By Jon Herskovitz 44 minutes ago

SEOUL (Reuters) - The New York Philharmonic will try a dash of Dvorak diplomacy with an unprecedented concert in North Korea next week, hoping America's oldest orchestra can bring a change of tune to one of the world's most isolated countries.

U.S. government officials may be expecting some rare harmony between the bitter foes, but analysts say they should brace for a different note from the North's propaganda machine, which is likely to bill the concert as homage to its jump-suited leader Kim Jong-il.

The New York Philharmonic arrives in Pyongyang on Monday for a stay of about 48 hours which will culminate in a concert on Tuesday featuring the works of Antonin Dvorak and George Gershwin played before the hermit state's elite members.

"If we are gradually to improve U.S.-Korean relations, such events have the potential to nudge open a door that has been closed too long," the orchestra's music director Lorin Maazel wrote in the Wall Street Journal earlier this week.

The orchestra has tried to break the ice between Cold War foes before with a celebrated visit to the Soviet Union in 1959.

The Bush administration has called the North an outpost of tyranny and part of an axis of evil.

The North's official media say Washington is run by political philistines bent on toppling its leaders and igniting nuclear war on the Korean peninsula.

The two states have no diplomatic ties, are technically still at war and have troops staring each other down across the heavily fortified border that has divided North and South Korea since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a cease fire.

It will be the biggest group from the United States since North Korea seized the U.S. spy ship Pueblo 40 years ago and held its 82 crew members for months.

The concert will be broadcast live in both North and South Korea.

One person who will be watching intently is Kim Cheol-woong, a classically trained piano prodigy from North Korea who defected to the South to pursue his passion for Western music.

"The message that will be delivered to North Koreans is: 'the U.S. is kneeling to our Dear Leader Kim Jong-il'," he said.

But pianist Kim believes the concert does have the potential to change hearts and minds in the reclusive state.

Access to foreign music is banned and under normal circumstances, listening to the works that will be played at Tuesday's concert could land a person in prison, he added.

GIRLS AND ACCORDIONS

The concert will be a study of contrasts.

The North's "Dear Leader" is a music buff whom state media says has penned revolutionary operas. A staple of state TV are broadcasts of groups of school girls playing accordions to tunes such as "Our General is Best."

The New York Philharmonic's program includes Gershwin's "An American in Paris," about a foreigner discovering the "the city of light."

A shortage of electricity means most of impoverished North Korea is in the dark at night.

The other piece, Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 "From the New World," highlights an immigrant's discovery of America's music. It will be played in a country that forbids most citizens from leaving.

Brian Myers, a North Korea specialist who teaches at the South's Dongseo University, said U.S. and New York Philharmonic officials are mistaken if they think the concert will create any goodwill with the North's leaders.

"The United States is seen as a very duplicitous paper tiger. In other words, as a country that is very frightened of North Korea and its strength and is now trying to while its way into the hearts of the North Korean people," Myers said.

An emboldened North often says it developed nuclear weapons to fend off a hostile United States and that the might of its 1.2-million man military can turn back an invasion.

The chief U.S. envoy in international talks to end North Korea's nuclear weapons program said he hopes this concert will help draw the hermit state out of its shell.

"Sometimes the North Koreans don't like our words," Christopher Hill told reporters in Seoul earlier this week.

"Maybe they will like our music."

(Additional reporting by Lee Jiyeon; Editing by Jonathan Thatcher and Jerry Norton)

Sarah Hall Thu Feb 21, 6:08 PM ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Just call her Mommy from the block.

Jennifer Lopez and husband Marc Anthony welcomed twins early Friday morning, a son and a daughter.

After multiple false alarms over the past few weeks, set off by extra security, over-eager tipsters, etc., the babies were born at 12:45 a.m. ET at a Long Island hospital, J.Lo's rep, Simon Fields, told People.

This is the couple's first children together. Anthony also has two sons and one daughter from two previous relationships.

Lopez, 38, finally spilled the beans about her expectant status in November, months after the rumors that she was pregnant began.

