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Odds and Ends...

Open Up and Say... Ahhh? - Poison drummer Rikki Rockett was arrested on charges stemming from a rape warrant out of Mississippi. Rockett was returning to the US from a trip to New Zealand.

"It'll Be Fun" - Teeny teen bassist Wolfgang Van Halen reports that toothless dad Eddie is doing just fine. At the Nickelodeon Awards, Wolfie told People that Eddie is doing well and that the band are looking forward to re-starting their tour in Reno in April.

A Message To Us, Rudy - Groundbreaking, kickbutt UK legends The Specials are thinking of playing some reunion shows later in the year. Seeing artists like Patti Smith and the Pixies come back with dignity was the apparent spark.

You're Rocking On Their Dime

The longtime, legendary label SubPop is known for many things - being the home of current indie faves such as Fleet Foxes, The Postal Service and The Thermals, famously signing hip comedians such as David Cross and Patton Oswalt, and for being the Northwest's great homegrown label for twenty years. Now you can add Champion of Higher Education to the list; SubPop is now offering scholarships to three music-hungry kids heading to college. The requirements? Being a resident of Washington or Oregon, applying to a regular ol', four year program, and being interested in music. Being able to identify where Sleater-Kinney got their name, having to drink with Greg Dulli or being able to name which Nirvana releases were on SubPop not required. Maybe.

Guns n' Peppers

At first it appeared to be a possible hoax, but apparently the stunt is real - Dr. Pepper is planning on giving every man, woman and child in America a free can of Dr. Pepper if Guns n' Roses releases Chinese Democracy this year. Publicity-wise, this whole thing is working - not only does it have people talking about Dr. Pepper, but it also has people talking about Axl Rose... and even Buckethead:

The soft drink company says it will give a free can of Dr Pepper to "everyone in America" (excluding ex-Guns members Slash and Buckethead) if "Chinese Democracy" arrives anytime during the calendar year 2008.

Poor Buckethead! At least his name is in the news. And he maybe even be able to share in some of the goods, courtesy of Axl! Mr. Main GnR man himself responded to the Pepsi Dr. Pepper Challenge on GnR's much improved site:

We are surprised and very happy to have the support of Dr Pepper with our album Chinese Democracy. As some of Buckethead's performances are on our album, I'll share my Dr Pepper with him.

Isn't that nice?

Duran Duran Bad

And that's bad in a bad way, not in a good way. According to Reuters, the latest Duran Duran tour got off to a "wobbly" start down in New Zealand... we're talking forgotten lyrics, angry incidents and a confused crowd. The funniest eff-up? Probably singer Simon LeBon forgetting the words to Hungry Like The Wolf. But he's not the only one with a faulty memory! The crowd, made up of swooning, 30 something duranies, apparently could not remember the lyrics to power ballad Save A Prayer when prompted to sing. And finally, bassist John Taylor stormed off the stage during a bizarre electronica segment which feautured the band member wearing matching costumes while playing keyboards. The Kraftwerk image of the 70s, performed by a band of the 80s, and featuring the rebellious spirit of the 60s, all resulting in typical overstimulized vapidity of the 00s.

Jamie Lynn's Rock

According to People Mag, Jamie Lynn Spears has gotten an engagement ring from her barely legal boyfriend and has been waving it around parts of Louisiana and neighboring Mississippi. A shotgun wedding would cap a year of triumphs for Spears, who saw her hit TV show go off the air and also dealt with fallout from the fact that she got pregnant at age 16.

For Whom The Bell Tolls...

The bell tolls for thee, college town record stores! That is, according to the AP, who have the latest in a years-long litany of media-wide coverage on the death of the music industry "old model." The most recent indicator? The closing of Chapel Hill's Schoolkids Records, long a beacon of the brightest and best in music for UNC students and Carrboro townies, now a shuttered reminder of a world in which people (mostly) choose to not pay for music. They ain't happy either. Schoolkids owner Mike Phillips on the consolatory emails he has been receiving:

"If everybody was so damned concerned," he responds, "they should have come in and bought a CD every once in a while."

