The Bun

June 6th 2006

2006-06-05T23:54:00.000-07:00

* KYLIE DENIES "FIRST INTERVIEW":
* "MY THROAT LOOKS RAW" SAYS SNOW PATROL SINGER:
* JAKE SHEARS ADMITS BODY OBSESSION:

* KYLIE DENIES "FIRST INTERVIEW":
Kylie Minogue has denied that she has spoken
to the Press about her illness.
In the report at the weekend Kylie was
quoted saying she wants to wed boyfriend French actor
Olivier Martinez and is feeling "broody" for children.
The 38-year-old popstar posted a statement
at her website on Monday saying, "I just want to let you know
that I have not yet done an interview and
certainly not an `exclusive' as was reported
in the tabloids yesterday (Sunday).
"Rest assure that I'll let you know
when I do my `first' interview.
"There's much to update you on and I am
excited to be making my way back.
"In the meantime, love to you all, Kylie x."
Kylie, who was diagnosed with breast cancer
just over a year ago, was said to be
currently working on a new album.
In the report, Kylie was also said to have
been given the all clear following her
diagnosis last May.
She was quoted saying, "It's been a long, hard
road to now but I'm feeling good and I want to
get back into the swing of things.
"Yes, I feel broody. It's only natural. It
hasn't happened yet, but I hope it will someday."

* "MY THROAT LOOKS RAW" SAYS SNOW PATROL SINGER:
Snow Patrol have postponed another three
concerts on their North American tour after
frontman Gary Lightbody was ordered to rest by
a voice specialist in New York who last week found
two blister-like lesions on his left vocal chord.
The Scots-Irish group, who had already postponed
three concerts, in Atlanta, Washington DC and Boston
earlier in the week as well as Saturday's (03JUN)
prestigious gig at New York's Roseland Ballroom,
have put on hold shows next week's concerts
in Philadelphia, Montreal and Toronto.
The tour is now due to resume in Pontiac, near Detroit,
on Friday (09JUN), Lightbody says.
The 29-year-old Bangor-born singer told fans with
a message at the group's official website that
after his latest check-up on Thursday his doctor
told him the lesions, which the singer jokingly
called "my little friends," are "still hanging on
for dear life."
He added, "My throat looks raw apparently."
Snow Patrol kicked-off their tour of the US
and Canada on May 23 in Denver, but four concerts
into the schedule Lightbody complained of a sore
throat and that he was unable to sing.
In a bid to rescue the tour the group's management arranged
for Lightbody to visit a voice specialist in New York who has
previously treated Celine Dion amongst others.
Lightbody admitted he found it difficult to look
at scans of the affected vocal chord.
He said, "To be honest I still find it hard to
look at it long enough to see what the doc
is getting at. I believe her though. "
The group have rescheduled some of the postponed
concerts for later in the month.
The postponed gigs in Atlanta, Washington DC,
New York, Philadelphia and Toronto have been
put back until later this month while the
Boston show has been rescheduled to August when
the group are due back in the US.
The postponed Montreal concert has been rescheduled
to October when they are due back for another North
American visit in support of their fourth album, Eyes Open, which
is currently No. 72 in the Billboard chart having sold
71,000 copies in the US since its release last
month.

* JAKE SHEARS ADMITS BODY OBSESSION:
Jake Shears has spoken about he became obsessed
with having "the perfect body" when he was young,
free and single on the gay dating scene.
The 28-year-old Scissor Sisters' frontman is
now in a relationship with his boyfriend Chris.
But, speaking to bookworms at a literary festival
in New Orleans where he was a guest panellist,
Shears confessed he once suffered from abs envy.
Novelist Michael Cunningham, who also attended
the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival,
said, "Shears really impressed me.
"He talked about gay male body image and
how he became obsessed a few years back
with having the perfect body.
"He talked about how the quest for the
unattainable body is one of the biggest
problems in the gay community today."
Shears previewed for the audience a
new track called In The Machine which he said he was inspired to
write after reading by Cunningham's book
Specimen Days.
Another new song, She's My Man, was
inspired by Annie Christmas, a 6' 8"-tall
woman who lived in New Orleans in the
19th century, said Shears.
Shears told the audience how as a young
freelance journalist for US-based gay magazine
Genre he tried to interview Cunningham about his
novel The Hours.
Cunningham said he never returned Shears' calls, but
the pair met up years later after Shears'
band had tasted some success and they have now
become firm friends.
But, it wasn't all work at the literary
festival for Shears.
Afterwards he and Cunningham hit The Corner
Pocket, a local strip bar.
The Scissor Sisters long-awaited second
album due which has the working title Ta Dah is
released on September 4 in the UK.
The album is also expected to contain a duet with
Elton John and a tribute to Paul McCartney with a song
titled Paul McCartney. Other tracks include Cher Baby,
Other Side and Can't Decide.
The New Yorkers will headline the annual Bestival on the
Isle of Wight on September 10.

June 5th 2006

2006-06-05T23:49:00.000-07:00

* NICOLE TO WED AT DUSK:
* ASH'S RICK COMMUTES FROM EDINBURGH TO NYC:
* BRITNEY TO DUET WITH DIONNE WARWICK:

* NICOLE TO WED AT DUSK:
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban will
reportedly marry as the sun sets in Sydney later this
month in a bid to ward off paparazzi.
The pair have set a 6.30pm start time for
the service, according to the New York Post.
The paper says the late starting time
will make it nearly impossible for photographers
flying overhead in helicopters to snap
decend pictures.
Last month the Oscar-winning actress
confirmed she is engaged to the country
star. Both are 38 and were brought up in
Australia. They met in January 2005 at
an awards dinner in Los Angeles hosted in
honour of the Australian goverment

* ASH'S RICK COMMUTES FROM EDINBURGH TO NYC:
Ash drummer Rick McMurray is refusing to join
his bandmates in New York where they are busy
working on songs for their new album.
The Downpatrick trio have leased a recording
studio from a friend for three years.
But, McMurray is staying in Edinburgh where he lives
rather than join bandmates singer Tim Wheeler
and bassist Mark Hamilton.
Wheeler says, "We (myself and Mark) both
relocated here last summer.
"I'm loving it here. Rick's still in Scotland,
but he flies back and forth whenever we need him.
"I think Rick was a bit concerned about us
setting up over here, but there's direct flights
straight from Edinburgh and I think his doubts
were totally eased as soon as he got here and
saw how great the space was."
Wheeler says the band already have nearly 30
songs to choose from for the follow-up album to
2004's Meltdown.
He said, "We're working on 27 rough songs at
the moment, they're all arranged and sounding
good as a band.
"I've still got to write most of my lyrics though.
"I always write the melody and the music to
begin with."
The band have yet to begin recording at their
new rented studio, but Wheeler is hopeful the
new album will be just the first of several
they make at the studio.
"We could make three albums here. Or six.
It's just a great base to have.
"It serves as a recording space and a rehearsal
space, plus it's got loads of storeage and a
good office.
"I've been looking for this kind of set up in
London for years.
"Plus, having our own space will bring down
the cost of our record a lot."
Among the new tracks the band is working on
is a song which goes under the working title
Goldfinger, because, says Wheeler, "I thought
the middle eight riff sounded like a John Barry
song from a James Bond film."
Ash have no plans to replace Charlotte Hatherley
who quit the band in January to pursue a solo career.
Says Wheeler, "Well obviously we've gone back
to a three-piece and the sound we're getting
playing in a room with just the three of us has
been really exciting.
"We'd quite like to capture that three-piece
live band sound, but then embellish it with
other interesting stuff.
"We're planning on producing the record
ourselves and we've become very proficient with
recording techniques and software like Pro Tools,
so there might be a more experimental approach too.
"We're just trying to figure out how that will work.
"We knew we wanted to give ourselves a lot of
time, to experiment and do it right, because we
know we need to come back with a really strong
statement.
"We're planning to release it next spring,
which gives us to the end of the year to work
on stuff.
"I'm not gonna go all Lou Reed or anything!
But I do feel really far from what's going on
in the British music scene, which is quite
refreshing.
"People don't seem to be so obsessed with
bands here.
"I'm probably taking in more normal life and
more reality, which is good."
Wheeler admits he doesn't "have a clue" about
the UK music scene since relocating.
He says the band plan to test out the new
songs at unannounced low-key shows in New York's
smaller bars.
"That would kind of remind me of when we were
kids and we'd go up to Belfast to play little
shows in bars. We haven't had that kind of thing
for like 12 years.
"And New York's a real good live music city,
there's so many bars or backrooms you can play
for fun.
"I'm really looking forward to doing that."

* BRITNEY TO DUET WITH DIONNE WARWICK:
Britney Spears' pop comeback will be on
a new album by 60s legend Dionne Warwick.
Dionne, 64, the divine voice behind hits like Do You
Know The Way To San Jose and Walk On By,
will duet with the 24-year-old popstar on
a new album for the Concord record label.
Gladys Knight, Kelly Rowland, Kelis,
Mya, Angie Stone and Dionne's cousin Whitney
Houston, are also due to perform on the
album.
Dionne still continues to tour regularly
and appear on television. This week she
appeared on American Idol performing with
her longtime collaborator Burt Bacharach.

June 2nd 2006

2006-06-02T09:51:00.000-07:00

* GEORGE MICHAEL DUETS WITH MUTYA:
* MARIAH FEARS RAISING KIDS AS CELEBRITY MUM:
* NAOMI'S LEAVING NEW YORK:

* GEORGE MICHAEL DUETS WITH MUTYA:
George Michael has recorded a new song
with former Sugababes' singer Mutya Buena.
The ballad titled This Is Not Real Love
is expected to be included on George's greatest
hits album due later this year.
The 42-year-old popstar told Magic 105.4 FM
he has also reworked Heal The Pain from
his 1990 Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. 1 album
as a "tribute to Paul McCartney" featuring the
former Beatle playing bass guitar.
George, who dueted with McCartney on a
version of The Beatles' Drive My Car at last
year's Live 8, said, "One is a wonderful
tribute to Paul McCartney. A remake of Heal
The Pain.
"Hearing him sing it is such an honour. And
it sounds perfect. Such a thrill for me.
"I think it's much better than the original.
He plays bass on the track. And in fact,
when it came to recording the vocal,
"I had to leave the room. I can't tell
Paul McCartney what to do!.
"Also, I've written a track - it's going to
be a song with Mutya from the Sugababes.
"She's done a guide vocal, and she sounds
great. I've admired her for a long time -
right from their (Sugababes) first album,
I thought she was special."
As well as the Mutya ballad, the album will
contain one other slow song titled
Understand.
George's hits album is expected to contain
at least one other new song.
George revealed that he's trying to get
fit for his upcoming tour.
"A treadmill is arriving at home tomorrow.
I can't go to the gym because photographers
chase me.
"I decided to use a gym right across the
road from the house so I couldn't get out of
going. But I can't now - it's like they
expect me to crash between the house and
going over the road!.
"So the treadmill is coming."
George also revealed that he's not going to
make a big profit from the tour.
He said, "I'm in shock. I just found I'm
not going to make much money from this tour.
"I just found out the set I'm designing with
an amazing team of people is going to cost me
£15 million.
"We seriously underpriced the tickets."
George's first UK tour in 15 years kick-offs at
the Manchester Evening News Arena on November 17.
The 25 Live tour is due to wrap
up at Wembley Arena on December 15

* MARIAH FEARS RAISING KIDS AS CELEBRITY MUM:
Mariah Carey has spoken about her fears of raising
children.
The 36-year-old singer told the New York Post, "I don't
know if children are in the cards for me. It wouldn't be
fair to a child to be born a celebrity. It would be very
difficult."
Mariah added that her marriage to record executive
Tommy Mottola was "oppressive."

* NAOMI'S LEAVING NEW YORK:
Naomi Campbell has put her New York penthouse up
for sale.
The 36-year-old supermodel's 3,100-square-foot
apartment on Park Avenue is listed at $5.25 million (£2.81 million),
reports the New York Post.
The apartment features double-height ceilings,
three bedrooms, four bathrooms, a walk-in dressing
room and a "floating" master bedroom with a yacht-like
teak bathroom that includes a four-person jacuzzi.
According to the Post, the apartment has been the scene of
two separate high-profile rows between the Streatham-born
model and her staff.

June 1st 2006

2006-06-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

* U2 BEGIN WORK ON NEW ALBUM:
* SNOW POSTPONE THIRD US GIG:
* IRA BOMB ENDED TOWNSHEND'S POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING:

* U2 BEGIN WORK ON NEW ALBUM:
U2 reunited this week to begin work on
the follow-up album to 2004's How To Dismantle
An Atomic Bomb - and Bono says he already
has a lot of new songs to play his bandmates
after taking up piano lessons.
The father-of-four has been secretly taking
piano lessons from his children's teacher.
Bono, 46, could already play a handful of
chords on the piano, but some months ago
vowed to get serious about playing the instrument.
Bono said, "I have been working a lot in the
last couple of months campaigning in the US, and
from Africa and with Product Red, so there's
a lot of stuff going on, but I am trying to get it
out of the way so that June we can (U2) meet up and start
writing together, and I've got a lot of songs which
is oddly enough, (I've) been taking piano lessons.
"My kids' piano teacher, Dawn, has been teaching me
the piano.
"And everytime she gives me a lesson on the
piano, I write a new song.
"So (next week) when we meet up, I have all these
songs to play for them.
"So I would like would like to thin out my schedule,
in terms of the politics and activism, and just
get lost in music again. That's what I'm really
looking forward to for the summer."
Bono has recently returned from a whirlwind
six nations tour of Africa to see how money
raised to help relieve debt and disease on
the continent is being spent.

* SNOW POSTPONE THIRD US GIG:
Snow Patrol have postponed tomorrow's
(02JUN) concert at Boston's Avalon Club,
the third gig on the band's US tour to
be scrapped because singer Gary Lightbody
has been struck down with a sore throat.
Earlier this week the band were forced to
postpone concerts in Atlanta on Monday
and in Washington DC last night (31MAY).
Lightbody, 29, is seeking advice from a voice
specialist in New York.
The band's next scheduled concert is
at New York's Roseland Ballroom on
Saturday (03JUN).
The tour kicked-off in Denver last week
and is due to wrap up in Los Angeles on
June 20.
Lightbody has promised fans he hopes to
re-arrange the cancelled gigs before the group fly
home to the UK.
Meanwhile, Snow Patrol's Eyes Open album
is fading fast on the US chart.
The album fell this week from No. 46 to
No. 72.
Eyes Open has now sold 71,000 copies in the
US.

* IRA BOMB ENDED TOWNSHEND'S POLITICAL CAMPAIGNING:
Pete Townshend vowed never to get fooled again by political groups
allied to terrorist organisations after an IRA bomb was found in a West End
theatre in the mid-90s close to where his rock musical Tommy was due
to open.
The 61-year-old Who guitarist says when he
heard that an IRA bomb had been found in the
theatre he decided it was time to
back way from political fund-raising.
"I decided my karma had come around
full circle," said Townshend, who in the 80s actively helped
raise money for the African National Congress.
During the decade, Townshend helped raise money for
the ANC's campaign calling on the South African government to
release Nelson Mandela from jail.
Mandela was eventually freed in 1990 and four years later
was elected South African president.

May 31st 2006

2006-05-31T01:20:00.000-07:00

* SNOW PATROL POSTPONE TWO US GIGS:
* JULIA IS NEW FACE OF AVON:
* SOPHIE CONFIRMS ALBUM COLLABORATORS:

* SNOW PATROL POSTPONE TWO US GIGS:
Snow Patrol have been forced to cancel two concerts
on their US tour after singer Gary Lightbody complained
that his voice "is worn out."
The singer says he is due to see a specialist in New
York today, Wednesday (31MAY).
But, he denied that partying was to blame for the loss
of his voice.
He said, "Some of you may come to the conclusion that
this is because we’re a party band and we’re out every night
getting messed up. Yes we like a drink.
"I however have taken it reasonable easy since February
in that department and I haven’t been drinking on this
US tour at all and I’ve every intention of not partying for
the duration of it.
"In fact I’ve been in the gym every morning and eating right."
In a post at his band's official website he said, "I've even
agreed (horror of all horrors) to see a voice coach."
The Scots-Irish band performed their hit US single, Chasing
Cars, on yesterday's Good Morning America on ABC-TV.
But, a planned concert later in the evening in Atlanta was postponed
along with their next scheduled concert in Washington DC tomorrow (31MAY).
Lightbody said, "When we began the Eyes Open tour in February
of this year I was told by my doctor a few days before hand that I
had laryngitis and it would be best if I took a week off
to recover.
"I told him I didn’t have a week as we had
shows pretty much every day. All the gigs so far have
been a struggle for me. Unfortunately now I can barely
hit any notes. My entire upper range has disappeared into a whisper."
Lightbody said the band would try to add the postponed
concerts to the end of the tour.
"Failing that we are back to do some radio shows in
mid-August and we will schedule them there," he said.
Snow Patrol's latest American single, Chasing Cars,
was last week's highest new entry on the Billboard
Hot 100.
The track, taken from the band's new album, Eyes Open,
shot into the chart at No. 54.
The song was given a boost when it aired on the season
finale of ABC's hit drama Grey's Anatomy.
Meanwhile, their UK No. 1 album Eyes Open is currently No. 46 in the Billboard
album chart having sold just over 56,000 copies since
its release last week.
The band kicked-off their North American tour in
Denver last Tuesday.
The tour is due to wrap up with two shows in
Los Angeles on June 19 and 20.
Apologising to fans for the postponed gigs, Lightbody
added, "I am so sorry for this to all of you who have bought
tickets especially those of you who have travelled long
distances to these shows.
"Of course we will make sure that these tickets are still
valid, as I say they aren’t cancelled they’re just postponed.
We’ll give you the info for the new shows as soon as we
know."

* JULIA IS NEW FACE OF AVON:
Julia Roberts is reportedly set to be
named the the new face of Avon.
According to Us Weekly, the 38-year-old
Pretty Woman actress is about to sign as
the cosmetics company for between $2 million
and $4 million (between £1 million and £2.1 million).
Last month, US tabloids reported Roberts
had been dropped as the face of Christian
Dior make-up.

* SOPHIE CONFIRMS ALBUM COLLABORATORS:
Sophie Ellis-Bextor has teamed up with
her husband Richard Jones' bandmate Dan
Gillespie from the Feeling.
Sophie's third album still has no release date, but in a post to fans
at her official website the
27-year-old popstar confirmed she has been
working with a host of people including Gillespie and
DJ Dimitri from Paris.
Sophie's also been collaborating with
Cathy Dennis, co-writer of Kylie Minogue's
Can't Get You Out Of My Head,
Liam Howe from the Sneaker Pimps and Brian
Higgins of Xenomania the production team
behind hits by acts like the Sugababes, Girls Aloud
and Steps.
Sophie said, "It’s funny, I know that it seems like
I’m inactive because I haven’t been doing
anything public, but I haven’t really
stopped working!."

May 30th 2006

2006-05-30T00:28:00.000-07:00

* BRITNEY TO DUET WITH DIONNE WARWICK:
* CAT'S ENGLISH CONFUSES YANKS:
* TOWNSHEND'S SMASHING GUITAR LOTTERY:

* BRITNEY TO DUET WITH DIONNE WARWICK:
Britney Spears' pop comeback will be on
a new album by 60s legend Dionne Warwick.
Dionne, 64, the divine voice behind hits like Do You
Know The Way To San Jose and Walk On By,
will duet with the 24-year-old popstar on
a new album for the Concord record label.
Gladys Knight, Kelly Rowland, Kelis,
Mya, Angie Stone and Dionne's cousin Whitney
Houston, are also due to perform on the
album.
Dionne still continues to tour regularly
and appear on television. This week she
appeared on American Idol performing with
her longtime collaborator Burt Bacharach.

* CAT'S ENGLISH CONFUSES YANKS:
Cat Deeley confused a journalist from
an American magazine when she told him that
men in Britain like her because they reckon she'd
share her pie with them.
Cat said that the reason a recent poll showed that
men in the UK voted her as the person
they'd like to sit next to her at a
football match is because they think she'd
share her pie.
Cat said, "I don't really take myself too seriously.
And they know that I'd probably share my pie with them,"
the former CD:UK presenter told TV Guide's
male journalist.
Naturally, the reporter was a bit confused - in
America pie means something altogether different.
"I'm sorry, your what?," inquired the reporter.
"At an English football game you always
have a steak and kidney pie or something
like that, and a cup of tea!," explained
Cat who is to host So You Think You Can
Dance for US cable network Fox TV.

* TOWNSHEND'S SMASHING GUITAR LOTTERY:
The Who's Pete Townshend is to smash his guitar
to raise money for charity.
Lottery tickets at $10-a-pop (about £5) will be sold to win
the last guitar the 61-year-old smashes on
the final date of the group's upcoming tour at Yukohama in
Japan.
The proceeds will go to a "major international charity"
as yet unnamed, and The New Orleans Appeal.
The effort is one of several fund-raising ideas planned
by the Who for the tour.
The group willl webcast concerts with proceeds
going towards charity.
Townshend said the group would "every few weeks"
webcast "an entire show for a major charity."
He added that he and singer Roger Daltrey are
currently "considering some causes."
Fans will also be able to buy live streams of
songs from the group's concerts as well as DVDs
and CDs. Podcasts via iTunes are also planned,
says Townshend.
"With Roger's OK already given I intend to bootleg
Who shows myself and give the proceeds to charity,"
said Townshend adding that when asked why
they are doing it "because we f..king well can."
Writing at his official website he added
that he didn't "give a f..k" whether or not
"it will make us look good."
He said, "If you are a corporate sponsor considering
sponsoring the Who in this mammoth first ever
tour webcast venture, get your head out of your arse
and walk towards us. We are about to take off."
The group, due to release their first studio album
in 24 years in September, begin a European tour
at the Brighton Centre on June 18. They then play
a series of European shows. The Yukohama concert
date has yet to be confirmed

May 25th 2006

2006-05-25T02:47:00.000-07:00

* PUSSYCAT DOLLS TO PLAY LONDON GIG:
* TOWNSHEND'S SMASHING GUITAR LOTTERY:
* GARY TAKES HAIR TIP FROM FAN:
* VAN THE ICONIC MAN::

* PUSSYCAT DOLLS TO PLAY LONDON GIG:
The Pussycat Dolls are to play a low-key gig in
London next month.
The American all-girl band will perform at the G-A-Y
nightclub on Charing Cross Road on Saturday, June 17.
The group, who topped the UK chart last year
with Don't Cha and Stickwitu and scored a No. 3 in
March with Beep, released a new single, Buttons,
featuring Snoop Dogg, on Monday.

* TOWNSHEND'S SMASHING GUITAR LOTTERY:
The Who's Pete Townshend is to smash his guitar
to raise money for charity.
Lottery tickets at $10-a-pop (about £5) will be sold to win
the last guitar the 61-year-old smashes on
the final date of the group's upcoming tour at Yukohama in
Japan.
The proceeds will go to a "major international charity"
as yet unnamed, and The New Orleans Appeal.
The effort is one of several fund-raising ideas planned
by the Who for the tour.
The group willl webcast concerts with proceeds
going towards charity.
Townshend said the group would "every few weeks"
webcast "an entire show for a major charity."
He added that he and singer Roger Daltrey are
currently "considering some causes."
Fans will also be able to buy live streams of
songs from the group's concerts as well as DVDs
and CDs. Podcasts via iTunes are also planned,
says Townshend.
"With Roger's OK already given I intend to bootleg
Who shows myself and give the proceeds to charity,"
said Townshend adding that when asked why
they are doing it "because we f..king well can."
Writing at his official website he added
that he didn't "give a f..k" whether or not
"it will make us look good."
He said, "If you are a corporate sponsor considering
sponsoring the Who in this mammoth first ever
tour webcast venture, get your head out of your arse
and walk towards us. We are about to take off."
The group, due to release their first studio album
in 24 years in September, begin a European tour
at the Brighton Centre on June 18. They then play
a series of European shows. The Yukohama concert
date has yet to be confirmed.

* GARY TAKES HAIR TIP FROM FAN:
Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody has cut his moptop
after a Dublin fan urged him to get a haircut.
Bangor-born Gary, 29, decided to visit the hairdressers
after he saw a fan holding up a banner at a concert pleading with him
to cut it.
"I hope there isn’t anyone suggesting I grow it back
because that’ll take a touch longer," said Gary, currently
in the US with Snow Patrol.
The Scots-Irish group kicked-off a North American tour
with a gig in Denver on Tuesday.
Snow Patrol's latest album Eyes Open album is
currently No. 46 in the Billboard chart having sold
just over 56,000 copies since its release last week.
The tour includes concerts in Dallas, Austin,
Houston, Atlanta, Washington DC. Boston, New York,
Philadelphia, Montreal, Toronto, Pontiac, Chicago,
Minneapolis, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San
Francisco and wraps up with two shows in Los
Angeles at the city's Wiltern Theatre on June
19 and 20.
Meanwhile, the band, who play Dublin's
Marley Park on August 19,
have added a second concert at
Wembley Arena on December 19 to their
upcoming tour due to phenomenal demand for tickets.
A spokesperson said the concert
was added after the group's first gig at the
venue on December 18 almost sold-out.
The spokesperson said the second concert was
added "due to phenomenal demand" adding, "The
first show in London has very nearly sold out,
as have many of the other UK Arena dates that
we announced at the beginning of May."

* VAN THE ICONIC MAN:
Van Morrison has been nominated for the
Icon Award at the Mojo Awards.
The 60-year-old Irish singer is up
against Scott Walker, Johnny Cash, Neil
Young and David Bowie for the award
sponsored by Mojo magazine.
The winners will be announced at a
ceremony in London on June 5.

May 24th 2006

2006-05-24T00:27:00.000-07:00

* MADONNA ADDS JAPAN TO TOUR:
* BEYONCE LAUNCHES JUNIOR CLOTHES LINE:
* NATASHA AND NICK NOT DATING:

* MADONNA ADDS JAPAN TO TOUR:
Madonna is to play two concerts in Japan in September.
The 47-year-old popstar will take her Confessions Tour
to the Osaka Dome on September 16 and the Toyko Dome
on September 20.
Madonna opened the tour to favourable reviews
last weekend in Los Angeles.

* BEYONCE LAUNCHES JUNIOR CLOTHES LINE:
Beyonce Knowles' fashion company, the House of Dereon,
is launching a new clothes line aimed at teenagers
and young women in their 20s.
The new junior collection will initially consist of
denim, knitwear, fur jackets and vests and will hit US
stores this summer.
Beyonce's mother, Tina, who runs the company with
her 24-year-old superstar daughter, says, "I am often
approached by Beyonce's young fans asking when a
junior line would be launched. (It) has always been
included in our business plan."
Beyonce and Tina launched the House of Dereon
last year after the popstar was inspired by the fashion
creations her mum did for Destiny's Child.

* NATASHA AND NICK NOT DATING:
Staff at a restaurant where Natasha Bedingfield and
Nick Lachey were spotted chatting at the weekend have
rubbished reports the pair are dating.
The two were seen together at the Foundation Lounge in
Boston leading to speculation the former American boy
band member is going out with the 24-year-old Unwritten
singer.
According to the Boston Herald the pair arrived separately
and left separately after a post-concert party.
"There were no exhanges of bodily fluids, they were just
chatting," a witness told the paper.

May 23rd 2006

2006-05-23T01:17:00.000-07:00

* TOWNSHEND SLAMS "PICKLED" UK PRESS:
* MORRISSEY CANCELS ITALIAN GIG:
* SIOBHAN'S BANANARAMA REUNION:
* STING TO RELEASE ALBUM OF LUTE MUSIC:

* TOWNSHEND SLAMS "PICKLED" UK PRESS:
The Who's Pete Townshend has blasted
the UK press over recent coverage of
stories involving Pete Doherty and Jerry Hall.
The 60-year-old guitarist who has spoken openly
about his past abuse of drugs and
alcohol, accused the British press of being
hypocritical in its coverage of Doherty saying
some journalists are "so pickled" their opinions
are "worthless."
Townshend said "There are legions of Pete Dochertys (sic) in
the British Press Corps, but the Press
protect their own."
The rock legend's comments mark a change of
tact towards Doherty. Recently, Townshend
had described the Babyshambles frontman
as "the ultimate rock `n' roll f...wit."
He also criticised "the otherwise fairly reputable Sunday
Times" for an "insulting and dismissive"
piece on Hall after she spoke earlier this
month about witnessing abuse by her father
when she was a child.
Townshend praised Hall for being candid
and brave.
Writing at his official website, Townshend
added, "It seems as though the press
never really change their principle
habit - which is to first judge on the
basis of facts that are always,
inevitably, incomplete.
"Some of them are so pickled most of
the time their opinions are worthless.
"Journalism is a noble calling that
the truly noble rarely hear."
The Who are due to release an EP titled
Wire & Glass next month. An album, the group's
first since 1982's It's Hard, is due on Polydor
Records in September. The band begin a European
tour at the Brighton Centre on June 18.

* MORRISSEY CANCELS ITALIAN GIG:
Animal rights' supporter Morrissey has cancelled
a concert in Napoli, Italy,
because the sponsor of the gig was a leather manufacturer.
The 47-year-old former Smiths' frontman had been
due to perform the concert in July as part of an
Italian tour in support of his latest album, Ringleader of
the Tormentors.

* SIOBHAN'S BANANARAMA REUNION:
Siobhan Fahey has been spotted with her
former bandmates in Bananarama leading to speculation
the 80s pop group may be set to reunite.
Siobhan, who quit the group in 1988 to form Shakespear's Sister
and was replaced by Jacqui O'Sullivan, was seen having
drinks with Sarah Dallin and Keren Woodward in Los
Angeles where the duo spent much of last week promoting
their latest album Drama.
Siobhan, who also caught Madonna's opening
concert on her new tour while she was in
LA, said, "I saw them for a drink afterwards.
It was good to see them."
Sarah and Keren are enjoying their first US
hit in 14 years with Look On The Floor debuting
on this week's Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart at
No. 44.
The pair, who were last in the US dance chart in 1992 with
Tripping on Your Love, have been attracting
crowds of up to 200 at each store, mainly male
fans in their late 30s and early 40s who bought
their albums and singles first time around when
they were hits.
Drama was released in the US on the independent
dance label The Lab on May 16.

* STING TO RELEASE ALBUM OF LUTE MUSIC:
Sting is to release this autumn an album
featuring music by 16th Century composer
John Dowland.
The as-yet-untitled album, due in October on the Deutsche
Grammophon label, will feature Bosnian lute
player Edin Karamazov.
The former Police frontman says he has been
a fan of Dowland's music since the early
80s and recently began playing the lute after
his band's guitarist Dominic Miller gave him
one as a gift.
He says, "I'm thrilled. It's a strange record,
a delightful record and I think people will
be intrigued by it, as I was, and it's one of
those little side issues to your career that
don't make much sense logically, but I've
never been that logical anyway, so we'll see
what happens.
"The album is voice and lute, there are a
few four part harmonies that I sing and it's
all music from the sixteenth century."
Dowland was employed as a lute player in
the courts of Christian IV of Denmark and James
I of England during the early 1600s.

May 22nd 2006

2006-05-22T02:48:00.000-07:00

* MARIAH ANNOUNCES TOUR DETAILS:
* THOM YORKE SONG TO APPEAR IN SCI-FI FILM:
* SNOW PATROL ADD SECOND WEMBLEY CONCERT:

* MARIAH ANNOUNCES TOUR DETAILS:
Mariah Carey will launch her first tour in three years in
Miami, Florida, in August.
The 36-year-old popstar will begin
the tour titled The Adventures of Mimi,
on August 5 at the American Airlines Arena.
The 28-date tour of the US and Canada is
due to wrap up at the US Airways Arena in Phoenix, Arizona,
on October 10.
Details were given at the weekend to members of Mariah's
official fanclub, the HoneyB Fly Club, via an email.
The tour, in support of Mariah's latest
album, 2005's The Emanicipation of Mimi,
will be her first since her 2003 Charmbracelet tour.
Mariah releases a new single, Say Something, featuring
Snoop Dogg, on June 5.

* THOM YORKE SONG TO APPEAR IN SCI-FI FILM:
One of the songs from Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke's
debut solo album, The Eraser due in July, will be included
in director Richard Linklater's upcoming
animated sci-film A Scanner Darkley.
The track titled Black Swan will be played over the closing
credits of the movie due for release in the
US in July, reports the Los Angeles Times.
According to NME, other tracks on the album include Analyse, The Clock,
Skip Divided, Atoms For Peace, And It Rained All Night,
Harrowdown Hill, Cymbal Rush and the title track.
Meanwhile, Kris Chen, senior vice-president
of A&R at the White Stripe's XL Recordings label
which will release Yorke's solo album, tells the LA Times
that contrary to what some fans have been expressing on the
internet about the album, it's not "Thom's techno record."
Chen said, "It is well-composed, beautifully
thought-out and song-based. Thom's voice and
lyrics are unmistakable. That said, it's not as
if you're going to hear the more guitar-based
angle of, say, The Bends."
The Eraser has been produced by Nigel Godrich
who also has been working with Radiohead on
their next album.

* SNOW PATROL ADD SECOND WEMBLEY CONCERT:
Snow Patrol have added a second concert at
Wembley Arena on December 19 to their
upcoming tour due to phenomenal demand for tickets.
A spokesperson for the group said the concert
was added after the group's first gig at the
venue on December 18 almost sold-out.
The spokesperson said the second concert was
added "due to phenomenal demand" adding, "The
first show in London has very nearly sold out,
as have many of the other UK Arena dates that
we announced at the beginning of May."
Tickets for the new date go on sale on Monday.
Snow Patrol kick-off their winter tour of the
UK on November 28 at the Birmingham NIA.
They begin a US tour in Denver on May 23.

May 19th 2006

2006-05-19T01:48:00.000-07:00

* MARIAH CAREY SET TO TOUR:
* NEELEE HOOPER PRODUCING ANDREA CORR SOLO ALBUM:
* MCCARTNEY POSTS NEW MESSAGE TO FANS:

* MARIAH CAREY SET TO TOUR:
Mariah Carey is set to embark on her first two in two years
with the first few dates and venues to be announced next week.
Fans of the 36-year-old popstar's official fan club the HoneyBClub
have been sent an email informing them that from Monday
they will have first choice at buying tickets for the initial dates,
three in the north-west of the US and one in the mid-west.
Mariah releases a new single, Say Something, featuring Snoop
Dogg, on June 5.

* NEELEE HOOPER PRODUCING ANDREA CORR SOLO ALBUM:
Andrea Corr is going solo - no she's not
leaving siblings Caroline, Sharon and Jim -
just planning to release her debut solo album.
Nellee Hooper, who has worked with U2, Gwen Stefani
and Bjork, is currently busy producing the debut solo album.
Andrea, at 32 the youngest of the Corr
siblings, has already branched out on her
own as an actress appearing as Juan Peron's
mistress in 1996's Evita as well 2003's
The Boys and Girls from County Clare and
2005's The Bridge. Later this year she will
star as Lily in the Anglo-India movie Broken
Thread.
Hooper worked on U2's How To Dismantle an
Atomic Bomb and Stefani's Love Angel Music
Baby album and was nominated for producer of
the year in 2003 by the Grammys.
Andrea's album is set to be released by Atlantic
Records.

* MCCARTNEY POSTS NEW MESSAGE TO FANS:
Paul McCartney has posted another message at
his official website criticising media coverage of the
break-up of his marriage to Heather Mills - his fourth
message posted at the site in two days.
In his latest message, the 63-year-old former Beatle
said, "Seeing that so many inaccurate stories have
been written at the moment about Heather and
myself all I can ask people to do is not believe them
and understand that most of what is coming out
is made up and entirely fales. Thanks for your
support."
The couple wed in Ireland in June 2002. Their
baby daughter Beatrice was born in October 2003.
Since news of the couple's split was confirmed it has
been speculated that Heather could walk away with
up to £200 million of McCartney's fortune, valued at
an estimated £800 million. The couple reportedly
didn't sign a pre-nuptial agreement

May 18th 2006

2006-05-18T02:16:00.000-07:00

* MCCARTNEY SLAMS "UNTRUE" MEDIA REPORTS:
* JENN ADMITS ALMOST BURNING THE HOUSE DOWN:
* CHARMED STAR SIGNS UP FOR YOU'VE BEEN DUMPED SHOW:
* ASH BEGIN WORK ON NEW ALBUM:

* MCCARTNEY SLAMS "UNTRUE" MEDIA REPORTS:
Sir Paul McCartney has posted a third message at
his official website criticising what he described as
"untrue" media coverage of the break-up of his marriage to
Heather Mills-McCartney.
The 63-year-old former Beatle said, "In reading the media
reports that are coming out I would urge people not
to believe them.
"Almost everything I'm reading is 100 per cent
untrue.
"I urge people not to read this stuff and support
Heather and myself at this difficult time."
The message appeared on McCartney's website
late last night only hours after he posted a message denying Heather
had married him for his money. Earlier he had posted a message confirming
yesterday's press reports that he and Heather are to separate.
The couple wed in Ireland in June 2002. Their
baby daughter Beatrice was born in October 2003.
Since news of the couple's split was confirmed it has
been speculated that Heather could walk away with
up to £200 million of McCartney's fortune, valued at
an estimated £800 million. The couple reportedly
didn't sign a pre-nuptial agreement.

* JENN ADMITS ALMOST BURNING THE HOUSE DOWN:
Alias star Jennifer Garner has confessed she
isn't a domesticated goddess.
Jennifer admits she almost burned down a house she and husband
Ben Affleck are renting near his family home
in Cambridge, Massachusetts, after she tried to
cook dinner.
"I love to cook but, um, I do have a little
problem," Jennifer told US daytime TV hosts
Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa.
"Sometimes I’ll cook a little hot."
Jennifer says she put oil on the stove to
heat, got distracted and the burning fat
filled the house with smoke.
"We’re staying in a rented house, and I
didn’t know how to put the vent over the stove,"
added Jennifer.
She says an alarm with a human voice saying:
"Fire, please pleave the building. Fire, pleae
leave the building" went off and the couple's
baby, Violet, began crying. Pearl Harbor actor
Afflect ripped the alarm from the wall and
minutes later a fire engine with eight firemen
arrived.
"I said,`Well, I can fix you dinner. But,
it's probably going to be burned," added
the 34-year-old actress.

