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FILM PRODUCTION STUDIO TO RENT IN SHOREDITCH
A fully equipped film production studio in the heart of Shoreditch. An ideal temporary studio to meet all your freelance and overspill needs, with access to 2 cameras (Z1E and HC1E) with 2 sound kits, an HD edit suite with FCP Studio 2, HD deck, HD monitor and sound station. Full specs available on request. Includes a working space for up to four people. The space with production and post-production equipment is £200 per day, minimum hire of three days; 7 days is charged at 5 days. Discounts available for hire of 4 weeks plus. Please contact [email protected] or 07809601366.

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NON-WINNING KANYE GRABS VMA HEADLINES - ANOTHER AWARD RANT
Well, I suppose when you invite Kanye West to your award ceremony you're probably hoping for a customary headline-grabbing rant at some point in the proceedings. At last night's MTV Video Music Awards West's rant didn't centre on him being the best artist in the house, though, rather on his frustration that Beyonce hadn't won Best Female Video, even though she wasn't nominated in that category, but was for the overall Best Video award.

Obviously Kanye decided to express his frustration as the winner of the Best Female Video award, Taylor Swift, stood up to accept the honour. As Swift started to speak about the challenges country artists face in getting exposure via MTV, West arrived on stage, grabbed the mic and said: "I'm really happy for you. I'm going to let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all-time, one of the best videos of all-time".

Beyonce, whose video for 'Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)' was among the most nominated, and went on to take three prizes in total, including Best Video, looked on somewhat embarrassed as Kanye ranted about her failure to get the Best Female nod. Others in the audience were openly hostile to West's stage invasion, subsequently booing when his name was mentioned later in the proceedings. Some Tweeted their disapproval. Other Best Female nominee Pink added to her Twitter feed the comment "Kanye West is the biggest piece of shit on earth, quote me", and look, we did.

West, meanwhile, used cyberspace to apologise. Before the ceremony was up he'd posted an apology to his blog. Noting again how good he thought Beyonce's vid was, he added: "I'm sooooo sorry to Taylor Swift and her fans and her mom. I'm in the wrong for going on stage and taking away from her moment!" He added that Beyonce's video remains one of "the best of the decade".

In a sort of defence of his actions, he recalled how at the BET Awards in 2007 he tried to give up the award he had won because he thought OutKast were more worthy winners. He blogged: "Everybody wanna boooo me but I'm a fan of real pop culture!!! ... I gave my awards to OutKast when they deserved it over me ... that's what it is".

So there you have it. While Kanye grabbed the headlines at the VMAs, here's who grabbed awards...

Video Of The Year: Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)

Best Male Video: TI ft Rihanna - Live Your Life
Best Female Artist: Taylor Swift - You Belong With Me

Best Hip-Hop Video: Eminem - We Made You
Best Pop Video: Britney Spears - Womanizer
Best Rock Video: Green Day - 21 Guns

Best New Artist: Lady Gaga - Poker Face
Breakthrough Video: Matt And Kim - Lessons Learned

Best Video (That Should Have Won A Moonman), ie, Classic Vid Award: Beastie Boys - Sabotage

Best Art Direction: Lady Gaga - Paparazzi
Best Choreography: Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Best Cinematography: Green Day - 21 Guns
Best Direction: Green Day - 21 Guns
Best Editing: Beyonce - Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
Best Special Effects: Lady Gaga - Paparazzi

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GROHL AND NOVOSELIC CONDEMN GUITAR HERO
Right, so this is getting confusing now. Last week Courtney Love condemned Kurt Cobain's appearance in the latest version of the 'Guitar Hero' videogame, saying that she was planning to sue everyone involved and blaming the whole thing on Dave Grohl. The makers of the game, Activision, subsequently claimed that Love helped them design the virtual representation of her husband. Now Grohl and his Nirvana bandmate Krist Novoselic have said they are "dismayed" at Cobain's appearance in the game.

What has most irked the two men is the fact that Cobain's character can be 'unlocked' and made to play other songs in the game. In a statement, they said: "While we were aware of Kurt's image being used with two Nirvana songs, we didn't know players have the ability to unlock the character. This feature allows the character to be used with any kind of song the player wants. We urge Activision to do the right thing in 're-locking' Kurt's character so that this won't continue in the future".

