Lupe Fiasco
Photo: MTV News

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

The Polyphonic Spree
Photo: Jo Hale/Getty Images

"Most of my songs are written out of improvisation," said Tim DeLaughter, headmaster of the Polyphonic Spree, the 24-piece choral group that's largely remained out of the spotlight this year. "I'm usually visualizing the song's situation, and the pictures going on in my head are the song, so to speak."

This cinematic approach to songwriting has helped the Spree assist filmmakers in need of music to grease their movies' scenes and transitions. Earlier this year, the group rescued first-time feature-length director Mike Mills by scoring the music for "Thumbsucker" after the original composer, indie icon Elliott Smith, died (see "Elliott Smith, Polyphonics Bring Balance To 'Thumbsucker' Soundtrack"). The experience was so effortless that DeLaughter is eager to return to the world of moving pictures.

"The ['Thumbsucker'] experience was amazing," he said, adding that much of the score was written on tour and on-the-fly. "I have a group right now where I can explore the sonics of every realm of music, and that's kind of by design in hopes of doing more film music in the future."

The group already has some film music in the can thanks to a collaboration with in-demand producer Jon Brion (see "Kanye's Co-Pilot, Jon Brion, Talks About The Making Of Late Registration"). Earlier this year, Polyphonic Spree went into the studio with Brion — who regularly joins the members when they perform in his native Los Angeles — to record a cluster of covers for what was originally intended to be an EP. The group recorded the Psychedelic Furs' "Love My Way," Nirvana's "Lithium," '60s British bubblegum group Edison Lighthouse's "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)" and the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

With the EP plans now scrapped, DeLaughter said the songs will find their way onto various soundtracks in the future, but he's not at liberty to say which ones yet. But additional movie work is definitely in the cards. "I have a couple of scripts I'm looking at right now. I just want to be able to give it the right amount of energy and focus, so hopefully the schedules will all work out," he said.

The Spree are also involved in another semi-secretive, loose collaborative project with Brion called, appropriately enough, Collab. "The idea is, [Brion] collaborates with different people and it's a really kind of unspoken situation," DeLaughter said. "You go in and create a song together with different artists that he's a fan of or has a relationship with, and then put out a record of it."

"It's neither me solo, producing, nor is it artists doing what they normally do," Brion said coyly in a separate interview.

Meanwhile, Polyphonic Spree are looking ahead to their third record, a possible concept album. DeLaughter, however, wouldn't reveal what that concept is. "It's gonna have a sense of urgency to it and it's going to be electric in a lot more ways than one," he said of the LP, which he hopes to record before the end of the year and release in the spring. "I'm super excited about it; it's definitely gonna have more rock than we've had in the past and a specific narrative to accompany it. No one's heard us do anything like this."

More closely on the horizon, the Polyphonic Spree are gearing up for an ambitious Christmas production called "The Polyphonic Spree Christmas Carol," which they hope to take on tour to major North American cities.

"I play Ebenezer Scrooge, but it's all based around [this story where] I'm sick of the band," DeLaughter explained. "The music and performance have always lent itself to a theatrical experience and now we're incorporating both. That's inevitable for us — we're obviously gonna be heading that way in the future."

• The Polyphonic Spree

Elliott Smith (file)
Photo: Anti-

When director Mike Mills began considering the music that would underscore his coming-of-age teen dramedy "Thumbsucker," he remembered a similar, albeit darker film: Hal Ashby's 1971 classic comedy, "Harold and Maude," which was scored entirely by singer/songwriter Cat Stevens.

Known primarily for his imaginative music videos for '90s hipsters (Air, Cibo Matto, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion), his graphic design and album art (Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth) and his affiliation with Spike Jonze's skate video crew, Mills was originally pegged as an ironist, but hopes the raw and emotional nature of "Thumbsucker" will clear the misconception.

Influenced by Ashby's movie, Mills sought a contemporary analogue to Stevens' folk-inflected songs, and settled upon indie-rock auteur Elliott Smith, who died of an apparent suicide in 2003 (see "Singer/Songwriter Elliott Smith Dead; Friends, Fellow Musicians Pay Tribute"). Before Smith's death, the director approached the singer about scoring his debut film, and to his surprise, the reclusive Smith agreed.

"Elliott has always been an artistic hero of mine," Mills said from his home in Los Angeles, noting that he'd met Smith in 2000, when he designed the artwork for the singer's "Happiness" single. "I gave him the script and I was shocked that he liked it and wanted to work on it."

Then Smith, who had well-documented bouts with substance abuse, dropped from sight at around the same time Mills cast the film and began shooting in Portland, Oregon (ironically, Smith's former hometown). Coincidentally, by the time Mills had completed shooting the film, Smith began his recovery.

"I gave the script to him, and then he dropped off the face of the earth," Mills said. "He went through his whole crazy time, but by the time I was done with the film, he was making From a Basement on a Hill [which was released posthumously last year] and I was shocked that he was actually making music."

The two reconnected and Mills screened a working version of the film for an enthusiastic Smith. The plan to score the film was revived, only this time the pair came up with the idea of recording a series of covers. "We didn't even know if we could possibly afford getting all the rights to the music," Mills said, noting that Smith had planned to cover Leonard Cohen's "Sisters of Mercy" and an unspecified Neil Young song. "But that was the goal. It was just a crazy idea, but Elliott was so into it."

Smith was no stranger to soundtrack work: He garnered an Oscar nomination for his work on Gus Van Sant's 1997 film "Good Will Hunting" and was approached by Wes Anderson to record Beatles covers for "The Royal Tenenbaums," though the collaboration never came to fruition (the film did use Smith's composition "Needle in the Hay"). The singer gave Mills a version of Big Star's ballad "Thirteen" (previously released only as a snippet in the Jem Cohen short film "Lucky Three") and "Let's Get Lost," a track that would eventually surface on Basement.

In the last few weeks of Smith's life, he completed a cover of Cat Stevens' "Trouble" for the soundtrack, which is believed to be one of the last songs he ever recorded. According to Mills, Smith also began work on a version of John Lennon's "Isolation" before he passed away.

Distraught over Smith's death and left in the lurch for his soundtrack, the filmmaker attended a show by the Polyphonic Spree — a group that includes a 20-odd-member chorus and performs wearing choral robes — that left him electrified and inspired.

"[The show] really changed all the molecules in my body!" he enthused. "Their performance just made me feel like, 'Why not be happy? Why aren't you choosing to be positive?' I walked out of the theater and [felt], 'That's what I want people to feel like in the film.' "

Galvanized, Mills approached Spree leader Tim Delaughter about picking up where Smith had left off. Soon, the pair were creating a new vision for the film that would combine Smith's vocal songs with the Spree's choral-driven orchestrations.

"They rescued me, big time," Mills said of the Spree. "In more ways than one — personally and the film's emotion. They provided the glue for the film."

