Bedroom Sessions

Just to give you all an inside scoop. I'm working on a new project right now, I'm gearing it towards all you crazy cats out there who like to spend time in the bedroom with your significant other. You know, doing the no pants dance. As soon as I finish it I will let you all know.

Jamie Foxx, Colin Farrell Wrestle Box-Office Crown From Johnny Depp

In the box-office battle of cops versus pirates, a pair of suave detectives came out on top of the swashbuckling bandits, making "Miami Vice" the weekend's #1 film.

The big-screen version of the iconic 1980s television series kicked "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" out of the #1 spot it had held for three weeks. "Miami Vice" claims the box-office crown with more than $25.1 million, according to early estimates.

With Colin Farrell taking over Don Johnson's Detective James "Sonny" Crockett role, and Jamie Foxx playing Detective Ricardo Tubbs, the film finds the two cops going undercover to crack a security breach in the Joint Inter-Agency Task Force.

While "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" was thwarted by "Miami Vice" this week, the former champ did manage to best two other new releases, slipping just one spot from #1 to #2. The record-breaking sequel — starring Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom (see "For Depp, Bloom And Knightley, 'Pirates' Is The Treasure That Keeps On Giving") — earned more than $20.4 million its fourth weekend in theaters.

Vengeance-seeking high school students followed the treasure-seeking pirates, as teen flick "John Tucker Must Die" bows at #3. In the comedy, three of the most popular girls in school discover they've all been dating the same guy and decide to band together with a new girl in town to mess with Tucker's reputation and emotions. Starring Jesse Metcalfe as the title character — and Ashanti and Brittany Snow as two of the girls out to get him — the film earned more than $14 million.

Two family-friendly flicks filled out the upper half of the box-office top 10. At #4 is "Monster House," which fell two spots from #2. The animated film about three children who realize their neighbor's house has a dangerous mind of its own earned $11.5 million (see "Nick Cannon Wants 'Monster House' To Be The Next 'Goonies' "). And bowing at #5 with $8.1 million is "The Ant Bully." The animated film centers on Lucas, a bullied new kid in town who takes out his frustrations on the ants in his yard — who strike back and shrink Lucas down to their size to teach him a lesson (see "Rewind: In The Movies, At Least, Size Still Matters").

"You, Me and Dupree" felt the weight of the new releases this week, dropping two spots from #4 to #6. The comedy, starring Kate Hudson and Matt Dillon as newlyweds and Owen Wilson as the buddy who decides to crash on their couch (see "Worst Houseguest Ever? Hudson, Dillon, Wilson Reveal Real-Life 'Dupree' Moments"), earned more than $7 million.

Rounding out this week's box-office top 10 is "Lady in the Water," which sunk from #3 to #7 with more than $7 million; "Little Man," which fell from #5 to #8 with $5.1 million; "The Devil Wears Prada," which holds steady at #9 with more than $4.7 million; and "Clerks II," which fell from #6 to #10 with more than $3.9 million.

Overall, ticket sales were up from the corresponding weekend last year.

Next week, look for "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," "The Descent" and "Barnyard" to debut in the box-office top 10.

Shakira, Chili Peppers, Madonna, Panic! Lead List Of Nominees For MTV Video Music Awards

The list of nominees for the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards includes a familiar mix of hip-shakers, funky Californians, ambitious blondes — and one group of tight-trousered gatecrashers.

Hip-shaker Shakira and the rejuvenated Red Hot Chili Peppers lead the field with seven noms each, followed closely by the majestic Madonna and upstart Las Vegas rockers Panic! at the Disco, both with five nods. Christina Aguilera is next with four.

Videos from all five artists — Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie," the Chili Peppers' "Dani California," Madonna's "Hung Up," Panic's "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" and Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man" — will go head-to-head for the coveted Video of the Year Moonman at the 2006 VMAs, which will air live from New York's Radio City Music Hall on August 31.

Panic! are also one of the first artists confirmed to perform on the show, joining an all-star cast that also includes Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, T.I., Ludacris and the Killers.

Shakira's "Hips" scored nominations for Best Female Video (where it also faces off against Aguilera and Madonna, as well as Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You" and Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous"), Best Dance Video, Best Pop Video and the Viewer's Choice Award, plus a pair of technical nods — for Choreography and Art Direction — along with its Video of the Year nom.

