Paul Is Dead

Perhaps the greatest rock hoax of all time started in September 1969, around the time the Beatles released their seminal Abbey Road album. That's when one particularly gullible fan published an article in a college newspaper speculating that not only had Paul McCartney died in a grisly 1966 automobile crash, but that the Beatles were covering the accident up, even going as far as hiring a Macca look-alike (named Billy Shears) to take his place. The hoax only picked up speed from there, thanks in no small part to the Beatles themselves, who, though they never admitted to it, seemed to delight in keeping the "Paul Is Dead" myth alive, peppering songs and album artwork with opaque references to McCartney's crash and placing mysterious "messages" deep in songs. Of course, those messages could only be heard when said songs were played backward, only lending credence to the belief that it was the copious amounts of drugs being consumed in the '60s that kept the rumor mill grinding.

The Masked Marauders

Really, this is a two-part hoax. The whole thing began in 1969, when Rolling Stone editor Greil Marcus penned a review of a fictional double-bootleg album, supposedly recorded by Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, John Lennon and McCartney (who may or may not have been dead at the time). The goal of the piece was to poke fun at the recent trend of so-called "supergroups," but the hoax began to take on a life of its own, and the magazine was inundated with so many letters that Marcus and reviewer Bruce Miroff decided to actually record the album, recruiting a Berkeley, California skiffle band to play on it and tricking Warner Bros. into ponying up a $15,000 advance. The self-titled Marauders album — featuring covers and goofy originals like "Cow Pie" and "I Can't Get No Nookie" — went on to sell more than 100,000 copies and ticked off just as many fans when the entire thing was revealed to be a giant joke.

Klaatu

In 1976, rumors began swirling that the Beatles had reunited and recorded a new album under the guise of "Klaatu" (the name of the protagonist in the 1951 sci-fi classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still." Some rather overzealous journalists and disc jockeys were more than likely responsible for starting the whole thing, and Capitol Records — which released the album — didn't exactly go out of their way to dispel the whispers either (since the album sold an additional 20,000 copies in a matter of weeks). In actuality, Klaatu were a prog-rock act from Canada who recorded until 1981 then reunited in 2005.

Lexicon of Grunge: Breaking the Code

The title of a sidebar in a 1992 New York Times article about the Seattle grunge scene, which claimed to offer the reader a guide to slang terms being used by rockers in the Pacific Northwest ("swingin' on the flippity-flop," "cob nobbler," "lamestain," etc.). In actuality, the list was a hoax, created by a Sub Pop sales representative named Megan Jasper, who, after being pestered by a Times reporter, made the jargon up on the spot. Oh, and hey, MTV News actually spoke to Jasper in 2008, though it was about the 20th anniversary of Sub Pop and not the Grunge Lexicon — which probably explains why she didn't call us lamestains.

Tupac Shakur Is Still Alive

Less of a hoax than an urban myth, rumors that Shakur — who was gunned down in Las Vegas in September 1996 — still walks among us have quieted in recent years, though there are still those out there who believe. Most point to the volumes of music his estate has churned out since his death and clues in 'Pac's lyrics that seem to suggest that he faked his death and is currently hiding right beneath our noses (perhaps even partying hard on Bourbon Street). Oh, and then there's Drake, who seems content to keep the rumors alive by dissing Tupac in song.

Humpty Hump

The epically schnozzed, ultra-libidinous alter ego of rapper Shock G, Hump ran roughshod over Digital Underground's classic "The Humpty Dance" and basically eclipsed his creator's entire existence. G didn't seem to mind, though, playing up the angle that he and Humpty were actually two different people — he would often perform as himself, disappear, then re-emerge in Humpty's trademark Groucho glasses. He even created a bio for the character, who fronted a fictional band called Smooth Eddie and the Humpers, was injured in a tragic deep-fryer accident and was forced to wear a fake nose to hide his scars. The guys in the Wu-Tang Clan have yet to show this level of commitment to their various aliases, btw.

Jack and Meg White Are Brother and Sister

While they were still kicking around in Detroit, White Stripes mastermind Jack White cooked up a backstory in which he and drummer Meg White were actually brother and sister. In reality, the two were actually ex-spouses, something that was revealed when the band broke and journalists uncovered their marriage certificate. White would eventually come clean about the hoax, saying that he created the sibling angle as a way to get fans to focus on the music.

