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Ruben Studdard Aly & AJ Morris Day John Oates

'American Idol' winner Ruben Studdard weds in Ala. - BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Former "American Idol" Ruben Studdard has married Surata Zuri McCants at a church in a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama. But there was no singing during the 30-minute ceremony — just an exchange of vows, prayers and music provided by a string ensemble. A reporter from The Birmingham News attended the ceremony. The groom, nicknamed the "Velvet Teddy Bear" on "Idol" for his big frame and sonorous voice, wore a black tuxedo with white bow tie for Saturday's ceremony. His bride wore a white and ivory wedding gown. Alabama will be their home as the 29-year-old-singer gets set to release a new album later this year.

Steven Tyler tells AP: Rehab was for meds - NEW YORK (AP) — Steven Tyler sought the "safe environment" of rehab last month to recover from more than just surgery — the Aerosmith frontman now says was fighting a dependency on pain and sleep medication. "To have your feet done, to have your leg done, you have to be on narcotics," Tyler told The Associated Press on Friday. "You have to be on sleep aids at night. I don't know about Joe (Perry) but I was off and running and I didn't like the me that was me." Tyler released a statement in late May saying he checked into a rehab facility in search of a "safe environment" to recover from several foot surgeries and physical therapy. Tyler said the procedures were to correct longtime foot injuries resulting from his physical performances as the singer for the blues-rock band. "This was a month ago, so I just put the brakes on and checked into detox and just pulled the plug on all of it," he told the AP on Friday night at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, where he and bandmates were promoting "Guitar Hero 3: Aerosmith Edition." The 60-year-old was known for heavy drug and alcohol abuse in the 1970s and early 1980s, but completed rehabilitation in 1986, after which Aerosmith enjoyed a successful revival.

Award-winning pianist Leonard Pennario dies at 83 - LOS ANGELES (AP) - Leonard Pennario, a Grammy-winning pianist and best-selling classical recording artist, has died. He was 83. Pennario died Friday at his home in San Diego of complications from Parkinson's disease, said his biographer, Mary Kunz Goldman. Pennario won a Grammy in the 1960s for his work with violinist Jascha Heifetz and cellist Gregor Piatigorsky. He was a passionate performer who enjoyed playing in front of audiences, said Kunz Goldman. "'You have to play for the people; you have to play for an audience,'" she recalled Pennario saying. "'You can't just go into the studio and make records, you know?'" Born in Buffalo on July 9, 1924, Pennario was 10 when he and his family moved to Los Angeles. At age 12, he learned the Grieg Concerto in a week so he could perform it from memory with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Pennario never attended a music conservatory but at 19 made his debut at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic. He made more than 40 recordings for the Capitol record label between 1950 and 1960. He went on to make more than 20 more for other labels.

Slash and Sebastian Bach cook up top-secret project - Los Angeles (E! Online) - We can hear it now, the inevitable "Youth Gone Wild in the Paradise City" medley. Sebastian Bach has revealed that former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash has contacted him "out of the blue" about collaborating on a top-secret project. The erstwhile Skid Row frontman tells Billboard he was invited by Slash to team up on a musical odyssey, which Bach is predicting will be absolutely "mind-blowing." However, he couldn't say much more about it, claiming he's been sworn him to secrecy. The one thing Bach did say is that he won't be joining Slash's current outfit, Velvet Revolver, as a replacement for fired vocalist Scott Weiland, who has since reunited with his old mates in Stone Temple Pilots. Bach said joining Revolver would be "awkward" because he's pals with Slash's old partner Axl Rose. Skid Row opened for the Gunners in the early '90s, and Bach contributed vocals to the eternally delayed Chinese Democracy. According to Bach, he and Slash are expected to get together soon. As for Weiland, after getting tossed out of Revolver for "increasingly erratic onstage behavior and personal problems," he gave his blessing to the idea of Bach replacing him, saying he would be "fantastic."