In addition to their Video of the Year nom, the Chili Peppers' "Dani California" is up for Best Group Video and Best Rock Video (it also landed a host of technical nominations, for Direction, Editing, Cinematography and Art Direction).

VMA vet Madonna is up for Best Female Video, Dance Video, Pop Video and Choreography, while Panic! at the Disco — who less than two years ago weren't even a band — saw their "Sins" clip nominated for Best Rock Video, Best Group Video and Best New Artist (going up against Angels & Airwaves' "The Adventure," Avenged Sevenfold's "Bat Country," Rihanna's "S.O.S.," Chris Brown's "Run It!" and James Blunt's "You're Beautiful"), plus an Art Direction nom.

Aguilera's four nominations include nods for Video of the Year and Best Female Video, while a gaggle of artists — including AFI, Chris Brown and Gnarls Barkley — locked up three nominations a piece. Fall Out Boy, Kanye West, Rihanna and the Pussycat Dolls each scored two noms.

Kid Rock And Pamela Anderson Marry In 'Real Rock And Roll Wedding'

One down, three more to go.

Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson married in style on Saturday on a yacht in Saint-Tropez, France, according to People magazine. Anderson wore her traditional white ... string bikini for the ceremony, her second trip down the aisle in skimpy swimwear with a rock star.

"She was the most beautiful bride I've ever seen — like a modern-day Brigitte Bardot," Jimmy Choo owner Tamara Mellon told People about the bride, while Elton John's partner, David Furnish, described Rock as a "total rock star. He gave her a good kiss. Everybody was crying. ... It was a real rock and roll wedding."

The couple has said they plan at least three more weddings: in Malibu, California; Nashville; and Kid Rock's hometown of Detroit.

Anderson, 39 — who was previously married to Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee — began dating Rock, 35, in 2001. The couple were engaged in 2002, but then split up a year later.

They announced their re-engagement on July 18 (see "Pamela Anderson, Kid Rock Get Engaged — Again").

NEW MIXMEISTER FUSION DJ SEQUENCER SOFTWARE

MixMeister Technology's new DJ software, Fusion, is designed to give DJs the real-time responsiveness they need to adapt to the needs of the audience at any moment, while still giving them the flexibility and pinpoint precision that the company's award-winning studio mixing tools are known for.

Conventional software for digital DJs typically mimics the functions of traditional CD decks and turntables. While that is a familiar setup for most users, it also suffers from many of the same limitations and requires DJs to concentrate on repetitive cueing and beat-mixing tasks. That approach is rather like designing a car to work like a mechanical horse—it misses the primary benefit that new technology can offer.

MixMeister Fusion throws away the traditional dual-deck metaphor in favor of a much more powerful approach, where an entire DJ set can be constructed onscreen. With a workflow similar to digital audio workstations or video production software, Fusion lets you blend full-length songs on a timeline and reorder or remix them, while keeping everything in perfect sync at all times. By automating most beat-mixing tasks entirely, DJs can be free to experiment more creatively with their music.

MixMeister Fusion includes a beautifully crafted user interface and a slew of advanced features, from live looping to harmonic mixing and support for MIDI hardware controllers. The product also comes with a bundle of top-notch VST effects, including iZotope's OzoneMP, Camel Audio's CamelSpace and NewBlue's DJ Essentials suite.

MixMeister Fusion costs $329.95 and runs on Windows XP. Users can download a free trial copy from www.mixmeister.com.

Egads! New Mix on The Website...With The Police, Nirvana, Peter Gabriel, Black Eyed Peas and more...

I finally got around to posting the improvised set that I played at the Red Room in Raleigh on 7-7-06. The whole set was improvised and the remixes were produced on the fly. I dedicated the whole set to DJ Oldschool (Sean Johnson) who was a great friend that passed away in a car accident. He would play music from any era, and just kept the vibe going no matter wha song it was. You can check out the mix by going to www.djsonaronline.com/redroommix It has a variety of music ranging from The Police, Nirvana, Stevie Nicks, to even Rhianna. So be sure to listen to it. To find out more about Sean Johnson you can go to his myspace page at www.djsonaronline.com/slim50

Ableton Announces Live 6

Berlin, Germany (July 14, 2006) - Ableton is proud to announce Live 6. Like no other Ableton release, Live 6 has opened itself to new creative communities—offering Quicktime video support, a professional multisample library, and customizable racks of instruments and effects. Live 6 also satisfies frequent user requests by delivering multicore support, enhanced project management tools, and improved MIDI control.

