CMU
Daily - on the inside Thursday
3rd March
In
today's CMU Daily:
- Lawyers set out to discredit accuser's mother - Jacko trial
update
- Dizzee Rascal arrested
- Edwyn Collins undergoes brain surgery
- Album Review: Various - Phil K Presents Y4K
- Deadline passes to sign up to Universal’s new video rules
- MIA signs to Interscope
- Glastonbury man hopes new system will prevent ticket sales
trauma
- Triptych line up announced
- Single Review: Meloboy - Hot Love
- Tom Vek tour
- The House Of Love tour
- New Order launch interactive posters
- Bacon to take over Capital drivetime
- Virgin Radio to go 3G
- Single Review: David Guetta - The World Is Mine
- Diaz annoyed at Timberlake's Britney calls
- Delta not fazed by response to her relationship with McFadden
- Will Smith off signing breasts
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LAWYERS
SET OUT TO DISCREDIT ACCUSER'S MOTHER - JACKO TRIAL UPDATE
Yesterday's instalment of the Jacko trial centred on the evidence
of one Ann Kite, who briefly worked as a PR for the singer shortly
after the airing of Martin Bashir's ITV documentary. Called
by the prosecution her testimony seemed to centre more on the
allegations that Jackson's people held the family of the accuser
against their will at the Neverland ranch more than the child
abuse charges; though she also gave the prosecution some ammunition
against the defence's attempts to discredit the accuser's mother.
She
said she had been hired by Jackson's people to "crisis
manage" the fallout that followed Bashir's documentary,
which Kite described as an "absolute disaster" for
Jacko. She said that shortly after starting the job one of Jackson's
lawyers had told her the singer's legal team intended to make
Gavin Arvizo's mother look like a "crack whore". She
went on to describe events in Feb 2003 when the Arvizo family,
who had been staying at Neverland, abruptly left the ranch.
She said Jackson associate Marc Shaffel alerted her to the family's
sudden departure because he feared what implications their decision
to leave might have on Jackson. Soon afterwards, Kite said,
Schaffel told her the situation had been "contained"
- a reference to allegations the family were held at Neverland
against their will. Kite says Schaffel's statement concerned
her so she phoned David LeGrand, an attorney and ex-boyfriend
who had hired her to work for Jackson. Kite: "I said, 'Don't
make me believe that these people were hunted down like dogs
and brought back to the ranch'. He said, 'I can't discuss this
right now.' "
Jackson's
defence team, who spent much of the day objecting to the prosecution's
questions (fourteen times in one half hour period) questioned
Kite's credibility as a witness, stressing that she worked for
the singer's team for less than a week before she was fired,
and that she had never met Jackson himself. Kite's evidence
did, however, centre on Jacko's people rather than the singer
himself. She said she felt Jackson was being "slammed"
by his team, adding that team members had their own agenda,
and alleging that one team member was actually an agent for
a record company hoping to persuade Jackson to give up control
of some of his valuable music catalogue.
The case, as they say, continues.
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DIZZEE
RASCAL ARRESTED
Elsewhere in the pop courts, Mercury Prize winning Dizzee Rascal
has been arrested for allegedly carrying pepper spray. Police
have confirmed the rapper was arrested on Wednesday night in
East London after the car he was travelling in was stropped.
The driver of the car was also arrested.
A
police spokesman told reporters: "They were both taken
into custody at an East London police station and they were
later released on bail to return on 8 Apr. The driver, a 34-year-old
man, was subsequently arrested for being in possession of a
section five firearm - pepper spray - and an offensive weapon,
which was an ASP baton, and cannabis. A 20-year-old male passenger
was also arrested for being in possession of pepper spray."
Here's
hoping any court proceedings relating to the charges don't mess
with his upcoming US tour - for starters he is due in Salt Lake
City on the day he meant to be reporting in with police - 8
Apr.
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EDWYN
COLLINS UNDERGOES BRAIN SURGERY
Scottish singer Edwyn Collins has undergone emergency brain
surgery after suffering a haemorrhage last month. The wife of
the former Orange Juice frontman said yesterday that Collins
was recovering, is "as well as can be hoped for" and
is "continuing to fight". The singer is currently
in a London hospital while his condition is being stabilised.
Collins
first came to attention through his band Orange Juice in the
early eighties, though it was with his 1995 solo hit 'A Girl
Like You' that he enjoyed mainstream success.
Collins'
wife thanked fans and well-wishers for their "loving thoughts",
promising to keep them up to date on Collins' condition via
his official website.
