| CMU Daily - on the inside Tuesday 28th March |
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In today's CMU Daily:
- Denmark may follow France's DRM lead
- Apple v Apple back in court
- Embrace to record England's World Cup song
- Jackson v Rowe latest
- Jackson wants to collaborate with Fiddy
- Graceland designated national landmark
- Single review: Milke - She Says (Remixes)
- DJ swing dies
- Pete Wells dies
- Sparks headline Big Chill
- West announced for Polish festival
- More bands set for Camden Crawl
- King Biscuit Time tour
- Danko Jones, album, tour
- Single review: Lorraine - I Feel It
- White promises Stripes return
- Hacienda compilation set for release
- Clearlake exclusives on TuneTribe
- Chrysalis - revenues down, but fortunes still good
- SMG share price up following takeover talk
- Album review: Sonic Youth - Sonic Youth, Ciccone Youth - The Whitey Album, Thurston Moore - Psychic Hearts
- Morrissey boycotts Canada
- Patti LaBelle breaks down on stage
- Beatles ephemera up for auction news
- Ja rule, Campbell sign up to cook
- Walsh amazed by Westlife's longevity
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TOP BIT: THE OTHER DIGITAL CHALLENGE>>
For those of you who haven't been paying attention, in the last decade the UK radio industry has been busy going 'digital' - that is to say radio stations can now be heard through a number of technologies other than the analogue radio tuner that my Dad used to like calling the 'wireless'. This means better sound quality, more radio stations and more interactivity. But what does all this mean for the music business? More radio stations, and in particular more niche audience stations are surely a good thing, given that it increases the amount of airtime available, and possibly enables labels to better target their music to genre-specific audiences. But does the PR cost of servicing an ever increasing number of radio stations justify the real return on investment in reaching niche audiences? And what PPL/PRS income can the labels expect from all these new radio stations? Interactivity in radio also opens up new opportunities to record companies. But does another avenue come with more encoding and accounting costs? And does new digital radio technology pose any piracy risks - will the kids of the future be able to capture music off radio stations with increasing ease and better sound quality? It is with these questions in mind that MusicTank is staging its Think Tank on the digital radio space, bringing together key players from both the radio and music sectors in a bid to tackle some of the new issues that exist between two industries that have so much in common, yet frequently manage to find themselves at loggerheads. As a starting point, CMU runs through the basics on digital radio and speaks to key note speaker Phil Riley, the CEO of Chrysalis Radio, for his take on where digital radio is heading, and what that means for the music industry.
Check the interview and feature: http://www.cmumusicnetwork.co.uk/interviews
Booking info for the Think Tank event: http://www.musictank.co.uk
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PRESS ROOM>>
THE INSOMNIACS BALL... Kill All Hippies and Stylish Riots present London's first ever all-night indoor festival, kicking off the Easter Weekend on Thursday April 13th, with three live stages and dozens of live bands and DJs underneath the arches at London Bridge in the seOne club. Line up so far includes no less than British Sea Power, White Rose Movement, Mando Diao, Battle, New Rhodes, The Pipettes, Art Brut, Dogs, The Rifles, Komakino, Good Shoes, Cooper Temple Clause (DJ set) and The Rakes (DJ set). How good is this? Doors will open at 8pm, when the live music begins, and the entertainment will continue until 6am the following morning - Good Friday. Full details at http://www.insomniacsball.co.uk - for details of a special student discount check http://www.thebeatsbar.co.uk.
Press info: http://www.cmumusicnetwork.co.uk/pressroom/insomniacsball
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RIGHT NOW IN THE CMU BEATS BAR>>
MySpace Of The Day: Matt Willis
Now, here's one of the problems with MySpace Music. How do you know if a MySpace page dedicated to a band or artist is actually controlled by the band or artist themselves? I know lots of pretty established artists who are actually managing their own MySpace pages - but clearly others are leaving it to more tech savvy management or label representatives. But then you come across pages which you can't help feeling are run by imposters, or possibly fans, who fancy appointing themselves that artist's MySpace guardians. Former Busted boy Matt Willis has nine MySpace pages which means either he keeps forgetting his password and has to keep setting up new ones, or most of these are unofficial. To be fair, a couple confess to being fan sites, but others use the first person as if Matt himself was meant to be typing. Actually, none of them look like they are Matt Willis sanctioned to me, but this one has the most tracks to preview, so that's why I picked it. Presumably you'll all be joining me at London's Scala at 7pm tonight for that little showcase thing he's doing - so here's a chance to familiarise yourself with Matt Willis in solo mode. Even if you're possibly violating the poor boy's copyright in doing so.
