Editor’s pick: CD release

Ne-Yo "In My Own Words"

Somewhere between the salaciousness of R. Kelly and the heartsick romanticism of Stevie Wonder you'll find a most soulful Ne-Yo. At 23, the bump-'n'-grinding but mindful crooner has written hits for Mario, B2K and Musiq, but he has saved the bedroom-smooth best for himself.

Sure, songs such as "Stay" (featuring Peedi Crack), the snarkishly charming and coy "When You're Mad," and heated tracks such as "Mirror" make getting it on a spectator sport. But an O'Jays-sampled "Get Down Like That" and the spare, slick lament that is "So Sick" take monogamy beyond the call of duty. So much so that when love goes awry, Ne-Yo's made ill on "Sick" by every love song on the radio.

Bet he wouldn't be so nauseous if he heard one of his own.

Celebrity news:

A ’simple debacle’

Nicole Richie, star of E!'s celebutante fish-out-of-water show, "Simple Life 4: Till Death Do Us Part," shocked an 11-year-old boy when she used obscene language to ask him if she looked hot.

It happened during a shoot in Los Angeles, where Richie and her co-star Paris Hilton are, in the words of show rep Chris Delhomme, "taking turns on their own as wife and mother." (God help the children.)

Health and beauty tip:

Keeping healthy at the gym

If you want to stay healthy at the gym, keep your hands away from your face and wash your hands frequently.

A workout facility, especially a crowded one, is a good place for viruses, bacteria and fungi to find new prey.

A lot of viruses are passed hand to mouth so greeting a gym friend with a handshake or even picking up a dumbbell can put you at risk.

Wearing washable gloves might make you feel a little better about handling equipment that plenty of others have used, but gloves can also be a home for viruses if they aren’t washed on a regular basis.

Some other tips for a well gym:

No hands near your face, period. If you want to wipe your face, use a fresh towel, not the one with which you're wiping your hands.

Bring bottled water instead of drinking at water fountains.

Wear rubber-soled flip-flops in showers and bathrooms to avoid picking up fungal nasties such as athlete's foot.

If you're sick, do your workout buddies a favor and stay home.

Leaving sweat on the seat of an exercise bike or a weight machine isn't really a health hazard because sweat doesn't usually harbor anything harmful.

Still, there's no excuse for not cleaning up after yourself, especially when most health clubs make disinfectants and towels available for the task.

Compiled from Knight Ridder Tribune wire Services

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