Music News & Videos

Not only did Carrie Underwood end 2008 as the top selling country female touring artist, but she also wrapped up the eventful year with many of her music videos breaking records.  She was the most-streamed artist on the Country Music TV website, with her "All-American Girl" video boasting more than 1.4 million streams for the year.  Her video for "Just a Dream" earned the top spot on the year-end edition of CMT's Top 20 Countdown.  Even more impressive was the fact that the video spent all but two weeks in the Top 5 during its 16-week run on the countdown.

In the mood for a quick update on your favorite American Idol alumni as we head into the New Year?  Look no further than our news blog: The Idol who started it all, Kelly Clarkson, has a new single that will hit U.S. radio outlets on January 19.  According to Billboard, "My Life Would Suck Without You" will be the song to introduce the as-yet-untitled album, due out March 17.  Although an official track list hasn't even been announced, the early buzz is that the album is going to be top notch.  Kelly worked with producer/songwriter Dr. Luke and One Republic frontman Ryan Tedder on this CD, which is her follow up to 2007's "My December". Last year, Kelly stopped by to perform on the set of Australian Idol, and we have her post-performance video--watch now! Jennifer Hudson will join the ranks of Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Tim McGraw, Josh Groban, and other artists to perform at the 2009 MusiCares Person of the Year gala on Feb. 6 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  MusiCares, the charitable division of the Recording Academy, will honor the legendary Neil Diamond for his philanthropic work at this year’s event.  These artists will take on a song from the Diamond music gallery. Fantasia fans will be thrilled to hear that the season three winner is heading back into the studio to work on her new album with singer/producer Raphael Saadiq. Check out Fantasia in this Idol Alumni video as she talks about what went into making her last album.

With 2008 on the verge of becoming a distant, boozy memory, join the Rock Daily crew as we look back at the year that was. Ah, 2008, the year Chinese Democracy became a reality, Obama was elected President, Britney Spears went from crazy mama to hot mami. To quote our favorite Kanye West rant of ‘08, it was the year of the “Squid Brains.” But who was the year’s most-blogged-about star? What posts did the readers comment on the most? How many times did we discuss the Phish reunion and the R. Kelly sex tape? And how many times did David Archuleta fans demand that we “eat our hat?” All those answers and more as we blog down Rock Daily’s best moments of the year:

Most commented, non-Rock List:

• Robert Pattinson Vs. The Jonas Brothers: Who Has the Crazier Fans?
• Guns N’ Roses Return To Radio With “Chinese Democracy”
• The 2008 MTV VMAs Live Blog: It Has To Be Better Than Last Year
• Mellencamp Asks McCain to Stop Using Tunes

Most commented, Rock List:

• Weekend Rock List: Readers’ Top Albums of 2008
• Weekend Rock List: Next Velvet Revolver Singer
• Weekend Rock List: Best Beatles Covers

Most commented Comment of the Week:
• (Comment of the Week: When Teenyboppers Attack)

• Number of times Kanye West appeared in the headlines: 90
• Number of times Britney Spears appeared in the headlines: 85 (2007 Headlines: 86. That’s consistency.)
• Number of times Metallica appeared in the headlines: 74
• Number of times Radiohead appeared in the headlines: 65
• Number of times Barack Obama appeared in the headlines: 52
• Number of times Bruce Springsteen appeared in the headlines: 51
• Number of times AC/DC appeared in the headlines: 41
• Number of times Led Zeppelin appeared in he headlines: 32
• Number of times Chinese Democracy appeared in the headlines: 28
• Number of times Enuff Z’Nuff appeared in the headlines: 1 (Tied their 2007 number!)
• Number of times we had to report on that really creepy R. Kelly sex tape trial: 17
• Number of stories concerning the whereabouts of Roger Waters’ escaped inflatable pig: 3
• Number of stories concerning Roger Waters without mentioning his escaped inflatable pig: 1
• Number of bad Lil Wayne “A Milli” Jokes: 5

• Number of Phish reunion stories: 10
• Number of Blur reunion stories: 6
• Number of My Bloody Valentine reunion stories: 5
• Number of Toadies reunion stories: 3
• Number of Creed reunion stories: 1 too many
• Number of Pavement reunion stories: 0

• Number of times we received death threats from David Archuleta fans because we didn’t enjoy their boy hero’s debut single “Crush” all that much: 1
(David Archuleta Debuts First Single “Crush”)

• Number of times we probably would have received death threats from Jack White had our inbox not been full: 1
(Is the Second Raconteurs Album Coming Out Next Week?)

