BLACKMAIL IS SUCH AN UGLY WORD. ALTHOUGH SO IS EXTORTION

Good grief, there's hopeful and there's hopeful - according to the Mirror, Steven Johnson has demanded three million quid from Charlotte Church, or he'll publish his book about the sex they had together.

Curious... to think it would be worth that kind of money to keep out the public eye, there'd have to be some pretty haircurling things in there - unlikely she'd have let someone as homely looking as him get too wild with the experimentation.



Unless he's making stuff up, of course, but then the large cash payout would be flowing in the opposite direction. We just wonder if he really can't be arsed to write the book and saw this as a quick way out.

music charlotte church

KYLIE COMEBACK

In what could be a simultaneous comeback and retirement show, apparently Kylie Minogue is being lined up for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Singing at one of the ceremonies, like, she's not going to be pole vaulting or nothing.

music kylie minogue kylie

DRAWING CONCLUSIONS

The LA Times gives op-ed space to the campaign of suing people filesharing on the web, as Hollywood starts to pile in to the action, and appears to be concluding that it's not that bright a thing to do:

As an educational tool, this type of lawsuit leaves something to be desired. Only a fraction of the people sharing songs and movies online illegally are sued, dulling the deterrent effect. At the same time, because so many claims have been filed (more than 13,000 by the movie and music industries since September 2003), they no longer attract much attention. Another problem is that studios and labels do not know the identity of a defendant when they start pressing a claim; the lawsuit eventually lands on the person whose Internet account was linked to pirated files. As a result, defendants have included such crowd-pleasers as a 12-year-old girl, several grandparents and at least one dead person.

The resulting publicity hasn't garnered much sympathy for the labels or their cause. And critics of the lawsuits are right to argue that such actions aren't a long-term solution to the rampant piracy that the Internet enables. (Their argument that content providers are abusing copyright law to prevent fair use is a harder case to make, but worth hearing.)

Entertainment companies need to find more effective ways to boost respect for copyrights while embracing the new technology to satisfy demand.

So, the LAT is going to call for an end to the lawsuits, right? Because who would encourage a friend to carry on with such a foolish course of action?

Hang on a moment.

Nevertheless, there are a couple of important principles that the lawsuits advance, however fitfully.

First, they show that the right way to protect copyrights is to focus on people who are violating them, not on the public at large. By contrast, some of the major record companies are also trying to combat piracy by switching to CD technology that resists copying even for legal purposes. This approach forces restrictions on all CD buyers in the name of stopping abuses by an unknown fraction of music fans.

Well, that's not as crazy as it might seem - but it's not like the record labels are giving us a choice "support the legal actions, or we'll introduce copy protection"; the industry is breaking CDs at the same time. And it's arguable they'd be doing that even if the legal action was showing any sign at all of working.

Second, the suits drive home the point that paying $40 a month for high-speed Internet access does not entitle users to free copies of everything they might want. Unfortunately, that point is still lost on many people, especially young people. Numerous defendants have been parents who either ignored or tolerated what their kids were doing on file-sharing networks, only to find themselves paying a premium for the hundreds of bootlegged songs stored on a family computer. (The labels typically demand $3,750 to $4,500 to settle a case, although copyright law allows them to seek up to $150,000 per illegal copy.)

Now, we'd have been hoping here to at least have seen some sort of blink from the paper at that - USD150,000 for a single track? But leaving that aside, we're surprised that the LA Times is massaging the role of parents in these cases from being ignorant of what their kids were doing, to knowing but ignoring it; recasting them from innocent dupes to culpable targets.

Clearly, these lawsuits inflict some collateral damage, not just on the industry but on notions of fair play and the law. When huge media conglomerates sue thousands of individual Internet users, they fuel the argument that copyright law is just a tool for the powerful, not a means to improve society by encouraging creativity and innovation. But like anyone else, the studios are entitled to defend their rights. You can lament how blunt the instrument is, but you can't fault Hollywood for using it.

Erm... but surely if it doesn't work, and harms the industry's standing in people's eyes, isn't that a pretty sound basis for faulting its use?

The LA Times nearly came close to clicking the 'delete' button, but right at the end elected to chicken out and just wave the entertainment industry on, hoping it'll be alright.

music copyright

REPUBLICANS: WHY DO THEY HATE SEX?

