Alicia Keys
Photo: Columbia

Alicia Keys took home four trophies from the NAACP Image Awards, held at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium Thursday night. She won the Outstanding Album and Outstanding Female Artist prizes, as well as the top video and song awards. Other honorees included Chris Brown, Jordin Sparks, Denzel Washington and Janet Jackson. Washington and his "Great Debaters" co-star Jurnee Smollett won the Best Actor and Actress prizes for film, while Jackson received the Best Supporting Actress honor for her work in "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?" ...

As Britney Spears' father extended control over her affairs in Los Angeles on Thursday, a New York attorney attempted to undo them by taking the conservatorship to federal court. Claiming he represents the singer — despite a judge already deciding she's unable to retain counsel of her own just yet — attorney Jon Eardley filed a claim that the singer's conservatorship deprives her of her civil liberties, since she's been denied the right to meet freely with whom she chooses (as her father has the power to restrict visitors); make and receive phone calls (since a restraining order prevents manager Sam Lutfi from contacting her); drive a car (since her father hired security to do that for her); and gain access to money or credit cards (since her finances are being handled by her trust). "She is being confined ... to the private person of her own home," the suit reads. Eardley is represented by Lutfi's publicist, Michael Sands, who claims that the motion moves jurisdiction from Los Angeles Superior Court to the U.S. District Court, and voids the conservatorship: "Britney Spears has no conservatorship!" he said in a press release. However, the Los Angeles Superior Court responded, "This is an issue that will have to be litigated by the parties." ...

Paramore and Jimmy Eat World have rolled out dates for their much-anticipated co-headlining tour. The 20-date outing will take them from San Antonio on April 1 to Atlantic City, New Jersey, on May 2, with stops in California, Iowa, New York and elsewhere along the way. ...

Eddie Vedder has sketched out the itinerary for his first-ever solo tour, which he will stage in support of his Grammy-nominated "Into the Wild" soundtrack, according to Billboard.com. The Pearl Jam frontman will swing through Vancouver, British Columbia, on April 2, after which he'll play a smattering of shows in various California cities: Santa Cruz (April 5), Berkeley (April 7), Santa Barbara (April 10), Los Angeles (April 12-13) and San Diego (April 15). ... The Raconteurs are wrapping up their yet-untitled sophomore effort in Nashville, according to a recent post on their MySpace page. The post wasn't forthcoming with more details, although it did say, "They promise to release [the LP] as soon as they can." ...

U2 frontman Bono and British artist Damien Hirst raised $42 million for HIV/AIDS programs in Africa at a Sotheby's auction in New York on Thursday, according to The Associated Press. The (Red) Auction, co-organized by the Gagosian Gallery, sold pieces from some of the world's top contemporary artists. Sotheby's said model Christy Turlington bought a piece for $170,500. "We got serious about love, and not just the love of art, but the love of our brothers and sisters suffering from AIDS in the poorest places on the planet," Bono said, according to BBC News. ...

Coheed and Cambria, Incubus and Disturbed have been added to the roster for this year's Download Festival in England (June 13-15). They join a lineup that already features Kiss, Judas Priest, the Offspring, Motörhead, H.I.M, Children of Bodom, Rise Against, Lostprophets, Alter Bridge and In Flames. ... Aerosmith are starring in a new edition of "Guitar Hero" called, er, "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith." Due in the summer, the game will feature 30 or so songs by the Boston legends, as well as ones by bands that have opened for Steven Tyler's crew. ...

Chan Marshall — better known as Cat Power — has bulked up her tour schedule in support of her recently released album, Jukebox, according to Pitchfork. Following an April 10 show in Vancouver, British Columbia, she will hit up Seattle the following day and continue playing gigs through an April 20 show at Austin, Texas' South by Southwest fest. Two days later, she'll perform in Houston, after which she'll journey down to Mexico City for an April 23 performance. ... The National — whose last album, Boxer, made many critics' top 10 lists last year — have slipped out a live EP through Rhapsody, Pitchfork reports. The release, called Rhapsody Rocks NYC, contains four songs recorded at New York's CMJ Music Marathon last year. ...

Butch Walker has slapped together a new live album, but in case you're running low on funds these days, don't worry — he's posted the 24-track effort for free download at FriendsorEnemies.com. Devout fans can get the release with bonus tracks for $5.99. ... Portishead have firmed up their first album in 10 years. Third will drop April 29 and feature 11 songs, including "Nylon Smile," "Magic Doors" and "The Rip." ...

