One of the most expensive places to live in the Bay Area (and just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco), Marin County has always been a refuge for rock stars who have made it big, have lots of dough and wish to escape the city. At the same time, the county still carries many of the hippie ideals first imported to it from San Francisco's Summer of Love era.

Enter Sandman, err, James Hetfield. The Metallica frontman has long owned a 500-acre property in the area and, since then, also acquired an adjacent ranch. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Hetfield made plans to build a 14,000-square-foot house, a 6,000-square foot studio and additional installations. While building hasn't commenced, the property does overlap with a public trail popular with hikers, bicyclers and equestrians.

Hetfield -- whose albums with Metallica include titles such as 'Kill 'Em All' and 'St. Anger' -- recently erected a tall and impenetrable metal fence (complete with barbed wire), preventing use of the otherwise public trail. Recreational traversers are angry, to say the least. While city officials recognize his rights as property owner, they're hoping to work out a deal with him that would allow access to the trail while still keeping the rest of his property closed off. To bite another Metallica title, doing so could conceivably, um, create justice for all.

Despite recent revelations that she's never actually kissed a girl, Katy Perry has disgusted her parents just the same. While the contagious, bi-curious chart topper, 'I Kissed a Girl' has earned the singer rightful claim to the one of the summer's biggest hits, her mother, evangelical preacher Mary Hudson, says she hates the pop song.

Hudson told the Daily Mail that the single "promotes sin" and says she's praying for her daughter's salvation. "It clearly promotes homosexuality and its message is shameful and disgusting," Perry's mom says. "I can't even listen to that song. The first time I heard it I was in total shock. When it comes on the radio I bow my head and pray. Katy is our daughter and we love her but we strongly disagree with how she is conducting herself at the moment. Katy is not a homosexual but I fear she has been led astray by the Hollywood crowd. I spoke to her only recently. She said, 'Oh Mom, I'm not going to turn into Amy Winehouse.'"

Hudson can count her blessings for that.

Lily Allen is in full tilt controversial mode these days as evidenced by her newly leaked song, 'F--- You Very Much,' which surfaced in its entirety Wednesday on YouTube as part of an unofficial video. The expletive-laced tune -- which is slated for her forthcoming second album -- comes on the heels of the 'Smile' singer's much blogged about nip slip last weekend.

The song, which sustains the buoyant feel of her 2006 breakthrough debut album, 'Alright, Still,' features the lyrics, "Look inside your tiny mind, then look a bit harder/'Cos we're so uninspired, so sick and tired of all the hatred you harbor/So you say it's not OK to be gay, well I think you're just evil/You're just some racist who can't tie my laces, your point of view is medieval/F--- you, f--- you very much/'Cos we hate what you do and we hate your whole crew, so please don't stay in touch."

A snippet of the foul-mouthed song -- which takes aim at the British National Party and was initially titled 'Guess Who Batman?' -- first surfaced in June on her MySpace page. "This song is not a direct attack at anyone," Allen blogged at the time. "It was originally written about the BNP in the but then I felt this issue has become relevant pretty much everywhere."

When word spread that Alanis Morissette's bitter breakup anthem 'You Oughta Know' was about her former lover, 'Full House' actor Dave Coulier, we didn't want to believe it. John Stamos, maybe. But Uncle Joey Gladstone? With those cute cartoon voices and that spot-on 'Popeye' impersonation? The same Uncle Joey who played a quirky science professor (Mr. Egghead) to his best friend/college buddy's daughter's (little Stephanie Tanner) science class? Whose only dream was a little room in which to practice his stand-up routine that would one day eventually land him on the Star Search stage? No way. Morissette has stayed mum about the song's subject since its release in 1995. Coulier, however, is fessin' up.

Representing bedroom rockers, bathroom mirror superstars, and, now, the United States of America, air guitarist Hot Lixx Hulahan rode his imaginary guitar to victory in the Cuervo Black U.S. Air Guitar Championships last week, held at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. In the winning round, Hot Lixx performed an unrehearsed segment of Ozzy Osbourne's 'Crazy Train' in front of a packed crowd of -- not surprisingly -- audience air guitarists and their forgiving girlfriends.

