“The duet song ‘Take Control’ with Se7en was originally planned to be sung with Coldplay’s Chris Martin”, Amerie revealed.

“Rock band Coldplay’s Chris Martin was originally contacted to do the duet song “Take Control” with Amerie but because of the birth of his child, it was canceled”, released Sony BMG, which is in charge of Amerie’s Korean promotion.

Chris Martin is the vocalist of Coldplay and husband of actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

“Se7en is a very talented singer, dancer and performer. He is creative, wise and working with him was a fun experience”, Amerie said during a press conference on April 23 at the Seoul Joong-gu Millennium Seoul Hilton Hotel.

“Se7en also danced in the studio which made it more fun”, Amerie added.

Amerie arrived in Korea at 4pm at the Incheon Airport. On May 24, she will be performing “Take Control” at cable channel’s Mnet’s music program “M Countdown” and on the 25th, Amerie will be recording for KMTV’s program. She leaves Korea on the 25th.

Source: mydaily + http://z12.invisionfree.com/Se7enth_Heaven/

Piano-led 'Daylight' is track 6 from Coldplay's sophomore album 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head'. This album had greater use of piano than Coldplay's debut album or most other rock bands popular at the time. The use of piano on A Rush of Blood has been subsequently credited with influencing the sound of bands such as Keane and Athlete, although this was in dispute at the time.

Daylight has a wobbly Eastern guitar intro - think Love-era Cult, Porcupine-era Echo & The Bunnymen. Another burrowing hook that fleshes itself out as the song progresses. This song was first played live in 2002 at Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, and recently re-introduced at the Latin America Tour of 2007.

Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, was a long-running British music chart television programme, made and broadcast by the BBC. It was originally shown each week, mostly on BBC One, from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. Each weekly programme consisted of performances from some of that week's best-selling popular music artists.

Top of the Pops has also been made available to television broadcasters in many different countries in the form of a franchise package. However, after some success, the majority of these have now also been cancelled.

See the live performance here

Musicnotes Inc. said Thursday that it has reached agreements with “several thousand” music publishers that will allow the online digital sheet music provider to offer free guitar and drum tablature downloads through its new Web site.

Musicnotes of Madison will offer the downloads through MXTabs.net, to be launched this summer. The site was acquired by Guitar Tab L.L.C., a wholly owned subsidiary of Musicnotes, in March.

Guitar tablature, or tabs, are transcriptions of music presented in a text-based format that has become increasingly popular with guitarists online, Musicnotes said.

Separately, Musicnotes said it has contracted Rebel Digital, a new digital advertising and sales firm, to manage ad sales for MXTabs.net. The revenue produced by advertising will compensate copyright holders, allowing for free, legal guitar and drum tab downloads.

The pending launch of MXTabs.net will be the site’s second incarnation. The guitar tablature Web site voluntarily removed all guitar tabs in the summer of 2006. The removal came at a time when many similar Web sites that offered unlicensed transcriptions of copyright-protected songs were shut down because of pressure from the music industry.

Musicnotes said that its tablature licensing agreements include the rights for the catalogs of BMG Music Publishing, peermusic, Famous Music and Bug Music. The agreements cover songs from such artists as Coldplay, Linkin Park, Elvis Costello, The Guess Who and Willie Dixon.

SOMEWHERE IN THE VAST EMPTINESS OF CANADA -- Canadian rock musician Neil Young announced today that Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin was "the worst rock singer ever."

"The guy can't carry a tune," said famous caterwauler Young. "Have you ever heard a live Coldplay recording? Listening to his voice is like listening to a frightened cat trying to escape a pit bull by clawing its way up a chalkboard."

Young made his shocking statement while being interviewed on a Canadian public radio program no one listens to. The interview took place two years ago and only came to light this week when a bored Toronto Coldplay fan Googled "Chris Martin Canada" in hope that the singer was touring the country on his own.

"I was like, 'who the hell's Neil Young?'" said 23-year-old Wendy Schlatt. "Then I Googled him and I was like, 'Oh, it's that dude that looks like a scarecrow and can't sing.' And then I was like, 'Man, that screecher dissin' Chris is like when that Jimmy Carter guy was talkin' trash 'bout that Bush dude. Like, wasn't Carter the worst American president, like, ever?"

In related news, Al Gore today called John Kerry a pompous ass.

