Snoop Dogg
Photo: MTV News

Hip-hop, R&B and now country music. Not too long ago, Snoop Dogg had the opportunity to eat out of the same Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket as Willie Nelson. (Nelson appears in Snoop's new video.) They also share an affection for something else.

"Snoop Dogg," the icon replied about who smokes more, him or Nelson. "But Willie's a soldier — stars, stripes and bars."

"Next is 'My Medicine,' " Snoop said of his new single. "It has a country-music feel to it. I shot the video in Amsterdam and Nashville during the Country Music Awards. It feels good to me to be able to make music. It's not a typical hip-hop song, but once people listen to it and see the visual effect to it, they're gonna enjoy it."

Snoop has definitely earned his stripes in hip-hop. That's why he can experiment with other genres as he did on Ego Trippin'.

"I think I have more room than ever to do as I please," Snoop said. "I've made so many records that were true to hip-hop, true to Snoop Dogg and true to the West Coast and gangsta rap in genre. Now it's time for me to make records that feel good to me and [to] venture out.

"I get to be a gun-slinging cowboy with my brim on, my boots on, my jeans on, my long jacket, jumping off a horse," he added. "Walking into a brothel, spitting game, leaving with a dame and the money, mannn."

Snoop's next LP is "temporarily" called Malice in Wonderland and was inspired by a session he had with composer Lalo Schifrin.

"He conducted some music for me that was so sinister, so evil, mean and dark," Snoop described. "I just wanted to make a record like that. That's just the way I feel."

No release date has been set for Malice in Wonderland.

• Snoop Dogg Goes Country

• Snoop Dogg
• Willie Nelson

Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown
Photo: Getty Images

Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown are officially through, The Associated Press reports. The couple's divorce was made final in Orange County, California, on Tuesday (April 24), with the settlement having been worked out in advance. Houston will get full legal and physical custody of the couple's 14-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina. ...

Bono will appear on "American Idol" for Wednesday night's "Idol Gives Back" special two-hour results show, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, to speak with the six finalists about the One campaign's aim to eliminate poverty. The contestants will perform "American Prayer," a song about Africa's AIDS crisis that was written by the U2 frontman with Dave Stewart. Other performers scheduled to appear on Wednesday's show include Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani, Carrie Underwood and Celine Dion. ...

Rihanna will debut the video for "Umbrella" (featuring Jay-Z) on her Web site Thursday. The track is the first single from Rihanna's upcoming third album, Good Girl Gone Bad, due June 5. ... Ashlee Simpson wants you to forget anything bad you've heard about her father. Joe Simpson, who manages Ashlee's career as well as sister Jessica's, isn't the overbearing stage father he's sometimes made out to be, she insists. "People have the wrong perception of him," Ashlee said in an interview published in the May issue of Harper's Bazaar. "He's a wonderful man. He would never hurt a fly." Simpson also said she thinks having more family involvement could help her peers, such as Britney Spears, cope with fame. "I think they should probably move out of L.A.," she said. "I think that their parents need to help them." ...

Simon Cowell and Clive Davis are combining their powers to help Leona Lewis ensure success. Lewis is the first female winner of Britain's "The X Factor" — a TV show produced by Cowell's SycoTV — and Cowell and Davis will collaborate to pick the producers and songs for her yet-untitled debut album, due on J/Syco. ... Eddie Murphy isn't sure he's the father of Mel B.'s new daughter, but the former Spice Girl has decided to name the baby Angel Iris Murphy Brown anyway, AP reports. In a statement, the singer explained how she came up with the name: "Angel, as she was my little angel through my pregnancy. Iris, as it's my grandma's name, Murphy because he's the dad, and Brown, because I'm the Mum!" ...

Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz will open a nightclub in New York with members of his own band as well as members of Gym Class Heroes, the Academy Is ... and Cobra Starship; the bands' managers are also involved in the enterprise. Called Angels & Kings, the club will occupy the former space that housed the Orchard Bar, on 11th Street near Avenue A. The club is scheduled to open Monday. ... Ne-Yo will perform Tuesday at Arena in New York to kick off the second annual Hennessy Artistry Tour. Ne-Yo will also perform at the second night on the tour, scheduled for Thursday in Washington, D.C. ... While he's been one of the tour's staples for the last six years, Zakk Wylde said his band, Black Label Society, will not be playing this summer's free Ozzfest. Wylde will, however, appear with headliner Ozzy Osbourne, playing guitar during the festival namesake's set. ...

Russell Simmons' new motivational book "Do You!" was released Tuesday, and the music mogul held court at a Borders bookstore in downtown Manhattan, New York, to celebrate its release. Simmons is also scheduled to sign copies of his book Tuesday evening at a Barnes & Noble in New Jersey and later host a party at Stereo in NYC. ... George Michael will have to appear in a London court the day before performing at Wembley Stadium, AP reports. The trial of the singer, who is facing charges of driving under the influence of drugs, begins May 8 and will be followed by hearings May 30-31 and June 8. His Wembley shows are set for June 9-10. ... James Brown's legal woes continue, but the deceased singer's backing band is carrying on — the 17-piece Soul Generals are planning a series of shows, AP reports. The first will take place at New York's Apollo Theater on May 3 — Brown's birthday. ...

Tom Morello, a.k.a. the Nightwatchman, joins some names you might not expect — Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Ralph Stanley and Elvis Perkins — at this year's Dunkin' Donuts Newport Folk Festival (August 3-5) in Newport, Rhode Island. The fest will also feature sets from the Allman Brothers Band, North Mississippi Allstars, John Butler Trio, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals and Assembly of Dust. ... Morello is also the star of a new video feature on MySpace in which the Rage Against the Machine guitarist is interviewed by documentary filmmaker Michael Moore. Morello talks about the origins of the Nightwatchman character, which he honed on off-nights from an Audioslave arena tour by playing open mics. The video is available at MySpace.com/ArtistOnArtist. ...

Interpol's forthcoming, still-untitled third album has been slated for a July 10 release. ... The Click Five have parted ways with frontman Eric Dill, and have replaced him with Kyle Patrick. "We know he will be missed by many, and we wish him the best success in his other endeavors," the band said in a statement. The Click Five's second LP, Modern Minds and Pastimes, is due June 26. Dill explained on his Web site that he's moved to Los Angeles to try acting and other musical endeavors. "I have never been more excited to pursue my interests," he wrote. "I have a lot of ideas, and that's where it starts." ... Static-X have recruited Bevan Davies as their latest drummer. Davies, who has worked with Danzig and Jerry Cantrell, will be filling in for Nick Oshiro, who is recovering from a broken hand. Will Hunt had most recently manned the kit for the band. Static-X plan to make a summer-tour announcement in the coming weeks.

04.23.2007

50 Cent's upcoming album, Curtis, has a June 26 release date set. The project features guest spots by 50 veterans Eminem and Mary J. Blige as well as new collaborators Justin Timberlake, Akon, Robin Thicke and the Pussycat Dolls' Nicole Scherzinger. 50 told MTV News in November that his next album would be called Before I Self Destruct; that album is now slated for release early in 2008. ...

