Knowles, Keys, Hudson grab music, film Image noms
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Beyonce Knowles, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson are all multitasking for the NAACP Image Awards, earning nominations Wednesday in both music and film categories.

Kraftwerk co-founder leaves German group
BERLIN - Florian Schneider, a co-founder of Kraftwerk, the German band that built the foundation for electro-pop and scored a chart-topping global hit with "Autobahn" in 1974, has left the group, its label said Tuesday.

The Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton found dead at 60
DETROIT - Ron Asheton, the guitarist for the Stooges whose raw sound helped inspire the first generation of punk musicians, has died. He was 60.

Knowles, Keys, Hudson grab music, film Image noms
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Beyonce Knowles, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson are all double threats for the NAACP Image Awards, earning nominations in both music and film categories.

Joe the Plumber to become war correspondent
TOLEDO, Ohio - Joe The Plumber is putting down his wrenches and picking up a reporter's notebook.

Colombian coffee growers to sue over US cartoon
BOGOTA, Colombia - Colombian coffee growers are brewing up a lawsuit over a U.S. comic strip joking that violence is so rampant there, maybe "there's a little bit of Juan Valdez in every can" of the country's java.

Modern music patron Betty Freeman dies at 87
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Betty Freeman, patron to such contemporary musical masters as John Cage, Philip Glass and Pierre Boulez, has died. She was 87.

No `King Lear' nude scene for McKellen on PBS
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - Ian McKellen said he's fine that the full-frontal nude scene he played on stage as King Lear is missing from an upcoming public TV version.

Cruise calls death of Travolta's son 'horrific'
NEW YORK - "Horrific" is how Tom Cruise described the sudden death of the son of his friend, John Travolta. Cruise struggled to maintain his composure as he spoke on "The View" about last week's death of 16-year-old Jett Travolta. "John just adored him, both of his children," Cruise said haltingly. "... It's something that I don't have the words for."

New `Idol' judge waiting for a call from Daughtry
LOS ANGELES - New "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi has a full schedule but there's someone she'd take a phone call from _ Chris Daughtry.