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MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE CANCELLED
Well, if there's one lesson to be learned here, it's that putting a show together based on the mantra, 'If you announce them, they will come' is unwise. Jermaine Jackson announced numerous artists would play his planned Michael Jackson tribute concert in Vienna this month, but then it turned out he hadn't actually got around to booking any of them and many of them already had other plans. As a result, he announced on Friday that the event was being moved to London and rescheduled for June next year, which should give him plenty of time to properly confirm all the involved artists. Let's just hope he remembers.

In a statement, Jackson said: "A little more than five weeks ago I began, together with my partners in Vienna, to work on the tribute concert. As you can imagine staging a show of this monumental dimension in less than eight weeks is a daunting challenge. We have worked virtually around the clock to produce this show for the millions of fans around the world. Despite all the obstacles we succeeded in organizing the entire production of a concert in front of beautiful Schoenbrunn Palace in Vienna to insure that a show of international magnitude could be held".

He continued: "I personally have spoken to many international artists and invited them to attend the tibute and perform one of Michael's songs. Several leading artists immediately agreed to participate in this unique tribute show. Many others told me personally that it would be a great honour to be part of this memorial concert for my late brother - an artist who influenced the music world like virtually no other. However, due to the short time frame involved it just was not possible for many of them to change their schedule so that they could be on stage in Vienna on 26 Sep".

Announcing the rescheduled concert, he said: "We have decided, after careful consideration, to reschedule the tribute concert for my brother to June 2010 and to stage this very special music event at Wembley Stadium in London. ... Instead of eight weeks we now have eight months to prepare and some of the stars who would not have been able to participate in the Vienna concert, but expressed their wish to participate in this event, will be able to perform".

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1000 YEAR COMPOSITION GETS LIVE PERFORMANCE (WELL, A BIT OF IT DOES)
What I think can be described as a 'snippet' of a piece of music called 'The Longplayer' was given a live performance at the Camden Roundhouse this weekend. The snippet was 16.6 hours, or 1000 minutes, long. That counts as a 'snippet' because the full 'Longplayer' runs for 1000 years, which is quite a long trek, even by Meatloaf standards.

'The Longplayer' was created by musician Jem Finer, a founder member of The Pogues, and takes a piece of music recorded on Tibetan singing bowls in 1999 and reworks it through a clever computer programme so that it can run for a thousand years without ever actually repeating itself.

The current performance of the piece began on 31 December 1999, the plan being for it to continue playing until 31 December 2999. It could originally be heard in the Millennium Dome, but is now playing via the Trinity Buoy Wharf on the other side of the Thames. It can also be sampled at various other locations around the world, or via a web stream. You should tune in. I heard the best bit comes at 232 years, 19 days in. Get it cued up now.

The live performance of the 1000-minute snippet at the Roundhouse was created by 20 people on 234 of these Tibetan singing bowls constructed into a 20 metre wide instrument. 1000 minutes of Tibetan bowls chiming might sound a bit tedious, but there is something strangely alluring about the sound they make. I'm not saying I'd give the whole 1000 years a listen, or even 1000 minutes, but it is an interesting project which you had probably all forgotten about until now.

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DE BURGH HITS BACK AT NEGATIVE CRITIC
At the Edinburgh Festival this year our sister title ThreeWeeks ran a series of interviews with comedy types about their love hate relationship with reviews, media criticism being of particular import at the world's biggest culture fest. I'm not sure where Chris de Burgh stands on reviewing in general, but I think it's fair to say he's no fan of Irish Times reviewer Peter Crawley.

The Times man reviewed a recent de Burgh gig at Dublin's Gaiety Theatre. Observing that "certain toes will never uncurl after this experience", Crawley recalled how: "A small man appears in suit trousers and a white shirt, giving a little wave, like a businessman happy to have finished a long day of conference calls". In what is probably an admission by the reviewer that he never expected to enjoy this experience, Crawley continues: "This man is Chris de Burgh. You may have heard of him. The name alone summons a rush of associations, some of which carry a shudder, few of which fail to draw a smile".

De Burgh seems angry that audience response to his three night stand at the Dublin theatre - which was seemingly rather positive - is not reflected in the review, which isn't necessarily the point of a review, though it does read a little as if Crawley signed up for the gig in the happy knowledge that a night out with the 'Lady In Red' man's faithful fan base would be sufficiently horrific to enable one of those spleen-venting slatings that us journalists must admit are quite fun to write.

