The baffling headlines scream for scrutiny and interpretation: Barry Manilow, fresh from seaside recording with Bette Midler, disoriented, walks into wall, breaks nose. Barbra Streisand, strident free speech advocate, sues for millions over internet photos of beach-cliff estate. Comedic actor Jamie Kennedy, perceives expansion of hilarious white rapper character from …

Math genius claims to invent new piracy-protection technology: When Internet users started ripping off songs from the online Museum of Musical Instruments, they angered the wrong guy: millionaire mathematician Hank Risan. Risan’s unorthodox museum is a Web site devoted to guitars and their role in music history, reflecting his personal …

Nothing terribly new here, but we can’t hear enough times how badly commercial radio blows chunks, nor why. And the media companies and the FCC wonder why people are upset about loosening the ownership rules even more? Blind, deaf and dumb: I grew up glued to radio and was present …

Discussion #3,1004 about the state of the music biz, this one by Amy Harmon of the NY Times: The industry is pursuing lawsuits against music pirates but is also offering new ways to legally listen to and buy music online through deals like a recent alliance with Apple Computer. That …

VERLYN KLINKENBORG of the NY Times hopes iTunes can remain independent from the machinations of the major labels: This new innovation is almost certainly going to set off a surge of new buying. Some of us will be filling in the CD-size gaps in our collections, but a lot of …

The kind of music you like may be related to your personality: Do you enjoy blues, jazz, classical and folk music? You may be intelligent, tolerant and politically liberal, researchers report. Meanwhile, country and religious music fans tend to be cheerful, outgoing, reliable and conventional, while alternative and heavy metal …

Courtney about the sign with Virgin. I hear she’s signing with Virgin because there is no label called “Drug Slut” (just kdding Court, we love ya): The rocker is in advanced negotiations to sign with Virgin Records, sources said. If the deal is closed, Virgin will release “America’s Sweetheart,” Love’s …

Henry Jenkins has a perceptive analysis of the “collective intelligence” of the Internet and its bearing on Survivor – really: The Survivor winner is one of the most tightly guarded secrets in the country. Some say that the show’s producer, Mark Burnett, engages in misinformation campaigns, planting misleading information in …

Morrissey, who hasn’t had a record deal since ’97, has signed with Sanctuary: “Morrissey is one of the most important artists of the last 20 years and we are delighted that he has given us the opportunity to lead the charge on this significant next phase of his career,” Sanctuary …

Luther slowly regaining consciousness, undergoing mild physical therapy: The album Luther Vandross considers the best of his career hits stores Tuesday – with no videos, television interviews or concerts to trumpet its arrival. With the 52-year-old singer yet to regain full consciousness after an April 16 stroke, there is virtually …