Purchases, however, seem not to be a problem at thriving stores such as Shake It Records in Cincinnati, stores that have managed to adapt by expanding their inventory of pop cultural ephemera while maintaining well-stocked CD and vinyl bins. According to a MySpace bulletin, 2007 was Shake It's best year ever. And hey, even though NYC cafe-cum-record store Cake Shop recently downgraded the "store"portion of their space from a corner to a counter, at least they were on last night's episode of The Real Housewives Of New York City. So expect increased sales from uptown socialites bridge and tunnel Bravo fans no one, right?

Throw Water At Heather Mills

On the Internet, we mean! If you are part of the 99% (or higher) of the world's population who is not down with Paul McCartney's ex-wife Heather Mills, then you may enjoy this lil' flash game in which players are invited to throw glassfuls of water at the newly rich divorcee. Having your celebrity episode immortalized in a flash game is the ultimate kitsch acknowledgment. Play the game, then please get on with your lives.

Methhead Fergie Describes Meth Trips

Celebrity confessions can have several positive effects. Of course, all press is good press, so there's the simple act of getting one's name in the papers, magazines and blogs. Another is the pity factor, in which one realizes that celebrities are so pathetic that they require at least a few seconds of our attention, if not our entertainment dollar.

Witness, then, Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson, of the famous band Black Eyed Peas (you may have seen them on every awards and halftime show broadcast in the last five years). In a recent article in Marie Claire, the SoCal warbler describes the hallucinatory jaunts she would embark on during her more meth-dominated past. From ABC News, an example:

"One day, when I was about 90 pounds, a guy comes up to me. ... I'm searching in the bushes for clues about whatever they're after me for. I'm in a cowboy hat and red lips. He hands me a muffin. I'm thinking, he's in on it," Fergie said.

We're thinking, our theory of pitying celebrities is a little off. Cheers to Fergie for "warning" Marie Claire readers to stay away from meth, but big, BIG jeers for the laughable content of her trips.

Velvet Revolver Imploding

Velvet Revolver, the cock rock "supergroup" known more for its members than its songs - seriously, can you hum one VR tune? - is falling apart before our very eyes (but thankfully not our ears). Over the weekend, lead growler Scott Weiland made a surprise announcement at a Glasgow show, announcing that their crrent tour would be their last. This came as a surprise to his bandmates, prompting drummer Matt Sorum to reply on his site the following day:

Hey all you great Fans,

So last night was interesting. Had a little band turmoil on stage as you probably all could tell. Being in a band is a lot like being in a relationship. Sometimes you just don’t get along. I guess there has been more turmoil lately I guess with the cancellations and all. It has been frustrating I am not going to lie.

So, a typically friendly, down-to-earth statement from Sorum, who has always been admirable in his love of the simple pleasures of rock n' roll. Of course, Weiland was having none of this. On a statement released to blabbermouth.net, Weiland took the leather gloves off and fired away:

Now, shall I open that can of worms, Matthew? Release the Kraken? Serve... Volley! You cancelled the Aussie tour in the fall because you went to rehab, but I won't say why… we'll just let Blabbermouth find out for themselves.

Yikes! Weiland also calls Sorum immature and notes that he (Weiland) has only ever had to cancel one tour due to drug abuse. So Weiland... wins? Who knows. And who knows how this affects the rumored opening slot on the rumored Led Zeppelin tour, but one can't imagine the Zep guys wanting to carry these d-bags around on tour.

Yes, It's True (Yes, It's True)

I am happy to be stuck on you, etc. According to the weekly, hilarious Popbitch newsletter, Huey Lewis's grandfather invented that red wax that is on some cheese.