Anyway, here's how de Burgh responded. In a letter published by the Times in full, the singer ranted: "Your churlish review is an insult to all those who enjoyed their night out, and in these days of collapsing newspaper sales and an entire new generation on the way who will get their information online, you may be looking for another job sooner rather than later".

He continues: "Your pals in the pub must have loved your review, but it seems that you are universally loathed in the theatre world. A leading impresario has described you as 'puffed up with his own self-importance', and a much-loved and successful actress refers to you as 'that loathsome little turd'. Great accolades, to be sure".

He concluded by expressing "sympathy" for the hack, saying: "It must be so poisonous to have to lurk in the shadows, riffling through the garbage bins of despair and avoiding those who think that you are an irrelevance, an irritation to be ignored and laughed about".

So there you go. You'd think de Burgh would be immune to such criticism by now really wouldn't you? I mean, the 'Spanish Train' album aside, for every gushing fan there has to be at least one person whose is made physically ill by most of his musical output.

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ELTON CONSIDERING ADOPTING
Hey, if you thought Madonna's recent dabblings with the whole adoption game garnered some media criticism, wait and see what happens here. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Elton John and David Furnish wouldn't be great parents, but throw the whole gay couple thing into the debate about millionaire celebrities adopting foreign kids and some critics will start spinning. Though at least Elton and David's proposed adoptee does seem to be an actual orphan.

Yes, Elton has admitted he and his other half are considering adopting a child, a toddler from the Ukraine called Lev whose parents died of AIDS. It seems that it's Furnish who has a long held ambition to adopt, with Elton claiming he'd been reticent of the proposal until meeting Lev.

He told reporters: "David always wanted to adopt a child and I always said 'no' because I am 62 and I think because of the travelling I do and the life I have, maybe it wouldn't be fair for the child. But having seen Lev today, I would love to adopt him. I don't know how we do that but he has stolen my heart. And he has stolen David's heart and it would be wonderful if he can have a home. I've changed my mind today".

Elton added that the previously reported death of his chief keyboardist Guy Babylon had also had an role in bringing about his change of heart. He continued: "It broke my heart because he was such a genius and so young and has two wonderful children. What better opportunity to replace someone I lost than to replace him with someone I can give a future to".

Quite what the Ukraine's policies are regarding international adoption, let alone adoption by gay couples, who the hell knows, and John admitted bureaucracy may prevent him and Furnish from caring for Lev. But presumably the couple's legal people will investigate every possible route first.

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TWO LAPD OFFICERS ON SUPSENSION OVER RIHANNA PHOTO LEAK INVESTIGATION
Two LAPD officers have been "assigned to home" as part of the previously reported investigation into who leaked pictures of a beaten Rihanna to gossip website TMZ.com.

As much previously reported, shortly after the story broke that R&B thugster Chris Brown had beaten his then girlfriend Rihanna to a pulp in an LA street after a pre-Grammy party, police photos of the bruised popstress soon appeared on the infamous gossip website and subsequently in media across the world. Brown's legal people in particular questioned who it was that supplied the photos to the gossip site, presumably concerned the images could bias any jury considering the criminal charges their client faced. Brown, of course, eventually pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal.

According to LA media, both Rebecca Reyes and Blanca Lopez have been "assigned to home", which basically means they are on paid suspension, over allegations they were somehow involved in the provision of the photo to TMZ. Both officers, who were roommates at the time of the incident, deny any involvement in the photo leak. Reyes did work on the Rihanna beating case, but her lawyer told media this weekend that she denied selling on any photos to anyone, adding: "My client did nothing criminal or anything for financial gain; her record is quite exemplary".

LAPD haven't formally commented on any accusations linking Reyes and Lopez to the picture leak. Rihanna's people have generally stayed out of the photo leak story, with her legal man, Donald Etra, telling reporters: "Rihanna has nothing but praise for the LAPD. Throughout the course of the case they have treated her with courtesy and respect".

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MCFADDEN FORMALLY REQUESTS CUSTODY OF HIS KATONA KIDS
Former Westlifer Brian McFadden has reportedly issued legal papers requesting temporary custody of his two children by Kerry Katona.

For anyone who, like me, spent August in a news-free bubble, all you need to know is that Katona's life went particularly loopy over the summer, with more druggy allegations, financial problems, a lost Iceland ad contract and a very bitter fired accountant blabbing to the press.