Yoko Ono has denied reports that she was planning legal action against singer Lennon Murphy, who has sought to trademark the name of her band, Lennon. In a letter to the technology blog BoingBoing, Ono explained that several years ago, Lennon Murphy sought Ono's permission to perform under her birth name, Lennon Murphy, which Ono did not object to. But later, without Ono's knowledge, the singer reportedly filed an application in the U.S. Trademark Office requesting the exclusive right to utilize the name "Lennon" for musical performances. Ono's attorneys asked Murphy's lawyers and manager to withdraw the registration, offering to cover all costs Murphy had incurred in filing for the trademark. When Murphy went ahead with the registration anyway, Ono said she did not sue Murphy, but had her attorneys notify the trademark office that Ono did not believe it was fair that Murphy be granted the exclusive right to the Lennon trademark for musical and entertainment services. Ono wrote, "I am really hurt if people thought that I told a young artist to not use her own name in her performances and had sought to sue her. I did no such thing. I hope this allegation will be cleared." ...

Borders Books is trying a new method to appeal to music downloaders. According to a press release, the retailer will roll out 14 new concept stores this year featuring "digital centers" that will allow customers to burn CDs and download music and books to most MP3 players, though not to iPods.

2.14.08

Avril Lavigne, who was once known as the "anti-Britney," now has nothing but sympathy for the pop star, as she reveals in the new issue of Maxim. "No one else has it as hard as Britney," she told the magazine. "I feel bad for her. How does she even think with all those flashbulbs? When I'm being followed, everything's thrown off. They run red lights. They cause accidents. She can't even walk to her car. F---ing stalkers." Lavigne, who has been known to flip off and spit on the paparazzi in the past, also said she's disgusted at speculation that she's pregnant with her first child. "Remember in high school when people would start fake rumors about you?" she asked. "Well, this isn't high school. It's like, the entire world." Check out more Avril photos from the mag's March issue at Maxim.com. ...

A Los Angeles judge decided Thursday (February 14) to extend the temporary conservatory powers that Britney Spears' father has over the singer's affairs — at least through the next hearing, on March 10. Jamie Spears had been granted control to oversee Britney's well-being and her estate earlier this month, along with co-conservator Andrew Wallet. Court-appointed investigator Samuel Ingham told the court Thursday that he had not finished his psychological evaluation of the singer and was granted an extension until the next hearing. Also by March 10, Britney must undergo a 730 evaluation to study her family to determine the best custody arrangements, Commissioner Reva Goetz decided. Goetz also named Britney's older brother, Bryan — who used to work on her former management team — along with New York estate attorney Ivan Taback as co-trustees for the singer's trust while she is considered unable to manage her own affairs. Meanwhile, Britney's current manager Sam Lutfi has yet to be served with a restraining order. The lawyers for the conservatorship concluded that Lutfi was intentionally avoiding being served because they'd already spent over 200 hours trying to reach him. A hearing about the restraining order is scheduled for February 22. ...

Beyoncé's father, Mathew Knowles, isn't too happy about Aretha Franklin scolding his daughter for comments she made about the Queen of Soul at Sunday's Grammy Awards. "Something this ridiculous — it's childish, it's unprofessional," he said in a statement on Thursday, according to People. "And it's a sad day when egos get bruised because somebody used the word 'king,' 'queen,' 'prince' or 'princess.' " Beyoncé introduced Tina Turner as "the queen" during the ceremony, after which Franklin released a statement in which she said, "I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyoncé. ... However, I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy." ...

Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Ricky Martin and others are voicing support for Alejandro Sanz after the cancellation of a concert he intended to play in Venezuela, Reuters reports. In 2004, the Latin American singer claimed President Hugo Chávez had tried to quash a campaign for a recall referendum against him. Sanz supporters are reportedly accusing Chávez of censorship in the wake of the concert cancellation. ... White Stripes are getting some extra lovin' at Best Buy, Pitchfork reports. The retail chain is selling a five-track EP surrounding the band's new single, "Conquest," that features all the accompanying B-sides that were previously available only on vinyl or in digital form. The EP comes free with the purchase of the band's Icky Thump album, or it can be bought separately. ...

Well, so much for all those reunion tours. A day after Billboard.com reported that the Police would be retiring for good after their upcoming North American trek comes news that the reunited Spice Girls likely won't go on either. Geri Halliwell — or Ginger Spice, to the fans — told the site she isn't anticipating a follow-up to the group's current run, which ends February 26 in Toronto. "It probably won't happen ever again," she said. "I'm still absolutely blown away that we did more than one show. So right now I'm thinking this is it. This is the last time you will ever get to see this Girl Power, the five Spices on the stage as one." Still, she added the requisite nugget of wisdom: "You can never say never." ...

