Bookmarks: Some stuff to read on the internet

There's a great piece on Intelligent Life explaining how Bob Dylan's first major art exhibition came to be in Chemnitz:

Persuaded of Dylan's talent as a draftsman, Mössinger wanted him to "eventually complete" his sketches—something he had indicated a desire to do in his book's preface. It took her a while to get hold of him, but once she did, she received a positive reply within two days. Dylan was inspired by her commitment. "I was fascinated to learn of Ingrid's interest in my work, and it gave me the impetus to realise the vision I had for these drawings many years ago. If not for this interest, I don't know if I even would have revisited them", the singer is quoted as saying in the museum's literature. Over eight months Dylan elaborated on his 322 works.

No O2 Doh show

Thursday night's NME-thrown secret gig for Babyshambles fans was a bit of a disaster, with Doherty not showing up and being replaced by a fan.

So far, so unsurprising.

The official explanation was more interesting:

Pete had apparently been diagnosed with "exhaustion" after a "punishing promotional schedule" which involved a mag photoshoot.

His spokesman added: "He's still attending a rehab programme, which he had to follow whilst on tour and has to travel hundreds of miles back home after shows. As a result, touring is more arduous for him than normal."

Even the 3AM Girls aren't going to fall for that. Since he's been on his rehab programme for quite a while now, wouldn't he have been aware of this when he signed on for the gig?

Not to mention how it's a problem to play a gig at 10pm at the Millennium Dome in the east of London, but somehow his rehab programme lets him visit Amy Winehouse at four in the morning in the east of London.

Oh, and Mik Wittnall didn't show up, either. Was he also tired out by having his photo taken?

Gordon in the morning

So, what has Gordon got on his mind this morning? There's a long, dull piece about some footballer or other who's involved with Danielle Lloyd, which is notable only for Gordon's finish:

I don’t see the attraction with Danielle Lloyd - she just has NOTHING about her at all.

Although enough to justify several hundred words, lots of photos and a lead story in your column, we notice, Gordo.

Gordon also fills space by ("makes space for") running several pictures from Jordan's calendar, which is a wonderful piece of journalism as it involved, erm, buying a calendar that's been on sale since the first of October and copying the pictures; and reporting that Mel B has worn a fairly tight t-shirt. It gives Gordon the chance to vary his limited vocabulary for females breasts - apparently Mel B has "Eddies":

well, he is a tit

Subtle, Gordon. Very subtle.

Two days? How much viagra is Kanye West on?

Kanye West is sponsored by Kleenex:

“I like porno, I ain’t going to hide the truth.

“I could stay in for a good two days with my stash. Can you love porn and be a good Christian? If you’re a normal person you have needs.”

It's an interesting theological question, although one difficult to answer without knowing what porn it is thatKanye's using - obviously, saucy nuns would be a complete no-no.

We're more worried by his belief that normal people lock themselves away to strum the old acoustic guitar for forty-eight hours at a stretch.

Five years ago today

Amanda Platell attempted to explain Popbitch to News Statesmen readers, and botched it badly;
Popjustice regsitered JustinTimberlake.co.uk (and still haven't given it back.)

Poison in the Beck?

Murky claims surface in Vanity Fair that Beck pulled out a film project, leaving the aspiring producer so bereft they took their own life.

Beck can hardly be held responsible for that - after all, you can't do business on the basis of worrying about how upset people will be if you didn't. What's murky, though, is the distance Beck seems to be putting between himself and the late Theresa Duncan.

The film, Alice Underground, was to be about a rock star kidnapped by schoolgirls who try to help him leave the Church of Scientology. Duncan told friends that Beck was keen on the movie - and on emulating the protagonist by also leaving the cult; and, when the Church started to get worried about the project, that he pulled out.

Rubbish, cries Beck:

"That's ridiculous. Totally false," Beck told the mag about his alleged agreement to work on "Alice."

"Had we been closer and discussed anything as personal as religion, I would have only had positive things to say about Scientology."

[...]

"We never met to discuss the film," Beck said. "I did explain to her I wasn't looking to act right then, and with the album, tour schedule, and a baby on the way, it wouldn't be feasible."

You have to wonder how one person can be sure they met and talked about working together when the other is equally sure they didn't. You'd have thought Beck would be comfortable, never having discussed the film, to talk about it:

A spokesman for the rocker told The Post last night that Vanity Fair's quotes from Beck were accurate.

But the mouthpiece said Beck didn't want to add any additional comments: "That's about as on-the-record as you're going to get from him."

But he isn't.

Nicky Wire doesn't like the Radioheads

Nicky Wire is angry. Angry, angry, angry, with Thom Yorke, who is conspiring to kill music:

"Fair play to Radiohead for doing something different. It's certainly great for publicity but I think it kind of demeans music.

"Music used to be a market, now it's all gone digital. It's worrying and it seems to be the way of the world at the moment. Sales are doing well everywhere else. Cinema is doing well, video games are doing well but music isn’t. The free download phenomenon is ruining the industry."

It's interesting that Wire thinks sales in music are doing poorly compared to films and video games because of "free downloads", rather than the other possibility that perhaps people are happier to pay for video games than music. That maybe - given the choice between having the family round the telly flying off to Saturn with Mario Galaxies on the WII, and the Manics last bloated album, packed with Davroesque impressions of their younger selves, the music will always struggle.

We never had Wire pegged as a company man, but the band have been with Sony a very long time, and clearly he's comfortable with the industry. That's the only explanation for the RIAA-tinged view of In Rainbows as being part of the problem rather than an interesting attempt to find a solution. It's obvious that - in years to come - historians of music aren't going to see an experimental pay-what-you-like download in 2007 as the point where the music industry imploded; that happened years ago.

And since when was "music a market", Wire? Do you really think that in the 70s and 80s there was something organic about pop music, that we would nip down to Woolworths, choose from thousands of albums and haggle a price? If anything, the old pre-digital world was more like a petrol station shop than a market; a limited range of mostly inedible sludge offered at artificially high prices. The digital world allows the people who make the music to deal more-or-less direct with the people who consume it - it's potentially a farmer's market of the music world. It may be a world where large consumer electronic companies cease to subsidise old bands to make disappointing albums simply to ensure the band keeps the lucrative back catalogue with the label, but why would that worry you, Nicky?

Hang about though: actually, it's not Radiohead who are killing music. It's TV:

"I can't bear the X Factor judges and the shit they put out every year. It's just a load of talentless fuckwits that destroy the industry."

Up to a point, you'd have to agree with him. But he's also moaning that nobody buys records - and yet they're buying Leona Lewis in shedloads. Isn't that what he wants? If he fetishises markets so much these days, doesn't the market speak and say 'we sort of like this stuff, and will at least buy it in fairly large quantities...'?

Gedge on the decks

If you happen to be in Brixton, or able to get there, David Gedge is djing tonight at How Does It Feel To Be Loved? at the Canterbury Arms. Six quid in, four if you're a member and, presumably, if you are David Gedge you'll get in for nothing.

Are Blondie, EMI ripping off Peter Leeds?

That's what he believes. He managed Blondie during 1978 & 1979 and, for some reason, has been earning a percentage of the band's take ever since. We're not quite sure why.

It looks like Blondie are a little less than thrilled to be paying a guy who hasn't done a thing for them in nearly three decades, and have decided that instead of calculating his slice of the cake on gross earnings, they're subtracting the payments to producers before coming up with a figure. Leeds insists this is a "renegotiation" of the 1979 contract of pay-off, and is dragging the whole thing to court.

He's taking a risk - if the courts do agree with Blondie's reading of the document and their new interpretation, Leeds could be leaving himself open for a counter-action reclaiming twenty-five odd years of overpayment.

How is that rest cure going, Amy?

Having pulled her UK tour because doctors insisted she needed a rest, how delightful to see Amy Winehouse putting her feet up. Between six hour pub-crawls, of course.

Pete pasted in pub

There are two different stories circulating about the attack on Pete Doherty in the gear garden - sorry, beer garden - of the Sun Inn in Marlborough.

The Mirror reports both: that drinkers at the pub heard a local drug dealer bellowing "you should get your gear from me" before battering Doherty to the ground; and the Parlophone line that, yes, there was an attack, but no, there was "no argument about drugs".

Gordon in the morning

It looks like Gordon's firmly back behind the Bizarre desk after his trip abroad, as we get Keira Knightley half-undressed, for another publication, for the second day running; a whole bunch of I'd rather go naked than wear fur shoots - which Gordon calls "the latest trend" despite having been running for over a decade; and there's coverage of Renee Zellweger's dress at the Bee Movie premiere and a prominent place for a collection of pictures of celebrities without pants on, which is made more bizarre by the decision to put a big star over the "evidence". So it's a photo showing people not wearing pants, only obscured so you can't see they're not wearing pants. I see.

Oh, and there's also a story - which Smart appears to have lifted entirely from an Australian newspaper - which claims Britney Spears is threatening to let us all watch video of Paris Hilton and her together - a "lesbo" video, as Smart charmingly calls it - after the pair fell out. So it's not only a totally made-up story, but one that some other newspaper has made up in the first place. Good work, Gordon.

Madonna clunkers along

When, exactly, did Madonna get lapped? We can't pretend that we find it heartbreaking anymore as she turns up catching trends just as they wane - Kanye West and Pharrell Williams for the next album - but it's like she's desperate to keep up with the young folk but having to wait for magazines to arrive by surface mail to discover what's hot. By which time everyone's started to move on. It's been going on for a while - Austin Powers when fancy dress shops could no longer give away the costumes; Ali G when even Baron Cohen was thinking it was time to move on; guesting on Britney Spears records when even Britney was tiring of appearing on them. But when did it happen that she first fell behind like this?

Robbie Williams is not meaning any harm

Nigel Martin-Smith seemed delighted with the apology Robbie Williams gave him in court yesterday. But how genuine was the apology?

David Sherborne, Mr Martin-Smith's counsel, told the High Court that the lyrics had been changed prior to the release of the Rudebox album in 2006.

He said the 33-year-old star "wishes now to apologise publicly".

Mr Sherborne added: "Robbie Williams did not intend to allege that Nigel Martin-Smith has ever stolen any funds from Take That or anyone."

Hmm. Really? Because writing a line that reads "Either you’re a thief or you’re shit/ which one will you admit to?" seems to leave little room for there to be an interpretation that there was no intention to allege that Nigel Martin-Smith hadn't stolen from people; the question has to be: what the hell did Williams intend to allege, then?

Grammy set themselves up for a fall

So, leading the field for the Grammy Awards - the all-important 50th bunch - are Kanye West and Amy Winehouse. One may or may not turn up; the other will raise merry hell if he doesn't get a prize. Actually, Amy might turn up, win and raise merry hell as well.

Amongst the surprises, Corinne Bailey Rae - who you might have assumed has spent 2007 counting the money from Go Put Your Record On - pops up with a best song nomination; R Kelly gets a promise for one slew of Trapped In The Closet or another; the Flaming Lips are shortlisted for, erm, "best surround sound album" and, proving that the US music industry will fawn over an idea even if it only seems a little new, the White Stripes' USB album is in with a chance of "best boxed or limited edition special packaging". It's a thumb drive, people. Down in spoken word, it's the first Clinton v Obama battle of 2008, although it's Bill rather than Hilary who's up - they're both taking on Jimmy Carter and Alan Alda, though.

The most surprising bit? It might only be in "alternative album", but the Academy, in their wisdom, have shortlisted Lily Allen for a Grammy.

As usual, here's the list of nominations in full; leap over if you're not interested:

Record Of The Year
(Award to the Artist and to the Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s) and/or Mixer(s), if other than the artist.)

* Irreplaceable
Beyonce
Beyonce Knowles, S. Smith & Stargate, producers; Jim Caruana, Jason Goldstein &
Geoff Rice, engineers/mixers
Track from: B'Day
[Sony Urban Music/Columbia/Music World Productions]

* The Pretender
Foo Fighters
Gil Norton, producer; Adrian Bushby & Rich Costey, engineers/mixers
[Roswell/RCA Records]

* Umbrella
Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z
Kuk Harrell & C. "Tricky" Stewart, producers; Kuk Harrell & Manny Marroquin,
engineers/mixers
Track from: Good Girl Gone Bad
[Def Jam]

* What Goes Around�Comes Around
Justin Timberlake
Nate (Danja) Hills, Timbaland & Justin Timberlake, producers; Jimmy Douglass &
Timbaland, engineers/mixers
[Jive/Zomba]

* Rehab
Amy Winehouse
Mark Ronson, producer; Tom Elmhirst, engineer/mixer
Track from: Back To Black
[Universal Republic Records]




Category 2

Album Of The Year
(Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s)/Mixer(s) & Mastering Engineer(s), if other than the artist.)

* Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Foo Fighters
Gil Norton, producer; Adrian Bushby & Rich Costey, engineers/mixers; Brian
Gardner, mastering engineer
[Roswell/RCA Records]

* These Days
Vince Gill
John Anderson, Guy Clarke, Rodney Crowell, Diana Krall & The Del McCoury Band,
featured artists; Vince Gill, John Hobbs & Justin Niebank, producers; Neal
Cappellino & Justin Niebank, engineers/mixers; Adam Ayan, mastering engineer
[MCA Nashville]

* River: The Joni Letters
Herbie Hancock
Leonard Cohen, Norah Jones, Joni Mitchell, Corinne Bailey Rae, Luciana Souza &
Tina Turner, featured artists; Herbie Hancock & Larry Klein, producers; Helik
Hadar, engineer/mixer; Bernie Grundman, mastering engineer
[Verve]

* Graduation
Kanye West
Dwele, Lil Wayne, Mos Def & T-Pain, featured artists; Warryn "Baby Dubb"
Campbell, Eric Hudson, Brian "Allday" Miller, Nottz, Patrick "Plain Pat"
Reynolds, Gee Roberson, Toomp & Kanye West, producers; Bruce Beuchner, Andrew
Dawson, Mike Dean, Anthony Kilhoffer, Greg Koller, Manny Marroquin, Nottz Raw,
Tony Rey, Seiji Sekine, Paul Sheehy & D. Sloan, engineers/mixers; Vlado Meller,
mastering engineer
[Roc-A-Fella Records]

* Back To Black
Amy Winehouse
Mark Ronson & Salaamremi, producers; Tom Elmhirst, Gary Noble & Franklin
Socorro, engineers/mixers; Mark Ronson, mastering engineer
[Universal Republic Records]




Category 3

Song Of The Year
(A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Before He Cheats
Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
Track from: Some Hearts
[19 Recordings/Arista Nashville; Publishers: That Little House Music, Mighty Underdog Music/Sony/ATV Cross Keys]

* Hey There Delilah
Tom Higgenson, songwriter (Plain White T's)
Track from: Every Second Counts
[Hollywood Records/Fearless Records; Publisher: So Happy Publishing]

* Like A Star
Corinne Bailey Rae, songwriter (Corinne Bailey Rae)
Track from: Corinne Bailey Rae
[Capitol Records; Publisher: Global Talent Publishing]

* Rehab
Amy Winehouse, songwriter (Amy Winehouse)
Track from: Back To Black
[Universal Republic Records; Publisher: EMI Music Publishing]

* Umbrella
Shawn Carter, Kuk Harrell, Terius "Dream" Nash & Christopher Stewart,
songwriters (Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z)
Track from: Good Girl Gone Bad
[Def Jam]




Category 4

Best New Artist
(For a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist.)

* Feist


* Ledisi


* Paramore


* Taylor Swift


* Amy Winehouse



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Field 1 — Pop



Category 5

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Candyman
Christina Aguilera
[RCA Records]

* 1234
Feist
Track from: The Reminder
[Cherry Tree / Interscope Records]

* Big Girls Don't Cry
Fergie
Track from: The Dutchess
[A&M Records]

* Say It Right
Nelly Furtado
Track from: Loose
[Geffen]

* Rehab
Amy Winehouse
Track from: Back To Black
[Universal Republic Records]




Category 6

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Everything
Michael Bubl�
Track from: Call Me Irresponsible
[143 Records/Reprise]

* Belief
John Mayer
Track from: The Village Sessions
[Columbia/Aware]

* Dance Tonight
Paul McCartney
Track from: Memory Almost Full
[MPL/Hear Music]

* Amazing
Seal
[Warner Bros.]

* What Goes Around...Comes Around
Justin Timberlake
[Jive]




Category 7

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(For established duos or groups, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* (You Want To) Make A Memory
Bon Jovi
Track from: Lost Highway
[Island/Mercury]

* Home
Daughtry
[RCA Records/19 Recordings]

* Makes Me Wonder
Maroon 5
Track from: It Won't Be Soon Before Long
[Octone/A&M Records]

* Hey There Delilah
Plain White T's
Track from: Every Second Counts
[Hollywood Records]

* Window In The Skies
U2
Track from: U218 - Singles
[Interscope Records]




Category 8

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
(For a collaborative performance, with vocals, by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Steppin' Out
Tony Bennett & Christina Aguilera
Track from: Duets: An American Classic
[Columbia]

* Beautiful Liar
Beyonc� & Shakira
Track from: B'Day (Deluxe Edition)
[Columbia/Sony Urban]

* Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
[Rounder Records]

* The Sweet Escape
Gwen Stefani & Akon
Track from: The Sweet Escape
[Interscope Records]

* Give It To Me
Timbaland Featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake
Track from: Timbaland Presents: Shock Value
[Mosley/Blackground/Interscope Records]




Category 9

Best Pop Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Off The Grid
Beastie Boys
Track from: The Mix-Up
[Capitol Records]

* Paris Sunrise #7
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
Track from: Lifeline
[Virgin Records]

* Over The Rainbow
Dave Koz
Track from: At The Movies
[Capitol Records]

* One Week Last Summer
Joni Mitchell
Track from: Shine
[Hear Music]

* Simple Pleasures
Spyro Gyra
Track from: Good To Go-Go
[Heads Up International]




Category 10

Best Pop Instrumental Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

* The Mix-Up
Beastie Boys
[Capitol Records]

* Italia
Chris Botti
[Columbia]

* At The Movies
Dave Koz
[Capitol/EMI]

* Good To Go-Go
Spyro Gyra
[Heads Up International]

* Roundtrip
Kirk Whalum
[Rendezvous Entertainment]




Category 11

Best Pop Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Lost Highway
Bon Jovi
[Island/Mercury]

* The Reminder
Feist
[Cherry Tree/Interscope Records]

* It Won't Be Soon Before Long
Maroon 5
[Octone/A&M Records]

* Memory Almost Full
Paul McCartney
[MPL/Hear Music]

* Back To Black
Amy Winehouse
[Universal Republic Records]


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Field 2 — Dance



Category 12

Best Dance Recording
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances. Vocal or Instrumental. Singles or tracks only.)

