainment Tonight' and you see some [celebrity] bitching about something. It was incredibly frustrating," Robb said.

"So I wrote the song based on all that, about anybody who takes what they have for granted," he continued. "And I've found that that's pretty much everybody."

Robb declined to expand on just what that "stuff" with Weiland entailed, but Hoobastank drummer Chris Hesse was more forthcoming when asked about the singer's behavior.

"It was kind of strange, because usually when you go on tour with someone for six weeks, by the end you've become pretty good friends with them," he said. "With VR, we felt pretty comfortable with all the guys except for one person, who never said a word to me or [guitarist] Dan [Estrin] or anybody until three weeks into the tour, when he was like, 'Welcome to the tour.' Of course, for three weeks he'd been blowing by us in the halls, yelling at his assistant."

A spokesperson for Weiland had no comment.

Then there's the matter of the song itself, a flowing tune that features a plinking toy piano. This, of course, has given Hooba haters even more fodder, which in turn only makes Robb angrier.

"I remember being in the rehearsal studio, sitting on a couch, and there was this bass line playing, and I thought, 'Hey, it would be cool if we had a toy piano following the bass line,' probably because it reminded me of something Faith No More would do," he explained. "And I've heard a few people be like, 'What's with that toy piano? It's pretty lame.' When a band like Radiohead does something like that it's 'brilliant.' But when we do it, it's lame. Don't get me started on that."

Of course, there are some things Hoobastank are happy with, including the video for "If I Were You," directed by fish-eye lens connoisseur Hype Williams. Unfortunately, no one in the band has actually seen the video, but Robb's not worried. He's used to this kind of thing by now.

"Hype had this idea to go guerrilla-style around the world and capture a bunch of images of youthful exuberance," Robb said. "I told him that I wanted people to see the video and have an epiphany, like, 'I'm gonna call my son' or 'I'm gonna hang out with my mom.' Because everyone has something that they're taking for granted. So there was no treatment. And we still haven't seen an edit of the video. But that's kind of the way everything is on this album — things just sort of appear. So, yeah, I'm excited about it."

Track list for Hoobastank's Every Man for Himself, according to Island:

• "The Rules"
• "Born to Lead"
• "Moving Forward"
• "Inside of You"
• "The First of Me"
• "Good Enough"
• "If I Were You"
• "Without a Fight"
• "Don't Tell Me"
• "Look Where We Are"
• "Say the Same"
• "If Only"
• "More Than a Memory"

• Hoobastank

Nelly
Photo: Walik Goshorn

On Monday (September 12), organizers pulled the plug on Unite the United, a Warped Tour/ Taste of Chaos-style concert to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina, due to "complications in scheduling." The show — which was to feature such acts as the Used, Hoobastank and Pennywise — was scheduled to take place on October 8 in Irvine, California. Instead, organizers are pledging that 50 cents from every ticket purchased for the 2006 Warped and Taste of Chaos tours will be donated to Katrina charities. ...

Michael Jackson's reeling in some big names for his hurricane-relief charity single, "From the Bottom of My Heart." So far, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott, R. Kelly, Ciara, Lenny Kravitz, Mary J. Blige, James Brown, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Babyface are among the artists who've signed on to sing on the track, according to Jackson's rep. All proceeds will be donated to victims of Hurricane Katrina. ...

Nelly has just sent two 18-wheeler trucks loaded with supplies, clothing, toiletries and financial donations to hurricane-affected areas, he said. Most of the donations came from a fund-raising and clothing drive he held in St. Louis, where "everyone came out. It was unbelievable." Nelly's also doing a benefit concert with David Banner in Atlanta on Saturday, with T.I., Young Jeezy, Twista and more, through Banner's Heal the Hood Foundation. "He's been affected personally," Nelly said of Banner, "and he's also a good friend of mine. We're working on a few other things. I think people will be working on this through the year. I don't think we'll see anybody slow up." ... Those who thoroughly enjoyed Mötley Crüe's rendition of "Home Sweet Home" during Saturday night's "ReAct Now: Music & Relief," which featured guest vocals from Chester Bennington, will be glad to know that the hard livin' rockers have recorded the track with the Linkin Park frontman. The song, according to Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx's Web site, will be released as a single. All proceeds generated through sales of the track will benefit the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. ...

