Whitney Houston says drug use reports "ridiculous"

LONDON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Singer Whitney Houston was released from a Paris hospital on Wednesday after suffering a respiratory infection and she called media reports that she was using drugs again "ridiculous."

After being hospitalized in Paris on Tuesday under doctor's orders, Houston told People magazine she is looking forward to returning to the stage after postponing several dates on the European leg of her concert tour.

"I'm feeling great," she said. "I'm just ready to move on and continue my world tour."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100408/music_nm/us_whitney_cancellation;_ylt=AlTbvSkv7ohMTNuwlSucmr2VEhkF;_ylu=X3oDMTJ1YmJjbjFrBGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAwNDA4L3VzX3doaXRuZXlfY2FuY2VsbGF0aW9uBHBvcwM0NARzZWMDeW5fcGFnaW5hdGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawN3aGl0bmV5aG91c3Q-

Usher, Justin Bieber lead pop album chart

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – Usher scored his third consecutive No. 1 album on the U.S. pop chart Wednesday as the R&B singer ended the one-week reign of Canadian pop idol Justin Bieber.

Usher's "Raymond v Raymond" sold 329,000 copies during the week ended April 4, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It marks the third-best sales week of the year, following the debuts of Sade's "Soldier of Love" (502,000) and Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now" (481,000).

He previously led the tally with 2008's "Here I Stand" (443,000 copies in its first week) and 2004's "Confessions" (1.1 million).

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100407/music_nm/us_sales;_ylt=AvH3WPzs.P9PyZHunn0bkyKVEhkF;_ylu=X3oDMTJmZjM0cTFwBGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAwNDA3L3VzX3NhbGVzBHBvcwMzOQRzZWMDeW5fcGFnaW5hdGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawN1c2hlcmp1c3RpbmI-

Lady Gaga, Scouting for Girls top UK charts midweek

LONDON (Reuters) – London pop trio Scouting for Girls held on to the top spot in the British singles charts midweek with "This Ain't a Love Song," according to The Official Charts Company which compiles sales data.

U.S. glam pop star Lady Gaga also looked set for the summit of the album listings yet again with "The Fame," which was leading the pack on Wednesday ahead of the weekly official charts announcement on Sunday.

Some way behind Scouting for Girls is a three-act race for second place, with Lady Gaga's single "Telephone," Plan B's "She Said" and Usher's "OMG" separated by less than 10 percent of sales.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100407/music_nm/us_britain_charts;_ylt=Ah5xvNUHoP17yRGPlf8qp_CVEhkF;_ylu=X3oDMTJvaGdxdmNtBGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAwNDA3L3VzX2JyaXRhaW5fY2hhcnRzBHBvcwMzMwRzZWMDeW5fcGFnaW5hdGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNsYWR5Z2FnYXNjb3U-

Rihanna leads pop chart for fourth week

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Rihanna's "Rude Boy" led Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart for a fourth week on Thursday, with the top eight titles unchanged from the previous week.

"Nothin' On Me" from B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars held at No. 2, and Train's "Hey, Soul Sister" at No. 3.

Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now," "Telephone" by Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce, and "Break Your Heart" by Taio Cruz featuring Ludacris occupied the No. 4 to No. 6 slots, respectively.

The Black Eyed Peas' "Imma Be" followed at No. 7, Justin Bieber's "Baby" was at No. 8, and Jason Derulo rebounded two to No. 9 with "In My Head." "BedRock, from Young Money featuring Lloyd, slipped one to No. 10.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100408/music_nm/us_singles;_ylt=Ar3A6QYTe0.3cUj5syuaKgiVEhkF;_ylu=X3oDMTJob3RxNThyBGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAwNDA4L3VzX3NpbmdsZXMEcG9zAzI0BHNlYwN5bl9wYWdpbmF0ZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA3JpaGFubmFsZWFkcw--

'The Addams Family' mines macabre musical comedy

NEW YORK – If you want to know why musical comedy is such a difficult art form to master, a prime example is now on display at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre where "The Addams Family" has fitfully burst into story and song.

In attempting to give Charles Addams' macabre characters a life beyond the brilliant single-panel cartoons that appeared for years in The New Yorker, the creators of this schizophrenic musical have made them more audience friendly. But in a perverse way, they're not as much fun.

Gomez. Morticia. Uncle Fester. Grandma. Wednesday. Pugsley. Lurch. Weird, of course. But, in a way, just like us ordinary folks, with emotions, insecurities, hopes and fears. That seems to be the thrust of the joke-peppered book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100408/ap_en_mu/us_theater_review_addams_family;_ylt=An15i7Yc1cbWt85O0gTBLkqVEhkF;_ylu=X3oDMTM2MjBwcG5hBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDA4L3VzX3RoZWF0ZXJfcmV2aWV3X2FkZGFtc19mYW1pbHkEcG9zAzE5BHNlYwN5bl9wYWdpbmF0ZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA3RoZWFkZGFtc2ZhbQ--

Guitarist Slash finally goes solo for new album

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – He's been a name in rock that has stood alone for decades, but on Tuesday guitarist Slash only just released his first solo album.

