Rihanna

We turn to Rihanna for kicks, sure, but also, thanks to a voice whose limitations give her a supple vulnerability, for a tinge of bittersweet pain. "Talk That Talk" is at its best when it's working that angle, as on chart-topping advance single "We Found Love. " With a fluttering but mildly corrosive guitar and a beat that's somehow booming and gossamer all at once, the openhearted "We All Want Love" is practically lit from within, while Rihanna takes her yearning to the club with the yank-and-stretch techno of "Where Have You Been.

In Plain Sight Friday, 10 p.m., USA This is your last chance to catch this Mary McCormack series about the witness protection program before it disappears from view forever. (Or at least until syndication.) Five years ago the "characters welcome" network took a right turn in Albuquerque and fans have watched McCormack go from prickly WITSEC agent to slightly less prickly WITSEC agent and mom. McCormack isn't vanishing, however, as she may pop up in an ABC sitcom next fall. Saturday Night Live Saturday, 11:30 p.m., Channel 7 How many Patriots fans will be hate-watching this...

Like so many singers who find instant fame with a summertime smash, Rihanna seemed destined for a brief moment in the sun -- say, 12 weeks in 2005 -- as the "Pon de Replay" girl. She would be followed in time-honored fashion by another young dance-pop diva cooing another infectious jam. But Rihanna, an 18-year-old beauty from Barbados, returned this year with a winning new album, "A Girl Like Me," and two more hits. "S.O.S. " traded some island flavor for an edgier club vibe, thanks to the mod riff from Soft Cell's "Tainted Love.

RuPaul's Drag Race 9 p.m., Logo Freshly de-DiDa'd, the competition rages on toward the finish line. And while Latrice Royale, Sharon Needles, Phi Phi O'Hara (pictured), and Chad Michaels may have thought they were the final four, RuPaul has something else up her bedazzled sleeve. Tonight, an eliminated queen makes a surprise re-entry to the race. Will it be the chronically misunderstood Princess? The everything-challenged Madame LaQueer? The mysteriously banished Willem? (If it's that last one, these queens may Ru the day.)

“Rated R’’ is not just an album title - it’s a warning. On her fourth release, out today, pop star Rihanna unleashes a storm, and an umbrella is not going to cut it. There are instances of strong language and depictions of adult situations and violence. And what that “R’’ stands for mutates repeatedly over the course of the album’s 13 dark, tempestuous, and ultimately uneven, tracks. Rage, regret, revenge, resignation, and resilience - the 21-year-old singer displays them all and more in her first release since 2007’s multiplatinum “Good Girl Gone Bad’’ and, more pointedly, her...

Rihanna and Coldplay sing together on the group's latest album, and they'll do so again at next month's Grammy Awards. Rihanna, who is nominated for four Grammys including album of the year for "Loud," tweeted the news to her followers Wednesday night, calling it "BONKERS. " Coldplay is up for three awards. Paul McCartney was announced Thursday by The Recording Academy as another performer on the Feb. 12 broadcast. McCartney is being honored during Grammy week as the MusiCares person of the year.

MANSFIELD — Near the start of her show last night at the Comcast Center a video introduction informed us that when Rihanna sleeps, her dreams become real and this concert was one of them. The urban dance pop junior diva must have some good dreams because her 95 minute performance was a pretty sweet reality, even as it balanced effervescent radio hits with a look into the darker, harder-edged side of her personality seen on her latest album, “Rated R.’’ That edge came courtesy, in part, of a vibrant eight-piece live band — including Extreme axe master...

Rihanna probably wouldn’t have made this album last year. She couldn’t have. Back then she was addressing the fallout from her assault by former boyfriend Chris Brown and released “Rated R,’’ a dark and unflinching work that rattled her fans while pushing her artistic limits. “Loud,’’ her fifth release since 2006, is that album’s antidote, an unabashed return to where Rihanna belongs: the dance floor. As if liberating herself from the depths, she’s a force on these 11 songs, hop-scotching from electro-pop [“Only Girl (in the World)

A small fire above the stage has forced pop star Rihanna to cut her Dallas concert short. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports the fire broke out near a lighting truss as Rihanna was finishing the ballad “California King Bed’’ and descending below the stage for a costume change. The newspaper says the production crew quickly extinguished the fire, but the Friday night show was canceled anyway. About 12,500 people were in the audience. American Airlines Center spokeswoman Jenny Walker says an evacuation was orderly and no injuries were reported.