Macy Gray is getting hands-on with the hurricane-relief effort. She spent her Labor Day weekend at the Houston Astrodome dispensing water, clothes and toiletries, and she returned to Houston this past weekend to give a little personal attention to a few evacuees. "Me and some friends of mine" — including Afeni Shakur — "we're going to adopt 10 families," Gray said. "We're taking them to this apartment building [in Atlanta] where we got them 10 units." From there, Gray said, they're going to help the parents get jobs and get their kids registered for school. "My heart went out to these people," Gray said. "They don't have anything left. People have really lost everything. They're evacuated, but they have nowhere to go now. They have no plan. They don't know what's happening one day to the next. And they won't have anything unless someone comes along and helps them out." ... Meanwhile, Gray has just finished recording her upcoming album Big, which features Justin Timberlake singing on two tracks: "Get Out" and "Okay." "It's one of the most awesome things I've ever heard," she said. "You got to hear it. [Justin's] a really dope guy. I like him." ...

Billy Idol is auctioning off 100 tickets a night from his current tour, with the proceeds to be donated to the Red Cross. "That's the immediate thing I can do," he said. "I'm on the road till December, so we can do a lot with that." Idol's tour, which has its next stop Tuesday in Poughkeepsie, New York, runs through December 8 in Dusseldorf, Germany. ... Destiny's Child ended their final concert together on Saturday in Vancouver, British Columbia, amid an onstage waterfall and an air-cannon blast of confetti and rose petals. According to a Canadian Press account, before leaving the stage, Beyoncé told the crowd, "We don't want to get too mushy ... Destiny's Child started when we were 9 years old. This isn't something somebody put together. This is love." The group's final U.S. show took place on Friday in Seattle. ...

Pharrell Williams is keeping a tight lid on what his new songs with Gwen Stefani sound like. The pair had been recording tracks in Miami for her second solo album, and after six or seven of them, Pharrell said, "We're actually done. They sound hot." But that's all he'd say. "I don't want to let the cat out of the bag," he laughed. "I can't say too much yet." ... Could Alicia Keys be turning into a full-blown rocker chick? If her upcoming edition of "MTV Unplugged" is any indication, the answer is yes — because it finds her flirting with rock, playing with John Mayer and covering the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses." She's going even more full force on her next studio album, for which she's got five songs done so far. "It's turning into something a lot more edgy," she said, "something that is kind of led by guitars and interesting sounds that are more electric. It's very in your face and lyrically forward and I'm feeling it." Keys also hopes to get some more collaborations in the can. "I want to do some crazy collaborations, like White Stripes, Rolling Stones, some things like that," she said. Her "Unplugged" DVD is due out October 11. ...

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown died on Saturday in his hometown of Orange, Texas, at the age of 81, according to his booking agent. The eclectic singer and guitarist's music was a melting pot of blues, R&B, swing and Cajun influences. Brown, who had been suffering from lung cancer and heart disease, left his home in Slidell, Louisiana, last week to escape Hurricane Katrina and lost all his belongings in the storm. ... Shaggy, Kelly Osbourne, Ani DiFranco, Vivian Green, Sarah McLachlan and members of Taking Back Sunday are among the special guests Cyndi Lauper has enlisted to help her re-imagine her hits on her upcoming ninth album, The Body Acoustic, due November 8. Taking Back Sunday's Adam Lazzara joins Lauper on "Money Changes Everything," Osbourne appears on "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," McLachlan sings on "Time After Time" and Shaggy lends his voice to "All Through the Night." The album also contains two new songs, "Above the Clouds" (featuring guitarist Jeff Beck) and "I'll Be Your River" (with Green). ...

09.09.2005

It seems like forever (forever, ever, ever, ever) since Outkast's Andre 3000 and Big Boi signed on for the HBO film they initially dubbed "My Life in Idlewild." The flick — a musical set in the 1930s, which is at the moment untitled — has been filmed and sitting in the can. On Friday (September 9), the project got a shot in the arm as Universal Pictures announced that it would pick up the movie for distribution, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It's slated to be released in 2006. ...

It's been more than two years in the making, but Green Day leader Billie Joe Armstrong's big-screen debut is finally slated for release. Armstrong stars in "Live Freaky! Die Freaky!," a stop-motion animated musical inspired by the Charles Manson family murders. The "American Idiot" singer portrays a young man who adopts a book about the killings as his bible and preaches about a better world through "music, murder and mayhem." The film also features the voice of Rancid/Transplants member Tim Armstrong, as well as fellow members of Green Day, Rancid and the Transplants; actress Asia Argento; and members of the bands X, Good Charlotte, Blink-182 and AFI. The flick will be released in early 2006, according to The Hollywood Reporter. ... Benji and Joel Madden's production team, the Dead Executives, are going from recording tracks with Hilary Duff to punk band the Bottom Line. "[Our] band always comes first, though," Joel said. "Right now we're exclusively working on Good Charlotte." ...

