Metallica perform at South by Southwest
Photo: MTV News

AUSTIN, Texas — These Volsung dudes could be huge some day. They sound exactly like Metallica.

Sorry, that was a bit of a South by Southwest in-joke. See, in the weeks leading up to SXSW 2009, the folks behind the fest tried to pull a fast one on fans, listing Volsung, a metal band from "Somewhere, Norway," in the 10 p.m. slot of the "Guitar Hero: Metallica" launch party.

It didn't take long for the speculation to start. It seemed most people believed that Volsung were, in fact, actually Metallica, and as SXSW drew closer, the rumors of a full-blown performance began to swirl. The whispers grew into a roar when the "Guitar Hero" folks released a poster touting an appearance by "members of Metallica."

And it all came to a head Friday night at Stubb's, before a capacity crowd inside and an even bigger throng outside, mostly packed into a nearby parking garage, craning their necks to get a glimpse of the action. Then, just before 10 p.m., after opening sets by the Silversun Pickups and some dudes playing "Rock Band," the lights dimmed, the house speakers began to vibrate with the strains of an epic, Ennio Morricone instrumental, and lo and behold — Metallica appeared, live and in the flesh.

They didn't waste a second either, launching headlong into a scorching version of "Creeping Death" from 1984's Ride the Lightning, then power-shifting into a down and dirty take on "For Whom the Bell Tolls." Of course, pretty much everyone expected all of this to happen (at one point, frontman James Hetfield jokingly welcomed the audience to "the worst-kept secret in rock and roll"), but it didn't matter in the least: Fans inside — and out — went berserk, tossing devil horns, pumping fists and singing along to every word.

Feeding off that energy — and perhaps getting a kick out of playing what, for them, was basically a small club gig — Metallica never took the foot off the accelerator. For the next 90 minutes, they riffed hard and fast through classics like "Harvester of Sorrow," "Sad but True," "One" and (of course) "Master of Puppets." They implored the audience to "give us your best" (truly, no massively successful band pleads with the audience as much as Metallica do) and appeared to have an absolute blast, even when they were battling problems with the house equipment.

It was those rather imperfect moments — the odd dead mic, a detuned guitar or two — that gave the Stubb's gig a sort of underdog charm, no small feat when a band of Metallica's caliber is involved. And seemingly, even the band sensed it. Lars Ulrich traded banter with fans between songs, Robert Trujillo asked for a good place to grab some BBQ, and even the normally serious Kirk Hammett managed to crack a smile or two. But no one got it more than Hetfield, which probably explains why, before launching into "Harvester," he paused, cracked a smile and got into full Volsung character, telling the crowd, "Vee are a young, struggling bandt from Norvay, and vee vant to get signed."

James Hetfield doing impressions. You don't get that at your average Metallica gig.

It wasn't your average Metallica gig up the street at Club de Ville, either, though it certainly was just as packed. Rather, it was a grab-bag assortment of cutting-edge (read: Day-Glo Ray-Bans and DJs with MacBooks) hip-hop, featuring plenty of bleep-boop, and sets from pint-sized British MC Lady Sovereign, sassy Chi-Town rapper Kid Sister and — most notably — dunderheaded party master Asher Roth.

Currently riding high — pun intended — on the strength of his ode to intoxication "I Love College," Roth was the de facto headliner of the night (despite the fact that Kid Sister actually was), though it's entirely possible he was not aware of this. Flanked by a hypeman and backed by a nerdy DJ and a live drummer, he delivered a laconic, stoned-to-the-bone set, heavy on the weed humor ("Blunt Cruising") and crude double entendres ("Lark on My Go-Kart"), but it got the crowd jumping nonetheless.

While he might look like he just stumbled out of bed, Roth is no slacker. His rhymes are deft, funny and tight (even if he does sound an awful lot like Eminem), and he's got a wicked sense of humor too — as evidenced during a mid-set skit in which he flicked through a fictional mix CD and smoked an imaginary joint (which he passed to the audience).

Of course, he closed with "College," a subtly brilliant anthem that could make him a very big star (or at least earn him a lifetime of dorm-room gigs). He and his crew broke into a well-sequenced two-step shuffle, with huge, slightly stupid grins plastered across their faces. And though his jokey style and organic music might have stuck out like a pair of sore thumbs on this electro-heavy night, there's no denying that Roth was the biggest star on the entire bill. By a mile. Whether or not he chooses to seize the opportunities available to him remains to be seen.

But that's better left for another time ... after all, this was Friday night at SXSW. Metallica cracked jokes. Asher Roth was let loose in one of the biggest college towns in the U.S. Welcome to the weekend.

MTV News is Live & Mobile at the South by Southwest festival this week, with blogs, articles plus live and on-demand video of all the bands, gigs and BBQ!

• South By Southwest 2009: Looking Back

• Don't Mess With Texas: SXSW 2009

• Metallica
• Asher Roth
• Lady Sovereign
• Silversun Pickups
• Kid Sister

Simon Cowell (file)
Photo: Getty Images/ Michael Buckner

Melinda Doolittle should have won "American Idol" — and Britney Spears needs to ditch her "stupid friends" if she wants to save her career, Simon Cowell told "Good Morning America" on Thursday (May 24). The "Idol" judge summed up Wednesday night's results ("the singer won over the entertainer"), called Jordin Sparks the season's "most improved" contestant and said Melinda "tried the hardest, was consistently the best, and had the best voice." And as for Britney, Simon says he could have put her on the right path back in 2006. "My advice to her six months ago was to go home to your family, lock the door, don't go out with your stupid friends, have some home-cooked food. Get a sense of reality. ... And then say to yourself, 'There's more good in my life than bad. I'm still a rich, talented girl and now I want to get my career back on track.' End of story." ...

Jordin Sparks is no doubt celebrating her "American Idol" victory, but the show's organizers might not be so happy with the finale results. Reuters reports that 7 million fewer people tuned into the last episode of the show compared with last year. ... Paul McCartney is fed up with hearing rumors that he backed out of appearing on the Wednesday night show, which his ex Heather Mills attended. In a statement released to TMZ.com, a representative for McCartney said the former Beatle was never scheduled to appear on the show in the first place. ...

Write on: Amy Winehouse, Madonna and the Arctic Monkeys scooped up Ivor Novello songwriting awards on Thursday. Winehouse won Best Contemporary Song honors for "Rehab." ... Talk about scary: Marilyn Manson has recorded an acoustic cover of Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around ..." on the BBC, according to Stereogum.com. ... The karmic returns keep coming in for Bono. The U2 singer will be hailed with this year's Liberty Medal for helping to bring attention to Africa's medical and economic problems, The Associated Press reports. He and his Debts, AIDS, Trade, Africa organization will accept the award September 27, with a $100,000 donation going to DATA. ...

Get ready to strap on your axes: The songs that will be featured in "Guitar Hero III" have been revealed, according to GameSpot.com. The game will include a handful of original recordings, including Weezer's "My Name Is Jonas," Smashing Pumpkins' "Cherub Rock," Beastie Boys' "Sabotage," Tenacious D's "The Metal," Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black," Living Colour's "Cult of Personality" and Muse's "Knights of Cydonia." Covers of songs by Heart, Kiss, Alice Cooper and others will also appear in the game, which is due later this year. ...

