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Friday, June 18, 2004

MTV.com - News -For The Record: Quick News On Diana DeGarmo, Madonna, No Doubt, Joey Fatone, Ray Charles, Aerosmith

Diana DeGarmo spent last weekend in the studio with Melissa Manchester recording a new version of the veteran singer's 1978 hit, "Don't Cry Out Loud." DeGarmo's cover, which will appear on her debut album, features the "American Idol" runner-up singing over Manchester's original master tapes. ... DeGarmo, who turned 17 on Wednesday, is celebrating her birthday by performing in her home state for the first time since "Idol" ended. Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta is hosting the performance and autograph sessions on Saturday from 4 p.m. to midnight. ...

Madonna will explain why she likes to be called by the Hebrew name of "Esther" during an interview on "20/20" Friday night. "I was named after my mother," Madonna says during her interview. "My mother died when she was very young, of cancer, and ... I wanted to attach myself to another name ... This is in no way a negation of who my mother is ... I wanted to attach myself to the energy of a different name." Madonna's interview airs on ABC at 10 p.m. ... You can hear more of Madonna on Yahoo! Messenger, which launched Madonna Audibles this month — the first music Audibles to appear on the instant-messaging service. When users send an audible — a caricature of the Material Mom — they have the option of sending song samples of either "Who's That Girl" or "Ray of Light." ...

If you bought the 3D action/adventure game "Malice" hoping to hear the voices of the members of No Doubt, you're out of luck. Gwen Stefani recorded her voice in 2002 for the video game's heroine, and her bandmates' voices were going to be used for her character's friends, but the group's dulcet tones were left on the cutting-room floor. The band says on its Web site that this development is due to the transfer of the game's ownership. ... Joey Fatone has started rehearsals for his next Broadway role — Seymour Krelbourn in "Little Shop of Horrors." The 'NSYNC star opened up a preview rehearsal to photographers on Wednesday, in preparation for his joining the musical on June 24. ...

Bill Cosby and Atlanta's Morehouse College will host a tribute to Ray Charles on September 29 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Bill Clinton and Spike Lee are among the biggest names attending the event. Proceeds from the evening, which Cosby and Morehouse College have been planning for several months, will benefit the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at the school. Charles, who died June 10, had a long-standing relationship with Morehouse, where he performed with the college's jazz ensemble in 1996. In 2001, Morehouse presented the soul legend with an honorary doctorate of humane letters. ... Minnie Driver has signed a record deal with the Rounder Records imprint Zoe Records and will release her debut album, Everything I've Got in My Pocket, in September. Members of Pete Yorn's band and the Wallflowers play on the record. ...

Aerosmith will return to the road Friday night (June 18) in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, after nixing three shows because of singer Steven Tyler's throat problems. The group has an additional six shows scheduled in its North American tour with Cheap Trick, which ends June 30 in Pelham, Alabama. ... Actress Kate Hudson's cousin, Sarah Hudson, is preparing to release her debut album, and she's getting a hand from some famous friends. Steven Tyler lends backing vocals to "Girl on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown," the first single from The Naked Truth, due July 13. Sarah's father, producer Mark Hudson, had worked on some Aerosmith albums (Nine Lives, Just Push Play). ...

The huge box-office numbers generated by "The Passion of the Christ" — $370 million domestic and $600 worldwide — catapulted Mel Gibson to the top of Forbes' most powerful celebrity list, unseating Jennifer Aniston from the #1 slot she held last year. Also in the top five — Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Cruise and the Rolling Stones. Aniston slipped to #17 this year, while her husband, Brad Pitt, came in at #37. The July issue of Forbes — with its annual list that rates celebs by combining earning power with star power — hits newsstands Friday. ... At the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, set for September 11 in Richmond, Virginia, three cars will be sporting Kiss-inspired designs as they zip around the track faster than Gene Simmons at a sorority mixer: Kevin Harvick's in the Nextel Cup Series, Matt Crafton's in the Craftsman Truck series and Ron Hornaday's in the Busch series. ...