Rapper-turned-producer Kwamé, coming off Lloyd Banks' "On Fire" and Will Smith's "Switch," is in the studio with Janet Jackson, Chingy and Christina Aguilera. "[Christina and I] just did a song called 'Understanding,' " he said. "It's very different, very avant-garde. It reminds you of old blues. It's more or less a ballad, live strings, live band." ... Cool & Dre, the Miami producers behind Terror Squad's "Lean Back" and the Game's "Hate It or Love It," are currently working on tracks with Snoop Dogg, Christina Milian, Mya, Shakira, Joe, Fabolous and Tyrese. Cool is also nearly finished with his solo album and has Hype Williams lined up to direct the first video. ...

Dashboard Confessional have booked three charity gigs, the ticket and merchandise proceeds from which will be donated to various relief organizations working to assist the thousands of people who've been displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Those concerts have been scheduled for September 18 at the Phoenix in Toronto, September 19 at Chicago's House of Blues, and September 28 at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey. ... After finding them wandering the streets, Houston rapper Lil' Troy has taken 10 Hurricane Katrina evacuees into his home, providing them with food and clothing, according to his spokesperson. Troy has also teamed with the nonprofit Black Heritage Society in asking for people to donate clothes, canned goods, toys, books and magazines for those affected by the disaster. You can send donations to: Black Heritage Society, 2900 Woodridge, Suite 311, Houston, TX 77087, or go to blackheritagesociety.org for more information. ...

It looks like an alien pet and works like a freaky speaker. The new animatronic DJ toy from Zizzle called iZ will be unveiled at a nightclub-themed party for kids at the Toys "R" Us store in New York's Times Square on September 29, with live performances by Rihanna, Lifehouse and DJ AM. iZ users can mix and scratch their own beats, change up rhythms or use it as a dancing speaker for their iPods. ... A museum dedicated to the Ramones will open in Berlin on September 16. It will boast more than 300 original memorabilia items, collected between the band's earliest stages all the way up through the final Ramones concert nine years ago. Along with hundreds of press clippings and gig flyers, the museum features one of the first Ramones concert T-shirts, a pair of Johnny Ramone's jeans, sneakers and drumsticks used by Marky, and Joey's old stage glove. There's even a leather jacket along with the Ramones' debut on vinyl — both signed by all four members of the groundbreaking punk act. ...

Veronica Mars is doing a crossover of sorts, with one of the bands on the show's soundtrack. The Faders, an all-girl poppy rock band that's already got a buzz in the U.K., shot the video for their single off the soundtrack, "No Sleep Tonight"; several castmembers are featured in the clip, which was shot Thursday in San Diego. In return, the band makes an appearance on the fifth episode of the series' new season, which shoots Friday, to air October 26. Also on the soundtrack, due September 27, are the Dandy Warhols, Spoon, Tegan and Sara, Mike Doughty, Stereophonics and Ivy. Season two of the UPN show premieres September 28 at 9 p.m. ET. ...

• Nelly
• Justin Timberlake
• Gwen Stefani
• Alicia Keys
• Hoobastank

Hoobastank's Doug Robb
Photo: Getty Images/Junko Kimura

Across the country, artists continue to donate money and organize benefit concerts for victims of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, and now the spiky, inked-up citizens of Warped Tour/ Taste of Chaos world are getting in on the act.

According to Warped/Taste founder Kevin Lyman, a host of punk acts will appear at Unite the United, a benefit concert to be held October 8 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, California.

"On Thursday morning, I turned on the TV and was horrified by what I saw," Lyman said. "And then I couldn't sleep that night. So the next morning, I knew we had to do something, so I just sent out a mass e-mail to all the Warped family. And within 48 hours the whole thing started coming together."

Hoobastank, the Used, Pennywise and member of Rise Against are among the artists confirmed for the concert, which, in the Warped style, will feature 16-18 acts (with more expected to be announced in the coming days) performing on multiple stages as well as something you don't see at most benefit concerts: cheap ticket prices.

"We want tickets to be $25, to make it a bit more accessible for kids who might not be able to afford a $200 ticket to another benefit," Lyman said. "We'll raise somewhere in the neighborhood of $350,000 to $400,000 for victims of Katrina, and we'll make kids feel like they were part of something larger."

	Find out how you can help with the Katrina relief efforts.
	Watch "MTV News Presents: After the Storm" on Overdrive.
	Watch MTV News' Hurricane Katrina Coverage On Overdrive.
	Read personal accounts from Gulf Coast residents.
	Watch the entire "ReAct Now: Music & Relief" concert on demand.

Lyman said more information about Unite the United will be announced early next week.

