`Glee,' `Modern Family' among GLAAD award winners

LOS ANGELES – "Glee," "Modern Family" and "Project Runway" are winners of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation's 22nd annual Media Awards.

Prizes for outstanding comedy series and reality program were among those presented at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles Sunday. Actor Sean Hayes presented entertainer Kristin Chenoweth with the Vanguard Award. Dolly Parton presented NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt with the Stephen F. Kolzak Award.

"Fort Worth Speech" on "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" was recognized as the year's outstanding TV journalism segment and "I Love You Phillip Morris" was honored as an outstanding film in limited release.

The GLAAD Media Awards honor media for accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities and the issues affecting their lives.

David Cassidy, Danny Bonaduce play Partridge song

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – And to think they did it without any help from Reuben Kincaid!

A mini-Partridge Family reunion was held Saturday in Atlantic City when David Cassidy and Danny Bonaduce played a song onstage together. They say it was only the second time in 40 years they've done so.

Bonaduce, a Philadelphia disc jockey, portrayed Cassidy's younger brother on the '70s TV hit, but lip-synched and only pretended to play the bass guitar on the show. On Saturday, after he did a standup comedy routine to open the show at Resorts Casino Hotel, Cassidy got him to play "Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted." Bonaduce learned that song for real when they played it together last October in suburban Philadelphia.

"We did it five, six months ago," Cassidy told The Associated Press. "He learned it — and then he put the bass away and didn't touch it. I know him."

"That's not true," Bonaduce insisted. "I just dusted it the other day."

"The Partridge Family" ran on ABC from 1970 through 1974. It centered on a musical family led by veteran actress Shirley Jones and her children playing light, infectious, hook-laden pop. Jones and Cassidy sang for real; the other actors on the show lip-synched and pretended to play instruments, including Susan Dey, who went on to star in the '80s legal drama "L.A. Law," Suzanne Crough, and Jeremy Gelbwaks and Brian Forster, who split the role of the band's drummer.

Since the show ended, Cassidy has enjoyed a long show biz career, including a solo singing stint during his teen idol phase, a starring role in the police series "David Cassidy: Man Undercover," and a critically acclaimed role on Broadway in "Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" in 1982.

Cassidy also appeared on the current season of NBC's reality show "The Celebrity Apprentice." He was the first contestant "fired" by Donald Trump.

Bonaduce is a radio personality on Philadelphia station WYSP and has starred on several reality TV shows. He has also engaged in celebrity boxing and wrestling matches, including bouts against former "Brady Bunch" actors and retired baseball player Jose Canseco.

Last fall, Cassidy, who has been touring regularly, told Bonaduce, "It's time you learned how to play the Partridge Family hits." Actually, he dared him.

"He knows I don't take dares lightly," Bonaduce said.

So he learned the five or so notes from the song, practiced a few times, and pulled it off. Then he put the red-and-white bass in its case and forgot about it.

"I have these guitars that I kind of collect," he said. "They're in the house so it looks like a musician lives there."

Because Bonaduce works only an hour or so away from Atlantic City at his Philadelphia radio job, Cassidy asked him to join him onstage for Saturday night's show.

"It's an easy song to play, but I don't know how to read music," Bonaduce said. "I asked a guy in the band, 'What the ... do these things mean? He said, "This means 'repeat, this means pause' and so on. When I realized I was going to get through it without screwing it up, I had a great time."

Introducing the song, Bonaduce asked the crowd, "You wanna see something nobody has ever seen before? Me, plugging in a bass guitar!"

Bob Dylan rocks Vietnam in special concert

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam – After nearly five decades of singing about a war that continues to haunt a generation of Americans, legendary performer Bob Dylan finally got his chance to see Vietnam at peace.

The American folk singer and songwriter known for his anti-war anthems gave a special concert Sunday in the former Saigon, nearly 36 years after the Vietnam War ended.

Dylan, 69, jammed on stage in a black jacket, purple shirt and white hat in the warm evening air, singing favorites such as "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" and "Highway 61 Revisited."

Only about half of the 8,000 seats at RMIT University were sold to a mix of Vietnamese and foreigners who danced on the grass as Dylan played guitar, harmonica and the keyboard. With more than 60 percent of the country's 86 million people born after the war, many young people here are more familiar with contemporary pop stars like Justin Bieber.

Still, Dylan's music during the tumultuous 1960s touched thousands of people in both nations.

"Bob Dylan's music opened up a path where music was used as a weapon to oppose the war in Vietnam" and fight injustice and racism, said Tran Long An, 67, vice president of the Vietnam Composers' Association. "That was the big thing that he has done for music."

An was a student in Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City, during the war and took to the streets with other Communist sympathizers calling for the killing to stop. He remains a big Dylan fan and has a large collection of the singer's records.

For some who were fighting in Vietnam's jungles, Dylan's music was a source of hope.

"We listened to anything that spoke of peace. We called him the peace poet," said Stan Karber, 60, of Fort Smith, Arkansas, who served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971 and has lived in Ho Chi Minh City for the past 15 years. "I'll be dancing here in a minute."

The fighting ended on April 30, 1975, when northern Communist forces seized the U.S.-backed capital of South Vietnam, reunifying the country. About 58,000 Americans were killed along with some 3 million Vietnamese.

Sunday's concert followed the 10th anniversary of the death of anti-war Vietnamese folk singer Trinh Cong Son, known as the "Bob Dylan of Vietnam." The opening Vietnamese acts played a tribute to Son, who remains highly popular.

Dylan is one of the top foreign artists to perform in Vietnam, where big-name concerts are still rare and the Communist government maintains strict controls over expression. Dylan's song list had to be preapproved by the government, but promoter Rod Quinton, general manager of Ho Chi Minh City-based Saigon Sound System, said no restrictions were placed on the extensive set list submitted.

Dylan received criticism earlier this week following his first-ever shows in China for allowing the Communist government there to vet his song list. Two popular anti-war songs, "The Times They Are a'Changin'" and "Blowin' in the Wind," were not performed at the Beijing and Shanghai shows, but it was unclear if they were submitted for consideration.

U.S.-based Human Rights Watch issued a statement saying, "Dylan should be ashamed of himself."

"The young Dylan wouldn't have let a government tell him what to sing," Brad Adams, executive director of the organization's Asia division, said in the statement. "He has a historic chance to communicate a message of freedom and hope, but instead he is allowing censors to choose his playlist."

Dylan's U.S. publicist referred questions to the promoters in Vietnam, who declined to comment.

Vietnam, while prospering as one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia, does not tolerate any challenge to its one-party rule. Rare protests are quickly quashed by security forces, and a spate of prominent pro-democracy activists have recently been arrested or given lengthy jail terms after calling for democracy. The government also routinely blocks access to websites considered a threat, including Facebook.

But the country, once defined by grainy images of U.S. planes dropping bombs over pockmarked jungles, has moved far beyond what Vietnamese here call the American War. Since the mid-1980s, Vietnam has embraced capitalism, and today's Ho Chi Minh City is electric with a sea of motorbikes buzzing past shops selling everything from knockoff North Face backpacks to real Chanel bags.

A single glass skyscraper defines the city skyline, but the flurry of construction in all directions assures visitors that more change is coming.

"The chances of watching Bob Dylan live are not many, and he's no longer young," said Hoang Dao Cam, 42, who flew from the capital, Hanoi, for the show with five other hard-core fans. He said his father taught him English at age 6 by singing "Blowin' in the Wind" to him. "I just cannot miss this opportunity."

Famed tenor delivers high Cs — and baby — in NYC

NEW YORK – Tenor Juan Diego Florez has really delivered: a host of high Cs to a worldwide audience of millions — and minutes earlier, his own baby boy in New York City.

Florez helped two midwives in the birth of his son, Leandro Florez, at 12:25 p.m. Saturday. The tenor had stayed up all night with his wife, Julia, after she went into labor at their rented apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

While the couple awaited the birth of their first child, the world waited for the 38-year-old Peruvian to sing the tenor lead in Rossini's comic opera "Le Comte Ory" at the nearby Metropolitan Opera — starting at 1 p.m.

The baby got the cue: He bawled first.

He came into the world in time for his daddy to hold him for a minute before rushing to the Met.

"It was beautiful," Florez said later in an interview during the broadcast. "It was a home birth with a pool, in the water, it was very nice and very calm."

But then, it was a mad rush. "I gave the baby to Julia," he said. "I was so sad to leave."

The show went on — a live transmission heard in movie theaters and on radio, also starring soprano Diana Damrau and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato.

Mother and baby were doing just fine, getting checkups at Manhattan's Roosevelt Hospital

"I didn't sleep all the night," Florez said, "but I'm so happy."

Folk singer, Highwaymen member Gil Robbins dies

LOS ANGELES – Gil Robbins, a folk singer, guitarist and member of the early 1960s group the Highwaymen, has died. He was 80.

