• It was the week of Slim Shady as Eminem revealed the pill-packed cover and more details about his upcoming Relapse, went viral with a rehab Website and got his Silence of the Lambs on with his murderous second single “3AM.”

• As we approached the final weeks of American Idol, Disco Night was the death of Anoop Desai and Lil Rounds. Plus, soon-to-be-free-agent Paula Abdul said she was irreplaceable while Idol winner Kelly Clarkson debuted her new video for “I Do Not Hook Up” and talked boyfriends and backlash with RS.
• Glass shattered when we heard the fake video of Beyoncé singing at the Today show. Despite proof the clip was doctored, Mrs. Jay-Z was quick to dispel the rumors with a fierce performance on Letterman. And the hoaxer told Rock Daily he was just trying to make a point.
• We blew our curfews as Paul McCartney, the Killers and the Cure all rocked past midnight at this year’s Coachella. Catch up on all of last week’s festivities by checking out our full Coachella coverage.

• Green Day Debut “Enemy” Clip
• Eminem Goes Dark on Leaked “3AM”
• Depeche Mode Draw Massive Kimmel Crowd
• Dylan, Mellencamp, Nelson Set Ballpark Tour
• Kanye, Prince Premiere New Videos
• Gossip Girl’s Meester Inks Record Deal
• Spinal Tap Get “Unwigged & Unplugged”
• Random Notes: Week in Rock Photos
• Weekend Rock List: Rock’s Top Comebacks
• Jane’s Nothing’s Shocking Hits Rock Band
• Timberlake Admits LeBron Man Crush on ESPN
• Lou Reed Live: Metal Machine Music
• Singles: Lady Gaga Covers Coldplay
• News Ticker: Flaming Lips, Coachella
• Kelly Clarkson on Boyfriends and Backlash
• Beyoncé Hoaxer Says He Was Proving a Point
• Eminem Speaks on Shade45: “I Am Back”
• Beyoncé Puts Rumors to Rest on Letterman
• Lil Rounds, Anoop Desai Out on Idol
• Pixies’ Black Readies New Band, Grand Duchy
• Eminem’s Relapse Goes Viral With Rehab Site
• Fall Out Boy’s Backstage Video Tour
• Velvet Revolver’s Singer Search Not Over

Scroll down for full news stories, commentary and much more in Rock Daily.

Photo: McCarthy/WireImage for BWR

Political titans Bono and former President Bill Clinton hung out with Jon Bon Jovi and his wife at the Can-Do Awards in New York City this week, while the Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne took to Washington, DC, where he rolled across the National Mall in his giant man-size plastic bubble at an Earth Day celebration. Justin Timberlake did a little political work of his own, dismissing rumors that his romance is in trouble by spending some quality public PDA time with girlfriend Jessica Biel (and not, sadly, his man-crush LeBron James). Plus, Snoop met his wax match, Paul McCartney ruled Coachella and Jeff Beck said hello to Rod Stewart and John Mayer onstage in L.A. Shots of all these and more stars are in our weekly roundup of the best rock photos:

• Random Notes: Bono, Flaming Lips, Justin Timberlake and the Week in Rock

When Duff McKagan told Rock Daily that Velvet Revolver hadn’t yet recruited a new frontman, our commenters turned into lobbyists, recommending their favorite unemployed singers to take over VR’s vacated microphone. Still, it was Areawoman who both nailed that vital ingredient all bands need to be successful and also confused the shit out of us:

SEX SELLS . . . all the successful rock bands had this vital element. The new singer HAS to rise to the level of a Jim Morrison or Mick Jagger and that can only mean KEVIN JONES.

When we first read that, we thought Areawoman was talking about Kevin Jonas, which led to all sorts of hilarity (Slash, meet your new JoBro!). Then, we figured maybe Areawoman was a Chicago Bears fan and was pushing for running back Kevin Jones to take over for Scott Weiland. Some digging, however, revealed that she was talking about some other Kevin Jones, the guy who sings lead for a band called Rattleface. Sorry, Areawoman, you have a better shot of Kevin Jonas assuming control of VR.

Photo: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty

The debate started on Rolling Stone’s Twitter and we’re taking it to the Rock List: “What are your top 5 music comebacks?” Elvis Presley seemed to be the universal favorite, but let’s see what the Rock Daily readers think. Tell us your which artists you think had the greatest return from rock oblivion, and on Monday we’ll announce the Biggest Comebacks in Music. Refer to our first debate on the subject, and don’t forget to consider Britney Spears (from the breakdown to Circus), Prince (from the Symbol to the Super Bowl), New Order (the death of Ian Curtis and Joy Division to “Blue Monday”) and any other musicians who probably had a Behind The Music dedicated to them. While you mull it over, here’s some of our favorite comeback stories:

• Aerosmith
• AC/DC
• Johnny Cash
• Neil Young
• Elvis Presley

Depeche Mode released their new album Sounds of the Universe this week — and shut down Hollywood Blvd. last night — so our Flashback brings us to 1982, when DM visited Sweden’s Mandag Borsens. First impression: “Holy shit, look how young David Gahan is!” He resembles the singer of a high school Gary Numan cover band. Like most interviews dealing with a language barrier, there are some moments of awkwardness: The fumbled Gahan introduction, those long gaps when Gahan stands idly while the presenter translates his answers into Swedish, and of course the last question, when Gahan is asked what the lyrics of “New Life” are about, even though the song’s writer, Vince Clarke, had quit the band and taken the song’s meaning with him. Check out the DM’s performance of “New Life,” and Mandag Borsens awesomely ’80s opening credits, after the jump. (more…)

Fans who’d eagerly bought Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music when it came out in 1975 soon returned to their music stores in droves, demanding refunds and complaining that the record was broken. MMM is Reed’s most controversial record, the black sheep in his catalog: a 64-minute double album that consists almost entirely of jarring, swelling guitar feedback. Was it a joke? Was he serious? The argument endures among music fans to this day, but regardless of his motives, the album has a secure place in rock history as one of the most unlistenable records of all time. Last night Reed recreated the chaos of the album with his Metal Machine Trio in the first of two shows at the Gramercy Theatre in New York.

The small venue was probably only half full and its patrons consisted mostly of intellectual types and hard-core Reed fans. Long before the band came on, the sound system was playing an unnerving dissonant loop that seemed to keep getting louder. When they took the stage, Reed and his band, tenor saxophonist Ulrich Kreiger and Continuum (a touch sensitive MIDI keyboard) player Sarth Calhoun wasted little time for pleasantries before they dove into the apocalyptic rush, although Reed announced appreciatively beforehand, “I just want to tell you how happy I am to see you all here tonight.” There were no “songs,” but instead the musicians churned out a continuous blaring fog that rose and decreased in its deafening intensity, marked by shrill electronic shrieks, long demented sax solos and Reed’s occasional yelling voice. (more…)

Photo: Miller/FilmMagic

As Rock Daily previously speculated, Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson are teaming up for the 2009 Ballpark Tour. The jaunt kicks off July 2nd in Sauget, Illinois, with the trio playing minor league baseball stadiums across the country until August 15th. Tickets for the tour, which are all general admission and $67.50, begin to go on sale May 2nd. In addition to peanuts and Cracker Jacks, the tour will also allow free admission for children 14 and younger.

Dylan has long had an obsession with the National Pastime, dedicating a week of his Theme Time Radio Hour to the sport and touring baseball stadiums in 2004 with Nelson. News of the trek first spread when Joan Baez let the word slip after playing “Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right” during a concert in Bloomington, Indiana. With John Mellencamp in the crowd, Baez said “Mellencamp? Are you really going to go on tour with that guy [Dylan]? Seriously, come talk to me after the show.” Mellencamp’s Website later promised a tour of minor league baseball stadiums with two major artists in tow. Check below for the current run of 2009 Ballpark Tour dates. (more…)

Photo: Sussman/Getty

Recent Rolling Stone cover girl and Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester is the latest cast member of the hit CW show to make the jump into music. The actress who plays queen bee Blair Waldorf signed with Universal Republic, and plans to release her debut album this fall. According to Billboard.com, Meester describes her sound as having an “electro-pop edge” and she’s already hit the studio with producers Polow Da Don, Harvey Mason Jr. and Spencer Nezey. “I’m thrilled to be welcomed into the Universal Republic fold,” Meester said in a statement. “Their reputation for nurturing artists combined with a willingness to break new ground makes it the ultimate environment for me to enjoy making music and explore my own creative boundaries.”

Meester isn’t the only Gossip Girl to try her hand at music. Taylor Momsen, who’s only 15, has a band called Pretty Reckless that was recruited to open for the Veronicas when the Aussie sisters tour this summer. Pretty Reckless has reportedly signed with Interscope Records. And the infamous Chuck Bass, a.k.a. actor Ed Westwick, is in a Brit-pop band called the Filthy Youth. They even have a MySpace page where they cite XTC and Paul Weller as influences. (more…)

Photo: Hekimian/WireImage

Lady Gaga, “Viva La Vida” [Coldplay Cover]
We just find ‘em, people. In truth, this cover is more interesting than we thought it would be. Though we can probably ballpark why St. Peter won’t call her name.

Dead Prez vs. Grizzly Bear, “Two Weeks of Hip-Hop” [Mash-up]
So first we had Sigur Ros vs. Mobb Deep. Now this. It is the Internet’s new meme, we guess: matching tough-as-nails hip-hop songs to increasingly wussier music. We hear that M.O.P./Beat Happening mashup is a corker.

