Today's News: Dicks, Chicks, and more.

Ugh. I hate the Emmy's. Every year they just serve to piss me off. A Heroes nomination, but no Lost? Grey's Anatomy but no Friday Night Lights? C'mon, now.

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Hypocritically, I'll follow that by praising them for nominating the now-classic SNL Sketch "Dick In A Box" for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. This is one of my favorite songs/video clips of the year.

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I didn't even know there was a Hard Rock Park being built in Myrtle Beach, much less that it featured a Led Zeppelin roller coaster that's now apparently finished. I want to go back, play some more par-3 golf, some more putt putt, and rock out to A Whole Lotta Love.

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Watch Amy Winehouse build her beehive haircut. How much do you think that makes her head weigh?

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I Guess I'm Floating has an mp3 cover of Avril Lavigne trying to sing Coldplay's The Scientist. I don't like it, so I'm not linking to it. You can go over there if you really want to hear it.

Today's News: Don't Read

Ooh, two days in a row. Here we go!

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Pras says the Fugees ain't reuniting. “Me and ‘Clef, we on the same page, but Lauryn is in her zone, and I’m fed up with that shit. Here she is, blessed with a gift, with the opportunity to rock and give and she’s running on some bullshit? I’m a fan of Lauryn’s but I can’t respect that.”

I'd be fed up with that shit, too.

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In the most recent issue of XXL, 50 Cent blames reading too much for Nas's dropoff in sales. "You have people that are extremely book smart that lack common sense so they don’t know what’s going to affect their audience."

In other news, I'm still dying to hear Nas's Hip Hop is Dead

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The White Stripes played a one-note show in Canada yesterday. Yup. One note. This, after playing on boats and buses and all sorts of wacky places.

The News, Finally: Lots of Pumpkins

Yeah, I'm starting to slip on the blogging. I need to get my mojo back.

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Apparently, Dispatch reunited at Madison Square Garden in New York this weekend. They're officially the first independent band in history to sell out the arena. Comparatively, the White Stripes' show there next week still has tickets available.

I guess not all that surprising, since their, until-yesterday, final show brought 110,000 people to Massachussetts.

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Billy Corgan continues to reveal himself as Rock Music's biggest ass. His open letter is the most arrogant thing I've ever read, which does make it pretty funny, but also makes it sad and irritating.

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Doesn't help that apparently the band's not backing up his cockiness with their poorly-paced live show...

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Keeping the Pumpkins news coming, their new album includes an insert featuring Paris Hilton photographs taken by Billy Corgan. Weird.

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Okay, this is it, I swear. Explosions in the Sky are opening for the Pumpkins for 11 dates. That's really cool, but I have this weird thing with Explosions, where I really think I'd rather watch them in some sort of outdoor arena. Something like Wolftrap. Explosions in the Sky under the stars, that's what I want.

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The Mercury Prize finalists, aka a list of british artists worth looking into, have been announced. I for one am pulling for an Arctic Monkeys two-peat. I simply love Favourite Worst Nightmare

Today's News: Blank

Honestly, not much happening in the music world that I care all that much about.

But there is this. Bruce Springsteen may be releasing a new album with the E Street Band soon? Given that The Rising, their last album together, is one of my all-time favs, I couldn't be more thrilled. And a Bruce + E Street show might be the show I most want to see these days.

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This isn't music news, but given that there's nothing happening in the music world that I care about, I'll comment that Bush is a shameless liar.

And is it just me, or does every week seem to bring a new Republican caught in acts of sexual misconduct? These are the same people that screamed for Bill Clinton's head. How ironic.

Without a Doubt, Today's News

I should get paid for this shit.

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(The) Pixies aren't planning to release a new album. I couldn't really care less, as I only like a couple of their songs, but I know some of my readers might care. That said, they do put on a sweet show - they're so much better live - and I do feel a touch guilty having seen them while none of my pixies-loving friends have.

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The Apple iTunes store is officially the nation's third largest music retailer, after Wal-Mart and Best Buy.

In related news, Rolling Stone's got an interesting article about the fall of the music industry. It's true. They really fucked up when they sued Napster into irrelevancy.

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The biggest news of the day - No Doubt reunited for four songs at Gwen Stefani's recent show in Irvine. They came out for her encore, performing "Just A Girl," "Sunday Morning," "Spiderwebs," and "Hella Good." Excepting the last song, a solid treat for anyone there.

They've got a new album on the way. All of this hopefully means solo-Gwen will disappear for awhile.

Video of "Just A Girl" below:

Today's News: Lunch, Fire, and Ozzy

It's been slow in the news lately. Here's what we got:

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I want a Kurt Cobain lunchbox...

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Amy Winehouse may sing the next bond theme. She would be my favorite bond singer in recent memory.

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Arcade Fire are touring with LCD Soundsystem. This tour will sell out about 1 second after it goes on sale, no joke. And it'll be the greatest show ever. Because while I love AF, they truly are so much better live.

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Ozzy Osbourne sold his house to Christina Aguilera.

