Michael Bublé's <i>Crazy Love</i>
Photo: 143 Records

You already knew Oprah Winfrey had the power to make any book she deems worthy a blockbuster, but the queen of all media is proving to be a musical kingmaker as well. A week after appearing on Winfrey's show, smooth crooner Michael Bublé will top the Billboard 200 charts with his latest, Crazy Love, on modest sales of 132,000.

Bublé managed to pull the feat off after pushing his album up from October 13 to an earlier, off-cycle Friday (October 9) release to coincide with the Winfrey appearance, dealing a harsh blow to legendary greasepaint rockers Kiss in the process. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees were looking like shoo-ins to land the first-ever #1 debut in their 30-plus-year career with the bargain-priced three-CD Wal-Mart exclusive Sonic Boom, but they will have to settle for #2 after moving just 108,000 copies.

The other top 10 debuts include a #3 bid by flag-waving country star Toby Keith with American Ride (90,000), followed by rising country singer Luke Bryan's second album, Doin' My Thing, at #6 (58,000). The rebooted Backstreet Boys hit the golden circle with This Is Us (#9, 42,000), despite scuttling some promotional events last week due to member Brian Littrell's battle with swine flu.

Barbra Streisand's Love Is the Answer lost nearly 60 percent of its business in week two, dropping to #4 on sales of 75,000. Jay-Z holds pretty steady at #5 with The Blueprint 3 (65,000), while Mariah Carey's Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel dips four spots to #7 (55,000) after shedding 68 percent of sales in its second week. Though she's been busy recuperating from strep throat and quitting Twitter, Miley Cyrus has managed to creep back into the top 10 with her Time of Our Lives EP (#8, 47,000). Rockers Breaking Benjamin round things out with Dear Agony (41,000).

Proving that they still have a tall hill to climb in the U.S., German eyeliner popsters Tokio Hotel land with a thud at #35 in the debut week of their latest, Humanoid, which sold 17,000 copies.

It was a short ride near the top for Paramore, who lost 77 percent of the first-week sales for Brand New Eyes, dropping nine spots to #11. Revived grunge icons Alice in Chains are just behind at #12, as their first effort in more than a decade, Black Gives Way to Blue dropped more than 70 percent of its first-week numbers (37,000).

They had plenty of company as a number of former top-10ers have taken swift rides down the stream, including Pearl Jam's Backspacer (#16, down 46 percent on 32,000 in sales), Miranda Lambert's Revolution (#19, down 58 percent on sales of 28,000), Madonna's greatest-hits compilation Celebration (#20, down 63 percent and 13 spots on sales of 26,000) and Selena Gomez and the Scene's Kiss and Tell (#25, down 62 percent and 14 spots on sales of 25,000).

Elsewhere on the charts, country royalty Roseanne Cash debuts at #22 with The List (26,000), an album of covers based on a list of songs given to her by late father Johnny Cash. Singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile debuts at #26 with her third full-length CD, Give up the Ghost (25,000), and veteran indie-rockers Built to Spill hit #50 with There Is No Enemy (12,000).

Karen O and the Kids were sent to virtual chart detention with the soundtrack to Spike Jonze's eagerly anticipated big-screen adaptation of "Where the Wild Things Are," dropping nearly 30 spots in week two to #62 (10,000). And Joey Crack might be a bit hungry after his sequel, Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 (J.O.S.E. 2) failed to stir the Fat Joe nation, mustering a #73 debut on sales of just over 8,000. Also licking wounds is former "American Idol" semifinalist and beatboxer Blake Lewis, whose second effort, Heartbreak on Vinyl barely scratches the surface, landing with a thud at #135 (4,000).

With the release date just pushed up to this Friday (October 16), the soundtrack to "New Moon" looks like it will easily crush the competition next week, which will also bring debuts from Mario and Barry Manilow.

• Michael Buble
• Kiss
• Backstreet Boys

Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

LL Cool J, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kiss lead the list of first-time nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 2010.

The nominees also include such first-timers as long-running rock act Genesis, reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, early rock band the Hollies and singer/songwriter Laura Nyro. According to a press release from the Rock Hall, the 12-member nominee class has some repeat offenders as well, including disco diva Donna Summer, girl-group icons Darlene Love and the Chantels, 1970s pop superstars ABBA and punk godfathers the Stooges (hoping the eighth time will be the charm).

After last year's ceremony returned to the Cleveland site of the Hall for the first time in 12 years to mark the induction of Metallica, Run-DMC and Jeff Beck, the 25th annual event will take place on March 15, 2010, at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York. Ballots will be sent out to the 500 Hall of Fame voting committee members soon, with five performer inductees to be announced in January.

To be eligible for the Rock Hall, an act must have released its first single or album 25 years before the nomination.

Funk-punk lifers the Red Hot Chili Peppers formed in Los Angeles in 1983 and released their self-titled debut the next year. Formed around the core of hyperkinetic singer Anthony Kiedis, high-energy bassist Flea, late guitarist Hillel Slovak and former drummer Jack Irons, the band made a name for itself with a spastic combo of funk, punk, hard rock and hip-hop, graduating from an underground fanbase to worldwide stardom and Grammy-winning albums thanks to such landmark tracks as "Give It Away," "Under the Bridge" and "Scar Tissue."

Rapper LL Cool J busted onto the New York scene at the ripe age of 17 with the bombastic 1985 album Radio, which featured the singles "Rock the Bells" and "I Can't Live Without My Radio" and served not just as his debut, but as the first album from the Def Jam record label. The internationally known rapper/actor has since produced a string of hit albums, which include songs that run the gamut from loverman caresses ("I Need Love") to trunk funk ("Going Back to Cali"), bare-knuckle takedowns ("Mama Said Knock You Out") and sexy come-ons ("Doin' It").

One of the best-selling acts in pop history, Swedish quartet ABBA (Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Faltskog) ruled the charts from 1972 to 1982 with a string of titanic disco-pop hits that have spawned a legion of radio staples, cover groups and a hit musical/movie adaptation, "Mamma Mia." Among their best-known songs are "Waterloo," "Mamma Mia," "SOS," "Ring Ring," "Honey, Honey" and "Fernando."

Though known almost as much for their explosive, special-effects-heavy live shows and copious merchandising than their glammy hard-rock hits, Kiss are one of the most beloved rock bands of the 1970s and '80s. With a fierce fanbase, the Kiss Army, the makeup-sporting group has sold nearly 100 million albums worldwide since forming in 1971. Their classics include such fist-pumpers as "Rock and Roll All Night," "Detroit Rock City," "Love Gun" and the disco-tinged "I Was Made for Lovin' You."

One of the most distinctive voices in girl-group history, Darlene Love began her career as a member of the California group the Blossoms in 1962, later working with famed "Wall of Sound" producer Phil Spector and singing backup for such legends as Sam Cooke. Recording for Spector under various group names (the Crystals, Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans) as well as her own name, Love scored a series of hits with the songs "He's a Rebel," "He's Sure the Boy I Love," "Today I Met the Boy I'm Gonna Marry" and "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah."

"The Queen of Disco" Donna Summer earned her title in 1975 with the orgasmic hit "Love to Love You Baby," one of her many iconic collaborations with German producer Giorgio Moroder. Summer pumped out the hits "I Feel Love," "Last Dance," "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girl," breaking chart records for her string of #1 albums.

	Rock Hall Of Fame Nominees

After starting out in 1967 as an arty prog-rock band fronted by Peter Gabriel, long-running British rock act Genesis went on to pop superstardom in the 1980s and have sold more than 150 million albums to date. After Gabriel's departure in 1975, the group moved from high-art concept albums to a more radio-friendly sound that spawned a string of 1980s hits such as "Misunderstanding," "Turn It on Again," "No Reply at All," "That's All" and "Invisible Touch," all sung by drummer and leader Phil Collins.

