Maxwell's <i>BLACKsummers'night</i>
Photo: Columbia

It's a rough month to release a new album, because no matter how many units you move, the figure will likely pale in comparison to the massive posthumous numbers being put up by Michael Jackson. That's the case again next week, when the top four Jackson albums on the Top Pop Catalog chart will easily best the figures posted by the leaders on the Top 200 current album chart.

While Jackson and Jackson 5 albums hold the top 12 spots on the Catalog chart, the current albums chart is topped by soul smoothie Maxwell, who has broken an eight-year hiatus with the first of a planned trilogy of albums, BLACKsummers'night, which debuts at #1 on sales of 316,000, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan.

The #2 slot is filled by the chart debut of the Hannah Montana 3 soundtrack, which moved 137,000 copies, followed by last week's #1, the Now 31 pop compilation (101,000), and the #4 debut from pop punkers All Time Low, whose Nothing Personal rang up 63,000 in sales.

The rest of the top 10 features the usual suspects: Black Eyed Peas' E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) (#5, 63,000), Brad Paisley's American Saturday Night (#6, 44,000), Rob Thomas' Cradlesong (#7, 41,000), Taylor Swift's Fearless (#8, 36,000), Eminem's Relapse (#9, 34,000) and the Jonas Brothers' Lines Vines & Trying Times (#10, 34,000).

After a solid #4 debut last week, indie darlings Wilco's Wilco (The Album) shed 66 percent of business to drop to #11 (34,000). R&B singer Jeremih suffered a similar swoon (51 percent), as his self-titled debut moves down nine spots to #15 in its second week on the charts.

Los Angeles good-time rap duo LMFAO hit #33 in the chart debut for their Party Rock (11,000) album of, well, party anthems, while longtime Americana act Son Volt shuffle into the #44 spot with their glum latest, American Central Dust (10,000).

And that's about all the chart action worth talking about until next week, when Daughtry return with their second album and Jack White's latest side project, the Dead Weather, hit the charts with their debut.

• Maxwell
• All Time Low
• Eminem
• Taylor Swift
• Rob Thomas

<i>Now That's What I Call Music! 31</i>
Photo: Sony Legacy

The Billboard 200 albums chart has a new champion, but despite six debuts in the top 10, the real chart story was Michael Jackson once again. In the first full week of reporting since the pop icon's death, his catalog once again easily outsold the top 20 current albums.

The Now That's What I Call Music! Vol. 31 compilation — with songs by Lady Gaga, the Black Eyed Peas, Pitbull, the Fray and Beyoncé — debuts at #1 on sales of 169,000. That's about half the sales of Jackson's Number Ones, which is not eligible for the Top Current Albums chart because it has been out for more than 18 months and does not have a current single on the radio. Just behind is country star Brad Paisley's American Saturday Night (130,000), followed by Matchbox Twenty singer Rob Thomas' solo album, Cradlesong (122,000). The latest from Chicago alt rockers Wilco, Wilco (The Album), hits the charts at #4 on sales of 99,000, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan. Other debuts included the self-titled first effort from R&B singer Jeremih (#6, 59,000) and the self-titled album from hard rockers Killswitch Engage (#7, 58,000).

The rest of the top 10 includes the Black Eyed Peas' E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies), which drops from the #1 spot to #5 on sales of close to 70,000; the Jonas Brothers' Lines, Vines and Trying Times (#8, 42,000); Eminem's Relapse (#9, 39,000); and Lady Gaga's unstoppable Fame (#10, 36,000).

Just outside the top 20, veteran electronic act Moby debuts at #22 with his synth blues Wait for Me (20,000). Rapper Ace Hood bows right behind with Ruthless (20,000), while MC Maino hits #25 in his first week with If Tomorrow Comes (18,000). The American Idol Season 8 compilation sneaks in at #34 on sales of 14,000.

After a surprisingly high debut last week (#3), indie darling Regina Spektor takes a 63 percent tumble to #26 with Far (18,000). Her drop is outdone only by prog-rock vets Dream Theater, whose Black Clouds & Silver Linings plummets 40 spots in its second week to #46 (10,000), after shedding 75 percent of its first-week business.

Don't expect much shakeup next week, though the long-awaited return from R&B crooner Maxwell, BLACKsummers'night, could put up some impressive numbers.

• Michael Jackson's Life & Legacy
• Michael Jackson's Video Legacy
• Remembering Michael Jackson

• Rob Thomas
• Wilco

Daniel Powter
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/ Getty Images

Do you want to strangle little James Blunt when you hear "You're Beautiful"? Are you, like, totally over Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten"? Does Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" make yours worse?   If you answered yes to any or all of the above questions, then you are certainly not tuning in to your local adult-contemporary radio station.

While those songs are cringe-inducing reminders of way back when we feared the bird flu (and the Steelers!) for the typical top-40 fan, they're current hits on the AC radio format, where "current" is a relative term.

"Unwritten" is the #1 single on Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks this week, and it's been on the chart 34 weeks. "Bad Day" is #3 after 43 weeks, followed by KT Tunstall's "Black Horse & the Cherry Tree" (25 weeks). "You're Beautiful," at #10, has spent 63 weeks on the chart, topped only by the #9 single, Lifehouse's "You and Me," with 70 weeks. (Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You," Nick Lachey's "What's Left of Me" and Rob Thomas' "Ever the Same" are also in the top 10.)

In other words, AC stations are where pop songs go to die a very long death. Or, to optimists, to get a second life. "Right now I'm starting to look at this Gnarls Barkley record, 'Crazy,' " said Gary Berkowitz, a radio consultant who specializes in the adult-contemporary format. "Pop-radio people are probably sick of it, but to my wife, it's a new song."

For the record, "Crazy" hit the Hot 100 25 weeks ago. "I used to pride myself on picking the hits," Berkowitz said. "Now, I don't do that. I play the hits."

Since the adult-contemporary format was created in the mid '70s to appease advertisers frustrated by the teen-targeted top 40, it's always been a chameleon format, playing what 25- to 54-year-olds would like from a variety of genres.

AC peaked in the mid '90s with Sarah McLachlan and the Lilith Fair acts, but as Berkowitz noted, "The format [has] never been known for making its own hits. As I always say, AC listeners know what they like and they like what they know. Familiarity and comfort-ability is really important in this format, and what we've discovered is new music is not that important to our listeners."

Still, other factors have influenced the staleness of the format in recent years, beginning with the decline of the boy bands at the end of the '90s. While Backstreet Boys and 'NSYNC crossed over, providing AC with dozens of hits, today "pop radio is all about hip-hop and R&B, or hard rock, and none of that is compatible," Berkowitz said.

