Mariah Carey on the cover of <i>Interview</i>
Photo: Bruce Weber

Mariah Carey is "thankful" to ex-husband Tommy Mottola but also felt like she was being controlled by the music executive while they were married, she divulged to Interview for the magazine's September issue, which hits newsstands Tuesday. In the magazine — the cover of which features a Bruce Weber photo of a barely clothed Carey — she says, "I am thankful to [Mottola] in a lot of ways. I try not to vilify him. I have to forgive him for being so restrictive. I understand him not wanting me to go out and hang out all night, but going to a spa with friends every now and then, or doing things on my own would have made a world of difference. And I'd probably still be with him if I had. Maybe it's for my own good that I wasn't 'allowed' to do those things, but that's not how it felt. It felt like suddenly I had a strict father. ... With Tommy it felt like I had this controlling situation where I wasn't allowed to be myself. This conversation that we're having now would never have taken place." Carey also opened up about the catastrophic Glitter collapse that preceded her surprise rebound. "I consider 'the breakdown' a breakthrough — I needed to hit rock bottom, however it happened. I needed to understand the cost of pushing so hard, fighting so hard against the system." ...

Diddy's Labor Day party is going to be a little less explosive than anticipated. Officials in the Hamptons, New York, have nixed the hip-hop mogul's planned $100,000 fireworks show over the Northwest Harbor on September 2 both for safety reasons and because it might have conflicted with another nearby fireworks bash set for the same night. Diddy intended to go with all-white fireworks so they would match the "white party" theme. ...

Beyoncé turned out Tuesday night at her sister Solange's "R&B Live" showcase at Times Square's Spotlight Live club in New York. Tina Knowles, Bow Wow and the Simmons sisters — Angela and Vanessa — also took in the show, which featured other acts on Mathew Knowles' Music World Entertainment, including #1 Crush, Katy Shotter and more. ...

Britney Spears chatted with Life & Style on Sunday night at a club in Los Angeles, revealing her concerns that ex-husband Kevin Federline could gain primary custody of their two children, sons Sean Preston and Jayden James. "My babies are my life. I love them more than anything," said an "emotional" Spears, according to the magazine. But the boys are doing "so good," she added. ...

Ja Rule and Game have joined forces for "Sunset," a track to be featured on Ja's Mirror LP, due November 13. "I don't think people were expecting that," he told RollingStone.com in regards to teaming up with his former rival. Ja also disclosed that another track, "Father Forgive Me," updates the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby." "Hopefully I make the Beatles proud," he said. "Big shout-out to Paul McCartney and the whole gang, Ringo and everybody!" The rock icons are getting lots of love from the rap set these days, with Wu-Tang Clan covering George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" — with Harrison's son Dhani and Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante in tow — for their upcoming 8 Diagrams LP, also due November 13. ...

Juelz Santana is hammering away at his third LP, Born to Lose; Built to Win, which is due in stores in the winter. "This time around, I'm talking about survival — maintaining my lifestyle and overcoming the obstacles and challenges life brings," he said in a statement. Santana was also set to debut his new RoyElz clothing line but has had to postpone the unveiling until February due to the terminal illness of a family member. ...

Swizz Beatz was a busy man on Tuesday. The multiplatinum producer and rapper celebrated the release of his solo album, One Man Band Man, with a live performance at the Apple store in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan in New York during the afternoon. After that he hosted a party at Xchange Loft that drew the likes of Remy Ma, Birdman, Brooke Hogan, G-Unit's Young Hot Rod, Steve Stoute, Kid Capri, Free and singer Mashonda, Swizz's wife. He then capped his long day at Manhattan night spot Sol for another album-release party. ...

Keyshia Cole and Fort Wayne, Indiana's Voices of Unity Youth Choir will get the NFL season under way by performing the national anthem at the New Orleans Saints/ Indianapolis Colts game September 6. The half-hour pre-game show — featuring performances by Kelly Clarkson and others — will air at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. ... Cobra Starship will land again, on October 23, with a new LP called If the World Is Ending, We Are Throwing the Party. The disc will be issued by Fueled by Ramen and follow the band's 2006 disc, When the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets. ...

Paris Hilton and Zeta Graff settled Graff's lawsuit Wednesday (August 22), the same day jury selection was due to begin in the trial, TMZ.com reports. Graff, an actress/model, filed a $10 million defamation suit against Hilton in 2005 for allegedly planting gossip about her in the tabloids. ... Amy Winehouse fans can get ticket refunds for her postponed U.S. tour at their point of purchase, her publicist said Wednesday. ... A judge halted a lawsuit against Michael Jackson on Tuesday, ruling that it can't continue as filed, AP reports. The singer is being sued — along with the Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria, California — by the family of a woman who died at the hospital after she was moved to make room for Jackson. In the suit, the family claims the woman was kept from critical care after suffering a heart attack on the same day Jackson went to the hospital with flu-like symptoms during his child-molestation trial. Attorneys for Jackson and the hospital have claimed the facts of the case didn't merit the suit. Judge Rodney Melville — who was also the judge in the aforementioned trial — gave the plaintiffs' attorney, James McKiernan, 30 days to redraft the suit. ...

A neuropathologist rejected on Wednesday a previous claim made by Phil Spector's defense that Lana Clarkson might have lived for up to a few minutes after being fatally shot in the music producer's mansion, the Los Angeles Times reports. Dr. John Andrews, who participated in the deceased actress' autopsy, is expected to be the last prosecution rebuttal witness. The defense is expected to present its rebuttal case in the next few days, with closing arguments expected soon after Labor Day. ...

The Chemical Brothers have firmed up their first, albeit brief, U.S. tour in more than five years. The group will bring its visually intensive show to New York's Hammerstein Ballroom (September 21); Brooklyn, New York's McCarren Park Pool (September 22); Chicago's Riviera Theatre (September 24); Denver's Fillmore Auditorium (September 26); San Francisco's Concourse (September 28); and Los Angeles' Nocturnal Bar (September 29). ... In other tour news, Bad Religion will trek through the States from September 29 in Queen Creek, Arizona — where they'll play at Edgefest &38212; through October 20 in Sayreville, New Jersey. Gallows and the Briggs will open most dates. And Cold War Kids will tour from November 17 in San Francisco through December 11 in Boulder, Colorado, after gigging in September and October with the White Stripes. ...

In hard-rock tour news, Down's upcoming U.S. headlining run is finally taking shape, with dates confirmed from September 27 in Reno, Nevada, through November 13 in Houston. The band — which features former Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo — will release its latest, Down III: Over the Under, September 25. The Melvins will tour from September 16 in Sacramento, California, through October 18 in Dallas with Big Business. Prog-rockers Porcupine Tree will be on the road for a headlining run that begins October 3 in Orlando, Florida, and visits 18 other cities through October 29 in Atlanta. And Queens of the Stone Age have tacked seven additional shows onto their current tour. ...

Bill Murray refused to take a breathalyzer test after getting caught speeding in a golf cart in downtown Stockholm, Sweden, early Monday — and he might face a drunk-driving charge as a result, The Associated Press reports. "He refused to blow in the [breath-test] instrument, citing American legislation," Detective-Inspector Christer Holmlund told the wire service Wednesday. "So we applied the old method — a blood test. It will take 14 days before the results are in." Murray signed documentation admitting that he had been driving under the influence and agreed to allow a police officer enter a guilty plea for him if the case goes to court. A very high blood-alcohol level could result in a potential prison sentence, but fines are more likely for the actor. ...

Darren Hayes, former lead singer of Australian pop duo Savage Garden, turned himself in to London police on Friday and was arrested for an alleged racist attack against a waiter in a Thai restaurant in Soho. According to The New Zealand Herald, Hayes is alleged to have verbally abused a staffer at the Busaba Eathai Thai restaurant on July 22. Hayes was released on bail and his lawyer said he is denying the allegations. ... DNA testing carried out after James Brown's death has confirmed a third person is a child of the late rock and roll icon, his adviser Buddy Dallas told Georgia's The Augusta Chronicle on Monday. Roughly a dozen DNA tests have been carried out, and some are still pending. ...

Actress Bridget Moynahan gave birth to her child — a boy — with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The couple split up late last year. ... Wal-Mart is the latest retail giant to unveil an online music store aimed at challenging Apple's iTunes by offering DRM-free music. The Wall Street Journal reported that Wal-Mart is selling the unfettered tracks from two major labels, Universal Music Group and EMI, for 94 cents a piece and $9.22 an album. The songs can play on almost any portable music device, including iPods and iPhones.

08.21.07

First Amy Winehouse pulled out of shows in Norway and Denmark two weeks ago, then she pulled the plug on her V Festival appearances last week — now the U.K. starlet is shelving her remaining 2007 North American tour dates until next year. "Due to the rigors involved in touring, Amy Winehouse has been advised to postpone her upcoming September U.S. and Canadian tour dates," Winehouse's publicist said in a statement Tuesday (August 21), according to The Associated Press. "Amy's European and U.K. tour dates in October and November remain in place. Plans are being made to reschedule her U.S. tour for early 2008. Until then, Amy has been ordered to rest and is working with medical professionals to address her health." It is unclear whether the change in her North American tour plans will affect Winehouse's previously announced performance at the VMAs on September 9. ...

Forget 50 Cent — Kanye West considers Justin Timberlake his biggest rival. In an interview with XXL magazine for its October issue — which hits stands September 11 — Kanye called Justin his "biggest inspiration and biggest competition," adding that "he's the only other person that gets an across-the-board response and respect level — black radio, white radio. If Justin hadn't come out and killed the game, I can't say that my album, singles and videos would be on the same level that they're on. We push each other. I look at me and Justin like Prince and Michael Jackson in their day." ...

Award-show nominations and #1 records don't seem to be enough for Nelly Furtado this year, so the Canadian beauty decided to add directing to her lengthy list of 2007 accomplishments. Furtado recently made her debut behind the camera shooting a clip for the Loose song "Do It" with co-director Aaron A., her tour documentarian. The video was filmed on location in Detroit during a tour stop and included her dance team, among others. Furtado also announced that she will re-release Loose with bonus material — including her cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" — this fall. ...

Spike Jonze has launched a series of diary-style video interviews through online-broadcast network VBS.TV. The series will capture Jonze interviewing and traveling the world with various artists and entertainers, including the premiere guest, M.I.A. The set kicks off this week with a six-part episode that follows Jonze and M.I.A. around London and at the singer's various enclaves. An interview with Kanye West is scheduled to go live next week. ...

R. Kelly appeared Tuesday in a Chicago court where prosecutors and defense attorneys ironed out a few more details in the R&B singer's child-pornography trial before jury selection starts September 17. After the prosecution tried for a reversal, Judge Vincent Gaughan upheld his ruling that the media and public could view the sex tape that allegedly depicts Kelly having sex with an underage girl and is at the heart of the charges. Gaughan said he wouldn't reconsider his original ruling because the girl who prosecutors say is in the video isn't cooperating with investigators and denies that she's the person on the tape. Had she said she was, the judge would give her victim status and protect her from a public viewing. Instead, he ruled Tuesday that the state can't call her a "victim" but must instead call her an "alleged victim" or the "state's witness." To attempt to prove that she is in fact the girl on the tape, the prosecution wants to call an expert witness to testify that denial is a common issue with victims of child pornography, but the defense argued that the theory is not backed up by science. Judge Gaughan delayed ruling on this, as well as whether an expert could testify that the veins in Kelly's hand are consistent with those in the hand of the man in the video. He is expected to rule on those matters at the next hearing, on September 10. ...