The Smashing Pumpkins have dished up an unreleased track, "SuperChrist," for a limited-edition CD that will be made available March 1 at Guitar Center locations, according to Billboard.com. The compilation disc, which doesn't have a name, was curated by Billy Corgan and the gang — they picked acts that feature Guitar Center employees based on submissions from them. "SuperChrist" was a leftover track from the Pumpkins' 2007 album, Zeitgist, and the band has previously played it on tour. An accompanying video will premiere February 27 on MySpace. ... Guitar Center has another limited-edition goody too: a Roland RZA/Forat Custom MV8800 machine designed by the RZA and electronic trailblazer Bruce Forat. The hand-painted device features original artwork by the two, including allusions to the Wu-Tang Clan's recent 8 Diagrams LP. If you're interested in getting one, though, you'll have to throw down big bucks and act fast when they go on sale February 28: Only eight machines are being made available, and they cost a pricey $5,999 apiece. ...

Christina Aguilera has "never had more respect for the female body," the new mom told People for its new issue, which hits newsstands Friday. She added of her C-section to deliver her 4-week-old son, Max: "The hardest part was deciding on his birthday. I wanted to leave it up to fate, but at the same time I was ready to be done early!" The singer, who shared photos of her baby with the magazine, said she intends to start recording in her home studio this month. As for what she and husband Jordan Bratman have been spinning lately, she revealed: "Yesterday we had Led Zeppelin blaring through the house. Most new moms play Beethoven, but we're playing Metallica, Bob Marley, the Stones." ...

An interview with Michelle Williams in which she addressed her breakup with Heath Ledger, who died from an accidental drug overdose late last month, has just been published. "Obviously so much has changed for me in the last few months that I don't really have an idea of what my life is going to be," Williams told the U.K.'s Wonderland Magazine for what is said to be her last interview before the actor's death. "I thought I knew certain things and it turned out that I didn't, so I don't really try and anticipate so much anymore. I'm not making any bets on the future." ...

Chris Rock has been confirmed to appear the 2008 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, taking place June 12-15 in Manchester, Tennessee. He's just one of more than a dozen comedians set to perform at the fest — a list that also includes David Cross and Janeane Garofolo — but he's the only one that'll do his work from Bonnaroo's main stage (the same stage Kanye West, Pearl Jam and Metallica will appear on) in front of 80,000 somewhat-dazed-and-confused festival-goers. ...

Madonna premiered her directorial debut Wednesday at the Berlin Film Festival, but she said the flick didn't come without a "struggle." Madge and members of the "Filth and Wisdom" cast also held a press conference, during which she said, "One of the themes that I explore in the film is struggle, and if I look back to the beginning of my career, I can recall those moments of struggle like it was yesterday. There are aspects of [the characters'] struggle that I could relate to completely, and I could access that memory and put it into the story." ...

Moby is building anticipation for his upcoming album, Last Night, with an exclusive downloadable preview mix at RCRDLBL.com. Last Night, meanwhile, is due April 1. ... As it turns out, Moby has something in common with Norah Jones, Lou Reed, David Byrne and Scissor Sisters: a mutual distaste for the Iraq war. The musicians will come together March 18 — the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion — in New York for "Speak Up!: A Benefit Concert for Peace in Iraq & Justice at Home." The event will take place at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn. ...

Broken Social Scene have lumped more dates onto their upcoming world tour, Pitchfork reports. In addition to Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Singapore, the band will also hit Taiwan, Mexico, Turkey, Luxembourg, Russia, the U.K., France, and the U.S. ... Battles are gearing up for some road action too: The band, adored by indie-philes, will play Bonnaroo June 12, after which it will swing through Washington, D.C., two days later, and then Philadelphia the day after that. ... Kristin Hersh, Cornershop's Anthony Saffery, Dirty Vegas' Steve Smith and others have concocted heartfelt covers of songs made famous by Joe Cocker, Bill Withers and others in time for Valentine's Day. Expansion Team Records just released Souvenirs, which contains the tracks, in CD and digital form. ...

Clear Channel Broadcasting — the media giant that owns the radio station that promoted the fatal Great White show in 2003 at the Station club in West Warwick, Rhode Island — agreed Wednesday to pay $22 million for more than 100 claims stemming from the fire that claimed 100 lives. According to The Boston Globe, the settlement is linked to Clear Channel's WHJY-FM, which ran ads for the show, where station DJ Michael Gonsalves was killed after introducing the band onstage. "We continue to be deeply saddened by the tremendous harm suffered by the victims, their families and the community as a result of this tragic fire," Andy Levin, chief legal officer of Clear Channel Communications, said in a written statement. "While Clear Channel had no role in causing or contributing to this fire, we are pleased to resolve these claims and, hopefully, contribute in some way to a sense of resolution for the affected victims and their families." The settlement comes on the heels of a $30 million tentative agreement reached three weeks ago with Rhode Island TV station WPRI-TV, whose photographer was accused of standing in the way of patrons attempting to escape the burning building. ...

