A new Punk Rock supergroup of sorts has made one of the coolest pop cultural connections in recent memory, as Osaka Popstar becomes a collectable Wacky Packages trading card. Featuring Marky Ramone of The Ramones, Jerry Only of the Misfits, Dez Cadena of Black Flag, and Ivan Julian of Richard Hell's Voidoids, the band's debut CD is released next week by Rykodisc, fittingly entitled Osaka Popstar and the American Legends of Punk. As a part of Topps' new third series of Wacky Packages since the company reintroduced the bawdy line a few years ago, the Osaka Popstar card is one of the handful of rare bonus sticker cards distributed randomly in lucky packs, alongside new magnet cards and rainbow foil stickers. Daniel Johnston penned Osaka Popstar's first single, "Wicked World," and he also lends his vocals to a spirited version of the Bluegrass hit, "Man of Constant Sorrow." A bonus DVD rounds out the set, with two animated videos. ... Stashed away in a storage room behind his home studio and discovered only after his death, some of the hundreds of archival Johnny Cash recordings will see the light Tuesday. Spreading 49 tracks over two CDs, Columbia Legacy's release of Personal File is a deeply personal selection of barebones sessions recorded from 1973 to the early 1980s, filed with originals, traditionals and covers like the Louvin Brothers' "When I Stop Dreaming," John Prine's "Paradise" and Rodney Crowell's "Wildwood In the Pines." Armed with only his acoustic guitar in one hand and Jesus' tender grip in the other, fans of the man in black will find this pensive collection a nice prelude to July's release of American V: A Hundred Highways on American Recordings. That final chapter in producer Rick Rubin's American series will contain the songs Cash was working on at the time of his death in 2003, as well as covers of Rod McKuen's "Love's Been Good To Me" and Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind."

Television Alert
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno hosts Wicked Wisdom Wednesday, The Pussycat Dolls Thursday and Def Leppard Tuesday. The Late Show with David Letterman serves up Goldfrapp Wednesday, Eagles of Death Metal Friday and James Blunt Tuesday. Late Night with Conan O'Brien presents People In Planes Wednesday, The Raconteurs on Thursday and U2 Monday. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson cheers up Nick Lachey Friday. Jimmy Kimmel Live boasts the return of Huey Lewis Thursday. And Saturday Night Live's musical guest this weekend is Nelly Furtado.

New Releases Coming Tuesday
Alias & Tarsier - Brookland/Oaklyn (Anticon) CD or two-LP vinyl set documenting their bi-coastal boom-bap buggery, with guest doseone; Angels & Airwaves - We Don't Need To Whisper (Geffen) new from Tom DeLonge of blink-182; Andy Caldwell - Universal Truth (Om) electronic House debut from the smash producer and founding member of Soulstice; Charalambides - A Vintage Burden (Kranky); Coachwhips - Double Death (Narnack) CD/DVD set of raw, wigged-out Garage Rock bliss, featuring bonus blistering covers of songs by The Kinks, Adam Ant, The Sonics and more; Susan Deyhim and Bill Laswell - Shy Angels (Crammed Disc) new reinterpretation of the Madman of God album, featuring Deyhim's readings of Sufi love poems; Dr. John - Mercernary (Blue Note) collection of Johnny Mercer hits like "Come Rain or Shine" and "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby"; Dub Trio - New Heavy (Roir Reachout International) with the enigmatically titled track "Jack Bauer" and Peeping Tom's Mike Patton guesting on "Not Alone"; The Heavy Blinkers - The Night and I Are Still So Young (Endearing/Cooking Vinyl) sweetly swaying orchestral Pop from Nova Scotia; King Crimson - Earthbound and USA (Discipline Global) 30th anniversary edition reissues from 1972 and 1795; Less Than Jake - In With the Out Crowd (Sire/Warner Bros) also available in a special leather book-style set boasting a CD, DVD and CD-ROM with screensavers and buddy icons; Loscil - Plume (Kranky) underwater pulses and flickering electronics merging into kinetic, slow rolling, heartbeat waves; Halifax - The Inevitability of a Strange World (Drive-Thru) with a bonus video of "Our Revolution"; Mission of Burma - The Obliterati (Matador) CD or two-LP set; Pink - Live In Europe (LaFace) DVD from Manchester in 2004, featuring a cover of Guns N' Roses' "Welcome To the Jungle" and a 19-minute documentary; Jordan Rudess - Prime Cuts (Magna Carta) collection of Prog Rock keyboard fantasia from his Liquid Tension Experiment and solo efforts; Saga - Trust (Inside Out) all new featuring the arena-rocking "We Were Right"; Sensations - Listen To My Shapes (Camera) with members of Cake and Mother Hips, recently performing at the Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco; SSM - SSM (Alive) featuring members of The Paybacks, The Hentchmen, The Sights and Cyril Lords, this wild Detroit debut is under the twisting knobs of producer Chris Koltay at High Bias studios; squealing keyboards and thrift-store fuzz, this robust and acid-cartoon audio rumble is my pick of the week; Sierra Swan - Ladyland (Custard/Interscope) recently touring with James Blunt, this debut album was co-written with Linda Perry and features guest Aimee Mann on "Get Down To It"; Son Volt - 6 String Belief (Transmit Sound/Legacy) DVD filmed last fall in North Carolina, featuring a cover of Willie Williams' hit "Armagideon Time," made popular by The Clash in 1979; System of a Down - Dehumanize: The Unauthorized Biography (Locomotive) interview DVD with a photo gallery and comprehensive discography; Anjani Thomas - Blue Alert (Columbia) collaborative album with Leonard Cohen; Tiger Baby - Noise Around Me (Souvenir Recordings) with a bonus cover of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart," only found on the American issue; Various Artists - Give 'Em the Boot V (Epitaph) 18-track budget-priced collection featuring exclusive tracks from Static Thought, Left Alone, The Heart Attacks and The Unseen; Various Artists - Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (Warner Home Video) documentary DVD with interviews with Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie, Bruce Dickinson, Tony Iommi, Geddy Lee, Ronnie James Dio and more.