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ALBUM
REVIEW: Various - Phil K presents Y4K (Distinctive)
Antipodean breakster Phil K has been doing the breaks thing
for a while now - I mean a long while, like two decades. He
steps up here to provide the latest edition of Distinctive's
Y4K series, selecting some good ones for the mix. He eases us
in with the slowbrooding 'Slur' by Luisine before dropping a
couple of good tracks in Rhino Drum's 'Dark Da Da' which has
some stealth inbuilt and Agoria's 'Kofea' - a cool disjointed
b-line pressure. Alas, after that fine start we get Jahcoozi's
'Fish', which sucks big time, and Mr K has to work hard to regain
some ground. He doesn't get far with next track, Trafik's 'Echoes',
which is all a bit indie for me, but things start to pick up
with Phil K's own track (with Habersham), 'Cloudbrake' which
cuts it, even with the ethnic chants. Motive's 'ABE' aint great
(the vocals are a bit overdone) and Electric Ghost's 'Logic'
is just OK, but then things pick up for the finale - with Product
01's 'Loud' presenting some ripping coastal breaks pressure
and Vini's 'Dominion' a real epic. All in all, a mixed bag,
though big up Phil K for producing an eclectic if variable selection.
PV
Release date: 7 Mar
Press contact: Trailermedia [all]
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DEADLINE
PASSES TO SIGN UP TO UNIVERSAL’S NEW VIDEO RULES
So, where's that Eminem video then? Oh, damn, it's gone. Yep,
videos from artists signed to the Universal Music Group are
no longer appearing on Yahoo! Music or AOL Music this morning
after the two music platforms failed to come to a deal with
the major as to how they will pay for the content.
Universal
is the first major label to insist on a pay-per-view set up
for the streaming of music videos, bringing video content in
line with audio content. When it announced that new policy it
told digital media platforms streaming their content that they
had a month to sign up to the new arrangement - and that deadline
passed yesterday. MSN's music platform has come to a deal, reportedly
paying the record label a penny each time one of their videos
is streamed, plus a cut of ad revenue. However AOL and Yahoo
have no such arrangement. As a result the former has cut all
Universal content from their video service, while the latter
has taken down new Universal content, claiming catalogue videos
are still covered by an existing agreement they have with the
major.
Insiders
say that negotiations between both platforms and Universal bosses
are ongoing but are taking longer than anticipated. That said,
some speculate that both Yahoo and MSN wanted to demonstrate
they could, if necessary, exist without Universal's content,
strengthening their hand at the bargaining table.
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MIA
SIGNS TO INTERSCOPE
Which means no MIA videos for American Yahoo and AOL users.
Yep, according to Billboard, one of CMU's favourite rappers,
MIA, signed to XL over here, has signed to Universal imprint
Interscope in the US. They will release her debut album 'Arular'
over there - its UK release has been put back to mid-Mar while
XL sort out a few sample clearances.
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GLASTONBURY
MAN HOPES NEW SYSTEM WILL PREVENT TICKET SALES TRAUMA
Glastonbury Festival man Michael Eavis says he is hopeful ticket
sales for this year's festival will run smoothly following a
number of changes in the sales system. Such is the demand for
Glastonbury tickets these days, in recent years both online
and phone booking systems have gone into meltdown as soon as
tickets have gone on sale.
Writing
on the festival's website, Eavis says he hopes things will run
smoother this year: "Last year buying festival tickets
was very difficult and a lot of people were disappointed. The
same number of tickets will be available for us to sell this
year - so if the worldwide demand for tickets is similar to
2004, unfortunately there will again be more people disappointed
than successful. But we have spent a lot of time looking at
different ways of selling festival tickets to reduce the problems
that people had last year. What I can promise you is that we
will have tested and re-tested the improved online system, so
people should not be left in limbo this year. By having the
sale on Sunday, I am assured the problems that the telephone
exchange faced last year will not be repeated."
Eavis
also confirmed that ticket holders will again be required to
show ID when they arrive on site in a bid to stop ticket touts
selling on passes. Festival goers without photo ID can get themselves
a bespoke Glastonbury ID card. Eavis: "Last year we attempted
to tackle the number of people selling on tickets for profit
by requiring you to show some ID at the turnstiles. It was very
successful, so we are taking the next step and requiring you
to provide photo ID this year - but don't worry - it need not
cost you anything as we can arrange a free card for you. I really
think this is a positive move forward to stop unscrupulous people
and companies touting tickets."
