| CMU Daily - on the inside 18 Dec 2002 |
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In today's CMU Daily:
• Police rubbish Jay suspect rumours,
• Brighton Council may push back beach party into 2004,
• Popstar rivals get bitchy,
• Christmas chart midweek update,
• Yousef swamped by wannabe DJs,
• SXSW highlights revealed,
• Ono won’t go legal over credits,
• Review: Stabb - This Joke’s On Me,
• Eminem house fails to sell,
• Minelli files suit against VH1,
• Dre delays solo album for producer duties,
• Upbeat outlook for digital TV,
• REM premiere new track at impromptu gig,
• Gatecrasher to revamp sheffield home
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Cryptic Christmas songs - which festive number is this clue referring too?
“Don’t let those soldiers past”
Answer tomorrow
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POLICE RUBBISH JAY SUSPECT RUMOURS
Police in New York have quickly denied rumours that circulated around the hip hop community last week that one of Jam Master Jay’s business partners may have been behind the former Run DMC’s members murder. Allegations were made against Randy Allen, a member of rap group Rusty Waters, and were based around a suggestion that Allen was the beneficiary of an insurance policy if Jay was killed while at work. The rumours also alleged Allen’s sister Lydia was involved. Police officials have rubbished the rumours, with Allen himself denying all allegations.
Meanwhile police are questioning Ronald ‘Tinard’ Washington about the killing. He was arrested at the scene of a robbery last weekend, but also seen outside Jay’s studio on the night of the shooting. One police theory is he could be connected, possibly as a lookout man.
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BRIGHTON COUNCIL MAY PUSH BACK BEACH PARTY INTO 2004
While Norman Cook runs a survey via the local Brighton paper to see if locals are up for another Big Beach Boutique party in 2003, it looks like the council might refuse permission whatever the outcome. Cook, who originally said he wouldn’t be organising a third beach party event, this week confirmed he was now considering a 2003 event after getting the blessing of the parents of Karen Manders, who died at this year’s party.
But council officials are expected to report tomorrow that the city is not ready for a repeat of the massive beach party which attracted 250,000 people in July. They will want to find ways of controlling numbers at any future event, and will probably ask for further research to be done in finding an acceptable method of crowd control. This being a council, any such research would probably push any future event into 2004.
Chris Holm, the City Council’s resort services manager, writes in a report: "The impact of this year's event is still at the forefront of people's minds and it is generally felt that the summer of 2003 would be too soon to stage another large scale music spectacular on Brighton beach. However, no-one is ruling out the potential for such an event to take place in future years, subject to agreement by all appropriate parties."
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POPSTAR RIVALS GET BITCHY
Well, they are Popstars The Rivals, and if it wasn’t enough for pop gurus Pete Waterman and Louis Walsh to bicker in public, now the bands themselves have joined in. Popstars boyband One True Voice have accused the popstars girlband Girls Aloud of having "no talent".
"The girls are trying everything they can to get to number one but they haven't got the talent," One True Voice member Keith told reporters. "The fight is far from over. Even if they have got a slight lead, they've still got a big fight on their hands.
“The girls can't sing live. They can't harmonise," fellow member Daniel continued. "When they tried to record their single for SM:TV, they were so bad they ended up miming."
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CHRISTMAS CHART MIDWEEK UPDATE
Fighting talk may not be enough in the futile battle for Christmas number one though. The latest word from the stats monkeys is that Girls Aloud are about 8000 units ahead of One True Voice in this week’s festive chart race.
But whatever happens it is likely to be good news for ITV bosses this Sunday as Popstar acts are expected to fill the Christmas top 3. Girls Aloud and One True Voice will be in the number one and two spot, with the Cheeky Girls, who were laughed off Popstars but went on to release their own single, ‘The Cheeky Song’, expected to be at number three – their third week in the top three.
The current number one from Elton John and Blue is currently in fourth place.
