INTERN OPPORTUNITY AT LEYLINE
Leyline Promotions are currently looking for a web-savvy intern to join their team in west London. Main duties include managing online communities and liaising with agents, artists and press during the build up to events. Applicants must have an interest in indie and electro and be available to work some nights. Leyline's events include: The Remix, Twisted Licks, The Insomniacs Ball, The (wonderful) CMU Social and they also look after the PR for the Glade, 229 the venue and seOne.
More info: [email protected]

PANDORA DIRECTOR JOINS SLICETHEPIE BOARD
Grass roots music investment site Slicethepiece has announced the appointment of Pandora's MD International Paul Brown to its board where he will take the title of Commercial Director and will be responsible for driving business development and commercial partnerships. Brown has previously worked in the mainstream investment industry, as well as for SonyBMG, but has more recently moved very much into the digital domain.

Speaking to CMU, Brown said he decided to take on the Slicethepie role, which he will perform alongside his work for Pandora, because: "I was really impressed with the site and the product. I first came across the whole venture when judging for the BT internet awards, and from the start I thought the idea was fantastic in that it provided a real solution to tackle some of the issues the music industry is currently facing. There is some good IP in this business, and I feel the market is really ready for this kind of proposition. The number of bands and fans already signed up is proof of that".

As previously reported, Slicethepie gives music fans the chance to preview and rate unsigned bands and, on top of that, pledge a small investment in the bands they especially rate. When a band has amassed a sufficiently large investment the money is used to send them into the studio and release an album. Investors receive a free copy of the album plus they and slicethepie get a small royalty on sales or advertising revenue generated by the band's music. The master recording, though, remains the property of the band.

So far the site has been very much about grass roots fans discovering and investing in grass roots bands, but Brown sees the potential for expansion moving forward. "Every one talks about the web as exposing new music, but there is so much music on it it's really overwhelming. As a grass roots scouting arena and financing engine we are able to offer a filter of the new music out there – whether that be for other music fans, grass roots investors, or any other people looking to make partnerships with new or even established music talent. In the near future I think slicethepie's growth will be in developing the current model, but long term I think we can be the middle men between all sorts of people looking to make music and looking to invest in music, whether the latter be fans, or other investors, or brands looking to forge music partnerships for marketing purposes".

Confirming Brown's appointment, Slicethepie CEO David Courtier-Dutton added: "We are delighted to have someone of Paul's calibre join us at such an exciting time. Paul is both widely known and well respected across the music industry both in the UK and US. With extensive experience of the commercial realities of driving change within the industry, both inside and outside the label structur, he is ideally placed to help Slicethepie achieve success".

You will be able to read more of CMU's interview with Brown, including what he thinks the major record companies – the traditional investors in new music – think about the slicethepie move in our new 'in the news' interview feature on the CMU Music Network website later this week.

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BACK TO THE MOLE: R KELLY TRIAL
So, there were some behind the scenes matters to deal with at the R Kelly child porn trial in Chicago yesterday, the defence having closed their case after just two days on Monday.

First, Kelly confirmed to the judge that he was exercising his right to not testify during the trial – something we presumably already knew, given that the defence chose not to call him to the witness stand, but a stand out moment in that it was the first time during the trial the R&B star had spoken in the court room.

Second, Judge Vincent Gaughan ruled the jury could review the sex tape at the heart of the trial while deliberating. The defence didn't want the jury to have access to the tape in the jury room, fearing that their deliberations will consist mainly of staring at the tape intently trying to figure out if it is Kelly and the alleged victim we see having sex on the tape, rather than considering rationally the evidence presented during the case. But Gaughan agreed with the prosecution that the tape was so crucial to the case the jury should be able to review it, though he said he'd stress that jurors should not put too much emphasis on the tape alone when considering the case.

Back to the trial proper, and a prosecution witness took to the stand for the second time to rebut claims made during the defence's presentation to court. The issue once again was that mole that can be found on R Kelly's back and which does or does not appear on the man in the sex tape, depending on who you believe. Both the prosecution and defence presented witnesses to discuss the quality of the tape itself, with the defence's expert saying that a mark that can be seen on the back of the sex tape man was a smudge on the tape, which was of such bad quality it was hard to see anything. But the prosecution claim that the defence presented a different version of the tape which is much poorer quality than their copy, and that on their copy it is quite clear the "smudge" is a mole. To that end they wheeled back in their video expert, Grant Fredericks, to say so. This led to an argument between defence and prosecution about who had made what copies of the tape, the implication of which, I think, is that the prosecution had prevented the defence from seeing the higher quality copy so to undermine their case, though I might have that wrong.