Meanwhile, the Dave Matthews Band collected donations for the Houston Food Bank at their show on Monday and chipped in a portion of the night's proceeds as well. Hip-hop producer Timbaland plans to visit evacuation centers in Dallas and Houston later this week, donating clothes, toys and basic necessities at each stop.

On Saturday, be sure to watch "MTV News Special: After the Storm," which premieres at 7:30 p.m. ET. And immediately after, stay tuned for "ReAct Now: Music & Relief," MTV, VH1 and CMT's Hurricane Katrina benefit concert special. The show will run from 8-11 p.m. ET and will feature Usher, Green Day, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Ludacris, the Rolling Stones, David Banner and many more.

To find out what you can do to help provide relief to victims of Katrina, head to think MTV's hurricane relief page.

• Hoobastank
• The Used

Hoobastank
Photo: Island

For a guy who claims he doesn't listen to the radio or watch MTV, Hoobastank's Doug Robb has done remarkably well for himself. For example, his band's last album, 2003's The Reason, sold more than 2.3 million copies in the U.S. alone, and the title track was the second-most-played song on radio last year (all of which is probably news to Robb).

In February Hooba took home the Favorite International Rock Act award at the MTV Asia Awards, and in March they scored a high-profile gig opening for Velvet Revolver (see "Velvet Revolver Return To The Road In March, Write New LP In Transit").

The point is this: Robb has become a fairly successful rock-and-roll frontman without really having any clue about what's going on in rock and roll. When he starts discussing Hoobastank's new album, he winds up talking about stuff like the NHL lockout, "Lady and the Tramp" and Italian restaurants.

"I don't listen to music. I don't watch MTV. I don't listen to any FM radio. I'm pretty detached from the music world," he laughed. "Which is why writing songs is so weird for me. I mean, writing The Reason was weird. That record — as proud of it as I am — I don't really ever go back and listen to it. I look at it and see all the things I could've done. And I'm hoping with the new album that one year from now, I'm not looking back at it and thinking the same thing."

Here's to hoping. After all, he's been writing new tunes with Hooba guitarist Dan Estrin since January, after spending most of December recovering from a severe case of bronchial pneumonia (see "Hoobastank's Doug Robb On The Mend, Already Talking Next Album"). Add to that some hard-core writing sessions during the Revolver tour, and Hooba were suddenly left with almost two albums' worth of songs, all of which they put into the trusty hands of producer Howard Benson, who twiddled the knobs on The Reason.

"Writing this one was a whole process for me. On The Reason I wanted to have everything perfectly laid out before we'd demo a note," Robb said. "This time around we kind of demoed the songs and left them as skeletons. We let most of the songs' development happen in the studio. And some of the songs changed just a little bit. But others, they became almost unrecognizable."

Some of those "unrecognizable" songs might just leave longtime Hoobastank fans scratching their heads. Take, for example, "Born to Lead," a stomping, hard-riffing tune that features an honest-to-goodness Marine sergeant barking out orders ("We brought him in, and I had to give him direction," Robb laughed. "It was awesome"). Or the likely first single, "Inside of You," a "flirty," horn-addled number that's about sex — and that's it. But perhaps strangest of all is "More Than a Memory," which could be heard bumping at Olive Garden restaurants from coast-to-coast in the near future.

"That song went in as a standard rock song, and it turned into a song that sounds like it's something out of 'Lady and the Tramp,' " Robb said. "It's got accordion and jazz flute on it. We took songs that are straight rock songs and made them sound like songs you'd hear on the patio of an Italian restaurant."

The album's centerpiece, though, is a song called "If I Were You ... ." Robb said the tune, which may end up being the title track, was written from a couple of seemingly unrelated experiences: watching ESPN and touring with Velvet Revolver.

" 'If I Were You ...' was really inspired by, um, the NHL strike. Not like 'Oh, I'm going to write a song about hockey!' but watching all that — and going on tour with Velvet Revolver — you see all these guys who have so much and don't appreciate it," he said. "They seem to have forgotten where they came from. Actually, let me rephrase that: Four of those guys were the coolest ever, one of them is just in his own world. And I'll leave it at that."

As long as he avoids a pummeling at the hands of Velvet Revolver, Robb said Hoobastank will be finished in the studio later this month and the new album will be in stores in November or December. And after that, he said, it'll be more of the same, which for the first time in his career, he actually seems OK with.

"I always feel like with every CD we put out, we have to start back at square one. We feel like we always go from arenas back to small clubs. And we feel like we always have to prove ourselves," Robb sighed. "But whatever. You can't make everyone happy, and if you are, you're probably doing something wrong. And at this point, I'm happier with this record than I've ever been before."