The competition included Derek Not-So-Smalls from Cleveland, who let a fireball rip from his palm at the end of his solo, and Brooklyn's Bettie B. Goode, who lost one of her toes during a previous competition. Unlike her instrument, the toe was real. Speaking of injuries, Hot Lixx himself broke his thumb during the first round of the finals (from playing a guitar made out of air, remember) but, far from getting medical attention, stayed in the venue to compete in Round Two.

Originally representing Washington DC, Hot Lixx will now move forward as the U.S. representative at the World Championships in Finland, where he will no doubt continue to be a legendary shredder in his own mind.

Amy Winehouse doesn't take no for an answer. When producers of the upcoming James Bond flick 'Quantum Of Solace' passed over her theme song last month in favor of the Jack White/Alicia Keys collaboration 'Another Way to Die,' the embattled singer decided to go it alone and release her unwanted song after all.

Winehouse reportedly intends to "prove that [film executives] made a "big mistake" by dismissing her then-unfinished Bond theme contender. She's even thinking of releasing the Mark Ronson-produced tune the same week as the new White/Keys single. "I guess they are going for clean-cut and boring," Winehouse reportedly told Britain's New Magazine. "When I do release mine -- and I am tempted to do it on the same day -- this would be the bigger hit."

"I do think they could have waited a bit," a confident Winehouse said, pointing to her head. "If they want a worldwide hit, I have them all up here."

Artist: The Faint
Songs: 'The Geeks Were Right'
Album: 'Fasciinatiion' [iTunes]
Sounds Like:The Klaxons, Shout Out Out Out Out

Download: 'The Geeks Were Right' (MP3)

Download: 'The Geeks Were Right' [Does it Offend You, Yeah Remix] (MP3)

[Get Winamp] [Download Help]

Amy Winehouse was released today after being hospitalized Monday from an apparent seizure. The 24-year-old 'Rehab' singer was taken by ambulance late yesterday from her home in north London to the University College Hospital.

"Amy is fine and she is on her way home," her representative, Chris Goodman, announced earlier today. "She was taking a new [medication] as part of her anti-drug treatment program and it was an adverse reaction to that new drug. You have to try different things but unfortunately this was not the right one."

Grammy-winner Winehouse -- who was observed being taken to the ambulance wrapped in a red blanket as her father, Mitch, looked on -- has had a history of drug struggles. In June, she was admitted to a London clinic after fainting at home and being diagnosed with a "chest infection."

In mid-2007, Winehouse was treated at the aforementioned University College Hospital for "exhaustion." Her father later admitted that she had overdosed and need her stomach pumped.

R&B star Ne-Yo says he wants to team up with Marilyn Manson. No, seriously.

"I'm trying to get hold of Marilyn Manson about an idea I have," the 25 year-old singer born Shaffer Chimere Smith tells's the Daily Star. "Ne-Yo goes rock."

In addition to a duet with that goth-rock icon, the L.A. based Grammy winner -- who recently pulled down his second chart-topper with 'Closer' -- also reveals he would love to collaborate with Coldplay's Chris Martin.

"When I got told 'Closer' had beaten Coldplay to number one, I couldn't believe it," he adds. "I am the Coldplay fan, so that was really cool. I'd love to do something with them -- me and Chris Martin that would be cool."

Ne-Yo was recently given an MP3 player full of artists, and says he has taken to the Feeling and -- to a certain extent -- a Welsh-born chanteuse on the rise.

"I like some of Duffy's stuff," Ne-Yo acknowledges, "but not all of it. If she can escape the 'I'm a blonde Amy Winehouse' thing, she'll be OK."

Last Friday's much publicized incident involving the emergency landing of a Qantas 747 jet in the Phillipines -- where a car-sized hole was discovered in the plane's fuselage -- has rekindled a phobia of flying in Fratellis frontman Jon Fratelli. Despite being scheduled to catch the same troubled Heathrow-to-Melbourne flight Monday (July 28), the rocker reveals he is again afraid to fly.

"I might just decide never to fly again," Fratelli (real name: John Lawler) told the Sun over the weekend. "I was getting better. The phobia wasn't so bad, then pieces of airplanes rip off and they show it all over the news and freak you out."

"What's worse is it was a Qantas plane flying from London to Melbourne, which is what I'm getting on," he continued. "I don't need it, man. I could really do without seeing that kind of thing." The Fratellis -- who are supporting their sophomore disc 'Here We Stand' -- are scheduled to play a run of dates in Australia and Japan in early August before flying back to the UK for a pair of festival dates at Reading and Leeds.

