News.

[Source: NME.com] The surviving members of The Grateful Dead have announced that they will embark on their first tour in nearly five years this spring.

The quartet, which now calls itself simply The Dead, plans to hit the road beginning in mid-April and play approximately 20 shows across the US through mid-May.

The band reformed last October for a Barack Obama benefit concert in Pennsylvania, fuelling rumours that they would get together for a proper tour.

The band, which now consists of original members Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, will be joined by their 2004 tourmates Warren Haynes on guitar (replacing late guitarist Jerry Garcia) and Jeff Chimenti on keyboards.

The exact tour dates are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

[Source: NME.com] Lily Allen could be appearing as ‘Dr Who’’s new sidekick, people behind the show have revealed.

The BBC are looking for a girl to join the new Doctor Matt Smith when he takes over from David Tennant in 2010, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Executive producer of the show, Piers Wenger, told the paper: “Having got the casting of the Doctor out of the way, the companion role is where we will be looking next. Someone terribly exciting like Billie Piper, who was at the beginning of her acting career but who had a profile for other reasons, would be great. We are looking for someone whose light can burn brightly.”

Sources say that other female celebrities being considered include Kelly Brook and Rachel Stevens.

Wenger added: “We would never cast anyone on the basis of their celebrity, but if Lily wanted to audition we would be delighted. It would be a lot of fun.”

American ‘shock rocker’ Marilyn Manson is set to reunite with his ex-wife, burlesque model Dita Von Teese… but it’s not about romance.

The controversial “Beautiful People” singer (aka Brian Hugh Warner) has included his petite ex on a wish list of witnesses for an upcoming court case. Manson is in the midst of a legal battle with his estranged former keyboardist, Madonna Wayne Gacy (real name Stephen Bier).

Gacy has sued Manson for more than AUS$28 million, claiming the star stole millions of money from his own band and spent it on drugs, assorted Nazi paraphernalia, his 2005 wedding to Von Teese and other interesting purchases (including a stuffed grizzly bear, a pair of baboons and the skeleton of a four-year-old Chinese girl). Manson counter-sued, stating that Bier was a disgruntled former employee who left the band in 2005, “failing to live up to the terms of his contract.”

The court case is due to kick off on Monday 2 February, with not only Von Teese but Nine Inch Nails’s Trent Reznor also planning on taking the stand in Manson’s defence. Reznor produced the band’s LP Portrait Of An American Family.

Florian Schneider, the co-founder of legendary Düsseldorf, Germany, electronica outfit Kraftwerk, has quit the band, walking out of the four-piece just two months before they’re due to  hit the road in South American alongside Radiohead.

News of Schneider’s departure was announced on the band’s official fan website yesterday, but no reason was given. The “V2-Schneider” musicians formed back in early 1970, Schneider creating the group alongside Ralf Hütter before expanding with two more members. Kraftwerk’s avant-garde, repetitive, vocoder rhythms and lyrics made them one of electronic music’s most influential outfits, openly celebrated by the likes of David Bowie and Devo, while the band turned down offers to work with the likes of Elton John and Michael Jackson. 

Ralf Hütter is now the only remaining original member of the group. The Radiohead/Kraftwerk jaunt will kick off in Rio de Janeiro on Friday 20 March.

Despite vowing he’d never sell his music to products he didn’t believe in, legendary punk icon Iggy Pop has filmed a car insurance television commercial in the UK.

The “Search & Destroy” Stooges frontman has teamed up with Swift Cover for the spot, which sees James Newell Osterberg (the 61-year-old star’s real name) adopting an “online life”, telling viewers he hasn’t seen his birth certificate for years (the ad encouraging purchases to store information digitally).

“The new campaign is an exciting step for swiftcover.com and one which we think will create great stand out in this highly competitive marketplace,” says marketing director Tina Shortle. “As the only online insurer, we feel this new and unique approach reflects our positioning as a young and innovative company.”

The managing director of Swift’s ad agency MWO, Tim Mortimer, says the new slot is one of the best pieces. “The insurance market is not known for great advertising, and we took the opportunity to change that. Our online lives can give us the ability to run our lives better and more efficiently. I don’t think anybody has explained this properly through a big advertising strategy, until now.”

Iggy, however, hasn’t commented on the deal.

[Source: NME.com] Dr. Dre’s son died after taking an overdose of heroin and morphine, Los Angeles County coroners have revealed.

Andre Young Jr. was found dead at the family home of the rap star and producer by his mother on Saturday 23 August, 2008.

