Reuters - Country singer Keith Urban scored his first No. 1 album on the U.S. pop chart on Wednesday with "Defying Gravity," although his sales were unable to defy the relentless decline in the music industry's fortunes. -- read full article
AP - After much clamoring from the judges, the competition is over for Scott MacIntyre on "American Idol." The 23-year-old piano player from Scottsdale, Ariz., who crooned Survivor's "The Search is Over" in hopes of being saved by the judges, received the fewest number of viewer votes Wednesday on the popular Fox singing competition.
AP - Tenor Rolando Villazon has canceled his remaining four performances in Donizetti's "L'Elisir d'Amore" at the Metropolitan Opera because of what the company described as acute laryngitis. -- read full article
Reuters - Oscar-winning songwriter Marilyn Bergman is stepping down as president and CEO of ASCAP, a music-royalties collection group that also lobbies on behalf of composers and copyright owners, the organization said on Wednesday. -- read full article
Reuters - R&B star Chris Brown pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles court on Monday to charges stemming from an alleged attack on his girlfriend, pop singer Rihanna. -- read full article
Reuters - Rosanne Cash is dipping back into her childhood for her next album, "The List," and taking to heart the lessons of her father, Johnny Cash. -- read full article
Reuters - Simon and Garfunkel have crossed their personal bridge over troubled water and will reunite for a rare concert tour, kicking off in New Zealand and Australia. -- read full article
Reuters - Rock star Lenny Kravitz has received fan mail from the "bling bling" president himself -- France's Nicolas Sarkozy, dubbed thus for his fondness for fashion and the high life. -- read full article
Reuters - U.S. pop star Madonna left Malawi on a private aircraft on Sunday after failing to adopt a second child from the African country, airport officials said.
Reuters - The original Beatles catalog has been digitally remastered for the first time and will go on sale in CD format on September 9, the band's record label and company announced on Tuesday. -- read full article
