Jennifer Lopez's <I>Brave</I>
Photo: Epic

Tome of the Brave: Jennifer Lopez already put out an album this year — the Spanish-language Como Ama Una Mujer — is on tour with husband Marc Anthony and is reportedly expecting twins ... so naturally, what better time to put out another album? Brave, her sixth studio effort and fifth English-language one, has producer J.R. Rotem's fingerprints all over it and is underscored by the first single, "Do It Well." As she told MTV News, expect "dance, funk, R&B, hip-hop, all that stuff, all mixed up together to make some great pop music."

Jesus Superstar: Make no mistake about it, Kid Rock hasn't lost a shred of his ego in the four years it took him to put together his new LP. But the Devil Without a Cause has apparently found salvation since then, as he's now transformed into Rock N Roll Jesus. Dedicated to recently passed Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, the disc finds Rock backed by his Twisted Brown Trucker Band over songs like "Blue Jeans and a Rosary," "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" and "Half Your Age," a jab at someone who won't be telling Rock she loves him anytime soon: the recently re-wed Pam Anderson.

Forever Young: She Wants Revenge are still fresh, having just released their self-titled debut last year, but now they're back with a ... new LP! (Thought we were going to say "back with a vengeance," huh? Nah, we'll spare you the pun.) The dark dance-rock duo get infinitely darker on This Is Forever, and Adam "Adam 12" Bravin recently told MTV News that they gorged themselves on the soundtracks to "Blade Runner," "Scarface" and other flicks during the recording of the effort. Keep your eye out for a potential DVD, featuring a video for each Forever track, coming down the pipe.

Spankalicious!: Repping the hip-hop set this week is Baltimore party-rapper Spank Rock, who has been on the fast track to fame after opening for Björk and drawing raves from Thom Yorke last year. Now he and producer Benny Blanco have put their skulls together for Bangers & Cash, an EP that must make Kurt Russell and Sylvester Stallone proud. Blanco chips in more than a few 2 Live Crew samples while Spank Rock does some rapid-fire spitting. Don't miss "Shake That" and "Loose."

Vanessa Carlton isn't saying die — while she parted ways with former label A&M after her second album, Harmonium, tanked, she's since hooked up with none other than Irv Gotti for the release of her third one, Heroes & Thieves. Carlton wrote her Inc. release in New York and recorded it in San Francisco — but she didn't do it all solo, as Linda Perry and Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins helped her on the production end. Oh, and some lady by the name of "Stevie Nicks" guests on a track, "The One."

Band on the Run: Sizzling Seattle sophomores Band of Horses might cause a brain cramp or two with the title of their second album, Cease to Begin, which leans toward country at times but will fit snugly into "indie-rock" record bins all the same. The disc, produced by frequent Modest Mouse and Shins collaborator Phil Ek, has been getting glowing reviews, having made Rolling Stone's annual Hot List. Especially colorful song titles include "Cigarettes, Wedding Bands," "Lamb on the Lam (In the City)" and "The General Specific."

Moving Units?: Doing the dance-punk thing are Los Angelenos Moving Units, who hope their moniker comes to fruition following the release of Hexes for Exes. The group's second LP sounds bigger than the act's previous releases, thanks to additional electronic-drum and synthesizer sounds and contributions from a new fourth member, guitarist Victor Velazquez. "The Kids From Orange County" points out the fact that said L.A. neighbors can't live without the metropolis, while "Paper Hearts," a song about lost love, takes the album in a darker direction. If all else fails, the band should be getting some extra interest thanks to an opening spot for the Smashing Pumpkins at a San Francisco show earlier this year.

Troubadour Time: Four noteworthy indie singer/songwriters are stepping up to the plate this week with new material, with Robert Pollard leading the pack. Leave it to the former Guided by Voices majordomo, who can be found pictured in the dictionary next to the term "prolific," to crank out two new studio albums in one week — Coast to Coast Carpet of Love is more of a power-pop effort, while Standard Gargoyle Decisions (the one with the batty album cover) is more glam-rock.

While Uncle Bob will be turning 50 on Halloween, underground stalwart Scott Walker has a few years on him. Now he's hoping to share some pearls of wisdom with his new album, And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go to the Ball? "How much of a body does intelligence need to be potentially socialized in an age of ever-developing AI? This is but one of many questions that informed the approach to the project," Walker declared of the LP in a recent statement.

For his part, Jens Lekman has something to say on his latest effort, Night Falls Over Kortedala. The album is essentially a scorching screed in which Lekman rails against the same-named neighborhood in his Swedish hometown of Gothenburg. "What a depressing suburban hell this place is," he said in a recent press release, adding that he's been mugged countless times and is surrounded by shady characters. "As soon as I've finished this record, I will get the hell out of here." Still, he does provide some levity via "Shirin" — the tune is an ode to his barber.

While Lekman finds himself mostly in solitude, Scout Niblett has more than a few friends along for the ride on her fourth LP, This Fool Can Die Now: Steve Albini, who recorded the effort, as well as Will Oldham and a two-person rhythm section. The 14-track effort includes "Do You Want to Be Buried With My People?" and "Let Thine Heart Be Warmed."

Song Title of the Week:

"Yellow Guy/ Pink Eye" from Sleeping People's Growing

Album Cover of the Week:

Moving Units' Hexes for Exes

New Releases:

