Reuters - R&B star Usher's new album will easily claim the No. 1 spot on the U.S. pop chart next Wednesday, but its sales will be about one-third those of his previous chart-topper, according to preliminary data.

AP - "I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else. And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma? When you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?" — Sharon Stone, in a red-carpet interview at the Cannes Film Festival.

AP - After months of playing coy, newlyweds Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Pete Wentz have made it official: Yes, they're expecting a baby.

AP - The R&B singer Sean Levert, who died at age 39 after falling ill in jail, suffered from a variety of ailments and died of natural causes, the county coroner ruled Thursday.

E! Online - T.I. is hoping MTV will help him make good on his promise to turn his past crimes into something positive...and promotional.

E! Online - With friends like these...

E! Online - Time for David Cook to start heating up the studio.

E! Online - As if the R. Kelly trial didn't have enough built-in puns, it now appears as though the defense may have a Deep Throat on its hands.

Reuters - Southern rock band 3 Doors Down scored its second consecutive No. 1 album on the U.S. pop chart Wednesday, leading a trio of new releases to the top three.

E! Online - More than a few talking heads figure David Byrnes should be recognized for his pioneering efforts.

AP - Ashlee Simpson is so over.

AP - Lady Antebellum's Dave Haywood remembers the day he co-wrote one of the best songs of his young career, and then got punched in the face.