Sales figures will not be available until Wednesday (December 3), but early estimates put the first-week total at 300,000 copies (including a reported 25,000 downloads at iTunes on November 23 not counted towards the opening week for the Sunday release) � roughly 50,000 more than the opening number registered by "Contraband", the 2004 debut from Velvet Revolver. [That being said, the album is expected to debut in the Top 5 in most markets around the world - find out how high they got and where right here]

Kanye West's new album, "808s and Heartbreak", will be No. 1 on next week's Billboard chart with a total that looks to be between 450,000 and 500,000.

The charity concert was scheduled to take place on December 7. But organizers said the event was being canceled "due to circumstances far beyond our control," according to CNN.

Both outcomes are hideously expensive - any therapy you had would last for decades and the legal bills you'd rack up from climbing a clocktower and blasting away indiscriminately at strangers for an hour as revenge for the years of teasing would be immense - so it's just as well that Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz have already worked out a way to set Bronx Mowgli Wentz up with a fortune.

Like being bigger than U2. The Killers have opened for the Irish mega-stars, and Flowers and Bono have even shared the stage together. But in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Flowers says it's not enough - he wants to knock U2 off their pedestal.

Seminal Chicago indie rock outfit the Jesus Lizard will play its first shows in 10 years in 2009, while Touch & Go will remaster and reissue its first four studio albums.more

The Edge has confirmed that the working title for next year's U2 record is indeed No Line On The Horizon. The guitarist also said that none of the material that U2 worked on with Rick Rubin has made the cut for the album. He explains the album title here.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons has told Jane Stevenson of Canada's Sun Media that the veteran glam rockers are writing songs for a new album that he expects they will record next year and release next summer. more

Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson says that he and brother Chris Robinson, the group's frontman, have "tons of songs around. Chris and I are always writing." They just have to figure out what to do with them. "We want to make another record" with the Crowes, the younger Robinson tells Billboard.com more

Whitney Houston has issued a statement denying the rumors of a reunion with Bobby Brown.more

A Cincinnati man has been found guilty of murder in the 2006 shooting the friend of Grammy Award-winning rapper T.I.read more. In other T.I. news, T.I. volunteered at his home town's largest Thanksgiving dinner at the Atlanta Braves' home field. The event, which turned out close to 22,000, was organized by the Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless. "It's a pleasure for me to help service those who are definitely in need of the service," said T.I., before taking his spot on the serving line. more

Cliff Richard and The Shadows will reunite next year for the last time with a stadium tour of Britain, tour organizers Live Nation said.more

Superdrag have announced details surrounding their latest album. Industry Giants, will drop March 17 via Superdrag Sound Laboratories. more

In March of next year, legendary heavy metal band Iron Maiden will be heading to Brazil for five shows as part of a South American tour. This will be the final part of the bands, "Somewhere Back In Time" tour before they enter the studio to record their fifteenth studio album.more

The lawyer for Guns N' Roses and Axl Rose has castigated Dr Pepper, accusing the soda maker of failing to deliver on its promotion to offer free soda in celebration of the band's new album, "Chinese Democracy." Guns N' Roses was never involved in the campaign.more

The practice of 'Rickrolling', which has seen countless internet users fooled into watching the video for Rick Astley's 1987 hit Never Gonna Give You Up, took another surreal twist Thursday when the star performed the stunt live in New York. more

George Michael says he will give away his new Christmas song as a free download on Christmas Daymore

Franz Ferdinand are set to play a surprise London show tonight (December 1). The band, currently on a short European tour, will play the Durr club in the West End, according to posters being displayed around the city. more

Adler's Appetite have scheduled a date at Hollywood's Key Club on January 17th. According to the site, the gig will also feature "Special Guests". more

A Thai festival Manic Street Preachers were due to headline has been cancelled. The Bangkok 100 Rock festival was due to start Saturday (November 29) but due to "circumstances beyond our control", it was shelved. more

Vocalist Damian Wilson of the UK progressive metal band Threshold is making his full solo catalog available for free download at DamianWilsonMusic.com. more

Once Nothing recently announced the departure of bassist Steve Lucarelli and drummer Giuseppe Capolupo. The band had the following to say: "We are not breaking up! As many of you know, Once Nothing has been around for quite some time now. 9 years to be exact. People have come and people have gone." more

Basement Jaxx have postponed their Spring 2009 tour, but it's good news for fans as they've added an extra 3 shows. more

Though they have yet to officially announce anything, Torche has parted ways with guitar player Juan Montoya.more

Legendary British blues rock guitarist Robin Trower has just released a brand new live double CD set recording during the guitarist's 2008 North American tour. more

La Coacha from ChismeTime.com kissed Katy Perry and she didn't like it. Watch the video here

The distinctive white sails of the Sydney Opera House darkened Sunday night to mourn the death of Joern Utzon, the creative mind behind the globally known landmark.more

Candian rockers the Stills are this month's Ignition artists on the Zune Marketplace. Head to the Marketplace to download an exclusive free track of their original song demo "Snow in California [demo]", originally the B-side on the single "Being Here" from the band's latest 2008 release 'Oceans Will Rise'. Tis here

Cuomo tells Billboard he has "no idea" when the tentatively titled "Odds and Ends" will be released, but describes it as "just another fun project to do. They're great songs, but for some reason they didn't make the final cut for [a] record. They span a vast period of time from the very beginning of our career in the early '90s right up to the present day."

In a week with seven top 20 debuts, Nickelback's "Dark Horse" (Roadrunner) sold 326,000 to start at No. 2. The Canadian rock outfit spent an astonishing 156 weeks on the chart with its prior album, 2005's "All the Right Reasons," which is at 6.97 million to date.

This is the group's first since SABBATH's "Dehumanizer" (which was also recorded at Rockfield) in 1992. An early 2009 release via Rhino Records is expected.

The group has disclosed the following details: "Erik was admitted to an Iowa City hospital on the early morning of Nov. 23rd and has remained under doctor's supervision since.

"On the eve of our December tour with friends Misery Index and Soilent Green, we in The Black Dahlia Murder are faced with a heartbreaking dilemma: John [Kempainen; guitar] has abruptly left the fold and refuses to accompany us on the tour. We are left with no choice but to carry on with the dates as a four-piece.

Guitarist Akira Takasaki has posted the news in his online blog in Japanese here thanking the fans for their support.