LOS ANGELES (AP) -- About 50 Michael Jackson fans waved signs and chanted outside a courthouse Monday in anticipation of a hearing in the involuntary manslaughter case against the pop star's doctor.

Less than two years ago, Usher was glorifying his evolution as a man with "Here I Stand," a CD that found him celebrating his new role as husband and father while shunning the image of a sexy bad boy unable - or unwilling -to make a lasting commitment.

Now, with the release of his latest album, "Raymond v. Raymond," the 31-year-old talks about maturity again. But this time, it comes from lessons learned after disappointment - not only in the discouraging sales of that album, but in the failure of his two-year marriage to Tameka Foster Raymond, the mother of his two young sons.

LONDON (AP) -- Struggling music group EMI faces being taken over by its bankers after failing to clinch a deal to sell the North American distribution rights for its artists to Universal Music Group or Sony Music.

Although August Wilson's final chapter of his Pittsburgh Cycle takes place in the heart of the Steel City, it could easily pass for Portland: A changing Black neighborhood; the force of gentrification threatening the community's culture and history; and forces, Black and White, trying to benefit. It's only one of the reasons the BaseRoots Theater Company joined with Portland Playhouse to produce Wilson's celebrated "Radio Golf" opening Friday, April 2 and running through April 25.

Usher's latest disc, "Raymond v. Raymond,'' is a bit like deja vu.
It has all the elements of his earlier albums.

Later this year, Janet plans to publish her autobiography, providing an intimate look at her life. Here, she talks about reprising the role of Pat in Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too, one of those rare sequels which is actually better than the original.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) -- Sri Lanka says it won't issue a visa for R&B singer Akon for a planned concert next month, following outrage over his video showing scantily clad women near a Buddha statue

WASHINGTON (NNPA) - Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, said that the National Newspaper Publisher Association Foundation's celebrating her political leadership affirms the work of the CBC as "the conscience of the Congress."

(AP) -- Economic development officials, legislators and others believe Mississippi's next cash crop is its musical heritage. The state's contributions to music stretch across genres -- from the blues of B.B. King, Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters to the rock 'n' roll of Elvis Presley and the country twang of "Singing Brakeman" Jimmie Rodgers.

Wardell Quezergue, who turned 80 last week, is the producer/arranger/band leader and composer behind The Dixie Cups' "Chapel of Love" to "Groove Me" by King Floyd and "Barefootin'" by Robert Parker – and the man Allen Toussaint dubbed "The Creole Beethoven."