http://www.myspace.com/dontlookitsforme
More on our MySpace Of The Day at http://www.thebeatsbar.co.uk
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DENMARK MAY FOLLOW FRANCE'S DRM LEAD
More news for all you fans of digital inter-operability. As those much previously reported proposals to force technology firms to share their digital rights management technology head to France's upper house legislature, there are indications that Danish politicians will introduce similar legislation later this year.
As previously reported, the new French law, passed by the country's parliament last week, aims to force more interoperability between competing digital media technologies, and to stop customers from becoming locked into certain software or hardware because of their digital media buying decisions. The proposals have most impact for Apple, whose digital music business model currently locks iPod users to iTunes, and iTunes users to iPods.
Technology website Ars Technica reports that Danish Minister Of Culture Brian Mikkelsen has now announced that he intends to put forward similar legislation proposals to Denmark's parliament. Those proposals already reportedly have the support of Denmark's biggest telecommunications company TDC and Copenhagen based conglomerate Maersk, both of whom are competing in the digital music space.
That announcement puts more pressure on Apple regarding how they respond to the new laws coming out of Europe. Despite Apple's claims last week that the French proposals will aid piracy, the music industry, themselves concerned about the blockage to interoperability caused by the computer firm's business model, are unlikely to support Apple in their opposition of France's new digital media laws.
Some insiders say Apple will respond by closing down its iTunes operation in France, but that radical measure is less practical if other European countries adopt the same laws. Also the EU might make such a move unwise - either because French politicians may lobby for pan-European adoption of their proposals, or because existing EU rules would make it difficult for Apple to close down its operations in France but continue to operate elsewhere within the Union.
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APPLE V APPLE BACK IN COURT
Elsewhere in 'giving Apple Computers a hard time' news, according to the New York Times the ongoing legal battle between the Beatles company Apple Corps and the Mac people will return to the courts in London this week.
The company owned by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the estates of John Lennon and George Harrison began legal proceedings against Apple Computers in 2003 alleging the IT firm had broken a previous agreement regarding the use of the Apple name.
After a 1980 lawsuit over the brand name, which the Beatles company had used since 1968, the computer firm agreed to stay out of the music business. That position was clarified further in 1991 when, after a second legal battle, Apple Corps conceded that the computer company could sell Macs that edited and played music, on the condition they didn't 'create' music.
What exactly that means is at the heart of the latest dispute. Apple Corps claim that in iTunes the computer company has stepped over the line and is now in violation of its past agreements. Apple Computers disagree saying that iTunes is actually a media distribution technology that just to happens to distribute music.
Three years on, and following some disagreement over whether the case should be heard in the Californian or London courts, it remains to be seen if any immediate clarity will be forthcoming regarding this ongoing dispute.
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EMBRACE TO RECORD ENGLAND'S WORLD CUP SONG
Those extremely cool operators over there at the FA have announced that Embrace will record the official England World Cup song. Apparently the "top guitar band" (I'm quoting the press release there) were approached by the FA earlier this year about writing the team's official song and, despite opening themselves up for a lot of inevitable criticism, and faced with the possibly impossible task of ever surpassing New Order's 'World In Motion', the band "jumped at the chance to be part of the traditional World Cup preparations". Their track, 'World At Your Feet', is reportedly already at demo stage, though the song will be kept under wraps until closer to the tournament, which kicks off in Germany on 9 Jun.
Confirming his band's involvement in the venture, Embrace frontman Danny McNamara told reporters: "The band can't wait to get into the studio and record the new track. We think we've got a really good song and hopefully it will repeat the success of previous songs like New Order's 'World in Motion'."
