Avril Lavigne
Photo: Peter Kramer/Getty Images

Avril Lavigne filed for divorce from Sum 41's Deryck Whibley last week, according to case summary obtained by MTV News. The pair had been married for three years.

The news does not come as a surprise, as Lavigne posted on her MySpace page September 17 that they had separated. According to TMZ, the documents state that Lavigne cited "irreconcilable differences" and that the couple separated September 4. The documents also reportedly state that Lavigne is not asking for spousal support.

In her post last month, Lavigne wrote: "Deryck and I have been together for six-and-a-half years. We have been friends since I was 17, started dating when I was 19, and married when I was 21. I am grateful for our time together, and I am grateful and blessed for our remaining friendship. I admire Deryck and have a great amount of respect for him. He is the most amazing person I know and I love him with all my heart. Deryck and I are separating and moving forward on a positive note."

Lavigne concluded the message by thanking her family, friends and fans for their support.

The message (which was titled "Moving forward on a positive note") confirmed speculation that had run rampant in recent months that the couple's marriage was on the rocks. Earlier on September 17, Us Weekly ran a story that cited a source as saying Lavigne had "dumped" Whibley and forced him to move out of their Bel Air, California, mansion, adding that "divorce papers will be filed any day now."

Lavigne and Whibley were married in July 2006 in a non-denominational ceremony held at a private estate in Montecito, California, and their partnership quickly extended into the field of music, as Whibley played on and produced parts of Lavigne's last album, 2007's The Best Damn Thing, and was reportedly working with her on the follow-up to that record.

[This story was originally published at 7:23 pm E.T. on 10.14.09]

• Avril Lavigne
• Sum 41

Deryck Whibley and Avril Lavigne
Photo: Denise Truscello/ WireImage

After more than three years of marriage, Avril Lavigne and her husband, Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley, are separating, according to a message posted late Thursday (September 17) on Lavigne's MySpace page.

"Deryck and I have been together for six-and-a-half years. We have been friends since I was 17, started dating when I was 19, and married when I was 21. I am grateful for our time together, and I am grateful and blessed for our remaining friendship," the message reads. "I admire Deryck and have a great amount of respect for him. He is the most amazing person I know and I love him with all my heart. Deryck and I are separating and moving forward on a positive note."

Lavigne concluded the message by thanking her family, friends and fans for their support.

The message (which was titled "Moving forward on a positive note") confirmed speculation that had run rampant in recent months that the couple's marriage was on the rocks. Earlier on Thursday, Us Weekly ran a story that cited a source as saying Lavigne had "dumped" Whibley and forced him to move out of their Bel Air, California, mansion, adding that "divorce papers will be filed any day now."

Lavigne and Whibley were married in July 2006 in a non-denominational ceremony held at a private estate in Montecito, California, and their partnership quickly extended into the field of music, as Whibley played on and produced parts of Lavigne's last album, 2007's The Best Damn Thing, and was reportedly working with her on the follow-up to that record.

• Avril Lavigne
• Sum 41

Deryck Whibley and Avril Lavigne
Photo: Denise Truscello/ WireImage

Despite anything you might have read, Avril Lavigne and Deryck Whibley's marriage is apparently just fine, thank you.

That's according to a statement posted Tuesday on Whibley's band Sum 41's MySpace page, under the title "Totally False Gossip," denying a report in the National Enquirer that his two-year marriage to Lavigne was on the rocks, and that he had recently put his career on the back burner "in favor of partying."

"The National Enquirer ... [has] issued a gossip story surrounding Deryck Whibley of Sum 41 and his wife Avril Lavigne. For the record we strongly deny the inference of marital problems between Avril and Deryck," the statement reads. "We also strongly deny the National Enquirer claims of any other liaisons. Deryck has in fact been traveling through Asia performing with Avril as evidenced by the numerous YouTube videos."

The Enquirer story quotes an "insider" as saying that Lavigne and Whibley's marriage has been strained by "his manic bar-hopping and seemingly bachelor-like behavior," and that, earlier this month, as Lavigne toured China, Whibley was seen with a "statuesque brunette beauty" at Los Angeles' Villa nightclub.

"Deryck isn't motivated in his own career, so he's been drinking and partying," the insider reportedly said.

Whibley's statement doesn't address any of the Enquirer's charges directly, but rather ends by questioning the validity of the publication's sources, and took the media to task for even bothering to report on the story in the first place.

"I'm actually very surprised that so many media outlets picked this story up," he says in the statement. "Since when did the National Enquirer become a trust worthy news source?"

Lavigne and Whibley were married in July 2006, at a private ceremony in Montecito, California. They had gotten engaged the previous year in Venice, Italy.

• Avril Lavigne
• Sum 41

Vincent "Don Vito" Margera (file)
Photo: Peter Kramer/ Getty Images

Vincent "Don Vito" Margera's fate on two counts of sexual assault is in the hands of the jury. Tuesday saw the presentation of closing arguments, during which Pamela Mackey, an attorney for Margera -- Bam's uncle -- argued that he had been in his "goofy, outrageous and vulgar" persona during his August 2006 Colorado mall autograph signing, during which he is accused of having groped three young girls. ...

Tony Yayo will stand trial beginning January 10 in connection with the case in which he is alleged to have roughed up the 14-year-old son of Game manager Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond in March. According to Yayo's lawyer, Scott Leemon, the judge combined the cases of Yayo (born Marvin Bernard) and a man known as an "honorary" member of the G-Unit, Lowell "Lodi Mack" Fletcher, who was also allegedly involved in the assualt, but whose relationship to Yayo Leemon declined to discuss. ...

Big brother and little brother teamed up Monday night: Jay-Z made a surprise guest appearance at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston during Kanye West's set at the JAMN 94.5 Monster Jam Concert. Kanye also brought T-Pain — who played his own set earlier in the night — for "Good Life." Lil Wayne, Fabolous, J. Holiday, MIMS and Akon also performed at the concert. ...

Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz broke his foot during the band's performance Sunday night at the Voodoo Music Experience festival in New Orleans. Wentz uploaded a gory close-up photo of his severely bruised and swollen foot to his profile page on FriendsorEnemies.com. "For anyone who was at the Voodoo Fest in New Orleans, you got to see me jump around," he wrote. "Ended up breaking the bone that connects my shin to my foot; no shows will be cancelled. I am currently trying to get a 'rocker' boot so I can have a walking cast. Currently, my foot is the size of a small car. If you see me at a show, come sign my cast." ...

Don't expect to see Britney Spears gracing the cover of Maxim anytime soon — the magazine has ranked her #5 on its list of the Five Unsexiest Women Alive. One slot ahead of her is Madonna, who Spears seems to be emulating these days, and they're followed by Sandra Oh, Amy Winehouse and the list-topper, Sarah Jessica Parker. ... Some people might not find Madge too sexy these days, but according to a new tome, "Madonna: Like an Icon," Tupac Shakur was more than just hot for her in the past — they actually dated. The book's author, Lucy O'Brien, claims the Material Girl dated 'Pac for one year in her mid-30s before the rapper's untimely death. O'Brien quotes a friend close to the singer, saying ultimately, the rapper's friends quashed the fling. "She was going out with him," one of Madge's friends said. "But homegirls were saying to [2Pac], 'I can't believe you're going out with a white girl.' " Madonna was then subsequently dumped, according to the book. ...

Linkin Park's outreach project, Music for Relief, has set its sights on a new challenge: helping Southern California recover from the devastating wildfires. The band has contributed $50,000 to Direct Relief International — a Santa Barbara nonprofit that has been providing medical supplies to victims — and the donation was matched by SanDisk Corporation, a flash-data-storage-card company. "The wildfires are an unfathomable tragedy," LP bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell said in a statement. "Being able to help victims of a natural disaster like the wildfires is exactly why Music for Relief was founded." The band is also encouraging its fans to make their own contributions through the Music for Relief Web site. ...

Common's still riding strong with his latest album, the recently released Finding Forever, but while he's looking forward, his former label is looking backward with a new compilation of early cuts. ThisIsMe Then: The Best of Common, being issued by Relativity/ Sony Legacy, compiles 15 songs from 1992-'97 — but the enhanced disc has four video extras too: for "Take It EZ," "I Used to Love H.E.R.," "Retrospect for Life" (featuring Lauryn Hill) and "Invocation." It's set to street November 27. ... The Roc is in the building: Freeway hosted a listening session at S.O.B.'s in New York Monday night for his sophomore set, Free at Last, due November 20. The Philadelphia rapper previewed collaborations with 50 Cent, Rick Ross and Jadakiss, before Beanie Sigel hit the stage with him to perform their Just Blaze-produced classic, "Roc the Mic." ...

Reggae singer Beenie Man was released from a Kingston, Jamaica, jail on $21,000 bail on Monday after appearing in court on tax-evasion charges, according to The Associated Press. Authorities say the singer (born Anthony Moses Davis) owes about $661,000 in overdue taxes in Jamaica. He's due back in court December 3. ... The estate of late rapper Notorious B.I.G. filed a federal court motion on Monday claiming that prison inmate Waymond Anderson, who once implicated a former police officer in the killing of the rapper, was lying when he recently recanted his testimony. AP reports that the motion seeks access to phone and prison visitation records for Anderson, who is serving a life sentence for murder in a separate case. In an August 20 deposition Anderson said he lied about the alleged police involvement as part of a scam involving the slain rapper's family members and attorneys to win a monetary settlement from the city. The estate argued in its filing that the records will discredit Anderson's story and reveal who was behind his "wholesale assault on the truth." ...

A 20th-anniversary edition of the A Very Special Christmas album — featuring performances by No Doubt, Wyclef Jean, Sting, Run-D.M.C., Jon Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow and U2 — will be released November 20. The package benefiting the Special Olympics will also feature the first-ever DVD collection of videos in the series' history, including performances from the 1998 and 2000 Christmas at the White House specials. ... Two anti-poverty groups co-founded by Bono, the ONE Campaign and Debt AIDS Trade Africa, will merge their operations in the U.S. to create a single organization that will be known as ONE. Reuters reports that the organization will continue to focus on poverty-relief efforts in Africa and the U.S., according to a statement from Bono, in which he said, "ONE and DATA are two organizations with the same outrage: Extreme, stupid poverty in the 21st century makes no sense when the resources and technology exist to do something about it. ... What makes sense is to harness these two forces into a single organization and redouble our efforts. One goal. One team." And in yet more U2 news, National Geographic Cinema Ventures will release a new film, "U2 3D," in late January. The movie will play in 3-D only, in select theaters worldwide. Filmed in South America during a series of U2 concerts on their Vertigo Tour, the film is the first live-action movie ever shot, produced and exhibited in digital 3-D, and strove to capture the intimacy between the band and its audience. ...

Slayer and Halloween are a match made in hell, and this year the metal titans have partnered with MySpace to spook fans into buying their new concert DVD, "The Unholy Alliance - Chapter II: Preaching to the Perverted," which also features performances by Lamb of God, Mastodon and more. One of the clips from the DVD, Slayer's performance of their Grammy-winning song "Eyes of the Insane," will stream all day on MySpace TV on Wednesday. ... SoLow.com, which rewards visitors for making the lowest unique bid for prizes it offers, is giving one lucky fan a chance to spend Thanksgiving with the Osbournes. The winner will also get tickets to Ozzy Osbourne's concert in San Diego, as well as a few hundred bucks in cash and a hotel room in Los Angeles. ... Tom Cruise, meet the Sex Pistols. The actor and the notorious punk-rock legends are both slated to appear — and perform, in the case of the Pistols — on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on Tuesday night (October 30). Republican presidential hopeful Representative Ron Paul rounds out the odd lineup. ... Forbes has released its list of the top-earning dead celebrities, and Nirvana's Kurt Cobain no longer sits at #1 — that spot now belongs once again to Elvis Presley — the King's estate generated $49 million in the past year, while Cobain's name doesn't even make the list. At #2 is John Lennon, whose drew $44 million in 2007, while fellow Beatle George Harrison takes #4 with $22 million. Other musicians on the list include Tupac Shakur at #8 with $9 million and James Brown at #11 with $5 million. Bob Marley is at #12, having made $4 million this year. ...

