David Jenison Thu Mar 27, 3:04 PM ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) - It appears America has caught the Spirit of St. Lewis.

OK, so Leona Lewis isn't really a saint, but the Londoner's heavenly voice is drawing comparisons to Mariah and Whitney and she's already rewriting the record books.

Last November, her rookie release Spirit became the fastest selling debut album (and fourth all-around) in U.K. history. Spirit went on to top the charts in several other countries, and this week, in advance of the album's Stateside release, the single "Bleeding Love" made Lewis the first female Briton in 21 years to top the Billboard Hot 100. In fact, she's only the sixth female Brit ever to accomplish this feat and only the third to do so with a debut single. (Kim Wilde was the last female Brit to top the Hot 100 back in '87, while Sheena Easton is the last to do so with a debut single in '81.)

Spirit, which hits U.S. stores on April 8, could also make history on the Billboard 200. The highest rookie debut by a female Brit is Amy Winehouse's Back to Black at No. 7, while Introducing Joss Stone gave the Dover native the highest non-rookie debut at No. 2. Spirit could easily top one or both of those releases.

Ironically, the vocal powerhouse had quite the untraditional start. Two years ago, Lewis' boyfriend convinced her to audition for The X Factor, Simon Cowell's Idol-like U.K. talent contest.

"I was working part-time and going into the studio whenever I could to record demos, and when [my boyfriend] suggested it, I thought, 'There's no harm in trying,'"  Lewis recently told E! Online. "I went for it and I kept getting farther and farther. I finally thought, maybe this is going to lead somewhere, and it did."

Cowell, who's not known for his gushing praise, said this of Lewis' "Over the Rainbow" X Factor performance: "For so many reasons, and I have done a lot of these shows, that was, for me, the single best performance I've ever witnessed."

Lewis, who turns 23 next week, won the show and immediately released her debut single, a cover of Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This." The single sold nearly 600,000 first-week copies, including 50,000 downloads in the first 30 minutes, to set a new Guinness world record. Clive Davis quickly signed her to a massive worldwide recording deal, and he and Cowell joined forces to help guide Spirit.

Remarkably, if not for the British reality series, a tremendous talent might never have been heard. It's just another example of how, these days, not all stars are born on the radio.

This week, Forbes fan down its list of "The Year's Hottest New Music Stars" and noted how artists are now breaking in untraditional ways. For example, Soulja Boy, who topped the list, got discovered by posting songs and videos on MySpace and YouTube, and then his first single "Crank That" became a YouTube phenomenon that spawned a dance craze and a Hot 100 chart-topper.

Likewise, rapper Flo Rida watched his club single "Low" turn into an Internet and ringtone hit, eventually setting digital sales records and topping the Hot 100 for over two months. Other Forbes favorites included American Idol champ Jordin Sparks and MySpace sensation Colbie Caillat.

Ultimately, Lewis and the Forbes-featured artists show that technology and new media are changing all the rules…and, consequently, record labels and radio are no longer the sole gatekeepers to music stardom.

Natalie Finn Thu Mar 27, 2:09 PM ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) - To follow up a Super Bowl performance that was viewed by more than 90 million people, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are going incognito.  

Petty and longtime band mates Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench are planning to hit the club circuit with the original members of Mudcrutch, the name of their group when they were still relegated to playing diners in their hometown of Gainesville, Fla. 

After nearly 30 years, the five musicians—Petty, Campbell, Tench, Randall Marsh and Tom Leadon—reunited last summer on the West Coast to record an album.

"I just finished a record with Mudcrutch, my old band before the Heartbreakers," Petty wrote in a message posted on his website. "I am over the moon about it. I couldn't have hoped for it to be as good as it came out." 

Mudcrutch will next crisscross California for about two weeks, starting April 12 at a benefit in Malibu for Los Angeles' Midnight Mission and winding up with a four-night engagement at the famed Troubadour in West Hollywood. 

But although Petty has released 15 albums with the Heartbreakers (Campbell, Tench, Stan Lynch and Ron Blair, who quit in the 1980s to be replaced by Dan Epstein), Mudcrutch's upcoming effort will put that band's total at exactly…one. 

The self-titled debut, featuring a 14-track combination of new and rerecorded tunes, is due out April 29. 

In 1975, back when records were records, Mudcrutch released one single, "Depot Street," which was the A-side on an LP that also included the B-side "Wild Eyes." 

