New Orleans' Hurricane Katrina.
Unless you live in a cave, you already know about Hurricane Katrina which wiped out all of New Orleans and its surrounding areas. Survivors should be allowed to "loot" the local grocery stores and supply shops, but that select group of people raping the girls and shooting at the people who are trying to rescue them might not be thinking clearly (as reported on CNN Thursday, September 1). I'm all over the board on this one and I keep going back and forth on a lot of the issues. Expect dozens of celebrity-studded charity relief benefits to pop up over the weekend led by that Dave Matthews Band charity gig.
Morrissey enters the studio.
It's confirmed - Moz entered a recording studio in Rome this week with his band which 
include the recently ousted Alain Whyte (who is rumored to have left because of a nervous breakdown). So Morrissey enters the studio with three guitarists now - too many cooks to spoil the brew if you ask me. At the knobs, Jeff Saltzman who's produced the Killers' debut LP as well as albums for the Black Keys and the Sounds. Let's hope this one is a little less polished than "You Are the Quarry."
Britney decides on a name, a nation exhales.
Our Britney has decided on a name for her kid and it looks like she's jumping on board with 
Hollywood's glitterati and going with a completely asinine name for the helpless newborn. The boy's name (yep, it's confirmed is a boy) is going to be - wait for it - - London Preston Federline-Spears. This of course is fresh off the heels of Punky Brewster naming her kid Poet and Jason Lee naming his kid Pilot Inspektor. Other stupid celebrity baby names: Apple (Gwyneth Paltrow), Fifi Trixibelle (Bob Geldof), Brooklyn (the Beckhams) and Phoenix Chi (Spice Girl Mel C).
Franz Ferdinand release new video/single.
Proving that they're no one-hit wonder, Franz Ferdinand released their new single this week - "Do You Want To?" An amazing tune and a beautifully executed video. It puts my faith back in music. A mid-year contender for OutsideLeft's Golden Bootlace © Single of the 
Year. Sample lyric: "When I woke up tonight, I said I'm going to make somebody love me, and now I know that that somebody is you - you're lucky, lucky!"
See it here: http://franzferdinand.org/audio_video/doyouwantto_promo.htm
RIP CBGB, OMFG!
So long, CBGB's - the variable petri dish and flashpoint for what emerged as the great punk rock movement of the late-'70s. As several hundred enthusiastic supporters rallied in Washington Square Park this week to keep the club open, the landlord of the venerable punk club announced Wednesday that the lease on the 32-year-old landmark will not be renewed. Not that I really care anymore though - in the'70s and '80s, the venue was the breeding ground for amazing budding artists - many who developed into national treasures like the Ramones, Talking Heads and Blondie. Then in the '90s, it slowly started to become a novel place to play because of its history - sort of how it's prestigious to play the Hollywood Bowl or Madison Square Garden. Today, people like Gavin Rossdale, John Mayer and the Dave Matthews Band can be found booked at the venue on a weekly basis. Personally, I'm glad to see it go before it gets completely watered down into a House of Blues type of venue ad CBGBs franchises start popping up all over the country. My only regret is that I never visited the place.
MTV's VMAs ROFL!
A complete wreck and proof that Puff Daddy - - or whatever his new name is this week - wants to be nothing more than his generation's Sammy Davis, Jr. MTV officially died this week - I think it's last sign of life was that Madonna-Britney kiss a couple years ago. There is absolutely nothing redeemable about anything involved with MTV anymore.
