Thom Yorke is going solo.
Not to worry, Radiohead fans. The band isn’t breaking up. Yorke says his solo effort “was all done with [the band’s] blessing.”
Maybe it’s not a trend, but recently a lot of established bands’ singers are branching off to work on solo projects. Here’s the tale of the tape.
THOM YORKE
His band: Radiohead
His solo project: “The Eraser,” an electronic beat-heavy album set for a July 11 release.
The news: The album, duh. Yorke worked on it with frequent Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich.
PHARRELL WILLIAMS
His group: The Neptunes/N.E.R.D.
His solo project: “In My Mind,” a long-awaited disc tentatively set to come out July 25.
The news: One of the album’s biggest singles–besides the already popular “Can I Have It Like That”–will be “Number 1,” a collaboration with Kanye West.
GWEN STEFANI
Her band: No Doubt
Her solo project: Still basking in the glow of her smash-hit solo debut, “Love. Angel. Music. Baby.”
The news: She’s pregnant, and, according to People magazine, just had a second baby shower. The baby, with husband Gavin Rossdale, reportedly is due soon.
ROB THOMAS
His band: matchbox twenty
His solo project: “… Something To Be” came out a year ago and continues to enjoy success on the Billboard Adult Top 40 charts.
The news: Not much. Singer Jewel is opening for him on his “… Something To Be” tour.
JACK WHITE
His band: The White Stripes
His solo project: The Raconteurs–actually more of a side project. For more, turn to Page 22.
The news: The band’s debut album, “Broken Boy Soldiers,” drops Tuesday.
Party on
Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell (right) is finishing work on his supergroup Satellite Party’s first album, billboard.com reports. Along with guitarist Nuno Bettencourt (formerly of Extreme), the album will feature contributions from Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and guitarist John Frusciante and Black Eye Peas singer Fergie.
Man of plastic
Nothing can prepare a young actor for the moment he becomes immortalized … as a children’s toy.
“Superman Returns” star Brandon Routh has seen himself in plastic, and it sounds like he approves.
“I’ve seen the Superman Ken doll,” he tells mtv.com. “Some of the stuff looks like me, some of the stuff not quite as much. But, you know, it’s cool.”
So is wearing Superman’s signature costume, Routh says. “You really feel the elegance of it. And I felt strength as well. I never felt goofy or strange wearing tights.”
The hard part, it seems, was wearing Superman’s hair. “It took a long time to get the curl right,” he said with a laugh.
Ankle man
“The Office” star Steve Carell (right) sprained his ankle while shooting a scene for “Evan Almighty,” the sequel to 2003’s “Bruce Almighty,” Universal Pictures said Monday. Carell hurt his ankle Saturday while stepping out of a Hummer in downtown Richmond, Va., a spokeswoman told The Associated Press. Filming, which wasn’t delayed by Carell’s injury, was expected to continue Tuesday.
Bumpy flight
Police arrested DMX after the rap star refused to put on a seat belt and became abusive on a flight from New York to London, authorities said Monday. DMX received a caution and was released after his flight landed at Heathrow Airport on Saturday, police said. He will not be punished.
He will survive
We know one thing about the latest winner of “Survivor”: He’s flexible. Aras Baskauskas, a 24-year-old yoga instructor from Santa Monica, Calif., beat out Danielle DiLorenzo of Boston to win “Survivor: Panama, Exile Island” Sunday night and take home the $1 million champion’s payoff.
