Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ Getty Images

In February 2004, I found myself sitting on a bench in Tallahassee, Florida, with Isaac Brock. He was drinking a beer out of a paper bag and smoking all my Marlboro Lights, talking loudly about the frat guys stumbling out of the nearby bars (the kinds with names like Potbelly's and Snookers) and making comments at the girls who wandered by. He was unshaven and squat, his pants were too short — they rose a good six inches above his ankles — and he was inexplicably wearing a MedicAlert bracelet on his left wrist.

I remember all of this because I was terrified. And not just because this was my first-ever cover story (for the now-defunct CMJ: New Music Monthly magazine), but because this was Isaac Brock. He was a maniac, a monster, a misanthrope ... the surliest loner in all of indie rock, and rather proudly so. He had run-ins with the law, did tons of drugs and hated God and his family and pretty much everyone else in the world — especially those who were tasked with interviewing him.

In other words, this was going to be a total disaster.

Only somehow, it wasn't. Over the course of a weekend in Tallahassee, Brock proved to be a genuinely nice guy. He got me drunk and bought me cigarettes, he played me songs from Modest Mouse's upcoming album and we spent two nights wandering the halls of a Howard Johnson hotel (he had a knack for pointing out stains on the carpet — "This one's blood," I recall him lisping). When I left for the airport, he called me a "nice kid." It was the most surreal 48 hours of my life, capped off by me returning to my apartment in Brooklyn, unpacking my suitcase and realizing that Brock had totally stolen my hoodie. I laughed. It seemed that even when he was being cordial, Brock still had a bit of a--hole in him.

Of course, ever since that weekend in Tallahassee, Brock and his Modest Mouse mates have released an album that went platinum (2004's Good News for People Who Love Bad News) and one that debuted at #1 on the Billboard chart (2007's We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank). They have had legitimate rock-radio hits, TV gigs and headlining tours, and have — arguably, and somewhat inexplicably — become the biggest "indie rock" band in the U.S.

And through it all, Brock hasn't wavered or mellowed in his commitment to being a disagreeable: He's talked proudly about his DUIs and gashed himself onstage with a pocket knife (to name just a few highlights). He's taken to singing like the drunken offspring of Tom Waits and Frank Black, spitting and twitching like he has Tourette's, seemingly delighting in the racket his voice creates. In short, he hasn't stopped being a professional misanthrope.

And I'm starting to believe that Brock has it all figured out. Unlike rock acts such as U2 or Coldplay, Modest Mouse don't attach some higher power to their music. They are not trying to end world hunger, dismantle atomic bombs or viva la vida ... particularly because they don't give a sh-- about any of those things. There is no pretense to their music, no soaring guitars or string-laden choruses. And yet, much like U2 or Coldplay (or the Killers or, shoot, name anybody) they are still internationally famous, only more so, because they have never compromised, never made a grab for the mainstream. They have clout — so much so that Heath Ledger wanted to work with them; so much so that they can release an odds-n-sods EP (No One's First and You're Next) and 27,000 people will buy it, even though some of the material on it is four years old.

In fact, it's almost as if the mainstream found them and Brock has done everything in his power to shake it from his tail. He's become a surly, slurring old lout, a lunatic who never met a phrase (or phrasing) that he couldn't abuse within an inch of its life. And Modest Mouse's musical output has followed suit ... for every expansive, pretty, windswept moment they've unfurled over the past three albums ("The Stars Are Projectors," "Blame It On the Tetons," "Little Motel"), they've piled up an equal amount of buzzing, claustrophobic, downright ugly tunes ("Alone Down There," "This Devil's Workday," "Fly Trapped in a Jar") too.

And No One's First only continues that trend: "King Rat" and "Whale Song" are downright grotesque songs — belching, blurry stompers that don't pretend for one second to be accessible. "Satellite Skin" is a little friendlier in that it at least contains a chorus (but, almost as a counter to this, Brock makes a point of shouting "Happy f---ing congratulations!" midway through). And still, his fans eat it up.

In fact, it's almost as if Brock can't be misanthropic enough, which sort of makes him a rarity in these hopeful times (and only makes me like him more). Sometimes I get tired of writing about how rock music is going to save the world, mostly because I don't believe that it will ... and neither does Brock. That's what draws people to him; he's smart enough to realize that behind those silver linings, there are still plenty of clouds on the horizon. This isn't just pessimism, it's realism ... it's how he's made his living. Being an a--hole is an art form and Brock is the best in the business. Long may he prosper.

Questions? Concerns? Hit me up at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

• Modest Mouse

Modest Mouse's "King Rat" music video
Photo: Epic Records

In 2007, Isaac Brock — wild-eyed, unkempt mastermind of Modest Mouse — mentioned in an interview that Oscar-nominated actor Heath Ledger had expressed interest in directing a video for "King Rat," a throwaway track from MM's We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank.

Not only that, but famed director Terry Gilliam, with whom Ledger was working on "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," had agreed to animate the clip. It all seemed rather odd, and Brock appeared nonplussed by the project (telling VH1, "I hope it works out and I don't sound like a f--ing liar at the end of this"). Modest Mouse fans around the world greeted the news with a resounding "Wha?!?"

Then, in early 2008, Ledger was found dead in a New York apartment, and the entire project was quickly forgotten by pretty much everybody except Brock and the California-based artist collective known as the Masses.

Masses members Daniel Auber, Norris Houk, Jade Taglioli and Sara Cline picked up the reins, determined to finish the "King Rat" video as a tribute to their friend (and Masses member) Ledger. Some 18 months later, the video is finally complete, premiering Tuesday (August 4) on Modest Mouse's MySpace page, iTunes and the Masses' Web site.

In the video, humans are hunted by a vessel of grotesque whales. They are harpooned, beaten with clubs, skinned alive, ground through processing tubes and made into seal food while the whales drunkenly cavort. Ledger's original vision for the video was "to raise awareness on modern whaling practices through a potent visual piece" (so sayeth an accompanying press release) — and, accordingly, all proceeds from the iTunes download of the video will go to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an international non-profit organization committed to ending the slaughter of wildlife in the world's oceans.

It's pretty admirable, and as Ledger's final vision, pretty beautiful, too. With each bloody harpoon or flailing human carcass, the "King Rat" video manages to match Brock's penchant for ugliness, but this is nothing new, as any MM fan can tell you. Brock doesn't so much sing on "Rat" (or any innumerable number of songs he's released this decade) as he does bellow, belch, gurgle, gasp, whimper and whine.

Brock has spent most of the 'aughts slowly transforming into bastard stepchild of Frank Black and Tom Waits — a wailing, slurring lunatic who never met a phrase (or phrasing) that he couldn't abuse within an inch of its life. And accordingly, Modest Mouse's musical output has followed suit, seemingly deriving some perverse pleasure from tormenting the listener. For every expansive, pretty, windswept moment they've unfurled over the past three albums ("The Stars Are Projectors," "Blame It on the Tetons," "Little Motel"), they've piled up an equal amount of buzzing, claustrophobic, downright ugly tunes ("Alone Down There," "This Devils Workday," "Fly Trapped in a Jar"). It's not exactly a stretch to assume that Brock might be a black-hearted misanthrope, delighting in pushing his fans' buttons.

And that's what is probably the most impressive thing about Ledger's "King Rat" video. In some way, it proves that Brock is actually a human being, a compassionate guy who's using his celebrity to do some good. It would seem that, for all his hissing and spitting, all his sadistic ways, he's actually got a conscience, too.

• Modest Mouse

Photo: MTV News

If you hate non-biodegradable Styrofoam packaging as much as I do, well, then today is like spring break, Christmas and your 21st birthday all rolled into one. It's Earth Day, the annual celebration of environmentalism, ecological awareness and, uh, recycling (or something). But, of course, you probably knew that already.

Anyway, if you're like me, you're celebrating Earth Day by churning the compost heap, grilling up seitan patties and — most importantly — recycling some old albums.

And when I say "recycling," I don't mean "using them as coasters" or "trading them in to SecondSpin.com for a copy of 'MLB '09: The Show.' " No, I'm talking about rediscovering some gems that warrant a second chance — albums that, whether it was due to the fickle nature of the scene or your evil college girlfriend stealing them from you, never really got the shine they deserved.

And since this is the final Earth Day of the decade, I've decided to focus on albums from the 2000s. So here are 10 overlooked albums that should be recycled ... and not just because music really is a renewable resource. Consider it as yet another way to think globally (and act locally), only, you know, you don't really have to do anything at all. Every one you listen to will save roughly 10,000 trees and offset your entire family's carbon footprint. Or something like that.

The Glands, S/T (2000): A swoony, spindle-legged indie album from Athens, Georgia, that plays like a tour through the town's musical history (R.E.M.'s jangle, the B-52s' bizarre party-pop, the entire Elephant 6 collective's sun-dappled retro-ism). The brainchild of singer/guitarist/songwriter Ross Shapiro, the Glands' self-titled second album laid the blueprint for the success of acts like the Shins with songs like "Mayflower" and "Livin' Was Easy," and the fact that the band has yet to release a follow-up only adds to its mystique.

Green Day, Warning (2000): After the prom anthem ("Good Riddance") and before the rebirth (American Idiot), which is to say "at the exact time when no one cared about them." Warning is the band's worst-selling album, though it's rather unjustly overlooked. Billie Joe Armstrong's writing is super strong — he really begins his blue-collar period here — and tracks like "Minority" and "Warning" proved that GD could still be plenty snotty when they wanted to.

Modest Mouse, The Moon And Antarctica (2000): The album where Modest Mouse got arty. Not as urgent as The Lonesome Crowded West or as uniting as Good News for People Who Love Bad News, the wandering Antarctica is a conceptual work of sorts, about loneliness and isolation (it's reportedly about the soul-crushing time frontman Isaac Brock spent in seemingly disparate locales like Seattle and Gainesville, Florida). Not exactly listener-friendly — the middle section of the album consists of three songs spanning 17 downward-spiraling minutes — it's where Brock began to mature as a lyricist (and a musician). Uneasy listening at its finest.

