Blink back?

I GUESS THIS IS GROWING UP?

BLINK-182 to "reunite" for Grammys

Once you've spent most of your career in the public eye wearing nothing but tighty-whiteys and putting porn stars on your album covers, where do you turn for shock value?

In the case of pop-punk czars Blink-182, you come out of straight nowhere (after spending much of your time since your last show in 2004 insisting that you'll never reunite) and announce that all three members will stand onstage together to present an award at the Grammys.

That's just what Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker did on Thursday when the Grammys sent out a press release saying that the trio will do just that at the awards on Sunday. (By the way, Grammys publicists, you probably coulda slid that little tidbit into the headline instead of burying it beneath bowel-clenching mentions of Neil Diamond and M.I.A.--just sayin'.)

But was this really that unexpected?

Hints that Blink might be on less than violent terms with each other began surfacing right after drummer Travis Barker miraculously survived a horrific plane accident last September. In November, vocalist/bassist Mark Hoppus blogged that he and estranged vocalist/guitarist Tom DeLonge were "reconnecting as friends." Although Barker flat-out denied that a reunion would become reality the following month, speculation began to fly when Hoppus admitted that (+44), his post-Blink project with Barker, would be calling it a day.

And now this.

Of course, as of now, there's no tangible proof that Blink are getting back together.

It's just an awards show. (And it's the Grammys, at that. Bleh.)

For those of you with conscious memories of the '90s, Van Halen pulled this same kinda deal at the 1996 VMAs when the original lineup appeared onstage, fueling speculation of a David Lee Reconciliation. (Turns out the rest of the band were in the process of auditioning other singers at the time.)

I guess we'll know more on Sunday.

We do know this: Barker is in a forgiving mood, as he's reportedly back with his ex-wife Shanna Moakler. Angels & Airwaves guitarist David Kennedy might have left the kitten out of the knapsack when he confirmed a new Blink record during a chat on Modlife. And Tom DeLonge might be trying to get some good karma before the 2012 apocalypse.

Hey, man. If the trade-off for annihilation of the human race is a Blink-182 reunion, I'm pretty sure All Time Low would be cool with that.

4 MORE THINGS WE THINK WE LEARNED THIS WEEK

(In case you missed them or have little to no short-term memory.)

1. LiveNation and Ticketmaster are giving each other the googly eyes

One is the biggest concert promoter in the world and the other is the largest ticketing and artist management company. And they're apparently picking out curtains together. If this is a sitcom, you can rest assured that Eddie Vedder is gonna be the angry neighbor. Warped guru Kevin Lyman might actually be Vedder's roommate, as he released this statement Friday:

"As many of you are aware, the media has been reporting the problems concert-goers are encountering buying tickets for Bruce Springsteen and other superstar acts, however I thought fans of our projects should know that until these large companies get their act together, the place to buy tickets will be through the official websites of the tours. In the world of concert ticketing there have never been more players and people trying to provide this service, and hopefully one day they will get it right.”

2. No Langerado Festival and no Honda Civic Tour This Year

Didn't pay attention to all that talk about the economy during the presidential debates? If Joe The Plumber had tickets to either the annual Langerado Festival (which was slated to feature Death Cab For Cutie, Dashboard Confessional, Gym Class Heroes and more) or the Civic Tour (which was rumored to be headlined by Jack's Mannequin), then he is out of luck. Again.

3. However, Bonnaroo and Bamboozle Left are still chill

Both festivals announced either their full lineup or big-name additions this week, and both look like they've been working out. Bonnaroo's got everyone from Nine Inch Nails and the Beastie Boys to Bruce Springsteen and Phish. And Bamboozle Left added little-known French existentialist outfit Fall Out Boy along with Deftones and Taking Back Sunday to a roster that already included the Get Up Kids, Thrice and the Used.

4. Obama's already kept his promise... to Hawthorne Heights

Change has come. Hawthorne Heights have been through a lot these past few years, and their strained relationship with label Victory Records is right up there with L.C. versus Heidi or Jessica Simpson versus dignity. Now HH are on Wind-Up.

AND ONE FINAL NOTE

Punk-rock lost one of its greatest legends this week when the Cramps frontman Lux Interior passed away Wednesday. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has a bass drum head that Interior destroyed during a show. Just consider this: How many horrible bands have you seen demolish their equipment onstage? About 32 quazillion. How many of those broken drums are in the Rock Hall?

Not 32 quazillion.