Donda West surgeon arrested in California for DUI - VALLEJO, Calif. (AP) - The plastic surgeon who operated on Kanye West's mother before she died last fall has been arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. Police said Dr. Jan Adams was seen using an off-ramp to get on a freeway early Thursday in the Northern California town of Vallejo, and was driving on a suspended license from a previous DUI. The former host of TV's "Plastic Surgery: Before and After" had operated on 58-year-old Donda West the day before she died of likely heart disease coupled with surgery complications. The state was investigating whether Adams' medical license should be revoked or suspended because of two previous alcohol-related arrests. Adams was scheduled for arraignment in Solano County Superior Court on Monday.

Amy Winehouse sings, others gather at Mandela show - LONDON - Will Smith charmed the crowd, Amy Winehouse wowed them just by showing up — but Nelson Mandela proved to be the biggest star of all at a concert Friday in honor of the South African statesman's 90th birthday. Acts including Queen, Razorlight, Leona Lewis and a host of African stars joined more than 40,000 music fans for the outdoor show in London's Hyde Park, hosted by movie star Smith and held to mark Mandela's birthday on July 18. Josh Groban and the Soweto Gospel Choir also performed at the event, which comes 20 years after a 70th birthday concert for an absent Mandela at London's Wembley Stadium. Mandela, an anti-apartheid activist, had at that point been imprisoned in South Africa for 25 years. He told Friday's crowd that that concert made a big difference in his eventual release and the fight against the racist system, which was dismantled in the early 1990s. "Your voices carried across the water to inspire us in our prison cells far away," said Mandela, who received the biggest cheers of the night. "We are honored to be back in London for this wonderful celebration. "But even as we celebrate, let us remind ourselves that our work is far from complete." Mandela was released from prison in 1990 after spending 27 years behind bars. He was elected South Africa's first black president in 1994 and retired from politics in 1999. He has since campaigned to prevent the spread of AIDS. Proceeds from the show — for which there were 46,664 tickets — are going to 46664, the AIDS charity named for the number Mandela wore in prison. Mandela looked frail and leaned on a cane as he was helped onto the stage by his wife, Graca Machel. But his brief speech brought thunderous applause. "Where there is poverty and sickness including AIDS, where human beings are being oppressed, there is more work to be done," Mandela said. "Our work is for freedom for all. "We say tonight after nearly 90 years of life, it is time for new hands to lift the burdens. It is in your hands now." Also on the lineup were Annie Lennox, reggae singer Eddy Grant, girl group Sugababes and African artists including Emmanuel Jal, Johnny Clegg and Papa Wemba. One of the biggest stars was Winehouse, whose participation looked doubtful after she collapsed at home last week and was hospitalized. Winehouse spent several days in a London hospital undergoing tests. Her father said she had developed the lung disease emphysema from smoking cigarettes and crack cocaine, although her spokeswoman later said Winehouse only had pre-emphysema symptoms. Despite her troubles, Winehouse made it. Looking composed if slightly unsteady — and buoyed by the crowd and her excellent band — the beleaguered singer performed two of her best-known songs, "Rehab" and "Valerie." She returned at the end of the show to lead the artists in a rendition of The Specials' 1984 hit "Free Nelson Mandela." One of the past century's most admired political figures, Mandela attracted a sense of respect approaching reverence from concertgoers and performers alike. Leona Lewis dedicated her global chart-topper "Bleeding Love" to him, saying that when she was a child her aunt and grandmother told her stories "about this incredible, wonderful and great man, Nelson Mandela." "Happy birthday. Thank you so much for everything," she said. Many who turned out on a cool, blustery London evening said they had come to see the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Mandela rather than any particular act. "Ever since I was at university, 35 years ago and I learned about the injustices in South Africa I have wanted to meet Nelson Mandela," said London primary-school tutor Sheelagh Leith, 51. "I have always wanted to be in his presence." Singer Jim Kerr of Scottish band Simple Minds, which played the 1988 show and performed again Friday, said the mood was very different 20 years on. "I was angry the last time," Kerr said. "It was very much a protest concert. This is a joyful occasion." Mandela, a frequent visitor to London, has been in the city since Monday for a week of birthday events. At a star-studded dinner on Wednesday, he criticized Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, saying there had been a "tragic failure of leadership" in the southern African country. Zimbabwe's opposition pulled out of Friday's presidential election runoff, citing state-sponsored violence, leaving Mugabe the only candidate

