Brits 2010: Did you know...?

The official Brits site has got a little widget on the front page which dispenses "BRITs Facts" - small gobbets of truth from the thirty years of British music covered by their remit.

Not quite sure what the qualification for being the sort of fact we're supposed to be celebrating is, though. This was beaming out a couple of moments ago when I visited:

Ah, yes. How better than to promote the UK as a cultural powerhouse than by reminding everyone about the time one of the nation's veteran artists was caught waving his cock about in a public toilet. I look forward to the factlet about Boy George and the rent boy in his bedroom.

While on the Brits site, there's this lovely bit of over-excitement:

Preserving The BRIT Awards status as one of the most inspiring and exciting events in music across the globe, The BRIT Awards 2010 will...

Can you guess what? What would help 'preserve' that status, the thing that (apparently) makes people feel inspired and excited by watching people getting prizes?

... will celebrate its 12 year partnership with sponsors MasterCard, maintaining the brands strong relationship with music and helping the music industry nurture home grown talent.

Oh, yes - acknowledging that it's been underwritten by the banking system for twelve long years. I know for a fact in Ohio, people speak of little else - "Did you hear that the Brit music awards is sponsored by a credit-card company? Why, I wish we had a music awards that could at least generate some interest from Diners Club at the very least..."