Spliff Star and Busta Rhymes, "New Mexico Takeover 4" concert, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 08.30.2009
Photo: Nigel Degraff

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — The summer concert season closed out with a bang at the Journal Pavilion on Sunday night, as Florida kings Rick Ross, Pitbull, and Flo Rida filled out a roster that included Bun B, Warren G, Twista and headliner Busta Rhymes at the "New Mexico Takeover 4."

Bun B was one of the first big names to hit the stage, tantalizing the crowd with way-back UGK hits such as Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin'," then forwarding to current classics like "International Player's Anthem (I Choose You)."

Backstage, Warren G and Rick Ross plotted future collaborations. "I need some of them beats," Ross, surrounded by the Carol City Cartel and Masspike Miles, said to Warren in his dressing room with a grin. Meanwhile Warren, who had performed some of his classics like "Regulate" and "This DJ," talked about working with Michael Jackson. The West Coast producer said he has three songs in the can from years back with MJ, however, Jackson controlled the music and Warren has never gotten his hands on the finished songs.

Later Ross took the stage with his swagger-filled brand of gangsta music.

"I need silence for one second," the Boss said early in his set. "I gotta talk a little business." All of a sudden, as if on command, it started raining. "I heard it ain't nothing but hustlas out here."

This led, of course, to "Hustlin'." Later came "We Takin' Over" and "Push It."

"I love it! The weather is beautiful," Ross said during "Yacht Club."

The show stayed Miami, with Flo Rida getting loud love from the spectators with his hits such as "Low" and "Sugar." Flo's finale was "Right Round" where he rode on a bodyguard's shoulders through the crowd while he rapped.

However, Pitbull — whose new LP, Rebelution, drops this week — was probably the star of the night. The largely Hispanic crowd sang and danced along with songs such as "Bojangles," "Toma" and "Pull Up."

"I know you want me, you know I want ya!" they sang along heavily on "I Know You Want Me." "Hotel Room" was his closer.

Pitbull was a tough act to follow, but the mighty Busta Rhymes kept fans on their feet with his set, which featured hits like "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See," "Fire It Up," "Break Ya Neck," "Arab Money" and many others. Each record was performed with so much energy that you would have sworn it was Busta's last-ever concert.

"Pass the Courvoisier" ended the show, with Bus giving a champagne bath to the front row while Spliff Star showered people on the side of the stage.

• Busta Rhymes, Pitbull, Rick Ross, Play N Skillz And More At The "New Mexico Takeover 4" Concert, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 08.30.2009

• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• Pitbull
• Flo Rida
• Warren G
• Twista

Chamillionaire's <i>Ultimate Victory</i>
Photo: Motown

Twenty-four years ago Tuesday (September 18), Kiss went on MTV and unmasked themselves for the first time. The stunt coincided with the band's Lick It Up LP and had fans of the glam-rockers salivating all over again. So in commemoration of that revealing day, here are this week's new releases, unmasked.

Resurrecting the Cham-P: It's unlikely Chamillionaire will be ridin' his way to the top of the Billboard albums chart anytime soon, given the sales aftershocks that are likely to result after last week's epic showdown between Kanye West and 50 Cent. But that isn't to say the Houston rapper didn't try to live up to the title of his second album, Ultimate Victory — Lil Wayne, Devin the Dude and UGK's Bun B and Pimp C all rear their heads on the effort, as does Slick Rick, who is featured on the lead single, "Hip Hop Police." But that track hasn't made a huge impact at radio, so maybe the MC should start thinking in terms of thousands and not millions ...

Let's Be Blunt: But Cham isn't the only one sweating the sophomore slump this week — James Blunt has even more to measure up to with All the Lost Souls. That album chases 2004's Back to Bedlam, which went twice platinum in the U.S. and had an even bigger impact elsewhere in the world. The album's collage cover is comprised by hundreds of small images of Blunt, but the negative reviews the LP has been garnering might be even more dizzying for the artist.

Oh, H.I.M.: Moody Finnish goth-rockers H.I.M. might surprise everyone by making Venus Doom the highest-charting Billboard debut among this week's contenders — despite such gloomy songs as "Dead Lovers' Lane," "Sleepwalking Past Hope" and "Love in Cold Blood." The group's latest LP has fewer keyboards than previous releases, and the limited-edition version comes with a DVD boasting remixes and more.

From Them 2U: It's been almost 10 years since U2 stirred a sports stadium full of fans at Mexico City's Foro Sol venue, so what better time to revisit the landmark event with a spiffy new DVD? "PopMart Live From Mexico City" is hitting the format for the first time and has been shined up with revitalized video and audio. A special limited-edition version takes it one step further by adding a bonus disc with unreleased concert material, plus four documentaries, a tour-visuals montage, wallpapers, screensavers and more.

That's a Rap: Speedy MC Twista roped Pharrell onto "Give It Up," the first single from his seventh studio album, Adrenaline Rush 2007 — but he also convinced R. Kelly, Lil Wayne, T-Pain, Cee-Lo, E-40, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Kanye West to lend their skills as well. Mobb Deep's Havoc went the underground route for The Kush, his solo debut, going light on featured artists and crafting the project on his own. Beyond his Mobb mate Prodigy, "I did not want a bunch of big stars on [The Kush], as it would have taken away from the real objective of the LP, which is grimy and down to earth." Watch him clue in MTV News' Shaheem Reid about the disc:

Also this week, there's a raft of artists cropping up in places you wouldn't expect, and a few more under-the-radar surprises too:

· Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump, Taking Back Sunday's Adam Lazzarra, Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba, Cartel's Will Pugh and Lisa Loeb (!) help New Found Glory burn through their favorite soundtrack songs on From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II.

· Justin Timberlake and Kelly Clarkson pay unexpected visits on Reba McEntire's Duets — the country singer's 25th album, impressively.

· Jay-Z gets an unexpected shout-out on "What Would Jay-Z Do?," a track featured on the new album by Ben Lee. Ripe, the singer/songwriter's sixth opus, also bristles with guest spots by Benji Madden, Mandy Moore, Rachael Yamagata and more. (Let's see how Lee's Ripe fares against Alvin Lee's Saguitar.)

· Elvis Costello chalks up a surprise cover of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" while Sarah McLachlan touches up XTC's "Dear God" on the "House" soundtrack. Even more eyebrows will be raised when people hear a cover of the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want" that features the show's star, Hugh Laurie, performing alongside Greg Grunberg ("Heroes"), Bob Guiney ("The Bachelor") and more.

· Speaking of TV stars taking to the mic, Rosie O'Donnell does a duet of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" with Barry Manilow on his The Greatest Songs of the Seventies. OK, that one might be too much for anyone to handle.

· Eddie Vedder steps away from Pearl Jam for a sec to conjure up the soundtrack to Sean Penn's "Into the Wild" flick — "no other voice flows, bleeds or rejoices the young American's land and heart so passionately as Vedder's," Penn said in a statement.

· Babyface is using his 11th album, Playlist, as an opportunity to reimagine some of his favorite songs — and they're probably not what you'd expect. Kenny Edmonds puts his R&B polish on Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" and Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle," among other selections.

· Angie Stone and Anthony Hamilton share their gifts with urban-jazz saxophonist Boney James on his Christmas Present.

· Carlos Santana and — sure, why not? — actor Andy Garcia surface on Gloria Estefan's 90 Millas.

· Celtic punks the Dropkick Murphys go green on their The Meanest of Times LP, reining in the Pogues' Spider Stacy and former Dubliners singer/guitarist Ronnie Drew.

Song Title of the Week:

"Slash in the Snake Pit" from Pre's Epic Fits

Album Cover of the Week:

Drug Rug's Drug Rug

Other Notables:

Kevin Drew's Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew - Spirit If ...
Don't be confused by all those guest spots by Broken Social Scene members and affiliates — this is in fact a solo release by the Toronto collective's frontman. Recorded at Do Make Say Think multi-instrumentalist Ohad Benchetrit's house over the past two years when BSS were on break from touring, the songs are more stripped down than the ones typically found on the band's releases. Also participating in the affair are Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis, Scott Kannberg (Pavement), Metric's Joules Scott-Key and more.

Les Savy Fav's Let's Stay Friends
The colorful New York post-punks barrel back with their first album since 2001's Go Forth, bringing some unlikely homies along for the ride: "Saturday Night Live" actor Fred Armisen, who plays drums on two tracks, plus fellow arty spazz-outs Enon, Metric's Emily Haines and members of Modest Mouse, Fiery Furnaces and more. The album, which leaked online last month, features "The Year Before the Year 2000," "What Would Wolves Do?" and "Scotchguard the Credit Card."

Rogue Wave's Asleep at Heaven's Gate
After releasing two albums on Sub Pop, the Bay Area indie-rockers hopped over to Jack Johnson's Brushfire Recordings for their third one, which was produced by Roger Moutenot (Yo La Tengo, Sleater-Kinney). The band's music has been featured on "Heroes," "Weeds" and other TV shows, but lineup changes, health problems and other developments have tripped up the band a bit lately. Maybe this album — and its guest appearances, including ones by John Vanderslice and Nada Surf's Matthew Caws — will help get Rogue Wave flowing smoothly again.

New Releases:

