| CMU Daily - on the inside 5 Nov 2002 |
|
In today's CMU Daily:
• LA copper can sue Michael for genital waving allegations,
• Gatecrasher launch new talent night,
• TV watchdogs warn against raunchy pop performances,
• Aqualung – quality only,
• Mrs Osbourne delivers alternative Christmas address,
• Peoples choice nominees,
• Review : Hybrid - Gravastar / Celebrity Science,
• Label gets album out quick to beat pirates,
• Jacko back in court,
• BBC admit more digital stations reduce sound quality,
• NME readers make best single additions,
• Corgan confirmes album name,
• Best and worst festive number ones
------------------------------------------------
Who on who? “I don’t like him. I don’t like his attitude or his records … all that protest thing was a load of rubbish. I don’t hate listening to his records, but I can’t stand it when people say he’s a genius.
Answer tomorrow
------------------------------------------------
WHAT'S THE BEST SINGLE AND ALBUM OF 2002
Vote now in the CMU chart of the year. Email your name, where you work / study and the name of your favourite single and album of 2002 to [email protected] – and look out for the chart of the year on 20 Dec.
------------------------------------------------
LA COPPER CAN SUE MICHAEL FOR GENITAL WAVING ALLEGATIONS
An appeal court in the US has ruled that Marcelo Rodriguez, the police officer who arrested George Michael for “lewd conduct” in that infamous LA toilet incident, can proceed with legal action against the star for alleging the officer “waved his genitals at him”. An earlier attempt at legal action was thrown out of court, but in an appeal hearing the judge ruled Michael’s allegations "went beyond general statements of opinion" and that while they were made in a light hearted manner that they referred to "specific and objectively verifiable facts". As a result the LA cop now has the right to proceed with a £6.5million lawsuit.
------------------------------------------------
GATECRASHER LAUNCH NEW TALENT NIGHT
Gatecrasher are launching a new weekly night dedicated to new DJ talent. Ben Thompson, Nick Riley and Andi Durrant (Galaxy FM) will be searching out what they consider to be talented DJ hopefuls and inviting them to do a set at Sheffield club Bed as part of a night called Young Guns. The club had indicated that the most talented DJs showcased at the night might be installed as a future resident at the main Gatecrasher club. Wannabe DJs should send their mix CDs, tapes or mini discs to: Young Guns, 121 Eyre Street, Sheffield S1 4QW
-----------------------------------------------
TV WATCHDOGS WARN AGAINST RAUNCHY POP PERFORMANCES
Watchdogs have told TV bosses to keep control of pop performances on kids TV shows after viewer complaints regarding performances by Holly Valance and Christina Aguilera on CD:UK. Although the ITC didn’t uphold the complaints they did say they "sympathised with the viewers' concerns”. The objections referred to an airing of Valance’s video for ‘Kiss Kiss’ where she appears to perform naked, and a performance by Christine Aguilera where she wore leather chaps with only her underwear underneath.
In a statement the ITC said: "Undoubtedly some performers and music videos are more suggestive than in the past, reflecting considerable changes in society with regard to sexual behaviour as well pop music's inherent 'boundary pushing' nature. There will always be some performers who deliberately court controversy for one reason or another. However regular monitoring by staff found that such performers did not dominate the programme. The ITC appreciates that parents and others are naturally concerned about the messages they believe certain images appear to send to children."
------------------------------------------------
AQUALUNG – QUALITY ONLY
Matt Hales, aka Aqualung, has vowed to never release a poor quality single just to ensure radio play. He told Radio 1: "Aqualung is always gonna be about selling albums. I think it's brilliant if you can pull it off. You can also have songs on the radio that can touch people - and that's a great thing 'cause singles can be very commercialised, very slight, very dull and very conservative as a whole, because they're so explicitly a marketing device. You'll never get that from Aqualung, you can always be sure it will always be a song with passion and with heart in it. There's nothing wrong with a few of them on the radio from time to time…"
------------------------------------------------
MRS OSBOURNE DELIVERS ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS ADDRESS
Sharon Osbourne is set to deliver Channel 4’s alternative Christmas message, which goes head to head with the Queens Speech on Christmas day. The star of MTV’s The Osbournes, who joined husband Ozzy at the Queen’s Jubliee concert earlier this year, will record her message later this month.
Channel 4 told us: "Sharon Osbourne connects with our viewers in a way that the Queen can't. She is a real person who leads an extraordinary life."
-----------------------------------------------
PEOPLES CHOICE NOMINEES
Nominees were announced in the US for the People’s Choice Awards yesterday, which will be broadcast on CBS on 12 Jan. The awards survey thousands of Americans on their favourite entertainment of the last twelve months. In the music categories Eminem, Alan Jackson and Nelly are up for favourite male, Celine Dion, Faith Hill, and Lopez for the favourite female award; and Creed, Dixie Chicks,and 'N Sync are nominated for favourite musical group or band.