Number of Live Blogs: 5

• The Grammy Nomination Show Live Blog: Foo Fighters, Mariah Carey and a Bunch of Names
• TR-Later! Rock Daily’s Farewell to “TRL” Live Blog
• The 2008 MTV VMAs Live Blog: It Has To Be Better Than Last Year
• Archuleta or Cook? The Last “American Idol” Countdown (And Live Blog) Begins
• 2008 Grammys Live Blog: Harder, Better, Faster, Blogger

And that’s it, folks! Happy new year and we’ll see you in ‘09!

We love it when Breaking Artists make good and wind up on our Best Albums of the Year list, like Fleet Foxes, Jamey Johnson, the Knux and Bon Iver did in 2008. Here’s a look back at their Breaking videos, plus two bonus clips — Deerhunter busking on a Brooklyn street and Sam Champion rocking out in their van. To review all our 2008 Breaking stories, performances, exclusive downloads, video premieres and more, spend your holiday weekend with the Breaking Blog.

Fleet Foxes

Jamey Johnson

The Knux

Bon Iver

Deerhunter

Sam Champion

Two time zones, two different coasts, 1,000 screaming kids, two live shows, one plane ride, four weddings and one Miley Cyrus — that pretty much sums up my New Year’s ‘09 celebrations and the next 24 hours of my life!

I arrived at LAX yesterday for one of our biggest shows of the year: “FNMTV Presents: A Miley-Sized Surprise … New Year’s Eve 2009″ (long title, huh?). As always, MTV’s annual New Year’s show will be broadcast live from New York’s Times Square — but this year we’re spicing things up in a very big way. And that’s what brings me to the Los Angeles area.

Right now, I’m not allowed to say too much, because the whole show is a big surprise, and the show’s concept is being kept secret until we go live on the air. But when I walked on-set today and saw the whole setup, one thing is for sure: This is going to be a really HUGE show … and definitely one of the most fun shows I’ve done yet!!! Tune in at 8 p.m. ET to MTV, and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.

Then, as soon as I wrap the show, there’s no time to celebrate, as I have to head straight to LAX and catch the red-eye flight back to NYC to shoot another live show from Times Square.

That’s right, I’ll be ringing in the new year on top of the world — well, 30,000 feet in the air to be exact — on a plane at midnight.

The show on New Year’s Day is “Engaged and Underage: The Bridal Bowl Special.” I’ll be hosting the special alongside Speidi (yes, Spencer and Heidi from “The Hills”) and the lovely Kim Stolz, as we marry four couples live on TV.

So, from a Miley-sized New Year’s Eve on the West Coast to a mammoth four-hour live TV marathon in New York, this is definitely going to be a New Year’s I won’t forget!

Whatever you’re doing on New Year’s, be safe and have a great time! Happy New Year, everyone!

In true Las Vegas fashion, Sin City will usher in the New Year with “Tribute Palooza,” a concert featuring performances by David Bowie, the Eagles, U2, Kiss, the Rolling Stones, Queen, Aerosmith and Billy Joel… impersonators. 2U will substitute for U2, Queen Nation will copycat Freddie Mercury, Aeromyth will channel Aerosmith, the Long Run will welcome you to the Hotel California and much, much more. Unfortunately, despite the presence of not one but two KISS cover bands, neither act is the Rock Daily faves Mini-KISS. The whole fake fest party will go down at Vegas’ infamously tented Fremont Street, where two stages will be erected to give fans 14 hours of cover-song goodness. Now, if this bonanza of unoriginality sounds like the lamest way to spend your New Year’s Eve… well, you’re probably right. Thankfully, Rock Daily is your guide to having a much better December 31st than witnessing Satisfaction, a Rolling Stones Tribute. Behold, our New Year’s Eve guide, featuring the best concerts going down tonight across the country:

• New Year’s Eve Rock Guide: The Night’s Biggest Shows, From My Morning Jacket to Wu-Tang Clan

What were the best movies of the year? What were the worst letdowns? Peter Travers explains what was so great about Gus Van Sant’s Milk, Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire and Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight — and why 007 flick Quantum of Solace, hideous epic Australia and vampire love story Twilight were massive cinematic bummers.

