fuseblog

Pete Wentz Has A Bachelor Party

Ah, the male rituals of marriage. The courtship, the proposal, the eyeliner, the bachelor party... it's all been a part of the Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson's Road To Marriage, which hit a milestone this week when bassist/groom-to-be Pete Wentz had his awesome bachelor party! Wentz, his FOB BMs (Fall Out Boy Band Mates), future manager-in-law Joe Simpson, Joel Madden (Of Madden Football) and some non-famous people kicked things off with dinner at Mr. Chow, a Bev Hills eatery. They then moved on to the Roosevelt Hotel, where they partied in a suite. Just a bunch of guys in a suite celebrating a bachelor party. FOB fans, close your eyes and imagine that scene.

Also kickin' it...

Those spring chickens Metallica kicked it 80s style and played a club show in order to prove they can keep it real. This being Metallica, though, a "club" means the 2300 capacity Wiltern Theatre in LA, which could probably fit several clubs inside. They played classics like For Whom The Bell Tolls, Master Of Puppets and NO new material. Which is awesome.

Taylor Hicks, who was an American Idol at some point, is coming to Broadway! Which is as good a reason as any to not come to Broadway.

And those cool winners the RIAA may have to pay a #$%! load of legal fees. Karma: still existing in 2008!

In summation:

Pete Wentz Celebrates With Bachelor Party in LA [People]

Metallica Play Club Show, Eye Fall Tour [Reuters]

Taylor Hicks To Play Teen Angel In Broadway's Grease [AP]

Judge Recommending Legal Fees In RIAA v. Andersen [Wired]

R.E.M. To W - Yes, I Would Like Fries With That

Did you know that if you show up even a few minutes after McDonald's cut-off time for serving breakfast, and you want breakfast, you're screwed? It's true. Try it. No McGriddle For You. But we digress, before we even started. Here goes:

Peter Buck, the beloved, gentlemanly guitarist for R.E.M. has told President Bush to get a job - at McDonald's (oh snap)! According to Spinner, Buck recently mused to Uncut Magazine that there was probably a McDonald's somewhere that could use a manager and, according to Buck, "he seems like the kind of purse-mouthed snot nose who'd be great at terrifying 13-year-olds." And everyone else.

Also Wasting Our Time...

The Led Zeppelin touring rumors are kicking into gear again... According to the UK's The Mirror, Zep will tour at the end of this year or in early 2009. The source of this rumor mongering? None other than David Coverdale, the Whitesnake vocalist and Plant wannabe who was, of course, one half of Coverdale/Page (a 1993 very, very, very poor man's Page and Plant) and whom Plant famously has called David Coverversion. Coverdale seems to think Whitesnake will open this tour. Don't count on it.

Oasis are set to introduce their fourth drummer, if some blog is to be taken at its word. According to What Became Of The Likely Broads, current Oasis drummer (and son of Ringo Starr) Zak Starkey ain't getting along too well with Noel Gallagher these days. But that never stopped Liam from leaving.

And finally, Metallica launched an awesome new site called Mission: Metallica, in which we the devoted Metallica fans, get to eavesdrop on the recording of their newest album. Unfortunately, soon after launch, the site crashed. Unless Metallica is recording a hot new track called "403 Forbidden," that thing's downer than St. Anger sales figures.

Once again:

R.E.M. Guitarist Says President Bush Should Work At McDonald's [Spinner]

Led Zeppelin Set For World Tour [The Mirror]

Oasis Has A Lineup Change? [What's Become Of The Likely Broads]

Metallica's Mission Beta Site Goes Live (And Then It Goes Dead) [Blabbermouth.com]

A Cute Pop Star Has Acute Laryngitis

In case you were unaware, Avril Lavigne's been all over this great continent of ours, bringing her "Best Damn Tour" to a corporately-named arena near you for awhile now. She was nearing the end but she just... couldn't... make it. Why? Homegirl's voxbox plain pooped out, Herb. In a message on her official site, Avril was un-Complicatedly contrite:

"My sincerest apologies to all of my fans. My intention was to complete the rest of the tour but tonight at sound check in Anaheim I realized this wasn't possible."