FA Marketing Manager Tom Harold added: "The official England World Cup song has become something of an institution and is it really important that we have an original and exciting track. We're confident that Embrace's song will capture the imagination of the fans and players alike. With only 75 days to go until England's first game against Paraguay everybody has been asking who will get the gig. We'd like to think we've pulled off something of a coup by bagging such a great band and keeping it secret... until now."
Mark Richardson, MD of Embrace's record company Independiente, said: "This is another high point for Embrace, since the success of 'Out Of Nothing' they have gone from strength to strength, with their current single 'Natures Law' their biggest hit to date and this weeks release of their new album ' This New Day ' the timing couldn't be better, it's a great moment for all of us".
Meanwhile EMI's Music Publishing Promotions Manager Melanie Johnson also got into the 'give a quote' action (to be fair, she was rather involved in setting the whole thing up) adding: "I'm a huge fan of Embrace and felt strongly that the band had it in them to meet the challenge of delivering England's World Cup song. Their music has an uplifting, anthemic feel which will capture the spirit of the occasion".
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JACKSON V ROWE LATEST
A Superior Court judge, Robert Schnider, has ordered lawyers for both Michael Jackson and his ex wife Debbie Rowe to supply missing papers from the pair's divorce file relating to Rowe's 2001 motion terminating parental rights to her two children with the pop star. Rowe's lawyer, Marta Almli, must submit a duplicate of that motion, whilst Jackson's lawyers, Michael Abrams and Thomas Hall, have been ordered to supply a copy of Jacko's response to the move. The missing papers must be filed within thirty days, with a hearing date set for 24 May.
It's the latest development in an ongoing custody battle between the two. As previously reported, the couple divorced in 1999 after Rowe filed papers citing irreconcilable differences, and subsequently agreed to the 2001 ruling to give up her parental rights. A ruling earlier this year invalidated the 2001 motion on the grounds that the judge had made a procedural error, clearing the way for Rowe to pursue custody of her children.
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JACKSON WANTS TO COLLABORATE WITH FIDDY
Elsewhere in Jacko news, G:Unit's DJ Whoo Kid has confirmed that a possible 50 Cent collaboration came up in conversation when he recently met Jackson while staying in Bahrain. As previously reported, the News Of The World revealed a couple of weeks back that Jacko had raised hooking up with Fiddy on a recording project.
Speaking to MTV, Whoo Kid explained how he came to be chatting to Jacko: "I [saw] Michael Jackson sitting by the pool sippin' lemonade. They didn't tell me he was going to be there - I didn't even expect Michael to be in the country. So I'm like 'Fucking Michael Jackson is here, sippin' lemonade!' I said 'What's up?' to him and acted like I wasn't groupie-sized. I gave him respect for all the shit he did, but in my head I was going crazy. He said, 'I'm just chillin'. He actually said 'chillin'!' Fucked my head up, so I walked away from him. Everybody gave him his respectful space."
The two then apparently bumped into each other again at dinner, and had a chat which resulted in Whoo Kid planning to put Jacko in touch with Fiddy. Whoo Kid continued: "We was talking about Eminem. He was like, 'Is Eminem really retired?' I forgot that Eminem totally cremated him in one video ['Lose It'], but [Michael] didn't even bring it up. Then he started talking about 50."
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GRACELAND DESIGNATED NATIONAL LANDMARK
Elvis Presley's Graceland home in Memphis is to be designated a national landmark, according to the US Interior Department, who called it an "exceptional" house which has "meaning to all Americans". It joins around 2,500 other US buildings in gaining the highest status that can be awarded to such a structure.
The house, which was purchased by Presley in 1957 for $103,000, attracts around 600,000 visitors every year. Elvis Presley Enterprises chief executive Jack Soden says: "Graceland is so famous it is arguable that on a worldwide basis it is the second most famous home in America. You go to the far corners of the Earth, and they don't really know what Mount Vernon or Monticello or Hearst Castle are, but they know what Graceland is. It is kind of in a class of its own."
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EP REVIEW: Milke - She Says (remixes) (Fat!)