------------------------------------------------
REVIEW : Hybrid - Gravastar / Celebrity Science (Distinctive Records)
Chris Healings, Mike Truman and Lee Mullin tease us with ‘Gravastar’ – a storming progressive track that leans on trance – hard pounding beat and an infectious loop with good atmospherics. Powerful stuff that has already caused a stir by being on that Lavelle’s Global Undergound compo. ‘Celebrity Science’ is more breakbeat – fast paced with a mid industrial edge with a menacing backdrop, with some cyber scratching. Impressive stuff from the Swansea trio – can’t wait for the album, due in the new year, which was rumoured to be have been cut in Moscow. PV
Release date: 2 Dec
Press Contact: Excess Press [all]
------------------------------------------------
LABEL GETS ALBUM OUT QUICK TO BEAT PIRATES
Sony label Columbia have brought forward the released of Nas’ seventh album in the US because of the high number of counterfeit burned CDs already on the streets. ‘God’s Son’ was due to be released on 17 Dec, but will now hit the stores on 13 Dec – this is apparently the quickest the label can turn the CDs around.
In an official statement Nas has warned fans about buying the fake CDs, claiming they are of an inferior quality: "'God's Son' is my most personal album and I poured my heart and spirit into it. It's important to me that the fans hear my album the way I intended. When you buy a bootleg or pirate a download off the net, you don't get the real thing. The sound sucks, the sequencing is wrong, you're probably missing some tracks, and you don't even get the artwork and CD bonuses."
------------------------------------------------
JACKO BACK IN COURT
The Michael Jackson soap opera continues. Jacko was back in court to face allegations he cancelled two millennium gigs costing concert promoter Marcel Avram millions.
Not only did Jackson arrive limping after suffering a ‘spider bite’, he then made comical faces at supporters in the court room. Avram’s lawyer seemed to get frustrated with the star after he repeatedly replied "I don't recall" to his questions. "That's administrative work. That's not what I do. I'm the entertainer," Jackson said when asked about details involved in planning concerts.
------------------------------------------------
BBC ADMIT MORE DIGITAL STATIONS REDUCE SOUND QUALITY
BBC radio bosses have admitted the quality of digital broadcasts has decreased as more stations go on air – the final of the Corporation’s digital stations, BBC 7, goes on air later this month.
A spokeswoman confirmed quality had suffered, and admitted there was a "small but committed group of audiophiles who think we have compromised the quality of the broadcasts".
Listener Peter Nadin told Media Guardian: "There has been a drastic reduction in technical quality. When 5 Live Sports Extra and 6Music launched, there was a noticeable reduction in quality in the output of the BBC World Service and 5 Live broadcasts. Just recently, with the launch of 1Xtra and the BBC Asian Network, the quality of the other BBC channels has dropped. The World Service now sounds better on digital TV platform Freeview than it does on digital radio."
Defending the decision to launch so many digital stations the BBC spokeswoman continued: "If we are going to take digital radio into the mass market, we have to offer more choice to listeners. It is a case of balancing the quality of the broadcast with the number of services you are able to receive."
Despite a slow start, digital radio is now taking off with demand for the new affordable digital radio sets (which sell for about £100) has now outstripped demand.
------------------------------------------------
NME READERS MAKE BEST SINGLE ADDITIONS
NME have announced the results of its reader survey for the best record ever. After releasing its Top 100 singles ever, as voted for by NME staff, last month the magazine invited readers to nominate the record that they thought should also have appeared.
Among the tracks readers felt should have been included were Oasis' 'Don't Look Back In Anger', John Lennon's 'Imagine' And 'Paranoid Android' by Radiohead. More info at www.nme.com.
------------------------------------------------
CORGAN CONFIRMES ALBUM NAME
Zwan, the new band from ex-Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, have named their debut album ‘Mary Star Of The Sea’ The album will be released by Reprise at the end of January. A song from the album, ‘Honestly’, is already streaming at the band’s website - www.zwan.com.
------------------------------------------------
BEST AND WORST FESTIVE NUMBER ONES
A survey of people’s favourite and least favourite Christmas number ones was good news for Slade, but bad news for Mr Blobby.
The kids TV star’s 1993 festive chart topper was announced the most irritating, closely followed by St Winifred's School Choir’s rendition of ‘There's No-One Quite Like Grandma’ and other classics from Rolf Harris, Renee and Renata and Mr Christmas Song Sir Cliff Richard.
Slade’s ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’ was named best Christmas number one ever, closely followed by Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody (christmas number one in 1975 and 1991), Band Aid’s ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ and last year’s festive number one Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman's version of ‘Somethin' Stupid’.
------------------------------------------------
Answer to Wednesday's pop quiz:
What did ‘Charlies Angels’ do to ‘Coyote Ugly’, that ‘The Next Best Thing’ also did to ‘The Beach’ back in 2000?
The title track of the former knocked the title track of the latter off the number one spot in the singles chart. That is to say Destiny’s Child’s ‘Independent Women’ from Charlies Angels knocked LeAnne Rimes ‘Can’t Fight The Moonlight’ from Coyote Ugly off the number one spot, Madonna’s ‘American Pie’ from ‘The Next Best Thing’ did the same thing to All Saint’s ‘Pure Shores’ from ‘The Beach’. Make sense?