Jimmy Cliff has been one of the most indelible voices in reggae for more than 40 years. Along with the late Bob Marley, Cliff is credited with helping to bring reggae to the masses thanks to his starring role in the 1972 movie "The Harder They Come." Such frequently covered songs as "Trapped," "You Can Get It if You Really Want," "Many Rivers to Cross," "The Harder They Come" and "Sitting in Limbo" have earned him a spot in the genre's pantheon of greats.

Late singer/songwriter Laura Nyro was just 19 when she recorded her debut in 1966, the same year folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary recorded her song, "And When I Die." The fragile singer with an eclectic style that touched on pop, jazz and R&B wrote a string of songs that became hits for other acts, including "Stoned Soul Picnic," "Sweet Blindness," "Wedding Bell Blues" and "Blowin' Away." She also scored her own hit with Carole King's "Up on the Roof."

The Chantels first got together in the late 1950s in the Bronx, scoring their first hit in 1957 with "He's Gone," and following it up with the songs "Maybe" and "Look in My Eyes," serving as a template for later success by girl groups such as the Shirelles and the Supremes. English rock group the Hollies made a name with their crystal-clear three-part harmonies and had a massive string of hits in the early 1960s with the songs "Look Through Any Window," "Bus Stop," "If I Needed Someone," "Stop! Stop! Stop!" and "On a Carousel" before the departure of group co-founder Graham Nash in 1968.

Considered the godfathers of punk rock, the Stooges formed in 1967 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, fronted by rock-and-roll madman Iggy Pop, who put the group on the map with his outrageous stage antics, which included smearing himself with peanut butter and rolling on broken glass. Their iconic songs include "I Wanna Be Your Dog," "No Fun" and "T.V. Eye."

• LL Cool J, Chili Peppers And More Rock Hall Of Fame Nominees

• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• LL Cool J
• Kiss

Gene Simmons, Adam Lambert and Paul Stanley onstage at Wednesday's "American Idol" finale
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images/FOX

Say what you will about Adam Lambert, but you cannot deny the fact that the guy knows how to put on a show.

Regardless of whether or not he's crowned "American Idol" champ, he already stole the show with a jaw-dropping, fist-pumping, pyro-enhanced performance with legendary rockers Kiss.

Lambert started things off solo, wearing a studded, sorta-angelic ensemble (leather epaulet, withwings and all), performing a somber, falsetto'ed version of "Beth." Then as the pyro hit, Kiss themselves descended from the heavens and launched into a big-time take on another staple (from the same year, 1976), "Detroit Rock City."

Lambert strutted and belted it out, drawing "Wow ... Did he just hit that note?" looks from guitarist Paul Stanley — and wearing a pair of platform boots that made him right at home with the glammed-up dudes in Kiss.

Then, with more pyro flaring, it was into "Rock and Roll All Nite," with bassist Gene Simmons and Lambert trading verses (then, in an inspired split-screen, Simmons, Lambert and Stanley all sang in unison).

After even more pyro, a smashed guitar and one seriously long note from Lambert, it was all over ... Minus Simmons spitting up blood, it was everything you'd get from a Kiss show, mashed into roughly four minutes. A very fiery (and pretty amazing) coronation for the man who could be "Idol" king.

• Relive 'American Idol': Season Eight
• An Adam Lambert Makeover
• 'American Idol' Season-Eight Red Carpet

• Backstage At The "American Idol" Finale
• "American Idol" Season 8 Finale: Red Carpet
• "American Idol" Season 8: Live Performances

• Kiss

Aerosmith's "Revolution X"
Photo: Acclaim Entertainment, Inc.

Since the dawn of "Pong," one of the greatest kisses of death for a video game has been the dreaded "inspired by (insert name of popular musical act here)" tag line. This is mainly because popular musical acts don't know much about making video games, despite what they might think, and despite what everyone close to them might tell them. So they go all-in and dream up a usually convoluted plot in which they a) save the world through the power of their music; b) battle an omnipotent, unilateral government hellbent on destroying their music; or c) take on mystical, supercharged and/or anthropomorphic personae inspired by their music.

And as a result, these video games are almost always terrible. But some stand out from the pack because they are particularly awful. So in celebration of MTV's Gamer's Week and MTV-backed "Rock Band," we've decided to shine the spotlight on five of the most awesomely bad music-inspired video games ever made. Enjoy. Or don't. It's basically the same thing.

"Journey Escape"
» Data Age, 1982

The prototypical "inspired by" game in almost every way, particularly because it sets the bar so low, "Escape" is a vertical scroller in which you guide the barely rendered visages of Journey through a maze of — as the instruction book puts it — "love-crazed groupies, sneaky photographers and shifty-eyed promoters," to the safety of their Scarab Escape Vehicle in order to make it to the next sold-out show.

Based (we guess) on the band's mega-successful Escape album from 1981, the game is boring — and we're using 1982 standards here — mostly because you spend the entire time dodging blobs that look like hot dogs with feet. Along the way, you get assistance from roadies and the "mighty manager," who inexplicably looks like the Kool-Aid Man. About the only breakthroughs contained within are the decisions to replace the standard health meter with a rapidly depleting stash of "concert cash" and the fact that the members of Journey maintained that the game was based on their real lives — which is interesting, considering it makes them look money-hungry and self-obsessed.

"Michael Jackson's Moonwalker"
» Sega, 1990

The King of Pop throws on a zoot suit; battles an insidious, moon-based drug dealer; and rescues captive children with his "dance magic," all while shooting sparks from his hands, tossing his fedora like a boomerang and repeatedly hollering "Wooo!" He has the ability to transform into a giant, indestructible robot and can pilot a high-tech spacecraft. Though we're talking about the plot of a game released more than 15 years ago, there is roughly a 75 percent chance that this exact scenario is running through Michael's head right now.

In theory, "Moonwalker" is based on the video for MJ's "Smooth Criminal," only, you know, it's so much more. You guide Jackson through five generic levels ("Club," "Street," "Woods"), twirling and kicking at suited baddies and saving small children, while awesomely MIDI-ed versions of his greatest hits play in the background. After doing this for an indeterminate amount of time, Jackson then takes control of a spaceship and engages in a dogfight with the nefarious Mr. Big, the drug dealer who has captured all the kids and is now trying to destroy the earth with a giant laser cannon.

If it sounds mind-melting, well, it is, not to mention that practically everything in "Moonwalker" is made 10,000 times creepier given the, uh, last 15 years of Jackson's life. And all of that makes playing it an experience unlike anything ever before. Which, when you think about it, is actually about as close to a recommendation as you're gonna get on this list.

"Revolution X"
» Midway, 1994 (arcade version); Acclaim, 1995 (console versions)

Aerosmith inexplicably lent their songs and likeness to this pixilated, meandering rail shooter set in — you guessed it — a post-apocalyptic future in which a shadowy government organization (the menacingly named New Order Nation) has outlawed rock and roll. During a very cyberpunk gig at Los Angeles' fictional Club X, Aerosmith are captured by NON troops (who could, you know, actually be rock critics) and it's up to you to free them, mostly by firing compact discs at faceless soldiers in riot gear, and the occasional tank.

Conceived during the height of the band's obsession with cyberspace — a period perhaps best summed up by the video for "Amazing," which featured that dude from "Dazed and Confused" and his excellent headband — "Revolution X" is terrible in almost every conceivable way. That's from the soundtrack — which consisted of eternally looped versions of Aerosmith hits like "Sweet Emotion" and "Walk This Way" — to the grainy graphics and the gameplay, (seriously, you could call it "Repetition X").

It's so bad that "Revolution X" is almost always included whenever the topic of "The Worst Video Games Ever" is discussed, and it makes you actually root for the nondescript — though incredibly evil — one-world government that you're supposed to be overthrowing. Because if it's opposed to Aerosmith, how bad can it really be?

"Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style"
» Activision, 1999

Hmmm, let's see: An over-baked concept featuring martial arts, the illuminati and/or monks? A project that's better in theory than in actuality? An impact that would've been much greater a decade earlier? Yep, sounds like something involving the Wu-Tang Clan.

In this case, it's the group's first and only foray into the world of 3-D fighting games. "Shaolin Style" distinguished itself from other murky games of the era by coming packaged with a limited-edition, wholly unusable "W"-shaped controller.

The loco peripherals were bad, and the game itself was blurry and choppy. You piloted each of the nine Wu-Tang members through a seemingly endless series of battles, with the prescribed purpose of unlocking secret goals — or, in Wu-speak, "chambers" — and rescuing an ancient monk or something. "Shaolin" did earn bonus points for the fact that each member of the Clan had their own unique fighting style, but ultimately, it's exactly like every semi-lame 3-D kick/punch fighter ever made, except with a limp RZA-produced score and Ol' Dirty Bastard flopping around on his back, "drunken monkey style."

"Kiss: Psycho Circus - The Nightmare Child"
» Take 2, 2000

Rifle-carrying members of the Kiss Army likely purchased this game (and probably the Dreamcast it was ported to), played it all the way through, and thought it was awesome. But not everyone is a Kiss fan.

Based — in theory — on the Todd McFarlane-helmed comic book series, which reimagined the band as supernatural beings who battled evil (while wearing platform boots), "Nightmare Child" put you in control of a faceless protagonist sent on a mythic quest to retrieve pieces of Kiss armor, all while blasting your way though drones of same-y creatures in a variety of generic settings. Which means that it was a "good video game" in the same way Music from 'The Elder' was a "good album."

Boring and repetitive, the game was — not surprisingly — skewered by critics, but remains (also, not surprisingly) a favorite of Kiss loyalists. In the long and storied history of rock, there is perhaps no act as unabashedly commercial as Kiss, so it's surprising that it took them until 2000 to get into the video game racket. But after playing "Nightmare Child," you kind of wish they never had.

• Pioneers Of Rock-Inspired Video Games

• Wu-Tang Clan
• Michael Jackson
• Aerosmith
• Kiss
• Journey

Kevin Federline and Britney Spears
Photo: Getty Images/ Matthew Simmons

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline finalized their divorce Monday (July 30) in Los Angeles Superior Court, The Associated Press reports. "They are divorced. Everything is finalized," Spears' lawyer Laura Wasser said after the hearing. A court commissioner signed the orders for dissolution of marriage, child custody and an alimony agreement, the latter of which won't be made public unless an enforcement issue arises. The child-custody order — which details the former couple's timeshare schedule and transportation matters — was sealed for the time being for safety reasons, pending a hearing slated for August 14. ...

Could a 17-second snippet of a song called "Candy Shop" be a leak from Madonna's upcoming album? Fans speculate that it's of a track Madonna was working on with either Timbaland or Pharrell — but reps for none of the three camps would confirm. "I have no comment about the song 'Candy Shop,' " Madonna's longtime rep Liz Rosenberg told MTV News. "Madonna has studio time booked and is continuing to work on her new CD. The songs are not mixed, and until that time, we can't finalize the track list." The yet-untitled album is due later this year. ...

Christina Aguilera scratched two shows in Australia slated for Saturday and Monday due to the flu — more specifically, a viral upper-respiratory tract infection. "I want to personally apologize to all of my fans for having to cancel my last two shows here in Melbourne," the singer said in a statement. "Thank you for all of the continued love and support and I hope to perform for you all again next time." In the statement, the singer didn't address ongoing pregnancy rumors. ... Lindsay Lohan is "in a very good place right now," her mother Dina told reporters Monday outside a New York courthouse, where she was battling with Michael Lohan over custody of three of their children. Lindsay's exact whereabouts are still unknown. ...

According to Jermaine Dupri, fans will have to wait a while longer for new Janet Jackson music — she's not going to be featured on the "Rush Hour 3" soundtrack. The producer posted a message on his MySpace page saying, "To answer all questions about [the] 'Rush Hour 3' soundtrack, I ended up not doing it 'cause the movie takes place in Paris and a lot of the music didn't fit. So all of you looking for that Janet record, you gotta wait till she's finished with the new album. Sorry." ...

Desert gold: Paul Wall is shoving off to the Persian Gulf for his second USO tour. "Being a part of a USO tour and performing for the troops is amazing," Wall said. "It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and to forget what's happening overseas," he said in a statement. "This is my way of letting them know I realize what they're sacrificing and am truly grateful." ... The Black Eyed Peas will headline the "Jerusalem Rocks!" festival, set to take place September 9 in Israel. The multi-culti act will be joined by Arrested Development and various local acts. ...

Korn's Jonathan Davis has one thing to say to Devo's Jerry Casale: no hard feelings. Responding to the flap that ensued over Korn's fake movie trailer that appeared to cop Devo's "de-evolution" concept, Davis said in a statement to Rolling Stone: "Korn never claimed to be the first to expose de-evolution, our hats are going off to Devo for that." He added, "They are pioneers for sure! However, we are glad to see that our efforts have them speaking up again! It's good to have them back." Davis closed with a requisite plug: "In the meantime, our researchers continue to uncover key evidence of de-evolution at the highest levels (EvolutionDevolution.com)." ...

Chamillionaire, Forest Whitaker and Babyface were among the attendees at Russell Simmons' eighth annual Art for Life event Saturday night. The charitable festivities took place in East Hampton, New York, and raised $1.4 million for underprivileged children in New York. ... Polow Da Don, Mark Ronson and Timbaland protégé Nate "Danjahandz" Hills were among those who made it on Vibe's 14th annual Juice list. Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama graces the cover. ... Damon Dash hobnobs with Ashton Kutcher, Sofia Coppola and Renée Zellweger on Vanity Fair's 68th Best-Dressed List, which appears in the magazine's September issue. George Clooney was named to the list's Hall of Fame, while Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made it to the couples list — surprised? ...

Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin and bassist Duff McKagan joined ex-GN'R drummer Steven Adler and his Adler's Appetite for a couple of Appetite for Destruction songs during a concert at the Key Club in West Hollywood, California, on Saturday. Slash, who had made it to the venue earlier that evening, did not end up performing during the quasi-reunion. The gig was scheduled in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the release of the band's 1987 debut, Appetite for Destruction. ... Peter Hook threatens offhandedly in a post on his MySpace page that he might take his former New Order bandmates to court, now that they've decided to continue performing as the band without him. He says Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris shouldn't assume they "have the rights to do anything New Order-ey" because he has "still got a third." ...

Metric will swing through the States for a three-week trek starting September 19 in Philadelphia and winding down October 9 in Seattle, RollingStone.com reports. The indie-rockers will record their fourth album in November. ... Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba will ship out for his first solo trek in five years on September 14 in Rochester, Michigan. With Augustana and John Ralston in tow, Carrabba will conclude the extensive trek November 14 in New York. ... The Offspring have parted ways with drummer Atom Willard and recruited Saves the Day's Pete Parada to take his place. Parada will make his debut with the Offspring next month when they perform at the Summer Sonic festival in Japan. Willard, in the meantime, has moved over fulltime to Angels & Airwaves. ...

It was a rough weekend for aging rock legends. First, Kiss singer/guitarist Paul Stanley had to sit out a show in San Jacinto, California, on Friday night after suffering a bout of tachycardia, which caused his heart to speed up to twice its normal rate. On his Web site, Stanley, 55, explained that during a rehearsal for the show, "my heart spontaneously jumped to 190-plus beats per minute, where it stayed for over an hour, necessitating paramedics to start an IV and give me a shot to momentarily stop my heart and get it into a normal pattern." The rest of the group played as a trio in Stanley's absence ...

