• Lambert Breaks Down AMAs “Controversy” • Springsteen Wraps Epic Tour in Buffalo • U2 to Headline Glastonbury 2010 • A Short History of Crotch Rock • Can Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine Rescue Sound? • Grammys: Gaga Won’t Compete for New Artist • New Reviews: Lambert, Gaga, Rihanna • Guess the Next Cover of Rolling Stone • Rob Sheffield on Lambert’s “Glambgasm” • Dave Matthews Skewers Ozzy on SNL •... Read Full Story

Photo: Miller/FilmMagic The Avett Brothers plot a whole spring full of dates in support of their latest album I and Love and You, Breaking artist Harper Simon takes a tour of the West Coast and Breaking band Alberta Cross plot an early 2010 jaunt. Full dates for all three treks, after the jump. The Avett Brothers Jan. 1 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre Jan. 3 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater Feb. 24 – Athens, OH @ Ohio University Feb. 26 – Ithaca, NY @ State Theatre Feb. 27 ... Read Full Story

Four of the most anticipated albums of 2009 came out today (rather than on the traditional Tuesday release day) as the labels got an early jump on Black Friday. Leading the charge is Rihanna’s Rated R, the “Umbrella” singer’s first LP since she was assaulted by Chris Brown in February. Rihanna didn’t open up to the public before she began promoting her album, and found an outlet for her emotions on Rated R, an album that scored a four-star review from Rolling Sto... Read Full Story

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/GettyLast week, inspired by both Lady Gaga and Beyoncé collaborations “Video Phone (Remix)” and “Telephone,” we started collecting your top telephone-oriented songs. After tallying the votes, Tommy Tutone’s phone number anthem and perennial prank call victim “867-5309/Jenny” was dialed in as our winner, beating out tracks by Beck, the Replacements and Lou Reed. Click below to see the entire Readers’ List of Phone... Read Full Story

When Athens, Georgia garage rockers the Whigs were preparing to hit the studio for their third album, In the Dark, (out March 2nd), their label sent over a highly recommended producer who just happened to be an old pal from their earliest shows. “They were like, ‘Hey, this guy Ben Allen, he’s worked on that first Gnarls Barkley record and did Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion,’ ” Whigs’ singer-guitarist Parker Gispert tells Rolling Stone.... Read Full Story

• Lambert Breaks Down AMAs “Controversy” • U2 to Headline Glastonbury 2010 • Can Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine Rescue Sound? • Grammys: Gaga May Compete for New Artist • Rob Sheffield on Lambert’s “Glambgasm” • News Ticker: Blink-182, Whitney Houston • Adam Lambert Shocks AMAs With Racy Song • Lambert on Potential Censorship of AMAs • American Music Awards Live Blog • Green Day Record “21 Guns” W... Read Full Story

If it seems like Dr. Dre has spent more time promoting his signature Beats By Dre headphones than finishing up his long-awaited Detox, he has a good reason for it: according to the legendary West Coast producer and his label boss, Interscope, Geffen and A&M chairman Jimmy Iovine, they’re hard at work on a noble crusade — saving the music industry from digital sound. Read Full Story

Photo: Mazur/AMA 2009/WireImageOh, Adam — that was nutballs. If there was any worry Adam Lambert was going to tone down his wild glam-rock side, the American Idol star shattered it in his debut performance of “For Your Entertainment” at the American Music Awards. Glambert didn’t show any skin last night. He did, however, grab a leather dude’s head and grind it into his crotch, shortly after leading his gimp across the stage on a leash. (ABC cut the audio, maybe because Adam’s moans were... Read Full Story

Photo: Djansezian/GettyLady Gaga may have lost out to Gloriana for the Breakthrough Artist Award at last night’s American Music Awards — a loss so crushing, Gaga unleashed her anger by using a mic stand to smash a plate glass window during her AMAs performance — but there was some potential good news for The Fame Monster singer: According to EW’s Music Mix, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences will consider a rule change to make Lady Gaga eligible for th... Read Full Story

Hours before Adam Lambert hit the American Music Awards stage for a wild spectacle of a finale, he was already the talk of the red carpet. It seemed of all the divas performing that night — Janet, Whitney, Rihanna, Gaga: the ones who need no last name (or first) — plenty considered the American Idol runner-up to be queen supreme. “Don’t you wanna see what his hair looks like?” singer and presenter Melissa Etheridge cooed with tween-like glee. “And just how ... Read Full Story