Music News

The stars turned out on the red carpet — or should we say black carpet? — for the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. Celebs included Justin Bieber, who rocked a pair of scholarly specs, and Jessie J, who rocked a pair of bedazzled crutches and a cast (the singer sprained her foot at a recent live show).

In a weekend that saw many East Coast theaters closed because of Hurricane Irene, ‘The Help’ remained atop the box office for the second week in a row. The film, based on the best-selling book of the same name, has now earned a total of $96.6 million.

“Would you consider yourself a member of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community?” That’s what Elmhurst College recently asked prospective students on its application form. The private liberal arts school in suburban Chicago, which is affiliated with the United Church of Christ, is believed to be the first college in the US to ask the question.

The 2009 Census reveals that while couples in western and southern states marry more often, they also divorce at a higher rate than those in other areas of the US. Andrew Cherlin, a professor of sociology and public policy at Johns Hopkins University, said, “Surprisingly, the south and west, which we think of as more socially conservative, have higher rates of divorce than does the supposedly libe

The spelling of Muammar Gaddafi’s last name has long been a mystery, with different news organizations employing different standards, such as Gaddafi, Kadafi, Qaddafi and Kaddafi. In fact, a 2009 ABC news story found a whopping 112 different ways one could spell the despot’s name.

A brazen attack on the United Nations’ offices in the Nigerian capital of Abuja claimed the lives of at least 18 people on Friday.

Much of eastern United States is getting ready for the arrival of Hurricane Irene. More than 50 million people live in the projected path of the Category 2 storm, which is expected to make landfall along North Carolina’s Outer Banks on Friday.

New data from the Highway Loss Data Institute, which uses auto insurance claims to track the cars most likely to be stolen or broken into, says the most popular car with thieves is the Cadillac Escalade. It’s the fourth year in a row the luxury SUV has topped the list, with about 10 of every 1,000 Escalades on the road falling victim to criminals. In a statement, Escalade maker GM said a number of

Just like it did last year, Hawaii snagged the top spot in Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which ranks the happiness level of each state. The index bases happiness on a combination of six factors: emotional health, physical health, healthy lifestyle, job satisfaction, access to health care and safe places to exercise, and, finally, life evaluation — which includes a self-evaluation about your

Eleven people perished Tuesday when a fire burned down a house near Brisbane, Australia. Search teams are trying to retrieve the victims’ bodies from the two-story house, but the process is proving most difficult due to the extensive damage caused by the fire. The intense blaze also destroyed two vehicles parked near the building. It is not known whether smoke alarms were fitted in the home. Read

The MTV Video Music Awards, which air live on Sunday, will be missing an important part of the traditional award show experience: a host.

The 5.8-magnitude earthquake that unnerved millions of people on the East Coast of the United States on Tuesday forced schools in three states to close and damaged several buildings and federal landmarks. At least four aftershocks followed the powerful quake, including a 3.4-magnitude tremblor that hit near the nation’s capital overnight.