In profile, he has his dad's pursed mouth and nose. Full on, the face becomes more eerily identical the more you stare at it. No DNA tests would ever be needed to confirm that this is indeed Paul McCartney's only son, playing his first official London gig at the age of 32. Start listening as well, though, and the fantasies that intrude aren't of the Beatles' Shea Stadium triumph, or Abbey Road genius. I start to imagine Paul McCartney's Liverpool suburban upbringing shifted in time to the early 1990s, with him now listening to Nirvana and the Cure, not Elvis Presley, at night, and instead of conquering the world, remaining a talented, almost content weekend rocker, sometimes musing what might have been: McCartney, in other words, if the sparks of genius and luck never struck. That seems James's honourable level.

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'But do you know what no one has ever suggested?" Carly Simon teases. "That it's a girl." It's the great, white, vain (Warren Beatty-shaped, perhaps?) elephant in the room, which happens to be a chilly hotel conservatory in west London. It's like interviewing Colonel Sanders and not enquiring about his "secret formula". It's a subject that can't be avoided. I'll bring it up at the end, I reason. I'll playfully mention that I think "Nobody Does It Better" is the best James Bond song and then in a throwaway fashion, ask "You're So Vain", so it is about Beatty or Jagger, or both? It doesn't quite work out like that, though, and anyway there's a lot more to this prodigious talent than one song, albeit an exquisitely acerbic ("But you gave away the things you loved and one of them was me") and droll ("Well, you're where you should be all the time/And when you're not you're with/Some underworld spy or the wife of a close friend") one.

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The former Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith will become the latest operatic heroine to meet a tragic end at the Royal Opera House when the musical version of her life story opens there on 17 February next year.

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It's not uncommon for US bands to be embraced in the UK before their homeland catches on to their charms. Certainly the Strokes, Kings of Leon and MGMT were playing big gigs and posing for magazine covers over here while, stateside, they could barely attract a groupie. It's not too often it happens the other way round (let's not forget Jay Sean, though ? America, you're welcome).

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Rock band Pink Floyd launched a High Court action against EMI yesterday in a dispute over the calculation of online royalty payments and marketing of their music.

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On March 9, the Black Eyed Peas announced a second leg of North American shows for the 2010 The E.N.D. World Tour. The newly announced dates begin with back-to-back shows on July 27 and 28 in Toronto, continuing with dates throughout Canada and the US, and ending August 23 in Edmonton. Tickets for some shows go on sale March 13.

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Brooklyn indie duo MGMT is the most blogged musical act on March 10, according to The Hype Machine. In second and third place are the British "virtual band" Gorillaz and Sparklehorse, the moniker for American alternative rock musician Mark Linkous, who died March 6.

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Rapper Lil Wayne, his lawyer Stacey Richman by his side, listened to the judge in a Manhattan criminal court sentence him yesterday to a year in jail for having a loaded gun on his tour bus.

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With a heavy Welsh accent that allows a tone of cheekiness and life experiences from council estates to the personal exposure of writing four albums, Ian is an artist who is self assured while being grounded, witty and real! The Lostprophets are gaining much media attention with their new album The Betrayed released in January which headed straight to number three. The Independent of course grabbed the chance to speak to the lyricist and singer about his way with words and the ?gooey? man behind the hard exterior!

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Chart stars JLS could be bringing their fans extra pleasure after holding talks to launch a range of condoms.

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It all started with that Bugsy Malone cover. Two of Britain's most colourful musical characters ? Dizzee Rascal and Lily Allen ? first collaborated on Rascal's third album with a grime rendition of the cult film's "So You Wanna Be a Boxer". Three years, two Brit awards and numerous hit singles later, the artists, both now 24, met again for a live spectacular to celebrate just how wonderful they are ? Rascal, a Brit winner and national treasure; Lily, a Brit winner and tabloid obsession.

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Lady Gaga is set to premiere her "Telephone" video, which features Beyoncé, on the US TV station E! News at 11:30pm EST on March 11. E! News revealed the information on March 7 during its coverage of the Oscars red carpet. Information about the video's online release is expected to follow shortly on Lady Gaga's website.

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Music videos out this week include two efforts from American rapper Lil Wayne, including a clip that also features Eminem. Also: The Spanish-language version of "We Are the World" unites 50 Latin music stars to benefit Haiti earthquake relief.

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US hip hop band Cypress Hill will perform on the second last day of the of the five-day Rock in Rio Madrid music festival in Spain, in June, organisers said Monday.

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On March 9, British alternative/electronic act Gorillaz is the most blogged musical act of the moment, with singles and remixes from its just-released album Plastic Beach circulating around the blogosphere. In second and third place, according to The Hype Machine, are Oxford, England indie/dance-punk band Foals and Sparklehorse, the moniker for alternative rock musician Mark Linkous, who committed suicide on March 6 at the age of 47.

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It's not often one sees a performer heckling an audience, but it's usually entertaining when it happens. And especially so when the heckler is a big chap with a little cartoon voice.

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British alternative/electronic act Gorillaz, whose studio album Plastic Beach is now available, is the most blogged musical act on March 8, according to The Hype Machine. Oxford, England indie dance-punk band Foals is number two on the list, followed by RJD2, an American producer, singer, and instrumentalist.

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Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" and Ke$ha's "TiK ToK" reigned last week as the top tracks on Last.fm, the internet radio station that lets users in more than 200 countries listen to tracks in the site's music library. Two more singles by Lady Gaga plus two by American rock band Kings of Leon were among other top listens during the week of March 1 through 7.

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On March 9, the return of Gorillaz is creating a buzz, plus guest stars and collaborative efforts mark the week's releases from Ludacris to new act Broken Bells. And there's the ultimate reissue from The Runaways.

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Renowned opera singer Placido Domingo has had surgery to remove a malignant cancer tumor in his colon, but expects to perform again as early as next month, a spokeswoman said Monday.

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