Nike: The BNP of the plimsole industry

Just as the BNP might not really have thought through the implications of putting leftist agit-popsters songs about fighting Fascists on their - sorry, not their, their supporter's propoganda, did Nike really think through choosing Run by Gnarls Barkley to promote their pumps?

Admittedly, the shoe people have started the song from the third verse, missing out the bit which sparks off the 'are they singing about drugs or Bill Wyman style inappropriate sex?' debates, but that somehow makes it all the more puzzling - "if we use this song, people might think we're suggesting that our sweatsocks are somehow connected to exploiting children, which is something that Nike can't be associated with, so let's just pretend the first couple of verses aren't there, shall we? Then everyone will think it's a happy song about running, right?"

Feeder leaves Chrysalis hungry

Under-performing albums from Feeder and Gnarls Barkley have shouldered the blame for Chrysalis issuing glum predictions about its performance this year:

The downbeat outlook came in spite of strong performances from releases by Portishead and Estelle, whose single American Boy reached the top of the UK chart. However, there have been higher write-offs for new artists and the Echo recording business had performed below expectations. The new Gnarls Barkley album “just didn’t do as well as we hoped”, said Andy Mollett, finance director.

“Some of the things we thought would be successful just haven’t come up trumps.

They're now hoping that Laura Marling will pull them out the hole. Now, we love Laura's music, but we wouldn't have thought her appeal was so broad as to make up the distance.

Gnarls Barkley's connection drops; hangs up on Vodaphone

If we're to believe the Daily Star, disappointing album sales have led to Gnarls Barkley dropping their Vodaphone TBA gig in Edinburgh in order to, erm, go out and promote the new album.

No Gnarls

Gnarls Barkley's London date this week is off; there's an illness in the family.

Snarled-up Gnarls

According to this morning's Sun, the second Gnarls Barkley album is all lined up and ready to go but is being held up because Danger Mouse is too busy working on Underground Animals.

Although what sort of self-respecting album would be ready to go and not leaked on the internet we can't begin to imagine.

Rhianna: Somebody notices

At long - and we mean long last - someone, the Daily Record, in fact, has elected to mention how long Rhianna's been stinking up the top of the chart. Trouble is, it's not clear they can work up much enthusiasm for the story:

RIHANNA wrote her name into the record books last night with the biggest selling single of the year.

The R&B sensation's nine week reign at the top of the singles chart is the longest time an artist has stayed at No.1 in the past 10 years, only matched by Gnarls Barkley's Crazy.

In other words, it's... um, the longest-lasting number one since last year. Oh.

The 19-year-old Barbados-born starlet's smash hit Umbrella has sold an incredible 350,000 copies.

That is incredible - but only because Rhianna's been holding the number slot with an average sale of less than 40,000 a week.

Haiku

Gnarls Barkley
Winter poetry comp
Offers prizes