Source: http://gunsnbutter.typepad.com

Here’s Rolling Stone’s list of 40 Songs that changed the world.

Think you can do better? The editors at Rolling Stone challenge you…

Send your comments on which songs you thing have shaken and shifted our planet and they’ll create a new list based on the best picks. On June 29th, the list of people speaks! See if Coldplay make the cut.

[Thanks eola]

You may remember that back in March, we asked if there was any new Coldplay merchandise that you folks would like - and more than 500 of you were kind enough to reply. Well, the US merch store has taken on board these suggestions and has launched a bunch of new lines.

They include mousepads, a kids' t-shirt, a cap, a women's t-shirt, and a new poster. The poster is a re-strike of the original Hatch Show Print from the Ryman Auditorium Show in 2003. The shop is offering a limited amount of them autographed by the entire band (as shown above) of which 10% of the proceeds go to MusiCares.

Click here to head over to the store and check out the new lines. The Coldplay teapots are, we assume, still in the production stage...

Source: http://myspace.com/coldplay

While most students will begin their 2007/08 year of schooling in September, Kanye West is targeting the month for his “Graduation,” which is the title of his third album for Def Jam records.

So far, a snippet of the song “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” featuring Coldplay’s Chris Martin, has found its way onto the Internet. The DJ Toomp-produced track features the lyrics: "I had a dream I could buy my way to heaven / When I woke I spent that on a necklace / I told God I'd be back in a second / Man, it's so hard not to act reckless."

Chris Martin also appears on the title track to “Graduation.” Producer/multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion, who played a key role on West’s 2005 album "Late Registration," will also contribute to the new project.

West has a number of scheduled concert dates this summer, beginning July 2 in Manchester, England, and including a July 7 set at Live Earth in East Rutherford, N.J., a July 14 stop at the Cisco Systems Bluesfest in Ottawa, Ontario, and an Aug. 18-19 booking at the U.K.'s V Festival.

http://eurweb.com/story/eur33538.cfm

Coldplay star Guy Berryman has split from his wife - six months after they celebrated the birth of their daughter.

Bassist Guy, 29, is said to be devastated after agreeing to a separation from childhood sweetheart Joanna, 30. He has moved out of the couple's £2million home in Hampstead, North London, and is now living in a rented flat a few miles away. A source close to the couple said Guy has stayed in constant touch with yoga instructor Joanna, who gave birth to their daughter Nico in September.

A friend said: "They are both absolutely devastated but the relationship has been on the rocks for a while. They were delighted when Joanna fell pregnant last year and hoped that a new baby might help them work things out, but at the moment it looks like it's not to be. Guy's moved out of their house for the time being but has stayed close so he can see as much as possible of baby Nico. As far as splits go, it's all been pretty amicable but any divorce is nasty and it's obviously devastating for them both."

Berryman has amassed a £25million fortune since finding fame in 2000 with his Coldplay bandmates, singer Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland and drummer Will Champion. He is credited as co-writer of most of the group's hits. Softly-spoken Guy, who steers clear of the glitzy showbiz world, met Joanna when they were both growing up in Canterbury, Kent. They married three years ago.

Friends said cracks started to show in the relationship shortly afterwards amid the stress of Guy's hectic work schedule. The couple finally decided to split in March after Guy returned from Coldplay's Latin America tour. Joanna had also suffered the upset of having to close her trendy clothes store with debts of more than £248,000.

A source close to the band said: "They've realised that things aren't working and that means they've got to be apart. Jo's as upset as Guy. They've told their friends and family what's happening and the Coldplay guys are rallying round to try and keep his spirits up."

A spokesman for the band said: "I can confirm that Guy Berryman and his wife Jo have separated. The decision was amicable."

Guy is currently working on the band's next album. Joanna declined to comment.

More on this here

Last time we saw Coldplay at Glastonbury in 2000, they were unknown and unsigned, at the bottom of the bill in the New Bands Tent. A mere two years later, they have become Michael Eavis’ favourite band and were hotly tipped to leave Glastonbury 2002 with the sort of legacy that adorn the houses of Pulp, REM, Travis and The Chemical Brothers for historic performances on the Pyramid Stage. That’s a lot of pressure, but as the power chords of new opener ‘Politique’ blasted out, it looked like they might just pull it off.

