I’ve always found my female friends to be more die-hard George Michael fans than my gay friends. I’ve always been somewhat curious about that.

I've never been a big fan of George Michael -- and in the 1980s, I probably would have declared that I would never attend a George Michael concert.

After last week's Glastonbury shenanigans, during which Jay-Z responded to a Noel Gallagher diss with one of his own, the rapper and the Oasis guitarist are making conciliatory gestures.

This new Akon song leaked a few days ago, and the big deal is that it features a cameo by Michael Jackson. The song is expected to show up on both artists' forthcoming albums. So, without further ado:

Someone has stolen Joy Division singer Ian Curtis's headstone from his Macclesfield gravesite. The morbid thief made off with the stone some time between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning. The local police are appealing for anyone with information on its whereabouts to come forward. Curtis's gravestone (click here for a photo) is inscribed "Ian Curtis, 18-5-80", along with the words "Love Will Tear Us Apart", the title of Joy Division's best-known song.

Summer in Vancouver is an exceptional time for outdoor events, with music and dancing at the jazz and folk festivals, and Shakespearean plays at Bard on the Beach, there are many ways to pass the time.

If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to post them below.

Here's the official word, according to a news release issued by Live Nation today:

The first single from the new album, Donkey, due out July 21.

Rhapsody launched an online music store today that it hopes will loosen Apple's grip on the online music market.