Seinfeld Is Coming!

Columbia TriStar will release Seinfeld: Volume 1 and Seinfeld: Volume 2 on November 23, just in time for "Festivus" (as George might say).

Each volume will feature some 12 hours of content, including interviews with the cast and creators (Inside Looks), outtakes and bloopers (Not That There's Anything Wrong With That), audio commentaries with the cast members (Yada Yada Yada), deleted scenes (In the Vault), original NBC promotional ads and trailers (Sponsored by Vandelay Industries), behind-the-scenes "scoop" and production notes (Notes About Nothing), and never-before-seen stand-up comedy footage of co-creator and star Jerry Seinfeld (Master of His Domain).

Volume 1 will also include the hour-long How It Began documentary along with original Tonight Show footage, while Volume 2 will include the Kramer vs. Kramer: Kenny to Cosmo featurette (on the real Kramer).

The two volumes together include 40 episodes (Volume 1 will include all 18 episodes of the first and second seasons, while Volume 2 will include all 22 episodes from the third season). There will also be a Seinfeld: Deluxe Holiday Gift Set of both volumes, which will also include a limited edition script from co-creator Larry David, Monk's Diner salt-and-pepper shakers and a deck of playing cards.

Additional seasons are already in production for release on DVD in 2005

Funk pioneer Rick James dies

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Funk legend Rick James, best known for the 1981 hit "Super Freak," died Friday, apparently of natural causes, police said.

James died at 9:45 a.m. at a residence near Universal City, said Police Department spokeswoman Esther Reyes.

"We learned of his death after responding to a radio call," Reyes said.

After his big hit, James' fame began to fade as he became embroiled in drugs, legal problems and health issues.

James was convicted in 1993 of assaulting two women. The first attack occurred in 1991 when he restrained and burned a young woman with a hot pipe during a cocaine binge at his house in West Hollywood. He was free on bail when the second assault occurred in 1992 in James' hotel room.

James was sentenced to more than two years in state prison.

In 1997, he released a new album, but a year later he suffered a stroke while performing at Denver's Mammoth Events Center, derailing a comeback tour.

In 1998 he also underwent hip replacement surgery.

With his trademark Jheri curl, James was one of the biggest R&B stars of the 1980s, using danceable rhythms and passionate ballads to gain a wide following. Aside from "Super Freak" -- which MC Hammer used a decade later as the backing track for his monster hit "U Can't Touch This" -- James' hits included "Mary Jane," "Ebony Eyes" and "Fire and Desire," a stirring duet with Teena Marie.

R.E.M. Hitting Theaters, Arenas This Fall

R.E.M.'s fall North American tour will find the veteran rock act playing some of the most intimate venues it has visited in years. The 29-date trek kicks off Oct. 13 at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre and will wrap Nov. 27 in Denver. As previously reported, R.E.M. will warm up for the dates on the Vote for Change tour, playing five shows with Bruce Springsteen, John Fogerty and Bright Eyes beginning Oct. 1 in Philadelphia.

Although the trek will feature such arenas as New York's Madison Square Garden (Nov. 4) and Boston's FleetCenter (Oct. 29), it will also find R.E.M. performing in such intimate confines as Akron, Ohio's E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall (Oct. 27, capacity 2,925) and an Oct. 25-26 stand at the Chicago Theatre (capacity 3,604).

Tickets for some shows will go on-sale Aug. 21. Members of R.E.M.'s fan club will be offered special ticket opportunities.

The tour comes in support of the group's new Warner Bros. album, "Around the Sun," due Oct. 5 in North America via Warner Bros. First single "Leaving New York" arrives commercially Sept. 27 outside North America.

Here are R.E.M.'s tour dates:

Oct. 1: Philadelphia (Wachovia Center, Vote for Change tour)
Oct. 2: Cleveland (Gund Arena, Vote for Change tour)
Oct. 3: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Crisler Arena, Vote for Change tour)
Oct. 5: St. Paul, Minn. (Xcel Energy Center, Vote for Change tour)
Oct. 8: Orlando, Fla. (TD Waterhouse Centre, Vote for Change tour)
Oct. 13: Los Angeles (Greek Theatre)
Oct. 14: Santa Barbara, Calif. (Santa Barbara Bowl
Oct. 15: San Francisco (Greek Amphitheatre)
Oct. 16: Irvine, Calif. (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre)
Oct. 19: St. Louis (Fox Theatre)
Oct. 20: Indianapolis (Murat Theatre)
Oct. 22: Nashville (Ryman Auditorium)
Oct. 23: Atlanta (Gwinnett Arena)
Oct. 25-26: Chicago (Chicago Theatre)
Oct. 27: Akron, Ohio (E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall)
Oct. 29: Boston (FleetCenter)
Oct. 30: Atlantic City, N.J. (Borgata)
Nov. 1: Washington, D.C. (DAR Constitution Hall)
Nov. 4: New York (Madison Square Garden)
Nov. 5: Uncasville, Conn. (Mohegan Sun)
Nov. 7: Pittsburgh (Palumbo Center)
Nov. 9-10: Toronto (Hummingbird Center)
Nov. 11: Ottawa, Ontario (Civic Centre)
Nov. 12: Montreal (Bell Centre)
Nov. 14: Thunder Bay, Ontario (Fort Williams Gardens)
Nov. 15: Winnipeg, Manitoba (Centennial Concert Hall)
Nov. 17: Calgary, Alberta (Saddledome)
Nov. 19-20: Seattle (McCaw Hall)
Nov. 21: Vancouver (Orpheum Theatre)
Nov. 26: Salt Lake City (E Center)
Nov. 27: Denver (Fillmore)

They Are Back!