* CHARMED STAR SIGNS UP FOR YOU'VE BEEN DUMPED SHOW:
Former Beverly Hills 90210 and Charmed
actress Shannen Doherty is to star a new US
reality TV show in which she will coach
weak-willed individuals on how to sort out their
"toxic" relationships.
Doherty will give tips on relationships with lovers, friends and bosses on the
series titled Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty
to air on Oxygen network, the cable television
network set up by women in 2000.
The 35-year-old actress reportedly once
tried to run down her former fiance, Dean
Factor, with her car, reports the Boston Herald.

* ASH BEGIN WORK ON NEW ALBUM:
Ash have re-located to New York where they
will begin recording their new album next month in
their own make-shift studio.
Mark Hamilton, bass player with the Downpatrick
trio, told fans at the band's
website that they hope to release the album in
Spring 2007.
Hamilton said, "we've been busy 'relocating!',
starting over and getting the songs together.
"We have a huge amount of songs we've been
demo-ing. We're trying to finish 30 in the
next month.
"We plan to start recording mid-June and
we'll continue until we're happy with it.
"We have been busy setting up our own studio
in New York and once we're set the recording
should be quite prolific."
The album will be the follow-up to
2004's Meltdown and their first as a trio without
their recently departed guitarist Charlotte Hatherley
since their debut titled 1977.
Meanwhile, the group is apparently
battling to win control over
the domain name www.ash.com.
Hamilton said, "We've inquired about getting
the plain old 'ash' domain name.
"Let's see how that works out."

May 17th 2006

2006-05-17T02:07:00.000-07:00

* XTINA AND MARIAH IN WAR OF WORDS:
* OPRAH HAS FITTY ON HER iPOD:
* GLADIATOR THE MUSICAL HEADING TO WEST END?:
* RICHARDS' OP MAY COST STONES £8M:
* DIVINE COMEDY TO PLAY SOMERSET HOUSE:

* XTINA AND MARIAH IN WAR OF WORDS:
Christina Aguilera has complained that
Mariah Carey has never been "cool" to her
and claims the We Belong Together singer once
slagged her off at a party they both attended.
The 25-year-old popstar tells the June
issue of America's GQ magazine,
"She (Carey) was never cool to me. To the
point that one time we were at a party and I
think she got really drunk, and she had just
really derogatory things to say to me in
front of [Aguilera trails off].
"But it was at that time that she had that
breakdown, so she might have been very
medicated."
Asked by the New York Post to comment on
Aguilera's remarks, 36-year-old Carey, through
her manager Benny Medina, replied
via an email: "I had hoped that Christina was in a better
place now than the last time I saw her, when
she showed up uninvited at one of my parties
and displayed questionable behaviour.
"It is sad yet predictable that she would
use my name to reinvent past incidents for
her promotional gain. It is in my heart to forgive,
and I will keep her in my prayers."
Aguilera, who appears in the magazine naked
in a re-creation of a famous Marilyn Monroe
calendar photo, responded with an email of her
own which read: "At this point in my life,
I do not want bad energy with anyone.
"My intentions were not to upset Mariah. I
have all the respect in the world for her."

* OPRAH HAS FITTY ON HER iPOD:
Oprah Winfrey has denied claims she is
anti-hip-hop.
The 51-year-old chat show queen told the New York Post,
"I listen to some hip-hop ... I got a little
'Fitty' [50 Cent] on my iPod and I love
[Fitty's] 'In Da Club,' I love it.
"Jay-Z, I love Kanye [West], Jay is one of
my friends.
"I'm opposed to some of the music that
offends my sensibilities, that's when you're
degrading women, marginalising women, but
the beat I love."

* GLADIATOR THE MUSICAL HEADING TO WEST END?:
Ridley Scott's glossy historical epic Gladiator
is to be re-created as a musical on the
West End, according to US reports.
The British director's 2000 movie which won a
Best Actor Oscar for its star Russell Crowe
will be turned into a musical produced by
Brian Eastman, reports the New York Post.
Hans Zimmer's score will be used in the
production, but Crowe is not expected to
be asked to re-create his role onstage, the
Post says.
Instead, the paper says Broadway star baritone Brian
Stokes Mitchell is the favourite to land the
role of the Gladiator.

* RICHARDS' OP MAY COST STONES £8M:
The postponement by the Rolling Stones
of the European leg of their tour could cost
the group as much as $15 million (£7.9 million),
according to US reports.
The New York Post said the group could be
out of pocket to the tune of several million
dollars in lost revenue due to missed
concert dates and rescheduling.
The band's rep Fran Curtis told the New
York Post, "I don't have a clue" when quizzed
how much the postponed gigs will cost the Stones.
The Post describes the lost revenue as
"just a blip" since the Stones are expected
to earn $150 million (£79 million)
at least from their ongoing Bigger Bang tour.
Richards, 62, underwent a brain op after
his 15-foot fall from a palm tree while
holidaying with his wife in Fiji during a break
in the tour.
The Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang European tour
is now expected to start in June - but details of the
rearranged shows have still to be confirmed.
The 35-date tour had been scheduled to start in
Barcelona on 27 May and end at Cardiff's Millennium
Stadium on 29 August.

* DIVINE COMEDY TO PLAY SOMERSET HOUSE:
The Divine Comedy are to play London's
Somerset House on July 6.
Neil Hannon's outfit are so far the only
act to be confirmed for the annual series of
summer shows at the venue.
More information is available at
www.somersethousesummer.org.uk.
The Divine Comedy release a new album, Victory For
The Comic Muse, on June 19.

May 16th 2006

2006-05-17T02:06:00.000-07:00

* MY BABY IS MY RELIGION - BRITNEY:
* PETER KAY JOINS TEXAS ONSTAGE:
* KT SCORES DEBUT US HIT SINGLE:

* MY BABY IS MY RELIGION - BRITNEY:
Britney Spears says she no longer studies the Kabbalah
because her baby, Sean Preston, is her religion.
The 24-year-old popstar who gave birth to her first child
last September posted a message on the "Love B" section
of her website saying, "I no longer study Kaballah (sic), my baby
is my religion."
The Oops...I Did It Again singer last week she confirmed
she is pregnant with her second child.
Britney, who wed Kevin Federline in September 2004, was
introduced to the religion, often described as "Jewish
mysticism", in 2003 by pal Madonna.

* PETER KAY JOINS TEXAS ONSTAGE:
Peter Kay joined Texas onstage at Manchester's Evening
News Arena last weekend (12MAY) re-creating with singer Sharleen
Spiteri the Officer And a Gentleman
scene from the Glasgow band's video for their
recent single Sleep.
The comic, "playing" a bass guitar, wearing a
fake woman's wig and dress, clearly enjoyed himself
as he "backed up" Sharleen who was sporting a US sailor's white
uniform similar to that worn by
Richard Gere in the hit 80s movie.
Peter and Sharleen met for the first time
at Live 8 in Edinburgh last July. She told him
she was a big fan of his Phoenix Nights programme
and she was surprised to discover he appeared
to know more about her band than she did.
Sharleen said at the time, "I told him I loved
what he did and he came back and went through
my entire career, which stunned me."

* KT SCORES DEBUT US HIT SINGLE:
KT Tunstall has entered the Billboard
Top 30 with her debut US single Black Horse
& The Cherry Tree.
The track, taken from the 30-year-old
Scots-born singer's debut album,
Eye To The Telescope, leaped from No. 79 to No. 23 - the
highest mover on this week's Top 100 singles' chart.
It has also been a good week on the album chart for
KT with ETTT jumping from No. 56 last week
to this week's No. 33 - a new peak for
the album released in the States just 12
weeks ago.
The album has already gone Gold selling
more than 500,000 copies according to
the Recording Industry Association of America.
KT joins a select list of British acts
who are currently making it big across the
Atlantic.
Natasha Bedingfield's Unwritten is this
week No. 11 while James Blunt's You're Beautiful is
No. 12 having topped the US chart last month.
Their success ends a barren spell for British
acts. Blunt's No. 1 was the first single by
a UK artist since Sir Elton John's Princess Diana
tribute Candle In The Wind in 1997 to top
the American singles' chart.
KT and her band are currently on tour in
America. The tour wraps up this evening in
Austin, Texas, but KT is due back in the
US next month when she will play another
round of dates including concerts in
Minneapolis, Washington DC, Boston
and New York's Webster Hall.

May 15th 2006

2006-05-15T01:06:00.000-07:00

* MORRISSEY TO RELEASE NEW SINGLE:
* THE WHO, WITHOUT A US RECORD DEAL ADMITS PETE:
* MARK E. SMITH HATES FRANZ FERDINAND:

* MORRISSEY TO RELEASE NEW SINGLE:
Morrissey will release a new single,
The Youngest Was The Most Loved, on June 5.
The single will be released on three
formats featuring newly-recorded B-sides
produced by Tony Visconti.
The Youngest Was The Most Loved will be released as a mini CD
and as a seven-inch vinyl single
with If You Don't Like Me, Don't Look At
Me on the B-side.
The maxi CD will include a different
bonus track, A Song From Under The
Floorboards, as well as the video for The
Youngest.
A live recording of The Youngest will
be available on iTunes.
The Youngest is the second single to
be taken from the 46-year-old former Smiths'
frontman's latest solo album, Ringleader of
the Tormentors, released last month on
Sanctuary Records.
The album's first single, You Have Killed Me,
debuted at No. 3 in the UK chart.
Morrissey is due to appear on BBC 1's
Jonathan Ross show this Friday.

* THE WHO, WITHOUT A US RECORD DEAL ADMITS PETE:
The Who's Pete Townshend has admitted the
group are currently without a US record deal.
The legendary band are set to release their first
studio album in 24 years.
The album, the group's first since 1982's
It's Hard, is due in September and a single,
Mini Opera (Wire & Glass), is released
in June on Polydor Records in the UK and Europe.
But, guitarist Townshend has admitted, "We
do not yet have a U.S. deal settled, and
that is not for lack of love or drive on either side.
"It just hasn't happened yet. I am keen
that the Mini-Opera (Wire & Glass) is
released in the U.S and Canada at the same
time as the rest of the world, but as
things stand, it doesn't look likely."

* MARK E. SMITH HATES FRANZ FERDINAND:
The Fall have been compared to Franz Ferdinand by some
music critics, but the Manchester band's frontman Mark E. Smith
doesn't like the comparison.
Smith hates Franz Ferdinand so much you'd have to pay him
to listen to the Glasgow group.
Smith, 48, told the San Francisco Chronicle
he would only be prepared to give a FF
album a listen if he was paid "about $100,000
(£50,000)."

May 11th 2006

2006-05-11T02:26:00.000-07:00

* DEMI TO STAR IN CHANEL BIOPIC:
* TOMMY LEE TO PLAY SEX FEST:
* WESTLIFE TO FILM LONDON GIG:

* DEMI TO STAR IN CHANEL BIOPIC:
Demi Moore is set to star in a biopic about French fashion
designer Coco Chanel.
According to the New York Post, Demi is ready to finalise
a deal to star in the movie about Chanel who died in 1970 aged 87.
Born into extreme poverty, Chanel is credited with
revolutionising women's fashion. She also launched the
first perfume to bear a designer's own name.
Moore, 43, who last year married Ashton Kutcher, stars in
the upcoming Bobby about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.

* TOMMY LEE TO PLAY SEX FEST:
Tommy Lee and British 80s synth artist Thomas Dolby
have been confirmed to perform at New York's Exotic Erotic
Ball next month.
The pair will join porn stars and erotic dancers at the event -
billed as "The World's Biggest Adult Party" held on June 17.
Motley Crue drummer Lee, currently dating porn star Stefani
Morgan, will DJ at the event while
Dolby will perform hits like She Blinded Me With Science.

WESTLIFE TO FILM LONDON GIG:
Westlife are to film the first of their
two concerts at Wembley Arena on May 18
for an upcoming live DVD.
The Irish boy band are currently on tour
in the UK.
They play the Brighton Centre tomorrow evening.

May 10th 2006

2006-05-10T01:39:00.000-07:00

* COWELL TO MAKE FILM DEBUT:
* CHILI PEPPERS COVER THE BEE GEES:
* MCCARTNEY "ENCOURAGED" BY BLAIR'S STANCE SEALS:
* GABRIEL'S NO NATIVE NEW YORKER:

* COWELL TO MAKE FILM DEBUT:
Simon Cowell is to make his film debut
in an upcoming biopic about 2004 American Idol
winner Fantasia Barrino.
Ellyn Williams, executive producer of
the TV film Life Is Not a Fairy Tale, told
the New York Post that Cowell and his
fellow judges on the show - Randy Jackson
and Paula Abdul - are keen to take part.
"We've heard through an Idol executive
that Paula, Randy and Simon love Fantasia
so much they'd be willing to do a cameo if
we can get it worked out," said Williams.
Producers plan to insert footage of Cowell,
Jackson and Abdul taken from the third
series of the Fox TV if they are unavailable for filming.
Barrino, 21, who was praised by Cowell at
the time as the best Idol contestant he'd
heard, will play herself in the movie which begins
filming in New Orleans on May 17.
The movie will be based on Barrino's 2005 autobiography,
also called Life Is Not a Fairy Tale, in which she
revealed she is functionally illiterate.
Following her Idol win, Barrino scored a US No. 1 with
I Believe and was nominated for four Grammys.

* CHILI PEPPERS COVER THE BEE GEES:
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are the latest
group to cover the Bee Gees' classic How
Deep Is Your Love.
The Californian rockers covered the
song, which gave the Bee Gees a No. 3 hit in 1977 and
which Take That took to the top of the
UK chart in 1996, during a concert at
New York's Irving Plaza to promote their
latest album Stadium Arcadium.
Guitarist John Frusciante provided the
falsetto voice for the song, reports the
New York Post.

* MCCARTNEY "ENCOURAGED" BY BLAIR'S STANCE ON SEALS:
Paul McCartney says he is "encouraged" by
the response from Tony Blair's office to a
letter he and his wife Heather Mills-McCartney
sent 10 Downing Street about their recent
visit to Canada's Prince Edward Island in a
bid to stop the slaughter of seals.
In the reply to Sir Paul's letter, a
spokepserson for the PM said the British
Government was opposed to the current seal
hunt in Canada adding that the Canadian
Government "is fully aware of the UK
Government's position."
The letter went on: "We would prefer it if
all seal hunting for commercial purposes
were banned and we raise our opposition to
the hunt with the Canadian Government as
appropriate."
The McCartneys' visit to Prince Edward
Island was featured in a special BBC 1
documentary last month.

* GABRIEL'S NO NATIVE NEW YORKER:
Gabriel Bryne is planning to leave New
York - because he doesn't like being "dwarfed"
by skyscrapers.
The 55-year-old Walkinstown-born actor hopes
to move when his two children, Jack, 17, and
Romy, 14, from his marriage to Sea of Love star
Ellen Barkin, are older.
He says, "People talk about the fabled energy
of New York.
"I've never liked that energy."
The Usual Suspects star said he would prefer to live in
a "more human-scaled city."
He says, "I don't like being dwarfed by
huge buildings. I've never been a really
big fan of those enormous skyscrapers.
"So I wouldn't say I'll be long in New York."
Gabriel moved to New York from Beverly
Hills and in recent years has appeared
regularly in various productions on and off
Broadway such as Eugene O'Neill's A Moon for the
Misbegotten and A Touch of the Poet
as well as continuing to appear
in movies like End Of Days and Assault on
Precint 13.

May 9th 2006

2006-05-09T02:24:00.000-07:00

* BOWIE ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR COMEBACK CONCERT:
* BRITNEY'S GOT SUCCESS BOTTLED:
* ASHANTI JOINS CAST OF RESIDENT EVIL FINALE:
* JANET JACKSON TO PERFORM IN NEW YORK:

* BOWIE ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR COMEBACK CONCERT:
David Bowie has announced plans to perform his first
full solo concert since undergoing heart surgery two years ago.
The 59-year-old rockstar will perform an outdoor concert
at a new 10-day festival in New York called the High Line Festival
to be held in May 2007.
Bowie's concert will be available on the internet and on satellite
radio with details to be announced closer to the event.
The Life On Mars singer has helped establish the festival with friend Josh
Wood. Bowie will be the curator taking a leading
role in which artists perform, although so far no other acts have
yet been confirmed.
The festival will be held on the site of New York's biggest public
development in more than 50 years and will culminate with Bowie's outside gig.
It will also include music, nightclub, visual art and
film featuring established stars as well as "emerging talent"
according to a statement at Bowie's official website.
Bowie said, "I am proud and honoured to be The High Line
Festival’s first curator and I am eager to start building the
line-up for Spring 2007."
The concert will be Bowie's first solo gig since he quit his
A Reality Tour 11 concerts before its end in June 2004 to
undergo heart surgery in Germany.
Since then the Brixton-born singer has maintained a low profile with his wife Iman,
and five-year-old daughter Alexandria in New York where he lives
although he did briefly come out of retirement to perform
with Canada's Arcade Fire last September at the Fashion Rocks
charity event in his adopted hometown.

* BRITNEY'S GOT SUCCESS BOTTLED:
Britney Spears is continuing to rake in
the cash thanks to sales of her three fragrances.
The 24-year-old popstar's scents,
Curious, Fantasy and In Control with US cosmetics'
company Elizabeth Arden, have sold a total of
more than 10 million bottles.
Curious, the first scent launched by
Britney in 2004, is among the top five bestselling fragrances
launched in the past decade in the US, a
spokesperson for Elizabeth Arden said.
This week the company celebrated Britney's
success by throwing a party for her at New
York's Hudson Hotel.
A giant cake in the shape of her fragrance
bottle for Fantasy was baked for the occasion
and a dance-off among young dancers from
Britney's old dance school, the Broadway Dance
Centre, was held judged by the popstar.
A spokesperson for Elizabeth Arden said, "Britney's
first fragrance Curious, became the No. 1 launch
worldwide in 2005, and the only new launch to
make the top 20 list globally."
The fragrances, now sold in more than 80
countries, are helping boost Britney's
bank balance while she takes a hiatus from
the music industry.
Last September, Britney gave birth to her
first child, Sean Preston, having married
former dancer Kevin Federlin a year earlier.
She is reportedly set to release a new
album later this year.

* ASHANTI JOINS CAST OF RESIDENT EVIL FINALE:
American R&B singer Ashanti has joined the
cast of the trilogy finale of the
upcoming film Resident Evil: Extinction.
The 25-year-old Grammy-award winning singer,
whose hits include Foolish and Only You, will
appear alongside Resident Evil 1 and 2 star Milla Jovovich.
Ashanti made her bigscreen debut in last
year's Coach Carter alongside Samuel L. Jackson.
She also starred as Dorothy in the television
movie The Muppets' Wonderful World of Oz and
will star in the upcoming John Tucker Must
Die.

* JANET JACKSON TO PERFORM IN NEW YORK:
Janet Jackson is to perform songs from
her upcoming album at a concert in New York
in September.
The 29-year-old R&B singer, dogged by
reports she's struggling to maintain her
figure, will perform at the Rockfeller
Centre on September 29 as part of NBC Today
show's Toyota Concert series.
Janet's latest single, Call On Me, is
due to hit radio stations next month.
It will be followed by a new album, 20 Years Old,
her first album since 2004's Damita Jo.
The That's The Way Love Goes singer is also planning a tour.
NBC's Toyota Concert series will kick-off this Friday with
a performance by Barry Manilow. Others lined
up to perform include Phil Collins, Sheryl
Crow and Pink, reports the New York Daily
News.
In recent years some of the concerts have
drawn several thousand fans.

May 8th 2006

2006-05-08T01:16:00.000-07:00

* CROWE RECORDS SONG FOR COUNTRY SINGER'S TRIBUTE:
* POSH'S NEW YORK SPENDING SPREE:
* PAUL CRITICISES SIR PAUL:
* PLANT, DALTREY TO PLAY LONDON FISH MARKET:
* BRITNEY SAYS IT WITH FLOWERS:
* DANNII TO PLAY LONDON GIG:

* CROWE RECORDS SONG FOR COUNTRY SINGER'S TRIBUTE:
Russell Crowe has recorded a track for
a tribute album to American country legend
Kris Kristofferson.
The Gladiator star has recorded Kristofferson's
song Darby's Castle for the album due
for release in the US on June 27, five
days after Kristofferson's 70th birthday.
Crowe and Kristofferson became friends
when the pair did a US TV show some years ago.
The Me And Bobby McGee singer later
spent time at Crowe's farm when he
toured Australia.
Others contributing to the album include
Emmylous Harris and Willie Nelson, reports
the Tennessean.

* POSH'S NEW YORK SPENDING SPREE:
Victoria Beckham spent $110,000 (£59,000)
"like it was nothing" during a visit to top New
York jewellery store Jacob the Jewelers.
Posh Spice was looking for something for
husband David, a source told the New York Post.
"She bought him a $15,000 (£8,000) stainless-steel
Five Time Zone Automatic watch and then
started shopping for herself," the source
told the paper.
Victoria then paid $80,000 (£43,000) on an 18-carat
white diamond watch set in rose gold and
another $15,000 (£8,000) on 5-carat diamond pave hoops.

* PAUL CRITICISES SIR PAUL:
Paul Simon has criticised Sir Paul
McCartney for being boring by playing "Beatle songs."
The 64-year-old Sounds of Silence singer-songwriter
told the New York Times he thought the Beatles'
60s' rivals the Rolling Stones were more exciting.
Simon said, "That's (the Stones) more
interesting (than watching McCartney) go
out and play Beatle songs."
Simon, who later this month releases
Surprise, his first album for six years,
added, "I understand that what I'm doing
might not be interesting to a lot of people.
"I think the key is that you don't give
up — you just keep going."

* PLANT, DALTREY TO PLAY LONDON FISH MARKET:
Former Led Zeppelin frontman Roger Plant, Lulu and
the Who's Roger Daltrey are among the acts
who will perform a charity concert at Billingsgate
Fish Market tomorrow, Tuesday (09MAY).
The concert will raise funds for the Evelina
Children's Hospital Appeal and Camp Simcha.
They will be backed by the RD Crusaders,
a band of musicians put together by Daily
Express and OK! proprietor Richard Desmond
who performs drums.
Who singer Daltrey said, "We were talking
about ways we could raise funds for charity
and I said to Richard that I would sing in
any band the he put together. He went away
and the names he came back with were
fantastic".
Since first coming together in 2003
the RD Crusaders have raised over a million
pounds for charity.
Others due to join the line-up include
former ELP bass player Greg Lake, Simon
Townshend and Zoot Money.

* BRITNEY SAYS IT WITH FLOWERS:
Britney Spears is to bring out a special
Britney teddy bear which a portion of the
profits going to charity.
The 24-year-old popstar has teamed up with
American florist retailer 1-800-FLOWERS
to offer the teddy bears, reports www.msnbc.com.
Britney has been taking time out from the
pop business since giving birth last September
to her first child, Sean Preston. She is rumoured
to be expecting a second child and planning
a pop comeback later this year.

* DANNII TO PLAY LONDON GIG:
Dannii Minogue is to play a "Greatest Hits"
show at London's G-A-Y nightclub on
Saturday, June 10.
The 34-year-old popstar is expected to
perform tracks from her upcoming hits
compilation, The Hits & Beyond,
due on June 12 and her new
single, So Under Pressure, released on June 5.
Dannii's hits album contains
I Begin To Wonder, Jump To The Beat, All I Wanna Do, This Is It,
You Won't Forget About Me, Baby Love, Who Do
You Love Now? and Put The Needle On It amongst
other tracks.

May 5th 2006

2006-05-05T00:06:00.000-07:00

* DAVE STEWART TO WRITE FOR THE SIMPSONS' MOVIE:
* MOBY RELEASES NEW TRACKS ON THE NET:
* NICOLE - DIVORCE IS "A LITTLE DEATH":
* SOPRANOS' STAR "FINE" AFTER SCOOTER ACCIDENT:

* DAVE STEWART TO WRITE FOR THE SIMPSONS' MOVIE:
Dave Stewart has reportedly been hired by The Simpsons'
creator Matt Groening to write songs for
the upcoming movie starring Homer, Marge and their family.
The former Eurythmics' guitarist will work on songs for
the movie, according to a fansite for the 80s group, www.ethrill.net.
Groening is known to be a big Eurythmics fan and has
already featured Dave and Annie Lennox's
Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) as well as
Annie and Aretha Franklin's Sisters Are Doing
It For Themselves on the series.
German Academy Award winning composer Hans
Zimmer (Gladiator, Rain Man) is writing the
score for the movie, according to ethrill.net.
The movie isn't set to begin
production until next summer.

* MOBY RELEASES NEW TRACKS ON THE NET:
Moby is the latest popstar to take advantage of the free
to sign-up to website www.myspace.com posting four previously unreleased
songs on his site.
The tracks - Symple, Nov. 9 2005, Santiago Chile 905
and And Again - are available at www.myspace.com/moby.
Said the 40-year-old dance artist, "About a year ago I started a
myspace account and then I forgot my password and
forgot to check on it, so I just found my password and
like every other person on the planet I've now sort of
updated my myspace account.
"Do I have too much time on my hands?. And, aren't I
just a little bit too old to be parading around on myspace?.
Probably, maybe I'll take up skateboarding again."
Moby is currently working on the music for Donnie Danko
director Richard Kelly's new movie Southlands Tales.

* NICOLE - DIVORCE IS "A LITTLE DEATH":
Nicole Kidman says she was surprised when Tom
Cruise filed for divorce.
The 38-year-old Oscar-winning actress tells US magazine
Ladies' Home Journal, "That was a major shock.
"I always knew the rug was going to be taken out from
under neath me at some stage. I didn't think it was going
to happen in the way it happened.
"I knew I was going to get hit with something. But I think
a divorce, and the demise of what your family is, is a little
death in itself."
The couple, who have two adopted children, split in
2000 after ten years of marriage. They divorced in 2001.
The Mission Impossible III star is
engaged to Batman Begins' actress Katie Holmes while
Kidman is reportedly set to wed New Zealand-born country
singer Keith Urban.

* SOPRANOS' STAR "FINE" AFTER SCOOTER ACCIDENT:
The Sopranos' James Gandolfini says he's fortunate,
but "fine" after escaping uninjured when the Vespa scooter he
was riding was involved in an accident with a New York taxi.
The 44-year-old actor, who plays mob
boss Tony Soprano on the hit show, was
riding his Vespa in the city's Hudson Street
on Wednesday when he was in collision with the taxi.
He told the New York Post, "I'm fine. I'm tough.
My bike, that's not so tough. It's not doing well."

May 4th 2006

2006-05-04T01:54:00.000-07:00

* SOPRANOS' STAR KNOCKED OFF HIS SCOOTER:
* BRITNEY SLASHES APARTMENT PRICE, AGAIN:
* BEACH BOYS' SINGER INJURED WHILE SURFING:
* COWELL SLAMS FELLOW JUDGES AS EGOTISTICAL:
* THE WHO GIVE MINI-OPERA A NEW NAME:

* SOPRANOS' STAR KNOCKED OFF HIS SCOOTER:
The Sopranos' James Gandolfini has escaped
uninjured after an accident while riding his Vespa scooter.
The 44-year-old actor, who plays mob
boss Tony Soprano on the hit show, was
riding his Vespa in the city's Hudson district
yesterday morning when he was in collision with the taxi.
A passerby told the New York Daily News
that Gandolfini quickly got to his feet and
declared: "I'm all right, I'm fine."
A rep for the actor said it was unlikely
he would pursue a claim against the taxi
driver adding that Gandolfini's Vespa is
in the garage being repaired.
In the Sopranos, Gandolfini's usual mode of
transport is a top-of-the-range SUV and on two
occasions has crashed the car in near fatal road accidents.

* BRITNEY SLASHES APARTMENT PRICE, AGAIN:
Britney Spears is having problems finding a
buyer for her New York home.
The Oops...I Did It Again singer has slashed
another $400,000 (£217,000) off the asking price of a three-bedroom
New York penthouse apartment she bought four
years ago and decided to sell two years later.
The apartment, formerly owned by Rolling
Stone Keith Richard, is now on the market
for $4.55 million (£2.47 million).
It's the third time the 24-year-old
popstar has cut the price of the 4,400-square-foot
room apartment at 14 East Fourth Street.
Britney paid $3 million (£1.63 million) for the apartment in
2002. She first listed it two years later
for close to $6 million (£3.26 million) and dropped the price
in April 2005 to $4,995,000 (£2,718,000), reports the New
York Observer.
"At this price, it’s an extremely attractive
purchase for the spring — a time to enjoy the
terrace,” said broker Adam Modlin.
“It’s an amazing penthouse [that] has always
attracted high-profile people.”
Other former tenants of the apartment block
include Cher and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons.

* BEACH BOYS' SINGER INJURED WHILE SURFING:
Beach Boys' singer Bruce Johnston has been
injured while surfing off the Californian coast.
Johnston, 63, was surfing on Saturday
when the surfboard snapped and the fin cut across his face.
He drove himself to the accident and
emergency department of a hospital in
Santa Barbara where he received stitches.
According to Johnston's rep Jay Jones the
doctor was a fan of the group and sang some
of their bestknown tunes while treating the singer.
"The doctor sang Surfin' USA over and over the
entire time he was putting a few inches worth
of stitches into Bruce's face," said Jones.
Johnston joined the Beach Boys in 1965 as
bass player and singer replacing Brian Wilson on group
tours and wrote several songs for the band including the
classic Disney Girls. He still continues to tour with a modern-day
version of the Beach Boys.

* COWELL SLAMS FELLOW JUDGES AS EGOTISTICAL:
Simon Cowell has accused his fellow judges
on American Idol of being egotistical.
The English-born record executive also
singled out the Fox TV show's host Ryan Seacrest
as having the biggest ego on the show.
Cowell told Good Morning America, "Ryan's
got the biggest ego. Followed closely by
Paula (Abdul.)
"Then Randy [ Jackson], and then myself.
"Ryan would marry himself tomorrow. I mean
- literally - he is the most egotistical
person I have ever met in my life, and
bearing in mind I am based in Hollywood,
that is quite a broad thing to say.
"And that's kind of one of the reasons why
I like him."

* THE WHO GIVE MINI-OPERA A NEW NAME:
The Who's Pete Townshend has changed his
mind about the title of the group's long-anticipated new release - it will
now be called Wire & Glass.
The EP, described by Townshend as "the short
version of the new Who mini-opera" and
previously titled The Glass Household, is
due on Polydor Records and is the first new
music from the Who since 1982's It's Hard album.
The CD, which Townshend said in March would be
about 11 minutes long, has yet to be given
an official release date. An album is
expected in September.
Townshend said at his official
website, "This new release is the first
truly creative piece from the Who for
nearly 25 years and I don't want to
muddle anything. This is good music.
There is a story behind the music, but it
doesn't matter much at this point."
The guitarist recorded the music with
the band's singer Roger Daltrey bass player
Pino Palladino, keyboard player John
Bundrick and drummer Peter Huntington.
The band's original drummer Keith Moon died in 1978
and bass player John Entwistle died in
2002.
The Who are due to tour this summer beginning
in Brighton on June 18.
Townshend added, "The Who begin
rehearsing in two weeks, during which
time I have to finish the rest of the
Who album with Roger - so again, I'm
trying to keep the music simple and direct.
"Our new stage set will allow us to do
some new things, and to help tell some
stories as yet untold.

May 3rd 2006

2006-05-03T04:04:00.000-07:00

* DANNII TO RELEASE GREATEST HITS:
* COWELL'S OPINION ISN'T IDOL TALK:
* PARIS LINKED TO US FOOTBALLER:
* GRANT AND ALI G FOR OCEAN'S 13?:
* WALLACE BURNS A HOLE IN SPIELBERG'S COMPANY'S PROFITS:
* PINK TO PLAY LOW-KEY LONDON GIG:

* DANNII TO RELEASE GREATEST HITS:
Dannii Minogue will release a hits collection
titled The Hits & Beyond plus six new tracks on June 12.
The 20-track album will feature all the 34-year-old Australian-born
singer's UK hits from her debut in 1991 Love And Kisses.
Also included are I Begin To Wonder, Jump
To The Beat, All I Wanna Do, This Is It,
You Won't Forget About Me, Baby Love, Who Do
You Love Now?, Put The Needle On It and her
upcoming new single So Under Pressure released
on June 5.
A special edition of The Hits & Beyond will
contain a 16-track bonus DVD featuring all
of Dannii's videos.

* COWELL'S OPINION ISN'T IDOL TALK:
One in three American Idol viewers believe
a vote to the reality show counts as much as
voting for the president, a new survey reveals.
And, Simon Cowell's opinion is valued twice
as much by viewers as those of his fellow
judge Randy Jackson and nine times as much
as panelist Paula Abdul.
The survey by Washington D.C. firm Pursuant
found that 35 per cent of those polled felt
they were making better use of their time
voting for the winner of A.I. than in a political
election, reports the New York Post.
"There is something about people who felt
maybe their vote in the last elections didn't
count, but with American Idol [they're] hoping
to propel someone to stardom," said Melissa
Marcello, president of Pursuant.
The current series of American Idol has
been attracting weekly audiences of 30 million
on Fox TV. The finale airs from Hollywood on May 24.

PARIS LINKED TO US FOOTBALLER:
Paris Hilton's spokesperson has denied that
she is dating American football's latest star Matt
Leinart after the pair were spotted together.
Hilton sported a brunette wig when she was
seen with 23-year-old Leinart, leading to speculation the
pair are dating.
But, the 24-year-old's rep Elliott Mintz
told the New York Daily News, "I can tell you
they are friends."
Hilton reportedly dumped boyfriend Greek
shipping heir Stavros Niarchos after she learned he'd hooked up
with Lindsay Lohan. Hilton began dating Niarchos
after the end of her engagement to
another Greek shipping heir, Paris Latsis.
The star of The Simple Life is due to release her
debut single next month.

* GRANT AND ALI G FOR OCEAN'S 13?:
Hugh Grant and Ali G are rumoured to be
lined up for cameo roles in George Clooney's
upcoming Ocean's 13.
Jennifer Lopez is also said to be taking
a small role while Julia Roberts, who starred
in 2001's Ocean's 11, is reportedly
considering returning in a cameo role for the third installment
in the heist movie co-starring Brad Pitt.
Director Steven Soderberg and Clooney begin
filming Ocean's 12 in July for a June 2007
release, reports www.joblo.com.

* WALLACE BURNS A HOLE IN SPIELBERG'S COMPANY' PROFITS:
Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks Animation
company has blamed its latest poor trading
figures on the failure at the box office of
Wallace & Gromit's The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
Profits in the company fell by 73 per cent in
the first quarter of the year, reports the
Los Angeles Times.
Despite winning an Academy Award for best
animated feature, Were-Rabbit was a box office
disappointment.
Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg said in a statement
that DreamWorks had "not fully recovered from the marketing and
distribution costs" for Were-Rabbit.
The British-made film was released on DVD in February.

* PINK TO PLAY LOW-KEY LONDON GIG:
Pink has been confirmed to perform at
London's G-A-Y nightclub on Saturday, May 20.
The 26-year-old singer kicks-off a
UK tour at the Birmingham National Indoor
Arena on October 3 in support of her latest
album, I'm Not Dead, released last month.
She is also due to perform at Radio 1's Big
Day Out in Dundee on May 14 and at the Tower
of London Princes Trust 30th
anniversary concert on May 20.

May 2nd 2005

2006-05-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

* I'M FED UP WITH THE MUSIC INDUSTRY - BOWIE:
* KEANE TO PLAY LONDON GIG:
* PARIS CLAIMS SHE'S RELIGIOUS:

* I'M FED UP WITH THE MUSIC INDUSTRY - BOWIE:
David Bowie is taking a break from writing and performing because he
says he's "fed up" with the music industry because.
"I'm fed up with the industry and I've
been fed up for quite sometime," the 59-year-old
rockstar who lives in New York with his wife model Iman
and their five-year-old daughter Alexandria, told the New York Metro during a
visit to a Vanity Fair party.
"I’m taking a year off, no touring, no
albums. I go for a walk every morning, and
I watch a ton of movies. One day, I watched
three Woody Allen movies in a row."
In an apparent slight to Sir Elton John's
just-opened Broadway musical Lestat, Bowie
admitted he has no interest in writing
musicals despite reports he is involved in
penning the music for a new production planned
for the Great White Way about
Kung Fu legend Bruce Lee who starred in
70s films like Enter the Dragon.
"I might do opera. But I don’t have a
musical in me, much less a vampire musical," he said.
Bowie has been out of the spotlight since
undergoing heart surgery in June 2004 although
last September he performed onstage at
New York's Fashion Rocks charity event with
Canada's the Arcade Fire.
Bowie released his most recent studio album, Reality,
in September 2003.

* KEANE TO PLAY LONDON GIG:
Keane have announced details of a concert
at the University of London on Friday when
they will preview for fans tracks from their second
album, Under the Iron Sea.
The East Sussex trio are running a ballot
at their website, www.keanemusic.com, for
fans to win tickets for the show.
Keane begin a European club tour at the
Heineken Club, Madrid, on May 9.
Under the Iron Sea is released on June 12.
The first single, Is It Any Wonder, is due
on May 29.

* PARIS CLAIMS SHE'S RELIGIOUS:
Paris Hilton claims she is deeply religious -
but the paparazzi don't photograph her going to church.
The 24-year-old socialite tells American
gay magazine Out, "I'm Catholic. Of course
they're not going to run pictures of me in church."
In the interview Hilton also refers to her
former best friend Nicole Richie, co-star of their
hit Fox TV reality show The Simple Life.
"I brought her (Richie) on the show
and all of a sudden she became this
different person," said Hilton who recently
filmed a fourth season of the reality TV
show with Richie.
The pair, who fell out last year, reportedly
filmed separately their scenes for the new show.

April 28th 2006

2006-04-28T03:21:00.000-07:00

* MORRISSEY TO PLAY JAZZ FESTIVAL:
* OK! OFFERS £1.4M FOR ANGELINA'S BABY PICTURE:
* TERI'S A "TROUPER" - SAYS CO-STAR:

* MORRISSEY TO PLAY JAZZ FESTIVAL:
Morrissey has been confirmed to play
the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland in July.
The former Smiths' frontman will play
the Miles Davis Hall on July 11.
The festival line-up this year also
includes performances by amongst others jazz legends Herbie Hancock,
Larry Carlton and George Duke as well
as rock acts Deep Purple and Bryan Adams,
soul diva Gladys Knight and DJs including
Gilles Peterson.
Morrissey is currently on a UK tour in support of his
latest album, Ringleader of the Tormentors. The UK leg
is due to wrap up at the London Palladium on May 28.