• Hoobastank
• Velvet Revolver

Cassidy (file)
Photo: Brian Appio

Cassidy, who was arrested on Friday for the murder of a 22-year-old man in his native Philadelphia, was set to appear before a judge Wednesday morning (June 22) for a preliminary hearing, but the rapper's attorney, Michael Giampietro, said it was postponed until July 19, at the request of the Philadelphia district attorney's office. Before the postponement, the judge did grant a bail request, setting the amount at $500,000. Prosecutors appealed the ruling, however, and it was eventually overturned — meaning Cassidy (born Barry Reese) will spend the next 27 days, at least, behind bars. Giampietro said the bail situation would be readdressed during the July hearing, and that the "odds of him getting out [on that day] are pretty good." ...

Taboo and Apl.de.Ap from the Black Eyed Peas and "American Idol" second-season finalist Trenyce were among those who attended Corey Clark's record-release party Tuesday night in Hollywood. Clark performed three tracks, including his Scott Storch-produced single, "Out of Control." ... "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood will draw the first numbers for the California Lottery's new Mega Millions lottery on Friday. The drawing will be live in all 12 of the participating Mega Millions states. ...

Simple Plan, Mötley Crüe, Bryan Adams, Barenaked Ladies, Deep Purple and Our Lady Peace are among the acts that will take the stage July 2 in Barrie, Ontario, for the Canadian edition of Live 8. The show, hosted by comedians Dan Aykroyd and Tom Green, will also feature a special satellite performance by the country's most famous musical export, Celine Dion. ... Faith Evans has announced plans for a 25-date cross-country summer trek. The R&B singer, who will be hitting up smaller venues and festivals this time around, kicked off the tour Saturday in Pittsburgh and will wrap things up September 1 in Los Angeles. ...

Aspiring pop stars already have "American Idol," but what if you aren't a nobody? Now even celebs who surely have other avenues to indulge their pop-star fantasies have a talent competition show to call their own. "I'm a Celebrity but I Want to Be a Pop Star" will unleash future Paris Hiltons and Lindsay Lohans upon us when it brings out its selected few who've already made names for themselves either in film, television or sports. The show will air on NBC on a date to be announced. ... A few years after first announcing a release date, D12 rapper Proof is finally dropping Searchin 4 Jerry Garcia, on July 26. "I went through a lot of litigation, people stealing money and sh--, but I'm bouncing back, Iron Fist Records," he said. ...

Hoobastank will take a break from recording their third album to hit the road on a tour of state and county fairs, beginning July 28 at the North Dakota State Fair in Minot and ending August 27 at the Nebraska State Fair in Lincoln. From Satellite, supporting their debut album, When All Is Said and Done, are opening. ... Just weeks after dismissing keyboardist Roger O'Donnell and guitarist Perry Bamonte, British mood-rock merchants the Cure have introduced a new member to the fold ... well, sort of. According to the band's Web site, guitarist Porl Thompson, who first played with the band from 1976 to 1978, and then again from 1983 to 1993, has returned for a third time, and will play with the Cure during all of their summer shows. "It's a real pleasure to have him back once more," reads the post announcing Thompson's return. ...

Tim Armstrong wears a whole bunch of hats — singer (for both Rancid and Transplants), record-label impresario (Hellcat Records) and now, director. On August 2, Epitaph Records will release Armstrong's documentary "Give 'Em the Boot," an 82-minute look at life on the road for various Hellcat artists. Filmed in Hellcat's trademark gritty black and white, "Boot" includes live performances by Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros, Rancid and Dropkick Murphys. ... Death Cab for Cutie, Built to Spill, the Decemberists, Pedro the Lion and Viva Voce are set to perform during the inaugural Summer Camp Festival, set for August 6 at the Les Schwab Amphitheater in Bend, Oregon. ...

6.21.05

Mariah Carey's signed on to be the only performer at Macy's annual Fourth of July fireworks show, to be broadcast live on NBC. The one-hour special, which will start at 9 p.m. ET, will be broadcast in high definition. ...

Stevie Wonder, Ciara, T.I., John Legend and Omarion are joining the performance roster for the BET Awards, the channel announced Monday. The lineup already includes Mariah Carey, Destiny's Child, Missy Elliott and the Game, who will perform live at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre on June 28 at 9 p.m. ET. ... Eminem is planning to hit the seedy seaside gambling mecca of Atlantic City, New Jersey, to help celebrate the opening of the House of Blues casino and poker room. The Detroit MC will perform in the HOB's Foundation Room on July 9, the night after the Counting Crows grace the same stage. ...

