LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kris Jenner says her daughter Kim Kardashian is thrilled to have a new baby girl.

Kardashian and her rapper boyfriend Kanye West were keeping silent in the wake of multiple reports that Kardashian gave birth over the weekend — about a month premature.

But Jenner told E! at the Daytime Emmys on Sunday that Kim is “extremely happy and thrilled for the new baby and she’s doing great and she’s beautiful.”

Kardashian’s sister Khloe appeared to have let a rather cryptic cat out of the bag on Twitter.

“I can not even begin 2describe the miracle that is now apart of our family. Mommy/baby are healthy &resting. We appreciate all of the love,” she tweeted Sunday.

She quickly followed with a second tweet: “More info will come when the time is right! Thank you all for understanding! We love you all dearly! Overwhelmed with love right now.”

Jenner linked to both tweets on her Twitter account, then wished West a Happy Father’s Day.

Asked for comment on the red carpet at the Daytime Emmys, where she was a presenter, Jenner said, “She’s in charge,” pointing at her publicist who whisked her away from print reporters after doing TV interviews.

The reality TV star’s pregnancy was almost as anticipated as the royal pregnancy of Kate Middleton, who is due in mid-July. That’s about the time the Kardashian baby had been due.

The 32-year-old has often been photographed since announcing she was pregnant, opting to continue to wear designer clothing. She told The Associated Press in April that she eventually embraced being an expecting mom after getting past “the awkward phases and stages.”

The couple had initially kept the baby’s gender a secret, but the sex was revealed earlier this month during one of Kardashian’s doctor appointments on “Keeping up with the Kardashians.”

When asked about how much the baby might be featured in the E! series, the channel said Monday it was “thrilled for Kim and Kanye and out of respect for their privacy won’t be offering any further comment.”

News of the birth has been swaddled in secrecy. Representatives for West and Kim Kardashian didn’t respond to emails and calls from The Associated Press, nor did any representatives for family members, friends and professional associates. And all of the weekend media reports on the birth were attributed to anonymous sources.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, West said he didn’t like talking about his family or the arrival of his child.

“Like, this is my baby. This isn’t America’s baby,” he said.

Jay-Z’s partnership with Samsung for his new album, “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” is another sign of how musicians are finding new ways to push, sell and promote their music, and how the multiplatinum performer — who famously rapped “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man” — continues to leverage his enduring popularity into a successful brand.

Jay-Z will give his new album to 1 million users of Galaxy mobile phones on July 4, three days before the album’s official release date. The 43-year-old broke the news about his twelfth album in a three-minute commercial during the NBA Finals.

Details about the Samsung-Jay-Z deal, announced Sunday, weren’t disclosed and both parties did not grant interviews.

But Jay-Z’s partnership is just another way artists are promoting their music at a time when album sales are low and the digital market has taken the lead in the music industry.

Jim Donio, president of the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM), said top level acts like Jay-Z and Taylor Swift have the power to launch new albums in spectacular ways with various partners.

“For an artist whose album release is an event in itself … they carry with them a much wider profile in the marketplace that they speak to, so their audience and all the things that they do affords these unique opportunities,” he said.

In 2011, Lady Gaga sold 440,000 copies of her “Born This Way” album on Amazon for just 99 cents when it was on sale for two days, helping the album sell 1.1 million in its debut week. Others have also used that trend to sell albums, though not in its debut week: Last year, Phil Collins’ greatest hits jumped into the Top 10 at No. 6 — its peak — when it was sold for 99 cents for a day. And Bruno Mars’ “Doo-Wop & Hooligans” and Demi Lovato’s “Unbroken” both jumped about 100 spots on the Billboard chart when they were on sale for 99 cents months after they were released.

Taylor Swift, one of the top sellers in music, had her second platinum-debut week with “Red” last year. Her partnerships for the album included Target, Walgreens and Papa John’s (you could order a pizza and a Swift album at the same time).

“Even if you didn’t purchase the CD, her face was still on the pizza box,” Donio said.

And Prince released his “20Ten” album in 2010 via the Daily Mirror newspaper in United Kingdom.

Jay-Z’s new partnership is one of his many business deals. His Roc Nation agency, which manages Rihanna, Shakira and other musicians, recently expanded into the sports world, and he now is helping the careers of New York Yankee Robinson Cano, New York Jets rookie Geno Smith and others. Jay-Z has launched fashion lines, has a string of 40/40 nightclubs, was also the president of Def Jam and owned part of 1 percent of the Brooklyn Nets.