Clarkson and Lachey are exceptions, but otherwise, there's little competition for adult-leaning acts like Rob Thomas and Lifehouse. "Over the last six years, I don't even know if we've added 10 new records a year in the format," Berkowitz said.

"There's definitely a lack of product being released into adult contemporary," added Steve Hunter, operations manager for several stations in Tulsa, Oklahoma, including the AC format Mix 96. "I do wish the songs would move a little faster, but I also think the record companies sometimes don't release the right singles. I mean 'Bad Day' wasn't supposed to be released and look what happened to that record," he said, referring to the song that shot to popularity after it got its shot on "American Idol" (see " 'Bad Day' Singer Powter Says He Doesn't Watch 'American Idol' "). "Michael McDonald's 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' was released for that format and did well, but there are very few records that are released directly for adult-contemporary radio."

So why don't more record labels go after what seems to be airplay for the taking? Well, apparently a loyal AC listener doesn't translate into a loyal fan. "Let's put it this way," answered Roy Trakin, senior editor at radio trade magazine Hits. "It's a song-based format, it ain't a personality-based format. There's no guarantee that the next James Blunt or Daniel Powter single is going to go on right away. Probably half the people don't even know who the artists are when they're listening. They just know the song, and the songs are fairly indelible."

"A lot of the artists playing on adult contemporary radio right now are one-hit wonders and it's unfortunate," Hunter added. "They're not really building that bond. I don't know if our listeners are going out and buying the album or if they're downloading the single. My guess is that they're downloading the single, but they're not making that connection. Where in country, Toby Keith is going to put out another hit record, and one right after that."

Playlists are getting tighter in all formats, however, and Trakin believes that's just a sign of the times. "No one wants to take a chance on putting new stuff out there," he said. "Programmers feel hamstrung, so they find something that's successful and they beat [you] over the head [with it]. The stakes are that much higher because you have more choices. People will click away in a second. That's the Internet mentality."

AC programmers also back their low turnover with market research, which includes testing for "burnout," the industry term for overplayed. At Mix 96, for instance, the station tested 100 songs and "You're Beautiful" was the most popular.

"We spend a lot of money on research," Hunter said. "And we tested the Fray and Snow Patrol, but it takes so long for those songs to test well. We find out what the listener wants and we give it to them. It's not the music director's favorite songs or the disc jockey's favorite songs."

For artists, there is a silver lining to the AC format, according to Berkowitz: "If your song does make it in AC radio, it's probably going to be there forever."

• Gnarls Barkley
• Kelly Clarkson
• Rob Thomas
• Natasha Bedingfield
• James Blunt

"Idol" personalities Simon Cowell, Ryan Seacrest, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson
Photo: George Lange/ FOX

The owners and creators of "American Idol" are being sued by a fan who says the show stole his idea for a Web game based on the singing competition. Adam Pick claims in a lawsuit filed last week in Los Angeles Superior Court that he invented an interactive fantasy game called "Idol Go Home," in which people could reverse the voting process by picking who should get booted instead of who should win. "It's fantasy football with a reality-TV twist," Pick said of the game, which would let users post blogs and photos as well. But after pitching the idea and giving "Idol" a prototype of the site, Pick claims show representatives said they weren't interested, but that Pick could launch his own site. Once he did so, Pick says, "Idol" demanded that he shut down the site, while at the same time, according to his lawsuit, "Idol" modified its site to incorporate Pick's ideas. Pick is seeking monetary damages and an injunction restraining the show from using his idea. Fox had no comment. ...

Prince will be presented with lifetime-achievement honors at the 10th annual Webby Awards, set for June 12 in New York. One of the first artists to release a Web-only album (1997's Crystal Ball), Prince is being recognized for his innovative use of the Internet to distribute music and connect with fans. "Besides being a musical genius, Prince is a visionary who recognized early on that the Web would completely change how we experience music," Webby Awards founder Tiffany Shlain said. Previously announced special-achievement honorees include Gorillaz and the founders of MySpace. ...

Hilary Duff's dog Lola now has her very own blog, hosted in the fan-club-only section of the singer/actress' official site, HilaryDuff.com. And what does the pampered pet of a pop star have to say? So far the Chihuahua has posted her endorsement of a dog-care book written by the owner of a Maltese pal. ... Black Eyed Peas are starring as superheroes who spend their days making candy and their nights defending hip-hop in a series of digital films — a.k.a. online commercials — promoting Snickers. The "digi-sodes" launch Monday on InstantDef.com. ...

When AFI's new album, Decemberunderground, hits stores Tuesday, the most devoted fans might want to pick up four copies. The band has placed one of four different collectible booklets behind the disc's cover insert, each featuring the face of a group member. The limited-edition booklets will be available exclusively in the album's first pressing. ... Rob Thomas and Matchbox Twenty have donated $200,000 to the Consortium for Worker Education, a resettlement agency aiding music education in Gulf Coast high schools affected by Hurricane Katrina, The Associated Press reports. Thomas will also raise money for the fund during his current tour with Jewel, which hits Portsmouth, Virginia, on Wednesday (May 31). Music instruction in school will "groom generations of musicians who are so vital to rebuilding New Orleans, its infrastructure and its culture," Thomas said in a statement. ... Now that he's through sending off ousted "American Idol" contestants, Daniel Powter is hitting the road. The "Bad Day" singer will launch a U.S. tour beginning July 17 at Philadelphia's Theatre of the Living Arts. The trek wraps up with a two-night stand at West Hollywood's Roxy Theater on August 4 and 5. ...

Foo Fighters have added two more dates to their upcoming acoustic jaunt, which the band has nicknamed its "Afoostic" tour. But that's become something of a misnomer, now that the Foos have announced that one of the just-announced shows will be performed electric. That performance will be held August 18 at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa's Event Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, while the band will play a proper stripped-down set August 15 at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. ... Tegan and Sara will release their first DVD, "It's Not Fun. Don't Do It!," August 8. Content includes a full concert shot at the Phoenix in Toronto, a tour documentary filmed by the twin sisters, the making of 2004's So Jealous and all the duo's videos. ...

A National Guardsman who lost his right arm near the shoulder and left arm above the wrist in Iraq filed suit Friday in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, against filmmaker Michael Moore for allegedly including him in "Fahrenheit 9/11" without his permission, claiming defamation and invasion of privacy. Sergeant Peter Damon, who was injured in October 2003, was featured in a 10-second clip in Moore's documentary that depicted him awaiting surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. But those 10 seconds of footage were from an interview with NBC News' Brian Williams, and Damon claims that he was never asked, nor did he consent, for the interview to be used elsewhere. Damon says he disagrees politically with Moore and that the interview made it appear as if he were complaining about the war effort instead of talking about the pain he felt when he lost his arms. (Moore has denied any intention to demean the service of U.S. troops through the film.) Damon's seeking $100 million and also named Harvey and Robert Weinstein, Miramax, Lionsgate and NBC in the suit. The Weinsteins, NBC and Lionsgate had no comment. ...

