Britney Spears is getting closer to announcing a release date for her fourth album, but the NFL may have prematurely announced one for her. The NFL Web page promoting the singer's upcoming appearance at a September 4 season kickoff concert in Washington, D.C., noted in three places that Britney's upcoming album would drop November 18. Those mentions have since been removed, but Britney's official Web site, having long gone without an update, has new information on it this week, including a line about the album coming out in November. Spears' label, Jive, has yet to announce or confirm an official release date. ...Aerosmith, meanwhile, have been added to the NFL kickoff festivities. The Boston band joins Spears as well as previously announced performers Mary J. Blige and Aretha Franklin, who'll sing the national anthem. ...

If you've ever wondered why and how a song gets stuck in your head, psychiatrists at Dartmouth College now have an answer. A team led by Dr. Petr Janata have identified the rostromedial prefrontal cortex — it's the spot just below the middle of your forehead — as the site where long-term, short-term and emotional memories come together in a vicelike grip. The Dartmouth docs did MRI scans of blood flow in that area while playing scales for test subjects — scales that resembled, we presume, that damn hook from "Jenny From the Block." ...

Clay Aiken's debut album, due this fall, will be self-titled, according to his publicist, clearing up rumors of other names. ... What could be more exciting than seeing Uncle Kracker's face go round and round at 100 mph? Kracker and Franky Perez have teamed up with NASCAR, and two cars will race in the two-day Chevy Rock & Roll 400 emblazoned with the artists' likenesses, logos and album covers. The event takes place September 5 and 6 at the Richmond International Raceway, in Richmond, Virginia. Both artists will also perform trackside, along with Sugar Ray, Trapt and Hootie and the Blowfish. ...

Craigslist.org is a lot of things to a lot of people: message board, roommate finder, matchmaker, etc. And soon it can add "documentary" to its string of descriptors. "Craigslist: The Movie" traces the lives of people who posted listings for wants ranging from husband to backing band to poodle on one day, August 4. Director Michael Ferris, a San Francisco-based actor, hopes to enter the 90-minute movie into next year's Sundance Film Festival. Craigslist was started in 1995 by former programmer Craig Newmark. Since debuting in San Francisco, it now serves 23 cities and receives 1.2 million postings a month. ...

Metallica, Linkin Park, the White Stripes, Marilyn Manson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Used, Sum 41, Good Charlotte, Audioslave and Evanescence are just some of the bands nominated for the 2003 Kerrang! Awards. The ceremony will take place on August 21 in London. ... Hoobastank have announced dates for their club tour with Die Trying and Letter Kills. The new slate of shows starts in San Antonio, Texas, on August 20 and finishes up September 27 in Salt Lake City. ...

N.E.R.D., O.A.R., Talib Kweli and Slightly Stoopid have added a New York date to their Sprite Liquid Mix Tour — they will be performing at the Summerstage site in Central Park on September 13. ... String Cheese Incident are suing Ticketmaster for attempting to halt direct ticket sales to fans. A lawsuit filed Wednesday in Denver requests a court order barring the country's top concert-ticket retailer from anti-competitive practices. ...

S.T.U.N. will shoot their first video on Wednesday in Los Angeles for "Annihilation of the Generations." Joakim Ahlund, who helmed Refused's "New Noise" video, will direct. ... Milo is heading back into the studio. Seminal Los Angeles punks the Descendents are working on their sixth studio album, the follow-up to 1996's Everything Sucks, which they hope to release in March. Descendents offshoots All will also drop new records next year — two albums, in fact. The first will consist of all new songs, while the second will be composed of experimental instrumentals. ...

Female Japanese rock trio Shonen Knife have lined up their first Stateside trek in five years. The three-week jaunt, beginning October 8 in San Jose, California, and ending in Detroit on Halloween, is in support of their latest album, Candy Rock, which was released in Japan in May. Shonen Knife formed in 1981 and 10 years later toured the U.S., opening for Nirvana. ... Pop-rock quartet the Shins will drop their second album, Chutes Too Narrow, October 21. The follow-up to 2001's Oh, Inverted World will be preceded by first single "So Says I," to be released September 23. Following their performance at the annual Bumbershoot festival in Seattle on August 29, the band will begin a three-week tour in New York on September 2, and wrap things up in their hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, on September 24. ...

