Summit puts safety first on Robbie Williams

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

'Worldwide - Summit Steel is supplying all production rigging equipment for the European stadium section, and rigging consultancy and crew (under direction of Head rigger Jez Craddick) for the whole of Robbie Williams' Close Encounters world tour.
The first half of 2006 has been Summit's busiest period ever, resulting in the purchase of over 70 new Lodestar hoists from Lift-Turn-Move - complete with customised rain covers - in order to supply the 110 hoists required to service Close Encounters. These are in addition to the 200 hoists that have been in action on Summit's other work during this period.
Motor control throughout the rig is all standard fixed-speed units. Summit commissioned Kinesys to design and build eight brand new customised 4-way 'briefcase' controllers and another four 6-way modules to the same spec as Summit's existing Ibex design for use on the tour, which is being project managed by Summit's Chris Walker.
Walker has worked closely with Jeremy Lloyd, the tour's technical design director and production manager Wob Roberts. With the set, staging, lighting, sound and video systems all being so physically integrated - and virtually all of it custom built for the tour - large amounts of time were spent in advance doing test builds and establishing the best methods for rigging the various elements. Much of this is complex, requires great precision and has generated some imaginative lateral thinking.
More off-beat 'rigging tasks' include areas like the O-lite video panels, which are slid up into their special frames (known as 'tusks') being pulled by hoists. Devising and installing safety systems was an area of primary importance for the Summit team.
With the set consisting of exposed metalwork needing to be accessed at any time, and also because it's outdoors with no roof, standard fall arresters weren't an option. Instead, Summit has designed a system of static rope safety lines with inbuilt shock absorbers at the top. Walker also recommended that all personnel and crew needing to access any of the set or flown pieces use a Petzl ASAP, which clips around the rope and runs up and down as they climb.
In the 'Scorpions' Tails', Summit has installed a series of Tirsafe safety lines - rated for having a number of people fall on them at any one time - and necessary because of the construction, nature and accessibility of these set pieces. Linked to the safety systems, Summit also drew up a 'Rescue at Height' policy and a set of safety procedures and risk assessments based on the new Work At Height regulations.
Touring crew were trained on rope rescue during the lengthy pre-production period at LiteStructures in Wakefield. Summit then supplied the tour with the same Rope Rescue kits for the universal and advanced touring systems. Summit co-ordinated with The Event Safety Shop, the tour's Health and Safety consultants throughout.
Chris Walker says "Being brought in to the project at an early stage enabled us to get involved with a lot of the design details and to try to solve as many potential problems as possible before the tour started. It was great to be working with Wob Roberts and the Robbie Williams team again; it's a pleasure to work with people who want everything to be done properly."
(Lee Baldock)'

Biz Bites

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

'ROBBIE WILLIAMS spotted a pair of England fans at his gig in Amsterdam and invited them to watch BECKS and the boys play Sweden on telly in his dressing room. The two wore England strips to the gig after winning VIP tickets.'

International Celeb Watch (II): Robbie Banks OTP CEO's Cash

Quoted from: http://www.pestiside.hu/

'As if the Divine Miss M isn't enough, we learn today that no less than Robbie Williams recently made a surprise appearance in Hungary - playing at a private party! No shit. Diligent source J. alerted us to a story in today's (print) Blikk saying that the crooner was hired by OTP Bank honcho (and Hungary's most terrifying tycoon) Sándor Csányi to play at his son Attila's wedding, which took place on June 18th at a hotel somewhere out in the countryside. According to the piece, Williams played a few of his greatest hits before speeding off in a limo, no doubt with a trunk full of forints.
The story also reminds us that Csányi himself is fond of hiring big-name international stars for his parties, having brought in Eurovision legends Boney M for his own 50th birthday. Now all that remains is the question of what on earth the little brat and his new wife got for a wedding present, given that daddy has not only splashed for Robbie Williams, but Robbie's favorite car. Grrrr.

UPDATE: We've just been informed that someone claiming to have been at the wedding in question informed celeb-centered women's portal velvet.hu that it wasn't actually Robbie Williams who performed, but a well-known Robbie Williams impersonator who goes by the name of Tony Lewis.
We're sorry that what we published above is probably total bullshit. Though not as sorry as a certain B.F. and K.S. over in the Budapest bureau of oh-so-proper Bloomberg, who just rode the same BS piece to the wrong side of Googletown. That'll teach y'all to stop eating off our plate, bitches.'

Amsterdam (pics)

New Amsterdam footie, hotel and concert pictures at EastNews and Brunopress

Rude Box (track)

Listen to a new track from a mystery artist the Pete Thong Show on BBC1 website at 1:18 hrs.

Robbie's new album - 1974 - sounds awesome

Quoted from: http://www.fans-supreme.de

'Ok, so it's my first post and i know how people feel when a newbie comes along and tries to give some news but so be it. After what i thought was a bit of a let down (Intensive Care) Robbie is back with what is to be an amazing album. I cannot wiat for this to be released. The album has a working title of 1974 and so far i've only heard 6 tracks but they are amazing and if 'Lovelight' is not released there is no justice in this world ha ha. This song is superb - wait until you hear it - it is Robbie at his best. Other tracks i've heard are 2 rap style tracks called The 80's and The 90's - not too hard to work out what they are about but they certainly open your eyes to how he was feeling during the Take That days and how he felt towards Nigel - one lyric explains how he would like to take a Stanley Knife to his eyes !!!! 2 more amazing songs are The Actor - superb track and Rudebox. This is Robbie back at his most creative I think and whether you believe it or not, i'll be waiting when it is released to hear your comments, much love xxx'

Robbie Williams to record with Take That?

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

'By: Lowri Williams on 6/27/2006

The newly reunited boy/man band, Take That have hinted that ex-band mate, Robbie Williams may be featuring on their new album.
TT had implied that Robbie may be turning up at one of their tour dates, but fans had to make do with a hologram version of the man instead.
Now, they have asked Robbie to contribute to their first album of new material as the reformed TT and will start recording in a London studio later this month.
Howard Donald explained to the Mirror: 'We all hoped Robbie would be able to join us on stage but he had his own tour and things got in the way - it's a real shame. But we speak all the time now and he knows the door's always open if he wants to come and record with us or relive his Take That days in any way.
'We would love him to be on the album. Obviously he's got his solo stuff to focus on but he hasn't ruled it out.'
'Rob seems happier then he ever has and it's brilliant. For him to come and work with us again would complete what's been the most incredible year.'
Jason Orange added: 'We'd love Rob to do something with us - all of us would.'
But should he?'

Taked That haunted by Robbie

Quoted from: http://contactmusic.com

'Reformed British boy band TAKE THAT worry they are being haunted by former member ROBBIE WILLIAMS during their current string of comeback gigs. The BACK FOR GOOD hitmakers, GARY BARLOW, MARK OWEN, JASON ORANGE and HOWARD DONALD, are repeatedly fooled by the audience reaction when a hologram of the ANGELS star appears on stage halfway through the concerts. Owen says, "Every night the hologram comes up and I'm backstage hearing the cheers getting louder. "It makes me wonder, 'Is Rob here and he hasn't told us?' I wouldn't say I'm glad he hasn't come. It would've been nice." Williams quit the band in 1995 to pursue a hugely successful solo career.

26/06/2006 12:18'

Hasselhoff crowned King of Cyberspace

Quoted from: http://contactmusic.com

'Former BAYWATCH star DAVID HASSELHOFF has been voted the king of cyberspace - as he is the star internet surfers are most hungry to read about. Hasselhoff beat off competition from hunks including BRAD PITT and ROBBIE WILLIAMS to earn the title, while pop star BRITNEY SPEARS was crowned the female equivalent in the Pipex survey. The actor, who is already the Guinness Book of Records' Most Watched TV Star, says, "I'm delighted to be such a hit on the web and to be crowned king of the Internet."

The top five male stars are as follows:
1. DAVID HASSELHOFF
2. BRAD PITT
3. ROBBIE WILLIAMS
4. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER
5.MICHAEL J FOX

The top five female celebrities is as follows:
1. BRITNEY SPEIRS
2. PARIS HILTON/VICTORIA BECKHAM (Joint second place)
3. ANGELINA JOLIE
4. KATE MOSS
5. CHARLOTTE CHURCH

25/06/2006 14:23'

ROB-BED OF TRUE LOVE

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

'25 June 2006

Debbie Manley & Alice Wlaker
ROBBIE WILLIAMS will never settle down, says his dad.
And Pete Conway believes he is partly to blame for his son being a commitment phobe.
Pete, 59, who left Rob's mum when the star was just two, said: "Was Robbie affected by me leaving? I'm sure he was. But he's happy enough now and we're good friends."
He added: "I still don"t know if he'll ever settle down. It's not that he doesn't like families or kids. He just hasn't met Miss Right yet."'

Peter York On Ads: Will you answer Robbie Williams' call?