Another day, another problem for Foxy Brown. The troubled rapper is being accused of lying to police during a traffic stop on Wednesday in suburban Mahwah, New Jersey. According to Bergen County's The Record, Brown (born Inga Marchand) was pulled over for talking on a cell phone and failing to stop at a stop sign while driving her SUV. After a check found that the car's registration had been suspended, Brown, 27, reportedly gave officers a different version of her real name and a birth date that was a year off. When the information didn't come up, Brown then gave her correct information, at which point the officers found out that her license was suspended. She was taken to police headquarters and given seven traffic tickets and released. The traffic tussle came one day after Brown was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a New York neighbor with a BlackBerry. But still, Brown has some good news to help take her mind off things — according to the New York Post, she said outside a store in New York earlier this week, "I'm getting married in September. I'm pregnant." ...

With Jane's Addiction on ice and his latest project, the Panic Channel, without a label deal, Dave Navarro has taken up a new side gig: porn-movie director. The guitarist has shot a feature-length adult film titled "Dave Navarro: Broken," the first in a series of flicks to be directed by celebrities. The film for Teravision — owned by adult star Tera Patrick and rocker husband and former Biohazard member Evan Seinfeld — is due September 27 and features an all-star cast of porn actors and actresses (Victoria Sin, Spyder Jonez, etc.). ...

Ben Lee really likes the new Against Me! album, New Wave. In fact, the Australian pop singer likes it so that he has posted a song-for-song cover album on his MySpace page and blog that are available for download or streaming. He's even cooked up his own cover for the effort, Ben Lee Sings Against Me! New Wave — it replaces the fearsome panther on the Florida punk band's original with a less ferocious kitty cat. ...

Devra Robitaille, one of Phil Spector's ex-employees, testified Tuesday that he once threatened her at gunpoint when she attempted to leave his house. The scenario is similar to the ones outlined by four additional women during the music producer's murder trial. After the defense announced it was conditionally resting its case — and that Spector would not be taking the stand during the trial — the prosecution called Robitaille as a rebuttal witness, contrary to the wishes of the defense. She recalled being in Spector's house during a party in which he became heavily intoxicated, after which she said she was going to go home. "He said no and locked the door," testified Robitaille, who added that she had a romantic relationship with Spector. "I remember standing in the lobby with a door in front of me, and when I turned, there was a gun pointed at my temple. ... It was like a long-barreled shotgun." She added that Spector repeated three times, " 'If you leave, I'll blow your f---ing head off.' " Robitaille said he eventually put down the gun and let her leave. ...

Some Lollapalooza footage — of performances by LCD Soundsystem and the Black Keys — finally went up on AT&T's Blue Room site last week, following the revelation that its webcast of the festival featured several edits of anti-President Bush comments made by Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder. Clearances are still being sought for Pearl Jam and other artists, while Lupe Fiasco's comments against Bush — which were also reportedly edited — have not been posted. ...

Five people were arrested early Sunday morning at a campground near the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington, following the Warped Tour performance at the venue Saturday night. The Associated Press reported that sheriff's deputies were called out to the campground following reports of a person being injured at another nearby campground. When officials arrived, they reportedly saw a number of campers involved in fights and a comfort station with portable toilets and sinks that had been set on fire. Some of the 400 campers in the area allegedly set additional fires and pelted deputies with beer bottles, cans and rocks, shattering the windshield of a fire truck with debris. Those incidents led to five arrests for obstructing a law-enforcement officer, disorderly conduct and intimidating a public servant. ...

Additional shows for Van Halen's first tour in more than 22 years — with original frontman David Lee Roth — have been added in Philadelphia (October 3); Detroit (October 20); and Washington, D.C. (November 1). Tickets for the previously announced gigs went on sale over the weekend, and fans snatched them up fast — sellouts were reported in at least five markets so far. ...

Pete Doherty — who was arrested on suspicion of drug possession in London early Monday morning — was released Tuesday because authorities didn't get him to court on time. The charge of breaching bail conditions that he was facing has been dropped as a result of the technicality. ...

The Jacksonville, Florida, chapter of the NAACP is protesting an editorial cartoon that criticized the "no snitchin' " street mantra and ran in the Friday edition of The Florida Times-Union. The image shows a black man wearing a "Don't Snitch" T-shirt, holding a smoking gun and standing over a gunshot victim. Behind him are two children, one a girl with dreadlocks who also wears a "Don't Snitch" shirt and says, "I didn't see nuttin'." In the cartoon, the man responds, "Now that's a good little ho." The comic, which is captioned "The new rule of law!," also has a billboard in the background with an image of a rapper holding a gun below the words "rap your life away," with BET and Warner Music Group called out at the bottom of the billboard. According to local TV affiliate NBC12, on Sunday, a Times-Union editorial-page editor apologized for the "bad judgment" in using the word "ho" in the cartoon. "The object of the cartoon was to comment on the rise of a no-snitching culture, something that is widely in the news today," Mike Clark explained.

• Mariah Carey
• Britney Spears
• Ja Rule
• Game
• Keyshia Cole

Amy Winehouse
Photo: Getty Images/ Stuart Wilson

First Amy Winehouse pulled out of shows in Norway and Denmark two weeks ago, then she pulled the plug on her V Festival appearances last week — now the U.K. starlet is shelving her remaining 2007 North American tour dates until next year. "Due to the rigors involved in touring, Amy Winehouse has been advised to postpone her upcoming September U.S. and Canadian tour dates," Winehouse's publicist said in a statement Tuesday (August 21), according to The Associated Press. "Amy's European and U.K. tour dates in October and November remain in place. Plans are being made to reschedule her U.S. tour for early 2008. Until then, Amy has been ordered to rest and is working with medical professionals to address her health." It is unclear whether the change in her North American tour plans will affect Winehouse's previously announced performance at the VMAs on September 9. ...

Forget 50 Cent — Kanye West considers Justin Timberlake his biggest rival. In an interview with XXL magazine for its October issue — which hits stands September 11 — Kanye called Justin his "biggest inspiration and biggest competition," adding that "he's the only other person that gets an across-the-board response and respect level — black radio, white radio. If Justin hadn't come out and killed the game, I can't say that my album, singles and videos would be on the same level that they're on. We push each other. I look at me and Justin like Prince and Michael Jackson in their day." ...

Award-show nominations and #1 records don't seem to be enough for Nelly Furtado this year, so the Canadian beauty decided to add directing to her lengthy list of 2007 accomplishments. Furtado recently made her debut behind the camera shooting a clip for the Loose song "Do It" with co-director Aaron A., her tour documentarian. The video was filmed on location in Detroit during a tour stop and included her dance team, among others. Furtado also announced that she will re-release Loose with bonus material — including her cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" — this fall. ...

Spike Jonze has launched a series of diary-style video interviews through online-broadcast network VBS.TV. The series will capture Jonze interviewing and traveling the world with various artists and entertainers, including the premiere guest, M.I.A. The set kicks off this week with a six-part episode that follows Jonze and M.I.A. around London and at the singer's various enclaves. An interview with Kanye West is scheduled to go live next week. ...

R. Kelly appeared Tuesday in a Chicago court where prosecutors and defense attorneys ironed out a few more details in the R&B singer's child-pornography trial before jury selection starts September 17. After the prosecution tried for a reversal, Judge Vincent Gaughan upheld his ruling that the media and public could view the sex tape that allegedly depicts Kelly having sex with an underage girl and is at the heart of the charges. Gaughan said he wouldn't reconsider his original ruling because the girl who prosecutors say is in the video isn't cooperating with investigators and denies that she's the person on the tape. Had she said she was, the judge would give her victim status and protect her from a public viewing. Instead, he ruled Tuesday that the state can't call her a "victim" but must instead call her an "alleged victim" or the "state's witness." To attempt to prove that she is in fact the girl on the tape, the prosecution wants to call an expert witness to testify that denial is a common issue with victims of child pornography, but the defense argued that the theory is not backed up by science. Judge Gaughan delayed ruling on this, as well as whether an expert could testify that the veins in Kelly's hand are consistent with those in the hand of the man in the video. He is expected to rule on those matters at the next hearing, on September 10. ...

Another day, another problem for Foxy Brown. The troubled rapper is being accused of lying to police during a traffic stop on Wednesday in suburban Mahwah, New Jersey. According to Bergen County's The Record, Brown (born Inga Marchand) was pulled over for talking on a cell phone and failing to stop at a stop sign while driving her SUV. After a check found that the car's registration had been suspended, Brown, 27, reportedly gave officers a different version of her real name and a birth date that was a year off. When the information didn't come up, Brown then gave her correct information, at which point the officers found out that her license was suspended. She was taken to police headquarters and given seven traffic tickets and released. The traffic tussle came one day after Brown was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a New York neighbor with a BlackBerry. But still, Brown has some good news to help take her mind off things — according to the New York Post, she said outside a store in New York earlier this week, "I'm getting married in September. I'm pregnant." ...

With Jane's Addiction on ice and his latest project, the Panic Channel, without a label deal, Dave Navarro has taken up a new side gig: porn-movie director. The guitarist has shot a feature-length adult film titled "Dave Navarro: Broken," the first in a series of flicks to be directed by celebrities. The film for Teravision — owned by adult star Tera Patrick and rocker husband and former Biohazard member Evan Seinfeld — is due September 27 and features an all-star cast of porn actors and actresses (Victoria Sin, Spyder Jonez, etc.). ...

Ben Lee really likes the new Against Me! album, New Wave. In fact, the Australian pop singer likes it so that he has posted a song-for-song cover album on his MySpace page and blog that are available for download or streaming. He's even cooked up his own cover for the effort, Ben Lee Sings Against Me! New Wave — it replaces the fearsome panther on the Florida punk band's original with a less ferocious kitty cat. ...

Devra Robitaille, one of Phil Spector's ex-employees, testified Tuesday that he once threatened her at gunpoint when she attempted to leave his house. The scenario is similar to the ones outlined by four additional women during the music producer's murder trial. After the defense announced it was conditionally resting its case — and that Spector would not be taking the stand during the trial — the prosecution called Robitaille as a rebuttal witness, contrary to the wishes of the defense. She recalled being in Spector's house during a party in which he became heavily intoxicated, after which she said she was going to go home. "He said no and locked the door," testified Robitaille, who added that she had a romantic relationship with Spector. "I remember standing in the lobby with a door in front of me, and when I turned, there was a gun pointed at my temple. ... It was like a long-barreled shotgun." She added that Spector repeated three times, " 'If you leave, I'll blow your f---ing head off.' " Robitaille said he eventually put down the gun and let her leave. ...

Some Lollapalooza footage — of performances by LCD Soundsystem and the Black Keys — finally went up on AT&T's Blue Room site last week, following the revelation that its webcast of the festival featured several edits of anti-President Bush comments made by Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder. Clearances are still being sought for Pearl Jam and other artists, while Lupe Fiasco's comments against Bush — which were also reportedly edited — have not been posted. ...