“I don’t want to stay in that house any more,” Ozzy reportedly said. “The house holds bad memories for me because it reminds me of the terrible time Sharon got cancer and of times when me and the kids were doped out of our minds.”

Oooookay.

New Week, New News

Back again with the daily news update.

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The Go! Team has signed to Sub-Pop records, the former home of Nirvana and current home of The Shins. This also means their new album has a title and a release date. Proof of Youth hits on September 11, and if it's half as good as Thunder, Lightning, Strike, I'll be impressed.

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Apparently The Police ended their set at Bonnaroo an hour early. Weird. Meanwhile, jazz legend Ornette Coleman collapsed from heat stroke (sad), Lily Allen downed half a bottle of Jagermeister on stage (badass), and it was dry and dusty as hell (sucks). You'll get the full, trippy report from my friend John in the field when he returns to civilization.

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Sonic Youth are recording a new track for a Starbucks compilation cd in their honor. If it follows the style of Rather Ripped, which I loved, I'll be a happy camper.

Morning News Roundup

It's a good time to recap some of the random, cool stuff going on, so let's dooo eeet.

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Got $500? Want to go on a cruise with Ben Folds? Now's your chance! It's the Ben Folds Experience!!

(Note: this is over my birthday next year. Mom, Dad? Take a hint?)

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Spoon has spent the last week releasing a song from their new album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, every day. All but two are available here. I'm a big fan of "The Underdog."

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Radiohead's new album is "nearly there." I guess that's really all there is to say about that.

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Bonnaroo starts today. I've gone from indifferent to madly jealous. I'd kill to be seeing The Police, White Stripes, Spoon, Ben Harper, The Hold Steady, Annuals, Lily Allen, Superjam (feat. John Paul Jones, Ben Harper, and ?uestlove), and The Flaming Lips (2.5 hours at midnight! Even better than My Morning Jacket last year!).

And I wouldn't complain about getting to see Wilco, Franz Ferdinand, Manu Chao, The Roots, Kings of Leon, Regina Spektor, or Rodrigo y Gabriela again.

Catch the live feed here, at the AT&T Blueroom (which is pissing me off, because they aren't re-posting the acts from Coachella I really want to watch).

I'm sure I'll be feeling the same jealousy again when the V Festival starts.

Monday's News

Wake up, kids! It's time for a new week, and your friendly neighborhood b-digs has a job!

Let's celebrate with some news.

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Kanye West and John Mayer have been working on a collaboration for years. It's finally done, and it'll be on West's new album, Graduation. Check it out here.

I love West and Mayer, but I'm mixed on the song. It's certainly no "Stronger"...

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In other Kanye news, it appears they're still mis-spelling his name Kayne on more than just his plastic.

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Did you miss the big Rage Against The Machine reunion at Coachella? Don't have tickets to their Rock The Bells shows? You're in luck.

They've just announced their first independent show...and it's in Wisconsin. Yep. Wisconsin.

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The greatest of all supergroups, The Traveling Wilburys, are getting their two albums reissued. The albums - Volume 1 and Volume 3 - will be released along with 4 bonus tracks and a DVD featuring home movies. Home movies of Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and George Harrison? That's just awesome.

In honor, check out the video for "End of the Line." Like everything about the band, it's never in-your-face. They could have really overdone it, as Orbison died briefly after the album was released and the lyrics are totally fitting. But instead, notice how subtly they work his part in -- just the occasionaly glance at the side of the screen of his guitar sitting in a rocking chair, and a single look at a framed photo of him. It's very poignant.

Today's News That I Care About (and you should too)

I would say today's music news was dominated by Paris Hilton's triumphant return to prison, but we all know she doesn't make music. I'd bet those cries of "help, mom!" were about as melodic as she gets.

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Common's in the midst of finishing up his new album, which has me totally psyched, because I love every second of Be. Plus, he gets some help from my favorite little British girl, Lily Allen, who sings the hook on one of the songs. Common claims to have some songwriting inspiration from his recent film work, which has him focusing more on the characters in his rhymes.

Which leads me to the trailer for American Gangster, a movie I'm immeasurably psyched for, in part because Common appears to be wearing...exactly what he always wears. Costuming and casting departments went balls-out with that one.

But seriously, it's got Denzel and Russell Crowe, as well as Chiwetel Ejiofor and Common, and it's directed by Ridley Scott. It'll be awesome.

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Andre 3000's set to play Sammy Davis, Jr. in a biopic. I guess this is the 4th Sammy Davis, Jr. biopic currently in production? Overkill? Maybe?

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Biopics in general are in overkill. Off the top of my head, there are the 4 about SD, Jr.; there's Control about Joy Division's Ian Curtis; there's the James Brown biopic with Spike Lee, the two Janis Joplin biopics with Renee Zellweger and Zooey Deschanel, the Debbie Harry biopic with Kirsten Dunst, and a recently greenlit Mamas And The Papas biopic (really? we really need a Mamas And The Papas biopic?). And I'm sure there are many more I'm not thinking of.

God damn you, Ray and Walk The Line. This is getting worse than comic book movies.