Anyway, the case continues. Closing arguments are expected to be delivered tomorrow.

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FIELDER-CIVIL'S £200,000 BRIBE
James King, the pub landlord who Blake Fielder-Civil and a friend admitted to attacking during the course of a court hearing on Friday, agreed to accept a £200,000 bribe in return for not giving evidence in the trial and leaving the country, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard yesterday. That, in case you wondered, is the perverting the course of justice that Fielder-Civil and pals are now also accused of.

With the defendants having pleaded guilty at the end of last week, the prosecution quickly outlined the case against Mr Amy Winehouse et al. Prosecutor Sean Larkin said the defendants hoped that King refusing to testify and then disappearing would "effectively throw the case". Two other men, Anthony Kelly and James Kennedy, acted as middle men in the deal, and it was them that screwed it up for the justice perverting colluders - Kelly attempted to sell his story to the Daily Mirror who alerted the police.

Although Winehouse has been cleared of any involvement in the justice perverting, Larkin said that when the journalist who Kelly spoke to, Stephen Moyes, asked if Fielder-Civil's wife was aware of the deal, he said: "Who do you think is paying for it, of course she is".

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BUSTED BOYS PLAN TO APPEAL
Those former Busted boys Ki Fitzgerald and Owen Doyle – who were kicked out of the boy band before they rose to fame, and who unsuccessfully sued for a cut of the royalties from the band's early songs last week – have said they will appeal that ruling.

As much previously reported, the duo claimed that the band's management badly advised and then threatened them into leaving the band and signing away any rights they had to the group's songs and name. After Busted hit the bigtime Fitzgerald and Doyle sued both their former management and former bandmates James Bourne and Matt Willis. The former settled out of court so when the case got to court earlier this year it was Fitzgerald and Doyle v Bourne and Willis.

The plaintiffs' case failed because they couldn't prove the early band had worked as a partnership, which was a requirement for their other claims. The judge also questioned Fitzgerald and Doyle's reliability as witnesses.

In a statement issued this week reps for them said they were "disappointed" with the High Court ruling, but that they would continue to "fight for justice" and take the case to appeal. The statement also added that while the duo lost the case, as a result of the court hearing they will be recredited as co-owners of some of the early Busted hits, including 'What I Go To School For', something which, they pointed out, had not been widely reported following the judge's ruling on the case last week.

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BRMC LOSE DRUMMER
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have announced that they have split with drummer Nick Jago for the second time. However, the nature of the split seems to be in dispute.

Writing on MySpace, Jago said: "I just had dinner with Rob [Levon Been, vocals/bass] and Pete [Hayes, vocals/guitar] and, well, I'm not in the band anymore. They presented it to me like they need a break, I took it as I am fired again and to be honest with you I respect their decision. I don't make it easy for them, I hope to be able to play with them again in the future as a reunion, as there is really no bad feeling other than we all wanna be happy and right now we are not. Maybe playing drums for BRMC all the time is not my calling and there is something else I'm supposed to do".

Levon Been and Hayes followed this up with a message posted on the BRMC MySpace blog, saying: "To all of you who have read or heard about Nick's MySpace posting, Peter and I would like to clarify a few things from our perspective. It's true, Nick wont be joining us for the upcoming European tour, but it's not true that he is fired. We just feel Nick needs time to sort out exactly what he wants right

now. His heart and all his energy and attention is on his own solo project and he needs to see that through. We welcome his singing and songwriting in BRMC, but his focus, at least at the present time, is on doing his own thing and we wish him the best. He is our brother, our musical partner, and we love him dearly and look forward to playing with him again in the future".

Drums on the upcoming tour dates will be handled by The Ravonettes' Leah Shapiro. The first time Jago parted from the band was in 2005, due to ongoing drug problems, which meant he only appeared on one track on the band's third album, 'Howl'.

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COOLIO ARRESTED
Rap star Coolio, aka Artis Ivey Jr, was arrested in Hollywood yesterday in relation to an outstanding traffic warrant. According to the LA Times, the hip hopper was pulled over at 1am on the corner of Sunset Boulevard for a routine stop due to "expired tags", which I think means that the car's registration fee hasn't been paid to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Anyway, during the course of this stop, it was discovered that Coolio had an outstanding misdemeanour for driving whilst his licence was suspended, and the rapper was arrested. He was released at 6.40am, after posting $10,000 bail. 

