You knew this was coming, right? Well perhaps you put it out of your mind (as I did), but the inevitable song licensing/school chorus tycoons behind Kidz Bop have gotten all of this year’s biggest chart-toppers to sign along the dotted line for the forthcoming 17th volume of “songs sung by kids for kidz.”

Sure, Kelly Clarkson covered “Use Somebody” already, as did Nickelback, but I’m calling it: Kings of Leon’s breakthrough hit is officially up for grabs at this point. In a weird way, I almost prefer the Kidz Bop version over the previously mentioned two, but that’s just choosing the lesser of three evils, I suppose.

And then there’s the inevitable Kidz cover of Death Cab’s Owl City’s “Fireflies” and Death Cab For Cutie’s New Moon anthem “Meet Me On The Equinox.” Twee as ugh…

Stream all this stuff here if you dare, but be forewarned: only the penitent man kid, shall pass.

Sure, the Kings of Leon have made the cover of Rolling Stone, won a Grammy award, headlined a bunch of massive festivals, and been covered by Nickelback, but they haven’t made it until now: KOL have teamed up with French designers Surface to Air and a shop in Copenhagen called Paris Texas to release a limited edition clothing line.

I’ll bet you thought the Followill boys just rolled out of bed with a vintage-looking western shirt, leather jacket, and tattered jeans, but those threads are actually carefully chosen by these rockers-turned-fashion icons.

Paris Texas’ official blog has photos of the new KOL gear. Check it out here or below:

Kings of Leon drummer Nathan Followill is apparently an equal-opportunity crowd-basher, as he has now followed up comments made earlier in the year about American audiences being inferior to those in the UK (“Kiddy pop or hip-hop, that’s pretty much what America is”) with criticism, via Twitter, of a huge UK festival crowd.

“Reading? What the fuck?” Followill tweeted (via NME) following the Kings’ headlining set at the Reading Festival last night. “Zero love for the kings. I know it was cold but holy shit, y’all were frozen. I can only hope Leeds is in better form.”

I thought rock bands were supposed to make the crowd go wild, not the other way around.

It’s inexplicable to me why Kings of Leon drummer Nathan Followill would make a public comment on American taste in popular music, as his band has been one of the most successful rock acts in the States for the past year, but here’s the quote:

“Most music gets ignored in the States unless it’s hip-hop or Hannah Montana or Disney music like the Jonas Brothers,” Followill said, according to Contact Music. “Kiddy pop or hip-hop, that’s pretty much what America is.”

“The U.K. is more open to all kinds of music. The fans are just insane in the U.K. - they are music lovers. You have kids going to shows to see the bands, not going to a show to be seen there.”

His comments kind of echo recent statements from The Killers’ Brandon Flowers, whose band’s latest record struggled to break in America. In the past, Flowers has blamed America for not being receptive to guitar-driven rock music, when that’s what his band was playing, and for being too obsessed with older rock bands, when The Killers were pushing a more modern dance sound.

I’m not sure either of these international rock stars should be engaging in a debate over which side of the pond has better music fans. Either way, maybe Kanye could teach them about some of his newfound humility.

Rolling Stone cover boys Caleb and Nathan Followill of Kings of Leon were interviewed at KROQ’s Weenie Roast concert recently by an openly drunk rep for the radio station. Normally, that kind of debauchery would suit the Kings well, but this time things got a bit awkward (watch here).

“I’m hammered by the way, you guys,” the interviewer says. “I didn’t mean to be, but for some reason I am, so I hope you forgive me.” Caleb and Nathan are cool with that, as they had just finished saying that they recorded their recent smash Only by the Night while drunk “98% of the time.”

But then things get a little uncool: “Like, this album’s really good, but before that, like, you guys were great,” she says. “So I wish that people don’t judge you by this album ‘cause before you were great.”

“Thank you,” Caleb replies politely.

“Yeah, this album’s just different,” she says, trying to fix the possible Freudian slip, “but before it was amazing too.”

Prince might want to second-guess his decision to reject big Guitar Hero bucks after he hears about their latest round of featured players. Even though it isn’t due out until after the summer, Guitar Hero 5 buzz has already begun and it’s only going to get louder once word gets out that the White Stripes, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash’s estate, Vampire Weekend, and Kings of Leon have signed along the dotted line.

USA Today Game Hunters’ Mike Snider reports that the new Guitar Hero features the bands listed above and more. “We have a lot of new indie artists as well and Iron Maiden as more classic rock or heavy metal,” Guitar Hero project director Brian Bright said. “We’ve been trying to get the White Stripes and they have finally come around.”

I think Jack White signing over “Blue Orchid” to Guitar Hero is a kind of tipping point for bands wanting to cash in, but keep their indie cred. It’s only a matter of time until we get Guitar Hero: Bon Iver Acoustic Edition.