The Playlist — Not exactly a first look but the Sundance website's preview for directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's "Howl" starring James Franco as poet Allen Ginsberg does reveal some interesting tidbits.Firstly, the film will be scored by the proficient C... more info

Guardian Music — Alfredo Marcantonio writes: A signi-ficant omission from Garth Cartwright's fine tribute to Luther Dixon (obituary, 12 November) is his work on Twist and Shout by the Isley Brothers. Attending the Isleys' session at Bell Sound studios to record anoth... more info

Perez Hilton — HBO is pushing the limits of gender and sexuality with T, a half-hour drama series following the transformation of a woman into a man. The show, which was inspired by an episode of public radio's This American Life, comes from married couple Anya Ep... more info

Guardian Music — Robbie Williams's latest album bulges with fantastic melodies and undemanding pop references – but it's also consumed with angst and self-doubtIn 1967, the Beatles were planning a new film. In search of a suitable script, they approached Joe O... more info

All About Jazz — Internationally acclaimed NYC based guitarist virtuoso, bassist, mandolinist, composer, bandleader and veteran educator Sten Hostfalt holds a November 4, 2009 lecture on microtonal music at New World School Of The Arts, Miami Florida, curated by Dr. ... more info

MTV.com News — Fans reaction is generally positive to song from Brown's forthcoming Graffiti LP.By James Dinh Chris Brown Photo: Jason LaVeris/ Getty Images NEW YORK — Since his first single, "I Can Transform Ya," is an upbeat Swizz Beatz-produced trac... more info

Altsounds — The Silent Years’ forthcoming album ‘The Globe’ will be released in the UK on 19th October, 2009.‘The Globe’ certainly represented a sea of change for The Silent Years on multiple levels. For frontman Epst... more info

Undercover, Australia — In 1966, Beatles manager Brian Epstein gave each of the Fab Four a Mini Cooper S as a gift. George Harrison had his car painted with psychedelic images featuring yantras and Sanskrit mantras. more info

Guardian Music — In 1983, Geoff Travis signed the Smiths to Rough Trade. 26 years later, guitarist Johnny interviews the label boss for the Cribs' takeover of guardian.co.uk/musicJohnny Marr: Can you explain, for those who might not know, how you started the Rough Tr... more info

Guardian Music — A time traveller from the 1960s might have been forgiven for thinking nothing new had happened in youth culture in 40 years if they had visited London's Oxford Street today. The HMV store was covered in Beatles posters with a queue of young people wa... more info