"Twilight" Soundtrack
Photo: Atlantic

After two weeks at #1, AC/DC's Black Ice — which has already broken the 1 million-sold barrier — has been bitten by the "Twilight" phenomenon.

The vampire flick opens next Friday, but before hitting the local cineplex, fans of the much-anticipated adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's novel hit their local record stores to pick up a copy of the movie's soundtrack, which features tracks by Muse, Perry Farrell, Paramore and Linkin Park.

The "Twilight" soundtrack debuts at #1 on next week's Billboard albums sales chart, having sold about 164,700 copies in its first week on store shelves. It becomes the year's third soundtrack to top the chart, following this summer's "Mamma Mia" soundtrack and the "Juno" set, which was released in 2007, but climbed to #1 in January. According to the latest sales totals compiled by Nielsen SoundScan, AC/DC's latest falls one spot to #2, with 159,500 week-three scans reported.

"Twilight" was among 17 new releases impacting next week's chart, and one of four to enter in the top 10. Following the soundtrack to "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," which holds at #3 with just under 110,000 sold, Hinder's Take It to the Limit bows at #4, after selling 81,400 units. Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli's Incanto opens at #8 with 62,200 copies scanned, and country star Brad Paisley's Play debuts at #9 with 53,700 sold.

Meanwhile, Pink's Funhouse drops three spots to #5, with 72,900 scans, while John Legend's Evolver falls two positions to #6, selling another 72,000 copies. T.I.'s Paper Trail holds for a second week at #7, thanks to almost 68,800 scans. Rascal Flatts' Greatest Hits, Volume 1 rounds things out at #10, with 39,100 sold.

A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip enters the chart at #11, after selling 34,200-plus copies of his latest, Renaissance, while Sarah Brightman's Winter Symphony debuts at #38, with 13,500 sold. Shiny Toy Guns' Season of Poison follows at #47, with sales reported at 12,200, and rapper UNK's Second Season makes its debut at #104, with 5,200 copies sold. Travis' Ode to J. Smith follows at #122, with week-one sales reported at about 4,600, while Switchfoot's The Best Yet trails at #123, with 4,500 sold.

• AC/DC
• Paramore
• Perry Farrell
• Travis
• Switchfoot

Britney Spears
Photo: Hot Shots Worldwide / Splash News/ Newscom

Looks like there's finally some good news for Britney Spears. The singer has been passing her court-ordered random drug tests and has a 50/50 chance of regaining custody of her children, her lawyer Sorrell Trope told People. Also, while Spears has lots of court dates to keep track of these days, she has one less for her calendar this week — her arraignment on misdemeanor driving charges (for hit and run, causing property damage and driving without a valid California license). Though her arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday, a Los Angeles judge decided Tuesday (October 9) that Spears could have until October 25 to enter a plea. The judge also ordered the singer to be booked by police and show proof of that booking by her arraignment, according to a court clerk. Spears' next hearing in her custody case will be the following day, on October 26. ...

Kiefer Sutherland will serve 30 days in Los Angeles County Jail as part of a plea deal in his DUI arrest, The Associated Press reports. He must also enroll in an 18-month alcohol-education class and go to weekly alcohol-therapy sessions for six months. On Tuesday, Sutherland's attorney Blair Berk entered a no-contest plea on the actor's behalf for driving with a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit, though a second misdemeanor DUI charge was dropped. The actor was most recently arrested for driving under the influence in Los Angeles in September — he was already on probation for a DUI arrest stemming from 2004. He will be sentenced December 21. ...

Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Linkin Park and — yes, you're reading this right — Daughtry are tied for the most American Music Awards nominations this year, it was announced Tuesday. Each artist earned three nods for various categories. In terms of pop/rock, Akon, Timbaland and Timberlake are facing off for Favorite Male Artist; Beyoncé, Fergie and Avril Lavigne are vying for Favorite Female Artist; Linkin Park, Maroon 5 and Nickelback are competing for Favorite Band, Duo or Group; and Daughtry, LP's Minutes to Midnight and JT's FutureSex/LoveSounds are going head to head for Favorite Album. As for rap/hip-hop, Fabolous, T.I. and Young Jeezy are vying for Favorite Male Artist; Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Pretty Ricky and Shop Boyz for Favorite Band, Duo or Group; and Bone Thugs' Strength & Loyalty, T.I.'s T.I. vs. T.I.P. and Jeezy's The Inspiration for Favorite Album. And on the soul/R&B front, Akon, Ne-Yo and T-Pain are up for Favorite Male Artist; Beyoncé, Fantasia and Rihanna are squaring off for Favorite Female Artist; Beyoncé's B'Day, R. Kelly's Double Up and JT's FutureSex/LoveSounds have been nominated for Favorite Album. There are also Favorite Artist categories for adult-contemporary music (Daughtry, Norah Jones and John Mayer); alternative rock (Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance and the White Stripes) and Latin music (Daddy Yankee, Juan Luis Guerra y 440 and Jennifer Lopez). Daughtry, Plain White T's and Robin Thicke have been noticed for Favorite Breakthrough Artist, while Carrie Underwood landed two country-music noms: for Favorite Female Artist and Favorite Album (Some Hearts). For the first time, the AMAs are opening up voting to the general public online — it began Tuesday on the AMA site and ends November 2. The show, to be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will be broadcast live at Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre on November 18 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. ...

John Graziano, the young Marine who was injured in Nick Hogan's car crash in late August, is on life support and will require lifelong care, Florida's St. Petersburg Times reports. According to documents obtained by the newspaper, the 22-year-old Graziano will, at best, be able to open and close his eyes from time to time. His mother is petitioning a judge to let her assume guardianship of her son, who remains in critical condition. A hearing will be held Wednesday. ...

Rehab was a "sobering" experience for Lindsay Lohan, she told In Touch in her first interview since leaving Utah's Cirque Lodge Treatment Center on Friday. The actress also insisted that while she went to the clubs right after finishing a rehab stint in July, she's not going to be rekindling her nightlife anytime soon — to avoid distractions, she'll be staying in Utah until she starts shooting the upcoming flick "Dare to Love Me." "Going out all the time was very self-destructive," she said. "Partying and having all of those pictures taken distracts from the work that I do. It's not why I started acting. I didn't get into acting to be written about. ... I want to act like a woman rather than a teenager. I am doing the best I can." Lohan also opened up about seeing her estranged father for the first time in more than three years, while at Cirque Lodge. "It was really good for me ... it was really important for me to get a connection back with my dad, because I hadn't had that in a while." And if you heard those rumors about Lohan developing a relationship with a man while in rehab ... well, apparently they were true. "Yes, I am seeing someone," she confirmed. "His name is Riley. I am really happy and taking it day by day." The Riley in question is Riley Giles, a 25-year-old snowboarder from California. Last but not least, just as Paris Hilton said she was committing herself to philanthropic efforts after her own debacle, Lohan revealed that she's trying to put together a December trip to Africa with the Red Cross. ...

