NEW YORK A "Thriller"-era silk-screened portrait of Michael Jackson created by Andy Warhol has sold for $812,500 to an anonymous collector.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Taylor Swift started what could be an interesting week with her second straight song of the year award at the BMI Country Awards Tuesday, when Kris Kristofferson was honored as an icon.

LOS ANGELES Michael Jackson's private family funeral was fit for a king and had a price tag to match: roughly $1 million, according to court documents released Tuesday.

MEXICO CITY Reggaeton singer Daddy Yankee has told a Mexican newspaper that he's taking music classes - 17 years after he started his career.

LOS ANGELES A California judge granted a temporary restraining order Tuesday barring Jennifer Lopez's first husband and his manager from distributing 11 hours of home video footage the singer-actress claims includes sexual situations.

BATON ROUGE, La. A Baton Rouge rapper who failed to follow a judge's instructions in a drug case will now have to serve about two years in prison instead of one.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Randy Houser has no illusions when it comes to the Country Music Association Awards.

NEW YORK Rihanna says recording songs on her new album was such an emotional experience that she sometimes had to leave the studio to prevent herself from breaking down.

iTunes' top 10 selling singles and albums of the week ending Nov. 9, 2009:

NEW YORK Aerosmith's lead guitarist Joe Perry says the legendary rock band isn't breaking up - although they may be in need a new singer.

CLEVELAND The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is celebrating the brief, electrifying career of Janis Joplin with a week of events building up to a tribute concert.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Darius Rucker was just a young boy with a love for "Hee Haw" and FM radio when he made a discovery - and a decision - that would shape the rest of his life.

NEW YORK Members of Bon Jovi were supposed to be taking it easy this winter, basking in adulation and just letting the money roll in.

LOS ANGELES Michael Jackson's father does not stand to inherit any of his son's assets and cannot challenge the appointment of the executors chosen by the singer to handle his will, a judge said Tuesday.

LOS ANGELES A judge on Monday ordered a woman to stay away from Justin Timberlake for the next three years.

LOS ANGELES A California judge has granted a temporary restraining order barring Jennifer Lopez's first husband from distributing 11 hours of home video footage from their marriage that the singer-actress claims includes sexual situations.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. It's a seemingly simple approach to one of the modern world's most complicated political problems: By marrying the dainty lutes of the East with thrumming violas of the West, composer Hafez Nazeri says he wants to create harmony between the U.S. and his native Iran.

Melanie Fiona, "The Bridge" (Universal Motown)

BERLIN Sir Simon Rattle's new contract with the Berlin Philharmonic is just days old but already he's looking ahead - to the orchestra's coast-to-coast tour U.S. tour starting this week, and to the role that classical music can and will play in 21st century society.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Kenny Chesney has made the very hard work of dominating country music look easy.

Bon Jovi, "The Circle" (Island)

NEW YORK Marianne Faithfull has never been much for nostalgia throughout a roller-coaster career that's found her constantly reinventing herself. But when her band played "As Tears Go By" on her fall U.S. concert tour, she found herself flashing back to where her wild ride all began.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Gospel music singer Bobby Jones has donated an estimated $6 million worth of recordings to Tennessee State University, his alma mater.

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.

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.

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.

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."

LONDON Elton John has been released from a London hospital after being treated for flu and an E. coli bacterial infection.

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:

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."

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.

NEW YORK Green Day already has New Year's Eve plans: They'll be ringing in 2010 with Carson Daly.

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.

NEW YORK Chris Brown says he is unsure about how the public perceives him since he attacked Rihanna.

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.

BERLIN For Katy Perry, learning can be fun.