• Peter Travers on the Year’s Best and Bummers

The Big News: Taylor Swift managed to keep the top spot on love lockdown for yet another week, selling 262,000 more copies of Fearless (which went double platinum). Platinum was the theme of the week as Britney Spears’ Circus, Nickelback’s Dark Horse, Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak and the Twilight soundtrack all crossed the million-selling plateau on their way to charting at three through six, respectively. Beyoncé’s I Am… Sasha Fierce jumped from five to second place thanks to an additional 210,000 copies sold, while Kanye leapt from 11 to five thanks to that repackaged 808s with the new artwork. With four of the top six releases geared toward females, it’s comforting to know women are at least still purchasing CDs.

Debuts: At 81, the self-titled album from a band called Brutha charted. That was the only debut on the entire Top 200 this week.

Last Week’s Heroes: Keyshia Cole’s A Different Me and Jamie Foxx’s Intuition couldn’t sustain their big debut weeks as Cole dropped from two to seven and Foxx followed from three to nine. Last week’s anti-hero, Fall Out Boy’s Folie a Deux, continued to chart with a whimper, falling from eight to 18. And Guns n’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy shockingly gained momentum, gaining from 33 to 25 thanks to a 9 percent sales increase. With no major releases on deck for these next four Tuesdays (yesterday included), and barring some out-of-left-field Juno-like success story, it’s conceivable that Swift might own the Number One spot until Bruce Springsteen’s Working on a Dream comes out on January 27th.

Brooklyn rockers Love As Laughter’s 2008 disc Holy — a Smoking Section favorite — was produced with a little help from Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock, who signed the band to his Epic imprint, Glacial Pace. The crew recently popped by the Rolling Stone offices to perform “Crosseyed Beautiful Youngunz” from Holy, as well as their newest track, “Cats.” Check out both tunes right here:

• Love As Laughter Enter the Smoking Section

• Jennifer Hudson’s estranged brother-in-law William Balfour was indicted on three charges of murder and one count of home invasion for allegedly killing Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew in October. Prosecutors painted Balfour as a “jealous man” who murdered his ex-wife Julia Hudson’s family because he thought Julia had a new boyfriend.

• The Hard Rock amusement park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is in danger of closing down for good after an auction earlier this month failed to even secure a minimum bid of $35 million. The $400 million park filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September as the first owners looked to sell the property. A spokesperson said the park would not open in 2009 without new ownership in place.
• Rapper DMX will spend at least 90 days in jail after pleading guilty to three felony charges of drug, theft and animal cruelty. DMX will remain in custody until his sentencing on January 30th. As part of the deal, the rapper also agrees not to own both guns and animals anymore.

Well, that was fast. Just days after telling a St. Louis newspaper that Guns n’ Roses were planning a two-year tour set to embark in March, guitarist Richard Fortus is now saying he was “misquoted” in the article. “OK, it seems that I am being misquoted once again,” Fortus told fans in a statement. “I never said that Gn’R would be playing St. Louis, nor did I say that we will be doing free shows or that we are starting a two-year tour in March! Selective hearing. Never said it.” Fortus’ denials come after the article printed quotes regarding Fortus and Rose joking about Gn’R’s return to St. Louis.

Let’s face facts: Fortus probably made some passing comments about an upcoming Chinese Democracy tour, but when word spread of Fortus’ interview Guns’ management probably told him to can the rumors. The “two-year tour” rumor did seem overly long, however, especially considering Axl Rose’s involvement. Still, sources previously told Rolling Stone that Gn’R plan to tour in some capacity in 2009.

Denying statements you just made has become somewhat of a tradition lately in the Gn’R camp: Just yesterday, Fernando Lepeis denied the band’s “Better” video was being held up legally by Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, despite Lepeis making that exact statement just hours earlier. And this has been your last Guns n’ Roses post of 2008 … we think.

Related Stories:

• Guns n’ Roses Guitarist: “Chinese Democracy” Tour To Start In March, Last “At Least Two Years”
• Why “Black Ice” Beat “Chinese Democracy”: The Tale of Wal-Mart Vs. Best Buy
• Did Axl Rose Swindle Guns n’ Roses and Steal Slash’s Song? A Guide to Rose’s Online Rants

Not only did Carrie Underwood end 2008 as the top selling country female touring artist, but she ... read more

Randy Jackson has teamed up with the American Heart Association for a second year to help people living with type 2 diabetes understand the importance ... read more

Randy Jackson has teamed up with the American Heart Association for a second year to help people living with type 2 diabetes understand the importance ... read more