"Live 6 upholds Ableton's tradition of responding to and respecting our vocal user base while maintaining our vision for the program," says Ableton CEO and co-founder Gerhard Behles. "The results are exciting—Live 6 is our most versatile and powerful version to date. We also spent significant development resources on workflow improvements to make sure Live continues to feel good as the functionality grows."

With Quicktime video support, Live enters the world of post-production. Drag and drop movies directly into Live's Arrangement View, and monitor the result on a video window or second screen. Then, align music to visuals, and process the movie's audio signal within Live. It has never been easier to improvise, compose and warp music to picture.

The Essential Instrument Collection provides Live 6 users with a comprehensive library of multisampled instruments. The included instruments cover the entire musical spectrum, from orchestral strings and brasses, to classic guitars and electric keyboards, to instruments like the harp and the glockenspiel. Load and play the collection in Live's Simpler, or in Sampler—Ableton's new optional multisample instrument.

Instrument and Effect Racks offer a new level of depth to Live without sacrificing accessibility. Use Racks to create, save and control customized groupings of multiple instruments, effects and plug-ins. Then distribute your creations online. Use the Rack's included knobs to adjust any number of parameters with a single knob or fader. Live 6 comes with many preconfigured racks with both instruments and common processing tools like guitar and bass distortion, drum processing, and mastering.

Multicore and Multiprocessor support allow the computational workload from instruments and effects to be distributed to other processors or cores, speeding up system performance.

Deep Freeze expands editing functionality with frozen tracks (temporary rendered files created to free system resources). Cut, copy, paste, duplicate and consolidate clips without having to re-freeze. Automate mixer and clip envelopes, record frozen Session View clips into the Arrangement, and drag frozen MIDI clips into audio tracks, all without missing a beat.

New and Improved Devices add to Live's palette of creative tools.

• EQ Eight has replaced EQ Four, with improvements that turn it into both a sound-shaping and a mastering tool.
• Add analog richness with the warm distortion of Dynamic Tube. Like many of Live's effects, it can be used for subtle coloration or drastic sonic manipulation.
• Saturator has been improved with the addition of a true analog saturation curve, a user-definable waveshaper, and an optional second output saturator stage.
• Automate and "play" incoming MIDI notes with Note Length. This MIDI effect can generate new notes when incoming notes are released, emulating the release behavior of instruments like the piano or the harpsichord.
• Operator has been augmented with a set of 24 dB filter modes, as well as new FM algorithms, giving users more sonic possibilities than ever.

Conveniently organize collections of Live Sets, Live Clips, presets, samples, and movie files with Live 6's new Project Management Tools. Self-contain a project and pack it with lossless compression for archiving or transfer using Project Folders. Search for missing files and purge the disk of unused files with ease.

Live 6 Pricing and Availability

Live 6 is scheduled for release in September 2006. It will be available for $599 (549 EUR) (MSRP) from dealers worldwide and from the Ableton webshop. Users who do not need the Essential Instrument Collection and Live 6 box can purchase a downloadable (serial only) version for $499 (469 EUR) from the Ableton webshop.

Upgrade pricing details can be found at www.ableton.com/live6-pricing.

Live 6 Beta Test

Beta testing for Live 6 will begin in late July 2006. This is a great opportunity for users to get a firsthand look at what Live 6 and Sampler have to offer. To participate in the public beta test, please sign up to receive the Ableton newsletter and watch for details.

About Live

Live is the only solution designed for each stage of the musical process, from creation to production to performance. In the creative stage, Live is transparent, intuitive and responsive, capturing inspiration and encouraging the flow of musical ideas. During production, Live provides all of the professional tools and studio compatibility required to complete and perfect projects. On stage, Live delivers the expressive control and stability that innumerable performing artists have come to rely on. Live 6—Music creation, production, and performance for Mac OS and Windows. Create. Produce. Perform.

