AP - ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Pioneering rapper Ricky "Slick Rick" Walters, who spent more than five years in prison on a 1991 attempted murder conviction and faced threats of deportation years after rehabilitating his life, was granted a full and unconditional pardon Friday by New York Gov. David Paterson.

E! Online - For Amy Winehouse, love—and punctuality—may be a losing game, but songwriting is shaping up to be quite a winning one.

E! Online - A minor-league blog might be saying "yeah," but Usher's people are saying "absolutely not."

AP - The Spoleto Festival USA celebrates renewed ties with its namesake festival in Italy and features a new version of the opera "Amistad" during its 17-day season that opens Friday.

Reuters - After a three-week break, rapper Lil Wayne returned to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart on Thursday with his first No. 1 single "Lollipop" featuring late songwriter Static Major.

AP - Madonna says criticism of her adoption of a Malawian boy hurt so much, she compared it to giving birth.

AP - Trey Anastasio received a reduced sentence of three years' probation for a drug conviction after he successfully completed a counseling and treatment program.

AP - LOS ANGELES (AP) — David Cook is no professional athlete, but he celebrated like one after winning "American Idol" on Wednesday night.

AP - "Cougars 4 Cook."

AP - The mood was surprisingly low-key Thursday at David Cook's high school a day after his "American Idol" win.

AP - A judge has vacated a $1.5 million judgment awarded to a woman who filed a defamation suit against rapper DMX after he alleged that she raped him.

Reuters - Rappers Kanye West, Method Man, Redman, Common and their record companies were sued on Thursday by late U.S. jazz musician Joe Farrell's daughter, who accused them of using her father's music without approval.

AP - A judge who is waiting for a state Supreme Court decision on whether he will preside over Phil Spector's second murder trial went ahead Thursday and scheduled it to begin in September.

AP - CHICAGO (AP) — A former backup singer for R. Kelly cried at his child pornography trial Thursday as she described introducing the R&B star to her relative, the alleged victim in the sex tape, at a Chicago music studio when the girl was 12 or 13.