Q and Not U, No Kill No Beep Beep (2000): Jagged, art-damaged post-punk from impossibly skinny D.C. kids, this is probably the finest record Dischord released this decade. It's also probably the most overlooked, for reasons I'm not exactly clear on. Songs like "Little Sparkee" and "Y Plus White Girl" bristle with spastic energy, the kind the band would forgo on following albums (2002's Different Damage and '04's Power, both of which are plenty good too). They called it quits a few years back, which is a shame. They'll be missed.

Mewithoutyou, Catch for Us the Foxes (2002): Ignore, if possible, the rather bizarre rantings of frontman Aaron Weiss (who is sort of like a Freegan preacher, if that makes any sense) and focus on the searing guitar work on tracks like "January 1979" and "Paper Hanger," or the slow burn of "The Soviet." Actually, Weiss is really good here too, sounding very much like he's on the verge of mental collapse ... which he actually could be. Sorta Christian-core, kinda post-hardcore, Mewithoutyou have always been indefinable. And this is their most indefinable album. It's also their finest.

Brand New, Deja Entendu (2003): Sure, kids in the scene (whatever that is) can claim this one, but can you? Probably not ... though you probably should. Originally intended as a sort of commentary on the state of modern rock, Deja has become a landmark album of so-called "emo-punk" (even though it's nothing of the sort), thanks to songs like "Sic Transit Gloria ... Glory Fades" and "I Will Play My Game Beneath the Spin Light," both of which sound like they could be part of a Fall Out Boy set list today. If you want to trace the evolution of punk from Refused's The Shape of Punk to Come to FOB's From Under the Cork Tree, this is your middle stop.

The Fiery Furnaces, Blueberry Boat (2004): A highly conceptual, overlapping work of art-rock (and art-wonk), Boat confounded pretty much everyone who had buzzed about the Furnaces' debut, Gallowsbird's Bark, though it remains one of the decade's greatest accomplishments. Featuring more than 20 instruments, songs that stretch to 10 minutes and lyrical mentions of Damascus and the 1917 World Series, it's an album that deserves to be heard. And debated. And probably misunderstood.

... And You Will Know Us by the Trail Of Dead, Worlds Apart (2005): A total and complete disaster of an album, one that effectively destroyed all the good will Trail of Dead had built with 2002's monumental Source Tags & Codes. The epic World's Apart is a testament to ego and excess, full of chanting choirs, screaming eagles and violin workouts. It also happens to feature thunderous guitars and drums, not to mention one of the greatest album intros of the decade. TOD deserved better than the backlash they got for this.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, Some Loud Thunder (2007): Hey, speaking of backlash, this is maybe the most backlashiest album released this decade. From the self-release to the production to the shrillness of "Satan Said Dance," CYHSY went for broke on Thunder, and, well, it broke them. Given a few years, I've grown to appreciate this one, if not for the sheer amount of risks the band took, but for the really great second half, highlighted by songs like "Yankee Go Home" and "Underwater (You and Me)."

Panic at the Disco, Pretty. Odd. (2008): I have a love/hate relationship with this band and this album (and I've written plenty about them/it that falls under either category), but I will just say two things: 1) A year after its release, I still listen to P.O. regularly; and 2) Give this one a decade ... we could have another Pinkerton on our hands.

Questions? Concerns? Hit me up at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

• Green Day
• Modest Mouse
• Panic at the Disco
• Brand New
• Mewithoutyou

Joel Madden in "Head Case"
Photo: MTV News

Joel Madden needs to see a shrink — in an upcoming episode of the new Starz comedy "Head Case," that is. The Good Charlotte frontman and new dad will appear on the February 13 episode of the show, which revolves around a judgmental psychotherapist (Alexendra Wentworth) who sees celebrity clients when she isn't out shopping. If you're already psyched for the show, go to Amazon.com's Unbox section to check out the original short-form episodes that launched it. ...

Thank your lucky stars — the Grammy Awards ceremony will go on this year as planned, according to an interim agreement announced Monday (January 28), The Associated Press reports. While the Grammy telecast was still good to go following last week's announcement that the striking Writers Guild of America would not protest it, the interim agreement means content for the show will be written under a WGA contract. "In the interest of advancing our goal of achieving a fair contract, the [WGA West] Board felt that this decision should be made on behalf our brothers and sisters in the American Federation of Musicians and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists," WGA West President Patric Verrone reportedly said in a statement. "Having our talented writers on the team further ensures the highest level of creativity and innovation, something our audience has come to expect every year," Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow reportedly said in a statement of his own. ...

Miley Cyrus' Saturday show in New Orleans had a bit of a hiccup when the singer otherwise known as Hannah Montana announced that she wasn't feeling well and left the stage, according to a video posted on TMZ.com. Cyrus returned to finish her set, albeit in a seat, and dad Billy Ray sang with her. ...

Rivers Cuomo, Adam Sandler, Tony Hawk, baseball player Nomar Garciaparra and Andy Samberg kicking around a soccer ball together on a Saturday afternoon? According to ESPN.com, that was the scene over the weekend when the celebs took the field at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, for Garciaparra and wife/ ex-soccer pro Mia Hamm's charity Celebrity Soccer Challenge. Cuomo scored his team's first goal, and he later reportedly said, "It was a dream come true. Passing with [the L.A. Galaxy's] Landon Donovan and going against Mia Hamm — it's just unreal. I was terrified, but I was so excited that the excitement overcame the terror." Milo Ventimiglia, Elisabeth Shue, Seth Meyers and others also participated in the event, the proceeds of which went to the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. ...

Jim Jones is reissuing his Harlem's American Gangster mixtape, hosted by Dame Dash and featuring the Byrd Gang crew, February 19. Fans are already familiar with the tape, which was previously available in limited form, but it has since been remixed, remastered and bolstered with new tracks, including "Rockefeller Laws." "Some people do soundtracks to the movies about Harlem," he said in a statement. "We do soundtracks to the streets of Harlem, which made us who we are today." His new studio LP will drop in the summer. ...

Modest Mouse and the National have something special to jot down on their calendars: opening dates for R.E.M. The tour will launch after the release of Michael Stipe and the gang's April 1 album, Accelerate. The cities are as follows: Vancouver, British Columbia (May 23); Los Angeles (May 29); Berkeley, California (May 31); Morrison, Colorado (June 3); Chicago (June 6); Toronto (June 8); Raleigh, North Carolina (June 10); Columbia, Maryland (June 11); Mansfield, Massachusetts (June 13); Wantagh, New York (June 14); Philadelphia (June 18); New York (June 19); and Atlanta (June 21). ... Hot Chip, Spank Rock, Peaches and others are liberally reworking classic tracks by the Pharcyde, Masta Ace, Tone Loc and others for a new collection, Delicious Reimagined, due early this year. Raunchy electro-clash singer Peaches — who has collaborated with everyone from Pink to Iggy Pop — remixed Loc's "Wild Thing" almost 20 years after the song originally came out, adding her own new vocals along the way. ...

Hayden Panettiere spoke about the warrant for her arrest — which she was slapped with in the fall after confronting Japanese fishermen to protest the hunting of dolphins — at a related demonstration in Washington, D.C., on Sunday. According to The Washington Post, the "Heroes" actress and Save the Whales Again! Campaign spokeswoman told a crowd, "I was wearing a wetsuit and shoes. I was like, if I'm going to jail, I ain't going to jail in a bikini." ... peta2 has a few new friends you might know: MTV News' own John Norris, as well as the stars of "Rob & Big." Norris stars in a new online video for the youth animal-rights organization that explains why he went vegan, while Rob Dyrdek and Chris "Big Black" Boykin appear in an ad with their dog, Meaty, along with the statement "Have the Balls to Spay or Neuter Your Dog." ...

Black Lips have drooled out an exclusive iTunes Live Session EP that the so-called "flower punk" band recorded over the summer in San Francisco. The Lips are also in the running for Yahoo's User's Choice program, the winner of which will play a performance in the company's studio in Santa Monica, California. And they've also lined up a run that will start February 4 in Seattle and end March 22 in Atlanta. ... The second half of Thrice's four-disc concept album will be in stores in the spring. The Alchemy Index, Vols. III & IV: Earth & Air, is scheduled for release April 15. ... From Autumn to Ashes drummer Jeff Gretz recently suffered two broken bones in his foot and will be forced to sit out the band's tour for the next few months. Flood of Red's Graham Griffith will fill in for Getz for most of the tour's remaining stops. ...

New Kids on the Block fans are going to have to keep "Hangin' Tough" — despite reports over the weekend, the old-school boy band is not planning to stage a comeback. While the once-hugely popular teen heartthrobs' Web site has apparently relaunched, bandmember Danny Wood wrote on his MySpace page on Monday morning, "I wanted to address the rumors of the NKOTB Reunion Tour. There has been no talk of this and you are getting it from the source directly. ... You can't believe everything you read." Still, he added, "Never say never!" Let's keep our hopes up.

1.25.08

Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Whoopi Goldberg and Jessica Biel are among the celebs captured in a new Disney installment of work by esteemed Vanity Fair photographer Annie Leibovitz. In the images, Lopez is portrayed as Jasmine and Anthony as Aladdin in a "Whole New World" scene, while Biel is dressed as Pocahontas, running through a forest. "I was a huge Disney fan growing up as a kid, and Cinderella, Snow White, Pocahontas, Ariel — all those characters were huge for me," Biel said in a statement. The "Disney Dream Portrait Series" will be featured throughout the year at Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida. ...

Gnarls Barkley don't have a release date or name yet for their second album, but it's nearing completion, according to Billboard.com. Danger Mouse is busying himself with other projects in the meantime, including lending production to the Black Keys' Attack & Release; Martina Topley-Bird's The Blue God; and Shortwave Set's new LP, which is tentatively titled Replica Sun Machine. ...

