| CMU Daily - on the inside Monday 26th June |
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In today's CMU Daily:
- Sanctuary warn losses to be bigger than expected
- MySpace change small print after Bragg concerns
- Kool & The Gang member dies
- DMX, Def Jam, reports, quote
- Backstreet Boy quits the group
- Cypress Hill sued over 1993 sample
- Spector trial date set
- Producer Austin arrested on drugs charges
- Madonna fails to sell
- Dirty Pretty Things free in-store
- Lennox working on new project
- Neil Young speaks about anti-war album
- Oberst says politics is too easy
- Muse want to do a Floyd
- Single review: Gossip - Listen Up!
- Somerset additions
- Label downsizing
- Sony/ATV do digital sheet music deal with Musicnotes
- Questions asked over judges who heard Dutch search engine case
- Crystal Method provide mix for sporty iPod
- HMV operations appointment
- Chart update
- Total Rock World Album Chart
- CMU radio show
- Urban and Kidman marry
- Timberlake dumps Diaz, apparently
- Slash will not rejoin GnR
- Take That create women watching football record
- Futurama returns
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TOP BIT>>
New week, new radio show - that simple really. Yep, get online later today to this very fine URL: http://www.thebeatsbar.co.uk/cmuradio and you can tune in to the latest edition of the CMU radio show for free at your leisure. Just click that big listen button and the whole thing will start streaming via your Windows Media Player more or less on demand. Once streaming you'll be able to enjoy Chris and Caro chatting about all things Doherty, DMX, Arctic Monkeys, The Kooks and Culture Club, then there's some stuff on Bam Bam's record radio fine, Michael Jackson's money issues, the UK's favourite football songs, the axing of Coke Music and the axing of Top Of The Pops, and possibly more than there should be about Thom Yorke's spelling. All that, plus loads of fab music as listed lower down in today's CMU Daily. So, why not recover from all your weekend festival revelling (assuming that's what you were doing) and relax with the CMU radio thing?
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JOBS N STUFF>>
Warner Music - Press Officer
Warner Music are looking for a Press Officer to join their existing team. The successful applicant will have a minimum of six months experience in a press or related role, with impeccable writing abilities and a confidence in using Microsoft Office applications. A genuine knowledge and enthusiasm for music is imperative. If you would like to apply for this role, please send a covering letter which includes details of salary expectations and notice period to Victoria Carpenter by e-mailing [email protected] or post to The Warner Building, 28 Kensington Church Street, London W8 4EP.
Up-Comms - PR Account Manager
Up-Comms, the PR division of content/research agency Ramp Industry (http://www.rampindustry.com), is looking for an account manager to join our team. Around half of the projects will be music-related; around half covering fields elsewhere in lifestyle/entertainment. We need someone who's massively organised, has at least two years experience in offline or online music PR; who's confident, creative and, as importantly, who's capable of implementing the PR/awareness themselves. Salary circa: £22k. Location: London. Preferred start date: early July. Please send your CV to [email protected]
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CMU SUPPORTS >>
LONDON CALLING 2006 29th Thursday - 30th Friday, June: At London Calling you can meet with the people who are steering the new music industry to its future, crack open a beer and enjoy the vibe from the two live stages hosting great new bands. Plus there are a whole range of off-site gigs and parties where the hottest acts on the circuit are turning up the volume to 11. Courtesy of CMU (an official media partner of London Calling) you can register now to visit the Exhibition strand for only £25 (instead of the current ticket price of £45 + VAT) - just click here www.londoncalling2006.com/register.htm, select the 'exhibition only' option and enter E48672C in the promotional code box. This pass allows you entry to the trade show floor, workshops, showcases and some of the evening events at London Calling.
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PRESS ROOM>>
PAY DAY JUNE
Eddy TM and Barry Ashworth's PayDay returns to Neighbourhood this Friday, 30 Jun. Live on stage will be buzz bands Vatican DC and Devils Gun, plus the guys from Cooper Temple Clause will be on the decks, alongside Eddy TM and Barry Ashworth. It kicks off a 9pm and runs till 2am, tickets are £10 on the door, or £8 in advance from http://www.ticketweb.co.uk. Press information from Get Involved.