Five people were arrested early Sunday morning at a campground near the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington, following the Warped Tour performance at the venue Saturday night. The Associated Press reported that sheriff's deputies were called out to the campground following reports of a person being injured at another nearby campground. When officials arrived, they reportedly saw a number of campers involved in fights and a comfort station with portable toilets and sinks that had been set on fire. Some of the 400 campers in the area allegedly set additional fires and pelted deputies with beer bottles, cans and rocks, shattering the windshield of a fire truck with debris. Those incidents led to five arrests for obstructing a law-enforcement officer, disorderly conduct and intimidating a public servant. ...

Additional shows for Van Halen's first tour in more than 22 years — with original frontman David Lee Roth — have been added in Philadelphia (October 3); Detroit (October 20); and Washington, D.C. (November 1). Tickets for the previously announced gigs went on sale over the weekend, and fans snatched them up fast — sellouts were reported in at least five markets so far. ...

Pete Doherty — who was arrested on suspicion of drug possession in London early Monday morning — was released Tuesday because authorities didn't get him to court on time. The charge of breaching bail conditions that he was facing has been dropped as a result of the technicality. ...

The Jacksonville, Florida, chapter of the NAACP is protesting an editorial cartoon that criticized the "no snitchin' " street mantra and ran in the Friday edition of The Florida Times-Union. The image shows a black man wearing a "Don't Snitch" T-shirt, holding a smoking gun and standing over a gunshot victim. Behind him are two children, one a girl with dreadlocks who also wears a "Don't Snitch" shirt and says, "I didn't see nuttin'." In the cartoon, the man responds, "Now that's a good little ho." The comic, which is captioned "The new rule of law!," also has a billboard in the background with an image of a rapper holding a gun below the words "rap your life away," with BET and Warner Music Group called out at the bottom of the billboard. According to local TV affiliate NBC12, on Sunday, a Times-Union editorial-page editor apologized for the "bad judgment" in using the word "ho" in the cartoon. "The object of the cartoon was to comment on the rise of a no-snitching culture, something that is widely in the news today," Mike Clark explained.

08.20.07

Lily Allen had some choice dirty words for President Bush and U.S. immigration on Saturday during her performance at the V Festival in Stafford, England. "This next one is about people who are awkward on the train, U.S. immigration officials and George Bush in general," she said before the song "Everything's Just Wonderful." The outburst, in which she referred to Bush as a "f---ing c---," came just days after Allen was forced to scrap U.S. dates and an appearance at the Video Music Awards in light of the revocation of her working visa in the U.S. "I've been banned from America. That's nice. Oh well, that means I can't go back there. Good," Allen said, according to MTV UK. ...

Wanna hang in the recording studio with Timbaland? The winner of MTV's charity eBay auction will be flown to Las Vegas, stay at the Palms Casino Resort for three days (September 7-9) to check out the VMAs, and hit the Palms studio with the mega-producer as well. Other items up for bid include VMA gift bags, poker-table felt and other memorabilia. Head to the auction — all proceeds of which go to the Staying Alive Foundation, which helps young people fight AIDS and HIV — before it ends Monday (August 20). ...

Good news if you've been digging Talib Kweli's new collabo with Justin Timberlake, "The Nature" — the track will appear as a bonus on Kweli's Ear Drum, due Tuesday. ... "They gonna mix it with Biggie, it was all a dream!": Keyshia Cole's tour rolled through New York on Sunday, with the singer performing at the Nokia Theatre. As one of the highlights, she brought out Missy Elliott and Lil' Kim to perform their hit "Let It Go." Newcomer J. Holiday opened. ...

It's not exactly Lilith Fair, but Avril Lavigne, Fiona Apple and Sheryl Crow will anchor the first-ever Girlfrenzy, a daylong concert that will revolve around female artists and take place October 27 at Irvine, California's Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. Colbie Caillat, Antigone Rising and Sara Bareilles will also perform. ... The Friday premiere of "High School Musical 2" on the Disney Channel drew an estimated 17.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched basic-cable program in history. The first flick attracted 7.7. million in 2006, while the record was previously held by a "Monday Night Football" game that was watched by 16 million in 2006. ...

Gwen Stefani has stapled a seven-date West Coast leg onto her Sweet Escape tour. Sean Kingston will open for the singer when she hits Las Vegas (October 26); Tuscon, Arizona (October 29); San Diego (October 30); Stockton, California (November 1); Oakland, California (November 2); and Phoenix (November 8-9). ... Want to look just like Jessica Simpson? A recently launched e-commerce site, Seen On!, has more than 500 products associated with the actress. ...

We all know Kevin Federline the cocky rapper, but how about Kevin Federline the cocky rocker? That's the role Britney Spears' ex will play on the next season of "One Tree Hill" — he'll be the frontman of fictional band No Means Yes. ... Veronica Mars — er, Kristen Bell — is also doing the guest-appearance thing. She'll appear on a multi-episode arc on "Heroes" in October. ...

Dr. Dre is suing Death Row over the rights to his classic multiplatinum album, The Chronic. The producer/rapper (real name: Andre Young) filed a suit in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Los Angeles on Wednesday in which he claims he created, produced and was the primary performer on the album's master recordings. In 1992 — before the album's November release — Dr. Dre gave Death Row a license to distribute the LP in trade for royalties. Four years later, he gave up his 50 percent ownership interest in the label, agreeing to give it the copyright as long as he continued receiving royalties. In 2000, Dre told Death Row he was overturning the agreement and wanted the copyright back after the label failed to pay him royalties. In the new lawsuit, he says he made good on his part of the original, and that the label and the Chapter 11 trustee involved with the label's bankruptcy case are violating his rights as the owner of the copyright by continuing to distribute The Chronic without his authorization. Dre wants the bankruptcy court to declare that the 1992 and '96 agreements have been rescinded, and force the label and trustee to pay restitution and restore the copyrights to him. Lastly, he's asking for a permanent injunction that would prevent Death Row from offering the copyrights for sale in the future without his written approval. ...

Method Man has agreed to visit 15 New York high schools to warn students about the dangers of drugs as part of a plea deal he reached earlier this year on a marijuana-possession charge. The Associated Press reported that the "How High" star (born Clifford Smith) is thrilled to give the talks, according to his lawyer, who added, "he's never been in trouble before. He's not a stereotypical rapper." Meth was arrested May 17 after toll-booth workers on the Brooklyn, New York, side of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel reported smelling marijuana smoke coming from his SUV. ...

A motley crew of opening acts will help Bon Jovi christen Newark, New Jersey's Prudential Center on October 25-November 10. My Chemical Romance (October 25-26), Big & Rich (October 28 and 30), Gretchen Wilson (November 1 and 3), Daughtry (November 4 and 7) and the All-American Rejects (November 9-10) will help the NJ native sons do the honors. ... Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose will make a guest appearance on the debut solo album from former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach. Angel Down will hit stores November 20 and feature Rose on two tracks: "(Love Is) a B---hslap" and a cover of Aerosmith's "Back in the Saddle." ... The soundtrack to Rob Zombie's "Halloween" is set for release Tuesday and will feature 24 tracks, including Nazareth's "Love Hurts," Rush's "Tom Sawyer" and the Misfits' "Halloween II." ...

Pete Doherty was arrested on suspicion of drugs after being pulled over in a car with two other people in east London early Monday morning (August 20), following Babyshambles' Sunday performance at the V Festival. The three are in police custody at a London station. A magistrate warned Doherty earlier this month that he would face prison if he didn't prove that he was trying to stop using drugs. ... Emo rockers Piebald have called it quits. According to a statement from the band, the pop-punks will pack things up as soon as their current tour concludes September 7 in Englewood, Colorado. No reason was given for the breakup, but the statement claims, "This is a time of new beginnings, positive vibes and a congratulatory nod to the past. There has been talk of a few shows to give the band an official sendoff, but as of yet, those shows are not booked and unknown." ...

Police have charged some of the more than 80 people arrested during last week's Ozzfest stop at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, with "unruly behavior in the mosh pit." The individuals were charged with assault if they flailed their arms or legs in a way that police felt would hurt others. Meanwhile, in the wake of the arrests and two deaths that occurred at the venue during the show, the PNC Bank Arts Center has announced a total ban on alcohol outside the venue, according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger. The first show affected, a Velvet Revolver gig Friday night, found most patrons refraining from the typical hard-charging tailgating that usually goes on in the parking lot before shows at the venue, which has seen 500 arrests this season. ...

Uncle Kracker gave a statement to People magazine about being arrested on a second-degree forcible-sex-offense charge in North Carolina on Friday. "It's regrettable that someone would make this kind of allegation, not only because it's not the kind of thing I'd do, as the father of three girls, it's the kind of thing that I wouldn't stand for," the former Kid Rock DJ and solo singer said. "Anyone can say anything about anybody but it doesn't make it true or correct. This is one of those cases. I'm saddened that anyone might think I'm capable of this sort of thing." Kracker (born Matthew Shafer), was arrested early Friday morning after an alleged incident at a downtown Raleigh nightclub called the Ess Lounge; he was released later that day on $75,000 bond. Saturday night, Kracker took the stage in his hometown during a show by pal Kenny Chesney to duet on the tune "When the Sun Goes Down."

• Van Halen 'Jump' Headfirst Into Reunion Tour

• Amy Winehouse
• Kanye West
• Justin Timberlake
• Foxy Brown
• Ben Lee

The Game
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images

The Game pleaded not guilty Thursday (June 7) to three felony counts stemming from a pickup basketball game in Los Angeles in February, The Associated Press reports. He is charged with three counts of making a criminal threat, possession of a firearm in a school zone and exhibiting a firearm in the presence of an officer. The Game, who is free on $50,000 bail, faces more than five years in state prison if convicted. ...

Hilary Duff is heading back to school. The singer/actress will pay a visit to Normandie Elementary School in Los Angeles on June 14 to celebrate the success of USA Harvest's "Blessings in a Backpack" program, which she financed. By the end of the month, the 12-week program will have provided more than 72,000 meals to the roughly 1,000 students who attend the school. ...

50 Cent is a boss above all, and he talks G-Unit business in the July issue of Vibe, making it clear that some members of the crew should keep their résumés current. "I'll fire everybody," he said. "I don't give a f---. They're capable of all of their responsibilities, but when they start slacking, they gotta get the f--- outta here." Young Buck gets a good performance review — "He is the clean-up man because he's actually selling" — with one caveat: "Sometimes he says things without being totally conscious of what he's saying, so he's gonna make mistakes." And Tony Yayo, well, he's set for life. "Yayo can't be dropped, period," 50 explained. "He doesn't even need to sell records. As long as I'm breathing, he's gonna be good. And if I'm not breathing, then he's gonna be real good." That's right, 50 confirmed: Yayo's in the will. For more on 50's future plans — including his thoughts on retirement — check out the MTV News RAW interview. ...