Three people were arrested at Sunday's Grammy Awards on suspicion of using stolen passes to get access to the show. According to The Associated Press, Sebastian Bonner, 20, was arrested after he tried to enter the event at Los Angeles' Staples Center using one of nine stolen all-access passes. Courtney Mitchell, 30, and Pamela Clay, 44, were found with someone else's event ID card and arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property. Police believe the motive was a desire to see celebrities. "We eliminated that this wasn't something more serious than some people who wanted to see the Grammys who are star-struck," Commander Andrew Smith said. Police believe someone on the inside sold the IDs to friends and acquaintances. ... On Tuesday, Oklahoma State University forwarded a list of 11 student names to the Recording Industry Association of America, in compliance with a court order in the RIAA lawsuit accusing the students of unlawfully downloading copyrighted recordings using school servers. The students had filed a motion to quash their subpoenas, but the judge denied it and ordered the school to turn over their names. Wired.com reported that the move by OSU was the latest incidence of a university complying with the RIAA's newest tactic in combating illegal file-sharing.

• Alicia Keys
• Britney Spears
• Eddie Vedder
• Bono
• U2

Snoop Dogg (file)
Photo: Getty Images/Bertrand Guay

It looks like Snoop Dogg won't be heading to Harvard after all. The university's undergraduate council has taken back its offer to have the rapper perform at the school, citing "financial obligations and unavoidable obstacles," The Associated Press reports. The rescinded offer comes in the wake of objections by a group of students offended by some of Snoop's more sexist lyrics. ...

Kelly Clarkson's moving on from "Since U Been Gone": She's heading to Toronto early next week to shoot her next video. "Behind These Hazel Eyes" will be directed by Joseph Kahn. ... Ten former "American Idol" contestants got together recently to shoot an episode of "Family Feud" that will air in syndication the week of May 2. A men's team of A.J. Gill, George Huff, Jon Peter Lewis, Matt Rogers and Rickey Smith faced off against a women's team of Amy Adams, Vanessa Olivarez, Diana DeGarmo, Julia DeMato and Kimberley Locke. ...

Michael Jackson is denying rumors that he's in financial dire straits and selling off most of his 50 percent interest in Sony/ ATV Music Publishing (which contains songs by the Beatles). Via a statement released Thursday, Jackson's rep said "these reports are not true." ... Jason Mraz has been sidelined with a respiratory infection that has affected his vocal cords, according to the singer's Web site. Three of his college tour dates, in Des Moines, Iowa; Minneapolis; and New York, have either been rescheduled or canceled. ...

RZA and Method Man — who team up on the latter's upcoming solo album — are pairing up again to make music for the Jet Li movie "Unleashed." The first single (written by RZA) is called "Baby Boy" and sung by a new artist named Thea, while the second song, "Unleash Me," will feature Method Man in the video. ... WWE champion John Cena is making good on his threat to start a rap career. He's shooting a music video Friday (April 15) and Saturday in Los Angeles for "Bad, Bad Man," from his upcoming debut LP, You Can't See Me, out May 10. Cena's also just completed filming his part in "The Marine," in which he plays an injured Marine who comes home from a war to find his girlfriend caught up in a kidnapping. ...

AC/DC, Kiss, Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers and U2 are among the artists donating rare guitars, gear and albums to save the environment. Fans can bid on the who's-who collection during Save the Earth Foundation's annual Earth Day charity auction online, beginning Saturday at auctions.overstock.com/earthday. The auction, which lasts until April 25, also includes a Rolling Stones hollow-body guitar and the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour album, each autographed by all bandmembers, as well as autographed microphones from Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Jay-Z, Nelly and Snoop Dogg. ... U2's forthcoming book, "U2 by U2," which was set to be released this year, has been postponed. Harper Collins has delayed what was to be the September publication of the book due to the "punishing schedule" of the band's current world tour. ...

Yoko Ono will headline the upcoming All Tomorrow's Parties festival in the U.K. (April 22-24), curated by actor/musician Vincent Gallo, who has also threatened to perform. Joining Ono on the eclectic bill are her son, Sean Lennon, Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, Polly Jean Harvey, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Merzbow, Olivia Tremor Control, James Chance and the Contortions, Prefuse 73, Buck 65, Peaches and Suicide. ... Remember that cheesy cover band in the party scene from "Old School"? Well, they've released a whole album on punk label SideOneDummy. The Dan Band Live! is 14 tracks of totally unfunky, cheese-tastic covers of songs like "Milkshake," "You Oughta Know," "Shoop," "Genie in a Bottle," "Total Eclipse of the Heart," an ABBA medley, and, yes, "I Am Woman." You've been warned. ...

04.14.2005

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline's still-untitled reality show, which spotlights their courtship up to and including their wedding via privately shot home videos, will premiere with a special one-hour episode on May 17 at 9 p.m. ET on UPN. ...