There are some things we don't pretend to understand about American politics. Okay, virtually everything about American politics is bemusing to us. For example, we can't quite get a grip on what the beef Republican chairman Tom Wilson has against New Jersey Democrat Jon Corzine's campaign for having a fund raiser with Mya. Perhaps he could explain?

"Those who wish to lead New Jersey should lead by example. By participating in this event, Jon Corzine is endorsing this performer and the profanity laden lyrics she sings..."

What? Murder? Buggering hedgehogs?

"...glorifying..."

What can it be? Murdering hedgehogs and then buggering them?

"...among other things, casual sex."

Casual sex? Is that it? Sex without a long-term commitment? Tom, sweetie, if you think music about sex-without-marriage is the worst thing in the world, you probably don't need to bother buying a CD player.

What does puzzle us, though, is why Tom hasn't got in touch with George W Bush. If we recall correctly, didn't we find out that Bush had (illegally) got a copy of My Sharona on his iPod? Isn't that a profanity-laden song about casual sex, too? Does that make Bush ineligible to lead the country?

music new jersey mya

GENNARO CASTALDO WATCH

We're feeling shocked and a little used. With all these music stories breaking all over the place, where, we wonder, is HMV's Gennaro Castaldo? Off banging on about computer games, that's where; telling The Sun that there will be huge demand for the Play Station Portable. See the insights he has? And he's brought the same level of insight to This Is Money, figuring that if it's something everyone wants, then that might mean it'll sell, too:

Gennaro Castaldo, spokesman for HMV, the PSP was expected to fly off shop shelves on Thursday. He said: 'I think it is an issue of demand being so substantial that the supply just can't hope to meet that in the first day or the first week.'

We can understand that the buzz around the launch of the PSP - we understand, talking to young people, that's it like a Game And Watch, only it won't tell you the time - is leading Gennaro astray, but we won't tolerate this dereliction of duty lightly. Gennaro, we need some insight into the Gwen Steffani story. Something about Garbage splitting. Anything... please?

music psp gennaro castaldo

ALL GWEN'S LOOKING FOR IS A LITTLE RESPECT

It's all very well Gwen Stefani getting haughty and fuming when she gets bracketed with Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff, and she can fume all she wants about how she's been "in this business 18 years", but perhaps the reason why people assume she's making rip and pod music for the fashionista teenage market is, erm, because she's surrounded herself with a retinue of fashionista teens to applaud her every move.

music no doubt gwen steffani

WHAT A PITY 'ALL ABOUT ME' HAS BEEN TAKEN AS A TITLE

You know what? We reckon we can imagine Mel B writing her sitcom. And we can really imagine her thinking "blimey, this is every bit as good as Sex And The City. And we can imagine watching it. And we can imagine thinking "good grief, this is as poor as Babes In The Wood. Only without even Samantha Janus."

music tv mel b spice girls

THIS WEEK, WE PLUGGED...

We've been waiting an age - at last, the new Goldfrapp...


We suspect it'll be a good ten years before people come to value BRMC; don't leave it until its too late


First release from Mike Skinner's label; his old mates and collaborators The Mitchell Brothers

THE ORLANDO BLOOM

We'd been wondering who David McKenzie was going to cast in his soon-coming Nico biopic:

It's not an easy part to cast, and while we're sure Mandy Moore was on the shortlist, we're quite pleased to hear who's been cast:

Tilda Swinton. If anyone can pull the story off, she can.

music movies nico tilda swinton

A RAP RELATED SHOOTING? SURELY NOT?

Okay, there was time when we thought that BDP's calls to stop the violence in hip-hop was a noble cause, but as Suge Knight gets shot in the leg at a Kanye West party we're starting to think it might be easier to adopt a policy of encouraging violence in hip-hop until they've all shot themselves into early graves, and then we can start again with people more interested in music than guns and gaudy costume jewellery.

The party was part of the MTV Awards hystrionics. Knight was shot in the leg, and in the VIP section, generating a mini-panic. He's in hospital, being described as in "good condition", although it's too early to say if he'll still qualify for his seventy thousand dollar goody bag if he doesn't show at the awards themselves.

Polcie are investigating a theory the shooting was called for by Pat Robertson.

music suge knight mtv awards

YOU WONDER HOW THEY GET INTO THESE SCRAPES IN THE FIRST PLACE

We can't figure out how it is that a reliable part of the Murdoch empire could have found itself having to run a grovelling apology to Justin Timberlake, having been taken in by a "model" who made up the stories about being his lover in order to get cash from the paper. Still, we bet the paper will be taking much more care in future, and not, for example, ending the apology with an open-ended, desperate sounding plea for anyone to turn up with any story they like, and slapping a great banner advert on that virtually screams "Come on, we'll shower you in cash for even a semi-plausible story", won't they?



