Strike threat hangs over La Scala gala opening (AP)

AP - In dramatic costumes dripping with fake blood, La Scala workers took to the stage to vent their frustration after the last three performances of "The Merry Widow" were canceled by a strike.

Microsoft lets Zune music subscribers keep tunes (AP)
AP - Microsoft Corp. is giving an early holiday gift to people who pay for all-you-can-listen access to the Zune digital music store: 10 songs to keep each month, included in the $14.99 monthly subscription fee.

McCartney, Guns N' Roses albums to launch on MySpace (Reuters)

Reuters - Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and Guns N' Roses released their biggest hits on vinyl records and compact discs, but on Thursday, their new albums will debut online on MySpace.

Blink-182 members finally "reconnecting" (Reuters)

Reuters - After a messy split in 2005, the members of Blink-182 are back in communication, raising speculation that a reunion may be in the offing for the pop-punk trio.

Publicist: Paris Hilton and Benji Madden split (AP)

AP - Paris Hilton and her boyfriend of nine months, Benji Madden, have broken up.

John McCain fights back against Jackson Browne (Reuters)
Reuters - John McCain may have lost the presidential election to Barack Obama, but his campaign seems absolutely determined not to lose to Jackson Browne.

U2 producer talks about their new album (Yahoo! Music)
Yahoo! Music - U2's producer Daniel Lanois, has spoken on about his time with the band and their new album.

Who Should Perform at the Obama Inauguration? (E! Online)

E! Online - The economy, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the choice of First Puppy aren't the only things President-Elect Barack Obama has to worry about these days.

50 Cent's new album pushed back to next year (Yahoo! Music)
Yahoo! Music - The release date of 50 Cent's forthcoming new album, Before I Self Destruct, has been pushed back to 2009--although a final release date is yet to be confirmed.

Lyricist Tim Rice reflects on his career (Reuters)
Reuters - If you've ever found yourself singing "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina," "A Whole New World," "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" -- or countless other show and pop tunes -- you've sung the words of Tim Rice.