NEW YORK - "You get the best of both worlds," Miley Cyrus sings in the theme song of her hugely popular Disney Channel show, "Hannah Montana." It's a reference to her character's secret double life as both a rock star AND a normal schoolgirl.Offscreen, though, this 15-year-old phenom is starting to learn how hard it really is to have the best of both worlds: as a G-rated Disney superstar AND a real-life, growing teenager with an eye on a long career.Cyrus, whose fresh, easy charm and down-home southern appeal have catapulted her to an astonishing level of celebrity, especially in the past year, found herself having to apologize Sunday for some entirely un-Miley photos in Vanity Fair magazine.At a moment when she otherwise would have been relishing an amazing week — a deal for her memoirs (reportedly seven figures), the cover of People magazine and a feature in Vanity Fair — she issued a statement saying how embarassed she was. This came almost certainly at the behest of worried executives at The Walt Disney Co., for whom she will reap a reported $1 billion this year.For the record, only Cyrus' back and shoulders are bare in the most controversial shot by Annie Leibovitz, the renowned celebrity photographer. Many an Oscar-night gown would show as much skin. Cyrus herself told the magazine in an accompanying article that she found the photo, in which she gathers a sheet around her, "really artsy. It wasn't in a skanky way. And you can't say no to Annie."But Cyrus IS 15, with a fan base that begins in preschool. And it's what the photo suggests rather than shows — the idea that she might be nude, perhaps even in bed — that bothered some parents who poured their feelings onto blogs over the weekend. She wan't nude during the shoot, nor in bed, but she does have a subtle come-hither expression.Leibovitz said Monday that she and Cyrus had discussed the photos beforehand, and Vanity Fair said "Miley's parents and/or minders were on the set all day ... everyone thought i...

BLANTYRE (Reuters) - Madonna has asked a Malawian court to delay a hearing to finalize her adoption of a boy from the southern African nation, a lawyer close to the case said.The singer's law firm in Malawi filed an application requesting the High Court in Lilongwe to hear her adoption of David Banda on May 15 instead of April 22, as originally scheduled, the lawyer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.Madonna's need to travel to the United States for business reasons was cited as the reason for the delay, the lawyer said.Court officials refused to confirm the application."Adoption is a confidential matter and we separate adoption files from the regular case files," Thomson Ligowe, assistant registrar in the High Court, told Reuters.Malawi's government recommended earlier this month that the court approve the adoption of Banda.The pop diva met the boy in an orphanage in 2006 and began adoption proceedings soon after. He has been living with Madonna and her film director husband Guy Ritchie in London since shortly after the adoption process began.The adoption has been controversial, with critics accusing the government of skirting laws that ban non-residents from adopting children in Malawi, one of the countries in Africa hardest hit by AIDS.The epidemic has left an estimated one million orphans in the country.Source: Reuters

LOS ANGELES - A temporary restraining order against Britney Spears' friend Sam Lutfi was extended Wednesday after an attorney told a judge all parties had agreed on the matter.Lutfi was not at the hearing, during which an attorney for Spears' father gave Superior Court Judge Aviva K. Bobb a document with Lutfi's signature.Attorney Vivian Thoreen said James Spears, Lutfi and Andrew Wallet, an attorney who is co-conservator of Britney Spears' estate, agreed to continue the hearing on the restraining order to July 31.The restraining order was requested by Britney Spears' mother, Lynne, when the singer was hospitalized on a psychiatric hold. The order, which was to expire Wednesday, directs Lutfi to stay at least 250 yards away from the pop star and her homes.Earlier, Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz transferred the matter to Bobb's court because Lutfi objected to having a commissioner hear it instead of a judge. Bobb is the supervisory judge for probate matters. Goetz will continue to handle the conservatorship of Britney Spears and her estate.In a statement, Lutfi spokesman Michael Sands said: "Sam and the family are communicating and cooperating trying to do what's best for Britney."Source: AP

