--Gene Simmons' Daughter Sophie Auditions On "X Factor"

The daughter of Kiss frontman Gene Simmons, Sophie, is looking to make it as a singer without the help of her father.  Her audition on Fox's "X Factor" Wednesday night got her three yeses.  The judges came to figure out her background before she starting singing "Make You Feel My Love" by Adele.  Sophie told them that she didn't want her father's help and wanted to become a singer on her own talent.  L.A. Reid wasn't too impressed with her and passed, but she was saved by Simon Cowell, Britney Spears and Demi Lovato who all moved her to the next round.  Some fellow contestants commented that they didn't think she would've gone through if she was just an ordinary person.


--Henry Rollins Wants To Take Anger Out Of Politics

Henry Rollins may be known for making angry music, but he says he doesn't like seeing that same emotion in politics.  The former Black Flag singer tells "Rolling Stone" that anger is "just not productive."  Rollins is currently traveling across the country on his "Capitalism" spoken-word tour, and he says he tries to remind audiences that despite the fact that America has become "extremely polarized," they should remember that their similarities and commonalities probably outweigh their dissimilarities.  He goes on to admit that "there's plenty of stuff to be angry about" and he hopes he'll always be angry.  But Rollins says when it comes to politics and issues that affect the country, "you've got to really look at it."  He adds that "you can't get your head around something if you're yelling."

Rollins' tour is scheduled to end in Washington, DC on November 5th -- the day before the presidential election.  As for his vote, the rocker is firmly in President Obama's corner.  Still, he says he's not always a big fan of the president's speaking style, explaining that he wishes he'd lose the stammer and the, quote, "Sunday preacher mode" he uses every now and then.  As for Republican nominee Mitt Romney's style, Rollins says he's "never heard a more robotic, dehumanized person in [his] life."


--The Killers Debut At Number Three With "Battle Born"

The Killers are fighting their way back on to the Billboard 200 this week with "Battle Born," their first release in almost four years.  The new set bows at number three on the album chart after Nielsen SoundScan reports first-week sales of 113-thousand copies.  Brandon Flowers and company were kept from the top spot by Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music compilation "Cruel Summer" at number two and Pink's "The Truth About Love" at number one.  Still, the Killers' latest entry bests the band's previous album, 2008's "Day and Age," which debuted at number six.  However, that record sold more copies when it came out during the busy Thanksgiving shopping week.


--Mumford & Sons Team Up With Emmylou Harris for "CMT Crossroads"

Mumford and Sons will be sharing the stage with a country music icon tonight.  Fans can catch the British folk rockers on a new episode of "CMT Crossroads" performing alongside Emmylou Harris.  The "Crossroads" series matches a country artist with a performer from another genre, giving both acts a chance to play each other's songs and discuss their shared influences.  The Mumfords and Harris taped the concert earlier this month in Nashville, and CMT.com says the show included performances of "Awake My Soul" and "The Cave" from the group's best-selling debut "Sigh No More," as well as the tracks "The Road" and "Orphan Girl" from Harris' catalog.  Their episode of "Crossroads" is scheduled to premiere tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern on CMT.


--Liam Gallagher Says Oasis-Blur Feud Was "Just Good Fun"

Liam Gallagher says the fierce rivalry his old band Oasis had with fellow Britpop stars Blur was "just good fun."  In the new 60th anniversary edition of "NME," the current Beady Eye frontman admits he used to hate Blur singer Damon Albarn, but he says things have changed since the height of the Britpop wars in the mid-1990s.  And while much of the war-of-words took place in the pages of "NME" and other magazines, Gallagher says he doesn't feel the media manipulated the battle all that much.  He explains that at the time, he really believed the guys in Blur were "just pansies from London," while he and his Oasis bandmates were a "totally different thing."  And Liam points out that no one in the media told him whether he liked someone or not.

Liam Gallagher is one of eight stars gracing the cover of the special collectors issue of "NME."  His older brother and former bandmate Noel Gallagher also appears, as do the Arctic Monkeys, Patti Smith, John Lydon, Manic Street Preachers, the Killers and Paul Weller.


--Bon Iver Picks Winning "Northern Exposure" Tattoo Design

Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon has found the design for his latest piece of body art.  The indie star put out an open call to artists earlier this month in search of a tattoo based on the early 1990s TV show "Northern Exposure," and now he's picked a winner.  Vernon chose an Italian artist and designer named Giulio Rossi out of the 26 artists who submitted entries.  When he started the contest, the Wisconsin-native explained that "Northern Exposure" was "a really important thing" to him.  And even though it's just television, he says it "weirdly explained" his life to him.


--Music On TV

The Gaslight Anthem performs on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on NBC, while the Chevin take the stage on "Conan" on TBS.


--Today's Birthdays


Guitarist Randy Bachman is 69.  He's worked with The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
Meat Loaf is 65.
Shaun Cassidy is 54.
Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins is 48.
3 Doors Down frontman Brad Arnold is 34.


--Today In Rock History

In 1980
The Stray Cats got a recording contract with Arista Records in the UK.

In 1986
While on tour in Sweden, Metallica bassist Cliff Burton died when the group's bus hit a patch of ice and flipped over.  Burton was 24.

In 1990
Ramones bassist Dee Dee Ramone was arrested for possession of marijuana in New York's Greenwich Village.

In 1992
Pearl Jam released the single "Jeremy."

In 2002
Vince Neil entered an innocent plea through his attorney in a Los Angeles court room in connection with an incident in which he allegedly attacked producer Michael Schumann outside a West Hollywood restaurant five months earlier.

In 2003
Great White drummer Derrick Pontier was injured in a car crash in Allentown, Pennsylvania, while on his way to a benefit concert for the victims of the band's show earlier in the year in Rhode Island, in which 100 people were killed when the venue caught fire during their performance.

In 2006
Dave Mustane took time out during a show in Montreal to express his outrage that a man who went on a shooting rampage at Dawson College in Canada had said he was a Megadeth fan and had been inspired by the song "A Tout Le Monde."

In 2007
Van Halen began their highly-anticipated tour in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The trek featured original singer David Lee Roth fronting the group, marking the first time he'd performed an extended run of shows with the band in more than 20 years.

In 2010
Jimmy Page's self-titled, 500-page photographic memoir was released.

In 2011
A remastered deluxe edition of Nirvana's "Nevermind" was released today as part of the iconic album's 20th anniversary celebrations.