· 9th Wonder - The Dream Merchant 2 (Ryko)
· A Wilhelm Scream - Career Suicide (Nitro)
· Yolanda Adams - What a Wonderful Time (Columbia)
· Jeff Allen - Happy Wife, Happy Life Revisited (Koch)
· Alter Bridge - Blackbird (Republic)
· Astral Doors - New Revelation (Locomotive)
· Band of Horses - Cease to Begin (Sub Pop) [Buy Now]
· Pato Banton - Never Give In (Cornerstone Ras)
· Patterson Barrett - I Must Be Dreaming (Burnside)
· Beirut - The Flying Club Cup (Ba Da Bing!)
· Birds & Batteries - I'll Never Sleep Again (self-released)
· Karla Bonoff - Karla Bonoff Live (two CDs; self-release)
· Vanessa Carlton - Heroes & Thieves (Motown) [Buy Now]
· Deana Carter - The Chain (Vanguard)
· Cyrus Chestnut - Cyrus Plays Elvis (Koch)
· City Sleeps - Not an Angel (Trustkill)
· Marc Cohn - Join the Parade (Decca)
· Josie Cotton - Invasion of the B-Girls (Scruffy)
· The Crash Motive - Consequence (Wind-Up) [Buy Now]
· Shannon Curfman - Fast Lane Addiction (CC/Koch)
· Deadstring Brothers - Silver Mountain (Bloodshot)
· Brian Dewan - Words of Wisdom (Eschatone)
· Diamond Rio - A Diamond Rio Christmas: The Star Still Shines (Word)
· Edit - Certified Air Raid Material (Alpha Pup)
· DJ Envy & Red Cafe - The Co-Op (Koch)
· Extra Golden - Hera Ma Nono (Thrill Jockey)
· Faber Drive - Seven Second Surgery (Republic)
· The Fiery Furnaces - Widow City (Thrill Jockey)
· The Future Kings of Nowhere - The Future Kings of Nowhere (307 Knox)
· Josh Groban - Noel (Reprise) [Buy Now]
· David Guetta - Poplife (enhanced; Ultra)
· Deborah Harry - Necessary Evil (Eleven Seven)
· Robert Hazard - Troubadour (Rykodisc)
· Will Hoge - Draw the Curtains (Rykodisc)
· Gerry Hundt - Since Way Back (Blue Bella)
· Information Society - Synthesizer (Dancing Ferret)
· The Isley Brothers featuring Ronald Isley - I'll Be Home for Christmas (Def Soul Classics)
· Johnossi - Johnossi (Control Group)
· Kid Rock - Rock N Roll Jesus (Atlantic) [Buy Now]
· The Kilborn Alley Blues Band - Tear Chicago Down (Blue Bella)
· The Kin - Rise and Fall (Aletheia)
· Koop - Koop Island (Atlantic)
· Patti LaBelle - Miss Patti's Christmas (Def Soul Classics)
· Nils Landgren Funk Unit - License to Funk (Act Music)
· Shawn Lee - Hits the Hits (Ubiquity)
· Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Cortedala (Secretly Canadian) [Buy Now]
· Jennifer Lopez - Brave (deluxe edition comes with DVD; Epic) [Buy Now]
· Leo - Nightmares (Rock Ridge)
· Bill Lupkin - Hard Pill to Swallow (Blue Bella)
· Claire Lynch - Crowd Favorites (Rounder)
· Mannheim Steamroller - Christmas Song (American Gramaphone)
· The Marble Index - Watch Your Candles Watch Your Knives (Rock Ridge)
· Cass McCombs - Dropping the Writ (Domino)
· Nick Moss & the Flip Tops - Play It 'Til Tomorrow (Blue Bella)
· Moving Units - Hexes for Exes (Metropolis) [Buy Now]
· MV & EE With the Golden Road - Gettin' Gone (Ecstatic Peace)
· The Naked Brothers Band - "The Naked Brothers Band" soundtrack (Nick Music/ Columbia) [Buy Now]
· Scout Niblett - This Fool Can Die Now (Too Pure)
· Nire - Vespers (Abandoned Love)
· Oblivion Sun - Oblivion Sun (Prophase)
· Obra Squara - Sunshyness (self-release)
· The Octopus Project - Hello, Avalanche (Peek-a-Boo)
· Old Time Relijun - Catharsis in Crisis (K)
· Parkway Drive - Horizons (Epitaph)
· Plumb - Blink (Curb)
· Robert Pollard - Coast to Coast Carpet of Love and Standard Gargoyle Decisions (Merge)
· Polysics - Polysics or Die!!!! Vista (MySpace)
· Prince Ali - Curb Side Service (Hiero Imperium)
· Prints - Prints (Temporary Residence)
· Puddle of Mudd - Famous (Geffen) [Buy Now]
· Ravens & Chimes - Reichenbach Falls (Better Looking)
· Dusty Rhodes and the River Band - First You Live (Side One Dummy)
· LeAnn Rimes - Family (Curb) [Buy Now]
· Riverside - Rapid Eye Movement (Inside Out)
· Rockfour - Memories of the Never Happened (Cooking Vinyl)
· She Wants Revenge - This Is Forever (Geffen) [Buy Now]
Read: "She Wants Revenge Embrace Their Inner Depeche Mode On This Is Forever"
· The Silver Seas - High Society (Cheap Lullaby)
· Sleeping People - Growing (digipak; Temporary Residence)
· Mindy Smith - My Holiday (Vanguard)
· The Smithereens - Christmas With the Smithereens (Koch)
· So They Say - Life in Surveillance (Fearless)
· Spank Rock and Benny Blanco - Bangers & Cash (EP; Downtown)
· Steriogram - This Is Not the Target Market (Rock Ridge) [Buy Now]
· Trent Summar & the New Rob Mob - Horseshoes & Hand Grenades (Palo Duro)
· Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover (Jagjaguwar)
· Tankard - Beast of Bourbon (Locomotive)
· Tuatara - West of the Moon (Fast Horse)
· Ugly - Ugly (Rock Ridge)
· Van Zandt - My Kind of Country (Columbia Nashville)
· Scott Walker - And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go to the Ball? (limited edition; 4AD)
· Ohmega Watts - What's Happening (two CDs; Ubiquity)
· Robert Wyatt - Comicopera (Domino)
· Y Society - Travel at Your Own Pace (Wax Orchard)
· Year Long Disaster - Year Long Disaster (Volcom)
· Various artists - Balance 012 Mixed by Lee Burridge (three-CD box set; EQ)
· Various artists - Chaos Restored With Justin Martin (Buzzin' Fly)
· Various artists - The Gift: A Tribute to Ian Tyson (Stony Plain)
· Various artists - Now Esto Es Musica Latino 3 (EMI)
· Various artists - Tokyo Calling 2 (King Street)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· All That Remains - Behind Silence and Solitude (Razor & Tie) [Buy Now]
· Roy Ayers/ Ubiquity - Lifeline (digipak; Verve)
· Eric Clapton - Complete Clapton (two CDs; Reprise) [Buy Now]
· Stanley Clarke - Children of Forever (Verve)
· Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins - Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins (Verve)
· Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery (Shout! Factory)
· Sara Evans - Greatest Hits (RCA)
· Fatboy Slim - LateNightTales (two CDs; Thrive) [Buy Now]
· Ian Gillan - Gillan's Inn - Deluxe Tour Edition (with DVD; Immergent)
· The Gladiators - No. 1 Singles (Heartbeat)
· Johnny Hartman - I Just Dropped by to Say Hello (Verve)
· The Isley Brothers - The Definitive Collection (Hip-O)
· Quincy Jones and His Orchestra - Quintessence (Verve)
· Mat Kearney - Nothing Left to Lose (Columbia) [Buy Now]
· The Ramsey Lewis Trio - The In Crowd (Verve)
· Moby Grape - Grape Jam; Moby Grape; and Wow (Sundazed)
· Oliver Nelson - The Blues and the Abstract Truth (Verve)
· Nighthawks - Metro Bar (Intuition)
· Luciano Pavarotti - Pavarotti Forever (two CDs; Decca)
· Ramp - Come Into Knowledge (Verve)
· Sonny Rollins - Sonny Rollins on Impulse! (Verve)
· Selah - Timeless: The Selah Collection (four-CD box set; Curb)
· Sarah Vaughan - Gold (Verve)
· Various artists - Every Child Deserves a Lifetime: Songs From the For Our Children Series (Shout! Factory)
· Various artists - Greetings From Los Angeles ... Eight Years of Acetate Records (Acetate)
· Various artists - Jazz Divas: Gold (two CDs; Verve)
· Various artists - An Olde English Christmas (Decca)
· Various artists - Summer Records Anthology 1974-1988 (Light in the Attic)

Music DVDs:

· Jeff Allen - "Happy Wife, Happy Life Revisited" (Koch)
· Ian Anderson - "Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull" (C&B)
· Leonard Bernstein - "The Gift of Music: An Intimate Portrait" (Deutsche Grammophon)
· Twinkie Clark - "Twinkie Clark and Friends: Live in Charlotte" (Verity)
· Bing Crosby - "Bing Crosby's White Christmas All Star Show" (Quantum Leap)
· Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs - "Best of the Flatt & Scruggs TV Show, Vol. 3" and "Vol. 4" (Shanachie)
· Bob Mould - "Circle of Friends" (MVD Visual)
· The Brian Setzer Orchestra - "One Rockin' Night: Live in Montreal" (Surfdog)
· Bernie Worrell - "Stranger: Bernie Worrell on Earth" (PD 101)
· Various artists - "Coping With Babylon: The Proper Rastology" (Sonerito)
· Various artists - "20 to Life: The Life and Times of John Sinclair (Steve Gebhardt)
· Various artists - "Coping With Babylon: The Proper Rastology" (Sonerito)

Digital Releases:

· British Sea Power - Krankenhaus? (Rough Trade/ World's Fair; hits terrestrial stores November 20)
· Radiohead - In Rainbows (available Wednesday on Radiohead.com as a DRM-free MP3 download; Discbox, which will ship on or before December3, also contains a second, enhanced CD; additional artwork; and vinyl)

Coming Attractions:

October 16:
· Jimmy Eat World - Chase This Light (Interscope)
· Angie Stone - The Art of Love & War (Stax) [Preorder]
· Thrice - The Alchemy Index: Vols. I & II: Fire & Water (Vagrant)[Preorder]

October 23:
· Seether - Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces (Wind-Up) [Preorder]
Read: "Seether Frontman Won't Respond To Amy Lee's Attack: 'I Just Refuse To Lower Myself To That Level' "
· Serj Tankian - Elect the Dead (Serjical Strike/ Reprise)
Read: "System Of A Down Frontman Serj Tankian On Intimate Solo LP: 'I Believe In It' "
· Carrie Underwood - Carnival Ride (Arista) [Preorder]

October 30:
· Avenged Sevenfold - Avenged Sevenfold (MVI also available; Warner Bros.) [Preorder]
· Backstreet Boys - Unbreakable (deluxe digipak also available; Jive) [Preorder]
· Mario - Go (J) [Preorder]
Read: "Mario Gets Back To Making Music With Akon, Timbaland, Neptunes"

• Jennifer Lopez
• Kid Rock
• She Wants Revenge
• Band of Horses
• Spank Rock

She Wants Revenge
Photo: Brian Appio

When the dudes in "dark wave" outfit She Wants Revenge started working on their 2006 self-titled debut (which has sold close to 295,000 in the U.S.), beatmaker Adam Bravin wasn't sure the LP would ever see the fuzzy light of retail.