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

'T-MOBILE
Published: 25 June 2006

Robbie was the only one in Take That. A year or so ago they had a rather poignant documentary about the band deciding to reunite and tour and wondering - the other four that is - whether Robbie was on for it. Of course he wasn't, but they were hoping against hope, half believing that he'd join them in their reunion hotel. So the film moves from their encampment to Robbie at home - everybody being seriously emotional. Robbie said he'd only ever wanted their difficult-seeming manager to love him. He went on to say that Gary Barlow - who he'd been unflattering about for years - was talented and deserving.
But the hard reality was that Robbie Williams never budged from Notting Hill. He was the only member to have made the Great World, and he wasn't going back. The others had nice enough places. Barlow had a big provincial spread somewhere Northern. There was something Grade II listed-looking in the Lake District and a West Country beach house. They had all done tolerably well but it sounded as if they weren't set up for life. But Robbie had a huge EMI contract - worth £80m they said - one of those 10-ton new Rolls-Royces and a place with the cosmocrats in W11.
Robbie Williams always played it both ways, being authentic with Oasis and mainstream pop elsewhere, being interesting, "vulnerable", fat and thin in interviews, but completely triumphalist on stage. Swaggery and pimp-rolling but at the same time completely Olde Englishy camp, he worked on many levels, had lots of sub-texts and reference points for cultural studies types - RW's a favourite thesis subject - and kept more people interested than his output might warrant. Somehow he'd Hoovered up London in the late 1990s becoming a metropolitan, getting to scale, learning what you had to do. Which meant being anthemic, an international stadium act, but being able to flex it with moments of 1940s pastiche, with videos that looked more like Frankie Goes To Hollywood than, say, Radiohead. Even the dull middle-class audience that loves dull middle-class acts like Coldplay could never completely dismiss him, could never deny the CD in the rack or singing along to "Angels".
Now - and it's difficult to imagine what it's like for Robbie 2006, though I suspect it feels like coasting - he's in a T-Mobile commercial. It's an ad that looks as if it's made to run wherever he's got a High Recognition factor - most of Europe probably.
It's an ineffably old-fashioned way of selling a very new platform, the mobile medium. T-Mobile's the first network to lead in their advertising on delivering the internet - all of it, not just snippets, they say insistently - to your mobile. And all the other stuff that goes with full medium status, like alerts to Robbie's new output, discounts for his concerts and messages from Pizza Hut.
There's a long tradition of "star cameos" - US TV of the 1970s and 1980s especially - where the star pitches up as his wonderful self and puts all the fictional people around into a deeply embarrassing, skin-crawlingly kind of tizz. The T-Mobile commercial conforms in every particular. There's a Robbie fan, a wonderfully ordinary woman with an Anglia TV local reporter 1992 kind of look, getting an alert on her mobile, "Robbie seen in hotel", and plunging into Hotel Babylon to find him.
Inside, everyone's a bit Robbie - the man on reception, a child on a sofa, a floor-cleaner with a machine, a groom in an awful suit - have all been computer-tricked to look Robbie-ish. The poor girl's looking distinctly flakey when she steps back and bumps into the real, completely evolved jacket and T-shirt, wry charm and laddish swagger Robbie thing.
I can't tell you how often I've seen this bit of choreography, but I know it's completely formula-compliant. The quizzical acknowledgment, the momentary eye-contact, the moving on. There's probably an American word for it, and it's own dissertation ("fiction and reality in the post-war celebrity cameo"). The product's called Web and Walk, T-Mobile's German and Robbie's back in the Rolls to W11 by now.

mailto:Peter@sru.co.uk '

HenkJan criticises Robbie Williams

Translated from: http://www.telegraaf.nl

'AMSTERDAM - Idols jurymember and musicexpert HenkJan Smits has main criticism about girls idol Robbie Williams. HenkJan visited Robbies concert on Sunday.

Afterwards he said literally that Robbie 'sang falser than many Idols candidate'. The Idols jurymember said that Robbies success in the ArenA was mainly due to his X-factor.'

Estelle interviews Robbie Williams

Translated from: http://www.telegraaf.nl

'23 june 2006

Estelle Gullit interviewed Robbie Williams. The conversation can be read soon in 'Beau Monde'. The footie wife since recently interrogates a Famous Man every month for that magazine. Prime-minister Jan Peter Balkenende was the first and the blonde also managed to get the worldfamous singer to do it.

The British entertainer momentarily stays in our country for four concerts in the Amsterdam ArenA. That Robbie has known the Gullit's for a while already appeared from the fact that he dedicated a song to Ruud yesterday evening. Afterwards he visited the nightclub Jimmy Woo with the couple where he danced on the chairs untill late at night. But knackered or not, today the two men just played a footy match.'

Robbie arises with great spectacle

Translated from: www.spitsnet.nl

'Naive thinking that the WK-mania during a concert of one man would stay outside the lines of the Amsterdam ArenA. Better yet: Robbie Williams even knew how to wrap hardcore Orange fans that would have rather stayed at home this Wednesday evening in front of the TV around his finger. Football may be emotion, but Robbie also couldn’t keep it dry.

Smoke clouds and fire spitting installations next to the stage. Like a phoenix Robbie Williams arises after three years in a sold-out football temple. Such a spectacular kick-off can be expected. And the orange tint to his show is a shot in open goal. Theatrically he kisses his orange scarf and drinks from an orange cup. Clearly on the hand of the Lions legion he reports the sub score every now and then. Because as it is he has another surprise lying behind the scenes: player’s shirts. The rumour went that Williams, as soon as a goal would have been scored on 'our side', would come with the shirt number of the scorer. When it comes to tease, please and entertain his audience nothing is too much for Robbie. Of course he shows his tattooed tummy en he makes the microphone disappear between his lips. Even so, this time he is pretty brave and for instance the song Come Undone remained without the usual tongue scene. The enfant terrible really seems to be pubered out, but has kept some monkey tricks. That pluche pointy hat with 'Robbie' on one side and 'Holland' on the other side is put on his head, in front of his mouth and as an elongation of his private parts. And giving a whipped cream cake just like that to the band member that has her birthday was just not Robbian enough. He just really had to put his snout in it. On stage there is - to be short- nothing to be detected about the spiritual atmosphere that his most recent album Intensive Care breathes out: tarot cards in the cover and his cheeky remark on the bonus-dvd that only a wife would be able to save him from Scientology. Whatever, with the old hits all the arms go up in the air massively. Even during Back For Good, with a little stingy remark about the Take That reunion-tour for which Williams supposedly hadn’t been invited. Playfully he dares to take a few musical sidesteps; mixes in a Bob Marley-classicer during Tripping, which actually distantly echoes reggae, and does a couplet of Lou Reed's Walk On The Wild Side. That football keeps lurking in the background all that time, becomes clear during the second half when he kicks a ball into the audience during a karaoke version of Strong together with his bosom friend Jonathan Wilkes (actor and musical star). For nothing masculine is strange to Williams. Scoring he does even so well after this rest. Even twice. Suddenly he lets hear and see that he, if he wants to, can do more than entertain. Both with Feel and Angels, he really sings and tears glisten in his green grey eyes with which he normally only tempts and glances. And that brings this show to a more satisfying final score than the zero-zero it remained outside the ArenA.'

Amsterdam ArenA Concert (videoclip)

First amateur videoclip of the Robbie Williams concert in the ArenA at 21 june 2006 in our forum... and more to come this week!!!

Robbie Williams is planning on joining

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

' Eva Simpson & Caroline Hedley

IF Robbie Williams is planning on joining Take That's tour then he'd better hurry up.
Their last date is in Milton Keynes tonight and the last we heard Robbie, 32, arrived in Amsterdam on Thursday and he is playing at the Arena until Sunday. Boo hoo...'

The intellectual life of Robbie Williams

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

'Fiachra Gibbons
Friday June 23, 2006
The Guardian

How shallow we have been to mistake the use of a motorised stage toilet for a laddish prank, when clearly it was a complex metaphor about the constant presence of death, even in triumph, of which Gide, Camus or Artaud would have been proud.
The artist in question is Robbie Williams, and these thoughts occurred when he turned up the other day at a gathering of the world's greatest travel writers at Shakespeare & Company, the legendary Paris hangout of Beckett, Burroughs and Baldwin. Not, of course, that the likes of Colin Thubron, Jason Elliot or Dervla Murphy had much of a clue what Robert Peter Maximillian Williams does when he is not dropping in unannounced on literary festivals as inconspicuously as only a megastar - with entourage, dressed from head to toe in turquoise - can.
(Had he a long nose, a strangely high forehead and appeared out of a sandstorm in the Taklamakan desert, that would have been a different story ... Clearly they'd have put him down straight away as the next Madhi.)
But Williams was not there in search of adoration, having played to 50,000 screaming fans the night before. Instead he had come to the shadow of Notre Dame to pay homage. To what colossus, you may ask? To Jon Ronson, oft of this parish, or eruv, or whatever the culturally appropriate term might be, of whom he professes to be a devoted disciple. So big a fan, in fact, that as he admits in his biography, Feel, he has read passages of Ronson's books to stadiums full of bemused Dutch people.
Geri Halliwell has previously outed him as a reader - although the official line is that Robbie's favourite book remains The Adventures of the Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton.
Despite having dished the dirt on the Bilderberg group, the shadowy organisation that rules the world - and yes, Peter Mandelson is a member - Ronson is oddly reluctant to divulge anything about his relationship with Williams, or indeed his reading habits.
We do know, however, that Robbie is obsessed with the conspiracy theorists Ronson chronicled in his bestsellers Them and The Men Who Stare at Goats.
But get this. Williams walked out of the open-sided tent mid-reading when Ronson mentioned David Icke and his belief that 12ft blood-drinking lizards control the earth. Remember, Robbie was wearing a light blue jumpsuit, a garment not dissimilar to one constantly worn by a certain former sportscaster. Read into that what you will.
Sources close to the star (the guy he sat next to on the grass outside) tell a different story, insisting he slipped out so he could have a fag without disturbing the people next to him. Whose truth do you believe?'

