Modest Mouse's <i>We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank</i>
Photo: Sony Music

It was a tight race for the #1 spot on Billboard's next albums chart, one that pitted enigmatic indie rock outfit Modest Mouse against soulful British songstress Joss Stone. And no matter how it all played out, someone was going to score the first chart-topping debut of their career.

While Stone was a solid contender for the top spot, Modest Mouse take the crown on next week's chart by a margin of 10,000 scans with their latest offering, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, selling nearly 129,000 copies. But Modest Mouse's conquest was perhaps more significant because of the band's newest member.

It took 25 years, but at long last, Johnny Marr — the iconic guitarist behind the music of influential alternative rockers the Smiths, a band that released four studio albums and a pile of singles before calling it a day back in 1987 — has himself a #1 album. Marr entered the Mouse fold last year, and We Were Dead — the follow-up to the band's breakout Good News for People Who Love Bad News, which opened at #19 with 68,000 sold back in 2004 — marks his first collaboration with the group.

Stone's hunt for #1 isn't yet over, but the singer can take solace in the fact that she's scored the highest-charting debut of her career with Introducing Joss Stone, her third studio LP. The disc sold 118,000 units to finish at #2, according to the latest SoundScan tallies. Following closely behind at #3 is the self-titled debut from Elliott Yamin, the third-place finalist on the fifth season of "American Idol." Yamin's album sold more than 90,000 copies its first week in stores, edging out the inaugural eponymous effort from the rock act fronted by fellow "Idol" hopeful Chris Daughtry. Daughtry racked up another 76,000 sales for #4 and an overall total that tops 2 million units.

Another new release lays claim to the chart's #5 slot with R&B heartthrob Marques Houston's third LP, Veteran, netting nearly 69,000 scans during its first week in stores. Akon's Konvicted drops one spot to #6, with nearly 69,000 sold, while Lloyd's Street Love sinks five to #7, scanning more than 55,000 copies.

The previous chart champ, Musiq Soulchild's Luvanmusiq, drops to #8 with 54,000 sold. Down six to #9 is Rich Boy's self-titled effort, which racked up sales of 49,000 in its second week in stores. Amy Winehouse slips three to #10, selling close to 48,000 copies of her debut, Back to Black.

A total of 23 new releases enter Billboard's top 200, including the Insane Clown Posse's latest, Tempest, which claims the #20 spot with 33,000 sold. New Orleans rapper Baby Boy Da Prince debuts in the #26 position, having sold nearly 26,000 copies of his LP, Across the Water, while Devin the Dude's Waitin' to Inhale bows at #30 with close to 25,000 scans. Crunk specialists Crime Mob open at #31, scanning more than 22,000 copies of their latest, Hated on Mostly, while Stephen Marley's Mind Control debuts at #35 with nearly 20,000 discs sold.

LCD Soundsystem's Sound of Silver pops up at #46, with 15,000 copies sold, while Squirrel Nut Zippers' Andrew Bird follows at #76 with Armchair Apocrypha moving 11,000 units. El-P's I'll Sleep When You're Dead claims the #78 opening with 11,000 sales, with Haste the Day's Pressure the Hinges finishing at #89 with nearly 10,000 scans. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists' Living With the Living debuts at #109 with sales just shy of 8,000 copies, while J Dilla's posthumous Ruff Draft follows at #112 with 7,700 scans.

Coming in at #156 with 5,500 copies sold is Maylene and the Sons of Disaster's latest, II, while Everything But the Girl's Tracey Thorn takes the #172 spot with her Out of the Woods generating 4,800 scans. Rapper Haystak's new one, Crackavelli, follows at #186, with 4,400 sales, while Low's Drums and Guns makes the cut at #196 with 4,000 copies sold.

• Modest Mouse
• Joss Stone
• Daughtry
• Marques Houston

Sarah Mason, Taylor Cole and Ciara in "All You've Got"
Photo: MTV Studios

"Bring It On" brought in millions by exposing the sassy lives of sexy cheerleaders. "Stick It" is currently earning high scores for its eye-popping portrayal of cut-throat, leotard-flaunting gymnasts. With people finally appreciating the high-demand lives of women who are both athletes and students, moviegoers seem to be saying to these kinds of stories: "Give us 'All You've Got.' "

Now a pop singer with delicious "Goodies" and a "Napoleon Dynamite" dork are all too happy to oblige.

