Justin Timberlake - 'My Love'

There's quite a decent song buried in here somewhere, assuming you have the patience to wade through the stupidly lazy two-minute intro, in which Justin and Timbaland say 'Hey' and 'My Love' a lot, with unsexy results.
What follows is pretty special though, a kind of R'n'B bumper with a sliced and diced house melody that's been put through Timbaland's sonic cheese grater, while scuzzy jabs of synth and wet-fish-on-a-pond beats take turns to prod you in the head.

And naturally, Justin hits the vocal requirements like only a man in frozen y-fronts, riding bareback on a porcupine can. Shame about that intro though. Sigh... who's up for some slow-mo bodypopping?

Actina Aguilera

Some pop stars dabble in acting by playing thinly-disguised versions of themselves. Some pop stars dabble in acting by playing wizards or aliens. Christina Aguilera, in case this needs to be said again, is NOT like other pop stars.
Christina has signed up to appear in the hit US TV show CSI: New York, and rather than feature as some pampered star who's been unwittingly stuck in the middle of some murder mystery, the show she's going to be in will have a rather darker theme.

Anthony Zuiker, the show's Executive Producer, told TV Guide: "Christina's a fan of the show, and we're excited to have her. The episode will probably explore the topic of battered women."

This, as seasoned Aguilera watchers will already know, is a topic which is very close to Christina's heart, given her tough family background. But the show is keen to point out that she won't be playing herself, and that there will be some of her music featured in the show, as an extra incentive for fans.

Something for everyone there thenå.

Writ Me Baby (etc)

OK, OK, so, Britney's marriage is over, her husband-to-NOT-be is taking to the stage and yelling "f*** Britney!" in an Eminemish fashion, and there's some sex tape of hers which will probably be all over the internet like a nasty rash in seconds. But as far as we're concerned, there's only one BIG Britney story today, and that's mainly cos of the brilliant quotes that come with it.
Basically, the facts are these. Earlier on this year, Britney sued Irish newspaper the Sunday Independant, after they suggested her marriage might be in trouble. Then the news broke that she had filed for divorce, and now the Independant are livid.

And this is where things take a turn for the AMAZING. Independent have a lawyer called Simon McAleese, and he's not your average music biz quote machine.

This is what he told the press: "It was plainly bloody obvious that her marriage was on the rocks when the interview took place. She is a Hollywood airhead. Why should my clients have to pay for her bubble headed rubbish?"

"We're fed up. Her gaffe has been blown. It's a shame we're dealing with ludicrous drivel like this as it can be costly."

Hey, grumpy, did you think about maybe NOT reporting on the state of her marriage, seeing as you hate her so much and all...

Britney Spears files for divorce

Pop star Britney Spears has filed for divorce from husband Kevin Federline citing "irreconcilable differences".

The couple wed in 2004, just months after Spears annulled her marriage to childhood friend Jason Alexander.

The singer, 24, will seek custody of the couple's two children, with visiting rights for Federline, 28.

The day before divorce papers were filed Spears gave a TV interview but gave no hint of marriage problems. She was later seen ice-skating in New York.
Federline's lawyer said his client had no comment.

The couple had their first child - Sean Preston - last year.

They announced the birth of their second son, named as Jayden James Federline in the divorce paper, in September.

Worth $123m

The divorce papers state the day of separation as 6 November.

In the documents, Spears asks that each party pay their own legal fees and does not request spousal support.

She also requests assets including "miscellaneous jewellery and other personal effects" and her earnings from after the separation date be confirmed as separate from her husband's property.

Spears has sold more than 60 million albums since her pop debut in 1998 with the UK number one single, Baby... One More Time.

Her personal wealth was estimated at about $123m in 2004 by Forbes business magazine.

The singer's first marriage, in January of that year, lasted just 55 hours.

Her record company said the wedding, which took place in Las Vegas, had simply been a joke that went too far.

Spear's announced her marriage to Federline the following September, although divorce papers reveal that the couple were not officially married until 6 October.

Federline was, at the time, a dancer who had performed with Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson.

He has since launched his own music career, which has met with limited success.

Widely known as K-Fed by Spears's fans, he has two children by his former partner, TV actress Shar Jackson.

