Some quick news for you:

• Stephen Colbert is set to be a keynote speaker at this year's Book Expo America convention at the Jacob Javitts Center in New York City on Saturday, June 2nd. He will be discussing his debut book, I Am America and So Can You (Grand Central Publishing), that comes out this fall. Please not this is not a public event. It's for book industry folks only....
• The Happy Mondays will release their first new album in fifteen years. It has to be better than Yes, Please.......
• The Beastie Boys will play some instrumental only shows this summer. In additional to doing the instrumental set at festivals they'll be doing regular performances at including Sasquatch and Sonar. The band will play surprise instrumental shows in various U.S. cities......
• Friction moves its monthly party from the closing Sin-e to the powerful Mercury Lounge! The first shindig at the new venue will be April 5th and will headlined by Land of Talk.......
• Sanjaya has made it into American Idol's Top 9. The vocally-challenged teenager has been kept on the show thanks to the "Vote for the Worst" campaign.
• The Black Crowes are in the studio recording a new album. Meanwhile, former Crowes' guitarist Marc Ford just released Weary & Wired.............