TheBUZZ

2007-01-13T08:21:00.000-08:00

I may start something here but I'm getting ready to go to work and I caught a cancer statistic on the news. Instead of working, I did a little research and I just wanted to throw this out there to ponder.

We've lost approximately 3000 U.S. servicemen and women since the start of the war in Iraq.

The numbers vary depending on your source but approximately 2973 people lost their lives in the Twin Towers attack.

Now a disclaimer: First, I'm all about the troops. They kick much ass and deserve full support no matter what a person's opinion is about the situation in Iraq. Second, any death that comes from an unatural cause is horrible, especially when it is instigated from cowardly bastards.

The American Cancer Society reports that about 1500 people in the United States alone are lost every day from cancer-related deaths. So about every 2 days, the U.S. has another 9-11 or another Iraqi war. Only, it's not as outwardly horrific.

The National Cancer Institute (the government's primary agency for cancer research) reports that federal funding for cancer research was:

2005: $4.83 billion

2006: $4.79 billion

2007: $4.75 billion (estimate)

To this point, the Iraqi war has cost approximately $357,724,000,000 (based on congressional appropriations).

The American Cancer Society reports that cancer has now overtaken heart disease as the number one killer of Americans under the age of 85. In monetary terms, it reports in 2005 America spent $209.9 billion in cancer-related costs.

My two points to ponder:

1. If cancer deaths are the number one killer of Americans, why are we decreasing federal funding for research? Would we accept 1500 people on American soil dying a day from terrorist attacks?

2. If we had spent even half of what the Iraqi war has cost on cancer research, how many lives in this country might have been saved?

2006-12-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS SONGS

A lot of people ask where we find some of the "Alternative" Christmas songs that air on 95X. Answer: Anywhere we can get them! Seriously, one of the best places to find those are on charity compilations. Here's a link to a page that gives one of the best once-overs of a lot of rock-based Christmas compilation albums out there:
http://www.mistletunes.com/compchar.html

Like in any format, there are some perennial favorites that return year after year. Here are a few new and old favorites that we're playing right now:

The Chanukah Song (parts 1, 2 and 3) by Adam Sandler.
My December by Linkin Park.
Last Christmas by Jimmy Eat World and also by Dexter Freebish.
You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch. We've got several artists on this one: Whirling Dervishes, Offspring and Thurl Ravenscroft (voice of the Grinch).
Santa Claus and His Old Lady by Cheech & Chong.
Christmas Song by Weezer.
Merry F****** by Mr. Garrison/South Park.
Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight) by Joey Ramone.
Alone This Holiday by The Used.
Walkin' 'Round In Women's Underwear by Bob Rivers.
Silent Night by Bad Religion.
I Won't Be Home for Christmas by blink-182.
Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth by Bing Crosby and David Bowie.
Christmastime by Smashing Pumpkins.
Christmas Eve/Sarajevo by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
I Am Santa Claus by Bob Rivers.
Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) by U2.
Winter Wonderland by Phantom Planet.
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Again, lots of our artists have covered this one, including Coldplay, the Pretenders, Sarah McLachlan and Tori Amos.
Christmas Day (A Little Goes a Long Way) by MXPX.
Oi To the World by Vandals.
Christmas Time Is Here (cover of the old Peanuts Christmas show theme) by Stone Temple Pilots.
Santa's Coming by Hoobastank.
2000 Miles by the Pretenders.
Christmas Wrapping by the Waitresses.
Frosty the Snowman by Fiona Apple.
Green Christmas by Barenaked Ladies.
Christmastime in Tinseltown by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
Wizards in Winter by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Meredith Brooks.
Good King Somethingorother by Bush.
O Holy Night by Cartman/South Park.
Just Like Christmas by Snow Patrol.
Run Rudolph, Run by Sheryl Crow.
Star of Bethlehem by Angels & Airwaves.
Christmas Song by Dave Matthews Band.
She Won't Be Home for Christmas by Erasure.
Hating You For Christmas by Everclear.
Noel! Noel! by Eve 6.
Twelve Days of Christmas by Taking Back Sunday.
Gloria by Elastica.
Christmas Day by Green Day.
Christmas Vacation by +44.
Donde Esta Santa Claus by Guster.
Christmas At the Zoo by Flaming Lips.
I Want an Alien for Christmas by Fountains of Wayne.
Christmas Reggae by Bob Marley.
Yule Shoot Your Eye Out by Fall Out Boy.
White Christmas by Goldfinger.
Carol of the Bells by Gary Hoey.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Jack Johnson.
River by Sarah McLachlan.
Ex-Miss by New Found Glory.
My Christmas List by Simple Plan.
Do They Know It's Christmas by Mullets Across America.
Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo by South Park.
Little Drummer Boy by Hinder.
12 Pains of Christmas by Bob Rivers.
Let Me Sleep (It's Christmas) by Pearl Jam.
Punk Rock Christmas by the Ramones.
Merry Christmas Baby by Southern Culture on the Skids.
Merry New York Christmas by Rob Thomas.
Christmas Celebration by Weezer.
Thanks for Christmas by XTC.
Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You by SR71.
All I Want for Christmas is You by My Chemical Romance.
Father Christmas by OK Go.

As you can see, there are a ton of 'em...and that's just a snapshot. So they're out there, you just have to look. I have a special jukebox set up on my MySpace site with some of them. Here's the link:

http://www.myspace.com/michaeltoddtexas

Come up with some of your own and lets start a list!

2006-11-20T09:53:00.000-08:00

Thanks to you, we had a great 6th year for Radio M*A*S*H. Below is the link to my MySpace blog that has pictures and more info:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog&Mytoken=C4C8B2BA-2B66-49B5-98BCB13F931037B618637784

2006-11-17T08:34:00.000-08:00

Hey Friends,

Again, I've been really bad about updating my blog. I'm gonna have to make a early New Year's resolution to get back to business or Jimmy Patterson's gonna hit me over the head with a rolled-up MRT.

I wanted to post a special blog today, though, about our holiday drive, which MRT is co-sponsoring.

We hope you come by sometime between now and 6pm Saturday for our 6th annual Radio M*A*S*H (Make A Special Holiday). Below are the details as well as the poster. You may have heard our theme for this year on 95X: "Give a Little Bit" from the Goo Goo Dolls. It doesn't matter what the amount is. Whatever you can spare is added to what others can spare and it does add up. I've seen that happen and it's amazing.
I just want to stress that the things we're trying to do will benefit people in our area. And yes, as hard to believe as it is, there are people here in Midland/Odessa who are having struggles. They may be too ill to work, have lost a job for one reason or another or maybe they just have so much on their plate, they are having a hard time making ends meet. Food (distributed West Texas Food Bank). Toys for kids this Christmas (distributed by Centers for Children and Families). That's what we need.
United Blood Services jumped on board several years ago. While you're here, it's a really convenient time/place to make a blood donation. A lot of regular donors get busy or are sick this time of year. At the same time, more people are on the roads. Bad combination. We need to make sure the blood supply is stocked for the Thanksgiving weekend.
Phone cards, letters, Christmas cards, etc. for troops overseas. No matter what you think of the war, remember the servicemen and women in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, on ships in the Gulf waters and surrounding areas are not going to be home for the holidays. Please think of them. A phone call back home is a huge deal. A letter or Christmas card from the States is a huge deal. Maybe drop off something for them while you stop by.
If you have questions, call 95X at 520-9500. We'll be in the parking lot at San Miguel Square in Midland...corner of Midkiff and Wadley across from H.E.B. from now, straight through to 6pm Saturday. If you don't have time or want to shop, we can take monetary donations.
We've had 5 great years of doing this and it's because of your support. Please support our cause again this year with whatever you can.

2006-10-25T06:05:00.000-07:00

7TH ANNUAL BLOODSUCKERS BLOOD DRIVE

Thursday, 95X teams up with United Blood Services for our annual Bloodsuckers Blood Drive. From 11am-8pm we'll be at the UBS office in Midland at Midkiff and Loop 250 (in the same shopping center as Albertsons and Quiznos). We'll also set up shop at the UBS office in Odessa on 42nd in the English Village shopping center.

This year?s event has a few added incentives ? all donor?s will be entered into a drawing for a pair of NASCAR tickets to Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth for the November 5th Race. Express parking passes are included! And, the first 100 donors will receive a concert ticket for the Burden Brothers at Dos Amigos for October 26th. We'll also give away a Guitar Hero 2 game from Best Buy.

Donors will receive a cool ?Got Blood? T-shirt, while supplies last.

Donor requirements are simple: you must be at least 17 years of age, weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good general health and must have some type of identification. Donors taking any type of medication should bring the name of the medication with them. Potential donors wishing to check eligibility may call UBS at 561-5539. Donors can schedule an appointment on-line at www.unitedbloodservices.org .

2006-10-18T02:12:00.000-07:00

INCUBUS REVEALS TOUR DETAILS
Incubus has announced the dates and cities for its first tour in support of the band's upcoming new album, Light Grenades. The group is hitting theatres on this go-round, and guitarist Mike Einziger told LAUNCH he's excited about the prospect: "We haven't played in theatres in a very, very long time, and we just decided it was a really good time in our career to kind of step back, you know. And it's almost like starting over again for us. We were playing in these massive arenas for the last, like, five years, and it was fun, but now it just seems like it needs to be, like, small again and special for us."

Light Grenades comes out on November 28th and features the single "Anna Molly."

Incubus will also appear on the latest edition of the VH1 Classic series Decades Rock Live, joining Garbage vocalist Shirley Manson, Kings Of Leon and Iggy Pop in a tribute to the Pretenders. The show premieres on the cable music channel this Friday (October 20th) at 8 p.m.

Confirmed Incubus Texas tour dates:
January 17 - Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Room
January 18 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
January 19 - Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theatre

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS PLAN JANUARY ROAD TRIP
The Red Hot Chili Peppers will head out on a two-month North American tour in January, according to Billboard.com. Dates and venues for the trek, which will feature Gnarls Barkley as support, have yet to be announced.