"We made the first record with no expectations — we produced it ourselves, and we were maybe going to put it out ourselves, and I wasn't thinking about playing these songs live," said Bravin, who now has two straight years of touring under his belt. "I think we got lucky the first time around. To have that many people buy your record ... it's pretty overwhelming. We just hope that, for the same reasons people connected with the first record, they'll connect with this one as well."

Bravin said things were different when they went into the studio for their second record, This Is Forever, which hits stores Tuesday. They had established themselves as a legitimate act and brought with them the experience only the road can provide. And according to Bravin, their tour with Depeche Mode last year inspired part of the record's sound.

"It was amazing," he said of their tour with the Mode. "Imagine going on the road with your favorite band. ... We learned a lot from being on the road with them. We learned a lot musically. ... I grew up listening to their music, but I never really listened to it in a live setting before, so watching them every night, and watching how they write songs, it was all very interesting."

During the trek, Bravin realized what it was about Depeche Mode's music that he loved so much and what elements of his own music he wanted to stay away from.

"Those [Depeche Mode] songs have so many peaks and valleys, but our songs kind of just chug along, all the way through," he said. "So that tour, it led us to a new way of songwriting, because it's nice to have those peaks and valleys — which we didn't have on the first record. After playing those old songs for two years, on the road, we realized we missed that kind of stuff. We really got a sense of what [we] like and what [we] don't like about the first record, and I think we just figured out that we like the darker side of what we do better.

"There are certain songs on the first record that we'll probably never play again, ever," Bravin continued. "This record, in our opinion, is a lot darker than the first one. That's because after playing those songs so many times, and realizing what we love about what we do, we decided to focus more in that direction."

Unlike the band's inaugural release, the duo's love of cinema didn't play as significant a role in the way the second disc's songs took shape.

"During the recording of the first record, we stopped listening to the radio, and we stopped listening to a lot of music on our iPods," he said. "The only music we were really listening to at that time were soundtracks from the late '70s and early '80s, which were primarily instrumental, electronic soundtracks — 'Blade Runner,' 'Scarface,' Giorgio Moroder soundtracks. We're both huge film buffs, and we're huge fans of that type of soundtrack. It's very visual music, and it put us in a really nice place the first album.

"This time around, we didn't do the same thing," he continued. "We listened to whatever we wanted to. And we had so many ideas being on the road for that long that we didn't really need a crutch to help put us back in the same frame of mind. We were just ready to get in there and go for it. When we went back into the studio to do this record, we picked up where we left off."

Film will, however, weave its way into the first batch of the new album's videos. She Wants Revenge frontman Justin Warfield (who's been a father for about a week, following the birth of his son, Bowie) directed the first two clips, including the video for "Written in Blood," which is something of an homage to the opening scene from the film "The Hunger," starring David Bowie.

"But we put our own little twist on it at the end," Bravin said. "For the second one [for the song 'True Romance'], we always thought in movie terms. We wanted to incorporate 'The Parallax View' and 'The Manchurian Candidate' into the video, with the overall theme being brainwashing, and the theme of, 'Be careful what you wish for.' I gave the idea to Justin, and he just ran with it."

The band ultimately hopes to shoot a video for each track on This Is Forever, which they'll eventually release as a DVD. Bravin said he'll likely direct the next two videos, and he stars in the one for "True Romance." It's the first time he's been in front of the camera, but he hopes his performance might open a few doors in Hollywood. What kind of role is he looking for? "It doesn't matter, as long as I get to make out with a hot girl," he said.

She Wants Revenge is currently on tour with Kenna, TheStart and Io Echo. The trek kicked off in Los Angeles on Thursday, and dates are booked through November 13 in Sacramento, California.

• She Wants Revenge

Kelly Clarkson on the August 2007 cover of <i>Self</i> magazine
Photo: Self

As Kelly Clarkson fans know, the singer wrote or co-wrote every track on her new album My December — but they probably don't know just how quickly. "I've written every song in 15 to 20 minutes. It has to come out of me like that, or it won't at all," Clarkson told Self for its August issue cover story. "It's not even that hard a thought process for me." She revealed to the magazine that she has a microphone hooked up to her computer, which she keeps by her bed so she can record music when a song pops into her head. She has drafts of 150 new songs saved. Check out behind-the-scenes video from the cover shoot on Self.com. ...

A Britney Spears bodyguard is facing a battery charge after wrestling with a pair of men who were trying to photograph the singer with her children in Las Vegas on Thursday, The Associated Press reports. Cesar Julio Camera was issued a misdemeanor battery summons after allegedly grabbing and punching one photographer and pushing another into a wall. Spears and Kevin Federline are involved in divorce proceedings in California that include restrictions on traveling out of state with the children, according to AP. ...

Have a burning "Harry Potter" question for J.K. Rowling? Look out for the J.K. Rowling and the Open Book Tour Sweepstakes launching Monday — 1,000 fans will get a pair of tickets to an evening with the author on October 19 at New York's Carnegie Hall. Rowling will read from "Deathly Hallows," answer questions and autograph copies of the volume. Go to publisher Scholastic's Web site for details. ...

Kid Rock is priming his first studio album in four years — and on the release, he finds room to take a jab at ex-wife Pamela Anderson, Billboard.com reports. The album — due October 9 and tentatively titled Rock'n'Roll Jesus — closes with the country song "Half Your Age," in which Rock says he's found a younger girlfriend who's "twice as hot." The LP also includes a mash-up of Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama," and is dedicated to Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun, who passed away last year. Kid Rock told Billboard he wants the album to make people feel as if they were "going to church drunk on Saturday night." ... Beck and Jamie Lidell have ganged up for a direct-to-disc recording session at a studio in East Los Angeles, Pitchfork reports. ...

Fall Out Boy already have more songs in the can — and they look to Green Day for inspiration, Billboard.com reports. "I've got a bunch of songs written, but I think I'm going to wait a while before we release it, because I'm still really proud of [Infinity on High] and I want to kind of give it some space," singer/guitarist Patrick Stump told the outlet. He also said Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong's declaration that he didn't want to play "four-chord punk-rock for the rest of his life," according to Stump, has impacted the band's outlook. "They're really just true to what they are, and so that's how we are," he said. "I think we'll change stylistically, but at the end of the day, that's just something you wear. You're still yourself." ...

Don Imus and CBS Radio are close to a settlement that would pre-empt his $120 million breach-of-contract suit, AP reported Friday (July 27). It's not clear whether the deal would bring Imus back to the airwaves. ... Michael Moore might be subpoenaed by federal officials over his trip to Cuba for his "Sicko" documentary, Reuters reported Friday. On "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on Thursday, he said he had been notified at the studio that a subpoena had already been sent out, but according to the news outlet, he hasn't been served with one yet. ...

The Spice Girls have added three more dates to their upcoming reunion tour. The shows, in Vancouver, British Columbia (December 2); San Jose, California (December 4); and Shanghai, China (January 8), join a roster of 11 previously announced dates, with the Vancouver gig now serving as the tour's opening night. ... She Wants Revenge will return to record stores this fall with their sophomore LP, This Is Forever. The album drops October 9 and will feature 13 tracks, including "Written in Blood," "She Will Always Be a Broken Girl" and "Pretend the World Has Ended." ...

Forensic pathologist Werner Spitz sparred with the prosecution in the Phil Spector trial on Thursday, repeating the claim that actress Lana Clarkson's gunshot wound was self-inflicted, the Los Angeles Times reports. He said the force of the gunshot in her mouth caused blood to spray out of her mouth and nose — which then landed on the music producer's jacket several feet away. When asked why blood wasn't found on the floor, furniture or elsewhere after it sprayed, Spitz said he couldn't comment on the death scene because he had only seen photos of Spector and Clarkson's clothing and relied on reports made by other experts. ...

A man accused of shooting Ray Davies in a 2004 holdup is off the hook for now — prosecutors dropped the charges after the Kinks frontman didn't show up in a New Orleans court on Thursday, AP reports. It was the second time prosecutors dropped armed-robbery and aggravated-battery charges against the man because Davies wasn't in court. Davies told AP prosecutors didn't notify him about the trial until a few days ago and that he didn't have time to get from London to New Orleans. "I am very disappointed with the way this case has been handled," he said. "I intend to pursue it further." ...

David Bowie is celebrating the 35th anniversary of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars with an innovative alternate-album-cover contest on his Web site. ... Led Zeppelin are getting a whole lot of love via a new batch of reissues, Billboard.com reports. The best-of collection Mothership is due November 13 and will be followed a week later by spruced-up versions of the DVD concert film "The Song Remains the Same" and its accompanying soundtrack. Configurations of each release will have additional content, some of which is previously unreleased. ...