The news was a bit better for Ozzy Osbourne, who was treated at and released by a Denver hospital over the weekend. Reuters reports that a statement from Osbourne's management on Sunday read: "Ozzy Osbourne had a minor outpatient procedure at Rose Medical Center late last night. He was released early this morning and is doing well." Osbourne, 58, is expected to perform at Monday's Ozzfest in Kansas City, Missouri. KUSA-TV in Denver reported that the surgery, which took place after Saturday's Ozzfest show, was for a blood clot in Osbourne's leg. He had complained of leg pain prior to the gig. ... Is Kelly Osbourne following in Ashlee Simpson's footsteps? Ozzy's daughter is joining the cast of "Chicago" at the Cambridge Theatre in London's West End for a seven-week run. She'll play Mama Morton, the matron of Cook County Jail. ...

Atlanta metallers Daath are stuck in Denver, meaning they'll miss some more Ozzfest dates. According to the bandmembers, they missed last week's stops in Phoenix and Oklahoma City because the airport shuttle bus they rented to get from city to city during the summer tour had broken down. Plans have been made to rent the band an RV, but complications with the vehicle haven't been resolved. There's no word yet on when Daath will return to the tour. ... DevilDriver have joined this summer's Ozzfest, taking over the second-stage slot abandoned last week by Mondo Generator. ... In the meantime, New York metal act Bloodsimple have been added to a competing fest: the Family Values Tour. They'll play the second stage. ...

Al Gore III, son of the the former vice president, pleaded guilty on Monday to two felony and three misdemeanor counts of drug possession stemming from his arrest while driving in Orange County, California, earlier this month. He agreed to enter a nine-month drug program, and the charges could be dropped if he finishes it. ... Visionary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman died Monday on an island off the coast of Sweden. He was 89. Woody Allen once called the director — three of whose films won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film — "probably the greatest film artist ... since the invention of the motion picture camera," according to The Associated Press.

07.27.07

As Kelly Clarkson fans know, the singer wrote or co-wrote every track on her new album My December — but they probably don't know just how quickly. "I've written every song in 15 to 20 minutes. It has to come out of me like that, or it won't at all," Clarkson told Self for its August issue cover story. "It's not even that hard a thought process for me." She revealed to the magazine that she has a microphone hooked up to her computer, which she keeps by her bed so she can record music when a song pops into her head. She has drafts of 150 new songs saved. Check out behind-the-scenes video from the cover shoot on Self.com. ...

A Britney Spears bodyguard is facing a battery charge after wrestling with a pair of men who were trying to photograph the singer with her children in Las Vegas on Thursday, The Associated Press reports. Cesar Julio Camera was issued a misdemeanor battery summons after allegedly grabbing and punching one photographer and pushing another into a wall. Spears and Kevin Federline are involved in divorce proceedings in California that include restrictions on traveling out of state with the children, according to AP. ...

Have a burning "Harry Potter" question for J.K. Rowling? Look out for the J.K. Rowling and the Open Book Tour Sweepstakes launching Monday — 1,000 fans will get a pair of tickets to an evening with the author on October 19 at New York's Carnegie Hall. Rowling will read from "Deathly Hallows," answer questions and autograph copies of the volume. Go to publisher Scholastic's Web site for details. ...

Kid Rock is priming his first studio album in four years — and on the release, he finds room to take a jab at ex-wife Pamela Anderson, Billboard.com reports. The album — due October 9 and tentatively titled Rock'n'Roll Jesus — closes with the country song "Half Your Age," in which Rock says he's found a younger girlfriend who's "twice as hot." The LP also includes a mash-up of Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama," and is dedicated to Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, who passed away last year. Kid Rock told Billboard he wants the album to make people feel as if they were "going to church drunk on Saturday night." ... Beck and Jamie Lidell have ganged up for a direct-to-disc recording session at a studio in East Los Angeles, Pitchfork reports. ...

Fall Out Boy already have more songs in the can — and they look to Green Day for inspiration, Billboard.com reports. "I've got a bunch of songs written, but I think I'm going to wait a while before we release it, because I'm still really proud of [Infinity on High] and I want to kind of give it some space," singer/guitarist Patrick Stump told the outlet. He also said Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong's declaration that he didn't want to play "four-chord punk-rock for the rest of his life," according to Stump, has impacted the band's outlook. "They're really just true to what they are, and so that's how we are," he said. "I think we'll change stylistically, but at the end of the day, that's just something you wear. You're still yourself." ...

The Spice Girls have added three more dates to their upcoming reunion tour. The shows, in Vancouver, British Columbia (December 2); San Jose, California (December 4); and Shanghai, China (January 8), join a roster of 11 previously announced dates, with the Vancouver gig now serving as the tour's opening night. ... She Wants Revenge will return to record stores this fall with their sophomore LP, This Is Forever. The album drops October 9 and will feature 13 tracks, including "Written in Blood," "She Will Always Be a Broken Girl" and "Pretend the World Has Ended." ...

Forensic pathologist Werner Spitz sparred with the prosecution in the Phil Spector trial on Thursday, repeating the claim that actress Lana Clarkson's gunshot wound was self-inflicted, the Los Angeles Times reports. He said the force of the gunshot in her mouth caused blood to spray out of her mouth and nose — which then landed on the music producer's jacket several feet away. When asked why blood wasn't found on the floor, furniture or elsewhere after it sprayed, Spitz said he couldn't comment on the death scene because he had only seen photos of Spector and Clarkson's clothing and relied on reports made by other experts. ...

A man accused of shooting Ray Davies in a 2004 holdup is off the hook for now — prosecutors dropped the charges after the Kinks frontman didn't show up in a New Orleans court on Thursday, AP reports. It was the second time prosecutors dropped armed-robbery and aggravated-battery charges against the man because Davies wasn't in court. Davies told AP prosecutors didn't notify him about the trial until a few days ago and that he didn't have time to get from London to New Orleans. "I am very disappointed with the way this case has been handled," he said. "I intend to pursue it further." ...

David Bowie is celebrating the 35th anniversary of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars with an innovative alternate-album-cover contest on his Web site. ... Led Zeppelin are getting a whole lot of love via a new batch of reissues, Billboard.com reports. The best-of collection Mothership is due November 13 and will be followed a week later by spruced-up versions of the DVD concert film "The Song Remains the Same" and its accompanying soundtrack. Configurations of each release will have additional content, some of which is previously unreleased. ...

According to a report from Interfax, a Russian nongovernmental news agency based in Moscow, most heavy-metal songs are about murder and suicide — so says Serbsky State Research Center for Social and Forensic Psychiatry professor Fyodor Kondratyev. "Having researched 700 most popular heavy-metal songs revealed that half of them is about murder, 7 percent is positive about suicide, and 35 percent preaches a variety of Satanist ideologies," Kondratyev said, in broken English.

• Britney Spears
• Kevin Federline
• Paul Wall
• Damon Dash
• Guns N' Roses

David Bowie
Photo: Virgin

Landing the #1 spot on the Billboard albums chart is pretty easy — provided your name is Elvis, the Beatles or, uh, Now That's What I Call Music! For anyone else, it's a rather difficult thing to accomplish because, despite some of the "luminaries" who've occupied the top spot this year (Pretty Ricky, Daughtry), the #1 album club is a pretty exclusive one.

Up until this week, Johnny Marr — whose ringing guitar tones were first heard nearly 25 years ago on the Smiths' "Hand in Glove" — wasn't a member. Then We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, the new album from Modest Mouse, debuted in the top spot, selling an impressive 128,000 copies (see " Modest Mouse Felt 'No Pressure' To Be #1 — But They Got There Anyway "). This gave Marr, who joined MM before this album, his first-ever Stateside #1.

And while it might have taken Marr a quarter-century to get his first Billboard chart-topper, at least he got there. Because there's a whole list of rock, pop and hip-hop heavyweights who haven't, and — unless they decide to record a duet with someone like Jay-Z — probably never will.