* Do It Again
The Chemical Brothers
Tom Rowlands & Ed Simons, producers
Track from: We Are The Night
[Astralwerks]

* D.A.N.C.E.
Justice
Gaspard Auge & Xavier de Rosnay, producers; Gaspard Auge & Xavier de Rosnay,
mixers
Track from: �
[Ed Banger/Vice/Because]

* Love Today
Mika
Jodi Marr, John Merchant, Mika & Greg Wells, producers; Greg Wells, mixer
Track from: Life In Cartoon Motion
[Casablanca/Universal Republic Records]

* Don't Stop The Music
Rihanna
StarGate, producer; Phil Tan, mixer
Track from: Good Girl Gone Bad
[Def Jam]

* LoveStoned/I Think She Knows
Justin Timberlake
Nate (Danja) Hills, Timbaland & Justin Timberlake, producers; Jimmy Douglass &
Timbaland, mixers
Track from: FutureSex/LoveSounds
[Jive/Zomba]




Category 13

Best Electronic/Dance Album
(For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.)

* We Are The Night
The Chemical Brothers
[Astralwerks]

* �
Justice
[Ed Banger/Vice/Because]

* Sound Of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
[Capitol Records/DFA]

* We Are Pilots
Shiny Toy Guns
[Universal Motown]

* Elements Of Life
Ti�sto
[Ultra Records]


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Field 3 — Traditional Pop



Category 14

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Call Me Irresponsible
Michael Bubl�
[143 Records/Reprise]

* Cool Yule
Bette Midler
[Columbia]

* Trav'lin' Light
Queen Latifah
[Verve]

* Live In Concert 2006
Barbra Streisand
[Columbia]

* James Taylor At Christmas
James Taylor
[Columbia]


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Field 4 — Rock



Category 15

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Timebomb
Beck
[Interscope Records]

* Only Mama Knows
Paul McCartney
Track from: Memory Almost Full
[MPL/Hear Music]

* Our Country
John Mellencamp
Track from: Freedom's Road
[Universal Republic Records]

* Radio Nowhere
Bruce Springsteen
Track from: Magic
[Columbia]

* Come On
Lucinda Williams
Track from: West
[Lost Highway Records]




Category 16

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(For duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* It's Not Over
Daughtry
[RCA Records/19 Recordings]

* Working Class Hero
Green Day
Track from: Instant Karma - The Campaign To Save Darfur
[Warner Bros.]

* If Everyone Cared
Nickelback
Track from: All The Right Reasons Special Edition
[Roadrunner Records]

* Instant Karma
U2
Track from: Instant Karma - The Campaign To Save Darfur
[Warner Bros.]

* Icky Thump
The White Stripes
Track from: Icky Thump
[Third Man/Warner Bros.]




Category 17

Best Hard Rock Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Sweet Sacrifice
Evanescence
Track from: The Open Door
[Wind-up Records, LLC]

* The Pretender
Foo Fighters
[Roswell/RCA Records]

* I Don't Wanna Stop
Ozzy Osbourne
Track from: Black Rain
[Epic]

* Sick, Sick, Sick
Queens Of The Stone Age
Track from: Era Vulgaris
[Interscope Recods]

* The Pot
Tool
Track from: 10,000 Days
[Volcano]




Category 18

Best Metal Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Nothing Left
As I Lay Dying
Track from: An Ocean Between Us
[Metal Blade Records]

* Never Ending Hill
King Diamond
Track from: Give Me Your Soul...Please
[Metal Blade Records]

* Aesthetics Of Hate
Machine Head
Track from: The Blackening
[Roadrunner Records]

* Redemption
Shadows Fall
Track from: Threads Of Life
[Atlantic]

* Final Six
Slayer
Track from: Christ Illusion
[American Recording/Columbia]




Category 19

Best Rock Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Includes Rock, Hard Rock and Metal. Singles or Tracks only.)

* The Ecstasy Of Gold
Metallica
Track from: We All Love Ennio Morricone
[Sony Classical]

* Malignant Narcissism
Rush
Track from: Snakes & Arrows
[Anthem/Atlantic]

* Always With Me, Always With You
Joe Satriani
Track from: Satriani Live!
[Epic/Red Ink]

* Once Upon A Time In The West
Bruce Springsteen
Track from: We All Love Ennio Morricone
[Sony Classical]

* The Attitude Song
Steve Vai
Track from: Sound Theories Vol. I & II
[Epic/Red Ink]




Category 20

Best Rock Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Rock, Hard Rock & Metal songs. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Come On
Lucinda Williams, songwriter (Lucinda Williams)
Track from: West
[Lost Highway Records; Publishers: Warner-Tamerlane Publishing/Lucy Jones Music]

* Icky Thump
Jack White, songwriter (The White Stripes)
Track from: Icky Thump
[Third Man/Warner Bros.; Publisher: Peppermint Stripe Music]

* It's Not Over
Chris Daughtry, Gregg Wattenberg, Mark Wilkerson & Brett Young, songwriters
(Daughtry)
[RCA Records/19 Recordings; Publishers: Surface Pretty Deep Ugly Music, G Watt Music/EMI April Music, Warner-Tamerlane Publishing, Floating Leaf]

* The Pretender
Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel & Chris Shiflett, songwriters (Foo
Fighters)
[Roswell/RCA Records; Publishers: M.J. Twelve Music, I Love The Punk Rock Music, Living Under A Rock Music, Flying Earform Music]

* Radio Nowhere
Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen)
Track from: Magic
[Columbia; Publisher: Bruce Springsteen]




Category 21

Best Rock Album
(Vocal or Instrumental. Includes Hard Rock and Metal.)

* Daughtry
Daughtry
[RCA Records]

* Revival
John Fogerty
[Fantasy]

* Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Foo Fighters
[Roswell/RCA Records]

* Magic
Bruce Springsteen
[Columbia]

* Sky Blue Sky
Wilco
[Nonesuch Records]


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Field 5 — Alternative



Category 22

Best Alternative Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Alright, Still...
Lily Allen
[Capitol Records]

* Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
[Merge Records]

* Volta
Bjork
[Elektra/Atlantic]

* Wincing The Night Away
The Shins
[Sub Pop]

* Icky Thump
The White Stripes
[Third Man/Warner Bros.]


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Field 6 — R&B



Category 23

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Just Fine
Mary J. Blige
[Geffen]

* When I See You
Fantasia
Track from: Fantasia
[J Records/19 Records/S Records]

* No One
Alicia Keys
[J Records/MBK Entertainment]

* If I Have My Way
Chrisette Michele
Track from: I Am
[Def Jam Recordings]

* Hate On Me
Jill Scott
Track from: The Real Thing
[Hidden Beach Recordings]




Category 24

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Woman
Raheem DeVaughn
[Jive Records]

* B.U.D.D.Y.
Musiq Soulchild
Track from: Luvanmusiq
[Atlantic Records]

* Because Of You
Ne-Yo
[Def Jam Recordings]

* Future Baby Mama
Prince
Track from: Planet Earth
[Columbia/NPG Records]

* Please Don't Go
Tank
Track from: Sex, Love & Pain
[Blackground/Universal Motown]




Category 25

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(For duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Same Girl
R. Kelly Featuring Usher
Track from: Double Up
[Jive]

* Disrespectful
Chaka Khan Featuring Mary J. Blige
[Burgundy/Sony/BMG]

* Hate That I Love You
Rihanna Featuring Ne-Yo
Track from: Good Girl Gone Bad
[Def Jam Recordings]

* Baby
Angie Stone Featuring Betty Wright
[Stax]

* Bartender
T-Pain Featuring Akon
[Jive]




Category 26

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Walk A Mile In My Shoes
Otis Clay
Track from: Walk A Mile In My Shoes
[Echo Records]

* All Night Long
Randy Crawford & Joe Sample
Track from: Feeling Good
[PRA Records]

* In My Songs
Gerald Levert
Track from: In My Songs
[Atlantic]

* I Apologize
Ann Nesby
Track from: This Is Love
[Shanachie/It's Time Child Records]

* I Am Your Man
Ryan Shaw
Track from: This Is Ryan Shaw
[One Haven/Razor & Tie Entertainment]




Category 27

Best Urban/Alternative Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Make A Baby
Vikter Duplaix
Track from: Bold And Beautiful
[BBE]

* That�s The Way Of The World
Dwele
Track from: Interpretations: Celebrating The Music Of Earth, Wind & Fire
[Stax]

* Daydreamin'
Lupe Fiasco Featuring Jill Scott
Track from: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
[1st & 15th/Atlantic]

* Fantasy
Meshell Ndegeocello
Track from: Interpretations: Celebrating The Music Of Earth, Wind & Fire
[Stax]

* Dream
Alice Smith
Track from: For Lovers, Dreamers & Me
[BBE Records]




Category 28

Best R&B Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Beautiful Flower
India.Arie & Joyce Simpson, songwriters (India.Arie)
[Universal Republic Records; Publishers: Gold & Iron Music Publishing, WB Music Corp.]

* Hate That I Love You
M.S. Eriksen, T.E. Hermansen & Shaffer Smith, songwriters (Rihanna Featuring
Ne-Yo)
Track from: Good Girl Gone Bad
[Def Jam Recordings; Publishers: EMI April Music, Sony/ATV Tunes]

* No One
Dirty Harry, Kerry Brothers & Alicia Keys, songwriters (Alicia Keys)
[J Records/MBK Entertainment; Publishers: Lellow Productions/EMI April Music, Book Of Daniel Music/EMI Music Publishing, D. Harry Productions]

* Teachme
Ivan Barias, Adam W. Blackstone, Randall C. Bowland, Carvin Haggins, Johnnie
Smith II & Corey Latif Williams, songwriters (Musiq Soulchild)
Track from: Luvanmusiq
[Atlantic; Publishers: Nivrac Tyke/Universal Publishing, Latif Music/Universal Publishing, Tetra Grammaton/Universal Music Publishing, Melodic Piano Productions, HC 1030 Publishing]

* When I See U
Louis Biancaniello, Waynne Nugent, Erika Nuri, Kevin Risto, Janet Sewel & Sam
Watters, songwriters (Fantasia)
Track from: Fantasia
[J Records/19 Records/S Records; Publishers: Breakthrough Creations/EMI April Music, S.M.Y. Publishing/Sony/ATV Tunes, Break North Music/Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Wayne Writers/Sony/ATV Tunes, J. Sewell Publishing, Golden The Super Kid Music]




Category 29

Best R&B Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Funk This
Chaka Khan
[Burgundy Records]

* Lost & Found
Ledisi
[Verve Forecast]

* Luvanmusiq
Musiq Soulchild
[Atlantic]

* The Real Thing
Jill Scott
[Hidden Beach Recordings]

* Sex, Love & Pain
Tank
[Blackground/Universal Motown Records]




Category 30

Best Contemporary R&B Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Konvicted
Akon
[SRC/Universal Motown]

* Just Like You
Keyshia Cole
[Geffen]

* Fantasia
Fantasia
[J Records/19 Records/S Records]

* East Side Story
Emily King
[J Records]

* Because Of You
Ne-Yo
[Def Jam Recordings]


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Field 7 — Rap



Category 31

Best Rap Solo Performance
(For a solo Rap performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* The People
Common
Track from: Finding Forever
[Geffen]

* I Get Money
50 Cent
Track from: Curtis
[Shady/Aftermath/Interscope Records]

* Show Me What You Got
Jay-Z
Track from: Kingdom Come
[Roc-A-Fella Records]

* Big Things Poppin' (Do It)
T.I.
[Grand Hustle/Atlantic]

* Stronger
Kanye West
Track from: Graduation
[Roc-A-Fella Records]




Category 32

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group
(For duo, group or collaborative performances of Rap only. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Southside
Common Featuring Kanye West
Track from: Finding Forever
[Geffen]

* Make It Rain
Fat Joe Featuring Lil Wayne
Track from: Me, Myself & I
[Terror Squad Entertainment]

* Party Like A Rockstar
Shop Boyz
Track from: Rockstar Mentality
[OnDeck/Universal Republic Records]

* Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)
UGK Featuring OutKast
[Jive]

* Better Than I've Ever Been
Kanye West, Nas & KRS-One
[Nike]




Category 33

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
(For a Rap/Sung collaborative performance by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)

* I Wanna Love You
Akon Featuring Snoop Dogg
Track from: Konvicted
[SRC/Universal Motown]

* Kiss, Kiss
Chris Brown & T-Pain
[Jive]

* Let It Go
Keyshia Cole Featuring Missy Elliott & Lil' Kim
Track from: Just Like You
[Geffen]

* Umbrella
Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z
Track from: Good Girl Gone Bad
[Def Jam Recordings]

* Good Life
Kanye West Featuring T-Pain
Track from: Graduation
[Roc-A-Fella]




Category 34

Best Rap Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Ayo Technology
Nate (Danja) Hills, Curtis Jackson, Timothy Mosley & Justin Timberlake,
songwriters (50 Cent Featuring Justin Timberlake & Timbaland)
Track from: Curtis
[Shady/Aftermath/Interscope Records; Publishers: 50 Cent Music Publishing/Virginia Beach Music/Danjahandz Music/WB Music Corp./Tenman Tunes]

* Big Things Poppin' (Do It)
Clifford Harris & Byron Thomas, songwriters (T.I.)
[Grand Hustle/Atlantic; Publishers: Crown Club Publishing/Warner Chappell Music, Fresh Is The Word]

* Can't Tell Me Nothing
A. Davis & Kanye West, songwriters (Kanye West)
Track from: Graduation
[Roc-A-Fella; Publishers: Very Good Beats/Hip Hop Since 1978]

* Crank That (Soulja Boy)
Soulja Boy Tell'Em, songwriter (Soulja Boy Tell'Em)
[Collipark/Interscope Records]

* Good Life
A. Davis, F. Najm & K. West, songwriters (J. Ingram & Q. Jones, songwriters)
(Kanye West Featuring T-Pain)
Track from: Graduation
[Roc-A-Fella; Publishers: Very Good Beats/Hip Hop Since 1978, Warner-Tamerlane Punlishing, Yellow Brick Road Music/Eiseman Music]




Category 35

Best Rap Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Finding Forever
Common
[Geffen]

* Kingdom Come
Jay-Z
[Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Recordings]

* Hip Hop Is Dead
Nas
[Def Jam/Columbia/The Jones Experience]

* T.I. vs T.I.P.
T.I.
[Grand Hustle/Atlantic]

* Graduation
Kanye West
[Roc-A-Fella Records]


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Field 8 — Country



Category 36

Best Female Country Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Simple Love
Alison Krauss
Track from: A Hundred Miles Or More: A Collection
[Rounder]

* Famous In A Small Town
Miranda Lambert
Track from: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
[Columbia Nashville]

* Nothin' Better To Do
LeAnn Rimes
[Curb Records]

* Before He Cheats
Carrie Underwood
Track from: Some Hearts
[19 Recordings/Arista Nashville]

* Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love
Trisha Yearwood
[Big Machine Records]




Category 37

Best Male Country Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Long Trip Alone
Dierks Bentley
Track from: Long Trip Alone
[Capitol Records Nashville]

* A Woman's Love
Alan Jackson
Track from: Like Red On A Rose
[Arista Nashville]

* If You're Reading This
Tim McGraw
Track from: Let It Go
[Curb Records]

* Give It Away
George Strait
Track from: It Just Comes Natural
[MCA Nashville]

* Stupid Boy
Keith Urban
Track from: Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing
[Capitol Records Nashville]




Category 38

Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(For established duos or groups with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Proud Of The House We Built
Brooks & Dunn
[Arista Nashville]

* How Long
Eagles
[Eagles Recording Co. II]

* Moments
Emerson Drive
Track from: Countrified
[Midas Records, Inc.]

