Queen's Brian May and Kris Allen
Photo: Kevin Winter/American Idol 2009/Getty Images

The last time Kris Allen had to sing a rock duet, things didn't go so well for the Arkansas Kid, whose Rock-Week duet with Danny Gokey was memorable for all the wrong reasons. But on Wednesday night, just minutes before he would be crowned this year's American Idol, the 23-year-old singer redeemed himself by teaming up with a partner that was sure to make him look better: fellow finalist Adam Lambert.

Singing their first-ever duet, the friendly rivals perched just above the judge's pit as the spotlight hit their all-black ensembles and the iconic first notes of Queen's "We Are the Champions" washed over the crowd. Looking over at Lambert and smiling, Allen went first, singing the triumphant rock anthem's opening couplet, "I've paid my dues, time after time/ I've done my sentence, but committed no crime."

Defiantly spitting the lines as he shook his head and sneered, the theatrical Lambert paid homage to the song's flamboyant writer, late Queen singer Freddie Mercury, as he sang "And bad mistakes/ I've made a few/ I've had my share of sand kicked in my face/ but I've come through," his voice rising to a powerful vibrato as the "Idol" stage lit up to reveal original Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor.

	"American Idol" Season 8: Live Performances

Walking back to the fog-shrouded stage, which slowly filled with a backing chorus of dozens (as well as the rest of the top 13), Lambert and Allen's voices meshed nicely on the sometimes tricky-to-sing power ballad from Queen's 1977 News of the World LP. Lambert, in particular, furthered his rock bona fides with some towering notes and the duo locked hands for a bro-hug midsong as May ripped off some wicked notes. The pair ended on a dual high note as they stared each other down and pyro rained from the sides of the stage.

"Champions" is one of Queen's most enduring anthems and it has become a rousing, sway-along staple at sporting events and victory celebrations across the globe, often played in conjunction with its B-side, guitarist Brian May's raucous "We Will Rock You." Singer Mercury explained in an interview that he was inspired to write the verses while thinking about watching soccer matches, in the hope that he could pen a song that would become a fan rallying cry.

In addition to being covered by everyone from Green Day to Gavin DeGraw, Robbie Williams and "Idol" also-ran William Hung, the tune was sampled by Dame Dash, Kanye West, Young Chris, Beanie Sigel, Cam'ron and Twista on the 2002 song "Champions."

It was a fitting choice on a night when even grouchy judge Simon Cowell would admit that he thought both men deserved to be on the stage and wished them each success.

• 'American Idol' In 60 Seconds
• 'American Idol' Season-Eight Red Carpet
• Relive 'American Idol': Season Eight

• "American Idol" Season 8 Finale: Red Carpet
• "American Idol" Season 8: Live Performances
• Backstage At The "American Idol" Finale

• Queen

Nick Bollea's car after the Sunday crash
Photo: Tim Boyles/ Getty Images

Nick Bollea, Hulk Hogan's 17-year-old son, was discharged from a hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, on Monday morning (August 27) after being involved in a car accident the previous evening. Police said Bollea, who was featured in VH1's "Hogan Knows Best" reality series, was driving his Toyota Supra at a high speed along state route 60 when he lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a raised median at 7:30 p.m. in Clearwater. The car reportedly flipped over, and the rear of the vehicle collided with a palm tree. Bollea and one of his car's passengers, 22-year-old John Graziano, were airlifted to the Bayfront Medical Center following the crash. The nature of both Bollea's and Graziano's injuries was not immediately known, but a police spokesperson characterized them as serious. Graziano remains under the hospital's care in critical condition. Alcohol is not believed to have played a role in the accident, but police continue to investigate the crash. No criminal charges have been filed. ...

Jordin Sparks doesn't have a name for her debut album yet, but she's got a release date set in stone: November 20. In anticipation of the 19 Recordings/ Jive disc, the "American Idol" champ drew back the curtains on her first single on Friday, debuting "Tattoo" on AOL's Pop Eater blog. The track hits radio Monday. Sparks told The Associated Press that the effort was partly modeled after one of her own idols, Kelly Clarkson — but that she's a bit nervous to be following in the wake of Clarkson and Carrie Underwood's success. "They've risen the bar so high and I'm like, 'I hope I can reach it,' " she said. "Hopefully [my LP will] sell well and people will like it." ...

The runner-up to Sparks, Blake Lewis, is following suit — he just signed to 19 Recordings/ Arista and is planning to drop his first album late this year as well. Hit-maker du jour J.R. Rotem is already on board for the effort. ...

It's no McDonald's parking-lot tour, but Missy Elliott will be featured in a new Doritos ad campaign debuting September 17, Billboard.com reports. In the clip, she is seen working on a new song and snacking on Doritos Collision, different-flavored chips that spur her to fuse a little country into her hip-hop track. A contest to be held on SnackStrongProductions.com will allow visitors to create their own mash-ups using Elliott's track, although the prizes have yet to be determined. The site also features a help section in which Elliott will give tips. ...

Listen up, punk-rockers: Unreleased and rare tracks by Panic! at the Disco, Gym Class Heroes, the Used, Cute Is What We Aim For, Sparta, Head Automatica and more fill up Press Play: Volume 1, a new comp that was put together by Photo Finish and Alternative Press. A portion of the proceeds from the September 25 release will go to the Keep a Breast Foundation, a nonprofit organization that fights breast cancer. ...

The Disney Channel will air a special dance-along version of "High School Musical 2" on September 8 at 8 p.m. ET, People reports. Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and other castmembers will instruct viewers on how to mimic their dance moves during the opening and closing numbers. ... Russell Simmons has stepped down from his post as CEO of Phat Fashions, the company he founded in 1992 that spawned Phat Farm clothing. "I leave the division and the brand in great hands. There are so many things I want to achieve, and this is the appropriate moment for me to move on to my next business venture," the hip-hop mogul said in a statement. ...

Mos Def is sounding off about José Padilla, the Guantánamo detainee who was convicted earlier this week of supporting terrorism. "We all know the history of insufficient evidence or testimony under duress — at the very least, legal circumstances that demand some sort of reinvestigation ... basically saying these people are not the criminals they're being made out to be," he told The Associated Press on Thursday. Mos Def will participate this weekend in the 10th annual Black August benefit concert at New York's Nokia Theatre. The event serves to create awareness about people who its organizers, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, believe have been unfairly convicted — Talib Kweli, Saigon and Dead Prez are also on the bill. ...

Music, martial arts and chess ... how could members of the Wu-Tang Clan not be involved? RZA and GZA are participating in the Hip-Hop Chess Foundation's first-ever Chess Kings Invitational, set for October 13 at the San Francisco Design Center. The rappers will talk on the tournament's Life Strategies panel about how music, martial arts and chess — activities the organization uses to promote nonviolence — have affected their lives. ...

Muse have plotted a handful of September dates with Juliette and the Licks: Seattle (September 9); Portland, Oregon (September 10); Orem, Utah (September 12); Dallas (September 16); Morrison, Colorado (September 18); Mesa, Arizona (September 20); and Irvine, California (September 21). Muse will also hit the San Diego Street Scene on September 22. ... Ben Kweller just squeezed out a new seven-track live EP, Ben Kweller: Live and Solo at the Artists Den, that was recorded December 13 at New York's Solo House. The disc of rarely performed songs is available now at digital outlets. ...

System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian will shoot a video for "Praise the Lord, Pass the Ammunition," from the rocker's solo debut, Elect the Dead, at an undisclosed venue in Hollywood next week with director Greg Watermann (Mudvayne, Lamb of God). Extras are needed for the video — those interested in auditioning can e-mail Watermann at serjvideo@gregwatermann.com. ... The track list for Thrice's upcoming LP The Alchemy Index: Vols. I & II - Fire & Water has been revealed. Fire will boast six cuts, including "The Messenger," "Backdraft" and "Burn the Fleet"; Water will also contain six tunes, among them "Open Water," "Night Diving" and "Kings Upon the Main." Look for the discs to hit stores October 16. ...