Scott Stapp has issued a public apology following his domestic violence arrest over the weekend. "I am truly sorry and seek forgiveness from my wife, as she has done the same seeking forgiveness from me," the former Creed frontman said. "We both know we were wrong in how we handled the argument and in some of the allegations that were made. Now we are trying to move forward as a family." Stapp said in the statement that some things said to police in the heat of the moment weren't true. "As in most cases like this, the next day everyone is sorry and wishes they didn't get the police involved and said what they did about their partner. ... We would also like to apologize to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Department for calling them to our home and taking them away from the very serious and dangerous job of protecting our community." ...

Lady Sovereign offered an apology of her own to fans who waited until 3:30 a.m for her to take the stage at a show in Brooklyn, New York, last week — only to have the rapper walk off two songs later. "I know how stupid I must have looked on Friday," Sov said in a statement. "I was tired and not in the mood, having a bad day." How bad? According to her rep, the rapper's tour bus broke down on her way to New York from New Jersey's PNC Bank Arts Center, where she opened for Gwen Stefani, making her late for the four-song set she had scheduled at Brooklyn's Studio B. "But that's no excuse for letting fans down," the statement continued. "I"m sorry to those that were at Studio B to see me." ...

Aly & AJ have wrapped up their new LP Insomniac, which is due July 10. The video for the first single, "Potential Breakup Song," was shot by Chris Applebaum (Britney Spears, Hilary Duff). Also keep an eye out for boxes of Honeycomb cereal, which the girls will also be appearing on. ... Snoop Dogg and Chris Cornell have been added to the lineup of the Live Earth concerts set for July 7. Both will take the stage in Germany for Live Earth Hamburg, one of nine worldwide events to raise awareness of climate change. ...

AirWair Ltd., the company behind Dr. Martens footwear, has fired its advertising agency in the wake of controversy surrounding a British ad campaign that includes a photo of Kurt Cobain. In a press release obtained by TheDailySwarm.com, AirWair Ltd. CEO David Suddens said the poster campaign crafted by Saatchi & Saatchi wasn't supposed to go public. "Dr. Martens did not commission the work as it runs counter to our current marketing activities," Suddens said in a statement. Saatchi & Saatchi, in the meantime, is standing by the ad campaign. A representative for Courtney Love previously told People magazine she didn't give permission for Dr. Martens to use a photo of her late husband in the campaign. "She thinks it's outrageous that a company is allowed to commercially gain from such a despicable use of her husband's picture," her spokesperson said. "It does appear that in the U.K. what Dr. Martens has done is allowed. Courtney did not, and would not, approve of such a use of Kurt's name and likeness." ...

Jack Bruce, bassist for Cream, told AP Thursday that the iconic blues-rock power trio will get back together for a series of shows later this year, even though he recently told British newspaper The Scotsman that there was no way the group would re-form. His former bandmates Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker have not confirmed the reunion. ... Liars are saying goodbye to their conceptual material with a more accessible self-titled LP due August 28. The traditionally structured songs include such paradoxical titles as "The Dumb in the Rain," "Clear Island" and "Leather Prowler." ... Dave Navarro said his band, the Panic Channel, plan on recording and releasing their next album without the help of a record label; the band recently parted ways with Capitol Records. In a post on his 6767.com blog, the former Jane's Addiction guitarist said he's eager to break free from record company "slavery." "Our plan is to write, record, mix and make the music available online, DIY-style," he wrote. There's no word yet on when the album might surface.

05.23.2007

A Philadelphia author has filed a lawsuit against Jay-Z, Damon Dash and Lionsgate Films, claiming his book, "The Family: A Philadelphia Mob Story," was used without rights as the inspiration for the 2002 Roc-A-Fella film "State Property" starring Beanie Sigel. In the suit, filed May 8 in Manhattan, New York, Antonne Jones claims he pitched Jay-Z and Dash his script years earlier but didn't hear back from them after later rejecting a $50,000 offer for the rights to the plot. Representatives for Jay-Z and Dash did not respond to inquiries made by MTV News as of press time. ...

Jay-Z may be in even more hot water, as a former waitress at his 40/40 sports bar in New York filed a lawsuit against the mogul and his business partners, according to TMZ.com. Celeste Williams claims she was paid below minimum wage and shares of her tips and overtime pay were withheld. A spokesperson for the bar told TMZ that Williams was only employed at the establishment for four days and was paid accordingly. In the compliant, Williams' lawyers allege that more than 100 other employees will also join the lawsuit. ...

Lindsay Lohan says it's a little strange being #1 on Maxim's "Hot 100." "It's really flattering," she told MTV News last week, "but it does get kind of awkward." Lohan also revealed that she plans to begin work on a new album soon. "We'll start in probably June or July and take four months," she explained. Lohan said she's collaborating with Maverick Records CEO Guy Oseary on the disc, which will have an "urban pop" sound. ...

Want to read the first pages of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" right at midnight on its release date ... in London ... with J.K. Rowling? Seven U.S. fans of the Potter series will win a trip to the midnight launch event at London's Natural History Museum on July 21, when they can meet the author, have their book signed and take part in a special Rowling reading. To enter the contest, visit Scholastic.com. ... In other literary news, Borat has become an author too — Sacha Baron Cohen's fictional Kazakh "journalist" is penning two books: "Borat: Touristic Guidings to Minor Nation of U.S. and A." and "Borat: Touristic Guidings to Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," AP reports. They're due in the fall. ...

The White Stripes' Icky Thump tour has just gotten a little ickier. The band, which will be on the road in the U.S. for much of July, will kick off another leg of the trek with September 4-5 shows at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom. The 15-date tour will also hit cities including Fargo, North Dakota (September 7); Salt Lake City (September 12); Berkeley, California (September 21); and Anchorage, Alaska (September 24), as well as two performances at the Austin City Limits Festival (September 15-16). The tour wraps up with September 26-27 shows in Seattle. ... Rihanna debuted "Shut Up and Drive," the second single from her forthcoming album Good Girl Gone Bad on her Web site Tuesday. The LP, which also includes the single "Umbrella" (featuring Jay-Z), is due June 5. ...

But where are the Canucks? Justin Timberlake, Hilary Duff, My Chemical Romance, Gwen Stefani, Akon, Fergie and Fall Out Boy will compete for MuchMusic Video Awards, it was announced Wednesday (May 23). Nickelback and K-os, who landed five and four nods respectively, will represent the music channel's Canada homeland; Red Hot Chili Peppers, Evanescence, Killers, AFI, Feist and Nelly Furtado are also up for awards. The ceremony will be held June 17 in Toronto. ... Miri Ben-Ari was involved in a car accident Wednesday afternoon in Jersey City, New Jersey, her manager told MTV News. According to her manager, the hip-hop violinist was stopped at a red light in her Mercedes-Benz when a UPS truck rammed her from behind. Ben-Ari, who has worked with everyone from Kanye West to Twista to Scarface, hit her head on the steering wheel and was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was treated and released soon thereafter. Although her injuries are said not to be serious, she will be laid up at home for a couple of days, following doctor's orders to rest. ...