* OK! OFFERS £1.4M FOR ANGELINA'S BABY PICTURE:
Britain's OK! magazine has reportedly
offered to pay Angelina Jolie more than $2.5 million
(£1.4 million) for exclusive rights to
print the first photograph of her baby.
Media boss Richard Desmond, owner of
the Daily Express, Sunday Express and
Daily Star as well as OK!, is said to be
currently leading a bidding war amongst US
and UK magazines for the rights to print
the first photo of Angelina and boyfriend
Brad Pitt's first baby and has already made
a "tentative offer in excess of $2.5 million,"
according to the New York Post.
The paper claims media sources are
speculating the figure will "settle" at
around $3 million (£1.66 million).
The 30-year-old Tomb Raider actress, who
has two adopted children, is currently in Nambia with Pitt.
She is expected to give birth in the southern African country
next month.

* TERI'S A "TROUPER" - SAYS CO-STAR:
Desperate Housewives' actress Teri Hatcher has been praised as a
"trouper" by her co-star Richard Burgi
after she suffered an eye injury when a
lightbulb exploded on the show's set.
Hatcher, 41, was taken to an eye doctor
after glass lodged in her right eye and
scratched her cornea. She was later spotted
wearing an eye patch over the right half of her face.
Burgi, who plays Hatcher's character's
Susan's ex-husband Karl, told TV Guide,
"Oh, my god, the poor thing. I had just
left the set [before it happened]. I
called her that night and she told me
about it. I was blown away.
"Fortunately, the cornea is the
quickest-healing part of the eye. She's
such a trouper, man — a hardworking lady
and a good sport."

April 27th 2006

2006-04-27T01:13:00.000-07:00

* SIMON COWELL APOLOGISES:
* SCARLETT'S STUDENT LOOK CRITICISED:
* NICOLE AND KEITH "SET DATE" FOR WEDDING:
* LED ZEPPELIN DUO TO REUNITE:
* SHIRLEY MANSON'S DOMINATRIX ROLE:
* JACKO, FITTY COLLABORATION A "HOAX":

* SIMON COWELL APOLOGISES:
Simon Cowell last night (26APR) apologised to a contestant
on American Idol after he criticised her singing.
The snarky judge had blasted Katharine
McPhee on Tuesday night's show, but on
last night's eviction show Cowell told
host Ryan Seacrest, "I think I was unfair
to one person. I want to apologise.
"I don't think this person got the right
appraisal and this person is Katharine.
"Her singing sounds different when you
watch it back."
McPhee survived last night's vote when
Kellie Pickler was booted off the show.
Some 47.5 million votes were cast this
week, a new record for a non Idol finale,
reports the New York Post.

* SCARLETT'S STUDENT LOOK CRITICISED:
Scarlett Johansson's fashion sense has often
been praised as sexy and classy - but her latest onscreen look
as a student has been criticised by her fellow New Yorkers.
The 21-year-old beauty wore shorts, a printed
button-down shirt, a cardigan and cowboy boots
with long socks when she began filming The Nanny
Diaries in Manhattan on Monday.
In the movie, based on Emma McLaughlin
and Nicola Kraus' novel, Scarlett plays Nan,
a Park Avenue au pair who is also studying
child development at New York University.
But, real life students in the city don't
think Scarlett's look is contemporary and is
sending out the wrong fashion statement that
New York's female students hope to make.
"There are two stereotypes. One is artsy,
bandana-wearing, carrying a Strand Bookstore
bag, that's a trademark NYU thing. The other
is the trendy, hair-straightened girls who
dress up to go to class," Tracy Sabbah, who
graduated in December, told the New York Post.
Alicia Keys plays Scarlett's best friend in
The Nanny Diaires. The movie is due for release
next year.

* NICOLE AND KEITH "SET DATE" FOR WEDDING:
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have reportedly
set June 25 - five days after her 39th
birthday - aside for their wedding.
The pair will exchange vows in the
Oscar-winning actress's hometown of Sydney,
according to the New York Post.
Kidman, who was brought up in the Australian
city after her family moved there from Hawaii
when she was a child, has been dating the
38-year-old New Zealand-born country singer since
March 2005.
Kidman, who has two adopted children with
ex-husband Tom Cruise, has previously dated
rocker Lenny Kravitz.
The couple were reportedly set to marry in
March, but changed their minds at the last
minute because of the amount of attention their
plans attracted.

* LED ZEPPELIN DUO TO REUNITE:
Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy
Page are set to reunite on June 30 for a tribute
concert at the Montreaux Jazz Festival,
Switzerland, to Ahmet Ertegun, co-founder of the group's record label
Atlantic Records.
Zeppelin's bass player John Paul Jones is so
far not confirmed to be part of the performance
at the Auditorium Stravinski.
The concert will feature some of Atlantic
Records' top acts including Jeff Beck, Solomon
Burke, Chic, Roberta Flack, Kid Rock, Ben E King,
Bette Midler and Buddy Williams.
Since the 1980 death of drummer John Bonham,
Zeppelin have reformed on several occasions
including 1985's Live Aid and 1995's induction
ceremony into America's Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame.
The group, bestknown for their song Stairway
To Heaven, have sold more than 300 million
albums worldwide.

* SHIRLEY MANSON'S DOMINATRIX ROLE:
Shirley Manson plays a dominatrix in the
new video for Los Angeles duo She Wants Revenge's
latest video for These Things.
The 39-year-old Garbage singer admits she really
hadn't a clue what to do in her scenes with
singer Justin Warfield.
She told MTV, "The song is sick
and a bit twisted and I really like that."
The video was directed by Sophie Muller
who has helmed seven Garbage videos.
Shirley says, "I'm not exactly sure what
I'm supposed to be doing, but the director's
a good friend of mine and asked me to come
and be a dominatrix, and beyond that,
I don't know much else about it."

* JACKO, FITTY COLLABORATION A "HOAX":
Michael Jackson won't apparently be recording a new
song with 50 Cent after all.
Several news outlets last weekend fell for a "hoax
email" which used a fax number from the Los Angeles
office of Sony Music, according to
Fox correspondent Roger Friedman.
The reports said the self-proclaimed King of Pop
would try to revive his career by releasing a
track called Trial of Century featuring Fitty and
other rappers on his new Bahrain-based Two Seas
Records.
Sue Harris, spokeswoman for Two Seas, told MTV the
reports were untrue adding, "I don't know who put this story out, certainly
not us."
Jackson, cleared last June of sex abuse charges against
children, hasn't released an album since 2001's
Invincible. He is currently living in Bahrain.

April 26th 2006

2006-04-26T06:21:00.000-07:00

* KEANE TO HEADLINE RADIO 1'S BIG WEEKEND:
* JAGGER FILMS SITCOM:
* ROTH TO STAR IN TSUNAMI DRAMA:
* CRUISE TO MAKE IRAQI WAR FILM:

* KEANE TO HEADLINE RADIO 1'S BIG WEEKEND:
Keane are to headline Radio 1's Big Weekend
in Dundee on May 14.
The East Sussex trio have also added an
appearance at the Solidays Festival in Paris on
July 7 to their upcoming tour.
Keane release their second album, Under
The Iron Sea, on June 12. A single, Is It
Any Wonder?, is due on May 29.
They begin a European club tour at Madrid's
Heineken Club on May 9.

* JAGGER FILMS SITCOM:
Mick Jagger has been praised as a "smart,
funny guy," by the producer of a new US
sitcom in which the Rolling Stone frontman will appear.
The 62-year-old rockstar filmed scenes
for the pilot of the ABC show last week in Auckland,
New Zealand, during a break in the Rolling Stones' world tour.
Rob Burnett told the New York Times, "He
did a lot of ad-libbing. Some of the funniest
stuff in the pilot came from him. He's just
a smart, funny guy."
Although the show is set in the New York producers
found a luxury hotel in Auckland to stand
in for Sir Mick's penthouse.
If the pilot, which has the working title Let's Rob
Mick Jagger, is successful and picked up
by ABC, Jagger is expected to appear
regularly although not in every episode.
In the pilot due to air in the US later
this year the janitor of a New York apartment
building decides to rob Jagger's penthouse.

* ROTH TO STAR IN TSUNAMI DRAMA:
Tim Roth, Sophie Okonedo, Toni Collette
and Gina McKee are to star in a television
drama about the Tsunami which devastated
south-east Asia on Boxing Day, 2004.
Filming has already begun in Thailand's
Phuket and Khaolak areas with Bharat Nalluri (Spooks, Hustle) directing.
The drama, titled Tsunami, is being made by the BBC and American
cable network HBO and will air on BBC 2 towards the end of
the year, reports Variety.
Tsunami will tell the story of the disaster
and its aftermath from the view
of survivors, media and relief workers.
Abbi Morgan (Sex Traffic) wrote the script
and Finola Dwyer will produce.
Jane Featherstone and Derek Wax will executive
produce.

* CRUISE TO MAKE IRAQI WAR FILM:
Tom Cruise and his production partner
Paula Wagner are teaming up with Paramount
Pictures to make a film about a real life
incident during the Iraqi war.
The film, based on a New York Times magazine
article by Dexter Filkins titled The Fall of the
Warrior King, tells the story of a US Army
commander, Lt. Col. Nathan Sassman,
who resigned after a scandal when
men under his commanded caused the drowning
of an Iraqi civilian.
According to Variety it is unclear if
Cruise will star in the film although at
43 he is around the same age as Sassaman.
Stephen Belber, who will write the script,
told Variety, "I'd been searching for
something that could capture the asurdity of
this particular war."

April 25th 2006

2006-04-26T06:19:00.001-07:00

* ALI HEWSON AN "EARTH MOTHER" SAYS VANITY FAIR:
* KELSEY GRAMMER HINTS AT POLITICAL CAREER:
* HALLE'S SOLO CYBER SEX SCENE:

* ALI HEWSON AN "EARTH MOTHER" SAYS VANITY FAIR:
Ali Hewson's Edun Apparel clothing company
receives a boost with a feature in the latest edition of
US magazine Vanity Fair on Bono's wife's role in the firm.
The mag calls the mother-of-four "the
Green Goddess" and a "fair trade clothing entrepreneur"
who "elevates our souls."
Pictured in Killiney Hill Park, the magazine
praises Ali for the ethical treatment of
Edun's workers describing her as "an Earth Mother."
Her husband doesn't quite get such a
glowing review. Vanity Fair describes the
45-year-old rocker as "U2 bombastier Bono."
The profile is contained in the magazine's
green issue which features environmentally
aware celebrities like Julia Roberts and
George Clooney on the cover.
The magazine writes, "Ali Hewson is georgeously maternal, an
alchemical mixture of dark, mysterious beauty
(the corner of her lips, the orbit of her
hips...) and down-to-earth, minivan-mum
pragmatism.
"This is what makes her an ideal bridge
between the worlds of fashion, environmentalism,
and human rights - she's an Earth Mother, but
not in the dated, patchouli-funk sense of the term.
"As the driving force behind Edun Apparel -
a clothing company she started last year with the
New York designer Rogan Gregory (of the
boutique jeans label Rogan) and her husband,
U2 bombastier Bono - Hewson is applying the
same ideas to chemises, jeans and dresses
that conscientious shoppers and chefs have
lately been applying to food: use organic
products, pay your workers a fair wage,
and make sure these workers are being treated
humanely.
"Edun's fair-trade clothing, which is made
in Africa, India and South America and is
available in the US at Barneys and Saks is a step
forward from the aid and debt-relief campaigns
for which Hewson's husband is know - it's
compassionate environmental awareness to boot.
"In her quiet way, Ali Hewson elevates our souls."

* KELSEY GRAMMER HINTS AT POLITICAL CAREER:
Fraiser star Kelsey Grammer is mulling over
a career in politics in 2020.
The 51-year-old tells Maxim magazine, "It's
a notion I have about the future - to run for
office, to do the world some good.
"Well, the idea that we can do the world
some good is a little nuts; the world tends
to take care of itself.
"But as I get older, in maybe 15 years or
so, there may be a run for office."
Grammer admitted that his battle with
alcoholism and drugs and press reports in the
past about hanging out with strippers would
probably give his opposition some ammunition to
"harm me", but adds "my frankness and openness
about it would probably benefit me."
Grammer would follow Arnold Schwarzenegger,
elected governor of California in 2003, and
another former Californian governor
Ronald Reagan, elected US president in 1980,
to enter politics.

* HALLE'S SOLO CYBER SEX SCENE:
Halle Berry's upcoming film Perfect Stranger
will feature the Oscar-winning actress indulging
in some cyber sex with co-star Bruce Willis.
The New York Post reports a source who
reveals the 37-year-old Catwoman actress pleasures
herself while Willis' voice "tells her what to do
over the computer.
"Halle keeps her hands to herself - and does
a great job."
Halle's Oscar-winning movie, Monster's Ball,
with Billy Bob Thornton featured a raunchy sex scene
between the pair.

April 24th 2006

2006-04-26T06:19:00.000-07:00

* AMERICAN TV GIG STRESSES OUT KT:
* COLIN SETTLES WITH NARAIN:
* CUMMING - AN ALIEN OF EXTRAORDINARY ABILITY:

* AMERICAN TV GIG STRESSES OUT KT:
During a recording of her song Black Horse
and the Cherry Tree for CD: USA, the American
version of ITV's Saturday morning
pop show, KT Tunstall was forced to stop after she was
put off by screaming from the audience.
KT later complained "The room was full of a throng of screaming kids."
The audience were asked by floor managers to stay quiet and
only to clap after KT began using her "wee
bastard" guitar affects pedal.
The 30-year-old Fife-born singer said she
found the recording in Los Angeles, "a
little stressful."
She added, "When it came to record Black
Horse, the room was full of a throng of
screaming kids, and as soon as I started the
pedal they began clapping like a runaway
bloody train and I consequently firked it
right up!.
"Thankfully, the nice folks let me do it
again and the throng were ordered to clap after
wee bastard was well up and running."
(SOURCE: DJJMedia/www.kttunstall.co.uk)
ends

* COLIN SETTLES WITH NARAIN:
Colin Farrell and former girlfriend Nicole
Narain have reached an out-of-court settlement in their
legal battle over their infamous sex tape
after the pair held a face-to-face meeting
over the weekend.
The former lovers met in New York with
their respective lawyers present to hammer
out a deal.
The former Playboy Playmate's lawyer
Leodis Matthews told the New York Daily
News, "We were able to completely resolve
it. The terms are confidential."
The 29-year-old Dublin-born star, Narain
and their lawyers spent five hours
on Easter Sunday wrangling with an arbitator
over the agreement.
It was their first meeting since Narain
revealed last year she intended to cash-in
on the tape.
She reportedly stood to earn $3 million (2.4 million Euros)
from sales of the tape on DVD.
Colin's lawsuit against his ex has so far
cost him an estimated $500,000 (407,000 Euros) in legal fees.
But, talks with the Internet Commerce
Group which hopes to distribute the tape
were less successful.
Tempers flared when lawyers for the company
insisted on videotaping their questioning
of the Alexander star.
Colin's lawyers fearing the company might release
footage of the actor talking about his sex
life refused to agree to the request.
His lawyer, Marty Singer, reportedly
challenged ICG's lawyers with "You want to
start World War III?."
According to the New York Daily News,
Colin is going ahead with his
lawsuit against the Internet Commerce
Group.
The case is set for trail at Los Angeles
Superior Court on July 21.
In January scenes from the 15-minute
sex tape were leaked onto the internet at
various websites including one called
www.dirtycolin.com.
The footage, selling for $14.95 was
removed after Colin's lawyers stepped in.
The battle over the sex tape's release
dates back to last July when Colin filed a
lawsuit against former Miss Ohio Narain to block her from
releasing the footage.
A judge subsequently granted the actor
a temporary restraining order to stop
distribution of the X-rated romp.
Colin had argued he agreed to make the
tape with the understanding that it was
for private viewing only.
The former lovers made the tape about
three years during their affair.
In the tape, a camera-wielding Farrell
focuses in on Narain's white cat and
comments, "Baby, you have the most
beautiful p---y."

* CUMMING - AN ALIEN OF EXTRAORDINARY ABILITY:
Alan Cumming may be living with his
new boyfriend Glenn, but the Scots' actor, who
was at one time married, has confessed that when filling
out the form for his Green Card allowing him to work in the US
he put "an alien with extraordinary ability" next to his sexuality.
Cumming, whose eight year marriage to Hilary Lyon
ended in 1993 and who has dated actress Saffron Burrows,
doesn't think of himself as gay.
The 41-year-old X-Men 2 star says, "I
think of myself as bisexual, because I
find women attractive.
"I don't relate to gay men who are
horrified by the thought of a woman's body.
"I think sexuality is more fluid.
Politically, I like the word `queer,'
because it's about being different.
"Whatever. That whole bisexual thing
people are scared of, which is why I'm
more eager to say it.
"I'm frolicky. I think there's sometimes
too much emphasis on my sexuality.
"That's not how I define myself.
"I like `provocateur.' Or `an alien of
extraordinary ability' - that's on the
form with my green card.
"That would look good on my tombstone -
Better than `the frolicky pansexual.!'"
Cumming began dating Glenn after the
end of his six-year relationship with
theatre director Nick Philippou in 2003.

April 21st 2006

2006-04-26T06:07:00.000-07:00

* SNOOP SUED:
* MARIAH'S LEARNING THE GUITAR:
* HAMISH PICKS UP THE PIECES FOR RINGO:

* SNOOP SUED:
Snoop Dogg is being sued by a former
fan who claims he was assaulted, humiliated
and robbed after he jumped onstage at
a concert by the rapper in Seattle a year ago.
Richard Monroe is seeking $22 million (£12.3 million)
from the rap star, according to a lawsuit
filed in Los Angeles County Court.
Monroe claims that Snoop Dogg's co-stars
and security people "restrained, dragged,
kicked, punched and jumped" him until he
was "beaten unconscious," reports the
New York Daily News.
They also "poured orange cups of liquid
they were holding [while performing] the
song Gin and Juice onto Monroe's body to
humiliate him," according to court
papers obtained by the Daily News.
Monroe claims they took his rings off
his fingers, diamond earrings out of
his ears before taking money from his
wallet and his cell phone.
Snoop's rep Meredith O'Sullivan said,
"In December 2004, a fan jumped onstage
at a rock concert in Columbus, Ohio, and
shot and killed a band member and three
others.
"A few months later, Richard Monroe
jumped onstage during a concert and ran
directly at Snoop.
"He now claims he should have been
'welcomed onstage as a loyal fan.' This
attempt to parlay criminal conduct into a
financial windfall is a blatant abuse of
the legal system."

* MARIAH'S LEARNING THE GUITAR:
Mariah Carey is taking guitar lessons
for her role as an aspiring country
singer in the movie Tennessee.
The 36-year-old Long Island-born siner is also going to a
dialect coach to get the twang she'll need
to play the role, according to the New
York Daily News.
Tennessee producer Lee Daniels told
the paper, "Mariah's hungry for it. She's
jumping through fire hoops."
Mariah is determind to make a successful
comeback as an actress after critics
panned her 2001 film Glitter, the paper
reports.

* HAMISH PICKS UP THE PIECES FOR RINGO:
Hamish Stuart has helped bail Ringo
Starr out of a crisis.
The former Average White Band guitarist
has agreed to join the former Beatles'
drummer's All-Starr Band on their summer
tour of North America after two of Ringo's
closest friends musicians Mark Hudson and
Mark Rivera pulled out at the last minute.
Stuart will join Sheila E, formerly of
Prince's band, Rod Argent, Billy Squier,
Edgar Winter and Richard Marx.
The 56-year-old Glasgow-born bass player and guitarist
previously worked with Sir Paul McCartney
for six years from 1988 to 1994 recording
two studio albums and three live albums with
McCartney before embarking on his own solo
career.
He's also worked with Diana Ross, Aretha
Franklin, George Benson and Chaka Kkan for
whom he wrote the US No. 1 single Whatcha Gonna
Do For Me?.
Recently he has toured the UK playing
several nights at Ronnie Scott's famous London
venue.
Ringo's tour kicks-off at the Casino Rama,
near Toronto, Ontario, on June 14 and continues through
to New York's Radio City Music Hall on July 20.

April 20th 2006

2006-04-26T06:05:00.000-07:00

* ROD FLIRTS WITH AMERICAN IDOL CONTESTANT:
* WILL YOUNG, ORDINARY BOYS FOR T4 ON THE BEACH:
* THE BEATLES BACK IN US CHART:

* ROD FLIRTS WITH AMERICAN IDOL CONTESTANT:
A Penny Lancaster lookalike contestant
on American Idol escaped being voted off
this week's show when Rod Stewart guested as one
of the judges - despite singing off key when
she dueted with the veteran singer.
Some commentators later accused the 61-year-old
rocker of flirting with 19-year-old Kellie Pickler who dueted
with Rod on Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.
During the performance leggy-blonde Kellie hit
several flat notes and afterwards apologised to
Rod saying: "I butchered it!".
But, guest judge Rod and his fellow panellists
Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula
Abdul voted to keep Kellie in the
competition voting off instead Ace Young.
"Rod and Kellie exchanged several flirty glances at
each other, it was obvious he fancied her," said one
Kellie fan on the Fox TV show's message board.
Rod charmed the young contestants even saying to
one, "You sang that better than I did," and
was a big hit with viewers.
"He was encouraging and very nice to the
contestants," said a source at the show.
Rod later told cable network E.T. "I was more
nervous doing this than anything I've done before."

* WILL YOUNG, ORDINARY BOYS FOR T4 ON THE BEACH:
Will Young, Basement Jaxx, the Ordinary Boys, Hard-Fi and Feeder have been
confirmed to appear at T4 On The Beach 2006 at Weston-super-Mare on Sunday, June 18.
The Sugababes will also be appearing, according to the trio's own website.
Organisers say they hope to announce more acts soon.
According to Channel Four's official website for the event organisers
are so far unable to confirm rumours that the Zutons will also appear on the bill.
Tickets go on sale on Friday, April 21, at 9am.

* THE BEATLES BACK IN US CHART:
Thirty-six years after they officially broke up The Beatles
are back in the US charts with The Capitol Albums Vol. 2.
The four-CD box set of albums released by EMI's US division
Capitol Records during the mid-60s is a new entry at No. 46 selling 27,000 copies.
Other new entries include Rascal Flatts and Toby Keith.

April 18th 2006

2006-04-18T02:44:00.000-07:00

* SCISSOR SISTERS TO HEADLINE BESTIVAL:
* BRYAN FERRY JOINS COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE GIG:
* MCSHANE JOINS MCCONAUGHEY FILM:

* SCISSOR SISTERS TO HEADLINE BESTIVAL:
The Scissor Sisters have confirmed they
will headline the Bestival at the Isle of
Wight on Sunday, September 10, according to a
report by the independent music website from
Britain www.thisisfakediy.co.uk.
This will be the New York group's first
performance in England since last July's
Live 8 and their first UK show since the
Belfast Vital Festival last August.
The Bestival takes place September 8 - 10
with the Pet Shop Boys headlining on Saturday,
September 9.
Other acts on the electic Bestival line-up
include the Fall, Kid Creole and the Coconuts,
King Cresote, the Stranglers, Devendra
Banhart and Amadou & Mariam.
The Scissor Sisters are expected to
release the follow-up to their 2004
self-titled debut album this summer.
The band have already confirmed a couple
of US gigs, at the Shoreline Amphitheatre,
Mountain Views, California, with Depeche Mode
on April 27 and the Coachella Valley Music and
Arts Festival, Indio, California, on April 30.
They have also confirmed an appearance at
the Fuji Rock Festival, Nigata, Japan, on July 29.

* BRYAN FERRY JOINS COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE GIG:
Bryan Ferry has been added to the line up of
the Countryside Alliance Benefit concert at Highclere
Castle, near Newbury, on May 20.
The concert line-up already includes Eric Clapton, Roger
Waters, Nick Mason and Georgie Fame amongst others.
Ferry is said to be currently working on a new album with his
former Roxy Music bandmates.
In 2004, Ferry's son Otis was one of a group of five
pro-fox hunting protesters who burst into the House of
Commons while MPs debated whether to ban hunting with
dogs. He was later convicted of violating the Public Order Act
and received an 18-month conditional discharge.

* MCSHANE JOINS MCCONAUGHEY FILM:
Ian McShane has joined the cast of We Are Marshall,
a new drama co-starring Matthew McConaughey and
Lost's Matthew Fox, reports Variety.
The movie, currently in production in West Virginia,
tells the story of a small town's efforts to rebuild after
the 1970 plane crash that killed nearly all of its football
team and coaching staff.
McShane, who recently starred in TV's Deadwood, will
play a steel mill executive whose son is killed in the crash

April 14th 2006

2006-04-14T06:38:00.000-07:00

* KT - I'M A REAL GIRL:
* MARIAH BANS OVERHEAD LIGHTING:
* FERGUSON TALKS ABOUT TEENAGE GAY SEX ATTACK:

* KT - I'M A REAL GIRL:
KT Tunstall says being on tour with her band is
a bit like being shacked up with a football team.
The 30-year-old St Andrews-born singer who is
dating drummer Luke Bullen admits there's no place for
shyness when she goes on tour.
"I couldn’t care less if there’s someone with me when
I change clothes for example," KT told a Dutch journalist.
"I don’t have time to make a fuss if anyone can see my arse.
It’s just like a soccer dressing-room in our bus, everyone walks
in his underwear in the morning.
"My band members are my best friends and also at home in
London we always hang out together.
"They’re also not men who make the tour bus a rubbish dump.
They probably would if I wouldn’t be there, but because
there is a woman around they behave (laughs).
"But I can always enjoy myself with all my men.
And they’re handsome too!."
Despite her tomboyish image, KT admits to
being very girly and loves nothing more than taking off her cowboy
boots and jeans and putting on a nice dress and shoes and
wearing perfume.
On tour she says she takes what she calls "My bag of magic creams."
She says, "But that’s important on tour - taking things with you
that smell good, that makes it easier because a tour
bus will easily get dirty with so many people in it.
"Oh, and you need to take these moist paper towels
for your face and hands. Because in the bus there’s
no shower or running water.
"I am a real girl. I’ve got all these little bottles
with soap and lotions with me and stuff.
"The boys are always glad when they can use the shower
after me, cause then it smells nice, (laughs)."
"But besides that I’m just a guy myself, you know."
Talking about her relationship with Luke, KT
says, "Yeeesss! And I’m so happy with that! I wouldn’t be
able to have a boyfriend if he weren’t in my band, you know - I
would never be able to see him.
"And Luke is a really good one at that. We played together
for a year before we got together.
"But during our shows we’re just musicians you know,
and no-one notices a thing. It would only be a bother to the rest."

* MARIAH BANS OVERHEAD LIGHTING:
Mariah Carey has banned overhead lighting from her luxury
New York apartment - because she thinks it makes her look
"hideous."
The 36-year-old singer also insists that whereever she plays
the dressing room has no overhead lighting.
Mariah says she prefers frontal lighting.
She also refuses to be in a lift without her sunglases - because
the overhead lighting is so bad.
Mariah says, "Overhead lighting ... is banned in my house."
Mariah is set to tour for the first time for three years since her
2003 Charmbracelet tour which visited North America, Europe and the Far East.
Mariah told New York Z-100 Morning Show presenter Elvis Duran
the upcoming tour would be shorter than her previous outing
and she's currently drawing up the setlist for the shows.
Mariah said, "I am actually excited (about) this tour.
I went on tour a couple of years ago and it
was sooo long and I loved it because I love
the fans, but this (tour) is going to be a little
bit shorter. I'm working on the setlist now."
Her new tour will be in support of
her latest album, The Emancipation of Mimi,
which according to her record label Universal
Music has sold more than eight million copies
worldwide.

* FERGUSON TALKS ABOUT TEENAGE GAY SEX ATTACK:
Craig Ferguson has admitted that a scene
in his upcoming debut novel, Between the Bridge
and the River, in which a teenage bully
tries to molest his drunken friend was
based on personal experience in which he was the victim.
In the book one of the main characters,
George, distracts the bully from an
attempt to molest a drunken friend, Fraser,
who has passed out on a dirty canal bank.
In the passage, Ferguson writes,
"Willie bent over Fraser and started to
unbuckle his belt.
"He was salivating, his face near the
unconscious boy's crotch. He yelled in
agony and surprise as he felt George's
fishing rod strike the back of his neck
like a cat-o'-nine tails."
The 43-year-old Glasgow-born comic-actor
says, "That is a fairly accurate accounting
of what happened to me one day.
"I was Fraser, in that circumstance."
The novel was published in the US
by Chronicle Books on Monday.
A first print run of 30,000 copies is
planned.
The novel's main characters include
two old friends from Scotland, one of
them a television evangelist whose
career is threatened by a sex scandal,
a femme fatale who has killed off six
husbands, and a pair of half brothers
sired by Frank Sinatra and Peter Lawford
in their Rat Pack days.
The 329-page book sends up Las Vegas and Hollywood,
Christianity, Scientology, TV news
and the escort industry.
The Big Tease star admits the book
could "scare" the two million viewers who
regularly tune into his CBS Late Late
Show.
"The sex, the violence, the dream
sequences and the iconoclasm. I think a
lot of people are uncomfortable with
that," says Ferguson.
"I understand that. It was very
uncomfortable to write some of it."
The book has already won acclaim from
America's Publishers Weekly which
said that Ferguson had produced "a tour
de force of cynical humour and poignant
reverie, a caustic yet ebullient
picaresque that approaches the sacred by
way of the profane."
Ferguson is planning two sequels, one
which begins half-an-hour after the first
book ends and another that deals with
his femme fatale, Claudette, who ends
Between the Bridge and the River, pregnant
by a lover who may or may not cheat death.
But, despite offers to turn his novel
into a movie, Ferguson says he won't do
it.
"It's a book. It's mine. And, it's done,"
he says.

April 13th 2006

2006-04-13T03:59:00.000-07:00

* MCGREGOR ADOPTS MONGOLIAN GIRL:
* EMILY WATSON JOINS THE WATER HORSE:
* BENJI MADDEN'S FIGHT CLUB:

* MCGREGOR ADOPTS MONGOLIAN GIRL:
Ewan McGregor and his wife film production designer Eve Mavrakis
have reportedly adopted a four-year-old girl from Mongolia.
The 35-year-old Scots-born star met the girl, then two, during
his visit to Mongolia on his 20,000 mile London to New York
motorcycle journey with pal Charley Boorman in 2004, the New York Post
reported on Tuesday.
According to website www.imdb.com, a representative for
McGregor said, "I can confirm Ewan McGregor and his wife Eve Mavrakis
have adopted a girl, but cannot comment further."
The Star Wars actor and Eve already have two
children of their own, 10-year-old Clara and Esther Rose, four.
McGregor agreed to become an ambassador for the children's
charity UNICEF after returning from his trip.

* EMILY WATSON JOINS THE WATER HORSE:
Oscar-nominated actress Emily Watson has joined the cast
of The Water Horse a new movie about a mythical sea monster
of Scottish legend.
The 39-year-old Breaking The Waves actress will be joined by
Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line) and 12-year-old Alex Etel (Millions).
The film is due to begin shooting in early May in Scotland and New
Zealand.
According to Variety, The Water Horse tells the story of a
lonely boy in Scotland (Etel) who finds a mysterious egg on
the shore of a lake.
When the egg hatches, what emerges is a "water horse," a
mythical sea monster of Scottish legend.
Ecosse Films is producing the movie which will feature special
effects by Weta Digital and Weta Workshop, the team behind
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

* BENJI MADDEN'S FIGHT CLUB:
Benji Madden of American pop-punk band Good
Charlotte was involved in a fight at a
New York club when a fellow clubber grabbed his hat.
Madden, who has a tattoo of the Irish Tricolour
on his arm as a tribute to his Irish descent,
wrestled the man to the floor of the MisShapes
club and started "punching the .... out of him," according
to an eyewitness.
Benji, 27, and his twin brother singer Joel,
enjoyed Top 10 success in 2003 with their album
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

April 12th 2006

2006-04-12T00:36:00.000-07:00

* JULIA FINDS FAMILY LIFE "VERY FULFILLING":
* KEIRA'S EX DATING LINDSAY?:
* COLIN AND CO-STAR ENJOY NIGHT OUT:

* JULIA FINDS FAMILY LIFE "VERY FULFILLING":
Julia Roberts has spoken about how much she's enjoying family
life ahead of her stage debut next week in the Broadway play Three
Days of Rain.
The 38-year-old Oscar-winning actress took a two-year break during
which she gave birth to twins Hazel and Phinnaeus,
now 16-months-old.
Julia, married to cameraman Danny Moder, told the New
York Post she decided to make her stage debut in
Richard Greenberg's acclaimed play because it
was "really different and challenging."
She added, "I needed an exemplary reason to leave
the house. My family is very fulfilling and interesting to me.
"I go home to my husband every night and I tell him
that I have so much work to do. I love being an actor,
but sometimes doing this I feel as though I've gone back
to square one."
The play, which opens next week at the Bernard B. Jacobs
Theatre, has become the most sought-after ticket
on Broadway. The show's limited 12-week run is virtually
sold-out.

* KEIRA'S EX DATING LINDSAY?:
Jamie Dornan, the Ulster-born ex-boyfriend of Keira
Knightley has been
romantically linked to Lindsay Lohan.
Doran and the 19-year-old Mean Girls actress were spotted
huddling together at a Calvin Klein-sponsored dinner in
New York in honour of Kate Moss' new ad campaign, reports
the New York Post.
Model Dornan and his rock band Sons of Jim release
a new single titled My Burning Sun on May 29.

* COLIN AND CO-STAR ENJOY NIGHT OUT:
Colin Farrell and new girlfriend American
actress Lake Bell enjoyed a night out in New York's
Manhattan district during a break from filming their
cop drama Pride and Glory.
The 29-year-old Irish actor accompanied 27-year-old
Lake, star of US TV The Practice, to an art film
festival.
A spokesperson for the Irish star played down Colin's
new romance with the pretty brunette saying, "He's
always friendly with his castmates.
"They're making a movie together."

April 11th 2006

2006-04-11T02:24:00.000-07:00

* U2'S ADAM TO WED:
* CHER SET TO PLAY VEGAS:
* J.LO "CHEATED" ON P. DIDDY:
* FARRELL DATING CO-STAR:
* KEANE PLAN EURO TOUR:
* MARC TO RECORD TRIBUTE TO GENE:

* U2'S ADAM TO WED:
U2's Adam Clayton will become the last member of
the Irish band to get married after proposing to his longtime
girlfriend Susie Smith.
The pair have been dating for 10 years. They are due to
marry next year.
Clayton, 46, previously was engaged for a while to supermodel
Naomi Campbell.

* CHER SET TO PLAY VEGAS:
Cher is reportedly set to sign a $60 million (£34 million)
deal to perform at the Coliseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
The 59-year-old singer, who last year finished a three-year
"farewell" tour is in talks to take the stage when Celine
Dion's residency at the venue ends next year, reports the
New York Post.
She will be paid roughly the same amount as Barry Manilow
who performs at the Las Vegas Hilton, the Post reports.
Sir Elton John also has a regular show at Caesars.

* J.LO "CHEATED" ON P. DIDDY:
A new book by Jennifer Lopez's first husband, former waiter
Ojani Noa, claims the actress-singer cheated on boyfriend
Sean "P. Diddy" Combs with current husband Latin crooner
Marc Anthony.
Lopez and Combs dated for 18-months and at one time
were reportedly set to marry.
Noa, who was briefly married to Lopez in 1997, is planning
a tell-all book about their relationship.
The 35-year-old Wedding Planner actress has filed a
lawsuit in Los Angeles in a bid to stop the
publication of the book, reports the New York Post.
She claims Cuban Noa broke a pact not to talk about their
relationship and tried to secure $5 million (£2.8 million)
from her.

* FARRELL DATING CO-STAR:
Colin Farrell is apparently taken with the co-star on his
latest movie Pride and Glory.
The 29-year-old Irish actor accompanied Lake Bell, star of US
TV sci-fi show Surface, to an art film festival in New York's
Chelsea district, reports the New York Post.
A spokesperson for the Irish star said, "He's always
friendly with his castmates. They're making a movie together."

* KEANE PLAN EURO TOUR:
Keane have announced a series of low-key club dates
in Europe next month.
The tour kicks-off at Madrid's Heineken Club on May 9
and includes concerts in Lisbon, Berlin, Milan, Paris,
Amsterdam and Oslo.
The group release their new album, Under the Iron Sea,
on June 12.

* MARC TO RECORD TRIBUTE TO GENE:
Marc Almond is to record a tribute to
the late Gene Pitney who died aged 65 in his hotel
room in Cardiff last Wednesday while on a UK tour.
The 49-year-old Soft Cell singer's next album
will include Marc's version of Pitney's 1966 hit Backstage as a
tribute, according to Marc's website www.marcalmond.co.uk.
And, Marc, who in 1989 scored a UK No. 1 with
Pitney when they teamed up for a version of the American singer's 60s hit
Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart, has revealed
that he and Pitney had planned to work again in the near future.
Marc says that after his near fatal motorcycle
accident in central London in October 2004, Pitney
"sent touching messages."
Marc said, "A unique and utterly distinctive voice, a
great singer of stunning songs. He was charming,
classy and incomparable.
Pitney was in the middle of a 23-date UK tour when he
died of heart failure.

April 10th 2006

2006-04-10T03:38:00.000-07:00

* NAOMI SNUBS PUFFY:
* SUGABABES TO RELEASE NEW SINGLE:
* NEW ORDER, FATBOY CONFIRMED FOR SPANISH FESTIVAL:
* NEW PET SHOP BOYS VIDEO FEATURES LITTLE BRITAIN STARS:
* MARIAH CREATES SHRINE TO MARILYN:

* NAOMI SNUBS PUFFY:
Naomi Campbell has snubbed P. Diddy after
refusing to take part in his celebrity cook show.
The supermodel had agreed to
appear on Cooking Showdown, but pulled out
when she heard the rap mogul was producing
the show, according to the New York Post.
The pair used to be good friends, but
Naomi has apparently fallen out with Puffy.
P. Diddy's new show airs on NBC.

* SUGABABES TO RELEASE NEW SINGLE:
The Sugababes will release a new single,
Follow Me Home, on June 5.
The song is the fourth track to be taken
from the trio's No. 1 album Taller In More Ways.
The group are due to film the video for the
song in Prague this week.

