Music News Blog

Judge refuses to dismiss Kelly case; Weasley family's car stolen; Slipknot cancel dates.

R. Kelly had been hoping for a Chicago judge to dismiss the child-pornography case against him, but on Friday (October 28), his request was denied. However, the singer got a small consolation prize, when the judge ordered the prosecution to turn over some computer files to help his case. He's due back in court December 9. ...

Jessica Simpson poses with sister Ashlee on the cover of the next issue of Teen People, in which they reveal they gave each other strength during a rather tough year — so tough, in fact, that Jessica sought help from a therapist. "I respect knowledge of the psyche," she told the mag. "I would be a therapist if I weren't an entertainer." Part of her frustration stems from being chased by the paparazzi and a never-ending slew of tabloid stories suggesting problems with her marriage, but she acknowledges that part of it is her fault for doing "Newlyweds" in the first place. "Nick and I have been so public about our marriage that it made people obsessed. We set ourselves up to be gawked at." Still, she has no regrets. "Anybody in the entertainment business who says they don't want fans is lying." The December/ January issue will be on newsstands November 4. ... Harry Potter won't be flying to Hogwarts in the Weasley family car anytime soon, because the Ford Anglia used in the second film, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," has been stolen from a studio lot in Cornwall, England. "The film prop was being stored under a tarpaulin," a London police spokesperson told Reuters on Friday. "It was not in good condition and could not have been driven away under its own steam." A Warner Bros. spokesperson told MTV News that there's no word yet of a reward for the return of the stolen vehicle. Also no word on if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is considered a suspect. ...

Mimi is getting emancipated — again.

Mariah Carey plans to reissue The Emancipation of Mimi with four new tracks this fall, including her new hit "Don't Forget About Us."

The Emancipation of Mimi: Platinum Edition,which was announced to her fan club late Thursday (October 13), will be released in two forms on November 15: as an audio CD with the four extra tracks, and as a limited-edition two-disc set with a DVD of her videos so far ("It's Like That," "We Belong Together," "Shake It Off" and "Get Your Number"). The video for "Get Your Number," featuring Jermaine Dupri, was shot originally for her European fanbase, since it was released as a single there, and this will mark its U.S. release.

The DVD will also contain a link to access her new video for "Don't Forget About Us," which Carey shot last weekend in Los Angeles with director Paul Hunter, who last teamed up with Mariah on her "Honey" video. The clip hits video outlets November 1.

The release of "Don't Forget About Us" — which was written by Mariah and co-produced with Dupri — was the first hint that Carey had more music on the way. The song has picked up more than 2,000 spins at radio since debuting last week. In it, Carey coos for her lover to let go ("Just let it die/ With no goodbyes") but to also hold on to the special memory ("There's only one me and you/ And how we used to shine/ No matter what you go through/ We are one, that's a fact/ That you can't deny").

Besides "Don't Forget About Us," the extra tracks are an update of a collaboration that appeared on Twista's album, with a new verse written by Mariah, called "So Lonely (One and Only Part 2)"; the remix of "We Belong Together" featuring Jadakiss and Styles P. (which was previously only available as a digital download); and the brand-new "What It Look Like," also featuring Dupri.

Magic Juan, former lead vocalist and composer of the internationally acclaimed group Proyecto Uno, is putting the finishing touches on his second solo album, the highly anticipated The Sure Bet. On the collection, which will be released later this year on emerging music powerhouse M.O.B. Recordings, Juan reveals his many personal and emotional dimensions. Lead singles "Fish Grease" and "Mil Horas" are already heating up at radio.

As he prepares for the release of the follow-up to 2002's La Prueba, Juan has been touring the world, most recently performing in front of legions of fans in Australia with Latin heavyweight Chayanne. Later this year, Juan will hit the road with Ivy Queen, Don Omar and Daddy Yankee.

Showing his business skills stretch beyond music, Magic Juan will launch in 2006 his own a liquor brand, Gravity. The blue Long Island Iced Tea will be distributed and promoted internationally. He is also launching his own calling card, The Magic Juan Phone Card.

Magic Juan's current ventures should not surprise his loyal fans. He wrote and rapped his way to No. 1 with Proyecto Uno on "Brinca!!," "Latinos" and "El Tiburon," which were wildly successful in South and Central America, Mexico, Europe and the United States. The Washington Heights, New York, native also flexed his acting skills in independent films such as Harlem Blues and Buscando Un Sueno with Lauren Velez.

In 2002, Magic Juan kept his music career hot by releasing La Prueba, which included the hits "La Ultima vez" with Eddy Herrera and "Meniando La Pera." The album received a nomination for Urban Album of the Year and Juan was nominated as Artist of the Year for Univision's 2004 Premios lo Nuestro Awards. "La Ultima vez" was also nominated for Tropical Song of the Year at the 2004 Latin Billboard Awards.

A testament to Juan's accomplishments, the Latin Hip Hop Coalition, which aims at educating and defending artist rights, has just appointed Magic its New York Chairman. No wonder Juan's fans have dubbed him "El Duro" (The Best) and "El Rey de Santo Domingo" (The Dominican King).