With the original cut of Milke's sublime sing-a-long summer anthem 'She Says' already showered with praise in a previous review, we're now onto the promising remix package, courtesy of those ever-busy breakbeat peddlers at Fat! First up is Wahoo's simple, deep and groovy take. Stripping the action down to just a plucky bass guitar, some velvety Daft Punk/Air synths and a neat Chicken Lips style 4/4 house pattern, the relaxed track doesn't stray a million miles from the original. But then comes that familiar, killer breakdown - that harsh yet arousing hook, like shards of glass in chocolate, before Wahoo drops a rumbling, double-time bass line, and the track comes alive. Next in the queue and taking things up a step, is one of breakbeat's leading lights and old-skool veterans, Lee Coombs. Providing DJs with some main room club fodder, Coombs doesn't break boundaries with his Vocal and Dub mixes, but they certainly work where it counts. As expected the Parisian vocal falls flat on its face amidst his peak-time style, so the instrumental Dub version was a wise addition. Combining his hammering beats with a cyclical, retro bass and a classic 303-acid line, Coombs' evokes an energised old-skool feel with his mixes, and succeeds in producing an entertaining interpretation of such a dissimilar track. So, who next? New kid on the block and fresh Fat! signing Merka, that's who! Conceivably the most innovative of the package, Merka totally unravels the few parts from the original that he uses. His fresh spacious, drums skip along with a frantic drum n' bass attitude and he completely hacks up the vocal into an intense melody. The distinctive electrifying hook - chopped and twisted up, lashes out at your ears, as a fat, wet bassline jumps on your head! This is such great dance music with Merka further proving himself a valuable addition to the Fat! stable. OG
Release date: 24 Apr
Press contact: Fat! IH [all]
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DJ SWING DIES
Brian Daley, aka DJ Swing, died last week at the age of 39. Daley, formerly of the London based Boogie Bunch Crew, died on Wednesday following a long struggle with Leukaemia.
The DJ was diagnosed with the condition back in 2003, and, discovering that the chances of finding an Afro-Carribean bone marrow match are 100,000 to one, he launched a national campaign to persuade black British people to come forward and register as potential donors. He himself managed to find a donor late last year, sadly, the transplant apparently came too late to save his life. Daley said before his death: "We have to continue spreading the message, the work must not stop. Lives can be saved."
His campaign, documented in a Channel 4 documentary, will indeed continue. On Sunday, the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) held a special one-day bone marrow donor registration clinic at the Choice FM studios, and continue to look for those aged 18-43 to register in the hopes that they can help critically ill children as young as 12 who are struggling to find donors.
See http://www.aclt.org for more information on that scheme.
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PETE WELLS DIES
Guitarist Pete Wells has died from prostate cancer at the age of 58.
The musician, founder, alongside Angry Anderson, of Aussie rock band Rose Tattoo, became aware of the condition back in 2002. He was, however, diagnosed too late to be helped by surgery, telling Australia's '60 Minutes' programme in 2005: "That's the point about the bloody thing is that if I got it early - a year or six months earlier or something - it would have saved an awful lot of inconvenience, I can tell you - pain and misery and the rest of it, you know. So the trick is to get it early. I mean, they can fix this damned thing."
Wells pursued a great many side projects, amongst them the Lucy DeSoto Band, Rocks Push and Hillbilly Moon. A statement on the Rose Tattoo website reads "It is with profound sadness that we report the passing of the legendary Pete Wells. Pete bravely battled prostate cancer for the last four years of his life, and unfortunately it was the disease that won out in the end. Pete Wells leaves a musical legacy that will live on forever. R.I.P. Pete Wells - a great musician, a rock'n'roll legend, and most importantly, a great friend."
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SPARKS HEADLINE BIG CHILL
Sparks have been announced as headliners for the Big Chill festival, and are expected to perform their current album in its entirety, plus other material from throughout their long career. The band's Russell Mael said: "Playing a festival will be a new experience for us but it is one we are looking forward to. It will be great to put on our show in this outdoor location and for an audience who may not have seen us play before."
Other acts set to appear at the event include JCB-lovers Nizlopi and Malian duo Amadou And Mariam. It all takes place at Eastnor Castle Deer Park Herefordshire from 4-6 August. I would go, but I think I might be a bit busy just then.