According to BBC News, the coroners have ruled his death as accidental.

Dr. Dre is set to release his long-awaited album Detox in the near future – however, despite continual rumours, a release date is yet to be set

[Source: NME.com] Wilco will release a live DVD, Ashes Of American Flags, in February or March 2009.

The DVD captures performances from the experimental Americana group at the Nashville Ryman Auditorium and the Tulsa Cain Ballroom in February 2008.

The band, led by frontman Jeff Tweedy, are planning to release their next studio album, the follow-up to 2007’s Sky Blue Sky, later in the year.

According to Billboard.com, a recent newsletter to fans promised “the usual summer hijinks with a new record and gigs everywhere imaginable”.

Wilco released a live album, Kicking Television: Live In Chicago, in 2005.

It’s two times lucky for fans of Bellingham, Washington indie outfit Death Cab For Cutie, with news that the “I Will Possess Your Heart” four-piece are heading back to Australia in February.

The band were previously on Australian shores back in August 2008 for a series of sold-out performances to kick off the release of their acclaimed album Narrow Stairs. Debuting at number six on the ARIA chart upon its release, the album is currently nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best Rock Song and Best Alternative Music Album.

Kicking off with an outdoor show in WA, singer/songwriter Ben Gibbard, guitarist/production wizz Chris Walla, drummer Jason McGerr and bassist Nicolhas Harmer are now set to head back our way for a second time. Tickets for the shows go onsale this Friday 9 January, and dates are:

Thursday 19 February – Fremantle Arts Centre, WA

Sunday 22 February – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide, SA

Monday 23 February – Forum Theatre, Melbourne, VIC

Tuesday 24 February – Forum Theatre, Melbourne, VIC

Thursday 26 February – Enmore Theatre, Sydney, NSW

Saturday 28 February – Tivoli Theatre, Brisbane, QLD

She might be the biggest break-out star of 2008, but sassy US pop diva Katy Perry has discovered that success comes at a price. After rumours that she’d gotten engaged just prior to Christmas, representatives for the 24-year-old “I Kissed A Girl” singer have confirmed Perry has split with her long-term boyfriend, Gym Class Heroes singer Travis McCoy.

According to People magazine, Perry is said to be “regrouping” after the break-up, her ex having previously revealed his purchase of an expensive “promise ring” to the publication. McCoy has already been venting online, labelling his laptop his “new girlfriend” and describing it as “LOYAL. LISTENS. and NEVER LET’S ME DOWN.” He also posted the song lyrics to hip-hop track “Looking at the Front Door”, by Main Source, in a veiled reference to the split: “We fight every night, now that’s not kosher / I reminisce with bliss of when we was closer / And wake up to be greeted by an argument again / You act like you’re ten.”

It’s battle of the divas, with reports that former Destiny’s Child singer Beyoncé Knowles has upset Janet Jackson over comments about her background and social class.

In a new interview with fashion magazine Elle, the 27-year-old “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) star was discussing her childhood, and talking about the social status of her parents. “I grew up upper class,” Knowles revealed. “Private school. My dad had a Jaguar. We’re African-American and we work together as a family, so people assume we’re like the Jacksons – but I didn’t have parents using me to get out of a bad situation.”

According to the New York Daily News, Jackson is fuming about the diss, and is planning on confronting Knowles about the comment. The Jacksons grew up in the working class suburb of Gary, Indiana.

[Source: NME.com] A date has been set for Amy Winehouse to appear in a Norwegian court to appeal 2007 drug charges in the country.

The singer is due to appear on Monday 12 January in her appeal against a fine imposed for her alleged possession of 7 grams of marijuana, it was announced on Wednesday 31 December.

Winehouse and her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, were briefly arrested and fined 500 euros (AUS$997) for drug possession and use in the western Norwegian town of Bergen on Saturday 18 October, 2007, as previously reported.

She later appealed the fine, alleging that the police who arrested her had made a mistake. According to Winehouse’s Norwegian attorney, payment of the fine would amount to a guilty plea, which could have negative consequences if she attempted to enter the United States. The singer was denied entry into the US earlier this year to perform at the Grammy Awards.

The trial was originally scheduled to take place in March 2008, but was postponed at the request of her attorney.

Police prosecutor Rudolf Christoffersen told the Associated Press that he expects that the couple will be required to appear at the hearing. “She is the one who appealed, so that makes it her appeal,” he said. “Often, if you don’t appear at your own appeal hearing, then the court will dismiss the appeal.”

[Source: NME.com] The Sex Pistols were once considered such a threat to the fabric of Irish society that legal action was considered at the highest levels, it has emerged.

