Kylie Minogue
Photo: Miguel Villagran/ Getty Images

To the delight of her Stateside fans, Kylie Minogue will embark upon her first North American tour this this fall. The singer — who is a superstar overseas but last registered a U.S. smash with "Can't Get You Out of My Head" in 2002 — will make five stops in the U.S. and one in Canada. If the production values of her previous European tours are any indication, the show will be elaborate.

"I've wanted to tour America and Canada for years and know that fans have been waiting a long time for this," said Minogue. "I'm thrilled that the opportunity has finally arrived."

No stranger to adversity, Minogue acknowledges her good fortune, and is extremely grateful for all of her opportunities, both in her career and her life. She has won a long-fought battle with breast cancer, and credits her friends and loved ones with helping her overcome this hurdle. "It's true that you have a different appreciation for where you are," said Minogue, "and for the opportunities that you have, and of the people around you, the love that was shown, and the friendship that you kind of need."

In addition to her upcoming tour, Minogue plans to enter the studio once more to record her 11th studio album. And if videos of her European performances serve as any indication, this tour will be memorable: Think robots and lasers! Tickets go on sale Thursday.

Kylie Minogue's North American Tour Dates:

» 9/30 - Oakland, California @ Fox Theater
» 10/3 - Las Vegas @ The Pearl - Palms Hotel & Casino
» 10/4 - Los Angeles @ Hollywood Bowl
» 10/7 - Chicago @ Congress Theater
» 10/9 - Toronto @ Air Canada Centre
» 10/11 - New York @ Hammerstein Ballroom

• Kylie Minogue

Zac Efron
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Zac Efron is doing fine after having his appendix removed Tuesday (January 15), according to People.com. The star — who recently signed on for "High School Musical 3" — was rushed to Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after suffering from appendicitis, TMZ.com reports. "Zac had his appendix removed and is recuperating," the actor's representative, who was not named, reportedly said in a statement. ...

A very revealing photo of Heidi Montag graces the new cover of Maxim, and for the accompanying interview, she also revealed to the mag that she wants to be the next Madonna. "But it's not like with most pop artists, where they have a song sent to them that has nothing to do with their emotions or lives," she insisted about her yet-untitled, in-the-works LP. "It's all about me and my life. I'm taking my time to make sure it's a classic. I don't want to be the next pop person who's in or out. I want to be like Michael Jackson, Madonna, Stevie Wonder — all the greats." Montag also dished on new parents Nicole Richie and Joel Madden recalling that one time they "came up to [Montag's fiance,] Spencer [Pratt,] and me at the Beverly Hills Hotel [in California] and started yelling something Spencer said about Nicole in an interview, like, two years ago. ... Joel was yelling, 'You've been talking sh-- about my girl!' " ...

Madden has blogged on the Web site for his clothing company, DCMA, about arriving home with his and Richie's daughter, who was born on Friday. "Well I am finally home with my beautiful girlfriend and our brand new little daughter," the Good Charlotte frontman wrote. "Harlow Winter Kate Madden was born on January 11th 2008 at 3:13 p.m. She weighed in at 6 pounds and 7 ounces. She is 19 inches long and growing everyday already! She really is a wonderful addition to the GC/DCMA/DEADEXEC family. We are so blessed to have this beautiful little baby in our lives. I want to thank everyone for all the love and kind words they've sent our way. We apologize we weren't accepting gifts/cards/calls at the hospital, but if you'd like to send something, we'd rather you make a donation to the Richie-Madden Foundation, which we started in Harlow Winter's honor. She looks so much like her mom it's crazy! She eats like a little maniac and she's really sweet. She barely ever cries, even when daddy is changing her diaper, and believe me I suck when it comes to diapers, but I'm learning! I can't wait to show off some pictures, until then, THANKS!! and GOD BLESS... Joel." ...

From an "Umbrella" to a handbag: Rihanna has made a match with Marc Jacobs as she and the fashion designer have partnered to produce a new pair of purses named after the leggy singer. The two models are available as a part of Jacobs' spring line. ... Missy Elliott has stepped up with two new tunes for the February 5 soundtrack to "Step Up 2 the Streets." The MC's "Ching-A-Ling" — which is already sizzling in the streets — and "Shake Your Pom Pom" will appear on the soundtrack, and might resurface on her yet-untitled new LP, due in May. The soundtrack also features Cassie, who stars in "Step Up 2 the Streets," as well as T-Pain, Flo Rida, Trey Songz, Plies and Scarface. ...

Twista has inked a deal with Koch to release a project with his longtime group, the Speedknot Mobstaz. The Mobstaz's forthcoming sophomore album, Mobstability II: Nation Bizness, is set to feature Jim Jones and production by Cuzzo and China White Productions. ... The Grammys will not be getting a free pass from the Writers Guild of America. The Los Angeles Times reports that the Grammys have not asked for a special waiver to allow striking Guild employees to work on the show, but even if they did request one, it would not likely be granted. In addition, a number of top musicians who also have Screen Actors Guild cards, including Justin Timberlake and Queen Latifah, are being lobbied by the WGA not to attend the February 10 show, according to AdAge.com. ...

In a $35 million lawsuit filed on Monday, Victory Records claimed that Virgin/EMI "improperly induced" Hawthorne Heights to disregard their contract with the independent Chicago label. In a news release on the suit, Victory also claimed that Virgin/EMI paid $55,000 to the band, which used the money to fund the initial phase of a 2006 lawsuit against Victory, and helped the bandmembers search for a music-industry lawyer to help them with their legal action. "The facts alleged in this case demonstrate classic interference with contractual and business relations," Victory lawyer Robert Meloni said. "They did more than merely offer a carrot to the band, but also saddled the horse, paid for a rider to take the reins, and led it out of the barn." The suit seeks $10 million in compensation and $25 million in punitive damages for Virgin/EMI's "willful, wanton and deliberate conduct." Victory maintains that HH owe the label two more albums, but the band, which lost guitarist Casey Calvert in November after a fatal drug interaction, has vowed not to record for Victory again. ...

Rancid fans, time to grow those Mohawks back — the band started recording new material in a California studio on Monday. The punks' yet-unnamed follow-up to 2003's Indestructible is due later this year, on guitarist Brett Gurewitz's Epitaph/Hellcat label, of course. ... Tiger Army have welcomed an old comrade back into their ranks. Stand-up-bass player Geoff Kresge, who toured with the psychobilly band from 1999-2004 — and who also has a stint with AFI on his résumé — replaces Jeff Roffredo, who "left the band on good terms to pursue other interests," according to a press release from the band's publicist. Tiger Army hit the road earlier this week and have a heap of shows planned for throughout the year. ...

Now that Marilyn Manson and Twiggy Ramirez have reconciled, what better way to celebrate than with some concerts? Manson has tacked on a few more to his upcoming trek, which starts Saturday in Orlando, Florida. The newly added gigs will be staged in Phoenix (February 27); Dallas (February 29); Austin, Texas (March 1); and Houston (March 2). Veteran rock act Ours will be the opening act on the tour, according to Pollstar.com. ... Here's a novel idea: Yellowcard are giving fans who buy the rockers' Live From Las Vegas at the Palms release an early chance at getting tix to one of their upcoming shows. The iTunes exclusive will be available starting January 22, and fans who snatch it up before January 29 will get a Ticketmaster code allowing them to nab up to four tickets for the band's trek, which starts March 7 in Salt Lake City and ends April 12 in Los Angeles. From Las Vegas at the Palms immortalizes Yellowcard's show at the Palms Casino Resort's Pearl venue in October. ...

EMI — home to Coldplay, the Rolling Stones and other acts — will slash a third of its work force, or 1,500-2,000 jobs, over the course of the next months, multiple outlets reported Tuesday. According to the Web site for England's Telegraph, the reunited Verve could be the next major group to withhold its upcoming album in light of the major-label shake-up. The paper reports that the Verve may join Robbie Williams and Coldplay in threatening to hold onto their next albums unless they receive assurances about the company's financial health and how their albums will be marketed. The company's new boss, Guy Hands, was reportedly to be grilled by the managers of some of the label's top acts on Tuesday as he revealed plans for streamlining the company. ...

