Sound Bites: Whitney, Judy Garland, Oasis

March 8 -- Whitney's Pot Case Dismissed

A judge in Hawaii has dismissed the marijuana possession charge against singer Whitney Houston, prosecutors told The Associated Press. Houston's case was conditionally dismissed last fall but was raised again by prosecutors after she failed to file a substance abuse assessment by an early February deadline. An assessment for the pop singer, saying she did not require treatment, was finally submitted on Feb. 22 by Michael Burke, a certified substance abuse counselor in Highland Park, N.J., according to the news service. Houston was detained by airport security in January 2000 after they discovered half an ounce of marijuana in her bag. Houston left the bag and boarded her plane before police could arrive.

Top Song: "Over the Rainbow"?

"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" — originally sung in 1939 by Judy Garland for the movie The Wizard of Oz — tops a list of 365 Songs of the Century compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts. Also ranking high were Irving Berlin's "White Christmas," Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land," Aretha Franklin's "Respect," and Don McLean's "American Pie." (What, no "Free Bird"?) The Sugarhill Gang's 1980 recording "Rapper's Delight" — the first Top 40 rap single — was the highest ranked hip-hop song, at No. 162. But the picks may have come from a small body of voters; although 1,300 ballots were mailed out, Reuters reports that only around 200 were returned. The two organizations released the list to highlight a new music-history education project that will be introduced to 10,000 fifth-grade teachers next fall.

Oasis-Black Crowes Tix First Available Online

Fans of Oasis and The Black Crowes can get an early shot at buying tickets for the upcoming Brotherly Love tour by registering at www.brotherlylove.ticketmaster.com. Beginning Friday, fans can sign up to receive a password that will entitle them to as many as four tickets. The advance reservations can be made until March 13, the day before tickets go on sale. The 16-show, co-headlining tour kicks off May 11 in Las Vegas and runs for a month.