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WASHINGTON - On the culture front, it is encouraging for an aging baby boomer like me to learn that the hottest act on this summer's rock concert circuit happens to be a group of senior citizens. Yes, the Rolling Stones are leaving their English homes to come back and kick boo-tay on tour yet again, some 40 years after Mick Jagger couldn't "get no satisfaction" in their first invasion. Now Sir Mick - he's been knighted - is 61. The ability of geezer Stones to roll in as this summer's hottest-selling rock concert ticket is a testament not only to their resilient talents but also to how much rock 'n' roll is ailing as a vital, edgy soul-capturing engine of youth culture.

I am going to have to apologize because I do not have a setlist and I don't really know the names of the songs but does that matter? ZZ Top is the longest running rock 'n' roll band with its original lineup in history and they certainly wouldn't fault me or you or anyone for not knowing what their songs were titled. I feel that I could guarantee that if you cornered guitarist Billy Gibbons and asked him very specific questions about very specific songs he would be bored out of his beard and possibly, politely, move on to another conversation.

At a student history competition filled with traditional topics -- the Underground Railroad, the Irish potato famine -- research on rock 'n' roll may come as a surprise. And that's exactly the reaction its authors want.Hoping to bring a new perspective to the subject of migration, a group of Baltimore County middle school students drew yesterday on everyone from Buddy Holly to the Beatles in their National History Day entry at the University of Maryland, College Park.The weeklong event challenges participants to think and work as historians.

Down to the final 7, last night's show had the contenders take on some of the legends of rock and roll and most were clearly outside of their comfort zones. Burnell's version of Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name" reminded us all that we love him dearly, but he should probably stay away from this genre of music. The judges gave him tips like, "next time try to make the song your own" and Keith said that it was obvious that Burnell was "very uncomfortable. " Although probably safe, Burnell was not very good at all and he happens to be my favorite.

Hard Rock Cafe -- the granddaddy of theme restaurants that '' proved it's not only rock 'n' roll but burgers, fries and T-shirts too -- will open here this summer as the Power Plant's first tenant in seven years.The Orlando, Fla.-based chain is to celebrate its grand opening June 28 with a free outdoor concert on the harbor and a new permanent fixture atop the complex's center building -- a 65-foot-tall lighted likeness of a Gibson Les Paul guitar.Inside, a Cadillac suspended from the ceiling will rotate above a bar in the center of a restaurant seating about 300. A stained-glass wall will depict rock legends.

Pharaoh's Rock N' Blues Bar Pharaoh's offers hole-in-the-wall comfort for an evening of casual lounging and solid rock 'n' roll and blues. Where -- 1817 Columbia Road N.W., Washington Call -- 202-232-6009 Notable -- Never a cover charge for a good rock 'n' roll show, reasonably priced drinks and a loft for relaxing or playing board games. Vibe -- Down-to-earth and unpretentious, with two levels of cozy seating and walls plastered with posters of rock legends. Crowd -- Young adults.

Writer and high-brow humorist-turned-punk-musician Neal Pollack says he hasn't sold his soul to rock 'n' roll. The former Chicago Reader reporter, Vanity Fair contributor and author of the new book Never Mind the Pollacks says his current gig as a mike-twirling frontman is all about experiential learning. "I figure, if I'm going to do a book about rock 'n' roll [lifestyle], then I'm going to have to live it to the limits of my ability," he said while burping into his cell phone. It's fair to say that Pollack's over-the-top stage shows could be construed as legitimate background research, hard work that has to be done in the name of fair and accurate journalism.

Audience reaction to a popular number on the Hubcaps hit parade helps explain the incredible hold the rock 'n' roll group has on thousands of fans in and out of the county.When the group breaks into a four-part a cappella harmony to perform that oldest of oldies -- "The Star-Spangled Banner" -- in doo-wop style, "the crowds are in awe," said manager Terry Tombesi.Because the Hubcaps manage to energize the classics without changing a note, rock 'n' roll purists consistently fill the 600-plus seats at the Turf Valley Hotel and Country Club in Ellicott City, where the band performs at least three times a year and will perform again Sunday night.

MARK KNOPFLER'S twin sons saw their first Dire Straits concert the other night.The 4-year-olds went to Phoenix to see their dad lead his group through its rock 'n' roll paces. They sat at the sound desk in the middle of the arena and had "a whale of a time," according to the proud papa.Good fun, to be sure, but Mr. Knopfler knew better than to get big-headed about it."I think they're a bit more into Hulk Hogan at the moment than they are into me," he says in a dry British accent. "I hope that's not permanent."

