Link-O-Rama …

organizer defends booking Jay-Z after Oasis’ Noel Gallagher slams the rapper’s headlining appearance – BBC News

Is there a music festival glut? – Chicago Sun-Times (registration may be required)

Push Play aims for the big time – Newsday

Evidently not satisfied being a rock legend, Queen guitarist Brian May steps up to the role of university chancellor – The New York Times (registration may be required)

From Public Enemy to reality TV star; Flavor Flav’s long, strange trip – St. Petersburg Times

A few minutes with Helen Reddy – Miami Herald

Dates, Dates & More Dates …

Blues rocker Anthony Gomes fills in a few holes in his calendar with new gigs in Tennessee, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and Iowa. Dates now include May 13 in Nashville; June 8 in Toledo; July 4 in Kansas City, August 2 in Chillicothe, IL; and August 17 in Rogers, AR.

Elton John adds a few Germany dates to his November / December road plans. Details include November 22 (Munich), November 24 (Hamburg), November 26 (Cologne) and December 11 (Berlin).

Y & T plays the United Kingdom in September. Stops include Oxford (September 16), Newcastle (September 19), Liverpool (September 23) and London (September 27).

And Daryl Hall & John Oates update today with a couple of May shows as well a summertime date. New on the schedule is May 22 & 23 (Los Angeles) and August 12 (Saratoga, CA).

During the past couple of hours we also updated the schedules for Dana Carvey, Delta Highway, Garrison Starr, George Carlin, Hello Tokyo, James Blunt, Jo Dee Messina, Kaki King, Kinky, Kenny G, Kathy Griffin, Kaki King, KT Tunstall, KRS-ONE, Margaret Cho, Mindless Self Indulgence, Michael McDonald, Rachael Sage, Rory Block, Spam Allstars, Squeeze, Tommy Chong, Vampire Weekend and Toad The Wet Sprocket.

But we’re only halfway through the day with crates and crates of new touring data still sitting on our loading docks waiting to be processed, folded, spindled and mutilated. Don’t miss Your Latest Update, scheduled for around 3 pm (PDT), from Pollstar.com!

This Day In Music History … (from Associated Press)

In 1982, singer Billy Joel was seriously hurt in a motorcycle accident on Long Island, New York. He spent a month in hospital with an injured hand.

In 1983, the Australian group Men at Work released their second L-P, Cargo, during what was billed as the “Cargo World Premiere Weekend.” The album had actually been finished the previous summer, but was withheld because of the phenomenal success of Men at Work’s debut disc, Business As Usual. Even with the delay, both albums ended up in the Top Ten at the same time.

In 1992, Queen’s lead singer Freddie Mercury died of AIDS. EMI Music donated more than $2 million dollars to a British AIDS charity. The donation to the Terrence Higgins Trust was an initial payment of royalties and profits from the re-released Queen single “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The song was top 10 in both 1976 and ’92.