Music News & Videos

• Watch Lady Gaga, Beyoncé’s “Telephone”
• Abba Won’t Reunite for Hall of Fame
• Phil Spector Appeals Murder Conviction
• American Idol Names Top 12
• Man Arrested for Threatening Elton John
• News Ticker: The Clash, Metallica
• Conan O’Brien Announces Bonnaroo, Tour
• Pearl Jam Plot May Tour Dates
• Corgan on Mayer’s Career-Destruction
• Idol to Tackle Rolling Stones Songs
• Pink Floyd Halt Single-Song Downloads
• Strokes Confirm Lollapalooza Slot
• Actor Corey Haim Dead at 38
• Kate Nash Talks My Best Friend Is You
• OK Go Split With EMI, Form New Label
• Faith No More Announce East Coast Show
• U2’s Spider-Man Loses Evan Rachel Wood
• Watch Exclusive New Runaways Clip
• Beastie Boys Delay Hot Sauce to Late 2010
• Exclusive Premiere: Yeasayer’s “O.N.E.”
• MGMT Unveil New Song “Flash Delirium”
• Win a Trip to See STP at SXSW!
• T.I. Announces Return With “I’m Back”
• Foo Fighters Team With Vig For Heavy Disc
• Win the White Stripes’ Box Set

Scroll down for full news stories, commentary and much more in Rock Daily.

Elton John has a famous fan in Lady Gaga, but not everyone appreciates the awesome power of “Tiny Dancer.” A Georgia man was arrested Wednesday for making terrorist threats against Sir Elton. Last month Neal Horsley, 65, posted a YouTube video of himself standing in front of the singer’s Atlanta apartment complex holding a large red sign that said “Elton John Must Die.” Horsley was upset about a Parade magazine interview in which John said he thought Jesus was a “compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems.”

“We’re here today to remind Elton John that he has to die,” Horsley says in the video. “What Elton John has done is desecrated the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, blasphemed the Lord Jesus Christ.” He goes on to use homophobic slurs and quote scripture.

This isn’t the first time Horsley — who has a surprisingly thorough Wikipedia page — has raised eyebrows. A militant anti-abortionist, he started a Website in the late 1990s that listed the names and addresses of doctors who performed abortions. Two years ago, Horsley founded the Creator’s Rights Party in Georgia and claims to be a candidate for the 2010 governor’s race. According to the AP, he kicked off his campaign wearing a placard showing a picture of an aborted fetus. The state ethics committee, meanwhile, has no record of his campaign.

Horsley’s bail is set at $40,000. Elton John’s publicist confirmed that the singer has an apartment in Atlanta, but wouldn’t tell the AP anything more.

American Idol eliminated its final four semifinal contestants last night, removing any chances of another Idol hero named Lambert breaking out this season — or of original songstress Lilly Scott getting a chance to bring her quirky style to the Top 12 stage. Scott, the blond-haired multi-instrumentalist who shouted out her Moog synth and performed an interesting take on the Beatles’ “Fixing a Hole” during the Top 24 rounds, was voted off along with Alex Lambert (who didn’t take the news well, to put it mildly), dramatic crooner Todrick Hall and earnest 19-year-old Katelyn Epperly. Watch Scott’s “A Change is Gonna Come” above.
Photo: Becker/FOX
That means the Top 12 singers — who will be tackling songs by the Rolling Stones — include Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia, Casey James, Crystal Bowersox, Didi Benami, Katie Stevens, Lacey Brown, Lee Dewyze, Michael Lynche, Paige Miles, Siobhan Magnus and Tim Urban.

The Rock Daily favorites: Siobhan Magnus, who turned out three fascinating and powerhouse performances during the semifinals (of Aretha Franklin’s “Think,” Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” and the Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun”), and Crystal Bowersox, whose gritty blues vibe finally gelled on her cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason.”

Bowersox:

Magnus:

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

At Monday night’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, one half of Abba will dance, jive and have the time of their lives while being honored by a roomful of the biggest names in music. The other two will be at home.

Fans hoping the Swedish pop masters would turn out a sparkling rendition of “Dancing Queen” — something they haven’t done since 1982 — will instead be serenaded by Faith Hill. It’s possible, though, that Abba’s Benny Andersson will perform. “If someone asks me to, yeah, I will,” he told Billboard.com. “I’ll see if I can play something from the old catalog.” Andersson will be attending the ceremony with ex-wife Frida (Anni-Frid Lyngstad). His songwriting partner Bjorn Ulvaeus can’t go because of a family event and Agnetha Faltskog “doesn’t like to fly,” Andersson told the USA Today.

Check out all of Rolling Stone’s Hall of Fame coverage.

In December, Andersson told Rolling Stone that he was shocked Abba received a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nod. “I didn’t think this would happen, because we were a pop band, not a rock band,” he said. “Being a foreigner from the North Pole, this feels really good.” Though he wasn’t certain, even then he predicted the group — which formed in 1970 — would not reunite. “The people who are really fond of Abba for what we did, I think we are doing them a favor by not going out. We all feel the same. It’s been too long of a time.”

See all of the Hall of Fame’s inductees.

Genesis, the Hollies, Jimmy Cliff and the Stooges will also be inducted into the Rock Hall on Monday night, but only the Stooges will perform. As Rolling Stone reported, Chris Isaak, Ronnie Spector, Adam Levine and Fefe Dobson are among the guest performers. Rolling Stone will have complete coverage from Monday night’s ceremony in New York, so stick with us for photos, interviews and more.

