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Australian rock band the Vines, who have gained a reputation for delivering erratic performances, have backed out of their planned support spot on Incubus’ summer North American tour, citing “mental and physical exhaustion.” The band was thrust into disarray following a recent performance for a Sydney radio station, when bassist Patrick Matthews walked out following the first song. A full show the next evening was promptly canceled. “The decision has been made to take a break to deal with the mental and physical exhaustion issues the band currently face(s),” the group said in a statement. “The Vines have not broken… Read more »

When a pop artist leaves the shelter of a major-label nest, the stark reality of being on one’s own can be a sobering experience. But learning to fly solo can also bring tremendous rewards. Although many rock artists have self-released their music after leaving the major-label fold, most pop artists are so dependent on radio play that they have often sought the deep pockets of another major or a large indie label to foot the bill. But several acts – including Evan & Jaron, Sophie B. Hawkins and Alana Davisare forging their own path. Former Columbia duo Evan & Jaron… Read more »

Kelly Osbourne, the 19-year-old daughter of heavy metal star Ozzy Osbourne, has checked into a drug rehabilitation center for an addiction to painkillers, her parents said. Ozzy, 55, and Sharon Osbourne, 51, talked about their daughter’s drug problem Friday night on CNN’s “Larry King Live.” Sharon Osbourne said that an English tabloid notified them Friday that they had a photograph of Kelly in an apparent drug deal. Kelly Osbourne was confronted and eventually acknowledged a drug problem “after a lot of twisting,” Sharon Osbourne said. Osbourne’s younger brother, Jack, 18, checked himself into a drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic last… Read more »

After tracking drum parts in Los Angeles, then shifting operations to their hometown of Toronto, Sum 41 have at least one more trip scheduled before they release the follow-up to 2002’s Does This Look Infected? And this one’s sure to give their frequent-flyer miles a boost. The pop-punk quartet will visit the Democratic Republic of the Congo in mid-May to film a documentary on the war-torn African country, according to an Island Def Jam spokesperson. “From the Front Lines,” produced by the Canadian charity organization War Child, will detail Sum 41’s two-week trip to the Congo, where they will examine… Read more »

For the humdrum New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers, putting on a show to match the glitz, glitter and star power of the rest of Super Bowl Sunday was no easy task. Typical of America’s biggest unofficial holiday, the game was only the icing on an over-the-top extravaganza. There was a gleaming new $450 million stadium to show off, a slew of pricey new ads, and Beyonce, Janet Jackson and P. Diddy to share the field. The biggest cliffhanger of the week wasn’t who would win, but whether Janet’s brother, Michael, would show up. He didn’t, but Justin Timberlake did,… Read more »

A new sort of Pepsi Generation will get air time on the Super Bowl: music downloaders. Some 20 teens sued by the Recording Industry Association of America, which accuses them of unauthorized downloads, will appear in a Pepsi-Cola (PEP) ad that kicks off a two-month offer of up to 100 million free – and legal – downloads from Apple’s iTunes, the leading online music seller. The sassy ad, to be seen by Super Bowl’s 88 million viewers on Feb 1, is a wink at the download hot button. Pepsi hopes the promotion will connect its flagship cola, as well as… Read more »

The controversial issue of The Source purporting Eminem to be a racist hit newsstands last week, so it’s no surprise that the rapper has already fired back at the magazine. In an untitled freestyle on the Green Lantern mixtape The Invasion Part Three: Countdown to Armageddon, Eminem aims to both elaborate on and get past the controversy stirred up by an old song in which he spit offensive lyrics directed at black women. He raps: “Oh, sorry, yo so sorry, whoa/ But that was a long time ago/ When I was a Joe Schmo/ Rapping in Joe Blow’s basement/ I… Read more »

Antonio “L.A.” Reid, who took the helm at Arista Records nearly four years ago and oversaw platinum successes from acts including OutKast, Pink and Avril Lavigne, has left the label, it was announced Tuesday. Reid became president and CEO of Arista in May 2000 after the company’s founder and CEO, Clive Davis, left because of parent company BMG’s mandatory retirement policy. Reid was not available to comment, according to an Arista spokeswoman. Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, chairman and CEO of BMG, called Reid “one of the music industry’s top record men.” “His passion for working with and developing some of the world’s… Read more »

After more than 20 years of seeking and destroying, Metallica are releasing an authorized book of their conquests titled “So What! The Metallibook by Metallica,” which should be in stores by August. The 272-page oversized book won’t be an authorized biography, it’ll be a comprehensive scrapbook featuring more than 1,000 photos, bandmembers’ drawings and roundtable discussions with Metallica. It will also include archival interviews from the band’s official fan club magazine, So What! An introduction will be written by Metallica, who will also provide notes and commentary throughout.So What! editor and longtimeKerrang! magazine journalist Steffan Chirazi will edit the tome,… Read more »

Ozzy Osbourne fractured several bones including a neck vertebra in an all-terrain vehicle accident but the injuries are “not a major problem,” a doctor said Tuesday. Osbourne, 55, was “stable and comfortable” after emergency surgery that restored the flow to a blood vessel damaged in Monday’s accident, said Dr. Dick Jack, the medical director at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, west of London. “When he was admitted, he had a fractured left collarbone, he had some damage to the blood vessel that is underneath it, he had eight fractured ribs on the left side and, in addition to that, an… Read more »