MTV vet John Norris hosts this video site featuring HD interviews and performances from Dan Deacon, Animal Collective, and the Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

Noisevox focuses on high-quality artist chats, paired with live sets. The clips go beyond the sound-bite, allowing Japandroids to tell medical horror stories and the Thermals to explain songwriting metaphors. Noisevox also offers interesting live takes, such as Arctic Monkeys‘ snarling cover of Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand.” Read More »

And now to address a little rumor. As we tweeted yesterday, our friends over at BlackBook think that Jay-Z is making an appearance at tonight’s big Diesel party at Webster Hall before he headlines All Points West tomorrow night. (For those you playing along at home, Jay-Z took over for the Beastie Boys following their tour cancellation.) As far as we knew, The Roots, Passion Pit, Noisettes, The Clipse, and Cobra Starship were the only acts on the bill. Read More »

1. Jay-Z will replace the Beastie Boys as the Friday night headliner at the All Points West Music & Arts Festival. [via Arts Beat]
2. Amy Winehouse is in court for drunkenly slugging a woman who tried to snap her photo at a charity ball. [via BBC]
3. Frank Miller recently finished a graphic novel sequel to 300, which could serve as the basis for a follow-up film. [via THR]
4. America’s most trusted newscaster now that Walter Cronkite is gone? Jon Stewart, natch. [via Time]
5. The Kindle craze will go international, hitting the U.K. beginning in October. [via Bookseller]

The Beastie Boys are canceling their tour and postponing their album after Adam “MCA” Yauch was diagnosed with cancer last week, according to the announcement video they posted on their site. That includes their performance at All Points West, a publicist just confirmed to us, meaning that the festival is currently without a first-day headliner. In true Beastie fashion Yauch apologized to fans, ending with a straightforward “So that’s what’s up.” Read More »