Nine Inch Nails' Strobelight

One of the most brilliant — and mean-spirited — hoaxes in recent years was perpetrated by Trent Reznor, who, on April Fools' Day 2009, launched a site promoting Strobelight, an album he had supposedly recorded with Timbaland. The joke, of course, was that Timbaland had recently worked with former (now current) Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell on his Scream album — an effort Reznor had previously slammed on Twitter by writing, "You know that feeling you get when somebody embarrasses themselves so badly YOU feel uncomfortable? Heard Chris Cornell's record? Jesus" — and this was Rez's way of poking fun at the entire project. Of course, song titles like "Everybody's Doing It" (featuring Chris Martin, Jay-Z and Bono) and "P---ygrinder" (featuring Sheryl Crow) were pretty funny too.

ENGLISH VERSION

 A few months ago I decided to write my memoirs, a project I knew was going to bring me closer to an amazing turning point in my life. From the moment I wrote the first phrase I was sure the book was the tool that was going to help me free myself from things I was carrying within me for a long time. Things that  were too heavy for me to keep inside. Writing this account of my life, I got very close to my truth. And thisis something worth celebrating.

For many years, there has been only one place where I am in touch with my emotions fearlessly and that's the stage. Being on stage fills my soul in many ways, almost completely. It's my vice.  The music, the lights and the roar of the audience are elements that make me feel capable of anything. This rush of adrenaline is incredibly addictive.  I don't ever want to stop feeling these emotions. But it is serenity that brings me to where I'm at right now. An amazing emotional place of comprehension, reflection and enlightenment. At this moment I'm feeling the same freedom I usually feel only on stage, without a doubt, I need to share.

Many people told me: "Ricky it's not important", "it's not worth it", "all the years you've worked and everything you've built will collapse", "many people in the world are not ready to accept your truth, your reality, your nature". Because all this advice came from people who I love dearly, I decided to move on with my life not sharing with the world my entire truth.  Allowing myself to be seduced by fear and insecurity became a self-fulfilling prophecy of sabotage. Today I take full responsibility for my decisions and my actions.

If someone asked me today, "Ricky, what are you afraid of?" I would answer "the blood that runs through the streets of countries at war...child slavery, terrorism...the cynicism of some people in positions of power, the misinterpretation of faith." But fear of my truth? Not at all!  On the contrary, It fills me with strength and courage. This is just what I need especially now that I am the father of two beautiful boys that are so full of light and who with their outlook teach me new things every day. To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids where born with. Enough is enough. This has to change. This was not supposed to happen 5 or 10 years ago, it is supposed to happen now. Today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment.

These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn't even know existed.

What will happen from now on? It doesn't matter. I can only focus on what's happening to me in this moment. The word "happiness" takes on a new meaning for me as of today. It has been a very intense process. Every word that I write in this letter is born out of love, acceptance, detachment and real contentment. Writing this is a solid step towards my inner peace and vital part of my evolution.

I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am. 

RM

The Libertines are set to reform for a slot at the Reading and Leeds festival in August. The band, which centred around the songwriting partnership of Pete Doherty and Carl Barât, have not played together as the Libertines since 2004. A source told the Guardian that the group would be receiving a huge sum for their performance, rumoured to be around £1.5m.

The Libertines formed in 1997, with bassist John Hassall and drummer Gary Powell making up the lineup. The band earned themselves a devoted fanbase following the release of their debut album Up the Bracket in 2002. However, drug problems caused the band to disintegrate around the time of their second, self-titled album. Barât kicked his best friend Doherty out of the band in attempt to make him wake up to his heroin addiction, although this only served to increase antagonism between the pair.

Doherty went on to form Babyshambles while Barât became the frontman of Dirty Pretty Things, who split up in 2008. Relations between the pair have thawed considerably in recent times, however, and they have played on stage together on several occasions since the split. According to reports in the Sun, the group will consider announcing further dates and writing new material if the reunion goes well.

Don't expect the road to be too smooth, though. Doherty was arrested last week on suspicion of supplying drugs following the death of Robin Whitehead at a flat in east London earlier this year.

Lady Gaga has set a new record -- she's become the first artist to clock up more than one billion views on video sharing Web site YouTube.

Three of the singer's promos have become fan favorites on the site -- "Poker Face" has received 374,606,128 hits, her debut "Just Dance" stands at 272,941,674 and "Bad Romance" has been watched 360,020,327 times.

It makes Gaga the first featured artist on the Web site to total more than a billion views.

But she may not hold the record for long -- clips from the "Twilight" film franchise have been watched 980 million times, while Soulja Boy's hits have clocked up 860 million views, according to video analytics company Visible Measures.