Backstage at the MTV Europe Music Awards

I had been working for hours at the MTV Europe Music Award, doing the countdown to the Awards, the Red Carpet and backstage interviews and all I wanted was to join my partying friends. But I was told that there was one more thing I had to do, I had to play 'Tabloid Journalist', going around finding gossip and make up some myself as well.

Of course, my gossip had to be rather far-fetched. But do you think anyone helped me come up with some good lines? Not a chance! I had to think of stuff myself. Problem was, I was exhausted at that point & couldn't think of anything.

My best attempt was 'Did you know that Kylie fancies you?'

I thought that that was far-fetched enough. I mean, every guy fancied her, but I assumed that these guys would all understand that she would never fancy them back. Still, I was wrong. It was taken seriously.

So a few weeks later my phone rang and it was Kylie Minogue. She was pretty pissed off with me. Aparently, my stupid gossip had got her into trouble with Jay Kay from Jamiroquai and his girlfriend (who turned out to be a friend of hers)

I apologized to her then, we issued a press-release & I believe (I hope) that I was forgiven.

Here's the clip:

Another bit of old skool MTV Partyzone

There are so many of these Meditation rave clips on Utube (10 in total, I think). Here's number one. It was shot at our hotel as we suddenly saw these people sitting around in a circle, singing these schlager songs...it was most bizarre. Still, they probably would have thought that the place we ended up in that night was bizarre, especially seeing all these kids (myself included) suck at balloons of laughing gas, which were sold at the bar. Much more fun than drinking alcohol, if you ask me. And no hang-over!

South African dance music, Dr. Mujava & Township funk

This fantastic clip has been floating around on the Internet for a little while now and has been picked up by the legendary Warp label. It will get a worldwide digital release on August the 11th, with a general release on September the 15th. Marvelous stuff!

Drumming gorilla secures a number one hit for Phil Collins

He may have officially retired from the music industry, but Phil Collins has still ended up with another hit.

With the help of this drumming primate in the Cadbury commercial, Phil is currently back at the top of the charts in New Zealand with his 1981 hit 'In the air tonight'.

Apparently, Phil Collins was already paid one million dollars by Cadbury for the rights for the use of the song in the campaign, so he's done good from it all round.

Here's the clip:

Gym class heroes, featuring Busta Rhymes with 'Peace Sign/Index down'

This track should be in stores early September. Very cool tune again of Gym Class Heroes and this time with the fantastic Busta Rhymes. btw, I interviewed Busta Rhymes once and asked him to record a message for my phone's answering machine. I was hoping for something like 'Wooha, Simone's not here right now', but instead Busta started rhyming and just didn't stop, it went on forever. It felt too rude to ask him to do it again, so I just left it (it was impossible to edit down to something usable for me). Anyway, here he is with the gym class heroes....

'The Street's' latest release, 'The Escapist' as free download

'The Streets' has released his comeback track 'The Escapist' as a free download following in the footsteps of Coldplay and Radiohead.

Mike Skinner's new album 'Everything is borrowed' will be out on September 15th. This album will not come free & a single of the same name will be released on September 29th (again, not free)

So if you like your music free of charge, click here to bag your freebie.

Morgenochtend 'te gast' bij Michiel Veenstra op Radio 3FM

For those of you in Holland, I'll be chatting with Michiel Veenstra op 3FM. Sometime between 6 & 9 AM. It turns out that tomorrow (the first of August) is the 22nd anniversary of MTV Europe. I would say 'happy birthday', but to whom? To all the old fractions of MTV Europe? Nah...guess the channel is dead and gone. So sad : (

Preview of the new Oasis track, Shock of lightning

A preview of 'Shock of the lightning' has now been made available on Utube, at the end of a short compilation of their previous hits. The song will be released on September 29th, ahead of their 7th studio album, 'Dig out your soul'. Which will be released on October the 6th.

Here is the clip:

Gnarls Barkley's 'Who's gonna save my soul'

Here is the latest release of 'The odd couple' album: 'Who's gonna save my soul'.

By the way, I am baffled by the lack of success of their previous single 'Going on'. I thought it was brilliant and expected it to become huge. But somehow it just never took off properly.

Oh, and how annoying is it to hear certain people in the press talking about Gnarls Barkley being a one-hit wonder? I mean, come on, what a load of crap. I know they haven't (yet) matched the success of 'Crazy', but I am sure they will as they are so bloody talented. Danger Mouse is such a shit hot producer, which he has proved over the years, not only with all these great Gnarls Barkley tunes but also with (amongst other things) the 'Demon days' album that he produced for Gorillaz.

And Cee-lo? Jeez, that man can sing. But then, the world has known that for many years too. So surely these guys are gonna end up having another worldwide number one hit again some day, some how. Right? They will have to do it soonish though as they have said that they will only make one more album together.

So will this be the track that will do it? To be honest, I don't actually think so. But then, I've been wrong before. It surely should get an award for having the weirdest video ever. I mean, with a blood dripping heart singing into a broccoli? Ever seen anything that insane? Enjoy....

Aha...and here it is: Chromeo's 'Momma's boy'

Big up to Andre for passing me this link. Supurb! Great site too, what a find! Muchos gracias.

Chromeo

Just saw the video for Chromeo's new track 'Momma's boy' on MTV. It is sheer genius. Very retro, just like several of their former vids. The 'Momma's boy' video is a throw-back of Aha's 'Take on me'. Sadly enough, it's nowhere to be found online yet. Not even on Chromeo's own MySpace page. So for now, I'll just give their 'Beat it', 'Saturday night fever' and what? inspired vid, 'Fancy footwork' & their 'Money for nothing' inspired 'Bonafide loving'. Absolutely fabulous stuff!





Here's a write-up from their MySpace page. I thought it was so funny, I should add it:

Chromeo is P-Thugg and Dave 1: best friends since their adolescence, virtuoso musicians, walking hip hop encyclopedias, and the only successful Arab/Jew partnership since the dawn of human culture.

After spending the three years since the release of their debut album, She’s In Control, jet setting, globetrotting, and embarking on an overall sensual conquest of planet Earth, Chromeo headed back to their Montreal lab to put together album number deux.

The result, Fancy Footwork, is quite simply the most smoothed-out, hook-heavy, unabashed lovers’ funk since…Chromeo’s last album, actually. What makes this footwork so fancy, you ask? The finest distillation of Minneapolis groove this side of Mazarati. Dave and Pee are back in the ‘07 to heal the fractured soul of dance music. Teenage lovers, 20 something blogpoders, 30 something burn-out ex-raver “graphic designers” and 40 something sistas can all finally party under one roof...and that roof has a name, AND that roof is on fire, and the only ones who can put out that funk-fire also happen to be the guys the roof is named after: CHROMEO.

Does analog synth wizard P-Thugg still rock nightgown-sized DipSet t-shirts, talk through a keyboard, and have the thousand-yard stare of a well-practiced gangster? You bet he does. Does vocalist and guitarist Dave 1 still dress like a French Lit professor from 1965? Can he still ask you to twerk without coming off like an imposter? You better believe he can.