"American Idol" judge Randy Jackson is known for name-dropping, but his new album, Music Club Vol. 1, might finally back up some of his boasting. Jackson's upcoming solo album, due March 11, will feature pals ranging from Mariah Carey and Joss Stone to Jason Mraz, former "Idol" contestants Elliott Yamin and Katharine McPhee and country star Travis Tritt. Fellow judge Paula Abdul will be featured on "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow," her first new recording in more than a decade. Last week, TVGuide.com reported that Jackson and Abdul had been rehearsing a video for the single, and that she was in talks to perform it at the Super Bowl on February 3. Also included on the album are Van Hunt, Three 6 Mafia, Angie Stone, Richie Sambora and Keb' Mo'. ...

My Morning Jacket are going big time: The longhaired Kentucky rockers will headline a show at New York's Radio City Music Hall on June 20. The band's yet-untitled album will drop 10 days earlier. ... Noise Pop just got a bit noisier. The Walkmen, the Dodos, MSTRKRFT, Stellastarr and the Helio Sequence have climbed onto the roster for the San Francisco fest, which is happening February 26-March 2. Jamie Kennedy's comedic documentary "Heckler" — which features George Lucas, Rob Zombie, David Cross and others — will open the Film Festival portion of the event. ... Carla Bruni has been making headlines lately amid her high-profile romance with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Now the chanteuse can parlay that attention into promotion for the wide release of No Promises, an album that is currently only available Stateside on iTunes and at Barnes & Noble stores. The disc — which is being issued through Downtown Records, home to Gnarls Barkley and Spank Rock, and pays tribute to English-language literary legends — will hit retail stores nationwide February 19.

1.14.08

Nearly six years after the alleged sex tape first surfaced, the court proceedings in the R. Kelly case continue to move at a snail's pace. The prosecutors originally sought to have testimony from one expert witness, Dr. Sharon Cooper, cover several different areas — the age of the girl on the tape based on forensic pediatrics, the identification of the man on the tape based on the vein pattern on his hands, and the behavior profile of the girl based on the psychology of child sex-abuse victims. Judge Vincent Gaughan had previously ruled that Dr. Cooper could testify about the victim's age, but not the behavior profile, so prosecutors had asked him to reconsider. At a hearing on Monday (January 14), Gaughan ruled once again that Dr. Cooper would not be able to testify about why the girl in the case would deny that she was a victim, or how common denial is in sex-abuse cases. Kelly is due back in court March 12 for another pre-trial hearing, while the trial itself is slated to start on May 9. ...

And the Wu-Tang Clan infighting goes on. U-God — who complained about RZA being callous toward him in the studio nearly four years ago — is now suing Wu's label, alleging that he is owed $170,000, according to TMZ.com. U-God (born Lamont Hawkins) reportedly filed papers in a New York district court, alleging that Wu Music owes him money for services rendered dating back to March of last year. Wu Music is licensed to Universal Music. ...

Paula Abdul doesn't just have the seventh season of "American Idol" on her mind these days. "I want kids!" the singer recently told Ladies' Home Journal for its February issue. "If it doesn't happen naturally, I can always adopt." The 45-year-old Abdul opened up even more about her personal life, saying of 32-year-old boyfriend J.T. Torregiani, "I've experienced real loneliness, so I love knowing there's someone I can share the good and the not-so-good with." ... Everyone's wondering how the seventh season of "Idol" is going to fare in light of some retooling and the writers' strike, but if you ask Chris Daughtry, the show is "in a state of decline." The Daughtry frontman recently spoke with RollingStone.com about the show, adding that if it doesn't right itself, "it's probably not gonna last too much longer. I'm sure that'll be used against me, but that's the truth, you know?" He also said the show is "definitely lacking some credibility at this point." ...

White Stripes, Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon, Mark Ronson, Klaxons, Arctic Monkeys, Kaiser Cheifs and recent MTV Artist of the Week Kate Nash have all landed Brit Award nominations, although Leona Lewis, Mika and Take That have scored the most, with four apiece. Rihanna, Ronson, Kaiser Chiefs, Kylie Minogue and Paul McCartney are slated to perform at the February 20 ceremony. ... R.E.M. have pulled the curtains back on a new Web site surrounding the April 1 release of their 14th studio album, Accelerate. Their NinetyNights.com Web site has daily high-definition-video snippets shot by Arcade Fire collaborator Vincent Moon ...

Björk attacked a newspaper photographer who was attempting to take her picture at the Auckland International Airport on Sunday, according to reports in the New Zealand press. The singer, who was flying in to perform at the Big Day Out concert on Friday, reportedly ripped New Zealand Herald photographer Glenn Jeffrey's shirt after he snapped a photo of her. Jeffrey told the New Zealand Press Association that he was warned by a man traveling with Björk not to take her picture, and once he did, the singer came up behind him, grabbed the back of his shirt and tore it before tumbling to the ground. In 1996, Björk attacked a reporter in an airport in Bangkok, Thailand, after she objected to being photographed. ... The Walkmen and White Rabbits will hop along the U.S. this month for nine shows. On the itinerary are Pittsburgh (Wednesday); Detroit (Thursday); Milwaukee (Friday); Madison, Wisconsin (Saturday); Chicago (Sunday); St. Louis (January 21); Columbus, Ohio (January 22); Philadelphia (January 23); and Baltimore (January 24). ...

For the first time in 25 years, former Clash members Mick Jones and Topper Headon reportedly shared the same stage at a gig by Jones' new band, Carbon/Silicon. The duo performed "Train in Vain" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" during the set. ... Megadeth have recruited Chris Broderick (Nevermore, Jag Panzer) to be their newest guitarist, following the recent departure of Glen Drover. Broderick will make his live debut with the band on February 4, at a gig in Finland. ...

Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali said the band will not be revived following the late November death of frontman Kevin DuBrow. In an online statement, Banali claims he had been "approached to see if I would be interested in contacting Rudy Sarzo and Carlos Cavazo and to audition singers for Quiet Riot." He said that he's even fielded an offer to re-form "the version of Quiet Riot that included Paul Shortino, Carlos Cavazo and Sean McNabb." But Banali rejected any suggestions of the band performing live. "My friendship, love and respect for Kevin DuBrow, as well as my personal love and affection for Kevin's mother and his family, makes it inconceivable for me to ever entertain any ovation to re-form or to continue Quiet Riot," he wrote. "It would also be a disrespect to the fans who have supported [the band] for nearly 25 years." ...

Roger Avary, the Oscar-winning co-writer of "Pulp Fiction," was arrested on Sunday after a fatal single-car crash in Ojai, California. According to a Reuters report, Avary, 42, was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence, and was released from jail after posting $50,000 bail. Andreas Zedini, a 34-year-old passenger in the car, died of his injuries at a local hospital. Avary's wife, Gretchen, 40, was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries after being thrown from the car.

• Heidi Montag Poses For Maxim

• Good Charlotte
• Justin Timberlake
• Queen Latifah
• Hawthorne Heights
• The Verve

Kanye West
Photo: William Thomas Cain/Getty Images

Kanye West, Hawthorne Heights, AFI and A Tribe Called Quest have been tapped to perform at the 36th annual Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival, to be held Labor Day weekend, September 2-4, at the Seattle Center in, um, Seattle. Yellowcard, Feist and Mates of State are also on the bill. A full lineup is expected to be announced July 11, and tickets will go on sale July 15. For more information, check out Bumbershoot.org. ...

He's been attached to several movies in development over the years, but finally Fred Durst seems headed for the director's chair. The Limp Bizkit rocker has signed on to helm "The Education of Charlie Banks," an indie drama starring "The Squid and the Whale" actor Jesse Eisenberg in the title role and "Happy Endings" star Jason Ritter, according to Variety. The movie — which starts shooting in June in Providence, Rhode Island — is about a Vassar College student who gets paid a surprise visit by a kid from his old New York neighborhood. ...

Following the path of Linkin Park and Jay-Z — who won a Grammy for their 2004 mash-up album, Collision Course — Atlanta's Dem Franchize Boyz and Korn will join forces in a Los Angeles studio Wednesday (April 12) for a collabo of their own. The plan is to combine DFB's "Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It" with Korn's "Coming Undone," though a spokesperson for Korn said it's not clear just what will happen with the tune once it's recorded. ... Dilated Peoples, DJ Shadow, Jurassic 5, Cut Chemist, Money Mark and Madlib are all slated to perform at a three-day benefit concert and art auction in Los Angeles May 24-26. The performers are friends of Keith Tamashiro, a graphic designer who recently suffered a brain aneurysm. Tamashiro has worked on album covers for those artists as well as Damian Marley, Herbie Hancock and Jay Dee. ...