Sanjaya Malakar is already getting his acting career started. In a crudely edited one-minute online short released this week, the hair-raising "American Idol" sensation stars as a 25-year-old student at the Rhode Island School of Design named Bill Vendall, who claims to have invented Sanjaya as an "elaborate art project" that was part of his thesis program. "To the fans of Sanjaya, maybe you are actually fans of Bill Vendall, the artist. ... I am art. I am sure many of you subconsciously knew what I was doing," a snooty, black-clad, white-shades-wearing Vendall/Malakar says in the clip. Over a lazy blues instrumental and blurry camera close-ups, the "artist" points to a montage of Sanjaya "Idol" highlights and mockingly says, "How could you look at this, this, this and not see it as a symbol for the self-referencing nature of progressive evolution?" ...

Phil Spector wasn't the only one in the hot seat in the music producer's murder trial on Wednesday, according to AP. Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler said Dr. Henry Lee removed an object from the scene where actress Lana Clarkson was killed and that he must "produce it forthwith." Attorney Sara Caplan testified that she saw the renowned forensic expert place a white object into a vial during the defense's search of Spector's mansion, and the prosecution claims it was a piece of Clarkson's fingernail. Prosecutors also contend that the fingernail has a trace of the passing bullet and will show that the actress resisted having a gun placed in her mouth. Lee has denied taking the object from the crime scene and, despite Fidler's request, will not be held in contempt because of conflicting accounts regarding the object. The judge said jurors will have to determine for themselves whether Lee is a credible witness. "Dr. Lee has a lot to lose here," Fidler said in a hearing, although the jury was not present. ...

More details have emerged about the alleged domestic dispute at the Florida home of former Creed frontman Scott Stapp over the weekend. In a 911 transcript released Tuesday, Stapp's wife, former Miss New York Jaclyn Nesheiwat, called authorities on Sunday pleading with them to come to the couple's home. She told a dispatcher, "He just threw a glass bottle at me. ... He just came home, he's wasted ... he's been out partying all night," according to AP. Nesheiwat told the dispatcher that Stapp — who went to rehab in 2004 — was "on drugs and pot. There's a lot of pot in the house," adding that there were also "a lot" of guns in the home. Before police arrived, Nesheiwat called 911 again to report that Stapp was "hiding all the drugs." Nesheiwat was not injured in the incident, in which Stapp was arrested and initially charged with aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony, although the count was later reduced to a misdemeanor. Stapp was released from custody on Monday and will be subject to random drug and alcohol testing. ...

Brother Ali, Cage, Sage Francis, Mr. Lif and Felt (featuring Murs, Slug and Ant) are opening up their pockets again for another Paid Dues tour. The third installment of the underground-hip-hop trek sets sail July 25 in Chicago and docks August 12 in San Diego. ... Former Queens of the Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri has inked a deal with Suburban Noize for the release of the new album from his current group, Nick Oliveri and the Mondo Generator. The LP, Dead Planet: SonicSlowMotionTrails, lands in stores July 17 — just in time for the band's appearance on this summer's Ozzfest. ... After years of relative silence, Portishead have been tapped to curate and perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties' Nightmare Before Christmas Festival, to be held December 7-9 at Butlins Holiday Camp in Minehead, England. The band will unveil fresh material during the gig, but there are no plans yet for the group to release an LP — which would be its first studio outing since 1997's self-titled effort.

05.23.2007

A Philadelphia author has filed a lawsuit against Jay-Z, Damon Dash and Lionsgate Films, claiming his book, "The Family: A Philadelphia Mob Story," was used without rights as the inspiration for the 2002 Roc-A-Fella film "State Property" starring Beanie Sigel. In the suit, filed May 8 in Manhattan, New York, Antonne Jones claims he pitched Jay-Z and Dash his script years earlier but didn't hear back from them after later rejecting a $50,000 offer for the rights to the plot. Representatives for Jay-Z and Dash did not respond to inquiries made by MTV News as of press time. ...

Jay-Z may be in even more hot water, as a former waitress at his 40/40 sports bar in New York filed a lawsuit against the mogul and his business partners, according to TMZ.com. Celeste Williams claims she was paid below minimum wage and shares of her tips and overtime pay were withheld. A spokesperson for the bar told TMZ that Williams was only employed at the establishment for four days and was paid accordingly. In the compliant, Williams' lawyers allege that more than 100 other employees will also join the lawsuit. ...

Lindsay Lohan says it's a little strange being #1 on Maxim's "Hot 100." "It's really flattering," she told MTV News last week, "but it does get kind of awkward." Lohan also revealed that she plans to begin work on a new album soon. "We'll start in probably June or July and take four months," she explained. Lohan said she's collaborating with Maverick Records CEO Guy Oseary on the disc, which will have an "urban pop" sound. ...

Want to read the first pages of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" right at midnight on its release date ... in London ... with J.K. Rowling? Seven U.S. fans of the Potter series will win a trip to the midnight launch event at London's Natural History Museum on July 21, when they can meet the author, have their book signed and take part in a special Rowling reading. To enter the contest, visit Scholastic.com. ... In other literary news, Borat has become an author too — Sacha Baron Cohen's fictional Kazakh "journalist" is penning two books: "Borat: Touristic Guidings to Minor Nation of U.S. and A." and "Borat: Touristic Guidings to Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," AP reports. They're due in the fall. ...

The White Stripes' Icky Thump tour has just gotten a little ickier. The band, which will be on the road in the U.S. for much of July, will kick off another leg of the trek with September 4-5 shows at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom. The 15-date tour will also hit cities including Fargo, North Dakota (September 7); Salt Lake City (September 12); Berkeley, California (September 21); and Anchorage, Alaska (September 24), as well as two performances at the Austin City Limits Festival (September 15-16). The tour wraps up with September 26-27 shows in Seattle. ... Rihanna debuted "Shut Up and Drive," the second single from her forthcoming album Good Girl Gone Bad on her Web site Tuesday. The LP, which also includes the single "Umbrella" (featuring Jay-Z), is due June 5. ...

But where are the Canucks? Justin Timberlake, Hilary Duff, My Chemical Romance, Gwen Stefani, Akon, Fergie and Fall Out Boy will compete for MuchMusic Video Awards, it was announced Wednesday (May 23). Nickelback and K-os, who landed five and four nods respectively, will represent the music channel's Canada homeland; Red Hot Chili Peppers, Evanescence, Killers, AFI, Feist and Nelly Furtado are also up for awards. The ceremony will be held June 17 in Toronto. ... Miri Ben-Ari was involved in a car accident Wednesday afternoon in Jersey City, New Jersey, her manager told MTV News. According to her manager, the hip-hop violinist was stopped at a red light in her Mercedes-Benz when a UPS truck rammed her from behind. Ben-Ari, who has worked with everyone from Kanye West to Twista to Scarface, hit her head on the steering wheel and was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was treated and released soon thereafter. Although her injuries are said not to be serious, she will be laid up at home for a couple of days, following doctor's orders to rest. ...

Sanjaya Malakar is already getting his acting career started. In a crudely edited one-minute online short released this week, the hair-raising "American Idol" sensation stars as a 25-year-old student at the Rhode Island School of Design named Bill Vendall, who claims to have invented Sanjaya as an "elaborate art project" that was part of his thesis program. "To the fans of Sanjaya, maybe you are actually fans of Bill Vendall, the artist. ... I am art. I am sure many of you subconsciously knew what I was doing," a snooty, black-clad, white-shades-wearing Vendall/Malakar says in the clip. Over a lazy blues instrumental and blurry camera close-ups, the "artist" points to a montage of Sanjaya "Idol" highlights and mockingly says, "How could you look at this, this, this and not see it as a symbol for the self-referencing nature of progressive evolution?" ...