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Britney’s breakdown (and comeback!); Metallica’s Death Magnetic; the long-awaited arrival of Chinese Democracy; the death of drummer Mitch Mitchell; the crowning of a new American Idol; the crowning of a new president — the year’s biggest stories were all documented right here in Rock Daily. For a month-by-month guide of 2008’s most important album releases, deaths, festivals and more, check out our annual wrap-up here:

• 2008’s Biggest Stories

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Photo: Getty

Tonight the Kennedy Center Honors airs at 9 p.m. on CBS. Why do you care? Because it’s the generally stuffy Washington, D.C. affair’s most rocking ceremony in its 31-year history: As we reported from the scene earlier this month, the Who will be the first-ever rock band honored at the event, which this year also features tributes to Twyla Tharp, Morgan Freeman, Barbra Streisand and George Jones.

Joss Stone slinked about the stage in bare feet singing “My Generation,” Chris Cornell took on “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” attempting Roger Daltrey’s wild-boy act, Bettye LaVette sang a bluesy “Love Reign O’er Me”, Rob Thomas attempted “Baba O’Riley” and Dave Grohl rocked the hell out of “Who Are You.” But before all that, Jack Black kicked things off with this awesome introduction:

“When I was 10, I fell in love with the Who. I saw Tommy and was deeply moved. I wasn’t deaf, dumb or blind, but I wanted to be felt, seen, heard and healed. Seriously, I’m not going for laughs here … When I first heard them in 1979, it hit me like a torpedo in my third eye. It was a collection of ass-kicking songs the likes of which we will never see again. And it’s about time they get some sweet-ass recognish.”

The full report — stocked with details you won’t see on TV! — can only be found right here:

• <a href="
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/12/08/dave-grohl-chris-cornell-pay-tribute-to-the-who-at-the-kennedy-center-honors/" target="blank">Dave Grohl, Chris Cornell Pay Tribute to the Who at the Kennedy Center Honors

Freak-folk icon Devendra Banhart’s new project Megapuss pals around with Fab Moretti’s (of the Strokes) side project Little Joy — who you may remember from their exclusive Smoking Section performance — in the latter’s new video for “No One’s Better Sake.” Dig the Seventies, Sesame Street-style graphics above.

Related Stories:

• Album Review: Megapuss’ Surfing
• Devendra Banhart’s Bizarro Rock Memorabilia
• Little Joy Enters the Smoking Section

For about eight hours on Monday, AFI bassist Hunter Burgan was engaged to actress Zooey Deschanel.

At least, that’s the way In Touch Weekly reported things yesterday morning, erroneously writing that the couple had gotten engaged during the holidays and that they were “so excited” to spend the rest of their lives together. It all sounded very lovely — if not a little bit odd — but it wasn’t true.

As we know by now, Deschanel did get engaged over the holidays, but it wasn’t to Burgan — rather, Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard (a source close to the couple confirmed the news to MTV Monday afternoon. Needless to say, it was fairly awkward, and not just because Burgan had reportedly dated Deschanel in the past. In Touch would soon correct the mistake, but that did little to stem the tide of reports that Burgan was betrothed.

So, how did he go about setting the record straight? Why, Facebook and Twitter updates, of course.

First, he changed his Facebook status to read “Hunter Burgan is not engaged,” and then he took to Twitter, writing, “No, I’m not engaged. However Perez Hilton did mention me twice today.” (Oh snap!)

Perhaps feeling that he’d said enough, Burgan has maintained radio silence since, and though he’ll soon probably be relegated to “that bass player dude from AFI” status once again, we’d like to applaud Burgan for handling the incident in perhaps the most 21st-century way possible. It’s not inconceivable to say that the days of publicists and press releases might soon be a thing of the past … all manner of public incidents (arrests, marriages, divorces) will be addressed in 25 words or less — and for that, he’s a real trailblazer. At the very least, Burgan can probably teach Courtney Love a thing or two about blogging. It’s all about the brevity, Court.

