Coldplay (file)
Photo: Capitol Records

Coldplay will kick off their "biggest-ever world tour" on June 27 with a series of outdoor stadium shows in the U.K. According to a message sent out to subscribers at Coldplay.com, the band will be announcing further details of its tour in the coming weeks. For the first time, the group also publicly mentioned a release date — or at least a release month — for its still-untitled third album, writing that it would be released in June. ...

In day two of the Michael Jackson trial, journalist Martin Bashir tried to be excused from testifying, but his attempt failed when the judge decided he could choose which questions to answer or not. The prosecution played his documentary "Living With Michael Jackson," which the judge instructed the jurors to consider some parts of as evidence, other parts as hearsay. Jackson dabbed at his eyes during the playing of the documentary, and he threw up his hands seemingly in frustration during Bashir's testimony. Jackson's attorney also told jurors that Jackson would take the stand. ...

In a reunion slightly less likely than last year's Pixies capitulation, indie rock heroes Dinosaur Jr. will get together for the first time in 15 years to play the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan (July 29-31). Singer/guitarist J Mascis has reportedly ended his decade-plus feud with bassist Lou Barlow, and the pair are expected to rejoin drummer Murph for a string of summer theater and festival shows in Europe, tentatively followed by North American dates, according to a spokesperson at Merge Records, which is reissuing the band's first three albums on March 22. ... Red Hot Chili Peppers have written 35 songs for their next album and will hit the studio this month to record them. "We're so in love with the songs we wrote," singer Anthony Kiedis said. "We're working really hard." ...

Jennifer Lopez is now "enemy number one" for PETA, which plans to target the singer in a new campaign since her clothing line Sweetface uses so much fur. Animal-rights activists plan to storm her Times Square record singing at Virgin Records on Tuesday (March 1) by showing film footage of animals being skinned alive juxtaposed with images of J. Lo dressed in fur in her latest video. The footage was shot during an investigation of fur farms in China. "There is nothing remotely 'sweet' about the torture deaths of animals killed for fur," PETA's Dan Mathews said in a statement. ... Mötley Crüe will ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The rockers will arrive via choppers. ...

The upcoming flick "Batman Begins," which explains the origins of the elusive Bruce Wayne and other aspects of the iconic superhero, will hit screens on June 17 in both regular theaters and IMAX theaters. ... Singer/pianist John Legend will head to Miami this month to headline one of the three Sunset Sessions for the M3 Music Summit, a gathering that merges music, technology, art, fashion and multimedia. Legend will perform on March 24 at the Doubletree Surfcomber Hotel. ... The Recording Industry Association of America filed its latest round of copyright-infringement lawsuits on Monday, targeting 753 people it suspects of illegally distributing songs online. Since September 2003, the RIAA has sued 9,100 individuals and settled with more than 1,900, according to an RIAA spokesperson. ...

The estate of late Damageplan/ Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott will most likely be split right down the middle between his brother, Damageplan/ Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul, and his father, country and western songwriter Jerry Abbott, according to the Dallas-Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The Abbott family's lawyer, Steve McClure, told the paper Dimebag had no formal written will at the time of his death. This, however, has not fueled familial bickering over his assets, which were estimated at $700,000, McClure said; that total does not reflect Dimebag's music-publishing rights, a value yet to be determined. Paul will more than likely serve as the administrator of his slain brother's estate. Meanwhile, Paul appeared onstage with Disturbed and Anthrax during a benefit concert honoring Dimebag's memory in Chicago on February 23 — the first time he performed since the onstage murder of his brother on December 8, 2004. ...

Alter Bridge, the band that's made up of old Creed boys plus singer Myles Kennedy, are set to headline the fifth Jägermeister Music Tour, kicking off in New York on March 29. The group will be joined by Chevelle tour alums Future Leaders of the World and Texas newcomers Submersed. ... Post-punk legends Gang of Four are heading out on a reunion tour of North America in May. The band — singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bassist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham — recently played a string of U.K. shows, the group's first since 1981. Following their May 1 date at the Coachella Festival in Indio, California, Gang of Four will play a pair of dates at the Fillmore in San Francisco May 2-3, then trek across the continent before winding down in Philadelphia on May 21. ...

Barenaked Ladies have finished the pilot for their sketch-comedy series for FOX. "It's us getting into strange situations, hijinks, we slap the stick occasionally," singer Steven Page said recently. The Ladies are also writing their next album as well as music for a production of Shakespeare's "As You Like It" at the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada. ... The Wonder Stuff are about to strut some new stuff — the U.K. band, known for such bouncy alt rock hits as "The Size of a Cow," "Cartoon Boyfriend" and "Don't Let Me Down, Gently," is back with its first new studio album in 12 years, Escape From Rubbish Island, due out March 22. The group is also heading out on the road, starting April 4 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The 23-date trek winds up May 8 in New York. ...

2.28.2005

Apparently Britney Spears doesn't want any beef with Paris Hilton — or her lapdog, Tinkerbell, either. In the wake of her boast, "I think my dogs are so much cuter than Tinkerbell," Spears has now released a statement on her Web site saying, "I was just being silly and of course I think that Tinkerbell is very cute." The pop diva even hopes to set up a play date for their miniscule canines. ...