Phil Spector wasn't the only one in the hot seat in the music producer's murder trial on Wednesday, according to AP. Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler said Dr. Henry Lee removed an object from the scene where actress Lana Clarkson was killed and that he must "produce it forthwith." Attorney Sara Caplan testified that she saw the renowned forensic expert place a white object into a vial during the defense's search of Spector's mansion, and the prosecution claims it was a piece of Clarkson's fingernail. Prosecutors also contend that the fingernail has a trace of the passing bullet and will show that the actress resisted having a gun placed in her mouth. Lee has denied taking the object from the crime scene and, despite Fidler's request, will not be held in contempt because of conflicting accounts regarding the object. The judge said jurors will have to determine for themselves whether Lee is a credible witness. "Dr. Lee has a lot to lose here," Fidler said in a hearing, although the jury was not present. ...

More details have emerged about the alleged domestic dispute at the Florida home of former Creed frontman Scott Stapp over the weekend. In a 911 transcript released Tuesday, Stapp's wife, former Miss New York Jaclyn Nesheiwat, called authorities on Sunday pleading with them to come to the couple's home. She told a dispatcher, "He just threw a glass bottle at me. ... He just came home, he's wasted ... he's been out partying all night," according to AP. Nesheiwat told the dispatcher that Stapp — who went to rehab in 2004 — was "on drugs and pot. There's a lot of pot in the house," adding that there were also "a lot" of guns in the home. Before police arrived, Nesheiwat called 911 again to report that Stapp was "hiding all the drugs." Nesheiwat was not injured in the incident, in which Stapp was arrested and initially charged with aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony, although the count was later reduced to a misdemeanor. Stapp was released from custody on Monday and will be subject to random drug and alcohol testing. ...

Brother Ali, Cage, Sage Francis, Mr. Lif and Felt (featuring Murs, Slug and Ant) are opening up their pockets again for another Paid Dues tour. The third installment of the underground-hip-hop trek sets sail July 25 in Chicago and docks August 12 in San Diego. ... Former Queens of the Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri has inked a deal with Suburban Noize for the release of the new album from his current group, Nick Oliveri and the Mondo Generator. The LP, Dead Planet: SonicSlowMotionTrails, lands in stores July 17 — just in time for the band's appearance on this summer's Ozzfest. ... After years of relative silence, Portishead have been tapped to curate and perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties' Nightmare Before Christmas Festival, to be held December 7-9 at Butlins Holiday Camp in Minehead, England. The band will unveil fresh material during the gig, but there are no plans yet for the group to release an LP — which would be its first studio outing since 1997's self-titled effort.

• Live From 'American Idol' Finale Red Carpet
• 'American Idol' Finale: 130 Minutes In Just 60 Seconds

• Melinda Doolittle
• Britney Spears
• Creed
• Scott Stapp
• Lady Sovereign

Rihanna
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images

Rihanna, Ludacris and KT Tunstall have been added to ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2007." All three acts will perform at Nokia Theatre Times Square in New York. In the meantime, Lady Sovereign has hopped onto the roster for "MTV Goes Gold: New Year's Eve 2007," for which she'll join other performers Nas, Gwen Stefani, Ciara and more. The show airs live December 31 at 11 p.m. ET, with a tape delay on the West Coast. And last but not least, Ruben Studdard is playing a free New Year's Eve show in Hawaii. The Honolulu Symphony will join the "American Idol" winner for the event, dubbed Gospel Goes Classic. ...

Kelis hosted Trace magazine's 10-year anniversary bash Wednesday night at Room Service nightclub in Manhattan. The R&B vixen was joined by her husband Nas, "Project Runway" winner Jay McCarroll and current Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera as they all toasted to the cultural mag reaching its diamond mark. Kelis, Snoop Dogg, supermodel Iman and Mya are set to appear in Trace's 10-year anniversary issue. ...

Harry Potter has a home in Georgia after all, The Associated Press reports. On Thursday (December 14), the state's Board of Education upheld a Gwinnett County school board decision denying a mother's request to have the volumes removed from library shelves. "It's mainstreaming witchcraft in a subtle and deceptive manner, in a children-friendly format," said Laura Mallory, the mother in question. She might challenge the board's ruling. ... Trick Daddy is hosting Christmas toy drives in Miami on the next two Saturdays in conjunction with his Trick Luvs Da Kids Foundation. Pitbull will also be in attendance. ...

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt aren't done adopting children, the actress told "Good Morning America" on Thursday, according to AP. "Now the questions are more when you have a mixed-race family, do you balance the races so there's another African person in the house for Z? So there's another Asian person in the house for Mad?" Jolie said, referencing Zahara and Maddox, two of the couple's three children. ... Katt Williams pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of carrying a concealed weapon and was sentenced to three years of probation on Thursday, AP reports. The Los Angeles judge also told him to pay restitution but gave him credit for the three days he spent in jail early last month. ...

Taking Back Sunday have recorded a version of "12 Days of Christmas" for AOL Sessions. A fan-made animated video is also circulating. ... Editors have released an EP of remixed tracks from The Back Room exclusively on iTunes. The U.K. rockers are currently recording their proper follow-up. ... The ultra-rare copy of The Velvet Underground & Nico that was "won" by a hoax bid last week is about to be up for auction on eBay once again. The LP, which was to be sold for $155,000, was expected to be back on the site Thursday afternoon. ...

After months of legal wrangling, a federal judge ruled Wednesday that "Alpha Dog" — a crime thriller starring Justin Timberlake — can be released in theaters January 12 despite objections from murder suspect Jesse James Hollywood, on whom the movie is based. According to The Hollywood Reporter, an attorney for Hollywood said he will file an appeal on the ruling based on his belief that releasing the film will make it impossible for his client to get a fair trial. The film, which also stars Bruce Willis and Sharon Stone, changes the characters' names, but Hollywood's attorney is concerned that the big-screen retelling of his client's alleged kidnapping and murder of California teen Nicholas Markowitz over a $1,200 drug debt could taint a jury pool. ...

According to a post written on Nine Inch Nails' Web site, not only is Trent Reznor hard at work on a new NIN album, but it's "possible" he's finished already. "We begin mixing in January," Reznor wrote on NIN.com. "Juggling fifteen all-new tracks around. Testing sequences. No leftovers from [2005's] With Teeth. Highly conceptual. Quite noisy. F---ing cool." ... Less than a week after an album's worth of demos she recorded as a gift for her pal Dave Sitek were leaked to the Internet, Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O has weighed in on the situation. Her take: "Sh-- happens." Writing on the YYYs' site, O took the high road — as opposed to Sitek, who practically wished karmic castration on those responsible for the leak of the KO at Home album. She said she felt "a little grossed out" by the idea of her song sketches hitting various file-sharing sites but shrugged the whole thing off and even ended her post with some advice for curious fans. "If you happen to get your mits on one of those old demos ... my personal favorites and the only ones I would have released for anyone to enjoy [are] 'Pumpkin' and 'Snakes and Worms,' " she wrote. "The rest I would have pitched or buried." ...

