1:57:02 PM 3/25/2010

.Mac (Apple Computer, Inc.)

Music matters, especially online

Established services such as Spotify and We7, and newcomers such as mflow, are music sites built for the needs of web users

03-25-10 A new campaign, Music Matters, launched this week to remind people of the power of music and to encourage them “to consume music in an ethical way”. Backed by artists, retailers, record labels and others from the music industry, the campaign will provide a Music Matters Trustmark to websites that offer legal music. Full story


Buyer Beware: Why Artists Should Do A 180 On "360" Deals

03-22-10 I've been very fortunate to be affiliated with artists and their managers who have collectively sold over 300 million records. Not once during my three decades in practice did I ever get a call from a record company executive who said, "Hey Bob, we just had a phenomenally profitable year and therefore we are sending your client a big bonus check to show our appreciation for making the label lots of money." Full story


Danny Glover tries to save Hugo Boss jobs in Ohio

03-23-10 BROOKLYN, Ohio (AP) -- Actor and activist Danny Glover has offered hugs and moral support to Cleveland-area workers at a men's suit plant that faces a shutdown next month with the loss of 375 jobs. Full story


Pink Floyd wins battle with EMI over online sales

03-11-10 LONDON (AP) -- Album lovers may rejoice a little at last: a British court says Pink Floyd, purveyor of iTunes-unfriendly concept records, cannot be unbundled.


Top lobbyist for Hollywood movie industry leaving

10-19-09 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The face of Hollywood's movie industry in Washington is leaving the post next year, prompting a casting call for one of this city's most coveted lobbying jobs. Full story


Adults lead 'Wild Things' $32.5M box-office rumpus

10-18-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) --"Where the Wild Things Are" proved a bigger hit with adult audiences than family crowds as the adaptation of Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book debuted at No. 1 with $32.5 million. Full story


Sony: Michael Jackson Album Will Be Sold on iTunes, Contrary to Report

10-15-09 Michael Jackson’s posthumous album “This Is It” will be sold through iTunes, Sony told Wired.com, contradicting a Digital Music News report that Apple’s policy of insisting that songs be sold individually had cost it the chance to sell the album. Full story


Beyond iTunes: streaming music services

10-15-09 Mention “streaming music services” around the typical gaggle of Mac users and it’s like you’ve suggested that the Mona Lisa would benefit from the application of devils horns, an eye patch, and the words “Windoze Rulez!” scrawled across her beguiling mug with permanent marker. Full story


Clooney laments decline in media standards

10-15-09 LONDON (AP) -- George Clooney thinks something has gone wrong when the media prints celebrity rumor and innuendo as fact. Full story


New Michael Jackson single debuts online

10-12-09 LONDON (AP) -- Michael Jackson returned to the airwaves Monday with a new song - the first from an upcoming musical documentary featuring the troubled superstar. Full story


Fans check in for 'Couples Retreat' with $35.3M

10-11-09 "Swingers" co-stars Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau buddied up for the weekend's top movie as "Couples Retreat" debuted with $35.3 million, while the micro-budgeted fright flick "Paranormal Activity" leaped into the top 10. Full story


T.I. wins BET awards from prison; Kanye a no-show

10-10-09 ATLANTA (AP) -- T.I. didn't need to attend the BET Hip-Hop Awards to win two trophies on Saturday. Full story


Baltimore statue of Billie Holiday rededicated

07-17-09 BALTIMORE (AP) -- A statue of Billie Holiday has returned to the former black entertainment district in Baltimore where the lady once sang the blues. Full story


Mementos of MJ buried at storied Detroit cemetery

07-17-09 DETROIT (AP) -- Woodlawn Cemetery is the final resting place for civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks and many of the Motor City's musical elite, including members of the Four Tops and living legend Diana Ross also has a site reserved. Full story


Apple's App Store Downloads Top 1.5 Billion in First Year

07-14-09 CUPERTINO, Calif., July 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple(R) today announced that customers have downloaded more than 1.5 billion applications in just one year from its revolutionary App Store, the largest applications store in the world. The App Store is also growing at an incredible pace with more than 65,000 apps and more than 100,000 developers in the iPhone(TM) Developer Program. Full story


Russell Brand returns to host the VMAs

07-14-09 NEW YORK (AP) -- MTV liked Russell Brand so much, they called him back for more. Full story


Microsoft is launching a music streaming service this month
Microsoft is gearing up to launch a music streaming service similar to Spotify by the end of this month.

