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On the heels of their confetti-laden performance at the American Music Awards, Coldplay gives fans another reason for celebration by donating an unreleased track to (RED)Wire, a new music service set to start on December 1st (World AIDS Day).  All proceeds from music sold on (RED)Wire will be donated to charities helping Africa’s HIV-infected, and Coldplay is joined by R.E.M., Bob Dylan, and more in this magananimous effort.

If you’d like to get in on this great cause, visit http://www.joinredwire.com today.

In other Coldplay news, the band collaboarted with Jay-Z on a remixed version of their tune “Lost,” which is available now on Coldplay’s new EP Prospekt’s March.  Fans in the UK will be able to catch Coldplay and Jay-Z together in concert next summer.  Scheduled stadium shows include a September 19, 2009 gig at London’s Wembley Stadium.

Irish songstress Enya’s new album And Winter Came is a holiday treat for fans who took her up on her invitation to “Sail Away” twenty years ago and are still on her musical journey.

Enya’s lovely voice stirs much emotion in her listeners — too much emotion, according to several death row inmates.  As reported by the Associated Press, The Supreme Court turned down an appeal from doomed convicts who protested victims showing juries d.i.y. video montages of victims’ lives.  One homemade video they particularly objected to was made by the adoptive mother of 19 year old Sara Weir. Weir was raped and murdered by Douglas Kelly in 1993; a video montage of her life that featured a soundtrack of Enya’s tunes was shown to the jury after Kelly’s conviction but before his sentencing.  Kelly claims that the jury was unduly influenced by the video and therefore his death row sentence is unfair.

Enya, to our knowledge, has not commented on the case.  What do you have to say?  Let us know.

Christina Aguilera has signed on for the final episode of MTV’s TRL (Total Finale Live) airing November 16th at 8:00PM.  Justin Timberlake, Fall Out Boy, Kid Rock, Beyonce, Travis Barker, Taylor Swift and many more are also slated to appear, along with some blast from the past VJs including La La Vasquez and Jesse Camp(!).

New Mom Aguilera has come a long way both personally and professionally since she first appeared on TRL singing “Genie in a Bottle,” and she “Keeps Gettin’ Better” as her aptly named greatest hits CD suggests.

“It’s such a special time for me, being a new mom, releasing this [album] the first year of my son’s birth,” she explained to MTV. “I’m looking forward to the next 10 years, which is partly why I named the album, Keeps Gettin’ Better, ’cause it does.”

Despite having some controversy in her past (remember Xtina’s “Dirrty”?) she recently told People that she remains true to herself and has no plans to hide this from baby Max.

“It’s very important to me as a mother to not lose sight of who I was before becoming a mother. I want to share with my son, what I’m passionate about, what I was about before he was born.”

Keeps Gettin’ Better — A Decade of Hits is available now at Target.

Oh, and rumor has it Fred Durst is scheduled for the TRL Finale too — remember when the rumors were flying about those two and his appearance with Christina at the VMAs was one of the show’s most memorable moments:

Rascal Flatts closed the next-to-final leg of their “Bob That Head Tour” and debuted at number one with their Greatest Hits Volume 1 CD this month.    The 2 disc set not only has the obvious smash singles but also a selection of Christmas songs for your gift giving pleasure.

In January of the new year, Rascal Flatts will finish the “Bob Your Head Tour” with help from opening act Jessica Simpson.

“I’m thrilled to be hitting the road with Rascal Flatts,” Simpson told Country Weekly Magazine. “I just can’t wait to be out there and share my music with fans all across the country.”

Rascal Flatts is known to share more than songs with their fans.  The band told USA Weekend that they often take “Flatts Ride Treks” while on tour.

“We’ll zip in souped-up golf carts around the parking lots when the fans are tailgating and have some burgers and beers with them,” explained guitarist Joe Don Rooney. “It’s great to find out who they are and hear their stories.”

Flatts fans — have you ever hung with the band during a trek?  Comment and let us know.

Adele’s debut album 19 hit number one on iTunes, an outstanding achievement that the singer is more than a bit thrilled with, and rightfully so.  Here’s what she had to say on her MySpace blog to her many fans:

“OH MY GODWOWTHANKYOU SO MUCH CHUFFED AND VERY STUNNEDI had so much fun on SNL, everyone was so nice!im back next month for Leno and Craig Ferguson - woop woopxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx…”

Her appearance on SNL definitely caused a stir, and her upcoming tv gigs and concert tour will bring even more attention to Adele’s soulful song stylings, which won over music luminaries like Jools Holland and Mark Ronson.

