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Even Kelly Clarkson — whose last disc sold over 5 million copies — can't avoid that dreaded industry pitfall: the delayed album release. Clarkson's My December was delivered in January, but due in part to label concerns about the lack of a surefire hit, it's now hitting stores on June 26. With that wait over, we got to wondering about the status of other MIA projects.

Courtney Love Nobody's Daughter
Months ago, Love reportedly hoped for a March 1 release for her collaboration with Linda Perry and the Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan. UPDATE Daughter is still dateless, though Love is aiming to debut new songs at live shows in New York, L.A., and Europe this summer.

JC Chasez Kate
The 'N Syncer's 2004 solo CD said bye bye bye to the pop charts fairly quickly. But with help from Timbaland and ex-Syncer Justin Timberlake, his follow-up was meant to revive his pop status this summer. UPDATE ''Jive is hoping that [the single ''You Ruined Me,'' released May 28] will blow up,'' says a source close to Chasez. ''They don't feel like they need to put Kate out before then.'' Chasez adds that his ''eclectic'' style makes his album hard to package: ''In today's day and age, everything has to be marketed specifically. That's tough when you're dealing with an artist like me.''

Lee Ann Womack Title TBD
A surprise album of the year win at the 2005 CMAs gave the country star plenty of juice. She began working on her follow-up immediately, but it has yet to arrive. UPDATE ''Lee Ann wasn't happy with the album,'' says a source at her label. ''But we support her heading back in [the studio].... We'll wait for it.'' Sorry, fans — no word on how long that wait will be.

Rooney Calling the World
The pop-rockers' 2003 debut sold over 400K with help from a big push on The O.C. Where's their sophomore disc? UPDATE The band recorded ''enough songs to fill up two albums,'' says a label executive, but they weren't satisfied. So Rooney wrote a new CD in about three weeks. World will be out July 17, while the band tours with Fergie. Don't you love a happy ending? — Additonal reporting by Simon Vozick-Levinson


Posted Jun 01, 2007 | Published in issue #938 Jun 08, 2007 | Order Article Reprints