It's A Sound That We Used To Buy

London black cabs are notoriously expensive but sometimes a performance is included in the charge. Witness Black Cab Sessions, which are exactly like what they sound - performances in the roomy backs of black cabs. No reason to post this other than the fact that Spoon is great, this song is great, and this whole series is flat out cool. Via fluxtumblr, Britt Daniel of Spoon performing I Summon You:

Coldplay Are Artists

In this day of quickly hyped bands who come and go, leaked tunes that are heard weeks before rushed releases and industry models releasing music as soon as they are mastered, it's almost refreshing to hear about a Big New Release from a Big Band months and months ahead of time. We speak, of course, of Coldplay, Mr. Paltrow's U2-like gang of non-threatening soundscapers. Chris Martin announced yesterday that their newest album will be called Viva La Vida and will be out on July 17 (July 16 worldwide). According to Martin, the title is taken from a Frida Kahlo painting. Look for the album to be mastered in April, to leak in May, to be enjoyed in June and to be forgotten about just in time for the July 17th release date.

VR To Open For LZ?

Here's some good news for tailgaters - Velvet Revolver is rumored to be the opening act on the upcoming, still-to-be-announced Led Zeppelin reunion tour. The Weiland-led G n' R remnants will be rocking their wares in front of sure to be sold out Enormodomes across the land starting... whenever it starts. The revelation comes from Revolver bassist Duff McKagan, who hasn't had a drink in years, so maybe this is true. Either way, it means you'll have time to have a few more hot dogs and beverages of your choice in the parking lot before Zeppelin comes on.

Diddy?

Back when Diddy was a Daddy, said Puffmeister was hardly seen without his best bud Biggie Smalls, and hardly mentioned without his rival Tupac Shakur. And so, the 90s continue: the LA Times is reporting that Diddy may have had advanced knowledge of a beatdown suffered by Tupac at a studio in 1994. After the attack, Shakur long claimed that Diddy knew about the planning. Diddy of course, denied denied denied, and calls the newest allegations "ridiculous" and "beyond false". Beyond meaning wrapping around false all the way to true? Or...? I don't get it.

And Now, A Public Service Announcement

From the venerable Brooklyn Vegan comes this link to the site Don't Lose The Music, a subsidiary of UK non-profit RNID, an organization dedicated to helping the deaf and hard of hearing. The Don't Lose The Music site has plenty of information articles on subjects like how to make iPod earbuds safer, how to make custom earplugs, and other general news on protecting your ears while rocking out. Whether or not you take the time to read the articles on the site, just keep in mind it's a good idea to protect your ears. Good earplugs at loud concerts not only make the sund more comfortable, it also makes the sound better. That is all.

Reznor: Radiohead Insincere

How dare someone criticize Radiohead, the sacred cow of everything. Uh oh, can't say nothin' bad about Radiohead! Everybody loves Radiohead! Trent Reznor, however, is not everyone. The Nine Inch Nails mainman, and noted industry pioneer, sharply criticized Radiohead's In Rainbows release, correctly observing that they simply charged fans for what was basically a MySpace stream quality download, thereby also volunteering them to pay for promotion of the physical release. In the interview, with Australia's ABC network, Reznor notes that the whole In Rainbows push was nowhere near the revolution that it was given credit for.

Reznor, of course, can back up his talk with (industrial) action. The lates NiN release - Ghosts I-IV - is being released via a tiered pricing struction that costs as little as $5 for a high quality download and as much as $300 for the deluxe edition.

Hey, Motley Crue Are Going To Do Something

Hey, did you hear? Motley Crue are going to do something. Yeah. The four glam metal giants issued a press release that trumpets a forthcoming "colossal" announcement on April 15 and also revealed a contest to send lucky winners to L.A. to hear this announcement in person. Meaning, a flyaway package to attend a press conference. So... a tour, huh, guys? Cool.

Guns, Booze, Riots and Tacos

Down on the Gulf Coast, all bets are off. Just ask Johnny Smecca, the owner of Mari's Italian Restaurant, a Galveston, TX eatery; he had his parking lot trashed by happy-go-lucky and punch-happy concertgoers who left behind a sea of beer bottles and trash. The reason? A rap concert on the tiny beach town by Houston's Lil Keke, as well as very, very under the radar rappers such as Colby O'Donnis and 2 Pistols.

