AP - Barack Obama didn't attend the BET Awards, but that didn't stop attendees from talking about him.

AP - T-Pain transformed the BET Awards into a circus Tuesday with a multi-artist medley that showed the rapper and singer's wide-ranging influence on urban music, while best-selling rapper Lil Wayne and songstress Alicia Keys gave rousing performances of their own.

Reuters - At first thought, Robert Plant might seem an unlikely outlet for a celebration of Americana. But think about the myriad sounds from the colonies that Led Zeppelin melded into its music, and it makes sense.

E! Online - Call it tit for tat: Fresh off of the U.K.'s denial of entry to Martha Stewart, the U.S. has banned Boy George from its shores.

E! Online - Looks like the Velvet Teddy Bear has found a long-term snuggle bunny.

AP - A discrepancy regarding the health of Amy Winehouse arose after the Grammy-winning singer's father said she had early stage emphysema brought on by smoking crack cocaine and cigarettes.

E! Online - A new single from Heidi Montag! Finally!

AP - Beneath towering arches in an old cathedral downtown, a 20-member choir welcomed guests at the BET Awards pre-party with a rousing gospel tune.

AP - Do they really want to hurt him? That's the question Boy George's managers are asking U.S. authorities now that the 47-year-old singer has been denied a visa to enter the country.

AP - The New York businessman known in the hip-hop world as "Jacob the Jeweler" was sentenced Tuesday to 2 1/2 years in federal prison for lying to investigators looking into a multistate drug ring.

Reuters - Venezuela's youth orchestras and choirs have helped thousands of children resist thug life in some of South America's most violent slums, and now wealthy countries are lining up to emulate the system.

AP - Britney Spears and a parenting coach were questioned Tuesday by the court commissioner overseeing the singer's custody dispute, resulting in an unspecified change in visitation status.

Reuters - With London and Barcelona under its belts, Coldplay kicked off a week of U.S. promotion hosting a third and final free concert at New York's Madison Square Garden on Monday.