A writer/producer who worked on "In Living Color" and created Nickelodeon's "Roundhouse" is suing the Walt Disney Company, claiming it stole his idea for "Hannah Montana," Reuters reports. In the suit, Morris Taylor "Buddy" Sheffield says he pitched Disney Channel executives the idea for a kids' show about a high school student who leads a secret life as a pop star. Sheffield also claims Disney could owe him and his production company millions in lost profits and damages, and he wants compensation for legal fees. A Disney Channel spokesperson told the news service the network had no comment. ...

Kirsten Dunst's penthouse suite at a hotel in Manhattan, New York, was robbed earlier this month, according to court records obtained by AP. Thieves got away with a $13,000 handbag, cell phone, $2,500 in cash, an iPod, two digital cameras and ID cards belonging to the actress, who had been in the city to shoot scenes for her upcoming flick "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People." One suspect was arraigned Wednesday on burglary and grand-larceny charges, and is being held on $50,000 bond. ...

Hellyeah — the band featuring members of Mudvayne, Pantera and Nothingface — are on the hunt for a dozen women they'd like to act as their "Hellyeah girls." The winners will be featured in the band's 2008 calendar — to enter, contestants need to post an audition video to Break.com and send a link to the clip to hellyeahtv@gmail.com. ... The Dillinger Escape Plan will headline a U.S. tour this fall set to kick off October 4 in Cleveland, Ohio. Just five dates have been confirmed, but more will be announced in the coming weeks. The trek will also feature A Life Once Lost, Behold ... the Arctopus and Genghis Tron. Dillinger's forthcoming LP, Ire Works, lands in stores November 13. ...

The resurrected Jesus & Mary Chain are heading back to the studio to record their first studio album in nine years. The band will also treat four West Coast cities to more concerts: Las Vegas (October 20); Anaheim, California (October 22); Los Angeles (October 23) and San Francisco (October 26-27). ... Queen guitarist Brian May has finished his doctorate in a crazy little thing called astrophysics — he was awarded his Imperial College qualification on Thursday in London. May had been an astrophysics student before joining the band 37 years ago but dropped out as Queen became successful. His thesis? "Radical Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud." ...

Ted Nugent is at it again. The controversial right-wing rocker went on a profanity-spewed tirade at a concert last week, according to video footage posted on LiveLeak.com. With machine guns in his hands, a camouflaged Nugent yelled, "Obama, he's a piece of sh--, and I told him to suck on my machine gun. ... And then I was in New York. I said, 'Hey Hillary, you might want to ride one of these into the sunset.' " He also went off on Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer before saying, "Any questions?" and shouting, "Freedom!"

08.23.07

In one minute, out the next: Nicole Richie checked herself into the Century Regional Facility in Lynwood, California, on Thursday (August 23) to start serving her DUI sentence — only to find herself checking out less than an hour and a half later due to overcrowding. Richie had been sentenced to serve four days in jail. "At this time, the criteria for a female arrestee sentenced to 30 days or less for a nonviolent offense is as follows: the arrestee is booked, screened and usually released within 12 hours," the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a press release issued to MTV News. "This procedure is based on jail overcrowding to manage population levels mandated by federal court guidelines. Based on the mandated guidelines and Ms. Richie's 96 hours sentence, she will be treated in the same manner as other inmates with a similar sentence." The jail is the same one where Paris Hilton served a portion of her DUI sentence. ...

The Kelly Clarkson train is slowly getting back on the tracks. After the early-summer one-two punch of dumping her manager and canceling the tour in support of My December, the singer has booked the first two shows of what is expected to be a fall/winter outing. The dates — an October 10 show at Verona, New York's Turning Stone casino and another on October 15 at New York's Beacon Theater — are in venues decidedly smaller than some of the arenas Clarkson had been originally booked to hit as part of her scotched 35-date summer tour. The full itinerary for her rescheduled trek is expected in two weeks, according to a management spokesperson. ...

Justin Timberlake is joining the cast of "The Love Guru," a sports comedy starring Mike Myers, Verne Troyer and Jessica Alba. The Myers-produced film is set to begin production next month in Toronto and tentatively be released in theaters June 20. Timberlake will play a hockey player tangled in a love triangle with the top player on a team owned by Alba. ...

Though she's not likely to attend the ceremony given her doctor's orders to take a break from touring and making appearances for the rest of the year, Amy Winehouse is one of the leading nominees for England's Music of Black Origin awards with four nominations for Best U.K. Female, Best R&B Act, Best Video and Best Song for "Rehab." Also nominated for four awards is rapper Dizzee Rascal. The show will take place September 19 at the O2 arena in London, with the winner chosen by a tally of public votes on the event's Web site. A number of American acts are also nominated, among them Kanye West, Common and 50 Cent in the Best Hip-Hop category; and Amerie, Robin Thicke and Ne-Yo, who will battle Winehouse in the Best Song category. Rihanna has a pair of nominations, including one for Best International Act, in which she'll face off against Diddy, Akon and T.I.. ...

In related news, Paolo Nutini has reshuffled his tour plans following news that tour partner Winehouse tabled her U.S. trek until next year. The Scottish singer/songwriter's jaunt will now run from September 7 in Buffalo, New York, through October 28 in New Orleans. "I'll be thinking a good thought for her, she is a remarkable talent. In the meantime, I'm truly excited about this upcoming tour of North America — I guarantee it will be my best yet," Nutini said in a statement. ...

Rapper Saigon was arrested at 1:45 a.m. on Wednesday in New York on Manhattan's West Side after police stopped him for a traffic violation and allegedly found a switchblade-like knife in the car console. According to his lawyer Scott Leemon, the rapper (born Brian Daniel Carenard) was pulled over while driving someone else's car in what Leemon called "another example of NY's finest targeting a member of the rap and entertainment industry ... the small pocket knife was found in a console in the car, not in his possession. As such, I am hoping after further investigation this will be another example of a rapper being wrongfully arrested." Because of a prior felony assault charge, the weapon-possession charge was bumped up to a felony, according to Leemon. Saigon was released on $1,500 bail and is due in court again December 5. ...

On the hunt for killer B-sides? How about Killers B-sides? The band — which put out its last studio album, Sam's Town, less than a year ago — is planning to pump out a rarities disc before the end of the year, Brandon Flowers recently told Billboard.com. The band's cover of Joy Division's "Shadowplay," rendition of Mel Tillis' "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" and "Spider-Man 3" soundtrack contribution "Move Away" are all on the tentative track list, which may include new material. The Killers have also teed up a different new song for release December 1: "Don't Shoot Me Santa," the band's next Christmas charity single for the Red Campaign. "Last year we were able to raise over $100,000 from the one song ['A Great Big Sled'], and hopefully we'll be able to do it again," Flowers said. ...

The Decemberists aren't planning just any old tour — on their upcoming trek, dubbed "The Long and Short of It," the indie-rockers will mix it up by playing at least two nights in 13 cities. They're also parsing the trek into "long" and "short" shows — the former ones will showcase their poppier material and the latter gigs will revolve around the band's epic songs. The jaunt runs from October 28 in Chicago through December 9 in Seattle. The Decemberists have also slapped together a new EP — The Perfect Crime #2 drops September 25 and features four tracks, including a remix by Junior Boys. ... Morrissey's tour plans are perhaps even more ambitious: For what is expected to be his last sweep through the States for a while, he'll hole up in Los Angeles for a marathon 10-night stand at the Palladium (October 1-13), play a four-night stand at San Francisco's Fillmore and a five-night one at New York's' Hammerstein Ballroom (October 28). Dates for the full trek are from September 21 (Las Vegas) through November 4 (Atlanta). ... Last but not least, Bright Eyes have beefed up their tour regiment, stretching their run from September 13 in Denver through November 19 in New York. ...

Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore doesn't have too many kind words to say about Avril Lavigne and John Mayer these days — although he's got plenty of respect for a certain avant-garde legend and another classic-rock hero. "I am playing with Yoko Ono, and she's well past 70 and she rocks," he told Spin for the magazine's September issue. "Neil Young rocks. It's certainly not John Mayer or Avril Lavigne. Those people don't rock. If that's the young generation in the culture, then [forget] it. In the underground, the old guys are cool. I like the fact that the older we get the more we can rock." ... Ramones fans, get ready to be bombarded: More than four hours of unreleased and rare concert material is being piled onto "It's Alive 1974-1996," a double-DVD set poised for an October 2 release. With performances of a whopping 118 songs, the set is highlighted by unissued video footage of the band's New Year's Eve 1977 gig at London's Rainbow Theatre — the show was previously captured in audio form, as the band's noted It's Alive live album. ...

Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder will perform at the world premiere of the Iraq war documentary "Body of War" at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11. The movie, which tells the story of paralyzed Iraq war vet Tomas Young — who appeared on stage with PJ at Lollapalooza — features two new songs written by Vedder, "No More" and "Long Nights." ... Talk about product placement. Southern-rap-news Web site MemphisRap.com claims Master P and his son Romeo have teamed up with T-Mobile to promote the new Sidekick LX by writing a song called "Sidekick" for their upcoming Miller Boyz album, due September 4 on P's new profanity-free label, Take a Stand Records. ... Fred Durst is in negotiations to direct "Comeback," an inspirational Pop Warner football drama starring Ice Cube, according to The Hollywood Reporter. ...

Samuel L. Jackson will emcee Save the Children's 75th anniversary event at New York's Lincoln Center on September 6. The event, to feature a performance by Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, will also serve as a tribute to former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, as well as Melinda Gates, for their humanitarian efforts. ... If you have tickets to see enigmatic metal-masked rapper MF Doom anytime soon and the guy onstage doesn't look, or even sound like, the Super Villain you know and love, you might be onto something. Bloggers have been abuzz over the past week about several recent West Coast Doom shows that have reportedly featured an impostor taking the stage in place of the rapper and performing (some say lip-synching) in Doom's place. The first sign that something was up, according to a fan who wrote into the Byron Crawford blog, was that cameras at a recent San Francisco show were strictly prohibited. The disgruntled fan wrote that Doom appeared 100 pounds lighter than usual during the 20-minute headlining performance. A spokesperson for Doom had no comment. ...

A forensics expert backed up defense claims made in the Phil Spector murder trial — and refuted by a prosecution witness on Wednesday — that Lana Clarkson might have continued breathing after she was shot at the music producer's mansion. Prosecutors sparred with the expert, Dr. Werner Spitz, afterward. ... The biggest ticketing agency in the country and the world's biggest concert promoter appear headed for a breakup. According to reports in Hits magazine online and Variety, internal documents about the negotiations from Ticketmaster said it is "doubtful" that Live Nation will renew its agreement with Ticketmaster when their current agreement expires at the end of this year. The loss of the Live Nation business, which Variety said accounted for about 15-20 percent of Ticketmaster's U.S. business in 2006, could mean Live Nation is gearing up to launch its own ticketing venture.

[This story was originally published at 8:00 pm E.T. on 8.23.2007]

• System of a Down
• Thrice
• Hellyeah
• Dillinger Escape Plan
• The Joseph & Mary Chain

Johnny Depp
Photo: Peter Kramer/ Getty Images

A popular T-shirt proclaims, "Music is what feelings sound like." But if you really want to know what feelings sound like, you may be just as well off asking an actor, not a musician.

After the monumental successes of "Walk the Line" and "Ray," stars from Johnny Depp to Mike Myers are lining up for roles in musical biopics. For actors, starring in one of these films is like a four-part symphony: part critical acclaim, part instant credibility, part box-office bang and part awards-season appeal. The chance for an Oscar winner and a #1 film all in one is music to Hollywood's ears, so it comes as no surprise that we're in for a lot more musical biopics.

Crank your stereo and sing your favorite tune — films based on the lives of these legendary singers are coming your way:

Freddie Mercury
"Pirates of the Caribbean" star Johnny Depp is in early talks to play the late Queen frontman in a biopic being produced by Robert De Niro's Tribeca Productions. He is the "perfect choice," said Jeffrey Shapiro, drummer for Queen tribute band Under Pressure.

"I always had [in mind] somebody with a theatrical background. Not just to wear the costumes, but to wear the actual vibe of Freddie Mercury," Shapiro said. "Depp's such a likable guy. The fact that he used Keith Richards [as inspiration] for 'Pirates' — you can't go wrong."

Shapiro believes Depp and Mercury have a lot in common. "They are unique in a way. They carry themselves regally but always deliver," he said. "A bit foppish at times, but you never have any question that they are good."

Joey Ramone
Variety has reported that "I Slept With Joey Ramone," an authorized biography of the late Ramones frontman written by his brother, Mickey Leigh, was recently optioned by Rory Rosegarten, a producer best known for his work on "Everybody Loves Raymond." The option gives Rosegarten complete access to the singer's estate and to the band's punk-rock catalog.

Celebrated as one of the greatest rock bands of all time (in a recent Rolling Stone poll they came in second only to the Beatles), the Ramones' popularity has continued to grow in recent years, a fact that Lauren Faccidomo of the all-girl tribute band the Ramonas attributes to their universal appeal. "They weren't bigger than life, they were average guys from New York," said the Los Angeles musician. "Their music was so catchy and simple and fun — it really crossed genres."

Life imitated art imitating life for Adrian Grenier when a ploy by his "Entourage" character, Vincent Chase, to star in a Joey Ramone biopic led to rumors that the actor was being considered for an actual film biography of the seminal rocker. While no one would confirm or deny Grenier's involvement, Faccidomo thinks Hollywood should look elsewhere.

"People know Joey by the way he looks. He's a weird-looking guy," she laughed. "Honestly, in body type and looks, Howard Stern is hands down Joey Ramone."

Keith Moon
Mike Myers hasn't starred in a live-action movie since 2003's "The Cat in the Hat," but the "Austin Powers" comic has three slated for 2008, including a Donald Margulies-scripted biopic of Who drummer Keith Moon, produced by Moon's bandmate Roger Daltrey. "Roger's dream has always been to have Mike do the role," Nigel Sinclair, co-producer of the flick, told The New York Times. "He saw Mike as the creative force for pulling the project together, with help from us."

Janis Joplin
Director Penelope Spheeris and star Zooey Deschanel will bring the tragic story of the famous rock chanteuse to the big screen in 2008 with The film was originally slated to star Pink and come out in 2005, to coincide with the 35th anniversary of Joplin's death (see "Both Janis Joplin Biopics Still In The Works — Sorta").

Lauren Bernal, lead singer of the tribute band the Kozmic Blues Band, says she hopes filmmakers portray all sides of the singer's life. "They need to do the whole story, not just all the negative stuff," Bernal said, referencing Joplin's infamous battle with heroin addiction. "She wanted a family life, the white picket fence, the kids. Things didn't go well, and she [eventually] said to hell with it."

In a further challenge to the filmmakers, Bernal argued that you can't act your way to being Janis. "It takes a lot out of you — doing Janis is high-energy," she said. "It's all about who you are. That voice of hers, that raspiness — it's natural. There's nothing fake about it."

Dusty Springfield
Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth, best known for her portrayal of Glinda the Good Witch in the Tony Award-winning "Wicked," will star as Dusty Springfield in a biopic currently in development for Universal Pictures. The film is being scripted and helmed by Jessica Sharzer, a director whose work includes episodes of "The L Word." Springfield's career spanned four decades and peaked with 1969's "Son of a Preacher Man." The British soul singer succumbed to cancer in 1999, 10 days before she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Bob Dylan
The times, they are a-changin' — but not as quickly as the actors. The Weinstein Company recently announced that it has acquired the rights to Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There," a Bob Dylan biopic in which six different actors — including Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere and Cate Blanchett — portray the legendary singer.

"[It] has been an extraordinary opportunity, bringing Bob Dylan's life and work to the screen," Haynes said. "It has attracted the best talent in film and music."

Haynes isn't kidding. Other actors in the movie include Julianne Moore, David Cross and Michelle Williams. The film also boasts an eagerly awaited soundtrack, which will include more than 40 cover versions of Dylan's most famous work.

"Bob Dylan has lived an unbelievable and at times elusive life," Company Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein said. "He has countless fans who will now be able to really gain insight into his fascinating life."