"The one thing about this to me is that it's real," Ciara said of her acting debut in the offbeat volleyball drama "All You've Got," which lands on DVD May 23. "It's a coming-of-age movie, and I think it talks about things teenagers go through."

The film tells the story of upper-class high school volleyball players who, after a fire scorches their campus, are forced to relocate to their rivals' school in the barrio.

For "Dynamite" actor Efren Ramirez, his first major post-breakthrough role had him stealing scenes again, this time from sexy ladies like Ciara and co-stars Adrienne Bailon and Sarah Mason. "['All You've Got' is] about girls not getting along with each other. You see, these girls get into catfights all the time, and I guess I'm the Casanova," Ramirez laughed. "To be working with this team, inside that jungle gym, it was great, man."

	"All You've Got" Photos  In Focus: Ciara  Ciara's a nice girl  Ciara glows about the cast  Efren Ramirez finds a cure for boredom  Efren's advice: Follow your heart

"I love these girls. Ciara is an amazing woman with an incredible heart," grinned Mason, a TV veteran. "We all meshed together really well. It was funny because we all started becoming friends, learning volleyball, and then it was like, 'We need to fight with each other — we'd better back off a little bit.' "

"I can honestly say that this movie is filled with a lot of great talent," Ciara insisted, giving props to co-stars Marques Houston and Frankie J. "And I gained a newfound respect for volleyball."

The stars were trained intensely so that every spike, set and stuff rang as true as the film's high school story line. "You have to remember your form," remembered Bailon, who previously appeared in "Coach Carter," another film that merged athletic skill with life lessons. "You want to make it as realistic as possible. You don't want people watching the film and being like, 'Oh my God, she don't play volleyball. She's not a true athlete.' So we actually worked with our doubles to really get the form correct and, even when we're calling plays, make it as real as possible."

The chance to step into another person's sneakers is, according to Ciara, one of the reasons she was so eager to act in the first place. "I was an athlete before this, and now I'll add volleyball as one of my hobbies to do," the 20-year-old said. "I'm also happy that it didn't involve my musical talents. When people see me on the screen, I want them to be able to discern the difference between [when I'm] acting and [when I'm making] music. ... That's my goal."

	Looking for the newest, hottest trailers? Check out "All You've Got," "Superman," "Pirates" and more, on Overdrive.

"I knew Ciara was going to be in the movie, so I was excited already," Bailon gushed. "They called me 'Thug Passion' on the set, because I love hip-hop music. I swear, my trailer was moving from the vibrations."

Ciara said she appreciated working with experienced actors who, along with the similarities she shared with her character, made her feel right at home. "It went back to elementary school with me. I was taller than a lot of females, and it was hard for me to accept that. I wanted to be shorter, I couldn't take it," the leggy star recalled. "I've learned now to accept it and embrace it. Accept yourself for who you are and love it ... being around these girls and seeing how they work their height and use it to their benefit, it really just made me say, 'Oh my goodness, thank you for blessing me.' It just made me feel even better, and I embraced it. [The filmmakers] made it look so beautiful."

Movies like "Bring It On," "Stick It" and now "All You've Got" are continuing to make audiences appreciate female athletes. For Ciara, it also made the star appreciate all she's got.

See everything we have on "All You've Got."

Check out movies.MTV.com for Hollywood news, photos, reviews, interviews and more.

Want trailers? Visit Movies on MTV Overdrive for the newest, scariest and funniest coming attractions anywhere.

• Ciara
• Marques Houston
• Frankie J

Marques Houston
Photo: MTV News

HOLLYWOOD — If you thought Marques Houston had bared it all on his latest album, Naked, the 24-year-old singer wants you to know he's just barely scratched the surface.

For his third solo effort, which he hopes to complete by summer, Houston will continue to peel off the layers as he showcases his progression from a kid growing up in the music scene (he joined R&B group Immature when he was 11), to a young man coming to terms with his manhood and, finally, to a mature artist dealing with real adult issues, especially those concerning matters of the heart.

"This album is going to be a lot about love," Houston said. "[Naked] was basically about me becoming a man and getting in touch with my sexuality, and this one is going to be getting in touch with my relationship side and the stuff I've been through as far as a man being in grown-up relationships, and being in love and being out of love."

