Mario, 50 Cent big winners on Hot 100
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Mario's "Let Me Love You" dominates the latest edition of the Hot 100 Billboard magazine chart.
"Candy Shop" by 50 Cent rose to No. 2, and Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" claimed third place, Billboard said Thursday.
Ciara's "1, 2 Step" featuring Missy Elliott fell to No. 4, The Game's "How We Do" featuring 50 Cent slipped to fifth place and No. 6 was occupied by 50 Cents' "Disco Inferno."
Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz's "Lovers and Friends" featuring Usher and Ludacris declined one spot to No. 7, while "Soldier" by Destiny's Child ranked eighth.
Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" remains No. 9 for a third week, and Gwen Stefani's "Rich Girl" featuring Eve is in 10th place, up from No. 16.
Jackson ignores advice, leaves hospital
SANTA MARIA, Calif., Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Pop singer Michael Jackson slipped out of a California hospital Wednesday night soon after a doctor announced he would spend the night, CNN reported.
Hospital Administrator Dennis Daniels said Jackson, 46, got into one of two SUVs parked near the emergency entrance and sped off.
Two hours earlier, a doctor told reporters Jackson was being treated for "persistent viral symptoms" and would remain hospitalized one more night.
The singer's parents, Katherine and Joe, and his brother, Jermaine, visited Jackson Wednesday afternoon, stayed about two hours and then left in a black Mercedes.
Jackson was taken to the emergency room Tuesday after becoming ill en route to the Santa Maria courthouse where jury selection was under way in his child molestation trial. Superior Judge Rodney Melville delayed selection until next Tuesday, saying it could not proceed without Jackson present.
Jackson is accused of molesting a 13-year-old former cancer patient, giving the boy alcohol and attempting to hold him and his family captive.
Ashlee, Wilmer reported cuddling
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Singer Ashlee Simpson is reported to be seeing a lot of pop rival Lindsay Lohan's ex-boyfriend, Wilmer Valderrama.
Simpson took a 30 mile drive out of Los Angeles with her assistant last week just to meet up with the "That 70s Show" star on the desert set of his new movie "La Muerto," TeenHollywood.com said.
A set spy says, "There was no kissing but the way they greeted each other and then cuddled, there was no mistaking that Wilmer and Ashlee are more than just buddies."
Valderrama has been single since splitting from Lohan last October and Simpson has been keen to play down her on-off romance with pop star Ryan Cabrera.
NAACP to honor musician Prince
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- The NAACP will honor Oscar- and Grammy-winning musician Prince at its upcoming Image Awards, Fox TV announced Thursday.
The network said the civil rights organization would present Prince with its NAACP Vanguard Award during the 36th NAACP Image Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on March 19. Fox will televise the cerremony on March 25.
The NAACP Vanguard Award is presented to a person "whose groundbreaking work increases understanding and awareness of racial and social issues." It has been only presented twice before -- to Stanley Kramer and Steven Spielberg.
Prince won the Oscar for Best Original Song Score in 1984 for "Purple Rain." He has won four Grammys -- two for "Purple Rain," one for his recording of "Kiss," and one for Best R&B Song of 1984 for the Chaka Khan hit "I Feel for You."
