Idolator

Next Saturday, New York public-broadcasting stations WNET and WLIW will host a one-day pledge drive where contributors can get the chance to attend the Police's final show on their reunion tour, which will take place in August at Madison Square Garden. (A pair of tickets will come with a $150 pledge; a $5,000 pledge will snag a VIP package that includes dinner, a party, and attendance at a soundcheck.) The goal, according to Educational Broadcasting Corporation CEO Neal Shapiro, is to "get in touch with the boomer generation," the 44-62-year-olds who are just a hair younger than PBS' current core audience and who clearly don't have enough music-related media directed at them right now. You'd think that the long-term growth of the channel would perhaps inspire them to look toward the generation after the boomers as well, but given that WNET has mysteriously decided to not air this season of Austin City Limits, a show that actually features musicians who aren't making the reunion-tour victory lap from time to time, the likelihood of the execs not wanting to rock the gray-haired boat is high. More »

The Foo Fighters, Beck, and Alison Krauss and Robert Plant are headlining this year's Austin City Limits Music Festival, which takes place Sept. 26-28 in Austin's Zilker Park. The festival is promoted by Lollapalooza promoters C3, and it shares a few artists with its Chicago cousin, including Gnarls Barkley, the Raconteurs, and Okkervil River; other lineup highlights for the three-day sweatfest include Tegan & Sara, Against Me!, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Erykah Badu, and the Heartless Bastards. Also: Flyleaf? Full lineup after the jump. More »

After 33 years in a sixth-floor studio on the University of Texas campus, the PBS concert series Austin City Limits is moving from its 300-seat studio to a theater in downtown Austin which will accommodate 2,000 people. But long-time producer Terry Lickona is on vigilant vibe-watch to ensure that the series doesn't lose the casual, intimate atmosphere that has fostered so many great performances over the years. More »

- Rilo Kiley's new album, tentatively titled Hey, We Have Some Dudes, Too!, will be out in August. [NME]
- Sting and David Bowie are teaming up to launch a burlesque club in New York City. Bowie, you fool! Don't you realize that Sumner fella is jinxed? [New York Observer]
- At this year's Austin City Limits Festival, you'll find Bob Dylan, Björk and that UT student you hooked up with at South By Southwest. [Billboard]

It's only early May, which means that there are still approximately 426 music festivals left to go, all of which are required by law to feature three whistling Swedes. Austinist has an update on this year's Austin City Limits Festival, which takes place in September; apparently, the Austin Chronicle ran a crossword puzzle that hinted at some of the event's bigger names: More »

- Tampons are an effective way to stop nosebleeds. [ultra8201]
- The "contact high" theory is a myth. [I'll Be The Juddge Of That]
- You can never be too overdressed, too underdressed, or too rained-on ... unless you're Tom Petty. [theblog]
- Admitting to liking John Mayer on your blog ensures that a collective freak-out in comments section will ensue. [Stereogum]