Link-O-Rama …

Judge in R. Kelly trial says reporter who originally received video tape allegedly depicting the r&b star having sex with a minor, does not have to testify – Chicago Tribune

Daredevil and “Jackass” co-star Steve-O pleads guilty to cocaine possession – Associated Press

The lowdown on the Triumph reunion – The Canadian Press

In order to get mainstream cable ratings, music channel Fuse targets the mainstream audience – The New York Times (registration may be required)

Saying it was “too sexy,” Coldplay cuts duet with Kylie Minogue from band’s new album. Australia yet to threaten war with Britain over the issue – The Sydney Morning Herald / Bang Showbiz

Record labels claim CDs and vinyl marked “for promotional use only” are theirs … forever! – BBC

Dates, Dates & More Dates …

We just posted new east coast, midwest and southern dates for The Mars Volta. Additions include September 12 (Columbus, Ohio), September 14 (Boston, Massachusetts), September 17 (New York, New York), September 23 (Asheville, North Carolina) and September 24 (Atlanta, Georgia).

Stephen Stills hops on the train to solo town for a United Kingdom excursion. Dates for Mr. Stills include October 10 in Brighton; October 11 in London; October 13 in Manchester, October 16 in Newcastle; and October 19 in Glasgow.

Reggae band Morgan Heritage dropped about 10 pounds of tour dates on our loading dock this morning. Included in the bundle that almost gave our dock foreman a hernia are listings for Seattle (September 26), Vancouver (September 27), St. Louis (July 2), Chicago (July 3), Cincinnati (July 5) and Cleveland (July 6). Other towns on the list include Burlington, VT; Towson, MD; St. Pete, FL; New York, NY; and Richmond, VA.

And we have a couple of new ones for Ani DiFranco – July 23 in Boise, Idaho, and July 28 in Edmonton, Alberta.

During the last couple of hours we also updated the schedules for Groundation, C.J. Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band, Great White, John Densmore, Lords, Josh Ritter, Linkin Park, J. Paul Jr. & The Zydeco Nu Breeds, Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson, Madeleine Peyroux, The Benjy Davis Project, Todd Rundgren and The Pigeon Detectives.

And that’s the what’s up at the halfway point. More concert data thrills and chills coming up in Your Latest Update, scheduled for around 3 pm (PDT), from Pollstar.com!