LONDON (AFP) - US pop queen Madonna, Canadian crooner Celine Dion and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall are all descended from the same French carpenter, according to a records archive launched Wednesday.Canadian records spanning more than 300 years from 1621 were published on the family and social history website ancestry.co.uk and revealed the unlikely link between the three women.Camilla -- the second wife of Prince Charles, Britain's heir to the throne -- Madonna and Dion are all descended from French carpenter Zacharie Cloutier, according to the website."The fact that Camilla and Madonna are related, however distantly, highlights the truly unpredictable and entertaining nature of family history research," said ancestry.co.uk spokesman Simon Harper.The ancestors of some of Canada's most famous Quebecois, including former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, are included in the archive.Source: AFP

NEW YORK - Alicia Keys says she's not a conspiracy theorist. In a statement issued Tuesday, Keys said she was clarifying "comments that were made during my recent Blender magazine interview since they have been misrepresented."According to an interview in the magazine's May issue, the 27-year-old singer says: "`Gangsta rap' was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other. `Gangsta rap' didn't exist." She also is quoted as saying that she wears a gold AK-47 pendant around her neck "to symbolize strength, power and killing 'em dead.""We stand by our story," Blender spokeswoman Kate Cafaro told The Associated Press on Tuesday."My comments about `gangsta rap' were in no way trying to suggest that the government is responsible for creating this genre of rap music," Keys said in a statement issued by J Records. "The point that I was trying to make was that the term was oversloganized by some of the media causing reactions that were not always positive. Many of the `gangsta rap' lyrics articulate the problems of the artists' experiences and I think all of us, including our leaders, could be doing more to address these problems including drugs, gang violence, crime, and other related social issues."As for the AK-47 remark, Keys said Tuesday that AK-47 is a nickname given to her by friends "as an acronym for Alicia Keys and a metaphor for wowing people with my music and performances, `killing 'em dead' on stage. The reference was in no way meant to have a literal, political or negative connotation."When AP attempted to reach Keys last week about the Blender interview, her publicist, Theola Borden, said the singer was on vacation and unavailable for comment.The multiplatinum star behind the hits "Fallin'" and "No One" most recently had success with her latest CD, "As I Am," which has sold 3.4 million copies, according to Nielsen Soundscan.Source: AP

The 26-year-old pop singer, whose career has been buried under an avalanche of personal and health problems, rear-ended a car in stop-and-go traffic after she failed to stop her Mercedes in time, said CHP Officer Patrick Kimball.The rear-ended car, driven by a man identified as "J. Flint," in turn pushed forward into another car, the CHP collision report said. The driver of the third car observed no damage, and drove off, the CHP incident report said.Web site TMZ said on Sunday that CHP officers on the scene performed a sobriety test on Spears, which she passed.Spears is invariably trailed by a large posse of paparazzi while running her daily chores. Photographers were instantly on the scene.Source: Reuters

BLANTYRE (AFP) - Tough conditions should be attached to pop star Madonna's adoption of a Malawi boy, a human rights group said Friday, warning unscrupulous traffickers may use the case to justify illegal adoption.Maxwell Matewere, a spokesman for the Human Rights Consultative Committee, which attempted to legally challenge the controversial adoption, said a Malawi court should attach "tough guidelines" if it grants Madonna permanent custody.Matewere warned Madonna's controversial adoption of toddler David Banda could allow others to take advantage of Malawi's lack of inter-country adoption laws."Others might apply to adopt and use the Madonna case to justify adoption and yet they could be illegal adoptions for trafficking, organs and sexual exploitation," he warned.The high court is expected to set a date next week to rule on whether Madonna can officially adopt David, who has been living in London with the star and her filmmaker husband Guy Ritchie under an interim custody order.The granting of the temporary order ignited a storm of protest from the local rights group and heated debate about adoption laws in the poor southern African nation.The Malawi government is widely expected to back permanent adoption of David by Madonna and her filmmaker husband Guy Ritchie.It was not clear whether Madonna would appear in court, which her lawyer has said she is not compelled to do when the ruling is made.Malawi, where the number of orphans has peaked to one million as a result of AIDS, is reforming its laws to allow easier adoptions by foreigners.David was brought to an orphanage in Mchinji, 110 kilometres (70 miles) from Lilongwe, by his father Yohane Banda after his mother died shortly after birth.His father, who ekes out a living as a peasant farmer, said he let his son be adopted by Madonna to escape grinding poverty rampant in the southern African nation.Source: AFP