In the end, nobody at the University of Florida got zapped. Andrew Meyer, of "Don't tase me, bro" fame, will not face any criminal charges for disrupting an appearance by Senator John Kerry at the university, according to AP. And the two police officers suspended while state officials investigated the incident — which became an instant viral phenomenon that spawned remixes, T-shirts and a short-lived cultural catchphrase — have been reinstated after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement concluded that they acted properly when they tased the 21-year-old. ... If it's good enough for Radiohead, it's good enough for Paste. For the next two weeks, the music magazine will be offering one-year subscriptions to readers for whatever price they decide to pay. There's a minimum payment of $1, but anyone who ponies up more than the $19.95 the magazine typically charges for a year will be thanked in print in a future issue. ...

It's a long way from "Gangsta's Paradise" to "Oh!" but Coolio is willing to make the trip. The rapper has signed on to appear in a reality show called "Coolio & the Gang" for the women's cable network Oxygen that will begin airing in the second quarter of 2008, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The program will follow the Grammy-winning MC as he raises six teens by himself while trying to maintain his rap career and launch a clothing line in what is described as a real-life version of "My Three Sons." ... The Who are about to launch a subscription service for serious fans, who will get access to a huge library of video and audio content for $50 a month. According to a post on the band's Web site, beginning Monday, superfans will get a free, exclusive double-CD (View From a Backstage Pass) of live performances from 1969-'76 that will not be available in stores, a personalized Who e-mail address, discounts in the Who store, exclusive full-length videos, and streaming and paid download access to every Who song ever recorded.

Pierce Brosnan is being investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for alleged battery stemming from an incident that happened at a mall in Malibu, California, on Friday, TMZ reports. Robert Rosen, a photographer, claims that after he complimented Brosnan on his James Bond films, the actor began cursing and hit Rosen in the ribs. In response, Rosen kicked the actor, he claims.

Entertainment legend Robert Goulet died Tuesday morning in a Los Angeles hospital, AP reports. Goulet, who was 73, had been awaiting a lung transplant after discovering last month that he had acquired a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis. The self-deprecating Goulet was a Broadway star, Grammy Award-winning singer, TV show host and actor, appearing toward the end of his career in films like "The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear," "Beetlejuice" and "Toy Story 2" (he voiced Wheezy the Penguin).

10.29.07

Gwen Stefani, a Southern California native, is reaching out to victims of the wildfires by donating proceeds of her Tuesday concert at San Diego's Cox Arena to local charity the San Diego Foundation, which is helping the community recover from the ongoing disaster. Stefani announced the effort on San Diego radio station 93.3 KHTS on Monday morning (October 29). "San Diego has always been so supportive of me throughout my entire career ... living in Orange County, it has always been like a second home to me," she said on air, according to a press release from her label. "When I heard about the devastation of the fires at first I felt I should cancel my show out of respect, but then it occurred to me there might be a more useful solution." San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders thanked her, according to the press release, saying the Foundation will use the funds to support its After-the-Fires Fund 2007 effort. ...

Kanye West is bringing his ego to the bookshelf. Following in the steps of his mother, Donda — who released her own book about the artist, "Raising Kanye," earlier this year — 'Ye has put his swagger to paper for "Thank You and You're Welcome," which he co-authored with J. Sakiya Sandifer. According to 'Ye's Web site, the book is a collection of "Kanye-isms" — "the creative, humorous and insightful philosophies and anecdotes used in creating my path to success," he said in a post. "It captures the same wit, playful irony, and piercing insight found abundant in my lyrics." It can be preordered on EchoTunes.com. ...

It seems OiNK's demise has given way to a new torrent site, according to Torrent Freak. Called "BOiNK," the site will be hosted by the Pirate Bay and will launch sometime this week. ... Fall Out Boy's Infinity on High will be expanded with five bonus tracks, three of which are live cuts. The embellished set is due November 20. In other re-release news, the Smashing Pumpkins' latest, Zeitgeist, will be re-released and packaged with a full-length DVD documentary, titled "Inside the Zeitgeist." Due in stores Tuesday, the set will also include three bonus cuts: "Ma Belle," "Stellar" and "Death from Above." ...

Since she was 13 years old, Jordin Sparks has been wearing a sexual-abstinence promise ring that her parents gave her — and the "American Idol" winner says she doesn't plan to take it off anytime soon. "I wasn't ever forced into [wearing the ring]," she told UsMagazine.com. "It's all about making the right choice and not putting yourself in that situation." Sparks, who admitted, "Temptation is always there," said her dream guy will have to have "nice teeth. They could be athletic and sing ... and play an instrument." ... Paris Hilton's planned trip to Rwanda caught a snag when Playing for Good, the foundation coordinating the trek, postponed it last week. But the heiress recently insisted to "Extra" that the trip will happen next year. "I feel like there's a lot I can do, and a lot I can do to help," she added. "I know [Rwanda] went through a lot of traumatic experiences, and I feel like if I go there, I can help save some people's lives." ... Lindsay Lohan's planned New Year's Eve party has just gotten a whole lot quieter. While UsMagazine.com reported last week that the starlet would be hosting this year's bash at red-hot Las Vegas club LAX, the news source now says she's backed out. A representative reportedly told UsMagazine.com that she will no longer be hosting the event, as the actress continues to focus on her work and sobriety. ...

Ozzy Osbourne is auctioning off the quad bike that nearly killed him. The 350cc Banshee still has a dented front bar and split rear guard from the 2003 accident, and is expected to fetch $3,000 in an upcoming sale of memorabilia by the star and his wife/manager Sharon. Bidding begins November 30 in Beverly Hills, California, with some of the proceeds earmarked for Sharon's colon cancer charity. ... Metallica played two acoustic performances over the weekend as part of the 21st annual Bridge School Benefit at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. The band's set included a number of covers, including Rare Earth's "I Just Want to Celebrate," Garbage's "Only Happy When It Rains," Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms" and Bob Seger's "Turn the Page." John Mayer, Regina Spektor, Neil Young and others also performed at the event. ...

Sum 41 have been forced to cancel the remaining dates on their Canadian trek, as frontman Deryck Whibley is having back problems. Whibley is suffering from a herniated disc and has been ordered by doctors to avoid performing for the next six weeks, according to Pollstar.com. He is recovering at the Los Angeles home he shares with wife Avril Lavigne. ... Taking Back Sunday's Mark O'Connell recently underwent back surgery to remove a broken disc. "A disc broke off my spine, and they had to remove part of it," he wrote in a statement. "Everything turned out really great, just recovering right now and it's hurting a little. They said if I take care of myself really well, I'll be just fine." ...

Natalie Portman can't shake her "Garden State" music jones. The actress is putting together a charity mix tape for iTunes called Big Change: Songs for FINCA, which will benefit the organization that works to alleviate poverty in developing countries, according to Entertainment Weekly. The $7.99 album, due Tuesday, will feature exclusive songs and mixes from Norah Jones, M. Ward, Devendra Banhart, the Shins and Beirut. ...

Country Music Hall of Fame singer/songwriter Porter Wagoner died Sunday from lung cancer at age 80, according to a Reuters report. The Grammy-winning singer, known for his flashy rhinestone suits and blond pompadour hair, had been a member of the Grand Old Opry since 1957 and scored such hits as "Last Thing on My Mind" and "Green Green Grass of Home." He was also known for championing Dolly Parton in the early days of her career by singing a series of duets with the fellow country legend.

• Tony Yayo
• Jay-Z
• Kanye West
• Fall Out Boy
• Britney Spears

Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover of <i>W</i> magazine
Photo: Steven Klein

Gwyneth Paltrow wasn't so into the initial idea of singing onstage last year with Jay-Z at London's Royal Albert Hall, she admitted to W magazine for its September issue. "Jay was playing at the Albert Hall on my birthday, and he said, 'Will you sing on this song?' " the actress told the mag. "At first I didn't want to do it!" Paltrow also talked a little about her husband, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who was also onstage for the strange collabo. "When Chris gets home, we're not going to do anything other than what any regular couple does," she said. ...

A day after Amy Winehouse canceled two European festival dates following a trip to a London hospital to deal with what her label termed "severe exhaustion," a spokesperson for the singer said doctors have ordered Winehouse to rest in bed. For now, she's still expected to perform at the Virgin Festival in Toronto on September 8 as well as a string of U.S. dates in September. Winehouse's spokesperson would not comment on British tabloid reports that said the collapse that led to the singer's hospitalization was possibly drug-related. ...

Ciara is making her directorial debut with a video for Paula Campbell's "Ain't Nobody Stupid," and she will premiere the clip Monday at the 20th Century Fox Studio Lot in Century City, California. Los Angeles area fans can go here for details on how to get into the free Nissan Live Sets event. See snaps from the "Ain't Nobody Stupid" photo shoot right here. ...

Jamie Foxx portrayed Ray Charles and Andre 3000 is set to play Sammy Davis Jr., so you'd probably expect another big name to be taking on the lead role in the long-in-the-works Notorious B.I.G. biopic, right? Not necessarily. An open casting call will be held to determine who will play Biggie, and actors and non-actors alike are being allowed to try out for the part. Audition videos can be sent here beginning Sunday at 3 a.m. ET. In 1995, Fox Searchlight Pictures acquired the rights to the movie, which is being produced by Biggie's mother Voletta Wallace and two of his former managers. ...

A woman is peeved that no one from Britney Spears' camp has contacted the woman about her car, which the singer was seen driving into earlier this week in Studio City, California. Kim Robard-Rifkin told CelebTV.com on Wednesday that, "It was simply like my car didn't matter to her, my inconvenience didn't matter to her." Robard-Rifkin, who filed a police report Thursday (August 9), added, "I'm not asking for money. I'm not asking for a new car. ... I simply want my car fixed, the same as I would fix somebody's car if I had done that." ...

Hilary Duff is branching out. The singer/actress has partnered with Michaels stores for Stuff by Hilary Duff, a new fashion-crafts line that includes bracelets, necklaces, charms, patches and more. All Michaels stores will host in-store demonstrations of the products on August 26 from 1-3 p.m. local time. ... An "American Idol" hopeful went into labor during her audition on Monday at Texas Stadium and had contractions as she was singing, People reports. After that, Antoria Gillon, who was taken to a local hospital, gave birth to a healthy son. She will be on the next round of the show. ...

John Mayer has been confirmed for the upcoming season of "Austin City Limits," Pitchfork reports — but the program will be heavily weighed toward indie-rock acts too. Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, Decemberists, Regina Spektor and Wilco have also been booked for the PBS series, which will start airing in October. ... The lineup for the first-ever Monolith Music Festival, to be held September 14-15 at Denver's historic Red Rock Amphitheatre, will include the Flaming Lips, Kings of Leon, the Decemberists, Editors, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Spoon, Cake, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Das EFX and many more acts. ...

Thrice have pegged October 16 as the release date for The Alchemy Index: Vols. I & II - Fire & Water, the first two parts of a four-volume concept effort. The other two chapters, Vols. III & IV - Earth & Air, will be released in the spring. Both sets will be issued by Vagrant, the new label the band calls home after parting ways with Island in June. Earlier this year, frontman Dustin Kensrue called the Alchemy project "daunting" in an interview with MTV News. ... If you've been exchanging MySpace messages with Chris Cornell in recent weeks, chances are you were dealing with an imposter. The real Cornell logged onto his MySpace page on Wednesday to clear up matters. "Over the past several months, several incidents have taken place where others felt the need to engage in activities pretending to be me," he wrote. "I have been wanting to make a clear statement to fans, friends and anyone this may concern." He added the confounding remark, "Under no circumstances, under any name or address, do I or have I ever communicated or corresponded with anyone online or otherwise." ...