And, for those of you who collect these things, here's that apology in full:

Apology:

Justin Timberlake

ON 18 July 2004 we published a piece entitled "Bad news for Cameron as model reveals lover's secret fling".

The article alleged that Mr Timberlake had had a secret fling with model Lucy Clarkson behind the back of his girlfriend, Cameron Diaz.

Justin Timberlake insisted that he had never even met or spoken with Miss Clarkson and was deeply offended by the allegations.

We now accept that the allegations were untrue and that he had not had an affair or fling with Lucy Clarkson. Miss Clarkson, who sold her story, accepts that she lied to us and has never met or spoken to Justin Timberlake.

We are happy to correct the position and both we and Lucy Clarkson apologise to Justin Timberlake for the distress and embarrassment we caused him.

We and Ms Clarkson have agreed to pay him a substantial sum which he has said he will donate to a charity of his choice.

DO you have a story? Call us any day free on 0800 279 3786, text us on 07770 381560 or email us at newsdesk@notw.co.uk

music newspapers journalism justin timberlake

MAJORS WANT MORE, NOW, AGAIN

Pretty much everyone is agreed that 99 cents is the wrong price for a digital download: every consumer wants to see the prices come down to reflect the much reduced costs involved in digital distribution (or, in the UK, for prices to at least make it down to the UK level); the labels want to see an increase. They want to introduce a flexible pricing structure so that "hot" tracks sell for more - they suggest an upside of this would be that not-so-hot tracks could sell for less than the current price, which demonstrates that the majors still don't understand the digital music industry at all - it's precisely because you're able to make the same profits on any track that you sell that should be enticing them - a sale of a forty-year old Lonnie Donnegan track bringing the same benefits as a U2 song, something they could never have imagined happening a decade back. The millions of songs they've been sitting on and not able to exploit as anything more than by virtually giving them away through Time-Life compilations suddenly offered the potential to hit way above their weight. And they're now trying to throw away that advantage on millions of songs for a short-term gain on a handfull.

And that's even assuming that customers will be happy to pay more for songs - every ten cent increment in prices makes the free networks seem so much more attractive...

music downloads

I KNOW WHAT BOYS LIKE

Not that they're gay or nothing, but McFly know how to get the boys all hot:

Danny said to MSN: "We had this male fan that we messed around with. We were having a laff saying go and hug each other like, 'Harry needs a hug, go and hug him.' To cut a long story short he had a big stonking boner. When we were leaving the airport we looked back and he still had a stonker. He had tracksuit bottoms on as well so it was well sticking out. It was so funny."

Is it just us or is that... focusing on it just a little too much?

music mcfly

JOHN LYDON HAS SOMETHING TO SELL YOU

The thing that struck us as being most odd about that ruck between John Lydon and Jimmy Pursey at the US Embassy this week wasn't that Pursey claimed the policeman who broke it up was a Sham 69 fan, but that Lydon was queueing for a visa at 7.30 in the morning. Haven't we been told many times that he's a successful US real estate magnate - so how come he's still queueing up for a visa after all this time? And how would he get a visa anyway, since - according to the Lydon myth - his birth certificate has long since been lost?

Anyway, while he's been back in Britain, he's been giving us the benefit of his opinions. He's seldom wrong, it's just that he's not as outrageous as he'd like us to believe:

Lydon is also pissed off with old chum Bob Geldof for hinting that the Pistols would be playing Live 8: “Our names were touted around. And it looks like we turned it down. But the truth is I wasn’t asked.”

“I don’t know what shock value he was trying to get by mentioning us. But I’m glad. It was a very shoddy and weak production anyway…And there weren’t enough black faces in the show for my liking. I don’t think it achieved anything. Bob Geldof is too self-serving.”

He added to the Sun newspaper: “I don’t like this attitude of trying to guilt us into doing something. That’s the terror tactics of the Nazi party.”

Continuing: “Every time I see Bono in those big fly glasses and tight leather pants I just can’t hack it. I can’t see that as solving the world’s problems.”

“He’s crushing his testicles in tight trousers for world peace.”

