Billboard Bits serves up the best bite-sized nuggets of music news and gossip every afternoon.



One contestant's "American Idol" dreams were prematurely extinguished, after a proud parent made a fatal error. Michael "Big Mike" Lynch was sent packing after his father told the St. Petersburg Times that his son had made the top 24, according to People. That's a violation of the show's rules, and he was replaced over the weekend.

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Jon Bon Jovi is set for a guest appearance on NBC's comedy series "30 Rock," where he will appear as a former boyfriend of the show's star, Tina Fey. According to Perez Hilton, the New Jersey rocker will film the episode this week at NBC's studios in New York City, and it will air as a Valentine's Day special.

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Rolling Stone guitarist Keith Richards is on the wagon, according to a report in British tabloid The Sun. Although the 66-year old had famously vowed to forever eschew sobriety, doctor's orders have kept Richards off the sauce for four months already. "There's no guarantees that he'll stay off it," a friend told the paper, "but he's doing really well so far."

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As reported in Billboard Bits last week, Sean "Diddy" Combs threw a massive sixteenth birthday party for his son Justin this past Saturday at a Manhattan nightspot. Diddy gave his progeny several gifts in addition to the lavish bash - including a Maybach automobile and a $10,000 checking account. But according to MTV, the younger Combs chose to donate the money to Wyclef's Yele Haiti organization.

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Native Tongues rappers A Tribe Called Quest reunited this past weekend for a set at Brooklyn's Knitting Factory, delighting fans and hip hop peers like Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Jeru the Damaja. The event was a  benefit to raise awareness for diabetes, honoring the group's Phife Dawg, who recently received a kidney transplant related to the disease. According to Brooklyn Vegan, Phife was joined by Ali Shaheed Muhameed and then Q-Tip to perform the final set of the night.

(Compiled by David J. Prince)