Coldplay are to join the ranks of musical greats including Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney by performing a one-off special concert at the Abbey Road Studios in London.

The concert at the legendary studios is set to take place on Monday February 13. The gig will be recorded by BBC Radio 2 and will then be aired sometime in April.

Meanwhile, the green carpet at L.A.'s Staples Center is in place and ready to accommodate Wednesday's night's 48th annual Grammy Awards, where Coldplay are joined by outspoken hip-hop artist Kanye West and comeback queen Mariah Carey who will vie for the music industry's top honours – and where performance highlights are bound to include Madonna's duet with the cartoon "virtual band" Gorillaz, created by Blur frontman Damon Albarn.

'I told him, 'I'll come sing with you in Atlanta if you ... do this song with me,' ' R.E.M. frontman says.

Some might call Michael Stipe remiss for releasing his Hurricane Katrina charity single "In the Sun" several months after the tragedy. But he'd say those critics are missing the point.

"The news cycle may have moved on," Stipe said recently, "but this is going to be with us for years and years. A lot of people have forgotten about those affected or assumed or believed that they're now OK, that things are fine. They're not. There are still people who need a lot of help."

The R.E.M. frontman said he was completely floored when — after having been out of the country for months on tour with his band — he came home to find the Gulf Coast decimated. "I was watching the news like everyone," he said, "and I saw a pretty pathetic response from the government. I saw people in the most desperate situations. I saw racism, classism. It made me really sad, for how far we've come, how far we've not come from the civil-rights movement. I was sad that [poor people were] living in those conditions anyway, and it made me angry that they had no choice."

Stipe said he wanted to do something to help and, naturally, turned to music. "The one thing I can do is sing," he said.For the charity effort, Stipe chose to cover Joseph Arthur's "In the Sun," a song he had grown attached to before Katrina. The disaster changed his interpretation of the song "dramatically," however, especially the lyrics "A nightmare comes/ You can't keep awake." "That for me was the clincher," Stipe said. "Here's a song about something that happened to someone else, and my reaction to that, and how observing that has changed me forever. It's beautiful and it's thought-provoking."

Stipe then enlisted Coldplay's Chris Martin and ex-Smashing Pumpkin James Iha to respectively sing along and produce a new recording of the song (see "Chris Martin, Justin Timberlake Help Michael Stipe Raise Katrina Funds"). ("Of course I said, 'Yeah!' " Iha said.) Luckily Martin was already in Georgia and in the middle of trying to enlist Stipe to sing with him at a concert. "I told him, 'I'll come sing with you in Atlanta if you come to Athens and do this song with me,' " Stipe said.

He then recruited Justin Timberlake to do a remix version through their mutual friend Lukas Haas; Timberlake brought in Will.I.Am to help out as well. "I didn't even think about it, I just did it," Will said.

"I really loved the elements they brought in, the way their ears heard the song," Stipe said. "If you listen really close, you can hear Justin singing backup in the chorus."

Stipe wound up with six versions of the song, each with a different vocal (all six versions are available on iTunes). One hundred percent of the proceeds benefit Mercy Corps, a nonprofit group working with community leaders to help the reconstruction effort. "They don't drop powdered milk and leave," Stipe said. "They stay and rebuild."

"Other things come up and our attention gets pulled away, but that doesn't mean it's over or tied up in a neat package," he added about the relief effort. "It's been five months, and I was just in New Orleans two weeks ago, and it's still a disaster. Nothing can prepare you for being there and seeing it firsthand. I used to think I knew what they needed. After I arrived there, I realized that that I was being arrogant, that my ideas had nothing to do with reality. They don't need our pity or a handout, they need us to say, 'We are here with you.' They want our partnership. And they want people to remember."

Source: http://www.mtv.com

As reported recently here on this site, Chris Martin joined REM's Michael Stipe for a charity single to continue aid for Hurricane Katrina victims.

'In The Sun', written by Joseph Artur, premiered on US television drama 'Grey's Anatomy' following Sunday's Super Bowl (February 5). The track is now available for purchase solely on iTunes, with proceeds going to benefit Mercy Corps.