Related Stories:

• Chris Isaak, Faith Hill, Maroon 5 to Perform at Rock Hall Induction
• Billie Joe Armstrong, Phish’s Anastasio, Wyclef Jean to Honor Rock Hall of Fame Inductees
• Peter Gabriel Won’t Attend Genesis’ Rock Hall Induction

Photo: Getty

Lawyers for producer Phil Spector have appealed his 2009 murder conviction, claiming he didn’t receive a fair trial. Last May, Spector, now 70 years old, was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for shooting actress Lana Clarkson at his California mansion in 2003. Citing judicial error and prosecutorial misconduct, his legal team requested the conviction be overturned and he be given a new trial, the AP reports.

The Rise & Fall of Phil Spector: Photos from his famed studio sessions.

In papers filed Wednesday, the attorneys claimed prosecutors improperly used testimony from five women who claimed that Spector threatened them with guns in the past. The accounts, they wrote, “became the heart of the state’s case” and were used to persuade jury members to convict Spector “based on his bad character and evil propensities.” His lawyers said their testimonies had nothing to do with Clarkson’s death and that none of their stories “involved events in which Mr. Spector put a gun in someone’s mouth, much less fired it.”

Phil Spector on trial: photos from the crime scene to the courthouse.

Spector’s lawyers criticized the actions of Judge Larry Paul Fidler, citing that he allowed prosecutors to use the word “pattern” more than 40 times in describing Spector’s history with women and guns. They also decried the judge’s decision to allow jurors in the second trial to see a taped hearing from the first trial that was conducted outside the presence of Spector. On the tape, the judge was seen interpreting a forensic witness’s testimony about the position of the blood spatter on Clarkson’s body. “Under California law, a judge may not offer evidence in a trial over which he presides,” the appeal states, adding that the judge could not be cross-examined by the defense on what the prosecutors said was the most important fact of the case — whether the blood spatter showed who pulled the trigger.

The state attorney general’s office is expected to file a reply brief next month.

Related Stories:

• Jailhouse Rock?: Charles Manson Reaches Out to Phil Spector
• Phil Spector Moved To California Facility For Prison Sentence
• Full Coverage: The Phil Spector Trial

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

• The Clash’s Mick Jones and Paul Simonon both play on Gorillaz’s new Plastic Beach, and AP reports. Ray producer Stuart Benjamin is working on the project.
• Amy Winehouse is getting into the fashion business. launching a new line for Fred Perry. The singer’s Website announces that her 17-piece black and pink-dominated collection features polo shirts and pencil skirts and is due in October.
• TIcketless Metallica fans rioted in Colombia earlier this week, leading to more than 100 arrests and eight injuries outside the band’s show at Bogota’s Simón Bolívar Park. Pollstar reports.

Lady Gaga and Beyoncé’s anxiously awaited video for their The Fame Monster collaboration “Telephone” has arrived as a nine-minute-and-thirty-second mash-up of lesbian prison porn, campy sexploitation flicks and insidery winks at the two divas’ public personas. If Quentin Tarantino and Russ Meyer remade Thelma & Louise as an orgy of product placement with fiercely choreographed interludes, this would be the result. The video was scheduled to premiere on E! at 11:30 p.m. tonight, but hit the Internet early via a leak. Jonas Åkerlund, who previously helmed Gaga’s “Paparazzi” video, directed the clip.

Check out Lady Gaga’s wildest looks.

The mini-movie opens in a women’s prison, where guards strip Gaga bare and mutter, “I told you she didn’t have a dick,” fanning the flames of one of the most persistent rumors about Stefani Germanotta’s gender identity. Almost immediately the self-referential nudges and brand names appear: the boom box in the exercise yard blasts Lady Gaga’s “Paper Gangsta,” a fellow inmate wears Monster Heartbeats earbuds, Gaga has a Virgin Mobile phone tucked in her pants and sports Chanel shades and Diet Coke cans in her hair as makeshift curlers (nice touch!).
Photo courtesy of LadyGaga.com

The song kicks in just before the three-minute mark as Gaga (in a spiked bikini and what appears to be Karen O’s jacket from the “Zero” video) takes a call in jail and launches into the most appealing afternoon imaginable behind bars — a tightly choreographed routine that has Gaga and four tattooed backup dancers stamping through the cell block.

When Beyoncé’s scheduled interlude arrives, the song breaks for another dramatic sequence. A guard perusing dating Website Plenty of Fish on a Beats by Dre laptop informs Gaga she’s been bailed out. Beyoncé (nicknamed Honey Bee, a nod to Honey Bunny from Pulp Fiction) rolls up in the Pussy Wagon from Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume One, informs Gaga, “You’ve been a very bad girl” and feeds her a 50 Cent Honey Bun. Simply being in Tarantino’s car inspires some Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield banter (”You know Gaga, trust is like a mirror. You can fix it if it’s broke…” “But you can still see the crack in that motherfucker’s reflection”).

Beyoncé launches into the song’s bridge as Lady Gaga snaps photos of her with a Polaroid camera, then the pair pull up to a vintage diner where Beyoncé entertains a gentleman pal (played by Tyrese Gibson) and Gaga mans the kitchen, slipping poison into the food along with Miracle Whip and Wonder Bread (cue another awesome dance sequence, this time with cooks prancing around the stove in a moment that could have been borrowed from Madonna’s “Hung Up” clip). Beyoncé takes a moment to toy with her squeaky-clean image — busting out the line, “I knew you’d take all my honey, you selfish motherfucker” as Gibson keels over at the table — and another dance sequence begins, this time with Gaga and B in patriotic garb.

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’s Jai Rodriguez arrives as a news reporter broadcasting word of the mass homicide (dubbed “The Telephone Effect”) as Gaga and Beyoncé speed away in the Pussy Wagon dressed in white and black veils. “We did it, Honey Bee, now let’s go far, far away from here,” Gaga says as the two clasp hands and hit the accelerator.

The clip is certainly cinematic and oddly feminist, and gasps at a larger statement about consumer culture. As Gaga told E!, she was preoccupied with “the idea that America is full of young people that are inundated with information and technology and turn it into something that was more of a commentary on the kind of country that we are.”

