Britney Rushed To Get Help

Britney Spears was taken from her home by ambulance early Thursday and escorted to the hospital by more than a dozen police officers in cars, on motorcycles and in helicopters.



The 26-year-old pop star was being taken to "get help," said a Los Angeles police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter. The Los Angeles Times cited unidentified authorities who said Spears was being placed on a "mental evaluation hold."

Spears was taken to UCLA Medical Center, where her mother, Lynne, was seen leaving its psychiatric hospital at about 5:30 a.m. When asked by a throng of paparazzi and reporters whether Britney was doing all right, Lynne Spears replied, "Yeah," before leaving in a Range Rover.

Hours earlier, shortly after 1 a.m., a motorcade nearly the length of a football field pulled away from Spears' residence. Along with the ambulance, it included police on nearly a dozen motorcycles, in two cruisers, and two helicopters following overhead.

Juno Soundtrack Reigns Supreme On Billboard Chart

The soundtrack to "Juno" moves up from No. 2 to No. 1, becoming the Rhino label's first chart-topper on the Billboard 200.

It's the first film soundtrack to top the chart since last year's "Dreamgirls" and the first from an Academy Award best picture nominee since "Titanic" reached the summit on January 24, 1998.

Alicia Keys' "As I Am" (J) flip-flops with "Juno," dropping from the top spot to No. 2, with 60,000 (a 1 percent decrease). Natasha Bedingfield earns her best charting and sales week ever as her sophomore Epic album, "Pocketful of Sunshine," enters at No. 3 with 50,000. Her debut, 2005's "Unwritten," started and peaked at No. 26 with 34,000. Sales of the new project were aided by the single "Love Like This" featuring Sean Kingston, which recently moved into the top 20 of the Hot 100.

Mary J. Blige's Matriarch/Geffen album "Growing Pains" falls from No. 3 to No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 45,000, a 12 percent sales slip. Descending one rung to No. 5, Radiohead's "In Rainbows" (TBD/ATO) moves 35,000 (a drop of 24 percent), while Taylor Swift's Big Machine debut holds tight at No. 6 for a second consecutive week, its 66th week on the chart, selling 35,000 with a 2 percent sales increase.

Teenage R&B star Chris Brown's Jive album "Exclusive" bumps up from No. 9 to No. 7 with an 8 percent sales boost to 32,000. Keyshia Cole's "Just Like You" (Confidential/Imani/Geffen) re-enters the top 10, jumping from 12th place to No. 8 with 31,000 (a 21 percent gain), while Garth Brooks' Pearl collection "The Ultimate Hits" also experiences a 21 percent sales swell to 30,000, climbing from No. 14 to No. 9. Miley Cyrus' Disney double-disc "Hannah Montana 2 (Soundtrack)/Meet Miley Cyrus" clings to the No. 10 slot with a 9 percent sales increase to 30,000.

Dixie Chick Having Another Lil' Chick

Martie Maguire of the Dixie Chicks and her husband, Gareth, are expecting a third daughter.

Maguire, 38, announced her pregnancy on the group's Web site Monday.

She wrote that her 3-year-old twin daughters, Eva and Katie, "are very excited to have a new baby sister."

"Three girls, what a magic number!" Maguire said.

She said the baby is due in late summer.

The report was confirmed by the Chicks' publicist.

Maguire plays fiddle and mandolin in the trio, which also includes Natalie Maines and Emily Robison. Hits by the Chicks include "Wide Open Spaces," "Without You," "Goodbye Earl" and "Not Ready To Make Nice.

Suprising Influences In New Jonas Bros. Album

The Jonas Brothers are putting the touches on their third album, an as-yet-untitled affair that's due out July 8 via Hollywood, according to Nick Jonas.

The album is said to feature the same Jonas Bros. sound that fans have come to love. With that said, the lyrics are supposed to be deeper and several songs are influenced by great bands from the past.

Nick Jonas told Billboard.com, "We have some more Elvis Costello-type influences on it. There's a song called 'Be Be Good' which is definitely an Animals, Rascals type of influence and obviously, of course, the Beatles."

Sounds exciting. I can't wait to see where they went with this one.

Page Ready For Zeppelin World Tour

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page said Monday he was ready to take the iconic band on a world tour after burning up the stage at last month's reunion concert in London. But it probably won't be before September.

"The amount of work we put into O2 was what you would normally put into a world tour anyway," Page, 64, said of the intense rehearsing the band did for the Dec. 10 concert at London's O2 Arena.

The band's three surviving members — Page, singer Robert Plant and bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones — were joined at the sold-out benefit show by the late John Bonham's son Jason on drums.

Page, who was in Japan to promote the new Zeppelin release, "Mothership," said the two-hour-plus concert was proof that Led Zeppelin can still perform at its best.

He said the band, which formed in 1968, was ready musically to get back together and take it out on a wider run, but it was not clear when it would go on tour as the singer had other plans.

"Robert Plant has a parallel project and he is busy with that until September," Page said.

Plant and bluegrass star Alison Krauss will begin their world tour with a run of shows in the southern U.S. this spring. The two released an album in October called "Raising Sand" that debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard chart in the U.S. The duo will tour Europe in May before returning for North American shows still to be announced for June and July.

Page said the band set their standards very high before agreeing to do the reunion, their only one in 20 years. Led Zeppelin broke up in 1980 after the elder Bonham's death.

UB40 Singer Quits; No One Cares

Ali Campbell has quit UB40 after almost 30 years, citing management problems.