Former Jane's Addiction and Porno for Pyros frontman Perry Farrell will deliver the keynote address at the upcoming CMJ Rock Hall Music Fest, to be held June 14 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Farrell's DJ alter ego, Peretz, will man the ones and twos along with Mike Boogie and Prince Paul during the festival's opening-night shindig. ... Original Black Flag singer Keith Morris and onetime Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke joined L.A. punks the Bronx onstage for the last show of the band's monthlong residency at Los Angeles' Spaceland Monday night. Clarke produced the Bronx's 2003 self-titled debut. ...

Third Eye Blind's hits have been compiled for a CD/DVD set aptly titled Third Eye Blind: A Collection. The 19-track CD includes "Semi-Charmed Life," "How's It Gonna Be" and "Jumper," along with B-sides and bonus tracks. The DVD features all seven of Third Eye Blind's videos as well as two clips for the previously unreleased "Losing a Whole Year." ... Canadian indie rock veterans Sloan are lining up festival dates in the U.S. and Canada, but they don't plan to kick off a full-fledged tour until the fall. According to a post on the band's Web site, Sloan continue to work on their next album, which is due in September. But fans won't have to wait that long to hear something fresh from the foursome. "Look to criticize the new single in July," the update notes.

05.30.2006

The African nation of Namibia offered Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt the privacy they sought for the birth of their child, and now the couple are giving back. Jolie and Pitt, who welcomed their daughter Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt in Namibia on Saturday, donated $300,000 toward the medical treatment of new babies in the country's hospitals and gave $15,000 for a school and community center in the town of Swakopmund, The Associated Press reports. "We want to contribute to Namibia and the people who have been so gracious to us at this time," the couple said in a statement. ...

Cingular Wireless announced Friday that more than 64.5 million text-message votes were cast throughout the fifth season of "American Idol." That smashes last season's record of 41.5 million. ... The Raconteurs are playing in-stores at Amoeba Music in Hollywood and San Francisco on the same day: June 8. The L.A. show is scheduled for 11 a.m., followed by the San Fran set at 9:30 p.m. ... Still aren't convinced Beck's about to issue his third LP in two years? A post that appeared on Beck.com late last week further confirmed the hard-to-believe accomplishment: "Beck has just completed his new album, which he's been in the studio working on with Nigel Godrich," the post read, referencing the producer who worked on 2005's Guero and 2002's Sea Change. "The album is due out this fall." ...

It turns out Korn haven't decided to axe guitarist Rob Patterson after all. Patterson, who had previously played with Otep, was recruited last year to fill in for Brian "Head" Welch as Korn's touring guitarist. But last week, during the European leg of the band's See You on the Other Side tour, fans noticed Patterson — who plays offstage during Korn shows — had been replaced by Fear Factory guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers. According to the band's management, that lineup was only temporary. "Korn played three shows with their longtime friend Christian to start the tour in Europe, but Patterson is now back at that position." ...

Snow Patrol were forced to postpone a pair of shows — Monday night in Atlanta and Wednesday in Washington, D.C. — in order to give frontman Gary Lightbody's voice a rest. Lightbody made the announcement on the band's site, SnowPatrol.com, writing, "My voice is in pieces. ... When we began the Eyes Open tour in February, I was told by my doctor a few days beforehand that I had laryngitis and it would be best if I took a week off to recover. I told him I didn't have a week, as we had shows pretty much every day." He added that he's seeing a specialist in New York and that the band will make up the postponed shows in mid-August. It's not known if Lightbody's ailment will also force Snow Patrol to bump their upcoming gigs in New York and Philadelphia. ...

Yeah Yeah Yeahs have a cheat planned for their "Cheated Hearts" video: make someone else do the work. The band is looking for a few good fans to take their best shot at Karen O for the next clip from Show Your Bones. According to the announcement posted on the band's site, Yeah Yeah Yeahs are seeking video submissions from people who "dress the part" and "get lost in the song" against a white wall with the track blaring in the background. Entries must be submitted on DV, postmarked by June 12 and include a signed release form. Head to YeahYeahYeahs.com/cheatedhearts for additional tips and a copy of the release. ...

James Blunt, who won the most performed song of the year prize at Thursday's Ivor Novello Awards, called it the "Most Overplayed Song" award while accepting the trophy, and now one radio station is doing its part to keep the former British army officer off the airwaves. Essex FM, an adult-contemporary station serving the eastern English county, has banned Blunt's music, citing listener demand. "We don't have anything against James Blunt," program director Chris Cotton said in a statement on the station's Web site. "We're pleased he's been so successful, but we really need a break. While his songs have been very popular, there is a tremendous amount of industry pressure to play certain artists very frequently. Often this can be out of step with the audience's tastes, which results in songs being overplayed." ...

Actor Paul Gleason, best known for his portrayals of Clarence Beeks in "Trading Places," Deputy Police Chief Dwayne Robinson in "Die Hard," and hard-as-nails Principal Richard Vernon ("Don't mess with the bull, young man. You'll get the horns") in the teen-comedy classic "The Breakfast Club," died Saturday in a California hospital. He was 67. The AP reports that Gleason died of mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer linked to asbestos. Gleason appeared in more than 60 films and later in his career made several notable television appearances in TV shows including "Friends" and "Seinfeld." He is survived by his wife, two daughters and a granddaughter. ...

The Rollins Band will team up with Los Angeles punk legends X for the 18-date As the World Burns Tour, which kicks off July 28 in San Francisco and runs through an August 19 stop in Boston. ... Helmet's forthcoming album, Monochrome, has been slated for a July 18 release and will hit stores as the band travels the country on this summer's Warped Tour. The disc, the follow-up to 2004's Size Matters, will feature 10 new tracks including "Swallowing Everything," "410 and Goodbye" and "Money Shot." ... Sleepy Brown, Washington, D.C., duo Panacea and Waco, Texas' the Strange Fruit Project have joined previously announced headliner Big Daddy Kane and Chicago's Lupe Fiasco and Rhymefest on the lineup of the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, set for June 24 in New York's Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park, located between the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge. For more information and to register for tickets to the free show, head to the fest's site, BrooklynBodega.com. ...