No doubt Houston is all grown up now, as the singer's ascension into adulthood was rather exposed in the racy videos for his last two singles, Naked's title track and the equally titillating "Sex Wit You" (see "Marques Houston Keeps Taking Off Clothes, This Time For 'Sex' "), in which he proudly displayed his chiseled physique both in and out of the bedroom (see "Marques Houston Pulls A Hulk Hogan, Strips Down For 'Naked' ").

Houston has already penned a couple of tracks for the new disc, which already has über beatmaker Rodney Jerkins on board. The two are old friends who collaborated when Houston was in Immature and Jerkins was still a fresh-faced 18-year-old trying to make a name for himself. Fast-forward 10 years and now Jerkins — who's produced smashes for Brandy, Whitney Houston and Destiny's Child — is ready to lay some of his hit-making magic on his friend's forthcoming LP.

And while Houston wouldn't divulge details, he did hint at some pending collaborations with fellow Scream Tour vets Bow Wow, Omarion and newly "adopted" brother Chris Brown, whom he dropped by to see on the set of UPN's "One on One" (see "Chris Brown Switches Over To Acting — And Can't Get A Date").

"Something might be cooking," the singer slyly admitted. "I'm not gonna give away too much information, but we'll have something for y'all on there."

Still, Houston wants to make sure the main emphasis is on his upcoming album. That's why as soon as his UPN show "Cuts" wraps its second season, the singer/actor plans to hole himself up to really concentrate on churning out some killer material.

"I really want to take my time and make sure that it's my best work yet," Houston said. "I just want to disappear for a minute into the studio and really get focused on writing and doing this new album [because] I want it to be even more personal than my last."

While it looks like acting may be put on the back burner for a while, fans shouldn't fret, because they'll still be able to see Houston on the big screen — he and Omarion just wrapped the teen horror flick "Somebody Help Me," written and directed by Chris Stokes ("You Got Served"). Produced by their new film production company, the Franchise Boys (see "Omarion, Marques Team Up With 'Served' Director For More Films"), the movie tracks a group of teens who take a trip to the wilderness and start disappearing one by one.

With that thriller in the can, the two are still deciding on their next project. Right now it's a battle between a still-untitled football flick or the comedy "Thanksgiving With the Stankershets," which would really have the fellas stretching their acting muscles.

"[O and I would] each play like three different characters," Houston said. "I don't want to give too much away because I don't want anybody stealing our ideas, but [there will be] a lot of makeup."

• Marques Houston

Ciara
Photo: Getty Images

CULVER CITY, California — Ciara loves representing for the ladies out there, and starting on Saturday, the young songstress is joining forces with one of pop's reigning female icons: Ms. Gwen Stefani.

The 20-year-old R&B singer's string of dates with Gwen and her Harajuku gang kicks off Saturday in Las Vegas and wraps December 21 in Sunrise, Florida.

And there's no holiday break for C: On the following night in Chicago, she'll join her sweetie Bow Wow (see "Got Questions About Bow Wow And Ciara? Watch Their Video") along with Omarion, Marques Houston and newcomer Chris Brown on the encore leg of the Scream IV Tour, aptly titled We Ain't Done Yet (see "Bow Wow Kicks It Into Overdrive With 'Fast And Furious,' Scream IV Encores"). That jaunt will wrap on New Year's Day in Atlanta.

The jam-packed schedule is nothing new for the Atlanta-born "Goodies" girl: She's been on the road for most of the year and is reaping the rewards. Ciara has taken home a big box of trophies, including two Soul Train awards (Best R&B Soul/Rap New Artist and Female Entertainer of the Year), two Teen Choice awards (Choice R&B Hip-Hop Track and Choice Make-Out Song), and two MTV Video Music awards (for Best Hip-Hop Video and Best Dance Video) for "Lose Control" with Missy Elliott.

"I just got my two Moonmen sent to my house recently, so that was very cool," she gushed recently, backstage at the Vibe Awards, where she had five nominations (see "Ciara, 50 Cent, Mariah Lead Vibe Award Nominees"). While Mariah beat out Ciara for Artist of the Year (see "Mariah Wins Big, Mary J. Gets Emotional At Peaceful Vibe Awards"), she did take home a trophy for Coolest Collabo (for "Oh" with Ludacris) and staged a blazing performance of her latest single "Hotline."

With so many honors being thrown her way, is the First Lady of Crunk & B feeling the pressure to replicate that success with the follow-up to her 2004 double-platinum debut, Goodies? No way, she said.

