YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    D'Angelo to perform at Essence Music Festival

    NEW YORK (AP) — D'Angelo is making his comeback: The reclusive singer will give his first U.S. performance in 10 years at the 2012 Essence Music Festival.

    D'Angelo will perform during the festival's opening night. It runs from July 6 to July 8 in New Orleans and also features Trey Songz, Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige and many others.

    The soul singer's latest album is 2000's "Voodoo." It went platinum and won two Grammy Awards, including best R&B album. His debut, 1995's "Brown Sugar," was also a platinum effort.

    Since that, D'Angelo has stepped away from the music scene, drawing attention for his run-ins with the law.

    The 37-year-old wrapped up a prostitution case last month by pleading guilty to disorderly conduct after his March 2010 arrest.

    His record label said he is working on a new album.

    ___

    Online:

    http://www.essence.com/festivals/2012/essence-music-festival

    News for You

    • The new consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony

      NEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft is the last of the three big video game console makers to unveil its latest gaming system. The unveiling comes nearly eight years after the Xbox 360 went on sale. It follows last fall's debut of Nintendo's Wii U and a preview in February of the upcoming PlayStation 4 from Sony.

    • Woman on Trump: 'Somebody had to stand up to him'

      CHICAGO (AP) — An 87-year-old woman who alleges Donald Trump cheated her in a skyscraper-condo sale told jurors Monday she had qualms about suing the real estate mogul and TV celebrity. But, she quickly added, "Somebody had to stand up to him."

    • Disney-owned ESPN cutting hundreds of jobs: source

      By Liana B. Baker (Reuters) - ESPN, the sports channel that is Walt Disney Co's most profitable unit, is cutting 300 to 400 jobs across the company and closing a small Denver office, a person with knowledge of the cuts said. The job cuts, comprising 4 to 6 percent of ESPN's staff of 7,000, include open positions that will not be filled, said the source, who asked not to be named because the information is not public. But ESPN will continue hiring for other open positions, the person said. The channel has recently won rights to exclusive coverage of the U.S. ...

    • Man pleads guilty in Picasso vandalism case

      HOUSTON (AP) — A man accused of vandalizing a 1929 Pablo Picasso painting in a Houston museum — an act that was caught on cellphone video — agreed Tuesday to a two-year prison term as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

    • NY Cuomo letter warns Kardashian over T-shirt logo

      ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's sent a letter to Khloe Kardashian informing the reality star the logo on her T-shirt line may be violating copyright law.

    • A diversion in the air for 'Today'

      NEW YORK (AP) — Two charter airplanes carrying the "Today" show anchor team and their crew from Hawaii to Yellowstone National Park were diverted in the air to Oklahoma for coverage Tuesday of the catastrophic tornado outside of Oklahoma City.