The Parody
With so many musical biopics in the pipeline, it shouldn't surprise anyone that a spoof is on the way. The salvos, however, are coming not from the usual suspects but from "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" director Judd Apatow and John C. Reilly. Directed by Jake Kasdan, "Walk Hard" follows Dewey Cox, a character Reilly describes as "an amalgamation of Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings." "[The film is a] goof on movies like 'Beyond the Sea,' 'Walk the Line,' 'Ray,' 'The Commitments' and 'Great Balls of Fire,' the actor said. "We're having some fun with the musical biopics. We've been recording music for it, and it's quite an ambitious, crazy project."

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• Flick'd: Pitch-Perfect Movie Music

• Queen
• The Who
• Bob Dylan
• Janis Joplin
• The Ramones

Paul Wall's <i>The People's Champ</i>
Photo: Atlantic / Wea

Twice Tippin': Houston's scorching hip-hop scene might finally reach its tipping point this week with Paul Wall's much-ballyhooed major-label debut, The People's Champ. A limited-edition config couples the standard disc with a chopped-and-screwed version, but if you're living on the cheap this week, the chopped-and-screwed mix will be released separately on September 27. Songs include: "I'm a Playa" (featuring Three 6 Mafia), "So Many Diamonds" (featuring T.I.) and "Internet Going Nutz."

Meow Music: The purr-lesque Pussycat Dolls sashay into record bins at last this week, hoping Busta's rhymes on their "Don't Cha" single will help them scratch their way into the top five. Top-shelf producer Ron Fair spices up the Dolls' PCD with some Wurlitzer piano, and the PCD Orchestra nibbles here and there. Songs include: "Wait a Minute" (with Timbaland), "Beep" (with Will.I.Am) and "Tainted Love/ Where Did Our Love Go."

Mac Attack: A somber, gray cover photo adorns Paul McCartney's Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, but it's still a lot more attractive than the heavily pixilated art that muddied up 2001's Driving Rain (which prompted a re-release for that reason). A special edition of Chaos — this one in red and with no photo — has a doc, studio cuts, instrumentals and more. Songs include: "Jenny Wren," "Riding to Vanity Fair" and "English Tea."

Stepping It Up: Switchfoot have poured their love of Dylan, the Shins and harmonica into Nothing Is Sound, and they muse about everything from "social entropy" to democracy. Fans should switch over to the video side of the DualDisc, which has some in-the-studio stuff. Songs include: "The Shadow Proves the Sunshine," "Happy Is a Yuppie Word" and "Lonely Nation."

Mind the Gap: Like the Democrat running for 96th House District in the Ohio Congress, Charlie Wilson of Gap Band fame is also actively seeking support. He found some as of late in R. Kelly, Justin Timberlake and Will.I.Am, all of whom appear on Charlie, Last Name Wilson. Tracks include "Floatin' " (with Timberlake), a remake of the Guy ballad "Let's Chill" and the dancefloor banger "So Hot."

Welcome Back, Rockers: Gavin Rossdale returns with new project Institute and their debut, Distort Yourself; "Flagpole Sitta" breakthrough bygones Harvey Danger issue King James Version;Spin Doctors make a "WTF?"-like return with their first album in six years, Nice Talking to Me; and last but certainly not least, the fittingly named double-disc Return of the Champions finds Queen revisiting 27 ballpark and arena faves with Bad Company crooner Paul Rodgers.

We're in the Money: Pink Floyd fans will be thrilled this week, what with David Gilmour — in the flesh — helping B.B. King celebrate his milestone birthday on 80. (Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, Eric Clapton and Elton John also help with the candles.) Also, prog meisters Adrian Belew (King Crimson) and Alan White (Yes) salute Floyd with a two-disc tribute, Back Against the Wall; and Dar Williams and Ani DiFranco lift their lighters for a cover of "Comfortably Numb," featured on Williams' My Better Self.

Song Titles of the Week:

The honor this week goes to Sigur Rós, who can't seem to get enough of this imaginary "Hopelandic" dialect of theirs. Takk ... features the title track, "Glosoli," "Hoppipolla," "Mea Bloanasir," "Se Lest," "Seaglopur," "Milano," "Gong," "Andvari," "Svo Hljott" and " Heysatan."

Other notables:

Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley's Welcome to Jamrock and DJ Quik's Trauma: While these two disparate artists don't have a beef we're aware of, who'd get the TKO if they did? The youngest Marley son has Nas, Bobby Brown, Black Thought and Eek-a-Mouse in his corner; revered hip-hop vet Quik's got Game, Ludacris, Wyclef Jean, Chingy, Nate Dogg, B-Real, Jodeci and T.I. Set, point, match: Quik.

Dandy Warhols' Odditorium or Warlords of Mars: Although expectations couldn't be higher for an album with a title like this, the Dandys had to scrap a bonus DVD they'd planned on including with the release. "For reasons we cannot mention, [the DVD] was scrapped by someone in the department called 'legal,' " they posted on their Web site, adding that they might wind up selling the thing themselves. (As it is, you can watch the whole program on DandyWarhols.com.)

Cave In's Perfect Pitch Black: After a short-lived affair with RCA, Boston bashers Cave In are circling back to their original label, Hydra Head, and original metalcore sound — which has become, well, something of a phenomenon since Cave In turned to a softer, more prog-oriented sound. If you're interest is piqued, head over to PerfectPitchBlack.com, where they're streaming the album — all 10,000 decibels of it.

New Releases:

• A Dozen Furies - A Concept From Fire (Sanctuary)
• Jon Philip Alman - When You Get Home (LML)
• Shawn Amos - Thank You Shirl-ee May: A Love Story (DualDisc; Shout! Factory)
• Antigone Rising - From the Ground Up (Lava)
• Aphasia - Fact & Fiction (DRT)
• Apollo Sunshine - Apollo Sunshine (spinART)
• Baby Mongoose - Enter the Baby Mongoose (Dionysus)
• Badi Assad - Verde (Deutsche Grammophon)
• Bag - Bag (Sanctuary)
• Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow (XL/Beggars)
• Cecilia Bartoli - Opera Proibida (Decca)
• Baumer - Come on, Feel It (Astro Magnetics)
• David Benoit - Orchestral Stories (Peak)
• Steve Blanchard - Northbound Train (LML)
• Blue Rodeo - Are You Ready (Rounder)
• Blues Traveler - ¡Bastardos! (Vanguard)
  Buy Now: ¡Bastardos! (Vanguard)
• Michael Bolton - Til the End of Forever (Passion Group)
  Buy Now: Til the End of Forever (Passion Group)
• The Bomb - Indecision (Thick)
• Brakes - Give Blood (Rough Trade)
• Brides of Destruction - Runaway Brides (Shrapnel)
• Pieta Brown - In the Cool (Valley Entertainment)
• Dee Dee Bridgewater - J'ai Deux Amours (Sovereign Artists)
• Cantoma - Cantoma (Quango)
• Cave In - Perfect Pitch Black (Hydra Head)
• Sam Champion - Slow Rewind (Razor & Tie)
• Tracy Chapman - Where You Live (Elektra)
  Buy Now: Where You Live (Elektra)
• Cherry Monroe - The Good, the Bad & the Beautiful (Universal)
• Choppa - Da Real Choppa (Body Head Entertainment)
• CocoRosie - Noah's Ark (Touch & Go)
• Dana Cooper - Made of Mud (Virtual Label)
• Dandy Warhols - Odditorium or Warlords of Mars (Capitol)
• Doug Cox & Sam Hurrie - Hungry Ghosts (Northern Blues)
• Cranes - Particles & Waves (with bonus DVD; Manifesto)
• Dengue Fever - Escape From DragonHouse (M80)
• Diamond Nights - Popsicle (Kemado)
• DJ Quik - Trauma (Mad Science)
  Buy Now: Trauma (Mad Science)
• The Double - Loose in the Air (Matador)
• Ebony Eyez - 7 Day Cycle (Capitol)
• The Enlightened Family - A Collection of Lost Love Songs (Voodoo-Eros)
• Eugene Edwards - My Favorite Revolution (Flagship)
• Tim Fite - Gone Ain't Gone (Anti-)
• Jack Foster III - RaptorGnosis (Muse Wrapped)
• The Fray - How to Save a Life (Epic)
• Freakwater - Freakwater Is ... Thinking of You (Thrill Jockey)
• From Monument to Masses - Schools of Thought Contend (Dim Mak)
• Gas Huffer - Lemonade for Vampires (Estrus)
• Howe Gelb - Arizona Amp and Alternator (Thrill Jockey)
• Giant Drag - Hearts and Unicorns (Kickball)
• Gio - Gio (Universal Latino)
• Go Betty Go - Nothing Is More (Side One Dummy)
• David Gray - Life in Slow Motion (ATO/RCA)
  Buy Now: Life in Slow Motion (ATO/RCA)
• Brian Lane Green - Waiting for the Glaciers to Melt (LML)
• Carlos Guitarlos - Hell Can Wait (Nomad)
• Mats Gustafsson and David Stackenas - Blues (Atavistic)
• Harvey Danger - Little by Little (Phonographic)
  Read: "Remember 'Flagpole Sitta'? Harvey Danger Return"
• Annie Hayden - The Enemy of Love (Merge)
• H.I.M. - Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666 (Universal)
• HorrorPops - Bring It On! (Hellcat)
• Institute - Distort Yourself (Interscope)
  Read: "Gwen To Holla Back On Gavin Rossdale's Muscular New LP"
• Iron & Wine/ Calexico - In the Reins (EP; Overcoat)
• Jacknife - Moment of Reckoning (Zero Sum)
• Jessy - Rain (Water Music)
• John 5 - Songs for Sanity (Shrapnel)
• Marc Johnson - Shades of Jade (ECM)
• Syleena Johnson - Chapter 3: The Flesh (Jive)
• George Jones - Hits I Missed ... And One I Didn't (Bandit)
• The Juliana Theory - Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat (limited edition; Paper Fist/Abacus)
• Eugene Kelly - Man Alive (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
• B.B. King & Friends - 80 (Geffen)
• KMFDM - Hau Ruck (Metropolis)
• Lake Trout - Not Them, You (Palm Pictures)
• The Like - Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? (Geffen)
• Little Brother - The Minstrel Show (Atlantic)
• Lonestar - Coming Home (BNA)
• Patty Loveless - Dreaming My Dreams (Epic)
• Manfred Mann's Earth Band - 2006 (Friday)
• Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley - Welcome to Jamrock (Universal)
• Paul McCartney - Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (Capitol)
  Buy Now: Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (Capitol)
• Mr. Greenweedz & G. Riot - G-Strings (All Natural Inc)
• Nada Surf - The Weight Is a Gift (Barsuk)
• Neon Blonde - Chandeliers in the Savannah (Dim Mak)
• Numbers - We're Animals (Kill Rock Stars)
• OOIOO - Gold and Green (Thrill Jockey)
• Lorenzo Owens - After the Show (D-Town)
• John Parish - Once Upon a Little Time (Thrill Jockey)
• Maceo Parker - School's In! (BHM)
• Jimmy Ponder - What's New (High Note)
• Princess Superstar - My Machine (!K7)
• Pussycat Dolls - PCD (A&M)
  Read: "Pussycat Dolls: The New Spice Girls?"
• Queen + Paul Rodgers - Return of the Champions (two-disc live set; Hollywood)
  Buy Now: Return of the Champions (Hollywood)
• Bonnie Raitt - Souls Alike (Capitol)
  Buy Now: Souls Alike (Capitol)
• Rasputina - A Radical Recital (live; Virtual Label)
• The Reigning Sound - Home for Orphans (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
• Rosebuds - Birds Make Good Neighbors (Merge)
• Charlie Sexton - Cruel and Gentle Things (enhanced; Back Porch)
• Sigur Rós - Takk ... (Geffen)
  Buy Now: Takk ... (Geffen)
• Simple Minds - Black & White 050505 (Sanctuary)
  Buy Now: Black & White 050505 (Sanctuary)
• Skarp - Requiem (Alternative Tentacles)
• Mercedes Sosa - Corazón Libre (Deutsche Grammophon)
• Smif 'N' Wessum - Reloaded (enhanced; Duck Down)
• Soulive - Breakout (Concord)
• Spin Doctors - Nice Talking to Me (RuffNation)
• Steep Canyon Rangers - One Dime at a Time (Rebel)
• Stellastarr* - Harmonies for the Haunted (RCA)
• Bob Stenson, Anders Jormin, Paul Motian - Goodbye (ECM)
• Stretch Arm Strong - Free at Last (We Put Out)
• Stacy Sullivan - Cold Enough to Snow (LML)
• The Sun - Blame It on the Youth (Warner Bros.)
• Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft (XL/Beggars)
• Switchfoot - Nothing Is Sound (DualDisc; Columbia)
  Read: "Switchfoot Look Like California Raisins After Video Shoot"
  Buy Now: Nothing Is Sound (Columbia)
• Rosie Thomas - If Songs Could Be Held (Sub Pop)
• Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté - In the Heart of the Moon (Nonesuch)
• Turn Me on Dead Man - God Bless the Electric Freak (Alternative Tentacles)
• Trapt - Someone in Control (Warner Bros.)
• U-God - Mr. Xcitement (Free Agency Media)
• The Vandermark 5 - The Color of Memory (Atavistic)
• Paul Wall - The People's Champ (Atlantic)
  Read: "Paul Wall Puts His Album Aside To Help Hurricane Survivors"
  Buy Now: The People's Champ (Atlantic)
• Dar Williams - My Better Self (Razor & Tie)
• Charlie Wilson - Charlie, Last Name Wilson (Jive)
  Read: "R. Kelly Is Worth Waiting For, 'Uncle' Charlie Wilson Learns"
  Buy Now: Charlie, Last Name Wilson (Jive)
• CeCe Winans - Purified (Epic)
• Wooden Wand & the Vanishing Voice - Buck Dharma (5 Rue Christine)
• Xbxrx- Sixth in Senses (Polyvinyl)
• Trisha Yearwood - Jasper County (MCA Nashville)
• Various artists - Cry Wolf (with Bloc Party, Cake, Low, others; Lakeshore)
• Various artists - Back Against the Wall (Pink Floyd tribute; Cleopatra)
• Various artists - Mean It Man (Thick)
• Various artists - Music Is My Art (Ubiquity)
• Various artists - Old Skars and Upstarts (Disaster)
• Various artists - We Reach: The Music of the Melvins (Fractured Transmitter Recording)
• Various artists - "Elizabethtown" soundtrack (RCA)
  Read: "Cameron Crowe Requests My Morning Jacket 'Freebird' For Film"
• Various artists - "Just Like Heaven" soundtrack (Columbia)
• Various artists - "Thumbsucker" soundtrack (Hollywood)
  Read: "Elliott Smith, Polyphonics Bring Balance To 'Thumbsucker' Soundtrack"

Notable reissues:

• Joan Baez - Blessed Are ... (Vanguard)
• Joan Baez - One Day at a Time (Vanguard)
• Dieter Scherf Trio - Inside-Outside Reflections (Atavistic)
• Donovan - Try for the Sun: The Journey of Donovan (three-CD box set with DVD; Epic/Legacy)
• The Ex - Singles. Period. The Vinyl Years 1980-1990 (Touch & Go)
• Jimi Hendrix - 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection (Experience Hendrix/ Universal)
  Buy Now: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection (Universal)
• Jefferson Starship - Red Octopus (with bonus tracks; RCA)
• Elton John - Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy - Deluxe Edition (Island)
• B.B. King - Original Greatest Hits (Capitol/EMI)
• Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Criminal Tango (with bonus tracks; Friday)
• Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Somewhere in Afrika (with bonus tracks; Friday)
• Barry Manilow - The Complete Collection and Then Some ... (box set; Arista)
• Motörhead - Bomber and No Remorse (deluxe editions; Sanctuary)
• Shattered Realm - Broken Ties ... Spoken Lies ... (new track, new cover, remastered; Eulogy)
• Sonic Youth - Goo - Deluxe Edition (with bonus disc; Geffen)
• Today Is the Day - Sadness Will Prevail & Live Till You Die (Relapse)
• Van Zant - Get Right With the Man (DualDisc; Sony Nashville)
• The Warriors - War Is Hell Redux (two new studio tracks; enhanced video; remixed and remastered; Eulogy)
• Buckwheat Zydeco - 100% Fortified Zydeco (Shout! Factory)
• Various artists - Keats Rides a Harley (Warning Label)
• Various artists - "Friday: 10th Anniversary Edition" soundtrack (two CDs; Priority)