Mary J. Blige recently spoke with MTV Base about the ongoing New York steroid probe in which she was recently named. "I really don't want to clear anything up, because I've been spoken about for so many years — rumors I'm pregnant, I'm a man, I'm this, I'm that, why? At the end of the day, I have nothing to prove to anyone. I am Mary and that's that." A report that surfaced in the Times Union last week claimed Blige was among tens of thousands of people who might have used or received prescribed shipments of steroids and injectable human-growth hormone in recent years, although law-enforcement officials said they don't have any evidence that laws were violated. ...

Krist Novoselic, the former Nirvana bassist who has been politically active in Seattle in recent years, has voiced his support for a 2008 presidential candidate, and it's ... Ron Paul? Novoselic alluded to the Republican long-shot candidate in his Seattle Weekly column earlier this month, saying, "The Internet is already doing this with campaign phenomenon like Howard Dean in 2004, and this year with Ron Paul." The Web site PoliticalBase.com shows that he made a $250 contribution to the candidate in mid-September. ...

Björk has nixed her planned appearance at the Big Day Out on Friday night (January 25) in Sydney, Australia. "Doctors have advised Björk to rest due to swelling of the vocal cords," Ken West and Vivian Lees, who produce and direct the festival, said in a statement posted on the Icelandic singer's Web site. "This is a great disappointment to Björk, who is on her first tour of Australia in 12 years." She is slated to rejoin Big Day Out on Monday for a show in Melbourne, followed by performances February 1 in Adelaide and February 3 in Perth. ...

The Reminder (Feist), Kala (M.I.A.), Neon Bible (the Arcade Fire), Cross (Justice) and Sound of Silver (LCD Soundsystem) have all made the cut as finalists for the Shortlist Music Prize. Also in the running are In Our Bedroom After the War (Stars), Sky Blue Sky (Wilco), Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Spoon), Businessmen and Ghosts (Working for a Nuclear Free City) and Untrue (Burial). The winner will be announced in February. ... Dem Franchize Boyz will bounce back on April 1 with their third effort, Da Point of No Return, which is anchored by the first single, "Talkin' Out Da Side of Ya Neck." Also look for featured appearances by Mannie Fresh on "Mr. Feel Good" and Blaze on "Turn Heads." ...

Marvel Studios is the latest company to reach an agreement with the striking Writers Guild of America, it was announced Friday. "Marvel Studios' signing of an interim agreement with the Writers Guild is more good news for our membership," WGA East President Michael Winship and WGA West President Patric Verrone said in a joint statement. "Marvel is committed to fairly compensating their writers and now they can move forward with their planned production schedule." ... Yes! Will Ferrell has received the James Joyce award in Ireland, where he has been traveling with his dad and brother to trace their family roots, according to The Associated Press. The "Blades of Glory" actor accepted the award — which has been given to Jesse Jackson and others in the past — on Wednesday night and addressed more than 1,000 students at the University College Dublin. "As I perused my leather-bound volumes of 'Ulysses,' 'Finnegans Wake,' 'Dubliners,' 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,' standing in my mahogany library, a lot of feelings ran across my mind. Like: 'Damn, I should have read these books,' " he reportedly said. ...

My Morning Jacket — who sold out their June 20 show at NYC's Radio City Music Hall in just over 20 minutes — have arrived at a title for their new album. Evil Urges, the band's fifth LP, is due June 10. ... Bono hailed Bill Gates on Friday when the Microsoft chairman announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will spend $306 million on environmentally friendly technology and farming techniques to help aid millions of impoverished Africans. "It's a very special moment in time, I think, for Davos, and people here," Bono said in the Swiss city, according to The Associated Press. "This is Bill Gates' last trip to Davos as Microsoft leader, and I think it is an extraordinary thing that this man has not just changed the world once, but has now set aside the next act of his life to change the world again, and I think we should just mark this moment." ...

The summer music-festival scene just got a bit less crowded. Less than two months after announcing their plan to host a three-day camping music festival on a 500-acre farm in Vineland, New Jersey, the forces behind Lollapalooza (C3 Presents) and England's Reading Festival (Festival Republic) have announced that they've pulled the plug on the event. Originally scheduled for August 8-10, the Vineland Festival, which never announced a lineup and had faced considerable opposition from area residents concerned about noise and traffic, will now attempt to launch in 2009. Organizers cited "overall festival traffic in the Northeast"— apparently referring to the just-announced All Points West Festival, which is scheduled for the same weekend in Liberty State Park, New Jersey, and is being coordinated by the people who bring you Coachella every year. Organizers also noted big bands touring the area around the same time as the reason for scrapping the event. ...

Heads up, straight-edge hardcore fans: Ex-Minor Threat drummer Jeff Nelson has thrown up for auction on eBay a bunch of rare and unique items from the band and other hardcore acts. Items include fliers, posters, 7-inches and more. ... Want your name to appear in a Saosin release? The band is launching a contest with mobile marketing company Mozes that will give fans the chance to have their name featured in the credits of the booklet that will accompany their forthcoming "Saosin Live" DVD/CD package. Interested? Text SAOSINDVD to 66937 and join the band's mobile list and follow the prompt. ... UB40 might want to rename themselves "UB39," at least for the time being: The British group, which was huge in the '80s, has lost its frontman. "No words can express how upset I feel today that I have been forced to make this decision," Ali Campbell wrote in a Friday post on his Web site. UB40 said in a statement of their own that they will continue without Campbell, a founding member of the band.

• Joel Madden
• Good Charlotte
• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• Black Lips
• Rivers Cuomo

Photo: MTV News

On The Record: The 20 Best Albums Of 2007

This is not a perfect list, because this was not a perfect year. I think the general consensus is that something big happened (or is happening) in 2007, but no one seems to be able to agree on just what that "event of monumental import" was. Maybe it was In Rainbows, the OiNK bust or the defections of several high-profile artists from the major-label stables. Perhaps it was none of those things, and it's all still business as usual, but I sort of doubt it.

There's definitely a movement afoot, though. And these 20 albums were all part of it — some because they changed the flow of the industry, others because they were simply released in 2007. Below, you'll find game-changers, weirdo-folk, not-punk punk albums, expansive-yet-minimalist electro — and absolutely no Neon Bible. And, like I said, you'll probably find some faults with my list (I probably should've included Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga and Bruce Springsteen's Magic, for starters) but I'd like to think that's also why it's also a pretty good one: After all, there was no clear-cut choice for Album of the Year in 2007, just a whole lot of efforts that could possibly lay claim to the title (or couldn't, depending on who you asked). If we learned anything, it's that practically everyone could agree on positively nothing. And if that's not a pretty accurate assessment of the past 12 months ... well, then I don't know what is.

Also, I'd love to hear your feedback and read your lists, so feel free to e-mail me at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

20. The Go! Team, Proof of Youth
The sound of the blog bubble bursting, complete with '70s guitars, double-dutch cadences, thunderous drumming, glorious fuzz and a cameo by Chuck D. Unfairly abandoned by pretty much everyone who loved the Go! Team's 2004 debut, Thunder, Lightening, Strike (because it's basically the same record), Proof of Youth stands as an example of the inherent stupidity of today's fast-moving blogosphere, and a cautionary tale to bands like the Black Kids and Vampire Weekend. If only all failures sounded this good.

The Best Of 2007 The Top Albums: MTV News Staffers Pick Their Top 10 Albums The Biggest Arrests: Paris Hilton, T.I. And More Had An Arrest-Ing 2007 The Hottest Couples: 50 Cent And Ciara And More Smoking-Hot Couples For the rest of MTV News' year-end top 10s, check out our Best of 2007 page, where you'll find the hottest hip-hop, catchiest singles and more.

19. Black Moth Super Rainbow, Dandelion Gum
Stuff a vocoder in your mouth. Strap a pair of Casio keyboards to your feet. Wander the Mojave Desert for a month. Do the Black Moth Super Rainbow. Gleefully psychedelic, completely nonsensical, unbelievably sunny folk-tronica from the wilds of Pittsburgh. Every bit as WTF as the name implies.

18. Patrick Wolf, The Magic Position
A guy who looks like an extra from "The Legend of Zelda" releases the year's most melodramatic album — 40 minutes of gilded, whimsical, overly indulgent Baroque-pop, full of stabbing violins, synthesizers that pop like fireworks and chiming church bells; becomes even more flamboyant (if that's possible); establishes himself as a sex symbol on both sides of the aisle; has onstage meltdown in NYC; threatens to quit the music industry via a messageboard post; recants his threat days later; then starts a feud with fellow balladeer Mika over "authenticity." And you thought you had a busy year.

17. The Shins, Wincing the Night Away
Not only is this album better than you remember, it's also probably the only thing on this list that the dude in the cubicle next to you owns (well, this or Kanye). Packing away the sunny, strummy indie-pop for darker, nocturnal mood music, the Shins crafted a weird winner that somehow managed to debut at #2 on the Billboard albums chart (despite leaking to the Internet like three months early), and finally get them out from underneath the shadow of that dude from "Scrubs." Hopefully.

16. Kanye West, Graduation
The swagger is nothing new. Neither is the lack of humility. But never have both sides of Kanye co-existed so successfully on one record (maybe Daft Punk helped broker the peace). On Graduation, West reveals the complexities contained within himself, looking back while moving forward, slowing down a step — really, there's nothing on here that grabs you with the immediacy of "Jesus Walks" — to bask in his successes, while still holding his competitors in check and keeping one eye toward the future. A truly accomplished, truly human album that still manages to work in a song based around a Steely Dan sample. And that's much harder to do than it looks.

15. Okkervil River, The Stage Names
World-weary, scruffy rock from the weariest, scruffiest band in Austin, Texas, Stage Names is beautiful, tear-in-yer-beer stuff, but it's also probably the most self-aware album released this decade (either this or Panic! at the Disco's A Fever You Can't Sweat Out) full of too-smart references to the Beach Boys, Marcel Duchamp artwork, Paul Simon and Nena's "99 Luftballons." It's meant to be a concept record of sorts, about the exploration of high art and low art, which sort of explains the tender ballad about the death of porn star Savannah. Sort of.

