American classical pianist

Van Cliburn, the internationally celebrated pianist whose triumph at a 1958 Moscow competition helped thaw the Cold War and launched a spectacular career that made him the rare classical musician to enjoy rock-star status, died Wednesday after a fight with bone cancer. He was 78.

Cliburn died at his home in Fort Worth surrounded by loved ones, said his publicist and longtime friend Mary Lou Falcone.

The Grammy winner had made his last public appearance in September at the 50th anniversary of the prestigious piano competition in Fort Worth named in his honor. To a roaring standing ovation, he saluted many past contestants, the orchestra and the city, saying: "Never forget: I love you all from the bottom of my heart, forever."

Michael Jackson Is death

He said the case was unique and it should proceed intact with claims that AEG is liable for Murray's actions. "This has never happened before, or at least no one's been caught," Boyle said.

Putnam argued that by the time it was negotiating Murray's contract to treat Jackson while performing a series of London concerts, the doctor had already been treating the singer for some time, had relocated from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and had ordered large amounts of propofol to help Jackson sleep.

"Sadly, it appears that Michael Jackson's death would have occurred anyway," Putnam said after the hearing.

Katherine Jackson sued in September 2010 and a trial has been scheduled for early April.

MC Hammer Arrested in Northern California

According to the Dublin Police, Hammer was in a vehicle with expired registration, and he was not the registered owner. "After asking Hammer who the registered owner was he became very argumentative and refused to answer the officer's questions," police spokesman Herb Walters told CNN.

Hammer was arrested on suspicion of resisting an officer and obstructing an officer in the performance of his duties; he was booked and released on bail from Santa Rita Jail, with a court date set for next month.

Hammer concluded his tweeted account of the incident by describing it as a "teachable moment" and an "eye opener." "I will now answer his question," he wrote. "contrary to his personal beliefs, all people of color are not on parole or probation fat boy."

Soft Machine co-founder Kevin Ayers dies in France

Kevin Ayers, an influential singer-songwriter who co-founded the band Soft Machine, has died in France, his record label said Thursday. He was 68.

Ayers was an important figure in the British psychedelic movement spearheaded by the Beatles in the late 1960s. He did not achieve sustained commercial success, but his work is treasured by musicians and many fans.

Jack McLean, assistant to the managing director of Lo-Max Records in London, said Thursday that Ayers' body had been discovered in his bed at his home in the medieval village Montolieu in the south of France.

"We believe he died Feb. 18 of natural causes and was found two days later," McLean said. "He hadn't been ill, but he lived a rock 'n' roll lifestyle and everything that comes with that."

Ayers, who was raised partly in Malaysia, moved to Canterbury on his return to England and formed Soft Machine in 1966 with drummer and singer Robert Wyatt. They took the name from a novel by beat generation author William Burroughs.

Those unfamiliar with Howard

Howard, a hitherto largely-unheralded singer-songwriter who has nonetheless gone platinum in the UK with his Every Kingdom debut album, picked up British Breakthrough Act and British Male Solo Artist, looking every bit as bemused as the TV audience at home may have been.

"That's bizarre, isn't it?" he said, as he picked up the second trophy. "To win two of these things is amazing."

Those unfamiliar with Howard had the chance to discover his music later in the show when he performed an acoustic version of his song "Only Love." For that, show host, actor and TV personality James Corden got to introduce him as "a two-time BRIT Award winner…"

On a slick, well-organized night a long way away from the BRITs' one-time riotous reputation, most of the winners were as grown-up and well-behaved as their music, meaning it was often left to the live performances to inject some edge and spectacle into proceedings.

The country singer with the tumultuous personal life

The criticism of Dr. Drew Pinsky spread on the Internet almost as quickly as news of Mindy McCready's death.

The country singer with the tumultuous personal life became the fifth cast member of his "Celebrity Rehab" series to die since appearing on the show and the third from Season 3. The previous deaths stirred up rumors of a curse and a debate about the show's helpfulness, and McCready's apparent suicide upped the pitch of the reaction.

While many noted that Drew took on hard cases, others rendered stark judgment. Singer Richard Marx on Twitter compared Pinsky to Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the so-called suicide doctor: "Same results."

