Tears For Fears' Curt Smith has launched a new live music show called Stripped Down Live With Curt Smith. Each episode will have Smith talking with a band, relaying questions from the chat room and have the band playing their material live from Los Angeles' Streamin' Garage. Visit their site for more info.

The Newsboys' Born Again debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Sting's Symphonicities debuted at #6. HellYeah's Stampede debuted at #8. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers' Mojo climbed a spot to #19. Carole King & James Taylor's Live At The Troubadour fell 5 places to #21. Sarah McLachlan's Laws Of Illusion dropped 10 spots to #23. Ozzy Osbourne's Scream fell 8 places to #26. Glee Cast's Glee The Music: Vol. 3: Showstoppers dropped 8 spots to #34.

Kylie Minogue's Aphrodite fell a place to #2 on the U.K. Albums chart. Tired Pony's The Place We Ran From debuted at #17. Glee Cast's Glee The Music: Season One Vol. 1 climbed 7 spots to #26. Gorillaz' Plastic Beach fell 8 places to #29. AC/DC's Iron Man 2 soundtrack dropped 10 spots to #33. Michael Jackson's Number Ones fell 4 places to #34. Glee Cast's Glee The Music: Vol. 3: Showstoppers dropped 13 spots to #38.

Kylie Minogue's "All The Lovers" dropped 3 spots to #12 on the U.K. Singles chart.

Elton John has announced plans to team up with writer Lee Hall to work on a new stage show based on George Orwell's classic Animal Farm. Hall and John are still working on acquiring the rights to a stage musical based on the book. A show would be at least a few years away but the two previously work on Billy Elliot together.

Casting issues and money problems seem to be a thing of the past as rehearsals for the Broadway musical, Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, are expected to begin on Aug. 18th. The $50 million musical features songs by Bono and the Edge of U2.

Producer and This Mortal Coil member John Fryer has started a new project called DarkDriveClinic. Check out a few demos from the band at their new site.

Daddy Cool and Mondo Rock's Ross Wilson released his new album, I Come In Peace, via Shock Records in Australia this week.

Ice T has taken to Twitter over his arrest by a New York policeman for driving without a seatbelt on a suspended license. "Some punk bitch rookie cop named Fisher #10026 made the arrest of his bulls*$t career today. Arresting the Notorious Ice T for no seatbelt." He further stated, "He said, 'I know who you are and I don't give a f**k!' That was right after I called him a punk bitch." The rapper continues to play a detective on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

The Cure's Robert Smith ("Small Hours") and The Blind Boys Of Alabama ("Glorious Fool") are among the artists contributing covers for an upcoming John Martyn tribute album.

Goldfrapp's upcoming single, "Believer," has been remixed by Erasure's Vince Clarke prior to its September release.

A 30th anniversary edition of UB40's seminal 1980 debut album, Signing Off, will be released this year in a special, remastered double-CD together with a bonus DVD via EMI.

Reba McEntire has announced that her new studio album will be released on Nov. 9th via The Valory Music Co. The first single, "Turn On The Radio," from the set is now heading to radio stations and will be available at iTunes on Aug. 3rd. The single was produced by Dann Huff (mega-producer and former Giant vocalist.)

John Waite has been working with Matchbox Twenty guitarist/songwriter Kyle Cook on material for Waite's new solo album due out in February. Meanwhile, Alison Krauss (who had a hit with "Missing You" in 2007 as a duet with Waite) is recording a cover of his "Masterpiece Of Loneliness."

Grammy Award-winning vocalist Al Jarreau, 70, was forced to cancel 4 concerts and admitted to a French hospital on Friday after suffering breathing problems. He is now in stable condition, breathing without assistance and in good spirits. Doctors believe that his body didn't adjust normally to the mountain altitude of the Alps and that fatigue may have also played a role in his condition.

Robert Greenfield's 1996 book, Dark Star: An Oral Biography Of Jerry Garcia, is being used as the basis for a film about the Grateful Dead frontman.

Michael Franti & Spearhead's title track to their next album, The Sound Of Sunshine, has taken the #1 spot on the AAA (adult album alternative) chart. The album comes out on Sept. 21st.

David Byrne has contributed 9 songs to Oliver Stone's Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps film and soundtrack. Several of the songs originally surfaced on the 2008 Byrne/Eno release Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. The soundtrack will be released via Todomundo Records on Sept. 21st.

Ted Nugent, Sebastian Bach and George Jones are among the artists making cameos in the video for John Rich's new single, "Country Done Come To Town." The song comes from his new Rich Rocks EP.

About 40 songs have been written by the new band The Damned Things for their as-yet-untitled debut album. The band includes guitarist Scott Ian of Anthrax.

Singer Stephen Pearcy has made a full recovery from his emergency surgery which side-lined Ratt's European concert dates behind their new album, Infestation. The band has now resumed their shows in North America.

Pakistani pop singer Atif Aslam has told the Hindustan Times that he plans to work on a fusion project soon with former Guns N' Roses guitarists Slash and Gilby Clarke.

Gigatone Entertainment has signed Todd Rundgren to a recording contract for his upcoming 15-track album. Rundgren released a new EP, Todd Rundgren's Short Johnson, in March.

Zodiac Mindwarp & The Love Reaction will release their new album, Rocktober, via SPV/Steamhammer on Oct. 12th.

Dream Theater's James Labrie will release his new solo album, Static Impulse, via InsideOut Music on Sept. 28th.

A new biography focusing on Bon Jovi's early years (1983-1989) by former tour manager Richard Bozzett entitled Sex, Drugs And Bon Jovi is due out July 26th.

According to the Los Angeles Times, police pulled over Bret Michaels tour bus near Ashley, Indiana on Wednesday night after spotting a broken brake light. Officers found marijuana and unidentified controlled substances during a search of the vehicle. Michaels' publicist stated, "No arrests were made. Mr. Michaels allowed an open search of the buses and everything was handled in a professional manner."

TMZ reports that former Warrant vocalist Jani Lane was sentenced to serve 120 days in jail after pleading no contest to a DUI charge back in May. Lane will surrender to officials on July 27th, lose his license for 3 years and have to complete a 30-month alcohol-education program.

The Goo Goo Dolls will release their new 12-track studio album, Something For The Rest Of Us, on Aug. 31st. Limited edition pre-orders of the album as GooGooDolls.com will include a bunch of goodies (photos, lyrics, autographed lithograph) and 3 previously-unreleased covers (Pete Townshend's "Rough Boys," Flesh For Lulu's "Postcards From Paradise" and The Kinks' "Catch Me Now I'm Falling.") Until then, the band have released a tour only EP, Waiting For The Rest Of It, which is available at all tour stops and was released to all digital service providers on July 20th.

The collaborative album by former Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske and singer Amanda Somerville under the name Kiske-Somerville will surface on Oct. 12th in the U.S. (and Sept. 24th in Europe.) The single, "Silence," will be released digitally on Aug. 20th.

Blues guitarist Phillip Walker, 73, died on Thursday from apparent heart failure. Walker released 4 albums during the 80s and his last album was 2007's Going Back Home.

Upcoming releases next week include: Tom Jones - Praise & Blame, Alexander O'Neal - Five Questions: The New Journey, Lillian Axe - Deep Red Shadows, Billy Squier - Don't Say No, Merle Haggard - Amber Waves Of Grain/Kern River, Dave Mason - Mariposa de Oro/Old Crest On A New Wave, Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble - Couldn't Stand The Weather, Robert Cray Band - Cookin' In Mobile, George Thorogood & The Destroyers - Live In Boston 1982, Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band - Live At The Greek Theatre 2008 and Roy Orbison - The Final Concert