Robbins died Tuesday at his home in Esteban Cantu, Mexico, Tracey Jacobs said Saturday night in an email to The Associated Press. Jacobs is a publicist for Robbins' son, the actor and director Tim Robbins.

Shortly before Gil Robbins joined the Highwaymen, the group had a major hit with "Michael," its version of "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore." When Robbins joined in 1962, he took the group in a more political direction, playing and singing baritone on five albums until their 1964 breakup. (A country music supergroup with Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash later shared the same name.)

Tim Robbins, star of "The Shawshank Redemption and director of "Dead Man Walking," said in a statement to the AP that Gil Robbins was "a fantastic father," "a great musician" and "a man of unshakeable integrity."

"His commitment to social justice was evident to us from an early age, as was his infectious mischievous sense of humor," Tim Robbins said. "His passing has created great sadness for all of us and our mother but we take comfort in knowing that the angels will soon be soothed by the songs coming from his beautiful baritone voice."

Father and son worked together on the 1992 film "Bob Roberts." Tim Robbins directed and played the title role of a right-wing, folk-singing U.S. Senate candidate from Pennsylvania. The actor's brother David Robbins wrote and recorded the film's ultra-conservative folk songs, and Gil Robbins was listed in the credits as a vocal coach and choral consultant.

Robbins was born in Spokane, Wash., and raised in Southern California, where he studied music at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Before joining the Highwaymen, he was already a well-known musician in the folk scene that surrounded New York's Greenwich Village as a member of the Cumberland Three and the Belafonte Singers, and as a friend to famous folkies like John Stewart and Dave Van Ronk, according to The New York Times, which first reported his death.

After the Highwaymen, Robbins managed the Gaslight Club on Greenwich Village's famously musical MacDougal Street.

Augustana owns its sound on self-titled third album

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Dan Layus of Augustana isn't sure which metaphor best suits his band's new self-titled album: On one hand it strikes him as "the final word at the end of a very long paragraph"; on the other, it resembles "the beginning of a brand-new chapter."

Either way, the 10-track set, due April 26 on Epic, "feels like a milestone for me personally and for the band," he said. "That's why calling our third record 'Augustana' just felt right."

Augustana's "very long paragraph" began with the band's plaintive 2005 hit "Boston," which cracked the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 and led quickly to high-profile tours with Maroon 5, the Fray and Counting Crows, among others.

And the rest of the story? "Learning to forge our own path in a way that would make this career sustainable," Layus said, as opposed to the stuff of one-hit wonderdom. "All of this got handed to us on a silver platter when we were 19, and in a lot of ways I wish it hadn't been; I wish we'd had to fight a little bit harder to get noticed. Instead, it went in reverse."

According to Nielsen SoundScan, Augustana's major-label debut, "All the Stars and Boulevards," has sold 345,000 copies; 2008's "Can't Love, Can't Hurt" is at 121,000.

"They had all this radio success while they were still figuring out who they were," said the band's manager Rich Egan, who also heads Vagrant Records. "So we went about building this as though they didn't have a hit. Now we're seven years and a couple of thousand shows down the road, and they've been able to build and become a much better band. If radio comes to the party, great; if not, we're still going to do what we do."

Egan said Epic has been "immensely supportive," though he admitted that Augustana has been through "a lot of transitions," including the label presidencies of both Charlie Walk and Amanda Ghost.

"I can bellyache like any manager that we're not getting this or that from the promo department," he said. "But the people at the label support this band like they're family. That's why we're still there."

Epic product marketing manager Arjun Pulijal said the label's campaign emphasizes the group's live show ("It's their best asset") and the "Americana/Petty/Springsteen vibe" emerging in Layus' songwriting.

In February the band performed at triple A radio confab Sunset Sessions, and on March 10 it played New York's Rockwood Music Hall for an audience of fans and gatekeepers; Augustana kicks off a month-long North American tour with the Maine on May 12 in Dallas.

Pulijal and Egan also pointed to licensing as an important revenue stream for Augustana. "We got music out to everyone before the Christmas break so they could really sit with the record and understand it," Pulijal said, noting that the CW's "One Tree Hill" is scheduled to feature two songs from the album (which was helmed by Kings of Leon producer Jacquire King) the week before release.

"Dan's voice just fits when it's put to a picture," Egan said, adding that Augustana might be his most-licensed client. "We're often the band that ends up staying," he said with a laugh. "We'll take it."

Classical guitarist Rolando Valdes-Blain dies

NEW YORK – Classical guitarist Rolando Valdes-Blain has died in New York City after a life spent performing to audiences from Broadway to the White House.

Valdes-Blain's family said Friday he died at home April 2. He was 89.

Valdes-Blain was born in Cuba and immigrated to New York as a child. In the 1930s he and his brother Alberto had a weekly music show on WNYC radio.

After serving in World War II he toured worldwide, performed with the Spanish Ballet and appeared in Tennessee Williams' Broadway play "Camino Real." He also composed the music for the play "Bullfight."

In 1955 Valdes-Blain was a soloist with the Radio City Music Hall orchestra. He founded the Guitar Department at the Manhattan School of Music, and in 1968 he performed at the White House.

Gucci Mane arrested, charged with battery in Ga.

ATLANTA – Rapper Gucci Mane was arrested Friday, accused of shoving a woman out of his Hummer in January as he was driving down a suburban Atlanta road, authorities said.

Gucci Mane, whose real name is Radric Delantic Davis, was charged with battery, according to jail records, after he met with his probation officer.

Early Jan. 28, Davis approached Diana Graham, 36, at the South DeKalb Mall, according to a police report obtained by The Associated Press. She was waiting for a beauty supply store to open and Davis, 31, asked her if she wanted to get breakfast.

After she got into the Hummer, Mane told her he wanted to go to a hotel and said he would give her $150, and she refused, according to the report. At that point, police said, the rapper began shoving Graham out of the Hummer.

"Gucci Mane was able to push (the victim) out of the vehicle which was still moving," the report said.

She was taken by ambulance to Atlanta Medical Center to be treated for soreness and pain, police said, and warrant was put out for Davis' arrest.

A lawyer who has represented Davis in the past could not immediately be reached for comment. It wasn't immediately clear why Davis was currently on probation.

Gucci Mane has collaborated with Mariah Carey and Usher, churning out street anthems like "Wasted" and "Go Head," featuring Man Bre-Z. His third album, "The Appeal: Georgia's Most Wanted" debuted No. 4 on Billboard's Top 200 chart last year.

In March 2010, during a telephone interview from the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, he told AP that he was more at peace with himself and was trying to figure out his next career moves. He was in the jail serving a six-month sentence after a 2009 probation violation.

Prince to play 21-night residency in Los Angeles

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – Prince will continue his residency-style "Welcome 2 America" tour with a whopping 21-date stand in Los Angeles, beginning on April 14 at the Forum. The artist made the announcement via a phone call on George Lopez's show Thursday night.

"I will be starting a 21-night stand next Thursday the 14th at the L.A. Forum with the New Power Generation and a whole gang of special guests," Prince said. "I'm gonna blast the roof off that place, I promise!"

A rep for the singer later clarified to the Los Angeles Times that not all of the dates will be at the Forum, and said detailed will be available soon.

Prince then said he'll appear on Lopez's show on Wednesday night to discuss the residency further. More information was not available at press time; information about the shows had not yet appear on the Forum's website.

Since December, Prince has played residency-style concert series in the New York area, North and South Carolina, and Oakland, Calif.

Many of the hits-heavy shows have featured guest appearances -- ranging from Cee Lo Green, Sheila E. and Carlos Santana to Kim Kardashian and Leighton Meester -- and a series of stellar opening acts, including Janelle Monae, Esperanza Spalding, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings and more.

Eliminated `Idol' singer got medic, judge aid

LOS ANGELES – Pia Toscano says she expected to land in the bottom three on "American Idol" but felt overwhelmed when she was eliminated that she needed a little medical assistance.

The 22-year-old singer from New York City said Friday that she had a medic walk her offstage at the end of Thursday's show in Los Angeles. She says she needed help because she had a "little bit of a moment."

Toscano didn't offer details, but says she's fine after receiving aid — and the support of the show's judges.

Judges Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez expressed shock on the air that the audience vote failed to keep Toscano in the competition.

The songbird says the "American Idol" panel offered her love and support later.

'Idol' it's not: New show wants country superstar

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It will take more than just a good voice to win the new country music talent competition, "CMT's Next Superstar."

Contestants also have to prove their songwriting skills, musical chops and media savvy through weekly challenges on the new show, premiering Friday night.

"This is not a shiny-floor show," said executive producer Nigel Lythgoe in a recent interview. "This is a get-down-and-dirty show. If we want you to go out to a biker bar, that's where you're going to go. You're not just in Hollywood on a Los Angeles stage."