Christina Aguilera can add congressional stylist to her résumé. On Friday, as part of Lifetime's annual End Violence Against Women campaign, members of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues — including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — wore a new scarf designed by Aguilera. You can see a picture of the scarf on Aguilera's Web site. ... Game previewed Nas' new video, "Hustlers," on his Black Wall Street blog over the weekend. The R. Malcolm Jones-directed clip, which features Game in Compton, California, and Nas in New York — followed by the rappers flip-flopping coasts and rhyming from the other's town. An airdate for the video has not been set. ...

U2's the Edge coughed up a beloved 1958 autographed Les Paul guitar that he'd used on every U2 tour since 1985 for Saturday's Music Rising auction and the sacrifice paid off. The guitar was acquired by an anonymous buyer for $240,000 in the biggest official sale of U2 memorabilia ever. Benefiting musicians devastated by Hurricane Katrina, Saturday's auction rang up more than $2.4 million for Music Rising, the charity set up by the Edge. Other big-bucks items among the 200 that were sold included a 1966 Jim Hendrix Fender Mustang guitar ($400,000), former President Bill Clinton's saxophone ($54,000), a pair of John Lennon's round, blue-tinted sunglasses ($30,000), one of Bono's guitars ($180,000) and a bass from U2's Adam Clayton ($22,000). ...

Velvet Revolver have set the release of their sophomore disc, Libertad, for July 3. They've also confirmed 12 North American dates, launching May 3 in Los Angeles and wrapping May 22 in New York. They'll also hit San Francisco (May 5); Seattle (May 7); Chicago (May 10); Detroit (May 12); Toronto (May 13); Washington, D.C. (May 15); Boston (May 16); Sayreville, New Jersey (May 18); Columbus, Ohio (May 19); and Philadelphia (May 20). ... The White Stripes are celebrating their 10th anniversary with a gift for U.K. fans. A limited-edition gatefold red vinyl 7-inch single, featuring the A-side "Rag and Bone" and an etching on side B, will be released free with an issue of British music newspaper NME that's on sale June 6. A white vinyl 7-inch, featuring the song "Icky Thump," backed with another etching, will be available for purchase June 11, completing the gatefold set. ...

Justin Timberlake's "D--- in a Box" digital short could make this season's "Best of SNL" special airing May 5, but that's for viewers to decide. The JT/ Andy Samberg slow jam is up against four other clips — including Drew Barrymore's "Body Fuzion" workout video and Peyton Manning's tough-love United Way commercial — on SaturdayNightLive.com. Voting ends April 30. ... Britney Spears is promoting her Midnight Fantasy fragrance with an iPod giveaway. Winning entries in the Midnight Fantasy Tic-Tock Photo Diaries contest — which seeks submissions reflecting "what happens to you when the clock strikes 12" at MidnightFantasyPhoto.EAContests.com through May 10 — will score a 30GB video iPod signed by Britney. ...

Smashing Pumpkins have revealed the track list for their first new album since 2000. Zeitgeist, due July 7, will feature a dozen tracks, including "Doomsday Clock," "Tarantula" and "Pomp and Circumstance." ... Iggy Pop celebrated his 60th birthday during a Stooges gig in San Francisco on Saturday. Toward the end of the band's set, the crowd crooned "Happy Birthday" to the singer, and balloons featuring Pop's visage were dropped from the ceiling. The singer thanked fans before inviting them onstage to sing "No Fun." ... Madonna, Arctic Monkeys, Amy Winehouse, Scissor Sisters and Corinne Bailey Rae are up for the Ivor Novello Awards, prizes presented by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters to honor musical achievement. The Monkeys' "When the Sun Goes Down" is up for the Best Song Musically & Lyrically prize, Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" is in the running for Best Contemporary Song honors, and Madonna, Scissor Sisters and Bailey Rae face off for the Most Performed Work designation. The awards will be presented May 24 in London. ...

Paula DeAnda relaunched her Web site last week, and the pop singer is hosting a contest on her site to have fans help her input scenes into the video for "When It Was Me," her next single. "This [video] is gonna be totally different from my other videos," DeAnda told MTV News. "I'm doing my own treatment, but not the whole thing, of course. But I want my own flavor to it. I want to put that message out there, like the song says, you don't have to have the perfect body shape to be sexy or beautiful. Just be yourself." Partial footage of the clip is already up on her fan site, and contestants will have the chance to fill in the blanks with content of their choosing. The winning entry will have their images included in the final version of the video. ... Cartel will be recording their new album as a part of a four-episode MTV reality series called "Band in a Bubble." The group will be locked inside a transparent fiberglass dome with producers Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount, situated on Pier 54 in New York. Dr. Pepper will allow fans to monitor the bubble around the clock via drpepperbubble.com, and the show will begin airing May 24. ...

Eve's next album, Here I Am, due August 7, features production from Timbaland, Pharrell, Sean Paul, Swizz Beatz, Scott Storch and Cool & Dre. The Beatz track "Tambourine" will be the disc's first single. ... Marilyn Manson's marriage was a traditional one, Dita Von Teese explains in an interview printed in the May issue of Harper's Bazaar (due on newsstands Tuesday) — noting that reports that the couple had an open relationship are not true. "No! Never!" she said. "We were completely monogamous. I think people thought we were real free and open, but we really believed in commitment and tradition and our vows. But sometimes people change their ideas, I suppose." Von Teese filed for divorce in December 2006, one year after the couple married. ...

Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong's solo debut is available online for free — so long as you're willing to find it. Cuts from the LP A Poet's Life are scattered all over the Internet, with one appearing each Tuesday in advance of the disc's May 22 release. Fans will need to scour the Web as part of an MP3 scavenger hunt to track down the new songs — though two, "Wake Up" and "Hold On," are there for the taking on Epitaph.com. Other tracks available online include "Into Action," "Inner City Violence" and "Among the Dead." ... Chiodos will head into the studio next month to begin recording their new album, Bone Palace Ballet, with producer Casey Bates (Fear Before the March of Flames, Gatsby's American Dream). A late summer/ early fall release is in the works, and a slew of demo tracks from the album are available at the band's MySpace page.

• Whitney Houston
• Bobby Brown
• U2
• Bono
• Jay-Z

Mariah Carey
Photo: Stephen Shugerman/ Getty Images

Mariah Carey is just getting started on her new album. And although she hasn't said yet who she'll be working with, if some of her recent collaborations are any indication, we could be in for some surprises.

First, Carey recorded a track with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony for the group's comeback album, Strength and Loyalty, due April 17, according to the group's label rep. "She promised that she was gonna do a song with us once, and she kept her promise," Krayzie Bone previously told MTV News (see "Bone Thugs Dropping Two New LPs; Second Disc To Feature Dre, Kanye, Mariah").

Carey not only kept her word, but she brought along Bow Wow to sweeten her offering on the song "Lil L.O.V.E." "I call it 'Little Little,' " she told MTV Europe. "It's a favorite of mine. It's a nice song, and I think it really kind of gives you the back-in-the-day Bone vibe but also a very new take on who they are as artists."