07-13-09 The service, which Microsoft aims to have ready by the end of July, will offer users the chance to stream music for free and also download to own. Full story


'Bruno' sashays to box-office fame with $30.4M

07-13-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Gay Austrian fashion devotee Bruno has landed the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office, though it's uncertain how much staying power he has. Full story


Jackson's mother loses control of son's estate

07-06-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A judge said Monday that Michael Jackson's longtime attorney and a family friend should take over the pop singer's estate for now, rejecting a request from Jackson's mother to be put in charge or share control. Full story


Lionel Richie joined by Commodores at Essence fest

07-06-09 NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Lionel Richie got a little help from his former bandmates to close out the weekend's Essence Music Festival: Members of The Commodores joined him on stage to sing several of their hits, including "Brick House" and "Just to be Close to You." Full story


Attorney says Debbie Rowe won't be at memorial

07-06-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- An attorney for Debbie Rowe says Michael Jackson's ex-wife is backing out of plans to attend the pop superstar's memorial service. Full story


Essence Fest celebrates black music, culture

07-03-09 NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Queen Latifah dropped by the Essence Music Festival on Friday to help celebrate its 15th year of uplifting and empowering the African-American community through issues-filled seminars by day and high-powered musical performances by night. Full story


Michael Jackson Music Sales Surge Could Last For Months

07-02-09In the days following Michael Jackson's June 25 death, fans flocked to record stores and digital music outlets to purchase one last memory. And merchants say they expect the Jackson sales surge to last for weeks—maybe even months. Full story


Michael Jackson's Estate: Saved by the Beatles

07-01-09 Will Michael Jacksons' three children, Michael Joseph Jr., Paris Michael and Prince Michael II, end up paupers? The answer rests on the value of the performer's largest asset: his 50% stake of a music publishing company called Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Full story


'Endless' supply of music in Jackson's vaults

07-02-09 NEW YORK (AP) -- Michael Jackson had a mountain of unreleased recordings in the vault when he died - music that is almost certain to be packaged and repackaged for his fans in the years to come. Full story


'Do The Right Thing' still asks burning questions

06-29-09 NEW YORK (AP) -- Twenty years later, the trash can is still crashing through America's window. At the climax of Spike Lee's 1989 drama "Do The Right Thing," the eternal battle between love and hate teeters on a razor's edge. The young black man Radio Raheem has been choked to death by white police after a fight with a Brooklyn pizzeria owner. A seething crowd gathers in front of the shop.Full story


`Transformers': Worst-reviewed $400 million hit?

06-29-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- After just five days, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" is halfway to $400 million domestically, a box-office milestone only eight other movies have reached. If it climbs that high, the "Transformers" sequel will be by far the worst-reviewed movie ever to make the $400 million club. Full story


Lawyer: Jackson's doc didn't give excessive drugs

06-29-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A lawyer for Michael Jackson's doctor said his client never gave or prescribed Jackson the painkillers Demerol or OxyContin, and denied reports suggesting that the doctor gave the pop star drugs that contributed to his death. Full story


Michael Jackson, `King of Pop,' dead at 50

06-25-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop" who once moonwalked above the music world, died Thursday as he prepared for a comeback bid to vanquish nightmare years of sexual scandal and financial calamity. He was 50. Full story


Perez Hilton sues Black Eyed Peas manager

06-24-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A new front has opened in the battle between Perez Hilton and the Black Eyed Peas manager accused of hitting him: a civil lawsuit. Full story


Jive-talking twin Transformers raise race issues

06-24-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" introduces some 40 new mechanized characters of all shapes, sizes and even sexes - but it's a pair of jive-talking 'bots that critics are singling out as more than just harmless comic relief. Full story


After 50 years, Motown endures in ailing Detroit

06-21-09 DETROIT, Michigan (AFP) — Fifty years after the birth of Motown, the music lives on as a legacy for a city that has seen more than its share of hard times in the past decades. Full story


Rihanna could testify today in Chris Brown case

06-22-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Rihanna may testify in the Chris Brown case today. He is due back in court for a preliminary hearing, after which a judge will decide whether there is enough evidence for his case to go to trial. Full story


