Will.I.Am (file)
Photo: Justin Sullivan/ Getty Images

Will.I.Am has never been shy about his love for President-elect Barack Obama. And in honor of the future president, Will.I.Am has written "America's Song," which features appearances by Seal, Bono, Mary J. Blige and others. It's the first collaboration between the Black Eyed Peas MC and composer David Foster.

The song made its debut on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Monday (January 19), with the chorus "America is beautiful/ My America, your America, our America is beautiful."

"The meaning of this song is being proud of America," Will told Oprah. "I wanted to write the new American anthem for this day and age — for this generation."

It will be available as a free download for 24 hours on Oprah.com.

This isn't the first time Will.I.Am debuted a politically charged song on Oprah's show. In November, just days after Obama won the election, Will premiered the video for his new song "It's a New Day." The video flashed pictures of Obama on election night and crowds celebrating the Illinois senator's victory, alongside images of historical figures like Abraham Lincoln and Harriet Tubman. It also featured celebrity appearances from his bandmate Fergie, as well as actors Olivia Wilde, Jonathan Schaech and Kerry Washington.

When he released his first song about the then presidential hopeful, "Yes We Can," Will gathered celebrity friends including John Legend, Scarlett Johansson and Common for the video. The next song, "We Are the Ones," also had a star-filled video, featuring George Lopez and Jessica Alba.

"Be the Change: Live From the Inaugural" will air live on MTV on Tuesday, January 20, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. MTV News will have wall-to-wall coverage of the event and of the scenes in Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Kenya in the days leading up to the event and in the days that follow.

• Will.I.Am
• Black Eyed Peas
• Mary J. Blige
• U2
• Seal

Usher
Photo: ABC

Usher's father, Usher Raymond III, passed away at an Atlanta hospital on Friday, a rep for the singer confirmed to MTV News. The cause of death was not immediately known; People.com reported that the funeral will take place this week at the Taylor Funeral Home in Chattanooga, Tennessee. ...

Britney Spears spent more than two hours at the Los Angeles office of Kevin Federline's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, on Monday (January 21) for an ongoing deposition in the former couple's custody battle, according to People.com. Spears was videotaped driving up to the office, accompanied by friend Sam Lufti, at around 10:40 a.m. PT and left at around 1:20 p.m. The deposition is expected to continue on Tuesday.

1.18.07

Lindsay Lohan has gotten a harsh assignment as part of her community service for misdemeanor drunk driving. The Associated Press reported that the 21-year-old actress will be working two four-hour days at a morgue as part of her court-ordered program meant to show drivers the real-life consequences of drunk driving. Lohan — who must serve 10 days of community service as part of her plea deal — worked at an American Red Cross blood-services facility in a Los Angeles suburb in November. She has also been ordered to spend two days working in a hospital emergency room. ...

A New York judge told Foxy Brown on Thursday that she's going to have to provide medical proof for why she should be let out of jail to repair her defective cochlear implant, a surgically implanted hearing device. AP reports that acting Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Melissa Jackson told the rapper (born Inga Marchand) that she needs more information before deciding if she can let Brown out of jail to fly to California for treatment and a repair of the implant. Brown, who was sentenced to a year in jail in September for probation violation, recently petitioned the court via a handwritten letter to allow her to travel for treatment, saying that her hearing condition is worsening in jail and that she faces serious, potentially permanent hearing loss if the issue isn't resolved. Assistant District Attorney Cindy Chung had objected, saying Brown had not shown any proof that the procedure could not be done in New York and calling the request a "desperate and frivolous petition." Before being led out of court, Brown reportedly told the judge she had done a lot of thinking in jail about how to control her emotions and make better decisions, saying, "I have too much talent to throw it away. ... I know I will make you proud and my family proud." The seemingly nonplussed judge replied, "I'm glad you're learning some very hard lessons that needed to be learned." ...

Britney Spears, who has done little to promote her Blackout album aside from appearing in the tabloids on a daily basis, has landed a paying gig. Spears will host a party for the Scandinavian Style Mansion at a private residence in Beverly Hills, California, on February 16, party organizer Claus Hjelmbak confirmed. "She's going to do the press line and be there for a few hours," Hjelmbak told MTV News. She was a guest for a similar party for the Mansion featuring items from luxury brands on December 1. "Even though she wasn't the host, she was so sweet to everybody and so generous with her time," Hjelmbak said. "She made all these little kids and all my clients feel amazing." ...

Amy Winehouse's husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, was in court Friday (January 18) to enter a plea of innocent to charges of assault and conspiracy. According to The Associated Press, Winehouse was not in the London courtroom to hear Fielder-Civil confirm his name and enter the plea, but she did show up afterward in a silver BMW, surrounded by bodyguards who shielded her from the paparazzi. Despite rumors that the couple could be headed for divorce, Winehouse was seen whispering, "I love you handsome ... gorgeous one," to her husband as he was led away. Fielder-Civil, 25, who is accused of attacking a pub landlord, and then later conspiring along with several other men to convince the man to withdraw as a witness in the trial, has been in jail since November. Fielder-Civil is due back in court on February 29 to enter a plea on the charge of obstructing justice. AP reports that the landlord in the case, James King, denied the conspiracy charge during his appearance on Friday. ...

Dreams come true: Paramore are set to co-headline a tour with their idols Jimmy Eat World. The trek will launch in March, with dates to be announced shortly. "If it all ends tomorrow, we will be happy knowing that we got a tour with the band that gave us a reason to play music," Paramore singer Hayley Williams said in a statement. "We got to know them last December while playing festivals together. They put on a great show and we think it's going to be an awesome bill," added Jimmy Eat World singer Jim Adkins. ... Every Time I Die, Chiodos, Motion City Soundtrack, Meg and Dia, Thrice and the Bled are featured on the audio portion of the Take Action! Volume 7 CD/DVD compilation, which is scheduled for a March 4 release. ...

