Apple confirmed what the technology world has been expecting for weeks: a September 9 media extravaganza. The company has been holding September events for years to refresh its iPod line and unveil new models ahead of the holiday season.

And while new iPods are also expected to be on tap this year, Apple threw in a little curveball to get the company’s fans and followers talking.

Sept. 9 is also the launch day for “The Beatles: Rock Band” video games, as well as the date that EMI will release the digitally remastered versions of their original song catalog. Given that supposed coincidence, some were speculating that a deal to finally bring the Beatles’ songs to iTunes was brewing. The Beatles may be the most famous rock band ever, but they have not yet made their songs available on Apple’s hugely popular online store.

So what’s the problem? The invitation sent to the media featured the tagline, “It’s only rock and roll, but we like it,” referencing the Rolling Stones hit from the 1970s. The Stones’ catalog is already available on iTunes.

A Beatles deal would seem a bit more likely if the invite tagline had read: “I get by with a little help from my friends.”

Is it just me?

While at the MTV/Harmonix pavilion at E3 checking out the The Beatles “Rock Band” Game demo — a preview of one of the most anticipated games this year — all that I could think of was “South Park.” Or more precisely, the perplexity experienced by Stan’s dad in the episode where he discovers just how popular games like “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” are among the young.

The game, whose graphics and sound are crowd pleasers, will be a mammoth hit after folks like the ones in this video run out and buy it, further proof that the video game industry has branched out to those who might not have bought games before.

Check out the “South Park” clip…

Lastly - a shameless plug for efforts to preserve music education in schools. (Ok, its a LG ad too, but you get the point, right?)

Harmonix threw the hottest and most exclusive party of the E3 conference on Wednesday night at L.A.’s Orpheum Theater. The “Rock Band Bash” concert celebrated Harmonix’s upcoming “Rock Band 2″ game and featured a private concert by one of the band’s included in the game’s updated tracklist — The Who. 

When we went to pick up our tickets at the MTV Games E3 showroom late Wednesday afternoon, a line of hopeful concertgoers snaked around the entrance. But their dreams were dashed moments later as their names weren’t on on the exclusive “invite-only” guest list that included “24″ star Kiefer Sutherland and AC/DC drummer Chris Slade.

It was clear we had one of the most coveted tickets in town.

Concertgoers had a chance to try out the new “Rock Band 2″ game before showtime.  About twenty minutes before the concert started, there was a mad sprint to grab the perfect seat. But the Orpheum wasn’t packed by any means, which made it almost like a private concert with the Who. 

Bragging rights aside, the experience was priceless.  Red party cups (yes, the same ones that can be found at any college kegger party) in hand, the audience filled with both young and old Who fans got to enjoy a two hour set. Band members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend rocked out to some of their biggest hits, including “My Generation” and “Pinball Wizard,” which the audience granted a standing ovation. 

Townshend, like always, shredded it on the guitar, but also showed off his humorous side. He admitted to disliking the colors of the buttons on the guitar controller (green, red, yellow, blue and orange) and called out the Harmonix employee who designed it. Apparently pink, green and orange would work better, he said. Townshend even poked fun at Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and the recent launch of Aerosmith’s “Guitar Hero” edition, referring to it as “that other game.” 

– Reporting by Jennifer Martinez