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Russia's jailed punk band member hospitalized, husband says

By Gabriela Baczynska MOSCOW (Reuters) - A jailed member of Russian punk band Pussy Riot was hospitalized on Friday after going on a hunger strike to protest prison conditions, her husband said, but her condition was not clear. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova was admitted to the hospital at the prison where she is serving a two-year term for a protest against President Vladimir Putin in Russia's main Orthodox Christian cathedral, Pyotr Verzilov said. Verzilov said the acting head of the prison had described Tolokonnikova's condition as "horrible" but had given no further details. ...

LA jury reaches verdict in Michael Jackson wrongful death lawsuit

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Los Angeles jury reached a verdict on Wednesday in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of pop singer Michael Jackson against concert promoter AEG Live, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Superior Court said. The verdict, which will be read at 3:30 p.m. PT (2230 GMT), caps a five-month trial that opened a window into the singer's private life and final days. Jackson's mother, Katherine, and his three children sued AEG Live over the singer's 2009 death at age 50 in Los Angeles from an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol. ...

Timberlake celebrates return to music with second No. 1 album this year

By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop singer Justin Timberlake scored his second chart-topping album this year on Wednesday as his latest record debuted at No. 1 on the weekly Billboard 200 album chart, capping the singer's successful return to the musical spotlight. Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2," which follows the first set of 10 songs released in March this year, sold 350,000 copies in its first week, according to figures compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The first installment of "The 20/20 Experience" sold 968,000 copies, the biggest opening week sales of the year so ...

Elton John lauds young artists, then mixes his new songs with old

By Sue Zeidler LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - At 66 years old, Elton John says he can make whatever kind of music he wants, regardless of commercial pressure, but he professes to love what young musicians are doing today. At a rare free concert in Los Angeles on Monday night, John told the audience that it's time to turn over the spotlight to younger artists, even as he prepares to release his 30th solo studio album "The Diving Board." "I (my music) don't play on the radio. It's other people's turn. ...

Lady Gaga, Eminem to headline first YouTube Music Awards
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop singer Lady Gaga and rapper Eminem will be headline performers at the first YouTube Music Awards, the Google Inc-owned online video steaming site said on Tuesday. The November 3 award show in New York, which will be live-streamed, honors the top songs and artists that were viewed on the website in the past year. Nominees will be announced later this month and voting by the public will determine winners, YouTube said. Canadian rock band Arcade Fire will also perform at the awards show. ...

Pogues' guitarist Phil Chevron dies at 56 from cancer
LONDON (Reuters) - Guitarist Phil Chevron of the Anglo-Irish folk-punk band the Pogues died on Tuesday at the age of 56 after a long battle with cancer, the band said. Chevron joined the Pogues in 1984 and became a core member as the group made its name internationally in the 1980s and early 1990s with albums including "Rum, Sodomy and The Lash" and "If I Should Fall From Grace With God". Chevron, whose real name was Philip Ryan, wrote the band's popular ballad "Thousands Are Sailing". "He was unique. We'll miss him terribly. ...

World music fest adds the actual taste of what people hear
By Jan Harvey CHARLTON PARK England (Reuters) - In their native Iran, Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat are best known for their soaring voices, flawless harmonies and dedication to the art of singing in the face of tough restrictions on public performances by women. “These are from eastern Iran, from a village near the desert,” she told host Roger de Wolf and the assembled crowd at Taste the World stage at Womad, a festival of traditional music and dance, as she unwrapped the fruit, brought with her from the Middle East.

Michael Jackson verdict could shake up entertainment business model

By Eric Kelsey LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of late pop star Michael Jackson against his concert promoter is now in the hands of a jury, and the verdict could have far-reaching implications for how the entertainment industry does business with its biggest stars. The 21-week trial, which has opened a window into the private life and last days of the King of Pop, has put not only concert promoter AEG Live on trial but also the entertainment industry's live-performance business model, analysts say. ...