Jay-Z's <i>American Gangster</i>
Photo: Roc-A-Fella

With 55 days left in the year, here's your quintessential guide to new releases this week ...

The Top Five:

Jay-Z's American Gangster: Like Roger Clemens, Jay keeps coming back out of retirement so he can play again — and he decides on his own watch when it's best to do so. While it's not officially connected with the film of the same name, his perfectly timed American Gangster is sure to enjoy some of the runoff from the film's marketing — did you forget that Jay is a businessman? For proof of how much the music mogul's LP has already been talked about, look no further than Jim Jones, who has already put together a mixtape in response, Harlem's American Gangsta. Jay's sweetheart, Beyoncé, joins him on the concept album, as do Diddy, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Pharrell, Beanie Sigel, Jermaine Dupri, Bilal, Nas and more.

Chris Brown's Exclusive: Like Jay, fast-rising R&B singer Brown has also been doubling up on publicity — while his new album drops this week, he's going to be chasing it with the November 21 flick "This Christmas." "I am still going to keep it so my younger fans can continue to listen to my music, but I got a couple of joints on there that's for some of the older people," he previously told MTV News of his intentions for the album. And while that supposed Michael Jackson collaboration didn't make it onto the disc, Lil Wayne, Game, Big Boi, Will.I.Am and T-Pain are on the guest list, with Swizz Beatz, Dre & Vidal, Scott Storch and others lending their production talents too. Don't miss the limited-edition version, which also contains a DVD.

Cassidy's B.A.R.S.: The Barry Adrian Reese Story: "It's called B.A.R.S. 'cause I was locked behind bars, I was known for spittin' bars and Barry Adrian Reese is my biological name, so I just felt like it was the perfect title," the rapper recently told MTV News about his new release. Cass already has a club monster on his hands in "My Drink N' My 2 Step" — adding to the album hype, a remix of the track featuring Kanye West, Ne-Yo and Swizz Beatz has also already slipped out, as has the second single, "Innocent Man" (featuring Mark Morrison). John Legend also plays a role on the album, as a guest star on "Celebration."

Angels & Airwaves' I-Empire: That's a lot of hip-hop weight for one week, but repping the rock front is Tom DeLonge's band, which is putting out its second album this week. With an album cover resembling some '80s space movie for kids and a title that already feels outdated, but as DeLonge insisted to MTV News, the band has a "grand vision." A&A fans might want to head over to Best Buy to pick up the package — the version the retail chain is selling has bonus acoustic versions of "Do It for Me Now" and "Everything's Magic."

Bright Eyes' Motion Sickness: Live Recordings: The lauded folk-rock group has issued every one of its releases through Saddle Creek, an indie label out of Omaha, Nebraska, that owes its very existence to the band. But Conor Oberst decided to release their new concert effort on the Team Love label he co-founded in 2003. The 15-track CD — the sixth one Team Love has put out so far — overviews Bright Eyes' early-2005 tours in support of I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and features a pair of noteworthy cover songs, of Feist's "Mushaboom" and Elliott Smith's "The Biggest Lie."

Five Face-Offs:

Nas and Nazareth: The rapper's controversial new album is still more than a month away, but fans can whet their appetite this week with Greatest Hits, which has two new tracks: "Less Than an Hour," the theme to "Rush Hour 3"; and "Surviving the Times," which features Cee-Lo. But while Nas is going to have to elbow past Jay-Z and Cassidy this week, he should beware another opponent who isn't a rapper: cheesy hard-rock vets Nazareth, whose Hair of the Dog - Live album is getting reissued this week in remastered form.

Ashley Tisdale and the Who: If you never see Nas and Nazareth mentioned in the same sentence, try this one on for size: both the "High School Musical" star and the classic-rock vets are telling tales this week. "There's Something About Ashley: The Story of Headstrong" traces Tisdale's growth from when the writing process for her debut album began through its release and her subsequent tour with the "HSM" gang. "Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who" follows the band throughout its entire career and features interviews with not just the bandmembers but with fans U2, Eddie Vedder and others as well. Fittingly, the Who's two-DVD set runs just slightly longer than Tisdale's: It's 237 minutes long, while hers is roughly an hour.

Ricky Martin and Imani Coppola: Ricky Martin has an interesting strategy this week. He's putting out three versions of his Live: Black & White Tour concert set — a CD, a DVD and a combined CD-plus-DVD package — and yet, according to the Sony Music store, the standalone DVD actually retails for four bucks more than the CD-plus-DVD edition. Curiously, singer/violinist Imani Coppola drops The Black & White Album this week via Mike Patton's Ipecac label (she toured with his Peeping Tom collective). And, believe it or not, the Hives' Black and White Album drops next week.

Demon Hunter and Monster Magnet: One heavy-rock band is battling evil creatures this week while the other is attracting them. Storm the Gates of Hell, the fourth album by Christian metal band Demon Hunter, features a DVD and two bonus tracks on select editions — "No Reason to Exist" and "Grand Finale" — while MM's 4-Way Diablo has 13 doses of slabby goodness.

Kasper Bjørke and Kim Hiorthøy: Two artists with strokes in their names releasing albums the same week? Who woulda thunk it?

Song Title of the Week:

"Candy Sun Smiles" from Oh Astro's Champions of Wonder

Album Cover of the Week:

Kasper Bjørke's In Gumbo

New Releases:

· 60 Watt Kid - 60 Watt Kid (Absolutely Kosher)
· Angels & Airwaves - I-Empire (Geffen) [Buy Now]
Read: "Angels & Airwaves' Revolution Has Begun — Just Wait 29 Years, Tom DeLonge Insists"
· Arp - In Light (Smalltown Supersound)
· Barenaked Ladies - Talk to the Hand: Live in Michigan (enhanced; Shout! Factory) [Buy Now]
· Bear in Heaven - Red Bloom of the Boom (Hometapes)
· Kasper Bjørke - In Gumbo (Plant Music / Defend Distribution)
· Black Swans - Change (digipak; La Société Expéditionnaire)
· Mike Bones - The Sky Behind the Sea (The Social Registry)
· Bottomless Pit - Hammer of the Gods (Comedy Minus One)
· Bright Eyes - Motion Sickness: Live Recordings (Team Love) [Buy Now]
· Chris Brown - Exclusive (deluxe edition comes with DVD; Jive) [Buy Now]
Read: "Pharrell, Will.I.Am Joining Chris Brown's Exclusive Club"
· Buckethead - The Elephant Man's Alarm Clock (TDRS) [Buy Now]
· Jimmy Buffett - Live in Anguilla (two CDs and one DVD; Mailboat) [Buy Now]
· By the End of Tonight + Tera Malos - Complex Full of Phantoms (Temporary Residence)
· Captain & Tennille - The Secret of Christmas (Retroactive Entertainment)
· Cassidy - B.A.R.S.: The Barry Adrian Reese Story (enhanced; RCA) [Buy Now]
Read: "Cassidy Talks About Car Crash, Fatal Gunfight — And Explains Why He's Better Than Ever"
· Citay - Little Kingdom (Dead Oceans)
· The Classic Crime - Seattle Sessions (EP; Tooth & Nail) [Buy Now]
· Clipd Beaks - Hoarse Lords (Lovepump United)
· Imani Coppola - The Black & White Album (Ipecac)
· Cops - Free Electricity (Control Group)
· Demon Hunter - Storm the Gates of Hell (also available as a CD/DVD set or Deluxe Fan Edition; Solid State) [Buy Now]
· Dion - Son of Skip James (Verve Forecast)
· The Dream Jam Band - The Dream Jam Band (two CDs; Dream Jam Band)
· Dri - Smoke Rings (Range Life) [Buy Now]
· The Drift - Ceiling Sky (live; Temporary Residence)
· Alex Dupree & the Trapdoor Band - Los Meridanzas (Belle City Pop)
· Dust Galaxy - Dust Galaxy (Eighteenth Street)
· Einstürzende Neubauten - Alles Weider Offen (Potomak) [Buy Now]
· El Capitan - Stickeen (Grass Roots)
· Five for Fighting - Back Country Live (special edition comes with DVD; Columbia) [Buy Now]
· The Frantic - Audio & Murder (Empyrean)
· Rob Gee - Rob Gee (Rock Ridge)
· God Forbid - Sickness and Misery (Koch) [Buy Now]
· Grizzly Bear - Friend (Warp) [Buy Now]
· Sara Groves - Tell Me What You Know (INO/Columbia)
· Kim Hiorthøy - My Last Day (Smalltown Supersound)
· Infamous Mobb - Reality Rap (Sure Shot) [Buy Now]
· Jeremy Jay -- A Place Where We Could Go (EP; K)
· Jay-Z - American Gangster (Roc-A-Fella) [Buy Now]
Read: "Jay-Z's American Gangster: A Guided Tour By Jigga, Jermaine Dupri, Pharrell And Others"
· Kanekoa - Under the Coconut Sky (Artist Garage)
· Lauren Kennedy - Here and Now (PS Classics)
· Brad Laner - Neighbor Singing (digipak; Hometapes)
· Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra - A Very Ping Pong Christmas: Funky Treats From Santa's Bag (Ubiquity)
· Little Big Town - A Place to Land (Equity) [Buy Now]
· London After Midnight - Violent Acts of Beauty (limited-edition version also available; Metropolis)
· Ricky Martin - Live: Black & White Tour (also available with DVD; Sony International) [Buy Now]
· Minipop - New Hope (Take Root)
· Monster Magnet - 4-Way Diablo (SPV) [Buy Now]
· The Mother Truckers - Broke, Not Broken (Funzalo)
· Neomenia - Luna Nueva (Locomotive)
· Nonpoint - Vengeance (Bieler Bros.) [Buy Now]
· Oh Astro - Champions of Wonder (Illegal Art)
· Pedro - You, Me & Everyone (Mush)
· The Pine Hill Haints -- Ghost Dance (K)
· John Sebastian/ David Grisman - Satisfied (live; Acoustic Disc)
· Statik Selektah - Spell My Name Right (The Album) (Showoff/Brick)
· Sigur Rós - Hvarf/Heim (with DVD; XL Recordings) [Buy Now]
· Silent Fate - The Autumn Machine (TMS)
· Sissel - Northern Lights (Denon)
· Rick Springfield - Christmas With You (Gomer) [Buy Now]
· Sylver - Cross Roads (Toucan Cove)
· Tokyo Police Club - Smith (EP; Paper Bag) [Buy Now]
· The Valley Arena - Sesso Vita (SideCho)
· White Williams - Smoke (TigerBeat6)
· White, Blue, Yellow and Clouds - Introducing: White, Blue, Yellow and Clouds (I and Ear)
· Richard Youngs - Autumn Response (Jagjaguwar)
· Zookeeper - Becoming All Things (Belle City Pop)
· Various artists - A Christmas Celtic Sojourn Live (Rounder)
· Various artists - "Downtown 81" soundtrack (Recall)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· Aerosmith - 20th Century Masters: The Best of Aerosmith - The Millennium Collection (Geffen/UMe)
· Garth Brooks - The Ultimate Hits (two CDs and one DVD; Pearl)
· David Byrne - The Knee Plays (two CDs; Nonesuch)
· Neko Case - Black Listed (Anti-) and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (with bonus CD; Anti-)
· Neko Case & Her Boyfriends - Furnace Room Lullaby (Anti-)
· Nat King Cole - Cole Español/More Cole Español; Just One of Those Things/ Let's Face the Music; Love Is the Thing/ Where Did Everyone Go?; Nat King Cole Sings for Two in Love/ Ballads of the Day; Penthouse Serenade/ The Piano Style of Nat King Cole; Ramblin' Rose/ Dear Lonely Hearts; Songs From St. Louis Blues/ Looking Back; The Touch of Your Lips/ I Don't Want to Be Hurt Anymore; Welcome to the Club/ Tell Me All about Yourself (Collector's Choice)
· Dr. Dre - Death Row Classics: Chronicles - Deluxe (two CDs; Death Row/ Koch)
· Excessive Force - Gentle Death (Metropolis)
· Lisa Gerrard - The Very Best of Lisa Gerrard (4AD)
· Gram Parsons - Archives Volume One: Gram Parsons With the Flying Burrito Brothers Live at the Avalon Ballroom 1969 (Amoeba)
· Merle Haggard - Legends of American Music: Merle Haggard - The Original Outlaw (three-CD box set; Time Life)
· Barrington Levy - Barrington Levy in Dub: The Lost Mixes From King Tubby's Studio (Cooking Vinyl)
· George Lynch - Guitar Slinger (Cleopatra)
· Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full (deluxe edition with DVD; Hear Music)
· Van Morrison - Still on Top: The Greatest Hits (Hip-O/Ume)
· Moby Grape - Moby Grape '69 and Truly Fine Citizen (Sundazed)
· Nas - Greatest Hits (Columbia)
· Nazareth - Hair of the Dog - Live (Cleopatra)
· Operation Ivy - Operation Ivy (Epitaph)
· Teddy Pendergrass - The Essential Teddy Pendergrass (two CDs; Philadelphia International Records/ Legacy)
· Plain White T's - Stop (Fearless)
· Lou Rawls - The Essential Lou Rawls (two CDs; Philadelphia International Records/ Legacy)
· Taylor Swift - Taylor Swift (with DVD; Big Machine)
· Bobb Trimble - Harvest of Dreams and Iron Curtain Innocence (Secretly Canadian)
· Upsetters - Upsetters 14 Dub Blackboard Jungle (Cooking Vinyl)
· Stevie Ray Vaughan & Friends - Solos, Sessions & Encores (Epic/Legacy)
· Russell Watson - The Voice: The Ultimate Collection (Decca)
· John Williams - The Music of Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition (Sony Classical)
· Robin & Linda Williams - Radio Songs (Red House)
· Various artists - 100 Greatest TV Themes, Vol 2 (four-CD box set; Silva)
· Various artists - An Introduction to Blues Harp (Fuel)
· Various artists - Putumayo Presents: Tango Around the World (Putumayo World Music)
· Various artists - Ultra 2008 (two CDs; Ultra)