Carey said that she and other artists owe a debt to Bone Thugs-N-Harmony because their influence is so widespread in rap and hip-hop. "A lot of times people are like, 'I will make up a part,' and people actually think they made up that part," she said. "But I am so influenced by their style that it kind of merges together. It's funny, because so many artists today are influenced by Bone, and they may not even realize it."

Carey's got another influence her fans might not recognize — at least for the song in her upcoming movie "Tennessee." Her character, Krystal, is a waitress — just like Carey's role in 2002's "WiseGirls" — but this time, she's also an aspiring songwriter. Through the course of the story, as she joins two brothers on their journey to find their estranged father, she writes a song and performs it in a bar.

Krystal's song is being co-written by Carey and Willie Nelson. Carey hasn't shot the scene yet (it will be filmed next week), but in another part of the movie, she'll hint at her influence by singing a bit of Nelson's "Help Me Make It Through the Night" a cappella, according to the film's rep.

"This character is really far from who I am in a lot of ways," Carey said. "There are some parallels, some internal things, nothing that people would ever look at and go, 'That's very Mariah.' But this is not me at all. The character is so not what you would think. This is not about hairdos and ensembles. The girl's in the trenches. And I'm the third lead, so it's nice to work with an ensemble cast and to really just be able to do my work and go home at night."

Carey started shooting "Tennessee" in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico, last month. She's back there shooting this week, before shooting her bar scenes in Nashville and wrapping her one month of production. No release date has been set for the film.

Meanwhile, her next album, "which is really early on in the creative process," is due this fall, according to her label rep.

• Mariah Carey
• Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
• Willie Nelson

Shakira on the cover of <i>Teen People</i>
Photo: Time, inc.

Shakira might have said that she's lucky her breasts are "small and humble" in "Whenever, Wherever," but there was a time when she considered getting breast-augmentation surgery because she was unhappy with her body, the singer reveals in the next issue of Teen People. The magazine's latest cover star also said that wasn't the only plastic surgery she looked into. "I considered ... all kinds of things. 'Maybe my eyebrows should be higher. Maybe my lips should be bigger.' " Eventually Shakira came to accept herself, despite all the insecurities. "I'm actually shy; I've just learned to hide it." But her hips don't lie — and her dancing reveals more skin than she sometimes would like to show. "It's not my hobby to show my belly! The moves I do when I perform require it. People of America, I want you to know that I wear clothes once in a while!" ...

Diddy introduced a select few to the next phase of Bad Boy Records Tuesday night in New York. Sean Combs held a small party at his Daddy's House studio and previewed music by newcomers Cheri Dennis and Yung Joc and veterans 8Ball and MJG. ... Jack White is preparing to unleash his brand-new band, the Raconteurs, on America — for one night, at least. On April 7, the band — which also features Detroit songwriter Brendan Benson and two-thirds of Cincinnati garage-rockers the Greenhornes — will play its first-ever U.S. gig at Irving Plaza in New York. Tickets go on sale Thursday at noon via Ticketmaster.com. The Rac's debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers, is due in stores May 16. ...

Nick Lachey has decided on a title and release date for his second album: What's Left of Me, due May 9. The title is the same as the first single, which recently hit the airwaves. ... Paul Wall has titled his fall release Ain't No 401K for a Hustla. Wall is also set to appear alongside Lil' Keke on The Day Hell Broke Loose 3 compilation, due in August. ... Pimp-C will release a DVD documenting his experiences being incarcerated during the Houston boom in 2005 and what has happened after his recent release. "Pimpalation: Return of the Trill," hosted by MTV News' Sway, is due April 11 and will be followed by a CD called Pimpalation on June 13. ... Foo Fighters will be featured in a pair of episodes of "The West Wing." The shows will air Sunday and April 9 at 8 p.m. on NBC. ... Notorious B.I.G.'s family will receive $1.1 million from the city of Los Angeles after the City Council on Wednesday approved the amount U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper awarded in January. The money covers the family's legal expenses in a civil trial that was ruled a mistrial last year when it was discovered that the Los Angeles Police Department withheld statements that linked two rogue LAPD officers, David Mack and Rafael Perez, to the rapper's shooting. ...

Could it really be over so soon? That's what former Howard Stern listeners across the East Coast and Midwest might have been asking themselves Wednesday morning (March 29) when they turned on their radios to find Stern replacement David Lee Roth absent. Yes, preliminary numbers for Roth have not been promising, but a CBS Radio spokesperson denied reports that the former Van Halen singer had been canned just three months into his gig, saying the motor-mouthed morning man was simply taking a few days off to travel back to New York after broadcasting from Miami Beach Monday and Tuesday. Roth is expected to be back on the air Friday. ... Elsewhere on the dial, Mighty Mighty Bosstones singer Dicky Barrett has attacked Los Angeles' Indie 103.1 after he was recently fired as host of the station's morning show. In a statement released by his publicist, Barrett said he was fired for expressing his dislike on air for a Morrissey song the station was spinning and for an unauthorized pro-choice conversation he had with a caller. Indie General Manager Dawn Girocco responded by saying Dicky was not as committed to the show as he needed to be. ...

After complaints and a lawsuit earlier this year from a Louisiana man, Apple Computer released a software update Wednesday that allows iPod owners to set a maximum volume on their players. The free download works with Nanos and fifth-generation models that play video, and it also allows parents to set a volume limit on their child's iPod and lock it with a special code. The free update is available at apple.com/ipod/download. ... On Monday a judge ordered Michael Jackson and his ex-wife Debbie Rowe to submit copies of legal papers missing from their divorce file, The Associated Press reports. The documents, concerning the custody of the pair's two children, include Rowe's 2001 motion to terminate parental rights and an emergency motion filed two years later seeking temporary custody as well as Jackson's filing opposing his ex-wife's custody motion. Attorneys for Jackson and Rowe have 30 days to turn over the paperwork. A hearing has been set for May 24. ...

As he awaits his murder trial, troubles keep mounting for famed "wall of sound" record producer Phil Spector. A former personal assistant has sued Spector for more than $5 million in Los Angeles, claming sexual harassment, according to an Associated Press report. Spector sued former assistant Michelle Blaine in September, alleging that she skimmed hundreds of thousands of dollars from his accounts. Blaine hit back on Friday, saying that Spector authorized the payments to her, including those for a $700,000 house and that he sexually harassed her, sometimes appeared naked in front of her and once asked Blaine to find a prostitute for him. Blaine also claims that after Spector was charged with the murder of actress Lana Clarkson in 2003, the producer repeatedly proposed marriage to her as a way to block her from testifying against him. Spector's murder trial is slated to begin in September. ...

Eugene Landy, the show-business psychologist famous for his controversial relationship with troubled Beach Boys star Brian Wilson, died March 22 in Honolulu of complications from lung cancer, the Los Angeles Times reports. He was 71. Landy, who also worked with original shock rocker Alice Cooper and actor Rod Steiger, pioneered the concept of "24 hour therapy" when he began treating Wilson in the mid 1970s. Hired to work on Wilson's intense phobias and drug addictions, Landy took control of every aspect of the singer's life, monitoring him 24 hours a day and eventually acting as his manager and artistic collaborator, crossing an ethical line and eventually giving up his license to practice in California after admitting to a charge of unlawfully prescribing drugs in 1989. ...