We've compiled some of them here, though it bears mentioning that we're only talking about #1 albums on the Billboard 200, mainly because it ranks the top-selling albums in the country, regardless of genre (plus it's been around — under various handles like the "Stereo Action Charts," "Top LPs" and "Top Pop Albums" — since 1945), but also because landing the #1 album on the Top Contemporary Jazz chart just doesn't seem like all that great of an accomplishment (unless, of course, you're Motörhead).

David Bowie: The Thin White Duke has accomplished much in a career that spans more than 40 years, including countless #1 albums in the U.K., yet the top spot on the Billboard albums chart has continued to elude him. He's come close in the past: 1976's Station to Station made it to #3, and '83's Let's Dance got to #4 based on the strength of the title track (which made it to #1 on the singles chart). The following year, his Tonight album peaked at #11 — and he hasn't made it higher since.

Tom Petty: Be it as a solo artist, along with the Heartbreakers or as a member of the Traveling Wilburys, Petty's never had the #1 album on the Billboard chart. Damn the Torpedoes got to #2 in early 1980, a position it would hold for seven straight weeks (Pink Floyd's The Wall, in the midst of a 15-week run at #1, kept it from taking the top spot). Full Moon Fever made it to #3, and Wildflowers got to #8. The Traveling Wilburys' Vol. 1 — which Petty recorded with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne — peaked at #3 in 1989. Last year, his third solo effort, Highway Companion debuted at #4.

Kiss: As the commanders of the Kiss Army — and the sheer purchasing power contained therein — it's rather shocking to learn that Gene Simmons and company have never made it to #1. Thanks to the crossover appeal of "Christine Sixteen," 1977's Love Gun got to #4 on the chart, and it wasn't until 1998's Psycho Circus that they made it higher: That album topped out at #3.

Public Enemy: Perhaps it was the political slant, the blaring production or the fact that Chuck D just scared the crap out of most of America, but PE have never had a #1 album on the Billboard 200. Fear of a Black Planet scraped the top 10 in 1990, and Apocalypse 91 ... The Enemy Strikes Black powered its way to #4 (Apocalypse did, however, go to #1 on the R&B/hip-hop chart). Since then, they've released a pair of albums that didn't dent the top 10, and 2002's Revolverlution peaked at #110.

Duran Duran: They ruled the '80s with pulsing synths and razor-sharp cheekbones, but the Durannies could never quite strut their way to the top of the albums chart. The decade-uniting Rio made it to #6 in 1983 (back when Michael Jackson's Thriller was the reigning chart champ) and stayed in the top 200 for 129 consecutive weeks. The live album Arena, recorded during their '83-'84 world tour, actually charted higher — it got to #4. The boys' self-titled 1993 comeback record made it to #7, but they haven't caressed the top 10 since.

The Who: They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as "prime contenders, in the minds of many, for the title of World's Greatest Rock Band," but the Who have not made it to #1 on the albums chart. They got close with 1973's Quadrophenia and 1978's Who Are You, both of which peaked at #2. Last year's Endless Wire — the band's first studio album in more than 20 years — debuted at #7.

Neil Diamond: He's written hit singles for everyone from Deep Purple to the Monkees and had his own fair share of singular success, but — somewhat inexplicably — Diamond's never had a #1 album in a career that's spanned nearly 50 years. His soundtracks to "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" and "The Jazz Singer" (the latter of which contained his ultra-schmaltzy hit "America") got to #2 and #3, respectively, and a host of his late-'70s efforts made the top 10. In 2005, his Rick Rubin-produced 12 Songs debuted at #4.

Ozzy Osbourne: Whether running solo or as a member of seminal metal act Black Sabbath, the Ozzman never managed to battle his way to the top of the Billboard albums chart. Sabbath's Master of Reality made it to #8, and a host of Osbourne's solo albums landed in the top 10 (most notably 1995's Ozzmosis, and his 2001 follow-up, Down to Earth, both of which debuted at #4).

The Cure: Robert Smith and his mascaraed marauders debuted at #2 with 1992's Wish, but that's as close as they ever came to the top spot. And we suspect they've been depressed about it ever since.

Motörhead: OK, while this one doesn't exactly fall into the "shocking" category, we'd like to state for the record that it's a crime of monumental proportions that Lemmy and his mates have not had a #1 album on the Billboard chart (though 1991's 1916 did reach #142). In fact, Mr. Kilminster's biggest chart success came in 2001, when WWF: The Music, Vol. 5 — featuring Motörhead's "The Game," which wrestler Triple H used as his entrance music — sold 176,000 copies and debuted at #2, proving once again that you should never doubt the broad cross-market appeal of Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

The Smiths/ Morrissey: Marr's former bandmates — and his former musical foil — must be hella jealous about his recent chart success, because none of them has ever gotten close to sniffing #1 on the top 200. The Smiths' final album, 1987's Strangeways, Here We Come, topped out at #55, and the Mozfather never got higher on the charts than he did with 2004's You Are the Quarry, which debuted at #11. Then again, all that could change if the Smiths would just go ahead and reunite already ... hint, hint.

• Modest Mouse's Immodest Debut

• Artists Who've Never Been #1: Ozzy, Kiss, The Cure, More

• David Bowie
• Public Enemy
• Kiss
• Modest Mouse
• Pretty Ricky

Snoop Dogg
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Snoop can breathe a little easier — for now. On Monday (December 4), a superior-court judge in Santa Ana, California, postponed the rapper's felony weapon-possession arraignment until January. The charges — not to be confused with the ones surrounding Snoop's arrest for gun and drug possession last week — stem from a September incident at John Wayne Airport, where he was caught carrying a collapsible baton in his luggage. Snoop showed up to court Monday with three guards and his defense attorney, but he signed a waiver that will free him up from having to appear at most of the "non-substantive" hearings. He could face up to three years in prison if convicted. ...

A teary-eyed Jessica Simpson quickly left the stage Sunday night at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., after singing Dolly Parton's "9 to 5," The Columbus Dispatch reports. Simpson's performance — which the reportedly silent audience did not applaud — was part of a tribute event honoring the country legend, Steven Spielberg, Smokey Robinson and others. Simpson ended the song abruptly by saying, "So nervous," and appeared to still be crying when she returned to the stage with other singers later in the show, according to the paper. The tribute will be broadcast December 26 on CBS. ...

Madonna's Confessions road trip is heading to a new venue — fans' homes. A to-be-named tour DVD will hit U.S. stores January 23. ... Lance Bass and Reichen Lehmkuhl have broken up, according to People magazine. Bass revealed his relationship with the "Amazing Race" winner when the 'NSYNC singer announced to the magazine in July that he's gay. ...

Police shot and killed an unarmed 18-year-old who had been accused of robbing a student of two PlayStation 3s the day the console was released, AP reports. Peyton Strickland was shot Friday in New Haven County, North Carolina, after police had been sent to arrest him at a house the student shared with three roommates. One of the roommates said Strickland was unarmed but may have been holding a video game controller when police bashed in the door to the house. Authorities said Monday that the shooting will be investigated. ...

Paris Hilton has backed out of an appearance at the Billboard Music Awards on Monday because she's not into cracking on her pals. Hilton's spokesperson, Elliot Mintz, told AP that his client wasn't happy with some of the jokes that had been written for her. "Some satirical references ridiculed some of her peers," he told the wire service. "Paris did not want to say anything that could appear hurtful or embarrassing about people she knows." The awards show, which airs Monday on Fox, will not have a host, according to a network representative. ...

