On August 25, during the Dallas stop on this summer's Ozzfest, Drowning Pool will take the stage for the first time with their third -- and Soil's erstwhile -- frontman Ryan McCombs, according to a spokesperson for Drowning Pool. The band is writing new material with McCombs for its third album, which should surface late this year or early next. The lineup change -- which follows the June departure of Jason "Gong" Jones, who was brought in after the 2002 death of original Drowning Pool vocalist Dave Williams -- has sparked some beef between the two bands. On Soil's Web site, bassist Tim King vilified McCombs, saying he will "be singing the very songs he hailed as 'average,' " and capped off his tirade with "Drowning Pool can have him. Now we have the better singer [in A.J. Cavalier] and the better band." ...

The recording industry unleashed its latest round of lawsuits against illegal file-sharers on Thursday, targeting 765 individuals. The "John Doe" suits against users of such P2P services as Grokster, eDonkey, Kazaa and LimeWire were filed in federal district courts from California to New York one week after music companies filed 176 suits against individuals whose names were subpoenaed from their ISPs. In light of the Supreme Court's recent ruling against Grokster, Recording Industry Association of America president Cary Sherman said the organization will "significantly" expand its anti-piracy efforts in the coming months. ... Hey, did you really enjoy Interpol's Antics album when it first came out back in September 2004? If so, then you'll really love it when you buy it again as a deluxe two-disc special edition on August 23. Dubbed Antics: The Special Edition, the set is a completist's dream, featuring an unreleased song, "Song Seven," plus an Antics track remixed by each member of the band, and the three videos off the album: "Slow Hands," "Evil" and "C'mere." ...

Blondie, the MC5's Wayne Kramer and former D Generation frontman Jesse Malin will perform at New York's legendary CBGB club on Monday at 8 p.m., in the first of a series of concerts being organized by the Save CBGB campaign, according to a spokesperson for Malin. The concert will be preceded by a press conference, during which it's expected "Sopranos" star and E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt will discuss the details of a monthlong campaign to help preserve the punk-rock landmark and spare it from closure. The cradle of punk faces eviction at the end of August, unless the club's owner, Hilly Kristal, can negotiate a new lease for the Bowery space that houses the venue. ... Los Angeles punks the Bronx will portray Black Flag in the upcoming film "What We Do Is Secret," a biopic about Darby Crash and the Germs starring Lukas Haas and Bijou Phillips. The Mae Shi will appear in the film as the Screamers. ...

He's a guy whose debut album sold more than 3 million copies, and who, 10 years ago, had one of the hottest songs in the country. But it's been a while since we've heard from Warren G, the Long Beach, California, rapper who pretty much invented G-Funk with his '94 tune "Regulate." And while he's been cranking out records ever since, he's becoming better known in the LBC for his charity work, including his annual "G Christmas," where he buys toys for children at the California Recreation Center; and his midnight basketball league, designed to help keep kids off the street. So it's somewhat fitting that on Thursday, Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill announced that the week of August 1-6 will be Warren G Week, a celebration of all his work. Warren will perform a couple of concerts during the week, including one on August 6 in the hangar of the historic ocean liner the Queen Mary. ... Some people tour nightclubs, some people tour colleges, and there have even been instances where artists have toured Boys & Girls clubs. Soul singer Sharissa is taking it to the next level and doing a tour of prisons in advance of her September 27 release, Every Beat of My Heart. On Thursday she started at Rikers Island in New York, singing for male inmates. She's scheduled to perform for all the women inmates on Friday (July 29). There is no word yet on exactly how many correctional facilities Sharissa will be hitting. ...

Struggling to figure out how to break into hip-hop? A DVD series promises to teach you, with advice from producers Rockwilder and Just Blaze, managers Mona Scott and Blue Williams, and video directors Benny Boom and Jessy Terrero. DreamSpring's how-to series (available on DreamSpringEntertainment.com) has eight titles so far, including "Secrets to Getting a Record Deal" (featuring A&R reps from Jive, Shady and G-Unit), "Secrets to Being a Successful Music Producer," "Secrets to Being a Successful Manager" (with tips from managers of Outkast, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes and 50 Cent), "Secrets to Being a Working DJ" (featuring DJ Kay Slay and DJ Kid Capri), and "Secrets to Careers in the Urban Fashion Industry" (featuring execs from Sean John, Ecko and Reebok). A portion of the proceeds will go to Akidemics, a nonprofit providing educational programs for inner-city children. ...

Don't worry that Liz Phair has chucked it all for teen pop, despite working with Ashlee Simpson's producer John Shanks on her upcoming album, Somebody's Miracle, due October 4. "People get very uptight about staying in a certain genre or not breaking out of your expected style," Phair said. "If I like indie rock, I can't like pop. Or if I'm a pop person, I have no credibility in rock. But for me, I just decided to go farther and take my aesthetic stand stronger." Song titles on the more grown-up Miracle include "Leap of Innocence," "Table for One," "Stars and Planets," "Lazy Dreamer" and first single "Everything to Me," which asks a lover to "take the time to catch me if I fall" while also asking, "Do you really know me at all?" ...

7.28.2005

Want to be the next American Idol? If you're between 16 and 28, you can audition for the fifth season -- which will begin airing in January 2006 -- starting on August 18 in San Francisco at the Cow Palace. Auditions will continue in Austin, Texas; Boston; Memphis, Tennessee; Denver and Chicago. Details on the auditions can be found at idolonfox.com. ...

