Family say farewell to "angel" Winehouse

LONDON (Reuters) - The family of Amy Winehouse gathered at a north London cemetery on Tuesday to bid farewell to their "angel," three days after the troubled singer was found dead at her home.

Some 100 mourners, including Winehouse's producer Mark Ronson and Kelly Osbourne, attended the traditional Jewish funeral that closed with her father Mitch saying: "Good night my angel, sleep tight; Mummy and Daddy love you ever so much."

A family spokesman said Carole King's "So Far Away" was played at the end of the service. King's "You've Got a Friend" was the first song Amy and her father had sung together.

In a eulogy at the private service, Mitch Winehouse said his 27-year-old daughter had been happier in recent months than she had been for years, and was looking forward to a future with her boyfriend of the past two years, film director Reg Traviss, 35.

Earlier, Traviss had denied rumors the singer died in a drug-fueled haze.

"She had been full of life and so upbeat recently, exercising every day and doing yoga," he told the Sun newspaper. "This terrible thing that happened is like an accident."

After the service, Winehouse was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium where her grandmother Cynthia, a singer who dated jazz legend Ronnie Scott, was also cremated, the spokesman said.

An inquest opened on Monday and was adjourned until October, with police describing the death as unexplained and an autopsy failing to determine the cause of death. More medical tests are being carried out, with the results expected next month.

Tributes to the "Back to Black" singer continued to pour in. Her talent was eclipsed over recent years by her battles with drugs and alcohol, and her last stage appearances had been derided as shambolic.

Singer Adele wrote on her website: "i don't think she ever realised just how brilliant she was and how important she is, but that just makes her even more charming.

"although im incredibly sad about Amy passing im also reminded of how immensely proud of her i am as well. and grateful to be inspired by her. Amy flies in paradise xx"

Winehouse was the most soulful vocalist Britain had ever seen, singer George Michael wrote on Twitter.

In an echo of the aftermath of Michael Jackson's death two years ago, sales of her records have boomed.

Record industry body the Official Charts Company said on Tuesday that her music was expected to dominate the British charts by the end of the week.

She is on course to have seven singles in the Top 40 and 14 in the Top 200, with the biggest selling track currently Back To Black followed by "Rehab," "Tears Dry On Their Own," "You Know I'm No Good" and "Valerie."

In the year following his death, Jackson sold more records in Britain than any other artist.

The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported this week that material recorded before Winehouse's death could be released as a posthumous album.

They cited sources who said Winehouse had recorded "a lot of material" and that her parents would have the final say on whether a new album was to be released.

Winehouse's spokesman told Reuters there was no news about the release of a third album. "I know there's material about, but no one's talked about it," he said.

Amy Winehouse sales spike after her death

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Thousands of Amy Winehouse fans went to "Rehab" in the United States for a fresh listen to the British songstress who died late last week, according to figures released on Tuesday.

Record sales tracker Nielsen SoundScan said fans of the soul singer snapped up 50,000 copies of her CDs in the week ended July 24, compared to 44,000 units that were purchased in all other weeks of 2011.

Her 2006 smash hit album, "Back to Black," which includes the song "Rehab," accounted for 37,000 of those units sold in the United States, which was the highest weekly total since March 2008. Winehouse's debut album, 2003's "Frank," chalked up 7,600 unit sales, Nielsen SoundScan said.

Of the totals, more than 95 percent were digital downloads.

"Rehab," in which the singer with the beehive hairdo belted out the famous lyrics, "They tried to make me go to rehab. I said 'no, no no'," was the most downloaded single with 34,000 digital sales in the United States.

Fans purchased a total 111,000 Winehouse digital tracks via downloads, an increase of 2,000 percent over the previous week, Nielsen SoundScan said.

Winehouse died at her London home on July 24, at age 27, so it's likely the sales figures will spike even higher for the week ending Saturday, July 31, because fans were just learning of her death on the final day of the weekly tally.

Throughout much of her career, the singer struggled with drinking and drug problems, but on Tuesday, her father said she had been exercising every day and doing yoga recently.

An autopsy has been performed, but an official cause of death has not been determined as officials await results of toxicology tests.

The U.S. sales spike mirrors results in Britain where 24 hours after Winehouse's death, "Back in Black" occupied the top spot on iTunes album download chart.