According to a report from Interfax, a Russian nongovernmental news agency based in Moscow, most heavy-metal songs are about murder and suicide — so says Serbsky State Research Center for Social and Forensic Psychiatry professor Fyodor Kondratyev. "Having researched 700 most popular heavy-metal songs revealed that half of them is about murder, 7 percent is positive about suicide, and 35 percent preaches a variety of Satanist ideologies," Kondratyev said, in broken English.

07.26.07

Seems like Rihanna may be listening to too much T.I. (or is that T.I.P.?) lately. In the August/September issue of Vibe Vixen, the cover starlet told the magazine about resolving her own split-personality issues, one being her crafted stage persona, Rihanna (her actual middle name), and the other being her given namesake and usual self, Robyn. "It wasn't that [my management or the label] told me what to do," she explained. "It was more of what I couldn't do. I couldn't wear red lipstick. I couldn't wear my hair in a ponytail; all kinds of stupid things. Being 'Rihanna' wasn't natural. So I rebelled. I'm doing me. Now, Robyn and Rihanna are much more similar." In the issue, hitting newsstands August 7, the Bajan singer also addressed the Jay-Z rumors once more, revealing at one point she couldn't even look him in the eye she was so embarrassed by all the gossip. But, according to Rihanna, Jay approached her and told her to just ignore the lies. " 'It is what it is,' " she quoted him as saying. ...

On Thursday (July 26) the Santa Monica Police Department in California released the 911 call made by the mother of Lindsay Lohan's former personal assistant — in the three-minute call, which was made at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, the woman begged for help after a GMC began trailing her and appeared not to know that Lohan was driving it. When the dispatcher asked where she was, the woman said she was heading to the police station, and she wound up parking at the nearby Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Muffled yells can be heard near the end of the call, after which the woman can be heard apparently identifying people to the police. According to The Associated Press, police said Lohan and the woman were having a heated debate when they showed up, and that two men had accompanied Lohan in the car. ...

The Lohan debacle is getting even messier: In an e-mail sent Wednesday to 24/Sizzler's David Caplan, Ali Lohan defended her mother against father Michael Lohan, who has been making the media rounds to comment on Lindsay's arrest. "My father is telling all lies to people and saying he was such a great dad and was always there for us, my father was never there for us. I think that the whole reason why my sister is upset with herself and not as confident is because of my dad not being around and always staying out late and not coming home for days." ...

And Dina Lohan isn't too happy about Rob Schneider spoofing her daughter Lindsay on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" Tuesday night. A statement issued to "Access Hollywood" and attributed to "Dina and family" reads: "We have a great respect for Jay Leno, but we are disappointed in the path he chose to allow a guest to make light of a very serious situation concerning Lindsay. Thank you to Craig Ferguson for not making a mockery of such a serious situation to which teens and young adults are facing across the country." ...

Maroon 5 have been tapped to join previously announced performers Alicia Keys, Usher, Avril Lavigne and Fall Out Boy at this year's Fashion Rocks event, taking place September 6 at New York's Radio City Music Hall. The event will be hosted by "Entourage" star Jeremy Piven and air the following day on CBS at 9 p.m. ET. ...

Chuck D handed out advance copies of Public Enemy's new album, How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?, at the Guitar Center near Union Square in Manhattan, New York, on Thursday (July 26). The project, due August 7, is being released by the PE frontman's label, SlamJamz Records, and TuneCore, a digital distribution company that offered fans at the event a chance to make their own music available on online stores like iTunes. ...

Island Def Jam Records launched a campaign on Thursday for Ronald "Mr. Biggs" Isley in hopes of securing an executive pardon for the singer, who was indicted on tax-evasion charges in September. A federal judge originally ordered Isley to three years in prison, but his sentencing hearing had been postponed until next month. The label is citing Isley's declining health and his efforts to pay down the IRS debt as reasons for the pardon. ...

Don't expect to see a sexy starlet in the new Marc Jacobs ad campaign — Michael Stipe is doing the honors, RollingStone.com reports. The bare-and-hairy-chest R.E.M. frontman wears baggy blue pants in the ad. He's not the only rocker cropping up in clothing ads these days: John Mayer is part of the new Gap ad campaign. ... Jamie Reynolds of the Klaxons broke his leg stage-diving at a show in France over the weekend, and the band has had to table four concerts in Australia as a result, according to its MySpace page. ... Take a bite out of this: Apple shipped 9.82 million iPods last quarter, helping boost profits 73 percent. The company expects to ship 1 million iPhones this quarter. ...

A man who demanded $1 million not to publish stolen photos of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' wedding has been arrested, The Associated Press reports. David Hans Schmidt was caught Tuesday, a bail bond was set at $100,000 and he is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. The FBI had been contacted after Schmidt approached Cruise's representatives six weeks ago with the photos. ... Naomi Watts gave birth to a baby boy on Wednesday. The dad is longtime boyfriend and actor Liev Schreiber. ...

Izzy Stradlin fan site ChopAway.com says the guitarist sent along an e-mail letting it know that he might turn up for the 20th anniversary celebration of Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction, set to take place Saturday at West Hollywood, California's Key Club. In the note, Stradlin added that Appetite drummer Steven Adler will be performing, and, according to RollingStone.com, L.A. Gun Tracii Guns will also be there. The site reports that Slash and Duff McKagan are "maybes." ...

To mark the 30th anniversary of the release of the Sex Pistols' Never Mind the Bollocks ... Here's the Sex Pistols, the band is planning to release a special edition of the LP on October 29 — but not on plastic. The album will be reissued in heavyweight vinyl with a 7-inch insert of "Submission" and a poster — just as the record was originally released October 28, 1977. The Pistols will also reissue their four classic singles "Anarchy in the U.K.," "God Save the Queen," "Pretty Vacant" and "Holidays in rhe Sun" on vinyl as well throughout the month of October. ...

Veteran rock/industrial drummer Martin Atkins, who has played with Ministry, Public Image Ltd. and Killing Joke, has compiled his 30-plus years of knowledge about how to survive on the road into a 530-page bible called "Tour: Smart ... and Break the Band." Due in September, the book has tips on everything from how to write contracts, pick tour vans and market yourself to making a guest list, decorating the stage, getting paid and what to do when your gear gets stolen. Among the contributors to the book are Steve Albini, Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman, Henry Rollins and former Marilyn Manson guitarist Zim Zum.

• Kelly Clarkson
• Fall Out Boy
• Green Day
• She Wants Revenge
• Spice Girls

She Wants Revenge
Photo: Brian Appio

UNIVERSAL CITY, California — There's only one artist She Wants Revenge have ever been interested in collaborating with: Timbaland.

So when the hip-hop producer invited the dance-rock duo into the studio recently, it's safe to say it was a career highlight for the latter.

"So much of our influences [are] soul music, hip-hop ... so to be able to collaborate with the producer who's been leading the way for the last decade in urban music, for us, is like a return to a huge part of who we are," singer Justin Warfield explained backstage at KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas festival in December (see "Fall Out Boy Feel Like Losers While Foo Fighters Win Big At Radio Fest").

"It was actually one of the most amazing times in the studio," Adam 12 added. "It was just a pleasure watching him create and bring this track that he brought us in on to life."

The yet-untitled collaboration will be included on Timbaland Presents Shock Value, a compilation due in March that features bands like the Hives and Fall Out Boy next to rappers like Dr. Dre and 50 Cent (see "Timbaland Nabs 50 Cent, Dr. Dre For LP, Starts Timberlake Gossip Frenzy").

"I don't think that anybody's heard anything like it," Warfield said of their track. "It's just a true collaboration between the best of what he does and the best of what we do. I think that it goes beyond putting a hyphen in between two musical genres, and it goes beyond radio format and beyond preconceived ideas about style. I feel like we're really pushing something forward with him and creating something brand new."

She Wants Revenge were surprised by Timbaland's open-mindedness in the studio (given his specific signature sound) and say they will take that philosophy into their own production work, which they hope to pick up in 2007.

Along with making tracks for other artists, the guys also plan to start working on their second album in the near future. "We're two guys who have always had access to a studio whenever we wanted to work on something, and it's been a really long time for us without actually being able to go in and be creative and express a lot of the stuff that we've been holding inside for the last year and a half or so," Adam 12 said. "So we just want to get in and knock it out."

