The week in rock

Roguish Scottish entertainers Franz Ferdinand have brought the concept of "renaissance man" to a new level, lending their arts and crafts skills to a charity benefiting Glasgow’s Great Ormond Street Hospital.

They will be flexing the creative muscles they learned at the Glasgow School of Art to create rugs reflecting their career. Yes, that’s right: rugs. Rugs that represent their career.

Would you want to buy that? They’ve only had one album, right? How big of a rug is that going to be? I guess I could use one in my bathroom.

Fans of OutKast, from those who were there at the beginning to "Hey Ya"-loving soccer moms, have reason to rejoice. The twosome will be collaborating with HBO for a mid-June full-length feature film with the promise of plenty of swearing and gratuitous content. At least, one can only hope.

In any case, the movie is working under the name of "Speakerboxx" and will feature passels of new music from the both of them. OutKast’s longtime video director Bryan Barber will be helming the project as it sails out into the void between the ears of filmgoers across the country.

Plot-wise, you’re looking at a musical set in the 1930s, complete with love triangles, plenty of tragic dream following and a "jaded singer" played by Macy Gray. Pay attention. This is a recipe for a hit movie. It has the "big three" of the triangle, the jadedness and the tragic dreams. People love this kind of thing. I’m not trying to say it won’t be good. Not at all. I just want to remind you that, come June, you cry at the end, you’re a sucker.

In keeping with their fine tradition of reuniting great bands for the summer, Coachella festival organizers have garnered a reformed Bauhaus to shoulder some headlining duties this year. Although one has to question the wisdom of holding a massive event like this in the middle of the fucking desert, and close to LA no less, the lineup, as always, speaks for itself.

Appearing this April will be Coldplay, Cocteau Twins, Weezer, The Chemical Brothers, Wilco, The Raveonettes, Fantomas, Bright Eyes, Sage Francis, MF Doom, New Order, Gang of Four, The Fiery Furnaces and Nine Inch Nails.

Are you excited? It sounds pretty exciting to me, and I hate the desert almost as much as I hate Bright Eyes. Hopefully, by the time he’s done crying on stage, there’ll be a nice lake for everyone to cool off in.

I know you make fun of Ringo. Don’t try and deny it. If he’s your favorite, it’s out of pity. But now, you might want to watch your back, or old Richard Starkey might treat you to a little super-powered chin music. Stan Lee, of Spider-Man fame, has taken a shine to the big-nosed drummer and will turn Ringo into a super-hero for a new cartoon, slated to hit your television next year. While Starr might seem an odd choice for such fare, Lee thinks otherwise.

"Ringo is beloved worldwide for his commitment to people and his singular wit. Our Ringo superhero character will combine these qualities, along with Ringo’s secret powers."

The two have reportedly had a grand time planning the venture, and Ringo will be contributing music as well as his image to the "soon-to-be masterpiece." While this may not sound so great at first, try and keep in mind how much worse it could be. After all, it could be about Paul McCartney.