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YOUSEF SWAMPED BY WANNABE DJS
Yousef has been talking to Radio 1 about the response to his mini-DJ competition. As previously reported, Yousef invited wannabe DJs to send in demo tapes, promising to give the best six a slot at the Boxing Day night at his Circus club in Liverpool.
"I really didn’t expect this response, considering we did a low key promotion for it – it’s great! I’ve had DJ’s from Canada to Peru, Greece, Italy - and of course the UK - sending in mixes. It’s amazing to see that people are actually really interested – the whole concept of Circus is that everyone feels a part of it, and I think people are realizing that."
"There is no cash reward and no expenses, but people are just doing it for the love – they’ve all said that they just want to show me what they can do. The standard of mixes I’m getting is of pretty high standard too, with really good variation. I’ve picked out two already and am going through the rest now."
Yousef has now asked people to stop sending in CDs because he's swamped with entries! He is yet to announce the six DJs to play on Boxing Day, though he says he may invite more of those who submitted demos to play at February and March Circus dates.
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SXSW HIGHLIGHTS REVEALED
Basic details about next year’s South By Southwest have been announced. The seventeenth year of the major industry fest will take place 12 – 17 Mar in Austin, Texas.
On the talks side producer/artist Daniel Lanois will give a keynote address, leading a programme of seminars that includes: Label Heads Sound Off, Comparing Audio Formats, When Should You Sign With A Major?, Latin Music and the Media, and Be My Guest: Music on Television.
Music wise, artists scheduled to perform during the week include a reunited Camper Van Beethoven, CeDell Davis, John Doe, Grandaddy, Willie Nelson, Joe Jackson, Idlewild, Billie Joe Shaver, Keller Williams, Lucinda Williams, Turin Brakes, 16 Horsepower, David Cross, and Lee Ann Womack.
More info at www.sxsw.com
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ONO WON’T GO LEGAL OVER CREDITS
Despite reports yesterday that Yoko Ono was planning to go legal over Paul McCartney’s decision to credit Beatles songs on his live album to ‘Paul McCartney and John Lennon’ (rather than the usual Lennon/McCartney), her lawyers have denied any lawsuit will be issued. "I don't think anybody ever said Yoko was going to sue Paul,” lawyer Peter Shukat told the BBC.
McCartney’s spokesman Geoff Baker also dismissed lawsuit reports: "Have we had any legal letters? Absolutely not, it's not true. I don't know whether she [Ono] is happy about it or not, but there can't be any legal action." Ono and McCartney both have an equal share in Apple Records, Mr Baker said, and one member would not sue another.
Talking about McCartney’s decision to switch the credits on the tracks Baker said he was trying to rectify the “historical imbalance”. Again stressing that Lennon and McCartney agreed in the sixties that their names could be arranged in any order, he said: "It's not demeaning John, it's not taking anything away from John, it's merely pointing out who did the body of work on certain songs, just so people know."
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REVIEW: Stabb - This Joke’s On Me (Music for Nations)
What odd people those Swedes are. Talk to them in the pub and they’re the most innocent, lovely and un-demented human beings imaginable. Almost the same for Australians, by and large. But crikey, what a racket these two nations make when they pick up their guitars. A cross between Sahara Hotnights and The Vines sounds pretty good, and that’s what we get with Stabb. Taking in huge gulps of Queen Adreena, Aussie singer Belinda Kordic sounds like Polly Harvey fellating Corey Slipknot, and her Scando band’s meaty sound backs it up pretty well. Not exactly Earth-scorching stuff then, but perhaps a nice pre-Valentines gift for the post-goth or grunge throwback in your life. DR
Release date: 10 Feb
Press contact: Music For Nations IH
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EMINEM HOUSE FAILS TO SELL
A former home of Eminem remains unsold after an eBay auction. As previously reported Darren Martens, who owns the house, knew that bids of $12 million for the property weren’t genuine. But after a company weeded out the phony bids it materialised there were no serious offers over the minimum sale price of $120,000, and the online auction has now expired.
