Lands

Snoop Dogg has been called many things over the course of his two-decade career -- Snoop Doggy Dogg, Bigg Snoop Dogg and Snoop D-O Double G are just a few of the monikers. When the multi-platinum rapper announced last summer that he'd been reborn as Snoop Lion and would trade in the menacing gangster rap that made him a superstar for rasta patois and issue a disc soaked in reggae rhythms , reaction was mixed, with a few critics writing it off as a gimmick. The rapper-turned-Rastafarian has announced his new album, Snoop Lion's debut, “Reincarnated,” will arrive on April 23. RELATED: Snoop Lion: 'La La La' and a rapper's transition into reggae Executive produced by Diplo and his Major Lazer production team (who even gave Beyoncé a sampling of their dancehall influences)

Dominican American writer Junot Diaz is on the shortlist for the Sunday Times EFG Private Bank short story award. The British prize is said to be the world's largest for a single short story: The winner will receive more than $45,000. It's Diaz's story " Miss Lora " that made the list. The story is in his 2012 collection "This Is How You Lose Her. " There are five other authors in contention for the prize: Sarah Hall, Toby Litt, Ali Smith, Mark Haddon, and Cynan Jones. Smith is Scottish, Jones was born in Wales and the others are English.

The story of one of the greatest jam sessions in music history comes alive in “ Million Dollar Quartet ,” the latest Broadway show to arrive in Las Vegas . The musical opened this month in the Harrah's Showroom. The production tells the true story of the December 1956 gathering of four legendary musicians - Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley - at Sun Records in Memphis . Sun founder Sam Phillips, often referred to as the father of rock 'n' roll, helped launch the careers of each of the recording artists.

Since their heart-wrenching appearance at Michael Jackson's funeral in 2009, the King of Pop's three children have largely remained out of the media glare. Now, almost four years later, one of the music icon's sons has decided to step into the spotlight. Prince Michael Jackson, 16 - older brother to Paris, 14, and Blanket, 10 - has signed on to be a guest correspondent for the daily celebrity news show “Entertainment Tonight.” His first assignment, interviewing the director and stars of the upcoming film “Oz: The Great and Powerful,” will air in segments on the program throughout the remainder of the week.

QUITO, Ecuador - Ecuador's incumbent president, Rafael Correa, swept to an easy reelection victory Sunday, winning 58% of the vote according to a preliminary official sampling - an overwhelming margin that entitles him to a third term without having a runoff. The 49-year-old leftist economist easily outdistanced his closest finishers, banker Guillermo Lasso with 24%, former President Lucio Gutierrez with 6%, and banana exporter Alvaro Noboa with 4%, according to a snap count released by the national electoral commission.

Star sightings are common at the Grove, but on Thursday the breathless anticipation was for the grand opening of fashion retailer Topshop and its men's brand, Topman. The long-awaited debut marked the British brands' first West Coast store and brought out hordes of shoppers, some of whom stood in line for hours. "I'm pumped. We've been waiting for so long and now it's finally getting close," said Sydney Nassiri, 17, who arrived at the Grove at 9 a.m. with her friend Laurel Bylin.

TV Land has picked up a new sitcom that would center on Kirstie Alley as a Broadway star/new parent. Titled "Kirstie's New Show," the show features Alley as Madison Banks, a renowned Broadway star who gets thrown a curve ball when the son she gave up at birth returns to reconnect after his adoptive parents have died. The series would reunite Alley with former "Cheers" costar Rhea Perlman, who will play her best friend. "Seinfeld" alum Michael Richards stars as Banks' driver, Frank.

Kate Upton looks [blank] on the cover of the 2013 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. While many adjectives might spring to mind, Upton filled in the blank herself Friday after the image used on the front of the annual issue was released to the public. "I look...Cold lol," Upton tweeted. No doubt that's how the model was feeling at the time of the photo shoot, which took place in Antarctica. "Took us 2 months to thaw out," she said in another tweet.  Upton and nine other SI swimsuit models will appear on "Late Night with David Letterman" on Monday night.

A college education can be an investment in your future. But if you can't land a decent-paying job, that investment can leave you saddled with debt. So a small Christian university in Michigan, Spring Arbor University, is offering a sort of money-back guarantee. "Money-back" as in you won't have to give all the money back if you don't get a good gig. The school's program guarantees that students and their parents will receive help in repaying loans if a graduate's income fails to meet certain benchmarks.

The Southeastern Conference conducted its annual player draft Wednesday in advance of winning its eighth straight national title next season. There's nothing like national SEC signing day, with other conferences participating the way the Washington Generals participate against the Globetrotters. OK, that's an incredible, attention-grabbing, inflammatory, hyperbolic reach. This reign of terror won't go on forever … will it? There were a few encouraging push-backs out there as Ohio State, which lured former Florida Coach Urban Meyer out of retirement to make the Buckeyes into an SEC team, ended up battling Alabama and Florida for recruiting-day supremacy.