14. Jens Lekman, Night Falls Over Kortedala
Sumptuous, swirling pop from Sweden's finest troubadour. Sonically, it's all over the map: booming orchestral numbers, sparkly samba, morose Northern soul, all sung in Lekman's sleepy, mahogany-rich baritone. Also, "I took my sister down to the ocean/ But the ocean made me feel stupid" is probably the most emo line of the year. Deep, man ... deep.

13. LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver
Just last week, I named James Murphy's "All My Friends" as "the best song of 2007," and the album is nearly as good. Building on the, well, dancey-but-not-dance roots he's been laying down for a few years now, Silver is the record in which Murphy puts electroclash (remember that?) to bed for good and establishes himself as a truly important artist: the kind of guy who's not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve (check "All My Friends" or "New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down"), or get funky in really goofy ways, or record a 45-minute exercise track for Nike. And we need guys like that.

12. The National, Boxer
The sound of sepia. Sad like the photos you see pinned to the walls in really old bars. Beautiful like being drunk on a rooftop in Brooklyn, the city twinkling in the distance. Painful like the hangover the following morning. The songs on Boxer are all of those things, often at the same time. A remarkable record.

11. Feist, The Reminder
Sure, there's the song that sold the iPods, but there's also the churning, torch-y "My Moon My Man," the heartbreaking "The Park" and the slinky "Brandy Alexander," to name just a few. Intimately performed, expertly arranged indie balladry, with Leslie Feist's voice weaving through it all: lithe, supple, sexy and undeniably powerful. Probably — OK, undoubtedly — the breakthrough album of 2007.

10. Yeasayer, All Hour Cymbals
What world music would sound like if it was played by a bunch of hipsters from Williamsburg. Hints of African guitars, drone-y Eastern European notes, Celtic rhythms, plus chants, chimes and handclaps, all whirled together into a heady sonic brew. In a thousand years, when they excavate Bedford Avenue, they'll probably discover copies of Cymbals and think we were a much more evolved society. Either that or really big fans of Forest for the Trees.

9. Deerhunter, Cryptograms
If you believe the rumors (and given the generally terrifying WTF-ness of Deerhunter, I do), Cryptograms is really two albums in one: the first half — from "Intro" to "Red Ink" — was recorded in one manic session, on a single reel of tape, with frontman Bradford Cox still battling the lingering effects of walking pneumonia. The second half (starting with "Spring Hall Convert" and ending with "Heatherwood") was recorded in another one-day session, on another reel of tape. That the two halves are so sonically disparate — one murky and atmospheric, the other luminous and relatively straightforward — not only lends credence to those rumors, but also speaks volumes about the ever-evolving talent of the band itself, and makes Cryptograms an experience unlike most you'll hear this decade. And given that Deerhunter are currently on hiatus, that experience might — unfortunately — only be a one-time thing.

8. Modest Mouse, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Not as accessible as Good News for People Who Love Bad News, not as good as The Lonesome Crowded West (or The Moon & Antarctica, for that matter), We Were Dead represents Modest Mouse at the great divide: On one side, the past. On the other, the future. So, accordingly, the album borrows equally from both, packed with rambling, shambling guitar exercises and (relatively) straightforward radio rock. There was even a slow number or three. That the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard albums chart seemed to be the most amazing thing of all, and it only gave MM the validation they deserved. No matter where Isaac Brock and company decide to go from here, they've already won.

7. Panda Bear, Person Pitch
Like the Animal Collective that begat him, Panda is less about making music and more about stringing together atmosphere, creating pockets of sound as big as entire universes. Here, he collects the wooshes of subway cars, the crunch of gravel under boots, wind, water (and a bunch more), and combines them with some really beautiful vocal harmonies, a little acoustic strumming and the occasional odd "woo-hoo" to create an album that's warm like an old blanket but also chilly like a snowdrift. Bizarrely accessible, sort of spooky, and really all you could ask for from so-called "experimental rock."

6. The Field, From Here We Go Sublime
A masterwork of techno (do people still even use that word?) both minimal and maximal, Sublime — the handiwork of Swedish DJ Axel Willner — recalls cellular division, slowly melting ice caverns and fields of blossoming sunflowers, often in the same song, and often using little more than a bass line, a kick-drum and a looped sample. Devastating in its simplicity and scope, it's more intelligent dance music than Intelligent Dance Music, which may not make sense, only it does. You get me?

5. Tegan and Sara, The Con
An album of beautiful complexity and brutal honestly, The Con covers all manners of love, loss and heartbreak, and does it all with a restraint and a maturity that belies the Quin sisters' age. W-a-a-y more confident and ballsy than any "follow-up to a breakthrough" album should be, yet still self-effacing and full of enough doubts to fill 1,000 diary pages. Expertly helmed by producer Chris Walla, it's a record that unfurls gradually, revealing just a bit more with each listen. For some reason, it reminds me of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, though I can neither explain nor condone that statement.

4. The White Stripes, Icky Thump
To some, it's just another example of Jack White's ever-expanding ego. To others, it's another addition to his "guitar god" résumé. I think I fall somewhere in between. Sure, there's parts of Thump that are a bit much — mainly the bagpipes that drag down the middle of the record — but there's also plenty of great moments, too: the fret-melting majesty of the title track, the delightfully silly vaudeville of "Rag and Bone," and straightforward, floor-pounding rock of "Bone Broke." For the first time, White also drops the whole "magical bluesman" shtick and opens up a bit, and — surprise — he seems just as conflicted and unhappy as you or I. Which only makes him, and the entire album, that much more likeable.

3. Radiohead, In Rainbows
The album that changed everything, only it probably didn't (though it's nice to oversimplify sometimes). When all the smoke surrounding its release strategy cleared, fans were left with an album that either enthralled or mystified ... there really was no in between. For me, it was the former: Radiohead put away the electronics on this one and just decided to play, making beautiful, intricate songs about decidedly human things — failing relationships, infidelity, whatever the hell "15 Step" is about. It's the album that sounds like the next logical step, and while some didn't want to hear Radiohead slip gracefully into their 40s, that's what they got. And I'll take AARP Radiohead over almost any other band on the planet. They may sound old, but, dude, they are old. Except Jonny Greenwood. He's apparently a vampire.

2. Against Me!, New Wave
The massive choruses. The even more massive hooks. The major label. The big-name producer. The boy/girl duet. The protest song that made fun of protest songs. There probably wasn't a more unapologetic record made this year — seriously, New Wave might actually redefine the word "unabashed" — and Against Me! are totally aware of this, and they don't care what you (or the majority of their old fans) think, which is why Against Me! are awesome, and why this album totally rules. Punk rock is probably dead already, but if it isn't, well, this is the album that killed it off forever. Good riddance.

1. Wilco, Sky Blue Sky
When all is said and done, the sky is still falling and the rivers continue to run red with BitTorrent. The industry is dead, except that it's probably not. We are living in the future, only no one seems to realize it, because we might just be living in the past. You are part of the problem, and the solution, all at the same time. And none of this really matters. What cuts through the fog and the noise is simplicity. And on the surface, Sky Blue Sky is the most simple record of the year: straightforward like Summer Teeth, sparkling in execution, bravely unflinching in subject. It resonates because it's true and beautiful and seemingly not of this era. But it's also unfathomably complicated: a record about relationships, about being so in love and wanting to make it work so bad, about giving of yourself and taking from someone else about being back to back, in the foxhole — impossible Germany, unlikely Japan — against overwhelming odds, but determined to fight until the bitter end. No one said simplicity was ever easy.

• Radiohead
• Kanye West
• The Shins
• Feist
• LCD Soundsystem

Lil Wayne after his arrest in Boise, Idaho, on October 5
Photo: Ada County Sheriff's Office

Lil Wayne was arrested in Boise, Idaho, Friday night on a felony fugitive charge issued in Georgia for allegedly possessing a controlled substance, The Associated Press reports. Wayne, who was booked into the Ada County Jail, was expected to miss a scheduled concert Saturday night because his charges made him ineligible for bond. As a result, an Ada County sheriff's deputy told AP, the jail has been flooded with angry calls from fans. The 25-year-old rapper, born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., is set to be formally charged Tuesday. ...

"This about to get ugly, this about to go crazy." First T.I. had his way with Britney Spears, and now it's Lil Mama. The diminutive rapper is about to drop a remix of Spears' single "Gimme More," in which she gives the singer some props but spends most of the song boasting about her own skills: "I'm what's hot. Ever see 'G-Slide'? I can bring it back." (Listen here for a preview of the track.) Lil Mama then calls out the "followers," saying she has no competition because she's "so far ahead of my time." And, in what could be an analysis of why Spears has had so many troubles as of late, Lil Mama says, "People always going to tell you what you want to hear," that there's been "too many yeses, not enough noes, not enough real," which means even "the best get torn." Who knew the dance track could be a cautionary tale as well? As Lil Mama raps, "You've been warned by the voice of the young." ...

K-Fed may have physical custody of his children with Spears, but People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is urging him to take the custody battle to the doghouse. In a letter faxed to Federline on Thursday, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk requested that he ask the judge for custody of the couple's pets. "It's no secret that Ms. Spears' impetuous 'pet' purchases and lack of caretaking skills have been a serious concern of ours," she wrote, noting that in 2006 the singer was "the overwhelming choice" for worst celebrity dog owner in polls conducted by New York Dog and Hollywood Dog magazines. Newkirk was also concerned that Britney's latest dog, London, was more of an "accessory" and noted that the Los Angeles chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals had already investigated the dog's lack of veterinary care after breaking his leg when he was stepped on. "As a father, your main concern is the comfort and stability of your children," Newkirk wrote. "London and the other animals whom the boys consider to be part of the family have provided that comfort and stability ... being separated from the animal friends whom they share a bond with is undoubtedly traumatic for them." ...