If you think that's a dig at "American Idol," consider the source. Lythgoe is the executive producer for "Idol," too. He has teamed with his son, Simon, also an "Idol" producer, to launch the new show, because as he put it, "Country deserves its own program."

The two are well aware of the country music talent show predecessor, "Nashville Star," that aired on USA Network from 2003-2007 and on NBC in 2008, before it was canceled. But they aren't worried about comparisons. In fact, producers considered suing "Nashville Star" at the time because of its similarity to "Idol".

"This is a completely different show," said Simon. "We change venues every single episode. We have challenges that put the contestants to the test in how they interview on radio. We put them to the test in their marketability for example. Their songwriting is a huge, key factor in this series."

Five women and five men made the final cut after a nationwide search. The youngest is 22 and the oldest, "Waitin' on a Woman" songwriter Wynn Varble, is 50. The contestants live together in a house in Nashville that used to belong to Kenny Chesney, and parts of the show are filmed there. Producers dubbed it the Music Mansion.

"When people go on tour together, they have to live, sleep and eat together," said Simon of the rationale to put cameras in the house. "A lot of the time, they actually help each other. They work off each other. Other times they drive each other nuts."

While competing on a reality talent show can be a major career launch, like it was for Carrie Underwood when she won "American Idol" in 2004, the decisions artists make afterward determine their longevity. Miranda Lambert came in third on "Nashville Star" in 2003, and Chris Young won in 2006. However, their success didn't come to fruition until years later, after a lot of hard work and staying true to themselves.

"I think the big thing about any of these programs, whatever the program is, it acts as a springboard," said Nigel. "It's a platform for a career, it does not guarantee stardom. That's down to the public. That's down to the records they release. It's down to the public buying those records. Just because the public picks up a telephone to vote for you doesn't mean (they're) going to buy your record."

Rotating guest judges will join Emblem Music Group owner Matt Serletic throughout the 10 episode series to send one person home each week. Viewers will determine the ultimate winner, and that person will get a record deal with a label that will be announced soon.

First book of John Lennon letters to be published

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Yoko Ono has granted permission for the first collection of letters by John Lennon to be published, publisher Little, Brown and Company said on Friday.

The book, titled "The Lennon Letters," will be published in October, 2012 and include hundreds of letters and postcards the late Beatle wrote to friends, family, newspapers and organizations, the publisher said in a statement.

It will be edited by British journalist Hunter Davies, who wrote the only authorized biography of The Beatles. The letters will be arranged in chronological order to give a sense of the musician's life.

"For the first time, John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, has given permission to publish a selection of his letters," the publisher said in a statement, describing the book as "an international publishing event."

Lennon was murdered outside his New York apartment building in December 198O by deranged fan Mark David Chapman. He was 40.

Lennon's letters were in tone "funny, informative, campaigning, wise, mad, poetic, anguished and sometimes heartbreaking," the statement said and added the letters will be reproduced as they were made, in Lennon's handwriting or typing, as well as "the odd cartoon or doodle."

A spokeswoman for Little, Brown and Company did not give any specific examples of letters to be included in the book, nor how many were in Ono's possession. Over the years many of Lennon's letters have been sold to dealers and collectors at auctions around the world.

In Britain the book will be published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

Country star Strait buys Texas golf resort stake

BOERNE, Texas – Country superstar George Strait is taking a swing at another of his passions: golf.

Strait says he and his business partner, Tom Cusick, have purchased the Tapatio (tap-uh-TEE'-oh) Springs Golf Resort and Conference Center in Boerne (BER'-nee), about 25 miles northwest of San Antonio.

Strait says they bought the resort from Textron Financial Corp. and that the deal was closed April 1. He does not provide terms of the deal in his Friday news release.

Textron bought the resort in a foreclosure auction last June for $4.5 million.

The resort, founded in 1981, has three nine-hole courses and more than 100 hotel rooms.

Strait is an avid golfer. He says he has played the resort's courses and always believed it "could be a real jewel."

Vote, but not Conservative: Canada's Arcade Fire

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Grammy-winning Canadian rock group Arcade Fire urged voters not to choose the ruling Conservatives in Canada's May 2 election, though the indie superstars said it was "really important" to get out to vote.

A statement on the band's website drew attention to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's opposition to the Kyoto climate change treaty and his support for the oil sands industry, a large emitter of greenhouse gases.

"It is about to be voting time. Our current leader has championed some pretty destructive initiatives on everyone's behalf," the Montreal-based band said. "Canada is still a pretty good country, and worth fighting for."

The band, which won the Grammy for album of the year for "The Suburbs," did not endorse a particular party.

Harper's office had no immediate response. The statement can be found at http://www.arcadefire.com/blog/hey-canadians

UK singer Pete Doherty given jail warning

LONDON (Reuters) – British musician Pete Doherty, best known as a member of Babyshambles and The Libertines, was warned by a judge on Friday that he could face time in prison for repeated drug offences.

Doherty, 32, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine at Snaresbrook Crown Court, east London, according to the Press Association.

Judge David Radford described Doherty's criminal record as "unattractive."

Addressing the singer's lawyer Peter Ratliff, he added: "When someone constantly commits the same offence the law must be made very clear. Is your client aware he could face a sentence?"

Doherty was granted unconditional bail and ordered to return to court for sentencing on May 20, a date when he is due to be touring.

The singer, wearing a dark blue two-piece suit and cravat, looked physically shaken by the court proceedings.

Doherty, who once dated supermodel Kate Moss, was arrested after police investigated the suspected overdose death of heiress Robin Whitehead, who spent the last 10 days of her life making a documentary about him.

The 27-year-old's film, "The Road To Albion," focused on Doherty's former band, The Libertines.

Doherty has said he was "shocked and saddened" following her death in January last year.

Eric Clapton jams in jazz set with Wynton Marsalis

NEW YORK – Eric Clapton fulfilled his childhood fantasy as he took a turn on the jazz side, collaborating with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for a little bit of swing at the orchestra's annual gala benefit.

"I've never done anything like this in my life before," said Clapton during Thursday's concert, which saw the Rock and Hall of Famer use his guitar skills to play jazz classics like "Joe Turner's Blues," "Corrine, Corrina" and "Ice Cream."

An admittedly nervous Clapton revealed that his love of jazz music went back to his childhood.

"I wanted to be in a jazz band as a kid, but the guitar took me away," he told the audience.

But for one night, at least, he was the star of one, running through songs he'd selected — and one that he didn't.

"Here's a song that I didn't really want to do," said Clapton. "I said the only way I'll do it is if Wynton would make it sound like it came out of New Orleans."

Clapton and company then launched into a sultry, jazzed-up version of his classic "Layla," complete with trumpets, a trombone and a clarinet.

Marsalis praised Clapton for not only donating his time for the event, which raised $3.6 million, but also for his deep knowledge of the genre.

"The depth of respect I have for this man...," said Marsalis as he lauded Clapton, adding that it was an honor to play with the rock god.

"So much is not what it's said to be," Marsalis said. "This man is for real."

The concert also featured a guest appearance from musical great Taj Mahal.

Vienna Philharmonic to play benefit gig for Japan

VIENNA – The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Vienna's State Opera say they will stage a benefit concert next month to help the victims of Japan's earthquake and tsunami.

The orchestra, opera company and other organizers said Friday that all proceeds from the May 18 performance will go to the Japanese Red Cross. An opera statement also said conductor Daniele Gatti and orchestra members will forgo their performance fees.

The ensemble — one of the world's best orchestras — will play Gustav Mahler's 9th Symphony at the opera house to mark the 100th anniversary of Mahler's death.

Cowell widens audition process for 'The X Factor'

NEW YORK – Simon Cowell wants to make sure he finds the most talented singer for the U.S. debut of "The X Factor." That's why he's set up audition studios in Nashville, Tenn.; Anchorage, Alaska; Kansas City, Kan.; and Denver throughout April.

"It probably isn't as fun as attending an open audition, but it is your chance to be seen and heard and I'm going to try to put these in as many cities as possible," the former "American Idol" judge said Thursday in a teleconference with reporters.

Cowell will be joined on the judges' panel by Antonio "L.A." Reid, former chairman of Island Def Jam Music, when the show premieres in September.

"The X Factor" is based on Cowell's British-born hit series and debuting on Fox this fall. At stake is a $5 million recording contract.

Those invited to the booths to sing must be at least 12 years old and can be solo artists or vocal groups. Each audition will be sent to the show's producers, and those selected will take part in callbacks.

The decision has not been made about who the third judge will be, but Cowell said that Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie has come up in discussions.

"Her name was put forward, but like with a lot of other people we've spoken to, we have to check out everyone's availability," he said. "There's a lot of time you have to put into this show. This is not a two-day-a-week process. When you're mentoring the contestants, you're working 5, 6 days a week."

Cowell hopes his show will produce audition moments that go viral.

