UPDATE 1-Robbie Williams buys stake in Port Vale soccer club

Quoted from: http://today.reuters.co.uk

'Mon Feb 27, 2006 4:31 PM GMT

LONDON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Pop star Robbie Williams has bought a stake in English third division soccer team Port Vale, the club he has supported since he was a boy.
"Although I can't be at the Vale often, my investment is just to say that my heart is still there and I'm a huge supporter," Williams said in a statement.
"I'm really excited about what we may be able to do with the club in the future."
Williams grew up in Stoke-on-Trent in the English Midlands, where Port Vale was founded in 1876.
Club chairman Bill Bratt said he welcomed the investment, the size of which has not been disclosed.
"I'm extremely pleased and excited that Robbie has invested in the club. It clearly shows that he cares about Port Vale FC and its future.
"It's now up to the board and all at Port Vale FC to ensure his investment is used wisely in helping to secure the future at the club."
In December 2002, cash troubles forced Port Vale into administration before it was rescued by a fan-based consortium led by Bratt.
The club has never tasted top flight soccer, achieving its highest league position in 1931 when it finished fifth in the second division.
It is currently lying 11th in the 24-team third division.
Williams, 32, has become one of Britain's most successful pop stars after first finding fame with boy band Take That.
His latest album, "Intensive Care", has sold over 5.7 million copies and he begins a sell-out world tour in April.

© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved. '

Concert James Blunt 7 feb 2006 (pics)

British pop singer Robbie Williams attending James Blunt concert at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California, USA on 07/02/2006.
Some more pics at Isifa and Rex Features

Robbie Williams fan feast

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

'LIFE STYLE EXTRA (UK) - A killer cannibal wants to eat Robbie Williams.Armin Meiwes - who murdered and ate a man he met over the internet - says he would like to have the pop heartthrob for dinner because he only eats "beautiful people".But the 'Rock DJ' singer is not the only star on the German cannibal's menu.He would also like to get a taste of Oasis singer Liam Gallagher, Barry Manilow and British actor Hugh Grant.He said: "I want to eat people who are beautiful."Meiwes revealed his bizarre fantasies at his retrial in Frankfurt for killing and eating Bernd Brandes - a willing victim who agreed to have his penis chopped off by Meiwes before they both tried to eat it.He was jailed for eight-and-a-half years for manslaughter in 2004, but prosecutors want Meiwes jailed for life for murder.After slicing off Brandes' appendage, he then knifed him to death and cut his body up - storing the parts in his freezer and grilling and eating them for almost a year.Police finally became suspicious when a web user tipped them off after seeing an online ad for victims happy to be his next meal.

(c) BANG Media International'

Wembley hopeful for gig go-ahead

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

' Wembley Stadium management have said they are optimistic their summer concerts will go ahead despite delays to the completion of the rebuilt venue.
Concerts by Bon Jovi, Robbie Williams, Take That and the Rolling Stones are scheduled between June and September.
But the arena's opening event - the FA Cup Final on 13 May - has been moved to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium to allow extra time for Wembley to be finished.
"We're very hopeful the concerts will go ahead," said a Wembley spokeswoman.
Bon Jovi are due to play the first gig at the new Wembley on 10 June.
"It's still too early to say when the stadium will be open," said Wembley's chief executive Michael Cunnah.
WEMBLEY STADIUM SHOWS

Bon Jovi - 10/11 June
Take That - 24 June
Rolling Stones - 20/22 August
Robbie Williams -14-16, 18/19 September

'Still in discussions'

The spokeswoman for Wembley National Stadium Ltd, the Football Association-backed company that owns Wembley, said on Tuesday it was "still in discussions" with music promoters about the events.
"It is too early to say at the moment. We are talking with the music promoters but we have not made our decision," she said.
AEG Live, which is promoting the Bon Jovi shows, declined to comment.
The original completion date for the stadium had been autumn 2005, with the deadline first extended to the end of January and then the end of March.
Multiplex, the company building the new stadium, warned in January that there was only a 70% chance of the 90,000-seat stadium being ready to stage the FA Cup Final, the showpiece event of the English football season.
It said then that it could not afford any further delays if it was to meet the delayed 31 March deadline to hand the £757m project to the Football Association.