She Wants Revenge have a few leftover songs from their last album and a couple of new things in the works, but will mostly be starting from scratch. "We like to write in a different headspace and environment than the back of a tour bus or a soundcheck," Warfield said. "For us, it's more about processing everything that's happened over the year, then, like, clearing your head, getting in the studio and starting fresh. A lot of bands, if they're writing on the road, it kind of reflects in the material, but the way we create music is quite different."

Warfield and Adam 12 are also going in without any major objectives. "We speak a little bit about certain things that we want to do, certain sounds that we want to have incorporated or little things that we may want to change, but we don't think about that too much," Adam 12 said. "We just see how we're feeling that day and start a song and see where it goes."

"We're just going to continue to make dance music the way that we make it," Warfield added. "A lot of bands, with their second album, a lot of factors come into play, and they overthink things or they get nervous. We couldn't be more relaxed about the whole thing. We didn't expect anything to happen with our first album. We made it for ourselves, and it turned out that there was an audience for it. So now that we have an audience for it, we're going to make another album for ourselves, and hopefully they'll like that one as well."

• She Wants Revenge
• Timbaland
• 50 Cent
• Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz performs at KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas on Saturday
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

UNIVERSAL CITY, California — Finally a band played almost acoustic at KROQ-FM's annual Almost Acoustic Christmas festival.

Foo Fighters, headlining both Saturday and Sunday of the influential rock radio station's holiday extravaganza, opened their shows with stripped-down sets reminiscent of the fest's early years, when artists like Tony Bennett would balance out bands like Rage Against the Machine (which happened in 1993, to be exact).

The Foos capitalized on the "Almost" part of the fest's name — as well as the Gibson Amphitheatre's revolving stage — by cleverly segueing into a full rock show. As singer Dave Grohl strummed "Everlong" solo from just off the circle stage behind him, it turned mid-song to reveal the Foos' core lineup tearing into the hit through their massive amplifier stacks (versus the loungey arrangement of their acoustic set). The band carried out an acoustic tour this summer (see "Dave Grohl Gets Personal At Foo Fighters Acoustic Show In Hollywood").

On Sunday night, the Foos' move proved to be a fitting finish to a weekend in which bands continually went above and beyond typical rock shows.

Beck, as he has done the second half of this year, married his set to a marionettes show at the back of the stage. 30 Seconds to Mars raced through the aisles dressed in Santa Claus costumes. Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse also came as Santas and the rest of Gnarls Barkley dressed as elves (the singer introduced himself as "Dirty Santa and the Ho Ho Hos"). Panic! at the Disco featured elaborate costumes and dancers, going for a "Marie Antoinette" meets the Ringling Bros. vibe. She Wants Revenge covered Paul Simon's "Hazy Shade of Winter." And the Killers played their new Christmas song, "A Great Big Sled."

"We're the only band without a Christmas gimmick," Evanescence singer Amy Lee joked backstage as the Gnarls girls rushed to the stage behind her. "I don't care though. That's metal."

Saturday's show began with the frenzied thrash of Saosin and led into the slotted-way-too-early Wolfmother, who served up crowd favorites like "Dimension," "The Joker & the Thief" and "Woman." Guitarist and lead singer Andrew Stockdale's cocksure swagger more than rocked the semi-packed auditorium for a healthy 30 minutes.

An impressive one-arm drum assault from (+44) drummer Travis Barker followed, paving the way for the more punk-like Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance and AFI, all battling for crowd favorite.

That love didn't seem to do much though for FOB bassist Pete Wentz, who admitted, "We feel like losers." But he and the band carried on, energetically delivering its new single "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" to the approving audience.

When Fall Out Boy's set ended and the Lazy Susan stage did its 360, it signaled the start of the Black Parade. Serving as grand marshal, My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way channeled Freddie Mercury and Billy Corgan — the latter of whom was spotted in the VIP room backstage — in a riveting, cinematic performance that teased the audience with a sample of what might be among the most anticipated tours of 2007.

MCR's Black Parade gave way to a dressed-in-all-white AFI. Frontman Davey Havok preened and posed through the band's anthem-laden set, as the crowd went line for line with him on "Miss Murder" and "Love Like Winter."

The most surprising set — surprising in good way — on Saturday may have been Incubus. Not seen or heard from in some time, a mature and polished-sounding Incubus rocked the crowd with fan favorites "Warning," "Wish You Were Here" and "Nice to Know You," as well as new material from their recent LP Light Grenades, which recently topped the Billboard albums chart (see "Jay-Z Takes A Week-Two Fall; Incubus' Grenades Blasts To #1").

Sunday's show opened with She Wants Revenge, who turned their breakthrough hit "Tear You Apart" into a massive sing-along. Snow Patrol followed with a radio-festival-friendly run-through of their hits, from "Spitting Games" to "Chasing Cars."

Gnarls Barkley had fewer singles to work with but enough charisma to last all night in singer Cee-Lo, whose between-song banter and perma-smile certainly brought good tidings of joy. "This is the very reason I am rich and famous today," Cee-Lo said as he introduced the Grammy-nominated "Crazy."

Meg White was in attendance for her "brother" Jack's hard-rocking show with the Raconteurs. She got to talk drums backstage with Grohl, who mingled around the hallways also chatting with Beck and the Killers. (The latter's dressing room doubled as a celeb-packed party with Lindsay Lohan, Jimmy Kimmel and Efren Ramirez in on the action.)

And as much as the Foos' singer was the life of the party backstage, he was even more entertaining onstage, whether he was dedicating Prince's racy "Darling Nikki" to all the ladies "for obvious reasons" or mocking the moshers.

"Do you guys not like chicks?" he asked. After all, this is an acoustic festival, right?

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

• AFI, MCR, Killers, Foo Fighters, More At KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas 2006

• Fall Out Boy
• Foo Fighters
• Panic at the Disco
• AFI
• 30 Seconds To Mars

Fall Out Boy
Photo: Paul Hawthorne/ Getty Images

When Tim Burton's kinda-spooky, kinda-silly "The Nightmare Before Christmas" first lurked into theaters in October 1993, it was greeted with lavish critical praise and ... well, that's about it.

Though it would eventually go on to gross a respectable $50 million at the box office, the film struggled to connect with mainstream audiences and was regarded by execs at Disney as a bit of a flop — a grand, goth-lite experiment in stop-motion animation that failed to live up to commercial expectations.

But when the film was released the following year on VHS, something amazing happened: "Nightmare" became massive, spawning merchandise and a devoted cult following that included tons of goth kids, their younger siblings, basically every emo-punk band on the planet and a whole lot of decidedly un-emo acts too.

So when Disney announced earlier this year that it planned to bring "Nightmare" back to the big screen — it arrives in select theaters October 20 in a fancy, digital 3-D format — the logical decision was to reach out to some of those bands to supply music for the film.

As it turns out, a whole lot of them were more than happy to comply. Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, Marilyn Manson, Fiona Apple and She Wants Revenge will all appear on a special two-disc edition of the "Nightmare" soundtrack, contributing cover versions of songs featured in the film. The double-disc set will hit stores October 24.

"Disney approached our management about us doing a song," Fall Out bassist Pete Wentz told MTV News. "And we're obsessed with that film and Danny Elfman [who wrote the score]. And of course I've got my 'Nightmare' tattoos, so we were like, 'Yes!'

"The songs in the film are pretty much the best things ever," he continued. "They're Elfman at his prime. And our song 'Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner' [from 2005's From Under the Cork Tree] blatantly rips off a crescendo from one of them. They're absolutely amazing."

Fall Out Boy contribute a raucous version of "What's This?" (a song belted out in the film by protagonist Jack Skellington). Fellow Decaydancers Panic! at the Disco offer up an orchestrated version of "This Is Halloween" (sung by the citizens of Halloweentown in the film), as does Marilyn Manson. Fiona Apple covers the somber "Sally's Song," while She Wants Revenge do "Kidnap the Sandy Claws."

Also included on the second disc of the set are two demo versions of songs Elfman originally wrote for the film, "Making Christmas" and "Oogie Boogie's Song." Disc one presents Elfman's score — including 10 original songs — in its entirety.

For Panic frontman Brendon Urie, just the chance to be included alongside Elfman was reason enough to get on board. Well that and a little good-natured band rivalry of course.

"Everyone in Panic loves Danny Elfman, so it's a bonus to be included alongside him," Urie said. "And I spoke to [drummer Andy Hurley] from Fall Out Boy about it, and he said they were on it, so we wanted to get on there too. So many bands that we're friends with and bands we tour with are a part of it and such huge fans of the movie. We all watched it as kids and we all watch it now, so it's really cool to be a part of it."