A light poking of fun at Bono's dress, rather than any of the much deeper problems with Live 8 and the fantastically rich Bono claiming that he can speak for those of us excluded from our political processes; and the confusing suggestion that Geldof trying to bounce a band into playing a gig mainly aimed at shifting back catalogue albums is in anyway similar to the "terror tactics of the the Nazi party" is just insultingly absurb - unless Geldof really did smash the windows of Lydon's estate agency, remove all the cash from the business and then shoot his wife in front of him.

And besides, didn't the punks love flirting with Nazi imagery anyway?

Having done Bob and Bono, it's then on to Pete Doherty. Will Lydon have some outrageous observation to make?

No:

He’s made a decision to play this drugs game. But I haven’t seen many survivors. And I don’t want to see him become another stupid rock death.”

“Pete – calm down a little and start checking yourself. You’re not impressing anyone – you’re just depressing.”

The trouble is, you can just picture him sat in a big, leather armchair, reading the interview back, cackling to himself - "Oh, John, you've put the cat amongst the pigeons again, boy... you've stirred them up and no mistake."

Frankly, if he lobs any more half-arsed missiles at soft targets, we're going to ask him to be No Rock's holiday cover this Christmas.

music john lydon pete doherty bono bob geldof

READING FESTIVAL: CRIME HOT SPOT

Normally the number of arrests being reported at festivals are usually comprised of little more than local police picking off kids for minor drug offences to help boost their clean-up rate; but this weekend's Reading Festival sounds a lot like the bad old days of Glastonbury's lawless years.

Yes, there are those drug arrests - a big hand to Thames Valley Police for arresting 65 people where "quantities recovered have mainly been very small for personal use"; unfortunately, while they've been shaking down teenagers with tiny pieces of dope, 265 proper crimes have been taking place - including at least fifty thefts - and people turning up with forged wristbands, in such numbers as to cause concern amongst both the cops and security guys.

In Reading-Leeds Music news: The Charlatans whacked out a nice set balancing old stuff and new stuff (although, having said that they did do some stuff off the underwhelming last album); the NME is describing Black Francis and Kim Deal hugging as them 'burying the hatchet', although they do seem to have been getting on well for the last twelve months to us.

We could get to see all this for ourselves, but ITV (despite its many channels) can't be arsed to do any coverage until Monday, when we get an hour of music, and then an hour of comedy. And the commercial channels complain about the BBC's exclusive access to Glastonbury - at least they put it on the television.

music festivals reading pixies charlatans

RESPECT LIKE ARETHA, OR RESPECT LIKE GEORGE GALLOWAY?

This is the point where we heave our bossoms skywards and sniff that there's no smoke without fire; but Christina Aguilera has denied ever saying that Britney has "let herself go".



"It's really sad to see that some tabloid magazines still have to manufacture ill will between Britney and me," Aguilera wrote in a statement posted on her Web site. "We are both grown-ups and have the utmost respect for each other personally and professionally. If certain journalists want to throw their integrity out the window by spreading false information, then so be it. But I'm not falling for their lies and neither should my fans or Britney's."

Aguilera added that she wished nothing but the best for Britney, husband Kevin Federline and their family. "May they be blessed with continued success and future happiness," she wrote.

So, that's alright then.

music britney spears christina aguilera

NOT QUITE A HAPPY ENDING

The producer Christian Julian Irwin, whose disappearence we mnetioned yesterday, has been found, naked and confused, washing his jeans in a creek.

Irwin was taken into custody because he was deemed mentally incompetent and possibly dangerous to himself, Peavy said. He was found at about 4:30 p.m. and agreed to go with police about two hours later after negotiations in which authorities, at Irwin's request, located his sister to help calm him.

Police say they could see no evidence of the people Irwin believed were pursuing him; he's been checked into a hospital for observation.

music christian irwin 419

MAKING CASH OUT OF A CRISIS

It's always been tricky for Pete Doherty - when he needed some ready cash for his own purposes, he's always been able to scare up a few quid from the tabloids. However, even in his state, he's started to notice that the coverage that's generated isn't entirely positive, and may even be harming his ability to raise cash for his own purposes on later occasions. The solution? He's now chronicling his own decline and taking the cash for himself through a pay-per-view website where you can watch him going about his daily doings. In effect, you can now directly pay Pete to be a mildly diverting fuck-up without the need to go through the middlemen. It's uses of the internet like this that makes Tim Berners-Lee weep blood-flavoured happy tears whenever anyone sees through his disguise and works out who he is.