Reunion gig

The Rolling Stones' shows are scheduled for AugustBon Jovi are due to play at Wembley on 10 and 11 June, with 1990s pop idols Take That set to play a reunion gig there on 24 June.
But no plans have so far been made to move football's Community Shield, scheduled for 13 August - before the Rolling Stones' planned shows on 20 and 22 August.
And rugby league chiefs have said they remain confident their Challenge Cup final, set for 26 August, will take place at Wembley. A series of five Robbie Williams concerts is scheduled for mid-September.
Building work on Wembley has been dogged by difficulties.
Multiplex issued six profit warnings between February and December last year, largely due to cost increases at the project, causing its shares to drop 42% in 2005.
Even if the work was finished by the end of March, the management of the new stadium would have had to train up hundreds of staff and satisfy safety officials that they could stage major events. '

Robbie in Bel Air, 02 feb 2006 (pics)

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

'ROBBIE WILLIAMS OUT AND ABOUT IN BEL AIR, CALIFORNIA - 02 FEB 2006 Mandatory Credit: Photo By SNAP-PIX INC. / Rex Features Robbie Williams

ROBBIE WILLIAMS OUT AND ABOUT IN BEL AIR, CALIFORNIA - 02 FEB 2006 Robbie Williams gave photographers a one-finger salute when out and about in his adoptive LA, but his heart remains in Europe judging by his choice of outfit. The 31-year-old superstar sported a Real Madrid Adidas tracksuit while stomping around Bel Air with his best friend Jonathan Wilkes and father Pete Conway. Robbie has joked in the past that he and his Real Madrid pal David Beckham were in a competition to try out the most different hairstyles - but if they're also competing in the fashion stakes, it looks like the singer just scored an own goal.








'

Exclusive: She's the 6ft one

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

'19 February 2006
Robbie falls for hell-raising mate of rock chick Courtney
By Euan Stretch


ROBBIE Williams has fallen big time for a hell-raising girl rock guitarist who is SIX FEET tall.
Friends says 5ft 10in Robbie is "smitten" with isa Leveridge and they have gone on a series of ates in Los Angeles including a romantic dinner on Valentine's Day. Robbie, 31, was introduced to Lisa, 36, by her best friend Courtney Love. hey play together in Courtney's all-girl punk band The Chelsea, Only last year Robbie moaned that he had not had a "real" girlfriend for six years. But one of his friends revealed last night: "Robbie is completely bowled over by Lisa. Not only is she stunning looking, but she's bright and very straight-talking.
"They met around Christmas and hit it off immediately. He's hoping that he's finally found someone he can have a proper relationship with. She understands the showbiz thing and has been a bit of a wild child, so they have a lot in common."
Teetotal Robbie and Lisa first met at Teddy's Bar at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. Since then they have enjoyed intimate dates at the trendy Chateau Marmont Hotel on Sunset Boulevard where Robbie's been staying in a £2,000-a-night suite.
Robbie's been linked to a string of women including Nicole Appleton and Nicole Kidman.
Lisa dumped her boyfriend sex guru and best-selling author Neil Strauss, 35, shortly after meeting The Robster.
Asked about Robbie in Los Angeles last night Lisa said: "Oh God. What? Oh goodness. There's no comment. Thank you so much. Goodbye." '