"We didn't want to say anything before because we didn't want to take away from the tour, but we're expecting," she told the audience at the final concert on her joint tour with Anthony.

Not that she was under the illusion that people thought her swelling figure was due to anything other than baby weight.

In an interview in February's Harper's Bazaar, Lopez said she felt like the world already knew she was pregnant long before her announcement, given that she was "on tour with a bubble gut!"

However, she said her choice to try and keep the pregnancy private for as long as possible was important to her.

"I do realize people want to know because they're interested, but this is the first time I'm going through this," Lopez told the magazine. "This is my experience and my husband's experience, and we get to hold that for a little while."

The couple, who tied the knot in June 2004, celebrated their impending parenthood earlier CQthis monthCQ with a baby shower in New York.

45 minutes ago

CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez says Alejandro Sanz is welcome to perform at his presidential palace, and denied Thursday that his government retaliated against the Latin Grammy winner because of critical comments he made.

More than 80 performers and other celebrities signed a statement supporting the Spanish singer after his concerts were canceled in Venezuela. Signers including Shakira, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Penelope Cruz and even soccer star David Beckham said they “believe in a Latin America where we are all free to express our views.”

Venezuelan organizers said Sanz’s sold-out Feb. 14 concert in Caracas was canceled because it lacked “the appropriate conditions.” The announcement came after government officials said Sanz would not be allowed to hold the concert at the state-controlled stadium because of his past criticism of Chavez.

Chavez denied any attempt to censor or retaliate against Sanz. “Come here and sing in Miraflores,” he said, referring to Venezuela’s presidential palace.

12 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES - After three weeks of trying, Britney Spears’ parents on Thursday finally got to order Sam Lutfi to stay away from their daughter — at least until Friday.

In court papers, Jeffrey Wexler, a lawyer for her father, James Spears, wrote that “after three weeks of apparently evading service,” Lutfi was served at 11 a.m. outside his Los Angeles apartment.

The order expires Friday. It requires Lutfi to stay 250 yards away from Spears and her home.

Wexler asked for the order to be extended until the court can schedule a hearing on it.

On Feb. 7, Spears’ mother, Lynne, requested the temporary restraining order against the troubled singer’s frequent companion and sometime manager. She claimed Lutfi had held Spears hostage in her own home, drugged her and took over her finances.

Attorneys for James Spears, who was named co-conservator of his daughter’s estate, told a Superior Court commissioner that investigators spent more than 200 hours trying to locate Lutfi and serve him the restraining order.

Spears and her estate, estimated to be worth $100 million, were placed under a temporary conservatorship after she was taken to UCLA Medical Center on Jan. 31. Conservatorships are granted for people deemed unable to care for themselves or their affairs.

3 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Billboard) - As was the case last year, three tunes from one movie will compete for the best original song Oscar at the Academy Awards on Sunday.

But it's not a given that one of the "Enchanted" entries will win. Last year, the three contenders from "Dreamgirls" were beaten by Melissa Etheridge's "I Need To Wake Up" from "An Inconvenient Truth."

Rounding out this year's field are "Falling Slowly" from the surprise hit "Once," and "Raise It Up" from "August Rush." Here is a look at the nominees.

NOMINATED SONG: "Falling Slowly"

FILM: "Once" (Fox Searchlight)

ARTIST(S): Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

SOUNDTRACK CHART PEAK: No. 2 on Top Soundtracks chart; No. 27 on the Billboard 200

SOUNDTRACK COPIES SOLD: 363,000

(Sales through the week ending February 17, 2008 according to Nielsen SoundScan)

"Once," the little film that could, was released last May and earned more than $9 million at the box office. But its male star, Glen Hansard of veteran Irish band the Frames, almost didn't appear in the movie at all.

Director John Carney had already opted to use Hansard's songs in "Once" before casting, but after the intended star dropped out, he turned to the singer/songwriter, who previously appeared in the film "The Commitments," to fill the role.