* Lucky Man
Montgomery Gentry
Track from: Some People Change
[Columbia Nashville]

* Sweet Memories
The Time Jumpers
Track from: Jumpin' Time
[Crosswind]




Category 39

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals
(For a collaborative performance, with vocals, by artists who do not normally perform together. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Days Aren't Long Enough
Steve Earle & Allison Moorer
Track from: Washington Square Serenade
[New West Records]

* Because Of You
Reba McEntire & Kelly Clarkson
[MCA Nashville]

* I Need You
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
Track from: Let It Go
[Curb Records]

* Lost Highway
Willie Nelson & Ray Price
Track from: Last Of The Breed
[Lost Highway Records]

* Oh Love
Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood
Track from: 5th Gear
[Arista Nashville]




Category 40

Best Country Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Little Monk
Russ Barenberg
Track from: When At Last
[Compass Records]

* Mucky The Duck
The Greencards
Track from: Viridian
[Dualtone Music Group]

* Throttleneck
Brad Paisley
Track from: 5th Gear
[Arista Nashville]

* Rawhide!
Andy Statman
Track from: East Flatbush Blues
[Shefa Records]

* Fidoodlin'
The Time Jumpers
Track from: Jumpin' Time
[Crosswind]




Category 41

Best Country Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Before He Cheats
Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
Track from: Some Hearts
[19 Recordings/Arista Nashville; Publishers: That Little House Music, Mighty Underdog Music/Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing]

* Give It Away
Bill Anderson, Buddy Cannon & Jamey Johnson, songwriters (George Strait)
Track from: It Just Comes Natural
[MCA Nashville; Publishers: Sony/ATV Tree Publishing/Mr. Bubba Music, Run Slow Music, EMI Blackwood Music]

* I Need You
Tony Lane & David Lee, songwriters (Tim McGraw & Faith Hill)
Track from: Let It Go
[Curb Records; Publishers: Careers-BMG Music Publishing/Nervous Worm Music/Famous Music/Ed And Lucille Songs]

* If You're Reading This
Tim McGraw, Brad Warren & Brett Warren, songwriters (Tim McGraw)
Track from: Let It Go
[Curb Records; Publishers: Bucky And Clyde Music, Stylesonic Music]

* Long Trip Alone
Brett Beavers, Dierks Bentley & Steve Bogard, songwriters (Dierks Bentley)
Track from: Long Trip Alone
[Capitol Records Nashville; Publishers: Ensign Music/Rancho Papa Music/Home With The Armadillo Music, Big White Tracks]




Category 42

Best Country Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Long Trip Alone
Dierks Bentley
[Capitol Records Nashville]

* These Days
Vince Gill
[MCA Nashville]

* Let It Go
Tim McGraw
[Curb Records]

* 5th Gear
Brad Paisley
[Arista Nashville]

* It Just Comes Natural
George Strait
[MCA Nashville]




Category 43

Best Bluegrass Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Cherryholmes II Black And White
Cherryholmes
[Skaggs Family Records]

* Lefty's Old Guitar
J. D. Crowe & The New South
[Rounder]

* The Bluegrass Diaries
Jim Lauderdale
[Yep Roc Records]

* Scenechronized
Seldom Scene
[Sugar Hill]

* Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular
Tony Trischka
[Rounder]


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Field 9 — New Age



Category 44

Best New Age Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Faces Of The Sun
Peter Kater
[Silver Wave Records]

* Sacred Journey Of Ku -Kai, Volume 3
Kitaro
[Domo Records, Inc]

* One Guitar
Ottmar Liebert
[Spiral Subwave Records]

* Southwest
Eric Tingstad
[Cheshire Records]

* Crestone
Paul Winter Consort
[Living Music]


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Field 10 — Jazz



Category 45

Best Contemporary Jazz Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

* Party Hats
Will Bernard
[Palmetto Records]

* Downright Upright
Brian Bromberg
[Artistry Music]

* Re-imagination
Eldar
[Masterworks Jazz]

* River: The Joni Letters
Herbie Hancock
[Verve]

* He Had A Hat
Jeff Lorber
[Blue Note]




Category 46

Best Jazz Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Avant Gershwin
Patti Austin
[Rendezvous Entertainment]

* Red Earth - A Malian Journey
Dee Dee Bridgewater
[DDB/Emarcy]

* Music Maestro Please
Freddy Cole
[HighNote Records]

* Nightmoves
Kurt Elling
[Concord Jazz]

* On The Other Side
Tierney Sutton (Band)
[Telarc Jazz]




Category 47

Best Jazz Instrumental Solo
(For an instrumental jazz solo performance. Two equal performers on one recording may be eligible as one entry. If the soloist listed appears on a recording billed to another artist, the latter's name is in parenthesis for identification. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Levees
Terence Blanchard, soloist
Track from: A Tale Of God's Will (A Requiem For Katrina)
[Blue Note]

* Anagram
Michael Brecker, soloist
Track from: Pilgrimage
[Heads Up International]

* Both Sides Now
Herbie Hancock, soloist
Track from: River: The Joni Letters
[Verve]

* Lullaby
Hank Jones, soloist
Track from: Kids: Live At Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola (Joe Lovano and Hank Jones)
[Blue Note]

* 1000 Kilometers
Paul McCandless, soloist
Track from: 1000 Kilometers (Oregon)
[CamJazz]




Category 48

Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

* Pilgrimage
Michael Brecker
[Heads Up International]

* Live At The Village Vanguard
The Bill Charlap Trio
[Blue Note]

* Kids: Live At Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola
Joe Lovano And Hank Jones
[Blue Note]

* Line By Line
John Patitucci
[Concord Jazz]

* Back East
Joshua Redman
[Nonesuch Records]




Category 49

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
(For large jazz ensembles, including big band sounds. Albums must contain 51% or more INSTRUMENTAL tracks.)

* A Tale Of God's Will (A Requiem For Katrina)
Terence Blanchard
[Blue Note]

* Eternal Licks & Grooves
The Bob Florence Limited Edition
[MAMA Records]

* Hommage
The Bill Holman Band
[Jazzed Media]

* Sky Blue
Maria Schneider Orchestra
[ArtistShare]

* With Love
Charles Tolliver Big Band
[Blue Note]




Category 50

Best Latin Jazz Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Funk Tango
Paquito D'Rivera Quintet?
[Paquito Records]

* The Magician
Sammy Figueroa And His Latin Jazz Explosion
[Savant Records]

* Borrowed Time
Steve Khan
[Tone Center Records]

* Refugee
Hector Martignon
[Zoho]

* Big Band Urban Folktales
Bobby Sanabria Big Band
[Jazzheads]


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Field 11 — Gospel



Category 51

Best Gospel Performance
(For solo, duo, group as collaborative performances. Singles or tracks with vocal containing Gospel lyrics. All genres of Gospel music are eligible.)

* East To West
Casting Crowns
Track from: The Altar And The Door
[Beach Street Records/Reunion Records]

* Blessed & Highly Favored
The Clark Sisters
Track from: Live - One Last Time
[EMI Gospel]

* Never Gonna Break My Faith
Aretha Franklin & Mary J. Blige (Featuring The Harlem Boys Choir)
Track from: Bobby: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
[Island Def Jam]

* With Long Life
Israel And New Breed Featuring T-Bone
Track from: A Deeper Level
[Integrity Music]

* He Set My Life To Music
CeCe Winans
Track from: She Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool - A Tribute To Barbara Mandrell
[BNA Records]




Category 52

Best Gospel Song
(A Songwriter(s) Award. For Song Eligibility Guidelines see Category #3. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Blessed & Highly Favored
Karen Clark-Sheard, songwriter (The Clark Sisters)
Track from: Live - One Last Time
[EMI Gospel; Publisher: K. Sheard's Melody]

* East To West
Mark Hall & Bernie Herms, songwriters (Casting Crowns)
Track from: The Altar And The Door
[Beach Street Records/Reunion Records; Publishers: Club Zoo Music, Sparrow Song, Swecs Music, Banahama Tunes/Word Music]

* Encourage Yourself
Donald Lawrence, songwriter (Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers)
Track from: The Grand Finale: Encourage Yourself
[EMI Gospel; Publishers: QW Songs/Zomba Publishing]

* Made To Love
Cary Barlowe, Toby McKeehan, Jamie Moore & Aaron Rice, songwriters (TobyMac)
Track from: Portable Sounds
[ForeFront Records; Publishers: Achtober Songs/Emack Music/Lowe Bar Music/Jammu Music/Rizzle Music]

* Praise On The Inside
James L. Moss, songwriter (J. Moss)
[Gospo Centric; Publisher: Millenni-era Music]




Category 53

Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Before The Daylight's Shot
Ashley Cleveland
[204 Records]

* HIStory: Our Place In His Story
The Cross Movement
[Cross Movement Records]

* Open Book
Da' T.R.U.T.H.
[Cross Movement Records]

* The Reckoning
Pillar
[Flicker Records]

* Comatose
Skillet
[Atlantic/Lava/Ardent/INO]




Category 54

Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* The Altar And The Door
Casting Crowns
[Beach Street Records/Reunion Records]

* A Deeper Level
Israel And New Breed
[Integrity Music]

* True Beauty
Mandisa
[Sparrow Records]

* Stand
Michael W. Smith
[Reunion Records]

* Portable Sounds
TobyMac
[ForeFront Records]




Category 55

Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Amazing Grace
Bill & Gloria Gaither And The Homecoming Friends
[Gaither Music Group]

* Journey Of Joy
Karen Peck And New River
[Daywind Records]

* Everybody's Brother
Billy Joe Shaver
[Compadre Records]

* Salt Of The Earth
Ricky Skaggs & The Whites
[Skaggs Family Records]

* Tell Someone
Kenny & Amanda Smith Band
[Rebel Records]

* I'll Fly Away: Country Hymns & Songs Of Faith
Various Artists
Ed Cash, producer
[Sparrow Records]




Category 56

Best Traditional Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Live - One Last Time
The Clark Sisters
[EMI Gospel]

* The Grand Finale': Encourage Yourself
Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers
[EMI Gospel]

* Life Changing
Smokie Norful
[EMI Gospel]

* Thirsty
Marvin Sapp
[Verity]

* Cherch
Bebe Winans
[Koch Records]




Category 57

Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)

* Grateful
Coko
[Light Records]

* Free To Worship
Fred Hammond
[Verity]

* V2�
J. Moss
[Gospo Centric/Zomba Gospel]

* T57
Trin-I-Tee 5:7
[Spirit Rising Music/Music World Entertainment]

* Alone But Not Alone
Marvin Winans
[Pure Springs Gospel]


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Field 12 — Latin



Category 58

Best Latin Pop Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Papito
Miguel Bos� & Varios Artistas
[Warner Music Latina]

* 12 Segundos De Oscuridad
Jorge Drexler
[Warner Music Latina]

* Navidades Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel
[Warner Music Latina]

* Dicen Que El Tiempo
Jennifer Pe�a
[Univision Records]

* El Tren De Los Momentos
Alejandro Sanz
[Warner Music Latina]




Category 59

Best Latin Rock Or Alternative Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* No Hay Espacio
Black:Guayaba
[Machete Music]

* Adelantando
Jarabe De Palo
[Warner Music Latina]

* Amantes Sunt Amentes
Panda
[Warner Music Latina]

* Kamikaze
Rabanes
[Universal Music Latino]

* Memo Rex Commander Y El Coraz�n At�mico De La Via L�ctea
Zo�
[Noiselab/EMI Mexico]




Category 60

Best Latin Urban Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* E.S.L.
Akwid
[Univision Records]

* El Abayarde Contra-Ataca
Tego Calder�n
[Warner Music Latina]

* Residente O Visitante
Calle 13
[Norte]

* El Cartel: The Big Boss
Daddy Yankee
[El Cartel/Interscope Records]

* Vacaneria!
Fulanito
[Cutting Records Inc.]




Category 61

Best Tropical Latin Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Greetings From Havana
Cubanismo
[AIM Trading Group P/L]

* En Primera Plana
Issac Delgado
[La Calle Records]

* Arroz Con Habichuela
El Gran Combo De Puerto Rico
[Norte/Discos 605]

* La Llave De Mi Coraz�n
Juan Luis Guerra
[EMI Televisa]

* United We Swing
Spanish Harlem Orchestra
[Six Degrees]




Category 62

Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* 100% Mexicano
Pepe Aguilar
[EMI Televisa]

* El Indomable
Cristian Castro
[Universal Music Latino]

* Para Siempre
Vicente Fern�ndez
[Norte/SonyBMG]

* Puro Dolor
Paquita La Del Barrio
[Balboa Records, Co./Discos Musart]

* Esta Tierra Es Tuya (This Land Is Your Land)
Sones De M�xico Ensemble
[Sones de Mexico Ensemble, Inc.]




Category 63

Best Tejano Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Ram Herrera And The Outlaw Band 2007
Ram Herrera And The Outlaw Band
[Tejas Records]

* Before The Next Teardrop Falls
Little Joe & La Familia
[TDI Records]

* Corazon De Oro
David Marez
[Baby Dude Records]

* 35th Anniversary
Ruben Ramos
[Revolution Records]

* Vagar Libremente
Sunny Sauceda
[Tejas Records]




Category 64

Best Norte�o Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* El Amor Que Nunca Fue
Conjunto Primavera
[Fonovisa Records]

* Crossroads
Intocable
[EMI Televisa]

* Ven Y Dime
Los Rieleros Del Norte
[Fonovisa Records]

* Detalles Y Emociones
Los Tigres Del Norte
[Fonovisa Records]

* Gracias Por Tu Amor
Pesado
[Warner Music Latina]




Category 65

Best Banda Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Te Va A Gustar
El Chapo
[Disa]

* Los Mejores Corridos
El Potro De Sinaloa
[Machete Music]

* Lobo Domesticado
Valentin Elizalde
[Universal Music Latino]

* Conquistando Corazones
K-PAZ De La Sierra
[Disa]

* Entre Copas Y Botellas
Lupillo Rivera
[Venemusic]


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Field 13 — Blues



Category 66

Best Traditional Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Pinetop Perkins On The 88's - Live In Chicago
Pinetop Perkins
[Sagebrush Productions/Vizztone Label Group]

* Live...And In Concert From San Francisco
Otis Rush
[Blues Express, Inc.]

* 10 Days Out: Blues From The Backroads
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Featuring Various Artists
[Reprise Records]

* Old School
Koko Taylor
[Alligator Records]

* Last Of The Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live In Dallas
Henry James Townsend, Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, Robert Lockwood, Jr. & David
"Honeyboy" Edwards
[The Blue Shoe Project]




Category 67

Best Contemporary Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Into The Blues
Joan Armatrading
[429 Records]

* Is It News
Doyle Bramhall
[Yep Roc Records]

* The Road To Escondido
JJ Cale & Eric Clapton
[Reprise Records/Warner Music Group]

* Truth
Robben Ford
[Concord Records]

* The Scene Of The Crime
Bettye LaVette
[Anti]


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Field 14 — Folk



Category 68

Best Traditional Folk Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Try Me One More Time
David Bromberg
[Appleseed Recordings]

* Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John
Peter Case
[Yep Roc Records]

* Banjo Talkin'
Cathy Fink
[Rounder]

* Dirt Farmer
Levon Helm
[Dirt Farmer Music/Vanguard Records]

* Charlie Louvin
Charlie Louvin
[Tompkins Square]




Category 69

Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* The Calling
Mary Chapin Carpenter
[Zoe Records]

* My Name Is Buddy
Ry Cooder
[Nonesuch Records Inc./Warner Music Group]

* Washington Square Serenade
Steve Earle
[New West Records]

* Children Running Through
Patty Griffin
[ATO Records]

* Orphans
Tom Waits
[Anti]




Category 70

Best Native American Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Oklahoma Style
Walter Ahhaitty & Friends
[SOAR]

* Watch This Dancer!
Black Lodge
[Canyon Records]

* The Ballad Of Old Times
Davis Mitchell
[SOAR]

* Reconnections
R. Carlos Nakai, Cliff Sarde, William Eaton & Randy Wood
[Canyon Records]

* Totemic Flute Chants
Johnny Whitehorse
[Silver Wave Records]




Category 71

Best Hawaiian Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Ka Hikina O Ka Hau (The Coming Of The Snow)
Keola Beamer
[Dancing Cat Productions]

* Hawaiiana
Tia Carrere
[Daniel Ho Creations]

* He'eia
Cyril Pahinui
[Dancing Cat Productions]

* Hawaiian Blossom
Raiatea
[Raiatea Helm Records]

* Treasures Of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar
Various Artists
Daniel Ho, George Kahumoku, Jr., Paul Konwiser & Wayne Wong, producers
[Daniel Ho Creations]




Category 72

Best Zydeco Or Cajun Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Le Cowboy Creole
Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie
[Times Square Records]

* King Cake
Lisa Haley
[Blue Fiddle Records]

* Live: � La Blue Moon
Lost Bayou Ramblers
[Swallow Records]

* Blues De Musicien
Pine Leaf Boys
[Arhoolie Records]

* Racines
Racines
[Swallow Records]

* The La Louisianne Sessions
Roddie Romero And The Hub City All-Stars
[Octavia Records]

* Live! Worldwide
Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience
[AIM Trading Group P/L]


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Field 15 — Reggae



Category 73

Best Reggae Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* The Burning Spear Experience
Burning Spear
[Burning Music Production]

* Mind Control
Stephen Marley
[Tuff Gong/Ghetto Youths/Universal Republic]

* The End Of An American Dream
Lee "Scratch" Perry
[Megawave]

* Anniversary
Sly & Robbie And The Taxi Gang
[Taxi Records]

* Light Your Light
Toots & The Maytals
[Fantasy]


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Field 16 — World Music



Category 74

Best Traditional World Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* When The Soul Is Settled: Music Of Iraq
Rahim Al Haj With Souhail Kaspar
[Smithsonian Folkways Recordings]

* From Mali To America
Cheick Hamala Diabate & Bob Carlin
[5-String Productions]

* Live At Couleur Caf�
Konono N�1
[Crammed Discs/Rykodisc]

* African Spirit
Soweto Gospel Choir
[Shanachie Entertainment]

* Singing For Life: Songs Of Hope, Healing, And HIV/AIDS In Uganda
Various Artists
Gregory Barz, producer
[Smithsonian Folkways Recordings]




Category 75

Best Contemporary World Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* C�u
C�u
[Six Degrees Records/Urban Jungle Records/Starbucks Entertainment]

* Gil Luminoso
Gilberto Gil
[DRG Brazil]

* Momento
Bebel Gilberto
[Ziriguiboom/Crammed Discs/Six Degrees]

* Djin Djin
Angelique Kidjo
[Razor & Tie Direct/Starbucks Entertainment]

* An Ancient Muse
Loreena McKennitt
[Verve Records/Universal Music Group]


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Field 17 — Polka



Category 76

Best Polka Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

* Polka's Revenge
Brave Combo
[DenTone]

* Bulletproof Polkas
John Gora & Gorale
[Sunshine Diversified Ent.]

* Polka Freak Out
Bubba Hernandez & Alex Meixner
[Moon Zero Bird Records]

* Dueling Polkas
Walter Ostanek And His Band & Brian Sklar And The Western Senators
[Sunshine (Polkamania)]

* Come Share The Wine
Jimmy Sturr And His Orchestra
[Rounder]


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Field 18 — Children's



Category 77

Best Musical Album For Children
(For albums consisting of predominantly music or song vs. spoken word.)

