BEASTIES AND RAGE TAKE THEIR ACT ON THE ROAD

The Beastie Boys and Rage Against The Machine will join forces this summer for the "Rhyme And Reason" tour, slated to hit stadiums and amphitheaters in North America.

The tour is scheduled to kick off Aug. 2 in Toronto and continue through September.

"Rhyme And Reason" will also feature various guest artists supporting the Beasties and Rage at each city, including Green Day, Busta Rhymes, and Common, among others, although the exact guest act for each city is still being sorted out.

The Beasties and Rage and their managers Gary Gersh and John Silva had been flirting with MP3.com to sponsor the tour. However, sources said the sponsorship plan had been scrapped.

Rage Against the Machine's last album, "Battle of Los Angeles," has sold more than 1.8 million over the counter in the U.S., while the Beasties'double-CD greatest hits compilation, "Sounds of Science," has moved 350k total.

Tickets for the tour can be pre-ordered online by visiting the Beastie Boys' Web site (www.beastieboys.com), the Rage Against The Machine site (www.ratm.com), as well as MTV.com.