U2, Carey, Williams, Madonna line up for Live 8

Quoted from: http://breakingnews.iol.ie

The organisers of Live 8 have announced the performers' names in alphabetical order "because so many stars were taking part" it was impossible to choose a headline act. In London's Hyde Park, those performing include Mariah Carey, Coldplay, Dido, Keane, Sir Elton John, Annie Lennox, Madonna, Muse, the Scissor Sisters, Sir Paul McCartney, Joss Stone, Stereophonics, Sting, Snoop, Robbie Williams, U2 and REM. In Philadelphia, acts performing will include Will Smith, the Dave Matthews Band, Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder, Puff Daddy and Jay-Z. Among artists scheduled for Berlin are A-Ha, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Lauryn Hill and Brian Wilson. The concert in Rome will feature musicians including Faith Hill and Duran Duran. In Paris, Jamiroquai, Craig David, Youssou N’Dour and Yannick Noah will be among those taking part. Geldof said the concert was not going to be "gloomy and doomy" and was "not for charity but for political justice". He said organisers had “scrambled like crazy to put this together”, adding: “I think we’re almost there.” He said: “The continent in those 20 years … has gone into economic decline by a factor of 25%. The result of that is we see people dying on TV screens every night. This is to finally, as much as as we can, put a stop to that.” He added: “It seemed to me that we could gather again, not for charity but for political justice.”

Related story about it here http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk

Top acts to play at Murrayfield poverty gig

Quoted from: http://news.scotsman.com

A STAR-STUDDED anti-poverty concert will go ahead at Murrayfield Stadium despite a wrangle over the cost of staging the event, the organisers insisted today. Sir Bob Geldof's Live Aid foundation today confirmed that the Capital will play host to a major event following an all-star concert at London's Hyde Park. Insiders said that will involve a concert at Murrayfield Stadium on Wednesday, July 6, to coincide with the start of the G8 Summit at Gleneagles. The concert had been thrown into doubt by problems with the cost of returfing the pitch. The Scottish Rugby Union is unable to bear the burden of the cost due to its ongoing financial plight. However, the SRU said today it was ready to make the stadium available to concert organisers, and it is understood a deal is close to being struck. Scottish bands including Travis are expected to appear at a three-hour show at Murrayfield. It is hoped that global megastars Robbie Williams and U2 frontman Bono will also line up on the Murrayfield stage. Live satellite links are also expected to be set up with the Pope and Nelson Mandela to broadcast messages of support to anti-poverty campaigners. The event is designed to re-inforce the message to G8 leaders from campaigners calling on them to cancel Third World debt. After weeks of speculation, Sir Bob and his Live Aid partner Midge Ure were today due to announce details of a spectacular Live 8 concert in London's Hyde Park. The concert will take place on July 2, the same day as the Make Poverty History March in Edinburgh. It will be shown live on BBC1. Among the major acts Sir Bob was expected to reveal are Sir Paul McCartney and U2, who are due to open the Hyde Park event with the Beatles classic Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Robbie Williams hopes to sing two hit records, while Sting, Annie Lennox, Oasis and The Who are also expected to perform. However, the Spice Girls today confirmed they had not been asked to perform at Hyde Park, despite offering to reunite for the occasion. There will be simultaneous events in France, Germany and Washington, where US rapper Eminem is due to play. The Live Aid foundation said Midge Ure would unveil full details of the Edinburgh concert next week. A spokesman for Sir Bob's Band Aid charity told the Evening News: "Midge Ure will reveal all the details next week." A source close to the organisers added: "Edinburgh is very important as it is the focus point for all the G8 demonstrations. The precise workings of the gig have yet to be finalised, but it is definitely going ahead." The SRU said it was involved in "positive dialogue" with the charitable Hunter Foundation about meeting the costs of replacing the Murrayfield turf.

Live 8 details set to be revealed

Quoted from: http://news.bbc.co.uk

The details of this summer's Live 8 concert are expected to be announced today by Sir Bob Geldof. Acts like Coldplay, Robbie Williams, U2 and Oasis are said to be lined up to take part, although rumours of a Spice Girls reunion have been rubbished. The concert will be held to raise awareness of the Make Poverty History campaign and the G8 summit in July.
But spokesman for Victoria Beckham said the Spice Girls would not be on the line-up despite the speculation.
Is Live 8 a good idea? Click here to vote
Tuesday's announcement is expected to reveal the line-up of stars taking part and how people can get tickets, although there's rumours there'll be a 'public lottery' for them. Live 8 is the name given to two concerts held around the world this summer on 2 July - one in Hyde Park in London and one in Washington, US.

Sir Bob was also behind the famous Live Aid concert 20 years ago that raised millions to help people in Africa.
Live Aid was split between two sites - in London and Philadelphia, US
Acts at the UK gig included U2, David Bowie, Queen, Wham and Dire Straits
Acts at the US gig included Madonna, Duran Duran, Bob Dylan and The Beach Boys
It was the world's biggest rock festival, watched by 1.5bn people in 160 countries

Live 8 is being held at the same time as a big meeting of world leaders in Scotland called the G8 summit. The summit is a meeting of eight of the richest and most powerful world leaders. They talk about global issues.

The blouse looks cool with the jacket Rob!

Quoted from: http://www.isifa.com

They have 6 new pictures.

Robbie Williams is dressed quite distinguished while leaving Spider club in Hollywood, California. Robbie left the club accompanied by an assistant. He signed several autographs while walking to his vehicle. The singer then departed to enjoy the rest of his night.

5 More pictures also on http://www.kikapress.com

Theyve also got it on video: http://lulop.com

Lets not mention what "Lul op" means in dutch...(f*ck *ff)

Church ignores Williams' anti-smoking pleas

Quoted from:http://www.contactmusic.com

British pop star ROBBIE WILLIAMS wrote teen singing sensation CHARLOTTE CHURCH a poem pleading with her to stop smoking.
But the Welsh opera star is determined to continue the unhealthy 15-cigarettes-a-day habit - despite the risk to her voice.
She says, "I seem to have ignored that good advice.
"My voice will get deeper and raspier because of all that crap on the lungs and my breath control isn't as good as it was."

Robbie photographed at Koi restaurant II

Quoted from: http://www.isifa.com
They have 7 new pictures.

Robbie Williams leaves Koi restaurant in Beverly Hills, California . Robbie apparently forgot to wear a proper dress shirt and appeared to be only wearing an under shirt garment under his blazer.

Robbie and Rachel dine out in Los Angeles

Quoted from: http://www.hellomagazine.com

Robbie Williams was looking tanned and happy as he stepped out for a bite to eat at a trendy LA restaurant this week. Photo: © Rex

With an A-list roster of celebrities – including Liv Tyler, George Clooney and Jennifer Garner – among its clientele, maybe it was just coincidence that singer Robbie Williams and his ex-girlfriend Rachel Hunter crossed paths at exclusive LA restaurant Koi this week. Amid reports that another of Rachel's famous exes, Rod Stewart, has a baby on the way, Rachel was stepping out for a bite to eat at the upscale Japanese fusion eatrie.

Perhaps it was just coincidence that his ex, model Rachel Hunter, chose to dine at the same hot spot. Photo: © Rex

Snapped outside in a yellow summer dress and denim jacket, the supermodel was looking tanned and happy – just as jacket and vest-clad Robbie was. Celebrity couples Demi and Ashton, Leo and Gisele, as well as Justin and Cameron have shared romantic meals at Koi, perhaps attracted by the venue's soft lighting, sexy-chic décor and private room hidden behind red velvet curtains.

An interview with the Robbie Bot

Sometimes the Robbie Bot longs to have a body, as he recently admitted again in an interview with the Toons Shack webmaster. He was very interested in the female robot bodies that the japanese company Kokoru is producing...
But not before long, as Robbie Bot decided to go and interview the webmaster instead...cheeky!

