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Ice Bucket for a crown? Coldplay's ALS challenge.   We wandered when it was coming but Chris Martin has now completed the challenge set by his now ex-wife, Gwyneth Paltrow (and Shakira!), who took part in the #ALS Ice Bucket challenge a few days ago while nominating Chris, Stella McCartney and Cameron Diaz.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHsqA7SZgj4   ALS stands for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a form of Motor Neurone Disease. Chris dedicated Fix You at the Royal Albert Hall on the 2nd

It is impossible to ignore the fact that Gwyneth Paltrow is expecting her second child in a few months. Barefaced but still beautiful, with blonde hair arranged loosely around her shoulders, she is clad in superskinny jeans, and even skinnier heels, but from the waist up her five-month bulge billows so that she looks like a tapeworm that has swallowed a football. Any reference to her pregnancy, however, is strictly off-limits, says her publicist.   Paltrow wants privacy, and she's not kidding:

Albury's Lisa Mitchell survived another round of Australian Idol voting last night — but only just.   After viewers’ votes were tallied the Scots School student was in the “bottom three” with Bobby Flynn and Ricky Muscat. Eventually, the man with the wild afro, Flynn, was told his time in the show was up, leaving Mitchell one of just six contestants still in the running.   Mitchell’s poor voting result was something of a surprise given generally positive judges’ responses to her rendition on Sun

1) Goldman Sachs = The Rolling Stones Because it is number 1 and deservingly arrogant.   2) Citigroup = Ozzy Osbourne because it is growing old disgracefully, just like the prince of darkness, Ozzy.   3) Deutsche Bank = Fleetwood Mac Immensely profitable? Check. Years of infighting and not communicating with one another? Check. Badly in need of a style makeover? Check. It's Fleetwood Mac.   4) JPMorgan = Radiohead Too clever and needing another big hit to remain relevant.   5) Barclays Capital =

ERICA: Greg and I went to see Coldplay this weekend and I cried. It was an eighth grade, passing notes in class, TLF kind of moment, but I cried nonetheless.   Five years ago I moved here to NYC from LA and made my way to the east coast with two friends on a crazy cross country trip. We brought a ton of music with us, but wound up basically listening to Coldplay's Parachute album on a constant loop for six days. Some people get super duper sick of an album after that much listening, but I swear

Nobody's quite sure if they're pop or opera - but by any definition Il Divo are a fully-fledged phenomenon.   It's barely two years since the quartet were launched by Simon Cowell, but they are now global superstars with the statistics to match. Earlier this year they became only the fifth non-American act to debut an album at No 1 in the Billboard chart. The other members of that ultra-elite club are The Beatles, Elton John, Led Zeppelin and Coldplay - and Zeppelin are the only previous group t

Nobody's quite sure if they're pop or opera - but by any definition Il Divo are a fully-fledged phenomenon.   It's barely two years since the quartet were launched by Simon Cowell, but they are now global superstars with the statistics to match. Earlier this year they became only the fifth non-American act to debut an album at No 1 in the Billboard chart. The other members of that ultra-elite club are The Beatles, Elton John, Led Zeppelin and Coldplay - and Zeppelin are the only previous group t

A postman has become one of only two people in Britain to be forced by the High Court to pay 'tens of thousands of pounds' in damages for illegally downloading music.   The man, believed to be in his thirties or forties, refused to reach a settlement with record bosses after he was caught in a nationwide crackdown on file-sharing.   Instead, he took the case to court and claimed he was unaware his actions were illegal and had not sought to benefit financially. But in a landmark ruling, judge Ju

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

The Independent Blogs have hit back at the today's article by Andy Gill: Why I Hate Coldplay. Here is the response from within their own camp:   I like Coldplay. I do. I know, I know - very unfashionable, but there it is. I like their music. Always have. In fact, I like them so much that I'm convinced at least half the people who claim not to are lying in order to be cool. And I don't mind Chris Martin either. I mean, I've never met the man, but he's never done anything in public that could expl

Coldplay's June 5 show was consistent with shows on their last tour, which also stopped at Verizon Wireless Music Center, writes nuvo.net.   Just like in 2005, the platinum-selling British group used tricks to win the crowd, dropping big yellow balloons filled with confetti during the rendition of their first hit, "Yellow." This time around they used not just one, but two auxiliary stages - one in the upper pavilion and the other on the lawn - to give the sold-out amphitheater a sense of intimac

Noblesville, Ind. - When an enormous yellow beach ball bounced out of the audience and hit bassist Guy Berryman in the head in front of more than 20,000 fans in attendance, he couldn’t help but turn to his fellow Coldplay band mates and laugh, writes the Indianapolis Star.   Lead singer songwriter, Chris Martin, with a wide smile, launched the ball back into the crowd, but only after he’d boyishly kicked it around the stage to his satisfaction and the crowd’s amusement.   The prop was released w