About Ableton

Ableton develops modern software technology to inspire creative people. Since the company started in 1999, more than forty-five developers and business professionals have joined Ableton—many of them active musicians or DJs. The company has received outstanding press, awards and customer feedback since the unveiling of Live in October 2001.

Movie File: Rosario Dawson, Lindsay Lohan, 'Harold & Kumar Go to Amsterdam' & More

ust in case "Clerks 2" doesn't sufficiently increase her geek fanbase to Natalie Portman-like proportions, Rosario Dawson is already preparing plans B and C, which will keep her busy into the middle of next year. First up is "Grind House" irreverent half-and-half collaboration between directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. "I'm in Quentin's part," she said. "We're going to start shooting that in August and September with [actress] Tracie Thoms from 'Rent.' It's a double feature, old-school '70s grind-house kind of film. ... It's a gear-head thing." After that, Dawson will put in some more time with Rodriguez for "Sin City 2," a prequel to their 2005 graphic-novel flick. "I'm very lucky — or not lucky, I guess — because Frank [Miller] really liked drawing that outfit on Gail," she said of her character's famously skimpy costume. "She happens to be in all his books, and the one they're doing this time is 'A Dame to Kill For,' and she's in that one. ... It carries a much stronger story arc, and it'll be at the beginning of [explaining] why I'm so mad at [Clive Owen's] character and slapping him in the face." She added that she'll reluctantly slip back into Gail's slinky leather sometime next year. "I'm gonna squeeze back in," she said. "I might as well do it now, because I won't be able to do it in a couple years." ...

If you believe the tabloids, Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Simpson spend every other weekend brawling with each other at Hollywood hotspots. Now, the actresses may finally be able to bond over one thing they can both agree on: the secret to their fabulously flawless skin. Lohan is celebrating her 20th birthday with a spankin' new deal as spokeswoman for Proactiv Solution, the same anti-zit concoction that burst onto the scene with seemingly never-ending infomercials starring her "Newlyweds" nemesis. The brand's 10th national television program hits airwaves this month, featuring Lohan and her acne-suffering horror stories. "My skin, thanks to Proactiv, is clear all the time," Lohan said in a statement announcing her deal. "Proactiv heals acne, but the best thing is that it's super gentle." Simpson is believed to be continuing her association with Proactiv and manufacturer Guthy-Renker, although details on whether the former teen queens will be zapping zits together on-camera remain, well, unclear. ...

Is Wolverine really a song-and-dance man? The truth is explored with "X-Men 3: The Last Standing Ovation," a mock trailer from the creators of the recent Internet phenomenon "Brokeback to the Future." Placing footage from the "X-Men" movies alongside clips of actor Hugh Jackman's recent foray into musical theater, the spoof reveals a repressed desire that Logan might be trying to keep in the closet. The brand-new mock trailer can be found at YouTube.com. ...

Hot off one of the biggest films of the summer, "Superman Returns" actor Kal Penn is looking forward to once again getting mellow with an old bud. "I've read stuff about it that the writers have sent to me," he said recently of "Harold & Kumar Go To Amsterdam," the sequel to the 2004 cult classic that had the dim duo seeking out a White Castle. "It will be the same thing as the first one. It's very lighthearted and has very over-the-top sequences that are very unexpected." According to Penn's co-star, John Cho, the stoner sequel is set to film in early 2007.

Five years ago, Kate Hudson came out of nowhere with an "Almost Famous" Oscar nomination she'd eventually lose to Marcia Gay Harden. Now, after five years of work in more mainstream fare, the 27-year-old actress is readying a pedigreed role that could finally get her up on the Academy's podium. "A Dream of Red Mansions" is about an American photojournalist who falls in love with a man she reconnects with in China. "But he heads up Mao Zedong's Communist Party," Hudson said. "She moves to China, becomes a Communist and over the course of years, they have children. China starts to really become a disastrous place right when they start realizing that communism probably isn't what people thought it was going to be." Based on a true story, Hudson will star as Diana Mellors, a controversial figure during the mid-20th century. "She was one of the first photojournalists to get pictures from China back into the United States, was considered a spy and escaped execution twice. But throughout the whole thing, they maintained their relationship, because they loved each other, and it's a really beautiful story." Due to begin filming this fall, the flick will be directed by "Double Jeopardy" helmer Bruce Beresford and will star fellow Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe as the object of Hudson's affection. "He's a real thorough actor. He's going to be playing a Chinese man, and he's Japanese, so he wants to live with a Chinese man and have somebody at all times on set," Hudson reported. ...