DVDs:

• Chesterfield Kings - "Where Is Chesterfield King?!?!" (Music Video Distributors)
• Dance Hall Crashers - "Live! At House of Blues L.A." (Kung Fu Films)
• Genesis - "The Video Show" (Rhino)
• Jimi Hendrix - "Live at Woodstock" (two DVDs; Experience Hendrix/ Universal)
• Led Zeppelin - "Inside Led Zeppelin: 1968-1980" (Classic Rock Legends)
• Lydia Lunch - "Willing Victim" (Music Video Distributors)
• Samhain - "Live 1984 - Stardust Ballroom" (Music Video Distributors)
• "The Dick Cavett Show: Ray Charles Collection" (Shout! Factory)
• "Metallimania" (Plastic Head)
• "The Work of Director Anton Corbijn" (Palm Pictures)
• "The Work of Director Mark Romanek" (Palm Pictures)

Coming Attractions:

September 20:

• David Banner - Certified (Universal)
  Buy Now: Certified (Universal)
• Coheed and Cambria - Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness (Columbia Records)
• Disturbed - Ten Thousand Fists (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Disturbed Songs Will Be 'United In Anger' On Third Album"

September 27:

• Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Jacksonville City Nights (Lost Highway)
• Sheryl Crow - Wildflower (A&M)
  Buy Now: Wildflower (A&M)
• Lil Kim - The Naked Truth (Atlantic)
  Read: "Lil' Kim's Wrath For 50, Foxy Has No Bounds On Naked Truth"
  Buy Now: The Naked Truth (Atlantic)

October 4:

• Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine (DualDisc; Epic)
  Read: "Fiona Apple's Long-Delayed LP Slotted For October 4 Release"
  Buy Now: Extraordinary Machine (Epic)
• Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better (Epic)
  Read: "Set A Man On Fire, Name Next LP — Franz Ferdinand Do Whatever They Want"
  Buy Now: You Could Have It So Much Better (Epic)
• Nickelback - All the Right Reasons (Roadrunner)
  Read: "Nickelback Go The John Mellencamp Route For New Video"
  Buy Now: All the Right Reasons (Roadrunner)

• Paul Wall
• Pussycat Dolls
• Switchfoot
• Paul McCartney
• Sigur Rós

Queen's Freddie Mercury (file)
Photo: Getty Images

When My Chemical Romance and the Used collaborated earlier this year on a version of Queen and David Bowie's 1982 hit "Under Pressure," they had no idea they'd wind up inspiring Queen's label to kick-start a long-discussed Queen tribute album. But when the single debuted at #54 on the Billboard Hot 100, the staff at Hollywood Records started buzzing.

"It proved that a cover version of a Queen song could be a big hit," says Geoffrey Weiss, vice president of A&R at the label. "The combination of that and the fact that Queen were planning a tour made us go, 'OK, now's the time to do this.' "

Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen comes out Tuesday and features 16 artists from a variety of genres, including R&B, pop, rock, punk, alternative and metal. Highlights include Jason Mraz doing "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy," Shinedown tackling "Tie Your Mother Down," Joss Stone taking on "Under Pressure," Sum 41 nailing "Killer Queen," and "American Idol" contestant Constantine Maroulis and the Flaming Lips performing radically different versions of "Bohemian Rhapsody."

The Maroulis track, performed with the London cast of the Queen musical "We Will Rock You," is faithful to the original and similar to the one Maroulis performed on "American Idol" (see " 'Idol' Covers Paying Off For Gavin DeGraw, Los Lonely Boys"). The track will be the first song on the disc to go to radio. The Flaming Lips' take on the tune, by contrast, is more haunting and textural, filled with layered keyboard effects, wobbly guitars and demented vocals.

"We really attempted it in a full-force Flaming Lips behemoth production style," singer Wayne Coyne said. "We recorded 100 tracks of our beloved pedal steel guitar and 100 guitar overdubs for the music, and for the vocals we stacked all these crazy harmonies. We wanted to add different layers that people might expect from us, but we tried hard not to change the fundamental nature of the song."

About a week after the Flaming Lips submitted their version of "Bohemian Rhapsody" Weiss got a call from Constantine's management saying he was interested in performing the track for the record, and because of his mainstream visibility, Weiss gave him the thumbs up. "I thought having the two versions is kind of poetic as well," Weiss said. "That the same Queen song can appeal to everyone from 'American Idol' to the Flaming Lips speaks a great deal about the range of the band's music."

Weiss started hunting down acts for Killer Queen in November and within weeks had generated a strong roster of musicians. Gavin DeGraw was the first to hand in a song, submitting his soulful version of "We Are the Champions" in January. Others took far longer. Joss Stone and Jon Brion turned in "Under Pressure" and "Play the Game," respectively, in June as the album was being mastered, and Antigone Rising, who did "Fat Bottomed Girls," didn't finish the legal paperwork until the last minute. Then there was Macy Gray, who finished recording but didn't complete the contract forms in time, and had to be left off the album.

"When you're going after artists who have careers and are working hard, it's not anyone's number one priority to contribute to a tribute album, and we didn't have years to do it," Weiss said. "So dealing with timetables and working around people's schedules was the biggest problem."

Fortunately, many felt such a kinship with the project that they found time for it. And, because of their immense respect for the material, most of the artists went above and beyond to live up to the challenge. Jason Mraz, for example, layered delicate piano, bobbing bass, gliding strings and mellifluous vocal harmonies for his take on "Good Old Fashioned Loverboy."

"To me, Queen represented real variety as well as world-class professionalism," he said in a statement. "They were the musicians' musicians, and because of their insight, they were often seeing their finely detailed recordings soar over the heads of their listeners, because in essence what they did was perfect."

Sum 41 worked hard to capture the drama, dynamics and heaviness of "Killer Queen," but perhaps the most impressive aspect of their performance is Deryck Whibley's spot-on sophisticated vocals, which are a major departure for the pop-punk prankster.

"The biggest impact Queen has had in our music is structure of songs," he said in a statement. "They've always had crazy structures, but still the songs have great flow. It proves that [a song] doesn't have to be typical to work."

Other songs on Killer Queen include "Stone Cold Crazy" by Eleven with Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme, "Death on Two Legs" by Rooney, "Who Wants to Live Forever" by Breaking Benjamin and "Bicycle Race" by Be Your Own Pet.

On September 13, about a month after the release of Killer Queen, Queen will release the double live CD Return of the Champions, which was taped during their May 9 performance in Sheffield, England. A DVD of the set will follow on October 24. Both releases feature vocalist Paul Rodgers (ex-Bad Company) and include at least one new song. Between tours of Europe and Japan, Queen will play two shows in the United States: October 16 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and October 22 in Hollywood.

• Queen
• Constantine Maroulis
• Jason Mraz
• Sum 41
• The Flaming Lips

Will Smith onstage at the Mandela AIDS Benefit Concert
Photo: Dave M. Benett/ Getty Images

Nelson Mandela joined several A-list celebrities and musicians — including actor/rapper Will Smith and singer/songwriter Annie Lennox — on Saturday, for an international benefit concert that raised money for South African women suffering from HIV and AIDS, according to Reuters.

The concert, the second such event of its kind, raised more than $832,000 for the Nelson Mandela Foundation, an organization founded by the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former South African president as another weapon in the fight against the AIDS epidemic. The money will fund life-prolonging anti-retroviral drugs for those living with the disease in South Africa, perhaps the country hardest hit by AIDS, with more than 5 million of its 45 million people infected with the HIV virus.

Will Smith hosted the star-studded event, which featured performances from Lennox, Queen and India.Arie, among others. Actor Brad Pitt, who was expected to attend, apologized for his absence via video message to the more than 15,000 concertgoers who took over the lawns of the exclusive Fancourt golf estate near George, about 250 miles from Cape Town.

