NEW YORK (CNN) — Singer Melody Gardot made her first album lying in bed.

Not because she’s incredibly lazy. Hardly. She was recovering from a near-fatal bicycle accident that at age 19 shattered her pelvis and left her with neurological damage. Her doctors suggested turning to music as therapy: So she took up guitar, learning to play on her back because it was too painful to sit up.

Now 23, Gardot’s jazz-inflected major label debut album “Worrisome Heart” has critics and music fans sitting up all over the place. Some call her the new Norah Jones. Gardot prefers to call herself Superwoman.

“I can see everything, I can hear everything,” she says referring to her post-accident hypersensitivity to light and sound.

She always wears shades. And her ears always ring. She sees the irony, too.

“I picked the most unusual path. I have a hard time with light and a hard time with sound and I sit on the stage almost every night with a lot of noise and a lot of light!”

Gardot talked to CNN about her unexpected career, discovering Buddha and learning the art of patience.

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written by Andrew

RENO, Nev. - A dust storm chased away some participants from the counterculture Burning Man festival before its traditional climax Saturday night on the northern Nevada desert, authorities said.

Roger Farschon, incident commander for the federal Bureau of Land Management, said the dust storm on the Black Rock Desert about 110 miles north of Reno began early Saturday afternoon and continued into the evening.

“We are in (a) total whiteout,” he wrote by e-mail. “A similar cold front caused a major dust event on Monday. The rest of the event has been relatively dust-free.”

The annual celebration of radical self-expression was scheduled to climax Saturday night with the torching of its 40-foot signature effigy.

The crowd on Saturday morning reached a record 49,599, up from 47,097 last year, authorities reported.

Farschon said he was unaware of any fatalities or major arrests during the weeklong event leading up to Labor Day.

“Overall, the event is going smoothly with no major problems,” he wrote. “Medical cases are very consistent with last year with daily patient loads of 0.5 to 0.7 percent of the population.”

The BLM had made six arrests and issued 129 citations to participants through early Saturday morning, many for drug violations.

Burning Man, an eclectic art, music and performance festival, began in 1986 at San Francisco’s Baker Beach and was moved to the Black Rock Desert in 1990.

Source: yahoo.com

written by Andrew

(CNN) — Not quite a spin-off (though that’s what The CW is calling it), and not really a remake or a sequel: This is the new “Beverly Hills 90210,” albeit with a fresh look and a shorter name — “90210.”

The show premieres Tuesday.

Re-imaginings of classic television shows rarely work. For every “Battlestar Galactica,” there’s “The Munsters Today,” “The New Leave it to Beaver,” “The Bradys,” “The New WKRP in Cincinnati,” “The New Gidget,” and, of course, “What’s Happening Now.”

With a track record like that, it would seem that the conspicuous absence of the word “new” from the title is this show’s only real hope for longevity. But a closer look reveals that the show’s producers — the team behind the much-loved “Freaks and Geeks” — might actually know what they’re doing.

For starters, they’re sticking with what works. The premise of the two shows is nearly identical: A Midwestern family, whose last name begins with a W, relocates to Beverly Hills, California. The brother and sister are in the same class, and the family encounters a myriad of fish-out-of-water experiences.

The similarities don’t end there. Nostalgic fans of the old show will be glad to know the original theme song is back (with less synthesizer, one would imagine), as is the Peach Pit, the gang’s regular hangout, which has evolved from a diner to a trendy coffee shop. Also back: Peach Pit owner Nat, again played by Joe E. Tata.

Tata will be joined on the new series by original cast member Shannen Doherty, reprising her role as Brenda Walsh, who returns to West Beverly Hills High to direct a high school musical. And, in a possible bridge between old and new characters, rumor has it the character of Erin Silver (David and Kelly’s infant stepsister) will return as a regular “all grown up” (read: promiscuous) cast member, with a YouTube-like Web series.

