The clock ticks, the countdown has begun and the Ruse is ready to explode.

Comfortably resting on the cusp of national acclaim, this L.A.-based quartet outfits a sound so shattering it will fracture the spine of the American music scene. Original yet familiar, structured yet erratic, the Ruse is more than just a band — it’s a phenomenon waiting to take the country by storm.

Unconfined to any specific genre or style, the group is most reminiscent of an Americanized version of U2 or Coldplay — and, much like Coldplay, the Ruse crafts a mind-numbing sound by penetrating a haunting mentality into its music. But unlike the band’s British counterparts, the Americans provoke such a state of emotional unrest in a rather elevating manner. Imagine contemplating suicide via a karaoke machine. Their sound is so deep, so introspective, yet always edging toward effervescence.

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The Auckland City Council is feeling rather pleased with its Build Own Operating Transfer agreement over the Vector Arena.

Construction has reportedly stopped at the arena because urgent repairs are needed on the roof. However Auckland City Council spokeswoman Jill McPherson says the BOOT agreement means the council is not affected by construction problems.

British supergroup Coldplay was tentatively booked to play at the Vector Arena in downtown Auckland in June, but said they were unlikely to play in the city unless a pre-June completion date could be confirmed.

At the Academy Awards, celebrities smile as they parade down the red carpet before a phalanx of cameras. Behind the flashbulbs, a delicate new game is under way between the stars and the vast gossip industry of TV shows, magazines and Web sites that feeds upon them.

It has always been a relationship built upon animosity and mutual need. But tensions have grown with the explosion of media running paparazzi photos of stars canoodling or emerging from shops in frumpy track suits.

Now many stars, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Jessica Simpson, are fighting back. They are hiring their own photographers to capture supposedly private rendezvous, tipping off reporters to their whereabouts and developing relationships of mutual back-scratching with editors.

When Paltrow gave birth in 2004, she knew there would be a high bounty on the first photo of her newborn daughter. A staple of the celebrity press, the actress and her husband, Chris Martin, leader of the band Coldplay, decided to take matters into their own hands and tip off a photographer they knew, Steve Sands.The result is the flowering of a genre: fake paparazzi journalism, or the staging of "unstaged" moments. It is an art form that benefits both stars and the press. Stars get to participate in the framing of their image, and magazines appear to give readers a glimpse of the real celebrity untouched by public-relations varnish.

When Paltrow gave birth in 2004, she knew there would be a high bounty on the first photo of her newborn daughter. A staple of the celebrity press, the actress and her husband, Chris Martin, leader of the band Coldplay, decided to take matters into their own hands and tip off a photographer they knew, Steve Sands.

Sands took what appeared to be surprise shots of the two emerging from the hospital in London with the baby and sold them to People for $125,000, according to a person familiar with the arrangement. Larry Hackett, managing editor of People, says he knew that Sands had been tipped off by Paltrow. But he didn't see the need to inform readers about it.

Pictures such as the one of Paltrow help the stars stay in the limelight — but on their terms. "When celebrities do this, it's a way for them to deliver news that they want delivered," says Bonnie Fuller, the editorial director of American Media Inc., which publishes Star and the National Enquirer. By strategically sating the demand for images, stars may be able to tame the paparazzi mob — although in Paltrow's case, photographers continued to stake out her home.

The current strategies hark back to the Hollywood of the 1940s and 1950s, when studios, movie stars and the press worked hand-in-hand to create and maintain screen icons for worshipful fans. Today, the coverage of the stars has exploded. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, circulation of US Weekly stood at an average of 1,662,000 in the six months ending in January of this year, up 12.7 percent from the same period a year earlier. Circulation at Bauer Publishing's InTouch climbed 15.5 percent to 1,178,000, and at Star it rose 12.3 percent to 1,460,000.

The magazines are lucrative. US Weekly sells a million copies a week on the newsstand at $3.49 apiece. The magazine turns an operating profit of $50 million a year, says a person familiar with its accounts. People, which has a circulation of 3.8 million, brings in by far the most revenue and profit of any of the 154 magazines owned by Time Inc., a division of Time Warner Inc.

Network TV programs like Access Hollywood, cable channels like E! Entertainment Television Inc. and Web sites have added to the coverage. All these outlets compete for photos documenting the daily lives of a small cast of celebrities. These stars, in turn, seek to control their images without appearing to, because doing so would ruin their mystique.

Magazines have generally played along. In 2003, Jolie tipped off US Weekly that she would appear in a park one afternoon with her adopted son, Maddox, according to two people familiar with the situation. The actress recently had divorced actor Billy Bob Thornton. These two people say US Weekly knew Jolie had green-lighted the photo, which softened her image by showing her maternal side. The magazine didn't tell readers about it.

Hackett of People says Jolie, who does not have a publicist, is among the most sophisticated manipulators of the press.

Even images that are clearly taken with a star's consent may conceal deeper ties between the star and the media. Simpson, a pop singer, had a close relationship with US Weekly, but it became contentious after the magazine broke the news that she was breaking up with husband Nick Lachey.

