AP - Former "American Idol" contestant Paris Bennett has given birth to a daughter named Egypt.
R. Kelly seeks $3.4 million from tour promoter (AP)
AP - R. Kelly has won a $3.4 million award against his former tour promoter and is asking a Los Angeles judge to help him collect.
Oscar-winning duo mix old, new at L.A. show (Reuters)
Reuters - Most artists would save their best-known song -- an Oscar-winning song, yet -- for the end of a show or an encore. But not the Swell Season's Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.
Birdmonster: Music For All Stages
At first coming off like Fugazi raised on Bruce Springsteen, Birdmonster offers a nostalgic but innovative take on indie-rock. Now constantly on the road, the band took a tour-friendly approach to its new CD, with a nod to Tom Petty.
Slick Rick among honorees at VH1 Hip Hop Honors (AP)
AP - Even though he's considered one of rap's all-time greats, when Slick Rick is asked about his most significant accomplishment, he doesn't mention having a platinum-selling record, classic hits like "Children's Story" or even his most recent accolade — getting saluted as a pioneer at the "VH1 Hip-Hop Honors."
Miley Cyrus celebrates Sweet 16 at Disneyland (AP)
AP - Miley Cyrus' 16th birthday party was more boisterous than sweet. Cyrus celebrated the hallmark birthday at an over-the-top Disneyland celebration Sunday — even though she doesn't actually turn 16 until Nov. 23. The theme park was closed for the supersized soiree, which included a four-song performance by the teen queen and a fireworks display above Sleeping Beauty Castle and 16 giant inflatable candles.
Monk Tribute Albums That Aren't Terrible
Thelonious Monk, who would have been 91 on Thursday, wrote many great songs. But a great many covers of his music wind up butchered by interpreters who seem not to understand it. From the scores of full-length tributes, here are five which demonstrate the good sense to keep Monk weird.
Plushgun: 'Just Impolite'
In early 2007, singer and songwriter Daniel Ingala began writing and recording catchy, synth-driven pop music in his New York City apartment. He soon took on the moniker Plushgun, and uploaded his first song, "Just Impolite," to his MySpace page. The track quickly found an online audience, drawing more than a half-million page visits and thousands of new fans.
Liz Phair Revisits 'Exile'
Fifteen years after she released her groundbreaking album Exile in Guyville, the femme rocker is on tour, performing the album live in front of audiences. She discusses Exile's influence on herself as well as the music industry.
Crooked Still On Mountain Stage
Crooked Still is a group of Boston-based string-band revivalists who reinterpret traditional music. The band displays its fresh perspective on Mountain Stage, along with a guest appearance by Carrie Rodriguez.
Duffy: The British Invasion Continues
Welsh singer Duffy sings with a roughness and soul that's well suited to her style of Motown-influenced pop. She joins host World Cafe host David Dye with songs from her debut album, Rockferry.
Liz Phair's 'Exile In Guyville' Live
Fifteen years after it was released, Exile in Guyville still resonates — if not for its faded shock value, then for its brilliant songcraft. It remains a vivid, beautifully realized pastiche of hard rock, moody piano pieces and power-pop. To mark the 15th anniversary of its release, Phair gave this live performance of the entire album, recorded at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, Calif.
Pink's "So What" tops British pop charts (Reuters)
Reuters - American singer Pink has toppled Kings of Leon from the peak of the British pop charts with her single "So What," the Official UK Charts Company said on Sunday.
Antony And The Johnsons, Old School Soul, Cuban Jazz, And More
It's been three years since Antony and the Johnsons released a CD. The band is back with a new EP featuring the strangely haunting voice of frontman Antony Hegarty. Hear "Shake That Devil" from Another World. Also on the show: a live recording of the Buena Vista Social Club performing at Carnegie Hall; old school soul from singer Raphael Saadiq; the vivid imagery of singer David Eugene Edwards and Woven Hand; songwriter Scott Jared, a music therapist by day and Super XX Man by night; and a wrecking ball of an album from the Athens, GA band Dead Confederate.