Kaiser Chiefs have a riot at the Brits

Quoted from: http://contactmusic.com/

'English rockers KAISER CHIEFS were big winners at last night's (15FEB06) Brit Awards, picking up three trophies at the London ceremony.
The Leeds band opened the star-studded bash at the British capital's Earls Court venue with a performance of their mega-hit I PREDICT A RIOT, before going on to win British Group, British Rock Act and British Live Act.
After beating FRANZ FERDINAND, HARD-FI, KASABIAN and OASIS to claim British Rock Act, frontman RICKY WILSON said, "This is our first Brits. We weren't meant to win this one. This means the world."
Following close behind, COLDPLAY, JAMES BLUNT and GREEN DAY picked up two gongs each.
CHRIS MARTIN's band picked up Mastercard British Album for their third disc X+Y and British Single for SPEED OF SOUND, while punk trio Green Day collected their wins via videophone for International Group and International Album for AMERICAN IDIOT.
Singer/songwriter JAMES BLUNT capped off his breakthrough year beating ANTHONY AND THE JOHNSONS, IAN BROWN, ROBBIE WILLIAMS and WILL YOUNG to win British Male Solo Artist and Pop Act.
Superstar MADONNA accepted her International Female Solo Artist gong from Martin, husband of her close pal GWYNETH PALTROW, who paid tribute to the MATERIAL GIRL as "someone who makes everyone's marriage go funny".
Hip-hop star KANYE WEST sexed up the ceremony by performing a melody of his hits, including DIAMONDS FROM SIERRA LEONE and GOLD DIGGER, with 77 women covered in gold spray paint and g-string bikinis. The rapper was later named International Male Solo Artist.
Performers on the night included Coldplay, Blunt, KT TUNSTALL and KELLY CLARKSON and PRINCE, who performed his megahit PURPLE RAIN.
Former THE JAM rocker PAUL WELLER was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution To Music accolade, which was presented to SIR BOB GELDOF last year (05). Weller ended the night with a melody of his hits, including CHANGING MAN and A TOWN CALLED MALICE.
The full list of winners is:
British Male Solo Artist: JAMES BLUNT
British Female Solo Artist: KT TUNSTALL
British Group: KAISER CHIEFS
Mastercard British Album: COLDPLAY - X+Y
British Single: COLDPLAY - SPEED OF SOUND
British Breakthrough Act: ARCTIC MONKEYS
British Urban Act: LEMAR
British Rock Act: KAISER CHIEFS
British Live Act: KAISER CHIEFS
Pop Act: JAMES BLUNT
International Male Solo Artist: KANYE WEST
International Female Solo Artist: MADONNA
International Group: GREEN DAY
International Album: GREEN DAY - AMERICAN IDIOT
International Breakthrough Act: JACK JOHNSON
Outstanding Contribution To Music: PAUL WELLER.

16/02/2006 02:17 '

Williams and Shakira dating?

Quoted from: http://contactmusic.com

'Pop stars ROBBIE WILLIAMS and SHAKIRA have prompted rumours of an unlikely romance, after being spotted stepping out in Los Angeles together.
The ANGELS hitmaker walked into last week's (08FEB06) Grammy Awards ceremony with the Colombian star - who has been engaged to ANTONIO DE LA RUA since 2001.
They have also been seen together shopping in LA.
Shakira's spokesperson, however, insists the pair are just friends.
She says, "They've been hanging out together and are really good friends."

14/02/2006 17:36 '

Exclusive: Robbie pays himself £30,000 a day

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

'Super-rich singer paying himself £30,000 a day
By Fiona Cummins, Showbiz Reporter And Michael Greenwood
ROBBIE Williams paid himself £11million last year - £30,000 a DAY.
The singer, who is 32 today, pocketed a salary of £8.9million and a dividend worth £1.9million .
The figures are revealed in the published accounts for Robbie's firm, The In Good Company Co Ltd.
They show the business enjoyed sales worth £15million up the end of March 2005.
The firm earned £22million the previous year - and Robbie's salary was a relatively paltry £2million.
The Greatest Hits album, released in October 2004, reached No1 in 18 countries and sold more than six million copies.
Two months earlier he published his second autobiography Feel, which included revelations about his secret dates with Cameron Diaz. Robbie's company deals with the "music writing, recording, performing and touring activities" of the Stoke-born singer.
He is thought to have made millions more from merchandise, image rights and sponsorship deals. Robbie also gets royalties from his days in Take That.
He signed a record-breaking £80million deal with EMI four years ago, saying: "I'm rich beyond my wildest dreams."
But his riches have not helped him find true love - and he reckons he might be happier with nothing.
He said: "Money's nothing to do with happiness. Sometimes I feel like giving it away. In my darkest moments I'm convinced life would be easier if I didn't have as much as £100. Then I could walk the streets as a free man, meet a girl - and live the quiet life I long for." '

L.A.-zy days for Rob & co

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

'ROBBIE WILLIAMS won't be gracing us with his presence tomorrow - despite being nominated for Best Male.
He will be in Los Angeles with best pal JONATHAN WILKES for more Lazy Days like the one he is enjoying here in my pictures.
Robbie was all smiles as he shopped for Valentine's gifts - and stopped off for a quick game of table footie with Jonathan and TV's Max & Paddy star PATRICK McGUINNESS.