Outkast and Rosa Parks have settled their dispute. In what had been a highly contested matter concerning the use of Parks' name as a song title, the parties resolved to become partners in developing educational programs to enlighten today's youth about the role Parks played in the civil-rights movement. First up will be a tribute album, on which Outkast will perform. They're also planning a TV special and DVD. ... The mother of Michael Jackson's current accuser continued testifying Thursday, elaborating on the alleged death threats she told the court about on Wednesday. She testified that she was "continually monitored" by Jackson's team for what she thought was her own safety. Prosecutors played an audio tape purportedly made just before the family's interview with the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services, revealing that a Jackson security guard was present prior to the interview. Following the interview, the mother testified, one of Jackson's associates told her she hadn't done a good enough job clearing Jackson and that they were going to have to leave the country. ...

Backstreet Boy Nick Carter phoned in his plea of not guilty to two drunk-driving-related charges Wednesday (he was not required to appear). The charges stemmed from a March 5 incident in Huntington Beach, California, where he was pulled over for erratic driving and failed a field sobriety test. Carter's next hearing on the matter is scheduled for May 2. ... Paris Hilton, Hilary Duff, Good Charlotte, Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas, Rob Thomas, Ryan Cabrera and Shar Jackson were among the stars who turned out for Us Weekly's party Wednesday to celebrate the Young Hot Hollywood Style Awards, which was hosted by Jessica Simpson. ...

Nelly has placed two special Pimp Juice promo vehicles on eBay in order to raise money for his late sister Jackie Donahue's foundation, the Jes Us 4 Jackie Fund. The custom-designed rides, a 2004 PT Cruiser and a 2004 Jeep Wrangler, will come with an autographed photo of the rapper, an authenticity plaque and 20 cases of, yes, Pimp Juice. The bidding ends on April 22. ... A U.K. group called Mothers Against Guns is calling for a boycott of Reebok, according to BBC News, as it feels a TV ad for the shoe company's "I am what I am" campaign that features 50 Cent counting his gunshot wounds glorifies gun violence. Reebok said in a statement that it does "not support every action, choice or view expressed by the hundreds of athletes and entertainers who wear our products. However, we do support their individuality and right to express themselves freely." ...

April 15 isn't just the dreaded day to pay your taxes, at least if you live in Sin City. The city of Las Vegas is declaring Friday "Diddy Day," in honor of the music mogul. Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman and the city council will honor P. Diddy's achievements at a presentation this Friday afternoon inside the Desert Passage Mall at the Aladdin Hotel and Casino. ... Legendary piano man Johnnie Johnson died on Wednesday of natural causes at his home near St. Louis, according to his reps. He was 80. Johnson played on almost all of Chuck Berry's hits and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 by friend and fellow rocker Keith Richards. He is survived by his wife, Frances, and 10 children. ...

Sparta have been forced to cancel the remainder of their current tour for medical reasons. According to the band's Web site, guitarist Paul Hinojos suffered a ruptured disk in his back and was hurried back to Los Angeles for immediate treatment. There are no plans to reschedule the nixed gigs, but Sparta promise to do all they can to make them up on their next tour. ... Martika — whose 1989 chart-topper "Toy Soldiers" forms the backbone of Eminem's track "Like Toy Soldiers" — is heading out on the road with her new group, Oppera, whose self-titled album is due out May 31. The pop-rock duo will tour the East Coast with Pat Benatar; the trek begins June 15 in Clearwater, Florida, and wraps June 30 in Reading, Pennsylvania. ... Electronic pioneers Kraftwerk will bring their elaborate stage show back to the U.S. for a brief summer tour. The group will kick things off in Washington, D.C., on May 30 and finish the trek on June 6 in Los Angeles before heading off to Europe. ...

• Snoop Dogg
• Kelly Clarkson
• Michael Jackson
• Eminem
• John Cena

Yoko Ono
Photo: Ken McKay

John Lennon predicted that "Walking on Thin Ice" would be Yoko Ono's first #1 record.

What the late Beatle could not have known was that it would take his wife more than 20 years to reach the top — and that when she did, it would be the dance chart that she conquered.

"I think that [the song] was originally played in a lot of discos because people were shocked and frightened by John's sudden death and they were trying to ritualize their fear and make it less frightening," Lennon's 70-year-old widow said of the track, which was originally recorded during the sessions for 1980's Double Fantasy, the couple's final album together.

It became an underground hit when DJ Larry Levan of New York's famed Paradise Garage began spinning it in the early 1980s, but with the help of recent remixes by the Pet Shop Boys, Danny Tenaglia, Felix Da Housecat, Peter Rauhofer and Rui Da Silva, an EP of 10 "Walking on Thin Ice" remixes topped the Billboard Dance Club Play chart last week, more than 20 years after the song was released.