"The news cycle has moved on and I don't want the public to forget about those who were affected by Katrina or to believe that everything is fine now," Stipe said in a statement yesterday. He added: "It's a unique place, not only to this country but to the world. I had to do something as a Southerner. I had to do something as a public figure. The one thing I can do is sing, and it's probably the best way to get people to pay attention."

The song features piano by Fountains Of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger and production by Stipe with ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha. In addition to the duet with Chris, the single will be available in a number of formats on iTunes, including a live version recorded by Coldplay and Stipe at the Texas music festival Austin City Limits earlier this year, as well as a remix by Justin Timberlake and Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am. 'In The Sun' will also be featured in a documentary film of the same name, which airs on US cable network the Sundance Channel later this year. Stipe, Martin and a number of hurricane survivors are interviewed in the picture.

The full track listing of 'In the Sun' is:

Michael Stipe - In the Sun (Gulf Coast Relief) (Feat. Chris Martin)

Michael Stipe - In the Sun (JAW Breakers Remix) (Feat. Chris Martin, Mix by Justin Timberlake and will.i.am)

Michael Stipe - In the Sun (Feat. Joseph Arthur)

Michael Stipe - In the Sun (Michael Stipe)

Michael Stipe - In the Sun (w/ Coldplay) (Recorded Live at Austin City Limits)

Michael Stipe - In the Sun (Free Acoustic Couch Rehearsal) (Michael Stipe/Joseph Arthur)

As reported recently, Coldplay will perform at the world famous studios as part of a Radio 2 special broadcast. (To be aired in April).

The official site have the opportunity to send a few lucky fans to the exclusive live show at Abbey Road Studios, London on Monday 13th February.

For a chance to win a pair of tickets, click here and answer the question.

As reported earlier, Coldplay wallpaper from The Forum show in Los Angeles was available courtesy of our messageboard member Alyssa.

There are more of her pictures from the same show available here

KROQ beamed a live webcast of the Anaheim show last night. You can download it here

More reviews to come on the Anaheim shows, in the meantime there are pictures here and a setlist consisting of:

square one

politik

yellow

speed of sound

gpasuyf

x&y

how you see the world 2

don’t panic

white shadows

the scientist

til kingdom come

ring of fire

trouble

clocks

talk

swallowed in the sea

in my place

fix you

As reported recently, Coldplay performed a private acoustic session on 1st February in San Francisco.

More on this is now available:

Trouble Live

Exclusive Pictures

Live 105 Website

Listen to KROQ for a chance to check out the biggest night of music by putting you inside the 48th Annual Grammy Awards! They will tell you a song to listen for by a KROQ nominated artist plus the hour we they going to play it.

When you hear it be caller 20 at 800-520-1067 and instantly scores tickets to check out the Grammys this Wednesday night at the Staples Center. If you don’t win check out all the action Wednesday night at 8pm on CBS.

All the information is at the KROQ website.

Fancy being at the biggest event in the UK music calender? You could win priceless tickets to this year’s BRIT Awards thanks to our friends at MasterCard. You and a friend could be sit ting at a table, mingling with the stars - and you’ll even get to me et Lee Ryan!

The biggest acts on the music scene will be competing for the prestigious awards including the MasterCard British Album Award, which was won by Keane in 2005.

The line-up this year includes Jack Johnson, Coldplay, Gorilla z, Kaiser Chiefs, James Blunt, Paul Weller and many more. The ceremony, hosted by Chris Evans, takes place on February 15 at London’s Earl’s Court and promises to be the best BRITs ever.

You and your friends could be there thanks to MasterCard, sponsor of the event for the past eight years. To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets - including travel and one night’s accomodation - simply finish this sentence in no more than 10 words. The funnier the better. At this year’s Brits Paris Hilton is most likely to…

Text 3AM followed by a space and then your 10 words (ma x) Send to 84080 (53131 RoI) For more chances to win see 3am every day this week.