Pretty boring. Avril's kind of disappeared from the zeitgeist, has she not? Remember her clothing line?

Also Up In Our Grill:

The New York Post wonders if network television is the new rehab after Lindsay Lohan announces she will follow in Britney Spears' guest star footsteps and begin a six-episode stint on Ugly Betty. If one were to observe the actions of these stars, one would think that diminishing entertainment returns and dwindling respect levels are the "new rehab." And one would be right.

In other repellent Lohan news, People Mag and others are reporting that Lindsay "borrowed" an $11,000 mink fur coat she found after some fab party at some fab Manhattan joint (1Oak). According to the owner, she was unable to find her coat at the end of her partying on January 26th and assumed the coat was gone forever. That is, until she spotted Lohan wearing the coat in some celeb rag. After threatening to sue, she received a discreet phone call from some discreet people discreetly informing her that her coat was ready for pickup. BTW, the owner of the coat is a 22 year-old student at Columbia. She must have sold a lot of heavy books back last semester.

Finally, Scarlett Johansson is engaged to Van Wilder and has taken to showing off a rock as proof. The AP has a photo of her diamond-encrusted left hand. Stereogum has some video of her Tom Waits thing.

The Police Like Trees

Those hip old farts in The Police have been doing the reunion tour thang for about a year now, so they must be getting tired. Of playing, of each other, and of living in a van and loading their gear in each night to dive bars and smelly clubs. So to call attention to the end of this reunion tour, Sting, Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland gathered in Times Square today to announce that their final show ever would be... somewhere in New York. Where? Who knows. They didn't say! Which makes for a pretty un-dramatic press conference. So...

Why New York? And what's the deal with the trees? Well, they have decided to donate $1 million smackers to NYCs plan to plant a million trees by 2017. And, again, why New York? Well, The Police kicked off their first ever US tour thirty years ago with a gig at New York's late CBGBs. Now CBGBs is a John Varvatos store. So, um, they should go buy something. Right?

Nine Inch Nails Give Us The Slip

Trent Reznor is really down with this whole shifting paradigm thing. Bare months after announcing a free Nine Inch Nails album (that would be Ghosts), Trent and his NIN compadres have given us The Slip, a "new full-length" Nine Inch Nails album. Unlike the Ghosts release, there is no option for paying anything, at all. It's all free - no matter which file version you choose. High quality MP3, FLAC, M4A or even 24/96 WAVE. Downloads include artwork and credits. Physical product fetishists can look forward to purchasing physical products in July.

How's he making money? Likely via licensing, merch and touring. When you can sell out arenas, you can afford to give away your albums.

Also Up In Our Bidness:

Pitchfork has some pics of this past weekend's Arcade Fire concert for Obama in North Carolina. Registered voters not pictured.

Mark Ronson has given Amy WInehouse the heave-ho from the new James Bond soundtrack, observing that she my not be ready to make music yet. That's ok, we weren't ready to hear it yet.

And finally, Kanye West hates Entertainment Weekly. He also probably hates the little subscription cards that come in Entertainment Weekly.

People Still Care About Coldplay

So... Coldplay. They're big and famous. Hang with famous people. Make loads of cash money. But on the respect level, it's always been pretty slim pickin's for the NYC/West Village and London/Chelsea shuttling entourage (despite the very respectable A Rush Of Blood To The Head). Which may explain why Chris Martin and the Other Guys decided to enlist Brian Eno to produce their latest full-length, Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends. There a few musicians in the rock sphere who command more respect than Eno, who began his career with Roxy Music before producing Talking Heads, U2 and others and also releasing a series of acclaimed solo albums.

Now, you can hear the results for free. As Coldplay fans likely already know, Violet Hill, the first single from this new album, was made available free on Tuesday morning over at Coldplay's site. Apparently, people are still interested in what Mr. Paltrow is up to - according to the NME, over 600,000 people downloaded the track in the first 24 hours. The track will be free until early next week, after which you'll have to put in a little more effort to find a free copy.