Leadon, a childhood friend of Petty's who left the band in 1972 and now teaches guitar in Nashville, told the Tennessean newspaper that Mudcrutch's 2007 reunion was "just entirely unexpected." 

"It was like a dream, the whole thing," he said. "Tom couldn't have been nicer. It was great to hang out with him again." 

Meanwhile, Petty will return to his day job fronting the Heartbreakers on May 30 when the "Free Fallin'" rockers kick off a three-month North American tour in Grand Rapids, Mich.

18 minutes ago

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Canadian singer Celine Dion has postponed a series of Australian concerts as part of her world tour due to a throat infection, her publicists said on Friday.

Dion is in Australia as part of her first world tour in 10 years, with concerts set for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

"Her doctor has instructed her to rest for an additional 48 hours in order to be fully recovered," her publicists said in a statement on Friday.

The infection forced Dion to postpone her Melbourne and Brisbane concerts earlier in the week, with two Sydney concerts also now postponed for a week.

Dion, a Grammy Award winner, sold more than 27 million copies of the hit song "My Heart Will Go On" from the soundtrack of the movie Titanic.

(Reporting by James Grubel)

By ANGELA DOLAND, Associated Press Writer 12 minutes ago

PARIS - A rocker, poet and activist, Patti Smith is already a Renaissance woman. With her first major solo exhibit of drawings and photographs opening in Paris this week, she earns the title of visual artist, too.

Smith, 61, calls the exhibit opening Friday at the Fondation Cartier “an open door welcoming people into my world.” What may surprise fans is that her visual work is apolitical. From scratchy pencil drawings to Polaroid snapshots, it’s dreamy and a touch surreal.

“Music and performance within the arena of rock ‘n’ roll has given me an opportunity to use my voice to communicate with many people, to speak out for human rights, against social injustice, against war, for our environment,” the “People Have the Power” singer said ahead of the opening.

“But the other fields in which I work give me an opportunity to express my own inner world, which is not political. Artists must have the freedom to express their own vision, which is sometimes celestial, universal, on a whole other plane than the political situation in the world.”

The exhibit, called “Land 250,” draws from art Smith created from 1967 to 2007, some of it during stays in Paris. Though Smith has had smaller gallery shows, this is her first major exhibit, and most of the art on display has never been seen by the public before, said curator Grazia Quaroni.

Smith fans will be intrigued by the insight into her music and inspirations, as well as by the videos projected on screens throughout the show. For everyone else, the art will probably go over their heads.

There are snapshots of graveyard headstones — Smith enjoys wandering through cemeteries. There are biting crayon portraits of Smith and her friends. There are also photographs of inanimate objects that belonged to her artistic inspirations: poet Arthur Rimbaud’s fork and spoon; Virginia Woolf’s bed; and Hermann Hesse’s typewriter.

Most of the photos were taken with a vintage Polaroid Land 250. She started using the camera in 1995, soon after the deaths of her brother and her husband, Fred “Sonic” Smith.

“I felt so weary as a human being,” she said. “I was unable to concentrate, to write, to draw. I was just emotionally and physically unable to express myself in any way that took a lot of concentrated energy. Taking the Polaroids, because it was simple and immediate, gave me an immediate response to a creative need.”

Smith has gotten her son and daughter, Jackson and Jesse, involved in the show. Jackson is to spend a few afternoons hanging out at the exhibit, strumming the guitar and chatting with visitors. Jesse will play piano Friday as her mother reads from Woolf’s writings, part of a series of evening events and concerts to coincide with the exhibit.

The show is the latest French honor for Smith, who in 2005, was named a commander in the prestigious Order of Arts and Letters.

By ERRIN HAINES, Associated Press Writer 38 minutes ago

ATLANTA - Rapper T.I. pleaded guilty Thursday to federal weapons possession charges, and will receive a sentence that includes prison time after he completes a period of community service.

In the year that he is awaiting sentencing, T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, must complete at least 1,000 hours of a total 1,500 hours of community service, talking to youth groups about the pitfalls of guns, gangs and drugs.

He will be sentenced to serve about 12 months in prison after completing the community service, officials said. His prison time could be increased or reduced, depending on his fulfillment of the terms of the deal and good behavior, they said.

Harris, 27, who was dressed in a gray business suit, told the judge he understands the terms of the agreement.

