Music news...

AP - A star for former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr was added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame Monday evening during a whimsical ceremony that also marked the 50th anniversary of groundbreaking on the sidewalk attraction.

AP - Michael Jackson's doctor pleaded not guilty Monday to involuntary manslaughter in the death of the pop star at a brief hearing that had all the trappings of another sensational celebrity courtroom drama.

• Conrad Murray Charged for Jackson’s Death
• The Who Rock Super Bowl XLIV With Big Hits
• Howard Stern Says He’d Consider Idol Job
• Joan Baez Joins White House Concert Lineup
• Timberlake Dons Drag for Harvard Honor
• Grohl Pulls Double Duty on SNL
• Readers’ Rock List: Best Drummers
• Fans React to the Who’s Big Set
• News Ticker: Ozzy Osbourne, Leonard Cohen
• Black Eyed Peas Open E.N.D. Tour in Atlanta
• Howard Stern as Cowell Replacement?
• Ke$ha Hijacks Hollywood Sign in Prank
• Cold War Kids Rock Live at Rolling Stone
• Depp Directing Keith Richards Doc
• Wentz, Simpson Joke About Naked RS Covers
• Swift’s Label Defends Grammy Performance
• Drake on Lil Wayne’s Prison Time
• Kelly Clarkson Riled By Anti-Idol Comments
• Jedward Rule With “Under Pressure” Mash
• Mayer Treats Fans to Free Rehearsal Gig
• Breaking: Yeasayer
• Pete Wentz Hints at End of FOB in Blog Post

Scroll down for full news stories, commentary and much more in Rock Daily.

Photo: Polk/Getty
Mastodon continue to Crack the Skye with a new leg of headlining dates, Drake lines up a tour of college campuses and “private locations” and Arctic Monkeys return in April in support of their third album Humbug. Full dates for all three treks are below.

Mastodon
Apr. 16 – Charleston, SC @ Music Farm
Apr. 17 – Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theater
Apr. 18 – Richmond, VA @ The National
Apr. 20 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head
Apr. 21 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Apr. 22 – Hartford, CT @ Webster
Apr. 23 – Worcester, MA @ Palladium
Apr. 24 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
Apr. 26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Palace Theater
Apr. 27 – Rochester, NY @ Water Street
Apr. 29 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Orbit Room
Apr. 30 – Indianapolis, IN @ Vogue
May 1 – Columbia, MO @ Blue Note
May 3 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
May 4 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theater
May 5 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
May 7 – Pomona, CA @ Fox Theater
May 8 – Oakland, CA @ The Missing Link
May 9 – Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory
May 10 – Eugene, OR @ McDonald Theater
May 11 – Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
May 13 – Billings, MT @ The Shrine
May 14 – Fargo, ND @ The Venue
May 14 – Omaha, NE @ Sokol Hall
May 16 – Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall
May 18 – Madison, WI @ Orpheum
May 19 – Urbana, IL @ Canopy Club
May 20 – Memphis, TN @ Minglewood
May 21 – Knoxville, TN @ Valarium
May 22 – Lexington, KY @ Busters

Drake
Apr. 6 – Charleston, IL @ Eastern Illinois University
Apr. 7 – Columbus, OH @ Private Location
Apr. 9 – State College, PA @ Penn State University
Apr. 10 – Boston, MA @ Private Location
Apr. 11 – Lock Haven, PA @ Private Location
Apr. 14 – East Lansing, MI @ Michigan State University
Apr. 15 – Rochester Hills, MI @ Oakland University
Apr. 16 – Morgantown, WV @ West Virginia University
Apr. 21 – Orlando, FL @ University Central Florida
Apr. 22 – Greenville, SC @ Furman University
Apr. 23 – TBA
Apr. 24 – New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Apr. 26 – Kansas City, MO @ University of Missouri
Apr. 27 – Lexington, KY @ University of Kentucky
Apr. 29 – Lowell, MA @ University Mass Lowell
Apr. 30 – Syracuse, NY @ Private Location
May 1 – Boston, MA @ Private Location
May 1 – East Rutherford, NJ @ Bamboozle Festival
May 4 – Worcester, MA @ Holy Cross
May 5 – Towson, MD @ Towson University
May 6 – Cheney, PA @ Cheyney University
May 7 – Ithaca, NY @ Private Location
May 8 – Plymouth, NH @ Private Location

Arctic Monkeys
Apr. 1 – Miami, FL @ Fillmore
Apr. 2 – Tampa, FL @ The Ritz
Apr. 3 – Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
Apr. 5 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
Apr. 6 – Raleigh, NC @ Disco Rodeo
Apr. 7 – Baltimore, MD @Rams Head Live
Apr. 9 – Covington, KY@ Madison Theatre
Apr. 11 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
Apr. 12 – Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall
Apr. 13 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
Apr. 15 – Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee

Photo: Brown/Getty

Nearly eight months after Michael Jackson died due to “acute Propofol intoxication,” the singer’s personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray has been charged with involuntary manslaughter by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office for his role in the King of Pop’s sudden death on June 25th, 2009, CNN reports. In a press release, the D.A.’s office writes that Murray “did unlawfully, and without malice, kill Michael Joseph Jackson … in the commission of an unlawful act, not a felony; and in the commission of a lawful act which might have produced death, in an unlawful manner, and without due caution and circumspection.” If found guilty, Murray faces a maximum four-year prison sentence.

As Rolling Stone previously reported, Jackson’s death was ruled a homicide after a toxicology report discovered that the powerful sedative Propofol and other sedatives ultimately caused Jackson to go into cardiac arrest. Investigators have long accused Murray of using “gross negligence” in administering Propofol to Jackson, because the sedative is meant to be used strictly in hospital settings for patients recovering from surgery. In interviews with police, Murray admitted administering Propofol to Jackson after the singer himself requested the sedative, which he dubbed “milk” because of its cloudy white appearance, to help his insomnia.

