Here is your ‘readers digest’ version of some breaking music news this past week. Hopefully this will help get you all caught up!

Original ‘Love the Way You Lie’

If you haven’t heard this version of the song by the original writer, it’s a must listen. It’s kinda like acoustic candy for your ears. Skylar Grey, (formerly Holly Brook) the original writer of the tune is currently making a big splash on the music scene, piping up on some big artist records, from Dr. Dre to Lupe Fiasco. Skylar states that she never really was a writer for others, but an artist in her own right. The song was originally written for her to perform, but once Rihanna and her team heard the track, they asked her for the hit. Skylar agreed to let it go, but thought it would be great if people could still hear her version of it. So, here you go, and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments below!

The White Stripes are No More, Sales Rise Substantially

The White Stripes are calling it quits, according to a statement made by Jack and Meg White on their site last Thursday, the band “has officially ended and will make no further records or perform live.” According to the statement, both Jack and Meg are “feeling fine and in good health,” and the decision comes instead from a desire to “preserve what is beautiful and special about the band.” There were no creative differences, no lack of wanting to continue, no health issues, no in-fighting. They added that they want to thank every one of their fans and admirers for the incredible support they have given throughout the 13 plus years of The White Stripes’ intense and incredible career. “The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack anymore. The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want. The beauty of art and music is that it can last forever if people want it to. Thank you for sharing this experience. Your involvement will never be lost on us and we are truly grateful.”

Mick Jagger to Hit the Grammy Stage for the First Time

Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones is finally giving in to the Grammy’s for the first time in his long, long career. Jagger will perform on the stage February 13th with soul singer Raphael Saadiq as part of a tribute to soul singer Solomon Burke who died last year. Burke opened several times in his late career for the band, and Jagger feels a strong connection to him.

American Idol Releases ‘Greatest Hits’ Album

Scheduled to be released on March 15th, American Idol is releases their first ‘Greatest Hits’ album. Named “American Idol 10th Anniversary – The Hits”, the album will feature songs by Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, Adam Lambert, Fantasia and David Cook.

Greetings one and all please allow me to introduce myself.  I am Saint Dagame, patron saint of reality shows as well as high priest of the Church of Gina Gershon and today starts a new era for the Yak.  This is the first of many sermons that I will be giving to you, my adoring congregation, so remember this day because it will be one you will rejoice for decades to come.

I have decided to make this first sermon about tainting victories.  Did Apollo Creed ruin Rcoky’s title win?  Did the Patriots come up with conspiracy theories when they lost the Superbowl to the Giants?  Did Arnold Jackson make up excuses why he lost his fight with The Gooch?  The answer to all of the above is a resounding no, yet so many of you out there want to taint Kris Allen’s victory over Adam Lambert on American Idol by coming up with crazy conspiracy theories and downright nonsense so I’m here to set you straight.

Conspiracy Theory 1: People Voted Against Adam Because of His Ambiguous Nature
I personally despise this one the most because that’s a dangerous card to play because it discredits real discrimination.  Did Clay Aiken’s people throw this one out there even though there were the same rumors swirling around him?  No they didn’t.  Let’s face it your final three were all white males so where was the outrage then?  Why didn’t Jesse Jackson, Edward James Olmos, Gloria Allred or the people making this claim take to the streets in protest because of this injustice?  It was either because they were blinded by their manscara or they thought it was fair then so in theory it must be fair now.  N’est pas?

Conspiracy Theory 2: Kris Got 20 Gajillionbillion Votes From Arkansas
Here’s a fun Census fact for you; Arkansas has a population 2.8 million where as California has a population 36.75 million so if anything young master Kris should’ve been at a major disadvantage.  There was nothing wrong with the phone lines or cell phones in California Tuesday night so it leaves us with one cold hard fact; that people in California just didn’t like Adam enough to vote for him.  Period.  End of story.

Conspiracy Theory 3: The Backlash Vote
Yes I’ll admit the judges, Entertainment Weekly and even Katy Perry pimped Adam out like Patty the daytime hooker but there’s two holes in this theory.  The first one being that those people who actually voted Tuesday night know how hard it was to get a vote in to count.  I don’t know of many people who will sit and hit redial for hours to get such limited anti votes, but those who really like somebody will do, through all of that, to get their positive votes in with a smile on their face.  The second hole is that there are certain websites out there dedicated to get the lesser talented ones through and guess what, they usually fail miserably. There’s one out there that had to change the one they deemed the worst more times than Kristie Alley visits Chinese buffets in a day.

The Big Lie: I’m Glad Adam Didn’t Win/The Title Means Nothing
I’m allowed one curse word per sermon and I’m gonna use it here; Bullshit!  Most people that are familiar with how the show works know that the final two are indentured servants with varying lengths of service where as everybody eliminated before are free after the tour ends.  If you really feel this way why did people even vote Adam in the final two instead of freeing him from those oppressive constraints and allow him to be the free Kunta Kinte of music?  The answer is simple, they thought the title meant something along with the gilded cage that comes with it

What Is The Lesson Learned?
In life the one who you want to win won’t always do so but that doesn’t mean you have to taint the winner.  Now take your newfound knowledge into the world so you can be a better person and remember Saint Dagame and Gina Gershon loves each and every one of you.