"I've talked to a lot of people that have been in the game for [years] and they talk about the sophomore jinx all the time, and I can say that I'm not gonna worry [about it]," Ciara said. "I'm just gonna relax and hopefully do the same thing I did the first time, which was just enjoy myself and do what's in my soul."

C has already been mapping out the direction she'd like to go on her next effort, which will include weightier lyrical fare reflecting her experiences as a maturing young woman.

"There are so many things I want to talk about — things that I've been through, things that I've seen, and things that I think need to be talked about, especially for my women [out there]," the singer said. "I feel like I'm here to represent them, so that's what I want to do."

Ciara tour dates with Gwen Stefani, according to Ciara's publicist:

• 12/3 - Las Vegas, NV @ Aladdin Hotel & Casino
• 12/4 - San Diego, CA @ Cox Arena
• 12/8 - Cleveland, OH @ Wolstein Center at CSU
• 12/9 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
• 12/11 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
• 12/12 - Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
• 12/14 - Verona, NY @ Turning Stone Casino
• 12/15 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
• 12/17 - Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
• 12/18 - Nashville, TN @ Gaylord Entertainment Center
• 12/20 - Orlando, FL @ TD Waterhouse Centre
• 12/21 - Sunrise, FL @ BankAtlantic Center

• Ciara
• Gwen Stefani
• Bow Wow
• Omarion
• Marques Houston

Marques Houston
Photo: Getty Images

If we've learned anything about Marques Houston, it's that he likes to take his clothes off. And when he does have to cover up, it's usually in something see-through, like the infamous clear tux he wore at the 2004 MTV Movie Awards.

So it should come as no surprise that the video for his latest single, "Sex Wit You," will make your grandmother blush ... again.

"Well, I'm not all the way naked, but I'm a little bit naked," said Houston, whose previous video, "Naked," lived up to its name (see "Marques Houston Pulls A Hulk Hogan, Strips Down For 'Naked' "). "I couldn't do the same thing twice, but it's another edgy title, so I gotta deal with that again."

Although he's just getting to the third single from his second album, also called Naked, Houston is already thinking about his next LP. He plans to hit the studio during the winter break from his UPN show, "Cuts."

"[The next LP is] not gonna come out for a while, but I just wanna start it because it takes me like a year and a half to really get a great album that I like," Houston said.

Also on the singer's plate is a new horror movie he just finished shooting with Omarion (see "Omarion, Marques Team Up With 'Served' Director For More Films"). Called "Somebody Help Me" — not "The House," as previously reported — the flick's slated to hit theaters in mid-2006 and will christen the Franchise Boys production company he shares with O.

"We love to be a team, we work great together with our business and acting," Houston said. "We have great chemistry on and off the court — that's what we like to call it. So why not start our own movie business?"

• Marques Houston

Ashanti and Ja Rule appear at Amber Ridinger's Bat Mitzvah
Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images

A bat mitzvah's not the sort of event that normally warrants a press release. But Amber Ridinger's coming-of-age was no cheap banquet-hall bash.

On Saturday Amber, a Miami Country Day School eighth-grader and aspiring fashion designer, became an adult — and it only cost her parents $500,000. Ridinger's bat mitzvah ceremony was followed by a chichi party that doubled as an out-of-this-world 13th-birthday celebration. It unfolded inside Miami Beach club the Forge, and the party's guests arrived in limos to a pink carpet cluttered with television cameras and local news crews.

Oh, and the entire evening was capped off with musical performances by Ja Rule, Ashanti, Marques Houston and Omarion. The guest list also included embattled Inc. president Irv Gotti, Playboy Playmate-turned-actress Brande Roderick and Nicole Richie's husband-to-be, DJ AM.

The high-priced party even had a theme: "Butterflies and Bling" ("Well, diamonds are a girl's best friend," she told The Miami Herald. "And I love butterflies, too, so I thought they would make a great combination.") And it was certainly a blingin' celebration. Ridinger donned a $27,000 Dolce & Gabbana gown and, before the evening was through, debuted her line of rhinestone-studded club clothes, Gossip, via a runway show. The club's wine cellar was even transformed into a real-life interactive Candy Land — the drapes, according to the Herald, were chocolate-covered ... and delicious.

"I hope our daughter one day doesn't expect something this big," said nervous Mets slugger and catcher Mike Piazza, who arrived with his model wife, Alicia Rickter. Amber's parents are dot-com millionaires James and Loren Ridinger.

