The Killers and Elton John are teaming for a Christmas single, tentatively titled 'Joseph, Better You Than Me.' The song is due in December.

Smashing Pumpkins kick off a North American tour on October 26 in Mountain View, California.

Mogwai drummer Martin Bulloch was rushed to a New York hospital after the band's Sunday set at All Tomorrow's Parties due to complications stemming from a recurrent heart condition.

Session drummer Earl Palmer, who worked with Frank Sinatra, Neil Young and Phil Spector, among others, died last Friday at his Los Angeles home. He was 84.

Elton John and Lily Allen went at it Tuesday night at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in London. The two stars were paired as presenters for the event, which was held at the Royal Opera House, but as the night went on and Allen's drinks kept a-flowin', Sir Elton could no longer hold his tongue.

Despite the 23-year old Allen's extravagant gown, her slurs, swearing and inability to stick to the script pushed her co-host over the edge, according to reports. As Allen swigged champagned onstage and announced, "...and now the most important part of the night," John snapped, "What? Are you going to have another drink?"

• Jack White wrote a poem about his hometown of Detroit, titled 'Courageous Dream's Concern.' The White Stripes frontman's work was published Sunday by the Detroit Free Press.
  

• Elton John, Lou Reed and Tony Bennett are among the guests appearing on Elvis Costello's new variety show, titled 'Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...'

• Vampire Weekend, TV on the Radio and Deerhunter are among the performers scheduled for the Willamette Weekís Musicfest NW in Portland, Oregon, which takes place September 3-6.

• Coldplay will launch their 'Viva La Vida' world tour on June 29 in Philadelphia. The North American portion of the jaunt is set to wrap on November 22 in Salt Lake City.
  

• Elton John will simultaneously release Deluxe Editions of his eponymous 1970 breakthrough and its beloved 1971 follow-up, 'Tumbleweed Connection'. The packages are due June 3 and boast a combined total of 28 previously unreleased tracks.

• Dave Matthews Band will perform a concert for 'Stand Up for a Cure,' which benefits Lung Cancer Research, at New York's Madison Square Garden on September 10. Fans must join DMB's Warehouse fan association or be invited to purchase tickets.

On This Date in 1972: Reginald Kenneth Dwight legally changes his name to Elton Hercules John.

The Almanac Advises for May 7: "The Roman hero Hercules, son of the god Zeus and a mortal woman, was considered the paragon of the adventurer. He was known for his prodigious strength and his voracious appetites, including his romantic affairs with both young women and young men."

On the heels of his acclaimed 2007 album 'Glitter in the Gutter' -- which featured a cameo by Bruce Springsteen on the single 'Broken Radio' and was released through Billie Joe Armstrong's Adeline Records -- singer-songwriter Jesse Malin is ready to drop some more names. Only this time, he's doing so with an album of covers. The effort, titled 'On Your Sleeve,' which hit UK shelves this week, features takes on songs by Lou Reed, Neil Young, Elton John, Sam Cooke and the Clash, among others. The only problem? Fans in the U.S. may be SOL.

"I'm working on it," Malin tells Spinner when asked if the material will be obtainable via digital outlets like iTunes at the very minimum. "I don't know. The music business is in a crazy place."

Meanwhile, Malin is no stranger to the occasional cover but a full album's worth wasn't planned. "It started out as a joke," he says. "I just thought it would be a fun project, like making a mixtape for somebody. My wacky schizophrenia made it a hard group of songs to sequence on one record. It was done fast and cheap over the holidays as something I could out before my next original release."

The latest ...

• Jay-Z is supporting Barack Obama in a big way on his 'Heart of the City' tour.
  
• Elton John will play New York City's Radio City Music Hall on April 9 to support Hillary Clinton's campaign.
• Speaking of Radio City, former White House team Bill Clinton and Al Gore will make appearances at the venue for 'The Minds That Move the World' speaker series.
  
• Joining DMX in the totally clueless club, former Hear'Say singer Suzanne Shaw admitted that she had never heard of Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. Really?
  
• Ministry's Al Jourgensen told Spinner that he thinks Bush is evil. Oh yeah, and he's supporting Barack Obama.
• Former Soul Coughing singer Mike Doughty told Spinner that he's firmly for ... anyone who's NOT Bush in his recent visit to the Interface.
• Heather Mills posted a pro-Clinton message on her Web site.
• You thought Will.I.Am was obsessed with Obama? See those who take it to the proverbial next level.
  
• Dave Matthews Band will perform a free concert in support of Barack Obama this Sunday at Indiana University.

• Elvis Costello will host a new show on Sundance, titled 'Spectacle: Elvis Costello With ...," which will feature 13 one-hour episodes. Elton John will executive produce the effort.
  

• Former Kraftwerk drummer and Neu! co-founder Klaus Dinger died on March 21 due to heart failure. He was 61.

• 311 and Snoop Dogg will kick off a co-headlining tour, dubbed 'Unity Tour 2008,' on June 24 in Phoenix. The jaunt will wrap with a two-night finale in Austin on August 2-3.

Born: Reginald Kenneth Dwight

What's in a Name: Sir Reg's early band was Bluesology, featuring saxophonist Elton Dean and frontman Long John Baldry. In 1972, he legally changed his name to Elton Hercules John, despite never having shared a band with any Hercules.




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