Coldplay will perform an exclusive concert at the renowned Abbey Road Studios in London. Abbey Road is possibly the most famous recording studio in the world. Opened in 1931, the Studio made its name with big orchestral recordings and of course, The Beatles.

Radio 2 will record this very special event on Monday 13th February which will air in April.

You can listen online here or via your radio at 88-91FM. For further information from the Radio 2 website, please click here.

Source: coldplay.com

Because sports and music are undoubtedly joined at the hip, here are my picks for the 48th annual Grammy Awards (the big categories anyway): Album of the Year -- How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, U2 (should also win best rock album, and there should be rioting if Coldplay's subpar (!) X&Y wins);

Record of the Year -- Gold Digger, Kaney West (takes some of the sting out of losing for Album of the Year despite a rock-solid sophomore effort); Song of the Year -- We Belong Together, Mariah Carey (the night's big winner);

Best New Artist -- John Legend (because The Killers were somehow not nominated, yet SugarLand was).

Read the full dubious article here

Coldplay and Fiona Apple, who shared the bill at the Forum on Saturday, have toured together in the past, but they've never had more in common than they do right now. That made the pairing an especially instructive look at how artists respond when they come to career crossroads.

The English band and the New York-bred singer-songwriter both make music that aims to connect directly with emotion. And both reemerged last year from difficult experiences recording their third albums — projects plagued and delayed by creative uncertainty and back-to-the-drawing-board regrouping.

Apple is a quirky cult artist who sells more records than most such performers, and Coldplay is a mainstream mega-seller that also drew cult-like devotion and critical respect — even being taken seriously as a contender for the Olympian stature of a U2.

That prospect hit a bump with the problematic third album, "X&Y," whose sales of more than 2.5 million aren't chopped liver but still fall short of those of its predecessor, 2002's "A Rush of Blood to the Head."It also stalled artistically, failing to advance the band's vision despite all the retooling. Criticism of the quartet as makers of blandly pretty music began to erode the acclaim, and although "Clocks" won the record of the year Grammy in 2003, music from "X&Y" is nominated only in lesser categories for this week's awards.

Concerts can provide a shelter from such storms, and on Saturday Coldplay carried on in its usual entertaining and engaging manner. That was fine as far as it went, but a more forceful statement of purpose, a transcendent moment to show that they're still on the upward path, might have been more to the point under the circumstances

But with Chris Martin's enthusiasm and irreverence serving as a buoyant balance to the music's yearning balladry and knotty philosophical musings, the concert showed that the band is as comfortable in the arena scale as it is in vast outdoor fields and small theaters. The lanky singer has a knack for effortlessly transforming any room into something like a pub, seeming to traverse the width of the stage in a few long strides and chatting amiably about this and that.

Saturday it was the traffic, and an apology for looking like a Bee Gee (the band has been on the road and its hairdressers are back in England). Along with the humor comes a sense of sincere gratitude for the fans' support.

Martin needs to bottle some of that spirit and pour it into Coldplay's next music. Except for the propulsive hit "Speed of Sound" and the elegantly driving "Talk," the songs from "X&Y" it played Saturday sounded like lesser species of such grand, rounded "Rush of Blood" selections as "Politik" and "Clocks."

Maybe the aim was to move away from the lushness, to create a tougher setting for its lyrics' offers of comfort and repair laced with currents of doubt and darkness. But instead it's become more turgid, and now the band seems cornered by its success.

Early in the show it played "Yellow," the radiant hymn of devotion that instantly triggered a mass crush in the pop masses in 2000. The song's emotional immediacy remained bracing, but it also underscored how much Coldplay's emotional expression has become constrained by its musical formula.

Nobody said it was easy, but it looks as if it will be back to the drawing board one more time.

Apple fared better in her creative recovery. Her album "Extraordinary Machine" just finished at No. 5 in the Village Voice's prestigious critics' poll of last year's records, but if it was a success on that front, it hasn't given the singer the kind of commercial profile she had when she arrived 10 years ago.

Maybe that's why Apple, a legitimate headliner on her own at small theaters, has signed on for the unglamorous stint as opening act on an arena tour. Or maybe it was just a way for the famously feisty artist to get herself worked up.