He pleaded guilty to possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, unlawful possession of machine guns and possession of firearms by a convicted felon.

Harris is one of pop music’s most successful artists. His sixth album, “T.I. vs. T.I.P.,” was released July 3, debuting at No. 1. He appeared in the 2007 film “American Gangster,” which starred Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe.

U.S. Attorney David Nahmias said Harris will remain “under strict bond conditions” during the next year.

He said Harris’ sentencing was deferred “to allow him to perform a unique and extensive program — at least 1,000 hours — of community service. That service will focus on using his high public visibility and his talents to tell at-risk young people about the mistakes he has made and to educate them about the dangers of violence, guns, gangs and drugs.”

Nahmias said under the agreement, Harris will have to serve a year in prison and three years of supervised home detention, perform a total of 1,500 hours of community service and pay a $100,000 fine.

Failure to fulfill his obligations will net Harris a “much longer prison sentence,” Nahmias said.

Harris spoke to the media briefly after the hearing.

“I’d like to thank God for blessing me with a second chance in life and success,” he said, adding that he takes the charges against him very seriously.

“I’m looking forward to turning this negative time in my life into a positive,” he said. “I know I have a long road of redemption to travel.”

He was arrested Oct. 13, just blocks away and hours before he was to headline the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta.

Harris was charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, as well as possession of firearms by a convicted felon. He faced a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count.

He was allegedly trying to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers. He initially pleaded not guilty, and has been under house arrest since he was released on $3 million bond on Oct. 26.

U.S. District Judge Charles Pannell Jr. must approve the deal.

Harris, who is co-CEO of Grand Hustle Records, grew up in Atlanta. His first taste of success came with his 2003 album, “Trap Muzik.” In 2004, warrants were issued for his arrest on probation violations for a drug conviction, and he was sentenced to three years behind bars.

___

Associated Press Writer Harry R. Weber contributed to this story.

By MICHAEL KUCHWARA, AP Drama Critic 47 minutes ago

NEW YORK - The drive and determination are still there — only more so. Patti LuPone gave a virtuosic display of both in last summer’s thrilling City Center revival of “Gypsy,” the enduring show-biz saga of the world’s quintessential stage mother.

Now that production, decked out with a bit more scenery, has made its way to Broadway’s St. James Theatre, where LuPone continues to be a major source of theatrical electricity. Heck, she probably could light all of Manhattan.

The role of Rose is a perfect fit for LuPone, a performer of unstinting energy and inventiveness. It’s wondrous to see what she has done to deepen her portrait of a woman desperate for recognition but who channels that desire through her daughters — first, June, and then Louise, who will grow up to become the famous stripper Gypsy Rose Lee.

Of course, LuPone is blessed with superb material, possibly the best musical of Broadway’s Golden Age, the two decades after World War II. The brash, tough-minded score by Jule Styne (music) and Stephen Sondheim (lyrics) is rich in character and atmosphere.

Most indelibly, there’s character in the big numbers for Rose that close each of the show’s two acts. In the first, “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” Rose’s coarse, indomitable spirit is on display; in the second, “Rose’s Turn,” her anger boils over into high-octane rage as she realizes show business and her daughter have escaped her grasp.

LuPone tears into both songs, particularly “Rose’s Turn,” which director Arthur Laurents has directed as if the disappointed Rose is unleashing all her furies in one blazing musical moment.

But then, Laurents also wrote the book for the show, which is based on Lee’s memoirs. And what’s particularly exciting about this revival is the care with which those book scenes are played. Rarely, in musicals, do you see people of such depth and complexity.

“Gypsy” may be emotional but it is not sentimental. Still, Laurents laces the tale with humor and heart, most emphatically in the blossoming of Louise, whose ugly duckling transformation into a young woman of assurance is beautifully handled by Laura Benanti.

The relationship between Rose and Herbie, the even-tempered candy salesman, benefits from the obvious rapport between LuPone and the marvelous Boyd Gaines. They elevate the couple’s romance into a major component of the story, not just a sideline before Rose and her daughter have their major faceoff.

Laurents has cast “Gypsy” with care all the way down the line. Leigh Ann Larkin’s June, the favorite sister, also gets a moment to shine in her duet with Benanti, “If Momma Was Married.” And has there ever been a more full-proof show stopper than “You Gotta Get a Gimmick,” the number in which three strippers teach Louise about the fine art of disrobing in public? As played by Alison Fraser, Marilyn Caskey and Lenora Nemetz, these ladies earn their thunderous applause.