Full press release at: http://www.cmumusicnetwork.co.uk/pressroom/payday
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ON AIR>>
TODAY ON TOTALROCK
There's another chance to hear the first part of our two-parter on the Download Festival, including interviews with Arch Enemy, Amplifier, Satyricon and Soulfly (11am to noon). Listen live at http://www.totalrock.com.
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RIGHT NOW IN THE CMU BEATS BAR>>
MySpace Of The Day: Simian
Actually, this MSOTD is a cheat, because there's not a great deal to see on this MySpace page at all, it's just an excuse to talk about Simian. In fact, this is almost definitely a fan page, given that it has very little info on the band, the biog is nicked from the All Music Guide and it's called 'simianfans'! And anyway, the lack of an official Simian page isn't that surprising given that, last time I looked, Simian had stopped operating as a band. Still, whoever has set this page up has put the awesome 'La Breeze' in the preview player, which is great if [a] you're not familiar with Simian and you realise that a lack of knowledge of these guys' music is a major oversight, and you're looking for the opportunity to rectify that fact or [b] you'd forgotten just how good Simian's tunes were. But the reason for creating this feeble excuse to bring Simian into the conversation is so that I can alert you to the fact that Simian's wonderful collaboration with the flavour-of-the-moment French production outfit Justice, 'We Are Friends', which has been doing the rounds for years, will finally be released on 3 Jul. It's a great track and deserves to be one of the songs of the summer. Alas you can't hear it here, nor on Justice's MySpace, but you can check out the pop promo on the Prefix Mag website at: http://www.prefixmag.com/media/ Justice-Vs-Simian/We-Are-Your-Friends-Video/1616.
http://www.myspace.com/simianfans
This and more at http://www.thebeatsbar.co.uk
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SANCTUARY WARN LOSSES TO BE BIGGER THAN EXPECTED
The new chief of the Sanctuary Music Group has warned the investment community that the company's financial performance this financial year is going to be worse than expected which, given that everyone expected it to be pretty bad to start with, doesn't bode well.
New CEO Frank Presland told city types to expect losses of between £17 million and £22 million when Sanctuary's current financial year ends on 30 Sep. The majority of the losses will come from "one-off exceptional items", including restructuring costs, although disappointing performance in the group's recorded music division has also added to the group's financial struggles.
Presland, of course, recently replaced Sanctuary co-founder Andy Taylor as CEO of the company. As previously reported, Taylor, who had been battling to save the long struggling multi-discipline music company, was removed amid allegations of mistakes having been made in the group's financial reporting. The new boss says he regrets having to deliver such depressing news to the city but, like his predecessor, he remains convinced that Sanctuary can still recover from its recent financial woes.
Presland told the city: "It is disappointing to have to bring this news to the market. But what I've seen having been chief executive for just under a month, is a business that can prosper if it faces up to the new realities."
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MYSPACE CHANGE SMALL PRINT AFTER BRAGG CONCERNS
MySpace.com has reportedly changed the small print regarding the posting of music on artist pages following those concerns raised by Billy Bragg.
As you all surely know, any artist registered with MySpace can make up to four tracks available for stream or download via the community site's servers. However, as previously reported, Bragg recently removed preview tracks from his page claiming that the site's terms and conditions essentially gave MySpace the right to re-licence music that had been posted onto their servers.
A posting on Bragg's MySpace page read: "The real problem is the fact that they can sub-license it to any company they want and keep the royalties themselves without paying the artist a penny. It also doesn't stipulate that they can use it for non-commercial use only which is what I'd want to see in that clause. The clause is basically far to open for abuse and thus I'm very wary."
MySpace quickly responded by stating that they had no intention of re-licensing music uploaded to their servers and that their terms and conditions were not designed to allow such things. A spokesman said: "Putting music on MySpace does not give us the right to sell it - the musicians own their content and can do with it as they wish. Obviously, we don't own their music or do anything with it that they don't want."