The remixes feature pounding beats underneath Ono's urgently whispered, almost robotic vocals: "I may cry some day/ But the tears will dry whichever way/ And when our hearts return to ashes/ It'll be just a story."

"Music is an important thing ... but when you start to dance, the feelings carry this incredibly powerful energy," said Ono. "I'm kind of surprised that it was #1, but when I wrote the music I was thinking about dance. One thing I didn't have in mind at all was that it might be a big hit all these years later. I think that now[, like after John's death,] there's a feeling in the air that is rather tense and we're not sure about the future."

Though Ono has been a fixture in the art, performance and avant-garde music world for nearly 40 years, acceptance in the dance community is somewhat surprising, especially given that until recently she spent hardly any time in clubs. But late last year she performed an impromptu set at New York's Roxy, adding some of her signature wordless vocalizations over Rauhofer's mixes of her music, setting in motion the "Walking on Thin Ice" remix project.

Ono had already agreed to have several of her songs remixed a year earlier, including the controversial 1971 single "Open Your Box," which had been banned from U.K. radio due to such provocative lyrics as "Open your mouth ... open your legs." Remixes of Ono's "Kiss Kiss Kiss" and "Yang Yang" followed, suddenly making the septuagenarian a staple of club mixes alongside the Felixes and Madonnas of the world.

It was the crowd's enthusiastic response at the Roxy that energized Ono and pushed her to delve further into the club world. Ono said she and Lennon purposely avoided such 1970s New York celebrity hot spots as Studio 54, though she went dancing "once or twice" with son Sean Lennon in the '90s. "It's nice. I feel very close to people who are dancing because I'm dancing in my heart," she said.

For Tenaglia, remixing "Walking on Thin Ice" was like opening a window into his youth. "I remember hearing it in my 20s at Paradise Garage and being really inspired," said Tenaglia, 42. "When I got the chance to remix it, I felt like it was a classic. I was worried because I'd been so touched by the record that I thought the only thing little old me could possibly do was destroy it. There's such a history to the song, some of which I didn't even know. I just learned that those were the masters that [Lennon] was holding when he was shot."

Tenaglia said he also agreed to participate because he was excited about bringing the song to a new generation of club kids who might have only a vague idea who Ono is. "When I first played it, it was an immediate hands-in-the-air reaction, whether they knew it was her or not," said Tenaglia, an infrequent remixer whose last remix was a 2002 Grammy-nominated stab at Depeche Mode's "I Feel Love."

When asked if she was surprised to best Madonna and Justin Timberlake on the dance chart, Ono said age ain't nothing but a number when it comes to music. "I never counted their ages," she said of Madonna and Timberlake. "Each person has their own age, and experience counts. Maybe I'm not very experienced in this area, so I'm the youngest. In style maybe I'm more contemporary than some people."

As to whether she ever imagined that she'd be shaking it in clubs at 70, Ono said quietly, "No, but it is a nice surprise. A nice gift."

• Yoko Ono

B-52's Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneider & Kate Pierson
Photo: Denise Truscello/WireImage.com

NEW YORK — "This is our 25th anniversary — that makes us 30," the B-52's' Fred Schneider joked from the Irving Plaza stage Monday night. Thirty they're not, but their minimalist lunatic art-dance music remains joyously unstoppable a quarter of a century after they exploded on the downtown New York club scene in 1979.

The B's are playing a smattering of dates in support of their anthology Nude on the Moon, and performed to a packed house filled with both Cosmic Thing-era fans and folks who were old enough to have seen the original band in its heyday. (Click for photos from the event.)

Old-school aficionados were treated to guest appearances by members of B-52's contemporaries and art rock scene-masters Talking Heads, as well as by Yoko Ono, widow of the late Beatle John Lennon, but more significantly here as an artist whose vocal experimentation in the '70s was an influence on the B's sound.

The band was the "Love Shack" configuration, with original members Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion, walkie talkies), Kate Pierson (vocals and keyboards), Cindy Wilson (vocals and percussion) and Keith Strickland (guitar) supported by Sterling Campbell on drums, Pat Irwin on keyboards and Sara Lee on bass, formerly of Gang of Four (founding member Ricky Wilson died in 1985). The group put down a 90-minute, balcony-shaking, 16-song set of its classics, with enough updated arrangements to keep it fresh for the audience and apparently fun for the band. Yet the Immortal Truths of the B-52's live ritual remained. Every soul drawing breath in the room sang the "Why don't you dance with me?" portion of "Dance This Mess Around." Anyone who thought that the subject of "Planet Claire" may be from Mars or one of the stars had that misconception cleared up. And the band still gets the audience to crouch down onto the ground when commanded during "Rock Lobster."