Slash and Chris Robinson were among the guests who popped up onstage with Jet at a Los Angeles club show over the weekend. Former Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones also took part in the show, which ended in an all-star jam of the Faces' "Ooh La La." ... Army of Anyone will headline the 2007 installment of the annual SnoCore Tour, which kicks off in Houston on January 18. Hurt have been tapped to open. Dates are currently scheduled through February 8 in Hartford, Connecticut, with a full run of shows to be announced in the coming weeks. ... Hinder have rolled out a whole host of tour dates for the coming year. Two dozen stops have been scheduled from January 13 in Ketchum, Idaho, through February 23 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Black Stone Cherry and Finger Eleven will open on most of the dates. ...

Yoko Ono alleges that her chauffeur threatened to release private audiotapes and photographs and to kill her and her son, Sean Lennon, if she didn't give him $2 million, The New York Times reports. Koral Karsan, 50, who worked for Ono for 10 years, was arrested at his home in Amityville, New York, on Wednesday and was charged with attempted grand larceny, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison. Following his arrest, Karsan claimed that Ono had fabricated the charges to stop a sexual harassment suit. Police said the charges followed a confrontation with Ono in her apartment on Friday, in which Karsan presented Ono with a list of his complaints along with a photo of her in her pajamas and a tape that contained her "personal opinions on people and events." During a meeting on Tuesday, Karsan met with Ono's lawyer and allegedly demanded $2 million and threatened to kill Ono, Sean Lennon and himself if his demands were not met.

12.13.2006

Diddy and Snoop Dogg have rolled out the itinerary for their 18-city 2007 European tour. The co-headliners will open the trek with a March 12 gig in Oslo, Norway, and close it with an April 2 concert in Nottingham, England. Expect Diddy and Snoop to mine their respective new releases, Press Play and Tha Blue Carpet Treatment. ...

Dates for the Red Hot Chili Peppers' upcoming tour with openers Gnarls Barkley have been announced. The 17-date run will kick off in Oklahoma City on January 12 and wrap in Houston on March 7, with just one concert scheduled for February. The trek will make stops in Dallas (January 13); Nashville (January 17); Cincinnati (January 20); Washington, D.C. (January 25); Orlando, Florida (January 30); Des Moines, Iowa (March 2); and San Antonio (March 6). ...

There's more No Doubt on the way, Gwen Stefani tells MTV News, but she'd rather just revel in her Sweet Escape for now. "This record puts me on the yellow-brick road to the No Doubt record I might do. I can smell it. 'Sweet Escape' and some other melodies remind me of the No Doubt feeling." OK, so she can smell it, but when will we hear it? "They were in the studio earlier this year," Stefani said of her bandmates, "and I've been trying to get prepared. I didn't know creatively what kind of record we could do. I couldn't picture it, but now I have an idea in my head. But can't we just enjoy the moment? Everyone asks me what's going to happen next, but the album just came out a few days ago." ... AFI and Tenacious D are performing at Spike TV's Video Game Awards, set to air Wednesday (December 13) at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Samuel L. Jackson is hosting. ...

Daughtry will ring in 2007 from New York, performing on Fox's "New Year's Eve Live," hosted by Cat Deeley of "So You Think You Can Dance?" The band fronted by former "American Idol" contestant Chris Daughtry will play their single "It's Not Over" live from a Times Square stage in New York. Toni Braxton will also perform on the special. ... Aretha Franklin is taking her life story to the stage, the Detroit Free Press reports. The Queen of Soul plans to turn her 1999 autobiography, "Aretha: From These Roots," into a touring stage production. The show will follow Franklin from her youth in Detroit through her friendships with Sam Cooke and Dinah Washington up to her status as an R&B icon. The singer said she will hold auditions to cast singers that will portray her at various stages. ...

Stephen Colbert has one regret about his controversial speech at the White House Correspondents Association dinner in April — he didn't go far enough. During "An Evening With 'The Colbert Report' " at New York's John Jay College of Criminal Justice Tuesday, the comedian revealed that, midway through his routine, he scrapped one joke because he thought it wouldn't go over well. "I thought, the president is always giving awards, it's time for him to get one," Colbert said, "and what's the highest award I could give him? A certificate of recognizance: 'That I, Stephen Colbert, recognize, you, George W. Bush, as the president.' I had the certificate handy and everything. I thought he could hang it on the fridge. Instead I have it hanging on my fridge, as my 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' award." ...

"Borat" has inspired yet another lawsuit — this time from a man who didn't even make it into the film. The Associated Press reported that a man claims in a suit that he was "accosted" in a South Carolina restaurant restroom by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, who was posing in character as a bathroom attendant. The man, who is not named in the suit, seeks unspecified punitive damages and requests that the scene — which was featured as part of a Comedy Central movie special and made the Internet rounds — be excluded from the DVD release. ... George Clooney was in Egypt Wednesday lobbying the Egyptian government for support in helping the victims of Sudan violence, AP reports. He met with the foreign minister, as well as the son and wife of the country's president, to discuss relief options. Clooney, who visited China last week for similar discussions, is traveling with actor Don Cheadle and two former Olympians. ...

Clinic, Richard Swift, Vic Chestnutt, French Kicks, Earlimart, Autolux and Hella have entered the Noise Pop 2007 fold. The festival, celebrating its 15th anniversary, will take place in San Francisco February 27 through March 4. ... J. Robbins — who used to be in Jawbox and Burning Airlines but more recently has been producing for bands like Murder by Death and Against Me! — is asking for financial aid to help him and his wife support their newborn son, Cal. The baby is suffering from spinal muscular atrophy, and the family is facing rising medical bills. Go to DesotoRecords.com/cal/index/shtml to find out how you can help. ...

Veteran actor Peter Boyle died Tuesday in a New York hospital, CNN reports. He was 71. Best known in recent years as the cranky patriarch on the sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond," Boyle racked up dozens of film and TV credits over his nearly 40-year career — which he started after leaving an order of Christian monks — including the role of the monster in the Mel Brooks comedy "Young Frankenstein" (1973) and a supporting part in "Taxi Driver" (1976). Boyle's publicist said that the actor, who survived a stroke in 1990 and a heart attack in 1999, suffered from heart disease and a blood disorder. ...

It is the worst of times for rock musicals on Broadway. Just a month after the Bob Dylan musical "The Times They Are A-Changin' " folded up its tent after less than a month, the Great White Way version of "High Fidelity" has been silenced as well. Producers of the show, based on the popular 1995 hipster book by Nick Hornby (which was turned into a memorable John Cusack movie in 2000) will pull the plug on Sunday after just 10 days of playing to half-full houses, according to Variety magazine. "Fidelity" has suffered from slow advance sales and poor reviews since it began in previews on November 20, with some insiders saying the plot — about a rock snob and the girl who broke his heart — was too targeted toward young heterosexual men, the group least likely to check out a Broadway musical.

• Rihanna
• Ludacris
• Lady Sovereign
• Kelis
• Nas

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

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

Kevin Federline's Playing With Fire

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

Lady Sovereign's Public Warning

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

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

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

Ice-T's Gangsta Rap

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

Deftones' Saturday Night Wrist

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

Pitbull's El Mariel

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

Isis' In the Absence of Truth

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

Kellie Pickler's Small Town Girl

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

Ron Artest's My World

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

Flavor Flav's Flavor Flav

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

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

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

Prize Fighter Inferno's My Brother's Blood Machine

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

Sunn0))) & Boris' Altar

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

Lyrics Born's Overnite Encore: Lyrics Born Live!

