Love A Danger To Community
MTV reports: Courtney Love is not making any fans in the Los Angeles district attorney's office � prosecutors there filed a motion Thursday asking that the singer be "committed to actual custody" and have a new, higher bail set, calling her a "danger to the community." 

Love, who is currently being treated at an undisclosed facility, was scheduled to have a hearing Thursday on her felony drug charges but did not attend; the case was continued to July 23. [see full story for more - but in related news, Reuters reports that Love will not have to appear in court in Los Angeles today, she will be sentenced in absentia] - Click Here for the Full Story 

Megadeth Lawsuit
MTV reports: Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has been hit with an $18.5 million suit filed by the band's former bassist David Ellefson. In his suit, filed in Manhattan Federal Court, Ellefson claims that Mustaine cheated him out of profits, withheld merchandise and publishing royalties and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to the bassist when the band broke up in 2002.- Click Here for the Full Story 

Source: MTV also has news on Diddy Says 'Your Portfolio Ain't On Point' If You Don't Have Biggie's Debut, Mary-Kate Olsen Extends Stay In Clinic, Sabbath, Priest, Slayer Teach Heavy Metal 101 At Ozzfest '04 Attention, Aspiring British Rappers: Nas Wants You and more click here to check it out

New U2 Songs Missing
U2.com reports: Edge has spoken of his astonishment that a CD containing some songs from the band's new album has gone missing after a photo session. 

Speaking to U2.Com, Edge said, 'A large slice of two years work lifted via a piece of round plastic. It doesn't seem credible but that's what's just happened to us...and it was my CD.' 

The CD went missing during a photo-shoot in the south of France. The band recently completed much of the recording of the highly anticipated new album in Dublin and have been involved in post-production work in France. 

It will be the first new studio album from U2 since All That You Can't Leave Behind nearly four years ago. 

French police have already launched a major investigation. [see full story for more]- Click Here for the Full Story 

Johansen Remembers Killer Kane
Blabbermouth reports: NEW YORK DOLLS frontman David Johansen has issued a statement regarding the passing of the group's bassist, Arthur Kane, Tuesday night (July 13) due to complications from leukemia. 

"During rehearsal and the shows I was blessed to work with the Arthur I first met and loved 30 years ago," Johansen said in a statement released to Billboard.com. "The reunion was a source of great happiness for him, and the dynamic between [guitarist] Sylvain [Sylvain], Arthur and myself was brimming with unimaginable love. It's good to know that he went out on a high point in his musical life, but he will be sorely missed. His bass playing and presence were the heart & soul of the NEW YORK DOLLS and the secret ingredient of our sound." [see full story for more]- Click Here for the Full Story 

Bootlegger Gets 18 Months
Blabbermouth reports: A Michigan man was sentenced to 1 1/2 years in prison and must pay $120,000 for selling bootlegged recordings of performances by AEROSMITH, KISS, BOB DYLAN and BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN. 

Jeffrey Smittle, 44, of Ceraso, Mich., was sentenced Thursday in Pittsburgh federal court. He pleaded guilty in April to unauthorized trafficking in recordings of live musical performances. [see full story for more]- Click Here for the Full Story 

Source: Blabbermouth also has news on GENE SIMMONS In Country Music Video, BLACK SABBATH's Video Montage Compares BUSH To HITLER, VH1's 'Most Metal Moment' Of All Time: Behind-The-Scenes Footage Available Online, METALLICA's HETFIELD And ULRICH Speak To NPR and more click here to check it out

Hellacopters Finally Land in US
BW&BK reports: According to the official HELLACOPTERS website, their new album By The Grace Of God is now available in the USA. The US version features two bonus tracks, two videos, a documentary, a cloth patch and a few other surprises. - Click Here for the Full Story 

Rare Zep Auction
BW&BK reports: Only 5 days to go until the start of The 2004 Classic Rock Auction - featuring the Personal Collection of Legendary Producer Eddie Kramer. 

The 2004 Classic Rock Auction will kick off on Sunday, July 18th and run for 2 weeks, closing on Sunday, August 1st. 

...Amidst the many stunning Jimi Hendrix, KISS and Peter Frampton items, the auction will further include vintage recordings from Led Zeppelin, such as rough mixes of "Led Zeppelin II" , "Houses of the Holy", "The Song Remains the Same" and "The Rover". 

Arguably the highlight in this Led Zeppelin collection might become an 8-song (1974) studio tape with recordings, holding rough mixes of songs that appeared on "Physical Graffiti" (1975), as well as several "unidentified" tracks. [see full story for more]- Click Here for the Full Story 

Source: BW&BK also has news on Michigan Man Nailed For Bootleg Recordings, House Of Blues And Scrape Records Offering 2-For-1 Metal, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM - Thrash Domination '04, RHAPSODY - Forthcoming Full Length Detailed, THERAPY? Name New Album and more click here to check it out

Dinosaur Jr. Reissues
Pitchfork reports: The Mascis continues! Merge Records is preparing to reissue Dinosaur Jr.'s first three records in early 2005. The albums in question, Dinosaur, You're Living All Over Me, and Bug document the pre-major-label era of the band, and represent the band in a time before J. Mascis was content to simply exercise his solo chops, as future Sebadoh frontman Lou Barlow was still around to keep him in check. Although a release date has not been set, sources speculate that February will be the earliest that the discs might surface. [see full story for more] - Click Here for the Full Story 

Source: Pitchfork also has news on Björk sets August release date, tracklist for beatbox-crazy fifth full-length, New York dolls bassist Arthur Kane dead at 55, Constellation offers rare trax on 2xCD comp, Lucksmiths singer readies new Guild League LP and more click here to check it out

eBay MP3s
AP reports: Online auction giant eBay Inc. will allow some customers to buy and sell digital music files as part of a pilot program that could piggyback on the success of Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes service. 