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WEST ANNOUNCED FOR POLISH FESTIVAL
Kanye West has been announced as one of the headliners for this year's Open'er Festival in Poland. The hip hop star will appear alongside artists such as The Streets, Franz Ferdinand, Basement Jaxx, Placebo and Pharrell Williams. The festival takes place in Gdynia from 6-8 Jul - more info from http://www.opener.pl.
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MORE BANDS SET FOR CAMDEN CRAWL
The Young Knives, Larrikin Love and Pink Grease are amongst the latest bands to be confirmed for this year's Camden Crawl line-up. They join previously reported acts such as Akira The Don, The Maccabees, Lethal Bizzle, The Mitchell Brothers, the rather buzzy Guillemots and CMU favourites The Fratellis. The event takes place on 20 Apr across a variety of North West London venues, starting at 5:30pm.
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KING BISCUIT TIME TOUR
King Biscuit Time - former Beta Band man Steve Mason's former-side-now-main-project - has announced a UK tour to coincide with the release of debut solo album 'Black Gold' on 15 May. The dates are as follows:
12 May: Belfast Spring & Airbrake
13 May: Limerick Dolans
14 May: Cork Cypress Avenue
15 May: Dublin Whelans
17 May: Edinburgh Venue
18 May: London Scala
19 May: Birmingham Barfly
20 May: Brighton Hanbury Ballroom
22 May: Manchester Academy
23 May: Glasgow Oran Mor
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DANKO JONES, ALBUM TOUR
Danko Jones, the slightly confusing Canadian rock band (confusing because their frontman also goes by the moniker Danko Jones), have confirmed that their third album 'Sleep Is The Enemy' is out on 15 May, and that they will play a number of live shows next month. Dates as follows:
18 Apr: Portsmouth Wedgwood Rooms
19 Apr: Oxford Zodiac
20 Apr: London, The Garage
21 Apr: Manchester Academy 3
22 Apr: Glasgow King Tuts
23 Apr: Birmingham Academy 2
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SINGLE REVIEW: Lorraine - I Feel It (SonyBMG/Waterfall Records)
So, the press release mentions New Order, Kraftwerk and Depeche Mode (promising thus far) and then also Kasabian and the Stone Roses (hmmm... interesting). Intriguing Peter Saville artwork increases the expectancy level, as does the group's Norwegian heritage (usually a good sign), but a first play reveals the group to actually sound not much like the aforementioned influences at all. We're in lush, well-produced anthemic pop mode here... think Coldplay or Keane (the piano is brought to the fore here), with a liberal splash of electronics (Neil Tennant fronting A-ha, maybe?), all imbued with some ebullient joy nicely counterbalanced by subtle melancholy. There's some lovely, dreamy stuff here, but it lacks a certain magic, a certain spark that would elevate Lorraine to the realms of greatness. That may yet come, of course, and there's much here to suggest that it might. They could well prove to be absolutely massive, but will probably sink without trace. Let's see if they prove me wrong. MS
Release date: 10 Apr
Press contact: Columbia IH [all]
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WHITE PROMISES STRIPES RETURN
Jack White has said that he has no intention of quitting White Stripes, despite his current commitment to new project The Raconteurs, who are set to release debut album on 'Broken Boy Soldiers' on 15 May. He says: "I'm having a slight break from The White Stripes but not too much. I've already got a lot of songs for our next record, so when I find two minutes to record it I will."
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HACIENDA COMPILATION SET FOR RELEASE
A new compilation album paying tribute to the heyday of Manchester's legendary Hacienda club is to be released. 'Discotheque Volume 1: The Hacienda' is out on 22 May, endorsed by club founder Tony Wilson, and featuring tracks selected by former resident DJs such as Mike Pickering, Greg Wilson, Dave Haslam and Graeme Park.
