Great White knew nothing of fireworks

Some members of Great White are seeking to be released as co-defendents on the legal actions relating to the Atlanta nightclub fire:

Three of the band members - Mark Kendall, Eric Powers and David Filice - maintain in new court papers that they had no managerial duties with the group, had no contact with the owners of the club and did not participate in preparing or lighting the devices.

"They were at the nightclub that evening for one purpose - to perform music:, attorneys for the band members wrote in court papers filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Providence. "They had no other role in the band's performance at The Station."

Jack White isn't, at this stage, seeking to be let off.

Rhode Island fire coverage in full

Why CocoRosie are smarter than Joss Stone

It could just be because they've got a smarter mother.

Joss canned her ma, because she wanted a "proper" manager.

Sierra and Bianca Casaday, though, put their faith in their mother...:

"We recently hired our mom to manage us," Sierra announces. "She sent us a message today to tell us she got us our first contact in the record industry, a producer."

"Rick Rubin," Bianca says, questioningly. "What records did he do?"

Several multi-million-selling albums by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Bianca screws up her face. Beastie Boys. System of a Down. Johnny Cash. She looks rather nonplussed. "Did he do anything that's not rock?" she asks. Johnny Cash? Still no reaction. Johnny Cash is apparently not "not rock" enough.

"We don't like rock," she continues. "I think the electric guitar solo thing is... a little too macho. Dudes with guitars... not our thing."

Maybe they could pass their mother on to Joss Stone?

Coming attractions: The Young Playthings

Normally, bands with members travelling under comedy names make us narrow our eyes, but The Young Playthings can be forgiven including a Jørs Truly amongst their ranks, if only because they'll get their payback when people start asking him "so, after you were in the band with Marco, Merrick, Terry Lee and Gary Tibbs, what happened then?"

Also, their debut poppy-playful album Who Invented Love is rather good. The step from bedroom recordings to studio has allowed them to expand their range to muck about having a go at doo-wop and to move ever closer to making a David Lynch soundtrack for a film even he might be a little scared of. It's out at the start of next month; your time spent investigating might be rewarded.

Coming attractions: Green Pitch

It's not out until June, but worth making a note in your diaries, as Green Pitch's first single proper Reverse will be emerging on the 4th. From Denmark, they seem to be all wispy and ethereal until Rex Garfield's vocals kick in, when everything suddenly becomes sharper and little bit bitter. Pearly Peardrops Drops.

The album Ace of Hearts is released in July; if you can't wait until then, it's important enough to be imported already.

Groove is in the shark

It doesn't quite look like it's the future, but it does give a sense of what the shape of the future may be: GrooveShark, a legal music sharing service which rewards you for passing on details about the music you like, is taking sign-ups for its test version. Oh, imagine if this caught on and the RIAA had to pay people to upload music on its behalf.

Naturally, the music is DRM free, too.

No Blunt, No That for Diana

The Daily Mirror's list of acts playing the Diana memorial concert seems to have been a little awry: Neither James Blunt nor Take That are confirmed for the event:

"Contrary to the report in today's Daily Mirror, Take That and James Blunt are not confirmed to appear at Concert for Diana on July 1st."

Indeed, apparently only Elton and Joss Stone are definitely going. So it'll still be terrible enough.

I bet you look good with your pants on

For some reason, the Arctic Monkeys have been trying to keep Jamie Cook's relationship with Katie Downes quiet. Almost as if dating a glamour model didn't fit with the band's image or something.

According to her MySpace page, Katie likes the Arctic Monkeys (although they come as a second to The Kooks - Luke Pritchard, take note). But then seh also lists her interests as "fetish photography and anything artistic", and yet her catalogue shows she seems to only appear in those hand-across-tits teenage-boy porn churned out for lower shelf magazines, so who knows what to believe?

It all pays well, though: apparently, she's made seven figures out of it all.

Britney needs Andrew Winter

This week we're in Malibu, with Britney. Britney's a newly single Mum, and keen to sell her Malibu mansion in order to downsize and settle some sizeable medical bills. But the house has been on the market since January, and even a cut in price of a million pounds, to six million, has failed to interest any serious buyers. I went to take a look...

- Britney, the first thing that strikes me as I come through the door is that you've got a great welcoming space here, but that's lost as there's what I can only describe as a stench. What is that smell?

- It's the bitter reek of disappointment, Andrew

- That really is the sort of thing that puts buyers off straight away. And does it go right through the house?

- No, not the whole house.

- But there are smell problems elsewhere?

- Yes, the living rooms have the whiff of failure, and I've been trying to get rid of the fog of desperation from the kitchen.

- And how have you been doing that?

- I tried burning some sage.

- That's really not going to do it. Modern buyers are finely attuned to what they want, and if a house is clouded with the death of hope, it's going to to take more than some herbs to put it right...

Glitter wants out

Apparently, Gary Glitter is planning to ask the Vietnamese president to let him out early to mark Vietnam's Victory Day.

Yes, how could victory over Western forces trying to control your nation be better marked than by giving a treat to a Briton who came to shag your children?

Robbie Williams is not afraid of a climbdown

Robbie Williams is going to rejoin Take That.

Well, no he's not, obviously, but The Sun has seized on something his Mum said and built it up a little:

Jan agrees. She said: “I don’t think Robert has a problem with that. He’s thrilled at how Take That have come back.

“On the question of him doing something with them, that will happen.

“It would be something he wanted to do.

“I’m thrilled that out of all the negative stuff that happened in the past there’s now something great happening.

“Take That were excellent when they were all together and they are excellent now.”

Now, the honest headline might be "Robbie's mam reckons there might be some sort of reunion", but instead, the Sun has gone with:

Robbie will sing with Take That

We love that Jan rates Take That as "excellent" before and now, with the implication that her son limping off hasn't really made that much of difference. As indeed, it hasn't, except giving all the lads a twnety-five per cent pay rise.

Meanwhile, Robbie's Dad Pete Conway is currently doing a TV advert for TJ Hughes, which is a bit like Matalan without the hope. And recommending bargains. The idea is that the store is showing its commitment to price cutting by using "non-celebs" - but they could have done that without using Robbie's Dad, Carol Vorderman's Mum, Wayne Rooney's brother and Paul Ross' Mum by using people not related to famous names. Because when I see Wayne Rooney's brother recommending a shop, I tend to think "oh, they must sell stuff that looks a bit like brand name products, only isn't quite as good..."