Related Stories:

• Lady Gaga’s Sexy, Cinematic “Paparazzi” Video Hits the Web
• Lady Gaga Premieres “Bad Romance,” Her Craziest Video Yet
• Photos: Lady Gaga’s New Monster Ball Tour

Photo: Dyson/WireImage

Missed Pearl Jam live during the band’s run of Backspacer tour dates last year? Eddie Vedder and company are giving you another chance to see their legendary live show in action with a month-long slate of U.S. shows that kick off in May. The trek launches at New Orleans’ Jazz Festival on May 1st and moves its way northeast, culminating with two shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden on May 20th and 21st.

Pearl Jam in posters: an illustrated guide to the band’s tour art.

Band of Horses have been enlisted to serve as Pearl Jam’s opening act on the trek, with the Black Keys subbing in for the May 20th MSG show. Tickets go on sale to Pearl Jam’s Ten Club members on March 15th, with a public on-sale to follow on March 19th. As evidenced by last year’s tour and the group’s legendary Halloween night show in Philadelphia, Pearl Jam mix up their set lists every night and the 2009 jaunt yielded live performances of nearly every song in the PJ catalog, so don’t miss them this time around. For more info, check out Pearl Jam’s official site.

And if you’re bummed out that Pearl Jam isn’t visiting your half of the U.S., at least you can watch them perform on Saturday Night Live this weekend.

Pearl Jam
May 1 – New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz Festival
May 3 – Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
May 4 – St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
May 6 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
May 7 – Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
May 9 – Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
May 10 – Buffalo, NY @ HSBC Arena
May 13 – Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
May 15 – Hartford, CT @ XL Center
May 17 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
May 18 – TBD @ TBD
May 20 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
May 21 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

Related Stories:

• Pearl Jam Dress Like Devo for Massive Halloween Set in Philly
• Pearl Jam Rule Austin City Limits With Ferocious Closing Set Featuring Ben Harper, Perry Farrell

Photo: AFP/Getty

Two years ago American Idol celebrated the music of the Fab Four, and next week the show’s Top 12 will pick up that rockin’ tradition by belting out songs by “the Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the World,” the Rolling Stones. Host Ryan Seacrest made the announcement of next week’s musical theme on a radio promotion taped during last night’s episode, Entertainment Weeky reports. As it’s still too early on in the competition for celebrity mentors, it’s highly unlikely Mick Jagger or Keith Richards will participate, though Richards mentoring the kids on partying and excess for an hour would likely be more entertaining than the performances themselves.

We won’t know which contestants are singing what Stones classics until next week, but we’re already placing bets on what we expect to hear. On the ladies’ side, we anticipate “Satisfaction,” “Tumbling Dice,” “Time is on My Side,” “Gimme Shelter” (if a contestant is brazen enough to handle both Mick and the female leads) and, thanks to Susan Boyle, “Wild Horses.” For the men, we’re thinking “Brown Sugar,” “Miss You,” Sympathy for the Devil,” “Angie,” “Honky Tonk Woman” and “Waiting on a Friend.” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” seems destined for the group performance, and let’s just add that any contestant who mines Goats Head Soup gets our automatic vote.

Related Stories:

• Secrets Behind the Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main Street” Reissue
• Keith Richards: “Rumors of My Sobriety Are Greatly Exaggerated”
• Unearthed Rolling Stones Tracks Set to Debut on “Exile on Main Street” Reissue

Photo: Bedder/WireImage (Mayer), Mayer/WireImage(Corgan)
After reading John Mayer’s controversial recent interviews, Billy Corgan is convinced Mayer is trying to self-destruct. “He’s trying to destroy his career,” Corgan told Rolling Stone’s Brian Hiatt in an interview outtake from RS‘ revealing new Corgan feature in the new issue, on sale now. “Rather than take a year off or change his musical direction… some part of it is irritating his soul to the point where he’s trying to blow it up. Certainly a talented guy, but empathetically, standing on the sidelines, it’s hard to watch someone literally burn their career to the ground — speaking as somebody who’s done it.”

Corgan also responded to Mayer’s comments on their mutual friend Jessica Simpson (”sexual napalm,” Mayer called her). “As far as it pertains to her. I think for any person who has celebrity to sort of drop rocks at somebody else’s feet like that — there’s things you should really just keep your mouths shut on. There’s things that should just be left alone.”

Related Stories:

• Billy Corgan on Pumpkins’ Split, “Loving” Jessica Simpson: Preview the Story
• John Mayer in His Own Words: Bonus Q&A From Our Cover Story

Photo: Brown/Getty

NBC may have stripped Conan O’Brien of his Tonight Show and contractually barred him from temporarily appearing on television, but the red-headed host has found another way to get in front of his legion of fans: Bonnaroo. O’Brien posted on his newborn Twitter page today to reveal he’s hitting the road. “Hey Internet: I’m headed to your town on a half-assed comedy & music tour,” he tweeted. One of the last stops on the trek is a June 11th performance at Bonnaroo, where Conan will entertain nearly 60,000 festival-goers in Manchester, Tennessee — a perfect venue to reprise his final-episode “Free Bird”.

Check out Conan and more comics on the cover of Rolling Stone.

O’Brien has already proven his ability to rock, so don’t be surprised if Conan picks up a guitar at some point and jams out with other ‘Roo artists like Jeff Beck, Weezer, Flaming Lips, Tenacious D and, if we’re really lucky, sing Alicia Keys’ part in “Empire State of Mind” during Jay-Z’s headlining set. In addition to performing at the fest’s Comedy Theatre, O’Brien will emcee Bonnaroo’s “What” stage on Friday and Saturday nights. Joining O’Brien at the fest will be Aziz Ansari (hopefully as Raaaaaaaandy), Margaret Cho, Greg Giraldo, Rob Huebel, Bo Burnham and Jeffrey Ross, who will “roast” Bonnaroo during his set.