The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. — the site of a recent bid by talk-show host Stephen Colbert to have his portrait enshrined alongside some of America's legendary presidents — is about to unveil an exhibition honoring hip-hop. "Recognize! Hip Hop and Contemporary Portraiture" will open February 8 and feature photographer David Scheinbaum's portraits of famous rappers, paintings by Kehinde Wiley of LL Cool J and Ice-T based on famous European and American paintings from the 17th-19th centuries, and a poem by Nikki Giovanni that will be transcribed onto the walls of the exhibition by artist Shinique Smith. There will also be four portrait murals created by a pair of Washington graffiti artists that will be featured in the hallway between the galleries. ...

Velvet Revolver's Slash recently told Illinois' Northwest Herald that the band will begin working on its next LP in April. Slash is also planning to record a solo album sometime in the next year or two, he said. ... Staind frontman Aaron Lewis' three-night solo acoustic run at the Mohegan Sun Arena and Cabaret in Uncasville, Connecticut, next month will be filmed for the rocker's first-ever solo DVD. There's no word yet on when the effort will be ready for mass consumption, but we'll keep you posted. ... Chevelle and Finger Eleven will hit the road together next month for a spate of live gigs. The first is set for February 19 in Flint, Michigan, and so far, shows are booked through March 18 in Providence, Rhode Island. More dates will be revealed in the coming weeks. ...

Hard as it may be to believe, Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore has recorded the score to an adult film, according to Wired. "Extra Action (And Extra Hardcore)," which hits stores March 18 and was directed by Richard Kern, is an hourlong film that features "unpretentious, unadorned and definitely undressed" women, asked to "roll around and do something interesting for a few minutes." ...

Seal has signed on as the headliner of Musicians on Call's fourth annual Benefit Concert & Auction, which will take place January 29 at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York's Times Square. Among the items up for bid from the organization, which brings music to patients in health-care facilities, are two front-row concert tickets and a one-on-one piano lesson from Gavin DeGraw, a Fender bass signed by Sting, an acoustic guitar signed by Bon Jovi, and a meet-and-greet and two tickets for a Daughtry or Carrie Underwood/ Keith Urban show. ... Against stiff odds, Tanya Andersen has beaten the Recording Industry Association of America again. The single mother, who became a folk hero among the thousands of targets of the association's downloading lawsuits when the RIAA dropped its 2005 suit against her for lack of evidence, got word on Tuesday that a judge had ruled in her favor once more. Wired News reports that an Oregon judge ordered the RIAA to pay the 42-year-old Andersen's legal-defense fees from the copyright-infringement case, upholding a September ruling that the organization had appealed.

1.17.08

Mary J. Blige "lives" again: The R&B singer belted out two songs — "Just Fine" and "Hurt Again" — along with her band and taped appearances for upcoming episodes of "One Life to Live." In the eps, slated to air February 15 and 18, Blige acts as a surprise guest at a birthday party for one of the show's characters. "It's absolutely amazing to be integrated into a soap opera I've watched since I was a little girl," she said in a statement. Blige previously performed songs on the soap in summer 2006. ...

Remy Ma's case was adjourned again on Thursday (January 17), because her lawyer is ill. The hearing for the rapper, who is facing charges of charges of gang assault and witness tampering, had originally been scheduled for January 10. ...

Universal Motown has fine-tuned its new-releases schedule, and some of the year's most anticipated albums are right around the corner. Coming down the pipe are Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III (March 18), David Banner's The Greatest Story Ever Told (March 25), Q-Tip's The Renaissance (March 11), Ashanti's The Declaration (March 25), Erykah Badu's New Amerykah (February 26) and, finally, Nelly's Brass Knuckles (June 24). ...

Christmas trees have been tossed out and menorahs packed away for next year, but Amy Winehouse and super-producer Mark Ronson — who teamed for Winehouse's lauded Back to Black album — are sketching out plans for a holiday album, according to Rolling Stone. "We're talking about making a holiday record, with Christmas songs on one side and Hanukkah songs on the other," Ronson told the mag. "She's got songs called 'Kosher Kisses' and 'Alone Under the Mistletoe.' " Winehouse and Ronson both have Jewish roots. "She's writing songs, and we talked about getting a studio," he added. "I have to finish a few other things first, but I imagine we'll go into the studio this year." One of those "things" is apparently Daniel Merriweather's yet-untitled new album, according to a separate Ronson interview with BBC News. ... BBC News. ... The pressure is on. The Directors Guild of America reached an agreement with the major studios on Thursday, turning up the heat on the Writers Guild of America to settle their walkout, which began in November, according to the Los Angeles Times. The three-year directors' contract was an improvement over what the studios had originally offered writers, and now that it is complete, there is pressure for the WGA to use the agreement as the basis for its own new contract. ...

Scarlett Johansson is the latest celeb to pay a visit to troops overseas. The "Nanny Diaries" actress will hang with soldiers in the Persian Gulf for five days, signing autographs and visiting military installations along the way, as part of a United Service Organizations/ Army Morale Welfare Recreation entertainment tour. "I've wanted to go over and visit for some time, and now my moment has arrived," Johansson said in a statement. "It's one thing to reply to a letter or extend your thanks to service members in a speech, but it's another thing to visit them and spend time with those that do so much for us back home." ... Zac Efron, Denzel Washington, Emile Hirsch, Forest Whitaker and father-to-be Matthew McConaughey will present trophies at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on January 27. The show, which has a waiver from the striking Writers Guild of America, will air January 27 on TNT and TBS. ...