Bullock's 'Proposal' woos date crowds with $34.1M

06-22-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Movie audiences accepted a proposal from Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, who scored the summer's first big romantic comedy hit. Full story


'Up' maintains No. 1 box-office altitude with $44M

06-07-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Two live-action comedies were unable to bring down the animated adventure "Up." Disney and Pixar Animation's "Up" reeled in $44.2 million to remain on top of the box office for the second weekend in a row, according to studio estimates Sunday. Full story

Report: PSP won't get music downloads soon

06-01-09 Could the disaster that was Sony's Connect music service have soured the international conglomerate on offering downloads at the PlayStation Network? Full story


Conan O'Brien makes debut on 'The Tonight Show'

06-02-09 NEW YORK (AP) -- Conan O'Brien debuted as host of "The Tonight Show" with a jog across the country to Los Angeles and other comedy bits on his entry into a strange new West Coast culture. Full story

Microsoft unveils motion control for Xbox 360

06-01-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Gamers, get ready for your close-up. Microsoft introduced a prototype camera Monday that can be used as a controller for the Xbox 360. Codenamed "Project Natal," the camera eliminates the need for a handheld input device - instead, the gizmo can track a player's full body movement, recognize their face and voice, scan images of real items and respond to both physical and vocal commands. Full story


In Music, Apple’s Strength Becomes a Vulnerability

05-31-09 One of Apple’s (AAPL) great successes this decade has been its ability to unite the cell phone, the portable MP3 player and the music store in one ingenious handheld device, the iPhone. Full story


Sony Agrees to Provide Its Older Songs to eMusic

06-01-09 In another example of struggling major music labels and Internet services finding common ground, Sony Music Entertainment has agreed to make its back catalog of songs available on eMusic, one of the largest music retailers on the Web. Full story


'Twilight' takes a bite out of MTV Movie Awards

06-01-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The MTV Movie Awards were a blood bath Sunday night with "Twilight" taking five trophies, including best movie. But it was Sacha Baron Cohen who gave the show its trademark bizarro moment when he landed upside-down on the lap of Eminem, who may or may not have been deeply offended. Full story


Pixar goes `Up' with $68.2 million debut weekend

05-31-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The animated action comedy "Up" took flight with a $68.2 million opening weekend, maintaining a perfect box-office track record for Pixar Animation, whose 10 films all have been commercial and critical hits. Full story


'Guitar Hero 5' promises expanded options

05-28-09 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Activision, publisher of the best-selling music game series "Guitar Hero," is looking to expand its audience with this fall's "Guitar Hero 5," with new features designed for casual players and die-hard fans alike. Full story


Rapper Jay-Z close to a deal with Sony

05-25-09 NEW YORK (AP) -- Twitter, the Web site that asks what everybody's doing, says it wants to be doing a TV series. Full story


Study: Mobile Shopping Poised for Growth

05-27-09 Americans are gradually warming up to the idea of buying things via their mobile phones, particularly young adults and men, found a new study conducted by Harris Interactive for the mobile credit card security firm Billing Revolution. Full story


Brown sued by photographer for bodyguard scuffle

05-28-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- On the day Chris Brown took to YouTube to say he's "not a monster," a photographer sued the R&B singer, saying Brown's bodyguards beat him as he tried to take pictures at a gym. Full story


Mobile Music Keeps Humming As Music Industry Shrinks

05-26-09 If you’ve followed the music biz’s uncomfortable adaptation to the online age, you’ve probably heard this one before: One segment within the industry is taking “a larger slice of a shrinking pie.” A new study from U.K.-based Juniper Research forecasts modest growth worldwide in mobile music over a five-year period, as the larger music industry continues to flounder. Full story


Amy Winehouse dropped from Quincy Jones tribute album
Singer did not deliver track to legend on time

05-26-09 Amy Winehouse has been dropped from a forthcoming tribute album to production legend Quincy Jones. Full story


Google Bans Music Uploads From Blogs

05-26-09 Google has banned subscribers to its Korean blogging platform, Textcube (www.textcube.org), from uploading songs onto their blogs, citing the country's new anti-file sharing provisions aimed at thwarting online piracy. Full story