* Chickens
Buck Howdy With BB
[Prairie Dog Entertainment]

* Experience...101
Sweet Honey In The Rock
[Appleseed]

* A Green And Red Christmas
The Muppets
Ted Kryczko & Ed Mitchel, producers
[Walt Disney Records]

* I Wanna Play
Bill Harley
[Round River Records]

* My Green Kite
Peter Himmelman
[Rounder]

* The Velveteen Rabbit - Love Can Make You Real
Various Artists
Don Sebesky & Janina Serden, producers
[Brown Barn Records]




Category 78

Best Spoken Word Album For Children
(For albums consisting of predominantly spoken word vs. music or song.)

* Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows
Jim Dale
[Listening Library]

* Making The Heart Whole Again: Stories For A Wounded World
Milbre Burch
[Kind Crone Productions]

* The One And Only Shrek
Meryl Streep & Stanley Tucci
[Audio Renaissance]

* Who's Got Game? The Ant Or The Grasshopper? The Lion Or The Mouse? Poppy Or The Snake?
Toni Morrison
[Simon & Schuster Audio]

* Wickety Whack - Brer Rabbit Is Back
Diane Ferlatte
[Diane Ferlatte]


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Field 19 — Spoken Word



Category 79

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)

* The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream
Barack Obama
[Random House Audio]

* Celebrations
Maya Angelou
[Random House Audio]

* Giving: How Each Of Us Can Change The World
Bill Clinton
[Random House Audio]

* Sunday Mornings In Plains: Bringing Peace To A Changing World
Jimmy Carter
[Simon & Schuster Audio]

* Things I Overheard While Talking To Myself
Alan Alda
[Random House Audio]


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Field 20 — Comedy



Category 80

Best Comedy Album
(For comedy recordings, spoken or musical)

* America's Mexican
George Lopez
[Comedy Central Records]

* Dirty Girl
Lisa Lampanelli
[Warner Bros.]

* The Distant Future
Flight Of The Conchords
[Sub Pop]

* I Still Have A Pony.
Steven Wright
[Comedy Central Records]

* Songs Pointed & Pointless
Harry Shearer
[Courgette Records]


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Field 21 — Musical Show



Category 81

Best Musical Show Album
(Award to the Album Producer(s), and to the Lyricist(s) & Composer(s) of 51% or more of a new score. (Artist, Lyricist & Composer names appear in parentheses.))

* A Chorus Line
David Caddick, producer (Marvin Hamlisch, composer; Edward Kleban, lyricist)
(2006 New Cast Recording With Various Artists)
[Masterworks Broadway]

* Company
Tommy Krasker, producer (Stephen Sondheim, composer/lyricist) (2006 Cast
Recording With Ra�l Esparza & Others)
[Nonesuch Records/PS Classics]

* Grey Gardens
Steven Epstein, producer (Scott Frankel, composer; Michael Korie, lyricist)
(Original Broadway Cast With Christine Ebersole, Mary Louise Wilson & Others)
[PS Classics]

* Spring Awakening
Duncan Sheik, producer; Duncan Sheik, composer; Steven Sater, lyricist (Original
Broadway Cast With Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele & Others)
[Decca Broadway]

* West Side Story
Nick Patrick, producer (Leonard Bernstein, composer; Stephen Sondheim, lyricist)
(Vittorio Grigolo, Hayley Westenra, Connie Fisher & Others)
[Decca Broadway]


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Field 22 — Film/TV/Visual Media



Category 82

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
(Award to the Artist(s) and/or Producer(s) of a majority of the tracks on the album, or to the individual(s) actively responsible for the concept and musical direction and for the selection of artists, songs and producers, as applicable.)

* Across The Universe
Various Artists
[Interscope Records]

* Dreamgirls
Various Artists
[Music World Music/Sony Urban Music/Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax]

* Hairspray
Various Artists
[New Line Records]

* Love
(The Beatles)
[Apple Records/Capitol Records]

* Once
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
[Canvasback/Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax]




Category 83

Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
(Award to Composer(s) for an original score created specifically for, or as a companion to, a current legitimate motion picture, television show or series or other visual media.)

* Babel
Gustavo Santaolalla, composer
[Concord Records]

* Blood Diamond
James Newton Howard, composer
[Varese Sarabande]

* The Departed
Howard Shore, composer
[New Line Records]

* Happy Feet
John Powell, composer
[Warner Sunset/Atlantic]

* Pan's Labyrinth
Javier Navarrete, composer
[Milan Records]

* Ratatouille
Michael Giacchino, composer
[Walt Disney Records]




Category 84

Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
(A Songwriter(s) award. For a song (melody & lyrics) written specifically for a motion picture, television or other visual media, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Falling Slowly (From Once)
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova, songwriters (Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova)
Track from: Once
[Canvasback/Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax; Publisher: Copyright Control]

* Guaranteed (From Into The Wild)
Eddie Vedder, songwriter (Eddie Vedder)
Track from: Into The Wild
[J Records; Publisher: Monkey Wrench]

* Love You I Do (From Dreamgirls)
Siedah Garrett & Henry Krieger, songwriters (Jennifer Hudson)
Track from: Dreamgirls
[Music World Music/Sony Urban Music/Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax; Publishers: Miroku Music/Williamson Music/Black Chick Music Publishing, SKG Songs]

* The Song Of The Heart (From Happy Feet)
Prince Rogers Nelson, songwriter (Prince)
Track from: Happy Feet
[Warner Sunset/Atlantic; Publishers: Controversy Music/Universal Music Corp.]

* You Know My Name (From Casino Royale)
David Arnold & Chris Cornell, songwriters (Chris Cornell)
Track from: Carry On
[Suretone/Interscope Records; Publishers: Disappearing One/EMI April Music/UA Music/New Columbia Pictures Music, Thrust/Magnum Music/Bucks Music/United Lion Music/Colpix Music]


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Field 23 — Composing/Arranging



Category 85

Best Instrumental Composition
(A Composer's Award for an original composition (not an adaptation) first released during the Eligibility Year. Singles or Tracks only.)

* Ash Wednesday
Harry Connick, Jr., composer (Harry Connick, Jr.)
Track from: Chanson Du Vieux Carr�
[Marsalis Music/Rounder]

* Cerulean Skies
Maria Schneider, composer (Maria Schneider Orchestra)
Track from: Sky Blue
[ArtistShare]

* Deep Six
Mark Walker, composer (Oregon)
Track from: 1000 Kilometers
[CamJazz]

* I Knew Her (From Notes On A Scandal)
Philip Glass, composer (Philip Glass)
Track from: Notes On A Scandal - Soundtrack
[Rounder/Fox Music]

* Spectacle
B�la Fleck, composer (Chick Corea & B�la Fleck)
Track from: The Enchantment
[Concord Records]




Category 86

Best Instrumental Arrangement
(An Arranger's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Ash Wednesday
Harry Connick, Jr., arranger (Harry Connick, Jr.)
Track from: Chanson Du Vieux Carr�
[Marsalis Music/Rounder]

* Besame Mucho
Steve Wiest, arranger (Maynard Ferguson)
Track from: The One And Only Maynard Ferguson
[Maynard Ferguson Trust]

* Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair
Frank Macchia, arranger (Frank Macchia & The Prague Orchestra)
Track from: Emotions
[Cacophony]

* In A Silent Way
Vince Mendoza, arranger (Joe Zawinul)
Track from: Brown Street
[Heads Up International]

* Yo Tannenbaum (From Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas)
Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band)
Track from: Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas - Soundtrack
[Immergent]




Category 87

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)
(An Arranger's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Cry Me A River
Jorge Calandrelli, arranger (Ella Fitzgerald & Jorge Calandrelli)
Track from: Love Letters From Ella
[Concord Jazz/Starbucks Entertainment]

* I'm Gonna Live Till I Die
John Clayton, arranger (Queen Latifah)
Track from: Trav'lin' Light
[Verve]

* In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
Jay Ashby, Darmon Meader & Kim Nazarian, arrangers (New York Voices)
Track from: A Day Like This
[MCG Jazz]

* Overture/Gershwin Medley
Michael Abene, arranger (Patti Austin)
Track from: Avant Gershwin
[Rendezvous Entertainment]

* Smile
Pete McGuinness, arranger (The Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra)
Track from: First Flight
[Summit Records]


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Field 24 — Package



Category 88

Best Recording Package

* Cassadaga
Zack Nipper, art director (Bright Eyes)
[Saddle Creek]

* The Dio Years
Masaki Koike, art director (Black Sabbath)
[Rhino]

* Friend & Foe
Craig Thompson, art director (Menomena)
[Barsuk Records]

* Secrets Keep You Sick
Don Clark, art director (The Fold)
[Tooth & Nail Records]

* White Horse
Qing-Yang Xiao, art director (GTS)
[Ring Of Fire Music/Major Music]




Category 89

Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package

* The Black Parade - Special Edition
Matt Taylor, Ellen Wakayama & Gerard Way, art directors (My Chemical Romance)
[Reprise Records]

* A Fever You Can't Sweat Out - Limited Edition Collectible Deluxe Box
Alex Kirzhner, art director (Panic! At The Disco)
[DeCayDance/Fueled By Ramen]

* Icky Thump - Limited Edition USB Flash Drive
Stan Chow, art director (The White Stripes)
[Third Man/Warner Bros.]

* Venus Doom
Matt Taylor & Valo, art directors (Him)
[Sire]

* What It Is!: Funky Soul And Rare Grooves (1967-1977)
Masaki Koike, art director (Various Artists)
[Rhino]


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Field 25 — Album Notes



Category 90

Best Album Notes

* Actionable Offenses: Indecent Phonograph Recordings From The 1890s
Patrick Feaster & David Giovannoni, album notes writers (Various Artists)
[Archeophone Records]

* Classic Chu Berry Columbia And Victor Sessions
Loren Schoenberg, album notes writer (Chu Berry)
[Mosaic Records]

* John Work, III: Recording Black Culture
Bruce Nemerov, album notes writer (Various Artists)
[Spring Fed Records]

* Off The Record: The Complete 1923 Jazz Band Recordings
David Sager, album notes writer (King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band)
[Off The Record]

* Ricky Jay Plays Poker
Ricky Jay, album notes writer (Various Artists)
[Octone/Legacy Recordings]


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Field 26 — Historical



Category 91

Best Historical Album

* Actionable Offenses: Indecent Phonograph Recordings From The 1890s
David Giovannoni, Meagan Hennessey & Richard Martin, compilation producers;
Richard Martin, mastering engineer (Various Artists)
[Archeophone Records]

* Forever Changing: The Golden Age Of Elektra Records 1963-1973 (Deluxe Edition)
Stuart Batsford, Mick Houghton & Phil Smee, compilation producers; Dan Hersch &
Bill Inglot, mastering engineers (Various Artists)
[Rhino]

* The Live Wire - Woody Guthrie In Performance 1949
Nora Guthrie & Jorge Ar�valo Mateus, compilation producers; Jamie Howarth, Steve
Rosenthal, Warren Russell-Smith & Dr. Kevin Short, mastering engineers (Woody
Guthrie)
[Woody Guthrie Publications]

* Love Is The Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965-1970
Alec Palao, compilation producer; Dan Hersch, Bill Inglot & Dave Schultz,
mastering engineers (Various Artists)
[Rhino]

* People Take Warning! Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs 1913-1938
Christopher King & Henry "Hank" Sapoznik, compilation producers; Christopher
King & Robert Vosgien, mastering engineers (Various Artists)
[Tompkins Square]


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Field 27 — Production, Non-Classical



Category 92

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
(An Engineer's Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.))

* Beauty & Crime
Tchad Blake, Cameron Craig, Emery Dobyns & Jimmy Hogarth, engineers (Suzanne Vega)
[Blue Note]

* Destination Moon
Dave O'Donnell & Elliot Scheiner, engineers (Deborah Cox)
[Decca Records]

* Don't Mess With The Dragon
Robert Carranza, Serban Ghenea, John Hanes & KC Porter, engineers (Ozomatli)
[Concord Records]

* Floratone
Tucker Martine, engineer (Floratone)
[Blue Note]

* II
Jason Lehning, engineer (Viktor Krauss)
[Back Porch Records]




Category 93

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
(A Producer's Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.))

* Howard Benson
� Daughtry (Daughtry) (A)
� Devils & Angels (M�l�e) (A)
� Direction (The Starting Line) (A)
� Five Score And Seven Years Ago (Relient K) (A)
� Stay Inside (Sound The Alarm) (A)


* Joe Chiccarelli
� Mercy (Burden Brothers) (A)
� The Narcotic Story (Oxbow) (A)
� Nightmoves (Kurt Elling) (A)
� Wincing The Night Away (The Shins) (A)


* Mike Elizondo
� It Won't Be Soon Before Long (Maroon 5) (A)
� Under The Blacklight (Rilo Kiley) (A)


* Mark Ronson
� Back To Black (Amy Winehouse) (T)
� Littlest Things (Lily Allen) (T)
� Rehab (Amy Winehouse) (T)
� Version (Mark Ronson) (A)
� You Know I'm No Good (Amy Winehouse) (T)


* Timbaland
� Come Around (M.I.A. Featuring Timbaland) (T)
� Give It To Me (Timbaland Featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake) (T)
� Make Me Better (Fabolous Featuring Ne-Yo) (S)
� Timbaland Presents: Shock Value (Timbaland) (A)
� The Way I Are (Timbaland Featuring Keri Hilson & D.O.E.) (S)





Category 94

Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
(A Remixer's Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses for identification.) Singles or Tracks only.)

* Angelicus (Andy Moor Full Length Mix)
Andy Moor, remixer (Delerium Featuring Isabel Bayrakdarian)
Track from: Nuages Du Monde
[Nettwerk Records]

* Bring The Noise (Benny Benassi Sfaction Remix)
Benny Benassi, remixer (Public Enemy)
Track from: Bring The Noise/Give It Up EP
[Ultra Records]

* Like A Child (Carl Craig Remix)
Carl Craig, remixer (Junior Boys)
Track from: The Dead Horse E.P.
[Domino Recording Company Ltd.]

* Proper Education (Club Mix - Radio Edit)
Eric Prydz, remixer (Eric Prydz Vs. Pink Floyd)
[Ultra Records]

* Sorry (Dirty South Mix)
Dirty South, remixer (Kaskade)
[Ultra Records]


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Field 28 — Surround Sound



Category 95

Best Surround Sound Album
(For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.)

* At War With The Mystics 5.1
The Flaming Lips & Dave Fridmann, surround mix engineers; The Flaming Lips &
Dave Fridmann, surround mastering engineers; The Flaming Lips & Dave Fridmann,
surround producers (The Flaming Lips)
[Warner Bros.]

* Fear Of A Blank Planet
Steven Wilson, surround mix engineer; Darcy Proper, surround mastering engineer;
Porcupine Tree, surround producers (Porcupine Tree)
[Atlantic Records]

* Grechaninov: Passion Week
John Newton, surround mix engineer; Jonathan Cooper, surround mastering
engineer; Blanton Alspaugh, surround producer (Charles Bruffy, Kansas City
Chorale & Phoenix Bach Choir)
[Chandos Records]

* Love
Paul Hicks, surround mix engineer; Tim Young, surround mastering engineer;
George Martin & Giles Martin, surround producers (The Beatles)
[Apple/Capitol Records]

* Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5; Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis; Serenade To Music
Michael Bishop, surround mix engineer; Michael Bishop, surround mastering
engineer; Elaine Martone, surround producer (Robert Spano & Atlanta Symphony
Orchestra & Chamber Chorus)
[Telarc]


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Field 29 — Production, Classical



Category 96

Best Engineered Album, Classical
(An Engineer's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.))

* Garden Of Dreams
Keith O. Johnson, engineer (Jerry Junkin & Dallas Wind Symphony)
[Reference Recordings]

* Grechaninov: Passion Week
John Newton, engineer (Charles Bruffy, Phoenix Bach Choir & Kansas City Chorale)
[Chandos]

* Nielsen: Clarinet & Flute Concertos�
Arne Akselberg & Tobias Lehmann, engineers (Sabine Meyer, Emmanuel Pahud & Simon
Rattle)
[EMI Classics]

* Spirit Of The Season
Bruce Leek, Fred Vogler & Trent Walker, engineers (Craig Jessop, Mack Wilberg &
Mormon Tabernacle Choir)
[Mormon Tabernacle Choir]

* Strauss: Don Juan, Death And Transfiguration
Lawrence Rock, engineer (Lorin Maazel & New York Philharmonic)
[Deutsche Grammophon]




Category 97

Producer Of The Year, Classical
(A Producer's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.))

* Blanton Alspaugh
� Eternal Rest: M�ntyj�rvi, Ticheli, Martin, Clausen (Charles Bruffy, Phoenix
Bach Choir & Kansas City Chorale)
� Grechaninov: Passion Week (Charles Bruffy, Phoenix Bach Choir & Kansas City
Chorale)
� The Harrington String Quartet: Daniel McCarthy (The Harrington String Quartet)
� Hartke: The Greater Good (Stewart Robertson & Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra)
� Rider On The Plains: Cello Concertos By Virgil Thomson And Charles Fussell
(Emmanuel Feldman)


* John Fraser
� Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 2, Scherzos (Simon Trpceski)
� Great Handel (Ian Bostridge)
� Kate Royal (Kate Royal)
� Krommer/Spohr: Clarinet Concertos (Julian Bliss, Sabine Meyer & Kenneth
Sillito)
� Schubert: Piano Sonata D958, Lieder, Fragments (Leif Ove Andsnes & Ian
Bostridge)


* Marina A. Ledin, Victor Ledin
� Balakirev And Russian Folksong (Joseph Banowetz)
� Louisiana - A Pianist's Journey (Kenneth Boulton)
� Piano Impromptus (Jungran Kim Khwarg)
� 20th Century Piano Sonatas (Allison Brewster Franzetti)


* Judith Sherman
� American Virtuosa: Tribute To Maud Powell (Rachel Barton Pine & Matthew Hagle)
� From Barrelhouse To Broadway: The Musical Odyssey Of Joe Jordan (Rick Benjamin
& The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra)
� G�recki: String Quartet No. 3 '...Songs Are Sung' (Kronos Quartet)
� Strange Imaginary Animals (Eighth Blackbird)
� Tchaikovsky: Three String Quartets, Souvenir De Florence (Ying Quartet)


* Robina G. Young
� As Steals The Morn...Handel Arias & Scenes For Tenor (Mark Padmore, Andrew
Manze & The English Concert)
� Bach, CPE: Symphonies 1-4, Cello Concerto (Andrew Manze & The English Concert)
� Brahms: Variations (Olga Kern)
� Music For Compline (Stile Antico)
� Stockhausen: Stimmung (Paul Hillier & Theatre Of Voices)



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Field 30 — Classical



Category 98

Best Classical Album
(Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) if other than the Artist.)