However, MySpace admitted they would review their small print, and according to Music Week the company have now altered the rules "concerning ownership and use of artists' material" to allay Bragg's fears as to what their t+cs were implying.
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KOOL & THE GANG MEMBER DIES
Claydes Charles Smith, lead guitarist of Kool & the Gang, has died at the age of 57. According to his publicist, Smith passed away on Tuesday in Maplewood, New Jersey, following a long illness.
Smith, a founder member of the band, was introduced to jazz guitar by his father in the early sixties. By the late sixties, he was part of a group of musicians in New Jersey who would later become Kool & The Kang, who of course became one of the biggest groups of the seventies with their blend of jazz, pop and funk. Smith wrote the hit songs 'Joanna' and 'Take My Heart', whilst collaborating on the likes of 'Celebration,' 'Hollywood Swinging' and 'Jungle Boogie.' He toured with the group until January of this year, when illness forced him to take a step back.
He is survived by six children and nine grandchildren.
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DMX, DEF JAM, REPORTS, QUOTE
Reports are doing the rounds that DMX has quit Universal division Def Jam because of run ins with label boss Jay-Z, though I'm a bit confused, because as I remember it DMX has already quit Def Jam and is now signed to Sony division Columbia. It's possible the story is doing the rounds again because the rapper has been dissing Jay-Z in the press.
On Jay's rise to the top of Def Jam, The Irish Examiner quote DMX as saying: "I knew it wouldn't work. We're peers and it always creates problems when your friend suddenly becomes your boss. He's in a position, 'cause he has to do his job, and you're in a position like, 'Yo, this is my friend'".
On Def Jam itself he says: "I made $144 million in the first year - their best ever. How much do you think they gave me? Nothing. Not even a card, and Def Jam was going down. I enabled them to sell the company."
Despite all those previously reported recent run ins with the law, Columbia still hope to have the long awaited new long player from DMX out within the year.
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BACKSTREET BOY QUITS THE GROUP
This 'quitting' story is definitely new. The Backstreet Boys have announced that Kevin Richardson will leave the group with immediate effect. He will not join his former bandmates Nick, AJ, thingy and whatnot as they return to the studio to record their new album. A statement from the band says that Richardson will not be replaced and that "the door will always be open for him to return".
Confirming his decision to quit the band, Richardson told reporters: "It was a very tough decision for me but one that was necessary in order to move on with the next chapter of my life".
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CYPRESS HILL SUED OVER 1993 SAMPLE
Cypress Hill are being sued over a sample used on their 1993 album 'Black Sunday'. Songwriter Glen Watts reportedly claims that the Syl Johnson version of his track 'Is It Because I'm Black?' was used on the Cypress Hill album track 'Interlude' without his permission. It is pretty undeniable that the Watts' penned track is sampled on 'Interlude', so presumably if he can show he or his agents gave no permission for its use he has quite a strong case to get a royalty payment out of the hip hop group and their label. Though quite why it's taken 13 years for Watts to act is anyone's guess.
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SPECTOR TRIAL DATE SET
A date has finally been set for the Phil Spector trial, following myriad delays in bringing the murder case to court. Judge Larry Paul Fidler ruled that the legendary producer will appear in court in January to answer the charge of murdering Lana Clarkson at his home in Los Angeles in February of 2003. Spector, who, as previously reported, is currently on $1m bail, denies the charge, and is expected to maintain that the actress committed suicide.
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PRODUCER AUSTIN ARRESTED ON DRUGS CHARGES
It's been reported that music producer Dallas Austin, who has worked with the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Aretha Franklin and Boyz II Men, has been arrested on drugs charges in Dubai. Austin was apparently on his way to a three day party at the state's exclusive Burj Al Arab hotel to celebrate supermodel Naomi Campbell's birthday.
Dubai, a member of the United Arab Emirates, has very strict drug laws, and, if the story is true, Austin will face the possibility of a life-sentence, or indeed, a death sentence, if found guilty. There has been no confirmation of the arrest, however, and a representative for Austin has strenuously denied the reports. A spokesperson for Naomi Campbell has told the New York Daily News, "Naomi doesn't know anything about this."