State papers released yesterday reveal how the band were targeted in a 1978 investigation aimed at protecting the country’s Catholic morals.

Law enforcers the Garda Síochána were particularly concerned by the title and content of their album Never Mind The Bollocks.

According to the Guardian, an official garde memo questioned whether the band’s debut broke the country’s once rigid censorship laws. It read: “The title on the sleeve… would indicate that the contents of the record is obscene.”

On referral to Ireland’s censorship board, the Irish Deputy Assistant Chief State Solicitor suggested that the album might contravene the Indecent Advertisements Act, which could have resulted in a fine for any record stores carrying it.”

But the officer advised the garda to be lenient: “However, the penalty on conviction cannot exceed IR£2 and in all circumstances you may feel that prosecution is not called for.”

In the end, the threat was not carried out after Virgin Records successfully defended a British obscenity charge.

“Touch My Body” diva Mariah Carey hasn’t had the best luck on the big screen as an actress. But now the 39-year-old singer is in talks to bring her life story to Hollywood – and she wants British singer Leona Lewis to star.

According to reports in the US, a spokesperson for Carey has confirmed the “Honey” singer is planning on making a musical about her ride to fame. Carey’s career kicked off back in 1990 when she was a mere 20-years-old with the single “Vision Of Love”, the star later controversially marrying Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola (20 years her senior).

“Mariah’s not sure if she’ll star in it herself,” says a source close to the singer about the rumoured production. “If she doesn’t, names being tossed around include High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens and ‘Desperate Housewives’ actress Eva Longoria. But Mariah secretly likes the idea of Leona Lewis playing her.”

There’s no word, however, from Lewis’ camp as to whether she’s keen – her latest single is “I Will Be”, due out later this month.

It can’t be easy dating one of the most famous men in the music business. Hollywood starlet Jessica Biel found out the hard way. The Easy Virtue actress (rumoured to be engaged to the “My Love” singer) has revealed that her boyfriend caught her out as a closet fan of his music when the couple first began dating.

“I have to really watch out because I sing Justin’s songs at home,” Biel joked this week in an interview with MTV. “When we first started hanging out I had to be really careful because he used to call me and I’d be blasting – and I mean blasting – his music while I was in the pool, swimming with my dogs. He’d call me and I’d have to fly out of the pool, drop the volume ... he’d be like, ‘Are you playing ‘Justified’?’ I was like, ‘No! I’m not!’“

Timberlake – who’s next single is “Follow My Lead” – is also at the top of the wishlist for former Destiny’s Child singer Michelle Williams, who says she’s love to record with him for her upcoming album. “I like Justin Timberlake,” says Williams. “He is not only hot, he also has an amazing work ethic. If I met him I would ask him if we could do a duet. By duet, I mean make a record together!”

Despite it being reported across the globe a couple of days ago, the news of Californian hard rockers Guns ‘N Roses embarking on a world tour isn’t actually true after all...

Seems guitarist Richard Fortus might have gotten a little bit enthusiastic when being interviewed by a St. Louis newspaper, when he revealed the “Welcome To The Jungle” rockers were planning a two-year world tour kicking off in March.

Fortus now says he was “misquoted” in the article. “OK, it seems that I am being misquoted once again,” Fortus told fans in a statement on the band’s website. “I never said that Gn’R would be playing St. Louis, nor did I say that we will be doing free shows or that we are starting a two-year tour in March! Selective hearing. Never said it.”

Perhaps Axl Rose wasn’t happy with Fortus spreading the news, although rollingstone.com says sources have confirmed the rockers will take Chinese Democracy, the latest LP, out on the road in some capacity in 2009. Whether that includes an Australian visit... who knows!

[Source: NME.com] Foo Fighters and Coldplay have been announced to appear at Neil Diamond’s forthcoming charity concert.

They will join the likes of Adele, John Mayer, Tim McGraw and actress Jennifer Hudson at the charity gala gig at Los Angeles Convention Centre on Friday 6 February, 2009.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the MusiCares program, which aids musicians in times of financial, medical and personal crisis, reports Rolling Stone.

Diamond, who will also perform, was named MusiCares 2008 Person Of The Year for his charitable work.

The veteran singer’s most recent album Home Before Dark hit Number One in the US chart in May. As previously reported on NME.COM, Diamond is being recognised for his exceptional artistic achievements as well as his philanthropic work.

The singer, who recently donated aid to the relief fund established in the wake of Hurricane Ike, joins past honourees Bono, Aretha Franklin and Brian Wilson.