Charges were expected to be filed last week in the case, but a conflict between the District Attorney’s office and the Los Angeles Police Department delayed the charges until today. Murray entered the Airport Court in Los Angeles to surrender to the LAPD just before 1 p.m. PST, where he was arraigned on the involuntary manslaughter charge. Murray pleaded not guilty to the charge. TMZ reports bail was set at $75,000, three times the usual bail in a case like this. Prosecutors originally sought bail of $300,000 because Murray was born outside the country and could be considered a flight risk. Murray was forced to give up his passport as part of the terms of his bail agreement. Members of Michael Jackson’s family were in attendance for the arraignment. According to the D.A.’s press release, Deputy District Attorney David Walgren will prosecute the case.

Related Stories:

• No Charges for Jackson Doctor Yet; Conrad Murray Expected to Surrender to Cops
• Source: Dr. Murray Likely to Face Manslaughter for Jackson Death
• Michael Jackson’s Death Officially Ruled Homicide

Photo: Mayer/WireImage
Between Dave Grohl on Saturday Night Live and Zak Starkey filling in for the Who’s Keith Moon during the Super Bowl, drummers were in the spotlight this past weekend, so we asked our readers to tell us the greatest of all time. After counting up the votes, and there were lots of them, it comes as no surprise that Bonzo himself, Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham, was voted Number One, beating out Moon, Grohl, Rush’s Neil Peart and more. And despite a grass-roots effort to get The Muppet Show’s Animal on the list, we kept the results to drummers with a human pulse. (Check out RS‘ Greatest Singers and Greatest Guitarists stories, too):

1. John Bonham (Led Zeppelin)
2. Neil Peart (Rush)
3. Keith Moon (The Who)
4. Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Them Crooked Vultures)
5. Stewart Copeland (The Police, Oysterhead)
6. Ringo Starr (The Beatles)
7. Ginger Baker (Cream, Blind Faith)
8. Jimmy Chamberlin (Smashing Pumpkins)
9. Charlie Watts (The Rolling Stones)
10. Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band)
11. Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix Experience)
12. Danny Carey (Tool)
13. Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
14. Buddy Rich
15. Alex Van Halen (Van Halen)

AP - Miley Cyrus has organized an online auction to benefit the relief effort in Haiti, and Britney Spears, Hugh Jackman, Ellen DeGeneres, Julianne Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Demi Lovato and others will donate items and experiences.

Photo: Ufberg/WireImage
Last week Page Six stoked a rumor that Howard Stern is a possible candidate to replace the departing Simon Cowell on next season’s American Idol. Today the shock jock addressed the reports on his satellite radio show, admitting the job wouldn’t be out of the question. “There’s not a better job on the planet than judging a fucking karaoke contest,” Stern said, MTV reports. “It might be possible, we’ll see.”

As Rolling Stone reported last week, Stern’s five-year, $500 million contract with Sirius XM expires in January 2011, freeing up the radio personality to pursue other opportunities. While the New York Post wrote last week that Idol’s overtures to Stern might just be a leverage tool to help secure Stern a lucrative new contract from his current employer, Stern seemed pretty open about taking on the Idol job because he’s long been a fan of the show. “If I do say so myself, I can’t imagine anyone else but me replacing [Cowell],” Stern said. “I mean, how else are they going to make that show work? Who knows how to broadcast and who knows how to be interesting? And who’s not afraid to speak their mind?”

Idol producers are rumored to be considering offering Stern a contract that mirrors his five-year, $500 million deal with Sirius XM, but considering Paula Abdul and Idol split ways over a few million and Cowell will only make a reported $50 million per season to executive produce and judge on The X Factor, that figure seems a little excessive. “A $100 million to judge a karaoke contest? Yeah, I think I would do that show for $100 million,” Stern said. “It would be the best thing that happened to me. What a cush job: $100 million for four months. Who wouldn’t take that?”

Related Stories:

• Howard Stern Named as Rumored Replacement for Cowell on “Idol”
• <Cowell’s Fear of “Overexposure” Led to “American Idol” Exit
• <“The X Factor” Due Fall 2011; Simon Cowell Confirms Departure From “American Idol”

A pair of supergroups took the stage on this weekend’s Saturday Night Live, and while Them Crooked Vultures were the episode’s musical guest, it was Crisis of Conformity — fake reuniting for the first time in 25 years to play a wedding — that delivered the night’s most memorable performance. Featuring SNL’s Fred Armisen on vocals, Bill Hader on bass, Ashton Kutcher on guitar and the Vultures’ Dave Grohl on drums, the hardcore quartet turned the peaceful reception into a “TV Party” with a brutal rendition of “Fist Fight in the Parking Lot.” After the mellow but admittedly amusing Michael Bublé guested last week, a little hardcore was just the shot in the arm SNL needed. For Grohl, it was his second noteworthy appearance in a recent SNL sketch: When the Foo Fighters were the musical guest back in 2007, Grohl was one of Andy Samberg’s victims in the hilarious “People Getting Punched Just Before Eating” digital short.

Check out a history of supergroups in photos.

Them Crooked Vultures performed a pair of tracks from their self-titled debut album, and sadly their combined supergroup powers couldn’t overcome SNL’s infamous sound woes. Josh Homme’s vocals get lost in the mix on “New Fang,” and the 30 Rock version of “Mind Eraser” doesn’t really do the band’s extraordinary live shows justice. Watch both performances below:

“New Fang”

“Mind Eraser”