Maroon 5 Singer Poses Nude- Michael Jackson Doctor Tried To Hide Drugs?- Kanye Vs Photographer- Aretha Franklin Recovering- Snoop Movie- Harry Potter Case Dropped- more

(Jam!) Without confirming reports that she has been battling cancer or even saying why she was sick, soul icon Aretha Franklin said in a magazine interview Thursday that she is now "feeling great" after recent surgery. more

(Billboard) A paramedic testified Thursday that he saw the doctor charged in the death of Michael Jackson grab three bottles of painkillers and place the vials in a bag during futile efforts to revive the pop star at his mansion. more

(Jam!) Beastie Boys rapper Adam Yauch has been given the all-clear in his cancer battle, 18 months after he was diagnosed with the disease. more

(NME) Kanye West is being sued by a photographer, who claims he was assaulted by the rapper in New York two years ago. Michael Vasquez is alleging that West and his security team "assaulted, battered, beat and threatened" him at Guastavino's restaurant. more

(Billboard) Snoop Dogg revealed in a recent radio interview that he and up-and-coming rapper Wiz Khalifa are working on a movie together. "High School" will be released straight to DVD more

(BBC) A Los Angeles judge dismisses the drug conspiracy convictions of the boyfriend and psychiatrist of late model Anna Nicole Smith. more

(Billboard) Rap music made a 3% comeback last year, driven by the top-selling album of the year, Eminem's "Recovery," and the non-traditional store sector became the No. 1 retail channel. more

(Yahoo) The wife of rapper T.I. is no longer facing charges for possession of ecstasy after she finished a drug diversion program. more

(BBC) A US judge has dismissed legal action accusing Harry Potter author JK Rowling of copying the work of another author. more

(BBC) Oscar-winning Taxi Driver star Robert De Niro will head the jury at this year's Cannes Film Festival, organisers announce. more

Katy Perry Scores Biggest Digital Song of 2010

The track, featuring Snoop Dogg, sold 4,398,212 million downloads in the U.S., and 8 million singles, digital tracks, mobile tracks and videos worldwide.

After much speculation, Katy has confirmed that "E.T." will be the fourth single released from Teenage Dream. Currently available on iTunes, "E.T." will go to radio in mid-February. more on this story

2011 Grammy Nominees Album

This 17th edition of the best-selling series, highlights artists and songs nominated for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.

The 19-song collection will be available Jan. 25 and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the album will benefit the MusiCares Foundation and the Grammy Foundation. more on this story

Raphael Saadiq Sets New Album Release

Known for defying the confines of working within one genre, this standard bearer for "old school" R&B returns with a new release that celebrates the classic sounds of 60's and 70's soul with a futuristic twist.

Raphael is set to debut the video for the track "Radio" today at www.rollingstone.com. The song will be available on iTunes starting next Tuesday, January 11th. more on this story

Sugarland To Continue The Incredible Machine Tour

George Clinton Joins The Big Ol' Nasty Getdown

Get ready for the Big Ol' Nasty Getdown -- the biggest, baddest, bombastic dose of pure funk you'll ever hear. The 60-plus musicians and singers that make up Big Ol' Nasty Getdown are led by ring leaders John Heintz and JP Miller and features an all-star line-up of greats including George Clinton, Michael "Clip" Payne, The Gift of Gab, and P-Funk sirens Belita Woods and Kendra Foster as well as Reverend Desmond D'Angelo, and Laura Reed. The project is guided by the spirit of Garry "Starchild" Shider who, until his untimely passing earlier this year, was a major catalyst in the birth of the band. The band's debut CD, Big Ol 'Nasty Getdown Volume 1, is scheduled for release on the Getdown Entertainment imprint in May 3.

"Working on this record was a dream come true," said Belita Woods, who contributed several songs to the project. "The bond and trust between all the musicians gave us the freedom to be creative and have a lot of fun. I think that shows on the album." more on this story

An Acoustic Cafe Evening Tour

"We're thrilled to have Carrie and Erin returning to the Acoustic Cafe Evening Tour," said Rob Reinhart, producer and host of the syndicated radio program Acoustic Caf�. "And Mary Gauthier has been a guest on the show many times over the years, so we're honored to have her lending her talents to the tour in 2011. These artists represent precisely what Acoustic Cafe is all about!"