• Fall Out Boy
• Panic at the Disco
• Marilyn Manson
• Fiona Apple
• She Wants Revenge

Michael Stipe
Photo: MTV News

R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, Bright Eyes and Public Enemy's Chuck D are among the artists slated to appear at "Bring 'Em Home Now," a March 20 concert to benefit the anti-war organizations Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War. The concert — to be held on the third anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq — will take place at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom and also feature a speech by activist Cindy Sheehan. Other artists scheduled to perform include Rufus Wainwright, Fischerspooner and Peaches. Tickets for the "Bring 'Em Home" benefit range from $28-$150, but if you can't afford it, you'll still be able to at least hear the show: Janeane Garofalo will broadcast her Air America Radio program, "The Majority Report," live from the Hammerstein. ...

Before kicking off their latest tour Friday in their hometown of Bakersfield, California, Korn will have a street in the city named after them. Mayor Harvey Hall will unveil Korn Row at a 3 p.m. ceremony. ... Gorillaz are upping their animated ante by launching a game for cell phones in April. The four bandmembers will be represented in a game whose graphics aim to blend old-school, arcade-style visuals with the band's already-established look and artwork. For more information about the mobile game, go to MrGoodLiving.com/Gorillaz. ... Nominees for the sixth annual Jammy Awards — which honor "artists who thrive in the live music environment" (read: jam bands) — were announced Thursday. Tennessee rockers My Morning Jacket are among the leaders with three nods, although Widespread Panic, the Allman Brothers Band and Ryan Adams will be vying for awards as well. The hardware will be handed out during a concert/awards show to be held April 20 (4/20, dude!) in New York at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden. For more information visit Jammys.com. ...

O.A.R. will tour college campuses across the country beginning March 29 at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, and ending April 26 at the Northern University of Illinois in DeKalb. The video game "MLB '06: The Show," for which O.A.R. contributed an original track called "Of a Revolution," is sponsoring the trek. ... She Wants Revenge, who recently entered the Billboard albums chart at #38, have signed on to open for Depeche Mode on their North American spring tour. Dates have yet to be confirmed, but the outing is slated for April and May. ... "Rock of Ages," the Los Angeles musical that pays homage to hair metal and stars Tenacious D's Kyle Gass, has been extended through March 18. Beginning March 2, the show will move from the Vanguard to the larger RenMar Studios in Hollywood. ... Mudvayne will headline Tampa, Florida, radio station 98Rock's Livestock 15 on April 29. Set for Festival Park in Zephyrhills, the bill will also feature Staind, Rob Zombie and Saliva. ...

Jewel will headline the pre-race show for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Auto Club 500 at California Speedway on Sunday. Fox will televise the event. ... The Vines have settled on Vision Valley as the title for their forthcoming disc, due in stores April 4. The album will feature 13 tracks, including "Anysound," "Nothins Comin" and "Futuretarded." ... A new line of Jerry Garcia-inspired teas will hit premium tea shops and gourmet food stores starting next week. Called J. Garcia Artisan Teas, there are five blends in all named after the late Grateful Dead guitarist. A portion of the proceeds from the teas will benefit DrawBridge, a nonprofit that provides art supplies for children in homeless shelters. The teas in the Garcia line are Morning Brew, Shady Grown, Magic Herb, Spirit of Sage and Jerry Cherry. ... SideOneDummy Records will celebrate their 10-year anniversary March 22, 24 and 25 with a series of show at the Key Club in Los Angeles. Flogging Molly, Gogol Bordello and MxPx are among the acts scheduled to perform. ... The Accident Experiment, former P.O.D. guitarist Marcos Curiel's new band, will finally release their debut, United We Fear, in May. The band will promote the record with a performance at South by Southwest. ...

The Go! Team will trek across the States beginning March 15 at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. Dates in Washington, D.C., New York, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Las Vegas will follow before the band hits Coachella April 30. ... Secret Machines will release their new record exclusively to online retailers for several weeks beginning February 28. Ten Silver Drops, featuring first single "Alone, Jealous and Stoned," is due in stores April 18. Former Afghan Wigs singer Greg Dulli will release the fourth album under his Twilight Singers moniker May 16. Powder Burns will feature appearances from Joseph Arthur and Ani DiFranco. ... Nothing like five 10- to 13-year-old kids singing "Whip It!" Devo have created a kids' group called Devo 2.0 that will debut with a CD and DVD on March 14. ... Police guitarist Andy Summer has signed a deal with U.K. publisher Portrait/ Piatkus to write his memoir, "One Train Later." Summer's autobiography is due later this fall and will include his early days in the London music scene to his superstar heyday with the Police. ... The Charlatans UK will release their new album, Sympatico, May 2. Steering away from their typical Brit-rock dance/techno vibe, the new disc will instead consist of light, upbeat reggae tunes. The Charlatans will perform at South by Southwest on March 18 and kick off a headlining trek after the album's release.

02.22.2006

Beyoncé — who worked on Destiny's Child's last album while shooting "The Pink Panther" — says she won't be pulling double duty with "Dreamgirls." "I've put mostly everything aside," she said. "Usually I'm writing an album and performing and touring and doing all these crazy things at the same time, and for the first time I've committed six whole months [to do nothing but the movie]. It's very scary, because performing, singing and writing, that's my comfort zone, so I had to have confidence in myself with the acting and tell myself, 'I know I can do this.' " Beyoncé plans to start her second solo album after the movie and release it this summer, "which means I have six weeks to record, but I've done that just about every album," so it shouldn't be a problem meeting the deadline, she said ...

Game's sophomore LP, The Dr.'s Advocate, will drop June 6, according to the rapper's camp. Dre, Kanye West, Just Blaze, Scott Storch and Timbaland are said to have beats on the LP. ... The party appears to be over: Kristin Cavallari's new show "Get This Party Started" has gone on hiatus after only two episodes. A UPN spokesperson said the show, which debuted February 7, will return, but no date has been set. Cavallari's acting debut has also been bumped — her guest-star stint on "Veronica Mars," scheduled to air February 15, has been delayed until March 15. ... Lil Jon, currently touring in Australia with 50 Cent, is nearly finished with his fourth album, Crunk Rock, which will feature E-40 on the first single, "Snap Yo Fingers." Jon will release the record later this year on TVT Records after settling a royalties dispute with the label. "TVT cut the check and now it's time for me to get back to work," the rapper said in a statement. Jon is also producing for two new TVT acts, rapper Chyna Whyte and R&B singer Oobie. ... Green Day will be among the recipients of the San Francisco chapter of the Recording Academy Honors Award, celebrating those who have "improved the environment for the creative community." Jazz artists George Duke and Dave Brubeck are also being honored at the gala, to be held March 19 at Westin St. Francis.

Snoop Dogg tackled pee-wee football, and now he's got another league of his own. The hip-hop superstar will serve as the commissioner for the recently announced Hip-Hop Gaming League, which will have top athletes and musicians including NBA forward Carmelo Anthony, NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson, Method Man and Paul Wall battling it out on the Xbox 360. ... The Killers are being sued by their former manager Braden Merrick for $16 million for breach of contract. The lawsuit — which also includes the band's current manager Robert Reynolds, who Merrick claims "intentionally interfered with the contractual relations" between him and the band — was filed late Tuesday in the band's hometown of Las Vegas. According to court papers, Merrick — who discovered the rock quartet in 2002 and "guided them to stardom," he claims — says he was kicked to "the nose-bleed seats" by the Killers as soon as they put out their debut LP, Hot Fuss. Merrick says the Killers' 2003 contract labeled him as the band's sole personal manager, but that agreement was terminated by the band (through Reynolds) in May 2005. ... Shakira and Daddy Yankee will heat up the stage for the 18th annual Premio Lo Nuestro awards, airing Thursday on Univision. The gyrating songstress and reggaetón king will join fellow performers Juanes, Laura Pausini and others at the ceremony honoring Latin-American music. ...