More drama is on the way for R. Kelly. The singer has completed a mini movie for his five-part song, "Trapped in the Closet," and at the end, viewers are promised that chapters 6-10 are on the way soon. All five videos that comprise "Trapped in the Closet" will be released on a DVD accompanying Kelly's new album, TP3 Reloaded, which lands in stores July 5. ... Pink's already managed to wrangle the RZA, Rob Thomas and Billy Mann to work on her upcoming record, and now she's got a new name to add to the list — Butch Walker, who produced and co-wrote Avril Lavigne's "My Happy Ending." Walker also recently went back in the studio with Avril to record a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine," and co-wrote and sings backup on "Good Times," the theme to Tommy Lee's new reality show, "Tommy Lee Goes to College." ...

The "Hustle & Flow" soundtrack isn't even out yet, but two videos for it are already in the can. T.I. and Lil Scrappy guest on the first single from the soundtrack, "I'm a King" by P$C, which was produced by Lil Jon; they shot a video last week in Atlanta with director Benny Boom. Newcomer Webbie's "Bad Bitch" (featuring Trina) is the second single, for which a video was shot last week in Miami with director Dr. Teeth. The soundtrack, due out July 12, also features Mike Jones, Paul Wall, Boyz N Da Hood, 8Ball & MJG, Trillville and Al Kapone. ... Going bananas wondering how Peter Jackson's "King Kong" turned out? You'll have your chance to see the trailer on Monday — the two-and-a-half-minute teaser clip will be broadcast at the same time (8:59:30-9:02 p.m. ET) on 10 channels: NBC, SCI FI, USA Network, Bravo, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemundo, Mun2, TRIO and Universal HD. ...

When you're rolling with 50 Cent's G-Unit, you'd better be sporting only the hottest gear on the market. Like, say, a watch that doubles as an MP3 player. 50's line of G-Unit Watches feature everything from spinning bezels and iced-out faces to the world's first MP3-playing watch — available in 256 or 512 megabytes of storage (that's eight and 16 hours of music, respectively). The G-Unit line of timepieces will range in price from $299 to $3,500 and will be in stores nationwide next month. ... Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Lovers line, which was originally supposed to hit stores in May or June, is now slated to come out July 5. The product line will initially feature casual women's clothing (shirts, sweats, thermals, long underwear and tank tops) and a few accessories (such as stickers and patches, as well as the already-released Hewlett-Packard camera case), but will then expand to include men's, kids', babies' and plus-size clothing, as well as intimates, handbags, accessories and stationary. ...

Mandy Moore has officially started recording her new album, according to a voice message the singer left on her Web site for fans. After vacationing in Mexico, she said it was "time to hunker down and do some work." "I have had such a blast with the whole writing process," she said, calling the experience "overwhelming." Now that that's over, she's "so, so excited" that the musicians she's working with have started tracking their parts, and she's about to join them. ... With her third album, Extraordinary Machine, collecting dust on some shelf in the basement of Epic's headquarters, and on the iPod of anyone with even a working knowledge of computers, Fiona Apple's starting anew, and hoping the second time's the charm. According to an Epic spokesperson, Apple's taking another stab at her third disc, and has been working with Brian Kehew (Moog Cookbook). No word yet on when — if ever — this one might surface. ...

About to throw out your torn stockings? Stop and put them to good use instead by dressing up like Courtney Love. San Diego's Comic-Con is holding a costume contest on July 16 to see who can dress up most like Princess Ai, the rocker's comic-book alter ego. See begoths.com/princessai.php for more info. ... Meanwhile, Love's got another lawsuit on her hands — a man who says he was injured while the singer was making her "Mono" video has filed a claim in Los Angeles Superior Court, naming Love as well as her record label and video production company as those responsible. A conference hearing has been scheduled to address the matter on October 28 in Van Nuys, California.

• Cassidy
• Black Eyed Peas
• Carrie Underwood
• Simple Plan
• Proof

Velvet Revolver's Scott Weiland (file)
Photo: Matthew Simmons

Maybe Velvet Revolver can use that Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy as a hood ornament on their tour bus on the upcoming Electric Wonderland Show Tour. The veteran rockers will kick off their latest round of North American stops on March 22 in Montreal, with arena dates currently slated to run through a May 25 show in Miami, according to a spokesperson for the group. More dates are expected to be added.

Hoobastank will open the West Coast swing of the tour; no other openers have been announced.

The group recently released the third video from its multiplatinum debut (see "Velvet Revolver Board A Crazy Train For 'Dirty' New Video"). "Dirty Little Thing" mixes live footage with animation from Japanese illustrator Rockin' Jellybean.