Chromeo is slick. Chromeo is dripping with reverb. Chromeo is Moog riffs, luxurious harmonies, macho guitar solos and real-deal songcraft. From the dancefloor-ready singles “Fancy Footwork” and “Tenderoni,” to the autobiographical Jew-boy ballad “Momma's Boy,” to the epic sax-laden album closer “100%,” Fancy Footwork rolls you through a sleek, melodic world where all you need to worry about is whether you’ve got your sunglasses on and the right moves to keep up.

Remember the debate when Chromeo first came on the scene? The endless back and forth about whether those boys were joking or not? Well, Fancy Footwork will put any vestigial haters to sleep forever. There ain’t nothing “ironical” about this music. It’s Hall & Oates riding on 22’s, busting shots in the air with Quincy Jones driving. That shit ain’t funny.

So there you have it: Chromeo, the band reborn...the sex, the beats, the dream, the suits, the gloves, the laughs, the tears, the past and the future. All rolled up into one big blunt, smoked up through Pee’s talkbox tube and exhaled into your brain. Enjoy.

No Weekend Express until August the 16th.

Just wanted to let you know that I won't be doing any radioshows until we go back to Aruba again. I had hoped to broadcast from Belize this summer, but we just couldn't find a studio/local radio station to do it with. Oh well, in the meantime, I've been collecting new music and am rearing to go. I'm so looking forward to getting back behind the microphone and telling everyone of the great new music that's out there...

Spoon, Harris and Obernik video, Baditude

The trio of Spoon, Harris & Obernik already had more than enough respective club credibility to their names before teaming up for what quickly became one of Pete Tong’s Essential New Tunes in ‘Baditude’.

Massive party tune, average vid....

BTW, I really wanted to post MGMT's 'Electric feel' on this blog too, but they won't allow you to embed it. How crap! Do have a look at it on Utube. It's a fantastic video and very cool track.

Another meditation rave clip

The man who rocked the house that night (all those years ago)...DJ Hype. Still one of the best sets I have seen in my life. Together with his 'partner in crime' DJ Zinc. Lovely boys, great music. They were definatelly some of those who really made drum and bass exciting for me.

Coldplay's album 'Viva la Vida' number 1 in 36 Countries!

Wow, Coldplay’s album Viva La Vida has been the No.1 selling album in 36 countries around the world, including in the U.S. where it held the top spot for two weeks, and in the U.K. where the album has been No.1 for the last four weeks!

Coldplay’s previous album, the 10 million-selling X&Y didn't do too shabby either. It reached the No.1 spot in 32 countries in 2005.

Viva La Vida (or 'Death and all his friends') has also been certified gold or platinum in 31 countries including platinum in the USA, Germany and Australia and double platinum in the U.K. and Canada.

It has set the record for the highest first week album sales ever on the iTunes Store worldwide & is the biggest album pre-order in iTunes’ history.

So isn't it crazy really, that Coldplay have been getting trashed by the media so much recently? I mean, the public obviously loves what they are doing, yet many journalists are slagging them off for becoming 'the new U2' and turning into 'a stadium act'. What on earth could be wrong with that then? I mean, to be called the new U2 should be one of the biggest compliments a band can get and becoming a stadium act, means that you are popular enough to be filling stadiums. Again...nothing wrong with that. Isn't that the dream of every band?

If you want to see this great 'stadium act' you better get your tickets soon. Coldplay's first dates of the tour in Los Angeles on July 14th and 15th are already sold out and I'm sure the other dates will be sold out soon too.

For more details on the tour visit http://www.coldplay.com/ or http://www.livenation.com/

The BPA, Toe Jam. Featuring David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal

Great track from Norman Cook yet again on Southern Fried Records, under the name BPA or Brighton Port Authority. And how wonderful it is to hear a good David Byrne vocal on a track like this, the man's a legend! As a matter of fact...so is Norman Cook. Big up!

Oh, and I just checked with Norman and the backing vocals on Toe Jam are ones that he recorded here in Belize with us with the Garifuna women. I thought I recognized it. That just shows again how great Norman is at grabbing odds and sods from everywhere and turning them into something amazing.

BTW...the track he did with Iggy Pop is also fantastic. Top bloody producer!

We're in Belize for the coming weeks.

Just in case you've listened in to Cool FM today and wondered what happened to my show? Well, I'm not on-air for a few weeks. My husband and I had to go back to Belize to take over the running of our resort for the summer. I will let you know when I'm back in the studio.

Love, Simone

'Let this feeling' sample

How funny...some guys sampled my old Eurodance track 'Let this feeling' and even added some old MTV clips of me to it. Very silly.

Oasis change the title of their upcoming album because of Geri Halliwell

Oasis changed the title of their new album after realising it shared its name with a Geri Halliwell song.

The rockers’ forthcoming seventh studio LP was originally due to be called 'Bag It Up’ until Noel Gallagher’s long-term girlfriend realised she had heard the title before. The guitarist revealed to MOJO magazine: 'My girlfriend said, 'Bag It Up’, isn't that a song by Geri Halliwell?’ I was like, 'You’ve ruined my entire f***ing year.’ '

Noel also revealed the band can’t remember some of the songs they recorded in the sessions for the album, which is now titled 'Dig Out Your Soul’. He explained: 'I was doing the Electric Proms with The Coral, who had recorded at my studio. They’d had a sneaky listen to our new stuff so singer James Skelly asks me, 'Are you going to do 'Soldier On’? 'I don’t remember it. Turns out Andy Bell recorded it with Liam – but Liam still doesn’t remember it.'

The band recently recruited Robbie Williams’ former drummer Chris Sharrock – and Noel admits he couldn’t resist the chance to hire his rival’s former employee. Noel said: 'It was too much of a temptation to p**s Robbie and Liam off in one phone call.'

'Dig Out Your Soul’ is released on October 6. Geri Halliwell released 'Bag It Up’ in 2000, scoring her third solo number one in the UK singles chart.

soldiers on drugs

Now, I know that this clip has nothing to do with music, but I felt compelled to show it. On the one hand it's completely out of order what's happening in it (governments should be held accountable for the results of using their own forces as guinnea pigs like this), but the clip is also very funny. Btw, I like the dude with the headphones ; )

So this is what happens when you give LSD to soldiers. From the brilliant Current TV.

So...are Madonna and Guy Richie getting a divorce?

'No, they are not', says Guy Richie's mum. In an article in the Telegraph, his mum has said the following:


'Reports of meetings with high-powered divorce lawyers are total fiction'


There’s no conversation about divorce because there is no divorce," Lady Amber Leighton said.
Last week, Madonna, 49, was reported to have met with celebrity divorce lawyer Fiona Shackleton, who most recently represented Sir Paul McCartney in his divorce proceedings against Heather Mills.


Madonna’s spokesman had no comment on the reports at the time.



