Ryan Adams' new album Ashes & Fire, the prolific singer-songwriter's first album without his backup band the Cardinals since 2003, hits stores today. To mark the occasion, Adams is everywhere promoting Ashes' somberly sweet first single "Lucky Now." Check out the video for the track, an ode to Cardinals bassist Chris Feinstein (he passed away in December 2009), and stick around below for the moving acoustic version Adams performed last night on Conan.

As for the album itself, Ashes & Fire doesn't possess Adams' strongest set of songs, but in terms of production, it's his most refined album since 2001's Gold. (That's likely because Adams teamed with illustrious producer Glyn Johns. He's also the father of Ethan Johns, who produced Ryan's debut Heartbreaker.) Adams' output (13 studio albums since 2000) has given him a reputation of a "human jukebox." He's regarded as a musical prodigy who pumps out undercooked tracks that could've been great songs had they been given a little more

The Occupy Wall Street movement began its fourth week at New York's Zuccotti Park today, and once again a major celebrity stopped by to provide some much needed reinforcement. After Jeff Mangum raised the spirits of protestors last week with a rare performance, the Occupiers were visited by another folk hero known for his musical tales of economic injustice and the struggles of the working class. Nope, not Bruce Springsteen: Kanye West. According to Gothamist, the rapper made a quick cameo at the protest, and left without so much as a freestyle rap or a cappella verse.

Kanye is an unlikely candidate to show up at Occupy Wall Street because, well, he's pretty much the artistic embodiment of everything the protestors are rallying against. He destroys Maybachs for music videos, he jogs in Lanvin, he released a "luxury rap" album with Jay-Z, and his teeth are actual diamonds. (To his credit, West has provided work to Bon Iver, who looks like he should be occupying Wall Street.) Making the

Last week, Beyoncé unveiled her new music video for "Countdown," a fun, colorful vid that's not shy about giving visual props to iconic movies like Funny Face, West Side Story, and Flashdance. However, it's a lesser-known inspiration that has Beyoncé facing plagiarism accusations. While well-known films gave "Countdown" its style, the dance moves were lifted, without credit, from the works of Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker. Studio Brussels posted the above comparison video between Beyoncé and De Keersmaeker's moves (via Vulture), and the similarities are too close to ignore.

Watch the scene of the alleged crime, the "Countdown" music video:

"I didn't know anything about this. I'm not mad, but this is plagiarism. This is stealing," De Keersmaeker told Studio Brussels. "What's rude about it is that they don't even bother about hiding it. They seem to think they could do it because it's a famous work. Am I honored? Look, I've seen local school kids doing this. That's a

Couldn't make it out to Cardiff, Wales this Saturday for the "doomed," unauthorized Michael Forever tribute concert? The Amp has you covered. Despite all the controversy that preceded the show -- the Black Eyed Peas dropping out, the Kiss situation, the Jackson family's decision to host the concert during Dr. Conrad Murray's manslaughter trial -- the tribute itself didn't let the negative attention spoil the evening. Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Ne-Yo, and Jackson's family (including his three children) all took the stage to celebrate Michael's music and legacy.

The tribute wasn't without some last minute drama: Despite being paid to perform, Jennifer Hudson didn't even bother showing up, claiming "major production issues" for her absence. And even though organizers significantly cut prices and offered two-for-one tix deals, the show still fell 10,000 tickets short of a sell out. However, the roughly 40,000 fans in attendance did witness a touching tribute to the King of Pop.