Another day, another Kelly Clarkson contest -- this time, the "American Idol" winner is offering a chance to visit her in New York and hang backstage via a T-Mobile sweepstakes, which starts on Monday at T-MobileAllAccess.com. "I can't wait to hook up with some of my fans and hang out backstage," Clarkson said in a statement. ... After rejecting a plea bargain in May in connection with an alleged August 2004 assault on two nail-salon employees, Foxy Brown was slated to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday (July 28) for the beginning of her trial in the case. The first court date has been moved to August 5 at the request of Brown's attorney. ...

My Chemical Romance have announced plans to embark on their first headlining tour this fall. The Alkaline Trio and jokey pop-punkers Reggie and the Full Effect will serve as opening acts on the trek, which will hit 28 cities. According to a spokesperson for MCR's label, Reprise Records, the start date for the tour has not yet been determined, nor have on-sale dates, but the tour is slated to make stops in Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, San Diego, Atlanta, Orlando, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore. ... "Chickenhead" rapper Project Pat was released from prison Thursday after serving an abbreviated sentence of more than three years for felony possession of a firearm. The rapper, whose real name is Patrick Houston, will remain on supervised release for three more years, according to the original sentence he was served in June 2002. Project Pat was convicted by a federal jury in Jackson, Tennessee, earlier that year on charges stemming from a January 2001 incident when Memphis police pulled him over for speeding and found two revolvers under a seat in his SUV. He was on parole for aggravated robbery at the time. ... "Halo 2" is the 2005 Game of the Year, according to G-Phoria, which crowned winners of the video game world Wednesday night in Los Angeles, in a ceremony hosted by Wilmer Valderrama. "Halo 2" also took home Best Shooter, Best Multiplayer Game, Best Sound Design, Best Original Soundtrack, Best Boss and Best Male Voice Performance (the most overall awards of the evening). "God of War" was also a big winner, receiving kudos for Best Action Game, Best Cinematic, Best Original Game and Favorite Character, as was "Half-Life 2," which won for Best Graphics and Best Female Voice Performance. "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" took home Best Licensed Soundtrack. The Black Eyed Peas and the Bravery performed, while William Shatner was on hand to honor Ralph Baer, who created the very first video game console. The show will be broadcast August 9 on G4 -- the video game channel -- at 8 p.m. ET. ...

Thanks to "The Dukes of Hazzard," the 1969 Dodge Charger is increasing in value, according to the Kelley Blue Book. The 1969 Dodge Charger SE 500 in mint condition could fetch up to $61,600 today, versus $43,900 only six months ago, a 29 percent increase in the vehicle's value. For a mint condition Dodge Charger R/T, the price has increased 64 percent this year, up from $28,200 in January 2005 to $43,900 this month. ... The Internet has saturated the youth market, with nearly 90 percent of teens reportedly having online access, according to a new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, with half of them logging on to the Internet daily. That number is up from about 75 percent of teens in 2000. By comparison, only 66 percent of American adults are wired to the Internet. Older teen girls (ages 15-17) proved to be the most intense users. ... Meanwhile, tweens and young teens aren't glued to the TV as much as they used to be -- 8- to 14-year-olds are becoming increasingly disinterested in watching television, and more distracted when they do watch it, according to "The U.S. Market for Tweens and Young Teens," a new report from Packaged Facts. Almost 80 percent of the younger tweens say they "love" watching TV, but this drops to 60 percent when kids reach their early teen years. And often, they're doing something else when the TV is on, like reading, listening to music or using a computer. ...

Alanis Morissette's favorite song? Seal's "Crazy." Her favorite Gap jeans? Curvy flare. Starting in August, Morissette will sing her favorite tune to shill for Gap jeans for the retailer's fall "favorites" campaign in Francis Lawrence-directed TV spots, along with Incubus' Brandon Boyd, Joss Stone, John Legend, Destiny's Child's Michelle Williams, Jason Mraz and Liz Phair. (Boyd's fave is Elvis Costello's "Alison," Stone's is the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows," Mraz's is Bob Marley's "One Love," Phair's is Irving Berlin's "Cheek to Cheek"). A limited-edition eight-song CD featuring those remakes will be available as a gift with purchase at Gap stores starting September 1 (except for Phair's track, which will be replaced on the compilation by Michelle Branch's cover of David Bowie's "Life on Mars?"). ... Nicole Richie, who appeared in Bongo's spring 2005 ads, is wearing the jeans once again for the company's juniors fall campaign, and is joined by her fiance, DJ AM, for the launch of Bongo Men. The campaign -- which features the couple cuddling and kissing -- will debut in September. "I had done the campaign last season and I had so much fun and I loved the way the ads came out," Richie said. "We are so excited to do the campaign together." ...

The lead singer of the British band Bad Beat Revue died last week from an injury sustained during a dramatic leap from the stage, according to BBC News. Patrick Sherry, 29, known as an athletic performer, sustained fatal head and neck injuries during a July 20 gig and died the next day. The group, which formed in 2002, released one album, Still Cheating, in 2003. ... Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn't forgotten his "Twin" -- he's teamed up once again with Danny DeVito to reprise their twin brother roles for a new TV ad campaign for the 2005 California State Fair, which begins airing on Thursday. The fair kicks off in Sacramento at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds on August 12 and runs through Labor Day. ...