The Material Girl’s fortune is estimated to be worth £300 million and Madonna is not believed to have signed a pre-nuptial agreement before her wedding to the Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels director in 2000.


Up for grabs could be homes in London, Los Angeles and New York, which the couple now share with their seven-year-old son, Rocco; David Banda, two, who was adopted from Malawi; and daughter, Lourdes, 11, by Madonna’s former personal trainer Carlos Leon.


Friends have described the couple as leading separate lives, made worse by Mr Ritchie's reported falling out with Kabbalah, a religion of increasing importance to Madonna.
But Lady Leighton said she now felt compelled to speak publicly because a week’s worth of divorce speculation in the press had "pained her".


"They are no different to most other couples and we all know that being together can be hard sometimes and marriages are not always a bed of roses," she told the Mail on Sunday. "I’ll say it one more time, they are not getting divorced; the speculation is TT – that’s total tosh."


Lady Leighton said her son was on his way to meet his wife in New York, where Madonna is on tour to promote her new album, Hard Candy.

Amy Winehouse punches fan

Wel, Amy Winehouse was obviously intoxicated in some form or another again last night at Glastonbury festival. Still, she was there and in true Amy Winehouse form she even took the time to punch a fan in the face. What a trooper. Not a great performance though. I wonder what she would be capable of if she was not continuesly of her head.

The power of dance/Where the hell is Matt? Utube Clip

I love, love, love this following Utube clip....

It reminds me again that deep down we are all one people. We all want the same things in life, we want the best for our children, we want peace, we want to enjoy ourselves and we want to have the freedom to do so.

If only we could put away our prides, stop fighting and start dancing!

This clip reminds me of the peace rallies we attended in Israel and the Middle East & specifically of one night in a restaurant in Beirut where (without planning it) we were with a most diverse group of people: Dutch, English, Germans, Americans, Africans, Jews and Arabs. That night we all taught eachother how we dance. There were Muslims dancing arm in arm with Christians, we were all taught how to belly dance, we were taught African tribal dances, we did silly techno/gabber dances...it was a night none of us will ever forget. We all saw the significance of that evening and it touched us all.

I feel so blessed for having witnessed people dancing and celebrating together all over the world.

And, when I die, I want the following words on my grave:

'You can dance here if you like'

So dance on my dear friends....may peace be with you!

Meditation V @ Halle 101, Speyer (19.10.1996) Pt. 7

Big up to Grooverider! He's such a lovely guy. I can't believe he got sentenced to four years in prison for posession of a small amount of grass at Dubai airport. Unbelievable! Does anyone know how he is doing? My thoughts go out to him...

Meditation V @ Halle 101, Speyer (19.10.1996) Pt. 8

Oh my God, how cool that this is on Utube. This party was so bloody amazing. It was one of the best night I have ever had in my life. Watching DJ Hype tear up the place was legendary. And the crazy laughing-gas balloon stands were something I had never seen before and have never seen anywhere since. Brilliant, brilliant night. Great Partyzone moment...

P. Diddy gives money to Mark Ronson

Super-producer Mark Ronson once got a $100 tip from P. Diddy.

While Mark has made his name recently through his collaborations with some of the UK's hottest singers including Amy Winehouse, he revealed that he lived in New York in the early 90s and worked as a DJ for £25-a-night at various clubs.


It was at one of these hotspots Mark was spotted by Diddy, who liked his music so much he decided to give him his details. Mark said: "The first time I met him he said, 'I like the way you DJ' and gave me a $100 bill with his number on it. Mark admits he was so pleased with the bill that he framed it and put it up on his wall, but he was eventually so desperate for cash he was forced to spend it.

He added: "I saw P.Diddy this year and reminded him of the story - and he gave me another $100 bill!" Mark, by the way, is currently producing the new album of the Kaiser Chiefs.

Now, many, many years ago I had something slighty similar happen to me. Shaun Ryder (Happy Mondays and Black Grape) handed me an papertrip with the Black Grape logo on it, whispering: 'If anyone else ever shows up with any of these, tell me. I have the copyright on them'. I thought it was hillarious and folded it into my Black Grape CD sleeve, planning to always keep it. But when I checked the CD sleeve months later the trip was gone (maybe my crazy flatmate swiped it, I don't know)

I know, that's not as cool as being handed a $100 bill with Diddy's personal number on it, but it's my own 'ravers version' of that story. Hihi...

Two more old school MTV pictures....

Here I am hanging out with MTV's most wanted crew (the lovely Ray Cokes, Naughty Nina, etc.) & of course with Lisa I'Anson and Take That's Garry Barlow after one of the MTV Europe Awards.

Interviewing Liam Gallagher at Glastonbury many, many years ago. And yes, he is a dumb as he looks in this picture (I'm sure I wasn't even asking him a hard question ; )

Pharrell pushes fan

At a recent N.E.R.D. gig a fan was pushed off stage by Pharrell Williams. The guy now wants to sue Pharrell for this. What a load of nonsense. Don't crash the stage then mate. If you want to climb on then expect to dive off, be pulled off or get pushed off again. Simple as that. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.




Anyway, this is nothing. Years ago I saw Courtney Love punch a fan in the face at a London gig. She had just done a stage dive and when she got back on stage she thought that her necklace was missing. She then picked someone from the audience who she decided was to blame, threw herself back off the stage again and walloped him one right on the cheek. Very unladylike and therefore very 'Courtney Love'. After security pulled her back on to the stage, she noticed that the necklace had simply slipped under her dress.

She giggled and said: 'Oops! Sorry I punched you in the face. I'm an a...hole!'

And that was that. No lawsuit. No hard feelings. Just two people playing their small part in rock history.

Elton John's mansion as rehab center?

Who need Betty Ford when there is Sr. Elton John's mansion to go to? Elton has often reached out to troubled stars after having battled his own addiction demons in the past. He once tried to rescue Robbie Williams and persuaded him to go into rehab. He also invited Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse to his mansion and, most recently, Lily Allen.

Wild child Lily, with her new pink hairdo, has been flying off the rails a tat lately. The latest proof, of course, the fact that she had to be carried out of the Glamour magazine Women of the year awards earlier this week. She was incredibly drunk & can't remember much of the night, apart from collapsing and being stranded without her bag or house keys.

Now, celebrities reaching out to eachother is nothing new. Britney has been given a helping hand by Mel Gibson and his wife recently (they even went on holiday to Costa Rica together). Amy Winehouse has been hanging out at Brian Adams' Caribbean pad & rock diva Tina Turner also reached out to Amy Winehouse in the wake of her recent troubles.

I myself received lectures in the past by Boy George and Steven Tyler, back in the days when I was a bit of a wild child too, but I obviously never sunk deep enough to be invited for a retreat at a superstar's mansion ; )

So, celebrity boys and girls, if you want to go and chill at one of Sr. Elton John's mansions, make sure you go out and misbehave in public. Get trashed and recoup in style.

Oh, and I read some weird report that Steven Tyler is now in rehab himself to recoup from an operation on his foot or toe or something. He said he wanted to go somewhere where he could rest completely and not be bothered by anyone. Still....rehab for toe problems? That's just plain weird.