Jerome Robbins’ original choreography has been lovingly recreated by Bonnie Walker, a “Gypsy” veteran. It runs the gamut from the hilarious vaudeville numbers for Baby June and her coterie of newsboys and farm boys to the meltingly romantic “All I Need Is the Girl.”

That number, in particular, shows Robbins at his most theatrical. As Tulsa (played with genial good-guy appeal by Tony Yazbeck) demonstrates the dance he hopes will get him out of vaudeville, the love-smitten Louise follows every turn — behind his back.

“Gypsy” has been a regular visitor to Broadway in the nearly 50 years since it first opened there in 1959 with Ethel Merman as Rose. Actresses as different and distinct as Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Linda Lavin and Bernadette Peters have taken on the role. LuPone is a more-than-worthy successor, doing glorious and equal justice to both story and song.

One last note about the score, which is played by an on-stage orchestra that periodically comes into view. Right from the start, some two dozen musicians, expertly conducted by Patrick Vaccariello, do full justice to Styne’s extraordinary music. Listen to the show’s exciting overture and you can’t help being elated.

The joy doesn’t stop until the final curtain comes down.

By Greg Prato 8 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Steely Dan principal Walter Becker plans to release his first solo album in 14 years by early June, and says he may hit the road to promote it later in the year.

"Circus Money," the follow-up to 1994's "11 Tracks of Whack," exhibits the jazzy studio perfectionism that Steely Dan has been long known for. But, as evidenced by such tracks as "Bob is Not Your Uncle Anymore" and "Do You Remember the Name," it also embraces another musical style.

After Steely Dan's most recent tour, Becker tells Billboard.com he "went into a deep research period. One of the guitar techs is a big Jamaican music fan. And I started to listen to all this stuff that he had — these really deep, dub cuts from the '70s. I just became totally fascinated with it, so I spent a lot of time listening to that and working on stuff along those lines."

While the album does not feature an appearance by longtime partner in crime, Donald Fagen, it does include quite a few veterans of the Steely Dan touring band, including keyboardist Ted Baker, guitarist Jon Herington, drummer Keith Carlock, saxophonist Roger Rosenberg, and singer Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery, among others. "One of the ideas we had was that we wanted to do all the tracks with basically the same band," explains Becker. "And that's what we did — plus or minus a few personnel changes.

Also working closely with Becker on the sessions was renowned producer Larry Klein. "Larry offered to produce the album at exactly the moment when I was getting ready to think about doing it. Having worked with him and known him for a while, I thought it would be a great combination," Becker says.

Becker may play shows in support of "Circus Money" later in the year, but next up for the singer/guitarist will be Steely Dan dates during the spring and summer. And according to Becker, fans are in for some pleasant surprises.

"We're going to reconfigure the show in a way that changes the flow and energy of it considerably, I think," he says. "(We'll) do some songs that we haven't done or haven't been doing recently, and rearrange some of the other ones that are perennial favorites."

But there's no progress on a new Steely Dan studio album, which would be the band's first since 2003's Reprise Records release "Everything Must Go."

"We were touring for four or five months last year — that's a lot of work for us," Becker says. We've been laying low between things. We don't have a plan at this point for any particular album. I don't even know if we have a label anymore. I hope we don't!"

Reuters/Billboard

By Fred Bronson 32 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Mariah Carey is on track to collect her 18th No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart next week.

"Touch My Body," the first single from her upcoming album, dipped one place to No. 15 on the latest survey, issued Thursday. But the fresh availability of a digital download should send the song hurtling to the top next week.

That will push Carey to second place among artists with the most No. 1s in the rock era. The record is held by the Beatles with 20. She is currently tied with Elvis Presley.

Carey's album, "E=MC2," the follow-up to her 2005 Grammy-winning smash "The Emancipation of Mimi," is due in U.S. stores on April 15.

The current Hot 100 champ is Leona Lewis, who becomes only the third British solo female artist in the rock era to reach the top with her debut chart entry, "Bleeding Love." The only other artists to achieve this milestone were Sheena Easton with "Morning Train (Nine to Five)" in 1981 and Petula Clark with "Downtown" in 1965.

