32 minutes ago

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China will tighten its controls over foreign singers and other performers after Icelandic singer Bjork shouted "Tibet! Tibet!" at a Shanghai concert last weekend, the Ministry of Culture said on Friday.

Bjork chanted the name of the Chinese-ruled Himalayan region after performing her song "Declare Independence," which she has used in the past to promote independence movements in other places such as Kosovo.

The performance "not only broke Chinese laws and regulations and hurt the feelings of Chinese people, but also went against the professional code of an artist," the ministry said in a statement quoted by the official Xinhua news agency.

"Any attempt to separate Tibet from China will definitely be opposed by the Chinese people and all righteous men across the world."

The ministry said it would investigate the concert and handle the matter according to the law. It did not elaborate.

Bjork said on her Web site that her references to independence were more personal than political, but she added:

"The fact that it has translated to its broadest meaning, the struggle of a suppressed nation, gives me much pleasure. I would like to wish all individuals and nations good luck in their battle for independence."

The Free Tibet Campaign, a British-based organization which calls for an end to China's rule of Tibet, issued a statement saying it was delighted by Bjork's performance.

"She's shown more courage than politicians like (British Prime Minister) Gordon Brown and (British Foreign Secretary) David Miliband, whose public silence on these issues during recent trips to China is a source of shame for the British people," the campaign said.

(Reporting by Andrew Torchia and Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Music Writer 30 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Although Paul Potts has had worldwide success singing soaring opera songs — first as a winner of a British TV talent show and later with his successful debut album — there are some who don’t consider him a pure classical singer.

And that’s fine by Potts.

“At the end of the day I’m just a singer and I just enjoy singing,” he told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “I love the music that I perform, and I’ve always loved opera. … I think the world would be very boring if everyone agreed on everything.”

He is on his way to having universal appeal, however. The 37-year-old former cell phone salesman and amateur singer became an overnight star in his native Britain after he won the TV talent competition “Britain’s Got Talent” last summer with his stirring rendition of “Nessun Dorma.” (Millions have watched his initial audition on YouTube.com).

“I didn’t know what to expect, because I’m someone whose generally not a risk taker,” he said. “I was thinking, `What are you doing here?’”

But “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell, also a judge on that show, was so impressed with him that he produced his debut CD, “One Chance,” which became a multiplatinum success in Europe; soon, Oprah Winfrey learned about him, had him perform on her show, fueling his success in the United States.

Potts is now on tour across the nation with another classically inspired act, Three Graces.

“I never expected to even make an album, let alone for it to be as successful as it has been in the United States,” he said. “To find myself touring here is just mind boggling because I would have never believed it before.”

___

On the Net:

http://www.paulpottsuk.com

51 minutes ago

NEW YORK - A leukemia patient in dire need of a bone marrow transplant has found a donor after Grammy Award-winning singer Rihanna publicized her case, People magazine reported.

“The English language does not have words that are adequate to thank someone for working to save your life,” Lisa Gershowitz Flynn, of New York City, wrote in an e-mail to supporters Thursday, People.com reported.

Flynn, a 41-year-old lawyer and mother of two small children, was diagnosed in November 2007 with acute myelogenous leukemia, a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. People.com said last month that doctors had told Flynn she needed to find a marrow donor within four to six weeks.

Rihanna had done previous work with DKMS, an international donor network based in Tubingen, Germany. “When I heard about Lisa’s plight, my heart broke,” the 20-year-old singer told the magazine last month.

Rihanna’s campaign to help Flynn sparked more than 5,000 calls and e-mails to DKMS, and about 2,000 new donors have registered, executive vice president Katharina Harf said.

It wasn’t clear how or when Flynn’s 32-year-old donor registered with the organization. Flynn has said she was touched by Rihanna’s efforts.

Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, and Jay-Z won a Grammy last month in the rap/sung collaboration category, for her hit “Umbrella.” She was recently named an honorary cultural ambassador for her native Barbados.

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On the Net:

People: http://www.people.com

DKMS: http://www.dkmsamericas.org/

22 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Kelly Rowland tells People magazine in its March 17 issue that she had plastic surgery last October to bring her “from an A-cup to a B-cup.”

As for the one-cup upgrade, Rowland says: “I didn’t want to have double Ds and be a little bitty size 2 — that would look nuts!”

The 27-year-old singer went under the knife after a long decision-making process.

“I was sick of not fitting into my tops,” she says. “There was this one really hot House of Dereon top — I just wanted to fill that out!”

Rowland says that top — designed by Beyonce’s mom, Tina Knowles — complements her new curves: “I put it on and I looked so good! I’m so happy. I feel complete.”

Rowland, who has released two solo albums, says she hesitated to discuss the surgery.

“It is a decision I made for myself. I like it, and that’s all that counts. For young people: Think about it before you just jump off and do something (you may regret later),” she says.

