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Hello, class, and welcome to Domestic History 101. I’m your teacher, Professor Axtagrind. Open your textbooks and we’ll get started with our first lesson, The Great Radio Confrontation, more popularly known as The War to End All Road Trips. Refer to the following timeline:   July 24, 1999: Two neighboring countries — Knowitallville and an area consisting of the burgs of Wifely Perfection, Impatience and Stubborn, known collectively as The Mouthland — merge in accordance with their common interes

Satirical blog article looking at a chance meeting with Coldplay...   The trendy hotel I stayed in at the weekend happened to belong to a trendy recording studio, and I'd heard that its private bar was likely to be full of trendy rockstars on their lunchbreaks.   You can imagine my disappointment, then, when the bloke from Coldplay walked in.   Never mind, at least he's a celebrity, and fortunately I've had a fool-proof plan prepared for quite some time now, in case I ever had the opportunity t

Jeff Buckley's mother, Mary Guibert, carries a shillelagh everywhere she goes. The quaint twisted knobbly stick can be found in the back seat of the car she drives around LA. It's her weapon of choice. "Jeff brought it back for me after the Trinity Ball in 1992," she remembers. "I treasure it. Most people in LA carry a gun around with them," she laughs, "but I've got my shillelagh! I just shake it at anyone who bothers me!"   Today, May 29th 2007 marks the ten year anniversary since Jeff's tragi

It’s been a lackluster year for rock feuds: The Kid Rock-Scott Stapp sex-tape battle has pretty much petered out, and even Liam Gallagher’s been keeping his mouth shut (though his last blow-up is still the stuff of legend).   Since everyone seems to be playing nice these days, Idolator has to step in and do the shit-stirring ourselves; luckily, we found this sorta-diss in today’s Guardian piece on Lou Reed:   Nervously, I pick the most topical question I can, and hit him with it.   “Mr Reed, wha

“Kanye went out his way to give me a verse,” Beatz said. “He called me about it. I didn’t have to bug him. It was cool. [Turning him down,] I think that would have been rude.   If Coldplay could have been on the album, Kanye could be on the album. I’m honored to know he felt my sh– is hot to even wanna rock with me like that.   He could have made it competition, but he’s like, ‘Yo, Swizzy, I got you, let’s get ‘em.’ ”   Source: MTV  

ALBANY, N.Y. - If you plant some trees, is it OK to drive an Escalade? The question isn't as silly as it sounds. People worried about global warming increasingly are trying to "offset" the carbon dioxide _ the leading greenhouse gas _ they spew into the atmosphere when they drive, fly or flick on a light. One idea popular with the eco-conscious is to have trees planted for them. You get to keep driving and flying, but those trees are supposed to suck in your trail of carbon.   Whole forests have

JUSTIN HAWKINS has taken a swipe at CHRIS MARTIN – branding him a diva. THE DARKNESS frontman was unhappy with the COLDPLAY singer’s behaviour during the recording of the BAND AID 20 single last year.   And flamboyant Justin has vented his anger by doing a cheeky impression of Chris in the video for the band’s new single One Way Ticket, which is out today.   Justin said: “During Band Aid Chris swanned in, stayed for about 20 minutes — and had his own VIP area. We were there for two days and w

The bid battle for EMI took a fresh twist today when former chief executive Jim Fifield outlined plans to fight venture-capital king Guy Hands for control of the struggling group.   Fifield, dubbed 'Lucky Jim' after he left EMI with a £12m pay-off in 1998, said he 'remains interested in potentially making an offer' for the firm, whose artists include Coldplay, Joss Stone, Lily Allen and Norah Jones.   The development came just days after EMI agreed a 265p-a-share bid, valuing it at £2.4bn, from

Travis frontman Fran Healy is nothing if not a realist. He knows his band helped soften the face of rock music with their 1999 album The Man Who.   Healy has had a little help from his famous friends. Coldplay's Chris Martin is not only a musical colleague but he and Healy are also both rock dads. Martin's son, Moses, and Healy's son, Clay, were born about the same time and the two meet at each other's houses for rock creches.   "We've had some lovely afternoons," Healy says. "Not many people h

A celebrity-frequented restaurant was ordered to pay £15,642 after a child fell down an open cellar hatch and cracked his head open.   Owners of E and O in London's Notting Hill pleaded guilty to two breaches of health and safety laws. They admitted a delivery hatch had been left open in the pavement outside the restaurant.   A five-year-old boy suffered a one-inch cut to the head when he fell 10 feet into the cellar, according to Kensington and Chelsea Council which brought the prosecution. He

Universal Music's takeover of BMG Music Publishing has been given the go-ahead by European Union regulators.   But Brussels warned that its "serious doubts" about the deal's effect on online music was only tempered by the firms' plans to sell some song rights. The 1.63bn euro ($2.1bn; £1.1bn) deal will create the world's largest music publishing company. BMG Music Publishing owns rights to songs by artists such as Coldplay, Robbie Williams and Justin Timberlake.   It is being sold by German owne

The EMI Group, the British music giant that has drawn heavy takeover interest in the last year, said Monday it had agreed to be bought by Terra Firma, the private equity firm led by the financier Guy Hands. EMI, whose recent talks with another buyout firm, Permira, ended without a deal, said it was recommending Terra Firma’s offer to its shareholders. The bid values EMI at 2.4 billion pounds ($4.7 billion).   The song isn’t necessarily over, however: EMI’s shares rose Monday to 271 pence, above