Prolific songwriter Cindy Walker, known as the "dean of Texas songwriters," died of natural causes Thursday at the age of 87, according to The Los Angeles Times. Walker was known for the more than 500 sentimental, Western-flavored songs she wrote, performed by everyone from Roy Orbison ("Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)"), to Ray Charles ("You Don't Know Me"), with the latter covered by more than 75 artists, including Elvis Presley. Willie Nelson released an album-length tribute to Walker this month called You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker. Walker, often called the greatest living country music songwriter, was a charter member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997.

03.28.2006

Mariah Carey's been dreaming of a Broadway Christmas since late 2004, when she originally announced plans for a holiday musical, and now she's finally making progress with her plan. "I don't want to mention anything definitive until things are signed," she told MTV Radio, "but there's a very big company that just signed on to develop the project with me." Carey said the musical — which she'll create, produce and star in — will incorporate music from her 1994 album, Merry Christmas, as well as new material. "It's probably going to be a movie first," she said. "I don't want to say a television movie, because it's not like a cheesy network movie, but then it's going to be made for the Broadway production. So the [TV movie] will set the stage for the stage." ...

It was nothing but royalty Monday night in New York as a king, queen and prince came together for the premiere of "ATL." T.I. (the King of the South), Queen Latifah and former Prince of Bel Air Will Smith (with Jada Pinkett) joined Jay-Z, Usher, DJ Drama, Tisha Campbell and Duane Martin at the Tribeca Theater. Latifah's longtime friends and business partners Shakim Compere and Lance "Un" Rivera were also on hand. ...

Jessica Simpson is moving up in the world — at least as far as FHM's annual list of 100 Sexiest Women is concerned. While Scarlett Johansson nabbed the top spot, Simpson catapulted from #16 on last year's list to #4 this year. Other singers making the top half of the chart include Paris Hilton (#11), Lindsay Lohan (#14), Beyoncé (#18), Shakira (#20), Jennifer Lopez (#26; she was #1 in 2000 and 2001), Mariah Carey (#28), Mandy Moore (#31), Christina Aguilera (#37), Gwen Stefani (#40) and Kelly Clarkson (#50). Hilary Duff, the Black Eyed Peas' Fergie and Stefani were new entries this year, but Britney Spears, who was #1 in 2004, was nowhere to be found (Check out photos of FHM's Sexiest Women.). ... Since Lindsay Lohan's upcoming movie "A Prairie Home Companion" (in theaters June 9) focuses on a radio show, it's only natural that the soundtrack would include some of the songs performed on said show. Out May 23, the soundtrack will feature performances from castmembers Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly and Lohan herself, who contributes "Frankie & Johnny." ...

Not every singer on "American Idol" is a pop-star hopeful or graduate of the performance competition, as recent appearances by Stevie Wonder and Barry Manilow have proven. This week the show hopes to shake things up even further with belly-dancing Shakira, who will perform "Hips Don't Lie" with Wyclef Jean on Wednesday night's elimination episode. ... And forgive us if this one sounds familiar, but Simon Cowell is at it again. After expanding his stranglehold on U.S. viewers with his "American Inventor" show earlier this month, the acerbic "Idol" judge is adding a third show to his empire: "America's Got Talent." Open auditions will begin next month for the NBC show, which will be open to performers of all ages and talents — from singers and dancers to jugglers and magicians, according to Reuters. The show will have a celebrity three-judge panel (it will not include Cowell) and the winner will take home a $1 million prize. ...

Live singer Ed Kowalczyk has released a statement in support of "American Idol" contestant Chris Daughtry, who sang a cover of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" last week with an arrangement similar to the version recorded by Live — but without giving the band credit. "We wish Chris the best of luck in the competition," Kowalczyk said. "I thought he did a great job with the song. There's no doubt he's a talented performer and I hope he goes far." Live, meanwhile, will hit the road beginning April 22 in Providence, Rhode Island, in support of their seventh studio album, Songs From Black Mountain, due May 9. ... Travis Barker and DJ AM will take their experimental show to San Francisco April 7 and New York April 13 and 14. VIP packages for the shows are available at StubHub.com and will benefit the Race to Erase MS. ... Chamillionaire and Lil' Flip are teaming for the Texas Boyz Tour, which kicks off March 30 in San Diego and wraps up early this summer. Chamillionaire has recorded several remixes of his new single, "Ridin'," featuring rappers ranging from the Game to Bun B to Fabolous. ...

In a post on Evanescence's official message board Sunday, singer Amy Lee wrote that she and new guitarist Terry Balsamo were in the studio finishing mixes on the group's upcoming album. "We'll be done mixing [the new album] next week! I can hardly believe it, we've been working on this album for so long," Lee wrote. "The stuff sounds so good. ... Wow, what a trip this has been." The singer said Balsamo is "doing really well" after the stroke he suffered in November and that she's busy trying to figure out the order of the songs on the still-untitled album. "It's going to be hard to hold this music in all summer," Lee said. "I really want to thank you guys again for being so patient — I know it's gonna be worth it." A spokesperson for the group confirmed the post and added that the album is slated for release in the fall, with a tour to follow. ...

The Offspring's Dexter Holland is turning into some sort of bionic man or something. In late 2004 he completed a 10-day solo flight around the globe, subsisting only on Doritos and beef jerky. And for an encore — and for charity — he decided to take on the Los Angeles Marathon. Running on behalf of the Innocence Project, a nonprofit legal organization aimed at using DNA testing to free the unjustly convicted, Holland finished in a little more than five hours, good enough for 7,900th place — but not better than Oprah Winfrey's 1994 Washington, D.C., marathon time of 4 hours, 29 minutes and 30 seconds, which was Holland's stated goal. Still, he raised money for a good cause and is happy with his efforts. "I hit a wall at about 16 miles," Holland wrote on Offspring.com, "but I'm glad I was able to finish. I shouldn't have eaten those tacos for breakfast! I didn't beat Oprah's time, but I challenge her to a rematch." ...

If you asked Alanis Morissette, she might say, "Isn't it ironic ... a little too ironic?" Victor Willis, 54, the singer who dressed as the policeman in '70s disco juggernaut the Village People, faces up to five years in prison after his arrest Sunday. He was booked for bailing on a plea deal he cut last year following an arrest on charges of possessing cocaine and a gun. Willis — who left the group in 1980 — had agreed to a maximum of 16 months in jail on the original charge, but when he goes to court Tuesday (March 28) he's looking at four years and four months on the original charges and a possible eight additional months on new drug charges, according to a Reuters report.

[This story was originally published at 12:47 pm E.T. on 03.29.2006]

• Shakira
• Diddy
• Eightball & MJG
• Michael Jackson
• Brian Wilson

Avenged Sevenfold's M. Shadows
Photo: Ralph Notaro

Presumably as a Valentine's-Day nod to "Brokeback Mountain," Willie Nelson released a cover of the 1981 song "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other" via iTunes on Tuesday. The song was written by Texas singer/songwriter Ned Sublette (who has said he always imagined Nelson singing it) and was also covered by '90s gay punk outfit Pansy Division. Nelson's version was debuted on Howard Stern's satellite-radio show on Tuesday. ...

