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For The Record: Quick News On Coldplay, Travis Barker, Jadakiss, T.I., James Blunt, Dr. Dre & More

Band compiles singles into vinyl box; (+44) drummer won't tour anytime soon; Jadakiss indicted.

Dust off your record players, Coldplay fans: The band is compiling all 14 of its singles on vinyl, each pressed as a 7-inch in a sleeve with its original artwork. The box set, dubbed The Singles 1999-2006, will also include 1999's The Blue Room E.P. -- the band's first Parlophone item -- and is set for a March 26 international release. A U.S. release date is not scheduled, and Coldplay have stipulated that a CD version will not be made. ...

(+44)'s injured drummer, Travis Barker, won't be returning to the road anytime soon. According to a MySpace post by frontman Mark Hoppus, Barker continues to recover from a broken arm -- his bones were so brittle that they broke while he was playing drums back in October. Barker is to strap a bone stimulator, a device that encourages the healing process, to his forearm, and doctors also ordered a casual return to the drums as rehabilitation. There's no word on when Barker will be back behind the kit. ...

Jadakiss was indicted Thursday (February 8) in a New York state court on weapon and drug-possession charges stemming from an arrest last year, according to The Associated Press. The Yonkers native and three other men were pulled over by police October 7 after authorities allegedly smelled marijuana coming from the car the rapper was in -- and then discovered a gun in the vehicle. In the police report, Jada's lawyer, Clement Patti, said he had "yet to see or hear of any evidence connecting my client to possessing this weapon." If convicted, the rapper could face up to seven years in prison. Through an Interscope spokesperson, Jadakiss declined to comment to MTV News regarding the matter. ...

The performer list for Sunday's 49th annual Grammy Awards keeps growing, with the latest additions including T.I. and James Blunt as well as Earth, Wind & Fire, who will join a previously announced hook-up between Mary J. Blige and Ludacris. More presenters have also been added, including Mandy Moore, Common, Quentin Tarantino, Luke Wilson, Reba McEntire, Natalie Cole and legendary songwriter Burt Bacharach. The Grammys air Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. MTV News' "All Up in the Grammys" preshow begins at 7:30 p.m. on MTV. ... And the Grammys' star-studded green room won't be green at all this year. The Recording Academy and Gap have teamed up to create the first (RED) Room backstage at the 49th annual Grammy Awards in honor of Product (RED), an initiative spearheaded by Bono to help combat HIV/AIDS in Africa. ...

Dr. Dre is setting himself up for the next act in his creative life: movie mogul. According to Variety, Dre has signed a multiyear feature production deal with New Line through his new company, Crucial Films. Dre plans to produce alongside longtime collaborator Phillip Atwell, focusing first on dark comedies before moving on to genres such as horror. He'll be heavily involved in the music side of the film projects. "This is a natural switch for me, since I've directed a lot of music videos," Dre said. "And I eventually want to get into directing." ...

Aching for a night with Justin Timberlake or the celebrity treatment at the VMAs? That wish can come true for the right price. R.S.V.P. to Help, an online charity auction led by Jon Bon Jovi and designer Kenneth Cole, includes a VIP package to see Timberlake perform in London in July, a meet-and-greet with the next batch of "American Idol" finalists on their summer tour, two spots on a Habitat for Humanity build crew with former President Jimmy Carter, a design lesson with Cole and spots on the red carpet and in the celebrity-packed green room at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. The auction ends February 15, with all proceeds benefiting Habitat for Humanity, Help USA and the Philadelphia Soul Foundation. Visit RSVPtoHelp.org for more information. ...