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KISS MEMBERS HOLD FIRM
You'd think a band as big as Kiss might be able to agree on what a new project will entail before they start announcing it, wouldn't you? Or maybe all the confusion over what their new reality TV show aims to do is a cunning ruse to get lots of press coverage. Well, anyway, there seems to be some dispute over whether this TV show is designed to expand the band's current line-up or replace it.

As we reported on Monday, Kiss' manager Don McPhee thinks the latter, saying in a TV documentary on the band: "I believe that Kiss can go on forever. I believe that there is a way - and we are talking to people and we're pretty close to getting it done - about finding the four new members of Kiss".

However, frontman Paul Stanley says he's not going anywhere. In a statement posted on the official Kiss website, he said: "A Kiss clone reality show? First of all, contrary to what was said by anyone, there is no signed deal. Secondly, if we were to do a 'Kiss II', and I don't rule that out, it would be in addition to, and never in place of, Kiss. We are in the middle of our biggest and most successful tour of Europe ever, playing to over a half million people, and neither Kiss or I have any plans to stop afterwards!"

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THE CRIMEA TALK GOING SOLO
These days it's all about breaking away from record labels and giving your music away for free. But The Crimea were doing that way before it was fashionable, and they didn't have a globally established career to fall back on if it all went wrong, either.

Speaking to Music-News.com about going it alone, frontman Davey MacManus was recently asked how it differed from working with a label. He said: "Now you can directly intervene, where before you had to go through a succession of people. Musically we can do our own thing much more and be portrayed as we want to be portrayed. We can be in charge".

Keyboard player Andy Stafford added: "We are our own bosses now - and our last record was our most successful to date. When we were signed to a label based in LA we had this time difference thing and things got lost in translation, too".

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ALBUM REVIEW: The Loose Salute - Tuned To Love (EMI/Heavenly) The Loose Salute are connected with Mojave 3 (see also: Coley Park, Holten's Opulent Oog, Caz Mechanic) courtesy of Ian McCutcheon - drummer in the latter but singer here (along with the sweet tones of Laura Bilson). Anyone who appreciates Mojaves 3's folk/country rock will find much to enjoy here - the sun-kissed surf-pop soars whilst the longing ballads are full of melancholy. 'The Mutineer' and 'Why'd We Fight?' are incredibly simple and tender but devastatingly effective, whilst 'Turn The Radio Up' and 'From Head To Sandy Toes' are gloriously anthemic. The instrumentation is awash with chiming pianos, relaxed horns, melodica, lap steel, banjo and glock and there's a strong West Coast aesthetic underpinning everything, making 'Tuned To Love', a hugely warm and comforting listen. Perfect for hot lazy days and warm summer nights, 'Tuned To Love' is simply an absolute triumph. MS Release Date: 2 Jun Press Contact: EMI IH [all] back to top

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WHITE STRIPES REUNITE AT RACONTEURS SHOW
The White Stripes returned to the stage at a Raconteurs gig in Detroit on Sunday. Sort of.

Instead of returning to the stage with his Raconteurs bandmates for the encore, Jack White arrived with White Stripes drummer Meg White. The pair made as if they were about to play, before the other Raconteurs ran on stage, with guitarist Brendan Benson exclaiming "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wrong band!", at which point Meg scurried back stage again. Those pranksters.

This is, however, the first time Meg has been seen on stage since a bout of anxiety on her part caused the latter part of The White Stripes' 2007 tour to be cancelled.

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GLASTONBURY DEFENDS HIGH STREET TICKET SALES
Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis has defended the decision to sell the last batch of tickets for the festival via selected HMV stores around the country. The move has angered many ticket holders who went through the strict online registration system, designed to stop touts from getting hold of passes.

Eavis told The Daily Star: "People have to provide ID and they have to provide ID on the gate as well. Our anti-touting policy is still in place".

The paper also asked her opinion on why she thought ticket sales have been so slow this year. She said: "It's almost certainly down to bad weather. We've had three years of quite heavy conditions and people are kind of making their minds up according to the weather I think".

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REDFEST AND BLISSFIELDS CANCELLED
Talking of struggling festivals, the respective organisers of two of the UK's smaller festivals, Blissfields and Redfest, have announced that they are cancelling the events, due to poor ticket sales.