John Legend sure is busy. In addition to performing at a MusiCares event on February 8 and at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo in March, the singer/pianist will also play an acoustic set mid-flight onboard Delta Air Lines' new Grammy plane. The Recording Academy, Delta and CBS — the network that is due to air the Grammys on February 10 — have put together a contest that starts Thursday, with winners flying from New York to Los Angeles for the ceremony, and also catching rehearsals beforehand. To enter the sweepstakes, which ends January 29, check out the Web site of your local CBS TV affiliate and see if it is one of the 16-plus participating stations. ... The new season of "American Idol" is under way, of course — but don't forget about last year's winner, Jordin Sparks. The 18-year-old singer is continuing to promote her self-titled debut, which was released in late November, with a chat and performance of "Tattoo" on Fox's "Talkshow With Spike Feresten" on Saturday night. Jordin Sparks has had a poor outing, barely cracking the Billboard albums chart's top 10 in its first week of release. ...

These are the worst of times for EMI. Shortly after news broke that up to 2,000 staffers at the beleaguered major label might be laid off soon, Reuters reported that one of the label's biggest veteran acts, the Rolling Stones, have inked a deal to release a film soundtrack on a different label. The one-off pact with rival Universal Music Group for the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese's upcoming documentary on the band — "Shine a Light," which is due in March — has prompted speculation that the Stones may be the latest act to jump ship from EMI. ... Your time-wasting days may be over. Hasbro, the company behind the game Scrabble, has asked Facebook to remove its popular version of the word game Scrabulous, claiming that it infringes on Hasbro's copyright. ... Clap Your Hands Say Yeah will donate the proceeds from their Tuesday concert at NYC's Bowery Ballroom to Planned Parenthood of New York City, according to Pitchfork. ...

Ginuwine still has beef with King Music Group Inc. The R&B star — who sued the record label in early October, claiming he was tricked into signing a contract with a label that didn't even exist — has filed a breach-of-contract and fraud complaint against the company and its purported founder, Michael Bourné. Ginuwine had previously reached a settlement with King Music Group, according to the complaint, but now he says the terms of that agreement have also been breached, in addition to his original contract. "King Music Group and Bourné's latest breaches have resulted in significant damages and numerous lost professional opportunities for Ginuwine, as well as his inability to record new material," the complaint states. According to Ginuwine, per the terms of his original contract, he was to receive $1.75 million, including a $500,000 advance, to record his first album for King Music. But he claims he didn't receive any payment from the label, and that there was no corporate record for King Music Group Inc. anywhere in New York, California, Florida or Tennessee. ...

While Britney Spears is "happily dating" one paparazzo, Adnan Ghalib, some others aren't so lucky. Four photographers were arrested for reckless driving after chasing the pop singer's car in Southern California on Wednesday night, according to The Associated Press. Los Angeles police offers also pulled over Spears and interviewed her, but let her go after her license checked out OK. Authorities said the four paps were following too closely behind Spears' Mercedes, were driving at unsafe speeds and made multiple dangerous lane changes, according to AP. ... Kiefer Sutherland, who started serving a 48-day jail sentence for DUI and probation violation December 5, will be released Monday, according to "Entertainment Tonight." The "24" actor celebrated his 41st birthday, on December 21, behind bars. ...

Live Nation has been slapped with a lawsuit by a man who alleges he was beat up by a member of Mötley Crüe and security during the band's concert with Aerosmith in Tampa, Florida, on November 22, 2006, according to The Tampa Tribune. Gerald Schneeman of Rockford, Illinois, reportedly claims that while standing in front of the Ford Amphitheatre stage, he was hit in the head with a guitar by a Mötley Crüe bandmember — who was not named in the suit — after which the musician leapt off the stage and took down Schneeman. The suit goes on to say that once Schneeman was on the ground, security assaulted him and dragged him from the venue. Schneeman alleges he suffered bodily injury, scarring and disfigurement, although details of his injuries were not listed in the suit, according to the Tribune.. ...

Michael Derderian, the co-owner of the Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, where 100 people were killed in a 2003 fire during a Great White show, was granted early release from prison by a state parole board on Wednesday, according to an AP report. Derderian, 46, who went to prison in September 2006, is set to be freed in October 2009, after serving more than three years of a four-year sentence. Families of some of the victims had asked the parole board to force Derderian — who has been disciplined several times for breaking rules at his work-release job and in prison — to serve his entire sentence because he ran a dangerous business and allegedly did not show enough remorse for his role in the deadly fire.

• Usher
• Lindsay Lohan
• Coldplay
• Britney Spears
• Foxy Brown

Hilary Duff (file)
Photo: Hollywood Records

Hilary Duff's guest-star turn on "Joan of Arcadia" has been bumped up a week. The episode, called "The Rise & Fall of Joan Girardi," features Duff as a catty classmate named Dylan Samuels, who ditches her popular friends and makes attempts to befriend the title character after Joan saves her from the path of a speeding SUV. The episode airs January 28 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. ...

Disappointing young women everywhere, Jude Law announced on Wednesday (January 5) that he is engaged to his girlfriend and "Alfie" co-star, Sienna Miller. A spokesperson for the actor told The Associated Press that Law, 32, proposed to Miller, 23, on Christmas Day by adorning her finger with a gold ring featuring nine diamonds set in platinum. A date for the wedding has not been set. Law was previously married to actress/fashion designer Sadie Frost, with whom he had three children; they divorced in October 2003. ... Not to be outdone, Heidi Klum announced her own Christmastime engagement — to boyfriend Seal — on her Web site on Wednesday. "We affianced on a glacier in Whistler (Canada)," the supermodel, 31, wrote of the ski-resort proposal. Last year, Klum split with boyfriend Flavio Briatore, the Renault Formula One team boss with whom she had a daughter, Leni, and started dating Seal, 41, shortly after. ...

