Report: Madonna moving to NYC

With her father battling cancer in Michigan, Madonna is reportedly set to return to the US and move from London to New York City to be closer to him. According to a report in The Sun, Madge will leave the UK, where she settled in 2000 after marrying film director Guy Ritchie, for a luxurious home in Manhattan. Madonna has already been to the US twice this year to visit her father, Tony Ciccone, who has been receiving treatment for colon cancer in Leelanau County Hospital, Michigan.

"Madonna's dad is going through the mill, and she wants to be there for him and to help his spirits by letting him see more of his grandchildren," the paper quoted a source as saying. "Guy is working more and more in LA on his new TV show, a film project, and a documentary. The move will be a big upheaval, but Madonna needs to be near her dad and the support network of her closest friends."

Kid Rock won't face assault charges

Kid Rock will not face assault charges stemming from an odd incident in which he apparently met some fans at a local bar near Detroit, invited them over to his house to hear his new music, and then kicked them out. The rocker was accused by one of the fans, a 28-year-old woman, of shoving her headfirst into a snow bank as he escorted her out of his house. The woman filed a police complaint claiming she was roughed up by Rock, but prosecutors said there was not enough evidence to charge the 36-year-old singer-rapper with any crime.

"The reports are fraught with differing eyewitness accounts, and without substantiating injuries, there exists insufficient evidence to support a charge," Oakland County Prosecutor David Gorcyca said in a statement.

A lawyer for Rock--real name Bob Ritchie--said he planned to sue the woman for filing a false police report. "These allegations were taken very seriously by Kid Rock, and he's not going to walk away," said lawyer Michael Novak. "It's just a complete, unfounded lie."

The woman told police she and her friend met Rock at a bar in Clarkston, Michigan, on March 8. The woman claimed Ritchie became belligerent and shoved her as she tried to leave. Meanwhile, Rock told police the woman had put her drink on an expensive mixer in his home studio and then began criticizing his music. When he told her to leave and walked her outside, he said she threatened to sue him.

Jury selection begins in Spector trial

Opening arguments won't likely begin for more than a month, but jury selection in the murder trial of legendary music producer Phil Spector kicked off today, marking what is expected to be an illuminating spectacle. Spector stands accused of shooting Lana Clarkson, an actress best known as the star of the cult film Barbarian Queen, at his home in February 2003. Spector, 66, has called the death "an accidental suicide." He has pleaded not guilty and has been free on $1 million bail since his arrest. Spector faces life in prison if convicted.

His New York lawyer, Bruce Cutler, told Reuters that his defense will be simple: "He didn't shoot this woman." But prosecutors claim he placed the gun in her mouth and fired. Jury selection is expected to conclude tomorrow, after which lawyers will take a one-month break. There is a pretrial hearing on April 9 to read the prospective jurors' answers and hone their jury selection strategy. On April 16, jurors are to be questioned individually. The jury is expected to be seated by April 30. The trial will be televised.

Kristofferson to receive award

Country music cable channel CMT is planning to honor Kris Kristofferson with an award named after his longtime friend and collaborator Johnny Cash. At the CMT Music Awards on April 16, Kristofferson will receive the "Johnny Cash Visionary Award," which "recognizes an artist's extraordinary musical vision, innovative and groundbreaking music, and pioneering initiatives in entertainment," CMT said this week.

Past recipients of the honor include Hank Williams, Jr., Loretta Lynn, Reba McEntire, the Dixie Chicks, and Cash himself. The 2007 CMT Music Awards will air live from the Curb Event Center at Belmont University in Nashville on Monday, April 16 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Jeff Foxworthy will host.

Antony asks fan to halt downloading

In a post on a fan site of Antony & the Johnsons, lead singer Antony Hegarty has pleaded with fans to stop downloading his music. "Now I have one favor to ask you," Hegarty wrote. "Please stop recording my concerts and trading them, it makes me feel terrible. I feel like the thing I have to offer an audience is the live experience; but for them to record my concerts sort of feels like I am being stolen from. It's kind of like inviting people over for dinner and before they leave they go into your fridge and clear you out, take everything you have, on their way out the door."

Hegarty added that music piracy has had a negative impact on the recording of his forthcoming album, the follow up to 2005's I Am a Bird Now. "This year I was hoping to develop ideas for the new album and some live concerts, but at this rate, I am feeling discouraged because of the bootlegging," he explained. "So do me a favor...be my fan and my friend and don't record my shows."