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LIFE STYLE EXTRA (UK) - Gwyneth Paltrow loves getting together with fellow celebrity-mothers so their children can play together.   The American actress is good friends with Madonna and fashion designer Stella McCartney and all three love their children getting together for play dates.   Gwyneth, 34, told Spain's Vogue magazine: "I have friends like Stella McCartney or Madonna, and very often our children get together to play. "Although we usually leave them in bed and stay to drink a glass of

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's EMI Group Plc rejected a 2.1-billion-pound ($4.1 billion) cash takeover proposal from Warner Music Group , saying the price was inadequate and not in the best interests of its shareholders.   The world's third-largest music company and home to Robbie Williams and Coldplay, said it held a board meeting on Friday after getting a non-binding proposal from Warner which indicated it might be prepared to make a bid at 260 pence per share.   "The board concluded that it is

During the most recent season of "South Park," there was a particular episode in which the character of Al Gore visits South Park to spread awareness about a beast named "Manbearpig."   The episode was a spoof that Al Gore was chasing something that didn't even exist, poking fun at his global warming campaign. It also implied that Al Gore was desperate for attention and had no friends.   On Feb. 15, Gore's announcement about the "Live Earth" concert showed that Gore has friends after all. A lo

If you haven't got your ticket for the Isle of Wight Festival already you could be very sorry.   Tickets for this summer's festival only went on last on Thursday and it has sold out in record time. Now in its sixth year since it was revived, the festival has sold out faster than ever before, with all 50,000 tickets being snapped up within days.This year's festival line-up boasts the best of British.   It includes headline performances from the biggest-selling band of 2006, Snow Patrol, and winne

London - Fortress Investment Group, the first publicly traded US hedge fund, is preparing to join bidders targeting Britain's EMI Group PLC, a British newspaper reported on Sunday.   Britain's Sunday Telegraph, citing unnamed sources, reported the hedge fund was examining a possible deal but had not made any final decision on mounting a bid.   US record company Warner Music Group Corp has confirmed it has made a tentative approach to EMI. In a statement to the London Stock Exchange Wednesday, N

Debs Wild, who does work for Coldplay, and punk band Rancid, will be speaking at the Carlisle seminar   A top lawyer and band manager is to speak at a two-day seminar in Carlisle offering advice on working in the music industry. Can You Manage? – Music Management, Records and Publishing covers management and record company deals, publishing, legal issues and A&R.   Speakers over the two days include Robert White, the first music business affairs lawyer in the UK, who worked for Island Record

Tonight was special. Just before the show started - the second of three in Buenos Aires - I was asked to do two jobs during the concert.   Job number 1 was straightforward. On cue, I had to help throw some giant coloured balloons into the crowd during 'Yellow'. It may sound easy, and, well, it was. And a whole lot of fun too!   Job number 2 on the other hand was a little more involved. Miller, who's in charge of making sure Chris' piano sounds great, is also the tour diarist and general document

Taken from an MTV Nelly Furtado interview, she explains how Liam Gallagher snubbed her new single because the 'plantpot' that is Chris Martin, penned the song.   "I’ve met Noel Gallagher before, but (after the awards) I ran over to Liam and said, ‘Hi, hi, I’m Nelly, I’m a big fan, and you were great tonight’, and he went, ‘Oh right - I like your song’, and I’m like, ‘Which one? ‘All Good Things Come To An End’?   And he’s like, ‘Yeh, that one’, and I’m like, ‘Chris Martin helped me write it’, an

In a question and answer session, Bloc Party's Kele Okereke spelt out his objections to following in one of the world's biggest bands, Coldplay.   Early on, you guys were frequently compared to post-punk acts like Gang of Four. Was the new record an attempt to get away from those reference points? Yeah, perhaps. It was mildly infuriating for us to always have people think we’re referencing Gang of Four, when no one in the band particularly liked [that] sound.   And now you’re getting measured ag

Black-clad art rockers Interpol have promised that their forthcoming third album - their first since signing with major label Capitol - will be an epic affair.   Guitarist/songwriter Dan Kessler told the BBC, "With this record, I think, anything goes. We're a lot more open. It sounds like Interpol. It sounds like our tunes, but there's a lot more atmosphere and sound in general, rather than just filling it up with guitars all the time."   Big things are expected of the as yet untitled album, due

LONDON (Reuters) - Warner Music Group has made a bid approach for Britain's EMI despite uncertainty over whether any deal would win regulatory approval, in the latest twist in a seven-year tit-for-tat takeover battle.   EMI, which announced the move on Tuesday, said there was currently no proposal for the board to consider and no certainty that the approach would result in one, but the statement still sent its shares up 5.4 percent to 233-1/2 pence at 1140 GMT.   Analysts had speculated that EMI

Kaiser chief frontman Ricky Wilson regrets his high energy performances on stage - as it's the only thing journalists talk about.   The 'I Predict A Riot' hitmaker is famed for his high jumps at concerts, but can't believe the press make such a big deal about it. He sighs, "People keep asking me to jump. You would be amazed. "Once a television journalist fetched a bin, placed it on its side and asked me to jump over it. "This is what we're up against. This is what Kurt Cobain had to put up with.

