Bob Dylan

Lots of marquee performers are in the area this week - Kesha, Bob Dyland and Leon Russell, a bunch of djs at the traveling music festival IDentity. But the signature event of the week is clearly the annual Rap Round Robin , which this year will feature performances by AK Slaughter, Rap Dragons, Mickey Free and Height. Also this week: in addition to Bill Cosby, who will be at Pier Six, Martin Lawrence will also be in town, performing at 1st Mariner Arena. On Monday , Ineveryroom and Lands & Peoples perform at Metro Gallery, 1700 North Charles Street.

Lots of marquee performers are in the area this week - Kesha, Bob Dyland and Leon Russell, a bunch of djs at the traveling music festival IDentity. But the signature event of the week is clearly the annual Rap Round Robin , which this year will feature performances by AK Slaughter, Rap Dragons, Mickey Free and Height. Also this week: in addition to Bill Cosby, who will be at Pier Six, Martin Lawrence will also be in town, performing at 1st Mariner Arena. On Monday , Ineveryroom and Lands & Peoples perform at Metro Gallery, 1700 North Charles Street.

Bob Dylan shocked his fans 40 years ago by embracing the electric guitar. Now he's stunning a few more by embracing another technological innovation: satellite radio. The singer has signed on to serve as host of a weekly one-hour program on XM Satellite Radio, spinning records and offering commentary on new music and other topics, starting in March. The famously reclusive 64-year-old performer said in a statement yesterday that "a lot of my own songs have been played on the radio, but this is the first time I've ever been on the other side of the mike."

"If I wasn't Bob Dylan, I'd probably think that Bob Dylan has a lot of answers myself. " —Bob Dylan Bob Dylan turns 70 on Tuesday, and one has to wonder about his relevance in the Digital Age — the age of hip-hop, Guitar Hero and "American Idol. " I teach a college course on the life and work of Bob Dylan, and, not surprisingly, this question arises among my students. But the question assumes that art loses value as the artist ages, that the beauty fades, that the wisdom dissipates.

IT WAS AFTER GETTING another alarming glimpse of Bob Dylan's frozen mug in that commercial for Victoria's Secret that I realized the whole concept behind celebrity product endorsements escapes me. Let's examine that Victoria's Secret commercial for a moment. OK, here's a company selling a product, namely sexy lingerie. It's a company that promotes a certain image of itself. An image of eternal youth. An image of playfulness. An image of sex appeal. In fact, the image of sex is promoted so relentlessly you get the feeling Victoria's Secret believes most of the world's ills - including war, poverty and environmental degradation - would largely disappear if only women would show more cleavage.

At its darkest, the Wallflowers song "Hand Me Down" sounds like the mother of all bad reviews. Over a rhythm guitar that's equal parts Tom Petty and Lou Reed, singer Jakob Dylan drily chides, "You won't ever amount to much / You won't be anyone." It gets worse from there, as the nameless accusers continue to berate our hero. But what really hurts isn't the venom in these lines, but the condescension. "It's not your fault that you embarrass us all," goes one apologetic jibe. Hearing it, you can't help but wince.

Edward J. Logue, 78, an urban planner who remade the face of Boston in the 1960s as director of the city's redevelopment authority, died yesterday at home in West Tisbury, Mass. His development program led to Government Center, the Prudential Center and a revitalization of the waterfront region, an overhaul of city neighborhoods that gave Boston a new image. His "Walkway to the Sea" -- the Faneuil Hall-Quincy Market restoration -- was another project conceived, approved and funded under his aegis.

This has been a heady year for the Jews of rock 'n' roll. After three fans announced their intention to launch a Web site called the Jewish Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the already well-established Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland sued for trademark infringement. Suddenly, a bevy of world-class lawyers was fighting over ... the right to tell the stories of Gene Simmons, Michael Bolton and four-fifths of the J. Geils Band. Then, a few weeks ago, the legal clouds lifted sufficiently to allow the three fans -- New Yorker writer Jeffrey Goldberg, Washington Post reporter David Segal and radio executive Allen Goldberg (no relation to Jeffrey)

AUSTIN, Texas -- Understandably, it will be tough for Austin cab driver Kevin Roberts to watch himself and his dog, Face, performing a "stupid pet trick" on David Letterman's 10th anniversary special (Feb. 6).Face is dead. A few days after a trip to New York earlier this month for the taping, he had had some teeth pulled at the vet's. As Face was waking up from the anesthetic his heart stopped.Kevin has been grieving ever since. "I don't know if it sounds stupid, but I figured Face would want me to continue on with life," Kevin explains.

Dave Hoekstra of the Chicago Sun-Times has a plan to save the Minnesota Twins from Major League Baseball's plan to eliminate two teams. More specifically, a man for the plan: Bob Dylan. How many years can a ballclub exist before it's washed to the sea? The answer may depend on a certain singer-songwriter from Minnesota pictured on the cover of a recent edition of Rolling Stone. "Look closely, on the picture inside, he is reading a copy of Baseball Weekly," Hoekstra said. "He's a Gemini ... makes sense he would save the Minnesota Twins.

