NEW YORK, May 9 (UPI) -- U.S. singer and actress Jennifer Hudson, who won an Oscar for her work in "Dreamgirls," said she is working on her first solo album.

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Lifetime Television has ordered a script for a drama inspired by hit songwriter Diane Warren from Craig Zadan and Neil Meron's Storyline Entertainment. The duo created the project, which was originally developed for ABC, with their television deal through

NEW YORK, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Texas pop singer Paula DeAnda didn't want to sound any older than her 16 years on her debut album.

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- Prolific songwriter Diane Warren -- or at least her music -- is the inspiration for a romantic comedy being developed at ABC.

NASHVILLE, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Thursday named Kenny Chesney as the recipient of its highest country music award.

LOS ANGELES, June 11 (UPI) -- Uncle Kracker's "72 and Sunny" album, due out at the end of the month, features reconciliation songs from the Detroit rocker's recent brush with divorce.

NEW YORK, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Country teen idol LeAnn Rimes is coming of age, turning 21 Thursday and is in New York to launch the release of "Jag."

Madonna, a music industry beacon for the past 20 years, is pointing the way toward a new cooperation between retail and online marketers.

Today's birthdays include Tornadoes keyboardist Roger Lavern, who was born in 1938 (age 64); Jesse Colin Young in 1944 (age 58); Chris Dreja of the Yardbirds and Vanilla Fudge's Vincent Martell, both in 1945 (age 57); Paul Cowsill of the Cowsills in 1950