Mariah feels a Vibe, Ja Rule and Ashanti get their Bat Mitzvah on and Hogwart hormones rage. See all this and more in The Week in Pictures.

Needless to say Amber's shindig put most sweet 16s to shame, thanks to Ja Rule and Ashanti, who Torah the roof off the Forge with renditions of Ja's "Always on Time" and "Livin' It Up."

For Ja, it was his first bat mitzvah. "I'm Uncle Ja," he said, with his arm wrapped around a beaming Amber. "I'm really here just to scare all the little boys, the little 13-year-old bad boys that try to hit on little Amber. That's why I'm here."

• Ja Rule And Ashanti Perform At Amber Ridinger's Bat Mitzvah In Miami, 11.12.2005

• Ja Rule
• Ashanti
• Marques Houston
• Omarion

Marques Houston (file)
Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images

Marques Houston might have to miss some dates on the Scream IV tour with Bow Wow and Omarion due to a scheduling conflict with his UPN TV show, "Cuts," whose producers are suing him for breach of contract.

The tour kicked off two weeks ago, on July 20 in Trenton, New Jersey, and is scheduled to wrap September 4 in Miami (see "Bow Wow, Omarion Roll Out Scream IV Summer Dates"). But for "Cuts" to return for a second season on September 22, as scheduled, production had to start on Wednesday (August 3). Anticipating that Houston would not be there, since his tour schedule would have him in Las Vegas that day, the show's production company, Paramount, filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Calling Houston's decision to go on tour a "blatant disregard" for his contractual obligations, Paramount's suit claims Houston had indicated through his representatives that he would be unavailable to meet the show's current production schedule. "The loss of Houston's services on the series will cause Paramount significant harm," the suit claims, since the show will be faced with the loss of a lead character, "the loss of which cannot be compensated in money."

"Cuts," a spinoff of UPN's "One on One," stars Houston as Kevin Barnes, who co-manages his family's former barbershop with the new owner's spoiled daughter, Tiffany, played by Shannon Elizabeth.

In the suit, Paramount asks for unspecified damages and an injunction preventing Houston from performing "for any person, firm, corporation or entity" other than "Cuts" until the completion of the first-run broadcast of all episodes of the series.

Both sides are now trying to resolve the matter out of court. After the suit was filed, Houston reported to work on "Cuts" on Wednesday after all, according to his attorney. Houston's lawyer is proposing the singer fly back and forth between rehearsals and show dates, which would require the singer to miss a few shows and a few rehearsals on both ends.

The dates Houston would not be performing on the Scream IV Tour have yet to be announced.

(MTV's parent company, Viacom, also owns Paramount and UPN.)

• Marques Houston
• Bow Wow
• Omarion

Omarion
Photo: MTV News

HOLLYWOOD — Omarion may have been a man on the prowl in his "Touch" video, but for his next clip, the R&B crooner will be the one playing coy.

On "I'm Tryna," the third single off his platinum solo debut, O, the 20-year-old pulls back on the dance moves and instead busts out some serious attitude.

"Basically, I'm frontin', you know," the former B2K frontman told MTV News backstage during the BET Awards, where he took home the coveted Viewer's Choice honor for his video "O" (see "Destiny's Child Give Lap Dances, Fugees End Feud At BET Awards"). "I have this girl that I'm with and everything is not going as planned and ... when I see her, I just keep it movin'."

In the song, a jilted boyfriend acts cold toward his ex when the truth is, all he wants is her back in his life. O sings, "I don't need your lovin', but you see it in my eyes/ Girl, something just ain't right/ Since we don't share this bed no more, I can't sleep at night."

He said he's planning to shoot a video for the single soon.

O's also been working on several projects with Marques Houston. The two launched their own production company, the Franchise Boys, earlier this year (see "Omarion, Marques Team Up With 'Served' Director For More Films") and are working on two new films, "Solider" and "You Got Served 2."

"You know, people always ask me, 'Can you balance it, the music and the acting?' " he said. "And what I tell them is whatever's hot is hot."

O will kick off Scream Tour IV: The HeartThrobs with Bow Wow, Bobby Valentino, Marques Houston, B5 and Pretty Ricky on July 20 (see "Bow Wow, Omarion Roll Out Scream IV Summer Dates"). As it happens, O appears on "Let Me Hold You," the first single off Bow's forthcoming LP Wanted (see "Bow Wow, Omarion Team Up For Single And Scream IV Tour").