Back off to the Cool FM studio

Good morning! I'm just getting ready to go to the Cool FM studio again to record my radio show 'The Weekend Express'. I'll be live on air between 10-12 am Aruban time. Tune in if you want or join the chat here on the blog. I'd love to hear from you. Tell me what you think of the videos I've posted in the last few days, share your thoughts on recent pop news or just say 'Hi'.

Love, Simone

Gnarls Barkley - Going On

Gnarls Barkley have done it again. Another gem of a track and an interesting odball promo shot in Jamaica by Wendy Morgan. I just can't get enough of this song. Genuis!

65daysofstatic - Dance Parties (Distant)

This is everything a good dance track should be for me, it's dark, gritty, sweaty, urban, with a fat wink to the old school. The latest of 65 days of static.

New Coldplay clip....brilliant!

Coldplay have decided to release a second video to their Voilet Hill track. I definatelly prefer this to the original. It's directed by Mat Whitecross & is filled with lots of dancing, prancing politicians & soldiers. Bloody brilliant if you ask me.

Some of my MTV/Celebrity pictures

As promised recently...the picture of Madonna at donatella Versace's house. The birthday cake was for her security guard. Alos in this picture Nelle Hooper and Jean Paul Gaultier.

btw, Jean Paul Gaultier is such a funny guy. Earlier that night he had locked himself into the toilets out of shame, as he had sneaked up behind the Duchess of York (Sarah Ferguson), grabbed her around the waist and spun her around shouting 'Ginger Spice!'

He was mortified when he found out he was spinning around royalty ; )

This picture was around the 'Ray of light' era.


I also came across this old picture of myself with Mark Owen from Take that and my old mate Dan Prince.

And this one, with me interupting Dennis Rodman at some Extreme Sports Award (was it the Nea Awards?)

I'll go and look for some more old school pictures....

Just found a picture of our first RetroMatic performance

BTW, the radioshow today was great fun. I'm starting to get the hang of it and am enjoying it tremendously. Thanks for the online messages, everyone. Special thanks to Yianni from Greece for the kind words. And keep on dancing y'all.

Madonna throwing a wobbler!

Madonna recently performed at the BBC Radio One's 'Big Weekend', where she was one of the headliners of the 2-day free festival. Anyway, she acted like a bit of a diva, apparently. Whilst all the other artists were happy with the dressing rooms provided, Lady Madonna demanded not only separate dressing rooms stage side, she also demanded a complete compound for herself and her 70 people strong entourage.

She was said to have needed special Kabbalah water for all her hanger-ons, fresh fruit, tons of white roses & a private helicopter. Once the entourage arrived it turned out they had no interest in the fresh fruit or the Kabbalah water and headed straight for the alcohol and fried snacks that the other artists were having.




I have met Madonna two times over the years and I have seen her act not only like a diva, but also like a bit of a 3-year-old. I honestly have never seen another adult throw a wobbler the way like Madonna can (no wait...that's not true...Mark Wahlberg can also throw wonderfully immature wobblers...but he actually ends up destroying things in the process)

So, the first time I got introduced to Madonna I had wanted to say how much I admired and respected her, but she was so unfriendly to me that I just didn't bother. I was most disappointed.

The second time I met Madonna we were in a rather unusual place. It was 2 o'clock in the morning and we were at a candlelit dinner at Donatella Versace's house. I had no idea that that was where I was going, had I known I would not have changed back into my 'everyday clothes' after the MTV Award (I hate being uncomfortable and don't keep designer dresses on any longer than I need to)

I was with the Prodigy and thought that we were going back to the hotel or to some club or something. As we got out of the tourbus I did notice all the paparazzi, but still didn't think too much of it. It was only once I fell into a human statue inside (I was a tat drunk and there were all these half-naked painted people dotted all over the place) that I realized we weren't at the hotel.

It was the most surreal thing you could ever imagine. There were all these super-famous people sitting at candlelit tables, waiting for their 5-course dinner (remember...it was 2 o'clock in the morning!)

I was seated at a table with George Michael and his partner, Donatelle and her partner and some of the Prodigy. Madonna was at the table next to ours together with Jean Paul Gaultier and a few other people. Damon Albarn was at the next table with the guys from Massive Attack, Beyonce was there, the Sugarbabes, oh was just one big crazy celeb feast. I can't even remember half the people there. And I felt totally out of place (not only because I was the only person there wearing a jumper ; )

So anyway, Madonna kept demanding everybody's attention as she kept jumping up and shouting 'Turn the music down, turn the music down, I want to do a speech!'

She did a few of those, one of which was a speech for her bodyguard who was having his birthday. She also had a huge cake brought out for him (I have the picture somewhere, I'll try and upload it in the coming days)

Later on, at the party, I was talking to William Orbit who had just produced her album at that time. Madonna interrupted our discussion by screaming at William. I mean, the woman was throwing a complete wobbler. I don't think anyone could make any sense out of what she was on about. She ended up marching off in a huff. William didn't bat an eyelid throughout the whole thing. When I asked him what on earth that was about, he said: 'Madonna has this weird habit of claiming all the men that she works with as her own. And she hates it when any of these men that are in her circle give attention to another woman'

How freaky is that? I wonder if she is being like that to Justin Timberlake now too. Or maybe she has stopped doing this now that she's with Guy Richie. I don't know.

But anyway, if you had been thinking that she is some kind of Kabbalah-reading, balanced yogi, like a female version of Sting, you are most definitely wrong.

Still, with all she has achieved she can be as crazy as she wants to be, as far as I'm concerned. She has earned the right to be an oddball. But just don't let her fool you that she is now some kind of wholesome earth-momma, because she was already pretending to be 'balanced' when I met her. But it's her obsessive compulsive drive to be the center of the Universe that has made her the successful artist that she is. So good luck to her.

Radio show number 2

Well, I've made it through my first performance with the band and also my first radio show for Cool FM. As a matter of fact, my next show is on tomorrow morning. This whole week has been filled with learning to use new software, finding out how to convert music files, edit them, etc.

It's such fun working at Cool FM. Everyone is super friendly on the team and there is a certain excitement to the station that I enjoy. That real 'start-up' feeling that MTV Europe had as well when I first joined. I've always functioned better in 'start-up' situations anyhow. Once companies become corporations I usually bail out. I just don't enjoy working for corporations, eventhough the rewards that you receive for that are often high. Give me the excitement of the chase for 'greatness' over actual 'greatness' any time.

And as a great man once said (was it Ghandi by any chance?):

'True success should not be measured by what one receives,
But rather by what one has to give up'

Whenever I've worked for corporations I have felt that I had to give up on many of my ideals and conviction and therefor give up part of who I was. That was definatelly my feeling at MTV once the original vibe had left the company.

So anyway, what I'm trying to say, is that I am enjoying myself very much here in Aruba at Cool FM.

Cool FM

Starting the first of May I will be joining Aruba’s number 1 radio station, called Cool FM.