He’s still a consistent hit maker and a superstar who transcends music — which is why Samsung likely partnered with him on his new album. Samsung has chipped away at Apple’s share of the mobile market with its Galaxy phones, and companies are relying more on music to lure new customers (Apple last week announced it will debut iRadio, its streaming music service, in the fall).

One of the many questions about the Samsung deal still unanswered: Will the 1 million downloads count toward first-week sales of the album, giving it elite status of debuting with platinum sales, an accomplishment few artists have achieved? Billboard, which tracks album sales and chart information for the industry, did not return emails seeking comment. Samsung reportedly purchased the albums though it’s unclear what the price-point was.

Jay-Z made it clear Monday what he felt the trade publication should do.

“If 1 Million records gets SOLD and billboard doesn’t report it, did it happen? Ha,” Jay-Z tweeted, adding: “Platinum!!!”

Donio said he thinks more deals like Samsung-Jay-Z are on the horizon.

“The record labels that are putting out the music and partnering with a variety of types of commerce outlets are going to look at just anything and everything that may work with that particular artist and that particular album release,” he said.

The original Willy Wonka, Gene Wilder just celebrated his 80th birthday, and with that milestone came a raging case of the grumpies.

In a rare public appearance last week at the 92nd street Y, Wilder announced that he didn’t like the way modern movies were going, saying:
“After a while, [films] were so dirty. Once in awhile, there was a nice, good film, but not very many,” Wilder said. “If something comes along and it’s really good and I think I’d be good for it, I’d be happy to do it. Not too many came along. I mean, they came along, but I didn’t want to do them. I didn’t want to do 3D, for instance. I didn’t want to do ones that were just bombing and swearing. If someone says ‘Ah, go f*ck yourself,’ if it came from a meaningful place, I’d understand it. But if you go to some movies, can’t they just stop and talk once in awhile?”

Wilder also added that he thought the Tim Burton remake of Willy Wonka and the chocolate Factory was less than impressive:
“I think it’s an insult. It’s probably Warner Bros.’ insult,” Wilder said. “Johnny Depp, I think, is a good actor, but I don’t care for that director. He’s a talented man, but I don’t care for him doing stuff like he did.”

Me-ow!

America’s favorite hit-or-miss movie star, Sandra Bullock is in talks to play Miss Hannigan in an “Annie” remake, expected to hit theaters Christmas day 2014.

For those who don’t remember who Miss Hannigan is, she was the unpleasent orphanage owner played by Carol Burnett in the 1982 version of the film adaptation.

Sony and Overbook’s revamped version of “Annie” will be a Jay-Z/Will Smith production, and Quvenzhane Wallis (of “Beasts of the Southern Wild” fame) will play Annie. The title role was originally supposed to go to Will Smith’s daughter, but there are rumors that she turned it down.

The new film will also feature Jaime Foxx as the Daddy Warbucks type character, strategically re-named Benjamin Stacks.

Sounds interesting. After the work Jay-Z did with the new “Gatsby” movie, I’m anxious to see what the new “Annie” remake will be all about.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A group of 51 beauty queens from every U.S. state and the District of Columbia are preparing to smile and strut their way toward the 62th Miss USA title.

It’s a girl! A few weeks earlier than scheduled Kim Kardashian, 32, gave birth to her first child – a daughter – with boyfriend Kanye West, 36, on Saturday morning, reported People Magazine. Her due date was widely reported to be in July.  West was by Kardashian’s side for the delivery, according to sources.

Now we can only start wondering about the baby’s name? Will it start with a “K” like mom and dad? Krista, Kathy? Too boring? How about Kabe, Kawaii or Kelton? I’m sure we will find out soon.

NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) — Harry Connick Jr. has written a song in honor of a 6-year-old girl killed in the Newtown, Conn., school shooting.

Connick this week released the song “Love Wins,” dedicated to Ana Grace Marquez-Greene. He says proceeds will go to the Ana Grace Fund set up to help the girl’s family.

Connick played with the girl’s jazz saxophonist father, Jimmy Greene, and sang at the funeral for Ana, one of 20 first-graders and six adults killed in December at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Greene is scheduled to receive the Governor’s Arts Award at a ceremony Saturday at the International Festival for Arts and Ideas in New Haven.

