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MYA: RUNNER-UP ON "DANCING WITH THE STARS"

NEW YORK (AP) — No mirror ball trophy for Mya. She was edged out by Donny Osmond last night, who wins the ninth season of "Dancing with Stars." Mya had been among the top scorers and a favorite of the judges. She even had the top scores this week from the judges. But the judges weren't impressed by her freestyle on Monday night. Osmond has been a consistent fan favorite. And he had a strong finish, scoring his first perfect 10s of the season Monday night. Mya says she's "so happy to have made it to the finals." Kelly Osbourne is the third-place finisher.

Sound:

<<CUT …001 (11/25/09)>> 00:19 "and Kym (cheers)"

Tom Bergeron, host of "Dancing with the Stars"

"Dancing with the Stars" host Tom Bergeron announces the winning couple of season nine. COURTESY: ABC ((mandatory on-air credit))

<<CUT …002 (11/25/09)>> 00:09 "''

Donny Osmond, winner of "Dancing with the Stars"

This is sound of "Dancing with the Stars" winner Donny Osmond picking up his wife Debbie and carrying her onto the dance floor. COURTESY: ABC ((mandatory on-air credit))

<<CUT …003 (11/25/09)>> 00:06 "of our lives"

Mya, runner-up on "Dancing with the Stars"

Mya says being on "Dancing with the Stars" was a great experience, even if she didn't win. COURTESY: ABC ((mandatory on-air credit))

<<CUT …004 (11/25/09)>> 00:09 "so thank you"

Kelly Osbourne, third-place finisher on "Dancing with the Stars"

Kelly Osbourne says she's been amazed by the viewers. COURTESY: ABC ((mandatory on-air credit))

<<CUT …005 (11/25/09)>> 00:19 "''

Excerpt of Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson in their final performance Tuesday, an Argentine tango

This is sound of Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson in their final performance Tuesday, an Argentine tango. COURTESY: ABC ((mandatory on-air credit))

<<CUT …006 (11/25/09)>> 00:29 "''

Excerpt of "Dancing With the Stars" theme

This is archive audio of the "Dancing With the Stars" theme. COURTESY: ABC ((mandatory on-air credit))

WHITNEY HOUSTON: A VOCAL MISSTEP ON "DANCING WITH THE STARS"

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Whitney Houston did her comeback effort no favors with her appearance last night on "Dancing With The Stars." She took the stage to perform her classic hit "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" — but her voice left a lot to be desired. She seemed winded after coming down from the steps that made up the DWTS set — and seemed to be gasping for breath throughout the song. The song was stepped down to compensate for her reduced range and the backup singers handled the chorus that Whitney used to belt out effortlessly when she was in her prime.

JAMES BROWN/ISLEY BROTHERS: RECORDINGS INDUCTED INTO GRAMMY HALL OF FAME

LOS ANGELES (AP) — People have danced to them and sung along with them for decades. Now songs by James Brown and the Isley Brothers are being added to a list of tunes inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Among the songs to be inducted are Brown's "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" and the Isleys' "Twist and Shout." In all, 25 recordings are in the latest batch to be inducted. Others include "Riders On The Storm" by The Doors and "California Girls" by the Beach Boys. The Grammy Hall now contains 851 titles.

On the Net:

The Recording Academy site: http://www.grammy.com

Sound:

<<CUT …009 (11/25/09)>> 00:49 "''

Excerpt of "It's A Man's Man's Man's World"

This is archived audio of "It's A Man's Man's Man's World," performed by James Brown.

<<CUT …013 (11/25/09)>> 00:47 "''

Excerpt of Isley Brothers

This is a bit of "Twist and Shout" by the Isley Brothers, one of the songs to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

ADAM LAMBERT: CBS CLEANS UP AFTER ABC

NEW YORK (AP) — What he did on the AMAs will keep him off GMA but CBS is trumping ABC by putting him on. We'll spell all of that out for you. After Adam Lambert's American Music Awards performance drew complaints, ABC decided to cancel his scheduled appearance today on "Good Morning America." The network says it was worried that the openly gay singer might try some kind of repeat performance for their early-to-rise audience. ABC says there was no pressure to dump Lambert from its parent company, Disney. Either way, CBS decided it would bring Lambert on this morning. The network's "Early Show" tried to book him before and when ABC pulled the plug, CBS stepped in. The show says Lambert will be interviewed, perform live and answer questions from the audience. The show's executive producer says Lambert won't sing "For Your Entertainment," the one he did at the AMA's — and that he has been spoken to about the show's audience and what was expected of him. Of course, ABC felt it had similar promises before he went on live on Sunday night.

ADAM LAMBERT: WILL ABC GET BACKLASH FROM GMA BAN?

NEW YORK (AP) — So, will ABC's "Good Morning America" catch flak from gay rights supporters for dropping Adam Lambert from the show today? The show's Web site has been flooded with viewer comments about the cancellation — some suggested the network was being homophobic. Officials with ABC News spoke to the officials with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Discrimination about the decision to scrub Lambert's repeat performance on ABC. A spokesman for GLAAD says the network claims the decision had nothing to do with Lambert's being gay. Richard Ferraro says ABC also told GLAAD it would work with Lambert and other homosexual performers in the future. At the same time, the president of the group says the decision to drop Lambert because of the AMA performance "is disappointing."