Organizers say Rihanna was forced to cancel a show in the Swedish city Malmo at the last minute after falling ill. Live Nation spokesman Kristofer Akesson says Rihanna didn't feel well Monday and tour organizers contacted a doctor who concluded the singer was suffering from severe exhaustion and "was not capable of carrying out the concert. " The singer apologized to fans on Twitter and posted a picture of her arm attached to an intravenous drip. Akesson says Rihanna is now in Stockholm and said he expects her to perform there as scheduled Tuesday evening.

What's your favorite flavor of Madonna? As is usually the case, there are several to choose from on "MDNA," the pop icon's new release, out Monday. The one that Madonna seems to have been pushing in the run-up to her album's release is the most familiar: queen of the dance floor, here to help us boogie our, and more crucially her own, troubles away. From "Everybody" to "Into the Groove" to "Music," Madonna has successfully helped us surrender to the transporting catharsis of moving to the beat for nearly 30 years.

At Sunday's Grammy Awards, the recording industry's dysfunctional family dynamics were also on display in the splashy reception given to hip-hop musician Chris Brown. Brown, who pleaded guilty in 2009 to felony assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna, wasn't just allowed into the Staples Center for Sunday's ceremony; he was asked to perform two songs, making him a highly conspicuous part of the show. It was jarring to see him and Rihanna performing in close succession. Brown has the right to earn a living, and to repair his reputation over time.

NICKI MINAJ: She arrived with the ultimate fashion accessory: the pope. Perhaps hoping to have a ‘‘Gaga" moment of her own, Minaj (at right) made a statement in a Cardinal crimson, hooded, logo-emblazoned Versace cape. We're not entirely sold on the idea that this will be a fashion moment for the ages, but we were still blown away by the sight of this fresh-faced beauty sans her typically candy-coated complexion. CARRIE UNDERWOOD: An elegant ivory option by Gomez-Garcia set the country singer apart from her sequin-skinned counterparts.

The splintered music world truly coalesces only one night of 365 for the Grammy Awards, and this year was united in the triumph of recovered British soul singer Adele's trophy haul and the tragedy of Whitney Houston's death. Adele swept the major honors of song, record and album of the year Sunday for her lost-love epic "21" and its driving single "Rolling in the Deep. " She picked up her final two awards after making her first public performance in months after being sidelined for throat surgery.

The Grammy Awards' warm embrace of Chris Brown three years after his assault of Rihanna has drawn the ire of viewers who claim the controversial R&B star shouldn't have been rewarded with such attention. Brown was front-and-center three times during Sunday's Grammys. He won best R&B album for "F.A.M.E.," he performed a single from his upcoming album, "Turn Up the Music," and he opened a dance tribute to "Soul Train" creator Don Cornelius. The imagery of Brown's Grammy glory was striking because it was, literally, a return to the scene of the...

This year's Grammy Awards promises plenty of intrigue and drama — much of it having little to do with the competition for awards. Adele — one of the key nominees with six nods — is performing for the first time since having surgery on her vocal cords. A group of musicians upset that the Recording Academy has cut the number of awards have vowed to protest outside the Staples Center, where the ceremony will be held. Chris Brown and Rihanna will perform on the same stage — although at different times — for the first time since Brown attacked...

Organizers say Rihanna has been forced to cancel a show in Sweden due to exhaustion for a second time this week. Live Nation spokesman Kristofer Akesson said the singer felt ill ahead of her concert in Stockholm on Wednesday night and that she decided in consultation with a doctor to cancel the show about an hour before she was to go on stage. Akesson says Rihanna "is exhausted and doesn't feel well," but could not give more details. The singer called off a concert in Malmo in southern Sweden on Monday, but was able to perform the following night in Stockholm.

Chris Brown has been getting attention for all the right reasons lately, but a judge said Thursday that he should continue to remain under the watchful eye of a probation officer as he works to complete the terms of his sentence for beating then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009. The Grammy-nominated R&B singer did not appear for a brief hearing during which his attorney asked that Brown's term on supervised probation be ended because of his good behavior. Superior Court Judge George Lomeli agreed with prosecutors that despite the singer's high marks so far, he should continue to report to a...

Rihanna and Coldplay sing together on the group's latest album, and they'll do so again at next month's Grammy Awards. Rihanna, who is nominated for four Grammys including album of the year for "Loud," tweeted the news to her followers Wednesday night, calling it "BONKERS. " Coldplay is up for three awards. Paul McCartney was announced Thursday by The Recording Academy as another performer on the Feb. 12 broadcast. McCartney is being honored during Grammy week as the MusiCares person of the year.