Alonzo Mourning knows the statistics by heart, ticking them off one after another.

The Miami Heat center isn't talking about points, rebounds, blocked shots, or anything else that has to do with basketball

Crowds in Arkansas came for the lure of cage fighting and beer, but police say what they got instead was men ripping each others' clothes off and kissing — a stunt suspected of being orchestrated by Sacha Baron Cohen of "Borat" fame.

'Two Men with the Blues' features Wynton Marsalis and his quartet with Nelson and his harmonica player, Mickey Raphael, during a two-night stand recorded in January 2007 at Jazz at Lincoln Center. The site is New York City, but the music is New Orleans jazz and R&B, with only occasional nods to Nashville and Austin.

The Essence Music Festival wrapped up its 14th year Sunday night, which was marked by the return of Grammy Award-winner Mary J. Blige and comedian Chris Rock.

The Louisiana Superdome was even more packed than it was Saturday as Blige appeared once again at the festival, while Rock returned for the first time in 12 years.

Celebrities turned out Wednesday to donate to Darfur charities — and to show their fellow stars just who the real card sharks were.

Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez and his wife have split less than three months after the birth of the couple's second daughter, according to a report in the New York Daily News.

 Actor Dennis Haysbert likes to believe his portrayal of David Palmer on Fox's hit show "24" as the first African-American U.S. president may have helped pave the way for Barack Obama's bid for the White House.

When he was growing up, most of T.I.'s male role models were either selling drugs or locked up in jail; he ended up following in both of those paths. Even after T.I. started his rap career and became one of its biggest stars, he didn't abandon a life of crime: He recently pleaded guilty to federal weapons charges and faces almost a year in jail.

Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has been linked to two murder plots in an obscure racketeering case involving a drug gang in his old neighborhood.

Will Smith 's soon-to-open private school is not a Scientology facility, as some reports have suggested, the academy's director said.

Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, have founded the New Village Academy, scheduled to open in September.

More legal trouble for the plastic surgeon who operated on Kanye West's mother. Dr. Jan Adams has been arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. Police in California also say he was driving on a license that had been suspended from a previous DUI.

Queen, Leona Lewis and Amy Winehouse were among the performers due to serenade Nelson Mandela at a concert Friday honoring the South African statesman's 90th birthday.

Winehouse, whose participation was in doubt when she was hospitalized last week after fainting, is reported to have rehearsed a rendition of the Specials' 1984 anthem "Free Nelson Mandela" for the Hyde Park show, hosted by Will Smith.

"The Wire," ''Friday Night Lights" and "Pushing Daisies" are among the semifinalists for this year's Emmy nominations.

Ten drama series and 10 comedies emerged as the top vote-getters in balloting by members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the academy said Thursday.

Limestone County Sheriff Mike Blakely said Thursday he has not heard or seen a video of a raunchy rap song Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O'Neal made mocking former teammate Kobe Bryant.

"Nightline" will focus on the humanitarian crisis in the Congo with the help of an unusual correspondent — Ben Affleck.

The 35-year-old actor took a "Nightline" crew on his recent fact-finding mission to Africa with the goal of spreading the word on a story that gets relatively little notice in the United States. His essay airs 11:35 p.m. Thursday on ABC.

Kanye West defended himself from criticism over his delayed performance at Bonnaroo, saying on his blog that the flak he's taken has left him "the most offended I've ever been."

West's performance at the Tennessee festival was scheduled for 2:45 a.m. in the early morning of June 15. West didn't take the stage until 4:25 a.m., angering much of the crowd who had stayed up late to see the rapper perform.

T-Pain and Lil Wayne have owned the music scene over the past year: It seems as if T-Pain's voice has accented half the hits on urban radio, while Lil Wayne, another ubiquitous collaborator, has appeared on the rest.

In addition, Lil Wayne just this month scored the year's best-selling album sales debut with 1 million copies sold of his new CD, "Tha Carter III."

So it was appropriate that both artists dominated Tuesday's BET Awards with not only their energetic performances but their presence, despite winning just one trophy each.

Bob Dylan. Yo-Yo Ma. Sheryl Crow. Jay-Z. These aren't musical acts in a summer concert series: They're artists featured on Barack Obama's iPod.

"I have pretty eclectic tastes," the Democratic presidential contender said in an interview to be published in Friday's issue of Rolling Stone.

Growing up in the '70s, Obama said, he listened to the Rolling Stones, Elton John and Earth, Wind & Fire. Stevie Wonder is his musical hero from the era. The Stones' "Gimme Shelter" tops his favorites from the band.