Another former home of Slim Shady also failed to attract the $500,000 asking price, while a the owner of a third house is still trying to find a $2million buyer. Perhaps the moral of the story is that the average Eminem fan, unlike Mathers himself, isn’t that well off.
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MINELLI FILES SUIT AGAINST VH1
Liza Minnelli and husband David Gest have issued their lawsuit against VH1 over the axing of their reality TV show. The couple are looking for $10 million in damages after the network pulled the plug on their Osbournes style show, which would have filmed celebrity dinner parties hosted by the couple in their own home. In the suit, filed in New York on Monday, they claim VH1 breached their contract when they axed the show before even airing one edition. They also claim an anonymous employee of VH1 parent company Viacom defamed Gest in an interview.
VH1, or parent company Viacom, are yet to comment
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DRE DELAYS SOLO ALBUM FOR PRODUCER DUTIES
Dr Dre has pushed back the release of his highly anticipated next album (allegedly his last) so he can work on new material with former NWA partner Ice Cube. Dre’s album 'Detox' was scheduled for a summer release, but it is now unlikely to surface before the end of 2003.
Talking about Ice Cube's new album Dre told MTV: "I haven't heard him on the mic just yet. He's got a couple of tracks that I think are banging, so I'm just waiting to see what he is going to come with." The album is due for a summer release on Dre’s Aftermath label.
Cube isn’t the only person distracting Dre from his solo album. He's been working with 50 Cent, a new signing to Dre's Aftermath and Eminem's Shady Records labels. Talking about that album Dre continued: "50's album, in my opinion, is going to compete with all the classic hip-hop records that have come out over the last 10 years. 'Illmatic', 'The Chronic', 'Marshall Mathers LP', it's right up there”.
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UPBEAT OUTLOOK FOR DIGITAL TV
Following a gloomy forecast from the British Market Research Bureau on the uptake of digital TV in the UK, the ITC is more upbeat about the growth of television in the UK. They reckon if current take up of multi-channel TV continues half the households in the UK will have it by the end of next year. That said their research – which reckons over 11 million households now have multi-channel TV – includes analogue satellite and cable services. But with satellite and cable operators working hard to convert their existing customers to digital, and the fact the latest ITC figures don’t include sales of Freeview, digital TV backers might take heart from the news.
Although some point out the half of the population yet to buy into digital will be the half it is hard to persuade of the benefits at all, the ITC say that take up of digital TV, which has been on the market for just three years, has been much quicker than the growth of other technologies. They say that three years after their launch, video recorders and personal computers were in fewer than two homes in 10. Satellite and colour TVs were in around one in 20. And it took mobile phone technology over a decade before the mass take up that led to 80% of the population owning a phone.
But whether take up will be quick enough for the government – who hope to begin phasing out analogue signals in 2006 – remains to be seen.
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REM PREMIERE NEW TRACK AT IMPROMPTU GIG
REM played a new song when they made an impromptu appearance in the intermission of a Minus Five gig in Vancouver last weekend. According to the NME, in a three song set they performed 'She Just Wants To Be' from 2001's 'Reveal', a reworked version of 80s tune 'Bad Day' and a brand new song called 'Weatherman'. The band are currently in Vancouver recording their thirteenth studio album.
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GATECRASHER TO REVAMP SHEFFIELD HOME
Gatecrasher have announced they will spend half a million refurbishing their spiritual home - The Republic in Sheffield. They plan to convert the large warehouse space into three separate rooms to give a more intimate feel for clubbers.
“The Republic has been made famous by Gatecrasher over the last five years and we're delighted that our spiritual home is going bringing state of the art clubbing back to the North Of England,” Gatecrasher bosses told reporters. “Some of the design highlights will include an additional bar installed in the upper level of the new built area of the club, a new VIP room and a permanent real ice bar as well as the sale of oxygen at all of the bars.”
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Answer to Tuesday's cryptic Christmas song:
Cryptic Christmas songs - which festive number is this clue referring too?
‘Male offspring of the Virgin (Rasputin’s not involved this time)’
‘Mary’s Boy Child’ by Boney M