Missy Elliott is nearly done with her as-yet-untitled fifth album, which is due in November. Timbaland is once again on board as a producer. ... Meanwhile, a live version of Elliott's "Work It" will be released October 14 on Sessions@AOL, a compilation of tunes culled from the bi-weekly series on AOL Music and the Fuse television network. Coldplay, Avril Lavigne, Alicia Keys, Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton are also on the album. ...

Nelly shook his tailfeather with the man who invented the remix, so since he and P. Diddy are so chummy, maybe Puffy will make a new beat for one of the pimp-juice-drinking MC's hits. The captain of the St. Lunatics is currently soliciting producers for a remix album, which should contain reworkings of a selection of cuts from his two LPs, Country Grammar and Nellyville, the Tics' group effort, Free City, and Ali's solo debut, Heavy Starch. ... Obie Trice is pulling a Willy Wonka with the release of his debut album, Cheers, due September 23. Three copies of the LP will contain a "golden ticket" that entitles the bearer to chill with Eminem in the studio while he records his next album. ...

Radiohead singer Thom Yorke joined R.E.M. onstage in Vancouver on August 29 for their encore on "E-Bow the Letter" and "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)." The next night at the same venue, R.E.M. vocalist Michael Stipe returned the favor by joining Radiohead for an encore of "Karma Police." In addition, R.E.M. dedicated "Orange Crush" to Radiohead, who gifted their own "Lucky" to Stipe and friends. ... Neil Young's 17th annual Bridge School Benefit concert is set for October 25 and 26 at Shoreline Amphitheater outside San Francisco. Pearl Jam, who will be making their sixth appearance at the event, are the only band announced so far. ...

The Hip-Hop Summit Youth Council recently hosted a community get-together called Jam Master Jay Day in the Hollis section of Queens, New York, and now the group says it has the support of Queens councilman Leroy Comrie in its efforts to have 203rd Street named after the slain Run-DMC DJ. They have given up hope of the renaming becoming official by October 30, which is the one-year anniversary of the hip-hop icon's death. Instead, they want to have the change take place by January 21, which is JMJ's birthday. The Youth Council says it will meet with Community Board 12 in Queens in two weeks to further discuss the matter. ...

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog has renamed his debut album Come Poop With Me. The comedy album now carries a release date of October 7 and features appearances by Adam Sandler, Jack Black, Horatio Sanz, Subway spokesperson Jared Fogel, members of the "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" house band and Conan himself. ... The Flaming Lips will open for the Red Hot Chili Peppers on the West Coast leg of their fall tour. The trek begins October 8 in Las Vegas and ends October 21 in Seattle. ...

Following a successful tour with this year's Ozzfest, Marilyn Manson will headline his own North American jaunt starting October 10 in Los Angeles. Dates run through Halloween in Dallas. ... The seventh annual MOBO Awards, an English ceremony to celebrate Music of Black Origin, will take place September 25 at Royal Albert Hall. Nominees include Beyoncé, Ashanti, Justin Timberlake and Kelly Rowland for Best R&B Act and 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Eminem, Jay-Z and Joe Budden for Best Hip-Hop Act. ...

The Polyphonic Spree will kick off a North American tour September 19 in their hometown of Dallas. The outing, which will feature the Starlight Mints on the first leg and the Sleepy Jackson on the second, ends with a two-night stay November 23 and 24 in San Diego. ... The Special Goodness, Weezer drummer Pat Wilson's side project with former Rocket From the Crypt drummer Atom, are planning to issue their next record through punk staple Epitaph. "We are proud to announce that we've agreed in principle to sign with Epitaph Records," reads a posting on the band's Web site. ...

Crazy Town's last album, Darkhorse, debuted near the bottom of the Billboard albums chart, and now singer Shifty Shellshock has sunk even lower. Shellshock, a.k.a. Seth Binzer, has teamed up with Rick Solomon, who once dated actress Shannen Doherty, and producer Zack Bautzer to release "Beverly Hills Pimps and Ho's," a DVD series that shows some of Hollywood's hottest actresses in compromising positions. ... Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise have set a November 11 release date for their fourth album, Still Lovin' You. "It's more natural sounding with natural instruments and no loops," Bradley said of the music. "I'm trying to get back to the old 1975 vibe. A little country in it, but mostly R&B with a rock flavor." ...

Chris Slusarenko and Superdrag's Sam Powers will sit in with Guided by Voices for the group's upcoming tours of the U.S. and Europe, respectively, following the departure of bassist Tim Tobias, according to a post on GBV's Web site. ... No doubt spurned on by the band's overseas critical acclaim and #1 spot on the albums chart in their U.K. home, Atlantic Records has bumped up the Stateside release of The Darkness' debut album from early next year to later this month. The throwback hard rock band's Permission to Land will now hit U.S. stores on September 16. ...

Echo and the Bunnymen will launch a North American tour on October 23 in Boston. Dates run through November 7 in Anaheim, California. The band will follow the U.S. jaunt with a lengthy world tour. ... Barenaked Ladies' sixth studio album, Everything to Everyone, is due October 21. Members of the Blue Man Group guest on a song on the LP called "Shopping." ...

Ambient experts Enigma will release a new album, Voyageur, on September 30. ... Nü-ish metal band Static-X are inviting fans to show up on Thursday for the shooting of their video for "The Only," the first single from their upcoming album, Shadow Zone, due October 7. The band is seeking 20 males and 20 females 18 years of age or older, and the shoot is taking place at GMT Studios in Culver City, California. ...

