Bruce Springsteen to play Super Bowl; no 'Nipplegate' expected

The right man for the job? For the first half of this decade, the pop music lineup for the Super Bowl halftime show was an even-handed mix of the sexes: for every Phil Collins, there was a Christina Aguilera; for every Aerosmith, a Britney; and for every Justin Timberlake, there was a Janet Jackson. Oh, right. Janet Jackson.

Ever since Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston in 2004, it's been all men, all the time -- and not a spring rooster among them: the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Prince and Tom Petty.

Come Feb. 1,  Bruce Springsteen will add his name to the roster of classic-rock stars who have performed during the halftime break with his appearance at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

Springsteen and the E Street Band follow all those other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who've taken the stage at the Super Bowl, which last year drew 148 million viewers.

The band closed its 2008 tour on Aug. 30 with a show in Milwaukee that marked the 105th anniversary of Harley-Davidson. In honor of the occasion, Springsteen opened with “Gypsy Biker” and concluded his 31-song set with “Born to Be Wild,” the first time he’d played it on this tour.

The Springsteen canon is deep and wide, so anything’s possible for a Super Bowl set, but it’s hard to imagine him not including such gridiron-ready numbers as “Tougher Than the Rest,” “Glory Days” and the slam-dunk choice, “Born to Run.” Or forget the action on the field: in mind of Jackson's faux pas, the show's producers undoubtedly will insist he play "Cover Me."

— Randy Lewis

Photo: Springsteen at the Giants Stadium in July. Credit: Bill Kostroun / Associated Press

Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” album holds down a second week atop the national sales chart, which may be music to the ears of the speed metal band and its record label, but not to a growing number of fans who are squawking about what they're hearing.

The album, which sold an additional 370,000 copies last week after moving 490,000 during its first three days in stores, is the subject of an online petition decrying the sound quality and demanding that it be remixed or remastered and re-released with improved audio. That petition contained more than 10,000 signatures as of this afternoon...

When “American Idol” winner* runner-up Clay Aiken decided to come out of the closet this week, announcing his homosexuality in the latest issue of People magazine, celebrity watchers and etymologists alike sat up and took notice -– but for vastly different reasons.

Dogged by rumors since entering the public consciousness in 2003, Aiken confirmed widely held suspicions regarding his sexual orientation in an interview with the magazine. Its cover features a photo of the fleet-voiced, elf-like singer hugging his newborn son accompanied by the headline: “Yes, I’m gay.”

Crystallizing the general reaction from the celebrity press, a blog post yesterday from the self-declared “Queen of all media” Perez Hilton blares “Finally!!!!!”

But for word lovers, close readers and celebrity obsessives, the “Yes, I’m gay” headline exists as a subtle tweak on the way mainstream media has historically handled celebrity self-outing.

In 1997, comedian Ellen DeGeneres similarly came out by appearing on the cover of Time magazine. Her headline: “Yep, I’m gay.” The magazine was presumably quoting DeGeneres, then a sitcom star. Nonetheless, such a subtle gradation of language sounds downright folksy contrasted against Aiken’s highly starched “Yes, I’m gay.” (That year “Yep, I’m gay” began to appear on keychains and was memorialized in a song by Jade Esteban Estrada.)

The headline accompanying sitcom star Neil Patrick Harris’ self-outing article in People in 2006 was comparatively verbose: “I am a very content gay man.”

But for former N’Sync member Lance Bass, who revealed his sexual orientation on the cover of People in 2006, less is apparently more. Unlike Aiken, Harris and DeGeneres, his headline dispensed with any sort of qualifiers or subtle, conversational cues and cut directly to the chase, flatly declaring: “I’m gay.”

-- Chris Lee

Photo credit: Associated Press

*CORRECTION: Aiken was the runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003.

Metallica and Run-DMC top the list of nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others on the short list for induction include Jeff Beck, the Stooges, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Chic, Bobby Womack and War.

The Rock Hall is dealing with the relative dearth of worthy acts newly eligible for membership by leaning heavily on those previously passed over for membership. Metallica and Run-D.M.C. are the only ’80s-vintage nominees being drafted to the institution that requires 25 years to have passed since performers released their first recordings.