"Hannah Montana" fans will want to change the channel from Disney to ABC on Tuesday night when Miley Cyrus breaks out a new duet with her father, Billy Ray, on "Dancing With the Stars." The two will perform "Ready, Set, Don't Go" on the results show, with the single hitting country-radio stations immediately afterward. ... What do Diddy, Panic! at the Disco's Ryan Ross and Fred Durst have in common? They've all earned the less-than-distinguished honor of being selected for Blender's "The 40 Worst Lyricists in Rock" list. Will.I.Am, Billy Corgan, Anthony Kiedis, Common, Dashboard Confessional, Timbaland and, of course, Kevin Federline, also make the (F) grade, with Sting landing in the #1 spot. The list appears in the magazine's November issue, which streets October 16. ... Kid Rock commented to Dave Letterman about his ex-wife Pamela Anderson's recent remarriage — she got hitched to Rick Salomon in Las Vegas over the weekend. After making a salty remark about the couple on "The Late Show With David Letterman," he quipped, "I wish them much happiness." ...

Wyclef Jean seems to be the go-to guy for special causes these days. After playing at "CGI and MTV Present: Giving - Live at the Apollo" late last month, he's now been tapped for another special performance, at supermodel Petra Nêmcová's upcoming Heart of Gold Ball benefit auction. The event, to take place Wednesday at Cipriani Wall Street in New York, will have various sports, travel and event packages up for auction. All proceeds will go to Nêmcová's Happy Hearts Fund, which supports education and medical and emotional support for children affected by natural disasters. ... Say what you will about those rumors of Britney Spears putting in an application for a fall-back bartending gig while staying at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica, California, last week. The manager at the hotel's Cameo Bar tells MTV News that while Spears has been there in the past, anyone applying has to have one to two years of fine-dining experience and must pass a drug test. The manager didn't confirm whether Spears had in fact submitted an application. ...

Avenged Sevenfold will play a free gig at the Key Club in West Hollywood, California, on October 20. The set will be taped for later broadcast on MySpace's "The List." Want in? No problem. Just show up in your Halloween costume and get there early — entry to the show will be on a first-come, first-served basis. ... Jimmy Eat World are going all in with their new single "Big Casino," fashioning their Chase This Light album-release party after the gambling concept. On Monday, the band will turn Los Angeles' El Rey Theatre into a faux casino, with fans able to play poker, blackjack, craps and other games for prizes — a flyaway to see the band perform in another city, JEW merchandise, El Rey tickets and more. The band will end the evening with an intimate set as Chase This Light drops at midnight. Entrants will get gambling money and a commemorative poster. ...

Causes, a charity album benefiting three organizations working to stop the genocide in Darfur, will be released on iTunes on November 27 and feature exclusive and rare tracks from Bloc Party, the Shins, Bright Eyes, Animal Collective, the Cure, Death Cab for Cutie, the (International) Noise Conspiracy, Travis and Spoon. All proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam America. The album will only be available on iTunes for 90 days, though a limited-edition CD can be ordered right here. ... Queens of the Stone Age are booked for "The Late Show With David Letterman" on Wednesday and are expected to perform their latest single, "3's & 7's." ...

R.E.M. are teeing up a new album for the spring, and what better place to reveal some of it than on ... CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360"? On Wednesday, Michael Stipe and company will perform "Until the Day Is Done," which will be synced up to clips of CNN's "Planet in Peril" environmental documentary. The song will also play over the doc's closing credits and appear on the band's yet-untitled spring LP. R.E.M. Live, a CD/DVD that stands as the band's first concert release, is due October 16. ... Hot Rod Circuit have called it a day. The band issued a statement about the split but didn't offer a reason for it. The boys thanked their fans for supporting them and said they'll miss playing live gigs. ... Senator Hillary Clinton's 60th birthday bash has just gotten a little bit sweeter: Elvis Costello will perform at the Thursday concert, to be held at New York's Beacon Theatre. Tickets range from $250-$2,300 for the bash, for which 2,800 people are expected to attend. Let's hope Costello isn't planning to jump out of a cake. ...

Capitol/Priority is putting some shine on classic rap material with a pair of releases from the vault. N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton is getting the 20th-anniversary treatment via a bonus-track-laden reissue due December 4. The set will feature five extras: a live version of "Compton's N the House" performed by Dr. Dre and MC Ren, and covers of Compton tracks by Snoop Dogg and C-Murder, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Mack-10 and WC. Also on the way is the label's Featuring ... Eazy-E, which pulls together his top collaborations and hard-to-find solo recordings. Four out-of-print tracks are getting new life on the disc, including his "Beverly Hills Cop III" soundtrack contribution, "Luv 4 Dem Gangsta'z," and a rare "We Want Eazy" remix. That disc hits stores December 4 too. ...

Jammie Thomas, the woman who was hit last week with the first-ever copyright infringement jury verdict, said she plans to appeal the $220,000 fine. She announced the decision on her MySpace page, explaining that her lawyer's appeal will take issue with the jury's decision that making songs available online violates copyright laws. "This would stop the RIAA dead in their tracks," she wrote. "Every single suit they have brought has been based on this making-available theory, and if we can win this appeal, they would actually have to prove a file was shared." At press time, Thomas announced that more than $3,800 had been raised so far on FreeJammie.com. ... TiVo has announced that it will offer users of its set-top boxes access to Rhapsody's library of more than 4 million songs. (Rhapsody is part of a joint venture with Viacom Inc., MTV's parent company.) TiVo subscribers with broadband boxes will be able to listen to music streamed over the Internet from Rhapsody in the coming months, though they won't be able to download songs through their TiVo box.

08.08.07

Mariah Carey has a suggestion for troubled young female celebs: Find your center. When asked by Glamour what words of advice she would give Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears, she replied, "I wouldn't want to speak to those people specifically, but I would say you need to be very centered, and spiritually know where you're at, all the time. Don't read the tabloids. Don't be obsessed with what people are writing or saying. Live your life for you. My lifestyle has changed since making it. It's not a financial struggle, but I'm still struggling in a lot of ways." Carey graces the cover of the magazine's November issue. ...

Diddy has had a tumultuous few days — first he was sued by a former associate who claimed the hip-hop mogul owes him $19 million for work by the Notorious B.I.G., and then he accepted legal responsibility for his sixth child, The Associated Press reports. In the suit, James Sabatino claims he flew the late rapper to Miami in 1994 to play a gig and hit the studio — he recorded a 17-minute freestyle session, and 90 minutes of Biggie video was allegedly captured on video as well. Since Sabatino paid for the travel expenses and studio time, he says it was understood that the music and video belonged to him, even though a contract was never signed. Diddy claims the delay was due to Los Angeles police naming Sabatino as a person of interest in Biggie's death and that it might be misconstrued if people discovered Bad Boy had paid Sabatino. The ex-associate was later imprisoned on unrelated charges but continued trying to get the money from Diddy and was told it would be coming soon, the suit alleges. Sabatino is seeking $19 million for actual and punitive damages. While that dilemma recently emerged, Diddy put another one to rest when he took legal responsibility for his 15-month-old daughter, Chance — who is said to have factored into his split with ex-girlfriend Kim Porter. Diddy previously denied he had fathered the child of an Atlanta woman, Sarah Chapman, but has acknowledged that DNA tests have confirmed that he is the father. Diddy has arranged support terms and visitation over his daughter with Chapman. ...