Coldplay toured for over a year, from June 2002 to September 2003, visiting five continents including co-headlining festival dates at Glastonbury Festival, V2003, and Rock Werchter. The tour showed the band's progression into a bona fide stadium act. Many shows included elaborate lighting and individualised screens reminiscent of U2's Elevation tour. During the extended tour, Coldplay also recorded a live DVD and CD, Live 2003, at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion. The compilation featured a new song, "Moses".

Their Friday night headline appearance at Glastonbury 2002 was hailed as the highlight of the festival.

Watch their acoustic 'See You Soon' here

R&B beauty Amerie is planning to record a duet with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.

The 1 Thing hitmaker, 26, met Martin, 30, in Germany last year (2006), where they discussed a possible collaboration.

She enthuses, "I've always been a fan of Coldplay and Chris and I planned to write together. I love his voice and the band's melodies. We had a chat last year and ended up swapping numbers with a view to getting into the studio."

More on this story here

Manic Street Preachers bass player Nicky Wire has blasted Coldplay and Snow Patrol, claiming they are not bright enough to write hit songs about politics.

TheWelsh rocker is proud of his band's impressive back catalogue of politically motivated rock tunes. But he claims Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and Snow Patrol singer Gary Lightbody have jumped on the bandwagon by supporting political causes - while being too timid to educate their fans through their lyrics.

'I have nothing against Coldplay and Snow Patrol. I think it's a lack of intelligence. Political songs piss people off so they are probably being career minded.

Nicky said: "Looking back over our career, I'm really proud of our track record because there are so many bandwagon jumpers around now who'll write an anti-Bush song. It's just the easiest thing in the world to do. I kind of wonder where these fuckwits have been living for the last 20 years because America has been doing the same thing non-stop going back to the Seventies in South America.

"It's never been any different. I do find it odd that they need such a disaster of a war to make them think,'Oh, America's got some bad foreign policy'. I find it strange that their songs are never about those things though. Whether it's Snow Patrol or Coldplay, I have nothing against those bands, but I just think that if you want to do those concerts and say you think about those things, don't you want to write a song about it? I find it weird."

Nicky, 38, added:"I have nothing against them as people and I don't think it is insincerity on their part. I just think it is a lack of intelligence. Political songs tend to p*** people off so they are probably being very career minded."

The Manics - Nicky, Sean Moore and James Dean Bradfield - travelled to Cuba in 2001 where they met the communist country's leader Fidel Castro.They have constantly criticised the US in songs, such as Let Robeson Sing, a tribute to the civil rights campaigner who was banned from travelling outside the US because he had criticised the treatment of blacks in the country.

Now they are back with their eighth studio album, Send Away TheTigers, out on May 7, and oozing confidence again. The band's first single from the album, Your Love Is Not Enough, has been released this week and features Cardigans singer Nina Persson as guest vocalist.

It's their best in years and sees them reverting to the clever rock anthems that have been their hallmark for 15 years. But Nicky admits there have been occasions when he has felt like a rock dinosaur.

"I feel like a relic sometimes," he told me."I feel so alone in the fact that I still feel engaged with political issues. I watch Newsnight every night just because I enjoy it. People look at me blankly and ask why I'm not watching YouTube or MySpace and I tell them it's because I prefer watching Jeremy Paxman. I went to university and did a degree in politics. It would be a complete lie for me to write an album of love songs or songs about nightclubs or drugs because it's something I have never been interested in. It's something innate in me, something I can't get rid of. I grew up during the years of desperate Thatcherism when theTories used Wales and Scotland as guinea-pigs which gave us something to react against. Now everything is a grey morass and it's harder to rebel."

Scots will be able to hear the new songs live at Glasgow's Barrowland on May 14 before the trio return to play the Rock Ness music festival on the banks of Loch Ness on June 10.

But while Scots fans will go crazy for rock anthems such as Motorcycle Emptiness and IfYouTolerate ThisYour ChildrenWill Be Next at Rock Ness, Nicky believes our cousins across the Atlantic will never forgive the band for repeatedly criticising US foreign policy in song.

"The thing that f****d us up in America was having the Cuban visa on our passport," he admitted."We've avoided the full body search but we do get pulled over rather a lot. We have sold records everywhere in the world, including Canada, but never in America. Unlike those bands I mentioned earlier, we've criticised America and that's the death knell for a band. That's probably why we've never made it there. They don't like it. In fact, there was a time after Cuba and having been photographed with Fidel that I started to feel like George Galloway. I got a bit suspicious and paranoid. We're really looking forward to getting up to Rock Ness. Everybody tells me how beautiful a setting it is. We haven't been up that far for a long time and I've been told such good things about it that I can't wait.

