In this Nov. 2, 2009 photo released by the New York City Opera, the chorus performs on stage during a dress rehearsal of "Esther," at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York.
NEW YORK Launching its comeback in perilous financial times, the New York City Opera might well have played it safe with a surefire crowd-pleaser, like its production of Puccini's "Madama Butterfly."
PORTLAND, Maine Rocker Peter Wolf says he's looking forward to trying some home-brewed beer and good wine when he arrives in Maine for a gig with the Portland Symphony Orchestra.
HONOLULU The Honolulu Symphony said Friday it's canceling concerts for the rest of the year and filing for bankruptcy, citing a big drop in donations.
NEW YORK Art D'Lugoff (Duh-LOO'-guhf), who owned the famed Village Gate nightclub in New York City, has died. He was 85.
FILE - In this Friday Oct. 2, 2009 file photo, Michael Jackson's father Joe Jackson smiles after leaving a guardianship hearing for Michael Jackson in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES Michael Jackson's father is seeking an allowance from his son's estate to help cover expenses that exceed $15,000 a month, according to court documents filed Friday. The request seeking an unspecified amount for Joe Jackson was filed by lawyer Brian Oxman, who said there was no apparent reason for the administrators of the estate to not seek an allowance for the Jackson family patriarch.
ATLANTA R&B singer Usher's divorce from his wife is final, according to court documents.
LAS VEGAS Puerto Rican duo Calle 13 won all five awards it was nominated for Thursday at the Latin Grammys in Las Vegas, including two of the top awards of the night and honors in both urban and alternative categories.
FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2009 file photo, singer Alejandro Sanz attends the Latino 2009 Inaugural Gala at Union Station in Washington.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. Whenever Latin pop sensation Alejandro Sanz writes music, he sets off on a "long mental journey" to find inspiration. But when Alicia Keys surprised the singer at a party in New York by joining him in an impromptu jam session, Sanz knew then that he'd found his muse.
In this publicity image released by ABC, Diane Sawyer, left, interviews singer Rihanna about her relationship with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown in New York. The interview aired on the morning program "Good Morning America," Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, and will also air Friday on the prime time news program "20/20".
NEW YORK Rihanna on Friday described the horror she felt as her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown was biting and punching her during a violent argument in February, saying she saw "no soul in his eyes."
FILE - A Friday, Oct. 16, 2009 file photo of British singer Elton John performing on stage during a concert in Zurich, Switzerland. Elton John's spokesman said Monday Nov. 2, 2009 that the singer is recovering in the hospital after illness forced him to cancel three concerts in the United States. Gary Farrow said Monday that the pop star hopes to be released soon. John intends to rejoin the "Face2Face" tour later in the month when he and Billy Joel play concerts in northern California. Farrow said 62-year-old John is suffering from a "bad case of the flu and a minor case of e-coli." His Web site says he was advised by his doctor to postpone dates in Seattle and Portland.
LONDON Elton John has been released from a London hospital after being treated for flu and an E. coli bacterial infection.
Estell walks down the red carpet during the 2009 Soul Train Awards taping at the Georgia World Congress Center, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009 in Atlanta.
ATLANTA Grammy-winning singer Estelle remembered when she used to strut in the living room when she was younger, singing many of soul legend Otis Redding's classic songs like "Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay."
LAS VEGAS Partial list of winners from the 2008 Latin Grammy Awards in Houston, Texas:
FILE - In this June 11, 2009 file photo, singer Rihanna watches the second quarter of Game 4 of the NBA basketball finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic in Orlando, Fla.
LOS ANGELES Rihanna, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Green Day and Carrie Underwood will be among the diverse roster of performers planning to take the stage at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles, show producers said Thursday.
BERLIN Berlin loves Beyonce.
BERLIN Winners of the 16th annual MTV Europe Music Awards, presented Thursday:
LAS VEGAS Bette Midler will perform her Las Vegas show "The Showgirl Must Go On" for the last time on Jan. 31.
CAIRO As Egypt gears for pop diva Beyonce Knowles' first performance in North Africa, Islamic conservatives are branding her show an "insolent sex party" that threatens the Muslim nation's "social peace and stability."
FILE - In this April 18, 2009 file photo, Brandon Flowers of The Killers performs during the band's headlining set on the second day of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif.