· A Life Once Lost - Iron Gag (Ferret)
· A.A. Bondy - American Hearts (digipak; Superphonic)
· Ahleuchatistas - Even in the Midst ... (Cuneiform)
· Akron Family - Love Is Simple (with DVD; Young God)
· A-Sides - Silver Storms (digipak; Vagrant)
· Sérgio & Odair Assad - Jardim Abandonado (Nonesuch)
· Athletic Automaton - A Journey Through Roman's Empire (Skin Graft)
· Babyface - Playlist (Mercury) [Buy Now]
· Bella - No One Will Know (Mint)
· Between the Buried and Me - Colors (Victory)
· James Blunt - All the Lost Souls (Custard/Atlantic) [Buy Now]
· Doyle Bramhall - Is It News (Yep Roc)
· Chamillionaire - Ultimate Victory (Motown) [Buy Now]
Read: "Chamillionaire Ditches Bad Attitude; Hooks Up With Snoop, Busta For LP"
· Alison Chesley - Helen Money (available at MusicStem.com; self-release)
· Cipes and the People - Conscious Revolution (KG2 Music)
· Billy Clyro - Puzzle (Roadrunner)
· Dan Colehour - Straight to the Highway (digipak; MCA Nashville)
· The Donnas - Bitchin' (Purple Feather) [Buy Now]
· Kevin Drew - Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew - Spirit If ... (Arts & Crafts)
· Dropkick Murphys - The Meanest of Times (Born & Bred) [Buy Now]
· Drug Rug - Drug Rug (Black & Greene)
· Gloria Estefan - 90 Millas (Sony BMG/ Burgundy)
· Jeremy Fisher - Goodbye Blue Monday (Wind-Up)
· Flugente - Flugente (Mootron)
· Four Year Strong - Rise or Die Trying (I Surrender)
· Mary Gauthier - Between Daylight and Dark (Lost Highway)
· Tom Gillam - Never Look Back (Burnside Distribution Corporation)
· The Grey Race - Give It Love (Unfiltered)
· Gringo Star - Gringo Star (EP; self-release)
· Hard-Fi - Once Upon a Time in the West (Atlantic) [Buy Now]
· Havoc - The Kush (Nature Sounds) [Buy Now]
· Health - Health (Lovepump United)
· Hezekiah - I Predict a Riot (Rawkus/Soulspazm)
· High on Fire - Death Is Our Communion (Relapse)
· H.I.M. - Venus Doom (limited edition comes with bonus DVD; Sire) [Buy Now]
· Holler, Wild Rose! - Our Little Hymnal (Backlight)
· Jesca Hoop - Kismet (Red Ink)
· Hope Waits - Hope Waits (Radarproof)
· Jana Hunter - Carrion (Gnomonsong)
· Michael Hurley - Ancestral Swawp (Gnomonsong)
· Boney James - Christmas Present (Concord)
· The Jazz June - The Scars to Prove It (comes with DVD; MVD Audio)
· Robert Leo Johnson and Gregg Bendian - Who Knew Charlie Shoe? (Cuneiform)
· Kids in the Way - Love Hate Masquerade (Flicker)
· Mark Knopfler - Kill to Get Crimson (Warner Bros.)
· Jim Lauderdale - The Bluegrass Diaries (Yep Roc)
· Christine Lavin - Happydance of the Xenophone (Yellow Tail)
· Alvin Lee - Saguitar (Rainman)
· Ben Lee - Ripe (New West) [Buy Now]
· Leiana - No Going Back (Page)
· Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends (French Kiss)
· The Lucky Tomblin Band - Red Hot From Blue Rock (with DVD; Texas World)
· Magnet - The Simple Life (Filter)
· Barry Manilow - The Greatest Songs of the Seventies (deluxe-edition DualDisc due same day; Arista)
· Mannequin Men - Fresh Rot (Flameshovel)
· Carolyn Mark - Nothing Is Free (Mint)
· Jonah Matranga - And (Limekiln)
· Reba McEntire - Duets (MCA Nashville)
· Metro Station - Metro Station (Red Ink)
· Ingrid Michaelson - Girls & Boys (Red/ Original Signal)
· Ministry - The Last Sucker (13th Planet/ Megaforce) [Buy Now]
· Pat Monahan - Last of Seven (Columbia)
· Thurston Moore - Tress Outside the Academy (Ecstatic Peace)
· Mother and the Addicts - Science Fiction Illustrated (Chemikal Underground)
· Motion City Soundtrack - Even If It Kills Me (Epitaph) [Buy Now]
· Mt. St. Helens - Of Others (Two Thumbs Down)
· New Found Glory - From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II (Drive-Thru) [Buy Now]
· Plasticines - LP1 (Caroline)
· Pre - Epic Fits (Skin Graft)
· The Project - The Truth Today (Amalgam)
· Radio Massacre International - Rain Falls in Grey (Cuneiform)
· Rammstein - Volkerball (with DVD; Interscope)
· Rogue Wave - Asleep at Heaven's Gate (Brushfire) [Buy Now]
· Schoolyard Heroes - Abominations (Stolen Transmission)
· John Scofield - This Meets That (Emarcy)
· Jake Shimabukuro - My Life (EP; Hitchhike)
· Alina Simone - Placelessness (54º 40' or Fight!)
· Sleeping States - There the Open Spaces (Misra)
· Strings of Consciousness - Our Moon Is Full (Central Control)
· Sultan - Yoshitoshi Montreal Mixed by Sultan (Yoshitoshi)
· Th' Legendary Shack Shakers - Swampblood (Yep Roc)
· Thousand Foot Krutch - The Flame in All of Us (Tooth & Nail)
· Time of Orchids - Namesake Caution (Cuneiform)
· KT Tunstall - Drastic Fantastic (deluxe edition with DVD available same day; Virgin) [Buy Now]
· Twista - Adrenaline Rush 2007 (Atlantic)
Read: "Twista Raps For 'My People In My 'Hood' On New LP With R. Kelly, Pharrell"
· Matt White - Best Days (Geffen)
· Zerobridge - Havre de Grace (EP; Third Life)
· Various artists - Healing Force: The Songs of Albert Ayler (Cuneiform)
· Various artists - The Simpsons: Testify (Shout! Factory)
· Various artists - "Across the Universe" soundtrack (Interscope)
· Various artists - "House" soundtrack (Nettwerk)
· Various artists - "Into the Wild" soundtrack (J)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

· Bee Gees - Greatest (two CDs; Reprise) [Buy Now]
· John Coltrane - Interplay (five-CD box set; Prestige)
· The Crystal Method - Vegas - Deluxe Edition (two CDs; Geffen/UMe) [Buy Now]
· Emmylou Harris - Songbird: Rare tracks & Forgotten Gems (box set with four CDs and one DVD; Rhino)
· Kurious Jorge - A Constipated Monkey (Amalgam)
· Diana Krall - The Very Best of Diana Krall (Verve)
· Various artists - Song of America (three CDs; Spiritrock/Thirty One Tigers)

Music DVDs:

· Deep Purple - "In Concert With the London Symphony Orchestra" (Eagle Rock)
· DJ Krush - "History of DJ Krush" (three-DVD box set; Red Ink)
· D.O.A. - "Smash the State: The Raw Original D.O.A. 1978-81" (Sudden Death)
· Marianne Faithfull - "Dreaming My Dreams" (Eagle Rock)
· Marvin Gaye - "Greatest Hits: Live in '76" (Eagle Rock) [Buy Now]
· David Gilmour - "Remember That Night: Live at the Royal Albert Hall" (Columbia)
· Roger Hodgson - "Take the Long Way Home: Live in Montreal" (Eagle Vision)
· Bert Jansch - "Fresh as a Sweet Sunday Morning: Live at Sheffield Memorial Hall" (MVD Visual)
· Elton John - "Someone Like Me" (Eagle Rock) [Buy Now]
· Dennis Locorriere - "Unique Voice of Dr. Hook: Hits and History Tour Live" (MVD Visual)
· Pink Floyd - "The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story - Deluxe Edition" (two DVDs; MVD Visual) [Buy Now]
· The Polyphonic Spree - "Live From Austin TX" (New West)
· U2 - "PopMart Live From Mexico City" (limited edition come with bonus DVD; Island/Interscope/UMe) [Buy Now]
· Vital Remains - "Evil Death Live" (MVD Visual)
· Various artists - "The 25th Anniversary of the Marquee Club" (MVD Visual)
· Various artists - "All My Loving" (MVD Visual)
· Various artists - "Selena" (with bonus DVD; Warner Home Video)

Digital Releases:

· Edit - Certified Air Raid Material (Alpha Pup)
· Bo Diddley - I'm a Man: The Chess Masters (Hip-O-Select)
· Plastique De Reve - Jeux Sans Frontieres (Kitty-Cuts)

Coming Attractions:

September 25:
· Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (RCA) [Preorder]
Read: "Dave Grohl May Be Fond Of String Quartets, But Foo Fighters Haven't Gone Soft"
· PJ Harvey - White Chalk (Island) [Preorder]
· Hell Rell - For the Hell of It (Koch)

October 2:
· Dashboard Confessional - The Shade of Poison Trees (digipak; Vagrant) [Preorder]
· J. Holiday - Back of My Lac (Capitol) [Preorder]
· Soulja Boy - Souljaboytellem.com (Interscope) [Preorder]

October 9:
· Kid Rock - Rock N Roll Jesus (Atlantic) [Preorder]
· Jennifer Lopez - Brave (Epic) [Preorder]
· She Wants Revenge - This Is Forever (Geffen) [Preorder]

• Chamillionaire
• H.I.M. (His Infernal Majesty)
• U2
• James Blunt
• Twista

Nicole Richie
Photo: Robyn Beck/ Getty Images

Nicole Richie has finally confirmed that she's pregnant. In an interview with ABC News' Diane Sawyer that will air Thursday on "Good Morning America" and Friday on "20/20," the socialite — with Joel Madden beside her — said, "Yes, I am. We are. I'm almost four months." In the interview, Richie also talks about her upcoming jail time, saying, "It's something that I did wrong, and if I could personally apologize to every single person that has lost a loved one from drunk driving, I would. ... This is my way of paying my dues and taking responsibility and being an adult." ...

Eminem smells something rotten: Apple. His publisher, Eight Mile Style, and "copyright manager," Martin Affiliated, are suing the company, claiming it can't sell Em's songs on iTunes because Universal didn't have the right to license them to Apple, according to Wired.com. Eight Mile Style previously sued Universal when the company licensed his music to Apple for a 2004 ad and to stop Em ringtones from being sold online by Universal-licensed companies. ...

Paris Hilton's now-infamous house — where she was seen being mobbed by paparazzi and stuffed into the back seat of a police cruiser last month — is on the market. The Spanish-style house is located in West Hollywood, California, and has four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms. Her asking price: $4.25 million. ...

Another day, another problem for Lindsay Lohan. Signe Dupuy, the woman who claimed the actress pulled an illegal U-turn in April in Los Angeles that wound up causing an accident, is suing Lohan in small-claims court, TMZ.com reports. She alleges that Lohan and her bodyguard Jaz Bennett hit her car. Dupuy had previously also claimed that Bennett gave her a fake name and number after the accident. ...

Less than a week after Britney Spears bodyguard Cesar Julio Camera was charged with battery after wrestling with photographers, now there's a new complaint over the incident — against the singer herself. Andrew Deetz and Kyle Henderson claim in a statement released by their lawyers Tuesday (July 31) that Spears threatened them after they took pictures of her at a spa in Las Vegas, The Associated Press reports. According to the statement, Camera allegedly pushed Henderson against a wall until security asked the photographer to leave, after which the bodyguard allegedly attacked Deetz. After that, Spears is said to have thrown a baby bottle at Henderson and threatened Deetz, saying, "I am going to kill you!" and telling him to get a restraining order against her, because she was going to kill him or hire someone who would. Spears' lawyer Gary Stiffelman did not comment to AP about the statement. Deetz and Henderson said in the statement that they are preparing to sue. ...

DMX is in the doghouse again, this time for failing to fulfill a contract to promo a canine-clothing line, AP reports. New York State Supreme Court Judge Jane Goodman has ordered the rapper to fork over $242,000 to Amusing Diversions Inc., which produced and marketed Boomer 129, a dog-clothing company named after X's dog. DMX was supposed to promote the merchandise on TV, at concerts and elsewhere, but didn't. ...

Remy Ma is expected to be indicted later this week on charges stemming from her attempted-murder arrest earlier this month for allegedly shooting her close friend, Makeda Barnes-Joseph, according to the rapper's attorney, Ivan S. Fisher. Fisher told MTV News the announcement should be made shortly, after which a date will be set for Remy to formally respond to the accusations. As it stands, she's currently scheduled to appear in court on August 14, but Fisher believes that date will soon change. "It's not gonna happen [then]," he said. ...

Who will be the next Jordin Sparks? We won't know for a good long while, but the ball got rolling Monday as "American Idol" auditions kicked off at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium. A publicist for the show told AP that 12,000 people came to try out for season seven. Auditions will be held in the coming weeks in Dallas; Omaha, Nebraska; Atlanta; Charleston, South Carolina; Miami; and Philadelphia. The season begins airing in late January. ...

While we're on the subject of "American Idol," castoff Corey Clark is in the headlines again, this time for an arrest early Monday morning in Arkansas on a drug charge. Clark, best known for his disqualification from the show's second season and alleged affair with judge Paula Abdul, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia at 2:30 a.m. Monday, according to AP. He was also wanted on an outstanding warrant from Arizona after he failed to appear in that state on a summons tied to his arrest last year for violating a court order and trespassing. ... The Sunday Times of London is 'fessing up to a Fergie faux pax: The magazine has printed an apology for a June 1 story in which it claimed the Black Eyed Pea was being paid by Candie's Inc. to drop references to the brand in her lyrics. "Although Fergie has a commercial deal with Candie's in which she appears in advertisements for its clothing, this does not include the incorporation of the Candie's brand into her lyrics," read a statement by the newspaper. ...

