It looks like a jury will have to decide if Akon is a tosser or not. The rapper will have to face criminal charges in a trial stemming from an incident in which he allegedly tossed a teenage fan off a stage during a concert in June 2007. If convicted will he change the spelling of his name to A Con? Who knows, but read more here

We were informed by a publicist that YOU love to have Britney news, so here it is. It appears the lip-synching poptart will in fact appear at this year's MTV VMAs. Hopefully in better shape than last time (still having nightmares about that). The good news is she won't be performing but her "opening" appearance is being hyped as "not to be missed." Hard to see how she will be able to top Pee Wee's big opening but let us know if she does anything of interest if you bother to tune in.

Slipknot's "All Hope Is Gone" barely wins out over the Game's "LAX" in the race for No. 1 on The Billboard 200 this week. The Mallcore set moved 239,516 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, only 1,134 more than the rapper's Geffen album at 238,382. more

Dead rapper Tupac "2Pac" Shakur, the hip-hop icon who sold more records after he was murdered than during his brief career, is the most overrated person in music, according to music rag Blender. more

Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament will unveil his first solo album, "Tone," Sept. 16 via the band's Ten Club fan organization and select U.S. indie retailers. more

The owners of a nightclub where a 2003 fire killed 100 people during a Great White concert after the flammable foam the owners put on the walls caught fire, have reached a tentative US$813,000 settlement with survivors and relatives of those killed. Wow! 8,130 per life. Adding insult to injury, the money won't be coming out of the owner's pockets, their insurance company is paying it. more

Target will be the sole retailers to carry Christina Aguilera's first greatest hits collection, "Keeps Gettin' Better -- A Decade of Hits," due Nov. 11 via RCA. more

Normally we skip posting things like this but we happen to like Collective Soul around here and are sure a few of you do as well. Check out the brand new Collective Soul Radio widget. This widget offers a variety of Collective Soul songs 24/7, as well as news and tour date information. Tis here

Nonpoint is sorry to announce the departure of longtime friend and guitar player Andrew Goldman. Andy has decided to pursue interests outside the world of music. The entire band wish him nothing but success and happiness. Nonpoint has lined up a replacementmore

David Bowie has announced that he will release a compilation of his own favourite tracks, which he hand-selected earlier this year. Originally a giveaway with the 'Mail On Sunday' in June, 'iSELECT: BOWIE' sold out in one day. Now Virgin/EMI will release it widely on October 14. more

The Red Chord has apparently parted ways with guitar player Mike Keller, who sent Lambgoat the following statement earlier today: "A couple days ago I got a call from one of the guys informing me they made a mutual decision to become a four-piece. They offered little in ways of explanation but I can admit that in the past few tours I had grown apart from the rest of the band, both personally and musically." He continues here

David Fincher's remake of Heavy Metal was dropped by Paramount Pictures and he subsequently looked for a new home. According to Kevin Eastman - creator of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and publisher of Heavy Metal, the magazine - the project has been set up at Sony. Yes, Virginia- nothing is sacred. more

"Raine Maida gets positive U.S. review," reads the Jam! headline. Perhaps the Canadian publication didn't expect any positive responses south of their border? Maybe you can figure it out here.

Delaney Gibson has announced September 19, 2008 as the date for her debut release "The Worst Kind of Way" album release show. The show will be sponsored by nixacountry.com and will be streaming live on the internet. Gibson will be performing at 7:30 P.M. at Zoey's Caf� in Ventura, CA.

The Deep Blues Festival announces that they will be returning in 2009 with this 100% volunteer event. The 2008 festival was three days and included 46 bands and 25 films. Performers included Black Diamond Heavies, Bob Log III, T-Model Ford, Left Lane Cruiser, Scott H. Biram, Dex Romweber Duo, and dozens of other alt blues bands. - more info

Preview and Purchase U2 CDs