NEW YORK When the Killers started out, they wanted to raise a ruckus like their favorite rock stars did on the road: Frontman Brandon Flowers heard of the legendary exploits of Led Zeppelin and David Bowie and wanted to emulate those experiences.
FILE - In this Oct. 1, 2009 file photo, Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong performs during their 21st Century Breakdown Tour in Barcelona, Spain.
NEW YORK Green Day already has New Year's Eve plans: They'll be ringing in 2010 with Carson Daly.
FILE - In this June 11, 2009 file photo, singer Rihanna watches the second quarter of Game 4 of the NBA basketball finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic in Orlando, Fla.
NEW YORK Rihanna said Thursday that she regrets going back to ex-boyfriend Chris Brown after he left her bruised and battered during a February assault, warning other women facing domestic violence to not let themselves become blinded by love.
BERLIN Irish rockers U2 returned to Berlin for a free mini-concert Thursday in front of the Brandenburg Gate, playing its classic singles and a duet with Jay-Z even as the show was obscured from public view by a nearly 6-1/2-foot (two-meter) high metal barrier.
LAS VEGAS Puerto Rican duo Calle 13 won all five awards it was nominated for Thursday at the Latin Grammys in Las Vegas, including two of the top awards of the night and honors in both urban and alternative categories.
LAS VEGAS The Latin music world celebrated 100 million records sold, 1,500 songs written and 30 years of recording, all by one artist, Mexico's beloved Juan Gabriel.
WASHINGTON Classical music took over the White House on Wednesday as Barack and Michelle Obama used two concerts and a series of workshops for young musicians to send a clear message that the music of the masters isn't just for stuffed shirts.
FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2009 file photo, Chris Brown arrives at the Clive Davis pre-Grammy party in Beverly Hills, Calif.
NEW YORK Chris Brown says he is unsure about how the public perceives him since he attacked Rihanna.
Leona Lewis performs at the Hackney Empire, London, on Monday Nov 2, 2009 where the 24-year-old thanked fans for their support at her first ever solo concert 11 years earlier . Lewis, who won British television's X Factor talent competition in 2006, returned to the stage of the east London theatre where she first performed aged just 13.
LONDON British pop singer Leona Lewis won strong fan support at her first ever full-length concert Monday night, performing on familiar territory in the east London neighborhood where she grew up and still lives.
U.S. singer Katy Perry, U.S. musician and television presenter Pete Wentz and British singer Joss Stone pose at the press conference for the 2009 MTV European Music Awards in Berlin, Wednesday Nov. 4, 2009.
BERLIN For Katy Perry, learning can be fun.
FILE - In this June 11, 2009 file photo, singer Rihanna watches the second quarter of Game 4 of the NBA basketball finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic in Orlando, Fla.
LOS ANGELES Rihanna says dealing with the media attention after being assaulted in February by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown was humiliating. But she now hopes to speak for young women who are afraid to talk openly about domestic violence.
FILE - In this Feb. 7, 2009 file photo, singer Rod Stewart performs at the Clive Davis pre-Grammy party in Beverly Hills, Calif.
LOS ANGELES Rod Stewart grew up idolizing soul singers like Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson and Otis Redding. On his new album, "Soulbook," he gets a chance to pay tribute to his childhood idols in song - and even gets a chance to sing with one of them on the CD.
Leona Lewis performs at the Hackney Empire, London, on Monday Nov 2, 2009 where the 24-year-old thanked fans for their support at her first ever solo concert 11 years earlier . Lewis, who won British television's X Factor talent competition in 2006, returned to the stage of the east London theatre where she first performed aged just 13.
LONDON British pop singer Leona Lewis won strong fan support at her first ever full-length concert Monday night, performing on familiar territory in the east London neighborhood where she grew up and still lives.
FILE - In this Sept. 26, 2009 file photo, Adam Young, 23, who records under the name Owl City, performs at the Cabooze bar in Minneapolis, Minn.
iTunes' top 10 selling singles and albums of the week ending Nov. 2, 2009:
In this CD cover image released by Universal Motown, Ryan Leslie's "Transition," is shown.
Ryan Leslie, "Transition" (Universal Motown)
FILE - In this Dec. 7, 2008 file photo, George Jones arrives for the Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. Country Music Hall of Famer George Jones isn't a big fan of where the genre has moved in recent years.
In this CD cover image released by 19 Recordings Limited / Arista Nashville, "Play On," by Carrie Underwood is shown.