Twista is apparently too twisted for McDonald's. The restaurant chain has yanked the rapper from the parking-lot tour also starring Ne-Yo and Kenna, citing his "controversial lyrics." "Although we respect free speech and artistic expression, we do not condone or perpetuate derogatory language," the company said in a statement. "We want to ensure these free concerts are fun as well as appropriate for all of our customers." Twista responded in a statement issued Tuesday, saying, "Being that Mcdonald's and I have worked together in the past, it was unsettling that I would be removed from the tour after undergoing the planning process. ... The recent trend of finger-pointing, and playing the blame game with certain media outlets and certain individuals needs to stop. We live in a society that advocates free speech." The free 10-city tour is set to begin August 7 in Chicago. ...

Mandy Moore says she feels bad for Zach Braff — she says the director's likely tired of hearing about her new album Wild Hope, she told the British version of Marie Claire for its September issue. The album revolves around love gone bad, and even if she admits that "the record's not necessarily all about him," she said, "[The] poor guy's probably heard about it in every interview." ... More than 10 years into their career, the Alkaline Trio are finally ready for the big time. The punk-rockers will issue their next album, which they'll record after playing this summer's Warped Tour, on Epic Records, Billboard.com reports. ...

Can't understand what Keith Richards is saying half the time? Maybe reading will help. The Rolling Stones guitarist has signed a book deal reportedly worth more than $7 million, Reuters reports. The autobiography, which will be co-written with James Fox, is slated for a fall 2010 release. ... Cheap Trick covering the Beatles is nothing new — but how about them doing it with Al Jourgensen? The pop-rock titans will perform Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in its entirety at the Hollywood Bowl on August 10-11 in celebration of the album's 40th anniversary, and the Ministry frontman will join them for "I Want You (She's So Heavy)." ...

The managers of Graceland — home to Elvis Presley — are planning a $250 million overhaul, AP reports. The plans include a massive tourist complex larger than a football field, a convention hotel and a high-tech museum. ... The Eagles are about to lay an egg: the classic-rock band's first new studio album in 28 years, if you can believe it. Guitarist Joe Walsh tells Billboard.com that the effort, which will feature songwriting by all four bandmembers, is "almost out. We're just finishing vocals and mixing it. We're all finally signing off on it." ...

eMusic, the second-largest online music store in the U.S., has signed a deal with AT&T that will allow users to download songs directly to their cell phones. The site will offer nearly all its 2.7 million songs from independent labels as part of the deal, with tracks priced a bit higher than they are on the Web site, though an extra downloadable copy of the song will be offered as an incentive. ... Another legendary director passed away late Monday: Michaelangelo Antonioni, the Italian titan responsible for "L'Avventura," "Blowup" and "Zabriskie Point." Antonioni, who was 94, died from a stroke. Visionary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman also passed away Monday.

07.30.07

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline finalized their divorce Monday (July 30) in Los Angeles Superior Court, The Associated Press reports. "They are divorced. Everything is finalized," Spears' lawyer Laura Wasser said after the hearing. A court commissioner signed the orders for dissolution of marriage, child custody and an alimony agreement, the latter of which won't be made public unless an enforcement issue arises. The child-custody order — which details the former couple's timeshare schedule and transportation matters — was sealed for the time being for safety reasons, pending a hearing slated for August 14. ...

Could a 17-second snippet of a song called "Candy Shop" be a leak from Madonna's upcoming album? Fans speculate that it's of a track Madonna was working on with either Timbaland or Pharrell — but reps for none of the three camps would confirm. "I have no comment about the song 'Candy Shop,' " Madonna's longtime rep Liz Rosenberg told MTV News. "Madonna has studio time booked and is continuing to work on her new CD. The songs are not mixed, and until that time, we can't finalize the track list." The yet-untitled album is due later this year. ...

Christina Aguilera scratched two shows in Australia slated for Saturday and Monday due to the flu — more specifically, a viral upper-respiratory tract infection. "I want to personally apologize to all of my fans for having to cancel my last two shows here in Melbourne," the singer said in a statement. "Thank you for all of the continued love and support and I hope to perform for you all again next time." In the statement, the singer didn't address ongoing pregnancy rumors. ... Lindsay Lohan is "in a very good place right now," her mother Dina told reporters Monday outside a New York courthouse, where she was battling with Michael Lohan over custody of three of their children. Lindsay's exact whereabouts is still unknown. ...

According to Jermaine Dupri, fans will have to wait a while longer for new Janet Jackson music — she's not going to be featured on the "Rush Hour 3" soundtrack. The producer posted a message on his MySpace page saying, "To answer all questions about [the] 'Rush Hour 3' soundtrack, I ended up not doing it 'cause the movie takes place in Paris and a lot of the music didn't fit. So all of you looking for that Janet record, you gotta wait till she's finished with the new album. Sorry." ...

Desert gold: Paul Wall is shoving off to the Persian Gulf for his second USO tour. "Being a part of a USO tour and performing for the troops is amazing," Wall said. "It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and to forget what's happening overseas," he said in a statement. "This is my way of letting them know I realize what they're sacrificing and am truly grateful." ... The Black Eyed Peas will headline the "Jerusalem Rocks!" festival, set to take place September 9 in Israel. The multi-culti act will be joined by Arrested Development and various local acts. ...

Korn's Jonathan Davis has one thing to say to Devo's Jerry Casale: no hard feelings. Responding to the flap that ensued over Korn's fake movie trailer that appeared to cop Devo's "de-evolution" concept, Davis said in a statement to Rolling Stone: "Korn never claimed to be the first to expose de-evolution, our hats are going off to Devo for that." He added, "They are pioneers for sure! However, we are glad to see that our efforts have them speaking up again! It's good to have them back." Davis closed with a requisite plug: "In the meantime, our researchers continue to uncover key evidence of de-evolution at the highest levels (EvolutionDevolution.com)." ...

Chamillionaire, Forest Whitaker and Babyface were among the attendees at Russell Simmons' eighth annual Art for Life event Saturday night. The charitable festivities took place in East Hampton, New York, and raised $1.4 million for underprivileged children in New York. ... Polow Da Don, Mark Ronson and Timbaland protégé Nate "Danjahandz" Hills were among those who made it on Vibe's 14th annual Juice list. Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama graces the cover. ... Damon Dash hobnobs with Ashton Kutcher, Sofia Coppola and Renée Zellweger on Vanity Fair's 68th Best-Dressed List, which appears in the magazine's September issue. George Clooney was named to the list's Hall of Fame, while Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made it to the couples list — surprised? ...

Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin and bassist Duff McKagan joined ex-GN'R drummer Steven Adler and his Adler's Appetite for a couple of Appetite for Destruction songs during a concert at the Key Club in West Hollywood, California, on Saturday. Slash, who had made it to the venue earlier that evening, did not end up performing during the quasi-reunion. The gig was scheduled in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the release of the band's 1987 debut, Appetite for Destruction. ... Peter Hook threatens offhandedly in a post on his MySpace page that he might take his former New Order bandmates to court, now that they've decided to continue performing as the band without him. He says Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris shouldn't assume they "have the rights to do anything New Order-ey" because he has "still got a third." ...

Metric will swing through the States for a three-week trek starting September 19 in Philadelphia and winding down October 9 in Seattle, RollingStone.com reports. The indie-rockers will record their fourth album in November. ... Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba will ship out for his first solo trek in five years on September 14 in Rochester, Michigan. With Augustana and John Ralston in tow, Carrabba will conclude the extensive trek November 14 in New York. ... The Offspring have parted ways with drummer Atom Willard and recruited Saves the Day's Pete Parada to take his place. Parada will make his debut with the Offspring next month when they perform at the Summer Sonic festival in Japan. Willard, in the meantime, has moved over fulltime to Angels & Airwaves. ...

It was a rough weekend for aging rock legends. First, Kiss singer/guitarist Paul Stanley had to sit out a show in San Jacinto, California, on Friday night after suffering a bout of tachycardia, which caused his heart to speed up to twice its normal rate. On his Web site, Stanley, 55, explained that during a rehearsal for the show, "my heart spontaneously jumped to 190-plus beats per minute, where it stayed for over an hour, necessitating paramedics to start an IV and give me a shot to momentarily stop my heart and get it into a normal pattern." The rest of the group played as a trio in Stanley's absence ...

The news was a bit better for Ozzy Osbourne, who was treated at and released by a Denver hospital over the weekend. Reuters reports that a statement from Osbourne's management on Sunday read: "Ozzy Osbourne had a minor outpatient procedure at Rose Medical Center late last night. He was released early this morning and is doing well." Osbourne, 58, is expected to perform at Monday's Ozzfest in Kansas City, Missouri. KUSA-TV in Denver reported that the surgery, which took place after Saturday's Ozzfest show, was for a blood clot in Osbourne's leg. He had complained of leg pain prior to the gig. ... Is Kelly Osbourne following in Ashlee Simpson's footsteps? Ozzy's daughter is joining the cast of "Chicago" at the Cambridge Theatre in London's West End for a seven-week run. She'll play Mama Morton, the matron of Cook County Jail. ...

Atlanta metallers Daath are stuck in Denver, meaning they'll miss some more Ozzfest dates. According to the bandmembers, they missed last week's stops in Phoenix and Oklahoma City because the airport shuttle bus they rented to get from city to city during the summer tour had broken down. Plans have been made to rent the band an RV, but complications with the vehicle haven't been resolved. There's no word yet on when Daath will return to the tour. ... DevilDriver have joined this summer's Ozzfest, taking over the second-stage slot abandoned last week by Mondo Generator. ... In the meantime, New York metal act Bloodsimple have been added to a competing fest: the Family Values Tour. They'll play the second stage. ...

Al Gore III, son of the the former vice president, pleaded guilty on Monday to two felony and three misdemeanor counts of drug possession stemming from his arrest while driving in Orange County, California, earlier this month. He agreed to enter a nine-month drug program, and the charges could be dropped if he finishes it. ... Visionary filmmaker Ingmar Bergman died Monday on an island off the coast of Sweden. He was 89. Woody Allen once called the director — three of whose films won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film — "probably the greatest film artist ... since the invention of the motion picture camera," according to The Associated Press.

• Paris Hilton, Chris Tucker, Jackie Chan, More At The "Rush Hour 3" Premiere

• Eminem
• Paris Hilton
• Lindsay Lohan
• Remy Ma
• Twista

Twista on the set of "Give It Up"
Photo: MTV News

MIAMI BEACH, Florida — Twista is in a confusing place right now.

Physically, the rapper is in South Beach to film the video for his upcoming single "Give It Up," produced by and featuring Pharrell Williams. The clip, directed by Hype Williams, is based in part on an idea Pharrell shared with Hype about alluring women appearing next to equally alluring items.

(See Twista talk about why he chose Pharrell's "Give It Up.")

"It's gonna be a nice, colorful joy ride for the fellas," Twista said from the set. "[Hype] heard the song and [had] a vision. He was just like, 'After all this time, we get to work together.' And I never thought he paid much attention to my career like that. But he was telling me, 'Man, I get a chance to really bring out your lyrics — I haven't seen other directors really bring them out the way it needs to be.' He got me real charged talking about his visual effects, the colors. He's really into this video."