Blooze rockers Danko Jones are preparing to drop their second album, We Sweat Blood, October 6 overseas, with a North American availability expected shortly thereafter. The band is currently filming a video for the LP's first single, "I Want You," in their hometown of Toronto. Despite hailing from Canada, the trio do not have a North American label deal. They're signed to Sweden's Bad Taste Records. ...

08.06.03

A strange clash of artists is set to appear on the soundtrack to the vampire flick "Underworld," which hits theaters September 19. The Damning Well, the eclectic combo of former Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland, Filter's Richard Patrick, A Perfect Circle drummer Josh Freese and Nine Inch Nails' Danny Lohner, lead the charge with "Awakening," followed by the equally inventive teaming of David Bowie with Tool/APC's Maynard James Keenan and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' John Frusciante on "Bring the Disco King." The LP, due September 2, also features contributions from Skinny Puppy, Finch and Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano. ...

Metallica and Missy Elliott both saw their albums earn multiplatinum status in the RIAA's most recent monthly distribution of awards. Luther Vandross, Madonna and Beyoncé all witnessed their discs go platinum, while Radiohead, Matrix Reloaded: The Album and the "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" soundtrack all went gold this month. Finally, Led Zeppelin's DVD collection of rare footage was certified 10-times platinum. ...

Lumbering guitar rockers Monster Magnet are currently in pre-production for their new album, tentatively titled Radiation Day. The disc will be recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Joe Barresi and frontman Dave Wyndorf and will be released in early 2004. ... After the Donnas' European tour, which begins September 22 in Hamburg, Germany, and ends October 17 in London, the ladies will begin working on a new album, due next year. ...

Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, who will both release albums on August 19, are hoping to promote their projects together. "Our ultimate dream is to be able to tour together," Simpson said recently. "It's hard in this business, when you're married, to make time for each other, so it would be nice." ... Probot, Dave Grohl's self-produced side project on which he plays the instrumentals while his favorite heavy metal frontmen belt it out, is now due sometime in November. The likes of Motörhead's Lemmy, Mercyful Fate's King Diamond and Soulfly's Max Cavalera have been working with Grohl on the project. ...

Raven-Symone, the former child star of "The Cosby Show," has recorded several songs with 3LW's Kiely Williams and Adrienne Bailon for the soundtrack to their upcoming Disney Channel movie, "Cheetah Girls," due Tuesday. Raven, who stars in her own Disney Channel show, is also in the studio now working on her third solo album. "I love the words of alternative, I love the feeling that you get when you listen to new soul, I love the popularity and head boppin' you get from R&B, so I wanna incorporate all of that," she said. ... Scottish band Travis will follow up 2001's The Invisible Band with 12 Memories in October. Their fourth LP will be preceded by the first single, "Re-Offender." ...

Eleven years after founding Phat Farm, Russell Simmons is at it again. The hip-hop mogul plans to launch another clothing line, called Def Jam University, in the spring. The men and women's sportswear collection will premiere at the annual Magic Marketplace trade show in Las Vegas, August 25-28. ... Mexican pop singer and actress Thalia Sodi also has a clothing, accessories, and housewares line bearing her name. The Thalia brand began arriving in Kmart stores last week. ...

Starsailor's "Silence Is Easy," one of the last songs the legendary Phil Spector produced before being arrested in connection with the murder of actress Lana Clarkson, will be released in the U.K. as a single on September 1. The song is the title track to the English band's second album, which will drop September 15 overseas and is tentatively scheduled for a January release in the U.S. ... Singer/songwriters Elvis Costello, Pete Yorn, Jesse Malin and Billy Bragg are a few of the artists contributing to the double album Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen. Proceeds from the sale of the album, due September 2, will benefit the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (www.pdf.org) and the Kristen Ann Carr Fund, which grants money for cancer research and assists those suffering from the illness. ...

