By now, you’ve all heard about the transition to digital television on Feb. 17. (And if you haven’t you must live under a rock.)

Well, we have some potentially bad news for you. If you haven’t gotten your $40 coupon to help with the cost of a converter box you just might be out of luck. It seems there’s been a massive rush to obtain coupons in the past six weeks and the program has run out of money – sort of.

Congress limited the amount of money the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the agency inside the Commerce Department that runs the program, can commit at any one time to $1.34 billion.

The good news is that after 90 days the coupons expire and that money can go back into the program. But that means you have to get onto a waiting list. A really, really long waiting list. In fact, the Washington Post reports that as of Jan. 5, there were 103,000 people on the list.

So the point of all of this is to get you off of your butts to get your name on the list. Or you won’t be able to see any of the fab folks we tip you off to every afternoon.

Unless of course, unlike some of the Pollstar staff, you’ve already entered the digital age or you have cable. In that case, never mind. See, we really do care.

Tuesday, January 06
Foreigner – “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”
Rocco DeLuca – “The Bonnie Hunt Show”
Kevin James, Erin McCarley – “Late Show with David Letterman”
Queen Latifah, The Pussycat Dolls – “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”
Bang Camaro – “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”
Mike Birbiglia – “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Quincy Jones, Little Joy – “Last Call with Carson Daly”

Wednesday, January 07
Greg Behrendt – “The View”
Akon – “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”
Okkervil River – “Late Show with David Letterman”
Jeff Dunham – “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”
The Gabe Dixon Band – “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

Thursday, January 8
Kevin James – “Live with Regis and Kelly”
Lady GaGa – “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”
Howie Mandel, Lady Antebellum – “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”
Lenka – “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Amy Sedaris – “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson”

Friday, January 9
Wendy Liebman – “Late Show with David Letterman”
Eagles of Death Metal – “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”
Zac Brown Band – “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Paula Poundstone – “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson”
Kevin Nealon, Yelle – “Last Call with Carson Daly” – rerun

Saturday, January 10
Paolo Nutini, Grupo Fantasma – “Austin City Limits” – rerun
Taylor Swift – “Saturday Night Live”

The couple’s fines will stand.

“After a careful review of the whole matter, they decided to drop the appeal," attorney Ole Kvelstad said. Kvelstad declined to give a reason for the duo’s decision.

The British singer and her husband were arrested in 2007 on charges of possessing 7 grams (1/4-ounce) of marijuana. They were held overnight and charged fines of 3,000 kroner (US$428).

Winehouse later claimed Norwegian police made mistakes in the case and she appealed the fine. An initial trial date was set for March 2008 but was postponed at the request of her attorney. The Bergen appeals court summoned the singer to make her case Jan. 12.

Kvelstad previously said that payment of the fine was equal to a guilty plea and could mean bad news if Winehouse wanted to enter the U.S. The singer was denied a U.S. visa in February 2008 when she wanted to perform at the Grammy Awards ceremony. Winehouse instead performed via satellite from London and took home five Grammys.

Under government guidelines, artists who perform in the Muslim-majority country must adhere to a strict dress code – female performers in Malaysia must be covered from the top of her chest, including her shoulders, to her knees.

Rihanna’s management is “aware of the country's regulations and the difficulties of doing a show,” Razman Razali, managing director of Pineapple Concerts, said.

Conservative Malaysian Muslims recently protested concerts by Stefani and Lavigne because of the singers’ wardrobes. Stefani made what she called “a major sacrifice” and wore less revealing costumes for her Malaysia show.

A district branch of the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party deemed Lavigne’s on-stage moves “too sexy” last year – but members now say in an online commentary that Rihanna is “sexier and more dangerous” than Lavigne.

However, this hasn’t stopped sales. Concert ticket Web site Axcess said tickets for Rihanna’s Malaysia show were going quickly Jan. 6, hours after the event was announced.

In 2006 the organizers of a Pussycat Dolls concert were accused of flouting decency regulations and fined nearly $3,000.

ITunes is one of the last major online music stores to drop digital rights management. One of iTunes’ most serious competitors – Amazon MP3 – officially launched one year ago without any DRM.

The announcement was made in San Francisco at Macworld by Apple marketing exec Philip Schiller, who also said iTunes is adopting a three-tier pricing strategy – 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29 – depending on which labels the songs come from.

This year’s Macworld was the first in a decade without Apple CEO Steve Jobs delivering the keynote address, with that duty falling upon Schiller. In an open letter posted on Apple.com, Jobs cited a hormone imbalance that had been “robbing” him of needed body proteins, adding that he is in treatment for the ailment.

Roughly 2,000 volunteers are being sought by organizers to be part of the field audience, but certain conditions apply.

Volunteers must be at least 16 years old and part of a group of at least 10 members, with a leader who is at least 21 years old. All group members and leaders must be able to attend multiple rehearsals and meetings.

“It’s very detailed, a lot of standing around. But it’s certainly worth it,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told the St. Petersburg Times. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many of these people just to be on an NFL field.”

Being a member of the field audience doesn’t get you tickets to the game, however. Volunteers will line up prior to kickoff, head into the stadium just before the halftime show and exit when Springsteen finishes his set.

More registration information is available at superbowlcast.com.

John Antonelli is seeking at least $50,000 in damages in the lawsuit. Along with Violent J (real name Joseph Bruce), the suit names Fargo’s Hub Entertainment Center as a defendant, according to The Forum newspaper.

Antonelli claims Bruce was negligent for throwing the bottle without warning and The Hub, previously named Playmakers, was negligent for not providing sufficient security or for keeping Bruce in check, the paper said.

A spokesman for The Hub told Pollstar the venue does not comment on pending litigation beyond reiterating what The Hub told the Forum – that Bruce is alone in the blame and the venue is working to find out more about the band’s liability insurance.

Bruce has not filed a response to the lawsuit and Antonelli’s attorney, Daylen Ramstad, told the paper he has had trouble serving papers, alleging Bruce is “ducking service.”

“[Bruce] is aware of it, no doubt about it,” Ramstad said, adding that law enforcement attempted to serve Bruce onstage but his “manager” (likely meaning tour manager) pulled the officer off stage. “I know that this guy knows this case is out there.”

A contact at ICP’s management was unaware of the lawsuit when contacted by Pollstar.