After months of speculation, there's finally substantive information on Weezer's upcoming fifth studio album. Namely, the name: Make Believe. The band confirmed the title in a post on Weezer.com, adding that the artwork for the LP was also very close to being completed. The group stopped short of giving up all the info, though; there's still no confirmed release date. ...

Foxy Brown turned herself in to New York City police late Monday evening (March 7) to face assault charges stemming from an incident at a nail salon in August. Details are scarce, but Foxy was issued an appearance ticket and released without bail, according to an NYPD spokesperson. ...

The Velvet Teddy Bear, Ruben Studdard, is involved in a not-so-cuddly lawsuit with his godfather/former business adviser. A lawyer for the "American Idol" crooner has slapped Ronald Edwards with a suit alleging that Edwards withdrew checks that add up to $90,000 from Studdard's account, ran up big charges on his credit cards and misused $246,000 without getting Studdard's permission. The suit is asking for unspecified damages. Edwards' attorney says that his client came to the aid of Studdard when the "Idol" contest starting heating up and had power of attorney to help Studdard by paying his rent and cell-phone bills as well as his accountant. The next step for Edwards in the battle against his godson will come in the form of a counterclaim, which his attorney says will be filed next week. ...

Snoop Dogg's Puff Puff Pass Tour is dropping like it's hot -- on DVD. The two-disc set, featuring live performances of such hits as "Gin & Juice" and "Murder Was the Case," is due out March 22. The second disc features behind-the-scenes footage as well as the rapper's thoughts on the war in Iraq, Al Sharpton and George W. Bush. ... Snoop, Twista and WC are among the guests on Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rapper Layzie Bone's debut solo album, It's Not a Game, due May 31. Krayzie Bone and the Outlawz also make appearances on Layzie's first recording since the 2001 side project Mo Thugs Family Presents Thug by Nature. ...

The cost for expediting the visa process for U.K. bands coming to perform in the U.S. has some rockers' knickers in a twist. In the ramp-up to South by Southwest -- which starts at the end of the week -- many British bands are complaining that getting temporary visas has become increasingly difficult. With a 15-day express fee running more than $1,000 per visa request, some British advocacy groups, like the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, are grousing that U.K. bands will lose money by hauling themselves across the pond. The London Times has said that bands like Coldplay and Franz Ferdinand, who are well established in the States, may be awarded travel grants to ease the difficulty of entering the U.S. ... British rockers Muse will headline this year's Campus Invasion Tour. Razorlight will open on the trek, which begins April 8 at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, and ends April 28 at Kent State University in Cleveland. ...

Last week a few tracks trickled out to the Internet via Seattle radio station the End 107.7, and now the entirety of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine has leaked online. The album, which has been in label limbo for more than two years, features such tracks as "Oh Sailor," "Red Red Red" and "Window." Sony still has yet to set a release date for the album. ... The same day the traditional version hits stores, Bruce Springsteen's upcoming album Devils & Dust (April 26) will also be released in DualDisc format. The two-sided disc will have the full album on one side, and live acoustic performances of the title track, "Long Time Comin'," "Reno," "All I'm Thinkin' About" and "Matamoras Banks" on the DVD side, with spoken introductions from the Boss. ...

Oasis have titled their sixth studio album, due May 31, Don't Believe the Truth. ... Scottish alt-rockers Teenage Fanclub will drop their latest effort, Man-Made, in May, via their own PeMa label. Fans anxious for the Fanclub's new material will get their chance to hear it in late March, but will need to cross the Atlantic to get it: a pair of shows has been set, the first in London at the Scala on March 29 and the second at Glasgow's Mitchell Theatre on March 31. Man-Made will be the band's first studio album since 2000's Howdy! ...

Hoboken, New Jersey's Yo La Tengo are officially an institution. The indie rockers will release the career-spanning retrospective Prisoners of Love: A Smattering of Scintillating Senescent Songs, 1985-2003 on March 22. The collection will be available in two versions: a two-disc "best-of" set and a three-disc anthology with a disc of 16 rarities and outtakes. The trio also recently completed soundtracks for the Sundance films "Game 6" and "Junebug," and they have a DVD slated to drop later in the year. ... Finch and Vendetta Red are pairing up for a spring tour that kicks off April 14 in West Hollywood, California, and wraps up April 30 at the Bamboozle festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Vendetta Red, who are playing several dates near their hometown of Seattle beforehand, will be previewing songs from their next album, Sisters of the Red Death, due this summer. ...