* NEW ORDER, FATBOY CONFIRMED FOR SPANISH FESTIVAL:
New Order, Fatboy Slim and Rufus Wainwright
have been confirmed to perform at
the Summercase Festival, Barcelona, Spain, in July.
The festival will also feature Daft Punk,
Keane, the Cardigans, Massive Attack, Chemical
Brothers, Primal Scream, Belle and Sebastian, the
Dandy Warhols, Super Furry Animals, Mystery Jets, Starsailor,
the Feeling, the Concretes, the Paddingtons,
the Long Blondes, the Divine Comedy, Hope of the
States, Brakes, the Twilight Singers
and Sigur Ros amongst others.
The festival is held on July 14 and 15. Further
details are available at http://www.summercase.com.

* NEW PET SHOP BOYS VIDEO FEATURES LITTLE BRITAIN STARS:
Little Britain's David Walliams and Matt
Lucas are to appear in the video for the Pet
Shop Boys' new single, I'm With Stupid.
The video will debut in the UK on Channel
Four on Friday (14APR) at 11.45pm.
I'm With Stupid is released on May 8. The
electronic duo of Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant
release a new studio album, Fundamental, on
May 22, according to their official website
www.petshopboys.co.uk.

* MARIAH CREATES SHRINE TO MARILYN:
Mariah Carey has created a shrine to
Marilyn Monroe in her luxury Manhattan apartment.
The 36-year-old popstar, who paid $662,500 (£380,000)
for a chipped white baby grand piano that
belonged to the late film star's mother,
admits she identifies strongly with Monroe.
Mariah has acessorised one of her
bathrooms with photographs of the screen icon
and other mementos.
"She had such a childlike quality," Mariah
tells InStyle.
Mariah also revealed she keeps stuffed
animals, butterfly figurines and Helly Kitty
keepsakes sent to her by fans in another bathroom.
"Lindsay Lohen, Sean Lennon and I had a jam
session in there the other night. They were
obsessed with my Hello Kitty bathroom,"
said Mariah.

April 7th 2006

2006-04-07T02:14:00.000-07:00

* DANNII MINOGUE TO RELEASE NEW SINGLE:
* QUEEN TO PERFORM ON AMERICAN IDOL:
* TOM JONES ADDS SECOND WELSH GIG:

* DANNII MINOGUE TO RELEASE NEW SINGLE:
Dannii Minogue will release a new single,
So Under Pressure, on June 5.
The 34-year-old popstar confirmed news of
the single to fans on the message board of her
record label All Around The World Records.
The track will be Dannii's first new
release since her collaboration with Soul
Seekerz on Perfection which peaked at No. 11
in the UK chart last October.
Dannii has been recording a new album
although there is still no official release
date.
The album will be the follow-up to Neon Nights
released in March 2003.

* QUEEN TO PERFORM ON AMERICAN IDOL:
Queen and Paul Rodgers will appear on
next week's American Idol.
The top eight finalists will perform their
favourite Queen songs on the show on
Tuesday (11APR).
Earlier this week the finalists had the
chance to perform their songs with Queen.
Queen, currently on their first major US
tour since 1982, are the latest international act to
guest on AI following appearances by Donna
Summer, Barry Manilow and Kenny Rogers.
American Idol airs next Tuesday and Wednesday
on Fox TV.

* TOM JONES ADDS SECOND WELSH GIG:
Tom Jones has added a second concert at
the Cardiff International Arena on October 21.
Sir Tom has already confirmed a concert
in the Welsh capital on October 20.
The 65-year-old singer begins his UK arena
tour at the Brighton Centre on October 10.
The tour is due to wrap up at Glasgow's
Clyde Auditorium on October 31.

April 6th 2006

2006-04-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

* MARIAH CONFIRMS TOUR PLANS:
* NATASHA BECOMES CHILDREN'S CHARITY AMBASSADOR:
* MARC ALMOND PAYS TRIBUTE TO GENE PITNEY:
* COWELL HAS ONSCREEN SPAT WITH AI PRESENTER:

* MARIAH CONFIRMS TOUR PLANS:
Mariah Carey has confirmed she is set to go
on tour.
The tour will be her first since 2003's Charmbracelet
tour which visited North America, Europe and the Far East.
Mariah told New York radio station's Elvis Duran
the upcoming tour would be shorter than her previous outing
and she's currently drawing up the setlist for the shows.
Mariah said, "I am actually excited (about) this tour.
I went on tour a couple of years ago and it
was sooo long and I loved it because I love
the fans, but this (tour) is going to be a little
bit shorter. I'm working on the setlist now."
But, she will have any overhead lighting
banned from her dressing room because she thinks
it makes her look bad.
The 36-year-old singer revealed to Duran her fear
of catching herself in a mirror revealing she has banned it from her
home and from dressing rooms in favour of
frontal lighting.
And she admitted she always wears sunglasses
when she is in a lift because the lighting
"makes everyone look hideous."
Mariah told Duran, "Overhead
lighting ... is banned in my house."
Her new tour will be in support of
her latest album, The Emancipation of Mimi,
which according to her record label Universal
Music has sold more than eight million copies
worldwide.

* NATASHA BECOMES CHILDREN'S CHARITY AMBASSADOR:
Natasha Bedingfield has become an
ambassador for Global Angels, a new
international children's charity.
Founded by the 24-year-old popstar's
mother, Molly Bedingfield, the charity
supports grassroots children's projects
across the world, according to Natasha's
official website, www.natashabedingfield.com.
Natasha will be using her public profile
to work with Global Angels "to inspire
millions of people to put compassion into
action and become `Angels."
Commenting on the Global Angels' Feed
a Child For a Year campaign, Natasha
said, "I want to help Global Angels raise
as much money as possible to feed children
across the globe.
"100 per cent of any donation made to
Global Angels goes directly to grassroots
project so by supporting this cause I really
do feel like I'm making a difference."
The Unwritten singer will be lending her
support to the charity's project Stop the
Traffik, a global campaign to end human
trafficking.
The campaign will culminate on March 25,
2007, when a series of world events will
mark Freedom Day and raise awareness of the
issue.
The charity has its own website at
www.globalangels.org.

* MARC ALMOND PAYS TRIBUTE TO GENE PITNEY:
Marc Almond, who scored a UK No. 1 in
1989 with Gene Pitney on Something's Gotten
Hold Of My Heart has paid tribute to the
American singer who died yesterday in Cardiff
aged 65.
The Soft Cell singer said in a statement
at his website, "I am deeply saddened and
shocked by the death of Gene Pitney. It was
an honour to have worked with him.
"He was a great, unique singer of great,
unique songs."
Pitney, whose other hits included
Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa, had been on a tour
of Britain.

* COWELL HAS ONSCREEN SPAT WITH AI PRESENTER:
Simon Cowell and the presenter of American
Idol Simon Seacrest this week became involved in a spat
over Seacrest's "relationship" with Desperate
Housewives' star Teri Hatcher.
Seacrest, 31, a confirmed bachelor who was photographed
last week kissing Hatcher, told Cowell: "And if
you read the dictionary, you'd know what
'constructive' means."
To which Cowell, another confirmed bachelor
at 46, replied, "Ryan, with respect,
I'm not the one trying to look like someone out
of 'Desperate Housewives.' Lose the beard."
According to the New York Post, Hatcher, 41,
has since said the pair are not dating.

April 5th 2006

2006-04-06T03:59:00.000-07:00

* BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ANNOUNCES EUROPEAN TOUR:
* PRETENDERS TO PLAY LAST GIG EVER?:
* DIVINE COMEDY REVEAL NEW ALBUM DETAILS:

* BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN ANNOUNCES EUROPEAN TOUR:
Bruce Springsteen has announced details of
a European tour in support of his new album,
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, due on April 24.
The tour will kick-off at Dublin's The
Point on May 5.
The rest of the tour includes concerts
at Manchester's Evening News Arena on
May 7 and London's Hammersmith Apollo on
May 8.
The tour also includes concerts in
Paris, May 10, Milan, May 12, Barcelona, May 13,
Amsterdam, May 16, Frankfurt, May 17, Oslo,
May 20 and Stockholm, May 21.
We Shall Overcome, an album of gospel,
folk and blues songs, features Springsteen's
personal interpretations of 13 traditional
songs all of them associated with the
legendary American folk musician Pete Seeger.

* PRETENDERS TO PLAY LAST GIG EVER?:
The Pretenders' concert at London's Koko venue
on Friday is likely to be the group's last ever,
according to www.foxnews.com.
Gail Colson, manager for the band's
singer Chrissie Hynde, told Fox the concert,
filmed as part of Channel 4's The Album Chart Show,
could be the final ever for the Pretenders.
The group's spokesperson Liz Rosenberg also
admitted that Hynde, 54, was "a little teary" after
telling fans at the group's Irving Plaza concert
in New York at the weekend that the gig would
be "one of our last shows - ever."
The Pretenders release a
five-disc box set titled Pirate Radio, on Monday.
The band have scored 12 Top 40 hits since their
1979 debut Stop Your Sobbing including a No. 1,
Brass In Pocket, which topped the chart in November
of the same year.
Their other hits include Talk of the Town, Back
On The Chain Gang and I'll Stand By You.
Two original members of the band, guitarist James
Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon both
died, Honeyman-Scott of a drug overdose in 1982
and Farndon a year drowned in his
bathtub after using heroin.

* DIVINE COMEDY REVEAL NEW ALBUM DETAILS:
The Divine Comedy will release a new album,
Victory For The Comic Muse, on Parlophone Records
on June 19.
The album, the follow-up to 2004's Absent
Friends, will be preceded by a single on June 12.
The album was recorded virtually live in the
studio over a period of two weeks in late 2005,
a press release from the band said.
The Divine Comedy, aka Neil Hannon, will tour the UK and Ireland in May
with an eight-piece band. The tour includes
concerts in Cambridge, Wolverhampton, London,
Sheffield, Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin.

April 4th 2006

2006-04-04T02:03:00.000-07:00

* DONNA SUMMER TOPS BEST DANCE SONG LIST:
* B52S CANCEL EUROPEAN TOUR:
* JAMES MCAVOY TO STAR OPPOSITE KEIRA:

* DONNA SUMMER TOPS BEST DANCE SONG LIST:
Donna Summer's 1977 hit I Feel Love has
topped a list of the 100 Greatest Dance Songs.
The Giorgio Moroder-produced track beat
the runner-up Deee-Lite's 1990 hit Groove
Is In The Heart and third placed Madonna's 1990 single
Vogue.
The rest of the Top 10 in the list
compiled by Slant magazine were: 4, Diana
Ross' 1976 hit Love Hangover, 5, Civilles &
Cole's 1991 track A Deeper Love, 6, Machine's
1979 track There But For The Grace Of
God Go I, 7, Lil' Louis' 1987 track French
Kiss, 8, Thelma Houston's 1976 hit Don't
Leave Me This Way, 9. Zhane's 1993 track
Hey Mr DJ and 10, Donna Summer's 1975 hit
Love To Love You Baby.
Others on the list include the Eurythmics'
1983 hit Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) at
20, New Order's Blue Monday at 59 and Kylie Minogue's
2001 hit Can't Get You Out Of My Head at
63.

* JAMES MCAVOY TO STAR OPPOSITE KEIRA:
Scottish actor James McAvoy is to play
Keira Knightley's love interest in Atonement, about a man accused
of raping a 16-year-old.
McAvoy, 26, will play Robbie Turner, the accused man in
the adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel of the same
name, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
He recently played Mr Tumnus in The Chronicles of
Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and
is currently filming Becoming Jane opposite Anne
Hathaway.
The movie will be made by Working Title productions and
is due to start shooting next month.

April 3rd 2006

2006-04-03T02:10:00.000-07:00

* P. DIDDY TO OPEN NYC STOCK EXCHANGE:
* DIVINE COMEDY ANNOUNCE TOUR:
* DJ COX'S CDS STOLEN:
* PRINCE "HATES" AMERICAN IDOL:
* HOPKINS COMPOSES FIRST SYMPHONY:
* CLOONEY'S CASINO PLAN HITS THE ROCKS:
* ELTON OPENS UP HIS CLOSET FOR CHARITY:
* KAISER CHIEFS TO PLAY ICELAND:
* NICOLE FOR THE SIMPSONS' MOVIE?:

* P. DIDDY TO OPEN NYC STOCK EXCHANGE:
P. Diddy will today be given the honour of
opening the week's trading on the New York Stock Exchange
in recognition of the success of his recently launched
best-selling men's fragrance.
Unforgiven has been the top selling
fragrance in the US since its launch on
February 10, reports the New York Post.
The 35-year-old rap mogul, real name Sean Combs, will ring
the opening bell, the traditional way to
open trading at the NYC Stock Exchange, accompanied
by Terry Lundgren, chief executive of
America's Federated Department Stores which
sells the fragrance in its Macy's stores
and John Demsey, global president of Estee
Lauder, the company which partnered with the
Comb's Sean Jean fashion company to market the scent.
Ads for Unforgiven featuring Combs - known to business
associates as "Puffy" - sitting
on a bed with two women created such a stir
in the US that some magazines refused to
run them and department stores in some cities
asked for "PG" versions for in-store promotions.

* DIVINE COMEDY ANNOUNCE TOUR:
The Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon has announced details
of a UK and Irish tour.
Hannon will release a new album,
Victory For The Comic Muse, on Parlophone Records
on June 19 in the UK preceded a week earlier by an
as-yet-untitled single.
The tour will begin at the Junction,
Cambridge, on May 17.
The rest of the dates are:
May 18 - Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton
May 19 - St James' Church, London
May 21 - Leadmill, Sheffield
May 22 - Academy 2, Manchester
May 23 - QMU, Glasgow
May 24 - Vicar St, Dublin
Hannon will play a series of European shows
before the UK concerts beginning in Paris
on May 11.
Other European dates include gigs in
Berlin, Munich, Hamburg and Cologne.
The new album is the first
from the Something For the Weekend singer since
2004's Absent Friends.

* DJ COX'S CDS STOLEN:
British DJ Carl Cox is missing several
hundred CDs after a clubber climbed into
his DJ booth and nicked them while he was
playing.
The DJ was playing Miami's Crobar club
as part of the city's Winter Music
Conference which each year attracts some of the world's
top DJ-producers.
According to the New York Post the
CDs were contained in a book Cox had with him
in the booth.
Cox, sometimes known as 3 Deck Wizard
because he plays on three turntables at once
instead of the usual two, is credited with
helping spearhead hardcore and house
music in the UK in the late '90s.
He is due to play alongside Mr C and
Tim Sheridan at this year's SW4 launch party
on April 15 at London's Brixton Academy.
Cox is also due to play at the new
Hi-Fis Festival on May 28.

* PRINCE "HATES" AMERICAN IDOL:
Prince reportedly "hates" American Idol and
has never even watched the hit show.
The 47-year-old singer was asked by his
record label Columbia to go on the show
to help boost sales of his US No. 1 album
3121.
But, a source told the New York Post,
"Prince apparently hates the show and has
never even watched it."
The Post reported that a rep for the Purple
Rain singer didn't return calls.
Recently, Barry Manilow and Donna Summer
have guested on AI.

* HOPKINS COMPOSES FIRST SYMPHONY:
Sir Anthony Hopkins has composed his
first ever symphony.
The 68-year-old Welsh-born actor told the New York
Post, "I've listened to a couple of bars of
my symphony, and it would seem I'm not
too bad.
"Anyone can be an actor these days,
especially in the cinema. But my dream has
always been to be as musically talented as
Beethoven!"
The Silence of the Lambs actors plays the
piano for two hours every day, the Post
reports.
In 1996 he composed part of the score
for the movie August.

* CLOONEY'S CASINO PLAN HITS THE ROCKS:
George Clooney's plans to become part
owner of a major new Las Vegas casino and
hotel complex have reportedly been dashed
after the development ran into trouble.
The Ocean's 11 star teamed up with
Cindy Crawford's nightclub owner husband
Rande Gerber and a New York-based
development company called Related to
build a $3 billion (£1.7 billion), 11-building apartment,
hotel and casino complex on 25 acres of
land off the famed Strip.
According to the New York Post, the
developers Related have pulled out and the
land could be sold.
A Related spokesperson said the
developers "are exploring several options
though no definitive decisions have been
made at this time."

* ELTON OPENS UP HIS CLOSET FOR CHARITY:
Sir Elton John is again going to open his
closet to raise funds for his Aids Foundation.
The 28-year-old popstar is selling off some
10,000 items of clothing and accessories.
Among the items are the polka-dot suit by
Richard James that Elton wore during his
performance with Eminem at the 2001 Grammy
Awards.
The sale, titled Elton’s Closet, will be stocked with
items of predominantly designer menswear
from Versace, Dior by Hedi
Slimane, Louis Vuitton, Tom Ford for Yves
Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Comme des
Garçons, Prada and Gucci.
Elton and his partner
David Furnish will be at Manhattan's
Rockefeller Centre on April 10 to cut
the ribbon to launch the five-day sale.
It is the latest in several similar wardrobe
sales Elton has hosted in recent years.

* KAISER CHIEFS TO PLAY ICELAND:
The Kaiser Chiefs have confirmed they
will play the eighth annual Iceland Airwaves
festival which takes place in Reykjavik
from October 22 to 22.
Also taking part are Wolf Parade from
Montrel and the Brazilian Girls from
America.
Icelandair is selling tickets with
package deals including flights and accommodation.

* NICOLE FOR THE SIMPSONS' MOVIE?:
Could Nicole Kidman be set to put on
a blue wig for her next movie role as
Marge Simpson in the planned real life movie
version of the hit TV cartoon.
Al Jean, the show's executive producer,
has hinted the 37-year-old Oscar-winning
actress may have a part in the upcoming
Simpsons' movie.
He told www.entertainmentwise.com, "We
approached Nicole when we were looking for
a celebrity couple back when she was
married to Tom Cruise.
"Some way, sooner or later, we should be
able to get her, though."
Last month Twentieth Centry Fox released
a short trailer confirming that Bart, Homer,
Marge and the rest of TV's bestloved
yellow characters will be making their
film debut.

March 31st 2006

2006-03-30T23:26:00.000-08:00

* ROBERT SMITH MAY SUE OVER DEPECHE MODE ALBUM COVER:
* DEF LEPPARD TO RELEASE COVERS ALBUM:
* ROD STEWART TO GUEST ON AMERICAN IDOL:

* ROBERT SMITH MAY SUE OVER DEPECHE MODE ALBUM COVER:
The Cure's Robert Smith is said to be
considering taking legal action against Dutch-born
photographer Anton Corbijn over the
cover of Depeche Mode's Playing The Angel album.
According to Depeche Mode's website a
legal injunction from the 46-year-old singer is pending.
A message at www.depechemode.com, posted
this week said, "We are getting
preliminary reports that Robert Smith
(lead singer of The Cure) is looking to stop
further production of the album
Playing The Angel.
"It is said, through sources, that Robert
has a concern that the Mister Feathers
character that Anton Corbijn created for
the Playing The Angel cover bears more than a
passing resemblance to the cover for The
Cure's Boys Don't Cry single."
Corbijn has created videos, single and album covers for U2 and
Nirvana amongst others.
The Cure's Boys Don't Cry was released in
1978, but the record failed to chart.
Playing The Angel was released last October on
Mute Records.

* DEF LEPPARD TO RELEASE COVERS ALBUM:
Def Leppard are to release an album on May 23
of their versions of classic hits from the early 70s.
The album includes covers of hit singles by David Bowie,
T. Rex, Electric Light Orchestra, Sweet and David Essex.
Aside from the Kinks' 1967 hit Waterloo
Sunset all the tracks were originally issued in the early 70s.
Singer Joe Elliott said, "I thought it was
about time we showed the world what our true
roots were, British pop rock from the early to
mid-70s. The songs on this album are at least
party responsible for us making the kind of
music that we do."
Guitarist Phil Collen said, "We didn't want
to make the standard covers album and gave
this a lot of deep thought as Joe has
been going on about doing this sort of project
for 26 years. We wanted to express ourselves
through these songs and approached the
recording process as if they were our own."
The full-track listing is: 10538 Overture
by ELO, 20th Century Boy by T. Rex, Don't
Believe A Word by Thin Lizzy, Drive-In
Saturday by Davie Bowie, Hanging On The
Telephone by the Nerves and later Blondie, He's
Gonna Step On You Again by John Kongos,
Hell Raiser by the Sweet, Little Bit Of Love
by Free, No Matter What by Badfinger, Rock
On by David Essex, Stay With Me by the Faces,
Street Life by Roxy Music, The Golden Age Of
Rock & Roll by Mott the Hoople and Waterloo
Sunset by the Kinks.
The veteran hard rock band, bestknown for their
hits Animal and Pour Some Sugar On Me, play a hometown gig at Sheffield's
Hallam FM Arena on June 17 and London's
Hammersmith Apollo on June 18. They are due to
tour North America this summer with US
band Journey.

* ROD STEWART TO GUEST ON AMERICAN IDOL:
Rod Stewart will perform live on two special
American Idol programmes which will air in the US
on April 18 and 19, according to his record company
J Records.
The 61-year-old singer will also appear on the
judging panel alongside regulars Simon Cowell,
Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.
Stewart is the latest guest artist to
guest on the Fox TV show following appearances
by Barry Manilow and Donna Summer.
The former Faces frontman has recently won
a whole new generation of fans with his series of
four albums titled The Great
American Songbook of classic pop and jazz songs, all
of which have gone platinum or multi-platinum in
the US.

March 30th 2006

2006-03-30T23:24:00.000-08:00

* EMI AIRBRUSHES OUT FABS' FAGS - AND RINGO'S FINGERS:
* RADIOHEAD RESPOND TO GORDON'S BUDGET:
* DAMIEN'S NEW TOURING PARTNER ALMOST QUIT:

* EMI AIRBRUSHES OUT FABS' FAGS - AND RINGO'S FINGERS:
EMI stand accused of revisionist history with its
reissue of a new Fab Four collection - The Beatles'
Capitol Albums Vol. 2. The cover
features a 1964 photo of the Fab Four minus their ciggies.
In the original picture Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr
and John Lennon were holding lit cigarettes between their
fingers - but the nasty fags have disappeared - along with
the tips of Ringo's two cigarette-holding fingers - from the
cover of the album which hits stores in the US and Europe
next month.
Vol. 2 is another box set of four CDs from EMI of
Fab Four albums released only in America in the mid-60s
to cash-in on the popularity of The Beatles.
It's not the first time EMI has airbrushed
out a cigarette from a Beatles reissue.
When the group's first ever US No. 1 single I Want To
Hold Your Hand was reissued Stateside in 1984
EMI airbrushed out McCartney's cigarette from
the original picture sleeve.
Three years ago, a US poster company attracted a huge
outcry among Beatle fans when they airbrushed out
McCartney's ciggie from its poster of 1969's Abbey Road
album.
John, Paul, George and Ringo all began the dirty habit as
teenages and continued to smoke during the
height of Beatlemania. Lennon, shot dead in New York in
1980 never managed to beat the habit while
McCartney is believed to have given up the habit sometime
in his 40s.
Harrison, who died from cancer in November, 2001, sang about
his addiction to nicotine in his posthumously released track Horse To
Water while Ringo managed to kick fags several years ago.
The Capitol Albums Vol. 2 made up of album tracks, singles,
B-sides and EP tracks is released on April 11 in the US and will
also be available in the UK and Europe.
The set contains four US only albums -
Meet The Beatles, The Beatles' Second
Album, Something New and Beatles '65 - with
46 songs available in their mono and
steroe mixes.
Among the tracks are the group's debut 1962
single, Love Me Do, their first British No. 1
Please Please Me and songs from their second
film Help!.

* RADIOHEAD RESPOND TO GORDON'S BUDGET:
Having taken the government to task over
its environmental policies, Radiohead
frontman Thom Yorke now appears to be offering the
occupant of No. 11 Downing Street some
economic advice.
In an apparent response to last week's
budget speech in the House of Commons by the
Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown,
Radiohead frontman Thom
Yorke has warned that Britain's economic
growth is like a "virus killing its host."
The 37-year-old singer posted a message
at the group's website, www.radiohead.com,
which, although not mentioning Mr Brown
by name, leaves fans in little doubt who
the target is of his criticism.
The message reads, "Question for the
minister. What use is economic growth when
the seas are rising to engulf you?.
"Our economy needs endless growth
apparently... like a virus...except this
virus is killing its host."
Last week Yorke revealed he turned down
the chance to discuss climate change
with Tony Blair because the PM has "no
environmental credentials."

* DAMIEN'S NEW TOURING PARTNER ALMOST QUIT:
The 28-year-old American singer-songwriter Fiona
Apple who will tour the US this summer with Damien
Rice almost quit the music industry.
The shy singer says she never felt wanted as a
teenager and it was only the support of her a
hardcore fanbase that persuaded her to return
to writing and performing again.
Fiona is teaming up with the 32-year-old Co.
Kildare singer-songwriter for a joint tour
of America in June and July - but she has revealed
in an interview with Oprah Winfrey's O magazine
that she almost quit music altogether.
Fiona, whose real name is Fiona Apple Murphy
Maggart, said, "A few years ago when I was
thinking about getting out of the music business -
touring terrified me, talking to journalists stressed
me out, dealing with the demands of my record
company was impossible - I decided to stay with my
mother in New York City."
She says she was determind never to release another
album when her manager called to say fans had
set up a Free Fiona movement demanding her return
and the release of her unfinished album.
Fiona says, "My manager explained a group of
people from around the world were rallying to
get the album released. They kept sending the
record company all kinds of apple stuff - apple
stickers, apple drawings, anything to do with apples."
She says that for the first time in her life she
felt wanted.
"I walked to the kitchen where I sat down and
promptly began to sob.
"Every day from when I was nine to when I was
14 I'd sat at that very table and wondered if I'd
ever have friends who loved and understood me.
"I believed the day would never come when a
bunch of people would say, `Hey, let's call Fiona
over, because things would be better if she were
here.'
"Nobody would ever notice I was missing. I
thought.
"But these Free Fiona enthusiasts, men and women
I'd never met, had noticed that I wasn't in the
room. And, they wanted me back.
"They thought things would be better if I were
there. If somebody wants me in the room, I realised,
I had better show up."
Fiona and Damien have so far confirmed
just one date at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre on June 24.
Meanwhile, Damien has been confirmed to
perform at the Electric Picnic Festival
on Friday, September 1.
On the advice of the 32-year-old Co. Kildare
singer-songwriter the organisers plan to set
up run an Eco-Friendly stage at the
festival called The Big Tree Stage.

March 29th 2006

2006-03-29T02:37:00.000-08:00

* MORRISSEY'S TRIBUTE TO THE STREET'S PERRIE:
* NATASHA REPEATS KIM WILDE'S US SUCCESS:
* KAREN-O SAYS YEAH TO GREEN MOTORING:
* BRITNEY SUED BY EX-BODYGUARDS:

* MORRISSEY'S TRIBUTE TO THE STREET'S PERRIE:
Morrissey has paid tribute
to Coronation Street's Lynne Perrie
by dedicating his song I Will See You in
Far Off Places to the actress who died last
week aged 75.
Perrie, who played factory worker Ivy
Tilsley from 1971 to 1994, died on Friday
night after suffering a stroke.
At the recording of a mini-concert on
Monday at London's Koko venue, Morrissey
and his band performed I Will See You and
three other songs, according
to fansite, www.morrissey-solo..com.
The performance will be featured on Channel Four's The Album
Chart Show this Friday.
The 46-year-old former Smiths' frontman's
new album, Ringleader of the Tormentors,
is released on Monday.

* NATASHA REPEATS KIM WILDE'S US SUCCESS:
Natasha Bedingfield's Unwritten has topped the
US singles pop charts - becoming the first British female
act to take the honour since Kim Wilde's
You Keep Me Hanging On in 1987.
The 24-year-old London-born popstar's
single also looks set to top the
Billboard Hot 100 chart after last week hitting
a new peak of No. 6.
Earlier this month James Blunt's UK No. 1 You're
Beautiful became the first single by a
UK artist to top the Hot 100 since Sir Elton
John topped the chart in 1997 with his
Princess Diana tribute version of Candle In the Wind.
Natasha wrote on her website about the success of
Unwritten in the US, "One massive Yahooooo and
Yipeeee for me and my co-writers and all who have
been supporting."
She is currently writing songs for her second album.

* KAREN-O SAYS YEAH TO GREEN MOTORING:
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen-O is doing her
bit to help keep California green by driving
a petrol-electric hybrid car.
The 27-year-old Los Angeles-based singer told the
New York Post, "I drive a Prius.
"I fill up my gas (petrol) tank every two-and-a-half-weeks.
It's awesome."
The trio, whose latest album, Show Your
Bones, was released this week, begin a UK
tour on May 13 with an appearance at the
All Tomorrow's Parties festival
at Camber Sands.

* RADIOHEAD RESPOND TO GORDON'S BUDGET:
Having taken the government to task over
its environmental policies, Radiohead
frontman Thom Yorke now appears to be offering the
occupant of No. 11 Downing Street some
economic advice.
In an apparent response to last week's
budget speech in the House of Commons by the
Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown,
Radiohead frontman Thom
Yorke has warned that Britain's economic
growth is like a "virus killing its host."
The 37-year-old singer posted a message
at the group's website, www.radiohead.com,
which, although not mentioning Mr Brown
by name, leaves fans in little doubt who
the target is of his criticism.
The message reads, "Question for the
minister. What use is economic growth when
the seas are rising to engulf you?.
"Our economy needs endless growth
apparently... like a virus...except this
virus is killing its host."
Last week Yorke revealed he turned down
the chance to discuss climate change
with Tony Blair because the PM has "no
environmental credentials."

* BRITNEY SUED BY EX-BODYGUARDS:
Britney Spears is being sued by three
former bodyguards who claim they are owed
overtime pay.
The trio say they were on call to the
24-year-old popstar 24-hours a day, but
received nothing above their salary which
amounted to between $2,400 (£1,380) and
$3,350 (£1,928) a week, reports the New York Post.
Britney, who last September gave birth to
her first child, Sean Preston, is currently
taking a break from the music industry although
she is said to be planning a return later
this year.

March 28th 2006

2006-03-27T23:22:00.000-08:00

* TOM JONES ANNOUNCES TOUR:
* JESSICA'S EX SEES DEAD PEOPLE:
* EMINEM BACK IN THE STUDIO:
* NADINE RUBBISHES SOLO RUMOURS:

* TOM JONES ANNOUNCES TOUR:
Sir Tom Jones has announced details of a UK tour in
October.
Sir Tom, who has teamed up with one the UK's most
successful dance acts, Chicane, for a new single
called Stoned In Love due on April 24, will
kick-off the tour at the Brighton Centre on October 10.
The rest of the tour is:
October 11 - Bournemouth International Centre
October 13 - Manchester Evening News Arena
October 14 - Birmingham NEC Arena
October 16 - Newcastle Telewest Arena
October 18 - Sheffield Hallam FM Arena
October 20 - Cardiff International Arena
October 27 - Nottingham Arena
October 31 - Glasgow Clyde Auditorium
Stoned In Love is the first new material from Jones since the release
in November 2002 of his Mr Jones album which spawned the
hit Tom Jones International.
The 65-year-old singer previously collaborated with
German dance DJ-producer Mousse T on his 2000 hit
Sexbomb.
Chicane, aka DJ-producer Nick Bracegirdle, has previously
scored hits on collaborations with Bryan Adams on Don't Give
Up, D:Ream's Peter Cunnah on Love On The Run and Clannad's
Maire Brennan on Saltwater.
Chicane play Manchester Academy 2 on April 22 and London's
Islington Academy on April 24.

* JESSICA'S EX SEES DEAD PEOPLE:
Jessica Simpson's former husband Nick Lachey
apparently claims he can see dead people.
Nick, 32, told a friend he recently walked into a life at
Hollywood's famous Roosevelt Hotel and was confronted
with "a gorgeous blonde dressed in sexy 1950s-style evening
wear," reports the New York Post.
The former boy band member pressed his floor and then
turned around for a closer look at the lady.
According to the Post, "He says she had vanished!.
He says the phantom looked a lot like . . . Marilyn Monroe."
Monroe's ghost is said to haunt the Roosevelt where
she regularly hung out before she became a screen legend.

* EMINEM BACK IN THE STUDIO:
Eminem is back at work in the recording studio just
months after speculation that the rapper is set to retire from
the music industry.
The news that the 33-year-old rapper is recording again
came from the unlikely source of Queen guitarist Brian May
who last week met up with a studio engineer on sessions
Eminem is currently involved.
May told Queen fans at his official website, www.brianmay.com,
that the engineer played him the track which May
described as "monumental."
The meeting with Eminem's engineer took place when Queen
visited the rapper's hometown of Detroit on their US tour.
Some music industry sources last year claimed Eminem was considering
retiring with the release in December of his hits album Encore.
Last summer, Eminem dropped out of a planned Anger
Management tour of Europe.
Following the tour's cancellation it was announced the rapper
had entered rehab for dependency on sleep medication. He
later told MTV he had no intention of retiring although he
was planning on taking a break to produce music.

* NADINE RUBBISHES SOLO RUMOURS:
Nadine Coyle has dismissed a report that
she is set to quit Girls Aloud for a solo career.
The 20-year-old Derry-born singer, currently No. 13 in the
chart with Girls Aloud's latest single Whole Lotta History, posted a message
at the group's website to assure fans ahead
of their arena tour of the UK that she has no such solo plans.
She said, "Hi everyone, just wanted to
let you all know that despite what you may
have read in one of the tabloids recently,
I am definately NOT quitting the band!.
"It's complete rubbbish - I absolutely
love what I'm doing and have no intention
of leaving.
"I'm looking forward to carrying on with
our promotion overseas and can't wait for
the tour - we're putting together a top
show, so hope to see you there. Love
Nadine xx."
Girls Aloud's latest tour kicks-off on May 22 at the
Nottingham Arena and wraps up at Wembley Arena on June 3.

March 27th 2006

2006-03-27T02:51:00.000-08:00

* XANADU ROLLING TO BROADWAY:
* SMITHS TURNED DOWN £5.7 MILLION - SAYS MARR:
* ELTON TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM IN SEPTEMBER:
* RUPERT EVERETT SLAMS KEIRA AS AN "IDIOT":
* NO WAY BACK TO PARIS FOR EX FIANCE:
* RAMSEY'S TEARS OVER FRIEND'S TRAGEDY:
* SHARON'S BASIC INSTINCT ABOUT WOMEN AND POWER:
* SEX AND THE CITY STAR TO WOO TERI:

* XANADU ROLLING TO BROADWAY:
Xanadu, the 1980 roller disco fantasy
romance starring Olivia Newton-John, is to open at an off-Broadway
theatre, reports Variety.
The film, abut a Greek muse named Kira,
played by Newton-John, who inspires has-been
big band leader, Gene Kelly, to build a flashy
roller disco, originally flopped on its
release, but has since become a cult favourite.
The movie featured songs by
the Electric Light Orchestra's Jeff Lynne
and songwriter John Farrar including Magic,
Suddenly, All Over The World and Xanadu.
The musical is due to open in Spring 2007.

* SMITHS TURNED DOWN £5.7 MILLION - SAYS MARR:
Johnny Marr, guitarist with 80s group
the Smiths, claims he was offered $10 million
(£5.7 million) to reform the band for a
series of concerts in the UK and US.
Earlier this month the group's singer
Morrissey revealed the Smiths turned down
$5 million ($2.9 million) to play at this year's Coachella
Valley Arts & Music Festival in southern
California.
Marr says, "I don't really want to get
into figures, but yes, I was made an offer
for the Smiths to reform at Coachella.
"I was also offered twice as much for us
to play in New York, Hyde Park and God knows
where else."

* ELTON TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM IN SEPTEMBER:
Sir Elton John is planning to release a sequel
to his 1975 concept album Captain Fantastic
and the Dirty Brown Cowboy album in
September.
Titled The Captain and the Kid, the album
is already complete, according to the
59-year-old singer's website.
It has been recorded in Atlanta
where Elton has a home and will be his first
studio album since 2004's Peachtree Road
which peaked at No. 21 in the UK and No. 17
in the US.
One of Elton's most popular albums
Captain Fantastic contained classics like
Someone Saved My Life Tonight, Curtains, Bitter Fingers
and Philadelphia Freedom.
The album, an autobiographical look by
Elton and his co-writer Bernie Taupin at their
early career, topped the US charts for seven weeks.

* RUPERT EVERETT SLAMS KEIRA AS AN "IDIOT":
Actor Rupert Everett has slammed Keira
Knightley as an "idiot" and can't understand
how the 21-year-old British actress received
an Academy Award nomination for her role in Pride and
Prejudice.
The 46-year-old My Best Friend's Wedding actor told
www.gay.com, ""Felicity Huffman was amazing
in Transamerica. I wanted her to win the
Academy Award.
"The fact that idiot Keira Knightley even
got nominated - you just say, 'What are they
all thinking?' Pride and Prejudice
was one of the worst films I've ever seen -
and her performance was one of the most
irritating I've ever seen, too."

* NO WAY BACK TO PARIS FOR EX FIANCE:
Paris Hilton's ex, Greek shipping heir Paris
Latsis, has apparently been banned from seeing the
socialite by his parents.
Latsis, 26 has told friends, "Even if I wanted
to get back with her I couldn't - my parents
wouldn't allow it," reports the New York Post.
The pair became engaged in May 2995, but in September
announced their split.

* RAMSEY'S TEARS OVER FRIEND'S TRAGEDY:
A top chef has revealed how Gordon Ramsey broke down in tears when
he told the Hell's Kitchen star about his paralysed son.
The hard talking chef "sobbed on my shoulder,"
says David Nicholls, executive chef at the
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park.
Ramsey has been "very supportive" added
Nicholls whose son was paralysed after a freak
surfing accident in Australia several years ago.
Nicholls has just published a book of
recipes from 30 celebrity chefs to raise money
for a Spinal Injury Foundation set up in
his son's name, reports the New York Post.

* SHARON'S BASIC INSTINCT ABOUT WOMEN AND POWER:
Sharon Stone thinks Hillary Clinton shouldn't
run for president of the US - at least not
yet while she still has "sexual power."
The 48-year-old Basic Instinct actress tells
Hollywood Life magazine, "'I think Hillary
Clinton is fantastic. But I think it is too
soon for her to run.
"This may sound odd, but a woman should be
past her sexuality when she runs.
"Hillary still has sexual power, and I
don't think people will accept that. It's too
threatening."
The 58-year-old wife of ex-US president Bill Clinton
is currently a senator in New York for the
Democratic Party and is tipped as a favourite
to stand as the party's presidential candidate
at the 2008 election.