"Blood of a Champion," a gritty urban drama produced by Wu-Tang Clan's RZA and starring Bokeem Woodbine ("Dead Presidents") and R&B singer/actress Deborah Cox, will hit stores March 7. The film, which also includes original music composed by RZA, follows an ex-con just released from prison who enters the world of underground street fighting. ... Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Harper and Gomez will headline A Sounds Eclectic Evening, the annual benefit concert for influential Los Angeles public-radio station KCRW. This year's show, scheduled for March 25 at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, will also include Lewis Taylor, Feist, Goldspot and more artists to be announced. ... Three months after Sony BMG Music came under fire for rootkit software that left millions of PCs vulnerable to hackers and viruses, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security wants to introduce legislation that would make it illegal for companies to sell products that install susceptible software on a computer without the owner's knowledge. "The recent Sony experience shows us that we need to be thinking about how we ensure that consumers are not surprised by what their software programs can do," said Jonathan Frenkel, director of law enforcement policy for Homeland Security. Sony recalled the discs in November but still faces lawsuits and criticism — which should be a warning to other companies putting out similar software, Frenkel added. ... Voivod have settled on Katorz as the title of their forthcoming 13th album, which will hit stores this spring. The band recently finished mixing the effort with producer Glen Robinson (Annihilator, Gwar) and are now mastering the album in New York. Katorz will be Voivod's first record that the band did not record alongside Denis "Piggy" D'Amour, who died in late August from complications of advanced colon cancer. ... (Hed) p.e. will issue their sixth album, Back to Base X, May 16. The album will include 13 tracks, including "Lock and Load," "White Collars" and "Bewaredowego."

Blondie are getting mashed up with the Doors for the upcoming career retrospective Blondie: Greatest Hits — Sound & Vision. The collection includes 20 tracks and 16 video clips, including classics "Heart of Glass," "Atomic" and "Call Me," and previously unreleased remixes of "In the Flesh" and "Good Boys." The set also features "Rapture Riders," a mash up of "Rapture" with the Doors' "Riders on the Storm" — with a video to match. "This is a tremendous honor for us," frontwoman Debbie Harry said. "Ain't technology great?" Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek asked. "I've always had salacious dreams about Debbie Harry, and now it's a reality: the Doors and Blondie in a deep passionate embrace." Blondie will be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 13. ... "New York Doll," the 2005 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize nominee chronicling the recent reunion of influential glam-rock pioneers the New York Dolls — and bassist Arthur "Killer" Kane's Mormon lifestyle — will be released on DVD April 4. Bonus features include a 20-minute interview with Morrissey and video of David Johansen singing a Mormon hymn. ... Belle and Sebastian's Isobel Campbell will release Ballad of the Broken Seas with Mark Lanegan (Queens of the Stone Age, Screaming Trees) on March 7, with a second album to follow later this year. Campbell is also hitting the road for her first-ever tour as a solo artist; the North American leg kicks off March 4 in Toronto and wraps March 15 in Brooklyn, New York. ...

• R.E.M.
• Korn
• Gorillaz
• O.A.R.
• She Wants Revenge

Photo: Getty Images

• On The Set Of She Wants Revenge's "Tear You Apart" Video
• On The Set Of Ringside's 'Tired Of Being Sorry' Video Shoot - 08.11.2005

• She Wants Revenge
• Ringside

Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos
Photo: John Stanton/Getty Images

As in years past, the lineup for this year's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival features an eclectic mix of artists. Depeche Mode and Tool will serve as Coachella's co-headliners, and more than 80 acts will hit the stage during the 2006 installment of the two-day rock jubilee, which is set to take over Empire Polo Field in the small desert town of Indio, California on April 29 and 30. Tickets for the festival go on sale Saturday at noon (PST).

Depeche Mode, who will close the first night on the main stage, were officially named one of Coachella's headlining acts late last week. But back in December, frontman David Gahan let it slip backstage at KROQ-FM's Almost Acoustic Christmas that the band would be co-headlining the concert (see "Depeche Mode To Co-Headline 2006 Coachella Festival"). The act's presence on the roster preserves Coachella's ritual of booking 1980s icons and pioneers. The Cure, New Order, Bauhaus, Beastie Boys, Kraftwerk, Gang of Four, and a reunited Pixies have appeared on the bill in recent years.

Franz Ferdinand, Daft Punk, Sigur Rós, Common and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley will also top the first evening's bill. Others scheduled to perform that day include the Eagles of Death Metal, My Morning Jacket, Atmosphere, Carl Cox, Cat Power, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Ladytron, Tosca, Animal Collective, Devendra Banhart, She Wants Revenge, Lady Sovereign, Deerhoof, Editors, the Zutons, Colette, Imogen Heap, Wolf Mother, Living Things and You Hear It First artists Hard-Fi and the Like.

Tool's headlining set is scheduled to cap off the weekend as the finale to Sunday night's show. The band, which rocked the crowd during the inaugural Coachella back in 1999, has not performed live in the United States since 2002, when it toured with Mike Patton's Tomahawk. At present, the Maynard James Keenan-fronted group is mixing its forthcoming album — Tool's first since 2001's Lateralus. Photos taken during the recording of the LP, which were posted on guitarist Adam Jones' online blog, showed that Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, Melvins guitarist King Buzzo and Isis frontman Aaron Turner had stopped into the studio during the sessions. It's not yet known whether the guests will appear on the album, which will arrive in stores in late April or early May.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bloc Party, DJ Paul Oakenfold and Scissor Sisters will warm up the Coachella crowd for Keenan's band. Others taking the stage on April 30 include Hasidic dancehall rapper Matisyahu, James Blunt, Sleater-Kinney, TV on the Radio, Mogwai, Coheed and Cambria, Gnarls Barkley (featuring Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo), Coldcut, Digable Planets, Little Louie Vega, Wolf Parade, the Go! Team, the Dears, the Magic Numbers, the Subways, and Minus the Bear.

Additional bands set to play the two-day festival will be announced Tuesday night (January 31).

For the past few weeks, Coachella's bill was rumored to include a Smashing Pumpkins reunion (see "Billy Corgan Says He Wants To Re-Form Smashing Pumpkins"). But a spokesperson for frontman Billy Corgan's record label shot that speculation down during a recent interview with a California radio station. Melissa Auf Der Maur, formerly of Hole and Smashing Pumpkins, scoffed at the supposed Coachella booking during a recent interview with MTV News.

"I think [that would be] a little too soon," said Auf Der Maur, who worked with Corgan several months ago on a track that will appear on her forthcoming, as-yet-untitled sophomore solo disc. "I think that it's cool that there's interest and rumors running around, but ... that's definitely a hoax."

This story was originally published at 8:42 AM EST on 01.31.2006

• Tool
• Franz Ferdinand
• Depeche Mode
• Common
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs

She Wants Revenge's self-titled album
Photo: Geffen Records

Ladies' Revenge: On first inspection, She Wants Revenge's album cover looks purely erotic — a woman about to pull down her white tank top — but wait, what's that she's reaching for behind her back? Could she be seeking revenge, perhaps? You can almost hear the sound of the band's similarly themed sadistic single "Tear You Apart" at the sight of the image: "I want to hold you close/ ... As I whisper in your ear/ I want to f---ing tear you apart." Other songs on the self-titled record include "Red Flags and Long Nights," "Someone Must Get Hurt" and "She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not."

Kill Your Idols: On the topic of romance with a deadly twist, The Killer in You: A Tribute to Smashing Pumpkins finds a bevy of metal and hardcore bands providing an everlasting gaze on some of the most cherished, cherubic rockers of the '90s. Murder by Death cut up "We Only Come Out at Night," Hopesfall take another look at "Eye," Eighteen Visions get "Quiet" and Poison the Well drown themselves in "Soma."

On a bit lighter note, dreamy indie-pop artists and folk-rockers resurrect two of rock's more unfortunate cases with Dream Brother: The Songs of Tim & Jeff Buckley. One of 2005's most hailed newcomers, Sufjan Stevens, reinvents Tim's "She Is," while Jeff's "Grace" and "Mojo Pin" are retreated by King Creseote and Adem, respectively. The Magic Numbers, the Earlies and others also help with the solemn incantation.

An even more personal tribute can be found in Wanda Jackson's charming I Remember Elvis. The 68-year-old rockabilly queen recalls her boyfriend of yore — who taught her how to play guitar — with renditions of "Heartbreak Hotel," "Love Me Tender" and perhaps the most appropriate number of all for this record, "I Forgot to Remember to Forget." As a bonus, Jackson reminisces about her old flame spoken-word style at the tail end of the album.

The Last Temptation? Speaking of heritage artists revisiting heritage classics originally performed by their close affiliates, the Temptations have ganged up again to touch up 15 Motown perennials they had not previously laid claim to, including "Can I Get a Witness" (Marvin Gaye), "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" (Gaye) and "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" (Isley Brothers). Reflections is the 47th set of new recordings the immortal group has put out in its 45 years together (albeit in multiple configs). Talk about immortal souls.