* Cherubini: Missa Solemnis In E
Riccardo Muti, conductor; Wilhelm Meister, producer (Ildar Abdrazakov, Herbert
Lippert, Marianna Pizzolato & Ruth Ziesak; Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen
Rundfunks)
[EMI Classics]

* Grechaninov: Passion Week
Charles Bruffy, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer (Kansas City Chorale &
Phoenix Bach Choir)
[Chandos]

* Homage: The Age Of The Diva
Ren�e Fleming; David Frost, producer (Valery Gergiev; Orchestra Of The Mariinsky
Theatre)
[Decca Records]

* Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Sings Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson; Dirk Sobotka, producer (James Levine; Boston Symphony
Orchestra)
[Nonesuch Records]

* Tower: Made In America
Leonard Slatkin, conductor; Tim Handley, producer (Nashville Symphony)
[Naxos]




Category 99

Best Orchestral Performance
(Award to the Conductor and to the Orchestra.)

* Beethoven: Symphony No. 9
Osmo V�nsk�, conductor (Minnesota Orchestra)
[BIS Records]

* Shostakovich: The Golden Age
Jos� Serebrier, conductor (Royal Scottish National Orchestra)
[Naxos]

* Stravinsky: Le Sacre Du Printemps
Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)
[Deutsche Grammophon]

* Tower: Made In America
Leonard Slatkin, conductor (Nashville Symphony)
[Naxos]

* Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5, Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis, Serenade To Music
Robert Spano, conductor (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra)
[Telarc]




Category 100

Best Opera Recording
(Award to the Conductor, Album Producer(s) and Principal Soloists.)

* Alb�niz: Pepita Jim�nez
Jos� De Eusebio, conductor; Enrique Baquerizo, Carlos Chausson, Pl�cido Domingo,
Jane Henschel & Carol Vaness; Michael Haas, producer (Orquesta Y Coro De La
Comunidad De Madrid)
[Deutsche Grammophon]

* Donizetti: Dom S�bastien, Roi De Portugal
Mark Elder, conductor; Carmelo Corrado Caruso, Giuseppe Filianoti, Vesselina
Kasarova, Simon Keenlyside & Alastair Miles; Patric Schmid, producer (The Royal
Opera Chorus; The Orchestra Of The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden)
[Opera Rara]

* Humperdinck: Hansel & Gretel
Sir Charles Mackerras, conductor; Rebecca Evans, Jane Henschel & Jennifer
Larmore; Brian Couzens, producer (Sarah Coppen, Diana Montague & Sarah Tynan;
New London Children's Choir; Philharmonia Orchestra)
[Chandos Opera In English]

* Lully: Th�s�e
Paul O�Dette & Stephen Stubbs, conductors; Howard Crook, Ellen Hargis, Laura
Pudwell & Harry Van Der Kamp; Renate Wolter-Seevers, producer (Boston Early
Music Festival Chorus; Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra)
[CPO]

* Verdi: La Traviata
Zubin Mehta, conductor; Piotr Beczala, Paolo Gavanelli & Anja Harteros; Andreas
Caemmerer & Felix Gargerle, producers (Choir Of The Bavarian State Opera;
Bavarian State Orchestra)
[Farao Classics]




Category 101

Best Choral Performance
(Award to the Choral Conductor, and to the Orchestra Conductor if an Orchestra is on the recording, and to the Choral Director or Chorus Master if applicable.)

* Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem
Simon Rattle, conductor; Simon Halsey, chorus master (Thomas Quasthoff &
Dorothea R�schmann; Rundfunkchor Berlin; Berliner Philharmoniker)
[EMI Classics]

* Cherubini: Missa Solemnis In E
Riccardo Muti, conductor; Peter Dijkstra, chorus master (Ildar Abdrazakov,
Herbert Lippert, Marianna Pizzolato & Ruth Ziesak; Chor Des Bayerischen
Rundfunks; Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks)
[EMI Classics]

* Grechaninov: Passion Week
Charles Bruffy, conductor (Kansas City Chorale & Phoenix Bach Choir)
[Chandos]

* Penderecki: Symphony No. 7 'Seven Gates Of Jerusalem'
Antoni Wit, conductor; Henryk Wojnarowski, chorus master (Boris Carmeli, Ewa
Marciniec, Aga Mikolaj, Wieslaw Ochman, Olga Pasichnyk & Romuald Tesarowicz;
Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir; Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra)
[Naxos]

* Sch�nberg: Gurrelieder
Michael Gielen, conductor; Howard Arman & Michael Gl�ser, choir directors
(Melanie Diener, Ralf Lukas, Yvonne Naef, Andreas Schmidt, Gerhard Siegel &
Robert Dean Smith; Chor Des Bayerischen Rundfunks & MDR Rundfunkchor Leipzig;
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden Und Freiburg)
[Haenssler Classic]




Category 102

Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)
(Award to the Instrumental Soloist(s) and to the Conductor.)

* Barber/Korngold/Walton: Violin Concertos
Bramwell Tovey, conductor; James Ehnes (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra)
[CBC Records]

* Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 4
Christoph Eschenbach, conductor; Lang Lang (Orchestre De Paris)
[Deutsche Grammophon]

* Nielsen: Clarinet & Flute Concertos
Simon Rattle, conductor; Sabine Meyer & Emmanuel Pahud (Berliner Philharmoniker)
[EMI Classics]

* R�zsa: Violin Concerto, Op. 24
Dmitry Yablonsky, conductor; Anastasia Khitruk (Russian Philharmonic Orchestra)
Track from: R�zsa: Violin Concerto, Sinfonia Concertante
[Naxos]

* Tchaikovsky/Saint-Sa�ns/Ginastera
Ari Rasilainen, conductor; Sol Gabetta (M�nchner Rundfunkorchester)
[RCA Red Seal]




Category 103

Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra)
(Award to the Instrumental Soloist.)

* Beethoven Sonatas, Vol. 3
Garrick Ohlsson
[Bridge Records, Inc.]

* Haydn: Piano Sonatas
Marc-Andr� Hamelin
[Hyperion]

* Louisiana - A Pianist's Journey
Kenneth Boulton
[Cambria Master Recordings]

* Solo Piazzolla
Manuel Barrueco
[Tonar]

* 20th Century Piano Sonatas
Allison Brewster Franzetti
[Naxos]




Category 104

Best Chamber Music Performance
(Award to the Artists.)

* On The Threshold Of Hope
Artists Of The Royal Conservatory Ensemble (Richard Margison, Joaquin Valdepe�as
& Diane Werner)
[RCA Red Seal]

* Saint-Sa�ns/Poulenc/Devienne/Milhaud
Oleg Maisenberg & Sabine Meyer
[EMI Classics]

* Strange Imaginary Animals
Eighth Blackbird
[Cedille Records]

* Tchaikovsky: Three String Quartets, Souvenir De Florence
Ying Quartet (James Dunham & Paul Katz)
[Telarc]

* 30 Songs Of The Russian People
Joseph Banowetz & Alton Chung Ming Chan
Track from: Balakirev And Russian Folksong
[Toccata Classics]




Category 105

Best Small Ensemble Performance
(Award to the Ensemble (and to the Conductor.))

* Bach: Brandenburg Concertos
Swiss Baroque Soloists
[Naxos]

* Bridges - Eddie Daniels Plays The Music Of Frank Proto
Frank Proto, conductor; Eddie Daniels; Ensemble Sans Fronti�re
[Red Mark]

* Mahler: Das Lied Von Der Erde
Kenneth Slowik, conductor; The Smithsonian Chamber Players & Santa Fe Pro Musica
[Dorian Recordings/ Sono Luminus]

* Music For Compline
Stile Antico
[Harmonia Mundi]

* Stravinsky: Apollo, Concerto In D; Prokofiev: 20 Visions Fugitives
Yuri Bashmet, conductor; Moscow Soloists
[Onyx Classics]




Category 106

Best Classical Vocal Performance
(Award to the Vocal Soloist(s).)

* Gitano - Zarzuela Arias
Rolando Villaz�n (Pl�cido Domingo; Orquesta De La Comunidad De Madrid)
[Virgin Classics]

* Homage: The Age Of The Diva
Ren�e Fleming (Valery Gergiev; Orchestra Of The Mariinsky Theatre)
[Decca Records]

* Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Sings Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (James Levine; Boston Symphony Orchestra)
[Nonesuch Records]

* Russian Album
Anna Netrebko (Valery Gergiev; Orchestra Of The Mariinsky Theatre)
[Deutsche Grammophon]

* Sea Pictures, Op. 37
Sarah Connolly (Simon Wright; Bournemouth Symphony Chorus; Bournemouth Symphony
Orchestra)
Track from: Elgar: Sea Pictures
[Naxos]




Category 107

Best Classical Contemporary Composition
(A Composer's Award. (For a contemporary classical composition composed within the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year.))

* Amarg�s: Northern Concerto
Joan Albert Amarg�s (Lan Shui, conductor; Danish National Symphony Orchestra/DR)
Track from: Movements - Michala Petri Plays Amarg�s/B�rtz/Stucky
[OUR Recordings]

* Chesky: Concerto For Bassoon And Orchestra
David Chesky (Rossen Gergov, conductor; Symphony Orchestra Of Norrlands Opera)
Track from: Urban Concertos
[Chesky Records]

* Higdon: Zaka
Jennifer Higdon (Eighth Blackbird)
Track from: Strange Imaginary Animals
[Cedille Records]

* Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Sings Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs
Peter Lieberson (James Levine, conductor; Boston Symphony Orchestra)
[Nonesuch]

* Made In America
Joan Tower (Leonard Slatkin, conductor; Nashville Symphony Orchestra)
Track from: Tower: Made In America
[Naxos]




Category 108

Best Classical Crossover Album
(Award to the Artist(s) and/or to the Conductor.)

* The Jazz Album - Watch What Happens
Thomas Quasthoff
[Deutsche Grammophon]

* A Love Supreme: The Legacy Of John Coltrane
Turtle Island Quartet
[Telarc]

* Spirit Of The Season
Craig Jessop & Mack Wilberg, conductors (Mormon Tabernacle Choir; Orchestra At
Temple Square)
[Mormon Tabernacle Choir]

* Whirled Chamber Music
Quartet San Francisco
[Violinjazz Recordings]

* Wolfgang's Big Night Out
Brian Setzer (The Brian Setzer Orchestra)
[Surfdog Records]


Return to top of page

Field 31 — Music Video



Category 109

Best Short Form Music Video
(For an individual track or single promotional clip. Award to the Artist and to the Video Director/Producer.)

* God's Gonna Cut You Down
Johnny Cash
Tony Kaye, video director; Rachel Curl, video producer
[American Records/Lost Highway Records]

* 1234
Feist
Patrick Daughters, video director; Geoff McLean, video producer
[Cherrytree/Interscope]

* Gone Daddy Gone
Gnarls Barkley
Chris Milk, video director; Barbara Benson, video producer
[Downtown/Atlantic]

* D.A.N.C.E.
Justice
Jonas & Francois & So-Me, video directors; Jonas & Francois & So-Me, video
producers
[Downtown/Vice/Ed Banger/Because]

* Typical
Mute Math
Israel Anthem, video director; Brandon Arolfo, video producer
[Warner Bros./Reprise/Maverick/Sire]




Category 110

Best Long Form Music Video
(For video album packages consisting of more than one song or track. Award to the Artist and to the Video Director/Producer of at least 51% of the total playing time.)

* Live & Loud At The Fillmore
Dierks Bentley
Russell Thomas, video director; James Whetherly, video producer
[Capitol Records Nashville]

* Trapped In The Closet Chapters 13-22
R. Kelly
R. Kelly, Victor Mignatti & Jim Swaffield, video directors; Ann Carli, video
producer
[Jive/Zomba]

* The Confessions Tour
Madonna
Jonas Akerlund, video director; Sara Martin & David May, video producers
[Warner Bros.]

* 10 Days Out - Blues From The Backroads
Kenny Wayne Shepherd & Various Artists
Noble Jones, video director; Kenny Wayne Shepherd, video producer
[Reprise]

* Liberacion - The Songs Of The New Cuban Underground
Various Artists
Reuben Fields, video director; Dean Bates, video producer
[Petrol/EMI]

Five years ago today

Atomic Kitten were considered one of the best non-French bands in the world;
Michael Jackson was kept out of court by a spider bite;
Senator Kenny Murray revealed that he didn't think record labels were good for artists and
Christina Aguilera announced plans to become the new Angelina Jolie.

Hard Fi accuse Led Zep of being cash machine

Steven Kemp - drummer with Hard Fi - has moaned about the cost of Led Zeppelin tickets:

"Paying over £100 for a ticket is a joke. Why should you pay so much money for it? These rock 'n' roll dinosaurs are coming out for one last pay cheque."

Now, we've never believed that 'all drummers are stupid', but Kemp might have wanted to think before shooting his mouth off. What with the money from the gig going to the Ahmet Ertegun Education fund, and the band stressing that it was the memory of their former mentor which brought them out of retirement, while there is much about the ticketing process for the event that is open to question, suggesting it's some sort of big pay day makes Kemp look a little cheap.

Local radio station reshuffles

Another bunch of fiddling with the line-up at Capital Radio, as the new management reverse the big idea of nine months ago, letting Bam Bam and his "hilarious wind-ups" go again.

New MD Paul Jackson insists that there's nothing wrong with the programme as such:

"Bam Bam's best position historically is breakfast, and for him to do his thing best he needs a breakfast slot. He has done nothing wrong, but we have Johnny Vaughan in breakfast," Jackson added.

Actually, we'd say one of the few things Bam Bam had going for him was not being Johnny Vaughan. It's interesting that the new management didn't try to do something to address the problem of breakfasts dragging down figures for the entire station, but perhaps Vaughan's contract would make it expensive to try something genuinely new. Instead, Jackson is reduced to shuffling a somewhat limited portfolio about to no great effect:

"In a straight choice between Lucio's lifestyle show and Bam Bam, who's got a great act but it's more chatty and breakfast-style, you've got to go for Lucio's show every time."

I don't generally feel much empathy for commercial radio management, but when a man is having to make a straight choice between Lucio's world of Craig David popping in for a chat and The Hoosiers playing live, and Bam-Bam doing "wind-ups", you'd have to feel for him.

Gordon in the morning

Keira Knightley has done a shoot for Elle magazine with a not-especially-short skirt. Gordon welcomes this, of course:

WE are so used to seeing KEIRA KNIGHTLEY dressed up to the nines in Victorian clobber.

Which makes it a nice change to see her show off a bit of flesh and, of course, wearing a pair of boots.

We're surprised that Gordon has got "used to seeing" her in Victorian clothes. Perhaps she goes round trussed up in outfits especially for him. Or maybe he thinks that Atonement is Victorian rather than inter-war [Corrected - see comments]. Or that Pirates of the Caribbean and Sense and Sensibility are Victorian rather than Georgian. Or perhaps Gordon just thinks anything before Trainspotting came out is Victorian.

He's also got pictures from Lindsay Lohan's "comeback" advert campaign, which sees Lohan sharing the stage with what looks like Marvel superheroes reimagined by a not especially talented facepainter. Naturally, there has to be a reference to the upskirt shots Bizarre is so fond of running, but how to do it without making it sound gratuitous?

Lohan also made headlines for forgetting her knickers - which could explain where Baby Spidey came from.

Eh? What does that even mean? Does Gordon think that if you don't wear pants you get pregnant as a result? By, erm, a superhero? Or is he confusing pubic hair and webs?

Gordon demands Amy shapes up

Amy Winehouse. You might not have noticed, but she's in trouble.

Gordon Smart - with his magic see-all eyepiece - has noticed. And, rather like a minor royal in the East End, he demands that something might be done.

For reasons we can't quite figure out, he's decided to go with a Trainspotting theme for his clarion call - or rather Brainrotting. Do you get it? And, proving he's down with the kids, he's had the photoshop team create a spoof Trainspotting poster with pictures of Amy's drug friends on it. Yes, Trainspotting. In 2007. We're looking forward to when he gets round to Da Vinci Code references sometime in 2012.

He warms to his slightly dated theme:

CHOOSE life. Choose your potentially legendary career.

Choose your family. Choose health and dental insurance to fix that missing tooth. Choose your friends more carefully. Choose a decent meal rather than mind-numbing, spirit-crushing drugs.

Today I call on AMY WINEHOUSE to choose life and end her brain-rotting, Trainspotting-style existence.

Except, of course, Renton's 'choose life' speech is a list of the dull, humdrum stuff he's chosen to reject rather than what he's going to embrace and using Trainspotting as a model for detox is a bit like picking Midnight Express to make plans for your trip to Turkey.

Gordon is angered that the best Winehouse's people can do is a week's rehab in Israel - "sounds like a holiday to me" - but doesn't actually have anything to offer himself:

In Trainspotting EWAN McGREGOR’s character Renton is locked in his room by his parents to try and beat his heroin habit cold turkey.

So, you think that someone should lock Amy up?

No? No.

I’m not suggesting this is the way to go - but someone needs to take some sort of drastic action.

Yes. Someone should do something. Thanks for that useful suggestion, Gordon. It's not like her family and management haven't thought of that.

"This is a jumpsuit... this is another jumpsuit"

Coming attractions: Opening in Stockholm in 2009, an Abba Museum:

"We're going to open the ABBA museum from June 3 to 7 (2009), it will be an inaugural week," said Ulf Westman, who mastermind the world's first ABBA museum along with his wife, Ewa Wigenheim-Westman.