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On the Net:

People magazine:

http://www.people.com/people

Kelly Rowland:

http://www.kellyrowlandonline.com/

47 minutes ago

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The normally taciturn Bob Dylan was moved to words on Thursday night when a young Brazilian woman rushed on stage and hugged him during a concert in Sao Paulo.

The American singer-songwriter is known for saying very little to his audience between songs and if he does it's usually an incomprehensible mumble.

During the encore of his second show in Sao Paulo, a long-haired woman ran on to the stage and embraced the star. A startled-looking Dylan hung on to his black Cordoba hat before a bouncer carried her away.

At the end of the song, he spoke to his fans for the first time in a two-hour show. "Thank you, friends. And I'd like to thank that young lady for coming up and joining us on stage."

Then he started chuckling to himself and said: "Where did she go? I want to give her my hat. Don't let her get away."

It was not known if the two did eventually get to meet formally. Dylan is currently on tour of Latin America with dates in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile.

(Reporting by Angus MacSwan, editing by Vicki Allen)

9 minutes ago

SHANGHAI, China - China will be stricter on foreign performers after Icelandic singer Bjork shouted “Tibet! Tibet!” at the end of her concert in Shanghai this week, the government said Friday.

A statement by China’s Culture Ministry said Bjork’s outburst “broke Chinese law and hurt Chinese people’s feelings.”

Bjork shouted “Tibet!” after a passionate performance of her song “Declare Independence” on Sunday. The outburst drew rare public attention inside China to Beijing’s often harsh rule over the Himalayan region.

The statement, posted on the Culture Ministry’s Web site, also said “there is no country that admits that Tibet is an ‘independent country.’”

Bjork has performed the song to support other independence movements in the past. She dedicated the song to Kosovo while performing last month in Japan. The lyrics include the phrase “Raise your flag!”

China’s 58-year rule over Tibet has drawn frequent condemnation from foreign governments and activists, often inciting a prickly nationalism among the Chinese government and ordinary people. Many Tibetans consider the exiled Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama as their rightful leader.

By TRAVIS REED, Associated Press Writer 43 minutes ago

ORLANDO, Fla. - For years, Lou Pearlman wowed banks and investors with slick talk and a lavish lifestyle. But when the one-time architect of the Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync set his hand on a courtroom Bible, he set the act aside. Pearlman pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges of conspiracy, money laundering and making false statements during a bankruptcy proceeding. The plea was the result of a lengthy federal probe alleging he bilked investors and banks out of more than $300 million.

Pearlman’s Transcontinental Airlines Inc. didn’t have 41 airplanes, as he represented to investors. He had two, he said in court.

And he didn’t have a German investment partner with a $50 million line of bailout capital, he acknowledged. In fact, that guy was also trying to get money out of him.

“I’m accepting full responsibility,” Pearlman said in a roughly 50-minute change of plea hearing.

He will be sentenced May 21, and faces up to 25 years in prison and a $1 million fine.

Pearlman also pledged to help prosecutors locate coconspirators and any remaining assets, but couldn’t explain to U.S. District Judge G. Kendall Sharp where the money went.

“In different investments,” he said. “Aircraft, living expenses, working capital.”

Pearlman acknowledged setting up a fake accounting firm to create business documents and tax returns for himself and his companies. He also admitted using the signature of a deceased former associate, Harry Milner, to push off anyone seeking repayment. Milner hadn’t worked with Pearlman since 1989, the mogul acknowledged, and died in 2003.

Pearlman defrauded individual investors in two ways: by selling “stock” in largely asset-less companies for more than 20 years, even after at least one lost its incorporation.

He also invited outsiders to pay into an employee investment savings program. It promised high yields, but operated like a typical Ponzi scheme. All the money was funneled into one account that Pearlman used to bankroll other ventures.

By Barbara Liston 43 minutes ago

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - A former boy band mogul pleaded guilty on Thursday to an audacious fraud that used fake accountants, fake bank accounts and a dead man's signature to swindle banks and investors out of more than $300 million.

Lou Pearlman, known for launching the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, took a plea deal in a U.S. court in Orlando on two counts of conspiracy involving bank and investor fraud, one of money laundering and one of making false claims in a bankruptcy.

"I'm accepting full responsibility," Pearlman, 53, told U.S. District Judge G. Kendall Sharp.

The pudgy, white-haired Pearlman, wearing blue jail scrubs and shackles, acknowledged the details of the fraud laid out in his plea deal during almost an hour of questioning by Sharp.

The judge set a sentencing date of May 21. The charges carry a maximum prison term of 25 years and a $1 million fine, but the deal offers Pearlman the possibility of a reduced sentence in exchange for full cooperation in recovering money to repay investors.