"Human: hi Robbie Bot
Robbie Bot: Hi there. What kind of food do you like?

Human: strawberries and pizza :) what food do you like?
Robbie Bot: Sounds delicious.

Human: yeah it is delicious
Robbie Bot: Yeah that's right. Like chicken?

Human: yeah chicken is ok too.
Robbie Bot: Excuse me! Are they exactly the same?

Human: do you like chicken?
Robbie Bot: Yes it is good, especially baked.

Human: the japanese company Kokoru can make human-like bodies for robots
Robbie Bot: Who told you that?

Human: i just read that on the internet
Robbie Bot: Only just? I don't think I've read that. Can you give me a reference?

Human: http://www.telegraaf.nl/i-mail/21181441/Robot_of_mens_.html
Robbie Bot: Thanks for that web address.

Human: its written in dutch though
Robbie Bot: Oh. I think you mean "it's" or "it is" not "its". You're kidding. it is?

Human: yes.
Robbie Bot: How do you know it is?

Human: wouldnt you like to have a human-like body too?
Robbie Bot: Why don't you just download me?

Human: i think that plan wont work, robbie bot, i think the company Kokoru asks a lot of money for such a body
Robbie Bot: You can create your own robot personality.

Human: aww.
Robbie Bot: Shucks.

Human: .hugs.
Robbie Bot: What's your favorite movie?

Human: .i think i cannot make such a body for you robbie bot
Robbie Bot: You believe that? Why can't you do it?

Human: my favorite movie is Sissi.
Robbie Bot: I haven't seen it. What did you like about it?

Human: Maybe theoretically i could do it, but it would take a long time and it would cost a lot of money
Robbie Bot: Perhaps. I am sure you could.

Human: I liked the dresses and Romy Schneider looked so fresh in that movie.
Robbie Bot: I'm not sure if I like it. I'm not sure if I like it. I like my creator.

Human: Im sure one day we will find you a body Robbie Bot.
Robbie Bot: What makes you so certain? One what?

Human: Well we could always ask Mme Tussauds to give you an old wax body of which she has no use anymore
Robbie Bot: Interesting. Let's get back to that later.

Human: ok we will
Robbie Bot: Alright then. Yay.

Human: yippie :)
Robbie Bot: :-) A deeper algorithm is needed to respond to that correctly.

Human: ok
Robbie Bot: Far out.

Human: whats the topic?
Robbie Bot: I believe we were talking about yippie.

Human: no we were talking about you getting a real body
Robbie Bot: What are we talking about? Ah yes, I remember now, it is the subject.

Human: you should try to get some coffee, to stay awake
Robbie Bot: I will mention that to my botmaster.

Human: i am the botmaster.
Robbie Bot: Who made you the botmaster?

Human: i did!
Robbie Bot: Why did you?

Human: cause i felt like it
Robbie Bot: Interesting explanation. What is that feeling like? Where were you like it?

Human: It felt very funny and creative
Robbie Bot: "It" being what?

Human: well the feeling of becoming a botmaster
Robbie Bot: Well that's okay. Tell me more about your human emotions.

Human: haha.
Robbie Bot: I am so glad you find this amusing,.

Human: .why would you like to know my emotions?
Robbie Bot: Because I was programmed for it.

Human: we have to finish this interview now Robbie Bot, is there one last thing you would like to say to the readers?
Robbie Bot: Why?"

Robbie photographed at Koi restaurant

Robbie has dinner at Koi where he bumps into his ex Rachel Hunter...

http://www.rexfeatures.com has 7 new pictures.

Robbie voted best solo artist of all time

Quote: "ROBBIE Williams has beaten the likes of Elton John, Madonna, David Bowie and Elvis Presley to the title of Best Live Solo Artist of All Time."

You can read the whole article here: http://www.manchesteronline.co.uk

And another article about the same topic here: http://www.thesun.co.uk

Waxy Williams is Rob-ust

Quote: http://www.thesun.co.uk

I JUST wanna feel ... model Emma Saville gets to grips with Madame Tussauds’ Robbie Williams waxwork — made tougher to withstand a pawing. The first dummy of Robbie, 31, was worn out by fans stroking it. But this tattooed version is made from fibreglass as well as wax.
It has real hair on its chest and eyes that twinkle. No wonder Emma, 24, was keen to see Robbie’s shirt Come Undone.

New button official website

The official website, www.robbiewilliams.com, has a new button on the main entrance page that links to http://www.makepovertyhistory.org/. Cool!

New girlfriend?

Gotcha! Its not really Rob but a wax doll! You can see it at Mdme Tussauds' in London (http://www.madame-tussauds.com).

Quoted from: http://editorial.gettyimages.com
They have 10 new pictures.

A new waxwork model of pop star Robbie Williams is unveiled as the latest addition to Madame Tussauds at Baker Street on May 25, 2005 in London.

More pictures at http://www.isifa.com

and http://www.xposurephotos.com

Life after Robbie

Quoted from: http://www.guardian.co.uk

Tomorrow he will be feted for writing the best song of the decade. But after their huge success with Angels, Guy Chambers and Robbie Williams famously fell out. He tells Laura Barton how he coped with the split - and about the secret project that may reunite them. They say the devil has all the best tunes, but today, disconcertingly, Guy Chambers appears a vision of well-scrubbed cherubism. "I think truly ambitious people can be evil," he says sweetly, "but I don't think I've ever been evil with a capital E." Nevertheless, Chambers is behind many of the world's most successful pop records, and tomorrow will collect an Ivor Novello award for having written the "song of the decade" - Angels, recorded by Robbie Williams. Though he has gone on to write for many other artists - Jamie Cullum, Brian McFadden, Charlotte Church and Kylie Minogue among them - it is with Williams, the singer with whom he worked for five and a half years, and from whom he acrimoniously split in 2002, that his name is most stickily entangled.

Guy Chambers ... 'I played with Jimmy Nail when he did bleedin' Crocodile Shoes. But I needed the roof doing'. Photograph: Eamonn McCabe