3 DOORS DOWN PLANS NEW ALBUM FOR 2007
3 Doors Down will take a different approach when it comes to writing and recording its next album. Instead of rushing to lay down tracks like they did with 2005's Seventeen Days, the Mississippi natives want to take their time with the next set. Singer Brad Arnold told Billboard.com that he hopes to start writing within the next month or so and begin the recording process later this year or early in 2007. Arnold added, "We're not going to rush it or try to make one in 17 days again. We're just gonna have fun with it."

RADIOHEAD FINALLY IN THE STUDIO
Radiohead has finally entered a studio to begin recording its seventh album after more than a year of false starts and writing sessions, according to a post by singer Thom Yorke at the band's official Web site. Yorke wrote, "We've started the record properly now. Starting to get somewhere I think. Finally." The eccentric vocalist actually divulged the news offhandedly as part of a larger post asking fans to get involved in the Big Ask environmental awareness campaign.

95X BIRTHDAY BASH FRIDAY!
Don't' forget, we celebrate our 11th birthday Friday night at Dos Amigos with Ill Nino, Godhead, Ra and The Dreaming (former members of Stabbing Westward). Tickets are just $10 in advance at Dos Amigos!

95XERS ON MYSPACE
Come by and visit! All of the 95X-Krew have their own sites on MySpace:
Kevin on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/the_morning_x
Baily on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/punkywhiterabbit
Dre on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/drecastillo
Michael on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/michaeltoddtexas
Roland on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/thenighttimex
Jera on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/95xovertheedge

2006-10-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

I know, I haven't posted in a while. But we're back now and I do have some things for you.

Can you believe 95X has been around 11 years? We signed on the air on October 5, 1995. The first song played was the National Anthem, followed by "Tomorrow" by Silverchair. Since the station signed on, it has remained the same format, playing Modern Rock/New Rock/Alternative (whatever you want to call it). That's pretty amazing these days with radio stations changing formats every other day, it seems.

So, we have our Birthday Bash coming up. Actually, we almost have TWO Birthday Bash concerts coming up. The first is a metal show with Ill Nino, Godhead, Ra and The Dreaming (former members of Stabbing Westward). That show is Friday, Oct. 20 at Dos Amigos. Tix are $10/advance, $13/day of show and are available ONLY at Dos Amigos. It is all ages.

The second show is the Burden Brothers. That concert date has changed a couple of times as they have had to reroute their tour. The Burden Brothers will be here Thursday, Oct. 26 at Dos Amigos. The Feds, Faktion and Members of the Board will open. Tickets are available now at Vision Audio in Midland and Endless Horizons and Dos Amigos in Odessa. You can charge online at frontgatetickets.com or call 888-512-SHOW.

While we're on the subject of concerts, I've had some good questions that come up from time to time about shows.

FAQ:
Why do concerts only get scheduled in Odessa?

Well there are some that get scheduled for Midland but most do go into Odessa. The biggest reason is venues. There are more viable venues in Odessa for concert promoters to schedule shows into. Remember, they have to rent them, so a lot of it has to do with cost.

Also, historically, concerts tend to do better when they are placed in Odessa. I don't know all the reasons for that one. But those are just the facts. Again, dollars is going to be the biggest reason for anything.

Why do concerts only seem to get scheduled at bars?

A lot of people don't like to go to bars, so that's a good question. Again, it's about the dollars...how much it costs to rent a venue and where is a place people will most likely go? The Ector Co. Coliseum is obviously going to be pricy...and that's a lot of seats to fill, so only the biggest of the biggest bands are going to get booked there. The barns at the Coliseum are available but sometimes those are already booked. There are only a few that have the facilities needed for a concert. And lets face it, the acoustics in a tin building with a cement floor aren't going to be the best.

In Midland the Chap center is an option but you're competing with lots of events and there's again the cost factor. The new Horseshoe Arena might be another option but so far, we haven't seen that many rock shows put into the Horseshoe.

Why are concerts scheduled during the week when it's hard to go?

That's a popular question and the answer has to do with routing and scheduling bands. If bands only played on weekends, what happens during the week? The band, managers and support crew still have to get paid. Obviously, when a band is put out on the road, they have to play night after night after night to (hopefully) ensure the tour makes money...or at least breaks even. Remember, they have gas, food and hotel expenses too...just like you do when you travel.

So when they are planning the tour routes, it only makes sense that some shows will land in some cities on weekends, others on weekdays.

Why can't we get huge bands like Metallica, Rolling Stones, Linkin Park to play here?

It's a good question but it's almost like saying "why can't we get the New York Yankees to play at Citibank Ballpark" or "why can't the Dallas Cowboys play at Ratliff." Those bands charge ungodly sums of money to play a concert. People have complained about $20 ticket prices. Do you know what the ticket price would be for Metallica? A hell of a lot more than the price would be in Dallas. Why? Because we don't have an arena nearly big enough for them to play. The fewer the seats, the higher the ticket price would have to be for a show like that to come near breaking even.

What time will the show end?

The quick and smart aleck answer is "it ends when it ends." It depends on how long it takes for set changes between bands. It might depend on if a certain band was late due to transportation problems or other reasons. It might depend on how a band feels on a certain night. If the singer's nursing a cold, the set will probably be shorter than normal. There's just too many variables to say for certain, exactly what time a show will end.

That's a good question because a lot of people either have to go to work the next morning or maybe they have to hire a baby sitter and need to know how late they'll be out. A good guideline is to plan on the show ending between 11:30 and Midnight.

Why aren't there more ticket outlets?

The promoters have to pay to have their tickets sold at outlets. More outlets, more cost. Also, more outlets means more headache because they have to pick up money and any leftover tickets the day of the show.

Why don't all shows have the same brick and mortar and online outlets?

Different promoters bring in shows and they all have their own methods.

Do you have tickets to give away?

Probably. But the closer the show, the fewer the tickets. By the date of the show, generally, all tickets have been given away. Why? Because you have to come to the station and pick them up. We want you to have as many days as possible to get to the station and pick up tickets you've won. So we take our allotment and try to give them all away by the time it's a day or two before the show.

Can I bring a camera?

Again, probably but every band has their own views on that. So some shows the answer may be no. We try to find out ahead of time but that's not always possible.

Can I take a movie camera/recording device?

No.

Can I bring my kids?

Most of the shows are all ages, so yes.

Why are the shows all ages?

Because they want to sell as many tickets as possible. If you cut it off at 21 or 18, the promoters would be losing a lot of dollars. It might not be profitable to bring in some bands if minors were excluded. Even though a lot of concerts here are at bars, remember in larger cities, most concerts do not have an age restriction. So it's not realistic to think shows here would have an age restriction.

I heard [band] cancelled. Is that true?

Rumors always surround shows. Sometimes shows do get cancelled but most of the time, the answer is no. Always call the venue or the radio station to confirm something that "a friend's sister's boyfriend's cousin" may have told you.

2006-09-28T06:26:00.000-07:00

YEAH YEAH YEAHS BEGIN NEW TOUR TONIGHT
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs begin their latest U.S. tour tonight (Thursday, September 28th) in San Diego, California, according to Absolute Punk. The group continues to support its second full-length album, Show Your Bones, which was released earlier this year. A number of different acts will open for the trio on various dates, including the Eagles of Death Metal, the Blood Brothers, Ex-Models and Deerhunter.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontperson Karen O appears on the soundtrack of the movie Jackass Number Two with a song called "Backass." The movie was Number One at the box office last weekend.

The band's latest video, for the single "Cheated Hearts," features 25 clips of Yeah Yeah Yeahs fans who dressed up as the group and shot their own videos for the tune.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs Texas tour dates:
October 6 - Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Ballroom
October 7 - Austin, TX - Stubb's Bar-B-Q
October 8 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live

QUICK HITS
Nickelback will mount another U.S. tour in February and March of 2007, according to a label spokesperson. The band's latest album, All The Right Reasons, has sold three and a half million copies since being released last October and looks set to hit four million by the end of the year.

Disturbed's Music As A Weapon tour will begin on November 15th in Providence, Rhode Island, according to a spokesperson. Stone Sour and Flyleaf will join the group on the bill.

Deftones will debut a new song from their upcoming album today (Thursday, September 28th) at the group's MySpace page, for one day only. The CD, titled Saturday Night Wrist, comes out on October 31st. (Blabbermouth)

Foo Fighters main man Dave Grohl plays drums on the soundtrack to The Pick Of Destiny, the new film about Tenacious D, the satirical rock duo featuring actor Jack Black. The soundtrack hits stores on November 14th, three days before the movie opens in theatres. (MTV.com)

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS for THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Dane Cook, Monica
JAY LENO (NBC) - Ashton Kutcher, Jenna Fischer, Amos Lee
LATE LATE SHOW (CBS) - Billy Connolly, Michael Ian Black, M. Ward
CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - John Stamos, Amy Poehler, Nigella Lawson
CARSON DALY (NBC) - Jon Heder, Living Things
JIMMY KIMMEL (ABC) - Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Anderson, Ludacris
COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Steve Wozniak
JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Jim McGreevey

2006-09-26T09:29:00.000-07:00

KORN'S JONATHAN DAVIS MULLING SOLO TOUR
Korn singer Jonathan Davis is considering going on his first solo tour sometime in the next few months, after the band finishes recording its eighth studio album. Davis told LAUNCH that he wants to play casinos with the four backing musicians who accompanied Korn on the road this year, performing a mix of acoustic Korn songs, soundtrack numbers and covers: "I really wanna do it. It should just be fun. I have fun playing with those guys 'cause they're really, they're all professionals, and I think we could do some cool shows. It will also be like, it could be billed as 'A Night with Jonathan Davis,' it's not gonna be Korn or nothing like that, so it's gonna be cool. I wanna do some cool, like, lounge-y Vegas stuff. It'll be cool for diehard fans."