Roger Waters and His Missing Pig

Over the years Roger Waters has used his giant inflatable pig to advance his cause/storyline myriad times and ways - at its birth in the Animals era in 1977, it conveyed the greediness of man via an existential gigantism. Today, it is being used to forward Waters' views on America's current political landscape. At Waters' Coachella-ending set(s) on Sunday night, the pig appeared during Waters' political call to arms Leaving Beirut, its belly emblazoned with the words "Don't be led to the slaughter," "fear builds walls," and, also, simply, "Obama," with a checked ballot box next to the name.

Then the pig took off. Concertgoers reported seeing the pig fly off, thinking it was a planned flight, and that the pig might possibly be remote controlled. The pig DID fly off; however, there was (and is) no remote control. It's gone, hog-hovering or perhaps having crash-landed somewhere in the Palm Desert. Hence a press release offering a reward for the pig's return ($10,000 and four Coachella tickets for life). Not bad. To the desert, pig-hunters! Email lostpig at coachella dot com when you find it. Video below of the pig flying away...

8 NYC Bands You Should Hear

According to the L Magazine, that is. What is the L Magazine? Its a free weekly New Yorkers can pick up in orange boxes all over town. It's a (pop) culture mag that resides in a zone you could call hip. Well, one of the hip things the hip L likes to do is annually inform "us" of eight bands in New York "we" should know about. Their track record is impressive - last year they were onto Vampire Weekend and White Rabbits. Full list is below, but fuseblog especially recommends High Places, a electro dream-calypso duo, and The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, pure, painless, impeccable pop.

The L Magazine's 8 NYC Bands You Need To Hear

The Lisps / The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart / Famous Amos / This Is Ivy League / La Strada / Team Robespierre / High Places / Violens /

[photo of High Places by Zandy Mangold]

Prince Covers Radiohead At Coachella

If there was any doubt that Prince is the greatest artist of the past 25 years, it was erased on Saturday night in Indie-O, California, where Prince played a two hour show heavy on hits, guest stars (The Time and Sheila E.) and unusual covers, including a soulful version of Radiohead's Creep featuring vocals that undeniably Prince-ify the tune. Watch now before Prince realizes it's on the internet and demands that it be pulled down.

Evan Dando of the Lemonheads Played NME Awards, Hates NME

Evan Dando of the Lemonheads has always had a bit of the eff-up mystique to him; a bit dangerous, a bit amusing, but always fascinating to follow. That legend was continued on Wednesday night at the NME Awards in Los Angeles, where Dando and his Lemonheads (basically just Dando) was presented with some Classic Album award for It's A Shame About Ray, their 1992 full-length. Dando performed two songs from that record, but not before accepting his award (a bronzed middle finger for you awards followers) and promptly tossing it in the trash as he left the stage. Rock n' roll! Evan Dando, enjoy the newfound respect you now command.

You won't read about THAT episode on the NME site, but you can at Entertainment Weekly.

Radiohead's Green Performance On Conan

Conan O'Brien's all about the environment, and so in honor of his "Green Week," Radiohead played on the show. However, they were not in the studio; they were in London, where they taped this special performance. Flying the band to NYC would have resulted in the amount of carbon emissions equal to driving one's car for a year; hence this remote performance of House Of Cards. Recycle your plasatic bags Conan! And if you listen closely at the beginning, you'll hear Thom Yorke refer to George W. Bush  with a rather naughty English word.

Here's That Weezer Cover

That we (we being us here at the fuseblog, but also "us" as fans in the greater scheme of things) are making such a big deal about this upcoming Weezer album can be explained several ways. First, ANY new album by ANY popular rock band on a major label is now, bizarrely, huge news. Secondly, Weezer has released crucial albums in several of the industry's watershed moments over the past fourteen years: the immediate post-grunge party of alternative radio, the Napster/Limewire heyday of 2001 and now the post-sales, free music era of 2008. And all three of those albums were/are self-titled releases featuring dominant color schemes that served/serve as mileposts in the band's career. And so Spinner presents the new Weezer album cover. They're dressed kind of funny for this being such an important release, but thats L.A. for you.