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MADONNA FAILS TO SELL
Tickets for the opening night of Madonna's upcoming UK tour have gone on sale and not sold out in record time. In fact, the opening night, at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on 30 Jul, has hasn't sold out at all, according to The Mirror. The tabloid blames the cost of the tickets, some of which are priced as high as £100 and £150. An 'insider' apparently told the paper: "Madonna should be the hottest ticket of the year, but for many of her loyal fans the prices are outrageous."
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DIRTY PRETTY THINGS FREE IN-STORE
Dirty Pretty Things are to play acoustic sets at a number of HMV outlets next month to support the release of their new single 'Dead Wood' on 10 Jul. The in-stores with take place at 6pm in Glasgow on 10 Jul, Leeds on 11 Jul and Birmingham on 12 Jul. To gain entry to the events, fans need to obtain a wristband from the relevant HMV branch, available from opening time on the day. The band are also to support Red Hot Chili Peppers on 30 Jun at Ipswich Football Club and on 2 July at Coventry's Ricoh Arena.
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LENNOX WORKING ON NEW PROJECT
Annie Lennox has told Billboard that she is working on new material, but has not revealed how soon we can expect to hear it. The singer said: "I am writing at the moment. I'm at the early stages so I'm not really able to say who I will be working with."
She goes on by saying that she hopes to deliver an album "with 12 strong, powerful, really emotive songs that people can connect to," adding that if she does so, she "can feel proud of it, no matter if it sells 10 copies or 50 million."
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NEIL YOUNG SPEAKS ABOUT ANTI-WAR ALBUM
Neil Young has been talking to The Observer about his recent anti-war themed album 'Living With War', and what motivated him to release the long player. Young said: "A big part of what this record is about is just getting the information out there that Americans have a conscience about what's happening, too. There's a lot of people in America who didn't want this war to happen, who just want to be able to express themselves about this situation, but for various reasons they are not being heard. In a way this record is not for me, it's for them. My voice, and what I think as an individual, is much less important on this project. It's the project itself that's the important thing. It's about making yourself heard."
He admitted that, to begin with, he felt wary about the project, saying "for a while, you know, I didn't feel it was my place. Being 60 years old," but his feelings about the war began to override any of that. He continued: "We need a leader who's more cautious, not so reckless with things they don't understand. Other cultures need to be respected. Culture itself needs to be respected. I mean, I feel Saddam was bad and had to be overthrown, but are we smart or are we stupid? At this point in our evolution, with all the technology that we have, there has to be a better way of doing this than bombing a country into oblivion."
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OBERST SAYS POLITICS IS TOO EASY
Meanwhile, in the world of overtly political albums, or not, Conor Oberst says that the next Bright Eyes album will avoid being political, because it's "too easy".
The singer-songwriter is currently working on a new Bright Eyes long player alongside Saddle Creek producer Mike Mogis, and trumpeter Nate Walcott, and he told MTV: "I don't think there's going to be any more overtly political stuff. I mean, obviously, we need to have some kind of change in the mid-term elections and in the next presidential election, but when I sing the songs now, it's like shooting fish in a barrel. It's too easy. Everyone knows we have an incompetent administration. Back in 2003, 2004, it was different. The idea of going out now and hitting people over the head with it doesn't appeal to me because I feel that people are coming around."
He continued: "The songs reflect all the things we're into: The folky, storytelling aspect of the music, the psychedelic studio vibe and the rock we all grew up doing. We have a lot of ideas. I write songs and Mike is great at setting up microphones to get specific sounds, and Nate is a great piano player and a great trumpet player, and he writes and arranges string parts, too. I bought a new house and we're building the studio there, to finish the record. Mike and I have connecting houses, with the studio in between. It's like a compound."
The album is expected to be finished by November, and released in the spring of 2007, and is set to feature guest appearances from the likes of My Morning Jacket front man Jim James and Sleater Kinney drummer Janet Weiss.
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MUSE WANT TO DO A FLOYD
Muse man Matt Bellamy has told The Sun that he fancies doing a Pink Floyd-type proggy concept album. The singer said: "I'm sure one day we're going to do a Dark Side Of The Moon album. I think we're going to go the whole nine yards and become a full prog-rock band with the 15 minute piano solo. I think we need to get that out of our system."