The man who sang the strip-club anthem "Girls, Girls, Girls" has chosen to settle down with just one. Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil will wed girlfriend Lia Gerardini on Sunday at a private Las Vegas ceremony. And who will be charged with uniting the couple in holy matrimony? None other than Neil's "Surreal Life" co-star MC Hammer ... Jessica Simpson, Nick Lachey, Christina Milian and Ice Cube are among the presenters at this weekend's People's Choice Awards, to be hosted by Jason Alexander and Malcolm-Jamal Warner. The awards ceremony airs Sunday at 9 p.m., live ET/delayed PT on CBS. ...

The upcoming MTV Asia Awards, which Christina Aguilera is slated to host, has been recast as a global disaster relief event to aid South Asian tsunami victims. It will air on February 3 from Bangkok, Thailand. ... Markus Sandlund, a cellist who performed on Brian Wilson's Smile, is missing in the aftermath of the tsunami. Wilson has posted a plea on his Web site seeking any information on the member of the Stockholm Strings & Horns who was vacationing on the island of Phuket during the disaster. Sandlund's girlfriend was swept away by the tsunami and later rescued. ...

'NSYNC's Lance Bass, who nailed four blackjacks in his opening-round matchup, has made it to the finals of "Celebrity Blackjack" — in which the top four of the original 40 contestants battle it out for the biggest chip stacks. Bass will take on Jason Alexander, Jeff Probst and Kelli Williams in the championship episode airing Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET on the Game Show Network. The winner's $250,000 prize will be donated to his or her favorite charity. ... Look out Camp Freddy, Farm Fur are about to horn in on the all-star bar-band action. The freshly hatched 11-member project from Tom Petty drummer Steve Ferrone will make its debut at B.B. King's in Los Angeles on January 14 with a lineup that includes guitarist Dean DeLeo and bassist Robert DeLeo, formerly of Stone Temple Pilots; and singer Alex Ligertwood of Santana. Former Bruce Springsteen and Jackson Browne side players are among the other members. ...

Alice Cooper and Dave Mustaine are among the hard rock heavyweights slated to beef up the soundtrack to the documentary "Rock School," which focuses on the Paul Green School of Rock, a Philadelphia school that teaches its students music by dividing them up into bands. The documentary will be screened at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival later this month and released in theaters nationwide in March. According to a recent interview with the school's founder in the Philadelphia paper The Daily Local, the soundtrack will feature a host of artists, including Cooper and Mustaine, who will record a series of covers with the students. ... Hate George W. Bush? Love spazzy Seattle hardcore? Well, you're in luck. Because on January 20 — the same day Bush is sworn in — Sea-town's own Blood Brothers will host "The Anti-Inaugural Ball," a show to benefit Life for Relief, a nonprofit humanitarian organization. Joining the Bloods for the ball, which will be held at Seattle's Showbox Theater, are Pretty Girls Make Graves and IQU. ...

01.04.2005

A third song from Mariah Carey's upcoming album, The Emancipation of Mimi, has been leaked, only this one has the makings of a radio hit. "It's Like That," featuring Jermaine Dupri, is getting play on urban radio stations in New York, Chicago and Dallas so far, though there's no word yet from Carey's label if this song will eventually be released as a single. ...

Next month is shaping up to be a busy one for Ja Rule. Rule plans to go on tour with Inc. mate Ashanti in February, and also wants to begin recording his next project, which he says may be a two-disc set. "I might do a double," Ja said on New Year's Eve. ... Remade Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil showed that at least his potty mouth hasn't been surgically removed when he dropped the f-bomb on Friday night's live New Year's Eve broadcast of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno." "Happy f---ing new year, Tommy!" the singer yelled to drummer Tommy Lee just after midnight. The Leno show is typically taped earlier in the day but airs live on New Year's. Viewers on the East Coast heard the profanity, but it was edited out for the West Coast broadcast. The FCC has received complaints about the show, according to The Associated Press, and is beginning a preliminary probe. However, as the incident occurred during the "safe harbor" hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., action is not expected to be taken. ...

JoJo will sing the national anthem at the 2005 Orange Bowl on Tuesday night (January 4). The pop starlet will be escorted onto the field for her performance by former Iraq prisoners of war Jessica Lynch and Shoshawna Johnson. The game will be broadcast on ABC beginning at 8 p.m. ET. ... Meanwhile, the video for U2's new single, "All Because of You," will premiere during the Orange Bowl's halftime. Viewers will be treated to a special two-minute version of the video as the backdrop for first-half highlights. The entire video will be available on ESPN's Web site afterward, and ESPN will air the video during the midnight and 1 a.m. ET editions of "SportsCenter." ...

Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin and Jerry Lee Lewis are among this year's recipients of the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award. The honor, from the organization that presents the Grammys, is also being given to such early rock, jazz, country and folk pioneers as Eddy Arnold, Art Blakey, the Carter Family, Jelly Roll Morton, Pinetop Perkins and the Staple Singers. Composer Hoagy Carmichael ("Georgia on My Mind") and "Soul Train" creator Don Cornelius were among the Trustees Award winners for non-performers. The awards will be presented at a ceremony on February 12 and at the Grammy Awards the following night. ... Anthrax, Drowning Pool and Soil are scheduled to join Disturbed on the roster for the Dimebag Darrell Memorial Fund benefit show on February 23 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. The fund was established to help with the funeral and medical expenses of band employees killed or injured in the shooting spree that occurred December 8 during Damageplan's concert in Columbus, Ohio. ...