We Are The World In Japan

The Japanese have the best television on the planet. Here is further proof.

Velvet Revolver to Audition New Singers

ABOVE: Velvet Revolver in clearly happier times.

Of course Velvet Revolver would audition new singers... they're a band aren't they? You were expecting a GnR reunion? First things first: let's get a new VR warbler up in the b*tch. According to the NME, Velvet Revolver are building a website via which prospective singers can submit their efforts. Got a computer? Or a friend with one? Or a bus route that passes an internet cafe? Can you remember the melodies of any VR tunes? You could be the next singer of Velvet Revolver!

So what does this mean for any possible original Guns n' Roses reunion? Nothing. Continuing the Velvet Revolver ship makes sense. It's a moneymaker and it gives everyone something to do. The fact that is shows Axl that these guys aren't sitting around waiting for him to call is nice for them, too.

And one more item of note: HeavyMetalMusic.biz is gossiping that Slash and Axl were at the same Manhattan hotel this week ten minutes apart. They're just saying, is all.

So Long, Danny Federici

The longtime keyboardist for and original member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Danny Federici, died in New York yesterday, April 17. He had been suffering from melanoma. He was 58. The organ player was an integral part of the E Street Band, contributing warm Hammond sounds, accordion squeezes and glockenspiel that was a subtle but unmissable part of the E Street Sound (see Backstreets, from Darkness On The Edge Of Town and the current tour's set closer). Federici played on the US leg of Bruce's fall tour, but bowed out when the tour hit Europe in order to recuperate. Seeger Sessions Band member Charles Giodano (above, right) had been filling in for Federici, though Federici made a notable one show appearance in Indianapolis this spring. Springsteen's next two shows have been postponed.

More from Bruce site Backstreets, at Entertainment Weekly and the AP.

The Music Of The Spheres

We know music is beautiful but did you know music could be beautiful? Scientists at Florida St., Yale and Princeton have assigned graphical value, almost like graphed X's and Y's, to what they call musical "families," chords, rhythms and scales, and thus can represent them visually. The results are beautiful and reveal, among other things, that rock and classical music have similar structure. To quote one of the scientists, though, differences between Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones are negligible, providing visual proof that Boston's Toxic Twins were always the cheap knockoffs that Jagger and Richards claimed they were. Thanks, science.

Scientists Make Music Into Mathematical Shapes [Telegraph]

Hear New Weezer - Pork And Beans

It's streaming on their site. It's quite a departure, featuring soulful female background vocals and an oboe interlude... Just kidding, it has loudQUIETloud verse and chorus and verse interplay, zeitgeist-nailing references (Timbaland) and evidence of angst ("I don't care, I don't care, I don't care, I don't have a thing to prove to you"). Welcome back, Weezer.

Listen to Pork and Beans.

Slash Has More To Say About Weiland

Yet more awesome fallout form the whole Velvet Revolver / Scott Weiland conflagration. According to the fine metal gossipers at Blabbermouth.net, Kerrang Magazine has a nice interview with Slash in which he offers up some revealing deets on those final, fractious moments of the Weiland term. Nice nuggets include the fact that Weiland received the cold shoulder from his bandmates for the entire tour and that Weiland never went to rehab when Velvet Revolver canceled an Australian tour so that Weiland could go to rehab.

It's stuff like this that makes following rock n' roll so much fun. It's nice having Weiland around.

Motley Crue + You = Rock Band

Those stately old gents in Motley Crue (and their marketing team) have stepped into the modern world with the intriguing news that "Saints Of Los Angeles," the first single from their upcoming The Dirt full length, will be released as a playable track on Rock Band, the game that taught millions how to play fake bass to Weezer's Say It Ain't So. The easy to medium level news comes days after word got out that the Crue would be signing a 360 deal with Live Nation. Where was all of this savvy in the 90s and early 00s? Lost in a sea of irrelevance and reality TV.

Jane's Addiction To Reunite!