When music journalist and singer/songwriter Geoffrey Himes put together the inaugural Night of 1,000 Dylans last year, he had high expectations for the showcase of Bob Dylan's music. But Himes was surprised at just how great the response was: Baltimore music lovers came out in droves, packing the Creative Alliance at the Patterson and selling out the show. This year, Himes organized the second Night of 1,000 Dylans, which takes place Saturday at the Creative Alliance. While there won't exactly be 1,000 Dylans, there will be seven local acts, each playing about three songs from Dylan's catalog.

There have been any number of Bob Dylans over the years. He's been a poet, a prophet and a revolutionary. He's been a rocker, a folk singer, even a crooner. He's been a singer of love ballads, of protest songs, of country standards. A whole bunch of those Dylans will be performing at the Creative Alliance on Friday night. In fact, just about the only Dylan who won't be in Highlandtown will be the real one. Night of 1000 Dylans, set for 7:30 p.m. at the old Patterson Theater, will bring together 10 singer-songwriters from the Baltimore-Washington area, all channeling, in one form or another, America's most versatile songwriter.

Three years ago, it would have been another silent summer day at Pimlico Race Course. But yesterday, the Virgin Mobile Festival brought a stew of sights, sounds and smells to the grassy infield. A steady stream of young people pushed past vendor tents, puffing on cigarettes and smearing their faces with sunscreen. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club cranked out scathing blues rock from the North Stage, and bodies bounced to Chromeo's electro-funk beats in the Dance Tent. The festival's impact is undeniable.

Heath Ledger died at an age when many gifted actors first reach liftoff. At 28, he had achieved acclaim, popularity and riches. But he was just beginning to define himself as an actor and a star. In Todd Haines' I'm Not There (2007), he played a tortured big-screen idol, ill at ease with conventional accomplishment and fame, in the manner of Bob Dylan - or James Dean.

NAZARETH, Pa. -- Ten reasons for liking the Martin Guitar Museum, a marvelous raft over a three-century-old river of acoustic music: 10. The inviting atmosphere Visitors are greeted by a two-way display case shaped like a guitar sound hole and a wall quote from Martin acolyte Eric Clapton saying that he'd like to be resurrected as an OM-45. The feeling of a homey history factory, an idea lair, is accentuated by warm lights and comfortable colors, zigzagging display cases and intriguing coves (a re-creation of an old workshop, a pickin' parlor for playing instruments)

Music legend Bob Dylan brings decades of classic music to Merriweather Post Pavilion tomorrow night. Singer, songwriter, musician, poet and author, Dylan performs some of the most well-known popular music of all time on the brink of his greatest-hits album release. Elvis Costello and Amos Lee will also play the show, which starts at 7 p.m. Merriweather is at 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. Tickets are $40-$125. Call 410-547-SEAT or go to ticket master.com.

Great Grapes festival Whether you're a wine connoisseur or you've just seen Sideways and you're looking for a chance to stick your nose in some local pinots, the Great Grapes Wine, Arts and Food Festival is an opportunity to taste local wines and see live music. Held this weekend at Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville, the festival features several Maryland wineries, more than 150 wines, live music, tastings, artist exhibitions and cooking demonstrations. The Kelly Bell Band and Carl Filipiak are among the local bands that will perform.

TELEVISION 1.NFL Football: Indianapolis vs. N.Y. Giants, NBC 2.House, Fox 3.NFL Football: Miami vs. Pittsburgh, NBC 4.Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick, NBC 5.Thursday Night Pre-Kick, NBC FILMS 1.The Covenant, Sony/Screen Gems 2.Hollywoodland, Focus 3.Invincible, Disney 4.The Protector, Weinstein Co. 5.Crank, Lionsgate SINGLES 1.SexyBack, Justin Timberlake 2.London Bridge, Fergie 3.Crazy, Gnarls Barkley 4.Buttons, The Pussycat Dolls featuring Snoop...

IT'S A CIRCUS BEHIND THE CURTAIN AT Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre. At the back of the stage, an actor, holding an umbrella for balance, tiptoes across a tightrope. Nearby, a second performer whirls through the air, bounding from a trampoline into somersault after somersault. A few others stretch their legs, pirouette or cavort. In 45 minutes, the curtain will rise for a preview matinee, and the opening notes of The Times They Are A-Changin', the new Twyla Tharp-Bob Dylan musical, will ring out. Between now and opening night Oct. 26, every element of the $8.5 million show will be scrutinized, tweaked, polished and finessed.

TELEVISION 1. Dancing With the Stars (Tuesday), ABC 2. NFL Football: Washington at Dallas, NBC 3.Survivor: Cook Island, CBS 4.Dancing With the Stars (Wednesday), ABC 5.CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS FILMS 1.Gridiron Gang, Sony 2.The Black Dahlia, Universal 3.Everyone's Hero, 20th Century Fox 4.The Last Kiss, Paramount 5.The Covenant, Sony Screen Gems SINGLES 1.SexyBack, Justin Timberlake 2.London Bridge, Fergie 3.Buttons, The Pussycat Dolls featuring Snoop Dogg 4.Crazy, Gnarls Barkley 5.(When You Gonna)