The Sunday-best hat that has been Photoshopped off of a singer’s head and onto such a wide variety of images as O.J. Simpson and even the plane that recently landed in the Hudson River could become an American artifact. Aretha Franklin’s gray lid with the enormous bow, which she wore while singing at President Barack Obama’s inauguration, may be donated to the Smithsonian Institute museum. Franklin, who had the hat custom-made, says it would be hard to part with the hat, but she’s considering Smithsonian’s request that she give it up.

Aretha Franklin helps choir reach D.C. A choir whose performance impressed President-elect Barack Obama during his campaign has begun the journey to his inauguration. Students at Southfield High School will send their voices soaring at the nation’s capital after soul legend Aretha Franklin and the Detroit restaurant Seldom Blues chipped in so the youth could board a D.C.-bound bus. Obama heard the Southfield High choir and invited them to perform for him, but the students initially had trouble raising cash to cover the trip. After receiving the Queen of Soul’s support, the youth boarded the bus and left Michigan early Friday morning.

Simmons “credit card” attracts $2 billion in deposits. Hip-hop mogul Russel Simmons’ credit-building Visa RushCard has hit the $2 billion deposit mark just when more Americans than ever need a boost on their credit reports. The prepaid Visa Card is similar to a debit card, but it allows people with jacked-up credit to enjoy the luxury of a credit card while repairing their histories. “I’m personally very happy that RushCard is benefiting and empowering people exactly as it was intended,” Simmons said in a statement. The card allows members to track their transactions online while including debt-reducing strategies and restriction to prevent over-drafting or overuse. “In America today, no one should be left out or kept out of having access to the American dream and financial services which a bank account or credit card provides to others. The fact that we have already helped our members manage $2 billion in transactions proves that RushCard is instrumental in providing access to those services that hundreds of thousands of people may not otherwise have.”

The musical greats are lining up for Obama. President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration committee is promising a diverse lineup of musical luminaries for his blowout Jan. 20 shindig in the nation’s capital. Among those slated to perform are Aretha Franklin, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Gabriela Montero and clarinetist Anthony McGill, organizers said Wednesday. The U.S. Marine band will open the ceremony, which will be held on the west side of the U.S. Capitol, the building where Congress convenes. The Marines will be followed by performances by children’s choirs from San Francisco, said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who heads the inaugural ceremonies committee. Obama’s inauguration “will be an event of historic proportion,” Feinstein said in a statement. “It is appropriate that the program will include some of the world’s most gifted artists from a wide range of backgrounds and genres.”

The battle is on between Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner, and it all started with Beyonce. Remember when Beyonce called Turner “the queen” at the Grammys?  Franklin went off and called it “a cheap shot for controversy.” Last week, Turner attempted to put out the flames when USA Today asked her about it. She said while Franklin is the queen of soul, she can be the queen of Rock and Roll. But she also added that Franklin’s “ego must be so big to think she was the only one,” noting, “That’s how queens are!”  That comment isn’t sitting well with the Queen of Soul. Franklin went back hard at Turner on the ego issue, saying Tina was “clearly was talking about herself.” Franklin went on to say in her statement to USA Today, that Turner was trying to “resort to tacky press just to sell a few tickets” to her tour. Franklin notes that she and Turner have never met. Makes you wonder what might happen if they ever did.