First things first, congratulations go out to Kris Allen, winner of American Idol, Season 8, 2009!!!! Kris bested front runner and judges lovechild Adam Lambert, talented in his own right, by capturing just a reported 1% more of the 100 MILLION PLUS votes cast after last night’s final performances.

There’s going to be a LOT of debate on why Kris won and why Adam lost over the next several days, weeks and maybe months but I decided to write my own little letter to the judges of American Idol; Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Kara Dioguardi (please don’t bring her back next season!), to let them know my thoughts and before y’all assume something, NO I DON’T expect any will actually read this (but if someone wants to get it to them feel free! ).

“Dear Simon, Randy, Paula and Kara;

When the next season of American Idol rolls around you might want to make note of your behavior during Season 8. Why? Two words. Adam Lambert. That man is an awesome talent and will have a fantastic career but the reason he lost American Idol Season 8 was because of YOU FOUR. WEEK AFTER WEEK AFTER WEEK we, the viewers, even Adam fans, had to endure your incessant touting of the man, you practically handed him the title in the first few weeks.

Your job on American Idol is to judge the performances, NOT TO PICK THE WINNER and when you say to a contestant that this is theirs to win, this is their year, they will be at the end, they will win……….well let’s just say it ticks off the viewers that wear their redial buttons down to nubs because THIS IS OUR CHOICE. It’s called American Idol, NOT Who The Judges Want To Win Idol. So next year, even if you love someone as much as you did Adam, simply tell them that they did a great job in their performance but stop making it so obvious that you want them and only them to win. THAT’S why Adam lost and THAT’S why Chris Daughtry lost. The good thing is that Chris has a great career going and Adam will have a great career too.

The even better thing is that the soft voice, the underdog won this year. Kris Allen. And he DID deserve it no matter what you, the judges, say. He is a true talent and will go far.

May this be a lesson to you judges. Stop deciding who you think we should vote for. Let us decide. Or you may keep getting this year after year. ”

Now, let’s not forget Adam. Adam Lambert is a TRUE talent and he has a BRIGHT BRIGHT BRIGHT future in this industry so he deserves accolades for what he’s done and will do in the future. Our congrats to him as well.

So we just had the showdown between Kris Allen and Adam Lambert on the finale of Season Eight of American Idol and I have to admit, despite media proclamations, this SHOULD  be a close race. But what I REALLY want to talk about here is the burning question of when is enough, enough with American Idol? The judges, the entire season, have been SO obvious in their idolistic adoration of Adam Lambert, it’s hard to imagine why the season was even allowed to continue. If the judges had their way they probably would’ve given the title to Adam weeks ago.

My problem with this isn’t that I don’t think Adam should win or that I don’t think he has talent. That man has MAD talent, is such a performer and was obviously born to be on stage BUT my problem is that Randy, Paula, Kara and Simon are paid to be judges. This season, it seems like they were Adam Lambert cheerleaders rather than objective judges. And they SHOULD be OBJECTIVE, taking the approach of a journalist rather than who THEY want to win. This isnt’ about them, it’s about the viewing audience, those paying to vote and who THEY want to win. The judges should give honest critiques, not something aimed at either getting or  taking votes in regards to a particular contestant.

For example, the predictably cheesy winner’s song tonight. Both Adam and Kris had pitch and key problems during it. Randy kind of pointed it out with Adam, definitely pointed it out with Kris. The rest of the judges, with Adam, basically ignored the pitch problems and proclaimed him king of the American Idol world. When Kris came up, while they didn’t tear him apart the way I thought, they didn’t slobber lusciously over him the way they did Adam, so basically while saying he deserved to be there, they also gave the subliminal message that he should give up any thought of winning.

I liked both of them tonight. I thought they both did equally well. I voted for Kris. Why? Because I geniunely think he has come from behind and taken this on with full force and deserves to win. Adam doesn’t need the win, like Allison Iraheta, he WILL get signed and will be a star. But just once I want a season of American Idol where it’s not who the judges want, but who the voters actually want. And Kris Allen very well could win this. Remember Season Five? The judges were the same way with Chris Daughtry, had basically proclaimed him the winner long before the season was over. The fans had enough of it and thusly he got voted off. Didnt’ stop him either but it showed the judges that when they push and push and PUSH who THEY want on the voters too much, the voters can throw it right back at them.

Either way, out of this season, I think that Adam, Kris, Allison and Danny should find viable careers. But I HOPE that in the coming seasons the producers say enough is enough with the judges slobbering. Please note however, we here at YakkityYaks are not out to derail American Idol or the enjoyment of it by purposely trying to mess with the show the way other sites do. We just want it fair to all of the contestants.