Song Title of the Week:

"I Used To Be Just Like You, But Now I Am Just Like Me" (Ahleuchatistas' What You Will)

Other Notables:

Heather Headley's In My Mind: With friends like these, one wonders if R&B singer Heather Headley is shooting for another Grammy. Lil Jon helps her remember "Back When It Was," Shaggy stands with her under the reggae-infused "Rain," Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis polish off "What's Not Being Said," previous collaborator Warren Campbell croons along to her "Change" and Babyface pens "Me Time." In My Mind is also coming as a DualDisc, but who knows what she has in mind for it.

The Flaming Lips' The Soft Bulletin 5.1: Best known for their kaleidoscopic approach to music-making, it's no surprise that the Flaming Lips were one of the first psych-pop bands to latch onto the surround-sound trend. They released a 5.1 version of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots shortly after its original release, but now the band's finally taking a step back to that album's predecessor, The Soft Bulletin, and giving it a multi-channel touch-up. For good measure, the Lips have tossed in some clips, outtakes, audio rarities and interview tape.

Train's For Me It's You: Grammy winners Train gave famed rock producer Brendan O'Brien another jingle for help on their fifth full-length, but there's a couple of new faces here: road flanks Johnny Colt (Black Crowes) and Brandon Bush (John Mayer). They're all aboard, one could say — badum-bum.

New Releases:

• Ahleuchatistas - What You Will (Cuneiform)
• Jon Anderson - In Elven Lands: The Fellowship (United States Distribution)
• Ernie Andrews - How About Me (Highnote)
• Norman & Nancy Blake - Back Home in Sulphur Springs (DualTone)
• Andrea Bocelli - Amore (Decca)
• Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. - Angry Samoans (First Kut)
• Anne Dudley - "Tristan & Isolde" soundtrack (Varèse Sarabande)
• Eric Gales - Crystal Vision (Blues Bureau)
• Heather Headley - In My Mind (RCA)
• The High Violets - To Where You Are (Reverb)
• Wanda Jackson - I Remember Elvis (Cleopatra)
• Jamey Johnson - The Dollar (BNA)
• Barry Manilow - The Greatest Songs of the Fifties (DualDisc also available; Arista)
• Michael McGoldrick - Wired (Compass)
• Moreau - Nova Scotia (One Little Indian)
• Mozez - So Still (Apace)
• David "Fathead" Newman - Cityscape (Highnote)
• Proto-Kaw - The Wait of Glory (limited-edition version also available; Inside Out)
• Rhapsody - Live in Canada 2005: The Dark Secret (two CDs; SPV)
• Lee Rocker - Racin' the Devil (Alligator)
• She Wants Revenge - She Wants Revenge (Geffen)
  Read: "Videos In Graveyards, Songs About S&M — She Wants Revenge Say 'We're Not Dark' "
• Matthew Shipp - One (Thirsty Ear)
• The Tangent - A Place in the Queue (two-disc limited edition also available; Inside Out)
• Temptations - Reflections (New Door/ UME)
• Devin Townsend Band - Synchestra (Inside Out)
• Train - For Me It's You (Columbia)
• Vacabou - Vacabou (Hannibal)
• Reverend Billy C. Wirtz - Sermon From Bethlehem (live; Blind Pig)
• Larry Willis - The Big Push (Highnote)
• Wolfmother - Dimension (EP; Interscope)
• Zaar - Zaar (Cuneiform)
• Various artists - Dream Brother: The Songs of Tim & Jeff Buckley (Rykodisc)
• Various artists - The Killer in You: A Tribute to the Smashing Pumpkins (Law of Inertia)
• Various artists - Rock for Relief (Zöe/Rounder)
• Various artists - Wow Gospel 2006 (Verity)
• Various artists - "The Family Stone" soundtrack (Varèse Sarabande)
• Various artists - "The L Word: The Third Season" soundtrack (two CDs; Tommy Boy)
• Various artists - "Manderlay" soundtrack (Milan)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Alabama - Livin' Lovin' Rockin' Rollin': The 25th Anniversary Collection (three CDs; RCA/Legacy)
• John Anderson - Wild & Blue (S&P)
• Craig Armstrong - Film Works 1995-2005 (Family Recordings)
• Badfinger - Day After Day (limited edition; Ryko Analogue)
• Big Star - Third (limited-edition Japanese version; Ryko)
• Boxcar Willie - The Tomato Collection (Tomato Music)
• John Cale - Words for the Dying (Hannibal)
• DJ Cam - Revisited By (Recall)
• Ian Dury - Do It Yourself (Fuel 2000)
• Eno/Wobble - Spinner (Hannibal)
• Chris Farlowe - Rock N Roll Soldier: Anthology 1970-2004 (Friday Music)
• The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin 5.1 (Warner Bros.)
• Djivan Gasparyan - I Will Not Be Sad in the World (Hannibal)
• Stan Getz - More Stan Getz for Lovers (Verve)
• Ben E. King - I've Been Around (True Life)
• Carmen McRae - Carmen McRae for Lovers (Verve)
• Missing Persons - Walking in L.A. - The Dance Mixes (Cleopatra)
• Willie Nelson - The Complete Ghost (three CDs; Masked Weasel)
• Paul Oakenfold & Norman Cook - The Ultimate DJ Sample Box (Cleopatra)
• David Lee Roth - The Best (Rhino)
• The Ruts - The Punk Singles Collection (Captain Oi!)
• Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women - Saffire: The Uppity Blues Women - Deluxe Edition (Alligator)
• Sharon Shannon - The Sharon Shannon Collection 1990-2005 (Compass)
• Jimmy Thackery - The Essential Jimmy Thackery (Blind Pig)
• Robert Wyatt - EPs (four CDs; Hannibal)
• Warren Zevon - Reconsider Me: The Love Songs (Artemis)
• Hans Zimmer - The British Years, Vol. 1 and Good Morning America, Vol. 2 (Milan)
• Various artists - Monster Ballads: Platinum Edition (two CDs; Razor & Tie)

DVDs:

• The Beatles - "The Beatles 1962-1970" (two DVDs and a book; Classic Rock Legends)
• Mountain - "Live in Texas" (United States Distribution)
• Alison Moyet - "One Blue Voice" (Sanctuary)
• Tierra Santa - "Rumbo a Las Estrellas" (Locomotive Music)
• Various artists - "It's All About Dancing: Jamaican Dancehall" (Penalty)
• Various artists - "Live Freaky! Die Freaky!" (with CD; Wellspring)

Coming Attractions:

February 7:

• Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit (Matador)
• Beth Orton - Comfort of Strangers (Astralwerks)
• Dem Franchize Boyz - On Top of Our Game (Virgin)

February 14:

• Jaheim - Ghetto Classics (Warner Bros.)
• Sergio Mendes - Timeless (Concord)
  Read: "Will.I.Am Wants To Pull A Rick Rubin With Sergio Mendes, Macy Gray"
• The Sword - Age of Winters (Kemado)

February 21:

• Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (Domino)
• Ray Davies - Other People's Lives (V2)
• William Orbit - Hello Waveforms (Sanctuary)

Related Artists
• She Wants Revenge
• Heather Headley
• The Flaming Lips
• The Smashing Pumpkins
]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1522764/20060130/she_wants_revenge.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1522764/20060130/she_wants_revenge.jhtml 30 Jan 2006 07:59:00 EST She Wants Revenge - True Romance

True Romance

• Artist: She Wants Revenge
• Label: Geffen
• Album: This Is Forever
]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1802271&vid=181153 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1802271&vid=181153 12 Oct 2007 12:00:00 EDT She Wants Revenge - These Things

These Things

• Artist: She Wants Revenge
• Label: Geffen Records
• Director: Sophie Muller
• Album: She Wants Revenge [Clean]
]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1802271&vid=86315 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1802271&vid=86315 12 May 2006 12:00:00 EDT She Wants Revenge - Tear You Apart

Tear You Apart

• Artist: She Wants Revenge
• Label: Geffen
• Director: Joaquin Phoenix
• Album: She Wants Revenge [Clean]
]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1802271&vid=74379 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1802271&vid=74379 30 Jan 2006 12:00:00 EST

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AFI, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, More At San Diego's Street Scene

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Red Hot Chili Peppers, Angels & Airwaves, More At 2006 KROQ Weenie Roast

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On The Set Of She Wants Revenge's "Tear You Apart" Video

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