Music DVDs:

· Barenaked Ladies - "Talk to the Hand: Live in Michigan" (Shout! Factory)
· Blackfield - "Black Live in New York City" (Koch)
· Michael Bolton - "Best of Michael Bolton Live" (Adrenaline)
· Five for Fighting - "Back Country Live" (Columbia)
· Barry Manilow - "The First Television Specials" (five-DVD box set; Rhino/ Stiletto New Media)
· Ricky Martin - "Live: Black & White Tour" (Sony International)
· Oasis - "Lord Don't Slow Me Down" (two DVDs; Hip-O)
· Keali'I Reichel - "Kukahi: Keali'I Reichel Live in Concert" (also available in HD format; Punahele Productions)
· The Rolling Stones - "Just for the Record" (five DVDs; Passport)
· Ashley Tisdale - "There's Something About Ashley: The Story of Headstrong" (Reprise)
· Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - "Pride and Joy" (Epic/Legacy)
· Paul Weller - "As Is Now" (Adrenaline)
· The Who - "Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who" (Universal)
· Andy Williams - "The Best of the Andy Williams Show" (Time Life)
· Various artists - "Bang Your Head" (two DVDs; Locomotive)
· Various artists - "The Best of the Jammys, Volume Two" (Image)

Digital Releases:

· A.P. - Still Naughty (All Bets Down)
· Blue Scholars - Joe Metro EP (MassLine/Rawkus)
· Cy Curnin - The Returning Sun (self-released)
· Great Northern - Sleepy Eepee (EP; available exclusively on iTunes; physical release due in February; Eenie Meenie)
· Maoi - Carbon Dioxide (Kitty-Yo)
· Rhythm King and Her Friends - The Front of Luxury (Kitty-Yo)

Coming Attractions:

November 13:
· Alicia Keys - As I Am (J)
· The Killers - Sawdust (Island)
· Led Zeppelin - Mothership (also available with DVD; Atlantic)

November 20:
· Beyoncé - "The Beyoncé Experience Live" DVD (Columbia)
· Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City (digital-only reissue with bonus tracks; Vice) and Flux (digital-only EP; Vice)
· Daft Punk - Alive (enhanced two-CD deluxe edition; Virgin)
· Gorillaz - D-Sides (special two-CD, glossy-box edition due same day; Virgin)
· Nine Inch Nails - Y34RZ3R0R3MIX3D (with DVD; Interscope)

November 27:
· Christina Aguilera - "Back to Basics: Live" DVD (RCA)
· Common - ThisIsMe Then: The Best of Common (Relativity/Legacy)
· Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds: Deluxe Edition (with DVD; Jive)

• Britney Spears Falls Short Of #1; Jay-Z Prepares For Billboard Battle

• Jay-Z
• Chris Brown
• Cassidy
• Angels & Airwaves
• Ashley Tisdale

Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover of <i>W</i> magazine
Photo: Steven Klein

Gwyneth Paltrow wasn't so into the initial idea of singing onstage last year with Jay-Z at London's Royal Albert Hall, she admitted to W magazine for its September issue. "Jay was playing at the Albert Hall on my birthday, and he said, 'Will you sing on this song?' " the actress told the mag. "At first I didn't want to do it!" Paltrow also talked a little about her husband, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who was also onstage for the strange collabo. "When Chris gets home, we're not going to do anything other than what any regular couple does," she said. ...

A day after Amy Winehouse canceled two European festival dates following a trip to a London hospital to deal with what her label termed "severe exhaustion," a spokesperson for the singer said doctors have ordered Winehouse to rest in bed. For now, she's still expected to perform at the Virgin Festival in Toronto on September 8 as well as a string of U.S. dates in September. Winehouse's spokesperson would not comment on British tabloid reports that said the collapse that led to the singer's hospitalization was possibly drug-related. ...

Ciara is making her directorial debut with a video for Paula Campbell's "Ain't Nobody Stupid," and she will premiere the clip Monday at the 20th Century Fox Studio Lot in Century City, California. Los Angeles area fans can go here for details on how to get into the free Nissan Live Sets event. See snaps from the "Ain't Nobody Stupid" photo shoot right here. ...

Jamie Foxx portrayed Ray Charles and Andre 3000 is set to play Sammy Davis Jr., so you'd probably expect another big name to be taking on the lead role in the long-in-the-works Notorious B.I.G. biopic, right? Not necessarily. An open casting call will be held to determine who will play Biggie, and actors and non-actors alike are being allowed to try out for the part. Audition videos can be sent here beginning Sunday at 3 a.m. ET. In 1995, Fox Searchlight Pictures acquired the rights to the movie, which is being produced by Biggie's mother Voletta Wallace and two of his former managers. ...

A woman is peeved that no one from Britney Spears' camp has contacted the woman about her car, which the singer was seen driving into earlier this week in Studio City, California. Kim Robard-Rifkin told CelebTV.com on Wednesday that, "It was simply like my car didn't matter to her, my inconvenience didn't matter to her." Robard-Rifkin, who filed a police report Thursday (August 9), added, "I'm not asking for money. I'm not asking for a new car. ... I simply want my car fixed, the same as I would fix somebody's car if I had done that." ...

Hilary Duff is branching out. The singer/actress has partnered with Michaels stores for Stuff by Hilary Duff, a new fashion-crafts line that includes bracelets, necklaces, charms, patches and more. All Michaels stores will host in-store demonstrations of the products on August 26 from 1-3 p.m. local time. ... An "American Idol" hopeful went into labor during her audition on Monday at Texas Stadium and had contractions as she was singing, People reports. After that, Antoria Gillon, who was taken to a local hospital, gave birth to a healthy son. She will be on the next round of the show. ...

John Mayer has been confirmed for the upcoming season of "Austin City Limits," Pitchfork reports — but the program will be heavily weighed toward indie-rock acts too. Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, Decemberists, Regina Spektor and Wilco have also been booked for the PBS series, which will start airing in October. ... The lineup for the first-ever Monolith Music Festival, to be held September 14-15 at Denver's historic Red Rock Amphitheatre, will include the Flaming Lips, Kings of Leon, the Decemberists, Editors, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Spoon, Cake, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Das EFX and many more acts. ...

Thrice have pegged October 16 as the release date for The Alchemy Index: Vols. I & II - Fire & Water, the first two parts of a four-volume concept effort. The other two chapters, Vols. III & IV - Earth & Air, will be released in the spring. Both sets will be issued by Vagrant, the new label the band calls home after parting ways with Island in June. Earlier this year, frontman Dustin Kensrue called the Alchemy project "daunting" in an interview with MTV News. ... If you've been exchanging MySpace messages with Chris Cornell in recent weeks, chances are you were dealing with an imposter. The real Cornell logged onto his MySpace page on Wednesday to clear up matters. "Over the past several months, several incidents have taken place where others felt the need to engage in activities pretending to be me," he wrote. "I have been wanting to make a clear statement to fans, friends and anyone this may concern." He added the confounding remark, "Under no circumstances, under any name or address, do I or have I ever communicated or corresponded with anyone online or otherwise." ...

Want to get up close and personal with Velvet Revolver? You can get your chance for $250, thanks to meet-and-greet packages being offered for the hard-rock group's Tuesday gig at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The package includes a VIP laminate, personal photograph with the band, exclusive 8x10 color poster and autograph. ... Alice in Chains's Unplugged CD and DVD are being packaged together for a revitalized version of the release due September 18. ...

Expect to catch an eyeful of U2 rehearsing songs from their new album in "Here It Is," a documentary about the band's longtime producer Daniel Lanois that is set to debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, RollingStone.com reports. The feature film captures Lanois and the band in a studio in Morocco, with Billy Bob Thornton, Willie Nelson and others making guest appearances. ... Ricky Martin wants to start creating "a family of many colors" this year by adopting "one [child] from each continent," the singer told reporters Wednesday in his Puerto Rico homeland. The 35-year-old Martin is not married. ...

A fifth woman will be allowed to testify that Phil Spector threatened her with a gun, the judge in the music producer's trial ruled Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reports. Former Spector employee and girlfriend Devra Robitaille was expected to testify Thursday after jurors returned from a tour of Spector's mansion in Alhambra, California, where he allegedly killed actress Lana Clarkson. The defense — which on Wednesday called to the stand a neuropathologist who said the way Clarkson's body was found was consistent with a suicide — objected strongly to the decision to let Robitaille testify.

08.08.07

Kevin Federline's lawyer filed documents in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday (August 8) for primary physical custody of his two sons with Britney Spears, People reports. Less than two weeks ago, the couple's divorce was finalized, at which point they agreed to joint custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James. Federline, who previously resisted the 50/50 custody agreement, has been worried Spears has been exposing the boys to unnecessary risk, a source told the magazine. ...

Zac Efron may be showing off his assets in his revealing Rolling Stone cover shot, but he's more modest when it comes to talking about his star-making turn in "High School Musical." "I didn't even sing on the first album," he told the magazine. "It wasn't my voice in the movie. Even though I wanted to do it. So what do you do when the entire cast is supposed to accept an award at the Billboard Awards and your voice is only on the album in a select few lines. I felt extremely guilty." He also explained why he refused to go on the "High School Musical" tour: "If I had to hear the 'High School Musical' songs anymore, I probably would have jumped off something very tall," he said. ...