San Jose, Calif.-based eBay said an unspecified number of "preapproved" users could conduct digital music transactions in eBay's new "Digital Downloads" category for the next 180 days. Executives will then determine whether to formally enter the market. [see full story for more] - Click Here for the Full Story 

Live Aid DVD
ArrowFM reports: Finally, the landmark 1985 Live Aid concert will finally be released on DVD in the fall. Seems as if the Band Aid Trust auctioned off the global rights for the concerts when pirated copies were found for sale on the Internet. Warner Vision International world the bidding and announced that the DVD will hit stores on November 10th as a four-disc DVD package. Live Aid was held at London's Wembley and Philadelphia's JFK Stadium and raised more than $70 million for famine relief in Africa. The concert included such heavy hitters as Led Zeppelin, U2, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Neil Young and Queen. [see full story for more]- Click Here for the Full Story 

Bowie King of the Road
ArrowFM reports: David Bowie's A Reality tour was the top-grossing show for the first-half of 2004. According to Billboard Boxscore, the veteran rocker grossed $45.4 million from 82 shows that drew 722,158 fans. 

... Other top grossers included Better Midler ($40 million), Simon and Garfunkel ($36 million, Shania Twain ($34 million), Metallica ($22 million) and Britney Spears ($19 million). [see full story for more]- Click Here for the Full Story 

Sir Paul Grabs 5 Emmy Noms
ArrowFM reports: This morning it was announced that the television special A & E in Concert: Paul McCartney In Red Square pulled in five nominations for the 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. A similar A & E featuring Sting garnered four nods, bringing a total of 24 nominations to the network. - Click Here for the Full Story 

Source: ArrowFM also has news on U2 Loses Tracks On New Album., Isle of Wight 1970 Comes To Theaters & DVD, McCartney Deflects Blame For Beatles Break-up, Rockers Seek Therapy, Henley Hosts Thoreau's Homecoming and more click here to check it out

Jimmy Eat World in Rocktober
IAYM reports: Jimmy Eat World are now eyeing an October 12th release date for their next album, which is entitled "Futures". [see the full story for links to three samples from the CD]- Click Here for the Full Story 

Twiggy & Goss Snowballs
IAYM reports: Jeordie "Twiggy Ramirez" White (A Perfect Circle, Marilyn Manson) and Chris Goss (Masters Of Reality, Queens Of The Stone Age) are currently working on recordings for a full time project which has been in the works for quite some time. The outfit is tentatively known as Snowballs, the debut release from the project is expected out in early 2005. [more] - Click Here for the Full Story 

Source: IAYM also has news on Lostprophts: "Last Summer" video, Daughters update/new song online, Otep: three new songs online, "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" soundtrack tracklisting, 36 Crazyfists/Eighteen Visions: UK tour and more click here to check it out

Franz Song Not Gay
Ananova reports: Franz Ferdinand's singer says the band's forthcoming single is not about a gay relationship, but rather about a debauched party the band once went to. 

Michael includes references to 'beautiful boys on a beautiful dancefloor' and 'stubble on my sticky lips', but Alex Kapranos says it's all about a warehouse party they once went to in Glasgow. 

XFM says he told gay lifestyle magazine Boyz that the Michael in question was proud of the name check. 

But he refused to name the other man involved, because his girlfriend was 'jealous'. [See the full story for more]- Click Here for the Full Story 

Kweller Goes Clubbing
liveDaily reports: Singer/songwriter Ben Kweller, who this year has already completed a co-headlining tour with Death Cab for Cutie as well as a European outing, will focus on U.S. clubs in August and September. 

Festival appearances--including a stop at Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival--fill out Kweller's schedule for the coming months. 

Kweller's latest album, "On My Way," hit stores in April, is the follow-up to Kweller's 2002 solo-debut, "Sha Sha." [see full story for more including dates]- Click Here for the Full Story 

Fear Factory Headline Run
liveDaily reports: Fear Factory, which spent the spring on tour with Slipknot and Chimaira, sets out on its own headlining run this month. 

The quartet gets the month-long run started with a July 25 performance at Hellfest, a three-day metal festival set in Elizabeth, NJ. A full contingent of U.S. club and theater dates follows, and a pair of Canadian stops is also planned. 