Want to get up close and personal with Velvet Revolver? You can get your chance for $250, thanks to meet-and-greet packages being offered for the hard-rock group's Tuesday gig at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The package includes a VIP laminate, personal photograph with the band, exclusive 8x10 color poster and autograph. ... Alice in Chains's Unplugged CD and DVD are being packaged together for a revitalized version of the release due September 18. ...

Expect to catch an eyeful of U2 rehearsing songs from their new album in "Here It Is," a documentary about the band's longtime producer Daniel Lanois that is set to debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, RollingStone.com reports. The feature film captures Lanois and the band in a studio in Morocco, with Billy Bob Thornton, Willie Nelson and others making guest appearances. ... Ricky Martin wants to start creating "a family of many colors" this year by adopting "one [child] from each continent," the singer told reporters Wednesday in his Puerto Rico homeland. The 35-year-old Martin is not married. ...

A fifth woman will be allowed to testify that Phil Spector threatened her with a gun, the judge in the music producer's trial ruled Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reports. Former Spector employee and girlfriend Devra Robitaille was expected to testify Thursday after jurors returned from a tour of Spector's mansion in Alhambra, California, where he allegedly killed actress Lana Clarkson. The defense — which on Wednesday called to the stand a neuropathologist who said the way Clarkson's body was found was consistent with a suicide — objected strongly to the decision to let Robitaille testify.

08.08.07

Kevin Federline's lawyer filed documents in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday (August 8) for primary physical custody of his two sons with Britney Spears, People reports. Less than two weeks ago, the couple's divorce was finalized, at which point they agreed to joint custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James. Federline, who previously resisted the 50/50 custody agreement, has been worried Spears has been exposing the boys to unnecessary risk, a source told the magazine. ...

Zac Efron may be showing off his assets in his revealing Rolling Stone cover shot, but he's more modest when it comes to talking about his star-making turn in "High School Musical." "I didn't even sing on the first album," he told the magazine. "It wasn't my voice in the movie. Even though I wanted to do it. So what do you do when the entire cast is supposed to accept an award at the Billboard Awards and your voice is only on the album in a select few lines. I felt extremely guilty." He also explained why he refused to go on the "High School Musical" tour: "If I had to hear the 'High School Musical' songs anymore, I probably would have jumped off something very tall," he said. ...

Fresh from her slightly tardy performance at last weekend's Lollapalooza, Amy Winehouse was hospitalized on Wednesday for "exhaustion." According to a press release from the 23-year-old "Rehab" crooner's U.S. label, Universal Republic, "Amy Winehouse was admitted to [University College London Hospital] this morning, suffering from severe exhaustion. Amy was discharged from the hospital this afternoon and has been advised to take complete rest. Scheduled performances in Norway and Denmark this week have been canceled." ...

Jennifer Lopez has a new flick in theaters and an album on the way too, but her purse is getting even heavier thanks to a court decision awarding her almost $545,000 in a lawsuit against her first husband, The Associated Press reports. Lopez had filed the breach-of-contract lawsuit over Ojani Noa's plans to publish a tell-all book in which he was expected to claim the singer/actress had multiple affairs. The court-ordered arbitrator who made the Monday decision also decided that Lopez should be awarded a permanent injunction barring Noa from criticizing or disparaging her. In other J. Lo news, she'll shoot a video for her new single "Do It Well" in Los Angeles on August 16-17. ...

Beyoncé is turning up all over the place — ads for the singer's new Emporio Armani Diamonds fragrance are appearing in September issues of magazines. The scent is available at Macy's exclusively in August and will hit other major department stores next month. ... A 16-year-old French boy was arrested and spent a night in jail for allegedly translating "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" into French and posting it online within days of the book's late July release. The boy was released Tuesday after being questioned and could face charges of violating intellectual property, although prosecutors say he was likely not seeking commercial gain by posting the translated book online. The official French translation of "Deathly Hallows" is due October 26. ...

50 Cent knows Kanye West better than you think. After accepting a challenge on BET's "106 & Park" to debate with West the merits of their respective new albums — which will go head to head in stores when they street on September 11 — Fiddy replied, "Kanye, he's not going to want to show up." During the VMA announcement Tuesday, West made 50's prediction come true, declining the proposed debate and calling it "the stupidest thing." "What am I going to debate about?" he said. "I'm going to go in the studio and make music." But 'Ye, who said he doesn't have beef with anyone, had something positive to say as well: "With 50's album dropping and my album dropping on the same day, everybody wins because you get a lot of good music at the same time." ...

Jack White and his wife, model Karen Elson, welcomed their second child, a boy named Henry Lee White, on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the White Stripes frontman. The couple's first child, a daughter named Scarlett Teresa White, was born in 2006. White and Elson were famously married on a canoe by a traditional shaman priest in Brazil in 2005. ... Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson "still talk every day," the actress told Harper's Bazaar for the magazine's September issue, adding that her ex-husband "still cracks me up." Hudson also revealed that she hopes to eventually have four children. ... Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter are expecting their second baby, People reports. It's due in December. ... Melanie Brown, who has been speaking out publicly about her child with Eddie Murphy, has been married since June, AP reports. A marriage certificate filed with Nevada's Clark County lists the date of her nuptials with boyfriend Stephen Belafonte as June 6. ...

Sum 41 have a new twist in their tour schedule: more dates on the Warped Tour. In addition to playing the Tuesday show in St. Louis and the Bonner Springs, Kansas, gig the following day, Deryck Whibley and the gang will grace the fest for four additional California dates August 22-25 (Fresno, Sacramento, San Diego and Carson). ... Avenged Sevenfold's forthcoming self-titled LP will be in stores October 16. The disc is the follow-up to 2005's City of Evil and is the band's first self-produced effort. ... Former "American Idol" finalist Gina Glocksen's longtime boyfriend Joe Ruzicka proposed to her onstage during the American Idols Live Tour stop in Rosemont, Illinois, on Tuesday — and she accepted, Illinois' Daily Southtown reports. The rocker, who hails from nearby Naperville, often referenced Ruzicka on the show and dedicated her performance of Heart's "Alone" to him. ...

Rock fans, do your bidding: speakers, cabinets, a Jacuzzi and more items from Jerry Garcia's house in Marin County, California, will be auctioned on eBay beginning Sunday. The house was purchased in 1997 by Henry Koltys, an attorney and software developer, after which he put into storage the items that he's auctioning. Meanwhile, a piano that Bruce Springsteen owned in the late '70s is also up for bidding on eBay, RollingStone.com reports. Bob Dylan and Keith Richards have also played on the piano, which had a starting bid of $10,000. ... The farm that hosted the legendary Woodstock music festival in 1969 is up for sale, AP reports. The asking price is $8 million. ...

Killswitch Engage have pumped out a cover of Dio's "Holy Diver" that will appear on the special-edition version of the band's 2006 effort, As Daylight Days. The reissue, due in stores August 28, will also be bundled with three additional tracks and a DVD featuring a trio of song clips and two rehearsal performances. ... Black Tide, the young metal outfit from Miami that had encountered problems joining Ozzfest's second stage because of age issues, are in luck. Since the band is too young to perform on the fest's Jägermeister-sponsored second stage — its youngest member is only 14 years old — it's hopped onto the main stage instead. Black Tide will be the stage's opening act and will make their fest debut Friday in Tinley Park, Illinois. ...

The Chemical Brothers have sketched out the first three dates for their upcoming U.S. tour. The electronic heroes will play New York's Hammerstein Ballroom on September 21, the Concourse in San Francisco on September 28 and Los Angeles' Nocturnal the following day. ... The lineup for the first-ever Farm Aid show in New York, on September 9, has been set. It will include the Counting Crows, Guster, Matisyahu, Ditty Bops, Derek Trucks Band, Allman Brothers Band, the Supersuckers, Warren Haynes and Montgomery Gentry. Those acts join a bill that already includes Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews. ... Tom Hanks is suing one of the producers of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," claiming he is still owed profits from the 2002 flick. The suit — which was also filed by Nia Vardalos, who wrote and starred in the film — seeks unspecified monetary damages.

• Jay-Z
• Hilary Duff
• John Mayer
• Arcade Fire
• Velvet Revolver

Kevin Federline
Photo: MTV NEWS

Kevin Federline's lawyer filed documents in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday (August 8) for primary physical custody of his two sons with Britney Spears, People reports. Less than two weeks ago, the couple's divorce was finalized, at which point they agreed to joint custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James. Federline, who previously resisted the 50/50 custody agreement, has been worried Spears has been exposing the boys to unnecessary risk, a source told the magazine. ...

Zac Efron may be showing off his assets in his revealing Rolling Stone cover shot, but he's more modest when it comes to talking about his star-making turn in "High School Musical." "I didn't even sing on the first album," he told the magazine. "It wasn't my voice in the movie. Even though I wanted to do it. So what do you do when the entire cast is supposed to accept an award at the Billboard Awards and your voice is only on the album in a select few lines. I felt extremely guilty." He also explained why he refused to go on the "High School Musical" tour: "If I had to hear the 'High School Musical' songs anymore, I probably would have jumped off something very tall," he said. ...

Fresh from her slightly tardy performance at last weekend's Lollapalooza, Amy Winehouse was hospitalized on Wednesday for "exhaustion." According to a press release from the 23-year-old "Rehab" crooner's U.S. label, Universal Republic, "Amy Winehouse was admitted to [University College London Hospital] this morning, suffering from severe exhaustion. Amy was discharged from the hospital this afternoon and has been advised to take complete rest. Scheduled performances in Norway and Denmark this week have been canceled." ...

Jennifer Lopez has a new flick in theaters and an album on the way too, but her purse is getting even heavier thanks to a court decision awarding her almost $545,000 in a lawsuit against her first husband, The Associated Press reports. Lopez had filed the breach-of-contract lawsuit over Ojani Noa's plans to publish a tell-all book in which he was expected to claim the singer/actress had multiple affairs. The court-ordered arbitrator who made the Monday decision also decided that Lopez should be awarded a permanent injunction barring Noa from criticizing or disparaging her. In other J. Lo news, she'll shoot a video for her new single "Do It Well" in Los Angeles on August 16-17. ...

Beyoncé is turning up all over the place — ads for the singer's new Emporio Armani Diamonds fragrance are appearing in September issues of magazines. The scent is available at Macy's exclusively in August and will hit other major department stores next month. ... A 16-year-old French boy was arrested and spent a night in jail for allegedly translating "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" into French and posting it online within days of the book's late July release. The boy was released Tuesday after being questioned and could face charges of violating intellectual property, although prosecutors say he was likely not seeking commercial gain by posting the translated book online. The official French translation of "Deathly Hallows" is due October 26. ...

50 Cent knows Kanye West better than you think. After accepting a challenge on BET's "106 & Park" to debate with West the merits of their respective new albums — which will go head to head in stores when they street on September 11 — Fiddy replied, "Kanye, he's not going to want to show up." During the VMA announcement Tuesday, West made 50's prediction come true, declining the proposed debate and calling it "the stupidest thing." "What am I going to debate about?" he said. "I'm going to go in the studio and make music." But 'Ye, who said he doesn't have beef with anyone, had something positive to say as well: "With 50's album dropping and my album dropping on the same day, everybody wins because you get a lot of good music at the same time." ...

