Briefly News and Comment: Charity auction with 'NSync, Spears, McCartney and others

Plus: David Gray tour postponed. Radiohead 's next. Puffy and PETA. CMA Awards. The New England Metal and Hardcore Festival.

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EBay and QVC are holding an auction to raise money for MusiCares, a charity that helps members of the music industry. Artists donating items include 'NSync, Britney Spears, Paul McCartney and Paul Simon. The auction ends on Feb. 20.

Click here for the list of items and the current bids.

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Now the world's full of trouble

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David Gray has postponed a planned European tour "due to a family illness," according to his official website. Rescheduled dates haven't been announced.

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Everybody's scared

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Producer Nigel Godrich told Billboard.com that Radiohead's next album "Amnesiac," which he's working on, will be released on June 4. He is also reportedly working on Travis ' third album.

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Landlords are frowning, cupboards are bare

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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said that Sean "Puffy" Combs had told the organization that he wouldn't make fur a feature of his Saturday (2/10) fashion show, but then did, MTV.com reported. Presumably, the goal of Combs' tactic was to prevent a protest from marring his fashion show, and indeed, PETA did not stage a protest.

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People are scrambling like dogs for a share

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The 35th annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville on its new date of Nov. 7. Of this new date, the CMA said in a press release:

    The new date moves the prestigious Awards into November sweeps for the first time and helps position Country Music releases during the critical fourth-quarter retail season. ...

    "We're excited about moving into the beginning of November sweeps,'' said Ed Benson, CMA Executive Director. [This part is fun to say out loud:] "Positioning the Awards in this critical ratings period for CBS affiliates should further enhance their promotional involvement with the telecast. There is also strong support for the move and consensus among the key segments of our industry, who all feel the Awards being closer to the prime retail record buying season will have much more impact on the marketplace."

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It's cruel and it's hard

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The New England Metal and Hardcore Festival is scheduled for April 13-14 at the Palladium in Worcester, Mass., KNAC.com reported. Scheduled acts include Cannibal Corpse, Catastrophic, Monstrosity, Malevolent Creation, Dying Fetus, Living Sacrifice, Killswitch Engage and All Out War. Kids under 12 get a free cap.

That last part's a joke. We joke in order to bury our discomfort, for if we acknowledge that discomfort, that would lead to the even-greater discomfort of remembering that we're getting older.

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But it's nothing compared to what we'd do to each other

We will not be lovers.

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With thanks to the Waterboys, liveDaily Briefly wishes all a Happy Valentine's Day.

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