It was at that precise moment in "Rock Lobster" that 68-year-old Yoko Ono hit the stage, to warble and screech with the rest of the band for the show's finale. Coming immediately after "Planet Claire," when Talking Heads (and Tom Tom Club-ers) Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz joined the band to punctuate the Peter Gunn bass and drum line, it was an appropriately bizarre ending for the band that made bizarre fun so many years ago.

B-52's set list:

• "Dance This Mess Around"
• "Good Stuff"
• "Lava"
• "Roam"
• "Hero Worship"
• "Quiche Lorraine"
• "Private Idaho"
• "Revolution Earth"
• "Deadbeat Club"
• "Hallucinating Pluto"
• "Strobe Light"
• "Love Shack"
• "Whammy Kiss"
• "Planet Claire" (with Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth)
• "Rock Lobster" (with Yoko Ono)

Read about all of the shows we've recently covered in Tour Reports.

• The B-52's
• Yoko Ono
• Talking Heads
• Tom Tom Club

Photo: Capitol

Seventeen years after it first hit shelves, John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Milk and Honey will be re-released on October 23 with added ingredients.

The digitally remastered reissue will include three bonus tracks and excerpts from Lennon's final interview, taped hours before his death on December 8, 1980. Lennon and Ono worked on the album's material during that year, though the record didn't hit shelves until 1984. The bulk of the couple's final recordings appeared on 1980's Double Fantasy, which was re-released last year.

Milk and Honey features them performing solo as well as collaborating. The bonus tracks are: Lennon's previously unreleased home recording of "I'm Stepping Out"; "I'm Moving On," a previously unreleased home recording sung by Ono; and "Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him," featuring Lennon singing Ono's song from Double Fantasy. That track was previously featured on the 1990 box set Lennon.

The reissue comes on the heels of an all-star benefit tribute to Lennon that featured performances by Lou Reed, Dave Matthews, Stone Temple Pilots and others (see "John Lennon Tribute Assumes New Meaning In Tragedy's Wake.")

• John Lennon
• Yoko Ono
• The Beatles

John Lennon
Photo: Capitol

Although John Lennon was a man of peace, many of his songs were created during wartime — the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the culture war. Still, his words of tolerance and love reflected with hope and faith in the goodness of mankind, no matter how rotten it appeared at any given moment.

When Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, and producer Ken Ehrlich planned a benefit concert to pay tribute to the former Beatle, they intended to use the proceeds to fight for gun control and help end youth violence — a noble cause to commemorate the noted pacifist (see "Lennon Tribute To Air Live From NYC; Dave Matthews, More Sign On"). "Come Together: A Night for John Lennon" was to take place September 20 at Radio City Music Hall in New York, Lennon's adopted home and the city in which he was assassinated.

When terrorists flew two Boeing 767 airplanes into the twin towers September 11, however, demolishing the buildings and killing thousands, the date, name and focus of the benefit changed.

"He had a prophetic ability to be way ahead of most of us," actor Kevin Spacey said backstage after Tuesday night's "Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words & Music," which was broadcast live on TNT and the WB. Spacey hosted the event and even sang a dramatic version of Lennon's "Mind Games."

While the event featured stars from past eras — Lou Reed performed a punk-rock version of "Jealous Guy" and Cyndi Lauper sang "Strawberry Fields Forever" from Central Park's Strawberry Fields garden — most of the evening's entertainers — including Dave Matthews, Stone Temple Pilots, Marc Anthony, Alanis Morissette, Shaggy, Craig David, Yolanda Adams and Shelby Lynne — were thoroughly contemporary.

"We were very concerned about having stars that represent this generation, because I wanted to make sure we can communicate to the young," Ono said from the press room shortly before showtime. She added that the evening's message took on extra urgency after September 11. "When the attack happened, I was really in a shock, just like I was in a shock when John passed away," she said. "It was so sudden. It reminded me very strongly of that day. I think most of us are still in shock. So it was very important for us to do this show in New York City."

The artists' mixed moods of melancholy and elation carried through the event. Contemporary gospel vocalist Yolanda Adams, who opened the show with a heartfelt version of "Imagine" backed by keyboardist (and Beatles sideman) Billy Preston, described the atmosphere.

"These are all wonderful performers, so there's a lot of love," she said. "But we are all setting into the fact that a lot of people's loved ones are still lost and missing, so it was pretty somber."

The evening was a musical eye-opener for some artists. Twenty-year-old English R&B heartthrob Craig David, for example, who sang a sultry version of "Come Together," acquired a solid appreciation of Lennon's craft.

"It's massively valuable to understand how he structured harmonies," David said. "His music was catchy and he was a great songwriter lyrically."

Dancehall pop star Shaggy, who closed the night with "Give Peace a Chance," was even more moved by Lennon's words.