Gary Allan released the album, Tough All Over, on Tuesday (Oct. 11) on MCA Nashville. The project includes Allan's remake of Vertical Horizon's "Best I Ever Had," currently No. 16 on Billboard's country airplay chart. Allan wrote or co-wrote four songs on the album. ... Other new releases include Dolly Parton's Those Were the Days, featuring folk songs of the 1960s, on Sugar Hill Records. The long list of collaborators includes Judy Collins, George Jones, Norah Jones, Alison Krauss, Kris Kristofferson, Roger McGuinn, Brenda Lee, Joe Nichols, Nickel Creek, Mindy Smith, Cat Stevens, Keith Urban, Rhonda Vincent, Porter Wagoner and Lee Ann Womack, among others.

Nickelback has scored the first chart-topping album of its career with "All the Right Reasons" (Roadrunner/IDJMG). The Canadian act's fifth full-length set sold 317,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, to debut at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 in front of new sets by Twista, Sara Evans, Fiona Apple and Franz Ferdinand.

Nickelback has been enjoying the success of lead single "Photograph," which soared 25-4 last week on the Billboard Hot 100 and 36-2 on the Hot Digital Songs chart. The rock group's previous high-water mark came with its 2001 breakthrough, "Silver Side Up," which debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 and has sold nearly 5.1 million copies. In 2003, "The Long Road" opened at No. 6 in 2003 and has sold 2.8 million.

Franz Ferdinand's sophomore album, "You Could Have It So Much Better" (Domino), arrived at No. 1 on the new U.K. chart yesterday (Oct. 9). The only other new entry in the top 10 of the album chart saw a remarkable first-ever appearance on that list for 64-year-old Canadian veteran Paul Anka.

Franz Ferdinand's self-titled debut album charted in February 2004 and never reached No. 1, peaking at No. 3. But this week, as its successor opens at the top, "Franz Ferdinand" begins a 74th week on the chart at No. 57, and is certified quadruple platinum (1.2 million shipments).

Anka's "Rock Swings" (Globe), a collection of rock hits covered in swing style, opened his U.K. album chart account 48 years after he hit the British singles chart on the way to No. 1 with "Diana" in the summer of 1957. He went on to have 14 more U.K. hits, six of them top 10s, the last of them "(You're) Having My Baby" in 1974, but has never made the album chart until now. "Rock Swings" has the further distinction of charting higher than Parlophone/EMI's new collection "Working Class Hero -- The Definitive John Lennon," which entered at No. 11.

Pop star Michael Jackson tripped and fell Saturday (October 8th) as he was trying to make his way through a mob of fans outside a London theatre. Jackson, who's reportedly in town working on a charity single for victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, was being escorted by police into the Victoria Palace Theater to see the musical Billy Elliot. During the intermission, Jackson, who was accompanied by his children, signed autographs and chatted with fans.

Billy Elliot is the theatrical adaptation of the 2000 award-winning film of the same name. The plot centers around an 11-year-old boy living in a coal mining town in Northern England who secretly ditches boxing practice for ballet lessons against the wishes of his working class family. Elton John provided music for the play.

In other news, sources tell Roger Friedman of Fox411.com that Jackson may be in negotiations to sign a new record deal. Apparently, Antonio "L.A." Reid, chairman of Island Def/Jam records and Atlanta-based music attorney Joel Katz are staying in London as a guest of Jackson and Prince Abdullah of Bahrain. Katz is reportedly representing the Prince as part of a deal that would create a record label for Jackson funded by Universal Music Group, Island/Def Jam's parent company.

Rapper's comments generated controversy, but hasn't hurt tour, CD sales

Kanye West’s off-script criticism of the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina has caused the nation to question something near and dear to the hip-hop artist’s heart. And that question is: Do we like Kanye West?

That probably wasn’t West’s intention at the live fundraiser last month when he said “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” Despite his reputation as a media hound and egotist, the Kanye West who burst out with accusations of racism in both the government and media treatment of Katrina victims wasn’t the boastful producer-turned-rapper he’s often portrayed to be.

Paired with comedian Mike Myers in what is now a popular Internet download, West ignored the teleprompter and blurted his own words, wide-eyed and voice shaking, as if nervously aware that he was breaking rules. As Myers stood frozen, West went on to criticize his own behavior, how he “tried to turn away from the TV because it’s too hard to watch. I’ve even been shopping before even giving a donation.”

R. Kelly's multi-faceted musical drama "Trapped in the Closet" will be revealed in full on the DVD "Trapped in the Closet Chapters 1-12." The film is due Nov. 1 via Jive and tacks on seven new chapters to the saga, the first five of which were released on Kelly's latest Jive album, "TP3: Reloaded."

The DVD will also include a documentary about the ever-evolving song plus Kelly's running commentary and behind-the-scenes clips.
The sixth chapter of "Trapped in the Closet" is expected to hit U.S. radio outlets within the next 10 days, according to a spokesperson. Plans to make the song available from digital download retailers have not yet been finalized.
Although some radio stations have played all the chapters of "Trapped in the Closet" back to back, only the first portion of the song reached the charts. That cut peaked at No. 5 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 22 on the Hot 100.

Interest in "Trapped in the Closet" has no doubt spurred sales of "TP3: Reloaded," which has moved 984,000 copies since its late July release.

Meanwhile, Jive has set a Nov. 8 release date for "Remix City Vol. 1," which rounds up 12 alternate versions of such Kelly hits as "Bump N' Grind," "Ignition," "Step in the Name of Love" and "Feelin' on Yo Booty" with YoungBloodz, the latter of which is previously unreleased.