Madonna
Photo: Daniel Mihailescu/ AFP/ Getty Images

It should come as no surprise to anyone who saw one of their multiple massive tours that classic rockers the Rolling Stones topped Billboard magazine's list of Top Touring Artists of the 2000s. What's shocking, though, is that the Mick Jagger and company are just one of three acts that raked in more than $800 million from 2000-2009.

Unstoppable touring juggernauts the Stones took the #1 slot with more than $869 million in grosses for 264 shows that played to more than 8.2 million fans over the past decade, followed closely behind by U2, who banked $844 million from more than 9.8 million fans for 288 shows, all of which were sold-out. The latter is an honor none of the other acts on the list can boast of.

Madonna, the top-grossing female artist, rounded out the $800 million club with grosses of more than $801 million for 248 shows (244 sold-out) that played to 6.3 million fans.

The top five was filled out by road hog Bruce Springsteen ($688 million, 403 shows with 248 sell-outs in front of 8.6 million fans) and Elton John ($604 million, 541 shows with 470 sell-outs in front of 5.8 million fans).

Among the other notables on the list: #6 Celine Dion ($537 million for 792 shows that played to 4.1 million) and the Dave Matthews Band, which had the highest audience figures on the list, with 11.2 million attending 547 shows (282 sell-outs) for a #7 ranking and a $505 million gross.

Country superstar Kenny Chesney was at #8 ($478 million, 622 shows, 9.2 million fans), followed by Bon Jovi (#9, $419 million, 249 shows, 5.4 million fans) and piano man Billy Joel (#10, $418 million, 241 shows, 4.1 million fans).

Reunited '80s act the Police were at #11 ($362 million, 144 shows, 3.3 million fans), just ahead of the perennially touring Eagles ($348 million, 240 shows, 3.1 million fans). Troubled rockers Aerosmith were not far behind (#14, $292 million, 320 shows with only 61 sell-outs to 4.6 million), and Metallica came in at #19 ($228 million, 187 shows, 3.6 million fans).

The only (relatively) contemporary act to crack the top 25 was Britney Spears, who landed at #21 with $216 million in grosses on 255 shows that drew 3.7 million fans.

• Madonna
• The Rolling Stones
• U2

John Mayer
Photo: Mat Szwajkos/ Getty Images

In addition to adding the two most-nominated artists of the year to the performing roster for Sunday's Grammys — Kanye West and, via satellite, Amy Winehouse — the show will also feature live sets from John Mayer and gospel great BeBe Winans. Added as presenters are Usher, Will.I.Am, Dierks Bentley, Cuba Gooding Jr., Carole King and Roselyn Sanchez. ...

Common has come up with a title for his new LP: The Believer. The Chicago legend told MTV News he hopes it will be out by November. ... Timbaland has signed a deal to release a straight-to-mobile-phone album, one track at a time over the next year. The unusual scheme hatched with Verizon Wireless, which will give its V Cast subscribers an exclusive chance to access the songs each month, according to Billboard Biz. Tim, who is up for five Grammys, will work with a different artist on each track while touring the country on the Verizon Mobile Recording Studio Bus, which will spin off making-of footage for V Cast subscribers on a dedicated Timbaland channel. Each mobile track will be released just days after it is produced in full-length download, ringtone and ringback version, and will only be available through V Cast and Verizon for $1.99. At the end of the year, a compilation album will be released through Verizon. ...

Pitbull and Baby Bash likely ran into each other at last year's Wango Tango music festival in Southern California — they both performed there — and now the two are joining forces for MTV Trés' Sucker Free Latino spring tour. The two headliners will hit 13 cities starting March 15 in Orlando, Florida, and ending April 4 in San Diego. ... Family, friends and close music-industry associates of the late Big Pun gathered in a private ceremony Thursday night at New York's Studio 450 to honor the eight-year anniversary of the Latino rapper's untimely death. Donations were made both to Pun's family and his foundation, the Christopher Rios Memorial. An attendee told MTV News that the rapper's daughter, Vanessa, paid tribute to her father with a rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You." ...

Teddy Geiger is still busy working on the follow-up to 2006's Underage Thinking — as well as his role in the upcoming flick "The Rocker" — but in the meantime the 19-year-old troubadour has launched a cell phone contest with Mozes. During the month of February, fans can leave messages for Geiger on Mozes.com, after which he'll pick one of the fans to chat with. ... Flyleaf and Seether will team up this spring for an eight-week U.S. tour that kicks off April 8 in Denver and runs through May 31 at a yet-to-be-announced city. A partial list of dates can be found at either band's Web site. ... Thrice have a busy May ahead — the SoCal rockers have a show booked for almost every night that month. The band will actually set out on tour the month before that, beginning April 16 in San Diego, and will bring it to a close May 29 in Hollywood. ...

Members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Saturday Night Live" castmembers Andy Samberg and Seth Meyers, and others turned up at New York's Webster Hall on Monday night for a party thrown by Chloë Sevigny. The actress invited legendary punks the Slits to play at the event, which celebrated Sevigny's new clothing line. ... Working for a Nuclear Free City — whose Businessmen and Ghosts album was a finalist for this year's Shortlist Music Prize — are hoping to capitalize on the success with a brief run. The Brits will hit the road February 29 in San Francisco and continue playing gigs through Austin, Texas' South by Southwest fest in mid-March. ... Still hooked on Phish? Fans can gobble up a bunch of rare items donated by the now-defunct jam heroes for an online charity auction being put on by the mother of the band's drummer, Jon Fishman. Posters signed by Trey Anastasio and Page McConnell, as well as rare Phish shirts and additional items from Oysterhead, Moe. and the String Cheese Incident. Proceeds from the auction, which ends February 21, will go to the Mimi Fishman Foundation, which raises funds for various charities. ...

Now that his Rolling Stones movie, "Shine a Light," is about to hit the big screen, legendary director Martin Scorsese is set to begin work on a yet-untitled documentary about reggae icon Bob Marley. Variety reports that the movie will be authorized by Marley's family and will be released in February 2010, on what would have been Marley's 65th birthday. ... Walt Disney Parks and Resorts are creating a live-performance attraction based on "American Idol" at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park in Florida. The yet-unnamed attraction, which should open this year, will allow budding singers to "audition" on an "Idol"-like set in front of an audience of 1,000, with a daily winner getting a pass to the show's regional auditions. Visitors will be able to pick their song beforehand, rehearse in a sound booth and, if they pass the audition, work with a vocal coach before performing in front of the live audience and a panel of judges during one of the seven daily shows. ...

Republican presidential candidate John McCain might have a lot of independent-minded supporters, but heartland rocker John Mellencamp ain't one of 'em. The Arizona senator and Republican front-runner stopped playing the unabashedly liberal Indiana singer/songwriter's "Our Country" at his campaign events after Mellencamp's publicist sent a letter questioning the logic of using the tune, according to The Associated Press. "Are you sure you want to use his music to promote Senator McCain's efforts?" read a letter sent to the candidate's campaign on Monday. "Logic says that the facts might prove to be an embarrassment, were they to be circulated widely." The McCain camp said Thursday that the song, and a few others by Mellencamp, would no longer be played at events. Mellencamp publicist Bob Merlis told AP that the situation made Mellencamp uncomfortable and that he couldn't imagine McCain would want to be associated with him. "You know, here's a guy running around saying, 'I'm a true conservative,' " Merlis said. "Well, if you're such a true conservative, why are you playing songs that have a very populist pro-labor message written by a guy who would find no argument if you characterized him as left of center?" ...

Billy Joel will be the last artist to play New York's Shea Stadium before it's torn down. The piano man will perform at "The Last Play at Shea, From the Beatles to Billy" on July 16, during the New York Mets' final season before moving to Citi Field in 2009. The show will make Joel the only artist to have played both Yankee and Shea Stadiums.

2.7.08

Lindsay Lohan just spoke publicly for the first time since leaving rehab in early October — she gave an interview to the U.K. edition of Glamour for its new cover story — but the starlet has more to say. She told Harper's Bazaar for its own LiLo cover story that she'd like to have a low-key relationship, that she's trying to smoke cigarettes less often and that she's "always been a homebody." She also spilled who she would like to make music with next — "I'd love to work with Timbaland. I'd love to work with Kanye West, 50 Cent if I could" — and admitted, "When I look back on this last year, it's like, what was I thinking?" Harper's Bazaar's March issue, in which the story appears, hits stands February 19. ...

Christina Aguilera just made her first public appearance this week since giving birth in January, and now comes news that the singer is already digging into her next album. "This whole incredible thing has taken place in my life," the new mom recently told Ryan Seacrest on his radio show, so there's "so much in me to write about. The next record, I want to have a lot of fun with it. [I've been] brainstorming for the last nine months. This next album will have a whole new me, a different me, so it's a lot to look forward to." She also spoke about her son, Max Liron Bratman — "he's constantly changing, and doing these incredibly cute things and stinky things" — and even touched on Paris Hilton spilling the beans about Aguilera's pregnancy during VMA weekend last year. "It was funny," Aguilera said, taking the high road. "We all looked at each and laughed it off. She did it in a sweet way. It wasn't a tattle-on-me sort of thing." ...

Britney Spears' father, Jamie, had previously been granted temporary conservatorship powers over the singer for a week, during which time it was expected when the powers were granted that she would be in the hospital. Now that she's out, some legal questions were raised in court Thursday (February 7) when Spears' co-conservator, Andrew Wallet, and the attorneys for the conservatorship appeared for an emergency ex parte hearing. Since the hearing was closed and the court documents were sealed, according to a court clerk, no one could say what happened in the hearing. But Adam Streisand, who tried to represent the singer at a previous hearing, only to be ejected from the court, was definitely not present on the singer's behalf, since prior to the hearing, his firm released a statement that he "has decided he will not represent her at this time." Streisand met with Britney Spears on Wednesday "to discuss her legal rights in connection with the conservatorship over her person and estate," but following the meeting, he learned that there was a court order preventing the singer from retaining counsel of her own choosing. ... Despite all Britney Spears' troubles, she still has Danjahandz on her side. The producer recently told MTV News that he'd like to hook up with the singer in the future. "I would work with her again. Hopefully she'll get better," he said, admitting that he hadn't heard of her recent hospitalization. "I definitely have ideas [of] what I would do with her." ...