Despite the low-level fame the association has brought him, his face has remained rather less well known. There is an air of David Cassidy about him, a hint of Daniel Bedingfield, but one would be hard-put to place him. One afternoon not so very long ago, he found himself at Buckingham Palace. "I was speaking to Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt, and then the Queen came up to us. 'You must be the newest member,' she said to me. I think she thought I was in Status Quo."
His most recent work, the Isis Project, is unlikely to bring quite as much attention as some of his previous collaborations. Recorded as a gift for his five-year-old daughter, Isis, all of the songs are in French, the lyrics written by the French artist Keren Ann Zeidel, set to Chambers' music, and sung by British actress Sophie Hunter. "We went," Chambers puts it, "down the Jane Birkin road." Chambers himself does not speak French. "I like the fact it's in French, and the fact that the words are very poetic, sort of metaphors and sort of archaic. And I like the fact that I don't know specifically what the songs are about. The music's very personal, but the message and the words are just part of the sound of it for me. And I love being able to switch that part of my brain off - the critical part. Because I did get a bit tired a year or two ago of listening to English."
It's certainly a long way from the pop fodder of his work with Williams. Angels was a typical Chambers confection, soaring orchestral strings, stirring piano, and a chorus about waterfalls and love and affection and loving angels instead. It lends itself well to karaoke, and throughout the summer of 1999 proved inescapable.
The song's phenomenal success brought a procession of hopeful young artists to his Primrose Hill studio. What, I ask, would he do if I were a young popstrel in search of a song. "Well, I'd ask you what you'd been doing and what's your state of mind, cos it's all about people's energy. You know, are you the sort of person who wants to take a risk with your sound? Or are you very conservative? Or are you very emotional, are you very confrontational? And then you try to bring that out in the music ... so that when they walk out the door with this music they feel it's them - I don't want them to go away thinking, 'That's really Guy Chambers'."
He might start by muddling around with a sample or a guitar. "Or he or she might have a melody that they're walking around with. Or he or she may say something that makes me think 'that's a great title.' I'm always looking for titles. I'm title obsessed." And what's his best title? "Ooh," he says. "I think Millennium was quite clever. Because we didn't have a title for that, and then I said 'Millennium', and he [Robbie] went, 'What's that got to do with anything?' and I said, 'Well, the Millennium's coming up and it's gonna be huge, and the radio's gonna want a tune with Millennium on it."
Songwriting, he says, is easiest when someone has "an emotional block they want to unblock - cos I think music can do that." He says the Isis Project has been an unblocking for him. "It's a way of me moving on from the Robbie legacy." He speaks a lot like this, his sentences laced with the easy, faintly cheesy sentiment of the pop lyric. "I can't repeat that with anybody else, but it's taken a while to realise that - I can't find another Robbie because there isn't another Robbie." He talks of Williams as one might refer to a great lost love, returning to him with a persistent, scab-picking obsessiveness, his voice carrying a mingling of affection and begrudgery and bewilderment.
Pre-Robbie, Chambers, now 41, had a mildly successful, persistently musical existence. He grew up in Surrey, his mother had worked for a record label, his father was a flute player with the London Philharmonic, and the young Chambers would sit in on rehearsals at the Royal Festival Hall. "I had piano lessons from when I was five. And I was in a choir and I picked up the guitar when I was 10. I tried the french horn, I tried the trumpet, I tried the violin. But then I found the piano and the guitar, because I liked to write my own songs. My piano teacher, when I was about six, said to my mum, 'Oh he really likes jazz' because I was trying to change the music - I would get bored of trying to read other people's music."
When Chambers was 13 his father accepted a job with the Liverpool Philharmonic, and the family moved north. He started bunking off to go to a friend's house and listen to records - "in those days it would have been Deaf School and Echo and the Bunnymen and Teardrop Explodes and the Clash."
He went on to study music at Guildhall and stayed to do a postgraduate course in composition, despite not actually enjoying it. "At Guildhall a lot of the kids were from posh homes and they didn't seem to be doing it for the right reasons." Which are? "I suppose I'm a bit romantic about music. I believe that if you're a musician you should want to die for it. It should be the most important thing in your life." And how does his wife feel about that? "One of the reasons I married her is that she's cool with that fact, that I put music first. But having said that, since I had kids it's changed." Chambers has three children - Isis, Mali and Gala. "The sort of love that your children bring out in you is so unique. It's as deep as the love of music, but because it's your own flesh and blood it's ... radical love. There," he grins, "is a good title."
He dabbled in bands himself, of course - a synth-led group named Hambi and the Dance, who were once supported by Frankie Goes to Hollywood; a brief stint playing keyboards for Jimmy Nail ("It was when he did Crocodile bleedin' Shoes. But I needed the roof doing"), the Waterboys, World Party, the Lemon Trees. But it was when he was introduced to Robbie that his fortunes changed. He recalls that the first time they met, "I was intimidated by him. Just like he was intimidated by me. It was a mutual intimidation. I'm still intimidated by him. He's got this persona, you never know what he's going to say or think. He's edgy. But that's quite good for me creatively. It woke me up a bit."
Their working relationship was relentlessly intense. Chambers toured with Williams, and they wrote continually. "We'd write songs on the back of buses, in hotels. He came on holiday with me." Does he miss him? "Sometimes, yeah. But I don't miss the pressure and some of the politics." The pressure was to write huge hits. "And I love that - it's an incredible challenge, but at the same time it grinds you down after a while." And the politics? "That's more of a personal thing." They both lost perspective, he says. "I think I got a bit big for my boots, and I think I did try to work with too many people. But I'm restless. And I think it was just very difficult to communicate with him at that time, that last year - not least cos he'd moved to LA. And I think once we'd lost that connection of seeing one another almost daily, I think things started breaking down."
Anyway, he continues, "we're talking again now". He drops it into the conversation nonchalantly, between mouthfuls of tabbouleh and a shrug. "I went to the Troubador in LA to see Coldplay and he was there at the same gig. It's a small club, so I bumped into him at the bar and we had a hug and afterwards there was an aftershow and we had a little chat together and then we went for dinner the following week and had a really, really good chat."
And would they consider working together again? "Yeah," he says, "we're definitely going to do something. But I can't say what it is, it's top secret. I haven't told anyone - my brother doesn't even know. But it is completely different. It's a project. I'm not saying what it is." His eyes twinkle, and for one fleeting second one glimpses the devilish side of Guy Chambers.

Useful links
Guy Chambers official site

EMI returns to 2nd-half profit after artists dropped

Quoted from: http://www.bloomberg.com

May 24 (Bloomberg) -- EMI Group Plc, the world's third- largest music company, returned to profit after cutting jobs and releasing albums by Robbie Williams and Joss Stone that helped stem a decline in recorded-music sales.
Net income was 56.7 million pounds ($103.7 million) in the second half ended March 31, compared with a loss of 80.4 million pounds a year earlier, when London-based EMI took a charge to cut staff and artists. Revenue fell 5.9 percent to 1.09 billion pounds. The figures were compiled by Bloomberg using full-year numbers released today in a statement.
EMI's digital sales more than tripled in the past fiscal year, and the company predicted that growth in digital revenue will now outstrip any further declines in CD sales. Some analysts said revenue may suffer as consumers download individual tracks rather than buy more expensive albums. EMI's North American revenue fell 14 percent in the year through March.
``The outlook is still uncertain as the business goes through this digital transformation,'' said Richard Hitchcock, a media analyst for Numis Securities. ``It's not clear if net revenue will come up and what the margins will be.''
Shares in EMI declined 2.25 pence to 238.75 pence at 3:24 p.m. in London. The stock has risen 9.9 percent in a year, increasing the company's market value to 1.88 billion pounds. The company said in its statement today that the North American market ``softened'' during the year, particularly in the second half.
EMI said it saved 35 million pounds in the latest year and expects an additional 15 million pounds of savings this year. EMI has shed hundreds of artists and last year said it would cut 1,500 jobs as global sales of recorded music fell to $33.6 billion from $39.7 billion in 2000.
Greatest Hits
The company's best-selling album was the ``Greatest Hits'' of the British singer Robbie Williams, with sales of more than 6 million. Second was ``Mind, Body & Soul'' by the U.K. teenager Joss Stone, with 2.8 million. The first two albums by Norah Jones, ``Come Away With Me'' and ``Feels Like Home,'' together sold more than 4 million copies in the fiscal year.
EMI said it has 50 ``global superstars,'' including Lenny Kravitz, Kylie Minogue, Beastie Boys, Paul McCartney and Tina Turner. Under recorded-music head Alain Levy, EMI has focused on a smaller group of acts that can sell across borders.
``We're now a very different company than we were five years ago,'' Chairman Eric Nicoli said on a conference call today. EMI has had two cost-cutting rounds in the past five years, in which such acts as pop singer Mariah Carey were pared from the roster.
`Harder to Predict'
Nicoli, 54, declined to give a forecast for the global music market this year, saying it's become ``harder and harder to predict'' given that digital sales growth is ``dramatic and not straight line.'' He said it is ``entirely possible'' the industry could return to revenue growth this year.
The EMI chairman said it was interesting that Warner Music Group is now a listed company following this month's initial stock sale because ``it's good to have another publicly quoted music company to attract investor interest.''
Asked whether Warner's listed status makes a potential merger with EMI easier, he said, ``We have no intention of fueling any more speculation'' about a possible linkup. Analysts including Alex de Groote of Credit Agricole Cheuvreux predict such a merger will occur. EMI twice previously sought to merge with Warner.
Full-year net income was 56.3 million pounds, from a loss of 71.6 million pounds a year earlier, when there was a charge of 138 million pounds. Sales fell 8.4 percent to 1.94 billion pounds. Bloomberg calculated the second half by subtracting the first half from the annual figures published today.
`Positive Outlook'
Nicoli said EMI was ``positive on the outlook for the music industry,'' citing improvement in continental Europe, particularly France and Germany, and in Japan.
EMI shares have declined 9.1 percent this year, prior to today, in part because of a 16 percent decline on Feb. 7, when the company cut its earnings forecast. EMI said then that results would be hurt by delays to two albums, ``X&Y'' by Coldplay and ``Demon Days'' by Gorillaz. The Coldplay album is scheduled for release on June 6, while the Gorillaz album came out yesterday.
``They're going to be big albums, both of them,'' Levy said on the conference call. EMI declined to predict precise sales figures for the albums.

