Music News: Jay-Z Burns Oasis At Glastonbury, George Michael, Annie, Kurt Cobain, Sam Sparro, Labelle

Robbie Daw presents a weekly pop music update here on Towleroad! Robbie runs his own site called Chart Rigger.

Jay-Z headlined England's famed Glastonbury festival on Saturday, a controversial move given the rock-heavy bill the event usually touts. Perhaps no one was more vocal about their disdain for Hova as headliner than Noel Gallagher of Oasis: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If you start to break it then people aren't going to go. I'm sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance."

In turn, the rapper and music mogul clearly wowed the crowd with his opening song choice: a cover of "Wonderwall."

On a bit more tame note -- well, lately, at least -- George Michael brought his 25 Live tour to The Forum in Los Angeles on Wednesday. It was the first time he's played L.A. since 1988.

Just before the final encore, in which he performed "Freedom '90," Michael was surprised by Bo Derek, who walked on stage to give him a birthday cake as his band played "Happy Birthday." The London-born singer is 45.

Enough about Jay-Z...what were the reviews like for Sam Sparro's appearance at Glastonbury?

Word on the street has it that Norwegian pop blondie Annie, of "Chewing Gum" fame, has got a new EP out. Towleroad vehemently looks down upon illegal filesharing, but something tells me that if you typed in "Annie" and "EP" into a search engine, you might be taking the first step to finding out more information on this bit of noise.

This Delicate Film We've Made, a live concert DVD containing the last night of Darren Hayes' 2007 tour, will be released from his own Powdered Sugar Productions on July 22.

Creole Lady Marmalade! All three original members of seminal '70s funk-glam trio LaBelle are set to reunite for their first album together since 1976. The group will also perform this Saturday during the Essence Festival -- where else -- down in ol' New Orleans.

London's Madame Tussauds Wax Museum will unveil a statue of Amy Winehouse later this year: "We are really pleased to be creating Amy; she is a real icon in mondern British music, a continual award winner and an internationally recognized star widely requested by our guests.

So imagine if a bunch of Alanis Morissette fans got together online and did karaoke to try to win free concert tickets...

Did you know you can now purchase Converse sneakers from Nordstrom with writing from Kurt Cobain's journals on them? This seems like something to get up in arms over, but if Courtney Love says it's ok, then... Oh, well. Whatever. Nevermind.

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler finally admits he checked into rehab to recover from more than just foot surgery: "I don't know about (guitarist) Joe (Perry) but I was off and running and I didn't like the me that was me. This was a month ago, so I just put the brakes on and checked into detox and just pulled the plug on all of it."

TODAY'S NEW RELEASES:

Where The Light Is, a live CD/DVD from John Mayer recorded at Los Angeles' Nokia Theater.

High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens' second solo effort, Identified.

R.E.M.'s iTunes-only set, Live: From London.

Love To Make Music To, from L.A.-based electronica producer Daedelus.

New singles from The Faint ("The Geeks Were Right"), LL Cool J ("Baby") and Lee Ann Womack ("Last Call").

Guilt, a new EP from Sheffield indie band The Long Blondes.

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Music News: How Gay Is Katy Perry? Plus, Nas, Pet Shop Boys, Jennifer Hudson, The Ting Tings

Robbie Daw presents a weekly pop music update here on Towleroad! Robbie runs his own site called Chart Rigger.

Beginning last year, I'd been getting pitches from a publicist dealing with online press for an artist called Katy Perry and her song "Ur So Gay." To be completely honest, I just didn't dig the song. But as the title might imply, I also started wondering whether or not I was right to feel a bit offended by the lyrical premise -- a female telling off her H&M scarf-wearing boyfriend with the insult, "You're so gay and you don't even like boys," implying that he'd rather spend time with his friends and "MySpace-ing," etc. I basically chalked it up to me being a bit uptight, the song not being my thing, and moved on.

But the pitches kept coming. Soon Katy was signed to Capitol Records, a major label, and the press releases started mentioning Perez Hilton was touting her as a next big thing for summer 2008. In an interview with Blender, Perry, who turns out to be a pastor's daughter, exclaims, "I'm completely outrageous and I'll do anything for attention!"

Now the singer's got a heavily-promoted single called "I Kissed A Girl" (not a Jill Sobule cover), though it doesn't have a video. But rather than expound upon what I think of a seemingly heterosexual 23-year-old woman singing about her drunken female conquest, "I don't even know your name, it doesn't matter/You're my experimental game," I thought I'd turn it over to see what you, the Towleroad reader, think.

Are Katy Perry's lyrics offensive, or are they just silly, gimmicky pop songs by a self-proclaimed attention seeker to be taken with a grain of salt? Clips of "Ur So Gay" and "I Kissed A Girl" are below.

Two things to think about: 1.) A bit of digging finds that Katy Perry released an album of Christian music a few years back under the name Katy Hudson. 2.) Would your thoughts on the level of offense, if any, be different if it were a straight male artist singing either song (particularly if the latter were "I Kissed A Boy")?

Incidentally, Katy Perry's album, One Of The Boys, is out in June.

Hip hop star Nas drops the original controversial title for his new album.

The Pet Shop Boys are working on new material with frequent Sugababes' collaborators Xenomania. Meanwhile, clips from a 2006 episode of U.K. program The South Bank Show on Dusty Springfield have popped up on YouTube, wherein the Boys discuss what it was like working with the singer on her 1991 album, Reputation.

