· We're just glowing with pride. We said that Aerosmith would be taking credit for the rap/rock marriage, and sure enough Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Run-DMC crashed Kid Rock's performance at the MTV awards. We love to say we told you so.

· Hole bassist and renowned tart Melissa Auf Der Maur will leave Hole to join forces with recently departed (as if you'd notice) Smashing Pumpkins bassist D'Arcy, in a move reminiscent of Wendy-and-Lisa, but with better wardrobes. In fact, they'll unionize to negotiate better terms for personality-challenged chick bass players in bands fronted by temperamental iconoclasts. Or is this just Billy and Courtney's swap meet?

· Since we've been alerted that music and violence are forever together, we expect to see the Weekly staff inciting a riot at this month's Backstreet Boys concert.

· Those Gap ads suck. I confess I was into the "Dress You Up" remix, but "Mellow Yellow" and now Depeche Mode? They need to bring back the dancers. But one of the Gap chorus has a good voice -- and they usually let him sing a little bit longer than the others. He'll probably end up with a record deal (or a guest host spot on Total Request Live).

· This Garth Brooks rock project everyone's so excited about? We don't get it. Garth Brooks in the Life of... Chris Gaines seems like a really weird move for a man who has been outsold only by the Beatles. Plus, he's given himself a makeover to look just like Chris Cornell. If every situation in life has its own appropriate film quote, then this one puts us in mind of Shannen Doherty in Heathers, telling Winona Ryder, "It's just another case of the geeks trying to imitate the popular people and failing miserably."

-- ERIN FRANZMAN