As a life long hip hop fan who's friends are mostly casual hip hop fans, at best, I am constantly being told that a live show that features an emcee rapping over the record is hardly entertaining. To some extent I would agree. On one hand I won't pass up the opportunity to see someone who's lyrics I feel even if they are simply rhyming alongside a DJ who is playing their record, but......

Bruce busking in Copenhagen Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band @ Sports Arena Tegan and Sara, Northern State @ Orpheum Queens of the Stone Age, Mastodon @ Nokia Rakim, Ghostface KIllah, Brother Ali @ House of Blues Limbeck, Annie Stela, Rachael Cantu, Tiffany Randol @ The Hotel Cafe Abe Lincoln Story @ Mr. T's Bowl Castledoor, Aaron Espinoza, Frankel, The Morning Benders @ The Echo Hot Hot Heat @ House of Blues, Anaheim......

Hope you caught the season finale of Mad Men - it was excellent, especially the final pitch to Kodak (the finale will repeat tonight at 10:00pm on AMC). Am still bummed over the death of Deborah Kerr, of the King and I and From Here to Eternity fame (yeah, that was her rolling around in the surf with Burt Lancaster), she will be very much missed. We also lost the last remaining member of the......

8:00pm So You Think You Can Dance FOX - Two dancers get the boot 9:00pm Fat March ABC - The fat marchers have made it all the way from southeast Massachusetts to Connecticut. The men face a strength challenge. but wait! there's more! 9:00pm Hell's Kitchen FOX - Finalist hell! The final challenge!!! The winner becomes the new head chef at one of Gordon Ramsay's Las Vegas restaurants! 10:00pm Weeds SHOWTIME - Season premiere!......

Rage Against the Machine, Wu-Tang Clan, Cypress Hill, Public Enemy, Nas, the Roots, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Sage Francis, Brother Ali @ Hyundai Pavillion John Densmore & Tribal Jazz @ LACMA (5pm) Poison, Ratt @ Gibson Hookah, Saccharine Trust, Ghidra @ Mr. T's Bowl Minnie Driver, Mark Olson, AM @ The Hotel Cafe Cheap Trick @ Hollywood Bowl Very Be Careful @ The Bordello Danger Kitty @ The Canyon Scissors for Lefty, Gran Ronde......

Great Northern, Sara Lov, Buddy @ The Bordello Brother Ali, Psalm One, BK One, Boom Bap Project @ The Troubadour AI, Soccer Mom, Suicide Girls, Galaxy Gran Prix @ Roxy Summer Darling, The Monolators, Castledoor, 8 Bit @ The Echo The Watson Twins @ Largo The Murdocks @ Relax Bar OK Stranger, Black Palms, A for Attack @ The Scene Just Off Turner, Sabrina Vargas, David Babich @ Tangier The Randies, Bang Sugar Bang,......

Brother Ali @ Amoeba (free) Albert Hammond Jr., The Dead Trees @ House of Blues El-P @ El Rey Doug Benson, Andy Kindler @ Largo AM, Jim Bianco, Buddy, Kelly Dalton, Laura Jansen @ The Hotel Cafe Gliss, Meho Plaza, The Flesh, Casper @ Spaceland Metal Skool, Vertical Chain, 3 Against 1, L.A. Bonfire @ Key Club Bodies of Water, The Parson Redheads, Muso, Knifey Head @ The Echo The High Society, Bolero, Victor......

Now that the line-ups have been announced, I'm happy to follow Sloane's lead and speculate on what my day will look like. By using the Coachella scheduler, The Coachooser, I simply turned off blocks of bands I wasn't probably going to be interested in seeing, and turned on blocks of bands that I liked. On Friday there were 19 acts that I kept turned on, and by leaving each set just a little early,......

Blackalicious, Sage Francis (above), Brother Ali, Jean Grae, Mr. Lif, Visionairies, Cage, Zion I & the Grouch, Devin the Dude, Evidence & Alchemist, Pigeon John @ Orange Pavilion As Tall as Lions, Booka Shade, Circa Survive, Cute Is What We Aim For @ Avalon Pat Metheny @ Disney Concert Hall Pitbull, Rakim @ Shrine Auditorium Elvis Perkins, Let's Go Sailing @ Largo The Red Elvises @ Rusty's Surf Ranch West Indian Girl, The Slow......

Like a presidential election, the information is trickling into the newsroom... Earlier today Andy let everyone know who most of the confirmed artists would be for this year's Coachella. Now we let you know who is playing on what days, etc. April 27 - Björk / Interpol / the Jesus and Mary Chain / Arctic Monkeys / Jarvis Cocker / Sonic Youth / Faithless / DJ Shadow / Peeping Tom / Brazilian Girls / Peaches......

Those are the headliners, other confirmed acts via the preliminary lineup ("subject to changes and additions") posted this morning at coachella.com: The Jesus and Mary Chain, Tiesto, the Arcade Fire, Interpol, Manu Chao, Willie Nelson, Air, Happy Mondays, Decemberists, Faithless, Gotan Project, the Good, the Bad and the Queen, Paul Van Dyk, Arctic Monkeys, Roots, Jarvis Cocker, Sonic Youth, Crowded House, Placebo, Satellite Party, Stephen Marley feat Jr. Gong, Kings of Leon, DJ Shadow,......

If you won't be joining LAist tonight at the Viper Room to see Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, here are some other activities that run a close second: Tonight at Spaceland, see Evan Dando of the Lemonheads performing solo, preceeded by Lee Ving (former frontman of Fear). Doors open at 9:00 PM. The Knitting Factory will be hosting MF Doom/Brother Ali & BK One with John Robinson tonight at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $15.00.......