Amy Winehouse's Beehive Hairdo Was Developed In Chicago In 1960

Amy Winehouse wholly embraced her love for the '60s, and it wasn't apparent just in her music, which channeled the throwback sound of girl groups like the Ronettes. The "Rehab" singer, who was found dead in her London home Saturday and was buried Tuesday, also adopted a signature hairstyle made popular during that era--the beehive.

When Winehouse was introduced to U.S. audiences in 2006 when promoting her sophomore album "Back To Black," her hairdo was a distinctive part of her image.

Winehouse's poufy mane which stood no less than 5 inches tall, so closely resembled that of lead Ronette singer Ronnie Spector that the veteran performer thought she was looking at a photo of her younger self when she saw a picture of Winehouse in the New York Post.

"I don't know her, I never met her, and when I saw that pic, I thought, 'That's me!' But then I found out, no, it's Amy. I didn't have on my glasses," Spector told the Village Voice.

The hairstyle made its debut in 1960, and was conceived by Margaret Vinci Heldt, then a stylist for the Chicago-based Modern Beauty Shop magazine. Inspired to showcase something different for the February 1960 issue, Heldt conceptualized the new hair design.

"I went home, and I thought, 'What am I going to do that hasn't been done before?" Heldt, now 92 and retired, told the Associated Press in January.

Heldt waited until her family was asleep one night before she started styling the hair on a mannequin head, trying to emulate the shape of a small black velvet hat.

"Before you know it, something was coming out," she said. "And I thought, 'I like this.'"

The magazine, now called Modern Salon, dubbed the look "the beehive."

Heldt was amazed to see her style evolve and rise in popularity.

"It grew into bigger and bigger, higher and higher; it didn't just stay a beehive," she told AP. She said the hairstyle was especially appealing to short women who desired to look taller.

"The showgirls, they loved it because it made them willowy and tall," she said.

Now, 50 years after its inception, Heldt is receiving more accolades. The trade association Cosmetologists Chicago announced plans to award a scholarship based on creativity in her name. And the Chicago History Museum plans to include Heldt's mannequin head and velvet hat in an upcoming exhibit on the history of the beehive.

The beehive was more than just a hairstyle for the late, troubled pop star. When asked if she ever had good hive days and bad hive days during an interview with Reuters, the singer offered a decisive, matter-of-fact response.

"Never. Never," she said. "My hair is always on point, even if the rest of me is really naff."

In an interview with Vogue, Winehouse suggested that she had an emotional connection to her hair. "The more insecure I feel, the bigger my beehive gets," she said.

Ja Rule gets more than two years in jail on tax charge

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jailed rapper Ja Rule was sentenced in federal court in New Jersey on Monday to 28 months in prison for failing to pay more than $1 million in taxes.

The 35 year-old hip-hop singer and actor, whose real name is Jeffrey Atkins, is already serving a two-year jail sentence on a weapons conviction in New York. The two terms will run concurrently, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey.

Ja Rule previously pleaded guilty in March to three counts of failing to file tax returns. According to prosecutors, Atkins did not pay taxes from 2004 to 2008, costing the U.S. government more than $1.1 million.

"Taxpayers do not have the luxury of deciding whether to comply with laws," U.S. Judge Patty Shwartz said on Monday in delivering the sentence.

Ja Rule pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon last year and began his New York prison sentence in June. The charge stemmed from a July 2007 incident, when police pulled over the singer's car after a concert and discovered a semi-automatic handgun hidden away, according to authorities.

Fellow rapper Lil Wayne also was arrested after the same concert at New York's Beacon Theater when police found him smoking marijuana near a tour bus.

Ja Rule received a Grammy nomination in 2002 for the album "Pain is Love." He is expected to release "Pain is Love 2" later this summer.

Adele up against two past winners for Mercury Prize

LONDON (Reuters) - British singer Adele, who stormed to the top of the charts in Britain and the United States with her second album "21," was one of 12 artists shortlisted on Tuesday for the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for album of the year 2011.

Also in the running for the annual award were previous winners Elbow and PJ Harvey as well as London rapper Tinie Tempah and James Blake for his self-titled debut album.

The prize honors music of any genre by British or Irish artists and is based solely on the music on the album.

According to the Official Charts Company, in commercial terms Adele dominates the shortlist. The winner of the award is announced on September 6.

The 12 nominated albums have sold 3.9 million copies between them in Britain, the OCC said, of which Adele's "21" accounted for 2.7 million.

In distant second was Tempah's "Disc-Overy" with sales of 620,000 copies and in third was Elbow's "Build a Rocket Boys!" at 230,000.

