The Lemonheads’ covers album—sampling from acts as diverse as Gram Parsons and Christina Aguilera—will finally see the light of day just in time for the seasonal pucker-stand rush.

After-hours house parties in the Hollywood Hills are infamous the world over, and nightlife aficionados Tony Daly and David Judaken considered just that while outlining the concept behind LA hot spot, MyHouse. Co-owner Daly talks fully-functioning ovens and bathtubs in a nightclub where soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo stops by to douse crowds with six-liter bottles of champagne.

Hotelier and New Jersey advocate, Curtis Bashaw, has both his business and heart invested in the Jersey Shore. Between family ties, a former position on New Jersey's Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, and small hotel restoration projects along the Jersey Shore area, the hotelier, who opened Atlantic City's first non-gambling, boutique property, the Chelsea Hotel, along the city's famed boardwalk, can proudly say that he's "definitely a Jersey guy."

Nobu West Hollywood's man in charge, Justin Wyborn, speaks proudly of the "sense of family" within the Nobu empire. The Aussie-born GM is undoubtedly a poster boy for the company's family-friendly sentiment. Wyborn has worked at Nobu London, Miami, and the flagship New York City Nobu 57 location. He also opened Nobu Melbourne, Hawaii, and San Diego in addition to his current West Hollywood post.

The benefits of conducting a live interview with an artist usually outweighs the pitfalls, with being able to have a natural, face-to-face conversation ranking at the top, and having to sit through a one hour-plus delay in the middle of a busy day, rounding out the bottom - -which is unfortunately what happened to me when I went to interview Amerie at her new Def Jam record label.

Political and contemporary cultural issues, sometimes by default, tend to dictate the work of musicians, and if nothing else, this can be an effective and entertaining way to promote social awareness. Of course, this fusion of politics and music isn’t always mind-blowing. Take, for example, Young Jeezy’s demonstration of his rhyming skills and his familiarity with color schemes in the now notorious, but let’s face it -- a little ‘elementary’ -- rhyme, “My president is black, my Lambo is blue ... ” This kind of celebratory pop-rap aside, find comfort in the fact that there are artists who make entertaining music that can also offer the potential for a shift in mainstream perspective. Enter K’naan, the storyteller MC and native of the war-torn city of Mogadishu -- the “hot zone” in 2001’s Black Hawk Down -- who’s got a mouthful to share on his second album Troubadour, about Somalia, America, and speaking to a hip-hop culture that thinks they understand guns and conflict.

Any artist worth his microphone has his share of mental issues to battle, suppress, and finally divulge to their public, and Kid Cudi has enough mental gymnastics going on upstairs to guide him well past the first wave of hype (which, not incidentally, has reached fever-pitch). After a childhood spent entertaining himself, the complicated creative has transitioned into an adulthood dedicated to entertaining the masses, but strictly on his own terms. Though he’s admittedly lost in a self-constructed mental haven, it’s impossible not to feel his presence, as he continues to make waves in music and film, working with the likes of Kanye West and Mark Wahlberg at the onset of his career. Headstrong, but lost in his head -- Meet Kid Cudi, Mr. Solo Dolo.

After an extensive year and a half together on tour, Solon Bixler and Rachel Stolte, the dynamic duo behind Great Northern, have released their second album, Remind Me Where the Light Is, and are – beyond our comprehension -- geared and ready to tour once more. According to the self-proclaimed musical soulmates, the new LP is a more cohesive and focused work than their debut album, thanks in part to their decision to enlist the help of producers this time around. To commemorate their release date, the band even skipped their typical Taco Bell tour fare and tucked into a hearty meal at The Olive Garden in Missouri to celebrate.

At the peak of a successful directing career, Bob Giraldi -- the creative genius behind Michael Jackson's "Beat It" video -- channeled his talents for creation into the culinary scene, resulting in collaborations with famed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and a slew of successful restaurants. After the February opening of Butcher Bay, his ode to Americana and boardwalk food, Giraldi is focusing his energy on his new, "authentic" Italian-style pizza joint Tonda, in the East Village.

After nabbing a well-deserved Grammy this year with her crossover smash hit “American Boy,” British belle Estelle is working on a new album slated for a September release (tentatively titled The Project). She took time off from recording and from her current role as muse for designer Jonathan Kelsey to give us a good reason why gum-chewers should be barred from the Grammys, and to confirm that the drama’s the same with both British and American boys--although Southern accents definitely soothe some of the pain.