Korn releases an expanded edition of its seventh album, See You on the Other Side, today (Tuesday, September 26th). The new version includes a "Chopped And Screwed" remix EP, cuts from the band's acoustic AOL Music session, live tracks, a bonus DVD and alternate artwork.

Davis and other members of Korn have said in recent interviews that they planned to enter the studio at the end of this month to begin work on the group's next effort.

NINE INCH NAILS DVD TO ARRIVE IN SEVERAL FORMATS
Nine Inch Nails has posted a teaser trailer for its upcoming live DVD at the band's official website. The disc, called Nine Inch Nails Live: Beside You In Time, will be out early next year. According to ThePRP.com, the DVD will be based primarily around two concerts filmed in late March of 2006. No information is available yet about bonus features, but it has been reported that the disc will be available in the new high-definition HD-DVD and Blu-ray formats in addition to standard DVD.

Nine Inch Nails is also reportedly working on its next album. Band leader Trent Reznor is said to be writing songs and plans to issue a new record next year, although there's been no official confirmation of those plans.
The next Nine Inch Nails album will follow 2005's With Teeth, which was the group's first collection of new material in six years.

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS for TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Billy Bob Thornton, Sean Lennon
LATE LATE SHOW (CBS) - Marie Osmond, Jacinda Barrett, Mitch Albom
JAY LENO (NBC) - Adrien Brody, chef G. Garvin, Alan Jackson
CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - Michael Clarke Duncan, Scissor Sisters
CARSON DALY (NBC) - Jet Li, Hoobastank
DAILY SHOW (COMEDY CENTRAL) - TBA
COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Ted Danson
JIMMY KIMMEL - George Lopez, Clay Aiken

2006-09-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

FORMER DRUMMER CONTINUES VENTING ABOUT BLINK-182'S DEMISE
Despite claiming that he's going to let his new band Plus-44 do the talking, former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker continues to vent about the demise of the punk trio in early 2005. Barker told MTV.com that "No It Isn't," a song on Plus-44's upcoming album, When Your Heart Stops Beating, is "absolutely about the end of Blink-182," adding that the group's meltdown was "a classic case of something bad happening and everyone around you not telling you what the deal was. Like the owner of your record label telling you, 'Oh, everything is going to be fine. Any press you do, Travis, make sure you say everything is cool!' And it turns out the same dude is part of the conspiracy of Tom (DeLonge, frontman) quitting Blink."

Barker gave one example of what he said were the kind of actions by DeLonge that caused Blink-182 to crumble, explaining, "We were on our way to go play a tsunami benefit, and Tom didn't call, but his manager did, and he said that Tom couldn't contain his s*** long enough to play a song for people who were suffering, which was pretty sad to me."

COURTNEY LOVE CLAIMS 'NEVERMIND' SONG IS ABOUT HER
Courtney Love claims that one of the songs on Nirvana's classic 1991 album, Nevermind, was written about her, according to NME.com. Love, who married late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain after the album was released, said that Cobain wrote a number of tracks on the record about his previous girlfriend, Tobi Valli, but did pen one about his future wife. Love explained, "There's only really one about me because it was written late in the day. Most of the songs are about another girl, which is annoying. But I'm not gonna name (which song's about me) because I feel like it's just my secret. A lot of the songs on there aren't even about girl stuff."

QUICK HITS
Avenged Sevenfold has now canceled its planned U.S. tour, scheduled for November, in order to concentrate on writing its next album.

Papa Roach's new album, The Paramour Sessions, debuted at Number 16 on the Billboard Top 200 yesterday (Wednesday, September 20th), selling 37,000 copies in its first week of release. It was also Papa Roach's fourth consecutive Top 20 debut, although the sales are less than the 52,000 copies that 2004's Getting Away With Murder sold in its first week.

In other chart debuts, the Mars Volta entered at Number Nine with Amputechture selling 59,000 copies, while Black Label Society's Shot To Hell sold 32,000 copies to land at Number 21.

Supernova, the manufactured band from the CBS-TV reality series Rock Star, has followed a court order to change its name...sort of. According to RealityBlurred.com, the group's new moniker is Rock Star Supernova, which was also the official name of the series' second season. An Epic Records spokesperson told Reuters, "It's going to be Rock Star Supernova. That's their actual name." The quartet had to make the change after a San Diego judge approved a preliminary injunction filed by a California punk trio called Supernova.

Tool had to cancel its Tuesday (September 19th) show in Madison, Wisconsin after frontman Maynard James Keenan fell ill. This is the second time in a week that Tool had to scrap a show, following the cancellation of its September 12th concert in San Antonio, Texas, also due to Keenan getting sick. At press time, the band was still scheduled to perform tonight (Thursday, September 21st) in Columbus, Ohio.

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS for THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Ted Turner, ventriloquist Jeff Dunham and Walter, Fergie
JAY LENO (NBC) - Teri Hatcher, Jon Heder, Kenny Chesney
LATE LATE SHOW (CBS) - Chazz Palminteri, Kerry Washington, French Kicks
CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - Jennifer Love Hewitt, John Krasinski, Ben Kweller
CARSON DALY (NBC) - Tom Green, Fiona Apple
JIMMY KIMMEL (ABC) - Felicity Huffman, Jet Li, Human League
COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - CC Goldwater
JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Daniel Ellsberg

2006-09-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

GWEN STEFANI HOPES TO RELEASE SOLO ALBUM BY END OF YEAR
Gwen Stefani hopes to release her second solo album by the end of this year. According to MTV.com, she won't stray too far from the sound of her previous set, Love, Angel, Music, Baby, and is even teaming up with some of the same collaborators. Stefani said, "It's part two to the (Love, Angel, Music, Baby) record."

Meanwhile, Stefani and her husband, Gavin Rossdale, have been spending plenty of time with their four-month-old son, Kingston James. So far the No Doubt singer is enjoying motherhood, saying, "The baby is amazing...He's the most delicious thing you've ever experienced. It's like a three-dimensional amazing thing to my life."

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS for WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Marg Helgenberger, ventriloquist Ronn Lucas and Scorch, Diana Krall
JAY LENO (NBC) - Steve Carell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Joan Jett
LATE LATE SHOW (CBS) - James Woods, George Eads, Heartland
CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - Bob Newhart, Elle Macpherson, Jimmy Carr
CARSON DALY (NBC) - Hayden Panettiere, Meg and Dia
JIMMY KIMMEL (ABC) - Dwayne Johnson, Bam Margera, Lupe Fiasco
JON STEWART (Comedy Central) - Johnny Knoxville
COLBERT REPORT (Comedy Central) - James Carville

2006-09-19T06:11:00.000-07:00

ALICE IN CHAINS LOOKING FORWARD TO NEW TOUR
Alice In Chains will open its 40-city North American tour this Friday (September 22nd) in Las Vegas, Nevada. The reunited band has played just a small amount of U.S. shows since coming back onto the scene last spring. Drummer Sean Kinney told LAUNCH what he's seen that has surprised him the most since the band's return: "A lot of younger people. You know, we kind of walked away from it, and it's cool to see, from my perspective, there's a lot of younger kids re-finding it. They could have grew up with the tunes, but I don't know, like, if they actually, I don't know if we're on the MTVs and stuff like that, I don't really watch it. But a lot of the audience is a real mix of people and there's a lot of younger kids, you know, they're totally into it. And that's like, 'Wow, you know, it hasn't gone away.'"

Singer William DuVall will continue to handle lead vocals for the band. DuVall fronts his own act, Comes With The Fall, and has also performed in Jerry Cantrell's solo band.
There is no word yet on whether Alice In Chains will record any new material.

WHITE STRIPES/BECK/THOM YORKE ON NEW TV SHOW
The White Stripes, Beck and Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke are all scheduled to perform on a new television program created by Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, according to RollingStone.com. Called From The Basement, the program will be shown on British television, but will also be available as a podcast so that international viewers can see it as well. Godrich said, "I'm interested in the visual arts side of things, and somehow integrating that into what records have become. People don't buy albums so much because, as a medium, it's changing, so I'm just trying to figure out what it's changing into, and chasing after that."

The show won't feature a live audience, but will feature some sort of visual accompaniment to the artists.
The White Stripes and Yorke perform on the first episode, which has already been shot, while Beck is slated for the second, now in production.
Godrich has worked in the studio with artists including U2, Paul McCartney, R.E.M. and many others, along with producing key Radiohead discs like OK Computer and Hail To The Thief and Beck's upcoming The Information.
CROSSFADE AND BUCKCHERRY TEAMING UP
Crossfade and Buckcherry will hit the road together next month for a series of fall tour dates, beginning on October 10th in Las Vegas. Crossfade has just released its new album, Falling Away, while Buckcherry continues supporting its reunion CD, 15, issued earlier this year. Texas dates:
October 13 - Lubbock, TX - South Beach
October 14 - Oklahoma City, OK - Zoo Amphitheatre
October 15 - Dallas, TX - Ridgelea Theatre
October 17 - Beaumont, TX - Antone's
October 18 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar

SUM 41 FRONTMAN WORKING ON WIFE AVRIL LAVIGNE'S ALBUM Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley has been collaborating with his wife Avril Lavigne on a few tracks for her upcoming album. According to MTV.com, Whibley and his mate have worked together on some of the heavier rock material. The 21-year-old Lavigne and the 26-year-old Whibley tied the knot in mid-July, with Lavigne recently saying about married life, "If you're with the right person, it's amazing."

Sum 41 's next recorded effort is underway and will released next summer, according to recent postings at the band's website.
The group will hire a touring guitarist once the album is completed to replace recently departed guitarist Dave "Brownsound" Baksh.
The Canadian punk act's next album will follow up 2004's Chuck.

