Brown died on Christmas Day last year at the age of 73. His body, which was displayed at several public memorials, has remained in a sealed coffin at an undisclosed location for weeks. Charles Reid, manager of the C.A. Reid Funeral Home in Augusta, GA, told the AP that he checks on Brown's body frequently.

"I do that constantly," he was quoted as saying. "That's the only way I can actually check him ... go in, open the casket and close it. And he's fine."

In related news a South Carolina judge has ruled that Brown's trustees, whom Brown's adult children had sought to remove, will continue to handle Brown's estate, but will be overseen by a "special administrator."

"American Doll Posse," the ninth studio album from singer/songwriter/pianist Tori Amos [ tickets ], will hit stores May 1, according to Epic Records. The set follows 2005's "Little Earthquakes."

Amos will launch a world tour behind the set later that month; dates have not yet been announced.

Satellite radio companies XM and Sirius have confirmed long-standing rumors that they plan to merge. Under the terms of the agreement, Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin will become CEO of the combined company, and XM Chairman Gary Parsons will become Chairman of the combined company.

The federal government must approve the deal before it can move forward, a process that is expected to take months.

Universal Music Enterprises on March 13 will issue an updated version of Melissa Etheridge [ tickets ]'s 2005 release, "Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled." The revamped collection will feature the Grammy- and Oscar-nominated song "I Need to Wake Up," which Etheridge wrote for former Vice President Al Gore's 2006 documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth."