SYSTEM OF A DOWN REFUTE CHARGES
System Of A Down has posted a statement at its official website refuting claims by the Turkish media that the band's 1998 tour featured tickets with an anti-Turk slogan printed on them. The message reads in part, "The Turkish media has been spreading blatant lies about System Of A Down, among them the claim that we had an anti-Turk slogan printed on tickets during our 1998 tour with Slayer. The truth is that System Of A Down cancelled our shows opening for Slayer in Turkey in 1998...there were no anti-Turkish slurs printed on any tickets for that, or any other tour involving System Of A Down." The statement adds that the band "wishes that the media in Turkey, and elsewhere, be conscious of the facts, responsible in their research, honest in their writing, and dedicated to the essential importance of the truth."
System drummer John Dolmayan told LAUNCH why the band pulled out of the shows in Turkey. "You know, we had an opportunity to play in Turkey and we decided not to do it for a number of reasons, one of which being our personal safety. You know, we do have a few songs in our repertoire that touch on the Armenian genocide and we insist on playing them. In fact, we had planned on playing only those songs. At that time there was one, and we were gonna play it for our whole set if we went to Turkey."

• System Of A Down has been highly critical of the Turkish government for failing to acknowledge and apologize for the Turkish genocide of 1.5 million Armenians during World War One. The members of System Of A Down are of Armenian descent and lost family members in the atrocities.
• System Of A Down will begin its co-headlining stint on this summer's Ozzfest next Thursday (June 29th) in Seattle, Washington.
• The band plans to take a long hiatus after completing the tour, during which all four members will work on individual projects.

MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE LINE UP FALL SHOWS
My Chemical Romance has announced two fall shows with Taking Back Sunday. The first will take place on September 2nd at the Great Allentown Fair in Allentown, Pennsylvania, while the second will happen the following night (September 3rd) at the New York State Fair in Syracuse, New York. The group is also scheduled to play at the San Diego Street Scene festival on August 5th. These are My Chemical Romance's first U.S. live shows since entering a Los Angeles recording studio earlier this year to begin recording its third album.

• Ticket information for both September shows can be found at mychemicalromance.com.
  The band's new album, due out later this year, is tentatively titled The Rise And Fall Of My Chemical Romance.
• The new CD will follow up 2004's platinum effort, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge.
  My Chemical Romance also released a CD/DVD set called Life On The Murder Scene last March.
  
  

DEATH CAB SINGER WRITING NEW SONGS THROUGH EMAIL
Death Cab For Cutie singer Ben Gibbard told MTV.com yesterday (Thursday, June 22nd) that he is working on new material for both Death Cab and his side project, the Postal Service. Gibbard says he's been writing Postal Service songs with partner Jimmy Tamborello via email, explaining, "It's sort of the way we've been forced to do things, because I've been so busy. But it's basically the same way we've always worked...Part of what makes the Postal Service so great is that it never means that Death Cab has to be put on the back burner."

• Gibbard added that he's in the "early stages" of writing the next Death Cab record as well, but won't get down to serious work until the band finishes one more North American tour this fall.
• The Postal Service's last album, Give Up, came out in 2003.

NEW TO THEATERS JUNE 23

CLICKMichael Newman is an architect with little time for anything other than work, until he's given a universal remote control that allows him to manipulate his reality. He fast-forwards fights with his wife, meetings with his boss, and rush-hour traffic, but soon, the remote begins acting like TiVo, and records and deletes events automatically, making Michael realize that life is passing him by without him ever experiencing it. Click stars Adam Sandler and Kate Beckinsale.

WAIST DEEP
An ex-con called O2 goes on a bank robbing spree in order to pay off Big Meat, a South Central L.A. gang boss who's holding his son captive. O2 recruits his cousin Lucky and an attractive hooker to help him get the money and between heists, they plant the seeds for a gang war to distract their enemy. Waist Deep stars Tyrese Gibson as O2 and the rapper the Game as Big Meat.


LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS for FRIDAY, JUNE 24
DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Al Gore, Rock Kills Kid
JAY LENO (NBC) - Orlando Bloom, Chamillionaire
LATE LATE SHOW (CBS) - Tyrese Gibson, Def Leppard, Paul Morrissey
CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - Bruce Springsteen
LAST CALL - Xzibit, Wild Willy Parsons, Jeff Ross, Radio 4
JIMMY KIMMEL (ABC) - Mariah Carey, Rob Zombie

FOR SATURDAY, JUNE 24
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - Host: Kevin Spacey w/ Musical Guest: Nelly Furtado