Simpson formed a business relationship with OK! USA, a weekly published by London-based Northern & Shell PLC that sometimes pays celebrities for access and lets them approve magazine layouts. The deal with Simpson requires the star to appear in the magazine a certain number of times in exchange for payment, according to the magazine.

In the old studio era, too, celebrities and the press were co-conspirators in crafting storylines that were often distant from reality. A famous instance was Rock Hudson, who despite being secretly gay was publicly married to Phyllis Gates.

People magazine, introduced in 1974, combined celebrity coverage with the journalistic heritage of parent Time Inc. For years People was the only publication of its kind and an essential tool for celebrities. "There was a lot more access then," says Susan Toepfer, a former deputy managing editor at People who is now editor in chief of Quick & Simple. "When I was writing about celebrities in the '70s and '80s, you could spend days with them."

But magazines soon discovered that so-called write-arounds, stories written without the cooperation of the star and using anonymous sources, were more popular.

Celebrities and their handlers began forcing reporters to sign agreements to avoid certain topics or demanding approval over writers and cover layouts.

The arrival of Fuller at US Weekly in 2002 raised the tensions even higher. She pioneered the photography-heavy coverage popular today and paid for paparazzi photos depicting the stars in an unflattering light. A recent example was the image of singer Britney Spears driving down a freeway with her baby in her lap.

The photographers' onslaught has put stars in a tough spot. If they ignore the magazines, they let such pictures define their public image. But sitting down for formulaic interviews and staged shots won't necessarily satisfy the magazines' lust for juicy stories.

The answer is manipulation so subtle it's hard to say if there's any at all. In January, when rumors swirled in the press that Jolie might be pregnant with the child of actor Brad Pitt, Jolie arranged for an employee of the charity Yele Haiti to take a picture of her with her growing belly.

Jolie then let Yele Haiti sell the picture to People, according to Hackett, the magazine's managing editor, and a representative for Pitt. A person familiar with the situation says People paid $400,000 for the picture.

By arranging the Haiti photo, Jolie reaped several benefits. She ensured the picture was flattering. In diverting the money to charity, she put a twist on a tactic used by celebrities in recent years in which they arrange to be paid for wedding or baby photos with the proceeds going to charity.

"I would probably say at least 50 percent of what you see in terms of Hollywood coverage is something that was not necessarily born organically," says Janice Min, editor in chief of US Weekly. "This is how celebrities survive."

Source: azstarnet.com

EMI has been the subject of numerous takeover rumours in recent sessions, mainly on the back of its poor performance over the past few years against a rising market. Even having the likes of Robbie Williams, Coldplay and Gorillaz on its roster has done little to cheer shareholders.

Takeover rumours did the rounds again yesterday, with more talk of a link-up with Warner Music, the recording division of the media giant Time Warner. However, dealers reported quality buyers piling into the stock as traders also speculated that Apple, the computing group that has revolutionised the music industry, maybe considering an offer for EMI. Apple's iTunes is by a long way the market leader in music downloading but does not own any content. One trader said: "Media assets are out of favour with investors and have been for a long while, but there are definite signs the cycle may be turning."

Source: Blackenterprise

"I think I mostly have an insecurity complex about myself, because I've been trying anything I can on women along the way," admits James Blunt — the heartwarming voice behind the ballady smash "You're Beautiful" — with a chuckle. "I tried a uniform at first, and then tried being a musician. Neither have worked particularly well for me. I'm sure psychologists will have something to say about that."

Blunt, whose forlorn lyrical vignettes sound a lot like David Gray songs as sung by Damien Rice, was the UK's hottest new export as 2006 began, until the Arctic Monkeys stole his thunder. Formerly an officer in the British Army's elite Household Cavalry — and more recently, Elton John's wedding singer (okay, it was just one song) — his debut album Back to Bedlam (Atlantic) was 2005's biggest hit across the pond, even managing to finally bitch-slap Coldplay out of the #1 slot. But it wasn't always like this. With no other way to fund his Bristol University engineering degree (which his sensible parents insisted upon before supporting his musical ambitions), Blunt traded out years of military service to cover his costs. After a stint in Canada, he served in Kosovo in 1999 as a reconnaissance officer with the NATO peacekeeping force. "To get an education, it was just one of those things I had to do," Blunt explains. "But to me, it never seemed that long. I thought, 'I'll get to see the world and get out in my mid-twenties and then get to do my music. ... That was probably a good thing at that stage. I wasn't ready. I didn't have the songs there. I knew I had the voice, but I didn't have the songs."

Blunt spent his downtime in Kosovo working on lyrics. "Some people took a deck of cards. Some people took a ball. I took a guitar," he says. "I had to strap it to the outside of the tank. I really wanted to put it on the inside, but you have to put the soldiers inside. There isn't enough room. I tried to strap the soldiers outside, but that just didn't work."

A few years later, those lyrics helped land Blunt a SXSW showcase that caught the attention of Linda Perry, who quickly signed him to her Atlantic Records imprint, Custard. Just recently, at Blunt's sold-out House of Blues show in LA, she boasted her investment would garner three Grammy nominations this year, and net two wins.

