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Warped Tour Founder Wants Eddie Vedder and Ting Tings on Lineup

Eddie VedderOver its 15-year history, the Warped Tour has played host to the likes of Bad Religion, Blink-182, Katy Perry, Ice-T, NOFX, No Doubt and on and on. In fact, it's pretty much a rite of passage for every punk band -- and artists who embrace the punk spirit -- to hit the asphalt with Warped at least once.

But even with the literally thousands of acts have played the festival in past, Warped founder Kevin Lyman still has a wish list, albeit a very small one, he'd like to get out there in the future. "Sadly those are mostly bands that people have died in and they'll never be there. Joe Strummer was supposed to do the Warped tour the year he passed away," he tells Spinner, noting that there are still a few living acts he'd hold a spot for. "I don't think it'll ever happen but it'd be interesting to see if the Ting Tings would do good on the Warped tour. I think they'd do fantastic out there. I think the Ting Tings would be awesome on Warped Tour for some reason."
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Lenny Kravitz Celebrates 20 Years of 'Let Love Rule'

Lenny KravitzYes, 'Let Love Rule,' the album that introduced the world to Lenny Kravitz and made the singer/songwriter/guitarist a star is 20 years old. To commemorate the milestone, Kravitz went back to the beginning to create a deluxe version of the CD. To do so, Kravitz says he had to really look back at 1989. "I had to pay attention to my life at that time," he tells Spinner. "We found a lot of photographs and memorabilia and things that brought me back to 20 years ago. The interesting thing for me was that it still felt fresh, it felt the same. That was really weird."

That the record, which included the monster title song, has remained relevant all these years is a testament to his vision at that time. "I remember saying 'I want to make a record that in 20 years would stand up.' That was the sentence that I said," he says. Now, he's not trying to take credit for being a prophet at the time. "Obviously I couldn't have been thinking 20 years ahead. I wasn't even thinking 20 minutes ahead," he says. "I had no idea I would ever make another record besides that one. I didn't know what was going on. I just knew that there was music inside of me and I wanted to express it."
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Dave Grohl Says Success Led to Foo Fighters' Hiatus

Foo Fighters' Dave GrohlThe Foo Fighters are on a very well-documented break, with all of the members doing other projects. Nate Mendel is on the road with Sunny Day Real Estate and Dave Grohl joined some guys named Josh Homme and John Paul Jones for a band you might've read about called Them Crooked Vultures. But the hiatus has nothing to do with the guys hating each other -- Grohl tells Spinner that after the band ended their last tour they went right into the studio and recorded 13 tracks, two of which, 'Wheels' and 'Word Forward,' ended up on the new 'Greatest Hits' collection.

So why the break then? "I think, to me, the most important thing was to give the audience a break from the band, not even that we need to stop playing," he says. "I feel like the world doesn't need another Foo Fighters record right now."
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Julian Casbalancas Rocks Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' Theater

Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas is currently "camping out" in Los Angeles. As part of his excursion, he's doing a month-long residency of shows, playing every Friday at the Broadway Palace Theater. It turns out there's a lot of history at the venue. "I don't think there's ever been a rock show in that place," Casablancas tells Spinner. "It's where 'Thriller' was filmed and it's just a rad place, to be honest. It feels super-grand and kind of dilapidated, but in a charming way. [It's] super-intimate so even the worst seat you can see my expression."

When Casablancas chose the venue, he admits he wasn't aware of the historical significance, as it's the venue where Michael Jackson and his date are watching the movie. The venue even recently recreated the clip's marquee to honor the late pop icon. "I didn't know about it at first and I only found out after I started to fight for it," he says. But it was definitely an added bonus for him. "It's just the vibe is so great and as we're kind of debating, they were like, 'Oh, that's also where 'Thriller' was filmed,'" he recalls. "I was like, 'You're not arguing your case for not doing a show here.' The place feels special already and that definitely doesn't demystify it."
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Jon Bon Jovi Wouldn't Survive 'American Idol'

Jon Bon JoviIn more than a quarter of a century of rocking, Jon Bon Jovi has seen all of the music industry's well-publicized changes. So what does he see to be among the biggest differences? "It's very hard. Radio is fragmented," he tells Spinner. "There was Top 40 radio and DJs could be influential and you could make a career out of Philadelphia or Cleveland and you built to Chicago and all points west and north. That doesn't necessarily exist."

So are today's artists at a disadvantage? "You got a poor kid that wins 'American Idol' and then he's expected to be on the same level or playing field as the Rolling Stones or U2 or Bon Jovi the next day. That's not fair," Bon Jovi says. "We were allowed to have the third album be the one that was the breakthrough record. I don't know if a kid these days is ever gonna break 100 million in album sales. I don't think that's ever gonna happen again."
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Lenny Kravitz Turning 'Precious' Cameo Into Leading Role

Lenny KravitzActing is in Lenny Kravitz's blood. His mother, Roxie Roker, starred on the 'Jeffersons,' his daughter Zoe Kravitz is an actress who appeared in 'No Reservations' among other films and he was once married to actress Lisa Bonet of 'The Cosby Show' fame. Now, in the two decades since he began his music career and became a rock star, Kravitz is finally on the silver screen.

The rocker can currently be seen briefly in the hit indie film 'Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire.' But the next time he and 'Precious' director Lee Daniels work together, Kravitz will be the star. "I saw him this morning, we had breakfast together, and we're not sure exactly what we're doing. There are two or three options. But yes, I'm going to be doing a film and this time I'm going to be in the lead position," Kravitz tells Spinner. "It's going to be a lot of responsibility and a lot of time -- it's very exciting."
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Ting Tings Resist the Urge to Collaborate

With the news that Jay-Z has signed the Ting Tings to his Roc Nation, rumors are swirling he wants to work with the British duo. If they do end up collaborating, it will be under the direction of Katie White and Jules De Martino, as De Martino says they're determined to produce their new record themselves.

"We produced our first record ourselves and we're gonna be producing this record ourselves as well," De Martino tells Spinner. "We love to experiment in the recording, we throw everything at the wall. It's a very kind of unorthodox way of recording and I think it kind of made the record sound different. So I think we'll probably stick to that method, go on our own and do it."