Trent Reznor is a free man. According to a post on Nine Inch Nails' Web site, he and his band have fulfilled their contractual obligations to Interscope. "I've waited a long time to be able to make the following announcement: As of right now, Nine Inch Nails is a totally free agent, free of any recording contract with any label," he said in the post. "I have been under recording contracts for 18 years and have watched the business radically mutate from one thing to something inherently very different and it gives me great pleasure to be able to finally have a direct relationship with the audience as I see fit and appropriate. Look for some announcements in the near future regarding 2008. Exciting times, indeed." NIN were signed to TVT prior to joining Interscope in 1994. ...

Beanie Sigel's attorney says the rapper will surrender to authorities next week after an arrest warrant was issued for his failure to return a rented car, AP reports. Sigel (real name: Dwight Grant) is planning to face the charges on October 15, Fortunado Perri told the news service, elaborating that the Payless rental car — which was due back in August and reported stolen September 6 — is being covered. "Whatever money is owed to the company has been paid or will be paid shortly," Perri added. The car was returned to Payless on Friday as detectives were on their way to arrest Sigel at his home in the Philadelphia suburb of Lansdale. It is not yet known who returned the vehicle, which had accumulated $5,000 in late fees. ...

Paris Hilton's alleged bean spillage during VMA weekend aside, Christina Aguilera isn't doing too good a job keeping her supposed pregnancy under wraps. "Access Hollywood" reports that Aguilera picked out a baby registry at a trendy boutique in West Hollywood, California, on Saturday night. With husband Jordan Bratman and his mother and sister in tow, the singer shopped for blankets, bottles, bags and other items for what "AH" called an "upcoming baby shower." ...

Want to live just like Ozzy and Sharon? Your chance is about to arrive. The Osbournes are planning to auction art, furniture and collectibles from their homes in Southern California and England, with a portion of proceeds going to the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Foundation. Items up for sale include Jack Osbourne's black leather bedroom furniture, a cast-iron crucifix that was hung in Ozzy's den and other memorable objects that appeared on "The Osbournes." The auction will be held November 30-December at the Gibson Guitar Showroom in Beverly Hills — although bids can also be placed by phone or online — and Ozzy will also perform a related benefit show at Los Angeles' Staples Center the first night. Expect to hear plenty more from Ozzy in the near future, by the way: In addition to his upcoming tour with Rob Zombie, he'll likely be headlining Ozzfest next year, according to Billboard. When asked if he would be at the top of the bill, he said, "As far as I know." He did not say whether the fest would be free again, stipulating that it was Sharon's decision. He did, however, say he's still up for recording a new Black Sabbath album, though the band's plans are up in the air. ...

Amy Winehouse, the Arctic Monkeys, Paul McCartney and Kylie Minogue were honored at the annual Q awards on Monday (October 8). Winehouse's Back to Black earned Best Album, the Monkeys were named Best Act in the World Today, Macca was awarded as a Q Icon and Minogue landed Q Idol honors. ... Speaking of Winehouse, producer Mark Ronson tells RollingStone.com, "As soon as I finish up the Daniel Merriweather record, I am going back into the studio with Amy Winehouse to work on her new record. ... She is actually dying to go back into the studio already. ... She can't go in November because she is on tour, so we are figuring it out." Winehouse's second album, Back to Black, hit U.S. stores in March. ...

A new book claims that Bono's daughter, Jordan Hewson, was nearly kidnapped by Irish criminals as part of an abduction plot 10 years ago, according to The Irish Examiner. Author Frances Cahill, daughter of murdered crime boss Martin Cahill, says in her recently released book, "Martin Cahill, My Father," that her dad stopped the alleged plot, through which five other Irish criminals were hoping to get a multimillion-dollar ransom from the singer (the U.S. equivalent of roughly $8 million). "He told them it was a bad idea," Cahill reportedly writes in the book. "Martin had nothing against Bono's family. They had never done him any harm and he wasn't going to get involved." ...

Deftones have begun work on the follow-up to last year's Saturday Night Wrist, which took the band more than three years to record and release. According to a MySpace post from the guys, they've been working on the effort since late July and will maintain a blog to document the recording process. ... In addition to the standard CD version of their new self-titled album, Avenged Sevenfold will also be releasing a MVI version of the effort on October 30. The interactive DVD will feature a making-of featurette, a studio tour, pre-encoded MP3s of all the tracks, an animated short and more. ...

Cribs bassist Gary Jarman was hospitalized over the weekend and has been treated for blood poisoning, his publicist confirmed to MTV News. It's believed the rocker contracted the condition after accidentally cutting himself with the strings of his bass during a recent gig. He had complained of pains in his arms on Saturday but managed to make a gig in Sheffield, England, that same night. He was admitted early Sunday morning and is doing fine, according to his publicist. ... Want to get down and dirty with Moby? Stop by New York's Hiro Ballroom on Thursday night when he, Juan McClean, Stretch Armstrong and DFA artist Alex Frankel christen his new DJ series, called "Degenerates." Moby will tinker around with new material as part of the residency, which is expected to be ongoing and will encompass additional DJs. ...

Jena, Louisiana, Mayor Murphy R. McMillin is lashing out over John Mellencamp's new track "Jena," which the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-nominated rocker recently wrote and posted online (with an accompanying video) in support of the Jena Six. "The town of Jena has for months been mischaracterized in the media and portrayed as the epicenter of hatred, racism and a place where justice is denied," McMillin reportedly told AP. "However, the Mellencamp video is so inflammatory, so defamatory, that a line has been crossed and enough is enough. ... I do not want to diminish the impression that the hanging of the nooses has had on good people. I do recognize that what happened is insulting and hurtful. ... [But] to put the incident in Jena in the same league as those who were murdered in the 1960s cheapens their sacrifice and insults their memory." Prior to the mayor's reaction, Mellencamp discussed his intention behind the track via a post on his site. "The song is not written as an indictment of the people of Jena but, rather, as a condemnation of racism," he wrote. ...

Bruce Springsteen defended his anti-war stance in an interview with "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday, telling correspondent Scott Pelley that it would be "unpatriotic" not to speak out on his new album, Magic, and accompanying tour. "It's unpatriotic at any given moment to sit back and let things pass that are damaging to someplace that you love so dearly and that has given me so much," Springsteen said. "I still feel and see it as a beacon of hope and possibility. That part of America is live and well." He also sounded off on other political issues of the day, saying, "When people think of the American identity, they don't think of torture. They don't think of illegal wiretapping. They don't think of voter suppression. They don't think of no habeas corpus. No right to a lawyer ... you know. Those are things that are anti-American." ...

Not too long ago, the thought of a Police reunion tour was inconceivable. Now comes news that the rock legends, who are currently on tour in Europe, might throw together a new studio effort while they're at it. "I would see it as a challenge, to make an absolutely brilliant pop album at this stage of our career, and that would be something quite remarkable," guitarist Andy Summers told reporters in Dublin, Ireland, over the weekend, according to AP. But he added that the trio have not discussed the project in detail and that the reunion tour is "all-devouring." ...

Maybe the third time will indeed be the charm for Pamela Anderson, who married Rick Salomon — perhaps best known for making that sex tape with Paris Hilton — on Saturday in Las Vegas. Anderson wore a white denim Valentino dress, People reports, and the vows were squeezed in between the 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. shows of Hans Klok's "The Beauty of Magic," which Anderson is a part of, at the Planet Hollywood resort. It's Anderson's third marriage and Salomon's second.

• Britney Spears' Ongoing Saga: What's Next?

• Britney Spears
• Lindsay Lohan
• Justin Timberlake
• Beyoncé
• Diddy

Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis performs at Coachella on Saturday
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

INDIO, California — Perhaps it was a sign that the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Arcade Fire and Hot Chip were sharing the same bill.

Whatever the case, Saturday was certainly one of the most scorching Coachella afternoons ever, with temperatures into the100s for hours on end.

That meant the tented stages provided plenty of shadowy solace, while pre-sunset outdoor acts were playing to their diehards and suffering while doing it. (Let's just say there were multiple hipster rockers quoting Lil Jon's infamous sweat-dripping lyrics.)

Still, Peter Bjorn and John and the Decemberists wore their suits and the Sahara tent was as raving as ever. Favorite shirt spotted while Richie Hawtin spun trance records: Rave Against the Machine.

(Check out photos from the festival.)

Speaking of Sunday's highly-anticipated headliners, fans got a little taste Saturday, as guitarist Tom Morello made his festival debut as the Nightwatchman, a Woody Guthrie-inspired, politically-revved folk singer. While there were certainly a few confused Rage fans, most rallied on (protesting just about everything), especially when perennial Coachella dude Perry Farrell made a surprise appearance.

The Chilis were Saturday's headliner, but like Björk on Friday, they're an act Coachella has already seen in recent years, so the excitement level was a little lackluster. (Rage, too, have played Coachella before, but that's a different story.)

Regardless, Anthony Kiedis and crew rocked it solid, with nonstop hits predominantly from their most recent releases. Also tossed in for good measure were a few instrumental jams and a little Blondie (with John Frusciante on vocals).

At the Outdoor Theatre stage, Jack's Mannequin also pulled a cover out of their bag of tricks — Tom Petty's "American Girl" - although singer Andrew McMahon had already reeled in the audience with his own perfect-for-a-sunny-afternoon pop-rock ditties.

The Coachella Stage hosted a variety a songwriting gurus throughout the day, from the sugary Fountains of Wayne to the sweet Regina Spektor, the gritty Kings of Leon to the polished Travis. (The latter closed with "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" at literally the driest moment of the afternoon, but the words painted a pleasant picture nonetheless.)

The highlight, however, and probably the highlight of the first two days, was the Arcade Fire, whose monster roster, making friends and enemies of instruments they must only play in Montreal, came together to make epic jams.

With a neon-designed stage (inspired by the recently-released Neon Bible), Win Butler led his army of musical misfits through material both new and old, inspiring mass sing-alongs mirroring just the sort of cultish moments the band seems to mock on the new album.

Earlier in the day, back-to-back Fratellis and Hot Chip whipped up quite a party in the Mojave Tent, with !!! and Ozomatli happily carrying on into the early evening.

In the Sahara Tent, LCD Soundsystem scored big with "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" on the same stage that, coincidentally, Daft Punk actually did play almost a year ago to the hour.

There were no robots at Coachella this year, however, but there was a parade of giant balloon animals (the details on the shrimp were impeccable), dudes with pizza-box hats shading the sun and one former cast member of "The O.C." holding her drunken friend from falling over.

The sight of the day, however, had to be the clean fields that stayed that way well into the night. While they are usually littered within a few hours, Coachella launched a new recycling program this year where thirsty (and apparently broke) concertgoers can exchange 10 empty bottles for one new one. Now that's hot.

Check out the first day's report here ("Amy Winehouse Tests Tent Limits, Bjork Previews Weird Timbaland Tracks As Coachella Kicks Off"), and check back on Monday for the final report from Coachella.

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

• Why Coachella Is All The Rage

• Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Amy Winehouse, More At Coachella 2007

• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Arcade Fire
• Travis
• Rage Against the Machine
• LCD Soundsystem

Andrea Corr and Bono perform at the Live 8 Finale in Edinburgh, Scotland Wednesday.
Photo: Scott Barbour/Getty Images

More than 50,000 people filed into Edinburgh, Scotland's Murrayfield Stadium on Wednesday for the last of Bob Geldof's momentous Live 8 concerts, organized behind a single global mission: to raise awareness and support for the various social and economic issues facing Africa.

The postscript to the 10 concerts staged in cities all over the world on Saturday (see "Jay-Z, U2, Madonna, Pink Floyd Deliver Live 8 Highlights"), Wednesday's climactic finale featured Snow Patrol, James Brown, Travis, Annie Lennox, the Thrills, Feeder, Embrace, Texas, Wet Wet Wet, McFly, Neneh Cherry, Sugababes, and Youssou N'Dour, in addition to several guest speakers — supermodel Claudia Schiffer and actor George Clooney among them, according to BBC News.

All of the free event's participants took the stage as part of an eleventh-hour push to urge the leaders of the world's eight largest national economies — who convened yesterday for a three-day summit — to devise feasible methods by which Africa's epidemic poverty can be mitigated (see "The Road To Live 8: Why Are We Here?"). The final Live 8 gig unfolded just 40 miles away from this year's annual G8 caucus (see "What Is The G8, Anyway?").

U2 frontman Bono — who, along with Geldof, met face-to-face with some of the G8 leaders, and told Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin his refusal to pledge more foreign aid was "infuriating" — introduced former South African president Nelson Mandela, who, in a recorded message, told the assembled mass that the world needed to "work to make poverty history."

"Sometimes, it falls upon a generation to be great," Mandela continued. "You can be that generation. You have that opportunity."

According to The Associated Press, Geldof also addressed the massive crowd: "On Friday, there will be a great silence across the world while we await the verdict of eight men. Is [Africa] to live or die?"

In addition to orchestrating the Live 8 concerts, Geldof urged millions to march on Edinburgh on Wednesday, as part of the Make Poverty History movement; a few hundred did show, and an estimated 200,000 staged an anti-poverty march in the Scottish city over the weekend.

Get involved: Learn about the poverty crisis in Africa, the proposed solutions, and how you can help. Plus find all of our coverage of the international Live 8 concerts and more at our thinkMTV Live 8 hub.

• Snow Patrol
• James Brown
• Bono
• The Corrs
• Travis

Coldplay's Chris Martin (file)
Photo: Rebecca Shapiro

Twenty years after Band Aid — a one-off British supergroup that featured U2, Duran Duran, Paul McCartney and other chart-toppers of the era — recorded the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?," some of the U.K.'s biggest stars are being assembled to rework the tune.