The bulk of Back to Bedlam's songs was composed during Blunt's final years of service, including the album's painful record of the genocide he witnessed in Kosovo, "No Bravery." "It was really just a kind of reportage of the images that we got on a daily basis out there," he says. "You look around and see these individuals who seem to be relatively intelligent and sympathetic, but when they got caught up in groups, large groups, something innately evil would take over. Their compassion as human beings would dissolve."

Produced by Tom Rothrock (Elliot Smith, Badly Drawn Boy), Back to Bedlam also features "Good, My Lover," a piano ballad that presented some issues when Blunt and Rothrock realized they didn't have any money left in their stringent budget to bring a piano into the studio. Desperate times led to desperate measures, so Blunt turned to his landlord/host at the time: Princess Leia. Yes, he just happened to be crashing at Carrie Fisher's place at the time, and yes, as luck would have it, she just happened to have a piano in ... her bathroom?

"I guess the story is famous because it happens to be a famous person's bathroom, and she kept a piano in the bathroom," Blunt reasons. "But at the time, it was a very basic decision, like, 'Oh shit, we need a piano.'"

The album's centerpiece, though, remains "You're Beautiful," a gushy anthem Blunt wrote after spotting an ex with a new boyfriend. He has no idea if she knows the song is about her, or that his heartbreak helped to make him a pop sensation. All he needed was a little life experience.

Source: East Bay Express

During the nineties, Richard Ashcroft fronted the superb Britpop group The Verve, peaking in 1997 with the release of the Beatle-esque Urban Hymns. The band split at the apex of their success and since then Ashcroft has struggled to regain his past critical and popular acclaim. Following his high profile appearance with Coldplay at the Hyde Park Live 8 concert, Ashcroft has rejoined them as their opening act while he tours in support of his third solo release, Keys To The World.

While in town for a pair of arena extravaganzas with Coldplay, Ashcroft detoured to the more intimate Webster Hall in New York City for a headlining show of his own.Taking the stage in a candy-cane colored striped shirt, Ashcroft offered a ninety-plus minute set consisting primarily of his solo material with beloved Verve tunes sprinkled throughout. The sold-out hall warmly received Ashcroft's solo material but saved their overwhelming enthusiasm for his Verve classics from Urban Hymns. In between songs, Ashcroft's excitement burst through as he spoke freely about enjoying his return to smaller halls, claiming that this is where rock and roll really lives. Not all of Ashcroft's interludes proved as informative: his rant on proceeding through American customs, which including a frisk of his infant child, rambled on without focus, failing to reach a coherent point.

After dedicating the song to his wife, Ashcroft offered an inspired "Lucky Man" but it was his seemingly spontaneous acoustic "Space And Time" that provided the evening's most stunning moment. Remaining alone on stage, Ashcroft accompanied himself on guitar providing an emotional rendition of his urban hymn creating a communal experience as the crowd came in startlingly strong on the choruses. Unfortunately, after concluding his jaw-dropping "Space And Time," Ashcroft followed it up with a rap-influenced interpretation of "Lonely Souls." Ashcroft's quirky dancing during his performance quickly replaced the image of "rock shaman" with that of a goofy "Napoleon Dynamite." Saving the best for last, Ashcroft closed the show with his crowning achievement, "Bittersweet Symphony."

The material from Keys To The World didn't disappoint but paled in comparison to Ashcroft's Verve material. Having played "Sonnet" earlier in the set made it much more pronounced that Ashcroft lifted the chorus' melody for his set closing version of "Words Just Get In The Away." Though enjoyable, "Break The Night With Colour" and "Keys To The World," standout tracks from Keys To The World failed to captivate. An intended heartfelt version of "New York" also fell flat.

Half John Lennon and half Andy Samberg, Ashcroft exudes a charismatic presence and couldn't be any more comfortable on stage. With his support dates with Coldplay concluding later this week, Ashcroft will return to England for series of solo dates, including a June appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival. Before starting his solo tour, Ashcroft will participate in England v. Germany: The Legends, a 90 minute charity soccer match alongside international athletes like soccer star Paul Gascoigne, Rugby World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio and boxer Nigel Benn. Former tennis great Boris Becker will captain the German squad. The May 3 match will take place at Madejski Stadium in Reading and ticket proceeds will go to the Red Cross and The Bobby Moore Fund.

A lawyer for Apple Computer Inc. today defended the right of the company to use the apple logo on its iTunes Music Store and in a series of TV advertisements for the Web site, despite objections from the Beatles' Apple Corps Ltd. recording label.

Apple Corps is suing Apple Computer in London's High Court, claiming that the U.S.-based computer company has broken a 1991 agreement in which each agreed not to enter into the others' field of business.

The British company, started by the Beatles in 1968, argues that Apple Computer has infringed its territory by entering into the music business, and is seeking to force Apple Computer to drop its apple logo from the iTunes Music Store and pay unspecified damages."We say that Apple Computer has been using the Apple mark in connection with musical content," said Geoffrey Vos, a lawyer for Apple Corps, as he gave his closing arguments Wednesday. "It uses those marks on its music store site at the point of sale of the music content ... it signs artists on its site in just the way a recrd company would."