Rapper T.I. to report to Ark. federal prison

05-26-09 FORREST CITY, Ark. (AP) -- Police guarded the rural road leading to Forrest City's federal prison complex Tuesday, awaiting the arrival of rapper T.I. to begin serving time on a weapons conviction. Full story


Web service Twitter proposes TV competition series

05-25-09 NEW YORK (AP) -- Twitter, the Web site that asks what everybody's doing, says it wants to be doing a TV series. Full story


'Night at the Museum' tops 'Terminator'

05-25-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" claimed a box office victory over "Terminator Salvation." Full story


T.I. packs Atlanta arena before heading to prison

05-25-09 ATLANTA (AP) -- Grammy-winning rapper T.I. told fans he would stay optimistic when he heads to prison on a federal weapons conviction. Full story


Thousands turn out to mourn Wayman Tisdale

05-21-09 TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- With his casket carried in a horse-drawn carriage, Wayman Tisdale was remembered Thursday as a basketball star and gifted musician by thousands of mourners swaying to gospel tunes. Full story


Greg Kot: How the Internet Changed Music

05-21-09 In 1998, Death Cab for Cutie was just another tenderhearted indie-rock band signed to a minor record label, playing empty clubs for $50 a night. But after two years of soul-crushing obscurity, something strange happened: people started going to the band's shows. The crowds were small but enthusiastic, and concertgoers told the same story: they'd found the group's songs on the Internet. Full story


YouTube struggling with music right fights three fronts

While three of the four major record companies and many independent labels have deals in place with YouTube, the Google-owned video service really is struggling to get deals done with the songwriter collecting societies.

05-21-09 Following their very public falling out with PRS For Music here in the UK, and with PRS counterparts GEMA in Germany, squabbles that have led to YouTube pulling all premium music video content in those territories, news today of ongoing legal wranglings between the video service and one of the US's songwriter royalty bodies, ASCAP. Full story


Rapper Jay-Z confirms split with Def Jam records

05-21-09 NEW YORK (AP) -- There will be no encore for Jay-Z and Def Jam. The rapper confirms reports that he has left the record company where he made most of his biggest hits and went from artist to president, and back to artist again.Full story


Apple warns of static shock from iPhone, iPod

05-19-09 iPhone and iPod users may experience a "small and quick" shock via their earbuds due to a buildup of static electricity, Apple warned Monday. Full story


Michael Jackson postpones some London shows

05-20-09 LONDON (AP) -- Michael Jackson's representatives announced Wednesday that the elusive King of Pop will postpone several of his London comeback shows scheduled for this summer. Full story


Rapper's shooting may have had roots in Atlanta dispute

Police today identified the man who allegedly shot and killed Atlanta rapper Dolla, above, at the Beverly Center as Aubrey Louis Berry, 23, of Georgia. Sources say Dolla and the man suspected of killing him had an altercation last week at a strip club last frequented by the hip-hop community.

05-20-09 Reporting from Los Angeles and Atlanta -- Los Angeles police are checking reports that the fatal shooting of rapper Dolla at the Beverly Center had its roots in a dispute the rapper had with an events promoter who on Tuesday was arrested on suspicion of murder. Full story


Kanye West pleads not guilty over paparazzi incident

05-19-09 Kanye West has pleaded not guilty to charges arising from a scuffle with a paparazzi photographer last year. Full story


'24' ends season on high note, with Jack Bauer low

05-19-09 NEW YORK (AP) -- Even if the world had been applauding Jack Bauer at the season's end of "24," he couldn't hear them. Full story


Analysis: What Can Replace Falling CD Revenues?

05-18-09 CD sales are down 19.3% through May 10, translating to roughly $270 million in lost revenue this year and leaving a $162 million revenue gap, when taking into consideration other revenue streams, according to Billboard analysis (a breakdown is listed at the bottom). Full story


Eminem Seals Exclusive Deal With Universal Music Publishing Group

Eminem has signed an exclusive worldwide deal, which includes 'Relapse' and 'Relapse 2', with Universal Music Publishing Group.

