Musicians Who Can Teach Jonas Bros. How to Grow Up

Now at Christie's; may fetch $11K

(NEWSER) - Looks like the stars were aligned for Ringo. A 1960 letter written by Paul McCartney sought a drummer for the Beatles two years before Starr joined the Fab Four. The note was discovered folded into a book at a Liverpool yard sale, the AP reports. It was a response to an ad placed by a drummer looking for a band. In the missive, McCartney offered the drummer—whose identity remains unknown—an audition. More»

Yes, they're mostly by George

(NEWSER) - Sam Greenspan admits he had a little trouble with this list for his 11 Points blog , but he toughed it out and came up with the best 11 Beatles songs written by Ringo Starr or George Harrison. The top five:

1. "Something" (George): "Arguably his best lyrics, melody and vocal performance all coming together on one track ."
2. "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (George): On the other hand, this could have been No. 1, too.

Bruce Springsteen finishes 2nd to Irish superstars, and it's not even close

(NEWSER) - The news that U2 was the top moneymaker in music in 2009 is no surprise, but what may come as a bit of a shock is the gap between No. 1 and No. 2. The Irish rockers brought in $108.6 million lat year, nearly twice as much as runner-up Bruce Springsteen's $57.5 million. Extending the greatest hits of the '80s theme, the next two acts in the Billboard rankings are Madonna and AC/DC, with Britney Spears somewhat unexpectedly rounding out the top 5. More»

Looking to break into the biz? Use one of these pseudonyms.

(NEWSER) - With Diddy constantly changing his rap name, you might think all the good ones have already been used. But no: There are an awful lot of awesome pseudonyms still left, and Jesse Gissen lists his favorites on XXL :

• Sirius Black: “This bad ass dude from the Harry Potter series is known for practicing black magic, breaking out of prison and being able to turn into a werewolf. Seriously, it doesn’t get any better than this.”

I want it that way. Wait, you want what what way?

(NEWSER) - Some lyrics are just so ambiguous you have no idea what you’re singing about when you sing along. Willa Paskin lists 20 “songs that make you go, huh?” on BlackBook :

• “I Want It That Way,” Backstreet Boys: “Make up your minds dudes, is ‘that way’ a good or a bad thing? Or is it anal sex?”
• “Push It,” Salt N’ Pepa: OK, maybe this one isn’t so vague: “Yeah, the ‘it’ in this song is pretty definitively ween.”