Of course, this is a small island, so if you compare it to Europe or America, then you'd have to conclude that radio production is still in its infancy in Aruba. But Cool FM is by far the best station the island has. And they are very involved when it comes to live events. These guys are everywhere!

I’ve never done radio before, so it’s actually a nice challenge for me. I’ll be doing a show every Saturday morning from 10 to 12, called the Weekend Express. It will be a ‘standard’ radio show, with some tracks from the Dutch, English and American Charts, the Caribbean & Latin charts, some classic tracks, some dance tunes, some mash-ups…you get the drift.

The thing that’s rather worrying is that I am meant to do the show all by myself & I get very intimidated when I see lots of buttons, computer programs, etc. I just haven’t got a clue how to work these things. Also, I am starting so soon (May the 3rd) that I have no idents yet, no jingles, nothing. Still, I know how to introduce music and as long as the songs are good, the show should be okay. Right?

On the first of May the radio station is hosting a big event here on the island. I’ll be presenting part of the day and also my new cover band (RetroMatic) gets launched on that day. We have never been on a stage yet together & just two weeks ago we got a new drummer. And now our first performance will be in front of 10.000 to 20.000 people, plus be broadcast live on air. How crazy is that? We always envisioned playing our first gig in a smoky old bar somewhere, not in front of such a large audience! Still, we’re pretty confident that it will work out alright. And anyway, it’s just some covers we’re playing.

Wish me luck!

First-ever NME Awards in the US

Well, it sounds like he Brits are still busy misbehaving when it comes to Awards ceremonies. It's always been like that, most other nations take their award ceremonies very serious, but the Brits just get hammered and act silly.

So when the acceptance speech of the Arctic Monkeys was being played at the NME Awards (they had won Best International Album for 'Favourite Worst Nightmare’), the Klaxons stormed the stage and ran off with the award.

By the way, what's the deal with the Klaxons? Is there something I am missing here? They just sound like shit to me. They actually won Best New International Live Act and Best New International Track for 'Golden Skans’. I don't get it, but there you go. What do I know?

Mark Ronson – who won Best New Solo Artist - also attempted to invade the stage at some point, but fell over after misjudging his step. Now that is funny! I'm sure that moment will haunt him for many years to come. His mates will rub it in too, no doubt. Now, seeing as Mark is half-English & half-American, maybe his British genes compelled him to jump the stage & his America genes tripped him up on the way there? What do you think? ; )

Agynnes Deyn (the supermodel who was onstage as the Klaxons swipes the Arctic Monkeys Award) said that this kind of behaviour was good because as she thought the US bands needed a lesson in how to behave, believing they were too polite."In London (at the Shockwaves NME Awards in February) it was a bit raw, everyone was smashed, whereas here people were drinking diet coke," she noted.

The Clash legend Mick Jones was given the 'Inspiration Award' and Jane’s Addiction got honoured with the 'Godlike Genius Award For Services To Music'.

It's funny, years ago I was at a dreadful music festival in Portugal together with Mick Jones from the Clash. The festival was such a disaster, there was no audience. Seriously, there were more people on stage than in the audience. So Mick Jones and I did a runner and broke into a nearby waterpark in the middle of the night. Going down waterslides at four in the morning doesn't really work though as they are turned off and there is no water sliding down them. Still, it was a funny moment.

He also gave me a really sweet compliment. He said: 'I'm sorry, this may sound silly. But you are such a beautiful person. And I don't mean from the outside, I mean inside. You have a beautiful character'. Kinda sweet, right? It always stuck with me.

Some old school gems

So what are some of my favorite videos/tracks from my MTV days? Well, here are two of them. First of all, 'Voodoo Ray' by 'A guy called Gerald'. An absolute dance classic and probably my favorite dance tune of all time. It always brings an instand smile to my face. My God, do I have some good party memories to go with that track.

The video for 'Voodoo Ray' shows one of the problems that we used to face on the Partyzone, namely that record companies refused to spend money on promos/videos for dance tracks. So we were often forced to show crappy videos to amazing tunes. Still, it didn't detere us. We played the tunes that we believed in & continued to put pressure on the labels to give us better quality vids. It just took those dinosaur record- execs years to figure out that dance music had crossed over into the mainstream.

Anyway, enjoy this old-school diamond...




The next video was more of a mini-movie, so it's in two parts. It's the 'Weekender' track from 'Flowered up'. James Hyman (the producer of the Partyzone) and I loved this when it came out. It is absolutely 'spot on' with its depiction of the drug culture in the nineties & especially the little things like those cabbies outside the clubs in the morning made us laugh. I don't know if any other show apart from the Partyzone used to play this video (and we used to play the whole thing), but as far as we were concerned it was a classic. So again, enjoy and let it transport you back to those crazy days ; )

Opening up the world, one song at a time....

I just read an article on the BBC News website that talks about the same things I mentioned in my earlier posting on MTV's launch in the Middle East: about how it's such a wonderful feeling to be part of history and of the world opening up when you perform in countries that have been 'off limits' up to that point.

Music has the great power to unite and I believe that that is actually the 'higher purpose' (though often unconscious) & the 'spiritual calling' of those that are being a performer/entertainer. They are here to bring a smile to people's faces, to raise their resonance and to express feelings for them that they might not be able to express themselves in any effective way.

The moments mentioned in the following article surely must be amongst the artists' favorite memories once they look back on their careers:

Musicians who changed the world

Rock icon Eric Clapton has been invited to play a concert in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. If he accepts, he would be the first Western rock star to perform in the Communist country.
He would also follow in a long line of performers who have broken down cultural barriers around the world.

BONEY M IN MOSCOW, 1978

Boney M tickets attracted big money on the Russian black market
Boney M were already big names in the USSR when they landed in Moscow in December 1978.
The disco group had already enjoyed smash hits across Europe during the 1970s, and a special Russian version of their album Nightflight to Venus was produced.
More than 100,000 people tried to get tickets to see the disco quartet, whose hits by then included Rasputin, Daddy Cool and Rivers of Babylon.
Very few Western acts ventured behind the Iron Curtain, although Sir Elton John did so the following year.
Boney M officially split in the mid-1980s into two groups with an original member in each, both bearing the Boney M name.
Last year, the group led by Marcia Barrett performed in South Ossetia, a region trying to break away from the former Soviet republic of Georgia.
Georgia hoped a Boney M concert might convince the villagers of Tamarasheni to see the brighter side of life under its government.

WHAM! IN CHINA, 1985

Wham! outmanoeuvred Queen to put on the first show in China
Wham! wanted to become the biggest group in the world, but settled for being the first Western stars to perform in China instead.
In 1985 China was a closed communist state and getting it to agree to host an international pop act was a big challenge.
Wham! manager Simon Napier-Bell travelled to Beijing and made a continuous stream of phone calls to various government ministers.
He claimed to have lunched a total of 143 contacts, three times each.
Mr Napier-Bell also decided to sabotage rock group Queen's chances of being first.
He made two brochures, one featuring respectable-looking Wham! fans, and the other featuring Freddie Mercury in a flamboyant pose.
The Chinese picked Wham! and George Michael joined Andrew Ridgeley to perform in front of 15,000 fans in the People's Gymnasium in Beijing.
Fans on the upstairs levels were delighted and excited to see them - but partly due to fear of the secret police, those downstairs remained quietly in their seats.

