Lisa Stansfield

Creating high-energy dance songs for female pop stars is a crowded business in 2012, one dominated by professional hit makers such as Diplo, Max Martin and Dr. Luke. So you can understand why the Scottish writer-producer Calvin Harris, who broke through in the U.S. last year with Rihanna's chart-topping "We Found Love," diversifies his attack on "18 Months. " The third album he's released under his own name, it contains relatively grimy collaborations with English rappers ("Here 2 China," featuring Dizzee Rascal)

"Life After Death," the posthumous double CD by the Notorious B.I.G. continues its reign atop the pop sales charts after selling approximately 197,000 copies last week, according to SoundScan. That total brings the album's three-week sales to an estimated 1.2 million copies. The week's highest charting debut was the Chemical Brothers' "Dig Your Own Hole," which entered the charts at No. 14 with 48,000 copies sold.

Irish pop singer Sinead O'Connor took the best video of the year honor and pushed aside Madonna to win best video by a female at the seventh annual MTV Music Video Awards on Thursday night at the Universal Amphitheater. "I don't really know what to say, except thank you very much, and peace," said O'Connor, 23. Madonna, whose stylish black and white "Vogue" video was a heavy favorite, instead captured the best direction statue for videographer David Fincher.

Strings soared, three background singers lilting "nevuh-nevuh-nevuh-nevuh" and '70s soul legend Barry White lumbered onto the Universal Amphitheatre stage Sunday dressed in a shiny copper suit, rumbling a welcome in his famous subsonic bass, crooning "Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up." Women swooned. Two songs later, he strolled the perimeter of the Universal pit, not missing a beat, as women lunged to kiss him.

There's a scene in "Crooklyn" in which Spike Lee's early-'70s family dances along to the funky steps on TV's "Soul Train." Were that family to be transported two decades forward in time, the group they'd no doubt recognize and love best would be the Brand New Heavies, whose soul sound is neither heavy nor brand-new, but who still very effectively manage to shake the dust off the sucker.

An American in Cannes? There will be lots for the famed film festival that starts on Wednesday. And most, from movie stars to executives to journalists to mere hangers-on, count on Julie Sisk, 43, the founder and operator of the American Pavilion. The corporate-sponsored home-away-from-home with American food, news and the NBA playoffs live on TV is now in its 12th year. YADA YADA: "Last year we had the final 'Seinfeld' episode on.