Counting all U.K. solo females who have spent time at No. 1 on the pop singles chart, Lewis is the first to visit the penthouse since Kim Wilde had a one-week stay in June 1987 with her cover of "You Keep Me Hangin' On." Counting all U.K. acts that have reached the summit, Lewis is the first to do so since James Blunt occupied the top rung for one week in March 2006 with "You're Beautiful."

A little further down the latest Hot 100, Madonna's "4 Minutes" entered at No. 68. The Material Girl was last on the Hot 100 with "Sorry," which peaked at No. 58 in March 2006.

"4 Minutes" represents the 53rd entry of Madonna's career, but only the second single on which she shares billing with another musician: Justin Timberlake is credited as a featured artist. Madonna's first shared credit was "Me Against the Music," the 2003 single that was billed as Britney Spears featuring Madonna.

The new single comes from the album "Hard Candy," which is due in U.S. stores on April 29.

Reuters/Billboard

By Bob Tourtellotte 42 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A lawyer for Sean "Diddy" Combs lashed out at the Los Angeles Times on Thursday over the "defamatory nature" of a story the paper published that sought to link the rap music mogul to an assault on Tupac Shakur.

The story, which first appeared on March 17, was later said to be based on forged FBI documents. Late Wednesday, the paper and Times reporter Chuck Philips apologized for the story, and Philips said he now believes the papers are fake.

The "apology is, at best, a first step, but it doesn't undo the false and defamatory nature of the story, or the suspicion and innuendo that Mr. Combs has had to endure due to these untruthful allegations and the irresponsible conduct of this particular reporter," Combs' attorney Howard Weitzman said in a statement.

The Times story cited previously undisclosed FBI documents, an unnamed informant interviewed for those documents, and Philips' own sources as saying Combs knew of plans to assault Shakur at the Quad Recording Studios in New York City in 1994.

The attack left rising rap star Shakur with five gunshot wounds and ignited a widely reported feud between East Coast and West Coast rappers.

In 1996, Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. Six months later, one of Combs' recording artists on his Bad Boy Records label, the Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace), was gunned down in Los Angeles.

Neither the two murders nor the 1994 assault were solved, and there has been much speculation about who was responsible.

On Wednesday, The Smoking Gun Web site published an extensive story on its Web site, thesmokinggun.com, that said it believed the documents used by the Times were forgeries made by a man who is now in prison for wire fraud and racketeering.

The Smoking Gun, which specializes in uncovering news from court documents and legal records, cited inconsistencies in the documents and said they could not be found on FBI computers.

"In relying on documents that I now believe were fake, I failed to do my job," Philips said in a statement. "I'm sorry."

Times' editor Russ Stanton said the paper has launched an internal investigation into the matter.

Jimmy Rosemond, chief executive officer of Czar Entertainment, also was linked to the attack by the Times. His attorney issued a statement on Thursday saying they were gratified the LA Times acknowledged its error but added, "their apology does not go far enough."

"(Philips') actions were done with reckless disregard for the truth and for that the LA Times will be held responsible," attorney Jeffrey Lichtman said.

Natalie Finn Thu Mar 27, 1:07 PM ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Pieces of Ashlee Simpson are going to be all over the mall this spring.  

To coincide with the April release of her third studio album, Bittersweet World, the 22-year-old pop star is taking a cue from her shoe-fashioning sis and designing a line of tops for retailer Wet Seal, the teen-favorite clothier announced Thursday. 

The collection, "inspired by Ashlee Simpson's personality, sense of style and album artwork," will launch in Wet Seal stores nationwide on April 22, according to the chain, which will also be rolling out the in-store and online promotional guns to tout both the album and the new shirts. 

"I was inspired by so many fun, wonderful things as I was recording Bittersweet World, and it's been great to carry through those inspirations into these new shirt designs," said Simpson. "I hope my fans love this album and rock out in these shirts!"

And just as you can pick up a Paul McCartney CD to go with your Starbucks latte, you'll be able to snag a Simpson disc along with a graphic tee and some skinny jeans. 

"Ashlee is a role model for our girl, and her fun and flirty sense of style is an inspiration for the line," Wet Seal CEO Ed Thomas said. "The goal was to partner with an icon and deliver affordable fashion, and Ashlee is an ideal partner for this." 

"Little Miss Obsessive," the first single off of Bittersweet World, was released digitally on March 11 and hit the airwaves a week later.