It seems Apple is ready to change the music industry for a second time. As if the introduction of the Apple iPod and iTunes Store weren’t revolutionary enough, new reports have surfaced claiming that Apple is preparing a new music download format that will package whole albums with additional content.The yet-to-be-official offering from Apple is currently called Cocktail and appears to be the software play Apple wants to implement around a rumored forthcoming tablet device. Exactly what sort of impact Apple could have on the music industry a second time with Cocktail and a tablet remain to be seen, but the benefits could be substantial.

This is great news, especially for Apple stock holders, watch this puppy soar to $225 a share this year!

One of my fav groups of all-time, Kiss! Gene Simmons, the Kiss frontman who is relaunching his record label in Canada, will be a keynote speaker at Canadian Music Week.

Canadian Music Week is an annual industry festival and celebration of Canadian music held in March in Toronto.

Simmons’s relaunched Simmons Records is partnering with Universal Music Canada to produce Canadian talent. Simmons launched it last fall with a promise of commercial success for bands under his wing.

At Canadian Music Week, he will speak about his business endeavours, including his experiences as co-founder of Kiss, a band that has survived for 35 years.

Kiss is a juggernaut of licensing and merchandising, with over 3,000 product — from Kiss Visa cards to Kiss condoms.

Simmons’s other endeavours include:

• Reality TV series Gene Simmons Family Jewels, which he produces.
• Cartoon show My Dad the Rock Star for Nelvana.
• Ladies of the Night released through his own Simmons Books.
• Marketing and branding for Indy Car Series through Simmons Comic Group and Simmons Abramson Marketing.
• A clothing line.

Canadian Music Week runs March 11-14 and includes four awards shows and a music festival. Simmons is to speak March 12.

She is out of the hospital, but Janet Jackson’s recovery from an unknown illness is forcing her to postpone two dates on her “Rock Witchu” tour.

Janet’s concerts in Boston (Oct. 1) and Philadelphia (Oct. 2) will be rescheduled, the star’s rep tells ET. The tour will resume in Greensboro, NC, this Saturday, Oct. 4.

On Monday, the 42-year-old singer suddenly fell ill before a scheduled concert in Montreal and was rushed to a hospital earlier in the day during a soundcheck. Info on the rescheduled concert dates will be released as soon as possible. I want to see her next time around in Toronto.

Here some of the more interesting music news shorts:

-Mariah Carey performed five songs during a brief concert at a Hollywood shopping mall on Thursday. How cool is that!

-Philip Morris International, the original sponsor of Alicia Keys’ gig in Jakarta last tonight, pulled down all its promotional billboards and posters after the singer spoke out against the tobacco company’s sponsorship of her show.

-Miley Cyrus’ non-Hannah album, Breakout, broke onto the charts at No. 1, selling 371,000 copies for the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen SoundScan data released today.

Have a rock’in weekend, especially my Canadian readers you are off on a long one……

Ok, Kristy Lee is gone and I am a little sad but she made it very far and I am sure she has a solid career ahead of her.  Big surpise last night, Brooke goes home….I think she was the best singer in the competition and I am very surprised Jason is still there…maybe girls think he is cute?  I personally think he should have been out at number 11 or 12.  It still looks live David Archelleta is the one to beat and I don’t think any of the other remaining contestants have a chance.  I really thought Brooke, Carly or maybe Johns might have been the dark horses to beat David but without them I think he has it all wrapped up.

British singer and tabloid start wins song and record of the year but loses album of the year in a huge upset to Herbie Hancock. Kayne West wins four Grammys including rap album of the year.

Winehouse, nominated for six awards, lost the final prize in a shocker when Herbie Hancock took album of the year for “River: The Joni Letters.”

For a while it seemed impossible that Winehouse would perform at all. She recently entered a drug rehabilitation center after months of erratic behavior and canceled performances, not to mention the anthemic “no, no, no” resistance of her hit song.

Let’s hope that the support of her mom is enough to keep her clean for now.

As far as her parents are concerned, Britney Spears needs to be shielded from the folks in her entourage. And from herself. With Britney under observation in the psych ward of UCLA Medical Center, Jamie and Lynne Spears headed to a Los Angeles courtroom Friday to obtain a legal order empowering them to make decisions on her behalf.

Britney and her estate were placed under Jamie’s temporary conservatorship by Court Commissioner Reva Goetz. The order, which only lasts through the weekend, gives the father control over his troubled 26-year-old’s treatment and her finances, and a say in who can have access to her home and hospital room. At the same time, the family was granted a temporary restraining against Sam Lutfi, effectively banishing Britney’s manager and confidant.

To avoid appearances that they themselves might have ulterior motives, Jamie and Lynne petitioned the court to appoint a third-party coconservator to serve as an independent monitor. Goetz, who specializes in probate matters, selected an attorney, Andrew Wallete, for the role. The next hearing in the case is set for Monday—the same day lawyers for Britney and Kevin Federline are due in another courtroom to tangle again over custody issues.  So the saga continues, poor Britney.

I know it might be a bit pre-mature and it is probably based on the fact that Kristy Lee is so darn sexy but I think she has a good shot at making it to the finals!  Go Kristy go!

Jessica Simpson is in the early stages of recording a country album in Nashville, a project slated for a May/June 2008 release via Columbia Records.Simpson said she had always wanted to make a country album, but was waiting until the right time.

“I think there is a strength in female country artists,” Simpson said, citing Martina McBride, Shania Twain, Faith Hill and Reba McEntire as some of her inspirations. She said she would be involved in the creative process.

“Writing is a release for me,” she said. “It’s a way for me to tell my story. That’s not to say I wouldn’t record a song that I didn’t write.”

Her last album, “A Public Affair,” spent just nine weeks on the Billboard 200 in 2006. Her most recent movie, “Blonde Ambition,” was recently released in a handful of theaters in her native Texas en route to DVD stores.

Hip-hop star Akon has been charged by police after a fan said she suffered concussion when he allegedly threw a teenager off stage, hitting her. The incident occurred in June at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, north of New York City.  The singer is scheduled to appear in court next week on charges of endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree harassment. Injured fan Abby Rosa said she had hired a lawyer over the incident.

Audience members at the concert told Associated Press a spectator lobbed something at the singer and Akon asked the crowd to point out the culprit.  A security guard picked out a 15-year-old and sent him up to the stage, where Akon is said to have picked him up onto his shoulders and threw him into the crowd.

Abby Rosa said the boy landed on her. She told a local newspaper she was later diagnosed with a concussion.  Akon’s lawyer has said there is no basis for criminal charges.  The singer caused controversy in April when he danced provocatively with a teenage girl onstage in Trinidad.  He later apologised for the incident saying he did not know the girl was underage.  I wonder if this incident will bring a slew of others out from the wood-work?