Fresh from her slightly tardy performance at last weekend's Lollapalooza, Amy Winehouse was hospitalized on Wednesday for "exhaustion." According to a press release from the 23-year-old "Rehab" crooner's U.S. label, Universal Republic, "Amy Winehouse was admitted to [University College London Hospital] this morning, suffering from severe exhaustion. Amy was discharged from the hospital this afternoon and has been advised to take complete rest. Scheduled performances in Norway and Denmark this week have been canceled." ...

Jennifer Lopez has a new flick in theaters and an album on the way too, but her purse is getting even heavier thanks to a court decision awarding her almost $545,000 in a lawsuit against her first husband, The Associated Press reports. Lopez had filed the breach-of-contract lawsuit over Ojani Noa's plans to publish a tell-all book in which he was expected to claim the singer/actress had multiple affairs. The court-ordered arbitrator who made the Monday decision also decided that Lopez should be awarded a permanent injunction barring Noa from criticizing or disparaging her. In other J. Lo news, she'll shoot a video for her new single "Do It Well" in Los Angeles on August 16-17. ...

Beyoncé is turning up all over the place — ads for the singer's new Emporio Armani Diamonds fragrance are appearing in September issues of magazines. The scent is available at Macy's exclusively in August and will hit other major department stores next month. ... A 16-year-old French boy was arrested and spent a night in jail for allegedly translating "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" into French and posting it online within days of the book's late July release. The boy was released Tuesday after being questioned and could face charges of violating intellectual property, although prosecutors say he was likely not seeking commercial gain by posting the translated book online. The official French translation of "Deathly Hallows" is due October 26. ...

50 Cent knows Kanye West better than you think. After accepting a challenge on BET's "106 & Park" to debate with West the merits of their respective new albums — which will go head to head in stores when they street on September 11 — Fiddy replied, "Kanye, he's not going to want to show up." During the VMA announcement Tuesday, West made 50's prediction come true, declining the proposed debate and calling it "the stupidest thing." "What am I going to debate about?" he said. "I'm going to go in the studio and make music." But 'Ye, who said he doesn't have beef with anyone, had something positive to say as well: "With 50's album dropping and my album dropping on the same day, everybody wins because you get a lot of good music at the same time." ...

Jack White and his wife, model Karen Elson, welcomed their second child, a boy named Henry Lee White, on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the White Stripes frontman. The couple's first child, a daughter named Scarlett Teresa White, was born in 2006. White and Elson were famously married on a canoe by a traditional shaman priest in Brazil in 2005. ... Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson "still talk every day," the actress told Harper's Bazaar for the magazine's September issue, adding that her ex-husband "still cracks me up." Hudson also revealed that she hopes to eventually have four children. ... Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter are expecting their second baby, People reports. It's due in December. ... Melanie Brown, who has been speaking out publicly about her child with Eddie Murphy, has been married since June, AP reports. A marriage certificate filed with Nevada's Clark County lists the date of her nuptials with boyfriend Stephen Belafonte as June 6. ...

Sum 41 have a new twist in their tour schedule: more dates on the Warped Tour. In addition to playing the Tuesday show in St. Louis and the Bonner Springs, Kansas, gig the following day, Deryck Whibley and the gang will grace the fest for four additional California dates August 22-25 (Fresno, Sacramento, San Diego and Carson). ... Avenged Sevenfold's forthcoming self-titled LP will be in stores October 16. The disc is the follow-up to 2005's City of Evil and is the band's first self-produced effort. ... Former "American Idol" finalist Gina Glocksen's longtime boyfriend Joe Ruzicka proposed to her onstage during the American Idols Live Tour stop in Rosemont, Illinois, on Tuesday — and she accepted, Illinois' Daily Southtown reports. The rocker, who hails from nearby Naperville, often referenced Ruzicka on the show and dedicated her performance of Heart's "Alone" to him. ...

Rock fans, do your bidding: speakers, cabinets, a Jacuzzi and more items from Jerry Garcia's house in Marin County, California, will be auctioned on eBay beginning Sunday. The house was purchased in 1997 by Henry Koltys, an attorney and software developer, after which he put into storage the items that he's auctioning. Meanwhile, a piano that Bruce Springsteen owned in the late '70s is also up for bidding on eBay, RollingStone.com reports. Bob Dylan and Keith Richards have also played on the piano, which had a starting bid of $10,000. ... The farm that hosted the legendary Woodstock music festival in 1969 is up for sale, AP reports. The asking price is $8 million. ...

Killswitch Engage have pumped out a cover of Dio's "Holy Diver" that will appear on the special-edition version of the band's 2006 effort, As Daylight Days. The reissue, due in stores August 28, will also be bundled with three additional tracks and a DVD featuring a trio of song clips and two rehearsal performances. ... Black Tide, the young metal outfit from Miami that had encountered problems joining Ozzfest's second stage because of age issues, are in luck. Since the band is too young to perform on the fest's Jägermeister-sponsored second stage — its youngest member is only 14 years old — it's hopped onto the main stage instead. Black Tide will be the stage's opening act and will make their fest debut Friday in Tinley Park, Illinois. ...

The Chemical Brothers have sketched out the first three dates for their upcoming U.S. tour. The electronic heroes will play New York's Hammerstein Ballroom on September 21, the Concourse in San Francisco on September 28 and Los Angeles' Nocturnal the following day. ... The lineup for the first-ever Farm Aid show in New York, on September 9, has been set. It will include the Counting Crows, Guster, Matisyahu, Ditty Bops, Derek Trucks Band, Allman Brothers Band, the Supersuckers, Warren Haynes and Montgomery Gentry. Those acts join a bill that already includes Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews. ... Tom Hanks is suing one of the producers of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," claiming he is still owed profits from the 2002 flick. The suit — which was also filed by Nia Vardalos, who wrote and starred in the film — seeks unspecified monetary damages.

• Jay-Z
• Hilary Duff
• John Mayer
• Arcade Fire
• Velvet Revolver

Foxy Brown
Photo: Fernando Leon/ Getty Images

Foxy Brown was arrested at a Pembroke Pines, Florida, beauty-supply store on Thursday, The Miami Herald reports. Police said Brown — who was booked on charges of battery and resisting arrest and was held overnight on $1,500 bond — spat on and threw hair glue at Hayssam Ghoneim, an employee of Queen Beauty Supply, who asked the rapper to leave the store as it was closing for the night. Authorities tracked down Brown, who had left the shop by the time police responded to the store's 911 call, and asked her to return to the store as part of a criminal investigation. Brown refused, according to the report, and struggled with an officer. No injuries were listed on the police report, but Ghoneim plans to press charges, according to the Herald. The rapper was sentenced in October to three years probation and mandatory anger-management classes in connection with a 2004 altercation at a New York nail salon. ...

In other legal news, Nicole Richie was charged Friday (February 16) with misdemeanor driving under the influence, The Associated Press reports. The charges stem from her December 11 arrest after 911 callers reported her car heading in the wrong direction on a Los Angeles freeway. She was found alone in her SUV, stopped in a car-pool lane and was arrested after failing a field sobriety test. In addition to the single count, the case contains an allegation that Richie had a prior misdemeanor DUI conviction in June 2003. The California vehicle code specifies that if convicted of DUI twice within 10 years, a person can be sentenced to between 90 days and a year in jail; fined between $390 and $1,000; and have driving privileges suspended. The complaint alleges Richie was under the influence of an alcoholic beverage and an unspecified drug when she was arrested. Arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday. ...

Justin Timberlake is expanding his William Rast clothing line. The label's new collection for women will now include outerwear, dresses, silk tops and cashmere sweaters, while the new men's line will add outerwear, blazers and leather to the established denim collection. "To be affiliated with this clothing line means a lot to me," Timberlake said in a statement. "We are taking the William Rast label to the next level and will continue to deliver excellence." ... Don't set your TiVo for a Michael Jackson episode of "American Idol" just yet. According to "Idol" producer Nigel Lythgoe and a spokesperson for the singer, reports that Jackson will appear on the talent competition are inaccurate. "It's not true, is what I can say, just not true," Lythgoe said in an interview with Television Weekly. So what is really in store for "Idol" fans? The producer hinted that "the biggest thing that's happened to 'Idol' in five years" was a couple of weeks away, but would only explain that "it does include 'American Idol,' and it does include America." ...

A Los Angeles judge has granted 20th Century Fox's request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by two fraternity brothers featured in the film "Borat" on the grounds that the film is protected as free speech based on matters of public concern, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The suit, filed by two South Carolina students in November, alleged that the filmmakers provided the plaintiffs with alcohol and tricked them into making racist and sexist comments. The men sought damages, claiming their actions on camera caused embarrassment. An earlier motion by the plaintiffs to cut their scene from the film was denied. ... Ricky Martin headlined George W. Bush's presidential-inauguration ball back in 2001, but the singer has apparently changed his mind about the U.S. leader, delivering a one-finger salute while singing his name in the song "Asignatura Pendiente" at a concert in San Juan, Puerto Rico, last Friday. "My convictions of peace and life go beyond any government and political agenda," Martin explained in a e-mailed statement on Thursday, "and as long as I have a voice onstage and offstage, I will always condemn war and those who promulgate it." ...

Cameron Diaz has been awarded "substantial" damages from the publishers of The National Enquirer, according to an AP report. Diaz sued British-based American Media Inc. after the tabloid printed stories in May 2005 that the actress had been spotted in a "smooching session" with a married producer working on her MTV show "Trippin'." At the time, Diaz complained about the article, and photographs claiming to be evidence of the affair were removed from the Enquirer's Web site. The lawsuit has now been settled out of court, and the terms of the agreement are confidential. In a statement read in London's High Court on Friday, the magazine "apologized unreservedly" for making the claims, and "entirely accepts that the allegations were without foundation and ought never to have been published." ...

Federal agents removed boxes of belongings from the Orlando, Florida, home of Lou Pearlman, best known as the manager behind Backstreet Boys and 'NSYNC, on Thursday. AP reports that the former boy-band mogul, now a restaurateur who owns an entertainment complex in Orlando, has had three of his companies overtaken by a court-appointed receiver earlier this month. Florida's Office of Financial Regulation alleges that Pearlman has been milking millions from investors while running a bogus savings program for 15 years. ... The word karaoke may mean "empty orchestra" in Japanese, but a South Korean woman turned it into something quite substantial while setting a new world record this week. Picking up the mic to encourage her husband during his battle with a brain tumor, Kim Seok-ok, 52, sang for 59 hours and 48 minutes, exceeding the previous German record by 36 minutes. Afforded a five-minute break each hour, Seok-uk refused to sit while singing, claiming that true karaoke singers would never accept a chair. More than 1,000 songs later, she dropped to the floor a record-holder on Valentine's Day. "Life may be painful," Kim told AP, "but face the challenge." ...

Ian Astbury has announced that he'll no longer be working with Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of the Doors, and will instead focus all of his energies fronting his own band, the Cult. Astbury toured with the surviving members of the Doors, under the moniker Riders on the Storm, for the last four years, and just wrapped up a sold-out European tour. "I have decided to move on and focus on my own music and legacy," he said in a statement. "I have enjoyed performing and sharing the stage with Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger immensely. I have learned a great deal from the both of them, and it certainly has expanded my abilities as a performer. This has been a difficult decision to make but I feel I would be holding them back as well as myself if I did not depart at this time." There's no word yet on what this means for the future of Riders on the Storm.