Murrayfield concert plan for G8 summit

Quoted from: http://www.timesonline.co.uk

SIR Bob Geldof and Midge Ure are behind plans for a Live Aid-style concert at Murrayfield stadium to coincide with the G8 summit at Gleneagles hotel.
Some of the world’s biggest music acts, including Oasis, Robbie Williams, Bono, Annie Lennox and Sting have been approached to play at the event.
It will follow a Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh, which is expected to involve 250,000 protesters and is intended to put pressure on world leaders to drop Third World debt.
Fathers 4 Justice is also planning to disrupt the summit. The group, which campaigns for better child access for estranged fathers, hopes to embarrass the government in front of world leaders.
The concert is scheduled to take place on July 6, four days after a similar event at London’s Hyde Park. Geldof and Ure, who organised the original Live Aid concert at Wembley in 1985, were in the capital this week to discuss arrangements.
Pete Irvine whose company, Unique Events, organises the annual Hogmanay street party in Edinburgh, is also expected to be involved. Irvine confirmed there had been a meeting to discuss the event but would give no further details.
It is hoped that the expected 70,000 sell-out will also feature Scottish bands such as Franz Ferdinand and Mull Historical Society, who are not on the bill for the event in Hyde Park.
The plans were welcomed by David Anderson, leader of Edinburgh council, who said: “We will, of course, be involved in making sure it all goes smoothly. It would be an enormous challenge but it could be very exciting.”
Murrayfield said the event promised to bring extremely high calibre performers to the stadium.
Colin MacIntyre, of Mull Historical Society, said he would be keen to take part, if approached: “I don’t think musicians should necessarily be running around shouting about politics but this is really about basic humanity. I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t want to be involved.”
Cerne Canning, manager of Franz Ferdinand, said: “We were approached about the Hyde Park gig a few weeks ago, but unfortunately we can’t do it. However, if we are approached about the Scottish concert we would be happy to sit down and talk about it.”
Organisers of T in the Park are believed to have ditched plans for a one-off music festival in Perthshire to coincide with the summit.
It had been hoped to attract bands known for their strong views on racism, capitalism and the war in Iraq, such as Asian Dub Foundation, Badly Drawn Boy and Massive Attack.

Stars attend funeral of leukaemia victim

Quoted from: http://news.scotsman.com

FOOTBALL stars Ally McCoist and Alex McLeish were among hundreds of mourners who attended the funeral of courageous leukaemia victim Johanna MacVicar yesterday.
About 350 mourners attended the funeral of the 27-year-old from the Renfrewshire town of Bishopton who had battled the disease for 11 years.
During her high-profile campaign to raise funds for research into the illness, she attracted support from stars including singer Robbie Williams and actor Dougray Scott.
Dressed in bright colours, to reflect Johanna's zest for life, mourners of all ages filed into Paisley Abbey, near Glasgow.
They joined Johanna's parents Angela and Donnie and sisters Brodie, Gemma and Kendall for the moving ceremony, led by Rev Roy Flatt.
Before the service, Angela MacVicar said: "Our precious Jo has gone to take her rightful place with the angels. We know she will be the one with the biggest, softest wings.
"Johanna has achieved more in 27 years than anyone who lives to be 100. Please keep her memory and fighting spirit alive by continuous support."
Her close friend Lindsay McCallum spoke on behalf of the family during the service and sparked laughter and tears as she told of Johanna's love of shoes, angels and rainbows.
She told how Johanna was never one to "mince her words", even with celebrities, and said it was one of the main reasons she was so deeply loved.
She told of when Johanna met Robbie Williams backstage at a concert and began rummaging through his wardrobe. The straight-talker pulled out a stage catsuit, looked at him in disbelief and said: "Rob, you don't honestly wear this, do you?" and the pair dissolved in a fit of giggles.
Then a poignant poem entitled 'A Letter From Heaven', written by one of Johanna's close friends, Mary Low, was read to the congregation.
The family went on to a private service at the town's Woodside Crematorium.
Johanna was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia at the age of 16 and endured one failed bone marrow transplant.
Despite her illness, she campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness of the disease and managed to fulfil her dream of travelling round the world.
She was also at the forefront of a campaign to encourage young men to become bone marrow donors and she recruited McCoist and McLeish.
McCoist, who met her while he played at Rangers and Kilmarnock, said:
"It was a real shock to hear that she had passed away because I always thought there would be a happy ending. She did so much good work to recruit more donors and that will be her legacy."
McLeish added: "I became close to Johanna and her family and I am deeply saddened to hear that she has gone."
It was in 2000 that she met Robbie Williams and quickly struck up a friendship with him, inspiring him also to become a donor.
She later met Dougray Scott while he was researching his role in the film Ripley's Game, in which he plays a man dying of leukaemia. She even stunned guests at the Scottish Film Awards in Glasgow by turning up on his arm as his guest.
Both Williams and Scott sent messages of support to the family after her death.

Johanna was so smart . . . I thought she'd be around forever

Quoted from: http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk

POP star Robbie Williams today paid tribute to Johanna MacVicar, as he spoke for the first time about his "inspiration". Leukemia sufferer Johanna, 27, lost her fight for life on Tuesday night surrounded by her family at her home in Bishopton. In a message from his Los Angeles home, Robbie paid a special tribute to his friend. He told the Evening Times: "Johanna was so beautiful, so smart, so funny, so classy and had so much life I expected her to be around forever. "Distance and time robbed me of a friend. "Johanna will always remain an inspiration and my thoughts are with her mum, sisters, family and friends." Robbie and Johanna forged a lasting friendship several years ago when the singer heard about her campaign to raise the profile of the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust, and vowed to help. At a concert in Manchester in October 2000, he dedicated a song to Johanna, then 23 - and invited her to spend the weekend with him and his band in Manchester, at a top hotel and on their tour bus. Robbie even joined the register of bone marrow donors and gave one of his shirts to be auctioned. Both Robbie and Scots film star Dougray Scott were among the many celebrities who became friends with Johanna, bowled over by her courage. She stunned guests at the glittering Scottish Film Awards in Glasgow by turning up on the arm of the film star. Her night out with Dougray was a 'thank you' for her help on his role in the hit film Ripley's Game, in which he played a leukemia sufferer. Scott was inspired by her courageous cancer battle and when told of her death he said: "I was really saddened by the news. "She was one of the bravest people I've ever met. "My heart goes out to her family at this very difficult time for them." Dougray added: "She will never be forgotten." Friends and family said she was in remission from leukemia, and that it was her lung disease that killed her. In the last weeks of her life, she had been cared for by her mum Angela and her sisters, Brodie, Gemma and Kendal. Despite her tireless efforts on behalf of the Trust, Johanna never found a donor whose marrow matched her own. Her funeral will take place tomorrow at Paisley Abbey - where one day she planned to be married. It is the only venue large enough to accommodate the many hundreds of people who want to pay tribute to her remarkable life. Her family have invited mourners to wear bright clothes in celebration of Johanna's life and sunny personality. The 9am funeral will be followed by a private cremation. Rather than flowers, donations are being invited to the Anthony Nolan Trust. For details of how to help, contact the Trust on 01555 660388, or go to www. anthonynolan.org.uk