The Georgia Music Hall of Fame has unveiled the inductees that will be honored at its 28th annual awards banquet, set for September 16 in Atlanta. R.E.M. score the group prize, Jermaine Dupri is this year's songwriter inductee, Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers will be recognized in the performer category, and Dallas Austin will be honored in the non-performer group for his work as a producer. The museum, located in Macon, has previously inducted artists including TLC, Ray Charles, James Brown and the B-52's. ... Head Automatica's forthcoming Howard Benson (All-American Rejects, My Chemical Romance)-produced LP, Popaganda, has been set for a June 6 release. The band recently shot a video for the disc's first single, "Graduation Day," at Loyola High School in Los Angeles. The track features backing vocals from MCR's Gerard Way. ...

Guster and the Barenaked Ladies are teaming up for a four-day cruise that will include group and solo performances, karaoke and jam sessions. The Ships and Dip Cruise through the Turks and Caicos islands in the Caribbean will leave from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, January 15 and return on the 19th. Other acts will also be announced. ... After garnering much buzz in the past year, Jamie Lidell is re-releasing last year's Multiply as Multiply Editions May 30. The new set will have remixes by the likes of Feist collaborator Gonzales labelmate Luke Vibert, as well as live songs recorded in London and Paris. Lidell will also go out for an April tour with another labelmate, Jimmy Edgar, hitting New York, Los Angeles and Toronto along the way. Lidell will cap off the tour at Coachella. ...

Two years after canceling a Glastonbury performance because of a breast-cancer diagnosis, Kylie Minogue may perform at the legendary English summer concert event. According to The Associated Press, organizers have invited the Australian singer back for the 2007 edition of the concert. Minogue has not yet announced whether she will accept the invitation. The festival, held on fields surrounding a working farm, is taking a scheduled break this year so that cows may graze through the summer. ... Things have gone from bad to worse for former Village People "cop" Victor Willis. The 54-year-old singer from the disco group was in court Monday in San Francisco where a judge said there's enough evidence for Willis to face trial on drug-related charges, according to The Associated Press. Willis is being held without bail in connection with three cases, the first involving two felony charges, a probation violation and possession of cocaine, the second also involving cocaine possession as well as a charge of being a felon in possession of a gun. The third case stems from a March 26 stop by police for a traffic violation. In that arrest, Willis and his passenger, a prostitute, were both arrested for possession of narcotics. Willis was hit with an additional charge for providing false information. ...

04.11.2006

Mandy Moore, like any actress, has kissed plenty of frogs in her career — but she tells Cosmopolitan in the magazine's May cover story that one of her top screen kisses so far has come from "Scrubs" star Sarah Chalke. "I'm not going to lie," Moore told the mag. "I've never kissed a girl before, so that was a lot more awkward. But she was maybe one of the best kissers." Also making Moore's top makeout list (at least onscreen) are boyfriend Zach Braff (also for "Scrubs") and Adrian Grenier ("Entourage"). "It's awkward kissing a guy who's not your boyfriend. But I guess kissing handsome men isn't the most awful gig on earth." ...

No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont and his wife, Mieke, became first-time parents Thursday. According to a spokesperson for the band's label, the Dumonts are "happy, excited and having a blast with their new little one," son Ace. ... Carrie Underwood was a big winner at Monday night's fan-voted CMT Awards, scoring two trophies. The "American Idol" season-four champ took breakthrough video and female video prizes for "Jesus, Take the Wheel." Bon Jovi also scored, winning in the collaborative video category for "Who Says You Can't Go Home," which teamed the band with Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles. ... No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont and his wife, Mieke, became first-time parents Thursday. According to a spokesperson for the band's label, the Dumonts are "happy, excited and having a blast with their new little one," son Ace. ... Maggie Gyllenhaal, 28, and Peter Sarsgaard, 35, are engaged and expecting a baby, The Associated Press reports. The acting duo have been dating for four years. ...

The Latin Grammys will be held in New York for the first time ever, it was announced Tuesday. The 7th Annual Latin Grammy Awards will be broadcast live Thursday, November 2, at Madison Square Garden. ... The Raconteurs don't even have a record out, but they're already being forced to change their name — at least in Australia. From now on, Jack White's new foursome will go by the Saboteurs Down Under, after it was discovered that an Aussie jazz band had already laid claim to the Raconteur handle. Reps for White confirmed the name change, and in a statement, the White Stripes frontman said the decision was made "in the spirit of espionage and subversion." Whatever you call the band, its debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers, will hit stores May 16. ...

Columbia Records will release WWE: Wreckless Intent, a compilation featuring the entrance themes of World Wrestling Entertainment's biggest names, May 23. The disc features Saliva's "I Walk Alone," which ushers in Batista; Brand New Sin doing "Crank It Up," which signals the Big Show's trip to the square circle; and Rey Mysterio's entrance song, "Booyaka 619," performed by P.O.D. Others on the disc include Three 6 Mafia, Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, Theory of a Deadman and Motörhead. ...

Trapt and Shinedown will launch a 28-date co-headlining run April 19 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, with Mercy Fall, Halestorm and Evans Blue sharing opening duties. Dates run through May 27 in Anthony, Texas, with more gigs to be added in the coming weeks. Trapt's Chris Brown said the band plans to start writing new material this fall, then return to the road again for another spate of dates before heading into the studio toward the end of this year to track its third album. Trapt's sophomore disc, Someone in Control, was released in September. ...

Scottish group Arab Strap lost approximately $6,000 Sunday night in Philadelphia when cash was allegedly stolen from their tour manager's purse at Nick's Roast Beef restaurant. Anyone with information regarding the theft is asked to contact Philadelphia police at (215) 686-3093 or 3094. This is the second incident to hit the Arab Strap tour. Last month supporting act A Whisper in the Noise were attacked in Seattle during an attempted robbery. ...

Fefe Dobson has set a new release date (June 20) for her second record, Sunday Love, which was previously primed for release last fall. The first single, "This Is My Life," was co-written by Billy Steinberg (the Veronicas, Celine Dion) and produced by Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, P.O.D.). ... Eels will launch their Live and in Person! No Strings Attached 2006 tour — apparently a reference to the band's last jaunt, which featured a strings session — May 25 at Los Angeles' Roxy Theatre. The trek, with Smoosh opening, ends with Lollapalooza in Chicago in early August and includes a free show at the World Financial Plaza in New York June 13. The latter gig will be a thank-you to the Big Apple fans who appear on the recent live CD/DVD Live at Town Hall. ...

Toad the Wet Sprocket will play their first shows together in several years this summer, including some dates with Big Head Todd & the Monsters billed as Todd and Toad. Toad singer Glen Phillips will play a solo set at all the shows and will also play several dates without his band, beginning May 4 in Burlington, Vermont. Phillips' fourth solo album, Mr. Lemons, is due May 2. ... Former Meat Puppets singer Curt Kirkwood, Son Volt and Drive-By Truckers are teaming for a spring tour that kicks off April 30 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The trek ends May 9 in Seattle. ...

• Kanye West
• Hawthorne Heights
• R.E.M.
• Jermaine Dupri
• Kylie Minogue

50 Cent (file)
Photo: Interscope

50 Cent is readying a re-release of The Massacre this summer so that he can include a video for every song as well as some new tracks. According to Fif's label, the new additions aren't set yet, but may include anything from anyone in the G-Unit family. And that family is about to grow by four men: the members of Mobb Deep and M.O.P. Though their record deals haven't been inked yet, it looks like the only thing holding them up are business technicalities. ...

Several Detroit luminaries came out to Tuesday night's NBA Finals game between reigning champs the Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs. Eminem, Kid Rock and Anita Baker all cheered on the Pistons as they took game 3. ... Marc Anthony is hitting the road once again, and this time around he's bringing a couple of friends with him. The Latin-music superstar is teaming up with fellow crooners Alejandro Fernandez and Chayanne for a 15-city cross-country trek that will kick off August 15 in Houston and wrap September 17 in Miami. ...