Greene, an assistant professor at Western Connecticut State University, has released a series of critically acclaimed albums and received numerous honors.

Farm Aid, the annual event benefiting America’s farmers and helmed by Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews has locked down Sept. 21 in Saratoga Springs, at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.  Tickets go on sale later this month.

Dedicated to keeping family farmers in business and to preserving America’s food supply, Farm Aid brings you all-day music combined with food provided by local growers and farms via the event’s HOMEGROWN Concessions. Music fans will have opportunities to meet with farms, partake in hands-on food and farm activities and learn about the business of bringing food from the fields to all consumers.

“New York is pleased to host Farm Aid’s annual benefit concert this September in Saratoga Springs,” New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said.  “This star-studded event will support Farm Aid’s mission to promote family farmers and healthy eating, as well as raise awareness about the important role farms play in our economy and culture.”

Along with performances by Farm Aid board members Nelson, Young, Mellencamp and Matthews, expect other artists to be announced soon.  Country legend Nelson serves as the organization’s president.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Twenty-two years after breaking up, The Replacements are reuniting for at least three shows.

The celebrated 1980s alt-rockers say they’ll play at Riot Fest in Toronto, Chicago and Denver. Exact dates haven’t been announced, but Riot Fest runs Aug. 24-25 in Toronto, Sept. 13-15 in Chicago and Sept. 21-22 in Denver.

The Replacements haven’t played a show since July 4, 1991, in Chicago. Frontman Paul Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinson got together this year to record the EP “Songs for Slim” to benefit Replacements guitarist Slim Dunlap, who suffered a debilitating stroke last year.

Known for their boozy, ragged live shows, The Replacements began recording for Twin Cities-based Twin/Tone Records in the early 1980s and eventually signed with major label Sire Records. While the band never had a big hit, “I’ll Be You” and “Merry Go Round” got radio play and albums such as 1984′s “Let It Be,” named by Rolling Stone magazine No. 15 of the 100 best albums of the ’80s, were critical favorites.

Westerberg’s songs alternated between post-punk bash and yearning ballads. He eventually went solo, did one-man, home-recorded music projects and provided music for the 2006 animated feature “Open Season.” Stinson became bassist for Guns N’ Roses and Soul Asylum. His brother, guitarist Bob Stinson, was kicked out of The Replacements in 1986 and died in 1995 after years of drug and alcohol abuse. Drummer Chris Mars turned to painting.

In a 2004 interview with The Associated Press, Westerberg said he tried to get the band back together to play a benefit for then-Soul Asylum bassist Karl Mueller, who had throat cancer and eventually died. But the reunion did not happen.

The Replacements launched a bare-bones new website offering mailing list subscriptions and promising a full site coming soon, plus a Twitter account.

For some reason, the New York Times decided to pay enough attention to Kanye West to interview him.

The 36-year-old rapper is promoting his sixth solo album entitled “Yeezus,” and the interview he gave NTY is just as egotistical and classic crazy Kanye as anyone could have imagined.

The interview, which I could not stop reading, out of sheer amusement and train wreck-esque fascination, attempts to shed some light on West as an artist and the evolution of his musical style, as well as his personal life. Although the interview was framed with superb and insightful writing on the part of the interviewer, there was no sugarcoating the fat load of crazy Kanye West unleashed on this guy.

Some of the most memorable quotes from the interview:

Kanye says the object of his new album is to create “justice” by making people understand that they should respect him. Then he compares himself to Michael Jordan:
“Justice could just be clearing a path for people to dream properly. It could be clearing a path to make it fair within the arena that I play. You know, if Michael Jordan can scream at the refs, me as Kanye West, as the Michael Jordan of music, can go and say, ‘This is wrong.’”

On his infamous Grammy interruption of Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech in 2009:
“It’s only led me to complete awesomeness at all times. It’s only led me to awesome truth and awesomeness. Beauty, truth, awesomeness. That’s all it is. …I don’t have one regret.”
(He then proceeds to say that the apology he gave Taylor Swift afterward wasn’t sincere, and it was just to please the public so he could sell more albums)

On Steve Jobs, reincarnation, and claiming a throne:
“I think what Kanye West is going to mean is something similar to what Steve Jobs means. I am undoubtedly, you know, Steve of Internet, downtown, fashion, culture. Period. By a long jump. I honestly feel that because Steve has passed, you know, it’s like when Biggie passed and Jay-Z was allowed to become Jay-Z.”