O’Brien’s “The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television” tour will kick off April 12th in Oregon and work its way across the country before concluding in Atlanta on June 14th. For all the ticket info, check out the Team Coco site.

Conan O’Brien
Apr. 12 – Eugene, OR @ Hult Center for the Performing Arts
Apr. 13 – Vancouver, BC @ Orpheum Theatre
Apr. 16 – Spokane, WA @ INB Performing Arts Center
Apr. 17 – Enoch, AB @ River Cree Resort & Casino
Apr. 18 – Seattle, WA @ Seattle Center
Apr. 22 – San Francisco, CA @ Nob Hill Masonic Center
Apr. 24 – Universal City, CA @ Gibson Amphitheater
Apr. 29 – San Diego, CA @ San Diego Civic Theatre
Apr. 30 – Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre
May 1 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Pearl Concert Theatre
May 4 – Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort & Casino
May 5 – San Jose, CA @ San Jose State University Events Center
May 6 – Sacramento, CA @ Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
May 9 – Boulder, CO @ Mackey Auditorium
May 10 – Denver, CO @ Ellie Caulkins Opera House
May 13 – Dallas, TX @ McFarlin Memorial Auditorium
May 14 – Austin, TX @ Austin Music Hall
May 15 – Tulsa, OK @ Brady Theater
May 16 – Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre
May 18 – Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
May 19 – Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
May 22 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
May 30 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Borgata
June 1 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
June 4 – Boston, MA @ Wang Theater
June 6 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
June 7 – Upper Darby, PA @ Tower Theatre
June 8 – Washington, DC @ Constitution Hall
June 11 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music Festival
June 14 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre

Related Stories:

• Fallon’s ?uestlove Sides With Conan O’Brien in Late-Night Battle
• Rob Sheffield on the Late-Night Bloodbath
• Jay Leno: The RS Interview

Photo: Bedder/Getty
With the Strokes in the studio hard at work on their long-awaited follow-up to First Impressions of Earth, frontman Julian Casablancas has reiterated drummer Fab Moretti’s prediction about when the album will be released, telling the Chicago Tribune, “I think it’ll be out in September.” Casablancas added, “I’ve written a lot of melodies for it, but the other guys have also contributed a lot more: melodies, choruses, parts. It’s way more collaborative. So it’ll have a different feel than our other albums.” As Rolling Stone reported last month, Moretti labeled the band’s recent studio sessions a “free for all” of musical ideas.

The Strokes have been rumored to be among the six headliners at this year’s Lollapalooza festival, and Casablancas told the Tribute the news is in fact true. The Tribune predicts the reunited Soundgarden, Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, Green Day and Phoenix will also play Perry Farrell’s annual event, but the festival has yet to confirm this potential lineup. Lollapalooza traditionally unveils its list of performers around April 10th.

It promises to be a busy summer for the Strokes, as the New York rockers have already lined up headlining slots at four European musical festivals this summer: Rockness, South Side, Hurricane and Isle of Wight. Casablancas is also still in the midst of touring in support of his solo album Phrazes for the Young.

Related Stories:

• The Strokes to Headline Isle of Wight for First Gig Since 2006
• Julian Casablancas Wraps Solo Tour With Hometown NYC Show
• Casablancas Says Strokes Are Divided Over Progress of Fourth LP

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty
Pink Floyd have won their lawsuit over single-song downloads against EMI, effectively halting the digital sale of the band’s individual tracks. As Rolling Stone reported yesterday, under the terms of a 1999 contract that predated iTunes and other digital-music retailers, the band mandated its songs could not be offered outside the context of their original albums. EMI argued that the contract only covered physical and not digital releases. In the end, the judge sided with preserving Pink Floyd’s artistic vision, the BBC reports.

Check out Rolling Stone’s collection of Pink Floyd photos.

The judge also ordered EMI to pay roughly $60,000 for the band’s legal fees immediately while the court determines how much the label, to which Floyd signed in 1967, should pay in fines and damages. Also at issue: how much money Pink Floyd should receive in digital royalties, because the 1999 contract did not foresee the advent of downloadable music. Millions of dollars could be at stake; only the Beatles’ back catalog is more profitable than Pink Floyd’s.

With the ruling, it’s now last call for fans who want to legally download “The Narrow Way, Pt. 3″ without investing in the rest of Ummagumma, since at press time both iTunes and the Amazon MP3 store were still offering up Pink Floyd’s tracks as single song downloads. Expect this to change in the near future.

Related Stories:

• Pink Floyd Sue EMI Over Single Song Downloads
• Pink Floyd Sue EMI Over Royalties
• The Magic and Majesty of Pink Floyd

Photo: Getty

• Beck’s next Record Club project will feature St. Vincent, the Liars and Os Mutantes, Pitchfork reports, though it’s unclear which classic album they’ve tackled.

• If you’ve already mastered Rock Band 2, there’s good news on the horizon: Rock Band 3 will be out in time for the 2010 holidays. A statement on the game’s Facebook page promises the new title will “innovate and revolutionize the music genre once again.” Green Day: Rock Band will arrive June 8th.
• In addition to being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis next week, Phil Collins will be honored at June 17th’s Songwriters Hall of Fame gala in New York with the Johnny Mercer Award.
• Kings of Leon’s Tap Tap Revenge game Kings of Leon Revenge is being unleashed today for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The game features 10 songs including “Use Somebody,” “Notion” and “Sex on Fire.” Check out a preview on YouTube.