But don't think they're just going to coast through the end of the year. Singer Scott Weiland said Velvet Revolver have already started writing their second album.

"We're doing that right now," he said at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party (see "Fantasia The Star Of Clive Davis' Pre-Grammy Party"). "I think we're going to have another record out by Christmas." Guitarist Dave Kushner said the group has been writing a lot on the road, and even recording some demos during soundchecks. "We've got, like, 25, 30 pieces of music already," Kushner revealed.

The excitement of having a hit record out of the box has definitely helped inspire the group to keep things moving forward. "Everything that's come to us in the last year has been a surprise, actually," Weiland said. "In a sense, we expected to make a great record, and we did. The record came out and debuted at #1. First the single did great and then the record debuted at #1, and that was, at first, a big middle finger to everyone. Then ... everyone sort of embraced us, and that was a cool feeling."

How cool? Even Weiland, who has always had a skeptical take on the Grammys, was excited about winning one of the awards. "It's funny, because back when it happened with [Stone Temple Pilots], I kind of looked at it with a jaundiced eye," he said. "It was a kind of sign of the times. Part of it was youth and part of it was the alternative culture ... it's like you looked at the establishment in a different light, and now I sort of look at things a little differently. I look at this as the musical community appreciating artists, and that I can appreciate."

After nearly a year on the road, Kushner said the band — which also includes former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum — has gotten its live show sewn up tight. "We've definitely grown as a band," he explained. "We wrote this record — I think we had only played one show at the time. Now we've got almost a year of playing together every night, so it's definitely solidified the band. As five creative people working together as a band ... it's awesome."

Velvet Revolver tour dates, according to their spokesperson:

• 3/22 - Montreal, PQ @ Bell Centre
• 3/23 - Ottawa, ON @ Corel Centre
• 3/24 - Hamilton, ON @ Copps Coliseum
• 3/27 - Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Centre
• 3/28 - Calgary, AB @ Pengrowth Saddledome
• 3/29 - Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place
• 3/31 - Vancouver, BC @ Pacific Coliseum
• 4/12 - San Diego, CA @ Coors Amphitheatre
• 4/13 - Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
• 4/15 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
• 4/16 - Anaheim, CA @ Arrowhead Pond
• 4/17 - Reno, NV @ Reno Events Center
• 4/19 - San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
• 4/21 - Portland, OR @ Rose Garden
• 4/22 - Everett, WA @ Everett Events Center
• 4/23 - Boise, ID @ Taco Bell Arena
• 4/25 - Salt Lake City, UT @ E Center
• 4/26 - Denver, CO @ Magness Arena
• 4/28 - St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
• 4/29 - Rockford, IL @ Rockford MetroCentre
• 4/30 - Auburn Hills, MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills
• 5/2 - Buffalo, NY @ HSBC Arena
• 5/3 - Amherst, MA @ Mullins Center
• 5/5 - Raleigh, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
• 5/6 - Atlanta, GA @ HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
• 5/7 - Orlando, FL @ Lee Vista Park
• 5/13 - Scranton, PA @ Montage Mountain Performing Arts Center
• 5/14 - Wantagh, NY @ Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach Theater
• 5/15 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
• 5/17 - Cleveland, OH @ Tower City Amphitheater
• 5/18 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Chevrolet Amphitheatre  
• 5/20 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
• 5/21 - Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavillion
• 5/22 - Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
• 5/24 - Tampa, FL @ St. Pete Times Forum
• 5/25 - Miami, FL @ Sound Advice Amphitheatre

• Velvet Revolver
• Hoobastank

Ashanti arrives at the 47th annual Grammy Awards
Photo: Getty Images

The Grammy might be a place where big dreams come true, but the celebrities on the carpet at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards kept their feet planted firmly on the ground — at least when it came to their earth-toned fashion choices.

Yet after witnessing the design shaved into the side of Kanye West's head, it was hard to focus on anything else: He sported mazelike squiggles resembling an exposed brain. (He was otherwise dressed top-to-tail in white.)

(Check out photos of all the hottest looks from the Grammy red carpet.)