Avenged Sevenfold and Coheed and Cambria have tapped the support acts for their forthcoming co-headlining spring tour. Head Automatica will open on all of the dates between the tour's launch on April 7 in Poughkeepsie, New York, through April 27 in San Jose, California. Eighteen Visions will take over on April 28 in San Diego and stay on through the final scheduled show on May 19 in New York. ...

U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta marked the start of Child Passenger Safety Week on Monday by making an example of Britney Spears. "Recent photos of Britney Spears driving with her infant son on her lap are troubling," Mineta said while announcing a new proposal to improve car-seat safety. "And while Ms. Spears has acknowledged her mistake, her actions still send the wrong message to millions of her fans. ... No matter who you are, there's absolutely no excuse for this display — not instinct, not fear, not even reckless paparazzi. It's irresponsible to compromise the safety of a child for the sake of the moment." ...

It's been more than two months since Chris and Irv Gotti were cleared of federal money-laundering charges, but according to Chris Gotti's attorney, Gerald Shargel, there's some unsettled business between his client and the Brooklyn, New York, U.S. attorney's office. The government, he explained, hasn't returned the $35,000 in cash that federal agents seized more than three years ago from a safe inside Chris' office during a raid of the Inc.'s headquarters. The government said the money, sequestered "for evidentiary purposes," would be returned within six weeks. But that deadline passed and the cash remains in an IRS bank account. Last week Shargel filed a motion requesting that the cash be returned. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney's office could not be reached for comment. ...

Singer Chris and guitarist Rich Robinson will be leaving the rest of the Black Crowes behind to embark on a road trip across the U.S. as a duo. The Robinsons' run of acoustic shows, billed Brothers of a Feather: An Acoustic Evening With Chris and Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes, will feature the pair performing cuts from their catalog, tackling covers and debuting some new Crowes material. The 10-gig trek kicks off April 13 in Brooklyn, New York, and wraps up on April 25 in Los Angeles. ... 3 Doors Down will perform for the general public in the Middle East for the first time on March 16 at the Desert Rock Festival in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The show kicks off a 13-city tour that wraps April 4 in Wolverhampton, England. ...

The Academy Is ... will release an acoustic EP called From the Carpet on various Web sites February 21. The collection includes three tracks from the band's debut album, Almost Here, as well as two new songs and a cover of John Lennon's "Working Class Hero." ... Brooklyn's French Kicks are heading to Los Angeles to begin work on their third full-length, according to their label, Star Time International. The band will once again team with producer Doug Boehm, who helmed the sessions for their 2004 album, The Trial of the Century. The Kicks currently have 16 songs written for the new album, and they hope to have it in stores by the summer. ...

Sinéad O'Connor is going back on the road. She's heading to the U.S. with Sly and Robbie in tow to play more reggae tunes from her album Throw Down Your Arms. O'Connor's seven-city tour kicks off Monday in Houston and wraps up March 1 in San Francisco. ... Built to Spill have rolled out 37 North American tour dates, beginning with a performance in Minneapolis on April 11 — the same day the band's new album, You in Reverse, hits stores. The trek is set to hit Chicago, Detroit, New York, Boston, Dallas and Washington, D.C., before winding down on May 20 in Austin, Texas. You in Reverse, Built to Spill's first LP since 2001's Ancient Melodies of Earth, will contain 10 tracks, including "Goin' Against Your Mind," "Wherever You Go," and "Mess With Time." ...

President Bush presented National Medals of Science and Technology to 15 honorees Monday, including a leader in organ-transplant advancements, the developer of a high-yield wheat that could feed millions around the world — and "Star Wars" director George Lucas. Lucas accepted the medal on behalf of his Industrial Light and Magic, honored for 30 years of innovation in visual effects and technology for the film industry. ... Actor Phil Brown, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker's Uncle Owen in "Star Wars," died Thursday of pneumonia, according to The Associated Press. He was 89. Brown worked in film and theater for more than 60 years, but he's best remembered for his role in the 1977 blockbuster. ...

Brooklyn avant-electro rockers TV on the Radio are gearing up for the May release of their still-untitled second full-length (their first since 2004's Shortlist Music Prize-winning Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes) by hitting the road. Their tour with Baltimore's Celebration kicks off April 21 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and runs until May 6 in Vancouver, British Colombia. More dates are expected to be announced shortly. ...

02.13.2006

Britney Spears plans to visit Mardi Gras in New Orleans on February 28, and "Good Morning America" will be there to broadcast her appearance as part of its coverage of the city's celebrations. "It is so important for this amazing city to continue its annual traditions, and I am really looking forward to being involved," Spears said in a statement. The singer will bring "surprises" for a group of "very deserving young residents." ...

The autopsy and toxicology test results for "Reservoir Dogs" actor Chris Penn were released Monday (February 13), with the Los Angeles county coroner's office concluding that the 40-year-old's January 24 death was an accident. Although Penn had several prescription medications in his system, including the highly addictive Promethazine, it was an oversized heart that has been ruled as the primary cause of death. A full coroner's report, containing additional details, is expected to be released in a few weeks. ...

Jennifer Lopez is appealing to Hispanics to donate bone marrow during a February 24-25 drive in New York for 29-year-old Janet Ovalles, who is suffering from blood cancer. Doctors say Ovalles' only chance for survival is a marrow transplant, and most matches come from people with the same ethnic background. In a statement released by DKMS, the German bone-marrow-donor center organizing the drive, Lopez said, "I am a young Hispanic woman, so is Janet. I could empathize with her situation so much." ... Snoop Dogg is also using his free time for a good cause. He's hosting the Rapper's Challenge Texas Hold 'Em Tournament, a one-day event in which poker players and celebs alike will bluff their way toward $25,000 and $50,000 prizes. The no-limit game will take place May 5 in the Port of Miami aboard a casino ship; Snoop's Uncle Reo will cook BBQ on the top deck. ... Christina Milian has set an April 25 release date for her third album, So Amazin', produced by the team behind "Lean Back," Cool and Dre. Christina shot the video for the first single, "Say I" featuring Young Jeezy, in Los Angeles over the weekend with Ray Kay (Destiny's Child's "Soldier"). In July Milian will return to theaters with "Pulse," a horror thriller based on the Japanese film "Kairo." ...

Hilary Duff will serve as honorary starter and Fantasia will sing the national anthem for the California Speedway Auto Club 500 on February 26. Hilary will be joined at the Fontana, California, track and on the starter's stand by sister Haylie Duff, and together they'll tour the track during driver introductions. One week after the Daytona 500, Auto Club 500 is the second race of the season for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. ... After finishing the current Wu-Tang Clan reunion tour, Ghostface Killah will hit the road on a 32-date North American headlining trek, kicking off March 5 in Pittsburgh and wrapping up April 23 in Buffalo. Ghost is promoting Fishscale, due March 28 and featuring the single "Back Like That" featuring Ne-Yo. ... 3 Doors Down frontman Brad Arnold was injured in a car crash earlier this month, according to the band's Web site. The one-car accident occurred February 1 on a rainy road in Mississippi, and Arnold required stitches for his injuries. He is expected to make a full recovery. His wife, who was driving the vehicle, was not injured. 3 Doors Down canceled their February 4 performance at Bud Bowl, a pre-Super Bowl event in Detroit, due to the crash. ...