Photo: AFP/Getty

We told you about the Rolling Stones’ upcoming Exile on Main Street reissue — which includes 10 never-before-heard Stones tracks — now read our Q&As with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and producer Don Was as they explain how they polished up gems from the vaults for the May disc and reevaluate their 1972 classic:

• The Secrets Behind the Rolling Stones’ “Exile on Main Street” Reissue

Fo Yo Sorrows VIDEO Big Boi Ft. Too Short and George Clinton from SNORT THIS TV on Vimeo.

A whole battalion of new music videos has made their way onto the Web and for your viewing pleasure Rolling Stone has corralled them into this post. First up is Big Boi’s latest single off his much-anticipated Sir Lucious Leftfoot: The Son of Chico Dusty, “Fo Yo Sorrows.” The OutKast rapper had previously promised vids for every track off his solo disc, so like the video above and Boi’s previous “Shine Blockas,” they’ll likely be low-key affairs. That isn’t stopping Big Boi from calling in guests George Clinton and Too $hort to appear in the clip. Any time George Clinton shows up in a music video, we get nostalgic for P.C.U., so definitely check out “Fo Yo Sorrows” above.

For “In the Sun,” She & Him’s first video off their upcoming Volume 2, Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward go the High School Musical/Glee route as Deschanel and her clique of peers and teachers go dancing around hallways and classrooms in pursuit of the object of her desire, played here by a way-too-old-to-be-in-high-school Ward. It’s sort of like Feist’s “1, 2, 3, 4″ video combined with Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” clip. Adding authenticity to the sing-along is director Peyton Reed, who previously mastered the art of high school and dancing with his cheerleading flick Bring It On.

Finally, we have the official music video for the Runaways’ “Cherry Bomb” that combines the band’s classic track with a ton of new footage from the film The Runaways. In the video, we see Dakota Fanning completely morphing into her role of Cherie Currie, plus brief clips of the cinematic Runaways from their rise to their eventual crash. As Rolling Stone previously reported, both Fanning and Kristen Stewart, who plays Joan Jett, sing on the soundtrack, which is available for pre-order now.

The members of Pink Floyd have reunited, but unfortunately it’s just to sue their label EMI. At the heart of the battle is Pink Floyd’s 1999 contract that indicated the band’s songs could not be isolated and sold outside the context of their original albums. However, on iTunes, EMI is offering all the Pink Floyd songs as a la carte purchases in addition to the full album bundles, prompting this latest lawsuit, the Guardian reports. EMI argues that the band’s clause about separating the songs only applies to their physical releases, and as it predates digital music services like iTunes, the clause doesn’t apply to the band’s downloadable discography.

In the lawsuit’s first hearing, which the band themselves didn’t attend, their lawyer Robert Howe argued, “Pink Floyd [are] well-known for performing seamless pieces. Many of the songs blend into each other,” adding that the 1999 contract “expressly prohibits” taking the songs out of context, which they allege EMI’s allowance of a la carte song purchases allows. Pink Floyd holds the label’s second most profitable back catalog behind only the Beatles.

This latest suit marks the second time in as many years that Pink Floyd and EMI have butted heads in a court of law: As Rolling Stone reported last April, the band sued EMI after accusing the label of significantly miscalculating their royalties. Pink Floyd initially signed with EMI in 1967 before moving to Columbia for their U.S. distribution for 1975’s Wish You Were Here. The group’s Columbia output was later reissued under EMI’s Capitol Records arm.

Related Stories:

• Pink Floyd Sue EMI Over Royalties
• <Pink Floyd Founding Member Rick Wright Dead at 65
• <The Magic and Majesty of Pink Floyd

Photo: Attenborough/WireImage

Faith No More have finally revealed their first East Coast U.S. concert in over a decade: Mike Patton and his reunited crew will invade Williamsburg, Brooklyn’s Waterfront on July 5th. As Rolling Stone previously reported, after extensively touring Europe in 2009, the band recently announced their first U.S. date, a first-night performance at Coachella on April 17th, as well as a three-night stand at San Francisco’s Warfield April 12-14th.

So far, no other East Coast dates have been announced, but it’s unlikely many U.S. dates will follow the July 5th show as Faith No More will set off for Lisbon and other European cities beginning July 8th. Tickets for the Brooklyn show, which will benefit the Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn, go on sale March 19th, with a special fan presale taking place March 16th. Check out the FMN official site for more info.

Related Stories:

• Faith No More Roar Back to Life at London Reunion Show
• Faith No More Confirm Reunion, Reveal Lineup
• Original Faith No More Singer “Will Rap Over Hard Rock for Food”

Just two months after OK Go released their new album Of the Blue Colour of the Sky on EMI, the band has announced its split from the label by “mutual agreement.” OK Go are creating a new label, Paracadute Recordings, to promote and distribute the disc. “We’d like to thank the people who have worked so hard on our behalf,” said OK Go singer Damian Kulash in a statement. “And we’d like to thank our fans for making this choice an easy one for us.”

About two weeks before the premiere of their latest conceptual video for “This Too Shall Pass,” the band asked to be released from its contract, and EMI agreed. “We realized we wanted to leave EMI in 2002 — it was just a matter of when,” Kulash tells Rolling Stone. “It’s something of a gift for them to let us go. We’re not worth fighting and we’re not worth fielding annoying phone calls from all day long.”
Photo: Rose/WireImage

The split comes just a little over a week after the group unveiled their new video for “This Too Shall Pass,” a Rube Goldberg-esque clip that has already racked up 6.8 million views on YouTube in nine days. (Watch it above if you’ve somehow missed it.) As Rolling Stone previously reported, OK Go were publicly feuding with EMI over the fact that the label’s “no embed” policy for music videos was hurting both the band’s popularity and finances — they first entered the national spotlight thanks to their treadmill video for “Here It Goes Again.” After a series of open letters and op-ed pieces and public statements, EMI finally dropped their “no embed” policy for “This Too Shall Pass.”