After they return from their European tour, the hyperkinetic Blood Brothers will kick off another U.S. tour. The launch is September 10 in Minneapolis, and dates run through October 17 in their hometown of Seattle. Cursive will open all shows. ... Hot on the heels of receiving two MTV Video Music Awards nominations for his video "Freetime," Kenna will be joining Fischerspooner on the road for their fall tour, which begins in September. Kenna's currently opening up for Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan. ...

Counting Crows will release a greatest-hits album showcasing the past 10 years of their music. After wrapping up their co-headlining tour with John Mayer in early September, the Crows will hit the studio to record some new cuts for the yet-untitled album. ... The John F. Kennedy Center has announced the recipients of the 26th annual Kennedy Center Honors. James Brown, actress Carol Burnett, country legend Loretta Lynn, director Mike Nichols and violinist Itzhak Perlman will be honored at the December 7 Honors Gala, which President Bush will attend. ...

On Tuesday, veteran DJ Keoki will release a new mix album, Keokiclash, featuring tracks from Felix Da Housecat, Chicks on Speed and others. Wilmer Valderrama, of "That '70s Show," plays Keoki in the upcoming movie "Party Monster," in theaters September 5. "It's amazing story, very twisted and dark," the actor said recently. ... Blackalicious' Gift of Gab, Jurassic 5's Cut Chemist and skateboarder Tommy Guerrero are featured on the latest solo album from Lyrics Born, of the San Francisco hip-hop duo Latyrx. Titled Later That Day, the project is due in September. ...

Verve Remixed 2, the follow-up to last year's collection of remixes of classic jazz tracks, is due September 9. The album includes Felix Da Housecat (Nina Simone's "Sinnerman"), Dan the Automator (Willie Bobo's "Fried Neckbones and Some Home Fries") and Miguel Migs (Ella Fitzgerald's "Slap That Bass"), among others. ... Beth Hart's follow-up to Screamin' for My Supper, which included the single "L.A. Song," is due October 21. The album is titled Leave the Light On, named after the first single, which is due at radio outlets in late August. ...

Gateway Inc. keeps stepping farther and farther away from only making personal computers. According to the Associated Press, Gateway is now selling its own portable digital music players at $130 with 128 megabytes of storage space, equaling about two hours of music in MP3 format. ...

• Britney Spears
• Clay Aiken
• Evanescence
• Talib Kweli
• Uncle Kracker

Japan's Shonen Knife kicked off their North American tour to a full house at the Troubadour in Los Angeles last night. The band is touring to promote their new album, "Happy Hour." The girl group will be headlining their own dates through late August as well as hooking up with the "Suffragette Sessions" tour that hosts allstar jam-style performances from the Indigo Girls, Jane Siberry, violinist Lisa Germano, Kate Schellenbach of Luscious Jackson and Josephine Wiggs of The Breeders among others. Shonen Knife will be opening the shows performing their own set.

The energetic power-pop-punk trio is reminiscent of the Ramones, so it comes as no surprise that the girls are forming a Ramones cover band in Japan they're calling the Osaka Ramones.

Joey Ramone confirms to MTV News that Shonen Knife has invited him to join the Osaka Ramones on stage for at least one major appearance in Tokyo next month. Ramone isn't sure he'll be able to make that show, but either way fans can expect a dress rehearsal when both acts find themselves back at the Troubadour next week.

Ramone will be on hand for a set by his pet project, The Independents, a 'horror ska' band he co-produces with partner Daniel Rey. The Independents, fronted by singer Evil Presley, are opening for the Voodoo Glow Skulls at that venue August 20.

A representative for Shonen Knife confirms that the girls are expected to attend the show and that they're brushing up on a couple of their Ramones covers in anticipation of being invited up on stage.

Ramone, meanwhile, had been brushing up on his Japanese prior to the Osaka Ramones invite. He just co-produced another Japan-based girl group, Lolita #18, in New York City.