"I actually recommended Damien Rice," Hansard recalls. "But John said, 'Then I'd have to use his songs, and I really like these ones I've already chosen."' A few days later, Carney had an epiphany. "It's as plain as the nose on my face that you should be the guy in this film," he told Hansard, who reluctantly agreed.

Hansard plays a busker in the movie, which also stars his bandmate in the Swell Season, Czech singer/pianist Marketa Irglova. The Frames are superstars at home but little-known in the United States. Thanks to strong word-of-mouth, Columbia's "Once" soundtrack has sold over 350,000 copies Stateside, according to Nielsen SoundScan, many times more than that of any Frames record. "If people like the music enough to want to hear it again, they'll draw a line between me and the band," he says. "All they have to do is Google my name and the Frames come up."

Hansard often played the soundtrack's now-nominated "Falling Slowly" solo acoustic during the Frames' North American tour last year. With "Once" having exceeded everyone's expectations, could another film be in the works? "John's talking about making another one at some point, called 'Twice,"' Hansard says. "Then the third one would be called 'Three Times a Lady."'

Hansard and Irglova will be on hand at the Academy Awards ceremony to perform "Falling Slowly."

NOMINATED SONG: "Raise It Up"

FILM: "August Rush" (Warner Bros.)

ARTISTS: Music and lyric by Jamal Joseph, Charles Mack and Tevin Thomas

CHART PEAKS: No. 10 on the Top Soundtracks chart; No. 99 on the Billboard 200

SOUNDTRACK COPIES SOLD: 105,000

(Sales through the week ending February 17, 2008 according to Nielsen SoundScan)

"August Rush," which stars Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Freddie Highmore and Jamia Simone Nash, unfolds as a sophisticated fairy tale in which characters are defined by the music they perform. Because the film centers on a young musical prodigy who was separated from his parents at birth, Warner Bros. hosted several in-school music programs across the United States. "The heart of the story is how we respond and connect through music," score composer Mark Mancina says. "The way the (main character) is going to find his parents is through music — not the Internet or the Yellow Pages."

Warner Bros' marketing push was heavily supported by Sony Music, which issued the movie's soundtrack on November 6. Eleven-year-old Nash, who previously portrayed a young Fantasia Barrino in a 2006 TV movie, will perform "Raise It Up" at the Academy Awards.

NOMINATED SONGS: "Happy Working Song," "So Close" and "That's How You Know"

FILM: "Enchanted" (Walt Disney Pictures)

ARTIST(S): Music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz

SOUNDTRACK CHART PEAK: No. 5 on Top Soundtracks chart; No. 39 on the Billboard 200

SOUNDTRACK COPIES SOLD: 199,000 (Sales through the week ending February 17, 2008 according to Nielsen SoundScan)

"Enchanted" used 2-D animation, live action and CGI to tell the story of a princess (Amy Adams) who is pushed down a well, comes up through a manhole in modern-day New York and falls in love with a single father (Patrick Dempsey).

And who better to sell a fairy tale than Carrie Underwood? The "American Idol" champ sings the Alan Menken/Stephen Schwartz song "Ever After" at the end of the movie. However, it was not one of the nominated songs. The three numbers nominated, which have collectively sold 177,00 digital downloads, were also written by Menken and Schwartz. "Happy Working Song" will be performed at the ceremony by Adams, "That's How You Know" by Kristin Chenoweth and Marlon Saunders, and "So Close" by Jon McLaughlin.

Reuters/Billboard

1 hour, 35 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Sean “Diddy” Combs says he wants to move to Hollywood and become a full-time movie star.

The East Coast-based entertainment mogul aims to get top billing on the big screen.

“Yeah, leading man kind of stuff; you know, jumping off of buildings,” Combs says in an appearance scheduled to air Friday on CBS’ “Late Show With David Letterman.”

Besides action-packed adventure, the rapper-producer’s ideal film roles would also include “making love to beautiful women” and “very emotional, heart-wrenching scenes.”

Letterman advises Combs to start out doing a smaller, independent movie rather than a big-budget picture that could bomb at the box office.