What's good enough for Britney Spears is apparently good enough for Michael Jackson and his family. The Hollywood Reporter reports that a six-episode reality show revolving around the pop-music clan has been pitched to a number of networks, including ABC, FOX and A&E. According to the pitch, the show — which was being shopped around a week before Jackson was acquitted on charges of child molestation — would offer a behind-the-scenes look at how the family rallied around Michael following his indictment in November 2003 and the family's attempt to rehabilitate their public image. ... Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon told NBC's "Today" on Wednesday (June 15) that Jackson's young accuser is having a "difficult time" coping with the pop star's acquittal. The prosecutor spoke with the boy immediately after the not-guilty verdicts were announced on Monday. "He's very down and he's having a difficult time understanding why people didn't believe him," Sneddon said. ...

A few weeks after surgery to remove a lump from her breast, Australian singer Kylie Minogue posted a message on her Web site thanking her fans and assuring them that she will return. "I am getting through this one step at a time, and your messages of love and support have been greatly appreciated," Minogue, 37, wrote on Monday. "Rest assured I am being well looked after, though it will be a long road ahead. I will be receiving future treatment on my return to Europe." She also said she was heartened to hear that since her diagnosis, thousands of women have become more aware of breast health and many young women have signed up for breast exams. ... Back in May, Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman went looking to hire two members for a "Recycle Team," to hit the road all summer long, help keep fairgrounds clean and organize local volunteers. You wouldn't think that this would sound particularly appealing to most kids, but Lyman was swamped with so many e-mails that after hiring his two team members, he's expanded his scope. Now, every fan attending Warped will be given bags, and for every bag they return filled with recyclables, they'll get raffle tickets to win some prizes. The Warped Tour kicks off this weekend in Columbus, Ohio. ...

The Pixies' highly influential 1988 album, Surfer Rosa, has finally reached gold status, meaning it has sold 500,000 copies. The band was presented a plaque at its Monday show in Washington, D.C. This is only the group's second gold album; Doolittle, released in 1989, was certified gold in 1995. ... Dinosaur Jr. have added a leg of West Coast dates to their summer tour, beginning August 13 in Las Vegas and ending August 22 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The first leg begins July 7 in Orlando, Florida ... After playing with both the Pixies and Dinosaur Jr. (and many others) at Lollapalooza in Chicago, Liz Phair will hit nine cities on an acoustic tour. The outing, which will feature tunes from the singer/songwriter's upcoming fifth album (due in September), begins July 26 in Boston and ends August 19 in San Francisco. ...

Drowning Pool's manager has confirmed that the band has chosen a replacement for vocalist Jason "Gong" Jones, who left the group this past weekend, two years after taking over for the late Dave Williams. An announcement is expected in the coming weeks, after the band works out some last-minute details. The new singer is "not an unknown," according to the manager. ... HMV stores in Canada pulled all of Alanis Morissette's albums from their shelves on Monday as a protest to the Ottawa-born artist's deal with Starbucks to sell her new acoustic version of Jagged Little Pill. The coffee chain has the exclusive rights to peddle the CD for the next six weeks, after which it will be offered to traditional music retailers. ...

Luther Campbell is looking for Ms. Freaky Soul 2005. The 2 Live Crew leader needs a spokesmodel for his upcoming CD/DVD/audio book, "Luke Campbell's Soup for the Freaky Soul: The Sexploits of Uncle Luke," which is due out in September. The winner will go on tour with Campbell, appear in ads for the collection and receive a $5,000 prize. The CD, Don of All Dons, is a tribute album to Luke with songs featuring Petey Pablo, Jacki-O, Pitbull and Trick Daddy. The two-disc audio book will offer "choice, autobiographical moments" from the raunchy free-speech advocate's life, and the DVD will feature footage of the notorious Luke Girls. ...

06.14.2005

In the wake of his client's across-the-board acquittal on Monday, Michael Jackson's lead defense attorney, Thomas Mesereau Jr., spoke on Tuesday (June 14) to NBC's "Today" and said the pop star will no longer share his bed with young boys. "He's not going to do that anymore," the silver-haired lawyer said. "He's not going to make himself vulnerable to this anymore."...

This weekend, Green Day will perform before 60,000 screaming fans at the Milton Keynes Bowl, in (duh) Milton Keynes, England. In order to preserve the two-night stand for punk posterity, they're making a live film — and you can help. The company producing the film, Ridley Scott Associates Films, is asking for fans attending either night's show to send in photos and videos of themselves explaining why they love Green Day to greenday@rsafilms.co.uk. Who knows, you could end up appearing in "Green Day Live at Milton Keynes," which will be available on DVD later this year. ... Primus have been added to the lineup of this summer's weekend-long Lollapalooza concert in Chicago (July 23-24). The addition was announced Tuesday afternoon by concert founder Perry Farrell during a telephone press conference. At one point, Farrell was asked what plans he has for his former band Jane's Addiction. His response? "When the sky rains money is when we're getting back together." ...

Since the release of Medulla last summer, Björk has been busy recording music for the soundtrack to "Drawing Restraint 9," which, according to her Web site, is "a visual artwork in film form made by Matthew Barney," the father of the vocalist's child. The film, which also features Björk's acting talents, tells a tale of "tea ceremonies, Vaseline, a shinto marriage and of course, the old classic whale-shapeshifting ending." The soundtrack, which hits stores July 25, will include the tracks "Gratitude," "Holographic Entrypoint" and "Antarctic Return." ... Tori Amos has lined up 26 dates for her North American Summer of Sin Tour, which kicks off August 8 in Atlanta and wraps up September 17 in Los Angeles. ...

Longhaired Louisville, Kentucky, rockers My Morning Jacket have finished recording their second album for Dave Matthews' ATO label, called simply Z. The LP features 10 tracks, with titles like "Wordless Chorus," "Gideon" and "Dondante." It was recorded in upstate New York by Radiohead and Stone Roses producer John Leckie and is due in stores on September 20. ... While they've been lauded by the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Belle & Sebastian, Teenage Fanclub and other Scottish indie rockers, Orange Juice remain relatively unknown in North America. Fronted by Edwyn Collins (known for his 1995 hit "A Girl Like You"), the seminal Scottish twee rockers may finally receive some Stateside notice with The Glasgow School, a compilation of their out-of-print material. Due July 26 on Domino, the deluxe 22-song package contains nine early singles released on Postcard Records, two unreleased rarities and the group's aborted first album, Ostrich Churchyard. ... Eighties staples the Violent Femmes will release a greatest-hits album on July 12, Permanent Record: The Very Best of Violent Femmes. The disc will also come with a DVD, which will feature the group's complete videography as well as live footage. ...

• 50 Cent
• Eminem
• Marc Anthony
• Michael Jackson
• Kylie Minogue

Ashlee Simpson (file)
Photo: Getty Images/Peter Kramer

Ashlee Simpson's tour is over, but she might still be willing to give you a private show if you can pony up the dough — the big dough, as in $35,000 a song. That's the going rate to get the singer to play your birthday, as she did on Friday night at New York's Cipriani restaurant for one lucky 14-year-old, whose daddy just so happens to be wealthy fashion mogul Silas Chou, a bigwig at Tommy Hilfiger and Michael Kors who could easily afford the $145,000 price tag for the Willy Wonka-themed fest. ...

For all you kids who'd love you some Bo Bice, the "American Idol" finalist and his hometown band, Sugar Money, have released an exclusive single for the launch of GarageBand Podcast Studio, the first Web-based tool to record, mix and publish a podcast. "Papion" by Bo Bice & Sugar Money is now available through GarageBand.com. ... Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue, 36, is recuperating after successful surgery on Friday at a Melbourne, Australia, hospital to treat an early form of breast cancer, according to a Reuters report. The singer's doctors said they are confident that they caught the cancer in time. Australian clinics are reporting a deluge of women coming in for breast exams in the wake of Minogue's diagnosis. ...