Not to be confused, of course, with The Junkies, which was an actually amusing web-based thing.

music babyshambles pete doherty

WE SUSPECT HE WAS JOKING

We're always happy to think the worst of Marilyn Manson, but we can't really think he was doing anything other than cracking a joke when he complained about Harry Potter books:

"I get blamed for being bad but this kid is practicing witchcraft from a very early age which is totally unacceptable."

Because Mazza knows that Harry Potter is just a geeky kid who wants to be special:

music harry potter books marilyn manson

CHARLIE SIMPSON - MY LIFE IS SO SWEET

Apparently, Charlie Simpson is really pleased with his decision to quit Busted, and reckons it's really transformed his life.

And it's true. This time last year he could have had any girl or boy that he wanted, was making loads and living like a star. Now...



... he looks a little like the guy who comes to chop down our Dad's leylandi trees when they get out of control.

music charlie simpson busted fightstar

THERE'S TRYING TOO HARD, AND THERE'S JUST TRYING

We know Ashlee Simpson is desperate for people to associate her with something - anything - other than her Saturday Night Live career-termination. And we could see that trying to get some of the attention going "I'm kinda gay" could just about do something to shift perception of her as being a bit dim. But "I wish I was Brad Pitt so I could have sex with Jennifer Aniston"? How does that even work? If she's trying to drop titilating lesbian hints, then why would she have to be Brad Pitt? If you were really interested in shagging Angelina Jolie, and someone offered you a wish, wouldn't you wish for Angelina Jolie to be spread-eagled on your kitchen rug, rather than to turn yourself into Brad Pitt so you could trick Jolie into having sex with you? It's all a little bit too much like the Buffy where Faith had sex with Riley while she was in Buffy's body for comfort.

music ashlee simpson angelina jolie jennifer aniston brad pitt

GARBAGE HEADING FOR TRASHCAN?

Although they're blaming pressures of work, the sudden cancellation of Garbage's European tour has ignited split rumours.

The official statement reads like this, a lot:

"It is with great regret that Garbage have decided to cancel their visit to France, Belgium and the UK in October. Having been constantly on the road since the beginning of March the band feel they have somewhat overextended themselves and have mutually decided to conclude their tour at the end of September in Australia. "

"The band wish to extend their apologies to all Garbage fans in the territories involved and thank them profusely for their support. All tickets will of course be refunded. "

Bah.

music garbage

PRODUCER CAUGHT IN 419 GOES 404

Producer Christian Julian Irwin, who has worked with Bowie, David Crosby and De La Soul amongst others has disappeared. Friends and family are worried about Irwin's safety after two phone calls in which he claimed he was being chased by people who "might kill him".

Fellow producer Fortunato Procopio - who received one of the calls - said that Irwin had got involved in a Nigerian internet scam and panicked when he recieved a cheque for USD50,000, apparently from Nigerian conmen.

"We're considering the worst at this point because he hasn't been heard from," said sheriff's Capt. Ray Peavy. "Unfortunately, it could very well be a homicide."

The disappearance is out of character for Irwin, who friends describe as a "gentle, stable person."

music chris irwin

YOU MIGHT WANT TO MOVE ON, BUT LET'S HOLD HERE AWHILE

Interesting that - having admitted she was pathetic enough to have power cut during Iron Maiden's set three times during the last Ozzfest - Sharon Osbourne wants to move on. A bit rich seeing as Iron Maiden were about the only thing that kept Ozzfest afloat this year, after her husband kept crying off with "hayfever".

Here's her explanation for what happened:

"I did cut [the band's] sound," she wrote. "Ozzfest is our tour. Dickinson doesn't have the manners to realize that when you are invited into someone's home, are seated at their dinner table, are eating their food and drinking their wine, you shouldn't talk disrespectfully about them. Otherwise, you just might get your ass handed to you. Every action has a reaction. Was Dickinson so naive to think that I was going to let him get away with talking shit about my family, night after night? I don't think he realizes who he's dealing with."

Osbourne took offense to remarks she said Dickinson made concerning the quality of the tour's sound system and criticisms he's made about Sabbath and Ozzy, including, " 'We don't need a teleprompter' (like Ozzy)" and " 'We don't need a reality show to be legit' (again, like Ozzy)," she wrote. "Night after night, we heard his complaints from the stage about how 'corporate' the venues were and how 'outrageous' the ticket prices were."