To Mills, the balance of Smith's emotionally vulnerable covers and the Polyphonic Spree's inspiring score was the perfect balance for the film's tone. "The Spree is a lot darker than people [think], and Elliott was a lot more positive than most people associate him with being, and in a way they're both very Beatles-influenced, so it's all in a musical family."

"Thumbsucker" is due in theaters September 16; the soundtrack will arrive three days earlier and includes alternate and unreleased Polyphonic Spree tracks not featured in the film.

Track list for the Thumbsucker soundtrack, according to Hollywood Records:

• "The Crash"
• "Scream & Shout"
• "Slow Halls"
• "What Would You Let Go"
• "Empty Rooms"
• "Wonderful For You"
• "The Rebecca Fantasy"
• "Thirteen" (Elliott Smith)
• "Pink Trash Dream"
• "The Green Lights"
• "Debate Montage (Compliments of Tripping Daisy)"
• "Trouble" (Elliott Smith)
• "Skinny Dip"
• "Sourness Makes It Right"
• "Some Of The Parts"
• "Matt Schraam"
• "Let's Get Lost" (Elliott Smith)
• "Justin's Hypnosis"
• "The Call of the Wild"
• "Wait And See"
• "Move Away And Shine"
• "Acceptance"
• "Move Away And Shine (In A Dream Version)"

• Elliott Smith
• The Polyphonic Spree

Lindsay Lohan (file)
Photo: Jason Squires

Lindsay Lohan has finished recording her debut album, which she's calling Speak, according to her Web site. The actress/singer is currently deciding which tracks will make the final cut. ...

Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz got in a tangle with two paparazzi on Saturday night in Hollywood, and ended up snatching one of the photographers' camera. According to an attorney for the couple, Diaz and Timberlake acted in their own defense and only took the camera to identify the photographers later. The LAPD says the department has received a complaint from one of the photographers, claiming battery and grand theft. The matter is under investigation. ... No Doubt's Tom Dumont has posted his wedding pictures on his Web site. The three photos, which can be found at http://tomdumont.com/photos.asp, showcase his bride Mieke Binzer's wedding dress, which Dumont's bandmate Gwen Stefani designed. ...

Devastated to learn of Ashlee Simpson's "Saturday Night Live" lip-synch snafu? If you were planning on tossing your copy of her album into the trash, hold up. New York music venue the Knitting Factory, in conjunction with Horrified Observers of Pedestrian Entertainment (H.O.P.E.), are offering unhappy customers a bit of musical solace. Drop by the Knitting Factory box office between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and exchange Ashlee's disc for an album by Elvis Costello, the Ramones, the Grateful Dead, Ray Charles or Aretha Franklin, among others, courtesy of Rhino Records. Don't live in New York? Check out www.hopeinamerica.com for other exchange information. ... Fantasia is about to be Fantabulous. The "American Idol" winner will have two M.A.C. lipglass shades named after her, Fantabulous 1 (a smoldering copper) and Fantabulous 2 (a full-on reddened bronze). Fantasia will launch the lipglasses at M.A.C.'s Harlem, New York, location on November 22, the day before her debut album, Free Yourself, hits stores. ...

The KCRW annual benefit concert in Los Angeles, A Sounds Eclectic Evening, featuring Coldplay, Café Tacuba, Van Hunt, Nellie McKay and others, has been rescheduled for March 12. The event, which was supposed to take place on November 20, was moved due to scheduling and logistical conflicts; Rilo Kiley and Ben Watt, originally slated to perform, will be unable to do so now. Tickets for the original sold-out show will be honored for the rescheduled date. ... In the three-against-one battle of the Beastie Boys versus jazz flutist James Newton, the rappers have emerged victorious. A U.S. appeals court decided on Tuesday that it would not reconsider its 2003 decision which allowed the group to use a six-second sample from Newton's 1978 composition "Choir," according to Reuters. The original decision said that the band paid a license fee to use the recording in their song "Pass the Mic" from 1992's Check Your Head, and therefore had abided by copyright protections and did not have to pay an additional fee. ...

American Hi-Fi's new album, Hearts on Parade, is available for streaming on the band's Web site, www.AmericanHi-Fi.com. The group's third studio album, the follow-up to last year's The Art of Losing, will be released March 1. ... Twenty-five years after the Cure released their first album, Three Imaginary Boys, in the U.K., the British version of the band's landmark debut will get its first domestic release December 7. The double-disc reissue, which includes a full disc of rarities, also marks the beginning of Rhino Records' reissue campaign of the band's entire catalog. ...

The Big Day Out Tour just got a little bigger with the addition of the Hives, Slipknot, the Polyphonic Spree, the Blues Explosion, Hatebreed and Le Tigre. The new acts join an existing lineup of the Beastie Boys, the Donnas, System of a Down, the Chemical Brothers and the Streets, on the six-date trek of Australia and New Zealand that kicks off January 21. ... Though Justin Guarini announced only a week ago that he was joining the Broadway production of the Beach Boys musical "Good Vibrations," the former "American Idol" runner-up has already left the cast. In a statement issued Wednesday, the producers of the show announced that they've "parted company." His replacement will be announced soon. ...Meanwhile, the off-Broadway They Might Be Giants musical, which opened November 4, has extended its limited run through December 11. "People Are Wrong!" stars TMBG member John Flansburgh. ...

11.10.2004

There was no love lost on Friday between Fabolous and Power 99 DJ Golden Girl at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center. According to the DJ, a member of Fabolous' entourage slammed her to the ground after she and a girlfriend asked for a ride on the rapper's tour bus out of the venue. "He told me no, so I said, 'That's OK. I won't play your records anymore,' " Golden Girl said of the incident. "There were words exchanged, and then his bodyguard pushed me. Then he picked me up and slammed me to the ground." The alleged assault took place backstage at the station's annual Powerhouse concert. In response, Fabolous released the following statement via his label: "In regards to the incident in Philadelphia, I was on my tour bus and did not witness the alleged incident so I'm not aware of any details concerning the matter. I never touched or did anything to Golden Girl, therefore, I am not involved and do not have anything further to say or do with that incident." At press time, no charges were filed. ...

Courtney Love pleaded not guilty — for the second time — to a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon in a Los Angeles court on Wednesday. She's accused of attacking L.A. musician Kristin King when she found her sleeping on her ex-boyfriend's couch in April. King had previously testified that Love dumped a bottled of whiskey all over, threw the bottle at her face, threw a lit candle at the back of her head, sat on her, pulled her hair, dug her nails in her arm, pinched her breasts, and chased with her a flashlight, leaving her with bruises, nail marks and a chipped tooth. Love rolled her eyes when the prosecution asked the court to remind the singer that a restraining order was still in place prohibiting Love from contacting King. Love is due back in court December 15. ...