The show, sponsored by a local radio station, quickly grew out of control when a fight broke out among several patrons and one of the only four (!) off-duty cops working moved in to break it up. Unruly crowd behavior soon developed, resulting in more fights, overturned trash cans, noisy hooting and hollering, cartop dancing, and the destruction of Mr. Smecca's parking lot, proving that even unfamous rappers can be controversial.

90210 2008?

It was one of the most groundbreaking series in television history. It was a show that combined wealthy characters with a glamorous setting. It took the daring stance of placing privileged white kids in a place like Beverly Hills. The show's social conscience was a kid who used half a container of hair gel each day. The show was Beverly Hills 90210, and it was the televised background of the 90s.

So naturally, it makes sense to update this sunkissed relic for the present day, which is exactly what the bigwigs over at the CW Network plan on doing. This sort of Bev Hills: The Next Generation deal will be helmed by the creators of Veronica Mars and might make its debut in the fall, soon after the beach club closes for the season.

Adam Raised A Cain

Play on, sister! Erm,  a peculiar stabbing on Australia's Gold Coast has Boss-watchers, and stabbings-watchers, aflutter - following an argument regarding what to play on the house stereo, Karen Lee Cooper of Brisbane allegedly stabbed her boyfriend in the chest. The crux of the argument? Whether or not to play a Bruce Springsteen CD. The drunken couple began shouting, resulting in Cooper fatally stabbing her boyfriend of two years. In her own words:

Later, in a formal police interview, she repeated her claims: "I mean, who doesn't like Bruce Springsteen? I am 49 years old and I want to play my own music."

The sad story also notes that Cooper then attempted to kill herself, possibly accidentally after playing parts of Devils and Dust and the four or five extraneous tracks on The Rising.

Viral Marketing

She's not the one in Control. She is a part of the Influenza Nation (1814). No her first name ain't baby, its Janet - Miss Jackson if COUGH COUGH SNEEZE PLFFT.

According to PBS Frontline E! Online, Janet Jackson checked into celebrity hospital Cedars Sinai in LA last night with symptoms of the flu, as well as shortness of breath. Too bad, too, because Janet has the number one album in the land this week and had been scheduled to appear on Saturday Night Live this weekend. Uh, that won't be happening, according to the Financial Times TMZ. The LA tattler is reporting that Janet has backed out of her musical guest duties. So now talk turns to who will be the last minute replacement. Perhaps the American Idol dude that sang Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah? Maybe Vampire Weekend again, playing the remainder of their catalog? Or Fred Armisen doing an irony-laced performance of John Cage's 4'33" (twice)?

Spears Publicist With Not-Bad Idea?

According to the AP, the BBC, and as many other media outlets as the Britney machine can notify, Britney Spears will appear in a March 24th episode of How I Met Your Mother, a CBS show that, contrary to most television comedies, is funny. Britney will appear as a dermatologist's receptionist or something. According to Harold and Kumar star Neil Patrick Howser, Spears will be acting:

"I was shocked that Madame Spears was willing to come and do some acting, she hasn't acted in a while," he said.

Since she hasn't acted in awhile, it will be exciting to see Ms. Spears do some acting.

Justin Has Moved On, You See

Awhile back, news broke that Justin Timberlake, with the aid of unstoppable producer Timbaland, offered a helping hand to his old flame Britney Spears. He and Timbaland would write, create and produce a new single for Britney, a comeback jam sure to help her regain her foothold in the pop landscape. The proposed collabo never came to be, however, and Timbaland intimated that Brit was not so down with the idea. More succinctly, she told them she didn't need them. Timbaland? Pissed.

So it was not such a big surprise when, interviewed on the way into the Madonna-inducting Rock n' Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony, Justin  offered the following rye observation:

"The world has always been full of Madonna wannabes. I might have even dated a couple."

Then again, Britney may have dated a couple of Thriller-era Michael Jackson wannabe's.