• Omarion
• Marques Houston
• Bow Wow
• Bobby Valentino
• B5

Marques Houston (file)
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — That doggone New York traffic. Even though the Virgin Megastore is directly across from MTV's Times Square offices, where Marques Houston appeared on "TRL" on Tuesday, it took him a whole 10 minutes just to get to his afternoon autograph signing/ performance.

It didn't seem like his fans minded, though: MH was about to let them touch his chiseled abs and see some flesh in celebration of the release of his new album, Naked.

"It's showtime. I'm nervous," Houston said as he stood shielded by a curtain from the gaggle of fans waiting to get close to him. "I don't know what to expect. We're doing the show before the in-store. I hope the crowd loves what I do. I hope I don't mess up none of my dance moves. But if I do, I can always spin out, so it's all good."

While performing hits like "Pop That Bootie," "Clubbin' " and "All Because of You," MH's bread-and-butter move wasn't some fancy choreography out of Michael Jackson's playbook, it was a nod to the immortal Hulk Hogan: ripping off a perfectly good, white tank top and tossing the shreds to the ladies. You want to see friends turn into instant foes? Try getting them to pry their acrylic nails off one of Houston's torn tees.

If all that commotion was caused by a shirt, what do you think happened when Marques threw his pants out to the crowd? Nothing — he teased them by unbuttoning his trunks and pulling them down just a little bit. In the new video for the album's title track, however, MH leaves very little to the imagination, stripping down completely. If you're reminded of D'Angelo in "Untitled," prepare yourself for even more action, he says.

"It's a little bit more edgy than D'Angelo," he smiled, explaining the video backstage before the performance. "Because it's not just me; I have a beautiful young lady in the video. It's really edgy. I don't think TV wants to play this version, so we have to do a special edit for TV."

The California native said no special effects or tricks were used for the video; he took everything off.

"I was all the way naked. The only thing I had on me was a red towel to cover myself between shots," he insisted. "I didn't have no pants, no underwear, nothing. I was completely ass-naked. At first I was a little uncomfortable. I'm not used to doing that. The only time I get naked is when I'm about to get down, or when I'm in the privacy of my own room, taking a bath or shower or something."

For his female lead in the video, Houston chose someone close to him.

"She's a beautiful young lady, I know her, she's a friend of mine," Houston said of his counterpart, whom he does not name. "I wanted somebody that I was comfortable being naked in front of and [who] would be naked in front of me. That level of comfort is very important when you're doing a love scene. The chemistry is important."

There's no hidden message in "Naked": Houston's coming straight-up in the track.

" 'Naked' is basically what it sounds like," the singer laughed. " 'Naked' is getting to the point: 'I can't wait to see us naked doing our thing. I wanna see your panties hit the floor, let your body steal the show. Let's get naked.' "

Houston says the album title, on the other hand, doesn't really have anything to do with having sex; Naked just reflects the last three years of his life, since he went solo, and proves that he has nothing to hide.

Just how little Houston will wear onstage during the kiddie-centric "Scream IV" tour this summer is still not known (see "Bow Wow, Omarion Team Up For Single And Scream IV Tour"), but the singer says he'll be bringing something he never has before on the "Scream" tour: a live band.

"Naked" has not aired on any TV stations as of yet, but both the edited and explicit versions are available at Houston's Web site, Marques-Houston.com.

• Marques Houston

Audioslave's <I>Out of Exile</I>
Photo: Interscope

After making history earlier this month by playing the biggest show ever by an American rock band in Cuba, Audioslave are preparing to take on the albums chart this week. The band is releasing its sophomore album, Out of Exile, which follows 2002's self-titled album.

After four long years of waiting for two-dimensional artists Gorillaz to deliver a studio follow-up to their 2001 self-titled album, the band composed of animated members 2-D, Russel, Murdoc and Noodle is back with Demon Days. Led by its first single, "Feel Good Inc.," the LP features two major changes — the absence of former producer Dan "The Automator" Nakamura and the presence of Danger Mouse in his place.

Common, king of conscious rap, is going back to his roots with his latest album, Be. After releasing 2002's highly experimental, sprawling Electric Circus, Common narrows his focus this time around, employing two main producers, Kanye West and J Dilla.