Gary Glitter is due in a Vietnam court June 15 to appeal his child-molestation conviction, Reuters reports. Glitter's lawyer said the one-day hearing to appeal the singer's three-year sentence will take place at Supreme Court in Ho Chi Minh City. Glitter has been incarcerated in the resort town of Vung Tau since March. ... Gorky's Zygotic Mynci are no more. In a Friday post on their Web site — titled "Gorky's Zygotic Mynci RIP (Rock in Peace)" — the Welsh band, which formed in 1990, announced that it's splitting up. "Richard, Megan, Euros and Pete would like to thank everyone who came to the gigs and bought the records over the years," the statement read. ...

• 'American Idol' Season Five Final 12

• Prince
• Hilary Duff
• Black Eyed Peas
• AFI
• Rob Thomas

Ashanti
Photo: Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images

Ashanti pulled out of a planned concert in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday after her cousin was killed by a drunk driver while running an errand for the singer before the show. According to the Cape Times Web site, 20-year-old Quinshae Snead was thrown into oncoming traffic from a car in which she was a passenger after it was struck by an unlicensed 17-year-old drunk driver who had stolen his mother's car. The teen was arrested for drunk driving. Ashanti was on the bill for the Redd's Divas Concert at the Coca-Cola Dome, which also featured Lauryn Hill, Regina Belle and a host of popular African singers. ...

04.14.06

Madonna, Elton John, INXS, Staind, and Ozomatli are among the artists participating in Music Rising's online ticket auctions, raising funds to replace musical instruments and equipment destroyed during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Sixty-five auctions are already under way, with the rest being added each weekend throughout the month at
www.ticketmaster.com. ...

Jennifer Lopez was hit with a lawsuit on Tuesday. TV writer Jack Bunick filed a federal suit in New York against the singer, as well as CBS, UPN, and MTV's parent company, Viacom, for copyright infringement. He claims that the UPN show that Lopez executive produces, "South Beach," improperly used his script in a January 11 broadcast of the two-hour season premiere "Pilot/ I'm Not Your Baby." (The script for that episode was credited to Matt Cirulnick, Greg Cirulnick, and co-executive producer Philip Levens). ...

Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore and Paula Abdul are teaching kids how to be safe on the Internet via a series of PSAs that will begin airing this week. Other celebs featured in the spots include Celine Dion, Tony Danza, Donny Osmond, Kathy Ireland, and the cast of "7th Heaven." The campaign is sponsored by the KlaasKidds Foundation and the Child Safety Network, who are providing fingerprint cards, child photo I.D. cards, DNA kits, and access to the national database of registered sex offenders. ... Florida's chapter of the Recording Academy will present their Honors award to the Backstreet Boys on Monday. Puerto Rican pop artist Ednita Nazario is also being honored. ...

"Laguna Beach" star Alex Murrel is recording an album due June 20 on Eyecon/ Universal Records. She's also hitting the road this spring on the Rock Your Prom Tour. ... O.A.R. and Jack's Mannequin are teaming for a summer tour kicking off June 8 in Phoenix. The trek will wrap August 13 in Wallingford, Connecticut. ... The Strokes have added several more U.S. stops to their current North American tour. Before the New York rockers head to Canada May 6 for eight gigs, they'll hit Tucson, Arizona, April 29 and then return to the States May 20 with a concert in Glen Allen, Virginia. The band will also play Memphis (May 22); Birmingham, Alabama (May 23); North Charleston, South Carolina (May 25); and June 11, they'll be in Santa Barbara, California, for the tour's final stop. ... MySpace and Cingular have teamed to offer unsigned acts the ability to create and sell ring tones. The process is available MySpace.com/CingularStudio. ...

Death Cab for Cutie, the Flaming Lips, Sonic Youth, Secret Machines, Wolfmother, the Go! Team, the Hold Steady and She Wants Revenge will constitute the bill for this year's Kuyahoga Festival, which is being sponsored by Cleveland rock station WXRK. The concert will be held August 3 at the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, with more bands being added in the coming weeks. ... The Sword, former Guided by Voices frontman Robert Pollard, Blue Cheer, Rhymefest and Erase Errata have been added to the lineup for this year's Intonation Music Festival, which is set for June 24 and June 25 at Chicago's Union Park. The bill also features previously announced performers Lady Sovereign, Lupe Fiasco, the Constantines, High on Fire, Annie and headliners Bloc Party and the Streets. ... Colin Meloy of the Decemberists and Sufjan Stevens are among the acts on The Sound the Hare Heard, the latest compilation from Kill Rock Stars. Death Vessel, Wooden Wand and Devin Davis are also included on the album, due in May. ...

Queen Latifah's Flavor Unit film company inked a first-look deal with Focus Features and Rogue Pictures this week. Under the terms of the agreement, Latifah and her producing partner Shakim Compere will develop feature projects for both Focus and Rogue. So far, Flavor Unit's productions include "Bringing Down the House," "The Cookout" and "Beauty Shop." Latifah is expected to star in some of the new projects, but the deal is structured to nurture new talent as well. ... Ice Cube will continue his break from movies for the next month and a half to hit the road in support of his upcoming seventh solo album, Laugh Now, Cry Later (June 6). The 22-date swing is slated to kick off Thursday with a show at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California, according to Cube's spokesperson, and it includes dates in San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Atlanta, Houston, Denver and Las Vegas. The tour is currently slated to wrap up with a June 3 date at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. ...

Rob Thomas and Jewel are teaming up for a summer tour. The two will trek cross-country for seven weeks starting May 23 in Clearwater, Florida, and wrapping July 5 in San Diego. Jewel's next album, Goodbye Alice in Wonderland, is due May 2. ... "Let's Rock Again!," the behind-the-scenes documentary chronicling the life and career of late Clash frontman Joe Strummer, is scheduled for release on DVD on June 27. The movie, directed by the punk icon's longtime friend Dick Rude, has personal interviews and backstage footage shot in the 18 months leading up to Strummer's death in 2002. The film traces Strummer's beginnings from his days fronting the Clash to his tireless tours with late-period band the Mescaleros. That's not to be confused with a second, in-the-works Strummer doc directed by close friend Julian Temple. ...

Despite rumors to the contrary, Solange Knowles is not pregnant with a second child, she assured fans Thursday. "There is absolutely no validity to this rumor," Beyoncé's younger sister said in a statement. "The bloggers are circulating old photos of me from my baby shower over two years ago and misrepresenting them as current photos." Solange also said that she's been busy producing, recording, and negotiating future movie deals. ... Babyface filed suit Thursday in Los Angeles against Anita Baker, claiming the singer failed to pay him for a song he produced for her. Babyface claims he's owed $100,000 for co-writing "Like You Used to Do" during a Detroit session in May 2004. The song was used on Baker's gold album My Everything. Babyface is also asking to be paid $150,000 for two shows that he agreed to do with Baker in July 2005 that she canceled (He was paid, however, for the concerts they did do together).