02.15.2007

Former WorldofBritney.com fan site webmaster Ruben Garay posted a message on his site ThatOtherBlog.com wondering about Britney Spears' ex-assistant Felicia Culotta. He got his answer — the singer's former employee responded with a letter expressing concern that Brit's headed for a big fall. "We (as in her family and nearest and dearest — all of whom are not on the payroll anymore!!) are doing everything in our power to get help for Britney," she wrote in the letter. Culotta, who has relocated to Mississippi, said she hopes that any drop is followed by a resurgence for Spears. "When she does indeed hit rock bottom, she'll stand up and walk away from this whole fiasco a new, confident, changed, career-driven Britney like we all knew and loved." A spokesperson for Spears' label, Jive Records, could not be reached for comment. ...

It looks like the NBA All-Star Game might not be the hottest event in Vegas this weekend. Heiress/ reality-TV star/ wannabe singer Paris Hilton will celebrate her birthday on Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Sin City. Some of Hilton's famous friends — including Fergie, Snoop Dogg, Nicole Richie and Fat Joe — will help her blow out the candles, according to a press release. Also, one of her musically minded pals will perform a surprise concert for guests. ... Is there any reality in the rumor that Mariah Carey honored a request by producers to fly coach to the set of her drama "Tennessee" — only she bought out the entire economy class to keep it to herself? "No, it's not true," Carey told MTV Europe. "That is probably one of those things that is going to haunt me for the rest of my life, but that would be pretty funny if somebody was stupid enough do that. I took my tour bus down because I wanted to be in the environment, like experience what it would be like to live in the area where we are filming and just go to real places to eat and meet people along the way and stuff like that." ...

Jennifer Lopez was presented with an Artist for Amnesty award in Berlin on Wednesday, honored by Amnesty International for her film "Bordertown," which chronicles the serial murders of women in Ciudad Juarez, on Mexico's border with the U.S. Amnesty International estimates that more than 400 women and girls have been killed in the area since 1993. Lopez, who produced "Bordertown" and stars as a journalist reporting on the killings, described the murders as "one of the world's most shocking and disturbing, underreported crimes against humanity" while accepting the award. The film premieres Thursday (February 16) at the Berlin International Film Festival. ...

The Arctic Monkeys were big winners at Wednesday night's Brit Awards in London, taking prizes for Best British Group and Album for their debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not. The boys accepted their prizes at the British equivalent of the Grammys via video, dressed first as characters from "The Wizard of Oz" and then as members of the Village People. The Killers also bagged two awards, scoring the International Group trophy along with the International Album award for Sam's Town. Other winners included Justin Timberlake (International Male Solo Artist), Muse (British Live Act), Nelly Furtado (International Female Solo Artist), Oasis (Outstanding Contribution to Music) and Amy Winehouse (British Female Solo Artist). ...

What looks better than a pair of Grammys on the coffee table? A copy of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition next to them — with your picture inside. Gnarls Barkley's Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse will score that rare double shot this week with inclusion of their pictorial with supermodel Jessica White in the annual bathing-suit edition of the magazine, which features Beyoncé on the cover. Kanye West and Panic! at the Disco are also included in the issue. (Check out Beyoncé's hot cover shot right here.) ...

The only thing stranger than the upcoming major motion picture about disgraced 1980s pop duo Milli Vanilli is that the living half of the duo, Fabrice Morvan, has signed off on the movie chronicling the extension-loving pair's fraudulent exploits. Variety magazine reports that Jeff Nathanson — who wrote the Leonardo DiCaprio-starring scam-artist movie "Catch Me if You Can" — will write and direct a film about the lip-synching group that lost their Best New Artist Grammy in 1990 when it was revealed that they hadn't sung on such hit records as "Girl You Know It's True." Morvan is on board with the project, as is the estate of former partner Rob Pilatus, who died of a drug overdose in 1998. "I've always been fascinated by the notion of fakes and frauds, and in this case, you had guys who pulled off the ultimate con, selling 30 million singles and 11 million albums and then becoming the biggest laughing-stocks of pop entertainment," Nathanson told Variety. ...

Leave it to the Queens of the Stone Age to find the most nonsensical way to announce the title of their new album. On their MySpace page, under the heading "I was at the Sizzler today," they detail an excursion to the "fast casual" establishment, complete with mentions of cheese bread and flatulent Frenchmen, when they casually drop that "the record is called Era Vulgaris. It's coming out in June." They then went on to post a number of song titles, including "Into the Hollow," "Misfit Love" and "Battery Acid," though they do add that those phrases "could be song titles. Or could not." A spokesperson for the band's label, Interscope Records, could not be reached for comment. ...

Grammy winner Joss Stone, who was also a presenter at the Brit Awards, told MTV Europe that she has "no idea" why she scored a golden trophy on Sunday. "I just sang a hook," she said of her contribution to Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals winner "Family Affair," by Sly and the Family Stone, which also featured John Legend and Van Hunt. "It was Randy Jackson who won the Grammy. He was the one who made the project." Stone says that when she found out about the win, she couldn't even share the excitement. "I called my mom, and she didn't pick up the phone. I was like, 'Mum, pick up the phone!' I left her a message." ...

Politically minded punkers Anti-Flag were forced to cut their Canadian tour short after bassist Chris Barker's sister and her boyfriend were killed. While Barker, known to fans as Chris #2, did not reveal details of their deaths, he did post a brief message on the band's MySpace page, which reads, "Of all the people I know, my sister was the most proud of our band. If you live in the Pittsburgh area you may have met her. It was not uncommon for her to strike up a conversation with anyone wearing an Anti-Flag pin, patch or T-shirt. She was anxious to meet anyone who was a member of the community. My sister had two beautiful children, who I'm sure will be just as curious and just as loving." ... Finnish goth metallers H.I.M. will enter Finnvox Studios in Helsinki later this month, with producers Tim Palmer (Sponge, Ned's Atomic Dustbin) and Hiili Hiilesmaa (Sepultura, Lordi) to begin tracking the follow-up to 2005's Dark Light. The new disc is due in July. ...

Guitar legend Carlos Santana branched out into women's footwear with Carlos by Carlos Santana in 2000, and now he's moving on to Mexican food. The first of his Maria Maria restaurants, named after the Grammy-winning 1999 hit, is scheduled to open in Walnut Creek, California, in April. Two additional Maria Maria restaurants are set to start operating in Northern California in May and June.

• Foxy Brown
• Justin Timberlake
• Ricky Martin

Justin Timberlake
Photo: Chris Jackson/ Getty Images

The following headline recently appeared on a Web site whose name will be withheld to protect its dignity: "Metropolitan Brings Sexy Back to Opera."

OK, when the Metropolitan Opera is bringing sexy back, it's gone too far — that's if it hadn't already.

"If I hear one more idiot friend of mine say they are bringing sexy back, I may have to slap them," confirmed JoJo Wright, an on-air personality for KIIS-FM in Los Angeles. "They have even taken it to the next level and made their own personal versions such as 'I'm bringing ugly back' or 'I'm bringing stupid back.' "

"I've heard 'I'm bringing blogging back,' " added master celeb blogger Perez Hilton. "That's why that catchphrase works is 'cause you can really appropriate it and make it your own."

To his credit, Justin Timberlake has apologized for, well, bringing sexy back.

"I definitely didn't think it would become the most worn-out joke of 2006," he said recently. "It just sounded like a nice opening to the song. I mean, I definitely didn't know it was going to start what it started.''

With "SexyBack" — which has been #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks, by the way — Timberlake has turned his lyrics into lingo and topped "hips don't lie" as the catchphrase of 2006.

The question now is, is that a good or bad thing?

Snoop only heightened his ultra-cool status by coining "drop it like it's hot," but the same can't exactly be said for Tag Team ("Whoomp! (There It Is)"), Sir Mix-A-Lot ("Baby Got Back") and MC Hammer ("U Can't Touch This" or "2 Legit 2 Quit").

Then again, Ricky Martin launched his career by livin' la vida loca, Britney Spears solidified hers by doing it again — oops — and Kelis rescued hers by bringing all the boys to the yard with her milkshake.

"It depends on the artist," music journalist Steve Baltin said. "Queen had a catchphrase with 'Another One Bites the Dust,' and that's certainly not what they're remembered for now. For a one-hit wonder like Hammer or Tag Team, that catchphrase relegates them to a one-hit wonder punch line. But for someone like Justin, who's proven himself to his fans, there should be no regrets because he'll likely outlast that line."

"For an established artist, it's a good thing simply because they are known first and foremost as an artist," added Wright, whose KIIS has "SexyBack" on heavy rotation. "For a new artist, they run a higher risk of being forever known as the group that sang, 'I'm too sexy for my shirt.' Although as long as they got paid, I guess that's not so bad."

So far, Timberlake is seeing no backlash, as FutureSex/LoveSounds' second single, "My Love," has already climbed to #13 on the Hot 100.

"Some songs are written to be gimmick songs, and some songs are just good and they become catchphrases," Hilton said. "I still like to hear 'SexyBack,' but I don't ever want to hear 'Who Let the Dogs Out' again."

With all the jokes, though, won't even he eventually get tired of "SexyBack"?

"So long as he's sexy," Hilton said. "Maybe when he's 60, 'SexyBack' will get retired."

Maybe. Now take it to the bridge ...

• In Focus: Justin Timberlake
• Justin Timberlake Live At The House Of Blues In Anaheim, CA 08.10.2006

• Justin Timberlake
• Snoop Dogg
• Ricky Martin
• Britney Spears
• Kelis

Alicia Keys
Photo: Gregg Delman

Soulful ivory-tickler Alicia Keys has released just three albums over the course of her career — the most recent, Unplugged, was recorded three months ago during the singer/songwriter's intimate set at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Featuring duets with Common, Mos Def, Damian Marley and Maroon 5's Adam Levine, the LP hit stores last week and, according to the latest SoundScan figures, surpasses Canadian rockers Nickelback to open atop Billboard's albums sales chart.

For Keys, Unplugged's chart-topping finish continues a pattern. She's now three-for-three when it comes to #1 debuts.

Back in 2003, Keys' The Diary of Alicia Keys opened on top with more than 618,000 in sales, and her debut, 2001's Songs in A Minor, also took Billboard's blue ribbon with 236,000 scans. Which brings us to Unplugged. With sales of close to 196,000, the LP outsold last week's retail kings, Nickelback, by over 25,000 copies — dropping the Chad Kroeger-led quartet's All The Right Reasons to #2.

Keys' offering was one of just three new releases to creep into Billboard's top 10, bucking the recent trend of dominating debuts. Southern California honky-tonker Gary Allan's Tough All Over opens at #3 with sales falling just shy of the 100,000 mark, while comeback kid Ricky Martin's Life assumes the #6 slot with sales for his disc coming in at nearly 73,000. The Black Eyed Peas surge ahead five chart positions to #4 with close to 90,000 copies of Monkey Business scanned, followed at #5 by Kanye West's Late Registration with 83,000 copies moved.

Sheryl Crow's Wildflower slips two rungs to #7 with 59,000 scans, just ahead of eighth-place finisher Twista's The Day After and Gretchen Wilson's All Jacked Up, in at #9. Young Jeezy rounds out the big 10 thanks to over 54,000 scans of his disc, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101. Two albums from last week's top-10 took something of a week-two dive on the chart: Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine falls from #7 to #14 with over 48,000 scans and Franz Ferdinand's You Could Have It So Much Better plummets 19 spots to #27 with sales of nearly 35,000.

After Alicia, Gary and Ricky, the biggest debut showing was turned in by Story of the Year, whose In the Wake of Determination opens at #19 on the chart with nearly 42,000 scans. Sevendust's Next follows at #20 with 41,000 copies sold. Danger Doom's The Mouse and the Mask surfaces at #41 with sales nearing 25,000, followed by Dolly Parton's Those Were the Days at #48 (over 21,000) and British vocalist/pianist Jamie Cullum's Catching Tales at #49 (nearly 21,000).