Ohio man accused of stalking teen singers - LANCASTER, Ohio (AP) - A man accused of stalking and threatening the teen sister act known as Aly & AJ sent e-mail and handwritten notes to the singing duo, police said Friday. Rex Mettler, 42, of Lancaster, obtained contact information for the sisters and also made threats by phone, police detective Nick Snyder said. No further details were released. Mettler appeared in Fairfield County Municipal Court on Friday, a day after his arrest on a felony charge of menacing by stalking. Bond was set at $50,000, and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for July 3. The court did not have an attorney listed for Mettler, a clerk said. No plea was entered. Aly & AJ were scheduled to perform Friday night in Cincinnati, 110 miles southwest of Lancaster. Snyder said he could not comment on whether any of the alleged threats involved the Ohio show. The Cincinnati concert would go on as planned, said Rosemarie Moehring, spokeswoman for National City Pavilion at Riverbend. The charge against Mettler stems from incidents that began Dec. 15, Snyder said. "Rex displayed a pattern of activity over that time that reflected multiple attempts, if not numerous attempts, at stalking these females," he said. The investigation began in southern California, where the entertainers live. Lancaster police were contacted by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which provided assistance that led to the arrest, Snyder said. Aly & AJ are Alyson Michalka, 19, and her sister, Amanda, 17, who toured earlier this year with fellow Disney Channel star Miley Cyrus of "Hannah Montana." The Michalkas had a top 20 album in 2007 and top 20 single with "Potential Breakup Song" and are now touring on their own. A Disney Channel spokeswoman did not return messages seeking comment.

Reunion time for Morris Day and the fellas - LOS ANGELES (AP) - Inside a red brick Hollywood rehearsal studio, The Time keep on ticking. The seven-man funk band from Minneapolis has reunited once again, 18 years after their last studio album, and sound crisp as can be as they jam through "Cool" from their 1981 debut album. "I'm so cool! Ain't nobody bad like me!" Morris Day calls out. "What time is it?" Band members have made room in their schedules this summer for a series of concerts at the Flamingo hotel-casino in Las Vegas, starting Tuesday and running through Aug. 2. They'll perform hits like "Jungle Love," "The Stick" and "The Bird," and hope to rejoin after the shows to record a new studio album. Gathered on chairs and a peeling studio couch to talk with The Associated Press, the fellas are dressed in dapper suits and share an easy cameraderie. Guitarist and songwriter Jesse Johnson comes off as the most thoughtful, with Day interjecting one-liners that crack up the group. "We haven't had the opportunity that we're having right now to do it together," Johnson said. "Because of everybody's schedules, everybody's different locations ... we want to make the best of this. Because we don't know when and if we'll get the chance to do this again." Day tees off. "Let's just say that the stars are in alignment," he said, gesturing to his bandmates. "You see the stars lined up? In a line!" Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who left The Time to become superstar R&B producers in the '80s and early '90s, lend a focus and seriousness to the conversation. They take care of business. It was Lewis who pushed for a surprise get-together at the last Grammy Awards, where the band dusted off old dance moves surprisingly well. Keyboardist Jimmy Jam is now chairman of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which runs the Grammys. That leaves him with precious little time for practicing. "I'm a little rusty. But we going to knock the rust off," Jimmy Jam said. "Because you know, sitting in a recording studio is simple. Playing with these guys, I've got to bring my game up. ... I had it easy for 18 years." Prince, who brought the group together, recently turned 50, and time is catching up too with The Time. Day, who still tours, is 51 now. "I don't dance quite as hard, but a little smoother, a little sexier. It's efficient," Day said. "What do they call it, green something? You know, I'm trying to work environmentally." Jimmy Jam chimes in: "Trying to conserve. Conservation! Yes." A new album — the band's fifth — is in the works. It'd be the first since 1990's "Pandemonium."