On Saturday she seemed to have one eye on the number of empty seats as the Forum slowly filled, and she kept telling the audience what a good time they were going to have, implying that it would be after she was done.

Actually she got a good response from the people who were there. Her band's sound wasn't great, but there was no recurrence of the dire sonic imbalance that reportedly torpedoed her recent Wiltern LG concert.

Most important, Apple demonstrated that emotion can govern the music and shape it to its demands. Her husky-voiced, humor-leavened accounts of love's intimate intricacies are alive with distinctive language and inner fire, and on stage Saturday her musicians followed her lead, giving the music the kind of spontaneity and feeling that the headliner should hope to find.

Coldplay

Where: Arrowhead Pond, 2695 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim

When: 8 p.m. today and Tuesday

Price: Sold out

Contact: (714) 704-2400

Source: http://www.calendarlive.com

If you were to plot Starsailor on a map of Britain and Ireland’s music scene, it would go something like this. They would be east of U2: with the questing drama but showing more strain than Bono and friends. They would be slightly south of Oasis: using a pushy rock drive, but without the sneer or Slade rip-offs.

They would be west of Coldplay: piano melodies and hearts on the sleeve but not the nimble grace Chris Martin can manage. And they would be north of Suede: a hint of decadence but too much working man’s earthiness for real sleaze.

Source: http://www.theage.com.au

Translation: At Hotel Ritz Four Seasons the big stars lived and that’s where the ‘real party’ were, according to rumors. The night before the gala it was wild and..’

More on this here [thanks Delylia]

More reviews from Coldplay's first US show of the year at Key Arena, courtesy of 107.7 The End, have been added here

For all concert reviews for the year click here

There are 108 categories, with no less than five nominees per category, for Wednesday night's Grammy Awards, a bloated program that every year adds a new category or two in the hopes that there may finally be room for even Ashlee Simpson to be nominated.

Now I'm supposed to tell you who's going to win so you can rake in some bucks at your office pool. And since no one is actually going to watch the traditionally tedious Grammy telecast -- American Idol and Lost air at the same time this year -- this service may prove invaluable. But do you know what the odds are of correctly predicting who will win in each and every one of these categories?

Neither do I -- must be a huge figure, and that's why I write instead of gamble for a living, even though the hours would be better and the co-workers more colorful at a casino.All is not lost, however. I haven't missed a Grammy Awards telecast since 1974, which suggests I need a life but also makes me somewhat qualified to prognosticate a bit on likely losers and winners, given I've seen a pattern in how these things have gone before.

Wrong. Dunderheaded. Stupid.

Here's one: Remember Steely Dan beating Eminem for Album of the Year in 2000? I could give you more -- many more -- but you get the idea. The saddest thing is, I wasn't shocked. Folks in The Recording Academy, who pick these things, have valiantly tried to prove how hip and timely they are after decades of honoring the likes of Christopher Cross, Milli Vanilli, A Taste of Honey and the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack by nominating in major fields more relevant artists like lightning-rod rapper Eminem -- even though he didn't win the top prize.

This year the academy has so honored hotshots or hipsters like Kanye West, Gorillaz, Green Day and Gwen Stefani for its biggest awards. But with a couple exceptions -- OutKast, for instance -- when it's time to pick a winner, the Album, Record or Song of the Year award often goes to an overdue but outdated veteran or a newcomer like Norah Jones who sounds old-school.

This could happen again Wednesday night. Paul McCartney, who has won Grammys for his work with The Beatles but, along with poor Ringo, is the only other Beatle never to win the coveted Album of the Year trophy on his own, could upset and take the prize over bigger hits from West, Mariah Carey, Stefani and U2.

Call it the Steely Dan Factor.

Call it a crock.

Call it and win your betting pool.

Just don't call me if few of these predictions come true.

RECORD OF THE YEAR

We Belong Together, Mariah Carey; Feel Good Inc., Gorillaz featuring De La Soul; Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Green Day; Hollaback Girl, Gwen Stefani; Gold Digger, Kanye West.