Anthony Grabiner, a lawyer for Aple Computer, said today that advrtisemets featuring U2, Eminem and Coldplay were entitled to display the apple logo bcause they were prmoting the iTunes store and its downoad services and not the music itself.

"Viewers aren't ignorant peole, but ... have significant unerstanding of what pple Computer does and the object of the exercise, accepted by people watching, was to get the benefit of the download," Grabiner said during his closing arguments in the case.

Source: Various

UNTIL yesterday, nobody had even thought of redoubtable NSW Liberal Andrew Tink and glamorous Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow in the same universe, let alone in the same boudoir. But that all changed in parliament when Deputy Premier John Watkins made considerable play on reports Paltrow and husband Chris Martin, lead singer for Coldplay, had decided to call their new baby Tink as in Tinkerbell, from Peter Pan. According to Watkins it was fitting that the member for Epping, who will retire next year, should be remembered in this way. The jousting brought the popular Tink (NSW version) to his feet, insisting he had never been involved with Paltrow, nor even contributed to a sperm donor program. But he wished Tink (Paltrow/Martin version) well nevertheless.

Source: The Australian

Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher has turned to actress Gwyneth Paltrow for advice on how to combat the ghouls tormenting him and fiancee Nicole Appleton at their plush London home, according to reports.

Unexplained noises and chilling footsteps have unnerved the singer, and now the disappearance of several household objects has convinced him that his home is haunted. Paltrow employed the services of a Kabbalah priest to exorcise "bad energy" from the home she shares with Coldplay frontman husband Chris Martin, and it would seem as though Liam is prepared to go down a similar route.

A source told the Daily Star: "A week ago he lost his keys and then they turned up in a kitchen cupboard and no-one had moved them. And now two pans have gone missing. Sometimes he will hear sounds that don't make any sense. He is just asking Gwyneth what she did so he can follow suit."

More on this story here

Scotland's hospitality industry last night hit out at plans to target tourists by imposing a "green tax".

Tourism chiefs, the business community and environmental groups are considering introducing a £5 charge per person. Amid increasing concern about pollution from transport, the voluntary levy would allow "eco-friendly" tourists to offset carbon emissions generated in travelling here and support green projects, such as growing trees.

The approach has been popular with environmentally-conscious companies and rock bands such as Coldplay in an effort to become "carbon neutral".The charge would be added when booking holidays over the internet or on entrance to the country.

However, the British Hospitality Association Scotland yesterday warned that such red tape could harm the industry. VisitScotland and the World Wildlife Fund Scotland were among the organisations that considered the scheme at a recent meeting. Allan Rankin, chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Forum, said the industry needed to consider ways to appeal to environmentally-conscious tourists. "Consumers are increasingly taking their decisions on whether to buy or not on how seriously businesses - or countries - take their environmental responsibilities. So there some merit in looking into this."

But he warned that a mandatory fee could damage the industry: "A compulsory tax would not be the best option because of international competitiveness and Scotland is already seen as an expensive destination. We must be careful before we go anywhere near additional cost to the consumer."

VisitScotland said no decisions would be made until a feasibility study had been carried out. It is not clear how the voluntary scheme would operate. Suggestions include forms given out on airplanes, at bed-and-breakfasts or on tour buses. Dr Richard Dixon, director of WWF Scotland, said any charge would be under £5. "It would certainly not be something that would put you off coming to Scotland," he said.

"But something that might make you feel a bit better about coming to Scotland because you would feel your output would be offset."

However, Gavin Ellis, chairman of the British Hospitality Association Scotland, suggested the industry could be damaged by such measures. "While we are trying to grow tourism in Scotland by 50 per cent, another tax that gets in the way of obtaining that goal would not be helpful," he said.

Mr Ellis said the industry should be encouraging more recycling and green energy rather than considering taxes. "There are green issues like bio fuels that could be sped up. Tax only slows things down."

Jamie McGrigor, the Conservative spokesman for tourism, said it was up to the individual to decide to offset carbon emissions rather than being asked. "All it is going to do is to add yet more red tape to the tourism industry," he said. "It is intrusive to the tourism trade and the one thing the tourism trade cannot take any more of is regulations or any more tax. Tourism is our biggest industry in Scotland; we should be encouraging it, not putting people off."

A spokesman for the Scottish Executive said: "We are aware of the discussions, but they are at a very early stage. We would also be keen to stress that this is not a tax being proposed. However, sustainability is at the heart of the recent tourism strategy and we will monitor developments with interest."

Source: http://news.scotsman.com

The scene at London's Astoria was one of jubilation. But as Kylie Minogue walked backstage to the sound of rapturous applause, her broad smile swiftly crumpled, and within seconds she had dissolved into tears. Instantly a throng of concerned friends rushed to her side, aghast at this sudden change in her demeanour.

What was wrong? After 12 months of painstakingly slow recovery from breast cancer, had she stepped back into the limelight too soon? Was she, God forbid, feeling ill again?

Sources close to the star say that Kylie's decision to settle down in Paris with Olivier is one of the best she has ever made, a city where she now feels completely at home. On her 38th birthday three weeks ago, she received countless gifts from showbusiness chums such as Robbie Williams and Chris Martin, Coldplay's lead singer and the husband of Gwyneth Paltrow.