Last year at the Brits, Rob picked up Best British Song of the last 25 years for Angels. But he'll miss the 2006 do because he's rehearsing for his world tour. That will make way for this year's big star - singer-songwriter JAMES BLUNT, who's got five goes at gongs.

No problem to play after Robbie Williams gig, says Hampden

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

'JONATHAN COATES
THE managing director of Hampden said yesterday there was no persuasive reason the national stadium could not play host to France four days after Robbie Williams performs at the ground.
The singer will play to sell-out crowds at Hampden on Friday, 1 and Saturday, 2 September, four days before the provisional date for Scotland's opening Euro 2008 qualifier against France.

Due to the procrastinations of Ukraine, the Group B dates remain subject to change but it is understood the SFA, aware of the potential clash, had hoped only to play away from home in September. At last week's meeting in Paris it avoided the first allocated date of 2 September but landed a home fixture four days later. It was unclear whether that would be enough time after the concerts for the SFA to prepare its traditional base.
Celtic Park and Ibrox would be considered viable alternatives, and Murrayfield even entered the equation last night when the Scottish Rugby Union reacted eagerly to the notion of hosting a major football match in Edinburgh. But David Kells sought to put minds at rest by declaring Hampden would be ready for any visiting side to train on the night of Tuesday 5 September.
The Williams double-header is preceded by a week by a Rolling Stones gig, but Kells said the use of Terraplas technology would prevent damage to the pitch. He also insisted there was no precedent of a clear-up at Hampden taking more than two days but refused to say whether the concert organisers were contractually bound to vacate the stadium within this timeframe.
"We are speaking to the SFA this week and our understanding is Hampden could still be the venue," he said.
"It normally takes a couple of days [to clear up after a concert], but that doesn't mean nothing can happen in terms of preparing for the football during those days.
"And it has never taken more than two days in the past."
The SFA refused to comment on the venue for a fixture that remains hypothetical, given Ukraine's request for extra time to mull over the list. Should Kiev dispute the dates, they will be set independently.
The Williams concerts were scheduled last August in the full knowledge of the SFA, according to Kells, despite their proximity to the usual commencement of qualifying campaigns. "Any letting that the stadium undertakes is discussed with the SFA first," said Kells. "All the dates are discussed with our board, which has SFA representation on it. Everybody was comfortable with these dates being set."
Should the SFA need an alternative to Hampden and want to maximise revenue, they might consider the biggest stadium in the country. An SRU spokesperson said last night: "We are always keen to utilise Murrayfield. We would be very receptive to hearing any proposals."
Coincidentally, Scotland's return fixture against the French will have to be moved from Paris unless the provisional schedule is changed. The game has been pencilled in for 13 October 2007, the same day as a Rugby World Cup semi-final at Stade de France.

Last updated: 14-Feb-06 01:28 GMT'

Robbie splashes out on birthday party

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

'Sunday, February 12 2006, 11:16 GMT -- by Daniel Kilkelly

Robbie Williams flew his friends to Las Vegas last week to celebrate his 32nd birthday. The singer booked an entire restaurant at the Bellagio hotel for his guests, including Ant and Dec and actor Max Beesley." He wanted a quiet affair for close friends but that didn't stop him splashing out," a source told The People. " He flew over several of the guys who play in his band and other pals too." There was no expense spared - the booze was flowing although Robbie stayed on soft drinks. He put them all up in the hotel and everything was paid for." '

James Blunt in Concert (pics)

James Blunt in Concert at the House of Blues in LA - February 7
Lots of pics of Robbie and Shakira posing together here

Whaaaaaat??????