Filming has officially begun on "The Hitcher," a remake of the 1986 cult thriller about a murderous hitchhiker. Produced by Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes production company — which remade "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Amityville Horror" — the film stars Sophia Bush (TV's "One Tree Hill") and Zachary Knighton ("The Prince & Me"), two traveling college students who fall prey to John Ryder, played by Sean Bean. Marking the feature filmmaking debut of video director Dave Meyers (the Offspring's "Original Prankster"), the flick will open in spring 2007. ...

For those who still have the stomach for it, yet another piece of "American Pie" is in the oven. Production has begun on "American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile," the second straight-to-video release in the hugely successful series, following on the heels of last year's "Band Camp." The fifth chapter of the "Pie" epic tells the story of Erik Stifler, younger brother of Seann William Scott's Steve, who is on the verge of graduating high school as (gasp!) a virgin. Scott will not be appearing in the film — in fact, none of the original series stars are listed in the current cast — but "Happy Gilmore" baddie Christopher McDonald will be there, along with relative newcomers John White ("How to Deal"), Ross Thomas ("The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold") and Steve Talley ("Peaceful Warrior"). The film will be directed by "George Lucas in Love" phenom Joe Nussbaum and is currently filming in and around Toronto.

Strip-Club Anthems, Cautionary Tales — Luda's Upcoming LP Has It All

Ludacris is still chasing that elusive #1 spot, but he feels like he'll attain his goal when fans get a hold of Release Therapy, due September 26.

"I feel like I'm there after this one," Luda said in Atlanta on Friday of his upcoming release see "Therapy Is In Session: Kanye, Pharrell, R. Kelly Hop On Luda's LP"). "I say it on a song too."

Luda just released two records to the street: the controversial "War With God," where he strikes back at those who've badmouthed him (see "Mixtape Monday: 50 Cent Disc Features Stripped-Down Game; Ludacris Explains Mystery Rival"), and "Tell It Like It Is," where he gives some tough advice to MCs who haven't been schooled in Music Industry 101. His single featuring Pharrell is coming soon too.

"It's a radio record called 'Money Maker,' " he said. "It basically is a feel-good strip-club song."

R. Kelly appears on "Woozy," and Luda said he's always impressed with the Pied Piper's work ethic.

"Working with R. Kelly is great," said Luda, who's collaborated with Kelly in the past. "He's one of the hardest-working individuals, period. He's straight vampire: He leaves the studio when the sun comes up, goes in when it goes down."

Ludacris said Release Therapy will have two sides — he's just bummed no one buys cassette tapes anymore.

"The way we're going to try to format the record is you have your Release side and your Therapy side," he said. "Everybody knows the Release side would be 'War With God,' 'Tell It Like It Is.' I have a record called 'Slap.' Just getting everything off my chest. The Therapy side would be feel-good — a song like 'Woozy' with R. Kelly on it is therapeutic. Even 'Money Maker.' Some women's therapy is getting out, going to the club and shaking they ass. It's therapeutic to them.

"It's a Release end and Therapy side. Too bad it's a CD — you can't really split up sides."

For more on Ludacris, see "10 Candidates For The Next 'Greatest MCs Of All Time' List."

T.I. Joins Beyonce, Puts It Down 'For The Young Ladies' With Justin

LOS ANGELES — Hip-hop's king has been recording with pop royalty.

"I just collaborated with Beyoncé for her album, Justin Timberlake for his new album," T.I. revealed backstage at the BET Awards. "We gettin' money around here" T.I.'s not spilling too much about either song but said the latter was produced by Timbaland.

