By Megan Warner

Nothing says summertime like rock music and dodgeball in a giant outdoor bathtub.

At least that's what I saw yesterday, when I accompanied fellow digital producer Sarah Muller and shooter Brendan Kennedy to the first aptly named Pool Party of the season in Brooklyn, New York.

The show, featuring the Hold Steady and the Loved Ones, was a success — if a wet one, and not because of anything related to pools. Fans seemed unfazed by the nearly tropical storm and stuck around for the Hold Steady's set. (Check out my pics here!) Led by frontman Craig Finn's flailing arm gestures and Tad Kubler's wailing guitar solos, this band had what it took to make everyone forget the gloomy weather. Of course, the steady (ahem) flow of beer helped people forget too. Read more...

In an interview with USA Today, "Hills" Heidi Montag star opened up about her spirituality, her hopes to release a Christian album one day, and her relationship with boyfriend/manager Spencer Pratt.

In the interview — which also includes mentions of Montag's clothing line, Heidiwood — Montag said that she and Pratt read the Bible regularly, and described herself as "kind of non-denominational Baptist." She also mentions plans for a humanitarian trip to Africa in August to "feed children and build things." Read more...

· Britney Spears quickly took advantage of her new custody arrangement with ex-Kevin Federline by having a 12-hour sleepover with her two sons on Saturday night.

· Former "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard, 29, married fiancee Surata Zuri McCants in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday. The singer — who was recently dropped from his major label contract — did not perform at his own 30-minute ceremony, but he is reportedly working on a new album.

· Speaking of "Idol," horse whisperer Kristy Lee Cook, one of this year's finalists, has signed a deal with 19 Recordings/ Arista Nashville and will be releasing her first single, "15 Minutes of Shame," on August 11. An album is due in the fall.

·Rhapsody (a joint venture with MTV Networks) has announced that it is opening an MP3 store with no digital rights management.

· Ticketmaster was awarded an $18 million judgment in its case against ticketbot company RMG Technologies, which a judge in Los Angeles ruled had worked around the ticketing giant's software with an automated program in order to help scalpers buy tickets at speeds and volumes that virtually shut out regular customers. Some of the alleged biggest victims of the technology were "Hannah Montana" fans who were unable to get tickets to the Miley Cyrus' 2007 gigs.

· The non-profit (RED) organization has raised money to fight AIDS in Africa by selling everything from shoes and clothing to special-edition iPods. Now, it's starting a digital-music subscription service slated to launch in September that will deliver three new pieces of exclusive content a week for a $5 a month. Among the acts that have signed up so far are: U2, Death Cab for Cutie, Bob Dylan and Elton John.

DMX can't seem to stay on the straight and narrow.

After a string of arrests, the rapper was busted once more in Miami on Friday (June 27) for reportedly trying to buy cocaine and marijuana, according to TMZ. X (real name: Earl Simmons) was just arrested on Monday for driving without a valid driver's license.

In May, the MC was arrested for speeding after being caught on camera going 114 mph. Just days after that, he was busted on animal-cruelty and drug-possession charges after detectives raided his Arizona home; he pleaded not guilty to the 11 charges on May 16.

The real question after hearing his rap sheet is, how is he still free? We'll keep you up to date if X runs into any more trouble.

By Matt Elias

We spent the day at Tim Kash's old stomping grounds: the MTV UK office. MTV News Associate Producer James Barnes showed us around, and while walking through cubicles and edit bays might be boring for some, it was really rad to see the U.K. operation in action.

In one of the edit bays, they were reworking one of our pieces from the States — 50 Cent and G-Unit's recent trip to South Africa — to be rebroadcast in the U.K.

We also got a chance to sneak into the studio while on-air reporters Rickie and Laura were doing stand-ups for news hits (or "bulletins" as they call them here). Seeing green screen in person still blows my mind. Read more...

By Matt Harper

As I write this, rain is pouring down on Western New Hampshire. But this torrential downpour held off for a few hours this afternoon so that a historic union could take place in the sleepy town of Unity, New Hampshire. Of course, I'm talking about of the joint appearance of Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator/presidential hopeful Barack Obama. The two Democratic candidates ran a primary battle for close to a year and half, and with Obama recently stepping up as the presumptive Democratic nominee, there's been a fair amount of speculation as to when and how the Democratic party would unify.

Well, the answer is here: June 27, 2008, in Unity, New Hampshire. You couldn't really ask for a more blatantly symbolic spot for Hillary and Barack to take the stage together. Apart from its name, the minuscule town near the Vermont border was the place where both Democratic candidates received 107 votes apiece during the state primary in January.

As expected, the event was heavily attended and obsessively orchestrated by an army of college-age Obama volunteers. While I waited in the approximately half-mile-long line to get into the event, I was offered fresh-picked strawberries by a lady moving up and down the line, was warned by another lady that Barack was a Muslim and should be avoided at all costs, and had about 10 separate petitioners warn me that MoveOn.org is funded by George Soros, who had apparently made millions from investments in Halliburton. I could tell right away that this event had brought out a diverse crop of passionate New Englanders. Read more...

There's nothing better in the summer than going to an outdoor festival and enjoying live music under the stars, but jacked-up gas prices could put an end to that warm-weather tradition.

Higher prices at the pump mean less spending money -- so is that going to keep you from seeing your favorite act onstage this summer?

By Alex Shapiro

It might be time to grow those dreads back and unpack your tie-dyed Ts, because a Phish reunion might be on the way.

Reunion rumors began to swirl on Internet message boards a month ago, after Rolling Stone published an article in which Phish frontman Trey Anastasio hinted at his desire to bring the band back together. Anastasio (who recently completed a drug-treatment program stemming from his December 2006 prescription-drug arrest) has been recording with longtime writing partner and friend Tom Marshall, at his recording studio in Saratoga Springs, New York. In an interview with PopMatters.com, Marshall poured more fuel on the rumors. "Trey wants Phish to come back," he said. And when all of the members showed up at the Jammies in May to accept their lifetime achievement award, talk continued.
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By Steven Roberts and Rya Backer

If this picture doesn't have you crying out, "Awesome!" then it's sure to have you scratching your head and asking what the hell is going on. It had us, among other things, very much intrigued. Just what are Chromeo up to? Why are they rocking out with a yellow robot, a red cyclops and a green monster? (We also wondered, Why aren't we?)

It's a promotional shot for the Montreal dance duo's upcoming appearance on "Yo Gabba Gabba!" But what's that, you ask? Here are some important details: "YGG!" is a children's television series on Nick Jr. and Noggin that debuted at the end of 2006. It's a mix of live action, animated sketches and musical performances — a powerful combination known to yield joy from the preschool set and melted faces from the not-so-young. The show is hosted by human DJ Lance Rock and also features robot Plex, cyclops Muno and little green monster Brobee.

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By Matt Elias

Well, the beautiful weather in London was short-lived, but that didn't stop Amy Winehouse from soundchecking Friday in Hyde Park. Despite the drizzle, Amy (who was featured in a bizarre Rolling Stone article this week) is at least that much closer to performing at Friday night's concert honoring Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday, which also features Annie Lennox, Simple Minds, Queen, Leona Lewis and the Soweto Gospel Choir. More than 40,000 people are expected to attend the show, according to CNN.
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