Coldplay Heats Up Q Awards (E! Online)
E! Online - So much for crafting a rock-star attitude. Chris Martin, he of the newly crowned Best Act in the World Today, has reverted back to his humble beginnings.
Eddie Van Halen Pops the Question (E! Online)
E! Online - Forget teacher. Eddie Van Halen's hot for Janie.
Jimmy Kimmel returns as American Music Awards host (AP)
AP - Jimmy Kimmel is coming back to provide more laughs for the American Music Awards.
Mekaal Hasan: Making Music On The Fault Line
The turmoil in Pakistan affects every aspect of daily life. But musician Mekaal Hasan has chosen to stay, even though his band is revered beyond the country's borders. He can record, but security threats prevent him from playing concerts.
Mystery Illness Forces Janet Jackson to Nix More Shows (E! Online)
E! Online - Janet Jackson's concert cancellations are adding up as fast as concerns about her health.
Delta museum is a tribute to bluesman B.B. King (AP)
AP - Translucent images of long ago, of black men and women, backs bent, picking cotton under an unforgiving sun, are artistically displayed on standing glass panels in a museum carved out of an old brick gin mill in the Mississippi Delta.
Madonna gives fans a treat with "Sticky & Sweet" (AP)
AP - In a show defined by throbbing dance music, tight choreography, spectacular stage sets and stunning visuals, perhaps the most stirring moment during the kickoff concert to Madonna's "Sticky & Sweet" tour came when the Material Girl stood onstage with just her guitar and a few musicians for an acoustic set.
Songs Along The Campaign Trail
Classical music historian Robert Greenberg speaks with host Liane Hansen about historic campaign songs. Music and politics have been intertwined in the United States since the 1800s when President Thomas Jefferson and President John Quincy Adams were in office.
Basia Bulat: Making The Autoharp Cool
For many, the autoharp is remembered as the slightly geeky, easy-to-play instrument from grade-school music class, or as simple accompaniment for folk and country singers. But Basia Bulat, who sings and plays the autoharp on Oh, My Darling, hopes the time has come for people to discover the beauty and potential in the instrument.
John Adams Composes An American Life
There probably isn't a major symphony orchestra in the U.S. — or abroad — that hasn't played the music of John Adams. His distinctive sound has made Richard Nixon sing and won a Pulitzer Prize. His new autobiography, Hallelujah Junction, reveals an American composer's history.
Q&A: Impressionist Gless doubles as songwriter (Reuters)
Reuters - Celebrity impersonator Gilberto Gless is known for performing as Vicente Fernandez, Marco Antonio Solis, Luis Miguel and other famous singers on Univision and on Televisa specials.
Womack spins tales of "Crazy" love (Reuters)
Reuters - Three years after her last album was lauded by the industry but drew little attention on radio, country singer-songwriter Lee Ann Womack is back with "Call Me Crazy."
Vallenato duo bring Colombian genre to U.S. fans (Reuters)
Reuters - Vallenato, the traditional, accordion-anchored music of Colombia's Caribbean coast, has long been seen as a poor cousin of tropical music in the United States.
Ximena Sarinana Turns 'Hobby' Into Career
Young pop vocalist Ximena Sarinana used to act in telenovelas, but now she writes songs inspired by American pop and traditional Latin American music. Her debut album, Mediocre, is hitting sales charts and getting radio play on both sides of the border. All this from someone who calls music and acting "hobbies."
Adele: Chasing 'Pavements' And Pop Stardom
After releasing her debut album, 19, to critical acclaim earlier this year, British artist Adele was dubbed the next Amy Winehouse by the British press. The young singer-songwriter talks about her record and her new-found fame.