Even with Perry Farrell seemingly all over the place, and Lollapalooza getting ready to kick it again this summer, no news could be as exciting, and unexpected, as news of a Jane's Addiction reunion. Well break out the controversial album artwork and the steel drums, because that news is here: Jane's Addiction, including original bassist Eric Avery, are reuniting for one night only, at the NME Awards in LA on April 23rd. The band will be receiving something called the Godlike Genius Award, which goes legendary artists who are godlike geniuses.

The full original lineup of Perry Farrell on vocals, Dave Navarro on guitar, Stephen Perkins on drums and Avery on bass will play three songs on the night of the awards, which take place at the El Rey Theatre. Don't expect more reunion activities but if it goes well, playing Lollapalooza couldn't be THAT far-fetched...

Weezer Pork and Beans Art

Word on the LA freeway has been that the Weezer album set to drop on 6/17 was going to be named/referred to as The Red Album and the artwork for single Pork and Beans over on Amazon does nothing to dispel that notion. You see, it's red (see above).

Alicia Keys' Vast Government Conspiracy

Alicia Keys may be the last person you'd hear tough conspiracy talk from until you remember that she was raised a pretty tough person in NYC's Hell's Kitchen. The Manhattan neighborhood, though, is not known for its conspiracy theories (except regarding organized Irish... never mind), which makes it someone surprising that Alicia Keys lays her opinions out on the line in the newest issue of Blender magazine. The gist? The government fostered the concept/movement of gangsta rap, enticed by the increased black-on-black violence and the subsequent prevention of a "great black leader" (Keys' words) from rising. On the jewelry side, Keys has taken to wearing an AK-47 necklace... nice!

All of this is news to Keys' mother, who is surprised by her daughter's militarism. Not surprised? Bob Dylan, who's been looking for Alicia Keys clear through Tennessee.

Chinese Democracy Delivered?

The Chinese Democracy world just gets more and more bizarre. This week's news is a doozie - news outlets have been reporting that the final, mastered, finished, FINAL FINAL version of Chinese Democracy has been delivered to Geffen, the long-suffering Guns n' Roses label. That's right - FOURTEEN yers after the last GNR release - The Spaghetti Incident?, a collection of covers - Axl Rose may finally have delivered what Geffen, but perhaps not the world, wanted - a new Guns n' Roses album, featuring none of the original Gunners save Dizzy, and Axl, of course.

Despite the fact that Chinese Democracy is essentially an Axl Rose solo album, the final product should prove fascinating to hear. The world has heard bits and pieces, in varying quality, over the past couple of years, but not the whole thing. The arrival of Chinese Democracy may be momentous occasion.

Ashlee, Pete Engaged

They said it wouldn't happen! Actually, they didn't say that, but it's still pretty amazing: Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz are now engaged. According to an online statement, the happy couple wanted to be the first to tell us... awwww. Good luck to them. Somebody please turn their wedding into a reality show.

Marriage is a serious thing, guys... just picture Ashlee doing that highland jig when she's 64.

Alarm Clocks

Not that we needed a study to tell us this, but according to the UK division of the motel chain Travelodge, Coldplay is the top musical artist - or book (!) - that Brits employ when battling insomnia. Other worthy sleep-inducers include Snow Patrol, James Blunt and s'Norah Jones. The study notes that insomniacs are relying increasingly on "slow, sleepy music" to ease us down from the high stress of modern life.

But does Chris Martin listen to Coldplay when he can't sleep?

A Skin, A Night, A DVD, An EP

The National, the chamber rock Brooklyn/Cincinnati quintet, have long carried a late night, avant art aesthetic in their music. Lyrically, their songs unfold like noir tales of love, love lost and rage barely concealed. It is no surprise, then, that the band's first DVD, A Skin, A Night, features touches like music-less frustration, scenes of tortured artistry and some black and white weirdness. If you're into this kind of thing, you'll love it. If it puts you off, you'll loathe it. Either way, the music is phenomenal; mature and introspective. The DVD will also come with an EP that features demos, live tracks and a Hayden cover. The film was made by Vincent Moon, who is the man behind La Blogotheque. He also shot the newest REM vids. Watch the trailer.