Dru Hill's Hits collection opens at #71 with 15,000 plus scans, while the collaborative Roadrunner United project, The All-Star Sessions, finished at #76 with close to 15,000 copies sold. Warren G neared 15,000 scans with his latest LP, In the Mid-Nite Hour, to claim the chart's #79, and Default's One Thing Remains debuts at #89 with close to 14,000 scans.

Another One On October 11, Frankie J's The One, which is edging closer and closer to platinum status, was reissued as an expanded DualDisc, with Frankie's soulful take on Extreme's "More Than Words" as well as three other bonus tracks — one being "Suga Suga," a collaborative tune featuring rapper Baby Bash. The disc also contains video footage of Frankie on the road along with some of his music videos. Well it seems as though all those extras were enough to get some of the J-Man's fans to fork over more cash, as The One leaps from the chart's #175 this week to #84. The album experienced a 98 percent retail spike, amounting to close to 14,000 in sales. The One was originally released in March.

"Elizabethtown" Sales Up The soundtrack to Cameron Crowe's latest film, "Elizabethtown," arrived in stores on September 13 — a whole month before moviegoers could watch Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom fall in love after a chance encounter on an airplane. While sales of the disc were sluggish at first, interest in the soundtrack — featuring contributions from Nancy Wilson, Tom Petty, Elton John, Ryan Adams and My Morning Jacket — surged a whopping 377 percent, landing the album on Billboard's top 200 for the first time — at #125. Last week more than 10,000 copies of the soundtrack were carried away from stores, up from 2,000 the week prior.

[This story was originally published at 9:48 a.m. ET on 10.19.2005]

• Alicia Keys
• Nickelback
• Ricky Martin
• Black Eyed Peas
• Sheryl Crow

Alicia Keys performs at "Unplugged"
Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

More Keys Please: Devout Alicia Keys fans will want to nab the CD+DVD version of Unplugged, which boasts two additional audio performances, "Goodbye" and "Butterflyz," on the CD, and behind-the-scenes action and a video for "Unbreakable" on the DVD. That's not to mention a booklet that has poems, a letter from Keys, liner notes, photos and info on Keep a Child Alive, a nonprofit she aligned herself with for a World AIDS Day benefit last year.

Leading a Double Life: DualDiscs are all the rage, and record companies usually send them to stores at the same time as the standard album in order to maximize sales potential. Not so with Ricky Martin's Life, which will come out in regular form Tuesday but won't see a DualDisc release until November 22. Tracks on both editions include: "I Don't Care" (featuring Fat Joe and Amerie), a Luny Tunes reggaeton remix of "Que Mas Da" and the Spanish track "Déjate Llevar (It's Alright)."

A New G Thang: G-Funk guru Warren G resurfaces after his longest solo hiatus yet — nearly four years — with the indie release In the Mid-Nite Hour. After spending time with 213 for last year's The Hard Way, Warren gets some help from his comrades on a few tracks: Snoop crops up on "Chronic Break" and "Garilla Pimpin," while Nate Dogg chimes in on "We Need Each Other." Raphael Saadiq, Bishop Lamont and Chuck Taylor also lend their skills.

Dive Right In: Originally called [Adult Swim] Presents DangerDoom, The Mouse and the Mask still realizes what Danger Mouse and MF Doom set out to do: high-five the animated-TV block with a set of inspired songs, plus character voices and skits from shows like "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" and "Sealab 2021." Cee-Lo and Ghostface Killah dip their toes into "Benzie Box" and "The Mask," respectively.

United They Stand: In addition to this week's two metal-champ collections — Numbers From the Beast: An All-Star Tribute to Iron Maiden and the Roadrunner Records 25th anniversary throwdown The All-Star Sessions — there's a spate of other kinetic alliances happening. Illinois punks Resident Genius jam along to a recorded phone conversation they shared with legendary Boston University prof/activist Howard Zinn for You Can't Blow Up a Special Relationship; elusive indie darling Chan Marshall (a.k.a. Cat Power) hops onto grimy Aussie instrumental trio Dirty Three's Cinder; and ex-Swans singer Jarboe duets with members of Low, Ministry and Bauhaus on her new one, The Men Album. (For three points: Blixa Bargeld of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds also sings with Jarboe; her fellow Seed, Warren Ellis, is Dirty Three's violinist.)

SteEPed in EPs: Neo-goth dance punks American Eyes find an unlikely producer in Michael Patterson (Diddy, Notorious B.I.G.) for their first release, Never Trust Anything That Bleeds; likewise, chaotic London punks the Rakes make their debut with Retreat. Also, Lambchop pay Nashville neighbors Hands Off Cuba a visit with Colab; the country-rockin' Magnolia Electric Co. taped two of their Hard to Love a Man tracks at Steve Albini's, uh, Electrical Audio Studios; San Francisco solo artist Kelley Stoltz breaks bread with Sub Pop on The Sun Comes Through; and another solo artist, Amanda Rogers, goes even further out on a limb by covering At the Drive-In, among others, on Something Borrowed Something Blue.

Song Title of the Week: "Major Disappointment Reporting for Duty" (Drowningman's Don't Push Us When We're Hot)

Other Notables:

Sevendust's Next: After eight years and a bitter breakup with career-long label TVT Records, the metal squad is resurrecting itself with a fresh new label (the Universal-affiliated WineDark), single ("Ugly") and guitarist, Snot's Sonny Mayo. Keep an eye out for limited-edition copies of 'Dust's fifth studio record, which come with a bonus DVD.

Gang of Four's Return the Gift: The truly seminal U.K. dance-rock group initially decided to put out a batch of re-recordings of its classic songs as a stand-alone disc and hold off until 2006 for an equally tempting set of remixes by Hot Hot Heat, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, No Doubt's Tony Kanal and others. Now they've decided to simplify by melding the two into a 26-track, double-CD set.

Modest Mouse's Good News for People Who Love Bad News DualDisc: Humble-rodent connoisseurs probably have the bonus track "I've Got It All (Most)" — which previously appeared as a B-side but is tacked onto the Good News DualDisc for good measure — but they should take note of the many visual nuggets: two videos, behind-the-scenes stuff and an interview with main man Isaac Brock directed by — you guessed it — Isaac Brock.

New Releases:

• 31Knots - Talk Like Blood (Polyvinyl)
• Abel - Alegria Musica (Tommy Boy)
• Adult. - Gimme Trouble (Thrill Jockey)
• Agents of the Sun - Monarchs of a Fallen Society (DCide)
• Gary Allan - Tough All Over (MCA Nashville)
• Allister - Before the Blockout (Drive Thru)
• American Eyes - Never Trust Anything That Bleeds (EP; Side One Dummy)
• American Werewolves - 1968 (Fractured Transmitter)
• Apache Indian - Time for Change (Explorer)
• Barr - Beyond Reinforced Jewelcase (5 Rue Christine)
• Hudson Bell - When the Sun Is the Moon (Monitor)
• Boris with Merzbow - Sun Baked Snow Cave (Hydra Head)
• Peter Brötzmann & Han Bennink - Schwarzwaldfahrt (Atavistic)
• Jackson Browne - Solo Acoustic Vol. 1 (Inside)
• Castanets - First Light's Freeze (Asthmatic Kitty)
• Celebration - Celebration (4AD)
• Cheetah Girls - Cheetah-Licious Christmas (Disney)
• The Clientele - Strange Geometry (Merge)
• Company - Parallel Time (Jagjaguwar)
• Constantines - Tournament of Hearts (Sub Pop)
• Susan Cowsill - Just Believe It (Blue Corn)
• Jamie Cullum - Catching Tales (deluxe edition due same day; Verve)
• Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask (Epitaph)
• Deerhoof - The Runners Four (Kill Rock Stars)
• Default - One Thing Remains (TVT)
• Dios Malos - Dios Malos (Star Time)
• Dirty Three - Cinder (Touch and Go)
• Drowningman - Don't Push Us When We're Hot (Thorp)
• Early Man - Closing In (Matador)
• Explosions in the Sky - How Strange, Innocence (Temporary Residence)
• Gamma Ray - Majestic (Sanctuary)
• Gang of Four - Return the Gift (two CDs; V2)
  Read: "No Doubt, Beck, Yeah Yeah Yeahs Plan Gang Of Four Remixes"
• Mark Gardener with Goldrush - These Beautiful Ghosts (United for Opportunity)
• Great Lake Swimmers - Bodies and Minds (Misra)
• Hanson - The Best of Hanson: Live and Electric (limited edition; two CDs with DVD; Three Car Garage)
• George Huff - Miracles (Word)
• Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey - The Sameness of Difference (Hyena)
• Jarboe - The Men Album (Atavistic)
• Jonathan Kane - February (Table of the Elements)
• Alicia Keys - Unplugged (special edition due same day; J)
  Read: "Alicia Keys Taps Mos Def, Common For 'Inspired' 'Unplugged' "
• Lambchop/ Hands Off Cuba - CoLAB (EP; Merge)
• The Living Blue - Fire, Blood, Water (Minty Fresh)
• The Long Winters - Ultimatum (Barsuk)
• The Magnolia Electric Co. - Hard to Love a Man (EP; Secretly Canadian)
• Ricky Martin - Life (Columbia)
• The Mass - Perfect Picture of Wisdom and Boldness (Crucial Blast)
• Joe McPhee and John Snyder - Pieces of Light (Atavistic)
• Minus Story - No Rest for Ghosts (Jagjaguwar)
• Mouse on Mars - Live04 (Sonig)
• New London Fire - I Sing the Body Holographic (Eyeball)
• Dolly Parton - Those Were the Days (Sugar Hill)
• Matt Pond PA - Several Arrows Later (Altitude)
• Daniel Powter - Daniel Powter (Warner Bros.)
• The Rakes - Retreat (EP; Dim Mak)
• Resident Genius/ Howard Zinn - You Can't Blow Up a Special Relationship (Thick)
• Roadrunner United - The All-Star Sessions (Roadrunner)
• Amanda Rogers - Something Borrowed Something Blue (EP; Immigrant Sun)
• Kate Rusby - The Girl Who Couldn't Fly (Compass)
• Saving Jane - Girl Next Door (Madacy)
• Sevendust - Next (WineDark/Universal)
  Read: "Sevendust Turn Up The Heaviness, Leave Beef Behind On Next"
• Kelley Stoltz - The Sun Comes Through (EP; Sub Pop)
• Story of the Year - In the Wake of Determination (Maverick)
• T.A.T.U. - Dangerous and Moving (Interscope)
• Susan Tedeschi - Hope and Desire (Verve)
• Warren G - In the Mid-Nite Hour (Lightyear)
• Paul Weller - As Is Now (Yep Roc)
• Nancy Wilson - "Elizabethtown" score (RCA)
• Woolly Bandits - Say Hello to My Little Friend (Dionysus)
• Young Playthings - Pick Up With the Young Playthings (Dionysus)
• Various artists - Numbers From the Beast: An All-Star Tribute to Iron Maiden (Restless)
• Various artists - One Million Strong Vol. 2: Love Peace & War (Bungalo)
• Various artists - "Dora the Explorer: Dance Fiesta!" (Nick/Jive)
• Various artists - "North Country" soundtrack (Columbia)
• Various artists - "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" soundtrack (Varèse)

Notable Reissues:

• Johnny Adams - The Great Johnny Adams Blues Album (Rounder)
• Allman Brothers Band - Gold (Mercury/Universal)
• Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Gold (Mercury/Universal)
• Colosseum II - Strange New Flesh: Upgraded (Castle/Ryko)
• John Coltrane - One Down, One Up: Live at the Half Note (two CDs; Impulse)
• The Diplomats of Solid Sound - Instrumental Action Soul (Hammondbeat)
• Dru Hill - Hits (Def Soul Classics)
• Billie Holiday - Gold (Hip-O/Universal)
• Buddy Holly - Gold (Geffen/Universal)
• Holy Terrors - This Is What It Sounds Like When You're Dead (Eulogy)
• Shirley Horn - But Beautiful: The Best of Shirley Horn on Verve (Verve)
• John Legend - Get Lifted (Columbia)
• Don McLean - Rearview Mirror: An American Musical Journey (Hyena)
• Men's Recovery Project - The Very Best of Men's Recovery Project (5 Rue Christine)
• Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News (DualDisc; Epic)
• Nekromantix - Brought Back to Life Again (Hellcat)
• New Edition - Gold (Hip-O/Universal)
• Linda Perry - In Flight (enhanced; Kill Rock Stars)
• Nina Simone - The Soul of Nina Simone (DualDisc; RCA)
• Lyn Taitt & the Jets - Hold Me Tight: Anthology 65-73 (Trojan)
• Tigertailz - Banzai and Berzerk (Ryko)
• Tom Verlaine - Warm and Cool (with bonus tracks; Thrill Jockey)
• Johnny Guitar Watson - A Real Mother for Ya (with unreleased bonus tracks; Shout! Factory)
• Johnny Guitar Watson - Ain't That a Bitch (with unreleased bonus tracks; Shout! Factory)
• Johnny Guitar Watson - Funk Beyond the Call of Duty (with unreleased bonus tracks; Shout! Factory)
• Hank Williams - Turn Back the Years: The Essential Hank Williams Collection (Mercury Nashville)
• Bill Withers - Just as I Am (DualDisc; Columbia/Legacy)
• Yanni - Live at the Acropolis (with DVD; RCA Victor)
• Various artists - Sand & Steel: The Classic Sound of Jamaican Steel Drums (Trojan)
• Various artists - Southern Rock: Gold (Hip-O/Universal)

DVD:

• Terry Callier - "Live in Berlin" (Verve)
• Charlie Daniels - "The Kings and Friends: Live at the Gothic With Special Guest Hazel Miller" (Burnside)
• K-Ci & JoJo - "All My Life: Their Greatest Video Hits" (Universal)
• Alicia Keys - "Unplugged" (J)
• Machine Head - "Elegies" (Universal)
• Bobby McFerrin - "Live in Montreal" (Universal)
• Carmen McRae - "Live in Montreal" (Universal)

Coming Attractions:

October 18:

• Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel (Reprise)
• Ashlee Simpson - In Another Life
  Read: "Ashlee Remembers 'SNL' Incident But Forgets Boys On New LP"
• Thrice - Vheissu (Island)
  Read: "Thrice Going Underground — In A Sense — For Enigmatic Vheissu"

October 25:

• Chamillionaire - The Sound of Revenge (Universal)
• Destiny's Child - #1's (DualDisc; Columbia)
  Read: "Destiny's Child Look Back With #1's Before Going Their Separate Ways"
• Fefe Dobson - Sunday Love (enhanced; Island)

November 1:

• Nirvana - Sliver: The Best of the Box (Geffen)
• Ozzy Osbourne - Under Covers (DualDisc due same day; Epic)
• Santana - All That I Am (Arista)
  Read: "Guest List For New Santana LP: Big Boi, Mary J., Will.I.Am, Bo Bice And More"

• Alicia Keys
• Ricky Martin
• Warren G
• DangerDoom
• Gang of Four

Paris Hilton
Photo: MTV News

Paris Hilton has done her share of confessing, and now she says it's your turn — she's doing a sequel to her book "Confessions of an Heiress" that's part empty journal called "Your Heiress Diary: Confess It All to Me," due in November. More than 150 photos of Hilton will be contained in the book, along with messages from her guiding the reader on subjects to write about. ...

Ricky Martin worked with a lot of big producers on his forthcoming album, Life, due October 11, from current Paris Hilton favorite Scott Storch to Will.I.Am, Sean Garrett and the Matrix. Besides Fat Joe and Amerie guesting on the first single, "I Don't Care," Martin's also got another Black Eyed Peas member on the album — Taboo appears along with Daddy Yankee on "Drop It on Me." Other tracks include "Stop Time Tonight," "Save the Dance," "I Won't Desert You" and a reggaeton remix by Luny Tunes of the Spanish version of "I Don't Care." "I wanted to start from zero, as if it were the first album that I was recording, so I could present a new sound," Martin said. The singer's new sound includes Middle Eastern music, Asian music and hip-hop. ... Ludacris is coming full circle. The radio-DJ-turned-rapper has signed on to host a show on XM Satellite Radio's unedited hip-hop channel RAW (channel 66). "Disturbing Tha Peace Presents Ludacris' Open Mic" will begin in January. ...

Another season of teen drama "The O.C." means another Seth Cohen-inspired mixtape of lovelorn soon-to-be indie classics. Due November 8, The O.C. Mix 5 will feature cuts by Gorillaz, Kaiser Chiefs, Kasabian, Stars, LCD Soundsystem, "O.C." theme-song writers Phantom Planet and others. ... Courtney Love is saddened by the tell-all her mom, Linda Carroll, is planning to publish in January. Love's manager said they find it "astonishing and profoundly depressing" that Carroll makes the allegations she does about Love's childhood in "Her Mother's Daughter," considering Carroll "abandoned her daughter when she was 7 years old," resulting with her "barely" knowing her at all. The claims Carroll makes about Love's childhood antics contain "numerous substantial inaccuracies and several scurrilous falsehoods," the singer's manager Peter Asher said, noting that they wouldn't dignify them with individual responses since the book is a "work of vicious and greedy fiction." "Ms. Love will have no further comment on this sad situation." ...

On Tuesday, federal officials charged eight people with crimes in connection with the Internet distribution of "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" before the final chapter in George Lucas' space epic hit theaters in May. The illegal copy of the movie was traced to a post-production facility in California, where officials charged that employee Albert Valente, 28, of Lakewood, California, took a copy. Valente has pleaded guilty to copyright infringement. Six others were charged with copyright infringement and other misdemeanors for copying and distributing Valente's tape. Marc Hoaglin, 36, was charged with a felony for putting the movie online, which could result in three years in jail. ... Michael Jackson's dad is getting back into the music business. Joe Jackson's starting up a hip-hop boot camp, and he's currently on a search for young talent. The first competition is being held this weekend in New York, where unsigned artists over the age of 18 are invited to come and try out. More info can be found at HipHopBootCamp.com. ...

Simple Plan have scheduled a short fall tour to promote their new live album, MTV Hard Rock Live, due October 4. The trek, which also features Straylight Run, Plain White T's and Paramore, kicks off October 22 in San Diego and wraps up November 19 in Universal City, California. ... Bam Margera's continual quest to take over the world will move one step closer to completion on November 19, when he launches his Viva La Bands Tour in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Bam faves H.I.M., Finch and Skindred are along for the ride, which will feature Margera and his cronies "performing" in between sets. The jaunt wraps November 24 in Philadelphia. ...

Duran Duran are "moving on" from promoting their reunion album, Astronaut, bassist John Taylor said, and spending this month writing their next full-length. The '80s heartthrobs are crashing at a place in San Francisco owned by tennis player Andre Agassi. "He's kindly lending us his house for the month," Taylor said. "It's a great place to work. The music and culture of San Francisco are so strong." ... It's been five years in the making, but former Pharcyde member Fatlip's solo debut is finally on its way. Theloneliest Punk will be released by Delicious Vinyl on November 1, bundled with a DVD featuring a Spike Jonze-directed documentary called "What's Up Fatlip?" If you're wondering what took so long, skip to the song "Writer's Block" for the answer. ...

Cagey guitar virtuoso Buckethead will be hitting the road starting October 21 in Orlando, Florida — the first date of his Disney World to Disneyland Tour. Buckethead, who'll release a solo album, Enter the Chicken, on October 25, will hit 13 other cities before wrapping things up on November 22 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California. ... On October 18, Immortal Records will release the soundtrack to "Masters of Horror," a 13-episode series directed by some of today's most respected horror directors. The double-disc CD will include new and previously unreleased material from Mudvayne, Thursday, Shadows Fall, Andrew W.K. and others, as well as a collaboration between Buckethead and System of a Down's Serj Tankian. ...

09.27.2005

Mariah Carey, Rob Thomas and Kenny Chesney are the first performers announced for the 2005 American Music Awards. Cedric the Entertainer is hosting the show, which airs live November 22 on ABC. ...

Jessica Simpson is at it again — she's launching yet another candy-coated beauty line, which she's naming after her 1999 album, Sweet Kisses. This will be the fourth of her kissable collections — following Dessert, Taste and Treats — but this time, it'll be available exclusively at Wal-Mart, instead of Sephora, which has carried most of her previous lines. Sweet Kisses, hitting shelves in October, comes in the new flavors of vanilla cupcake, crème brûlée and strawberry sorbet, and will include flavored fragrance, hair and body shimmer mist, body frosting and lip gloss. "Sweet Kisses is very personal to me, and I can't wait to share it," Simpson said. ... The Memphis, Tennessee, chapter of the Recording Academy is honoring Justin Timberlake, Isaac Hayes and "Hustle & Flow" filmmaker Craig Brewer at the Recording Academy Honors 2005, which celebrates outstanding individuals whose work embodies excellence and integrity and who have improved the environment for the creative community. The gala will be held October 22 at the Memphis Cook Convention Center, and it will benefit the MusiCares Hurricane Relief Fund. ...

Franz Ferdinand are hard at work clogging your entertainment center. On October 4, they'll release two versions of their album You Could Have It So Much Better: a standard edition and a deluxe DualDisc version with interviews, studio footage and an uncut version of the video for their song "Do You Want To." Then, on November 22, they'll drop a two-disc live DVD. The still-untitled home video features two complete performances, from London and San Francisco, plus behind-the-scenes footage and special karaoke films for some of their biggest hits, including "Take Me Out" and "The Dark of the Matinee." ... Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell and his wife, Vicky, are expecting a son sometime in November, according to a band spokesperson. The impending birth isn't expected to cut into the group's fall tour with Seether and 30 Seconds to Mars, which runs through November 18. The child will be the couple's second — they have a 1-year-old daughter named Toni — but Cornell's third; he also has a 5-year-old daughter named Lily with ex-wife/former Soundgarden manager Susan Silver. ...

So Lil' Kim isn't in solitary confinement, and she's not having that tough a time in prison. She issued a statement on Monday on her condition at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, saying that she's "in good spirits." "I will be fine," she said. "Contrary to the rumors, I am in general population at FDC and I have adjusted to the facility and to my fellow inmates, who are all cool people." While there, she said, she spends her time working on her personal development. "Each day, I read, sharpen my focus and grow." ... The Roots will headline the Bounce Tour, a fall outing sponsored by "NBA 2K6" and featuring video game consoles at the venues where concertgoers can play the game and listen to the Roots and others on the soundtrack. The trek begins October 6 in Chicago and ends November 12 in Granville, Ohio. ...

Mötley Crüe will return to Atlanta's Philips Arena — the site of frontman Vince Neil's September 16 onstage spill, brought on by a ripped calf muscle — on March 15. The band had promised to come back for a makeup show, having had to cut its set short that evening because of Neil's bum leg. Tickets from the September 16 gig will be honored at the redo concert this spring. ... It ain't easy filling Howard Stern's shoes, and that's why Infinity Broadcasting, home to his syndicated morning show, isn't even going to try. Instead, the company (owned by MTV's parent company, Viacom) will be selecting "five or six" different hosts to spread out over the 27 markets formerly headed by Stern, who is making the switch over to Sirius satellite radio in January, according to Infinity CEO Joel Hollander, who broke the news to TV and radio host Bill O' Reilly during a chat at the Museum of Television and Radio on Monday. The chosen few, who will be announced shortly, will then be evaluated on their performance over the next year or two. ...