Simply called "Slash," the album features 13 original songs with a host of guest singers including rockers such as Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop and Chris Cornell to more pop-orientated acts including singer Fergie and Adam Levine from Maroon 5. The first single, "By The Sword," features singer Andrew Stockdale from the band Wolfmother.

"I just got to that point where I actually needed to do something on my own," he told Reuters this week. "It's one of the few things that I hadn't done in my musical career."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100408/music_nm/us_slash;_ylt=Apgq_ylG9zQLeMw0LGVFDpiVEhkF;_ylu=X3oDMTJmdGN1OWIxBGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAwNDA4L3VzX3NsYXNoBHBvcwMxNgRzZWMDeW5fcGFnaW5hdGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNndWl0YXJpc3RzbGE-

Is Taiwan's male "Whitney Houston" the next Susan Boyle

TAIPEI (Reuters) – He's everything Whitney Houston is not -- Taiwanese, male, chubby and unknown -- but Lin Yu-chun is being likened to the pop diva after wowing a talent show with his rendition of one of her most popular songs.

Lin, a competitor on popular singing show "Super Star Avenue", floored the judges this week with his pitch-perfect rendition of Houston's "I Will Always Love You", taken from her film "The Bodyguard" that also starred Kevin Costner.

For the video, click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA-tOsM6F4Y

The 24-year-old, who wears a bow tie and sports a bowl haircut, is also being touted by many bloggers as this year's Susan Boyle, the best-selling artist who unexpectedly became a musical superstar after her show-stopping performance on the "Britain's Got Talent" TV program.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100409/music_nm/us_taiwan_singer;_ylt=ArTj3YRU..h_JAMN7pg3XMOVEhkF;_ylu=X3oDMTJtbWc5bW50BGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAwNDA5L3VzX3RhaXdhbl9zaW5nZXIEcG9zAzkEc2VjA3luX3BhZ2luYXRlX3N1bW1hcnlfbGlzdARzbGsDaXN0YWl3YW4zOXNt

Sex Pistols' former manager McLaren has died at 64

LONDON – The former manager of the Sex Pistols and one of the seminal figures of the punk rock era, Malcolm McLaren, died Thursday, his son said. He was 64.

Joe Corre his father died of an aggressive form of cancer in Switzerland, declining to give the exact location.

"He was the original punk rocker and revolutionized the world," Corre told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "He's somebody I'm incredibly proud of. He's a real beacon of a man for people to look up to."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100409/ap_en_mu/obit_malcolm_mclaren;_ylt=AteSUZ__9nvSuzaqhSaPJqiVEhkF;_ylu=X3oDMTJxNGNsZGNhBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDA5L29iaXRfbWFsY29sbV9tY2xhcmVuBHBvcwM2BHNlYwN5bl9wYWdpbmF0ZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA3NleHBpc3RvbHNmbw--

Australian band Powderfinger to quit after final tour

SYDNEY (Reuters) – One of Australia's biggest rock bands, Powderfinger, is calling it quits after 21 years, announcing plans Friday to disband later this year after a final Australian tour.

The band, which released its seventh studio album last year, said it had been an "agonizing decision" but they had decided to call it a day after their "Sunsets" tour.

"With the completion of our last album, "Golden Rule," we feel that we have said all that we want to say as a musical group," the band said in a statement on its website. Powderfinger was formed in 1989 and has had a steady line-up since 1992 of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bassist John Collins and drummer Jon Coghill.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100409/music_nm/us_powderfinger;_ylt=AtZbxrtNvDvdlKDQONQZR1KVEhkF;_ylu=X3oDMTJsaXVmZzk0BGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAwNDA5L3VzX3Bvd2RlcmZpbmdlcgRwb3MDNARzZWMDeW5fcGFnaW5hdGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNhdXN0cmFsaWFuYmE-

Taiwan singer conjures up Susan Boyle comparisons

TAIPEI, Taiwan – As a younger man, Taiwan's Lin Yu-chun sang for hours on end, trying to get his mind off the sneers he endured because of his portly figure.

The round-faced soprano with the bowl haircut never imagined his voice would one day transform him into an international sensation.

