After getting hundreds of pledges to tackle the world’s problems at his philanthropic summit, former President Bill Clinton did what any good host would: He threw a huge party.  Music, celebrity and politics mixed Saturday night at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre, where Clinton was joined by Bono, Chris Rock, Shakira and Alicia Keyes for a roundtable discussion on youth activism.

Clinton called on each young member of the audience to “be a citizen servant, a giver, because we have to have a vital society,” before announcing the Clinton Global Initiative’s first youth summit, called CGI U, planned for next year at Tulane University in New Orleans.  Like the three-day Clinton Global Initiative philanthropic summit this week, the college version aims to bring together attendees to tackle global issues like sustainable development and poverty.

The former president and the other superstar panelists took questions from the audience before giving up the stage to performances by hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean and soulful singer Keyes.  Clinton got some laughs from the crowd when he told them he was fulfilling a lifelong ambition.

“You know, I grew up playing music, and all my life I’ve wanted to play the Apollo,” he said.

At this week’s event, participants including heads of state, celebrities and business executives made 245 pledges on efforts such as treating neglected tropical diseases, protecting forests and enabling children to go to school for the first time.  Many of the celebrities on hand Saturday night had already made promises this past week at the summit.

Shakira said she would commit $40 million to help Peru and Nicaragua through ALAS, a coalition of artists and intellectuals committed to social change in Latin America.  MTV, which is partnering with the Clinton initiative on the youth activism summit, was to broadcast Saturday’s event on several of its networks and online at its recently launched Think.MTV.com Web site.

As in most train wrecks, it was hard to focus on just one thing as the Britney Spears disaster unfolded. There was just so much that went wrong.  Out-of-synch lip-synching. Lethargic movements that seemed choreographed by a dance instructor for a nursing home. The paunch in place of Spears’ once-taut belly. At times she just stopped singing altogether, as if even she knew nothing could save her performance.

Designed to drum up excitement for her upcoming album, Spears’ kickoff to the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night became another example of how far she has fallen. It would have been understandable if MTV’s show had been crushed under the weight of the opening fiasco — yet somehow it rebounded, and even flourished.  The show banked heavily on its own reinvention. After poor reviews and a decline in ratings over the last few years, MTV moved the show to Vegas, shortened it from three hours to two, went to a hostless format and focused more on performances than awards.

Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, Kanye West, Fall Out Boy and the Foo Fighters hosted separate suite parties where most of the performances took place.  But the performance most people will be talking about was Spears’. And unlike her last VMAs appearance, when she locked lips with Madonna in 2003, this time it will be for all the wrong reasons.

Lucky for the show things did get a little better later on.  Rihanna won the coveted Video of the Year award, plus Monster Single of the Year for “Umbrella.” The Best Group was Fallout Boy, and Gym Class Heroes won Best New Artist.  Beyonce and Shakira won Most Earthshattering Collaboration for “Beautiful Liar.” Beyonce’s shimmering gold dress barely contained her top; immediately after she picked up her trophy she asked an assistant backstage to help fix her dress, apparently to prevent a wardrobe malfunction.

Other performers appeared on the show’s main stage, in front of an industry-only audience seated at tables, like at the Golden Globes. Chris Brown gave one of the evening’s most extravagant performances — hopping from table to table in a dance spectacle that channeled Michael Jackson, right down to a brief “Billie Jean” imitation.

Alicia Keys had the evening’s most rousing performance, debuting her new song “No One” and then an inspired, choir-backed cover of George Michael’s “Freedom.”  While performances like Keys’ and Spears’ were delivered on the main stage, others came in snippets: Akon crooned a bit of his “Smack That” before an award was announced, while the cameras zoomed in on Fall Out Boy and the Foo Fighters mid-performance in their suites, giving viewers the sense that they had happened upon an intimate concert.

Poor Britney is fodder again for the tabloids.

Promoters are taking action after tickets for a rumoured Led Zeppelin comeback gig are being advertised.   Despite no official confirmation from the band, hotel and ticket packages are being sold for upwards of £269 for gigs at London’s O2 Arena.

The company offering the deal has now been reported to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).    Promoter Harvey Goldsmith has issued a statement to warn the fans not to fall victiom to ticket touts:

“There have been at least four events advertised which I suspect either don’t exist or where no tickets are on sale or indeed dates finalized. These are the very people whom our industry has spent over a year trying to convince the DCMS to instigate outlawing.  The media should consider the consequences of giving credibility to those who rip the public off.

There are NO packages or tickets for some the events advertised at all, nor do some of the events even exist. We are concerned that the public will be fleeced. The bottom line is that unless official adverts have appeared for concerts, tickets are not on sale. Do not buy from unauthorized sources.”

Goldsmith is promoting Bruce Springsteen’s date and confirms that tickets are sold out and that there are no packages available at this time.   There is still no official word on whether Led Zeppelin’s rumoured comeback will happen.  So there is still hope!

Fox, this Monday invited “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest to emcee the network’s broadcast of the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 16.  I must admit I do like this guy, he really has a great low-key way of doing things.

