This year's Super Bowl halftime show, featuring Madonna, M.I.A., and Nicki Minaj, is pretty good compared to the usual classic rock dinosaur they trot out on the stage. But God forbid, what if they were suddenly unable to perform thanks to a hamstring injury or lightning strike? This 30 Rock animated short dares to ask that question, with a cartoon Jack Donaghy gathering three singers to audition for the hypothetically vacant show. Rather amusingly, he invites alt-country balladeer Ryan Adams, rapper/comedy star Childish Gambino, and dad rock supremecist Michael McDonald to make their best case. Via E! Online, watch the video after the jump.

Ryan Adams took a two-year break from music after being diagnosed with Ménière’s disease and starting treatment in 2009. He's back with a new record: Ashes & Fire, his first release since last year's III/IV with backing band The Cardinals (he released two albums during his hiatus). and it's garnering critical acclaim, with many critics comparing it to his debut solo album Heartbreaker. Despite the accolades, Adams has already had a tricky relationship with music critics, and his mouthy responses continue to fuel those flames.

My Brightest Diamond, All Things Will Unwind (Asthmatic Kitty) The third album from Detroit-based singer-songwriter Shara Worden, who performs under the name My Brightest Diamond, is a brilliant, sparking jewel of a release that calls to mind the work of Joanna Newsom, Sarah Slean, and St. Vincent. It’s at times devastatingly minimalist (“She Does Not Brave the War”) and at others poetically nonsensical (“Ding Dang” shares the same flair for bombastic verbosity that appears in Lewis Carroll’s "Jabberwocky”), but All Things Will Unwind is undeniably a heartbreaking work of staggering genius. On “Escape Route,” Worden warbles, “It takes a lifetime to learn how to love.” With this album, it only takes a listen. —Nick Haramis

Paste Magazine recently came up with 50 New York state songs for the 21st Century, and while most of their choices were satisfactory if underwhelming, their pick for the top spot, Ryan Adams's "New York, New York," left me cold. I mean, just because the music video features Big Apple cityscapes and gritty subway shots doesn't mean he deserves first draw. It's not a bad song, but does it really represent Gotham's glory? The runners up were were “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Dow” by LCD Soundsystem and “Empire State of Mind” (typical) by Jay-Z. I get that "Like a rat in the cage pulling minimum wage" probably doesn't quite conjure the sense of soaring possibility tinged with crushing anonymity Paste was after, but is it really worse than "I had a tar-hut on the corner of 10th?"

Two game-changers discuss putting the band back together.

Gee, golly, and wow. This week, we really sunk to a world record of cultural nadirs (ugh, ugh, and ugh), didn't we? Well, the weekend is upon us, as is the most opportune moment to redeem our love for the letters. As it turns out, Ryan Adams and Weeds star Mary-Louise Parker are going to have an intimate chat about poetry and fiction. And you're invited to eavesdrop.

Waxing poetic with the famous rock artist

Our resident rock columnist in conversation with a songwriting idol.

The singer-songwriter takes on loneliness in LA

Aw, hell yeah: former BlackBook intern and current staff writer Ryan Adams is engaged to Mandy Moore, who's famous for being the only former teen pop star (that isn't Justin Timberlake, natch) to not only not turn out to be a scary tranny-hot mess, but to have a pretty successful acting/music career past teen stardom.