Alison Steele, whose sultry voice and iron will helped her become one of the country's first female disc jockeys, died Wednesday of cancer in New York City. She was 58.She was widely known to late-night radio listeners as "the Nightbird." Her most recent perch was K-ROCK, a classic rock 'n' roll station in New York.Ms. Steele loved to work hours that most other people find good for sleeping. "I'm a night person," she said in 1971 when she was with WNEW she worked for about 14 years. "I think it has a mysterious quality.

There are still "rock" acts on the Billboard Hot 100, but none will remind listeners of Clutch, the veteran Germantown quartet. Songs from popular, non-offensive acts such as the Lumineers and Mumford & Sons sound like sheepish lullabies compared to "Earth Rocker," Clutch's 10th full-length album. On "Earth Rocker," the members of Clutch seem aware that their brand of rock 'n' roll — the old-fashioned kind that thrives when played loud, fast and with a ton of attitude — isn't in fashion now, and hasn't been for a while.

From Baron Ambrosia dueling with John Waters on the Cooking Channel on Friday, to Adam Richman featuring Faidley's crab cake sandwich this week on the Travel Channel, Baltimore has been getting its share of foodie TV lately. But it looks to be mere prelude to what Baltimore's most irrepressible TV chef, Duff Goldman, is planning for Hungry, an entire YouTube channel devoted to food, which he is helping create, produce and will appear on starting July 2. Described as a cutting-edge example of cable TV for the Internet, Hungry will have a definite Baltimore flavor, the former "Ace of Cakes" star vows.

Dick Clark, who died Wednesday at the age of 82, is rightfully being hailed as a pioneer of popular culture. And that's fair enough. In the 1950s, '60s and '70s, the reach of his daily"American Bandstand"show and his myriad prime-time special productions was enormous. He was one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood, particularly in terms of his perceived ability to deliver a white, suburban, teenage audience to advertisers. His power was all the more valued on Madison Avenue because he was one of TV's first personalities associated with teen viewers at the very time that advertisers first started conceiving of teens as a lucrative audience with disposable income in its own right.

David Bryan has a message for Baltimore theatergoers: You won't be able to tell the difference between "Memphis" at the Hippodrome and its Broadway counterpart. The casts and stage have changed, but the 50-year-old playwright and Bon Jovi keyboardist ensures the quality will remain the same. "You don't have to go to Broadway to see the real show," Bryan said. "This is the real show. " Bryan should know, since he is the show's "quality-control guy. " He says he and co-writer Joe DiPietro were in charge of all of the auditions for the Baltimore production.

In the past 30 years we have seen such an incredible change in the WWE. If you were alive to witness it, or if you went through the archives, you'll notice how unique and diverse each era has been, especially those eras of prosperity. With recent claims that WrestleMania 28 will become the most financially successful WrestleMania of all time, it seems that we are firmly entrenched in another upswing in WWE. The two previous eras of major upswing in WWE were the “Rock N' Wrestling” Era (roughly 1984-1991)

Joseph Eugene Hamilton Sr., who coached baseball teams at the Community College of Baltimore and Essex Community College, died Nov. 17 of pancreatic cancer at Harbor Hospital. The lifelong Locust Point resident was 77. Born in Baltimore, Mr. Hamilton, who was known as "Pete," was raised on Fort Avenue in Locust Point. After graduating from Southern High School in 1954, he went to work as a building superintendent at Whitman Requardt Associates. During his 46-year career with the Baltimore engineering company, Mr. Hamilton, who retired in 2000, missed only four days of work, family members said.

Instead of gasping its last breath, rock music proved startlingly vital in 2002, the Year of the Scruffy Man. With a load of lo-fi histrionics, garage rockers such as the Strokes, the Hives and the Vines landed prominent display space in pop culture. There were magazine covers, primetime TV, high-profile concert tours. All were lauded as possible rock 'n' roll redeemers. And all of them, as it happens, are men. Then there are bands like the Donnas and Sahara Hotnights, girl punks who can rock with the best of the boys but don't get the same kind of attention.

BEIJING -- Back home in a small town in northeastern China's Jilin province, Guan Faguo watched a lot of MTV broadcasts via satellite television, thereby acquiring a particular affection for the American heavy-metal rock band, Guns N' Roses.He taught himself to read some music. He tracked down state music-school teachers to give him a few after-hours lessons. Then he and some buddies formed a band and made a little money playing at local nightclubs.Their band wasn't very good, he readily acknowledges.

Since the mid-19th century, a beloved carol about the Three Wise Men has celebrated a "King forever, ceasing never/over us all to reign. " That might not be exactly the way plenty of otherwise-normal human beings still feel about Elvis Aron Presley 33 years after his death, but it's within shouting distance. Especially at the time of year the singer known as the King of Rock loved most. "Elvis was a big Christmas freak," says Jed Duvall, a Presley impersonator who will share a Glen Burnie stage with two fellow professionals this weekend in a show titled, whimsically enough, "The 3 Kings of Christmas.