Robbie leaves Amstel Hotel in Amsterdam (pics)

Headline:
Robbie Williams Leaves the Amstel Hotel in Amsterdam - June 20, 2006
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

More pics at WireImage

Robbie serves footballfans

Translated from: http://www.telegraaf.nl

'AMSTERDAM - Robbie Williams informs the footballfans in the ArenA of the WK-matches. The 32-year old popstar, who is a football fanatic and even has a football field near one of his houses, even chanted the name of Van Nistelrooy in a song during the game The Netherlands-Argentina.

According to one of the visitors Robbie interrupted his show up to three times for a subscore. 'He did that very comically. First he told that Argentina had made zero goals and next he shouted that The Netherlands also made zero goals. After which he screamed a yell for the Dutch team through the ArenA.'

Tickets for the concert of Robbie next Sunday are for sale everywhere on the internet at sites like Speurders.nl. Visitors of the concert however dont have to worry. Robbie himself also wants to know how the match will evolve against Portugal and will report that without a doubt.'

Disposable panties for Robbie Williams

Translated from: http://www.telegraaf.nl

'Amsterdam - He may like orange, so it seemed during his concert on Wednesday evening, but on Thursday evening Robbie Williams is being treated to a tsunami of red-white-blue panties, so-called disposable panties. Women who were already present at the Arena hours before the start of the concert, will probably throw those.

A telecomcompany came to the idea to ride along that way with the charisma Robbie Williamsy has these days. The company treats the women on the panties, because they were already standing very early on Thursday morning in the cold and rain at the stadion. They are also offered a massage.

The spokesman of the telecomcompany acknowledges that the women would have been better off with a coat. 'But with these sort of fenomena just belong these sort of crazy things. Its a playful action' he says.'

Robbie wraps up The Netherlands easily again

Translated from: http://www.telegraaf.nl

'AMSTERDAM - Merely the joker already is sufficient. Popstar Robbie Williams knows how the game has to be played if one is not the starmusician. One then especially has to entertain and that is exactly what he did on Wednesday in the ArenA in Amsterdam where he gave his first concert out of four.

He crawls, he swings and he plays the audience masterly. Sometimes that happens by means of a funny face, another time with a remark or an act. Somewhere halfway during the concert for instance he takes a camera out of the audience, puts the lens in his pants, prints off and throws the camera back. And all of that during a nice bit of singing. In The Netherlands they call that pleasantly disturbed.

Ofcourse his music has a lot of what other music just doesnt have: the feeling of getting caught and wanting to sing along undisturbed, as with Feel, Trippin'and Rock DJ during the concert. That makes his work interesting for a large group. And he seems to realise that well. Probably learned that during the succes of the boyband Take That.

If The Netherlands had already heard that Take That is getting back, 'the band that I was in as little Robbie, the drugs-Robbie. I was really pissed off when I learned that they had not asked me; really would have loved to go on tour with the band, untill I found out that I had sold 2.5 million tickets myself for my little tour', the entertainer informed the audience. It is as Robbie himself already sings: 'Let me entertain you'.

What he also understood so well was the Dutch football mania, especially since The Netherlands played against Argentina during the concert. He regularly reported the score, although there was not much to report. So during the song 'Sin Sin Sin' he just grabbed at the praised Heineken-Holland horn to put it on his head or strap it up like a dildo.

And then ofcourse there had to be footballed. Together with his collegue-musician John Wilkes, with whom he recorded the dvd in the Royal Albert Hall, they both kicked a ball into the audience. 'Whomever kicks the ball the highest, is the winner. The audience is the jury, but promise not to sue us if we would shoot against your head. The audience loudly agreed. Well and why not sing the song Strong all together. There went the autocue on the screens and even weak-sighted could roar along.

Williams created the party as the audience desired. A sold-out ArenA - for four days- enjoyed with full force. Afterwards it was especially talking about the humor he has, the nice ass and the unsurpassed joker.'

Socialite denies flings with UK pop stars

Quoted from: http://contactmusic.com/

'The British socialite who claimed to have enjoyed flings with singers ROBBIE WILLIAMS and JAMES BLUNT now insists she was only ever platonic friends with the pop sensations. TARA PALMER-TOMKINSON was left fuming in April (06) when she discovered her YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL singer beau had a girlfriend after allegedly claiming he was single. He has since been dating Czech model and tsunami survivor PETRA NEMCOVA. She overcame her heartache with a brief tryst with Williams, gushing about their happiness in a recent British TV interview. But now the leggy brunette is adamant her relationships with both men were never more than platonic. She says, "No, no, no - everyone always gets the wrong end of the stick. "With Robbie, I was talking about relationships in general - and relationships include friendships. "James has always just been a friend too. I was so pleased to see those pictures of the two of them (Blunt and Nemcova). If anyone deserves a bit of happiness, it's her."

21/06/2006 12:32 '

Williams show sold out in one hour

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

'June 21, 2006

BRITISH pop star Robbie Williams sold out his second concert at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium just over an hour after tickets went on sale, promoters said today.Williams, whose performances will be the first time the 52,500 capacity football stadium is used for a rock concert, plays in Brisbane on December 13-14.
Australian promoter Michael Chugg said the ticket sales for the nationwide outdoor concert tour by Williams had been "extraordinary".
Both shows at Sydney's Aussie stadium and Melbourne's Telstra Dome had also sold out, Chugg said.
Williams plays nine shows on the Australian-leg of his Robbie Williams: Close Encounters World Tour.
The tour starts at Perth's Subiaco Oval on December 1. Tickets for the second Perth concert go on sale next Tuesday. '

Halliwell grants ex acess after Robbie row

Quoted from: http://contactmusic.com

'Former SPICE GIRL GERI HALLIWELL has revoked her baby ban on ex-lover SACHA GERVASI, and is granting him access to their daughter after pop star pal ROBBIE WILLIAMS urged her to changed her mind. BLUEBELL MADONNA was delivered last month (MAY06) but Halliwell was adamant the child's biological father would have nothing to do with her upbringing. However, after a furious row with Williams, the flame-haired singer has offered the Hollywood scriptwriter visiting hours. A source tells British newspaper the Daily Mirror, "Robbie asked Geri to change her mind but she wasn't having any of it. They ended up having a big row. "Now she has had time to think and Robbie's words struck a chord. In recent days she has started to think of her little girl's long-term future and decided to give Sacha a fair chance." The pair enjoyed a six-week fling last year (05) but allegedly separated after a bitter feud sparked by revelations about Gervasi's drug-fuelled past.

20/06/2006 17:32 '

In line for Robbie...

Translated from: http://www.telegraaf.nl

'AMSTERDAM - The concerts of megastar Robbie Williams in the Amsterdam Arena will cause an extra crowded evening rush-hour around Amsterdam on Wednesday and Thursday. The ANWB predicted this on Monday.
Starting from Wednesday the British popstar will stand for four days in the football temple on the southeast of Amsterdam. The supporting acts will start already around 18.30, when the evening rush-hour is still in full motion.
This will mean even longer trafficjams than usual on the A1, A2, A9 and A10-south. Williams has the day off on Friday but on Saturday and Sunday he will burst loose again, just like his to the Arena travelling fans. The ANWB therefore advises concert visitors to travel by public transportation.
Williams is however not the only one that will cause crowded roads. Parkpop in The Hague, the TT in Assen and the Bataviadays in Lelystad will also cause smoking asphalt.'

Studio shoot Robbie Williams 19-6-2006 (pics)

Studio shoot Robbie Williams 19-6-2006
pics at Brunopress

PARIS : Robbie Williams plays soccer (pics)

PARIS : Robbie Williams plays soccer

Robbie Williams plays soccer with friends in Paris, on June 18, 2006. Robbie Williams gave a concert in Paris' Parc des Princes on June 17, 2006 as a part of his European tour.