Erin McKeown spent 2010 touring in support of her latest release Hundreds of Lions, her first album of original songs since 2005's We Will Become Like Birds. The year also marked a decade since the release of her critically acclaimed debut Distillation on Signature Sounds. In September, Erin embarked on the "Distillation 10th Anniversary Tour." A constant on the road, she regularly holds down a rigorous tour schedule of 200 shows a year.
Acclaim has followed Mary Gauthier on every step of her remarkable journey. Her breakthrough album, Mercy Now (2005) was continuously "discovered" and lauded for the two years following its release, earning mentions on a score of year end "best of" lists. Since its 2010 release, Gauthier's sixth album, The Foundling has garnered widespread critical acclaim and has been called "electrifying" by The Los Angeles Times, "a stunning new concept album" by The Boston Globe. more on this story

Tera Melos and Marnie Stern Team Up For Tour

Tera Melos will also issue a new 6-song EP, Zoo Weather via Sargent House in February on cassette and digital download. The EP features 3 new songs and 3 remixed tracks (including a remix by Japanese noise legends Melt Banana).

Tracks from Zoo Weather will also be available as part of the deluxe digital package for the band's recent full-length, Patagonian Rats. more on this story

Young Chris and Karina Bradley Get Loose

Karina Bradley wanted to drop a hot club track in Philadelphia with some of the hottest Recording Artists in Philly so she reached out to Jay Bezel of Doe Stackaz Entertainment (formerly of Dipset) and Young Chris of Universal / Division 1 (Formerly of Roc-A-Fella Records).

Both of the Hip Hop artists immediately agreed to collaborating on the track. Everything came together very quickly. The track was recorded in Philly at CertiFYD Production Group Check it out here

50 Cent Gets Sleek

50 Cent, widely recognized as one of the most talented and prolific music artists, has become a force to be reckoned with in the business industry having encompassed an arsenal of successful endeavors in fashion and lifestyle, fragrance, publishing, video games and film among others.

As a rapper, 50 Cent realized the need for a U.S.-made audio device that offered powerful, accurate sound reproduction without the limitation of cables. This idea led to the partnership with Sleek Audio and as a result, in a deal structured by his business manager Greg Collins and Financial Advisor Brad Feinstein, 50 has become an equity partner in the company. more on this story

Celebration Of Gospel '11

The special pays tribute to the rich history of gospel music in a unique format that combined today's leading gospel and secular artists.

Hosted by popular comedian, author, game show host and syndicated radio personality Steve Harvey, the inspirational and uplifting presentation packed a powerful punch by some of the industry's top players. more on this story

Toya Returns to BET With New Series

Viewers will follow her fearless journey as she continues to carve out a personal and professional path for herself while dealing with the burden of keeping her troubled family together and out of the perils of street life.

The season is full of surprising and challenging moments as Toya continues to balance her life while supporting her mother through drug addiction and watching over her four brothers: Walter, Rudy, Casey, and Josh, at very pivotal turning points in their lives. more on this story

Wheelchair Bound Actress Lands Leading Musical Role

Ms. Stoker will play the role of Olive in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Paper Mill Playhouse, running at the Millburn theatre through February 13, 2011.

"As a kid growing up in Jersey, it was my life long goal to perform at Paper Mill Playhouse," said Ali. "Now my dream has come true." more on this story

Ellie Goulding Set US Release

Produced by Starsmith, Goulding's full length release LIGHTS shot to #1 on the UK chart in March 2010. This past December "Your Song" hit #2 on the charts and #1 on the iTunes Chart and the video has received over 6 million views. The focus track, "Starry Eyed," has already received over 12.5 million views on YouTube.

This past September, Ellie made her maiden voyage to the US in support of her EP, AN INTRODUCTION TO ELLIE GOULDING. She performed in New York and Los Angeles to rave reviews. The New Yorker called Ellie "the future of music" and the Los Angeles Times raved, "her set seemed to cement her pop bona fides. ... She can reel off some powerful drum and guitar chops and her voice is a serious and sure instrument in person." more on this story