Master Japanese drummer Oguchi dies - TOKYO (AP) — Master Japanese drummer Daihachi Oguchi, who led the spread of the art of "taiko" drumming to the U.S. and throughout Japan, has died after being hit by a car, an official at his ensemble said. He was 84. Oguchi was crossing the street when he was struck by the car Thursday. He was rushed to the hospital but died of excessive bleeding early Friday, said Yuken Yagasaki of Osuwa Daiko, the group in Nagano prefecture (state) in northern Japan that Oguchi had led. Oguchi helped found top U.S. taiko groups, including San Francisco Taiko Dojo, which has performed in Hollywood movies and on international tours since its founding 40 years ago. A former jazz musician, Oguchi was one of the first to elevate the traditional folk sounds of taiko to modern music played in concert halls, not just festivals and shrines. He led and starred in the performance of drumming and dance at the closing ceremony of the 1998 Nagano Olympics. "Your heart is a taiko. All people listen to a taiko rhythm dontsuku-dontsuku in their mother's womb," Oguchi told The Associated Press at that time. "It's instinct to be drawn to taiko drumming." Charming, fiery and vivacious, Oguchi had been scheduled to perform with Kodo, a well known taiko group, later this year, although he was in failing health in recent years. Along with Kabuki theater and "ukiyoe" woodblock prints, taiko is one of Japan's most popular — and respected — art forms in the West. Part dance and part athletics, modern taiko can be dazzlingly visual and acrobatically physical. Taiko, especially the big ones that tower over the drummers, make dramatic booming sounds. A taiko drum is made from a single hollowed out tree trunk with cowhide strapped tightly across it. "In taiko, man becomes the sound. In taiko, you can hear the sound through your skin," is the way Oguchi described it in the AP interview. Thanks partly to Oguchi and his followers' efforts, hundreds of taiko groups, both professional and amateur, have sprung up not only throughout Japan but also in the U.S., Brazil, Europe and other nations. Oguchi also was one of the first composers of modern taiko, writing catchy tunes based on historical themes, such as samurai storming on horses, and helping make taiko a household word in Japan.

Jam band Phish stokes reunion speculation - NEW YORK (Billboard) - In the wake of increasing chatter about a Phish reunion in the coming months, keyboardist Page McConnell has confirmed that the group's members plan to meet later this year to discuss their options. The jam-band quartet broke up in 2004, increasingly exhausted by years of touring. McConnell said in a statement that "the prospect of Phish reuniting is something I consider very seriously, and I think about it a lot." He said he has enjoyed the four-year break, and is now closer with his three former bandmates "than I've ever been in our 20-year relationship." "Recently the conversations have turned toward the possibility of spending some time together," McConnell said, adding, "later this year we hope to spend some time together and take a look at what possible futures we might enjoy. In fact, the only real decision that has been made is that when we do get together, it will only be the four of us, hopefully with no distractions. I am really looking forward to that." McConnell, guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon and drummer Jon Fishman were on hand in New York last month to accept a lifetime achievement honor at the Jammy Awards, but did not perform live or address the possibility of a reunion. Speculation has lately centered on Phish making a new studio album with producer Steve Lillywhite, who declined comment to Billboard when asked about the possibility last week. Others see a reunion tour as a foregone conclusion, noting the massive dollars that would be in play and a rabid fan base practically willing Phish back to life.

Bad Karma? Boy George Banned in the USA - Los Angeles (E! Online) - Call it tit for tat: Fresh off of the U.K.'s denial of entry to Martha Stewart, the U.S. has banned Boy George from its shores. Somehow, it doesn't quite feel like a fair trade. The "Karma Chameleon" purveyor has been refused a visa for the U.S. leg of his summer tour, which was to include a special performance for his former colleagues at New York's Department of Sanitation, over complications arising from the singer's criminal past and pending his London trial this November. If they really wanted to hurt him, it's a job well done. George's rep said the singer was "devastated" he would not be able to play in the States for what would have been the first time in a decade, but that his legal team is working hard to get clearance for the '80s icon to convince officials for a do-over decision. "George is astounded at the decision and is having lawyers here in the States look at it in the hope that someone will change their mind," the singer's management said in a statement. "George has not been convicted of anything in London and there is a presumption in the Western World of innocence until proven guilty." The singer, whose full name is George O'Dowd, pleaded not guilty in February to falsely imprisoning a male escort, who claims the star chained him to a wall in the singer's London apartment. He was released on bail pending this fall's trial. "He is clearly not considered any form of risk," his management said. "George really would love to come to America and repay his American fans' loyalty, and that is why we are asking the U.S. authorities to reconsider their decision."

