Here & There …

PC World’s 10 worst consumer tech trends (DRM is #1) PC World

Ray Charles’ family ticked off about play depicting his life – Los Angeles Times

Kasabian plan New Year’s Eve surprise – The Daily Record

Frank Sinatra Jr. “The Son Also Rises” – New York Daily News

Why Guitar Hero III is making so much noise – cnet.com

Study indicates that people with musical backgrounds tend to have higher educations and earn more – Reuters

Dates, Dates & More Dates …

Smashing Pumpkins beef up their Euro plans with new dates in Paris, Glasgow, Nottingham and Germany for ’08; Peter Case will be all over California come December and Brooks & Dunn add Australia to their 2008 plans.

“Stevie Wonder’s House Full Of Toys” is set for December 15 in Los Angeles.

Day 2 of the “KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas” extravaganza has been announced with Modest Mouse, Spoon, Jimmy Eat World, Muse, The Shins, Feist and Silversun Pickups making the December 9 lineup.

Indigo Girls will play Mobile, AL, in January and Bloomington, IL, the following month; Joan Baez adds Waterville, Maine, to her 2008 routing and Rascal Flatts slot new 2008 dates for NH, NY, IL, IN, OH and FL.

Kansas will play Reno next August; Little Big Town adds MS and MO and New York Dolls tweak their Russian tour plans.

During the past couple of hours we also updated the schedules for Peppino D’Agostino, Fuel, The Elders, Rhett Miller, Joe Henry, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, James Gregory, Del Castillo, Bearfoot, Gandalf Murphy & The Slambovian Circus of Dreams plus more artists and bands than allowed by law. Your latest update comin’ at you around 3 PM (PST) from Pollstar.com!