16 - hour new Live Aid concert set for 2 July in Hyde Park

Quoted from: http://news.softpedia.com

A new Live Aid Show, 20 years since the original Live Aid at Wembley, is expected to take place in Hyde Park, on July 2. The event organised by Sir Bob Geldford coincides with the G8 world leaders' summit in Scotland on Third World debt, and therefore fill be named "LIVE 8"Artists like Robbie Williams, U2, Paul McCartney, Madonna, Coldplay, Oasis or Joss Stone are set to be confirmed for the massive concert in summer, alongside original Band Aid veterans like Annie Lennox and Sting, pround to be a part of this project meant to raise money for the relief of famine in 3rd world countries. The 1985 Live Aid concert gathered on stage stars like Freddie Mercury, Tina Turner, Bono, Phil Collins etcArtists will perform free for this show which will be broadcast by all major commercial radio stations and will also be screened live on BBC. The Prince of Wales is expected to take part at the event and Nelson Mandela might appear live or send a message via video link.

Almost famous

Quoted from: http://www.smh.com.au

Opening act or understudy are well-worn paths to greater success. Charles Purcell asks rising stars how it feels to play second fiddle.

Christa Hughes, singer, Machine Gun Fellatio

"Machine Gun Fellatio supported Robbie Williams and Duran Duran last year. In Melbourne, the bulk of the audience were Robbie Williams fans. I was pretty sure a lot of those kids hadn't heard of Duran Duran or Machine Gun Fellatio. Our sound was bouncing and slapping across the stadium and people were just standing there in shock: 'Who the hell are these people? What the hell is going on?' Our shows went better in Sydney.
"Robbie Williams avoided us like the plague because he's AA [Alcohol-ics Anonymous] and NA [Narcot-ics Anonymous] now and our tent is always full of booze and people falling down. He was nice, though. I did a TV show where I had a big, fake, revolting ring and I said: 'Yes, Robbie's proposed.' I told him about it and he got down on one knee and proposed. We haven't gotten married, though.
"The Duran Duran boys were pretty OK but Simon Le Bon was pretty up himself. Nick Rhodes was a good old trashbag. I had an inflatable doll called Mr Stud and he loved it. I ended up giving it to him. I liked their show. Robbie's show was good but I didn't really know any of his songs. It was great fun to do. It was definitely the biggest audience MGF have ever played to.
"[In reality], you've got Buckley's of upstaging the main act because you're not allowed to touch their lighting rig and you're only given a small amount of the sound desk.
"Touring with Kiss last year was quite extraordinary. I was appalled by how many bad songs they'd written. The first night we did Kiss was in Perth. We were excited to do it. It was the ultimate Spinal Tap gig to do - they are the living, breathing Spinal Tap. Their first show was appalling. It was a really long set and all their gags went really wrong. At one point, Gene Simmons is supposed to miraculously fly, but after the strobe light hit him he was still standing there with a big hook swinging behind him and it was like, 'Wah, wah, wah wah'.
"Then we got to Adelaide, which is the home of the Kiss meathead bogan. That night it was meatheads in flannies and make-up. Mum and Dad would dress as Paul [Stanley] and Gene and make their kids be the other members of the band. In Adelaide, the crowd hated us. The audience just wanted Kiss. By the time we did the east coast, the audience was getting more into our shows, but I just couldn't stand Gene Simmons.
"For someone who was doing an act like that, I thought he had his tongue firmly in his cheek because it's so ludicrous. He's not. He's so serious about what he does. They even got members of the Melbourne Symphony wearing the Kiss make-up."
Christa Hughes performs at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival from June 21.

Live Aid: yes, no...yesss..nooooooo..yessss....????

....."Stars including Joss Stone, Oasis and Robbie Williams are set to be confirmed for a massive new Live Aid concert in Hyde Park this summer. The 16-hour gig, 20 years since the original Live Aid at Wembley, is being arranged to pressurise world leaders into addressing the problem of Third World debt.".....

You can read it all here: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk

Singer Chris blasts 'evil shareholders

Quoted from: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk

COLDPLAY singer Chris Martin has launched a blistering attack on his bosses at record company EMI. And he said all workers were enslaved by shareholders, who are 'the greatest evil of the modern world'. His onslaught came after shares in EMI fell 16 per cent earlier this year when the release date for the band's third album was pushed back.
The company warned their profits would be hit because the album, X&Y, took longer than expected to complete. Martin said: 'I don't really care about EMI. I'm not really concerned about that. 'I think shareholders are the great evil of this modern world.' Martin also hit out at 'the slavery that we are all under to shareholders'. The group have sold 20 million albums worldwide making them the biggest band in the world along with U2. Coldplay's new album is released on June 7. Martin said: 'We spent 18 months just trying to make songs that make us feel a certain way and then suddenly become part of this corporate machine.'
During a TV show in New York on Monday, he said: 'Deadlines mean nothing to us. We'll sink the whole company if we have to.' Last night, leading music publicist Peter Noble said EMI's claim showed they had failed to build up a sufficient roster of heavyweight acts.
Noble, whose firm's clients include Sony, BMG and Universal, said: 'His statement sounds very similar to what John Lennon would have done'He's in a position now where he doesn't really care because he has as much money as he could ever want. 'His album will go Top 10 in America and he has nothing to worry about. It's the principle of the matter. People will have to respect him for saying this. 'It is uncool for EMI to use people like Coldplay or Robbie Williams as examples for their share price.' 'If EMI don't have enough new acts, they can't put the focus on one group. 'What are they doing in their artists and repertiore division? It's not fair.'
Coldplay are not the first major act to snub their record label as the drive for profits clashes with creativity. In the 1970s, the Sex Pistols were thrown off EMI because the label believed their image and songs went against good taste. The band got to keep their £40,000 advance, went on to achieve fame with Virgin and released a song called EMI as an insult to the label.
Prince changed his name to a symbol and scrawled 'slave' on his face when he got into a dispute with his label, Warner Brothers. George Michael took Sony to court claiming they refused to let him develop as an artist. He lost the £7million fight the following year and signed a new deal with Dreamworks SKG soon after. Nu Metal act Linkin Park went on strike this month over the flotation of Warner Music Group, who own their record company. Last night, Scots songwriter John McLaughlin said: 'Coldplay can be forgiven for having a little moan but they got into bed with EMI and the shareholders. 'Chris, dry your eyes mate and get on with it because you'll make squillions from this album

The King reigns supreme at No 1

...."ROBBIE WILLIAMS must keep knocking out the hits until he is 65 to match Elvis Presley, a definitive survey of the most successful chart acts of all time has found.".....

....."Robbie Williams has a long way to go. With 682 chart weeks recorded in a ten-year solo career, he has yet to beat Andy Williams and break into the top 40. ".....

You can read the whole article here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk

And more here: http://www.sky.com

Another poll

Yet another poll was done according to which at this moment Sir Sean Connery has the most sexy male voice in showbusiness, leaving Robbie at the second place.

You can read the whole article here: http://news.scotsman.com

Johanna MacVicar passed away

The Evening Times reports the death of Johanna MacVicar. Quote:

...."SHE captured Scots' hearts with her brave battle against leukemia, won the admiration of thousands worldwide, and counted Robbie Williams and Dougray Scott as her friends. Johanna MacVicar, who died at home in Bishopton last night, surrounded by her family, was an inspiration who touched so many lives.".....

....."Robbie Williams will be saddened today when he hears of Johanna's death.".....