OK Go and EMI will officially part ways on April 1st, and OK Go will celebrate their independence with a performance on the Jimmy Kimmel Show that night. Two weeks later, OK Go will hit the road in support of Of the Blue Colour with a tour that includes stops at Bonnaroo, Sasquatch! and Bamboozle.

Related Stories:

• OK Go Slap a Tetherball for “This Too Shall Pass”: Behind the Clip
• OK Go Explain Viral Video Woes in “New York Times” Op-Ed
• OK Go Struggle With Label’s Rules Banning Embedded Video

After releasing her hit 2007 debut Made of Bricks, Kate Nash got sick of her career. “Touring and doing loads of work all the time was a drag, and I became unenthusiastic about it,” says the British indie-pop singer. “I took a lot of time off so that I could do, like, normal things: hang out with friends, watch films, read books.” Now, Nash is ready for round two: her second album, My Best Friend Is You, will be out April 20th, and six days later, she’ll kick off a nine-date North American tour.

On her new LP, Nash lightens up on her trademark piano pop in favor of slightly punky, girl-group-inspired tunes like “Do Wah Doo” (watch the video above!) and “Kiss the Grrrl” — a nod to her recent obsession with Billy Childish poems (”I love the harshness and dirtiness of them”) and the Shirelles, the Chiffons and the Ronettes. “These girl-group songs sound really joyous, but the lyrics are quite dark and heartbreaking,” she says. With that dichotomy in mind, Nash and her producer, ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, crafted deceivingly upbeat songs like “I’ve Got a Secret,” about coming out of the closet. (Nash also plays drums on the song.) “Someone close to me was going through that recently, and it was a stressful situation,” she says. “It’s sad that someone would have to defend themselves for being gay in 2010.”

This summer, Nash will hit the road for a few dates with the all-female traveling festival Lilith Fair. “It’s really exciting, because it has a great history rather than just being a big party,” says Nash. “It’s a lot of girl power.”

Get the lowdown on 40 more of the spring’s biggest albums.

April 26 – Toronto, ONT @ Mod Theatre
April 28 – Boston, MA @ Great Scott’s
April 29 – New York, NY @ The Bowery
May 1 – Williamsburg, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 3 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
May 5 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
May 7 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
May 8 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
May 11 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey

Related Stories:

• Artist to Watch: Kate Nash

Photo: Winter/Getty

The Big News: After spending the last three weeks at Number Two, Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now recaptured the top spot from Sade’s Soldier of Love in its sixth week on the Billboard 200, selling 126,000 copies to push past the platinum mark. After a three-week reign, Soldier of Love settled into Number Two with 79,000 copies sold. Below the resilient Top Two, four debuts lined up in Number Three through Six: Blake Shelton’s Hillbilly Bone, American Idol finalist Danny Gokey’s My Best Days, the Almost Alice soundtrack inspired by Tim Burton’s new movie and Lifehouse’s Smoke & Mirrors.

Gokey’s Number Four debut marks the second-best Idol opening week by a Season Eight contestant. Adam Lambert’s For Your Entertainment opened at Number Three in November 2009, though Lambert’s debut week sales of 198,000 far exceeded the 65,000 Gokey sold. Gokey did out-chart Kris Allen’s self-titled post-Idol (at Number 11 in November) and Allison Iraheta’s Just Like You, which peaked at 35.

Debuts: Two more newbies broke into the Top 10: Raheem DeVaughn’s Love & War Masterpiece at Nine and Easton Corbin’s self-titled at 10. DJ Khaled’s Victory debuted at 14, Peter Gabriel’s covers album Scratch My Back bowed in at Number 26 and John Hiatt’s Open Road scored 71.

Last Week’s Heroes: In its sixth week, Lady Antebellum somehow managed a six percent upswing in Need You Now sales while Soldier of Love dropped off 37 percent. With the surge of debuts near the top of the charts, a bunch of Top 10 mainstays found themselves in the teens for the first time, like Lil Wayne’s Rebirth and, after 15 weeks and 5.6 million copies, Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed a Dream, which fell from Eight to 18. Next week, we’ll see if Gorillaz’ Plastic Beach can shake up the Top Two.

Actor Corey Haim, who starred in beloved ’80s films including The Lost Boys and License to Drive, died early this morning in Los Angeles of a suspected drug overdose. He was 38. According to reports, Haim was found unresponsive in an Oakwood apartment and taken to Burbank, California’s St. Joseph Hospital at around 3:30 a.m. PST, where he was pronounced dead. Police are calling Haim’s death “accidental,” the Los Angeles Times reports. The actor was reportedly at home with his mother at the time of his death.

Remember more young stars lost before their time.

The Canadian-born Haim rose to fame at a young age thanks to a string of hit movies, many with his frequent costar Corey Feldman, who responded to news of his friend’s death in a statement that reads, “This is a tragic loss of a wonderful, beautiful, tormented soul, who will always be my brother, family, and best friend.” Haim’s most enduring role came in the 1987 vampire flick The Lost Boys, which has gone on to claim a cult following. Two decades after that film was released, both Haim and Feldman appeared in sequel The Lost Boys: The Tribe in 2008. Haim’s credits also include Lucas, Dream a Little Dream, Fast Getaway and National Lampoon’s Last Resort. He was slated to appear in American Sunset, a film due in January, according to his Website. Watch the film’s trailer below.

Like many child stars of his generation, Haim wrestled with drug problems after his fame waned, but recently the actor — who started to get steady work again in the latter half of the 2000s — said he was now sober. In 2006, Haim and Feldman reteamed for the reality series The Two Coreys. Haim was also the subject of a 2004 single by the Thrills called “Whatever Happened to Corey Haim?” Haim responded to the Thrills’ question, “I’m clean, sober, humble and happy.”