Jermaine Dupri was in a minor car collision around midnight Thursday in New York after a woman allegedly ran a red light and totaled his Escalade, his representative confirmed to MTV News. The megaproducer wasn't injured, although his bodyguard did suffer a broken arm. ... Richie Sambora checked into an undisclosed treatment facility on Wednesday, Reuters reports. No additional information has been made available regarding the Bon Jovi guitarist, who broke up recently with girlfriend Denise Richards, lost his father and finalized his divorce with Heather Locklear. ...

Linkin Park's Music for Relief is partnering with Habitat for Humanity and American Forests for philanthropic projects, including the construction of houses for low-income families on the Gulf Coast. Music for Relief is donating $1 from every ticket purchased to the band's Projekt Revolution tour with My Chemical Romance and Taking Back Sunday to American Forests — enabling a tree to be planted for each person who goes. ... Benji Madden and Mandy Moore are among the unlikely guests Aussie indie-pop artist — and former Claire Danes fling — Ben Lee is welcoming on his new album. Rooney, Rachael Yamagata, Tom Petty collaborator Benmont Tench, Charlotte Martin and Nickel Creek's Sara Watkins fill out the colorful cast contributing to Ripe, due September 4. ...

"American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks will perform the national anthem on Thursday night at the NBA Finals' game-one matchup of the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs. LeAnn Rimes is scheduled to sing the anthem before the game-two tipoff on Sunday. ... Q-Tip is set to preview the first single from his long-delayed, yet-untitled third album, according to an announcement the rapper made on his MySpace page Wednesday. "Listen!!! It's finally coming," the post read. "It's been a minute but it's finally here. The first song that I'm gonna post is the snippet from my new single called 'Work It Out.' ... Just in time for the summer. It will be up by Monday at the latest." ...

Yellowcard will open 15 Blue October shows after trekking with the Vans Warped Tour this summer. Yellowcard and Blue October embark on their tour September 20 in Atlanta and wrap it up with a November 10 gig in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. ... The Nightwatchman — a.k.a. Tom Morello — performed at the Move Against G8 protest and rally in Germany over the weekend. His U.S. tour kicks off in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Thursday night. ...

Another day, another "Borat" lawsuit. This time, according to TheSmokingGun.com, New York businessman Jeffrey Lemerond, 31, who is chased on the street by Sacha Baron Cohen in the movie, claims in a lawsuit that his civil rights were violated by the bit, that he has suffered public humiliation and ridicule as a result and that movie studio 20th Century Fox has unjustly enriched itself through the unauthorized use of his image. Lemerond says the comedy depicts him as "fleeing in apparent terror" from Borat and screaming "go away," as Cohen sought a hug from him. Lemerond is listed as "John Doe" in the federal lawsuit, though he used his real name in a nearly identical state court lawsuit that was filed — and quickly withdrawn — in January. Lemerond's face was obscured in a trailer for the film, but was not pixilated in the film itself. ...

Franz Ferdinand will be playing a one-off intimate show at New York's Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday. Tickets went on sale at noon ET and were gone within five minutes. The Bowery set will serve as a warm-up for the band's slot at this year's Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, Tennessee, June 15. ... The Black Crowes will perform and Billy Bob Thornton will appear at Guitar Center's "King of the Blues" finals at Hollywood's Music Box @ Fonda on June 16. Kenny Wayne Shepherd will also play and Cheech Marin will host. ... Grinderman, Nick Cave's hard-rock project with some of his Bad Seeds, will open for the White Stripes when they play New York's Madison Square Garden on July 24. ...

Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor has confirmed that he'll be working with Anthrax on material for their upcoming, yet-untitled studio album. In an interview with Germany's Rock Hard magazine, Taylor said he may become the band's next singer. "It's been bandied about," he was quoted as saying. "I'm not saying anything right now because all it's been is just talked about. Obviously, I'm really good friends with those guys. It kind of started as a joke. And then the more we talked about it, the more serious it got. I'm [going to] at least help them out. It's kind of a dream come true — Anthrax is one of my favorite bands." ... Bright Eyes mainman Conor Oberst will be teaming up with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for a gig set for September 29 at the Hollywood Bowl. The concert will showcase tracks from Bright Eyes' latest release, Cassadaga.

06.06.2007

Last week, Diddy became just the second black person — the other was Michael Jordan — to win the prestigious Fragrance Foundation Award for his Unforgivable men's cologne line, besting fragrances by the likes of Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. To celebrate, Diddy hosted a bash Monday night at New York nightclub Marquee, where Bad Boy artists Cheri Dennis and Danity Kane partied alongside Miss USA Rachel Smith. ...

The lineup for Norway's Øyafestival has just been announced, and it's smokin'. Amy Winehouse, Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Lily Allen, Devendra Banhart, Lady Sovereign, Eagles of Death Metal, Spoon, Low, the Hold Steady, Shout Out Louds, Primal Scream, Albert Hammond Jr. and the Jesus and Mary Chain will grace the Oslo event, set for August 7-11. ...

Jay-Z joined a host of celebs — including Chris Tucker, Nicole Scherzingerof the Pussycat Dolls and Lauren London — on Sunday night at Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad album-release party at Sugar in Los Angeles. Giant and CoverGirl sponsored the event. ... Fabolous, DJ Clue and NBA superstar Gilbert Arenas are set to take part in a block-party and VIP soiree at the grand opening of the Ed Hardy boutique in downtown Manhattan, New York, on Sunday. ...

Where is Justin Timberlake searching for the next big star for his recently launched Tennman Records imprint? YouTube, of course. The singer announced on Tuesday that the first signing to his label is Dutch YouTube sensation Esmée Denters. According to a press release, 18-year-old Denters — who has gained fame, and 21 million views on her YouTube site, for her Alicia Keys, Beyoncé and, well, Timberlake covers — will be joining Timberlake on some of his European summer dates. He says the karaoke star is no joke. "Esmée is the real deal and I cannot wait for the world to hear her, but all of her fans on YouTube should not worry ... we will keep you in the loop every step of the way," Timberlake said. ...

Marley Marl, 44, was hospitalized Tuesday in New York after suffering from a heart attack, a source close to the veteran hip-hop producer confirmed to MTV News. The former Juice Crew member and onetime foe KRS-One recently put aside past differences and collaborated on an album titled Hip Hop Lives. A spokesperson for their label, Koch Records, had no further comment as of press time. ...

Bono's special Africa issue of Vanity Fair — he's the magazine's first guest editor — has hit newsstands with 20 different covers, featuring Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Madonna, Brad Pitt, Chris Rock, George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Djimon Hounsou, Oprah Winfrey, George W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice, Barack Obama, Desmond Tutu, Bill and Melinda Gates, Warren Buffett, Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Iman, Queen Rania of Jordan and Bono. "The covers are a kind of visual chain letter, spreading the message from person to person to person," photographer Annie Leibovitz said in a statement. "These are incredible people of our time who all have a passion for and a connection to Africa. It was important to me to really show the humanity in their faces." ...

Is "Knocked Up" a knockoff? Canadian journalist Rebecca Eckler has filed a suit against Judd Apatow and Universal Studios, the respective writer/director and studio behind the film, saying she came up with the idea first, Reuters reports. Eckler wants credit and compensation in light of "Knocked Up: Confessions of a Hip Mother-to-Be," a book she published in 2005 that — like the film — is the story of a young reporter who gets pregnant one drunken evening. "I don't doubt, purely based on the screenplay, that [Apatow] had a copy in his office somehow of the book," she said. "A lot of people, I'm sure, will say, 'Well, getting drunk and knocked up, it could happen to everybody.' Well, the fact is, it doesn't happen to everybody, and no one had written about it before I did. And [Apatow] didn't sell the screenplay until after I did." ...

A "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" mobile game, ringtones, voicetones and wallpaper will be available beginning June 26 on various wireless carriers. And the Potter Knight Bus tour, which kicked off Friday in New York on NBC's "Today," rolls on. Thirty-seven libraries in all (including those in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago, St. Louis, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco) will get a visit from the purple triple-decker bus, which a limited number of fans can board and share their thoughts on the Harry Potter books on video. The bus tour wraps up at Scholastic headquarters in New York on July 21 for the release of the series' final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." ...

Saddle Creek Records — home to Bright Eyes, Cursive and other indie faves — will open a large multimillion-dollar complex in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday, according to the Omaha World-Herald. The main attraction is Slowdown, a 470-capacity club/bar named after Slowdown Virginia, a group that featured members of current Saddle Creek bands. But the complex will also feature an art-house theater, apartments, retail stores and a restaurant, with label execs Robb Nansel and Jason Kulbel essentially serving as landlords. ... A Rolling Stones concert caused bedlam in Belgium on Tuesday, causing a 30-mile traffic jam as 33,000 fans showed up in the town of Werchter, according to The Associated Press. The show was the first gig on the band's European tour. ...

Elliott Yamin will welcome home Navy personnel returning from Iraq at the North Island Naval Base in San Diego on Friday, eating lunch with them and staging meet-and-greet and CD-signing sessions. ... Bob Marley's Exodus is being reissued again — but this time, on a USB flash drive via BobMarley.com. Made available Monday, the album is the first to be released in the tiny computer storage format; the limited-edition reusable sticks also feature three videos of performances from London's Rainbow Theatre in June 1977. More Exodus goodies just went up on the Marley site to commemorate the epic release's 30th anniversary, including a limited CD/DVD edition, an LP version and a book. ...

The follow-up to KT Tunstall's breakthrough Eye to the Telescope album will be called Drastic Fantastic and will hit stores in September, according to Capitol Records. Fantastic was produced by Steve Osbourne (who also helmed the sessions for Telescope) and will be powered by two "very sexy" guitars Tunstall acquired before recording the disc. Tunstall will appear at the NYC-area edition of the globe-spanning Live Earth Concerts, scheduled for July 7 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. ... MxPx will release a new LP, Secret Weapon, July 17. The album will contain 16 tracks, including "Here's to the Life," "Never Better Than Now" and "Biting the Bullet." ... Converge are working on a new DVD they've titled "Thousands of Miles Between Us." "As the title suggests, [it] will document the band's travels across the world, showcasing the best live moments from their touring around the globe." The DVD will also feature interviews with the band, its crew and some of Converge's friends.

• MTV News RAW: 50 Cent

• Game
• Hilary Duff
• 50 Cent
• Linkin Park
• Mandy Moore

Good Charlotte (file)
Photo: Jason Campbell

Good Charlotte and Simple Plan not only shared the stage earlier this month at MTV Asia Aid, but they're planning on repeating the experience this spring, when they head out on the road together. An itinerary has not been released yet for what Simple Plan singer Pierre Bouvier calls "the biggest tour ever," but it is scheduled to start May 3 in Kansas City, Missouri, and run through early June. ...

Apparently Jessica Simpson's caught the duet bug. On the heels of the news that she will soon record with country legend Willie Nelson, now word comes that Simpson will record a track with Irish popsters Westlife. The group's management confirmed the duet to MTV U.K. at Thursday night's Meteor Awards in Dublin, Ireland. ... Jamie Foxx recently said his upcoming album is all singles, but on Tuesday, the "Ray" actor said a track called "One Night Extravaganza" will likely be the first. "My man Mike City produced it," he said. ...

