Check out a brand new Coldplaying LP5 blog entry: #42 finally snaps

Discuss this blog entry in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks Corkus]

Well, well, well, a lot has happened in my absence, hasn't it? With all your ever-growing impatience and pestering of the Coldplay.com crew, Anchorman has just checked into rehab and the Oracle is currently on her way to the "loony bin". As for myself and the rest of the roadies? We've been watching the value of the Euro drop as a measure of self-esteem, considering how it's somehow less depressing than dealing with the lot of you readers.

Chris Martin infamously once said that Coldplay fans are among the best fans in the world. Let me tell you something - in case you haven't yet noticed, Chris says a lot of things. His claim that Coldplay fans are so unimaginably awesome is about as full of shit as his claim that he doesn't like playing footsies with Jonny Buckland. Ever since my last blog, I have been bombarded with e-mails along the lines of "POST A NEW BLOG #42" or "RELEASE WEDDING BELLS" or "#42 HAVE #69 WITH ME". I'm looking at you, Coldplaying.com. Well, I'm here today to tell you that I have had it...

In addition, I'm sick of the persona "Roadie #42". Sure, it was fun being the answer to life, the universe, and everything, but I started freaking out whenever I saw the number 42, which gave me an uncomfortable urge to post about it somewhere online. As of this day, I shall hereby be known as "Roadie #43". It's still the answer to life, the universe, and everything, except it's plus one! Take that, Douglas Adams!

How have things been going in the studio, you ask? Well, if you recall, last time I blogged about a solar system project. Chris, of course, thought the Styrofoam planets were giant malt balls, so he ate them. Likewise, this has inspired many unique, experimental sounds inspired by the digestive system. Our genius at work - Brian Eno - has been carefully studying the sounds that Chris's digestive tract makes and has been attempting to replicate them in a way that will usher in a new era of musical enlightenment.

We tried taking pictures of Mr. Will Champion playing chess while pretending to look productive, but he warned me that if I were to take any more stupid pictures, he would shove my camera up my right nostril. This made Guy laugh, which insulted Will further. I told the two to take it to a bar. As far as I'm concerned, Mr. Berryman has not been seen since. That leaves just myself and Jonny, and Jonny doesn't let me talk about him behind his back ever since I stumbled upon his scandalous high school year book.

Well, that should hopefully appease you imbeciles until next time, even though it clearly won't, which is why I ask myself why I even bother. Sayonara.

R#43

Howzat for generosity? Coldplay have emerged as unlikely sponsors for small Gloucestershire village cricket side Slaughters Utd, writes The Sun in the last 24 hours. Bass player Guy Berryman has offered to fork out for new whites and kit for the club.

The band are all keen players. Frontman Chris Martin even used to play for another Gloucestershire side, Great Rissington. A delighted insider at the club said: "It's knocked us for six. Never in a million years did we think we'd have connections with one of the world's biggest bands. We heard Guy had invested some money in Stow Rugby Club so we wrote him a letter asking if he'd like to help us out too. He replied that he would happily provide kits. Chris is a decent player. We'd love to have him come down for a bat one day."

More discussion on this story is at the Coldplay forum now.

What is it with April 14th and baby talk? Exactly one year ago we reported that Chris Martin might have to start thinking about changing nappies/daipers in the middle of the Viva tour after The Sun reported that Gwyneth Paltrow planned to have another baby.

Well, fast forward exactly 365 days (no leap year this time) to April 14th 2010 and exactly the same headlines are being written. Despite revealing her baby blues torment after the birth of her second baby Moses, it seems that it hasn’t put Gwyneth Paltrow off the idea of expanding her family.

The actress - who has two children with Chris Martin - is apparently desperate to have another baby. However, Martin thinks it’s the wrong time to add to their family — because they’re both so busy with their careers. "She really thinks it will bring the whole family closer together," a source told Britain’s Star magazine.

The source continued: "They are a passionate couple… and having another baby would give them both something to look forward to. Chris is trying to figure out where to go next with his career, while Gwyneth is promoting her new film, Iron Man 2, and is in the process of making another one. Chris thinks the timing may be all wrong for her to get pregnant. Gwyneth loves the whole process of being pregnant and giving birth. It’s very spiritual for her and she loves nothing more than motherhood, and being with Chris and the kids."

Plenty more discussion on this in the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks melanieau & BerrymanGirl1]

New pictures: Chris Martin takes a stroll in London (24 March 2010):

Gwyneth Paltrow enlisted the help of her husband Chris Martin when she had to learn to play guitar in her new movie, Contact Music write today. The actress plays an alcoholic country singer in her forthcoming movie 'Love Don't Let Me Down' and admits she was "embarrassed" when she asked Coldplay frontman Chris Martin - with who she has a five-year-old daughter Apple and four-year-old son Moses - to help her master the instrument.

She said: "He was so helpful, so sweet and encouraging. I mean, it's embarrassing to be playing in front of your husband, especially when he's in one of the world's most successful bands. He is so great because he's so supportive of me as an artist. I really lucked out with him. He's deeply lovely and special."