Sci Fi Wire is reporting that despite announcing previously that the Daleks would not be included in the new DR WHO series, an agreement has been reached after all that will bring Christopher Eccleston's WHO up against the robotic menaces.

Jolly Green Giant

The studios are about to unleash the torrent of big fall announcements, loaded with the usual lineup of summer blockbusters, and the first big salvo has just been fired. While full specs have not yet been announced, DreamWorks Home Entertainment will unleash the year's biggest box office hit so far this year, Shrek 2, on November 5th.

Expect many permutations: separate anamorphic widescreen and full screen two-disc sets loaded with extras, plus a Shrek: The Story So Far box set (featuring both films, Shrek 3-D and an additional bonus disc of goodies). Watch for the full details to emerge in the days ahead.

Sony, BMG Combine Their Music Businesses

LOS ANGELES - Sony Music Entertainment and BMG, the music unit of the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG, said Thursday they have formally combined their music businesses.

The new company, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, will rival Vivendi's Universal Music Group for market share.

Sony BMG, which will be headquartered in New York, instantly becomes home to a stable of hit-makers, including Britney Spears, OutKast, Aerosmith and Travis Tritt. The company also now controls a catalog of works by music veterans like Elvis Presley, Miles Davis, Johnny Cash and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann each own half of the new combined company. The deal did not include the parent companies' music publishing, manufacturing or physical distribution businesses. Sony Corp.'s recorded music business in Japan, SMEJ, was also not part of the new joint venture.

The Federal Trade Commission approved the merger last week.

Andrew Lack, Sony Music's former chairman and chief executive, was named chief executive of the new company. Michael Smellie, the former chief operating officer of BMG, and Kevin Kelleher, Sony Music's former executive vice president and chief financial officer, were also retaining their positions.

A Sony BMG spokeswoman said executives were not available for interviews late Thursday.

As it integrates operations, Sony BMG Music Entertainment might cut as many as 2,000 jobs, according to published reports. The cuts would save about $350 million.

Springsteen to Back Fogerty on Tour

NEW YORK/NASHVILLE (Billboard) - In what promises to fulfill a classic rock fan's dream, Bruce Springsteen says he and the E Street Band will play with John Fogerty on the upcoming Vote for Change tour.

"We're gonna back John," Springsteen told Jay Lustig in Thursday's edition of New Jersey's Star-Ledger newspaper. "John's coming, he doesn't have a band right now, so we're gonna do our best for him."

Asked if he would be on stage for that part of the show, Springsteen said, "Are you kidding me? I'm going to be playing those John Fogerty songs. You better believe it."

The five shows they'll play together will kick off Oct. 1 in Philadelphia and also feature R.E.M. and indie rock act Bright Eyes on the bill.

Unabashed fans, Springsteen and the E Street Band have frequently covered Fogerty's Creedence Clearwater Revival-era songs in concert, including tapping "Who'll Stop the Rain" during bad weather at outdoor stadium shows. Springsteen also spoke at Creedence's 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and jammed with Fogerty at the Los Angeles event.

In the midst of a handful of solo dates that wrap Sunday in Houston, Fogerty is readying the release of a new album, "Deja Vu (All Over Again)," due Sept. 21 via Geffen. The title track is a sharp critique of the war in Iraq, with such lyrics as "Day by day we count the dead and dying / Ship the bodies home while the networks all keep score."

The album includes guest appearances by Tom Petty keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer Kenny Aronoff, dobro master Jerry Douglas, and Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler.

As for the Vote for Change tour, it will feature various groupings of artists playing concerts in electoral swing states across a few days in early October in an effort to oust George Bush from the presidency. The entire tour is being presented by MoveOn.Org's political action committee MoveOn PAC and America Coming Together (ACT), an organization advocating change in government.

Springsteen told the Star-Ledger that the idea for the tour came out of conversations with his manager, Jon Landau about "wanting to do something this election season." Landau convened with the managers of other participating acts, such as Pearl Jam and the Dixie Chicks, and the tour was born.

"These artist citizens all feel the need to speak out," Landau told Billboard. "They will do that respectfully and intelligently, then let the chips fall where they may."

The tour is sophisticated in its targeted approach, instead of grandstanding in major media markets. While Philadelphia, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Orlando, Fla., are on the route, so are Ames, Iowa; Kalamazoo, Mich.; Toledo, Ohio; and Asheville, N.C.

"We don't have a show in New York or Los Angeles, because (those cities) don't need this," Landau added. "These artists are not out there to play for their buddies. The last time Bruce played Ann Arbor (Mich.) was 1980. We want to make sure people there know."

"The goal is very clear," Springsteen said in the Star-Ledger. "We want to change administrations in November... It's a combination of voter mobilization and some education. It's going to be a lot of fun and entertaining for people -- and inspirational, hopefully."

Brian Wilson to 'Smile' on American Audiences

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Former Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson will bring his long-awaited "Smile" live performances to the North America this fall, after debuting the "lost masterpiece" in concert in the United Kingdom and Europe earlier this year.

The tour will kick off Sept. 30 at the Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis, with 21 dates announced so far.

Shows are scheduled through Nov. 2 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and include a two-night stand at New York's famed Carnegie Hall.

A re-recorded version of the album will be released Sept. 28 on Nonesuch Records. "Smile" was intended as the follow-up to the Beach Boys' classic 1966 album "Pet Sounds," but the sessions were cut short and the project abandoned. It has since grown in cult status as one of rock's most notorious "lost" albums.

In concert, Wilson performs the reconstituted album in its entirety with his 10-piece band and a strings-and-brass ensemble. He'll also perform a separate set of Beach Boys and solo tunes, including material from his most recent solo album "Gettin' in Over My Head" (Rhino).

Wilson is also scheduled to appear Aug. 19 on CNN's "Larry King Live."