"I'm a bit scared of the midgie attacks. I remember we played with Oasis at Loch Lomond what must have been 10 years ago and it was beautiful. We had to get to the gig by going on a little boat across the loch. I woke up with quite a few bites the next morning. Rock Ness sounds like it will be worth it. We've been very lucky. Scotland has always been really good to us from the reall early days of playing little clubs in the likes of Dundee. It genuinely i always a pleasure to com back up."

The title of the new album comes from legendary British comedian Tony Hancock who used to utter the line,"Send away the tigers when he suffered a bout of depression.

"It was more about sending away the doubts and trying to stop worrying about reinventing ourselves," Nicky explained. "You sell millions of albu and start doing stadium gigs and as yourself what the logical path is. You have to choose whether to destroy yourself or become U2 and we ended up destroying ourselves. You get more cynical and feel the criticism more. Send Away TheTigers was about not worrying about that and just doing what we do best."

He admits the band's self-confidence took a dent following the release of the previous album, Lifeblood. Cming fromWales there is a natural tendency, whether best actors or bands, to turn into fraught, nervous, alcoholic f***-ups," said Nicky."From Richard Burton to Anthony Hopkins to the Manics, there is a stream of self-doubt that reeks through us. It's healthy. We're very realistic. There's nothing sadder than actors or a rock bands who still think they've got it when patently they haven't. That's what keeps us on our toes.

"We have been pretty close to being Welsh alcoholic f***-ups. We reached a point where we had used up all our indulgences and our vanities with solo albums, even going back to Lifeblood, which is a record we are really proud of, but it didn't connect with the people who loved us way back when.

"We wanted to make a quintessential Manics record by mixing the euphoric splendour of Everything Must Go, the naive punk idealism of Generation Terrorists, our ability to write brilliant rock anthems and hopefully some intelligent lyrics which stimulate the body and the mind as well. We wanted to make an album we can play live because Lifeblood was such a sedate, beautiful record that we struggled. We're very physical and are one of these bands who treat live music as an art form. We wanted to get that physical energy back. We came back wanting to transfer all the energy we possess as people and as a live band into making a classic rock record which we probably haven't done since Everything Must Go.

"All the signposts were there. It was really a matter of us getting focused and disciplined again. You get to the point that you end up putting so many songs on an album that it gets diluted and we just wanted a short and perfectly formed rock record."

More on this here

A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour was a global concert tour that supported the band’s second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head. Officially, the tour ran for almost nine months in 2003, covering five continents in the process. Headliners for the tour included extended appearances by Idlewild and Ash in 2002 and Feeder, The Music, Eisley, and Ron Sexsmith in 2003.

Coldplay's performance of the track - with Ashcroft on vocals - was a high point of the London Live 8 show, and marked Ashcroft's return to action after two years of silence. You can tell from his impassioned delivery here just how excited he is to be back on stage.

A year later the singer seemed to go off the rails - in June 2006 he was fined for disorderly conduct after gatecrashing a youth centre in Wiltshire. At Live 8, though, he was on fire...

Watch the clip here

The Coldplay item is now up for auction on eBay. Click here to view/bid. This one off jacket was worn by Chris Martin on Coldplay’s Rush of Blood Tour 2003. This corduroy jacket is also signed by the band.

Chris Martin is the lead singer, occasional lead guitarist and pianist of the popular rock band Coldplay. A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour was a global concert tour that supported the band’s second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head. Officially, the tour ran for almost nine months in 2003, covering five continents in the process. Headliners for the tour included extended appearances by Idlewild and Ash in 2002 and Feeder, The Music, Eisley, and Ron Sexsmith in 2003.

Here are some further pictures/information about the jacket:

Chest Size = 38″ [fits like 36″]

100% Cotton

3 Buttons

Arm Length = 23.5″

Jacket Length = 28.5″

Very soon... hopefully with a new album. Here's the evidence:

Good news for German Coldplay Fans. The german TV Program "3Sat" will broadcast the Toronto 2006 Concert on May 2nd, 2007. Air Time will be 0.35 - 1.35am. More on their website, here

You can receive 3Sat on Astra Satellite (19,2 East) and on German cable networks. the channel is usually unencrypted, and broadcasts on digital transponder. The link you need is http://www.3sat.de/poparoundtheclock_index.html

More on this here [thanks Markus & Tambourine Times]

American R+B singer Amerie was left devestated when Coldplay's Chris Martin cancelled their planned duet following the birth of his son Moses.