Alicia Keys flexed her literary muscles Tuesday night at the release party for her book "Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems and Lyrics." Held at New York's Harlem Grill, the party, which also celebrated the recent release of Keys' DVD "The Diary of Alicia Keys," turned into a poetry slam hosted by poet/actor Mums and featured performances by Keys, Kanye West, Mos Def and Common, among others. ... The New York restaurant where Keys filmed her "You Don't Know My Name" video was devastated by a fire early Wednesday morning (November 10). More than 100 firefighters came to the aid of Harlem's neighborhood institution Pan Pan, where it took them close to 90 minutes to get the fire under control. According to TV station NY1, the owners of the restaurant say that Pan Pan's future is uncertain, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. ...

It's splitsville for Nicky Hilton and her money-manager husband, Todd Meister. On Monday a Las Vegas judge granted an annulment to the couple, who had been married for less than three months. Court papers, now sealed, indicated that neither side sought any compensatory gain. "Both parties have ended the marriage amicably, and they remain good friends," the couple said in a joint statement. The two had wed in a surprise ceremony orchestrated by Hilton's sister, Paris, on August 15. ... Also breaking up are Madonna and her longtime manager Caresse Henry, who, after 13 years, have "mutually agreed to go their separate ways," according to the singer's rep. ...

Classic rockers Cream are re-forming for a week-long residency in London next week. Singer/guitarist Eric Clapton, drummer Ginger Baker and singer/bassist Jack Bruce will soon begin to rehearse for the shows at the Royal Albert Hall, the same venue that housed the band's last gig nearly 36 years ago. ... Some of Johnny Ramone's vintage movie posters, including ones for "Frankenstein" and "Dracula," will be going up on the auction block on November 18 at Heritage Galleries in Dallas. The late guitarist, a known fan of sci-fi and horror movies, consigned parts of his collection before his death in September. ...

Do you love your iPod, but are troubled by its inability to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays? Well, sunglasses manufacturer Oakley has the product for you: the Thump, the world's first-ever "digital music eyewear." The shades come in seven color combinations and two different versions: 128 megabytes, which holds 60 songs; and 256 megabytes, which holds 120 songs. Prices start at $395. ... Glassjaw have a show scheduled on December 26 in New Jersey, but Todd Weinstock won't be there. The guitarist believes he's no longer a part of the band, since no one thought of inviting him to play. Instead, guitarist Justin Beck and singer Daryl Palumbo will perform with a hired bassist and drummer. In a statement, Weinstock said, "After seeing Beck's vision of Glassjaw, I realized I was not part of it anymore." ...

Damon Dash was honored for his philanthropy efforts with Team Roc Tuesday night at B.B. King's in New York by the S.H.I.N.E. (Seeking Harmony in Neighborhoods Everywhere) organization. Roc-A-Fella recording artists Rell, Denim, Nicole Wray and Samantha Ronson performed. ... Jason Mraz is midway through recording his follow-up to 2002's Waiting for My Rocket to Come. Steve Lillywhite, coming off of U2's new album, is producing the sessions in both Woodstock, New York, and Mraz's hometown of San Diego. ...

Although the Derderian brothers had hoped to postpone civil proceedings until after their criminal case surrounding the 2003 Station nightclub fire in Rhode Island is closed, a judge ruled otherwise. The Derderians and the former manager of Great White, the band playing at the time of the fire, face 200 counts of involuntary manslaughter. ... Soft Cell singer Marc Almond is recovering faster than expected from a recent motorcycle accident and was moved this week from Royal London Hospital to a private facility. "Although he has some way to go to full recovery he is looking forward to getting back to work when he can," a statement on Almond's Web site read. ...

The Exies will release their second major-label album, the Nick Raskulinecz-produced Head for the Door, on November 30. First single "Ugly" was released to radio last week. The band is currently opening some shows for Velvet Revolver. ... Paperwork on both sides of the peer-to-peer debate was filed in court earlier this week. While groups representing the movie and music industries filed friend-of-the-court briefs that urged the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower court's ruling that services like Grokster and Kazaa were not responsible for the widespread copyright infringement that takes place on their networks, Streamcast Networks, the company behind Morpheus, filed a brief pushing the court to uphold the ruling. ...

• Lindsay Lohan
• Justin Timberlake
• Ashlee Simpson
• Coldplay
• Fantasia

Outkast's Andre 3000 at rehearsals for the 2004 VMAs
Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

MIAMI — With performances by Usher, Outkast, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Nelly and Christina Aguilera (to name just a few) spilling over four stages, the floor and even the rafters, the 2004 VMAs were possibly the biggest display in the show's history.

However, the show itself was just the tip of the iceberg. It might look effortless when dancers suddenly soar 20 feet above the stage, but every performance took hours, if not days, of preparation -- and in some cases, it meant overcoming phobias, learning tricky dance steps or getting completely drenched with water. Despite the long hours, some artists still managed to have a little fun during rehearsal.

Outkast practically turned their practice into a party. Andre 3000 was the first to make the scene, looking dapper in the off-white vest, baby-blue button-up and straw hat he would wear at the show. Holding a guitar, the multi-talented MC fiddled with the frets until Big Boi arrived — but it wasn't his partner in rhyme that entered the American Airlines Arena next. Instead, Mr. Farnsworth Bentley, parasol in hand, practiced his dance steps down the catwalk. Within just a few minutes, the suave and sockless Bentley had it down so well that he could take a call on his cell phone without missing a step.

When Big Boi and Sleepy Brown finally arrived, they were greeted with handshakes and hugs from Bentley and a troupe of backup dancers. Dre, however, couldn't spend too much time with salutations; he was due across the arena floor to begin Outkast's four-song medley by himself with "Prototype." Big Boi made light of what felt like a Dre-dominated set by riffing off Nas' "One Mic."

"All I got is one verse," he lamented in reference to his contribution, a portion of "The Way You Move." Soon his dancers and Bentley expressed their unity, with arms and fingers pointed toward the sky. Big Boi was far from done entertaining: As the DJ kicked in with a beat, Big Boi started freestyling, briefly breaking form to give Mr. Bentley a turn on the mic. Perhaps sensing a threat to his rhyming skills, Big Boi attempted to turn the spare time into a rap battle. "I got a hundred on it," the confident MC spit as Sleepy Brown echoed the sentiment.

The streamers that shot out at the end of Outkast's set made for even more party props: Within a few seconds, Mr. Bentley was dripping in patriotic crepe, some of it falling naturally on his shoulders and much more of it heaped on him by his friends.

As Big Boi was throwing down and having all the fun on one stage, a still-noodling Andre stood alone across the room while the notes emanating from his guitar seemed to gently weep.

The real waterworks happened during Usher's performance. Mr. Entertainment took full advantage of the multiple stages during his opening set by ducking out after getting soaked and slipping through a backstage alley in time to join his bouncing backup crew once Lil Jon's intro was complete. And although it looked as if Usher and his non-tethered dancers had springs on their feet in order to achieve that huge vertical leap, a trampoline built into one of the risers offered a bit of help.