James Brown, “There Was a Time” [Kenny Dope Remix]
Somehow, Kenny Dope found a way to make the godfather even funkier. (more…)

So far for the videos off 808s & Heartbreak, Kanye West has found inspiration in American Psycho (“Love Lockdown”), rotoscoping (“Heartless”), pixel manipulation (“Welcome to Heartbreak”) and now, for the single “Amazin’,” West has turned to nature. The video, which premiered yesterday on BET, was directed by Hype Williams but is indebted to the work of photographer Sebastiao Salgado, as “Amazin’” takes us on a tour of breathtaking scenery in exotic areas of Hawaii. It’s like watching the National Geographic Channel with 808s & Heartbreak playing, but West sometimes appears overlooking a vast canyon or singing in a green forest, reminding us we’re watching music video. Young Jeezy also shows up at a bonfire for his cameo. It is all “amazing” to look at, if that’s what West was going for. (more…)

Great news for people who like killer bass lines: Jane’s Addiction’s 1988 album Nothing’s Shocking is coming to Rock Band as a full-album download next week. Jane’s album will join the 14 other full records currently available for gameplay, which include Guns n’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy, Pearl Jam’s Ten and the Pixies’ Doolittle. Rock Band’s first full album was Judas Priest’s Screaming For Vengeance.

It’s fitting that aspiring Dave Navarros (or people who just like screaming “Sex … is … violent!”) will get the chance to rock out to Nothing’s Shocking as the recently fully reunited band — with original bassist Eric Avery — is currently prepping to hit the road with Nine Inch Nails next month, plus headline August’s Lollapalooza. When Rolling Stone caught Jane’s at SXSW, the crew tore through a handful of Shocking tracks and Perry Farrell admitted that 21 years after the album was first released, he has finally been shocked: by the Octomom.

Fans will be able to pay homage to Avery’s monster bass lines starting April 28th; the album’s tracks will be available for purchase as an album or as individual tracks for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and as individual tracks for Wii.

Related Stories:

• A Brief History of Jane’s Addiction
• Reunited Jane’s Addiction Still Face Rocky Road, Says Farrell
• Perry Farrell Gets Shocked: Jane’s Addiction Frontman on SXSW Gig, Reznor Sessions, Lollapalooza

Photo: Lovekin/Getty

When Eminem told fans listening to his Sirius XM radio station Shade45 yesterday that Relapse’s second single “3AM” has a darker tone than the snarky “We Made You,” he wasn’t joking. In fact, “darker” is an understatement — “3AM,” which leaked late yesterday, casts Eminem as a serial killer as he drops the choppy rhyme “It’s 3 a.m. in the morning, put my key in the door, bodies laying all over the floor and I don’t know how they got there, but I guess I must have killed them.” Em said he already filmed a video for the single in his native Detroit, but considering the grisly nature of the lyrics, the clip may be destined for an R rating. (Hear the track at Rap Radar.)

“3AM” features some of Em’s classic, wickedly witty wordplay: Kicking off with the line “I remember the first time I dismembered a family member,” there’s a verse about how Slim strangles his cousin with Christmas lights, cuts him up into little pieces and drinks his blood. Then as a bridge between two verses, Em quotes the creepiest line from Silence of the Lambs, “She puts the lotion in the bucket, she puts the lotion on the skin, or else she gets the hose again.” Em has also developed some kind of crush on Kim Kardashian, name-checking the reality star (and her ass) in both “We Made You” and this track. Kim, maybe double-lock your door — you do share a name with someone Em has rhymed about murdering before. (more…)

Photo: Sullivan/WireImage

The men of Spinal Tap went costume-free last night at Southern California’s Grove of Anaheim, but Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer had no trouble getting into character: Singing Tap classics as well as material from A Mighty Wind and Waiting for Guffman, the trio offered pitch-perfect parodies of arena-rock excess and folk-revival earnestness on the fifth date of its Unwigged & Unplugged tour, which wraps up May 31st in Milwaukee (shortly before the release this summer of a new Spinal Tap album, Back from the Dead).

The two-hour set alternated songs with brief multimedia bits, such as a clip from Spinal Tap’s first television appearance (on 1979’s The T.V. Show) and a run-down of the edits that NBC’s Standards & Practices department required before the network would air This Is Spinal Tap. (”Shit sandwich” you can understand, but “twisted old fruit”?) Musical highlights included a didgeridoo-enhanced “Clam Caravan”; “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow,” for which keyboardist CJ Vanston and McKean’s wife Annette O’Toole joined the proceedings; a bluegrass rendition of the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up”; and “Majesty of Rock,” introduced not inaccurately by McKean as “a genuine specimen of the rock & roll anthem.” (more…)

Photo: Fox/WireImage

• Oklahoma’s governor will sign an executive order declaring the Flaming Lips’ “Do You Realize??” the state’s official rock song. The state’s House of Representatives rejected the Yoshimi vs. The Pink Robots single, which voters selected, after a bandmember wore a Communist Party T-shirt at a recent gig, NewsOK reports.

• Coachella boasted its second-highest attendance this year, but organizers may have to dig into their wallets after Paul McCartney, the Cure and the Killers all played past curfew, the BBC reports. The two bonus hours of rock will cost $1,500 in fines due for every minute past midnight.
• Heart, Natasha Bedingfield and Jesse McCartney performed at the ASCAP’s 26th annual pop awards, Reuters reports. Nancy and Ann Wilson received the night’s ASCAP Founders award and production duo Stargate got the Songwriter of the Year award for hits including Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music” and Jordin Sparks’ “Tattoo.”