The 37-year-old star gave up exercising and relaxed her strict diet regime when making the movie in Nashville, and admits her figure has suffered as a result of the calorific treats she ate. She added to America's Harper's Bazaar magazine: "I was so bad with the food and alcohol in Nashville. "If you saw me naked now compared to what I looked like when I did 'Iron Man 2', when I was exercising every day... I'll get it back together, but I have never eaten so much fried food and white flour in my life, ever."

And speaking of the family, Gwyneth Paltrow had "no maternal feelings" for her son Moses when he was born, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The actress admits she felt like a "robot" in the weeks after giving birth to her youngest child - who turned four yesterday - but refused to admit there was a problem until her husband, Coldplay singer Chris Martin, asked her about it.

She said: "At my lowest, I was a robot. I just didn't feel anything. I had no maternal feelings for him - it was awful. I had no thoughts of harming him, thank God, but I couldn't connect, and still, when I look pictures of him at three months old, I don't remember that time. My problem was that I never acknowledged anything was wrong. I just carried on as normal, and I just felt crazy. It was Chris, actually, who said out loud that something was wrong. And that was such a relief when he did because it was confirmation that it wasn't just me."

New pictures: Chris Martin takes a stroll in London (24 March 2010):

For some reason, April 1 seems to be the day some of the biggest acts on the planet decide to make some of the strangest announcements ever, writes MTV today. Why, just last year, Kid Rock made it known that he had acquired the naming rights to the Detroit Tigers' stadium, Coldplay revealed plans to record an album in zero gravity and Trent Reznor unveiled his Timbaland-produced Strobelight project. Oh yeah, and Björk proclaimed that she was going to be fronting Led Zeppelin, with a full tour booked for the summer (whatever happened to that tour, anyway?).

So it should come as no surprise that this year is no different, with some of your favorite acts announcing plans for exclusive fragrances, majestic tours and upcoming (and thoroughly wonderous) film projects. Most notably, our very own Coldplay took to their official site to unveil Angst, a custom fragrance made of "sangre, sudor and lágrimas" (in other words, blood, sweat and tears) and packaged in a "Brian Eno-designed bottle." They also revealed the ad campaign for the scent, featuring an image of shirtless-yet-pensive guitarist Jonny Buckland. You guys must've bought this stuff in your droves...

"This is something we've wanted to do for a long time," frontman Chris Martin says on the site. "People like to smell nice and we thought we could help them out."

The band were quick to point out that all ingredients in Angst "have been sourced from FairTrade suppliers," so you can feel good about buying yourself a bottle or two. The fragrance is currently available through the band's online merch site for the low price of £42 — although at present, it curiously was sold out.

Liam Gallagher explained his recent comments about U2 and Coldplay's dress sense in a recent interview with New York radio station RXP and he joked they should go out and buy his own clothing range Pretty Green, which he is currently promoting in the US. [More on this at the Coldplay forum here onwards.]

"I've met Bono before and he's a geeser but someone asked me about fashion and you can see a lot of bands are styled like Coldplay and you know they don't buy their own clothes and you should, you should buy Pretty Green. He added: "Coldplay are alright but they don’t do it for me that much, they're not rock 'n' roll enough man. They live all around the corner from me so I don’t want to say too much in case they come round and give me a paper cut."

In case you missed it, you can recap a few verbal volleys that the Gallagher brothers kicked in Coldplay's direction over the years, which have included references to their clothes, drugs, music, environment, and plantpots... click here to reminisce!

New pictures: Chris Martin takes a stroll in London (24 March 2010):

It's no surprise that Kasabian's frontman Tom Meighan is particularly outspoken, given the swagger with which he and his band perform, according to Spinner today. Some might mistake this for arrogance.

He's now spoken out against Chris Martin and Coldplay and, surprise surprise, the criticism is essentially that they're pretty dull. (Never have guessed, eh!). He told Q Magazine, "Chris Martin is all right if you're 35 and feeling sad that your mortgage repayments have gone up."

Surely this is something infinitely more hurtful to 35-year-olds whose mortgage repayments have gone up than to Chris Martin?

The quotes are taken from an interview with the magazine, who have just named their 'Greatest Frontmen Of All Time.' Former Oasis lead singer Liam Gallagher took the readers' accolade, ahead of U2's Bono, Queen's Freddie Mercury, bitter rivals Blur's Damon Albarn and the aforementioned Chris Martin. Meighan [pictured] just made it into the Top 20, at number 19. Of Gallagher, he said, "Liam is the voice you want if you're feeling young and free and up for anything. In terms of honesty, looks and attitude there's no one left."

Which just leaves it up to our Liam himself to have his say on the matter, who took no sides in the big debate for best frontman. He said: "There is Elvis and me. I couldn't say which of the two is best."

He also said his choice for greatest lead man would be his brother, Noel, who last night played his first solo show. We're not sure at which point during the interview Liam stopped being serious.

London: Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband, Coldplay singer Chris Martin, have offended their neighbours with their security plans. The 37-year-old actress and Martin, 32, have become embroiled in a dispute with their neighbors in North London over plans to erect a huge metal fence at the bottom of their garden, reports the Telegraph.