In a lengthy statement on the Blissfields website, its organisers said: "We are devastated to be in this position and could not have foreseen it, as we had planned an amazing weekend, and have had a very positive response from everyone we have talked to including the press, who have seen the quality we were offering this year. With such low sales, not only are the financial burdens for ourselves incredibly high but we would also not have been able to put on an event with the atmosphere and passion that we wanted our festival goers to have. After all the planning, such a drop in quality for you was not an option and the only decision open to us after seeking much advice was to can it off and minimise the pain to everyone involved. This was not a decision taken lightly and has involved much heartache and tears from us and the volunteers who put this event together. We cannot fault in any way the organisational capabilities of all involved and know that with the right sales in tickets we could have put on a joyous event this July!"

The Redfest organisers cut straight to the chase, saying simply: "We are truly sorry to those of you who have bought tickets and thank you all for your support".

Those who have bought tickets for either event should seek a refund at point of sale.

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PRINCE CANCELS "LAST EVER" IRISH SHOW
Were you hoping to go to Prince's last ever live show in Ireland? Well, you've missed it, sorry. The show that was being billed as his last ever performance in Ireland has been cancelled.

Prince was due to perform in front of 55,000 fans at Croke Park in Dublin on Monday, but, according to a statement issued by its organisers, the event has been cancelled "due to reasons beyond the control of Prince and MCD Productions".

All ticket holders have now been refunded. The organisers also said that they hoped to re-arrange the show next year. So, maybe you haven't missed it.

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COLDPLAY DELAY NORTH AMERICA TOUR DATES
Coldplay have announced that they are delaying the start of their upcoming North American tour by two weeks due to the fact that the show "simply won't be ready" for the scheduled first date on 29 Jun in Philadelphia. The jaunt will now start in LA on 14 Jul, and instead of finishing on 4 Aug in Chicago, will now finish the same day, but in Boston. Tickets for cancelled shows will be valid for the new dates, but refunds are also available. Their previously announced free shows in London on 16 Jun, Barcelona on 17 Jun, and New York on 23 Jun are set to go ahead as planned.

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SINATRA SPEAKS IN CONGRESS ON RADIO ROYALTY DEBATE
Nancy Sinatra was at US Congress yesterday leading a group of artists who are part of that campaign calling for a change in US copyright rules that would force American terrestrial radio stations to pay a performance royalty to artists and labels in the same way as radio stations do in most other Western countries, and as internet and satellite radio stations do already in the US. In America only songwriters and publishers currently get a royalty from terrestrial radio.

Commenting on her lobbying efforts, Sinatra told Whispers this week: "They're taking things from artists, musicians, sidemen, background singers - they are taking from them, but they are not paying them. That's not fair. It's all about fair play, basically. My dad started trying to get this done 30 or 40 years ago, and I'm picking up the ball now because it's not fair. We don't have a level playing field".

US broadcasters have long claimed that artists and their record labels get free publicity when they are played on terrestrial radio, though that argument has failed in most other territories and media (it worked for MTV for a while back in the day), and artists and labels point out that the majority of music radio these days is filled with classic tracks that they aren't currently promoting anyway.

Sinatra will testify at a hearing regarding the proposed change in copyright rules later today. Other artists supporting the campaign include Ron Sexton, John Lindberg and the Sugar Hill Gang.

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APPLE LABELS STAND OFF DELAYS TRULY MOBILE ITUNES
Gossipers say there is a quiet stand off going on between Apple and the record companies regarding the launch of a truly mobile iTunes. As reported yesterday, consumers can only download music from iTunes to their iPhone via WiFi, and that's not going to change with the new iPhone, even though the new device accesses the fast 3G mobile internet network.

The issue for Apple making iTunes work over the mobile network is twofold – [a] the mobile network may want a cut of the money and [b] Apple needs a different licensing agreement with the record companies to make music available over mobile. Generally, and for reasons I'm not sure of other than greed, the labels have asked for a higher price for mobile downloads. Apple and its boss Steve Jobs are trying to persuade the labels to bring mobile downloads in line with normal downloads price wise, but the majors are reportedly trying to use these negotiations to win some concessions in other areas of digital contention – eg variable pricing.