Kanye West's performance of "Jesus Walks" wasn't the only tune that raised spirits on Sunday night. The Polyphonic Spree's colorful set literally lifted frontman Tim DeLaughter's mind and body closer to heaven. Of course, the robed bandleader didn't really levitate, but unless you were looking very closely, you might have missed the sneaky stagehand who snuck up and affixed a pair of cables to the harness under DeLaughter's robe through slits that were cut before the show.

While rehearsing the song, DeLaughter's other 23 bandmates shared his elevated excitement. As the stage was being set to accommodate the fascinatingly large group, Spree members were flitting around with perma-grins as the final preparations were being made. "And one more for Mommy!" French horn player Louis Schwardon pleaded to his photo-snapping bandmate, who was documenting the group's most high-profile exposure to date.

Snapshots were also in effect at the Yellowcard/ Hoobastank/ Jet performance in the round. As the first two bands were capturing their first-ever VMA rehearsals on film, their Down Under counterparts in Jet left the picture-taking to the ladies who flocked to their sides once they left the stage.

Despite their best attempts at maintaining their cool, the guys in all the bands looked slightly nervous and intimidated by the elaborately tricked-out stages. Thankfully, Yellowcard's Sean Mackin was on hand to calm nerves and soothe souls with a bit of classical riffing on his violin.

Christina Aguilera has confidently rocked many arenas in her day, but even she looked a bit intimidated by the size and scope of the VMA set. Staring up at the dizzyingly high platform — from which she would descend to present the Best Male Artist award — didn't help the situation. Besides the suspended stage, so many props had been hung from the arena's ceiling that the set designers checked with the building's original engineers to determine just how much weight the ceiling could support. So not only was Aguilera's perch high — it was dangerously close to testing the building's load capacity.

Minutes after her arrival, she was whisked to the upper deck to acclimate herself. When her stage began its descent, she held her handler's hand for security for the entire ride to the ground.

Meanwhile, Nelly was relaxing with friends while waiting for Aguilera to arrive. They said hello to Usher, who had just changed after his rehearsal and was on his way out, no doubt to celebrate in South Beach. Nelly and Aguilera were in the house for nearly a half hour before they finally met with hugs and kisses. After Nelly introduced her to his crew, which includes his sister, the two performers spent the rest of their rehearsal downtime talking by themselves.

Aguilera looked cool and composed, an air she carried over to the big show.

• Jessica Simpson, Outkast, Terror Squad Rehearse For The 2004 VMAs
• VMA '04 Behind The Scenes
• VMA '04 Onstage: Usher, Jessica, Shaq, Christina, Nelly, Fat Joe, Alicia, Stevie, Outkast, More
• VMA '04 Backstage: Usher, Kanye, Jay And More
• VMA '04 Red Carpet Fashion

• OutKast
• Christina Aguilera
• Nelly
• The Polyphonic Spree

The solid chocolate Moonman from the 2004 VMA celebrity gift basket
Photo: MTV News

Never let it be said that celebrities have it rough. Sure, there's the constant buzz of paparazzi, the intense analysis of their personal lives, and the difficulty and expense of maintaining a proper entourage. But there's a tremendous upside to all that annoyance: Celebrities get free stuff ... a whole lot of it.

The performers and presenters at this year's MTV Video Music Awards will be getting so much free stuff that the "gift basket" is actually a box — loaded with promotional goodies from companies like Apple, Paul Frank and Versace, for whom there isn't much better publicity than having a celebrity sport their wares. And this year's basket is stocked with so much jewelry, clothing and high-tech electronics that it's too heavy to be carried around at the show. So it's being delivered to every celebrity's home.

Let's check the booty. The basket includes 23 different bath and body products, four pieces of jewelry, three bottles of perfume and cologne, two pairs of sunglasses and one full-scale, milk-chocolate replica of a Moonman trophy. Throw in free stays at hotels and resorts, a few handbags and accessories and various gift certificates, and you're looking at one valuable basket. The final tally? A combined retail value of more than $16,000.

The whole gift-basket racket sounds like a pretty sweet deal, right? To artists like Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez and Jay-Z, accepting an overstuffed gift basket has probably become passé — they've received them at awards shows all over the planet. But for four of this year's VMA performers, it's a new experience. So we asked them what they were expecting in their baskets, and then compared their requests to what they'll actually be getting. As you'll see, some artists had really big ideas, others just had really big appetites ...

Yellowcard's Ben Harper

"We'd like some plane tickets to anywhere in the world. A lot of the guys [in the band] are 'Star Wars' freaks, so a couple of lightsabers would be cool. We like Cristal, even though we're a punk band. An endless bottle of Cristal would be nice. Oh, and some YC bling! If all the guys in Yellowcard had medallions we could wear, we'd roll up to 50 Cent and be like 'What up, 50?' We'd have our own little G-Unit. That would be extravagant. The 'YC' would spin like a tire. It'd be sick."

While this year's gift basket is severely lacking in posse pendants, Ben and the boys can satisfy their jones for bling by outfitting their wrists with a $450 Swiss Legend watch and a custom-made charm bracelet from All That's Charming, complete with interchangeable diamond guitar charms ($350). And if they felt up to it, the band could wear two charm bracelets at the same time: The aforementioned J. Lo is throwing in a bracelet of her own, to promote her new fragrance, which launches in 2005.

Ashlee Simpson

"I don't know what I'm going to get in the VMA basket. But I really wanted a Mercedes-Benz G-Class [SUV], so I bought one yesterday. Maybe one will be in there. That would be the most ridiculous thing I could think of."

Just how big does Ashlee think the VMA gift basket is? There's no luxury SUV being given away this year, but hopefully she'll be satisfied cruising around on another set of wheels: a $200 skateboard from Zoo York. And she can pilot her board while wearing her complimentary pair of Lady Lanell's Swarovski Crystal sandals ($150).

Ying Yang Twins

"The best thing we ever got in a gift basket was when we did 'The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn,' " the Twins said in an impromptu joint statement delivered by their manager."We got two bottles of special Bacardi liquor. That was real cool, so we want some more of that. And if we could have anything we wanted in a gift basket? OK, we'd want Sour Skittles, some Doritos, some strawberry cream cookies, Sour Punch Straws and some Cheetos. And more Doritos. Yeah, that's all to take care of the munchies. And we want some gift certificates to Foot Locker, too."

Kaine and D-Roc will no doubt appreciate the inclusion of the Wonka Gold Card, which guarantees them free Wonka candy (Nerds, Sweetarts, Laffy Taffy) whenever they want. Or they can wrap their grills around the milk-chocolate Moonman statuette. Made by the Miami outlet of Krön Chocolatier, the replica stands 12 inches high and weighs four pounds, enough chocolate to give even the hungriest Twins pause. It remains to be seen how all that candy fits in with the "South Beach Diet," but the Twins can look through their free copies of the book to find out.

