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By Joel Ryan (AP)

In her most famous song, "Torn," Natalie Imbruglia sings of loneliness and shame.

They are feelings the Australian pop star is hoping to spare hundreds of thousands of women suffering with fistula. She brought her campaign to the United Nations on Monday, urging international support for women who have a hole in their birth canals as a result of childbirth without assistance or with complications.

"There's a lot of shame," said Imbruglia, who has been a spokeswoman since 2005 for an obstetric fistula program supported the U.N. Population Fund and the charitable arm of the V...

By Mark J. Terrill (AP)

A judge said Monday that Michael Jackson's longtime attorney and a family friend should take over the pop singer's estate for now, rejecting a request from Jackson's mother to be put in charge or share control.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff backed attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain, who had been designated in Jackson's 2002 will as the people he wanted to administer his estate. Attorneys for the pop singer's mother repeatedly objected to their appointment at Monday's court hearing.

"It's our desire to do everything we can to carry ...

By Mark J. Terrill (AP)

An attorney for Debbie Rowe says Michael Jackson's ex-wife is backing out of plans to attend the pop superstar's memorial service.

Rowe, the mother of Jackson's two oldest children, had originally planned to attend Tuesday's memorial service at the Staples Center.

But Rowe attorney Marta Almli said Monday her attendance would be "an unnecessary distraction" and that Rowe will "celebrate Michael's memory privately."

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ A judge said Monday tha...

By Philip Scott Andrews (AP)

The ticket hand-off for Michael Jackson's public memorial service in Los Angeles has been going smoothly at Dodger Stadium.

Winners of an Internet ticket lottery began exchanging vouchers for tickets in a drive-through process Monday in the stadium parking lot.

Each winner gets two tickets, and are free to give anyone their second one.

Assistant police chief Earl Paysinger says about 1,500 cars had passed through by midmorning.

Jackson's memorial is planned for Tuesday morning at the Staples Center sports arena. Organizers made tickets available free of charge for...

By Mark J. Terrill (AP)

A judge says Michael Jackson's longtime attorney and a family friend should take over the singer's estate.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff issued his ruling Monday. He backed attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain, who were designated in Jackson's 2002 will.

The singer's mother, Katherine Jackson, had applied to oversee her son's estate, but that was before the will surfaced naming Branca and McClain. Her attorney, Burt Levitch, expressed concerns about the two men's financial leadership.

Katherine Jackson did not appear at Monday's...

By Matt Rourke (AP)

Michael Jackson's concerts always were difficult to get tickets to, but that's nothing compared to the pop star's memorial service.

On eBay, bids for tickets for Tuesday's event were reaching as high as $1,000 and $3,000, though it was impossible to verify the seriousness of those bids. Others on Monday were submitting offers more in the $100-$200 range.

On Craigslist, asking prices also were in the thousands. Some unable to attend, though, simply wanted to give away their tickets _ as one post read _ "to only true fans."

The memorial service will be held at Los Ange...

By Matt Rourke (AP)

Michael Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe will attend the pop superstar's memorial service.

Former Jackson business associate Marc Schaffel said on ABC's "Good Morning America" that Rowe was confirmed for VIP seats. Rowe is the mother of Jackson's two oldest children.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry said she'd "love it" if the Jacksons helped defray some of the city's expected costs associated with Tuesday's memorial, but that officials hadn't heard from the family.

Perry said the city didn't immediately have an estimate of those costs. More tha...

By Ken Howard (AP)

Hey, Anna! Hey, Renee! There's a new Violetta in town, and she's staking a compelling claim to the role, orange wig and all.

Natalie Dessay, the French soprano best known for her stratospheric coloratura skills, opened the Santa Fe Opera's 2009 season Friday night with her first-ever performance as the doomed heroine of Verdi's "La Traviata," one of the classic roles of the lyric repertory.

Dessay doesn't just demand our attention, she screams for it _ literally. As she runs on stage at the beginning of Act 1 for an unusually orgiastic party scene, she lets out a couple o...

By Matt Rourke (AP)

Michael Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe will attend the pop superstar's memorial service.

Former Jackson business associate Marc Schaffel said on ABC's "Good Morning America" that Rowe was confirmed for VIP seats. Rowe is the mother of Jackson's two oldest children.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles city councilwoman Jan Murray said she'd "love it" if the Jacksons helped defray some of the city's expected costs associated with Tuesday's memorial, but that officials hadn't heard from the family.

Murray said the city didn't immediately have an estimate of those costs. More t...

By Matt Rourke (AP)

Michael Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe will attend the pop superstar's memorial service.

Former Jackson business associate Marc Schaffel told ABC's "Good Morning America" that Rowe was confirmed for VIP seats.

Rowe is the mother of Jackson's two oldest children.

By Mark J. Terrill (AP)

The Rev. Al Sharpton says it's "almost insulting" to the Jackson family to hold a hearing Monday to designate two men as temporary administrators of the pop superstar's estate.

Michael Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, was granted some limited powers over his estate days after his death. But because attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain are named as executors in the will, it's expected they would be granted more authority to oversee Jackson's estate in Monday's hearing in Los Angeles.

Sharpton said on ABC's "Good Morning America": "It has been very...