'Normal couple

Spears's hits include Toxic, Baby... One More Time and Slave 4 U

The state of Spears's and Federline's marriage has been the focus of intense media speculation for months, with repeated reports the couple were planning to divorce.

Last December Spears's spokeswoman Leslie Sloan denied reports the pair were planning to split and that Federline was seeking a $125m divorce settlement.

"The story is untrue and hurtful," she said. "They are as normal as other couples. They fight, and they make up. They are fine and happy."

In a recent interview, Federline praised Spears for her positive influence on his life.

"She's a strong woman and she knows what she wants out of life and that helps build a strong man," he told the Associated Press.

Pink blasts Beyonce

Pink has blasted Beyonce for her continuing decision to wear real fur.

The US pop star has gone head-to-head with the former Destiny's Child icon, who regularly courts controversy with animal rights campaigners over her choice of clothes.

Speaking as she continues her current UK tour, Pink demanded Beyonce take some responsibility for what she wears.
She said: "Some of the practices are so cruel and as a celebrity you have a responsibility to think about the message you're sending out by wearing fur.

"People will think it's ok or cool, but it's not. I only hope she gets bit on the ass by whatever animal she wears."

U2 win battle against ex-stylist

U2 win battle against ex-stylist

Rock group U2 have won a legal battle against their former stylist, forcing her to hand over a cowboy hat and clothes she took from them in 1987.

Singer Bono told Dublin's High Court last month that Lola Cashman acquired the items without permission during the band's Joshua Tree tour.

She insisted they were a gift to her from the star and appealed against a ruling that she must return them.

The possessions were estimated to be valued at 5,000 euros (£3,400).

U2 had been fighting with Ms Cashman over the ownership of a Stetson hat, a pair of metal hooped earrings, a green sweatshirt and a pair of black trousers.

They were also trying to retrieve a number of other items which had been seen in her flat, including a video tape and monitor, rosary beads and hundreds of photographs.

During the appeal hearing, she claimed Bono was running around in his underwear backstage at the Sun Devil Stadium in Arizona on the last night of the tour when she asked him for the hat.

The court was told he "plonked" it on her head.

In 2002, Ms Cashman put some of the memorabilia up for sale at Christie's.

She claimed two letters sent to the auction house from U2 lawyers seeking their return were defamatory, and began proceedings against the band in the High Court in London.

Fat Boy Slim Back On The Beach

After years of waiting, Fat boy Slim has announced his return to the shores of Brighton in another glorious free beach party in Brighton on New Year’s Day

Big Beach Boutique 3 is to be a ticket only event, with 20,000 tickets available exclusively to those with Brighton postcodes –watch the rush on ebay then as the residents of Brighton cash in on the Fat one’s popularity.

Slim said ‘I can’t believe it is finally happening but it is. I can promise the people of Brighton this is going to be one hell of a show.

The last beach part hosted by Slim attracted 250,000 revellers and sparked fears over public safety.

Judging by Norm’s performance at this year’s Global Gathering, where he played to the radio 1 beach party, this looks set to be the biggest and best New Year’s Day party in the land.

Oasis Best Band In The World

We all knew it, but now it’s official –Oasis are the Best Band In The World- Ever!

Oasis’s enduring popularity and immense contribution to music was honoured last night at the Q awards where they were voted as best act in the world.

Noel also picked up an award for classic songwriter and accepted the award on behalf of Liam, who failed to turn up in traditional immitigable style. Noel joked,

"He's gone to the zoo. The monkeys are bringing their kids to go and have a look at him."

The double honour comes hot on the heels of "Live Forever" being voted greatest song of all time in an earlier Q poll while 40,000 music fans polled for the Guinness World Records British Hit Singles & Albums named Definitely Maybe as best album.
Other music legends honoured on the night included The Who, U2 and Smokey Robinson.