As Michael Jackson's defense attorneys start to wind up their case, they attempted to drive home on Monday (May 23) their argument that the accuser's mother is a gold-digger after the singer's money. A social-services employee testified that the mother did not declare on her welfare application the charitable contributions her family had received for her son's cancer costs, and did not mention the settlement her family had received from JC Penney, despite a question on the form that asked "Has anyone in the family received a court settlement?" The social-services worker said this constituted welfare fraud. The accuser's aunt on his father's side also took the stand on Monday, saying that she had heard on TV there was a need for blood for her nephew, so she organized a blood drive. But, the aunt said, the mother had complained to her about it, saying she didn't need the blood, she needed money. ... According to a spokesperson for System of a Down, frontman Serj Tankian has been working on material for masked funk axeman Buckethead's forthcoming album. Buckethead, he of the failed Guns N' Roses reincarnation of a few years back, sent Tankian some instrumentals, and asked the singer to help enhance the tracks with different vocalists, including poet Saul Williams. ...

In what can be attributed to an extreme act of facial-hair bias, the Darkness have parted ways with mustachioed bassist Frankie Poullain. Actually, the reason for the split appears to be rather tame. In a posting on the band's official site, TheDarknessRock.com, the band cites "musical differences" as the cause for Poullain's departure, adding that "a replacement will be named within [the] coming months." The Darkness are currently in the studio, working on the follow-up to 2003's Permission to Land with Cheap Trick and Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker. ... Two members of Bobby Brown's entourage were hospitalized on Monday for treatment of knife wounds after a fight erupted at Justin's Restaurant and Bar in Atlanta, according to The Associated Press. Brown was performing at a weekly open-mic event at the restaurant owned by P. Diddy when two of his people got involved in an altercation. The suspects fled immediately after the fight. Authorities say the singer was not involved, and the cause for the fight was not immediately known. Both men remain in stable condition. Meanwhile, Diddy and his Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group are cooperating with authorities in the criminal investigation. ...

Willie Nelson is going reggae. His next album, Countryman, includes covers of Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They Come" and "Sitting in Limbo" as well as duets with Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals. Other reggae-infused country tunes on the album, due August 2, include "I'm a Worried Man," written by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, as well as nine originals, such as "Darkness on the Face of the Earth," "I've Just Destroyed the World" and "I Guess I've Come to Live Here." ... British rockers Def Leppard will release Yeah! on September 20, according to the band's Web site. An album's worth of cover tunes (22, to be precise), the disc will include Def Lep adaptations of Thin Lizzy's "Don't Believe a Word," David Bowie's "Drive-in Saturday," Blondie's "Hanging on the Telephone," MC5's "Kick Out the Jams," Roxy Music's "Street Life," Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "American Girl" and the Police's "Roxanne." ...

E has mapped out a June tour for his band the Eels, which will kick off on June 15 in San Francisco. The 13-date trek, in support of Blinking Lights and Other Revelations, will hit Seattle, Detroit, Philadelphia and Boston before coming to a close on June 30 in New York. ... Morrissey hardly seems the type to make a fuss on his birthday, but the legendary mope-rock pioneer celebrated his 46th in style Sunday night catching psychobilly band Tiger Army, who were playing one of five sold-out nights at the House of Blues in Hollywood. Tiger Army leader Nick 13 dedicated a cover of "The Loop" to his idol, who was sitting in the balcony. ...

05.20.2005

Britney Spears might be more of a practicing Baptist or sometime Kabbalist, but she also gives props to the pope in a new video tribute. She joins 'NSYNC, Monica, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry in reading inspirational prayers, stories and poems from the late Pope John Paul II in a clip available for download at popejpII.navio.com. ...

Kelly Clarkson will perform in New York's Central Park on Saturday afternoon. The concert is part of Allure magazine's Beauty Live event, which will include a beauty village filled with free makeovers, product samples, expert skincare advice and more, with proceeds benefiting the Skin Cancer Foundation. ... You might associate Mötley Crüe with strip clubs and hard liquor, but frontman Vince Neil is actually more of a fine-wine guy — so much so that he's making his own. Vince Vineyards will release its first two wines this spring — a 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2003 Sonoma Chardonnay — which will be available in Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Nashville, Tennessee; and New York (national distribution will follow). "I have enjoyed great wine for most of my life and wanted to create something other wine lovers could experience and appreciate," Neil said. "Our first two releases are both amazing wines and I can't imagine enjoying fresh seafood or grilled steak with anything else." ...

Add Madonna to the list of well-wishers hoping for a speedy recovery for Kylie Minogue, who is undergoing breast-cancer surgery this week. "I was saddened to learn about Kylie's diagnosis," Madonna posted on her Web site. "I'm so grateful that they found it early. Aside from being tremendously talented, Kylie's a fighter and I know this is a battle she will win." Madonna also called the news "yet another reminder for all women to have annual mammograms." ... Meanwhile, a judge in Mons, Belgium, has frozen royalties for "Frozen" in that country — until a plagiarism lawsuit against Madonna is resumed next month. Composer Salvatore Acquaviva is suing the Material Mom, accusing her of lifting the melody of her 1998 hit from his 1993 song "Ma Vie Fout L'camp" ("My Life's Getting Nowhere"). Madonna's lawyer Fabienne Brison denied the charge, telling Belgian television station RTL, "Just because there are similarities between two songs, it doesn't mean it has been plagiarized." ...

Cut Chemist has ripped it up for Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli, and now the DJ is getting busy on a solo LP. The album, The Audiences' Listening, is due this fall, and he describes it as a mix of Brazilian samba, rock and hip-hop beats, electro and samples — lots of samples. "The album is hip-hop in the sense that it's cut-and-paste, and there's a lot of turntablist stuff on there," he said. "You really get a feel of me going through records to put this together." ... The Offspring have one new song called "Can't Repeat" slated for their upcoming greatest-hits collection, due June 21. The Offspring's Greatest Hits will also include "Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated)," "Self Esteem," "All I Want," "Gone Away," "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" and "Defy You." The DualDisc version will include an acoustic performance of "Dirty Magic." The group is also releasing a music-video collection, due out July 5, which will include the band-produced rarities "Da Hui" and "Cool to Hate" as well as live television performances. ...

The String Cheese Incident will headline the Big Summer Classic 2005 tour, which launches July 2 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver and wraps up later in the month. Keller Williams, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Yonder Mountain String Band, Umphrey's McGee and New Monsoon are also on the bill. ... Street Drum Corps, a street-drum exhibition that No Doubt's Adrian Young and Bad Religion's Brooks Wackerman have previously participated in, will perform at the California and Arizona dates of this summer's Vans Warped Tour, from June 29 to July 7. SDC will perform a 15-minute set five times a day on its own stage. Each performance will feature a special guest joining the group. ...

Louis XIV shot a video for "God Killed the Queen" Thursday night in Los Angeles, where fans were invited to be in the crowd for the live-performance scenes, if they "dressed to impress." The clip was directed by the collective Made by Robots, and it's supposed to have a "Sid & Nancy," rock-and-roll-mayhem-at-the-Chelsea-Hotel feel to reflect the band's glam-punk vibe. Meanwhile, the group's tour with the Killers, which was to start Monday in St. Louis, is now slated to kick off Wednesday in Chicago. The Monday St. Louis and Tuesday Louisville, Kentucky, dates were postponed by the Killers for "personal reasons," according to Louis XIV's Web site. ... A remix of "Shed Your Skin" by Tom Morello, a live performance of "Ramblin' Round" with Ani DiFranco and a collaboration with Michael Stipe on "I'll Give You My Skin" are among the tracks featured on the Indigo Girls' new Rarities collection, due June 14. Covers of "Clampdown" from 1999's Burning London - The Clash Tribute, and "Uncle John's Band" from 1991's Deadicated: A Tribute to the Grateful Dead are also included. ...

• Ashlee Simpson
• Kylie Minogue
• Serj Tankian
• eels

Kylie Minogue (file)
Photo: Capitol

Australian pop star Kylie Minogue is undergoing tests in preparation for breast cancer surgery later this week. The singer announced that she had been diagnosed with an early stage of the cancer on Tuesday, and subsequently canceled her Showgirl Tour of Australia and Asia to seek immediate treatment.

"Kylie is currently undergoing tests at a first class medical facility in Melbourne in preparation for an operation this week by one of Australia's leading surgeons," a statement from her management read. "Thankfully, tests so far have confirmed the earlier diagnosis that the cancer appears to be confined to the breast" (see "Kylie Minogue Diagnosed With Breast Cancer").

The diagnosis of early breast cancer indicates that the disease has not spread to any vital organs and can be surgically removed, according to a Reuters report. The surgery typically involves cutting out the cancer, or, if it is larger, removing the breast. The surgery is then followed up by radiation therapy or chemotherapy treatments that could last from six weeks to six months.

