Culturite

Some of the biggest female singers on the planet have gotten together to record vocals for a star-studded single called “Just Stand Up,” benefiting the Stand Up to Cancer campaign. The unprecedented gathering features vocals from Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood. The tune is being produced by the powerhouse duo of Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds and Antonio “L.A.” Reid, who are working together for the first time in nearly 20 years on the track.

The song will be available for purchase exclusively on iTunes on September 2 and will get its TV premiere on September 5 during the live “Just Stand Up” special, which will air simultaneously and commercial-free on CBS, ABC and NBC. According to a press release announcing the project, the song was conceived by Reid, the chairman of the Island Def Jam Music Group, after a meeting with the women behind the Stand Up to Cancer campaign.

Among the stars confirmed to either appear or answer phones on the TV broadcast so far are: Casey Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Christina Applegate, Lance Armstrong, Abigail Breslin, Josh Brolin, David Cook, Dana Delany, Fran Drescher, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kirsten Dunst, Elizabeth Edwards, Jon Favreau, America Ferrera, Neil Patrick Harris, Salma Hayek, Scarlett Johansson, Masi Oka, Danica Patrick, Christina Ricci, Robin Roberts, Homer Simpson, Marge Simpson, Meryl Streep, Hilary Swank, Charlize Theron, Goran Visnjic, Forest Whitaker and Reese Witherspoon.

“Samantha Who?” star Christina Applegate, 36, is free of cancer after having both breasts removed to combat the disease, the actress told a U.S. television news show on Tuesday.

Applegate, who revealed her diagnosis for breast cancer earlier this month, had the double mastectomy performed a month after her diagnosis, she said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

The actress, who stars on the ABC sitcom “Samantha Who?,” said she bore a genetic risk for developing breast cancer, and she said her surgery was meant to prevent the cancer she suffered in one breast from coming back. But she said it was difficult to have both breasts surgically removed.

Applegate told “Good Morning America” she is starting a charitable foundation to help women meet the costs of MRI exams, which is how her disease was discovered.

The actress also will appear on upcoming TV fundraiser “Stand Up to Cancer” singing alongside Mariah Carey, Beyonce and Sheryl Crow, who also has battled breast cancer.

The popular mix sharing site Muxtape has been taken offline so that administrators can “sort out a problem with the RIAA,” according to a note that appears on the site.

Muxtape fans can derive some hope from the fact that Muxtape’s note predicts the outage will be only “for a brief period,” but for now, mixes created on the site are unavailable and new mixes cannot be made.

However, the labels represented by the RIAA no longer appear willing to give the site a free pass. When users upload songs to Muxtape, they’re technically infringing on the copyright holder’s exclusive right to make a copy of the song. And when Muxtape streams the songs to other users, it’s liable for streaming royalties.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week and a half (and probably even if you have), you’ve undoubtedly heard the name Michael Phelps many, many times. The record setting swimmer from the US not only won an unprecedented eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, but is perhaps (and waaay more importantly) the longest running “trending topic” on Twitter search.

And today the 23-year-old from Baltimore has yet another accomplishment to add to his social media resume: one million Facebook fans! With a little prodding from the social network (the site has been congratulating him and directing US users towards his fan page – see below), Phelps is now second only to Barack Obama in fans, and is quickly approaching 50,000 wall posts too.

Former pop star Gary Glitter has been deported from Vietnam after spending almost three years in jail for sexually abusing two girls.

Glitter, 64, real name Paul Francis Gadd, is on board a flight to Thailand, where he is due to change planes to fly back to the UK.

But his lawyer says he could travel from Thailand to another destination.

Glitter sold millions of records as a glam rock star in the 1970s, with hits including I’m the Leader of the Gang.

He was convicted in March 2006 for molesting two Vietnamese girls aged 11 and 12, having been in custody since the previous November.

His lawyer, Le Thanh Kinh, has said the Vietnamese authorities intend to deport Glitter to the UK, but that he could use his British passport to travel anywhere.