The gala ceremony will take place two days before the Grammy Awards.

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[Source: NME.com] Paul Weller has reportedly been questioned by police in Prague after apparently being found drunk in the street.

The Modfather is said to have been spoken to by police after drinking heavily with a girl in the Czech Republic capital.

The Sun published video footage of the rocker falling over in the street following the incident.

Earlier, the singer was reportedly drinking at the Little Whale Pub while on a break in Prague.

He was later apparently questioned by two policemen but no action was taken.

It’s one of the best-kept secret romances in the indie scene: Ben Gibbard, the frontman of Seattle outfit Death Cab For Cutie has gotten engaged to his girlfriend, Hollywood actress/singer Zooey Deschanel.

News of the couple’s forthcoming nuptials was revealed yesterday, but only after a false media report began surfacing that the “Yes Man” actress – who is also one half of duo She & Him, alongside singer/songwriter M. Ward – was reportedly set to marry AFI bassist Hunter Burgan, who was forced to deny the rumours.

The couple are “so thrilled,” a source told rollingstone.com, revealing the pair had been dating for about a year. “Zooey was swept off her feet, and Ben is so excited.” The lovebirds have performed onstage together just the once, taking on the Everly Brothers’ “All I Have To Do Is Dream” at an Obama fundraiser back in August. Death Cab For Cutie are set to return to Australian shores in early ‘09.

Icelandic pop icon Björk has decided to give something back to her home country, the 43-year-old singer partnering up with a Reykjavik-based venture capital firm to create a fund that will look to invest in “socially and environmentally” friendly companies, in a move to help Iceland’s economy.

The “BJORK venture fund” will be run by Audur Capital, the company donating over AUS$1.19 million of its own money to the cause and seeking other investors to join the group before March. According to the company, the “It’s Oh So Quiet” singer “has become a spokeswoman for innovation, creative thinking and increased diversity in the Icelandic economy.”

Helping to develop small companies, “The fund will invest in sustainable businesses that create value through the country’s unique resources, spectacular nature, vibrant culture and green energy,” reads Audur Capital’s website.

Could one of the most famous British songwriters in history – former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney – be set to team up with one of rock n’ roll’s biggest chart-toppers: Las Vegas rockers The Killers?

That’s what British media are saying. According to reports in various newspapers, the 66-year-old “Yesterday” songwriter was well impressed when he saw the “Human” four-piece perform last month at London’s Royal Albert Hall, and has now approached singer Brandon Flowers about a possible collaboration.

“Paul had a great time at the gig. He loves their music and their great attitude,” a source says. “He was as pleased to meet them as they were to meet him but they were gobsmacked when he said he’d love to do something with them music-wise.”

Newspapers are claiming that the former Beatle has asked the band to head into the studio for a guest track on an upcoming project early in the new year. Brandon Flowers recently revealed that McCartney had first met the band in a somewhat unusual method – by donning an Alice Cooper mask.

“He was wearing the mask and dancing around,” Flowers recalled. “Then he took off the mask and introduced himself.”

[Source: NME.com] John Lennon is set to appear in a charity advert, nearly 30 years after his death.

Permission to use the former Beatle’s voice and image were given by his widow, Yoko Ono, to the One Laptop Per Child Foundation which is campaigning to supply computers to the world’s poorest children.

The organisation, a spin-off of a project by the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, supplies the £140 (AUS$294), solar powered machines to allow the world’s poorest places to gain access to helpful technology.

In the advert, Lennon says: “Imagine every child no matter where in the world they were could access a universe of knowledge. They would have a chance to learn, to dream, to achieve anything they want. I tried to do it through my music, but now you can do it in a very different way.”

Air time for the advert will be donated by cable stations in the US.

[Source: NME.com] A guitar used by late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain on the band’s first US tour has been sold at auction for AUS$143,885.

The smashed Fender Mustang guitar was sold by Sluggo, a punk guitarist and friend of Cobain, to an unidentified private collector, according to Yahoo Music.

The instrument was destroyed onstage in New Jersey, after which Cobain decided to trade it with The Grannies and Hullabaloo guitarist for a working one for the next gig.

Sluggo held on to the guitar for a number of years before eventually lending it to Seattle’s Experience Music Project for display.

Jacob McMurray, senior curator at the Project, told Yahoo Music: “It’s a really cool looking guitar because it’s smashed and held together with duct tape and Kurt Cobain wrote on it. There’s not a huge amount of broken Nirvana guitars out there.”