"You want a moment where something magical happens in the audition room, and then outside of people watching the show, they're interested in the clip, and I'm always very, very aware of that," he said.

"You look at what happened to Rebecca (Black)," he continued, referring to the 13-year-old Internet sensation of the song "Friday." "She's gonna be laughing all the way to the bank. This would never have happened 10 years ago. Now she's known all over the world."

So far, Cowell said he and producers are pleased with the audition process for the show. Thousands turned out in Miami on Thursday, and Gloria Estefan made an appearance to get the crowd even more excited.

2 arraigned in shooting death of NYC DJ Megatron

NEW YORK – Two New York City men have been charged with murder in the shooting death of radio and TV personality DJ Megatron.

Twenty-one-year-old William Williams and 20-year-old Richard Cromwell appeared in court Thursday.

They were arrested Wednesday on charges of murder, robbery and criminal possession of a weapon. Their lawyers say they are not guilty.

Police say the 32-year-old disc jockey was shot once in the chest while walking to a store near his home on New York's Staten Island last month. His real name was Corey McGriff.

DJ Megatron worked on BET's "106 & Park" music countdown series, mainly in a role interacting with its live audience. He also did some on-camera work for the show and BET's website.

2 NYC men deny guilt in DJ Megatron shooting death

NEW YORK – Two men accused of gunning down radio and TV personality DJ Megatron in a botched robbery pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder and other charges.

William Williams and Richard Cromwell were identified by witnesses and video surveillance from the scene of last month's killing, prosecutors said. Williams is accused of firing the fatal shot during a scuffle.

DJ Megatron was shot once in the chest while walking to a store near his Staten Island home on March 27.

The 32-year-old disc jockey, whose given name was Corey McGriff, worked on BET's "106 & Park" music countdown series, mainly in a role interacting with its live audience. He also did on-camera work for the show and BET's website.

Williams, 21, and Cromwell, 20, were arrested Wednesday on charges of murder, robbery and criminal possession of a weapon.

Williams' lawyer, Mario Gallucci, said the case was a tragedy.

"It's a shame that such a rising star lost his life in such a tragic way," Gallucci said. "But we ask you, the public, not to rush to judgment about my client."

Cromwell's attorney didn't immediately return a telephone call seeking comment Thursday.

Police initially said they didn't believe the DJ's shooting death involved a robbery because nothing appeared to have been stolen from his body. Prosecutors said Thursday that Williams and Cromwell had stolen his wristwatch.

DJ Megatron rose to the on-air ranks after starting as an intern. He began his career at New York's WKRS-FM, better known as Kiss FM. He also worked at what was then Boston's Hot 97.7, or WBOT-FM, and at Philadelphia's The Beat, or WPHI-FM, according to a bio on his MySpace site.

He was a father of three and devoted time to charitable events on Staten Island, his manager said.

Top 20 Concert Tours from Pollstar

The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows in North America. The previous week's ranking is in parentheses. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.

TOP 20 CONCERT TOURS

1. (1) Bon Jovi; $2,627,332; $104.86.

2. (2) Lady Gaga: $1,637,192; $106.43.

3. (5) Trans-Siberian Orchestra; $714,199; $48.85.

4. (6) Brad Paisley;$486,956; $53.40.

5. (8) Ozzy Osbourne; $433,452; $52.69.

6. (7) Kid Rock; $420,189; $44.15.

7. (9) Jason Aldean; $394,425; $36.88.

8. (12) Rain - A Tribute To The Beatles; $308,483; $65.63.

9. (13) Jeff Dunham; $304,400; $47.84.

10. (14) Avenged Sevenfold; $218,241; $34.22.

11. (15) Music As A Weapon Tour / Korn / Disturbed; $203,617; $40.75.

12. (16) James Taylor; $202,360; $79.58.

13. (19) Sarah McLachlan; $192,264; $59.99.

14. (17) Heart; $190,799; $68.63.

15. (New) Celtic Woman; $169,495; $57.11.

16. (18) Hillsong United; $167,071; $30.57.

17. (21) Riverdance; $160,066; $52.32.

18. (20) Mannheim Steamroller; $155,985; $53.80.

19. (22) Salute To Vienna; $128,363; $77.96.

20. (23) Winter Jam / Newsboys; $117,865; $10.00.

For free upcoming tour information, go to http://www.pollstar.com

Jury prospects asked if they are Jackson fans

LOS ANGELES – Lawyers in the case against Michael Jackson's doctor want to know if prospective jurors were fans of the pop star, how much they know about his death, and how familiar they are with 27 different prescription drugs he may have taken.

A 29-page questionnaire with those and other questions was released Thursday after prospects who said they could serve on the two-month trial of Dr. Conrad Murray finished answering its 117 questions.

Candidates were asked if they had ever seen Jackson or his family members in person, whether they own his records or DVDs, attended his concerts or saw his posthumous concert movie, "This is It," and if so why they watched it.

In one section, prospects were asked if they knew any of the more than 100 potential witnesses. Included on the list were Jackson's three children — Prince, Paris and Blanket — as well as his parents, brothers and sisters.

Large chunks of the questions involved familiarity with drugs and exposure to media coverage of the case, including Internet and social media postings. Jury prospects also were asked if they had ever posted blog entries about the case.

In a section headlined, "Attitudes about celebrities and people in the news," they were asked, "Do you think that people of wealth or fame are treated differently in the court system?"

Notably, there was no mention in the questionnaire of Jackson's highly publicized acquittal after his child molestation trial in 2005

Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He is accused of gross negligence for administering the anesthetic propofol and other sedatives to Jackson before he died.

The trial is likely to focus on his competence based partially on his reactions after Jackson stopped breathing on June 25, 2009.

Jury prospects were asked, "Do you have any positive or negative feelings or opinions about Conrad Murray or Michael Jackson?"

Lawyers also wanted to know if they had ever taken prescription drugs, including propofol, and a long list of sedatives and mood altering drugs.

The lawyers also wanted to know if they had friends or family members who were ever addicted to prescription drugs, and if they themselves had been in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program.

In addition, prospects had to disclose if they were ever involved in an emergency medical situation and whether that would prejudice them in deciding the case.

The answers of prospective jurors will be released when they are questioned in person beginning May 4.

In another development, Murray's lawyers filed six motions to exclude from testimony "sexually scandalous information" regarding Murray's patronage of a strip club in Los Angeles, the women he met there, and the amounts of money he spent,

"This evidence has no rational bearing on any issue in this matter and is presented merely to harass and discredit Dr. Murray," one motion states.

Three of Murray's mistresses testified at a preliminary hearing earlier this year.

The motions also sought to exclude from evidence autopsy photos of Jackson.

"Dr. Murray is on trial accused of having caused the death of international superstar king of pop Michael Jackson," another motion states. "As if that fact alone is not inflammatory enough, the prosecution seeks to further inflame the passions of the jury by introducing autopsy photographs of Mr. Jackson."

The motions submitted by attorney Nareg Gourjian also asked to exclude evidence involving Murray's child support payments, lawsuits over his financial affairs, and his relationships with women.

Prosecutors filed a motion late in the day asking to admit as evidence audio recordings of Murray's statements to police detectives during a lengthy interview two days after Jackson's death.

Prosecutors David Walgren and Deborah Brazil said Murray's statements "clearly are admissions."

Judge Michael Pastor set a hearing for April 21 to deal with the motions.

Katy Perry, Rihanna lead U.S. singles chart

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Katy Perry's "E.T.," featuring Kanye West, spent a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on Thursday, bolstered by the premiere of its effects-heavy video a week ago.

Rihanna's "S&M" was also unchanged, at No. 2, while the Black Eyed Peas' "Just Can't Get Enough" rose two to No. 3. Cee Lo Green's "F**k You (Forget You)" at No. 4 and Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" at No. 5 each slipped one place.

Chris Brown's "Look at Me Now," featuring Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes, rose one to No. 6; Jeremih's "Down on Me," featuring 50 Cent, jumped two to No. 7; Jennifer Lopez's "On the Floor," featuring Pitbull, was also up two, to No. 8; and Pink's "F**kin' Perfect" dropped one to No. 9.

British singer/songwriter Adele claimed her first top-10 hit in the United States as "Rolling in the Deep" soared seven places. The track comes from her hit album "21," which recently ruled the Billboard 200 chart for three weeks, and is expected to reclaim its crown when data are released next Wednesday.

Adele set to reclaim top spot on U.S. album chart

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – After a two-week absence from the top of the U.S. album chart, English singer/songwriter Adele is poised to regain her crown when data are issued next Wednesday.

Her second album, "21," should sell about 85,000 copies during the sales period ended Sunday, according to industry sources, enough to fend off this week's crop of new releases.

Among the rookie entries, rock band Hollywood Undead's second album, "American Tragedy," could sell perhaps 65,000. The next biggest arrival could be Asking Alexandra's "Reckless and Relentless," followed by the new "Tron: Legacy Reconfigured" remix collection.