Lindsay Lohan's dad thinks all his legal troubles — from his messy divorce to getting arrested — only helps his daughter. In an interview conducted before his latest DWI arrest (for which he's being held without bail), Michael Lohan told ABC's "Primetime Live" that with his private difficulties becoming a public spectacle, his daughter's profile gets higher and she gets more offers than ever. "Don't they say any publicity is good publicity?" he asked. "I'm not doing anything to hurt my daughter." Lohan also said he's asking for half of the profits Lindsay's mom, Dina, gets for managing their daughter's career: "If you turn the tables and I was the one who was the manager for Lindsay, on paper, would she be entitled to half of what I get? I'm the one that supported them all their life. I'm the one that gave them diamond rings and fur coats and their cars... and every other thing they had. I paid for everything." If those terms aren't met in the divorce, he has another proposal for Lindsay's mom to pay him back — to star together in a television reality series, "a sort of Lohan version of the Osbournes." ...

Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé Knowles and David Beckham — co-stars in the latest international Pepsi commercial, called "Samurai" — attended the clip's premiere in Madrid, Spain, on Wednesday. The ad is set in Hong Kong, where Lopez and Knowles ride motorcycles to a Pepsi bar where they get in a martial-arts fight while on a mission. Beckham accidentally sits on Lopez's purse at the end, when he tries to pick them up. ... JC Chasez is halfway through recording his second solo album and, like the first, the style varies from song to song. "I can't help that I'm eclectic, man," JC said. "It's different and that's what I like." Chasez is working with Dallas Austin this week. ...

Edward Patten, a member of Motown recording greats Gladys Knight & the Pips, died Friday morning (February 25) at a suburban Detroit hospital, due to complications of a stroke he suffered a few days earlier, according to The Associated Press. He was 65. Patten joined the Pips in 1959, and lent his tenor voice to some of their biggest hits, including "I Heard It Through the Grape Vine" and "Midnight Train to Georgia." ... Scottish pop singer Edwyn Collins, 45, best known for his 1995 hit "A Girl Like You," remains in serious condition in a London hospital after suffering a brain hemorrhage on Sunday, according to BBC News. ...

U2's "Vertigo," Gwen Stefani's "What You Waiting For?" and Lindsay Lohan's "Rumors" are among the tracks included on Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 18, due March 15. ... Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash's famous black top hat was stolen from his limo when he was at the Grammys earlier this month, according to his rep. "He's pretty upset about it," Arlett Vereecke said. "He's had this hat for 12 years." Slash is offering a no-questions-asked return policy for the hat, and while he hasn't yet decided upon a reward, Vereecke said she's sure "we'll do something." Meanwhile, the new Slash limited-edition figurine still has his hat, an exact replica of the stolen one. It's now available for pre-order at Guitarhero.net. ...

Ben Lee celebrated the release of his latest offering, Awake Is the New Sleep, with a show at Tonic on New York's Lower East Side. Among the faithful who turned out on a cold and blustery Thursday night was longtime live-in ex-girlfriend, Claire Danes. When he performed the album's rawkiest track, "Close I've Come," Ben notably softened what is perhaps the album's most blistering lyric — "You broke my f---in' heart, but I still ... want you" — opting instead for the less aggressive "They can break our f---in' hearts, but they can't ... stop us!" ...

02.24.2005

The Game is the latest celebrity to design a cap for New Era's 59 Fifty "Capture the Flag" series. The red, white and black fitted hat features an embroidered "B" on the front and reads "The Black Wall Street: Live for Everything, Die for Nothing." NBA star Chris Webber will be the next celeb to submit a design for the series. ...

50 Cent will soon be able to add radio producer/personality to his list of credits when "G-Unit Radio" takes over Eminem's Sirius hip-hop radio channel, Shade 45, on Saturdays starting in March. The Queens rapper will produce and host weekly programming for the channel along with DJ Whoo Kid. 50 will talk about his new venture Friday night at 8 p.m. ET on Shade 45. ... P. Diddy has been added as a presenter for Sunday's 77th Academy Awards, marking his first time on the Oscar stage. Mike Myers is also a late addition. ...

Michelle Branch, who married her bassist, Teddy Landau, last May, is pregnant. The singer is due in August, according to her rep. ... Jennifer Lopez told People magazine that her life with Marc Anthony is "more normal than it's ever been." Acknowledging that she exchanged vows with Anthony in the backyard of her home in the Hollywood Hills on June 5 the singer said that their marriage is no longer a secret: "Yes, we're married. I mean, come on, everybody knows." She also told the magazine that while she's enjoyed being a stepmom to Anthony's three kids, she's hoping for children of her own. "One healthy baby would be enough for me," she said. ...

Ice Cube is in negotiations to take on Cary Grant's role in a remake of the 1948 comedy "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House," according to Variety. "Next Friday" director Steve Carr is helming the movie, about a New Yorker who moves to a crumbling house in Connecticut. ... For a creature that may or may not actually exist, Sasquatch has some killer taste in music. The mythical man-beast has lined up Kanye West, the Pixies, Modest Mouse and a host of others to play the 2005 Sasquatch! Music Festival, to be held May 28 at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Washington. Tickets are $55 (Sasquatch gotta eat!) and go on sale Saturday though the House of Blues Web site (www.HOB.com). ...

Butler County, Ohio, police have a warrant out for Krayzie Bone's arrest. The Bone Thugs-N-Harmony member, whose real name is Anthony Henderson, failed to show up at a court hearing Wednesday to secure payment of more than $40,000 in back child support. ...Whitney Houston was rushed to an undisclosed Paris hospital on Thursday (February 24) after getting sick on a Europe-bound flight, according to her spokesperson. The singer, who suffers from gastroenteritis — an inflammation of the stomach and intestines — was apparently stricken with food poisoning and was rushed to the emergency room following a bout of "severe vomiting" on the flight. Houston is doing well and should not have to stay in the hospital overnight, her rep said. ...

"American Idol" judges Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson will soon release "Ultimate Voice Coach," a DVD package aimed to make anyone "Idol"-ready. The three-disc set will feature three hours of video instruction from top vocal coaches as well as five karaoke songs. Aspiring singers will also get the chance to have their crooning rated on the "Ultimate Voice Coach" Web site. The package hits stores April 5. ... Former Soul Coughing frontman Mike Doughty has set a May 3 release date for his solo album, Haughty Melodic. Semisonic singer Dan Wilson produced the project. ...

• Good Charlotte
• Jessica Simpson
• Jamie Foxx
• Lindsay Lohan
• Beyoncé

Omarion's <i>O</i>
Photo: Sony

B2K fans who've been in mourning since the group's breakup will have something to scream about again this week when Omarion's debut solo effort, O, hits shelves.

Omarion calls out former B2K members for the problems the group had ("Growing Pains"), but he also gets optimistic with upbeat dance tracks. Rodney Jerkins lends production skills to the track "Drop That Heater," while former B2K producers the Underdogs, Allstar, Corna Boyz and Outkast's Big Boi also lend a hand.

On the heels of their nod from U2, who asked them to provide tour support on the North American portion of their upcoming trek, Nashville's Kings of Leon (made up of three brothers and one cousin) are releasing their sophomore album, Aha Shake Heartbreak. The Southern rock quartet's follow-up to their 2003 debut, Youth & Young Manhood, has already produced two #1 singles in the U.K.

Taking energy levels down a notch is a new album by Tori Amos, The Beekeeper. Released along with her memoir, "Tori Amos: Piece by Piece," The Beekeeper is the artist's first new release since 2002's Scarlet's Walk.

It's been about three years since fans heard from Aussie singer/songwriter Ben Lee as well. Coming off a high-profile breakup with Claire Danes, Lee this week releases his Awake Is the New Sleep, which, despite his publicized sadness, is not a breakup album but a collection of tracks full of pop hooks.

Also out this week are albums by Aesop Rock (Fast Car Danger Fire & Knives); Thievery Corporation (Cosmic Game); Widespread Panic (Live at Myrtle Beach); Layzie Bone and Bizzy Bone (Bone Brothers); Robbers on High Street (Tree City); (hed) p.e. (Only in Amerika); and Phoenix (Live! Thirty Days Ago).

Out Tuesday, February 22:

• Aesop Rock - Fast Car Danger Fire & Knives (Definitive Jux)
• A Gun Called Tension - A Gun Called Tension (Cold Crush)
• Monty Alexander - Live at the Iridium (Telarc)
• All Natural - Vintage (Touch and Go)
• Bernard Allison - Higher Power (Ruf Records)
• Tori Amos - The Beekeeper (Epic)
• Backyard Babies - Tinnitus (Sanctuary)
• Black 47 - Elvis Murphy's Green Suede Shoes (Gadfly)
• Blackfield - Blackfield (Koch)
• Rory Block - From the Dust (Telarc)
• Layzie Bone and Bizzy Bone - Bone Brothers (Koch)
• Ian Brown - Solarized (Koch)
• By Night - Burn the Flags (Lifeforce)
• Neal Casal - Return in Kind (Fargo)
• Hernan Cattaneo - Renaissance - The Masters Series Vol. 2 (Thrive)
• Chatham County Line - Route 23 (Yep Roc)
• Clem Snide - End of Love (spinART)
• Ravi Coltrane - In Flux (Savoy)
• Comeback Kid - Wake the Dead (Victory)
• Crooked Fingers - Dignity and Shame (Merge)
• Dead Meadow - Feathers (Matador)
• Dexateens - Red Dust Rising (Touch and Go)
• Doramus - The Truth and Then Some (Diamond)
• Dub Syndicate - Pure Thrillseekers (Shanachie)
• Nicolai Dunger - This Cloud Is Learning (Touch and Go)
• Liz Durrett - Husk (Touch and Go)
• John Ellis - One Foot in the Swamp (Hyena)
• EMOK - Shove Your Head Into the Ground and Feed It to the Earth (Wrong Records)
• Enon - Lost Marbles & Exploded Evidence (Touch and Go)
• Laurent Garnier - The Cloud Making Machine (Mute)
• Hacienda Brothers - The Hacienda Brothers (Koch)
• Petra Haden - Sings: The Who Sell Out (Bar/None)
• Hand to Hand - A Perfect Way to Say Goodbye (Lifeforce)
• (hed) p.e. - Only in Amerika (Koch)
• Fred Hersch - Leaves of Grass (Palmetto)
• Hidden in Plain View - Life in Dreaming (Drive-Thru)
• Rex Hobart & the Misery Boys - Empty House (Bloodshot)
• Irfan - Irfan (Dancing Ferret Discs)
• Iron and Wine - Woman King EP (Sub Pop)
• Jude Johnstone - On a Good Day (BoJak)
• Karate - In the Fishtank 12 EP (Touch and Go)
• Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak (RCA)
  Read: "Kings Of Leon Royally Pleased To Be Touring With U2"
  Buy Now: Aha Shake Heartbreak (RCA)
• Kizooks - Super Huge Very Big Hits (Koch)
• Bireli Lagrene - Move (Dreyfus)
• Ben Lee - Awake Is the New Sleep (New West)
• Little Brazil - You and Me (Mt. Fuji)
• Chuck Loeb - When I'm with You (Shanachie)
• Kate McDonnell - Where the Mangoes Are (Appleseed)
• Roger Miret & the Disasters - 1984 (Epitaph)
• Mount Sims - Wild Light (Gigolo)
• Ms. Kra-Z - Lyrically Insane (Diamond)
• Mystic Prophecy - Never Ending (Nuclear Blast)
• Nedelle - From the Lion's Mouth (Kill Rock Stars)
• Omarion - O (Epic)
  Read: "Omarion's O Has Tracks For Grandma, B2K And (Almost) Nekkid Club-Goers"
  Buy Now: O (Sony)
  