The roadwork backs Fear Factory's April release, "Archetype," which is the group's first album for Liquid 8 Records. The set, which debuted in the top 30 on The Billboard 200 album chart, has sold more than 100,000 copies, according to a press release. [see full story for more including dates] - Click Here for the Full Story 

Ike Reilly Returns
liveDaily reports: The Ike Reilly Assassination will release a new album titled "Sparkle in the Finish" on Oct. 12. 

The set is the follow-up to Reilly's 2001 debut, "Salesmen and Racists," which was a critical favorite. - Click Here for the Full Story 

Yeah! Ike Does Rule!

Source: liveDaily also has news on Phish, The Who, Arthur 'Killer' Kane, Bjork reveals details of forthcoming album, Kid Rock gears up for next leg of summer tour, adds shows, Posthumous Elliott Smith album due in October and more click here to check it out

Throttlerod EP
press release reports: New THROTTLEROD EP "Starve The Dead" ready for fall release. 
Dates with BRAND NEW SIN & home show with THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX set. 

"Starve The Dead" is a collection of five "almost acoustic" rock tunes that represent a slight departure from the fast paced gear jamming the band has recorded in the past. The music was written after the band returned home from the "Hell & High Water" tour in late 2003 and recorded in NYC during the blizzard of January 2004. "Hell & High Water" producer Andrew Schneider (Cave In, Milligram, Scissorfight, TREE) was at the helm once again. "Starve The Dead" is set for a fall release. - Click Here for the Full Story 

Silly News: Tax Dollars At Work
New York Daily News reports: EAST WENATCHEE, Wash. - When the Washington state Department of Employment Security notified Sandi Bryan that she owed money for an unemployment compensation overpayment more than six years ago, she picked up the phone. 

Little good that did � until word that she was being threatened with court action over a nickel reached the right ears. 

Bryan told The Wenatchee World she asked the state employee who took her call on a toll-free line whether she should mail in a nickel taped to a piece of paper. 

"I said, 'Do you realize for this nickel, you paid an employee to type this ... (spent) 37 cents for postage, and you want me to pay for a money order and the postage?'" she said. 

The response was that the money had to be paid properly. End of discussion. [see full story for more including a fun story about two guys that went throw fireworks out of a moving car, but forgot to roll down the windows]- Click Here for the Full Story 

2 Cents: American Idol is the Anti-Christ.
reports: [It's Friday, time for Chuck DiMaria to give us his 2 Cents. This week Chuck looks at The Great Paula Abdul Vocal Hoax, but for the Day in Rock portion, we join Chuck half-way through for his look at the American Idol phenomenon. - If you want to read it from the start, scroll down to the full story link and click on over.] 

�American Idol is the Anti-Christ. 

Think about it for a moment. This show takes a bunch of no-talent hacks (and those are the judges) who raise another bunch of no-talent hacks (those would be the contestants) to the level of idol. 

Idol -- I don't even know if I like the sound of that word. Hell, all we need here is a golden calf and we're good to go. (Where's Charlton Heston when you need him?) 

And just who are the judges? Well, there's that jerk Simon, who's clearly in this just so he can bang young chicks. Then there's the token black dude to give the whole thing a little urban credibility, dawg. And then there's Paula, who apparently is there because all the people who really could sing weren't available. 

They were all out singing somewhere. 

Now, we all know these judges are qualified industry types who know exactly what they're talking about, right? 

Yeah, that's what I thought. 

First of all, this is entertainment, at least that what it's supposed to be. But all it really does is take a bunch of kids and play on their dreams of becoming stars. They purposely send kids who don't have a hooker's chance in hell of winning in to stand before the judges knowing full well that these kids are gonna get torn a new one -- and on national television, no less. 

Not cool. 

And not only do you get to be judged, you get to be judged by people who really (let's be honest here) aren't qualified to judge anything entertainment related. And once that little piece of Spanish Inquisition-like torture is over, you get to have a heart-to-heart with Carson Daly so that you can perhaps, in some cathartic way, work though the emotionally scarring ordeal you've just gone through. 

Yeah, baby - that's entertainment! 

And the worst part is in order to be on American Idol you practically have to sign your life away to 19 Entertainment, the management company of the show's creator, Simon Fuller. 

In case you're wondering, Simon Fuller is the "other" Simon. He's the same guy who brought you the Spice Girls and, for better or worse (probably worse), the cinematic tour de force known as Spice World. 

If you win, and even if you don't, these people pretty much own you. It's practically indentured servitude. 

Ah, the price of fame 

What's more, the Idol contract states, among other things, that the show "may reveal and/or relate information about me of a personal, private, intimate, surprising, defamatory, disparaging, embarrassing or unfavorable nature, that may be factual and/or fictional." (Emphasis mine.) Kudos to Anthony Breznican for writing a tidy little article on the matter.

So it all may be fictional? Well, that blows the whole "reality" concept right out of the zeitgeist, doesn't it? 

But the world is full of attention-starved people who never read the fine print, or care about it even if they do, so there will never be a shortage of contestants. 

Shame on you, Simon - both of you. 

So what's this all got to do with Paula Abdul? Why does Miss A. get my nearly complete and undivided attention? [see the full story link to find out and get Chuck's full 2 cents�] - Click Here for the Full Story