All the others have been eligible for years, some since the hall began inducting performers in 1986. Five of the nine nominees, with the announcement of finalists expected in December, will be inducted during a ceremony to be held April 4 in Cleveland, rather than the traditional New York site. For the first time, tickets to the induction event will be available to the public.

--Randy Lewis

Old-school Run-DMC photo courtesy of Arista

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Metallica album sparks more sales, some fan complaints

Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” album holds down a second week atop the national sales chart, which may be music to the ears of the speed metal band and its record label, but not to a growing number of fans who are squawking about what they're hearing.

The album, which sold an additional 370,000 copies last week after moving 490,000 during its first three days in stores, is the subject of an online petition decrying the sound quality and demanding that it be remixed or remastered and re-released with improved audio. That petition contained more than 10,000 signatures as of this afternoon...

When “American Idol” winner* runner-up Clay Aiken decided to come out of the closet this week, announcing his homosexuality in the latest issue of People magazine, celebrity watchers and etymologists alike sat up and took notice -– but for vastly different reasons.

Dogged by rumors since entering the public consciousness in 2003, Aiken confirmed widely held suspicions regarding his sexual orientation in an interview with the magazine. Its cover features a photo of the fleet-voiced, elf-like singer hugging his newborn son accompanied by the headline: “Yes, I’m gay.”

Crystallizing the general reaction from the celebrity press, a blog post yesterday from the self-declared “Queen of all media” Perez Hilton blares “Finally!!!!!”

But for word lovers, close readers and celebrity obsessives, the “Yes, I’m gay” headline exists as a subtle tweak on the way mainstream media has historically handled celebrity self-outing.

In 1997, comedian Ellen DeGeneres similarly came out by appearing on the cover of Time magazine. Her headline: “Yep, I’m gay.” The magazine was presumably quoting DeGeneres, then a sitcom star. Nonetheless, such a subtle gradation of language sounds downright folksy contrasted against Aiken’s highly starched “Yes, I’m gay.” (That year “Yep, I’m gay” began to appear on keychains and was memorialized in a song by Jade Esteban Estrada.)

The headline accompanying sitcom star Neil Patrick Harris’ self-outing article in People in 2006 was comparatively verbose: “I am a very content gay man.”

But for former N’Sync member Lance Bass, who revealed his sexual orientation on the cover of People in 2006, less is apparently more. Unlike Aiken, Harris and DeGeneres, his headline dispensed with any sort of qualifiers or subtle, conversational cues and cut directly to the chase, flatly declaring: “I’m gay.”

-- Chris Lee

Photo credit: Associated Press

*CORRECTION: Aiken was the runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003.

Metallica and Run-DMC top the list of nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others on the short list for induction include Jeff Beck, the Stooges, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Chic, Bobby Womack and War.

The Rock Hall is dealing with the relative dearth of worthy acts newly eligible for membership by leaning heavily on those previously passed over for membership. Metallica and Run-D.M.C. are the only ’80s-vintage nominees being drafted to the institution that requires 25 years to have passed since performers released their first recordings.

All the others have been eligible for years, some since the hall began inducting performers in 1986. Five of the nine nominees, with the announcement of finalists expected in December, will be inducted during a ceremony to be held April 4 in Cleveland, rather than the traditional New York site. For the first time, tickets to the induction event will be available to the public.

--Randy Lewis

Old-school Run-DMC photo courtesy of Arista

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Clay Aiken said 'yes' instead of 'yep': Gay pride in celeb-speak

When “American Idol” winner* runner-up Clay Aiken decided to come out of the closet this week, announcing his homosexuality in the latest issue of People magazine, celebrity watchers and etymologists alike sat up and took notice -– but for vastly different reasons.

Dogged by rumors since entering the public consciousness in 2003, Aiken confirmed widely held suspicions regarding his sexual orientation in an interview with the magazine. Its cover features a photo of the fleet-voiced, elf-like singer hugging his newborn son accompanied by the headline: “Yes, I’m gay.”

Crystallizing the general reaction from the celebrity press, a blog post yesterday from the self-declared “Queen of all media” Perez Hilton blares “Finally!!!!!”

But for word lovers, close readers and celebrity obsessives, the “Yes, I’m gay” headline exists as a subtle tweak on the way mainstream media has historically handled celebrity self-outing.