Marx backed off later Monday, saying the crack went too far. But he restated his thoughts in a way that summed up much of the reaction in the first 24 hours since the 37-year-old McCready's death Sunday afternoon in Heber Springs, Ark.

The crowd mid-song during a string of hit

Her return to the world stage was temporarily derailed when she admitted that she sang with a pre-recorded track of the national anthem at Obama's inauguration, but on Sunday there was no questioning her vocal skills and her live performance.

She called out to the crowd mid-song during a string of hits in her 12-minute set and reunited on stage with former Destiny's Child band members, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, for their hits "Bootylicious" and "Independent Woman".

"Beyonce creates these moments, these unforgettable cultural snapshots ... This is going to be a musical snapshot to remind everyone why she's here, and it's all about that voice," Tamar Anitai, MTV Buzzworthy's editor, told Reuters.

Reviews of her performance were largely positive, with hashtags :#SuperBeyonce" and "#BeyonceBowl" becoming top trending topics on Twitter.

Sales figures for the full week

The numbers mostly reflect a single night of sales increases from the prior week, predominantly digital downloads, immediately following the Grammy Awards show in Los Angeles on February 10.

Sales figures for the full week will be released as usual by Nielsen SoundScan on Wednesday and will include both digital and physical album sales.

Grammy winners were not the only ones to benefit from the annual music industry showcase.

Veteran rockers The Band saw its greatest hits package climb 203 percent after a multi-artist tribute at the show to late drummer Levon Helm.

Sales of "Take Five," the distinctive 1959 tune by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck who died in December, shot up 248 percent after a tribute by fellow jazz musicians Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Kenny Garrett, according to Nielsen.

Nigel Godrich Book Shows in New York

Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich are borrowing a line from Beck and setting out for a trio of shows equipped only with two turntables and a microphone. Yorke announced on Twitter that the duo have booked three shows in London, Berlin and New York. They'll hit London on February 22nd, Berlin on March 8th and New York on March 14th, with special guests and venues to come.

The Radiohead frontman and Godrich, Radiohead's longtime producer, are also set to release their debut album with Atoms for Peace, Amok, on February 26th. Yorke and Godrich also recently composed a soundtrack to Rag and Bone's Fall 2013 menswear show, and Godrich kept busy last year with his experimental project Ultraista, which released a self-titled album in October.

America the Beautiful

Before the game, Alicia Keys performed a lounge-y, piano-tinged version of the national anthem that her publicist assured was live. The Grammy-winning singer played the piano as she sang "The Star Spangled Banner" in a long red dress with her eyes shut.

She followed Jennifer Hudson, who performed "America the Beautiful" with the 26-member Sandy Hook Elementary School chorus, a performance that had some players on the sideline on the verge of tears.

The students wore green ribbons on their shirts in honor of the 20 first-graders and six adults who were killed in a Dec. 14 shooting rampage at the school in Newton, Conn.

The students began the song softly before Hudson, whose mother, brother and 7-year-old nephew were shot to death five years ago, jumped in with her gospel-flavored vocals. She stood still in black and white as the students moved to the left and right, singing background.

When melody blooms

About 10 years ago, rock musician Su Yang was inspired by a CD of blues to begin making his own music. One of his first works, however, was an adaptation of hua'er, a kind of traditional folk song from Northwest China.

"If Western musicians can turn blues to pop and rock, we can use hua'er to create contemporary Chinese music," says Su, who is from Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia Hui autonomous region. "Hua'er is a very unique and down-to-earth kind of song that has its distinct melodic patterns, structures and rhetoric systems."

In his second album, released in 2010, Su covered a traditional hua'er titled The Night Journey (Xia Ye Chuan), which tells a man's secret rendezvous with his lover.

The song begins with depictions of the scenery from the mountain to the plain, which was later disclosed to be underlining the difficulty of the meeting.

Hua'er, which literally means flower, is said to have got its name from the image of a flower symbolizing one's beloved woman.

For local people, hua'er is an important vehicle for expressing personal feelings and a popular rural entertainment.