* SEX AND THE CITY STAR TO WOO TERI:
Kyle MacLachlan, who starred in Sex And
The City and Twin Peaks, is to court Teri
Hatcher's character Susan Mayer in hit drama Desperate
Housewives.
TV Guide reports that the 46-year-old actor
will play a lovelorn single dentist who tries
to make a connection with single-mum Susan.
Executive producer Tom Spezialy says, "She’s
already entangled with her ex-husband and
Mike, so he’s very much the fourth wheel in
this situation."
MacLachlan sprang to fame as nerdy Jeffrey Beaumont
in David Lynch's Blue Velvet. Later he played
Special Agent Dale Cooper in Lynch's TV series
Twin Peaks. He also starred as Kristin Davis'
impotent husband Dr Trey MacDougal in Sex
And The City.
He will make his debut in Desperate Housewives
in an episode to air in the US on April 16.

March 24th 2006

2006-03-24T02:37:00.000-08:00

* MORRISSEY PULLS OUT OF JONATHAN ROSS SHOW:
* SAMUEL L. JACKSON TO NARRATE PENGUIN PARODY:
* GWYNETH TO CALL BABY AFTER SPIELBERG?:

* MORRISSEY PULLS OUT OF JONATHAN ROSS SHOW:
Morrissey last night, Thursday, pulled
out of appearing on Jonathan Ross' Friday
Night BBC 1 show due to begin its new series this evening.
He had been due to pre-record his new
single, You Have Killed Me.
Fansite, www.morrissey-solo.com, reported
that he had withdrawn due to personal reasons.
A fan who said they were at last night's pre-recording
in London posted a message at the website saying
Jonathan Ross told the audience
Morrissey has cancelled because he had been
feeling "fluey."
Ross reportedly added that Morrissey had also pulled out
of other commitments including Top of the Pops.
The show's other guests were Pink, Sir
David Attenborough and Gavin Henson.
The Friday Night with Jonathan Ross Show airs
this evening on BBC 1 at 10.40pm.

* SAMUEL L. JACKSON TO NARRATE PENGUIN PARODY:
Samuel L. Jackson is to narrate a new movie,
Farce of the Penguins, due later this summer
which parodies last year's surprise hit
documentary March of the Penguins.
Bob Saget, Full House, who is co-producing
the movie with David Permut for ThinkFilm,
will provide the voice of a lonesome penguin who searches
for love while on a 70-mile trek with his
hedonist buddies obsessed with getting laid,
reports Variety.
Others providing voices for the movie
include Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg
and Alyson Hannigan.
March of the Penguins, narrated by
Morgan Freeman, grossed over $120 million
(£69 million) for Warner Independent
at cinemas worldwide last year,
according to www.boxofficemojo.com.

* GWYNETH TO CALL BABY AFTER SPIELBERG?:
Gwyneth Paltrow is expecting a boy
and wants to name him "Mortimer" after her
godfather director Steven Spielberg whom
she apparently affectionately calls "Uncle Monty."
\The claim about the sex of the child and
Gwyneth's choice of name for her
second baby was made by US TV intern
Ross Mathews, who has his own blog at
www.rossmathrews.net, and reported by the
New York Post.
There has been no comment on the claims by
a rep for the Shakespeare In Love star.
The 32-year-old Oscar winning actress, who is married to Coldplay
singer Chris Martin, gave birth to her first
child, daughter Apple, in May 2004.

March 23rd 2006

2006-03-23T03:03:00.000-08:00

* ELTON DEDICATES SONG TO DONALD:
* CLINT'S SON DENIES HE'S GAY:
* DURAN DURAN RETURN TO DANCE ROOTS:
* ISAAC HAYES RECOVERING FROM STROKE - REPORT:
* STARSAILOR TO PLAY LONDON GIG:
* ELBOW, BELLE CONFIRMED FOR SUMMER SUNDAE:
* BACKSTREET BOY PLANS COUNTRY RECORD:

* ELTON DEDICATES SONG TO DONALD:
Cosmetically thatched Sir Elton John
dedicated his hit Daniel
to the equally bizarre hairstyled
American multi-billionaire Donald
Trump at a gig at the real estate tycoon's Mar-a-Lago
Club in Palm Beach.
The 58-year-old singer changed the
lyrics of the song to "Donald" as a tribute
to the 59-year-old star of the US version of The Apprentice.
The lyrics of Elton's 1973 hit go: "Daniel
my brother you are older than me, Do you
still feel the pain of the scars that
won't heal."
Last Sunday, just hours after Elton's
concert, Trump's model wife Melania
gave birth a week early to "the Donald's" fifth
child, Barron William.

* CLINT'S SON DENIES HE'S GAY:
Kyle Eastwood, the jazz musician son of veteran Hollywood
tough guy Clint, has denied reports that
he had a "Brokeback Mountain" relationship
with another man.
"I don't know what to say about it. It's
completely untrue. Unfortunately, I'm
going through a divorce right now and things
have kind of taken a turn for the worse,"
Kyle, 37, told the Boston Herald.
New York real estate agent Sam Kelley
claimed recently he and Eastwood had several
sexual encounters during Eastwood's marriage
to model Laura Gomez.

* DURAN DURAN RETURN TO DANCE ROOTS:
Duran Duran's new album will turn the
clock back a quarter of a century to their New Romantic
origins.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of
the Birmingham band's first hit, Planet
Earth, and drummer Roger Taylor says of
the new album, "The record will be in
some ways a homage to our roots as a
band, more direct and a return to our
dance and new wave origins."
Taylor says the group have record "15 pieces of
music" since getting together at an
unnamed London recording studio in January.
They plan to include 12 new songs on their
new album which will be preceded by a
single expected in the "early summer."
The original five members of Duran
Duran reformed in 2001 and released their
comeback album, Astronaut, in October 2004.

* ISAAC HAYES RECOVERING FROM STROKE - REPORT:
Soul legend Isaac Hayes is reportedly
recovering from a stroke.
According to www.foxnews.com, the
63-year-old Shaft singer is currently at home
recuperating.
A spokesperson also denied that Hayes
has quit as the voice of Chef on TV's
South Park because the show made fun of
his religion the Church of Scientology.
"He loves South Park and needs it for
income. He has a new wife and a baby on
the way," Fox News reported.

* STARSAILOR TO PLAY LONDON GIG:
Starsailor are to play an intimate
concert in London next month to raise
awareness about the Fairtrade Foundation.
The concert is at Dingwalls on April 13.
The group will perform an acoustic
set in the first half followed by an
electric set.
Starsailor are due to play the Hyde Park
Calling concert on July 1 and the
V Festival at Stafford and Chelmsford
on August 19 and 20. They are also due
to play at Kempton Park on June 7.

* ELBOW, BELLE CONFIRMED FOR SUMMER SUNDAE:
Elbow and Belle and Sebastian have been
confirmed to perform at the Summer Sundae
Weekender at Leicester De Montfort Hall in
August.
The festival is held on Friday, August 11,
Saturday, August 12 and Sunday, August 13.
Also performing are the Delays, Buzzcocks
and the Long Blondes.
More than 70 acts will be performing
over the weekend.

* BACKSTREET BOY PLANS COUNTRY RECORD:
Backstreet Boys' singer AJ McLean is
planning a new career as a country singer.
AJ has been in Nashville working with
local songwriter and producer Dan Muckala
on a possible solo country project.
A spokesperson for AJ said he remained
committed to the 90s' boy band.
A previous bid by the beanie-hatted McLean to reinvent
himself as an English-styled punk rocker
with the moniker Johnny No-Name flopped.

March 22nd 2006

2006-03-22T04:04:00.000-08:00

* KEANE TO RELEASE SECOND ALBUM:
* DEF LEPPARD TO PLAY HOMETOWN SHOW:
* WILL SMITH TO PLAY CHARMING THIEF:
* CHANNEL FOUR PLANS ABBEY ROAD TV SERIES:
* KT DOESN'T MISS BEING A POPSTAR:
* J.LO TO PERFORM IN DUBAI:
* MARCIA ADMITS STALKING FIANCE:

* KEANE TO RELEASE SECOND ALBUM:
Keane will release their second album,
Under The Iron Sea, on June 12 with a
North American release on June 20.
The album is the follow-up to the
trio's debut Hopes And Fears.
The East Sussex band won two awards
at last year's Brits, Best British Album
for Hopes And Fears and Best British
Breakthrough Act.
Keane are due to perform at several European
festivals this summer including the V Festival
at Chelmsford on August 19 and Staffordshire
on August 20.

* DEF LEPPARD TO PLAY HOMETOWN SHOW:
Def Leppard have announced details of
a concert in their hometown of Sheffield
on June 17.
The concert at the Hallam FM Arena is
so far the only confirmed UK date on a
European tour.
Other confirmed dates will see the veteran
metal band play at festivals in Italy, Germany and
Sweden as well as a concert in Zurich, Switzerland.
Tickets for the Sheffield gig go on sale
on Friday.
According to the group's official website,
more dates will be announced soon.
Leppard are due to tour North America
this summer with US metal band Journey.
A new album of covers titled Yeah!
is tentatively due for release in May,
guitarist Phil Collen recently told
Billboard. The set includes tracks by
Badfinger, the Kinks and Mott the Hoople.

* WILL SMITH TO PLAY CHARMING THIEF:
Will Smith is set to star as a charming
rogue who is blackmailed by the US
government in a new movie based on the
60s' TV series It Takes a Thief, according
to Variety.
The Men In Black star is forced by
the government into doing committing
petty theft for the good of his country.
Smith and his company's Entertainment
Overbrooke company will co-produce the
film with Kevin Misher, John Davis
and Joe Singer.
Four Brothers' writers David Elliott
and Paul Lovett will pen the script.
The film is based on the TV series starring
Robert Wagner which ran from 1968 to 1970.
Smith recently starred with his son
Jaden in The Pursuit of Happyness.

* CHANNEL FOUR PLANS ABBEY ROAD TV SERIES:
The Who, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and
Norah Jones are being lined up to perform live concerts
at Abbey Road studios for a new Channel Four TV series.
The one-hour shows, Live from Abbey Road, will
be filmed between May and October at
Studio 2 where The Beatles recorded.
The series of 12 shows will debut on More 4 with a
repeat airing on Channel 4, according to the unofficial
Paul McCartney fansite www.paulmccartney.name.
Each show will feature an iconic group, a singer-songwriter as well
as an up-and-coming contemporary act. One
of the performers will present the show.
Live at Abbey Road coincides with the
75th anniversary of the famous studios in
north London.
A one-off 90-minute special about the
studios which has also been used by Elgar and
Pink Floyd down the years is also planned.
Talks are taking place to sell the
show around the world with discussions
currently taking place with US broadcasters
CBS and VH-1.

* KT DOESN'T MISS BEING A POPSTAR:
KT Tunstall has moved to a secret retreat
by the sea to write songs for her second album due
later this year and says she isn't missing the life of a popstar.
Writing at her website, the Brit Award winning
singer said she packed her guitar and
her home recording unit into her car and
headed off alone to her retreat to write new songs.
"I can't remember when I last spent time away from people
and all sorts of hoo-ha constantly whirring around
my face," said the 30-year-old singer.
"It's easy to slip into and strange to
suddenly be without it.
"And, I don't miss it, but it does
seem quiet. I can't hear my own voice
incessantly talking about myself for a
start. Bliss!."
KT releases an acoustic live album with a DVD
on May 8. It will be available as a digital download
and via her Web site, but not at traditional retail
outlets, according to Billboard.
The set was recorded between Christmas and
the New Year on the Isle of Sky.
The 10-track CD includes acoustic versions of
new material, a version of her first limited edition
single, Throw Me a Rope, and a cover of Beck's
Golden Age. Also featured are versions of
Minature Disasters and Universe & U from Telescope.
The DVD features a documentary and live
performances including Gone to the Dogs and Throw Me a
Rope.
The album is her first since releasing last
year's successful debut Eye To The Telescope.

* J.LO TO PERFORM IN DUBAI:
Jennifer Lopez is to give a rare live
performance next month in Dubai.
The 35-year-old singer-actress
will perform at the Dubai Autodrome on April 27.
The concert will be her first ever in
the Middle East, reports www.tradearabia.com.
According to Mirage Promotions, Lopez
will give a full concert with 15 people
onstage.
Thomas Ovesen, General Manager of
Mirage Promotions said, "Following up
with our regional sell out events with
Destiny's Child and Phil Collins in 2005,
we are excited to open a new season of
Mega Events with this exclusive concert."
Lopez, whose hits include Love Don't
Cost a Thing and I'm Real, has performed
few concerts since launching her pop
career with her debut album On the 6 in
1999.
A "homecoming" concert in Puerto
Rico in 2001 was televised by US TV and she
also performed a one-off concert in
Germany the same year for US soldiers.

* MARCIA ADMITS STALKING FIANCE:
Desperate Housewives star Marcia Cross
has confessed stalking fiance stockbroker
Tom Mahoney when she first laid eyes on
him in a flower shop.
She told Good Morning America, "I saw
him from behind, actually. I was just
completely drawn to his energy and kind
of followed him around the shop and
realised I was sort of becoming a stalker."
Marcia, 43, who plays Bree Van De Kamp on the
hit show, also revealed she will wear a
dress by Reem Acra when she and Mahoney
walk down the aisle this summer.

March 21st 2006

2006-03-21T03:16:00.000-08:00

* RADIOHEAD SINGER BLASTS EBAY SELLERS:
* DELTA TO RELEASE COMMONWEALTH GAMES SONG:
* B-52S TO PLAY LONDON GIG:
* CRUZ TO STAR IN SPANISH-INDIAN MOVIE:
* BARBRA STREISAND PLANS FAREWELL TOUR:
* KT TUNSTALL TO RELEASE LIVE ALBUM, DVD:

* RADIOHEAD SINGER BLASTS EBAY SELLERS:
Radiohead's Thom Yorke has slammed ticket
scalpers who are selling tickets for a
charity concert in London in May featuring
him and his bandmate Jonny Greenwood.
Tickets for The Big Ask Live event at
the Koko on May 1 are being sold for up
to £200 each on the auction website.
The gig is part of a series of music
events aimed to promote The Big Ask campaign
which is lobbying government on climate
change. Money raised will go to Friends of
the Earth.
Radiohead singer Yorke said, "Might I
suggest that those selling their Koko
tickets on eBay for stupid money gives
a contribution, say 30 per cent of their
proceeds, back to Friends of the Earth, for
whose benefit we are all doing this show.
"Seems only fair, unless you're a shallow
..... don't you think."

* DELTA TO RELEASE COMMONWEALTH GAMES SONG:
Delta Goodrem is to release Together
We Are One, as her next single.
The 21-year-old Australian-born singer
performed the song at
the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth
Games, in Melbourne, earlier this month.
The track, co-written with boyfriend Brian
McFadden and Guy Chambers, will be released in her
homeland on April 1. So far no UK or
European release date has been confirmed.

* B-52S TO PLAY LONDON GIG:
The B-52s have announced details of
their first concert in the UK in 13 years.
The Love Shack band will play London's
Shepherd's Bush Empire on June 29.
The Athens, Georgia, band earlier this
month opened a charity concert for the Rolling
Stones in New York. The band are due to
release their first studio album since
1992's Good Stuff later this year.

* CRUZ TO STAR IN SPANISH-INDIAN MOVIE:
Penelope Cruz is to star in a new
English-language adaptation of Passion India.
The movie is expected to shoot in
Spain and India and will feature several
Bollywood actors, according to www.productionweekly.com.
Javier Moro's novel was inspired by
the true story of Anita Delgado, a 17-year-old
flamenco dancer from Spain's Andalusia
who caused a scandal when she agreed
to marry an Indian maharaja and live in
India.
Cruz, 31, is about to begin filming
the bullfighter epic Manolete in Spain
with Adrien Brody.

* BARBRA STREISAND PLANS FAREWELL TOUR:
Barbra Streisand is set to come out of
retirement to perform a farewell tour,
according to US reports.
The 63-year-old singer-actress will
perform 20 arena shows and is trying to
persuade Simon Cowell's operatic group
Il Divo to open the concerts, reports the New
York Post.
Streisand will be paid $2 million (£1.14 million) per
show and tickets will cost as much as
$1,200 (£685), the paper reports.
The Post claims Rod Stewart, Neil
Diamond and Andrea Bocelli have so
far turned down offers to support Streisand
on the tour.
A source told the Post, "The big worry
is, `Can Barbra lose the extra 50 pounds
she's put on?.' She feels that confirming
the dates is the only thing that will
make her lose weight."
The New York-born diva previously said
she would no longer perform live after
bidding fans goodbye at a farewell
concert at Madison Square Garden in
September 2000.
Two years ago she sang at a Los Angeles
fund-raiser for senator John Kerry.
Last year she and Barry Gibb released
an album and she appeared in the movie
Meet the Fockers.

* KT TUNSTALL TO RELEASE LIVE ALBUM, DVD:
KT Tunstall will release a live album
titled Acoustic together with a DVD
containing a documentary on May 8.
The Scots-born Brit Award winning singer
recorded the album live with her band
on the Isle of Skye after Christmas.
KT kicks-off a UK tour at Wolverhampton
Civic Hall on June 19. The tour includes
an appearance at the Wireless Festival,
Hyde Park, on June 22.

March 20th 2006

2006-03-20T06:16:00.000-08:00

* MEL C - STILL WITH BOYFRIEND:
* PET SHOP BOYS TO PLAY FOREST GIG:
* TERI "FIRES OFF ANGRY E-MAIL TO CO-STARS":
* CAT STEVENS TO RELEASE POP ALBUM:
* TORI'S MUM IS EBAY CRAZY:
* STING PLANS BURLESQUE CLUB:
* EMI TO RE-ISSUE EARLY US BEATLE ALBUMS:
* WESTLIFE HOPE ENGLAND LOSE WORLD CUP:

* MEL C - STILL WITH BOYFRIEND:
Melanie Chisholm has denied giving an
interview to Now magazine or that she told
the magazine she and boyfriend Thomas Starr
have split.
A spokesperson for Mel C said the former
Spice Girl was "disgusted" with the article.
A statement at Mel C's official website read, "Melanie would like to
make it clear that she has not given an
`exclusive' or `rare' interview to Now Magazine.
"She is disgusted that they have
misrepresented her in this way.
"The opening paragraph is totally misleading
and inaccurate - as Melanie has already
stated, and she and Tom are still very much
together."
The statement said the interview was given
to a journalist in Europe and "taken from
an agency, Now Magazine has chosen to
totally misinterpret the sentiment of that
interview when writing their opening
paragraphs and headlines."
The Now Magazine interview published earlier
this month said Melanie, 32, claimed "she's
single again and looking for Mr Right."
Melanie began dating construction firm
director Starr in 2001.

* PET SHOP BOYS TO PLAY FOREST GIG:
The Pet Shop Boys have announced a concert
at Thetford Forest, High Lodge, Suffolk, on
Friday, July 21.
The show is part of the Foresty Commission's
series of concerts this summer which also
faeture UB40, Jamie Cullum, Van Morrison
and Embrace amongst others.
Tickets go on sale on March 31.
The duo of Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant release
their new single, I'm With Stupid on May 8
and an album, Fundamental, on May 22.

* TERI "FIRES OFF ANGRY E-MAIL TO CO-STARS":
Teri Hatcher has reportedly sent an email
to her co-stars on hit show Desperate
Housewives after they were said to be somewhat angry
with her recent Vanity Fair cover story.
According to the New York Daily News,
the 41-year-old actress' co-stars are allegedly displeased
that Teri broke a rule that journalists are
not allowed on the set of the show unless all
the stars are involved.
"She (Teri) also griped that this wasn't the
first incident of outright jealousy from
them and that this was now her time to
shine," a source told the Daily News.
"She talked about all the covers that Eva
[Longoria] has gotten and how she's only
been supportive."
In the current edition of Vanity Fair,
Hatcher revealed she was sexually molested
by an uncle when she was five-years-old.

* CAT STEVENS TO RELEASE POP ALBUM:
Yusuf Islam, formerly Cat Stevens,
is to planning to release his first pop album in nearly 30 years, reports
Billboard.
Islam is set to release the album later this year.
The singer quit pop music after releasing
his 1978 album Back to Earth. He's bestknown
for hits like Matthew And Son, Moonshadow
and Morning Has Broken.

* TORI'S MUM IS EBAY CRAZY:
Former Beverly Hills 90210 actress Tori
Spelling's mother Candy has turned a room in her Hollywood
home into a special "eBay room."
The wife of multi-millionaire TV producer
Aaron Spelling stacks all the stuff she buys
on the auction website in the room, according
to a pal of Tori.
The friend told the New York Post, "Candy
has a huge shopping problem."
Candy is said to be unhappy her
daughter makes fun of the room in Tori's
upcoming US TV show So noTORIous.
According to the New York Post, Tori and
Candy's relationship has been "strained" for
sometime.

* STING PLANS BURLESQUE CLUB:
Sting is planning to open a burlesque
club in New York, according to the New York Post.
The 54-year-old former Police singer's
backers to open an east coast version of
famed Hollywood club Forty Deuce
include David Bowie, the paper reports.
According to the Post, Sting is a
"regular" at several lap-dancing clubs where he
insists the strippers "keep their dresses
on during lap dances."

* EMI RE-ISSUE EARLY US BEATLE ALBUMS:
EMI is to re-release in
America a second batch of The Beatles'
albums as they originally appeared in the US.
The US albums of Help! and Rubber Soul which
contained additional tracks
and the compilations The Early Beatles
and Beatles VI will be issued as The
Capitol Albums, Vol. 2 in a four CD box set on April 11.
The set will include mono and stereo mixes
of each album, for 92 total tracks, 82 of
which will be appearing on CD for the first
time, reports the Los Angeles Times.
The release follows the re-issue two years ago
of the first four US Beatle albums.

* WESTLIFE HOPE ENGLAND LOSE WORLD CUP:
Westlife's Nicky Bryne is hoping England do
well in the World Cup in Germany this summer - so
he can enjoy watch them lose in the final.
"It would be nice to see them (England) lose in the final,"
said the Irish boy band singer who added he'll be supporting Brazil.
Bandmate Shane Filan agrees, "They're (England) still going on
about 1966."
But, it appears without the Republic of Ireland's involvement
in this year's finals, the Irish lads are unsure who to support.
Mark Feehily says he'll be supporting England
because he lives much of the time in London.
Feehily says, "I will be rooting for England. Because
they are our neighbours.
"We have lots of friends and they'll all be rooting
for them (England), so I'm hardly going to be going down to
the pub with my mates and start shouting for another
team because I'd probably get the crap beaten out of
me."
England are among the favourites to win this year's
World Cup in Germany, for the first time since their
last and so far only World Cup triumph at Wembley in '66.

March 17th 2006

2006-03-17T00:04:00.000-08:00

* SOUTH PARK YANKED AFTER CRUISE PROTEST:
* ROXY MUSIC PLAN FIRST ALBUM IN 24 YEARS:
* SNOW PATROL FILM NEW VIDEO IN L.A.:
* BONO WILL ROCK FOREVER - UNLESS HE'S GOT A "FAT ARSE":

* SOUTH PARK YANKED AFTER CRUISE PROTEST:
An controversial episode of irreverent cartoon
South Park in which the Church of Scientology
was lampooned was pulled from American TV screens on Wednesday
after Tom Cruise threatened not to promote
his upcoming film Mission Impossible 3,
it has been reported.
Cruise, a longtime member of the church,
allegedly told Paramount studios he would
not promote MI:3 when it is released in May.
Paramount is owned by Viacom, the same
company which also owns Comedy Central, the
cable network which airs South Park.
According to www.hollywoodinterrupted.com,
Cruise went to executives at Viacom and
warned he'd boycott the promotion for MI:3
unless the South Park episode titled Trapped
In The Closet was pulled.
Earlier this week Isaac Hayes, another
Scientologist who voices the character Chef, quit the show
claiming he couldn't stand by while South
Park made fun of religion.
The episode originally aired last
November and had been due to be rebroadcast
this week, reported the New York Post.

* ROXY MUSIC PLAN FIRST ALBUM IN 24 YEARS:
Roxy Music are working on their first
album of new material since 1982's Avalon
and their first with original member
Brian Eno since he quit in 1973.
All five original members of the group,
Bryan Ferry, Andy MacKay, Phil Manzanera,
Paul Thompson and Eno have been
recording with Roxy producers Rhett Davies and
Chris Thomas although no release date has
been yet set for the album.
Roxy fans can also look forward to
an official remix album featuring various DJs and
producers reworking Roxy classics.
The glam rock band who scored a string
of hits in the 70s and 80s with songs like Virginia
Plain and Love Is The Drug,
reunited last year for a series
of concerts in Europe including the Isle
of Wight festival.
Concerts are planned for this year in
Europe although dates and venues have yet
to be confirmed.
Frontman Ferry quit the band in 1983
going onto release a series of successful
solo albums and singles.
Eno, who left the group 10 years earlier, went onto release his own solo
albums and become one of the world's most
in demand producers working with amongst others U2.

* SNOW PATROL FILM NEW VIDEO IN L.A.:
Snow Patrol promise fans who see the video
for their new song Hands Open that they are
in for a "head f..k".
The band have been in Los Angeles filming the video with
director Paul Daughters who has worked with Kings of
Leon and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
The track is due to be the first US single
from the Scots-Irish band's upcoming album
Eyes Open due on May 1.
Frontman Gary Lightbody said, "Just spent
the last two days shooting the video for
Hands Open as the American label wanted to go
with this as first single.
"The video is a mind bending reality head
f..k. Should look great."
Snow Patrol's first UK single, You're All I Have,
is released on April 24.

* BONO WILL ROCK FOREVER - UNLESS HE'S GOT A "FAT ARSE":
U2's Bono says he hopes to be able to tour
when he's in his 60s - so long as "I don't have a fat arse."
Asked by New Zealand DJ The Rock if he planned to
still be performing like Sir Mick Jagger when he's
62, the 45-year-old singer, said "I'm
looking forward to being onstage so long as I don't have
a fat arse and I can sing these songs with some dignity.
U2 last week postponed the remaining 10 dates
of their Vertigo '06 Tour due to the illness of a member of the group's family.
Bono added that when he hears himself on the radio
he tends to "wince" because "a lot of times I think I sing like a girl."
U2 are expected to rearrange the cancelled
concerts, in New Zealand, Australia, Japan
and Hawaii, for November.

March 16th 2006

2006-03-16T03:12:00.000-08:00

* MORRISSEY TO PAY TRIBUTE TO SACHA DISTEL:
* SIR TOM TO VISIT THE PALACE:
* CLOONEY DONATES OSCARS GOODIE BAG TO KATRINA RELIEF:
* FRAN'S A DAD:
* NO MORE GRANNY KNICKERS SAY WESTLIFE:
* BONO - "U2 IS A FAMILY BUSINESS":
* I COME WITH A LOT OF BAGGAGE - LINDSAY:
* OPRAH'S BOOST FOR BLUNT:

* MORRISSEY TO PAY TRIBUTE TO SACHA DISTEL:
Morrissey is to pay tribute to French singing legend
Sacha Distel on his upcoming tour.
The former Smiths' singer will use
a blown-up black and white photograph of a young Distel as the
backdrop for his new tour which kicks-off
at The Lowry, Salford, on April 18, according to
fansite www.morrissey-solo.com.
Distel, bestknown for his version of
Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, died
aged 71 in 2004.
Morrissey, 46, a longtime fan, had invited
Distel to perform at the Meltown 2004
concert, but the French legend was unable
to attend due to illness.
Meanwhile, the usually taciturn Morrissey
is to appear on several television
shows in the week of the release of his
new album, Ringleader of the Tormentors, due
on April 3.
Channel Four will broadcast a half-hour
show on April 6 while Morrissey will also
appear on the first of Jonathan Ross'
Friday Night shows on BBC ahead of the
album's release next Friday.
He will also appear on Top of the Pops
and Channel Four's Album Chart Show
as well as BBC's Newsnight.
He is also due to head BBC Radio 2's
showcase event at the South By South West
festival in Texas this week.
The promotional tour is being supported by his record label, Sanctuary
which is preparing a three-week TV advertising campaign to
help boost sales of Ringleader, the follow-up to 2004's
You Are The Quarry.

* SIR TOM TO VISIT THE PALACE:
Tom Jones will visit Buckingham Palace
later this month to attend his Knighthood investiture
ceremony.
The 65-year-old Welsh singer will
be given his honour on March 29.
The Delilah was honoured in the New Year's
Honours List for his services to music.

* CLOONEY DONATES OSCARS GOODIE BAG TO KATRINA RELIEF:
George Clooney's Oscars Awards
ceremony gift bag - worth an estimated $75,000 (£43,000) - is
being put up for auction after the actor donated it to
a Hurricane Katrina Relief charity.
The auction for the so-called "goodie bag"
will start next Wednesday and end on March 28.
Clooney, who won a Best Supporting Actor
Academy Award for his role in Syriana,
donated the gift bag to the United Way Hurricane
Response and Recovery Fund.
This year's gift bag included spa gift
certificates, vouchers for five-star hotel
stays, custom clothes, jewellery and perfume.

* FRAN'S A DAD:
Fran Healy and his girlfriend Nora Kryst are celebrating
the birth of their first child - a baby boy born last Friday.
The 32-year-old Travis frontman announced news of
his latest unnamed baby with a message to fans at the group's
official website.
Said Fran, "Hey y'all, just to wave a flag and say that Nora
gave birth to a healthy wee boy on Friday 10th.
"We are all home now and baby smell is everywhere.
Ooooooooh, we have a son! Nora is the greatest.
"Anyways, back to nappyville."
Fran is currently busy recording songs for the Glasgow
band's fifth studio album due later this year.
The album will be the first of new material from Travis
since 2003's 12 Memories.

* NO MORE GRANNY KNICKERS SAY WESTLIFE:
Westlife have complained that some fans
think it's funny to throw granny knickers
onstage while they are performing.
Kian Egan said, "Granny knickers are always an
awful, disgusting thing to throw on stage,
especially the ones that practically stretch
the size of the room."
And, Shane Filan says, "We got a lot of them
on our last tour."
But, Mark Feehily says the funniest thing that
has ever been thrown onstage at the band
is a turnip.
Kian said his favourite venue to play
is Belfast's Odyssey Arena.
He said, "I think it’s one of the best
venues in Europe. It’s a great place to
bring your family and friends and the
audience are always electric and very,
very loud."
The boy band kick-off their latest UK
and Irish tour at the Odyssey on April 3.
But, the boys won't be doing too much
partying while on the road.
Kian says the only request he has for his
tour rider is "Maybe some sweets and some
chewing gum.
"We get all our shaving gear and stuff
like that, and then we always have a few
bottles of beer and wine.
"Nothing more extravagant than that."
Mark's backstage rider is just as simple.
He says, "I just need a big stereo that
has loud speakers, a kettle for making hot
water and honey before we go on stage,
Red Bull or some sort of caffeine drink and
a good shower and towels."

* BONO - "U2 IS A FAMILY BUSINESS":
Bono has admitted that the illness to
a member of the band's family has caused
"a lot of stress and distress" to all of the band,
but that they had no alternative but to postpone their tour because
"it is a family business."
"It's been very, very...it's been horrible...
but I think there will be a positive outcome.
And, that's all that matters and it's the
only thing we put ahead of our music, is our
family," said the 45-year-old rockstar.
U2 last week postponed the remaining 10 dates
of their Vertigo '06 Tour due to an illness
of a member of the group's family.
Before flying home to Dublin with his wife Ali
and two of his children, Bono told New Zealand
radio DJ The Rock that news of the family members' illness reached
the group when they were in Buenos Aires,
Argentina, for two concerts on March 1 and 2.
Bono said, "It brought a lot of stress and distress and
it does to everyone because we're a very small
community and if something affects
one of us it affects all of us.
"It's that kind of a thing with U2.
"It's not a family business, but it is family business."

* I COME WITH A LOT OF BAGGAGE - LINDSAY:
Lindsay Lohan is hoping to find a new
boyfriend, but has warned any prospective
suitor "I come with a lot of baggage."
The 19-year-old Mean Girls actress tells
Cosmopolitan magazine she would like
to have time for a boyfriend when she
finishes filming Chapter 27, the movie
about John Lennon's killer Mark Chapman
co-starring her ex-boyfriend Jerod Leto.
She said successful candidates need
to be confident, loyal and have a good
sense of humour "because I come with a lot
of baggage."
Lindsay filled out a multiple choice
questionnaire for the magazine voting for
her favourite heartthrobs. She glossed over
Jude Law, Orlando Bloom and Brad Pitt to
give top marks to Johnny Depp and indie
rocker Devendra Banhart.

* OPRAH'S BOOST FOR BLUNT:
James Blunt's debut album Back To Bedlam
saw sales soar in the US this week following
his performance of You're Beautiful on
Oprah Winfrey's chat show.
The album shifted 161,000 copies in
the days following his Oprah appearance -
a sales increase of 142 per cent - to move
up from No. 9 to No. 2.
The album has now sold more than one
million copies in the US alone while You're
Beautiful is No. 1 in the singles chart

March 15th 2006

2006-03-15T01:43:00.000-08:00

* BOB DYLAN CONFIRMED FOR CARDIFF:
* KT TUNSTALL ANNOUNCES SUMMER SHOWS:
* CHARISMA WANTS TO BE WONDER WOMAN:
* MADONNA EMPLOYS STYLIST FOR LOLA:
* SEPARATE ROOMS FOR NICOLLETTE AND MICHAEL:
* ADRIANA A VIRGIN?:

* BOB DYLAN CONFIRMED FOR CARDIFF:
Bob Dylan is to play Cardiff International
Arena on June 27.
The concert is so far the only UK
show confirmed on the 64-year-old singer's
upcoming European tour.
Last week Dylan confirmed he would
be appearing at the Roskilde Festival,
Denmark, held between June 29 and July 2.
The tour also includes two Irish concerts -
at Nowlan Park, Kilkenny, on June 24 and
at Cork Showgrounds on June 25.

* KT TUNSTALL ANNOUNCES SUMMER SHOWS:
KT Tunstall has announced a series of
summer shows.
The 30-year-old Scots-born singer will
play Norwich Waterfront, May 30, Brighton
Concorde, May 31, Isle of Skye Festival,
June 17, Wolverhampton Civic Hall on June 19,
Sheffield City Hall, June 20, Manchester
Apollo, June 21 and the Wireless Festival,
Hyde Park, June 22.
The Brit Award winning singer is currently on tour in the US where
she played the Fox Theatre, Nashville, last
night (14MAR).
Her latest single, Another Place to Fall,
was released this week.

* CHARISMA WANTS TO BE WONDER WOMAN:
Charisma Carpenter has admitted she wants to play Wonder Woman in
Joss Whedon's movie of the hit 70s TV series
so badly that she's prepared to hold on
becoming pregnant to get the role.
Charisma told TV Guide she would "like to
eventually" have a second baby, but confessed, "I
want Wonder Woman right now.
"I'm not holding my breath
but I'm crossing my fingers and toes and
praying."
The 35-year-old, bestknown for playing
Cordelia Chase in Whedon's TV series Buffy
the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel,
married Damian Hardy in 2002 and gave birth
to her first child, Donovan, in March 2003.
Currently starring in US television show
Veronica Mars, Charisma famously posed
nude for Playboy a year after giving birth.
Whedon has been signed to write and
direct Warner Bros' bigscreen version of
Wonder Woman which originally starred Lynda
Carter in the TV series. The movie has a planned release date
of 2007.

* MADONNA EMPLOYS STYLIST FOR LOLA:
Madonna has reportedly hired a stylist
for her nine-year-old daughter Lourdes.
The New York Post reports that little
Lola, Madonna's daughter from her relationship
with trainer Carlos Leon, wore a specially-styled
outfit of trendy Converse All Stars, green
knee-highs, retro 80s-style denim skirt and
striped henley when when arrived with her
mother at Los Angeles airport last weekend.
American celeb stylist Shane Cisneros
told the paper, "I think her stylist was trying to go for 'The
Littlest Pussycat Doll' look.
"Lourdes has the ability to wear anything
just like her mother."

* SEPARATE ROOMS FOR NICOLLETTE AND MICHAEL:
Desperate Housewives' star Nicollette
Sheridan reportedly asked for a two-bedroom suite when
she and new fiance singer Michael Bolton
stayed at a Miami hotel - because she
can't stand his snoring.
But, a rep for 53-year-old Bolton said the couple
wanted to move to an ocean-view room
and that he had to sleep in because he
was performing later.
Nicollette, 42, who plays sexy Edie Britt
in the hit US show first dated Bolton in
the early 90s, but they split in 1995 after
a series of rows.

* ADRIANA A VIRGIN?:
One of the world's top supermodels,
Adriana Lima, has sparked speculation that
she is a virgin after telling a magazine
that "sex is for after marriage."
In an article in GQ magazine titled
"The World's Most Voluptuous Virgin", the
23-year-old Brazilian-born Adriana says,
"Sex is for after marriage. [Men] have to
respect that this is my choice.
"If there's no respect, that means they
don't want me."
The Victoria's Secret model has been
romantically linked to rockstar Lenny
Kravitz and US baseball star Derek Jeter.

* SHIRLEY MANSON BEGINS WORK ON SOLO ALBUM:
Shirley Manson has started work on her debut solo
album recording a track co-written with James Bond
composer David Arnold.
The 39-year-old Edinburgh-born singer says she has
no firm release date for her solo debut which she said
was "scary and really exciting and super-freaky. It feels
really weird to talk about it!."
"I just went to London last week and we wrote a song
together. It was really quick and fast and it was really
good fun," she said.
"I've got no timetable. I'm sort of sick of timetables, to be
honest.
"I just want to live my life a little freely and not adhere
to any schedule -- just make music and have fun."
Shirley and Arnold previously worked together on Garbage's
1999 Bond theme The World Is Not Enough.
Shirley denied Garbage won't ever record again after
the band announced last September it was taking an
indefinite "hiatus."
She said, "We're still together, absolutely. We all feel like
we want to go off and do a variety of things.
"[Drummer] Butch [Vig] is going back into production and
some other guys are working on film soundtracks.
"Being the chaotic bunch we are, we should have put
a press release together but we didn't.
"We were quite taken aback by how big a deal was made
of it. But we love each other and we still want to work together.
"We're just taking a break. We've had a crazy decade."