More pics at Isifa, EastNews

Robbie 2-timed Tara for Trivial Pursuit with me

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

'By James Weatherup

Ditched: Tara

A STUNNING MTV presenter today reveals how she bedded Robbie Williams on a blind date - while he was romancing TV beauty Tara Palmer-Tomkinson. Gorgeous Coralie Robinson played Trivial Pursuit with the cheating Robster before scoring in all sex categories with him. And she says Robbie, whose stunt gondola farcically failed to float on stage in Dublin last week, had no trouble with his oar this time. "He was unbelievably good in bed and satisfied me totally," coos model Coralie, 25. "He couldn't keep his hands off me after I scribbled him a note saying I didn't know any of the Trivial Pursuit answers but I knew one thing - that he was hot! "When he finally got me into bed I hit the heights of ecstasy twice in quick succession. He was turning me on so much. He's such an experienced lover I just let him help himself."

Pursued: Coralie

Robbie, 32, met Coralie in the bar of London's posh Conrad Hotel during his romance with Tara, 34. The model had been invited along by a girlfriend of one of his best pals, who thought the singer needed cheering up. As soon as Robbie saw the beauty, It girl Tara was forgotten. And T*t girl Coralie was in. "I was bowling when I got the call to come along that night and meet Robbie. I jumped at the chance," says Coralie. "I had a tight waistcoat on with no bra. Robbie was fascinated by my boobs. He said they were the best in the world.

Stroking
"Two of his friends were there and I was with a couple of girlfriends. Robbie seemed tense because there were so many people who recognised him. "He asked us if we'd go and play 'quiz' with him in a hotel suite. He takes Trivial Pursuit very seriously and dishes out bits of paper for everyone to write their answers on. He was good on showbiz and sport." And he was about to play a very wild card with Coralie. "After a while he invited everyone up to his penthouse flat next door to carry on playing. His dad Pete was there with his girlfriend. On the way Robbie made his intentions clear by holding my hand. "As we all played I was sitting between his legs and he was stroking my hair and massaging my neck."

Loving models instead: Robbie

After a few more games he sneaked Coralie back to the hotel suite. "He just jumped up and said we needed to go. Then he whisked me off," she says. "When we got to the room he slid my clothes off and kissed me all over, biting my neck. His body was covered in tattoos. He was a bit flabby but he had a hairy chest which turned me on." When it came to positions, Trivial Pursuit fan Robbie went for multiple choice. "I wanted to get on top but he was in control and we did it in all sorts of ways," says Coralie, who was a dancer in Moulin Rouge starring Nicole Kidman.

Toes
"He loved playing with my boobs and pulling my hair. And when he realised I had a secret piercing he was absolutely fascinated by it. "At one point I started sucking his toes and he really liked that. He then did it for me. "Having sex with him was a dream come true because I've always fancied him. We were interrupted by texts from Robbie's dad who was cross that Robbie had just left them in his flat. "Robbie arranged for his driver called 'Tweetie' to take me home after getting my number." Last week the star was in Dublin where his big finale on stage was ruined when a stunt gondola in which he was to glide onto stage singing Let Me Entertain You broke down. He promised to give the 80,000 fans at Croke Park a free show. Now Coralie - who also had a three-in-a-bed romp with Aussie cricket hero Shane Warne - is hoping for a return with Robbie too after their April romp. "He called me a couple of days later but I didn't recognise his voice at first and then we got cut off," she says. "I've been swotting up on my Trivial Pursuit questions - but he hasn't called back yet." '

The 50 greatest books ever

Quoted from: http://www.fans-supreme.de

'Geschrieben von annette
Sonntag, 18 Juni 2006
3. Feel: Robbie Williams by Chris Heath
Ebury Press, 2004

The definitive account of 21st-century stardom.
Even if you don't have the slightest interest in Robbie Williams - and I don't - this is still one of the great rock documents of our time. It is about what it feels like to be a pop star, to live inside the claustrophobia of fame.
Robbie Williams seems to have lost all contact with normal life when he joined Take That at l6. Since then he has been virtually imprisoned by fans, stalkers and paparazzi. No wonder, then, that he seems to have gone a little crazy - tearing his clothes off in public, peeing in wastepaper bins, and appearing for one interview dressed in bra, G-string, and fishnet tights.
His problem is that when he is not performing, he really has no idea what to do. There is no question of him, ever, sitting alone in a room - he is constantly surrounded by a straggling, largely male, entourage. Chris Heath joined the circus four years ago when Robbie had just moved to Los Angeles; he then followed him at home and on tour for 18 months.
He warns at the outset that readers might find Robbie 'a needy, insecure, contradictory egomaniac' and you can say that in spades, but it doesn't matter. This book could be about any pop star and it would be still be great.
Lynn Barber

· See also: Geri Halliwell's 'If Only' (Bantam). Not really! Only joking...

source: the observer'

Robbie's career dilemma - pop star or social worker

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

'By GLEN OWEN, Mail on Sunday 22:00pm 17th June 2006

It's a tough dilemma for any teenager - become a social worker or opt for a career as a world famous pop star worth £85million.
These were the options open to 15-year-old Robbie Williams at an interview with his school careers officer, according to an extraordinary dossier released to The Mail on Sunday.
And the file will give hope to millions of children who have been discouraged by the conclusions of their careers meeting.
It reveals Robbie's predicted GCSE results the following summer and the employment possibilities open to him - including social work.
And it breaks the news in deadpan fashion that he 'is about to sign a record contract, having been auditioned amongst 2,000 for the British equivalent of New Kids On The Block'.
The dossier starts in November 1989 with the notes of a meeting with Robbie when he was in the Fifth Year at St Margaret Ward High School in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
The careers officer writes that two main options were discussed - he should either study drama, media or theatre at 'poly/univ', or 'develop a separate career...in sales, social work, hotel management etc'.
On a separate form, filled out in the neat hand of 'Robert Williams, Form 5BK', signs of his trademark sense of humour are already evident. Under the heading, 'Are you considering further study?' he has written: 'I am...stud,' before crossing out the word 'stud' and completing the line... 'considering going to college then hopefully to university. But what course to take is a problem'.
In his GCSEs, he is predicted an A/B grade in history, B/C grades in English, geography and Religious education, a C in literature, and a C/D in French, maths and physics. He failed them all.
Under 'work experience', Robbie writes: 'Babysit, work in a flower shop and restarunt [sic]. I am a member of several theatre companies and taken many lead roles in a number of shows.'
As he runs out of space, he squeezes in: 'School basketball and football. I also follow Port Vale.'
The assessment by the careers officer will ring true to many fans. After declaring him to be of 'medium height' and 'medium build', the careers officer describes his speech as 'very good...articulate' and his appearance/manner as 'outgoing, confident'.
But it says Robbie is 'unsure' about what to do with his life. 'Discussed taking up a separate career path using his skills and keeping up with his drama, eg sales, social work, hotel management.'
The file resumes on January 18, 1990, with the note that - clearly concerned about her son's future - Robbie's mother Jan had phoned 'to make an appointment for herself and her son to come in'.
After a series of notes about cancelled appointments, the next entry, on September 3, 1990, breaks the news of the 16-year-old's imminent signing with Take That.
The final entry says simply: 'Now signed contract with RCA Records...Lives in Stockport with group.'
Unrecorded by the careers file, Jan had decided to take Robbie's career into her own hands.
As her son approached his exams in the summer of 1990, she heard entrepreneur Nigel Martin-Smith talking on the radio about forming a new boy band to rival the chart-topping American group New Kids On The Block.
Pretending to be her son, Jan sent a photo of Robbie to Mr Martin-Smith asking for an audition - which Robbie flew through and joined the group.
And the rest, as they say, is history... '

Williams dumps "cheap fling" Tara PT

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

'Thursday, June 15 2006, 11:16 BST - by Dave West

Robbie Williams has ended his relationship with Tara Palmer-Tomkinson - calling it a "cheap fling".The singer said he wants to be single so he can try and find a more serious long term partner. "I am 100 per cent single," he told the Daily Star. "I had a good time but I want to find my future wife now, not just a cheap fling."I always expect something to happen, such as meeting the future Mrs Williams. To not believe in love has been a far easier ride than a soul-sapping search."He also attacked stars' Hollywood-style dating rules. "The package looks great but when you get them home, they're wired up wrong," he explained. "There are dating rules people use in Hollywood: 'Don't call until next day, and then don't get back to him for two days'. It's all rubbish. If I spot them I respond in kind by never speaking to them again."'