The couple has submitted plans to Camden council for a 10-ft barrier to divide the garden of the house that they bought from actress Kate Winslet and her husband, Sam Mendes, for £2.5million in 2004 from that of their neighbours. Paltrow and Martin say that they need the fortification, which will replace a smaller wooden fence on top of a brick wall, for security.

However, one neighbour in Belsize Park, who refused to be named, said, "It's rather over the top. Who cares who he is? You can't get round the side of the houses and into the gar­dens anyway. Other houses in the street are as much at risk of opportunist burglaries as his is. We don't ask for huge fences between our homes," the neighbour added.

More on this story is at the Coldplay forum now.

Chris Martin attends premiere of Mat Whitecross film 'Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll' (6th January 2010):

Chris Martin enjoyed some 'Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll' in the week, as he was pictured attending the premiere of the new film by director Mat Whitecross in Islington, central London. Whitecross is better known in Coldplay circles for directing the videos for Bigger Stronger, Violet Hill (Dancing Politicians), Lost!, Lost+ and Lovers In Japan. Here's how the Sun reported the screening:

Andy Serkis turns in an awe-inspiring performance as Ian Dury in new biopic Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, out today. I was treated to a sneak preview along with Dury's ex-wife and kids, which meant there were lots of tears and laughter during the screening.

Sitting behind me at the Screen On The Green cinema in Islington, North London, was Coldplay's Chris Martin. He was college pals with the director Mat Whitecross, who has directed many of the band's videos...

The film is a moving tribute to Dury, who caught polio as a lad. It left him paralysed and forced him to wear leg braces. He went on to form The Blockheads and write classics such as Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick and Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3. The film does not flinch from showing Dury's less pleasant side. He was notoriously rude and foul-mouthed and horrible to bandmates and family. But Ian's musical talent, humour and big heart overshadow his less savoury side. Serkis, best-known for playing Gollum in The Lord Of The Rings, captures his mannerisms perfectly. The killer line is when his son comes home from school after being taunted for being "posh". Ian fumes: "We're not posh. We're arts and crafts."

My only criticism is the film juggles time all over the place and sometimes it throws you. But it's worth seeing for Andy's performance - and to hear the tunes loud.

More discussion on this is at the Coldplay forums and pictures at the Coldplaying Gallery now [thanks mimixxx]

Public Image Ltd member John Lydon has labelled music from bands like Coldplay and Radiohead "tosh", according to BBC6 Music News today. The newly regrouped post-punk pioneers PiL kick off their UK tour tonight (15 Dec) at the O2 Academy, Birmingham.

Lydon may live in LA now, but he reckons the UK needs his band and his honesty, more than ever: "Coldplay and Radiohead bug the hell out of me because it’s so soulless. It just seems pointless. It’s nice, but it’s tosh. I’ve been out of this country for a few years and you seriously do need me back here to tell you what’s what," he explained.

"That’s not me being awfully grandiose about it, but you need to get some sensibility together here. That grandiose idiocy."

John Lydon, also known as The Sex Pistols' frontman Johnny Rotten slammed Coldplay back in 2008 for creating boring music - insisting he felt sorry for fans who pay to see the "humourless" group perform live. Lydon, is convinced the Coldplay take themselves too seriously - and is adamant their music suffers as a result.

He says, "I pity the poor bastards who have to watch them. They are utterly humourless. I met them a few years ago, said hello and realised they were just men in anoraks. They looked like a gang of little poncy masturbators. There is no fun, they don't offer joy. Their music has a couple of quite nice tones here and there but it's a box of tosh (rubbish) sold to slightly inadequate, half-baked people."

A 27-year-old man from Stockholm who claimed he was a famous rock star managed to swindle nearly 250,000 kronor ($36,300) from unsuspecting victims, reports The Local, a Swedish online news agency. The man operated in the Swedish capital, as well as in Gothenburg and Nyköping, between March and October of this year, the Metro newspaper reports.

Using flawless English, the man would present himself as an international pop star. Sometimes he claimed to be a member of Coldplay [Chris Martin pictured] or the German Eurodance group Culture Beat. His most common ruse, however, involved posing as Belgian singer songwriter Milow, whose 2008 cover of “Ayo Technology” reached number one in Sweden.

The 27-year-old then convinced his star-struck victims to make withdrawals from a cash machine and hand him the money, claiming he needed to exchange US dollars.

But just after receiving the cash, the make-believe Milow would say he had to rush off to an interview, promising to compensate his victims with concert tickets and invitations to exclusive parties if they came by his hotel to speak with his “manager”. According to Metro, some of the more than 25 victims gave the pop star impostor as much as 15,000 kronor.

“He had a very great talent for convincing people and got them to believe everything he said,” prosecutor Andreas Nyberg told the newspaper. “Some actually invited him to their homes.”

One of the man’s victims, who lost 13,000 kronor, described the 27-year-old as “well-spoken and trustworthy”. “I never suspected a thing,” he told Metro. But the 27-year-old’s time at the top of the charts came to an abrupt end when he was caught at Stockholm’s central train station in November. He has since been sentenced to 21 months in prison for aggravated fraud and robbery.

