Sarah Brightman puts space on hold

Remember all that hoopla about how Sarah Brightman was heading to be the first ex-wife of Andrew Lloyd Webber in space? The dream is over, or at least on hold:

Brightman announced today (May 13) that she won't be making that trip to orbit. The U.S.-based space tourism company Space Adventures was brokering the multimillion-dollar flight for Brightman. (The terms of Brightman's deal have not been officially disclosed.)

"Ms. Brightman said that, for personal family reasons, her intentions have had to change, and she is postponing her cosmonaut training and flight plans at this time," reads an update posted today to the English singer's website. "She would like to express her extreme gratitude to Roscosmos, Energia, GCTC (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center), Star City, NASA and all the cosmonauts and astronauts for their support during this exciting time in her life."

So we shall have to slumber on without Sarah Brightman high over our heads, for an unknown period. Be strong, fellow earthbound types. Be strong.

Sarah Brightman is actually doing this space thing

There was, a couple of years back, a bit of murmuring that Sarah Brightman was going to go into space.

She is actually going to go into space:

Itar-Tass quoted an unnamed Star City representative as saying Brightman would arrive on Wednesday and start her training the following day. The training routine typically runs for weeks. Brightman is due to be launched aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule on Sept. 1 in the company of two professional spacefliers.

It's possible that I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper was a true story. Or something.

Bob in space

I'm a little lost about this story:

The singer and campaigner Bob Geldof is to travel into space as a passenger on a commercial space flight.

Space Expedition Corporation (SXC) is hoping to launch 100 people into space in 2014 at the cost of $100,000 (£64,000) per ticket.

Isn't this just "very rich man plans terribly expensive joyride in break from lecturing people about poverty"? Or am I missing why this is actually news?

Indieobit: Andy Parle

Horribly sad news this morning, as Andy Parle, one-time drummer with Space, has died suddenly and unexpectedly.

Parle was a founder member of Space, helping the band ride a perhaps unexpected route to the charts - Female Of The Species was used heavily on ITV thirtysomethinglite Cold Feet. He left in 1998, finding life in a Top 40 act less rewarding than concentrating on the music; it's probably fair to say that his departure came at the peak of Space's commercial success.

Parle apparently fell while crossing Park Road, Dingle. Bleeding heavily, he was taken to the Royal, where he died. Police are treating his death as "unexplained" and are keen to talk witnesses who might help explain what happened.

Bunnymen in space

Well, that's going to piss off Julian Cope - Ian McCulloch is getting to space before him:

Echo & The Bunnymen are set to launch a copy of their 1984 album Ocean Rain into space.

NASA astronaut Timothy Kopra is set to take a copy of the classic album, his favorite record, with him when he blasts off to the International Space Station on June 13.

Somewhat surprisingly, Yahoo Music News implies that NASA are somehow just part of Warners marketing machine:

The mission ties in with a boxed-set reissue of the album, set for release on May 30. The set will include a live version of the album recorded in the Liverpool Arena last November, plus a DVD documentary and booklet.

This is good news for NASA, who had to cancel the last Shuttle mission when the Bob Dylan album leaked online.

Whigfield: Tommy Scott

The first I heard about the death of Tommy Scott was while catching up on this week's Marc Riley shows (brilliant session this week from Piney Gir, by the way). On Monday night, Marc read out an email expressing shock at the death of Scott.

Trouble is, the lead singer of Space wasn't actually dead. It seems an ill-judged prank had taken place, with a headed paper news release coming from his new band The Drella's record company. Some people were surprised to find out that a man they believed to be in fine fettle was being pronounced dead; others were equally surprised to find out that he still had a record deal.

Scott isn't dead, and - although he had been victim of a tasteless joke - you might think he's just starting to milk it with a second day of interviews on the subject. It's a bit worrying when you need "not being dead" to gather any press coverage...

Moby heads off for space

For years, Moby has bristled when interviewers ask him about how his ecological beliefs square with his music popping up in car commercials. He'll be delighted to know that won't happen any more.

Because there's a much more jaw-dropping "don't do as I do, do as I say" element popping up in his future:

Moby signed up with Virgin Galactic to rocket into outer space on the first space tourism flight in 2010 for $207,000 U.S.

Ah, yes, burning through an enormous pile of fuel, pumping extra emissions into the atmosphere and bursting through the ozone layer for no reason other than to be able to say "I went in a plane high up in the sky". That's the way to show your support for Connect2earth.org, Moby.

First Mancunian on the Moon

We were thrilled to hear that Liam Gallagher had paid for Noel to be blasted into space as a 40th birthday treat. Then we discovered it's that probably-won't-happen Virgin Galactic affair, and that it's not a one-way trip.

Please say it'll be a one-way trip

The thought of McFly being blasted into space is one to cheer the sould on a cold winter's morning, although the apparent plans to bring them back as well takes the edge off slightly.

They're supposedly going to do something linked to Richard Branson's supposed holiday-in=space company.

Even if the technology exists, and Branson's underwriters let him go ahead, this won't be until 2009 at the earliest, so it's quite a leap of faith to assume that McFly will still be a going concern by then. It's always dodgy planning to put musicians on spaceflights too far ahead of time - NASA had a terrible time explaining to Eddie Fisher why he lost his seat on the manned trips to the moon - but even if Branson was blasting idiots off into space tomorrow, would the very rich really want to be entertained by a band aimed at nine year-old girls?

Still, at least in space, nobody can hear you scream "they're a bit like a poor man's Busted, aren't they?"