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Gwyneth Paltrow avoids going to Italy whenever possible because she claims something always bad happens to her when she does.

On her last trip, she flew to Venice for awards ceremony and her plane had to make an emergency landing: “The captain said there was a problem with the plane. All the on-board computers failed and we had to land. There were ambulances and fire trucks on the runway and I realised what a close call it had been.”

Before that though, it’s been a place for bad news: “I was there when I got the news that my grandfather had cancer, then I was shooting The Talented Mr Ripley over there and I heard my father was terminally ill. I went back for my [30th] birthday and my father died while I was in Rome. Lightning even struck my hotel one night. I don’t think Italy wants me there.”

Source: http://fametastic.co.uk

Watching the World Cup on television in Germany is, despite the pictures being the same, subtly different from watching back home. No Gabriel Clarke for a start.

The tournament, albeit in its infancy, is already bearing comparison to that held in 1950, but it is too early to discern whether this will have lasting significance. Not too early, however, to thank the thousands upon thousands of you who have, a colleague informs me, 'downloaded' my World Cup ditty 'England England Uber Alles'. It is still available at geoffreymortlake.co.uk for the next few days before matters take on an altogether more commercial footing.

Needless to say, others are jumping on my bandwagon including someone called Coldplay, who have launched a song based on Peter Crouch's dance. This strikes me as misguided because the man, described by Holtkamp as 'a three-metre stick of asparagus', revealed to me while we were queuing at a hotdog kiosk on his day off that his dancing days are over: 'I have no wish to be a national joke, Geoffrey.' 'That goes for the both of us, Crouchy.'

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And the knock-on effect from the event, also hailed a success by organisers Solo, artists, police and the IW Council, should add further millions in coming years.

More than 50,000 people attended the Seaclose Park festival, the fifth revived event, with police praising the behaviour of festival-goers. Artists were among those to declare the event a success.

Promoter John Giddings said: "Backstage, Chris Martin from Coldplay said the audience was phenomenal. He thought it was one of the band's best shows ever. Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters has also been on Radio One raving about the event.

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Musicians and politicians have called on Liverpool council to save one of the city's most important cultural centres by ploughing £250,000 into a takeover bid.

Small businesses based in the Parr Street complex have been served with eviction notices, including the celebrated 3345 private members club, and told they must leave by July 31 by rock star Phil Collins's company, which owns it.

The recording studios are the largest outside London and have attracted names such as Pulp, New Order and Coldplay.Last night, councillors on the Waterfront Neighbourhood Committee passed a motion calling for the council to hand over cash to help the consortium of tenants and local businesses buy the building.

Labour councillors have also sent an open letter to the council leader Warren Bradley and new chief executive Colin Hilton calling for them to intervene. The pension fund that officially owns the Parr Street building, which belongs to the ex-Genesis frontman and two other former band members, wanted to close the centre and turn the building into apartments. A business consortium led by singer Thomas Lang, who is behind the 3345 bar, tried to buy it, but the deal collapsed.

Owners Hit and Run then announced they were withdrawing the building from sale and the studios would remain open. But other businesses sharing the city centre site, including local design firms and music management companies, have been told to leave.

Cllr Steve Munby said: "How can we go forward to European Capital of Culture if we lose this? The council has a moral duty and a businesses and cultural incentive to protect Parr Street."

The consortium of tenants and local businesses has spent all year negotiating to buy the businesses for a price agreed in January. "Now they've jacked the price up to £1.6m and issued eviction notices to the tenants. We need to call their bluff. Liverpool Culture Company spent around a quarter of a million on a one-off event at the Royal Court. Surely they can find the same amount to save the Parr Street studio?"

Earlier this year, agents for the owners applied for planning permission to turn it into 47 apartments along with shop, office and leisure space but the planning application has been deferred.

No one from Hit and Run was available for comment last night.

Source: http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk

We hate to be the ones to tell you, but there's been a murder in the music industry.

OK, no one actually died. But it does appear TV killed the video star.

We started noticing this a few months back, when shows like Style Star and E! True Hollywood Story ran more than VideoFlow, but it wasn't until we set out to predict the winners of the 17th annual MuchMusic Video Awards (tomorrow at 8 p.m. on Much and City) that we realized we hadn't seen half the nominees.A quick RealPlayer sesh on the channel's site saved our humps in the educated-guess department. Not like anyone would know the difference -- the vids are a mere portion of tomorrow's show, which features Hollywood presenters Paris Hilton, Tori Spelling, Amanda Bynes and Jesse Metcalfe.

And who needs videos when you've got Paris? Who, in fact, just released a video of her own (yikes) -- a perfectly good reason (besides the $20,000 goodie bag) to actually show up at Toronto's informal little bash where Avril Lavigne's buttcrack is an annual staple.

Other presenters include Evanescence, Elisha Cuthbert and Tricia Helfer and Jay Manuel of Top Model fame; while Fall Out Boy, Rihanna, Nick Lachey and Nelly Furtado are on the performance roster.