04.13.2006

Nearly two months after the deadline passed for Michael Jackson to make good on $270 million worth of loans from Fortress Investment Group, the singer has finally completed a refinancing deal, his Bahrain-based advisory team confirmed Thursday (April 13). While they wouldn't disclose terms of the deal, Jackson's team said the singer got some help from Sony — co-owners of Sony/ ATV Music Publishing, which contains the Beatles catalog — and that the transaction was structured by Citigroup, the investment arm of Citibank. Sources close to the singer say Sony has the option to buy half of Jackson's stake in the Beatles catalog, while the singer has a new $300 million loan from Fortress, with reduced interest payments. ...

When Paula Abdul's not judging "American Idol," she spends her free time designing jewelry. Now she's got a 26-piece collection of charms, pendants, earrings and bracelets in a mix of textures and metals, adorned with inspirational phrases "to give a piece of hopeful spirit back to the world," Abdul said. She'll debut the Paula Abdul Jewelry Collection April 21 in two one-hour shows airing at 1 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET on QVC. ...

Lucky Kanye West fans in the U.K. will be able to get their hands on 'Ye's first-ever live album April 24. The CD/DVD release Late Orchestration captures his September performance for 300 lucky fans at the famed Abbey Road Studios. According to a spokesperson for West's label, Def Jam, the CD features 13 tracks, while the DVD is loaded with live performances — including a duet with John Legend — plus music videos and a never-before-seen interview with the College Dropout himself. ...

Wild child Bijou Phillips is now officially a rock chick in her own right, having learned to play bass for the Germs biopic "What We Do Is Secret." Phillips — who plays Lorna Doom in the flick, due out later this year — told Stuff magazine that, when she was too sore to keep playing, she super-glued duct tape over the blisters on her fingers because "you want to chop off your hand at the end." "We recorded all the songs by the Germs live and played to our own recordings in the movie," she told the mag for its May cover. "It was guerrilla filmmaking, but I can't imagine doing a movie about the Germs with a big budget. That would be so wrong." ...

Metallica's James Hetfield and Robert Trujillo will perform with Alice in Chains' Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney May 12 at the second annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert, to be held at the Music Box @ Fonda in Hollywood. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club will open the show, which will also feature a performance by Jason Mraz. During the event, Hetfield will be presented with the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award for his dedication and support of the MusiCares MAP Fund and his devotion to helping other addicts with recovery process. ...

In related news, Velvet Revolver bassist Duff McKagan has joined Alice in Chains for a show airing next month, but will he join the band for its upcoming European summer tour? "It's been rumored," McKagan teased. "The amount of songs they wrote, I got a list of songs to learn, 33 songs. I look at this list, and I'm like, 'OK, how many of these are filler songs? This is a huge song, this is a huge song. ... I've going to have to learn them all.' " "If he comes to Europe," Alice guitarist Jerry Cantrell interrupted. "If the rumors are true," McKagan agreed. "I'm not saying they are, or did I?" "I don't know, you might have," Cantrell laughed. "So that put the rumors to rest, didn't it?" McKagan laughed. "I could be showing up in Europe. That would be cool." Alice in Chains' performance on VH1 Classic's "Decades Rock Live!" tribute to Heart airs May 5 at 8 p.m. ...

Thursday have been forced to pull off the final three stops on the Taste of Chaos Tour. Frontman Geoff Rickly "has become very ill and is having some extreme issues with his throat," according to a post left on the band's Web site by its manager, Dave Ciancio. "We had to get him home and to his doctor ASAP. The band was really looking forward to these shows and [is] sad they can't come play them." Rickly will be examined by his doctor when he returns to New Jersey; there's no word on what symptoms he's been complaining about. The post adds that the band hopes to make the gigs up in the not-so-distant future. The remaining Taste of Chaos dates are Thursday night in Toronto, April 14 in Ottawa and April 15 in Montreal. ...

Following the breakout collabo success of Danger Doom with their 2005 opus The Mouse and the Mask, indie hip-hop label Stones Throw Records will again partner with cable TV's "Adult Swim" for a second venture: an album celebrating the West Coast label's 10-year anniversary. The yet-untitled album is set for a September 19 release and will feature contributions from Stones Throw's rich roster of talent — which includes MF Doom, Madlib and the late Jay Dee. The album will be executive produced by Peanut Butter Wolf. ...

Joan Jett — who'll perform this summer as part of the annual Warped Tour — will release Sinner, her forthcoming album with her infamous Blackhearts, June 6. The album features guest appearances by Bikini Kill/ Le Tigre frontwoman Kathleen Hanna on "Watersign," "Tube Talkin' " and "Five." It's Jett's first effort since 1999's Fetish. ... Swedish singer/songwriter José González will hit the road June 16 in Los Angeles for a 15-date North American tour, with openers Juana Molina and Psapp. Dates run through July 3 in New York, with the trek making stops in Seattle, Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis and Philadelphia. ...

Dark New Day drummer Will Hunt has been filling in for Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee on the final few dates of the band's North American tour, which ends Thursday in Regina, Saskatchewan. Lee has been receiving anti-inflammatory injections to help him manage tendonitis in his right wrist. Hunt, who had previously backed Lee as part of the rocker's solo band, will not be leaving Dark New Day, according to the band's guitarist Clint Lowery — he's just doing the Crüe a favor. ... The New York Dolls will issue the album One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This on July 25, according to the band's label. The disc will include 13 tracks, including "Take a Good Look at My Good Looks," "Maimed Happiness," and the first single, "Dance Like a Monkey." Look for the album, which was produced by Jack Douglas (Aerosmith, Cheap Trick), to feature guest appearances by Iggy Pop, Bo Diddley, and R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe.

[This story was originally published at 2:47 pm ET on 04.14.2006]

• Ashanti
• Madonna
• Elton John
• INXS
• Staind

System of a Down's <i>Hypnotize</i>
Photo: Sony

With first-week sales of Hypnotize coming it at over 320,000, System of a Down have pulled off two Billboard albums chart #1 debuts in 2005.

You may not think System have much in common with the Beatles, but according to the band's label, the hard-rocking foursome — who landed on top with Mezmerize in May — is the first group to score a pair of chart-topping debuts within the same calendar year since John, Paul, George and Ringo. The Beatles did it five times — though they had anthologies and collections, not two studio LPs, in the mix — while solo artist DMX opened on top twice in 1998.

According to the latest SoundScan figures, Hypnotize gives the Serj Tankian-fronted collective the third #1 debut of its decade-long career. The eclectic metallers bumped pop icon Madonna from Billboard's top spot. Her Confessions on a Dance Floor drops to #4 with second-week scans of 210,000 plus. Country star Kenny Chesney's The Road and the Radio climbs one chart position to #2 with 303,000 copies sold, following a 58 percent sales boost. The 20th installment in the Now That's What I Call Music! series jumps two spots to #3 this week, with sales of 288,000 reflecting a 70 percent surge in retail interest.