Phil Spector's murder trial is likely to begin in January, Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler told the producer in a hearing on Monday in Los Angeles. Pretrial motions were also scheduled for October 27 and 28. ... Bruce Springsteen will release a 30th anniversary edition of his Born to Run on November 15 that will include a DVD of his legendary 1975 show at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. The box set will also feature a new film, the 90-minute documentary "Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run," a remastered version of the album and a 48-page booklet with previously unseen photos. ...

Suicidal Tendencies, the Germs, the Dead Kennedys, Marky Ramone and Flipper will perform at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles on October 29 for a concert dubbed "Waking the Dead." The Germs will be joined onstage by actor Shane West, who plays late Germs frontman Darby Crash in the forthcoming film "What We Do Is Secret." West will handle vocals for the gig. ...

• Ludacris
• Ricky Martin
• Courtney Love
• Gorillaz

Destiny's Child
Photo: MTV News

It looks like we haven't seen the last of Destiny's Child. Just one day after they performed their last concert in Vancouver, British Columbia, the ladies shot what could be their final music video together, for "Stand Up for Love." It was directed by Matthew Rolston, and their label rep says it will deal with an as-yet-unspecified "recent world crisis." ...

Dave Chappelle is getting a distributor for his "Block Party." Rogue Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to the feature, which was directed by Michel Gondry and includes performances by Kanye West, Mos Def, Erykah Badu, Dead Prez and the Fugees, among others, from a party in Brooklyn, New York, last year. ... Ricky Martin's doing a collection drive — via his own charitable foundation, Banco Popular and the Salvation Army — to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. On Thursday and Friday of this week, Banco Popular branches became collection centers for diapers, clothes and educational toys, to be distributed by the Salvation Army to relief centers in Texas and other areas affected by the hurricane. Martin went to Houston last week to visit the Astrodome, the Reliant Center, the Daycare Center, and the Texas Children's Hospital, which made him want to do more. "Being in Houston allowed us to join in solidarity with the youngest survivors," he said in a statement. "I talked to them, listened to their stories and understood their fears." Martin's also launching the Life for the Katrina Children Relief Fund, with some seed money from Banco Popular, to help organizations give aid to children who survive emergency situations. ...

Audio versions of 23 performances from last Saturday's "ReAct Now: Music & Relief" benefit on MTV, VH1 and CMT (among other channels), plus three of the bonus performances featured on MTV Overdrive (Beck's "Side of the Road," Rob Thomas' "Ever the Same" and Trent Reznor's "Non-Entity"), are available to download, with all proceeds going to the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity. Other songs include Thomas' cover of "Time After Time," Goo Goo Dolls' cover of "Give a Little Bit," David Banner's acoustic version of "Cadillacs on 22s," Mötley Crüe and Chester Bennington's collaboration on "Home Sweet Home," and Melissa Etheridge's "Four Days," which she wrote about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Sites offering the music: Cdigix.com, Connect.com, FYE.com, Music.MSN.com, Real.com/katrina, Rhapsody.com and VirginDigital.com. ... Next month Saddle Creek will release Lagniappe, a compilation album featuring the label's roster regulars. The 13-track LP will include Cursive's "Booketa," Bright Eyes' "Napoleon's Hat" and the Faint's "Hypnotised." Proceeds from the album, which will also be available through iTunes, will be donated to the Red Cross in support of the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. ...

Audioslave are releasing a live album and DVD of their historic performance at Havana's Anti-Imperialist Plaza in May. "Live in Cuba" will feature 18 tracks, including Audioslave's biggest hits as well as Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun," "Outshined" and "Spoonman" and Rage Against the Machine's "Bulls on Parade." A 30-minute documentary, an additional TV special on the event and a bonus CD from the band's recent AOL Sessions performance will also be included in the set, due October 11. ... This could be the year for Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Sex Pistols and others who have been on the ballot to enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame several times over. Artists become eligible 25 years after the release of their first album, so this year's nominating committee looked to 1980 for new nominees and found ... no one. That means the chances are greater for Ozzy and several others, including Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, who last year were the first rap act to get nominated; Miles Davis; John Mellencamp; and Blondie. ...

Madonna has picked a director to helm her first video for her forthcoming all-dance album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. David LaChapelle (Gwen Stefani's "Rich Girl," Britney Spears' "Everytime") will shoot the clip for "Hung Up," due out on radio in mid-October. ... David Bowie joined the Arcade Fire onstage during the Montreal orchestral-rockers' sold-out gig at New York's Central Park Summerstage on Thursday night. Decked out in a white suit and wide-brimmed hat, Bowie first led the band in a rendition of his 1971 tune "Queen Bitch," then switched to an acoustic guitar and sang backup on the Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" before departing to a massive round of applause. ...

First, "Image of the Invisible," the lead-off single from Thrice's forthcoming disc Vheissu, was uploaded to the band's Web site, giving fans a glimpse into what the LP's going to sound like when it hits stores on October 18. Now another of the album's tracks, "The Earth Will Shake," has made its way onto Thrice's Internet home. There's also a three-minute sampler track, containing snippets from a number of tunes, including "Atlantic" and "Hold Fast Hope." ... The Darkness will return on November 19 with One Way Ticket to Hell ... And Back. The album's first single, "One Way Ticket," is set to debut on rock radio sometime next month. ...

9.15.2005

Before she heads to jail for perjury and conspiracy on Monday, Lil' Kim will be chronicling her last days as a free woman for her own reality show, the rapper's publicist said. The project, tentatively titled "Lil' Kim Goes to the Big House," will be headed up by entertainment big shot Tracey Edmonds, wife of beatmaker/crooner Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and CEO of Edmonds Entertainment. Several networks are currently vying for rights to the show, but the Queen Bee has yet to make a decision. ...

Opportunities to sit in on recording sessions with Usher, Alicia Keys or Kanye West are among the experiences and items being auctioned on eBay October 11-20 to benefit the Step Up Women's Network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening community resources for women and girls. Various autographed items by Dave Matthews Band, Metallica and Carrie Underwood will also be available in the auction. ... Coldplay have posted their four-song Fix You EP exclusively at Apple's iTunes Music Store. The proceeds from sales of the EP will go to the American Red Cross and the Recording Academy's MusiCares Hurricane Relief Fund. The collection includes studio and live versions of the new single "Fix You," plus the previously unreleased "Pour Me" and "The World Turned Upside Down." In other Coldplay news, the band was forced to cancel Wednesday's show in Tampa, Florida, due to an unspecified illness, but the group is planning to reschedule. ...

What do New Found Glory bassist Ian Grushka and pop sensation Britney Spears have in common? Their sons have the same birthday. On Wednesday, just as Spears was giving birth to her baby, Grushka and his wife Stormy welcomed their first son, Oliver Layne, to the world. Grushka is the first member of NFG to become a dad. ... 'NSYNC are putting out a greatest-hits album. Called simply 'NSYNC's Greatest Hits, the 11-song compilation is due October 25, and includes such chart-topping singles as their first hit, "I Want You Back" (from March 1998), collaborations with Nelly ("Girlfriend") and Gloria Estefan ("Music of My Heart"), as well as "Bye Bye Bye," "It's Gonna Be Me," "Pop," "Tearin' Up My Heart" and "Gone." ...

So it looks like CBGB will remain open at least for the month of September. A hearing scheduled for Thursday morning (September 15) in New York's Civil Court, what was to be the first public holdover proceeding in the Bowery Residents' Committee's efforts to evict the iconic club from its current locale at 313 Bowery, was postponed until October 3. ... The "Saw II" soundtrack, due October 25, will feature a remix of Marilyn Manson's "Irresponsible Hate Anthem" by former Nine Inch Nails multi-instrumentalist Danny Lohner, Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland and Charlie Clouser; a remix of Queens of the Stone Age's "Burn the Witch" by UNKLE; and a remix of Puscifer's (Maynard James Keenan and Lohner's new side project) "REV 22:20" by Lohner. Also contributing tracks are the Used, Papa Roach and Mudvayne, whose "Forget to Remember" is the first single. ...

Grammy-winner Tom Waits has filed suit in Germany against General Motors' Opel division and an ad agency, claiming that after he turned down their request to sing in a commercial, they hired a soundalike to mimic his signature gravelly tone. The ads aired in Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway in late 2004 and early 2005. GM has denied that it sought out Waits — who has a long-standing policy against appearing in commercials — for the spots. In a statement Waits said, "Apparently, the highest compliment our culture grants artists nowadays is to be in an ad — ideally naked and purring on the hood of a new car. ... While the court can't make me active in radio, I am asking it to make me radioactive to advertisers." ... Henry Rollins' Independent Film Channel series "Henry's Film Corner" is getting something of a revamping. "The Henry Rollins Show," which will launch in March, will incorporate a wider range of guests, a more expansive array of topics, and musical performances. Rollins will also have a segment called "Teeing Off," an irreverent take on the traditional monologue as Henry rants on everything from pop culture to politics to the guy who annoyed him at the grocery store. ...

Ex-Meat Puppets singer Curt Kirkwood, best known for collaborating with Nirvana on their "Unplugged" performance, will release his first solo album, Snow, on September 27. Pete Anderson, who produced the Puppets' Forbidden Places, produced the album. ... Musicians continue to take the lead in fund-raising for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Cincinnati band Kelp recently launched the Rock Together initiative, in which they hope to recruit 1,000 bands across the country to donate the proceeds from 1,000 gigs to benefit those affected by the hurricane. So far, according to Kelp guitarist Kent Meloy, 90 bands have played shows in Cincinnati, Kentucky, Miami, New York and Los Angeles, raising approximately $25,000. He encourages any band that's interested to visit rocktogether.org for more information. ...

• Destiny's Child
• Ricky Martin
• Audioslave
• Madonna
• The Darkness

The Matrix's Graham Edwards, Lauren Christy and Scott Spock
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

BEVERLY HILLS, California — For two years, the Matrix were holed up in a studio grafting beats for their debut LP, but once the production trio realized that the demands of being a band provided little time to actually make music, they quickly pulled the plug.

"There was going to be a Matrix record until we found ourselves standing outside our own studio doing interviews all day and not being able to actually work on anything," the Matrix's Lauren Christy said. "So we decided it would be far more beneficial for us to be behind the scenes and not have to go to radio stations all around the country promoting our album. We were like, 'We're too old for this. Forget it.' "

"We didn't realize we were going to have to be a band again," joked Christy's hubby and fellow Matrix member Graham Edwards.

So the group, which was at no loss for work at the time producing tracks for several high-profile artists, happily handed off the songs to one of its singers. "We were so busy working on other things that we decided to turn the record into a solo project for one of [them]," Scott Spock said.

One project in particular that the Matrix are currently working on, Spock noted, "is going to be huge." "We're actually in the studio right now working on something really, really special that we can't talk about [just yet], but we're working with an artist you would never expect us to work with. Look for it because it's going to be amazing."

Sorry, Scott. Apparently, the artist didn't get the memo. Korn frontman Jonathan Davis leaked the news of the top-secret collaboration to MTV News last week, saying the Matrix were among a handful of producers working on the band's new LP, set to drop in October (see "Korn's Davis Dispels Rumors About New LP, Says Head 'Had Problems For Years' ").

The Matrix have carved quite a name for themselves in the biz. Since 2002, the trio have scored hits for Britney Spears, Robbie Williams and Mooney Suzuki. They also wrote Avril Lavigne's break-out single "Complicated," which catapulted the punk-pop tart to superstar status (see "Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne Fall Into The Matrix").

