"Sacred Love," Sting [ tickets ]'s first new studio album in four years, will hit U.S. stores on Sept. 23 (a day earlier internationally). Sting co-produced the set with Kipper.

According to Sting's official website, the first single--titled "Send Your Love"--will arrive at radio stations in June.

A companion DVD featuring a mix of live material from the album and some older tracks was filmed in Los Angeles shortly after the band finished recording the album in Paris this April.

Whitney Houston [ tickets ] and her husband Bobby Brown will duet during Thursday night's (5/22) "VH1 Divas Duets" concert, which airs live from Las Vegas on the cable network at 9 p.m. Eastern Time. Shania Twain, Beyonce, Lisa Marie Presley, Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, Ashanti, Pat Benatar, the Isley Brothers and Jewel are also scheduled to perform.

Queen Latifah hosts the program, and Celine Dion will make a "special appearance," according to a press release.

Godfather of Soul James Brown [ tickets ], who recently celebrated his 70th birthday, was unanimously pardoned by the South Carolina pardon board for seven convictions that date back 15 years, according to Columbia, S.C.-based newspaper The State. The pardons don't clear Brown's convictions from his record, but they do restore the rights--including voting rights--that he lost due to the convictions.

Brown's convictions were for a mix of drug possession, arms, assault and resisting arrest charges.

Elvis Costello [ tickets ] received the Founders Award at the 20th Annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Tuesday night (5/20). The award honors "pioneering songwriters who have made exceptional contributions to music."

Also at the ceremony, Nelly and Seven were named Songwriters of the Year, Puddle of Mudd's "Blurry" was named Song of the Year and EMI Music Publishing took Publisher of the Year honors.

Singer-songwriter-actor Kris Kristofferson [ tickets ] is writing a memoir that Hyperion has slated for a 2005 release.