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Coldplay, Beasties Honor Michael Stipe
MICHAEL STIPE was honored last night for his continuing support to help end hunger at the Food Bank for New York City's Can-Do Awards Dinner. Famous friends including COLDPLAY's CHRIS MARTIN and wife GWYNETH PALTROW, JIMMY FALLON and the BEASTIE BOYS' MIKE D attended the dinner, with tickets starting at $500 each. Longtime friend PATTI SMITH, who performed at the event, dedicated "Wing," from her 1996 album Gone Again, to Stipe, saying, "This little song is for you, Michael."
Britney Baby One More Time
Pop star BRITNEY SPEARS, 24, is pregnant again, according to US Weekly. This will be the singer's second child with husband and aspiring rapper KEVIN FEDERLINE, 28. The young couple, who wed in 2004 and have a seven-month-old son together, Sean Preston, made headlines recently after their baby fell from his high chair, leading to a visit from child welfare. Federline also has two children from a previous marriage. Spears, whose 1999 debut ". . .Baby One More Time" sold more than fourteen million copies, is reportedly at work on a new album for release later this year.
Ashlee Simpson Readies Summer Tour
ASHLEE SIMPSON will hit the road this summer for a thirty-two-stop North American tour, kicking off June 5th in Santa Barbara, California. Australian twin-sister act the VERONICAS will open. Simpson will be supporting her sophomore release, 2005's I Am Me, which has sold nearly one million copies. Before officially beginning the tour, the singer will play a handful of shows, including dates in Orlando and West Palm Beach, Florida; and Dixon and Kelseyville, California.
Billy Joel Sets Madison Square Garden Record
Piano man BILLY JOEL was honored at New York's Madison Square Garden on Monday night when a jersey bearing the number twelve was retired alongside those of hockey great MARK MESSIER and basketball legend PATRICK EWING, among others. The number represents Joel's record-breaking twelve sold-out shows at the venue in one year -- beating out BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN's previous record of ten.
Evan Dando Resurrects the Lemonheads
Boston outfit the LEMONHEADS, fronted by Nineties indie icon EVAN DANDO, are at work on a new album, featuring bassist KARL ALVAREZ (DESCENDENTS) and drummer BILL STEVENSON (DESCENDENTS, BLACK FLAG). Stevenson and Dando -- who self-funded the recording -- are producing the album, to be released on Vagrant Records.
AFI Prep "Underground" Release
AFI's new album, Decemberunderground, is scheduled for a June 6th release, with the first single, "Miss Murder," available for digital download this week. A video for the single is in the works with director MARC WEBB (GREEN DAY, 3 DOORS DOWN). The album, the follow-up to 2003's platinum-selling Sing the Sorrow, features the titles "Summer Shudder," Kill Caustic" and "Love Like Winter." AFI will play Tucson, Arizona, this Saturday, and then join the Vans Warped tour June 27th in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Metallica, Alice Seek Help for Addiction
METALLICA frontman JAMES HETFIELD and bassist ROBERT TRUJILLO will perform with ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist JERRY CANTRELL and drummer SEAN KINNEY May 12th in Los Angeles as part of a fundraiser for the MusiCares MAP Fund, which assists musicians seeking addiction treatment. The issue is one close to both bands: Hetfield's struggle with addiction was highlighted in the band's 2004 documentary, Some Kind of Monster, and Alice singer LAYNE STALEY succumbed to a drug overdose in 2002. BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB and singer-songwriters JASON MRAZ and TOM WAITS will also perform. Other guests will include Metallica drummer LARS ULRICH and guitarist KIRK HAMMETT, SHARON and OZZY OSBOURNE, MOTORHEAD's LEMMY KILMISTER and PANIC CHANNEL (ex-JANE'S ADDICTION) guitarist DAVE NAVARRO.
Mick Jagger Tapes TV Sitcom Pilot
MICK JAGGER is at the center of a new ABC comedy pilot about a plot to rob the ROLLING STONES singer. Jagger, who filmed his scenes for the pilot last week in a New Zealand hotel, will appear frequently, although not in every episode, if the series is picked up . . . In other Rolling Stones news, keyboardist CHUCK LEAVELL, a tree farmer and dedicated conservationist, will appear at the DeLisle/Pass Christian Elementary School in Mississippi today as a part of a nationwide effort to distribute books to students affected by Hurricane Katrina. Leavell will read to students from the children's book he co-wrote, The Tree Farmer. Through a partnership between the Abundant Forests Alliance and non-profit organization First Book -- which provides books to needy children -- over 100,000 books will be distributed to area students.
Shinedown Get Their Build On
Florida hard rockers SHINEDOWN will venture to New Orleans May 2nd, where the band will team with Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. A local radio station will be onsite broadcasting live, encouraging fans to accompany the band -- who will play an acoustic set for fans and listeners -- during the rebuilding effort. The group, along with fellow hard rock outfit TRAPT, is currently co-headlining a North American tour behind last year's Us and Them, the follow-up to their platinum-selling debut.