The Polyphonic Spree's Tim DeLaughter

"I expect a washer and dryer for our robes, along with someone to help us wash them on a daily basis. And we want to spread the gospel, so we'd like a megaphone too. I have to think about what 24 people would like, so it's difficult. I'd like a full episode of 'H.R. Pufnstuf' dedicated to the Polyphonic Spree. And some toys for my kids. Drumsticks for my [4-year-old] son Oscar, I know he'd like that. And [5-year-old daughter] Stella would like a microphone so she can sing. Stella, what else would you like to have in the gift bag from MTV?"

Stella DeLaughter (in background): "A bass. And, um, can I get anything else? Some flowers. And candy. And some gum too. And a butterfly that won't fly away."

Sorry Stella, no butterflies. But you'll love the board games (worth approximately $150) from Mattel. And for Tim and the 23 other members of the Polyphonic Spree, how about an iPod mini, complete with a custom-made Kate Spade carrying case? And they can plug their 'Pods into Altec Lansing's inMotion portable stereo. On a similarly high-tech tip, they'll also be taking home a digital camera from Hewlett-Packard and a Virgin mobile phone.

Sadly, there is no robe-laundering service included in this year's VMA basket.

• The 2004 VMA Celebrity Gift Basket
• VMA '04 Red Carpet Fashion
• VMA '04 Backstage: Usher, Kanye, Jay And More
• VMA '04 Onstage: Usher, Jessica, Shaq, Christina, Nelly, Fat Joe, Alicia, Stevie, Outkast, More
• VMA '04 Behind The Scenes

• Yellowcard
• Ashlee Simpson
• Ying Yang Twins
• The Polyphonic Spree

Outkast's Andre 3000 (file)
Photo: WireImage

The list of presenters for the MTV Video Music Awards just got longer — 7 feet and 1 inch longer, to be exact.

Shaquille O'Neal joins Brandy, Nick Lachey, Shakira, Evanescence's Amy Lee, Mase, Beastie Boys, John Mellencamp, Omarion and Queen Latifah in the latest crop of celebrities confirmed to take the stage as presenters at the 2004 VMAs.

Upping the fashion ante are Outkast, who come on board to perform at the annual event. The Polyphonic Spree, meanwhile, will fill the ambient orchestral slot at the August 29 show, taking place at Miami's American Airlines Arena.

Outkast and the Polyphonic Spree join previously announced performers including Usher, Kanye West, Yellowcard, Lil Jon, Jet, Petey Pablo, Hoobastank, Jessica Simpson, Ying Yang Twins and Terror Squad featuring Fat Joe.

The newest batch of presenters helps add a bit of athleticism, style and an old-school vibe to a list that already included Jennifer Lopez, Hilary Duff, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jimmy Fallon, Will Smith, P. Diddy, Paris Hilton, Lenny Kravitz, Tony Hawk, Ludacris, Ashlee Simpson, LL Cool J and Jon Stewart.

Jay-Z leads the nominees this year, with six nods for his "99 Problems" clip including Best Video of the Year, Best Male Video and Best Rap Video. Jay's pal Beyoncé, as well as No Doubt, Usher and Outkast, follow close behind with five nominations each.

The highly coveted Viewer's Choice Award will be determined this year by the VMAyhem Viewer's Choice Playoffs, which allowed MTV.com users to narrow a list of 40 videos down to five nominees through head-to-head video battles. The nominees for this year's Viewer's Choice Award are Christina Aguilera's "The Voice Within," Good Charlotte's "Hold On," Linkin Park's "Breaking the Habit," Simple Plan's "Perfect" and Yellowcard's "Ocean Avenue." Voting for the nominees begins Wednesday (August 18).

Also announced on Wednesday are a number of MTV events taking place in Miami in the days leading up to the VMAs. Among them are Saturday's VMA Kickoff Event, to be held at Margaret Pace Park from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., with performances by Mario Winans and Carl Thomas. MTV will also unveil its legendary Moonman, which has been given a Miami makeover.

On August 27, MTV will host a VMA Block Party on Club Row from 7 p.m. to midnight with performances by Pitbull, Lil Scrappy, 8Ball and MJG, and Kevin Lyttle, among others. Lil Jon, Chingy and Xzibit are among the artists slated to make appearances at this pre-VMA event.

• 2004 MTV Video Music Award Presenters and Performers
• VMA '04 Red Carpet Fashion
• VMA '04 Backstage: Usher, Kanye, Jay And More
• VMA '04 Onstage: Usher, Jessica, Shaq, Christina, Nelly, Fat Joe, Alicia, Stevie, Outkast, More
• VMA '04 Behind The Scenes

• OutKast
• Mase
• Shaquille O'Neal
• Nick Lachey
• Brandy

Turns out the lull in record releases following the Fourth of July weekend was just the calm before the storm.

The Roots have been taking hip-hop to the next level for years, with a focus on live music and a full band backing up rapper Black Thought onstage and in the studio. This week, they release The Tipping Point, an album that borrows its title from Malcolm Gladwell's 2000 book of the same name, which explains how trends "tip" and become mainstream sensations, spreading like viruses.

Bringing the funny to this week's batch of new releases is Adam Sandler with his newest comedic effort, Shhh ... Don't Tell, his first release since 1999's Stan and Judy's Kid, which featured the second installation of the "Chanukah Song."

The Polyphonic Spree's latest, Together We're Heavy, (a title that is both literal, weight-wise, and ironic, sound-wise) hits stores this week. Meanwhile, They Might Be Giants release The Spine, their eighth full-length studio album.

KRS-One is back after just a year between albums. He releasesKeep Right this week, the follow-up to 2003's D.I.G.I.T.A.L. Dancehall star Beenie Man takes it Back to Basics on his new LP.

Jimmy Buffett gets even more laid back this time around, but it's OK: He has the proper documentation to mellow out for a while. The "Margaritaville" singer is releasing License to Chill. Blues Traveler, on the other hand, get a little more active with their live disc, Live on the Rocks.

Some other notable releases this week include Lars Frederiksen & the Bastards' Viking, Widespread Panic's Über Cobra, Dr. John's N'Awlinz: Dis, Dat, or D'Udda, the Fiery Furnaces' Blueberry Boat, Quincy Jones and Bill Cosby's The New Mixes, Volume One and Sparta's Porcelain.

Honorable mentions for creativity this week ... For best band name/concept: the George W. Bush Singers with Songs in the Key of W, an album of songs based on the president's speeches. For best album title: the Texas Thieves with Killer on Craig's List.

Out Tuesday, July 13:

• A Perfect Murder - Unbroken (Victory)
• Ancient - Night Visit (Metal Blade)
• Joan Armatrading - Live! All the Way from America (SLG/Denon)
• Beenie Man - Back to Basics (Virgin)
• Regina Belle - Lazy Afternoon (Peak)
• Carla Bley, Andy Sheppard, Steve Swallow and Billy Drummond - The Lost Chords (ECM)
• Blues Traveler - Live on the Rocks (Sanctuary)
  Buy Now: Live on the Rocks (Sanctuary)
• Jimmy Buffett - License to Chill (RCA Nashville)
• C.AARMÉ - C.AARMÉ (Burning Heart)
• Candiria - What Doesn't Kill You (Type A)
• Carbon Leaf - Indian Summer (Vanguard)
• Cattle Decapitation - Humanure (Metal Blade)
• The Cinch - Shake If You Got It (Punk Rock Dirtnap)
• Darlington - Euthanize Me (Disaster)
• DJ Clever - Troubled Waters (Gigantic)
• Dr. John - N'Awlinz: Dis, Dat or D'udda (Blue Note)
• The F Ups - The F Ups (Capitol)
• Ricky Fanté - Rewind (Virgin)
• The Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat (Sanctuary/ Rough Trade)
• Michael Franti - Songs From the Front Porch (Boo Boo Wax/ iMUSIC)
• Lars Frederiksen & the Bastards - Viking (Hellcat)
• Von Freeman - The Great Divide (Premonition/ Koch)
• Funeral for a Friend - Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation (Atlantic)
• The George W. Bush Singers - Songs in the Key of W (True Believer/Oglio)
• Otis Gibbs - One Day Our Whispers (Benchmark)
• Gioia - Expose This (Koch)
• Dave Grusin - Now Playing: Movie Themes (GRP)
• Guttermouth - Eat Your Face (Epitaph)
• Scott Hamilton and Harry Allen - Heavy Juice (Concord)
• Jesse Harris and the Ferdinandos - While the Music Lasts (Blue Thumb/ Verve)
• Ezekiel Honig - People Places and Things (Gigantic)
• Charlie Hunter Trio - Friends Seen and Unseen (Ropeadope/ Artemis)
• Incapacity - Ninth Order Extinct (Metal Blade)
• Indian Summer - Carbon Leaf (Vanguard)
• Quincy Jones and Bill Cosby - The New Mixes, Volume One (Concord)
• Klement Julienne - Panamerican (Dreyfus)
• Junior Jack - Trust It (Nettwerk America)
• Kool Keith & Kutmasta Kurt - Break U Off (Dmaft/ Oglio)
• KRS-One - Keep Right (Grit/ Inebriated Rhythm)
• Joe Maneri, Barre Phillips and Mat Maneri - Angles of Repose (ECM)
• Märtini Brös - Love the Machines (Poker Flat)
• Mutual Admiration Society - Mutual Admiration Society (Sugar Hill)
• Nanook of the North - The Täby Tapes (Hidden Agenda)
• Only Crime - To the Nines (Fat Wreck Chords)
• David Pack - Unborn (Oglio)
• Joshua Payne - Your Love, My Home (Blue Thumb)
• Guy Pearce - Soundtrack to "A Slipping-Down Life" (Koch/ Commotion)
• Amanda Perez - I Pray (Virgin)
• The Polyphonic Spree - Together We're Heavy (Hollywood)
• Rescue - Flamingo Minutes (Slowdance)
• Chris Richards - Tumblers & Grit (Lake Effect/ Emergent/ RED)
• Rogue Wave - Out of the Shadow (Sub Pop)
• The Roots - The Tipping Point (Geffen)
  Buy Now: Tipping Point (Geffen)
• The Roots of Orchis - Crooked Ceilings (Slowdance)
• The Saint - Grown Folk Music (Uncle Junior/ 7 Heads)
• Adam Sandler - Shhh ... Don't Tell (Warner Bros.)
  Buy Now: Shhh...Don't Tell (Warner Brothers)
• Nikola Sarcevic - Lock-Sport-Krock (Burning Heart)
• Sheetal - Love of Ages (Artemis)
• Snapper - The Connect (Thump)
• Sparta - Porcelain (Geffen)
• Steel Pulse - African Holocaust (Sanctuary/ Ras)
• Ken Stringfellow - Soft Commands (Yep Roc)
• Tack Fu - 85 Decibel Monks (Rosemary)
• The Texas Thieves - Killer on Craig's List (Dr. Strange)
• They Might Be Giants - The Spine (Idlewild/Rounder)
• The U.N. - U.N. or U Out (W.O.R.L.D./ 456)
• Voetsek - The Castrator Album (Six Weeks)
• The Waxwings - Let's Make Our Descent (Rainbow Quartz)
• Widespread Panic - Über Cobra (Sanctuary)
• Various artists - 2XH Vs. HHR Vol. 1: Where Is My Robotic Boot? (Hydra Head)
• Various artists - Confuse Yr Idols: A Tribute to Sonic Youth (Narnack)
• Various artists - Jimmy Martin: A Tribute to the King of Bluegrass Vol. 1 (Koch Nashville)
• Various artists - The Blackest Album 4 - An Industrial Tribute to Metallica (Cleopatra)
• Various artists - Tranquility: Music for Yoga & Meditation (Vanguard)
• Various artists - Soundtrack to "A Cinderella Story" (Hollywood)
• Various artists - Soundtrack to "My Architect" (Koch)
• DVD: "Latino Freak Show Volume 1" (Music Video Distributors)

July 20:

• Faces - Five Guys Walk Into a Bar (Rhino)
• Hives - Tyrannosaurus Hives (Interscope)
  Read: "Hives Album Preview: Out Of The Garage, Into The Laboratory"
• Ashlee Simpson – Autobiography (Geffen)
  Buy Now: Autobiography (Geffen)
  Read:

• Kevin Lyttle - Kevin Lyttle (Atlantic)
• Old 97s - Drag it Up (New West)
• Pearl Jam - Live at Benaroya Hall (Ten Club/BMG)

August 3:

• Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - Live (Vanguard Records)
• Cherie - Cherie (Lava)
• Marc Broussard - Carencro (Island)

• The Roots
• Adam Sandler
• Beenie Man
• The Polyphonic Spree
• KRS-One

Ray Charles fans wishing to pay their final respects to the legendary musician will be able to do so on Thursday. A public memorial and viewing for Charles is scheduled to take place in the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Willie Nelson, B.B. King, Clint Eastwood and Stevie Wonder will be among Charles' friends who will come out to honor him at the two-hour ceremony. On Friday, there will be an invitation-only funeral at the First AME Church on Harvard Boulevard in Los Angeles, after which the funeral procession will pass by Charles' studios, recently designated a city historical landmark. The cortege will then drive to the cemetery where Charles, who passed away last Thursday of complications resulting from liver disease, will be buried. ...