The Isley Brothers -- who were nominated for two Soul Train Music Awards earlier this week -- will embark on a U.S. tour March 14 in Las Vegas. The group -- featuring Ronald Isley, a.k.a. Mr. Biggs -- will bring the R&B fun to a close April 28 in Philadelphia. ... The Who announced a European tour Thursday that will take them to 28 cities, beginning with Lisbon, Portugal, on May 8 and ending in Helsinki, Finland, on July 9. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey performed a four-song acoustic set at their London news conference, AP reports, and they said they will continue touring elsewhere once they're done with Europe. ... The Blood Brothers and Celebration will head out March 15 on a 31-date North American trek that begins in Salt Lake City. The tour will make stops in Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Los Angeles before wrapping April 27 in Seattle. ...

New York State Senator Carl Kruger launched a war on what he called "iPod oblivion" this week, proposing a $100 fine for people who are caught walking, jogging or biking across city streets while jamming tunes. The proposed bill would also outlaw the use of cell phones, Blackberrys, video games and other electronic gear while crossing the street, according to an AP report. Kruger cited the death of a 21-year-old man who was listening to music when he stepped off a curb and was hit by a bus in Brooklyn, New York, in September, and also referred to a 23-year-old iPod user's death last month. ... AP reports that Daniel Baldwin was in Detroit working on a horror flick when a judge in Newport Beach, California, issued a warrant for the actor on charges that Baldwin skipped a court hearing pertaining to the theft of a car. ...

Nike has commissioned underground hip-hop hero Aesop Rock to compose the third installment of its Nike + Original Run music series. The 45-minute continuous mix will be available Tuesday on iTunes. ... Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley and his brothers Stephen, Ky-Mani and Julian have organized a concert to commemorate the birthday of their late father, reggae icon Bob Marley. The peace-promoting event, titled Smile Jamaica, will take place on Saturday, four days after the 62nd anniversary of Marley's birth. Rita Marley, Marley's widow, is also expected to attend the show, which will be held in Jamaica's St. Ann parish. ... Sitting in front of the TV for hours playing video games could be good for your eyesight, despite what your parents may have told you. A University of Rochester study found that non-gamers who played action video games for a few hours per day actually experienced a 20 percent improvement in vision over the course of a month. "These games push the human visual system to the limits and the brain adapts to it," Professor Daphne Bavelier said in the study, published Tuesday. "That learning carries over into other activities and possibly everyday life."

02.07.2007

If you don't like Mandy Moore's upcoming LP, Wild Hope, place the blame squarely on the singer herself. "I knew exactly what type of album I wanted to make and firmly held my ground," she said in a statement announcing the May 8 release of the disc. Moore explained that the project, produced by John Alagia (John Mayer, the Dave Matthews Band) and featuring the singer/actress' songwriting talents, encouraged her to take artistic risks. "Making this record has been the most exciting and fulfilling creative experience of my life." ...

R. Kelly has been hospitalized in Miami following surgery for a ruptured appendix over the weekend. He will miss a scheduled court date in his child-pornography case on Wednesday (February 7), The Chicago Tribune reports. Kelly was expected to attend the status hearing, which will now proceed as planned without the singer, according to an official at the Cook County State Attorney's office. ...

Justin Timberlake brought his FutureSex/LoveShow to Boston Tuesday night, with Pink in tow as the opening act. During his second chat with the audience, JT sat down at the piano, rolled up his sleeves and said, "I've got a lot of friends in Boston. I'd like to make a little toast: Here's to all the girls of Tufts University." ... Timbaland, Ne-Yo, Taylor Hicks, Corinne Bailey Rae and Imogen Heap are among the artists participating in Grammy Career Day at the University of Southern California on Thursday. Randy Jackson, Sean Garrett and the Underdogs are also participating in the workshops. ... And in news involving two of the aforementioned artists, Timbaland's Shock Value -- the first single to which, "Give It to Me," features JT and Nelly Furtado -- will street March 27. Fall Out Boy, Elton John and other diverse artists also guest. ...