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

'Maurice Chttenden

IN the wacky, sometimes wickedly funny, world of Wikipedia, the internet's free encyclopedia, Tony Blair has been given the new middle names of Whoop-de Doo. Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, makes surprise visits to Ilford instead of Iraq and Robbie Williams earns his millions eating pet hamsters. Oh, and David Beckham was a Chinese goalkeeper in the 18th century. Cyber warfare has broken out on the online hip alternative to Encyclopedia Britannica where people are free to contribute their own articles and revise any of the existing 2.5m entries. Hackers are abusing this openness to vandalise the site so frequently that its gatekeepers are relying on a volunteer army of nearly 1,000 supporters to police and correct the entries. Last week the 19-page entry for the prime minister was being changed as many as 25 times a day. He was briefly accused of having posters of Adolf Hitler on his bedroom wall as a teenager and of starting a 'false' war against Saddam Hussein. One saboteur, codenamed Thruston, changes the same sentence in Blair's entry on an almost daily basis to accuse him of setting out to 'destroy' civil service neutrality. The organisers of Wikipedia last week launched an investigation to see if any of the postings are coming from the House of Commons. It follows the discovery that some insults about American politicians posted on the site originate from offices of their rivals at the Capitol building in Washington. Wikipedia was set up five years ago as a non-profit enterprise, designed to provide almost real-time biographies and a people's version of history. It has only three full-time employees to vet people's entries, relying on the near-1,000 enthusiasts to correct vandalism quickly. Even if the insults are removed in minutes, however, they can still be read by anyone logging on and viewing the history of updates. It means the encyclopedia, based in St Petersburg, Florida, has now notched up 2.5 billion page impressions in 80 languages. Dedicated 'Wikipedeans' regard it as a massive repository of knowledge which can be updated in an instant. Others, however, see it as the online equivalent of throwing eggs.John Prescott, the deputy prime minister, has his own antagonist who regularly insults him with such epithets as 'fat bonehead'. The caption under a photograph of Prescott was changed to read Rhubarb Pie. Another hacker regularly removes whole sections of Gordon Brown’s biography and replaces it with one word: 'tax'.The postings encompass all parties. David Cameron, the Tory leader, was described as a 'bitch' last week. Mark Oaten's entry was updated within an hour of news breaking of his resignation from the Liberal Democrat front bench over a rent boy scandal. It is not just politicians who suffer. The Duchess of Cornwall's Christian name was altered to Cow-miller and her title to Her Un-Royal Lowness. Enemies of Sienna Miller, the actress whose on-off affair with Jude Law has captured tabloid headlines, dispute her height and claim that she has modelled nude. An entry for Robbie Williams, the singer, last week read '. . . makes his money by eating domestic pets in pubs in and around Stoke'. Wikipedia is now planning a fixed version of its encyclopedia which cannot be changed. Jimmy Wales, 39, founder and president of Wikipedia, said he had expected vandalism to have been greater. 'I thought it would be overrun with idiots but there are far more people doing good than those who try to be harmful.' He added: 'We have now got people looking at the identity numbers of people changing entries about British politicians to see if any of them have come from the Commons. We think it's funny when we see the source of something and one senator's office is editing to call another senator a douche bag.' '

Various - The very best of Love Legends

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

'Pity the poor person who has to come up with a tracklisting for something like this. Charged with the task of compiling 40 classic "Love Legends", they have put together a very uninspiring list of empty pop tunes, rock ballads and some frankly baffling choices. The first CD lurches back and forth from the average to the bad. John Lennon's nauseating "Woman" kicks things off, Robbie Williams belts out "Angels", and then we descend into the doldrums - Whitesnake, Roxette, Tina Turner - lots of good reasons never to tune into Capital Gold. Reading like The Erection Section at an 80's disco, we get Phyllis Nelson, The Spand's, even a bit of Wet Wet Wet. Simon Webbe's surprisingly average "No Worries" is alright, but KT Tunstall must be scratching her head and wondering on what drunken night she signed away her song for this. Best track on this CD is The Hollies with the wonderful "The Air That I Breathe", standing out amid the rubbish. Disc 2 isn't much better. It has Phil Collins on it for a start. Odyssey's "If You're Lookin' For a Way Out" is pretty good in a "remember this one" sort of way, as is Honeybus with "I Can't Let Maggie Go". But there is nothing much else of any interest. Bryan Ferry croons he way through "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", but even he can't improve things much. This is real case of a CD to fill up the racks in garages, in the hope some poor sap might buy it for their girlfriend. Pretty poor to say the least. '

Fascinating fact 991

Quoted from: http://contactmusic.com

'ROBBIE WILLIAMS is officially the ultimate celebrity Casanova, according to a survey by Buena Vista International, beating soccer hunk DAVID BECKHAM and actor JUDE LAW to the top spot.