During a pretrial hearing last week, Jennifer Lopez's first husband, Ojani Noa, revealed plans to fight the singer's efforts to thwart his tell-all memoir. AP reports that Noa told the court he regrets agreeing to a preliminary injunction that bars him from "criticizing, denigrating, casting in a negative light or otherwise disparaging or causing disparagement" to his ex. "I want to fight this thing to the end," he declared. Lopez filed the suit against Noa in April and successfully obtained a temporary restraining order prohibiting him from publishing details about the couple's most intimate moments. Noa said the book would concentrate on his experiences, and said Lopez "was only a part of my life, but I was going to talk about my other girlfriends as well." Lopez and Noa married in 1997 and divorced 11 months later. ...

Guns N' Roses bassist Tommy Stinson has responded to claims made last week by Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes regarding the band's departure from GN'R's current tour. Hughes had said that Stinson tossed his bass down in disgust during a November 24 gig in Cleveland, when frontman Axl Rose called the Eagles the "Pigeons of Sh-- Metal." Hughes also said Rose then picked up the instrument and hurled it at Stinson. "Eagles of Death Metal were a suggestion of mine a while ago," the GN'R bassist wrote. "Turns out they were the wrong band for our crowd. They were booed and did not play for as long as they were scheduled to. As for all of the inaccuracies that have been said since, I would like to say that's all they are — inaccuracies. In the past, I have thrown my bass. I have never thrown it at Axl or anyone else in the band, nor has anyone thrown my bass back at me ... yet. Axl has been a dear friend to me for nine years. We have no problem communicating and wish that people would stay the f--- out of sh-- they don't know anything about." ...

In related news, organizers of a guns-for-Guns N' Roses ticket exchange program in Oakland, California, said the event was a success, with more than three dozen guns being turned over in exchange for goods worth an average of $100, including tickets to the band's December 15 gig. The handguns and rifles collected during Saturday's event will be transferred to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, to be melted down and converted into manhole covers. ... All-female metal band Kittie have been forced to change the name of their record label to X of Infamy, following the arrival of a cease-and-desist letter issued by attorneys representing Kiss. The Canadian band's label was originally dubbed Kiss of Infamy, which, according to Kiss' lawyers, is "confusingly similar" to their client's moniker. Kittie will release their new LP, Funeral for Yesterday, February 20. ...

If you had told somebody 40 years ago that a copy of The Velvet Underground & Nico would have ever fetched $110,000 ... well, let's just say you never would have. But that's what a rare vinyl item by the band is going for on eBay — dwarfing ever so slightly the 75 cents it was purchased for at a New York street sale in 2002. The acetate is being considered the only surviving copy of the first "finished" version of the debut album Andy Warhol brought to Columbia Records. The auction ends Friday. ... Devendra Banhart popped up at Los Angeles' El Rey Theatre late last week to join his bandmate Noah Georgeson onstage. Georgeson opened for Joanna Newsom and performed in support of his own Find Shelter. ...

Despite plenty of bloggerati rumors to the contrary, Los Angeles duo Giant Drag haven't broken up — but things are going to be a whole lot different from now on. According to a spokesperson for Interscope Records, drummer/synth player Micah Calabrese has left the band, but guitarist Annie Hardy will soldier on as "the writer and face of Giant Drag." The band's most recent album was 2005's critically lauded Hearts and Unicorns. ... A West Virginia concert promoter has filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Slipknot, claiming the Iowa metal act bailed on a 2001 concert he organized. The suit claims Slipknot was scheduled to perform November 27, 2001, at the Huntington Civic Center, but canceled the appearance when a family member of one of the rockers fell ill. The complaint — which names all nine members of Slipknot as defendants — alleges that the band was aware that promoter Don Maynard "expended a significant amount of time, energy and money promoting the show based on the contract and that he would suffer damages as a result of the defendants breaching the concert contract." Maynard is seeking $72,000 in damages.

12.01.2006

Lindsay Lohan, who has caught a lot of flak for her alleged partying ways, has been going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings of her own volition, her publicist told The Associated Press Friday (December 1). "She started attending some, and I think it's a positive thing," Leslie Sloane told AP. "My biggest fear is who's the big idiot to out which [chapter] she goes to. It's no place to go and feel safe. No one judges her, and it's going to be a slow process. But, to me, the fact that she's seeing that there's something not right makes her smarter than the next person." ...

"American Idol" runner-up Katharine McPhee will appear at the 118th Tournament of Roses Parade, airing January 1 at 11 a.m. ET on NBC. George Lucas is the Pasadena, California, event's grand marshal. ... Jay-Z is a very interesting man — just ask Barbara Walters. The rapper joins actor Patrick Dempsey, retired tennis pro Andre Agassi and Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour among those profiled by the reporter in her interview special, "Barbara Walters Presents the 10 Most Fascinating People of 2006." It will air December 12 on ABC. ...

Three 6 Mafia have settled a lawsuit filed by a Pittsburgh teenager who claimed he was severely beaten during an August 2003 concert by the group. In the suit, Ramone Williams said he suffered a fractured jaw after he was thrown to the floor, hit with a chair and kicked in the face while Three 6 performed their song "Let's Start a Riot." The settlement was reached last month, and details were not released. ... Fall Out Boy are calling on their fans to help design the cover for the iTunes pre-order version of their upcoming Infinity on High album. Amateur artists can submit their potential covers through the band's site, FallOutBoyRock.com, and FOB will choose their favorite. Submissions are being taken until December 31, and the winner will be revealed when the album becomes available for pre-order on iTunes on January 16. ...

Nirvana's MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video — for "Heart Shaped Box" in 1994 — will be up for bid beginning Tuesday on ItsOnlyRockNRoll.com. The Moonman is expected to fetch $5,000. A signed Beatles album from the collection of George Harrison's sister; Bob Dylan recordings from 1961; and a hat belonging to Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger will also go up on the block. The auction ends December 16. ... With the Eagles of Death Metal out, Guns N' Roses have called on Helmet to open for them for the remainder of the Axl Rose-fronted band's current tour, which rolls into Ames, Iowa, on Friday. The trek runs through December 20 in Universal City, California; Sebastian Bach and the Suicide Girls are also on the bill. ... Beyoncé will be up and at 'em early on Monday, performing at New York's Rockefeller Plaza as part of NBC's live "Today" broadcast. Her performance is scheduled to air between 8 and 9 a.m. ET. ...

Joining the Killers and others, the Arcade Fire are becoming the latest band to give music for Bono's [RED] charity campaign. The anti-corporate indie-rock group is donating "Rebellion (Lies)" for a (Product) [RED] ad campaign that is tied to companies like Motorola, Converse and the Gap. "To some people this seems crass and capitalistic," frontman Win Butler wrote in a post on the band's site, "and I sympathize with that position, but in the first week of the campaign, they have raised enough money for 10,000 women to have antiretroviral drugs for a year ... money and medication which wouldn't have been there without a program like this." Bono's [RED] campaign aims to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa through the sale of branded merchandise. ... Kevin Lyman's Taste of Chaos Tour — which some like to call "The Winter Warped Tour" — will hit the road for a total of 39 dates this winter, it was recently announced. The trek — which starts February 15 in Seattle and wraps April 8 in Vancouver, British Columbia — will feature 30 Seconds To Mars, the Used and more. For the full list of dates, check out TasteOfChaos.com ...

Want to hang out with Metallica? Now you've got a shot. To celebrate Tuesday's release of their DVD "The Videos 1989-2004," Metallica are giving fans a chance to win a two-night stay (including hotel and travel expenses) in San Francisco, where a lucky fan will meet the band and tour their headquarters. Ten others will win a copy of the DVD. The contest ends December 31. Visit Metallica.com for additional details. ... An auction featuring the paintings and personal effects of late Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett raised more than $230,000 for children's educational programs. Items under the gavel at the U.K. auction included 10 paintings by the reclusive musician, a pair of his bicycles, a leather armchair and his artificial Christmas tree. Barrett, who all but disappeared from public life after parting ways with Pink Floyd in 1968, died in July at his home in Cambridge, England, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. ...

