I need to check my Rock 'n' Roll Calendar more often. I'd completely forgotten that Joey Ramone passed away 10 years ago this past April 15. For this, I apologize to Miss Sandy Lieb.

In my defense, it doesn't feel like 10 years ago. And for those looking for a happier note, Joey Ramone will turn 60 on May 19, something he can do because his music still lives. All Ramones fans should pick up I Slept With Joey Ramone (A Family Memoir) by his brother, the great Mickey Leigh, whose talents as a storyteller are every bit as fascinating as the songs listed below.

Picking the 25 best Ramones songs is a task not to be envied; believe me. Putting them in any kind of order is like alphabetizing the Bible. There's no real point, except for the fun of it. The list of songs that didn't make the cut is just as long and just as good. Simply no room for "I'm Affected," "Mama's Boy," "Somebody Put Something In My Drink," "53^rd and 3^rd," "I Wanna Live," "Outsider," "She's a Sensation," "Psychotherapy,"

2011, so far, has been rife with unexpected announcements in the music entertainment world. Could we have predicted any of it? Sure. But then we often get the news before it happens. Now that's power.

Here are just a handful of the ones that we didn't see coming!

10) Justin Bieber Announces Retirement Plans: Justin Bieber, the 17-year old Canadian teen-throb, told the media on his birthday this past March that "thanks to an aggressive retirement strategy," he would be shuttling off to Florida for shuffleboard on his 19th birthday to spend more time with his family. The intense workday grind Bieber has been subjected to since 2008 when he was discovered by Scooter Braun and Usher has Bieber thinking retirement may be the answer. "I don't want to be trotting around the world singing 'Baby' when I'm twenty. I want to have time to see my family before I'm too old to enjoy it," said Bieber, as he knocked back several megavitamins and retired for his nap.

9) Conan O'Brien to Host

Catchy title, eh?

Before I discovered the fine art of list-making, I didn't much notice "genres" or any kind of man/woman thing. My record collection was divided into two. Good stuff and junk rock (friends know the real term for that horrifying part of my collection that I kept in the living room just to watch new acquaintances stutter in confusion when they thought I only owned stuff like Chicago and crap-period Linda Ronstadt albums!).

Anyhow, it being March, Women's History Month, I thought I'd play along and use it as an excuse to draw attention to "Women In Music."

This blog focuses on women who are not yet household names. Some should be, while others should just have their music bought and appreciated. The list is in vague general order. Coming in #23 or #17 is more a matter of me having to put that person somewhere.

I'm including their websites, so you can learn more on your own. My own comments will be somewhere between banal and useless, with an occasional insight

Musicians love movies. Why wouldn't they? It's not like they're going to be good at science! Creative folks like other creative folks and when struggling to come up with a band name, they go to the movies that inspired them. Or to movies they've heard of. Sometimes, it's a happy accident. And, yes Golden Earring was #26.

Here are 25 of the best! Special thanks to Tom Fraser for his suggestions and help with this column. If there's a heaven in New Zealand, Tom, you're booked in advance! Meet ya there in 50!

25) The Knack (and How To Get It): The movie was directed by Richard Lester in 1965, the same year he directed The Beatles' HELP! Knowing how much The "My Sharona" Knack loved the Beatles, it's pretty obvious that this helped fulfill another step towards their total Beatles affiliation. I would've gone with calling my band The Fools On The Hill, but then again, I've only made three dollars with my recording career.

24) The Damned: There was a 1940s French film of the same title,