Xzibit will be a guest judge on the finale of BET's "Coming to the Stage," a talent search for America's "Next Superstar of Funny," as the winner will be crowned. Comedian Paul Mooney will also help judge the three finalists on the show, which airs Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT. ... The Trak Starz production team are taking Chingy's Powerballin' credo to heart. The beatmakers, who discovered Chingy and produced his first two albums, have formed a new record label, TrakStarz Records, which will release their own solo disc. The label was formed as a joint venture with Blackground Records, the imprint responsible for Aaliyah, Timbaland, Ginuwine and, most recently, JoJo. ...

Grammy-nominated rockers Modest Mouse aren't letting all of 2004's successes go to their heads. They're all set to spend most of 2005 the way they spent the previous year: on tour. The band's umpteenth jaunt around the U.S. begins January 21 in Nashville and criss-crosses much of the West before coming to an end March 3 in Denver. ... Keane, the Zutons and newcomers the Redwalls will hit the road together from January 24 in Dallas to February 21 in Minneapolis. ...

• Hilary Duff
• Jude Law
• Jessica Simpson
• Christina Aguilera
• Ice Cube

John Mayer
Photo: Danny Clinch

John Mayer wasn't kidding when he named his new album Heavier Things. The singer/songwriter's second LP will outweigh all others on next week's Billboard albums chart.

With the force of the single "Bigger Than My Body" behind him, the troubadour moved more than 316,000 copies of the album last week, according to SoundScan, to best the closest competition, Hilary Duff, by more than 200,000 copies.

Prior to the album's release, Mayer wasn't sure how the album would be received, though at least it passed muster with his toughest critic, himself.

"There are no punches that are pulled on this record," he said. "So I don't know if it's a one-star record, I don't know if it's a five-star record. I don't know if on [the day the album comes out] I should have the car running and be ready to drive up to Canada, find a little cabin and just give it up. But what I do know is that at every turn of this record, I felt like I was doing something right."

Comparatively, Mayer's last album, Room for Squares, took roughly nine months to even crack the top 200. And then it went on to sell more than 3 million copies, so Heavier Things has its work cut out for it.

Former king of the mountain Duff's Metamorphosis sold 107,000 copies to retain high placement three weeks after its release.

Seal's first album in five years, Seal IV, will make a strong first-week showing, landing at #3. After such a lengthy drought, "Get It Together" must have helped the fanbase of the former Sealhenry Samuel to keep it together to the tune of more than 81,000 copies sold.

Mary J. Blige's Love & Life moving from #2 to #8 (59,000) is the largest variation in the top 10. In its third week out, weekly sales of Blige's sixth album dropped by nearly 50,000 copies.

With the exception of the two debuts, every other album in the top 10 also took a significant dip in weekly sales. Alan Jackson's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 moves a spot lower to #4 (more than 79,000 copies sold); Beyoncé's Dangerously in Love does the same to #5 (74,000); The Neptunes Present ... Clones holds at #6 (60,000) and cracks the half-million mark in total sales; Evanescence's Fallen, among the chart's most stubborn after 28 weeks among the best-sellers, drops two spots to #7 (60,000); Chingy's Jackpot descends by two steps to #9 (58,000); and the "Bad Boys II" soundtrack slips a notch to #10 (53,000).

Last week's deaths of two greats, Warren Zevon and Johnny Cash, renewed awareness in both artists, which translated to a boost in their album sales. Zevon's 3-week-old The Wind will move up 28 spots to #12 with an almost 25,000-copy increase in weekly sales. Further down the chart, Genius: The Best of Warren Zevon re-enters the top 200 at #168, 10 months after its release.

Since Cash passed on Friday, only three days of shopping helped his latest album, American IV: The Man Comes Around, jump from #94 to #22, goosed by a 24,000-copy increase. A reissue of The Essential Johnny Cash also resurfaced at #130, with more than 8,300 in sales last week.

Thanks to a single featuring the Clipse, "Quarterbackin'," Bay Area veteran E-40 takes over the #16 spot with his eighth album, Breakin News. Heavy metal icons Iron Maiden's latest LP, and second since the return of singer Bruce Dickinson, Dance of Death, debuts with a #18 placement.

Other notable debuts on next week's chart include the soundtrack to "The Fighting Temptations," featuring contributions from the film's star, Beyoncé, at #39; skate punks Pennywise's From the Ashes at #54; mostly bearded Texas rockers ZZ Top's Mescalero at #57; spastic party animal Andrew W.K.'s The Wolf at #61; metal-tinged screamers From Autumn to Ashes' Fiction We Live at #73; metalheads Spineshank's Self-Destructive Pattern at #89; and Southern sad sacks My Morning Jacket's It Still Moves at #121.

• John Mayer
• Hilary Duff
• Seal
• Mary J. Blige
• Warren Zevon

Even though he didn't win any Moonmen at this year's VMAs, Johnny Cash got a lot of love from the musical community in the weeks leading up to the ceremony. Now his late wife, June Carter Cash, gets some shine too with Wildwood Flower, her final recording sessions and a collection of songs on which she and Johnny sing duets many times over.

In other news memorializing country singer powerhouses, the tribute album Remembering Patsy Cline features interpretations of Cline's songs by women including Norah Jones, Natalie Cole, Lee Ann Womack and K.D. Lang.

And as if that weren't heavy enough, there's Heavier Things, the title of John Mayer's follow-up to Room for Squares, which features the single "Bigger Than My Body." On the album, Mayer also collaborates with guest drummer ?uestlove from the Roots on the album's first track, "Clarity."

Now that summer's over, it's time for a New Romance, and the timing couldn't be better, because these days Seattle outfit Pretty Girls Make Graves find a little more emo in their punk. Meanwhile, the only love celebrity DJ Mark Ronson is giving is to the guest stars on his debut album, Here Comes the Fuzz, which features Weezer's Rivers Cuomo on "I Suck," Mos Def and M.O.P on "On the Run," and Ghostface Killah and Nate Dogg on the lead single, "Oh Wee." The "Fighting Temptations" soundtrack features songs by Missy Elliott, P. Diddy and movie star herself, Beyoncé, both as a solo artist as well as a member of Destiny's Child.

