We've said it before... the kids today get Everything. Now they're getting VIPed for doing what skateboarders, GG Allin, and Andrew WK have been doing for years - bleeding! In our day we would have done ANYTHING to get VIP access to a sweet music festival and now the Vans Warped Tour is teaming up with Music Saves Lives to encourage the youth of America to give blood and save lives in exchange for......

The Mars Volta @ Orpheum Theater Son Volt (above) @ El Rey Theatre John Legend, Corinne Bailey Rae @ Bren Events Center Killola @ Key Club (free, all ages) Ozomatli @ Amoeba (6pm, free) Don Carlos @ House of Blues Gregory Page, Tom Brosseau, John Doe @ Largo The Lashes, Ambulette, hosted by DJ Andrew WK @ Safari Sam's The Steve Carlson Band, Jake Coco, Leland Grant, Jackie Bristow @ The Hotel Cafe Piebald,......

Dear Directv, It's your old pal, LAist here. Your biggest fan. We've had you for years, we even installed you into our friends' homes, and even on strangers' roofs. We get all the channels and most of the sports packages. We love you. There is one thing that has bothered us for quite a while though, and we were just reminded of it. What is your problem with The Daily Show and MSNBC's Countdown?......

Our pals over at Austinist have been doing a bang-up job of Internet sleuthing, Googling, and MySpacing to confirm over 500 bands that will play SXSW even though the Austin music festival refuses to cooperate. After taking last week off because we were sure SXSW would release their master plan, we now return as there seems to be no end in sight to the band list embargo. Many indie labels and some marquee acts......

- From the mouths of babes. 12-year-old Dakota Fanning puts critics of her new film "Hounddog" on Time Out for bitching about a film that would have such a little girl like her get raped. "It's not really happening. It's a movie, and it's called acting." she said. - CNN - Brent Liles, former bass player of Social Distortion died yesterday when a truck hit him while he was riding his bicycle - LA Times......