Drummer Christopher Emery has left American Head Charge, although it's unclear whether he quit or was fired. The band's bassist Mr. H.C. Banks III and singer Martin Cock said they axed Emery for "major irresponsibility, decreased drumming ability and an inflated sense of entitlement," according to a joint statement. "It turns out Chris was thinking of leaving anyway, although we only just found out by his posting on our Web site," the statement read. Emery had said he quit the band in a post that hit the site over the weekend, in which he stated, "I'm tired of watching drugs and alcohol destroy everyone around me, including myself." ... P.O.D. will hit the road this spring with Pillar, the Chariot and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster as part of the Warriors Tour 2: Guilty by Association run. No word yet on when the tour starts or how many cities the trek will encompass. ... Papa Roach, who've been working on their forthcoming sixth album, have posted on their Web site a video shot during the band's latest studio sessions. A series of videos is set to appear on the site as the Roach get further along in the process. The disc should be in stores before the end of the year. ... The Offspring have started work on their next studio LP, the follow-up to 2003's Splinter. In a post on the band's Web site, lead singer Dexter Holland said he and guitarist Noodles hit the studio to begin recording demo material. There's no word yet on when the Offspring plan to release the effort or when its official recording will begin. "[It's been] a blast," Holland wrote. "It feels good to get back in the studio and do some recording and just be a band, you know? I'm sure you do if you're in a band." ...

The Sounds — whose Dying to Say This to You is due March 21 — are teaming with Morningwood for a 40-date North American tour beginning March 22 in Los Angeles. Action Action are also on the bill. ... Stereolab will release Fab Four Suture — a collection of six singles previously available only as 7-inches, as well as six never-before-heard tracks — March 7. Look for the album to include "Get a Shot of the Refrigerator," "Whisper Pitch" and "I Was a Sunny Rainphase." ... She's only 19 years old (in about a week she'll be 20), but Charlotte Church is already writing her memoirs (again). The singer's just inked a deal with Orion to write her life story, which she's calling rather straightforwardly "Charlotte Church: The Autobiography." This would, of course, be her second such autobio, since she released "Voice of an Angel: My Life (So Far)" in 2001. ... Bassist Jimmy MacDonough has quit Megadeth, but no explanation has been offered for his unexpected departure. In his place, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has hired James LoMenzo, who has done time with Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society, White Lion and David Lee Roth. ... Former Sunny Day Real Estate frontman Jeremy Enigk will release his second solo album and follow-up to 1996's Return of the Frog Queen this summer. The singer/guitarist, also of the Fire Theft, will tour Europe in July and the U.S. in August.

[This story was originally published at 5:26 p.m ET on 02.14.2006]

• Avenged Sevenfold
• Willie Nelson
• Britney Spears
• The Black Crowes
• The Academy Is...

John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson at a Farm Aid news conference
Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

There was much ado earlier this year when Bob Geldof revived the concept of the 20-year-old Live Aid concert for Live 8, which aimed to raise awareness and support for the various social and economic issues facing Africa. There has been much less fanfare for the 20th anniversary of a concert that calls attention to a cause in our own backyard.

On Sunday, when Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Wilco, John Mayer, Kenny Chesney, Los Lonely Boys, Dave Matthews and others hit the stage for the 20th-anniversary Farm Aid concert at the Tweeter Center in Tinley Park, Illinois (see "Dave Matthews Joins Mellencamp And Nelson For Farm Aid"), they were carrying on a tradition that began, like some less-worthwhile causes, with an offhand comment by Bob Dylan.

Farm Aid launched in 1985 after Dylan said, during his performance at Live Aid, that someone should organize a show to draw attention to the plight facing American small-farm owners, who are threatened with being forced off their land by large factory farms (or megafarms) that can churn out massive quantities of produce for less money. Nelson took Dylan's words to heart and spearheaded the concert event, which would raise over $7 million in its first year and draw worldwide attention to the cause. The proceeds from the event are used to give farmers grants to help keep their family farms afloat — farms that often provide high-quality, organic food.

"The answer is to get the farmers back on the land, taking care of the land, as it was supposed to be in the beginning," said Nelson, Farm Aid's founder and president. "Eating organic, family-grown food is important to a lot of us, so that's why it's important to take care of the family farmers. They're the backbone of the country."

The September 22, 1985, show drew more than 80,000 people to the Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, and included Farm Aid co-founders Nelson, Young and Mellencamp, as well as John Fogerty, Johnny Cash, Jon Bon Jovi and Van Halen.

Farmers are also struggling against advancements in the globalization of food trade, where countries like the United States can import agricultural products at a cheaper rate, thanks to free-trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement. However, consumers may not realize that while they are acquiring low-cost products, it is often at a sacrifice of the food's quality, and to the detriment of domestic farmers.

"For the people who founded Farm Aid, it's probably in a much different place now than they thought it would be when they started it 20 years ago," said Michael Solomon, director of communications for The Chronicle of Philanthropy. He credits the organization's longevity to the broadening of its mission — not only to lessen the plight of farmers, but also to focus on the quality of the country's food supply and where it comes from.

Organic-leaning outlets like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's have gained significant ground over the last few years due to a burgeoning movement toward less-processed foods, and farmers' markets continue to sprout and gain support across the nation. However, nearly 70 percent of the U.S.'s 2 million farms lost money in 2002, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture — and Farm Aid has gone a long way toward preventing family farms from becoming a thing of the past.

"I don't think anyone anticipated that it would take this long [to solve the problem]," Farm Aid Executive Director Carolyn Mugar said. "I think the artists thought that if we get together and do something, certainly there is a fast solution. But everyone has come to realize that it's a long-term problem with a long-term solution, so to really get anything done, you have to dig in your heels and stick to it."

Mugar says its famous board members have been "anything but quitters" and have managed to keep Farm Aid as one of the nation's longest running benefit series.

"We're not big — we know we're small," Young said during a 2003 Farm Aid press conference. "We're David versus Goliath, and there's an army of Goliaths against us, but we're not going away. We're going to keep going."

Over its 20-year history, the 17 Farm Aid shows have drummed up more than $27 million to fund grass-roots organizations and its own program initiatives to support American farmers, according to organizers.

"Farmers probably couldn't have asked for a more media-savvy and media-friendly group of people than these guys," Solomon said. "They're all very high-profile and have been able to draw a lot of attention to the cause — which is something farmers never had before Farm Aid came along, so just getting people to think about it has been a victory."

• Willie Nelson
• John Mellencamp
• Neil Young
• John Mayer
• Dave Matthews

Dave Matthews (file)
Photo: Wire Image

Farm Aid is going back to its roots. For the 20th anniversary edition of the benefit for American family farms, organizers are planning a show in Illinois, where the first Farm Aid launched in 1985. Headlined by co-founders Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp, this year's show will feature sets from Neil Young, Dave Matthews, Wilco and more acts to be named soon.