11/02/2006 14:17'

Toons Shack on BBC Stoke

Toons Shack has made it to the BBC Stoke website:

'Toons Shack

Alexandra is the webmaster on this nice little website, and set it up in the beginning of 2005 after being a regular chatter on one of the former chatrooms on www.robbiewilliams.com, Toons. The site features an artificial intelligence(!), the chatterbot "Robbie Bot". Also - a forum, shoutbox, gossip section, agenda and guestbook. '

Blunt making Atlantic waves

Quoted from: http://www.channel4.com/

'Last Modified: 9 Feb 2006 Source: ITN

British pop crooner James Blunt has been taking the US music scene by storm. It's just two weeks since he was on US TV's mega-show Saturday Night Live - and it seems he has already won over America. In just 90 minutes newcomer James had Hollywood stars eating out of his hand in LA with a gig at the House Of Blues.
Robbie Williams was joined by Shakira and other famous names Matthew Perry and the OC's Mischa Barton. James is up for an impressive five gongs at the Brits and has got the Yanks to fall in love with his debut album without even trying. His hit You're Beautiful is already at No8 in the Billboard chart, his Back To Bedlam album is at No9 and climbing and the gig sold out in seconds. This weekend he returns to the UK where Robbie Williams may well be forced to hand over his reign as King Of The Brits. '

Robbie Williams: Live at the Albert (DVD) review

Quoted from: http://www.moviehole.net/

'Robbie Williams, Jane Horrocks, Jon Lovitz, Nicole Kidman
I'm as big a 'boy band basher' as the next guy - so it's means a lot when I see Robbie Williams - ex-Take That - has some talent. He does, admit it. He can swing, strut and sing like a vocally magic canary. And as you'll discover via this concert DVD release, he's got the 'swing' down pat.
Now what's great about this disc - especially if you like the lad's music - is that the concert is only the beginning. You get the making of the clip he and Nickers Kidman did together, the song itself, a day in the life of the skirt-chaser himself
The concert is essentially a tribute to the grand mac-daddys of old swing - I'm talking Sinatra, Martin etc - and Williams sings like a dream. He's got the charisma to whip the audience into a frenzy too. Very cheeky, very smart-alec like, but also evidently talented. The Royal Albert Hall plays host to his crooning output including renditions of "My Way"," "Mack the Knife," and "It Was a Very Good Year".
Just one question : what the heck is Jon Lovitz doing beside Robbie in a tux and singing his chubby stubby behind off too? Jane Horrocks. Now you can understand why she would be asked to sing with him - but the pint-sized prankster of The Wedding Singer? hmmm.
In essence, 'Live at the Albert' is a great show reel for the Williams sceptics. '

Blunt breaks the States

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

'ROBBIE WILLIAMS turned up to watch his Brits rival JAMES BLUNT do what he has yet to achieve - conquer America.
In just 90 minutes newcomer James had Hollywood stars eating out of his hand in LA with a gig at the House Of Blues.
Robbie, competing with James for Best Male at next week's Brits, was among the VIP guests dancing in the stalls at the Sunset Strip rock venue.
James, who is up for an impressive FIVE gongs at the Brits, has got the Yanks to fall in love with his debut album without even trying.
His hit You're Beautiful is already at No8 in the Billboard chart, his Back To Bedlam album is at No9 and climbing and the gig sold out in seconds.
Robbie tried - and failed - to crack the US countless times and has now given up.
He turned up at James's show with SHAKIRA on his arm and stayed backstage to party with James after the gig.
I'm told Robbie and Shakira have been spending a lot of time together. Watch this space.
Other famous names dancing in the aisles were Friends star MATTHEW PERRY, The OC's MISCHA BARTON and ELISHA CUTHBERT, from telly's 24.
Three women in the front row clutched balloons with 'We love James' scribbled on them.
Joking about his ballads, the singer told the crowd: 'I know you came here to have some fun - so that's why I’m going to play as many miserable songs as I can.'
James, who was a captain in the Army and served in Kosovo, made the cheeky comment before singing No Bravery.
Images of war-ravaged villages were shown on a big screen behind him.
Later he asked the crowd: 'Who knows Hotel California?'
When everyone responded with cheers - hoping that he would sing the famous EAGLES hit - James said: 'I'm sorry but I don't - but I do know this one.' Then he launched into an upbeat version of So Long, Jimmy.
There could only have been one encore - You're Beautiful - and as the crowd sang every line, James looked gobsmacked.
It is just two weeks since he was on US TV's mega-show Saturday Night Live - and it seems he has already won over America.
This weekend he returns to the UK, where Robbie Williams could be forced to hand over his reign as King Of The Brits.'