Jennifer Lopez has a lot more on her hands than just a new album and joint tour with husband Marc Anthony: The couple are expecting twins, TMZ.com reports. The children would be the first for the pair; Anthony has a daughter and two sons from two previous relationships, one of which resulted in marriage. Lopez and Anthony launched their En Concierto trek in late September and will continue on it through a November 2 date in Miami. Her new album, Brave, drops Tuesday. ... The Spice Girls have cooked up their first single in seven years, called "Headlines," according to BBC News. "It's a Spice Girl classic," Geri Halliwell told the news outlet. We are so proud of it. We started putting words down before we even had the finalised 'yes' from everyone." The Girls' reunion world tour launches December 2 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and will be preceded by their Greatest Hits set, due in stores November 20. ...

Owen Wilson briefly attended the Los Angeles premiere of "The Darjeeling Limited," his new movie with director Wes Anderson, on Thursday night, according to People. He reportedly avoided the red carpet and instead entered the theater through a private entrance, after which he joined co-stars Jason Schwartzman and Anjelica Huston, and Natalie Portman (who starred in an Anderson-directed short film tied to "Limited"), onstage. Anderson introduced Wilson as "my best friend," and the audience reacted with strong applause. "I've never made a movie without him. And I hope I never have to," Anderson added. It was Wilson's first major public appearance since he was hospitalized following what police deemed a suicide attempt. ...

Kanye West and designer Takashi Murakami, who have collaborated together on 'Ye's album covers, are putting their heads together again for a collection of gold, manga-style pendants, according to Women's Wear Daily. The rapper wore a diamond-studded one out to Givenchy's in New York earlier this week, according to WWD. "They'll be more accessible, they won't be all diamonds," he reportedly said. "The eyes are not perfectly done. Murakami cringes when he sees the eyes." ... Kid Rock tested out a handful of new songs at a surprise show at Emerald Theatre in Mount Clemens, Michigan, on Thursday night, according to The Detroit News. The show, which ran more than two hours long, had reportedly been announced less than 24 hours earlier, and tickets sold out in five minutes. ...

Beyoncé must be breathing a little easier — the singer hasn't encountered opposition from Muslim groups in Indonesia over her planned November 1 concert there, according to Reuters. She won't have to follow a strict dress code, which she would have had she performed in Malaysia, the country previously scheduled to host the show. ... Ginuwine has filed a lawsuit in New York against King Music Group Inc., according to AP. In the suit, the R&B star claims he was tricked into signing a contract with a record label that didn't even exist. He said he was persuaded to ink the deal back in May, and according to the contract, he was to receive $1.75 million, including a $500,000 advance, to record his first album for the label. But five months later, he hasn't put out any material and hasn't been paid a dime. The lawsuit claims there's no corporate record for King Music Group Inc. anywhere in New York, California, Florida or Tennessee. The filing charges breach of contract, fraud and negligent misrepresentation, and seeks $4 million in damages. ...

Brad isn't the only previously defunct project Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard is reuniting — he's also bringing back Green River, an early Seattle grunge act that featured PJ's Jeff Ament, and Mudhoney's Mark Arm and Steve Turner. The band has scheduled one reunion gig, for Sub Pop's 20th anniversary concert next summer. ... The reunions continue with news that Eve 6 have also been resurrected, three years after splitting up. The group plans to write and record its next full-length effort early next year, with a full North American headlining tour expected to follow. ... And it's been nearly 10 years since we've heard new music from Portishead, but it seems the act is finishing up its third studio album — although it might not sound like you'd expect. According to band principal Geoff Barrow, the still-untitled effort will feature new elements. "It sounds pretty different from what we have done before," he wrote on the band's Web site. "I don't think the fondue society will be happy." ...

Of Montreal, Ween, Sebadoh, Caribou and Man Man are among the initial list of bands for the spring All Tomorrow's Parties shindig, set to take place in England over the course of two weekends in May. Dates, as well as 24 more artists, will be announced for the event, which is being co-curated by ATP and Pitchfork. ... Carbon/Silicon — the band featuring the ex-Clash singer/guitarist Mick Jones and former Generation X bassist Tony James — will release their debut album, The Last Post, October 23. The band formed in 2004. ...

Just like Magic, Bruce Springsteen might have another LP on the way. The Boss, who just issued his new album this week, has a pile of leftovers "that I think are great songs and should end up somewhere, but they just didn't quite fit with this group," producer Brendan O'Brien told Billboard.com. Springsteen has already put out four albums in the last five years, with 2002's The Rising ending a seven-year studio dry spell. On a more bizarre note, an Olympic equestrian is suing Springsteen for breach of contract after the rocker allegedly reneged on a deal to a horse worth $850,000. Todd Minikus filed a suit Thursday in a Florida court, claiming Springsteen and wife Patti Scialfa had put a $25,000 deposit on the horse but later reconsidered buying the animal for their daughter. ...

Isaac Hanson left a Dallas hospital on Friday after recovering from surgery for a pulmonary embolism, caused by a blood clot in the extremities breaking away and traveling to the lungs. The eldest member of Hanson expects to make a full recovery and is due to be released from the hospital Friday (October 5). The band's agents and promoters are trying to reschedule makeup days for the shows it missed. ... Shaggy lives! The dancehall star will perform "Church Heathen" at the Samuel Peters/ Jameel McCline World Boxing Council heavyweight fight at New York's Madison Square Garden on Saturday. The song is featured on his new CD, Intoxication, out November 13.

10.04.07

Nick Cannon has split up with his fiancee, Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks, according to People. "Selita and Nick are taking a break to focus on their careers but still very much love each other and remain the best of friends," Ebanks' representative Melissa Raubvogel told the magazine. In early May, Cannon and Ebanks became engaged after the actor took her on a ride in a chauffeured Rolls-Royce Phantom to New York's Times Square — right across the street from the MTV offices — where "Selita, will you marry me?" appeared on the giant Jumbotron. ...

A year after Jadakiss was arrested in Yonkers, New York, and hit with drug and gun charges, prosecutors have dropped the case against the rapper (born Jason T. Phillips) and his co-defendant, Kristian Smith. The Associated Press reports that the Westchester Country district attorney's office asked a judge to dismiss the charges against 'Kiss last week, less than a month after a jury acquitted a third man who was arrested in the case. Darnell Frazier was cleared when DNA tests didn't link any of the three men to the guns found in the car. The rapper's lawyer said it was a "travesty" that the case went as far as it did and that the charges have affected his career. ...

After stunning the music world with their pay-what-you-want download scheme for their upcoming album, In Rainbows, Radiohead are putting the finishing touches on a major-label deal to get the album in stores as well. In an interview with BBC Radio 4, the band's managers said they expect to sign a deal within the week. "We've got about seven days to sort it out. We tend to fly by the seat of our pants," co-manager Chris Hutton said. "The band are incredibly proud of this record and feel that it deserves to be brought into the mass marketplace. That's why we need a record company who have that infrastructure to deliver the CD." ...

Did "Hannah Montana" fans get cheated? Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel is seeking documents from five ticket-sale sites as he investigates whether a fast sellout of a Miley Cyrus concert violated scalping laws, AP reports. Frustrated parents have complained about scalpers selling tickets at four to five times the face value. McDaniel has given the companies 20 days to respond and, on September 21, issued a consumer alert warning parents to research who was selling the tickets before purchasing them. The city council in Kansas City, Missouri, is also looking into the sales. ...

Billy Corgan is stepping up to help the family of Dr. Robert Moog preserve the late electronic-synthesizer pioneer's legacy. The Bob Moog Foundation, which was created after his death in 2005, is planning a Bob Moog Museum and trying to preserve decaying Moog artifacts — schematics, Moog prototypes, reel-to-reel tapes and beyond. "I directly appeal to any musician who has been touched by the work of this great man and spirit to help contribute to the foundation, to please help preserve the work and legacy of Dr. Moog before time has taken an irreversible toll on his archives," Corgan said in a statement. "I humbly also ask any fan of electronic music to consider a donation to the foundation, in recognition of his influence on many of your favorite musical artists." ...

Modest Mouse are still hungry — even though the group has toured extensively in support of March's We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, it has pieced together another road itinerary. Issac Brock and his crew will start with a two-night stand in Spokane, Washington, on Halloween and end with a show in New Orleans on December 15. Man Man and Love as Laughter will open all dates. Also, the band's AOL Spinner Session debuts Friday, while its MySpace video campaign — a 10-day event that will include the premieres of four MM clips — begins Wednesday. ... Ben Lee is also plotting a trek, to hype his recently released CD, Ripe. He'll hit the road November 1 in Santa Barbara, California, and bring his tour to a close December 13 in San Diego. ...

M.I.A. recently spent a couple of days making beats and rhymes with girls at a juvenile-detention center in Australia via Heaps Decent, an initiative that gives a boost to indigenous and underprivileged youth hoping to break into the music biz. According to a post on the Heaps Descent MySpace page, the yet-untitled song they created will soon be released, with all proceeds going to the initiative. M.I.A. screams "popo mind control!" on the hook of the song, according to the post, but its title is not yet known. ...

Can't wait until November 13 for the Killers B-sides album, Sawdust? Well, you can get a taste of what the band has in store with its just-released cover of the Joy Division song "Shadowplay." The Killers' label has posted a stream of the track right here. ... Nirvana's historic "MTV Unplugged in New York" performance is finally coming to DVD. Due November 20, the disc will contain the 66-minute unedited show — including "Something in the Way" and "Oh, Me," which were featured on the accompanying CD but not in the show when it originally aired. Previously unreleased rehearsal and documentary footage will flesh out the set. ...

It seems like just about everybody has something to say about Britney Spears these days. On the Thursday (October 4) broadcast of "Oprah," Sinéad O'Connor sympathized with Spears, reportedly saying, "She had two babies within the space of two years, [there] doesn't seem like a terrible amount of support from the people around her," according to AP. She later added: "I think to attack someone as a mother is very dangerous. I would say that's what puts a young girl on a precipice which is very, very dangerous, in my opinion. Some people may end up really regretting the way they're treating her." ...