• The Ramones
• Shonen Knife

The Indigo Girls are tapping a host of female performers for a tour that promises to offer what Indigo Girl Amy Ray is calling "a socialist experiment in rock and roll."

Lisa Germano, Jane Siberry, Heart's Ann Wilson, Luscious Jackson's Kate Schellenbach, The Breeders' Josephine Wiggs, Mecca Normal's Jean Smith, Come's Thalia Zedek, Lourdes Perez, and Gail Ann Dorsey (who has played with David Bowie and Tears For Fears) will all be on board for the 12-date tour, which kicks off on August 19 in Portland, Maine. The Indigos are hoping for a harmonious convergence of the differing style and approaches represented by each of the artists who will share the stage. Or as Ray said in a statement released to announce the tour, the plan is to "gather a bunch of musicians from different musical genres who are relatively unfamiliar with each other… throw them on a tour bus together… drop them off at a rock club, and see what happens."

If you want to see what happens (and see opening acts Shonen Knife and Buffalo Daughter), here's where to look:

• 8/19 - Portland, Maine @ State Theater
• 8/20 - Burlington, Vermont @ Memorial Auditorium (w/Buffalo Daughter)
• 8/22 - Cleveland, Ohio @ The Agora (w/Buffalo Daughter)
• 8/24 - Detroit, Michigan @ State Theater (w/Buffalo Daughter)
• 8/25 - Chicago, Illinois @ The Riviera (w/Buffalo Daughter)
• 8/26 - Chicago, Illinois @ The Riviera (w/Buffalo Daughter)
• 8/27 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin @ Rave (w/Shonen Knife)
• 8/28 - Minneapolis, Minnesota @ First Avenue (w/Shonen Knife)
• 8/30 - Cincinnati, Ohio @ Bogart's (w/Shonen Knife)
• 9/1 - Norfolk, Virginia @ Boathouse (w/Shonen Knife)
• 9/2 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania @ Electric Factory (w/Shonen Knife)
• 9/3 - New York, New York @ Roseland

• Lisa Germano
• Heart
• The Indigo Girls
• Luscious Jackson
• Shonen Knife

March 26 [12:00 EST] -- With its first new album in three years and a recent performance at L.A.'s Poptopia festival under its collective belt, Shonen Knife is heading out on a seven-week North American tour.

The trek, in support of the group's "Brand New Knife" album (which arrived in stores on March 18), begins in Fullerton, California on April 9 and will wind up with the mind-bendingly adorable punk-pop trio returning to Cali to play L.A.'s House of Blues.

Here's a look at all the stops in between:

• 4/9 - Fullerton, CA @ California St. University (noon)
• 4/9 - Santa Ana, CA @ Galaxy Theatre
• 4/10 - Sacremento, CA @ El Dorado
• 4/11 - San Francisco, CA @ Slim's
• 4/12 - Santa Cruz, CA @ Palookaville
• 4/14 - Eugene, OR @ W.O.W. Hall
• 4/15 - Portland, OR @ La Luna
• 4/17 - Seattle, WA @ RKCNDY
• 4/18 - Vancouver, BC @ Graceland
• 4/19 - Victoria, BC @ Limit
• 4/21 - Edmonton, ALB @ Rev Cabaret
• 4/22 - Calgary, ALB @ Republik
• 4/24 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
• 4/25 - Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues
• 4/26 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre
• 4/27 - Toronto, ONT @ Opera House
• 4/29 - Ottawa, ONT @ Barrymore's
• 4/30 - Montreal, QUE @ Foufounes Electriques
• 5/1 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
• 5/2 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre Of Living Arts
• 5/3 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
• 5/5 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
• 5/6 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
• 5/7 - New Orleans, LA @ House Of Blues
• 5/9 - Houston, TX @ Urban Art Bar
• 5/10 - Dallas, TX @ Galaxy
• 5/11 - St. Louis, MO @ Galaxy
• 5/12 - Kansas City, MO @ Hurricane
• 5/14 - Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre
• 5/16 - San Diego, CA @ Casbah
• 5/17 - Los Angeles, CA @ House Of Blues

• Shonen Knife