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

The Who's Endless Wire

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Battle of Mice's A Day of Nights

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

Aiden's Rain in Hell EP

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

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

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

Willie Nelson's Songbird

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

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

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

Icy Demons' Tears of a Clone

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

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

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

Anders Parker's Anders Parker

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

Gob Iron's Death Songs for the Living

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

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

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

My Latest Novel's Wolves

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

Mixel Pixel's Music for Plants

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

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

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

Song Title of the Week:

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

New Releases:

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

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

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

Music DVDs:

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

Coming Attractions:

November 7:

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

November 14:

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

November 21:

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

• You Hear It First Gets Grimey

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

Angels & Airwaves' Tom DeLonge at the Woodie Awards on Wednesday
Photo: Bryan Bedder

As far as totally sweet college parties go, the 2006 mvtU Woodie Awards were pretty rad. Like, completely on par with that Kappa Alpha beach-blast throwdown from a few months back (and they filled their basement with sand!).

The list of presenters, performers and nominees on hand for the third annual Woodies, held Wednesday at New York's Roseland Ballroom, read like a who's-who of innovative, genre-bending rock and hip-hop: Beck, Lady Sovereign, TV on the Radio, Angels & Airwaves, 30 Seconds to Mars and Gym Class Heroes, to name just a few. And the crowd — some 2,000 strong — were raucous, vocal and ready to party.

And they let their loyalties be known early and often. Though Angels & Airwaves took home the Woodie of the Year award (given to the artist "who made the biggest splash on mtvU and the college-music scene this past year"), the crowd screeched louder for some of A&A's competition in the category, most notably Panic! at the Disco and the Academy Is ... (see "Panic May Add Woodie To Award Collection; Arctic Monkeys, Imogen Heap Lead mtvU Nominations"). Their squeals during Gym Class Heroes' performance of "The Queen and I" — complete with a big-wigged Marie Antoinette look-alike onstage — nearly drowned out the group's percolating punk-funk.

Then again, this was the fans' show. They voted on all 10 winners via mtvU.com, which may explain some of the, uh, more questionable decisions — O.A.R. taking home the Streaming Woodie, given to the artist whose song was most downloaded on the site — and greeted TV on the Radio's droning, trancey set with stoic silence. They cheered loudly when AFI were announced as the winners of the Alumni Woodie, and voiced equal lust for other winners, especially Gnarls Barkley (who took home the Left Field Woodie, for the best "genre-busting" group) and 30 Seconds to Mars, whose video for "The Kill" scored the Best Video Woodie - Live Action.

And while last year's Woodies seemingly had more star power — winners and performers included My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and Death Cab for Cutie; see "My Chemical Romance Win Woodie Of The Year At mtvU Awards" — the 2006 ceremony more than made up for that in sheer moxie and energy. Lady Sov — decked out in a T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase "Midget" (classy!) — introduced the Gym Class Heroes with her typical swagger, yelling that she was drunk and promising she wasn't "going to go by the script." The Plain White T's, winners of the Breaking Woodie (given to the best emerging artist), sat in the crowd and sang along to each performance like a bunch of super-fans. And Beck delivered a rollicking and puppet-enhanced set of hits both new ("Nausea") and old ("E-Pro").

All in all, it was a solidly off-the-cuff affair, and as the crowds filtered out of Roseland — heading to keggers, ragers and various other theme parties, one assumes — there was a palpable sense of satisfaction in the air. It was, after all, the fans' show. And they managed to throw a pretty great party.

A 30-minute version of the 2006 mtvU Woodie Awards will air November 4 at 10 p.m. on MTV, with an encore presentation airing the following night on MTV2 at 11 p.m.

The complete list of winners at the 2006 mtvU Woodie Awards:

• Woodie of the Year (Artist of the Year): Angels & Airwaves
• The Breaking Woodie (Best Emerging Artist): Plain White T's
• Left Field Woodie (Most Original Artist): Gnarls Barkley
• Best Video Woodie - Live Action (Best Live Action Video): 30 Seconds to Mars - "The Kill"
• Best Video Woodie - Animated (Best Animated Video): Gorillaz - "El Mañana"
• The Good Woodie (Greatest Social Impact): Serj Tankian (System of a Down) - Armenian genocide
• Road Woodie (Best Tour): Taking Back Sunday
• International Woodie (Favorite International Artist Award): The Subways
• Alumni Woodie (a.k.a. The You're Still OK in Our Book Award): AFI
• Streaming Woodie (Most Downloaded): O.A.R. - "Lay Down"

• Beck, 30 Seconds To Mars, Lupe Fiasco, More At The 2006 mtvU Woodie Awards

• Angels & Airwaves
• Beck
• Lady Sovereign
• 30 Seconds To Mars
• Gym Class Heroes

Ashlee Simpson in the London production of "Chicago"
Photo: Dave M. Bennett/ Getty Images

Ashlee Simpson has joined the one-night-only, 10th-anniversary performance of "Chicago" slated for November 14 at the Ambassador Theater in New York. The performance will benefit victim-assistance organization Safe Horizon and will also feature former Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson and original castmembers. ...

Kevin Federline has rolled out the track list to his debut CD, Playing With Fire. The October 31 release will feature 14 tracks, including a hidden one: "Intro," "The World Is Mine," "America's Most Hated," "Snap," "Lose Control," "Dance With a Pimp" (featuring Ya Boy), "Privilege" (featuring Bosco), "Crazy" (featuring Britney Spears), "A League of My Own," "Playing With Fire," "Caught Up Intro," "Caught Up," "Kept on Talkin' " and "Middle Finger" (hidden). ...

Lady Sovereign, 30 Seconds to Mars, Ghostface, the Subways, Murs, Slug of Atmosphere and Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello have been announced as presenters at the mtvU Woodie Awards, to be taped October 25 at New York's Roseland Ballroom. Brandon Reilly of Nightmare of You will DJ the preshow. ... Busta Rhymes has signed former Blackstreet singer Chauncey Black to his Flipmode Squad label. The singer's solo debut will feature production from Dr. Dre and Teddy Riley and guests such as the Game, Young Buck and Rah Digga. ...

Bono testified again in court on Tuesday (October 17) against ex-stylist Lola Cashman, who U2 claim stole and tried to hock band memorabilia, The Associated Press reports. "We want out stuff back. We want her to stop selling it," the singer said in an Irish High Court. Cashman has said the band gave her the items as gifts. ... Bobby Brown has paid $11,000 in delinquent child-support payments, according to AP. A Massachusetts judge said two weeks ago that the singer would be arrested if he were to enter the state without settling up. ...

The saga of Madonna's adoption of 1-year-old David Banda from Malawi continued on Monday, as the child was flown from the African nation to London in the company of one of the singer's bodyguards and a personal assistant. According to Reuters, Banda made the trip despite 50 rights groups that filed court documents asking for an injunction to block the adoption. On Monday, Malawian authorities waived local rules against non-residents adopting children to grant Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie an interim adoption. "My husband and I began the adoption process many months prior to our trip to Malawi," Madonna said in a letter posted on CNN.com. "I did not wish to disclose my intentions to the world prior to the adoption happening, as this is a private family matter. ... Nevertheless, we have gone about the adoption procedure according to the law like anyone else who adopts a child. Reports to the contrary are totally inaccurate. The procedure includes an l8-month evaluation period, after which time we hope to make this adoption permanent." "It is expected that the family will be reunited within the next few days," Madonna's longtime representative Liz Rosenberg said in a statement. ...