And Deborah Gibson — who, like Britney, was a one-time teen queen — has given her two cents on the matter to "Entertainment Tonight." "I think this is probably Britney's lowest point now ... and maybe it'll be what she needs to get herself back together. And then maybe she will regain custody. That's what I hope. I think that has to affect you on such a primal level, to have your kids taken away, so maybe this is the wake-up call that she needs. ... I really think people see Britney as little girl lost. A girl who did not have a childhood, which I can relate to in a way, and she started even younger publicly. ... She's rebelling. She's living her life in reverse in a way." ...

Isaac Hanson, 26, the eldest member of Hanson, remained hospitalized Wednesday night after complaining of chest and shoulder pain following a performance Tuesday night at the House of Blues in Dallas. AP reports that Hanson was taken to Baylor University Medical Center on Tuesday night after the show and was reported to be in stable condition. A Dallas TV station, KDFW, reported that Hanson was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, caused by a blood clot in the extremities breaking away and traveling to the lungs. ... Los Angelenos have an extra incentive to keep their cars parked and instead take public transportation to the LA Weekly Detour festival on Saturday. Those who bring their Saturday Metro tickets to the Goldenvoice booth at the fest will be able to enter a contest for free Coachella 2008 tickets. Bloc Party, Justice, Turbonegro and more are heading up this year's Detour fest. ...

Don Imus is close to finishing a deal that would get him back on the air, according to Variety. The controversial shock jock has an impending deal with Citadel Broadcasting that would deny any move to satellite radio — earlier this year, Sirius Satellite Radio expressed interest in Imus. Citadel is owned by ABC Radio, which syndicates conservative talk-show host Sean Hannity and others. ... A man has been arrested in Los Angeles in conjunction with the theft of confidential photos and computers being used for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." The man, whose identity has not been released, was taken into custody after a sting operation in which the man intended to sell some of the photos, police told AP. ...

The Recording Industry Association of America scored a victory on Thursday when a jury decided that a Minnesota woman had in fact shared copyrighted music online and ordered her to pay $222,000 in damages, AP reports. The six record companies had alleged that Jammie Thomas had shared 1,702 songs online, and the jury ordered her to pay the companies $9,250 for each of the 24 songs that had been focused on in the case. Thomas, her attorney and the jury declined to comment afterward, according to AP, but the RIAA's lead attorney, Richard Gabriel, said, "This does send a message, I hope, that downloading and distributing our recordings is not OK." It was the first-ever file-sharing case to go to trial in the RIAA's four-year campaign to stop illegal downloading.

• Lil Wayne
• Lil Mama
• Britney Spears
• Kevin Federline
• Kanye West

Lupe Fiasco
Photo: MTV News

• Lupe Fiasco
• Ben Harper
• Amy Winehouse
• Juliette & the Licks
• Kings Of Leon

Photo: DGC/ Geffen/ Virgin/ Matador/ Capitol

On The Record: Billy Corgan And The Pinkerton Effect

Ever wanted to get tons of irate, condescending e-mails from dudes with handles like "disenchanted_zero," "*sivamOrningstar*" and "paladinofdarkness"? Just write a column in which you: A) take a few potshots at Billy Corgan; B) compare the new Smashing Pumpkins to Perry Farrell's disastrous Satellite Party project; and C) call the band's Zeitgeist album "not much more than the second (or third) Corgan solo record."

That's what I did last week in Bigger Than the Sound, which means it's been "angry e-mails ahoy" for seven days now. Seems Pumpkins fans worldwide don't take kindly to people ripping their chrome-domed leader, and were eager to make me aware of that fact. (Sample missive: "Billy Corgan is not a sell out, or a money whore, and your bias for his actions for bringing HIS band back is just unnecessary ... Zwan was a cry for help, a way for Billy to get back into the scene, and while it bombed, it had shown that Billy's passion for music — yes, Billy does enjoy what he does whether you choose to believe that or not — was alive and well.")

Phew! And while most of my e-mail exchanges were equally, uh, zesty, I did find out that most (rational) Pumpkins fans — when pressured — would admit that Zeitgeist isn't that great. In fact, the phrase I kept hearing over and over was something along the lines of, "It's better than Machina but not as good as Adore."

And to me, that was hilarious. Because almost 10 years after its release, Pumpkins fans have finally come around to Adore, a somber, beautiful, experimental and accomplished album that everybody hated. Reaction was so bad that Corgan famously went on "The Howard Stern Show" and said he was "disappointed" by his fans, and declared, "Rock is dead" — then followed that up by doing an interview with Rolling Stone's David Fricke, in which Corgan compared Adore to Lou Reed's ambitious 1973 clusterf--- Berlin and summed up his feelings about Smashing Pumpkins fans thusly:

"There's definitely the moment where you go, 'What happened?' You have this feeling of desertion: Maybe they don't love you anymore."

Of course, it probably didn't help matters any that Corgan supported the album with videos featuring him looking like a goofy Nosferatu and rocking a rather inexplicable cowboy hat, but the fact remained that pretty much no one gave Adore a chance. Until the Pumpkins were dead and buried, that is — and the fans realized it's pretty great.

Not only that, but a lot of SP fans I recently spoke with now see Adore as possibly the most important record the Smashing Pumpkins ever made: a stylistic departure that's colored everything Corgan has done since, and without a doubt the line of demarcation between "classic" Smashing Pumpkins and whatever the hell has been going on since. No one may have gotten it at the time, but now, with nearly 10 years' worth of hindsight, people understand Adore, appreciate it as both a historical document and a slightly misguided-yet-ultimately-rewarding goth-tronica album.

It's something that we're calling the Pinkerton Effect, after Weezer's 1996 effort, which was initially maligned but in recent years has come to be recognized as both the band's finest hour and a touchstone of emo's second wave. It applies to any album that flies over pretty much everyone's head when it's first released, yet only grows in import and stature given time. A Pinkerton Effect album usually follows the "breakthrough" album in most bands' catalogs, oftentimes killing (or seriously wounding) said band's career and leading to the departure of "original members." It is a record for which you could say, "After [insert title here], nothing was ever the same." (By that school of thought, you could also call this the Paul's Boutique Effect.)

And all that got me thinking: If Adore has finally been rewarded with Pinkerton status, then why shouldn't other equally deserving albums receive the treatment? So, off the top of my head, here are a couple of efforts that I feel are due a little love.

Pavement's Wowee Zowee (1995, Matador)
Following on the heels of 1994's (snicker) breakthrough Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, Zowee was Pavement at their most stony, most boozy and, well, most annoying ("Half a Canyon"). Yet it also showcased frontman Stephen Malkmus' growing obsession with twee folk, English pop and goofy prog — three things he's still exploring today on his solo albums. Initially seen as a huge misstep by most of the band's fans — and, ahem, most of the band — it has, over time, become a favorite of both, and just last year, Matador reissued the album as a deluxe two-disc edition.

The Amps' Pacer (1995, 4AD/Elektra)
Kim Deal originally intended the Amps to be nothing more than a side project, but when it became apparent that her sister's struggles with heroin meant that there weren't going to be any Breeders albums coming anytime soon, the band — which included Breeders drummer Jim MacPherson and two members of Dayton, Ohio's the Tasties — became the Kim Deal project. The resulting album, Pacer, was recorded over one long summer, and the resulting songs are delightfully raw, slightly off-kilter and incredibly immediate. And when Deal eventually reconvened the Breeders for 2002's Title TK, the result sounded a whole lot like the Amps. Perhaps expecting a repeat of Deal's success with the Breeders' Last Splash album, Elektra shipped a huge first pressing of Pacer, which led to its availability in discount bins for years. And that makes the fact that very few people have discovered it all the more puzzling, because at its best, Pacer sounds like Guided by Voices covering the Pixies, Belly and the Breeders — and if you're saying that, then there's really no "at worst."

Beck's Midnite Vultures (1999, DGC)
The first album on which Beck assumed the lion's share of the production duties was also the first in his career to be considered a "misstep," which for a guy who spent the first half of the '90s recording leaf-blower solos, is saying something. Midnite Vultures is all sexed-up falsettos, horny robots and piss-take R&B jamz, so it's not difficult to see why so many critics and fans were left scratching their heads. Reportedly, Beck was deeply hurt by the reaction to Vultures' jokiness and has spent most of the time since its release trying to downplay the inherent humor in his music. And that's a shame, because listening to Vultures now, it's hard not to be struck by just how ahead of the game it seems — both lyrically (ahem, Har Mar Superstar, Annie) and sonically. Because for all the horny hullabaloo surrounding it, Midnite Vultures is, at its very core, a very forward-thinking electronic pop album, one that feels futuristic even today (though maybe that's because of all the robo-humping).

Modest Mouse's The Moon and Antarctica (2000, Epic)
The Mouse made the leap to the majors with Moon, an album that saw them reining in their shambling, 10-minute guitar excursions and focusing on (relatively) tight, ruminations on topics both personal and universal. The album title serves as a metaphor for the isolation and depression frontman Isaac Brock felt living in Seattle and Gainesville, Florida, and those twin themes manifest themselves on nearly every song on the record. Opening with the tinny guitars of "3rd Planet," weighing down in the middle thanks to "The Cold Part," "Alone Down There" and "The Stars Are Projectors" (a near-17-minute exercise in bottom-scraping) and ending with the breakneck "What People Are Made Of," Moon is far from easy listening. But those who made it all the way through were rewarded with the most fully realized MM album to date, a theme-driven exercise that Brock has been attempting to duplicate (with decidedly greater commercial results) ever since.