"It will be an international museum with a lot of technological and multimedia aspects," he said, with visitors invited to take part in various activities related to the group's heyday in the 1970s.

It's not known if this will include divorcing.

Amy and Pete: Hello, co-dependents

The fawning nature of Hello - which has never heard of a celebrity activity it doesn't love - always offers a degree of amusement. While the rest of the world hears of Pete Doherty turning up at Amy Winehouse's house at four in the morning and thinks "uh-oh", Hello! thinks it's charming:

'Back To Black' singer Amy seeks solace in kindred spirit Pete

Amy Winehouse seems to have found a like-minded friend to help her through her current troubles. The jazz sensation has been turning for support to fellow musician Pete Doherty, with whom she's working on a duet, while her husband Blake remains in detention.

Kate Moss's former flame has had his fair share of problems, too, so it's easy to understand his empathy with the singer.

Ah... it's a like-minded friend helping her with her troubles. Possibly even not by adding to them.

Interscope Records move Josh Homme away from Jimmy Iovine for the staff Christmas lunch

Josh Homme has a somewhat low opinion of his record label, it turns out:

"Fuck the labels, man, they suck. The last thing they're stripping down is their own expense accounts and shit. I mean, (President) Jimmy Iovine of Interscope Records takes a private jet or rides first class to tell a band they don't get tour support...I'm not gonna be quiet because the American label, not Canada, not Europe, but our American label's fucking us like crazy, so fuck them...I'm not even bitter, people say labels are evil, no. They're just lame."

"They can't do anything to me. That's the difference...they can't stop me from being me and from playing, but they can lose their jobs and have to fucking work at Shakey's pizza like they should've all along."

"I have a retarded record company. They're all locked in their hysteria of a business that they don't understand, you know. Playing it safe and being panicked have no business in music."

He also added that they've been skimping on office supplies, buying off-brand sticky notes that don't actually fucking stick to any fucking thing and cheap biros that burst in your fucking pockets.

Sparks. All the albums. Live.

The idea of a band playing through a classic album from start to finish is one that is starting to become something of a commonplace.

The stakes, though, have just been raised:
Sparks are playing 20 gigs at the Islington Academy next year, one after the other, working through their entire back catalogue. Then, on the 21st night, they're hoofing over to the Shepherd's Bush Empire to play through their new one.

The line-up:
Carling Academy Islington

May 16 - Halfnelson/Sparks (1971/2)
May 17 - A Woofer In Tweeter's Clothing (1972)
May 18 - Kimono My House (1974)
May 20 - Propaganda (1974)
May 21 - Indiscreet (1975)
May 23 - Big Beat (1976)
May 24 - Introducing Sparks (1977)
May 25 - No.1 In Heaven (1979)
May 27 - Terminal Jive (1979)
May 28 - Whomp That Sucker (1981)
May 30 - Angst In My Pants (1982)
May 31 - In Outer Space (1983)
Jun 1 - Pulling Rabbits Out Of A Hat (1984)
Jun 3 - Music That You Can Dance To (1986)
Jun 4 - Interior Design (1988)
Jun 6 - Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins (1995)
Jun 7 - Plagiarism (1997)
Jun 8 - Balls (2000)
Jun 10 - Lil' Beethoven (2003)
Jun 11 - Hello Young Lovers (2006)

Shepherd's Bush Empire

Jun 13 - World Premier of Sparks' 21st Album

Thanks to the lovely Talent In A Previous Life for dropping us the tip.

Management companies want share of second hand goods

How would you feel if, when you came to flog your old XBox on Ebay, Bill Gates turned up and asked for a portion of the cash?

What about if you went to sell your stamp collection at auction, and discovered the Post Office hanging around outside the auction rooms looking for ten per cent on the grounds that they printed the stamps in the first place?

It wouldn't happen, would it? And yet the music industry is trying to grab a slice of profits on tickets sold on to other holders.

It's being touted as a move by bands:

Radiohead, Robbie Williams and Arctic Monkeys joined calls yesterday for a levy to be added to tickets resold on the web to allow musicians to claw back some of the profits made by touts and fans.

Really? Radiohead and the Arctic Monkeys?

Not quite:

The acts' managers, together with about 400 other artists, including KT Tunstall and the Verve, said the move was vital to bring some regulation and rigour to a market they described as "the wild west".

Ah. So it's management, not actually bands, then.

The idea is to form a 'Resale Rights Society', which is being headed up by Marc Marot who was quite senior at Island Records a few years back until his circumstances changed; this body will, for some reason, insist on being given a portion of ticket sales on eBay and through secondary markets:

Marc Marot, chairman-elect of the RRS and the former chief executive of Island Records, said the levy proposal was a "grown-up solution" to a "completely unregulated area".

"The secondary ticketing market offers benefits to music fans and the live music industry alike. It does not make sense to try and criminalise it," he said.

Here, we totally agree with him. Making it a crime to sell something you have legally bought is absurd.

We think we're about to part company with him, though:

"On the other hand there are real issues of consumer protection here. It is unacceptable that not a penny of the £200m in transactions generated by the resale of concert tickets in the UK is returned to investors in the live music industry."

So the "real issue of consumer protection" is that, erm, no money goes back to the music industry? Isn't that an issue of music industry self-interest rather than "consumer protection"?

Let's split out that contention into the two separate pieces it clearly is. One, the issue of "consumer protection". Now, it's true if you buy a ticket on eBay, there's a chance it might not show up - although if you pay through PayPal or Credit Card, you have a degree of consumer protection, and many of the secondary agencies are large organisations; you have recourse to the trading standards just as when you buy anything else. And even if you didn't, how does giving a slice of your purchase to the music industry make you any more protected? Unless the RRS is proposing to set up a fund to recompense people who lose out if deals go bad - which sounds a splendid idea to us; something of a licence to print money for fraudsters who could offer tickets that don't exist, their conscience clear as the defrauded will get paid back from the RRS? We bet this isn't what the RRS has in mind, and the 'consumer protection' line is just an attempt to make a spot of highway robbery seem more acceptable.

So, then the complaint that "no money is returned to the live music industry". Well, no; nor do the Post Office get any money from the sale of rare used stamps. Even Paloma Picasso finds she doesn't get a few quid when one of her Dad's paintings are sold. The music industry sets the price for tickets when it places them on sale. If they feel the price of the ticket doesn't represent a fair return on their investment, they should raise their prices. Why should they be rewarded for underestimating the value of their tickets? Why should they make money off people who have decided to risk their cash in the hope of making more? Either these businesses embrace capitalism, or they don't.

The RRS seems to be like a welfare organisation designed to help rich businesses that have simply underestimated the value of their products.

Not, of course, that they seem themselves like that - as with the RIAA trying to tax filesharing, the RRS claims they're interested in the little artists:

Marot said the move was not intended to boost the bank balances of big names such as Mick Jagger and Sting but to help new artists who increasingly make less money from recorded music sales and rely on income from gigs to make a living.

Now, since Marc is not a foolish man, he must clearly be spinning here. Does he really believe that new artists' tickets are being sold on eBay for massive profits? That the Secondary Ticket market is awash with sales for Cats and Cats and Cats at the Leicester Princess Charlotte? Of course this is about making money for management companies of large acts.

It's also totally unjustified. Marot is right - don't criminalise people for selling second-hand goods. There's absolutely no reason to. There's even less reason to tax them on products they've legally purchased.

[Thanks again to James P]

X Factor loses it

Not only is Dannii's single struggling, but further evidence that the X Factor brand isn't a guarantee of gold: Tonight's X Factor now and then live extravaganza has been axed after only 165 tickets were sold for a 3,000 seat venue.

The inaptly named Futureproof, Ben Mills and somebody called Andy Abraham had apparently been going to show up, although had they done so, they'd have been outnumbering the audience.

Wonderfully, the promoter is placing the blame on this year's contest:

Alan Ruck-Nightingale, the event promoter, said: "It's a huge shame and I can't quite grasp why sales haven't gone well.
advertisement

"There's been no lack of marketing, in the Advertiser and on radio and a 30,000 leaflet drop to houses.

"I don't think this year's X Factor competition has had such good competitors, so maybe that's been part of it."

Yes, that'd be it. "Shall we go and see this bloke off the telly from a couple of years ago, love?" "Ooh, no, because this year's contestants are a bit rubbish..."

As James P pointed out when he alerted us to this story, the people of Swindon will pay for their inaction:

They'll be kicking themselves though, the people of Swindon; After cancelling this concert, the organisers have also scrapped plans for a follow-up gig with even bigger names. But alas thanks to audience apathy, Swindon will no longer be treated to the double-header pop-monster that would have been Shayne Ward and Chico.

Five years ago today

Christians pressed comic books into action against rock music;
Marcelo Rodriguez, the cop who waggled his willy to entrap George Michael tried to sue him;
Cumbrian farmers revealed they'd started to name their livestock after Victoria Beckham and
Mags from A-Ha had his statement about the commercialisation of Christmas ruined by thieves.

Brighton bans incitement tracks

It's a difficult time for the Daily Mail: Brighton city council has banned songs with contain incitement to commit hate crimes.

It's a tricky one for the Mail - it doesn't really like all the violent imagery in some rap music, but it also can't help noticing that this is an idea that's pro-gay.

In the end, it reaches for a fudge-headline:

Brighton becomes first city to ban rap music that offends gays

Except, of course, that's not what's happened at all.

The local licensing committee has simply made it explicit that venues which play music which incites violence - already a crime - will be refused a licence on grounds of criminal activity:

"Licensing policy supports the crime and disorder reduction partnership's crime reduction strategy.

"In particular it seeks to confront and reduce racist, homophobic, transphobic and religiously motivated crimes, incidents and antisocial behaviour.

"Particular attention will be paid to any licensed premises where there is evidence of criminal activity or any association with racist or homophobic crime."

The rule isn't about rap music - indeed, it was inspired by Buju Banton's planned gig at Concorde 2, so if anything it's a dancehall - and it isn't about "offending gays". It's merely codifying British law, and covers racist Oi tracks as much as it covers homophobic ragga tracks. But the Mail, of course, isn't likely to worry about fact challenging a good story.

Dolly Parton splits Rotherham council

You'd have thought the burghers of Rotherham would have been delighted: Dolly Parton has chosen their town to be the site of the UK launch of her reading scheme, the Imagination Library. The council has arranged a small jolly for the elected few, with a bit of nosebag and a chance to shake the hand of Ms Parton.

Not everyone, though, is thrilled: Tony Mannion, who sits on the council as an independent, is fuming that Dolly is delaying the start of council business by an hour:

I’m boycotting the lunch and I am outraged that democracy is being put on hold because of a celebrity,” Mr Mannion told The Times. “I have nothing against Dolly Parton. Not that I know much about her except that she sang 9 to 5. That’s about the top and bottom of my knowledge. And I think the literacy scheme is a good idea. My objection is over the timing. We have vital business to discuss, for example the siting of a power station in the middle of a nature reserve. And we have few enough council meetings as it is.

“I’ve spoken to the Labour leader. Apparently, he’s a Dolly Parton fan. I suppose my complaints will fall on deaf ears and that some might say it’s a storm in a D-cup, or double D-cup. But it’s the principle.

Mr Mannion, then, appears to also know about Dolly's breasts as well as her having sung 9 to 5.

Minogue: Slow sales

The question about what, exactly, the judges on the X Factor know about the area in which they claim to be expert rises again: despite all the publicity of being on television every week, and a well-timed release-week "storm out", Dannii Minogue's Touch Me Like That is unlikely to sell much more than 1,500 copies. Perhaps she ought to be auditioning rather than judging.

Kylie's war on strip clubs

Odd goings-on in New Zealand, where Kylie Minogue's legal team have apparently sent a strip joint a cease-and-desist letter demanding that the club removes a picture of Kylie from its window.

The legal team claim that it's an implied endorsement of the Santa Fe Dreamgirls place; as if people passing by would see a photo of Kylie in the window of an obscure strip club and think "blimey, clearly Kylie comes here when she wants a lap dance." Even more bizarre is that the photo isn't of Kylie - it's a random woman in a wet t-shirt. Are Kylie's legal team trying to tell us that Minogue has done wet t-shirt photo sessions?

Pete goes first-footing

Judging by today's Bizarre, either Gordon Smart is still en route from Vancouver to wherever, or else someone has had a word and got him to tone it down a bit; although the advent calendar has returned this morning - now called a Ladvent calendar - there's actual stories rather than just pictures with some text about breasts.

Not least the revelation that the first guest at Amy Winehouse's new flat in the East End was Pete Doherty. At four in the morning.

It's not recorded if he had a hunk of coal in his pocket, or anything.

Grooverider blows it

Grooverider, off the radio, has been arrested in Dubai.

Raymond Bingham (as he really is) was there to play a dj set; unfortunately, authorities reckon they've discovered drugs and porn in his stuff:

Ram Nath, the music promoter who organised the show, said that he warned Mr Bingham of the strict laws of the country before his departure from London.

“I sent a fax to him explaining all of our laws, including what he could and could not bring into the country. Unfortunately, he was booked by police before he got out of the airport,” Mr Nath said.

To make things worse for Grooverider, he's now going to be sued by Mr Nath to get back the losses caused by the set being canceled. First, of course, he's going to have negotiate a criminal hearing in the UAE.

Very, very slow Breeders

We said back in September 2006 that we were still some way from a release for the Albini-produced Breeders album. We still are, but at least it has a name and a date: Mountain Battles, out at the start of April.

Pink collaborator mostunderpaidzz

Kyle Jones, who played on a track Respect, on Pink's Mzzundastood, claims that not only has he got no respect, he's not had any money, either.

He does admit that he's never actually had any final discussion about payment, but - perhaps to focus her mind - he's launching a legal action anyway.

Nokia picks up Avvenu

Interesting spot of news from the mobile phone world: Avvenu, who makes software which streams iTunes to your mobile, has been picked up by Nokia.

The optimists hope this means that Nokia is about to build phones that work with your PC's music collection; the pessimists speculate that the idea is more about stopping Avvenu from destroying Nokia's label-approved mobile music plans.

Whatever happened to Michelle Shocked?

Every so often, Michelle Shocked resurfaces: most recently, doing a performance for Village Voice on the New York streets.

Five years ago today

Having bought a house with a right of way across the land, Keith Richards tried to get the right of way closed down in case it attracted the 'wrong element';
Nik Kershaw had a song rejected by Gareth Gates;
the NME was reduced to giving away free badges;
and Robbie Williams had some sheet music tattooed on his back. Presumably he stood naked with his back to the piano whenever Jonathan Wilkes fancied a sing-song.

Young, women

Doing good things for charity: Cinnamon Girl is a collection of female artists doing Neil Young songs for breast cancer charities. Included is Tanya Donelly, Eurotrash Girl, Veruca Salt and - of course the expected many, many more.

Jordan accepts Heat's apologies

Heat has apologised to Jordan for any offence its stickers caused her family:

“It was never our intention to cause offence to Harvey’s family and friends nor to you, our readers. In particular, it was never our aim to make fun of Harvey’s disabilities.

“We now accept that the decision to include this sticker was a mistake and we recognise that it has caused offence, not only to Katie and Peter Andre, but to a number of readers.”

Now, it's a good thing to stand up and say sorry when you're wrong, but is an apology genuine when it's clearly a lie?

"In particular, it was never our aim to make fun of Harvey’s disabilities" say Heat. So... what was the aim when you published a sticker of a disabled child with the words "Harvey wants to eat me", on a sheet full of "amusing" stickers, then? Was it an awareness-raising campaign? Was it serious reportage? What, Heat magazine, was your intention if not to make fun of Harvey's disabilities?

Hiphopobit: MC Pimp C

MC Pimp C, Cahd Butler, of the Underground Kingz, has been found dead in a Hollywood hotel room.

The Underground Kingz formed in 1987, when schoolfriends Butler and Bernard Freeman - Bun B - came together in Port Arthur. It would be five years before their debut album proper arrived, although The Southern Way managed a cassette-only release in 1988. Picked up by Jive in the early 90s, their first album, Too Hard To Swallow, had some of its shine removed by the dropping of some tracks Jive felt unhappy with; these rawer songs emerged on the Banned EP.

In 2002, Pimp C wound up inside. He'd been convicted of aggravated assault - waving a gun around in a Texan food hall - but had managed to stay outside of prison; however, he fell behind on a commitment to community service, and was sentenced to eight years. While inside he still managed a solo album, Sweet James Jones Stories, knocked together of old raps with a fresh beat slapped over it - although there is some debate over how much involvement C actually had in the project. Talking to The Source magazine, C revealed he had misgivings that some people had been making money from the 'Free Pimp C' campaigns which had been supposedly working to gain his early release.

This year's UGK album, Underground Kingz, sat atop the Billboard Charts and is believed to have sold over half a million copies.

The cause of Pimp C's death has not been announced; staff at the Mondrian Hotel had called emergency services when his body was discovered this morning.

Born in the Stretford End

Bruce Springsteen is coming to the UK for a series of gigs on soccerball pitches. You can wrap your hands round his engine at:

Arsenal - May 28th
Manchester United - May 30th
Cardiff Millennium - June 14th

Hmm... interesting large gap between Manchester and Cardiff. I wonder if he's got plans. Like, maybe, self-catering in Dorset for a week?

Phil Collins brought the Zeppelin down

In a deft piece of "I wouldn't want to say anything bad, but...", Jimmy Page has blamed the failed Led Zep reunion for Live Aid on the drummers:

"I don't want to blame anyone but the two drummers (Phil Collins and Tony Thompson of Chic) hadn't learned their parts.

"You can get away with that in a pop band but not with Led Zeppelin."

And when they came to cart the equipment off the stage, bloody Collins had pissed off in Concorde leaving them to do all the work. Drummers, eh?

Gordon Smart: the sharpest gossip hound on the planet

We observed yesterday that Gordon Smart's coverage of Girls Aloud at GAY seemed somewhat obsessed with Jesse Metcalfe's sexuality.

Now, James P emails to point out that Gordon managed to totally miss the main story of the night entirely: Metcalfe punching a photographer.