James Blunt will play a benefit show for Doctors Without Borders on November 16 at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California. Tickets for the show are $40 and go on sale Wednesday at noon PT via HOB.com. Blunt is also raising money for the organization by auctioning one-on-one meetings with fans at each stop on his tour. Blunt's trek hits Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday. ... Jermaine Dupri, Stevie Wonder and Gavin DeGraw will be honored at the November 1 Songs of Hope IV benefit for City of Hope, an organization that aids the fight against life-threatening diseases such as cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS. "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson will MC the event, which will be held at Esquire House 360 in Beverly Hills, California. Songs of Hope IV will have sheet music and original lyrics signed by artists including Mariah Carey, Paul McCartney and Paul Simon up for silent auction and features performances by Wonder and DeGraw. ...

Wesley Snipes was indicted Tuesday on eight counts of tax fraud, AP reports. Federal prosecutors accuse the actor of fraudulent claims of $12 million in refunds on taxes already paid. The indictment, filed in Tampa, Florida, also alleges that the actor failed to file tax returns between 1999 and 2004. Snipes has not been arrested because authorities don't know where he is. He faces a maximum of 16 years in prison if convicted. ...

Leonardo DiCaprio is pitching in to develop a reality-TV series focusing on the environment, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The show, "E-topia," which is being shopped to networks, will document the monthslong effort to transform an American town into a "green" utopia of tomorrow. DiCaprio is a co-creator and executive producer of the project, which will feature an environmental "call to action" at the end of each episode. ...

On January 23, the Shins will return to record stores with their third full-length album, Wincing the Night Away. Produced by frontman James Mercer and former Beck collaborator Joe Chiccarelli, Wincing features 11 tracks, including "Sleeping Lessons," "Pam Berry," "A Comet Appears" and the first single, "Phantom Limb." ... Jet have been forced to postpone part of their current European tour so frontman Nic Cester can rest his pipes after developing acute laryngitis. The postponed dates were originally scheduled through October 25. The singer lost his voice two weeks ago during a performance in New York and has since developed nodules on his vocal cords as a result of returning to the stage earlier than his doctors had advised. ...

Brooklyn queen MC Lyte returned to her NYC stomping grounds Monday night to perform at the launch party for Black Girls Rule! Inc., a nonprofit mentoring service founded by DJ Beverly Bond. Lyte, who was honored at VH1's Hip-Hop Honors — which airs Tuesday on VH1 — and DJ Jazzy Joyce were recognized by the organization for their achievements as women in the music industry. DJ Premier presented the awards, and Dres of Black Sheep and writer/activist Kevin Powell were also in attendance. ... Several Ramones tracks have been retooled in kid-friendly form by some of punk's current leaders. Brats on the Beat: Ramones for Kids, which hits stores November 21, will boast a cover of "Blitzkrieg Bop" by Pennywise's Jim Lindberg, "Rock 'N' Roll High School" performed by Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba, the Donnas' Brett Anderson tackling "California Sun" and the Dwarves' Blag Dahlia doing "Rockaway Beach." ...

Runner James Murphy, the magnate of New York dance-rockers LCD Soundsystem, has teamed up with Nike for 45:33: Nike+ Original Run, an original composition only available through iTunes. The "album" contains a single eponymous track that runs 45 minutes and 33 seconds. The second project in the Nike+ Original Run series follows Drive, a soundtrack by Crystal Method. "In testing, I found that 'hard, fast, propulsive' music was NOT the best running music for me," Murphy said. "Sometimes the best way to keep running is to find the parts of the run that are actually rests — that while you're still running, you're viewing some of the run as soothing and recuperative, rather than constantly feeling like you're running for your life." 45:33 is currently available on iTunes.

10.16.2006

Red Hot Chili Peppers and Gnarls Barkley are plotting an arena tour across the U.S. While dates have not been firmed up, the jaunt will take place from January through March. In other Gnarls news, the group is bulking up its St. Elsewhere debut as a CD-plus-DVD double-disc. The deluxe edition will have four videos, live tunes and a chunky 92-page booklet. ...

St. Lunatics rapper Ali was charged with third-degree assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, property damage and driving on an expired license Saturday after he was pulled over in the Hazelwood area of St. Louis. Ali denied the charges to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, noting, "There is no way that I could kick him from the back seat." Ali said the officer used a taser on him 46 times and made several racial remarks. ...

How far would you go to promote an album? Would you fight the WWE champion? Kevin Federline would — and did, taking on John Cena in an argument that got physical in Los Angeles on Sunday night. Conveniently, the fight — which ended with Cena hitting Britney Spears' husband with a resounding slam — was captured as part of WWE's "Monday Night Raw." Three 6 Mafia, "Jackass" stars Steve-O and Chris Pontius, and Nick and Aaron Carter saw the action in person, but K-Fed's fall will be broadcast for all to see Monday (October 16) at 9 p.m. on USA Network. Federline's Playing With Fire is due October 31. ...

The first two dates of Guns N' Roses' fall U.S. trek have been postponed. The Jacksonville, Florida, stop — originally set for Friday — has been bumped to October 31. And the October 22 gig in Nashville has been pushed back to January. A new date hasn't been announced for the latter show. ...

Just days after leaving Malawi without the 1-year-old boy she planned to adopt — but with a promise that they would soon be united — Madonna has hit another snag in her quest to make David Banda a part of her family. According to Reuters, human-rights groups in Malawi are expected to seek a court injunction Monday to stop the adoption proceedings. The groups claim that the Malawi government hasn't followed its own laws, which prohibit adoptions by non-residents and require anyone wanting to adopt in the country to live there for at least 18 months. Madonna had been granted a temporary waiver that allowed her and husband Guy Ritchie to take custody of the boy. ...

After more than a year of touring, loose songwriting and demoing, it looks like Radiohead are finally getting down to the business of recording their seventh studio album. Frontman Thom Yorke made the announcement — along with some thoroughly harrowing notes about global warming and ExxonMobil — on the band's blog, Dead Air Space. "We've started the record properly now," Yorke wrote. "Starting to get somewhere, I think. Finally." Initial sessions for the still-untitled album began in August with producer Mark "Spike" Stent (Madonna, No Doubt) behind the boards, but last month, Radiohead let it slip that longtime collaborator Nigel Godrich was instead helming the recording process. A spokesperson for the group confirmed that Godrich was in, but "[couldn't] confirm the fate of the Spike sessions as yet." There is no completion date for the new record, the band's first since 2003's Hail to the Thief. ...