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written by Andrew

TORRANCE, California (AP) — "Gutter balls only, please!" someone yells during a rehearsal at the Lucky Strike bowling alley for the CW’s new series "90210." So co-stars Jessica Stroup and Shenae Grimes downplay their bowling skills.

The spin-off on the fabled ’90s teen drama premieres September 2 (8 p.m. EDT). If the show mimics the hot bodies, hip fashion and angst-ridden affluence of "Beverly Hills, 90210," it will also play edgier and less preachy, says co-executive producer Gabe Sachs.

"Look, we’re not stupid," Sachs says. "We know people are probably expecting a cheese fest and that’s just not what we do."

Sachs and partner Jeff Judah cut their teeth as producers on the quirky yet short-lived teen series "Freaks and Geeks" and "Life as We Know It."

CW tapped the duo to produce its rich-kids reprise after Rob Thomas, creator of moody teen drama "Veronica Mars," dropped the project.

"The truth is, Jeff and I write how we write," Sachs says. "Everything’s got to come out of real emotion. We want to deal with issues and show consequences, but not the issue of the week and pound you over the head."

"But I can never ever knock the original ‘90210,’ " Sachs says of the series that ran from 1990-2000, trading on youth issues from addiction to pregnancy and amping the fortunes of the fledgling Fox network.

The original hooked a generation of viewers on trendy teen melodrama honed by creator Darren Star and executive producer Aaron Spelling.

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written by Andrew

With its riveting orchestration, definitive guitar play and signature sensual baritone vocals, Isaac Hayes’ theme song for the 1971 movie "Shaft" not only became one of pop music’s iconic songs, but also the defining work of Hayes’ career.

Yet the "Theme from Shaft," which would earn both Grammys and an Oscar, was just a snippet of the groundbreaking music for which Hayes — who died Sunday at age 65 — was responsible.

He penned soul classics like "Hold On I’m Comin’" for Sam & Dave, helped usher in the era of disco and was a goldmine for countless hip-hop and R&B artists who used his illustrious arrangements as the focal point for their songs decades later.

"Isaac Hayes embodies everything that’s soul music," Collin Stanback, an A&R executive at Stax, told The Associated Press on Sunday. "When you think of soul music you think of Isaac Hayes — the expression … the sound and the creativity that goes along with it."

His influence also extended beyond music. His trademarked bald head, full beard and muscular frame, often adorned with a multitude of gold chains, made him a fashion trendsetter at a time when most of his contemporaries were sporting blowout Afros. He was also a symbol of black pride, and an activist for civil rights.

The Rev. Al Sharpton called Hayes a "creative genius" and added, "even in his later years he never hesitated to appear for a cause or endorse something that he felt was for the good of mankind. He will be sorely missed."

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written by Andrew

NEW YORK - Video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. posted a smaller net loss for its fiscal first quarter Tuesday and more than doubled its revenue thanks to soaring sales of games such as “Rock Band” — even as it spent more on marketing and development.

Both the earnings and revenue figures fell short of analysts’ estimates, however, and EA shares slipped in extended trading.

EA said Tuesday its loss for the quarter ended June 30 totaled $95 million, or 30 cents per share, compared with a loss of $132 million, or 42 cents a share, a year earlier.

On an adjusted basis, the company lost 42 cents per share this quarter, short of the 33 cents per share that analysts polled by Thomson Financial were expecting.

A loss in the slower spring and summer season is typical for video game companies, which make most of their money during the holidays. The profit and sales outlook EA issued Tuesday for the full fiscal year fell within the range of analysts’ expectations.

The Redwood City, Calif.-based company’s sales for the quarter jumped to $804 million from $395 million in the year-ago period. But they were boosted by the recognition of deferred revenue for certain online games. Without this benefit, sales totaled $609 million, short of Wall Street’s expectations of $640 million.

“We basically came in pretty much in line with own internal expectations,” Chief Financial Officer Eric Brown said in an interview. Adjusted earnings came in above and sales slightly below the company’s internal expectations.