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SINGLE REVIEW: Gossip - Listen Up! (Back Yard)
The press release promises a hybrid of punk and R&B which, to be honest, sounds about as appetising as a sandwich of brussel sprouts and...I dunno, spiders or something. Of course, the single is anything but non-palatable, being as it is a frisky piece of modern electro disco (I believe the kids were calling it 'punk funk' about two years ago), all fronted by a singer (Beth Ditto) who polishes the whole thing off with a brilliantly fiery blues drawl. Think The White Stripes taking no shit in a New York disco, or a tight DFA remix of PJ Harvey. There's the usual selection of accompanying remixes to investigate or not as one sees fit. The stupidly unpronounceable MSTRKRFT simply take out the guitars and exploit the song's disco potential to decent enough effect, whilst Tronik Youth (do you see what they did there?) take things one step further, turning in a fine slab of synthed-up Hi-NRG 80s electro, which turns out to be the pick of the bunch. Taken from the Portland group's third album, this is a fine single indeed, and proof that the, er, indie dance crossover is still in rude health, frankly. Listen up, and listen good. MS
Release date: 3 Jul
Press contact: Bang On! PR [all]
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SOMERSET ADDITIONS
Fat Freddy's Drop, The Lemonheads and Guilty Pleasures have all just been added to the already pretty damn strong line up for this year's Somerset House concerts. All of which means that the full line up now looks like this:
6 Jul: The Divine Comedy. Special guests Bell X1
7 Jul: Jose Gonzalez
8 Jul: Fat Freddy's Drop
9 Jul: Guilty Pleasures followed by a screening of the World Cup Final
10 Jul: Robert Plant and The Strange Sensation. Special guests Orange Blossom
11 Jul: Damian 'Jr Gong' Marley
12 Jul: Corinne Bailey Rae. Special guest James Morrison
13 Jul: Elbow. Special guests Liam Frost and The Slowdown Family
14/15 Jul: Erykah Badu. Special guest Mr Hudson
16 Jul: The Lemonheads
Press info from Nile On. Mr Gonzalez, by the way, is already sold out.
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LABEL DOWNSIZING
HitsDailyDouble quote sources that report that there will be a number of redundancies at the offices of US Universal division Island Def Jam. They quote a spokeswoman for the division as saying: "For more than a year now, we've been realigning our company's resources to make it stronger and more competitive. Unfortunately, this was a necessary next step for us to achieve these goals and expand our activities in today's dramatic business environment".
Closer to home we hear that V2 are closing down their in-house press department. Oh, and another major label division are rumoured to be downsizing their in-house press operation - I must remember to check on that and report back later in the week.
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SONY/ATV DO DIGITAL SHEET MUSIC DEAL WITH MUSICNOTES
Digital sheet music company Musicnotes.com has announced a long term distribution deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing which means the online service will be able to produce and sell digital sheet music and guitar tabs for songs from throughout the publishing firm's somewhat expansive catalogue.
Confirming the deal, Sony/ATV boss David Hockman told reporters: "As a music publisher, we are always looking for new and innovative ways to promote our songs and songwriters".
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QUESTIONS ASKED OVER JUDGES WHO HEARD DUTCH SEARCH ENGINE CASE
That landmark court decision in the Netherlands over the legality of an MP3 search engine is being called into question over allegations that two of the judges hearing the case hold undisclosed positions in music associations which may have affected their impartiality.
As previously reported, the Dutch appeals court recently overturned a lower court decision regarding a search engine that provided 'deep links' to illegitimate sources of online music. The lower courts ruled that zoekmp3.nl could not be held liable for copyright violation because they did not host illegal content on their own servers, but the appeals court ruled that simply linking to such music held on other servers was sufficient to be liable for such violation. The ruling was important because a common defence for sites that provide links to illegal sources of music is that they cannot be held liable because they do not actually host the illegal content.
