Elton John asks label to kill him

A lot of people over the years have hoped that Elton John's label would drop him; indeed, around the time of his Duets album, some people were hoping that, prior to dropping him, they'd take him to a third or fourth floor balcony.

Now, though, Elton John wants his label to drop him, as he's less than thrilled with how they're attempting to sell his wares:

"Nobody would know the album has been out since September. My record label isn't doing anything to help. Fuck Universal. Please drop me. I'm 58 and I don't care anymore."

Oh, Elton, you know they're only interested in you for the back catalogue, don't you? It's about what you can do for them, not what they're going to do for you.

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Casiotone get burned

Bad news from Chicago, where Owen Ashworth - who trades as Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - saw his apartment block burn to the ground. Owen and his girlfriend made it out safely, but not all his kit did. And they haven't seen the cat since:

"Yesterday morning, the Chicago apartment building where my girlfriend and I live caught on fire and we had to get the fuck out of there.

"We are both totally fine, but some of our belongings including some of my musical equipment were lost in the mess, and my girlfriend and I need to find a new place to live. We also lost our cat, Rufus, who we are hoping escaped the building on her own, but is still missing...Again, my girlfriend and I are totally fine. We have lots of amazing and supportive friends and family who are helping us out and things are going to work out.

"Also, if anyone living in the Wicker Park/East Village neighborhood of Chicago sees a year old female gray tabby, please get in touch. We miss our cat."

The cat answers to the name of Rufus.

music casiotone for the painfully alone

The lure of Gold-frapp

We're not sure, but we somehow doubt that Target's Christmas range is going to include strap-on tails or sex-horse heads, but even so, they're going to be using Goldfrapp as the soundtrack to their festive ad campaign.

Now, while this is probably good news for US TV viewers - when faced with Westlife on those bemusing Woolworths Christmas adverts (a company that signed off that mess for transmission is one whose shares are screaming to be dumped as swiftly as possible) who wouldn't rather have a spot of Goldfrapp - it does demonstrate a somewhat disappointing grubbing for cash. And if the band don't seek the extra money, they're not exactly discouraging their label:

It's the latest in the cult act's long string of licensing coups, which span two albums (2003's "Black Cherry" and this year's "Supernature") and include big names like Verizon, Diet Coke, "Grey's Anatomy" and "The OC." And the train's not showing any sign of slowing down.

"With some pitching and pushing, all of the songs on 'Supernature' have what it takes," says Cynthia Sexton, EMI Music Marketing senior vice president of marketing and licensing. "To the tune of a lot of money."

In today's changing marketplace, Goldfrapp is helping redefine the prototype of success, using licensing wins to drive buzz, sales and radio play, rather than vice versa.

But is that what they want? Rather than being the icy-cool cross-species sexperimentation flashsquad, Goldfrapp would rather be the Diet Coke band? Isn't that the sort of thing better left to the artistic vacuums of Snow Patrol and their ilk?

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Kanye West admits he might have enjoyed a pre-show cocktail

Whatever can explain Kanye West's rushing of the MTV EMA awards stage to blurt out that he should have won the best video prize?

Ego?

Artistic certainty?

Or could it be he was merely a little over-merry on free drinks?

Maybe that last one.

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Diddy drops the jewellery

Shares in Elizabeth Duke plunged overnight as P Diddy announced he no longer needs to boast with bling:

“I’ve gone beyond bling. I’ve got nothing to prove with jewellery. I am at a level all on my own now.”

Yes, now he's relying on old-fashioned bragging to do all his boasting for him.

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Take my mother-in-law... please, someone take her

If Pete Doherty ever decides to stop with the rock music (and, the more raddled his voice sounds, the more compelling an idea that seems) he could try his hand on the working men's club circuit. He's certainly building up a store of mother-in-law related grief, as he apparently is refusing Kate Moss' attempts to bring her mother and him together. He's even threatening (reckons The Sun) to not go to his own engagement party in case Linda is there.

There's a source on hand to explain more:

“Pete doesn’t care about approval from Linda but he doesn’t want any awkward confrontation with her.