By JIM COOPER (AP)

While critics give the Jayhawks credit for helping invent alt-country, co-founder Mark Olson is quick to downplay the band's contributions to the rustic blend of rock and country that blossomed in the 1980s and '90s.

"If people credit us with it, I think it was more that we happened to be working along the same lines" as other groups, Olson says. "There was definitely people working on the same thing."

Olson left the Jayhawks in 1995 but now is back in the lineup with co-leader Gary Louris. The re-formed Jayhawks played a couple of festivals in Spain in May and are schedul...

By Patrick Semansky (AP)

Lionel Richie got a little help from his former bandmates to close out the weekend's Essence Music Festival: Members of The Commodores joined him on stage to sing several of their hits, including "Brick House" and "Just to be Close to You."

The crowd remained on their feet through the nearly two-hour set and Richie's encore of "All Night Long."

The final night of the festival stretched well into early Monday at the Superdome, with performances by Richie, En Vogue, Teena Marie, Al Green and Maze, featuring Frankie Beverly.

Beverly and Maze have closed out the event ...

By Patrick Semansky (AP)

En Vogue marked their 20th anniversary as one of music's most successful female groups with a reunion show that electrified the crowd at the Essence Music Festival.

Sunday night's performance featured all the group's original members _ Cindy Herron-Bragg, Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson and Maxine Jones _ soaking up an enthusiastic audience that sang along and danced in the aisles.

"It was amazing," Herron-Bragg said of the audience reaction and participation. "I'm just glad we were able to connect with them."

"We're just excited to be together again," Robinson said....

By Matt Rourke (AP)

Thousands of fans shouted, posted and tweeted with celebration as they learned they were receiving the hottest ticket in the nation to Tuesday's Michael Jackson memorial at Staples Center.

"Congratulations, your application was successful," said an e-mail message to Deka Motanya, 27, of San Francisco.

She immediately Twittered: "OMG OMG OMG OMG i got tickets to the michael jackson memorial service!!!"

Only 8,750 names were chosen from more than 1.6 million fans who registered online for free in the random drawing, a real-life version of Willie Wonka's golden tickets....

By Mark J. Terrill (AP)

Michael Jackson's family wants a judge to delay designating two men listed in the pop superstar's will as temporary administrators of his estate so that they can look deeper into his affairs, a person close to the family said Sunday.

The family also wants the additional time to wait and see if another will emerges, as well as to accommodate Jackson's memorial service Tuesday, said the person, who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.

The person said the family wants the delay in naming two men, attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain, who...

By Matt Rourke (AP)

Like a modern-day Willy Wonka tale, fans celebrated Sunday after beating the odds to win coveted tickets to Michael Jackson's memorial service at Staples Center.

More than 1.6 million fans registered online for free in the random drawing of only 8,750 names. Each person selected will receive two tickets to Tuesday's memorial. The odds of getting a ticket were about 1 in 183.

"I'm in shock that it has happened," said Deka Motanya, 27, of San Francisco. "It's surreal." She received an e-mail message at 4:35 p.m. notifying her, "Congratulations, your application was succes...

By Jae C. Hong (AP)

Who's getting the tickets?

Like a modern-day Willy Wonka tale, more than 1.6 million fans waited to learn Sunday whether they were among the lucky few to win access to Michael Jackson's memorial service Tuesday at Staples Center.

On Sunday evening, fans around the world started posting Twitter messages about receiving tickets.

"OMG OMG OMG OMG i got tickets to the Michael Jackson memorial service!!!" tweeted Deka Daye from San Francisco. Other messages came from users in Scotland and Iran.

Fans registered online for free in the random drawing of only 8,750 names....

By Jae C. Hong (AP)

Who's getting the tickets?

Like a modern-day Willy Wonka tale, more than 1.6 million fans waited to learn Sunday whether they were among the lucky few to win access to Michael Jackson's memorial service at Staples Center on Tuesday.

Fans registered online for free in the random drawing of only 8,750 names. Each person selected will receive two tickets.

Ticket winners were in the process of being notified Sunday afternoon, according to Michael Roth, a spokesman for Staples Center owner AEG Live.

The odds of getting a ticket were about 1 in 183.

The tickets...

By Jae C. Hong (AP)

Who's getting the tickets?

Like a modern-day Willy Wonka tale, more than 1.6 million fans waited to learn Sunday whether they were among the lucky few to win access to Michael Jackson's memorial service at Staples Center on Tuesday.

Fans registered online for free in the random drawing of only 8,750 names. Each person selected will receive two tickets.

Ticket winners were in the process of being notified Sunday afternoon, according to Michael Roth, a spokesman for Staples Center owner AEG Live.

The odds of getting a ticket were about 1 in 183.

The tickets...

By Matt Rourke (AP)

Los Angeles police say Michael Jackson's family is planning a private ceremony at a cemetery in the Hollywood Hills.

Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell said Sunday that his department is working with the Jackson family on a "private family function" at the Forest Lawn cemetery. He had no other details.

McDonnell also says police plan to shut down streets on Tuesday for blocks around the downtown Staples Center where a public memorial service is planned. Police are trying to keep out tens of thousands of fans who could come without tickets.

More than 1.6 million fans register...