09.02.03

The latest albums from Cody Chesnutt, Floetry, Sigur Rós, the Streets and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are among the 10 finalists for the Shortlist Music Prize. The other five finalists — the Black Keys, Bright Eyes, Cat Power, Interpol and Damien Rice — will perform at the Shortlist Concert October 5 in Los Angeles. The winner, selected by a panel that includes Gwen Stefani, the Neptunes and Coldplay's Chris Martin, will be announced that night and will receive a $5,000 prize. ...

Fat Joe will join Latin singer La India and funk collective Yerba Buena in a tribute to late salsa singer Celia Cruz at the Hispanic Heritage Awards, taking place at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Friday. NBC will broadcast the event on September 13. ... Ozzy Osbourne has postponed a string of U.K. tour dates that had been scheduled to begin this week in order to undergo a foot operation. Osbourne's publicist wouldn't comment on the injury. The rescheduled dates begin October 22 in Dublin and conclude November 1 in his hometown of Birmingham, England. The rest of the overseas tour, which will now begin in the Netherlands on September 9, is not expected to be affected. ...

Justin Timberlake, the new Ronald McDonald? The pop singer is filling some big red shoes as part of a McDonald's global marketing campaign that features his new song "I'm Loving It." He'll have cameos throughout the spots, which will appear in 100 countries. The fast-food chain is also sponsoring Timberlake's 2003 35-city European tour, which kicks off in November in Germany. The U.S. launch of the campaign is slated for late September. ... Next summer Rob Zombie will publish a book featuring stories from some of his favorite authors, Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker and Charles Dickens. "Rob Zombie Presents: Monsters, Maniacs and Madmen" will feature an introduction by Zombie and new original artwork. ...

Nickelback have mapped out their first trek in support of their fourth album, The Long Road. With support from Trapt and Three Days Grace, the jaunt kicks off October 14 in Lubbock, Texas, and runs through September 9 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. ... Come Feel Me Tremble, Paul Westerberg's sixth solo album since disbanding the Replacements, is due October 21, the same day a Westerberg documentary of the same name will be released on DVD. The album includes a cover of Jackson Browne's "These Days." ... The latest go-round of Vagrant Records' cross-country namesake tour will be headlined by Alkaline Trio and will include labelmates From Autumn to Ashes, Reggie & the Full Effect and No Motiv, the label's first signing. The 33-city tour begins October 29 in Minneapolis. ...

Sarah McLachlan, who will tour extensively in 2004, according to her Web site, is planning a November release for her first studio album in six years. The still-untitled disc will feature the single "Fallen," which is being released to radio this week. ... When Hoobastank's Dan Estrin rides into a roped-off section of the parking lot on a minibike, he really rides into a roped-off section. While doing just that last week, Estrin was clotheslined by the rope and thrown from his bike, resulting in a skull fracture that caused a blood clot near his brain. Surgery removed the clot, but the guitarist, scheduled to leave the hospital Tuesday (September 2), is out of commission for five to six weeks, so the band has canceled all of its September shows. Estrin is expected to be ready in time for the Nokia Unwired Tour, which kicks off October 2 with the All-American Rejects, Ozomatli and Diffuser. ...

Lisa Marie Presley, who just wrapped a tour with Chris Isaak, will kick off a headlining outing September 13 in Las Vegas. The short trek, to promote her debut, To Whom It May Concern, will wrap up October 6 in New Orleans. ... It's no wonder England can't get the hang of such U.S. trends as hip-hop and driving on the right side of the street — we keep sending them things like Sk8er Rock, a 27-track double album featuring the artists skaters love to shred to, like Pink, Puddle of Mudd, Chad Kroeger, the Calling and the inspiration for the comp's name, Avril Lavigne. And since the album is only available overseas, if you buy it in the States you get to pay more for it! ...

Offspring guitarist Noodles writes on the band's Web site that Pennywise's Jim Lindberg and T.S.O.L.'s Jack Grisham recorded backing vocals with the band for its next album, which may or may not be called Chinese Democracy. Either way, it's the follow-up to 2000's Conspiracy of One. ... If Willie went wicked, he'd probably be first in line for the "Wicked Wonka" tour. Featuring Insane Clown Posse, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Kottonmouth Kings and Tech N9ne, the 34-city trek begins September 17 in Cleveland. ...

Trina might be the baddest one, but someone did her mo' bad. A man posing as her manager weaseled his way into her hotel room in Greenville, North Carolina, late Thursday night and stole more than $300,000 in cash and jewels from the rapper while she was performing at a nearby club. Police are reviewing hotel security video, according to a spokesperson for the Hilton Greenville. ... Josh Homme's next Desert Sessions project (volumes nine and 10, for those scoring at home) is set for release October 7. Recorded in February during a jam session at Joshua Tree National Park in the California desert, the disc includes contributions from A Perfect Circle's Josh Freese, Dean Ween, PJ Harvey and Twiggy Ramirez. ...

Guns N' Roses guitarist Buckethead and his side band, Deli Creeps, have contributed the title track to the upcoming straight-to-DVD film "Flesh for the Beast," a horror tale about an occultist who obtains an evil medallion that conjures female demons who take residence in a former brothel and kill, kill, kill. The Terry West-directed flick will be released October 28 in rated and unrated versions. The unrated disc will contain additional music by Buckethead. ... Cracker's Countrysides is due October 14 and will feature bonus footage of singer David Lowery telling off a Virgin Records executive. Cracker will promote the album with a tour beginning September 27 in Richmond, Virginia, and ending November 11 in Las Vegas. ...

Glam-rockers Poison lost a stage set, sound system and musical instruments when one of their transport trucks burst into flames Sunday while heading to a show in Clarkston, Michigan. The driver and crew tried to extinguish the blaze, but since there were pyrotechnics in the truck, they gave up and cleared the area until fire officials arrived. Despite the accident, Poison played that night and will finish the tour as planned. ...