“He thinks she’s made her mind up about him and there’s no point in trying to be something he’s not.

“He’s not the sort of person to be told what to do by Kate — and he does not need them to play happy families if it’s just a farce.”

God forbid that Pete Doherty ever get himself involved in something farcical.

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Shakira scoops the Latin Grammys

If the idea of the Latin Grammy awards is to suggest there's much more to American latin pop than just Shakira, it might not have been such a good idea to give all the prizes to Shakira. We recognise they do have a bit of a problem, though - give prizes away from the few crossovers, and nobody would take any notice of the awards at all; but if you give prizes to stars who already have made the leap across, you're not really promoting anyone else. (Of course, this does make the cynical assumption that awards ceremonies are about selling more records rather than awarding artistic achievement.)

The winners in full, then:

Record Of The Year
La Tortura
Shakira
Shakira, producer; Gustavo Celis & Rob Jacobs, engineers/mixers
Track from: Fijación Oral Vol. 1
[Sony BMG Music]

Album Of The Year
Fijación Oral Vol. 1http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=1930103
Shakira
Gustavo Cerati, Lester Mendez, Luis F. Ochoa, Rick Rubin & Shakira, producers;
Gustavo Celis, Serban Ghanea, Mauricio Guerrero, Mauricio Guerrero, Rob Jacobs,
Kevin Killen & Dave Way, engineers/mixers; Vlado Meller, mastering engineer
[Sony BMG Music]

Song Of The Year
La Tortura
Luis F. Ochoa, Alejandro Sanz & Shakira, songwriters (Shakira)
[Sony BMG Music]

Best New Artist
Calle 13

Best Female Pop Vocal Album
Fijación Oral Vol. 1
Shakira
[Sony BMG Music]

Best Male Pop Vocal Album
Adentro
Ricardo Arjona
[Sony BMG Music]

Best Pop Album By A Duo Or Group With Vocal
Guapa
La Oreja De Van Gogh
[Columbia Records/Sony BMG Music]

Best Urban Music Album
Calle 13
Calle 13
[White Lion/Sony BMG Music]

Best Rock Solo Vocal Album
Ahi Vamos
Gustavo Cerati
[Norte/Sony BMG Music]

Best Rock Album By A Duo Or Group With Vocal
Casa
Natalia y La Forquetina
[Norte/Sony BMG Music]

Best Alternative Music Album
Limón y Sal
Julieta Venegas
[Norte/Sony BMG Music]

Best Rock Song
Crimen
Gustavo Cerati, songwriter (Gustavo Cerati)
Track from: Ahi Vamos
[Norte/Sony BMG Music]

Best Salsa Album
Directo Al Corazón
Gilberto Santa Rosa
[Norte/Sony BMG Music]

Best Cumbia/Vallenato Album
Cien Días De Bohemia
Los Hermanos Zuleta
[Sony BMG Music Entertainment]

Best Contemporary Tropical Album
Una Nueva Mujer
Olga Tañón
[Sony Discos]

Best Traditional Tropical Album
AM/PM Líneas Paralelas
Andy Montañez & Pablo Milanés
[Morocho Records]

Best Tropical Song
Te Mando Flores
Juan Fernando Fonseca, songwriter (Fonseca)
Track from: Corazón
[Capitol Records/EMI Music]

Best Merengue Album
MQ
Milly Quezada
[J&N Records]

Best Singer-Songwriter Album
Como Un Campo De Maíz
Pablo Milanés
[Universal Music Mexico]

Best Ranchero Album
Historias De Mi Tierra
Pepe Aguilar
[Norte/Sony BMG Music]

Best Banda Album
Más Allá Del Sol
Joan Sebástian
[Balboa Records/Discos Musart]

Best Grupero Album
En El Auditorio Nacional
Joan Sebástian
[Balboa Records]

Best Tejano Album
Nuevamente
La Mafia
[Univision Records/Urbana Records]

Best Norteño Album
Historias Que Contar
Los Tigres Del Norte
[Fonovisa Records]

Best Tropical Regional Mexican Album
Kumbia Kings Live
A.B. Quintanilla III y Los Kumbia Kings
[EMI/Televisa]

