Singer Jerry Reed dies at 71

Jerry Reed, a country music singer, country guitarist, session musician, songwriter, and actor who became a good ol' boy actor in car chase movies like "Smokey and the Bandit," has died at the age of 71. Reed died on Monday from complications from emphysema. Reed had quadruple bypass surgery in June 1999.

Reed was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Reed's parents separated four months after his birth, and he and his sister spent seven years in foster homes or orphanages. Reed was reunited with his mother and stepfather in 1944. Music helped ease the stressful times the new family was under.

At age 18, Reed was signed by publisher and record producer Bill Lowery to cut his first record, "If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creeks Don't Rise."

He won a Grammy Award for "When You're Hot, You're Hot" in 1971 for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. A year earlier, he shared a Grammy with Chet Atkins for their collaboration, "Me and Jerry." In 1992, Atkins and Reed won a Grammy for "Sneakin' Around.". Jerry Reed appeared in over a dozen movies.

"I'm proud of the songs, I'm proud of things that I did with Chet (Atkins), I'm proud that I played guitar and was accepted by musicians and guitar players," Reed told the AP in 1992.

Britney Spears Reveals New Diet

Britney Spears is getting her life back on track, she is now determined to regain the slim figure she flaunted at the height of her success. "I'm the healthiest I've been all my life," Britney told OK! magazine.

The troubled singer's weight has fluctuated since she took time off from her career to have sons Sean and Jayden. However, the mother-of-two has mapped out a new healthy eating plan to be a healthy role model for her growing sons.

"My diet has a lot to do with my getting into shape. I have no sugar. I don't eat fruit or even fruit juice because of the sugar. I eat chicken and salmon and rice. I eat avocados. I'll have egg whites for breakfast and sometimes turkey burgers for lunch." Spears said.

"I try to do just 1,200 calories a day. It may sound like it's not much, but it's actually a lot of food if you eat the right things." Spears added that she’s also making regular visits to the gym, doing “lots of cardio and weights” five days a week.

Britney Spears has returned to the MTV stage this month to tape a promotional video for this year's ceremony. Spears has appeared in four promo commercials for the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. Spears has been nominated for three nominations at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, 3 for her single Piece of Me. But it remained unclear whether Spears will appear on the show airing on September 7, 2008.

Ricky Martin Fathers Twin Boys

The Latin superstar Ricky Martin has adopted twin boys born to a surrogate mother, and the babies were born a few weeks ago. "In recent weeks, Ricky Martin became a proud father by the birth of twin sons," according to a statement from his rep.

"The children, delivered via gestational surrogacy, are healthy and already under Ricky's full-time care," the rep said. "Ricky is elated to begin this new chapter in his life as a parent and will be spending the remainder of the year out of the public spotlight in order to spend time with his children."

The pop superstar Ricky Martin kept the pregnancy under wraps until now! The boys' names and the location of their birth have not been released. His rep said there was no further information about the details of the children's birth.

In recent years the "Livin' La Vida Loca" singer, has been active in charitable efforts. Martin, 36, established the Ricky Martin Foundation in Puerto Rico to advocate for the welfare of children around the world.

Dave Matthews Band Saxophonist Dead

LeRoi Moore,46, saxophonist and founding member of the Dave Matthews Band, died Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008. Moore died at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, from complications stemming from injuries he sustained in an ATV accident, according to a statement on the band's Web site.

Moore was injured on June 30, 2008 in an ATV accident on his farm outside Charlottesville, Virginia, breaking several ribs and puncturing a lung, and was hospitalized for several days.
Though released several days later, Complications forced him back to the hospital on July 17.

The band went on with its show Tuesday night on August 19, 2008 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where lead singer Dave Matthews paid tribute to Moore, after the band's first song of the performance - Bartender "We all had some bad news today," Matthews told the sold-out crowd. "Our good friend LeRoi Moore passed on and gave his soul up today and we will miss him forever." Fans then shouted Moore's name in remembrance.

Moore often arranged music for the songs written by frontman Dave Matthews. Moore also co-wrote many of the band's songs, notably "Too Much" and "Stay".

Madonna Earns Big in Dubai

Pop Queen MADONNA is to sign the most lucrative contracts of her career – playing two gigs in Dubai for US$25 MILLION.

The Queen Of Pop is finalising negotiations on a deal to finish her forthcoming world tour in the oil-rich Arab state in November.

A source said: "Madonna is about to break another record by playing the most lucrative concert of her whole career - or anyone's career for that matter."

"The negotiations for the tour to stop in Dubai in November are being finalised and she will get US$15 million for the one show only. The figure is so big because of her new contract with Live Nation and the huge funds available from private promoters in Dubai."
"She is also close to agreeing to play a private party in Dubai, the first
of her career."
Madonna's rep refused to comment on these rumors at the moment.
Madonna was recently named the highest-earning woman in music.
The 49-year-old singer topped the first Cash Queens of Music list, compiled
by Forbes.com, after raking in $72 million between June 2006 and June 2007.

Britney Spears Play Receptionist In TV Sitcom

Surprisingly, viewers were quite impressed with her acting skills. After months of trauma and erratic behaviour, Britney Spears has hit America's TV screens. And this time round, it is not because she has been rushed to hospital or is at another court hearing.
As Sima Kotecha has commented from BBC.

An executive producer for "How I Met Your Mother" says he's open to having Britney Spears return for another cameo.
We always said, 'You know, if her character pops, we'll bring her back,"' Carter Bays told The Associated Press on Thursday. "I thought she was great. I was very proud of that episode."

I think she's not hopeless as an actor – given the right words to speak, you can believe her.
She's got that baby voice she falls back on, and it gets a bit annoying.
"She did pretty good" playing a dorky receptionist who falls for Ted (Josh Radnor) on CBS’ Hot I Met Your Mother, Charna Halpern, artistic director of Chicago’s Improv Olympic Comedy Club, tells Usmagazine.com. “There was a sweetness to her, a vulnerability.
Her role was “over the top, and she certainly went for it,” Aliza Shane, director of NYC’s Looking Glass Theater. “Clearly, she likes being on camera, no one can argue that!”