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This is one of those times where the internal debate about the pick of the week is very contentious. I mean, I dearly love Southside Johnny and am probably more excited about The Jukes than everything else here. On the other hand, it’s tough to ignore a giant Led Zeppelin reissue. It feels somehow “bigger” than the U2 explosion.

Decisions, decisions…

Hope Radio - Ronnie Earl (Stony Plain)/Blues

Ronnie Earl is one of the most soulful blues guitar players out there.

(More about The Tuesday Morning Purchase: November 20, 2007 - Ronnie Earl, Southside Johnny, Led Zeppelin, U2…)

courtesy of NME.com Tue Nov 20, 6:00 AM ET

Dr. Jan Adams–the man who performed plastic surgery on Kanye West's mother, shortly before she died–has spoken about the suspicions surrounding him.
(More about Kanye West’s mother’s plastic surgeon speaks (Yahoo! Music)…)

One last big blast of what the industry hopes are massive, can't-miss releases before the shopping season begins - it's pretty obvious looking at the list this week. It's all greatest hits and weird repackagings the likes of which we would never see any other time of the year.

(More about The Breakdown: Genesis, Led Zeppelin, Nine Inch Nails, Opeth, U2…)

On The Record: The Band Of The Year (Apparently Isn’t Even A Band Anymore)

I am no good at predicting the future, so writing a speculative column on Monday that isn’t scheduled to run until Wednesday might not be the smartest move. But thanks to, er, Thanksgiving, that’s exactly what I’m doing. And here’s the leap I’m taking: Deerhunter are totally the band of the year.

(More about The Best Band Of 2007 Probably Isn’t Even A Band Anymore, In Bigger Than The Sound…)

There’s been ill feelings festering away between Naeem of Spank Rock and emo-king/actor Jared Leto for some time, and it all came to a head at the recent MTV Woodie Awards in Canada when the notoriously capricious Baltimore MC chucked a glass at the 30 Seconds To Mars frontman. It could be said that Leto – who has been given the title “King of Douche” thanks to his self-absorbed parading and egocentric antics in 30 Seconds To Mars – is a pretty easy target, and since the incident blogs have been going ga-ga.
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After sour sales and lackluster reviews for his last major label release, ‘True Magic,’ Mos Def is preparing to release his independent label debut on Downtown Records. There’s no release date for the as-yet-untitled album, but label head Josh Deutsch is already touting the project and its production. According to Deutsch, Kanye West, who’s mother passed away suddenly last weekend, is on tap to produce some tracks.
(More about Mos Def Readies Indie Debut With Kanye West…)

Although I have always been a big Elton John fan, I probably would have passed on this new concert DVD had I not seen the amazing set list and all of the rare bonus footage that was included.

I already own Sir Elton's excellent live greatest hits DVD, One Night Only, from 2001 so Elton 60 would have to offer something pretty damn special for me to shell out more of my hard earned money on this aging legend performing these same songs again.

Not only is it special, but it is also one of the best bargains of the year.

(More about Music DVD Review: Elton John - Elton 60: Live At Madison Square Garden…)

NBC has tapped an eclectic group of musicians to star in a new reality-competition show, ‘Clash of the Choirs.’ Patti LaBelle, Nick Lachey, Blake Shelton, Kelly Rowland and Michael Bolton will try to create “America’s greatest choir” on the live show, each of them picking 20 singers from their respective hometowns to join their team.
(More about Lachey, Shelton and Bolton Become ‘Choir’ Boys…)

Courtney Love is considering giving future music releases of hers away free, Radiohead-style. The singer/guitarist praised Radiohead’s recent decision to let fans choose how much to pay for their latest album, ‘In Rainbows’, on her MySpace blog. “The kamikaze pilot in me wants to do the same damn thing,” she writes. “I’m grateful for Radiohead for making the first move. I’d do it differently. That’s why b-sides are no longer b-sides, but have to be a-sides, to an extent.
(More about Courtney Love to release music Radiohead-style…)

After playing only a handful of shows in 2007, Kiss will be back in action next year for a series of “Kiss festivals around the Indy car racing series,” bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons tells Billboard.

“We’ll do 15 dates or so,” he adds. “We’ll also go to Australia and New Zealand and maybe do four to six shows, but nothing comprehensive until we feel like it.”

The first date to be announced is March 16 in Melbourne, in conjunction with the Formula 1 ING Australian Grand Prix.
(More about Kiss Revving Up For Indy Race Concerts…)