Rock n' Roll Hall Of Shame

Madonna? She's OK. Not rock, but certainly the most prominent female pop star of the rock age. John Mellencamp? He's OK, too. Transformed himself from a self-called Little Bastard into a sincere and angry voice of the heartland and later writing the worst song of his career - the Chevrolet-shilling Our Country. In fact, Mellencamps's most noteworthy achievement may be his rise from label-named Springsteen clone Johnny Cougar into the serious artist that he became with 1983's Uh-Huh. Both of these artists, as well as the also-inducted Leonard Cohen, deserve to be in a Rock n' Roll Hall Of Fame (and will be once they are inducted this evening).

But does the world need THIS Rock n' Roll Hall Of Fame? As it is, it's merely a vanity project for Rolling Stone magazine founder Jann Wenner, who uses the supporting "charitable foundation" to induct his friends, and keep out those he actively dislikes, or merely doesn't enjoy, notable examples being critically acclaimed artists representative of their times like The Monkees, and also platinum-selling long-term careerists like Rush.

Fortunately for us, Foxnews.com reports some of the details on newly released financial figures from the so-called charitable foundation. Put simply, they don't really give any money to charity. And none to travel expenses for any musicians or alumni that would like to attend the annual masturbatory jam session - a reason you rarely see alumni in attendance.

Ultimately, the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame remains yet another avenue through which Jann Wenner can keep his name in the news. With a magazine that struggles to remain relevant, who can blame him for that?

Avril Markets Clothes To Lesser Avrils

In a move that has musical merit equal to her previous album, Canada's leading punkstress Avril Lavigne will be releasing her own line of clothes through Kohl's department stores. Lavigne is working with manufacturer Jerry Leigh to create a line called Abbey Dawn. But even though this article from E! Online notes that Avril will be "the face" of the line, Avril claims she is MUCH MORE than that:

"I actually am the designer," Lavigne told USA Today of the venture. "What's really important to me is that everything fits well and is well-made, so I try everything on and approve it all."

So... she is actually the designer. And she tries it all on! Hear that girls (and maybe some guys?)? If it doesn't fit well, you can rest assured that it fit well on Avril Lavigne. That is IF she tried it. She may not have time after designing it all.

In other Avril news, she recently kicked off her "Best Damn Tour" with a show in British Columbia. Word on the street is that one of the words in the phrase "Best Damn Tour" doesn't apply. Canada's The Globe and Mail reveals "the worst damn truth about Avril Lavigne: She's not a very good singer." Ouch. And Vancouver's The Province claims that "the so-billed Best Damn Tour wasn't even the Somewhat OK Damn Tour; it was just plain disappointing."

Lawyers In Love

Celebrities - they love to break the law! Or at least bend the rules, twist the limits of rulings and avoid injunctions. So naturally it follows that non-law-abiding famous people turn to high-falutin', high-charging lawyers for help, slickly-dressed shysters who pull into Wilshire Boulevard offices in top-down Porsches wearing clothes that bluntly expose their complete lack of taste. And what are these aforementioned eagles up to this week?

An L.A. judge ruled that Jamie Spears, father of Britney and Jamie Lynn, will retain control of the Britney estate for another five months due to his daughter's rampant craziness and buffoonery and his unchecked thirst for her fortune.

Actor Bai Ling pleads guilty to disturbing the peace for her broken-hearted and, she claims, accidental shoplifting. Two Star magazines and a pack of batteries are not worth that mug shot.

Renowned Boy Band Fat Man (and formerly on lam) Lou Perlman pleads guilty to $300m in fraud. He robbed more than 250 individuals of more than $200m, and boy band CD-purchasing consumer of $18.99 a CD.

One Day At A Time

They said it couldn't last... and they were right! Aged, shirtless dinos Van Halen have postponed several upcoming dates due to an unspecified medical condition affecting guitarist Eddie Van Halen. Eddie, who has been in the news following his divorce from newly slim former actor Valerie Bertinelli, is being tested to confirm a tentative diagnosis of... something. Could this unexpected condition be the reason for Eddie's recent bizarre behavior? Behavior which has included throwing his guitars around onstage, moving his amp close to brother Alex's drum kit in order to "hear him" (monitor troubles, presumably) and widely confirmed crappy playing? Possibly. But his doctor, pictured below, may have something to do with it.