So, at least we can safely conclude that Gordon's journalistic hero must be Elizabeth Archer, famed for missing the exploding marrow from her Echo report on the fruit and veg show.

Morrissey: "I'm not a racist"

Morrissey has issued a statement denying everything:

On Friday of last week I issued writs against the NME (New Musical Express) and its editor Conor McNicholas as I believe they have deliberately tried to characterise me as a racist in a recent interview I gave them in order to boost their dwindling circulation.

Although, of course, McNicholas stressed in the paper that they didn't think he was "a racist", but then this is an argument where close attention to detail should be important, but just isn't happening.

Take, for example, the constant conflating on all sides of "a racist person" - someone whose political beliefs have an element built on the supposed superiority of some races, and "something being racist" - a thought or an action which has been dictated by an awareness of racial difference rather than because the architect of that action is "a racist." Nobody much believes that Morrissey is a racist, but much of his thought on immigration is racist. It's very easy for Morrissey to stand up and say "I'm not a racist" - but that, really, isn't the point:

I abhor racism and oppression or cruelty of any kind and will not let this pass without being absolutely clear and emphatic with regard to what my position is.

Racism is beyond common sense and I believe it has no place in our society.

Which is clear, and unequivocal, and heartfelt.

Mozzer suggests he's being stitched up because he turned down the chance to headline an NME gig:

To anyone who has shown or felt any interest in my music in recent times, you know my feelings on the subject and I am writing this to apologize unreservedly for granting an interview to the NME. I had no reason whatsoever to assume that they could be anything other than devious, truculent and unreliable. In the event, they have proven to be all three.

The NME have, in the past, offered me their "Godlike Genius Award" and I had politely refused. With the Tim Jonze interview, the Award was offered once again, this time with the added request that I headline their forthcoming awards concert at the O2 Arena, and once again I declined it. This is nothing personal against the NME, although the distressing article would suggest the editor took it as such.

That's quite a bold claim: that Conor McNicholas has been motivated purely by malice.

Although quite how McNicholas' malice would lead Morrissey to start talking about immigration isn't clear.

My own view is that award ceremonies in pop music are dreadful to witness and are simply a way of the industry warning the artist "see how much you need us" - and, yes, the "new" NME is very much integrated into the industry, whereas, deep in the magazine's empirical history, the New Musical Express was a propelling force that answered to no one. It led the way by the quality of its writers - Paul Morley, Julie Burchill, Paul du Noyer, Charles Shaar Murray, Nick Kent, Ian Penman, Miles - who would write more words than the articles demanded, and whose views saved some of us, and who pulled us all away from the electrifying boredom of everything and anything that represented the industry. As a consequence the chanting believers of the NME could not bear to miss a single issue; the torrential fluency of its writers left almost no space between words, and the NME became a culture in itself, whereas Melody Maker or Sounds just didn't. Into the 90s, the NME's discernment and polish became faded nobility, and there it died - but better dead than worn away. The wit imitated by the 90s understudies of Morley and Burchill assumed nastiness to be greatness, and were thus rewarded. But nastiness isn't wit and no writers from the 90s NME survive. Even with sarcasm, irony and innuendo there is an art, of sorts. Now deep in the bosom of time, it is the greatness of the NME's history on which the "new" NME assumes its relevance.

We're not entirely sure why Morrissey is so keen to share the history of the NME, and I'm not sure its entirely accurate. Unless Morrissey is surprised that a magazine no longer features writers from fifteen or so years ago, he seems to be claiming that the people who wrote for the NME in the 90s have vanished from the face of the culture: Andrew Collins, Stuart Maconie, Danny Kelly? Gavin Martin was in the Mirror talking about Cerys Matthews only yesterday. Paolo Hewitt is still knocking out two or three Paul Weller books every year.

It is on the backs of writers such as Morley, Burchill, Kent and Shaar Murray that the "new" NME hitches its mule-cart, assuming equal relevance. But the stalled views of the "new" NME sag, and readers have been driven away by a magazine with no insides. The narrow cast of repeated subjects sets off the agony, a mesmerizing mess of very brief and dispassionate articles unable to make thought evolve; a marooned editor who holds the divine right to censor any views that clash with his own.

Is it really the case that Burchill and Kent are so important to the current NME? Sure, the magazine trades on the name and brand which those writers helped to build up - but look at the NME, with its Frank Gallows cool lists: do you really think it is selling itself to an audience who revere Charles Shaar Murray, Morrissey?

The editorial treatment given to my present interview with the "new" NME is the latest variation on an old theme, but like a pre-dawn rampage, the effects of the interview have been meticulously considered with obvious intentions. It is true that the magazine is ailing badly in the market place, but Conor doesn't understand how the relentless stream of "cheers mate, got pissed last night, ha ha" interviews that clutter every single issue of the "new" NME are simply not interesting to those of us who have no trouble standing upright. Strangely enough, my own name is the only one featured in the "new" NME that links their present with the NME's distant past, therefore a Morrissey interview is an ideal opportunity with which to play the editorial naughtiness game.

Really, Morrissey? You're the only 'old' NME name who gets covered in the current paper? What about Ian Brown? What about Jarvis? What about Shaun Ryder? The eye-wateringly awful 'get the Sex Pistols to number one' campaign of a couple of months back?

This, regrettably, is what has taken place with this most recent interview, which, it need hardly be said, bears no relation in print to the fleshly conversation that took place.

'Fleshy conversation' and 'editorial naughtiness' - it's like he's morphed into an ITV impressionist doing Stephen Fry.

I do not mean to be rude to Tim Jonze, but when I first caught sight of him I assumed that someone had brought their child along to the interview. The runny nose told the whole story.

Jonze is lucky he doesn't mean to be rude. God alone knows what he'd have got then.

Conor had assured that Tim was their best writer. Talking behind his hands in an endless fidget, Tim accepted every answer I gave him with a schoolgirl giggle, and repeatedly asked me if I was shocked at how little he actually knew about music. I told him that, yes, I was shocked. It was difficult for me to believe that the best writer from the "new" NME had never heard of the song 'Drive-in Saturday'; I explained that it was by David Bowie, and Tim replied "Oh, I don't know anything about David Bowie." I wondered how it could be so - how the quality of music journalism in England could have fallen so low that the prime "new" NME writer knew nothing of David Bowie, an artist to whom most relevant British artists are indebted, and one who single-handedly changed British culture - musically and otherwise.

It is, indeed, depressing and surprising to hear Jonze didn't know the song - although we suspect that claims to not know "anything" about Bowie might have been hyperbolic.

Tim's line of questioning advanced with: "What about politics, then ... the state of the world?" - which, I was forced to assume, was a well-thought-out question. It was from here that the issue of immigration - but not racism - arose.

Fascinatingly, while taking quite some time to detail the David Bowie conversation, Morrissey skates over who first brought up the topic of immigration. Did Jonze lead him down the street, or did Mozzer happily volunteer the observations?

He doesn't say, instead deciding to highlight Jonze's poor grasp of London geography:

Me: If you walk down Knightsbridge you'll be hard-pressed to hear anyone speaking English.

Tim: I don't think that's true. You're beginning to sound like my parents.

Me: Well, when did you last walk down Knightsbridge?

Tim: Ummm....
Knightsbridge ....is that where Harrods is?

So, Tim was prepared to attack and argue the point without even being clear about where Knightsbridge actually is! The "new" NME strikes again. Oh dear, I thought, not again.

This is a splendid piece of misdirection. Again, it's embarrassing for Jonze to apparently not be aware where Knightsbridge is, but it's hardly important - the NME story wasn't built on the question of Morrissey suggesting that a particular London postcode had been lost; that Jonze isn't familiar with the area isn't the actual point.

I chose to mention Knightsbridge because it had always struck me as one of the most stiffly British spots in London.

Morrissey, presumably, isn't that familiar with the area either, then: given the presence of the Egyptian-owned Harrods, a number of tourist attractions and a slew of foreign embassies, surely Knightsbridge is anything but?

Morrissey then details the extent of what he says was a stitch-up:

When my comments are printed in the "new" NME they are butchered, re-designed, re-ordered, chopped, snipped and split in order to make me seem racist and unreasonable. Tim had told me about his friend who did not like the 1988 song Bengali In Platforms because the friend had thought the song attacked him on a personal level. I explained to Tim that the song was not about his friend. In print, the "new" NME do not explain this, but attempt to multiply the horror of Tim's friend by attributing "these people" and "those people" quotes to me - terms I would never use, but are useful to the "new" NME in their Morrissey-is-racist campaign because these terms are only used by people who are cold and indifferent and Thatcherite. 

All of the people I spoke to Tim about in the interview who are heroes to me and who are Middle-Eastern or of other ethnic backgrounds were of no interest to either Tim or Conor. Clearly, Tim had been briefed and his agenda was to cook up a sensational story that would give life to the "new" NME as a must-read national if not global shock-horror story. Recalling how Tim asked me to sign some CD covers, I do not blame him entirely. If Conor can provoke bureaucratic outrage with this Morrissey interview, then he can whip up support for his righteous position as the morally-bound and armoured editor of his protected readership - even though, by re-modelling my interview into a multiple horror, Conor has accidentally exposed himself as deceitful, malicious, intolerant and Morrissey-ist - all the ist's and ism's that he claims to oppose. Uniquely deprived of wisdom, Conor would be repulsed by my vast collection of World Cinema films, by my adoration of James Baldwin, my love of Middle-Eastern tunings, Kazem al-Saher, Lior Ashkenazi, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and he would be repulsed to recall a quote as printed in his magazine in or around August of this year wherein I said that my ambition was to play concerts in Iran.

Once again: owning a collection of world cinema DVDs doesn't mean your veiws on immigration aren't racist, and running over to the bookcase to show you can't be bad because you like Toni Morrison books isn't exactly engaging with the question, either.

And - since Morrissey claims to be so intolerant of people twisting and turning the truth - how come he just assumes that McNicholas would be "repulsed" by his world cinema films? And if so, why did Conor grant him space to mention them in the disputed piece?

What does a desire to play in Iran have to do with whether you believe people from other countries, other cultures have any place in the UK?

And, while we know that it was intended as a joke (a rare glimpse of a well-humoured man who has long since disappeared), is it really wise for Morrissey to suggest that he's a victim of Morrisseyist forces? To compare having an interview printed with a negative spin to being the victim of racism? At the very least, it suggests a lack of empathy and self-importance.

My heart sank as Tim Jonze let slip the tell-all editorial directive behind this interview: "It's Conor's view that Morrissey thinks black people are OK ...but he wouldn't want one living next door to him." It was then that I realized the full extent of the setup, and I felt like Bob Hoskins in the final frame of The Long Good Friday as he sits in the back of the wrong getaway car realizing the extent of the conspiratorial slime that now trapped him.

But then, like Bob Hoskins, you did get into the car of your own volition, Morrissey.

During the interview Tim asked if I would support the "Love Music Hate Racism" campaign that the NME had just written about and my immediate response was a yes as I had shown my support previously by going to one of their first benefit gigs a few years ago and had met some of their organizers as well as having signed their statement. Following the interview I asked my manager to get in touch with the NME and to pledge my further support to the campaign as I wanted there to be no ambiguity on where I stood on the subject. This was done in a clear and direct email to Conor McNicholas on the 5th of November, which went ignored and last week we found out that it had never even been presented to anyone at the campaign as that would obviously not have suited what we now know to be the NME's agenda. I am pleased to say that we have now had direct dialogue with "Love Music Hate Racism" and all of our UK tour advertising in 2008 will carry their logo and we will also be providing space in the venues for them to voice and spread their important message, which I endorse.

This, presumably, explains LMHR's sudden yanking of the web posting condemning Mozzer, then.

Who's to say what you should or shouldn't do? The IPC have appointed Conor as the editor of the "new" NME, and there he remains, ready to drag the IPC into expensive legal battles such as the one they now face with me due to Conor's personal need to misstate, misreport, misquote, misinterpret, falsify, and incite the bloodthirsty. Here is proof that the "new" NME will twist and pervert the views of any singer or musician who'd dare step into the interview ring. To such artists, I wish them well, but I would advise you to bring your lawyer along to the interview.

My own place, now and forevermore, shall not be with the "new" NME - and how wrong my face even looks on its
 cover. Of this, I am eternally grateful.

Impassioned stuff. What's missing, though, is any explanation of what he actually said. Yes, the interview may have been written to show you in a terrible light; yes, your interviewer might not have known about Bowie or Knightsbridge - he may even have had a runny nose.

But you don't deny your comments about how "the gates are flooded" or that "the British identity has disapperared" following an "influx". You don't seek to explain what you meant; to contextualise your words. Given an unfettered platform, you simply ignore the part of the interview which genuinely upset and disappointed people.

A masterpiece of misdirection. You have proved that you're not a racist - something you've not been accused of. You have done nothing to engage with the claims that your views on immigration and 'British identity' have racist undertones, though. The support for Love Music Hate Racism is welcome, but if you're going to start throwing firecrackers about immigration around, you should at least have the guts to continue the discussion when challenged.

Slim pickings for Lily Allen

Lily Allen's well-known for her attacks on size zero, the fashion industry and those magazines whose choices of cover girl reinforce the idea that unless you're slim, you're not worth anything.

Here, for example, she's doing just that in Manchester:



So, erm, who's on the cover of Gq "showing off her new slimline figure"? Could it be Lily Allen?

Robbie Williams is not that sorry

Buried deep on this morning's Bizarre is the news that Robbie Williams is going to apologise in court for the song which had a pop at Take That manager Nigel Martin-Smith:

In the original lyrics of the song, The 90s – which Rob had to change after the lawsuit was launched – he said how he fantasised about gouging Nigel’s eyes out. Nice guy.

Yes, the lyrics were repugnant. We know that, of course, because the previous incumbent of Bizarre - and now Gordon's boss, the Suntertainment uberfuhrer, Victoria Newton, published them in full. Unfounded claims that Martin-Smith had stolen cash and all.

Oddly, while Gordon's column finds room to speculate on if Williams will feel the pinch from the damages, he seems to have forgotten that The Sun also paid damages to Nigel Martin-Smith because of the song.

Gordon in the morning

Enjoying the perks of his new role, Gordon Smart has flown himself out to Vancouver for the first night of the Spice Girls tour. Naturally, the focus is on breasts:

They're back... and they're bigger than ever

(And so are the Spice Girls)

Gordon is delighted by the outfits. Or, rather:

one girdle-tight costume to another.

While the boss is away in Canada, the team back in Wapping are trying to match Gordon's tone. So, there's a new video from Tatu. Do we find out where they've been and what they've been up to? No, Smart's Bizarre knows what's important:

No snogging this time – but great underwear.

Oddly, though, they seem to have quietly dropped Gordon's "advent calendar" after three days.

U2 go a bit Paul Simon, a bit Donald Trump

Bono has been talking about the next U2 album, which - depending on your point of view - will either bring a refreshing African sensibility to the record, or else attempt to patch up the clapped-out warhorse by slapping some African sounds over the top.

Oh, and they're going dance:

"Normally when you play a U2 tune, it clears the dancefloor. And that may not be true of this. There's some trance influences. But there's some very hardcore guitar coming out of the Edge. Real molten metal. It's not like anything we've ever done before, and we don't think it sounds like anything anyone else has done either."

So, that's Afro-trance-dance-metal, then. Or 'lobbing everything into the mix in a desperate attempt to hope something sticks', as it's also known.

Meanwhile, the band's unlovely U2 tower in Dublin and plans to revamp The Clarence Hotel on the Liffey are continuing to draw criticism, now from Irish heritage body An Taisce:

"Our biggest concern is that the U2 Tower will stick out of the skyline from parts of Georgian Dublin like Merrion Square. It could potentially be an incongruous blot on the skyline on the south side of the city," said Ian Lumley, An Taisce's national heritage officer. [...]

"Since 2000 Ireland has had strong protection for listed buildings which are now called 'protected structures'," Smith said. "In the case of The Clarence the developers' belief that there is an exceptional need to pander to international five-star punters' alleged insistence on underground parking and swimming pools is unlikely to pass muster ... If An Bord Pleanála say yes I will go straight to the high court to block what U2 are planning."

It's a little hard to see how Bono can claim to be worried about Africa while proposing changes to the Clarence that will increase car use in Dublin, further harming the environment.

Avril fans put into deep freeze

It's always annoying when bands fail to turn up on time. Even worse, though, when you're waiting in a blizzard.

Avril Lavigne had her fans hang about in the snow for forty minutes before... well, making them wait a little longer as a woman from Best Buy droned on about her albums to fill time when she still didn't show up. She did come on stage eventually, but not in time to spare her fans from turning blue.

Universal break artists' MySpace pages

One of the great things about MySpace - actually, given the hideously mangled pages most people stick up there, one of the few great things about MySpace - is the music. Full tracks. Mostly streaming, true, but combined with the number of users, MySpace works like radio in the last century.

Not for much longer, though. Alarmed by a tiny proportion of MySpacers using workarounds to scrape the streaming music into takeaway files, Universal are instructing all their artists to restrict files to pointless, 90 second snatches.

UMG believes this will stop people stealing the tracks. And so it might. But do they really think the piddling two or three extra sales they make from closing out a few page-scrapers is going to offset the thousands and thousands of people who'll be turned off by artists who treat their "friends" like potential thieves?

Whose home would you rather hang out in? One where you're made to feel at home or one where your mates' parents hover in the background, counting the spoons?

Lessons from Laura Veirs

If you're looking to learn guitar, how about being taught by Laura Veirs? This isn't one of those YouTube play-in-a-day deals; Ms Veirs is really taking on guitar students. You'll need to be in Portland, mind.

Maximo Park say 'drink us'

Maximo Park are being honoured - after a fashion - by having bottles of Newcastle Brown Ale shipped with labels designed by the band:

Frontman Paul Smith said: "So many amazing things have happened for our band in a short space of time and to have our image emblazoned on a Brown label is another addition to that list.

"It would be great for our band to be as synonymous with Newcastle as the mighty Brown Ale, and it's both amusing and an honour to be able to deface the label in this manner!"