Robbie Williams confirmed for second Brisbane show

Quoted from: http://top40-charts.com

'Sydney, AU (EMI MUSIC AUSTRALIA) - A jubilant Queensland today doubled last night's State Of Origin victory receiving confirmation that Robbie Williams will play a second concert at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium on Thursday December 14.
'Tickets will go on sale in less than a week, next Wednesday June 21,' declared triumphant Australian promoter Michael Chugg. 'So, Queenslanders get ready!'
The December 14 Brisbane Suncorp Stadium concert takes the Australian leg of Robbie Williams: Close Encounters World Tour to a total of eight, confirming Australia is now THE country with the most Robbie Williams' concerts.
'Other than the robbiewilliams.com Inner Sanctum members' exclusive pre-sale, there will be no others,' said Chugg. 'The same six ticket limit per transaction will apply when we go to General Public sale next Wednesday.'
Chugg said that even though it's less than a week away, a date clear of other event launches was chosen specifically to increase fans' access to Ticketek and to roll out fast and efficient purchases.
Four of Robbie's originally announced five shows, including Brisbane, sold out within 30 minutes of opening to general on- sale and Queensland fans are being urged not miss their second and absolutely final chance.
At Suncorp Stadium for last night's footy clash, and back again for today's announcement, Chugg received confirmation as he was readying for his trip here.
'We wanted fans to know about this as soon as we had approval from Robbie's management,' he said. 'Disappointed fans, thousands who petitioned our website, need to know as quickly as we can get it out there that they have a second chance and, most importantly, that legitimate priced tickets are available.
'Fans don't have to resort to exorbitant e-bay hijackers. 50,000 more tickets are up for grabs, at the right price, from rightful ticketing agencies.'
Promoting for forty four years, the 'I dared, closed my eyes and crossed my fingers' Everest-high achievement humbles the usually flamboyant and loud Chugg who today celebrates his 59th birthday with what he definitely considers his career summit.
'Robbie Williams loves Australia and, clearly, Australia loves him back – 400,000 times – but this type of concert success is unprecedented in this country, and two concerts of 50,000 each in Queensland was, until today, unthinkable.
'That's the equivalent of almost ten Brisbane Entertainment concerts. Ten! No music artist has done that before.' Robbie was last in Queensland in 2001 and played one Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
'Doing stadium-capacity concerts in five of the country's capitals was daring. A risk. Now we've got multiple stadium concerts along the east coast. That's how big and how good Robbie Williams is.
'You dream and you hope but you never – can never – go in expecting this type of tremendous, and exact, demand,' said Chugg with audible and genuine sentiment.
'Robbie Williams' Australian fans have made this happen and it's without question the best birthday present I've ever had. 'Thanks Australia. Thanks Robbie,' Chugg finished, as he cut his cake and made his next big wish.
Dream no longer Queensland. It has come true. Robbie Williams is confirmed for a second concert at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, Thursday December 14. Tickets are on sale next Wednesday June 21 from www.ticketek.com.au or 132 849. Sing when you're winning!!!!

ROBBIE WILLIAMS QUEENSLAND 2006 TOUR DATES
Wed December 13 SUNCORP STADIUM SOLD OUT! Thur December 14 SUNCORP STADIUM ON SALE WED JUNE 21'

Extra Robbie Williams concert

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

'June 16, 2006

BRITISH pop star Robbie Williams will perform a second concert in Perth, after promoters were inundated with thousands of calls, emails and letters from fans who missed out on tickets.Williams will perform the Subiaco Oval show on November 30, with tickets to go on sale on June 27.
"The first concert sold out in a record 30 minutes, and the phenomenal demand for another Perth show that followed almost sent our offices into meltdown," promoter Michael Chugg said.
The new show will start the Australian leg of Robbie Williams: Close Encounters World Tour a day earlier, bringing the total number of stadium shows in his itinerary to nine.
Mr Chugg said the show would definitely be the last added to Williams' Australian itinerary.
Yesterday, it was announced a second Brisbane concert would be added to the Australian tour.'

Williams' World Cup tour

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

'16/06/2006 - 12:01:44 PM

Robbie Williams has injected a little sporting passion into his European tour dates by hosting a soccer match at every city he plays in honour of the game's World Cup.The Angles hitmaker kicked off his Close Encounters tour in Dublin last weekand has since played central Paris, too.Alongside his musical entourage, the singer is travelling with his star-studded England Legends squad and hopes to take on youth teams from top clubs in every country he visits.
Yesterday, Williams wowed 1,500 Parisian fans with his pitch skills.An onlooker says: "Loads of people came along to see Robbie play. He got really involved and looked like he was loving it. You could tell he plays a lot because he was really good." '

Lithuania: Robbie Williams goes LT United during his concert in Brussels

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

'Fotis Konstantopoulos reporting from Athens (Greece)
source: winnersofeurovision.com - photo: oikotimes resources

LT United website reports
It was brought to our attention that Robbie Williams performed a refrain of "We Are The Winners" during his show in Brussels' Koning Boudewijn stadium this week. Apparently, after delivering some jokes about the Eurovision song contest, Mr. Williams just couldn't resist it and sang the line 'We are the winners of Eurovision' to a stunned crowd of 55.000. Now, 'LT United' try to keep themselves calm, but the truth is - they are absolutely thrilled and astonished after hearing these news. 'Well, this is the first time that a song of Lithuanian artist is covered by a world-famous pop artist. It's definitely an honour for us - whether he was taking a piss or not. This shows that we did the right thing and our idea worked - Lithuanian entry didn't go unnoticed in this year's Eurovision', Andrius Mamontovas said. "I'm laughing my ass off and feel thrilled - all at the same time. Robbie singing our song... Now this is a really pleasant thing to hear", Victor Diawara admitted. In further comments, Andrius jokingly stated that 'LT United' now feel obliged to return the compliment: 'We'll definitely cover one of his songs in our live performances. Oh, by the way, Robbie, if you're reading this, is there still a free 'special guest' slot available on any of your tour concerts?' There's not much to add, really, but once more - thank you Robbie, and we're proud to have you as a 'LT United' member-in-honour from this day. A signed 'LT United' CD with our compliments is on its way. We hope you'll enjoy it.'

Australia scores most Robbie Williams shows

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

'by Paul CashmereJune 16 2006

The addition of a second show to Brisbane means that Australia will now play host to the most Robbie Williams shows on his current tour.
Promoter Michael Chugg announced the show today for December 14. Tickets will go on sale on June 21.
The two shows at Suncorp Stadium will house approximately the same number of fans as 10 Entertainment Centre shows.
The tour played Brussels yesterday.
The setlist was:
Radio Rock DJ (from Sing When You're Winning, 2000)
Tripping (from Intensive Care, 2006)
Monsoon (from Escapology, 2003)
Sin Sin Sin (from Intensive Care, 2006)
Millennium Make Me Pure (from Intensive Care, 2006)
Me And My Shadow (from Swing When You're Winning, 2001)
Strong (from I've Been Expecting You, 1998)
Back For Good (Take That song)
Advertising Space (from Intensive Care, 2006)
A Place To Crash (from Intensive Care, 2006)
Come Undone (from Escapology, 2003)
Feel (from Escapology, 2003)
Encore
Let Me Entertain You (from Life Through A Lens, 1987)
Angels (from Life Through A Lens, 1987)
Kids Rock DJ (from Sing When You're Winning, 2000)'

Williams pulls tooth competition

Quoted from: http://contactmusic.com

'British pop star ROBBIE WILLIAMS has scrapped an odd internet competition in which fans fight for his old tooth. The ANGELS hitmaker pulled the venture after lack of interest, and admitted the mad molar idea was a mistake. In a forlorn message on his site the singer said, "Thanks for your great response to win my tooth. "I always thought it was a bit gross and a weird idea but it was worth a try. "There weren't enough 'yesses' to run a competition, so I'll hold on to it and with any luck the tooth fairy will come to visit one night."

16/06/2006 07:42'

Robbie talks dirty

Quoted from: http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am

'Kiki King, Eva Simpson & Caroline Hedley

THE sweet smell of success has gone to Robbie Williams' head - he's just described his fans as the "great unwashed".
In a message to support band Orson, who played at London's Hard Rock Cafe's 35th birthday bash on Wednesday, Robbie wrote: "Good to have to you on tour. Good luck with the great unwashed."
His words also confused Orson singer Jason, who told Virgin Radio's Steve Harris: "Either he's illiterate or I just never heard that one in America." Don't worry Jason, we reckon Robbie just likes to talk dirty...

Peeking along with concert Robbie Williams (videoclip)

Fans were -outside- also enjoying a concert of Robbie Williams in Brussels! Watch the videoclip on www.telegraaf.nl here...

Robbie Williams live in high-def on Sky One HD

Quoted from: http://lifestyle.hexus.net

'Robbie Williams' September 9 concert in Leeds will be broadcast live in high definition on Sky One HD, with Dolby 5.1 surround sound. Non-HD Sky subscribers can watch the concert, too, on the normal Sky One channel, but only in standard definition, though with the same choice of multiple camera angles as HD viewers.
Sky says that the concert - in Roundhay Park and part of Robbie Williams' Close Encounters tour - will be the first in the UK to be broadcast live in HD. It's being directed by Hamish Hamilton and produced by Lee Lodge for Done and Dusted.
Robbie Williams is quoted by Sky as saying, "I've seen high definition television and it looks great. It will capture the atmosphere of the concert in ways that a traditional broadcast couldn't."Richard Woolfe, Programming Director, Sky One, Two and Three commented,
"Robbie is the number one entertainer in the world. With Sky HD, the multi-camera offering and Sky's unrivalled interactive services you'll be able to see more Robbie, hear more Robbie and feel more Robbie. The Sky experience will make this more personal and rewarding for Robbie’s fans than ever before."
Sky says that the Close Encounters tour - which began in South Africa in April and will end in Australia in December - is Robbie Williams' biggest stadium tour to date, with an estimated 2.6 million fans around the world expected to turn out for the shows.