March 14th 2006

2006-03-14T01:19:00.000-08:00

* ROCKERS TO PLAY FOR COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE:
* KATE BUYS GOLD VIBRATOR:
* LINDSAY "INTENT" ON COLIN:
* SOUL LEGEND QUITS SOUTH PARK:
* PSYCHICS TO TRY TO CONTACT LENNON:
* ATHLETE BASSIST TO HAVE OP:
* BETTY BOO TO MAKE LIVE RETURN:
* JAMIE PLANS NEW BEATS:

* ROCKERS TO PLAY FOR COUNTRYSIDE ALLIANCE:
Former Pink Floyd bass player Roger
Waters and the group's drummer Nick Mason
are to play at a concert to benefit
the Countryside Alliance.
The Saturday, May 20, concert at
Highclere Rocks, Berkshire, will also
feature Eric Clapton, the Who's Roger Daltrey
and Roger Taylor of Queen as special guests.
The rock legends will join the Band Du Lac
made up of Gary Brooker, Mike Rutherford, Andy Fairweather Low
and Paul Carrack.
Tickets for the event cost £75. The Countryside
Alliance is campaigning to protect the British countryside.

* KATE BUYS GOLD VIBRATOR:
Kate Moss reportedly paid $350 (£201) for
a vibrator in 24-carat gold during
a shopping visit to New York.
The 32-year-old single mother was
apparently spotted in the city's La
Petite Coquette store eyeing its sex
toys before deciding to buy the shiny vibrator
According to the New York Post the
vibrator is limited edition and comes
inscribed with a choice of endearment -
"Sugar", "Be Mine", "Sweetie" or
"Flirt."

* YANKS WANT TO LOOK LIKE PETE:
Young men in New York have apparently
a new anti-hero - rocker Pete Doherty.
Doherty's look, porkpie hat, safety
pins and a cigarette, has been adopted
as sartorial chic by many young men-about-town
in the Big Apple, reports the New York Post.
Brian Coats, senior fashion and market
editor at GQ magazine says, "I definitely
see a lot of his look, especially in
neighbourhoods like the Lower East Side
or Williamsburg."

* LINDSAY "INTENT" ON COLIN:
American teen actress Lindsay Lohan
is apparently "intent" on getting to
know Colin Farrell better.
According to guests at hip New York
nightspot SoHo Grand, the 19-year-old
Mean Girls star asked regarding the
whereabouts of the 29-year-old Irish
actor who is in the city filming his
latest movie Pride and Glory.
"She was intent on finding him," one
source told the New York Post.
When she was informed Farrell was
working on his new movie Lohan "pouted
with her girlfriends, perking up only
when British heartthrob Clive Owen
chatted her up," the source added.
The Post reports Lindsay came into
Manhattan "specially to see Ask the Dust"
- Farrell's latest movie.
The sultry brunette was previously linked to
Farrell in December 2004.

* SOUL LEGEND QUITS SOUTH PARK:
Soul legend Isaac Hayes has quit as
the voice of Chef on the cult animated
series South Park because of an episode
that poked fun at the controversial
religion the Church of Scientology
of which he is a member.
The 63-year-old Shaft singer is angry with the
episode titled Trapped in the Closet
that aired in the US in November and which
showed perhaps Scientology's most famous
convert, Tom Cruise, stuck in a closet
and being told to "just come out."
Hayes said, "There is a place in this
world for satire, but there is a time
when satire ends and intolerance and
bigotry towards religious beliefs of
others begins.
"Religious beliefs are sacred to
people, and at all times should be
respected and honored.
"As a civil rights activist of the
past 40 years, I cannot support a show
that disrespects those beliefs and
practices."
The show's co-creator Matt Stone told
the New York Post, "In ten years and
over 150 episodes of South Park,
Isaac never had a problem making fun of
Christians, Muslims, Mormons and Jews.
"He got a sudden case of religious
sensitivity when it was his religion
featured on the show.
"To bring the civil rights struggle
into this is just a non sequiter. Of
course we will release Isaac from his
contract and we wish him well."

* PSYCHICS TO TRY TO CONTACT LENNON:
A group of psychics will next month
try to contact John Lennon with a live
seance to air on pay-per-view television
in America.
Psychics will also be at various locations
associated with the former Beatle including
outside the Dakota, New York, apartment
building where he was shot dead aged 40
by deranged fan Mark Chapman in December 1980.
Other psychic sites featured will
include outside EMI's Capitol Records
building in Los Angeles and in Rishikesh,
India, where Lennon joined the other Beatles in
February 1968 on a spiritual retreat.
The psychics hope to be able to receive
music and lyrics from Lennon.
The event, titled The Spirit of John
Lennon, will be held on iN DEMAND
pay-per-view television on April 24 and
is being produced by Paul Sharatt for Starcast
Productions whose company previously
broadcast a similar show about Princess
Diana.
The psychics say the show will also
feature "music professionals and
individuals who worked with John Lennon
to vertify whether they believe contact
was made."

* ATHLETE BASSIST TO HAVE OP:
Carey Willets, bass player with south
London group Athlete, is to undergo an
operation for a shoulder injury.
Guitarist-singer Joel Pott said, "Carey has
been having a lot of trouble with his
shoulder - it turns out he must've
disclocated it a long time ago and not
realised, so now all the ligaments have
been stretched and he's got to have an
operation, but hopefully that should sort
it out."
Pott also revealed to fans at the band's
website that his wife Zoe is expecting
the couple's second child a couple of
weeks after they return to the UK from
their US tour.
Drummer Steve Roberts recently became
engaged and is due to wed in August, he
revealed adding "We've all been buying
houses...I've just moved into a new house."
He added that the group hope to begin
work on a new album after the American
tour with a release date hoped for next year.
The band begin a 20-date US tour tomorrow
(15MAR) in Bakersfield, California.

* BETTY BOO TO MAKE LIVE RETURN:
Former popstar Betty Boo, who famously
cancelled an Australian tour in the early
90s when it was claimed she lip-synched
to her hit records, is making her live comeback
with a one-off show planned in London next month.
The 35-year-old 90s popstar will
play London's G-A-Y nightclub on Saturday, April 1, ahead of the
release of her comeback single with
Blur's Alex James as Wigwam.
Wigwam release their debut single,
also titled Wigwam, on April 3 on Instant
Karma Records.
Boo, real name Alison Clarkson, and James,
filmed a video for the song last week in
London with Dom Jolly directing.
As Betty Boo, Clarkson scored several
Top 40 hits in the early 90s including
Doin' The Do and Where Are You Baby.
Recently, the 36-year-old former popstar
has written hits for groups like Hear'Say and Girls Aloud.

* JAMIE PLANS NEW BEATS:
Jamie Cullum says he wants to make an
album of house music.
The jazz pianist-singer told the
Chicago Sun-Times, "I'd like to make a
house record someday."
Meanwhile, Jamie is adding a new string to
his bow - banjo.
"I recently got a banjo and I'm learning how to play
it. Seriously," said the 25-year-old.
Jamie is currently on tour in the US
where later this month he is due to
perform at the South By South-West
music festival in Austin, Texas

March 13th 2006

2006-03-14T01:17:00.000-08:00

* MADONNA TO RELEASE REMIXED "CONFESSIONS":
* BRITNEY PUTS KEVIN ON A BUDGET:
* KEANU'S NO GEEK:
* I'M HOMELESS SAYS JAMES BLUNT:
* LIAM CHECKS OUT OASIS TRIBUTE BAND:

* MADONNA TO RELEASE REMIXED "CONFESSIONS":
Madonna is to release on April 11 a three vinyl 12-inch
single set featuring new remixes of some of
the tracks from her latest album Confessions
on a Dance Floor.
The singles include the 47-year-old popstar's
two UK No. 1s Hung Up and Sorry and will
be limited to 3,000 copies.
The other remixes are Get Together by
Jacques Lu Cont, I Love New York by Thin
White Duke and Let It Will Be by Paper Faces.
Confessions made No. 1 in more than 40
countries worldwide when it was released
last November shifting three million copies
in its first week.
Madonna is expected to tour the album
later this year.

* BRITNEY PUTS KEVIN ON A BUDGET:
Britney Spears has reportedly put a cap
on husband Kevin Federline's spending.
According to the New York Post the 24-year-old
popstar will each month give the wouldbe
rapper an alloted sum for personal use
such as clothing, nightclubs, alcohol
and "any day-to-day activities."
A source tells the paper, "Any big items -
cars, or trips that go over allowance -
need to be approved by Brit herself.
"She acknowledges she has made a great
deal of money. However, she is trying to
show Kevin that he needs to be responsible
and curb his out-of-control spending
habits."
Meanwhile, a source at the Four Seasons
Hotel in Maui told the Post the couple
are still not getting along.
"I was in the elevator with Britney, and
she was screaming at K-Fed on her cellphone
that she had waited in the suite all day
for him to call and had been trying to
reach him and couldn't sit in there any
longer."
The couple wed in September 2004. Their
first child, Sean Preston, was born last
September.

* GEORGE MICHAEL CONFIRMS TOUR PLANS:
George Michael has confirmed he is
planning to return to touring for the first
time in 15 years.
The 42-year-old singer is currently
recording tracks for a new album which
is expected later this year along with
a DVD release of A Different Story.
A spokesperson for the singer said
he is also planning his first tour since
1991, but has warned fans not to buy
tickets from "unscrupulous agents (who)
are jumping the gun and approaching
members of the public to buy tickets that
simple do not exist at this time."
(SOURCE: DJJMedia/http://www.georgemichael.com/gindex.html)
ends

* KEANU'S NO GEEK:
The Matrix star Keanu Reeves has confessed
he's no geek - he doesn't even have a computer.
Reeves, 41, tells April's issue of Playboy
magazine, "I don’t even have a computer.
"As far as I can tell, devices meant to
save you time and help you communicate
actually take away time and give you an
excuse not to communicate."
Reeves says he prefers to write letters
and send them through the snail mail.

* I'M HOMELESS SAYS JAMES BLUNT:
James Blunt has stunned his millions of
fans by revealing he's currently "homeless."
The former Army captain told
the New York Post, "I have my tour bus
and wherever it goes...I left home when
I was seven-years-old to go to boarding
school.
"I don't think I'll be getting homesick."
James is currently on tour in the US
and this week plays two sold-out shows
at New York's Wesbter Hall.
Earlier this month his song You're
Beautiful became the first single by a
British artist since Sir Elton John's
1997 Princess Diana-inspired re-release
of Candle in the Wind to top the US chart.
James told the Post that after his
tour is over in four months he will record
the follow-up album to his debut No. 1
album, Back To Bedlam, in Los Angeles.
Bedlam last week peaked at No. 5 in
America and so far has sold more than
850,000 Stateside alone.

* LIAM CHECKS OUT OASIS TRIBUTE BAND:
Liam Gallagher checked out an Oasis
tribute band during the Manchester group's
recent European tour.
Conor Deasy, frontman with Irish
band the Thrills who supported Oasis
when Liam and brother Noel played Florence
said, the Italian `Liam' had a "thick
Mancunian accent."
Deasy says, "He had every nuance down
to a tee and on some songs he came very
close to sounding like the genuine article.
"The real Liam had dropped by to check
them out earlier which could have only
made things even more surreal then they
already were."

March 10th 2006

2006-03-10T00:31:00.000-08:00

* SHARON BUYS ELTON'S RED PIANO:
* NASHVILLE DECLARES VAN MORRISON DAY:
* ANNIE LENNOX TO SPEAK AT OXFORD:

* SHARON BUYS ELTON'S RED PIANO:
Sharon Stone has boosted Sir Elton John's
Aids Foundation funds by $170,000
(£97,000), after successfully bidding for
the singer's red Yamaha grand piano.
The piano, the same kind used by Elton
at his Las Vegas Red Piano shows and
nicknamed "Fiona" by the popstar, had
been auctioned on eBay.com.
The 48-year-old Basic Instinct actress
bid the highest for the piano when it was one of
the items on sale at Elton's annual post-Oscars'
party which raised a total of $3 million
(£1.7 million) for the singer's Aids
Foundation.
Meanwhile, in an interview for April's
edition of America's Harper's
Bazaar magazine, Stone reveals she hasn't
dated for 11 months.
Sharon, whose marriage to San Francisco newspaper
executive Phil Bronstein ended in divorce
in 2004, says she would like to make out with Oscar
winner Philip Seymour Hoffman and wouldn't
mind a little action with Maggie Gyllenhaal.
"Talent is so hunky!," says Sharon
who adds, "I loved my 20s and 30s. And
that's why I'm a really sexy, sensual
48-year-old woman - because I don't want
to be 20 or 30 anymore.
"And if I meet a man who wants to be
with a girl . . . I'll know he's not a
wise, developed, grown-up.
"I don't want him. I want a man who's
confident in his maturity and who wants
a grown-up woman."

* NASHVILLE DECLARES VAN MORRISON DAY:
Nashville's mayor Bill Purcell paid
tribute to Van Morrison when the Belfast-born
singer played his first ever concert in the
country capital by declaring the day Van Morrison Day.
Purcell met the 60-year-old singer
and gave him a tour of some of the city's most
famous landmarks before his historic
gig (07MAR) at the Ryman Auditorium, reknown as
the "church of country music."
Purcell said, "He was surprised that it'd taken him
so long to get here.
"Also he said it's been a great day,
visited the Country Music Hall of Fame and was clearly
psyched about playing the Ryman Theatre."
A host of A-list Nashville celebrities
turned out for the show including
Brooks and Dunn's Ronnie Dunn, Teri Clark and Martina
McBride.
All 2,300 tickets for the show sold-out
within 12 minutes of going on sale several
weeks ago. In the hours leading up to
the gig scalpers on the street were
asking as much as $1,500 for tickets with
a face value of $125.
Morrison had been in the US for a five-date
tour in support of his first ever country
album titled Pay the Devil released this
week.
The tour wrapped up in Boston on
Wednesday.

* ANNIE LENNOX TO SPEAK AT OXFORD:
Annie Lennox will be at Oxford's
Brookes University next
Wednesday (15MAR) to introduce a film
about a young Zulu mother living with HIV.
The film, Yesterday, is being
shown as part of the university's
Human Rights Film Festival,
an initiative of post-graduate
students on the MA course in
Humanitarian and Development
Practice.
Annie, who has agreed to
become a patron of the MA in
Humanitarian and Development
Practice, is currently an
ambassador for Nelson Mandela's
campaign to raise global
awareness about HIV/Aids and
has worked closely with the
Nelson Mandela Foundation.
A spokesperson for the 51-year-old
Aberdeen-born singer said, "By
highlighting certain themes,
the festival aims to raise awareness
among students at Oxford Brookes
University and the Oxford
community of some of the
many challenges people both here in
the UK and around the world.
"It provides the opportunity
for reflection and criticial
discussion and hopefully will
foster an engagement that will
continue and grow after the film
ends and the lights come on."

March 9th 2006

2006-03-09T00:33:00.000-08:00

* SHIRLEY MANSON WORKING WITH BOND COMPOSER:
* PARIS COVERS ROD'S "SEXY":
* WESTLIFE ADD MORE DATES TO SUMMER TOUR:
* ROCKERS TO RACE IN BAHRAIN:

* SHIRLEY MANSON WORKING WITH BOND COMPOSER:
Shirley Manson is working with James
Bond composer David Arnold on her debut
solo project.
Arnold, who worked with Shirley when
Garbage performed the 1999 Bond theme
The World Is Not Enough which reached
No. 11 in the UK chart, has "just
completed writing and producing" with
Shirley on "her new upcoming project,"
a spokesperson for the composer said.
There is no word yet on whether the
"project" is a single or album or news about
a release date.
The new material will be the first
from Shirley since the release in
April 2005 of Garbage's fourth album
Bleed Like Me.
Last September, Garbage announced the
group was taking an "indefinite hiatus"
following a decade together.
The band wrapped up a world tour in
Australia. Plans to tour the UK were
scrapped.
As well as The World Is Not Enough,
Arnold has scored two other 007 movies -
Tomorrow Never Knows and
Die Another Die - and is set to compose
the soundtrack to the upcoming 21st
Bond movie Casino Royale starring
Daniel Craig as 007.
He has also previously worked with
Chrissie Hynde, Aimee Mann and George
Michael.

* PARIS COVERS ROD'S "SEXY":
Paris Hilton has recorded a version of
Rod Stewart's 1978 No. 1 Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?
for her debut album.
The 24-year-old socialite has worked
with top producers Scott Storch, who has
worked with Beyonce, and Dr Dre on the
album, reports Fox News.
Paris said, "It's scheduled for June on
Warner Bros. Tom Whalley (Warner CEO and
chairman) is really excited about it."
Among the other tracks are Fightin'
Over Me featuring Fat Joe and Jadakiss,
Screwed, Jealousy, Turn You On, Stars
Are Blind and Are You With It?.

* WESTLIFE ADD MORE DATES TO SUMMER TOUR:
Westlife have added two more concerts to their summer tour.
The new shows are at Audley End, Essex, on Sunday, July 30,
and at Marble Hill, Richmond, Surrey, on Satuday, August 26.
The Irish boy band begin their summer tour at Blenheim Palace,
Oxfordshire, on June 30.
They kick-off an arena tour of the UK and Ireland at Belfast's
Odyssey on April 3.

* ROCKERS TO RACE IN BAHRAIN:
Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay and Pink Floyd drummer Nick
Mason are to take part in this weekend's Pro-Celebrity Formula One
Gulf Air Grand Prix in Bahrain.
Kay, 35, and Mason, 62, will take part in two races, one on
Saturday and the second on Sunday at the Grand Prix's opening
race of the season.
Among the other celebrities taking part are American R&B
singer John Legend, US five-times Olympic gold champion
runner Michael Johnson and five-times Olympic gold medalist
Sir Steve Redgrave.
Mason told website f1.racing-live.com, "I could hardly believe the
invitation when it arrived."
Each of the celebrities will race a five litre V8 Lumina, according to
www.f1.racing-live.com.

March 8th 2006

2006-03-09T00:32:00.000-08:00

* UMA DUMPS HOTELIER:
* SUGABABES SUPPORT BREAST CANCER CARE:
* DAVE STEWART LAUNCHES NEW PROJECT:

* UMA DUMPS HOTELIER:
Uma Thurman has dumped her boyfriend
hotelier Andre Balazs just weeks after
declaring that she had found love on the rebound.
The 35-year-old actress, who has two
children with former husband Training Day actor Ethan
Hawke, decided Balazs "was not the kind of
man she would marry," a source told the New York Post.
The Kill Bill actress' publicist confirmed
the split saying Thurman remains "close
friends" with Balazs whose list of hotels
include New York's Mercer and Los Angeles'
Chateau Marmont.
Last year Thurman boasted, "I'm with a wonderful man who's been
there for me - that's something very unusual for me.
"I'm very happy. I couldn't live without
any of my essential organs."

* SUGABABES SUPPORT BREAST CANCER CARE:
The Sugababes are auctioning off the
handwritten lyrics to their latest single,
Red Dress, to raise funds for Breast Cancer Care.
The R&B trio are also auctioning signed
copies of the single and their latest
album, Taller In More Ways, tickets for their upcoming UK tour
and a personal phone call from the girls.
All proceeds from the auction on eBay
are going to the charity.
Red Dress was released on Monday.

* DAVE STEWART LAUNCHES NEW PROJECT:
Dave Stewart has released online a new
track, This Guitar (Can't Keep From Crying),
featuring George Harrison.
The song is the first release from the former Eurythmics'
guitarist's latest project Platinum Weird
featuring singer-songwriter Kara DiGuardi.
The track, which the ex-Beatle originally
released on his 1975 Extra Texture album, is
available in streaming audio at the band's
official website, www.platinumweird.com. The
outfit's debut album is expected later in the year.
A promo video at the website features
an all-star line-up talking about Platinum
Weird as a fictional 70s group.
Those interviewed include Harrison's son Dhani,
Sir Mick Jagger, Christina Aguilera, Ringo
Starr, Annie Lennox, Stevie Nicks, Bob Geldof and Paris
Hilton.
"Platinum Weird is the most famous band
that no-one's ever heard of, if that makes
sense," says Jagger while Hilton appears genuinely
confused when asked if she remembers the band.
"What's Platinum Weird," replies the 24-year-old
socialite.

March 7th 2006

2006-03-07T03:47:00.000-08:00

* FEEL MY BUTT - MARIAH TELLS REPORTER:
* ELTON'S OSCARS PARTY RAISES £1.7M FOR AIDS:
* ASH PRESS ON A 3-PIECE, WHEELER:

* FEEL MY BUTT - MARIAH TELLS REPORTER:
Mariah Carey boasted at an Oscars'
after-party that she decided to lose
weight after being called "fat."
The 35-year-old singer invited a
journalist at the Soho House, Los Angeles,
party to "feel my things, feel my
butt!," complaining that "Everything said
I was fat, so I did something about it."
Carey told the reporter, "I'll never
be a stick woman, but now I'm fierce!,
reported the New York Post.

* ELTON'S OSCARS PARTY RAISES £1.7M FOR AIDS:
Sir Elton John's 14th annual Academy
Awards after-party has raised $3 million
(£1.7 million) for the singer's Aids
Foundation.
The party was attended by a host of
stars including Sharon Stone, Ben Stiller and
Pamela Anderson.
Several auctions were held during the evening with
Stone bidding the highest amount, $170,000
(£97,000), for Elton's red Yamaha grand piano which is currently
for sale at eBay.com.
The evening included a performance by
Elton and special guest R&B singer John
Legend.
According to the New York Post some
2,000 people attended the party.

* ASH PRESS ON A 3-PIECE, WHEELER:
Northern Irish band Ash has confirmed it
will continue as a three-piece and have written
nine songs for a new album due later this year.
Frontman Tim Wheeler told fans at the
band's website they are pressing on with
their new album without hiring an extra
guitarist to replace Charlotte Hatherley who
suddenly quit in January after nine years with the
band.
Wheeler said, "I can't quite put my finger
on the new sound.
"It's early days really, at the minute the
3-piece rock band is the vibe but that might
develop with some crazy embellishments in the
studio, who knows.
"Maybe we'll keep it raw and stripped down
if it's working for us.
"So far, I don't think you could look at any
of the new songs and say they sound like a
track off any of our albums.
"Nine songs so far, good start."
Ash are are to release later this year
the follow up to 2004's Meltdown album.
Hatherley is currently recording tracks for her
second solo album which she plans to release
in the autumn.
The Downpatrick trio originally formed as a
three-piece in 1992, before Hatherley joined
in 1997.

March 6th 2006

2006-03-06T03:45:00.000-08:00

* PINK FLOYD DUO REUNITE FOR TOUR:
* GILMOUR BLASTS WALL MUSICAL AS "KARAOKE":
* PET SHOP BOYS PLAN NEW SINGLE, ALBUM:
* MCCARTNEY SAYS HE'LL TOUR AGAIN:
* WELSH BAND GET ELTON'S SUPPORT:
* LOUISE AND JAMIE SIGN NEW MANAGEMENT DEAL:

* PINK FLOYD DUO REUNITE FOR TOUR:
Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason will
join Roger Waters' upcoming solo tour of Europe.
Waters also confirmed that he has
invited Floyd's keyboard player Richard
Wright to join the tour which will
include a performance of the group's
1973 classic Dark Side Of The Moon
album.
"However, I still have no received a response from
him," said Waters whose tour begins with
an appearance at the Rock In Rio
festival, Lisbon, Portugal, on June 2.
Last month the group's guitarist
David Gilmour issued a statement denying
press reports that Floyd would be
reuniting for a tour.
Waters, Mason, Wright and Gilmour
reunited onstage at last summer's Live 8
concert in Hyde Park. The performance
was the first by the foursome in 24 years.
Gilmour recently revealed he hasn't
spoken to Waters since the concert.
He is due to begin his own tour Europe this
summer in support of his latest solo
album, On An Island, released today.

* GILMOUR BLASTS WALL MUSICAL AS "KARAOKE":
David Gilmour has slammed plans to stage
Pink Floyd's classic 1979 album The Wall
on Broadway as "karaoke."
The Floyd guitarist told the New York
Times that if his former band mate bassist
Roger Waters wanted to "go ahead and do
that, fine."
But, he added, "Broadway shows are not
my big thing. I never saw Tommy. That's
sort of like karaoke really.
"Quite entertaining in their way. But I
would rather go see a really good
production of West Side Story."
In 2004, it was announced that contracts
had been signed for a Broadway musical version
with extra music to be written by Waters.
Gilmour, who releases his latest solo
album, On An Island, today, added that
despite Floyd's reunion with Waters at
last July's Live 8 concert in Hyde Park
he can't see them ever reforming again.
"Why would I go back to something that
wouldn't make me a happier human being?,"
said the 60-year-old guitarist.
The Hyde Park performance by Gilmour, Waters,
drummer Nick Mason and keyboard player Richard
Wright was the first by the foursome in 24 years.

* PET SHOP BOYS PLAN NEW SINGLE, ALBUM:
The Pet Shop Boys will release their
first studio album in four years,
Fundamental, on May 22.
A single from the album, I'm With
Stupid, is due on May 8.
The other tracks on the album are - Psychological,
The Sodom and Gomorrah Show, I
Made My Excuses and Left, Minimal,
Numb, God Willing, Luna Park, Casanova
in Hell, Twentieth Centry, Indefinite
Leave to Remain and Integral.
Fundamental is the first studio album
from Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant since 2002's
Release.

* MCCARTNEY SAYS HE'LL TOUR AGAIN:
Sir Paul McCartney has confirmed he
has no intention to retire from performing.
The former Beatle, who turns 64 on
June 18, told CNN's Larry King, "Oh, yes. I'm always going
to tour again, you know, it's in my
blood. It's what I do.
"I had a very nice tour last year
in America and it was great. I love
the American audiences. We played
here in Canada. I love the Canadian
audiences. So, yes, I'm going to tour again."
McCartney was speaking with CNN's King during a
visit with his wife Heather to Canada to
publicise their campaign
to end the country's annual commercial hunt for
seal skins.
The couple last week visited the ice
flows in the Gulf of St Lawrence to
draw attention to the campaign.

* WELSH BAND GET ELTON'S SUPPORT:
Welsh band the Storys have been named
as support act on Sir Elton John's
upcoming 11-date UK stadium and arena
tour.
The 58-year-old popstar said, "They have
made a fantastic debut album, and I am
really excited that they will be playing
with me on tour."
A spokesperson for the Storys said the
band were "all knocked out by this...amazing
honour" and said Elton was a "real hero"
to them.
"(This is) a fantastic opportunity for
us to play on Elton’s tour. He is an
awesome writer and performer and a real
hero of ours," said the spokesperson.
The Storys release their self-titled debut
album on Warner Bros' Korova label on
March 27. A single, Be By Your Side, is
due next Monday and the band headline their
own eight-date UK tour in April.
Elton's tour begins at the Manchester
Evening News Area on May 29 and includes
several concerts at football and cricket
grounds across England.

* LOUISE AND JAMIE SIGN NEW MANAGEMENT DEAL:
Former Eternal singer Louise Redknapp
and her ex-footballer husband Jamie have
reportedly signed a new management deal.
According to fansite, louise-redknapp.co.uk,
the couple are to be looked after by
Merlin whose clients include popstar Katie Melua,
ex-Blue singer Duncan James and former
Chelsea and England full-back Graeme Le Saux.
Louise has enjoyed 12 Top 20 hits and her
debut album, 1996's Naked, sold more than one
million copies worldwide. Former Liverpool
and England star Jamie Redknapp has carved
out a career as a TV soccer pundit.
The pair last year helped launch a new
magazine called Footballer's Lives.

March 3rd 2006

2006-03-03T06:47:00.000-08:00

* REMASTERED BEATLES' ALBUMS TO BE RELEASED:
* SHAYNE WARD TO PLAY LONDON GIG:
* WESTLIFE SLAM LAZY BRIAN:

* REMASTERED BEATLES' ALBUMS TO BE RELEASED:
The Beatles' entire UK catalogue is
being remastered for release on CD, according to
US reports.
The group's studio albums were originally
digitally remastered for CD release in 1987.
But, with improved technology fans
have long since called for the CDs to be "upgraded".
According to www.musicangle.com, the
Beatles' albums are being remastered at Abbey Road studios
where the group recorded almost all their records.
Also in the works, according to the website, is the
release of more remastered versions of
the Beatles' American albums which in
some cases differed in their track listing
from the original UK releases.

* SHAYNE WARD TO PLAY LONDON GIG:
X-Factor winner Shayne Ward is to play
London's G-A-Y nightclub next month.
Ward will launch his debut album at the
venue on Saturday, April 15. The album is due
on April 17.
Ward releases his second single, No Promises,
on April 10, according to his official website.
His debut single, That's My Goal, debuted at
No. 1 in December.

* WESTLIFE SLAM LAZY BRIAN:
Westlife's Nicky Bryne has accused
Brian McFadden of being lazy when he was
in the boy band.
"With no disrespect to him
[McFadden], we kind of got rid of the
person who didn't want to be part of it,"
Byrne told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"Brian was always the person who never
really wanted to put the real workload
into it and that was always going to be a
problem."
This month marks the second anniversary
of McFadden's departure from the group.

March 2nd 2006

2006-03-02T05:05:00.000-08:00

* JAMES BLUNT HITS NO. 1 IN AMERICA:
* LIZ DONATES MEDICAL CENTRE TO KATRINA RELIEF:
* MARIAH FORGIVES EX-HUSBAND TOMMY:
* MATTHEW IS COY ABOUT MARRIAGE WITH CRUZ:
* STARS SIGN UP FOR NEW BRITISH COMEDY:
* ROBERT CRAY TO OPEN FOR CLAPTON:

* JAMES BLUNT HITS NO. 1 IN AMERICA:
James Blunt's Your Beautiful has reached No. 1
in the US, the first Briton to top the American
singles' chart since Sir Elton John's 1997 version
of Candle in the Wind.
The former Army captain's debut album Back to
Bedlam also reached a new peak this week climbing
to No. 5. The CD has sold 783,000 copies in the
US, according to Billboard.
Meanwhile, another new British act, the Artic Monkeys'
debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's
What I'm Not debuted at No. 24 selling 34,000
copies.

* LIZ DONATES MEDICAL CENTRE TO KATRINA RELIEF:
Elizabeth Taylor has donated a travelling
state-of-the-art medical centre to the city
of New Orleans.
The unit will stock medicines and equipment
and provide care for those living with HIV/Aids
in the city still recovering from the
devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina last
August.
Virtually all the Aids clinics in the
Louisiana city were closed by the hurricane,
reports the New York Post.
Taylor, 74, is a co-founder of the American
Foundation for Aids Research and has helped
raise millions of dollars with her own charity the Elizabeth
Taylor Aids Foundation.

* MARIAH FORGIVES EX-HUSBAND TOMMY:
Mariah Carey has revealed the only
thing she kept from her marriage to record
boss Tommy Mottola is a fireplace.
Mariah had the fireplace taken out of
the Westchester County, New York,
mansion the couple shared and installed
in her 12,000-square-foot Manhattan apartment.
But, the 35-year-old singer told US TV's Barbara
Walters in a special pre-Oscars special on
ABC last night that she has forgiven Mottola.
"I have had to learn that forgiveness is
one of the most important things in life,"
Carey says.
"And so, you know, I hope that he forgives
me for anything that I did that hurt him.
And I forgive him."
Former Sony Music boss Mottola, 20 years
Mariah's senior married the singer in 1993.
They divorced in 1998.

* MATTHEW IS COY ABOUT MARRIAGE WITH CRUZ:
Matthew MacConaughey says he would like to
get married - but adds: "You've gotta find the
right woman, and it's gotta be the right time."
Speaking to US TV's Barbara Walters
in a special pre-Oscars special on
ABC last night ,the 36-year-old Texan was rather
more coy whether current girlfriend Penelope
Cruz is the "right woman."
"Possibly," replied McConaughey, who began
dating the Spanish actress in 2004 after they starred
together on the movie Sahara.
McConaughey, whose past girlfriends include
Ashley Judd, Patricia Arquette and Sandra Bullock,
revealed that his own parents has had an influence on his
attitude towards the institution.
They divorced and remarried several times over
39 years of marriage.
"They would say this in jest, but there's
some truth to this as well. Both of them at
different times said, 'Well son, I love your
mother. Six days a week.' And Mom said the
same thing, 'I love your father six days a
week.'
"That didn't mean they didn't love each
other on the seventh day; what it means is
they said you gotta have time for yourself,
you can't lose yourself," he tells Walters.

* STARS SIGN UP FOR NEW BRITISH COMEDY:
Steve Coogan, Martin Freeman, Simon Pegg and Jim
Broadbent have signed up to star in a new
British comedy about a London copper who
is seconded to Somerset.
Working Title will produce the movie titled
Hot Fuzz.
Edgar Wright, co-creator with Pegg of the hit Shaun of
the Dead, will direct the movie and has also
written the original screenplay with Pegg.
Nira Park, who also produced Shaun, will
produce along with Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner.
Natascha Wharton will be executive producer.
Park told www.comingsoon.net, "Together (with
Working Title), we're looking forward to
giving the police action genre the same
treatment we gave the living dead in 2004."
Former James Bond Timothy Dalton and Nick
Frost (Shaun of the Dead) have also
signed up for the film which will begin
principal photography later this month.
According to Comingsoon.net, Hot Fuzz tells
the story of Nicholas Angel, a London policeman
who is so good at his job he makes everyone
else look bad.
He is sent to a sleepy West Country village
where he soon becomes convinced after a
series of accidents that it might not be
the idyllic area it at first seems.

* ROBERT CRAY TO OPEN FOR CLAPTON:
American blues guitarist Robert Cray is to
support Eric Clapton on his summer European tour.
The tour begins on May 9 in Glasgow.
The five-times Grammy Award winning Cray
is touring in support of his latest album, Twenty.

March 1st 2006

2006-03-01T07:45:00.000-08:00

* U2 IN 3D:
* PARIS AND NICOLE TOGETHER AGAIN:
* WESTLIFE "HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO YET" - WALSH:
* DANNII ADMITS TAKING SINGING LESSONS::

* U2 IN 3D:
U2 will film their two concerts at Buenos Aires' River Plate
Stadium on March 1 and 2 for a 3D Imax movie.
According to Definition Magazine, the group will
use equipment provided by Pace Technologies, which has Titanic,
The Abyss, and several other Hollywood blockbusters on
its portfolio.
Also involved in the production is 3ality,
a company which specialises in 3D viewing
that doesn't require any special eyewear.
The shows in the Argentinan capital will be shot
with nine 3DHD cameras and crews.
It's understood all the shows so far on the fourth
leg of the Vertigo Tour have been filmed using the
technology in preparation for the Buenos Aires' concerts.
Show designer Willie Williams says of the
gigs "we go in for the kill in Buenos Aires."

* PARIS AND NICOLE TOGETHER AGAIN:
Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie have
started filming the fourth series of their reality show The
Simple Life - but aren't talking.
The former friends will stay with various
families from different cultures around
Los Angeles playing the role of "wife".
Filming began on Monday, but, the New York Post reports "that
they did not speak and steered clear of each other."
The pair fell out, allegedly
over Richie holding a private screening
of Hilton's infamous X-rated video, and
haven't spoken to each other in more than
a year.
According to industry sources they
refused to work with each other ever
again on The Simple Life, but
each had deals with the show's producers
and were more or less stuck with reteaming
for the fourth series.
The new series will feature Hasidic Jews
and a Korean family with Richie and Hilton
running the households.

* WESTLIFE "HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO YET" - WALSH:
Westlife have a "long way to go yet",
manager Louis Walsh has said.
Walsh says a new album is due later
this year describing 2006 as "a very
exciting year in Westlife world!."
After seven years as a Top 10 act
worldwide, Walsh admits even he's a bit
surprised at the Irish band's success.
He said, "Who would have thought I'd
be saying this seven years ago!
"I've always believed in Westlife and
we've got a long way to go yet!.
"The tour is going to a brilliant
show and I'm sure I'll see alot of you
there.
"With a brand new album coming later
in the year, 2006 is a very exciting
year in the Westlife world!.
"How proud was I on the night of The
Brits to have two of my acts with me.
Myself, Westlife and Shayne Ward had a
great evening and they are all great
guys."
Westlife kick-off their UK and Irish
tour at the Belfast Odyssey Arena on
April 3.

* DANNII ADMITS TAKING SINGING LESSONS:
Dannii Minogue believes she's a better singer
now than when she first started having hits in
the early 90s because she's recently been taking
vocal lessons.
The 34-year-old Australian singer says, "My vocal
range has been expanding. I have done many lessons,
especially when I did the music show, Notre Dame de
Paris, as I had not sung like that before.
"It's really different from singing in the studio.
My singing teacher in London is so nice, and he
gives me a CD of exercises to do before shows.
"I love singing, and would sing all the
time for enjoyment, even if I was not
doing it professionally.
"I love taking singing lessons, as I
can feel and hear the improvement immediately."
Dannii is busy working on the follow-up album
to her 2003 Neon Nights album

February 28th 2006

2006-02-28T02:40:00.000-08:00

* MARILYN MONROE SINGLE TO BE RELEASED:
* MARIAH'S UNSURE ABOUT HAVING KIDS:
* PAMELA ANDERSON TO HOST MUSIC AWARDS:
* MORRISSEY TO APPEAR ON JONATHAN ROSS:
* STING TO MAKE BROADWAY DEBUT:
* ANASTACIA TO RELEASE LIVE DVD:
* GIRLS ALOUD TO STAR IN TV SERIES:

* MARILYN MONROE SINGLE TO BE RELEASED:
A previously unreleased song by Marilyn
Monroe is to hit stores in June to coincide
with the 80th anniversary of her birth.
The track, Down Boy, will be released
with a dance mix especially for the clubs.
The song was originally recorded for
Monroe's 1953 movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,
reports the New York Post.
According to the Post, "It's about how men
are just naughty dogs."
The digital recording of the song was recently bought at an auction
by author and Monroe fan Jack Allen.
Monroe, born on June 1 1926, was found
dead aged 36 in the bedroom of her California
home on August 4, 1962.