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CLEARLAKE EXCLUSIVES ON TUNETRIBE
With Clearlake's new single 'Neon' out this week, TuneTribe are exclusively making two further tracks from the band available for download this week - 'Chemically Free' and 'What's It Like Where You Are'. There's also an interview with the band, which you can find at this here URL:
http://www.tunetribe.com/Article?article_id=650
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CHRYSALIS - REVENUES DOWN, BUT FORTUNES STILL GOOD
The Chrysalis Group, owner of the Heart, Galaxy and LBC radio stations, yesterday said that the radio market remained "challenging" but that they were hopeful that their current financial year would prove to be "successful". That followed an admission that the group had seen its revenues fall by 4% in the first half of the year, though with revenues across the industry reportedly down 8% the radio company felt that that wasn't actually all that bad. The company's music businesses (the Echo label and Chrysalis Publishing) also fared well, allowing Chrysalis chief executive Richard Huntingford to tell investors: "The outperformance of both our radio and music divisions, against their respective peers during the year to date, confirms that the benefits of our strategy of focusing on these two strong businesses are coming through as planned".
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SMG SHARE PRICE UP FOLLOWING TAKEOVER TALK
Elsewhere in the radio world, shares in media company SMG - owners of Virgin Radio as well as two Scottish ITV franchises - rose by nearly 5% yesterday after former Mirror Group boss David Montgomery was reported to be heading a £300 million takeover bid. Reports suggested Montgomery's investment company Mecom was already buying shares in the group ahead of plans to attempt a full on acquisition. Investment types reckon Mecom would break up the group if they successfully took it over, which might mean Virgin Radio would be up for sale. Neither SMG or Mecom have formally commented on the reports.
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ALBUM REVIEW: Sonic Youth - Sonic Youth, Ciccone Youth - The Whitey Album,
Thurston Moore - Psychic Hearts (Geffen/UMe)
I was so excited that Sonic Youth were playing at last year's Roskilde Festival. However, the gig itself was much of a disappointment. I thought it was just a festival thing. After all, feedbacky guitary walls of white noise and lairy daytime slots are not exactly a dream marriage. However, watching the televised highlights later, I realised there might have been something else going on. Namely Mr Thurston Moore, gyrating on the floor, seemingly more preoccupied with 'making love' (as he described it) to his guitar than entertaining the crowds. This problem pervades all forms of avant-garde art. I went to a film talk recently only to be told by a writer that 'I put in puns that no-one will ever notice, just to play with myself.' When it comes to artistic endeavours, the line between cutting edge innovation and utter wank is fine indeed. Fitting then, that these re-mastered re-re-releases of three Sonic Youth and Sonic Youth-ish classics come to remind us of just how wonderful, fresh, shout-it-from-the-rooftops-BRILLIANT these New Yorkers can be when they wanna. The three albums span thirteen years, from the 1982 debut, through the 1989 pseudonymous (is that a word?) weird-fest, through to Moore's 1995 solo effort. They also span a number (i.e. 21/2) of genres, from melodic noise rock with emphasis on the noise, to electronic noise rock with emphasis on the noise, to melodic noise rock with emphasis on the melodic. Just like they do not fit festivals, the music of the noisy youngsters is not particularly well-fitted for airplay, however. With the exception of Moore's album (especially the title track) and the frankly sublime Ciccone covers of Robert Palmer's 'Addicted to Love' and Madonna's 'Into The Groove', there are no immediate ear hangers here. However, the excellence of the music justifies these re-releases in abundance, and connoisseurs should be pacified with the information that all are getting a vinyl release too. However, be warned, if you already have the original don't bother with the new ones. The re-mastering and the bonus tracks do not, in my opinion, add something vital. But all, especially the debut, still sound innovative and fresh, and grow with every listen. If you have a penchant for melodic noise rock with the emphasis on noise, these are pretty much a must. And if you have a patient audience, do subject them to 'The Burning Spear' from the debut. They will complain that it sounds like aural self-satisfaction. But eventually they will love you for it. SIA
Release Date: 3 Apr
Press Contact: Stone Immaculate [all]
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MORRISSEY BOYCOTTS CANADA
Morrissey has said he will not play any tour dates in Canada due to the country's policy on seal hunting. The singer is shortly to set off on the European leg of his world tour, of course, but it seems he won't be calling in the far north of America, according to a new statement.