05-13-09 Gearing up to drop his new album "Relapse" in U.S. on May 19 and already releasing several singles off it, Eminem inks an exclusive worldwide deal with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG). The deal includes Eminem's new album and its sequel "Relapse 2". Full story


Music marketing takes center stage at iLike

05-13-09 Social music start-up iLike has come a long way from its early days as the way to "dedicate a song" to your friends on Facebook. Full story


What Now? Future Issues for the Music Industry

05-11-09 What fate for existing acts and future for new acts?

WITH TRADITIONAL record labels in a state of disarray, there's no shortage of new business models jostling to take up the slack. Propositions include bands like Groove Armada signing to a drinks company to release their music to 360 deals, where one entity oversees all aspect of a band's output, from music publishing and sales to live tours and merchandise. Full story


Hugh Jackman and Beyonce To Collaborate

05-11-09 Hugh Jackman thinks teaming up with Beyonce sounds like a good idea. Full story


Jury clears rapper Snoop Dogg of man's beating

05-09-09 (AP) A civil jury says Snoop Dogg didn't hit a man who came up on stage during a 2005 concert near Seattle. Full story


'Star Trek' has galactic $76.5M opening weekend

05-10-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Star Trek" beamed itself up to the top of the box office, earning $76.5 million in its opening weekend. Full story


Labels dissatisfied with MySpace Music performance
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The good news for MySpace Music is that its record label backers are pleased with the traffic the site is attracting. The bad news is that the 8-month-old service has yet to turn that big audience into big dollars.

05-06-09 At a MySpace Music board meeting last month, the company's CEO, Courtney Holt, got an earful from several music label representatives, according to multiple music industry sources. Full Story


Toni Braxton impersonator faces trial in Suriname

05-06-09 PARAMARIBO, Suriname (AP) -- A Las Vegas-based entertainer has been jailed after prosecutors said she tried to pass herself off as Toni Braxton at a concert, prompting the disappointed crowd to jeer and pelt the stage with trash. Her husband says she's the victim of a local con artist. Full story


Jay-Z Concert Loses Nearly $1 Million

05-05-09 Jay-Z’s superstar presence was not enough to make a recent Arizona Stadium concert a success, as event promoters confirmed the show posted a loss of $917,000. Full Story


Coldplay to give away freebie CD at gigs

05-01-09 Coldplay will give a live CD away for free to fans at gigs during their coming tour of North America, underlining the dwindling financial importance for successful groups of selling physical records. Full story


High court throws out ruling on Janet Jackson

05-04-09 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court on Monday ordered a federal appeals court to re-examine its ruling in favor of CBS Corp. in a legal fight over entertainer Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction. Full story


Jackman's `Wolverine' leads weekend pack with $87M

05-03-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- You can't keep a good X-Man down. Hugh Jackman's prequel "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" leaped to the top of the box office with an $87 million opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Full story


Wiki Operator Sues Apple Over Bogus Legal Threats

04-27-09 San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed suit against Apple Inc. today to defend the First Amendment rights of an operator of a noncommercial, public Internet "wiki" site known as BluWiki. Full story


'Golden Girls' star Bea Arthur dies at 86

04-26-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Beatrice Arthur, the tall, deep-voiced actress who considered herself lucky to be discovered by television executives after a long stage career that included a Tony award for the musical "Mame," died Saturday at age 86. Full story


Fans fixate on Beyonce as 'Obsessed' takes in $28M

04-27-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Audiences were in the mood for some fatal attraction action at the box office. Full story


Q&A: Anti-piracy ruling will have huge impact: Attorney

04-25-09 LONDON (Billboard) – "It's been a busy week," deadpanned Jo Oliver, several days after a Swedish court sentenced four men behind the notorious BitTorrent tracker site the Pirate Bay to a year in jail each, after they were found guilty of assisting in making copyrighted material available. Full story


Record Store Day celebrates indie retailers

04-18-09 PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Despite the success of online retailers, explosion of Internet downloads and high-profile closings of Virgin Megastores and Tower Records stores, bricks-and-mortar record stores aren't all spinning toward oblivion. Full story


Vinyl vitality: Indie record stores are surviving in an MP3, file-sharing world

04-13-09 When John Goddard closed his legendary Village Music store in Mill Valley in Sept. 2007, his longtime right-hand man, Gary Scheuenstuhl, stepped in to fill the void, opening his own record shop, Mill Valley Music, right down the street just six weeks later. Full story


Phil Spector convicted of second-degree murder
Music producer Phil Spector looks at the jurors as they arrive. Spector was found guilty of second degree murder in the shooting, six years ago, of actress Lana Clarkson.

