In the world of journalism, there’s something called “burying the lead.” Basically, that means hiding the main part of a story a few paragraphs in while the headline states a less important start of the story. It’s done all the time in media. It’s why Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension was announced the day before the NFL draft so it would be overshadowed by the draft. It’s also why some companies that have dismal quarterly earnings announce their results on Friday, hoping the rest of the world (and their investors) don’t notice and the media doesn’t report on it. You see what we’re getting at?

The 2010 version of the Ozzfest is going to be announced later tonight via Ozzy’s Twitter. It’s actually cool to see Ozzy/Sharon/management getting involved in social networking, and the way they unveiled the album art and will be announcing the lineup is pretty cool. But for them to do it on a Friday night after the 9-5 crowd and metal blogosphere has logged off for the weekend seems to suggest that the announcement itself might be a little underwhelming.

Going by rumor alone, the tour looks to be scaled back from previous Ozzfests, with less dates and fewer bands. Less dates is fine, and so are fewer bands, if those bands are good ones. Ozzfest is a brand by now, and that brand has been damaged for the last few years by inactivity and the “free” experiment. And in the past few years, multiple hard rock tours have sprung up, with Mayhem, the rumored Disturbed/Avenged Sevenfold/Stone Sour “Uproar” tour and the Sevendust/Shinedown/Chevelle’s “Carnival of Madness” tour. Not to mention this summer’s “American Carnage” tour with Slayer, Megadeth and Testament. It’s a crowded market, and many of the bands that might have played Ozzfest are already touring. With Ozzy’s new album and new lineup, interest for him is higher than it’s been in a while, and we hope that when the lineup is announced later today, it’s a good one. But we can’t help but be a little skeptical.