FUEL ANNOUNCES NEW SINGER
Fuel has finally announced the name of its new frontman, who replaced Brett Scallions earlier this year. The new singer is Toryn Green, formerly of Something To Burn. The group is recording its fourth album in Los Angeles with A Perfect Circle drummer Josh Freese behind the kit, making it unclear whether drummer Tommy Stewart is still with the group.

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS for TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Patrick Dempsey, ventriloquist Jay Johnson and Darwin, Kasabian
LATE LATE SHOW (CBS) - Skeet Ulrich, Nora Ephron, Rodney Atkins
JAY LENO (NBC) - Justin Timberlake, Sarah Silverman
CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - Johnny Knoxville, Caroline Rhea, Bonnie "Prince" Billy
CARSON DALY (NBC) - Rebecca Gayheart, Godsmack
DAILY SHOW (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Ben Affleck
COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Frank Rich
JIMMY KIMMEL - Zach Braff, Xzibit, Josh Radin

2006-09-18T06:34:00.000-07:00

SEETHER FRONTMAN STARTED TO BURN OUT
Seether frontman Shaun Morgan pulled the band off the road in late July, after touring for over a year, and promptly checked himself into rehab for a month to rid himself of addictions to alcohol and drugs. Morgan told LAUNCH that he entered the program voluntarily because he was worried that he was losing control: "I personally started getting really bad. I was using by myself in the back lounge of the bus, and then I'm staying up 'til nine, 10 in the mornings and having to get up at 11 or 12 and start doing interviews and then, you know, meeting people and all that kind of stuff. So I was starting to burn myself out. I was getting to a point where I was afraid that I was gonna go too far and end up killing myself."

Seether will play some scattered live dates this fall but Morgan told LAUNCH that the band is concentrating on writing the follow-up to 2005's Karma And Effect, which he hopes to begin recording by November. Seether's latest release, an live acoustic CD/DVD package called One Cold Night, came out this summer.

The singer and guitarist is also engaged and will become a father for the second time in November. He has a young daughter from a previous marriage.

ROCKSTAR "SUPERNOVA" POSTS 2 SONGS ONLINE
Supernova, the band featuring ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke, Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee and newly chosen singer Lukas Rossi, has posted two new songs at its MySpace page. The tracks, called "It's All Love" and "Be Yourself and 5 Other Cliches," are likely to appear on the group's debut album, due out on November 21st. Rossi was selected as the band's vocalist on last Wednesday's (September 13th) season finale of the CBS reality series Rock Star, having outlasted 15 other applicants for the job.

QUICK HITS
Breaking Benjamin will tentatively join Godsmack on the latter band's fall North American tour, which will begin in mid-October and extend into November for a total of 22 dates. Several shows have been announced already with more to be revealed shortly.

P.O.D. is including two previously unreleased songs on Greatest Hits - The Atlantic Years, a best-of collection due out on November 21st. One new song will be a never-before-heard cut from the sessions for the band's recent Testify album, while the second will be a brand new track recorded last week in Los Angeles.

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS for MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Dr. Phil McGraw, ventriloquist Willie Tyler and Lester, "Survivor" castoff Sekou Bunch
JAY LENO (NBC) - Jason Lee, Elton John
LATE LATE SHOW - Edward Norton, Ethan Suplee, LeToya
CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - Gisele Bundchen, Madeleine Peyroux
CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat) Vince Vaughn, Juliette & the Licks
JIMMY KIMMEL (ABC) - (repeat) Tyra Banks, Jason Statham, Papa Roach
DAILY SHOW (Comedy Central) - Former President Bill Clinton
COLBERT REPORT (Comedy Central) - Will Power

2006-09-15T05:20:00.000-07:00

SEETHER FRONTMAN NOT HAPPY ABOUT EVANESCENCE SONG
Seether frontman Shaun Morgan is not particularly happy about the new song by Evanescence, "Call Me When You're Sober." That band's singer, Amy Lee, has said in interviews that the track was inspired by the end last year of her relationship with Morgan, who entered a 28-day rehab program for drug and alcohol abuse in July. Morgan exclusively told LAUNCH that he wasn't pleased to hear about the song: "It saddens me that our whole relationship was reduced to that. That, you know, almost three years we spent together comes down to 'Oh, woe is me, you don't care about me.' I'm disappointed that that's all that really mattered. I'm kind of irritated that our dirty laundry had to be aired, you know, all over the world. I wouldn't do that to somebody."

WHITE STRIPES ON 'SIMPSONS' SUNDAY NIGHT
Jack and Meg White of the White Stripes make their debut as animated characters on The Simpsons this Sunday night (September 17th) at 7 P.M. on Fox. The episode will feature Bart Simpson competing against Meg White in a "drum-off."

JOSEY SCOTT INJURED IN CAR ACCIDENT
Saliva has had to cancel an upcoming U.S. tour to allow singer Josey Scott more time to recuperate from an August car accident. The band was filming a segment for a new TV show called Exploited when the vehicle they were riding in was sideswiped, causing injuries to Scott's neck and back. The group's new single, "Ladies And Gentlemen," will arrive in early November, followed by a new album in February.

DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER ARRESTED
Mulleted reality TV star Duane "The Dog" Chapman found himself on the wrong side of the law yesterday morning (September 14th) in Hawaii. The blonde bounty hunter and two of his Dog The Bounty Hunter co-stars were picked up by federal marshals on charges related to their 2003 capture of Max Factor heir Andrew Luster.

DEPECHE MODE IS HITTING THE BIG SCREEN
Depeche Mode's forthcoming DVD, Depeche Mode: Touring the Angel, Live in Milan, will premiere in 78 select movie theaters nationwide on Monday the 25th. The DVD was recorded in February of this year. The two-hour screenings will also feature 20 minutes of exclusive tour documentary footage that can only be seen at the events. Check out BigScreenConcerts.com for locations and ticket info. The DVD itself will be released the next day, Tuesday the 26th.

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS ARE AN iTUNES ORIGINALS FIRST
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are the subject of the first iTunes Originals video. The band discusses their musical history and present, as well as some of their famous videos. There are also live performances of Under The Bridge, Dani California and more that were filmed at their rehearsal space in Rick Rubin's mansion. Check it out at iTunes.com.

THE FRAY GO ACOUSTIC
The Fray went acoustic for Stripped.com and their performance is now available for fan enjoyment. The set includes a cover of The Beatle's Eleanor Rigby, and there is also an interview with the Denver band. Check it all out at Stripped.com.

BLUE OCTOBER WILL CELEBRATE BOCKTOBERFEST
Blue October is now set to play the Shiner Bocktoberfest in Texas on October 14th. They join such acts as Godsmack, Pat Green and more. BlueOctoberFan.com has all the details.

GET STAIND ON MYSPACE
Millions of bands can?t be wrong, so Staind has official joined the MySpace revolution. The rockers official page on the Web site is up and running now. Fans can add them as a friend when they visit MySpace.com/Staind.

GREEN DAY, U2 PERFORMING TOGETHER ON 'MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL'
Green Day and U2 will premiere their collaborative version of "The Saints Are Coming," originally done by Scottish band the Skids, during a live performance on September 25th at the Superdome in New Orleans. According to Billboard.com. The performace will also be streamed live and available for download on Rhapsody. Green Day and U2 will also record a studio version of the track.

NEW TO THEATERS SEPTEMBER 15

THE BLACK DAHLIA
Novelist James Ellroy's fictionalized account of the 1947 "Black Dahlia" murder of aspiring actress Elizabeth Short is the launching point of this period piece starring Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson, and Hilary Swank. Hartnett and Eckhart are L.A. cops assigned to the brutal case. Eckhart obsesses over it instead of paying attention to his live-in lady Johansson, and Hartnett keeps his feelings close to the vest so as not to step on his partner's romantic shoes. Swank plays a sensual socialite whose family may be tied to the crime.

THE LAST KISS
A successful architect on the cusp of turning 30 has a beautiful, pregnant girlfriend but he can't decide whether or not he's ready to settle into something permanent. His uncertainty comes from a number of sources, including his friends -- one keeps threatening to leave his wife and another drowns his sorrows in alcohol over an ex-girlfriend -- and his fiancee's parents, who are splitting up after decades of marriage. His feelings are further complicated when he meets a spunky coed at a wedding and starts an affair with her. Zach Braff stars and helped put together the film's soundtrack.

GRIDIRON GANG
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson returns to his football roots in Gridiron Gang, the story of a probation officer at a juvenile detention camp who starts a football team to teach the kids self confidence and pride. His challenge is to get the kids to care about something other than their own problems and realize that even though they're locked up, they still can make a decent life for themselves. Gridiron Gang is based on the real story of California corrections officer Sean Porter.

EVERYONE'S HERO
Yankee Irving is always picked last for neighborhood baseball teams because he can't ever connect the bat with a ball. But his frustration over his playing skills take a backseat when he's faced with the daunting task of reuniting legendary slugger Babe Ruth with his beloved bat, Darlin'. A talking baseball, hobos, and helpful strangers help Yankee get Darlin' to Ruth and teach him that nothing is hopeless. Christopher Reeve died while he was directing the animated project, and it was completed with his vision in mind. Whoopie Goldberg and Rob Reiner star.

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS for FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Johnny Knoxville, Rachael Ray
JAY LENO (NBC) - Howie Mandel, Clay Aiken
LATE LATE SHOW (CBS) - Mia Kirshner, Method Man
CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - Matthew Perry, Xzibit, the Rapture
CARSON DALY (NBC) - Norm MacDonald, Amy Smart, the Roots
JIMMY KIMMEL (ABC) - Sarah Silverman, Lionel Richie

FOR SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - (repeat) Host Tom Hanks; Red Hot Chili Peppers perform.