Who wins: Gold Digger, with its unshakeable hook, along with its critical and commercial acceptance, seems unstoppable.

Who's robbed: Green Day. Boulevard was the multiformat smash of the year, topping airplay on pop, rock, modern rock and Adult Top 40 stations across the country. More important, it's exceptionally well crafted.

SONG (award goes to the composer)

Bless the Broken Road, Bobby Boyd, Jeff Hanna & Marcus Hummon, (Rascal Flatts); Devils & Dust, Bruce Springsteen; Ordinary People, W. Adams & J. Stephens, (John Legend); Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own, U2; We Belong Together, J. Austin, M. Carey, J. Dupri & M. Seal, D. Bristol, K. Edmonds, S. Johnson, P. Moten, S. Sully & B. Womack, (Mariah Carey).

Who wins: If all those people who supposedly wrote Carey's tune vote, We Belong Together wins by sheer numbers. Springsteen's stark Devils could upset.

Who's robbed: The songwriters behind Lee Ann Womack's new country standard, the foolishly ignored I May Hate Myself in the Morning.

ALBUM

The Emancipation of Mimi, Mariah Carey; Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, Paul McCartney; Love. Angel. Music. Baby., Gwen Stefani; How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, U2; Late Registration, Kanye West.

Who wins: McCartney's most boring album since . . . well, his last boring album, nonetheless earned the icon his best reviews in decades. Not that critics vote. But The Steely Dan Factor (explained above) looms, denying the cocky West bragging rights here. Close call, though. Grammy voters denied West this award last year for College Dropout and may feel he's bided his time long enough.

Who's robbed: Stefani's album is a lot of fun, but it's not weighty enough for this category. Carey, proud mother of 2005's bestselling CD, got her award at the cash register and, admit it, the CD's mediocre. U2 would have won this at one point, but Bomb, released in November 2004, just one month into the eligibility period of October 2004 through September 2005, has seen its momentum fizzle.

BEST NEW ARTIST

Ciara, Fall Out Boy, Keane, John Legend, SugarLand.

Who wins: If the academy liked Legend enough to shower him with eight nominations, putting him out front with West and Carey, he has to be a sure bet here.

Who's robbed: Where's Raul Midón? The former South Florida musician's State of Mind CD didn't ignite or fully showcase his brilliance, but he's a major talent -- a trait I don't hear from anyone in this lackluster lineup.

FEMALE POP VOCAL

It's Like That, Mariah Carey; Since U Been Gone, Kelly Clarkson; Good Is Good, Sheryl Crow; I Will Not Be Broken, Bonnie Raitt; Hollaback Girl, Gwen Stefani.

Who wins: From American Idol to Grammy winner, Kelly Clarkson.

Who's robbed: Shockingly, no one. The Idol delivered the goods on this undeniably catchy pop/rocker.

MALE POP VOCAL

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing, Jack Johnson; Fine Line, Paul McCartney; Walk on By, Seal; Lonely No More, Rob Thomas; From the Bottom of My Heart, Stevie Wonder.

Who wins: From the bottom of my heart, if the overly rewarded Wonder wins for this soggy banality I will go martial on the academy. I may not have to: Thomas' universally liked Lonely No More should find the Matchbox 20 frontman lonely no more.

Who's robbed: If Thomas wins in this lame field, no one.

POP DUO OR GROUP

Don't Lie, The Black Eyed Peas; Mr. Brightside, The Killers; More Than Love, Los Lonely Boys; This Love, Maroon 5; My Doorbell, The White Stripes.

Who wins: Isn't this Maroon 5 song, like, 10 years old already? Sure feels that way.

Who's robbed: The Killers' retro blast.

SOLO ROCK VOCAL

Revolution, Eric Clapton; Shine It All Around, Robert Plant; Devils & Dust, Bruce Springsteen; This Is How a Heart Breaks, Rob Thomas; The Painter, Neil Young.

Who wins: Springsteen.

Who's robbed: Plant.