Yes, I know I am late on this… but with all the hubbub of moving down to the final 2, Gokey leaving, and my other annoyances with the whole shebang, I completely let something slip from my mind, only to have it pop up again in my little brain today… and all I have to say is… WTF American Idol?

What am I talking about? Well, the Katy Perry performance last Wednesday night, when, at the beginning, she opens the back of her cape to reveal the name “Adam Lambert.” When did American Idol allow this blatant BS? I mean, it’s not hard to see that the judges have been pushing the Lambert win all damn season long, but now we have performers allowed to do this as well? It’s a load of crap. If she wanted to push him so much, then why not in an outside interview, or on her website… The whole season has had me pretty damn annoyed with this push for the winner, but that was definitely over the top. If that didn’t give a reason for people to shift votes to Kris, I don’t know what would. Do they think people are really a herd of sheep that should follow whatever they say? Maybe they are. I guess we will see. Come talk about it here.

Let me start by telling you, before I start my ramble about American Idol tonight, that we WILL be getting more writers for the site soon. Why am I telling you this? Well, I am pretty sure with the popularity of Adam Lambert, that you are getting kinda sick and tired of my rants about dislike for this guy. So, keep that in mind… new writers, many that love him just like you do, coming soon to a YakkityYaks near you.

Ok, time for my critique, not that I am the connoisseur, especially when it comes to Rat Pack night. I am a pure rocker chick at heart… so this one is a little hard for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Frank and Dean sometimes. But… FRANK and DEAN, not people singing Frank and Dean. I thought I was gonna be bored, and sometimes I was… just not as bored as I thought I would be. We will start with:

Kris Allen – The Way You Look Tonight – Kris did okay. I wasn’t overly impressed, but wasn’t throwing things at the TV either. That has to be a good thing right? I don’t want my TV to look like those phony YouTube videos of the Wii remote cracking the screen. I mean, that would suck! Wait… I got off track there. Oh yeah, Kris… ummm… Decent start to the show I guess.

Allison Iraheta – Someone to Watch Over Me – Ok this girl should never be in the bottom three. I personally think she is amazing, and for the first time, Randy brought up the name Pink when commenting on her. I have been saying this from the start of this thing. This girl is the new pink, in a Devil Wears Prada kinda way. No one can replace Pink. This girl can leave the show now and I would be fine with it, because she has a career to get going with. She needs this show like NY needed a low unexpected flyover, or like Mexico needs pigs… ok, that was pretty distasteful. What can I say? I’m good at that.

Matt Giraud – My Funny Valentine – They saved this guy? Why again was that? Yeah alright, it wasn’t that horrid, but it wasn’t wonderful either. And just because Paula wants to boink the guy doesn’t mean he should stay on the show. If I had to make a guesstimate, if the preteen girls who vote decide to give Allison a break this time, it will be him singing My Funny Valentine again for your pleasure tomorrow night.

Danny Gokey – Come Rain Come Shine – Now I like this guy. I like the tone of his voice, the bluesy feel… He reminds me of an updated Michael McDonald… oh crap, I think I am showing my age. The problem with Danny is that he has no uniqueness to him. He is the definition of Karaoke. Every week, he sings, well, someone elses song. Tonight was a bit different though, and it was about time. Good for Danny… I hope he keeps it up.

Adam Lambert – Feeling Good – I’m sure you are all dying to read what I thought about him tonight. Well, I can sum it up in one word, Broadway. Randy FINALLY touched on that tonight, slightly, but the judges don’t want to push that too hard… I mean, he is their horse for the win… can’t ever not like something about his performance now can they? I have been saying all along this guy belongs on Broadway, will have a STELLAR career on Broadway. Let him go to Broadway people! Keeping Adam on this show is halting his wonderful Broadway career!! Yeah okay, I know my pleas will not get heard, at least not until his record doesn’t sell like they thought it would, and NY brings him home to the stage. However, I do want to point out that as innovative, refreshing and artistic that many think Adam is for changing the songs to suit him… he didn’t. What he did tonight is already out there in this format by a really great band called Muse. If you haven’t heard of them, go get yourself some. Now that’s some stuff worth listening to.

Let me just also throw this out there real quick… I will probably elaborate on this with a video later… but anyone here old enough to remember the guy from Star Search… Sam something? Hold on, let me look up his name…. Sam Harris! Yeah… that’s the guy. This is who Adam reminds me of, and according to the place I just looked up his name, he has a pretty nice career on Broadway of all places! He can be Adam’s mentor! Or… maybe he already is???

Yes, more writers soon.  Also, sorry about no pics with this post.  I was feeling testy, so the pics would have been maybe one of those Lambert making out with another guy photos floating around on the internet.  I thought I would try to remain somewhat tasteful, since I already spent my distasteful comment up above.  If you wanna see those photos, it’s REAL easy to just type into Google!