Last but never least is the earnest, face-bashing, air-splitting party animal Andrew W.K.'s The Wolf. Songs like "Really in Love," "I Love Music" and yes, even "Make Sex," show that W.K. has moved away from the party theme (with the exception of "Long Live the Party") and onto the subject of love this time out. Where do you think "Totally Stupid" fits in?

Out Tuesday, September 9:

• 22-20s - Live (EP, Astralwerks)
• 4 Way Street - Pretzel Park (Sanctuary)
• The A.K.A.'s - White Doves & Smoking Guns (Fueled by Ramen)
• Acumen Nation - Lord of the Cynics (Invisible)
• Joan Baez - Dark Chords on a Big Guitar (KELA/Koch)
• David Banner - Mississippi: The Screwed & Chopped Album (Universal)
  Read: "David Banner Clears Up What Dirty Water Is All About"
  Buy Now: Mississippi: The Screwed & Chopped Album (Universal)
  
• Beulah - YOKO (Velocette)
• Eric Bibb - Natural Light(EarthBeat!)
• Frank Black & the Catholics - Show Me Your Tears (spinART)
• Michael Brecker Quindectet - Wide Angles (Verve)
• British Sea Power - The Decline Of (Rough Trade)
• Brotzmann, Van Hove, Bennink - FMP 0130 (Atavistic/UMS)
• Michael Bublé - Totally Bublé (DRG)
• June Carter Cash - Wildwood Flower (DualTone)
  Read: "Country Star June Carter Cash, Wife Of Johnny Cash, Dies At 73"
• Cave Catt Sammy - Whiskey and the Devil (Rubric)
• Chieftains - Further Down the Old Plank Road (RCA Victor)
• Avishai Cohen - Lyla (Razdaz/Rykodisc)
• Roger Creager - Long Way to Mexico (DualTone)
• Decemberists - Her Majesty and (Kill Rock Stars)
• Diplomats of Solid Sound - Let's Cool One (Estrus)
• E-40 - Breakin' News (Jive)
• East River Pipe - Garbageheads on Endless Stun (Merge)
• Scott Ellison - Bad Case of the Blues (Burnside)
• Enon - Hocus Pocus (Touch and Go)
• From Autumn to Ashes - The Fiction We Live (Vagrant)
• Tony Furtado & the American Gypsies - Live Gypsy (DualTone)
• Thea Gilmore - Avalanche (Compass)
• The Gossip - Undead in NYC (Dim Mak)
• Adam Green - Jessica (EP, Sanctuary)
• Steve Haines Quintet - A Beginner's Mind (Artists House)
• Tom Harrell - Wise Children (Bluebird/AAL)
• Rodney Hayden - Living the Good Life (Audium)
• John Hicks - Fatha's Day — An Earl Hines Songbook (HighNote)
• Allan Holdsworth - All Night Wrong (Favored Nations)
• Iomos Marad - Deep Rooted (All Natural)
• Iron and Wine - Sea and the Rhythm (EP, Sub Pop)
• Iron Maiden - Dance of Death (Columbia)
  Buy Now: Dance of Death (Columbia)
  
• David J. - Estranged (Heyday)
• Kingsbury Manx - Afternoon Owls (EP, Overcoat)
• Kitaro - Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai (Domo)
• Kudzu Wish - Reverse Hurricane (Ernest Jenning)
• Laibach - Wat (Mute)
• Lord Finesse - From the Crates to the Files: Lost Sessions (Fatbeats)
• Los Straitjackets - Supersonic Guitars in 3-D (Yep Roc)
• Natalie MacMaster - Blueprint (Rounder)
• Michelle Malone and the Low-Down Georgia Revue -Stompin' Ground (Daemon)
• Branford Marsalis - Romare Bearden Revealed (Marsalis Music/Rounder)
• John Mayer - Heavier Things (Aware/Columbia) Read: "John Mayer Tries Hip-Hop With Help From Roots' ?uestlove"
  Buy Now: Heavier Things (Sony)
  
• Mercury Tide - Why? (Century Media)
• Mico - Outside the Unbearable Grows (G7 Welcoming Committee)
• Millionaire - Outside the Simian Flock (PIAS)
• Moholo, Stabbins, Tibbett - Tern (Atavistic/UMS)
• My Morning Jacket - It Still Moves (ATO/RCA)
  Buy Now: It Still Moves (ATO/RCA)
  
• Nanang Tatang - Muki (Tiger Style)
• North Mississippi Allstars -Polaris (Tone-Cool/Artemis)
• Novakill - Hard Tech for a Hard World (Metropolis)
• Ellis Paul & Vance Gilbert - Side of the Road (Philo/Rounder)
• Nicholas Payton - Sonic Trance (Warner Bros.)
• Pennywise - From the Ashes (Epitaph)
  Buy Now: From the Ashes (Epitaph)
  
• Houston Person - Social Call (HighNote)
• Jean-Michel Pilc - Cardinal Points (Dreyfus)
• Pretty Girls Make Graves - The New Romance (Matador)
• Pride and Fall - Nephesh (Metropolis)
• Quasi - Hot Sh-- (Touch and Go)
• Calvin Richardson - 2:35 PM (Hollywood)
  Read: "Nelly Opening Slot Helps Calvin Richardson Keep 'Pushin' "
• Don Rigsby - The Midnight Call (Sugar Hill)
• Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys - Bon R?ve (Rounder)
• Romantics - 61/49 (Web Entertainment)
  Buy Now: 61/49 (Web Entertainment)
  
• Mark Ronson - Here Comes the Fuzz (Elektra)
  Read: "Ghostface Killah, Nate Dogg Help DJ Mark Ronson Say 'Ooh Wee' "
  Buy Now: Here Comes the Fuzz (Elektra)
  
• Poncho Sanchez - Out of Sight (Concord Picante)
• Seal - IV (Warner Bros.)
  Buy Now: IV (Warner Bros.)
  