Having seen so little of these noms, we called on the Sun's crystal ball for reinforcement. Here's what it told us:

Best Video

Nominees: Billy Talent, Devil in a Midnight Mass; Buck 65, Devil's Eyes; Kardinal Offishall f. Ray Robinson, Everyday (Rudebwoy); Nickelback, Photograph; The Trews, So She's Leaving.

Crystal ball says ... Billy Talent. These Toronto punk-rockers' quintuple-nominee has earned major props for production, but the eerie church setting, talkable topic (child molestation by a priest) and oh yes, the song make it mighty worthy of the coveted MMVA.

Best Pop Video

Nominees: Bedouin Soundclash, Shelter; City and Colour, Save Your Scissors; Hot Hot Heat, Middle of Nowhere; Kardinal Offishall f. Ray Robinson, Everyday (Rudebwoy); Massari, Be Easy.

Crystal ball says ... Massari. A sweet ride, belly dancers with extra jelly and a far-from-shabby-looking rapper -- this is the stuff teen dreams are made of.

Best Rock Video

Nominees: Billy Talent, Devil in a Midnight Mass; Hedley, On My Own; Nickelback, Photograph; Simple Plan, Crazy; The Trews, So She's Leaving.

Crystal ball says ... Billy Talent. Remember kids, the best rock video has to rock.

Best Rap Video

Nominees: Alias Donmillion, Dirty Dot; Classified, No Mistakes; JDiggz, Puush It Up; Jelleestone f. Nelly Furtado, Friendamine; Sweatshop Union, Try.

Crystal ball says ... Jelleestone f. Nelly Furtado. Indeed the bearded homeless man and dim-lit hospital room look something out of, well, every other rap vid -- but cutie-gone-hottie Furtado is the main draw anyway.

MuchMoreMusic Award

Nominees: Bedoin Soundclash, Shelter; Daniel Powter, Bad Day; Feist, Mushaboom; Michael Buble, Save the Last Dance For Me; Sam Roberts, The Gate.

Crystal ball says ... Feist. Obviously this is wishful forecasting, with Powter and Buble both having that heartthrob thing going for them.

Best International Video -- Artist

Nominees: James Blunt, You're Beautiful; Kanye West, Touch the Sky; Kanye West, Gold Digger; Kelly Clarkson, Behind Those Hazel Eyes; Madonna, Hung Up; Mariah Carey, Don't Forget About Us; Ne-Yo, So Sick; Pink, Stupid Girls; Rihanna, S.O.S. (Rescue Me); Sean Paul, Temperature.

Crystal ball says ... Kanye West. Kanye vs. Kanye? One of him's bound to win. All of the single-named divas are possible choices -- if you're OK with day-old goods (Rihanna aside).

Best International Video -- Group

Nominees: Angels and Airwaves, The Adventure; Fall Out Boy, Dance, Dance; Franz Ferdinand, Do You Want To; Green Day, Jesus of Suburbia; Green Day, Wake Me Up When September Ends; Panic! At the Disco, I Write Sins Not Tragedies; Pussycat Dolls f. Busta Rhymes, Don't Cha; Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dani California; All American Rejects, Dirty Little Secret; Black Eyed Peas, My Humps.

Crystal ball says ... Red Hot Chili Peppers. Pairing Blink 182 mockery with their own zany 'tude, these Cali funk vets mimic rock's many faces over the decades -- from the jukebox era to big hair, to Nirvana's '94 unplugged New York show -- in a charming way young up-and-comers must learn from.

People's Choice: Favourite International Group

Nominees: Coldplay, Speed of Sound; Fall Out Boy, Dance, Dance; Green Day, Wake Me Up When September Ends; Pussycat Dolls f. Busta Rhymes, Don't Cha; Black Eyed Peas, My Humps.

Crystal ball says ... Green Day. People love sap. They love it even more when it involves teen love shattered by war. No hump or studded lingerie can top that. We think.

People's Choice: Favourite International Artist

Nominees: James Blunt, You're Beautiful; Kelly Clarkson, Because of You; Kanye West, Gold Digger; Mariah Carey, Shake It Off; Rihanna, S.O.S. (Rescue Me).

Crystal ball says ... Rihanna. Hot hot hot. Shaking it ALL off wouldn't help Mariah here.

People's Choice: Favourite Canadian Group

Nominees: Hedley, 3 2 1; Nickelback, Photograph; Our Lady Peace, Angels Losing Sleep; Simple Plan, Crazy; Theory of a Deadman, Santa Monica.

Crystal ball says ... Hedley. As painful as it is to predict Canadian Idol alum Jacob Hoggard's troupe will take the prize, it's even more painful to imagine tired CanRock outfits (do we need to name names?) winning anything anymore.

People's Choice: Favourite Canadian Artist

Nominees: Bif Naked, Let Down; City and Colour, Save Your Scissors; Kardinal Offishall f. Ray Robinson, Everyday (Rudebwoy); Massari, Real Love; Sam Roberts, The Gate.

Crystal ball says ... Massari. Again this hurts, especially since Bif and Sam Roberts are in the same category. Maybe they'll just give it to C & C's Dallas Green so he'll stop crying.