And so is Pharrell. "The beat is definitely some booty-shaking, strip-club kind of record," P told MTV News earlier in the day. "And it kind of celebrates the fun things for a young boy who admires ethnicities. I just wanted to highlight it in a very different way. So you have the girl lying by something just as tasty as she looks, like candy. And the emphasizing of the beat comes from the way we cut from angle to angle versus her shaking her ass. Because I don't know about you guys, but I'm desensitized. How do you do it? Every video the girls get prettier and prettier and prettier."

(See Pharrell explain his video concept.)

But as forward-thinking as Twista and company are with his video, when it comes to the Chicago native's forthcoming album, Adrenaline Rush 2007 — due August 7 on Atlantic Records — Twista is looking to the past for direction.

The title is a nod to his debut, the hard-charging Adrenaline Rush, which first introduced the world to Twista's rapid-fire flow, particularly the Legendary Traxter-produced "Overdose."

It's been 10 years since that album dropped, and while collaborations with Kanye West, Diddy and others have raised his profile over the years, Twista said he still makes music for his original fanbase.

"I feel like I found a niche as far as how to do music successfully, commercially and still keep my street vibe and my lyrical credibility," he said. "I feel like that's what I conquered when I did songs like 'Slow Jamz' and 'Overnight Celebrity.'

"But at the same time, too, I realized I still live in Chicago," Twista continued. "And one of the things I can't have is the people where I live feel like I'm only doing music for the masses now and I don't think about them. What drives me is when my homie in my 'hood digs my lyrics. When I go overseas and I can see this person with an accent tell me my sh-- is dope, that makes me feel equally as good. But at the same time, what I'm very passionate about is my people in my 'hood and where I'm from."

So for Rush 2007, Twista recruited Cee-Lo, Jazze Pha, R. Kelly, Lil Wayne and the Speedknot Mobstaz to join the fray. He said he was also in talks to reunite with Traxter for a sequel to "Overdose," but according to Twista, these days it's easier for him and his former mentor to kick it as friends than to do business with one another.

Even though Twista is still finishing up his upcoming project, he already has ideas for a follow-up. The rapper has been serving as a columnist for Chicago's Red Eye newspaper, writing about issues (the Virginia Tech tragedy, President Bush) that he normally wouldn't address in his raps. But during his tenure, he said he's learned to be proactive with his thoughts instead of waiting to be asked to speak on a particular subject, something he didn't do before.

"Sometimes when I do my music, I try to be so dope with the lyrics that I don't touch on a lot of topics like I do with my column," he said. "So if you want to really see what Twista is thinking about stuff, you can check out the column side. But when I get to my next album, I'mma fuse both of them together — my music with the way I write in my column — so you can really hear Twista's perspective on a musical level. I'm trying to take it there."

• T.I. And Twista Grill Up Smokin' Summer Clips

• Twista
• Pharrell Williams
• R. Kelly

Kanye West and Tom Cruise at <I>Rolling Stone</I> and Verizon Wireless' pre-Grammy party
Photo: MTV News

Kanye West has money, an expensive wardrobe, more talent than the law should allow, a cute girlfriend and some Grammys. He just needs one more thing: time.

'Ye said he definitely has something up his sleeve for a Michael Jackson collaboration if he can sync up schedules with M.J. And last year, he didn't make it onto his friend Twista's album because of time conflicts.

"I didn't have enough time to make it the way I make it," West said from Hawaii about his latest accomplishment, "Impossible." The track features West, Twista and the newest signee to Kanye's Good Music imprint, Keyshia Cole.

"If you notice, I don't do as many beats for people because I don't have enough time to make it how I make it," he said. "My beats is a whole new art form now. It's not just a 15-minute joint. It's not that fast-food sh--. You can tell 'Impossible' took hours."

Fifty hours, to be exact. While "Impossible" was left on the cutting-room floor for Twista's album, West found it to be the perfect offering to be used in "Mission: Impossible III" when Tom Cruise called and asked for a contribution. West also produced a reworking of the famous "Mission: Impossible" theme.

"It's hard," he said of the theme. "Like some DMX-sounding sh--. I chopped up the 'bomp, bomp, bomp-bomp,' but I couldn't think of no verse for it, so it's just an instrumental."

West has found time to work on Finding Forever, Common's next LP (see "Common Wants Kanye For His Own Forever (No Diamonds Required)"), which West already has predicted will win the Grammy for Rap Album of the Year in 2007.

"You will be happy with Finding Forever," he said. "We're halfway done. We're going to be dropping in September, and the first single is going to be called 'The Glory.' I'm just excited. I want to scream it from the top of the mountaintop."

Finding Forever will be the second album West has produced for Common, after last year's Be.

"We're back at home in the studio, talking sh-- about any and everything and doing music as a sidebar," he said. "We'd get in the studio and just talk sh--, and I'd be like, 'Oh, by the way, listen to this beat,' and we'd work on it. It was a real easy environment, and I might have a couple of beats off [my next album] Graduation [coming from the sessions]."

John Legend's second disc and Fonzworth Bentley's first will be released from West's Good Music imprint sometime this year, he added.

Go behind the scenes and deep inside the adrenaline-filled "M:i:III" action, on Overdrive.

• The Year Of Kanye

• Kanye West
• Common
• Michael Jackson
• Twista
• Keyshia Cole

Mariah Carey
Photo: Arnaldo Magnani/Getty Images

Mariah Carey's "pretty gun-shy" about ever getting married again, but that's not just because of her failed marriage to music mogul Tommy Mottola. The singer tells Good Housekeeping for its February issue that her parents' divorce still affects her. "I always said when I was little that I was never going to get married," she told the mag, "but then I was always the girl who didn't understand why people would live together. 'If they're living together, then why don't they get married?' I'm actually sort of a prude like that, I guess." Carey, who fought rumors last month that she had gotten engaged to her boyfriend, tells the mag she would only consider getting married again if she knew she was starting a family, and she's not too sure that should be her goal. "I mean, to me, if you're getting married, it's about having kids," she said. "Still, I worry sometimes about having kids when you're really famous, because the kids aren't asking to be brought into this world as famous people." She reserves the right to change her mind, though. "I can't even predict the next 10 minutes, let alone the next 10 years!" ...

The house Nick Lachey famously landscaped (and moved all his furniture into) is on the market. Jessica Simpson and her soon-to-be-ex are selling the Los Angeles-area house the couple lived in while filming "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica." The asking price? $3.75 million, according to People magazine.

Twista is banged up but should be back on his feet soon. Early Saturday morning he was driving home when another car hit his vehicle and drove off. Since then he's been resting at home under a doctor's care. "I want to thank all of my fans and supporters for checking in on my health," he said in a statement. "I was the victim of a hit-and-run car accident [but] the grind does not stop, as I will shortly be back in front of my fans, giving them the energetic performances they have come to expect from me." ...

Part of the reason Madonna keeps in such good shape is that she's afraid of getting fat, she reveals in the February issue of Elle, on stands Thursday. (Check out photos here.) "I wish I were comfortable enough to look zaftig," she told the mag, "but I choose men who like carved-out women, the can-you-run-for-the-bus kind of guy. I'm naturally inclined toward men like that." The singer traces her desire to win men over back to her relationship with her father, who she said doesn't get excited about much of anything. "A good part of my life was spent trying to wow him, to get his approval," she said. Even so, she doesn't think her fame will help any man in her life, especially the big guy upstairs. "In the big picture, it means very little," Madonna said. "At the end of my life, God doesn't give a sh--." ... When Michael Jackson took off for Bahrain after his acquittal on child-molestation charges last year, it seems he forgot to leave a check for the vet. Martin Dinnes, owner of Dinnes Memorial Veterinary Hospital, which cares for the exotic menagerie of animals at Jackson's now-abandoned Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, California, has sued the singer for more than $91,000 in unpaid bills, according to an Associated Press report. In the suit, Dinnes claims that in addition to treating Jackson's animals, he helped the singer acquire his collection of flamingoes, giraffes, elephants and orangutans. ...

Courtney Love lost ownership of the historic Olympia, Washington, home she bought in 1997 after a foreclosure auction over the weekend, according to The Associated Press. The home, which will go to a Los Angeles mortgage company as it received no bids, was on the block because the company filed suit last year seeking foreclosure when Love reportedly failed to pay more than $386,000 in debt on the property. Love could have prevented the auction by paying off the debt. Kurt Cobain's sister, Kim, was living in the house before the auction. ... The first three dates of Rob Zombie's North American spring tour with Lacuna Coil have been announced: March 18 in Miami; April 6 in Columbus, Ohio; and April 7 in Detroit. More dates will be announced in the coming weeks. ...

British rapper Ms. Dynamite would probably rather forget her birthday. The 25-year-old MC was charged on Saturday with punching a police officer in the face after being arrested for allegedly kicking at the front door of the Paragon Lounge in West London. According to The Associated Press, Dynamite (whose real name is Niomi McLean-Daley) was out celebrating with her brother when she allegedly hit the female officer. She was charged with disorderly conduct and assaulting an officer while her brother was charged with obstructing police work. Both were released on bail; a hearing is set for Friday. ... Simon Cowell is developing a singing-contest show called "Duets," in which, like "Dancing With the Stars," pros will pair with celebrities. Cowell will not be a judge on the series, which FOX has signed on to air (cast contingent), according to the network. ...

Six of the eight "Laguna Beach" castmembers appear in a spring ad campaign for Bongo that will show up in fashion and entertainment magazines such as Seventeen, Teen Vogue and Us Weekly for their February issues. The cast holed up in a Santa Monica, California, mansion and headed down to the beach for some sun and surf, and hired Orange County band the Colour to play during the mid-November shoot (castmember Alex Murrel joined the group to sing "Wild Thing"). Other craziness that ensued? Talan Torriero announced his ill-fated engagement to Kimberly Stewart, and everyone pushed each other into the mansion's pool. ... Massive Attack have finished seven tracks with producer Neil Davidge for their forthcoming Weather Underground LP. According to the band's Web site, an early 2007 release is being eyed. The band also has a best-of in the works. The two-CD set, called Collected, will include the tracks "Unfinished Sympathy," "Safe From Harm," "Protection," "Angel" and "Teardrop." Look for Collected in late March. ...

Former You Hear It First artist Regina Spektor has finished the follow-up to her 2004 album, Soviet Kitsch. According to a post on ReginaSpektor.com, the new album is called Begin to Hope, and it's tentatively due to hit stores sometime this spring or summer. "There is still much work to be done, and I am looking forward to making more visual and video art to go along with it," Spektor wrote. ...

01.06.2006

Just as Kelly Clarkson's latest video heads for the "TRL" retirement home, the singer has a new single on the way. She's picked "Walk Away" as her follow-up to "Because of You." ...

A year and three months after their first anniversary, Jesse McCartney and "7th Heaven" actress Katie Cassidy re-create their first dates in a photo spread in the February issue of Teen People, posing in his car, on the beach, on a Ferris wheel and on a picnic blanket eating takeout. "After dinner, I opened the car door and there was a beautiful orchid sitting in his front seat. It was so sweet," she said. "We got ice cream on our first date. It was really cute ... [And] on one of our first dates, we spent the entire day on the beach." ... The debut album from Tom DeLonge's new band, Angels & Airwaves, won't be hitting shelves until the spring, but that doesn't mean he can't spend nearly every waking minute releasing various news tidbits about said album. Case in point, Friday's news about the names of eight tracks on the A&A album, according to DeLonge's manager: "Valkyrie Missile," "Distraction," "The Adventure," "The War," "A Little's Enough," "It Hurts," "Do It for Me Now" and "Start the Machine." ...

Apparently Kid Rock missed the road more than he thought. The Detroit rocker has added seven more dates onto his previously announced string of winter shows, which already included a two-night stand at the Joe Louis Arena in his hometown just before this year's Super Bowl. Rock will now also play February shows in San Antonio; Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida; Nashville; and an April 8 gig at the Heritage Motorcycle Rally in Ladson, South Carolina. On February 14, meanwhile, Rock will release his first live album, When I'm Dead ... Kid Rock Live. ... The members of Every Time I Die are recovering from a recent van accident in Wyoming. While the band is fine, having sustained just scrapes, bruises and pulled muscles, the van isn't. Hence, the boys will be missing the next four dates of their tour with Story of the Year. Every Time I Die will rejoin the trek on Tuesday, and will be good to go for their spring tour with Bleeding Through and Between the Buried and Me, which kicks off February 11 in Reno, Nevada. ...

Despite being the progeny of Courtney Love and late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, 13-year-old Frances Bean Cobain's taste veers toward the mainstream. She tells i-D magazine for its latest issue that she's obsessed with "Laguna Beach" and "American Idol," and wants Mariah Carey to come sing at her sweet 16 party. Frances says her style is "very girly, classic girly," but not like Courtney's ironic twist on femininity. "You know the funny thing about my mom? That stuff works for her! She can get away with it," Frances said. "She looks good in it." As much as she thinks her mom is cool, though, Frances sometimes wishes her mom were a little more normal. "Sometimes I wish I wasn't so much at home alone and that it wasn't about nannies and chauffeurs and all that stuff. I get to meet everyone I want and I get quite a lot of attention because of it, you know? But of course it hurts when you see a lot of lies about her in tabloids and then you think, 'Well, it's not that cool to have a cool mom.' I don't like seeing my mom upset. No one does, right?" ... The Donnas are all about catching big air. They shot a music video at the Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah for "Fall Behind Me" to promote the upcoming Olympic Winter Games. In the clip, the U.S. women's snowboarding team soars into the air above the band as it performs at the base of a half-pipe. The Olympics start February 10 in Torino, Italy, and will be covered on NBC. A full-length version of the Donnas video can be viewed at offthepodium.com. ...

Further Seems Forever — the band founded seven years ago by Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba — have broken up. A statement posted to the band's Web site said the split was amicable. The group's planning a batch of farewell shows, and promised to hit "as many places as possible," though dates have yet to be announced. The statement also revealed that unreleased material would come out sometime this year, along with a DVD of live footage and the band's videos. ... Officials in Vietnam formally charged British glam rocker Gary Glitter with committing obscene acts with two girls aged 10 and 11 on Friday. According to The Associated Press, the charges carry prison terms of three to seven years. Glitter has been held in a Vietnamese jail since November 19 after he was stopped at Ho Chi Minh airport on suspicion of sex with minors. Prior to the charge, Glitter reportedly agreed to pay $2,000 to the families of two of the girls who were alleged victims to secure their testimony on his behalf. ...

The Bouncing Souls will hit the studio next week to start recording their seventh, as-yet-untitled LP — the follow-up to 2003's Anchors Aweigh. The album will surface on June 6, according to the band's Web site. ... The Thrills have been hard at work on their third studio LP. They've written about 20 songs for the effort, which could hit stores before the end of the year, according to the band's MySpace page. ...

• Madonna's Spread In The February 2006 Issue Of 'Elle'
• Nick Lachey And Jessica Simpson, A Look Back

• Mariah Carey
• Twista
• Madonna
• Rob Zombie
• Michael Jackson

"Get Rich or Die Tryin' " soundtrack
Photo: Interscope Records

Die Another Day: Whereas 50 Cent faced us head-on, albeit through a cracked mirror, on his Get Rich or Die Tryin' debut, the still-shirtless rapper has his back turned — and a baby in arms — on the soundtrack to the movie of the same name. To the delight of those protesting the movie's billboards, perhaps, the clean version of the soundtrack doesn't show a gun sticking out of 50's pants (but the explicit one does). Tracks include: "When It Rains It Pours" (50), "I'll Whip Ya Head Boy" (50 featuring Young Buck) and "When Death Becomes You" (M.O.P. featuring 50).

Hits Me Baby One More Time: Can't artists let their best songs speak for themselves? 'Parently not. If you've got a little extra gold lying around, you might want to splurge on the CD+DVD version of the Beastie Boys' Solid Gold Hits, which has a live video for "Brass Monkey," filmed at a sold-out Madison Square Garden show last October. Limp Bizkit take a less consumer-friendly approach by selling their CD and DVD separately, while Lenny Kravitz bests even that by making fans buy his Greatest Hits all over again: It's coming out as a limited-edition tour version with a bonus DVD.

Rap With a Twista: You just heard from Twista with last month's The Day After, but his pal Paul Wall's gotta pay the bills too, so they're dishing up the album again, screwed-and-chopped style (and with a purple album cover). The Alchemist is also taking a seemingly-innovative-but-in-reality-kinda-dull approach by re-releasing last year's 1st Infantry — in instrumental form.

Rick Rubin Everywhere: Sure, the perplexing producer has Melanie C and Sir Mix-a-Lot in his oeuvre, but Neil Diamond? That's right — Rubes spruced up the 12 songs on Diamond's first studio record in four years called, uh, 12 Songs. The Digipak version defies the album title with two bonus cuts: "Men Are So Easy" and an alternate take of "Delirious Love" with Brian Wilson. Incidentally, several bands Rubin has bonded with in the past also have releases coming out this week: the Beastie Boys, the Mars Volta, Limp Bizkit and Johnny Cash.

Song Title of the Week:

"Gods Are Fearing Men" (Filthy Thieven' Bastards' My Pappy Was a Pistol)

Other Notables:

The Mars Volta's Scab Dates: After their first record, the Mars Volta followed it up with a 43-minute live "EP" loosely based (read: improvised) around the same material. Now they're chasing March's Frances the Mute with Scab Dates, an even lengthier live collection of material from 2003-2005 that clocks in around 70 minutes. Only two studio albums in, and already two live releases that nearly total the time of the band's studio-recorded output? Gotta be a first.

Guided by Voices' Suitcase 2 - American Superdream Wow and Briefcase 2 - The Return of Milko Waif, Suitcase 2 Abridged: If Guided by Voices were a circus prop, they'd be one of those taxis the clowns pile out of indefinitely. Even though they broke up last year, they've managed to cull 100 more tracks for their fourth box (emphasis on the "Wow"). Two decades' worth of demos, sketches and live tunes are packed into this Suitcase, including the original version of "I Am Decided," which Kim Deal later recycled on her 1995 Amps record, Pacer. To make matters a little more frustrating, GBV are putting two exclusive tracks on Briefcase 2 - The Return of Milko Waif, Suitcase 2 Abridged, a separate set that is otherwise a distilled version of Suitcase 2. Plus there's a vinyl version of Briefcase 2 with an exclusive cut of its own, proving that, if you are in fact trying to be a GBV completist, you've completely lost your mind.

Peter Gallagher's 7 Days in Memphis and the various-artists collection The O.C. Mix 5: So if Ryan Atwood is a fish out of water in the O.C., what does that make Sandy Cohen in Memphis? A recording artist, apparently. The reception Peter Gallagher got after barreling out a cover of a Solomon Burke number in a recent episode "The O.C." must have been tremendous, because that's all the actor needed to hole up in Soulsville USA for 7 Days in Memphis — and it's all Epic Records needed to sign him. This week gets even soapier with The O.C. Mix 5, although that 12-track comp probably won't cater to the soul crowd; it features tastemakers like Gorillaz, Stars, Phantom Planet, Shout Out Louds and Kasabain.

New Releases:

• 501 Click - Code 501 (Sugar Water)
• The Advantage - Elf Titled (5 Rue Christine)
• Akron, Family and Angels of Light - Akron, Family and Angels of Light (Young God)
• The Alchemist - 1st Infantry: The Instrumentals (Koch)
  Read: "Lloyd Banks, Game, M.O.P. Join The Alchemist's 1st Infantry"
• Annihilator - Schizo Deluxe (Locomotive)
• Atomic Betty - Atomic Betty (Koch)
• AZ - A.W.O.L. - Version 1.5 (Fastlife)
• Beastie Boys - Solid Gold Hits (Capitol)
  Read: "Beastie Boys Join Hilary, ODB's Ranks With Greatest-Hits LP"
• Bell Orchestre - Recording a Tape of the Colour of the Light (Rough Trade)
• Jenny Bliss - See You Again (EP; V2)
• Brave Combo - Holidays (Rounder)
• The Brothas & Sistas - Woke Up This Morning: Theme From the HBO Hit Series "The Sopranos" (Passport Audio)
• Geoffrey Burgen - "The Chronicles of Narnia" soundtrack (Silva America)
• Kate Bush - Aerials (two CDs; Columbia)
• Calico System - They Live (Eulogy)
• Jeremy Camp - Live >> Unplugged >> Franklin, TN (BEC)
• Kenny Chesney - The Road and the Radio (BNA)
• Diane Cluck - Countless Times (Voodoo-Eros)
• Comet Gain - City Fallen Leaves (Kill Rock Stars)
• ConQuest - Queezy Baby (Sugar Water)
• D4L - Down for Life (Atlantic)
• Neil Diamond - 12 Songs (Digipak with additional tracks also available; Columbia)
• Dogs of Winter- Cut Down to the Quick (Exotic)
• Paul Duncan - Be Careful What You Call Home (Hometapes)
• Fenix TX - Purple Reign in Blood - Live (Drive-Thru)
  Read: "Fenix TX's Homage To Prince Gets Them A Cease-And-Desist Letter"
• Filthy Thieven' Bastards - My Pappy Was a Pistol (BYO)
• Floetry - Flo' Ology (Geffen)
• Robert Fripp - Love Cannot Bear (Discipline)
• Peter Gallagher - 7 Days in Memphis (DualDisc also available; Epic)
• Glass Joe - Glacious (Felonious)
• Grabs - Sex, Fashion, & Money (The Grabs Records)
• Gris Gris - For the Season (Birdman)
• Grizzly Bear - Horn of Plenty (with extra CD of bonus remixes; Kanine)
• Guce - Controversial (SMC)
• Harvey Danger - Cream and Bastards Rise (EP; Kill Rock Stars)
• Headlights - The Enemies (EP; Polyvinyl)
• Hella - Concentration Face/ Homeboy (with DVD; 5 Rue Christine)
• Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy (two CDs; SPV)
• Il Divo - The Christmas Collection/ Il Divo (limited edition; Columbia)
• Knut - Terraformer (Hydra Head)
• Cyndi Lauper - The Body Acoustic (DualDisc also available; Epic)
• Lil' Romeo - "Romeo! TV Show (The Season)" soundtrack (Koch)
• Limp Bizkit - Greatest Hitz (Geffen)
  Read: "Fred Durst Says Limp Bizkit Are About To Bring On The Gravy"
• Sheek Louch - After Taxes (Koch)
• Harry Manx - Mantras for Madmen (Dog My Cat)
• The Mars Volta - Scab Dates (live; GSL/Strummer/Universal)
• Marin Mazzi/ Jason Danieley - Opposite You (P.S. Classics)
• The Mean Reds - Together at Last and This Is Our Wedding (Record Collection)
• Mi & l'Au - Mi and l'Au (Young God)
• The No-Neck Blues Band - Qvaris (5 Rue Christine)
• Nonpoint - To the Pain (Beiler Bros.)
• Novatone - Time Can't Wait (Wax Orchard)
• Danny Owen - The Environmental Sounds of Crawford, Texas (Koch)
• The Pharcyde - Sold My Soul: The Remix & Rarities Collection (two CDs; The Funky Chemist)
• The Primeridian - Da All Nighta (All Natural Inc.)
• Purple City - Paris to Purple City (Babygrande)
• Eros Ramazzotti - Calma Apparente (Columbia)
• Relient K - Apathetic EP (Capitol)
• Ruts - Rhythmic Collision, Vol. 1 (Remixes) (Echo Beach)
• Sepultura - Live in São Paulo (two CDs; SPV)
• So I Had to Shoot Him - Alpha Males and Popular Girls (Crucial Blast)
• Tarantula A.D. - Book of Sand (Kemado)
• These Glass Eyes - House of Glass (Martyr)
• Tristeza - A Colores (Better Looking)
• Twista - The Day After - Chopped & Screwed by Paul Wall (Atlantic)
• Marshall Tucker Band - Carolina Christmas (Shout! Factory)
• Tanya Tucker - Live at Billy Bob's Texas (Image)
• Steve Tyrell - The Songs of Sinatra (Hollywood)
• Vandals - Shingo Japanese Remix Album (Kung-Fu)
• Windy & Carl - The Dream House/ Dedications to Flea (with limited-edition EP; Kranky)
• Young Buck - T.I.P. (Mass Appeal)
• Zu Vs. Mats Gustafsson - How to Raise an Ox (Atavistic)
• Various artists - A Quiet Revolution: 30 Years of Windham Hill (Windham Hill)
• Various artists - Blues Guitar Women (Ruf)
• Various artists - Gilles Peterson Digs America: Brownswood U.S.A. (Luv N Haight)
• Various artists - Putumayo Presents: Asian Lounge (Putumayo)
• Various artists - Stand-Ins for deciBels - A Tribute to the db's (Paisley Pop)
• Various artists - Thrasher Mag: Skate Rock, Vol. 12: Eat the Flag(DualDisc; Volcom)
• Various artists - "Beauty and the Beast: Of Love and Hope" soundtrack (Rykodisc)
• Various artists - "Cronicas" soundtrack (Palm)
• Various artists - "Get Rich or Die Tryin' " soundtrack (G-Unit/Interscope)
  Read: "New 50 Music Hits Airwaves; MC Admits That He Too Was Once A Window Shopper"
• Various artists - The O.C. Mix 5 (Warner Bros.)
• Various artists - Smallville: The Metropolis Mix (Interscope)

Reissues & Archival Notables:

• Johnny Cash - The Complete Sun Recordings 1955-1958 (three-CD box set; Time Life)
• Rosanne Cash - The Very Best of Rosanne Cash (Columbia/Legacy)
• Corm - Audio Flame Kit (Polyvinyl)
• Crowded House - Crowded House (DualDisc; Capitol)
• The Damned - Play It at Your Sister (three CDs; Castle/Sanctuary)
• John Entwistle - Rigor Mortis Sets In, Smash Your Head Against the Wall and Whistle Rymes (Sanctuary)
• Eurythmics - Ultimate Collection (Arista)
• Fleetwood Mac - Men of the World: The Blues Years (three CDs; Sanctuary)
• Guided by Voices - Suitcase 2 - American Superdream Wow (four CDs; Recordhead) and Briefcase 2 - The Return of Milko Waif, Suitcase 2 Abridged(two CDs; Recordhead)
• The Highwaymen - The Road Goes on Forever (limited-edition remaster with DVD; Capitol)
• Miranda July - 10 Million Hours in a Mile (Kill Rock Stars)
• King Cole Trio - Transcriptions (three CDs; Blue Note)
• Lenny Kravitz - Greatest Hits (limited tour edition with DVD; Virgin)
• John Lennon - Live Peace in Toronto, 1969 (gold CD; Mobile Fidelity)
• Bob Marley and the Wailers - Africa Unite: The Singles Collection (Island)
• Maximum Joy- Unlimited 1979-1983 (Crippled Di-- Hot Wax)
• Nickelback - Silver Side Up/ Live at Home - The 25th Anniversary Series (live; special edition; Roadrunner)
• R.E.M. - Document (DualDisc; Capitol)
• Sonny Rollins - Essential Sonny Rollins: The RCA Years (RCA)
• T. Rex - Dandy in the Underworld, The Slider, The T. Rex Wax Co. Singles: A's and B's 1972-77 and Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow EP (two CDs each; Rhino)
• Patti Smith - Horses/Horses (two CDs; Arista)
• Traffic - The Last Traffic Jam (DualDisc; Epic)
• The Tragically Hip - Hipeponymous (four CDs; Universal/Fontana)
• Venom - MMV (box set; Castle/Sanctuary)
• Steve Winwood - About Time (DualDisc; Epic)
• Zapp & Mr. Capone-e - Ol' Skool Music, Vol. 1 (Thump)
• Various artists - "The Warriors" soundtrack (A&M)

DVDs:

• 50 Cent - "Refuse 2 Die: The Unauthorized Biography" (New Line)
• Björk - "Medulla Videos" (Elektra)
• Lindsey Buckingham (with special guest Stevie Nicks) - "PBS Soundstage Presents: Lindsey Buckingham Live in Concert" (Koch Vision)
• Ray Charles - "50 Years in Music" (Image)
• Alice Cooper - "Good to See You Again - Live 1973: The Billion Dollar Babies Tour" (Shout! Factory)
• The Charlie Daniels Band - "The Charlie Daniels Band Live" (Koch)
• Game - "Chronicles of the Street" (Shoot II Films)
• Legendary Pink Dots - "A Dream Is a Dream" (live; Beta-Lactam Rin)
• Ute Lempter - "Blood & Feathers - Live from the Café Carlyle" (Koch)
• Limp Bizkit - "Greatest Videoz" (Geffen)
• Bob Marley and the Wailers - "Live at the Rainbow" (Island)
• The Offspring - "Complete Music Video Collection" (UMD Mini for PSP; Columbia)
• The Police - "Synchronicity Concert" (A&M/Universal)
• Sage Francis - "Life Is Easy" (Epitaph)
• Sepultura - "Live in São Paulo" (two DVDs; Warner Bros.)
• The Tragically Hip - "That Night in Toronto: Pierre & Franco" (Universal/Fontana)
• UFO - "Showtime" (live; two DVDs; SPV)
• Usher - "Truth Tour: Behind the Truth - Live in Atlanta" (available exclusively through Best Buy until February; three DVDs; Arista)
• The Who - "Tommy and Quadrophenia Live With Special Guests" (three DVDs; Rhino)
• Various artists - "All Access: DVD Magazine #10" (Kraze)
• Various artists - "Live 8: One Day, One Concert, One World - July 2nd 2005" (four DVDs; Capitol)

Coming Attractions:

November 15:

• Mariah Carey - The Emancipation of Mimi: Platinum Edition (Island)
  Read: "Mariah Carey Emancipating Mimi Again, With Bonus Tracks"
• Green Day - Bullet in a Bible (with DVD; Reprise)
• Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Madonna Making 'Spontaneous' And 'Unapologetic' Dance Music"

November 22:

• John Mayer Trio - Try! John Mayer Trio Live in Concert (Columbia)
  Read: "John Mayer Trio Geek Out With Live Album, Rolling Stones Jokes"
• Britney Spears - Britney Spears Remixed (Jive)
• System of a Down - Hypnotize (DualDisc also available; Columbia)
  Read: "System Of A Down Album Preview: Hypnotize Even Wilder Than Mezmerize"

November 29:

• Master P - Living Legend: Certified D-Boy (Gutter)
• Dave Matthews Band - Weekend on the Rocks (two CDs with DVD; RCA)
• Shakira - Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 (Columbia)

• 50 Cent
• Beastie Boys
• Limp Bizkit
• The Mars Volta
• Johnny Cash

The Notorious B.I.G.
Photo: WireImage

Diddy originally envisioned The Notorious B.I.G: The Final Chapter as a double-disc duets LP in the vein of duets albums by the likes Ray Charles and Nat King Cole. Although the LP will now be a single disc, Diddy says he still feels he accomplished his mission of releasing one last classic from his deceased best friend.

While putting the LP together with the likes of producers such as Eminem, R. Kelly, Just Blaze and Clinton Sparks, the head of Bad Boy said he had no problems obtaining guests to rap alongside some of Biggie's most cherished verses and even a few that people might not be familiar with (see "Diddy Doin' It In The Studio, Gearing Up For Biggie Duets LP").

"Everyone in the industry wanted to be a part of this, and we got just about everybody," Diddy said last week in New York during a listening session.

Em and Kelly both lend their voices to the LP, as do the Diplomats, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Nas, the Game, Ludacris, Twista, Akon, Redman, T.I. and Mary J. Blige.

"Puff called, he said he needed me for this Biggie album," Blige said last week of how she got on the track "Living in Pain," which also features Tupac and Nas. "I went to the studio and he played the track. Biggie and Pac was on it, I didn't hear Nas. ... I was listening to the lyrics and I came up with my lyrics based on what they were saying. Mario Winans helped me write it."

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony appear on "Spit Your Game," which is basically an updated version of their 1997 collaboration with Big, "Notorious Thugs."

"I was glad to contribute, be a part of that and put a tight somethin' somethin' down for my man," Twista said.

"They picked me to be on one of those songs where he was kicking that [fast] style," he added. "It was real easy. I was like, 'I'm finin' to lock in right now, make him sound good, make us bounce off each other. I made sure I did my thing, but the way I did it was a tribute."

Jagged Edge, Nelly and Diddy pay tribute to Big and the ladies on "Nasty Girl," the official first single ("Hold Your Head" with Bob Marley has been leaked to the Internet and mixtape circuit). Jazze Pha produced the party anthem, which incorporates the first verse from Biggie's classic "Nasty Boy."

"I love my little girls/ All the ladies, if you feel me/ Grab your t--ties, scream B.I.G.," Jagged Edge sing on the hook. Diddy and Nelly rap on their respective verses about loving women as well. "I'll make you spring a leak/ When I'm done, flip the mattress, change the sheets," Nelly raps. According to Bad Boy, a video is going to be shot for the song.

Elsewhere, Jay-Z reunites with the other half of Brooklyn's Finest via "Whatchu Want," and Mobb Deep rhyme on "Beef," a new version of Biggie's "What's Beef?" R. Kelly and Charlie Wilson sing on "Mi Casa," Diplomats Juelz Santana and Jim Jones join Lil' Wayne and B.I.G. on "I'm Wit Whateva," and Game spits all over "1970 Somethin'."

The Final Chapter is due December 20.

For a feature on the lasting impact of Biggie and his lyrics, check out "Notorious B.I.G.: Still The Illest."

• Notorious B.I.G.
• Eminem
• Tupac
• Nas
• Ludacris

Nickelback
Photo: Roadrunner

A cool wind wafted into American record stores from Canada last week in the form of Nickelback's fifth offering, All the Right Reasons, while a raging Twista, which first started swirling over Chicago, cut a path across the U.S. and left The Day After in its wake.

