Ne Yo

A list of upcoming concerts across the Southland, with on-sale dates in parentheses. Hollywood Palladium Pierce the Veil / All Time Low, May 9; STS9, March 2 (Fri.) Orpheum Theatre Yes, March 6 (Fri.) OC Fair & Events Center MUSINK with Bad Religion and more, March 8-10 (Fri.) El Rey Theatre Lotus, March 22; Living Colour, March 30 (Sat.) Roxy Terror and H20, Feb. 14 (now) Fonda Theatre Feed Me, Feb. 16-17; Daedelus, March 29 (now)

A list of upcoming concerts across the Southland, with on-sale dates in parentheses. Hollywood Palladium Pierce the Veil / All Time Low, May 9; STS9, March 2 (Fri.) Orpheum Theatre Yes, March 6 (Fri.) OC Fair & Events Center MUSINK with Bad Religion and more, March 8-10 (Fri.) El Rey Theatre Lotus, March 22; Living Colour, March 30 (Sat.) Roxy Terror and H20, Feb. 14 (now) Fonda Theatre Feed Me, Feb. 16-17; Daedelus, March 29 (now)

The Jonas Brothers covering Frank Ocean -- now there's a Rorschach test for how you feel about pop music today. On the one hand, when the once-omnipotent teen-pop trio played Ocean's "Thinkin' Bout You" during its set at KIIS-FM's annual Jingle Ball at the Nokia Theatre on Saturday, it might have signaled that even Disney sitcom bands can grow into adventurous good taste. Even if their seducer's falettos lacked Ocean's gravitas, hey, at least the arc of music bends toward the good stuff, and they might take a lot of post-tweens with them.

The surviving members of the English rock group Led Zeppelin climbed an exalted stairway on Sunday. No, not that one . But the group did arrive in person to receive the Kennedy Center Honors in a ceremony hosted by President Obama in Washington D.C.. The mega-selling act, known for its punishing blues riffs and wails from Robert Plant that became classic-rock staples, was lauded along with guitarist Buddy Guy, ballerina Natalia Makarova, David Letterman and Dustin Hoffman.

THERE ARE plenty of excellent songs on Ne-Yo's new release, "Year of the Gentleman." But one stands out for me -- and apparently for the 25-year-old smooth lover too. When I met with Ne-Yo in the studio last month to sample from his new selections, he was predictably enthusiastic about everything. But the song "Fade Into the Background," a mini-epic about watching your lost love walk down the aisle with some lucky cleanup fella, got him seriously jazzed. " 'Fade Into the Background' is the story of a guy who's dating a young lady; they end up breaking up," Ne-Yo says.

Gliding across the stage, crooning "come closer" over a driving beat, he manhandles the microphone stand like a modern-day James Brown. Only without the polyester jumpsuit. Ne-Yo, the R&B triple-threat singer, performer and songwriter, is rocking a steel gray Tom Ford sharkskin suit, a silver tie cinched with a tie bar -- and his trademark fedora. His retro style -- or "swag" as he calls it -- informs every element of the performance. Flanked by four female dancers, he sings in front of an old-school band with a full horn section.

Radio station-sponsored concerts are a lot like an evening at the movies where all you see are trailers. That's not a bad thing as long as you remember going in not to expect anything with a beginning, middle and end, or anything remotely resembling a coherent plot. That was certainly the case at Wango Tango on Saturday in Irvine, but it was suspended long enough in the right places to put this year's edition a cut above the typical radio concert plugfest.

The surviving members of the English rock group Led Zeppelin climbed an exalted stairway on Sunday. No, not that one . But the group did arrive in person to receive the Kennedy Center Honors in a ceremony hosted by President Obama in Washington D.C.. The mega-selling act, known for its punishing blues riffs and wails from Robert Plant that became classic-rock staples, was lauded along with guitarist Buddy Guy, ballerina Natalia Makarova, David Letterman and Dustin Hoffman.

Cory Monteith , Chord Overstreet , Kevin McHale and Mark Salling have a "Glee"-filled evening at GQ's Men of the Year party at Chateau Marmont, alongside James Franco , Jimmy Kimmel , Taylor Lautner and Kellan Lutz ? Chris Brown , David Arquette , Nelly and Katie Cassidy at Colony for the Us Weekly Hot Hollywood bash ? Jenny McCarthy , Diddy , Jamie Foxx and Kelly Rowland at the Avalon for Ne-Yo's post-American Music Awards bash ?

Looking classic-casual in a summer blazer, Ne-Yo leaned over his laptop in a West Hollywood recording studio one mid-August afternoon, playing selections from "Year of the Gentleman," his third solo album, out Sept. 16. "The thing that sticks out on this record is the drama," said the 25-year-old singer-songwriter as he pushed a button and the swirling ballad "Lie to Me" blasted out of the room's stereo system. "You can almost see it." A Laserium-style synth effect meshed with the swells of a string section.

