» Poison drummer Ricki Rockett has been charged with raping a woman in a Missisipi hotel. He was arrested as he got off his flight in L.A. and eventually released. The Daily News, the Los Angeles newspaper that first reported this, has also made news (in my book) by being the first publication I've seen to admit to their (noble) wiki-ing: "According to the online Web site Wikipedia, Rockett was born Richard Allan Ream in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania." Also in over-the-hill crime:  Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora was arrested on a DUI suspicion.

» Dr. Pepper has vowed to give every person in America a can of its delicious soda if Guns n' Roses manages to release their record Chinese Democracy in 2008, a record which has been promised year after year. Either way, I want a Dr. Pepper now. Well done, DP.

» Researchers have found an audio recording almost 20 years older than Edison's original. The recording was originally meant only as a visualization of audio, but researchers have discovered a way to turn it back into audio. It was recorded by a horn attached to a stylus, which scratched an image of the sound into paper.

» The L.A. Times has apologized to P. Diddy for running an article which used false documents to imply P. Diddy's involvement in the shooting of Tupac. After investigating, the newspaper found the documents to be forged and apologized to Diddy, who might be on his way to suing the paper. Seriously, who'd fuck with him? Everyone knows he can fuck people up.

» R.E.M., in short: Cy Fard reviews Acellerate; Chris Martin names R.E.M.'s new single, "Supernatural Superserious"; R.E.M. thought about calling new album Future Tense; Stipe pissed at gov't, digging on Barack.

» The Rest, in short: Fall Out Boy unsuccessful in their attempt to play on all continents; Bad Religion singer Greg Graffin receives award from Harvard-based atheist society; B.B. King buys a club in his Mississippi hometown; Led Zepplin mention new album as possibility; Art from Sigur Ros members to hang in London; Mick Jagger digging on Internet for making music accesible; The Raconteurs reveal that they didn't want to mention the album at all; India.Arie starts imprint SoulBird with Universal Republic; Family of Bob Marley refuses to license music for bio-pic;

» Obits, in short: "Fifth Beatle" Neil Aspinall, 66.