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The Academy Is... are leaving people hanging for real--and are calling it quits. In the band's official website, The Academy Is... said they've "decided to go our separate ways."

Singer Williams Beckett, guitarist Mike Carden and bassist Adam Siska said in the announcement that they, "look back at the records we've made, the show's we've played, the places we've been. The people we've met. The Academy Is... has made its mark."

The Academy Is... formed in Chicago in 2003, and became regulars at Warped Tour with their commercially-viable alt-rock songs. Almost half-a-million copies of their full length albums altogether: 2005's Almost Here, 2007's Santi, and 2008's Fast Times at Barrington High.  In May this year, drummer Andy Mrotek and guitarist Michael Guy Chislett left the group.

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Lady Gaga having sex as a mermaid sells more songs. Yup, sounds about right.

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Well, duh. According to the New York Times,  a study of pop song lyrics showed not only that messages about sex not only go to the top of the charts, but also sell better. In a study by the State University of New York in Albany, they found that messages of procreation in country music and those found in pop and R&B are vastly different.

Country songs are about "long-term commitment to marriage, parenting children, break-ups and oaths of fidelity." But the top three themes in songs on pop charts? "The singer's sex appeal, a person's promiscuity and one-night stands." R&B song themes were about "the singer's sex appeal, boasts about the singer's wealth as it relates to finding a mate, and descriptions of erotic acts." The study, published in Evolutionary Psychology, also 'found a direct correlation between the number of references to sex in a song and how well it did on the Billboard charts."

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​OC Weekly's clubs editor Brandon Ferguson today answers the biggest mystery of the Kelly Thomas death: Who placed the phone call that led to six police officers beating the homeless man to death?

For weeks rumors have been floating around that the phone call came from Slidebar, co-owned by Lit guitarist Jeremy Popoff.More >>

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There were no illegal drugs in Amy Winehouse's system when she died last month, according to a statement from the Winehouse family.

According to spokesperson Chris Goodman in a release, toxicology results "by authorities have confirmed that there were no illegal substances in Amy's system and the time of her death."

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​I like Internet snark as much as the next person, but sometimes there's just too much hate in the world. Take the case of Pablo Dylan, Bob's 15-year-old grandson who just wants to rap. If you listen to "I'm On One" after the jump, you'll hear that it's not any different from any boy band staple, and it's not heinous or Rebecca Black-ish in any way either.

The fact that he's the son of Bob's oldest son Jesse (a music video director who has worked with the likes of Lenny Kravitz, Tom Petty, and Will.I.Am for the Barack Obama "Yes We Can" video) shouldn't make a difference. So what if he got his break because his grandfather is the poet laureate of folk music? There are worst things in the world. Like, say, every Real Housewives song in existence. Pablo Dylan released his 10 Minutes mixtape, available for download on his site.
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​After getting butterflies and more than 10.5 million views on YouTube, Anaheim Hills resident Alana Lee, who was also an ARK Music Factory discovery, signs a contract with indie label 37 Records, gets ready to release her new single, "Synchronize," and to record an EP.More >>

​These surprise visits are getting to be a regular occurrence. First it was eating at Chick-Fil-A in Laguna Niguel. Then it was the Biebs popping into the normally 21-over La Cave to sing with Ernie Halter. Now we find out that Justin Bieber was at the House of Blues in Anaheim last Sunday to show support for Joseph "Rev Run" Simmon's son, Daniel "Diggy" Simmons and LilTwist. Soon after the 10-minute appearance (where they performed "Wind It") Bieber tweeted, "#supportyourfriends #SWAG."

Watch the video after the jump.
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Reel Big Fish

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Actor Wendell Pierce will be starring as B.B. King--the "King of Blues"--in an upcoming film, B.B. King and I. It's based on an encounter that aspiring drummer Michael Zanetis had with B.B. King at the back stage of Huntington Beach venue Golden Bear, after which he became lifelong friends with the king.

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