Tickets
for Glastonbury 2005 go on sale on 3 Apr.
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TRIPTYCH
LINE UP ANNOUNCED
Talking of festivals, look out for this one North of the border.
Not only do Tennants lager sponsor Scotland's main music festival,
T in the Park, they also support Triptych, a really innovative
music festival take place in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen
(that's where the 'Tri' comes from presumably).
The line up pretty much says it all. Among the headline acts
this year are Karlheinz Stockhausen, one of the most important
figures in contemporary music to Scotland, soul and disco legend
Candi Staton, venerated two-tone lode star Prince Buster and
the very great Herbie Hancock. Other CMU favourites on the bill
include Aberfeldy, Arab Strap, Bugz in the Attic, The Fall,
Gruff Ryhs (Super Furry Animals), Gilles Peterson, Hot Chip,
LCD Soundsystem, Roots Manuva and The Vinyl Junkies.
And
as if that wasn't enough there's film too - Gang-warfare cult
classic 'Warriors' (embellished with a scintillating live score
by hip-hop maverick Tes); Latin-jazz extravaganza 'Calle 54';
contemporary cinema masterpiece 'Niceland' (presented by electro-swooner
Mugison, who also sound-tracked the film); the delirious, brilliant
'Howlin' Wolf Story' - which documents the life of the legendary
bluesman; and 'Look For Me In The Whirlwind' - a forceful and
colourful account of Marcus Garvey; one of Jamaica's greatest
cultural icons.
Commenting
on this year's event, George Kyle of Tennent's Lager told CMU:
"Triptych goes from strength to strength each year, and
is now widely recognised as one of Europe's most diverse and
arresting music festivals. It's perhaps fitting for Triptych's
fifth anniversary that this year's bill has a certain sense
of celebration: some of the biggest and most significant names
to date are set to delight over five heady days and nights -
musical legends who have, since day one, appealed to the Triptych
ideology and who have, in year five, auspiciously come on board.
Triptych 05 looks to be the most exciting yet."
Press
info on Triptych from Nicola Meighan - nmeighan@hotmail.com
--------------------------------------------------
SINGLE
REVIEW: Meloboy - Hot Love (EMI/Novamute)
A cover of the T-Rex classic from "Cologne's hottest, brightest
and gayest new talent", though it's sadly a slightly lumpen
Germanic electro version that proves rather sickly after a few
listens. Armed with heavily vocodered vocals, it's hard not
to think this is the kind of thing arch-satirists like the Look
Around You team or Chris Morris might have knocked up for a
laugh, and as such I've no idea whether it's a genuinely well-meant
interpretation or simply a calculated piss-take. I'm particularly
aggrieved with the hideous Wassermann mix of the track, which
sounds like a marauding glam rock army marching very slowly
to the sound of an excruciatingly loud car alarm. The DJ Koze
mixes fare better, shaped by some colourful trance patterns
and samba percussion, but you still can't shake the feeling
that the whole thing is ultimately a somewhat pointless exercise.
A bizarre novelty dance single, really. MS
Release date: 7 Mar
Press contact: Mute IH [all]
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TOM
VEK TOUR
Man of the moment Tom Vek has announced a lost of tour dates
for next month, following up what is sure to be a hugely successful
single, 'I Ain’t Sayin My Goodbyes', out on 21 Mar.
19
Apr: Nottingham, Social
20 Apr: Birmingham, Bar Academy
22 Apr: Bristol, Louisianna
23 Apr: Exeter, Cavern Club
26 Apr: Manchester, Night & Day
27 Apr: Leeds, Cockpit
28 Apr: Newcastle, Cluny
29 Apr: Glasgow, King Tuts
3 May: Oxford, Zodiac
4 May: Cardiff, Barfly
6 May: Southampton, Joiners
12 May: London, Lock 17
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THE
HOUSE OF LOVE TOUR
Staying with live news, and The House Of Love have announced
a UK tour, also kicking off in Apr, and also following up from
a very fine single, 'Days Run Away' on 28 Feb.
17
Apr: Sheffield, Leadmill
18 Apr: Birmingham, Academy 2
19 Apr: Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
20 Apr: Manchester, Academy 3
21 Apr: Glasgow, Arches
4 May: Bristol, Fleece
5 May: London, Islington Carling Academy
Hey
lots of exciting gig dates for you tomorrow from some classic
artists - and Will Young.