Mr. Sarajevo

Sad but true news from Italia - Luciano Pavarotti's final performance was lipsynced. Leone Magiera, a conductor who conducted Pavarotti at the 2006 Turin Olympics Opening Ceremony performance, states in a new book that the bitter cold of the day, combined with the tenor's deteriorating physical condition, made a live performance too risky. Even the great ones fade away.

Pavarotti, who died in September 2007, was no stranger to the pop world, having collaborated with U2 and Brian Eno on the Passengers project. Watch their performance of Miss Sarajevo below. When Pavarotti comes in... chill-inducing.

Stone Temple Pilots Reunite

It's back to the future for Scott Weiland, Mr. You Can't Fire Me, I Quit. The very recently former Velvet Revolver frontman was back leading his former BMs (bandmates) Stone Temple Pilots through a quick set meant to promote the announcement of their upcoming tour. NME called it triumphant.

The show took place at legendary magician Harry Houdini's estate and apparently featured a contortionist theme. The Pilots played a seven song to a bunch of industry suits who no doubt had their eyes closed and were enjoying the last vestiges of coke-fueled, Hollywood rock debauchery before their expense accounts dry up, as if on some STP-fueled rock holodeck.

The music? They played Plush, Vasoline, Big Bang Baby and Interstate Love Song, of course. And three other less famous ones.

Lollapalooza Lineup Announced

Sometime in the past few years, North America became as festival-happy as the Brits and Euros have been for years. Bonaroo, Sasquatch and the current favorite Coachella have helped warm U.S. audiences to the idea of spending several days without showering and using port-a-johns. [As an aside, port-a-johns now have port-a-sinks outside the actual port-a-john where one can wash their hands. This and the iPhone all in one decade!] This year, more festivals than ever are vying for your entertainment, devalued dollar; one new one being Jersey City's All Points West.

The grandaddy of them all, of course, is Lollapalooza, Perry Farrell's once-touring festival that made its name in the 90s bringing bands like Pearl Jam and Pavement to the masses. Beginning a few years ago, Lolla pared down to a single location, single weekend show, camping out in Chicago's Grant Park. The lineups have perennially been fantastic. This year's lineup has just been announced and it's a doozie. Some of the bigger names include Radiohead, Rage Against The Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Kanye West and Wilco. Wow. The festival takes pace August 1-3. The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot has some reaction here.

Highlights include hometown heroes Kanye as well as Wilco and, of course, one of Radiohead's summer stops. But the festival also succeeds with it's mid-tier and more indie names - Grizzly Bear, MGMT, Okkervil River, CSS and the Weakerthans will all be there. So, um, pretty kickass.

Definitely worth a trip to Chicago. Stop in at the Weiner's Circle while you're there.

Pic via NME.

Norah Jones Has A Side Project With Bad Words

If you follow Norah Jones or live in New York City, you may know about El Madmo, the Norah Jones "rock band" that periodically plays on the Lower East Side and features songs that are not typical Norah fare. You may also, like some of those familiar with this project, find it annoying that Norah seems to be a bit overprotective of herself, keeping her shows secret and even taking to wearing makeup and masks to hide her identity. Norah - it's New York - NO ONE CARES.

Anyway, El Madmo are making el record and want you to buy it. Norah is known as "Maddie." According to their site, they have a potentially raw sound. Potentially raw? What is it now? Though that may be a joke. There are a lot of jokes on their site. You can also stream music there. They even have a song called Vampire Man, firmly establishing their nomenclature skills in the indie zeitgeist.

RickRolling Is Here To Stay!

Well, now it's official - RickRolling is an international phenomenon, Reuters having now noticed. For those not up to speed, rickrolling is a phenomenon whereby websurfers are duped into clicking through attractive links only to be faced with YouTubage of 80s star Rick Astley performing his magahit Never Gonna Give You Up. As with all internet phenomena, it was funny at first, then fun for awhile, but now has become, well, annoying. But not to Harvey Lunchpail and Joe SixPack, who are just now discovering the joys of rickrolling. Not to mention the joys of Astley, who has seen iTunes sales skyrocket in the past few months.