• Open Hand - You & Me (Trustkill)
• Opio - Triangulation Station (Hieroglyphics)
• Bill Payne - Cielo Norte (Hot Tomato)
• The Peels - The Peels (Dim Mak)
• Phoenix - Live! Thirty Days Ago (Astralwerks)
• Pungent Stench - Ampeauty (Nuclear Blast)
• Ann Rabson - In a Family Way (Emit Doog)
• Josh Ritter - 4 Song EP (V2)
• Josh Ritter - Hello Starling (V2)
• Robbers on High Street - Tree City (New Line)
• Josh Rouse - Nashville (Rykodisc)
• Neal Schon - IonU (Favored Nations)
• Scritti Politti - Early (Sanctuary)
• Billy Sheehan - Cosmic Troubadour (Favored Nations)
• Since the Flood - Valor and Vengeance (Ironclad)
• Solas - Waiting for an Echo (Shanachie)
• Thievery Corporation - Cosmic Game (ESL Music)
• Steve Vai - Real Illusions (Epic)
• M. Ward - Transistor Radio (Merge)
• William Elliott Whitmore - Ashes to Dust (Southern Records)
• Widespread Panic - Live at Myrtle Beach (Sanctuary)
• Tom Wopat - Sings Harold Arlen: Dissertation on the State of Bliss (Hyena)
• Chely Wright - The Metropolitan Hotel (DualTone)
• Various artists - "The L Word" soundtrack (Tommy Boy)
• DVD: Various artists - "Darkest Hour - Party Scars and Prison Bars" (Victory)
• DVD: Various artists - "Looking for a Thrill - An Anthology of Inspiration" (Thrill Jockey)

March 1:

• Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams (Universal)
  Read: "Jack Johnson Takes It Easy On New LP, Gets Into Curious George's Head"
• Jennifer Lopez - Rebirth (Sony)
  Read: "Fat Joe Nearly A No-Show To Flow With J. Lo"
• The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute (Universal)

March 3:

• 50 Cent - The Massacre (Aftermath)
  Read: "50 Cent's LP Pushed Up, Harsh 'Facts' Sound Like Disses On Leaked 'Piggy Bank'"

March 8:

• Black Label Society - Mafia (Artemis)
  Read: "Zakk Wylde Rips Blind Followers On 'Just Another Black Label Society Record'"
• Kasabian - Kasabian (RCA)

March 15:

• Daft Punk - Human After All (Virgin Records)
• Kaiser Chiefs - Employment (Universal)
  Read: "Kaiser Chiefs 'Predict A Riot,' Music Press Predicts Franz Ferdinand-Like Success"
• Various artists - Now That's What I Call Music! 18 (Sony)

• Omarion
• Kings Of Leon
• Tori Amos
• Ben Lee
• Aesop Rock

Ben Lee (file)
Photo: Taylor Crothers

What do you do if you've been touring the world for the past decade and, at 25, you're having what amounts to your first midlife crisis? If you are coming off a very public breakup with your longtime movie-star girlfriend? If you are headline news at home, but just another face in the crowd in your adopted hometown of New York?

If you're Ben Lee, you write an album of existential pop songs and call it Awake Is the New Sleep (February 22) and enjoy how you've turned heartbreak and the search for life's big answers into the strongest album of your career.

"My job as an artist is to go a little further, be more vulnerable and get to a riskier place than an ordinary person would," Lee, 26, said of songs such as the menage-a-trois fantasy "Apple Candy" and the atmospheric ballad "Get Gotten," the lyrics of which paint him as, well, intense.

"I got songs that give/ I got songs that prove/ Songs I use when I want to seduce/ And I want to seduce you/ Why won't you let me?" he sings in an intimate near-whisper on "Gotten." But would he really go so far as to, say, use "God to pick up girls"? "Yeah, that's my job," he laughed, admitting he may have looked for some divine intervention in the past. "I've lived with a certain kind of abandon and commitment to my passion, my music, and that's one of the things I'm most proud of."

Luckily for fans, that abandon was also plowed back into such joyous, infectious pop nuggets as the album's first single, "Catch My Disease," a jangly, foot-stomping, hand-clapping, bell-ringing tune about taking life as it comes. "Please, baby, please, open your heart and catch my disease," Lee pleads in his best blue-eyed soul croon.

But while he's a top name in his native Australia, success has been harder to attain in the U.S., something he jokes about in the song when he sings, "They don't play my songs on the radio/ And that's the way I like it."

"It's not sour grapes," he said. "The irony is that it's the catchiest song I've ever done, but part of me feels like I'm coming to value the power of anonymity and being underestimated. There's so much great work being done anonymously on the planet, like when you go to the deli and buy a bagel and the guy at the register smiles at you and he's not mean. That's a little moment of hope that he won't be thanked for."

Like many instantly hummable ditties, the song was conceived and recorded on the fly, very quickly, and in this case, backstage. Lee was touring with Phantom Planet, and, on the final show of the tour, a backstage jam with the band inspired the song's lyrics to tumble out all at once.

Lee began his career in his native Sydney, Australia, at age 14 with his first band, the pop-punk group Noise Addict. Though short lived, NA attracted the attention of the Beastie Boys, who released Lee's first solo album, 1995's Grandpaw Would, on their now-defunct Grand Royal label. He followed with the mostly acoustic 1997 album Something to Remember Me By, 1999's guitar-heavy Breathing Tornados and 2003's beat-crazy Hey You. Yes You., produced by Dan the Automator. In between, he's collaborated with Kylie Minogue, the Lemonheads' Evan Dando, released a series of EPs with Ben Kweller and Ben Folds as the Bens (see "The Bens: Folds, Kweller, Lee Team Up For Side Project") and, in 2003, made his feature-film debut in the Australian indie "The Rage in Placid Lake."

But for most Us Weekly-reading Americans, Lee is best known as the former boyfriend of Claire Danes, whom he dated until last year, when she left him for actor Billy Crudup, who famously split with eight-months-pregnant girlfriend Mary-Louise Parker around the same time. There are a number of songs on Awake that sound like they could be about the breakup ("Ache for You," for one), but Lee said things aren't that black and white. "People would expect a breakup record," he said, "but Claire and I are great friends and, weirdly for me, that whole period in my life is not one where the heartbreak is a dominant feeling."

Lee said he comes closest to dealing with the split in the country-tinged pop ballad "No Right Angles," in which he sings about "suspicious minds." More than anything, though, he said the song is about his own unbending will and how he can sometimes be difficult to deal with. Like the raucous up-with-people anthem "We're All in This Together" — which features cameos from Har Mar Superstar, members of Rilo Kiley and producer Brad Wood's daughter — even Lee's breakup song is infused with a sunny, upbeat outlook.

"I'm playing to my strengths when I allow myself to be full of hope," Lee said. "There are certain times in my life and career when I felt the battles were too difficult. Like in 'Begin,' where I talk about hitting a wall and looking up at the sky. This whole record stems from a change that is something I don't have the vocabulary to be articulate about, like that childhood dream when you are in your house and you find a new room you didn't know about. That's what my life was like when I was making this record, almost like I remembered what I came for."

Whether American audiences finally connect with Lee's sound on this album or not, he said he's satisfied that Awake is his best snapshot of that dream. "I'll never forget a moment when I was playing a college in L.A. and a kid who was a huge fan asked me, 'Ben, have you tried to be successful?' That was so funny to me. I am successful! I've made a career in music, and that's not easy."

• Ben Lee

Britney Spears (file)
Photo: Jive

Britney Spears has written a poem about her honeymoon and has posted it on her fan club's Web site. In the nearly blow-by-blow account of her trip to Fiji's Turtle Island, Spears describes her time alone with her new husband, Kevin Federline, as "magical nights" and a "little piece of heaven" but cuts short the details when it gets to the bedroom: "A meal, a shower and some ice cream/ Then I threw my man down, you know what I mean!" ... Lindsay Lohan is giving fans a sneak peek of her upcoming debut album, Speak — the actress/singer has posted four audio clips of songs on her Web site and is taking a poll to see which tracks people prefer. The songs are "Nobody 'Til You," "Symptoms of You," "Over" and the title track. ...

A pretrial hearing was held on Wednesday in Los Angeles for the case in which a photographer is alleging that Christina Aguilera's bodyguard beat him up outside a club last year. "He was punched in the mouth, his mouth was bloodied, he had lacerations inside his mouth," the photographer's lawyer said in court. Aguilera has countersued photographer David Keeler, claiming she had nothing to do with what happened, and her lawyer said a self-defense argument would be explored. The judge encouraged both parties to reach an agreement. ... Aguilera's former tourmate isn't having much luck with paparazzi, either. Two photographers are suing Justin Timberlake and his girlfriend, Cameron Diaz, for assault and battery, claiming the couple attacked them when they tried to photograph the pair on November 6. Saul Lazo and Jose Gonzalez claim in a lawsuit filed Friday that they did nothing to harass the couple and stood more than 10 feet away when Diaz ran at Lazo, hit him, tripped him and took his camera. They say Timberlake screamed at the photographer, who was bleeding and on the ground. In a previous statement, the couple claimed they had been ambushed and acted in self-defense, and that Diaz only took the camera to later identify the photographers. ...

Timberlake's 'NSYNC groupmate Lance Bass makes a cameo appearance on the new show "$25 Million Hoax." For the show's second episode, the singer's job is to help a woman, who is trying to record a Britney Spears song at a recording studio, convince her friends and family that she has won the lottery and has become a spendaholic. The episode airs Monday (November 15) at 10 p.m. on NBC. ... Puddle of Mudd will play a show for some lucky fans at an undisclosed Los Angeles location Tuesday. On its Web site, the band extended an invitation to the first 150 of its "biggest fans" to attend a concert that will be recorded for release on DVD. Winners were supposed to be notified by no later than Monday, so if you haven't heard back yet, you're probably out of luck. ...

Ben Lee has finished his new album, Awake Is the New Sleep. Lee worked with producer Brad Wood (Liz Phair, Smashing Pumpkins) on the album, due out in February. ... Morrissey has announced plans to reissue his latest album, You Are the Quarry, in a special CD/DVD deluxe edition. The CD half of the package now features nine B-sides. The DVD collects all three of the Mozzer's appearances on "The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn" from earlier this year along with his videos for "Irish Blood, English Heart" and "First of the Gang to Die." The combo is scheduled to hit shelves in December. ... Experimental U.K. group Stereolab are working on a three-disc retrospective of the EPs they've issued in their dozen years together. The as-yet-untitled set is due in April. Meanwhile, the band continues to work on a new series of EPs to follow up Margerine Eclipse, which dropped in January. ...