As had been previously rumored, when Beyoncé takes the stage at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night, she'll be joined by none other than reclusive rock legend Tina Turner, the Recording Academy has announced. Other additions to the show's lineup included Kid Rock, who will perform, as well as presenters Akon, Nelly Furtado, Prince, Jason Bateman, Tony Bennett, Cher, Tom Hanks, Quincy Jones, Joe Mantegna, Ringo Starr, Dave Stewart and Stevie Wonder. ...

Can't remember the last time you bought a CD single? Well, here's a reason to consider picking one up: Ashlee Simpson will meet fans and sign copies of her new "Outta My Head" single February 14 at a Walmart in Dallas. ... Sevendust have a friend in ... Chris Daughtry? Yup, it's true: The Daughtry frontman recently teamed with the hard-rockers to chip in a guest vocal for the band's new song "The Past." The track will be included on Sevendust's April 1 LP, Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow, which will also feature contributions from Alter Bridge's Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy. ... This year's South by Southwest festival just got a little more hip-hop-friendly. Ice Cube and N.E.R.D. have hopped onto the sprawling roster for the Austin, Texas, shindig, which will go down March 12-16. ... The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund — a group that helps career musicians in need — is putting up for auction an original Clash T-shirt printed by bassist Paul Simonon. The item will be up for bidding on eBay for 10 days starting Saturday. As MTV News reported late last year, Simonon originally gave the shirt to punk poet Patti Smith 30 years ago, and after she passed it to her drummer, Jay Dee Daughtery, he in turn donated it to Sweet Relief — but the group was not able to raffle the tee because of sweepstakes laws. ...

Don't believe those stories about how infighting and personal disputes are the reason the Spice Girls have canceled most of the remaining dates of their reunion tour. Trying to combat the rumors, the Girls posted a one-minute apology video to fans on their Web site on Wednesday, reiterating that the decision to cancel shows in China, South Africa, Australia and Argentina was due to "family and personal commitments." In the video, Mel C explains: "There has been a lot of rubbish in the media over the last few days, so we wanted you to hear it from the horse's mouth. We're very sorry not to be able to get to all the places we really, really wanted to get to." Several members say that the tour went a month longer than they had actually intended when they first announced the reunion last year. Victoria Beckham adds, "Our kids need to go back to school, and we always said our families are our priorities. So we want to thank all our fans. Sorry we haven't got to see everybody." The singers then get into a mock fight before Mel B screams, "We hate each other? Are you kidding? We love each other!" ...

A star-studded gala organized by Madonna at the United Nations in New York on Wednesday night to benefit sick and poor children around the world raised $3.7 million. Hosted by Chris Rock, the $2,500-to-$10,000-a-plate dinner and live auction attracted guests Drew Barrymore, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Dita Von Teese, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Amy Adams, Brooke Shields and Salma Hayek. But, according to The Associated Press, the event also made some officials, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, a bit uncomfortable with its mix of charity and commercial promotion. The event was paid for by luxury-goods maker Gucci, which used the occasion to promote the opening of its flagship store in New York's Manhattan borough on Friday and put its logo along with UNICEF's behind the walkway on the red carpet. Rihanna, Timbaland and Alicia Keys performed at the event. The night's most expensive auction item was a $600,000 bid to tour with Madonna and take a dance class with her and Gwyneth Paltrow. ...

Eva Mendes left rehab briefly on Thursday. "Eva is attending to some personal business in Los Angeles and intends to return to complete her treatment shortly," a representative for the actress who was not named told TMZ.com. ... Having conquered the reality-TV world, Public Enemy court jester Flavor Flav has signed on to try his hand at scripted comedy. The sometime rapper will star in a new half-hour comedy series on MyNetworkTV called "Under One Roof," which creators call a classic "fish-out-of-water" story. In the show, for which 13 episodes have been ordered, Flav will play Calvester Hill, a former convict who moves in with his wealthy, conservative brother and, predictably, wreaks havoc by parading his old prison cronies through the house, teaching his nephew to be a gangsta rapper and butting heads with Walter's uptight wife, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series is slated to launch in the spring.

• 2008 Grammy Awards Performers And Presenters
• 2008 Grammy Award Nominees: Akon, Fergie, T.I., More
• Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, More At The In Style And Grammy Salute To Fashion

• John Mayer
• Timbaland
• Usher
• Will.I.Am
• Kanye West

Mary J. Blige
Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images

Word to Mike Seaver and Boner: Mary J. Blige has some Growing Pains of her own. The singer has settled on that as the title for her new album — and has bumped its release by a week, from November 20 to November 27. The first single is called "Just Fine" and will be released to radio on Thursday (September 27). The track was produced by Jazze Pha and Tricky Stewart (Britney Spears, Mya), and is an uptempo party record with a dance/disco sound. On the track, Mary expresses the joy of having high self-esteem. "No time for moping around/ Are you kidding?" she sings. "And no time for negative vibes, 'cause I'm winning ... Got my head on straight, got my vibe right, ain't gonna let you kill it/ See, I wouldn't change, my life's just fine." ...

Is Kanye West the next MLK, Gandhi or Jesus? His mother, Donda West, didn't shy away from such comparisons in a recent interview with the Baltimore Sun — she was in town to promote her recent book, "Raising Kanye." "Kanye keeps it real," she said. "He touches the people. You never know how words can save a person's life, physically or otherwise. People like Martin Luther King or Mahatma Gandhi or, in my view, Barack Obama, or Jesus Christ — people whose job it is to tell the truth — I see that in Kanye. Now, people like you are gonna go, 'Oh, Kanye's mom said he's like Jesus!' but ... when you have a gift, you didn't get it by yourself. ... Your truth is your truth." ...

Amy Winehouse isn't one to hold back either — the troubled U.K. starlet has named her new DVD "I Told You I Was Trouble," according to Uncut magazine. Packed onto the disc is a documentary, a full concert she played in April at London's Shepherds Bush Empire, her "Rehab" performance from the Brit Awards, an early acoustic version of "There Is No Greater Love" and more. "I Told You I Was Trouble" will drop November 6, her publicist confirmed to MTV News. ...

Paul Wall's next album is going to have more of a rock edge, now that Travis Barker is producing it. "Paul usually stays around the same element," Barker told MTV News in Las Vegas while he was in town for the VMAs. "Most of the Houston stuff is slow and real feel-good. This has faster tempos. Still feel-good, but it'll be different for Paul." ... Before he took his wild imagination to the big screen with "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," French director Michel Gondry was best known for his frequent collaborations with Björk, perhaps most memorably on the video for her song "Human Behaviour." Now the two are at it again. Gondry revealed to MTV News that a month from now, he will be directing the music video for "Declare Independence," from the Icelandic singer's latest album, Volta. ... Dave Grohl is getting axed — Gibson Guitar has come up with a new specialized model, the DG-335, for the Foo Fighters frontman. The instrument — which has a rare Pelham blue finish and looks like Grohl's signature guitar — will be available October 4. The price tag for the blue model is $4,468, while the ebony version is a bit cheaper at $3,880. ...

Evan Rachel Wood apparently isn't too afraid of boyfriend Marilyn Manson's fans. "I do feel [some of] his fans like me," she told People for its new issue, which streets Friday. But the actress revealed that she was a little more nervous about Manson seeing her sing onscreen in the new flick "Across the Universe." "I was shy because I didn't want to scare him off," she said. "I'm a singer too! Listen to me! But he's been really supportive, it's great. He's encouraged me about my singing more than anybody." The shock-rocker wasn't the only one who inspired Wood to sing, however — she also name-dropped David Bowie and let it be known that she has a tattoo of his Aladdin Sane lightning bolt. She also has matching tattoos with Manson. "We both got black hearts," she said. "It represents mad love." ...

The Smashing Pumpkins have issued a statement regarding the death of a man at their concert in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday night, in what police believe was a crowd-surfing accident. "The Smashing Pumpkins were deeply saddened to learn about the passing of a young man who attended their Vancouver show Monday night," read the statement, which was posted on their Web site. "As they and everyone else await news from the investigation into the nature of his passing, the band wants to express their sincerest condolences to his family and friends." ... Vivica A. Fox pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor counts of drunk driving on Thursday, The Associated Press reports. The actress, who was arrested after being caught speeding in March, could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted. ...

Paris in Rwanda: Hilton is making good on her promise to engage in philanthropic efforts by traveling to the impoverished African country, according to "Access Hollywood." The heiress will travel with a member of Playing for Good, a group that connects celebrities with charity organizations, and she is expected to make a financial contribution as well. According to TMZ.com, Hilton will go to Rwanda in November after she finishes filming her horror rock opera "Repo! The Genetic Opera." ... Will Ferrell's charity auction has been won by a Dallas man, and his 10-year-old son will get the chance to play an extra in Ferrell's upcoming "Step Brothers" flick, People reports. The man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, put in a winning bid of $47,000, which will go to the Cancer for College foundation run by Ferrell's friend Craig Pollard. ...

Looks like it's almost Tool time again: The indefatigable heavy-rock band is putting together yet another stretch of dates in support of 10,000 Days, which came out way back in May 2006. Dates have yet to be confirmed, but according to Tool's site, they're stirring up a stretch across the West Coast that will begin in mid-November and last until Christmas. ... Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell recently told MTV News' Tim Kash that he wants to see the fest travel across the world "before I die," but while those plans haven't come about yet, the dates are in place for next year's annual Chicago installment. Lolla will go down August 1-3, once again at Grant Park. ...