“Oh, no, no, no, I’m going to take my time with it,” said Combs, who has a clothing line, Sean John, and heads Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment and its record label.

Combs, 38, has had small roles in “Monster’s Ball” and “Made.” He headlined a Broadway revival of “Raisin in the Sun” in 2004, and co-stars with Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald in an ABC film version, which airs Feb. 25.

21 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Jennifer Lopez gave birth to twins early Friday, making the singer and husband Marc Anthony the parents of a boy and a girl after one of pop music’s most closely watched pregnancies.

Lopez representative Simon Fields told People magazine the babies were born at 12:45 a.m. on Long Island. The location was not identified.

“Jennifer and Marc are delighted, thrilled and over the moon,” Fields told the magazine.

Lopez’ publicists and agent did not return telephone calls from The Associated Press early Friday.

Ending months of speculation, Lopez confirmed her pregnancy at a Miami concert in November. Her father, David Lopez, told Telefutura’s “Escandalo TV” earlier this month that the 39-year-old singer was expecting twins.

Lopez and Anthony, 38, married in 2004. The twins are her first children, and his third and fourth.

___

On the Net:

People: http://www.people.com/people

Jennifer Lopez: http://www.jenniferlopez.com

Natalie Finn Thu Feb 21, 3:47 PM ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) - The bloodletting has begun on American Idol .  

Randy Jackson may have repeatedly remarked this week that the pleasantly precocious teenage contestants are the forces to be reckoned with in season seven, but 17-year-old Garrett "Leif Garrett" Haley was the first to be sent home on Thursday's results show, the first live send-off of the year. 

The Ohio native with the Peter Frampton 'do underwhelmed the judges—and America, apparently—with a slowed-down version of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," the usually punchy Neil Sedaka tune, that made Simon Cowell question whether the fair-skinned Haley had been shut up in his bedroom for the past month. 

All 24 semifinalists were called upon to perform tunes from the 1960s, marching orders that resulted in both welcome variety (Elvis, Janis Joplin, Three Dog Night and the Doors were among the artists represented) and a couple of duplications (the Turtles' "Happy Together" and Spiral Staircase's "More Today than Yesterday" got both the male and female treatment this week). 

And, as usual, the critiques ranged from "hot" to "forgettable," sometimes in reference to the same singer. 

Simon predicted that Amy Davis would be in trouble following her "incredibly cabaret" rendition of Connie Francis' "Where the Boys Are"—and he was right. 

The 25-year-old trade show model, lacking the Patsy Cline twang that could have made her Idol debut something to remember, according to the judges, was the first girl sent packing despite Paula Abdul's acknowledgment that the camera just loved the leggy brunette. 

In the evening's first bit of "it's either her or me" after-the-break drama, Ryan Seacrest revealed that America had also passed on plus-size model Joanne Borgella, another unsurprising choice after her uninspiring rendition of "I Say a Little Prayer." 

The 25-year-old beauty from Hoboken, New Jersey, turned in a "very, very substandard" performance, as far as Simon was concerned, and the other in-trouble semifinalist standing beside her, raspy voiced rocker Amanda Overmyer, lived to growl and scat another day. 

Last to go was another teen, 18-year-old Colton Berry—the youngster who ultimately stood in the way of the bespectacled Kyle Ensley's ascent to Idol's top 24, much to the chagrin of Simon, who told Berry straight off that he disagreed with the decision to put him through. 

And Berry's take on Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds" didn't do anything to convince him otherwise. 

"A complete waste of time," Simon called the performance, although Randy and Paula kinda liked it. 

Among those who actually managed to impress the judges—all three of them—this week were Asia'h Epperson, 19; Raniele Malubay, 20; Alaina Whitaker, 21; Robbie Carrico, 26; David Archuleta, 17; Jason Castro, 20; and Michael Johns, 29. 

Then there was 24-year-old Irish-born lass Carly Smithson, who recorded an album for the now-defunct MCA Records in 2001 and couldn't compete in Idol's fifth season because of problems with her work visa. 

