Talk about a “Kitchen Nightmare“: Kanye West has hired Gordon Ramsay to teach him to cook.

A man who casually spends $7,000 a night on hotels and is unafraid to claim a teddy bear as his mascot is perhaps not someone who is psychologically and temperamentally suited to stand over a hot pot of bubble and squeak.

Gordon Ramsay was an interesting choice of tutors. West could probably have had his pick from the ranks of celebre-chefs, so why choose the ill-tempered Brit with bad hair?

Perhaps after his Chicago flagship outpost of Fatburger was shuttered, Kanye felt he better get schooled on what’s goin’ on in the kitchen. Or maybe the tumblr devoted to Kanye West lyrics rewritten to be about food whet his appetite for culinary chaos.

Whatever the case may be, Gordon is used to dealing with kitchen dramatics:

The population of Austin expands exponentially this week as the 25th annual SXSW festival begins. Uncensored Interview artists like Toro Y Moi, The Airborne Toxic Event, Surfer Blood, MSTRKRFT, Tapes ‘n Tapes, Spank Rock, Daedelus, Vetiver, Army Navy, Visqueen, Das Racist, Shad and hundreds more perform March 15-20. The big names this year are Kanye West and The Strokes, who last played the fest in 2001.

Check our homepage for SXSW survival tips from artists like Andrew W.K. and Matt & Kim, and for the best foodie recommendations in Austin, Eat to the Beat will be delivering the goods. For those skipping the festival this year, don’t fret–plenty of radio stations and big corporations hoping to get in on the act will be streaming performances all week.

Chances are your must-see bands will be playing several times throughout SXSW, and Matt & Kim share a little advice about keeping up.

Coachella has announced the highly speculated lineup for the 2011 festival, held April 15, 16 and 17 in Indio, California. Kanye West, The Strokes, Arcade Fire and Kings of Leon headline, while dozens of other musicians including The Black Keys, Lauryn Hill, PJ Harvey, Cee Lo, Animal Collective, Duran Duran and more will also perform.

Information on festival passes, camping and surviving the desert can all be found on Coachella’s website. And of all the music festivals, Metric tells us why Coachella is the most fun for artists.

Tis the season of giving, and everyone from Paul McCartney to Kanye West is pitching in to increase awareness of worthy causes. And it’s easier than ever–you can upload a video, you can skip shaving, you can even be silent.

Most popular is columnist Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” video campaign, created after several LGBT teenagers committed suicide across the U.S. Despite the seemingly insurmountable troubles we face, there’s life–and a good one–after the challenging teenage years.

Many musicians have shared their own stories of coming out or their friend’s struggles with sexual identity, including Sia, Eve and Scissor Sisters. Since forming, the campaign reports a 50 percent increase of calls to the crisis intervention hotline, The Trevor Project.

Notice an increase of mustachioed friends lately? That’s because it’s Movember, an annual effort to increase prostate cancer awareness. Participants grow their mustaches, the furriest raising money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation and LIVESTRONG. There’s also the Mustaches VS. Cancer campaign, benefitting pediatric cancer care and research.

Paul McCartney, Paul Weller and others recently contributed to “Art of the Song,” a U.K. campaign raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Their songwriting contributions will be auctioned in December. Even Kanye West is taking a little time from gazing in the mirror to donate artwork to Whatever It Takes, a non-profit that’s raised over $4 million for several charities.

So enough turkey talk–find a local opportunity near you.

Pixtape is our roundup of the best new downloads from the month of November. Enjoy!

1. Sybiann “Monsoon Breath”
The Italian band deliver a thoughtful, well-paced noise-rock song with plenty of twists to keep things interesting. They just need to crank the vocals up.
Download track via Eardrums

2. The Phantom’s Revenge “Charlie”
The French producer spells out feel-good in this disco gem from his new EP Charlie, perhaps inspired by a character from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (check the samples halfway through).
Download track via Chemical Jump

3. Young Galaxy “Peripheral Visionaries”
The Montreal duo employs a simple, perennial bass line and layered vocals toward the end for a hook that will get stuck in your head.
Download track via Gorilla vs Bear

4. Mogwai “Rano Piano”
From their upcoming album Hardcore Will Never Die But You Will (Sub Pop), the Scottish band piles on the distorted guitar and layers in a couple melodies for another promising release.
Download track via Stereogum

5. Jay Electronica featuring Jay-Z, The-Dream and Charlotte Gainsbourg “Shiny Suit Theory”
Not the highest quality from the recent Roc Nation signee so it’s probably not the album version, but worth it for lines like “fuck the underground, you need to win a Grammy.”
Download track via 2 Dope Boyz

(MORE DOWNLOADS AFTER THE JUMP)

Pixtape is our roundup of the best new downloads from the month of September.

1. Lower Dens “Silver and Blue”
This is actually older material from singer Jana Hunter, but she’s formally reintroduced it as a Lower Dens song. On the surface it doesn’t seem to be a love song, but there’s something hopeful and loving in it, which is a pretty refreshing realization.
Download track via The 405

2. The Pass “Trap of Mirrors”
Catchy, energetic pop from the Kentucky band’s aptly-titled debut album BURST. Do people still use the term radio friendly? That’s what this is, and there’s a lot more to come from this band.
Download track via Pretty Much Amazing

3. Burial and Kode9 BBC Radio 1 mix
The opening takes a few minutes to get into anything serious, but this dark mix for Mary Anne Hobb’s final BBC Radio 1 show is rewarding a little deeper in.
Download track via Gorilla vs Bear

4. Dumbo Gets Mad “Electric Prawn”
Like something out of a late 1960s carnival-themed surf movie, this cheeky track from the Italian band has plenty going on to warrant repeat listens.
Download track via The Needle Drop

5. Saroos “Yukoma”
Ambient and uplifting, this is a great electronic track from the German group featuring members of LaliPuna, The Notwist and Iso68.
Download track via XLR8R

(MORE DOWNLOADS AFTER THE JUMP)

Lady Gaga dominated the VMA’s (more on her and that meat-fit tomorrow), though a few indie-ish bands made out with Moonmen, too.

The Black Keys won the Breakthrough Video award for “Tighten Up,” featuring a playground lesson in love (and consequences). Florence + the Machine took home the best Art Direction award for “Dog Days Are Over,” which she also performed. Muse walked with Best Special Effects for “Uprising.”

No noteworthy antics this year, though. Rihanna made a surprise appearance during Eminem’s performance, Nicki Minaj rocked a pink beehive and apparently the crowd wouldn’t let Kanye West forget his outburst last year.

The LA Times has a full wrap-up, completed with graded performances from B.o.B., Hayley Williams, Robyn, Taylor Swift and more.