In a statement released Thursday (May 19), Minogue, 36, thanked fans, who had so overwhelmed her official Web site with messages of support that it was running at a reduced capacity and facing periodic shutdowns.

"My heartfelt thanks to the incredible number of people who have sent messages of love and support over the last two days," Minogue wrote on the site. "I want to reassure you that I am being well taken care of. [Boyfriend] Olivier [Martinez] is by my side and I have a lot of family and friends around me. I would also like to extend my best wishes to all of the other women around Australia and around the world who are dealing with the same illness".

Minogue encouraged fans who are thinking of sending cards or flowers to make donations to breast cancer charities instead.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among Australian women, according to statistics from the National Breast Cancer Center in Sydney; it is the second most deadly cancer in the U.S. behind lung cancer. According to the Center, the five-year survival rate for Australian women with breast cancer between 1992 and 1997 was 84 percent.

• Kylie Minogue

Kylie Minogue (file)
Photo: Capitol

Australian pop star Kylie Minogue has been diagnosed with breast cancer. The 36-year-old singer learned that she has "early breast cancer" while visiting with family in Melbourne earlier this week. Minogue will begin treatment right away and has postponed a tour of Australia and Asia, according to her touring agent, the Frontier Touring Co.

"Whilst at home in Melbourne with her family this week prior to her Australian Showgirl Tour, Kylie was diagnosed with early breast cancer," the statement from Frontier said. "She will undergo immediate treatment, and consequently her Australian tour will not be able to proceed as planned."

Minogue, a former child star and soap actress ("Neighbours") who has risen to pop icon status across the globe, was slated to start the biggest Australian tour of her career on Thursday and apologized to fans for pulling out of the dates.

"I was so looking forward to bringing the Showgirl Tour to Australian audiences, and am sorry to have to disappoint my fans," Minogue said in a statement. "Nevertheless, hopefully all will work out fine, and I'll be back with you all again soon." The Asian dates of her Showgirl Tour have also been postponed indefinitely.

"It was diagnosed this morning," Minogue's friend and Australian concert promoter Michael Gudinski told Reuters on Tuesday (May 17). "She is a pretty fit, strong girl. I'm hoping and praying because the doctor found it so early that everything will be OK. Our thoughts, and I'm sure all the legions of Kylie's fans, will be with her all the way," he said.

Minogue, who finally broke through in the U.S. in 2001 with her worldwide hit "Can't Get You Out of My Head," has worked diligently in the past to raise awareness about cancer. In 2002, one of her bras sold for $6,880 at an auction to raise money for breast cancer awareness. The singer has also spoken out about prostate cancer, following her father's diagnosis with the disease.

• Kylie Minogue

<i>Red, White & Crüe</i>
Photo: Hip-O Records

The biggest new release this week is as American as Aquanet, Harley Davidson and "Girls, Girls, Girls." Mötley Crüe salute their more than 20 years of hair-metal mania with a double-disc set titled Red, White & Crüe.

Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx saunter back into action with a two-disc set featuring classic Crüe tracks like their cover of "Smokin' in the Boys Room," "Dr. Feelgood" and "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)," as well as some of their lesser-known '90s songs and three new tracks.

Similarly paying herself homage this week is Kylie Minogue, whose Ultimate Kylie gets a Stateside release. The 33-track double-disc set features the Aussie songstress' first U.S. #1 hit, "The Loco-Motion," and runs the gamut of her career, including the dance track "Slow." Also included is a new single called "I Believe in You," co-written by the Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears and Babydaddy.

Pop-punk outfit Unwritten Law release Here's to the Mourning on the heels of the single "Save Me." Here's to the Mourning is the band's first studio album since 2002's Elva.

With the Grammy Awards rapidly approaching (February 13), the annual Grammy nominees album is hitting shelves. Grammy Nominees 2005 includes Green Day's "American Idiot," U2's "Vertigo," the Black Eyed Peas' "Let's Get It Started," Usher's "Burn" and Kanye West's "Through the Wire" as well as 15 others.

Also out this week are albums by Tina Turner (All the Best), Ed Harcourt (Strangers), Paul Oakenfold (Perfecto Presents ... The Club), and Pepper's Ghost (Arena).

Out Tuesday, February 1:

• Paul Brady - Say What You Feel (Compass)
• Brazilian Girls - Brazilian Girls (Verve Forecast)
• Precious Bryant - The Truth (Terminus)
• Bobby Caldwell - Perfect Island Nights (Music Force Media)
• Caribbean Jazz Project - Here and Now: Live in Concert (Concord)
• Tommy Castro - Soul Shaker (Blind Pig)
• Ray Charles - More Music From 'Ray' (Rhino)
• Chiara Civello - Last Quarter Moon (Verve)
• Joe Cocker - Heart & Soul (New Door/UME)
• Bill Connors - Return (Tone Center)
• Lars Danielsson - Libera Me (ACT/HighNote)
• Mario Frangoulis - Follow Your Heart (Sony)
• John Frusciante - Curtains (Record Collection)
  Buy Now: Curtains (Record Collection)
  
• Nanci Griffith - Hearts in Mind (New Door/UME)
• Rigmor Gustafsson with the Jack Terrasson Trio - Close to You (ACT/HighNote)
• Ed Harcourt - Strangers (Astralwerks)
  Buy Now: Strangers (Astralwerks)
  
• Scott Henderson - Live! (Tone Center)
• HIM - Love Metal (Universal)
• Impossible Shapes - Horus (Secretly Canadian)
• Johnny Boy - Threat to Society (Thump)
• Jess Klein - Strawberry Lover (Rykodisc)
• Nancy Lamott - Live at Tavern on the Green (Middle Music)
• Jack Logan and the Monday Night Recorders - Nature's Assembly Line (Orange Twin)
• Cass McCombs - Prefection (Monitor)
• Kylie Minogue - Ultimate Kylie (Capitol)
  Buy Now: Ultimate Kylie (Capitol)
  
• Jason Moran - Same Mother (Blue Note)
• Mötley Crüe - Red, White & Crüe (Hip-O)
  Read: "Original Lineup Of Motley Crue Reuniting For World Tour"
  Buy Now: Red, White & Crüe (Hip-O)
  
• Paul Oakenfold - Perfecto Presents ... The Club (Thrive)
  Buy Now: Perfecto Presents ... The Club (Thrive)
  
• Octane - Spock's Beard (Inside Out U.S.)
• Pepper's Ghost - Arena (Inside Out U.S.)
• Kelly Joe Phelps - Tap the Red Cane Whirlwind (Rykodisc)
• Pilot Scott Tracy - Any City (Alternative Tentacles)
• Dafnis Prieto - About the Monks (Zoho)
• SNMNMNM - As Best as We Can! (Unschooled)
• 3rd Force - Driving Force (Higher Octave)
• Tishamingo - Wear n' Tear (Magnatude)
• Tina Turner - All the Best (Capitol)
  Buy Now: All the Best (Capitol)
  
• Unwritten Law - Here's to the Mourning (Lava)
  Buy Now: Here's to the Mourning (Lava)
  
• Leon Ware - A Kiss in the Sand (Kitchen)
• The Yuppie Pricks - Brokers Banquet (Alternative Tentacles)
• Various artists - Days of Our Lives: Love Songs (Varese Sarabande)
• Various artists - Gangster Love Volume 2 (Thump)
• Various artists - Grammy Nominees 2005 (Capitol)
• Various artists - Tunnel Trance Force America (Varese Sarabande)
• DVD: Henry Rollins - "Shock & Awe: The Tour" (Image Entertainment)
• DVD: Various artists - "The MC: Why We Do It" (Image Entertainment)
• DVD: Various artists - "The Roots Present" (Image Entertainment)

February 8:

• Sage Francis - Healthy Distrust (Epitaph)
• Brian McKnight - Gemini (Motown)
  Buy Now: Gemini (Motown)
  
• 3 Doors Down - Seventeen Days (Universal)
  Buy Now: Seventeen Days(Universal)
  

February 15:

• Blue Merle - Burning in the Sun (Island)
• Goldfinger - Disconnection Notice (Maverick)
  Buy Now: Disconnection Notice (Maverick)
  
• They Might Be Giants - Here Come the ABCs (Disney)

February 22:

• Tori Amos - The Beekeeper (Sony)
  Buy Now: The Beekeeper (Sony)
  
• Omarion - O (Sony)
• Thievery Corporation - Cosmic Game (ESL Music)

• Mötley Crüe
• Kylie Minogue
• Unwritten Law
• Ray Charles
• HIM

Kurupt (file)
Photo: MGM

A Death Row rapper, a tiny Aussie pop star and a wild-maned songstress lead the pack of new releases this week.