The Wallflowers are taking a cue from the title of their new album, Rebel, Sweetheart, defying the ever-changing climate of the mainstream with another straight-up rock and roll album that follows 2002's Red Letter Days.

Nikka Costa's long-awaited new album, Can'tneverdidnothin, hits stores this week on the heels of the single "Till I Get to You." Frank Sinatra's goddaughter is back, four years after the release of Everybody Got Their Something.

Former Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus releases his third solo album, Face the Truth, while fiery female rock trio Sleater-Kinney follow up 2002's One Beat with The Woods. South African hard rockers Seether unleash their sophomore effort, Karma and Effect.

On the hip-hop side of new releases, there's the latest from Young Gunz (Brothers From Another), former Immature/IMX member Marques Houston (Naked) and B.G. (The Heart of tha Streetz).

In DVD news, fans of Dave Chappelle who are still reeling over the news that the next season of his "Chappelle's Show" will be postponed can comfort themselves with the DVD of season two.

Also out this week are albums by Belle and Sebastian (Push Barman to Open Old Wounds), Alkaline Trio (Crimson), Gucci Mane (Trap House), the Agony Scene (The Darkest Red), Death in Vegas (Satan's Circus), Shout Out Louds (Howl Howl Gaff Gaff), Pretty Ricky (Bluestars), Meat Beat Manifesto (At the Center) and Shelby Lynne (Suit Yourself).

Out Tuesday, May 24:

• The Agony Scene - The Darkest Red (Roadrunner)
• Alkaline Trio - Crimson (Vagrant)
• Amber Pacific - The Possibility and the Promise (Hopeless)
• Audioslave - Out of Exile (Interscope)
  Read "Audioslave's Morello Says New LP Feels Less Like Soundgarden + Rage"
  Buy Now: Out of Exile (Interscope)
• Walter Beasley - For Her (Heads Up)
• Belle and Sebastian - Push Barman to Open Old Wounds (Matador)
• B.G. - The Heart of tha Streetz (Koch)
• Ron Blake - Sonic Tonic (Mack Avenue)
• Blusom - The Metapolitan (Second Nature)
• Brian Bromberg - Choices (Artistry Music)
• The Dave Brubeck Quartet - London Flat, London Sharp (Telarc)
• Richard Cheese - Aperitif for Destruction (Surfdog)
• Freddy Cole - This Love of Mine (HighNote)
• Common - Be (Geffen)
  Read "Common Lets It Be On Upcoming Down-Home Album"
  Buy Now: Be (Geffen)
• Nikka Costa - Can'tneverdidnothin' (Virgin)
  Buy Now: Can'tneverdidnothin' (Virgin)
• Robert Cray - Twenty (Sanctuary)
• Death in Vegas - Satan's Circus (Fuel 2000)
• Tony DeSare - Want You (Telarc)
• Bruce Dickinson - Tyranny of Souls (Sanctuary)
• Jeff Golub - Temptation (Narada)
• Gorillaz - Demon Days (Virgin)
  Read "Cartoon Gorillaz Put A Muzzle On Danger Mouse, Damon Albarn"
  Buy Now: Demon Days (Virgin)
• Jackie Greene - Sweet Somewhere Bound (Verve)
• Drew Gress - 7 Black Butterflies (Premonition)
• Adam Guettel - The Light in the Piazza (Nonesuch)
• Head of Femur - Hysterical Stars (spinART)
• Marques Houston - Naked (Universal)
  Read "Omarion, Marques Team Up With 'Served' Director For More Films"
  Buy Now: Naked (Universal)
• Hank Jones - For My Father (Justin Time)
• Sara Lazarus - Give Me the Simple Life (Dreyfus)
• Little Milton - Think of Me (Telarc)
• Lucero - Nobody's Darlings (Liberty and Lament)
• Shelby Lynne - Suit Yourself (Capitol)
• Magic Arrows - Sweat Heavenly Angel of Death (Wobblyhead)
• Stephen Malkmus - Face the Truth (Matador)
  Read "Stephen Malkmus Hoping For Crunk Success With New LP"
  Buy Now: Face the Truth (Matador)
• Gucci Mane - Trap House (Big Cat)
• Hugh Masekela - Revival (Heads Up)
• Meat Beat Manifesto - At the Center (Thirsty Ear)
• Old Blind Dogs - Play Live (Green Linnet)
• Pretty Ricky - Bluestars (Atlantic)
• Seether - Karma and Effect (Wind-Up)
  Read: "Seether Frontman Shaun Morgan Is Very Angry"
  Buy Now: Karma and Effect (Wind-Up)
• SF Jazz Collective - SF Jazz Collective (Nonesuch)
• Shout Out Louds - Howl Howl Gaff Gaff (Capitol)
  Read: "Shout Out Louds Out To Show Love Is The Same In Any Language"
  Buy Now: Howl Howl Gaff Gaff (Capitol)
• Sleater-Kinney - The Woods (Sub Pop)
  Read "Sleater-Kinney Coming To Your Neck Of The Woods"
  Buy Now: The Woods (Sub Pop)
• Maria Taylor - 11:11 (Saddle Creek)
• Chip Taylor & Carrie Rodriguez - Red Dog Tracks (Back Porch)
• James Blood Ulmer - Birthright (Hyena)
• Wallflowers - Rebel, Sweetheart (Interscope)
  Buy Now: Rebel, Sweetheart (Interscope)
• Cedar Walton - Underground Memoirs (HighNote)
• Young Gunz - Brothers From Another (Roc-A-Fella)
  Read "Jay-Z Gives New Young Gunz Record A Presidential Push"
  Buy Now: Brothers From Another (Roc-A-Fella)
• Youth Group - Skeleton Jar (Epitaph)
• Miguel Zenón - Jíbaro (Marsalis Music)
• Various artists - "Cinderella Man" soundtrack (Decca)
• Various artists - "The Longest Yard" soundtrack (Universal)
• Various artists - "Lords of Dogtown" soundtrack (Geffen)
• Various artists - "Madagascar" soundtrack (Dreamworks)
• Various artists - Motown Remixed (Motown)
• DVD: "Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme" (Palm Pictures)
• DVD: "Brian Wilson Presents Smile" (Rhino Home Video)
• DVD: "Chappelle's Show - Season 2" (Paramount)