Randy and Paula were blown away by her seemingly impressive take on "The Shadow of Your Smile," but Simon "didn't get it." 

Well, at least Smithson can try to make him understand next week. 

Thursday's hour-long show also featured the premiere of the video for Abdul's new single "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" off of Jackson's new album—so that explains why they've been so buddy-buddy lately—and Idol will continue with its current three-night format for the next two weeks. A top 12 will be selected Mar. 6. 

Fox announced earlier this month that the Idol results shows will continue to last an hour even after the field is whittled down to 12. Meaning, lots of clips, commercial breaks and other filler leading up to the eliminated contestant's swan song. 

But until then, wannabe Idols are dropping like flies, four at a time.

By ERIN CARLSON, Associated Press Writer 20 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Carly Smithson progressed on “American Idol” Thursday amid controversy over her professional past. Smithson, 24, has made headlines for having a pre-”Idol” career: The Irish crooner recorded a debut album, 2001’s “Ultimate High,” for MCA Records. It flopped — after the label spent more than $2 million trying to sell it.

The show’s gimmick has always been to pluck talented young hopefuls from obscurity and make them into recording artists.

Besides Smithson, several of this year’s semifinalists are not exactly rookies in the world of music. Kristy Lee Cook once had a deal with Arista Nashville, and rocker Robbie Carrico was part of the pop group Boyz N Girlz United.

“If they hadn’t already tried to make a name for themselves, then they don’t deserve to be in (the) competition,” said judge Paula Abdul, defending the contestants’ real-world experience.

Abdul added that Kelly Clarkson had pursued a recording career before her “Idol” win.

Now for the losers: Garrett Haley, Amy Davis, Joanne Borgella and Colton Berry were eliminated by viewers getting their first chance to vote in the top-rated talent contest’s seventh season.

Haley, who sang “Breaking Up is Hard to Do,” was the first one booted. Cowell said Tuesday that the Elida, Ohio, resident looked like he had been locked in his bedroom for a month and needed some fresh air.

“I haven’t gone tanning, so I’m being myself,” the 17-year-old said before exiting the stage.

Abdul told the telegenic Davis, 25, from Lowell, Ind., that she needed more experience. “You’re a beautiful, talented girl,” she reassured.

Borgella, a 25-year-old plus-size model from Hoboken, N.J., failed to impress Cowell with her somewhat shrill rendition of “I Say a Little Prayer.”

“It was a horrible song choice, and it wasn’t a great performance,” the acerbic judge said.

“I know I sing better than that,” responded Borgella.

Cowell was especially harsh toward the 18-year-old Berry: “I would say get a good job, and enjoy singing. Because I don’t think you’ll make a successful career out of it.”

Berry, from Staunton, Va., took the bad news in stride and closed the show with a spirited cover of “Suspicious Minds.”

Thursday’s show also featured a presentation of the music video for Abdul’s new single, “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow.” It drew a warm reception from the studio audience — and a smile and kiss on the cheek from Cowell.

“American Idol,” now running three times a week, will return to a twice-weekly schedule March 11 for the elimination of the final dozen. The decision-making finale will be held in May.

___

On the Net:

http://www.americanidol.com/

21 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Billboard) - British rock band Radiohead will headline the first two nights of the inaugural All Points West Music & Arts Festival, to be held August 8-10 near Manhattan.

Singer/songwriter Jack Johnson, whose latest album has been No. 1 on the U.S. pop charts for the last two weeks, will headline the final night. Johnson is also one of the headliners at the Coachella festival near Los Angeles in April. Both events are organized by the same promoter, AEG Live/Goldenvoice.

All Points West will take place at Liberty State Park, just across the Hudson River from lower Manhattan.

The lineup also features such acts as Kings Of Leon, Cat Power, the Roots, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and Youssou N'Dour.

Tickets go on sale February 29. Single-day tickets are $89, while three-day passes will sell for $258.

Reuters/Billboard