The band of producers also penned seven tracks for Shakira's second English-language album, Oral Fixation 2, out in November. The disc will be the English counterpart to the singer's forthcoming Spanish disc, Fijación Oral Vol. 1, dropping June 7 (see "The Matrix Record With Shakira, Prep Debut Album"). Three or four songs should end up on the disc, says Christy.

"Of course, she's producing it, but when we were doing the demos, to us it felt a little bit like the Pretenders or the Cure. We're really dying to see what she does [with it] because she's a genius," Christy said.

The group also wrote Josh Kelley's new single, "Only You" (hitting radio June 6), plus a few tracks for Ricky Martin's upcoming LP. "It's been a pretty long spell, I guess, since his last record, and he wants to come back with something pretty bitchen," Edwards said. "Everyone's waiting for him and I think it's going to be huge."

• Matrix
• Korn
• Ricky Martin
• Shakira

Shakira on the set of her "La Tortura" video shoot
Photo: Chris Militcsher

The prosecution is wrapping up its case against Michael Jackson in what's expected to be the last week of testimony against him. The singer's lawyers argued in and out of court on Monday, trying to convince the judge not to allow the testimony of Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe (they lost that one), and fighting with each other outside of court. Neither Thomas Mesereau nor Brian Oxman would comment on their argument, but it was later learned that Oxman would no longer be on the defense team as of Thursday. In the meantime, another one of the "Neverland 5" — former employees who claim they witnessed Jackson molesting various boys and lost their jobs after testifying before a grand jury — took the stand. Kassim Abdool testified that he witnessed Jackson kissing the 1993 accuser. ...

An airborne bottle cut rock band Kasabian's set short Friday night at the Academy in Glasgow, Scotland, after an audience member pitched the projectile at guitarist Sergio Pizzorno's head, leaving him with a sizable gash that required six sutures. In a statement, Pizzorno said it was "a shame the actions of one person put an end to our best gig all year" and recommended that those who see the band live in the future, should they feel the urge to throw anything, "throw bras and knickers from now on." ...

For Shakira's new video for the dancehall-flavored "La Tortura," she worked with director Michael Haussman (Kanye West, Madonna) to create a combative moment in a couple's relationship. Filmed in an art deco building, her significant other, played by Alejandro Sanz, sings about his "transgressions" en Español while Shakira fires back that she won't forgive him. The clip debuts Tuesday at 6 p.m. on MTV, while her album, Fijacion Oral Part 1, is due June 7. ... Ricky Martin, moved by his visit to the tsunami-ravaged villages of Southeast Asia, is partnering with Habitat for Humanity to help build and restore 224 houses in Thailand's Pang Nga province. A donation from the Ricky Martin Foundation will help more than 1,000 people move out of temporary shelters and overcrowded camps. Work is expected to begin this month and be completed in March 2007. The singer's spokesperson said Martin will make another trip to lend a hand in the rebuilding process. ...

You Hear It First band and Fred Durst protégés Ringside will open for Weezer from April 26 in Vancouver to May 14 in Atlanta. The tour marks the first outing for the duo of singer/songwriter Scott Thomas and producer/actor Balthazar Getty. ... Claymates can now show their admiration for Clay Aiken every time they make a purchase. MasterCard affiliate Myplash (short for "my plastic cash") just released an Aiken debit card, as well as a Simple Plan edition, and will continue putting music celebrities on their cards. ...

Two months after 32-year-old Tracey Gardner-Tetso failed to meet up with friends at a Mötley Crüe concert in Washington, D.C., the band is stepping up to match the $10,000 reward put up by the Victims' Rights Foundation. "We hope our involvement helps brings more attention to this case and anyone with information will step forward," bassist Nikki Sixx said in a statement. Tetso is white, 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighs 130 pounds and has long blond hair and blue eyes. She was last seen driving a 1996 black Pontiac Trans Am with tinted windows and Maryland plates LRN 534. The car was found March 17th in Glen Burnie, Maryland. Anyone with information should call police at (410) 407-2020. ... Tupac's mom, Afeni Shakur, is happy that T.I. and Lil' Flip have resolved their beef and said it's a "wonderful lesson" for the rest of the rap community. "It's been nearly 10 years since everything between Tupac and Biggie, and rappers today are paying a lot of lip service to the lessons they learned from that tragedy," she said in a statement, "but how many of them are actually showing it in their actions? I'm proud of the way T.I. and Lil' Flip have settled their differences." ...

Get ready to call Lance Bass' bluff — the 'NSYNC singer is going to put on his game face during a no-limit round of Texas hold 'em on "Poker Royale: Celebrities Vs. Poker Pros." Also playing for a chance at a $50,000 prize are actresses such as Jennifer Tilly and Mimi Rogers and poker champs such as Scott Fischman and Kenna James. The seven-episode series debuts May 6 at 9 p.m. ET on GSN. ... Faith Evans' songs from her album The First Lady are now available as ring tones on Virgin Mobile. The ring tone for her first single, "Again," will be exclusive for one month, while the "Goin' Out" and "Tru Love" will be exclusive for two months. ... Fantasia will be the opening act for soul singer Kem for three weeks beginning June 8 in St. Louis and wrapping up July 1 in Atlanta. The "American Idol" winner's new single, "Free Yourself," was the most added song at urban mainstream radio last week. ...

Patti Smith, Nellie McKay and Huey Lewis are joining the Jammys lineup, which already includes Sinead O'Connor with Burning Spear. Mavis Staples and Phish bassist Mike Gordon have also been added to the bill. The jam-music awards show takes place Tuesday at New York's Madison Square Garden. ... Dark Star Orchestra co-founder Scott Larned, 37, died Sunday from heart failure, the band announced on its Web site. As keyboardist for the world's preeminent Grateful Dead cover band, who specialized in re-creating entire Dead shows onstage down to the smallest musical detail, Larned's demise eerily follows that of three actual Grateful Dead keyboardists: Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (1945-73) and Brent Mydland (1952-90), who died while they were still members of the group, and Keith Godchaux, who left the band in 1979 and died in 1980. ...

04.22.2005

On Friday (April 22), three days after guitarist Bryan Ottoson's body was discovered on the band's tour bus, American Head Charge posted a statement on their Web site about their bandmate's passing. "Bryan was a vital member of our group and a key songwriter on The Feeding," the statement reads. "It is our intention to honor his memory by rejoining Mudvayne, one of Bryan's favorite bands, on the current tour. Words cannot convey the depth of our sadness, but we want our fans to be able to hear the music Bryan loved so much. He'd be pissed if we didn't continue on. We will return on the Lubbock, Texas, date on April 29. Chad Ottoson, Bryan's brother, states that the Ottoson family firmly stands behind [American Head Charge]'s decision to carry on in Bryan's name." A spokesperson for American Head Charge said the group is currently working to find a replacement guitarist and will make a decision by Monday. Meanwhile, a public memorial service for Ottoson will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday at the Thomson Dougherty funeral home on Park Avenue in Minneapolis. ...

Lindsay Lohan's Los Angeles home was robbed while she was in New York shooting "Just My Luck," according to Los Angeles police. More than $10,000 worth of TVs, DVD players and other electronic equipment was stolen from the singer/actress, while her liquor cabinet and closet were also raided. Police are investigating. ... When you have the #1 album in the country, you have to celebrate correctly. So Mariah Carey partied up at Cipriani's in New York Thursday night with the likes of Jay-Z, Ice-T, Memphis Bleek, Kanye West, P. Diddy, L.A. Reid, Jermaine Dupri and Christina Milian. (Click for photos from the party.) ...

Hip-hop's favorite ex-pimp, the Archbishop Don "Magic" Juan, is launching a clothing line called the Bishop. Snoop Dogg, Lil Jon and Omarion are among the celebrities who have previewed the line in videos and magazines. Although the archbishop is known for his flashy suits, the line is actually composed of T-shirts and hats. ... Modest Mouse will hit the road in May and June for an 18-show tour with recently reunited indie darlings Camper Van Beethoven. The trek kicks off with two shows at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 25-26 and wraps with a June 20 show at Central Park's Summer Stage in New York. ...

Emo heartthrob Chris Carrabba's Dashboard Confessional have enlisted producer Daniel Lanois (U2, Peter Gabriel) to help them with the recording of the band's fourth full-length — the follow-up to 2003's A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar. ... Courtney Love's making a comeback — or at least her comic manga series is. The next installment of "Princess Ai," called "Lumination," features the Courtney-based character facing a group of assassins and crowds of protesters as she continues searching for her identity. The title will hit in July. ...

Kinks frontman Ray Davies, who is currently on tour, failed to testify against the man who allegedly drove the getaway car for the gunman who stole Davies' female companion's purse at gunpoint and shot the singer in the leg during a January 4, 2004, attack in New Orleans. The defendant was released Wednesday after the prosecution dismissed charges, The Associated Press reports. The district attorney for the case said Davies had informed them of his unavailability until December. The DA said they plan to reinstate charges once the singer returns and is able to testify against the accused. ... Mathew Knowles' Sanctuary Urban Group will release an album of unreleased music from the late Rick James on August 2. The record will include a duet with Ty James, Rick's daughter. ...

Fugees rapper Pras shot a video in Los Angeles this week for his new single, a cover of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." Maria Menounos of "Entertainment Tonight" is featured in the clip. ... After playing God on "Joan of Arcadia," Wyclef Jean is going in a completely different direction for his next TV guest-starring role. The Fugee will play a gang leader named Marcel on "Third Watch," in an episode called "End of Tour" that airs April 29 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. ...

Damon Dash, who produced the Kevin Bacon drama "The Woodsman," will next produce "Shadowboxer" with Cuba Gooding Jr., Helen Mirren and Macy Gray. "It's about a hit man and a hit woman, one being the stepmother and one being the stepson, so you've got your very different situations," Dash said. "It's a very well-written script, another piece of art." ... Jermaine Dupri is taking his position as head of urban music at Virgin Music So So seriously. On July 19, JD will flex his executive as well as artistic muscles with the release of a compilation of So So Def artists called Young, Fly and Flashy Vol 1. The first single is a Dupri record called "Gotta Getcha." Other performers on the record include Daz, Pastor Troy, and newcomers T. Waters, Young Capone and Johnta. ...

Looking for a slightly funkier Passover experience? Then you may want to pick up DJ So Called's new album of Yiddish rap and hip-hop klezmer stylings, The So Called Seder: A Hip-Hop Haggadah. Hasidic reggae beat-boxer Matisyahu guests on the LP, as does Mr. Bungle's Trevor Dunn and Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Killah Priest. ...

• Michael Jackson
• Kasabian
• Shakira
• Ricky Martin
• Weezer

TRL Guestbook

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

Photos From The Front Row For The Week Of 11.5-11.11

• Madonna
• Ricky Martin
• Frankie J
• U2
• Kelly Clarkson

MTV.com Exclusive: Ricky Martin Photos 10.12.2005

• Ricky Martin

Lindsay, Usher, Snoop, Game, Gwen And More Hit The 2005 VMAs White Carpet

• Fall Out Boy
• The Bravery
• Nick Cannon
• David Banner
• Rihanna

Celebrity Yachts: Usher, Lil Jon & Trillville, Kelly Clarkson And Ricky Martin Arrive In Style

• Usher
• Lil Jon
• Ricky Martin
• Kelly Clarkson
• Trillville

47th Annual Grammy Awards Red Carpet

• Beyoncé
• Kanye West
• Mos Def
• Gwen Stefani
• Black Eyed Peas

2001 Grammy Nominations

• Destiny's Child
• Bon Jovi
• Macy Gray
• Sisqó
• Dr. Dre

Ricky Martin: Making the "Loaded" Video

• Ricky Martin

• Ricky Martin

Best of Making the Video

• Lenny Kravitz
• Janet Jackson
• Ricky Martin
• OutKast
• *NSYNC