(Photograph of Robbie Williams by Simon Niblett/Idols) '

Radio One DJ Chris Coco supports and joins Robbie Williams for World Tour

Quoted rom: http://www.dancefrontdoor.co.uk

'Robbie Williams has drafted-in Radio 1 eclectic DJ Chris Coco as support to open his World Tour and to kickstart the proceedings across the globe. Chris Coco will also accompany Robbie's band onstage with special reworkings of a number of his songs specifically for the tour including his dubbed up reworking of Robbies recent hit 'Trippin'.
Chris Coco will be opening Robbie's shows internationally alongside Orson and Basement Jaxx.
Since then Chris has gone from strength to strength, recording a number of well received artist albums for labels including Warp and Distinctive Records as well as tracks under numerous monikers. He also specially scored music for the highly acclaimed movie 'The Football Factory'.
Having just signed with Ether Records, the home of Giles Peterson, Chris plans to release a compilation album of music taken from his Radio show the Blue Room later this Summer. The album contains a number of exclusive BBC Maida Vale live sessions taken from the show.
To coincide with Robbies Tour Chris has also released an exclusive 4 track downloadable EP via Tunetribe.com which features tracks being played on the tour. In between Robbie Williams dates Chris will also be doing special one off appearances at this summers Big Chill Festival and Bestival.'

Robbie Williams Launches Appeal To Find A Woman

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

'He hasn't gotten fresh for five years...
By: Lowri Williams on 6/13/2006

Superstar pop star Robbie Williams has launched a desperate appeal to find a woman.The loser in love believes his reputation as a womaniser is ruining his chances with any girl and has been unable to find anyone to love for the past five years despite his gaggle of groupies.According to handbag.com he said: "Girls think that by being 'different' I'm going to want them more. But I'm not."This has happened for the last five or so years. Sleep with me!"It's a running joke how hard it is for me to pull."He is obviously looking in the wrong places…'

T-Mobile NL offers Robbie Williams tickets

Quoted from: http://www.telecom.paper.nl

'Telecom Paper (subscription) - Houten,Netherlands

T-Mobile Netherlands is offering a phone with special content from the Robbie Williams world tour, including live concert images, at its shop in Rotterdam. ... '

Williams begs for sex

Quoted from: http://contactmusic.com

'Cheeky British pop ROBBIE WILLIAMS has launched an appeal for sex because his womanising reputation is deterring potential lovers. The ANGELS hitmaker admits he's struggled to find a mate for the past five years because girls are afraid to be just another notch on his bedpost. He says, "Girls think that by being 'different' I'm going to want them more. But I'm not. "This has happened for the last five or so years. Sleep with me! "It's a running joke how hard it is for me to pull."

13/06/2006 02:17 '

Private football match Donnybrook (paparazzi pics)

'Robbie Williams playing in a private football match in Donnybrook at 10pm
Donnybrook, Ireland - 10.06.06'

Paparazzi pics at WENN

Robbie Williams' desperate wife

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

'Monday, 12th June 2006, 12:18

LIFE STYLE EXTRA (UK) - Robbie Williams is desperate to find a wife.The 'Angels' singer - who has romanced a host of famous women in the past including model Rachel Hunter and singer Nicole Appleton - has confessed he can't wait to settle down.
He told Scotland's Daily Record newspaper: "I always expect something to happen - such as meeting the future Mrs Williams. To not believe in love has been a far easier ride than a soul-sapping search."The 38-year-old singer - who now lives in Los Angeles - also revealed he is tired of meeting shallow women.He said: "The package looks great but when you get them home, they're wired up wrong. There are dating rules people use in Hollywood, 'Don't call until next day, and then don't get back to him for two days'.
"It's all rubbish, if I spot them I respond in kind by never speaking to them again."Robbie also revealed how he almost invited a schoolgirl back to his hotel room while shooting his 'Sin Sin Sin' video in Cape Town.He said: "I invited someone back to the hotel, a very pretty girl."I told our hairdresser and he said, 'But she told me she's got school in the morning.' I decided being arrested in South Africa wouldn't be fun."

(c) BANG Media International.'

T-Mobile streams Robbie Williams gigs to 3G phones

Quoted from: http://www.techdigest.tv

'Unless you've been living under a rock or don't own a TV, you'll know that T-Mobile are currently sponsoring Robbie Williams. And as a result of that tie-in, the mobile giant is offering exclusive Robbie content, including live video streaming of his current tour direct to your 3G phone.
Throughout the European Tour, shows will be video live-streamed in their entirety to 3G handsets, while Tour TV, a new channel within T-Mobile's MobileTV service, will offer fans behind-the-scenes footage. And for those fans who haven't gone down the 3G path, the special edition Robbie Williams W300i Walkman phone, which I previewed back in April, will finally hit the shops this month.
The phone is Sony's recent clamshell handset, with customised content, including themed animation, mobile music content and an embossed Robbie Williams logo on the back cover. It also comes pre-installed with footage from the first show of the tour in South Africa, a behind-the-scenes video clip and six wallpapers.'

Robbie Williams (review Dublin)

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

'Caroline Sullivan
Monday June 12, 2006
The Guardian

'I'm 32 and I'm knackered' ... Robbie Williams in Dublin

There's only one person in this army of 78,000 who isn't having a whale of a time, and that's the one around whom the whole thing revolves. Pink with exertion as he trots into the home stretch of the two-hour show, Robbie Williams is feeling critical of his opening-night performance. He's not simply miffed about having hit a bum note, or some such; he thinks the entire evening was below par.
"I don't feel I've done the best I can tonight. I haven't been very good." He pauses earnestly. "So I'm going to come back and do it again - for free." The video cameras mischievously swing toward Williams' manager at the side of the stage. His face is fixed in a stunned rictus grin. Clearly, he'll be having words with his charge about the recklessness of offering, in front of 78,000 witnesses, to stage a show of this magnitude (the tour programme lists no fewer than 200 personnel) "for free".
You can, however, understand where Williams is coming from. The one place in the world where he is second to none is on the stage. His gigs are where Robbie agnostics become believers, justifying his 10 years of ubiquity. If he doesn't cut it in front of an audience, where does that leave him?
And tonight, as he asserts, he wasn't all he could have been. For the first half-hour, he simply doesn't engage. Surprisingly for a celebrity who is positively American in offering a running account of his private life, tonight he's just not sharing. Radio and new single Sin Sin Sin generically chug by. After Trippin', he swigs a cup of tea, confessing: "I'm 32 and I'm knackered."
Finally, Williams turns from the disappointing Intensive Care album to the stuff we really want to hear, and a spark of life burns through his torpor. "I was wondering last night what it'd be like to have 90,000 people blow on me," he says, and from that surreal moment on, he's properly Robbie. Millennium, Strong and, obviously, Angels are melancholically perfect, and the Take That classic Back for Good gets a hammy kicking: "They reformed without me! They wouldn't have me on the tour!"
But just as he's about to end the show in triumph, a hydraulic lift malfunctions during Let Me Entertain You, forcing him to abort a stunt. It throws Williams into a funk, and this is when he contritely offers the free show. If it ever happens, and he's on form, it will be a heck of a party.'

Robbie's battling the bulge

Quoted from: http://contactmusic.com

' British pop singer ROBBIE WILLIAMS has battled drug and alcohol problems and now he's fighting a new addiction - chocolate. Williams, who has recently started his Close Encounters tour, is worried about the effect his sweet tooth is having on his waist line. The ANGELS star says, "I'll be honest - I'm doing this mad thing where I'm trying to fool myself into believing I'm not eating chocolate. About five o'clock every morning I wake up with this longing for sugar. "I'll walk all the way down to the kitchen. So there I am in a soporific state pretending I'm not getting through a block of chocolate the size of Sussex (English county)." To hide his weight, the former boy band member admits, "I'm more at home in tracksuit and trainers but there is something about a three-quarter length coat. You're thinking, 'Yeah people are staring, but act like you're ace and maybe they won't see the little fatty you saw back in your dressing room.'"

