Rapper Lil Wayne leads the nominations for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards with eight, including album of the year and best rap album for "Tha Carter III," best rap song for "Lollipop" and best rap/sung collaboration for "Got Money" featuring T-Pain. Other leading artists are Coldplay, who earned seven nominations, and Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and Kanye West, who each scored six.

Billboard goes behind-the-scenes at the Grammy nominations event in Los Angeles to reveal juicy tidbits, heartfelt speeches and who got lost in the bathroom.

Its highly anticipated album "Merriweather Post Pavilion" won't hit stores until early next year, but experimental rock act Animal Collective is already planning a return to the studio.

Beyonce notches her fifth solo No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," one more than she scored while a member of Destiny's Child. The cut rises 2-1 after selling 228,000 downloads in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

U.K. rock act Doves is back amid the friendly confines of Astralwerks for the North American release of its fourth album, due in April. After issuing its 2000 debut, "Lost Souls," on Astralwerks, the band's last two albums came out on Capitol in the States.

A mixture of old-fashioned studio work and home recordings will comprise Black Dice's fifth album, "Repo," due in April via Paw Tracks.

Kanye West earns his third straight No. 1 on The Billboard 200 as "808s & Heartbreak" bows in the top slot. The Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam set moved 450,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, the artist's lowest debut sales frame since his first album, "The College Dropout," bowed with 441,000 in 2004.

Staind frontman Aaron Lewis anticipates having a "kind of endless" supply of songs when he hunkers down to record his first solo album in the spring.

Fresh from the box-office success of "Twilight," Kristen Stewart is set to portray Joan Jett in "The Runaways," the rock'n'roll biopic of the 1970s all-girl band.

Britney Spears' sixth studio album, "Circus," is on track to debut at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 next week, as the Jive set will lead Nielsen SoundScan's Building chart when it is released later today (Dec. 3).

As expected, Fleetwood Mac will embark on its first tour in five years next spring, beginning March 1 in Pittsburgh. Tickets for the Live Nation-produced "Unleashed" tour begin going on sale Dec. 15.

Odetta, the folk singer with the powerful voice who moved audiences and influenced fellow musicians for a half-century, has died. She was 77. Odetta died Tuesday (Dec. 2) of heart disease at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital, said her manager of 12 years, Doug Yeager.

Tori Amos has signed a new deal with Universal Republic, and is eyeing a late spring/early summer 2009 release for her tenth album.

Elton John may enlist producer Mark Ronson to work on his next studio album, which is being penciled in for release in late 2009 by Universal. "They like each other and know each other well. There's been lots and lots of conversation, but nothing is finalized yet," a source close to the artists tells Billboard.

Rosie Thomas is planning some Iron & Wine and soul for her next album. The Seattle indie rocker -- currently on the road promoting her holiday offering, "A Very Rosie Christmas" -- has enlisted pal Sam Beam to produce her follow-up to 2006's "These Friends of Mine."

Neko Case will follow up 2006's "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood," the best-selling album of her career, with "Middle Cyclone," due March 3 via Anti-.

The eighth Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival will be held June 11-14, 2009, on its usual site in Manchester, Tenn., an hour southeast of Nashville. The first round of ticket pre-sales begins Thursday (Dec. 4); a lineup announcement is expected early next year.

As first tipped here in October, Britney Spears will embark on her first arena tour in five years next spring. The "Circus Starring Britney Spears" jaunt begins March 3 in New Orleans, with support from the Pussycat Dolls.

Keith Urban will tour North America next spring in support of his as-yet-untitled new album, due March 31 from Capitol Nashville. Dates are not confirmed, but the trek is expected to begin in May and run through the summer.

Jay-Z fans have both new and old music to enjoy this week. "Brooklyn (Go Hard)," the rapper's collaboration with Santogold from the "Notorious" soundtrack, leaked online yesterday (Dec. 1), while nine vintage Jay-Z videos went up today for mobile download on Thumbplay.com.