I Was 'Touch and Go' With Pneumonia: George Michael

(NEWSER) - For the demanding bride-to-be who thinks a DJ just doesn't cut it, top-notch live entertainment can be had—for a few million dollars. The New Zealand Herald runs down the best paid wedding singers:

1. Rolling Stones: These aging rockers garner upwards of $8 million for a private audience, but will only show up if they're already touring.
2. Elton John: The Rocket Man ain't cheap at $3.25 million, but you can feel good about the outlay: All proceeds go to his AIDS charity.

'Musicians have the most fun,' says first lady

(NEWSER) - Who would Michelle Obama be if she could be someone else? Beyoncé. Just one problem: The first lady can't sing. "Gosh, if I had some gift, I’d be Beyoncé. I’d be some great singer,” she reveals in an interview with People magazine set to hit newsstands today. "The power of music, being able to play an instrument ... it looks like musicians just have the most fun." It's a mutual admiration society as far as Beyoncé is concerned. “I am proud to have my daughter grow up in a world where she has people like you to look up to,” Beyoncé wrote to Michelle last month, calling her “the ultimate example of a truly strong African-American woman.” More»

Radiologists at top, pediatricians at bottom

(NEWSER) - The annual survey from Medscape/WebMD has all kinds of interesting factoids about physician finances—including the fact that many doctors regret their career choice. Highlights:

• Highest paid: Radiologists and orthopedic surgeons make $315,000, followed by cardiologists ($314,000), anesthesiologists ($309,000), and urologists ($309,000).
• Lowest paid: Pediatricians ($156,000) make the least, followed by family medicine doctors ($158,000), internal medicine doctors ($165,000), diabeticians/endocrinologists ($168,000), and psychiatrists ($170,000).

Acclaimed singer, multi-instrumentalist in final stages of cancer

(NEWSER) - Rock and roll is about to lose another legend. Levon Helm, drummer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist in The Band, is "in the final stages of his battle with cancer," according to a note posted to his website by family members. The 71-year-old musician from Arkansas was the only non-Canadian member of the acclaimed group, and put much of the country in its distinctive country-rock sound. He opted for radiation treatment instead of a laryngectomy after he was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 1998 and went on to record three Grammy-winning solo albums. More»

Rahm's brother Zeke Emanuel says 14 years of training is wasteful

(NEWSER) - Want to reduce waste and health care costs? Well bioethicist Zeke Emanuel—brother of Chicago Mayor Rahm—and health care policy professor Victor Fuchs think you should start by taking a scalpel to med school. In an opinion piece in the Journal of the American Medical Association , the two argue that "there is substantial waste in the education and training of US physicians. Years of training have been added without evidence that they enhance clinical skills." Just how long does it take to become an MD from start to finish? Fourteen years. More»