In the end, Nickelback's release had a bigger impact, debuting atop Billboard's albums chart with sales nearing 325,000 — the band's first #1 debut. Making the foursome's triumph even sweeter is the fact that All the Right Reasons also represents the band's best week-one sales showing; 2001's Silver Side Up debuted at #2 with 178,000 scans while 2003's The Long Road finished at #6 with more than 200,000 copies sold.

Twista tried to make it two #1's in a row with The Day After, which follows 2004's chart-topper Kamikaze. The Chicago rapper fell short of his goal, with After's sales clocked at under 129,000. His #2 finish hindered female country singer Sara Evans' run for Billboard glory; her newest offering, Real Fine Place, debuts at #3 with sales of nearly 126,000. The previous week's #1, Gretchen Wilson's All Jacked Up, falls three spots to #4, followed at #5 by Sheryl Crow's Wildflower, which netted second-week sales of 106,000. Kanye West's Late Registration hangs tough at #6 with over 94,000 copies soaring off shelves.

Fiona Apple's Mike Elizondo-produced second stab at Extraordinary Machine affirms the songstress' comeback, finishing its opening week at #7. The album sold close to 94,000 copies, besting Franz Ferdinand's latest by more than 10,000 scans; Apple's 1999 release, When the Pawn Hits ... debuted at #13 with 103,000 sold.

You Could Have It So Much Better, Franz Ferdinand's follow-up to their breakthrough self-titled debut, moved just over 81,000 copies during its initial week in stores to claim Billboard's #8 post. The Black Eyed Peas follow Franz at #9 with sales of 79,000 and change for Monkey Business while Faith Hill's Fireflies leaps 30 spots to #10, thanks to a 194 percent surge in retail interest that translated to week-10 scans of just under 79,000.

Trina's latest, Glamorest Life, came close, but couldn't quite score that top-10 cigar, debuting this week at #11 with 77,000 plus scans. Hers was one of several prominent discs to debut on the most recent Billboard chart. Melissa Etheridge's Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled opens at #14 with 66,000 in sales, while Shinedown's Us and Them takes #23 with 47,000 albums sold. O.A.R.'s newest, Stories of a Stranger, surfaces at #39 with sales of 28,000 and then some, and the Deftones' B-Sides & Rarities claims the #42 spot with nearly 27,000 scans. Liz Phair's latest, Somebody's Miracle, hits #46 with 24,000 in sales, while Dwele's Some Kinda ... opens at #54 (21,000), Atmosphere's You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having takes the chart's #66 (19,000) with My Morning Jacket's Z at #67 (18,000).

See "Fiona Apple: The People's Champ" for more on Extraordinary Machine.

• Nickelback
• Twista
• Fiona Apple
• Franz Ferdinand
• Trina

Franz Ferdinand's <i>You Can Have It So Much Better</i>
Photo: Sony

Yes, You Really Can Have It Better: Franz Ferdinand take us out for a second time with You Can Have It So Much Better, and while early birds who did the preorder thing were gifted with a bonus B-sides EP, the DualDisc has some treats of its own, including a 5.1 surround-sound version of the principal 13 tracks, plus studio and interview DVD footage. Tracks include: "Eleanor Put Your Boots On," "I'm Your Villain" and "Outsiders."

Smell Of Success?: Trina's putting plenty of promotional power into her new fragrance these days, but you've probably also gotten a whiff of her new album via the heavily rotated "Don't Trip" (featuring Lil' Wayne). The Diamond Princess already has a second single for the clunky titled Glamorest Life, "Here We Go" featuring Kelly Rowland, and she also teams with Trey Songz and Darren Philes on "Reach Out" and "Shake," respectively.

A Golden Opportunity: Twista is great at nabbing Grammy nominations, but he seems even more skilled at attracting Grammy (and Oscar, for that matter) winners. The MC hooks up with Mariah ("I'm a Winner"), Jamie Foxx ("So Lonely") and Pharrell ("Had to Call") on The Day After, not to mention high-shelf producers Timbaland, the Neptunes, David Banner and — surprise! — Scott Storch.

Right On: Chad Kroeger has proven himself to be one of Canada's more, uh, straightforward hard-rock songwriters ("Hero," "Someday," "How You Remind Me"), and fans of his conventional approach probably won't be disappointed by All the Right Reasons, the latest by his Nickelback. Tracks include: "Follow You Home," "Photograph" and "Animals." (One more thing: The band revisits the highway-themed artwork it used for 1996's Curb, but this time there's actually a car on the road.)

Pure And Not-So-Simple: The latest release by Simple Plan is anything but: The standard MTV Hard Rock Live has three live-video enhancements, but what's being dubbed the special "Mega-Fan" package is bundled with three acoustic bonus tracks ("Perfect," "Welcome to My Life," "Crazy"), a DVD of the entire concert in 5.1 surround sound, a 30-page color booklet and some secretive "special" merch items.

Best-Of Bonanza: Rack 'em up — The Best of Beta Band, The Best of C-Murder, Served Up Texas Style: The Best of the Smokin' Joe Kubek Band, The Best of Master P (reissue), The Best of Silkk the Shocker, The Best of Snoop Dogg, Tina Turner's All the Best: The Hits, The Best of Urban Knights and The Very Best of Jesse Colin Young. Oh, and that's not to mention Melissa Etheridge's Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled and Essential Harry Belafonte, Ravi Shankar and Frank Sinatra With the Tommy Dorsey Band comps.

Frontmen Frontin': The solo itch is especially strong this week, what with new opuses by American Music Club's Mark Eitzel (Candy Ass), Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson (Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull) and Depeche Mode's Andy Bell (Electric Blues). But there's another guy stepping away from his team, too, so to speak: Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield, who makes an unlikely backup-singing appearance on Dream #29 by Grammy nominee (and Grease castmember) Cindy Bullens. Bullens, who used to sing for Elton John, also knuckles down with Captain Fantastic and Delbert McClinton.

Song Titles Of The Week: "Puke a Pitch Black Rainbow to the Sun" and "Oh Celebrate Your Vague Words and Coquettish Sovereighnty" (Boduf Songs' Boduf Songs).

Other Notables:

Broken Social Scene's Broken Social Scene Vs. Liz Phair's Somebody's Miracle: A few curious connections here. Both the Canadian ensemble and alt-rock queen take to the breeze with "Windsurfing Nation" and "Wind and the Mountain," respectively; for another, BSS' "Superconnected" and "Handjobs for the Holidays" sound, if only titularly, like classic Phair, while her "Stars and Planets" and "Lost Night" recall BSS' 2002 track "Stars and Sons" and 2001 record Feel Good Lost. BSS win on the extras, front, though: Limited versions of their new one come with a seven-track bonus EP.

Deftones' Rarities & B-Sides: Rhino is doing this odds-and-sods collection up right with 25 tracks spread over a CD and DVD, including Cure, Helmet and Jawbox covers. What might worry fans, though, is the fact that it's coming out on Rhino, a reissue label, and not Deftones' primary label, Warner cousin Maverick — could this be a hint?

My Morning Jacket's Z: The Louisville sluggers continue with their tradition of gorgeously decorated releases (this one features a vibrant pencil drawing of some aquamarine creatures), which is one reason to consider nabbing Badman Recording Co.'s simultaneous double-LP release; the other is that it has a bonus track, "Chills," which has appeared as a B-side in Europe and comes with Z's Japanese pressing.

New Releases:

• 1349 - Hellfire (Candlelight)
• Aiden - Nightmare Academy (enhanced; Victory)
• Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine (also available as DualDisc; Epic)
  Read: "Fiona Apple's Long-Delayed LP Slotted For October 4 Release"
  Buy Now: Extraordinary Machine (Epic)
• Arild Andersen Group - Electra (ECM)
• Ian Anderson - Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull (Benz-Street)
• Atmosphere - You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having (two CDs; Rhymesayers)
• Anita Baker - Christmas Fantasy (Blue Note)
• Andy Bell - Electric Blues (enhanced; Sanctuary)
• Clint Black - Drinkin' Songs & Other Logic (Equity Music Group)
• Black Label Society - Kings of Damnation: 98-04 (Spitfire)
• James Blunt - Back to Bedlam (Custard/Atlantic)
• Boduf Songs - Boduf Songs (Kranky)
• Ronnie Bowman - The Mountain (Koch)
• Jim Brickman - The Disney Songbook (enhanced; Walt Disney)
• Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene (Arts & Crafts)
  Read: "Broken Social Scene's Agenda: Two LPs, Touring, Hating On Audioslave"
  Buy Now: Broken Social Scene (Arts & Crafts)
• Alex Bugnon - Free (Narada)
• Cindy Bullens - Dream #29 (Letsplay)
• Chris Cagle - Anywhere but Here (Capitol Nashville)
• Chevreuil - Sport (Sickroom)
• Cream - Royal Albert Hall: London May 2-3-5-6 2005 (Reprise)
• Cross Canadian Ragweed - Garage (with limited-edition DVD; Universal South)
• Deadly Snakes - Porcella (In the Red)
• Deftones - Rarities & B-Sides (two CDs; Rhino)
  Buy Now: Rarities & B-Sides (Rhino)
• DJ Dan - Lift (Thrive)
• DOO - Cold Shower (Dreyfus)
• Will Downing - Soul Symphony (GRP)
• Dr. John - Live at Montreaux, 1995 (Eagle)
• Dwele - Some Kinda (Virgin)
• Ebony Eyez - 7 Day Cycle (Capitol)
• Linda Eder - By Myself: The Songs of Judy Garland (Angel)
• Mark Eitzel - Candy Ass (Cooking Vinyl)
• Sara Evans - Real Fine Place (RCA)
• Exodus - Shovel Headed Kill Machine (Nuclear Blast)
• The Fall - Fall Heads Roll (Narnack)
• Rosie Flores - Christmasville (Emergent)
• Flyleaf - Flyleaf (Octone)
• Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better (also available as DualDisc; Domino/Epic)
  Read: "Set A Man On Fire, Name Next LP — Franz Ferdinand Do Whatever They Want"
  Buy Now: You Could Have It So Much Better (Domino/Epic)
• Béla Fleck - Crossing the Tracks (Rounder)
• Kirk Franklin - Hero (Gospocentric)
• Paula Frazer - Leave the Sad Things Behind (Birdman)
• Ghostface Killah - 718: Stapleton to Somalia (Koch)
• Robert Glasper - Canvas (Blue Note)
• The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike (Columbia)
• Kevin Gordon - O Come Look at the Burning (Crowville Collective)
• Delia Gonzalez and Gavin Russom - The Days of Mars (DFA/Astralwerks)
• Sara Groves - Add to the Beauty (INO/Columbia)
• Eric Hansen - Across the Universe: A Beatles Journey (Narada)
• Reverend Horton Heat - We Three Kings: Christmas Favorites (Yep Roc)
• Marcos Hernandez - C About Me (TVT)
• Bruce Hornsby - Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz Radio Broadcast (Jazz Alliance)
• Hyatari - The Light Carriers (Earache)
• The (International) Noise Conspiracy - Armed Love (American)
  Read: "(International) Noise Conspiracy Prefer Armed Love To Hippie Love"
  Buy Now: Armed Love (American)
• Jemima James - Book Me Back in Your Dreams (Tomato)
• Jimmy Eat World - Stay on My Side Tonight (EP; Interscope)
• Anders Jormin - Xieyi (ECM)
• Journey - Generations (Sanctuary)
• Kiss Me Deadly - Misty Medley (Alien 8)
• Kenny Lattimore and Chanté Moore - Uncovered (Jive)
• Ladytron - Witching Hour (Rykodisc)
• Les Nubians - Les Nubians Presents Echos (Triloka)
• Let Go - Let Go (Militia Group)
• Lichens - The Psychic Nature of Being (Kranky)
• Little Feat - Barnstormin' Live: Volume Two (Hot Tomato)
• Living Things - Ahead of the Lions (Jive)
• Look What I Did - Minuteman for the Moment (Koch)
• Loose Cannon - Who Do U Think U R? (KGB)
• Steven Lynch - The Craig Machine (What Are)
• The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers (Capitol)
• Make Believe - Shock of Being (Flameshovel)
• Master P - Ghetto D (Priority)
• Metric - Live It Out (Last Gang)
  Read: "Metric Make It Through A Blue State To Live It Out"
  Buy Now: Live It Out (Last Gang)
• Mugison - Is This Monkey Music? (Ipecac)
• My Morning Jacket - Z (ATO/RCA)
  Buy Now: Z (ATO/RCA)
• Nickelback- All the Right Reasons (Roadrunner)
  Read: "Nickelback Go The John Mellencamp Route For New Video"
  Buy Now: All the Right Reasons (Roadrunner)
• O.A.R. - Stories of a Stranger (Lava)
• Sinéad O'Connor - Throw Down Your Arms (Sanctuary)
• Jeffrey Osborne - From the Soul (Koch)
• Paths of Possession - Promises in Blood (Metal Blade)
• Liz Phair - Somebody's Miracle (Capitol)
• PorkBelly Futures - Way Past Midnight (Wildflower)
• Randy & the Bloody Lovelies - Lift (Cheap Lullaby)
• Enrico Rava, Stefano Bollani and Paul Motian - TATI (ECM)
• Herlin Riley - Cream of the Crescent (Criss Cross)
• The Ripple Effect - Hybrids (Kindred Rhythm)
• Bobby Rush - Night Fishin' (Deep Rush Visuals)
• Sa-Ra - The Second Time Around (Sound in Color)
• Sean T - Ain't Playin (Sumday)
• Jake Shimabukuro - Dragon (Hitchhike)
• Shinedown - Us and Them (limited edition also available; Atlantic)
• Si*Sé - More Shine (Mob)
• Simple Plan - MTV Hard Rock Live (deluxe edition with DVD also available; Lava)
• Soulfly - Dark Ages (Roadrunner)
  Buy Now: MTV Hard Rock Live (Lava)
• Sound Tribe Sector 9 - Artifact Perspectives (System)
• Sponge - The Man (Idol)
• The Standard - Albatross (Yep Roc)
• Straylight Run - Prepare to Be Wrong (EP; Victory)
• Ticonderoga - The Heilig-Levine LP (54º40' or Fight!)
• Tokyo Rose - New American Saint (Sidecho)
• Tragedy Khadafi - Thug Matrix (Fastlife)
• Trina - Glamorest Life (Atlantic)
  Read: "Snoop Dogg Seduces, Lil' Wayne Spends On Trina's New LP"
  Buy Now: Glamorest Life (Atlantic)
• Tunnel Rats - Both Sides (Thump)
• Twista - The Day After (Atlantic)
  Read: "Twista To Reunite With Kanye And Jamie Foxx On Kamikaze Follow-Up"
  Buy Now: The Day After (Atlantic)
• Richard Vission - Automatic (two CDs; Thrive)
• Kirk Whalum - Performs the Babyface Songbook (Rendezvous)
• Why? - Elephant Eyelash (Anticon)
• Various artists - 2K6 Basketball: The Tracks (Decon)
• Various artists - 40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas (Peak)
• Various artists - Armageddon Over Wacken: Live 2004 (three CDs; Cleopatra)
• Various artists - Destination Lounge: New York City (two CDs; Revive the Soul)
• Various artists - Goth Electro: Tribute to Depeche Mode (Cleopatra)
• Various artists - I Believe to My Soul (Rhino)
• Various artists - Putumayo Presents: Celtic Crossroads (Putumayo World Music)
• Various artists - Queensbridge Project (Fastlife)
• Various artists - The Sound of Young New York & Toronto (Plant)
• Various artists - Show D.I.T.C. Presents: Street Talk (Lumberjack)
• Various artists - WOW Hits 2006 (enhanced; Chordant)
• Various artists - "Wipeout Pure" soundtrack (Distinctive)