Irish rockers Bell X1 will return March 3rd with Blue Lights on the Runway, the follow-up to this year’s Flock. Singer-guitarist Paul Noonan says the group’s new sound is “a little bit electronic, a little bit Bacharach, a little bit New Orleans Funeral March.” Hmm. Judge for yourself on the Breaking Blog, where you can nab a free download of “How Your Heart Is Wired”:

• • Download Bell X1’s “How Your Heart Is Wired”

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Irish rockers Bell X1 will return March 3rd with *Blue Lights on the Runway*, the follow-up to this year's *Flock*. Singer-guitarist Paul Noonan said the group started recording the new disc last November in a "big, draughty, stately home called Ballycumber House, under the beady gaze of musty portraits of the Lords and Ladies of the estate from the 15th century. We wanted to make something different, something tight and coherent from start to finish. Where we've landed is a little bit electronic, a little bit Bacharach, a little bit New Orleans Funeral March." Judge for yourself here, with a free download of a band-new *Runway* track: "How Your Heart Is Wired"
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You’ve read Rolling Stone’s lists of the top albums and singles of the year — and checked out readers’ picks for LPs, songs and videos — but what did the folks who work at RS name their personal favorites? Here’s how critic Will Hermes ranked the year’s best:

Albums

Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
TV On The Radio – Dear Science
Santogold - Santogold
The Hold Steady – Stay Positive
Ponytail - Ice Cream Spiritual
Kathleen Edwards – Asking For Flowers
Rudresh Mahanthappa - Kinsmen
Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend
Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit - Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit Are the Very Best
Kasai All Stars – In The 7th Moon, The Chief Turned Into A Swimming Fish and Ate the Head of His Enemy By Magic

Singles

Blitzen Trapper - “Furr”
MGMT - “Time To Pretend”
Erykah Badu - “The Healer/Hip Hop”
The Walkmen - “In The New Year”
Hot Chip - “Shake A Fist”
Sigur Ros - “Gobbledigook”
Jamey Johnson - “High Cost of Living”
Santogold - “Lights Out”
Ida Maria - “Oh My God”
Hercules and Love Affair - “Blind”

In Part II of our special Year in Music New Music Report, Christian Hoard dissects Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Singles of 2008 list — led by Beyonc&233;’s “Single Ladies” — and reveals his personal picks for the category, which include tunes by the Knux and Ida Maria. Plus, a look at the Best & Worst Ideas in Rock, from selling your record at Wal-Mart and outsourcing your lead singer (a la Journey’s Arnel Pineda) to bragging about leaking Chinese Democracy and giving your kid a ludicrous name. And our holiday gift to you: a look back at one of our favorite RS videos of the year: MGMT’s hippie-dance lesson from backstage at Bonnaroo.

>>Watch every episode of our weekly New Music Report video podcast by subscribing via iTunes (when prompted, click “Launch application”). Every Tuesday, a new episode will be delivered to your iTunes. [If you don’t have iTunes, download it here.

By now, you’re probably aware that Bristol Palin, the 18-year-old daughter of former Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin, gave birth to a son over the weekend, a seven-pound, four-ounce bundle of joy rather majestically named Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston.

By naming her son Tripp, Bristol kept in line with the men of the Palin clan (her father is named Todd, and she’s got brothers named Track and Trig), and while lil’ Tripp’s namesake can’t match the sheer WTF-ness of, say, Bronx Mowgli Wentz, we’re still big fans of the handle. After all, it not only recalls the windswept vistas of Alaska’s north — and “American Psycho” author Bret Easton Ellis — but it also makes him sound like a character in “Dazed and Confused” (”Tripp Johnston … Alright, alright, alright!”).

Having said all that, we’re still a little disappointed in Bristol (and the hockey-playing father, Levi Johnston). Being the offspring/unwed mother of a very public figure affords you all sorts of latitude when it comes to choosing a name for your baby — the weirder and more incomprehensible the better (Nic Cage named his son Kal-el, for crying out loud). It’s a tremendous opportunity to foist another bizarrely named child onto the unsuspecting public … a responsibility that is, frankly, part of your celeb/civic duty. It should be embraced, not shirked.

We’re willing to give Bristol a do-over, considering this is the first time she’s done this. Still, we’d be remiss if we didn’t offer up a host of other names for young Tripp, just in case she wants to change the birth certificate (and since her mom is the governor of Alaska, she can probably do this). Consider your options, B, and let us know what you think:

» Tab Easton Mitchell Johnston
» Trap Star Easton Mitchell Johnston (Young Jeezy Approved!)
» Maverick (just Maverick)
» Easton Mitchell Easton Mitchell Johnston
» DJ Z-Trip(p)
» Trim Trabb. This is a really great song on Blur’s 1999 album 13 (we’re old.)
» Trick Trick
» Tic Tac Easton Mitchell Johnston
» Tush. Like the ZZ Top Song. There is a 99-percent chance your dad owns this on cassette!
» Joe Six-Pack Easton Mitchell Johnston