After System of a Down, the week's biggest debut belongs to #8 finisher Enya and her latest new age collage, Amarantine. The disc sold more than 178,000 copies during its first week on shelves, following Carrie Underwood, whose debut Some Hearts falls five spots to #7 with 187,000 in sales. Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi drops two to #6, selling more than 204,000 units to push total sales past the 4 million mark. The soundtrack to 50 Cent's first crack at acting, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," ascends one position to #5 with more than 207,000 scans — a 23 percent sales spike.

It was a huge week for album sales overall, one of the best in recent memory. Of Billboard's top 50 finishers, only eight sold fewer albums than the previous week — 33 experienced a sales increase while nine others were new to the chart. And many of the biggest winners from last week's American Music Awards were even bigger winners with the record-buying public, while several of the ceremony's performers also did well for themselves. Green Day's American Idiot, for instance, jumped from #29 to #16 with over 100,00 copies sold, a 153 percent increase. Usher's Confessions skyrocketed from #199 to #94, thanks to surging sales of 174 percent. Rob Thomas' Something to Be, a no-show on last week's chart, returns at #104 after a 173 percent spike.

Notable debuts cracking the chart include Juelz Santana's What the Game's Been Missing! which whistles into the top 10 at #9 with 141,000 in sales, while Chamillionaire's The Sound of Revenge opens at #10 with 130,000 scans. Former Creed frontman Scott Stapp's first solo outing, The Great Divide, opens at #18 with 94,000 copies sold, and Nelly's Sweatsuit takes the chart's #26 with sales of 64,000 plus.

Try! John Mayer Trio Live in Concert, opens at #34 with nearly 50,000 copies sold, and Got Purp? Vol. II, a compilation of artists championed by Outkast's Big Boi surfaces at #49 with 35,000 scans. Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda's side project Fort Minor debut at #60 after moving 28,000 copies of The Rising Tied, while Talib Kweli's Right About Now: The Official Sucka Free Mix CD takes #113 with sales of more than 16,000. Britney Spears' barely promoted remix album, B in the Mix: The Remixes, pops up at #134 with 14,000 scans.

Check out the feature "System Of A Down: Double Header" for more on Hypnotize and Mezmerize.

• System of a Down
• Madonna
• Mariah Carey
• 50 Cent
• Green Day

Rob Thomas on the set of "Ever the Same"
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage.com

Wilmer Valderrama has a thing for pigeons in Rob Thomas' latest video, "Ever the Same," but he also has his sights set on the singer's wife in the clip, a Hitchcockian fantasy where "Rear Window" meets "Vertigo" meets "The Birds."

The clip, which was shot earlier this month in New York with director Phil Harder, will feature a lot of special effects and animation, including an illustrated New York skyline with a somewhat distorted perspective.

On the top of one building is Valderrama, an eccentric New Yorker who tends to carrier pigeons. Rob and his wife, Marisol, who also stars in the video, peer through windows of tall buildings overlooking Valderrama's rooftop. The bird man steps inside a makeshift cage made of chicken wire and wooden perches as pigeons land on his shoulder, arms and hand. He writes a message on a piece of paper and ties it to the leg of one bird, which flies down to the streets below.

The bird lands in the middle of a vibrant city street — also abstract and illustrated — where bike messengers cruise past, taxi cabs whiz by and people pass, in a blur of stuttering motion. Someone discovers the bird, unties the note, reads the message — and suddenly the black-and-white world fills with color. While Rob watches, Wilmer's character releases more pigeons with more messages, sending more color out into the world.

Rob then looks across to another tall building, where Marisol is standing near the ledge of an open window, her curtains blowing in the breeze. An extreme sense of vertigo is brought to Marisol's scenes because of the way her building is drawn, according to the video treatment.

Marisol's character is also watching Valderrama's, who releases a pigeon that lands on her windowsill. As she unrolls the piece of paper — which includes a few of the song's lyrics — Rob and Wilmer looks on, watching her lean out of her window. Somehow she falls, and as she's dropping, her body magically changes into a colorful animated bird that takes flight and sails to Wilmer's rooftop — where he gently lifts her into his cage.

• Rob Thomas

Music returns to the French Quarter as rescue efforts continue
Photo: Getty Images

LOS ANGELES — Backstage at last weekend's "ReAct Now: Music & Relief" benefit, Good Charlotte's Benji Madden smiled as he recalled a recent visit to New Orleans.

"We went into this one place where all these old dudes were just playing blues and we stayed there a few hours and just listened," the guitarist recalled. "We went totally unnoticed and there was this mixed crowd of people that was just there totally just taking in the music. ... I'll probably never see those guys play again and never be at that bar again, but I'll never forget that. It was really special."

With the devastation of most of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina, America lost (at least temporarily) not only one of its most historic, architecturally rich cities and the home of Mardi Gras, but a longtime musical hotbed that gave birth to jazz, zydeco and various styles of rock, blues and hip-hop. It's not only legal for bands to take the streets with their own parades, it's encouraged.

For decades, locals and visitors alike have been able to take in some of the world's best live music in New Orleans. And like Madden, most of today's top artists have fond musical memories of the Big Easy and many have been inspired by the city's sounds with their own music.

"I was raised around blues and jazz and country and it really did influence the kind of music I listen to and the type I would like to sing," said 'NSYNC's Lance Bass, who grew up in nearby Laurel, Mississippi. "New Orleans is my favorite city of all time. ... The culture is amazing. You have these jazz artists and art and it all comes together. There's nothing you can compare it to. I remember times going down Bourbon Street or Canal Street and you see a door open with music coming out and you walk up and go upstairs and there's amazing blues and jazz musicians playing and you sit there for hours just listening."

"New Orleans is a music town," added Rob Thomas. "They just love to hear a good live band. I mean, you could go to New Orleans on any given night and see some of the best jazz musicians in the world that you've never heard before on record, but they're just somewhere playing in the middle of New Orleans."

"American Idol" judge and producer Randy Jackson was raised in Baton Rouge and learned to play music by making frequent trips to New Orleans, hitting the clubs and their famous jazz festivals.

"God, I have so many memories," he said. "One of the things that I love about the city of New Orleans ... is it's some of the proudest people, musically, in the fact that you could say to people, 'Oh, you know, dude, it's really going down in New York.' Or, 'L.A.'s the place.' But these people are so happy and so proud that they're doing well and prospering in their own city, because the talent level is so high. Any given night you could go to any given bar and hear unbelievably talented musicians. They're so happy just to do that, they don't even look outside of that scope. So they love being right there in their own backyard doing their thing, they don't even care about L.A., New York or Nashville."