SonyBMG have reportedly formally written to Jobs saying they won't agree to his current demands regarding mobile iTunes, and the other three majors are reportedly of the same opinion. It's thought that Jobs had hoped to have all this cleared up before launching the 3G iPhone, and when it became clear that wouldn't happen hoped that by launching it anyway would strengthen his hand at the negotiating table (ie saying to the labels "not having this deal isn't delaying our plans, so take it or leave it), but insiders say the majors plan to stand firm on this. Expect much more quiet standing off to follow. 

Meanwhile, Apple has confirmed the all new iPhone will be available in the UK via O2 from 11 Jul, a steal at £100. Well, free if you plan to steal it presumably, but £100 if you pay.

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SONY TO OFFER 7DIGITAL VOUCHER WITH WALKMANS
Sony electronics has announced a partnership with that there independent download company 7Digital which will see Sony Walkman Wirefree digital media players coming with special vouchers which will allow new walkman owners to download a free music video from the 7Digital platform. Exciting stuff. The vouchers will come with Walkman Wirefree devices sold through Argos.

7Digital chief Ben Drury told CMU: "Establishing this collaboration with Sony United Kingdom puts us in a great position to provide customers with a compelling combination of exciting content and high-quality devices. Through key partnerships we will be able to provide more choice for consumers, encourage more competition in the digital music market and ultimately offer a better deal for the consumer".

Sony UK Biz Development Manager Riad Hawa added: "7digital.com offers a DRM-free video solution that delivers compelling content and ease of use, which is key to meeting our customer's needs".

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CAPITOL PRESIDENT DEPARTS
More EMI nonsense for you, and we brought up yesterday the question of what is happening with the top guard at the major's Capitol US division given the total restructure going on across the recorded music division there, and the appointment of former Island UK chief Nick Gatfield to the job of President of A&R Labels North America and UK. We were pondering over whether Capitol Chairman and well respected A&R type Jason Flom would stay or go. No sooner had we done so we hear that his colleague, Capitol US President Lee Trink, is definitely out, heightening speculation that Flom will go too. Trink will leave at the end of the month.

Fox News' Roger Friedman wrote yesterday: "By the time you read this column, Lee Trink, the popular and affable president of Capitol Records, will be telling his troops his last day is June 30. Sources tell me Trink's resignation will be followed in short order by that of Jason Flom. And get this: neither Trink nor Flom will be replaced. Guy Hands and the folks from Terra Firma, the new owners of EMI, who have no experience in the record business, don't believe in label presidents. Still young by industry standards, Flom will pick up his artists, staff and paper clips and start something new and no doubt even more successful". We'll update you on all things Flom as soon as we hear any definite news.

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MERLIN REACHES 12,000 MEMBERS
Merlin, that there global digital rights body for indie labels, has announced that 12,000 independent labels have now signed up, meaning, they say, they now represent an 8% share of the US music market, equal to that of EMI (which probably says more about EMI than Merlin, but still, good achievement nontheless). They hope to use that power to negotiate better deals for their members with major digital music service providers like Last.fm and MySpace.

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PINNACLE MD STEPS DOWN
Music Week report that Pinnacle MD Chris Maskery is stepping down after 21 years with the company. His decision to leave, announced internally yesterday, follows the management buyout of the independent entertainment distributor from former parent company Arvato back in January.

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C4 RADIO GETS PERMISSION TO DELAY LAUNCH FURTHER
Will Channel 4 Radio ever go live? Good question. Well, media regulator OfCom yesterday gave the 4Digital Group permission to delay its long awaited much postponed launch of a second national digital radio network until as late as next year. According to Mediaweek, the latest delays in getting the new digital service live come amid negotiations between 4Digital and the new owners of GCap, who own half of the other national digital radio network Digital One. New GCap owners Global Radio are said to be considering some kind of partnership with Channel 4 in a bid to make their combined DAB services more viable.

Confirming they had given permission for the launch of C4 Radio to slip, an Ofcom spokesman told Mediaweek: "Ofcom has allowed 4 Digital Group to delay the launch of its national radio multiplex licence beyond the original July 2008 launch date. However, Ofcom has not yet agreed a revised launch date and has asked 4Digital Group to provide updated plans, including new timings, by the end of the summer for Ofcom's approval".

Channel 4 declined to comment.

