Music News : Woman Pleads to Stalking Singer

Woman Pleads to Stalking Singer
The Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, NM -- A former national laboratory worker has admitted that she used government computers to access the e-mail account of Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington and hacked into a cell phone company's Web site to obtain his phone number.

Devon Townsend, 28, appeared Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Scott and pleaded guilty to charges including stalking and unlawful access to stored communications.

Townsend faces up to five years in prison and fines up to $250,000 for each count. A sentencing date has not been scheduled. Townsend's lawyer, Ray Twohig, did not return messages Friday.

Townsend, who worked in Sandia National Laboratories' technology and manufacturing group, used lab computers to access private information about Bennington and his wife, Talinda, from January 2006 to November 2006.

According to a plea agreement filed Friday, Townsend said she was able to access family photos, information about a new home bought by the Benningtons, the couple's travel plans, and correspondence between Warner Bros. Records and Linkin Park's business attorney --- including a copy of a check made to Bennington from the record company and a copy of the band's recording contract.

Townsend also accessed the couple's cell phone accounts online and was able to download digital phone pictures and monitor voice messages.

"On at least one occasion, knowing that Chester Bennington was in Arizona, I traveled to Arizona solely for the purpose of trying to see him," Townsend said in the plea agreement. "While I was there, I monitored Chester Bennington's voice mails as a means of trying to locate where he might be eating dinner or lunch."

Investigators said Townsend also hacked into the e-mail of Bennington's wife and at one point called the former Playboy model and threatened her.

Court documents also said investigators searched Townsend's home in Albuquerque and found Linkin Park posters, autographed band memorabilia, pictures of Townsend with Chester Bennington, bootlegged Linkin Park music, and copies of messages and photographs intercepted from the Bennington family's e-mail accounts.

A call and e-mail message to Linkin Park's publicist were not immediately returned Friday.

Source : http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=267457

Princes ready for Diana concert

Princes ready for Diana concert

The concert in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales will be an "incredible" night of music, Prince William and Prince Harry have said.

The concert, at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, will commemorate their mother's life almost 10 years after she died.

The princes toured the stadium to oversee preparations for the event, which will feature stars such as Sir Elton John and Lily Allen.
More than 62,000 music fans are expected at the event.

Harry, 22, described the transformation of Wembley Stadium from a football venue to a music arena as "amazing".

'Very lucky'
Speaking at a press conference after watching singer Joss Stone and her band perform a 20-minute sound check William, 25, said: "We're really excited by it.

"You heard Joss Stone singing, it's pretty amazing, we're very lucky to have her and everybody else that's singing along - it's going to make the evening an incredible night."

Among the stars taking to the stage on Sunday, which would have been the princess's 46th birthday, are Rod Stewart, Natasha Bedingfield, James Morrison, and Take That.

The princes also hosted a special lunch where they met poorly children, who are being supported by the charity WellChild - of which Harry is patron - along with their parents and carers.

About 100 children joined the princes at Wembley on Saturday, where they also watched rehearsals for the show.

Sir Elton, 60, a friend of Diana's, provided one of the most moving moments at the princess's funeral in 1997 when he sang a new version of his hit Candle in the Wind.

After the performance he vowed never to play the song again but it is thought he will for Sunday's concert.
Harry, when asked by the BBC if the singer had helped with the planning of the event, replied: "He's helped massively just by saying yes, and obviously a personal request from us is to do Candle In The Wind again. So hopefully he'll be playing that."

The princes have also said they will get up on stage at some point during the concert.
Both BBC Radio 2 and BBC One will be broadcasting live from the event.

Source : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6256842.stm