Notable Reissues:

• Chuck Berry - The Definitive Collection (Universal)
• Harry Belafonte - The Essential (RCA)
• Beta Band - The Best of Beta Band (Astralwerks)
• Blood, Sweat & Tears - Blood, Sweat & Tears (limited-edition hybrid SACD; Mobile Fidelity)
• Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man (limited-edition hybrid SACD; Mobile Fidelity)
• C-Murder - The Best of C-Murder (Priority)
• C-Murder - The Tru Story: Continued (Koch)
• Digable Planets - Beyond the Spectrum: The Creamy Spy Chronicles (Blue Note)
• Melissa Etheridge - Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled (Island)
• Fates Warning - Still Life & Chasing Time (limited edition; three CDs; Metal Blade)
• The Human League - Crash (Astralwerks)
• Iron Maiden - Death on the Road (live; two CDs; Columbia)
• Smokin' Joe Kubek - Served Up Texas Style: The Best of the Smokin' Joe Kubek Band (Bullseye)
• Gerald LeVert - Voices (Rhino)
• Master P - The Best of Master P (Priority)
• Master P - Ghetto D (Priority)
• Master P - Ice Cream Man (Priority)
• Paris Combo - Living Room (DRG)
• Paris Combo - Paris Combo (DRG)
• Elvis Presley - Hitstory (BMG)
• Propaganda - A Secret Wish (ZTT)
• Screeching Weasel - Weasel Mania (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Ravi Shankar - The Essential (Private Music)
• Silkk the Shocker - The Best of Silkk the Shocker (Priority)
• Frank Sinatra - The Essential Frank Sinatra With the Tommy Dorsey Band (RCA)
• Snoop Dogg - The Best of Snoop Dogg (Priority)
• Talking Heads - Talking Heads Brick (eight-CD DualDisc box set; Rhino)
• Peter Tosh - Talking Revolution (two CDs; Pressure Sounds)
• Tina Turner - All the Best: The Hits (Capitol)
• Urban Knights - The Best of Urban Knights (Narada)
• The Edgar Winter Group - They Only Come Out at Night (limited-edition hybrid SACD; Mobile Fidelity)
• Jesse Colin Young - The Very Best of Jesse Colin Young (Artemis)
• Various artists - Air - LateNightTales (Another Late Night)

DVDs:

• America - Live (Eagle Vision)
• Ian Anderson - Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull (Benz-Street)
• Blondie - Live (collector's edition with bonus CD; Eagle Vision)
• Body Count - Cypress Hill's 6th Annual Smoke Out Presents: Body Count Featuring Ice-T (Eagle Vision)
• Cream - Royal Albert Hall: London May 2-3-5-6 2005 (Reprise)
• Cream - Farewell Concert: November 26th 1968, Royal Albert Hall (restored extended edition; Image)
• Dio - Evil or Divine (collector's edition with bonus CD; Eagle Vision)
• Dr. John - Live at Montreaux, 1995 (Red Distribution)
• Einstèrzende Neubauten - Liebeslieder (Navarre)
• Hall & Oates - Live (Eagle Vision)
• Happy Mondays - Live in Barcelona (Music Video Distributors)
• Ian Hunter and the Rant Band - Just Another Night: Live at the Astoria, London (Music Video Distributors)
• Iron Maiden - Death on the Road (live; two DVDs; Columbia)
• Jesus Jones - Live at the Marquee (Music Video Distributors)
• Jethro Tull - Nothing Is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 (collector's edition with bonus CD; Eagle Vision)
• Murphy's Law - Up With Us ... Down With Them (Music Video Distributors)
• Ned's Atomic Dustbin - Shoot the Neds! In Concert (Music Video Distributors)
• Paths of Possession - Promises in Blood (Metal Blade)
• Pink Floyd - London 1966*1967 (Navarre)
• Pixies - Sell Out: 2004 Reunion Tour (Rhino)
• The Police - Synchronicity Concert (A&M/Universal)
• Scorpions - Moment of Glory: Berliner Philharmoniker Live (collector's edition with bonus CD; Eagle Vision)
• Cat Stevens - Majikat: Earth Tour 1976 (collector's edition with bonus CD; Eagle Vision)
• George Thorogood and the Destroyers - 30th Anniversary Tour: Live (collector's edition with bonus CD; Eagle Vision)
• Tupac - Live at the House of Blues (Death Row)
• Tina Turner - Live in Amsterdam/ One Last Time (collector's edition; two DVDs; Red Distribution)
• Twisted Sister - Live at Wacken: The Reunion (Eagle Rock)
• The Wonder Stuff - Construction for the Modern Vidiot (Music Video Distributors)
• Bobby Womack - Soul Seduction Supreme (Music Video Distributors)
• Various artists - "Extra: A Selection of Outstanding Electronic Music Videos (Navarre)

Coming Attractions:

October 11:

• Ricky Martin - Life (Columbia)
• Alicia Keys - Unplugged (J)
  Read: "Alicia Keys Taps Mos Def, Common For 'Inspired' 'Unplugged' "
  Buy Now: Unplugged (J)
• Story of the Year - In the Wake of Determination (Maverick)

October 18:

• Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel (Reprise)
• Ashlee Simpson - I Am Me (Geffen)
  Read: "Ashlee Remembers 'SNL' Incident But Forgets Boys On New LP"
  Buy Now: I Am Me (Geffen)
• Thrice - Vheissu (Island)
  Read: "Thrice Going Underground — In A Sense — For Enigmatic Vheissu"
  Buy Now: Vheissu (Island)

October 25:

• Chamillionaire - The Sound of Revenge (Universal)
• Destiny's Child - #1's (DualDisc; Columbia)
  Read: "Destiny's Child Look Back With #1's Before Going Their Separate Ways"
  Buy Now: #1's (Columbia)
• Fefe Dobson - Sunday Love (enhanced; Island)

• Franz Ferdinand
• Twista
• Trina
• Simple Plan
• Nickelback

Fabolous, Fefe Dobson, Twista And More At The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Press Forum

• Twista
• Raekwon
• Fabolous
• Jeremih

Busta Rhymes, Pitbull, Rick Ross, Play N Skillz And More At The "New Mexico Takeover 4" Concert, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 08.30.2009

• Busta Rhymes
• Twista
• Pitbull
• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)

Beyoncé, 50 Cent, Jennifer Hudson, More At The 2007 BET Awards

• Michelle Williams
• Beyoncé
• Kelly Rowland
• Jennifer Hudson
• 50 Cent

Red Carpet Spectacular: Photos From The 2007 Grammy Awards

• Pussycat Dolls
• Wolfmother
• Ministry
• Jamie Foxx
• Rihanna

Tom, Michelle, Kanye, Twista And More At New York's "M:i:III" Premiere

• Kanye West
• Twista
• Remy Ma
• Keyshia Cole
• Doug E. Fresh

Nokia Unwired @ Hard Rock Live: Season Finale

• Sean Paul
• Mary J. Blige
• Nickelback
• Death Cab For Cutie
• Twista

Making the Video: Twista

• Twista

• Twista

50 Cent, R. Kelly, Fat Joe, Kanye West, Others At Summer Jam 2004

• 50 Cent
• G-Unit
• Lloyd Banks
• OutKast
• R. Kelly

MTV.com Exclusive: Twista Photos

• Twista