The show, set for September 18 at the Tweeter Center in Tinley Park, Illinois, will be preceded by a week's worth of food and music events in Chicago that organizers said will showcase the city's efforts to "promote family-farm food by linking rural and urban communities." The events will include a county fair on September 17, a film festival, some small venue shows and the release of the Farm Aid book, "Farm Aid: A Song for America."

"From small towns to folks in the city, everybody knows family-farm food is the best," Farm Aid President Nelson said in a statement. "It's good to be back in Illinois where it all started. This state is showing how good food can connect places like [the site of the original 1985 show] Champaign and Chicago. It inspires us to think about family farmers every day. I'm looking forward to playing on the Farm Aid stage, playing music with my friends."

"Farmers have a tremendous impact on the quality of food that we eat," Mellencamp said. "Farm Aid is always a great show, but even more important is that Farm Aid helps the consumer and the family farmer work together for the benefit of all of us."

To date, the 17 Farm Aid shows have raised more than $27 million in support of family farms, according to organizers.

• Dave Matthews Band
• John Mellencamp
• Willie Nelson

<i>Hustle & Flow</i> Soundtrack
Photo: Atlantic

For new and emerging artists, scoring a spot on a film soundtrack can be the gateway to mainstream recognition. The "Garden State" compilation was singled out for including artists like the Shins, and now the "Hustle & Flow" and "Wedding Crashers" soundtracks will try to follow suit.

T.I., who's releasing the soundtrack for "Hustle & Flow" through his Grand Hustle imprint, hopes the musical accompaniment to the film about a Memphis hustler struggling to make it as a rapper will accurately represent what it's like to live in the South. Featured artists include Mike Jones, Trina, Webbie, P$C and Trillville.

The soundtrack to the Vince Vaughn/ Owen Wilson flick "Wedding Crashers" showcases indie rock, featuring songs by Death Cab for Cutie, Robbers on High Street, Bloc Party and college favorites Guster. There's also an exclusive track from the Flaming Lips and a rendition of "Hava Nagila" by Vaughn, Wilson and the Klezmer Juice Band.

Out Tuesday, July 12:

• A Love Ends Suicide - The Cycle of Hope (Brand Name)
• About the Fire - Six Anthems From the Comfortably Jaded EP (HCNL)
• The Adolescents - O.C. Confidential (Finger)
• All-American Rejects - Move Along (Interscope)

Read:
Buy Now: Move Along (Interscope)

• Michael Andrews - "Me and You and Everyone We Know" soundtrack (Everloving)
• Bronson Arroyo - Covering the Bases (Asylum)
• Astronautalis - You and Yer Good Ideas (Fighting)
• The Bel Airs - Got Love (HighTone)
• Adrian Belew - Side Two (Sanctuary)
• The Black Dahlia Murder - Miasma (Metal Blade)
• Pat Boone - Ready to Rock (Oak)
• Bow Wow - Wanted (Columbia)

Buy Now: Wanted (Columbia)

• Meredith Bragg and the Terminals - Meredith Bragg and the Terminals, Vol. 1 (Kora)
• Paul Brown - The City (GRP)
• Buckshot & 9th Wonder - Chemistry (Duck Down)
• Bury Your Dead - Alive (Victory)
• B.C. Camplight - Hide, Run Away (One Little Indian)
• Capone - Pain, Time & Glory (FastLife)
• Brian Capps - Walk Through Walls (HighTone)
• Brandi Carlile - Brandi Carlile (Red Ink)
• Philip Catherine - Meeting Colours (Dreyfus)
• Circle of Dead Children - Zero Comfort Margin (Willowtip)
• Darkane - Layers of Lies (Nuclear Blast)
• The Decemberists - The Tain EP (Kill Rock Stars)
• Deep Dish - George Is On (Thrive)
• Brett Dennen - Brett Dennen (Flagship)
• Dew-Scented - Issue VI (Nuclear Blast)
• Dipset - Diplomats & DukeDaGod Present: More Than Music (Koch)
• The Domino Kings - Some Kind of Sign (HighTone)
• Down to Nothing - Splitting Headache (Thorp)
• The Dream Is Dead - Hail the New Pawn (Escape Artist)
• Driving East - A Black Eye or a Broken Heart EP (Brand Name)
• Embrace Today - We Are the Enemy (Deathwish)
• The Endless Blockade - Turn Illness Into a Weapon (Sound Pollution)
• Terry Evans - Fire in the Feeling (Valley Entertainment)
• Fabric Live 22 - Scratch Perverts (Fabric)
• Fatty Koo - House of Fatty Koo (Columbia)
• Federation X - Rally Day (Estrus)
• Flipsyde - We the People (Interscope)
• Forensics - Hogback Mountain, Vol. 1 (Magic Bullet)
• Susan Gibson - OuterSpace (For the Records)
• The Giraffes - The Giraffes (Razor & Tie)
• Gorod - Neurotripsicks (Willowtip)
• Gravy Train!!!! - Are You Wigglin? (Kill Rock Stars)
• The Heart Attacks - Heart and Scissor Killers (Brand Name)
• Hot Karl - The Great Escape (Headless Heroes)
• How It Ends - Beloved (Thorp)
• William Hung - Miracle: Happy Summer From William Hung (Koch)
• Tony Iommi and Glenn Hughes - Fused (Sanctuary)
• JamisonParker - Sleepwalker (Interscope)
• The Junior Varsity - Wide Eyed (Victory)
• Carole King - The Living Room Tour (Rockingale)
• Kinski - Alpine Static (Sub Pop)
• Jeff Klein - The Hustler (One Little Indian)
• The Knitters - The Modern Sounds of the Knitters (Rounder/Zöe)
• Al Kooper - Black Coffee (Favored Nations)
• Daniel Lanois - Belladonna (Anti/Epitaph)
• Lee Lessack - In Good Company (LML Music)
• Lion Fever - Haunted Water (Dim Mak)
• The Del McCoury Band - The Company We Keep (McCoury Music)
• Metalux - Victim of Space (5 Rue Christine)
• Mixel Pixel - Contact Kid (Kanine)
• The Morells - Think About It (HighTone)
• The Most Serene Republic - Underwater Cinematographer (Arts & Crafts)
• Natalise - I Came to Play (Collateral Damage)
• Willie Nelson - Countryman (Lost Highway)
• Neon Blonde - Headlines EP (Dim Mak)
• The New York Rifles - Faraway Faster (Empty)
• Nor Am I - Cause Above the Conquest (Brand Name)
• Paul Oscher - Down in the Delta (Blues Fidelity)
• The Oxford Collapse - A Good Ground (Kanine)
• Dave Peck - Good Road (Let's Play Stella)
• Piglet - Lava Land EP (Team Av)
• Poet Name Life - Calm Before the Storm (Immergent)
• Prefuse 73 - Reads the Books EP (Warp)
• Primes - Primes (Action Driver)
• The Quarter After - The Quarter After (Bird Song)
• Recourse - Weakening the Structure (This Dark Reign)
• Röyksopp - The Understanding (Astralwerks)
• Rufio - The Comfort of Home (Nitro)
• The Michael Schenker Group - Heavy Hitters (Cleopatra)
• Sirone - Live (Atavistic)
• Slim Thug - Already Platinum (Geffen)
• Slum Village - Prequel to a Classic (Barak)
• Snow & Voices - Snow & Voices (Bird Song)
• Son Volt - Okemah and the Melody of Riot (Transmit Sound/ Legacy)
• Rick Springfield - The Day After Yesterday (Gomer/DKE)
• Statistics - Often Lie (Jade Tree)
• Liz Story - Night Sky Essays (DMI)
• Suzukiton - Service Repair Handbook (Crucial Blast)
• Sweet Honey in the Rock - Raise Your Voice (Rhino)
• Swift - The Absolute Uncontrollable (Tribunal)
• Through the Eyes of the Dead/ The Knife Trade - The Annihilation of Expectation (Lovelost)
• Travers & Appice - Live at the House of Blues (New Media Studio)
• Unto Ashes - Grave Blessings (Projekt)
• Chris Walker - I Know It's Love (Canvas)
• Nick Warren - Shanghai (Global Underground)
• Jaguar Wright - Divorcing Neo 2 Marry Soul (Artemis)
• Xiu Xiu - La Forêt (5 Rue Christine)
• Zucchero & Co. - Zucchero & Co. (Concord/ Hear Music)
• Various artists - An All Star Tribute to Shania Twain (Cleopatra)
• Various artists - Fragile: The Piano Tribute to R.E.M. (Vitamin)
• Various artists - Hands in the Air (Water Music)
• Various artists - Pick This Way: A Bluegrass Tribute to Aerosmith (CMH)
• Various artists - Pickin' on Montgomery Gentry, Vol. 2 (CMH)
• Various artists - The Piano Tribute to John Legend (Vitamin)
• Various artists - "Hustle & Flow" soundtrack (Atlantic)
• Various artists - "March of the Penguins" soundtrack (Milan)
• Various artists - "Stealth" soundtrack (Epic)
• Various artists - "The Cave" soundtrack (Lakeshore)
• Various artists - "The Wedding Crashers" soundtrack (New Line)
• DVD: "Paper Chasers" (Koch)
• DVD: "Crazy Club Chicks: Back From Rehab" (Music Video Distributors)
• DVD: Chris Cunningham - "Rubber Johnny" (Warp)
• DVD: Mickey Gilley - "In Concert" (Goldenlane)
• DVD: Various artists - "Kill Rock Stars Video Fanzine III" (Kill Rock Stars)
• DVD: Various artists - "Tino Vision" (Music Video Distributors)