Best Regional Mexican Song
Aun Sigues Siendo Mia
Osvaldo Villarreal, songwriter (Conjunto Primavera)
Track from: Algo De Mí
[Fonovisa]

Best Instrumental Album
Bebo
Bebo Valdés
[RCA/Calle 54 Records/BMG Spain]

Best Folk Album
Corazón Libre
Mercedes Sosa
[Edge Music]

Best Tango Album
Café De Los Maestros
Varios Artistas
Gustavo Santaolalla & Gustavo Moz, producers
[Surco / Seminal / Universal Music Latin/AADI Capif]

Best Flamenco Album
Picasso En Mis Ojos
Diego El Cigala
[Ariola]

Best Latin Jazz Album
Solo
Gonzalo Rubalcaba
[Blue Note]

Best Christian Album (Spanish Language)
Dios Es Bueno
Marcos Witt
[CanZion]

Best Christian Album (Portuguese Language)
Aline Barros & Cia
Aline Barros
[MK Music]

Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album
Timeless
Sergio Mendes
[Concord Records / Hear Music / Will.i.am. Music Group]

Best Brazilian Rock Album
Hoje
Os Paralamas do Sucesso
[EMI Music Brazil]

Best Samba/Pagode Album
Universo Ao Meu Redor
Marisa Monte
[EMI/Phonomotor Records]

Best MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) Album
Segundo
Maria Rita
[Warner Music Brasil]

Best Romantic Music Album
Roberto Carlos
Roberto Carlos
[Amigo Records/Sony BMG Music Entertainment]

Best Brazilian Roots/Regional Album
Vida Marvada
Chitãozinho & Xororó
[Mercury Records/Universal Music]

Best Brazilian Song (Portuguese Language)
Caminho das Águas
Rodrigo Maranhão, songwriter (Maria Rita)
Track from: Segundo
[Warner Music Brasil]

Best Latin Children's Album
Adriana Partimpim - O Show
Adriana Partimpim
[Ariola/Sony BMG Music Entertainment]

Best Classical Album
Rhapsody In Blue
Michel Camilo & Ernest Martínez Izquierdo; Elaine Martone, producer
[Telarc Jazz]

Best Recording Package
Café De Los Maestros
Laura Varsky, art director (Café De Los Maestros)
[Surco / Seminal / Universal Music Latin]

Best Engineered Album
Fijación Oral Vol. 1
Gustavo Celis, Serban Ghanea, Mauricio Guerrero, Rob Jacobs, Kevin Killen & Dave Way, engineers (Shakira)
[Epic]

Producer Of The Year
Cachorro López
• Dias Felices (Christian Castro) (A)
• Diego (Diego) (A)
• Dulce Beat (Belanova) (A)
• Limón y Sal (Julieta Venegas) (A)
• Vanessa Colaiutta (Vanessa Colaiutta) (A)

Best Short Form Music Video
¡Atrévete Te, Te!
Calle 13
Fish, video director; Gabriel Coss, video producer
[Sony BMG Music]

Best Long Form Music Video
Blanco Y Negro En Vivo
Bebo & Cigala
Fernando Trueba, video director; Fernando Trueba & Nat Chediak, video producers
[Calle 54 Records/Bluebird/RCA Victor Group/BMG]

Un Viaje
Café Tacuba
Tito Lara, video director; Gerardo Gutiérrez, video producer
[Universal Music Latino]

music latin grammys shakira

Divorce, by all means, but do it with dignity

Paul McCartney has some handy advice for people considering the end of their marriages - do it with dignity.

So, when you demand the return of cleaning fluids from your flat, take care to say please and thank you, for example.

"Remember that it is a private affair and that way [acting with dignity] you will probably get through it better, you will put less noses out of joint and I think it's a more dignified way to go about it, so that's what I try to do."

Don't be quick to rush out your damaging counter-leaks when your partner leaks against you: remain cool and aloof. Let your "concerned friends" do that.

Follow Paul's rules, and your divorce could proceed as smoothly as that of Sir Paul and Mrs. Mills. It's a compelling model, isn't it?

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