Jack White and his wife, model Karen Elson, welcomed their second child, a boy named Henry Lee White, on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the White Stripes frontman. The couple's first child, a daughter named Scarlett Teresa White, was born in 2006. White and Elson were famously married on a canoe by a traditional shaman priest in Brazil in 2005. ... Kate Hudson and Chris Robinson "still talk every day," the actress told Harper's Bazaar for the magazine's September issue, adding that her ex-husband "still cracks me up." Hudson also revealed that she hopes to eventually have four children. ... Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter are expecting their second baby, People reports. It's due in December. ... Melanie Brown, who has been speaking out publicly about her child with Eddie Murphy, has been married since June, AP reports. A marriage certificate filed with Nevada's Clark County lists the date of her nuptials with boyfriend Stephen Belafonte as June 6. ...

Sum 41 have a new twist in their tour schedule: more dates on the Warped Tour. In addition to playing the Tuesday show in St. Louis and the Bonner Springs, Kansas, gig the following day, Deryck Whibley and the gang will grace the fest for four additional California dates August 22-25 (Fresno, Sacramento, San Diego and Carson). ... Avenged Sevenfold's forthcoming self-titled LP will be in stores October 16. The disc is the follow-up to 2005's City of Evil and is the band's first self-produced effort. ... Former "American Idol" finalist Gina Glocksen's longtime boyfriend Joe Ruzicka proposed to her onstage during the American Idols Live Tour stop in Rosemont, Illinois, on Tuesday — and she accepted, Illinois' Daily Southtown reports. The rocker, who hails from nearby Naperville, often referenced Ruzicka on the show and dedicated her performance of Heart's "Alone" to him. ...

Rock fans, do your bidding: speakers, cabinets, a Jacuzzi and more items from Jerry Garcia's house in Marin County, California, will be auctioned on eBay beginning Sunday. The house was purchased in 1997 by Henry Koltys, an attorney and software developer, after which he put into storage the items that he's auctioning. Meanwhile, a piano that Bruce Springsteen owned in the late '70s is also up for bidding on eBay, RollingStone.com reports. Bob Dylan and Keith Richards have also played on the piano, which had a starting bid of $10,000. ... The farm that hosted the legendary Woodstock music festival in 1969 is up for sale, AP reports. The asking price is $8 million. ...

Killswitch Engage have pumped out a cover of Dio's "Holy Diver" that will appear on the special-edition version of the band's 2006 effort, As Daylight Days. The reissue, due in stores August 28, will also be bundled with three additional tracks and a DVD featuring a trio of song clips and two rehearsal performances. ... Black Tide, the young metal outfit from Miami that had encountered problems joining Ozzfest's second stage because of age issues, are in luck. Since the band is too young to perform on the fest's Jägermeister-sponsored second stage — its youngest member is only 14 years old — it's hopped onto the main stage instead. Black Tide will be the stage's opening act and will make their fest debut Friday in Tinley Park, Illinois. ...

The Chemical Brothers have sketched out the first three dates for their upcoming U.S. tour. The electronic heroes will play New York's Hammerstein Ballroom on September 21, the Concourse in San Francisco on September 28 and Los Angeles' Nocturnal the following day. ... The lineup for the first-ever Farm Aid show in New York, on September 9, has been set. It will include the Counting Crows, Guster, Matisyahu, Ditty Bops, Derek Trucks Band, Allman Brothers Band, the Supersuckers, Warren Haynes and Montgomery Gentry. Those acts join a bill that already includes Farm Aid board members Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews. ... Tom Hanks is suing one of the producers of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," claiming he is still owed profits from the 2002 flick. The suit — which was also filed by Nia Vardalos, who wrote and starred in the film — seeks unspecified monetary damages.

08.07.2007

Lauryn Hill arrived more than two hours late and performed an uneven if not memorable set on Monday night at Brooklyn, New York's Wingate Field as part of the free Martin Luther King Jr. Concert Series. The enigmatic singer, overdressed for a hot summer night, showed up at 10 p.m. for the scheduled 7:30 show and ran through a number of her more popular solo and Fugees hits — but often reconfigured them into unrecognizable scat chants. Hill told the audience her sometimes-inaudible voice was hoarse, but her tone improved as she continued. Hill closed the show with her Grammy-winning "Doo Wop (That Thing)" and then immediately exited after thanking the 10,000-plus people who showed up for the park jam. ...

Alicia Keys, Erykah Badu and Common will light up the Red Star Soul concert series over the course of the next three months, Billboard.com reports. Common and Chrisette Michele will kick off the campaign August 15 in Los Angeles, with Com playing additional shows in Detroit (September 4); Atlanta (September 18); and Washington, D.C. (September 26). Raphael Saadiq, Michele and Teedra Moses will play at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on August 28; Badu and Michele will hit up Chicago on September 13; and Badu will also play Philadelphia on October 13. ...

If you're a fan of Kelly Clarkson and football, get ready for some red-hot double coverage: She'll help kick off the NFL season when she sings before the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts game September 6. The half-hour pre-game show — which will also feature performances by Hinder, Faith Hill and John Mellencamp — will air on NBC at 8 p.m. ET. Clarkson's performance will be part of a free concert she'll be giving at Indianapolis' Monument Circle. ...

Lily Allen's U.S. work visa was canceled upon her arrival at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday, BBC News reports. The singer, who had come to the States for the VMAs announcement on Tuesday (August 7), was held at the airport for five hours due to her June arrest in London for alleged assault. A spokesperson for Allen said the singer was questioned but that her work visa will be sorted out by her next visit. Allen is slated to tour the U.S. in September and is still expected to attend — and perform at — the VMAs on September 9. ... Madonna's representative Liz Rosenberg says that despite reports of a snag in the singer's adoption of David Banda, the process is going smoothly. "None of that stuff is true," Rosenberg told UsMagazine.com in regards to a Reuters report that suggested the adoption might be compromised. "The adoption process is going along very well and according to proper procedure," she asserted. ...

The Reverend Al Sharpton is staging a "day of outrage" on Tuesday to urge the public to divest from the music industry until it forces rappers to stop using derogatory terms including the N-word. Sharpton led a rally in Detroit outside the former studios for Motown Records, but he has also organized 19 additional protests elsewhere in the U.S. "The opposition has tried to use the argument of free speech, but they don't have the freedom to use people's pension funds against their own will and interest," he said in an interview with Reuters. ... A London judge has dismissed a suit over a U.K. photo agency using a 2004 image of J.K. Rowling's 3-year-old son, saying the legal action didn't have a realistic chance of success, according to Bloomberg News. "Our aim has only been to protect our children from press intrusion during their childhood," Rowling said in a statement, adding that she and her husband plan to appeal the ruling. ...

AFI side project Blaqk Audio will embark on their first tour September 5 in Atlanta, in support of the forthcoming Cexcells, which lands in stores August 14. The trek runs through September 27 in Los Angeles. ... Buzz is building over the next Hives LP, which will be called The Black and White Album, according to Billboard.com. There's no release date scheduled yet. ... Black Tide, a young metal band from Miami that had been tapped to replace Circus Diablo on Ozzfest's second stage, have now found themselves having to drop off the bill — without even playing a single note. As it turns out, the band is too young — the second stage is being sponsored by Jägermeister, and the group's youngest member is only 14 years old. ...

They've gone and done it: McFarlane Toys has created Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora action figures, and is planning to unveil them this month. Go here for details. ... Anthrax have nixed plans to record their next album with Slipknot's Corey Taylor, citing scheduling conflicts with Taylor's other projects. The band's searching for a new singer to enter the fold. ... Boston hardcore legends Sam Black Church will reunite for a September 22 gig at the Roxy in Boston; this will be the band's first live set in more than six years. Darkbuster, Madball and Unearth will also play at the show. ...

Louisiana native Terrance Stewart, also known as DJ Bay Bay, was arrested Monday and charged with rape and witness intimidation, according to a report in Louisiana newspaper The Shreveport Times. Stewart served as the inspiration behind rapper Hurricane Chris' breakout hit "A Bay Bay," which is a nod to the DJ. According to Shreveport police, an unidentified woman was found drunk and unconscious on Thursday night at the club where Stewart was spinning, and police believe the woman was raped during the party. Stewart is being held in jail on a $150,000 bond; his lawyer issued a statement defending his client's innocence. "Mr. Stewart is innocent of these charges and intends to vigorously defend himself against them," lawyer Eric Johnson said. "We are very confident that after the case is tried by a judge or jury that Mr. Stewart will be exonerated." Police are also searching for another DJ, Ron Johnson, who they believe was also involved in the incident. ...

What better way to bring the bizarre Phil Spector trial down the homestretch than with an appearance by blockbuster-movie director Michael Bay? On Monday, the filmmaker — one of the last three rebuttal witnesses being presented by the prosecution — said he didn't see deceased actress Lana Clarkson at a Hollywood party weeks before her death, as the defense had suggested, the Los Angeles Times reports. According to defense attorneys, Bay had snubbed Clarkson at the party, hurting her so much that it helped drive her to suicide. Bay, who was called to rebut testimony from defense witness Punkin Pie Laughlin, said he had cast Clarkson in a commercial about a decade ago and that he would have recognized her had he seen her at a party. ...

Pete Doherty tested positive for drugs during a review of the Babyshambles frontman's court-ordered participation in a treatment program on Tuesday, spurring a London judge to warn him to quit drugs within a month or face jail time, The Associated Press reports. "If he does not show his motivation it's prison, as simple as that," Judge Davinder Lachlar said at the hearing. "Depending on what information I have when [Doherty] next [comes] to court, the decision will be made." Doherty is due in West London Magistrates' Court on September 4 for another hearing.

• Kevin Federline
• Amy Winehouse
• Jennifer Lopez
• Beyoncé
• Kanye West

Prince's <i>Planet Earth</i>
Photo: Columbia

Despite Prince's best efforts and a strong sales push for the soundtrack of the hit film "Hairspray," the 25th addition to the Now That's What I Call Music! compilation clings to the #1 spot on next week's Billboard albums chart (despite a 33-percent slip in sales) on nearly 150,000 copies sold.

With contributions from the likes of Fall Out Boy, Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani, Fergie, Justin Timberlake, Ne-Yo, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Daughtry, Now 25's commercial appeal is obvious — and historically, the Now collections are consistent best-sellers. But the Hairspray soundtrack did pose a modest threat to the compilation's #1 standing.

While the film hasn't been a box-office champ, sales of the soundtrack swelled by 41 percent, helping the disc — which features the pipes of John Travolta, Zac Efron, Queen Latifah, Nikki Blonsky, and Michelle Pfeiffer — climb two chart positions to #2. During the album's third week in stores, it sold more than 101,000 units, according to the latest SoundScan figures, released Wednesday morning (August 1). Meanwhile, following at #3 is the 24th studio offering from Prince, Planet Earth, which debuts with 95,500 scans. But Prince's wasn't the only LP to make a top 10 bow this week.

Opening at #7, thanks to sales of 44,600, is the latest from Canadian punks Sum 41, Underclass Hero. It becomes the band's highest charting effort, surpassing 2004's Chuck, which debuted at #10, but with much stronger sales: 65,700 and change.

Falling two chart positions this week to #4 is Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus, the latest from the star of the Disney Channel original series, which sold 92,300 copies. Miley's dad, country crooner Billy Ray Cyrus, is looking up at his offspring from the #20 position, where his new album, Home at Last, debuts this week with 28,200 scans. With close to 64,500 copies flying off record store shelves, rapper T.I.'s T.I. vs. T.I.P. lands in the #5 slot, followed at #6 by Fergie's The Dutchess, with a reported 52,600 scans. Linkin Park's Minutes to Midnight slips one spot to #8, with 41,800 sold, while Amy Winehouse's Back to Black finishes at #9, with 40,200 scans.

It was released nearly four months ago, and now, thanks to its hit single, "Hey There Delilah," the Plain White T's' Every Second Counts finally cracked the chart's top 10, rounding things out with 39,200 copies sold. The LP debuted at #186, with sales of 4,500, and has steadily climbed the top 200 ever since. It'll be interesting to see how the album fares next week.