03.03.2005

Snoop Dogg will release "Signs," his pop-infused effort featuring Justin Timberlake, as the third single off his latest album, R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece. Snoop told MTV Europe that "it's only right" to release the single, noting that it's time to "mix worlds." ... On day four of the Michael Jackson trial, the accuser's older sister testified that her brother seemed more "hyper" and "playful" after spending time alone with the star, possibly indicating intoxication. She claimed she saw Jackson and her brothers whispering and passing around a can of Diet Coke (which the prosecution alleges held wine, not soda), but she didn't take a drink from it. She also claimed that she once followed Jackson and her two brothers into a room at Neverland, where the singer poured wine for everybody, including herself. The sister also said Jackson's handlers made preparations for the family to go to Brazil, claiming that there were death threats against them. ...

At Usher's live performance in Puerto Rico this coming Saturday, "One Night One Star Usher Live," which will be televised by Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Mr. Entertainment will be joined by several special guests, including Beyoncé, Lil Jon, Ludacris, Fat Joe and Tom Cruise, according to sources close to the production. ... It turns out that "American Idol" contestant Constantine Maroulis' television debut was not on the hit FOX TV show, but rather on "Elimidate," the late-night guilty pleasure in which four guys compete for a date with one lucky lady, and visa-versa. "Elimidate" producers dug into their archives to find the episode, which was shot a few years ago when Maroulis, now 29, was a student at the Boston Conservatory. On the show, which re-aired Wednesday night, Maroulis sings for his supper at a trendy Boston eatery and even licks his date's arm, behavior that somehow led to him winning the competition. ...

Demand for the Dimebag Darrell Memorial Bracelet -- available through www.DimeTribute.com -- has been so high that PayPal, the online payment provider in charge of handling orders for the black bands, has been forced to halt service to the site. The memorial bracelets can still be ordered through the mail, and the Web site has posted a statement assuring those who have already placed orders through PayPal that the site is "working with a new provider to remedy this problem." All of the proceeds from the sale of the bracelets will go to the Dimebag Darrell Memorial Fund. ... Denise Richards filed for divorce from Charlie Sheen on Wednesday, citing irreconcilable differences. Richards and Sheen have one daughter, Sam, who is 1 year old. Richards, who is six months pregnant with their second child, is seeking full custody of the children and is asking that Sheen be granted visitation rights. The marriage was Sheen's second and Richards' first. ...

The latest spate of commercials in the $28 million "Radio. You Hear It Here First" campaign features a number of new artists touting the importance of terrestrial radio. Among the acts are R&B singer Brooke Valentine, country singer Julie Roberts, rockers Blue Merle, the Bravery and the Ditty Bops. Joining the fresh faces are veterans Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hall & Oates. Previous spots have featured Nelly, Ludacris, Avril Lavigne, Ashanti and Alicia Keys. ... British rapper Dizzee Rascal was arrested in London on Wednesday for allegedly carrying pepper spray, according to BBC News. A spokesperson for Rascal's U.S. label had no comment on the arrest. The unnamed 34-year-old driver of the car Rascal was riding in was reportedly arrested for possession of pepper spray, a baton and pot. Rascal is slated to start a U.S. tour on March 31 in Portland, Oregon. ...

Wilco's Jeff Tweedy will participate in a discussion about downloading and file-sharing at the main branch of the New York Public Library (Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street) on April 7. Tweedy, who openly supports music downloading, will discuss issues involving the artistic, commercial and legal aspects of the controversial subject. "A piece of art is not a loaf of bread," Tweedy said in a statement. "When someone steals a loaf of bread from the store, that's it. The loaf of bread is gone. When someone downloads a piece of music, it's just data until the listener puts that music back together with their own ears, their mind, their subjective experience."... Powerhouse singer Nikka Costa will join Lenny Kravitz on his spring tour, which kicks off April 5 in Grand Prairie, Texas. The L.A. native will be supporting her new album, Can'tneverdidnothin', which hits stores on May 24. The first single will be "Till I Get You." ...