Watch a YouTube tribute video to Haim, made in 2008, below:

Trailer for American Sunset:

Photo: Parra/FilmMagic(Bono), Honda/AFP/Getty (Spiderman), Walker/Getty(Wood), Ward/WireImage(Cumming)
The delayed Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark Broadway show featuring music by U2’s Bono and the Edge will have to find a new Mary Jane. Producers have confirmed that Evan Rachel Wood, the actress originally cast in the role of Peter Parker’s love interest, has left the musical, Variety reports. Wood exited the production due to a “scheduling conflict”; financial troubles pushed Turn Off the Dark’s opening well beyond its original February 25th preview premiere date. Variety writes that Spider-Man will likely begin its preview run in late summer and open around Halloween, though those dates remain unconfirmed by the show’s production team.

“She’s the greatest actor of her generation, she’s the one to watch,” Bono said of Wood after her casting was announced. “She happens to sing like a bird, it’s like a true voice. She’s a very pure spirit and a very bright mind and she brings the part of MJ to life, really.”

As Rolling Stone previously reported, a “cash flow problem” temporarily shut down production on Spider-Man in August, just two months after it was revealed that Wood, who previously worked with Turn Off the Dark director Julie Taymor in Across the Universe, would play Mary Jane and Alan Cumming had been cast as the musical’s villain, the Green Goblin. Singer Reeve Carney of the band Carney was later added to play Peter Parker, or Spider-Man without the mask on, in the show.

The budget for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark has reportedly grown to about $50 million dollars, making it one of the most expensive shows in Broadway history. The official Spider-Man on Broadway site hasn’t been updated yet to reflect Wood’s departure. Fans who previously bought tickets to Spider-Man’s received refunds after the show was delayed.

Related Stories:

• U2 Talk “Spider-Man” Musical’s New Villain, Slacker Peter Parker
• “Spider-Man” Musical Suspended By “Cash Flow Problem”
• Why Bono Subtitled “Spider-Man” Musical “Turn Off the Dark”

Photo: Kempin/FilmMagic

• DMX was arrested for violating the terms of his probation, admitting he’d used cocaine over the last nine months, Reuters reports. The rapper is currently in a Phoenix jail.

• Lady Gaga is coming to Rock Band: the pop star’s first track pack includes “Bad Romance,” “Just Dance,” “Monster” and “Poker Face” — and as a special bonus, the version of “Poker Face” Eric Cartman made famous on South Park will also be up for sale in the game’s Music Store next week.
• Canadian rockers Stars will return with their fifth album, The Five Ghosts, on June 22nd. The band will perform the new disc in its entirety during a U.S. tour this summer.
• The soundtrack to the Doors documentary When You’re Strange, due April 6th, will include Jim Morrison’s poetry as read by Johnny Depp, who narrates the film. Rhino will also reissue the band’s Absolutely Live and Live in New York as 180-gram double-album sets on March 16th.

Last week RS talked up Gorillaz’s Plastic Beach in New Reviews, so today we’re spotlighting Breaking band Broken Bells, a collaboration between the Shins’ James Mercer and Demon Days producer Danger Mouse. The pairing might seem like a strange match, but as Will Hermes writes in his four-star review of Broken Bells, “It turns out the two pop-science geeks are a perfect match. Danger Mouse pushes Mercer’s gorgeous, existential tunecraft outward with Day-Glo dynamics.” Mercer’s lyrics are at their loneliest while Danger Mouse brings beats that sound like “hip-hop for turned-on shut-ins.” The best tracks here at first single “The High Road” and the bouncy “Vaporize.”

Also out this week: a collection of some of the final recordings Jimi Hendrix ever made, presented here as Valleys of Neptune. Of all the unearthed songs on Neptune, the title track is a major highlight, along with the bluesy, horns-soaked “Ships Passing Through the Night” and rerecorded versions Jimi classics “Stone Free” and “Fire.” “Are these tracks ‘finished’ as Hendrix would’ve intended?” Hermes asks in his three-and-a-half star review of Neptune. “Probably not. But as a glimpse of the guitarist extending his reach beyond the Experience trio, it’s thrilling.”

With a new drummer kicking out Zeppelin stomps, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club also return this week with their fifth album Beat the Devil’s Tattoo. BMRC continue their musical odyssey from rock roots to garage goth on their latest disc, which earned a three-star rating from RS. “Devil’s Tattoo is unremittingly grim, and undeniably fun. Few bands wear their frowns so well,” Jody Rosen writes.

For more on all the albums out now, check out Rolling Stone’s Reviews section.

Next week when hundreds of bands head to Texas for the annual South By Southwest Music Festival, Rolling Stone will be on the ground in Austin bringing you incredible photos, interviews, our first-ever SXSW showcases and a special treat: 100 tweeted show reviews @RollingStone by contributor Christopher R. Weingarten, who recently completed his 1000TimesYes project — 1,000 140-character album reviews in a year.

On Thursday, March 18th, RS will feature Dawes, the Whigs, the Low Anthem, Titus Andronicus, Free Energy and Deer Tick at the Palm Door. The following night, Band of Skulls, Jimmie Dale and Colin Gilmore, Court Yard Hounds, John Doe, Rye Rye and Nneka will take the stage at the same venue.

We’ll be charting all the festival’s action with one goal: to get a feel for the biggest sets, the smallest parties, the guerilla shows on restaurant patios, the formidable lineups of metal and hip-hop. “By attending 100 shows, big and small, I’m hoping to capture the breadth and depth of Austin and the music industry circa 2010 ̬ all in tweet-sized gulps,” Weingarten says. As for how he’ll survive, Weingarten has a plan. “I figure my tee-totaling ways might put me at an advantage, providing me with the boundless energy I will need. However I do expect my undying love of Salt Lick BBQ and weakness for sweet tea to severely hinder my movements. But I feel truly blessed that RollingStone.com has asked me to do this, since there will be nothing to separate me or distract from experiencing music. It should be every critic’s duty and passion to experience as much music as humanly possible.”