DAVID HASSELHOFF IN BERLIN, 1989

David Hasselhoff remains a major singing star in Germany
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, Germans in both the East and West wanted to celebrate.
Their choice of star David Hasselhoff - already a soft rock sensation in Germany.
The star of Baywatch and Knight Rider was already big in Austria and Switzerland when he decided to cover a German song in English, called Looking for Freedom.
The song resonated with the mood of the nation and was a number one for several weeks.
When the Berlin Wall fell shortly after, the authorities organised a New Year's Eve party to celebrate.
Hasselhoff was picked to headline the gig in a move reportedly rubber-stamped by Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
He said he would never forget the sight of almost a million fans watching him perform at midnight, a moment which led to him being overcome with emotion.


MANIC STREET PREACHERS IN CUBA, 2001

The anti-US government tone of the Manics was a hit in Cuba
When Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba in 1959, he initially denounced Western music as a "decadent influence".
But that principle could be bent for a group willing to speak out against the US government.
So in February 2001 Welsh band Manic Street Preachers headed to Cuba looking, in their words, for an "adventure".
The Manics show was billed as the biggest rock concert by a Western band in 20 years.
The 5,000 Cubans who filled the Karl Marx Theatre paid just 25 cents a ticket, the then-equivalent of 17 pence.
The band made clear that they supported Cuba because it fought against Americanisation, and the set reflected that.
It included performances from Know Your Enemy, an album whose cover featured a Cuban flag.
Mr Castro stood and applauded after a rendition of Baby Elian, about a boy who was returned to Cuba from the United States.

ENRIQUE IGLESIAS IN SYRIA, 2007

Iglesias said Damascus was far less dangerous than portrayed
US President George W Bush's government branded Syria part of an "axis of evil" and imposed sanctions against it, accusing its government of backing terrorism.
But diplomatic rows did not stop Spanish sensation Enrique Iglesias from performing the first Western pop concert there for 30 years in July 2007.
Iglesias - who later said he was unaware of the significance of his visit - perfomed in front of 10,000 fans at an open-air stadium built specifically for the event.
The show was organised by a mixture of private companies and Syrian expatriates, with a promise that revenues would go to charity.
The organisers said they hoped his presence would encourage other performers to follow.

A Belizean hero passes away

This is a sad moment for Belize and for all world music fans out there as the Belizean musical hero and Garifuna rights activist Andy Palacio passed away last night.

I had the pleasure of meeting Andy last year when we had set up a jamming session with him and Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) at Mata Grande Recording Studios on San Pedro. And, just like everyone else who has met him, I am in shock. Andy Palacio was a most vibrant, gentle, yet passionate man, fighting for the recognition of the Garifuna culture and language. Many of the Belizean youths are in dire need of positive rolemodels and with the passing of Andy Palacio they have lost one of their most positive examples and heroes. Rest in peace Andy.


Official press release: Belizean Musician Andy Palacio Passes Away After Heart Attack and Stroke on January 19, 2008.



Andy Palacio, an iconic musician and cultural activist in his native Belize and impassioned spokesperson for the Garifuna people of Central America, was declared dead tonight at 9pm Belize time due to a massive and extensive stroke to the brain, a heart attack and respiratory failure due to the previous two conditions. Palacio, 47, started feeling poorly last week and eventually visited a doctor with complaints of dizziness and blurred vision. On the 16th of January, he began experiencing seizures and was rushed to a hospital in Belmopan, Belize and then on to another hospital in Belize City. At this point, most people were hopeful Palacio would recover.



On January 17th, Palacio’s condition worsened and he began experiencing more seizures. He was placed on an air ambulance to Chicago where he was expected to get treatment at one of the premier neurological facilities in the country. En route to Chicago, the plane stopped in Mobile, Alabama to clear immigration. At that point, Palacio was unconscious and it was determined that he was too ill to continue on the flight to Chicago. He was rushed to a hospital in Mobile, and placed on life support. There, doctors determined that the damage to his brain function was severe, and that his chances of recovery were slim.



On January 18th, his family requested that he be flown back to Belize so that he might die in his homeland. A national hero in Belize for his popular music and advocacy of Garifuna language and culture, news of Palacio’s condition sent shockwaves through the community. At 5pm today, a public service was held in Belize City for Palacio as people prayed for his recovery. Ceremonies were also held by Garifuna spiritual leaders in an effort to help with the situation. Belize is in the midst of a heated election, but the local news was entirely dominated by Palacio’s health crisis.



The reaction has also been strong around the world. Until the recent turn of events, the past year had been one of tremendous accomplishment for Palacio as his album Wátina, which was released at the beginning of 2007, had become one of the most critically acclaimed recordings of the year in any genre. Perhaps the most unanimously revered world music album in recent memory, Wátina appeared on dozens of Best of the Year lists in major media outlets around the globe and was roundly praised in glowing terms.



In 2007, Palacio was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace and won the prestigious WOMEX Award. Wátina was also nominated for the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards.



At home in Belize, the international success of Wátina has sparked a revival of Garifuna music, as young musicians have become inspired by Palacio’s example. Even in the days since Palacio’s health crisis began, the accolades have continued to pour in for his work.



That Palacio has been struck down at a moment of such international acclaim only increases the sense of shock and tragedy felt at his sudden and untimely death. Andy Palacio will be honored with an official state funeral. A massive tribute concert is planned in Belize City on Friday, January 25th.



Friends and supporters are invited to post messages in memory of Andy Palacio to his MySpace page (www.myspace.com/andypalacio) as well as to the blog of his international record label Cumbancha (http://cumbanchamusic.blogspot.com/).

Given up hope on Britney

Oh, by the way...just wanted to say that since my posting on Britney a little while back, I have changed my opinion on that whole custody battle. I now realize that I don't like either Kevin or herself (guess they deserved each other after all)

Britney doesn't even seem to be trying to turn things around. I would have done anything to get my children back. As a mother I am shocked and outraged. This woman is definitely not fit to be a mother. Until she learns to love her children more than she loves herself I have no hope for her. Poor kids!

MTV Arabia

I just read about MTV expanding into the Middle East with it’s own Arabic Music Channel. This is great news!


I was in Beirut, Lebanon with MTV in the nineties as MTV Europe launched there. It is one of my best memories as an MTV Veejay. I absolutely fell in love with this vibrant, fun-loving place. As a matter of fact, if it hadn’t been for it’s unstable nature (which is a sad reality), I would have wanted to move there when we left London six years ago. But instead we settled on Belize, Central America.

