By WAYNE PARRY   Associated Press   5/16/2012 12:32 AM   

On his debut album three years ago, Adam Lambert was fresh off with a runner-up "American Idol" finish and eager to show off his amazing vocal range. The result was an all-things-to-everyone album ranging from classic rock crunch to hip-hop heat, wit ...

By ALI KOTARUMALOS   Associated Press   5/16/2012 12:32 AM   

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Lady Gaga will have to cancel her sold-out show in Indonesia following protests by Islamic hard-liners and conservative lawmakers, who said her sexy clothes and dance moves will corrupt the youth. National police spokesman Boy ...

Associated Press     5/16/2012 12:31 AM   

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Barack Obama can hold his own when it comes to pop culture: He's up on "The Avengers" superheroes, has a handle on the Kardashians and said he catches up with TV hits during long flights on Air Force One. But the preside ...

Associated Press     5/16/2012 12:31 AM   

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- PBS' fall schedule has a definite British accent, courtesy of the returning drama "Upstairs Downstairs" and newcomer "Call the Midwife." The prominence of dramas imported from the U.K. is no surprise, given PBS' success with "Do ...

Associated Press     5/16/2012 12:31 AM   

NEW YORK -- There will apparently be back-to-back Cinderella stories on Broadway in the coming seasons. Producers announced Tuesday plans to bring a new musical based on the Drew Barrymore film "Ever After" in the 2013-14 season under the direction ...

By DAVID PORTER   Associated Press   5/16/2012 12:31 AM   

FAIR LAWN, N.J. -- In a basement in a quiet suburb 10 miles west of Manhattan, the characters of a bygone era in pop music are brought to life in mellifluous four-part harmony. Sherry is there, deciding whether or not to come out tonight. So are Da ...

DAVID BAUDER   Associated Press   5/16/2012 12:31 AM   

NEW YORK -- Britney Spears and Demi Lovato are joining the judging panel on "The X Factor" this fall, part of Fox's effort to boost its underperforming music competition shows. The network's executives, in presenting next season's schedule to adver ...

By BRETT ZONGKER   Associated Press   5/16/2012 12:30 AM   

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Ellen DeGeneres, who broke ground in 1997 as the first lead character on prime-time TV to reveal she was gay, is winning the nation's top humor prize. The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced Tuesday that DeGeneres w ...

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By DERRIK J. LANG   Associated Press   5/15/2012 9:56 PM   

LOS ANGELES -- "American Idol" viewers could be in for a serious case of deja vu if Phillip Phillips wins on the Fox talent contest's 11th season finale next week. While the soulful strummer from Leesburg, Ga., has certainly proved he can be a risk ...

By Brian Crecente   McClatchy-Tribune   5/15/2012 9:56 PM   

They gave us theme-park spectacles like robotic talking birds and a reanimated Abraham Lincoln with audio animatronics. They invented a film technique that can place an audience in the middle of a circle of movie screens to give them a 360-degree vie ...

By DERRIK J. LANG   Associated Press   5/15/2012 11:27 AM   

IRVINE, Calif. -- Fans of "Diablo III" celebrated the midnight launch of the long-awaited video game. A crowd of more than 1,500 gathered Monday night around a stage built underneath the Ferris wheel at the Irvine Spectrum Center, a shopping center ...

By SANDY COHEN   Associated Press   5/15/2012 10:30 AM   

LOS ANGELES -- With "The Hunger Games" in the rear-view mirror, the ensemble comedy "What to Expect When You're Expecting" just ahead and a 14-month-old at home, Elizabeth Banks is tired. "I've signed on to being exhausted for the next 25 years," t ...

By JAKE COYLE   Associated Press   5/15/2012 10:27 AM   

CANNES, France -- Despite the mood in Europe, don't expect any austerity at the Cannes Film Festival, the annual Cote d'Azur extravaganza where glamour is wrapped in world cinema fervor and gauzy Mediterranean sunshine. Except for the Oscars, it's ...

By ALI KOTARUMALOS   Associated Press   5/15/2012 10:26 AM   

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Lady Gaga will have to cancel her sold-out show in Indonesia following protests by Islamic hard-liners and conservative lawmakers, who said her sexy clothes and dance moves will corrupt young people. National police spokesman ...

By DAVID BAUDER   Associated Press   5/15/2012 10:23 AM   

NEW YORK -- Emmy-winning comedy "30 Rock" is being ushered out in an odd way by NBC. Within the space of four days, NBC officials confirmed that "30 Rock" will call it quits for good after 13 episodes next season, denied it and then confirmed it ag ...

By DAVID PORTER   Associated Press   5/15/2012 10:11 AM   

FAIR LAWN, N.J. -- In a basement in a quiet suburb 10 miles west of Manhattan, the characters of a bygone era in pop music are brought to life in mellifluous four-part harmony. Sherry is there, deciding whether or not to come out tonight. So are Da ...

By Eileen "MadJon" Hutson   ASTV resident chef   5/15/2012 12:30 AM   

As you may know, I am the host of the "Cooking With MadJon and Friends" on ASTV. Sometimes, I get a chance to wander off on other adventures with cooking, and in April, I was asked to join the Les Marmitons of Sandy Springs, located near Atlanta, to ...

By CHRIS WALSH   Staff writer   5/14/2012 10:46 PM   

Beginning this Friday, fans of great singing, strong orchestral music and stories with a message will get a treat when the Aiken Choral Society - in collaboration Kathleen Cartledge and the choirs of St. Paul's Lutheran Church - will perform "The Cre ...

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY   Associated Press   5/14/2012 11:02 AM   

NEW YORK -- Bobby Brown says it took him a long time to come out with a new album because he's spent so much time trying to get his life on track. Now on tour with bandmates New Edition, Brown says he's ready to return to his solo career with the a ...