"It's sayin' we really put it down for the young ladies," T.I. said of the Timberlake track. "I think we gonna do good from Bankhead [Court, the housing project where T.I. was raised,] to Berlin. I think it's gonna go down."

Along with Beyoncé and Justin, T.I. will also appear on new albums from Young Jeezy and Young Buck and several of his own Grand Hustle artists, including Big Kuntry and Governor.

Young Dro, whose Grand Hustle debut, Best Thang Smokin', is due September 12, also features Tip on his new single, "Shoulder Lean."

"It's just a little relaxin' song for all playas," Dro said, sitting next to T.I. "We ain't doin' too much dancing. We just be leanin'."

In the meantime, T.I. is continuing to promote King, which debuted at #1 in March (see "T.I. Says #1 Is A Position He Should've Had From The Start"). Over last weekend, he shot a video for his next single, "Live in the Sky," with Jamie Foxx.

"It's about the trials and tribulations that I've been through from the life I used to live to the life I'm now fortunate enough to live," T.I. said. "And just paying respect to my cousin and some of my homeboys that didn't make it to see the day and one of my friends who is doing life right now."

T.I. is also already working on his next album, which he's calling T.I. vs. Tip, and lining up a big-screen follow-up to "ATL."

"We don't know exactly what I'm doing next, man, but I have a lot of opportunities to stand alongside some very heavy hitters in the film industry, and I plan to take full advantage," the rapper said.

At Tuesday's BET Awards, T.I. performed and also won the Best Male Hip-Hop Artist award.

"This is a lot of hard work paying off," he said. "This award — every award and every song and every album, every project Grand Hustle releases now from now on — is dedicated to my homeboy Philant."

Philant Johnson, T.I.'s former personal assistant and lifelong friend, was killed last month in a shooting after a T.I. show outside of Cincinnati (see "Deadly Shooting Causes T.I. To Re-Evaluate His Life").

For more on T.I., see "10 Candidates For The Next 'Greatest MCs Of All Time' List."

Lil' Kim To Be Released From Prison Early

Independence Day will take on a special meaning this year for Lil' Kim.

The rapper, who has been serving a 366-day prison sentence for federal perjury since September 19 (see Lil Kim Gets A Year And A Day In Prison"), will be released nearly three months early on Monday due to good behavior.

"I am thrilled to be coming home," Kim said in a statement. "I thank all my fans for all their letters, as well as my family and friends for all their support throughout the past 10 months."

Rumors of Kim's release have been swirling since Tuesday's BET Awards, where the rapper's mother told reporters she expected her daughter to be released in the coming days.

Kim, whose real name is Kimberly Jones, is scheduled to leave Philadelphia Federal Detention Center on Monday at 6 a.m. and then will remain under house arrest for a 30-day period. She is also on probation for three years.

"We are pleased that Kim is coming home to start the next phase of her life," Kim's attorney, L. Londell McMillan, said in a statement. "She has accepted responsibility and handled herself in an exemplary manner."

Kim was convicted on three counts of perjury and one count of conspiracy in March 2005 in connection with the trial of the 2001 shooting incident outside New York's Hot 97 radio station (see "Lil' Kim Indicted For Lying About Hot 97 Shootout With Capone").

Kim maintained throughout the trial that Damion Butler, one of her co-managers at the time of the incident, was not by her side when shots rang out in front of the radio station. Security-camera footage later proved he was — a direct contradiction of what she'd told a federal grand jury (see "Lil' Kim Found Guilty Of Lying To Grand Jury, Investigators").

Kim had also told the court she was unable to positively identify a photo of another man who was believed to be involved in the shooting. Both that man — Suif "Gutta" Jackson, a member of her former group Junior M.A.F.I.A. — and Butler later confessed to firing on rap group Capone-N-Noreaga, and pleaded guilty to gun charges as part of a plea bargain (see "Lil' Kim's Bodyguard Sentenced To 12 Years For His Role In Shootout").

Other members of Junior M.A.F.I.A., including Antoine "Banger" Spain and James "Lil' Cease" Lloyd, took the stand during the trial and testified for the prosecution that they too had witnessed Butler and Jackson with Kim at the time of the shooting (see "Lil' Cease Says He's No Snitch For Testifying Against Kim"). Kim was sentenced last summer.