Buzz Briefs: Ludacris, Barack Obama

Obama Campaign Rejects Rapper's Rhymes

Barack Obama's presidential campaign says a new rhyme by supporter and rapper Ludacris is "outrageously offensive" to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Republican Sen. John McCain and President Bush.

The song brags about an Obama presidency being destiny. It uses an expletive to describe Clinton, calls Bush "mentally handicapped" and says McCain doesn't belong in "any chair unless he's paralyzed."

The lyrics don't spare the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who recently apologized for making crude comments about Obama. "If you said it then you meant it," intones the rapper.

Obama's campaign blasted "Politics as Usual," which is on the "Gangsta Grillz: The Preview" mixtape with Atlanta spinner DJ Drama.

"As Barack Obama has said many, many times in the past, rap lyrics today too often perpetuate misogyny, materialism, and degrading images that he doesn't want his daughters or any children exposed to," campaign spokesman Bill Burton said in an e-mail statement Wednesday. "This song is not only outrageously offensive to Sen. Clinton, Rev. Jackson, Sen. McCain and President Bush, it is offensive to all of us who are trying to raise our children with the values we hold dear. While Ludacris is a talented individual he should be ashamed of these lyrics."

J.K. Rowling's Fairy Tales Published For Charity

A book of fairy tales written and illustrated by Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling is being published for charity.

The Children's High Level Group says it hopes to raise 4 million pounds ($8 million) through sales of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard." Rowling co-founded the charity, which supports institutionalized children.

The book is a collection of five wizarding tales referred to in Rowling's Potter saga. It was initially produced in an edition of seven handwritten copies. One was bought by retailer Amazon at an auction in December for almost 2 million pounds ($4 million).

The book will be published Dec. 4 by Bloomsbury in Britain and Scholastic in the United States. Amazon plans a more expensive collectors' edition priced at 50 pounds ($100).

Alicia Keys Snubs Out Cigarette Branding

Philip Morris International has pulled down billboards and posters promoting an Alicia Keys concert Thursday in Indonesia's capital after the singer protested the cigarette company's sponsorship.

The logo and slogans of A Mild cigarettes, produced by a Philip Morris affiliate, featured prominently in promotional materials for the concert.

The Washington-based Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids anti-smoking organization initially drew Keys' attention to the company's association with the show.

In a letter released by her record company, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, she said she had asked the company to stop the branding.

"I am an unyielding advocate for the well-being of children around the world and do not condone or endorse smoking," she said.

Philip Morris International did not say whether it was demanding its money back, nor reveal how much it had paid to sponsor the event.

"Whether tobacco sponsorship of music events leads to youth smoking is a matter of serious debate," the company said in a statement received Thursday. "Having considered the facts in this specific instance, we have decided to withdraw all branding associated with this concert."

In the United States, Philip Morris USA and other major tobacco companies are prohibited from sponsorships of concerts, but there are no such regulations in Indonesia.

Money Woes Postpone India.Arie's Broadway Debut

India.Arie will have to wait a little longer to make her Broadway debut.

A revival of Ntozake Shange's "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf," which was to have starred the Grammy-winning singer, has been postponed.

The delay occurred because the loss of one of the production's backers, producers Whoopi Goldberg and DreamTeam Entertainment Group announced Wednesday. No word on when the show would be rescheduled.

The play, directed by Shirley Jo Finney and choreographed by Hinton Battle, was to have opened Sept. 8 at Circle in the Square.

"For Colored Girls...," a prose-poem portrait of black women in America, originally featured Shange and Trazana Beverley, who won a Tony for her performance. It was an off-Broadway hit for the Public Theater in 1976 before transferring to Broadway for a run of more than 700 performances.

Armani Announces Solange As New Armani Jeans Global Ambassador

Giorgio Armani announced Wednesday that singer and songwriter Solange Knowles is the new Armani Jeans ambassador.

Armani says, "Armani Jeans expresses my vision of a young, independent, casual lifestyle with a strong and cool, fashion sensibility. Solange epitomises this style perfectly and brings to it that swing so evident in her new single, 'I Decided'."

Dressed in Armani, Solange will begin her European press tour with a stop in London at the end of this month followed by Cannes in early August.

Her sophomore album, titled "SoL-AngeL and the Hadley Street Dreams", will debut on August 26th, 2008 and will be followed by a worldwide tour beginning in late autumn.