The 1 Thing hitmaker, who recently admitted insuring her legs for $2 million (GBP1 million), was crushed when Martin cancelled their studio plans last year (06), but is hoping they can still work on the potential smash hit.

She explains, "We were supposed to write something together for my album buy he got sidetracked with the birth of Moses so we didn't get together. "I still really want to work with him. Coldplay are real mainstays in my CD player. "Maybe I could be on the next Coldplay album - that would be so cool."

More on this here

However, for some lucky (or canny) bands, a possible shortcut to American success has emerged - a route involving much less back pain and fewer Taco Bells. At the recent South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, the most highly prized names on the bands' guestlist were not A&Rs, celebrity rock journalists or even TV show bookers; they were the music supervisors of primetime US TV dramas. Get the attention of Alex Patsavas, music supervisor for Grey's Anatomy and The OC, or ER's Ann Kline, and you may be well on the way to breaking the Billboard Top 10, as Snow Patrol did after Chasing Cars won the coveted "finale scene" slot in Grey's Anatomy (most observers credit this win with introducing Snow Patrol to the US so effectively). Similarly, Coldplay's huge success in the States is linked to the use of Trouble during another finale in Without a Trace, Fix You backing a dramatic heart attack scene in The OC, and Clocks' slot on ER.

Read the full article here

The Coldplay item is now up for auction on eBay. Click here to view/bid. This one off jacket was worn by Chris Martin on Coldplay’s Rush of Blood Tour 2003. This corduroy jacket is also signed by the band.

Chris Martin is the lead singer, occasional lead guitarist and pianist of the popular rock band Coldplay. A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour was a global concert tour that supported the band’s second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head. Officially, the tour ran for almost nine months in 2003, covering five continents in the process. Headliners for the tour included extended appearances by Idlewild and Ash in 2002 and Feeder, The Music, Eisley, and Ron Sexsmith in 2003.

Here are some further pictures/information about the jacket:

Chest Size = 38″ [fits like 36″]

100% Cotton

3 Buttons

Arm Length = 23.5″

Jacket Length = 28.5″

The leading rock and pop bands in Britain account for nearly £3bn of the country's wealth, it has been revealed. In a list of the richest people in the UK to be published this weekend, the Rolling Stones account for more than £570m, with U2 not far behind, collectively valued at £487m. The four band members, Bono, Adam Clayton, Dave Evans (the Edge) and Larry Mullen, split all their earnings evenly with their manager, Paul McGuinness.

However, the two surviving members of The Beatles, plus the family of the late George Harrison, are worth more than £1bn, led by Sir Paul McCartney, who is worth around £725m, £100m less than last year, taking into account his forthcoming divorce from Heather Mills. Harrison's widow, Olivia, and son Dhani are worth £160m, while Ringo Starr comes in at £140m.

The five other "super groups" to appear in The Sunday Times Rich List are Pink Floyd (David Gilmour and Roger Waters, both £85m); Queen (Brian May, £75m, Roger Taylor, £70m); The Bee Gees (Barry and Robin Gibb, both worth £120m); Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, both £70m) and Coldplay (Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin, worth £30m each). "We learnt very early on that each part of the band is as important as the others. If you take one part away, the rest collapses," said Coldplay drummer Champion [pictured].

It takes a £70m fortune to make it into the top 1000 in the Rich List, £10m higher than last year's. The raising of the threshold has eliminated Queen's John Deacon and Glasgow-born Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits (both £65m) from this year's list.

The list has several musicians under the age of 30 who have made their millions in recent years. The richest of the young is Vanessa Mae, the violinist, who is valued with a personal wealth of £32m.

Two beneficiaries of television talent shows on the list are Simon Fuller and Simon Cowell. Fuller now has a £450m fortune, while Cowell, who is a judge on the UK X Factor and US American Idol, has seen his wealth grow from £60m to £100m.

Source: http://www.theherald.co.uk

Courtney Love [pictured] and Gwyneth Paltrow had dinner at Beverly Hills restaurant Cut on Monday night (23.04.07).

The pair - who were joined by Gwyneth's husband, Coldplay singer Chris Martin - have bonded over a shared love of macrobiotic dieting and yoga.