04-13-09 Legendary music producer Phil Spector was convicted Monday of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of actress Lana Clarkson in his Alhambra mansion six years ago. Full story


Fast & Furious' accelerates to $72.5M opening

04-06-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Fast & Furious" left the competition in the dust with a $72.5 million opening weekend, the best so far this year. Full story


Andre 3000 charged with driving 109 mph in Ga.

03-30-09 MCDONOUGH, Ga. (AP) -- Andre 3000 of the hip hop duo Outkast has been charged with driving 109 mph on a highway in suburban Atlanta. Full story


3-D vs. 2-D: `Monsters' scores on added dimension

03-30-09 LAS VEGAS (AP) -- The cheesy 3-D gimmick of old Hollywood has become solid gold today. Full story


Universal Music Group Dominating Digital Sales

03-30-09 Universal Music Group, the biggest of the world's four major music companies, made the most money percentage- and dollar-wise from digital sales in 2008, according to the most recent earnings from each. Full story


Beyonce slams weight gain reports

03-27-09 R&B superstar Beyonce has slammed critics for suggesting she is struggling with a weight issue after she was pictured out in New York showing off a more rounded figure. Full story


Charge dropped against R&B singer Wayna

03-27-09 HOUSTON (AP) -- A judge has dismissed a charge against Grammy-nominated singer Wayna after she was arrested at a Houston airport for trying to bring a collapsible police baton through security. Full story


Rapper T.I. sentenced to year on weapons charges

03-27-09 ATLANTA (AP) -- Rapper T.I. was sentenced Friday to one year and a day in prison after pleading guilty to federal weapons charges after he tried to buy a stash of machine guns and silencers to protect himself after his best friend was killed. Full story


'LittleBigPlanet' wins big at video game awards

03-26-09 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- "LittleBigPlanet" sacked the competition to win four trophies at the Game Developers Choice Awards. Full story


R&B singer Wayna arrested at Houston airport

03-26-09 HOUSTON (AP) -- Grammy-nominated singer Wayna has been arrested at a Houston airport after trying to get on a plane with a collapsible police baton that she uses while performing. Full story


Party in Dubai may spell trouble for Wesley Snipes

03-26-09 ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Prosecutors in Florida want a judge to restrict actor Wesley Snipes' international travel because they say he attended a lavish party in Dubai while free on bond as he appeals a tax conviction. Full story


Jennifer Hudson slated to sing on `American Idol'

03-24-09 NEW YORK (AP) -- Jennifer Hudson is returning to "American Idol" - for one night only. Full story


Sutherland says he's on for 8th '24' season

02-16-09 HONG KONG (AP) -- Kiefer Sutherland will be back to play Jack Bauer for an eighth season of the hit counterterrorism drama "24," but the show's longevity will depend on its writers, the actor said Tuesday. Full story


Kanye West takes 'Heartbreak' on the road

03-24-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kanye West credits his dad for his risk-taking attitude. Full story


Chris Brown says he's `sorry and saddened'

02-16-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Chris Brown, who was arrested a week ago in connection with a domestic violence investigation, said Sunday he is "sorry and saddened" by what happened and is seeking counseling from his pastor and loved ones. Full story


`Friday the 13th' nails No. 1 spot with $42.2M

02-16-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Friday the 13th" had all the luck as the remake of the 1980 slasher flick opened with $42.2 million, putting blood and guts ahead of hearts over Valentine's Day weekend. Full story


Beyonce, Hudson win Image Awards

02-12-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- It was a dreamy night for a couple of "Dreamgirls." Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson both glided away with trophies Thursday and wowed the audience with individual performances during the 40th annual NAACP Image Awards. Full story


Usher's wife Recovering After Cardiac Arrest

02-12-09 SAO PAULO (AP) -- The wife of R&B singer Usher continues to recover in a Sao Paulo hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest shortly before undergoing plastic surgery, the spokeswoman of the doctor who was to perform the procedure said Thursday. Full story


Gospel singer Timothy Wright seriously hurt in Pa. accident; wife, wrong-way driver die