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Magic isn't happening until Tuesday, but they snuck out a vinyl version of the release on Wednesday that will allow it to be considered for the Grammys, according to the Los Angeles Times. ... The Wu-Tang Clan's Killah Priest has been added to several dates on Bury Your Dead's upcoming headlining run. Look for him to take the stage in Richmond, Virginia (October 17); Wilmington, North Carolina (October 18); Jacksonville, Florida (October 19); and Tampa, Florida (October 20). ... Bad news for fans of hardcore hip-hoppers Twiztid: The band's upcoming Toxic Terror Tour, featuring openers Mower, has been nixed following a recent car accident involving Twiztid's Monoxide. He suffered a torn ACL muscle in his knee, which will require he stays off it for the next month or so. ...

While System of a Down's members go off and do their own things — what with the band on hiatus — drummer John Dolmayan has firmed up plans for his new comic book site, TorpedoComics.com. The Internet retail shop goes live November 1 and will boast some 15 million items, including comics, toys, graphic novels, trade paperbacks, superhero action figures and other related memorabilia. Dolmayan has also teamed with guitarist Daron Malakian for a new project, Scars on Broadway. ... Former Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, former Anthrax frontman Joey Belladonna, ex-Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson and Sevendust singer Lajon Witherspoon are among the celebrities who'll appear at the Morgan Rose Celebrity Golf Classic, scheduled for November 15-16 at the Heritage Golf Club in Tucker, Georgia. Proceeds from the event will help support the Atlanta Children's Shelter. ...

Mudvayne will release their latest LP, By the People, for the People, on November 27. The disc will boast several live recordings, rarities, demos and two new studio tracks, "Dull Boy" and a cover of the Police's "King of Pain." The album will be entirely fan-generated; the band is asking its fans to participate in creating the album's contents. Fans can visit the band's Web site and MySpace pageMySpace page to help pick the track list, submit fan-generated album artwork and participate in creating the video for "Dull Boy," the first single. ...

Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," which has been shown in some college and high school classrooms, got blowback earlier this year when a Washington school put a moratorium on the global-warming movie. Now a British school governor is taking an even stronger measure by suing the British government for distributing the movie to more than 3,500 secondary schools, according to AP. Paul Downes, a lawyer for Stewart Dimmock, said, "Given the serious inaccuracies in the film and the misrepresentations it contains, the film is irredeemable." The lawyer added that even though the movie has already been shown to some students, the High Court could still rule that the government had acted unlawfully and cease distributing it. ...

There's no stopping the Martin Scorsese rock-doc train. The esteemed director, who has directed films about the Rolling Stones, the Band and Bob Dylan in the past, will focus his lens next on the life of George Harrison, according to Variety. Scorsese will produce the yet-untitled picture with Harrison's widow, Olivia, and the late guitarist's former Beatles bandmates Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will also participate. The flick will revolve around Harrison's time in the Beatles and his later years, and also touch on his involvement with Eastern spirituality as well. In related news, McCartney and Starr are participating in Liverpool, England's European Capital of Culture celebration. Macca will perform at the Anfield soccer stadium on June 1. Starr will return to the city — where the Beatles hailed from — for a ceremony at St. George's Hall on January 11, and he will also appear at the Echo Arena on January 12.

09.26.07

Mariah Carey got a win in court last week when a federal judge decided that a copyright-infringement case against her had no merit. Singer Rachele Chafir had sued Carey in April 2006, claiming that Carey's hit "It's Like That" was copied from her song "Sexy" and lifted key pieces, including the music, for the chorus. Chafir, who copyrighted the song in 2004, claimed Carey had access to "Sexy" since it was available on a Web site, but U.S. District Court Judge Kimba Wood decided that wasn't proof Carey or her collaborators had gone to the Web site or lifted the material, which wasn't "strikingly similar" enough to be considered infringement. With "no genuine issues of material fact," Wood closed the case. "It was the right decision," Carey's lawyer Ilene Farkas told MTV News. "The record was clear in this case." Meanwhile, Carey is moving on with her yet-untitled follow-up to The Emancipation of Mimi, which her record label confirmed is now due December 4. ...

Going, going ... to Cooperstown. And with an asterisk on it. Baseball star Barry Bonds' record-breaking home-run ball, which was purchased two weeks ago in an online auction by hip-hop fashion mogul Marc Ecko, will be heading to the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum after all. Ecko bought the ball and launched a Web site giving fans the chance to vote on the ball's final destination: outer space or to Cooperstown, with or without an asterisk signifying Bonds' alleged steroid use in helping him become the all-time home-run king. The announcement was made Wednesday morning (September 26) on the "Today" show after a week of voting. According to Vote756.com, over 10 million votes were cast, of which 47 percent chose to send the tagged ball to the famed baseball museum. ...

The twisted saga of the investigation into the unsolved 1997 murder of the Notorious B.I.G. took another turn this week when Waymond Anderson, an inmate serving life for murder, recanted testimony in which he had implicated the Los Angeles Police Department in the rapper's murder. The Los Angeles Times reports that Anderson said in a recent deposition that he lied about LAPD involvement as part of a "scam" cooked up with two other convicts to get a big monetary settlement from the city of Los Angeles. Most shockingly, Anderson accused the rapper's family — which has filed a wrongful-death suit seeking damages from the city — and its lawyer of taking part in the scheme and offering to pay him a percentage of the settlement for false testimony against the LAPD. In the August 20 testimony, Anderson said he had never met the officers he implicated, despite earlier statements in which he described conversations with the two disgraced ex-LAPD cops. A lawyer for Biggie's family, Perry Sanders, called Anderson's allegations "100 percent, demonstrably false," adding yet another twist to the already-knotted-up story by saying that Anderson appeared to be changing his story at the behest of Chuck Philips, a Times reporter who has written extensively about the murder investigation and has questioned the theory of LAPD involvement. Phillips and the Times dismissed the allegations. ...

In other Biggie news, the recently released documentary "The Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life" follows the rapper's life from his early days to his death with interviews from many of the behind-the-scenes music-industry figures and friends who watched the rapper rise from a street-corner hustler to one of the biggest rap stars in the world. The film also features several minutes of previously unreleased footage shot by a bystander of the scene on the night Biggie was gunned down. The fan's video — which director Peter Spirer ("Beef," "Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel") said has been reviewed by authorities — doesn't capture the moment Biggie's car was shot at, but it does have audio of the shots and shaky footage of the chaotic aftermath. ...

Embattled football player Michael Vick is facing stricter release conditions after testing positive for marijuana earlier this month, The Associated Press reports. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson imposed the new conditions, which include restricting Vick to his home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. with electronic monitoring and making him submit to random drug tests. He was ordered to continue participating in substance-abuse and mental-health counseling. Vick was put under pretrial release supervision in July, and the restrictions included refraining from the use of narcotic drugs or other controlled substances. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback, who pleaded guilty in August to federal dogfighting charges, is awaiting sentencing December 10 — and Vick's violation of the conditions of his release could be taken into consideration by the judge. He faces up to five years in prison for the federal charges, and has been indicted on additional state charges in Virginia as well. ...

A second woman has filed a lawsuit against Lil Wayne over a melee that broke out during one of his shows at Morgan State University in Baltimore in October. According to an AP story, Carlisa Dixon said she was impaled on a metal pole after the crowd surged to snatch up money that was being tossed from the stage. Dixon is seeking $1 million from Wayne's record label and touring companies, and another $1 million from the university, claiming she underwent surgery for a puncture wound as a result of the crowd surge. A lawsuit was filed in August by another woman who claimed she was trampled in the same money-throwing incident. A spokesperson for Wayne could not be reached for comment at press time. ...

A man died at a Smashing Pumpkins concert in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Monday night in what police think may have been a crowd-surfing or moshing accident. The Canadian Press reports that Vancouver police say the man was unconscious when he was dragged out of the crowd at the Pacific National Exhibition Forum during the show and worked on by first-aid personnel on site before being transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police have ruled out foul play. ... The Voodoo Music Experience is shifting locations, but just slightly. The fest, to take place October 26-28, has a new site in New Orleans City Park to accommodate ongoing restoration and improvement of the park. The shift brings the fest closer to Tad Gormley Stadium, where Voodoo was first held in 1999. ...

Do you march to Nelly's beat? The rapper is cobbling together a marching band for his performance at the BET Hip-Hop Awards on October 13. Auditions will be held Sunday starting at 11 a.m. in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New Orleans and St. Louis, and Nelly is looking for girls who can play drums, tri-toms, bass drum, tuba or trumpet. Prospective players need to know how to perform his song "Grillz" and move to the beat of the song while playing their instruments. Final auditions will be held October 8 in Atlanta, and those who can't make the auditions in person can post a one-minute video clip on Nelly's drum-line-audition site. ... If you've been doubting Swizz Beatz's fashion sense, think again — Gap has tapped the hugely popular producer for its spring ad campaign. ...

VH1 Rock Docs picked up its first Emmy win on Monday as "DMC: My Adoption Journey" earned the award for News & Documentary Emmy for Outstanding Arts & Culture Programming. The program, which revolves around the Run-DMC member's search for his birth mother, premiered in February 2006 and will re-air on VH1 on Saturday at 10 p.m. ... Have you already imported Babyface's Playlist into your own playlist? Then mark you calendar — the singer is putting together a tour in support of his recently released LP. Babyface will play a gig in the Philippines on October 13, followed by a stretch in Japan; after that he'll hit Oakland, California, on November 23, and Sparks, Nevada, the following day. ...

During a recent visit to "The Howard Stern Show," Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx spoke out about drummer Tommy Lee and his apparent departure from the band. He told Stern that Lee quit, and Sixx blamed the current legal problems the band is having with one of its former managers for the turmoil. Sixx said that, since Lee isn't the Crüe's frontman or chief songwriter, the band should be fine without him. He added that he harbors no ill will toward Lee. ... Snow Patrol keyboardist Tom Simpson was expected to appear in court in Glasgow, Scotland, on Tuesday to answer to drug-possession charges filed against him this summer. While the charges weren't dropped, the prosecution doesn't intend on taking "further action," meaning the charges will either have to be re-raised again or dropped altogether. ...

Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard's side project Brad are getting back together for a one-night-only show on October 17 at New York's Webster Hall. The benefit event will also feature Billy Bragg and be hosted by Tim Robbins. It is being held to support Woody and Marjorie Guthrie, and the 40th anniversary of the Huntington's Disease Society of America, which was founded by Marjorie. ... Puddle of Mudd aren't ones for Southern hospitality, apparently. Frontman Wesley Scantlin has been banned from Memphis' Graceland after hopping in the pool in Elvis Presley's mansion during a tour on Monday. ...

The Eagles will perform on an awards show for the first time when they take the stage at the Country Music Awards, which will air November 7 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Carrie Underwood is also slated to perform. ... The Rolling Stones' recent tour didn't just carry the band to the top of Forbes' list of biggest-earning music acts — it landed them in the Guinness World Records, according to Reuters. The classic-rockers' A Bigger Bang tour took $437 million dollars to give them a new record, for the world's most successful music tour. ...

Killswitch Engage and Lamb of God will be teaming up for a late-fall co-headlining tour, which is set to kick off November 28 in Lowell, Massachusetts, with dates booked through December 17 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. DevilDriver and Soilwork will open on all dates. ... Chris Cornell has added another round of dates to his North American tour, which began in the spring. He has booked another 28 gigs, meaning the trek will continue through November 23, when he's expected to perform at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. ...

A photo from Elton John's collection has been pulled from a British gallery where it was to be displayed over concerns by police that it might be child pornography. The photo — which was taken by award-winning American photographer Nan Goldin — shows two young girls, one with her legs spread apart, and was to be displayed at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in northern England before it was seized by police, according to London's Times Online. John released a statement, explaining, "The photograph entitled 'Klara and Edda belly-dancing' (1998) is one of 149 images comprising the 'Thanksgiving' installation by renowned U.S. photographer Nan Goldin ... The photograph exists as part of the installation as a whole and has been widely published and exhibited throughout the world [and] has been offered for sale at Sotheby's New York in 2002 and 2004, and has previously been exhibited in Houston, London, Madrid [Spain], New York, Portugal, Warsaw [Poland] and Zürich [Switzerland] without any objections of which we are aware."

• Mary J. Blige
• Travis Barker
• Paul Wall
• Marilyn Manson
• The Smashing Pumpkins

Mick Jagger
Photo: Dave Hogan/ Getty Images

Who would have thought that Jim Broadbent would be cast as Potions Master Horace Slughorn in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"? Well, you did, of course.

In July, we asked you who you thought should be cast in the key roles for the blockbuster series' sixth installment, and many of you rightly pegged the Oscar winner as the once-and-future Slytherin head.

Just imagine who you'll zero in on next.

Now that the final novel, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," has been out for almost two months, we wanted to know who you think should be cast for the remaining key roles. (And, remember, Griphook the Goblin and Ollivander the wandmaker, expanded and important characters in "Hallows," were already played by Verne Troyer and John Hurt, respectively, in "Sorcerer's Stone.") Only British actors need apply for our choices below.

Agree or disagree, let us know your thoughts on the MTV Movies Blog, where you'll also see a bonus choice.

Bill Weasley

Book Says: Eldest son of Molly and Arthur Weasley, with the bright red hair to prove it. Sporting a fang earring and a pair of dragon boots, Harry thinks Bill looks "cool," adding that he wouldn't be out of place at a Muggle rock concert. Savaged by Fenrir Greyback at the end of "Half-Blood Prince," his face is terribly scarred. Married to the beautiful Fleur Delacour.

We Say: Who doesn't want a brother like Bill Weasley? Smart enough to be a curse breaker for Gringotts Bank, brave enough to fight werewolves, resourceful and true enough to be the friend of goblins, cool enough to marry Fleur Delacour. And, best of all, he doesn't ask questions. (How rad is that?) The best physical match of any would be actor Damian Lewis, who proved capable of embodying all those qualities as Dick Winters in "Band of Brothers." And he wouldn't even have to dye his hair.

Alternates: After his many publicized troubles on "Star Wars" you'll probably never get Ewan McGregor near a big-budget franchise again. But this would be the role for him if he did. Alternately, we like "The Last King of Scotland" actor James McAvoy.

Bathilda Bagshot/ Gran Longbottom

Book Says: Of Bathilda — celebrated author of "A History of Magic." Ancient. Thinning gray hair atop her stooped head. Of Augusta Longbottom — forceful woman described by her grandson, Neville, as wearing green robes, a fox-fur scarf and a stuffed vulture on top of her hat.

We Say: It's entirely possible, if not downright likely, that both of these roles will be cut from the "Deathly Hallows" movie. Of the two, Bathilda seems to have the most probable shot at appearing, if only because Harry's trip to Godric's Hollow provides him with some clues as to the true identity of the blond-haired boy he sees stealing Gregorovitch's wand. But, in the interest of time, this information can come from somewhere else. We've grouped the old ladies together, however, because, if even one remains, we'd like to see that one played by Dame Judi Dench, a fierce talent who somehow hasn't yet found her way into the "Potter" series.

Alternate: Brenda Fricker

Mundungus Fletcher

Book Says: A no-good crook Dumbledore lets into the Order of the Phoenix to keep tabs on the criminal underworld. His eyes are bloodshot and baggy, his clothes tattered and torn. Very short. Never without his pipe, Dung smells of stale tobacco and alcohol. A coward as well as a thief, Dung flees at the site of You-Know-Who.

We Say: A despicable ragamuffin more likely to be selling cauldrons than doing his duty (and, boy, does he have the record for most inappropriately timed disapparations or what?), we nevertheless always had a soft spot for Mundungus. He's the kind of guy we'd love to have over for a drink of Butterbeer, since we bet he has more stories than Walt Disney. You can tell that Mundungus has lived a full — if scandalous — life. Combine everything, and we can't stop thinking about Mick Jagger. Hey, if Keith Richards can be in "Pirates"...

Alternate: Somehow we can't shake the idea that, as an alternative to Jagger's hard-won edge, Ricky Gervais would be a bit of inspired lunacy, more accurately able to portray Mundungus' obvious pathetic nature. We can see him now, simpering in the hallway of 12 Grimmauld Place as he's beaten by a house-elf.

Aberforth Dumbledore

Book Says: Albus Dumbledore's brother and bartender at the Hog's Head tavern. Described in "Order of the Phoenix" as "a grumpy-looking old man with a great deal of long gray hair and a beard." Piercing blue eyes. A bit odd, he was once arrested for performing illegal charms on a goat.

We Say: Count us among the many who don't like Michael Gambon's portrayal of the venerable headmaster in the last three "Potter" films. Ironically, of course, he'd be perfect for Albus' brother, Aberforth — a little bit angrier, more unforgiving and uncompromisingly pragmatic than his more celebrated sibling. But just because Gambon's off the table, that doesn't mean producers can't rectify their mistake with Aberforth. Give us an actor full of piss and vinegar, an actor with deep, blue eyes that speak of regret, hate and remorse in equal measure. Give us the man you should have given us for Dumbledore. Give us Peter O'Toole.

Alternates: If it weren't impossible to see him as a disheveled wizard and not think of Gandalf the Grey, we'd suggest Ian McKellen for the role. As it is, of course, we can't. But in his place we offer up Albert Finney, a "Big Fish" with the added benefit of actually looking like Gambon — close enough, at least, that he could reasonably play his brother.

Check out everything we've got on "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

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

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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• 'Half-Blood Prince' Gets Its Slughorn

• The Rolling Stones

Paris Hilton is escorted to Superior Court by the L.A. County Sheriff on Friday
Photo: J.Mitchell/Beiny/WENN

The news happens all the time, even while you're enjoying your weekend. Check out this brief rundown to bring you up to speed this morning — a quick heads up from your friends at MTV News.

Here's what we've got:

The first clock on Rage Against the Machine's RATM82407.com ticked down to zero this morning, revealing, as speculated, that the band will play a show in East Troy, Wisconsin, on August 24. Tickets go on sale Friday. ...

After spending the past week checking in and out of (and back in to) jail, Paris Hilton announced Saturday that she will not appeal her sentence. "During the past several days, I have had a lot of time to reflect and have already learned a bitter, but important lesson from this experience," Hilton said in a statement. ...

Twista told us that he's tried to keep his lyrics so tight that there hasn't always been room for all that he's thinking. For the rest, you had to check out his column in Chicago's Red Eye. But now, Twista is prepared to put it all in his songs. "I'mma fuse both of them together — my music with the way I write in my column — so you can really hear Twista's perspective on a musical level," he told us. "I'm trying to take it there." ...

And "Ocean's Thirteen" won the weekend's box office jackpot, coming in at #1 with $37 million, way ahead of fellow newbies "Surf's Up" and "Hostel: Part II." ...

Quote of the Day: "I don't know about you guys, but I'm desensitized. ... Every video the girls get prettier and prettier and prettier." — Pharrell

Here's what everyone else is talking about:

Paris Hilton is expected to serve out the remainder of her sentence in the medical ward of the Twin Towers Correctional Facility, according to TMZ.com, while E! Online's Planet Gossip reports that Paris spoke with Barbara Walters on the phone over the weekend, and Walters is going to spill the details on Monday's "The View." In other Paris incarceration news, Nicky Hilton and Stavros Niarchos visited jail on Sunday, People reports, allegedly skipping the line to avoid photographers and earning the ire of other inmates' family members. ...

