When we’re not making the mag we’re out scouring the headlines, to keep you up to speed on the latest festivals, releases, tours, events, reports of mischief, and various strange occurrences. New releases and mid-term election madness aside, things have been fairly exciting this week, though not necessarily in a good way.

Indie rockers Bloc Party have been forced to cancel a number of dates on their tour due to drummer Matt Tong suffering from a collapsed lung after last night’s performance in Atlanta. Tong has been admitted to a hospital and, according to the band’s website, is in “comfortable condition and not in any danger,” but when he’ll be fit to perform again remains unclear. Check the band’s site for show cancellation info.

Fans of Dangerdoom (and anyone who owns a television) are no doubt familiar with Cartoon Network’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force program, whose theme song was written by rapper Schoolly D. Both artist and network are now being accused of copyright violations over said theme song in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday by one Terrence Yerves, who claims he co-authord the song with Schooly D in 1999. Maybe he wanted in on some of the riches to be made from The Mouse And The Mask. 

A recent deal made between VP records and Diddy’s Bad Boy Entertainment will push dancehall superstar Elephant Man even further into the mainstream spotlight, and a collaborative project between he and Diddy is in the works for 2007. 

Next week stay tuned for new release and tour info, charts, and another Top Ten Album Picks fresh from the XLR8R crew.