The Jonas Brothers covering Frank Ocean -- now there's a Rorschach test for how you feel about pop music today. On the one hand, when the once-omnipotent teen-pop trio played Ocean's "Thinkin' Bout You" during its set at KIIS-FM's annual Jingle Ball at the Nokia Theatre on Saturday, it might have signaled that even Disney sitcom bands can grow into adventurous good taste. Even if their seducer's falettos lacked Ocean's gravitas, hey, at least the arc of music bends toward the good stuff, and they might take a lot of post-tweens with them.

Ne-Yo has said that the follow-up to his coolly received 2010 concept album "Libra Scale" represents a kind of creative retrenchment - an effort "to just get back to the basics," as the R&B star recently told Vibe Vixen magazine. You get some of that from the first two songs on "R.E.D.," both of which Ne-Yo co-wrote with Shea Taylor, who also produced. "Cracks in Mr. Perfect" and "Lazy Love" share an up-close intimacy with tunes Taylor has made with Beyoncé and Frank Ocean, and the album's third cut, "Let Me Love You (Until You Love Yourself)

The ballet world is spinning after one of the art's brightest stars walked away from Britain's Royal Ballet without explanation, days before he was due to take the lead in a new production. Ukrainian dancer Sergei Polunin announced this week that he is quitting immediately. He had been due to open as Oberon in "The Dream" next week. The 21-year-old studied dance in Kiev before attending the Royal Ballet School in London from the age of 13. He has thrilled audiences since he became the company's youngest-ever male principal dancer at the age of 19. His poise, muscularity and gravity-defying leaps have brought comparisons with the young Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov.

These days, pop stars' outlandish get-ups sometimes eclipse their music, making them seem more like sideshow attractions than serious musicians. So it's almost a surprise to know there are still some singers who can maintain enviable chic. Keri Hilson is one of those singers. The 28-year-old stunner turns a few heads when she walks through the pool area of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel for a photo shoot and interview on a recent sunny weekday morning. Hilson commands attention not only for her looks but also for her place in the R&B and pop worlds as a songwriter and Grammy-nominated singer.

Ne-Yo The young R&B crooner and songwriter's latest, "Libra Scale," is a corker of a dance-infused album, one that has broadened the sonic possibilities of his expert but more traditional early work. At live shows, though, his nimble dancing is the focal point. Nokia Theatre, 777 Chick Hearn Court, L.A. 8 p.m. Mon. $49.50-$129.50. (213) 763-6000. Nicole Atkins She's the kind of classic pop singer who could have been a megastar at any point except the last five years. On "Mondo Amore," she has a huge, rangy voice flecked with soul that sounds great atop broken-bottle slide blues ("My Baby Don't Lie")

Cory Monteith , Chord Overstreet , Kevin McHale and Mark Salling have a "Glee"-filled evening at GQ's Men of the Year party at Chateau Marmont, alongside James Franco , Jimmy Kimmel , Taylor Lautner and Kellan Lutz ? Chris Brown , David Arquette , Nelly and Katie Cassidy at Colony for the Us Weekly Hot Hollywood bash ? Jenny McCarthy , Diddy , Jamie Foxx and Kelly Rowland at the Avalon for Ne-Yo's post-American Music Awards bash ?

The ballet world is spinning after one of the art's brightest stars walked away from Britain's Royal Ballet without explanation, days before he was due to take the lead in a new production. Ukrainian dancer Sergei Polunin announced this week that he is quitting immediately. He had been due to open as Oberon in "The Dream" next week. The 21-year-old studied dance in Kiev before attending the Royal Ballet School in London from the age of 13. He has thrilled audiences since he became the company's youngest-ever male principal dancer at the age of 19. His poise, muscularity and gravity-defying leaps have brought comparisons with the young Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov.

These days, pop stars' outlandish get-ups sometimes eclipse their music, making them seem more like sideshow attractions than serious musicians. So it's almost a surprise to know there are still some singers who can maintain enviable chic. Keri Hilson is one of those singers. The 28-year-old stunner turns a few heads when she walks through the pool area of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel for a photo shoot and interview on a recent sunny weekday morning. Hilson commands attention not only for her looks but also for her place in the R&B and pop worlds as a songwriter and Grammy-nominated singer.

You know we're in the midst of a serious economic crisis when an R&B star includes the ability to pay one's bills on time in his list of what he looks for in a lover. Ne-Yo voiced that desire (along with many others) Saturday night in the first of two shows at downtown L.A.'s Club Nokia, where he introduced "Miss Independent," his recent radio hit, as a song about "the kind of woman who want a man but don't necessarily need a man."

Gliding across the stage, crooning "come closer" over a driving beat, he manhandles the microphone stand like a modern-day James Brown. Only without the polyester jumpsuit. Ne-Yo, the R&B triple-threat singer, performer and songwriter, is rocking a steel gray Tom Ford sharkskin suit, a silver tie cinched with a tie bar -- and his trademark fedora. His retro style -- or "swag" as he calls it -- informs every element of the performance. Flanked by four female dancers, he sings in front of an old-school band with a full horn section.