AP - "I'm bringing a message of peace, and I think that's what the region needs." — Paul McCartney, rejecting criticism of his planned concert in Tel Aviv.

AP - LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ed McMahon has an unexpected new job title: rapper. The 85-year-old former "Tonight Show" sidekick will star in two viral rap videos for FreeCreditReport.com, a financial Web site owned by credit bureau Experian.

AP - Rapper Busta Rhymes was briefly detained at a London airport Thursday by immigration officers who said he should not be allowed into the country, a concert promoter said.

AP - Grammy-winning Tejano singer Emilio Navaira, still recovering from major injuries suffered in a bus wreck six months ago, was back in the hospital Thursday after another traffic accident.

AP - TEL AVIV, Israel — After a 43-year wait, Paul McCartney performed his first concert in Israel on Thursday, kicking it off with the familiar Beatles' song "Hello, Goodbye" to the joy of tens of thousands of cheering fans.

AP - Sixteen violins found in Nazi concentration camps and abandoned Jewish communities after World War II have made music together for the first time in a concert outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City.

AP - Bono battles the AIDS epidemic. Leonardo tries to make the world a greener place, and Martha has a soft spot for animals.

Reuters - The launch of MySpace Music ran into controversy on Thursday after the leading independent music trade body complained that its small music label members had been shut out and treated like second class citizens.

Reuters - T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" returned to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Thursday for a fourth non-consecutive week. Rising from No. 2 to the top spot, the rapper's track traded places with pop singer Pink's "So What."

Reuters - Hip-hop performer and entrepreneur Jay-Z and Norwegian songwriting/production duo Stargate have joined forces under the StarRoc banner, which will encompass a record label and music publishing company under Jay-Z's Roc Nation venture with Live Nation.

AP - The revelation that Clay Aiken is gay hasn't fazed Simon Cowell.

AP - Ed McMahon has an unexpected new job title: rapper.

AP - Rapper Busta Rhymes was refused entry into Britain on Thursday, according to the promoter of a Busta Rhymes charity concert.