Kurupt made his rap debut on Dr. Dre's 1992 album, The Chronic, and guested on a smattering of Death Row releases, including Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle, which led to his collaboration with Snoop in Tha Dogg Pound. While his three solo albums have met with middling success, the persistent rapper is going for the gold again this week with Against the Grain.

Locomotion-ing into stores is "Body Language Live," a concert DVD from pint-sized Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue. The show was filmed at London's Hammersmith Apollo in November 2003 and features the singer performing hits like "Love at First Sight" and "Can't Get You Out of My Head."

Helium-voiced R&B singer Macy Gray releases her first greatest-hits album, The Very Best of Macy Gray, which includes tracks from her three studio albums as well as her most recent single, a cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way."

Silkk the Shocker, brother of Master P and C-Murder, released his debut, The Shocker, in 1996 and has appeared on numerous albums by No Limit artists. Based on a True Story, the rapper's fourth solo record, hits stores this week.

Power-pop revivalist Matthew Sweet releases his ninth album, Living Things, this week, while Jill Sobule, best known for her 1995 hit "I Kissed a Girl," unleashes Underdog Victorious. Smooth-voiced R&B singer Anita Baker, who hasn't released an album since 1994's Rhythm of Love gets back into the game with My Everything.

Two-man rock band the Black Keys release their third effort, Rubber Factory, while indie-rockers Radio 4 deliver their third as well, Stealing of a Nation.

Also out this week are albums by veteran metal outfit Dio (Master of the Moon), DJ Paul van Dyk (Perfect Remixes Vol. 2), jamming jazzers Medeski Martin & Wood (End of the World Party [Just in Case]), former Replacements leader Paul Westerberg (Folker), and rockers Senses Fail, who release their debut full-length, Let It Enfold You.

Out Tuesday, September 7:

• Amon Amath - Fate of Norns (Metal Blade)
• Anita Baker - My Everything (Blue Note)
• Patricia Barber - Live: A Fortnight in France (Blue Note)
• The Black Keys - Rubber Factory (Fat Possum/ Epitaph)
• The Break - Handbook for the Hopeless (Ferret)
• Greg Brown - In the Hills of California (Red House)
• John Cale - HoboSapiens (Or Music)
• Bob Carpenter - The Sun, the Moon & the Stars (Favored Nations)
• Roger Creager - Live Across Texas (DualTone)
• D.O.A. - Live Free or Die (Sudden Death)
• Krishna Das - Greatest Hits of the Kali Yuga (Karuna)
• Ram Dass - Meditations on the Gita (Karuna)
• Daz - I Got Love in These Streetz (Red Urban)
• Dio - Master of the Moon (Sanctuary)
• DJ Krush - Jaku (Red Ink)
• Julie Doiron - Goodnight Nobody (Jagjaguwar)
• Big Joe Duskin - Big Joe Jumps Again! (Yellow Dog)
• The Exit - Home for an Island (Some)
• Ustad Faiyaz/ Kahn Sahib - Golden Shadows (Dunya)
• Fear Before the March of Flames - Art Damage (Equal Vision)
• Gabriel & Dresden - Bloom (Nettwerk)
• Bade Ghulan/ Ali Khan - Regal Resonance (Dunya)
• Girlyman - Remember Who I Am (Daemon)
• Macy Gray - The Very Best of Macy Gray (Epic)
• Hanalei - We're All Natural Disasters (Thick)
• Hi-5 - Jump & Jive with Hi-5 (Koch)
• Seth Horan - Conduit (Benchmark)
• Jack Irons - Attention Dimension (Breaching Whale)
• Alan Jackson - What I Do (Arista Nashville)
• David Jacobs-Strain - Ocean or a Teardrop (Northern Blues)
• Will Johnson - Vultures Await (Misra)
• Vic Juris - Blue Horizon (Zoho)
• Mike Keneally and Metropole Orkest - The Universe Will Provide (Favored Nations)
• Kill Radio - Raised on Whipped Cream (Columbia)
• Kurupt - Against the Grain (Death Row)
• Tim Lee - No Discretion (Paisley Pop)
• Jens Lekman - When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog (Secretly Canadian)
• Janiva Magness - Bury Him at the Crossroads (Northern Blues)
• Christine McVie - In the Meantime (Koch)
• Medeski Martin & Wood - End of the World Party (Just in Case) (Blue Note)
• Jane Monheit - Taking a Chance on Love (Sony Classical)
• Jean-Michel Pilc - Follow Me (Dreyfus)
• Chuck Prophet - The Age of Miracles (New West)
• Radio 4 - Stealing of a Nation (Astralwerks)
• Jason Ringenberg - Empire Builders (Yep Roc)
• Riptyde - Sonic Undertow (Alternity)
• Senses Fail - Let It Enfold You (Vagrant)
• Kierra Kiki Sheard - I Owe You (Chordant)
• Silkk the Shocker - Based on a True Story (Koch)
• Jill Sobule - Underdog Victorious (Artemis)
• Bill Staines - Journey Home (Red House)
• Matthew Sweet - Living Things (Racm)
• This Day & Age - Always Leave the Ground (One Eleven)
• Artie Traum - Acoustic Jazz Guitar (Roaring Stream)
• Trio Mundo - Rides Again (Zoho)
• Truth Enola - 6 O'Clock Straight (Solid)
• Underminded - Hail Unamerican! (Kung Fu)
• Paul van Dyk - Perfect Remixes Vol. 2 (Warlock)
• Dr. Allean Verando - I'm a Whosoever (Gar)
• Claudia Villela and Kenny Werner - Dreamtales (Adventure)
• Vollmar - 13 or So People Who Need Chances (Bluesanct)
• Paul Westerberg - Folker (Vagrant)
• Jesse Colin Young - Living in Paradise (Artemis)
• Various artists - Code of the Streets, Vol. 1 (Koch)
• Various artists - Judgement Day: Songs of Robert Johnson (Warlock)
• Various artists - Vancouver Complication (Sudden Death)
• Various artists - Who's America (System)
• DVD: Kylie Minogue - "Body Language Live" (Capitol)
• DVD: Various artists - "Peepshow III" (Fat Wreck)

• Nelly - Sweat (Fo' Reel/ Universal)
• Nelly - Suit (Fo' Reel/ Universal)
  Read: "Nelly's Double Dose Features Mase, X-tina And ... Tim McGraw?"
• Tears for Fears - Everybody Loves a Happy Ending (Hip-O)
• Prodigy - Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned (Maverick)
  Read: "Twista, Kool Keith, Juliette Lewis Smack Up New Prodigy LP"

• Green Day - American Idiot (Warner)
  Read: "Green Day Make Bold Statement About Their Homeland On American Idiot"
• Ben Harper & the Blind Boys of Alabama - There Will Be a Light (Virgin)
• Shadows Fall - War Within (Century Media)
• Keb' Mo' - Peace ... Back by Popular Demand (Sony)

• Brian Wilson - Smile (Nonesuch)
• Joss Stone - Mind, Body & Soul (S-Curve)
• Hilary Duff - Hilary Duff (Hollywood)
• Queen Latifah - The Dana Owens Album (Interscope)

• Kurupt
• Kylie Minogue
• Macy Gray
• Matthew Sweet

Norah Jones (file)
Photo: Blue Note

She wasn't up for any of Sunday's awards, but last year's Grammy golden girl, Norah Jones, releases the follow-up to Come Away With Me this week. Feels Like Home features the up-tempo single "Sunrise."

And from a Grammy sweetheart to America's Sweetheart — Courtney Love's solo debut finally hits shelves this week, and her first single is so sick it's called "Mono." The album was mostly written by Love, but she also worked with hitmaker Linda Perry (Pink, Christina Aguilera).

