Steven Tyler, 61, may have ditched his longtime Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, Aerosmith. Guitarist Joe Perry tells the Las Vegas Sun that Tyler left the band after a Nov. 1 concert in Abu Dhabi: "Steven quit as far as I can tell. I don't know any more than you do about it." Perry says he can't confirm because Tyler won't return his calls. (We at SideShow know what that's like!) Liv Tyler's pa, who broke his shoulder falling off a stage at an August concert in Sturgis, S. D., tells Brit mag Classic Rock he plans to do "something Steven Tyler: working on the brand of myself - Brand Tyler." Aerosmith was inducted to the R&RHOF in 2001 - but hey, c'mon, Tyler's lips belong in a special wing titled Rock and Roll Body Parts, next to Mick Jagger's. True, it'll be hard to tell them apart, but they belong there, next to Jimi Hendrix's right hand, Meat Loaf's waist, Tina Turner's legs, and Madonna's mustache.

Shot to the heart of Philly

Also in a rock vein: Bon Jovi, the man, the names, the band, will play the Wachovia Center as part of the Circle World Tour: 7:30 p.m. on March 23 and March 24. Tix go up Monday at 10 a.m. at ComcastTIX.com, 1-800-298-4200, the Wachovia complex box office, and selected Acme locations.

Oh, yeah? says U2, just watch . . .

Irish rockers U2 set records for crowds, intake, and awe with their just-concluded U2 360o Tour. Well, they're coming back this summer - to beloved Philadublin! Yes: July 12, at Lincoln Financial Field. Tix go on sale (and probably go away) Friday at LiveNation.com and Ticketmaster charge-by-phone, 1-800-736-1420.

Madonna waxes Brazil

Madonna, mentioned above, caused what Brazilian papers called tumulto e confusão (no translation needed) among police and photogs yesterday when she arrived in São Paulo to meet Marisa Letícia Lula da Silva, Brazil's first lady, and help dedicate an institute for the study of the kabbalah, the mystical Jewish texts in which Madonna has steeped herself. Her young male friend, Jesus Luz, also was seen around the Ubiquitous Miss M's hotel.

'Rooland rues Britney

Britney Spears is doing Australia, and it's not going well. Some walked out, bored upside down, in Perth. Now come reports that the Britster lip-synched lyrics during dance sequences. Never! No! Even John Mayer has been dissing her on Twitter (he's in the Land Over Easy also, promoting his new CD).

Disney gets tricky with Mickey

Don't mess with my mouse! Ah, but mess they must. Last week, Disney rocked at least a half-block of downtown Burbank by announcing they are about to reinvent Mickey Mouse. Their new video game is titled Epic Mouse, and in it the cleany-squeak, cheesy Logo on Two Legs will act selfish, mean, and sneaky.

SideShow asks the universe: Why not? Before becoming an ambassador for crazed, grinning American cheerfulness, murine Mick was often arch and bothersome fun. Think of "Steamboat Willie," where he gets into all sorts of trouble. Or "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" in Fantasia, in which Mickey gets more brooms moving than a midwinter curling convention in Saskatchewan.

Some reports, unverified, suggest Minnie Mouse is behind the move. Bored with Mr. Smiley Rodent, she allegedly began a decadelong affair with Goofy in 1988, only to break it off after Daisy Duck threatened to release compromising photos taken at a drunken party in the Disney back lot. A social alcoholic, bored to mania, emotionally frustrated, and yearning for the bright lights of yesterday, Minnie reportedly asked her milquetoast, goody-good husband, "What are you, a mouse or a . . . a mouse?"

Lady Gaga saves face

Lady Gaga showed her face in public - and it's cute, actually! The popstress, born Stefani Germanotta, appeared on the German talk show Wetten Dass . . . (meaning Want to Bet?) on Saturday, in outrageous mile-high platform boots and mad black pantaloons - but took off her shades and had on normalish makeup and no other face-canceling devices. We like Lady G because her left arm is tattooed with words from the great poet Rainer Maria Rilke. She has called Rilke "my favorite philosopher." Close. . . . And now the news!: Lady G is bringin' her Monster Ball tour to town Dec. 3 - if by town we mean Camden, home of the Susquehanna Bank Center. Tix at Livenation.com.

One-shotties, hotties, hunks & hoots

Comedian Katt Williams, of BET, Friday After Next and Norbit, has been jailed in Georgia on charges of burglary and criminal trespassing. Bond was to be set late yesterday. . . . OK, let's get this straight: Gwyneth Paltrow has signed up to play the wife of Nicole Kidman? Hello? It's twoo, it's twoo! The 2000 novel The Danish Girl, by David Ebershoff, tells the true tale of Einar Wegener, the first male postoperative transsexual, who changed his name to Lili Elbe. It is now to be a movie. So, OK, Nicole will play Einar/Lili, and Gwyn will play Gerda, his-then-her faithful wife. Gwyn replaces Charlize Theron, originally picked for the part. Why couldn't they have kept Charlize to play Einar and then Nicole could play Lili and Gwyn Gerda? Simple enough. . . . BTW, Coldplay front guy (and Gwyn front guy) Chris Martin is suing Brit tab the Star after it reported him kissing on Another Woomon at a concert. . . . The Tease Factory, Part MMDCC: Taylor Swift sang a cute song to open last week's Saturday Night Live, and did girl ever get some bidness done!! She (a) tweaked Kanye West for wrecking her Video Music Awards moment awhile back; (b) smacked washed-up kid-rocker Joe Jonas, who dumped her ("that guy who broke up with me on the phone,/But I'm not gonna mention him in my monologue"), and (c) threw us all a bone by sort-of saying, yeah, she's got a thang happenang with Twilight werewolf person Taylor Lautner . . . Taylor and Taylor . . . the tune "Monologue Song (La, La, La)" is a hit on YouTube (http://go.philly.com/taylorswift2). . . . Conservative bloggers are afume at Sesame Street, the sainted kids' show that turns 40 ever-young years old today!!! The show recently re-aired an old epi in which Oscar the Grouch launches a TV channel called GNN (Grouchy News Network). Grundgetta, an upset viewer, calls Oscar's show and says, "From now on, I'm watching Pox News. Now there's a trashy news show!" Conservative bloggers are apoplunktic with apopoxy, suspecting a slur on the respective merits of CNN and Fox News. SideShow can't imagine why. . . . Demi Moore showed wit when challenged, yet again, about the Age Gap between herself, 47, and her babyhuzz, Ashton Kutcher, 31. In the December issue of W, she says that, instead of "cougar," she'd like to be called "puma." Prrrrfect.

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Contact "SideShow" at sideshow@phillynews.com. This column contains information from Inquirer wire services.