"I looked at them closely for the first time and was like, 'That brother was deep,'" he said. "It saddens me, because I listen to music today and there's nothing like that. Everybody's talking about bling-bling and the artists are driving cars they don't own and houses they ain't finished paying for yet in these videos. There's no substance in music. It's so driven by how high some chick's miniskirt is or how low her cleavage is. You gotta give it to John Lennon. He believed in what he believed in whether you cared or not."

The tribute's highlights included Dave Matthews performing a gripping solo acoustic rendition of "In My Life," Stone Temple Pilots rocking out a flamboyant and gravel-voiced version of "Revolution," Alanis Morissette singing the melancholy "Dear Prudence" and Natalie Merchant playing a ruminative "Nowhere Man." Lennon's son Sean was joined by Rufus Wainwright and Robert Schwartzman for "This Boy," and by Moby and Wainwright for "Across the Universe."

"His political ideas, his social ideas, his ideas about love and the brotherhood of mankind are universal," said Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland. "His music continues to be relevant no matter what decade it is. Those ideas will continue to be important so long as people feel the love he spoke about."

For more information on and audience reaction to the attacks, including tips on how you can help, see "9.11.01: Moving Forward".

• John Lennon
• Lou Reed
• Stone Temple Pilots
• Dave Matthews Band
• Dave Matthews

Yoko Ono's <I>Blueprint for a Sunrise</I>
Photo: Capitol

Riot grrrls, step aside for Yoko Ono.

The shrill-voiced singer/songwriter will explore sexual politics on her first album in six years, Blueprint for a Sunrise, due October 9.

"I know women who are intelligent, powerful members of their communities who still live in fear because of the position they are put in as women in our society," Ono, 68, said in a statement. "To some extent, all of us women are living in fear, quietly exercising a caution known only to us, all the time pretending to be sprightly and strong."

The 11-track album includes a mixture of live and studio performances in addition to three tracks Ono recorded for an art exhibit touring the world.

Sean Lennon, Ono's son with late Beatle John Lennon, accompanies his mother on some tracks.

Ono's most recent studio album was 1995's Rising. The Beastie Boys, Tricky and Thurston Moore remixed the album's tracks for the subsequently released Rising Mixes.

• Yoko Ono

Stone Temple Pilots
Photo: Jason Campbell

Stone Temple Pilots, Beck, Nelly Furtado and Lou Reed are just some of the artists who'll do their part to give peace a chance at a tribute to John Lennon.

"Come Together: A Night for John Lennon" will be broadcast on TNT October 9, which would have been the former Beatle's 61st birthday. The artists, along with Alanis Morissette, Marc Anthony, Moby, Seal, Cyndi Lauper, Shelby Lynne and a few yet-to-be-announced performers, will tape the event, dubbed A Concert in Support of a Non-Violent World, on September 20 at New York's Radio City Music Hall, according to a network spokesperson.

Either alone, as duets or in special combinations, the artists will perform their interpretations of Lennon's songs, including both his work with the Beatles and as a solo artist. Interspersed between the musical numbers will be segments featuring Lennon's thoughts on children, the future and violence.

Actor Kevin Spacey will host the event, and Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, is serving as the show's co-executive producer. Dave Stewart of Eurythmics is the program's musical director and will lead the house band.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Violence Policy Center, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence united with the Million Mom March.

"Come Together: A Night for John Lennon" is the sixth installment of the TNT Master's Series, which launched in 1998 with the tribute "Burt Bacharach: One Amazing Night." Since then, concerts honoring Johnny Cash, Bob Marley, Joni Mitchell and, most recently, Brian Wilson (see "Billy Joel, Ricky Martin Also Tipping Hats To Brian Wilson") have been staged.

• John Lennon
• Beck
• Stone Temple Pilots
• Alanis Morissette
• Nelly Furtado

After making its latest stab at crossover (i.e. commercial) success with last year's "A Thousand Leaves," the avant garde noisemakers of Sonic Youth will return to its experimental roots with a new double CD, "SY4: Goodbye 20th Century," due out on November 8.

• "Edges" (Christian Wolff)
• "Six" (John Cage)
• "Six For New Time For Sonic Youth" (Pauline Oliveros)
• "+ -" (Takehisa Kosugi)
• "Voice Piece For Soprano" (Yoko Ono)
• "Pendulum Music" (Steve Reich)

• "Having Never Written A Note For Percussion" (James Tenney)
• "Six [4th Take]" (John Cage)
• "Burdocks" (Christian Wolff)
• "Four6" (John Cage)
• "Piano Piece #13 [Carpenter's Piece] For Nam June Paik" (George Maciunas)
• "Piece Enfantine" (Nicolas Slonimsky)
• "Treatise [page 183]" (Cornelius Cardew)

-- David Basham

• John Cage
• Yoko Ono
• Sonic Youth

B-52's 25th Anniversary Show 02.04.02

• The B-52's
• Talking Heads
• Yoko Ono