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According to the Chinese calendar, 2008 was the year of the rat. But if you ask us, ‘08 belongs to a different animal: The Collabo. And no artists cross-pollinated more than Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump (he got down with Questlove!), Elvis Costello (he went emo!) and T-Pain (he was permanently attached to a vocoder!) Here’s your guide to this year’s most collabo-happy stars:

Photo:Coppola/Wireimage

Patrick Stump
Collaborations: Gym Class Heroes; Tyga; Pete Wentz protégées the Cab. And Stump’s stamp was all over hip-hop — he teamed up with Ne-Yo (”Finish Your Food”), the Roots (”Birthday Girl”) and T.I. (”Out in the Cold”) — but none of the tracks made the final versions of their respective albums.
Signature Sound: Emo meets blue-eyed soul
Hottest Track: “One of Those Nights.” On this strutting Cab cut, Stump plays a man begging a girl for a second chance (”I’m a mess… just give me time”). His wince is so desperate that it might just do the trick.
This Is Why He’s Hot: He’s a slave-driver. “For as little as he is, dude’s pretty fucking militant,” says GCH frontman Travis McCoy. “He’ll be like, ‘Travis, hit this note!’ and I’ll be like, ‘Just tune that shit!’ and he’ll say, ‘Just fuckin’ be a man and hit that shit!’ I got four feet on the dude, and he’s putting me in check.”

Photo: Caulfield/Getty

T-Pain
Collaborations: Lil Wayne; Kanye West; Mary J. Blige; Chris Brown; Ludacris; Akon; Mariah Carey; Flo Rida; Ciara; Rick Ross; Kardinal Offishall; Lil Mama; DJ Khaled; 2 Pistols; Ace Hood; Jamie Foxx; Tim McGraw (reportedly)
Signature Sound: Auto-Tune, obvs
Hottest Track: “Got Money.” While Lil Wayne brags about his “Winn Dixie grocery bags full of money” being delivered to the club, T-Pain sings his way into VIP section.
This Is Why He’s Hot: Despite his shiny grill, his Dr. Seuss-biting style and his strip-club obsession, Pain is a pretty regular dude. “I call me and T-Pain ‘the Dynamic Underdogs,’ ” Chris Brown has said. “We know how to grind as new artists, so we know how to stay focused. He’s one of my closest friends — he’s down-to-earth.”

Photo: Lovekin/Getty
Elvis Costello
Collaborations: Jenny Lewis; Lucinda Williams; Fall Out Boy; Charlie Haden. Costello also has his own Sundance TV series, “Spectacle,” on which he jams with Lou Reed, the Police, Elton John, Smokey Robinson — even Bill Clinton.
Signature Sound: A pinched, urgent croon — punk, mellowed by age
Hottest Track: “Jailhouse Tears.” Lucinda Williams hurls below-the-belt insults (”You’re a drunk and a stoner”) at her no-good lover over dusty guitar licks.
This Is Why He’s Hot: He’s the consummate pro. “He rolled into the studio and hit the notes right away,” recalls Jenny Lewis. ” ‘Carpetbaggers’ was written as a country duet — meant to be sung in a low, Johnny Cash delivery — but Elvis said, ‘No, I want to do it like this,’ and he changed the intention of the song, made it less country and more urgent-sounding, which I think it needed.”

• Famed jazz trumpeter Frankie Hubbard died yesterday in Los Angeles, more than a month after suffering a heart attack. He was 70.  In a career in jazz that spanned 50 years and more than 300 recordings, Hubbard collaborated with musicians like Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman, just to name a few. “He influenced all the trumpet players that came after him,” said Wynton Marsalis.

• Jay-Z’s planned luxury hotel on New York’s West Side is the latest victim of the recession; plans to break ground have been “postponed indefinitely.” The J Hotels line is reportedly just delayed and not canceled, however the current economic climate “can no longer support the $370 million in loans and investment” needed to make the planned five-star hotel a reality.
• In other recession news, Bjork is going from helping Iceland’s environment to aiding her homeland’s floundering economy by seeking investors for a venture capital fund aimed at financing new businesses in her home country. Audur Capital hopes to raise $11.8 million (or 1.5 billion kronur) by the end of March to reinvest into “environmentally friendly businesses and technologies.”