This week was full of surprises. Temptations singerAli-Ollie Woodson succumbed to cancer, Paul McCartney serenaded the First Lady,and Bret Michaels continued to beat the odds. And as for the latest, MariahCarey's abrupt withdrawal from Tyler Perry's forthcoming film has prompted aresponse from the Precious producer.

Many are suggesting that Carey dropping out of the moviebased on Ntozake's Shange's play ForColored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf is proofthat the superstar singer, who recently celebrated her second weddinganniversary with Nick Cannon, is pregnant.

At press time, no one has gone on record to confirm thatCarey is expecting.

Perry said he won't speculate as to why Carey pulled-out ofthe film, but he does want to know what happened. He said he would likeconfirmation that her decision was based on a physician's advice.

"I want a doctor's note," Perry joked in a letter on his website.

Perry's vacation was interrupted when he received the callthat

A rep for Alicia Keys confirmed Friday the singer is indeedpregnant by and engaged to rapper/producer Swizz Beatz.

Keys and Beatz's baby on the way is going to be one luckykid. The child will be able to boast having a mom who is one of popmusic's most beautiful, talented and successful singers.

But what about the dad?

Well, Beatz is by no means a scrub. In fact, Beatz, 31, isone of the most in-demand music producers in the marketplace.

In addition to producing Keys' Beyonc

é duet "Put It In ALove Song" from Keys' The Element OfFreedom album, and a bonus track on her last set, As I Am, Beatz has penned hits for Beyoncé ("Get Me Bodied," "CheckOn It," "Upgrade U," and "Ring The Alarm"), Jay-Z ("On To The Next"), Mary J.Blige ("Just Fine"), and T.I. ("Bring Em Out").

Plus, the Brooklyn native has worked with essentially everybig name in popular music-Lil' Wayne, Ludacris, Mariah Carey, Gwen Stefani, Maroon5, R. Kelly, Snoop Dogg, Britney Spears, Eminem, Jennifer Lopez, Eve, and Fantasia,

This week was tough, beginningwith the death of metal icon Ronnie James Dio, who will be memorialized nextSunday in Los Angeles,and ending with both Bono and Bret Michaels being admitted to the hospital.

Bono was hospitalized in Munich Friday andunderwent surgery on his back, Reuters reports. He sustained an injury during preparation for U2's impending "360Degree" world tour.

The June 3 opening date, scheduledfor Salt Lake City,has been postponed. U2 manager Paul McGuiness confirmed Bono's treatment andthe delayed concert date in an audio statement posted on the band's website.

"We were due to start rehearsalson Tuesday in Salt Lake Cityand get the show ready for the next leg," McGuiness said. "There are going tobe some changes and new material."

McGuiness expressed regret for inconveniencingfans, and some of the 400-member crew, McGuiness said, were "turnedaround and told to stay home" until new plans were made.

We hope Bono's surgery wentsmoothly and that he recovers quickly. We

Katy Perry did not know that her new song "California Gurls"would end up paying homage to '70s pop band Big Star. But something tragichappened after she wrote the song. In March, Alex Chilton, the group's leadsinger, suffered a fatal heart attack.

Perry's manager, a huge fan of Big Star, asked the "Hot N Cold" singer to change the spelling of her song (previously named "CaliforniaGirls") to mirror the Big Star title "September Gurls."

Perry explained the special request to EntertainmentWeekly. "My manager, Bradford, he's from Mississippi, and he's a huge Big Star fan,"she said. "And with the death of one of their members, I had just written thatsong, and he's like, 'Katy, just for me, will you please title it 'CaliforniaGurls,' with a 'u'? People won't even know!' I don't know the whole catalog ofBig Star, but I did it because Bradford is oneof my best friends, and I thought it was cool, and you know, the kids likethose variations."

Aside from using the same spelling for "Gurls,"

Who exactly is B.o.B? You know, the Atlanta rap dude with the#1 album in the country.

The 21-year-old MC, singer andproducer with two names -- B.o.B and Bobby Ray Simmons -- may feel like an overnightsuccess since his debut album, B.o.BPresents: The Adventures Of Bobby Ray, opened at the top of the pop charts thisweek, seemingly out of nowhere. But this is hardly the case.

A few months after graduatingfrom ATL's Columbia High School in 2006, helanded a deal with Atlantic Records in a partnership with Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock.Jonsin is the mastermind producer behind Beyonce's "Sweet Dreams," Lil' Wayne's "Lollipop," andT.I.'s "Whatever You Like." T.I.'s Grand Hustle label later entered the fold.

While it has takenthree-in-a-half years for B.o.B's album to get released, he has kept busymaking a name for himself. The reaction to his popular mixtapes resulted in hisfeature on covers of leading urban magazines XXL and Vibe in 2008.

But B.o.B's most recent successcan be attributed to his song

Melissa Etheridge has been performing her song "Miss California" in liveshows, but the record that attacks the state's controversial measureProposition 8 is now available for purchase as a track on Etheridge's newalbum, Fearless Love.

Etheridge condemns the measure for only recognizing marriagebetween a man and a woman. The singer recently ended a 9 year same-sexrelationship with Tammy Etheridge.

Etheridge opens her rock-driven, angst-fueled song with thelyric, "Miss Californiawhat did I do wrong?" She complains, "You try to shove me in your closet" andargues "I can be who I am." She adds, "Your propositions make me feel so cold."

Etheridge told RollingStone that she was shocked by the state's ban on gay marriage. "I thought California was soforward-thinking," she told the magazine. "Proposition 8 was a reality call."

In an interview with website WatermarkOnline,Etheridge said she wanted the song to be confrontational. "I tried to be justshort of knocking you over the head with it,"

T.I.'sMarch 5 visit to Woodland Middle School in Stockbridge, Georgiahas outraged parents.

TomMyers, the father of four girls in the Henry County School System, said that ifhe knew the rapper and convicted felon was going to appear at his daughters'school, he would have kept them home that day.

Myerstold WSBTV Channel 2Action News that his complaints to Woodland Middle Schoolprincipal Dr. Terry Oatts were dismissed, the network reported Thursday.

Myersshared with WSBTV a complaint letter he emailed to Oatts. "In the future, ifT.I. or any other convicted felon needs to perform community service, ask forparental permission to allow our children to be exposed to these questionableindividuals," he wrote.

Myerswas shocked by a flippant response he received from Oatts.

Whencontacted by WSBTV, Oatts replied, "No comment."

T.I.'sappearance at Woodlandwas confirmed by a representative for Henry County Schools. While parents werenot notified in advance about T.I.'s visit, they were informed

Health issues prompted BretMichaels to postpone a number of concert dates this week. The legendary rockstar, who appears on this season's CelebrityApprentice, was rushed to the hospital Sunday before taking the stage at SeaWorld San Antonio, according to reports on his website BretMichaels.com.

Early Monday morning,Michaels underwent an emergency appendectomy.

Doctors determined thatMichaels' appendix was about to burst. "It is now known that his appendix wouldhave more than likely burst on stage that evening quite possibly resulting indeath," a spokesperson said in a statement on his website.

After experiencing severe stomachpain, Michaels was examined by doctors at Sea World who suggested that he go tothe hospital.

The 47-year-old, who is alsoa diabetic, is recovering. "Bret remains under medical supervision at anundisclosed private care facility specializing in the rehabilitation ofdiabetic patients," the statement said. "While the surgery went well anddoctors are optimistic that