“Ryan Seacrest is a consummate host of major live broadcast events and a proven talent who always makes it easy, which makes the perfect choice for this year’s Emmy telecast,” said Fox’s president of alternative entertainment Mike Darnell.

Seacrest has emerged as Fox’s host in residence for high-profile specials. The “Idol” host was recently tapped for pregame and halftime hosting duties for the network’s upcoming coverage of the Super Bowl.

While Seacrest is a logical choice for Fox, he is a somewhat unorthodox pick for the Emmy Awards ceremony which are usually fronted by a comedian.

“This year’s show will be different in a number of ways,” said Emmys executive producer Ken Ehrlich. “The freshness, enthusiasm and professionalism that Ryan brings to everything he does will be a perfect match for some of the innovative things we have planned.”

Poor Briteny Spears looks to be headed for more legal and tabloid headaches.  A court commissioner said Tuesday he would consider a motion by a magazine and a TV station to unseal documents in the Britney Spears-Kevin Federline divorce case.

“They’re appropriate participants in here,” Superior Court Commissioner Scott M. Gordon said of the request by People magazine and KNBC, on behalf of the celebrity news show “Access Hollywood.”

Spears and Federline weren’t present for the hearing. Gordon scheduled another hearing for Sept. 14 to give their attorneys time to make their case for keeping the documents under seal. Spears’ divorce from Federline became official July 30.

After the hearing, Federline attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan said the documents contain information about the schedules of the couple’s children and other details that could put them in jeopardy.

“It would be best for the children that they not be exposed,” Kaplan said.

He gave no specific examples of threats to the children.

Spears attorney Laura Wasser did not address reporters at the courthouse and did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Lawyer Alonzo Wickers, who represents KNBC and People magazine, said in an interview that attorneys for the former couple have not been able to prove that their concerns outweigh the public’s right of access to court records.

“Celebrities have to meet the same high burden to justify the sealing of court records” as other people, he said.

Since February, Spears, 25, and Federline, 29, have shared joint custody of their sons, 22-month-old Sean Preston and 10-month-old Jayden James.

Kaplan said Federline is seeking additional custody because the two boys are “isolated from risks” when they are with his client. He declined to elaborate.

A hearing on the custody modification request is set for Sept. 17.  I am all for protecting the child but please let this media circus stop.

The youngest ever American Idol winner, Jordin Sparks has officially signed a recording contract with 19Recordings/Jive Records.  I am a little surprised it took so long.  I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that she is a ‘big girl’, I would like to think not but she is talented and very beautiful so I can’t imagine why this deal did not happen sooner.

“We’re thrilled to welcome the partnership with 19 Recordings and Jordin Sparks as the first Idol winner to make her home at Jive,” Barry Weiss, CEO and president of Zomba Label Group, said in a statement. “Her poise, her amazing vocal ability, her relentless optimism has been apparent to millions of fans all around the world. We’re honored to have this burgeoning worldwide superstar on Jive Records.”

“American Idol has truly been a life-altering experience,” Sparks said. “Signing with 19 Recordings/Jive and Barry Weiss and his great team is hopefully the beginning of another dream opportunity for me to deliver the kind of meaningful music I love. I can’t wait to share this next chapter of my story with all the fans that have supported me so far.”

American Idol creator Simon Fuller expressed his belief that Sparks had made a wise choice. “You couldn’t find a better match in or out of this business than Jive Records, 19 Recordings and Jordin Sparks,” he said.  It sounds like a great match to me to.

I am sure you’ve heard this one before: Pete Doherty may be going to prison on a litany of drug charges…or not.  A London judge is once again giving the arrest-prone rocker the benefit of the doubt, postponing his sentencing on drug charges for one month to better assess the progress of the Babyshambles frontman.

District Judge Davinder Lachlar issued a now familiar ultimatum to the 28-year-old, telling him that if sufficient progress has not been made to sober up, he will be put behind bars.  “What I have in mind is to adjourn this matter for four weeks to assess his motivation,” Lachlar said in court. “What I have in mind is a community order or prison…if he does not show his motivation, it’s prison—simple as that.”

I really hope this legendary rocker gets some professional help or his life might end up being sadly cut short.

Apple. has begun selling downloads of tracks from 16 of John Lennon’s post-Beatles albums, including “Working Class Hero” and “John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band,” on iTunes, the company said Tuesday.  The albums represent Lennon’s recording output while he was with Capitol Records, a unit of Britain’s EMI Group PLC.

While many of the late singer-songwriter’s solo recordings have been available for download commercially elsewhere, this marks the first time they have been available on Apple’s market-leading online music service. Songs on two albums — “Lennon Legend” and “Acoustic” — were being made available for download exclusively on iTunes, the company said.

Video content was also being included with the purchase of some of the albums for a limited time. The Lennon tracks will also be available without copy-protection restrictions and in higher-quality audio for $1.29 each. Regular versions are priced at 99 cents each.

“John would have loved the fact that his music will now be available in a format suited to a new generation of listeners,” Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, said in a statement released by Apple.  I would have to agree, John is probably very happy if he is watching down on us.