Full list of winners

Best New Act: Corinne Bailey Rae
Best Track: "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley
Best Video: "When You Were Young" by The Killers
Q Inspiration Award: A-ha
Q Outstanding Contribution to Music: Smokey Robinson
Q Groundbreaker Award: Primal Scream
Q Icon Award: Jeff Lynne
Q Idol Award: Take That
Q Outstanding Performance: Faithless
Q Innovation in Sound: The Edge
Q Classic Songwriter: Noel Gallagher
Q Lifetime Achievement Award: Peter Gabriel
Q Merit Award: Manic Street Preachers
Q Classic Song: Karma Chameleon
Best Live Act: Muse
Best Album: Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not by Arctic Monkeys
People's Choice Award: Arctic Monkeys
Best Act In The World Today: Oasis
Q Legend Award: The Who
Q Award of Awards: U2

Eric Prydz Is Back - Proper Education

Proper Education
Eric Prydz Vs Floyd

01 January 2007

Following months of anticipation, on January 1st 2007 Swedish dance legend Eric Prydz returns to Data Records to follow up his immense Number 1 hit ‘Call On Me’, with a blistering track sampling Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick In The Wall’.

This is the first time a Pink Floyd record has ever officially been cleared. Lacing David Gilmour’s caliginous vocals with an immense electro bassline, Prydz builds on the epic nature of the original, moulding it into a bouncy slice of crossover brilliance. Using both the original vocal and other musical elements of the 1979 hit, the Swedish house don gives a respectful nod to the anti-establishment aesthetics of the record, while perfectly bringing it up to date, giving it a new lease of life for another assault on the charts.

Prydz burst on to the mainstream stage after ‘Call On Me’, his cover of Steve Winwood’s ‘Valerie’, grew from a limited CD in the hands of a select few DJs, to the biggest dance record in recent years, notching up five weeks at Number 1 in the UK charts and selling two million copies worldwide. And now with everyone from Pete Tong to Vernon Kay getting hot under the collar over his long-awaited follow up, ‘Proper Education’ looks set to be heading the same way.

So on January 1st join Eric Prydz as he returns to the Data fold, to follow up his massive hit 'Call On Me’ with ‘Proper Education’ – a Pink Floyd sampling anthem, which includes elements of the original recording, cleared courtesy of our friends at Positiva.

DJ Mag Top 100 Winners

The DJ Mag Top 100 DJ Awards went off last night at Fabric, welcoming Trance legend Paul van Dyk back to the decks in celebration of topping the poll

And the top 50 winners are –in a totally unreflective piece of voting… and don't ask us who half of the DJs are, we're non- the wiser!



1. Paul van Dyk- Non Mover- Highest Trance DJ
2. Armin Van Buuren- Up 1
3. Tiesto- Down 1
4. Christopher Lawrence- Up 10
5. DJ Dan- Up 19- Highest House DJ
6. Ferry Corsten- Down 1
7. Sasha- Down 3- Highest Prog DJ
8. John Digweed –Down 2
9. Above & Beyond- Up 10
10. Deep Dish- Down 2
11. Carl Cox- Down 1- Highest Techno DJ
12. Infected Mushroom –Up 14
13. ATB- Down 4
14. Paul Oakenfold –Down 3
15. Hernan Cattaneo- Down 8
16. Judge Jules- Down 1
17. Eddie Halliwell- Non-mover
18. Marco V- Down 2
19. Markus Schulz- Up 2
20. Gabriel & Dresden- Up 9
21. James Zabiela- Down 8
22. John Acquaviva- Highest New Entry
23. Flash Brothers- Up 43- Highest Climbers
24. Amadeus- New Entry
25. Erick Morillo- Down 7
26. Benny Benassi- Down 4
27. Sander Kleinenberg- Down 7
28. DJ Yahel- Up 17
29. Offer Nisim- New Entry
30. Andy Moor- Up 16
31. David Guetta- Up 8
32. Sander Van Doorn- Up 8
33. Richie Hawtin- Down 21
34. Gareth Emery- New Entry
35. Phil Kieran- New Entry
36. Nick Warren- Down 1
37. DJ Skazi- New Entry
38. Steve Lawler- Down 8
39. D-Formation- New Entry
40. Ricky Stone- Up 8
41. Astrix- Up 34
42. Roger Sanchez –Down 15
43. Bad Boy Bill- Down 1
44. Sven Vath- Down 21
45. Thrillseekers- Re-Entry
46. Donald Glaude- Up 22
47. DJ Vibe- Down 7
48. Kyau Vs Albert- New Entry
49. Chris Liebing- Down 16
50. Tiga- Down 6- Highest Electro DJ