According to producer Midge Ure, who co-founded the original Band Aid with singer/human-rights activist Bob Geldof, members of Coldplay, the Darkness, Keane and Travis have already committed to sing on the new version of the track. The original topped the U.S. and U.K. charts, sold more than 50 million copies and raised over $10 million for famine victims in Ethiopia.

Proceeds from the new Band Aid single will go toward the relief of famine victims in Ethiopia and the Sudan.

"So far, we've had the backing of Chris Martin, Fran [Healy, of Travis], the Darkness and Keane," Ure wrote Thursday (October 21) on his official Web site. "Nigel Godrich will produce and I'll executive produce."

Speaking to the BBC radio station 6Music, Ure went on to say that he has also lined up Oasis' Noel Gallagher and Blur's Damon Albarn for the project, which would mark the first time in nearly a decade the two former Britpop rivals collaborated on a song. Publicists in the U.K. for both Gallagher and Albarn confirmed that the musicians have been approached by Ure, but nothing has been finalized yet.

Ure also said that he has put calls in to Robbie Williams and Dido, and that he intends to have U2's Bono re-record his verse from the original version of the songs. He hopes to have the new incarnation of Band Aid report to an undisclosed studio in London sometime in "the next few weeks" to begin recording.

• Coldplay
• Keane
• Travis
• The Darkness

Coldplay, the Darkness and Travis are among the acts invited to take part in the re-recording of the 1984 song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" according to organizers of Band Aid. The organization recruited a host of British musicians — including George Michael, Duran Duran and U2 — for the original single, proceeds of which went to famine relief in Ethiopia. Proceeds from the sale of this new version will benefit famine victims in the Sudan. ...

The stolen master tapes of the album Green Day originally recorded before American Idiot have yet to surface, but the band is waiting for the inevitable. "My only request is whoever's got those songs, if you put it out, put a decent cover on it," Mike Dirnt joked. In all seriousness, the bassist said some of the material may be rescued officially. "Some of that may turn into other songs when we record again," he said. ... Kanye West has inked a deal with the Sony Music Label Group to form a new imprint, Getting Out Our Dreams (GOOD). The label's first release will be R&B singer John Legend's Get Lifted on December 28. As part of the agreement, West has also entered into a production deal with Sony. ...

Jennifer Lopez is not just working on one album to follow up her This Is Me ... Then from 2002 — she's working on two, an English-language LP and a Spanish-language one as well. The English-language album will be more funk-oriented, while the Spanish-language set is supposed to be more passionate-sounding. ... Gwen Stefani's releasing a special edition of her forthcoming solo album, Love, Angel, Music, Baby, on November 23 in addition to the regular CD. The special edition will feature a custom-designed case, wrapped in fabric and embossed in gold, with a book-style layout complete with a ribbon bookmark. ...

Mobb Deep, B-Real of Cypress Hill, Everlast, KRS-One, Alchemist, WC, Mack 10, Defari and Dilated Peoples have joined forces for " S.T.O.P. Movement 2 - Dear Mr. President," a seven-minute track attacking George W. Bush. Fred Wreck produced the tune, available at www.fredwreck.com, which is the second single he's created to promote his S.T.O.P. (Stop the Oppressive Politics) movement. The first was the anti-war "Down With Us," which included many of the same rappers. ... Pioneering female rap group Salt-N-Pepa, who shot a sitcom pilot in 1994 that was never picked up, are back developing another TV show. The sitcom will be based on the rappers' lives. ...

Something Corporate are between albums, but the DVD "Live at the Ventura Theater," recorded in May and due November 9, should satisfy fans until the Southern California band can follow up last year's North. Beginning November 9 in West Hollywood, California, the band will hit the road for two weeks of college dates to support the release. ... Madonna's tour documentary, which chronicles her Reinvention Tour and the "new" Madonna, among other things, is now tentatively projected to hit theaters by this spring, her spokesperson said. Jonas Akerlund is directing. ...

Jewel is making good use of her name by helping to open a new Harry Winston salon in Las Vegas on Friday. The singer will cut a diamond-studded ribbon worth $150,000 at the new store in the Forum Shops area. ... As Slayer prepare to hit the road on the Jägermeister Music Tour on October 29, they're also getting ready to see red. A new stage prop called the Wall of Blood will rain stage blood on the band during their classic "Raining Blood." On November 2, days after the first gig in Springfield, Missouri, the metal stalwarts' DVD "Still Reigning" will drop. ...

10.19.2004

Eminem is hoping to make illegal file-sharers feel so empty. In an effort to stop Internet piracy of the rapper's new album, Interscope Records is launching the Very Shady Xmas Contest, in which fans who buy Eminem's new release, Encore, will have the chance to make this year's Shady Xmas List and be eligible to receive one of 400 presents in Shady wrapping paper, including platinum plaques, Sirius satellite radio equipment and subscriptions, exclusive Encore shoes, video memorabilia, Shady Ltd. merchandise and gift certificates, and the chance to work on Eminem's next music video. Fans will have to purchase a legit copy of the album, due November 16, and slide it into their computers to access the registration site, where they will be able to enter the contest up until December 24. ...

Mase tells girls they do not have to show their goodies to attract men, and Ciara agrees. The Atlanta singer has agreed to appear on a remix of Mase's "Keep It On," which is also set to include an appearance by P. Diddy. Ciara has also just completed work on her next video, "1,2 Step," with director Benny Boom and music industry do-it-all Missy Elliott. The clip chiefly takes place in a roller-skating rink and features a performance of the teen's new dance step. ... Guess it really isn't "Bad Boy for Life." After a long feud with P. Diddy, the Hoodfellaz have finally broken ties with Puff's label. Although the group says it is not breaking up in the wake of its release, member Morock has been working on a solo album and is seeking distribution for it. ...

The Nirvana box set, due November 23, finally has a title: With the Lights Out. Among the 81 tracks in the three-CD collection are 68 previously unreleased live tracks, studio outtakes and home demos. A DVD featuring Nirvana performing at a house party in 1987, among other footage, will also be included. ... Trent Reznor has changed his mind. The title of Nine Inch Nails' first studio album since 1999's The Fragile will no longer be called Bleedthrough. The songs are done, Reznor writes on NIN.com, but the title didn't fit them. The album is still expected out in March, with a tour to follow. ...

The band most likely to make lemonade from lemons, New Found Glory will drop the DVD "This Disaster: Live in London" on November 23. The two-hour home video is so named because during the concert, the power went out. Instead of calling off the show, the band simply offered up an acoustic set. ... The last place you'd expect to find lewd, crude rockers the Darkness is in a chick flick, but their hit "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" appears on the soundtrack to "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason," along with tunes from Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige and Kylie Minogue. Tracks exclusive to the soundtrack, due November 16, three days before the sequel hits theaters, include duets by Rufus Wainwright and Dido, and Sting and Annie Lennox. ...