When he's not rolling across the globe with 50 Cent, DJ Whoo Kid is planning on putting together a special mixtape. According to his spokesperson, the Queens street rep is working with Rap the Vote to put out a street CD promoting voting. So far, according to Whoo Kid's people, 50, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Talib Kweli and Dead Prez are donating records, while the NBA's Rookie of the Year, LeBron James, will be hosting the mixtape. There is no street date for the project yet. ... "American Idol" runner-up Diana DeGarmo will release her version of "I Believe," the song Tamyra Gray co-wrote for the "American Idol" finale that will be Fantasia's first single, as the B-side to her debut single, a double A-side featuring two Desmond Child-produced songs, "Dreams" and "Don't Cry Out Loud." DeGarmo's single drops June 29, a week after Fantasia's single, which will include a studio version of her much-lauded "Summertime" cover as the B-side. ...

C-Murder's second murder trial will start September 13. The rapper was convicted last September for the shooting death of a 16-year-old in 2002, but a new trial was ordered earlier this year after a judge determined the prosecution withheld evidence from the defense. ... Alanis Morissette and "Van Wilder" star Ryan Reynolds are engaged. "It was very simple, pure and sweet — and shocking," Morissette told Us Weekly of the proposal, which came with a 2.5 carat platinum ring. ...

TLC's T-Boz has filed for divorce from her husband, rapper Mack 10. According to The Associated Press, court documents filed by T-Boz allege that Mack 10 committed adultery and threatened to kill her. The singer reportedly seeks full custody of their 3-year-old daughter, Chase Anela. T-Boz filed the divorce papers, as well as a temporary restraining order against her husband, on June 8. Mack 10 denied the allegations and has been ordered to appear in court on June 22. A spokesperson for T-Boz declined to comment. ... Sparta have stepped in to replace the Vines as the opening act on Incubus' North American tour, which runs from June 24 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to August 18 in Los Angeles. The opening slot for Incubus, however, prevents Sparta from performing on the Lollapalooza tour, for which they had been scheduled. While on the road, Sparta will release their second LP, Porcelain (July 13). The Vines withdrew from the Incubus tour last week, citing exhaustion. ...

The Polyphonic Spree, Gomez and the Thrills will tour together on off nights during Lollapalooza. The outing, which begins July 16 in Vancouver, will feature the Spree trading in their white robes for a Technicolor look. ... James Brown has decided not to contest domestic-violence charges made by his wife in an effort to avoid a trial and keep his family life private. The Godfather of Soul was arrested in Columbia, South Carolina, in January after his wife, Tommie Rae Brown, called police, saying she feared for her life. When cops arrived, they found scratches and bruises on her right arm and lacerations on her hip. Tommie Rae said her husband had thrown her to the floor, then threatened her with a wrought-iron chair. Brown and his wife are currently in Ireland. ...

Damon Dash and his Team Roc athletic-clothing line are sponsoring the Kingdome Basketball Classic, a 10-week summer basketball league to be held in New York's Harlem neighborhood. Kingdome kicks off June 19 with a special concert featuring Roc-A-Fella artists. Dash has renovated the courts and provided all the teams with new uniforms. ... PlayStation 2 has hopped on board Russell Simmons' voter-registration drive through his Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. The video-game company will ferry each summit's guest panelists in a PlayStation 2 private jet, supply video games to those guests and provide giveaways for fans who come to each event. Upcoming summits are set for New Orleans (June 17), Boston (July 26) and St. Louis (August 21). ...

An 18-year-old Californian has won David Bowie's Mash Up Remix Contest. David Choi was selected from thousands of entries by a panel of judges that included Bowie himself for his remix "Big Shaken Car," a creative hybrid of "She'll Drive the Big Car," from Bowie's 2003 album, Reality, and "Shake It," from 1983's Let's Dance. Choi, who finished high school last week, is celebrating his graduation with his grand prize, a 2004 Audi TT Coupe. ... Icelandic pop icon Björk has announced a late August release date for her next album, Medulla. Following a greatest-hits compilation in 2002 and Vespertine, released the year before, the LP features the electronic experimental duo Matmos, who opened for and backed Björk on her Vespertine tour. ...

On their current European tour, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have indulged in retro musical flashbacks with covers of popular '70s songs. Looking Glass' "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)," Cat Stevens' "Hard Headed Woman" and Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" (which first appeared in the band's set during the last tour) have so far been given the Chili treatment. .... Swedish rock import Sahara Hotnights will release their third album (the first on a major U.S. label), Kiss & Tell, on July 27. The first single, "Hot Night Crash," will hit radio at the end of June and the accompanying Cinco de Mayo-themed video will be out soon. Sahara Hotnights will play a few Scandinavian festivals before opening for country mates the Hives on the band's U.S. tour, which kicks off July 20 in Washington, D.C. ...

Eric Clapton is selling some of his favorite guitars, the ones he calls the "cream of my collection," via auction house Christie's New York on June 24. One of the highlights of the lot is "Blackie," a composite Fender Stratocaster that Slowhand played throughout the '70s until the mid-'80s, and which is expected to bring in between $100,000 and $150,000. Some of the guitarist's friends, including the Who's Pete Townshend, have contributed instruments to the auction as well. All proceeds from the sale will go to Clapton's Crossroads Centre in Antigua, founded in 1997 "for the treatment of alcohol, drugs and other addictive disorders." Interested buyers should check out www.christies.com for details. ...

06.14.04

Happy birthday to Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen! The teen twins turned a long-awaited 18 on Sunday, which means they can now do a whole assortment of things with grown-ups without any legal repercussions ... like vote and play Lotto! ...

Usher vs. R. Kelly: It's going down at the 2004 BET Awards on June 29 in Los Angeles. The two are up for Best Male R&B Artist, along with Anthony Hamilton, Ruben Studdard and Luther Vandross. Usher and the R. will also square off in the Viewers Choice category — "Step in the Name of Love" and "Yeah!" are up against Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love," Lil Jon's "Get Low," Kanye West's "All Falls Down" and Outkast's "Hey Ya!" and "The Way You Move." ... After announcing her plans to develop a perfume in March, Britney Spears is getting closer to releasing her own line via Elizabeth Arden. She's calling the scent Curious, and it has a white floral overtone accented with Louisiana magnolia with an underlying vanilla musk. It'll come in an azure-blue glass bottle with heart-shaped charms. The line, which will hit stores in September, will also include a body soufflé, a shower gel and a perfumed shimmer stick. ...

The Pixies have recorded a new song, "Bam Thwok," their first original track in 13 years. The song is being released exclusively through Apple's iTunes Music Store starting Tuesday at midnight. The song features Kim Deal singing lyrics from a discarded children's art book she found on the street many years ago: "Bosses in offices on automatic drip/ They got the keys to the city/ But we got a lotta shaking in our hips." The Pixies recorded "Bam Thwok" in Los Angeles in March while the band was practicing for its recent reunion tour. ... Nothing says "Happy Father's Day!" like getting your old man a lunch date with Avril Lavigne or Nick Lachey — at least that's the thinking by the folks organizing a charity auction to benefit the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Winning bidders on "Because You Love Him," a special eBay auction, can also purchase slightly more appropriate gifts, like an afternoon with golf pro Arnold Palmer, lunch with boxing promoter Don King, and two hours with Magic Johnson. ...

