No Rock And Roll Fun

DARE BRITNEY FACE THE CURSE OF PLAYING CHINA?: Last year, when Suede announced their intention of playing a gig in China, we begged them not to go, since the China gig is the kiss of death to any act - Space, Wham... even Mariah Carey. The list of those who've played China reads like a Bands Reunited researcher's wet dream. Suede didn't listen to us, and in six months they'd disbanded and Brett Anderson found himself calling up Bernard Butler to see if he fancied a pint. So, it's not so much that China should be deciding if they want Britney Spears to play Peking - Britney should be thinking if she dare take the risk of doing so at such a delicate stage in her career. Send Christina instead, surely.

Interestingly, the above-linked AP report observes that "Spears would be one of the biggest international pop stars to play here since the communist state was established in 1949" - presumably, then, before the second world war China was constantly playing host to international pop stars.