Bitchy Spears (Britney Spears)

If you were ever invited to be one of the panel of judges on a reality TV show, you'd wanna be the Simon Cowell one, right? No-one really cares about the nice one or the not-quite-as-nasty one. It's the evil one who gets all the attention.
So, bearing that in mind, guess what? One of the panel on a reality TV show about fashion has been slagging off Britney Spears and the way that she dresses, for no reason other than, well, that's what the Simon Cowell is supposed to do, right?

Tim Gunn is one of the judges on a catwalk-based US telly programme called Project Runway, and he's got that camp panto villain thing going on, as his comments on Britney shows only too well. He told WENN: "Aside from looking as though she's just been dragged out from under a truck that tried to run her over, she always looks like she's in need of personal hygiene. The whole package to me is just repugnant. Ugh!"

There. Now everyone say "BOO!" or hiss a bit, and we can all get on, OK?

Hong Kong Hooey (Mariah Carey)

What is it about Mariah Carey and rumours of diva-like behaviour? They seem to stick to her like velcro-covered stickybuds in a honey shower, 24 carat gold ones of course.

The latest allegation centres on the cancellation of a Mariah concert in Hong Kong, which the promoters claim is down to Mariah's demands, and poor ticket sales.

The New York Daily News quotes a statement issued by promoters One Events, which reads: "We have decided to cancel the event ... due to both the poor response of public ticket sales and also due to specific last-minute demands which we find wholly unreasonable."

Meanwhile, a source told the NYDT: "She was making demands like Streisand. She wanted special spring water, furniture, lighting and armed escorts."

"They told her: 'This is Hong Kong, not the U.S.,' and she said: 'I am not going on.' So they said: 'Fine.'"

Mariah's management have countered the allegation, claiming that ticket sales and demands were not the problem. Manager Benny Medina said: "In these cases, the artist arrives in their tour bus, goes to a backstage room, performs and then leaves. This promoter is resorting to lies and attacks on Mariah when it's just a result of the fact he can't pay his bills."

And that can't be down to poor ticket sales, surely?

Not Mad On Her (Sharon Osbourne)

Bet you're sick. And. Tired. of hearing about Madonna and her adoption plans, ain't ya? Well, you're not alone it seems; Sharon Osbourne has had a gutful as well from the looks of it.

And when Sharon has her fill, a stink normally ensues, and this time, it's got bad words in it and everything.

According to Chartsingles.net, Sharon reckons that the whole adoption furore is, ahem, "a crock of s**t. If she wants to help the kid she should have got the father a little trade going, a fruit stand or something like that and built him a mud hut." Hmm... nice cultural refs there, Shaz.

Oh that's not all, Sharon added, "If the kid's sick then get him a doctor, what was the father supposed to do? He can't read or write."

Goodness, she's really - oh hang on, there's more: "Madonna should have given the money to an orphanage, got them a 24 hour paramedic. She bought a baby for God's sake."

Yes, yes. Can that be the final word?

Sutton Kinda Who? (Britney Spears)

Britney's second baby isn't called Sutton after all. Hey, wake up!
Sutton Kinda Who?

Bah! Just when we were really starting to enjoy the idea that Britney Spears was going to name all of her children after British towns, she's had a change of heart. It's just SO unfair!

Britters and Kevin handed their new baby's birth certificate form in this week, but instead of being called Sutton Pierce Federline, as all the press reports claimed, he's now apparently going to be Jayden James Federline instead. And we've checked, and there's no such place as Jayden anywhere in the British Isles.

And, the TMZ website who managed to get their hands on the certificate also reports that the form seems to have been filled in by Kevin, and was dated September 13th, which is the day after little baby Sutto...sorry...Jayden was born.

Which means they probably never intended to call their son Sutton at all. HOW they must be laughing at the silly journalists of the world. Which, given Britney's troubled relationship with the paparazzi and their judgement of her mothering abilities, is just SUCH a good idea, isn't it?