In 1997, comedian Ellen DeGeneres similarly came out by appearing on the cover of Time magazine. Her headline: “Yep, I’m gay.” The magazine was presumably quoting DeGeneres, then a sitcom star. Nonetheless, such a subtle gradation of language sounds downright folksy contrasted against Aiken’s highly starched “Yes, I’m gay.” (That year “Yep, I’m gay” began to appear on keychains and was memorialized in a song by Jade Esteban Estrada.)

The headline accompanying sitcom star Neil Patrick Harris’ self-outing article in People in 2006 was comparatively verbose: “I am a very content gay man.”

But for former N’Sync member Lance Bass, who revealed his sexual orientation on the cover of People in 2006, less is apparently more. Unlike Aiken, Harris and DeGeneres, his headline dispensed with any sort of qualifiers or subtle, conversational cues and cut directly to the chase, flatly declaring: “I’m gay.”

-- Chris Lee

Photo credit: Associated Press

*CORRECTION: Aiken was the runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003.

Metallica and Run-DMC top the list of nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others on the short list for induction include Jeff Beck, the Stooges, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Chic, Bobby Womack and War.

The Rock Hall is dealing with the relative dearth of worthy acts newly eligible for membership by leaning heavily on those previously passed over for membership. Metallica and Run-D.M.C. are the only ’80s-vintage nominees being drafted to the institution that requires 25 years to have passed since performers released their first recordings.

All the others have been eligible for years, some since the hall began inducting performers in 1986. Five of the nine nominees, with the announcement of finalists expected in December, will be inducted during a ceremony to be held April 4 in Cleveland, rather than the traditional New York site. For the first time, tickets to the induction event will be available to the public.

--Randy Lewis

Old-school Run-DMC photo courtesy of Arista

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Metallica, Run-DMC vying for Rock Hall of Fame

Metallica and Run-DMC top the list of nominees for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The others on the short list for induction include Jeff Beck, the Stooges, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Wanda Jackson, Chic, Bobby Womack and War.

The Rock Hall is dealing with the relative dearth of worthy acts newly eligible for membership by leaning heavily on those previously passed over for membership. Metallica and Run-D.M.C. are the only ’80s-vintage nominees being drafted to the institution that requires 25 years to have passed since performers released their first recordings.

All the others have been eligible for years, some since the hall began inducting performers in 1986. Five of the nine nominees, with the announcement of finalists expected in December, will be inducted during a ceremony to be held April 4 in Cleveland, rather than the traditional New York site. For the first time, tickets to the induction event will be available to the public.

--Randy Lewis

Old-school Run-DMC photo courtesy of Arista

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Natalie Cole hospitalized with Hepatitis C, postpones concert tour

Singer Natalie Cole, who’s been battling Hepatitis C since being diagnosed in July with the liver disease, is in the hospital.

“The combination of the treatment she’s been undergoing and the heavy promotional schedule for her new album took its toll,” Cole's publicist Maureen O’Connor said. “Her doctors decided they needed to put her in the hospital. They expect her to be there for a few days, then she’ll be on a month of bed rest.” She said this setback in Cole's treatment is not considered life-threatening.

Cole was admitted on Sept. 12 in New York City. She called off several in-store appearances, including one scheduled Thursday at a Borders store in Los Angeles, along with a concert tour that was to start Oct. 3 in support of the "Still Unforgettable" album, which was released last week. "All promotions have been put on hold until further notice," according to a statement.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Alison Krauss, Robert Plant win again

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's critically acclaimed collaboration, "Raising Sand," took top honors at the annual Americana Music Assn. awards Thursday in Nashville. The collection was named album of the year, and Krauss and Plant also were chosen as duo of the year. Drummer and singer Levon Helm was recognized as artist of the year.

Other awards went to Buddy Miller (instrumentalist of the year), Mike Farris (new artist) and Hayes Carll (song of the year, "She Left Me for Jesus," written with Brian Keane).