In all, there were 21 newcomers to next week's Billboard chart, including rapper Yung Berg's Almost Famous EP, which generated 19,500 scans to open at #32. Right behind him at #33 is the soundtrack to El Cantante, the new film starring Jennifer Lopez and hubby Marc Anthony, which sold just 35 fewer copies. Following at #34 is Tegan and Sara's Con, which scanned 19,300 units. Meanwhile, Christian rockers BarlowGirl bow at #40, having sold 18,000 copies of their album How Can We Be Silent.

Canadian rock act Evans Blue clears the top 50 with a #44 opener for their latest, The Pursuit Begins When This Portrayal of Life Ends, which sold 16,900 units. Hanson's new one, The Walk, follows at #56, thanks to 12,400 in week-one sales, and coming in at #68, with 10,700 scans, is Absolute Garbage, a retrospective release chronicling the career of the female-fronted rock group. Silverchair's Young Modern opens at #70, with 10,500 copies sold, while the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Is Is EP debuts at #72 with 10,200 scans.

Making its debut at #77 with 9,500 copies snatched up is Monsters of Rock: Platinum Edition, a collection of 18 cuts from the height of the hair-metal craze; the disc features songs from Skid Row, Poison, Warrant, Ratt, Winger and a whole host of other bands you'd long since forgotten about. Metal pops up again at #106, as Within Temptation's Heart of Everything nets sales of 7,000-plus, and just two spots down on the chart, with sales of just under 7,000, is the soundtrack to The Simpson's Movie." 

The three-disc, 46-track Live in Boston '70, which captures the Doors during a two-night stint in Beantown at the height of their fame; sold 5,100 copies, to open at #145. Meanwhile, coming in at #154 with 4,800 scans is the debut album from rapper Freekey Zekey, Book of Ezekiel, and down in the #167 slot, thanks to a reported 4,400 in sales, is former Phish frontman Trey Anastasio's newest, The Horseshoe Curve. Last but not least, barely making the top 200 with 3,800 units sold, is Prey for Eyes, the latest from metal merchants the Red Chord, who claim the chart's #198 position.

• Prince
• T.I.
• Fergie
• Sum 41
• Linkin Park

Sum 41's <i>Underclass Hero</i>
Photo: Island

Forty two years ago Tuesday (July 31), J.K. Rowling was born — but don't worry, we'll spare you from a full-on Harry Potter motif this week ("The Half-Blood Prince," Harry's UNKLE Vernon, you get the drift). Instead, since this week is packed with so many artists who have something to say, we're going to lay it all out in front of you and let you decide if their two cents is really worth a dime.

Summing It Up: Blink-182, (+44) and Sum 41 walk into a bar ... oh, you do the math. Fitting right in with their brethren bands, Deryck Whibley and his gang are as brash as can be on their fourth studio album, Underclass Hero, which was named in honor of a United Nations worker who saved the band from a battle during the filming of the documentary "Rocked: Sum 41 in Congo."

Their Two Cents: Whibley said in a press release that the LP is "a deeply personal statement that reflects the confusion and frustration in modern society." If that's too abstract, look no further than the song "March of the Dogs," on which the band declares, "the president of the United States of America is dead." Oh, wait, but that's just supposed to be a metaphor.

Purple Prose: Don't have the new Prince album yet? He gave it away for free in editions of British newspaper The Mail on Sunday — and if that's not enough, he'll also be giving away more copies gratis at his upcoming London concerts. Planet Earth features contributions from former New Power Generation and Revolution members, including the mighty Sheila E.

His Two Cents: Prince decries war on the final track, "Resolution," asking, "How many people want resolution?"

Con Artistes: Tegan and Sara's The Con is a veritable party-in-a-jewel-case, what with Death Cab for Cutie's Christopher Walla and Jason McGerr, as well as the Rentals' Matt Sharp and AFI's Hunter Burgan, contributing to the duo's fifth studio LP.

Their Two Cents: An enigmatic post on the twin sisters' Web site seems to indicate that the album has three themes: "I. Fraud; II. Death; III. Confidence."

What-ever: Get out the flannel and stay out of the shower — the '90s are back this week with the return of Silverchair and Hanson. The former band's Young Modern — an album title that could not be more diametrically opposite to Silverchair's status — was partially crafted by heralded composer Van Dyke Parks and even features a medley track combining three songs. After years of wrangling with labels, Hanson — who, like the 'Chair, also formed in 1992 — are putting out their fourth album, The Walk, through their own 3CG Records.

Their Two Cents: We're not sure what Silverchair's modus operandi is these days, but Hanson have been very proactive about helping combat HIV/AIDS in Africa — they donated all profits from their "The Great Divide" single on iTunes to a nonprofit championing for the cause.

Tre Bien: Trey Anastasio doesn't have a whole lot to say on his new album, in a sense — The Horseshoe Curve is a wholly instrumental affair. For it, he called on Jon Fishman, John Medeski, a five-piece brass section, bassist, drummer, percussionist, keyboardist and the Nashville Chamber Orchestra — so the album can hardly be considered a solo outing.

His Two Cents: A portion of the proceeds from The Horseshoe Curve will benefit the Seven Below Arts Initiative, a nonprofit arts-education group Anastasio founded last year.

Hot Licks: Dave Grohl did actress Juliette Lewis a solid by stepping behind the drum kit, as he's still wont to do from time to time, for her band's new album Four on the Floor. Juliette and the Licks deliver a barrage of garage-rock on "Mind Full of Daggers," "Death of a Whore" and "Sticky Honey."

Her Two Cents: Lewis says on her band's Web site that "the through line on this record is desire, in its many forms. Desire of dreams, love, redemption and the consequences of that; the unfulfillment, the betrayal, the pursuit, the need." Chew on that.

What Future?: Oliver Future, from Los Angeles! Well, they actually hail originally from Austin, Texas — The Austin Chronicle named them "Best Band in Austin," in fact — but they've since relocated to Tinseltown, and their new LP Pax Futura is "a love story of L.A. outcasts united," according to a press release.

Their Two Cents: In addition to revolving around the City of Angels, the album features the politically charged "Drowning Parade," a song about Hurricane Katrina.

Song Title of the Week:

"Lee J. Cobb Is Screaming a Lot" from Alamo Race Track's Black Cat John Brown

Album Cover of the Week:

Trey Anastasio's The Horseshoe Curve

Other Notables:

Various artists' "Friday Night Lights" TV soundtrack
No new Billy Bob Thornton material here, even though he starred in the flick version of the high school football saga — and is dropping a new album of his own, Beautiful Door, this week. Instead you'll find the Killers (?), Spoon (??) and Outkast (???), who apparently have this boob-tube program in common. Other indie luminaries abound: ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, José González and Explosions in the Sky, the latter of whom contributed heavily to the film soundtrack.

Chromeo's Fancy Footwork
Relying heavily on synth, funk and slow jams, the Montreal duo hope to make you fall in love ... on the dance floor. Noted Parisian producer Philippe Zdar mixed the disc, which features "Opening Up (Ce Soir on Danse)," "My Girl Is Calling Me (A Liar)" and "Bonafied Lovin' (Tough Guys)." These guys definitely qualify as runners-up for this week's best album cover — ch-ch-check it out right here.

The Red Chord's Prey for Eyes
Some Slayer fans might be flocking back to stores this week to pick up the re-release of Christ Illusion — it comes with two extra tracks, a bonus DVD and new cover art — but metalheads shouldn't look past Massachusetts death-grinders Red Chord. Tracked with Eric Rachel (Every Time I Die, Atreyu), the album was named after an inmate at a prison where the brother of the band's frontman, Guy Kozowyk, works as a guard. "The prisoner won't talk and gets into this dialogue via a notepad," Kozowyk recalled in a press statement. "After documenting that he can no longer talk because the devil removed his tongue, my brother checks the con's mouth with his flashlight. When he tells him that his tongue is definitely intact, the inmate replies with the cryptic message, 'Pray for Eyes.' " Creeped out yet?

New Releases:

· Alamo Race Track - Black Cat John Brown (Minty Fresh)
· Bishop Allen - The Broken String (Dead Oceans)
· Trey Anastasio - The Horseshoe Curve (Red Ink) [Buy Now]
· Marc Antoine - Hi-Lo Split (Peak)
· At the Throne of Judgment - Arcanum Order (Rise)
· Bloodhorse - Bloodhorse (EP; Translation Loss)
· Born Again Floozies - 7 Deadly Sinners (Triple R)
· Camp Lo - Black Hollywood (Traffic)
· Chromeo - Fancy Footwork (Vice)
· Peter Criss - One for All (Megaforce)
· Billy Ray Cyrus - Home at Last (Walt Disney)
· Deepfield - Archetypes and Repetition (In De Goot)
· Driver of the Year - ... Will Destroy You (Future Appletree/ Nail in the Coffin)
· Evans Blue - The Pursuit Begins When This Portrayal of Life Ends (enhanced; Hollywood)
· Emily Haines - What Is Free to a Good Home (EP; Last Gang)
· Peter Hammill - Singularity (Fie)
· Hanson - The Walk (Three Car Garage) [Buy Now]
· Corey Harris - Zion Crossroads (Telarc)
· The High Court - Puppet Strings (I Surrender)
· James Holstrom - The Thieves of Kailua (Millpond)
· Joe Sh--head Keithley - Joe Sh--head Keithley and His Band of Rebels (Sudden Death)
· Lonnie Jordan - War Stories (Fantasy)
· Juliette and the Licks - Four on the Floor (enhanced; Militia Group) [Buy Now]
· The Lonely H - Hair (Control Group)
· The Lovemakers - Misery Loves Company (enhanced; Fuzz Artists)
· Manic - Another New Home (Suretone)
· Manic Street Preachers - Send Away the Tigers (enhanced; Red Ink)
· Marmoset - Florist Fired (Secretly Canadian)
· The Masons - Let You Down Easy (75orless)
· Mr. J. Medeiros - Of Gods and Girls (enhanced; Red Urban)
· Mobile - Tomorrow Starts Today (The Militia Group)
· Nodes of Ranvier - Defined by Struggle (Victory)
· Oliver Future - Pax Futura (Transit of Venus/ Fireproof)
· Portugal. The Man - Church Mouth (Fearless)
· Prince - Planet Earth (Columbia) [Buy Now]
· Puddle of Mudd - Famous (Geffen) [Buy Now]
· Marion Raven - Set Me Free (Eleven Seven)
· Joe Rathbone - Under the Scorpio Moon (enhanced; Zakz)
· The Red Chord - Prey for Eyes (Metal Blade)
· Robbers on High Street - Grand Animals (New Line)
· Aaron Ross - Shapeshifter (Grass Roots)
· Saving Jane - One Girl Revolution (Toucan Cove)
· Scenes From a Movie - The Pulse (One Big Spark)
· Matt Shulman - So It Goes (RNB)
· Silverchair - Young Modern (Eleven Music) [Buy Now]
· Will Stratton - What the Night Said (Stunning Models on Display)
· Sum 41 - Underclass Hero (Island) [Buy Now]
Read: "Sum 41 Kill President In New Song — Deryck Whibley Says It's 'A Metaphor' "
· Tegan and Sara - Con (deluxe edition with DVD due same day; Vapor/Sanctuary) [Buy Now]
· Billy Bob Thornton - Beautiful Door (New Door)
· John Vanderslice - Emerald City (Barsuk)
· Tiny Vipers - Hands Across the Void (Sub Pop)
· UNKLE - War Stories (Surrender All)
· Walt Wilkins & the Mystiqueros - Diamonds in the Sun (Palo Duro)
· Nicole Willis and the Soul Investigators - Keep Reachin' Up (Light in the Attic)
· Within Temptation - The Heart of Everything (enhanced; Roadrunner)
· Yeah Yeah Yeahs - The Is Is (EP; Interscope) [Buy Now]
· Hans Zimmer - "The Simpsons Movie" soundtrack (limited-edition version with donut packaging due July 31; Adrenaline)
· Various artists - "Friday Night Lights" TV soundtrack (Adrenaline)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· Chet Atkins - The Essential Chet Atkins (two CDs; RLG Nashville/ Legacy)
· Chet Atkins and Les Paul - Chester & Lester (RLG Nashville/ Legacy)
· Bobby Bare - Bobby Bare Sings Lullabys, Legends and Lies (two CDs; RLG Nashville/ Legacy)
· Johnny Cash - The Great Lost Performances (Island/UMe) [Buy Now]
· Dälek - Deadverse Massive Vol. 1: Dälek Rarities 1999-2006 (Hydra Head)
· The Doors - Live in Boston '80 (three CDs; Rhino) [Buy Now]
· The Eat - It's Not the Eat, It's the Humidity (with bonus CD; Alternative Tentacles)
· Merle Haggard - Kern River/ Chill Factor (two CDs; American Beat)
· Waylon Jennings - The Essential Waylon Jennings (two CDs; RLG Nashville/ Legacy) and Waylon (American Beat) [Buy Now]
· Bob Marley and the Wailers - Roots, Rock, Remixed (Quango/Rockr)
· Monster Magnet - 20th Century Masters: The Best of Monster Magnet - The Millennium Collection (A&M/UMe)
· Prefab Sprout - Steve McQueen - Legacy Edition (two CDs; Legacy)
· Billy Squier - Signs of Life (American Beat)
· Riders in the Sky - Public Cowboy #1: A Centennial Salute to the Music of Gene Autry (Rounder)
· Sebadoh - The Freed Man (Domino)
· Slayer - Christ Illusion (with DVD; Columbia) [Buy Now]
· Tandy - To a Friend/ Did You Think I Was Gone? (00:02:59)
· The Thrillseekers - Nightmusic Volume 2 (two CDs; Water)
· Various artists - Monsters of Rock: Platinum Edition (Razor & Tie)
· Various artists - Quiet Storm: Gold and Summer of Love: Gold (two CDs; Hip-O)
· Various artists - Sound of the City: New York Area Doo-Wop (1956-1966) (three-CD box set; Time Life)

