HOOKED ON NEW PAPA ROACH RECORD
Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix got clever when describing the band?s new album to MTV News last week saying, ?It?s like a meat locker ?cause there?s just hooks everywhere.? The new record is as-yet-untitled, but it should be out by September or October. Shaddix explained that the new songs are very different than the band?s previous and that this is ?the best album we?ve recorded to date.? The band have not settled on a first single just yet, but they said it?s down to three tracks ? ?Crash,? ?What Do You Do? or ?Forever.?


LIVE FROM NEW YORK, IT?S AFI
Tune into MTV2 on Saturday and catch some live AFI performances. The network plans to air six songs from the band?s recent concert at the Nokia Theater in New York. In between the music, viewers will see the ?fandomonium? that went on at MTV Studios during AFI?s visit. The show airs at 8 PM Pacific.


EX-BLINK GUYS NEAR END OF NEW RECORD
Despite the announcement of Blink-182?s ?indefinite hiatus? over a year ago, all the guys in Blink are still hard at work. Guitarist Tom DeLonge is busy with his new band Angels & Airwaves, but bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker have been quietly working on their own new band. They are called Plus-44 and they?ve recently been recording tracks at a studio in Los Angeles, according to MTV News. Two tracks have been talked about so far, one called ?Lillian,? which Hoppus said ?will kick a million asses,? and another song called ?Weatherman.? Plus-44 is fronted by female singer Carol Heller, who despite rumors that she is out of the band, is still singing with them, according to a post on MySpace from Hoppus. A spokesperson for the band said that they are very close to completing the record, and that the debut album may be out towards the end of the year.


SWITCHFOOT GET COLORFUL ON NEW ALBUM
Switchfoot are currently working hard on the follow-up to their 2005 album Nothing is Sound, and according to MTV News its been a very colorful process. Frontman Jon Foreman said that they are currently attempting to make each new song ?have its own color and feel.? Switchfoot hope to have the new album out by the end of 2006, but they aren?t holing themselves up in the studio. The band will play a few live dates this summer, including a free show in Nashville, Tennessee on June 17th. For more information head over to Switchfoot.com.


GNARLS BARKLEY GOING 'ELSEWHERE'
Gnarls Barkley has announced a string of summer tour dates in support of the project's debut album, St. Elsewhere, and red-hot single "Crazy." The act will play a number of shows in July, August and September, including an August 4th stop at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago. St. Elsewhere has sold 168,000 copies since being released four weeks ago and currently sits at Number 14 on the Billboard Top 200. Barkley said in a statement, "My message has been embraced around the world, and I could not be happier. However...I am particularly pleased with my success in the United States. Sweden is a gorgeous land, but America has much lower taxes."

• Barkley, of course, doesn't really exist. The project is a collaboration between DJ/producer Danger Mouse and rapper Cee-Lo.
• The duo will appear this Monday (June 12th) on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
• Gnarls Barkley is confirmed to play at the Austin City Limits Festival September 15.

MARS VOLTA PREPPING NEW CD FOR AUGUST?
The Mars Volta is reportedly hoping to release its new album, tentatively titled Amputechture, in mid-August to coincide with the group's opening slot on the Red Hot Chili Peppers tour, according to AbsolutePunk.net. The group has been working on its new project for several months, with Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante rumored to be making a guest appearance. Internet speculation suggested that a single would surface by the end of this month, but there's been no official word of either that or an album release.

• The Mars Volta's tour with the Chili Peppers begins on August 11th in Portland, Oregon and extends all the way into November.
• The band's last CD, Frances The Mute, was released in March of 2005 and featured the single, "The Widow (I'll Never Sleep Alone)."
• The group also issued a live collection called Scabdates last November.

EXIES POST NEW SONG ONLINE
The Exies have posted a demo of a new song called "Once In A Lifetime" at the band's MySpace page, MySpace.com/theexies. The band is currently recording its new album, which it expects to release this September. The disc will follow up the group's 2004 effort, Head For The Door, which featured the single "Ugly." The group has also been posting studio updates at the MySpace page.


NEW TO THEATERS JUNE 9
CARS
While traveling cross-country to compete in a championship race, a cocky stock car named Lightning McQueen lands himself in trouble and winds up doing community service in the isolated desert town of Radiator Springs. Lightning's arrogance ruffles the feathers of the city's four-wheeled residents, but eventually, he realizes that his bad attitude needs a tune-up and that family and friends are more important than winning.
Cars is the latest movie from the people behind The Incredibles and Finding Nemo, and it stars the voices of Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, and Paul Newman.

A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION
Garrison Keillor's long-running weekly radio show, A Prairie Home Companion, gets a big-screen treatment from The Player and Gosford Park director Robert Altman. In this "fictional documentary," the show is being shut down and its veteran performers gather for one last hurrah under Keillor's guidance. Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Lindsay Lohan, Woody Harrelson, and Kevin Kline are among the actors taking part in this ensemble picture.


QUICK HITS
Work on a 24 movie is underway.

Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey? Really?

You Ain't No Picasso has a good roundup of summer music fests.

Here's a gift for the drinker who has everything: sandals with a built-in bottle opener.

Dave Navarro says he and his wife, Carmen Electra,