Warner Music is to make its latest attempt to buy EMI, the record group behind Norah Jones and Coldplay, joining three financial bidders in the £3bn ($5.9bn) battle for the UK music group.   The US music company, led by Edgar Bronfman, has begun due diligence after gaining access to EMI's books. Private equity firms Fortress, Cerberus Capital Management and One Equity are also going through EMI's data room.   Warner Music has tried repeatedly to merge with EMI. Last summer, Warner offered 320p a

Travis tell Craig McLean why their fifth album took so long – and why they won’t be eclipsed by Snow Patrol and Coldplay   In the strange setting of a Portakabin dressing room in the Californian desert, Travis are pondering their position as Britain’s favourite purveyors of sensitive, uplifting rock. This, arguably, is the sound they invented. But latterly, in the three-and-half years since the release of their last album, it’s been pinched by Snow Patrol. And before that, it was taken, develope

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Johnette Napolitano, the voice and vision behind Concrete Blonde, is in town tonight to showcase her new solo effort, “Scarred,” which will be released May 29 via Hybrid Recordings.   Ms. Napolitano headlines the Canal Room, 285 W. Broadway at Canal Street in Manhattan. Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets are $25. For further information, call 212-941-8100.   The new CD features 10 originals and covers of Coldplay’s “The Scientist” and the Velvet Underground’s “All Tomorrow’s Parti

Online retailer Amazon.com is launching an online music store this year featuring millions of songs without copying limitations.   The company said it had a deal with British-based music publisher EMI Music to include its music catalogue as well as those from 12,000 other music labels. The move comes amid increased interest in freeing up online music from so-called digital rights management (DRM) that limits how a user may copy or transfer a song after downloading.   The announcement did not in

Let me clarify something.   Coldplay and other artists with a Liberal P.O.V. aren't 'enemies' as I blogged in this space on Friday. I was wrong to say that. What I meant to say was that I struggle with entertainment choices sometimes due to the political views espoused by particular artists or actors or authors. The purchasing decision comes down to just how much I enjoy the music or the film or the book.   Having said that the concert was awesome. Chris Martin has a special ability to relate an

Sir Bob Geldof has launched a bitter attack on this summer’s ‘Live Earth’ gigs, calling them “just an enormous pop concert”.   The head of Live Aid has criticised the multi-national concerts organised by climate campaigner Al Gore for failing to secure any tangible solution to the issue. He rants, ”I hope they're a success. But why is he actually organizing them? To make us aware of the greenhouse effect? Everybody's known about that problem for years. We are all fucking conscious of global warm

It’s one thing for a band to explode from nowhere with a classic debut album. Following it up is a far greater challenge.   The second album, traditionally, is a band’s opportunity to transcend their original fanbase, infiltrate the mainstream. A great sophomore effort can catapult a band into the superleague – take Coldplay’s A Rush Of Blood To The Head. Equally, it can kill the buzz stone dead. Remember how the lustre of unassailable cool surrounding The Strokes evaporated in the wake of Room

Shares in EMI soared this morning after the music group revealed that it was in takeover discussions again.   The firm, which has Lily Allen, Coldplay and Robbie Williams on its books, confirmed this morning that it had received "a number of preliminary indications of interest to acquire the company".   The announcement followed reports that a private equity group was prepared to pay £3bn for the company. One Equity, the private equity firm affiliated to American bank JPMorgan, sent EMI a letter

Rock couple Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale and their son Kingston have topped a new magazine poll to find Hollywood's Best Looking Family.   The Rossdales beat Coldplay star Chris Martin, Gwyneth Paltrow and their two kids and Smiths Will, Jada Pinkett, Willow, Jaden and Trey to top the new In Touch Weekly list.   In crowning the Rossdales the top family, In Touch editors say, "Whether the clan is going to their son Kingston's christening or a sporty family outing to the local tennis courts, th

2005 - Performances from some of the world`s most popular and influential bands highlight the conclusion of sixth Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif.   About 50,000 people descend on this desert town for the two-day event, which features headlining sets by Coldplay and Nine Inch Nails, plus rare appearances from Bauhaus, Gang Of Four and hip-hop duo Black Star.   Read other random years here

Churchill Downs guards the names of its Kentucky Derby ticket holders so closely that only two executives at the track have access to the entire list, the company has said in court papers.   It considers the roster a trade secret, and its security sentinels scan sites such as eBay to catch people who resell tickets bestowed on them by the track. Then it cuts off their future supply. So how do thousands of tickets get on the Internet sites of ticket brokers across the country?   Some rock bands

Have you heard about the weekly gig that’s going down a storm with music fans and attracting record company representatives?   It doesn’t take place in a venue in Manchester city centre, but at Bar Amp in Sale. Most of the bands who play on a Thursday night are unsigned and organisers Simon Williamson and Alex McCann say they always try to give priority to acts from the Greater Manchester area. But the event has also attracted artists from as far away as Belgium and the United States. Why has th

A Paulsboro man pleaded guilty Wednesday to aggravated assault, admitting he threw a bottle into the face of another man during a confrontation in the parking lot of the Tweeter Center in Camden after a concert on Aug. 7, 2005.   In his guilty plea, James McNulty, 46, made no reference to the acid that was in the bottle and caused burns on the face, back, shoulders and chest of the 19-year-old victim. Police at the time said McNulty then used a long lighter to set fire to the victim.   Assistant