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Singer-songwriter Jewel will be a judge on the upcoming season of the "Nashville Star."She'll join John Rich of Big & Rich as a judge/mentor on the country music reality series, which premieres June 9.Last year, Jewel hosted the national talent search, which seeks to find the next country music star. This year's series is hosted by Billy Ray Cyrus."As a young artist, I really benefited from having great mentors like Bob Dylan and Merle Haggard. They took me under their wings and encouraged me to stand up for things that, as an artist, are important," she said. "They constantly reminded me that an artist's only concern is being great, not being famous. If you are truly great, success should follow."The 33-year-old singer, whose full name is Jewel Kilcher, says she's honored to continue that tradition with "Nashville Star," which switches to NBC this year after five seasons on cable's USA Network.The series has launched the careers of Miranda Lambert, Buddy Jewel and Chris Young.A three-time Grammy nominee, Jewel has a string of pop and rock hits including "You Were Meant for Me," "Foolish Games," "Hands," "Stand" and "Intuition."Her most recent project is a country album, "Perfectly Clear," that was produced by Rich and is set for a June 3 release. The first single, "Stronger Woman," is No. 14 on the Billboard country chart.Source: AP

BAY CITY, Mich. - A city that more than two decades ago declined to honor Madonna with a key to the city wants the singer to give it a second chance.Mayor Charles M. Brunner has written a letter inviting Madonna, who grew up in Bay City and the Detroit suburb of Rochester Hills, to accept a key to the city, The Bay City Times reported."We have always been proud of your accomplishments but recently your induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame reminded us that we need to honor you with the highest honor that Bay City can offer," the letter says.The Associated Press sent an e-mail Saturday seeking comment from a publicist for the 49-year-old singer.Madonna was considered for the honor in 1985, but some thought she was too risque, the newspaper said. It also said the city in the late 1980s refused to accept a sculpture of Madonna from an Italian artist, citing a belief that her popularity would fade in time.Now, Guy Greve, president of the Bay Arts Council, wants to commission an artist to sculpt a statue of Madonna."The local arts council would like to pay homage for her artistic contributions," he said. "I could see a sculpture of her in Bay City. One of Madonna's famous poses could be made into a sculpture."City Commissioner Christopher J. Shannon, who fronts a local rock band, is planning a Madonna tribute album. He hopes to recruit local musicians to cover hits such as "Like a Virgin" and "Express Yourself."Madonna's new album, "Hard Candy," will be released April 29.Source: AP

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Rumors of a marriage between hip-hop mogul Jay-Z and singer-actress Beyonce drew swarms of media to the street outside his penthouse on Friday, even as speculation swirled about the possibility of a hoax.Throngs of photographers, TV crews and onlookers crowded around the garage entrance to the apartment building in Manhattan's Tribeca district where the wedding ceremony was thought to be taking place.A parade of sport utility vehicles with tinted windows was seen coming and going from the garage late in the afternoon, one of them carrying two people dressed in chef's uniforms carrying large, square, white boxes on their laps.And men dressed in tuxedos were spotted on the roof of the building, where a white tent was erected.As night fell on the scene, word spread through the crowd that several celebrity guests had been spotted arriving by car, including Beyonce's former Destiny's Child cohort Kelly Rowland and actress Gwyneth Paltrow.People magazine touched off the celebrity wedding watch this week when it reported the couple, who have been dating for several years, had taken out a wedding license in Scarsdale Village, New York, that is valid for 60 days.Gossip blogger Perez Hilton fanned the flames when he reported the wedding would take place on Friday, then followed up by posting the address of Jay-Z's apartment house as the location for the nuptials.Representatives for the pair have declined to comment on the reports, and the Internet buzzed with skepticism.A HOAX?One celebrity Web site, TMZ.com, questioned whether the apparent wedding preparations might be for another couple in the building. Another site, eVIPlist.com, suggested the whole frenzy was part of a hoax perpetrated by actor and TV prankster Ashton Kutcher.The camera crews at the scene were undeterred, however."I can't believe all the paparazzi. It's really exciting," said Sydnee White, 17, one several fans mingling with members of the media hoping to catch a glimpse of the star...