11/06/2006 14:23'

Dublin Concert (pics)

Robbie Williams performs on stage at Croke Park, Dublin.
Picture by:
Niall Carson
Date:
9th June 2006

More pictures at Empics and Brunopress

Luton Airport (pics)

Credit: Photo By Rex Features Robbie Williams
ROBBIE WILLIAMS BOARDING HIS 'CLOSE ENCOUNTERS' TOUR AIRCRAFT AT LUTON AIRPORT, BRITAIN - 09 JUN 2006

More pictures at Isifa, Eastnews

Rob's disaster Dublin gig (review)

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

'ROBBIE WILLIAMS set out to rock Dublin last night - but the opening night of his tour almost ended in disaster.
During the show's finale, the singer was supposed to drop almost 100ft to the stage in a 'gondola' - but things went badly wrong.
A technical glitch meant Robbie ended up running on to the set in a panic as fire exploded around him.
Clearly shocked, the fuming singer later slated the concert, saying it was so awful he would come back to Dublin to play a free gig by way of apology. Robbie was due to perform Let Me Entertain You at the close of the gig when the risky stunt backfired.
He told the crowd afterwards: 'I can let you into a little secret. When I was up there I was supposed to come down in a gondola and it was going to be entertainment at its highest peak.
'But when the man standing behind you says, 'It's f****d' in front of 70,000 people, you panic. Being in a white tracksuit probably wasn't the best thing to be in.
'You'll never know how much panic went through my mind when I was up there. You've been much better than me.
'I've not been very good tonight so I will come back and do it for free.'
Robbie and ex-bandmates Take That had been competing for the biggest stage spectacular of the year - and until the last-minute hitch it was too close to call.
The alien-mad singer had given his tour a Close Encounters theme and it kicked off with fireworks and special flame effects blazing around the stage at Croke Park. As the Close Encounters movie theme tune played, a countdown flashed on the screen with the warning, 'Gentlemen and ladies - this is not a drill.'
Then, to a backdrop of weird ancient Egyptian symbols. the man himself shot up through the base of a podium in the middle of the crowd.
Wearing a black three-quarter length coat, jeans and a camp pink scarf, Robbie broke into hit track Radio as 78,000 fans went wild.
Rock DJ got the crowd in even more of a frenzy but after his third track, Tripping, the Loving Angels star had a breather and a cup of tea!
Addressing fans, he said: 'It's been too long. I don't know how Mick Jagger does this. I'm knackered!'
He moved on to more songs from his current album - Monsoon and latest single Sin, Sin, Sin. That last song may have flopped in the charts but die-hard fans still knew all the words.
After the rousing Millennium, Robbie was joined on the stage by a surprise guest, best mate Jonathan Wilkes. The TV host is travelling with Robbie throughout the tour, and the pair duetted on the classic Me And My Shadow
Robbie followed that with Take That favourite Back For Good - probably so he can get in some practise for his own 'surprise' appearance on their tour.
Singing No Regrets straight after underlines his feelings towards his old muckers.
He briefly left the stage before screaming fans dragged him back for a finale including Let Me Entertain You - and that ill-fated attempt at a stunt.'

Robbie Williams promises free Irish concert

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

'Sat Jun 10, 2006 1:18 AM BST

DUBLIN (Reuters) - Pop star Robbie Williams promised Irish fans a free concert after kicking off the summer leg of his world tour in Dublin with what he said was a disappointing performance on Friday.
The 32-year-old, who said he wished he'd opened his sell-out "Close Encounter" tour in a village hall rather than in front of 90,000 screaming fans, made the promise after a stunt at the end of the show failed to come off.
Williams was meant to descend on a gondola from a rig above the stage during his song "Let Me Entertain You" but the device didn't work and Williams was forced to rush back down to the stage.

After the song, Williams admitted what had happened and said he didn't feel he had performed as well as he could. His pledge to host a free gig was greeted with huge applause and cheers from an already animated audience packed into Dublin's Croke Park stadium.
"I'll be back before the end of the year," he said.

© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved. '

Robbie Williams is disappointed he has to go on tour - because he would rather be at the football World Cup.

Quoted from: http://www.pr-inside.com

'Movie & Entertainment News provided by bangshowbiz.biz
2006-06-08 12:52:01 -

The 'Let Me Entertain You' singer - who kicks off his 'Close Encounters' tour in Dublin, Ireland, tomorrow night (09.06.06) - admits he is desperate to be in Germany and if he had the chance he would even trade his rock star lifestyle to be a footballer. He was quoted by Britain's Daily Star newspaper as saying: "I just want to make people smile and clap and sing along, but I'd still rather be at the football. If I could choose I'd play football for the masses rather than be a musician, no two ways around it. The World Cup is the ultimate stage, after all." However, despite pining to be at the World Cup, Robbie, 32, admits he is very excited about the Dublin show, which has an 'alien' theme and features crop circles and enactments of alien abductions.

He said: "The set looks unbelievable. I can't believe how excited I am and I really like the songs, which is handy." '

Residents' anger over Robbie Williams tickets give-away

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

' 07/06/2006 - 18:01:14 Disgruntled residents from Dublin's Croke Park
region today hit out at the way the free tickets for Robbie William's
concert were handed out to the community.

Disgruntled residents from Dublin's Croke Park region today hit out at
the way the free tickets for Robbie William's concert were handed out to
the community.

Ahead of the pop star's Friday night gig, residents called for a better
system to be put in place after hundreds of people spent hours queueing
in a bid to avail of the tickets set aside for locals.

Marian Bradley, who is from Clonliffe Road and a member of a residents'
committee, claimed: "There is an unruly system in place people are going
up and walking away with eight tickets when it should be just two per
household.

"There is panic now."

But Peter McKenna, Croke Park Stadium director, said no person received
any more than two tickets with each person having to present a household
bill and identification.

"EUR140,000 worth of tickets were given to the local community which is
unheard of in any other stadium in Ireland or Europe," he said. "What we
would prefer to do is make a local donation into the community because
no matter how many tickets we give out someone will be left disappointed."

Ms Bradley said the residents should be treated better due to the
hardship they encounter due to concerts and football matches being held
at Croke Park.

"We have all the dirt and filth after the concerts, bottles thrown into
gardens and people urinating in gardens," Ms Bradley, who was looking
for Robbie Williams concert tickets for herself and her son, said.

"We can't even take out cars out on match day. And elderly people are
prisoners in their own homes."

The Croke Park Stadium gave out 1,600 tickets worth EUR140,000 in two
lots - with 800 distributed from the ticket box at the stadium in the
early morning, and the remainder in the afternoon.

"The ticket booth opened and distributed all 800 tickets, other people
wanted to wait. If people wanted to queue that is their right to queue,"
Mr McKenna said, adding wristbands were given out so people could return
home and come back.

Ms Bradley said many of the hundreds of people queueing would be in
favour of the tickets being raffled like for last summer's U2 concerts.

"The raffle had its own idiosyncrasies too, a lot of the applications
got, despite of all the checks and balances, tend to be bogus so we
thought it would be better if people came face to face. No matter how
many tickets we give out they are not going to satisfy everyone," the
stadium director said.'

Robbie fans angry

Quoted from: http://entertainment.news.com.au

'By Roxanne Millar
June 07, 2006

In demand ... Robbie Williams / Richard Cisar-Wright
In demand ... Robbie Williams / Richard Cisar-Wright

ROBBIE Williams fans will know by the end of the week if the hit-maker
will play a second show in Melbourne after his December 17 Telstra Dome
gig sold out within minutes.

Concert promoter Michael Chugg said the demand had been bigger than for
U2's Vertigo tour.

"It's huge. After the last tour, the talk about how great it was made
everyone want to see it.

"Now we're talking to him to see if he wants to do another show."

Chugg said he assumed the second gig would also be at Telstra Dome.

Tickets for Melbourne's Close Encounters show sold out within 30 minutes
of release yesterday and are already being sold on eBay for almost three
times the purchase price.

Williams's last Australian tour was in 2003 when demand was deemed too
low to bother with a second Melbourne show. Earlier today, thousands of
angry Robbie Williams fans were demanding to know why they missed out on
tickets to his Sydney and Melbourne shows.

More than 100,000 tickets were sold within 30 minutes for Williams's
first Australian concert tour in five years.

Concert promoter Michael Chugg told Seven's Sunrise concertgoers are
facing an uphill battle because scalpers resell tickets on auction
website eBay.

"These people are now joining fanclubs so they can scalp tickets," Mr
Chugg said.

"Unless they publish ticket details on eBay, you've got no hope of
finding out who has the ticket and that's the problem," he said.

- with AAP'

Robbie rocks again

Quoted from: http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au

'Claire Sutherland
08jun06

Robbie Williams Second coming: Robbie Williams announces a second
Melbourne Show

MELBOURNE will get a second Robbie Williams show - the final
performance of his world tour.

The show will at Telstra Dome on December 18.

Tickets will go on sale on Friday next week through Ticketmaster.

Tickets for his first show, on December 17, sold out in 25 minutes.

Promoter Michael Chugg said Williams didn't take much persuading to add
the show to his itinerary.

"We started talking about a week ago because we could see it was
probably on the cards," Chugg said. "He loves Australia so much."

More than 300,000 tickets for his Australian shows have been sold.

Mr Chugg said there would be less tickets available for pre-sale for the
December 18 show.'