May 31:

• Better Than Ezra - Before the Robots (Artemis)
• Maxïmo Park - A Certain Trigger (Warp)
• Oasis - Don't Believe the Truth (Epic)
  Read "Noel Gallagher Refuses To Watch New Oasis Video"

June 7:

• Black Eyed Peas - Monkey Business (A&M)
  Read "Black Eyed Peas Team Up Again With Timberlake For New LP"
• Coldplay - X&Y (Capitol)
  Read "Coldplay Album Preview: X&Y A Complex Stadium-Rocker"
• White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan (V2)
  Read "White Stripes Album Preview: Confounding Satan Both Loud And Subtle"

June 14:

• Backstreet Boys - Never Gone (Jive)
  Read "Backstreet Boys Pick Power Ballad For Their Comeback Single"
• Brian Eno - Another Day on Earth (Hannibal)
• Foo Fighters - In Your Honor (RCA)
  Read "Foo Fighters Album Preview: Grohl Gets Grand On In Your Honor"

• Audioslave
• Gorillaz
• Common
• The Wallflowers
• Sleater-Kinney

Jennifer Hudson, Rosario Dawson, Omarion And More At The 2007 Soul Train Awards

• Jennifer Hudson
• Yung Joc
• Mario
• Omarion
• Chingy

Grammy Parties: Scarlett, Christina, Justin, Katharine And More

• Timbaland
• Nelly Furtado
• Natasha Bedingfield
• JC Chasez
• Rich Boy

Bow Wow, Omarion, Marques Houston, More On The 2005 Scream IV Tour

• Omarion
• Bow Wow
• Pretty Ricky
• Marques Houston

Houston We Have a Problem

• Bobby Brown
• Kanye West
• Rhymefest
• Marques Houston
• Nick Cannon

Scream Tour 2005

• Omarion
• Bow Wow
• Marques Houston

The 2005 BET Awards Red Carpet Gets Hot With Beyonce, Bow Wow, Paul Wall, Ciara, More

• Bow Wow
• Fat Joe
• Will Smith
• Beyoncé
• Omarion

Sucker Free on MTV: Summer On The Strip '05

• Marques Houston
• Olivia
• Bow Wow
• Keyshia Cole
• Slim Thug

"You Got Served" photos

• B2K
• Marques Houston
• Lil' Kim

One Day With B2K: The Scream III Tour

• B2K
• Marques Houston

Scream III Tour Live Pics, Kansas City, MO July 27, 2003

• B2K
• Nick Cannon
• Marques Houston