ROCK DUO OR GROUP

Speed of Sound, Coldplay; Best of You, Foo Fighters; Do You Want To, Franz Ferdinand; All These Things That I've Done, The Killers; Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own, U2.

Who wins: U2.

Who's robbed: Franz Ferdinand is fresher.

ROCK ALBUM

X&Y, Coldplay; In Your Honor, Foo Fighters; A Bigger Bang, The Rolling Stones; How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, U2; Prairie Wind, Neil Young.

Who wins: Coldplay leaves me cold, but I'm not voting. This is the one the British band, snubbed in the major fields, takes home.

Who's robbed: The Stones delivered a classic, but it sputtered commercially. Pity.

FEMALE R&B VOCAL

1 Thing, Amerie; Wishing on a Star, Beyoncé; We Belong Together, Mariah Carey; Free Yourself, Fantasia; Unbreakable, Alicia Keys.

Who wins: Carey's comeback was hyped as ''The Return of the Voice.'' It wasn't. But Grammy folks are easily fooled.

Who's robbed: Ah, hell, I'll be a good sport. No one's robbed. Let Carey have it.

MALE R&B VOCAL

Creepin', Jamie Foxx; Ordinary People, John Legend; Let Me Love You, Mario; Superstar, Usher; So What the Fuss, Stevie Wonder.

Who wins: Legend, for his simple ballad, and he deserves it.

R&B DUO OR GROUP

So Amazing, Beyoncé & Stevie Wonder; Cater 2 U, Destiny's Child; If This World Were Mine, Alicia Keys featuring Jermaine Paul; So High, John Legend featuring Lauryn Hill; How Will I Know, Stevie Wonder featuring Aisha Morris.

Who wins: Stevie Wonder singing with his daughter Aisha -- nearly 30 years ago she was the little baby heard splashing in the tub on Isn't She Lovely -- are a sentimental twosome that will prove hard to beat.

Who's robbed: Stevie Wonder and India.Arie, for the superior A Time to Love track that should have been here instead of the insipid Destiny's Child song, which set women's rights back four decades.

R&B ALBUM

Illumination, Earth, Wind and Fire; Free Yourself, Fantasia; Unplugged, Alicia Keys; Get Lifted, John Legend; A Time to Love, Stevie Wonder.

Who wins: Legend.

Who's robbed: If Wonder's entire album had been up to par he would deserve this over Legend, who obviously studied from the master. But Wonder's CD was a mixed bag.

RAP SOLO

Testify, Common; Mockingbird, Eminem; Disco Inferno, 50 Cent; Number One Spot, Ludacris; U Don't Know Me, T.I.; Gold Digger, Kanye West.

Who wins: West has already anointed himself Jesus on the cover of the latest Rolling Stone. And he's pontificated that his Gold Digger is the best rap song of the year and should have been included in that category. Will Grammy deny God?

Who's robbed: I'm not denying the deity, either.

RAP DUO OR GROUP

Don't Phunk With My Heart, The Black Eyed Peas; The Corner, Common featuring The Last Poets; Encore, Eminem featuring Dr. Dre & 50 Cent; Hate It or Love It, The Game featuring 50 Cent; Wait (The Whisper Song), Ying Yang Twins.

Who wins: Black Eyed Peas, a guilty pleasure, at best, but catchy and creative.

Who's robbed: Common has justifiable critical clout, but I'm with the Peas, too.

RAP ALBUM

Be, Common; The Cookbook, Missy Elliott; Encore, Eminem; The Massacre, 50 Cent; Late Registration, Kanye West.

Who wins: No competition. Jesus, er, Kanye, gets it. Missy, Eminem and Fiddy just offered more of the same. Common isn't hot enough.

Who's robbed: I'd actually like to see Common win, but forget it.

FEMALE COUNTRY VOCAL

The Connection, Emmylou Harris; Mississippi Girl, Faith Hill; All Jacked Up, Gretchen Wilson; I May Hate Myself in the Morning, Lee Ann Womack; Georgia Rain, Trisha Yearwood.