LONDON: X Factor mentor Dannii Minogue has revealed that she wants Coldplay frontman Chris Martin to perform with Stacey Solomon in the final. Last year, the final three contestants were joined on stage by superstars, with winner Alexandra Burke getting the chance to sing with her idol Beyonce.

Simon Cowell has reportedly raised the bar this series, by convincing Paul McCartney to duet with one of the hopefuls. And it sounds like Dannii is already planning Stacey’s victory, by telling the Dagenham girl’s fans over Twitter that she wants to get Chris on board. When discussing Stacey’s performance in the final, Dannii wrote: “Chris Martin and Stacey duet would be incredible.”

More discussion on this article is here at the Coldplay forum now. [thanks Hogy]

Recently Stacey Soloman was made up to receive a special delivery from Coldplay. The singer - nicknamed Dagenham Stace - was said to be ecstatic when she received a personalised signed disc from frontman Chris Martin and the rest of the band. It read: "We love watching you on TV. Your singing is great and you're very lovely, Coldplay x." See the photo below. Stacey sang Coldplay's track The Scientist in week one of the live finals and received praise from all four of the judges. A source backstage said: "Stacey was over the moon with the present and was quivering with excitement. She literally couldn't believe it. Dannii's thrilled that the band namechecked Stacey, too." [thanks mimixxx]

Simon Pegg has been talking exclusively to the Mirror, in an interview in which he discusses his friendship with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. Below is the excerpt from the interview, which you can read in its entirity at the Mirror online website now, and discuss it at the Coldplay forums here [thanks mimixxx]

He is a lot more cool though about his A list friends Gwyneth and Chris ‘Coldplay’ Martin. Simon’s wife Maureen was a music PR when they met at a gig at the Dome. Chris had seen Simon’s 1989 show Big Train and they got talking. "My wife worked in the music industry looking after Toploader who were doing a showcase at the Dome, one of the other bands was Coldplay,” he said. "I met Chris afterwards. He had seen Big Train that I had out. He came up to say ‘hi’, we hit it off and became friends. It’s been wonderful."

When asked why they chose him as godfather to daughter Apple he would only speculate "because I’m steadfast and courageous".

Here's what Coldplay's Roadie #42 blogged when Simon Pegg joined Coldplay on stage at London's O2 Arena back in December 2008:

This feel spreads further than the simple fact that much of the touring party is based here in London. The show itself has a family vibe through and through. The opening acts on all three nights have deep friendships and history with the band stretching way back. Having friends and family about them even extends to a guest appearance from Mr Simon Pegg. The man is obviously a star in his own right, but when you see the band beaming from ear to ear and cracking up as he adds harmonica to the C-Stage, you can see that he's here primarily because he's their mate.

His contribution on night one is solid, although it's clear the fact that he's standing in the spotlight in front of 18,000 people hasn't escaped his notice. The second night, he's positively on fire and appears to be loving every minute of it. By the third night he pretty much owns the place. Top fella.

Recently, to celebrate the show's 20th season, there was a contest to create a new character for The Simpsons. Well, the winner has been announced as Peggy Black of Orange, Conn., and the character is Ricardo Bomba, who is quite the ladies' man.

"Rrrri-carrr-do Bomba," Black said, extravagantly rolling the "R's" in Spanish-language fashion. "He's someone that all the women love and all the men want to be."

Bomba will be introduced in the episode featuring guest star Chris Martin of Coldplay. The episode had been mostly completed, with a spot reserved for the contest character. In "Million Dollar Maybe," Homer Simpson is rushing to meet Marge for a date when he encounters Bomba in the episode that centers on a winning lottery ticket.

As recently announced online Coldplay has been announced as special guests on the 20th anniversary episode of The Simpsons. According to Coldplay.com, the episode will air on January 14th, 2010. An earlier report by RollingStone.com suggested that in the episode, Homer Simpson hires the band to play privately for him and Bart after he wins the lottery -- with the band having to stop their performance while Bart goes to the bathroom.

Coldplay as they will appear in the Simpsons episode, to air in January 2010

It's possible Bomba could appear again, said executive producer Al Jean, who helped judge the contest. He described the contest, part of the show's celebration of its 20th year, as a thank you to loyal fans. Black, who counts herself among them, was encouraged to enter by Dwight Vann, 42, a colleague at the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven, Conn., where she is operations manager for the cancer center and a radiation therapist. Her favorite character is Bart Simpson, she said, "because he's such a bad boy. He's so misunderstood."

In pondering her contest entry, Black decided there was a void on "The Simpsons" and that Springfield needed "something like a Casanova," she said. Bomba, a handsome, smooth-talking South American nicknamed "La Bomba," works at the town's nuclear power plant by day and "by night, works Springfield's singles scene," as Fox describes him.

So is Bomba the man of her dreams? "I'm married to the man of my dreams," Black replied. She'd bounced ideas for her creation off co-worker Vann, and then rewarded him when she won the grand prize of a trip to Los Angeles to work with the show's producers: She invited Vann to join her. A highlight of the visit was watching Bomba brought to life by animators. "I described the character and they drew him so I could see if that was my vision of him," she said. "It's amazing to see how they captured what I imagined. He's over the top."

