Music Notes: Jay-Z, Kanye and Rihanna to perform during Leno premiere

- Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West will take the stage during the premiere of The Jay Leno Show on Sept. 14. The three will perform the newest single from Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3, "Run This Town." This also marks the first time Rihanna will perform onstage since the February incident with Chris Brown. [Rolling Stone]

- This may sound like a joke, but apparently it's not — Bob Dylan is recording a Christmas album. [Pitchfork]

- Marc Spitz of SPIN has written a nice piece on John Hughes and the music/characters in his films. [SPIN]

- The Sounds have announced a North American tour, which will kick off in Quebec on Sept. 11. Dates are here. [NME]

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Music Notes: Beastie Boy reveals cancer diagnosis, Thom Yorke debuts new song

- Beastie Boy Adam Yauch (aka Adam "MCA" Yauch) revealed that he's being treated for cancer in his parotid (salivary) gland. Yauch revealed this information via a video posted on the band's site. As a result, the band have canceled upcoming tour dates and will push back the release of their next album. In better news, Yauch did say, "The good news is that they did scans of my whole body, and it's only localized in this one area, and it's not in an area that affects my voice, so that's nice." We sincerely wish him the best and hope he gets well soon. [SPIN]

- Thom Yorke debuted a new song ("The Present Tense") while playing the Latitude Festival in the UK this past weekend. Watch video of it here. Yorke treated the crowd to a mix of solo material and Radiohead songs, including fan favorite "True Love Waits" (which was released on the I Might Be Wrong live EP) and the rarity "Follow Me Around," which has never been released on a live or studio album. [Greenplastic]

- Chris Brown has issued a public apology, via his Youtube channel, for beating Rihanna in February. Brown said he did not speak up sooner due to his attorney's advice. He added, "I cannot go into what happened, and most importantly, I'm not going to sit here and make any excuses. I take great pride in me being able to exercise self-control and what I did was inexcusable. I am very sad and very ashamed of what I've done." [Access Hollywood via Yahoo!]

- Weezer are almost done with their next new album, and there are plans to release a Pinkerton reissue. Actual release dates for both have yet to be determined. [Pitchfork]

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Music Notes: New Blur compilation, Kanye West continues blogging escapades

- Blur will be releasing a brand new best of album this June, and it will be somewhat different from their last best of compilation. EMI will release Midlife: A Beginner's Guide to Blur — it will be a two-disc compilation (and also available in download format), while also featuring songs from their 2003 album Think Tank. The compilation will feature some of their biggest hits, alongside "quirkier" tracks like "Trimm Trabb." The tracklisting was announced via their website, under "news."

In the meantime, the possibility of the band coming to the United States may or may not be a little higher than it was before. And that high-pitched squeal you just heard was the sound of me shrieking with delight... now if only they'd show up before I go to grad school. [Pitchfork]

- Kanye West critiques a paparazzi shot of Rihanna in his latest blog entry, saying "This pic is hardcore. Peep the perspective shot of the city in the back.... Good job on this one!" He also went on to say Beyonce is the new Tina Turner and Thom Yorke is the new Roger Waters. And I continue to love his craziness. [Kanye West's Blog]

- Natalie Cole received a kidney transplant in Los Angeles yesterday, after months of undergoing kidney dialysis while still promoting her latest album. Following doctors' orders, Cole will reschedule her summer tour dates. [NME]

- Depeche Mode canceled more tour dates in Latvia, Poland, and Lithuania. There has been a lot of speculation regarding David Gahan's illness, but let's hope all ends well. [Pitchfork]

- Morrissey has rescheduled two shows he canceled last week (due to illness), and will be performing in four more UK shows as well. [NME]

- I think I missed this earlier, so I'll mention it here: the Yeah Yeah Yeahs released their Zero Remix EP yesterday on iTunes. That being said, a vinyl 12" EP of the album track and all four remixes will be available June 9. [YeahYeahYeahs.com]

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