Current champ, Britney Spears' "Femme Fatale," will likely drop to the runner-up slot on the Billboard 200, though it's too early to tell what the album's second week total might be. It sold 276,000 copies during its first stanza.

Adele spent a total of three weeks at No. 1 in March. Sales for "21" stand at 942,000 after six weeks.

Toscano is unexpected "American Idol" elimination

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Pia Toscano was sent packing from "American Idol" on Thursday in an elimination that drew booing from the audience and visibly angered the judges.

Toscano's surprising elimination after the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-themed week mentored by will.i.am left eight finalists fighting it out to win season 10 of the hit TV talent show.

A clearly upset judge Jennifer Lopez buried her face in her hands and said "I have no idea what just happened here. I'm shocked. I'm angry."

Veteran judge Randy Jackson echoed her words, saying "This makes me mad". He told Toscano, who switched from her usual ballads to an up-tempo performance this week, "You're one of the best singers in here."

Toscano, 22, from Queens, New York City, went home to a standing ovation from the judges followed by a performance of "I'll Stand by You."

Joining Toscano in the bottom three were Stefano Langone and Jacob Lusk, both of whom were pegged by bloggers as a good bet for elimination this week.

The judges and host Ryan Seacrest all exhorted fans of the show to make sure they voted for their favorites, theorizing that perhaps Toscano was booted because her fans assumed she was safe from elimination.

After bringing in Lopez and second new judge, rocker Steven Tyler, the nation's top-rated TV show has recovered this season from several years of flagging ratings, holding steady at about 25 million viewers.

Thursday's show featured a performance of "Unchained Melody" by season four alumnus Constantine Maroulis, as well Iggy Pop, characteristically bare-chested, who sang "Real Wild Child."

The other remaining finalists include Casey Abrams, who last month scored the judges' once-per-season save, Haley Reinhart, James Durbin, Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina and Paul McDonald.

"American Idol"'s finale airs on the Fox network in May when viewers will choose the next "Idol" star, and he or she lands a recording contract.

Past winners include Grammy-winning artists such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, while even "losing" contestants such as Clay Aiken, Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson and Adam Lambert have become breakout stars in their own right.

'American Idol' finalist eliminated, leaving 8

LOS ANGELES – Songbird Pia Toscano was eliminated from "American Idol" on Thursday, leaving the judges who had lavished praise on her in despair over the audience's decision.

Randy Jackson covered his head and mouthed a repeated "No" after host Ryan Seacrest announced that Toscano received the lowest number of viewer votes after her performance Wednesday of "River Deep — Mountain High."

Toscano, 22, a dark-haired beauty from the Queens borough of New York City managed to remain composed on stage as the judges decried the results.

"I have no idea what happened her. I'm shocked. I'm angry," said judge Jennifer Lopez.

Steven Tyler said viewers were wrong, adding, "She's beautiful. When she sings, she's a bird."

Jackson called her one of the best singers in the show's 10th-season field and warned that "no one is safe" if votes aren't cast for them.

"I'm never upset on this show, and I'm never really mad, but this, like, this makes me mad," Jackson said. "What is going on?"

After choosing "I'll Stand by You" for her swan song, Toscano was embraced by Jacob Lusk, 23, of Compton, Calif., who had landed in the bottom three vote-getters with her and Stefano Langone, 21, of Kent, Wash.

Lusk had held to his gospel roots, replacing his planned version of Marvin Gaye's sexually charged "Let's Get It On" with Michael Jackson's inspirational "Man in the Mirror." Langone sang Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman."

Also left to sing another day were Paul McDonald, 26, of Nashville, Tenn.; Casey Abrams, 20, of Idyllwild, Calif.; Haley Reinhart, 20, of Wheeling, Ill.; Lauren Alaina, 16, of Rossville, Ga.; Scotty McCreery, 17, of Garner, N.C., and James Durbin, 22, of Santa Cruz, Calif.

The show Thursday also included a performance of "Real Wild Child" by a shirtless Iggy Pop, with either technical or language glitches causing a loss of sound on occasion.

Lady Gaga leads MTV's O Music Award nominations

NEW YORK – Lady Gaga and Tyler the Creator lead MTV's newly inaugurated O Music Awards with three nominations each.

MTV announced Tuesday the categories and nominees for its new Web-based awards show, a celebration of digital music. Categories include best fan cover, most viral dance and best music hashtag meme.

Lady Gaga and rapper Tyler the Creator are among the nominees for most innovative artist and must-follow artist on Twitter. Lady Gaga is also nominated for favorite animated GIF, a kind of avatar. Tyler the Creator, of the much buzzed-about hip-hop group Odd Future, is also nominated for his remix of Lykke Li's "Follow Rivers."

Winners will be decided by fan voting in social media, with the results shown in real-time. The awards will be presented in a live hour-long webcast April 28 on MTV websites and mobile apps.

MTV, which is part of the Viacom-owned MTV Networks, hopes the show will do for digital music what its Video Music Awards, launched in 1984, did for the music video. As a reference to the rapidly shifting online world, even the "O" in the OMAs is being left undefined and open to interpretation by viewers.

"Some elements of this will be experimental," said Dermot McCormack, head of digital media at MTV Music Group. "If there is such a thing as a beta award show, this is it."

Several of the awards will go to fans or even pets. Best animal performance is a category, with nominees like a parrot dancing to Willow Smith's song "Whip My Hair."

Other categories fete the new epicenters of online music, such as best independent music blog, best music discovery service and best performance series. The latter features a group of nominees that pits acclaimed online series like NPR's "Tiny Desk Concerts" and La Blogotheque's "Take Away Shows" against MTV's own "Unplugged."

"We're really launching a new franchise here, something that we're investing in," says Shannon Connolly, vice president of digital music strategy for MTV Music Group.

Other nominated artists include Kanye West, the Flaming Lips, Nicki Minaj, Arcade Fire and Justin Bieber. Among the non-artist nominees are the comedy site Funny or Die, the music discovery service Pandora and Andy Samberg's comedy troupe, the Lonely Island.

The network says success for the O Music Awards won't be assessed by ratings or view counts, but by its cultural influence.

"We won't be judging by how many streams we do on several websites," says McCormack. "We will be judging it by how much we can affect the conversation around digital music in the lead-up and beyond."

Malaysia brothers bring new twist to bhangra music

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Two Sikh brothers nicknamed "Malaysia's Bhangra Ambassadors" are trying to become international hit-makers in Punjabi dance music with the help of stars from Britain and India.

The duo officially known as Goldkartz have released an album that is the first serious attempt by a Southeast Asian bhangra recording act to cross over to foreign markets. The CD, titled "24 Karaatz," was launched simultaneously last Friday in Malaysia, Britain, India and other countries.

"We are a fresh product for the bhangra scene," Goldkartz member Manjit Singh Gill said in an interview this week. "We have something different to offer, coming far from the hub of bhangra."

Modern bhangra blends hip-hop, electronic and rock rhythms with centuries-old sounds of Punjabi singing, traditional drums and string instruments. Its popularity grew in Britain in the 1980s after many Punjabis migrated there.

Goldkartz's album features collaborations with well-known vocalists, composers and producers in bhangra and Indian music, including Rishi Rich and Mumzy Stranger from Britain and Shankar Mahadevan of India.

But the brothers insist their mostly self-composed work remains distinctive because their singing is infused with Malaysian cadences unfamiliar to bhangra fans. The novelty of being a bhangra act that isn't from Europe or India could also help, they add.

Manjit, 26, and his 22-year-old brother, Sukhjit Gill Singh, are an anomaly even in Malaysia, a Muslim-majority nation where Sikhs number fewer than 150,000 people in a population of 28 million.

In 2008, Goldkartz became the first group to release a Malaysian-made bhangra album, selling 5,000 CDs in a modest success.

"It was a passion project," Manjit said. "We had been listening to bhangra from other countries for years."

Their second album was built with a worldwide audience in mind, recorded over 18 months as Manjit and Sukhjit juggled time between the studio and their occupations as a lawyer and law student respectively. They also honed their craft by singing in Malaysian clubs and at concerts in Australia, Canada, Indonesia and Singapore.

Goldkartz's songs highlight themes about romance and having fun. The chorus of their lead single, "Ha Karde," translates as "Darling, just tell me yes once, and let's love each other tonight."

Top bhangra record companies in Britain and India are distributing the album, which was launched at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur by the prime minister's wife. The brothers, who have performed music together since they were teenagers, plan to tour soon to promote the CD.

Kurt Cobain guitar sculpture dedicated in Wash.

ABERDEEN, Wash. – A sculpted guitar memorial to Kurt Cobain has been unveiled in a park in the Nirvana frontman's Washington state hometown.

The dedication in Aberdeen on Tuesday marked the 17th anniversary of Cobain's suicide in Seattle. A diverse group of fans and Aberdeen residents, many born after Cobain's 1994 death, attended the ceremony.