The group gave lifetime achievement awards to John Hiatt (songwriting), Jason & the Scorchers (performance), Tony Brown (producer/executive), Larry Brown (instrumentalist) and Terry Lickona (executive), as well as its Spirit of Americana free speech in music award to Joan Baez. The President's Award was bestowed posthumously on Jerry Garcia.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Krauss and Plant performing at the Greek Theatre in June by Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Metallica rockets to No. 1 with 'Death Magnetic'

As expected, Metallica steamrolled its way to the top of the national sales chart with the new “Death Magnetic” album, which sold 490,000 copies during just three days in release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The album arrived Friday, rather than on the industry-standard Tuesday release, to coordinate with its worldwide release in a variety of ways. In addition to the conventional retail and downloads, the album is being offered by Ticketmaster as part of a concert ticket/album package, and it is available for Xbox and Playstation video game systems that make it compatible with “Guitar Hero 3.”

It’s the hard-rock group’s fifth album to enter the chart at No. 1, giving it the distinction of being the first act to pull off that feat five times. Metallica had been tied with the Beatles, U2 and the Dave Matthews Band at four each.

Before SoundScan started tracking actual retail sales in 1991, however, No. 1 debuts were less common. Record companies often skewed their reported sales to create the appearance of high-profile albums gaining popularity steadily after release instead of selling massively initially and then tailing off, as has been the rule in the SoundScan era.

Jessica Simpson’s new country album “Do You Know” entered at No. 4, and at No. 1 on the country album listing, with first-week sales of 65,000. That’s a notch higher on the chart than her 2006 pop album “A Public Affair” peaked at, but significantly less than the 101,000 copies that album sold when it debuted at No. 5.

The only other new addition to the Top 10 is LL Cool J’s “Exit 13,” which starts out at No. 9 with sales of 44,000 copies.

--Randy Lewis

Photo of Metallica's James Hetfield playing in Berlin earlier this month by Britta Pedersen / European Pressphoto Agency

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Black Crowes cancel in L.A., 4 other cities

The Black Crowes will cancel five concerts slated for the next week, including the group's show Wednesday at the Greek Theatre in L.A., because of "a band member's unexpected illness," according to a statement posted today on the band's website. The ill band member wasn't named.

The other affected dates include tonight's appearance in Mesa, Ariz., and stops Friday in Santa Barbara, Saturday in San Diego and Sunday in Santa Rosa.

"Despite our best efforts, it is not possible to reschedule the canceled shows at this time," the statement says. "We are working diligently to reschedule these markets in early 2009....We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may cause our fans."

The group also called off shows last weekend in Las Vegas and Santa Cruz, citing the same reason.

All other dates on the group's 2008 will go on as scheduled. Anyone holding tickets for any of the canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase.

-- Randy Lewis

photo by Geraldine Wilkins-Kasinga/Los Angeles Times

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

New Metallica album headed toward No. 1

“Death Magnetic,” the first new Metallica album in five years, is on track to top the national sales chart when final figures are announced Wednesday, according to Billboard.

More impressively, it’s heading toward first week sales of 450,000 to 500,000 copies, even though it arrived in stores Friday rather than the traditional Tuesday new-release day, giving just three days to amass that total. That total encompasses innovative methods of selling the album, including as an optional Ticketmaster download for those buying Metallica concert tickets, and to videogame fans who have purchased it to play with "Guitar Hero 3" on their Xbox and PlayStation systems, according to Billboard's charts director, Geoff Mayfield.

That first-week figure would put it ahead of “St. Anger,” the 2003 Metallica album that tallied 419,000 sales during its first week. That album, Billboard noted, also was rushed out early, on a Friday, because of Internet leaks, and similarly logged its first-week total during just three days.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo of Lars Ulrich performing in Berlin this month by Britta Pedersen/EPA

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

New Britney Spears album 'Circus' due Dec. 2

As Britney Spears continues trying to reassemble the shards of her personal and professional lives, the troubled pop star will put out her next album just before Christmas, her record company announced today.

The album, “Circus,” is slated for release Dec. 2 -- that's the day she turns 27, and a little more than a year after her album “Blackout” came out. That album has sold 894,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, a far cry from her previous multimillion sellers. A new single, “Womanizer,” is due to hit the radio next Monday.

She’s coming off positive response to her return to the public spotlight at the recent MTV Video Music Awards in L.A., where she collected three trophies for her “Piece of Me” video and delivered a dramatic turnaround from the widely criticized performance at the event a year earlier. She also ended her child custody dispute with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, with him receiving custody while she gets visitation rights.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images