Music DVDs:

· Sammy Davis Jr. - "The Best of Sammy Davis Jr. Live" (Eagle Vision)
· Deep Purple - "Live at Montreux 2006: They All Came Down to Montreux" (HD DVD; Eagle Vision)
· The Dubliners - "On the Road - Live in Germany" (Eagle Vision)
· Waylon Jennings and the Waymore Blues Band - Never Say Die: The Final Concert Film (with two CDs; Columbia/Legacy)
· James Last - "Live in Berlin" (Eagle Vision)
· Pet Shop Boys - "Cubism in Concert" (Rhino) [Buy Now]
· Santana - "Hymns for Peace: Live at Montreux 2004" (HD DVD; Eagle Vision)
· Yes - "Live at Montreux 2003" (HD DVD; Eagle Vision)

Coming Attractions:

July 31:
· Common - Finding Forever (Universal) [Preorder]
Read: "Kanye West, Lily Allen Finding Something In Common"
· DevilDriver - The Last Kind Words (Roadrunner)
· Korn - Untitled (deluxe edition with bonus DVD due same day; Virgin) [Preorder]
Read: "Korn Are Cracking Up Over Eighth LP's 'Gothic Feel,' Munky Says"

August 7:
· Constantine Maroulis - Constantine (6th Place)
Read: " 'American Idol' Vets Bo Bice, Constantine Maroulis Can't Stop Rockin' "
· Okkervil River - The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar)
· UGK - Underground Kingz (two CDs; Jive) [Preorder]
Read: "Ex-Con Pimp C Juiced For UGK Album, Says He Has Lessons To Teach"

August 14:
· Blaqk Audio - Cexcells (Interscope)
Read: "AFI Members Have Another Fire Inside: Side Project Blaqk Audio"
· Wayne Wonder - Foreva (VP)
· Various artists - "High School Musical 2" soundtrack (Disney)
Read: " 'High School Musical' Stars Dish On Sequel's Showstoppers, Love Triangles"

• Sum 41
• Prince
• Tegan & Sara
• Hanson

Gwen Stefani
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/ Getty Images

Gwen Stefani has filed a lawsuit against Forever 21, claiming the retail chain stole a design from her Harajuku Lovers line. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, claims that Forever 21 is marketing, promoting and selling products featuring a design that is "virtually indistinguishable" from the cutesy heart logo used by Stefani's L.A.M.B. offshoot — with "Harajuku" simply changed to "Forever" and "Lovers" to "Love." Since the small text change is "inconspicuous," the lawsuit claims, it's "unlikely to go unnoticed by a consumer" and is "confusingly similar." Well, unless you look at the price, that is. Harajuku Lovers alleges false destination of origin, trademark infringement, dilution and unfair competition against the chain, and seeks not only monetary damages but also Forever 21's profits and gains, since the company claims the co-opting of design caused the originals to lessen in value. ...

50 Cent has a few words of advice for Nas in the new issue of XXL: put down the book. When asked, "What percentage of MCs in hip-hop do you think are actually intelligent?" 50 replied: "You have different kinds of people. You have people that are extremely book-smart that lack common sense, so they don't know what's going to affect their audience. ... For instance, Nas is a really smart guy. He reads books constantly. We were around him on the Nastradamus tour. He was almost weirder than me 'cause we would go to breakfast and he'd be there reading a book. Conceptually, I think that's what made him drift away from what his initial audience enjoys from him and why he's not hot right now." In the interview, 50 also insisted Jim Jones should be running Dipset — he's "a more credible artist than Cam'ron is," 50 said — revealed that he's been trying to hook up with M.O.P. and admitted that he doesn't eat cookies because he's looking after his weight. ...

Pras tells Billboard.com the forever-delayed Fugees reunion CD is now off the table altogether — and he's not afraid to point fingers, either. "We went in the studio and recorded a couple records that were incredible," he said. "But, to put it nicely, it's dead. Me and [Wyclef Jean], we on the same page, but Lauryn [Hill] is in her zone, and I'm fed up with that sh--. Here she is, blessed with a gift, with the opportunity to rock and give, and she's running on some bullsh--? I'm a fan of Lauryn's, but I can't respect that." ... Time to kick off those kicks — Lily Allen's Nike Air Max 90 is on the way. The limited-edition shoe will be available through exclusive promotions in the U.S. this summer and be colored red, white and blue. She's not the only one with new Nikes — underground rapper MF Doom has designed his own Dunk High Premium SB, which is on sale in very limited form. ...

Crisis averted, Fall Out Boy fans: Looks like the rumors of an engagement between Pete Wentz and his girlfriend Ashlee Simpson aren't true. And neither is the gossip that she's pregnant. Initial, uh, "reports" had Wentz proposing to Simpson before FOB's Live Earth gig at Giants Stadium (New Jersey = romance) and suggested that Ash was seen refusing to drink anything and rubbing her belly. But according to a spokesperson for Wentz, those reports are false. ... Blood spatter left by deceased actress Lana Clarkson is once again being contended in the Phil Spector trial. On Wednesday (July 18), defense witness James Pex, a blood expert, challenged the prosecution's claim that spatter can travel more than 3 feet, according to the Los Angeles Times. In other developments, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Larry Paul ruled Tuesday that convicted Hollywood madam Jody "Babydol" Gibson's testimony was "inadmissible and irrelevant" to the trial. ...

Though Avril Lavigne didn't directly address the plagiarism claims that have dogged her over her "Girlfriend" hit, she posted a message on her MySpace page on Tuesday thanking fans for their support and urging them to check out the new disc by her hubby's band, Sum 41. "I wanted to take this time to thank you, my fans, for all your undying support," Lavigne wrote. "You have been amazing and I can't express how much I appreciate it. Thank you all so much. I am so proud of this record and grateful for the response it has been getting from all of my fans. You made it go [#] 1." ... The White Stripes promised to play a show in every Canadian province and territory on their current tour and, technically, they now have. After secret gigs in bowling alleys, buses, flour factories and parks, the duo wrapped up their unconventional Great North experiment with a blink-and-you-missed-it surprise afternoon gig in St. John's, Newfoundland, on Monday before playing a real show that night. Taking the stage in front of a few hundred fans, the pair plugged in, hit a single note and then took a bow, with Jack White grinning as he said, "We have now officially played in every province and territory in Canada." According to reports, fans were clued into the gag. ...

Zach Braff working for Dunkin' Donuts? Wake up and smell the coffee — it's really happening. The "Garden State" director has helmed two ads for the chain, one featuring Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley and another featuring Naomi Campbell. ... Rilo Kiley's Under the Blacklight is still about a month away — it drops August 21, to be precise — but the band has already fleshed out a tour in support of the release. The indie-rockers hit the pavement September 6 in San Francisco and wind down the trek in their Los Angeles hometown on October 16. ... The title of the upcoming book "Would Someone Please Explain? The Best of Duran Duran's Ask Katy" pretty much says it all, so long as you're aware that "Ask Katy" is the fan-letter section of the band's Web site. Due in November, the tome features what Duran Duran consider to be the most outstanding questions fans have sent in since the site's inception 10 years ago, with answers from the band. ...

Comedian Dave Chappelle was briefly hospitalized over the weekend for exhaustion, checking into an emergency room on Saturday and checking out a few hours later after receiving fluids and a meal. Chappelle's publicist Carla Sims confirmed the ER visit to The Associated Press, saying the funnyman had been traveling and was suffering from exhaustion but is now "fine." She did not specify what hospital Chappelle visited or give any other details about his condition. ... Winona Ryder is finally speaking out about her shoplifting bust six years ago — and she says painkillers were the real culprit. "Two months prior to [the December 2001 incident], I broke my arm in two places and the doctor was giving me a lot of stuff and I was taking it at first to get through the pain," she said. "And then there was this weird point when you don't know if you are in pain but you're taking it. ... It isn't a reckless [state], like you're out of your head. It's just confusion." The actress added that she was especially embarrassed about the incident because it drew attention in the wake of 9/11.

07.17.07

That purported Britney Spears track floating around the Internet is the real deal, the song's producer, Nate "Danjahandz" Hills, has confirmed to MTV News. In May, the producer revealed to MTV News that one song set to be featured on her upcoming LP sounded like it belonged in a video game, and "Get Back" matches that description. "It's weird! It's catchy, but it's weird. It's hot," he said, adding that the hook and chorus made him laugh. But it isn't all laughs for Spears these days — the Humane Society of the United States has fired off a stern letter to Spears after it caught wind that she had reportedly dropped $3,000 for a Yorkshire Terrier puppy from Pets of Bel Air in California after spending less than 30 minutes in the shop, according to "Entertainment Tonight." "Choosing a dog is a major lifestyle decision that should not be taken lightly," HSUS Director of Outreach for Companion Animals Stephanie Shain said in a press statement. "We suggest that people take time to choose a member of their family and to be sure they are working with a reputable breeder ... Ms. Spears is setting a damaging example to the public. Most dogs sold in pet stores come from puppy mills -- factory-like facilities, churning out purebred and 'designer' puppies in large numbers." Brit also bought a Chihuahua puppy from Pets of Bel Air in January. According to "ET," the store is adamant that it buys from top breeders, not puppy mills. ...

The first benefit for the Kanye West Foundation will take place August 24 in the rapper/producer's Chicago hometown. The $125-a-ticket show will rock the House of Blues with a theme encouraging kids to stay in school. ... Snoop Dogg, Whodini and Missy Elliott are among the artists to be hailed at the fourth annual VH1 Hip Hop Honors. The show will be taped October 4 at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom and premiere October 8 at 10 p.m. ET. On Monday, VH1.com will launch the online contest "The Score" — the winner will create and produce the score for the event. Those interested can post their minute-long beats for consideration right here. ...