"It's shameful that Dickinson felt he had the right to air his issues publicly onstage every night as a way to boost his own ego. Dickinson never once came up to Ozzy and me to voice any concerns. If he wasn't able to show us that courtesy, then why should I give him the respect to air my grievances with him in private? Frankly, Dickinson got what he deserved. We had to listen to his bullshit for five straight weeks. He only had to suffer a couple of eggs on the head."

So, if we've got this right, somebody said something that Shazza was unable to control and so she reacted with spiteful, grade three vengence? And yet we're meant to respect her as being one of the great professionals of the music industry. Can you imagine what the record business would be like if she was an example of the high water mark for its professionalism?

Oh, hang on a moment...

music sharon osbourne

BLAME EMINEM

As if his troubles weren't bad enough right now (being sued by his own auntie; inability to walk past a Superdrug without popping in for some Nytol; not having made a decent record in three years; members of D12 still managing to get hold of his cellphone number, etc) Eminem is being sued over the bus crash he wasn't involved in.

Lorry driver Breck Wyngarden and his wife Ascension Wyngarden were both involved in the Missouri bus crash which hospitalised Stat Quo and DJ Alchemist. They're suing the driver and the tour bus company, and presumably added Eminem's name to the action on the grounds that, heh, he's rich. Their action actually admits the tour bus only hit them because it swerved to avoid another crash, but, hey, someone's got to pay.

music eminem

IDLE SPECULATION DRESSED UP AS NEWS

Someone at the clunking beast that is the semi-official body charged with making Liverpool's spell as Capital of Culture in 2008 so overplayed that by then everyone, everywhere will be sick of the very idea has muttered about how the Beatles should be on the £20 note. The BBC rang up the Bank of England, who said "well, there's no reason why not'. The story runs as Beatles 'may appear on £20 note'.

In which case, here are some other news stories:
Rolling Stones 'may appear on £20 note'
Les Dawson 'might appear on £20 note'
The 1983 FA Cup finalist Brighton and Hove Albion team 'may appear on £20 note'
Beatles 'may appear on £10 note'

music the beatles

The White House is still refusing to make any movements towards the woman who has spent the last thirteen weeks camped at the top of the Billboard Charts, despite the protester, Mariah Carey, making it clear she has no intentions of leaving, ever.

Carey started her occupation of the top of the singles list over three months ago in what some commentators have labelled a politically-motivated campaign to demonstrate the futility of the current music industry. A supporter of the woman, talking to CNN, said "Mariah has made it quite clear she'll move on when someone releases a single that deserves to be number one, and that's all she's looking for."

Observers suggest the stand-off at the top of the charts could drag on into the autumn. "She's got an extraordinary level of support behind her" said a source, "unless Bush does something to stop her, she could still be there at Christmas."

A similar occupation at the top of the British charts by former soldier James Blunt ended after five weeks when the nation woke up to itself.

music mariah carey

IS IT TOO LATE TO CHECK THE WEDDING LIST?

Words cannot express how truly, truly excited we are by the news that Liam Gallagher might have gone off to get married to Natalie Appleton (or is it Nicole) without selling the rights to OK ("telling anyone".) Can you feel the thrill in the air? Can you?


"Nicole, will you be giving up your career now you're married to me?"
"Liam, being married to you is my career, you doughnut..."

music liam gallagher nicole appleton

AND THE BIG BROWN BEAR CAME LUMBERING OVER THE HILL

If you're going to attack people's style, it would presumably be wise to ensure that you yourself don't look like a student who has been hiding out from the police for a week and a half. Not that that bothers Serge Pizzorno from Kasabian, who felt qualified enough on matters sartorial to suggest that Franz Ferdinand looks like The Railway Children.

We presume he means the kids in the film rather than Gary Newby's Factory-signed, Jackie-loved 80s band. Although we can't be sure, as to us they neither look like Franz Ferdinand - who surely are more "just passed o-levels, starting first job at the Trustees Savings Bank", aren't they?

See for yourself with The Railway Children on DVD...


Or the Best Of the band
music kasabian franz ferdinand kasabian

YOU WON'T FIND US ON ALTA-VISTA WITHOUT AN EXCLUSIVE CONTRACT

Yesterday, Jack White hooked himself up to Coke; today, it's Mike Skinner accepting a small payment from Adidas to push forward the sales of their Reebok training shoes.

Jim McCabe - who brings this to our attention - asks: What was it that Joe Strummer said about "turning rebellion into money"?

Of course, everyone has their price, but you just wish that for some people, it might be more than an international megabrand would be willing to pay.

musicthe streets mike skinner