News Breakers: Britney & Marilyn Monroe, Akon, Busta, Cee-Lo, Pumpkins

Britney to duet with Marilyn Monroe?; Akon apologizes; Busta passes on plea deal; Cee-Lo starts label; Pumpkins' photos stolen.

Report: Britney to duet with Marilyn Monroe

Where does recording a duet with a long-deceased pinup rank on the comeback desperation scale? Britney Spears is reportedly set to record a duet with a previously unreleased Marilyn Monroe song called "Down Boy." Lance Bass, 28, a former member of Britney's ex-lover Justin Timberlake's band N'SYNC, has reportedly secured the rights to the song and thinks it would be perfect for Spears. "Lance wants Britney to sing with Marilyn on the track, like Natalie Cole did on "Unforgettable" with her dad Nat King Cole," the UK newspaper Daily Mail reported.

Akon apologizes, fallout continues

With the major sponsor of his tour with Gwen Stefani pulling the plug, Akon issued an apology for his raunchy onstage dance with a 15-year-old female fan. The singer, who has been under fire since video footage of the dance appeared online, showing him simulating sex with the young audience member, issued the statement to the Associated Press. The singer blamed the promoters at the club for allowing the girl on the premises.

"It was never my intention to embarrass or take advantage of my fans in any way, especially those under the age of 18," he said. "That is why we tried to make sure that the club did not admit anyone under 18 in the audience. Somehow, that standard was not met."

Busta declines plea deal

For the second time in two months, Busta Rhymes has declined a plea deal on the assault charges he faces. New York prosecutors dangled a deal that would have sent him to jail for one year for assault and then allow him to avoid incarceration for the other charges he faces from his four arrests in the past 10 months. Those arrests include an incident just last week, in which he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Defense attorney Scott Leemon filed a motion rejecting the prosecution's attempt to combine Rhymes' two misdemeanor assault charges into one, noting that his client has a "valid defense" in both cases and wants them tried separately. The lawyer has previously called Rhymes' myriad of run-ins with the law "payback" for not cooperating with the police's investigation into the 2006 shooting death of his former bodyguard, Israel Ramirez.

Cee-Lo starts label

With three Goodie Mob albums, two solo records, and a Grammy-winning Gnarls Barkley smash success behind him, Cee-Lo is ready to run his own label. The round mound of the soul sound is preparing to launch Radiculture, a new label imprint under Atlantic Records. The label will seek to find, cultivate, and mentor new artists, AllHipHop.com reports.

"I've been in the music business for quite some time now," Cee-Lo said in a statement. "I've had some unforgettable high points and some disappointing low points. I'm eager to pass on the lessons I learned along the way. Maybe up and coming artists can avoid some of the pitfalls and focus on making great music. You can expect plenty of great music from Radiculture!"

Pumpkins' rehearsal space burglarized

Two unidentified fans broke into the Chicago rehearsal space of the Smashing Pumpkins last week and stole some photos, some of which were reportedly up for album art consideration. "Management for the Smashing Pumpkins confirms that the band's rehearsal studio in Chicago was burglarized last week," the band's management said in a statement. "The two people who are now in jail illegally gained access to the band's private space and stole various items belonging to them over the course of several hours while the band had left for the evening. The group feels their rights have been violated by this crime and will always pursue their rights and the law to protect their property and the safety of themselves, their families, and their fans."