Launch Radio Networks reports: The new SMASHING PUMPKINS album, "Zeitgeist", features Paris Hilton in a series of photographs in the CD booklet, taken by PUMPKINS leader Billy Corgan himself. Hilton's face also adorns the cover of the band's U.K. single for the song "Tarantula". Corgan explained how he got the notorious party girl and ex-con to pose for him. "Actually the original idea was we were gonna see if Lindsey, Britney and Paris would all shoot," he said. "But ultimately we decided that that was probably gonna be too prohibitive 'cause then you would get into, like, those girls fighting amongst each other. Paris I knew personally, and hung out with her a few times, and so I asked her. I said, 'Would you be willing to do this?'And God bless her, she came, she showed up at 10:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning, sat in the chair, got made up and shot her. So anybody who thinks that those aren't real photos, those are real. We took those photos."

"Zeitgeist", the first new PUMPKINS album in seven years, came out this past Tuesday (July 10).

Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin played everything on the album themselves and are the only original members in the group. The touring lineup includes guitarist Jeff Schroeder, bassist Ginger Reyes and keyboardist Lisa Harriton.

The band begins an 11-show stand at the Fillmore in San Francisco on Sunday (July 15) and have also announced a fall North American tour, beginning on September 8 in Montreal. Tickets go on sale Saturday (July 14).