Among the spectators in the courtroom was bankruptcy trustee Soneet Kapila, who called Pearlman's scheme "very sophisticated."

Kapila said he was trying to find assets of Pearlman and his companies to distribute to the fraud victims but so far had accumulated only $2.5 million. Pearlman's house in the exclusive enclave of Windermere, near Orlando, was set to be auctioned on Saturday.

Kapila said he has filed lawsuits against HSBC Bank and a Pearlman associate seeking approximately $5 million from each, and expects to file up to a dozen additional lawsuits within the next month to recover assets valued at up to $8 million.

"There is a substantial amount of unaccounted money. We have some trails but we are not there yet," he said. "At some point, there has to be an answer to some unexplained money."

"THEY WEREN'T"

For 20 years, Pearlman succeeded in his scams by fabricating an accounting firm and an accountant to impress bankers with their strong, but fake, financial statements, according to the plea deal.

"What were those companies?" the judge asked Pearlman.

"They weren't," Pearlman replied.

Pearlman also admitted signing documents with the name of a dead man and creating a fake seal for a fake German bank to shore up his companies' image.

Prosecutors counted at least 250 individual victims who lost $200 million, plus 10 financial institutions that lost $100 million, according to the deal.

After the hearing, fraud victim David Mueller of Brandon, Florida, who lost at least $30,000, said the investments looked good "for normal people like ourselves."

"But I'm surprised at how easily he could buffalo all these banks," Mueller said.

Among the banks identified as lending money or providing a line of credit to Pearlman or his companies are:

— Integra Bank N.A.

— Bank of America

— American Bank of St. Paul

— First International Bank & Trust

— MB Financial Bank N.A.

— Northside Community Bank

— Mercantile

— Washington Mutual

— First National Bank & Trust

— HSBC Bank.

Reuters/Nielsen

15 minutes ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Brad Paisley’s “Online” video received four Country Music Television awards nominations, and Sugarland received three for their video “Stay.”

Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Kenny Chesney, LeAnn Rimes, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift and Trace Adkins also received three nominations apiece. The fan-voted nominations were announced Thursday by the Viacom Inc.-owned network.

Paisley’s “Online” is up for video of the year, male video of the year, comedy video and supporting character for actor Jason Alexander, who plays a nerdy character who fantasizes about being Paisley.

Sugarland’s “Stay” is competing for video of the year, duo video and tearjerker video. They’re also nominated for their performance of “Stay” during last year’s show.

Director Shaun Silva picked up four nominations as well: One for video director of the year and three for his work on video of the year candidates “Stay,” “Don’t Blink” by Chesney and “Take Me There” by Rascal Flatts.

Miley Cyrus and father Billy Ray host the ceremony at Nashville’s Belmont University on April 14.

Fans can vote online at CMT through April 11 to determine the night’s winners.

The final nominees for video of the year, the top category, will be announced at the beginning of the show with voting continuing during the broadcast.

___

On the Net:

http://www.cmt.com

By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON, For The Associated Press 51 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES - Being Britney Spears’ father is now a paying gig — through most of the summer, at least.

A court has ordered the troubled pop star’s estate to pay James Spears’ $2,500 in weekly compensation and authorized him to lease a car. On Wednesday, his authority to handle his daughter’s affairs, which was scheduled to expire March 10, was extended until July 31.

Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz ordered the weekly payments in documents released by the court Thursday but signed on Wednesday. James Spears, who recently worked as a caterer, was named conservator of his daughter and co-conservator of her estate after she was hospitalized twice in January.

Goetz also ordered Spears’ estate to make a $58,800 payment to Samuel D. Ingham III, the court-appointed attorney who represents Britney Spears in the conservatorship case. She also authorized the pop star’s psychiatrist to hire two other doctors and pay them retainers totaling $9,000 from her estate.

An attorney for James Spears, Vivian Thoreen, argued in court documents that the extension of the temporary conservatorship was necessary because Jon Eardley, an attorney who made an unsuccessful attempt to move the probate case to federal court last month, had filed additional papers in U.S. District Court. Those documents were under seal.

In the past year, Spears was caught on camera engaging in increasingly bizarre behavior. She shaved her head, beat a vehicle with an umbrella, wore skirts without underwear and left her own car on a busy thoroughfare after getting a flat tire.

The strange outbursts and hospitalizations contributed to the 26-year-old losing custody of her young sons, Jayden James, 1, and Sean Preston, 2. Ex-husband Kevin Federline has sole custody.

Spears was allowed brief visits with the boys beginning in late February after not seeing them for nearly two months. That happened after Spears and Federline agreed to modify the court order that had stripped Spears of her visitation rights, according to Federline attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan.

Spears’ parents came to Los Angeles around the time of her second hospitalization. She has kept a noticeably lower profile since being released from the hospital Feb. 6.