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SMOOTH STATION MANAGER STEPS DOWN TO CONCENTRATE ON PARENT COMPANY ROLE
Stuart Taylor has stepped down as Station Director of Smooooooth Radio London so he can concentrate on his other jobs as Deputy CEO and Group Commercial Director of parent company GMG Radio. One Paul Fairburn will take over the day to day running of the Smooth station. Taylor told reporters: "London is a key area for growth for us and we are about to embark on a multi-million pound marketing campaign for 102.2 Smooth Radio so it is imperative that we have a full-time station director in place. Paul has an enviable track record of success and I'm sure will be a great asset to the team".

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ITV PROMOTE INSIDER TO TAKE OVER TOP GLOBAL CONTENT ROLE
ITV has promoted Lee Bartlett to the role of MD of ITV Global Content, replacing that Dawn Airey who, as previously reported, quit back in April so she could take up the top job back at Channel Five. Bartlett has been filling in for Airey since her sudden departure, and will now take on the job full time. He only joined ITV, from Fox Broadcasting, a month before Airey's departure.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Gavin Rossdale – Wanderlust (Universal/Interscope) When I heard Gavin Rossdale was releasing a solo album six years after Bush had officially disbanded, I was curious. I quite liked Bush in their 'The Science Of Things' period and, truthfully, was hoping for more of the same. Indeed Rossdale's gravelly voice recalls the glory of his grunge and electronic infused days. However, the overall feel of this album is markedly different and takes fewer risks than Bush ever did. This isn't to say that Rossdale does a poor job. The album is a solid one, a mix of active and adult rock persuasions with occasional throwbacks to the older Bush tendencies in songs such as 'If You're Not With Us You Are Against Us'. The lyrics are obviously reflective of Rossdale's life in the spotlight and his maturation as an individual, though like many mainstream rock tracks, they sometimes lack an emotional connection for the audience, making it more difficult to get particularly excited about the album as whole despite the grandiose titles listed on the CD packaging. Rossdale seems to fall into his stride halfway into the album when the songs become more fast-paced and aggressive, but turns back to a safer pace and song structure by 'Beauty In The Beast'. Yes, 'Wanderlust' is a decent album and seems a genuine attempt on Rossdale's part to find his own individual musical style. Yet it isn't necessarily what one would expect from a formerly successful front man of a post-grunge band. EO Release Date: 9 Jun Press Contact: Polydor IH [all] back to top

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COLE IS NEW X-FACTOR JUDGE
Girls Aloud's Cheryl Cole – formerly a contestant on a TV talent show herself, of course - is to replace Sharon Osbourne as a judge on 'The X Factor', as previously rumoured. The BBC quote her as saying "It's a massive honour to be following in the footsteps of Sharon Osbourne. The rest of the girls have said they're right behind me, which is really important for me as it will be weird to be on the other side of the fence this time. So whilst we get started on the next album, it will be brilliant to be a judge on 'The X Factor'".

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BOWMAN AND SMITH BECOME PARENTS
Edith Bowman and boyfriend, Editors singer Tom Smith, have been blessed with child. The Radio 1 DJ has given birth to her first baby, a boy called Rudy Brae Bowman Smith who weighed 6lb and 9oz and has "very long legs". As previously reported, a number of guest DJs are covering her slot on R1 whilst she's on maternity leave.

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CHANTELLE ON PRESTON'S NEW LOVE
Chantelle Houghton has commented on the rumours that ex-husband Sam Preston is engaged to his new girlfriend Abby, who was apparently seen sporting a large ring last week. Houghton told Heat: "He's like a serial wedder. Be careful. Just realise the pattern. There's definitely a pattern: it's never Preston who gets hurt... He's selfish. The person hurting everyone is Preston. He's the love rat in all this".

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VAN OUTEN ON LEONA AND AMY
Denise Van Outen has said that she thinks the likes of Leona Lewis should get more public support, and Amy Winehouse should get less. She told Cosmopolitan: "I couldn't believe it when I opened the paper the other day and saw a massive picture of Amy Winehouse, completely off her face.What bothered me was that in the corner was a tiny story congratulating Leona Lewis for storming the US charts.If you ask me, we should be bigging her up, not people who are struggling with drugs".

She might have a point. But Amy's music is better.

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MADONNA DIVORCE RUMOURS
Nearly forgot to say - there are rumours doing the rounds that Madonna is preparing to divorce Guy Ritchie - rumours that seem to be based on her being seen meeting with a rep from the divorce law firm that represented Paul McCartney earlier this month, or something like that. No official word from anyone, though gossipers say there is no pre-nup, so Guy could make a claim to a big part of his missus' £300 million fortune. Fun fun.

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