West breaks down on stage

Grief can be a tough thing to mask when you're in front of thousands of screaming fans. On the opening night of his European tour in Paris Saturday night, Kanye West dedicated the song "Hey Mama" to his mother, Dr. Donda West, who died earlier this month, reportedly from complications following surgery. But before he could begin the track, which is a dedication to his mother, Kanye broke down as he said, "This song is for my mother."

"He said the word, 'Mother,' and just couldn't go any further," Le Parisien journalist Meddy Magloire told People. "A backup singer, the DJ, and a guitar player came over to console him. It looked like he might collapse. He just couldn't continue. He just stood there in a spotlight, crying, while the band continued playing."

After a few moments of stunned silence, Magloire said, the audience offered shouts of encouragement, which grew into applause. West later left the stage and concluded the set with his hit single "Stronger," one lyric of which he exclaimed repeatedly: "I need you right now." Numerous fans posted videos of the incident but Universal Music Group, parent company of Kanye's label, has had them taken down.

Madonna inks deal with Gucci

The deal-making machine that is Madonna continues to roll on, as the singer is hooking up with Gucci to promote the opening of the clothing line's new store on New York's Fifth Avenue and raise money for orphans in the impoverished southern African nation of Malawi.

Reuters reported that Madge will host a fundraising dinner with a musical performance and party on February 6, as part of the opening of the store, the biggest Gucci store in the world. Madonna said the event will benefit UNICEF and Raising Malawi, a charity she cofounded in 2006 to help end poverty in the country. The event is expected to raise $2 million and will feature such cochairs as Salma Hayek, Adrien Brody, Lucy Liu, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Slash sues real estate agent

Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash and his wife, Perla, have filed a civil suit against a real-estate agent, claiming they were duped into buying a house, according to TMZ.com. The suit, filed this week in Los Angeles County Superior Court, names Gregory Holcomb and Sotheby's International Realty as defendants.

In the complaint, the couple claims they "thought they had found their dream house, but were fooled into believing it was on a private, gated street when it was actually on a public street with very little parking. They also say it was much smaller than the 7,800 square feet it was listed as being and that there were other issues with the home's title.

Slash and Perla are seeking $1 million for "grief, shame, humiliation, embarrassment, anger, worry, disappointment, nervousness, stomach disorders, backaches, loss of appetite, and inability to concentrate on work," all of which was allegedly brought on by the house purchase.

Scott Weiland to pen memoir

Speaking of Velvet Revolver, singer Scott Weiland is set to follow his bandmate Slash into memoir writing. The former Stone Temple Pilots singer told reporters at the American Music Awards Sunday that he has inked a publishing deal to write an autobiography, although he hasn't been able come to grips yet with the process of recounting his eventful and rather drug-addled life.

"It's a weird thing," Weiland said, according to the Associated Press. "You make a lot of records, write a lot of songs, but all of a sudden you go into a whole different vein, and it's a little bit scary to dive into."

Weiland, 40, said he would collaborate on the project with David Ritz, the "Sexual Healing" lyricist who has cowritten autobiographies for the likes of Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and most recently Don Rickles. He did not reveal the name of the publisher.

UN official slams Winehouse

You know you're in trouble when officials from the glad-handing United Nations are laying into you. Amy Winehouse was slammed by Antonio Maria Costa, the head of the international body's Drugs And Crime Office, over her alleged drug use.

According to BBC 6 Music, Costa said, "Rock stars, like Amy Winehouse, become popular by singing: 'I ain't going to rehab,' even though she badly needed and eventually sought treatment. He said the drug trade threatened the "complete collapse" of some impoverished west African nations, where certain governments were now vulnerable to the damaging influence of drug money.

In other Winehouse news, the singer reportedly cried and was booed at during her show in last week in Birmingham, England. She has since fired her tour manager. Meanwhile, Winehouse's husband Blake Fielder-Civil awaits trial along with five other men for obstruction of justice in a case in which Fielder-Civil is accused of assaulting a bartender in June.

Courtney Love might mimic Radiohead

In the days when she could be expected to make a fool out of herself on a red carpet live TV show, the phrase "risk management" might have had a different meaning for Courtney Love. But now the singer is using the phrase in reference to the economics of her career and the possibility of copying Radiohead's name-your-own-price digital download strategy.

"The kamikaze pilot in me wants to do the same damn thing," Love wrote on her MySpace blog. "I'm grateful for Radiohead for making the first move. I'd do it differently. That's why B sides are no longer B sides, but have to be A sides, to an extent. I love risk, and most everything I've ever done well has been because everyone said I was crazy to do it. That's why words like 'risk management' and 'time management' are resonating with me now."

Love then asks if people who bought Radiohead's In Rainbows paid anything at all. "I just want my own paradigm. I don't wanna copy Radiohead. No disrespect to them. I'm sorry [but] Kid A didn't change my life. I wish I had gotten it better. I think you have to be a pot smoker to get Kid A.

Saigon says he might retire

One of the most-hyped rappers of the past several years now says that he might return before his debut album even sees the light of day. In a post on his MySpace page today, Saigon vented about the repeated delays his album, The Greatest Story Never Told, has faced.

"I've realized now that so many people have gotten into hip-hop, whether the business aspect or otherwise, it's not really for me anymore," Saigon wrote. "F*** this bum a** rap game anyway. It's full of fake a** n****s who pump poison to the kids, make a few dollars, and act like they're larger then life when they know their music is detrimental to their f***ing communities. If it ain't about sex, it's about drugs or violence. Where are the songs about getting an education, or being responsible parents and s***, or stopping the gang violence? This s*** is sickening...I'm done...SAIGON IS DEAD...No more interviews, no more mixtapes, no nothing."