McFadden has previously expressed concern, via the media, for the welfare of his two children. Most recently on Ireland's 'The Late Late Show' where new host Ryan Tubridy took the opportunity to ask why - given Katona's high profile personal problems have been tabloid fodder for a couple of years now - McFadden had until recently based himself on the other side of the world from his two children, living, as he does, with girlfriend Delta Goodrem in Australia. But McFadden has now said he'd care for the couple's children in Ireland until his ex-wife sorts out her demons.

All of which leads us to the legal letter which, according to an apparent friend of Katona's, has now arrived. Said source told the tabs: "Kerry is terrified of losing her girls. She'd heard Brian was thinking about taking custody, but had heard nothing. Suddenly a letter landed on her doorstep from Brian's lawyers demanding intermediate custody while she sorts herself out. Her children are the most important thing to her, the last thing she needs is a bitter custody battle with Brian... it could destroy her".

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PHIL COLLINS MAY NEVER PLAY INSTRUMENTS AGAIN
In news that will surely please all you out-of-work gorillas out there, Phil Collins has revealed that he may never be able to play drums or piano again, following a neck injury he sustained several years ago and has never recovered from.

He said: "There isn't any drama regarding my 'disability' and playing drums. Somehow during the last Genesis tour I dislocated some vertebrae in my upper neck and that affected my hands. After a successful operation on my neck, my hands still can't function normally. Maybe in a year or so it will change, but for now it is impossible for me to play drums or piano. I am not in any 'distressed' state - stuff happens in life".

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GRAMMY PRODUCER DIES
TV producer Pierre Cossette, perhaps best known for spearheading and overseeing the TV production of the Grammy Awards show for 35 years, has died aged 85.

Canada-born Cossette had a prolific five decade career in the US entertainment industry, working as a talent agent, personal manager and record label boss as well as a TV and theatre producer. After serving in the army in World War II he went to college and got a degree in journalism. Despite the journalism qualification, his first job in the entertainment industry was at a 1950s MCA, then a top Hollywood talent agency.

He subsequently formed his own personal management company, through which he managed the affairs of a range of stars, and later founded Dunhill Records, which helped launch the careers of the likes of The Mamas And The Papas, Steppenwolf and Johnny Rivers. After selling the label to ABC he moved into television, which led to him persuading the US Recordings Academy to open up their Grammy Awards - previously a closed doors industry bash - and to turn the awards show into a televised extravaganza. He subsequently oversaw the production of the Grammys TV show for 35 years before handing over the job to his son in 2005.

His prolific TV career also saw Cossette working on other music-based productions; he initiated the Latin Grammys in 2000, producing the Black Entertainment Awards for a while, and made more than fifty music specials for US TV.

Paying tribute to Cossette, current Recording Academy CEO Neil Portnow told reporters: "It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our dear friend and father of the Grammy Awards. Pierre was a creative visionary and one of the most accomplished, versatile and respected producers. It was because of his passion and dedication that the Grammy Awards came to network television close to 40 years ago".

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BORIS ANNOUNCE SINGLES SERIES
Japanese experimental rock band Boris have announced that they will release a series of three 7" singles over the coming months via the Southern Lord label.

Here are the tracklists:

September Japanese Heavy Rock Hits Vol. 1
Side A: 8
Side B Hey Everyone

October Japanese Heavy Rock Hits Vol. 2
Side A: HMA - Heavy Metal Addict
Side B: Black Original

November Japanese Heavy Rock Hits Vol. 3
Side A: 16:47:52...
Side B: ...And Hear Nothing

The singles will be available individually or as a set. If you pre-order the set (details of how to do so will be announced on www.southernlord.com soon), you'll also get a bonus 7" and a Boris t-shirt. Which is nice.

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STIPE AND MANILOW TEAM UP FOR FILM
REM frontman Michael Stipe's Single Cell film production company has bought the rights to a new romantic comedy which centres on a Barry Manilow concert in Las Vegas. Manilow has meanwhile said that he supports the film, and may even appear in it.

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MET MAN JOINS MUSICTANK'S 696 DEBATE
The next MusicTank Think Tank debate will consider the effects of the 2003 Licensing Act on the grass roots music scene, a much discussed topic of late as the government have been reviewing said legislation, though without making most of the changes many in the grass roots live sector had hoped for.