Three albums on the Mercury shortlist have sold less than 10,000 copies each -- King Creosote & Jon Hopkins' "Diamond Mine," Ghostpoet's "Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam" and Gwilym Simcock's "Good Days At Schloss Elmau."

The shortlist is as follows:

Adele - 21

Anna Calvi - Anna Calvi

Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys!

Everything Everything - Man Alive

Ghostpoet - Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam

Gwilym Simcock - Good Days At Schloss Elmau

James Blake - James Blake

Katy B - On A Mission

King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine

Metronomy - The English Riviera

PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

Tinie Tempah - Disc-Overy

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez Crash Malibu Wedding!

While not everyone can say their wedding was the best day of their lives, for one lucky couple, it will ring true even if things don't work out. This past weekend, pop sensation Justin Bieber and singer girlfriend Selena Gomez decided to crash Rob and Jeanine McCool's wedding, and it's caught on video! Most brides would be more than miffed to let anything or anyone outshine her on her wedding day, but I'm sure this bride took exception.

According to a cousin of the new couple who posted the video below, Bieber overheard the reception karaoke-ing his song "One Less Lonely Girl" (appropriate wedding song) while driving by and pulled over to see what the scene was about. In true form, he caused a riot among the flabbergasted guests and happily posed for pictures with guests and the bride and groom. Gomez, playing patient girlfriend, stayed to the side during the commotion and waited for Bieber by his car. The appearance only lasted about ten minutes, but like all weddings, the memories will last a lifetime.

Now this makes us think: Was Justin in need for a little fan pick-me-up? Why would he take the time to actually stop his car, park, get out and search the venue, following the sweet sound of his own melodies? Seems a little tedious for this writer, but whatever the reason, it was a very sweet gesture from the popstar and the McCools now have one of the greatest wedding stories ever to tell. So Beliebers across the world, break out your karaoke machines and start singing. Like a siren's song luring fishermen to the sea, your rendition of your favorite Bieber song might just catch Justin himself.

Obama, Republicans trapped by inflexible rhetoric

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and GOP lawmakers, hundreds of billions of dollars short of their goal and seemingly trapped in inflexible bargaining positions, are struggling for agreement on $2 trillion-plus in budget cuts as the price for maintaining the government's ability to borrow.

Lawmakers were asked to return to the White House for talks Tuesday afternoon after a 90-minute Monday session produced no progress other than to identify the size of the gap between Republicans and Obama. Neither side showed any give that might generate hopes for a speedy agreement. Instead, Republicans again took a firm stand against revenue increases while Obama and his Democratic allies insisted that they be part of any equation that cuts programs like Medicare.

"I do not see a path to a deal if they don't budge, period," Obama said.

At the same time, the president turned up the pressure by announcing he won't sign any short-term debt limit increases. "We are going to get this done," Obama insisted during a news conference.

Obama's declaration seemed aimed at pressuring lawmakers to continue to strive for the largest deficit reduction plan possible, even though hopes for a "grand bargain" mixing a complete overhaul of the tax code with cuts to benefits programs like Medicare and Social Security fizzled over the weekend.

An advocate of the bigger bargain, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, explored the idea but scotched it in its infancy after learning the extent of White House demands for tax increases.

"The American people will not accept — and the House cannot pass — a bill that raises taxes on job creators," Boehner said Monday before heading to the White House.

Despite lingering hopes for a larger deal, the goal of the talks is to produce spending cuts of at least $2.4 trillion or so over the coming decade. Such cuts wouldn't do enough to address deficits that threaten the economy, but they would represent a down payment on further reductions that would be imposed after next year's elections.

The $2.4 trillion figure would meet the House Republicans' own standard of a debt-cutting package: one that would exceed the size of the increase in the debt limit, and provide enough borrowing room to get the country through 2012.

The group of negotiators includes Obama, other top administration officials and a bipartisan group of the eight top leaders of Congress. At Monday's session, they heard competing versions of how much progress had been made in talks led by Vice President Joe Biden in May and June.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., a participant who left the Biden talks last month because of Democratic demands on taxes, spelled out potential spending cuts that had been identified. But Democratic lawmakers made clear that such a cutting-only approach without tax increases on wealthier Americans would never pass the Democratic-led Senate or the House, where Democratic votes would be needed, too.