	Find out how you can help with the Katrina relief efforts.
	Watch "MTV News Presents: After the Storm" on Overdrive.
	Watch MTV News' Hurricane Katrina Coverage On Overdrive.
	Read personal accounts from Gulf Coast residents.
	Watch the entire "ReAct Now: Music & Relief" concert on demand.

Jackson calls New Orleans the only city in America with its own brand of music, referring to the Cajun sound of zydeco. "That Dixieland sound, it was born there and it doesn't happen anywhere else in America," he said.

Jazz has now spread across the globe, but its home is still the Big Easy, where legends from Louis Armstrong to Harry Connick Jr. were born and raised.

"When I think of New Orleans I think of jazz," Ludacris said. "Everywhere you went they always had live jazz and I loved that."

"Jazz is the music in New Orleans first and foremost," added New Orleans native Chopper from "Making the Band. "Jazz is in everybody from New Orleans, no matter if you're a rapper or a rock star."

In more recent years, hip-hop has also emerged as one of NOLA's leading genres. With Master P and his No Limit Records, Baby and Cash Money, and Juvenile leading the charge, the hip-hop scene there was the first in the South to emerge as a competitor to New York and Los Angeles.

"They brought a whole new sound to hip-hop," Twista said.

"Music is generated to have a good time, and to me that's what the New Orleans sound represents," added Nick Cannon.

As Baby explained, "Our music runs deep, the way we talk, our conversation, our upbringing. And we've got a lot of different cultures that y'all might not know of, like second line bands and bounce music."

As a Mecca for voodoo and the central city in Anne Rice's "The Vampire Chronicles," New Orleans has also attracted a lot of goth rockers over the years.

"Those were my favorite books ever, so I was really excited the first time I visited," Benji Madden said. "And I always read that Trent Reznor lived there and that he made records there and sure enough the first time I was in New Orleans, I met Trent Reznor walking down the street. I looked up and there's Trent Reznor and I was like, 'Hi, my name is Benji.' It was a really good memory. The vibe in New Orleans isn't like anything else in the world. You can't find it anywhere else."

"It's so vibrant with music and so eclectic ... and it's all interlaced, the art community and the food community and the music community — it's all sort of a gumbo of entertainment," said Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba. "And everywhere you turn, music is so accessible. It's just part of the culture there. ... It's a whole different lifeblood down there."

To find out what you can do to help provide relief to victims of Katrina, head to think MTV's hurricane relief page.

• "ReAct Now: Music & Relief" Disaster Relief Benefit Concert Photos

• Good Charlotte
• Ludacris
• Rob Thomas
• Dashboard Confessional

Jay-Z
Photo: Alberto Tamargo/Getty Images

Recalling the response to December's devastating Asian tsunami, celebrities across the country have pledged to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, from fundraising concerts and charity downloads to expressions of sympathy.

In addition to a September 10 benefit concert featuring Usher, Green Day and Alicia Keys to be broadcast by MTV, VH1 and CMT (see "Kanye, Kelly, Stones Added To Massive Disaster-Relief Special"), NBC broadcast A Concert for Hurricane Relief on Friday.

The hour-long, live benefit aired on NBC, MSNBC and CNBC and featured a roster of artists with ties to the affected areas, including Louisiana natives Tim McGraw, Wynton Marsalis and Harry Connick Jr. Kanye West also appeared on the program, where he went off script and criticized President Bush for his response time to the tragedy. West first told a long story about calling his business manager to ask how much he could afford to donate and then when the cameras returned to the rapper, he proclaimed, "George Bush doesn't care about black people" (co-presenter Mike Myers appeared stunned).

Earlier Friday, West issued a statement directed toward looters in New Orleans, the U.S. government and his music peers.

"My plea is this, and I hope you will hear it: Please stop the chaos," he said. "Stop hurting each other. Do only what will be helpful. To our government officials, please do whatever it takes to bring aid and relief to our suffering people, and do it immediately. To my fellow artists and entertainers, please give your time and use your voice to help spread a message of unity. Please, let's come together in this time of crisis to help our people and our communities and our country. Let's volunteer, donate our time and money, or help in whatever ways we can."

Also working on a telethon is BET, whose event will take place September 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET and will feature Russell Simmons, Master P and Marsalis. ABC, CBS and FOX are putting together their own televised event for early next week, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

New Orleans rappers the Cash Money Millionaires (including Baby, Lil' Wayne and Manny Fresh), Master P, Silkk the Shocker and Lil' Romeo are also teaming up for a benefit tour. Details are still being worked out, but the trek is scheduled to begin October 7 and hit at least 10 major cities on Friday and Saturday nights through November.

Diddy and Jay-Z reached directly into their pockets to help the victims. On Thursday afternoon, the duo announced they are combining checkbooks to donate $1 million to the American Red Cross.

	Read accounts from Gulf Coast residents.
	Find out how you can help with the Katrina relief efforts.

"These are our people," Diddy said. "We can't stand around waiting for these people to be taken care of — we have to take care of them ourselves. I urge all our fellow artists and Americans to answer the call. These are communities that I know, communities that have always supported me. Now it's my turn to support them."

"This event has devastated hundreds of thousands of people," Jay-Z said. "We, as African-American men and leaders of our community, felt it was a necessity to join forces and help. Diddy and I are committed to supporting our people in whichever way we can."

Hilary Duff was also among the stars to pitch in early, contributing $250,000 to the relief effort, with $200,000 going to the Red Cross and $50,000 earmarked for USA Harvest.

Master P, along with son Romeo and wife Sonya, has formed a charity called Team Rescue to help gather food, clothing and funds.

"My family has set out to save and rebuild our neighborhoods and help our inner-city brothers and sisters who have lost everything in this disaster," P was quoted as saying in USA Today. The rapper's spokesperson told the paper that his parents and a number of relatives had lost their homes in the hurricane.

The Dave Matthews Band has announced plans to add a benefit show (taking place on September 12) to its three-night stand at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver. Tickets for the benefit will go on sale next week.

Bowling for Soup played a special benefit concert at Bossier City's Rockin' Rodeo dance club near Shreveport, Louisiana, on Monday as the first hints of the extent of the hurricane's damage were being revealed. Hundreds of fans got in free with a donation to hurricane-relief efforts, bringing everything from bottled water to canned foods, pet food and deodorant, according to a group spokesperson.

"The most important thing about tonight is the donations," bassist Erik Chandler said in a statement. "We just want to do everything we can to help the victims of the hurricane, and getting all these people together, donating things that these people need, it just makes you feel good."

