Dave Grohl
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Congratulations are in order for Foo Fighters main man Dave Grohl and his wife, Jordyn Blum. A spokesperson confirmed to MTV.com that the couple is expecting their first child, due this spring. Drummer Taylor Hawkins accidentally spilled the beans to MTV in a recent interview as well, discussing the Foos' 2006 touring plans. "We're going to be touring Europe in January and February, but we've got be home by March, because Dave and his wife are having a baby," Hawkins said. "But I probably wasn't supposed to tell you that."The first week of the year isn't generally a time for major album releases, but The Strokes took the opportunity to release their third album, First Impressions Of Earth. The New York band can lay claim to the biggest debut on the sales chart this week, coming in at #4 with approximately 88,000 copies sold. Ahead of the Strokes were Jamie Foxx, Mary J. Blige and Eminem, in the top three slots respectively.
U2 continue to add more dates to the 2006 leg of their massive Vertigo tour. The Irish superstars will play Hawaii for the first time in over 20 years on April 8 and Santiago, Chile in February for the first time since 1998 on the PopMart Tour. U2 has also announced an April 4 concert in Japan, also their first visit since 1998. In related news, the band has released an alternate video for their new single, "Original Of The Species," which debuted online today at AOL Music.
Nine Inch Nails have added more tour dates to their 2006 tour as well, with 33 shows currently announced. The tour, which hits primarily smaller markets the band did not hit last year, begins in Champaign, IL on February 10 and is slated to wrap up in Las Vegas on April Fool's Day (or will it?).
Ghostface Killah, one of the many members of Wu-Tang Clan, will release his fifth album, Fishscale, on February 28 via Def Jam. The lead single will be "Back Like That," featuring up-and-coming labelmate Ne-Yo. Additionally, Ghostface's manager told Billboard.com that the song "Wu United" features all members of the Wu-Tang Clan and they are regrouping in February for their first tour since 1997. Dates are booked from February 7 in New Haven, CT to February 19 in Orlando, but Billboard says discussions are underway for additional summer dates.
With Zakk Wylde becoming increasingly busy with his band Black Label Society, it looked like Ozzy Osbourne was going to need a new guitarist to help him with his solo material. However, according to Ozzy's Web site, the search for a new axe man has ended. "At the time we announced the search, Zakk Wylde’s itinerary with Black Label Society was quite overwhelming," reads Ozzy.com. "Fortunately, Zakk has now been able to go back and rearrange his schedule to make sure that he would be available to write, record and tour with Ozzy in 2006 and beyond. Therefore, the search for a new axe man has been called off."
Beanie Sigel
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Rapper Beanie Sigel was convicted of assault in a Philadelphia court on Tuesday, but he won't be going to jail. E! Online reports that Sigel was sentenced to two years of probation and $180 in court costs for a fistfight outside a Chinese restaurant in 2003. He also had to make a second court appearance Tuesday for being behind in child support payments, owing his five-year-old son's mother $900. He was found in contempt and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, says E!
Long in the works, the Punk Rock/stop-motion animated flick Live Freaky! Die Freaky! will finally see release later this month. After a private Los Angeles screening on January 17 (including a performance from Rancid), it will be shown in limited release at midnight screenings around the country on January 27 and 28, then released on DVD on January 31. The film features the voices of the members of Green Day, Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen of Rancid, the Madden brothers of Good Charlotte, Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go's, Travis Barker and many others. In other Green Day news, the band won the People's Choice Award for Best Music Group last night.
Queensryche is readying the release of Operation: Mindcrime II, a sequel to their 1988 concept album Operation: Mindcrime. The sequel will be available April 4 from Rhino Records, and singer Geoff Tate says that current events in today's society inspired him to revisit the story. "I left the original open-ended with the intent to come back with a sequel to finish the story up," explains Tate. "Considering where we are today and how little things have changed, it was too ironic not to continue the story." Operation: Mindcrime's plot revolves around Dr. X, a political puppetmaster who brainwashes Nikki, the story's main character, to assassinate corrupt public figures.
R&B singer Javier will release his second album, Left Of Center, on March 7. The lead single from the new CD will be called “Indecent Proposal.” "I think for a minute R&B had kind of lost its way,” Javier says. “The title Left Of Center is just my way of saying to the listeners, ‘This is not just straight ahead R&B.’ I think there is more to it than what you’d hear on the average R&B album."