The guitar is the second-highest selling piece of Cobain memorabilia to date, following the $188, 489 sale of his Mosrite Gospel Mark IV guitar at an auction in 2006.

Gerard Way, lead singer of New Jersey emo outfit My Chemical Romance, has revealed that the band’s fourth LP won’t follow a “concept”, as per their previous releases.

According to the “Teenagers” singer – who’s currently in the process of adapting his comic book series, The Umbrella Academy, for the big screen – the follow-up to 2006’s Welcome To The Black Parade won’t be inspired by a “definite story”.

“I said that during ...Parade, but I still think I had something to work out. I think I had to get it out of my system, as far as writing concept records,” Way confessed to MTV. “I had to at least do one more before I stopped doing them. Obviously, they’ll always be cohesive though. The songs need to fit together, that’s what makes a great album.”

Although the band hasn’t hit the studio as yet, Way says they’ll be using their live show as a starting point for the new record. “I think it’d be interesting to hear what the band sounds like recorded at least somewhat in those parameters of a live set,” he reckons. “The song we did for [the movie] Watchmen [a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Desolation Row”] in a lot of ways is a really good test-run or experiment, at least sonically.”

Following their release of Chinese Democracy – the first new album in 15 years – hard rockers Guns N’ Roses are planning on kicking off a world tour starting in March 2009... or so says their guitarist.

According to Richard Fortus, who first joined the Axl Rose-led “Welcome To The Jungle” rockers onstage back in 2002, the tour is set to run for “at least two years”. Last in Australia back in June 2007, Fortus says he’s biding his time by working on new music with his former band, Pale Divine, as well as touring as a band member for pop/R&B sensation Rihanna. 

“There has been talk of us doing a ‘Love’ tour, a tour of all the cities where there have been riots, and doing free shows,” Fortus joked, mentioning the Missouri city of St Louis, where Rose left the stage mid show after fighting with a photographer. “That might happen.”

Chinese Democracy was released in November, to mixed reviews. Axl Rose has refused to promote the LP, infuriating his record label bosses.

With his latest LP, 808s and Heartbreak, receiving not-so-nice reviews (mostly thanks to his use of auto-tune vocals on every track), US rapper Kanye West has been seeking some advice on singing... from Scottish art punkers Franz Ferdinand, no less.

According to reports, the 31-year-old hip hop star asked Franz’s lead singer, Alex Kapranos, (currently in Australia on tour) for a few vocal tips, the pair meeting backstage at Los Angeles radio station KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas concert last week.

“Alex told him not to have conversations in noisy places, to not smoke, and to stay away from the spirits, to which Kanye said, ‘Spirits? Like, ghosts?’“ says a source. British tabloids meanwhile are reporting that the “Stronger” star is also practising chanting techniques to strengthen his vocal chords.

Kanye, however, says he doesn’t care about the criticism. “On this album I might have lost some rap fans, but what I gained is a new perspective on life and just the ability to do what you want,” he argues. “Do what makes you feel good and if people want to award that, it’s cool.”

[Source: NME.com] Scientists have criticised Mariah Carey’s mathematics skills, after she appropriated Albert Einstein’s mass-energy equivalence formula for an album title.

The singer called her recent album E=MC2, but rather than reference the famous equation, she declared the tile stood for “emancipation equals Mariah Carey times two”.

Mathematician Dr David Leslie told BBC News that he was upset that the singer had had “misread the algebra”.

“The ‘two’ in the equation means C squared, not MC multiplied by two,” he explained. “The correct reading of the equation is E=MCC, so perhaps Mariah’s re-interpretation should have been ‘emancipation equals Mariah Carey Carey’?”

Carey has not commented on her slip-up, but she was one of several celebrities pulled up by charity Sense About Science about their misleading “scientific” claims.

[Source: NME.com] Amy Winehouse’s former assistant manager – who says he had an affair with the singer – claims she was getting through £3,500 (AUS$7,550) a week on drugs.

Alex Haines, a junior assistant manager to the star, also believed that Winehouse was suffering from bulimia while he was working with her in 2007.

The junior manager – who says he had an affair with the singer while her husband Blake Fielder Civil was in prison – told News Of The World about the singer’s alleged spending on drugs.

“She had to have a heroin and crack pipe near her or she freaked out,” he explained. “She’d keep taking drugs until she passed out. I reckon she spent £3,500 a week on them.”

Haines added that her addiction was made worse by the eating disorder.