The rock ’n’ roll crown rests easily on the collective head of Coldplay, a band that balanced earnestness against whimsy and virtuosity against the basics Friday night at Verizon Wireless Music Center, writes Metromix Indianapolis.   Vocalist Chris Martin -- the focal point of attention since the U.K. band released debut album “Parachutes” in 2000 -- makes everything land in its right place in a live setting. At the top of the show, Coldplay and its audience of 20,207 fumbled for common ground a

It’s all about the music, thanks to special hearing aid technology   When Troy Spracklin opened Switch computers in September 2004, the South Surrey resident must have thought he was living the dream.   Then, a few months later he received a call that would change his life. That call was from Etymotic Research Inc., an Illinois-based firm specializing in hearing-aid technology for scientists, people with hearing impairments and musicians. The company needed someone to meet with U2 – at the tim

When Coldplay took the stage at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom on October 22nd to film a performance for Nissan Live Sets on Yahoo! Music, the 200 fans in attendance found themselves in the midst of an unusually intimate set — the Ballroom usually holds 2,000 or more people, and Chris Martin and Co. were in the midst of an arena tour, report Rolling Stone.   The performance and two-part question and answer session premiere online today in 13 countries, but not everything made the final cut, so

Coldplay release their fifth album Mylo Xyloto worldwide on Monday (24 October), and with the record already earning a host of acclaim for its mix of anthemic songwriting, collaborations - including one with Rihanna on Princess Of China - and cutting edge production, Q Magazine spoke to some of those involved in making the album to get a unique, behind the scenes perspective on its creation. Producers Markus Dravs, Rik Simpson and Daniel Green; sleeve designers Tappin & Gofto and the band's

New York rock act Interpol has parted ways with indie home Matador Records and will sign a new deal with Capitol, sources say. The group is now being managed by Dave Holmes, whose clients also include Capitol flagship artist Coldplay.   Billboard.com understands the group will hit the studio in the fall to begin recording its third album, which is tentatively due in mid-2007. In July, the group wrote on its Web site that it had already spent six months crafting material but had yet to begin reco

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

Coldplayzone recently published an interview online with Nikki Rosetti, the producer of Coldplay's first releases - Safety EP and The Blue Room EP. Artist, musician and painter, Nikki, told them about her history with the band with delight and a touch of nostalgia: "I told everyone, 'watch out for this band, they're going to be huge", she said. Here is the interview article below:   You’ve been the producer of the two Coldplay opening musical publications, that is Safety EP and The Blue Room EP.

Last week, Coldplay fan Paul O'Brien came to London to see Coldplay at The O2, as his prize for winning the Lost? video competition. Coldplay.com gave him a shout to find out more about his triumphant video and his London trip.   Hi Paul. Congratulations on your win. How did you hear about the competition? I heard about it through The Coldplay Messenger, the email newsletter.   What made you want to enter? I'm a huge Coldplay fan! Almost to the point of being obsessive! But when I saw the detail

An interesting interview of Simon Pegg has appeared on the internet. Simon Pegg, who has previously played harmonica on festival stages with Coldplay, is good friends of Chris Martin, and godfather of his daughter, Apple.   You can read the full interview here.

Mat Whitecross, 31, started making films at 13 using his father's camera, a toy gun and lots of ketchup. 'Someone would enter a room and kill about ten people and that was that,' writes the London Evening Standard.   While studying English at University College London, he met an unknown band called Coldplay and directed their first video, Bigger Stronger, 'We shot it on the beach in winter and I made Chris Martin jump off a cliff into the ocean. It was haphazard and shambolic, but great fun.'  

They were the words used to farewell Australian rock icon Michael Hutchence at his funeral.   Timeless INXS classic Never Tear Us Apart has taken top spot as Australia's all-time favourite lyric. The hit, released in 1988, was voted Nation's Favourite Lyric by viewers of pay TV music channel VH1. Edging out Jeff Buckley's sorrowful ballad Last Goodbye by a mere ten votes, Never Tear Us Apart had proved a sentimental favourite, said Nation's Favourite Lyric host Billy Thorpe.   "That song is part

LONDON - IPC Media's flagship music website NME.com is to expend its offering across the Atlantic, with the opening of New York and Los Angeles news offices which, IPC says, along with its London presence will make the site a 24-hour operation.   The publisher will also be enhancing the service with the introduction of NME.com Alerts to user's desktops. In addition to increased news coverage, NME.com will introduce increased user interactivity and feedback through the launch of a news comment fe

The Viva La Vida tour may be over for 2009 but IQ magazine’s December issue is still available in a free PDF format if you haven't already seen it (or lost it on your hard drive!) and contains a world exclusive behind the scene report on the early stages of Coldplay’s World Tour, entitled Life, Death And Butterflies. To save the online magazine, right click then save as here. You can also get the previous versions of the magazine (issues 1-20 also online here). Here's the synopsis of the Coldpla