Cook Emotional On Stage After Brother's Death

Cook says he 'was never in it to win it'

(NEWSER) - David Cook almost didn't audition for American Idol—he was there to offer moral support to his younger brother. But goading from his family kicked off a whirlwind journey that took him from fledgling Midwest rocker to Billboard star. Cook tells Rolling Stone about his modest beginnings—and his early skepticism about the Idol pop machine. More»

Voting on Cook's rock vs. Archuleta's ballads hours away from being revealed

(NEWSER) - We're only hours away from Fox crowning either balladeer (and Simon Cowell fave) David Archuleta, 17, or rocker David Cook, 25, as this season's American Idol. Cook seemed to win last night's live audience, the Kansas City Star reports. More»

Frontman Caleb Followill suffering from 'vocal issues and exhaustion'

(NEWSER) - If you were married to a Victoria's Secret model, you'd probably want more time off, too. Kings of Leon have canceled the rest of their US tour so frontman Caleb Followill can rest and recuperate, reports TMZ . "We are so sorry to say Kings of Leon are canceling their entire US tour due to Caleb Followill suffering from vocal issues and exhaustion," reads a band statement. "The band is devastated, but in order to give their fans the shows they deserve, they need to take this break. Unfortunately, the US dates cannot be rescheduled due to the band's international tour schedule." Tickets will be refunded, and the band will kick off their Canadian tour on Sept. 28. Still, this is a better excuse than calling off a show due to pigeon poop . More»

Singer has 8 weeks of recovery ahead of him

(NEWSER) - Bono's back surgery has derailed U2's plans for a 16-city jaunt across North America, which now won't happen until next year, the band announced today. The tour, part of U2's larger 360° world tour, was supposed to kick off next month, but doctors are prescribing a DL stint of at least 8 weeks for Bono, EW reports . Fans are urged to keep their tickets, which will be valid whenever the tour is rescheduled. More»

What will we still be talking about next decade? Britney, for one

(NEWSER) - The ‘00s were full of important contributions to culture, but which ones will we still be talking about in another decade? Here are some of New York ’s picks:

• TV: The Sopranos for inventing quality cable, American Idol for changing the music industry, and of course all things Oprah Winfrey.
• Books: The Da Vinci Code for singlehandedly sustaining the book industry, and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay for blazing the trail of combining geek lit with high lit.