Wednesday Roundup

Buju Banton was sentenced to 15 years to life in his cocain conspiracy trial yesterday. He was not charged with possession of a firearm, but was detained by court and his bail was revoked. Several years after assaulting then girlfriend Rihanna, the restraining order against Chris Brown has been lifted. The order orginally asked that he stay at least 50 yards away from her. He can now speak with her as long as he doesn't annoy, harass or molest her. Aretha Franklin recently released a statement regarding Fantasia being left out of the Grammy tribute to the legendary singer. Franklin stated that Fantasia is a young artist and as such will not always get an opportunity to do everything she would like. In other Aretha Franklin news, she will reportedly give talk show host Wendy Williams an exclusive interview. No word on when the show will air. Rapper Rick Ross took to Twitter to announce that his Maybach Music Group has inked a distribution deal with Warner Bros. Although Ross will remain signed to Def Jam, his Maybach Music Group artists Wale, Meek Mill and Triple C will all be released through Warner Bros. No word on when a first project will be released. Singer Rihanna took the stage at the NBA All-Star game with Drake and Kanye West. She went through a medley of her hits before being joined by Drake for the pair's "What's My Name" Kanye West then took the stage for his set, then Rihanna later joined him to perform their duet "All Of The Lights". The video for the single aired on television for the first time earlier that day. While tuning in to Sunday's Academy Awards, fans will notice that some of the nominations will be films that they may have actually seen. Only time will tell who will walk away with the statue, however. Fox's "American Idol" continues and the competition begins this week, as the top 40 contestants have been chosen. The show should be an exciting one for viewers. On the tube: "American Idol" on Fox, "Survivor: Redemption Island" on CBS, "The Middle" on ABC and "Minute To Win It" on NBC. Happy hump day!