Odd Couples

Okay, MuzikMafia's Big & Rich (John Rich and Big Kenny) did duets (tri-ets?) with both Wyclef and John Legend on their latest CD, Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace. Big & Rich and Wyclef doing a reggae-country tune — talk about a train wreck. It got us to thinking, though. What other odd couples might we see releasing tracks? Gwen Stefani and the Dixie Chicks doing a salsa cut? R. Kelly and Toby Keith on a black metal anthem? Janet Jackson throwing her hat in with Björk? We looked around, and this is what we found:

Diddy and Michael Bublé teamed up on a cut called "She Hate, I Hate." The romantic ballad is not only seven minutes and 14 seconds long, it includes both a symphony orchestra and the understudies from Stomp. It's crawling up the charts at a super-slow pace, which Bublé has publicly blamed on Diddy's refusal to promote the record. Diddy, however, is too busy touring behind his just-released CD, Diddy Sings the Classics.

Ice-T and the Muppets developed such a great working relationship after the rapper appeared on Miss Piggy's PETA telethon that they have plans to put out a children's album that reinforces pre-K readiness skills. There's "This is the Way We Wipe Our Butts, Wipe Our Butts, Wipe Our Butts" and "There was an Old Crackhead Who Lived in a Shoe." No word on a final title, but Kermit the Frog has referred to it as the Wack, Crack and Paddy Jack album in recent interviews.

Kelly Clarkson and Larry the Cable Guy are putting the finishing touches on Endless Love,a collection of duets. Clarkson credits Larry with helping her to find her inner trailer park ho'. The first single is "Spanking Ass in a Doublewide," supposedly based on an actual Clarkson/Cable Guy incident.

Corinne Bailey Rae, Gretchen Wilson and Pink are the hottest girl group to hit the charts in years. They supposedly met backstage at a Bone Thugs-n-Harmony concert. First Wilson guested on Pink's new CD, then Pink was featured on Rae's latest release, and now the trio have come together to put down a series of "countrap" (country-rap) tunes.

Hank III and Amy Winehouse. Nothing has been recorded so far. Rumor is Hank III misunderstood the invitation to appear on the new Winehouse album. He thought his agent, who is British, said "A' my winehouse," and so the rocker is still wandering the studios waiting to get his drink on. (It's not the first time the agent's accent has confused things. Last year he told reporters he was on "fag patrol" when Hank III was trying to quit smoking.)