Paris' friend and "Simple Life" co-star Nicole Richie still has her own case pending. She is due in court June 21, New York's Daily News reported Saturday, to face charges of misdemeanor DUI stemming from a February incident in which she was spotted driving the wrong way on a L.A. freeway. Richie, who has a previous DUI on her record, faces a mandatory jail sentence if convicted. ...

Charlie Wilson filed suit against EMI and Heineken on Friday, alleging that he didn't authorize the use of the song "Beautiful," his collaboration with Snoop Dogg and Pharrell, in a beer commercial Reuters reports. The Gap Band frontman also claims that EMI owes him hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits gained from "Beautiful" and his Ludacris/Snoop collabo "You've Got What I Want." ...

The Rolling Stones played their first U.K. festival show in more than 30 years on Sunday, headlining the Isle of Wight fest with a little help from Amy Winehouse (who joined the band on their cover of the Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud to Beg") and Paolo Nutini (pitching in on "Love in Vain"), NME.com reports. ...

"Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer" director Tim Story has another comic-book film lined up. He'll be bringing "The Losers," a 1970s DC-Vertigo title that profiles commandos targeted by their own government, to the big screen, Variety reports. In other movie news, Tom Wolfe's "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" — which chronicles "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" author Ken Kesey's LSD-fueled road trip — is coming to theaters 40 years after hitting bookshelves. Director Gus Van Sant is at the wheel of the adaptation, Variety reports. ...

A Spice Girls reunion at the July 1 Princess Diana memorial concert is unlikely (Victoria Beckham's rep tells E! Online that it's not happening) but the Girls may be getting together in the near future. People reports that the five-woman group is recording new music with plans for a December tour. ...

While "The Sopranos" was wrapping up with — we're not telling — "Spring Awakening" was cleaning up at the Tony Awards, taking eight of the 11 prizes it was up for. Meet the cast of the envelope-pushing musical right here. ...

And 12 college students — including filmmakers from the School of Visual Arts, Stanford University, Florida State University and New York University — scored medals and prize money at Saturday's 34th annual Student Academy Awards, joining the likes of past winners Spike Lee, Robert Zemeckis Trey Parker, The Associated Press reports.

• Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Matt Damon, More At The Hollywood Premiere Of "Ocean's Thirteen"
• "Ocean's Thirteen"

• Paris Hilton
• Snoop Dogg
• Amy Winehouse
• The Rolling Stones
• Rage Against the Machine

Keith Richards
Photo: Getty Images

No doubt you've seen the Keith Richards story that exploded across the media on Tuesday — the one where the Rolling Stones guitarist told Britain's New Musical Express that after the death and cremation of his father, Bert, in 2002, he mixed his dad's ashes with some cocaine and snorted them up.

Clearly, this is one of the all-time great rock and roll stories. Unfortunately, it's not true.

It seems to have been either a joke — one that sailed right over the NME interviewer's head — or a misunderstanding of Richards' famously hard-to-parse verbal style.

In any event, this dodgy quote was picked up by a horde of newspapers, wire services and TV and online outlets on both sides of the Atlantic, among them Reuters, Forbes, Google, Breitbart and the Drudge Report. And evidently, none of them attempted to confirm the story with a Richards representative.

MTV News took the novel step of contacting Richards' manager, who responded with what sounded like a sigh, but was in fact an e-mail. The dad-snorting story, she explained, was, quote, "said in jest ... [I] can't believe anyone took [it] seriously."

And now, this just in from Keith Richards himself, who says, "The complete story is lost in the usual slanting." As for the actual use to which his father's ashes were put, he said, "The truth of the matter is that I planted a sturdy English Oak. I took the ... ashes [and sprinkled them beneath the tree], and he is now growing oak trees and he would love me for it!"

As for the ashes-and-cocaine-snorting story he told to the NME, Richards said, "I was trying to say how tight Bert and I were — that tight!

"I wouldn't take cocaine at this point in my life," he added, "unless I wished to commit suicide."

[This story was originally published at 7:38 pm E.T. on 04.03.2007]

• The Rolling Stones

Britney Spears
Photo: Ethan Miller/ Getty Images

Britney Spears may have dumped K-Fed, but now it's her turn to get the boot. Ruben Garay, the founder of the six-year-old Spears fan site WorldofBritney.com, has announced that he's closing up shop because "as Britney keeps losing her identity and credibility within fans and industry people, so is [WorldofBritney.com]." A disappointed Garay wrote that Britney is "done" and "no matter what anyone thinks or how they may disagree, it's very hard to maintain the respect needed to keep things going." ...

Christina Aguilera and celebrity blogger Perez Hilton are teaming up to host a New Year's Eve bash at New York's Hudson Hotel. The Sunday night celebration kicks off at 9 p.m. ... Don't expect to see Nelly Furtado at any shindigs, though — not in this country, at least. The singer will be kicking it abroad with a headlining gig at Andheri Stadium in Mumbai, India. ...

Lily Allen needs your help. In a message posted on her MySpace page Thursday, the singer wrote: "I am beside myself with worry because someone has stolen my dog Maggie May this morning. I am in Jamaica, [and] while I am here Maggie has been looked after by a friend she was stolen out of his van." She's offering a reward, and photos of the dog can be seen on MySpace.com/LilyAllen. ...

For the second year in a row, the Rolling Stones were the top concert draw in North America, according to Pollstar magazine. The hard-touring British legends sold $138.5 million worth of tickets for 39 shows across the United States and Canada, giving them the third-biggest total in Pollstar history — behind their own 2005 tour and that year's U2 outing. Second on the list was Barbra Streisand, whose first tour in a dozen years hauled in $92.5 million for 20 shows, with an average ticket price of $298. Country couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were #3 with $88.8 million for 73 shows, followed by Madonna with $85.9 million for 34 shows. Ticket sales for the top 100 shows rose about 13 percent to $2.3 billion, breaking last year's record of $2.1 billion, mostly thanks to an 8 percent jump in the average ticket price from $56.88 to $61.45. ...

Paul McCartney's split with Heather Mills is getting nastier. On Thursday night, Mills McCartney reported the theft of two prized paintings, after which police went to Paul McCartney's country estate, according to The Associated Press. But a police spokesperson later confirmed that, after speaking with Mills McCartney and checking the premises, the paintings had in fact not been stolen and that the issue was a civil matter. ... Mike Tyson was charged with possession of cocaine and driving under the influence of drugs in Arizona early Friday morning (December 29), Reuters reports. The former boxing champ, who is due in court Friday, almost struck a sheriff's vehicle as he drove out of a driveway. ...

Finger Eleven will release their forthcoming LP, Them Vs. You Vs. Me, March 6. Fans can catch the band next month on the road with Hinder and Black Stone Cherry; that tour kicks off January 14 in Spokane, Washington, with dates scheduled through March 3 in New Orleans. ... Aqualung has set a March 6 release date for his second Stateside album, Memory Man. The British singer (a.k.a. Matt Hales) has sold more than 250,000 copies of his debut in the United States, thanks to the single "Brighter Than Sunshine." ...

Jay Farrar, Dar Williams, the Klezmatics and others will hail the Grateful Dead as part of the American Beauty Project. The artists will perform selections from the band's American Beauty and Workingman's Dead albums, both of which turn 35 next year, at New York's Arts>World Financial Center on January 20-21. ... Dead guitarist Bob Weir will take his Ratdog project to Bridgeport, Connecticut, for the Gathering of the Vibes fest August 9-12. The 12th installment of the event will also feature Los Lobos, Buddy Guy and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. ... And in yet more Dead news, the band's January 23, 1976, performance at the Cow Palace in San Francisco will be available Sunday and Monday as a free stream to mark the 30th anniversary of the concert. Head to Dead.net for details. ...

Family Values Tour alums Dir en Gray have aligned dates for their first U.S. headlining tour, Inward Scream. The Japanese metal band will head out February 1 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and wind down the trek February 25 in San Francisco. Dir en Gray will issue an EP, Agitated Screams of Maggots, exclusively to For Your Entertainment stores in January, and their second U.S. LP will drop in the spring. ... Despite perceptions of a slump, box-office sales were actually stronger this year than last, according to Reuters. Thanks to the record-breaking opening of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" and the year-end blockbuster "Happy Feet," the year-end total is an estimated $9.42 billion. Last year's sum was $8.99 billion. ...

Radio broadcaster Entercom Communications has agreed to pay a $4.25 million fine to settle a payola lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, according to Bloomberg News. The suit claimed that the Pennsylvania owner of more than 100 stations paid kickbacks for playing certain songs on its stations. $3.5 million of the settlement will go to Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, which will distribute it to nonprofit New York state companies to help finance musical education and appreciation programs. Entercom did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

12.28.2006

Eminem will host a New Year's Eve countdown Sunday via his Shade 45 channel on Sirius Satellite Radio. The show, which runs from 8-10 p.m. with several replays on Monday, will feature the rapper "stating the facts and playing the tracks," including 25 of his favorite hip-hop songs. "This is not THE definitive top-25 list, because that's just too damn hard! But, these 25 songs are definitely up there as my favorites," Em said in a statement posted on the Shade 45 site. ...

The Soul Patrol is taking it to the streets. "American Idol" victor Taylor Hicks will hit the road in late February for a run of U.S. gigs in support of his self-titled debut. The trek gets underway February 21 in Jacksonville, Florida. And while Hicks told MTV News earlier this month that the tour would "hopefully last 10 years," so far dates have been scheduled through an April 27 show in Kansas City, Missouri. ...

John Legend will celebrate his 28th birthday Thursday night (December 28) at Stereo in New York. Kanye West, Amerie and Fonzworth Bentley are expected to turn out for the party. ... The lineup for this year's Cornerstone Festival is starting to take shape. The Christian-music-centered fest is scheduled for June 25-30 in Bushnell, Illinois, and will feature Underoath, Switchfoot, Emery, Flyleaf, Anberlin, the Almost, Disciple and Spitfire.

