Kanye West, Maroon 5, Green Day, Santana and Trisha Yearwood are among the artists slated to perform a series of free concerts to kick off the NFL's 2005-2006 season, The Associated Press reports. The concerts will be held in three cities across the country: outside the Los Angeles Coliseum, site of the first Super Bowl; Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, home of the current Super Bowl champs, the New England Patriots; and in Detroit, where the next Super Bowl will be held on February 4. The televised special will precede the season opener between the Patriots and the Oakland Raiders on September 8. ...

Justin Timberlake is writing songs with his longtime friend/ Nashville songwriter Matt Morris. Morris, who co-wrote five songs on Christina Aguilera's Stripped, said that the two will hit the studio in the next couple of months, and that their creations run the gamut from R&B to Southern rock to pop music and could end up on either Timberlake or Morris' album at this point. "Writing with Justin is one of my favorite things," Morris said. "He's got incredible instincts, unmatched by anyone I've worked with." The two have written at least an album's worth of songs, about 15 to 20, he said, but since the subject matter is so personal, discussing them "should be reserved for close friends and therapists," he laughed. ... Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek, George Lopez and "Sin City" director Robert Rodriguez are among the 25 most influential Hispanics in America, according to the cover story in the August 22 issue of Time magazine. U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and newsman Jorge Ramos also make the list. ...

A collection featuring Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Usher, Jamie Foxx and Mary J. Blige tackling Luther Vandross classics is about to hit stores. So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross, due September 20, includes Blige performing "Never Too Much," Usher doing "Superstar," Beyoncé singing "So Amazing," John Legend performing "Love Won't Let Me Wait," Keys duetting with Jermaine Paul on "If This World Were Mine," Foxx singing "Creepin' " and Elton John performing a duet with Vandross on "Anyone Who Had a Heart." "His legacy will live on forever and I'm happy that I could contribute to that," Usher said. ... Who says only rappers can release mixtapes? Former President Bill Clinton will be putting out a CD compilation of his own, The Bill Clinton Collection: Selections From the Clinton Music Room, according to The Associated Press. The 11-track disc — the first in a series of compilations containing Clinton's favorites — will feature tunes from John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Nina Simone and Judy Collins. The album is slated for release in the next four to five weeks. ...

David Banner will now drop his third studio album, Certified, on September 20. Guests on the record include Twista, 8Ball, Dead Prez and Jadakiss. ... Tommy Lee is getting naked once again — but this time, it's for animal rights. Following his ex-wife Pam Anderson's lead, the rocker sheds all for a PETA-sponsored poster for New York nightclub Home, which is instituting a "no fur" door policy this week. On the poster, alongside the slogan "Ink, Not Mink," Lee says, "Be comfortable in your own skin and let animals keep theirs." "A lot of hip-hop artists wear fur and they think it's a status symbol," Lee said. "That doesn't register. I just see dead animals." The poster was shot by Paul McCartney's daughter Mary. ...

Rob Thomas is hitting the road for his first full-scale solo tour. The two-month trek kicks off October 5 in Albany, New York, and wraps December 10 in Detroit. Before heading out, Thomas will take the stage at the Fashion Rocks concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall on September 8, which will be broadcast the following night on CBS. ... Garage-rock duo the Kills are back with a new album. Sort of. On Tuesday, they'll release Run Home Slow, an EP featuring remixes of tunes from their second album, No Wow, and a couple of tracks previously unavailable in the U.S. Starting on September 8, the Kills will hit the road with Bloc Party, on a North American tour that'll run through the end of September. ... Punk innovators the Damned will hit a British recording studio next month to start work on their next LP — the follow-up to 2001's Grave Disorder, according to a posting on their Web site. ...