The controversial 696 form, devised by the Met Police and used by London local authorities as part of the live music licensing process, has been very much part of this debate, which is why it is exciting that Adrian Studd from the London police force will be on the Think Tank panel. As previously reported, the Met recently reviewed the 696 form and made some changes - including removing the most controversial question about music genre, the question some felt could lead to racial prejudice - though much of the form remains intact. A key player in the Met's Clubs And Vice unit, Studd has been vocal in speaking in support of the 696 form in the past.

He will be up against one of the form's biggest critics at the event - John Whittingdale MP who, as also previously reported, heads up the Culture, Media And Sport parliamentary select committee, and who made various recommendations regarding revising the 2003 Licensing Act earlier this year, and also called for the 696 form to be scrapped.

The MusicTank event takes place on 22 Sep at the HQ of PRS For Music in London. More info and such like at www.musictank.co.uk/events

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SINGLE REVIEW: Keri Hilson - Energy (Universal/Polydor)
Having had big name guests Kanye West, Ne-Yo, Timbaland and Lil Wayne, on previous singles, Keri Hilson is stepping out alone on new single, 'Energy', the latest to be taken from the album, 'In a Perfect World'. In the past she's proved her talents as a songwriter, penning tracks for Ciara, Britney Spears, Usher and Ludacris, and this single further shows that she could potentially make it as a solo artist in her own right. I say 'potentially' as it's not a track that will blow your mind or take over the charts like Rhianna's 'Umbrella'. It's simple lyrics include 'I'm having nightmares from sleeping with the enemy/How do we reverse the chemistry' which are wrapped around a characteristic R&B beat which make it a solid but standard single, though there is no denying that the girl can sing. A decent track and looking at her musical CV, I'm sure there's much more to come. SD
Physical release: 14 Sep
Press contact: Polydor IH [All]

Buy from iTunes
Buy from Amazon

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UNIONS SPEAK OUT IN FAVOUR OF TIGHTER ANTI-FILESHARING MEASURES
Everyone seems to want to go public on the government's latest moves to combat illegal file-sharing. Perhaps CMU should issue a statement. Typical. It's practically the first time in the whole history of P2P, the record industry's response to it, that I can see both sides of the argument. Damn it.

Anyway, the BPI, UK Music and Entertainment Retailer's Association have spoken out in support of government moves to force internet service providers to take action against persistent online copyright infringers who do not heed warnings. The Featured Artists Coalition, Music Managers Forum, Music Producers Guild and British Academy Of Songwriters, Composers And Authors meanwhile have aired caution.

Well, this time it's the trade unions, and they support more draconian measures against those pesky file-sharers, genuinely believing, I think that a failure to act will genuinely damage the entertainment industry and threaten their members' jobs. I think we already knew that both the Musicians' Union and acting union Equity supported more proactive anti-P2P measures, but last week they formally said so, with the backing of the Trade Uniong Congress.

Equity General Secretary Christine Payne said this: "The fact that so many jobs are under threat is seriously alarming. There has never been a more critical time to take bold action against those who are threatening the livelihoods of everyone working in the entertainment sector".

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ASTA SUPPORT OFT'S JUST TICK IT CAMPAIGN
The Association Of Secondary Ticket Agents has given its backing to the Office Of Fair Trading's previously reported 'Just Tick It' campaign which aims to educate consumers about the need to check out the credentials of online ticketing agents before handing over any money, following a survey that showed one in 12 of online ticket buyers had been victim of some sort of scam whereby dodgy touts fail to provide the tickets they take money for.

Presumably convinced that all his members would tick all the right boxes in such a credentials check, ASTA chair Graham Burns told reporters last week: "We hope the Office of Fair Trading's new website gives the consumer more tools to use in the fight against rogue websites. It is heartening to see that the OFT has grasped the nettle and is prepared to work alongside other agencies, including ASTA, to eradicate the crooks".

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LAST.FM GOES PROPER RADIO LIKE
So this is interesting, Last.fm is becoming a proper radio station in four US cities, which I think kind of defeats the point of the original Last.fm ethos, but hey, whatever. The online music tracking and recommendation service's owners, CBS, are big in US radio of course, and will be launching a Last.fm branded radio service in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco, and online, next month, with a playlist influenced by the platform's user-generated weekly charts. I think the Last.fm radio station will have proper programmes and presenters, though whether that will be the norm or the exception I'm not yet sure. There is a Programme Director - CBS Interactive's Seth Neiman - so presumably there be a few programmes for him to direct.