2006-09-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

LET'S TALK ABOUT ALBUMS
Wow! There are some great CDs out (or coming soon) right now! Audioslave's third album, Revelations, was good for Number Two on this week's Billboard Top 200 album chart, selling 142,000 copies in its first week of release.

Hinder's debut album, Extreme Behavior, has hit Number 10 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, selling another 54,000 copies last week to climb into the Top 10 after 32 weeks on the chart.

The Paramour Sessions, Papa Roach's fourth major label album, came out Tuesday. The CD's first single is called "...To Be Loved."

The Mars Volta released its new album, titled Amputechture, Tuesday. The entire disc, which follows 2005's Frances The Mute, can be streamed on the band's MySpace page.

My Chemical Romance began invading the 95x airwaves this week with "Welcome to the Black Parade," the first single from the band's upcoming third album, The Black Parade. Singer Gerard Way says this record is a big leap forward for the band and feels that "The Black Parade" is a great representation of that. The Black Parade, which follows up 2004's Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, is due out on October 24th.

AND COMING SOON...
Evanescence return with The Open Door October 3rd. The disc follows the band's 2003 major label debut, Fallen, which has sold more than six million copies in the U.S. The first single is "Call Me When You're Sober."

Plus 44, the band featuring former Blink-182 members bassist/singer Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker, release their debut disc, When Your Heart Stops Beating, November 14th. The group shot a video for the title track this past weekend in Los Angeles.

...STILL LATER
Korn bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu said that the band plans to begin recording its new album on September 24th, just days after the group completes the current Family Values tour.

Arctic Monkeys hope to release their second album at the beginning of 2007, according to a new interview with Britain's NME. The group said that it has written most of the songs for the CD, which will follow up this year's award-winning and best-selling debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.

Panic! At The Disco is currently taking a break at home in Las Vegas, where it's working on new material for its second album. The band is developing a storyline for the disc and call it a "modern fairy tale."

Ex-Sum 41 guitarist Dave "Brownsound" Baksh has posted demos by his new metal band, Brown Brigade, at -- where else -- the group's MySpace page. The band is currently recording a six-song EP and preparing for a Canadian tour. Baksh told MTV.com that his new music will "pay homage to the three bands that started me off in music: Anthrax, Megadeth and Metallica."

LUKAS ROSSI WINS 'ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA'
Lukas Rossi was named the winner of the CBS reality show Rock Star: Supernova last night. The 29-year-old Toronto was chosen over Dilana Robichaux by his new bandmates Tommy Lee, Jason Newsted and Gilby Clarke. After eliminating Toby Rand and Magni Assgeirrson, Lukas and Dilana were the final two singers left standing. Lee then announced the winner by saying, "Lukas, you're our boy, welcome." The new band then hit the stage and performed an original song titled "Be Yourself."

The band plans to head to the studio immediately and work on their new album scheduled to be released on November 21st. They also plan to kick off their tour in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve (December 31st).

'SURVIVOR' DEBUTS TONIGHT
The 13th edition of Survivor starts tonight (September 14th) with a twist that's already stirred up plenty of debate -- the tribes start out the million dollar contest divided by ethnicity. There's an African-American team, an Asian-American one, a Hispanic tribe, and a Caucasian team. As in previous incarnations, the Survivor: Cook Islands groups will be forced to vote off their own as the game progresses.

Host Jeff Probst hopes that critics of the show's ethnic divide give it a chance before forming final opinions on it: "It's a sensitive topic, but I think if people give it a chance, they're gonna be surprised at the results. And I hope all the people who have their megaphones out condemning the show before they've even seen a minute of it will be just as vocal when it's over. If it surprised you or your expectations were reversed, I hope you'll be just as vocal."
Survivor: Cook Islands debuts at 7 p.m. on CBS.

NEW 'DECADES ROCK LIVE' SET FOR OCTOBER
The latest edition of the VH1 Classic series Decades Rock Live, featuring Incubus and Garbage vocalist Shirley Manson in a tribute to the Pretenders, will premiere on the cable music channel on October 20th at 7 p.m. Iggy Pop and Kings Of Leon will also be on hand to honor the veteran rock band led by singer and guitarist Chrissie Hynde. Incubus will perform "Message Of Love" with the Pretenders, while Manson will sing Garbage's "Only Happy When It Rains" with the honorees.

CROCKIDILE HUNTER FUNERAL IS NEXT WEEK
Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin may not have received a state funeral in Australia, but his public memorial service next Wednesday (September 20th) is going to be an international event. The entire funeral will be broadcast live throughout Australia, Asia, and the U.S. from the Australia Zoo's "Crocoseum." Outdoor screens will be set up throughout the zoo, at the nearby Sunshine Coast, and in the city of Brisbane for mourners that don't fit in the packed auditorium.

In related news, authorities are still investigating the mutilation of 10 stingrays found along Queensland beaches. The killings are suspected "revenge attacks" for Irwin's death.

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS for THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - The Who
JAY LENO (NBC) - Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jude Law, Bob Seger
LATE LATE SHOW (CBS) - Gary Sinise, Rodney Atkins, Whitley Strieber
CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Al Franken, air guitar expert Bjorn Turoque
CARSON DALY (NBC) - Stephon Marbury, Landon Pigg
JIMMY KIMMEL (ABC) - Rachel Bilson, LeToya
COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Bill Simmons
JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Norm MacDonald

2006-09-08T13:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates! I've been on vacation for several days last week and this week. If I didn't clear out, I would have lost those days. I have to tell you that for a workaholic, it's tough for me to get away for so long.

Here's a couple of blogs about what I've been up to. First, I spent some time in Santa Fe last week. Now I'm in Houston. My friend Beth Ann and I saw the Goo Goo Dolls last night (right, here's a pic of Johnny Rzeznik during the show). Through luck and connections, we were able to meet the band before the show. Here's a shot:

Here we are with the Goo Goo Dolls! (left to right):
Robby Takac (Bass), Beth Ann, John Rzeznik (Vocals),
Michael Todd and Mike Malinin (Drums).

After we got to the show, we found out from my Warner Brothers friend, Howarad Frank, that John had been fighting a cold and wasn't feeling totally great. I went into the show with that expectation and I'm amazed to tell you that besides looking a little tired, you'd never know he was sick. He bantered with the crowd, told a few self-deprecating jokes and hit the notes dead-on. Robby is a maniac on stage. The band used to be a 3-piece and Robby's used to running around the length of the stage to make it seem like there's a lot of action going on. Now the band takes along a sax dude and an extra guitarist for the tours.

Another cool trivia bit for you is that for some of the songs (like "Iris"), Johnny has the guitar tech pull off a couple strings from his acoustic guitar. There's a particular way he plays certain notes and this makes it easier for him to make the chord changes.

The band also tapes every show to use at the next show's soundcheck. That saves time when they're trying to make adjustments. So if you're near a venue with the Goo Goo Dolls and you hear them in the afternoon, chances are it's not live...it's Memorex!

They've got a couple of weeks off and then head to Europe.

I'm ashamed to admit, this is the first show I've seen at The Woodlands. This place is an excellent venue. Even people with lawn seating are pretty close to the show. Two giant screens showing what's happening on stage also help. Houston's been cooler than normal, so the weather wasn't unbearable, even though I wore jeans. We walked around before the show and I saw that the Woodlands have some cool stores and restaurants, making The Woodlands its own mini-village...something else I wasn't aware of.

So far, a very cool trip but I'll be back at work (and with a new blog) Monday!

2006-08-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

GORILLAZ TO RELEASE DVD
Gorillaz will release a DVD titled Phase 2 - Slowboat To Hades on October 31st, according to a posting at the "virtual" band's website. The 40-track disc will include all the videos from the Gorillaz' 2005 album, Demon Days, along with concert footage, TV performances, interviews, short films and a 3-D interactive recreation of the cartoon act's online hangout and studio. A bonus CD-ROM will contain 16 games, wallpapers, screensavers and other hidden extras.

SNOW PATROL LEADS 'GREY'S ANATOMY' SOUNDTRACK
Snow Patrol and The Fray are among the acts appearing on the new Grey's Anatomy soundtrack, due out September 12th. The second volume will feature a previously unreleased acoustic version of Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars," along with the Fray's new single "How To Save A Life," which has been appearing in ads promoting the show's September 21st season premiere on ABC. Also on the compilation are tracks by Gomez, Metric, Jim Noir and others.

QUICK HITS
Crossfade has been named Grand Marshalls for the NASCAR Ameriquest 300 Busch Race, scheduled for September 2nd at the California Speedway in Fontana, California. The race will air on TNT.

Saturday Night Live cast member Horatio Sanz is fighting reports that he's being fired from the show. The hefty comedian told the Chicago Sun-Times, "I haven't been approached with anything that's led me to believe I won't be back." Sanz hasn't signed a new contract with the SNL yet for the upcoming season but he thinks the stories about his dismissal came from an NBC exec who "leaked a bunch of bull." The fates of Kenan Thompson, Chris Parnell, Will Forte, and Maya Rudolph are up in the air as well.

The rumors are true -- Winona Ryder and Christian Slater are reuniting for a Heathers sequel. The actors played lovers/murderers in the 1989 black comedy and they'll reprise their roles with a twist. Ryder told Entertainment Weekly, "It takes place in Washington and Christian Slater agreed to come back and make an Obi-Wan-type appearance. It's very funny."

USA Network's quirky detective series Monk ends its fifth season tonight (August 25th) with a trip to a rock concert. In the episode, Captain Stottlemeyer's son ditches school to see the band Novillero and Monk volunteers to go look for him. But instead of enjoying some tunes, Monk finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation. Monk airs at 8 on USA Network.