Carrie Underwood, "Play On" (19 Recordings/Arista Nashville)
In this CD cover image released by Columbia Records, the first season soundtrack for "Glee" is shown.
Various, "Glee: The Music, Volume 1" (Columbia)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. Pop-country has made superstars out of acts like Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift and more, but the term is not particularly endearing in Nashville, even to the artists who have come to define it.
LONDON The former agent to Queen Elizabeth II's official composer was sentenced to prison Monday for embezzling more than 500,000 pounds ($800,000) from his employer over a period of 16 years.
FILE -- In a May 26, 2009 photo Elton John arrives at a news conference at Starz animation studio in Toronto. Elton John's spokesman said Monday Nov. 2, 2009 the singer is recovering in the hospital after illness forced him to cancel three concerts in the United States.
LONDON Elton John has been hospitalized after suffering from a case of E. coli bacterial infection and the flu, his spokesman said Monday.
FIFTEEN OF TWENTY ** FILE -- Germans from East and West stand on the Berlin Wall in front of the Brandenburg Gate in this Nov. 10, 1989, file photo, one day after the wall opened. Monday, Nov. 9, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
BERLIN This time it's Berlin calling.
US pop star Madonna, left, and her daughter Lourdes attend the ground breaking ceremony for her Raising Malawi Academy for Girls in Malawi, Monday, Oct. 26, 2009. Madonna who is funding the building of the school was the guest of honour at the function. The 51-year-old celebrity arrived in the impoverished southern African country on Sunday. She was accompanied by her four children _ daughters Lourdes and Mercy, and sons Rocco and David.
LILONGWE, Malawi Madonna has left Malawi after a nearly weeklong visit with her family, airport and charity officials said Saturday.
NEW YORK U2 brought three generations of chart-toppers - Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen and the Black Eyed Peas - with them onstage Friday at another night of mix-and-match magic at Madison Square Garden.
FILE - In this Jan. 30, 2009 file photo, rapper Lil Wayne arrives on the red carpet for the ESPN Next Big Weekend Super Bowl XLIII party in Tampa, Fla.
NEW YORK A Florida man wants rappers Lil Wayne and Birdman to show him respect - for using his voice in an album track called just that.
Actor Tom Hanks speaks in the press room at the 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame concert at Madison Square Garden in New York, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009.
NEW YORK Tom Hanks is down with the single ladies.
FILE - In a Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009 photo singer and actress Miley Cyrus arrives at the "Concert for Hope" in Los Angeles. A Georgia grand jury decided Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009 against indicting 53-year-old Mark McLeod on charges of attempting to stalk teen star Miley Cyrus. McLeod has been jailed since Aug. 4 after police arrested him twice on Tybee Island, where 16-year-old Cyrus was filming "The Last Song."
SAVANNAH, Ga. A 53-year-old man pleaded guilty Friday to resisting police outside the set of a Miley Cyrus movie on the Georgia coast after prosecutors dropped charges that he tried to stalk the teen pop star.
NEW YORK It was another night of mixing and matching for rock 'n' roll royalty at New York's Madison Square Garden, with U2 sharing the stage with Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger and the Black Eyed Peas.
LOS ANGELES Michael Jackson's collaborators on "Thriller" say they are due more than $2.3 million from the singer's estate.
Bono, right, and The Edge of the Irish rock band U2 perform during their 360 world tour stop at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009.
NEW YORK YouTube's webcast of a U2 concert was watched by nearly 10 million people, the video site's largest streaming event ever.
US pop star Madonna plants a tree at a ground breaking ceremony for her Raising Malawi Academy for Girls in Malawi, Monday, Oct. 26, 2009. Madonna who is funding the building of the school was the guest of honour at the function. The 51-year-old celebrity arrived in the impoverished southern African country on Sunday. She was accompanied by her four children _ daughters Lourdes and Mercy, and sons Rocco and David.
MPHANDULA, Malawi Madonna has promised electricity to a village in Malawi, the impoverished southern African country where she runs a charity organization and from which she has adopted two children.
Recording artist Sting is photographed in New York on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009.
NEW YORK Sting isn't a religious man, but he says President Barack Obama might be a divine answer to the world's problems.
NEW ORLEANS Rapper Eminem performs along with KISS this weekend at Voodoo Experience, the punk and rock music festival to be held amid the live oaks and lagoons at New Orleans City Park.