Jury selection continued on Monday (February 28) in the perjury, obstruction and false-statements trial of rapper Lil' Kim. On Friday, several potential jurors who had voiced critical opinions about the musician's lifestyle (one responded in a juror survey that "crime seem[ed] to be part of the hip-hop culture") were ousted from consideration by U.S. District Judge Gerald Lynch, according to New York Newsday. Lil' Kim is accused of lying to a grand jury about a February 21, 2001, shooting she allegedly witnessed outside New York radio station Hot 97, which involved her two bodyguards. ... R&B singer/producer Gerald Levert was arrested Friday in Cleveland after confronting police at a downtown intersection, according to The Associated Press. Levert was cited on charges of driving under the influence and impeding the flow of traffic, then arrested on charges of obstructing official business, resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer after he stopped his vehicle near where another motorist had been pulled over by police. Levert and the driver of another vehicle approached the officer and demanded to know why the other vehicle had been pulled over. They were told to leave but refused, and Levert became agitated and allegedly shoved an officer, who used pepper spray to subdue him. ...

Sum 41 might be taking the mature route on their new album, Chuck, and the video for their new single, "Pieces," may feature lead singer Deryck Whibley wandering the streets of Los Angeles all by his lonesome, but that doesn't mean they're above a good old dirty play on words: hence, the Go Chuck Yourself Tour. The first few dates of the North American trek have been announced, and the first two — April 7 and 8 in Toronto — are actually makeup shows from the gigs Sum canceled when Whibley fell ill with blistered vocal cords. The first U.S. date is April 12 in Buffalo, New York, with other shows scheduled for Philadelphia; Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; and Kansas City, Missouri. Unwritten Law and Hawthorne Heights will open. ... Handsome Boy Modeling School are taking their curriculum on the road beginning March 28. The hip-hop duo will kick things off in Los Angeles and will tour from April 1-8 with Buck 65, and from April 9-20 with k-os, with the trek ending in New York. ...

Missed Morrissey on his tour? Don't get depressed — Morrissey feels your pain, so he's releasing a live CD and DVD from the tour behind his recent release, You Are the Quarry. The DVD, "Who Put the 'M' in Manchester," was filmed on May 22, 2004, at the singer's homecoming/birthday show in Manchester, England; while the CD, Live at Earls Court, was recorded at the end of the tour. Both will hit stores on March 29. ... Tiffany, the flame-haired 1980s teen pop sensation, is back ... again. This time, she's teamed up with new electronic dance act Second Sun for a duet, "He Said She Said," on their album Inside Out. The LP is set to drop on April 19. ...

Black Sabbath tributes by metal bands are a dime a dozen, so the newest disc of musical homages, Everything Comes & Goes: A Tribute to Black Sabbath, is definitely a change of pace. Due April 5, the nine-track disc will feature reinventions of Sabbath songs by a collection of unusual suspects including electronic laptop artist Four Tet, Japanese noise group Ruins and beatmaking Björk collaborators Matmos. ... Meanwhile, Kieran Hebden will release his fourth Four Tet album, Everything Ecstatic, on May 31. ... Los Angeles alt-rock club Spaceland — at the heart of the Silver Lake scene — is about to turn 10 years old, and to celebrate, a missing-in-action Silver Lake band is reuniting, and possibly for more than one night only. Lutefisk, who last played five years ago for Pop Defect's farewell gig, "return with fresh skills, new guitars, and a love of loudness that has never wavered," guitarist Beale Dabbs said. The show, on March 5, also includes local bands Sissybar, Velouria, Buck, Longstocking and a few "surprises." Just remember who else is from Silver Lake — and you might have an idea of who could swing by. ...

The Eagles are preparing to release their entire original vinyl Asylum Records catalog in one box set. Eagles Box, a limited-edition, nine-disc set, will include their seven chart-topping albums released between 1972 and 1980, featuring such singles as "Hotel California," "Life in the Fast Lane" and "Desperado." The set, which will hit stores on March 15, will also feature the debut of the band's "Please Come Home for Christmas/ Funky New Year" single on CD. ... Dan Snaith may have lost his moniker Manitoba in a lawsuit from Handsome Dick Manitoba, but it won't stop him from making music. His debut under the name Caribou, The Milk of Human Kindness, will hit shelves April 19. ...

• Coldplay
• Dinosaur Jr.
• Jennifer Lopez
• John Legend
• Red Hot Chili Peppers

R.E.M.
Photo: Warner Bros.

Cows are sedentary creatures. They like to eat grass, stand still and occasionally moo. And they don't like to rock. However, they do seem to enjoy calming pop ballads.

That's what a pair of scientists at Leicester University determined after playing a variety of songs to more than 1,000 Holstein-Friesians. Dr. Adrian North and researcher Liam MacKenzie found that the cattle that heard slower music produced 3 percent more milk than average cows did.

R.E.M.'s "Everybody Hurts," Lou Reed's "Perfect Day," Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and Aretha Franklin's version of "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" were among the songs most enjoyed by the bovine crowd.

However, faster songs seemed to trouble the animals, slightly reducing their milk yield. Sadly, the Wonder Stuff's "Size of a Cow" was one of those tracks. Others included Supergrass' "Pumping on Your Stereo" and Jamiroquai's "Space Cowboy." Researchers played music 12 hours a day for cows in the nine-week study. It's unclear whether record retailers will try to milk the findings, and there's no word on whether playing Limp Bizkit for livestock increases the frequency of mad cow disease.

• R.E.M.
• Lou Reed
• Aretha Franklin
• Simon & Garfunkel
• The Wonder Stuff