Briefly: Smashing Pumpkins, Jimmy Buffett, Ben Folds, Timbaland

May 16, 2007 03:16 PM
The Smashing Pumpkins have unveiled the artwork for the cover of their comeback album, this summer's "Zeitgeist."

The cover--which is viewable at the band's website--depicts the Statue of Liberty surrounded by water that has risen to about knee level. The band tapped acclaimed graphic designer/illustrator Shepard Fairey to create the piece.

"Like a great artist can do, Shepard had summed up very simply a lot of complex themes," Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan said in a statement. "... I think global warming is an issue that is currently relevant, time sensitive, and a symptom of the shortsightedness of the US. As a broader metaphor, the drowning Statue of Liberty, a revered icon of the US, symbolizes the eminent demise of many of the ideals upon which the nation was founded. Civil liberties, freedom of speech, privacy, etc. have been decreasing since 9/11. The sun in the image could either be setting or rising and this ambiguity shows that there is still hope to turn things around."

"Zeitgeist" hits stores July 10. As previously reported, the group will back the set with a series of summer concerts.

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Legendary beach-bum Jimmy Buffett has teamed with Harrah's Entertainment to launch a Margaritaville Casino & Resort on the shores of Biloxi, MS, according to a joint press release both parties issued today (5/16).

"I have always considered myself a 'Gulf Coast kid,'" Buffett said in a statement. "I was born there, grew up there and jumped on a stage for the first time there, before hitting the road. I have seen the world, traveled to distant shores, written a few songs and lived a few tall tales along the way, and now it is good to be coming back home."

The project is expected to cost more than $700 million, and represents the single largest investment in Mississippi since Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, according to Harrah's.

"I have seen the best and the worst of times along Mississippi Sound, and as a survivor of storms myself, I feel an enormous sense of gratitude and good fortune to be part of the re-birth of the region by joining forces with Harrah's to bring the Margaritaville Casino & Resort 'Down around Biloxi,'" Buffett added.

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Ben Folds will head up a 2008 entertainment cruise dubbed the Ben Folds Experience, which will depart Feb. 21 from the Port of Miami, make a stop in Jamaica, and return Feb. 25 to Miami, according to a press release. In addition to Folds, the excursion will also feature some yet-to-be-named artists and comedians.

"I wanted to get a lot of talented musical artists together with possibly a few comedians and have some kind of magical experience," Folds said in a statement. "The idea of painting a large bus psychedelic purple, not taking baths for a week and driving around the country jamming out on one chord about the war got shot down quickly."

Tickets for the cruise go on sale June 13; additional information is available at the event's website.

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The music video for Timbaland 's "Throw It On Me" will debut on the May 21 episode of WWE's "Monday Night RAW" on the USA Network, according to a press release. The clip features the WWE Divas.

"The reason I asked the Divas to be in my video was because I didn't want the typical casting for this," Timbaland said in a press release. "I wanted women who mean something. The Divas have a fan base of their own. They're all stars. Each in their own way, they all mean something."

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