A source told Us Weekly magazine: "They've been hanging out and bonding over yoga. Gwyneth is happy to see Courtney healthy and happy again and wants to be there for her and help her acting comeback. She refers to Courtney's substance abuse as a time when she was out sick."

Courtney, the widow of Nirvana rocker Kurt Cobain, has lost almost 50 pounds thanks to her new healthy regime. Her blossoming friendship with Gwyneth has sparked rumours she is the "A-lister" Courtney says has been chosen to play her in a biopic of Cobain's life.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were also dining at Cut that night and reportedly dropped by Courtney's table to say hello. Tom allegedly embraced the former Hole singer and told her: "You look like a movie star!"

Source: http://people.monstersandcritics.com

Donating items to a charity auction...

Coldplay and Sir Elton John are amongst the musical stars donating memorabilia to raise money for Oxfam’s Darfur and Chad appeal.

Chris Martin is putting forward a black Dolce and Gabbana jacket, while the Rocket Man is donating his famous Donatella Versace suit he wore to his White Tie and Tiara ball in 2000.

Meanwhile, Corinne Bailey-Rae has donated her Red dress worn on the video for her smash single ‘Put Your Record On.’

The auction is being held online via eBay and takes place for ten days with the aim of raising over £500,000 for the worthy charity.

Speaking of his donation, Sir Elton John said: “Try to imagine living in a tiny shelter made out of straw, dry branches and plastic sheeting with the sun baking down on you at 45 degrees. For most of us that's beyond imagination. Right now there are two million people living in camps in Darfur and on the border with Chad. Oxfam is helping 500,000 people providing basic sanitation and clean drinking water but to reach more people they need our help."

Other putting lots forward are artist Tracey Emin, actress Sienna Miller and the script for the Oscar winning film The Queen.

More on this here

Who or what will have the biggest influence on Coldplay's next album? See the options, and vote here. The latest votes tally is as follows:

In one of the previous recent polls, we asked you if you would be buying Coldplay's latest release, the Singles 1999-2006 collection. The poll stands as follows, and the latest results couldn't be any closer:

You can still enter the poll: Cast your vote here

Who or what will have the biggest influence on Coldplay's next album? See the options, and vote here. The latest votes tally is as follows:

In one of the previous recent polls, we asked you if you would be buying Coldplay's latest release, the Singles 1999-2006 collection. The poll stands as follows, and the latest results couldn't be any closer:

You can still enter the poll: Cast your vote here

Oxfam launches celebrity auction as part of Darfur appeal

LONDON: International relief agency Oxfam began taking bids on Tuesday in an online celebrity auction aimed at raising money for its work in Darfur and neighbouring Chad.

The auction, which will see the prized possessions of several celebrities sold to the public, is part of a five-million-pound (7.4-million-euro, 10-million-dollar) appeal launched by the charity on April 16.

Among the items on offer are pop star Elton John's tailor-made Donatella Versace suit, a script of hit film The Queen signed by Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin's Dolce and Gabbana jacket, and gold-coloured designer shoes signed by actress Sienna Miller.

"I'm delighted to donate this suit... and hope it raises lots of cash for the people of Darfur who have already suffered too much," Elton John said. "Oxfam is reaching 500,000 people... but to reach more people they need our help."

Four years of ethnic strife in Darfur, in western Sudan, have resulted in at least 200,000 deaths and displaced more than two million people, according to UN figures. The conflict has since spread into neighbouring Chad.

Oxfam said its work in the two countries was its biggest emergency programme in the world, costing about 10 million pounds a year. Also available for fans to bid on are the red dress worn by Corinne Bailey Rae in her hit music video "Put Your Records On", and two photographs by war photographer Don McCullen, one of which is signed, of the crisis.

The charity, which hopes to raise about 500,000 pounds from the celebrity auction, encouraged members of the public to put items of their own up for sale at www.oxfam.org.uk/darfurauction.

Oxfam says it is providing aid to 530,000 people in the two countries -- 470,000 in Darfur, and 60,000 in Chad. Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir recently agreed to allow a first phase deployment of some 3,000 UN troops to boost an ineffective African Union (AU) peacekeeping force in Darfur.

But he has objected to key elements of a larger operation of 20,000 UN peacekeepers, including allowing the UN to share command of the forces with their AU counterparts.

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com