Pink is returning to the studio the first week of February to begin recording the follow-up to 2001's hit Missundaztood. The singer's spokesperson could not confirm what producers Pink will be working with, but said she will also be recording the title track for the new "Charlie's Angels" movie, which will hit radio and video outlets in May. The film, which features a Pink cameo, is due in June. ...

Simple Plan have been tapped to open all the dates of fellow Canadian Avril Lavigne's Try to Shut Me Up! Tour. The band continues to support its debut album, No Pads, No Helmets ... Just Balls, which is nearing sales of a quarter million copies, and hopes to be wearing its game face throughout the tour, which begins April 9 in Toronto and wraps May 17 in Philadelphia. ... The Library of Congress has selected Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's 1982 hip-hop classic "The Message" to be among the first 50 sound recordings to be entered into the national registry. The registry, created to preserve important recordings, also includes Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's radio "Fireside Chats" and Aretha Franklin's "Respect." ...

Pete Yorn has set an April 22 release date for Day I Forgot, the follow-up to 2001's Musicforthemorningafter. R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck and Elvis Presley's backing vocalists the Sweet Inspirations have participated in Yorn's recording sessions with producer R. Walt Vincent. ... Despite the departure of co-founder John Davis a year after releasing 1999's One Part Lullaby, Folk Implosion, best known for their 1995 hit single "Natural One," have returned with The New Folk Implosion, so named for the two new members surrounding ex-Dinosaur Jr. bassist/ Sebadoh frontman Lou Barlow. The band's first tour in two years kicks off February 27 in San Francisco and runs through April 9 in Los Angeles. ...

The City of Detroit has selected techno pioneers Carl Craig, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson to produce this year's Detroit Electronic Music Festival rather than Pop Culture Media, which has produced the festival since its inception in 2000. Like previous years, the DEMF will be held during Memorial Day weekend. ... Moody and intense instrumental trio the Dirty Three are set to embark on a North American tour April 3 in Champaign, Illinois, in support of their sixth studio album, She Has No Strings Apollo. More than two dozen dates later, the trek winds down May 5 in Vancouver. ... Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins seems to be feeling a little less clairvoyant than he was last year. He's changed the name of the band's upcoming disc from Crystal Baller to Out of the Vein. The album is currently scheduled to hit shelves April 29. ...

01.28.03

The insanity is turning out to be even more insane that expected. Insane Clown Posse have hit the road with '80s rap hellraisers 2 Live Crew and Anybody Killa. The Posse will remain on tour through April 26 in Columbus, Ohio, and they're mixing up their formula until it's as explosive as a shaken bottle of Faygo by presenting the public with totally rad new face paint. Instead of standard black-and-white patterns, the Clowns will alter their designs to meet their twizted moods. Crazy. ...

Bay Area punks Rancid are working on their sixth studio album, produced by Epitaph founder and Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The band's first recording since 2000's self-titled album is due for release in June, just in time for their headlining slot on this summer's Warped Tour. ... The girls of T.a.t.u. are back in their native Russia, where Julia Volkova is seeking treatment -- possibly surgery -- for a throat ailment. As a result of the diagnosis, the group was forced to postpone a few promotional shows in the U.K. last week. ...

Har Mar Superstar, eccentric Midwestern singer/ Kelly Osbourne's date for the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards, is in negotiations to play Dancing Ernie in "Starsky & Hutch," director Todd Phillips' big-screen update of the 1970s cop show that stars Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in the title roles. Snoop Dogg will also appear, as street-informant Huggy Bear. ... Adam Levy, the guitarist in Norah Jones' band, is releasing a solo album, Get Your Glow On, April 8 on his own Lost Wax label. Jones and Memphis soul singer Otis Clay are among the guest performers. ...

American Head Charge keyboardist Aaron Zilch has parted ways with his bandmates due to irreconcilable differences. In a post on the band's official Web site, bassist Chad Hanks said the group will not seek a replacement, and that from now on their other keyboardist, Justin Fowler, will handle all sampling duties. ... Lamb of God's new album, As the Palaces Burn, will come out May 6. The disc, which is being produced by Strapping Young Lad frontman Devin Townsend, will feature appearances by Townsend, ex-Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland and Today Is the Day vocalist Steve Austin. ...