June was disastrous for Kelly Clarkson. By the end of the month, the first-ever American Idol champ was enthralled in a feud with her label boss, Clive Davis, her summer tour got cancelled due to poor ticket sales, she had her manager fired and her new album leaked. She became a black sheep faster than you can say “Katherine McPhee.” Things got so bad, she considered a performance cameo on the American Idol season six arena tour just to right the ship.

Thankfully, July has arrived, and with it, a new management team. Nashville-based Starstruck Entertainment has taken the reigns to help guide Clarkson out of her career limbo, and it doesn’t take a conspiracy theorist to guess which path they’ll steer her toward …

Clarkson recently admitted her desire to record a new album that was “country meets blues meets rock.” Let’s put the emphasis on “country,” as the evidence is irrefutable. (more…)

None other than the great John Fogerty has given us an exclusive stream: his new, very appropriately titled track “Summer of Love,” which features a serious Cream-like stomp. “Summer of Love” is going to appear on Fogerty’s upcoming album Revival, is due out in late September or early October.

• Eddie Vedder’s love for Sean Penn films has become a full-on crush. The Pearl Jam frontman will release an entire album of solo compositions for Into the Wild, a new film directed by Penn. Vedder has previously performed songs for Penn vehicles Dead Man Walking (”Long Road”) and I Am Sam (The Beatles’ “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away”). He’ll also have a small role in the film, Vedder’s first since playing the drummer of Matt Dillon’s band, Citizen Dick, in Cameron Crowe’s 1992 film Singles.

• PJ Harvey’s seventh album, White Chalk, is set for release around September 24. Flood and John Parish, who produced Harvey’s To Bring You My Love and Is This Desire?, will reprise their roles.

• Radiohead is rumored to be headlining Norway’s Hove Festival in 2008. We’re assuming this will be in support of their new album, which is reportedly “done.”

• Obligatory Van Halen Rumor of the Week: The band, with David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen’s son on bass, will actually embark on their rehab-delayed tour this fall.

• Rapper/amateur movie critic T.I. says American Gangster — starring Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, GZA, Common and himself — is “the best gangsta flick since Boyz N the Hood.”

As you’ve probably noticed by now, Rolling Stone is celebrating the magazine’s 40th anniversary with a blowout special issue devoted to 1967 and the Summer of Love. Here, RS founding editor and publisher Jann S. Wenner sits down with writer Charles Young to talk about the San Francisco scene and the first year of the magazine’s existence.

In our most arduous task yet, we went through the more than 400 responses to our Most Annoying Songs poll, even though the mere mention of “Bye, Bye, Bye” and Ricky Martin made our heads ache. But the masses have spoken, and the overwhelming (least) favorite song is the Black Eyed Peas’ “My Humps.” Want a surefire way to ruin the rest of your day? Check out the rest of our final list of the most annoying songs ever, and prepare to be haunted by inescapable aural irritation that will echo in your brain for the duration of your July 4th festivities. Enjoy!

1. Black Eyed Peas, “My Humps”
2. Los Del Rio, “Macarena”
3. Baha Men, “Who Let The Dogs Out”
4. Celine Dion, “My Heart Will Go On”
5. Nickelback, “Photograph”
6. Lou Bega, “Mambo No. 5″
7. James Blunt, “You’re Beautiful”
8. Spice Girls, “Wannabe”
9. Sisqo, “The Thong Song”
10. Cher, “Believe”
11. Aqua, “Barbie Girl”
12. Chumbawumba, “Tub Thumper”
13. Rednex, “Cotton-Eyed Joe”
14. Eiffel 65, “Blue”
15. Crash Test Dummies, “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm”
16. Meatloaf, “I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)”
17. ‘NSYNC, “Bye, Bye, Bye”
18. Ricky Martin, “Livin’ La Vida Loca”
19. Semisonic, “Closing Time”
20. Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”