Ricky Martin Ambassador For Hell?- Lil Wayne Guards Face Charges- Beyonce Leak- New Bruno Mars Video- Pirates of the Cannes- Hair Returns- more

(FMQB) With Wiz Khalifa's Rolling Papers tour coming this summer, the rapper has announced that he will be joined by Big Sean -- a Kanye West protege whose debut album, Finally Famous, is due on June 21 -- and Chevy Woods, a member of Khalifa's Taylor Gang crew. more

Marilyn Manson and Lindsay Lohan for Charles Manson Movie?

(TMZ) Who'da thunk -- Marilyn Manson wants a part in a movie that could soon be starring Lindsay Lohan ... TMZ has learned ... a biopic about infamous psychopath Charles Manson.

Sources connected with the movie tell us, Marilyn approached director Tyler Shields about playing Charles Manson's right-hand man Tex Watson ... who was convicted of several Manson murders, including the death of Sharon Tate.

As we first reported, producers are currently considering Lindsay for the role of Sharon ... but Lindsay hasn't officially signed on just yet. According to sources, producers "love the idea" of casting Marilyn as Tex ... and are seriously considering the proposition. more on this story

Simon Cowell Buzzes About US X Factor Which He Calls A Crazy Version of American Idol

(Buzznet) With X Factor making its way from the UK to the good ol' US of A this year, it looks like Simon Cowell is far from being done making stars. After all, this is the man who launched the careers of Leona Lewis, Susan Boyle, Il Divo – just to name a few. Buzznet had a little phone chat with Simon the other day, where we talked to the X Factor creator and judge about his new show.

BUZZNET: Simon, how will your new show X Factor be different from American Idol? SIMON COWELL: I think it's going to be more fun. There's going to be a lot more variety amongst the contestants because the age range varies so much on this, where you could be 12 years old or you could be 60 years old. And then we have vocal groups to enter this competition as well, which from experience makes a big difference to the show. Right at the top when you audition, the contestants audition in arenas in front of three or four thousand people so it's a very different feel to the audition experience. And at the end the judges get to mentor the contestants – we have three contestants each in the final. So we have more invested, I guess, in this show. But it's very [difficult to] put into words until you see it. It's just a much more crazy version of American Idol.

BN: What does the term "X factor" mean to you? SC: It was something we've always used for years in the music business, which is - it's very difficult to write down in words what makes somebody special. But when they walk in the room it could be presence, it could be their voice, it could be the effect they have on other people. I guess Justin Bieber's a good example of someone who has the 'X factor.' But you recognize it when you meet him or you see him perform, and like I said, he has that incredible effect on his fans – and that means he has it. And I've seen other people his age look almost identical to him who haven't got it. It comes from within I think. Read the rest of the interview here

American Idol Saved By Real Judge

(TMZ) "American Idol" finalist Jacob Lusk threw himself at the mercy of a court back in November -- begging a judge to end his probation from a 2009 arrest so he could compete on "A.I." ... TMZ has learned. It all started back in February 2009 -- when cops cited Jacob for riding on an L.A. metro train without buying a ticket. Jacob blew off his court hearing and an arrest warrant was issued.

Fast forward to Nov. 2010 -- a day after Jacob auditioned for "Idol" and got his golden ticket to Hollywood -- Lusk was pulled over for a traffic stop. The cop discovered the warrant and arrested him. Jacob went to jail and then to court the next day and pled no contest to the train-hopping charge. He was sentenced to 3 days in jail and 2 years probation.

Jacob served his time and then went back to court, telling the judge "Idol" wouldn't let him on the show if he was on probation. After his emotional plea, the merciful judge terminated his probation. Fun jailhouse story here

NOW That's What I Call Another Compilation

The latest edition of the Now series, NOW That's What I Call Music!, will be released on May 3 and will feature songs from Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias featuring Ludacris and DJ Frank E, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Ke$ha, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry featuring Kanye West, P!nk.

NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 38 features 16 current major chart hits, plus four up-and-coming "NOW What's Next" New Music Preview tracks. NOW That's What I Call The 80s Hits, a new companion title with 18 huge hits that defined a decade, will be released on the same date.

The NOW series is celebrating U.S. sales totaling more than 80 million CDs and album downloads since the series made its Stateside debut in 1998. In February, the series' most recent release, NOW 37, debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart. more on this story

The Real Thief? Necklace Allegedly Stolen By Lindsay Lohan Was Marked Up 300 Percent

(TMZ) Lindsay Lohan faces grand theft felony charges for a necklace that we found out was marked up 300%!!!

TMZ has learned the necklace designer sold Kamofie & Co. the piece for $850 -- that price tag does not qualify for felony grand theft, which requires a value of $950 or more. Kamofie was trying to sell the necklace to Lindsay for $2,500 bucks.

