Our Top Five Stories – 2/11

5. Justice Dept. To Probe Live Nation / Ticketmaster Deal – This came to us via Associated Press, so it has the AP byline on it. Nevertheless, readers took to this one, and why not? After all, what’s a Hump Day without a story mentioning a “probe?”

4. Cupid Nugent And His St. Valentine’s Day Playlist – Ahhh… Ted Nugent and his favorite love songs. From Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Lovin’ You Too Long” to his own “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang,” we suspect the gonzo rocker has come up with the ultimate Valentine’s Day playlist. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny the Nuge’s marketing savvy. Or as Pollstar.com reader DCMANSON commented, “Apparently, it’s not just politix that the man is genius at…this list is just Nuge’s Bonafides shining thru…will I get trouble from his militia if I poach it?”

3. U.S. Orchestras To Help Feed Needy – The AP story about orchestras making a difference really struck a chord among Pollstar.com readers. But this is more than just a story about classical musicians helping the less fortunate. It’s also brilliant advance work for the movie “The Soloist.”

2. Live Nation, Ticketmaster Begin Defending Merger – Our second LN / TM story in the Top Five today. Remember. The best defense is a strong offense.

1. Screaming Around The States – It’s the new Chris Cornell tour and Pollstar.com users made it the most popular read of the day! Sounds like there will be plenty of buyers waiting to snatch up Cornell’s new album, Scream, when it drops on March 10.