Renee Fleming: 'Four Last Songs' Of Strauss
Four Last Songs, by German composer Richard Strauss, is a song cycle marked by the awareness and acceptance of death. A new recording captures world-famous soprano Renee Fleming as she sings his last pieces for a second time — this time with a new direction.
Is Marriage Costing Mariah Carey Serious Money? (E! Online)
E! Online - Mariah Carey's first single from E=MC˛ was a smash, but two follow-ups?released after her marriage to Nick Cannon?bombed. Is marriage costing her?
The Easygoing Patriot
Jackson Browne on Obama's chances, what he learned from Dylan and living off the grid Making music is one of the greatest pleasures I've ever experienced — and I'm one who sought pleasure," Jackson Browne says with a quiet laugh on an early-autumn afternoon in a New York hotel room. But, he adds, "the heart of my activism is the belief that these pleasures are for everybody. If we continue what we're doing as a country . . . " He pauses. "We're all in the same boat. That's always been the subject of my songs. We only have a little time. It's a mess, so you do everything you...
The Surreal Life
Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes is obsessed with Prince, suicide, and borrowing his wife's tights. Meet rock's newest damaged genius. • Download music from Skeletal Lamping and watch Of Montreal perform live There are many things that Kevin Barnes' wife might prefer he not talk about. For instance, when she became pregnant a few years ago, the idea of becoming a father so terrified Barnes that he considered committing suicide. Or that after his daughter was born, his misbehavior on the road nearly destroyed their marriage. Or that he suffers from chronic depression, which he treats with the powerful antidepressant...
DJ AM Rep Says He's A-OK (E! Online)
E! Online - Don't let the bandages fool you?DJ AM is on the road to recovery.
Q&A: Chrissie Hynde
The Pretenders singer on moving back to Ohio, opening a vegan restaurant and her rootsy new record • Video: Behind the Scenes of the "Boots of Chinese Plastic" music video After her 2007 tour with the Pretenders, frontwoman Chrissie Hynde vowed not to return to the stage until she wrote some new material. "Frankly, it was just embarrassing that I hadn't had a record out in so long," she says. Now, after recently resettling in her childhood home of Akron, Ohio — she has lived primarily in London for the past 35 years — Hynde can hit the road and draw from a brand-new batch...
Carlos' Cosmic Bummer
Santana prepares for a tour and struggles with the pain of his divorce • Santana: The Essential Album-By-Album Guide • Video: Ask a Rock Star — Santana On a recent sunny morning, Carlos Santana steps out of a shiny black Mercedes at his headquarters in an industrial part of San Rafael, California. He looks pretty much like he's always looked, sort of gnarly, sort of groovy and not all that far removed from the soulful snaggletoothed 22-year-old Mexican man-boy who tore it up at Woodstock before he'd released a single album. He's timeless...
MySpace Music Takes on iTunes
Social-networking giant's new service streams millions of songs for free From Lily Allen to My Chemical Romance, MySpace has made its name as a career booster for rising acts. But can the social-networking site now do the same for the beleaguered music business? On September 25th, the company launched MySpace Music, which will allow fans to stream millions of hits and classics for free — as well as buy downloads of songs or albums. Other sites, legal and otherwise, have offered free streaming in the past, but MySpace's goal is much more ambitious: to create,...
Dead Man Good to Go for Obama Benefit (E! Online)
E! Online - First Barack Obama raised the Dead. Now he's healing the sick.
Make-Believe Maverick
A closer look at the life and career of John McCain reveals a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty • VIDEO: Five Myths About John McCain • The Double-Talk Express • Mad Dog Palin: The Full Story • Karl Rove's A-Team At Fort McNair, an army base located along the Potomac River in the nation's capital, a chance reunion takes place one day between two former POWs. It's the spring of 1974, and Navy commander John Sidney McCain III has returned home from the...
Alice In Chains to record first album in 13 years (Yahoo! Music)
Yahoo! Music - Alice In Chains are set to record a new album this year, their first in 13 years.