Poison's Thorny Suit - Los Angeles (E! Online) - Look what the cat dragged into court. Poison has filed a lawsuit against Capitol Records, accusing the label of cheating the glam-metal band out of royalties dating back to the mid-'80s. Filed yesterday in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of Sweet Cyanide Music—the company representing members Bret Michaels, Rikki Rockett, Bobby Dall and C.C. Deville—the suit alleges that Capitol willfully shortchanged the quartet by "incorrectly calculating certain producer royalties" owed to them. (View the complaint.) The band also claims the music giant "failed to account and pay royalties" for various releases over the years, resulting in a breach of contract. That includes underpaying for a 2005 greatest-hits collection that included the new track "We're an American Band," written specifically for that album.The "Nothin' But a Good Time" rockers are demanding a full and independent audit of Capitol's books and are seeking "unspecified and incidental damages." "Poison is trying to amicably resolve this with Capitol," band attorney Mark Passin tells E! News. "The only reason they filed the lawsuit at this time was to prevent the statute of limitations from continuing to run. "We really are trying to work this out with Capitol." Reps for Capitol were unavailable for comment.

Musician Oates shape-shifting as cartoon alter-ego - NEW YORK (Billboard) - John Oates wants people to know that he is nothing like what he was when he had a mustache. The musician, half of veteran "rock and soul" duo Hall & Oates, is firm about the distinction, because if things go as planned, his mustachioed image could appear on TV in cartoon form kicking ass, rocking out and wearing tight pink pants. Independent publisher Primary Wave Music Publishing, which owns a majority stake in most of the biggest hits in the Hall & Oates catalog, is shopping a cartoon titled "J-Stache" that further illustrates the dichotomy. The show would portray Oates as a modern-day family man who finds himself enticed back to the rock-star life by his mustache, which is voiced by comedian Dave Attell. The project hasn't yet found a broadcast partner, but it's a good example of the sometimes surprising ways that music rights holders seek to monetize their content. "In a cartoon setting, the mustache has its own personality," Oates says from Aspen, Colorado, where he's finishing his latest solo album. "Just as I'm represented as the John Oates of today, the mustache is the John Oates of yesterday. The focus of the music will be on the back catalog, but it's an open-ended situation. There's even talk of the mustache trying to bring new bands into the picture." The aim is to complete the pilot, which Primary Wave estimates will be between six and 10 minutes long, in the next two months. It will portray Oates opening a new wing of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that focuses on mustachioed musicians. Suddenly, a dying David Crosby appears, and with his last breath warns Oates of a mysterious secret group of mustache wearers bent on killing other mustache wearers. As actor Tom Selleck attempts to escape from the latest murder scene, Oates summons his own mustache with a fist pump that simultaneously changes his clothes from conservative attire to tight pink pants and white boots. The idea for a TV show came to Primary Wave senior creative director Evan Duby while watching a Hall & Oates show in late 2007. "I said to myself that this guy could be a pop icon on a completely different level. I wanted to be part of bringing John Oates to a younger generation." Hall & Oates have appeared only twice on the Billboard Hot 100 since 1991. But the duo has enjoyed a newfound cachet of hipness in recent years thanks in part to satirical online video series "Yacht Rock," which affectionately lampooned soft rock stars from the late '70s and early '80s. The goal is to find not only a broadcast partner for the show, but also marketing alliances with consumer product brands, such as an energy drink, electric shaver or men's deodorant. As one network executive who has seen the two-minute trailer says, "These guys are approaching the publishing business from a new angle. They're taking rich copyrights and doing something innovative with them."