Arcade Fire fans who had planned to download the band's charity single "Intervention" from the iTunes store early Thursday morning ended up with a surprise — two days early — when the track "Black Wave/ Bad Vibrations" was uploaded instead by mistake. "I guess it is sort of charming that we can send the wrong song to the whole world with the click of a mouse," frontman Win Butler said in a post on the band's Web site. Proceeds from this week's sales of "Intervention" (and "Black Wave/ Bad Vibrations") will benefit Partners in Health (PIH.org), an organization supporting community-based initiatives to fight poverty and disease. "Our little bump in the road hasn't changed that," Butler said. ...

Clearly a lot of people got iTunes gift cards and new iPods for Christmas, because so many of them tried to use the iTunes store over the holiday that there were widespread reports of error messages and download times approaching 20 minutes for a single track. According to an Associated Press report, stressed-out users began posting urgent help messages on Monday and Tuesday on Apple's tech forum for iTunes complaining that they either couldn't log in to the site or were told the system couldn't process their requests for song and video downloads. Apple Computer would not comment on the slowdown, and it was unclear how many people were affected. Online market researcher Hitwise reported that the slowdown could be attributed to the fact that more than four times as many people visited iTunes on Christmas than at the same time last year. ...

Flogging Molly can't wait to get the party started: The Irish folk punks are kicking off their St. Patrick's Day-themed Green 17 Tour on February 22 in Los Angeles. The 18-date outing comes to a close March 17 in Phoenix. ... Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Spocket note has also lined up his first '07 tour. He'll set out to do the solo-acoustic thing February 7 in Santa Barbara, California, and stay on the road through March 4 in Annapolis, Maryland. ...

2007 will be a banner year for "The Simpsons," with a long-awaited big-screen adventure finally hitting theaters, so the animated Springfield residents are starting the year on the right foot with a slew of New Year's resolutions. Realist Homer vows to lose 10 pounds — and gain it back by Valentine's Day. Marge wants to improve her cooking ("I resolve to finally learn how to make pancakes that don't stick to the pan") thanks to some prodding from Bart. And Krusty and Comic Book Guy aim a bit higher, with the clown promising to come up with jokes that are fresher than his 40-year-old standbys and the nerd resolving to date a woman. Good luck, guys.

• Britney Spears
• Christina Aguilera
• Nelly Furtado
• Lily Allen
• The Rolling Stones

Ahmet Ertegun
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Ahmet Ertegun, co-founder and longstanding chairman of Atlantic Records and the man who helped introduce the world to Ray Charles, Led Zeppelin and countless others, died Thursday (December 14) of a brain injury. He was 83.

The mogul — born into the wealthy family of a Turkish ambassador — never retired and was attending a New York concert by the Rolling Stones (one of the many bands he signed) on October 29 when he fell and incurred the injury. Perhaps fitting of the two worlds he brought together, the event was a 60th birthday party for former President Bill Clinton.

Ertegun, who survived triple-bypass surgery in 2001, later slipped into a coma and died with his family at his side.

In recent years, Ertegun was immortalized in films like "Beyond the Sea" about Atlantic artist Bobby Darin and "Ray," which portrayed how he not only discovered Charles, but promoted him before R&B was a genre, produced much of his music and wrote hits like "Mess Around."

He's also namedropped in Atlantic artist Kid Rock's single "You Never Met a Mother----er Quite Like Me" in the verse, "I'm a seasoned vet/ Educated on jazz by my man Ahmet/ Ertegun my friend."

Indeed, Ertegun was an avid aficianado of jazz as well as blues when, in 1947, he borrowed $10,000 from his dentist to launch Atlantic Records. He never pigeonholed the label, though, and opened his arms to then-genre-defying artists like Charles and soul singer Aretha Franklin, two of his biggest early successes. Ertegun once described Atlantic as "purveyors of African-American music" long before the arrival of Motown Records.

Ertegun was widely known for his ability to befriend anyone, and that showed in his label, as Atlantic expanded into rock and later hip-hop.

As legend has it, Ertegun persuaded the Rolling Stones to sign with Atlantic after pretending to fall asleep at a Chuck Berry concert they attended together, knowing Mick Jagger despised pushy execs.

He's also credited with convincing Crosby, Stills & Nash to tour with Neil Young, spawning one of the greatest supergroups in rock. Through Atlantic and its offshoots and affiliates, Ertegun had a hand in seminal works from Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Otis Redding, the Drifters, Sam & Dave, John Coltrane, Bette Midler, Sonny & Cher, ABBA and many, many others.

"Ahmet touched the lives of artists, producers, songwriters and countless others who were blessed by his creativity, wisdom and humor," Atlantic President Julie Greenwald said Thursday. "He changed the music and he changed the music business, and he is the inspiration to an entire new generation of music people who will strive to follow in his amazing footsteps. Equally at home in New Orleans juke joints and foreign embassies, Ahmet was a human being of rare character, style and humility. He was the real deal, and the world will be a far lesser place without him."

"Ahmet brought integrity, vision, style and class to the music business," added Jerry Heller, co-founder of Eazy-E's Ruthless Records, with whom Ertegun released hip-hop's first West Coast gold record. "A giant among mere mortals, his presence will be sorely missed by those of us who had the privilege of knowing him."

Along with his Atlantic work, Ertegun was also a founder and chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted him in 1987 and gave the Museum's main exhibition hall in Cleveland his name.

"From Aretha to Zeppelin, Ahmet was instrumental in breaking many of the iconic artists of the last 50 years," said Terry Stewart, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would not be what it is today without his leadership."

In 1993, Ertegun was presented with a Trustees Award from the Recording Academy, and in 2000, he was honored as a Living Legend by the United States Library of Congress. "Ahmet Ertegun was a true visionary whose life's work had a profound impact on our culture's musical landscape," Recording Academy President Neil Portnow said. "This is truly a sad day for the music industry and for music lovers everywhere, but his legacy will shine on forever."

"I feel so privileged to be able to say that Ahmet Ertegun was a mentor," added Lyor Cohen, Warner Music Group's U.S. chairman and CEO. "Here was a man who combined substance and style like no one else, who affected millions upon millions of people through the music his artists created, who nurtured those artists under his watchful eye. We were blessed to have him."

Ertegun will be buried in a private ceremony in his native Turkey, although a public memorial service will be conducted in New York early next year.

• Ray Charles
• Led Zeppelin
• The Rolling Stones

Pamela Anderson
Photo: Brad Barket/ Getty Images

After just four months of marriage, Pamela Anderson has filed for divorce from Kid Rock. Anderson cited "irreconcilable differences," according to divorce papers filed last week in Los Angeles Superior Court. "DIVORCE: Yes, it's true," Anderson wrote on her Web site, next to a picture of the couple. "Unfortunately impossible," she added, cryptically. The couple were married in three separate ceremonies, beginning on July 29. ...

Beyoncé is looking for dancers for her upcoming world tour. Five U.S. cities will host open-call auditions: Los Angeles (December 6-7), Atlanta (December 9), Houston (January 6), New York (January 11-12) and Chicago (January 27). Dancers may be male or female and of any nationality, but must be at least 18 years old. For more information see www.beyonce.com. ...

"American Idol" alum Jennifer Hudson has signed with Arista Records to release her yet-untitled debut album, the label announced Monday (November 27). Hudson is set to make her big-screen debut with a buzz-worthy performance in next month's Dreamgirls, which also stars Jamie Foxx and Beyoncé. A spokesperson for the label said Hudson will begin recording her debut LP next year. ...

The late Princess Diana's sons — Princes William and Harry — are planning to mark the 10th anniversary of their mother's death with a charity concert at London's 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium on July 1. The show, to be hosted by the two princes, commemorates what would have been Diana's 46th birthday. London's Sunday Times reported that among the artists likely to appear include Elton John, Beyoncé, George Michael and Kylie Minogue. Pharrell Williams and the Killers have also reportedly been approached to participate. ...

U2's claim to the top-grossing tour of all time was brief. The Irish band's barely nine-month-long reign was brought to an end by (who else?) the Rolling Stones. Billboard reports that the Stones' A Bigger Bang Tour — which began in the fall of 2005 — shattered the $377 million gross of U2's year-long trek by grossing $437 million and drawing 3.5 million people to 110 shows. If, as expected, the tour stretches into 2007, it could end up bringing in more than $500 million. ...

The long-simmering feud between Apple Computers and Apple Records, which has kept Beatles music off iTunes, could be close to an end. According to Fortune magazine, iTunes is close to a deal that would not only bring the Beatles catalog online for the first time, it would also give iTunes an exclusive on the Fab Four's music for a limited time. Among the issues reportedly being hammered out is how long that limited period of exclusivity will last, and whether the Beatles and their representatives would allow the band's music to be used in an iPod commercial. Neither side would comment officially on the negotiations. ...

Yoko Ono issued a full-page notice in Sunday's New York Times under the title "Forgive Us." The message, in observance of the approaching 26th anniversary of the murder of her husband, John Lennon, was a plea for forgiveness from the world's poor and suffering people "for having been unable to stop the tragedy" [apparently a reference to violence and hunger]. "Know that your loss is our loss," she wrote, later noting, "As the widow of one who was killed by an act of violence, I don't know if I am ready yet to forgive the one who pulled the trigger." ...

Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward said that, contrary to reports, he will not be working with Heaven & Hell, which finds Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler reuniting with Ronnie James Dio, the band's singer from 1979-83, as well as former Sabbath/Dio drummer Vinny Appice. "I realize there has been some speculation as to whether or not I am participating in the Heaven & Hell project," Ward wrote in a post on his official Web site. "I want to confirm that I will not be involved in either the recordings for the upcoming CD or the subsequent tour. I want to wish the guys — Tony, Geezer, Ronnie and Vinny — much success for the coming year." A posting on Iommi's Web site from October lists Ward as being involved in the project. ...