Fratelli -- who will also fly to the U.S. to begin a month-long U.S. trek in Cleveland on September 1 -- added that his "life would be so much easier if I never had to get on a plane ever again," adding, "It's been on my mind all the time."

Lil Wayne has been slapped with a lawsuit over claims he recorded and released a version of the Rolling Stones' 1965 classic 'Play With Fire' without authorization. The New Orleans-born rapper's song, titled 'Playing With Fire,' is included on 'Tha Carter III,' his sixth studio album, which has sold 2 million copies in the U.S. alone since its June 10 release.

According to the suit, filed on behalf of publisher Abkco Music in Manhattan Federal Court, the 2008 recording by Lil Wayne -- whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter -- was derived from the Stones song but incorporated "explicit and offensive language." Lil Wayne, his collaborators and his record company -- which falls under the umbrella of the Universal Music Group -- are accused of copyright infringement and unfair competition.

Abkco, seeking unspecified damages, argues that the public could be led to believe that the Stones authorized and approved Lil Wayne's version of the tune.

Kanye West probably had a right to be steamed about those awards he's always losing. But, let's face it, from the MTV Europe Awards to the Grammys, Kanye the loser have been far more entertaining than whoever actually beat him out for those honors. Now Cassettes Won't Listen, aka one-man sound factory Jason Drake, is hoping to send West into another memorable diatribe.

With audiences having the chance to select the nominees for this year's MTV Video Music Awards, Cassettes, whose 'Paper Float' has made the cut thus far for Best Male Artist, has set up BeatKanye.com, a Web site where fans can help the indie artist pull off the David vs. Goliath upset. "I decided that I wanted to beat Kanye because it's so much more fun to watch Kanye lose an award than it is to watch him win one," Drake told Spinner. "I'm tired of seeing him win and hear him talk about how he's the best there ever was, how he's changed the game, how he's the second coming of Christ, how his lighting show will beat your lighting show."

50 Cent has filed a lawsuit against Taco Bell. The superstar rapper says the fast-food giant used his name without permission in an advertising campaign when it issued a challenge for him to change his name for a day to either "79 Cents," "89 Cents" or "99 Cents" to match their menu prices.

In exchange for his compliance, Taco Bell promised to donate a mere $10,000 to the charity of Fiddy's choice. However, the suit argues that by dragging 50 Cent's name into the marketing stunt against his will, Taco Bell generated millions of dollars' worth of free publicity.

"As Taco Bell intended, many customers believed that 50 Cent had agreed to endorse Taco Bell's products," the lawsuit reads. "Indeed, postings on numerous Internet 'blogs' castigated 50 Cent for 'selling out' by his apparent endorsement of Taco Bell." A spokesman for the restaurant chain stated that the company ran the campaign in good faith and had always intended to donate the money to the charity of 50 Cent's choice.

Can't get behind McCain or Obama? How about a Redheaded Stranger? There's a write-in movement under way, complete with campaign song, extolling the virtues of electing country music icon Willie Nelson as the next President of the United States.

The song, available on Blushtone Records, is performed by former Pirates of the Mississippi lead singer Bill McCorvey. Its humorous lyrics include, "Let's write in Willie Nelson for president/Someone we can trust to run the government /I'll bet he could fix this/And get rid of the IRS." The song also speculates that with Willie in the White House, "Air Force One would smell like weird cigars," and that President Nelson might be able to "keep the peace between the Dixie Chicks and Toby Keith."

Courtney Love is having a tumultuous week. Following recent blog-feuds with Billy Corgan and Ryan Adams – not to mention a newly scribed rant about Madonna – the widow of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain is being sued for $975,000 by London & Co.

Love allegedly failed to pay the management firm its commissions for the partial sale of her share of Cobain's songbook. Courtney reaped $19.5 million in the 2007 deal but has yet to pony up the five percent fee London & Co. asserts it is owed. Ironically, Love threw stones at Ryan Adams in a MySpace post this past Saturday, claiming she was herself the victim of a financial misdeed.

It seems there were "29 American Express cards that [she] didn't know existed that were connected to a few hundred bank accounts" and only recently discovered that there was an $858,000 tab she alleges belongs to Adams. In a lengthy rant, Love wrote of how the Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter somehow financed his 2003 album 'Rock N Roll' and all related expenses from an account that is tied to her daughter Frances Bean Cobain's trust fund money.