1515's Take: Some Of Our Greatest Minds Weigh In With Their Pinkerton Effect Picks

Faith No More's Angel Dust (1992, Slash)
Robert Mancini, MTV News editorial director: So Faith No More break through big time with the bombastic bounce of "Epic," delivering rap-rock to an eager world and seemingly introducing themselves to the masses as a bunch of righteous dudes always up for a good time (sure, the whole goldfish thing was weird, but the song was pure pop gold). And how did they choose to build on that mainstream success? With songs like "Crack Hitler," "Jizzlobber" and "Be Aggressive" (an ode to gay oral sex). Frontman Mike Patton found lyrical inspiration in fortune cookies, Scientology and sleep-deprivation experiments, all of which are fairly apparent when you dig into Angel Dust (perhaps the most appropriately named album of all time). Patton wasn't exactly engaging while touring behind Angel Dust either, almost daring audiences to hang in there as he sat at the front of the stage eating cigarettes (seriously... they made opening act Helmet look like Mouseketeers). Critics applauded the album, but fans (at least those lured in by their MTV success) were, well, "perplexed" might be putting it mildly. I even remember seeing the band live and watching in astonishment as one college gymnasium slowly bled its audience as the band's new direction sent kids hoping for another "Epic" back to their cars scratching their heads. It was, of course, pure genius. The album is now considered the band's high-water mark, its dark, ambitious vision elevating FNM beyond the rap-rock genre they inspired. Bottom line: Angel Dust is why Faith No More matter, and people who don't love it are not to be trusted. Period.

Deftones' Deftones (2003, Maverick)
Chris Harris, MTV News reporter: It was no easy task, following up an album like 2000's White Pony — often regarded by fans as the band's crowning achievement and most mature studio offering. Hell, it even featured a breathtaking duet between cherubic frontman Chino Moreno and Tool's Maynard James Keenan. But in 2003, the Deftones made magic once again with their self-titled masterpiece, an experimental album that was initially shunned for being "too eclectic," but with songs like "When Girls Telephone Boys" and "Hexagram," Deftones showed the Sacramento, California, band at its brutal best. The LP marked a turning point in the band's career, crossing many different genres and ideas that only previous efforts had hinted at; fans were worried, at first, that the 'Tones were heading in a more electronic direction. The album laid the groundwork for even more ambient expeditions found on last year's Saturday Night Wrist. Moreno's obvious love affair with My Bloody Valentine and the Cure was never as evident as on Deftones, on which the band separated itself from the nü-metal heap, abandoning excess breakdowns for more emotional territory.

The Magnetic Fields' I (2004, Nonesuch)
Rodrigo Perez, MTV.com producer: Following up the classic triple-album opus 69 Love Songs wasn't an easy task. The discs were such a critical achievement, it cemented Stephin Merritt's spot in the pantheon of classic songwriters and he was all but dubbed "the modern-day Cole Porter" afterward. (I don't know about you, but that's keeper résumé material). The unspectacularly named I and its equally understated production made the whole affair feel like such a letdown in comparison to 69 Love Songs' grand aspirations. And how could it not be? Instead of an eclectic crop of songs with a panorama of synthesizers, drum machines and soaking-wet spacial reverb, I was completely acoustic and recorded with a dead-as-wood sound. This, we later learned, was for practical reasons: Merritt was diagnosed with a defect in the ear that causes loud noises to feed back exponentially and become rather painful. The Magnetic Fields were taking things down to a whisper in preparation for their live shows. The album showcased only acoustic guitars, upright pianos, ukuleles, cello and banjo, and any initially disappointed fan that stuck around long enough to get past the semi-drastic sound makeover realized that these were the same-old dramatic, bittersweet, sarcastic, wry and winsome songs wrapped in a new package.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's Some Loud Thunder (self-released, 2007)
Christopher "CJ" Smith, MTV News segment producer: Unlike the Arcade Fire, these Brooklyn, New York, "true" indie-rockers had a bunch of unreleased tunes they had been honing live throughout their brief existence — and quite good ones at that. Consequently, it was expected that their sophomore album would be a surefire follow-up in the vein of the leap the Talking Heads made from 77 to More Songs About Buildings and Food (i.e. no evolution whatsoever). Instead, the band made a departure record with the psychedelic Thunder, leaving its still-new fans baffled. Many even tried to claim the record was "a step back" — whatever that means, considering the band only had one record. But as is often the case with a record that defies expectations, one day it just clicked: production from Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips) and the band's new direction suddenly made sense. It's an album that reveals itself to me — and any listener who was ready to accept that a band can evolve into something new, just that quickly.

B-Sides: Other Stories I'm Following This Week

Judge rules Avril's response to Rubinoos' lawsuit contains "musical similarities" to Rubinoos' song "Nothing a Little Love Wouldn't Cure." Double-lawsuit bonanza ensues. (See "Avril Lavigne Responds To Lawsuit, Says She's Been 'Falsely Accused.' ")

This is an actual quote from Bang Camaro mastermind Alex Necochea: "Basically, all our songs are about girls and power." Bang Camaro rule. (See "Bang Camaro Prove That If One Metal Singer Is Awesome, 20 Are Awesomer.")

Dorks on parade: The "Harry Potter" premiere red carpet. (See " 'Harry Potter' Cast, Hannah Montana, Ashley Tisdale Enchanted At 'Phoenix' Premiere.")

Unhappy with my Pinkerton list? Got one of your own? Hit me up at BTTS@MTVStaff.com.

• Beck
• Modest Mouse
• The Smashing Pumpkins
• Weezer
• Pavement

Courney Love
Photo: Katy Winn/ Getty Images

Courtney Love is planning to auction off most of Kurt Cobain's belongings, she said in an interview with AOL's Spinner.com. "I'm going to have a Christie's auction," she said. "[My house] is like a mausoleum. My daughter [Frances Bean] doesn't need to inherit a giant hefty bag full of flannel f---ing shirts. ... A sweater, a guitar and the lyrics to 'Teen Spirit' — that's what my daughter gets. And the rest of it we'll just f---ing sell." A date for the auction has not been set. ...

Linkin Park, the Killers, Korn and Interpol will headline what is now being dubbed the "KROQ Weenie Roast y Fiesta" on May 19 at the Verizon Amphitheater in Irvine, California. Also on the bill for the Southern California radio station's annual shindig: Queens of the Stone Age, 30 Seconds to Mars, the Bravery, Rise Against, Bad Religion, Social Distortion, Silversun Pickups, Plain White T's, Transplants' Tim Armstrong, Tiger Army, and Peter Bjorn and John. ... A smattering of those bands are also hopping onto Live 105's BFD 2007, happening a few weeks later and much further north. Bloc Party, Sum 41, the Kaiser Chiefs, the Faint, Cold War Kids, CSS and Shiny Toy Guns will play along with Interpol, QOTSA, Social D, Tiger Army, the Silversuns and the Bravery at the fest, to be held June 9 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. ...

The Phil Spector trial will be on hiatus for two days as one of the music producer's attorneys had to see a physician Monday (April 30), The Associated Press reports. Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler told jurors the court will reconvene Wednesday. ... Guns N' Roses are in for more legal woes, apparently. TMZ.com reports that a lawsuit has been filed against the bandmembers over $107,000 in unpaid bills stemming from their 2006 tour. In documents obtained by the site, Starlift Logistics claims it was hired to provide transportation and touring services for Axl Rose and the crew by two companies that work on behalf of the band. ...

Lindsay Lohan plans to record her third album in August, she said in an interview published in Nylon's May issue. "I want to do a tour like Madonna," Lohan said. "I want to do what Britney was doing. I want to work with Pharrell and Justin Timberlake and Timbaland." There's also another industry that the actress is very interested in conquering. "I think I should be a stylist," she said, recalling a recent Chanel shopping excursion. "I'm taking things off the mannequins because I'm like taking everything from the store. ... I mean, I saved another room at [Hollywood's] Chateau Marmont for a year that was just a closet! That's not normal!" ...

A Young Buck afterparty at a hotel in Kennewick, Washington, turned violent Saturday morning when gunfire erupted after 2 a.m., frightening families staying in the hotel, injuring one man and resulting in nine arrests. Tacoma's News Tribune reports that following a show featuring Buck at the nearby Club Paradise, an afterparty began at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kennewick that turned into a parking-lot brawl. During the fight, at least six shots were fired by at least two weapons, with one bullet passing through the leg of a Las Vegas man. Police have not yet determined whether Buck or any members of G-Unit were involved in the melee, the paper reported, though some witnesses said the fight began as a disagreement between members of G-Unit and rival rappers. All nine men jailed — who told police they were rappers in town to attend or perform at the Buck show — were charged with failure to report a violent crime, with more charges possible. Police said they are having a hard time investigating the incident because a number of those involved are unwilling to cooperate with detectives. A representative for Young Buck said the rapper wasn't involved in the shooting and had no further comment. ...

Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington and Disturbed singer David Draiman will perform with Dave Navarro, Slayer guitarist Kery King, Anthrax's Scott Ian, Hellyeah drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, Damageplan's Bob Zilla, Hatebreed's Matt Byrne, ex-Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5, former Judas Priest singer Ripper Owens and others as the Black Tooth Band at the "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott all-star concert and auction next month. The group will cover material from the late guitarist's multiple projects — including Pantera — and will be joined by host Jamey Jasta at the end of the night. The Black Tooth Bash — named after the "Black Tooth Grin" cocktail Dimebag created — will be preceded by Six String Masterpieces: The "Dimebag" Darrell Art Tribute, with all proceeds going to the Little Kids Rock foundation. The event will be held May 17 at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California. ...

Former "American Idol" finalist Jessica Sierra was arrested early Sunday morning after an altercation in a Tampa, Florida, cafe, AP reports. The 21-year-old singer — a Tampa native who was the third finalist cut during the fourth season of "Idol" — allegedly threw a glass at a man and was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, possession of cocaine and introduction of contraband into a detention facility. A police spokesperson told Tampa's WTSP that Sierra was uncooperative when arrested, and that officers had to shackle her legs to prevent her from kicking out the squad car's window. She was released on an $11,500 bond and will face arraignment Monday. ... Modest Mouse, the Shins, Incubus and Wolf Parade are lined up to play shows as part of the 2007 Download Festival, which will hit Boston (August 18); George, Washington (August 25); Chicago (September 1); and San Francisco (October 6). The full lineup of artists for each city will be announced May 29. ...