Sartorially splendid, sonically somber New York quartet Interpol have hit the studio to begin work on their third album, their first for Capitol Records. According to a post on their official Web site, the band are holed up in a New York studio and "the atmosphere and environs of a recording facility affect the sound and feel of an album in the subtlest ways. And we are affected. And it is subtle." There's no indication of when fans will get to hear any of said subtlety, but the guys add that everything "sounds great so far, but we'll be here for a while yet." ...

The Black Eyed Peas will release their first live DVD, "Live From Sydney to Vegas," on December 5. Bonus footage includes videos for "Union" and "Bebot" and a live performance of Fergie's "London Bridge." ...

11.22.2006

Hilary Duff is onto the paparazzi's moves, and she's got a surefire trick to throw them off. The singer/actress said in an interview featured in the December/January issue of Jane that she has a tactic to duck photographers trying to capture her in a tough moment with her boyfriend, Good Charlotte's Joel Madden: "If we're out someplace, we could totally be fighting, but we'll be looking at each other like this," Duff explained, reportedly flashing a big smile, "because there's a camera right there. Then we end up forgetting we're in a fight, because we're laughing since it's not a real thing to do, and we're both such real people." Real people who listen to music you may not expect, Duff insisted. "I love the Faint. If they would do a song for me, I would blow a fuse." ...

Reprise Records will re-release early Green Day material December 19. The band's 1,039/ Smoothed Out Slappy Hours and Kerplunk! were originally issued on Lookout! Records, and then reissued by that same label in 2004, but Green Day removed the LPs from the Lookout catalog last year after allegations that the band was owed royalties. ... AFI, Trent Reznor, Rise Against and Hellogoodbye have been named winners of the Libby Awards, a new honor put on by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. ("Libby" is short for "liberation.") AFI won Best Vegetarian Band, Rise Against's "Ready to Fall" earned them Best Animal Rights Song of 2006 and Nine Inch Nails frontman Reznor was honored as the Best New Fur Foe. Runners-up included Silverstein, Motion City Soundtrack and NOFX. ...

We're just months away from seeing exactly how "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" translates from book to the big screen (Feast your eyes on the film trailer right here), and now the young wizard's fifth adventure is about to go interactive. The "Order of the Phoenix" video game, scheduled for a July release, will allow players to explore Hogwarts and control multiple characters, including Harry, Sirius Black and Dumbledore. The game is currently being developed by Electronic Arts and will be released for the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2 and 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC. ...

Capitol/Priority is commemorating the 20th anniversary of hip-hop pioneers N.W.A, with The Best of N.W.A: The Strength of Street Knowledge, due December 26. A deluxe version of the 17-song retrospective CD comes with a bonus DVD featuring previously unreleased interviews with Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E. In other N.W.A news, nine songs by the act will debut as ringtones on December 12. ... Lil Scrappy's "G's Up TV," a weekly show recounting the rapper's journey to music from the streets, launched Tuesday at GsUpTV.com. In addition to Scrappy's firsthand accounts of his life and career, the series features skits — including a cognac tasting with Lil Jon — and celebrity guests such as Three 6 Mafia, Young Buck and Jamie Kennedy. The series will run through December 5 release, when his debut LP, Bred 2 Die, Born 2 Live, drops. ...

Angelina Jolie made an unannounced visit to Cambodia on Wednesday (November 22), The Associated Press reports. The actress, who adopted her son Maddox from the country, spoke with government officials about the $1.3 million nature-conservation project she is funding there. ... The advice may be too late for Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson, but Will Smith is sharing his secret to keeping a celebrity marriage alive: "Divorce cannot be an option," he revealed in the current issue of Reader's Digest. Smith explained that he quit his marriage to first wife, Sheree Smith, when he "could have fixed it" — and he said he won't make that mistake again with Jada Pinkett Smith. "With Jada, I stood up in front of God and my family and friends and said, 'Till death do us part.' So there are two possible outcomes: We are going to be together till death or I am dead." ...

After separate jaunts opening for Killswitch Engage and Dragonforce, piping-hot Massachusetts metallers All That Remains will head out for their first headlining track in support of this year's The Fall of Ideals. The band is hoping to have a permanent drummer by the time it kicks off the North American trek, slated for late January. ... Bayside — the New York band that lost a drummer in a van accident while on tour with Hawthorne Heights earlier this year — have assembled a short December trek with Junior Varsity and others called the Holiday Havoc Tour. The outing begins December 3 in New Haven, Connecticut, and winds down December 11 in New York. Bayside's junior album is due February 6. ... Pop punks Cartel will hit the road next year with Cobra Starship, Boys Like Girls, Permanent Me and Quietdrive. The 19-date trek kicks off February 7 in Carrboro, New York, and makes stops in Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Dallas, San Diego, Las Vegas and Seattle before winding down March 9 in Milwaukee. ...

This Christmas, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour will release three live tracks that he's dedicated to former bandmember and friend, the late Syd Barrett — who died this summer of pancreatic cancer. An acoustic cover of Barrett's "Dark Globe" and two new versions of Floyd's "Arnold Layne" will be available for download through Gilmour's Web site beginning December 25. ... Reunited New Jersey hardcore pioneers Lifetime will release their first studio album in more than 10 years on February 26 through Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz's Decaydance/ Fueled by Ramen label. The self-titled outing will boast 11 tracks in all, but no song titles have been revealed yet. Lifetime plan to spend much of next year on the road touring in support of the disc. ... Influential Delta blues musician Robert Lockwood Jr. died Tuesday of respiratory failure in Cleveland. The Grammy-nominated singer/guitarist and W.C. Handy Award winner was 91.

• Beyoncé
• U2
• The Rolling Stones
• The Beatles
• Black Sabbath

Kanye West
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

The Rolling Stones will have Kanye West pumping up the crowd for the first three dates of their A Bigger Bang tour's fall North American leg. The rapper will perform before the rock vets during concerts at Boston's Gillette Stadium (September 20); Halifax, Nova Scotia's Halifax Commons (September 23); and East Rutherford, New Jersey's Giants Stadium (September 27). ...

According to Attleboro, Massachusetts' The Sun Chronicle, a 42-year-old man from Cranston, Rhode Island, was charged with indecent assault following Ozzfest's August 1 stop in Mansfield, Massachusetts, for allegedly reaching under a woman's skirt. Joseph Rinaldi was released on $860 bail following his arraignment on Wednesday. The victim told police he'd grabbed underneath her skirt as she was walking back to her tour bus with a friend. The victim's identity has not been revealed. Rinaldi was also charged with possession of a class-B substance when police found he was carrying Vicodin. ...

Religious leaders are lashing out at Madonna in advance of her Sunday concert in Rome, The Associated Press reports. The singer plans to stage a mock crucifixion at the show, as she has been doing throughout her Confessions tour. "To crucify yourself in the city of the pope and the martyrs is an act of open hostility" toward the Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Ersilio Tonini told Italian daily newspaper La Stampa on Wednesday. Mario Scialoja, president of the Muslim World League in Italy, called the demonstration "an act of bad taste," while Riccardo Pacifici, a spokesperson for Rome's Jewish community, said, "It's a disrespectful act, and to do it in Rome is even worse." ...

Rihanna will perform at Teen Choice 2006, which will air August 20 at 8 p.m. on Fox. Nick Lachey, Snoop Dogg, Jessica Alba, Kristen Bell, Sophia Bush, Brandon Routh, Kristin Cavallari, Wilmer Valderrama, Paula Abdul and the cast of "High School Musical" will also be appearing at the awards show. ... Making a TV performance of a different variety is David Hasselhoff, who will sing "Jump in My Car" on "America's Got Talent" Thursday night (August 3), with his former "Knight Rider" co-star KITT in tow. ...

Alabama's Bureau of Tourism & Travel is erecting six billboards with the pictures of Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard and Bo Bice under the words, "Where America finds its voice. Alabama." The billboards will go up just before "American Idol" auditions begin in Birmingham on August 21. ... In other ex-"Idol" news, Clay Aiken is heading back to the '70s for his next album. The singer's A Thousand Different Ways features 14 tracks — 10 are covers of hits from the 1970s through the 1990s, including Dolly Parton's "Here You Come Again," which Aiken switched up from a country track to a pop ballad. The LP, due September 19, also includes the singer's take on hits by Elton John, Bryan Adams, Celine Dion and Foreigner as well as a new track written by Jon Bon Jovi called "These Open Arms." "This is an album of love songs," Aiken said, "but they are about all different kinds of love." ...

Snoop Dogg is among the guests on funk star Bootsy Collins' new holiday album, Christmas Is 4-Ever, due October 31. Snoop raps on "Happy Holidaze," while Charlie Daniels plays fiddle and sings on "Sleigh Ride." ... Tiger Army will join longtime friends AFI on the West Coast leg of their fall tour. The September shows will be the last Tiger Army appearances until after the recording of their follow-up to 2004's III: Ghost Tigers Rise. ... Aaron Carter has been discharged from the hospital after getting into a surfing accident earlier this week, The San Francisco Chronicle reports. The singer, whose car exploded after a collision last year, is recovering at home after his more recent mishap. ...

"There comes a time in a man's life when he's got to pull up his pants," Common told Men's Health in an interview featured in the magazine's September issue. "Not everyone wants to see your ass." The rapper explained that a man expresses himself through his clothing and revealed that there's a bonus to refining one's style: "Dressing like a gentleman brings respect." Common, who says a hat "gives a man another way to put on his crown," is working on a line of head coverings he's named Soji. Men's Health hits newsstands everywhere August 15. (Check out photos from Common's "Guide to Style" layout here). ...