Gwyneth Paltrow said she felt her family was cursed by cancer after the disease killed her father, aunt, a 23-year-old cousin and her grandmothers.   The Oscar winner, who has two children with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, admitted she now felt at risk from the disease herself. She said she and her children led vegetarian lifestyles in an effort to keep the disease at bay. Her revelations came in a press interview for an anti-cancer campaign backed by Damiani, the jeweller she models for.  

EMI is said to be examining plans to borrow £1 billion in a radical overhaul of its balance sheet after the company's second profits warning of the year.   The company's board is looking at proposals to borrow the money against its publishing business, which manages the rights to more than 1 million songs, the according to Sunday newspaper reports.   EMI's music publishing business has been unaffected by the troubles which have hit the company's recording business. EMI is said to want to use the

Craig McLean meets hot young British-born producer Mark Ronson   Robbie Williams "really knows his stuff, like abstract reggae" but is easily bored in the studio. Christina Aguilera is "definitely fair" when it comes to splitting royalties. Lily Allen's last single, Littlest Things, does not, as many listeners thought, begin with a sample of Radiohead's Karma Police - it's a snatch of a song from the soundtrack to 1970s porn film Emmanuelle. Amy Winehouse wrote the original version of Rehab in l

The world will witness the largest ever music concert- THE LIVE EARTH CONCERT- on 7th July, 2007- all in the name of saving our planet.   The series of eight worldwide concerts were announced by ex-U.S. vice president Al Gore at a press conference in Los Angeles on 14th Feb, 2007. "The climate crisis will only be stopped by an unprecedented and sustained global movement.” Mr. Gore said.   The number of musicians slated to perform in the concerts is enormous. Red hot chilli peppers, Black Eyed Pe

One of Manchester's most popular gig venues is to have a £2.2m makeover.   Big names from Oasis to Coldplay, David Bowie and Kylie are among the artists to have performed at The Academy on Oxford Road since it opened 17 years ago.   Owned and run by Manchester Students' Union, the venue is a favourite with performers and students alike as a capacity crowd of 1,500 people can generate one of the best atmospheres in the city. The building will close in the summer for refurbishment, opening again

The Arctic Monkeys were the big winners at this year's Brit Awards ceremony in London, scooping awards for best British group and best British album.   But the indie band were not at the ceremony, instead sending acceptance videos dressed as characters from The Wizard of Oz and The Village People. Singer-songwriter James Morrison won best British male, while soul star Amy Winehouse took best British female. The Killers won both best international group and best international album.   The Las Ve

It's time to tackle flying's role in climate change, writes Danielle Teutsch.   Next week I'm flying to Europe. As I soar above the clouds, eating my in-flight meal of rubber chicken and watching movies, I'll have the discomfort of knowing I am releasing 11 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.   I can almost hear the polar ice cracking and an awful gurgling sound as another small island nation disappears into the ocean.   Frequent flyers can no longer be in denial about their contributi

EMI - the music company behind Kylie Minogue and Coldplay - saw its shares plunge nearly 12% after it issued its second profit warning this year.   Blaming weak CD and DVD sales in the US, it said it now expects profits to be 15 per cent lower than a year ago.   The world's third-biggest music company said it expected revenue at EMI music to show a decline of about 15% in the year to March 31 compared with the previous year. The company, which has The Beatles, and Coldplay on its books, warn

More on 'Live Earth' coming thorugh...   U2, Coldplay and Scissor Sisters are among the top acts being tipped to appear at a concert to raise awareness about global warming later this year.   A series of concerts are being planned for July 7 in London, Washington DC, Shanghai, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town and Kyoto where organisers hope to amass a worldwide television audience of two billion people in order to present the message about global warming.   The event is being branded SOS and the London

So the cat’s finally out of the bag: ‘Live Earth,’ the much-talked-about music concert that ex-United States Vice President Al Gore is organizing in the name of global warming, is now a full-fledged project to be organized on a massive, multi-cultural scale.   “It was the most stellar array of media figures you could ever see but to get all those people in the room on a Friday night shows how willing they are to help,” said an inside source, referring to a top-secret meeting Gore had with the m

If you want a tongue-in-cheek preview of this Wednesday's Brit Awards 2007, then look no further than this article.   I think someone has got it in for me. I really do. Firstly, I hate the Brit Awards. It gives prizes to people from Coldplay and Keane. Secondly, this year, the ceremony will be presented by Russell Brand.   I really dislike Russell Brand. You really don't see enough of him on telly do you? However, there are people I hate more than Mr Brand. That's Fern Cotton. Guess what? She's

Partial list of winners at Sunday's 49th Annual Grammy Awards:   Short Form Music Video: "Here It Goes Again," OK Go.   Long Form Music Video: "Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run," Bruce Springsteen. Recording Package: "10,000 Days," Adam Jones, art director (Tool).   Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: "Stadium Arcadium," Flea, John Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith and Matt Taylor, art directors (Red Hot Chili Peppers).   Album Notes: "If You Got to Ask, You Ain't Got It!"

U2, Oasis, Robbie Williams, Coldplay And Kylie Minogue are among the acts expected to wow crowds at the world’s biggest ever concert to help save the planet.   Former US vice president Al Gore invited some of the world’s most influential media figures to a top secret London meeting last Friday (09FEB07) to plan the record-breaking gig. An insider says, “It was the most stellar array of media figures you could ever see but to get all those people in the room on a Friday night shows how willing t