But now, he is being compared to Britan's Susan Boyle, the plain-looking 48-year-old who shot to stardom after singing "I Dreamed a Dream" on "Britain's Got Talent."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100409/ap_en_mu/as_taiwan_singing_sensation;_ylt=AhRX7EQRivHIyiz.Vnvw.j6VEhkF;_ylu=X3oDMTMxdDZpaTRjBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDA5L2FzX3RhaXdhbl9zaW5naW5nX3NlbnNhdGlvbgRwb3MDMQRzZWMDeW5fcGFnaW5hdGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawN0YWl3YW5zaW5nZXI-

Twitter Says Growth Surging Internationally

More people outside of the U.S. have registered for Twitter accounts than people in the U.S., the company said on Thursday.

More than 60 percent of registered accounts come from outside the U.S., Matt Sanford, a lead engineer in Twitter's international team, wrote in a blog post. According to a graph included in the post, the balance of Twitter accounts shifted to international users in about September last year.

Twitter is available in French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish. In some of those countries, growth happens when a politician or famous person starts using the service, Sanford wrote. For instance, in Columbia, sign-ups soared 300 percent after politician Piedad Cordoba Ruiz began using Twitter, he said. Politicians and Bollywood stars in India led to increased sign-ups in that country too.

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/193866/twitter_says_growth_surging_internationally.html

How to Fix Your Family's PC Problems

When the phone rings in my house, there's a 50/50 chance it's a call for help--tech help. Maybe it's my sister trying to figure out why her wireless mouse no longer works. Maybe it's Dad wanting to know why virus warnings keep popping up on his desktop. (Uh, oh.) Or it could be Aunt Judy looking for the file attachment she knows she saved--but doesn't know where.

Sound familiar? The curse of being even a little tech-savvy is that you automatically get elected Tech Support for friends, family members, and maybe even your coworkers.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/193811/how_to_fix_your_familys_pc_problems.html

Microsoft Office 2010 Throws Down Google Gauntlet

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Next month, Microsoft Corp. will release Office 2010 into an IT world that Google Inc. has been reshaping as use of its Google Apps services has spread to organizations like the Los Angeles city government and Genentech Inc.

With its release of Office 2010 on May 12, Microsoft will complete an effort to move its extensive portfolio of applications to the cloud, offering its business and government customers a new way to deliver services to users.

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/193853/microsoft_office_2010_throws_down_google_gauntlet.html

New iPhone and iPad Software Will Have Folders

One of the seven major new features announced today for the upcoming version of the iPhone operating system was the ability to organize home screen icons into folders, something many iPhone users have ardently wished for in the past.

At a press conference to announce new features in iPhone OS 4.0 today, Apple CEO Steve Jobs talked about how many users were tired of flipping through page after page of icons on their home screen to find the app they wanted. Apple wanted to find a solution for that kind of icon clutter.

"Folders fit the bill," Jobs said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100409/sc_livescience/newiphoneandipadsoftwarewillhavefolders;_ylt=AqkY9XGJmniIVv.TlOQX5zwjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTNtbnBtZDhiBGFzc2V0A2xpdmVzY2llbmNlLzIwMTAwNDA5L25ld2lwaG9uZWFuZGlwYWRzb2Z0d2FyZXdpbGxoYXZlZm9sZGVycwRwb3MDMTEEc2VjA3luX2FydGljbGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNuZXdpcGhvbmVhbmQ-

IBM Executive Denies Open-source Sellout

IBM will not use its open-source patents in any potential legal actions it may bring against TurboHercules, an IBM company executive seemingly asserted on Wednesday.

"IBM stands by this 2005 Non-Assertion Pledge today as strongly as it did then. IBM will not sue for the infringement of any of those 500 patents by any Open Source Software," wrote Dan Frye, an IBM vice president of open systems development, in a letter sent to Linux Foundation executive director Jim Zemlin.

Frye was responding to a question from Zemlin concerning a heated discussion in the open-source community about IBM's potential use of open-source patents in an ongoing dispute the company is having with Paris software company TurboHercules.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20100408/tc_pcworld/ibmexecutivedeniesopensourcesellout;_ylt=AqlX1wFMGyIjdyyYTsD_4y0jtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTNkNDkyaG42BGFzc2V0A3Bjd29ybGQvMjAxMDA0MDgvaWJtZXhlY3V0aXZlZGVuaWVzb3BlbnNvdXJjZXNlbGxvdXQEcG9zAzkEc2VjA3luX2FydGljbGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNpYm1leGVjdXRpdmU-

Vietnam denies responsibility for hackings

HANOI, Vietnam – Vietnam has dismissed what it called "groundless" implications it used malicious computer programs to hack Web sites and spy on political opponents.

Google Inc. said in a post last week on its security blog that software known as "malware" was used to snoop on opponents of a controversial bauxite mine planned for Vietnam's Central Highlands. It said the cyberattacks had targeted "potentially tens of thousands of people." Google didn't say whom it suspects of the attack.