Among other insane Kanye-isms, He ends the interview by calling himself a “nucleus” of culture and business.

The entire interview can be read here.

NEW YORK (AP) — ESPN’s decision to shut down its 3-D channel by the end of the year is the latest sign the format won’t revolutionize entertainment as the industry once hoped.

Troubling signs for 3-D have been on the horizon for a last year or so. ESPN 3D’s audience ratings were below The Nielsen Co.’s measurable threshold, and in March, the Motion Picture Association said box office revenue for 3-D showings in the U.S. and Canada was flat in 2012 from a year earlier at $1.8 billion. The number of 3-D films released in the period dropped by 20 percent.

“The ESPN decision is a sign that the 3-D ecosystem is not healthy,” said Laura Martin, an analyst with investment banking firm Needham & Co. “It must be there’s not enough demand for 3-D TV.”

The sports network said Wednesday that there weren’t enough viewers to make 3-D broadcasts worth it. It didn’t say exactly how many viewers it had, but the number was “extremely limited and not growing,” the network said.

Last year, an estimated 6 percent of TVs in the U.S. were able to show 3-D programming, according to the most recent data from research firm IHS Screen Digest. Even homes that have 3-D TVs don’t appear to be using them very much, said IHS analyst Sweta Dash.

The lack of programming and the discomfort of having to wear special glasses could be contributing to the problem, she said.

“It’s not convenient for people to watch for hours and hours with glasses,” Dash said. “They get tired.”

ESPN 3D launched in 2010 as one of nine 3-D channels that followed the release of James Cameron’s blockbuster film, “Avatar.” TV makers rushed to introduce 3-D sets as well. ESPN said at the time that it expected a “3-D tsunami” in the industry.

3net, a 24-hour-a-day 3-D channel that launched in February 2011 under the ownership of Sony Corp., Discovery Communications Inc. and Imax Corp., appeared to be unfazed by ESPN’s announcement.

“Although we don’t comment on the activities of other companies, their decision has no impact on our business,” the venture said in a statement.

IHS’s analyst Dash said there appears to be a bigger appetite for 3-D TVs overseas in markets such as China.

TV manufacturers have recently switched their focus from 3-D to “ultrahigh definition,” a format that increases the pixel count of high-definition TVs by four times.

At the International Consumer Electronics Show in January, companies like Sony, LG Electronics Inc., Sharp Corp., and Samsung Electronics Co. all showed off so-called “ultra HD” sets that were meant to be within the price range of middle income early adopters. Sony’s 55-inch model sells for $5,000.

One benefit of the ultra HD format is that viewing doesn’t require special glasses, and because people can sit closer to the screen without a loss in quality, bigger screens can replicate the immersion of 3-D video.

Ultra HD is also easier to handle on the production end.

With 3-D TV, two cameras have to be rigged together on a special mount to create the 3-D effect. And because viewers can get dizzy with quick cuts, camera operators specialized in 3-D stay focused on single shots for longer. That makes it hard for producers to simply use “one eye” of a 3-D camera for 2-D broadcasts. Instead, camera positions and personnel costs were just multiplied for events shot in both formats.

Along with higher costs, any viewing on 3-D platforms draw viewers away from the standard broadcast, said Rob Willox, director of large sensor technology for Sony Electronics, in an interview last month about the differences between the two formats.

“There are a lot more costs, and you’re not increasing audience share, you’re dividing it,” he said.

In contrast, ultra HD video is more easily scaled down to regular HD, meaning that high-end cameras can be used for viewers watching on TVs of either standard.

Even as it made plans to close down its 3-D channel, ESPN said it was a leader in 3-D productions, having produced 380 events in 3-D over the past 3 years.

“Nobody knows more about sports in 3-D than ESPN, and we will be ready to provide the service to fans if or when 3-D does take off,” it said in a statement. “We continue to experiment with things like ultrahigh definition.”

As reported by TMZ, 2 Chainz is now out of jail after his LAX drug arrest and used his exit to promote his upcoming album.

2 Chainz was booked on felony narcotics possession when TSA officials found Promethazine in his luggage — one of the 2 main ingredients in sizzurp. Cops say he also had pot, but less than an ounce.

After he left the station, 2 Chainz tweeted about the situation — saying, “Nobody took Anything from me, i didn’t get shot, I’m not in jail, Don’t know wut else to tell ya. Sorry if I disappointed anyone, maybe next time.”

So there’s that.