Spears says she's planning comeback

Pop star Britney Spears, who is pregnant with her second child, recently told a UK publication that her prolonged break from the music world isn't permanent, and she plans a return soon.

In fact, her reason for the break--giving birth to her first son, Sean Preston--may be what causes her to come around. "At one point I was thinking about becoming a home mom," Life Style Extra quoted her as saying, "but when my son sees me dance, he lights up. I know that's what I'm supposed to be doing. If mom is happy, baby's happy."

Spears also said to expect a second round of episodes of Britney and Kevin: Chaotic, the reality show starring the pop star, her husband, Kevin Federline, and their controversial relationship. "I know that things are fine," but the show will dispell rumors of the couple's rocky relationship, she said.

R&B songwriter Ne-Yo is apparently helping Britney pen new songs for her next album--but he says it's K-Fed who needs the real help. "I heard the first song that he put out ('Popozao'), so it's obvious that he does need a little help," he said. "We'll see what happens."

Federline called his infamous and nearly universally mocked debut, "Popozao," an intentional joke. "I did it on purpose so people would look at me exactly the way they did," he said. "That way, when I come out with my real [expletive], people are [expletive] blown away."

Ousted Idol rocker signs recording deal

After turning down an offer to become the new lead singer of alt-rock band Fuel, Chris Daughtry has turned around and inked a record deal with RCA Records' 19 Recordings Unlimited.

Daughtry is following the cues of a couple of his fellow stars on last season's hit singing contest. The most recent American Idol winner, Taylor Hicks, and runner-up Katherine McPhee have also signed with 19 Recordings Unlimited--which is managed by Simon Fuller, Idol's creator.

Fuel offered the singer, the fourth-place finisher on the TV show, the band's lead-singer position after Daughtry performed Fuel's "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" on the show. Daughtry declined, telling the Charlotte Observer: "I'm going to be doing my own thing," he said.

Since Daughtry's exit from the television show, he has been busy living in North Carolina, including a public appearance last month when he belted out tunes to a crowd in his hometown of Lasker, North Carolina. Daughtry is now touring with the rest of the Idol contestants on American Idol Live tour.

Surgery scheduled for Rimes

A leg infection has sidelined country singer LeAnn Rimes, forcing her to cancel three dates on her tour in order to undergo surgery today.

"Although the surgery itself is minor, the infection and attendant issues were not, and Rimes' doctor advised her to address the problem immediately," read a post on the 1996 Grammy-winning singer's official Web site. Her publicist said that Rimes tore tissue in one of her legs, forcing her to go under the knife. "[B]ecause of the infection it was urgent that she takes care of it right away," the publicist said.

The canceled concerts are a July 13 show at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire, and two dates at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, on July 14 and 15.

Former Verizon exec leaves for MusicNet

MusicNet, a company that offers downloadable and streaming music services to clients, announced that a former executive at Verizon Wireless has joined its team.

Ted Casey, who formerly headed Verizon's mobile-music department, will be responsible for attracting more clients to MusicNet, as senior vice president of business development and partner relations. The company's clients include MTV Networks, Yahoo, and Virgin.

"This year, MusicNet will roll out its new Performer Next Generation platform across the PC, portable music devices, mobile phones, and set-top boxes," said MusicNet CEO Alan McGlade, "which will allow our distribution partners to offer their customers a content-rich and seamless digital entertainment experience."