The nominees for the Soul Train Music Awards were announced Tuesday, and Beyoncé leads the field with three nods -- B'Day is up for best female R&B soul album, and "Irreplaceable" faces off for best music video and best R&B soul single by a female artist. Double nominee Mary J. Blige meets Beyoncé in the female album and single categories, while John Legend, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo and Yung Joc also racked up two nods each. Prizes for the 21st anniversary event, hosted by Omarion and LeToya, will be presented March 10. The ceremony will air in syndication beginning March 17. ...

Chamillionaire, Slim Thug, Pimp C and LeToya are among the guests on C-Murder's Screamin' 4 Vengeance, due March 20. The album addresses the circumstances surrounding the rapper's incarceration for a 2002 murder he says he did not commit, including the single "Posted on Tha Block." (He was sentenced to life in prison but was later released when his conviction was overturned.) Estevan Oriol (D12, Cypress Hill) directed the video, which features a Snoop Dogg cameo but no new footage of C-Murder, who is under a gag order. ... Jermaine Dupri was appointed president of Island Records Urban Music on Wednesday. The former president of Virgin Records' urban division will lead the new branch of the Island Def Jam Music Group, overseeing Island's entire urban-music operation. "Jermaine's career has grown from strength to strength over the years as a producer and songwriter and recording artist in his own right, as a respected label executive and entrepreneur and as a highly esteemed developer of new talent," Island Def Jam Chairman L.A. Reid said in a statement announcing Dupri's appointment. ...

According to the Smashing Pumpkins' Web site, the band's comeback LP, Zeitgeist, is due July 7. The post says it's due "07/07/07," a Saturday, even though records almost always hit U.S. stores on Tuesdays. Frontman Billy Corgan reactivated the Pumpkins in April, and thus far, the only original member of the group confirmed to return to the fold is drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. Guitarist James Iha will not be participating in the reunion, according to sources close to the band, and it remains unclear whether bassist D'Arcy Wretzky will be involved in the Pumpkins' return. ... There are now five finalists in Incubus' video contest, which is allowing fans to create the clip for the band's second Light Grenades single, "Dig." The finalists, including a 44-year-old mom in Boston, will take the stage with the band at its Tuesday show at the Wiltern LG in Los Angeles. The videos were made using green-screen footage provided by the group and are available to view at IDigIncubus.com. ...

She's already lined up to host the awards show, and now that the nominations for the Junos -- Canada's answer to the Grammys -- are in, it looks like Nelly Furtado could be the night's runaway star. The singer is up for five prizes at the April 1 event, including Album of the Year, Artist of the Year and the Juno Fan Choice Award. K-os and Billy Talent are also in the running for five prizes, while fellow Canadians Sloan, Islands and Ron Sexsmith are also up for prizes. Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dixie Chicks and Il Divo face off for the Best International Album trophy. ... The Walkmen, who trotted out two albums last year, have lined up a pair of tours: a headlining stint in March and a co-headlining jaunt with Kaiser Chiefs in April. The 'Men will spark their March trek on the 8th in New York and bring it to a close March 23 in Washington, D.C., with the Archie Bronson Outfit, the Broken West and Ferraby Lionheart in tow on select dates. The tag-team tour with Kaiser Chiefs -- plus Annuals or the Little Ones, depending on the show -- begins April 6 in Philadelphia and concludes April 28 in Los Angeles. ...

Former British rocker Gary Glitter had his child-molestation sentence reduced by a Vietnamese court Wednesday, AP reports. A judge took three months off the three-year term as part of the nation's Lunar New Year prison amnesty program. Glitter, who was convicted of molesting two Vietnamese girls, will be released in August 2008. ... Frankie Laine, one of the most popular entertainers of the 1950s, died Tuesday of heart failure, The Associated Press reports. The singer, who regularly crept into the top 10 before rock and roll took over the pop charts, was best known as the voice behind the theme to the TV western "Rawhide." He also counted "That's My Desire," "Mule Train," "Jezebel," "I Believe" and "That Lucky Old Sun" among his hits.

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