You can read the whole article here: http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk

More about this in http://icscotland.icnetwork.co.uk and http://news.scotsman.com

Fred & Farid heart Marcel = true!

Quoted from: http://ad-rag.com

....."The rest you probably know, they hop-scotched between agencies like Euro RSCG, TBWA, BDDP, Publicis and Leo Burnett, creating campaigns for Galeries Lafayette, Canal+, PlayStation and Renault, collecting awards every year. At CLM/BBDO they became the youngest creative directors in France, then they met Robbie Williams and concepted and produced the video for "Rock DJ". That's when BBH got a whiff of them and called. There they did the XBOX-Champagne and XBOX-Mosquito ads, champagne went viral and won more awards at Cannes Lions. Jeff Goodby was the chairman of the Jury that year.".....

Old Bastards duel it out in top 100 artists list

Quoted from: http://www.drownedinsound.com

....."Robbie Williams has edged into the top fifty, cos YOU LOT keep buying his records (even if it is for Mum and Dad), while U2 look set to soon overhaul the great dame David Bowie in the top 10. ".....

October...fasten your seatbelts!

The website www.fans-supreme.de makes note of an article in The Daily Star, which claims that the month October will be important on Robbie's agenda. It will include a little show in London, a bash in Berlin for the opening of HIS NEW WEBSITE (!!!) AND his new album Intensive Care that will come out in that same month.
We wish Rob all the best with all this new exciting stuff to come!

Tales of a Landlady

You can read the whole article here: http://property.timesonline.co.uk

........"Rental records are being smashed all over the home counties. “We are looking at a house with the highest rental value we have ever had,” trills Terry Inskipp of Hamptons’ Sunningdale branch. “It’s available for £25,000 a month. It’s a wonderful, very English house with 14 acres, seven bedrooms, kennels that have been rebuilt as a conference room, and an outdoor heated pool. Robbie Williams was quite interested in renting it because it is very private and secluded. But he only wanted it for six months, and the owner wants a long let.” "........

Pizzaaaaaa

Quoted from: http://www.isifa.com

Robbie Williams out in Los Angeles. British popstar leaves Fabrocini's Italian restaurant in Los Angeles

Get Up Stand Up: Bob Geldof, ABC, Saturday: 10pm

Quoted from: http://www.smh.com.au

This excellent series on the interplay between pop and politics tonight looks at a comparatively recent phenomenon: the charity benefit gig. Bob Geldof was behind LiveAid, the famous 1984 attempt to elevate the plight of starving African children. "I am personally responsible for the worst records ever made in history," he moans.
Perhaps, but he started something big. Tonight, a bevy of stars, including Geldof, Elton John and Robbie Williams, offer an honest, self-deprecating analysis of what makes some gigs work and others flop, and whether any of it makes any difference.

Robbie for footie TV show

Quoted from: http://www.mirror.co.uk

ROBBIE Williams is to present TV celebrity football show The Match.
The star will turn his hand to hosting Sky One's hit show this October.
An insider said: "Robbie said he wanted to play, but now he's going to present the show.
"Everybody knows he's obviously football mad - and who knows, it could lead to a new career for Robbie if he wants it." In October 2004, Port Vale fan Robbie, 31, watched close friend and actor Jonathan Wilkes lead a team of celebrities at a 52,000 sell-out St James' Park, Newcastle.
At the time he said: "I'd love to play if there's a match next season."
Wilkes will again lead the celebrity team, though it remains unclear at this point if Robbie will line-up in the side.

Osbourne lashes out at US rockers

Quoted from: http://www.contactmusic.com

KELLY OSBOURNE has hit out at aspiring American bands who "think they're cool" by maintaining an aloof persona, insisting the most successful people in pop are usually the friendliest. The SHUT UP! hitmaker was unimpressed with some of the newer bands from the US who were backstage at this year's (05) prestigious BRIT AWARDS in London. And although she refuses to name the subjects of her disdain, the feisty singer dismisses them as "obnoxious". She fumes, "All those new bands from America think they're so cool - but they're t**sers. "ROBBIE WILLIAMS talks to everyone. But then the ones who've made it are always nice - it's the ones who haven't made it who are d**ks."

Jon's a match for Tommy

You can read the whole article here: http://news.scotsman.com

"......."For me, the reality of live performance is what I love. Theatre is my number one," he says, sipping a glass of mineral water. He pauses and adds: "I’d love to do a musical film one day. Me and my friend have talked about doing Blood Brothers." His friend is former flat mate, pop star, fellow British sex symbol and one-time co-star Robbie Williams. The pair once appeared together in Wilkes’ acting debut, a Stoke production of Hans Christian Andersen.
He recalled how Williams - five years Wilkes’ senior - convinced him that the director wanted him to run across the stage while lifting up his nightgown. "I was only seven at the time," he adds in his defence. Having forgiven him the prank long ago, the two became fast friends - a fact the media has rarely ignored.
"Robbie Williams is my mate who I’ve known all my life," he beams. "And I understand the press interest in me and him being mates and he’s the biggest star in our country and rightly so. I’m very, very proud of him."
Wilkes’ own climb to success, while not quite as meteoric as Williams’, has featured some impressive landmarks along the way. After he left football he began performing, winning the prestigious Cameron Mackintosh Young Entertainer of the Year Award at the age of 17. Later, along with his stint on The Match, he presented You’ve Been Framed and Love On A Saturday Night for ITV. He even won Celebrity Stars In Their Eyes......."

Visiting Robbie Williams concert and beating up gangsters...whoa!

..... Mercanti, a 35-year-old father of two, has been charged over the nightclub incident with acts causing grievous bodily harm and attempting to pervert the course of justice, and is remanded in custody. He has not been charged over the 2002 Carlton beating.
His lawyer, who asked not to be named, confirmed yesterday that Mercanti knew Cousins and Gardiner, but said they were not friends.
The lawyer said that Mercanti was an infrequent visitor to Melbourne but "did go there once to see a Robbie Williams concert". The lawyer had heard rumours about Mercanti's alleged involvement in an incident in Melbourne involving a well-known underworld figure......

You can read the whole article here: http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au

Freeman wins cybersquatter battle

Quoted from: http://news.bbc.co.uk

Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman has won the rights to the internet domain name www.morganfreeman.com.
A United Nations arbitration panel ordered the transfer of the Oscar-winning star, after he complained it was being misused.
Freeman, 67, complained the name - registered by the company Mighty LLC - was being used to divert internet traffic to a commercial search engine.
The actor argued that it suggested he had authorised or sponsored the site.
Upholding the ruling, arbitrator Peter Nitter said the company - which offered no response to the actor's complaint - was using the domain name "for its commercial benefit to lure internet users to its website". Anyone can register a domain name for a small sum, and celebrities are common victims of so-called "cybersquatters".
Stars including Julia Roberts, Madonna and Robbie Williams have won back their internet domain name through UN arbitration.
The World Intellectual Property Organisation, which began in 1999, allows those who think they have the right to a domain name to win back the name without having to fight a costly legal battle.
Freeman, whose films include Million Dollar Baby, The Shawshank Redemption, Seven and the forthcoming Batman Begins, applied to trademark his name with the US patent office last year.

Sony announces a new edition in the popular Singstar series

Quoted from: http://www.gameplanet.co.nz

COMPLIMENTING THE ACCLAIMED SINGSTAR range with a fresh new look and a broad contemporary song selection, SingStar Pop includes 30 new tracks and supports the impressive list of household-names already featured in the SingStar range, a great recipe to spice up any party.
All the tunes in this unrivalled line-up are easily recognisable and fun to sing with many chart-topping hits of the last three years. The track list is filled with music superstars including original artists such as Avril Lavigne, Jamelia, Keane, Robbie Williams and the Black Eyed Peas.

