ROUGH -TUMBLE, GUT FEELING

Tyra Banks and Janet Jackson get tangled up in each other during a lighthearted moment on the Tyra Banks Show. The talk show host sat down with the pop star for a full hour on an episode scheduled to air March 4.

Discipline singer Janet Jackson has some belly laughs with Damien Fahey on Tuesday, Feb 26, 2008, while visiting MTV`s TRL studio in New York City.

Hospitalized

Janet Jackson is currently at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center suffering from a really bad flu. Jackson was taken to the hospital “late last night with a shortness of breath,” a source tells Us Weekly.

Her rep confirmed, “Janet is fine. She’s just battling this flu like everyone else.”

What happened to good old-fashioned flu medication? Since when do people have to get hospitalized for the flu?? Whatever the case is, we're glad Janet's doing well!

Better After Illness

Janet Jackson`s boyfriend Jermaine Dupri – who announced Thursday that he`s heading up brand-new record label, TAG Records – tells PEOPLE that Jackson has fully recovered from the illness that forced her to cancel an appearance on Saturday Night Live last month.

"She`s 100-percent better now," says Dupri. "She was really sick. She had bronchitis." But the singer is back on track: "She`s in Japan right now. She`s better and doing all the promotion that she didn`t get to do because she was sick when the album launched."

Dupri, 35, who is currently in the studio working on Usher`s new album, also shared the good news of his appointment at TAG Records, a new joint venture between Island Def Jam and TAG Deodorant Body Spray.

Say, what? "It`s a full-fledged record company," Dupri explains. "I`m the president. And we`re mixing the best of both worlds together – the marketing of a product like TAG and the lifestyle that TAG represents, and then what the music and myself bring to the music industry."

No Deodorant Rapping
That will not mean rappers rapping about deodorants, he says. Instead, Dupri says the record label will offer a marketing budget to whatever new artists he signs that far exceeds any other budget in the industry.

"There`s a lot going on in the world that makes it hard to do the old conventional record business," he says. "You can`t get this type of marketing budget. There are endorsement deals, but not like this."

Dupri says he already has his first artist lined up, and could release a single in as little as two weeks. Meanwhile, he`s continuing to work as a producer with Usher and Mariah Carey – and looking forward to reuniting with Jackson when she gets back from Japan. His new business, he says, "is the icing on the cake. I`m grinning from cheek-to-cheek."

Shrinking waistline

It seems like just yesterday NippleGate rocked the world. This time around, it's a much tamer area that is causing bloggers to snicker, as the pop star's shrinking waistline in recent weeks has been a far cry from her past figure. Even tabloids like the U.K.'s Daily Mail is commenting, calling Jackson a "yo-yo dieter" while reporting on her "tiny, waspish waist."

It was at Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards where Jackson's waist became the subject, as her tightly-sinched belt acted more like a corset than an accessory. It was even enough to make the always positive Pink Is the New Blog say that Ms. Jackson's mid-section was "a bit strange to look at."

Jackson's weight has been a frequent topic of conversation among gossipers over the past few years, as she gained a large amount of weight, reportedly for a movie role that never materialized.

Honored By GLAAD

Janet Jackson will be honored by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) this month.

The `Feedback` singer is set to be recognized by the organization for working to combat prejudice against sexuality in the music industry. She will be presented with the Vanguard Award by U.S. talk show host Ellen DeGeneres at the organization`s Media Awards in Los Angeles` Kodak Theater on April 26.

Janet said: "I have received a number of awards throughout my career, but I am so proud to be receiving the Vanguard Award from GLAAD."

"Since its inception in 1985, GLAAD has taken the lead in making sure that people will no longer be judged by their gender identity or sexual orientation. I applaud them for their continued work and thank them for this honor from the bottom of my heart."

Neil G. Giuliano, President of GLAAD, added: "We are delighted to honor Janet Jackson at the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles as such a visible, welcoming and inclusive ally of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community."

"Ms. Jackson has a tremendous following inside the LGBT community and out, and having her stand with us against the defamation that LGBT people still face in our country is extremely significant."

Previous recipients of the Vanguard Award include Charlize Theron, Antonio Banderas, Liza Minnelli and Whoopi Goldberg.

World Tour

With her album on the top of the charts, Janet Jackson, is ready to kick off a world tour. Janet wanted to tour for her last album 20 Y.O. but didn’t via suggestions from the record label. But this time around Janet is ready with new ideas, new songs, and tons of material that hasn’t been performed on stage. The tour will kick off in Sept. and will start in the US. Date and ticket sells have yet to be announced.

Vibe Magazine

Janet Jackson is one of the few child stars that's made it out alive (sans rehab or psych ward trips). Janet graces the March cover of Vibe magazine. In the double issue she talks about growing up a Jackson, her man Jermaine, and being a child actor. Here are some highlights with the interview...

On growing up in her household:
“I remember being a kid and they’d come over … you take so much for granted…. you’re not thinking about the fact that it’s Marvin Gaye over all the time, or Diana [Ross] or Smokey [Robinson].”

On her relationship with super-producer Jermaine Dupri:
“Married or not, it’s not important … I feel like it’s it …. It’s been about eight years. He’s just a sweetheart. Truly a good-hearted person.”

On being a responsible child in the entertainment business:
“One of the major things was my work ethic, since I was a kid … I never had my mother wake me up … I’d get myself up everyday. It never struck me … that’s a lot of difficulty for a 10-year-old … I don’t know if it’s something in the genes, or from watching my brothers, seeing them working hard.”