Gnarls Barkley and Modest Mouse will headline the Bang! Music Festival at Miami's Bicentennial Park on November 11. Tiësto, Los Amigos Invisibles and Kinky are also on the bill, with more acts to be announced. ... Matisyahu, the Polyphonic Spree and Gomez are teaming up for a run of West Coast dates in September. The Spree are also headlining shows in Los Angeles, Dallas and Austin, Texas, that will include Pilotdrift and Philip E. Karnats, two acts signed to Polyphonic frontman Tim DeLaughter's Good Records Recordings. ... Frankie J, Nina Sky, Jeannie Ortega, Luis Fonsi and Orishas are heading out on tour together for the Lo McXimo de la Música concert series. Tour sponsors McDonald's will contribute $3 from every ticket sold to the Ronald McDonald House Charities/ Hispanic American Commitment to Educational Resources scholarship program. The tour kicks off in Phoenix on August 30 and hits cities including Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Miami and New York before wrapping up September 24 in Washington, D.C. ...

The Flaming Lips, DFA and legendary Detroit DJ Carl Craig are among the artists who remixed Goldfrapp songs for We Are Glitter. The collection of Supernature remixes is due October 17. ... A double-CD version of the recently released Black Crowes DVD "Freak'n'Roll Into the Fog: The Black Crowes All Join Hands" is due September 19. The album was recorded at San Francisco's Fillmore last year and includes an encore featuring their take on the Band's "The Night They Drove Ol' Dixie Down." ... Citizen Cope will release a new album, Every Waking Moment, September 12. Fans who preorder the LP will receive an autographed copy along with a bonus four-song EP. ...

Sister Hazel have set an October 10 release date for their next album, Absolutely. Shawn Mullins appears on the first single, "Mandolin Moon." ... Animal-protection organization In Defense of Animals will honor Moby with its Guardian Award. "Moby embodies the true spirit of what it means to be an animal guardian," IDA's president and founder, Dr. Elliot M. Katz, said in the statement. "We are proud to present him with our Guardian Award and look forward to a fruitful partnership that will benefit our animal friends." The musician will be honored August 13 in Alexandria, Virginia, as part of the Animal Rights 2006 National Conference. ... All-female tribute bands including the Iron Maidens and Cheap Chick are uniting on a compilation called Girls Got Rhythm, due August 22. Three of the acts honor AC/DC.

08.02.2006

My Chemical Romance will release their still-untitled new album on October 24. The band is putting the finishing touches on the disc — produced by longtime Green Day associate Rob Cavallo — but plan to road-test some of the new material at a handful of U.S. dates, including a stop this weekend at San Diego's Street Scene festival. Details on the project are scarce, though a spokesperson for MCR did confirm that they will be shooting a video for an unidentified song off the album with director Samuel Bayer ("Boulevard of Broken Dreams") this week. ...

Los Angeles prosecutors have filed three counts against Mel Gibson following his Friday arrest, The Associated Press reports. The actor/director has been charged for misdemeanor drunken driving, the open liquor container that was found in his car, and having an elevated blood-alcohol level. An arraignment has been set for September 28 in California's Malibu Superior Court. ...

Kelis sung three new songs (including "Bossy") and three older cuts (including "Milkshake") at New York dance club Crobar Tuesday night. Her husband Nas, NBA All-Star Chris Webber, Jermaine Dupri, Mario, Floetry and Patti LaBelle all came out to see her perform. ... That's not the only New York venue where Dupri cropped up Tuesday night. The producer paraded out some of the artists on his Virgin Urban Music label at Eugene in conjunction with Vibe magazine. Young Capone, Brooke Valentine, Daz and singer/songwriter Johnta Austin all took the stage. ...

Attention fashion lovers: The schedule for Olympus Fashion Week's presentation of spring 2007 collections is finally up. One of the surprises for the year's event, which runs from September 8 to 15, is Kenneth Cole's absence. He'll be handing over his traditional opening-day spot to menswear designer John Bartlett, who will kick off the event bright and early that Friday morning. Cole will be showing his collection in a more "intimate" setting in October, FashionDaily.com reports. ... Kimora Lee will present her Baby Phat line at 8 p.m. on Fashion Week's opening night, while Chris Aire's show, set to close out the first day, will be a surefire spectacle. Known as the Iceman for decking the necks of Ashanti, Wyclef Jean and Tyson Beckford with bling, Aire once featured a model wearing a dress dripping in 15.5 pounds of diamonds. JoJo, Nelly, Nick Lachey, Will Smith and LL Cool J are also fans of the designer. ...

Designers including Nicole Miller, Tracy Reese, Diane von Furstenberg, Carolina Herrera, Cynthia Steffe, Oscar de la Renta, Betsey Johnson, Nanette Lepore, Heatherette, Anna Sui, Calvin Klein and Zac Posen will be showcasing their collections throughout the week. "Project Runway" season-three finalists will present their work for judging at 9 a.m. on the event's last day, while the long-awaited line from first "Runway" winner Jay McCarroll will hit the catwalk at 5 p.m. ... Sportswear designer Fila is also joining the Fashion Week mix in an attempt to revamp its fashion image. Expect to see top musicians and fashion insiders lined up in the front row seeking freebies and sponsorship. Fila is also outfitting 10 acts for Lollapalooza this weekend, including Gnarls Barkley and 30 Seconds to Mars, and will partner with Hard Rock Hotels to host a VIP lounge for Lolla acts including Kanye West and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. ...

The soon-to-launch CW network has announced plans for a reality show called "The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll." The series — produced by director McG ("Charlie's Angels"), Interscope Records boss Jimmy Iovine and "America's Next Top Model" producer Ken Mok — will be a combination of "Model" and "American Idol," with the winner getting a spot in the Pussycat Dolls singing group. The show will air during the 2006-07 season. ... After weighing her options, Ashanti has decided that she won't choose between writing a behind-the-scenes look at her life or a book for teens — she's going to do both in one. To follow-up her 2002 collection of poetry "Foolish/ Unfoolish: Reflections on Love," the singer is writing a life-and-style guide titled "Ashanti Style," which will be an autobiography as well as a tip sheet on fashion and beauty. Ashanti says her "Style" will reveal some "little tricks" that stars use and "things that happen behind the scenes, and things that people really don't know about as far as celebrities or artists are concerned. It's going to be cute. It's going to be very helpful." Ashanti will co-write the book with former Vibe editor Orlando Lima. "Ashanti Style," which will be published via a Disney imprint for children called Jump at the Sun, is set for release in fall 2007. ...

Coheed and Cambria will be heading out for a nine-date U.S. run that's scheduled to kick off Thursday in Columbus, Ohio — but they'll be doing so without drummer Joshua Eppard and bassist Michael Todd. Instead, frontman Claudio Sanchez and guitarist Travis Stever will be joined by bassist Matt Williams (a partner with Sanchez and Stever in the Nyack, New York, band Jumblehead) and drummer MP (formerly of Samiam). The band revealed the news in a cryptic MySpace post: "We'll discuss [Williams' and MP's] future at a later date, but right now, all we want to do is to get out and play for our fans," Sanchez wrote. "Travis and I are excited to share the stage with Matt and MP, because they add a new flavor to the songs and it makes performing them even more fun." The tour is expected to conclude August 14 in Pomona, California, and the band will begin writing new material this fall. ...

The Panic Channel — featuring former Jane's Addiction members Dave Navarro, Stephen Perkins and Chris Chaney fronted by singer/guitarist Steve Isaacs — will release their debut album, (ONe) on August 15. The band will debut their single "Why Cry" August 10 on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." ... Chuck D has been named the keynote speaker for the National Association of Recording Merchandisers' 48th Annual Convention & Marketplace, which runs from Wednesday (August 2) to Saturday in Kissimmee, Florida. ... Blood Brothers and ... And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead will hit the road together for a 41-date North American trek that's set to kick off October 27 in Denver. The tour will make stops in cities including Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, Boston, New York, Atlanta, New Orleans, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Seattle before winding down December 14 in Salt Lake City. Trail Of Dead will release their as-yet-untitled LP on October 3, while the Blood Brothers' Young Machetes will surface October 10. ...

The lawyers representing Michael Jackson in a suit filed by the financial company Prescient Acquisition Group, which claims the singer owes them $48 million, have quit the case. According to The Associated Press, a federal judge in New York gave attorneys at Wachtel & Masyr permission to withdraw from the case on Monday, after attorney William Wachtel wrote a note to the judge describing his difficulty in communicating with Jackson due to a revolving door of spokespeople representing the pop singer. The lawyers said the final straw came in June, when Jackson dropped off the map after meeting with the firm in Paris and promising to be in better touch. It's the second time in a year that a law firm representing Jackson in this case has quit after claiming they hadn't been paid and couldn't get him on the phone. The judge said he'd give Jackson until September 5 to reorganize his legal team, but if he doesn't hire a new lawyer by then, Jackson himself has to appear in court. ... For the next five Wednesdays, Southern Californians can catch some live music while they shop. The Grove, a shopping center in Los Angeles, is hosting the "Summer at the Grove" concert series, presented by the CW television network. The shows kick off this week with Cheyenne Kimball. Anna Nalick (August 9), Mat Kearney (August 16), Tyler Hilton (August 23) and Jewel (August 30) will also perform as part of the series.

• Common Demonstrates "Gentleman" Style In The September Issue Of "Men's Health"

• Kanye West
• The Rolling Stones
• Clay Aiken
• Common
• Gnarls Barkley

Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Rolling Stones, More At "Shine A Light" Premiere

• The Rolling Stones
• Jennifer Lopez
• Marc Anthony

Warning: These Album Covers May Contain Explicit Content

• The Beatles
• The Mamas & The Papas
• Moby Grape
• Jimi Hendrix
• John Lennon

DiCaprio, Damon, Bono, Sorvino, More At The New York Premiere Of "The Departed"

• U2
• The Rolling Stones
• Lou Reed

Gwen Stefani, Kanye West And More From "Vanity Fair" Best-Dressed List

• Gwen Stefani
• Kanye West
• The Rolling Stones

Justin Timberlake, Rolling Stones, More, Perform In Toronto

• Justin Timberlake
• The Rolling Stones
• AC/DC
• Rush