American Idol special taped in Las Vegas: For a group of teenagers and twentysomethings no one had heard of before June, the “American Idol” contestants acted like seasoned pop stars at the taping of their reunion special. Thirty “idols” from the hit Fox TV talent show – which ended only …

Ex-Zombies, legendary keyboardist Rod Argent and wispy-voiced singer Colin Blunstone, have reunited after 30 years to tour with songs from their duo album from last year, as well as Zombies favorites: Former Zombies keyboardist Rod Argent and singer Colin Blunstone kicked off a nine-city U.S. tour this week. Though the …

For our friends in the Cincy area: Midpoint Music Festival September 25-28 Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky Free Concert on Fountain Square Wednesday, September 25 11:30 – 1:30 Free CD Release party at Jefferson Hall Wednesday, September 25, 8 p.m. featuring: Blue Karma, Outrageous Orange, The Katie Todd Band MIDPOINT MUSIC …

The WSJ says Rowling “polishing”: Don’t worry — the next Harry Potter is just around the corner. Author J.K. Rowling said in an interview that she has completed the bones of her long-awaited fifth book, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” and is in the process of tweaking …

Another reason to cast IM into the pits of hell: EACH September Jacqueline Harding prepares a classroom presentation on the common writing mistakes she sees in her students’ work. Ms. Harding, an eighth-grade English teacher at Viking Middle School in Guernee, Ill., scribbles the words that have plagued generations of …

Though present since the beginning of rock, since the advent of MTV visuals have increasingly come to be seen as inseparable from music. “What do you do when there’s nothing to look at?” The NY Times looks at visual artistry and new tools: Visual projections that pulse in time with …

Moxie finds little-known photo under seat cushion at Playgirl.

Folkies flip over $10,000 fellowship: Appalachian music legend Jean Ritchie, considered one of the greatest dulcimer players of all time, was honored Wednesday by the National Endowment of the Arts for connecting world audiences to the rich folk heritage of her home region. Ritchie was among 15 artists receiving a …

Nokia says warchalking is thievery: Phone maker Nokia has come down strongly against warchalking. It has condemned as theft the placing of chalk symbols on walls and pavements at places where people can use wireless net access. An advisory issued by the handset maker said anyone using bandwidth without the …

The great track and football star “Bullet” Bob Hayes died at 59. Another life of athletic glory and personal tragedy: Hayes died of kidney failure at Shands Hospital late Wednesday, daughter Westine Lodge said. He was hospitalized earlier this month and had also battled liver ailments and prostate cancer. Hayes …