Michael Jackson will not be getting any money back from the court system anytime soon. A California judge ruled on Friday that the singer will not be allowed to reduce his $3 million bail, since he originally posted it "without objection or apparent difficulty." Without evidence to prove financial hardship, the financial incentive to make his court dates remains in place, Judge Rodney Melville wrote in his decision. ... Modest Mouse's longtime drummer Jeremiah Green, who left 14 months ago because of conflicts in the studio, has returned and will tour with the band this summer. Green had been temporarily replaced by Helio Sequence's Benjamin Weikel, who played on the latest Modest Mouse disc, Good News for People Who Love Bad News, and has also toured with the group. ...

P. Diddy was forced to leave the Saturday afternoon performance of the Broadway revival of "A Raisin in the Sun" in the middle of the show. According to his spokesperson, the rapper/actor, who plays Walter Lee Younger in the production, arrived at the theater feeling ill but insisted on going on. By intermission, however, he was so sick that his stage manager instructed him to go home. Diddy's understudy, Billy Eugene Jones, filled in for him for the remainder of the Saturday matinee show, and went on in his place for the Saturday evening and Sunday performances. Diddy will return to the stage on Tuesday. ... Former Saves the Day bassist Sean McGrath lost his two-year battle with intestinal cancer on Friday. He was 28. A veteran of the New York hardcore scene, McGrath played on STD's 1998 debut, Can't Slow Down, as well as in bands Hands Tied, Mouthpiece and the Alps. He was at home with friends and family when he died. ...

DMX has been sued by pet-goods manufacturer Amusing Diversions for breach of contract and fraud because he agreed to promote a line of designer wear for dogs even though he was found guilty of animal cruelty. Amusing Diversions is concerned that the rapper's 2002 conviction for caging and neglecting 13 pit-bull terriers at his home in Teaneck, New Jersey, will cause chain stores such as PETCO to boycott his products. The DMX line includes animal bubble jackets, raincoats and jerseys. ... Smokey Robinson, who uses the slogan "The soul is in the bowl" for his Louisiana line of foods, is being sued by a Louisiana chef who claims he trademarked the expression "Soul in Yo Bowl" in 1997, a decade after he started using it. Johnny "Jambalaya" Percle filed suit last week in federal court, claiming Robinson has infringed on his trademark, causing confusion among his customers. ...

Sleepy Brown's upcoming solo album, which he recently re-titled Only for the Grown and Sexy, has been pushed back from June to a fall release. The Outkast affiliate has also changed the first single from the Big Boi-produced "Dooley Wop" to the Pharrell Williams collaboration "Margarita." ... Meanwhile, Outkast have pushed back the shooting of their HBO musical to late summer. "We're trying to finish up some of the songs that we have to shoot scenes for," Big Boi explained. ... Boyz II Men, minus the recently retired Michael McCary, are putting the finishing touches on Throwback, a collection of R&B covers. Due August 24, the album will feature Michael Jackson's "Human Nature," Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" and Bobby Caldwell's "What You Won't Do for Love" featuring MC Lyte, which will be the first single. ...

• Ray Charles
• 50 Cent
• Fantasia
• T-Boz
• Incubus

The Polyphonic Spree (file)
Photo: Dierdre_O'Callahan

The Polyphonic Spree got more than a pulpit full of memories from their recent tour with David Bowie.

"We're going to write a song together," frontman Tim DeLaughter enthused. "He asked me if I'd be up for it, and I said, 'Of course!' He wants to do something really theatrical, so whenever he's ready, I'm there."

Bowie's decision to write with DeLaughter stemmed from the positive experiences both had during the tour. To enhance his own performance, Bowie asked DeLaughter's 29-member, robe-bedecked group to join him for the song "Slip Away," which began with the choir taking the stage, then the horn players, and finally DeLaughter joining in for the final verse. Several of the performances were filmed and will likely come out on video or on Bowie's Web site.

Bowie has acted as a kind of patron saint for the Dallas band, a role for which DeLaughter is deeply grateful. "He has been really instrumental in our band breaking out in the first place," he said. "Before anyone had heard of us, he brought us to London three years ago to play his Meltdown Festival. That's the first place we ever played outside of Texas."

The Spree are playing dates with Bowie from May 29 until June 5, then they'll head out with the Lollapalooza tour on July 15, two days after the release of their second album, Together We're Heavy (see "Lollapalooza Lineup Announced: Morrissey, Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth On Board"). The new songs should sound appropriately majestic in an outdoor setting. The tracks are just as lush and upbeat as those on 2002's The Beginning Stages Of ..., but they're more sonically rich and complex, with the band utilizing as many as 120 tracks on a single song (see "Polyphonic Spree Enjoy Volkswagen Ride While Preparing Second Album").

"The songs were pretty easy to come up with, but it was the most difficult, most challenging recording session I've ever had in my life," DeLaughter said. "I almost had a nervous breakdown a few times trying to mix it. But as someone once said, 'The pain of toil bringeth gain, and foolish folly bringeth poverty.' " (That someone was DeLaughter.)

In addition to Together We're Heavy, the Polyphonic Spree will likely release a DVD about the history of the band later this year. DeLaughter is also scoring a movie by independent filmmaker Mike Mills called "Thumbsucker," which is based on a novel by Walter Kirn. "It's about a 17-year-old who still sucks his thumb, so the music is really playful and fun. It's got some hints of the Polyphonic Spree, but there's also stuff that sounds nothing like Polyphonic."

DeLaughter was contacted for the movie by music supervisor Brian Reitzell, who also worked on "The Virgin Suicides" and "Lost in Translation." Reitzell chose DeLaughter because the filmmakers were already using "The Beginning Stages Of ..." as temp music for the film. "It's a great opportunity," DeLaughter said. "Hopefully, it will be the first of many, because I love cinematic music and the idea of creating music to fit a particular series of imagery is really appealing."

Polyphonic Spree tour dates with David Bowie, according to the band's Web site:

• 5/29 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Borgata Hotel/Casino
• 5/30 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Borgata Hotel/Casino
• 6/1 - Manchester, NH @ Verizon Wireless Arena
• 6/2 - Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Casino
• 6/4 - Wantagh, NY @ Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach
• 6/5 - Holmdel, NJ @ P.N.C. Bank Arts Center

• The Polyphonic Spree

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

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

VMA '04 Red Carpet Fashion

• Usher
• Jessica Simpson
• Ashlee Simpson
• Ryan Cabrera
• Nick Lachey

2003 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

• Beastie Boys
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Ben Folds
• Ben Harper
• Blur

SXSW 2003 Highlight Photos

• D4
• Death Cab For Cutie
• The Flaming Sideburns
• Idlewild
• Me First and the Gimme Gimmes