11.12.2004

Fantasia has selected "Truth Is," produced by Soulshock & Karlin (Tupac, Usher), as the first single from her debut album, Free Yourself, due November 23. The album will also feature Fantasia's "American Idol" show-stopping cover of George Gershwin's "Summertime," a version of "You Were Always on My Mind" (made famous by Willie Nelson) and three collaborations with Missy Elliott. ...

Nelly, Kanye West and Hoobastank are among the artists who will be on hand to read the nominations for the 47th annual Grammy Awards on December 7 at Hollywood's Music Box. ... Though they just starred together this week on "That '70s Show," Lindsay Lohan and Wilmer Valderrama have called it quits, according to People magazine. The couple had only recently made their relationship public, once Lohan turned 18 this July, and had also exchanged promise rings, according to Lohan's mother. They're said to still be friends. ...

Britney Spears is upsetting art critics in London, who've taken issue with an exhibition of pictures of the singer taken by David LaChapelle and Herb Ritts called "I Heart Britney" at the Institute of Contemporary Arts. In response to the criticism, the singer's record label reps have countered that the museum is the "most fitting place in London for a Britney Spears exhibition," since it's known for being "up-to-date, edgy and cool." ... After returning to the game a few months ago on the mixtape circuit, Shaquille O'Neal now has his own court to play in. Shaq is bankrolling the new imprint Deja34 Records, which will be distributed by Koch. The label's inaugural release will be a new album by DJ Kay Slay in April. Kay Slay also serves as the label's head of A&R. ...

Despite their #2 debut on the albums chart with eMOTIVe, Maynard James Keenan has put A Perfect Circle on the shelf for the time being. He's currently in the studio with his Tool bandmates working on the band's fourth album, the follow-up to 2001's Lateralus. The LP is expected to drop next year. ... "The O.C." is now more than just a TV show — it's also a game. "Skate the O.C." starts when the Cohens have left for Santa Barbara but have left their backyard gate unlocked. The show's familiar backyard — with its pool emptied and ramps in place — then becomes a skater's paradise at www.fox.com/oc/skatetheoc/. ...

Redman is eyeing a March release for his next album, Red Gone Wild. Around that time the rapper is scheduled to shoot a movie with Method Man where the two play undercover drug-enforcement agents. ... Ruben Studdard's has titled his upcoming gospel album I Need an Angel. Due November 23, it will feature the title track first single, produced by R. Kelly and Warryn Campbell. ...

On December 8, London's Royal Albert Hall will play host to the Refugee Voices for Darfur, a concert to benefit the 1.8 million displaced survivors of the bloody civil war in the African nation of Sudan. Musicians taking part in the concert include Franz Ferdinand (who have recorded a message to be played during the event), Chrissie Hynde and Mick Hucknall. The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra will serve as the evening's backup band. ... Mary J. Blige, JC Chasez and Kelis are among the artists bringing holiday cheer to the Gap's winter TV campaign, called "How Do You Share It?" in which Sarah Jessica Parker runs into different musicians on the holiday party circuit. The ads debut next week. ... Mario's next album, Turning Point, is slated for a December 7 release. Besides Scott Storch's touch on first single "Let Me Love You," the R&B singer's second album features production from Lil Jon. ...

Want to spend quality time with Metallica? Or laze around on Nick Hexum's private Key West island? Those and other opportunities are being auctioned off to raise money for the T.J. Martell Foundation, which donates money for disease research. Artists such as Linkin Park, Simple Plan, Good Charlotte and Hilary Duff are each donating their time and memorabilia to be auctioned off beginning November 22 at www.fan2fan.com/ebayauction. ... Despite rumors to the contrary, Madonna told MTV Europe that she isn't planning to do a cameo in her husband Guy Ritchie's film "Revolver," currently shooting in London. Madge, however, does have other movie plans in the works — for her book "The English Roses." She said it would hopefully go into production this year. "It takes forever to get a movie made," she said. "So fingers crossed." As for her tour documentary that's supposed to hit theaters next year, she doesn't have a name for the project yet, but she hopes it'll be out by May. ...

• Britney Spears
• Lindsay Lohan
• Justin Timberlake
• Morrissey
• Puddle Of Mudd

• Ben Kweller
• Ben Folds
• Ben Lee

We just got an album. We just got an album. We just got an album. Wonder who it's from?

Steve Burns, former host of "Blue's Clues," of course.

Newly minted indie rocker Burns delivers his debut record, Songs for Dustmites, which features a little help from his friends, members of the Flaming Lips and their producer David Fridmann. Songs like "Mighty Little Man," "What I Do on Saturday" and "Troposphere" showcase Burns' wide-eyed innocence with the Lips' penchant for the absurd.

Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba, the reluctant emo poster boy, releases A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar. The critical consensus is that Carrabba finally exhibits his full power as a musician on songs like "So Beautiful," "Ghost of a Good Thing" and "Several Ways to Die."

Ben Lee tries hard to get your attention on Hey You. Yes You. Dan the Automator produces the Australian rocker's fifth album, and the combination makes for catchy pop songs and spaced-out sounds. According to Lee, "Chills," a power ballad co-written by Jason Schwartzman, was written with high-school proms in mind, with the aim being that the song be played at the pre-summer festivities for years to come.

State Property's Beanie Sigel Presents 2: The Album features Beanie, of course, as well as fellow Roc-A-Fellas like Freeway, Peedi Crakk and Young Chris. Broadcast release Haha Sound, the band's second, ethereal album, alongside Goodie Mob rapper Big Gipp's Mutant Mindframe and Pat Benatar's Go.

The soundtrack for the slasher buddy flick "Freddy Vs. Jason" features the aggro-rock of Powerman 5000, Stone Sour and Type O Negative, while a kinder, gentler compilation, Powerpuff Girls: Power Pop, features the Sahara Hotnights on "On Top of Your World," Cherish on "Power of the Female" and "Me and My Girls," and Shonen Knife's ode to the crankiest super heroine, "Buttercup (She's a Supergirl)."

Out Tuesday, August 12:

• Howard Alden and Bucky Pizzarelli - A Mellow Tone (Concord Jazz)
• Sherrié Austin - Streets of Heaven (BBR)
• Ballboy - A Guide for the Daylight Hours (Manifesto)
• Danny Barnes - Dirt on the Angel (Terminus)
• Martin Barre - Stage Left (Fuel 2000)
• Tywanna Jo Baskette - Fancy Blue (Sweet Tea/Terminus)
• Pat Benatar - Go! (Bel Chiasso)
• Big Gipp - Mutant Mindframe (Koch)
• Blusom - Go Slowly All the Way Round the Outside (Second Nature)
• Broadcast - Haha Sound (Warp)
• Steve Burns - Songs for Dustmites (PIAS)
  Read: "Ex-'Blue's Clues' Host Steve Burns An Indie Rocker At Heart"
• Calico System - The Duplicated Memory (Eulogy)
• Carbon Leaf - 5 Alive (two CDs, Carbon Leaf)
• The Cash Brothers - A Brand New Night (Rounder)
• Eva Cassidy - American Tune (Blix Street)
• Cat on Form - Structure and Fear (Southern)
• Eddy Clearwater with Los Straitjackets - Rock 'n' Roll City (Bullseye Blues & Jazz)
• Dashboard Confessional - A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar (Vagrant)
  Read: "Dashboard Confessional Singer Heals Scars, Stops Singing The Blues On New LP"
  Hear A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar first on MTV.com
  Buy Now: A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar (Vagrant)
• Jason Crosby - Four Chords and Seven Notes Ago (Artists House)
• Dapp Theory - Y'all Just Don't Know (Concord)
• Dead by July - Before Dishonor (Bockhorn)
• Disfear - Misanthropic Generation (Relapse)
• Dishwalla - Live ... From the Flow State (Immergent)
  Buy Now: Live ... From the Flow State (Immergent)
• DJ Craze - Rugged Radio Saturday (Audio Research)
• DJ Keoki - KeokiClash (Hypnotic)
• Dudoos - Kogidaso! Shura-Shu-Shun! (Sound Pollution)
• Extol - Synergy (Century Media)
• Béla Fleck and the Flecktones - Little Worlds (Columbia)
• Gene Loves Jezebel - Exploding Girls (Triple X)
• Scott Hamilton Quartet - Live in London (Concord Jazz)
• Inhuman - The New Nightmare (A-F)
• Alan Jackson - Greatest Hits 2 (Arista)
• The Joykiller - Ready, Sexed, Go! (Epitaph)
• Jude the Obscure - The Coldest Winter (One Day Savior)
• Ben Lee - Hey You. Yes You. (F2)
  Buy Now: Hey You. Yes You. (F2)
• Los Lonely Boys - Los Lonely Boys (Or Music)
• Low Flying Owls - Elixir Viritae (Stinky)
• Tom Mabe - A Wake-Up Call for Telemarketers (Megaforce)
• Marizane - Stage One (Vibro-phonic)
• The Mexican Blackbirds - Just to Spite You (Dirtnap)
• Mosquitos - Mosquitos (Bar None)
• Judy Mowatt - Sing Our Own Song (Shanachie)
• Ken Navarro - All the Way (Shanachie)
• Michelle Nixon - It's My Turn (Pinecastle)
• Tim O'Brien - Traveler (Sugar Hill)
• Pansy Division - Total Entertainment (Alternative Tentacles)
• Danilo Pérez - ... Till Then (Verve)
• Sarah Pierce - Love's the Only Way (Little Bear/Valley Entertainment)
• Pigface - Head (Invisible)
• Rap Mania - The Roots of Rap (X-Ray)
• Kurt Rosenwinkel - Heatcore (Verve)
• Arundhati Roy - Come September ... In Conversations With Howard Zinn (Alternative Tentacles)
• Diane Schuur - Midnight (Concord Jazz)
• Slack Family - Pickin' Up the Slack (Planetary)
• Smith, White & Fairchild - Love Never Fails (Skaggs Family)
• Smoo - Traffic in My Soul (Valley Entertainment)
• South Central Cartel - South Central Hell-A (D3)
• The Spotlight Syndicate - ... Forget the Static Past ... (Substandard)
• State Property - Beanie Sigel Presents 2: The Album (Def Jam)
• These Arms Are Snakes - This Was Meant to Hurt You (Jade Tree)
• Walter Trout - Relentless (Ruf)
• Truxton - Truxton (Substandard)
• Viki/Hair Police - Split (Load)
• Vortis - God Won't Bless America Again (Thick)
• Wehrwolfe - Godless We Stand (Magick)
• Robin Williamson - Skirting the River Road (ECM)
• World Inferno Friendship Society - Hallomas — Live at North Six (DCN)
• Various artists - 7Heads R Better Than 1, Vol. 1: No Edge Ups in South Africa (7Heads)
• Various artists - Boston Scene Report (TKO)
• Various artists - "Cheetah Girls" soundtrack (Walt Disney)
• Various artists - "Freddy Vs. Jason" soundtrack (Def Jam)
• Various artists - Fueling the Flames of Revolution (A-F)
• Various artists - "Grind" soundtrack (Atlantic)
• Various artists - An Irish Holiday (Eagle)
• Various artists - Japanese Assault (Relapse)
• Various artists - !K7150 (!K7)
• Various artists - Kids Bop Vol. 4 (Razor and Tie)
• Various artists - "The Last Great Wilderness" soundtrack (Domino)
• Various artists - Metamorphic: The String Quartet Tribute to Tool 2 (Vitamin)
• Various artists - "Open Range" soundtrack (Hollywood)
• Various artists - Powerpuff Girls: Power Pop (Kid Rhino)
• Various artists - Shout, Sister, Shout: A Tribute to Sister Rosetta
• Thorpe (M.C.)