The former Smiths man says: "Canada has placed itself alongside China as the cruellest and most self-serving nation. We will not include any Canadian dates on our world tour to promote our new album. This is in protest against the barbaric slaughter of over 325,000 baby seals which is now underway. I fully realise that the absence of any Morrissey concerts in Canada is unlikely to bring the Canadian economy to its knees, but it is our small protest against this horrific slaughter - which is the largest slaughter of marine animal species found anywhere on the planet."
"The Canadian Prime Minister says the so-called 'cull' is economically and environmentally justified, but this is untrue," he continued. "The Canadian Prime Minister also states that the slaughter is necessary because it provides jobs for local communities, but this is an ignorant reason for allowing such barbaric and cruel slaughter of beings that are denied life simply because somebody somewhere might want to wear their skin. Construction of German gas chambers also provided work for someone - this is not a moral or sound reason for allowing suffering."
One wonders if he's planning to boycott the UK and the US on the grounds of their slaughter of innocent Iraqis, given his recent comments about Bush&Blair's barbarism and moral bankruptcy? Watch this space? Hmmm.
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PATTI LABELLE BREAKS DOWN ON STAGE
Patti LaBelle had a rotten time, it seems, at the Riviera Beach Jazz & Blues Festival in Florida at the weekend. Taking to the event's stage at midnight, she struggled through a forty five minute show, at one point sitting down and crying. Labelle explained to the crowd that she's nearly 62, has a heart murmur and diabetes, and added that the cold weather (12 degrees C) wasn't agreeing with her. She said "I've never been this embarrassed in my life. It's the worst show I've ever done in my life."
The singer told fans that she understood if they walked out on her. Which a whole lot of them rather cruelly did. LaBelle made it through 'Lady Marmalade' with assistance from some members of the audience, then sang some gospel songs and 'On My Own' before leaving the stage. Poor lady.
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BEATLES EPHEMERA UP FOR AUCTION NEWS
Back to the Beatles, and a ship's log, penned by John Lennon during a stormy voyage to Bermuda back in 1980 is to be sold at auction next month and is expected to raise £25,000.
The book contains the former Beatle's descriptions of the trip, including the fact that he sang old Liverpool shanty songs whilst steering the ship. Lennon chartered the ship, the Megan Jaye, from Rhode Island, and was forced to take the helm when all the crew members fell ill "It was just like going on stage, at first you panic and then you're ready to throw up your guts," he wrote, "but once you got out there and start doing your stuff you forget your fears and you got high on your performance." He later credited the journey with helping him to overcome writer's block, enabling him to go on and create his 'Double Fantasy' album.
Also up for grabs at the 18 Apr sale by auctioneers Cooper Owen is an old school book of Lennon's expected to fetch around £10k, and a letter from Lennon and fellow Beatles George Harrison and Ringo Starr to Linda McCartney's father Lee Eastman, which, as previously reported, was sold last year for £48,000, and is now back up for sale with an estimate of £100,000. Whether the items will realise their estimates remains to be seen, of course; it wouldn't seem to be a foregone conclusion, however, given that similar memorabilia has failed to sell in recent months.
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JA RULE, CAMPBELL SIGN UP TO COOK
Ja Rule and Naomi Campbell have both signed up to star in Diddy's new celebrity kitchen sink contest 'Cooking Showdown'. As previously reported, the programme will pair famous people with celebrity chefs in a week long cookery competition, and will air on US network NBC next month. Lord, if I lived in the US, I'd be on the edge of my seat in anticipation.
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WALSH AMAZED BY WESTLIFE'S LONGEVITY
According to BreakingNews.ie, Louis Walsh has voiced his astonishment that his boyband Westlife are still together, having initially expected the group to last only a couple of years. As is only right and dignified, in my opinion. But are the 'boys' planning to retire gracefully any time soon? Oh, we should be so lucky. An eighth album is in the planning stage.
Walsh explained: "It should be all over for a boyband at this stage...but Westlife are getting bigger. They're going to be working even harder this year. They're set to record their eighth album after the tour and the aim is to break new territories like Canada where they'll be working in June." Typical Westlife, putting their careers before the seals.