"I would love to enjoy the peace and quiet of retirement, but I know that like many of you, I cannot rest easily while our beloved continent is ravaged by a deadly epidemic," Mandela, whose son Makgatho died of an AIDS-related illness in January, told the crowd, according to Reuters. The concert was named 46664, the number Mandela wore while languishing in apartheid-era jails for nearly 30 years. The first 46664 concert was staged in 2003 in Cape Town (see "Britney, 50 Cent, Beyonce, Bono To Perform For AIDS Awareness").

• Will Smith
• Annie Lennox
• Queen

Liv Tyler (file)
Photo: Getty Images

Liv Tyler and husband Royston Langdon (former frontman for Spacehog) are now parents. The actress gave birth to a boy at 4:11 a.m. Tuesday morning (December 14) at a New York hospital, and her rep Stephen Huvane said, "Both baby and mom are doing great." ...

Congrats appear to be in order for Enrique Iglesias and Anna Kournikova — the couple got married in a very small and very secret ceremony a few weeks ago on a beach in Mexico, according to Us Weekly. "Enrique is great. Everything is awesome. We are married," the retired tennis pro told onlookers at a charity tennis event in Boca Raton, Florida, on Sunday, while wearing a wedding band. ... After spending much of 2004 running his Vote or Die! campaign and acting, P. Diddy will focus on music in 2005, mainly his next album, which is no longer titled PD5. "I'm taking my time, it has to be right before it comes out," Diddy said. "I'm also coming out of retirement as a producer, I'm back behind the board, so the takeover of the dance floor is about to begin." ...

With former Bad Company and Free singer Paul Rodgers serving as frontman, Queen will kick off their first tour since singer Freddie Mercury died of AIDS in 1991. "It really all came about because of the Fender 50th anniversary gig that I did with Paul Rodgers," Queen guitarist Brian May wrote on his Web site. "We were both so amazed at the chemistry that was going on." May writes that they are looking at venues for a spring tour, which will likely begin in April. ... Courtney Love was scheduled to start her trial on Tuesday on felony drug-possession charges in Los Angeles, but the case was postponed until January 12. ...

DIY blues-rock tandem the White Stripes are joining forces with DIY hipster clothing line Neighborhoodies — which allows the fashion-conscious to design their own T-shirts, sweats and bags — for a good old-fashioned design contest. On Neighborhoodies.com, fans can "dream up the coolest White Stripes Neighborhoodies sweatshirt, tee or bag" and submit their designs to a panel of judges. The winners will take home $50 worth of Neighborhoodies swag and "a bucketful" of Stripes gear. The contest runs until January 31. ... All you ever wanted to know about former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin can now be found in one convenient location: "Dust N' Bones: The Untold Story of Izzy Stradlin." According to Black Market Publishing, which expects to release the biography on February 17, the book will chronicle Stradlin's "rise with hard rock's most notorious frontman, W. Axl Rose, from Lafayette, Indiana, to the streets of Hollywood in the early 1980s." The tome will feature interviews with "GN'R insiders" and members of Stradlin's band the Ju Ju Hounds. ...

Twenty years after they first had record-store clerks abuzz, the first three albums from alterna-rock pioneers Dinosaur Jr. are being reissued by indie stalwart Merge Records. Dinosaur, You're Living All Over Me and Bug are all remastered and come with beefed-up liner notes and never-before-seen photographs, plus live tracks and early videos. All three LPs hit stores on March 22. ... Alanis Morissette is planning to spend the rest of December traveling — and not for a concert tour. The singer headed to India earlier this month to perform at the MTV Immies 2004 — the Indian Music Excellence Awards held in Bombay — on Friday, and she'll be spending about two weeks there before heading to Bali for Christmas. She'll be back in the U.S. for a New Year's Eve show at the House of Blues in Las Vegas. Next year, Alanis will celebrate the 10th anniversary of her breakthrough album, Jagged Little Pill, and she's planning to mark the occasion by not only reissuing the album with extra acoustic tracks, but also by putting out a greatest-hits disc. ...

The winners in the HP Music Video Awards contest were announced on Tuesday, and the creator of a clip for "I Am Crushed," by the Vandals, took home the top honor and $15,000. Michael Estrella's backward, single-shot video bested first- and second-place team entries by Eric Lee and Sam J. Stanton, and Michael Horowitz and Gareth Smith, who used Sugarcult's "Memory" for their entries. The contest, announced this fall, offered amateur filmmakers the chance to choose one of five songs from bands featured on the Warped Tour and create a clip for the track. The three winning videos can be seen at http://hpmusic.shockwave.com. ...

12.13.2004

Jennifer Lopez's upcoming album finally has a title and release date. The singer's fourth studio LP, Rebirth, is due out March 1 and features such guests as Fat Joe (on "Hold You Down"), Fabolous (on a remix of "Get Right") and husband Marc Anthony. Other song titles include "Step Into My World," "Still Around" and "Cherry Pie." The video for the first single, "Get Right," will debut on MTV on New Year's Eve, while a "Making the Video" for that song will premiere on January 5. ...

A concert by rapper E-40 that had been scheduled for Saturday in Medford, Oregon, was called off when organizers realized that some local police officers and township officials opposed the show, citing objections to the show's content and the possibility of gang violence. E-40 shows at the venue Vibes that occurred in 2001 and 2003 went off without incident. ... Outkast's Big Boi is stepping out on his own with his Purple Label imprint. The ATLien has recruited Bubba Sparxxx as one of the label's first signings via Virgin Records. Sparxxx was originally signed to Interscope through Timbaland's Beat Club. ...

On February 8, Wilco will embark on the musical equivalent of an author's tour, playing a string of dates in support of their new book, the imaginatively titled "The Wilco Book." The trek kicks off in Champaign, Illinois, and hits 11 cities before coming to an end on February 25 in Cleveland. ... Collective Soul have the first single off the soundtrack to Wes Craven's werewolf movie "Cursed," due out next year. Collective Soul's single "Better Now" will be released January 18, while the rest of the soundtrack, due February 8, includes Bowling for Soup (covering Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs' 1966 song "Lil' Red Riding Hood"), Smash Mouth's Steve Harwell ("You'll Never Catch Me"), Dashboard Confessional ("This Is a Forgery"), Crystal Method ("Bound Too Long") and Three Days Grace ("Are You Ready"), among others. The movie, starring Christina Ricci, Joshua Jackson and Judy Greer, hits theaters February 25. ...

After five albums in nearly a decade, proto-emo quintet Snapcase are about to call it a day. The Buffalo, New York, group's last show is scheduled for January 22 in its hometown. ... The final mixing has begun on Sleater-Kinney's first album for Sub Pop Records after seven years spent on the Kill Rock Stars label. Longtime Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann helped the band complete its as-yet-untitled album in New York's Tarbox studios. The LP is expected to drop in late spring/early summer. ...

Aerosmith's Joe Perry is preparing to make his next solo flight. The guitarist plans to release his fourth album, his first since 1984's Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker, in the spring. ... Aggro-rockers Trust Company are in the final stages of work on their new album, and are eyeing a March 1 release date. The LP, called True Parallels, will be the band's first release since 2002's The Lonely Position of Neutral. On its official site, the band thanks fans for their "continued patience through this long wait. [We] think you will all be pleased with the results." ...

• Liv Tyler
• Enrique Iglesias
• Diddy
• Courtney Love
• Izzy Stradlin

Ozzy Osbourne, Kermit The Frog, Rod Stewart, and Queen Elizabeth.
Photo: Ken Goff/WireImage

Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Bennett, Paul McCartney, a handful of Hell's Angels, a gospel choir of 5,000 and a throng of close to 1 million onlookers turned out to help England's Queen Elizabeth celebrate 50 years on the throne over the weekend at London's Buckingham Palace.

Eric Clapton, Ricky Martin, S Club 7, Spice Girl Emma Bunton, Joe Cocker, Phil Collins, the Corrs, Aretha Franklin, Sir Elton John, Tom Jones, Annie Lennox, Mis-Teeq, Brian Wilson, Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard and Will Young also turned out for the event, which played to a global television audience of millions more over the course of the weekend-long celebration, according to Reuters.