July 19:

• Frank Black - Honeycomb (Back Porch)

Read: "Frank Black Covers Elvis, Duets With Ex-Wife On Dylanesque Album"
• DMX - Here We Go Again (Ruff Ryders)

Read: "Mase Advises DMX To Rap Again, Wait For The Lord's Call"

July 26:

• Babyface - Grown & Sexy (Arista)
• Jason Mraz - Mr. A-Z (Atlantic)

Read: "Jason Mraz Turns His Tongue-Tripping Surname Into An Asset For Next LP"

August 2:

• Faith Hill - Fireflies (Warner Bros.)
• Michael Penn - Mr. Hollywood, Jr. 1947 (spinART)

Read: "Free At Last, Michael Penn Attempts A Comeback With Mr. Hollywood Jr."

• The All-American Rejects
• Bow Wow
• T.I.
• Bloc Party
• Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson and Jessica Simpson perform on "Nick & Jessica's Tour of Duty"
Photo: Craig Sjodin/ABC

BEVERLY HILLS, California — On the heels (pun intended) of her "Take My Breath Away" and "Angels" covers, Jessica Simpson is remaking an older classic, "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'."

Simpson's version is a duet with her "Dukes of Hazzard" co-star Willie Nelson and will be the first single from the movie's soundtrack (see "Jessica Simpson To Record Duet With Willie Nelson"). Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis produced the track, which Nancy Sinatra made famous in the '60s.

"Loretta Lynn also did a version, so we took elements of both [Lynn and Sinatra's] and funk-defied it a little bit," Jam said at Monday's 22nd annual ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) Pop Awards. "And Jessica wrote a whole new set of lyrics that put her in the Daisy Duke character in the movie."

Simpson will also portray Bo and Luke Duke's sexy cousin in the video for "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'," which Brett Ratner is directing in Los Angeles this week.

According to the treatment, the video will open with Simpson working as a waitress at the Boar's Nest, where she accidentally incites a bar fight. Inspired by "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and other musicals, the choreographed chaos happens around her, but never touches her or Willie Nelson, who sits at the bar. Eventually, a group of girls in Daisy Duke shorts enter and turn the brawl into a hoedown.

Meanwhile, footage of Simpson in a bikini, washing the General Lee, will be intercut with the bar scene.

Ratner, before moving on to direct the "Rush Hour" movies, as well as "Red Dragon" and "After the Sunset," was a prominent video director whose clients included D'Angelo and 98 Degrees, the former group of Simpson's husband, Nick Lachey. He most recently returned to videos with a pair for Mariah Carey.

Along with the movie and video, Simpson and Nelson will appear together on "Nick & Jessica's Tour of Duty" variety special, airing Monday at 9 p.m. on ABC.

(Click here for photos from the show.)

"The Dukes of Hazzard" is due in theaters August 5.

Check out our feature on the set of "The Dukes of Hazzard" for a behind-the-scenes look at Jessica Simpson as Daisy Duke.

• Simpson, Knoxville, Seann William Scott On "The Dukes Of Hazzard" Set

• Jessica Simpson
• Nick Lachey
• Willie Nelson

Jessica Simpson on the set of "The Dukes of Hazzard"
Photo: Shari Scorca

When MTV News went to visit Jessica Simpson on the set of "The Dukes of Hazzard," she let it slip that she really wanted to hook up with someone special — for the movie's soundtrack.

"I've been really inspired to write some country stuff," she said. "It would be a lot of fun to step into the Shania Twain type of direction, just for the movie, just for fun. And I'm crossing my fingers to do something with Willie."

That would be Willie Nelson, her co-star who plays Uncle Jesse to her Daisy Duke (see "On The 'Hazzard' Set With Jessica Simpson, Johnny Knoxville"). Simpson's wish has since come true — her spokesperson has confirmed that the singer will indeed record a duet with the country music legend, whom Simpson calls "absolutely unbelievable." There are no details yet about which song the two will tackle, or when they'll record it.

There's also no word on whether the song will also appear on Simpson's next album, which she's indicated could have a bit of country flavor as well (see "Jessica Simpson Planning Workout Video, Listening To Bjork For Inspiration"). "I want to still keep it pop," she said in December, "but steer left a little bit. Maybe I'll put a little bit of country in there, maybe a little bit of jazz."

Visit Movies on MTV.com for more from Hollywood, including news, interviews, trailers and more.

• Simpson, Knoxville, Seann William Scott On "The Dukes Of Hazzard" Set

• Jessica Simpson
• Willie Nelson

Diary of Johnny Knoxville

• Willie Nelson