According to Metallica's Web site, the band will re-release its "2 of One" VHS in DVD form on December 5. The site claims the reissue will include all Metallica's videos — including a clip for "Mama Said" that never aired on North American television — as well as the theatrical version of their "The Unforgiven" video and the "Some Kind of Monster" trailer. All the contents will be remixed in 5.1 surround sound. ... According to Rob Zombie's Web site, an upcoming live effort is nearly completed. "Rob is in the studio finishing up with producer Scott Humphrey, mixing the tracks right now," the post reads "The CD will include live versions of everything from 'The Lords of Salem' [off Zombie's 2006 LP Educated Horses] to 'Black Sunshine' [from White Zombie's 1992 release La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1]." A release date has not been set. 20th Century Masters: The Best of Rob Zombie - The Millennium Collection hit stores last week. ...

Enrique Iglesias has lined up five club dates on his For the Fans - Exclusive Club Tour. The run kicks off at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom on November 30 and will hit venues in Atlantic City, New Jersey (December 1); Chicago (December 3); Houston (December 5); and Los Angeles' Wiltern LG (December 7). Select fans will get to meet Iglesias on the tour, which will also feature fan-only presales. For more information on special tour offers, check out EnriqueIglesias.com ... Following on the heels of the LA Weekly Detour — a music gala held earlier this month to drive more Los Angelenos downtown — the Secret Machines will play a similar concert to promote mass transit in the city. After playing Hollywood's Avalon on October 24, the band will pack up its gear and head downtown to Union Station for a Global Inheritance-sponsored show dubbed Public Displays of Affection. Only people who took the Metro to get to the show will be admitted. ...

As part of the rollout of Sirius Internet Radio — which allows listeners to sign up for monthly subscriptions without buying a companion unit — the company is making access to its programming, including Howard Stern, free for just two days: October 25 and October 26. ... Remember that song "Your Woman?" Well, the creators of the infectious 1997 track, White Town, are mapping a return following a long break with Don't Mention the War, a 12-track LP that should be in stores before year's end. Look for the effort to include "Somewhere Blue," "I Was Trotsky's Nun" and "Theme for a BBC Natural History Series Presented by Richard Dawkins." ... Country singer Freddy Fender died of lung cancer on Saturday in his Corpus Christi, Texas, home. He was 69. The Grammy-winning singer, who was one of the first Mexican-American artists to cross over to the mainstream pop charts, began his career in the 1950s performing rock covers in Spanish as El Be-Bop Kid, and gained notoriety in the mid-1970s with the country hits "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" and "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights." In 1990, he won a Grammy as a member of the Tex-Mex all-star group the Texas Tornados and in 2001 he took another Grammy for best Latin pop album for his solo effort, La Musica de Baldemar Huerta.

• Ashlee Simpson In The London Production Of "Chicago"

• Ashlee Simpson
• Kevin Federline
• Lady Sovereign
• Busta Rhymes
• Madonna

Lady Sovereign
Photo: Scott Gries/ Getty Images

Lady Sovereign is getting much more love than hate these days.

The British rap/pop singer has hit it big with her latest U.S. single, "Love Me or Hate Me," and in the process is gaining fans with her combination of bratty attitude and genre-splintering tracks. That includes Missy Elliott, who remixed Sov's hit single, and Verizon, which selected the song for its latest cell-phone ads.

Sovereign, signed to Def Jam by Jay-Z, will be showcasing her snarky approach in all its glory on Public Warning, due October 31. But she says people shouldn't be surprised by the release's eclectic mix.

"Nothing sounds the same on my album," she said. "It's not a consistent album. Everything is different. And everything sounds weird and funky-fresh. If you've been following who I am, you'll realize you should buy my album because [of that]. It's real."

(See how up-and-comers like Lady Sovereign and Kano have given London a dark hip-hop style all its own, known as grime, in these video clips.)

Aside from the "Love Me" remix, Sovereign did away with guest features on Public Warning. She felt they weren't particularly necessary for the LP. "There's no vocal collaborations on the album — it's just me, me, me," she stated emphatically. "The way it should be."

Sovereign will also be hitting the road by herself to promote Public Warning. The North American tour kicks off later this week and wraps up December 1 in Atlanta. In the meantime, Sovereign has recorded a cover of the Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant" for OC Mix 6: Covering Our Tracks, the December 5 installment in the series devoted to "The O.C." And she's set to make appearances soon on "Late Show With David Letterman" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

With things going so well for Sovereign, the pint-size Londoner isn't worried about the Brit backlash. "Things are blowing up already, as far as I'm concerned," she said. "I'm just excited, because I love America. ... They're feeling me more [in the U.S.] than the U.K right now. That's why I'm here.

"People [just] need to stop mistaking me for that little white chick in Missy's videos that dances about," she added. " 'Cause that ain't me."

Well, maybe everyone isn't exactly loving her.

Lady Sovereign tour dates, according to her Web site:

• 10/23 - Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
• 10/24 - Toronto, ON @ Opera House
• 10/26 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
• 10/28 - Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
• 10/29 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
• 10/30 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
• 11/1 - Philadelphia, PA @ Starlight Ballroom Dance Club
• 11/3 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
• 11/4 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
• 11/5 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Varsity Theatre
• 11/7 - Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre
• 11/10 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
• 11/11 - Seattle, WA @ Neumo's
• 11/12 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
• 11/14 - San Francisco, CA @ Mezzanine
• 11/15 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
• 11/18 - Las Vegas, NV @ Beauty Bar
• 11/19 - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
• 11/22 - Dallas, TX @ Gypsy Tea Room
• 11/23 - Austin, TX @ The Parish at House of Blues
• 11/24 - Houston, TX @ Meridian
• 11/26 - New Orleans, LA @ The Parish
• 11/27 - Tallahassee, FL @ The Beta Bar
• 11/28 - Miami, FL @ Studio A
• 11/30 - St. Petersburg, FL @ The State Theater
• 12/1 - Atlanta, GA @ The Loft at Center Stage

• You Hear It First Gets Grimey

• Highlights From South By Southwest 2006

• Lady Sovereign

• Lady Sovereign

Woodie Awards Biggest and Brightest Moments

• Moby
• Emmanuel Jal
• Debbie Harry
• Mark Hoppus
• Q-Tip

Woodie Awards 2006 Red Carpet

• Gym Class Heroes
• The Academy Is...
• Plain White T's
• Imogen Heap
• Angels & Airwaves

Woodie Awards 2006 Winners and Presenters

• 30 Seconds To Mars
• Angels & Airwaves
• Plain White T's
• Lupe Fiasco
• Ghostface Killah

Don't Mess With Texas: SXSW 2009

• Metallica
• The Decemberists
• The Von Bondies
• Voxtrot
• Tori Amos

New Year's Eve 2007 Performances

• AFI
• Chamillionaire
• Ciara
• Lady Sovereign
• My Chemical Romance

New Years Eve '07 Celebrity Playlists

• Akon
• Ciara
• Gwen Stefani
• Lady Sovereign
• Nelly Furtado

Best of 2006: Live Performances Highlights

• Christina Aguilera
• AFI
• Gnarls Barkley
• My Chemical Romance
• Lady Sovereign

Best of 2006: Backstage & Party Moments

• Fall Out Boy
• P!nk
• Kanye West
• Busta Rhymes
• Hype Williams

MTV.com LIVE: Lady Sovereign Photos 10.25.2006

• Lady Sovereign

Beck, 30 Seconds To Mars, Lupe Fiasco, More At The 2006 mtvU Woodie Awards

• Beck
• The Subways
• 30 Seconds To Mars
• Lupe Fiasco
• Lady Sovereign