“Amy suffered from bulimia, which is why she looked so thin. She would have a massive McDonalds and then throw it all up in the bathroom. I found my toothbrush covered in sick, and asked her about it,” he said. “She went really sheepish but told me she suffered from it for a long time.

“Several times I went into her bathroom and saw sick all over the sink. She lived off Crunchie bars – up to 10 at a time – packets of Haribo sweets and bottles of orange Lucozade Sport. Her heroin problems made her crave sugar.”

The assistant manager who quit working with the singer in May as it appeared her husband might be released from prison, also shed light on why Winehouse’s much touted collaboration with Mark Ronson on the theme for recent James Bond film The Quantum Of Solace never materialised.

“Mark Ronson had prepared a backing track based on [composer] David Arnold’s Quantum Of Solace score,” he recalled. “But when Amy heard it, she said, ‘I want a tune James Bond would dance to. That sounds like something fucking James Bond gets into an elevator to’.”

British icon Sir Elton John might soon be more than just a famous musician – London councillors are considering naming a street in the suburb of Harrow after the famous “Rocket Man”.

According to Susan Hall, the deputy leader of the Harrow Council, the 61-year-old entertainer is in the front-running for the honour, alongside other local musicians including Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon, pop starlet Kate Nash, punk hero Billy Idol and (unbelievably) Aussie-born star Peter Andre. Before they can make their final decision Council will hold a meeting with Reginald Dwight (John’s real name) early in the new year.

“We are supportive of any initiative that supports pride in our streets and strengthens a sense of community,” says Hall. “As long as local people back the idea, in Harrow we could look at Elton John Avenue or similar to mark the achievements of a true international achiever. I saw Sir Elton in Las Vegas earlier this year and thought he was wonderful. He is a real showman. He came from humble beginnings and it shows that if you have talent and drive you can become as famous as him.”

It’s no doubt he’s one of hip-hop’s most successful entrepreneurs – now music mogul P Diddy (aka Sean Combs) is pushing for the City Of New York to let him redesign the famous New Year Ball, which falls every year on the exact stroke of midnight in Times Square in front of hundreds of thousands of partygoers.

According to the “Last Night” star, he wants to spend AUS1.47 million on turning the ball blue – a specific colour which, he says, “represents a unique plant that grows in the Gaillac region of France.” Why? This is where Ciroc vodka – which Diddy endorses and owns shares in – is produced.

“As the ‘Official Vodka of New Year’s Eve,’ it’s only fitting that we take over New York, the most iconic New Year’s city in the world,” Diddy argues. “I’m going to give every adult in America a taste of what it’s like to enjoy a sophisticated celebration with Diddy, and what better time than while ringing in the New Year ... It’s my way of wishing New York a fruitful New Year.”

Diddy says that, if approved, the money will be given to charity, not the local City council.

The manager of UK pop star Robbie Williams has confirmed that his star is definitely not planning on rejoining ‘boy band’ Take That, despite admitting earlier this month that he would “love” to sing again with the outfit.

According to Tim Clark, the 34-year-old “Angels” star is set to head back into the studio in early January, to continue work on the follow-up to 2006’s Rudebox. “I would certainly hope that a new album will be coming next year,” Clark admitted, when quizzed by the BBC if Williams would re-join the group he left back in 1995. “There are never any guarantees but that’s what we would hope. He’s been writing and we heard some wonderful stuff. I was with Robbie last week. He was at home and he was writing songs and he played some of them to us.”

Take That suffered after Williams chose to leave the group to pursue a solo career, causing him to fallout with fellow singer Gary Barlow. But now the pair have made up, says a source close to the band. “Robbie told his dad Pete that he’ll be pushing himself back in the limelight – talk of a reunion couldn’t be further from the truth,” a source revealed. “He might have buried the hatchet with Gary Barlow but the only person Robbie is concerned about selling records next year is himself.”

[Source: NME.com] U2 are set to release five different versions of new album No Line On The Horizon, with a host of extras including a new film by Anton Corbijn available to fans.

As well as a standard CD and vinyl issue, No Line On The Horizon will be released in three limited editions, reports Billboard.

The digi-pack version offers the full album along with a 36-page booklet, a fold-out poster and a downloadable film by Corbijn, featuring the music of U2.

A magazine version of the album comes with a 60-page soft cover magazine-style book, along with the Corbijn film as a download.

The most excessive of the five releases is the box set, which features a 60-page hardback book, a second poster and a DVD version of Corbijn’s film.

As NME.COM previous reported, U2 are set to release No Line On The Horizon in the UK on Monday 2 March.