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MUSIC WEEK IS FIFTY
Music industry trade magazine Music Week properly celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this week with a special edition looking back at the last fifty years of both the magazine and the industry it covers. As well as looking back, interviews with some key music types will consider the future of the business; among the interviewees are Spotify founder Daniel Ek, Mute's Daniel Miller, Malcolm Maclaren, Harvey Goldsmith and a certain Cliff Richard. The special edition will be sent to all subscribers this week, with a PDF version available to any online subscribers too.

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CHART UPDATE
So, I thought Jay-Z might be able to hold on to the number one slot for more than one week. But no, that position does seem to be very slippery of late and he's dropped down to number three, making way for Pixie Lott to have a crack at grasping on to the top. There are a couple of new entries vying for position, too. Mika is at four with 'We Are Golden', Mini Viva are at seven with 'Left My Heart In Tokyo' and Muse are at eight with 'Uprising'.

Outside the top ten there's less going on. Shakira is the next new entry at 25, with 'She Wolf', while U2 are at 32 with 'I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy', and Livvi Franc closes proceedings, coming in at 40 with 'Now I'm That Chick (feat. Pitbull)'.

The album chart is just weird this week. Vera Lynn has done what she failed to do last week and knocked Arctic Monkeys of the number one spot. Just in case you didn't get that: Vera Lynn is at number one. Vera Lyn. Vera. Lynn. At number one. At 92 years old, she is the oldest person to ever hold the position - a full 25 years older than the previous holder, Bob Dylan, who went to the top of the chart at the sprightly age of 67 in May this year.

And if that wasn't weird enough, The Beatles have four albums in the top ten. Not to allow Vera Lynn to take all the glory, they've broken two records, racking up the most number of albums simultaneously in the top ten, which has been held by The Monkees since 1967 (when they had three), and also the most number of albums in the top 60, with sixteen. The previous holder of that record was Elvis, who had 14 albums in the top 60 in 1977, thanks to a Michael Jackson-style mass purchase of his back catalogue following his death.

It's not all old stuff in the album chart, though. Jamie T's second album, 'Kings & Queens', goes straight in at number two, and The Cribs' latest offering, 'Ignore The Ignorant', their first with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, is also new at eight.

Further down the chart, there are a few non-Beatles new entries in the top 40 (though they do have a further six in addition to the four in the top ten). Beverley Knight is in at 17 with '100%', Frank Turner is at 36 with 'Poetry Of The Deed', and Prefab Sprout (still relative newbies compared to The Beatles and Vera Lynn) are in at 39 with 'Let's Change The World With Music'.

And I wouldn't be doing this properly is I didn't keep you up to date with Mercury nominees' chart movements. There's little activity on that front yet, though it's still less than a week since the award winner was announced. In reverse order, La Roux is at 34, Friendly Fires are at 32, Kasabian are at 16, are Florence And The Machine are at 12, all of which are drops from their positions last week.

The charts are compiled by the understandably quite excited Official Charts Company.

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GLASVEGAS GUY NOW HAS A PHONE
Glasvegas have commented on frontman James Allan's recent sort-of disappearance. As you'll remember, when Allan failed to show up to play the Mercury Music Prize last week, and when it was revealed none of his bandmates knew where he was, there were various bits of speculation as to what might have happened to him. So much so that when he finally turned up OK no one stopped to consider just how rude it was to just not show up when your band has been booked to play an awards show.

Anyway, the band's guitarist and James' cousin Rab Allan has explained that the main problem was the his bandmate hasn't owned a mobile phone for six months, which is why no one could get in touch with him when he went AWOL. Rab: "The only way we could get in touch with him was by email. I knew he was okay, but everyone else seemed a little bit worried. I think the record company [was] pretty worried. He has [a mobile] now, yes. We got him one on his glorious return, so he now has a phone".

I'm not sure if they bought him better manners in a bid to avert future no shows. Though a certain element of mystery does still surround Allan's short disappearance, and his bandmates seem to be as in the dark as the rest of us. Rab explained that when the band regrouped in Boston to support the Kings Of Leon that: "We went and had some food. We asked him if he was okay. We asked him if he wanted to talk about anything. Everything was fine, and we [decided to] put it behind us and move on".

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