Starsailor lead singer James Walsh is doing a week of solo acoustic shows beginning Thursday in Seattle. The trek will also hit San Francisco; Los Angeles; Portland, Oregon; and Austin, Texas. ... Brian McKnight's 10th album, aptly titled 10, is due Tuesday and will feature collaborations with Jill Scott and country group Rascal Flatts. "We're friends, so we got together to see what we'd come up with and we came up with a pretty good tune," he said of the latter act. ...

Celebrity photo agency X17 filed a copyright-infringement suit against Mario Lavandeira — better known as Perez Hilton — in federal court Thursday, accusing the blogger of using images owned by X17 without permission. A statement issued by the photo agency claims that the success of PerezHilton.com is "due in large part to the quality and quantity of celebrity images he posts on the site, many of which are owned by X17." Lavandeira, who has not commented on the claims, told gossip site TMZ.com that he has not been served with the suit. "My lawyers and I will address the situation when we have the opportunity to review the materials." A group of seven additional photo agencies — including Splash News and World Entertainment News Network — sent the blogger a cease-and-desist notice earlier this week, urging him to stop posting photos without permission and to pay a licensing fee for prior use to avoid further legal action.

• Snoop Dogg
• Jessica Simpson
• Madonna
• Lance Bass
• Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton on the cover of the December issue of <i>Seventeen</i>
Photo: Seventeen

Paris Hilton did double duty for Seventeen's December issue, on newsstands November 7. Not only does the heiress appear on the cover of the magazine, she also posed for a drinking-and-driving PSA inside, as contrition for her September DUI incident. Click here to see Hilton's PSA in Seventeen. "It only takes one," the heiress says in the PSA. "All it takes is one drink to mess with the way you drive — it clouds your judgment and slows your reflexes. Don't take any chances. It just isn't worth it." Meanwhile, Hilton downplayed her sexpot image in the cover story, saying she gets in fights with guys who think she isn't sexual enough in private. "I'm like, 'Whatever, shut up. I don't wanna be.' I'd rather watch a movie or 'Lost' or, like, eat." Being a sex symbol is just for her public image, she insisted, "this alter-ego thing." "I like to play with people, and they expect it or go along with it. With my real friends, you know, I talk normal. But with some people I don't know, I just do it because I don't want to give them my real self and I really don't trust them." ...

Wearing a tiara and calling herself "the queen of rock," Courtney Love joined the queens of daytime talk on "The View" on Tuesday (October 31). Each co-host was dressed as a famous monarch (Rosie O'Donnell as Queen Victoria, Joy Behar as Queen Elizabeth, etc.). Love joked that she didn't dress up much for the holiday as a kid, deadpanning, "We didn't have Halloween in the orphanage." She further alluded to her rough childhood by contrasting how kids with famous mothers grow up — such as her own daughter, Frances Bean — with her own upbringing, "the part where I didn't have a mom." Love said now that Frances is 14, she goes on Web sites like Defamer.com and reads the comments about herself, which the singer called "such a nightmare." "You can't take it seriously," she said, "but that's what's added to her life." Not to be undeterred from her fame quest, Love name-checked Demi Moore, Orlando Bloom, Tina Turner, Paris Hilton and Whitney Houston during her brief stint on the show, claiming Houston had sought her advice on sobriety now that Love's been off drugs for "a year and three months." "There was a moment where we were in my bedroom, and I thought it should be a 'SNL' skit," Love said of the encounter. ...

Michael Jackson has recruited Will.I.Am to produce tracks for his next album. "I think he's doing wonderful, innovative, positive, great music," Jackson told "Access Hollywood" in an Ireland studio. "I like what he is doing and thought it would be interesting to collaborate or just see how the chemistry worked." ... Gnarls Barkley are re-releasing St. Elsewhere on November 7 as a CD/DVD package featuring four videos, including the never-before-seen "Go Go Gadget Gospel." A 92-page booklet and an alternative version of "Crazy" from "Top of the Pops" will also be included. ...

Director Mark Pellington will comb through more than 700 hours of footage shot during the South American leg of U2's Vertigo Tour in February and March to put together a 3-D concert film slated for release next year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The untitled movie, slated for a summer or fall release, may coincide with a live 3-D performance that will be projected into theaters around the country. ... AFI, My Chemical Romance and Taking Back Sunday will headline San Diego radio station 91X's Nightmare Before Xmas show at the iPay One Center at the San Diego Sports Arena on December 10. Tickets for the show go on sale Saturday. ... First YouTube, now MySpace. The leading social-networking site has announced that it will begin using a music content filtering system to search for and remove unauthorized copyrighted music posted on MySpace members' pages, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The software will identify copyrighted music and prevent users from uploading it, deleting the accounts of those who repeatedly try to upload unauthorized tracks. ...

There's more drama in the From First to Last/ Atreyu saga. Last week, From First to Last were booted off the World Champions tour — which also features Every Time I Die and Chiodos and runs through November 19 in Las Vegas — after announcing that frontman Sonny Moore had been advised to rest his recovering vocal cords, forcing the band to call on Chiodos' Craig Owens to fill in behind the mic. From First to Last were later "forced to leave," according to a statement posted on the band's MySpace page. This week, Atreyu — the trek's headliners — fired back with a response of their own. "We are adults and do not feel the need to drag anyone's name through the mud," Atreyu's statement reads. "We wish Sonny a speedy recovery and hope his voice is not permanently damaged. As for those of you who think you know 'the story' because 'so and so told you about it,' you don't know sh-- and need to get over it. They couldn't perform as From First to Last and are no longer on this tour. End of story." ... New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Monday that "Chicken Noodle Soup" duo DJ Webstar and Young B were not involved in the Saturday morning shooting outside a Harlem party that left a 13-year-old girl seriously wounded, New York's Daily News reports. Witnesses placed the teen rappers at the youth Halloween celebration, though representatives for the duo said they didn't attend the event. Mozena Jones, who was shot in the chest, was upgraded to stable condition following a series of operations and remains hospitalized. ...

Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Kiss will be decked out in the band's full costume and classic makeup as the grand marshals of the 33rd annual New York's Village Halloween Parade, which begins Tuesday at 7 p.m. on 6th Avenue and Spring Street. ... After spending much of 2006 on the road, Nickelback will head out on tour one last time to promote their 2005 disc All the Right Reasons. The band will bring Three Days Grace and Breaking Benjamin along for the trek, which kicks off February 20 in Tacoma, Washington, and will hit 16 more cities across the U.S. before wrapping up March 19 in Orlando, Florida. ... Yusuf Islam, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, has joined John Legend, Rihanna and Lionel Richie on the lineup of performers for the Nobel Peace Prize concert, set for December 11 in Oslo, Norway. ...

Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger has been ordered to rest his voice, forcing the band to postpone a show for the second time in three days. According to Reuters, the band's appearance at the Beacon Theater in New York scheduled for Tuesday night has been delayed a day on the advice of the 63-year-old singer's doctor. The group played the Beacon on Sunday night as part of former President Bill Clinton's 60th birthday party, a show that was filmed by director Martin Scorsese for an upcoming DVD. The Stones postponed their Friday night gig in Atlantic City, New Jersey, just hours before showtime due to Jagger's vocal concerns. ... Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, 66, has announced that he's been diagnosed with prostate cancer and that he's going in for surgery to treat the disease in December. In a statement on his Web site, Lesh — who had a liver transplant eight years ago — said he expects to have a rapid and complete recovery and urged all men to have regular tests to look for signs of the disease. "You may save your own life," he said.

10.30.2006

Christina Aguilera will perform at Motorola's annual Moto party in Hollywood on Thursday. Past performers have included Missy Elliott, Pink and LL Cool J. ...

