Music News Page 1005

This year MTV Australia Video Music Awards rocks. The award event, took place in Sydney Sunday April 29th, saw the winning of numbers of famous music figures, naming some were 30 Seconds to Mars, Pink, and Good Charlotte.

Among the star-studded award winners, 30 Seconds to Mars was one of those who won double, mainly for Best Rock Video and Video of the Year categories, both for their track "The Kill (Bury Me)," which they performed during the event.

Noted in the past that she plans on recording an album, Scarlett Johansson proved her singing prowess, took the stage at the Coachella Music Festival, took place at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California.

The actress sang duet with Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain on Friday April 27th, singing the track "Just Like Honey."

American folk band Black Rebel Motorcycle Club will release fourth effort "Baby 81" on May 1 via Red Ink Records. After the critically acclaimed third album "Howl', the band is tickled to try something 'more' on this one.

The band has admitted that they use a harder but more 'raw' sound to complete the record. There would be lots of Robert Levon Been' guitar riffs that is topped by solid rhythm of newly reunited drummer Nick Jago. "It was a really powerful thing because of the state of mind we were in. It's a very clean sound," Been said, "not that sort of dirty wall of sound they had on their earlier albums. There's a lot more room between the grooves, which will make it a little more accessible than the first two were."

After Wizard of Oz, Arctic Monkeys now wants Neverland characters. The band will be dressed in Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and probably Tinker Bell for Glastonbury Festival on June 22-24.

Not simply dressing, drummer Matt Helders even stated the possibility to fly. He said in an inteview, "I want to zip-line in by wire and land on my drum stool. I went to Disneyland as a child and Tinkerbell does it. There's a spotlight on her so you can't see the wires, I thought she was really flying."

Cuban-American rapper Pitbull is set to release the fourth set of his studio album. Named "The Boatlift", the album that is due May 22 generates lots of his rapping persona compared to the previous three.

"It's a part two to El Mariel but more urban-based," he said. "There's more street records on there. I'm giving them another side to Pitbull. I had all the club records - you can easily go 45 minutes in the club just off my records. I just want to take these folks for a ride on this album based on what I know."

U2 will release the collection of their Popmart Tour shows back in 1997. The record will be released in DVD format and is available in a special limited double disc edition that contains 'backstage event', unreleased materials, and some documentaries of the band.

The show took place in Foro Sol Autodromo, Mexico City where they promote their then new album "Pop" that went #1 in 35 countries. The tracklisting will include the hits from the 1997 album such as "Discothèque", "Staring at the Sun", "Last Night on Earth", "Please", "If God Will Send His Angels", "Mofo" as well as previous hits like Batman Forever's theme "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me".

After announcing a recording deal with Parlophone, Babyshambles is gearing up new album. For this sophomore effort, the band is backed up with their friends, Amy Winehouse and Happy Monday's Shaun Ryder.

Revealing the work, bassist Drew McConnell said, "There's talk of maybe Shaun Ryder doing something on it, and Amy Winehouse as well may be doing a little collaboration. She's a friend of ours. The Shaun Ryder one is in negotiation at the moment. Our people are talking to their people hopefully...we'll see what happens."

After three records that varied in success, three-piece band Lifehouse is back with the fourth. Titled "Who We Are", the piece that will arrive June 26 via Geffen will be self-explanatory.

In this 2007 album, Lifehouse intends to remind their fans the wicked days of "No Name Face" that was quite absent in 2005's self-titled album. Frontman Jason Wade said, "I feel like our last record, leading off with 'You and Me,' the ballad, it kinda softened us up a little bit. I think people forget that we started off as an alternative band, then we kinda got immersed in that Adult Top 40 and Top 40 world." With that saying, the group cranks this up with uptempo rock music.

Mexican pop group RBD led the number of winning in 2007 Billboard Latin Music Awards with 3 counts. They took home most of the top nominations such as Tour of the Year, Latin Pop Album of the Year for "Celestial" and also Top Latin Album Artist of the Year.

Shakira who appeared this year with her best hit "Hips Don't Lie" featuring Wyclef Jean was named Hot Latin Song of the Year, Vocal Duet after defeating Ricky Martin's duet with La Mari and other two contenders. Hot Latin Song Artist of the Year went to Puerto Rican reggaeton duo Wisin & Yandel that beat other strong reggaeton Daddy Yankee.

Whether it's true or not, there is a rumor that Britney Spears is making a come back next week. The singer will perform on May 2 at Anaheim House of Blues using the moniker M+M's band.

Reportedly backed up by 3 or 4 dancers, Britney spent all day at Ivan Kanes Forty Deuce to prepare the performance. She will then make another appearance with her 'team' in Sunset Trip the next day.

Fred Durst expressed his willingness to make peace with former team mate Wes Borland to reprise the glorious days of Limp Bizkit. Though he was not asking for a reunion, Durst wishes that the band's original line up can tour around the world.

He wrote in MySpace blog, "The feeling we have on stage as Limp Bizkit is like no other feeling I have ever had, and no other feeling has been so rewarding. Imagine that me and Wes could work things out together and be a band again," Durst wrote. "We had so many wonderful times ... [and] I am proud to say that I have learned so much from my mistakes and it has taken a long time to evolve to this place where I finally let myself be healed. Without Wes, I wouldn't know what it is like to work with the best."

Jazz singer Diana Krall brings along her trumpeter buddy Chris Botti in several dates of her North America tour. Among the 38 dates in Krall's schedule, Botti can be found in 18 of them.

Krall's trek will begin with 2 nights show at Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland, Calif. and is continued with 4 Las Vegas dates at Hilton Hotel. The latter will be Krall's first performance in Las Vegas and in there she will be accompanied by The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. The itinerary will end September 22 in Montrey Jazz Festival, Montrey, Calif.

A number of hip-hop icons have turned Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" to their own version. The funk and jazz tune has inspired Jay-Z, Pharoahe Monch and Ghostface Killah to provide the remix. Winehouse, on the other side actually said the remixes were "really, really good", but refused to reveal the details.

Little did the British import know that her tune would bring influence to other musicians. "Obviously I didn't set out to do that," she said, "but I have pride in being different. And the Jay-Z remix is wicked. I'm flattered that he liked (the song) enough to do something with it." With this new progress, she hopes to make more future recordings with Jay-Z in order to break US market like she had done with UK.

After giving a stunning performance in "Idol Gives Back" on April 25, Kelly Clarkson spreads out the dates of her summer jaunt. For three months in a row she will be touring around the states to promote "My December" beginning July 7 in Live Earth concert.

"I love recording in the studio, it's fun, but my favorite part by far is being out on the road," Clarkson said, "because there's no B.S. It's just me and my band. No one is in your ear about something stupid you don't care about. It's just you and your fans and having a good time. I can't wait."

The White Stripes is giving an equal portion of their music spread to several unconventional cities. They will visit those cities like Iqaluit, N.U.N., Saskatoon, S.K., Charlottetown, P.E. and other cities that they have not visited before throughout their career. This leg of tour is presented to celebrate the band's 10th anniversary and in support of "Icky Thump" that is due June 19.

The first stop that they will make is Burnaby, B.C. on June 24 and then from there the trek continues in several venues including New York's Madison Square Garden on July 24. The wrap up of this tour will be Southaven, Miss. on July 31.