Anyway…I think that MTV can play a major part in the blending of Eastern and Western society, by joining young people all over the world through music. I think it managed to do that better when it was all still ‘one MTV’ (MTV Europe) & the channel was kind of forced to play music that would appeal to all the different territories & cover news stories from all the territories. But even so, this new Arabic MTV can give the young generation in the Middle East it’s own voice and may be able to help artists from one Arabic country to cross over to other Arabic countries. Music is such a great way to bring people together.

Back in my MTV days we attended Peace Rallies in Israel and Lebanon & we saw that most young people just want to live in peace. They want to go out, have fun, listen to music, dress up nice, meet with their friends, etc, all the normal stuff that everyone wants. They often were telling us that the wars they were forced to fight were the wars of their fathers. So if we want peace in the Middle East we can start by bringing it’s young people together. Make them feel more connected to each other, regardless of which country they were born in.

You know, this kind of stuff was always most important to me. In my 8 years at MTV I often felt like I wasn’t contributing anything to society. But finding ways to give young people a voice where they hadn’t had one before, like when the Soviet Union crumbled and the East joined the West in Europe, those moments made me proud of what I did. I felt that, in my own little way, I was contributing to bringing young people together. And I am still proud and thankful for that opportunity.

So peace! May MTV be with you!




Partying in Beirut. Fun, fun, fun!!!

Brilliant new music video 'Dear Honey'

I've just been made aware of the debut track of Dusty Rhodes and the River Band, called 'Dear Honey'. It's a perfect mix of 'quirky' and 'catchy' and I love it!

This unusual and funny video really complements the track & it's the debut from Jurassic Technology, a directing duo from Los Angeles. They apparently spent six months building miniatures, designing mattes and animating characters. Hard work by the sounds of it, but well worth the effort.

'Dear Honey' and Dusty Rhodes and the River Band's album 'First you live' are available on Side One Dummy.


Music Videos - Dear Honey

Simply Red are splitting up?

So Mick Hucknall has announced that Simply Red are to split up. But Mick, you’ve got me confused now, because who are Simply Red anyway? I’m sure I remember you telling me that Simply Red was basically you with some session musicians. And that on one album you tried to make it a more democratic process-like a real band- and that you were very unhappy with the result. So I thought that you had gone back to Simply Red basically being you. Am I wrong?

Anyway, Mick told me all this when he had invited me to his house for lunch one day. He had bought my best friend’s house, a magical country home called Southcroft, which was a place of many happy memories for me (I had always wanted to buy that home myself, but didn’t have the money), so I really wanted to see what he had done to the place. As a matter of fact, he hadn’t done much. Most the furniture was the stuff my friends had left behind, which was funny to see. Mick did make a wonderful games room, complete with old pinball machines (I love those) and tons of signed football shirts on the wall. And he had frescos painted around the indoor pool, making it look like an old Greek bathing house.

Mick made me a lovely lunch telling me that, if he hadn’t been a musician, he would have wanted to be a chef. I think he would have made a pretty good one. Especially his guacamole is phenomenal.

Now, unlike my other ‘old rocker’ friend Brian Adams who has always been a total gentleman & who I have had many lunches and dinners with (many at his house) and who never has hit on me in all the years that I've known him, Mick Hucknall did. He obviously had misread my intentions for coming to his house and when I was leaving he tried to kiss me. Nothing too uncomfortable though, just a normal guy ‘trying it on’ on the off chance. As soon as he realized that I wasn’t interested, he just laughed it off and that was that. I didn’t go back to his house after that though.

Anyway Mick, good luck with being ‘just Mick Hucknall’ now. Even though I have no idea what difference it will make.

Strange music, stranger man: Tricky

People often ask me if I ever had any famous boyfriends in my MTV days & generally I have to disappoint them as I always stayed clear of relationships with rock stars or other men who were in the limelight (too much ego and too many potential problems)

There was one exception though; I did have a relationship with Tricky for a while. Now, I’m sure that he seems like a strange choice to most people. Out of all the famous men out there, surely I could have picked someone better looking and appealing than Tricky? Yes, yes, yes, that’s surely true. Tricky does look like an alien and even after knowing him I sometimes wonder if he actually is one. He’s the strangest man I have ever met in my life & for a while he had me ‘hypnotized’ with his strangeness & I became quite besotted by him.

This is what happened. I had recently met Tricky as I interviewed him for the Partyzone. His album ‘Maxinquaye’ had just been released & was the breath of fresh air that I had been waiting for. I loved that album, as it had seemed to me that, at the time, no one was doing anything new in the dance music scene & this was finally something original. Up to that point I had been bored out of my skull with what was going on musically and was seriously considering packing in my job with MTV. So ‘Maxinquaye’ restored my faith in what was possible musically and re-ignited my passion for music.

A few months later I bumped into Tricky again. This time at a ‘Dazed and confused’ party. He pulled me aside from the dancefloor, sat me down and told me: ‘Listen, you’re not at all the way people think you are…’ And then went on telling me all about myself. He told me things that I had never shared with anyone, he told me about my fears, my hopes, my dreams…I mean, he knew everything, really weird specific stuff, like things that I did when I was a little girl. For instance, about how I used to pull the sheets up to right under my chin at night, so that I would wake up if a Vampire would try to bite me. And he knew that my wild confident persona was all just an act, that I was actually a lot more introvert and insecure than I pretended to be. And these were just two of the things he told me; the list went on and on. When I asked him how on earth he knew all of this, he just said ‘I’ve been observing you for a while’

I was in utter shock. On the one hand I felt flattered by the fact that someone bothered to look that deep into me and on the other hand I was just confused by it all. I didn’t quite know how to react when Tricky said: ‘Look, the real issue is this, you like me and I like you’
‘I do?’ was all I could answer. He really had me confused now. I had never even considered looking at him like that. ‘Yes’, he answered, ‘And so the question is, what are we going to do about that?’

Well, that was it. It was the start of our relationship. I fell for him in quite a bad way, probably because the guy was just so endlessly fascinating. His mind didn’t work like anyone else’s. Whatever was going on in the world, Tricky would see the issue from a completely different angle. I didn’t always agree with him, but I liked the fact that he made me question things that other people would take for granted. Being with Tricky was never dull as it really felt like being on a different planet. His life was utter chaos though. People would actually have to wake him, get him out of bed, drive him to the studio and stay with him until he started to get into the music, otherwise he would just walk back out again. And I remember packing his bag for him as he was walking out the door to go Norway or something, without even his passport on him. People were always looking for him & there was just this general sense of disorganization and the feeling of this dark past hanging over him. Still, in the midst of it all, there was always his inspiring creativity.

But what I didn’t know was that he was seeing Björk whilst he was also seeing me. They were already together when I first met him. When I finally did find out things had already gotten quite messy. Björk had apparently shouted out during a performance ‘Why won’t he love me?’ and was fuming with me and with Tricky. I never spoke to her about it, but it was obvious from that moment on that she hated me. And I can’t blame her. And things continued to get messy as Björk started to go out with Goldie who, at the time, wanted to kill Keith from the Prodigy, who I was hanging out with a lot, etc. It was all a bit of a crazy time. Tricky laughed it all off & didn’t see what the fuss was all about. He suggested that we would have an open relationship; free to see whomever we wanted. But that just wasn’t something I would ever be comfortable with. So that’s when I bailed out.