[Source: NME.com] Michael Jackson is not suffering from ill-health, nor is he in need of a lung transplant, his rep has said in a statement.

Biographer Ian Halperin claimed that the singer has gone half-blind, and is in need of a lung transplant because he is suffering from alpha-1 anti-trypsin deficiency, emphysema and chronic gastrointestinal bleeding.

However Jackson’s spokesperson, who goes by the name of Dr Tohme, released a statement through Los Angeles company Scoop Marketing, saying that Halperin’s claims are not true, and are simply an attempt to gain publicity for a biography he has written.

Tohme said: “Concerning this author’s allegations, we would hope in the future that legitimate media will not continue to be exploited by such an obvious attempt to promote this unauthorised ‘biography.’ The writer’s wild allegations concerning Mr Jackson’s health are a total fabrication. Mr Jackson is in fine health, and finalising negotiations with a major entertainment company and television network for both a world tour and a series of specials and appearances.”

Jamie Spears, the father of 27-year-old US pop singer Britney Spears, has found out just how much his time is worth, with a court awarding him extra payments for helping to manage his daughter and her business affairs.

Following her breakdown back in February (which saw the troubled mother of two hospitalised against her will), the father of the “Womanizer” singer was named conservator of Spear’s multi-million dollar estate. Enforcing strict control over the singer’s life in an attempt to get her back on track, with Spears’ comeback in full swing his methods have appeared to have worked – and now he’s been given compensation for his time.

Jamie Spears has been awarded an extra AUS$110 per hour for looking after his daughter, after a court judge increased his original payout ($14,697 per month) by an extra $75,000. Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz increased the monthly payout to around $23,515 per month, also agreeing to some back-pay. Papa Spears was also awarded an extra $1,764 per month in office fees, as compensation in having to step away from his own business dealing to look after his daughter’s affairs.

With a new fragrance, Hidden Fantasy, due to hit stores in January, Spears is also gearing up for a world tour.

With her second LP, It’s Not Me, It’s You, due out in early February, British pop starlet Lily Allen is already doing the press rounds to promote singles “The Fear” and “Everyone’s At It”. In a new interview, the 23-year-old chart-topper says her partying days are well and truly over. (Despite being caught last week by paparazzi with her underwear on display, mind you.)

The price of fame has, she says, come at a cost – Allen realising it’s time to grow up. “My mates are in a totally different place. I’ve grown up so much and they are still all into going out and dancing and taking drugs,” she admits. “I hang out with much older people, I go for dinners at posh places and talk about art! I find that my life was sort of lacking in friends. I’m meeting more interesting people who tax my brain.”

Allen is also quick to insist that young fans shouldn’t look to her as being a role model. “I think role models should be aunts and uncles, mothers and sisters and brothers,” she argues. “Why would you want to put someone on a pedestal that you know nothing about?”

Allen is set to kick off a European tour in late January to promote the new record.

The Boss – aka New Jersey-born singer/songwriter Bruce Springsteen – has revealed the inspiration behind tracks on his upcoming solo LP, Working On A Dream. The 59-year-old “Born In The USA” star says his new disc had a particularly quick turnaround (coming15 months after his Magic album), and was inspired by the soon-to-be-exit of current US President George Bush.

Posting on his website, Springsteen (who made a surprise appearance alongside Jon Bon Jovi last night at the Hope Concert IV in the rockers’ hometown) says it was the track “What Love Can Do” that spurned the rest of the LP.

“During the last weeks of mixing Magic, we recorded a song called ‘What Love Can Do,’” Springsteen writes. “It was a great track but felt more like a first song of new record rather than something that would fit on Magic. So our producer Brendan O’Brien said, ‘Hey, let’s make another one right now!’ I thought, no, I haven’t done that since my first two records came out in the same year.”

Currently nominated for two Grammys, Springsteen is set to perform during the coveted half-time slot at February’s Super Bowl US football match, while he’s also been confirmed as a headliner on UK festival Glastonbury for 2009. Working On A Dream is due out Tuesday 27 January.

[Source: NME.com] Robert Plant has said that the chances of a full Led Zeppelin tour are still slim, despite the fact he still remains in regular contact with Jimmy Page.

In an interview broadcast yesterday on BBC Radio Wales, Plant said he was happy to continue working on music with Alison Krauss, who he has been touring with since 2007.

He said: “I’m doing very well with Alison and I’m enjoying that. I still see Jimmy quite a lot and he’s very complimentary and supportive of what I’m doing. But we are in different places now and you have to go on to do different things.”