Black, who's still marveling at her sudden brush with Hollywood success, brushes away a question about the lack of a cash prize. "I'm going to be immortalized forever by making a `Simpsons' character," she said.

If you were the guitarist in Coldplay, who would you book to play at your wedding? Maybe you'd try asking your frontman Chris Martin if he'd perform a solo set, or rope in a celebrity pal like Jay-Z or Beyonce.

But not Jonny Buckland, who is so down-to-earth he instead plumped for Daniel Pierce, writes the Sun today, as he wed his longterm girlfriend, jewellery maker Chloe Lee-Evans, in front of close family and friends in London on Saturday. Buckland and his new wife already have a two-year-old daughter, Violet.

Daniel Pierce, or as he's better known, the one with the mohawk from X Factor used to be in Popstars: The Rivals reality band One True Voice. Since getting the boot from this year's X Factor Daniel has fronted a covers band at weddings, bar mitzvahs and other events...

And, apparently, they're actually pretty good. A guest at Jonny's wedding to long-term girlfriend Chloe on Saturday said: "It was a shock when we saw who was doing the music. I couldn't believe that the guitarist in the world's biggest band would hire someone from X Factor and Popstars: The Rivals to perform covers. Daniel was really good though. He had everyone up dancing. It was a great day. Jonny said he'd booked the band but had no idea who would be fronting it."

Coldplay have a long-held fascination with X Factor and have regularly said they like the show. Only last weekend they sent contestant Stacey Solomon a signed poster and a hand- written note wishing her all the best.

Jonny is one of the nicest fellas I've met in the music business. His wedding was typical of him, a low-key affair with only close family and friends invited and no glossy magazine deal or hangers-on. His Coldplay bandmates - Chris, Guy and Will were there. He did allow himself one excess though - booking London's plush One Marylebone venue for the bash. It costs around £30,000 to hire. The guest added: "They had obviously spent a lot of money and it looked really romantic with all the high ceilings and the flowers decorating it."

At least he saved a bit on the entertainment...

Take That's Mark Owen married long-time girlfriend Emma Ferguson yesterday, and they led their small group of guests - including Mark's bandmates Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Jason Orange, Coldplay singer Chris Martin and his wife Gwyneth Paltrow and former Take That member Robbie Williams - to a lavish UK reception at nearby Cawdor Castle.

The Take That singer couldn't stop smiling throughout the candlelit ceremony at Cawdor Church in the Scottish Highlands. Emma, 33, kept the 37-year-old star waiting at the altar for more than 30 minutes. When she finally arrived, dressed in a white lace gown and flanked by two bridesmaids, she was cheered on by hundreds of fans who had gathered outside the tiny chapel. After the ceremony, the happy couple emerged to greet fans, showing off their rings under a shower of red rose petals.

Mark and Emma have been engaged since 2006, and have two children together, Elwood, three, and one-year-old Willow.

The group did everything possible to keep their arrival on a 17-seater Lear jet a secret. After landing, the band headed to a luxury accommodation six miles away at Cawdor Castle, near Nairn. “They tried their best to keep their visit low-key. Mark wants to keep this wedding very private and away from public eyes. However, it is the worst-kept secret in the world,” the Sun quoted a source as saying.

Photos of Chris Martin at the 2009 Bridge School Benefit in Mountain View, CA (25th October 2009):

Pictures by Caroline_Was_Here

If you haven't already heard on the messageboard, the makers of The Simpsons have announced they're "tired and, frankly, too rich to care any more" about creating new characters for the award-winning cartoon. So they've asked their fans to do it for them.

The television show's website - thesimpsons.com - is giving viewers one week to come up with a name, catchphrase and description of a new character to be written into an episode to air in January 2010.

Coldplay's Chris Martin will feature in the same episode, in which Homer will disappoint his wife Marge by arriving late to a wedding after stopping to buy a lottery ticket. Executive producer Al Jean told the BBC the character had the potential to be written into further episodes. The competition winner, to be announced mid-November, will travel to Los Angeles to work with producers and the animation director. [thanks mimixxx]

''You'll have the satisfaction of creating a character seen by millions. And we'll have the satisfaction of not having to do our jobs,'' the website reads. Jean said submissions should be ''pithy and funny'' with a ''typical Simpsons overbite''.

As recently announced online Coldplay has been announced as special guests on the 20th anniversary episode of The Simpsons. According to Coldplay.com, the episode will air on January 14th, 2010. An earlier report by RollingStone.com suggested that in the episode, Homer Simpson hires the band to play privately for him and Bart after he wins the lottery -- with the band having to stop their performance while Bart goes to the bathroom.

Previous musical acts that have made guest appearances on the long-running series include U2, three of the Beatles, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aerosmith, the White Stripes, the Smashing Pumpkins, Blink-182, the Who and the late Michael Jackson, while Green Day was heavily featured in the Simpsons movie a few years back.