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written by Andrew

LONDON - Amy Winehouse was hospitalized Monday night for a reaction to medication but was expected to be released by morning, representatives for the Grammy-winning singer said.

An ambulance took Winehouse from her north London home to University College Hospital, spokesman Chris Goodman said.

“Doctors have advised that she will be kept under observation overnight and is likely to be released tomorrow,” read a statement released by Goodman and Tracey Miller, the 24-year-old’s U.S.-based publicist.

It was the second time in as many months that Winehouse has been in the hospital. She was admitted to a London clinic in June after collapsing at home, and father Mitch Winehouse said at the time she had developed early stage emphysema from smoking cigarettes and crack cocaine.

Winehouse underwent a series of tests but was discharged in time to perform at the Glastonbury music festival and celebrations for former South African president Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday.

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written by Andrew

NEW YORK - NBC News could rent a small plane just for the top news personalities going to Beijing to cover the Olympics: Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira, Ann Curry, Lester Holt, Richard Engels, Kevin Tibbles and the Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore among them.

CBS considered sending Harry Smith, but decided against it and is sending Barry Peterson. Weekend anchor David Muir is ABC’s biggest name heading to Asia. Dana Lewis is Fox News Channel’s lone representative. CNN is largely handling the story through its Beijing bureau, keeping frequent-flier Anderson Cooper at home.

Guess which network’s sports division paid nearly $900 million for the rights to televise the Olympics?

The rapid change occuring in China means there’s likely to be more news beyond sports in Beijing than most Olympics. Television news organizations face many challenges, including the decision of how much money and personnel they should devote to an event where NBC has the insider’s edge.

“It makes our lives difficult,” said Paul Friedman, senior vice president of CBS News. “But what we’ll do is what everyone in this situation does. You go and look for the stories around the Olympics that you can get access to and this time around they may be as interesting as the Olympics themselves.”

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written by Andrew

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The reality is, there won’t be an Emmy host this year — there will be five.

The reality-TV hosts nominated in the new category that honors their work will preside over the show, ABC and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences told The Associated Press on Friday.

They are: Tom Bergeron, of “Dancing With the Stars”; Ryan Seacrest, of “American Idol”; Howie Mandel of “Deal or No Deal”; Heidi Klum of “Project Runway;” and Jeff Probst of “Survivor.”

“It just seemed like a perfect way to stay current with the state of television today,” said Ken Ehrlich, executive producer of the Sept. 21 Emmy broadcast on ABC.

The reality hosts also have the advantage of being “extremely engaging personalities” who are comfortable on stage, Ehrlich said. “At the end of the day, this is what they do for a living.”

That could bring increased spontaneity to a ceremony that, by definition, has a certain amount of predictability, he said.

The popularity of reality shows also could provide a much-needed ratings boost: Last year, the Emmy broadcast — opposite a National Football League game — posted its second-smallest audience on record, just under 13 million.

The combined ratings for the five reality shows represent a “tremendous number of viewers,” Ehrlich said, and it’s hoped the Emmys benefit.

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written by Andrew

BARCELONA, Spain - Batman star Christian Bale asked for privacy Thursday in his first comments since allegations he assaulted his mother and sister at a London hotel, saying the incident was personal.

The Welsh-born actor brushed off questions about the alleged family dispute, saying he preferred to focus on the blockbuster movie “The Dark Knight,” which had its premiere in Spain on Wednesday.

“It’s a deeply personal matter,” Bale told The Associated Press at a news conference at a luxury hotel in Barcelona. “I would ask you to respect my privacy in the matter.”

The 34-year-old actor spent four hours talking to British police Tuesday following allegations he assaulted his mother and one of his three sisters in his suite at London’s Dorchester Hotel two days earlier. He was released on bail, but not charged.

Bale has said through his lawyers that the assault allegations were false.

British media reported that Bale’s mother and sister told police he assaulted them at the hotel a day before attending the European premiere of “The Dark Knight.” The Sun newspaper said the complaint was filed by sister Sharon Bale and mother Jenny Bale.

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written by Andrew