Madonna's fourth kabbalah-inspired children's book is about to hit stores. "The Adventures of Abdi" follows a little boy who has been given a big task, to deliver a precious necklace to the queen. Along the way, he is robbed, thrown in a dungeon, and encounters a savage snake, but he never despairs, always remembering the words of his mentor: "Everything we have been given in life is always for the best." "The Adventures of Abdi" will hit shelves November 4. ... Because of his humanitarian work, U2's Bono — along with a medical-technologies pioneer and a photo artist — has been named the winner of the inaugural TED prize, which grants the recipient three wishes (actually $100,000 to be spent however he chooses in support of the wishes). Among those on the panel who selected Bono were Goldie Hawn, Eve Ensler, Herbie Hancock and Amazon's Jeff Bezos. The wishes are to be revealed at the next TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference in Monterey, California, in February. ...

"The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story," a documentary that first aired two years ago on the BBC and has only been available as an import, will be released domestically on DVD November 16. The disc features early performance footage and interviews with the band's Roger Waters and David Gilmour, among others. Barrett, the group's original singer, became something of an enigmatic legend after leaving Pink Floyd following the release of their first album, 1967's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Barrett released two albums in 1970 and has remained a recluse ever since. ... In addition to working on their new album, the Flaming Lips have a whole mess of projects in the works. First up is a photo book titled "Waking Up with a Placebo Head Wound: Images of the Flaming Lips From the Archives of Jay Blakesberg and J. Michelle Martin-Coyne 1987-2004." Due November 15, the book will be released in a limited-edition publishing run of 1,500 copies. Pre-orders before November 12 will include a special 7-inch that features two unreleased tracks from the Lips' long-awaited "Christmas on Mars" film. Music critic Jim DeRogatis — who immortalized critic Lester Bangs in "Let It Blurt" — will do the same to the Oklahoma oddballs in his book "Staring at Sound: The True Story of Oklahoma's Fabulous Flaming Lips," due in fall 2005. Meanwhile, Yoko Ono has enlisted the Lips to remix her track "Cambridge 1969" and add their own original music to the song. ...

Robbie Williams has become the first artist to launch an album, with additional video content, on a memory card. In stores Tuesday, the pre-loaded memory card, called simply Greatest Hits, includes 18 of the British singer's hits, such as "Angels" (recently remade by Jessica Simpson) and "Rock DJ." Williams' record label EMI is hoping to deliver more pre-loaded memory cards by other artists in time for the holidays. ... Chan Marshall, a.k.a. Cat Power, will release "Speaking for Trees: A Film by Mark Borthwick" on October 26. The CD/DVD features a nearly two-hour film of Marshall playing solo outdoors in the countryside as well as an unreleased 18-minute song, "Willie Deadwilder." The packaging, created by experimental filmmaker and visual artist Borthwick, comes with a 64-page booklet. ...

• Coldplay
• The Darkness
• Green Day
• Kanye West
• Gwen Stefani

<I>For the Lady</I>
Photo: Rhino Records

U2, Avril Lavigne, R.E.M. and Pearl Jam are among the artists donating tracks to a benefit album for Aung San Suu Kyi, an imprisoned Burmese humanitarian known to some as "Asia's Nelson Mandela."

For the Lady: Dedicated to Freeing Aung San Suu Kyi and the Courageous People of Burma, due October 26, features previously released tunes by Lavigne, Coldplay, Bright Eyes and Travis, while Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Damien Rice and Better Than Ezra contribute live cuts unavailable anywhere else. Also exclusive to the album is "Let Freedom Ring," a studio track by Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello's solo incarnation, the Nightwatchman.

U2 dedicated their contribution, "Walk On," to Aung San Suu Kyi on All That You Can't Leave Behind, the album on which it first appeared. The double album's final track, "Tempest of Blood," was written by a jailed student activist for democracy in Burma (which is also known as Myanmar).

Aung San Suu Kyi is the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient. For her efforts to promote democracy and human rights in Burma, she has garnered the support of President Bill Clinton, Senator John McCain, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Desmond Tutu, among others. For the past 14 years, she has been under house arrest by Burma's repressive junta.

Proceeds from the sale of the album will benefit the nonprofit organization U.S. Campaign for Burma.

For the Lady track list, according to the album's publicist:

Disc 1:

• U2 - "Walk On"
• Pearl Jam "Betterman" (live)
• Coldplay - "In My Place"
• Ani DiFranco - "In the Way"
• Bright Eyes - "No Lies, Just Love"
• R.E.M. - "Drive" (live)
• Avril Lavigne - "Complicated"
• Talib Kweli featuring John Legend - "Around My Way"
• Lili Haydn - "Unfolding Grace"
• Peter Gabriel - "Here Comes the Flood"
• Natalie Merchant - "Motherland"
• Maná - "Cuando Los Angeles Lloran"
• Rebecca Fanya - "Paper Airplanes"
• Ben Harper - "Oppression" (live)

• Paul McCartney - "Freedom" (live)
• The Nightwatchman - "Let Freedom Ring"
• Eric Clapton - "Wonderful Tonight"
• Sting - "Fragilidad"
• Bonnie Raitt - "Angel From Montgomery" (live)
• Damien Rice - "Lonely Soldier" (live)
• Travis - "The Cage"
• Guster - "Keep It Together"
• Hour Cast - "Memories and Lies"
• Indigo Girls - "Perfect World" (live)
• Better Than Ezra - "Get You In" (live)
• Matchbox Twenty - "So Sad, So Lonely"
• Mun Awng - "Tempest of Blood"

• U2
• Avril Lavigne
• Coldplay
• Pearl Jam
• Bright Eyes

Clay Aiken
Photo: Getty Images

He may have been a runner-up on "American Idol," but Clay Aiken is second to none on the Billboard albums chart.

The squeaky-clean singer's debut album, Measure of a Man, sold more than 612,000 copies in its first week, according to SoundScan. Aiken's five-day total (Tuesday-Sunday) falls just under the two-week total by the #2 album, Ludacris' Chicken -N- Beer, which has topped out at 624,000 total copies sold.

The rapper's follow-up to his 2001 release, Word of Mouf, sold more than 193,000 copies last week, hence forfeiting the pole position to Aiken.

Aiken and his fellow "Idol" contestant Ruben Studdard, who eventually won the competition, will have the chance to square off again when Ruben's debut LP, Soulful, drops November 11.

R&B quartet Jagged Edge's fourth album, Hard, will lay claim to the #3 position, selling more than 177,000 copies with aid from the single "Walked Outta Heaven."  The group's last LP, Jagged Little Thrill, debuted in the same spot in June 2001, though it sold 37,000 more copies then.

The rest of next week's top 10 albums find Outkast's Speakerboxx/ The Love Below moving down two spots to #4 (167,000) and cracking the 1 million mark in total sales after four weeks; Barbra Streisand's album of cinema soundtracks, Movie Album, bowing in at #5 (162,000); Dido's Life for Rent falling two places to #6 (101,000); Elvis Presley's hits collection 2nd to None slipping four spots to #7 (81,000); Sting's Sacred Love slipping a couple of places to #8 (77,000); Hilary Duff's Metamorphosis holding at #9 (74,000); and Dave Matthews' solo effort, Some Devil, losing half of its ground and falling to #10 (73,000).