* MARIAH'S UNSURE ABOUT HAVING KIDS:
Mariah Carey says she's not sure if she
wants to have children or not.
The 35-year-old singer tells US broadcaster
Barbara Walters in an interview to air before
Sunday's Oscars, 'I still don't know if I
want to have children.
"If that's in the cards for me . . . it's
not if I 'want' to have children.
"I feel like being a celebrity and having
kids is a huge responsibility. I would
want to make sure I was fully prepared to
handle what would happen to those kids
when they have to deal with the baggage of
having a famous parent."
Mariah recently said she is still single
despite reports she is engaged.

* PAMELA ANDERSON TO HOST MUSIC AWARDS:
Pamela Anderson is to host the annual
Juno music awards in Toronto, Canada, on
April 2.
The British Columbia-born actress said, "Canadian
music rocks.
"No matter where I am in the world I can
listen to Canadian music and feel like I’m
at home. This is going to be one kick-ass
awards show."
The awards, Canadian's equivalent of
the Grammys and the Brits, will feature
performances by Coldplay, Bryan Adams,
Michael Buble and Nickleback.

* MORRISSEY TO APPEAR ON JONATHAN ROSS:
Morrissey is one of the guests lined up
for the new series of Friday Night with
Jonathan Ross which returns to BBC 1 next
month.
The 46-year-old singer will perform his
new single You Have Killed Me.
Also lined up to appear on the 10th series
of the show are Sir David Attenborough and Pink.

* STING TO MAKE BROADWAY DEBUT:
Sting will make his debut on Broadway
next month when he will play
composer Robert Schumann for one night only.
The 54-year-old rock star and his wife
Trudie Styler will head a production of
Twin Spirits on March 27 to benefit the
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids charity.
They will read excerpts from the letters
of Schumann and his wife Clara Wieck.
The production will also feature some of
Schumann's bestknown compositions performed
by violinist Joshua Bell and five other
musicians and singers.
Sting and Styler first performed Twin
Spirits at a fundraiser for the Royal
Opera House in 1999, reports the Los Angeles
Times.

* ANASTACIA TO RELEASE LIVE DVD:
Anastacia will release her first live
DVD on March 27.
The two-DVD set, Live At Last, was filmed at the American
singer's concerts at Berlin's Velodome
on October 24 and at the Olympiahall,
Munich, on October 26.
A bonus DVD features behind-the-scenes
footage and a never previously released
version of Anastacia's video for her
hit Left Outside Alone.

* GIRLS ALOUD TO STAR IN TV SERIES:
Girls Aloud are to star in a new six-part
documentary series to air on Channel 4.
The series, following the girls on their
tour of Australia and New Zealand, will
air on E4 and later on Channel 4.
The group appear on Davina McCall's
new BBC 1 chat show on March 8. Their new
single, Whole Lotta History, is released
on March 13.

February 27th 2006

2006-02-27T00:51:00.000-08:00

* MARIAH SIGNS UP FOR NEW MOVIE:
* BRUCE'S CHARITABLE DATE:
* EXTRA TICKETS FOR GILMOUR GIG ON SALE:
* SCARLETT'S EX WRITES SONG ABOUT HER:
* EMMA THOMPSON PLANS NANNY MCPHEE SEQUEL:

* MARIAH SIGNS UP FOR NEW MOVIE:
Mariah Carey is to star in a new
family drama, Tennessee, according to
Variety.
The 35-year-old singer will play
a waitress who sets off with her two
brothers to find their estranged father
who can help save their younger brother
who has leukemia.
The movie will be directed by Aaron
Woodley (Rhinoceros Eyes) from a Russell
Schaumberg script and will be produced
by Lee Daniels (Monster's Ball)
Daniels said, "Because this character is
interracial and struggles with all sorts of
issues because of that, I thought she (Mariah) was
perfect."
Filming takes place in New Mexico and
Tennesse this Spring.
Carey has previously appeared in the 2001
flop musical Glitter and 2002's Wise Girls.

* BRUCE'S CHARITABLE DATE:
Bruce Willis is dating Czech-born model
Petra Nemcova after he made a large donation
to her tsunami charity in order to get her
telephone number.
Since making the donation the pair have
been on several dates although Petra has
played down their relationship.
"He's been really sweet to me, but I
wouldn't call it dating," she told friends
while the 50-year-old Die Hard star says the pair are
going out.
Petra, 26, set up a charity
to help victims of the disaster after her
photographer boyfriend Simon Atlee was
killed when the tsunami struck the Thai
resort where the couple were staying in December 2004.
She suffered a broken pelvis and serious
internation injuries in the tsunami.

* EXTRA TICKETS FOR GILMOUR GIG ON SALE:
Extra tickets for David Gilmour's concerts
at London's Royal Albert Hall on May 29, 30
and 31 have been released.
The tickets for the "choir" section of
the venue go on sale today, Monday.
The former Pink Floyd singer-guitarist
releases his new solo album, On An Island,
next Monday.

* SCARLETT'S EX WRITES SONG ABOUT HER:
A former boyfriend of Scarlett Johansson
has written a song about the actress.
Jack Antonoff, a member of indie
rock band Steel Train, dated the 21-year-old
Match Point actress while they attended
the Professional Children's High School in
2002, reports New York Magazine.
His song, Better Love, goes: "Fame swept
her off her feet, She sees nothing she did
before ... Hey, Scarlett, you're not the
same.
"Scars are in her name, And she scars me
in blame."

* EMMA THOMPSON PLANS NANNY MCPHEE SEQUEL:
Emma Thompson says she would like to
make a sequel to her hit children's
fantasy adventure Nanny McPhee and already
has an "idea" for Nanny McPhee 2.
The two-times Oscar-winning actress'
movie in which she starred as the
title character based on the Nurse Matilda
books by the late Christianna Brand, has
been a surprise hit worldwide.
Asked by BBC' Jonathan Ross if she
would ever consider making a Nanny McPhee 2,
Emma said, "I would, and I've got an idea for it,
and I think that probably it will make
enough money around the world for them
to say `Yeh we might go for it.'
"I don't know. It all depends
I've never had an expErience like this where
you make a film and people start to ring
you about what they call the numbers."
The $30 million (£17 million) movie, which co-starred
Colin Firth, Imelda Saunton and
Angela Lansbury, grossed over $40 million
(£23 million) in the US and another
$45 million worldwide (£26 million), according
to www.boxofficemojo.com.
It took $4.5 million (£2.6 million)
on its opening weekend in the UK, according
to Variety.
Emma is due to work with Nick Hornby
later in the year on a new movie called Fast Forward.

February 24th 2006

2006-02-24T02:52:00.000-08:00

* MCCARTNEY DONATES CAR TO CHARITY:
* ENRIQUE IGLESIAS TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM:
* I READ BOOKS BACK TO FRONT - MORRISSEY:
* SNOW PATROL ALBUM DELAY:

* MCCARTNEY DONATES CAR TO CHARITY:
Paul McCartney has donated a car to raise funds for
the Adopt-a-Minefield charity.
Sir Paul and his wife Heather Mills-McCartney have
given the 2006 Cadillac CTS to organisers of the Palm Beach
Barrett-Jackson Collector Car event to be auctioned over
three days from March 30 to April 1.
"This is a rare opportunity to enjoy a very special car
owned by one of the most celebrated individuals of our time," said
Craig Jackson, president and CEO of The Barrett-Jackson
Auction Co..

* ENRIQUE IGLESIAS TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM:
Enrique Iglesias has confirmed he is to release a new
album.
A release date and title for the album have yet to be
confirmed, but the 30-year-old singer's website says, "The new
album is coming. Enrique is wrapping up in the studio."
The album will be Enrique's eighth and the follow-up to
his 2003 album Seven.

* I READ BOOKS BACK TO FRONT - MORRISSEY:
Morrissey says he reads books backwards starting
at the final chapter.
"I don't read fiction. What's the point? The basic details
of my own life are stranger than anything I ever come
across in modern fiction.
"I tend to judge a book by its cover, and - ridiculously - with
any book, I start at the final chapter and work my way
to the first. This is probably a sickness."
Morrissey's new video for You Have Killed Me debuts
this evening on Channel Four at 11.05pm.

* SNOW PATROL ALBUM DELAY:
Snow Patrol's new album, Eyes Open, will
be released a week later than planned - on May 1 -
because of a problem with the artwork.
Says singer Gary Lightbody, "The album is
set for release on the first of may as we
had problems with artwork.
"We’re getting there."
Meanwhile, the band will play seven concerts in
the US and Canada next month.
The tour includes an appearance on St Patrick's Day
at the South By Southwest music festival in Austin,
Texas, and a gig at New York's legendary Bowery Ballroom.

February 23th 2006

2006-02-24T02:51:00.000-08:00

* KT'S MUM ORDERS NEW ANTHEM:
* STARS SIGN-UP FOR TROOPS OUT CONCERT:
* RHYS-MEYERS DATING LINDSAY?:
* ELTON DONATES SUIT TO CHARITY:

* KT'S MUM ORDERS NEW ANTHEM:
The Flower of Scotland is under threat -
from KT Tunstall's mother.
The Brit Award winning Scot's mum has asked her daughter
to write a new national anthem.
Says the St Andrew's born popstar, "She
does keep asking me to write a new
national anthem."

* STARS SIGN-UP FOR TROOPS OUT CONCERT:
A anti-Iraq war concert titled "Bring 'Em Home Now"
featuring REM's Michael Stipe,
Rufus Wainwright, Fischerspooner and Public Enemy's Chuck
D will be held at New York's Hammerstein
Ballroom on March 20.
The event marks the third anniversary of
the US and allied troops' invasion of Iraq.
Proceeds from the gig will go towards
Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans
for Peace, reports Billboard.

* RHYS-MEYERS DATING LINDSAY?:
Lindsay Lohan has been romantically
linked to Irish actor Jonathan Rhys-Meyers.
The 19-year-old Mean Girls actress and
the 28-year-old Match Point actor were
spotted getting out of a black SUV at
New York's Spotted Pig club, reports the
New York Post.
The paper says the pair were "escorted
into the draped-off VIP room alone for
some privacy. They were alone and left
in the car together."
Lindsay has previously dated actors Jared
Leto and Wilmer Valderrama and has been linked to
Colin Farrell and Jude Law. Rhys-Meyers
recently attended the launch of Dublin Film Festival with
girlfriend Reena Hammer..nypost.com/gossip/pagesix/64029.htm)
ends

* ELTON DONATES SUIT TO CHARITY:
Sir Elton John has donated one of his
extravagant suits to the National Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
The pink and blue Versace suit will
be up for sale at the charity's forthcoming
auction.
Elton begins a UK and Ireland tour at
Dublin's The Point on May 28.

February 22nd 2006

2006-02-22T03:01:00.000-08:00

* NICOLE AND KEITH SEND OUT WEDDING INVITATIONS:
* ELTON TO SELL PIANO ON EBAY FOR CHARITY:
* PINK FLOYD WILL BE FORGOTTEN - GILMOUR:
* BRITNEY'S SON IS "SPOILED" SAYS SISTER:

* NICOLE AND KEITH SEND OUT WEDDING INVITATIONS:
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have reportedly
sent out invitations for their wedding
According to US Weekly the wedding will
be in Australia next month.
Kidman, 38, has recently been spotted
wearing a 3.5-carat engagement ring reportedly
given to her by the country crooner.
Urban, also 38, is currently on tour in
the US. The tour is due to wrap up on
Saturday (25FEB) in Tallahassee, Florida.
Although the pair were born in different countries -
Kidman in Hawaii and Urban in New Zealand - both
moved to Australia when they were young with their
families.

* ELTON TO SELL PIANO ON EBAY FOR CHARITY:
Sir Elton John is to auction on eBay the
grand piano he plays at his Las Vegas Red Piano show to
raise funds for his Aids Foundation.
The auction will begin on Monday (27FEB)
and run through until Thursday, March 9.
The 58-year-old popstar will play the 6-ft, 11-in
Yamaha piano, which he nicknamed "Fiona", for the final time at next
Sunday's post-Oscars party in Beverly Hills.
Since its foundation in 1992, Elton's
Aids Foundation has raised $80 million (£46 million) to
support HIV/Aids prevention and service
programmes in 55 countries worldwide.

link

* PINK FLOYD WILL BE FORGOTTEN - GILMOUR:
Pink Floyd's David Gilmour says Pink Floyd's
music will be "forgotten."
Gilmour told Billboard, "I think our
music will continue to be played for a
while. Then it will be forgotten like
everything else will be forgotten.
"How long will that take? A hundred years,
a thousand years, a million years? I have
no idea. This is not something I think of
very much."
Gilmour also admitted that he and the
group's original bass player Roger
Waters have not spoken since they reunited
for last July's Live 8 concert in Hyde Park.
He added, "We were offered a lot of money
to go on tour. And I did turn it down.
"The offer was made to tour with a lot of
money and it was with or without Roger. But
I have no interest in going on a tour to
make money without making new product, new
art. So just going out and replaying our
old hits again on a tour does not appeal
to me at all."
Gilmour releases a solo album, On An Island,
on March 6 and is set to embark on a European
tour this Spring.

* BRITNEY'S SON IS "SPOILED" SAYS SISTER:
Britney Spears has her son Sean Preston "spoiled",
according to the popstar's sister Jamie Lynn.
"I love being an auntie," the 14-year-old
told the Toronto Star during a visit to
the Canadian city to promote her kids TV
show Zoey 101.
"I don't spoil him. He's spoiled enough as
it is."
Britney gave birth to her first child
last September. She's planning to record a
new album due later this year while husband
Kevin Federline is trying to launch his own
music career as a rapper.

February 21st 2006

2006-02-21T04:09:00.000-08:00

* MARIAH'S SKIRT WRECKED FLAT SALE:
* WEDDING STORE SILENT ON KYLIE SIGHTING:
* MYA SIGNS MODEL DEAL:
* CHER TO PLAY LAS VEGAS?:

* MARIAH'S SKIRT WRECKED FLAT SALE:
Mariah Carey's bid to buy a Manhattan
apartment was once rejected by the block's
housing board after she attended an
interview wearing a tiny skirt.
Although there's no proof the board
turned down the 35-year-old singer's
application to buy the apartment soley on
how she dressed at her interview,
Mariah had been advised beforehand by a
real estate broker handling the potential
deal to wear something more conservative.
Dolly Lenz told the New York Times she
advised Mariah to come to the co-op board
"dressed for a funeral."
But, she appeared "in a halter top and
mini-mini-miniskirt," says Ms Lenz.
"I said, `I told you to come dressed
for a funeral,' Ms Lenz said. "She said,
`This is the way I dress for a funeral.'

* WEDDING STORE SILENT ON KYLIE SIGHTING:
The owners of a wedding dress shop in
Melbourne are refusing to comment on reports
that a visit by Kylie Minogue's mother, Carol,
was the reason it closed its doors on Saturday.
Some brides-to-be had their appointments
cancelled at Mariana Hardwick's store after
being told the place was off-limits, reports
the Melbourne Sun-Herald.
The paper reports the 37-year-old popstar
was spotted in the shop a week before.
The report adds to speculation that Kylie
is set to wed boyfriend French actor Olivier
Martinez, 40.
His mother Rosemarie Martinez is quoted
in New Idea magazine saying that the pair
would marry at Kylie's French Island hideaway
off the Australian coast in April.
But, aides for the popstar have denied rumours
of a marriage. "This is not true," a spokesperson told
the Daily Record.
Kylie is reported to be set to resume her
Showgirl tour in Australia in November.
She cancelled the tour last May after being
diagnosed with breast cancer.

* MYA SIGNS MODEL DEAL:
R&B singer Mya has been signed up by
the Ford Model agency.
Mya, whose hits include Lady Marmalade
and My Love Is Like...Wo, will receive
a "six-figure sum" according to the New York Post.
Meanwhile, the 26-year-old is the subject
of a new song by 50 Cent.
Fitty claims in his latest track dissing
rival rapper the Game, Not Rich - Still
Lying, that he was "with" Mya before Game.
The Game rapped about wanting to date Mya
in his video for Dreams in which she also appeared.

* CHER TO PLAY LAS VEGAS?:
Cher is reportedly set to return to live performances
in Las Vegas.
The singer, who turns 60 in May,
wrapped up her farewell tour in May 2005.
According to the Las Vegas Review
Journal, Cher is understood to be in talks
to play a residency at the Strip's Mandalay resort.
Cher performed New Year's Eve concerts
in Las Vegas in 2004 and 2005 and she
previously played Vegas' supper clubs in
the late 60s with her former husband the late Sonny
Bono.
Sir Elton John, Barry Manilow and
Celine Dion are among the rock pop perfomers
who have recently played stints in Vegas.

February 20th 2006

2006-02-20T05:22:00.000-08:00

* KYLIE TO WED IN APRIL?:
* MARIAH'S SEX LIFE IS STATIC::
* R `N' R HAS BECOME LIKE "PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING" - TOM PETTY:
* BYRNE NAMED IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT LAWSUIT:
* MORRISSEY FANS HATE NEW VIDEO:

* KYLIE TO WED IN APRIL?:
Kylie Minogue will wed boyfriend Olivier
Martinez in April, according to the French
actor's mother.
Rosemarie Martinez has reportedly told
New Idea magazine Kylie and Olivier will
tie the knot on French Island off the coast
of Melbourne.
The wedding will take place after the
birth of Kylie's brother Brendan's first
child in April, the report claims.
"My son has promised we will be flown
over for the big day," Mrs Martinez is
quoted as saying.
"We're just rejoicing that she and my
son can now go ahead and make the plans
they've wanted to make for so long."
Kylie, 37, and Martinez, 40, have been
together since meeting in the lobby of a Los
Angeles hotel during the Grammys in February
2003.

* MARIAH'S SEX LIFE IS STATIC:
Mariah Carey has recently been linked to
American record executive Mark Sudack, but
it appears reports of a romance between
the pair maybe premature.
Mariah says she can still "count
on one hand" the numbers of lovers she's
had.
The 35-year-old singer shocked many
fans when last June she told Germany's Cinema
magazine she has slept with less than
five men in her whole life telling the
magazine, "I would need less than the fingers of
one hand to count them all."
In a new interview in the latest issue of
America's Globe magazine, the We Belong
Together singer says, "The thing is, I have
trust issues. If I'm with another famous
person, he's likely to have groupies and
cheat on me.
"This is why I can still count the number
of men I've slept with on one hand. It's
out of insecurity and a fear of being
used."
Mariah divorced husband music mogul
Tommy Mottola in 1998. Since then she has
only had two reported relationships - with
baseball hunk Derek Jeter and Latin crooner
Luis Miguel. She has denied claims by Eminem
that they slept together.
It seems that despite selling more
than 150 million albums worldwide and
more No. 1 hits in the US than any other
female artist in history, that love is
still hard to find for Mariah.

* R `N' R HAS BECOME LIKE "PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING" - TOM PETTY:
Rock `n' roll ain't what it used to be -
so say some of the biggest rockers of
the past couple of decades in a new movie,
All We Are Saying, directed by actress
Rosanna Arquette.
Tom Petty says, "It looks a lot like professional
wresting. They know it's fake, but they don't really care."
And, Chrissie Hynde says, "Fashion has destroyed everything I
like about rock `n' roll."
While David Crosby thinks Britney
Spears has the "depth of a birdcage" when
compared to Joni Mitchell.

* BYRNE NAMED IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT LAWSUIT:
Gabriel Bryne was the victim of sexual
harassment three years ago by one of Broadway's top producers,
it has been claimed.
Byrne has been named in a sexual
harassment lawsuit filed against attractive
brunette Dede Harris who, it is alleged,
"sexually harassed" the 55-year-old Dublin-born
actor when she produced his 2003 off-Broadway
show The Exonerated.
According to the lawsuit, Harris is so
"sexually obsessive" that she can't keep
her hands off actors in her productions.
The Tony Award-winning producer of Hairspray
and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is being sued
by her partners in the production of a new
off-Broadway play Dog Sees God.
They claim hazel-eyed Harris failed to disclose
allegations of past sexual harassment to them.
The lawsuit claims Harris made "sexual
overtures to one or more male...cast
members and "gratuitously grabbed the breast"
of an actress."
Her behaviour caused at least one cast
member to leave the show, claims the lawsuit.
Harris has denied the allegations telling
the New York Post, "Every single accusation
is 100 per cent false."
Byrne played Kerry Max Cooke, a Texan
who was wrongly convicted of murder and
sentenced to death row in The
Exonerated, a documentary-drama based on
true tales of horror from the American justice system.
Peter Stern, who with Martian Entertainment
is seeking $5 million (4.2 million Euros) in damages against
Harris for "fradulent, reckless and grossly
negligent conduct" described her as "an aging Heidi Fleiss."

* MORRISSEY FANS HATE NEW VIDEO:
Lawyers for Morrissey and his record
company Sanctuary Records have taken legal
action to stop the leak onto the Internet of the singer's
new video for his next single You Have Killed
Me.
Fans who downloaded the video before it
was taken down by the website have generally
given it the thumbs down.
One said, "No humour, no style, no
relevance to the song. It's a dreadful,
dreadful video."
In the video the 46-year-old singer
performs the song as part of the 1970
Eurovision Song Contest.
The track is due next month with Morrissey's
new album, Ringleader of the Tormentors,
due in April.
The video will premiere on Channel Four
on February 23.

February 17th 2006

2006-02-20T05:19:00.000-08:00

* ELTON STOPS AIDS CHARITY EMAIL SCAM:
* U2 SALES ROCKET IN THE US:
* MORRISSEY'S MUSIC LABELLED "GAY" MUSIC BY AOL:
* LISA SIGNS AUSTRALIAN MANAGEMENT DEAL:

* ELTON STOPS AIDS CHARITY EMAIL SCAM:
Sir Elton John has put a stop to an email
scam trying to raise money on behalf of his
Aids Foundation.
Emails which on the surface appear to have
a connection to his charity
foundation have been sent out asking to
donate $1, according to Elton's reps.
The email reads: "We own a Foundation for
helping kids with problems. This foundation
is made in September 2005 and we hope to get
some money to help them . If you want to
help , please donate 1$ for this kids .
Click on button bellow for donate."
A rep for Elton said, "The email is using
EJAF images from the US website and so can,
admittedly in a bad light, look authentic.
"We have made the hosting ISP aware of the
scam and they have removed the offending
website."
The rep appealed, "If you receive a similar
email please delete."
Since its foundation in 1992, Elton's
Aids Foundation has raised $80 million (£46 million) to
support HIV/Aids prevention and service
programmes in 55 countries worldwide.
Elton's will co-host with his partner
David Furnish the 14th annual Oscar After Party
on Sunday, March 5 when R&B singer John Legend
will be the special guest.
* U2 SALES ROCKET IN THE US:
* MORRISSEY'S MUSIC LABELLED "GAY" MUSIC BY AOL:

* U2 SALES ROCKET IN THE US:
Sales of U2's Grammys Award winning Album of
the Year, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb,
rocketed by 512 per cent in the wake of their
five gong triumph at the awards last week.
The album, released in November 2004, returned
to the Billboard Top 200 at No. 49 with sales of 27,000
on the strength of the Dublin band's performance at the Grammys.
Meanwhile, online sales of U2 albums increased six fold.
According to data supplied by RealNetworks,
online streaming of U2 songs also increased by 300 per cent.
The Dublin band performed their anthem One
with Mary J. Blige at the awards where they also picked
up awards for Rock Album of the Year, Rock Song of the Year,
Song of the Year and Best Rock Vocal Rock
Performance by a Group or Duo.

* MORRISSEY'S MUSIC LABELLED "GAY" MUSIC BY AOL:
Morrissey's music has been labelled "gay"
by America OnLine.
The Internet provider's online music service
has started classifying their "musical styles"
and the former Smiths' frontman is categorised
as having a top gay rating of "6" despite the
46-year-old singer never having declared his
sexual orientation.
Other acts labelled "gay and lesbian" include
Erasure's Andy Bell, KT Tunstall and Britney
Spears.

* LISA SIGNS AUSTRALIAN MANAGEMENT DEAL:
Lisa Scott-Lee has signed a new management deal to
release her records in Australia and Asia.
The former Steps singer has signed with
Williamson Management who will work with
her UK management team at Hyperactive.
Lisa said, "I hope to be able to visit
Australia very soon with my own music.
"The Australian people were so lovely to me
during my days with Steps. I am also very
happy to have Williamson Management on board."
Lisa, 30, was dropped by Mercury Records
in 2003 after her first two solo singles
failed to make the Top 10. A dance effort,
Electric, released independently last
October peaked at No. 13.

February 16th 2006

2006-02-16T06:20:00.000-08:00

* "ILL" SINEAD CANCELS US TOUR:
* STONES TO PLAY BENEFIT:
* DAVID GILMOUR TO PERFORM LONDON GIG:
* FRENCH ACTRESS "IS NEW BOND GIRL":

* "ILL" SINEAD CANCELS US TOUR:
Sinead O'Connor has cancelled a US tour due
to begin on Monday in Houston, reportedly due to illness.
The Dublin based Irish Star newspaper today reported
the Nothing Compares 2 U singer called off the
tour due to "illness."
.

The seven-city tour in support of her latest album
Throw Down Your Arms had also been due to visit
Austin, Dallas, Las Vegas, San Diego and Los
Angeles before wrapping up at San Francisco's
Warfield Theatre on March 1.
The only clue for fans visiting the singer's official
website on Thursday is that the list of gigs has
been removed.
But, there was no explanation why the shows
have been pulled.
The 39-year-old Dublin-born singer was due
to team up again with reggae legends Sly Dunbar
and Robbie Shakespeare playing cities they had missed
out on their US tour late last year.
The doe-eyed, shaven-headed singer played
a series of concerts in the US in December
including an appearance at New York's Webster
Hall.

* STONES TO PLAY BENEFIT:
The Rolling Stones will play New York's
Radio Music Hall on March 14 to raise funds
for a local charity.
Money from the concert will go to the Robin
Hood Foundation which targets poverty in the
city.
Sheryl Crow will open the concert, reports
the New York Post.

* DAVID GILMOUR TO PERFORM LONDON GIG:
David Gilmour will perform an intimate gig
in London on Tuesday, March 7.
Details of the concert venue and how to
obtain tickets will be announced on Johnnie
Walker's BBC Radio Two show on Monday.
The concert by the former Pink Floyd guitarist
in support of his upcoming solo album, On An
Island due on March 6, will air on Radio 2 at
a later date.
Gilmour begins a UK tour in Glasgow on May 27.

* FRENCH ACTRESS "IS NEW BOND GIRL":
French actress Eva Green is to be the new
Bond Girl, according to US reports.
Eva, 25, flew to Prague this week where filming
is already under way on the 21st Bond movie
titled Casino Royale.
After impressing bosses at Sony she accepted
the offer to star alongside new 007 Daniel
Craig.
Brunette beauty Eva is bestknown for her role in Bernardo
Bertolucci's steamy The Dreamers and also
appeared in Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven with Orlando
Bloom and Liam Neeson.
The Post says Eva beat rival Olivia Wilde of
The O.C. fame.
Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron and Thandie
Newton reportedly turned down the role.

February 15th 2006

2006-02-15T06:52:00.000-08:00

* BEATLES WERE ANGELS ON EARTH - MAHARISHI:
* FARRELL ATTENDS NYC COP FUNERAL:
* ROGER WATERS ANNOUNCES TOUR:

* BEATLES WERE ANGELS ON EARTH - MAHARISHI:
The Beatles were God's angels on Earth,
the Maharishi Yogi told George Harrison during
a private meeting Harrison had with the Indian
guru in 1991, a new report claims.
According to the Times of India, Harrison
met the Maharishi at the guru's home in Holland
to "apologise".
.

Harrison told the Maharishi "I love you" and
the Maharishi replied, "I love you, too."
The Beatles' guitarist "broke down and wept"
when the Maharishi said "I could never be
upset with angels," said Deepak Chopra, the
Indian born writer and academic who accompanied
Harrison at the meeting.
Chopra told the Times of India that Harrison later told him "A huge
karmic baggage has been lifted from me because
I didn't want to lie."
Harrison had asked to meet the Maharishi to
heal an emotional wound he had felt since the
Beatles quit their meditation retreat with the guru in
Rishikesh in 1968.
John Lennon later wrote Sexy Sadie about
the Maharishi, regarded as a put down of
the guru with its lyrics "Sexy Sadie,
what have you done, you've made a fool of
everyone."
The Maharishi, who is now 89, told Harrison he was "very sorry"
to hear about Lennon's murder in 1980.
Harrison died from cancer in 2001.

* FARRELL ATTENDS NYC COP FUNERAL:
Mourners at the funeral of a New York rookie policeman
were shocked to see Colin Farrell mingling among them.
The 29-year-old Dubliner attended the funeral
of slain NYC officer Eric Hernandez at St.
Bernard's Roman Catholic Church in White Plains
on Monday.
Farrell is in New York filming Pride and Glory
in which he plays a police officer torn apart by
a corruption scandal.
His character plays on the NYPD football team,
like murder officer Hernandez.
According to sources some officers found the
glare of his celebrity distracting and disrespectful.
Several thousand people attended the funeral of
officer Hernandez, 24, who died on January 28 while off duty
in a tragic friendly-fire incident after being brutally beaten by
a gang of thugs in a Bronx restaurant.
Among the mourners was New York mayor Michael
Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
Farrell co-stars with Edward Norton and Noah Emmerich in
the generational drama about a family of police officers in
New York torn apart by a corruption scandal.
Gavin O'Connor will direct Pride and Glory based on his own
script while Greg O'Connor is producing.

* ROGER WATERS ANNOUNCES TOUR:
Roger Waters is to tour Europe this
summer playing 15 shows.
The former Pink Floyd bassist's tour itinerary includes
appearances at some of Europe's largest festivals
including the Marquee Festival, Cork, on
June 29 and the Hyde Park Calling Festival on
June 30.
The tour includes concerts in Portugal,
Italy, Germany, Holland, Greece, Denmark, Iceland
and France.
Waters former bandmate Floyd guitarist
David Gilmour begins his own solo tour in
Dortmund on March 10.

link

February 14th 2006

2006-02-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

* PAULA CAN'T GET A MAN:
* BRITNEY TO VISIT NEW ORLEANS:
* AL MURRAY TO STAR IN US SITCOM:
* BONO'S TRIBUTE TO KIRSTY MACCOLL:
* MORRISSEY REWRITES EUROVISION HISTORY:

* PAULA CAN'T GET A MAN:
Paula Abdul has turned to TV life coach Dr Phil
McGraw in a bid to sort out her love life.
The 43-year-old popstar turned American Idol
judge is unable to find her a boyfriend.
So, the twice married Paula signed up to appear on
McGraw's US TV show Dr Phil in which he hands out
his homespun wisdom which has helped make him an
household name in the US.
Said a producer on the show, "Paula kept asking Phil, 'What am I doing wrong? I
just want to figure out how to pick the right one.'
So when we decided to do this, we thought it would
be fun to do something with her.
"She was very much a good sport about it."

* BRITNEY TO VISIT NEW ORLEANS:
Britney Spears will visit New Orleans later
this month for the city's Mardi Gras festival.
The 24-year-old popstar's visit to the Louisiana
city on February 28 will be broadcast by Good Morning America as
part of its coverage of events from the festival,
reports MTV.
In a statement, Spears said, "It is so important
for this amazing city to continue its annual traditions
and I am really looking forward to being involved."
Britney will bring "surprises" for a group of
"very deserving residents."
The city is still recovering from the after affects
of Hurricane Katrina last August.
The Mardi Gras parade season runs from February
18-28 with Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras Day, on Februray 28.
Spears grew up in nearby Kentwood and has taken part
in fundraisers for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

* AL MURRAY TO STAR IN US SITCOM:
Al Murray is to star in a new US comedy
based on his alter ego The Pub Landlord.
The American show, called Union Jackass, will
see Murray play the cranky character who was
born out of the comic's stand-up act.
The pilot episode will be made by 20th
Century Fox TV and Avalon TV
and will feature Murray as an outspoken Brit
who is forced to relocate to Santa Monica
when his former wife and young son move there,
reports Variety.
Union Jackass will be written by Dan O'Keefe
(The Drew Carey Show) along with Jon Thoday,
Richard Allen-Turner and David Martin.
Murray has previously starred in the Sky One sitcom
Time Gentlemen Please, the ITV 1 special
An Audience With Al Murray the Pub Landlord
and the quiz show Fact Hunt.
In the US pilot show, Murray, whose character until
now hasn't been given a name, will be known
as "Al."

* BONO'S TRIBUTE TO KIRSTY MACCOLL:
U2 have kicked-off the fourth leg of
their Vertigo world tour in Monterrey,
Mexico (12FEB) with Bono paying tribute to singer Kirsty MacColl, the late
ex-wife of U2 producer Steve Lillywhite,
a regular visitor to the country
and who died in a diving accident off the
Mexican coast in 2000.
Bono paid tribute to MacColl before the
band played City of Blinding Lights. "A great
friend of ours, a great voice," said the U2 singer.
The gig was U2's first in Mexico in eight years
and their first in two months
since wrapping up the third leg in
Portland, Oregon, on December 19.
The Dublin band will play a series of concerts in
south America before travelling to New Zealand, Australia
and Japan on the fourth leg of their tour.
The tour wraps up in Honolulu, Hawaii, on
April 8.

* MORRISSEY REWRITES EUROVISION HISTORY:
Morrissey stars as a contestant in
the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest in his new video.
That particular year Londonderry-born
Dana won the competition for Ireland
with Phil Coulter's All Kinds Of
Everything beating Mary Hopkin's Knock,
Knock, Who's There while an up-and-coming
Julia Iglesias represented Spain.
The 46-year-old former Smiths' frontman
releases his new single, You Have Killed
Me, next month.
The video will premiere on Channel Four
on February 23.
Ironically, Mary Hopkin married record
producer Tony Visconti, who has produced
Morrissey's upcoming album, The Ringleader
of the Tormentors, in 1971 although they
divorced a decade later.
There's no word if Terry Wogan will
be making a cameo voice-over.

February 13th 2006

2006-02-15T06:49:00.000-08:00

* RINGO PLANS TO TOUR:
* CLAPTON TO PLAY HAMPTON COURT PALACE:
* MCCARTNEY AND BENNETT TO COVER NAT KING COLE:
* JORDAN PULLS PLUG ON FARRELL, JOHANSSON MOVIE:
* SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR TO RELEASE SUMMER SINGLE:
* THE O.C.INSPIRES THE SUBWAYS:
* SCISSOR SISTERS ADDED TO COACHELLA:

* RINGO PLANS TO TOUR:
Ringo Starr is planning to go back on
tour this summer with his All-Starr band.
The 65-year-old former Beatle dummer,
who last toured in 2003, says he is
currently putting together a new All-Starr
Band.
He says, "I've asked several people
to join, now we're just going to have
to see if they sign the contract.
"There's going to be a lot of fun in
the summer so look out if we're playing
in a venue near you."
Ringo began his series of All-Starr
Band tours in the late 80s. Over the
years the band has included Sheila E,
Paul Carrack, John Waite, Eric Carmen,
Colin Hay and Mark Rivera.

* CLAPTON TO PLAY HAMPTON COURT PALACE:
Eric Clapton and his band will perform
at the Hampton Court Palace, Surrey, on June 9 and 10.
Ticket prices and information are not yet available.
The 60-year-old guitarist begins a European tour on
May 8 in Glasgow. The tour includes
a seven-stint residency at the Royal Albert Hall.

* MCCARTNEY AND BENNETT TO COVER NAT KING COLE:
Sir Paul McCartney and Tony Bennett are
to record a duet together of Nat King Cole's classic The
Very Thought Of You.
The track will be recorded in London's
Abbey Road studios next week, reports the
Boston Herald.
The duet is one of several collaborations
by 79-year-old Bennett for his next
album due later in the year.
Sir Elton John, Bono, Billy Joel
and the Dixie Chicks will also feature on
the album.

* JORDAN PULLS PLUG ON FARRELL, JOHANSSON MOVIE:
Neil Jordan has pulled out of plans to
film a movie about the most powerful family
in 15th century Rome due to star Colin Farrell
and Scarlett Johansson.
The Irish director was due to begin filming
the movie, Borgia, this September.
He is blaming proposed budget and logistics
for not being able to shoot the movie, according
to Variety.
The Hollywood trade publication reports that
Jordan had hoped to begin filming in April,
"but the schedule was pushed back to September
because of Farrell's availability."
It's the second time Jordan has called a stop
to plans to film the movie. Four years ago
he was in talks to film the story with Ewan
McGregor and Christina Ricci.
Borgia tells the story of Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, a
powerful man who took over papal duties after the
death of the pope in 1492.
Farrell and Johansson were to play two of Borgia's children.

* SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR TO RELEASE SUMMER SINGLE:
Sophie Ellis-Bextor will release a new single in
the summer accompanied by her third album.
Writing to fans at her website, Sophie described
the album as "pop...positive and upbeat (because) I am
a happy woman, after all."
She said, "My album is now in the mixing stage and my first single
is coming out this summer.
"I have been ever so keen to get on with the show
but I really wanted to take my time, too, as
this album is so important - especially as I've
been away for a while.
"Anyhoo, it's been worth the extra mile and I
am really happy with it. I hope you like it too.
"It continues on where the last one left off in that
it's a pop record with a few sides but in spirit
it's probably closer to Read My Lips in that it's
predominantly positive and upbeat. I am a happy woman, after all."
The as-yet-untitled album is the follow-up to
2003's Read My Lips since when Sophie has married boyfriend
Richard Jones and given birth to her first child, Sonny.

* THE O.C.INSPIRES THE SUBWAYS:
The Subways are to release a new song
titled California inspired by their visit to The O.C..
The song is slated to be released as the
band's first single in America, according
to their label Warner Bros.
"It was really strange," singer-guitarist
Billy Lunn told the Los Angeles Times about
the group's schedule that had them flying in to
Los Angeles one day, playing on the set of The O.C.
the next and boarding a plane home the following morning.
The episode with the Subways performing
Rock `n' Roll Queen in The O.C.'s Bait Shop
is due to air on Channel Four on February 26.