The sculpture was placed in a park near the Young Street bridge where Cobain spent time while growing up. The bridge attracts Cobain fans because it's mentioned in his song "Something in the Way."

Besides the concrete guitar, there's a steel ribbon dangling in the air with lyrics from the Nirvana song "On a Plain" that say: "One more special message to go and then I'm done and I can go home."

Rocker Vince Neil facing 2 misdemeanors in Vegas

LAS VEGAS – Less than six weeks after being released from jail on a drunken driving charge, Motley Crue singer Vince Neil is facing two new misdemeanor charges in a Las Vegas casino showroom confrontation with an ex-girlfriend.

Neil, 50, is accused of poking his finger into the chest of Alicia Jacobs in a casino comedy club late March 24, and of cursing and pointing or poking at Jacobs and her friends, John Katsilometes and Patricia McCrone.

Neil's lawyer, David Chesnoff, said Neil intends to plead not guilty and fight the battery domestic violence and disorderly conduct charges. He's due May 2 in Las Vegas Justice Court.

"There are two sides to every story, especially when there are issues surrounding relationships," Chesnoff said. "We are looking forward to a trial on the matter."

Neil could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine on each charge.

Jacobs, 39, a Las Vegas entertainment television reporter, showed police a bruise that she said came from the finger-poke.

She said Tuesday she worries about being in the same room with Neil, with whom she told police she had a seven-month relationship that ended in early March.

"His drinking frightens me," Jacobs told The Associated Press. "Complete strangers in the theater saw exactly what happened."

Katsilometes, 45, an entertainment columnist for the Las Vegas Sun, published an account of the confrontation the next day. He branded Neil's brief entrance into the Hilton Las Vegas hotel's Shimmer Cabaret, the encounter, and Neil's swift exit "drive-by belligerence."

Katsilometes said Neil cursed at him, Jacobs and McCrone. "He was obviously intent on venting in a swift, profane, two-syllable outburst," Katsilometes wrote. "I didn't believe he was out to cause bodily injury to me."

He declined additional comment Tuesday, citing the criminal case.

McCrone, 40, is publicist for her brother-in-law, the iconic Las Vegas crooner Wayne Newton. She said she wasn't injured when Neil poked her with his index finger. But she also wasn't surprised that Clark County District Attorney David Roger decided to file charges.

"It was a big scene. There were a lot of witnesses," McCrone said. "I wasn't hurt, but it was a complete surprise. He definitely sought us out."

Neil was freed from Clark County jail Feb. 25 after serving 10 days for driving drunk last June near the Las Vegas Strip.

Neil also was fined $585 and ordered to serve 15 days on house arrest as part of a plea deal that avoided trial in the case. He didn't contest police accounts that he was driving drunk when he was stopped in his black Lamborghini late last June after leaving the Las Vegas Hilton.

Neil is the front man for a four-member heavy metal band known for bad behavior, hard partying, famous girlfriends and hard-driving hits like "Girls, Girls, Girls" and "Dr. Feelgood," both from the late 1980s. He also owns tattoo shops and two bars in Las Vegas. One is at the Hilton.

The singer denied in an interview with AP just before his arrest last June that he used drugs or abused alcohol.

"There's just a point in your life where you kind of stop. That's what happened with me," Neil said in an interview about a tell-all book. "There's other things in life than just drugs and alcohol."

Neil had also pleaded guilty to drunken driving before, in a 1984 crash in California that killed his passenger, Nicholas Dingley, a 24-year-old drummer with the group Hanoi Rocks.

Neil, then 25, wasn't injured. His conviction on manslaughter and drunken driving charges got him 20 days in jail, and he agreed to pay $2.5 million in restitution to victims.

Review: Robertson's return triumphant on new CD

Robbie Robertson, "How to Become Clairvoyant" (429 Records)

Robbie Robertson returns after a more than a decade break between solo albums with the triumphant "How to Become Clairvoyant," a reflective and moving collaboration with Eric Clapton.

Robertson, the lead songwriter and guitarist for The Band before leaving the group in 1976, has been far from prolific in his solo career. "Clairvoyant" is just his fifth solo release since 1987, but it's worth the wait.

While his two most recent solo records explored his Mohawk ancestry, "Clairvoyant" delves into his musical past.

"Straight Down the Line" starts the record off with a kick as Robertson, in his whispery growl of a voice, tells the story of advice he got from an old blues man years ago on the chitlin' circuit. "When the Night Was Young," the perfect follow and perhaps the record's best track, reflects on Robertson's youthful idealism.

Robertson was urged on to make the record by Clapton, who co-wrote three of the songs and performs on seven including the haunting duet "Fear of Falling." Robertson also gets help from Steve Winwood, Tom Morello, Robert Randolph and Trent Reznor.

While it's a group effort, "Clairvoyant" is most certainly Robertson's record.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: "This Is Where I Get Off" addresses Robertson's departure from The Band in the most direct way he's ever put on tape. "Walking out on the boys/ Was never the plan/ We just drifted off course/ Couldn't strike up the band."

Review: Davies' friends can't help 'Friends'

Ray Davies, "See My Friends" (Decca)

Unfortunately for former Kinks frontman Ray Davies, his friends can't save "See My Friends."

Perhaps hoping to catch the wave of others who found success late in their careers with similar type projects, Davies enlists some A-list talent, from Bruce Springsteen to Metallica, to reinvent some of the Kinks' most obscure and popular songs including "Lola" and "You Really Got Me."

The results range from above average — like Mumford & Sons on "Days/This Time Tomorrow" — to nearly unlistenable — Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora on "Celluloid Heroes." But mostly they're just somewhere in the uninspired middle.

For any such collaboration to succeed, either those who guest star have to reinvent the well-known classic songs to make them their own or they have to succumb to the power of the original and stay true to it within their own voice.

Too often on "See My Friends" neither happens.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: "'Til the End of the Day" features former Big Star lead singer Alex Chilton in one of his last recordings before his death in 2010. Davies recorded it with him in 2009 before he became sick, making it all the more poignant.

The top 10 singles and albums on iTunes

iTunes' top 10 selling singles and albums of the week ending April 4, 2011:

Singles:

1. "Just Can't Get Enough," Black Eyed Peas

2. "E.T. (feat. Kanye West)," Katy Perry

3. "S&M," Rihanna

4. "E.T.," Katy Perry

5. "No Sleep," Wiz Khalifa

6. "Look At Me Now (feat. Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes)," Chris Brown

7. "On the Floor (feat. Pitbull)," Jennifer Lopez

8. "Rolling In the Deep," ADELE

9. "Forget You," Cee Lo Green

10. "Born This Way," Lady GaGa

Albums:

1. "Femme Fatale," Britney Spears

2. "Songs for Japan," Various Artists

3. "Rolling Papers," Wiz Khalifa

4. "21," Adele

5. "Grey's Anatomy: The Music Event," Grey's Anatomy Cast

6. "Sigh No More," Mumford & Sons

7. "F.A.M.E.," Chris Brown

8. "The King of Limbs," Radiohead

9. "Sara Ramirez," Sara Ramirez

10. "Sucker Punch," Various Artists

___

iTunes is owned by Apple Inc.

Theater: Impostors booked bogus Drake shows in Pa.

STROUDSBURG, Pa. – A Pennsylvania theater says it's been the victim of a swindle by people posing as managers for rapper Drake.

The management at the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg says the two shows scheduled for late May were bogus from the start.

The theater and a local promoter say they were swindled by individuals posing as Drake's manager, tour manager and even the artist himself.

Theater president Richard Berkowitz says he began sniffing out the scheme when the Virginia-based booking agency began asking for a cut of the ticket sales.

Berkowitz says the matter has been referred to authorities. The theater says a number of other promoters have been victims of similar scams.

The theater canceled the non-existent shows Monday and said it would refund the cost of the sold-out tickets.

Taylor Swift wins top prize at country awards

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – Taylor Swift took the top prize at the Academy of Country Music Awards for the first time on Sunday after being overshadowed at the Las Vegas ceremony by multiple winners Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum.

The 21-year-old starlet was named entertainer of the year and was clearly stunned to hear her name called for the final award at the 46th annual event.

Leading nominee Lambert had already won four prizes and seemed poised to add a fifth to her collection. But entertainer of the year is decided by fans on the Internet and the enthusiastic young girls in Team Swift evidently took their voting duties more seriously.

"This is the first time that I've ever won this and I'm just losing my mind," said a tearful Swift, fresh from a tour of Europe and Asia. "The fact that this is from the fans makes it so beautiful ... You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Ever."

Swift, with four nominations in three categories, earlier premiered her new song "Mean," a defiant tune that labels as "pathetic" critics of her occasionally wayward vocal stylings.