• Semiautomatic - Wolfcentric (5 Rue Christine)
• Shiner Massive - Shiner Massive (Slash/Biggmassive)
• Sick of It All - Life on the Ropes (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Martin Simpson - Righteousness & Humidity (Red House)
• Sir Mix-A-Lot - Daddy's Home (iMUSIC)
  Read: "Sir Mix-A-Lot's Hoping Baby's Got Comeback")
• Slackers - Close My Eyes (Hellcat)
• Slumber Party - 3 (Kill Rock Stars)
• Small Brown Bike - The River Bed (Lookout!)
• Steve Smith and Buddy's Buddies - Very Live at Ronnie Scott's, London, Set Two (Tone Center)
• Some Girls - Feel It (Koch)
• Reid Speed - Life After Dark (Breakbeat Science)
• Spineshank - Self-Destructive Pattern (Roadrunner)
• Spiritualized - Amazing Grace (Spaceman/Sanctuary)
• Jim Stack - Jazz on a Summer's Day (Artists House)
• Stereophonics - You Gotta Go There to Come Back (V2)
• Curtis Stigers - You Inspire Me (Concord Jazz)
• Kelley Stoltz - Antique Gold (Jackpine Social Club)
• Swell - Whenever You're Ready (Beggars Banquet)
• Vic Thrill - CE-5 (Circus Clone)
• Rick Trevino - In My Dreams (Warner Bros.)
• James "Blood" Ulmer - No Escape from the Blues: The Electric Lady Sessions (Hyena)
• V-Shape Mind - Cul-De-Sac (Universal)
• Andrew W.K. - The Wolf (Island)
  Read: "Andrew W.K. Goes From Crying 'Party!' To Crying Wolf"
  Buy Now: The Wolf (Island)
  
• Clay Walker - A Few Questions (RCA)
• Wellwater Conspiracy - Wellwater Conspiracy (Transdreamer/Megaforce)
  Read: "Wellwater Conspiracy Get Focused While Staying Trippy"
• CeCe Winans - Throne Room (Epic)
• Wrens - The Meadowlands (Absolutely Kosher)
• ZZ Top - Mescalero (RCA)
• Various artists - American Juniors: Kids in America (Jive)
• Various artists - Booty Time (Razor & Tie)
• Various artists - "Cold Creek Manor" soundtrack (Hollywood)
• Various artists - Deadly DJ Cuts (Thump)
• Various artists - "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star" soundtrack (Hollywood)
• Various artists - "Fighting Temptations" soundtrack (Music World/Soundtrax)
  Read: "Beyonce Teams With Diddy, Destiny's Child On 'Temptations' Soundtrack"
• Various artists - Identity 8 (Century Media)
• Various artists - "Lost in Translation" soundtrack (Emperor Norton)
• Various artists - "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" soundtrack (Milan)
• Various artists - Radio Disney Jams Vol. 6 (Walt Disney)
• Various artists - Remembering Patsy Cline (MCA Nashville)
• Various artists - Take Action! Vol. 3 (Hopeless)
• Various artists - Thump Rap Radio (Thump)
• Various artists - Total Lounge (Water Music)
• DVD: Kiss - Symphony: The DVD (Sanctuary/Kiss)
• DVD: Super Furry Animals - Phantom Power (XL/Beggars Banquet)

September 16:

• Erykah Badu - Worldwide Underground(Motown)
• DMX - Grand Champ(Def Jam)
  Read: "DMX Declares Himself 'Grand Champ,' Makes Plans To Shoot Werewolf' "
• Elvis Costello - North (Universal)
• Bubba Sparxxx - Deliverance (Interscope)
  Read: "Bubba Sparxxx Softens Bumpkin Image, Teams Up With Justin For A 'Hootnanny' "
• Carnie Wilson - For the First Time (KMA)

September 23:

• Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below(La Face)
  Read: "New Outkast LP 'Like Two-For-One Lap Dance Day' "
• The Bangles - Doll Revolution (Koch)
• 112- Hot & Wet (Def Jam)
  Read: "112 Go For The Slow-Grind Vibe On Hot And Wet"

September 30:

• Dido - Life for Rent (Arista)

October 7:

• Jin - Almost Famous (Virgin)
  Read: "Ruff Ryders' New Dog: Jin"

October 14:

• Mariah Carey - Remixes (Sony)

• John Mayer
• Pennywise
• Seal
• David Banner
• My Morning Jacket

Santana
Photo: Michael Caulfield/WireImage.com

Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, Musiq, Ozomatli, Seal and Citizen Cope will join previously announced guests Michelle Branch, Dido, Macy Gray, Placido Domingo and P.O.D. on Carlos Santana's new album, Shaman.

Santana's song with Branch, "The Game of Love," is already taking off at radio and was the most added track at Top 40 stations this week (see "Michelle Branch Plays Romantic 'Game' With Santana"). Shaman hits stores October 22.

"It has rhythm and melody and a lot of colors and is more vibrant than the other one," Santana said, comparing Shaman to 1999's Supernatural (see "Carlos Santana Promises Guest-Packed, Vibrant New Album"). "It's just more fun."

Supernatural, which featured Everlast, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Dave Matthews and Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, generated nine Grammys, spent 12 weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and sold 25 million copies worldwide.