Open Up A Book And Say Ahhhhh

They say writers don't choose to write - writing chooses them. Well, Poison frontman, C-list celebrity and allegedly nice guy Bret Michaels may have been waiting a long time, but no more... writing has finally chosen him! And, presumably, a ghostwriter! This fall Michaels will release an autobiography via (venerable and heretofore respected) Simon & Schuster. First Penguin places an Eminem memoir on its release schedule. Then, S&S announces a Bret Michaels tome. Soon? A collection of Axl Rose watercolors inspired by the lyrics of Chinese Democracy, to be released by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in late 2008... actually 2009... actually never.

Eminem Pens Memoir In Track Pants

Eminem can certainly spin a tale, so why not an autobiography? The 8 Mile superstar is currently working on a book that will be released in the fall by Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin (!). The tome will include never-before-seen photos of Eminem's home (OK...) as well as original drawings (you don't say). According to PR flacks at Dutton, the book will be "every bit as raw and uncensored as the man himself." Yay! As long as this book rhymes, I'm down with it. Mathers life notes to include details of:

1. Discovery of his baby basket by the banks of the Detroit River.

2. His formative years at Charterhouse School in Surrey.

3. Weekly trips to Meijer since the release of 2004's Encore, his last release.

And much, much more.

New NIN Is Here... And Free

New Nine Inch Nails music is here! But buyer beware - it's instrumental! Meaning it lacks words you can lipsync in front of your mirror - though the subsequent angst will certainly be Trent-like. Don't fret, though - Mr. Reznor has made things interesting. Cheapskates paying nothing get Volume 1 of the IV four volume Ghosts opus. Up that goose egg to five smackers, however, and all FOUR volumes are yours to brood to (get here at Amazon). Ten bucks gets you CDs, $75 gets you something more special and $300? He'll sign something for you.

So the question is, what is the psychological and financial makeup of Nine Inch Nails fans? Are their fans at an age where paying for physical music is still second nature, or has he attracted enough younger fans that the pay-nothing route will be the overwhelmingly popular option? And if Joe NIN-Fan chooses the $300 option, will he have money left for black leather pants and eyeliner?

[ghosts.nin.com]

You're Playing With Fire

From an upcoming BBC Radio documentary comes the fascinating revelation that Rolling Stones frontman/dancer/lip-licker Mick Jagger was targeted for assassination by the Hells Angels in 1969. If you know your rock n' roll history (and who doesn't does) then you know that the Rolling Stones hired the San Francisco chapter of the Hells Angels to work security at their ill-fated and infamous 1969 show at Altamont Speedway. During the show, which is widely seen as providing the metaphorical end to the hippy-dippy sixties, a Hells Angel stabbed concertgoer Meredith Hunter to death. The incident is the focal point of the concert film Gimme Shelter. Jagger later placed blame for the death on the Hells Angels and their over-anxious methods.

Big mistake. The BBC's new revelations indicate that the Hells Angels, who already were disdainful of Jagger's feminine dancing and posturing, set out for revenge. An intricate and vaguely comic maritime scheme called for the attacking troupe to invade Jagger's Long Island home from the water, landing on his private property and thereby eluding front-of-house (get it?) security. Sadly for the armada, the sea was angry that day. An unexpected storm materialized, and the invaders were thrown overboard. All survived, and gave up attempts to kill Jagger, leaving him free to eventually make 1986's Dirty Work.

Read more at Reuters.

Oops, Again Etc., Etc., Etc.,

The NME is reporting that Britney Spears has become pregnant via doing the nasty with paparazzo Adnan Ghalib. Allegedly. And she wants a girl. Allegedly. And Ghalib has been boasting that he'll be "set for life." Allegedly. And the public's interest in Britney? Sadly, confirmed.