Lambert was named top female vocalist for a second year, once again beating Swift. Her wistful tune "The House That Built Me" was honored for single, song and video of the year.

The award for single goes to the artist and producer, whereas the trophy for best song is given to the artist and composer. Lambert, a 27-year-old Texan, went into the ceremony with a leading seven nominations.

TWO PRIZES FOR LADY ANTEBELLUM

"The House That Built Me," written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin, is a bittersweet remembrance of the memories encased in a childhood home. Lambert won a Grammy for the song in February, and three prizes at the Country Music Association Awards in December.

Lady Antebellum, which led the Grammy winners with five statuettes, picked up two ACM trophies. The trio beat Swift for album of the year and was named top vocal group for a second year.

Lambert was not eligible for the album award, having won it last year for her current release, and the group duly thanked her for not being a contender this time.

Guitarist Brad Paisley was named top male vocalist for the fifth consecutive year. "I am honestly shocked, I really am," he said. "This is way too many of these for me."

The award for top new artist went to The Band Perry, a sibling trio from Mississippi.

Kenny Chesney, with five nominations, and Keith Urban, with three, went home empty-handed.

The announcement of winners took second place to a string of performances divided between two hotel venues, the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay. The show was hosted by Reba McEntire for the 13th year. She was joined by first-timer Blake Shelton, Lambert's fiance.

Review: Wilson taps country stars for jazzy CD

Anna Wilson & Friends, "Countrypolitan Duets" (Transfer)

No matter how far contemporary country music wanders from its traditional roots, its leading stars almost always cherish a chance to sing an old-time country standard. Anna Wilson, a popular jazz-influenced vocalist based in Nashville, offers a new twist on that classic theme: She and several Nashville stars, and a few legendary figures, team up for jazzed-up takes on well-known tunes.

Wilson's "Countrypolitan Duets" highlights tasteful, lounge-style arrangements, lush with strings, tinkling piano keys, brushed drums, and the occasional brassy, Ray Charles-style finger-snapper. The members of Lady Antebellum provide harmonies on a swinging "Walkin' After Midnight"; a B3-organ and fat-note guitar set a smoky atmosphere for Keith Urban's duet on "Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues"; and Kenny Rogers trades verses on a playful version of "For The Good Times," which slides from a piano-and-guitar ballad to a strings-and-brass show stopper.

Wilson has a full-toned, honeyed voice reminiscent of a 1950s pop-jazz singer like Rosemary Clooney, and she toys with tempo and phrasing like the superb pros of yesteryear. Nothing here is as challenging as Cassandra Wilson's artful deconstructions of classic American songs; but for those who miss Bing, Frank and Ella and the debonair way they could swing a well-written composition, Wilson has gift-wrapped a Southern-styled present for you.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: Of all of country music's Hall of Fame-level legends, Ray Price has always owned the greatest jazz chops, in his range, his well-tempered tone and his masterful phrasing. His duet with Wilson on his hit, "You're The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me," is the album's standout track, uplifted by harmonies from the members of Rascal Flatts; the band members sound like they would fit on a Mel Torme album.

Bee Gees' Robin Gibb ill, cancels Brazil shows

LONDON – Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb has canceled a series of shows in Brazil after he was taken to a British hospital with abdominal pains.

A spokesman for the singer says Gibb suddenly fell ill early Sunday, and that doctors have told him not to travel while they diagnose the problem.

The 61-year-old Gibb had to cancel traveling to Brazil for concerts in cities such as Sao Paolo and Brasilia. He also had to postpone a planned meeting with Brazilian President Dilm Rouseff.

The singer underwent surgery for a blocked intestine last year, but his spokesman said Monday he has been in good health since then.

Gibb's twin brother Maurice died in 2003 at the age of 53 due to complications from a twisted intestine.

Symphony musicians reach tentative deal in labor talks

DETROIT (Reuters) – The musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, who have been striking since October, reached a tentative agreement with management this weekend and agreed to return to work Thursday.

The 80 members of the DSO will vote on a new labor contract Thursday and results are expected Friday, said Greg Bowens, a spokesman for the union. The union's bargaining committee has recommended the musicians vote for the new agreement.

Union officials met with managers this weekend for 27 hours to hammer out a contract. Bowens declined to describe the details of the agreement that will put up for vote this week.

"It's been a challenge for everybody, but now it's in the hands of the members," he said.

Rehearsals for this weekend's concerts will resume Thursday. The repertoire will include Dvorak's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World."

Orchestra management and the 80 musicians have been tussling over pay and how much of the orchestra's time should be devoted to community outreach.

Five musicians have left the orchestra to take positions elsewhere, Bowens said

Tentative deal could end Detroit symphony strike

DETROIT – On the six month anniversary of the walkout by Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians, management and union bargainers said Monday that they have reached tentative agreement to end the long strike.

The deal, which was reached after a weekend of lengthy talks, is subject to a ratification vote this week, said musicians' spokesman Greg Bowens. If approved, he said Detroit Federation of Musicians union members with the nationally acclaimed but financially struggling orchestra could be back at work by this weekend.

Bowens and orchestra spokeswoman Elizabeth Weigandt said details of the terms weren't being immediately released. Rehearsals are to resume Thursday in advance of concerts this weekend.

"As we return to our home, I'm confident that the artistic product will continue at the highest possible level," symphony Musical Director Leonard Slatkin said in a statement. "There is much to be done, but the DSO will emerge a healthier and stronger institution."

Bowens said the tentative contract is the first that the musicians' negotiators "feel they could take back to the members," Bowens told The Associated Press.

In dispute was how deep a pay cut the musicians would have to take to help the struggling symphony balance its budget.

Even before the strike, the orchestra had seen its donations fall, endowment shrink and ticket sales soften as the state's auto industry shed jobs and plants and experienced bankruptcy reorganizations. The walkout has left the orchestra in worsening economic shape.

Drew McManus, a Chicago-based orchestra management consultant, said he hopes it's not too late to mend fences after a contentious strike that officially reached the six-month mark Monday. He said it will be difficult to build trust if the deal was reached "as a result of pressures designed to break spirits and minds."

"In politics, you know it's a game — ultimately, no matter what you say you eventually have to work together," McManus said. "That's part of what is attractive and repulsive about politics. In the orchestra business ... it is too personal."

Seeking to reduce costs, management implemented a 33 percent base pay cut for orchestra veterans in September, from $104,650 to $70,200 in the first year. Musicians had offered to take a 22 percent reduction in the first year, to $82,000. Musicians' salaries would have risen in subsequent years.

Both sides have since made counter offers to narrow the divide.

Musicians walked off the job Oct. 4. Management suspended the remainder of the current season that was to have run through June 5 in February after musicians rejected a contract proposal that was dubbed a final offer by management.

Musicians had said they were given a deadline of last Friday to settle the strike or face losing the summer performance season and jeopardizing the fall season. But talks continued through the weekend, running for about 17 hours on Saturday and continuing for about 10 hours on Sunday, Bowens said.

"There's been a lot of effort put into trying to reach an agreement," Bowens said.

Outsider Michael Martelly sweeps Haiti's presidential election

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) – Singer Michel Martelly, a shaven-headed political outsider with no previous government experience, won Haiti's presidential election in a landslide victory that tapped into deep popular desire for change in the poor, earthquake-battered Caribbean state.

Preliminary results announced by the Provisional Electoral Council on Monday gave the 50-year-old entertainer a clear win with nearly 68 percent of the vote, compared with just under 32 percent for his rival, former first lady Mirlande Manigat.

Celebrations erupted in the scruffy capital Port-au-Prince as cheering, jubilant Martelly supporters flooded the streets, singing, waving his portrait and setting off fireworks.

Martelly thanked voters in a brief statement on his Twitter account: "We'll work for all Haitians. Together we can do it."

Tense anticipation tinged with fears of violence had led up to the announcement of the results from the March 20 run-off, the first second-round presidential vote ever held in the politically volatile nation, one of the world's poorest.

"Sweet Micky" Martelly, an iconoclastic entertainer known for his sometimes provocative stage acts, had campaigned on a forceful promise to change the status quo, pledging to break with decades of past corruption and misrule and bring a better life to Haitians struggling to recover from a devastating 2010 earthquake.

"Martelly's victory implies a rejection of the political class that has both governed and been in the opposition," said Robert Fatton, Jr., a Haiti expert and professor in the University of Virginia's Department of Politics.

"Martelly captured the mood of the voters by cleverly using his 'bad boy' image to enhance his status as the ultimate 'outsider' who symbolized change," he told Reuters.

As president, Martelly will face the huge challenge of trying to rebuild a small Caribbean country prostrated in poverty long before an earthquake killed more than 300,000 people and bludgeoned its fragile economy last year. Hundreds of thousands of destitute earthquake victims are still living in squalid tent and tarpaulin camps.

The results are preliminary because they can be subjected to legal challenges which must be dealt with by the electoral council before it can declare them definitive later in April.