Nick Lowe, however, would find all this ghastly.

If You're In New York Tonight...

...Why not head over to Jay-Z's place? Word on the street is that he and Beyonce may be getting married today, may have already gotten married, maybe having a party for no reason, or maybe having a party for the reason that the former major label exec has just signed a $150 million deal with Live Nation. Either way, it's a party. Show up around, hmmm, ten? Bring something. Diddy's going.

Majors Deal With MySpace

Everyone knows that the music industry model is changing, and that the majors are falling fastest, but it's still amusing to see them attempt to play catch-up with the rest of, well, the world. Witness the latest MySpace deal, which sees three of the four remaining majors, Sony, Universal and Warners (EMI is expected to join soon), signing a deal to participate in a new MySpace music destination. MySpace will relaunch its existing music site to include the entire digital catalogs of the participating labels; users will be able to stream, download or pay for subscriptions.

The move is a great deal for MySpace, and an unsurprising one for the labels. MySpace, steadily losing traffic to Facebook, pumps some new life into its brand. The labels, however, could once again be behind the times. Yes, MySpace has a proven track record, but in the social networking world, popular destinations come and go. MySpace has been here awhile... how long will users and listeners continue to go there?

Don't Look At Him!!!!

The UK's awesome Popbitch email newsletter has an amusing tidbit regarding Smashing Pumpkin/failed Zwanner Billy Corgan and his curious lil' demands on set of an Aussie TV shoot. Nothing too shocking if you are at all familiar with pretentious, self-involved rockers, but worth a glance nonetheless. A defibrillator in case he is shocked by... the Pumpkins relevance? Or lack thereof?

Smashing Pumpkins have just done a show in Australia for MTV. Singer Billy Corgan requested for his rider a defibrillator and an ambulance. And crew claim they weren't allowed to walk in his line of sight while he was playing.

Weezer Are Weezer, Again

First came Weezer. Then came Weezer. This year? Weezer. The LA power poppers recently revealed that their new album will drop on June 17 and will be called simply Weezer. Of course, this will be the third self-titled Weezer album and speculation is that this will come to be known as the Red album, following previous Blue and Green self-titled releases. As with the Green album, this seems to be a back to basics-esque "statement" reaffirming their purpose. After lazy efforts like Beverly Hills, that can only be a good thing.

New "Kids" On The Block

It's unclear who precisely was clamoring for this reunion, but it's here: turn of the 90s teen idols New Kids On The Block are (gulp) BACK, and they're ready to... well, not rock, but sing. And, presumably, dance. Yahoo has exclusively released the first new press photo of the quintet since their heyday - that's it above. In case you can't recognize them, here goes: hangin' tough from left to right, Joe McIntyre, Jonathan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan Knight and Danny Wood. They actually look normal now that they've grown out of those awkward teen years. But whither the acid washed denim? It's been replaced with shiny, very non-fire-retardant sports jackets and slacks. Do not light a match around this all-grown-up boy band!

Tune in to the Today show on Friday if you want to hear the "big" New Kids On the Block announcement. Wonder if it'll be a tour. Hmmm, who knows.

Jazzin' Death Cab For Freakin' Jazzin' Cutie

Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie, ever the iconoclast, has announced some interesting new pursuits he's following. Specifically a project called Just Jazzin', in which the Death Cab vocalist explores his jazzy side via the venerable vessel of the xylophone. According to his MySpace:

"....there’s this side of me and my music that desires a lack of structure and Just Jazzin’ does that for me because I am allowed to just play whatever note comes into my head", says Ben.

I doubt the April 1 press release date had anything to do with anything.

WEILAND OUT

It's official!

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Velvet Revolver founding members Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum and Dave Kushner announced today that they are parting ways with singer Scott Weiland. "This band is all about its fans and its music and Scott Weiland isn't 100% committed to either," said Slash. "Among other things, his increasingly erratic on-stage behavior and personal problems have forced us to move on."