Coldplay as they will appear in the Simpsons episode, to air in January 2010

Meanwhile, Cartoon character Homer Simpson will soon be turned to an icon inspiring the British to fight obesity. The Department of Health has decided to promote the beer-loving, doughnut-munching idler as the new face of healthy eating. The 'DoH' will be sponsoring episodes of the hit show to make Brits improve their diet. The central characters in the show-Homer, Bart, Marge and the rest of the cartoon family-will apparently be seen sitting on the sofa with junk food placed in front of them, at the start of each episode. Next, the food vanishes and gets replaced by nutritious fruit and vegetables.

The Government’s Change4Life health campaign has invested 640,000 pounds for the ads to be telecast on Channel 4 till Christmas. "They provide a popular and engaging way to get the message to real-life families," the Sun quoted Public Health Minister Gillian Merron as saying. "It is good that health is associated with something irreverent and fun instead of po-faced and worthy,” said Professor Gerard Hastings, director of the Institute for Social Marketing at Stirling University. It’s not what is said but who says it that matters and the fact that Homer and Bart Simpson are implicitly endorsing this message is really important. We all have a bit of the beer and doughnuts persona in us and, within reason, that’s fine. It’s about balance and moderation,” Hastings added.

More photos of Coldplay at Wembley stadium, London, UK (19th September 2009):

Photos by Kimgan

Coldplaying Christmas 2009: Secret Santa - add your name to the list!

They've spent hardly any time together recently as the demands of Coldplay's tour and Gwyneth Paltrow's filming schedule have taken them all over the globe. But Now Magazine understands there's a chance of another addition to the family for Gwyneth and Chris Martin, 32.

"Gwyneth's health-conscious at the best of times, but she's been taking the same vitamins she took before she had Apple [five] and Moses [three]," says a source. "The timing would suit her because she's dreading the promotion she'll have to do in the coming months for Iron Man 2. Chris has been busy touring with Coldplay for months, but he's finally getting a break and they'd still love another brother or sister for their two children."

The filming of Iron Man 2 was dogged by speculation that Gwyneth, 37, didn't get on with her co-stars, especially Scarlett Johansson who was treated as the sex symbol of the movie. Gwyn admitted she'd ‘signed in blood' to do the films and that it was a struggle to return to acting after a break to raise the kids.

"It was a real blessing for me to get to have time off and have children and there was really a point where I thought: I don't know if I want to do this any more," she confessed. Fuelling the baby speculation, she and Chris have recently had work done on their home, suspected to include a new nursery.

Win a festival-themed radio show for Coldplaying! Vote for David Sheppard (coldplaying.com) in Absolute Radio Live Stories FINAL now!

Vote for David Sheppard (coldplaying.com) at http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/music/live/stories/final.html (absolutely no registration required!)

Coldplaying.com has made it to the final of Absolute Radio's Live Stories competition where the prize up for grabs is a special live festival-themed radio show for Coldplaying on Absolute Radio with songs hand picked by you, the Coldplayers! We are voting for David Shepperd and his excellent review of U2 at Wembley last month. So grab some Coldplay Karma and please cast your vote for David Sheppard (coldplaying.com) at http://www.absoluteradio.co.uk/livestories now! (no registration required). Voting ends on Friday 2nd October, so you have only a few days to gather your Coldplay friends and make those votes count! Please help spread the word about this competition, tell people to vote Coldplaying and help win a radio show for everyone associated with Coldplay!

Jay-Z loves hanging out with Coldplay singer Chris Martin and his family. The rapper, 39, thinks his children Apple, 5, and Moses, 3, are great. 'I love Chris’ wife [Gwyneth Paltrow]’ he admits. ‘And his kids call me “Uncle Jay”, and I really appreciate that.’

Jay-Z met Chris at a charity event in 2003, and they immediately bonded. ‘We clicked right away and it was like we were instant best friends,’ Jay-Z tells the Sunday Times magazine. ‘He is a fantastic person, very passionate about what he does, and also very analytical and intelligent.’

Jay-Z will support Coldplay when their UK tour kicks off next month. Meanwhile, Jay-Z reignited his feud with Noel Gallagher by singing about him on his latest track. The pair fell out when the Oasis guitarist criticised the decision to have the rapper headline Glastonbury in June.

Jay-Z retorted by beginning his set at the festival with the band's 1995 hit Wonderwall. And in the lyrics of Jockin’ Jay-Z, which has been produced by Kanye West, 31, the hip hop legend has another swipe at Noel, 41. ‘That bloke from Oasis said I couldn’t play guitar/ Someone shoulda told him I’m a muthafucka rock star/ Today is gonna be the day that I’m gonna throw it back to you/ I’m living life as a rocker,’ he sings.

More new pictures of Coldplay at Esprit Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany (27th August 2009):

Pictures by Larry @ Coldplaying

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Gwyneth Paltrow has been branded the Yoko Oko of Coldplay — because she’s trying to convince her husband Chris Martin to leave the band and go solo, writes ShowbizSpy and Betty Confidential online tonight.