As we first reported, we're told Lindsay's lawyer, Shawn Holley, will argue the D.A. should only be allowed to charge her client with a misdemeanor because of the value of the necklace. But even if Holley loses that argument, Kamofie's owner -- who we're told will be testifying at Lindsay's preliminary hearing -- is going to have a PR problem for the mark-up and for selling the surveillance video and shopping a book deal. more on this story

Remix Paul Simon

(Concord) Indaba Music is offering the opportunity to remix a track from Paul Simon's just-released album So Beautiful or So What.

The individual vocal, background vocal, drum, percussion, guitar, and textural instrument tracks that Simon and producer Phil Ramone used for the final mix of "Love Is Eternal Sacred Light" are online here

Remixers should try to incorporate key elements of the track that capture the essence of Paul's music, while also adding their own unique and compelling twist. more on this story

Carrie Underwood Settles Down With Her Predator

The cover story from the new issue of Us Weekly features Carrie Underwood opening up about her newlywed bliss after finally moving in with her hockey-star husband, Mike Fisher, now that he has been traded to the Nashville Predators.

After nine months as long-distance newlyweds, Fisher, 30, an 11-year veteran of the Ottawa Senators, had been traded to Nashville in February, and Carrie has been giddy ever since. "It was like, he's coming to live with me! I can go to work, he can go to work, and we can both come home, and we'll be together," she gushed to Us recently. But rooming together in her gated Brentwood, Tennessee, development, though joyous, has had its challenges. "Just learning how to live together has been fun and frustrating and everything in between," she tells Us.

As for how they spend their time together, Carrie says, "To be honest, on our collective days off, we just hang out." They watch TV and read the Bible, says a source, who adds, "They're not into partying at all." And is parenthood in the couple's plans? "We haven't even been married a year. We have plenty of time!" Underwood told Us. usmagazine.com

David Nail Lets It Rain Online

David Nail has released the music video for "Let It Rain," the first single from his forthcoming sophomore album.

The video, co-directed by David Nail and Stephen Shepherd, captures the pain of a man who realizes that a passionate indiscretion has probably cost him his marriage.

"I had just seen the movie The Last Kiss, and it was a pretty powerful ending," said Nail of his inspiration in writing the song. "I just tried to paint the picture of what that guy seemed to be feeling, when he realized the significance of what he had just done!

"With the video, I tried to recreate the rawness and reality of that moment," he continued. "I wanted to grab people's attention immediately, and I feel like Stephen and I accomplished that. I can't wait for the fans to see it because I think they will see this video is different than the past ones I've done." Check it out at Vevo

The Blind Boys of Alabama Blitz Coming

(Webster) The Blind Boys of Alabama are slated to make a number of promotional appearances around the country to promote the May 3rd release of their new album, Take The High Road.

They'll travel from Nashville to New Orleans, then New York and Washington, DC in the first two weeks of May for back-to-back concerts as well as numerous television and NPR appearances.

Starting out in Nashville, where Take The High Road was recorded with co-producer Jamey Johnson at the helm, The Blind Boys will film a two-hour special for the TBN network, appear on the NPR program Live in Studio C and on GAC, and perform a concert at the storied Belcourt Theater. The very next day they head to New Orleans, performing at Tipitina's on May 5th and then will join Johnson onstage at his JazzFest concert on May 6th. After concerts in Fairfield, CT (May 7) and Hudson, NY (May 8), the band will arrive in New York on May 10th for a show at the City Winery and stops at Imus in the Morning, NPR's "Word of Mouth," multiple SiriusXM channels, and many more.The following week, The Blind Boys travel to Washington, DC to play an NPR Tiny Desk Concert and appear on Voice of America and the SiriusXM show The Loft. From there they'll perform in both Wilmington, DE (for the radio industry NON-COMMvention) and Alexandria, VA at The Birchmere on May 19th before heading back out on tour, finishing up at the Woodsongs national radio show in Lexington, KY. Fans can also catch the band in the new #1 film Hop, where they make a clever cameo. more on this story

Chico & Rita Coming Home in May

(Noble) Icon Home Entertainment has set a May 9th DVD and Blu-ray release of "Chico & Rita", the passionate and beautifully animated love story from Oscar-winning director Fernando Trueba (Belle Epoque), and Spain's most celebrated designer Javier Mariscal.

Set in Cuba, 1948, Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and romantic desire unites them, but their journey – in the tradition of the Latin ballad, the bolero - brings heartache and torment. From Havana to New York, Paris, Hollywood and Las Vegas, two passionate individuals battle impossible odds to unite in music and love…

With an original soundtrack by legendary Cuban pianist, bandleader and composer Bebo Valdés, on whom the character of Chico is loosely based, "Chico & Rita" captures a definitive moment in the evolution of jazz music. The film features music by jazz legends such as Thelonious Monk, Cole Porter, Dizzy Gillespie & Freddy Cole (brother of Nat King Cole).