NEW TO THEATERS AUGUST 25TH

IDLEWILD
A modern-day musical complete with rapping and dancing, Idlewild is the story of childhood friends in Prohibition-era Georgia who find themselves in the middle of gangster and girl troubles. Outkast's Big Boi plays Rooster, a family man and bootlegger who's the headliner at a speakeasy and takes charge of the venue when his boss is gunned down. Andre 3000's Percival toils at his family's mortuary during the day and moonlights as the speakeasy's pianist at night. His life is thrown for a loop when he falls for a new singer who has come to town under dubious circumstances. Terrence Howard and newcomer Paula Patton co-star in the picture, which features music from Outkast's Speakerboxx-The Love Below album as well as new songs.

BEERFEST
Two brothers travel to Germany to spread their grandfather's ashes in Munich and are introduced to Beerfest, a super-secret, international beer drinking competition run by their long lost cousins. They discover that they're no match for the Beerfest regulars and return to the U.S. determined to assemble their own chugging squad for the next year's match. For a year, the brothers and their teammates -- a nerdy scientist, a food-eating champion, and a gay hustler -- hone their beerpong, quarters, and other drinking game skills. Beerfest is the latest effort by the guys behind Super Troopers and Club Dread, and is full of bodily functions, topless women, and drunks.

INVINCIBLE
Football diehards can get their gridiron fix before the season officially starts with Invincible, the real-life story of a 30-year-old unemployed teacher who wins a spot on the Philadelphia Eagles during an open tryout. Mark Wahlberg stars as the unlikely pro player, Vince Papale, and Greg Kinnear co-stars as Dick Vermeil, the now legendary NFL coach. Invincible was made in full cooperation with the NFL, so the uniforms, logos, team names, and game footage are authentic, as are the characters' '70s hairstyles and clothes.

HOW TO EAT FRIED WORMS
Billy is a new kid at school and saves himself from a beating from the town bully, Joe, by saying he'll eat 10 worms in one day. No one believes the weak-stomached kid can do it until he comes up with inventive ways of cooking the crawlers. Billy's efforts are so awe-inspiring that even Joe's rag-tag gang of followers starts to warm up to their brave new friend. Fried Worms stars Luke Benward .

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS for FRIDAY, AUGUST 25
DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Maggie Gyllenhaal, Bill Buford
JAY LENO (NBC) - (repeat) Jeremy Piven, Cat Deeley, Corinne Bailey Rae
LATE LATE SHOW (CBS) - Andre Benjamin, David Boreanaz, Mellowdrone
CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - (repeat) Salma Hayek, Eric Balfour, Street Drum Corps
CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat) Sarah Silverman, Cheech Marin, Mobb Deep
JIMMY KIMMEL - (ABC) - (repeat) Paul Reubens, snake handler Jules Sylvester, Leonid "The Magnificent" Filatov, Under the Influence of Giants

FOR SATURDAY, AUGUST 26
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - Host Antonio Banderas with musical guest Mary J Blige.

2006-08-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

FORMER BLINK-182 MEMBERS TO 'TELL THE TRUTH'

Ex-Blink-182 bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker have set a November 14th release date for When Your Heart Stops Beating, the debut album from their new band, Plus-44. According to MTV.com, the disc directly addresses last year's split with former Blink bandmate Tom DeLonge. Hoppus said, "Now that the record is done, we get the chance to tell the truth about everything...we couldn't put into words what we were doing, so we just decided not to say anything and let the music speak for itself. Now it's time for people to hear that music and hear the truth."

Hoppus added that the entire album is about "everything that's happened, including Blink, and the ugly feelings that were left over afterwards."
Barker said that DeLonge was primarily responsible for the demise of Blink-182, explaining, "We had a year's worth of touring planned, we were writing a record, and all of a sudden (Tom) just dropped the ball."
Songs on When Your Heart Stops Beating include the title track, which is also likely to be the first single, and "No It Isn't," which "absolutely" deals with the Blink situation, according to Hoppus.
Plus-44 plans to launch a North American tour in late October.
Barker recently filed for divorce from his wife, Shanna Moakler.
Tom DeLonge now leads his own band called Angels And Airwaves.

BECK FEELS 'NAUSEA' COMING ON

Beck has posted two songs from his upcoming new album at his official website, according to Billboard.com. The first single, "Nausea," and an album track called "Strange Apparition" are both streaming at the site, while a video for "Nausea" is circulating at locations like YouTube.com. The new CD, titled The Information, is due out on October 3rd. As previously reported, the album cover will be blank, but the package will come with a set of stickers for fans to design their own covers.

A contest is reportedly being planned in which Beck will select the best fan cover design, with art gallery displays of some of the creations also in the works.
The Information will also include videos for all 15 tracks on the disc, including a clip for "Cell Phone's Dead" shot by Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director Michel Gondry. A low-budget video for another tune, "I Think I'm In Love," recently surfaced on Beck's MySpace page.
Beck is slated to play at the U.S. version of the Download Festival on September 30th in San Francisco, with a fall tour scheduled to follow.

QUICK HITS

The soundtrack to Snakes on a Plane debuted at Number 43 this week on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, selling 19,000 copies in its first week of release. The disc was released on Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz's label, Decaydance Records. Along with tracks from Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco and others, it features emo "supergroup" Cobra Starship singing the title track and first single. (Billboard)
Guns N' Roses has added two more dates to its fall U.S. schedule. The two new shows are September 27th in Fresno, California, and September 29th in Bakersfield, California. More dates are expected to be announced for the trek, which begins on the 16th in Las Vegas. (Blabbermouth)
An acoustic performance of 30 Seconds To Mars' hit single "The Kill" was taped for Live@VH1.com earlier this summer. The track is available at mars.vh1.com.

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS for THURSDAY, AUGUST 24
DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Mark Wahlberg, M. Ward
JAY LENO (NBC) - (repeat) Kevin Spacey, Taylor Hicks
LATE LATE SHOW (CBS) - Denis Leary, Lewis Dix, Matt Goss
CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - (repeat) Matthew McConaughey, Kristin Davis, James Hunter
CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat) Fred Willard, Rihanna
JIMMY KIMMEL (ABC) - (repeat) TBA
JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Martin Short

2006-08-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

KEANE SINGER ADMITTED TO REHAB
According to the band?s official Web site, Keane frontman Tom Chaplin has been admitted to a rehabilitation center for drug and alcohol abuse. The singer, who was very open about the issue, wrote on the site saying, "I've been having to deal with an increasing problem with drink and drugs, and the time has come to get the professional help I need to sort myself out. I feel desperately disappointed to be letting down our fans, but I want to get myself right now so that I can be back on the road for the rest of the year." Keane have been forced to postpone their upcoming U-S tour in support of their latest album Under the Iron Sea. Rescheduled dates are expected to be posted on KeaneMusic.com in the coming days.

FLEA REMEMBERS PHOENIX
River Phoenix would have been 36 today, but on Halloween 1993, the actor died of a drug overdose in Los Angeles. As we come up to the anniversary of his death, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea remembers his friend. On a post on the band?s Web site, RedHotChiliPeppers.com, Flea wrote that Phoenix was ?the kindest person I ever knew.?

30 SECONDS & TAKING BACK SUNDAY HELP FIGHT AIDS
30 Seconds to Mars and Taking Back Sunday will perform at the MTV2 and LIFEbeat: The Music Industry Fights Aids annual benefit concert next Wednesday. The bands will perform the pre-VMA show at New York?s Webster Hall, which will help spread the message of HIV/AIDS prevention in the United States. 30 Seconds to Mars are up for ?Best Rock Video? for their track ?The Kill? at the 2006 Video Music Awards, which will air live from New York City on August 31st at 7 PM on MTV.

MODEST MOUSE SINK ON DECEMBER 19TH
Modest Mouse will release the follow-up to their 2004 breakthrough album Good News for People Who Love Bad News on December 19th. We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank was recorded in Oxford, Mississippi, according to Billboard and features new Mouse member, former Smiths guitarist, Johnny Marr.

GNARLS BARKLEY: 'CRAZY' DEEPER THAN A PARTY SONG
Gnarls Barkley's debut single, "Crazy," has been the party song of the summer. But the duo's Cee-Lo Green told LAUNCH that the song itself actually has a message that's a bit deeper than its dancing fans may realize: "That song is written out of a great deal of humanity and humility. It pertains to a number of different things, because music in a number of ways is therapeutic for me, first, you know. So I get a chance to vent and I get a chance to make sense of the many things stirring around in my head and in my heart."

RIVERS DENIES WEEZER BREAKUP RUMORS
Weezer has denied speculation that the band is splitting up with a new posting at its official website. Although frontman Rivers Cuomo told MTV.com last month that the band "was done," the new message read, "A Public Service Announcement from the weez: We right here!...Now please, take those 'weezer split?' headlines and place them firmly into the 'Don't believe the hype' bin. And have yourself a fine afternoon now."

Cuomo, who got married and graduated from Harvard in June, also told MTV.com that he wasn't certain the band would "ever make a record again."
No future plans have been announced, although a live DVD and greatest hits collection are both reportedly in the works. Weezer's last album, Make Believe, came out in 2005. Cuomo was also the subject of an interview in the latest issue of Tricycle magazine, a publication dedicated to Buddhism and meditation.

QUICK HITS
Tool is reportedly mapping out another U.S. tour, tentatively slated to begin in January. The group will take a break after its current trek ends on October 7th so that singer Maynard James Keenan can head back to his vineyard in Sedona, Arizona to oversee the crushing of this year's grapes.

My Chemical Romance is reportedly eyeing October 24th as the release date for its new album, now tentatively titled The Black Parade. (The PRP)

Korn has posted the video for its new single "Liar" online. The clip is done completely with computer animation, including the images of the band. (Tunelab Music)

Modest Mouse has set December 19th as the release date for its new album, called We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. The disc will feature the debut of ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr as a full-time member of the band. (Billboard)

Fuel has entered the studio to begin recording its fourth album, according to an e-mail sent out to the band's mailing list. The group has not yet announced the name of its new singer, but did reveal that Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle drummer Josh Freese will lay down drum tracks for the new disc.