Interpol have set a September 28 release date for the their second album, Antics. The New York rockers will debut the material this summer on the Cure's Curiosa Festival, which kicks off July 24 in West Palm Beach, Florida. ... Damien Rice, who beat out Interpol for last year's Shortlist Music Prize, is releasing a seven-song EP on July 20. Tracks include live versions of "Delicate," "The Professor" and "Woman Like a Man"; the original demo of "Lonelily"; the B-side "Moody Mooday" and a 1997 demo version and instrumental version of "Volcano." Meanwhile, Rice has teamed with fellow Irish singer/songwriter Christy Moore to record the anti-war track "Lonely Soldier." The duo will perform the song at the When Bush Comes to Shove concert in Dublin on Saturday. ...

The prolific Badly Drawn Boy will return to record stores this summer with One Plus One Is One, due July 27. The U.S. release will feature the bonus tracks "Don't Ask Me, I'm Only the President" and "Plan B." ... Ambient techno pioneers the Orb will release Bicycles & Tricycles, their first album in more than three years, on August 3. The disc will feature 12 tracks, including "Orb Is," "Land of Green Ginger," "Gee Strings" and "From a Distance." ... Air have scheduled a special show with a full orchestra for September 26 at the Hollywood Bowl. The French duo will warm up for that gig on September 24 at the Santa Barbara Bowl in Santa Barbara, California. ...

06.17.04

Britney Spears' lawyer has been served with papers — six months after they were filed — for a pre-emptive lawsuit from a Utah drug company seeking relief from accusations that it tried to capitalize on the singer's reported use of the diet pill Zantrex-3. Basic Research claims it was ordered to stop citing an episode where Spears was seen spilling a bottle of the diet aid at London's Heathrow Airport, a fumble captured by photographers. The company claims it wasn't using the incident for its own benefit, and Basic Research is asking a federal judge to declare it has violated no law. ...

One show from Hanson's acoustic tour last fall will be the subject of the DVD "Underneath Acoustic Live," due July 27. The video, shot at the House of Blues in Chicago, features 19 songs, including their breakthrough hit, "MMMBop," and latest single, "Penny and Me." ... Boasting more than 130 artists spread across eight stages, the third annual Austin City Limits Festival, set for September 17-19 in the city's Zilker Park, will feature an eclectic lineup that includes Sheryl Crow, Trey Anastasio, the Pixies, Dashboard Confessional, Wilco, Modest Mouse, Franz Ferdinand and the Roots. Two months before this year's three-day show kicks off, fans can remember last year's performances by R.E.M., Bright Eyes, Kings of Leon and others with The ACL Festival Live CD, due July 27. ...

Stoner-rock pioneers Fu Manchu are putting the finishing touches on their next album, slated for an August release, with producer Brian Dobbs (Coolio). The as-yet-untitled effort will be the band's seventh album and follow-up to 2001's California Crossing. ... Papa Roach will begin their summer tour on June 25 in Spokane, Washington. Dates are scheduled through August 4 in West Hollywood, California. Instruction and Dead Poetic will open. Papa Roach's third major-label album, Getting Away With Murder, is due in mid-September. ...

With more than two dozen songs in tow, dance-rock quartet Hot Hot Heat will begin pre-production for their second album later this month in Los Angeles. Dave Sardy (Jet, Dandy Warhols) is on board to produce the band's follow-up to 2002's Make Up the Breakdown. ... Former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra's collaboration with the Melvins, Never Breathe What You Can't See, is scheduled for a September 30 release. ...

Static-X will hit the road this summer on the Family Picnic Tour with Trust Company, Soil, Lo-Pro and Arithmetic of War. The tour launches July 27 in San Antonio, Texas, and winds through the country before wrapping up on August 6 in Dallas. ... Kittie will start a tour on July 7 in Chicago. Nine dates have been scheduled through July 30 in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Candiria, 36 Crazyfists and Twelve Tribes are also on the bill. ...

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