Not everyone loves "The Simpsons." In fact, England's pagan community is madder than a dog with bees in its mouth over a giant painting of Homer Simpson brandishing a donut. The painting, made to promote "The Simpsons Movie," was hung on a field in Dorset opposite a famous 17th century fertility symbol: the club-wielding, clearly excited Ceme Abbas. According to the Daily Mail, the giant underwear-clad Homer was painted with biodegradable paint that will dissolve when it rains, so some local pagans have vowed to unleash some "rain magic" to erase the drought. ... A Los Angeles Police Department officer who videotaped the Game in a holding cell waving a wad of cash and throwing hand signs after the rapper's arrest in May is under investigation by the department's internal-affairs division. The Associated Press reports that the unnamed officer could face disciplinary action for making the video on his cell phone; the footage was posted on the TMZ.com web site on May 12. ...

Smashing Pumpkins fans probably didn't expect to find photos of Paris Hilton inside copies of the band's Zeitgeist reunion CD, but just in case Billy Corgan didn't confuse them enough, a shot of the heiress is also featured on the cover of the band's new "Tarantula" U.K. single. So what gives? In an interview with Launch Radio, Corgan said he took the photos with Hilton, who he had met previously. "The original idea was we were gonna see if Lindsay, Britney and Paris would all shoot ... [but] Paris I knew personally, and hung out with her a few times, and so I asked her. ... And God bless her, she came, she showed up at 10 a.m. on a Sunday morning, sat in the chair, got made up and [I] shot her." Hilton recently told E! Online that she has been meeting with producer Scott Storch to hammer out plans for her second LP. ...

Speaking of sophomore efforts, Carrie Underwood's forthcoming, yet-untitled album will street on October 23. The effort will succeed her 2005 debut, Some Hearts, which earned her a heap of awards. ... Brandon Flowers is a dad, People reports. The Killers frontman and his wife Tana welcomed a boy over the weekend. ... Producer Polow Da Don launched his Interscope Records imprint Zone 4 Inc. Monday night at Opera in Atlanta. The star-studded bash was presented by Zune and Universal Publishing, and featured performances by Polow's artists Rich Boy, Keri Hilson and i15. Also in attendance were Lil Wayne, Andre 3000, Young Jeezy, DJ Unk, Jim Jones, Soulja Boy, Jermaine Dupri and Ciara, who hosted the festivities. ...

Asda — the British arm of Wal-Mart Stores — apologized Tuesday (July 17) for criticizing "Harry Potter" publisher Bloomsbury of "blatant profiteering" for charging the U.S. equivalent of roughly $36 for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Bloomsbury had nixed the delivery of a half-million copies of the book to the stores, but Asda says the volumes will be on its shelves after all. Also in the U.K., copies of the book will come with a photo of a missing 4-year-old girl and a yellow ribbon in an appeal to help find her, Agence France Presse reports. Author J.K. Rowling has also asked that bookstores in 200 countries receive posters of the girl, who went missing at a Portuguese resort in early May. And on Tuesday, Britain issued seven postage stamps featuring the covers of the books. Roughly 340,000 people had pre-ordered them, snapping the record of 300,000 pre-orders set by a set of Beatles stamps in January. Meanwhile, on U.S. shores, Barnes & Noble is holding copies of the volume at a secret warehouse somewhere in the Northeast, Reuters reports. Security is being maintained around the building 24/7. ...

A friend of Lana Clarkson testified Monday in the Phil Spector murder trial that the actress had called her days before the shooting and said, "I can't take it anymore. I'm sick of [Hollywood]. I want out." Punkin Irene Elizabeth Laughlin, who cried while recalling the exchange, was due to continue testifying Tuesday. ... Michael Jackson must hand over more than $250,000 to a Southern California firm, a judge determined late last week, according to AP. Ayscough & Marar handled side issues for the singer during the 2005 child-molestation trial. ... Ricky Martin will soon be all over Dominican TV and radio — but he won't be singing. Instead, the artist will be issuing public-service announcements warning about sexual exploitation and human trafficking. ... Sting and his wife Trudie Styler must fork over $51,000 to compensate a former chef for sexual discrimination, AP reports. Jane Martin, who had worked for the singer for eight years, had claimed she was fired after she became pregnant. ...

The good news for concertgoers is that average ticket prices are only up about 50 cents (or 1 percent) over last year, according to mid-year numbers released by Pollstar. The scary news, though, is that tight-trousered '70s icon Rod Stewart is the top draw so far this year, with $48.1 million in ticket sales, beating out Justin Timberlake, who landed just behind at $42.3 million. Reunited rockers the Police were #3 at $41.9 million and are expected to top the list by year's end with a tour predicted to generated $100 million in North America. Christina Aguilera landed at #7 on the list with $30.6 million, just after former Pink Floyd leader Roger Waters and before a Cirque du Soleil show. ...

Iman has caused a stir or two with her graceful looks over the years, but if you ask the supermodel who she thinks is about to make a stir, she says it's Lenny Kravitz/ Lisa Bonet offspring Zoe Kravitz. Iman raved about Zoe in the new issue of Trace, which is on newsstands this week — Iman guest-edited the magazine's annual "Black Girls Rule" issue. (Check out pictures of Zoe in the mag.) "When I met her for the first time, with her dad and her late grandfather, I literally took her under my wings like she was my own daughter. Self-effacing, knowing and grounded is what makes her truly the new 'It' girl." Zoe Kravitz, who is set to act alongside Terrence Howard and Jodie Foster in this fall's "The Brave One," opened up in the mag about her Hollywood ambitions and what it was like to work with Foster. "Every time we did a take I would check if it was OK," Kravitz said. "[Jodie] would tell me to let go and just do it. She [just] taught me to be comfortable on set."

[This story was originally published on 7.18.2007 at 1:45 p.m.]

07.17.07

That purported Britney Spears track floating around the Internet is the real deal, the song's producer, Nate "Danjahandz" Hills, has confirmed to MTV News. In May, the producer revealed to MTV News that one song set to be featured on her upcoming LP sounded like it belonged in a video game, and "Get Back" matches that description. "It's weird! It's catchy, but it's weird. It's hot," he said, adding that the hook and chorus made him laugh. But it isn't all laughs for Spears these days — the Humane Society of the United States has fired off a stern letter to Spears after it caught wind that she had reportedly dropped $3,000 for a Yorkshire Terrier puppy from Pets of Bel Air in California after spending less than 30 minutes in the shop, according to "Entertainment Tonight." "Choosing a dog is a major lifestyle decision that should not be taken lightly," HSUS Director of Outreach for Companion Animals Stephanie Shain said in a press statement. "We suggest that people take time to choose a member of their family and to be sure they are working with a reputable breeder ... Ms. Spears is setting a damaging example to the public. Most dogs sold in pet stores come from puppy mills -- factory-like facilities, churning out purebred and 'designer' puppies in large numbers." Brit also bought a Chihuahua puppy from Pets of Bel Air in January. According to "ET," the store is adamant that it buys from top breeders, not puppy mills. ...

The first benefit for the Kanye West Foundation will take place August 24 in the rapper/producer's Chicago hometown. The $125-a-ticket show will rock the House of Blues with a theme encouraging kids to stay in school. ... Snoop Dogg, Whodini and Missy Elliott are among the artists to be hailed at the fourth annual VH1 Hip Hop Honors. The show will be taped October 4 at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom and premiere October 8 at 10 p.m. ET. On Monday, VH1.com will launch the online contest "The Score" — the winner will create and produce the score for the event. Those interested can post their minute-long beats for consideration right here. ...

Not everyone loves "The Simpsons." In fact, England's pagan community is madder than a dog with bees in its mouth over a giant painting of Homer Simpson brandishing a donut. The painting, made to promote "The Simpsons Movie," was hung on a field in Dorset opposite a famous 17th century fertility symbol: the club-wielding, clearly excited Ceme Abbas. According to the Daily Mail, the giant underwear-clad Homer was painted with biodegradable paint that will dissolve when it rains, so some local pagans have vowed to unleash some "rain magic" to erase the drought. ... A Los Angeles Police Department officer who videotaped the Game in a holding cell waving a wad of cash and throwing hand signs after the rapper's arrest in May is under investigation by the department's internal-affairs division. The Associated Press reports that the unnamed officer could face disciplinary action for making the video on his cell phone; the footage was posted on the TMZ.com web site on May 12. ...

Smashing Pumpkins fans probably didn't expect to find photos of Paris Hilton inside copies of the band's Zeitgeist reunion CD, but just in case Billy Corgan didn't confuse them enough, a shot of the heiress is also featured on the cover of the band's new "Tarantula" U.K. single. So what gives? In an interview with Launch Radio, Corgan said he took the photos with Hilton, who he had met previously. "The original idea was we were gonna see if Lindsay, Britney and Paris would all shoot ... [but] Paris I knew personally, and hung out with her a few times, and so I asked her. ... And God bless her, she came, she showed up at 10 a.m. on a Sunday morning, sat in the chair, got made up and [I] shot her." Hilton recently told E! Online that she has been meeting with producer Scott Storch to hammer out plans for her second LP. ...

Speaking of sophomore efforts, Carrie Underwood's forthcoming, yet-untitled album will street on October 23. The effort will succeed her 2005 debut, Some Hearts, which earned her a heap of awards. ... Brandon Flowers is a dad, People reports. The Killers frontman and his wife Tana welcomed a boy over the weekend. ... Producer Polow Da Don launched his Interscope Records imprint Zone 4 Inc. Monday night at Opera in Atlanta. The star-studded bash was presented by Zune and Universal Publishing, and featured performances by Polow's artists Rich Boy, Keri Hilson and i15. Also in attendance were Lil Wayne, Andre 3000, Young Jeezy, DJ Unk, Jim Jones, Soulja Boy, Jermaine Dupri and Ciara, who hosted the festivities. ...

Asda — the British arm of Wal-Mart Stores — apologized Tuesday (July 17) for criticizing "Harry Potter" publisher Bloomsbury of "blatant profiteering" for charging the U.S. equivalent of roughly $36 for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Bloomsbury had nixed the delivery of a half-million copies of the book to the stores, but Asda says the volumes will be on its shelves after all. Also in the U.K., copies of the book will come with a photo of a missing 4-year-old girl and a yellow ribbon in an appeal to help find her, Agence France Presse reports. Author J.K. Rowling has also asked that bookstores in 200 countries receive posters of the girl, who went missing at a Portuguese resort in early May. And on Tuesday, Britain issued seven postage stamps featuring the covers of the books. Roughly 340,000 people had pre-ordered them, snapping the record of 300,000 pre-orders set by a set of Beatles stamps in January. Meanwhile, on U.S. shores, Barnes & Noble is holding copies of the volume at a secret warehouse somewhere in the Northeast, Reuters reports. Security is being maintained around the building 24/7. ...

A friend of Lana Clarkson testified Monday in the Phil Spector murder trial that the actress had called her days before the shooting and said, "I can't take it anymore. I'm sick of [Hollywood]. I want out." Punkin Irene Elizabeth Laughlin, who cried while recalling the exchange, was due to continue testifying Tuesday. ... Michael Jackson must hand over more than $250,000 to a Southern California firm, a judge determined late last week, according to AP. Ayscough & Marar handled side issues for the singer during the 2005 child-molestation trial. ... Ricky Martin will soon be all over Dominican TV and radio — but he won't be singing. Instead, the artist will be issuing public-service announcements warning about sexual exploitation and human trafficking. ... Sting and his wife Trudie Styler must fork over $51,000 to compensate a former chef for sexual discrimination, AP reports. Jane Martin, who had worked for the singer for eight years, had claimed she was fired after she became pregnant. ...