Santana and P.O.D. played their song "America" at the Latin Grammys earlier this month (see "Carlos Santana, P.O.D. Premiere New Song At Latin Grammys"), and Santana will be joined by Branch for a performance of "The Game of Love" at the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards on October 15 (see "Pink, Santana, Branch, Bowie To Play VH1 Fashion Awards").

Shaman track list, according to Arista Records:

• "The Game of Love" (featuring Michelle Branch)
• "Feels Like Fire" (featuring Dido)
• "Sideways" (featuring Citizen Cope)
• "Novus" (featuring Placido Domingo)
• "Amoré (Sexo)" (featuring Macy Gray)
• "Since Supernatural" (featuring Melky Jean, Governor Washington)
• "Why Don't You & I" (featuring Chad Kroeger)
• "Hoy Es Adiös" (featuring Alejandro Lerner)
• "Nothing at All" (featuring Musiq)
• "One of These Days" (featuring Ozomatli)
• "America" (featuring P.O.D.)
• "You Are My Kind" (featuring Seal)
• "Adouma"
• "Foo Foo"
• "Victory Is One"
• "Aye Aye Aye" (featuring Michael Shrieve)

• Santana
• Nickelback
• Musiq Soulchild
• Ozomatli
• Seal

John Lennnon
Photo: Capitol

"Come Together: A Night for John Lennon," a tribute concert for the former Beatle featuring Stone Temple Pilots, Beck and Alanis Morissette, will be broadcast live from New York after being postponed in the wake of last week's terrorist attacks.

The event will take place and air on October 2, according to a TNT spokesperson. The sixth installment of the cable network's TNT Master's Series was to be taped last Thursday and broadcast on what would have been Lennon's 61st birthday, October 9 (see "Beck, STP, Alanis Come Together For John Lennon").

The fundraising concert has been renamed "Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words & Music, Dedicated to New York City & Its People." In addition to its original beneficiaries — the Violence Policy Center and the Brady Center To Prevent Gun Violence, united with the Million Mom March — the event will assist the American Red Cross, the September 11th Fund, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the New York Fraternal Order of Police WTC Fund, the National Organization for Victim Assistance and the Twin Towers Fund.

The show's lineup, which also features Nelly Furtado, Lou Reed, Marc Anthony, Moby, Seal, Cyndi Lauper and Shelby Lynne, has been updated to include Dave Matthews, the Isley Brothers and Yolanda Adams. Additional artists are expected to be announced shortly.

Tickets for the postponed event, which is scheduled to take place at Radio City Music Hall, will be honored on October 2.

• John Lennon
• Dave Matthews Band
• Dave Matthews
• Stone Temple Pilots
• Beck

Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins
Photo: Elektra

He's currently locked away in his new San Francisco home writing songs for the next Third Eye Blind album, but Stephan Jenkins made some free time recently to plan a benefit concert to raise money to treat underprivileged women with breast cancer.

The show, which is being co-coordinated by the nonprofit group Step Up, will take place at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on October 27 and will feature various band collaborations: Ex-Smashing Pumpkins vocalist Billy Corgan will sing with Deftones, Crazy Town will take the stage with Sugar Ray and Jenkins is trying to persuade David Bowie to perform with Third Eye Blind.

"I tried to think of something that would be fun for the bands and the audience, and I decided to have band pairings," said Jenkins, who plans to call the event Breathe. "I think audiences who are so surfeited on seeing radio shows where all your favorite bands come out and play a 30-minute set will get to see something really different."

In addition to the aforementioned acts, Seal will play an acoustic set and No Doubt's Gwen Stefani may take the stage.

"The point of the show is to emphasize that breast cancer isn't a woman's issue, it's everybody's issue because it touches families," said Jenkins. "So I wanted to have an eclectic mix of everybody's music. You have somebody like Seal playing right next to the Deftones. I dig that."

• Third Eye Blind
• The Smashing Pumpkins
• Deftones
• Crazy Town
• Sugar Ray

Christina Aguilera, LeAnn Rimes, and Seal will be among the stars providing the entertainment for Tiger Woods' all-star Tiger Jam III this Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

MTV's own Carson Daly will host the event, which marks the third annual benefit for the pro golfer's Tiger Woods Foundation. Proceeds will go toward assisting such youth-positive organizations as the Greater Las Vegas Inner City Games, the Leadership Las Vegas Youth Program, the Nevada Commission for National and Community Service, the Fulfillment Fund, Child Haven, the Las Vegas Founders' Golf Foundation, GRAMMY In The Schools, and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation.

Other celebrities scheduled to appear at the event include Glenn Frey, Joe Pesci, Shar Jackson of TV's "Moesha," and Kevin "Hercules" Sorbo, among many others.

The festivities will also include rounds of golf at the Dragon Ridge Golf Club with a clinic and exhibition courtesy of Woods, and a Kids' Day event that will see 50 children given the opportunity to meet Tiger and some of the performers.

• Christina Aguilera
• LeAnn Rimes
• Seal

Public Enemy, Seal, Frank Black, and Wyclef Jean and the Refugee All-Stars are among the artists who will hit the stage next week to perform as part of the second annual Yahoo! Internet Life Online Music Awards.

• Frank Black
• Chuck D
• The Fugees
• Lauryn Hill
• Wyclef Jean

Successful Celebrity Couples

• Bono
• Christina Aguilera
• Gavin Rossdale
• Gwen Stefani
• Seal

Who's Who In Hollywood: The 'Vanity Fair' Post-Oscar Party

• Three 6 Mafia
• Lindsay Lohan
• Madonna
• John Legend
• Ludacris

Classic Unplugged Photos

• 10,000 Maniacs
• Alice in Chains
• Arrested Development
• The Cure
• Blackstreet