Who wins: Hill's tentative return to country, after flirting with overblown pop, counts as a minor comeback. Grammy likes that. Plus, her previous victories in this category also give her a higher profile. Given how clueless the academy is concerning country music, that's all that will matter.

Who's robbed: Womack may hate the academy in the morning. And I wouldn't blame her.

MALE COUNTRY VOCAL

Funny How Time Slips Away, George Jones; As Good As I Once Was, Toby Keith; Midnight Communion, Delbert McClinton; Good Ol' Boys, Willie Nelson; Alcohol, Brad Paisley; You'll Think of Me, Keith Urban.

Who wins: George Jones, for remaking an oldie, or Nelson for the single worst recorded performance of his long career are likely picks. Why? Grammy knows nothing about country and everyone has at least heard of these legends. Still, Nashville is so behind Urban and his relationship with Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman ups his cachet, allowing the undeserving Urban to eke out a win.

Who's robbed: Keith. He may rub people wrong but his song was amusing, clever and expertly delivered.

COUNTRY DUO OR GROUP

Comin' to Your City, Big & Rich; Play Something Country, Brooks & Dunn; I Hope, Dixie Chicks; Restless, Alison Krauss and Union Station; Bless the Broken Road, Rascal Flatts.

Who wins: Rascal Flatts, for its very popular ballad.

Who's robbed: With the exception of the highly irritating Big & Rich, everyone else is robbed. The bathetic Rascal Flatts is the two-word answer to the question: Why do some people hate country music?

COUNTRY ALBUM

Fireflies, Faith Hill; Lonely Runs Both Ways, Alison Krauss and Union Station; Time Well Wasted, Brad Paisley; All Jacked Up, Gretchen Wilson; Jasper County, Trisha Yearwood.

Who wins: Krauss is Grammy's most honored female artist -- look it up, 17 wins.

Who's robbed: Lee Ann Womack's Country Music Association-winning Album of the Year There's More Where That Came From is not good enough for Grammy? Are they nuts? Forget country. It was one of the best albums of 2005, period.

Source: http://www.miami.com

Fantastic pictures from last night's show at The Forum in Los Angeles are now available to view online.

Click here to see them.

[Thanks alyssa]

Tune in to San Francisco's KFOG 104.55's Live from the Archives - The Show Sunday night at 8pm to hear Coldplay live in concert.

[Thanks IneedYou23]

I won a contest out here in San Francisco,and I was able to see a private acoustic performance yesterday by Coldplay..There was only like 30 people in the entire room!….It was so amazing!….They played 5 songs and then after they sat down and talked with everyone….I can’t explain the feeling of seeing them play like 5 feet away from you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!…Will Champion and Jon Buckland are soooooooooooooooooo HOT in person! They didn’t allow you to take any pics while we were there, but I did manage to sneak a few shots….So when I got them downloaded, I will post them up here!

It was in a small theatre at the Metreon out here in San Francisco…..When they walked in the room, my heart just started to beat soooooooooo fast!!!!..I just couldn’t believe they were like 5 ft away from us!!!!…The songs they played were Panic, Ring of Fire (the Johnny Cash song), and Trouble……There was two more songs they played..It was the first two they played when they came in the room, but I was soooo nervous I can’t remember them now!!!! I have it recorded at home, so I’ll play it back and get the correct playlist…Sorry about that!…They were going to play Fix You but they played Touble instead….Trouble was really great, and one of my favorites……….It was the most amazing experience!

The Grammy Awards 2006 Live

You can watch the entrances on the red carpet and some interviews after the Awards live on E!. But this channel has no rights to show the ceremony.

February 8th, Wednesday 22:00 E!

February 9th, Thursday 07:00 E!