We did stay friends though and many months later he told me that he had not wanted to commit to me, as I had been too much of a stable influence on him. He was worried that without drama in his life he would not be able to create. He said that he needed to feed of this drama and that I was simply too ‘together’ for him. It reminded me of the time as a teenager when I got dumped by a guy for being too ‘proper’ & decided to see it as a compliment.

Now, looking back, I know that it was all the truth. I am too ‘together’ for a crazy, drama filled, rock & roll lifestyle. I opened the door, looked in, smiled at the interesting chaos and walked away. I’m just happy to be normal.

How many millions does one need to be happy?

Sir Paul McCartney and lady Heather Mills McCartney are back in court today trying to reach a divorce settlement. Isn't it funny how they have the very royal titles of 'Sir' and 'Lady', yet they are behaving in a less than royal way? Fighting over money...like beggars scrapping over some loose change that has fallen on the floor. I find it all rather distasteful, to be honest with you.

Especially when you see the kind of numbers we're talking about. The former Beatle's fortune is estimated at £825 million & this may become the most costly divorce in British legal history.
Press speculation has suggested that the settlement could reach £60m (exceeding the record £48m businessman John Charman was told to pay his former wife).

And apparently Heather Mills has already turned down a financial settlement worth £32 million.

What I don't get is how much money do these people think they need? I mean, would Paul McCartney even notice the difference between having 800 million or 700 million? And does Heather Mills really think that her life would be lacking in any way if she was awarded 'only' 32 million Pounds? What's up with these people?

My respect goes out to all the single parents out there who manage to make ends meet without any financial support of their former spouses, especially if they refuse to share any of their burdens with their children.

As a child of divorced parents myself I know that it much more important to a child that his or her parents can stay 'friends' than to live in a huge mansion whilst your parents hate each other. Nothing is more heartbreaking to a child than to have to celebrate each birthday party without the presence of one or the other parent and to always have to split their life apart, unable to choose who to love more, yet always feeling forced to have to do so.

And what example are Heather and Paul giving to their daughter? That money is more important than trying to get on with each other for her sake? That they battled each other to the last million? And for what? How many houses does someone need? How many flash cars can you need?

Oh, it's all so sad. These stupid celebs have their priorities all screwed up. I should send my mother over to teach them a thing or two about the value of love, which is worth so much more than money.

Oh, and whilst we're still on the divorce subject...any news on Britney? Has she finally sorted her life out? I'm telling you, if that girl is still out clubbing then even I will have to give up hope for her.

Poor Britney

Oh, I do feel for Britney Spears. She's just getting one blow after another. Yes, many of these 'blows' are of her own making, but even so, it's sad. And of course the biggest blow must have been the fact that her children were taken away from her and that Kevin Federline has been given custody.

I actually think that one of the reasons that she's been flying of the rail so much has been the crippling fear of losing her children to K-Fed. Of course, with all this erratic behaviour she has actually ended up creating that what she feared most.

For instance, why did she shave all her hair off? I still believe that the most plausible explanation for that drastic action was her fear of her hair getting tested in the custody battle. That it is possible to conclude whether or not a woman used cocaine during pregnancy by testing her hair.

If that was the reason why she shaved off her hair then we'd have to conclude that yes, she probably did use whilst pregnant. Still, I know of women who used cocaine during early pregnancy as they were unaware of being pregnant. These women all lived in fear throughout their pregnancies, petrified that they may have hurt their baby in some way. As far as I am aware these children were all fine and the women have become good mothers (I'm not condoning this, I am just trying to explain that people do make mistakes)

I do also know of a celebrity who consciously continued to use throughout her pregnancies and the image of her walking around in a nightclub with a huge belly, begging people to please sell her some cocaine is edged on my brain forever (I won't mention any names, she's been through enough already and actually has been clean for years now). I do hope that this is not what Britney was up to.

But what I am trying to say is that maybe Britney took some drugs in the early stages of her pregnancy. And in that case, it wouldn't actually say anything about her capabilities as a mother. Yet K-Fed may have used that knowledge against her and freaked her out about it to the level that she shaved all her hair off.

Anyway, the girl does have some major issues and does not seem to be able to be a steady parent right now. But since when is K-Fed such a great dad?

The consensus seems to be that Britney was initially bringing up the boys mainly by herself whilst her hubby was out partying and spending her money (And who knows? K-Fed may have even have been the person who introduced Britney to drugs in the first place?)

K-Fed left his pregnant wife to get off with Britney (a better catch) and has the air about him of being a complete and utter user. That's my feeling anyway. He gives me the creeps. Britney seems to have been the fool to fallen for his tricks. It all reminds me of Mel B's story with that user of an ex of hers, that Jimmy Culzar. He milked her for all she was worth (But didn't we all see that coming when she announced that they were not going to have a pre-nup?)

Then of course there was the story of another female superstar falling from grace: Whitney Houston. Boy did that Bobby Brown mess her up. From style and grace and success to being a total cokehead. So successful women, be aware of scroungers and drug-users! Don't let them be your downfall.

So anyway, Britney Spears is down low right now. And was K-Fed what made her fall? My guess is that he was. Still, she has no one but herself to blame for going out without any knickers on, for hanging out with Paris Hilton, for crashing into another car without even having a license, etc.

But what do I think should have happened in this custody battle? I think that the kids should either have gone to their grandparents until Britney can sort her act out, or that she should be monitored more closely, with help from a good nanny, plus her mom living with her for a while. On top of that, visits from a social worker and education on how to become a better mom. Whilst we're at it, you could even throw in some regular drug testing. But I don't believe that the boys should have gone to K-Fed.

Britney never seems to have failed in loving her boys, she just is too lost right now to truly be there for them. The girl needs help. And where is her mom in all this? She doesn't seem to be in the picture too much. I find that rather strange.

Anyway, I do hope this story will have a happy ending somehow. And I just hope that Britney doesn't end up hurting herself in her desperation.

So let's stop giving the girl a hard time and give her the benefit of the doubt. And anyway, if Michael Jackson is deemed to be a fit parent, there must be hope for poor Britney.

Good luck girl!

Great music and a voice to fall in love with

On my way to the studio I was listening to James Morrison's 'Undiscovered' album & throughout the day I kept wondering how it must have felt to have been in that recording studio when James sang his first lines. I'm sure that who ever was present at that first session with him would have been grinning from ear to ear. My God, what a voice! And to think that he used to be out busking! I would have given him whatever I had in my wallet had I ever come across him singing out on the streets somewhere.

I find it funny seeing him on TV occasionally. He seems like such a sweet little boy, yet his voice is so masculine and his songs seem like a window straight into his soul. Beautiful!

Anyway, it's about time he brought out another album. I'm sure it will be great again.