For others, however, browns, tans and beiges ruled the day. Usher wore a white vest, brown tie and brown-and-white wing tips; Black Eyed Pea Will.I.Am rocked a chocolate-brown pinstriped suit and a Willy Wonka-style top hat; Ashanti sported a short khaki dress with a plunging neckline and gold-sequined trim; and the Neptunes kept it laid-back in whites and beiges. Janet Jackson and Jermaine Dupri came as an earthy couple, with Janet in a tawny halter dress and Dupri in a brown fedora and suit; all of Modest Mouse wore beige-and-brown pinstripes; Maroon 5's Adam Levine sported a dark-brown suit and burnt-orange tie;

	Grammy Photos
	"Whose Outfit Fell Apart? Who Did Kanye Get Advice From? Grammy Moments You Didn't See.". On the big night, February 8, be sure to tune in to MTV at 7 p.m. for our "All up in the Grammys" preshow. Plus check out videos of the nominees and more right here on mtv.com. Related Artists Kanye West Ashanti Usher Black Eyed Peas Janet Jackson ]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1496913/20050213/west_kanye.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1496913/20050213/west_kanye.jhtml 13 Feb 2005 10:01:00 EST Hoobastank - So Close, So Far So Close, So Far Artist: Hoobastank Label: Island Director: Frank Borin Album: For(n)ever ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=366140 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=366140 30 Mar 2009 12:00:00 EDT Hoobastank - My Turn My Turn Artist: Hoobastank Label: Island Director: PR Brown ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=333372 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=333372 20 Jan 2009 12:00:00 EST Hoobastank - The Reason The Reason Artist: Hoobastank Label: Island Records Director: Brett Simon Album: The Reason ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=33845 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=33845 22 Mar 2007 12:00:00 EDT Hoobastank - Born to Lead Born to Lead Artist: Hoobastank Label: Island Records Director: Aggressive Album: Every Man for Himself [Green Cover] ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=116982 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=116982 10 Nov 2006 12:00:00 EST Hoobastank - Inside of You Inside of You Artist: Hoobastank Label: Island Records Director: Lex Halaby Album: Every Man for Himself [Green Cover] ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=100055 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=100055 4 Aug 2006 12:00:00 EDT Hoobastank - If I Were You If I Were You Artist: Hoobastank Label: Island Director: Hype Williams Album: Every Man for Himself [Green Cover] ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=81613 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=81613 11 Apr 2006 12:00:00 EDT Hoobastank - Same Direction Same Direction Artist: Hoobastank Label: Island Records Director: Brett Simon Album: The Reason ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=33834 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=33834 26 Jul 2004 12:00:00 EDT Hoobastank - Out of Control Out of Control Artist: Hoobastank Label: Island Records Director: Wayne Isham Album: The Reason ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=26783 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=26783 7 Nov 2003 12:00:00 EST Hoobastank - Running Away Running Away Artist: Hoobastank Label: Island Records Director: Paul Fedor Album: Hoobastank ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=17689 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=17689 31 Jul 2002 12:00:00 EDT Hoobastank - Crawling In The Dark Crawling In The Dark Artist: Hoobastank Label: Island Records Director: Marcos Siega Album: Hoobastank ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=17623 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1165809&vid=17623 25 Jul 2002 12:00:00 EDT MTV.com Exclusive: Hoobastank Related Artists Hoobastank ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1606486 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1606486 6 Mar 2009 12:00:00 EST 2006: The Best of Studio Photos Related Artists Lil Jon Yeah Yeah Yeahs Kelis Beck Nelly Furtado ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1547007 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1547007 1 Dec 2006 12:00:00 EST MTV.com Exclusive: Hoobastank Photos 04.12.2006 Related Artists Hoobastank ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1529347 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1529347 24 Apr 2006 12:00:00 EDT MTV.com LIVE: Hoobastank Photos 03.29.2004 Related Artists Hoobastank ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1496942 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1496942 14 Feb 2005 12:00:00 EST Keys, Clarkson, Good Charlotte, More Support MTV Asia Aid Related Artists Alicia Keys Good Charlotte Kelly Clarkson Hoobastank Simple Plan ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1496552 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1496552 3 Feb 2005 12:00:00 EST Hard Rock Live: Hoobastank Related Artists Hoobastank ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1493647 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1493647 11 Nov 2004 12:00:00 EST P.O.D. And Hoobastank Rock New York Related Artists P.O.D. Hoobastank ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1484437 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1484437 20 Jan 2004 12:00:00 EST Hoobastank live on the Nokia UnWired Tour at the Riviera in Chicago, IL October 12, 2003 Related Artists Hoobastank ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1479744 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1479744 14 Oct 2003 12:00:00 EDT TRL Photo Booth Related Artists Mudvayne Clay Aiken Diddy Bam Ruben Studdard ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1478647 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1478647 17 Sep 2003 12:34:43 EDT Jay-Z, Hoobastank, N.E.R.D., Live At The Sprite Liquid Mix Tour Related Artists Jay-Z Beanie Sigel Memphis Bleek 311 Hoobastank ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1457116 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1457116 21 Aug 2002 05:33:03 EDT