Young slams 'Gorillas' Williams and Blunt

Quoted from: http://contactmusic.com/

'British pop star WILL YOUNG has slammed his fellow Brit Award nominees ROBBIE WILLIAMS and JAMES BLUNT, labelling the singers "puffed-up gorillas".
The EVERGREEN musician, who recently made his movie debut in MRS HENDERSON PRESENTS, is up against ANTHONY AND THE JOHNSONS, IAN BROWN, Blunt and Williams in the British Male Solo Artist category at the London music ceremony next week (15FEB06).
Young says, "I have been fortunate enough to receive a nomination for best male at the Brits. The male category makes me thinking of five nominees, parading up and down the stage like puffed-up gorillas, beating their chests and showing off how manly they are.
"I'm not sure how well Anthony And The Johnsons and I will fare in comparison to James Blunt, Ian Brown and Robbie Williams."
Last week (02FEB06), Young blasted the awards as a "strange event - so many egos in one room".

08/02/2006 13:45 '

Willliams buys motorhome for European trek

Quoted from: http://contactmusic.com/

'Pop superstar ROBBIE WILLIAMS has spent a staggering $324,000 (GBP180,000) on a top-of-the-range motorhome so he can tour Europe in luxury this summer (06).
The TRIPPING singer, 31, treated himself to the 12 metre (39 foot) long Forest River Charleston vehicle in advance of the two month cross-continental trek, which begins on 9 June in Dublin, Ireland.
The American-made motorhome comes equipped with a large double bed, a home cinema system, a fully-fitted kitchen and can sleep six people.

08/02/2006 13:45 '

Women's magazine rates Simon Jones as world's 9th sexiest man

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

'London: England pacer Simon Jones pipped the likes of George Clooney, Robbie Williams, Jude Law and David Beckham to be voted the ninth sexiest man in the world following a poll of more than 10,000 readers of a women's magazine. Jones is also the highest ranked sportsman in the New Woman list, ahead of Arsenal's French striker Thierry Henry and Beckham. One of the key characters behind England's successful Ashes campaign last summer, Jones is ranked in the list which is topped by Hollywood actor Brad Pitt.England's another Ashes hero Andrew Flintoff is ranked 54th while soccer star Michael Owen finished 64th.

Top 15: 1. Brad Pitt 2. Jake Gyllenhaal 3. Orlando Bloom 4. Johnny Depp 5. Clive Owen 6. Jose Mourinho 7. Shayne Ward 8. Daniel Craig 9. Simon Jones 10. Olivier Martinez 11. George Clooney 12. Thierry Henry 13. Robbie Williams 14. David Beckham 15. Jude Law '

Say cheese Robbie

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

'NO wonder ROBBIE WILLIAMS wore such a huge grin. He had just finished stuffing his face at a restaurant called the Cheesecake Factory — which is famous for, er, cheesecake.'

50 Cent no longer 'beefin' with Robbie Williams

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

'By Mitch Marconi
1 feb, 2006

50 Cent has confided that he has no problems with Robbie Williams, and that the star has no beef with him either, according to a published report.
There were reports that the pair had a falling out when they were both playing the same show in Germany last year. Fiddy was said to be irked when Robbie complained to hotel staff that the hip hop star's late night antics had kept him awake.
A couple of months later Robbie reportedly asked to see Fiddy after a gig, but the rapper reportedly refused his gesture.'