Franklin dances, sings at 69th birthday party

NEW YORK - Aretha Franklin proved her voice is still divine at 69 as she gave a brief but rousing performance at a swank birthday party in her honor.

Tony Bennett, Smokey Robinson, music mogul Clive Davis, Bette Midler and Gayle King were among the celebrities on hand to pay tribute to the Queen of Soul on Friday night at a late-night birthday party at a Central Park Hotel.

"It's a fabulous moment," said Franklin, showing off her noticeably thinner frame in a flowing white and gold gown as she sat at a table with several gifts.

Bennett, who called Franklin "one of a kind" was one of those who came with a present - and his was unique.

"I also paint, so she knows about that," he said. "A long time ago, she said, 'I'd love to have you do a painting of me,' and I remembered that, and when I heard I was coming here, I just knocked off a quick sketch tonight and gave it to her tonight."

More than 100 friends and family gathered to celebrate Franklin, who just a few months ago underwent surgery for an ailment she has declined to disclose. In recent weeks, she's made more public appearances and is set to resume her stage performances in May. At the party, Franklin seemed full of energy, greeting guests and dancing to the music.

Franklin wasn't billed as the evening's entertainment. Instead, she had other acclaimed musicians on hand to perform for her: jazz musician Roy Ayers, singer Nnenna Freelon, and Tito Puente Jr. all gave mini-concerts at the soiree.

But after former Temptations frontman Dennis Edwards serenaded her with a couple of riveting songs, she joined him and they both sang "The Way We Were."

Afterward, Edwards and the crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to Franklin, and she cut her birthday cake.

The Detroit native planned to stay in New York for at least a day more, but don't expect much more celebrating for Franklin.

"I will be in a horizontal position tomorrow, all day!" she said.

Bret Michaels sues Tony Awards over 2009 mishap

LOS ANGELES - Bret Michaels sued CBS Broadcasting and the organizers of the Tony Awards on Friday over a 2009 mishap that resulted in him being hit in the head by a set piece, claiming the accident contributed to a brain hemorrhage that nearly killed him.

The Poison frontman's lawsuit claims he continues to deal with effects from the injury and brain bleeding that left him hospitalized last year.

"Through his sheer will to live, to see his children grow up, Michaels was able to survive this trauma," his lawsuit states.

Michaels and Poison performed at the Tony Awards in June 2009 and the singer suffered a busted lip and broken nose when he was whacked by a piece of scenery.

He claims show organizers never explained that the set would be changing after the band performed, "Nothin' But a Good Time." He also claims the show could have prevented the incident from airing, but chose not to.

Footage of the accident quickly became a viral hit on the Internet, and Michaels' lawsuit claims clips have been viewed more than 27 million times on YouTube.

Michaels was hospitalized in April 2010 and doctors found he had a brain hemorrhage and he later suffered a warning stroke, which the musician says nearly killed him.

"Michaels was never told that the scenery piece would be descending or given any warning of the existence of the dangers it presented," the lawsuit states.

CBS declined comment and has a policy not to respond to lawsuits outside of court.

Phone and e-mail messages left for spokespeople for the Tony Awards were not immediately returned Friday evening.

Within days of the accident, Michaels expressed dismay that Tony organizers hadn't shown more concern about the incident.

"The Tony Awards dropped a piece of the stage on Bret's head, and then instead of doing the right thing, joked about it and played it off for ratings," Michaels' attorney Alex Weingarten wrote in a statement.

He said Michaels tried to resolve the court without filing a case but was unsuccessful. "They must be held accountable for almost killing Bret, and that is what we are going to do," Weingarten wrote.

His lawsuit does not state how much he is seeking to recover, although it states the injury hurt his ability to perform at later shows.

- The Associated Press