Newcastle Brown Ale, of course, isn't actually synonymous with Newcastle at all, as it's actually brewed in Gateshead.

We're also a little confused as to how naming a beer Maximo Brown Ale squares with alcohol industry's own Portman Group and rules on not naming drinks in a way that will have "particular appeal to under-18s".

Best of updated

We've added some more highlights from best of lists across the internet; what's starting to come through as a trend is that despite an early release, The Arcade Fire's Neon Bible has held up remarkably well; The Good, The Bad & The Queen seems to have been largely forgotten over the last twelve months (or perhaps, simply didn't stand up to repeated listening) and - perhaps surprisingly - the Arctic Monkeys are finding critics cooling towards them. Bruce Springsteen, meanwhile, looks like being this year's comeback king.

The updating list of lists is on this page.

Five years ago today

Peter Garrett decided his future lay in politics; Midnight Oil planned to carry on without him;
Rivers Cuomo palled up with Fred Durst;
Spin announced 2002 had been all about The Strokes;
and Cary Sherman leaned on the universities to wish them compliments of the season.

Island shrinking; Sony BMG too

In order to ensure they can keep feeding cash into the RIAA money pit, the majors are celebrating Christmas by throwing some people out of work. Sony BMG are rumoured to be about to make deep cuts somewhere, though rumours aren't sure which label will feel the pain; while Universal's Island DefJam are tossing people out, too.

Amongst those caught in the fallout is Ultragrrrl's Stolen Transmission, although she's upbeat about it:

Now that I've had my experience with Island/Def Jam, I know how to actually run a label, and I helped set up 9 amazing releases from Permanent ME, the Oohlas, Monty Are I, Bright Light Fever, the Horrors, Schoolyard Heroes, PlayRadioPlay!, Innerpartysystem, and the Photo Atlas. I'm so fucking proud that my label went from me and a bunch of interns sitting in my bedroom smoking and watching degrassi and eating guac i had just made to me sitting in meetings once a week with JayZ and now it'll just go back to being run from my apartment again. We plan on continuing with Stolen Transmission and are really excited to be returning to our indie roots.

It's unclear if guacamole will be playing a key role in the new, downsized Stolen Transmission.

Mika won't make it

Mika has pulled out of two London shows this week, on medical advice:

"I can only apologise... for the inconvenience and disappointment this postponement has caused.

"I thought after last night's performance I could do the shows, but this morning it was obvious I could not proceed. After consulting a specialist, I have been advised to rest my voice for a minimum of 48 hours.

"If I did not do this, I would risk long-term damage to my vocal cords," he said. "Thank you all for your continued support and understanding."

More inconvenience than disappointment, we'd suspect. Mika will play the gigs sometime in 2008, if anyone remembers who he was.

Ed O'Brien: We quit because Terra Firma wasn't solid ground

Ed O'Brien has revealed that Radiohead left EMI because they didn't much like the new owners:

"EMI is in a state of flux,. It's been taken over by somebody who's never owned a record company before, Guy Hands and Terra Firma, and they don't realise what they're dealing with.

"It was really sad to leave all the people. But he wouldn't give us what we wanted. He didn't know what to offer us. Terra Firma doesn't understand the music industry."

Which may well be true - but then, as Radiohead's In Rainbows experiment showed, nobody much understands the music industry any more. Indeed, one of the few good things you can say about Terra Firma is that, while they might not understand the music industry, they do at least understand that the music industry has changed beyond all recognition, and are the only one of the majors to not be trying to shore up the old regime for as long as possible.

It's just a pity Radiohead decided to quit before TF brought in John Birt to be in charge of artist relationships. I don't think it would have helped, but who wouldn't have wanted to be a fly on the wall at that meeting?

Mathew Street report: it's a secret

The murky background to the pulling of the Mathew Street Festival - and the claims that senior figures knew the event was going to be axed as early as February - is thickening rather than clearing.

Despite having ordered an internal - rather than independent - enquiry, Liverpool council leader Warren Bradley has refused to let anyone see the finished report as he feels an urge to "correct inaccuracies" in it. A version with "corrections" has been published, but now, somewhat grudgingly, council chief executive Colin Hilton has said the original might be opened.

Once.

To Labour opposition leader Joe Anderson.

But only under the sort of conditions usually reserved for rare books in the Bodleian Library:

Colin Hilton has said he is considering letting Labour’s Cllr Anderson read the original document in the presence of town hall finance chief Phil Halsall and standards committee chairman Howard Winik.

In a letter to Cllr Anderson, Mr Hilton said: “I am asking the monitoring officer to consider a facilitated reading of that document on a strictly private and confidential basis.”

What's the point of that? So Anderson can know what the original report said, but not tell anyone?

Bradley should have the courage to publish the original version - with his "corrected inaccuracies" alongside, if he so wishes. It's time Liverpool City Council remembered it's meant to be a democrat body answerable to its citizenry rather than a privately-owned entertainment industry.

Johnny's had his day

Johnny Hallyday has decided the time has come to retire from live performance, telling TF1:

"I've decided to stop. I made this decision, not an easy one, because there comes a day when you have to stop."

And, of course, if you never retire, how can you have the lucrative comebacks?

Virgin's door bangs again

Is Virgin Radio really in a constant state of schedule flux, or is it just the impression they give? No sooner had the line-up been reworked to make way for JK and Joel and Iain 'off the 11 O'Clock Show which had Ali G on it' Lee, than Suggs announces he's quitting the afternoon show. Suggs only took up the job less than a year ago.

Superbowl surprise

We know that - ever since Janet Jackson - the NFL has played safe with the Superbowl half-time entertainment, but even so: Tom Petty is a bit of a surprise, surely? A safe pair of hands, and hugely respected (even if we've never been quite sure why), but is he really a big draw?

Cerys returns, but not to glory

If Cerys had been hoping that her I'm A Celeb spell would restore her to the nation's hearts, today's papers will make slightly grim reading for her. Admittedly, the attacks are coming from two newspaper groups who she didn't flog her 'my slightly grubby sort-of-romance to' at the weekend.

In the Mirror, Gavin Martin shakes his head more in sorrow than in anger:

"I've met Cerys many times and always found her extremely pleasant, so easy to talk to.

"She's also an exceptionally talented singer but her stint on reality TV is overshadowing all that ability. I don't blame her for doing the show, she's got bills to pay, but you can't help feeling she's better than that."

The Mail, meanwhile, is less with the sorrow, more with the anger, sniffing that the audience is being played:

Celebrity love sham: Cerys and Marc are too busy cashing in to rekindle their romance

She said it hit her like a thunderbolt. He said he hoped they could have children together.

But for a lovestruck pair, Cerys Matthews and Marc Bannerman seem strangely reluctant to rush back into each other's arms.

The singer and actor, who met while competing on I'm a Celebrity...Get me Out of Here! in Australia, have not managed to meet up after emerging from the jungle.

Goodness. Are they suggesting that it might be all made up?

Gordon in the morning

There are signs that Gordon Smart is starting to tire of the constant procession of breasts on his pages, restricting himself today to adding an "advent" shot of Heidi Klum and bunch of pictures of Paris Hilton in not much. This is prompted because, erm, Hilton went out dressed sensibly for December, which has worried Gordon:

Let's hope this isn't a sign of things to come, we're already losing JORDAN's mega bangers...

Some observers have wondered if Gordon knows that he's not making a private scrapbook to hide in the smoke-and-wank clubhouse tree, and there are signs that maybe he doesn't:

The blonde heiress is famous for showing off as much flesh as she can in her revealing outfits, but she decided to cover up for this special event.

I hope she doesn't find out I said this, but she actually pulled it off and looked great.

Pssst... Gordon, you're in a newspaper. People are reading what you write. Never mind Paris Hilton, your family can read it.

However, away from breasts, there's a little background homophobia as well. Jesse Metcalfe turned up to support his girlfriend when Girls Aloud played GAY at the weekend. Smart snickers away:

Jesse has a G.A.Y. old time

And when I first saw the pictures, I thought the Desperate Housewives star had decided to out himself.

But of course not.

Why "of course not", Gordon?

Jesse got a special award, bearing the club name, which he held up. But lest people got the wrong message he held on tight to Nadine.

Or, maybe, he was hugging his girlfriend because he was out with his girlfriend and the fear-of-being-thought-gay is merely something in your head, Gordon?

Goodness... Dannii really hates Louis. Apart from the 'really' bit

Having treated its audiences like cash-cow schmucks, ITV now seems content to really treat them like they're stupid: The latest in a long line of staged X Factor 'arguments' happened on Saturday when Louis Walsh read out a line that cued up a walkout from Dannii Minogue:

She failed to return following an ad break, leaving Sharon Osbourne to fill her absence by clambering on to Simon Cowell’s lap.

We're not quite sure what "absence" it is that The Sun is suggesting Osbourne was filling there, and we really don't want to picture it.

Creem turns sour

There's a book been published for the Christmas market pulling together the best bits of Creem, the closest thing Rolling Stone had to competition. it's been put together by Robert Matheu, who bought the trademark with a crazy dream of reviving the magazine he once took photos for.

JJ Kramer, son of Creem founder Barry, is less than thrilled at this - he's seeking to regain title to the title in the courts.

It was something of a surprise, then, when Kramer turned up at Matheu's New York book signing:

According to one witness, a longtime friend of Mr. Kramer’s named Elizabeth Houlihan, Mr. Matheu shouted “What the fuck are you doing here?” at Mr. Kramer when he saw him. When Mr. Kramer walked over, according to Ms. Houlihan, Mr. Matheu grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him.

“J.J. pushed him back in self-defense,” Ms. Houlihan said. “And then Robert pushed J.J. again, grabbed his face and drew all over it with permanent marker.”

Security was subsequently called and Mr. Kramer was escorted out of the building, Ms. Houlihan said.

Matheu tells a different story, claiming he was the innocent victim:

“I think my behavior was flawless,” Mr. Matheu told The Observer. “Had he come into the party and maybe had a different demeanor about him, we were all prepared to simply say, ‘Listen, we have a lawsuit pending, we have nothing to say to you, but feel free to visit with some of your dad’s friends here, as there are probably some people here who would like to meet you.’”

The actual question of who hit whom is probably as impossible to unpick - and as hard to care about - as the question of if Matheu agreed to give Kramer 30% of the magazine in the first place. It's an astonishing amount of fuss over a magazine that hasn't published in nearly twenty years.

Bless! There's still part of the world that's afraid of Ozzy

Churches in New Zealand are panicking, trying to prevent the forces of darkness descending on their land. Wellington pentecostal church Lifepoint are campaigning to stop Ozzy Obsourne taking part in a rock festival next year.

We did wonder if the church was alarmed - what with Ozzy's shilling for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter - at a margarine salesman running amok in the land of Anchor, but as they're also worried about Kiss and - really - Lordi turning up, too:

"It's not appropriate from our angle of things," said pastor Karen Crawshaw.

"I don't think we can force our views on others but at the same time we think it's a very negative influence on our city.

"It'll put a damper on the things the church traditionally focuses on at the Easter season."

Perhaps they're just feeling awkward about the poor quality of line-up for the bank holiday.

Do you suppose Van Zandt knows he's being self-defeating?

Steve Van Zandt is putting together a curriculum for teaching the history of rock and roll in schools, as part of his rock and roll forever foundation.

Apparently, Van Zandt believes that teaching the importance of rock to kids will inspire them, and not turn an already flailing cultural form into something about as exciting as Martello Towers and pre-decimal coinage.

Van Zandt might be having some trouble putting together his course. He's clearly having difficulty putting together a sentence or two about it:

"The history of rock and roll is a history of, certainly, 20th-century America, from there on, anyway. All the cultural impact that it had with civil rights and women's rights and all that other stuff. Well, this is what's going to last. This is what's going to, you know, be here long after we're gone,"

We're reeling slightly from the idea that there might be an essay set on Motley Crue's contribution to the women's movement, but can't wait to find out the role that rock played in "all that other stuff" that defined the last century.

Hersh shares

Kristin Hersh is experimenting with a new way of making music available; the PR team working with CASH music have (admittedly somewhat apologetically) described it as "doing a Radiohead - sort of", but it's much different too that: she's making a new track available each month under a Creative Commons licence, alongside the ProTools bits needed to remix, remake, remodel; although there's a request for payment, it's not the same thing as Radiohead's In Rainbows arrangement at all.

It's part of a wider plan, as Hersh explains:

Just to head off any potential confusion, CASH Music is not "me", or "mine". It's a group of people that have built a framework that is not meant for any single artist. I'm only the first. Look for more artists soon. The next featured artist and a co-founder of the coalition is Donita Sparks. CASH will soon be open to any and all independent artists who want a set of tools to offer their music directly to their audience for collaboration as well as financial support.

The first track, Slippershell, is available in in a number of formats and is rather fine.

Osbourne v Love

If you draw a venn diagram of Sharon Osbourne's feuds, and one of Courtney Love's feuds, at the intersection point, you'd discover the long-running battle of 'who was responsible for Jack Osbourne's drugs problems'?

It might now be down to men in wigs to pick the bones out of that one:

[Osbourne says]: "It’s an ugly situation. It’s got to the point where it’s now in legal hands so we can’t talk about it."

Oh, for a day when all Osbourne and Love's affairs were in legal hands and they couldn't talk about anything in public.

[Thanks to James P for the link]

Lee Ryan offers to butter loaves

You could almost love Lee Ryan, couldn't you? He's keen to open a restaurant, even although you'd hardly leave him in charge of opening a tin of beans:

"I'd love to open a restaurant in L A. I have had talks with a few London restaurant owners who might want to expand their brand and need help."

Yes. You're running a restaurant, you need help with branding - so you choose the 'who cares about 9/11 when elephants are dying' man. It's a natural choice.

Rav bets the farm on Britney being pregnant

Rav Singh - the showbizziest of all the reporters or however he styles himself - reckons that Britney is pregnant. Curiously, he seems to offer his off-beam story last week that she was adopting Chinese twins as some sort of evidence:

Only last week I revealed she wanted to adopt Chinese twins after losing custody of sons SEAN PRESTON, two, and one-year-old JAYDEN JAMES.

Perhaps Rav thinks she's stuffed them inside, somehow.

Hilariously, Rav also claims to have been the first to announce Britney's divorce. Presumably that was at the time when the rest of the world was convinced it was a fairytale dream come true.

Rav, of course, has nothing to offer to "prove" his story; he's just working the odds that, if she is up the duff, he can add this to his list of amazing stories he got right, and if she isn't, then everyone will have forgotten. See you at the christening, Rav.

Meanwhile, Kevin Federline has been picked as the seventh most-powerful person in the world by Details magazine. We're not quite sure what his power is - perhaps he's some sort of hypnotist - but as the list was headed by Zac Effron (or Bo Duke in the 21st Century), we're imagining that 'power' was measured by showing photos of the shortlist to OK readers and measuring how heartily they applauded.

Five years ago today

The BNP weren't exactly rushing to remove their praise for Dannii Minogue's take on immigration;
After a fight in a Munich nightclub, Oasis said they were attacked first; police and German newspapers said otherwise;
Taylor Dayne released a single with twenty mixes of the same track;
Shania Twain revealed she wasn't all that arsed about entertaining;
and a team from Microsoft announced that DRM was always doomed to fail.

Could someone get Cerys out of there now, please?

We spent the run of I'm A Celebrity looking the other way, to be honest - although we were very taken with Charlie Booker's description of the "relationship" between her and that bloke who used to be in EastEnders as being more like that between a nurse and a child; Brooker, too, described the news that Cerys had gone into the series as being "like when Kirsty McColl died".

This morning, though, Cerys is continuing to work her way along the weary reality TV show path by appearing in her knickers in the News of the World and giving an ooh I'm giddy interview:

"I can't wait to see him again. I'd love to go to him straight away but my children are the priority.

"I'm sure we will be on the phone as often as possible. Right now, we just want to talk and talk.

"I'm looking forward to a big Marc hug but mostly I want to chat to him, go for dinner, go to the cinema, show him the countryside. It's exciting. I can't wait to show him around Wales. He's only ever been to Abergavenny."

It's quite a turn around - last month, Cerys couldn't even bring herself to mention her divorce when being interviewed; now, here she is, in her knickers telling News of the World readers about heroin addiction and breaking up with Seth.

We're just hoping that it's not going to lead to Iceland break bumpers next winter.

This week just gone

The week on No Rock & Roll Fun:

The ten most-accessed individual stories:

1. RIP: Casey Calvert
2. Jury to watch R Kelly sex video
3. Casey Calvert: Cause of death?
4. Lily Allen changes her clothes
5. Are they searching 'McFly Gay' or 'McFly naked'?
6. RIP: Kevin DuBrow
7. Beth Ditto strips naked, mouths off
8. Morrissey tells NME immigration is bad
9. Nelly Furtado says no to Playboy
10. Heather Mills hopes that she doesn't get called Lady Mucca after doing porn in her past

These were the new-ish releases:


Johnny Foreigner - Arcs Across The City At long last - the melodopunk kings of the 7" come to album


The Violets - The Lost Pages Banshee-esque (as in Sioux, not screeching) and none the worse for that


Various - Pillows and Prayers 25th anniversary re-release of the sampler which brought you Marine Girls, Monochrome Set, Attila The Stockbroker


Squeeze - 5Live Sadly, not a collection of Simon Mayo sessions


Jim Bob - A Humpty-dumpty Thing Half Carter USM solo album with egg-lion seal of, um, freshness


Rufus Wainwright - ...Does Judy! Judy! Judy! No, no, JUDY - it's not a DVD of Kaiser Chief covers


Ute Lemper - A Tribute to Edith Piaf This is a tribute to Piaf, note - not spitting in the audience and threatening to have them beaten up


V/A - Another Slice Of Vintage Cheese Poorly thought-out compilation album based on "cheese" - although it includes T-Rex, The Motors and Sheena Easton, none of which are entirely cheesey


Gallows - Orchestra Of Wolves So how "cool" is it to let WEA bring out a rip-off "special edition" five months after the first, then?