No matter what your age, 19 is an album you can relate to, via either your present or your past.  “The whole album is about being between 18 and 19; about love,” Adele says.  “It’s quite a sad album, [with songs about] being cheated on and not getting what you want”.

Fans of Adele will get everything they want and more at her shows this January.

Ingrid Michaelson’s Be OK is an eclectic collection of songs.  Her original tunes stand alongside a ukelele accompanied version of “Over the Rainbow” that many critics count as a standout on this, her latest CD.  A collage of previously unreleased songs, covers and live tracks, a portion of the proceeds from Be OK are being donated to Stand Up To Cancer.

Watch the video for “Be OK”:
Ingrid Michaelson BE OK

We’re sure she’s doing some of these songs (and of course “The Way I Am”) on her fall concert tour.

Dark Horse:  In U.S. politics, a person unexpectedly chosen by a major party as a candidate for public office, especially for the presidency.

Nickelback’s latest CD Dark Horse, produced by the legendary Def Leppard hitmaker Mutt Lange,  hits stores November 18th, but after the band’s many hit singles, nobody should be surprised by their success anymore.  Their lastest smash single “Gotta Be Somebody” is all over the radio, and a world tour is planned for 2009.

Recently, Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin admitted his (not so guilty) fondness for the Canadian rockers to Absolute Radio.

“They take a lot of flak from people who have never done f*** all in their life. And I think they’re great. That is my final word.”

Our final word is that Dark Horse will be another huge chart topper for Nickelback, but do you think it will be as big as their 10 million plus seller All the Right Reasons?  Comment and let us know.

Actually, better than just OK NOW.  He’s doing great and pleased with the new direction his career has taken.

Best know for his performance at the Oscars of his nominated song “So Close” from the Disney film Enchanted, McLaughlin is grateful for the exposure and ready to cover new ground.

“I love Disney ballads, but I didn’t necessarily connect it to what I do as an artist. But that image of an old-school crooner inspired me,” said McLaughlin.

“I was able to see myself as something different, which helped me open up to try new things on this album. I wasn’t afraid to try on some new looks, either.”

“My philosophy has changed,” he continues. “Now I believe you should get crazy in the studio, explore different sounds, and I love the challenge of recreating the songs in the live setting –that’s the best part.”

Check him out on tour with Delta Goodrem this fall.

Keane’s new album Perfect Symmetry is getting rave reviews, and music fans everywhere should be raving about the sweet deal Amazon.com is offering on this new release.

For a limited time,  buy the complete album as a MP3 download from Amazon.com and receive it for only $2.99!  This is a bargain for Keane diehards and a safe price for casual fans or the uninitiated to legally check out some new tunes.

Keane is excited about offering such a great deal to their U.S. fans. “We’ve built up a huge live following in America and the first record obviously did incredibly well,” Chaplin told Billboard in a recent interview. “We toured there with the second record and the crowds got bigger, but [the album] didn’t seem to impact as much as the first one. Whether the Americans get this record or not I don’t know, but I hope the openness and poppiness of it will have a big impact.”

Check it out for yourself, and let us know what you think of Keane’s latest:

Hear that?  There’s ‘Gossip in the Grain,’ Ray Lamontagne’s latest, and it’s worth listening to, even if it’s only a whisper.

Ray Lamontagne has made three CDs, amassed a loyal following and earned the respect of his peers.  His song “Trouble” gained him attention and he has enjoyed success on Triple A radio.  His current single “You Are the Best Thing” is rising on the AAA chart.  Yet, Lamontagne often performs shows in the half-dark or with his back to his audience.  It may be shyness; it may be fear; but mostly it seems Lamontagne feels his music should speak for itself.

Sounds serious, right?  But in the midst of an album filled with shadowy musing, Lamontagne manages to inject some white light– or should we say white stripes– into the proceedings.  “Meg White,” a song for the famed White Stripes drummer, is a lovely surprise.  Rolling Stone wrote about the unlikely pairing here.

Lamontagne (with Leona Ness opening) is on tour now.