We’ll be posting daily recaps of Weingarten’s Twitter coverage here on Rock Daily, along with video documenting his journeys and recaps of the festival’s other major events. Get ready for the action by looking back at photos from SXSW ‘09 and entering our sweepstakes to win a trip to the fest to check out Stone Temple Pilots.

Photo: Wargo/WireImage
A new LCD Soundsystem track hit the Internet last night, but “Oh You (Christmas Blues)” isn’t off James Murphy’s upcoming LCD album. Instead, the bluesy number is one of dozen or so songs Murphy penned for the Ben Stiller film Greenberg, and the one song on the soundtrack to appear under the LCD Soundsystem name. Listen to a radio rip of the song over at We All Want Someone to Shout For. Despite being credited to LCD, “Oh You (Christmas Blues)” sounds nothing like Sound of Silver, with Murphy instead unveiling a stark song that combines Pink Floyd’s Animals with John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band.

Given the tone and the title, we can already picture Stiller’s character sitting alone and despondent on a Christmas morning on the big screen. The Greenberg soundtrack is due out March 23rd and should definitely help kill the time before LCD Soundsystem’s “crazy” Sound of Silver follow-up is released on May 15th. You can preorder the Greenberg soundtrack now over at Amazon and other digital retailers.

Get the scoop on 40 more of the spring’s biggest releases in our special preview.

Related Stories:

• James Murphy Opens Up About “Crazy” May LCD Soundsystem LP
• LCD Soundsystem Offer Peek at New Album With Studio Footage

Photo: Waisman/FilmMagic

Has it been your lifelong wish to become a member of the Smashing Pumpkins? Billy Corgan is back in the business of making dreams come true, announcing the band will hold auditions to find a new bassist and keyboardist for his ever-changing lineup. Last year Corgan held auditions to replace drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and ultimately hired young musician Mike Byrne. Musicians interested in the two new open slots are being asked to e-mail a resume and performance clips to either pumpkinsbass@gmail.com or pumpkinskeys@gmail.com. A note to perspective keyboardists: Corgan says he’s looking for someone with a prog-rock background, a la Yes’ Rick Wakeman, so maybe familiarize yourself with Tales from Topographic Oceans.

Though Corgan and Chamberlain offer differing accounts of the latter’s exit — Corgan tells Rolling Stone he axed the drummer in our new issue — no drama led to this new round of lineup changes. Current bassist Ginger Pooley is a new mom and wants to raise her baby off the road, while Electric Prunes bassist Mark Tulin, who has been playing with Corgan since their Spirits in the Sky project, will stay onboard until a new permanent member is found. “We were lucky enough to find drummer Mike Byrne through an open audition process,” Corgan said in a press release, “so why not open the doors again to anyone who might be interested for the bass or keyboard position. As you can see from our past and present, age, race, or a person’s background is not an issue. Everyone is truly welcome to audition.”

In addition to the casting call, the Smashing Pumpkins promise to announce a brand new world tour in the near future. As evidenced by Rolling Stone’s new interview with Billy Corgan, the frontman will have no shortage of things to talk about on the road. Plus, with only three of the planned 44 songs off Teargarden by Kaleidyscope released, prospective applicants can leave a sizable imprint on Corgan’s massive undertaking. All submissions are due March 31st.

Related Stories:

• Billy Corgan on Pumpkins’ Split, “Loving” Jessica Simpson: Preview the Story
• Hear Smashing Pumpkins’ Psych-Protest Song “A Stitch in Time”
• Smashing Pumpkins Unleash “Teargarden” Track “Widow Wake My Mind”

You’ve already feasted your eyes on MGMT’s WTF album cover for their upcoming album Congratulations, and now you can hear what the band’s been cooking up for their April 13th LP with “Flash Delirium.” MGMT unveiled the track a free download on their Who Is MGMT? site today. The adventurous song — MGMT seem to pack four distinct parts into four minutes — is a bit of departure from the band’s Oracular Spectacular songs, scaling back on its predecessor’s electro-bop for a song that sounds similar to Deerhunter in its first half and Zombies in its second.

“Some will love it, some will hate it,” Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone of Congratulations‘ stylistic shift in our Spring Music Preview. “We want to freak people out.” This first song does just that, and it takes multiple listens to grapple with the track’s constant curveballs. “Flash Delirium” ultimately keeps building until it explodes into a rapturous harmony, breaking into full-out thrash in its waning seconds. The song’s message: “Dance until the heart explodes and we’ll make this place ignite.”

For more on Congratulations and all the huge releases due out this season, check out Rolling Stone’s Spring Music Preview.

Related Stories:

• MGMT Reveal Eye-Popping “Congratulations” Cover Art
• My Morning Jacket, Pavement, MGMT Set For Sasquatch! Festival
• MGMT Cast Joanna Newsom, Kid, Monsters in “Kids” Video

Early peeks at The Runaways, music video vet Floria Sigismondi’s biopic about the rise and fall of the iconic Seventies girl-punk band, have provided fast-and-dirty looks at the drama surrounding Joan Jett (played by Twilight star Kristen Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning). In Rolling Stone’s latest exclusive clip, Stella Maeve as Sandy West and Stewart bang out some raw rehearsal tunes as manager Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon) listens on the other end of the phone and offers a few words of encouragement when Stewart reports they’ve been busy practicing: “Well, get back to it, you bitches are going to be bigger than the Beatles!”

Watch the clip above and see another preview, plus click through all our photos from the set. And don’t forget to check out which songs Fanning and Stewart will be handling on the film’s official soundtrack. The movie hits theaters in limited cities March 19th and opens nationally April 9th.