Marilyn Manson: Powdery white skin. Jet-black hair. No smile on his crimson lips or in his smoky, contact-lensed eyes. Proud of his freak show persona and wearing alienation like a badge of honor

On April 22's episode of American Idol, renowned composer and lyricist Andrew Lloyd Weber stood patiently trying to teach a blank-eyed Jason Castro the song, "Memory" from one of history's most popular musicals, "Cats."

Bjork's Palme d'Or winning movie Dancer In The Dark is to be turned into a new opera. The acclaimed 2000 film, which was a sensation at the Cannes Film Festival, is to receive an opera adaptation in filmmaker Lars von Trier's native Denmark, according to Daily Variety.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - The Danish director Lars Von Trier said a period of depression has left him unable to work and he has doubts about when he will return to filmmaking.

Icelandic singer Bjork does not rate her performance in Dancer In The Dark despite winning an industry award for the role. Bjork admits she only took on the part to please director Lars von Trier because he had also given her the opportunity to write the soundtrack.

Since leaving The Sugarcubes almost 15 years ago, Björk has charted a musical course as unpredictable and challenging as it is inspiring and beautiful. Rhino Records follows the artistic adventures of the mercurial singer/songwriter/sonic sculptor with Surrounded. Presented in deluxe "brick" packaging, the seven-DualDisc collection contains 5.1 remastered versions of Björk's six studio albums expanded to include each album's videos.