Oasis plans to release a movie in conjunction with the November arrival of its first greatest hits collection, Stop The Clocks. The film, titled Lord Don't Slow Me Down will be a documentary shot on the band's last world tour. There's no word on when or where the film will surface in the U.S. (NME)

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS for WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23

DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - John McEnroe, Artie Lang, Busta Rhymes
JAY LENO (NBC) - (repeat) Colin Farrell, Rainn Wilson, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
LATE LATE SHOW (CBS) - Trace Adkins, Amy Smart
CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - (repeat) Sarah Jessica Parker, Matisyahu
CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat) Luke Perry, Jose Gonzalez
JIMMY KIMMEL (ABC) - Tom Cavanaugh, Tommy Chong, Cartel
JON STEWART (Comedy Central) - Frederick Lane

2006-08-22T07:32:00.000-07:00

DISTURBED MAN?S SUCCESSFUL SURGERY

David Draiman, the lead singer of Disturbed, underwent surgery on August 15th. His deviated septum was fixed, making the surgery a success. Draiman decided to have the operation after breathing became a problem and his singing was becoming affected. He spoke about it saying, ?I?m excited and relieved that the surgery is over and can?t wait to get back on the road to see our fans in Europe and to make up the dates we missed.? They head over to Europe on September 14th.

PLACEBO HIT THE ROAD

Brit rockers Placebo will head out on a U-S tour this fall. They?ll be joined by L-A duo She Wants Revenge and will kick off the trek in Phoenix, Arizona on October 17th. The band is out in support of their latest album Meds.

NEW FOUND SOUND
New Found Glory will soon be coming around again. The band is releasing its fifth album next month, a record called Coming Home. Guitarist Chad Gilbert and singer Jordan Pundik say it?s real different. ?(Chad Gilbert) I think it?s good to have every song just kind of catch you off guard in a certain way where it takes you up and down throughout the whole record. (Jordan Pundik) And it?s cool how some songs end in a certain way and then the next one starts and it?s kind of like the same, almost like it?s continuing on.? New Found Glory?s album will be out on September 19th, and the band will be launching a tour on October 4th, in Covington, Kentucky.

AMY LEE GETS PERSONAL
It?s been the better part of a year since Evanescence singer Amy Lee and Seether frontman Shaun Morgan called it quits ? but their crumpled relationship is recalled in a song on the new Evanescence album that bears the attention-getting title, ?Call Me When You?re Sober.? And hey, says Lee, nothing personal. ?It?s been a really long time since I was in that world and in that relationship. I am not a vengeful person, I definitely want everybody to be happy and healthy. Honestly, the song, I said what I needed to say it so bad because it had been something that had been pressing me down for months, a really long time. It felt so good to say it and it was sort of like, ?Rrrrrr!? But at the same time it?s definitely not designed to hurt anyone. I couldn?t have been so affected by it and hurt by it if it wasn?t someone that I had originally loved.? Seether had to cancel a tour this month so Shaun Morgan could go into rehab. As for the new Evanescence album, it?s called The Open Door, and it?ll be out on October 3rd.

JET ANNOUNCES FALL DATES

Jet has announced the dates and venues for a 10-city tour of North America this fall, which will launch the group's upcoming sophomore album. The trek begins on September 20th in Austin, Texas and will conclude two and a half weeks later on October 7th in Las Vegas. The quartet's second full-length effort, Shine On, arrives in stores on October 3rd. Texas dates:

September 20 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa

September 21 - Dallas, TX - Gypsy Ballroom

September 22 - Houston, TX - The Warehouse

OFFSPRING IN EARLY STAGES OF RECORDING

The Offspring is now recording demos of songs for its eighth studio album, according to a posting by singer Dexter Holland at the group's official website. Holland wrote that the band took its time writing before heading into the studio, explaining, "We didn't want to rush into the studio just to record demos for the sake of doing something, so we've really taken our time getting the songs together first. Like, making sure the songs kick ass before we even try it in the studio...We've demoed five songs so far and I think it's the best stuff we've done in a long time."

As for the sound of the new material, Holland wrote, "I don't want to compare it to one of our other records or anything, but think guitar, lots of guitar, energy, lots of energy, and good songs." The Offspring's last album, Splinter, came out in 2003.

QUICK HITS

Incubus has finalized November 28th as the release date for its sixth studio album, Light Grenades, after initially announcing a November 21st arrival for the disc. (AOL Music)

A new Deftones track, called "Hole In The Earth," has been posted at the band's MySpace page, MySpace.com/deftones. The song is rumored to be the first single from the group's upcoming album, Saturday Night Wrist, due out on October 31st. (The PRP)

A free show by Alice In Chains at San Diego's Del Mar racetrack on Friday night (August 18th) was cut short when guitarist Jerry Cantrell was hit in the face with a bottle thrown by someone in the audience. According to online reports, Cantrell threw down his guitar and stormed off the stage, bringing the group's encores to an early close. (Metal Sludge)

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS for TUESDAY, AUGUST 22
DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Chris Elliott, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Razorlight
LATE LATE SHOW (CBS) - Fred Willard, Rachel Blanchard, Stephen J. Cannell
JAY LENO (NBC) - (repeat) Dana Carvey, 8-year-old dental expert Nicholas Hearon, T.I.
CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - (repeat) Alec Baldwin, Fred Goss, the Derek Trucks Band
CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat) Joey Lauren Adams, Matt Costa
DAILY SHOW (COM) - William Cohen
JIMMY KIMMEL - Hillary Duff, Ultimate Fighting Champion Chuck Lidell, Anti-Flag

2006-08-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

RADIOHEAD THINGS ABOUT BREAKING UP
Radiohead singer Thom Yorke told Pitchfork Media in an interview last week that the band thinks about breaking up often. When asked whether there were moments during the last two years whether the group thought about calling it a day, Yorke replied, "Yeah, we have them all the time. It'd be deeply unhealthy if it weren't like that. And that's not just instigated by me. Sometimes people just have enough -- they just can't deal with it anymore."
Yorke said that part of the problem was that the band didn't give itself a deadline to make the follow-up to its last album, 2003's Hail To The Thief. He explained, "We didn't have a structure. We didn't have a purpose...There's no reason for the band to get together, nobody who sat there and said, you know, 'We're doing this.' We spent a lot of time f***ing about in the studio and not going anywhere because...we didn't have to (finish a record)."

Radiohead did recently complete its first tour of North America and Europe in more than two years, and has been back at work on its next album. Yorke released his first solo effort, called The Eraser, last month. Radiohead does not have a record label at the moment, having finished out its contract with EMI on Hail To The Thief.

QUICK HITS
Switchfoot plans to release its yet-to-be-titled new album on December 7th. The disc will follow last year's commercially Nothing Is Sound, a commercial disappointment in the wake of 2003's double platinum The Beautiful Letdown. (Tunelab Music)

A live version of a reportedly new Linkin Park song has made its way online. The track, called "Qwerty," can be found at lpassociation.com. There's no word yet on the arrival of the band's new album. (Tunelab Music)

Prison Break start's it's secont season tonight (August 21st). The new season starts eight hours after the events of last season's finale, with Lincoln, Michael, Sucre, Abruzzi, and C-Note outside of the prison walls and on the run from the vengeful guard Bellick and a tough new FBI investigator.

THIS WEEKEND'S TOP TEN MOVIES - AUGUST 18-20
1. Snakes on a Plane, $15.25 million
2. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, $14.1 million
3. World Trade Center, $10.8 million
4. Accepted, $10.1 million
5. Step Up, $9.9 million
6. Barnyard: The Original Party Animals, $7.5 million
7. Little Miss Sunshine, $5.7 million
8. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, $5 million
9. Material Girls, $4.6 million
10. Pulse, $3.5 million

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS for MONDAY, AUGUST 21
DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Julianna Margulies, Outkast
JAY LENO (NBC) - (repeat) Tina Fey, Cris Collinsworth, Jerome Bettis, MercyMe
LATE LATE SHOW - Shannen Doherty, Eddie Kaye Thomas, E-40 with T-Pain
CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - (repeat) Bob Costas, Jenna Fischer, Dwayne Perkins
CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat) Stanley Tucci, Aimee Mann
JIMMY KIMMEL (ABC) - Heidi Klum, Dave Navarro, Panic Channel
DAILY SHOW (Comedy Central) - Reza Aslan

2006-08-18T07:16:00.000-07:00

MYSPACE USERS HIT BY VIRUS
Computer experts warn viruses linked to MySpace are in circulation. Experts believe hackers have hit the site and say the viruses in circulation can change settings, delete files, secretly track users' movements online and even damage computers. They believe that the hackers have hidden dangerous software on the site which means that computers can be attacked unaware to users while they are just viewing pages. They say the viruses can be hidden in images. They've also seen pages that contain code to automatically spread viruses through MySpace's buddy system, which lets you add friends to your profile.

MySpace now accounts for 4.5 percent of all Internet traffic.

Make sure your anti-virus software is up to date. It's also good to have software that detects and deletes spyware...preferably more than one. Spybot Search and Destroy and Ad-Aware are a couple of good ones...and they're free. If you have AOL, it has a good bundle of anti-virus and anti-spyware software.

YOUTUBE TO BECOME A MUSIC VIDEO LIBRARY?

According to BBC, the popular Web site YouTube is in talks with record labels about making new and archived music videos available on their site. The label would like to have ?every music video ever created? on their site within the next 18 months. They plan to make the clips free of charge, like the footage that is currently available. The idea comes at a time when it is increasingly more difficult for artists and labels to keep content from leaking to the Web.

SMASHING PUMPKINS ENTER THE STUDIO

SmashingPumpkins.com, the official Web site for the reunited band, is reporting that they have begun recording a new album. The site states that the band is in the studio and working with famed Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker. It remains unclear as to who else is working on the album, as frontman Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin are the only confirmed reunited members.