* SCISSOR SISTERS ADDED TO COACHELLA:
The Scissor Sisters have been added to the
line-up of California's Coachella Music Festival.
The New York band, currently preparing
the follow-up to their self-titled debut
album, will play the second day of
the festival at Indio..
The festival is headlined by Depeche
Mode of Saturday, April 29, and by Tool
on Sunday, April 30.
Other acts on the bill include Daft
Punk, Franz Ferdinand, SIgur Ros and
Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

February 10th 2006

2006-02-10T06:03:00.000-08:00

* NEW BEATLES FOOTAGE TO BE RELEASED:
* ENGLAND'S VENUES ARE "BORING" DECLARES CHRIS MARTIN:
* EDWYN TO RELEASE NEW SONGS FREE ON THE NET:

* NEW BEATLES FOOTAGE TO BE RELEASED:
Rarely seen footage of The Beatles filmed during
the making of their 1965 movie Help! will
be included on a DVD about the making of
the film.
The Beatles: The Making of Help! will be
released by Music Video Distributors in the US
on March 21.
The DVD includes 20 minutes of footage
of the group in the Bahamas, Austria and
Salisbury Plain where director Richard Lester
shot some of the movie.
A limited edition book will include more
than 100 previously unseen photographs of
the Fab Four taken in the Bahamas by photographer
Jenni Praigg.
As well as the title song, Help!, the Beatles'
second movie featured the group performing Another Girl, I Need You,
The Night Before, You've Got To Hide Your Love
Away, You're Going To Lose That Girl and Ticket To Ride.

* ENGLAND'S VENUES ARE "BORING" DECLARES CHRIS MARTIN:
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has labelled
rock venues in England "boring."
Martin told a audience in Las Vegas it
felt good to be playing the city "after all
those little, boring places in England."
He added, "This is 10,000 times better."
The band were playing at the MGM Grand
Garden on their US tour in support of their
latest album X&Y.
The 28-year-old rockstar thanked the
crowded for turning out in a city with so
much "sexy" competition like the "Chippendales
and strippers," reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

* EDWYN TO RELEASE NEW SONGS FREE ON THE NET:
Edwyn Collins is planning to release some
of the songs recorded just before his near
fatal brain haemorrhage last February on the
Net as downloads.
The former Orange Juice frontman's wife and
manager Grace Maxwell says Edwyn had
"more or less completed" songs for the new
album before his illness.
She added that being an adovcate of downloading,
Edwyn is keen that fans get the chance to
hear the songs via the Net.
Meanwhile, Grace also said she and Edwyn
have plans to make available for downloading
episodes from Edwyn's 1999 Channel Four
sitcom West Heath Yard and the feature-length
sequel West Heath House made a year later.
Grace said, "We plan to make some or all of West Heath
Yard, West Heath House available and also
some of the new album which Edwyn had more
or less completed before his illness.
"As someone who always approved of
bootlegging, Edwyn embraces the idea of free
downloads wholeheartedly."
Edwyn, 46, suffered two brain haemorrhages
last year. Since being released from London's
Royal Free Hospital last August he has been
recuperating with his family at their London
home.

February 9th 2006

2006-02-09T03:39:00.000-08:00

* TOMMY LEE PUNCHED AT EMINEM PARTY:
* DR PHIL UP FOR HAIR AWARD:
* TOM HANKS' SHOW ANGERS MORMONS:
* JADA'S DAUGHTER WANTS TO BE A ROCKER:
* JOHNNY DEPP WINS CRUISERS' HEARTS:

* TOMMY LEE PUNCHED AT EMINEM PARTY:
Tommy Lee was punched in the face at
a pre-Super Bowl party in Detroit hosted
by Eminem.
The 43-year-old Motley Crue drummer was allegedly
dissing Detroit-born rapper Kid Rock at Eminem's Shady Bowl party on
Saturday night when he was suddenly attacked, according to the New York Post.
The paper claims Eminem's posse had
enough with Lee's comments and "took
some swings" at him.
Pamela Anderson's ex was supposed to DJ at another
party in the city later the same evening, but was a no-show,
the Post reported.
In his blog at http://djaero.com/wp/, Lee's
DJ-ing partner, DJ Areo, said, the pair had just watched Eminem
perform Welcome to Detroit when they
decided to leave the Shady Bowl for the
venue where they were due to work.
He added,"While on the way out some
doughnut sucker punched Tommy in is face.
"What a real tough guy! No one saw it
coming. It was just a random act of
testosterone. One punch thrown and that
was it."

* DR PHIL UP FOR HAIR AWARD:
Oprah Winfrey's former sidekick tough-love
advice psychologist bald-headed Dr Phil McGraw
has been nominated for Outstanding
Achievement in Hairstyling by the organisers of
an American TV awards show.
It's thought Dr Phil earned the nomination in the Daytime
Emmy awards because of distinguished moustache
rather than his hair - or lack of it.
Since becoming a household name in the US
thanks to his regular appearances on Oprah,
Dr Phil, 55, has become an even bigger star with his
own show called simply Dr Phil which is also
nominated for the Best Talk Show award.
The awards take place on April 28 in Los
Angeles.

* TOM HANKS' SHOW ANGERS MORMONS:
A new TV series produced by Tom Hanks
about a polygamist living in Utah has run
into trouble with the Mormon Church.
The HBO series' first episode will
carry a message that the Mormon Church
officially banned the practice in the
19th century, reports the New York Post.
The decision followed criticism by
leading members of the Church of the Latter
Day Saints that the series, Big
Love, featuring Twister star Bill Paxton as a
Viagra-popping Mormon with three wives,
could be interupted as being about mainstream
Mormonism.
The series debuts in the US on March 12.

* JADA'S DAUGHTER WANTS TO BE A ROCKER:
Jada Pinkett-Smith's five-year-old daughter Willow
wants to front a rock band when she grows up, says
mum.
But, Matrix II and III actress turned singer Jada says husband
rapper-actor Will takes nothing to do with her
career fronting heavy metal band Wicked Wisdom.
Jada says, "My daughter is a huge metal fan! She has
a better growl than I do and she's only five.
"She said, 'You know I'll have a better band than
you do' the other day when I dropped her off at school.
"As far as my music is concerned, Will stays out of
it. It's my baby."
Wicked Wisdom, who supported Britney Spears on
her 2004 Onyx Hotel tour, release their self-titled debut album
later this month. Tracks include Bleed All Over Me,
Don't Hate Me and Something Inside of Me.

* JOHNNY DEPP WINS CRUISERS' HEARTS:
Johnny Depp is the man most women would
like to be their captain on a cruise ship,
according to a new poll.
The 42-year-old who played Capt. Jack
Sparrow in Disney's hit Pirates of the Caribbean
actor polled 35 per cent of the votes.
The survey was conducted by Princess Cruises who
asked 45,000 passengers to chose which screen captain was
most likely to steal their heart.
Second was former 007 Sean Connery with
30 per cent for his role in The Hunt For Red October,
third was Mel Gibson, 17 per
cent, for Mutiny On The Bounty, fourth Russell Crowe, 10 per cent for
Master and Commander and fifth Gregory Peck, eight per cent for Moby Dick.
Audrey Hepburn polled top as Favourite
Movie Princess for her role in Roman Holiday
and Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet polled
a massive 51 per cent in the Best Smooch
At Sea for their screen kiss in Titanic.
The Shawshank Redemption was voted Best
Escape Movie beating The Great Escape.

February 8th 2006

2006-02-08T05:30:00.000-08:00

* MARIAH SINGS FOR INTEL:
* KANYE WEST TO PERFORM MI3 THEME:
* JANET'S WARDROBE EXPANSION EXPLAINED:
* MADONNA SOLVES HOLIDAY HEADACHE:
* BONO PRAISES BRANGELINA:
* ELTON TO PLAY THE VALLEY:
* MARC ALMOND REJECTS BRITS "HONOUR":

* MARIAH SINGS FOR INTEL:
Mariah Carey is to appear in a television
advert for Intel's new Centrino Duo technology.
The commercial, the first time the 33-year-old
singer has endorsed a product for a TV ad,
will premiere during this evening's live broadcast
in the US of the 48th annual Grammy Awards.
In the ad, Mariah shows off her
vocal range while sitting on the lap of a surprised
computer user trying out the new microchip's features.
Mariah is due to perform at this evening's
awards at the Staples Centre, Los Angeles.
She is nominated for eight awards on the
back of her 2005 comeback album The Emanicipation
of Mimi.
It's not being disclosed how much Mariah
will earn from the ad.

* KANYE WEST TO PERFORM MI3 THEME:
Kanye West is to record the theme to
Tom Cruise' Mission Impossible III.
The Gold Digger rapper will interupt the classic
theme music written by Lalo Schifrin.
Cruise said as a fan of Kanye he was
"thrilled at the prospect of him contributing
his talents to M:i:III.
"We wanted to take this installment of
Mission to the next level and Kanye's music
definitely added to accomplishing that goal,"
said Cruise.
"As we've done with the film, what he's
done with the Mission theme is going to blow
people away."
Director J.J. Abrams said, "My goal is to
take the Mission franchise and
re-interpret it to make a movie that is
familiar, but absolutely brand new.
"Kanye has done just that."
Kanye follows U2's Adam Clayton and Larry
Mullen Jnr who re-interupted Schifrin's theme
for the first Mission Impossible movie in
1996 and Limp Bizkit in 2000 for Mission
Impossible II.
Mission Impossible III is due for release
in May and again stars Cruise as special
agent Ethan Hunt. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Michelle
Monaghan and Keri Russell co-star.

* JANET'S WARDROBE EXPANSION EXPLAINED:
Janet Jackson's recent sudden weight gain
has been explained by her boyfriend R&B and
hip-hop producer Jermaine Dupri.
Janet deliberately put on the pounds
for a film role which later fell through, claims Dupri.
The popstar recently ballooned to about 160 pounds
from her normal 118 pounds.
But, Dupri, Janet's boyfriend of six
years, told the New York Times, "She gained
weight for an indie role."
Janet was due to play a mother in the Deep
South in the movie.
Her weight gain has been a feature of
recent gossip magazines, but Dupri is
confident Janet, 39, will make a strong
comeback when her first album since 2004's
Damita Jo is released this Spring.
He said, "Heaven help us when the album
hits."
Dupri, who produced Mariah Carey's The
Emanicipation of Mimi album, is expected to
attend the Grammy Awards at Los Angeles'
Staples Centre this evening, Mariah is
nominated for eight awards.

* MADONNA SOLVES HOLIDAY HEADACHE:
Madonna has admitted she and husband
Guy Ritchie have been arguing over where
to holiday this summer.
So, the Material Girl says they've reached
a compromise - one week where she wants and
one week where he wants.
The 47-year-old mother-of-two tells Harper's
Bazaar, "It's not easy to be married, to
have a successful career, to have children,
to be with someone who is as strong-willed
and as ambitious as I am ... our
marriage — the union of us, the things we
create together — is bigger than the petty
fights we have.
"You become less impulsive, less reckless,
less careless, less selfish.
"In those respects, I've changed a lot."

* BONO PRAISES BRANGELINA:
Bono has asked that Brad Pitt and Angelina
Jolie be taken more seriously for
their humanitarian work.
The U2 frontman told US TV's Extra he
has worked very closely with the pair and
said, "They're really serious people. They're
really getting under the skin of their
issues."
Last month Angelina, who is a Goodwill
Ambassador for the UN's High Commission for
Refugees, and Pitt, a spokesperson for
the One campaign, visited Haiti to tour programmes for poor children.
The visit followed a trip last year to
refugee camps in Africa.

* ELTON TO PLAY THE VALLEY:
Sir Elton John has added Charlton Athletic
Football Club's The Valley to his summer
tour.
Elton and his band will play the south London
venue on Sunday, June 4.
Tickets go on sale to the general public
on Saturday.
Elton will also play several of England's
bestloved cricket grounds on his summer tour
beginning on June 3 at the St Lawrence
Cricket Ground, Canterbury, Kent.
The tour follows a concert at the Manchester Evening
News Arena on May 29.

* MARC ALMOND REJECTS BRITS "HONOUR":
Marc Almond has turned down the chance
to appear at next week's Brits.
The former Soft Cell singer had been
asked to present an award and felt
"honoured and would love to have done it," a
statement at his website read.
But, it added that Almond, who almost
died in a 2004 motorcycle accident, although
"making an amazing recovery...still
has some problems and doesn't feel ready
for such a high profile appearance in front
of the industry."
Almond is learning to walk, talk and sing
again following massive head injuries.
The Brits take place on February 15 at
Earl's Court.

February 7th 2006

2006-02-08T05:29:00.000-08:00

* KEIRA AND SCARLETT - NAKED TOGETHER:
* MADONNA AND PRODUCER "LIKE BROTHER AND SISTER":
* KEITH SHOULD BE DEAD SAYS AGE EXPERT:
* THREE'S A CROWD FOR JACK:
* MARIAH DOESN'T LIKE EATING IN PUBLIC:
* JUSTIN'S EX PUTS PAST BEHIND HER:
* NATASHA WORKING WITH TOP US PRODUCER:

* KEIRA AND SCARLETT - NAKED TOGETHER:
Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson
have posed nude together for the cover of
Vanity Fair magazine's annual Hollywood issue.
The couple shed their clothes for
photographer Annie Leibovitz who shot them
"nuzzling" either side of American fashion designer Tom Ford.
According to the New York Post, "It is Miss Knightley's belly ring that really
catches the eye," while "the Johansson
rump can be viewed only when the fold-out
cover is unfolded."
The Post reports that before the photo
was taken Scarlett, 21, and Keira, 20,
appeared "relaxed...wearing nothing but
white terrycloth robes...giggling like
schoolgirls."
"The pair nervously paced the set and
cracked jokes with the photo crew and
makeup staff," the paper adds.
Pride & Prejudice star Keira's mother was
in attendance and after mother and daughter embraced
wished Keira good luck before the shoot.
Leibovitz shot several photos of the two
actresses in positions "that bared just enough,
but not too much."
Actress Rachel McAdams (The Wedding Crashers) had been due to
strip for the photo for a threesome, but
she balked at the nudity and bowed out, the
Post reported.
Ford agreed to step in at the suggestion
of Leibovitz who apparently felt two girls
in a bed indicated they might be lesbians.
After the pictures were taken Keira was
overheard uttering "Phew!...I wanted to put
up a `Do Not Disturb' sign because I was
so embarrassed about everyone going in."
The duo had never met before the photoshoot,
but afterwards, Match Point star Scarlett joked, "We know each
other now..." and turning to Keira said, "Very
nice seeing you!.!"
In the magazine photo, Scarlett is lying
on her belly with her butt slightly elevated
and one leg crossed over the other.
Keira is pictured behind her leaning
forward with her arms draped over her legs.
The photo appears on the cover of the magazine's
March issue and pictures from the shoot are
available at www.vanityfair.com.

* MADONNA AND PRODUCER "LIKE BROTHER AND SISTER":
Madonna's rep has laughed off reports
the popstar has been secretly dating her
producer Stuart Price.
Liz Rosenberg told the New York Post,
"Oh come. They are like brother and sister."
Rumours that the 47-year-old mother-of-two
and Price had become lovers surfaced after
Madonna was seen at Price's London home.

* KEITH SHOULD BE DEAD SAYS AGE EXPERT:
Keith Richard should have died in 1995
due to his hard-living ways, according to
a leading expert on the aging process.
Dr David Demko, author of the book
Boomer, Zoomer and Beyond, thinks the sex,
drugs and drinking that the 63-year-old Rolling
Stones' guitarist has put his body through
since his early 20s should have added up
to a combined deduction of 30 years of his
predicted lifespan.
Dr. Demko, whose book Behold the Death
Calculator aims to predict how long a person
may life based on an extensive set of questions
about their lifestyle and habits, told
the New York Post, "I saw him (Richards)
on the SuperBowl, and he's still the same
old Keith.
"He's either really lucky, or he has
extraordinary genes. You can often beat the
odds with good genes."

* THREE'S A CROWD FOR JACK:
Jack Black has revealed he grew up in a
sex cult where his mother and father often
enjoyed a menage a trois.
The King Kong star tells GQ, "My parents
met this other woman who ended up coming
and living with us. In the same bed."
But, the attempt by Black's parents to
try and save their marriage by spicing up
their sex life didn't work.
He says his jealous mother would beat up
his father's girlfriend.
"It was a meltdown," adds Black.

* MARIAH DOESN'T LIKE EATING IN PUBLIC:
Marah Carey has been speaking about her battle trying to
maintain her voluptuous body and revealed that she doesn't like to eat
in public, but in bed, complete with bib presumably to gather the crumbs
and accidental spills.
The 35-year-old singer tells Marie Claire she doesn't want
to be a "skinny twig," but she's "bad with the weight thing."
She adds, "I go up and down really quickly, because I am
a muscular person. People don't know that I have [well-defined biceps]
and these could easily become weird bodybuilder arms."
Revealing her penchant for wearing a bib while eating in bed,
Mariah says, "I am just like, 'Whatever, nobody is looking at me for once!'
"That's why I don't really like to eat in public. When people say, 'Mariah
never eats in public,' I'm like, 'You're right.' "

* JUSTIN'S EX PUTS PAST BEHIND HER:
Justin Timberlake's other ex-girlfriend, dancer Jenna Dewan, says
she just wants to put the past behind her and move on with her
life as a budding actress.
Dewan, a former back-up dancer for 'NSync who was blamed
for causing the split in 2002 between Timberlake and his then
longtime girlfriend Britney Spears, is trying to make
her way in Hollywood with two movies due later this year.
She told TV Guide she "very much" wants to put behind her
the Justin-Britney "thing."
But, she appears to hold no grudges against either describing
both as "good people."
Jenna, who stars in the horror movie, Tamara, and a ballroom dancing film called
Take the Lead, both due later in 2006, adds,
"I won't do nudity ever, unless it's a
great role."

* NATASHA WORKING WITH TOP US PRODUCER:
Natasha Bedingfield is working with top
US producer Dave Tozer on her second album.
Natasha has been in Los Angeles recently
working with Tozer, who produced eight tracks on
R&B singer John Legend's debut album Get
Lifted.
The 24-year-old singer is currently in
the US Top 10 with her second American
single, Unwritten.
Her 2004 debut album of the same name has sold
more than 250,000 copies in the US.
Meanwhile, Tozer has signed a production deal to work
with Natasha and two other British acts,
rapper/singer Estelle and R&B singer Shean
Williams, reports Billboard.

February 6th 2006

2006-02-08T05:26:00.000-08:00

* MCCARTNEY FEARED HE'D BECOME A MONK:
* SUGABABES TO PLAY G-A-Y CLUB:
* DYLAN BEGINS WORK ON NEW ALBUM:
* THRILL-ED TO BE SUPPORTING OASIS:
* VOGUE TO FEATURE DITA'S WEDDING PICS:

* MCCARTNEY FEARED HE'D BECOME A MONK:
Sir Paul McCartney feared he might have
to live like a monk the rest of his life after the death in 1998
of his wife Linda.
McCartney, 63, told the Los Angeles Times, "I
wondered if this was where I sort of become a monk."
The ex-Beatle, who married former model Heather Mills
in June 2002, added,"When love did come,
it was totally unexpected. I feel very
grateful and very blessed for Heather.
"She's a very beautiful and kindhearted lady."
The couple's first child, Beatrice Lilly, was born in October, 2003.
McCartney added he hopes to complete
a classical choral work this year and
confirmed there would be no touring in 2006.
McCartney is due to perform at Wednesday's
48th annual Grammys ceremony at the Los Angeles' Staples Centre.
His latest album, Chaos And Creation In The Backyard is nominated for
Album of the Year.
"I'll do the Grammys … have a bit of fun
there," he says. "Win or lose, it doesn't
matter. Then I'm going to work on some
projects. But no tour," he said.

* SUGABABES TO PLAY G-A-Y CLUB:
The Sugababes are to perform their
first UK gig since the arrival of new member
Amelle Berrabah at London's G-A-Y nightclub on Saturday,
March 4.
Amelle, who replaced Mutya Buena,
will join bandmates Keisha Buchanan and
Heidi Range to perform the band's new single Red Dress which is
released on March 6.
Buena quit the R&B group in December citing
personal reasons.

* DYLAN BEGINS WORK ON NEW ALBUM:
Bob Dylan has hired a 19th century
opera house outside New York to begin
work on his first studio album in five
years.
The 64-year-old folk-rock legend spent
four days at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House
in Ploughkeepsie last week writing and
rehearsing songs for the album which he is
due to record this week at a studio in
Manhattan.
The building's executive director Chris
Silva told the Ploughkeepsie Journal that
Dylan and his band played on the stage
from Tuesday through to Friday and that
Dylan worked without a break for five hours
each day.
"It was experimental, all kinds of
different licks," said Silva, who checked out
the sessions.
"They would get into one thing and they
would go over it and over it, then they
would change gears."
The album will be Dylan's first studio
album since 2001's Love And Theft which
won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk
Album.

* THRILL-ED TO BE SUPPORTING OASIS:
The Thrills are to support Oasis at
three shows in Europe.
The Dublin band were offered the chance to support
the Manchester outfit for 10 days on the tour.
But, the offer came in just as singer Conor Deasey
underwent an op to have four wisdom teeth removed and
the band had to say "No" to the first few gigs supporting
their heroes.
Conor said, "I had had four wisdom teeth removed.
I put it off for almost a year because of touring
commitments and a fear of general anaesthetics.
"When I woke up after the operation, I was told we were
offered a week and a half of Oasis support dates in Europe.
"It was short notice. They were starting in two days.
"I immediately rang all the guys and told them in a
slurred voice that I would be ready in time.
"I was feeling great but I was still heavily sedated by
pain killers, being overly ambitious and had a sore week
in front of me.
"Anyway, we held on to the last three shows."
The Thrills will be supporting Oasis in
Toulouse, France, this evening (04FEB),
Florence, Italy, on Monday (06FEB) and
Rome, Italy, on Tuesday.
Conor says, "Oasis were big heroes of ours when we were
teenagers growing up in Dublin.
"As well as Pulp and Blur. I have kept a page from The
Cork Examiner in the summer of 1996. It has a big review of
the Oasis concerts in Cork.
"Underneath the review is a picture of Daniel and I at
the gig.
"We told ourselves recently that we wouldn't do anymore
support dates but this was too good to turn down."
The offer to support Noel and Liam Gallagher's band
will mean the Thrills will have to delay recording on
their third album.
Conor added, "We think we might put back the recording
sessions for the album by a few months.
"The latest batch of songs were easily the best so far.
We feel we're entering a creative patch and it would be
shame to interrupt it.
"We'll probably play some of our new songs at the Oasis dates."

* VOGUE TO FEATURE DITA'S WEDDING PICS:
Vogue magazine has secured exclusive rights to feature
the wedding photographs of goth rocker Marilyn Manson
and burlesque stripper Dita Von Teese.
The photographs will appear in the March edition of the
American magazine.
The pair wed at their artist friend
Gottfried Helnwein's Castle Gurteen Le Poer in
Co. Tipperary in December.
Among the 60 guests who attended were
Lisa Marie Presley.
After the pair exchanged vows they hosted
skeet shooting, archery and falconry.
Dita says she regrets wearing a "bird of
paradise" hat for the falconry.
"The birds thought I was their mom,"
she says.

February 3rd 2006

2006-02-03T02:04:00.000-08:00

* ELTON REVAMPS VAMPIRE MUSICAL:
* TOMMY TRICKED ...ALMOST...BY TRANNY:
* PARIS' SECRET JOURNALS STOLEN:
* OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS FOR SIMON COWELL:

* ELTON REVAMPS VAMPIRE MUSICAL:
The Broadway opening of Sir Elton John's
Lestat musical has been delayed by two
weeks as the pop legend reworks the show
following its panning by critics during previews in San Francisco.
Elton rang the New York Post to refute
rumours the $12 million (£6.75 million) musical, based on Anne Rice's
vampire books, would not be heading to
Broadway after its initial poor reviews.
"We have a lot of work to do, I'm not
going to deny that.
"There are problems in the first act,
we're going to have a new beginning and a
new ending and some minor characters are
going to bite the dust," said the 58-year-old
singer.
One review called the musical "bland," but Elton
said, "I can take it. I've been called worse things than bland, believe me."
Lestat is now due to begin previews at Broadway's
Palace Theatre on March 25 before opening on April 25.

* TOMMY TRICKED ...ALMOST...BY TRANNY:
Tommy Lee was almost duped by a transsexual
when he partied the night away in Toronto.
The 43-year-old Motley Crue drummer and legendary
lothario called over he-she Nina Arsenault at the Ultra Supper
Club.
Nina sat on Tommy's lap and shared a few shots of tequila, according to
Canada's National Post.
It wasn't until Tommy's bodyguard had some words in the rockstar's
ear that he made his excuses and left, the paper reported.
Said Nina, "That's when he took a good long look at me."

* PARIS' SECRET JOURNALS STOLEN:
Paris Hilton is said by her official
spokesperson to be "upset" at the theft
of personal journals and diaries.
A couple of computers, clothing and
several hundred photographs and videotapes
have also been stolen by burglars.
The 24-year-old socialite only discovered
the theft when she was alerted by a
reporter who was contacted by the robbers.
"When I first told her, the thing that
upset her the most were her journals and
her diaries - that is the most personal of
the materials," Paris' spokesperson
Elliott Mintz told the New York Post.
The Simple Life star's home was broken into
two years ago. Last year her mobile phone
was hacked.

* OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS FOR SIMON COWELL:
Simon Cowell is produce a new variety
show for American television.
The as-yet-untitled show will air on
NBC this summer and will feature amateur singers,
dancers, comedians and "bizarre novelty acts."
Viewers will be able to vote for the
winner who will go on to headline a Las
Vegas show.
Cowell told the Hollywood Reporter, "This
is a show I've always wanted to make.
"This time we're looking for everything.
Personally, I hope to find the next
Siegfried and Roy.
"I promise this is going to be a fun
ride."
Cowell will produce the show with
FreemantleMedia, the company behind
Pop Idol and American Idol.

February 2nd 2006

2006-02-02T04:53:00.000-08:00

* CHARLOTTE CHURCH ANNOUNCES TOUR:
* DIDDY AND DOHERTY - BEST FRIENDS?:
* QUEEN, OASIS SCORE ONLINE HITS WITH OLDIES:
* I'M A "TOTAL SOCIAL BUTTERFLY" - PARIS:

* CHARLOTTE CHURCH ANNOUNCES TOUR:
Charlotte Church is to undertake her first
UK tour since switching from opera to pop.
The 19-year-old Welsh singer will begin
the tour at the Glasgow Clyde Auditorium on
April 18.
She will also play London's Shepherd's
Bush Empire on April 20 and Cardiff's St
David's Hall on April 21.
Tickets go on sale tomorrow, Friday.
Charlotte releases a new single,
Moodswings (To Come At Me Like That) on
February 27.
The track is the fourth to be taken from
her top five album Tissues & Issues.
The single features a new remix by
co-writer Gary Smith and a bonus track, Calling
You, from the movie Baghdad Cafe.
Charolotte is nominated for Best
British Female Performer at the Brit Awards
on February 15.

* DIDDY AND DOHERTY - BEST FRIENDS?:
Are Diddy and Pete Doherty best new pals?.
The rap mogul apparently would like the
Babyshambles' singer in his crew - he invited
Doherty to the launch at the Core club
in New York last night of his first fragrance called Unforgivable.
Among the other celebs luckily enough to
be on Diddy's wanted list were Jay-Z, Lindsay
Lohan and Naomi Watts.
Unforgivable, backed by a huge publicity
campaign by Estee Lauder, hits US stores later this month -
but not in time for Valentine's Day. Diddy's
scent won't be in stores until the day after.

* QUEEN, OASIS SCORE ONLINE HITS WITH OLDIES:
Queen's 70s classic Bohemian Rhaposdy and
Oasis' 90s favourite Wonderwall are hits all
over again thanks to online sales.
Bohemian Rhaposdy, originally a No. 1 hit in 1975,
has sold more than 301,000 copies online
while another Queen classic, We Will Rock
You, has sold more than 202,000.
Wonderwall, originally a No. 2 hit in 1995,
is also notching up brisk sales as an online single.
Since Wonderwall became available on
services like iTunes it has sold more than
251,000 copies.
Queen and Oasis aren't the only bands enjoying hits
with one of their oldies.
Def Leppard's 80s hit Pour Some Sugar on Me has
sold 216,000 and even rapper Vanilla Ice's
Ice Ice Baby is racking up big sales.
David Dorn, senior vice president of new
media strategy at Rhino Records told the
New York Times, "There are lots of newbies
out there, people who don't know of any of
these bands, and they could easily buy one song."

* I'M A "TOTAL SOCIAL BUTTERFLY" - PARIS:
Paris Hilton has admitted the obvious - she's "a total
social butterfly" and enjoys attention.
The 24-year-old hotel heiress tells Interview
magazine, "What everyone sees is really just
me putting on this fun character.
"The best thing to do is always smile. Then
nobody knows what you're thinking, and
that's hot. I'm a total social butterfly
Aquarius, but there are a lot of club rats,
table-lurkers and party crashers who I
always avoid."
Paris also admits she likes making an
entrance.
"My whole way of making entrances is very
tongue-in-cheek.
"One time I arrived at a party in a
helicopter. I kind of felt bad because the
wind from the propellers blew champagne
glasses out of people's hands and everyone's
hair was ruined.
"But I thought it was cool."
Paris is due to present an award at this
month's Brits in London.

February 1st 2006

2006-02-01T03:33:00.000-08:00

* RICKY MARTIN TO PLAY LONDON SHOW:
* EVA TO HOST AWARDS SHOW:
* DOHERTY'S LABEL - "WE'RE NOT BOUNTY HUNTERS":
* DESTINY'S CHILD RE-UNITE ONE LAST TIME:
* LINDSAY INJURED BY A TEACUP:
* BRITNEY TO APPEAR ON WILL & GRACE:
* CHARLOTTE CHURCH TO RELEASE NEW SINGLE:
* WESTLIFE ANNOUNCE SUMMER SHOWS:

* RICKY MARTIN TO PLAY LONDON SHOW:
Ricky Martin is to play London's Hammersmith
Apollo on April 22.
Tickets go on sale on Friday at 9am.
The concert is only confirmed show so far on
the 34-year-old Latin singer's first major tour in six years.
Last year he released Life, his first English-language
studio album since 2000's Sound Loaded.
Ricky said of the album, "I believe this album
is global. My dream is to unite lifestyles with
my music. That's why I went from rock to Middle
Eastern sounds, from Asian to hip-hop, from pop
to Reggaeton, making it easy for people from all
over the world to relate."
Ricky's European tour also includes concerts in
Holland, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and France.

* EVA TO HOST AWARDS SHOW:
Eva Longoria is to host America's biggest
Latino awards show.
The 30-year-old Desperate Housewives' star will
host the American Latino Media Arts Awards on
May 7 at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium.
Eva will also co-produce the show. She told
Variety, "I wanted to produce it so I could control
what I was wearing."
The awards honour actors, producers, directors
and musicians who promote "positive portrayals of
Hispanics in the media," reports the New York
Post.
The ceremony will air in June on ABC-TV.

* DOHERTY'S LABEL - "WE'RE NOT BOUNTY HUNTERS":
Pete Doherty's record label has moved to distance itself from his
latest drug busts.
Colin Wallace, international manager of Babyshambles'
record label Rough Trade, told the New York Times the label would
no longer help put up money to bail the 26-year-old
singer out of jail each time he's arrested on drug charges.
"We've done it before, we can't keep doing it.
We're not bounty hunters," said Wallace.
He added that Doherty was one of "the most
charismatic front guys of a band I've ever seen."
Doherty was arrested three times last Friday -
twice on drug-related charges and a third on
suspicion of assaulting a fan at a recent concert.
He has been arrested at least 10 times since November,
the New York Times reported.
Rough Trade released Doherty's debut album with Babyshambles
titled Down In Albion last November.

* DESTINY'S CHILD RE-UNITE ONE LAST TIME:
Destiny's Child will reunite for a final
performance in their hometown of Houston later
this month.
The R&B trio will perform the National
Anthem before the 2006 National Basketball
Association All-Star Game in Houston on
February 19.
Last year the group released their final
album and a tour wrapped up in Vancouver in
September.
Beyonce Knowles will be seen later this
month in the remake of The Pink Panther and
is hoping to begin work on a new album this
summer while Kelly Rowland and Michelle
Williams are also planning to start work soon
on their next solo albums, reports Billboard.

* LINDSAY INJURED BY A TEACUP:
Lindsay Lohan was taken to hospital with
a gash on her shin after a broken
teacup cut her her while she was staying with
friends at Bryan Adams' London home.
She was taken to the unnamed hospital last
Friday, but released later the same day.
"She and her friends were preparing
breakfast, with eggs and everything, and
Lindsay was going up the stairs, carrying a
ceramic teacup," her mother, Dina Lohan, was
quoted as telling Star magazine.
"She had just come out of the shower so
she was still wet and had some lotion on,
and she completely flipped on the stairs
since it was slippery. The teacup went
flying, it was shattered, and one of the
pieces cut Lindsay in her shin.
"It was an accident."
Adams, who photographed Lindsay and other
celebrities for his 2005 book American
Women, wasn't in London when the accident
occured, Dina added.
Lindsay received 10 stitches, but is
said to be doing fine and already back at
work, her spokeperson said.
She is currently filming in New York the
movie Chapter 27 with Jared Leto about the murder of John Lennon.
Last month, Lindsay was hospitalised after
a severe asthma attack while in Miami.

* BRITNEY TO APPEAR ON WILL & GRACE:
Britney Spears is to guest on an episode
of Will & Grace.
The 24-year-old popstar will play Sean Hayes'
character's Jack's co-host on Out TV.
In the episode Out TV is bought by a
Christian television network and Britney's
first job as Jack's new sidekick is to do
a cooking spot called Cruci-fixion, reports
MTV.
The episode will air in the US on April 13.
This is the final season for Will & Grace which
ends its eight year run in May.

* CHARLOTTE CHURCH TO RELEASE NEW SINGLE:
Charlotte Church will release a new single,
Moodswings (To Come At Me Like That) on
February 27.
The track is the fourth to be taken from
her top five album Tissues & Issues.
The single features a new remix by
co-writer Gary Smith and a bonus track, Calling
You, from the movie Baghdad Cafe.
The Welsh singer is nominated for Best
British Female Performer at the Brit Awards
on February 15.

* WESTLIFE ANNOUNCE SUMMER SHOWS:
Westlife are to play a series of outdoor concerts across
the UK this summer.
The Irish boy band will kick off the Summer Nights tour
on Friday, June 30 at Bleinheim Palace, Oxfordshire.
The rest of the tour is:
Saturday, July 1 - Harewood House, Yorkshire
Saturday, July 8 - Leeds Castle, Kent
Sunday, July 9 - Chatsworth House, Derbyshire
Friday, July 14 - Cardiff Castle
Sunday, July 16 - The Recreation Ground, Bath
Friday, July 21 - Edinburgh Castle
Saturday, July 22 - Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire
Sunday, July 23 - Althorpe House, Northamptonshire
Tickets go on sale on Friday, February 3.
Westlife begin an arena tour of the UK and Ireland at the
Belfast Odyssey Arena on April 3. The tour wraps up at
London's Wembley Arena on May 19.
The band release a new single, Amazing, on February 20. The
track is the latest from their No. 1 album Face To Face which
has sold more than 1.1 million coipies since its release last
October.

January 31st 2006

2006-02-01T03:30:00.000-08:00

* RICKY GERVAIS JOINS BEN STILLER COMEDY:
* MARIAH AND JANET TO DUET?:
* PJ HARVEY COMES OUT OF RETIREMENT:
* RUSH FOR TICKETS TO SEE JULIA:

* RICKY GERVAIS JOINS BEN STILLER COMEDY:
Ricky Gervais has joined the cast of Ben Stiller's comedy
Night at the Museum.
Ricky will play a highly strung film director.
Director Shawn Levy said, "Ben did Ricky's show, Extras,
in an infamous cameo and Ricky is returning the favour by playing
a very uptight museum director," Levy said.
The Office star will join Robin Williams, who plays US president Theodore
Roosevelt and Hollywood legends Mickey Rooney and Dick Van Dyke in
the 20th Century Fox movie.
Museum tells the story of a natural history museum
night watchman (Stiller) who discovers that its many exhibits
awaken at night under the spell of a pharaoh's tablet, reports www.comingsoon.net.
The special-effects-laden adventure begins 10 weeks of shooting in
Vancouver next week, and is reported to have a budget between $100-million
(£54 million) and $140-million (£79 million).

* MARIAH AND JANET TO DUET?:
Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson are being
lined up to record a duet.
Record producer Jermaine Dupri, boyfriend
of Jackson and producer of Carey's hit
comeback album, The Emanicipation of Mimi,
wants to record the two divas together.
Dupri told MTV, "That's been on my mind for a couple weeks
now.
"The hardest part is figuring out a song
that fits both of them, because you have two
different styles of artists, and the thing
when you're dealing with divas is you don't
want to overshadow either one, so if you
were to do a song for them, it would have to
work where both of them would feel they were
on the same pedestal, or else someone's
gonna have a problem."
Carey previously teamed up with Whitney
Houston to record When You Believe, a Top 10
hit in 1998.
Jackson is due to release a new album this
Spring.

* PJ HARVEY COMES OUT OF RETIREMENT:
Polly "PJ" Harvey has come out of
her self-imposed retirement to play with
American indie singer-songwriter Moris
Tepper.
The 36-year-old Dorest-born singer announced
in December, 2004, onstage in Paris that
she was quitting playing live saying:
"This is the last show I will ever play."
The NME reported at the time that the
statement echoed that made by David Bowie
in 1973 at his London Hammersmith Odeon gig.
Polly Jean came out of retirement last
week to play bass guitar with 43-year-old
Tepper's band Candlebone.
She's also helping Tepper record his
new album.
As well as playing with Captain
Beefheart's Magic Band in the 70s, Tepper
has also played with Pixies'
leader Frank Black, Tom Waits and Robyn
Hitchcock.
The six-times Brit nominated singer became
friends with Tepper when he supported
Polly on her 2004 European tour. She had
asked him to join her on tour based on one
hearing of his album.

* RUSH FOR TICKETS TO SEE JULIA:
Fans have been scrambling for tickets to see Julia Roberts
make her Broadway debut.
When tickets went onsale on Saturday some online websites
crashed due to the heavy demand.
Weekend tickets for the 12-week run are almost sold-out, reports
the New York Daily News.
The Oscar winning actress makes her Broadway debut in
Three Days of Rain beginning on March 28.
She's the biggest movie star to hit the New York stage since
Nicole Kidman bared her behind in the steamy play
The Blue Room, reports the Daily News.