Another long-delayed release is Dave Grohl's death metal side project, Probot. On the self-titled album, Grohl gets back to his drumming roots again, while various metal gods take center stage. Among them, Motörhead's Lemmy Kilmister, King Diamond, and Sepultura's Max Cavalera.

Kylie Minogue lets us read her Body Language on her new album, featuring the song "Slow," which gets remixed by the Chemical Brothers for another of this week's new releases, the "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" soundtrack. Like the show, that album opens with the theme song "All Things (Just Keep Getting Better)" by Widelife featuring Simone Denny, and it continues with the aforementioned track by Kylie plus songs by Liz Phair, Elton John and Fischerspooner.

Kanye West boasts his status as a College Dropout, the Ruff Ryders' Drag-On has been to Hell and Back and has a new album to prove it, but Melissa Etheridge gets Lucky this week alongside the Coral's Magic and Medicine, Big Head Todd and the Monsters' Crimes of Passion, and Damageplan's New Found Power.

Out Tuesday, February 10:

• 1208 - Turn of the Screw (Epitaph)
• Big Head Todd and the Monsters - Crimes of Passion (Big/Sanctuary)
• Black 47 - New York Town (Gadfly)
• Sandra Boynton - Philadelphia Chickens (Rounder)
• Break the Silence - Near Life Experience (Hopeless)
• Byzantine - The Fundamental Component (Prosthetic/Razor & Tie)
• Jeremy Camp - Carried Me: The Worship Project (BEC/Tooth & Nail)
• Clumsy Lovers - After the Flood (Nettwerk)
• The Coral - Magic and Medicine (Columbia)
• Damageplan - New Found Power (Elektra)
  Read:"Damageplan Put Pantera Behind Them With New Found Power"
  Buy Now: New Found Power (Elektra)
  
• Dillengers - Instro-Mania (Favored Nations)
• Drag-On - Hell and Back (Virgin)
  Read:"Drag-On Getting Personal, Revealing Mel Smalls On New LP"
• Einstürzende Neubauten - Perpetuum Mobile (Mute)
• Melissa Etheridge - Lucky (Island)
• Cesaria Evora - Club Sodade (Bluebird)
• Tim Flannery - Kentucky Towns (PSB)
• David Guetta - Just a Little More Love (Astralwerks)
• Horrorpops - Hell Yeah! (Hellcat)
• Denise James - It's Not Enough to Love (Rainbow Quartz)
• Mason Jennings - Use Your Voice (Bar/None)
• Norah Jones - Feels Like Home (Blue Note)
  Read:"Norah Jones Returns Home With New Album"
  Buy Now: Feels Like Home (Blue Note)
• Junkie XL - Radio JXL: A Broadcast From the Computer Hell Cabin (Koch)
• Lucy Kaplansky - The Red Thread (Red House)
• Keb' Mo' - Keep It Simple (Epic)
• Jeff Kelly - From the Swan in the Hallway (Hidden Agenda)
• Courtney Love - America's Sweetheart (Virgin)
  Read: "Courtney Love Album Preview: America's Sweetheart Takes On Male Rock Pantheon"
  Buy Now: America's Sweetheart (Virgin)
• Ralphie May - Just Correct (DreamWorks)
• Robert Miles & Trilok Gurtu - Miles_Gurtu (Shakti)
• Kylie Minogue - Body Language (Capitol)
  Buy Now: Body Language (Capitol)
  
• Monsieur Dodo - Monsieur Dodo (Sunswept)
• Willie Heath Neal - Live from Somewhere Unknown (Catamount)
• Old Crow Medicine Show - O.C.M.S. (Nettwerk)
• Omar & the Howlers - Boogie Man (Ruf)
• Carl Palmer - Working Live - Vol. 1 (Sanctuary)
• Pico Vs. Island Trees - Just Wait (Deep South)
• Pitch Black - Pitch Black Law (Motown)
• Probot - Probot (Southern Lord)
  Read:"Dave Grohl Preps A 'Death Metal Supernatural' With Probot"
• Aaron Sprinkle - Lackluster (Tooth & Nail)
• Subhumans - Live in a Dive (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Tierney Sutton - Dancing in the Dark(Telarc Jazz)
• Takashi - Storm Zone (Blue Note)
• Randy Thompson - That's Not Me (Jackpot/Leaps)
• Thunderstone - The Burning (Nuclear Blast)
• Valley of the Giants - Valley of the Giants (Arts & Crafts)
• Kanye West - College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella)
  Read:"Common, John Mayer Drop In To Preview Kanye West's Dropout"
  Buy Now: College Dropout (Roc-A-Fella)
  
• Various artists - Club Trance (Water Music)
• Various artists - Hello We Are the Militia Group (Militia Group)
• Various artists - Aubade: Lecons de Tango (Milan)
• Various artists - "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" soundtrack (Capitol)
• Various artists - Thug Nation (Razor & Tie/Warner)
• DVD: "Higher Ground: Voices of Contemporary Gospel Music" (Image Entertainment)
• DVD: "Hip-Hop Immortals" (Image Entertainment)
• DVD: "Street Prophetz" (Image Entertainment)
• DVD: Steve Earle - "Just an American Boy" (Artemis)
• DVD: Gloria Estefan - "Live and Unwrapped" (Epic)
• DVD: Nomeansno/The Hanson Brothers - "Would We Be ... Live?" (Music Video Distributors/Punkervision)
• DVD: The Residents - "Demons Dance Alone" (Music Video Distributors)
• DVD: Henry Rollins - "Live at Luna Park" (Image Entertainment)
• DVD: X-ecutioners - "Built to Scratch" (Loud)

February 17:

• BT - Music From and Inspired by the Film "Monster" (Digital Sound)
• Indigo Girls - All That We Let In (Sony)
• Lambchop - Aw C'mon (Merge)
• Lambchop - No, You C'mon (Merge)

February 24:

• JC Chasez - Schizophrenic (Jive)
  Read: "JC Chasez Learns To 'Shake It' Like A Polaroid Picture On Schizophrenic"
• John Frusciante - Shadows Collide With People (Warner Bros.)
• Orgy - Punk Statik Paranoia (D1)
• Rick Springfield - Shock Denial Anger Acceptance (Red Ink)

March 2:

• Black Sabbath - Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath 1970-78 (Rhino)
• Cee-Lo - Cee-Lo Green Is the Soul Machine (Arista)
• The Get Up Kids - Guilt Show (Vagrant)
• Hootie and the Blowfish - The Best of Hootie and the Blowfish 1993-2003 (Atlantic)

March 30:

• Janet Jackson - Title TBD (Virgin)
  Read: "Janet Jackson Making Sexiest Album Yet, Producer Says"

April 6:

• Rahzel - Rahzel's Greatest Knockouts (Readyrock)

• Kanye West
• Norah Jones
• Kylie Minogue
• Courtney Love
• Drag-On

Rihanna, Amy Winehouse, Mika Rock The 2008 Brit Awards

• Rihanna
• Mika
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Kylie Minogue
• Amy Winehouse

Christina, Madonna, Beyonce, Ashlee, More Multiply Themselves

• Christina Aguilera
• Beyoncé
• Kylie Minogue
• Ashlee Simpson
• Mariah Carey

2004 EMA Red Carpet

• Usher
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Beastie Boys
• Black Eyed Peas
• Franz Ferdinand

2004 Europe Music Awards: Red Carpet

• Black Eyed Peas
• Gwen Stefani
• Franz Ferdinand
• The Hives
• Kylie Minogue

46th Annual Grammy Awards Green Carpet

• Beyoncé
• Christina Aguilera
• 50 Cent
• G-Unit
• Justin Timberlake

Avril, Pink, Nelly, No Doubt, More On 2003 Grammy Red Carpet

• Nelly
• Kelly Rowland
• No Doubt
• Foo Fighters
• Avril Lavigne

2002 European Music Awards Photos

• Wyclef Jean
• Kylie Minogue
• Eminem
• Diddy
• Moby

• Charli Baltimore
• Ashanti
• P!nk
• Busta Rhymes
• Sheryl Crow

2002 VMA Fashion

• Avril Lavigne
• Michelle Branch
• Brandy
• No Doubt
• Jennifer Lopez

2002 MTV Video Music Awards Performers And Presenters

• Diddy
• Shakira
• Britney Spears
• Elton John
• Bow Wow