Country music veteran Kenny Rogers is marking 50 years in the music business with a star-studded TV special.

"The whole idea is to get together with some friends of mine," said Rogers, 71. "I really don't want it to be a tribute. That's not what my deal is. It's kind of a celebration."

Friends including Dolly Parton, Allison Krauss, Lionel Richie and Wynonna Judd are already signed on to take part in "Kenny Rogers — The First 50 Years," which will tape on April 10 at the MGM Grand At Foxwoods in Connecticut.

The special will take viewers through the six decades of Rogers' hits, including "The Gambler," "Lucille," "Lady" and the Parton duet "Islands In The Stream."

ACTRESS MURPHY DIED OF PNEUMONIA

Brittany Murphy, the star of "Clueless" and "8 Mile," died from pneumonia, with prescription drugs and anemia also playing a role, a coroner's official said yesterday.

The Dec. 20 death of the actress was accidental and likely could have been prevented if Murphy had seen a doctor sooner, Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said.

He noted, however, that she did have an appointment scheduled with a physician a few days after she died.

Murphy died at age 32 after collapsing in her Hollywood Hills home. Her mother and husband have said the actress didn't abuse prescription medications or have an eating disorder.

GROUPS PROTEST THE WHO IN SUPER BOWL

The Who gave an energetic, acoustic preview of Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show yesterday— but things turned serious when Pete Townshend defended himself against some children's advocates who say he should not be performing.

The legendary guitarist was arrested in 2003 in Britain as part of a child pornography sting but later cleared. He accessed a Web site containing child pornography but said it was for research for his own campaign against child porn. He was required to register as a sex offender, despite being cleared.

Because of that, groups like Protect Our Children have protested the choice of The Who, the legendary group featuring Townshend and Roger Daltrey.

SPRINGSTEEN SUES PUB OVER SONG RIGHTS

Bruce Springsteen is suing a Manhattan pub, saying it failed to pay an annual licensing fee to an organization that distributes royalty payments to artists. Springsteen claims the pub violated his copyrights by letting an unidentified band perform two of his songs for profit.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers brought the lawsuit Wednesday under Springsteen's name. ASCAP said it's important to set a precedent that protects the rights of all songwriters.

ASCAP said Connolly's Pub and other establishments should know royalties are part of the music business.