Germany:

February 9th, Thursday 02:00 Pro 7

France:

February 9th, Thursday 02:00 W9

Italy:

February 9th, Thursday 02:00 Jimmy

——————————————————————————

The Grammy Awards 2006 Highlights

UK:

February 9th, Thursday 10:00 E! only red carpet interviews

February 9th, Thursday 14:00 E! only red carpet interviews

February 9th, Thursday 20:00 E! only red carpet interviews

February 9th, Thursday 21:00 ITV 2

February 11th, Saturday 14:50 ITV 2

Ireland:

February 14th, Tuesday 21:00 TV 3

Germany:

February 9th, Thursday 23:45 Pro 7

France:

February 10th, Friday 13:40 W9

February 11th, Saturday 20:50 W9

February 12th, Sunday 19:05 W9

Italy:

February 10th, Friday 21:00 Jimmy

February 10th, Friday 22:10 Jimmy

February 11th, Saturday 14:50 Jimmy

February 11th, Saturday 16:00 Jimmy

[Thanks Larry]

Edward Wycoff began planning in September how he would approach his sister and brother-in-law and kill them, he said in a jail interview Friday.

"What I wanted to do was get rid of them, leave no evidence, and get out," said the 37-year-old Citrus Heights man. "And then raise the kids later on."

Wycoff is charged with murder in the stabbing deaths of Julie Rogers, 47, and her husband, Paul, 48, early Tuesday morning after breaking into their house where they and two of their three children slept. A special circumstance of multiple murders makes him eligible for the death penalty.

Wycoff said he went to a Coldplay concert on Monday night at Arco Arena in Sacramento -- the first concert he had ever attended in his life. He said he didn't drink or use drugs, which he says he never does.

"I thought it could be a bit of an alibi," he said. "It seems like somebody who goes to a Coldplay concert wouldn't do this."

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Gwyneth Paltrow doesn't get the same "me-time" as she did when she was single.

The Hollywood star, who is married to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, admits she doesn't have time to pamper herself anymore now she has her daughter, Apple. She told Britain's Star magazine: "I don't spend time I used to when I was single having a massage or a facial. I do things when it's an emergency - when I look like a man, I have a wax!"

Gwyneth also claims she prefers a low-maintenance approach to beauty treatments. She added: "My pleasures are simple things, like being home with my daughter, spending time with my friends, being in the garden, cooking, travelling and sleeping late. I like to keep a realness with my beauty. I have a bath with my daughter every night. Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin."

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

Paul McCartney and American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson have been added to the line-up for the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 8.

The former Beatle will be making his first Grammy performance, despite having won 13 of the coveted gongs during his illustrious career. Clarkson has been nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her hit single Since U Been Gone and Best Pop Vocal Album for Breakaway, while McCartney is nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his song Fine Line.

The pair join a superstar line-up which will feature Madonna duetting with Gorillaz, Mariah Carey, Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J Blige and Christina Aguilera.

Fancy flying out to LA to see Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, Joss Stone and more top acts at the prestigious Grammy awards on February 8?

Yahoo! Music, the internet’s No.1 music website and online sponsor of the awards, is offering a lucky winner two return flights, £200 to spend, two nights’ accommodation and tickets to the hottest event in the international music calender. Music fans can also log on to www.yahoo.co.uk/music and create their own customised radio station for free. To be in with a chance to go to the Grammys, answer this question:

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CALL 0901 154 1302 (1513 510 302 RoI) and follow instructions. OR TEXT the word 3AM followed by a space and then your answer (a, b or c), name, house number and postcode to 84080 (53131 RoI).

Are celebrities like normal folks an hold onto their old baby clothes? In the case of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and her ‘Coldplay’ frontman Chris Martin, let’s hope so, since they’ll be needing them once April is here, according to the Star.

The mag cites a source close to the actress saying that she and her husband of four years Chris, 28, learned of the baby’s sex in early December at one of Gwyneth’s appointments with her OB-GYN at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, Calif. Now, with the birth looming closer, Paltrow, 33, is reportedly starting to spread the exciting news to her friends. “She’s got a clean bill of health and isn’t nervous about the pregnancy. This time around things have been even easier for her than when she was expecting Apple,” reports the Star.

The Paltrow-Martins are planning to stay in California to be closer to actress Blythe Danner, Gwyn’s mom, and to the film industry. The Star indicates that Gwyneth is hoping to build on the positive reviews she received for her role in Proof.

Source: http://www.postchronicle.com