Source: http://winnipegsun.com

The Poughkeepsie Journal reports that WPDH-FM Poughkeepsie Program Director Gary Cee was linked yesterday for a second time to New York state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s payola investigation into the radio and music industries. Cee's connection to the investigation is related to his former job at WLIR Long Island.

"I have never and would not ever make a deal for payola," said Cee, who worked at WLIR from 1991-2003, the last five years as the station's program director. "We just don't do that at WPDH and I didn't do that at WLIR."

One e-mail that Spitzer released yesterday is dated Jan. 14, 2003. It left out the names of the sender and recipient. The subject is "WLIR/Long Island in on Everclear." The text of the message reads: "Gary Cee is asking for some promotional support for this add and moving Coldplay to 5x/day ... he asked for $1,500 in tee shirts, I said there was no way, he then asked for $1,000 — I said I would check, lemme know what I can do ... cheers," Chuck Benfer, general manager for Cumulus Media in Poughkeepsie, had no comment regarding WLIR. But, he said, "We certainly have never done anything that we have to be worried about and Gary Cee has never done anything while working for us that we have to be worried about. We're completely above board and would never participate in any kind of pay-for-play scandal."

Benfer added, "Just because there was an e-mail about something doesn't mean there was payola going on."

Source: http://www.radioink.com

SHE loves England so much that Gwyneth Paltrow has decided to stay in the country for her summer holiday.

The American actress and renowned Anglophile has asked concierge company Quintessential to book a stately home for her, hubby Chris Martin and their children Apple and Moses to get away from it all.

Still, Gwyn hasn't turned her back on Hollywood excess completely - a helicopter will fly the family in and out of the grounds of the country retreat.

Source - Daily Mirror

As previously reported, The 17th Annual MuchMusic Video Awards airs globally for the 12th year on Sunday June 18th, with the number of televised international broadcasts growing to a record-breaking 65 countries across five continents. It's Canada's hottest awards show and red-carpet scene, star-packed and energized by thousands of screaming fans - airing live and direct from MuchMusic's famed street-front world headquarters in Toronto, Canada.

Once again the MMVAs delivers the best artists and celebrities from Canada and around the world. Plus, this year there's the addition of a very special international broadcast partner: the show will be seen by Canadian forces deployed in Europe, Africa and the Middle East - including Canadian troops stationed in Afghanistan - via Canadian Forces Radio and Television, operated by the Canadian Forces Personnel Support Agency.

Fans worldwide can get their buzz on beginning with the MMVAs '06 Red Carpet Arrivals Special. Then it's The 2006 MuchMusic Video Awards broadcast in HD / 5.1 Surround Sound (simulcast on 104.5 CHUM FM). In addition, fans can tune in to select CHUM Radio stations across Canada and www.icebergradio.com for exclusive MMVAs content detailed below.

EMI Group Plc, the world's third-largest music company, said on Thursday it has agreed to pay $3.75 million to settle charges by New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer that it made secret payments to radio stations in exchange for airplay.

The music company behind such artists as the Rolling Stones and Coldplay is the last of the big four music groups to settle with the Attorney General's office over allegations of pay-for- play practices, also known as payola, in the music industry.

EMI provided illegal "financial benefits to obtain airplay and boost the chart position of its artists by bribing radio station employees with concert tickets, video games and hotel and air fare expenses," according to a statement from Spitzer's office.EMI said it voluntarily adopted policies last year to prevent such practices and has been working with the attorney general to reinforce these policies.

Artists who benefited from the payola scheme, besides the Rolling Stones and Coldplay, included Norah Jones and the band Gorillaz, according to Spitzer's statement.

Other record companies have settled with the New York Attorney General in the last few months. Vivendi Universal's Universal Music Group agreed to pay $12 million, Sony BMG agreed to pay $10 million, while Warner Music Group Corp. settled for $5 million. EMI is the smallest of the four in terms of U.S. market share.

The Attorney General's office has been investigating pay- for-play practices for nearly two years in an investigation that has included record companies, radio station conglomerates and independent promoters.

"Our investigation is continuing to probe radio conglomerates participation in payola in the music industry," said Juanita Scarlett, spokeswoman for the Spitzer's office.

Spitzer, who is running for New York State governor this year, issued subpoenas to the radio conglomerates last year, including Clear Channel Communications Inc., Cox Radio Inc. and CBS Corp.'s CBS Radio.

In March, Spitzer filed a lawsuit against Entercom Communications Corp. accusing it of soliciting and accepting payments for airplay from record companies.

Source: Various

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif.--Record label EMI Music Publishing is talking to YouTube, Revver and other video upload sites about alliances that would help it monitor and curtail misuse of its copyrights--and loss of advertising or download sales--from unauthorized music videos that are posted to their sites.

"We're actively trying to strike relationships (with user-generated video sites) for the showing of our music videos," Thomas Ryan, EMI Music's senior vice president of digital and mobile strategy, said Wednesday here at the Piper Jaffray Global Internet Summit, a three-day confab of investors and Internet executives.