However, some in the IT press are now questioning the legitimacy of that decision after it was revealed that one of the judges who heard the case is a member of an international umbrella group that includes the Dutch Association Of Phonogram And Videogram Producers, a key body behind the anti-piracy group that pursued the case against zoekmp3.nl. Meanwhile the Vice President of the court is a member of a Dutch fund that supports professional musicians.
With questions now being asked about the legitimacy of the ruling in the press it remains to be seen if zoekmp3.nl use the allegations to appeal the court's decision.
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CRYSTAL METHOD PROVIDE MIX FOR SPORTY IPOD
You remember the sporty iPod we reported on recently that Apple and Nike are collaborating on? The one that speaks to your running shoe? Well, Nike have now announced that they will be releasing a series of specially commission mixes designed to help you exercise. A mad idea, possibly, but the first one is coming from West Coast electro-meisters The Crystal Method, so it should be a quality mix, even if it does subliminally try and make you run faster. The mix will be available via iTunes (in the US at least) from 28 Jun.
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HMV OPERATIONS APPOINTMENT
HMV have appointed Del Ward to the role of Head Of Central Operations - he takes over from Neil Taylor, who was recently promoted to the job of Operations Director.
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CHART UPDATE
No change at the top of the singles chart, though a bit of a rejig - Nelly Furtado stays top with 'Maneater' though Shakira and Sandi Thom swapping places, the former now at two with 'Hips Don't Lie, and the latter at 3 with 'I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker'.
New entries begin at 4 with Muse's 'Supermassive Black Hole'. Then it goes Zutons with 'Valerie' at 9, The Pussycat Dolls with 'Buttons' at 11, The Kooks with 'She Moves In Her Own Way' at 14, All American Rejects with 'Dirty Little Secret' at 18, Ne*Yo with 'Sexy Love' at 21, Michael Jackson with 'Stranger In Moscow' at 22, Lupe Fiasco with 'Kick Push' at 27, The Young Knives with 'She's Attracted To' at 38 and Editors with 'Blood' at 39 (the latter, if I'm not mistaken, just re-released for the 417th time).
Albums wise and nothing will take Keane off the top spot. Believe me, we've been trying to scratch them off, but the ink they use to print this chart is pretty tough. All of which means that Fatboy Slim has to make do with second place for his greatest hits album, the highest new entry of the week, ahead of the debut long player from the really rather popular Automatic, whose album 'Not Accepted Anywhere' goes in at 3.
Other new entries run thus: Shakira's 'Oral Fixation Vol 2' at 14, Dannii Minogue's 'The Hits And Beyond' at 17, Madonna's 'I'm Going To Tell You A Secret' at 18, Sergio Mendes' 'Timeless' at 27 and Triniti's 'Triniti' at 32. For reasons not entirely clear to me (high street sale probably) The Killers' 'Hot Fuss' reenters at 38 and Guns N Roses' 'Greatest Hits' re-enters at 40.
PS: The UK Student Radio Chart is now on its summer break, and will return in October. As previously mentioned, the SubShot college playlist will also return in the Autumn.
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TOTAL ROCK WORLD ALBUM CHART
As counted down on Total Rock over the weekend - http://www.totalrock.com. New and re-entries marked with a *.
1. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium (Warner Bros.)
2. Tool - 10,000 Days (Volcano)
3. Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam (J Records)
