June 4, 2009 – Eight years to the day after hip-hop superstar Jay-Z released his benchmark album, The Blueprint, he'll return with his long-awaited new record, Blueprint 3. It will be released on Sept. 11, the date most Americans now associate with the terrorist attacks, via a partnership between Roc Nation and Warner Music Group, according to MTV.com. A label spokesperson was unavailable for comment at press time. Jay recently departed longtime label Def Jam after a 11-year relationship to pursue his work with Roc Nation, his imprint under touring conglomerate Live Nation.

June 4, 2009 – Blondie and Pat Benatar will have a little competition on the touring circuit this summer. The Pretenders have tapped Cat Power and Juliette Lewis for a month-long summer outing in support of their latest record, 2008's Break Up the Concrete. The 22-date jaunt kicks off Aug. 7 in Rama, Ontario. Cat Power, a.k.a. Chan Marshall, is expected to perform songs off her upcoming release, while actress-cum-songstress Juliette Lewis and her new band, the New Romantiques, will draw from their September release, Terra Incognita. The tempestuous lady rockers will open almost every show of the Pretenders' tour; at a few concerts, however, frontwoman Chrissie Hynde and Co. will go it alone. The tour will hit cities along both coasts before coming to a close September 4 in Rancho Mirage, CA. Tickets for select dates go on sale tomorrow, June 5, at 10 A.M.

June 3, 2009 – Canada's most convincing Minister of Tourism: Metric's Emily Haines. The girl is practically an advertisement for fun -- she's the life of the party! And her band makes some of the best music in rock today, too. And in Metric's new video for "Sick Muse," the two worlds collide as the foursome dance in circles, play to the camera, and rip through the catchy New Wave track with grace. Watch below! But this show's all about Haines -- she dons a lace dress, lights a sparkler, and shimmies around a dimly-lit white room looking as cute as ever. "Watch out cupid / You stuck me with the sickness / Pull your little arrows out / Let me live my life," she sings. "Everybody just wants to fall in love / Everybody just wants to play the lead." She took the lead... and we're in love. Watch the video below. Then tell us what you think in the comment section below. WATCH: Metric, "Short Muse"

June 3, 2009 – The finished version of Kanye West's music video for 808s and Heartbreak single "Paranoid" has been released -- and it's like a sexy Sin City with Rihanna as the star! The clip, which follows last week's leak of a test cut, was directed by Nabil Elderkin (the man behind the trippy clip for 'Ye's "Welcome to Heartbreak") and flaunts a comic book vibe with its black-and-white visuals and pop-up lyrics. But Rihanna is without a doubt the highlight, writhing around in a barely-there outfit and driving a car down a dark road at atop speed. Rihanna is back -- take that, Chris Brown! For the "Paranoid" video, Kanye recorded a different version of the song from the album version, adding synthesizer and Auto-Tuned croons to flesh out its disco-funk bounce.

June 2, 2009 – Just because the school year is winding to a close doesn't mean "I Love College" rapper Asher Roth is ready for the party to come to an end. Which is why the Caucasian sensation has just announced a 19-date co-headlining tour with rising hip-hopper Kid Cudi! The duo will begin their humorously-dubbed "Great Hangover Tour" July 14 in Boston, MA, and will hit major U.S. cities through July before concluding August 5 in Washington, D.C. SPIN-approved rapper B.O.B.

June 2, 2009 – Exene Cervenka, co-vocalist for long-running Los Angeles punk band X alongside bassist/singer John Doe, has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease that affects the body's central nervous system and can result in physical disability. Cervenka, 53, born Christine Cervenka, revealed her health troubles in a statement released this morning: "After some months of not feeling 100 percent healthy, I recently had some medical tests run and the prognosis is that I am suffering from multiple sclerosis. Apparently, it has been affecting me for quite some time. Although this is obviously unfortunate news, I am choosing to see the positive in it. I, and X as a band, have supported the Sweet Relief charity since the mid-1990's; the irony of this is not lost on any of us.

June 2, 2009 – 1,487 Blink-182 and Fall Out Boy fans entered our trivia contest for a chance to win their very own limited-edition Octodrive, a stainless steel USB hard drive packed with exclusive audio and video content. Although 1,056 entrants answered all seven trivia questions correctly, there can be only one winner. And the winner is......Erin Black of Cary, NC! We caught up with Erin over Skype -- she's a college student studying abroad in the U.K. -- and asked her how she approached our challenge. "I knew most of the Fall Out Boy answers already, and I used Wikipedia, Google, and the Twitter hints to figure out the rest," she said. "[The bands] work so hard to do special things for the fans, and it's always really exciting to participate on our side.

June 2, 2009 – The Beatles: Rock Band hits store shelves September 9 -- and if its official trailer is any indication, gamers and music fans alike are in store for the ultimate Beatles experience. Damn, the graphics are so good you can even see John Lennon sneak a joint during the tension-filled Let It Be sessions in 1970. Okay, maybe not.

June 1, 2009 – Pearl Jam will release their new album, tentatively titled Backspacer, early this fall. Hey, it only took three years and cost bassist Jeff Ament $3,000 in cash, his passport, and a few head lacerations -- it must be awesome! Backspacer will be released through retail chain Target. Unlike Prince's exclusive deal with the retailer earlier this year, Pearl Jam will also sell the album through a variety of other distribution partners, including independent record stores. "We'll have a lot of partners," PJ's manager Kelly Curtis told Billboard.com."Target ended up allowing us to have other partners. We'll be able to take care of all levels of the Pearl Jam fan...

June 1, 2009 – What better way to welcome Eminem back to the media spotlight than by sitting on his face on live television... in ass-less chaps. Which is exactly what Borat funnyman Sacha Baron Cohen did last night at the MTV Movie Awards ceremony at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles. The fracas began when Cohen, in the guise of homosexual Austrian fashion reporter Bruno, flew on a wire above the audience while wearing angel's wings and a Roman-era leather skirt. Cohen then experienced a few "technical difficulties" with his stunt, and was flipped upside down, revealing his butt. The controversial funnyman was then lowered right into the lap of Marshall Mathers himself -- his exposed ass directly connecting with the hip-hop phenom's face! "Get this mother----er off me, man!," Em shouted as his bodyguards frantically rushed to remove Cohen.