To prevent trouble before and after the results were announced, blue-helmeted U.N. peacekeepers were out patrolling Port-au-Prince and other potential flashpoints. Some stores boarded up windows in anticipation of trouble.

'LITTLE ROOM TO MANEUVER'

The United Nations and donor governments including the United States, which have pledged billions of dollars in reconstruction funds to Haiti, want the election to produce a stable, legitimate leadership to take charge of the recovery.

The elections are choosing a successor to outgoing President Rene Preval and also new members of the parliament.

The University of Virginia's Fatton said Haiti's heavy dependence on foreign assistance to tackle the huge challenge of post-quake recovery could limit Martelly's ability to radically transform Haiti's economic and political system.

"He will have to deal with the reality that he will have little room to maneuver as Haiti's sovereignty is at bay and ... for good or ill he will be thoroughly dependent on outside financial assistance," Fatton said.

"The question for Martelly is whether he can renegotiate

Haiti's dependence on better terms," he added.

After a chaotic first round of elections on November 28 marred by unrest and fraud allegations, the run-off last month passed off generally peacefully.

But in a country where calm streets can become transformed in seconds into battlegrounds of protesters and flaming tires, rumors had been swirling about threats to "burn the nation" and about machetes -- the long, curved cutlasses that are a traditional weapon of Haitians -- selling out at stores.

The international community has worked to keep the Haitian elections on track through its U.N. peacekeeping mission and electoral observers and experts from the OAS and Caricom.

Backed by diplomatic pressure from Washington, these experts persuaded Haitian authorities to revise the disputed first round results to put Martelly -- originally placed third -- in the March run-off with Manigat, at the expense of a government-backed candidate dropped due to alleged fraud.

"I think what the international community wants is basically political stability," Fatton said.

With the INITE party of outgoing President Preval expected to remain strong in parliament, the new Haitian leader will also have to manage a fractious political situation.

This has been stirred up further by the separate return from exile this year of two former presidents, both previously ousted by revolts -- left-wing populist Jean-Bertrand Aristide and former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier.

Review: Campbell hits right note on self-titled CD

Craig Campbell, "Craig Campbell" (Bigger Picture)

A Georgia native, Craig Campbell first drew attention by drawing sell-out crowds in Nashville's bustling downtown honky-tonk clubs. Producer Keith Stegall, who has guided the recordings of Alan Jackson and the Zac Brown Band, convinced Campbell to sign with his new independent label, Bigger Picture Records_a gamble for a genre dominated by major labels.

Campbell's roll of dice has paid off: His song "Family Man," long a crowd favorite, is a current country radio hit. More traditional than most contemporary hits, "Family Man" shows off Campbell's strengths. He's got a strong voice, a straightforward, communicative style, and a lyric (one of nine songs he co-wrote) detailing a real-life situation. In this case, the song is about an out-of-work husband and father who draws on the love of his family to stay positive despite hard times.

Campbell tends to keep his stories grounded in reality, even on sing-alongs like "When I Get It," about a blue-collar rationing where his weekly paycheck goes. Throughout, Stegall's production emphasizes a bar-band sound heavy on pedal steel, fiddle and twangy Telecaster leads.

Despite occasional lapses, like the wince-inducing double entendre of "Fish," Campbell translates his entertaining nightclub personality to a bigger stage, while drawing on the age-old strengths of country music along the way.

CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: On "All Night To Get There," a steel guitar sets up a catchy, danceable track about a couple heading out for a long evening. The fellow sweetly suggests they take things slowly, whether it's with the tequila they're drinking or the heat they feel between them.

Ruff N Smooth sign record deal with Hype Records

Hiplife duo, Ruff N Smooth has signed a new record deal with Canada-based label, Hype Records. The deal follows the expiration of a one year management contract with the group’s former label, Empire Entertainment. The signing ceremony was organized before a selected number of pressmen to formerly sign on the duo, made up of Clement Baah Foh (Akhan) and Ricky Osei Agyeman (Bullet) to Hype Records for the next three years.

Canada based Hype Records was established by Mr. Opoku Asafo Adjei Agyemang in 2009 with the simple mission of getting the best talents from West Africa and equipping them musically onto the international market. The label hopes to set the proper structures in the Ghanaian music industry with the aim that within the next five years, at least one Hype artiste will be a household name nationwide.

Speaking at the signing, Mr. Opoku Agyeman said the signing “is a story of boldness, innovation and creativity that is going to capture the imagination of Ghanaians and the entire world. It is larger than life story that is going to take Ruff N Smooth as a known Afro-Pop group to the international arena.”

He further added that Ruff N Smooth “are hungry and share the fundamental vision of Hype records which is to make quality music that could be consumed anywhere in the world. Hype Records and Ruff N Smooth come together today to take Ghanaian music to the next level.”

Bullet speaking on behalf of the group, acknowledged the support Empire Entertainment has given the group over the years saying, “Empire Entertainment as we know has been a strong formidable force behind us for the past year; especially when we needed it most but today, we turn a new leaf.”

He said it is their inner most believe that the new label will carry their dream of becoming a worldwide house hold name as far as it can go adding, “this we know for sure that Hype Records will be able to climb with us the ladder of hard work with effective management.”

The signing was also attended by representatives of Hype Records and Empire Entertainment. Ruff N Smooth is getting ready to release their second album under the record label followed by an international tour that will begin in Ghana.

Academics to dissect Bob Dylan at NY conference

NEW YORK – More than three decades have passed since Bob Dylan brought the plight of boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter into the public consciousness: "Criminals in their coats and their ties are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise while Rubin sits like Buddha in a 10-foot cell, an innocent man in a living hell."

Dylan championed the case of Carter, a former middleweight boxer convicted twice of a 1966 triple murder. And in the end, Carter was freed after 19 years in prison; a federal judge found that the conviction was tainted by racial bias and that Carter and his co-defendant were denied their civil rights.

Now, academics from around the country will examine the implications of that song and others during "Bob Dylan and the Law," a conference presented by Fordham University's law and ethics center and Touro Law School.

"We basically said to people who write and think about the law and who also happen to like Dylan's music, `find a way to put them together; tell us how Dylan relates to your academic work or your thinking,'" said Fordham professor Bruce Green, one of the organizers.

An academic session on Tuesday follows a Monday night public panel discussion at Fordham in Manhattan.

"We think it's important once in a while to have fun, and to free the scholarly imagination," Green said. "Good scholarship and good teaching require it. ... It's a lens through which to look at the relationship between law, society and culture. We hope it leads some scholars to think things they haven't thought before."

Green has been a Dylan fan since high school. "My parents couldn't stand it — they liked Frank Sinatra. They thought Dylan was just whining, and that listening to him was a waste of time," he wryly noted. "Now I am vindicated. I can say that, all along, I was setting the stage for future scholarship."

Another conversation topic at the conference will be "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll."

In 1963, tobacco farmer William D. Zantzinger was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to six months in jail plus a $500 fine for killing Hattie Carroll, a barmaid at a society charity dance.

Zantzinger "killed poor Hattie Carroll with a cane that he twirled around his diamond ring finger at a Baltimore hotel society gath'rin' ...," sings Dylan. "In the courtroom of honor, the judge pounded his gavel to show that all's equal and that the courts are on the level. And that the strings in the books ain't pulled and persuaded and that even the nobles get properly handled."

The conference also offers intellectual counterpoints.

Dylan "wrote some very powerful songs about what happens to folks when the system, and when the law, fail them," said Richard H. Underwood, a professor at the University of Kentucky College of Law. But while Dylan was inspired by real-life cases, Underwood said, he "was not necessarily concerned with true facts. He took a lot of poetic license."

"I must say, Dylan never lets the facts get in the way of a good story," agreed Abbe Smith, a Georgetown Law School professor who's also an expert on Bruce Springsteen and the law.

Though "beautiful," she said, the Hattie Carroll ballad is "not exactly accurate." Among other things, Dylan misstated the charge; and there was "reasonable argument that the cause of the death was not a blow to the head," but Carroll's poor health.

Dylan has "a kind of stark, if not simplistic, view of guilt and innocence," said Smith. "It may be the stories he picks, or how the story gets told in something as relatively short as a song."

And how, Smith is asked, might Dylan view lawyers?

"I think he probably likes lawyers better than judges," she said with a chuckle. "I think he probably would like lawyers who fight for the little guy. He would not like Holden Caulfield from 'Catcher in the Rye.'"

Coincidental to the conference will be the April 12 release of a Dylan recording from a long-ago folk festival in Waltham, Mass.

The set list from that appearance included "Ballad of Hollis Brown," which relates what Dylan has said was the true story of how "seven shots ring out like the ocean's pounding roar. There's seven people dead on a South Dakota farm."

The new release's title? "Bob Dylan in Concert — Brandeis University 1963." The school was named for the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Dembitz Brandeis.