Beyoncé has paid a visit to Haiti to look at the progress made since an earthquake devastated the country five years ago. Haiti United Nations mission spokeswoman Sophie Boutaud de la Combe said on Saturday that the singer also met some of the people who were affected by the 2010 disaster in the impoverished Caribbean country. De la Combe said Beyoncé, a 20-time Grammy winner, visited Haiti with Valerie Amos, the UN humanitarian affairs chief and emergency relief coordinator. It wasn't immediately clear how long Beyoncé's stop in Haiti was or exactly where she visited. According to official estimates, the 2010 quake that shattered Haiti's capital and surrounding areas claimed as many as 300,000 lives. – AP
Janet Jackson announces new album
Janet Jackson on Saturday, may 16 announced that she would release a new album this year – the first since the death of her brother, Michael. Jackson released a video that showed a sound system, with her voice speaking gently over background chatter and urban music. "I promised you'd hear it from my lips, and now you will. This year – new music, new world tour, a new movement," she said. She was referring to her message on Twitter last year that played down speculation about a new album, with Jackson saying at the time that "you'll hear it from my lips" if new music is coming. Jackson called her latest announcement "Conversations in a Cafe", presumably the title or the theme of the album. The youngest member of the Jackson family, Janet broke through in her own right with her 1986 album Control, which was a landmark in merging R&B and the growing genre of hip-hop. Jackson, who has sold more than 140 million albums, last released a studio album in 2008, the electronic-driven Discipline. She briefly retreated from public view to grieve after Michael died in 2009, but has since returned to acting and went on an 80-date tour in 2011 to promote a greatest hits collection. In 2012, she married Qatari tycoon Wissam Al Mana. – AFP
Elvis tour bus sells for nearly $270,000
A custom-designed tour bus bought by "The King" Elvis Presley for his backup band in 1976 sold at auction in New York on Saturday for US$268,000 (Dh984,350), organisers said. Elvis's "Takin' Care of Business" and lightning bolt motto is emblazoned on the bodywork, although its soft furnishings have been refitted in dusty peach since its days on the road in the 1970s. Fully roadworthy, it seats 12, has nine sleeping berths and comes equipped with air conditioning, a fridge, a microwave, televisions and speakers. There are even chandelier-style lights hanging from the lounge area. It was bought by a mobile homes specialist in Texas, said the chief executive of the California-based auction house Julien's Auctions. The bus sold with a framed copy of the $25,000 cheque that Elvis made out to his friend and mentor, J D Sumner, who led The Stamps Quartet, for the down payment. – AFP
Harrison guitar from 1963 sells for $490,000
A guitar George Harrison played at a time when Beatlemania was taking flight has sold for nearly half a million dollars at a New York auction. Julien's Auctions says the 1963 Mastersound electric guitar went for US$490,000 (Dh1.8m) on Friday to an undisclosed bidder. Julien's says Harrison borrowed it from a British music shop and played it on stage several times in England and the Channel Islands during the summer of 1963. It was offered at a two-day rock memorabilia auction. A so-called "penguin" suit that Elvis Presley wore on stage in Las Vegas in 1975 sold for nearly $122,000. Presley's marriage certificate from his 1967 wedding to Priscilla Presley sold for more than $40,000. A waistcoat worn by Jimi Hendrix sold for more than $59,000. A tank top Madonna wore sold for $25,000. – AP
Kamal Haasan announces his next film
Actor and filmmaker Kamal Haasan on Saturday, May 16 announced that he will star in a new Tamil film that will go into production in Hyderabad next week. In a video clip, Haasan said Thoongaavanam (forest that doesn't sleep), will simultaneously be shot in Tamil and Telugu. Rajesh M Selva will direct the film under Haasan's production banner Rajkamal Films. The thriller will be shot predominantly in Hyderabad and Chennai. Haasan did not reveal the rest of the cast but said the film would feature many stars. Rumour has it that popular actors Trisha Krishnan and Prakash Raj have signed on, while Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala has been approached to play Haasan's wife in the movie. – IANS