50 CENT: PAIN AS A MOTIVATOR

NEW YORK (AP) — Some people prefer to look back on the happier times in their life. But 50 Cent says when he looks back on painful moments he is more creative. So that's where he mined a lot of his material for his latest album, "Before I Self Destruct." He withdraws some painful situations from his memory bank for many of the songs. He says he finds that "pain is more monumental than joy" — and that he is more likely to recall times he was in "a really hurtful situation" faster than a time he was laughing it up. Fiddy says to him, this album is "almost the prequel" to his last album, "Get Rich Or Die Tryin.'"

On the Net:

50 Cent site: http://www.50cent.com

Sound:

<<CUT …023 (11/25/09)>> 00:08 "to "Get Rich''"

50 Cent

50 Cent says his new album goes back to things he experienced before he wrote "Get Rich or Die Tryin."

<<CUT …024 (11/25/09)>> 00:07 "innocence to it"

50 Cent

50 says some of the experiences he raps about in his album date back to when he was a little kid.

<<CUT …025 (11/25/09)>> 00:11 "I was laughing"

50 Cent

50 says to him, painful things are more inspirational to him musically than good times.

<<CUT …026 (11/25/09)>> 00:06 "like I'm Will"

50 Cent

In view of his single "Baby By Me," 50 is asked which celebrity he'd pick to be his "baby mama." (Refers to Will Smith)

TYLER PERRY: FILMMAKER DONATES $1 MILLION TO NAACP

BALTIMORE (AP) — Tyler Perry has always spoken out in support of the NAACP — and he's also putting a huge chunk of money where his mouth is. He has donated $1 million to the civil rights organization to mark the group's 100th anniversary. The NAACP says the gift is the largest donation from an individual in its history. The money will be spread out over four years. In a statement Perry says the efforts of thousands within the NAACP over the years have helped pave the way for his success in the film industry.

R. KELLY: DOING SOMETHING FOR THE SOLDIERS

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's a big treat for the men and women in uniform. R. Kelly is providing a double dose of holiday cheer tonight for those at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. He will provide a meal for 200 servicemen and women at Walter Reed. And the soldiers will also get to see him perform tonight at his concert in town. The singer says he wants to say thanks to those who keep the country safe.

JENNIFER HUDSON: PERFORMS AT OBAMA'S FIRST STATE DINNER

WASHINGTON (AP) — She had to sing for her supper — but that was no biggie for Jennifer Hudson. Besides her meal, she got a side dish of history thrown in. She performed last night at the White House state dinner for India's prime minister. It's the first one for the Obama administration — so she becomes the first to perform at a state dinner hosted by the nation's first African-American president. Also invited to the White House event was A.R. Rahman, who arranged the score for the Oscar-winning movie "Slumdog Millionaire."

Sound: 4:32 aes

ALFRE WOODARD/BLAIR UNDERWOOD: AMONG STARS AT OBAMA'S FIRST STATE DINNER

WASHINGTON (AP) — They didn't have a direct connection to India. But Alfre Woodard and Blair Underwood do now — in that they were among the first guest at the first state dinner of the Obama administration — an event that hosted India's prime minister. Woodard acknowledged that she was invited to the event because she's a member of Obama's arts council and Underwood says he was tagging along with Woodard. Both traditional evening gowns and colorful saris were in evidence as the crowd mixed and mingled in a huge tent on the White House South Lawn.

Sound: 4:32 aes

NBA UNIS TO BE MADE IN ASIA?

WASHINGTON (AP) — The occasional goofups at the Summer Olympics aside, most believe the best basketball players in the world are in the NBA. And, the NBA players' jerseys have always been made in the USA. But it looks like soon, the official uniforms sported by stars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade will be made elsewhere. Adidas plans to end its contract with American suppliers and have NBA jerseys made by a factory in Thailand. That would mean the end for 100 jobs at a New York State factory that makes more than half the official NBA gear the players wear. Senator Chuck Schumer (SHOO'-mer) is calling on Adidas to change its mind, saying that shipping the work overseas "is an insult to the American worker and sports fans everywhere in America." Adidas also makes the uniforms and apparel for the NBA, WNBA and the NBA Development League.

On the Net:

Adidas site: http://www.adidas.com

BOBBY BROWN: LOOKING BACK

UNDATED (AP) — On this date in 1985, Bobby Brown took his career in a different direction. He announced he was leaving the group New Edition for a solo career. He has returned for some of the group's reunion projects since then.

WHITNEY HOUSTON: LOOKING BACK

UNDATED (AP) — On this date in 1992, Whitney Houston's first movie, "The Bodyguard," opened nationwide. The movie's theme song "I Will Always Love You" was already a number one song when the film opened.

FLIP WILSON: LOOKING BACK

UNDATED (AP) — On this date in 1998, Flip Wilson died. The comedian was 64 years old and had been suffering from liver cancer. He died on Thanksgiving Day 1998 at his home in Malibu, California.

PERCY SLEDGE: BIRTHDAY

UNDATED (AP) — A birthday today for Percy Sledge. The singer turns 69. He's best known for the hit "When A Man Loves A Woman."

STACY LATTISAW: BIRTHDAY

UNDATED (AP) — She first came into the public eye as a youngster. But now she's 43 years old. Singer Stacy Lattisaw has a birthday today. She's best known for hits like "Let Me Be Your Angel."

ERICK SERMON: BIRTHDAY

UNDATED (AP) — It's a birthday for one of the big names in the rap game back in the day. Erick Sermon turns 410. In addition to his skillz at the mic, Sermon also has spent time at the mixing board producing hits.

by Oscar Wells Gabriel II