His bandmates, however, said the 48-year-old singer left to pursue solo projects.

In a statement on his Web site, Campbell said Friday that "management difficulties, which have been ongoing for almost five years, had become intolerable."

"No words can express how upset I feel today that I have been forced to make this decision," he wrote.

Campbell said UB40, which includes his brother Robin, would continue without him.

In a separate statement, UB40 said Campbell "has taken the decision to focus on his solo career and in doing so, could not give his full commitment to UB40."

"The other band members of UB40 are naturally disappointed and saddened after being together as a band unit and as good friends for almost 30 years," the statement said.

UB40's upcoming "24/7," which was recorded with Campbell, will be released as planned in May.

Blunt Charges Filed In Lil Wayne Case

The Yuma County Attorney's Office filed felony drug and weapons charges Friday against Lil Wayne.

The 25-year-old rapper, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., was charged in justice court in Wellton, Ariz., with one count each of possession of a narcotic drug for sale, possession of dangerous drugs, misconduct involving weapons and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

He is scheduled to appear Feb. 12 at a preliminary hearing.

Carter was in court, where a judge lifted a bail restriction prohibiting him from leaving the state. He was arrested after his tour bus was stopped in southern Arizona late Tuesday and is free on bail.

His lawyer wasn't immediately available for comment

Suge Knight Named In Gang Injunction

City officials asked a judge to ban members of the Mob Piru street gang from being able to congregate in a neighborhood of Compton and asked that the order include Marion "Suge" Knight.



The co-founder of Death Row Records was one of 200 people the officials said were members of Mob Piru. The injunction would ban them from congregating, carrying guns, drinking alcohol in public or staying out past 10 p.m.

Knight called the injunction a "publicity stunt. This is crazy," he told the Los Angeles Times. "I'm a 42-year-old businessman, not a gang member. I don't even live in Compton anymore." A hearing on the matter was to be held Jan 24th.

Although such injunctions are a common anti-gang tactic in southern California, this is the first time one has been sought in Compton, a city less than 10 miles south of downtown Los Angeles that announced a gang crackdown two years ago.

Mob Piru members have gained notoriety for their alleged links to Knight and Death Row, once home to artists such as Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg.

Flo Rida Refuses To Get "Low"; Stays On Top For 5th Straight Week

Taking a page out of Alicia Keys' year ending streak, Flo Rida's "Low" continues to reign supreme on the Billboard Hot 100 for a fifth week.

The tracks at Nos. 2 and 3 on the singles chart -- Alicia Keys' "No One" and Timbaland's "Apologize" featuring OneRepublic -- remain in those positions for a third consecutive week, not posing much of a challenge to "Low."

But there's a new contender for the crown in the form of Chris Brown's "With You", which rises from No. 6 to No. 4 and is the fastest-growing track at digital outlets and on radio. The song sold 100,000 downloads.

Fergie's "Clumsy" rests at No. 5 on the Hot 100, as another Brown song, "Kiss Kiss" featuring T-Pain, drops from fourth position to No. 6 and Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music" jumps from No. 13 to No. 7, marking her seventh top 10 ranking on the chart. Sean Kingston's "Take You There" is up from No. 10 to No. 8, while Finger Eleven's "Paralyzer" drops two rungs to No. 9. Sara Bareilles' "Love Song" rounds out the top 10 as it moves from eleventh slot to No. 10.

New Album At Top Of The Charts For 2008

There's an old face at the top of the Billboard Top 200 Charts. Mary J Blige has unseated Josh Groban with her new album, "Growing Pains". Alicia Keys "As I Am" follows in second, with Josh Groban "Noel" dropping to third.

NOW 26 stays in the top 5 at 4th, while Chris Brown "Exclusive" surges up to 5th. The Eagles "Long Road Out Of Eden" hovers at 6th, while Garth Brooks "The Ultimate Hits" makes a return to the Top 10. Country star Taylor Swift and her self-titled album stay at the 8th spot. Miley Cyrus "Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus falls from 5th to 9th. The biggest jump into the Top Ten goes to Colbie Callait "Coco", jumping up to 10th spot from 27th.

2008 Starts With Flo-Rida's "Low" Getting High

With the first chart for 2008 being released by Billboard, finally Alicia Keys has been de-throned. The top of the charts now belong to Flo-Rida's hit "Low". Keys and her single "No One" has dropped to second, while the Timbaland/OneRepublic track "Apologize" stays put at number 3. The fourth spot belongs to Chris Brown and T-Pain with "Kiss Kiss". Returning to the Top Ten to 5th is "Crank That (Soulja Boy) by Soulja Boy Tell'em.

The top ten is rounded out by Fergie's hit "Clumsy", Colbie Caillat and "Bubbly", Finger Eleven's "Paralyzer", a new comer to the top ten, Sara Bareilles with "Love Song" and dropping to tenth spot is Jordin Sparks "Tatoo".

Spears/Federline Lawyers In Court After Britney Hospitalized

Attorneys for Britney Spears and Kevin Federline were in court Friday for a closed-door meeting in the former couple's child custody battle after the pop star was hospitalized in a bizarre incident that brought police and paramedics to her home.

Tara Scott, representing Spears, and Federline's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, spent about 30 minutes in chambers with court Commissioner Scott Gordon, who has been handling the custody case. They made no comments to reporters afterward.

A court hearing was scheduled later Friday.

Kaplan said through his publicist, Michael Sands, that it would be "inappropriate for him to speak to the media ... because of what's happened last night, because of the serious nature of what we've all read about."