Blues guitarist Jonny Lang's fourth album, Long Time Coming, will place at #17 after its first week in stores, while Mariah Carey's Remixes, featuring alternate versions of the hits "Heartbreaker," "Honey" and "Dreamlover," will come in at #26. XIII by masked metal ensemble Mushroomhead will round out the notable top 40 debuts.

Travis' fourth album, 12 Memories, the follow-up to 2001's The Invisible Band, will place at #41, just two slots below the debut spot of its predecessor, 2000's The Man Who, selling 11,000 copies.

Having a #1 film at the box office to accompany it sure helped the soundtrack to "Kill Bill" sell bloody murder at retail. The RZA-flecked LP will jump from #115 to #45 on next week's chart.

Other notable debuts on next week's chart include The Great Holiday Classics with contributions from Aiken, Studdard, Kelly Clarkson, Justin Guarini and others from the "American Idol" series; the Distillers' Coral Fang at #97; Red Star Sounds Presents: Def Jamaica  featuring Def Jam artists such as Redman, Method Man, N.O.R.E. and DMX, paired with reggae artists Wayne Wonder, Sean Paul, Beenie Man, Elephant Man and others, at #160; and Raphael Saadiq's live album, All Hits at the House of Blues, at #182.

• Clay Aiken
• Ludacris
• Jagged Edge
• OutKast
• Travis

This ain't no paltry remix EP. Mariah Carey gets it — bigger is better. So Remixes delivers exactly what its title promises: two discs full of reworkings of Carey's songs, including "Heartbreaker" featuring Da Brat and Missy Elliott, "The One" featuring Bone Crusher and "Thank God I Found You" co-starring Joe and Nas.

"American Idol" 's #2 man, Clay Aiken, releases Measure of a Man, featuring the single "This Is the Night." And for more, though drastically less theatrical pop, Sessions@AOL is a collection of in-studio live recordings by Coldplay ("The Scientist"), Missy Elliott ("Work It"), Avril Lavigne ("Mobile") and the Roots ("Break You Off").

This week, Travis recall their 12 Memories, one of which is the lead cut, "Re-Offender," a song about domestic abuse, and its accompanying video, which curiously portrays the guys beating the crap out of each other. Meanwhile, the Distillers bare their Coral Fang, and Phish keyboard player Page McConnell's side project, Vida Blue, sample "Aunt Esther," played by the late LaWanda Page from the TV show "Sanford and Son," on The Illustrated Band.

Wanda Jackson, the bad-ass country music chick, releases Heart Trouble, her first studio album in 15 years. "Crying Time" is a duet with Elvis Costello and "Funnel of Love" is updated by having the Cramps back Jackson. Jackson and the Cramps also remake "Riot in Cellblock #9." To commemorate the 35th anniversary of another country filly's first album, Norah Jones, Shania Twain, Melissa Etheridge, Emmylou Harris, Sinead O'Connor and Joan Osborne contribute songs to Just Because I'm a Woman: Celebrating the Songs of Dolly Parton.

Me'Shell NdegéOcello sings about love on Comfort Woman while Ursula Rucker, the poet best-known for closing most of the Roots' albums, releases her second album, Silver or Lead. Raphael Saadiq releases All Hits at the House of Blues, a live, two-disc set of material with his former group Tony! Toni! Toné! and his solo album, Instant Vintage. Special guests include the Tony/i/es, D'Angelo and Joi.

Out Tuesday, October 14:

• Clay Aiken - Measure of a Man (RCA)
  Read: "Clay Aiken Makes A Big Scene For 'Invisible' Video"
  Buy Now: Measure of a Man (RCA)
  
• Baby Blak - Once You Go Blak (BBE/Rapster)
• David Benoit - Right Here, Right Now (GRP)
• Edie Brickell - Volcano (Universal)
• Campfire Girls - Tell Them Hi (Interscope)
• Mariah Carey - Remixes (Columbia)
  Read: "Mariah: Remixes, Reunions And Russia"
  Buy Now: Remixes (Columbia)
  
• Children on the Corner - Rebirth (Sonance)
• Christiansen - Stylish Nihilists (Revelation)
• Walter Clevenger and the Dairy Kings - Full Tilt and Swing (Brewery)
• Sylvie Courvoisier - Abaton (ECM)
• Howard Crosby - Pennies from Heaven (Panjandrum)
• Decibully - City of Festivals (Polyvinyl)
• Kevin Denney - A Year at a Time (Lyric Street)
• The Dishes - 3 (File 13)
• The Distillers - Coral Fang (Sire)
  Read: "Distillers Promise Refinement, Experimentation On Biting New LP"
  Buy Now: Coral Fang (Sire)
  
• Will Downing - Emotions (GRP)
• Dukes of Nothing - War and Wine (EP, Tortuga)
• Feable Weiner - Dear Hot Chick (Doghouse)
• Five Horse Johnson - The Last Men on Earth (Small Stone)
• Freaky Chakra - Moonroof Operator (:\ run)
• The Frisk - Audio Ransom Note (Adeline)
• From Ashes Rise - Nightmares(Jade Tree)
• Gangsta Boo - Enquiring Minds 2: The Soap Opera (RT)
• Gutter Swans - Foolishness Meets Vision (Gnashville Sounds)
• Hard-Ons - Very Exciting! (Bomp)
• Bonnie Hayes - Love in the Ruins (Bondage)
• Hybrid Morning - Sci-Fi (Distinct’ive/¡K7)
• Wanda Jackson - Heart Trouble (CMH)
• Jagged Edge - Hard (So So Def/Columbia)
  Buy Now: Hard (So So Def/Columbia)
  
• Jem - It All Starts Here (EP, ATO)
• Kill 2 This - Mass.Down.Sin.Drone (Abstract Sounds)
• Kill Hannah - For Never and Ever (Atlantic)
• King Prawn - Got the Thirst (Abstract Sounds)
• Jonny Lang - Long Time Coming (A&M)
• Albert Lee - Heartbreak Hill (Sugar Hill)
• Abbey Lincoln - It's Me (Verve)
• Living Science Foundation - Last Call for Nightfall (Second Nature)
• Loretta - The Translation (Benchmark)
• Maroon - Who the Sky Betrays (Head Fulla Brains)
• John McLaughlin - Thieves and Poets (Verve)
• Essra Mohawk - You're Not Alone (Evidence)
• Mushroomhead - XIII (Universal)
• Matt Nathanson - Beneath These Fireworks (Universal)
• Me'Shell NdegéOcello - Comfort Woman (Maverick)
• Pipedown - Mental Weaponry (A-F)
• Rod Price - West Four (Trillium)
• Ursula Rucker - Silver or Lead (!K7)
• Raphael Saadiq - All Hits at the House of Blues (Pookie)
• Scissorfight - Deathchants, Breakdowns and Military Waltzes Vol. 2 (EP, Tortuga)
• Scrappy-Loco - Scrappy-Loco (Thump)
• Seksu Roba - Pleasure Vibrations (Eenie Meenie)
• Barbra Streisand - The Movie Album (Columbia)
• Steve Swallow Trio - Damaged in Transit (ECM)
• Switchblade Symphony - Sweet Little Witches (Cleopatra)
• Thrall - Lifer (Alternative Tentacles)
• Travis - 12 Memories (Epic)
  Read: "Travis Members Beat Each Other To A Pulp At Video Shoot For 'Re-Offender' "
  Buy Now: 12 Memories (Epic)
  