Cantor, aides said, outlined up to $2.3 trillion in spending cuts over the upcoming decade, with $1.3 trillion coming from squeezing the day-to-day budgets of Cabinet agencies, including the Pentagon.

Cantor erred on the high end of the savings range in virtually every instance. The White House countered that the cuts really approached $1.7 trillion or so, which would leave negotiators $700 billion short of the $2.4 trillion being sought.

Republicans are also suspicious that Democrats want most of the spending cuts to be concentrated in the later years of a deal. They say that despite promising cuts of $1.1 trillion from Cabinet agency operating budgets, the White House is insisting on a two-year freeze in such spending at the current level of $1.05 trillion. At issue is the amount approved by Congress each year in annual appropriations bills.

Obama spent most of his time encouraging lawmakers to reconsider a bigger deal, on the order of some $4 trillion in spending cuts and tax hikes over 10 years. Democrats familiar with the talks said it was clear after the meeting that negotiators are going to have come up with some new ideas in hopes of finding a compromise.

As a measure of the political peril Obama is courting, the president is willing to discuss raising the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67 years, provided Republicans would allow Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy to expire at the end of 2012 and agree to other unspecified demands, according to a Democratic congressional aide.

All the officials familiar with the talks spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose details of the private discussions.

Ryan Seacrest starts his own music festival

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Bruno Mars and Nicki Minaj are among a slew of performers who will swarm on Las Vegas in September for the inaugural iHeartRadio Music Festival, Ryan Seacrest announced on Monday.

Seacrest will host the event, which is being produced by radio giant Clear Channel.

As might be expected from an event being hosted by Seacrest, there'll be a heavy "American Idol" factor to the proceedings, with current "Idol" judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez among the performers, along with former "Idol" competitors Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson.

Seacrest called the upcoming festival, which will be held on September 23 and 24, a "once in a generation gathering of artists and fans" and "a true, must-see music event."

Other notable performers at the inaugural event include Alicia Keys, Rascal Flatts and the Black Eyed Peas, with more performers to be added to the roster throughout the summer.

Review: "Red River Blue" finds Blake Shelton less rowdy

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap) - Everybody knows winners on TV music competitions have their albums rushed through production to capitalize on instant notoriety. But Blake Shelton may be the first judge on such a show to require his own rush job.

He wasn't scheduled to record his new album, "Red River Blue," until July, after the first season of "The Voice" wrapped. But the success of the NBC series -- or, more accurately, his success on the series -- meant pushing the release date to Tuesday, when he'd originally planned on entering the studio.

The process couldn't have been more hurried if he were your new American Idol. Which maybe he is.

Judge or no, Shelton might be the worthiest beneficiary of a TV talent show since...well, since his bride, Miranda Lambert, finished third on Nashville Star eight years back.

He's already been a borderline-superstar in the country community -- that is, most everywhere between San Bernardino and Hackensack -- but this, his eighth studio recording, might as well be his debut in country-resistant climes like Brentwood and midtown Manhattan.

It's a pretty decent starter course, and/or career summation, depending where you're coming from.

Newcomers may be slightly confused. Is he the lovable rogue who delights in the most politically incorrect gags and bawdy postings any mainstream star dares type on Twitter? Or the gentleman groom recently seen looking courtly on wedding-themed magazine covers? Both, of course, at least on record, where Shelton enjoys playing country music's Goofus and its Gallant.

His rascal side -- let's call it "Rake" Shelton -- gets a workout on "Get Some," the album's pickin'-est and grinnin'-est nod to irresponsibility. (Sample lyrics: "You get gas/You get beer/You get weird/You get drove home/You get up-thrown.") But some songs that threaten rambunctiousness disguise a morally conservative core.

"Drink On It" is not one of Shelton's rowdy odes to getting plastered, but a reasonably polite suggestion to a girl that they get to know each other over libations. (It contains one of the album's more memorable rhymes: "We can talk rocket science, Jesus, or politics/Hey, your boyfriend cheated on you?/Man, he sounds like such a prick.") "Good Ole Boys," a musical homage to Waylon Jennings, doesn't champion outlaw behavior but rather good manners, knocking baggy pants-wearing kids who "don't say ma'am or sir no more."

The ballads abandon these regional tropes. (The best, "Addicted," is only available on the iTunes/Walmart deluxe edition.) Lambert adds guest harmonies to the pleasingly rueful title track; apparently these two aren't afraid to jinx their honeymoon with a breakup lament.