"It's our hope that those commercial relationships will help us remove infringing material that someone uploaded and we're not being compensated for," Ryan said during a panel discussion about online entertainment.Ryan said EMI is interested in protecting video produced by the label, or video produced by someone else but which infringes on its intellectual property--for example, someone lip-syncing a protected song or who has remixed a music video clip. One solution to the problem is digital tracking technology.

Reminiscent of the early days of Napster, record labels and music studios face new piracy challenges as video consumption explodes on the Internet and through digital devices such as Apple Computer's iPod. Many companies like EMI are trying to promote download sales of music videos, subscriptions and advertising-supported streaming of trailers, music videos and other promotional material.

But those goals can be diametrically opposed to emerging trends within sites like YouTube and Revver--which have thousands of young people uploading their own versions of videos for distribution, or are redistributing copies of their favorite music video without the permission of rights holders.

As part of its policy, YouTube prohibits anyone except legitimate rights holders, such as EMI, from uploading copyright content to its site. Despite that, such content does get posted illegally. As a result, Ryan said, a fingerprinting technology could be used to automate the process for detecting illegally uploaded material. Such marking technology has long been used to track illegally distributed MP3s in peer-to-peer networks.

Ryan pointed to fingerprinting technologies, designed to automatically identify and block transmission of digital-video files, such as those from Audible Magic or Snocap as possibilities.

However, there is a line between what could and could not be seen as infringement, according to Ryan. For example, a user-generated video of a fan lip-syncing a popular song may be viewed as harmless, or even helpful for promoting the band, among rights holders. But depending on the band, song and the nature of the video (if say, it contains racy material), the uploaded video might be taken down if the record label has its way.

Still, EMI is trying to take a progressive approach when it comes to video online, and not necessarily trying to stop the organic promotion of artists like Coldplay on sites and personal pages around the Web. Rather, the label is just concerned with protecting its own revenue stream, Ryan said.

To this end, EMI has struck deals with companies like Rhythm Media to stream music videos to mobile phones, with advertisements that appear before the video. It shares revenue on the ads, and Ryan said those test runs have been successful with viewers.

In recent weeks, it also teamed with a new service called Qtrax, an advertising-supported peer-to-peer network, which is slated to launch later this year. EMI will make its music catalog available on the peer-to-peer service in a bold move to embrace technology it once sought to disable for piracy.

With all such services, "our goal is to up-sell them," Ryan said. "This is a learning experience for us."

YouTube representatives were not immediately available for comment.

Source: Various

Pearl Jam's debut video was the first non-lipsynched MTV video ever, because they didn't go in for that phoney bullshit thank you very much.

To insist on this sort of thing BEFORE you're famous shows some conviction. This commitment to doing what they want without care for what's good for their career has largely been behind their mixed commercial fortunes since the mega-sales of their first two LPs in the early '90s. Recent albums have sounded indifferent.

Now it's 2006, they're all in their 40s and it's album #8. The long slow slide into obscurity and irrelevance must've really sunk in by now right? Fuck off. The fire is back. This is a cracker.

here

June 15 (Bloomberg) -- "Who is the man I see where I'm supposed to be?'' Keane singer Tom Chaplin asks on the track "Crystal Ball.''

Well, sometimes he's Bono, sometimes he's Thom Yorke of Radiohead, and sometimes he's the late, great Freddie Mercury. Most of the time, though, he's Coldplay's Chris Martin.

Keane's guitar-free debut album, "Hopes and Fears,'' blended Chaplin's soaring voice with metronomic piano riffs and pounding drums. In its second outing, "Under the Iron Sea,'' the band has borrowed some sonic tricks from its peers in the alternative rock space.

Read the full review here

Clear Channel has launched KPTL (Capital 106.3) in Des Moines, which will focus on triple-A as well as local Iowa acts. The station will target a 25-54 audience.

KDBR (the Bus), which previously occupied the 106.3 frequency, will move to a stronger signal at 100.3. The top 40 station known as "My 100" was dropped at the locale last month and until the flip to Capital, the Bus was being simulcast at 106.9 and 100.3.

"People who liked KFMG, and before that KDMG, would like this station," said CC Des Moines GM Joel McCrea, in an article in the Des Moines Register. "People who like the feel and the sound of National Public Radio are probably going to like this radio station." Acts will include U2, R.E.M., Norah Jones and Coldplay.KPTL will hire at least three on-air personalities and is developing such shows as "Studio C," "Freedom Rock" and "Iowa Music." Studio C will feature exclusive performances captured live in Clear Channel's new basement recording facilities in the city.

McCrea told the Register that the percentage of local music was unclear. "They have to be good," McCrea said. "We’re not anti-local artists, we just want it to be pretty darn good and pretty mass appeal."

Source: http://billboardradiomonitor.com

Gwyneth Paltrow is already planning an acting career for her daughter Apple, even though the tot is only two!

The Oscar-winner insists she will support her children, Apple, and Moses, three months, in whatever life they choose, but admits she already sees a career on the stage or silver screen for her eldest child.

The Proof beauty says, "My daughter can be quite dramatic. So I think there is a chance that she'll do something like that (acting) - but I'll support her whatever she wants to do."

Source - www.itv.com