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NEW
ORDER LAUNCH INTERACTIVE POSTERS
New Order will be using the world's first 'interactive posters'
to promote new album 'Waiting For The Sirens To Call'. The hi-tech
posters, which will be displayed in HMV stores in London and
Manchester, will beam song clips, photos and ringtones straight
onto music fans mobile phones via that funky thing called Bluetooth.
Bigging
up the promotion, that is using technology designed by a company
called Hypertag, New Order drummer Stephen Morris told reporters:
"Technology has always been a driving force for us and
we want the promotion of our new album to reflect that. The
convergence of music and mobile is a hugely important development
in the way that people consume music; being the first band to
hand out free music clips direct to mobile means we are in the
vanguard of this industry shift."
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BACON
TO TAKE OVER CAPITAL DRIVETIME
Having proven his skills as a radio presenter at Xfm, former
Blue Peter presenter and Big Breakfast host Richard Bacon is
moving a couple of floors down at the Capital Group's Leicester
Square HQ to take over the drivetime slot on Capital FM from
Neil Fox. The move to Capital will mean Bacon will finish his
recent presenting stints on BBC Radio Five Live and BBC7.
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VIRGIN
RADIO TO GO 3G
Talking of radio, Virgin Radio has signed a deal with a music-to-mobile
technology company called Sydus which will give people access
to the station, and its online music streams Virgin Radio Classic
Rock and Virgin Radio Groove, via their 3G mobile phones. The
deal will see radio being streamed to mobile phones for the
first time - about 30 handsets currently on the market will
be able to receive the webcasts (mobcasts?).
Commenting
on the plans James Cridland, Head of New Media at Virgin Radio,
told reporters: "As far as we - and Sydus - are aware this
is the first radio application for a 3G mobile phone. It was
what 3G was made for. We were promised that 3G would bring all
kinds of brilliant content but you only get the occasional video
clip. Radio is content that is useful to a lot of people".
Virgin
have been the pioneers of webcasting in the commercial radio
sector, keen to overcome the limitations of their AM only terrestrial
broadcasts outside London. The new 3G service will be available
across the world - and in many ways will be a more attractive
proposition outside the UK in countries where mobile firms offer
subscription 3G packages with unlimited airtime. UK 3G packages
are structured in more of a pay as you go fashion meaning that
listening to radio via your 3G phone would prove expensive.
Virgin will be lobbying the mobile firms to change that, and
given that the tel cos desperately need to persuade consumers
that 3G is about more than exchanging photos and watching football
clips presumably they will be open to persuasion to any media
player offering broadcast services of real value.
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SINGLE
REVIEW: David Guetta - The World is Mine (EMI/Gum Records)
In the dark days of the mid-nineties, you couldn't move for
faux euphoric, back-from-Ibizia-but-still-in-party-mode house
anthems such as this. Over a looped vocal sample which sounds
like a Stars in Their Eyes Dave Gahan, French producer David
Guetta peddles a sterile mix of retro synth effects and thumping
beats. Mercifully, things have moved on somewhat and the production
now sounds hopelessly dated, especially when compared to the
cataclysmic electro-house carnage of Felix Da Housecat. DL
Release date: 21 Feb
Press contact: EMI IH [all]
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DIAZ
ANNOYED AT TIMBERLAKE'S BRITNEY CALLS
Gossip time - and Cameron Diaz is reportedly annoyed that boyfriend
Justin Timberlake is always calling ex-girlfriend Britney. According
to the Daily Record, Diaz is pissed off that Justin still speaks
to his ex on such a regular basis. They quote a source as saying:
"Justin says he's being supportive, but Cameron has told
him to cool it."
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DELTA
NOT FAZED BY RESPONSE TO HER RELATIONSHIP WITH MCFADDEN
Elsewhere in the world of pop couples, Delta Goodrem has said
she is not intimidated by the negative reaction to her relationship
with Brian McFadden - at one gig in Dublin she was booed by
some of the audience as she performed her recent duet with the
former Westlife boy. However Goodrem has told reporters she's
not too fazed by the public and media response, adding that
she is confident fans in home country Australia will be much
more positive about the couple being together.
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WILL
SMITH OFF SIGNING BREASTS
And finally, Will Smith has said he wants female fans to stop
asking him to sign their breasts because he doesn't want to
upset their boyfriends. He told reporters: "Chicks asking
you to sign their breasts is weird... to just pop out in a public
place. Their boyfriend sees that I signed their titty. That
seems strange to me."