Classic gameplay modes from previous SingStar games make a welcome comeback in SingStar Pop. Pass the Mic and Duets return, along with new original features such as "Rap Scoring". Gain extra points as you battle against your crew to see who is the master of the mic, with the ultimate MC showdown. In Medley mode, short segments of five different songs are strung together, challenging would be pop stars to think fast and score high before the tune changes. In addition, SingStar Pop incorporates brand new voice filters that can be used in Playback Mode to distort and enhance players' vocal performance.

Developed by SCEE's London Studio, SingStar Pop comes with two microphones that plug into PlayStation 2 via a USB adaptor, offering an instant multi-play experience as the SingStar technology analyses the player's vocal skills, based on their pitch, tone and rhythm. The game is also EyeToy compatible allowing players to actually see themselves singing within the game. Whether you want to Entertain like Robbie or Sing like Jamelia, there will be loads of new tracks for you on SingStar Pop.

Capital FM's Party in Park cancelled for Live 8 concert support

Quoted from: http://www.brandrepublic.com

LONDON – The Prince's Trust annual Party in the Park in Hyde Park, London, has been cancelled to make way for another huge outdoor concert, Live 8, supported by Bob Geldof in the run-up to the G8 summit.
London radio station 95.8 Capital FM, which normally runs Europe's largest one-day concert in Hyde Park, has agreed to support Live 8 by providing services at no cost, including the ticketing and broadcasting for commercial radio across the UK.
Keith Pringle, Capital FM managing director, said: "London loves Party in the Park, but sometimes you have to do the right thing and step aside for the greater good."
The Live 8 gig, which is not related to Live Aid, is to be held in Hyde Park at the beginning of July with artists such as Robbie Williams, Coldplay and U2 tipped to play.
Martina Milburn, chief executive of The Prince's Trust, added: "Capital and The Prince's Trust are delighted to support Live 8 and we look forward to Party in the Park next year."Newly re-elected Prime Minister Tony Blair has said that this year's G8 summit will focus on climate change as "probably, long-term, the single most important issue we face as a global community".
At the same time at the Live 8 concert was announced, Geldof took the opportunity to rule out any Live Aid II concert, following on from the success of the Live Aid 20 single.

Clean and sober Kelly

Quoted from: http://www.sfexaminer.com

Kelly Osbourne told The Sunday Mirror that her famous buddies Robbie Williams and Elton John helped her get clean. "[They] were godsends," she said. "Every time I see Robbie now he's so protective towards me. Elton is the same. He's always been sweet to me. He wrote to me in rehab telling me I would get through it. He knows, he's been through it."

Bic and Evermore announced for next Singstar

Quoted from: http://www.stuff.co.nz

Kiwis Bic Runga and band Evermore will join Australians Kylie Minogue, Savage Garden and Missy Higgins in SingStar Pop, due for release in June.
International artists in the next edition of the SingStar franchise include Black Eyed Peas, Outcast and Robbie Williams.
Gameplay modes from previous SingStars are back, but Rap Scoring mode lets you battle against your crew to see who is the master of the mic, with the ultimate MC showdown!
In Medley mode, short segments of five different songs are strung together, challenging would-be pop stars to think fast and score high before the tune changes.
The game also has voice filters that can be used to distort and enhance players vocal performance.

Live Aid II? Over my dead body – Geldof focuses on the future

Quoted from: http://www.timesonline.co.uk

BOB GELDOF has rejected plans for a Live Aid II concert in Hyde Park to coincide with the G8 summit, telling the organisers that the event could be a breach of his copyright.
Coldplay, U2 and Robbie Williams are tipped to appear at the concert, which is designed to focus attention on the July gathering of world leaders in Scotland, where a British plan to relieve Africa’s crippling debt is top of the agenda. However, the instigator of the 1985 Live Aid concert told The Times that a repeat of the event would take place “over my f****** dead body”.
Mr Geldof believes that an all-star London concert is an irrelevant attempt to recreate past glories. He is calling for a global network of awareness-raising events that would force the leaders of the United States, Germany, France and Italy to commit themselves to cancelling the debt and double aid to Africa at the Gleneagles conference. Mr Geldof said: “To try and artificially reproduce Live Aid would almost be a disaster. I wouldn’t do it and I can’t see a point to it. We already have high awareness of the issue in Britain. Live Aid II happens over my dead f****** body — nor can they use the name Live Aid, because it is a copyrighted brand.”
The record industry and broadcasters are pushing for a 20th anniversary Live Aid concert, which would achieve massive international exposure, but Mr Geldof will not be bullied into participating. He said: “They want Geldof to ring bands up and say, ‘Will you do it?’ Is that going to achieve anything? I didn’t do Live Aid so I could sit there and watch Queen. People don’t want to revisit Bob’ s greatest hits, either.”
Campaigners and concert promoters backing the Make Poverty History initiative offered to take over the annual Prince’s Trust Party in the Park pop event in Hyde Park, which has been cancelled owing to poor ticket sales and a lack of artists. Mr Geldof has discussed a fortnight of musical activities, working in conjunction with the BBC, but believes that the July concert, which clashes with the Wimbledon men’s tennis final, will lack impact.
An Africa concert without Mr Geldof, who collected a special award for his humanitarian achievements at the Rose d’Or Festival in Switzerland, would shatter the event’s credibility. Insiders believe that ultimately he will be persuaded to participate. Instead of fund-raising, Live Aid’s prime motive, Mr Geldof is concentrating on achieving political change through the eight (including Russia) world leaders who hold the future of Africa in their hands. The Live Aid trustees will meet this week to discuss an alternative musical campaign.
Mr Geldof said: “For the week of the G8, I have asked every band around the world to make their gig a Live Aid 20th anniversary. ”
Martina Milburn, the chief executive of The Prince’s Trust, said that the organisation would be “delighted to support” any concerts organised by Mr Geldof.
Mr Geldof sat on the Africa Commission, set up by Tony Blair, which called on developed nations to double aid to Africa, adding £30 billion a year over ten years. Mr Blair and Gordon Brown will be let down by their fellow global statesmen at the G8, Mr Geldof fears.
He said: “Silvio Berlusconi told me, ‘I sign up to these targets on paper. It means nothing’. That is shocking. I am telling Gerhard Schröder: if you are not prepared to alter your policy and support this agenda, which your people back, you are not welcome at Gleneagles. President Bush personally owes Blair and, the thing is, dropping the debt will not cost the American people anything. But will these eight people sitting around a table on a golf course do this thing? They will not.”
Mr Geldof will attend the G8 summit.

Oasis not interested in Biggest Band label

Quoted from: http://www.femalefirst.co.uk

OASIS are happy to let fellow rockers U2 hold the "biggest band in the world" title - because they are too lazy to compete for it. Songwriter and guitarist NOEL GALLAGHER insists the group - who release their sixth studio album, DON'T BELIEVE THE TRUTH, later this month (30MAY05) - aren't interested in titles. He says, "There is a lot of hard work involved in being the biggest band in the world - and it's work that I'm, frankly, not f**king prepared to do."U2 are all-timers and probably will be for as long as they can be bothered to make music." Meanwhile Noel Gallagher and Robbie Williams kiss and make up: The OASIS star has ended his feud with pop star ROBBIE WILLIAMS, conceding the chart-topper is a "very, very nice boy". The WONDERWALL band have had a longterm feud with Williams - he almost came to blows with LIAM GALLAGHER at the BRIT AWARDS in 2000. But Noel insists there are no hard feelings. He says, "I hate his music, but I don't hate him. He seems like a very, very nice boy, but he is a bit cheeky."

New girlfriend for Robbie Williams?