Five Star Scanner Appeal gala dinner (pics)

SUTTON COLDFIELD, ENGLAND - JUNE 4: (HELLO AND OK MAGAZINE OUT. EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK TABLOID NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 48 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME) Jonathan Wilkes, Max Beesley and Robbie Willams attend a Gala Dinner in aid of the Five Star Scanner Appeal, which aims to raise funds for the Greater Manchester Children's Hospital, at The Belfry DeVere Hotel on June 4, 2006 in Sutton Coldfield, England. The event raised over GBP80, 000, much of which came from the auction which included items such as World Cup tickets and tickets to see Robbie Williams in concert. Robbie Williams flew in by helicopter to attend the event in person. (Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images).

More pictures at Getty Images

Sleeping out for Robbie Williams

Quoted from: http://www.abc.net.au

'Wednesday, 7 June 2006
Reporter: Phil Smith
Presenter: Spencer Howson

Brisbane fans of Robbie Williams get comfortable in the Queens St Mall while waiting for the ticket office to open

Thousands of Brisbane fans of English singing sensation Robbie Williams receieved Repetitive Strain Injuries on Friday, as they clicked their way to success purchasing tickets online to Robbie's December 13 Lang Park concert.
Often though, the experience took them hours, and they didn't get to participate in sleeping bag races, unlike the fans who took the old-fashioned approach to buying tickets: sleeping out to be first in line when the ticket office opens.
About 50 fans were lining up in the Queen St Mall at 6.30am this morning, awaiting the ticket office opening at 9.00. It was a scene littered with eskies, sleeping bags, folding chairs, thermoses, with even a TV for one of the better prepared fans. One pair of fans started their stake-out at 9.30 yesterday morning. "We've had a few [caffeine drinks] but we've really been sustained by the Baileys and coffee..." one fan admitted.

Staying warm during the sleep out

However, the pair was planning a very polite assault on the ticket office, when it finally opened at 9.00. "Absolutely - we’re very nice people, very refined, actually."
Other fans weren't so sure. "Well, so far everyone’s been really friendly - I don’t know what it’s going to be like when the doors open!" one commented.
The fans had plenty of drive to survive the icy conditions in the city overnight. "It’s the concert of the decade - we didn’t want to miss out," said one.
Another was looking forward to the concert experience for inspiration. "All the songs are favourites," she said, "so [I'm looking forward to] being able the sing along with all of them... I think the atmosphere will just be fun fun fun!"
However, for some of the people waiting, lining up for tickets wasn't part of their original plan. Some just had no luck with internet sales. "Believe me, we tried," said one woman. "We had four computers going on Friday to get presale tickets that we were eligible to buy - four computers and four people and and we spent 2 ½ hours and we got nowhere - that's why we're here!"No doubt they were grateful, too, when they realised internet tickets didn't come with sleeping bag races'

Robbie sells out fast

Quoted from: http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au

'June 06, 2006

THE highly anticipated return to Australia of British pop star Robbie Williams sent fans in Sydney and Melbourne into a ticket-buying frenzy today, with first shows in both cities selling out in 30 minutes.
More than 100,000 tickets combined were sold by 9.30am (AEST) for the Robbie Williams: Close Encounters world tour at Sydney's Aussie Stadium and Melbourne's Telstra Dome in December.
A spokeswoman for promoter Chugg Entertainment said they were shocked at the overwhelming demand for tickets.
"We expected strong sales in Sydney and Melbourne, but nothing like this," she said.
The demand meant an extra show in Sydney was added at 9.45am (AEST) and the spokeswoman said more than 85 per cent of the Sunday evening show had already sold.
It's been five years since Williams toured Down Under.
The current leg of the tour begins in Dublin on June 9 and will visit 14 countries on 44 different dates by the time it wraps in Melbourne on December 17.
There was a strict six-ticket limit policy on sales today to avoid scalpers on-selling them at a higher price.
Gold tickets started at $149.95 and the cheaper end of the scale was silver reserve at $99.95.
Tickets for Williams' Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane shows go on sale tomorrow and the spokeswoman urged fans to get in early.
"There has been a huge demand, all we can say is that fans need to get in early because they are selling fast," she said.
Williams shattered the Guinness Book of World Records for the fastest, and largest number of concert tickets ever sold in one day - 1.6 million - when the European leg of his world tour went on sale in November 2005.'

British popstar Williams to entertain Hong Kong - at a cost

Quoted from: http://www.antara.co.id

'Hong Kong (ANTARA News) - British superstar Robbie Williams is set to play one of the most expensive concerts ever held in Hong Kong, with tickets selling for up to 2,480 Hong Kong dollars (318 US dollars), according to media reports.
Pop star Williams, who first soared to the top of the British charts in 1995 with the ballad "Angels", will play his second-ever show in the city in November, promoters Midas was quoted by AFP as confirming.
A report in the South China Morning Post said the former Take That star would be charging up to 2,480 dollars for VIP tickets, while the rest would be sold for between 500 and 1,000 dollars.
Hong Kong concert ticket prices are notoriously high; the most expensive concert ever held here was by wrinkly rockers The Eagles who got a peaceful easy feeling out of charging punters 2,750 dollars per ticket when they played in October 2004.

Midas said full details of the Williams show -- including date and venue -- would be released next week. (*)'

Tara PT says she's still with Williams

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

'Sunday, June 4 2006, 20:47 BST - by Dave West

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson has said her romance with Robbie Williams is still on.
The 'It' girl confirmed the rumours to presenter Terry Wogan but said she had intended to keep it secret. 'I was a bit excited so I told somebody,' she claimed. 'Well, you would, wouldn't you? I'm only human. I was like: 'It's Robbie Williams!' The next thing I see, it's all over a magazine. I really learned from that mistake.' Then - when Wogan pushed her for more details - she revealed that the affair is ongoing. 'The problem is, if you talk about relationships that you're having then the relationship goes out of the window. I can't tell you because it would all be over. But Robbie's great, that's the main thing.'
The interview for UKTV Gold's Wogan Now And Then also saw Palmer-Tomkinson refute allegations that she is selfish. 'I'm so generous,' she maintained. 'I'm so nice, and I really think it's a myth that I'm high-maintenance.' Her appearance will be broadcast on the show on June 11. '

Music Life: Sin to miss it

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

'By John McGurk04 June 2006

HE needed a team to conquer the Rest of the World for Soccer Aid. But Robbie Williams will be doing it 'Sin-gle' handed in Ireland this week.
The prankster prince of pop, who is back on top of his game with the release of new single Sin, Sin, Sin, kicks off the European leg of his world tour in Dublin's Croke Park on Friday.
The tour - his biggest yet - sees Williams playing 23 shows to more than 1.6m fans in 13 countries.
And it seems that Ireland just can't get enough of the eccentric Englishman, who sold out Slane in 1999, packed in 80,000 punters at two Lansdowne Road shows in 2001 and played a storming set to a massive 135,000 fans at Phoenix Park in August 2003.
With sold-out signs swinging all across Europe this summer, Robbie's fans are obviously eager to hear songs from his current album, Intensive Care in the live arena.
Upon its release last October, the album debuted at No 1 in 18 countries - selling an extraordinary 373,000 copies in its first week in the UK.
It's gone on to become the fourth fastest selling British album ever, and at one stage nine copies a second were winging their way across counters.
Intensive Care marked Williams's first full-length outing with new musical partner, Stephen 'Tin Tin' Duffy.
And since the release of Intensive Care, Williams and Duffy are rumoured to have been beavering away together in the studio, completing a new dance-orientated album which may be on the shelves by late summer.
Another musical collaboration was also successfully completed in May, when Williams joined his boyhood heroes Pet Shop Boys for their Radio 2 live extravaganza, Sold On Song - and another reported recording collaboration.
But a schedule of all work and no play would never wash with the fast-living 32-year-old.
Soccer Aid - the brainchild of Williams and Jonathan Wilkes - gave the footy-loving superstar the opportunity to fulfil his boyhood dream by captaining England to victory at Old Trafford.
The fundraising event was a massive success, with millions raised for children's charity, Unicef.
And as if his workload for 2006 wasn't already punishing enough, Williams may have a little window in his diary reserved for a reunion with former band mates Take That.
In a TV interview with Jonathan Ross last month, a tongue-in-cheek Williams declared that he would join-up with his former boyband mates if he lost a challenge tennis match with the chat-show host.
The Manchester supergroup, who dominated the charts in the early 90s, and with whom Williams cut his pop star teeth, reformed earlier this year for a series of reunion gigs.
Featuring four-fifths of the original line-up, the group's comeback has been a massive commercial success - only being beaten for the title of the UK's biggest concert draw of 2006, ironically, by Robbie's forthcoming tour.
So, let him entertain youa as the suave songsmith serves up the soundtrack of his supernova solo stardom - Rock DJ, Millennium, Feel, Let Me Entertain You and, inevitably, the anthemic Angels.
• Robbie Williams plays his sold-out show at Dublin's Croke Park on Friday.'