Rate 08: This year just gone: January 2008

According to a bellowing James Corden on the television every fifteen bloody seconds, it's Christmas. And that, of course, is a traditional time for bloggers to pad out their stuff with a load of looking backrelive the highs and lows of the past twelve months. Between now and New Year, I'll be bringing you a months' worth of canter-through every morning. And, coming up on Christmas Day, there'll be a YouTube selection box of the year's top tunes; Christmas Eve we'll have our annual too-large collection of worthwhile albums from the year and on New Year's Eve, the valette pays tribute to those whose deaths we've recorded over the past twelve months. First, though, this is what happened during January

The Core disappeared from DAB, Sideline dropped its printed edition, The Kaiser Chiefs abandoned albums and Pandora left the UK. User-generated telly needs some users, so it's no surprise MTV Flux flopped rather badly. QTrax ballyhooed its launch at MIDEM, before its partners revealed that they hadn't signed up at all, actually.

Robbie Williams went on strike although nobody spotted the difference; the risk of the writers strike bringing down the Grammys did create more alarm.
David Cameron and Hazel Blears had a battle over which party owned The Smiths while it was left to the Culture Media And Sport Select Committee to investigate resale ticket prices.

Glastonbury announced it was seeking registration again for 2008 but hold on, because Rav Singh predicts that Michael Jackson will be playing 30 nights at the Millennium Dome in the summer.

It turned out you can't believe Jo Whiley, Global set its cap at Capital Radio and EMI flapped about like a confused dolphin in a milk churn.

Britney Spears set up home, briefly, with a paparazzo while Chris Martin slapped one. But nobody beats a journo like Bjork, who was at it again. Gordon Smart wouldn't rest until Cheryl Cole left Ashley.

Sing-Sing split and Moldy Peaches went onto hiatus. Still, The Sex Pistols were promising new material. Or, perhaps more excitingly, Ricky Spontane returned and Vince and Alf brought back Yazzoo. Better yet, UB40 split.

In the face of all evidence, Kasabian promised to expand our minds, Adele suggested Gareth Gates fans were the hooligans of the Brits School and Debbie Gibson claimed the title 'the Miley Cyrus of her generation'

As Bob Geldof started the fight for the future of Kent with letters to local papers, Bono turned up in Davos.

As Liverpool started its year as Capital Of Culture, Ringo spoiled the party and Kerry Katona felt slighted at being left out of things. Cerys Matthews, apparently following Katona's post-IACGMOH playbook, was worrying her family sick. Also worrying their families, Andy Kershaw was jailed but at least Amy Winehouse could count on the belated support of Universal. The good news, though, was there was nothing wrong with Paul McCartney's heart. His back, though, wasn't looking so good.

Sony BMG dumped, rather than dropped, Annie Lennox, perhaps intending to spend its money more wiselty with one of the companies offering to listen to your MySpace tunes repeatedly. Ghost listeners may, perhaps, have enjoyed Hannah Montana gigs where the audience could hear Miley Cyrus singing live - even when she wasn't on the stage. Perhaps Cyrus was taking the unlikely claims of a teenage kid that he was going to fly a plane into one of her concerts.

Guns N Roses promised 2008 really would be Chinese Democracy's year. As if.