8.12.2005

In the September issue of Allure, Mariah Carey reveals that she used to wish that she'd be kidnapped while she was married to Tommy Mottola. "I used to fantasize about that," she told the magazine. "A lot. I used to think that maybe there could be a kidnapper who could rescue me, and he wouldn't be that mean. I'd have my pocketbook with me at all times in case I had to make an escape." When she later escaped into the arms of New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, after separating from Mottola, Carey said it was a "very nice transitional period." "If you don't know that there's something else out there, then you're content to deal with what you have." ...

(Check out pictures of Mariah Carey in the September issue of Allure.)

The Black Eyed Peas and the Pussycat Dolls have been added as performers for the Teen Choice Awards, joining Gwen Stefani and Simple Plan on the bill. The ceremony will take place at the Gibson Theater in Universal City, California, and will air Tuesday on FOX at 8 p.m. ET. Mariah Carey, Ashton Kutcher, Chingy, Nick Cannon, Ryan Cabrera and Frankie J, among others, have been added as presenters. Hilary Duff and Rob Schneider are co-hosting. ... Tuesday's Ozzfest date, set for the USANA Amphitheatre in West Valley City, Utah, has been canceled "due to some unforeseen scheduling conflicts," according to the festival's Web site. There are no plans to reschedule the date, and refunds are available at point of purchase. ...

Folks who laid down cash for Evanescence's Anywhere But Home live LP are now eligible for a refund if they purchased the disc at a Wal-Mart in Maryland, a circuit court judge ruled Wednesday. The agreement stems from a lawsuit a local couple filed after buying the album, only to find it contained explicit lyrics even though it displayed no parental advisory sticker, according to The Associated Press. The couple claimed Wal-Mart deceived its customers by not providing a warning label, and the band's record labels, Sony BMG and Wind-Up Records, agreed to provide consumers refunds in exchange for dismissal of the claims. The refund offer only applies to purchases made before January 1, 2005, at a Maryland Wal-Mart store, and proof of purchase is required for eligibility. ...

The Ying Yang Twins will release "Badd" featuring Mike Jones as the next single from their album United State of Atlanta. "It's got a party-girl vibe," Kaine said. ... When Remy Ma's long-awaited solo album, Something About Remy, hits stores in September, Terror Squad fans can expect a record that is entirely Remy. "A lot of artists come out with 13 songs and nine of them have featured guests," she explained. "If I wanted that I'd do a mixtape. I've been in the game since '99, and this is my first time putting out my own material. Everyone knows what I sound like on a song with somebody else, but nobody knows what Remy's about." ...

Following their Coachella reunion appearance in April, Bauhaus, the seminal band that influenced a generation of black-clad goth-rockers, will launch a North American tour in Mexico City on October 16. The foursome formed in 1978 but disbanded five years later, and played a reunion tour in 1998. The trek will hit the U.S. on October 21 in Seattle and run through November, with more dates to be added. ... The Arcade Fire, Talib Kweli, Umphrey's McGee and ALO have been added to the list of performers hitting Sin City for the Vegoose Music Festival. The two-day festival, taking place in Las Vegas on October 29 and 30, will also feature Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, the Flaming Lips and Blackalicious, among others. More acts are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. ...

Jason Mraz, who recently wrapped up his spot on Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill Acoustic tour, will kick off the first leg of his own trek on September 20 in Tempe, Arizona. His tour will run through October 29 in Las Vegas. The dates for a second leg, slated to run through December, remain to be announced. Before his headlining dates, Mraz is going to open for a couple of Dave Matthews Band shows on August 27 and 28 in Carson, California. ... Smash Mouth are gearing up to release their next album, Old Habits. But don't look for the 12-track effort, recorded live in the studio, in stores. They are releasing it only on iTunes. Singer Steve Harwell said the "more rockin', garagey-sounding" album will feature the songs "Hey L.A.," "The Crawl," "Getaway Car" and the free download single "Quality Control." The band is also planning to release an online Christmas album later this year and hit the studio in early 2006 to record its next proper release with "fifth member"/producer Eric Valentine. Harwell said the group is also thinking about hitting the road with Bon Jovi in October and November. ...