The actress apparently feels her hubby will do better on his own. "Gwyneth has outright told Chris that he should consider going solo," a source told Betty Confidential. "She is busy doing all of her projects and she wants him to diversify as well. She doesn’t have a problem with Coldplay, but she wants Chris to think about trying a solo album just to see if he likes it. “When Gwyneth mentioned it, Chris was furious. He loves the band and he has no desire to change things right now. Chris basically ignored her and walked away.”

In 2004, Paltrow said, "People ask if I will sing with the band or do a duet, but always in front of my mind is the Yoko effect. I don’t want to be known as the girl who split up Coldplay."

More discussion on this breaking article at the Coldplay forum here here onwards.

You may remember back in June when Chris Martin ruled out launching a solo career. He insisted that he is committed to remaining in Coldplay and would only release a solo record under exceptional circumstances. "It would probably mean I've been dumped by my wife and I desperately need the money," he told The Sun. "Hell would not only have to freeze over but be skated over and completely closed up. The Pope would have to declare it didn't even exist. I cannot think of anything worse."

Martin confirmed that he has already started working on the group's fifth studio album, but has found time to enjoy himself too. "The main thing I do on tour is write, then go watch The Wire," he said. "Maybe it's because I'm about to turn 33, but I just feel hungry to write all the time. I think the next album will be quite stripped down and based upon a story idea."

Coldplay were recently reported to be experimenting with a jazz and rave sound for their next record. Meanwhile, Lionel Richie says Coldplay are the act he would most like to collaborate with. The 'Dancing on the Ceiling' hitmaker says he is a massive fan of Chris Martin's band and they are top of his collaboration wish-list. He said: "I love Coldplay. Those are the guys I would most like to do something with."

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It was a stellar night at Zuma restaurant last night, with dinner guests including Shane Warne, Brandon Flowers and Ronnie Vannucci from The Killers, and Chelsea's Michael Ballack. But one fellow among all the A-listers was trying hard to avoid the limelight, writes The Sun & This Is London.

The mystery man scurried from the Knightsbridge restaurant into the back of a cab — hiding his face the entire time. Actually, with that military-style cap, jacket and trousers, and the designer facial hair, we could be forgiven for thinking that it was none other than Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.

The stadia-filling trio must have had plenty to chat about in between bites of sushi as they reflected on another back balance-inflating year for each band.

Let's hope they all meet up again soon. Preferably in a studio.

Read all about it and see photos at the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks mimixxx]

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Madonna has done it and Jamie Oliver too. Now Gwyneth Paltrow and her husband Chris Martin have become the latest celebrities to spread out into the house next door. After snapping up the property adjoining their London home, the couple are to create a £7million superhouse with 33 rooms, the Daily Mail are reporting this weekend.

Work began last week with builders putting up scaffolding and removing windows. Martin, 32, bought the couple's current home for £2.5million from Kate Winslet in 2004. The neighbouring property was sold to him by a barrister two years ago, for £3.1million. Pictures submitted with a planning application show the couple's garden with a slide for daughter Apple, five, and son Moses, three.

Plans show they intend to knock through the connecting walls to create eight rooms on the lower ground floor, six on the upper ground, five on the first floor and eight on the second floor. A two-storey extension at the side of the existing house includes a gym, changing room, three bedrooms and a bathroom.

The couple moved out of the house in May to spend time in America. They own several other homes, including one in the Hamptons, near New York, but see the London property as their base because they want the children to have a British education.

"No one objected as they are not going to change the outside appearance of the property and the extension is on their land and a few other houses in the street have similar add-ons. Mind you, I wouldn't want to have to pay the council tax on the new house - but I don't suppose that will concern this particular couple."

Knocking through: Scaffolding surrounds the house next door while work on the two-storey extension has also begun

Miss Paltrow, 36, married Martin in 2003 and they are said to be worth a combined £ 45million. The Devon-born son of an accountant and music teacher, Martin has seen his band Coldplay become one of the world's most successful groups. In May the Daily Mail revealed that Jamie Oliver had bought the house adjoining his family home in London to create a £7.5million 19-room mansion. Last year Madonna also paid £6million to acquire the next-door property. However, the plan hit a stumbling block after she failed to obtain planning permission to knock through the connecting walls.

Full discussion on this article is at the Coldplay forum here onwards [thanks mimixxx]

Meanwhile, in another Daily Mail online article, Gwyneth is getting some stick for her online activities. The Mail reports: Note to Gwyneth Patrow: please stop tweeting, blogging and generally depressing us with your smugly perfect body/life/diet/home. As if her 'amazing new body' that's the result of a gruelling and incredibly dull-sounding detox - 2tbsp of olive oil a night and nothing but miso soup by day - wasn't enough to make us sick, Gwyneth is now connecting directly with her fans via the internet. The blonde bore (can anyone on a strict macrobiotic diet and married to the lead singer of Coldplay, the world's most miserable band, possibly be interesting?) now posts lifestyle advice, fashion tips, recipes, where to shop and anything else she can think of on her own glamorous website, goop.com, which promises to 'nourish the inner aspect'.