KORN ALREADY WORKING ON NEXT ALBUM

Korn's latest studio album, See You On The Other Side, is just 10 months old, but the band is already planning its follow-up. Frontman Jonathan Davis told LAUNCH that the group hasn't really stopped working since the new album was finished: "Yeah, we're working on it right now. We don't know when we'll put it out. I mean, we're gonna write. It's when we have down time we go and write. But it's exciting and we like writing and keeping that going."

Korn released an archival collection, Live & Rare, in May.

NEW TO THEATERS AUGUST 18TH

SNAKES ON A PLANE

There's not much to say about the Samuel L. Jackson horror movie Snakes On A Plane other than it's about a flight that's taken over by hundreds of deadly snakes. Jackson is in the middle of it all as an F.B.I. agent transporting and protecting a mob witness on the reptile-laden flight. Five hundred live snakes were used to make the film, which got an R rating after filmmakers added more nudity, gore, and foul language to satisfy fan input.

ACCEPTED
Animal House meets PCU meets a lot of other college comedies in Accepted, a movie about a college application reject who starts his own fake school to placate his parents. What starts out as a fluke to keep the hero's mom and dad off his back turns into a full-fledged university including a campus, classes, students, and a dean played by comedian Lewis Black.

THE ILLUSIONIST
The Illusionist is a murder mystery starring Edward Norton as a magician who may or may not possess supernatural powers. Norton's character Eisenheim captivates the citizens of early 1900s Vienna with his sleight of hand. He's such a hit that he's summoned to perform for Austria's crown prince and discovers that the royal is engaged to his childhood sweetheart, Sophie. The Prince sees the sparks reignite between Sophie and Eisenheim, and orders a police officer played by Paul Giamatti to expose Eisenheim as a fraud.

MATERIAL GIRLS
Real life sisters Hilary and Haylie Duff flex their acting skills by playing ... you guessed it ... sisters! Their characters are Tanzie and Ava Marchetta, the wealthy heiresses to a cosmetics company fortune. The siblings' privileged ways come to a screeching halt, however, when the family business is embroiled in a corporate scandal and they're stripped of their riches and forced to cope as "real people."

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS for FRIDAY, AUGUST 18
DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Edward Norton, Greg Fitzsimmons
JAY LENO (NBC) - (repeat) Wanda Sykes, Kevin Connolly, the Fray
LATE LATE SHOW (CBS) - (repeat) Andie MacDowell, Cirque du Soleil's KA, Boyd Matson CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - (repeat) Gisele Bundchen, Bill Bellamy, Belle and Sebastian CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat) Molly Sims, Anna Faris, Andrew Donnelly, Feist
JIMMY KIMMEL - (ABC) - Samuel L. Jackson, Elisha Cuthbert, Cobra Starship

FOR SATURDAY, AUGUST 19
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - Host Alec Baldwin with Musical Guest Shakira

2006-08-17T06:53:00.000-07:00

BLUE OCTOBER KEEPS THEIR COOL
What?s the most challenging thing about spending half your life out on the road with a band? Well, apart from the grueling slog from one town to another, Blue October frontman Justin Furstenfeld says it?s the never-ending attempt to keep your head screwed on straight. ?I think a lot of musicians forget that they need to take care of themselves, that they need to stand up and go, ?Hold on!.? That need to take a breath for a second. There are a lot of people out there who are not just musicians but heavy thinkers and heavy weighers so like the little things weigh on them, every aspect of it. You have to keep your head straight or else you?re gonna just blow up. You?re gonna implode. You just need to relax and take in all these good things, because it is good things. Sometimes you just gotta go, ?Wake up, dude, enjoy this, it?s awesome!?? Blue October will be heading out on the road next month, starting at San Francisco?s Now And Zen festival on September 19th.

DAVE GROHL IS ?VILE.?

According to NME, Dave Grohl will turn up on the soundtrack for the film Rising Son: The Legend of Skateboarder Christian Hosoi. Solo material from the Foo Fighters frontman comes in the form of a track called ?Vile.? Other artists featured on the soundtrack include Gnarls Barkley, System of a Down, Queens of the Stone Age and more.

BREAKING BENJAMIN DEBUTS AT NUMBER 2

Breaking Benjamin's new album Phobia debuts at Number Two on the Billboard charts this week, selling 125,000 copies in the band's best sales week ever, according to Billboard.com. The band's previous album, We Are Not Alone, debuted at Number 20 on the charts. Breaking Benjamin was kept out of the top spot only by Miami rapper Rick Ross' debut album, Port of Miami.

DELONGE WELOMES CHILD; MORE IMPORTANT THAN BLINK

Former Blink-182 guitarist Tom Delonge and his wife, Jennifer, have welcomed their second child on Wednesday (August 16) in Los Angeles, People reports. Jonas Rocket DeLonge weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz., and measured 20 1/2 inches. Delonge, who also has a 4-year-old daughter, Ava Elizabeth, acknowledges that one of the reasons he left Blink-182 is because he no longer wanted to tour as much as bandmates Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker did. But Delonge told LAUNCH that he has no regrets that his family became a greater priority than the band: "I found myself at a kind of crossroads in my life where I couldn't see myself doing this the same way I've been doing it with the Blink guys 'cause I was constantly compromising being with my family or just being the family man I wanted to be. I couldn't do it anymore. It just wasn't worth it to me."
Blink-182 announced its "indefinite hiatus" in 2005. Barker recorded a second album with his side band, the Transplants, before focusing on a new band with Hoppus, Plus 44. Their debut album, tentatively titled Little Death, is due out later this year.
Hoppus and Barker have criticized Delonge in recent interviews for trying to take control of Blink-182's affairs to accommodate his own agenda.
Delonge was on the road this year with his new band, Angels & Airwaves, promoting the group's debut album We Don't Need to Whisper.

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS for THURSDAY, AUGUST 17
DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Whoopi Goldberg, Fatboy Slim
JAY LENO (NBC) - (repeat) Kate Hudson, Kevin Smith, Soul Asylum
LATE LATE SHOW (CBS) - Jane Kaczmarek, Esai Morales, Larke Miller
CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - (repeat) Bruce Willis, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Dropkick Murphys CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat) Dave Navarrro, the Duke Spirit
JIMMY KIMMEL (ABC) - (repeat) TBA
JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Matt Dillon

2006-08-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

GORILLAZ IN THE PARK LIFE
Before Damon Albarn created that animated supergroup Gorillaz, he used to front the massively popular Brit pop act Blur, and it appears that he?s going back to his roots a bit. Albarn will reveal his new band at the BBC?s Electric Proms festival in Camden, England in late October. The band still hasn?t revealed a name, but the record is titled The Good, The Bad and the Queen, and according to Albarn, it?s the ?follow-on record? to Blur?s Park Life. BBC reports that Albarn describes the album as ?a very English record. It?s the first time I?ve really written about home since Park Life.?

BECK GIVES YOU THE INFORMATION
The track-listing for Beck?s upcoming album, The Information, has been revealed. Billboard reports that the record contains 15 tracks, which is the most that Beck?s ever included on an album. The album comes out on October 3rd, the same day as The Killers? second album and Evanescence?s latest. Beck went down the same road as Thom Yorke, choosing producer Nigel Godrich for the project. Here are the tracks:

"Elevator Music""Think I'm In Love""Cell Phone's Dead""Nausea""Soldier Jane""Strange Apparition""Dark Star""Movie Theme""We Dance Alone""No Complaints""1000 BPM""Motorcade""The Information""New Round""Horrible Fanfare/Landslide/Exoskeleton"

CHRIS CORNELL TEAMS WITH LILLYWHITE
Famed U2 producer Steve Lillywhite will get behind the desk to produce Chris Cornell?s upcoming solo album. According to Billboard, the singer will release the album in early 2007. The former Soundgarden frontman plays double duty of course as Audioslave?s lead vocalist. Audioslave?s third album, Revelations, hits shelves on September 5th.

THE SOON TO BE MRS. KATE DOHERTY?
Now that supermodel Kate Moss and notorious rock and roll bad boy Pete Doherty have been photographed kissing all across London, it?s pretty safe to say that the two are back together, but are they thinking of tying the knot? U-K tabloids are reporting that Moss is wearing an engagement ring, and London paper The Sun reports that Pete has been telling friends how desperate he is to marry Kate.

KILLER CONCERTS
As Killers fans wait patiently for the release of the band?s new album Sam?s Town, they can ease their tension by catching the Las Vegas boys play. The band has announced two dates on their Web site. Brandon Flowers and company will be playing their hometown of Las Vegas on August 26th, and the V Festival in Baltimore on September 23rd. If you can?t catch the band at either of those dates, you can watch them perform at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards on August 31st at 7 PM.

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS for WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16
DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Jessica Biel, Christina Aguilera
JAY LENO (NBC) - Owen Wilson, Lance Armstrong, Chris Isaak (repeat)
LATE LATE SHOW (CBS) - Alice Cooper, Penelope Ann Miller
CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC) - Rachel Weisz, Paul Bettany, Graham Bensinger (repeat)
CARSON DALY (NBC) - The Game (repeat)
JIMMY KIMMEL (ABC) - Paul Reubens, snake handler Jules Sylvester, Obie Trice
JON STEWART (Comedy Central) - Thomas Kean

2006-08-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

One last post before I leave for a few days.

MTV CURSE?
First it was Nick and Jessica. Then it was Carmen and Dave. Get ready because here we go again... Travis Barker has filed for divorce from his wife and Meet the Barkers costar Shanna Moakler, People reports. Do you think it just might not be a great idea to turn your marriage into a reality television show?

YOUR PLANS FOR THANKSGIVING 2008
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince scheduled for release on Nov. 21, 2008.