• Trivium - Ember to Inferno (Lifeforce)
• Josh Turner - Long Black Train (MCA Nashville)
• Twilight Singers - Blackberry Belle (Birdman/One Little Indian)
• Union 13 - Symptoms of Humanity (Disaster)
• Vida Blue - The Illustrated Band (Sanctuary)
• Russell Watson - Reprise (Decca)
• Yob - Catharsis (Abstract Sounds)
• Various artists - American Idol Christmas: The Great Holiday Classics (RCA)
• Various artists - Bozo & Pals - Get Down with the Clown (Music for Little People)
• Various artists - Celtic Twilight 6 (Valley Entertainment)
• Various artists - Festival in the Desert (World Village)
• Various artists - "Finding Nemo" Ocean Favorites (Walt Disney)
• Various artists - A Guitar Tribute to Dave Matthews Band (Liquid 8)
• Various artists - A Guitar Tribute to the Foo Fighters (Liquid 8)
• Various artists - House Sessions (Sunswept)
• Various artists - "The Human Stain" Coleman's Collection (Lakeshore)
• Various artists - Incredible Christmas Album (Decca)
• Various artists - Just Because I'm a Woman: Celebrating the Songs of Dolly Parton (Sugar Hill)
• Various artists - The Party Never Ends: Robert Earl Keen Songs You Know from the Times You Can't Remember (Sugar Hill)
• Various artists - Piano Strings Tribute to the Chicago Soundtrack (Liquid 8)
• Various artists - Pure Techno (Water Music)
• Various artists - "Ragus" soundtrack (Valley Entertainment)
• Various artists - Red Star Sounds, Vol. 3: Def Jamaica (Def Jam)
• Various artists - Sandungueo.com - Reggaeton Hits Vol. 1 (Cutting)
• Various artists - Sessions @ AOL (Atlantic)
• Various artists - Spiders from Venus (Skipping Discs)
• Various artists - "Underworld" score (:\ run)
• DVD Chevelle - Live from the Norva (Epic)
• DVD WC Bandana Swangin: - All That Glitters Ain't Gold (Image Entertainment)

October 21:

• Barenaked Ladies - Everything to Everyone (Warner Bros.)
• Mandy Moore - Coverage (Sony)
  Buy Now: Coverage (Sony)
  
• Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Streetcore (Epitaph)
• Yo La Tengo - Today Is the Day (EP, Matador)

• R.E.M - In Time: The Best of R.E.M 1998 — 2003 (Warner Bros.)
• The Strokes - Room on Fire (RCA)
  Read: "Strokes Album Preview: Gideon Yago Tours Their Room On Fire"
  Buy Now: Room on Fire (RCA)
  
• Triumph the Insult Comic Dog - Come Poop With Me (Warner Bros.)

• Wyclef Jean - The Preacher's Son (J Records)
  Read: "Wyclef Jean Nabs 'All-Ghetto Cast' — Including Tom Jones — For Album"
  
• Stone Temple Pilots - Thank You (Atlantic)
• P.O.D. - Payable on Death (Atlantic)
  Read: "P.O.D. Sound So Alive With New Guitarist, New Single"

November 11:

• Pink - Try This (Arista)
  Read: "Pink Didn't Have To Try Too Hard To Make Try This"
  Buy Now: Try This (Arista)
  
• Ruben Studdard - Soulful (J Records)
  Read: "R. Kelly, Missy Elliott Working On Ruben Studdard's Soulful Debut"

November 18:

• Blink-182 - Blink-182 (Universal)
  Read: "Blink-182 Tone Down Pranks, Get Down To Real 'Action' On Next LP"

• Jay-Z - The Black Album (Roc-a-Fella)
  Read: "Jay-Z Strays From His Blueprint For Black Album"

• Clay Aiken
• Mariah Carey
• The Distillers
• Travis
• Wanda Jackson

Travis
Photo: Columbia

Halfway through the shooting of the video for their new single "Re-Offender," members of the U.K. band Travis were at each other's throats.

In a huff, vocalist Fran Healy pushed bassist Dougie Payne, who responded by throttling the singer. Then punches flew. A few minutes later, the situation escalated as drummer Neil Primrose put Payne in a chokehold and then threw him on the ground. Then, director Anton Corbijn yelled, "Cut!"

Instead of making the video sobering and serious, Corbijn decided it might be better received if it were dark and quirky. So he decided to contrast shots of the bandmembers performing amicably onstage with scenes of them beating the crap out of one another. "Things just build and build until the very end," Healy said. "It's one of the most violent videos I've ever seen. Our faces are really battered by the end."

"Re-Offender" is a melancholy song about domestic abuse, and it includes the chorus, "Say you're sorry, then you do it again, you do it again." It may seem strange that a kooky video was shot for such a serious song, but for Healy the whimsy provided a bit of relief following the harsh memories that were triggered when he wrote the tune.

The first single from the band's album 12 Memories (out October 14), "Re-Offender" is based on a conversation the singer had with his mother about her abusive relationship with his father. As he worked on the lyrics, Healy expanded the theme to encompass other cases of domestic abuse.

"It's about a woman who's stuck in a brutal relationship and how she fools herself," Healy said. "Many people stay in domestic violent relationships because they're afraid of the unknown. They'd rather be beaten up than be in a world they don't know. I've worked with women who come in with black eyes and braces around their necks, and I say, 'Why do you stay with this guy? Why? Why?' And she says, 'Because I love him.' "

Healy is clearly contemptuous of anyone abusive to a loved one, however he feels part of the blame falls on society in general. He argued that it's hard to break the cycle of violence, which is why abused kids often end up abusing their own children.

"People say, 'Oh, it's all your fault' to the guy who's violent, but I don't believe in that," Healy said. "It's his fault for not breaking the chain, but I think it all goes back to war. My grandfather, who was violent, was a soldier and so was his father."

Not only does he feel that the military breeds violent behavior, he's convinced that anyone who endures combat situations has an extremely difficult time readjusting to everyday life.

"Guys at war have bullets flying over their heads and grenades going off," Healy explained. "Then they return to their little village where the little crickets are chirping at night, and they've got all of this anger and rage. They beat their kids up, they beat their wives. The kids grow up, the wives hit the kids, the kids grow up and they hit their kids and it passes on from generation to generation like an emotional parcel."

• Travis

Madonna, Snoop, U2, Coldplay, Mariah, Velvet Revolver: Live 8 London

• U2
• Coldplay
• Paul McCartney
• Elton John
• Stereophonics

Travis live at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago, IL October 28, 2003

• Travis