4. Nickelback - All The Right Reasons (Roadrunner)
5. AFI - Decemberunderground (Universal/Polydor)
6. Angels & Airwaves - We Don't Need To Whisper (Universal/Geffen)
7. Godsmack - IV (Republic)
8. Guns n Roses - Greatest Hits (Universal/Geffen)
9. Various - WWE: Wreckless Intent (SonyBMG)
10. Feeder - The Singles (Echo)
11. David Gilmour - On An Island (EMI)
12. Live Songs From The Black Mountain (Epic)*
13. Bon Jovi - Have A Nice Day (Universal/Mercury)
14. Def Leppard - Yeah! (Universal/Mercury)
15. Green Day - American Idiot (Warner Bros.)
16. System Of A Down - Hypnotize (SonyBMG/Columbia)
17. Fall-Out Boy - From Under The Cork Tree (Universal/Island)
18. Queen - Greatest Hits 1, 2 & 3 (EMI)
19. System Of A Down - Mezmerize (SonyBMG/Columbia)*
20. Taking Back Sunday - Louder Now (Warner Bros)
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CMU RADIO SHOW
The songs played on this week's radio show, which you can access later today online via this here URL: http://www.thebeatsbar.co.uk/cmuradio
Beenie Man ft Akon - Girls (EMI/Virgin)
Plan B - No Good (679/Pet Cemetery Recordings)
Lupe Fiasco - Kick Push (Warner/Atlantic)
Dem Franchize Boys - Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It (EMI/Virgin)
Bugz In The Attic - Move Aside (V2/Nuture)
The Pipettes - Pull Shapes (Memphis Industries)
Justine Electra - Fancy Robots (City Slang)
Jeremy Warmsley - I Promise (Transgressive)
Adem - Launch Yourself (Domino)
This Is The Kit - Two Wooden Spoons (Sunday Best, from 'Folk Off' compilation)
The KBC - Not Any More (High Voltage Sounds)
The Rank Deluxe - Style (Fatcat Records)
Cooper Temple Clause - Damage (SonyBMG/Morning)
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URBAN AND KIDMAN MARRY
As I'm sure you'll have heard already, because this apparently warrants coverage on every news programme, country star Keith Urban and actress Nicole Kidman have married in their home country of Australia. Despite attempts to keep the ceremony, held at a cliff top church in Sydney, as private as possible, the streets were packed as Kidman was driven to the venue, and onlookers were scaling trees and stone walls for better gawking opportunities.
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TIMBERLAKE DUMPS DIAZ, APPARENTLY
According to reports, and the gossip bloggers, Justin Timberlake has dumped his fiancée, actress Cameron Diaz. Diaz is apparently devastated that he won't settle down with her, but that's not that surprising, given he's only 24, and, despite being facially challenged, is unbelievably (and I mean unbelievably) attractive to millions of young women. Diaz is 33, by the way.
Some no doubt unsubstantiated source said to someone or other: "They were a great, well-matched couple in many ways but Cameron is ready to settle down and wants a commitment, even though she might not admit it. Justin is only 24 and he's been with Cameron for three years. He hasn't had a chance to sow his wild oats yet."
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SLASH WILL NOT REJOIN GNR
Slash has said he will not be rejoining Guns n Roses, despite some recent speculation in the press regarding a reunion, following the recent appearance of Izzy Stradlin at a few of GnR's recent live shows. Who on earth is it that speculates on this rubbish? Slash and Axl are taking each other to court. They're suing each other. Did you hear that? They're suing each other. Got it?
Slash says: "I don't know where the rumors come from, but I haven't dealt with Guns N' Roses any more than I have in the last 10 years. So it's not really a thing with me. I have, in the foreseeable future, no re-involvement with that band whatsoever."
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TAKE THAT CREATE WOMEN WATCHING FOOTBALL RECORD
Take That screened England's World Cup game against Ecuador at their concert at the Milton Keynes Bowl at the weekend, apparently setting a record for the number of women watching a footie game in one place at the same time, as 50,000 females were expected to attend the gig. A FIFA spokesman commented: "With over 50,000 ladies expected at Milton Keynes, this will the biggest ever gathering of females watching football together in one venue. It's a new world record."
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FUTURAMA RETURNS
Not music news in any way, shape or form really, but great news, so we thought we'd slot it in. Comedy Central in the US has commissioned thirteen new episodes of Matt Groening's 'Futurama', the wonderful animation series which was, of course, axed by the Fox Network three years ago. All the original team are expected to reprise their roles on the show. The bad news is that the new shows won't air until 2008. And then Channel 4 will probably buy the UK rights and air them at 8.30am on a Saturday morning. Ah well, still good news over all though. Comedy Central Senior VP David Bernath told reporters this weekend: "We are thrilled that Matt Groening and 20th Century Fox Television have decided to produce new episodes of Futurama and that Comedy Central will be the first to air them".