The good news for concertgoers is that average ticket prices are only up about 50 cents (or 1 percent) over last year, according to mid-year numbers released by Pollstar. The scary news, though, is that tight-trousered '70s icon Rod Stewart is the top draw so far this year, with $48.1 million in ticket sales, beating out Justin Timberlake, who landed just behind at $42.3 million. Reunited rockers the Police were #3 at $41.9 million and are expected to top the list by year's end with a tour predicted to generated $100 million in North America. Christina Aguilera landed at #7 on the list with $30.6 million, just after former Pink Floyd leader Roger Waters and before a Cirque du Soleil show. ...

Iman has caused a stir or two with her graceful looks over the years, but if you ask the supermodel who she thinks is about to make a stir, she says it's Lenny Kravitz/ Lisa Bonet offspring Zoe Kravitz. Iman raved about Zoe in the new issue of Trace, which is on newsstands this week — Iman guest-edited the magazine's annual "Black Girls Rule" issue. (Check out pictures of Zoe in the mag.) "When I met her for the first time, with her dad and her late grandfather, I literally took her under my wings like she was my own daughter. Self-effacing, knowing and grounded is what makes her truly the new 'It' girl." Zoe Kravitz, who is set to act alongside Terrence Howard and Jodie Foster in this fall's "The Brave One," opened up in the mag about her Hollywood ambitions and what it was like to work with Foster. "Every time we did a take I would check if it was OK," Kravitz said. "[Jodie] would tell me to let go and just do it. She [just] taught me to be comfortable on set."

[This story was originally published on 7.18.2007 at 1:45 p.m.]

• MTV News RAW: 50 Cent

• Gwen Stefani
• 50 Cent
• Fall Out Boy
• Ashlee Simpson
• Nas

Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst
Photo: MTV News

Well, it took them long enough.

More than six years into the presidency of arguably the most polarizing leader in U.S. history, and four grindingly long years into the second-least-popular American war ever, a wave of musicians is finally speaking — or at least singing — up.

How quiet they had been. With few exceptions — the Dixie Chicks' refusal to "shut up and sing" in 2003 and willingness to pay for it by losing their largely red-state fan base, and Green Day's tour de force American Idiot, which was either about a disaffected teen or man in the White House operating with messianic purpose — the music community had been largely silent about George W. Bush, effectively giving the president and his policies — including the Iraq War — a pop pass.

Of course, without a concerted mass protest movement against the war, the rise of any significant amount of protest music was never likely. And where was it gonna come from? Certainly not pop or R&B. Hip-hop? The genre seems to have drifted from the voice that Public Enemy's Chuck D once called the "CNN of the streets."

So that left the old standby: rock. Today, it's as fractured and as embattled as it's ever been, and it hasn't been given to political commentary. The emo dudes (the Wentzes and Ways of the world) can summon plenty of angst, but generally don't look past their own navels to the wider world; so-called "mainstream rock" (Nickelback, the Fray, the Chili Peppers, etc.) didn't seem to be interested; the U.K.'s arena men (Coldplay, Snow Patrol, etc.) served more as musical balms than rabble rousers; and as erudite as many of them are, indie rockers were mostly addressing other concerns — definitely not the war or its architects.

Well, no more! At least not judging by the flurry of albums that have come out in the first half of 2007. From Arcade Fire, Sum 41, Bright Eyes, Smashing Pumpkins ... the voices and the lyrics — some literal and pointed, some far more subtle — run the gamut, but the overall message seems clear, and it ain't pretty.

"I think it's great for anyone to become more aware of those ideas and, if they're compelled to, share them with their audience," Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst said.

(See why Conor Oberst has been outspoken about the Iraq war, President Bush and more, right here.)

And yes, they are sharing. From Arcade Fire's "Intervention" ("No place to hide/ You were fighting as a soldier on their side/ You're still a soldier in your mind/ Though nothing's on the line") to Rufus Wainwright's searing "Going to Town" ("You took advantage of a world that loved you well/ I'm going to a town that has already been burned down/ I'm so tired of you, America") to Sum 41's remarkably blunt "March of the Dogs" ("Ladies and gentlemen of the underclass/ The President of the United States of America/Is dead!"), tongues have been unleashed up and down your radio dial (or all over your iTunes — pick your poison). The lyrics seem to echo a growing majority of public opinion, but while the origin seems clear, the timing — and why it all took so long — is a bit harder to pin down.

"Not many bands today are speaking their minds on issues", Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington told MTV News. "We've been noticing some things that we're not too stoked on and we feel like we're at a place now where we can speak out about it."

Some artists say they've been speaking their minds all along, but the message may have been lost until now. "As for me, I felt really, extremely angry and frightened and crazy over it a few years ago," Oberst said. "I think that's when I was writing the most overt songs about it. Now I've sort of reached a point of overload, where I just didn't want to think about it anymore, which I guess is sort of chicken sh--."

Perhaps. Even Sum frontman Deryck Whibley backpedaled on the "the President of the United States of America is dead" thing, telling MTV News' James Montgomery that the lyrics are "a metaphor" for how "ineffectual and incompetent" Bush is as a president. Whibley also insisted the upcoming Sum 41 album Underclass Hero would not be a "political record" (see "Sum 41 Kill President In New Song — Deryck Whibley Says It's 'A Metaphor' s").

But if Whibley won't go there, plenty of others have. You'd be hard pressed to find a more "political record" than Year Zero from Nine Inch Nails. Trent Reznor traded in angst for social commentary, drumming up a bleak look at where America is — and, sadly, where it could be 15 years from now. You'd be hard pressed to find a darker record out there. "I got my propaganda/ I got revisionism/ I got my violence/ In hi-def ultra-realism/ All a part of this great nation/ I got my fist/ I got my plan/ I got survivalism," he howls on "Survivalism." Later, on "Capital G," he sings, "Well I used to stand for something/ Now I'm on my hands and knees/ Turning in the god of this war/ And he signs his name with a capital G" (see "Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero Preview: Beginning To Solve The Mystery").

The man who "signs his name with a capital G" also takes some knocks from a less expected place than Reznor: some former purveyors of nu-metal who've found a newly political voice. Linkin Park have never been viewed as a political band, but on the Mike Shinoda-penned track "Hands Held High," the band definitely goes there (see "Linkin Park's Minutes To Midnight Preview: Nu-Metallers Grow Up" and "Could Linkin Park, Green Day, Nine Inch Nails Be The Next U2?"). "For a leader so nervous in an obvious way/ Stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay/And the rest of the world watching at the end of the day/ In the living room, laughing, like, 'What did he say?' " Elsewhere on their latest, Minutes to Midnight, the band remembers the victims of Hurricane Katrina and takes aim at the government that failed to help ("Hope decays, generations disappear/ Washed away, as a nation simply stares").

At the same time, Bennington adds, the band will only go so far: observation, yes; incitement, no. "That was a difficult process with these particular songs because ... we don't want to preach, you know?" he said. "We just want to kind of speak our minds without telling you what to do." But there is no mistaking the origin of Linkin Park's new album title. Minutes to Midnight is a reference to the Doomsday Clock, the theoretical clock that portends the possibility of nuclear armageddon. (That clock, by the way, is currently "set" at five minutes to midnight).

And they aren't the only ones watching the clock. Smashing Pumpkins finally returns to us with the appropriately titled "Doomsday Clock" ("Is everyone afraid? Is everyone ashamed?/ Apocalyptic scream, they're bound to kill us all"). Main Pumpkin Bill Corgan isn't doing interviews for the upcoming Zeitgeist, preferring to let the music "speak for itself," we're told, and with tracks like "For God and Country" and the 10-minute epic "United States" ("I don't know what I believe/ But if I feel safe, what do I need?/ Revolution! Revolution!"), the music is speaking loud and clear.

The parade doesn't end there. Montreal's Arcade Fire returned in March with another album full of urgent, exuberant rock — only this time, as the twisted title Neon Bible suggests — they took their megaphones in a darker direction, one more informed by that uniquely American place where God, guns and gall intersect ("Don't wanna live in my father's house no more/ Don't wanna fight in a holy war/ Don't want the salesmen knocking at my door/ I don't wanna live in America no more," the band sings on "Windowsill").

And, of course, there is Bright Eyes. Oberst has been raising his voice and growing more politically indignant (about the state of the world and particularly about the Bush administration) since 2000 (see "Bright Eyes Slam 'Off-The-Leash Administration'; Give Details On New Albums"). He drew praise — and a degree of outrage — when he performed the vitriolic "When the President Talks to God" on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in 2005 (moral of the story: know your audience). He tells us that his latest, Cassadaga, is less "overtly political," saying its essence is "just sort of trying to make peace with everything, to be comfortable in your own skin."

Still, there are undoubtedly political themes throughout. He concedes politics is "always in the background" and "hard to escape completely." And Oberst does manage to come up with at least one incendiary couplet on "Four Winds": "The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Koran's mute/ If you burned them all together, you'd get close to the truth."

Them's fatwa words, son. Was Oberst not at all hesitant to go there, in a world where a cartoonist can be a marked man for offending religious sensibilities? Apparently not. "I guess I didn't think about it too much," he said. "I haven't really gotten much angry feedback or anything." And, while he says he means no disrespect to anyone's faith, he makes no apologies for the lyric. "For me, religion is ... if it enhances your life and it's something that, you know, gives you compassion or comfort or makes you empathetic toward other people or anything which religion should do in its pure form, then I think it's great. But it's hard not to look historically and just not think that it is the worst thing to ever happen to the human race. It really is."

Amid all of this, we also get the return of Rage Against the Machine, hardly a coincidence. But where were they during most of Bush's time in office? Squabbling? Not speaking to each other, when their powerful voice of dissent would seem to be just what the times called for? For that matter, where was anyone in music who thought this country was headed in the wrong direction? Clearly, Rage hopes to make up for lost time, telling the crowd at Coachella, "Our current administration needs to be tried, hung and shot. We need to treat them like the war criminals they are" (see "Rage Against The Machine's Ferocious Reunion Caps Coachella's Final Night").

Alrighty then. But will it any of this incite revolution? Not likely. This remains a nation of CD burners, not flag burners. As for Iraq, "surge" or no "surge," there is no end in sight. As the Florida punk rockers Against Me! point out in "White People for Peace" — a new song that the band says celebrates the nobility and futility of protesting war — "protest songs in a response to military aggression/ Protest songs to try and stop the soldier's gun/ But the battle raged on."

But neither is there any reason to think the protest lyrics will let up any time soon. You'd hate to think these artists simply waited until public opinion — in opposition to the war and to the Bush presidency in general — was overwhelmingly on their side. Whatever the reason, the flood gates seem to have opened. Better late than never, I guess. The march of the dogs as the doomsday clock counts down the minutes to midnight and year zero, and it's kill or be killed. It's coming, so keep the car runnin'.

Zeitgeist, indeed.

• Bright Eyes And The State Of The Nation

• Bright Eyes
• Arcade Fire
• Nine Inch Nails
• The Smashing Pumpkins
• Rage Against the Machine

Fergie, Lauren Conrad, Chingy, Kelly Clarkson, More On The 2007 Teen Choice Awards Red Carpet

• Kelly Clarkson
• Fergie
• Chingy
• Bow Wow
• Omarion

Rocked: Sum 41 in Congo

• Sum 41

MTV.com LIVE: Sum 41 Photos 10.14.2004

• Sum 41

Sum 41 live at Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, CA 10.30.2004

• Sum 41

• Sum 41

Sum 41 Flee The Congo

• Sum 41

Diary of Sum 41

• Sum 41

Pink, Good Charlotte, Foo Fighters, More Rock The Weenie

• P!nk
• Blur
• Good Charlotte
• Sum 41
• The Used

• Metallica
• Avril Lavigne
• Sum 41
• Snoop Dogg
• Lisa Marie Presley

Not So Silent Night Concert Photos

• The Donnas
• Disturbed
• Good Charlotte
• Jurassic 5
• Moby