Jennifer Lopez will be the honoree Monday night (October 30) at the Accessories Council Excellence Awards, the fashion-accessory world's answer to the Academy Awards. At Cipriani Le Specialità in Manhattan, New York, the singer/actress will be honored, along with Michael Kors, Tom Ford and über-Hollywood celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe, responsible for dressing starlets like Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie and Mischa Barton. ...

Raise your eggnog glasses: The lineup for Z100's Jingle Ball 2006 has been announced, and it's chock-full of pop-star goo. Nick Lachey, the Killers, Rihanna, Evanescence, Pussycat Dolls, JoJo, the Fray and Nelly Furtado will perform December 15 at New York's Madison Square Garden, and tickets will be sold exclusively to ZVIP members at z100.com. ...

The New York Giants love Jim Jones. He was the guest at Sunday's game between the G-Men and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Giants defensive end Michael Strahan sent him four tickets and Jones sat in a VIP skybox as guest of Antonio Pierce and Jessie Armstead. After the game, Jones headed down to the locker room, where he chilled with Strahan and other players, including Tiki Barber and Plaxico Burress. ... Reese Witherspoon is no longer walking the marriage line with her husband of seven years, "Flags of Our Fathers" star Ryan Phillippe, reps for both actors have confirmed. Nothing seemed to be wrong two weeks ago, when the "Legally Blonde" star, 30, attended the New York premiere for the Clint Eastwood-directed "Flags" with her husband. The Hollywood couple, who married shortly after starring in the 1999 movie "Cruel Intentions" together, have two children, Ava and Deacon. ...

My Chemical Romance will play a special Halloween set at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California, on Tuesday night. Fans can win entry to the show through local radio station KROQ-FM, or they can line up outside of House of Blues Sunset Strip on the day of the concert to purchase tickets. The gig will be broadcast live on AOL. ... Marilyn Manson will open his own art gallery Tuesday in Los Angeles. The gallery, called the Celebritarian Corporation Gallery of Fine Art, will kick things off with an exhibition of Manson's own paintings. ... During a recent string of radio interviews promoting her autobiography "Extreme," Sharon Osbourne revealed that husband Ozzy Osbourne will be headlining the second stage during 2007's Ozzfest. Sharon also said she's trying to get Alice in Chains to join the bill. ... Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell suffered minor injuries in an accident last week in Los Angeles, his publicist said. The singer was thrown from his motorcycle on Tuesday when a truck slammed into the bike. Cornell suffered only cuts and bruises in the collision, but his $50,000 motorcycle was totaled. The accident didn't throw off Cornell's recording schedule — just hours later, he was back in the studio working on his forthcoming solo album. ...

AFI's inaugural DVD will be in stores December 12. The yet-untitled effort was recorded at the Long Beach Arena in California last month, and it'll include live footage from the band's 2006 tour in support of Decemberunderground. ... In one of his first public appearances since being acquitted of child-molestation charges in June 2005, Michael Jackson will be on hand at the World Music Awards in London on November 15 to receive a Diamond Award, given to artists who sell more than 100 million albums, The Associated Press reports. ... The sixth annual Music Has Power Awards benefit has been scheduled for November 6 at the Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York. Actor Dustin Hoffman will present the award to this year's honoree, Dr. Oliver Sacks, the author of "Awakenings" who was portrayed by Robin Williams in the big-screen adaptation of the like-named book. Rockers Rob Thomas and Patty Griffin will perform at the event, along with several classical musicians. The award was established "to celebrate and recognize the significant accomplishments of the men and women who have brought new understanding to the use of the power of music to awaken and heal." ...

A 13-year-old girl leaving a Halloween party in New York on Friday night that reportedly featured an appearance by DJ Webstar and Young B of "Chicken Noodle Soup" dance fame was shot and critically wounded in a drive-by shooting, according to The New York Times. Mozena Jones was standing outside a Harlem community center when shots were fired from a dark SUV that drove past after midnight. The shooting occurred just after a fight in front of the community center, and a witness told the paper that the rappers (born Troy Ryan and Bianca Dupree) were heard teasing some of the partygoers as they were leaving. A manager for the duo told the Times that the pair were not at the party, but several New York papers reported partygoers confirming their presence and police saying they were looking to interview the pair as possible witnesses. ... An Indianapolis man was stopped by police over the weekend as he was making his way to Godsmack's concert in Evansville, Indiana. John Leer, 24, was spotted driving 110 mph in his 1992 Honda. Leer, who was passing other vehicles as he raced down the highway and ignored officers' attempts to stop him, was arrested for resisting law enforcement and recklessness, and was cited for speeding and driving with an open container of alcohol in his vehicle. Police later discovered Leer was speeding because "he was running late [for the show] and didn't realize Evansville was that far away from Indianapolis." ...

Let the purging begin. Less than a month after it was purchased by Google for $1.65 billion in stock, YouTube has started stripping some copyrighted material from its site. According to The New York Times, clips from several Comedy Central shows — including "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," "The Colbert Report" and "South Park" — began disappearing from the site last week as a result of "third-party notification by Comedy Central," according to some users who got the notices. Last week, almost 30,000 clips of TV shows, movies and music videos were taken down after a Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers cited copyright infringement. ... The trust of Dean Martin has struck up a multiplatform partnership with EMI that puts the legendary crooner in league with Korn and Robbie Williams, with the label marketing all things related to the musician's career. The label's deal with the late singer's trust will extend to Dino's likeness, image and name — not just his catalog of albums. Martin's music has recently been featured in ads for a car company, beer and a hotel chain, and has also been featured in the series "The Sopranos."

• Paris Hilton's Drunk-Driving PSA In "Seventeen" Magazine

• Paris Hilton
• U2
• My Chemical Romance
• AFI
• Kiss

Kiss' Gene Simmons
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

An estimated 200 Kiss fans, sporting black T-shirts and painted faces, gathered outside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on Saturday, insisting that the flamboyantly costumed arena rockers be inducted into the hall.

The Kiss devoted — who traveled from as far away as California, The Associated Press reports — assembled bearing signs reading, "Thou Shalt Not Delay the Induction of Kiss," waving Kiss flags and chanting, "We want Kiss." A spokesperson for the museum told the wire service that Saturday's rally marked the first demonstration by fans demanding an artist's induction.

Participants in the half-hour protest said they were upset that Kiss — which formed more than three decades ago — had been consistently snubbed despite that fact the they've been eligible for nearly 10 years, a situation that also plagued both Black Sabbath and the Sex Pistols until this year (see "So How Do You Get Into The Rock Hall Of Fame?"). Performers become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first album.

"Criteria include the influence and significance of the artist's contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll," according to the guidelines on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Web site. The New York-based Hall of Fame Foundation will congregate next month to nominate potential inductees.

Saturday's demonstration followed years of e-mails, letters and petitions by fans asking the foundation to give Kiss its due. The rally's organizers started planning the protest last year.

"We love it," Hall spokesperson Todd Mesek told Cleveland's The Plain Dealer newspaper. "It shows they're involved and they care. These fans are passionate enough to come to the Mecca and to stand up for their band."

Last year, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted artists including Black Sabbath, the Sex Pistols, Blondie, Miles Davis and Lynyrd Skynyrd in a ceremony which took place March 13 in New York (see "Black Sabbath Finally Make Rock Hall Of Fame — Whether Ozzy Likes It Or Not").

• Kiss

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• Slayer
• Iron Maiden
• Black Sabbath
• Kiss
• Pantera

Artists Who've Never Been #1: Ozzy, Kiss, The Cure, More

• David Bowie
• Lemmy Kilmister
• The Smiths
• Morrissey
• The Who

Routh, Bosworth, Shaq, Longoria And More Soar In For The "Superman Returns" Premiere

• *NSYNC
• Kiss
• Shaquille O'Neal

TRL Guestbook

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

Kiss And Aerosmith Live, 08.04.2003

• Kiss
• Aerosmith