In October that Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones had confirmed that the band – minus Plant – wanted to tour with a replacement vocalist.

Robert Plant previously ruled himself out of any possible Led Zeppelin tour, saying he found the constant rumours about him being part of a full reunion “frustrating”.

[Source: NME.com] Jeff Buckley’s mother Mary Guibert has expressed her delight at seeing his cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” reach the Number Two position in the UK singles chart.

Thousands of Buckley’s fans joined internet campaigns to get the song back in the charts this week, after it was announced that “The X Factor” winner Alexandra Burke would be releasing her cover of “Hallelujah” in an effort to get to Christmas Number One.

While Burke’s cover had no problems reaching the top spot yesterday, Buckley fans rejoiced after his version of the song went in at Number Two.

In an interview with The Independent, Guibert said she thought it ironic that it had taken “The X Factor” creator Simon Cowell, who she called the “ultimate taste arbiter”, to give Buckley his highest-ever chart placing.

She said: “I think Jeff would have found this Number One thing very amusing. “It’s ironic in so many ways. I mean, here is ‘The X Factor’, run by Simon Cowell, who is supposed to be the ultimate taste arbiter, and they’ve been run to the wire by my son.

“It’s come about so organically, with no record label pushing it, and I think Jeff would have loved that, and loved his fans for doing it.”

Guibert also revealed that if Buckley hadn’t drowned in 1997, she believes he would now be as big as U2 frontman Bono.

“If Jeff had lived, he would now be on a level with Bono,” she said. “He would have toured the world and had a lifelong career, and at the end of it, he would have been that guy sitting in a wheelchair with the microphone specially lowered six inches, so that we could all hear him sing ‘Hallelujah one more time.”

The King of Pop, Michael Jackson is suffering from a serious fatal condition, and needs a transplant, claims author Ian Halperin. According to the writer – who is working on an unauthorised biography of the 50-year-old “Thriller” star – Jackson has a rare lung condition called Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, which, if left untreated, could be fatal.

“He’s had it for years, but it’s gotten worse,” Halperin revealed yesterday, the story reported in music industry magazine Billboard. “He needs a lung transplant but may be too weak to go through with it. He also has emphysema and chronic gastrointestinal bleeding, which his doctors have had a lot of trouble stopping. It’s the bleeding that is the most problematic part. It could kill him.”

According to the biographer, Jackson (who’s also said to be working on his comeback LP, alongside hip-hop stars Akon and will.i.am), the singer can “barely speak” and the “vision in his right eye is 95 percent gone.” There’s no comment from Jackson’s representatives, the singer spotted throughout the year in public in a wheelchair and wearing a hospital mask – something he’s done for years.

Troubled British singer Amy Winehouse gave elderly holidaymakers quite a sight in the tourist region of St Lucia in the Caribbean over the weekend, the “Rehab” star dancing on her hotel room balcony – topless.

Onlookers caught the 25-year-old star on grainy video, which has been printed in today’s British tabloids. Wearing only bikini bottoms, the singer was caught on film dancing and waving to the intrigued people below – with one onlooker telling The Sun newspaper, “It was hilarious. The mood was suddenly shattered by loud music, then Amy Winehouse appeared with her bits hanging out.

“She was dancing and slurring along to the music, oblivious to everything. The only thing protecting what was left of her modesty was her bikini bottoms – and they weren’t doing a great job. A lot of guests didn’t seem to know whether to laugh or scream at her.”

Winehouse is reportedly holidaying on the island in order to get away from the recent drugs battles that have haunted her back in London, having recently completed a stint in rehab.

“Angels” star Robbie Williams has a Christmas wish – that his mother, Jan, recovers from heart surgery. The 34-year-old star, who’s been living for several years in Los Angeles, flew back to Cheshire, England, this week, to keep vigil by his 67-year-old mum’s side in hospital.

The former Take That star spokesperson says Jan is in a “critical, but stable” condition, after she underwent heart bypass surgery earlier this week. “Like any patient who has undergone major heart surgery, Jan’s not out of the woods yet. She’s in a critical but stable condition, but that’s normal for such a complex procedure,” a spokesperson revealed.

“Jan was put in intensive care immediately after the operation, where she’ll be monitored extremely closely. She will almost certainly spend Christmas Day in hospital, but if all goes well she might be discharged by New Year. Robbie is desperate to make sure everything goes exactly to plan.”

The “Rudebox” singer announced earlier this month that he was relocating back to the UK in early ‘09, to begin work on his eighth studio album. Williams has reportedly bought a AUS$15 million home in Wiltshire.