Less successfully, Shelton indulges in a rare flirtation with goop on "God Gave Me You," a cover of a Christian rock power ballad that renders divine providence particularly bland. Naturally, it's the album's next single, but you have to wonder what Shelton's shadow Twitter side really makes of the song.

Is his sweeter persona taking over to cater to newfound TV viewers who might not care to kiss his country behind (to paraphrase a recent Shelton anthem)? Or is it a natural continuation of his late success with romantic ballads like "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking"? Has wedded bliss had a settling musical effect, too -- or did he just have too abbreviated a song-picking window to find any new rowdy classics?

If he's mellowing, it's hardly a fatal shift: Even a slightly tamed Shelton is still gratifyingly Goofus-y by other country hitmakers' standards.

Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood to host CMA Awards

NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) - Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will co-host the 45th annual Country Music Association Awards on November 9, sharing the duty for the fourth time, they said on Monday.

The two made the announcement via Facebook from the set of their new video, "Remind Me."

The CMA Awards, which annually are among the highest honors for country singers, will be handed out at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, and will be broadcast live by ABC.

"We wanted to take a minute to share some very exciting news," Underwood said in the announcement that was available on YouTube. "The CMA has asked Brad and me back to host the CMA Awards in November."

Paisley had also tweeted earlier that he and Underwood were shooting the video, and photos from both that tweet and the CMA announcement showed them on an undisclosed beach.

"Can you believe that?" asked Paisley, who won the CMA Entertainer of the Year award last year. "I can't wait to do it again."

CMA chief executive Steve Moore said both Underwood and Paisley "have the unique qualities of humor, talent, credibility and natural rapport that makes them a hit with fans and the industry audience."

The awards show honors country music's biggest stars from the previous year, with some of the genre's best-known singers handing out 12 awards including Entertainer of the Year, Male and Female Vocalist of the Year, and Album of the Year.

Other awards are Single and Song of the Year, Group of the Year, Vocal Duo, Musical Event, Musician of the Year, Music Video and New Artist of the Year.

Sting and orchestra bring magic to Montreux jazz fest

MONTREUX, Switzerland (Reuters) - Sting performed Police and solo hits including "Roxanne," "Every Breath You Take" and "Englishman in New York" in orchestral arrangement, bringing a sell-out audience at Montreux Jazz Festival to its feet.

The fit 59-year-old Briton and his "Symphonicity" tour delivered an energetic two-hour show on Monday night on the famed stage of the annual prestigious Swiss summer event.

"I'm very happy to be here with the Bochum Symphony Orchestra," Sting, speaking in French, told the crowd of 3,300 fans of all ages, some of whom paid more than $200 for a seat in Stravinski Auditorium.

Bathed in red light, he then sang "Roxanne," playing his acoustic guitar for The Police's 1978 hit that tells a tale of a man falling in love with a prostitute.

Sting, sporting a tight-fitting grey t-shirt, opened with "Everything Little Thing She Does is Magic," setting the tone for a high-energy evening marked by conductor Sarah Hicks dancing in high heels as she led the German orchestra.

The full force of its drums and horns came through on numbers including "Russians."

A white spotlight shone on first violinist Christine Fischer-Eisenbrand for her solo in "Whenever I Say Your Name." Sting was accompanied in the duet by Australian back-up vocalist Jo Lawry for the 2003 track he recorded with Mary J. Blige.

Sting joined in on harmonica for "Fields of Gold," with a tambourine for songs including "Straight to my Heart," then returned to his acoustic guitar for "(Moon Over) Bourbon Street." Dominic Miller and co-writer of some compositions including "Shape of my Heart" was on electric guitar throughout.

The Police frontman and winner of 16 Grammy Awards who has sold nearly 100 million records earned thunderous applause for "King of Pain." He then brought the crowd to its feet for the rest of the night with "Every Breath You Take" followed by encores of "Desert Rose," "She's Too Good for Me" and "Fragile."

Sting closed with "Message in a Bottle," the crowd joining in the refrain.

Last week the activist abruptly canceled a performance in the Astana Day Festival in Kazakhstan, voicing support for striking oil and gas workers in the former Soviet republic.

"Hunger strikes, imprisoned workers and tens of thousands on strike represents a virtual picket line which I have no intention of crossing," he said in a statement on his website.

Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin opened the two-week Montreux festival along Lake Geneva that closes on Saturday with Deep Purple. Rapper Doom is standing in for Mos Def on Thursday, organizers said in an overnight statement that gave no reason.