The perpetrators "may have political motivations and may have some allegiance to the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam," George Kurtz, chief technology officer of online security firm McAfee, wrote in a separate security blog.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100406/ap_on_hi_te/as_vietnam_google;_ylt=AiDaDpxmopOposKi0VkBva4jtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTJta3NybjM3BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDA2L2FzX3ZpZXRuYW1fZ29vZ2xlBHBvcwM3BHNlYwN5bl9hcnRpY2xlX3N1bW1hcnlfbGlzdARzbGsDdmlldG5hbWRlbmll

Sun's Solaris Now Getting Quarterly Security Patches

Oracle has moved Solaris onto its quarterly security patch schedule, meaning users of the Sun Microsystems operating system will now know months in advance when they will be getting security updates.

Oracle announced the news Thursday, saying it will include a number of Sun products in its next Critical Patch Update, which is due on Tuesday. The update will include 16 security fixes for Sun products, including Solaris, Sun Cluster, Sun Convergence and the Sun Ray server software.

Sun had previously released security patches on an ad hoc basis. Oracle, which bought Sun in January, is now putting Sun's products on a quarterly patch cycle to make the process more predictable. Many big software companies, including Cisco Systems, Microsoft and Adobe Systems, have adopted similar regular patch cycles.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20100409/tc_pcworld/sunssolarisnowgettingquarterlysecuritypatches;_ylt=Agw5mOGMwb2YMho0JKlvEuojtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTNudXM5c2M5BGFzc2V0A3Bjd29ybGQvMjAxMDA0MDkvc3Vuc3NvbGFyaXNub3dnZXR0aW5ncXVhcnRlcmx5c2VjdXJpdHlwYXRjaGVzBHBvcwM1BHNlYwN5bl9hcnRpY2xlX3N1bW1hcnlfbGlzdARzbGsDc3VuMzlzc29sYXJp

Batten Down the Hatches for Microsoft and Adobe Patches

Next Tuesday is both Microsoft's Patch Tuesday for April, and Adobe's quarterly patch release. Combined, there are a total of 27 vulnerabilities being patched in Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, and the Acrobat Reader application. It will be a busy day for IT administrators and information security professionals to analyze and prioritize the deluge of updates.

Microsoft issued for Internet Explorer on March 30.

Nevertheless, Patch Tuesday is coming. Amol Sarwate, manager of Qualys' Vulnerability Research Lab, e-mailed to provide some expert insight on what Microsoft has in store. "There are 11 security bulletins that affect a range of Windows operating system components as well as Microsoft Office and Microsoft Exchange. This is a fairly large update and will keep system administrators busy on Patch Tuesday."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20100409/tc_pcworld/battendownthehatchesformicrosoftandadobepatches;_ylt=Aic333JHur7W.6yFGMfr3g8jtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTNwOTlycnAzBGFzc2V0A3Bjd29ybGQvMjAxMDA0MDkvYmF0dGVuZG93bnRoZWhhdGNoZXNmb3JtaWNyb3NvZnRhbmRhZG9iZXBhdGNoZXMEcG9zAzMEc2VjA3luX2FydGljbGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNiYXR0ZW5kb3dudGg-

Apple Creates Social Gaming Network for iPhone

During the press conference covering new iPhone OS 4 features, Scott Forstall, senior vice president of iPhone Software at Apple, talked about the growing primacy of iPhone and iPod Touch games in the gaming industry.

Forestall pointed out that there were over 50,000 game and entertainment apps in the App Store, and other handheld consoles such as the Sony PSP and the Nintendo DS had less than 7,000 combined.

"We blow them [PSP and DS] out of the water," Forstall said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100409/sc_livescience/applecreatessocialgamingnetworkforiphone;_ylt=Am78ushxDC9HNmQ.LqXFPLUjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTNtNjYxbHIzBGFzc2V0A2xpdmVzY2llbmNlLzIwMTAwNDA5L2FwcGxlY3JlYXRlc3NvY2lhbGdhbWluZ25ldHdvcmtmb3JpcGhvbmUEcG9zAzEEc2VjA3luX2FydGljbGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNhcHBsZWNyZWF0ZXM-

Japan's video game visionary: the console is dying

TOKYO (Reuters) – Hideo Kojima, one of the world's most famous video game creators, sees a future for digital entertainment outside the box -- outside any box.

Kojima, whose "Metal Gear Solid" games have sold more than 27 million copies, says the future of video gaming is on networks that will free players from consoles supplied by the likes of his long-time partner Sony Corp.

"In the near future, we'll have games that don't depend on any platform," Kojima said at a news conference announcing the latest installment in a game saga that began in 1987.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100408/tc_nm/us_japan_kojima;_ylt=AgegNQnAErq4DeH9zZjyv3wjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTJsZzViZTdqBGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAwNDA4L3VzX2phcGFuX2tvamltYQRwb3MDMTYEc2VjA3luX2FydGljbGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNqYXBhbjM5c3ZpZGU-