VIDEO: James Franco Directs Lindsay Lohan in New R.E.M. Video

R.E.M. enlisted the help of Hollywood's resident Renaissance man James Franco to helm their latest music video for "Blue," off of their upcoming (and final) album Collapse into Now. Seen above, the video is a non-narrative ode to Hollywood - both its beautiful and dark sides - which features Lindsay Lohan, fashion photographer Terry Richardson, and Franco himself in drag.

In addition to "Blue," lead singer Michael Stipe has asked a selection of filmmakers to each produce a music video for a track off of the upcoming album.

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Michael Stipe Cured Snow Patrol Writer’s block

Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody was lifted by Michael Stipe while suffering writer's block.

The singer and songwriter of the "Chasing Cars" group was writing "a lot of rubbish" as he struggled to come up with the words for the band's sixth album Fallen Empires, but he was given a "boost" when the REM singer praised some of his tracks.

"I'd try to write but was frantic. It's like pulling a thread of bulls**t out of your head and then you write a lot of rubbish, and then clarity ascends. But I couldn't find any clarity and then just had to stop trying. It became a very dark time for me. Even the thought of trying to write made me feel like I was about to have a panic attack. I started phoning people because I was at the end of my tether. Then Michael Stipe came to the studio to listen to some of the songs I'd already done and he loved them. He gave me such a boost of confidence. I managed to get to the heart of the matter - that this record is about home, the empire of childhood and the naivety of that falling away into adulthood and forgetting how blissful it is as a kid. Once I got to that I could write again."

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Simon Cowell organizes Everybody Hurts charity single

Simon Cowell‘s Helping Haiti single will soon be released globally.

The song - a star-studded cover of R.E.M’s “Everybody Hurts” - will be available to download worldwide starting Sunday to help boost sales and raise relief funds for the earthquake-stricken nation.

The track - which features 21 artists, including Leona Lewis, Rod Stewart, Mariah Carey, Jon Bon Jovi and Susan Boyle - debuted on British radio stations earlier this week and is already poised to be one of the biggest-selling songs in recent years.

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