There are also the thoughts of Paltrow's guru friends, including a Zen master and an Episcopalian priest. And she's now completed the Gwyneth Paltrow experience with a new range of vests and leggings, in collaboration with French brand ZOETees's. Her debut collection, which launches next week, is made from recycled cotton, cashmere blends and wool mesh and cost up to £595. But being Gwyneth, of course, the proceeds will go to her favourite charity Kids Company. Which ought to be heart-warming, but somehow it just makes her even more irritating.

New pictures of Coldplay at MCH Arena, Herning, Denmark (16th August 2009):

Pictures by Scanpix

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Once you've reached planet-conquering rock champ status, the pitfalls are few and far between. The Coldplay tour juggernaut, for example, runs like a Rolls-Royce. But this week the lads' private jet packed in, leaving them in a pickle as they kicked off a string of European stadium shows, writes The Sun today in an article reflective of Roadie #42's Herning blog recently.

Continues The Sun, Coldplay's plane gave up the ghost in Denmark but Chris Martin has friends in high places. One phone call and the band found themselves with a new jet - courtesy of fellow megastars U2. Bono kindly sent the Irish rockers' 360° tour plane to Herning Airport to scoop up Chris and Co and get them to Norway in time for their next gig.

Luckily Bono was already back at his London base and didn't need his wings. Good job. Don't think he'd fancy the Megabus ride to the capital from U2's Sheffield concert. Here's what Roadie #42 wrote about the incident...

In a superbly bizarre twist, the band have flown into their first stadium show of this tour on U2's plane. Apparently, our regular ride is misfiring. I believe that the big end's gone, or something like that. The easiest way to deal with this it seems, was to take U2's "360 Air" jet for a spin. They're doing UK shows right now, so it's just sat about doing nothing otherwise.

I can confirm that, as one would imagine, those fellas truly travel in comfort and style. I'm writing this now on the flight out to Norway for today's show. Again, we're aboard 360 Air. As we walked across the tarmac to the plane there was a Ryanair flight boarding over the way. A few folks stopped on the steps to take photos of the U2 plane. Quite what they thought watching a bunch of scruffy roadies climb aboard I have no idea. I expect though, they were even more confused watching a complete lack of U2, but instead Coldplay cheerfully climbing the steps. Again, not something I'd have pictured all those years ago when I first walked into the Forum in Kentish Town, London for my first day's work with the band. It's been a long, strange trip indeed and one does wonder where it'll all end.

New pictures of Coldplay at MCH Arena, Herning, Denmark (16th August 2009):

Pictures by Scanpix

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With or without flu? Paddy Power takes bets on Coldplay and U2 concert cancellations

Irish rockers U2 are the most likely band to next cancel a tour date due to Swine Flu, according to UK bookmakers Paddy Power. The Irish bookmaker began taking bets after it emerged today that Kasabian front man Tom Meighan has been hospitalised in Sydney, forcing the band to cancel their entire Australian tour.

Paddy Power make U2 their 6/4 favourites, closely followed by Coldplay at odds of 7/4 and Britney Spears at 6/1. Less likely, but not completely immune according to Paddy Power, are veteran rockers Fleetwood Mac at 10/1 and Oasis at 20/1.

Paddy Power said; "Obviously being a musician in a band on a world tour puts you at greater risk of infection, so we’re guessing the bigger the tour the bigger the risk, and tours don’t get much bigger that U2’s 360!"

Current odds with Paddy Power:

6/4 U2

7/4 Coldplay

6/1 Britney

8/1 Pink

10/1 Fleetwood Mac

12/1 Pixies

18/1 Simply Red

20/1 Oasis

100/1 Pinky and Perky

More photos from Coldplay's set at All Points West festival, Liberty State Park, New Jersey (2nd August 2009):

Pictures by bestmusiclive.com

Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman has paid $2.65 million for a 2,681-square-foot apartment on the second floor of 79 East 2nd Street, reports Cityfile New York. The best part: He'll be a ten minute walk from bandmate Jonny Buckland, who picked up an Astor Place condo last November. Discussion on Guy's new pad is at the Coldplay forum here [thanks mimixxx]

Jonny Buckland paid $3,400,000 to buy a two-bedroom, 2,107-square-foot condominium unit in a 116-year-old converted loft building in Manhattan’s East Village area. Features in Buckland’s new unit, which had been listed for $3,550,000, include two and a half baths, loft-like windows, exposed brick, 14-foot-plus ceilings, an unobstructed view of Cooper Square and the famous Cube, custom recessed lighting throughout, a dramatic foyer (”perfect for showcasing your art collection,” as Abelson noted) and extra-wide oak wood flooring.

Furthermore, there was also inclusive a washer/dryer hookup, soundproofed bedroom windows, central air conditioning, a custom tailored large closet space and an open Poggenpohl chef’s kitchen with a Viking refrigerator, a Bosch oven and range, and a Miele dishwasher, according to listing information. Other features include bathrooms with marble floors and full Neptune tubs, according to listing information. Discussion on Jonny Buckland's pad is at the Coldplay forum here [thanks Dejan]

Guy Berryman's new pad in East Village, NYC

Jonny Buckland at 21 Astor Place, NYC