Attention Disney fans: "High School Musical" and "Jump In!" star Corbin Bleu has his first album, Another Side, primed for release Tuesday. The single "Push It to the Limit" actually previously appeared on the "Jump In!" soundtrack, but Bleu has chased it with a new one, "Deal With It." Initial copies of Another Side come with a bonus DVD featuring concert clips, the "Push It to the Limit" video and an interview. ... Les Claypool, the next Van Wilder? Well, not exactly, but the Primus bass master is making his directorial debut through the National Lampoon series — more specifically, via a jam-band mockumentary with the classic Claypool title "Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo." While that theatrical flick doesn't have a release date yet, Claypool does have a concert DVD, "Fancy," set for May 29. He's also launching a tour beginning May 23 in Minneapolis and running through July 14 at the All Good Music Festival in Masontown, West Virginia.

04.27.2007

Rage Against the Machine have added one more show to their reunion. The Rock the Bells tour, headlined by Rage and the Wu-Tang Clan, will make a second stop in New York scheduled for July 29 at Randall's Island. Tickets for the gig, which was added after the July 28 show sold out in 20 minutes, go on sale May 4 at 10 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster. The four-stop Rock the Bells tour hits San Bernardino, California, on August 10 and San Francisco on August 18. ...

Jessica Alba leads FHM's "100 Sexiest Women" poll, selected by the magazine's readers worldwide. Hilary Duff is the youngest to make the list — ranking #39 at age 19 — while Halle Berry is the highest-ranking woman over 40 at #16. Jessica Simpson (#15), Christina Aguilera (#21), Mandy Moore (#24), Beyoncé (#25), Shakira (#28), Jennifer Lopez (#40), Lindsay Lohan (#41), Fergie (#44) and Mariah Carey (#45) landed spots in the top half of the list. ... The two-part "Idol Gives Back" special has raised more than $60 million for Charity Projects Entertainment Fund, Fox announced Thursday. An updated total will be announced on Tuesday's "American Idol," and donations will continue to be accepted through May 31 via AmericanIdol.com. ...

After drinking heavily, Phil Spector pulled a revolver and shotgun on former girlfriend Dorothy Melvin, hit her twice in the head and forced her to strip at gunpoint, she testified in a Los Angeles courtroom Friday (April 27), according to Reuters. Melvin was the first witness in the Spector trial and was called by prosecutors to support the claim that the music producer had threatened women with guns in the past. "I was sobbing and I said: 'Why are you doing this, Phillip? Why are you doing this?' I was crying. I was terrified," she testified. During cross-examination, Melvin said she didn't press charges over the alleged 1993 incident and stayed in touch with Spector for more than 10 years afterward. ...

A Bahamian court rejected an appeal by Anna Nicole Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, on Friday and is allowing Larry Birkhead to leave the country with his and Smith's daughter, Dannielynn, The Associated Press reports. The judges ruled that a court in the U.S. would most likely have the last word in terms of the custody dispute between Arthur and Birkhead. Also on Friday, Birkhead went to a Nassau registry and obtained a revised birth certificate for the baby that does not list Smith's companion Howard K. Stern and features the name "Dannielynn Hope Marshall Birkhead." ...

Fans of filthy-minded blip-hop and Tom Waits rejoice: The 10 finalists for the sixth annual Shortlist Music Prize have been announced. The albums in the running — selected by a taste-making panel featuring Sufjan Stevens, Franz Ferdinand and, uh, Panic! at the Disco — include Spank Rock's YoYoYoYoYo, Waits' Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards, Band of Horses' Everything All the Time, Cat Power's The Greatest, Hot Chip's The Warning and Regina Spektor's Begin to Hope. The winner of the Shortlist Music Prize will be announced in May. Somewhere Bob Marley is smiling. Stevie Wonder, Ben Harper and Damien Marley joined Steven Marley onstage for renditions of his pop's "Buffalo Soldier" and "Could You Be Loved" at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California, Thursday night. Mos Def and Jurassic 5's Chali 2na also gave surprise performances at the gig. ...

Arguably the most morally complex supervillain in comic book history, Magneto is finally getting his own movie — a prequel to the popular "X-Men" trilogy that will be directed by "Batman Begins" scribe David Goyer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The flick will follow the master mutant beginning with his imprisonment at Auschwitz in Germany, primarily focusing on his friendship with — and ultimate separation from — Professor Charles Xavier, who disapproves when Magneto uses his newfound powers to hunt down and kill those who imprisoned him. Played in the first three "X-Men" films by Sir Ian McKellen, a yet-unannounced actor in his 20s will take on the character in the new flick, the paper reports. Goyer, whose film "The Invisible" opens Friday, will work from a "Magneto" script by Sheldon Turner ("The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning," "The Longest Yard"). ...

Alice in Chains have started working on new material for their forthcoming LP, according to a source close to the band. There's no word yet on whether the reunited group has found a permanent replacement for late frontman Layne Staley or will record the album with Comes With the Fall's William DuVall, who fronted AIC during their North American tour last year. ... System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian is planning a fall release for his debut solo album, Elect the Dead, which he's described as a rock album. Tankian will perform a song at this weekend's Coachella festival with Fair to Midland, who are signed to his Serjical Strike label. ...

Roots drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson posted a blog on his MySpace page Monday detailing an incident with the Drug Enforcement Agency at a Buffalo, New York, airport after a recent DJ gig. ?uestlove said that because of a last-minute ticket purchase and the large amount of cash in his possession, security asked him to remove his pants and also requested that he point out the Roots in the rap magazines he was carrying. The drummer was also questioned about carrying currency from various countries. "This was single-handedly the most embarrassing moment of my career," Thompson wrote. "It was just so ... degrading, man. That is all I can describe it as." ...

Papa Roach have recruited Unwritten Law drummer Tony Palermo to fill in for Dave Buckner, who is sitting out the band's current tour. "[Buckner] has taken time off from touring with the band due to personal matters," according to a statement. "All the members of Papa Roach are looking forward to having Buckner back on the road with them in the very near future." ... Bad news for Blood Brothers fans hoping to catch the band's performance at next weekend's Bamboozle festival: They've pulled out of the gig. "After touring since mid-October, our collective health is in pretty bad shape," the band said in a statement. "We apologize and hope you understand." ...

Angelina Jolie spoke with politicians and the media on Thursday in Washington, D.C., about the plight of orphans as a part of the Global Action For Children committee, which opened its headquarters in the nation's capital earlier this week. "This is a happy day because it is not often enough that these children are represented in this town," Jolie said. ... MySpace has announced a deal to license the company's brand to entrepreneurs in China in the hopes of building a tailored social-networking site that will pass the country's stringent government regulations, according to The New York Times. The initiative is set to be called MySpace China, and a Chinese man will replace the ever-popular Tom as users' first friend.

• Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Amy Winehouse, More At Coachella 2007

• Courtney Love
• Nirvana
• Linkin Park
• The Killers
• Korn

Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

The lineup for this summer's Lollapalooza looks like the ultimate hipster's iPod on shuffle. In addition to such big-name headliners as Modest Mouse, the Stooges and the previously confirmed Pearl Jam, the August 3-5 festival in Chicago's Grant Park will feature sets from Daft Punk, Muse, Interpol, Lupe Fiasco, Kings of Leon, My Morning Jacket, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Snow Patrol, the Roots, Paulo Nutini, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Patti Smith, Spoon, Amy Winehouse, the Hold Steady, Peter Bjorn and John, the Fratellis and Cold War Kids.

For the third year in a row, Lollapalooza will drop anchor on the scenic Chicago waterfront, where it has undergone a rebirth from a troubled traveling festival to a vibrant lakefront party incorporating some of the most iconic real estate in the city. According to organizers, this year's edition will feature more than 120 artists playing on nine stages, alongside such new features as the kid-friendly Kidzapalooza area and the improv and short-film Mindfield area.

Among the other acts scheduled to appear are: Satellite Party, the Black Keys, Regina Spektor, TV on the Radio, Pete Yorn, G. Love & Special Sauce, LCD Soundsystem, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Silverchair, Femi Kuti and Positive Force, Yo La Tengo, Slightly Stoopid, Jack's Mannequin, Stephen Marley, Sound Tribe Sector 9, M.I.A., Blonde Redhead, Sparklehorse, Sean Lennon, !!!, Blue October, Son Volt, Motion City Soundtrack, the Polyphonic Spree, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Silversun Pickups, CSS, the Rapture, the Wailers, Roky Erickson & the Explosions, Tapes 'n Tapes, Heartless Bastards, the View, the Cribs, Ghostland Observatory, Tokyo Police Club, Rhymefest, Soulive, Annuals, Fields, Electric Six, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Sam Roberts Band, the Black Angels, Charlie Musselwhite, Aqueduct, Juliette & the Licks, Dios, Viva Voce, David Vandervelde, Los Campesinos!, Chin Up Chin Up, Ryan Shaw, Colour Revolt, the Satin Peaches, Illinois, Arckid, Mickey Avalon, the 1900's, Bang Bang Bang, Bound Stems, the High Class Elite, Carey Ott and Matt Roan.

As part of a green initiative, attendees will again be offered incentives to help pick up recyclables on site, including souvenir beer cups. All food vendors will use compostable or biodegradable plates, and all merchandise will be put in plastic bags made of corn. In addition, there will be no Styrofoam on site, and the festival will use biodiesel fuel and purchase renewable energy credits to offset the impact of the show, according to a press release.

Instead of tossing unused food at the end of the day, leftovers will go to local food pantries, and construction materials will be reused or recycled. And new for this year is a service-charge-free ticketing service, which will allow fans to buy tickets for face value with no added surcharges.

• Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kanye West And More Rock Out At Lollapalooza 2006

• Modest Mouse
• The Roots
• Snow Patrol
• Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam, Amy Winehouse, Lupe Fiasco, M.I.A., More At Lollapalooza 2007

• Pearl Jam
• M.I.A.
• Daft Punk
• Perry Farrell
• Against Me!

2005 MTV Video Music Awards Nominees

• Green Day
• Gwen Stefani
• Missy Elliott
• U2
• Coldplay

47th Annual Grammy Awards Red Carpet

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

John Mayer, Black Eyed Peas, More At Grammy Style Studio 02.09.2005

• John Mayer
• Jesse McCartney
• Black Eyed Peas
• Backstreet Boys
• Paula Abdul