During a normal week the pace of the sales of Van Halen's new album, projected to be in the 180,000 to 200,000 range, would secure them the top spot, but Adele may put up a big fight with some major exposure this week from the Grammy Awards according to Billboard.biz.

Drummer Bill Ward this week announced he was ready to pull out of the project, because after a year of negotiation he still hadn't been offered a contract he regarded as "signable". As rumors flew he'd be replaced with Ozzy Osbourne's sticksman Tommy Clufetos, Ward criticised Sabbath's management for failing to respect his contribution to the metal giants' legacy.

Slipknot have been grieving the loss of bassist Paul Gray since his tragic passing 2010 and have been very vocal about the fact that they are not ready to record yet. It took the band a good amount of time to return to the stage after Gray's death � they eventually reunited for a few shows overseas last summer. Despite their plans to tour North America this year, drummer Clown told Kerrang that they are still working through the grief:

Surviving Boys Mike Love, Brian Wilson, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks will play together on stage for the first time in more than two decades. No word yet on what songs the band are set to perform, much less if they'll be mashing up Beach Boys classics with Maroon 5 and Foster the People hits.

"They looked at me like I was crazy. I said, 'No, I'm serious. If there's anyone who's going to inspire him, it'd be Stephen King,'" Douglas reported. "Steven doesn't need melody � he needs someone who's going to inspire him as a wordsmith. I don't want a guy who's just writing hits right now."

There's no word if the two Steves are indeed working together, although their shared Boston connection might break the ice. King is a massive Red Sox fan and Aerosmith got their start in the city.

The band posted a new group photo with Leach on their website earlier this week, alerting fans to the reunion and now they have sent out official word about Leach's return:

The Foo Fighters and Deadmau5 will perform a remixed version of the Foos' single, "Rope," on an open-air stage outside the Staples Center facility. The Foo Fighters are nominated for Grammys in six categories this year, including Album of the Year for their acclaimed disc, Wasting Light. That number � six � equals the number of Grammy trophies the band have taken home thus far during their career.

This version of the All Starr Band will include Todd Rundgren, Gregg Rolie (Santana), Steve Lukather (Toto), Richard Page (Mr. Mister), saxophonist Mark Rivera and drummer Gregg Bissonette, along with Ringo, of course. Can one band handle two guys who spell Gregg with two Gs? Only time will tell.

The event will stream live at 7:00 p.m. PST Thursday, February 9, from the famed Capitol Studios where much of the new album was created. Fans can watch the intimate concert through iTunes on their Mac or PC.

Kisses On The Bottom is a collection of standards Paul grew up listening to, as well as two brand new McCartney compositions "My Valentine" and "Only Our Hearts" (which feature guest turns, respectively, from Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder). Recorded with the aid of Grammy-winning producer Tommy LiPuma and Diana Krall and her band�who will back Paul for the Capitol live stream event�Kisses On The Bottom is a deeply personal journey through songs that, in some cases, a young Paul first heard his father perform on the family piano.

Adrenaline Mob confirmed last month the departure of Paul DiLeo (Fozzy), and Rich Ward (Stuck Mojo/Fozzy) and this week announced Moyer has joined the lineup.

Hangout Music Fest will be held May 18, 19 and 20 on the white sand beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama

We were sent the following: these rumors are unfounded and false. Jon Anderson is busy with his solo career; he is currently on tour performing solo (tour dates and venues listed below), as well as recording new music.

"I was kind of surprised," co-founder Robert "Kool" Bell tells Billboard.com, "because Van Halen is more on the rock side and we do what we do. I said, 'That's an interesting combination...' It really caught us by surprise. But the more people I mention it to, the more interesting they're saying it is."

Spinetta was born in Buenos Aires on January 23, 1950 and would be remembered as one of the icons and more influential singer-songwriters in Latin American music.

The stoner rockers are hitting the road on March 1st and will play in 14 cities until St. Patrick's Day.

Cauldron have been nominated for their latest album, Burning Fortune, in the "Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year" category, alongside fellow Canadian musicians Anvil, Devin Townsend Project, F*** The Facts and Ken Mode.

The tour will kick off on February 24th in Tucson, AZ and will conclude on March 17th in Los Angeles, CA.

In regards to this release date change, the band comments: "Unfortunately we are sad to announce that the official release of our album 'Grind the Ocean' has been delayed until April 2012 in the UK and US.

"Slip into something more comfortable" is one of those cliched phrases that sounds familiar even though it's completely dated. I had just moved back to New York from LA, and although I had lived in the city for 9 years prior to my southern California jaunt, I felt out of place. Things I hadn't noticed before - the human-height garbage piles, the maniacal cabbies, the minuscule threshold for having the bird flipped at you, or rather, for flipping it, the living in shadows, literally, like embodying some sort of sick platonic reference - all resolved into a painful and uncomfortable focus. I had come up with the chords for a new song and I wanted it to be somewhat suggestive.

I was literally mouthing nonsense syllables over the music to figure out the melody. And then suddenly, I just uttered that line, that old femme fatale hook. Except that it resonated with me more broadly, in the sense of the relationship one has with a city or a group. How those first awkward few months can turn into titillating excitement when you figure out your place there and gain comfort in your own skin.

So the song became more about that natural longing and struggle to fit in and be happy in a place, a group, a subculture. And how that transition can be exciting even if your ultimate goal, to fit in, is as mundane and time-tested as your old, faded, favorite pair of jeans.