John Mayer has been pretty quiet the past couple of years--but it's not simply due to needing a break from the spotlight after a period of media saturation. The Grammy-winning singer was forced to literally freeze his voice as part of a procedure to remove a troublesome nodule in his throat earlier this year.

How's that work? Mayer explained during an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show Tuesday that his doctors actually injected Botox into his vocal cords.

"They cut this thing out of your throat and then they inject your vocal cords with Botox," he noted. "Which freezes your vocal cords so that this thing can heal without smacking up against the other side."

Justin Bieber and mom, Pattie Mallette

Justin Bieber's new single, "Turn To You," isn't an ode to his girlfriend, actress-singer Selena Gomez or to his screaming, adoring, hopeful female fans. It is a tribute to his mom, Patricia Lynn "Pattie" Mallette, released just in time for Mother's Day.

Over angelic guitars and a subtle throbbing bass, Bieber displays his most mature vocals yet as he thanks his mother for the sacrifices she made to raise him as a single parent. In the lyrics, he references Mallette getting pregnant at 18, working two jobs to pay the bills, strengthening her faith in God, and influencing him.

[Related: Arizona Cardinals Calais Campbell dedicates Tupac's "Dear Mama" to his mother]

Bieber sings, "You were so young, you were just my age when you had me, Mom. You were so brave." He adds, "I don't know what I'd do if you left me, so please don't go away."

We've all heard of counter-intuitive advice that sounds strange but actually works--such as turning your steering wheel in the direction of a skid. Superstar vocalist Adele has her own tip in this arena. Namely, when the high-profile celebrity wants to go out unnoticed, she dresses in bright colors!Adele

Recognizing that she's known for her all-black wardrobe, the British singer told Today's Matt Lauer that she decided to try a different approach during an outing in tourist-packed Trafalgar Square one Saturday afternoon. Instead of changing out of the colorful pajamas she'd been working in, she made up her mind to simply go with them...and see what happened.

"I threw pumps on; this massive green coat and then little pink pumps," she explained.

It worked: "Nobody recognized me."

What's in a name? Ask the folks who bought the intellectual property rights to CBGB, the legendary New York club that was a beacon of the punk movement in the 1970s before finally going dark for good in 2006… Or did it?

A group of investors has come forward with the intention to reopen the shuttered hotspot in a new downtown Manhattan location, some time after this summer's inaugural CBGB music festival, which will host hundreds of bands at a slew of existing New York venues July 5-8.

Which leads to the inevitable question: WWJD? What would Joey (or Johnny) do?

Look for the CBGB labelThe new owners of the name haven't unveiled any specific plans for the forthcoming reinvention of the club. But they'd have to work pretty hard to make it as dark and dingy as the original location — and they probably won't, if cynics' suspicions that it'll end up being like a punk-rock Hard Rock Café are borne out.

As most music fans of a certain age remember, CBGB was the physically inasuspicious spawning ground in lower

[Photo: Rachel Murray/Getty Images For No Room For Rockstars]

Tom Gabel, popular punk rocker and lead of the band Against Me!, has announced plans to live as a woman.

Gabel, 31, grew up with gender dysmorphia, a condition in which one feels trapped in the wrong gender's body.

Gabel, who is considering gender reassignment surgery, has started taking female hormones and has undergone electrolysis.

"I'm going to have embarrassing moments, and that won't be fun," the musician says in the June issue of Rolling Stone (which hits newsstands Friday).

"But that's part of what talking to you is about — is hoping people will understand, and hoping they'll be fairly kind."

[Related: Gaslight Anthem, GLAAD Support Tom Gabel Coming Out as Transgender]

The rocker will go by the name Laura Jane Grace (Gabel has a "Grace" tattoo) and will remain married to wife Heather. The two have a daughter, 2.

"For me, the most terrifying thing about this was how she would accept the news," Gabel says about Heather. "But she's been super-amazing and understanding."

News on

Sheryl Crow is looking mighty good for being 50 years old--but the singer proved on Saturday night that her brain, at least, isn't immune to the rigors of aging. At a concert in St. Petersburg, Florida, she forgot the lyrics to one of her biggest hits right in the middle of the song.

During her performance of "Soak Up The Sun," Crow paused, and said "Oh, what's the words?" She then joked, "It's live! Nothing on tape here!"

To her credit, Crow seemed to have a good sense of humor about the incident. She kept her composure, grinned, and noted: "I'm 50...what can I say? My brain has gone to s--t!"

The death of Adam Yauch, also known as MCA of the Beastie Boys, inspired awesome tributes from bands around the world. Yauch was 47 and had been battling cancer for years. The tributes were in the spirit of MCA -- fun and raucous.

First, Coldplay performs "You Gotta Fight for Your Right (to Party)." Singer Chris Martin tickles the ivories and does a slow and mellow version of the party anthem. Sounds like a disaster, but Martin pulls it off. Special props for his ever-so-polite delivery of the line "Mom, you're just jealous -- it's the Beastie Boys."

Adam Yauch, 1964-2012 [photo: WireImage]According to breaking-news reports this morning from Rolling Stone and TMZ, Adam "MCA" Yauch, co-founder of Grammy-winners and recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees the Beastie Boys, has died at age 47. Yauch is survived by his wife and daughter. As of this writing, it is unclear if his death is related to the cancer he was treated for in 2009.

Yauch revealed he had cancer in a salivary gland in his neck in July 2009, which delayed the group's touring plans and scheduled September 2009 release of Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 1. The album, later titled Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2, eventually came out in April 2011. Last year, Yauch announced that he was optimistic about treatment, but was not yet cancer-free.

[PHOTOS: Beastie Boys through the years]

Last month, Yauch did not attend the Beasties' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. A representative told Rolling Stone at the time: "Beastie Boys regret that Adam 'MCA' Yauch will be unable to join Mike 'Mike D'