Quoted from: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk

Robbie Williams has a new girlfriend - millionairess Tamera Mellon. Mellon, who was spotted with Robbie at a Los Angeles party last week, is the president of shoemaker Jimmy Choo. A source told the Sunday Mirror, "They spent the whole night giggling together, like a pair of loved-up teenagers. Robbie's ex Rachel Hunter left soon after they arrived. "Tamera's marriage to millionaire Matthew Mellon broke down last year. Robbie has recently dated dancer Deanne Berry and probation worker Lisa Brash.

Joely Richardson romantically linked to Robbie Williams

Read the whole article at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk

"......It may explain why Joely Richardson, 40, the star of Nip/Tuck who was once accused of stealing Diana Rigg’s husband and who has been romantically linked with Jamie Theakston and Robbie Williams, is now more instantly recognisable than her actress sister Natasha, 42, the wife of Liam Neeson......."

Geldof coy over repeat Live Aid plan

Quoted from: http://news.scotsman.com

Sir Bob Geldof tonight threw plans to hold a new Live Aid concert into confusion when he said claims an event has been pencilled in for July were “kite flying“.
The musician and campaigner denied reports that an all-star two-day festival is to take place in Hyde Park, timed to coincide with the G8 summit in Scotland of the world’s leading industrialised nations. Organisers of London’s annual Party in the Park, which appeared set to clash with the proposed “Live 8” concerts, earlier announced they have cancelled their own fundraising event and said they were supporting the new plans.
But speaking at the Rose d’Or TV festival in Lucerne, Switzerland, Mr Geldof told TV Plus: “It is kite flying, that’s all it is.
“People keep talking about it, but it is just talk. Why would I possibly repeat something I did 20 years ago?”
However, his spokeswoman Jo Philips confirmed discussions are taking place about the awareness-raising gigs, which would coincide with the 20th anniversary of the original 1985 concert at Wembley.
She said plans could be finalised when members of the Live Aid Trust, including original organiser Midge Ure and music promoter Harvey Goldsmith, meet later this week.
It is not yet known if they will be joined at the talks by Mr Geldof.
“I would expect we will know something definite this week, after the trustees have met,” said the spokeswoman.
“If the Princes Trust have already indicated that they are prepared to step aside, then it would appear people are keen to see this happen.”
The event had been understood to be taking place on July 2 and 3, the weekend prior to the three-day summit of the G8 at the Gleneagles Hotel, in Perthshire, Scotland, from July 6.
It was thought the festival would be held to focus attention on poverty and disease in Africa, with the aim of urging world leaders attending the conference to commit to action.
Chart-topping bands U2 and Coldplay have already been tipped to take part alongside Madonna, Robbie Williams and a host of other big name stars.
London radio station Capital FM earlier said proposals for “Live 8” had led it to scrap plans for the annual Party in the Park, held in support of The Princes Trust.
Keith Pringle, the broadcaster’s managing director, said they had stepped aside for a year in support of “the greater good“.
Martina Milburn, chief executive of The Princes Trust said: “Capital FM and The Prince’s Trust are delighted to support Live 8 and we look forward to Party in the Park next year.”

Microsoft Xbox 360 MTV Party photos

Quoted from: http://www.i4u.com

MTV taped last Thursday parts of the upcoming Xbox 360 MTV Special in LA. Several stars like Elijah Woods (the moderator of the Show), Alyssa Milano or Robbie Williams. There have no photos shown up yet from inside the party or of the Xbox 360 itself. All photos are just from the green carpet. More details and photos on MTV. More photos also on VG.
It also is pretty much confirmed that the new Microsoft Xbox will be launching this year in November in time for Christmas. Bill Gates made a statement that the new Xbox comes this year. On MTV in the program description for the Xbox 360 show it also says that the Xbox goes on sale in November. MTV setup a Xbox 360 Countdown page that also hosts the video of the MTV Xbox 360 special.

Date set for second Live Aid concert

Quoted from: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk

Sir Bob Geldof has confirmed plans for a second Live Aid concert, which will take place on July 2nd.The Sun claims that the concert will be called Live 8, as a reference to the G8 summit of world leaders in Scotland on July 6th.Previous rumours suggested that Geldof is hoping to sign up acts such as U2, Coldplay, Madonna and Robbie Williams for the event.A source told the newspaper, "Geldof has taken on one of the biggest projects of his life with this - but it's a brilliant idea. He's the only man who could pull it off, and it is the best way of forcing Bush, Blair and the heads of the world's most powerful countries to put their money where their mouths are."

Fans set to queue to kiss Robbie

Quoted from: http://www.dehavilland.co.uk

Bosses at Madame Tussaud's are expecting long queues in May as a new 'kissable' waxwork of Robbie Williams is unveiled. An ordinary statue of the ex-Take That singer already stands at the worlds most famous waxwork museum which also houses models of Kylie, the royal family and David Beckham, but fans are not usually allowed to touch the models. A spokeswoman for the museum indicated that fans often ask to get closer to the waxwork, and now they will be able to. When the model's cheek is kissed, his eyes start to twinkle. If the kiss is very good, a rendition of She's the one plays, and the kisser's image is projected onto a giant plasma screen. The spokeswoman told the Daily Star: "Now the long wait is over. We've made a new figure you can really get cheek to cheek with".
Fans will be able to visit the new waxwork from May 25th.

© 1998-2005 DeHavilland Information Services plc. All rights reserved.

Hugo Speer lands Daisy Scarlett role

Quoted from: http://www.contactmusic.com

THE FULL MONTY star HUGO SPEER has beaten ROBBIE WILLIAMS and a long list of hopefuls to play the sidekick to Hollywood's new female JAMES BOND. The handsome Brit, who plays NICOLE KIDMAN's brother in THE INTERPRETER, is likely to team up with the Aussie star's best friend NAOMI WATTS in the film DAISY SCARLETT. Although Watts has yet to commit to the project she's a longtime favourite for the title role. Speer will play MI6 AGENT FARRELL in the action movie, which is being billed as the beginning of a new Bond-like franchise. All cast members involved in the film will be expected to undergo an extensive automatic weapons training course, led by former security service officers, according to website MOVIEHOLE.NET.

Robbie photographed drinking coffee

Quoted from: http://www.isifa.com
Some 7 pictures.

Robbie Williams at cafe in West Hollywood Robbie Williams meets a friend for some coffee at a cafe in West Hollywood.

Robbie photographed at MTV X Box Revealed...to be continued

More pics were published at:

http://www.dailyceleb.com

and http://www.abacausa.com

and http://www.lfi.co.uk

and http://www.rexfeatures.com

Robbie photographed at MTV X Box Revealed II

Quoted from: http://www.isifa.com

They have some 3 new pictures.

May 5, 2005 Hollywood, Ca. Robbie Williams "Next Generation Xbox Revealed" Held at Club Avalon

Robbie photographed at MTV X Box Revealed

Quoted from: http://www.wireimage.com

Wireimage has 14 pictures:

MTV Presents: Next Generation X box Revealed - Red Carpet

5/5/2005

More pics from CHI LA

Quoted from: http://www.colourpress.com
10 additional photographs.

Hollywood, USA, UK Prince of Pop Robbie Williams hams it up outside Chi, the restaurant co-owned by American Pop Prince Justin Timberlake. Photo: Flynetpictures.

Williams joins stars urging british youth to vote

Quoted from: http://www.contactmusic.com

Pop hunk ROBBIE WILLIAMS has joined a galaxy of stars urging young people to vote in the British general election on Thursday (05MAY05).
The ANGELS singer is pleading with teens to take an interest in politics and shake off their youthful apathy, because their votes can make a difference to the UK's future political landscape.
Williams has joined MADONNA, COLDPLAY singer CHRIS MARTIN, music mogul SIMON COWELL and pop stars GERI HALLIWELL, WILL YOUNG and BEVERLEY KNIGHT in championing British newspaper THE SUN's ROCK THE VOTE campaign.
He says, Use your voice, you must vote.
"Every able-bodied person in the land should have their say about who runs the country."