The Queen's Golden Jubilee weekend kicked off Saturday and came to a climax with Monday's pop concert. The young-at-heart 76-year-old Queen started the star-studded evening by leading the nation in a rousing rendition of the mop-top favorite "All You Need Is Love."

Queen guitarist Brian May then took to the roof of Buckingham Palace in front of 12,000 ticket holders (and a million more outside the palace gates) for a solo performance of the national anthem "God Save the Queen."

After light ceremonies, classical music performances, fireworks, some hardcore church-going and a closing concert, the festivities wrapped up Tuesday. The lights went down on Buckingham as the Hell's Angels joined a gospel choir of 5,000 in a carnival procession. After the parade, the tired Queen waved to the masses from a Buckingham Palace balcony, closing the Jubilee weekend.

Stateside fans can catch a broadcast of the Party at the Palace on Sunday, June 9 at 9 p.m (ET) on VH1.

• Ozzy Osbourne
• Elton John
• Paul McCartney
• Ricky Martin
• Queen

Queen
Photo: Hollywood

Two of the surviving members of legendary rock band Queen have teamed with actor Robert De Niro to answer the venerable questions: Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

Fantasy, apparently.

On May 14 at the Dominion Theatre in London, the futuristic new musical "We Will Rock You" will bring the music of Queen to the stage, producers Brian May and Roger Taylor — the former guitarist and drummer for Queen, respectively — and De Niro announced in a press conference Tuesday (March 26).

Rather than tell the story of Queen, which came to an end when singer Freddie Mercury died of complications from AIDS in 1991, "We Will Rock You" will be a science fiction fantasy about a world overtaken by globalization, where everyone listens to the same computerized music and instruments are banned.

"Queen's music is uniquely theatrical," the musical's author, Ben Elton, said at the press conference. "I had this vision where 'The Matrix' meets the Arthurian legend meets 'Terminator 2.' "

Elton, a former British comedian who penned the musical "The Beautiful Game" with Andrew Lloyd Webber, came onto the Queen project only recently, after the producers spent several years toying with ideas.

The seeds for "We Will Rock You," which will feature such Queen hits as "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Are the Champions" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," were sown in 1996 at the Venice Film Festival, where May and Taylor met De Niro after a series of short Queen films screened before the actor's flick "Sleepers."

"That's how long things take," De Niro told reporters. "I think it is going to be terrific."

"We Will Rock You," which the producers plan to stage at a later point in North America, Australia, Scandinavia, Italy and Japan, is a $10.7 million production, mostly due to the 37-member company and extravagant special effects.

After all, it takes big dough to stage "Thunderbolt and lightning/ Very, very frightening."

• Queen

Paul Simon
Photo: Lynn Goldsmith

Even as Aerosmith, Queen, Paul Simon, Michael Jackson, Steely Dan, Solomon Burke, the Flamingos and Ritchie Valens are being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, music-industry figures and fans are likely to have complaints about the absences in the class of 2001.

The bellyaching begins each year around December, when inductees are typically announced. "Where are the Stooges and Black Sabbath?" some say. "Aerosmith, but no New York Dolls?" say others. Still others may bemoan the absence of Can or Serge Gainsbourg. A select — some might posit deranged — few might even protest the absence of Napoleon XIV, the lunatic engineer behind the 1966 novelty hit "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" The necessarily mongrel, sprawling cultural experience known as rock and roll invites a multitude of opinions as to what constitutes the music's canon. But for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it's the opinions of the hall's nominating committee that count. Every spring, the nominating committee, a sort of star chamber of influential music industry professionals — record executives, lawyers including veteran industry attorney Allen Grubman, managers such as Bruce Springsteen's Jon Landau, journalists including longtime scribe Dave Marsh and musicians such as the Patti Smith Group's Lenny Kaye — convene to evaluate potential nominees, who must have released their first record 25 years before the year of induction. Their choices form the ballot, which then goes to a larger group of 1,000 voters. "The nominating committee is now about 60 people; it started off as 20 people, and it's grown," said Seymour Stein, chairman of London-Sire Records, who has been president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since its 1986 inception and is currently the co-chairman of the nominating committee. "Rock and roll is an ever-changing, hybrid music, and the more viewpoints, the better. As many people as want to or can attend the meeting, and the others are e-mailed and we vote. "By process of elimination, we try to narrow the ballot down to about 15 artists. No one can be inducted without getting at least 50 percent of the vote," Stein said. "Generally, between five and seven inductees [are selected]." Stein, an avowed "doo-wop fanatic" who identifies heavily with the music of his youth, feels like there's "quite a bit of catch-up to do." He cites the Hollies, Brenda Lee, Conway Twitty, Gene Pitney, Percy Sledge, Chuck Willis and panoply of doo-wop acts such as the Five Satins ("In the Still of the Night") and the Penguins ("Earth Angel") as acts that should be full-fledged inductees. "I don't want to forget artists from the '50 and '60s, but not at the expense of worthwhile artists from the '70s," he said. "I don't want to sound like George Bush, but I don't want to see anyone left behind. But I really mean it, hence the difference." Stein does not predict that any artist, whether in 2001 or in future years, will ever sail into the hall the first year they are eligible, the way, say, the Beatles did in 1988, or Bruce Springsteen did in 1999. He cited a random selection of artists, from James Taylor to Earth, Wind & Fire to Gene Vincent to Parliament-Funkadelic to Joni Mitchell to the Bee Gees to the Velvet Underground, who waited a few, or many, years for induction. Monday night's inductees, Stein noted, are uniformly ones that took a few years to pass. "Aerosmith had been eligible for two years, Queen had been eligible for three years. Three of the acts getting in this year were eligible the first year [of the Hall's existence]: Ritchie Valens, Solomon Burke and the Flamingos." Queen's surviving members, incidentally, are mulling a reunion in the wake of the rock hall honor (see "Surviving Queen Members Mulling Reunion, Guitarist May Says"). For Aerosmith, their past eligibility — if not the induction itself — isn't weighing too heavily on their minds. "I'm not really thinking about that," singer Steven Tyler said. "When we heard we were up for it [two years ago], it was very surprising to begin with." "Do I even think that we should get in there now?" guitarist Joe Perry wondered aloud. "I don't know. It's not up to us.

"It just kinda feels weird, because there's a museum, and 'museum' sounds so stable and staid," he continued. "Everybody tries to pigeonhole everything. But I guess it's a good thing. A lot of people think it's a good thing, so we're happy to be there." As for disco and punk acts (like the Sex Pistols) that made their mark in 1976, Stein adopts a wait-and-see attitude on whether they'll make it to next year's ballot: "We're going to know in three or four months, so hold your horses." Stein does suggest, given that some voters perceive the uninducted likes of Darlene Love and the Crystals as mere instruments in the hands of producers, that some similarly perceived disco artists may meet a similar fate.

Robert Christgau, senior editor of the Village Voice, attended 1995's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and wrote an essay for the program regarding Al Green. He has never voted in the poll, but is charitable as to how the tastes of the nominating committee, the overwhelming majority of whom are veterans of the music business, influence induction. "This is an election," he said. "And the people who vote, including everyone who has been inducted, are obviously going to understand their own aesthetic better than they understand succeeding aesthetics. Therefore, people who embrace aesthetics that are already canonized will have an advantage over those who don't. That's just a process, and maybe it should be corrected for, but there's nothing inherently immoral or unfair about having, for instance, all the surviving members of the Orioles voting for who should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." So in light of how the list of worthy inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame seems to be backed up, it might be a few years after 2004 — 25 years after the release of the first hip-hop record, the Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" — that we see any old-school rappers taking their place alongside the giants of rock and roll. DMC, one-third of Run-DMC, told MTV News you won't see him at any induction dinners until the hall recognizes early hip-hop. "You have a whole period of rap and a whole history before us that's definitely gotta be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before I get there.

"Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel?" he continued. "No, I'm not coming to the ceremony until you put Melle Mel in there, 'cause he did 'The Message' and he did 'Super Rappin'.' They gotta put them in before us and Public Enemy, and everybody's gotta get their props."

• Aerosmith
• Queen
• Paul Simon
• Michael Jackson
• Steely Dan

Mustache Mania

• Queen
• Freddie Mercury