On the show "Rock Star: INXS" Wednesday night, bandleader Tim Farriss praised New Orleans and said INXS had made an undisclosed donation to the Red Cross to help victims of the disaster.

Download site Napster also weighed in, with a "Download to Donate" program in which it pledged 100 percent of the profits from a custom compilation of songs to the American Red Cross. Among the songs on the compilation are tracks by Elton John ("Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"), Sade ("By Your Side"), Louis Armstrong ("When the Saints Go Marching In"), Bill Withers ("Lean On Me"), Harry Connick Jr. ("Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans"), Aretha Franklin ("Bridge Over Troubled Water") and Fats Domino ("Walking to New Orleans").

Actor Morgan Freeman announced an auction to benefit the victims, which will begin Friday and run through September 16 on the Charity Folks Web site (charityfolks.com). It includes VIP tickets to the Fashion Rocks show (which features performances by David Bowie, Destiny's Child, Duran Duran, Gwen Stefani and Alicia Keys) and a chance to attend the premiere of Freeman's upcoming movie, "An Unfinished Life," which stars Jennifer Lopez and Robert Redford. Other items up for auction include vacation packages and tickets to tapings of "That '70s Show" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

The annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association will add celebrity appeals for help for the disaster survivors this year, in addition to a $1 million donation from MDA to help the victims. Musicians, comedians and actors will appear during the first four and last four hours of the 21-and-a-half-hour broadcast, which begins Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.

"While the needs of 'my kids' are with us all year round, Hurricane Katrina is a national disaster on a scale that's difficult to comprehend," Lewis said in a statement. "We simply couldn't ignore the need to help. We already have the infrastructure in place."

The organizers of the annual Voodoo Music Experience, scheduled for October 29 and 30 in New Orleans, offered their thoughts and prayers to the people of New Orleans, which has hosted the show for the past six years. They are awaiting word from city and state officials before announcing the fate of the concert, which is slated to feature the Foo Fighters, Flaming Lips, Queens of the Stone Age, Billy Idol, My Chemical Romance, Louis XIV, Cake and Joss Stone.

Britney Spears, a native of Kentwood, Louisiana, posted a message on her Web site, offering her thoughts and prayers to those affected by the storm in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. "All of my family members there are safe, and thank you to all my fans for your concern," the singer wrote.

Members of the video game community are also mustering relief.

Bungie, the makers of "Halo," announced on Friday that the company is selling a special-edition "Halo" T-shirt on BungieStore.com, with all profits going to the Red Cross. The shirt reads, "Fight the Flood," a reference both to the evil Flood aliens of the "Halo" series and the tragic hurricane aftermath in the South.

"Halo" fans posted messages on Bungie's Web forums pledging donations. Several said they were giving the money they had saved up for an Xbox 360. "I was about to buy a game and put a down payment down for the 360 when the news of the hurricane came out," wrote one gamer. "I walked into the store today and couldn't bring myself to pay $100 for gaming when there are people in the disaster zone that would pay twice that for running water or food. So I went home and donated the $100 to the Red Cross, and I am hoping many other gamers will do the same."

Sony Computer, makers of PlayStation, is matching all employee donations. Electronic Arts is matching employee donations at 2:1.

[This story was originally published at 4:42 p.m. ET on 09.01.2005]

To find out what you can do to help provide relief to victims of Katrina, head to think MTV's hurricane relief page.

• Jay-Z
• Diddy
• Kanye West
• Dave Matthews Band
• Master P

Rob Thomas on the set of his video "This Is How A Heart Breaks"
Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images

Rob Thomas is on the run — from himself. In his next video, the Matchbox Twenty singer chases himself through the sweltering streets of New York, running down avenues, zipping down fire escapes and climbing over cars as he tries to warn pedestrians, "This Is How a Heart Breaks."

The chase starts when Thomas sees someone running at full speed toward him, an out-of-focus, shadowy figure that could be someone he recognizes, or just a stranger. Not taking any chances, he turns and flees. (Click for photos from the video shoot.)

He can't really sing and run at the same time, so as he races down the sidewalk, swerving around people and obstacles, he only lip-synchs sporadically — words like "break down" then become shouts, warnings to get out of the way. (When the video was shot two weeks ago, director Pedro Romhanyi also shot additional footage of Thomas singing the entire song in close-up, in case he wanted to cut it into the narrative later.)

Not everyone heeds the warnings in time, and Thomas collides with a pedestrian, rolling into traffic, where cars brake to avoid hitting him. He leaps on the hood of one gridlocked auto, onto an adjacent one, and then drops down onto the road, running between lanes of moving cars.

He gets back to the sidewalk, slowing to a fast walk and singing, "And why you got to make it so hard on me/ Yeah, it's hard on me," as the shadowy figure gets closer. To shake him, Thomas makes a quick turn and runs into a restaurant. Now at top speed, he runs past surprised diners, waiters and kitchen staff as he heads through the building and out the back door.

He then runs into an apartment lobby, where he squeezes into a closing elevator. On the way up, he gets to catch his breath (and sing the chorus while he's at it). When he emerges, he runs down corridors, up stairs and out onto the roof — but the pursuer isn't far behind. Thomas climbs down the fire escape, leaping onto a ladder and descending toward the sidewalk, but he loses his grip and crashes to the floor.

Injured, he picks himself up and runs as best he can down the deserted alley he landed in and toward an outdoor parking lot. It is at this point that it becomes clear his pursuer is actually another version of himself. As the original Thomas limps toward a fence that only traps him in, the pursuing Thomas watches ominously, singing the lyric, "I'm sorry but it's not a mistake/ I'm running, but you're getting away."

• Photos From Rob Thomas' "This Is How A Heart Breaks" Video Shoot

• Rob Thomas

Jamie Foxx, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, More Perform At The Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Party, 2.7.06

• Jamie Foxx
• Kanye West
• Kelly Clarkson
• Mario
• Rob Thomas

Performances From Pre-Grammy Parties

• Kanye West
• The Fugees
• John Legend
• Alicia Keys
• Fantasia

The 48th Annual Grammy Nominees

• Mariah Carey
• Kanye West
• John Legend
• 50 Cent
• Black Eyed Peas

Lindsay, Paris, Hilary, Chingy And More At The 2005 American Music Awards

• Lindsay Lohan
• Hilary Duff
• Chingy
• Pharrell Williams
• Bow Wow

Photos From Rob Thomas' "This Is How A Heart Breaks" Video Shoot

• Rob Thomas

Gwen, Jen, Kelly, Jesse, Backstreet At Z100's Zootopia 2005 Show

• Gwen Stefani
• Jesse McCartney
• Frankie J
• Gavin DeGraw
• Black Eyed Peas

MTV.com LIVE: Rob Thomas Photos 04.01.2005

• Rob Thomas