• DVD Bloodhound Gang - One Fierce Beer Run (Geffen)
• DVD DJ Tiesto - Another Day at the Office (Black Hole)
• DVD Kottonmouth Kings - Endless Highway (Music Video Distributors/Suburban Noize)
• DVD New Order - 316 (Rhino)
• DVD Skid Row - Under the Skin: The Making of Thickskin (Music Video Distributors)

August 19:

• Kraftwerk - Tour de France Soundtracks (Astralwerks)
  Buy Now: Tour de France (Astralwerks)
• Neil Young - Greendale (Warner Bros.)
• Various artists - Neptunes Presents: Clones (Arista)
  Read: "Summer Music Preview: Neptunes' Star Trak Presents ... Clones"
  Buy Now: Neptunes Presents: Clones (Arista)
• Bow Wow - Unleashed (Columbia)
  Buy Now: Unleashed (Columbia)

August 26:

• Hilary Duff - Metamorphosis (Disney)
  Read: "Hilary Duff: Not Just For Kids"
  Buy Now: Metamorphosis (Disney)
  
• Peter Frampton - Now (33rd St.)
• Anthony Hamilton - Coming From Where I'm From (Arista) Read: "Eve, D'Angelo Can Testify: Anthony Hamilton Is 'Hellified Powerful' "
  Buy Now: Coming From Where I'm From (Arista)
• Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (La Face)
  Buy Now: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (La Face)
• Triumph the Insult Comic Dog - Songs in the Key of Poop (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Eminem Enemy Triumph Previews LP; Beefs With Bow Wow, Benji"

September 2:

• Mariah Carey - Remixes (Sony)
• Raveonettes- Chain Gang of Love (Sony)

September 9:

• John Mayer - Heavier Things (Sony)
  Read: "John Mayer Tries Hip-Hop With Help From Roots' ?uestlove"
• Seal - Seal (Warner Bros.)

September 16:

• Elvis Costello - North (Universal)
• Bubba Sparxxx - Deliverance (Interscope)
  Read: "Bubba Sparxxx Softens Bumpkin Image, Teams Up With Justin For A 'Hootnanny' "
  
• Carnie Wilson - For the First Time (KMA)

October 7:

• Jin - Almost Famous (Virgin)
  Read: "Ruff Ryders' New Dog: Jin"

• Dashboard Confessional
• State Property
• Steve Burns
• Ben Lee
• Powerman 5000

A Chicago judge has turned down R. Kelly's request to go to Los Angeles to shoot a video, making that the first time any of the singer's travel requests have been rejected since he was indicted on 21 counts of child pornography a year ago and ordered to stay in the jurisdiction as part of his bond. Kelly appeared in court Wednesday (June 4) to begin discussions regarding a number of trips he wanted to take this month, but prosecutors said that he had misled the court when he asked permission to travel to New York for a concert, since it turned out he was not scheduled to perform. Permission was denied for the video — Kelly's shot three videos in the last two months, and Judge Vincent Gaughan said that would have to be enough. Permission was granted, however, for Kelly to travel to Los Angeles to perform at the BET Awards on June 24, and to Dallas to perform at a fundraiser on June 28. Kelly is due back in court on July 14. ...

"American Idol" runner-up Justin Guarini's self-titled debut album, due Tuesday, will include a duet with winner Kelly Clarkson called "Timeless." Also on the album is a cover of "Unchained Melody" and tracks produced by Babyface, Soulshock & Karlin (Destiny's Child) and Wade Robson (Britney Spears). ... Ozzy's girl is leaving the nest. Kelly Osbourne recently bought a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house in the Hollywood Hills for close to the $1.2 million asking price, according the Los Angeles Times' real-estate section. The gated, Spanish-style split-level was built in the 1920s. ...

Though the Backstreet Boys won't be delivering a new album anytime soon, two members of the boy band are preparing solo LPs. Nick Carter has started work on his second solo project, for which he's co-written several songs with a collaborator, according to his management, while Howie Dorough is planning to record his first album. Dorough's LP will include songs in both English and Spanish. Details are still being finalized for both albums, though Dorough hopes to work with such producers as Emilio Estefan, Rudy Perez and Steven Morales. ...

After "2 Fast 2 Furious," Tyrese will star in "Extortion," a crime thriller based on a story idea by the singer. "Romeo Must Die" screenwriter John Jarrell will pen the script, about an undercover detective investigating the murder of his foster brother. ... If Field Day doesn't get grounded this weekend, look for a special guest to beat the skins with N.E.R.D. at the show. ?uestlove of the Roots will be filling in for Eric Fawcett, the drummer in N.E.R.D.'s backing band, Spymob. Fawcett will be with his wife in Minneapolis to witness the birth of their first baby. ...

Wayne Wonder might not want to let go, but his record label apparently doesn't feel the same way. Sources say Atlantic Records will not release a follow-up single to the reggae veteran's surprising hit, "No Letting Go," after a conflict between the label and Wonder on what the next single should be. ... Ben Lee's new album, Hey You. Yes You., will finally be released in the States on August 12, courtesy of F2 Music. ...

The Music are working on their second album in their native U.K. next week. The Leeds quartet will hash out as much of the follow-up to its self-titled debut, released in February, as it can before heading off to Australia and Japan for five shows and joining up with Lollapalooza beginning August 1. ... Rest assured that when songs are played on non-conventional radio outlets, the artists will see some scratch for their digitized tunes. The recording industry struck a deal with non-commercial webcasters (i.e. college stations) on Tuesday, putting the lid on their ongoing efforts to secure royalties. In the past few months, similar deals have been struck with satellite radio companies (XM, Sirius), cable services (Music Choice, Muzak), commercial webcasters (RealNetworks, AOL) and conventional radio stations for their online simulcasts. ...

6.3.03

Remixes of Britney Spears' "Stronger" and Mary J. Blige's "Keep Your Head" will be featured on Songs for Life, a benefit album supporting HIV relief in Africa. Enrique Iglesias, Gerald Levert, Patti LaBelle, Joan Osborne and Aretha Franklin with K-Ci & JoJo wrote new material for the collection, produced by Phil Ramone (Billy Joel) and due in July. ... In related news, TLC's Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas are launching an HIV education initiative this week called Dialogues: Education and Treatment for a Well Planned Future. Dialogues will deliver easy-to-understand HIV information via www.HIV-Dialogues.com and (800) 576-6600. ...

Before heading to Chicago this summer to shoot "Barbershop 2," Eve will join Kevin Bacon and Benjamin Bratt in "The Woodsman." "It's about a child molester who comes back in the world," Eve said at Saturday's taping of the MTV Movie Awards. "And I'm sort of a bitch who kind of blows his thing up at his job. It's a different kind of role for me, like my hair will be really short and black." ...

The King's daughter will perform during the first game to determine whether the Spurs or Nets are crowned NBA champs. Lisa Marie Presley will provide halftime entertainment at game 1 of the NBA finals, Wednesday in San Antonio, Texas, with "Lights Out" and "Sinking In," the second single from her debut, To Whom It May Concern. Four days later, Jewel will perform that same duty at game 3 with her current single, "Intuition." Then on June 11, jam band Phish will render their interpretation of the national anthem for game 4 in New Jersey. ...

Madonna shot a video for her next single, "Hollywood," in — surprise, surprise — Hollywood. Her rep calls the clip, which was shot Monday and Tuesday (June 3), "very glamorous" and says that the singer has "lots of different looks." ... It's expensive to get nude and lewd in Moon County, as Eve 6 frontman Max Collins found out Tuesday when Allegheny County District Court Judge Shirley Trkula slapped him with a $517 fine for disorderly conduct. Collins was arrested early Tuesday morning for prancing naked through the halls of a hotel following Eve 6's performance at a radio festival sponsored by Pittsburgh station 105.9 FM the day before. ...

After impressing executives by securing Justin Timberlake for the Black Eyed Peas' new album and developing an MTV2 show on his own, rapper Will.I.Am has been named vice president of artists and repertoire of A&M Records, the label releasing Elephunk on June 24. Will has already signed two artists: Brazilian pop star Sergio Mendes and Fergie, who sings on the Peas' album. ... Bruce Willis makes a return to music on the upcoming "Rugrats Go Wild" soundtrack, which includes the actor, who voices "Rugrats" family dog Spike, singing "Big Bad Cat" and covering Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life." A remake of the Police's "Message in a Bottle" by American Hi-Fi is also included, along with material from the Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde, who voices Siri the leopard. ...

Green Day drummer Tre Cool recently had a bone fragment "the size of a marble" removed from his knee, according to Billie Joe Armstrong in a message on the band's Web site. The frontman said the group has 40 songs finished for its next release, but he likes only six of them. ... The Roots and Phish's Trey Anastasio will appear on Toots & the Maytals' upcoming duets album, due in the fall. ...

Former Weezer bassist and Rentals frontman Matt Sharp will drop his first solo offering, the EP Puckett's Versus the Country Boy, on June 17. After parting ways with Rivers Cuomo and company after 1996's Pinkerton, Sharp sued his former band for back royalties and performed sporadically around the country. ... On Friday, the Doors of the 21st Century settled a lawsuit brought against them by Stewart Copeland. The former Police drummer filed the breach-of-contract complaint against founding Doors members Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger for allegedly not staying true to their word to use him behind the kit on their current tour. ...

Mystic recently shot a video for her first DreamWorks Records single, "Learning to Breathe," which features Donell Jones. The rapper performed on a car six stories in the air in Los Angeles' MacArthur Park. ... Flaming Lips and Rusted Root will join moe. for the band's fourth annual moe.down festival August 29 to 31 in Turin, New York. In the meantime, moe. will join Dave Matthews Band on tour for a week from June 17 to 21. ...

British heavy metal legends Iron Maiden will release their 13th album, Dance of Death, in September. The disc was produced by Kevin Shirley, who worked on their last album, Brave New World. Iron Maiden will begin their U.S. tour July 21 in Worcester, Massachusetts. ... Johnny and Edgar Winter fared palely in court Monday, when the California State Supreme Court dismissed their lawsuit against DC Comics. The albino brothers sued the New York comic-book company over two characters called the "Autumn Brothers," a villainous pair of wormlike subhumans with green tentacles, which the Winters claimed made a mockery of their albinism. ...

• R. Kelly
• Kelly Clarkson
• Backstreet Boys
• Tyrese
• Wayne Wonder

MTV2's Jim Shearer at Sundance

• OK Go
• Ben Lee
• Phantom Planet
• Beck

Ben Lee live at The Metro in Chicago IL, November 5, 2003

• Ben Lee

The Bens: You Hear It First Photo Gallery

• Ben Folds
• Ben Kweller
• Ben Lee