Recording artist Ferras (pictured left) -- whose track "Hollywood's Not America" you likely recognize as this season's American Idol good-bye song -- took to his MySpace blog Friday to dedicate the new single "Liberation Day" to the overturning of California's ban on same-sex marriage: "YAY!!!!!!!!!! ITS LIBERATION DAY EVERYONE!!!! WAKE UP!!!!!! It's 'LIBERATION DAY' for GAY PEOPLE everywhere!!!! The road to liberation day has been a long one, filled with tears and a great fight, but one that thankfully does not include giving up hope. Today, the end of the road is a little bit closer. Today, two people in love can finally be recognized just like everyone else. Its about love, acceptance and life. This is not only about a piece of paper, its about human rights. Its about rejoicing in the beauty of each and every person living on this planet! Its about individuality and the right to exist! Gay people are citizens just like everyone else and should be afforded the same rights. Without recognizing gay marriage as a legitimate expression of love, partnership and equality, we are still living in the dark ages-communicating a message of intolerance and hate. It's 2008. Its a new time. A new era. A time to wake up and 'throw your illusions away.' May all beings rejoice and be happy, as we get one shot- one life- to be all we can be, be the best humans we can be and to love and be loved equally, as we all bleed the same blood. To all my gay and lesbian peeps- this ones for you. All my love and respect, FERRAS"

Darren Hayes will appear as a guest judge on the upcoming season of Austalian Idol, along with fellow Aussie Tina Arena. The London-based singer will help suss out talent in the U.K. for the program: "As an Australian entertainer living in London I definitely have a soft spot for Aussies trying to make it overseas. Rather than judging people, I'm going to be looking for that little bit of magic that someone once saw in me."

Janet Jackson's going on tour: "It will definitely be a big production but it will definitely also be something that I've never done before, that people have never seen from me before." Don't they all say that?

Jennnifer Hudson's album due out in September: "I think people will be pleasantly surprised, because it shows a side of my work that no one has heard before." Now, hold on a second...!

TODAY'S NEW RELEASES:

The Ting Tings' debut set, We Started Nothing. The dancey pop/rock duo have the current #1 single on the U.K. chart with "That's Not My Name," while they're also enjoying a sizeable stateside hit with "Shut Up And Let Me Go," thanks to its inclusion in an Apple commercial.

Donna Summer's Crayons, her first studio album of pop material since 1991's Mistaken Identity.

Stop Drop And Roll from Foxboro Hottubs. The big "secret" is that it's actually Green Day doing punk-infused, '60s-sounding bubblegum.

Liverpool electro quartet Ladytron's fourth LP, Velocifero.

Actress Scarlett Johansson's album of Tom Waits covers, Anywhere I Lay My Head.

Jesse McCartney's Departure. McCartney is currently enjoying the success of having co-written Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" with OneRepublic's "Ryan Tedder."

New singles from Aimee Mann ("Freeway"), Solange ("I Decided, Pt. 2") and Judas Priest ("Visions").

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Towleroad Guide to the Tube #235

BOOING KEN HUTCHERSON: Focus on the Family's Stuart Shepard discusses the horrible liberal teachers who booed Pastor Ken Hutcherson when he was invited to speak at a high school MLK day. He neglected to mention Hutcherson's taking on of Microsoft or his association with the Watchmen on the Walls group. More here.

MAKE ME A SUPERMODEL: Dynamic duo of something rocks the sheets on the Bravo reality show.

CASEY: Video for Darren Hayes' new single "Casey".

ANONYMOUS: Declares war on Scientology. More here.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

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Music News: The Eagles Leave Britney In The Dust, Plus Ex-Boyfriends, Darren Hayes, Sheryl Crow, Prince, Justice, Peaches

Please welcome Robbie Daw, who will be penning weekly music posts for us here on Towleroad! Robbie runs his own pop music site called Chart Rigger.

In the 11th hour (i.e., today), Billboard and Nielsen SoundScan came to an agreement to revise the music publication's chart rules to allow albums sold exclusively at only one retailer to be eligible for entry on Billboard's charts. This spelled a certain doom for Britney Spears' #1 debut. Although Blackout sold about 290,000 copies -- far lower than the 350,000 projection made by Billboard last week -- she was still expected to capture the top position on the album chart.

However, at the same time, The Eagles Long Road Out Of Eden became available last Tuesday at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club outlets, and went on to sell 711,000 copies over the course of the week. With the revised chart policy, the classic rock band's first studio album in 28 years easily beats Britney to #1 on this week's Top 200.

Regardless of whether Blackout had debuted on top or not, the writing for Britney seems to be pretty much on the wall. Her last studio record, In The Zone, racked up sales of 609,000 in its first week four years ago -- more than twice the sales of Blackout. Of course one could argue that illegal downloading has only increased since that time, causing music to sell less now more than ever. But take into consideration that Carrie Underwood's Carnival Ride -- the previous chart-topping album -- managed to move 527,000 copies its first week out.

Blackout has received a lot of goodwill and swell reviews in recent days, but perhaps Britney's shenanigans really have finally caught up with her, as America has clearly moved on to other sweethearts.

San Francisco-based pop punk trio Ex-Boyfriends (pictured left) "are looking for bands that like to take long walks on the beach, cuddle for hours on end, watch Merchant Ivory films and love taking it up the a**."

Darren Hayes is back in the U.S. to do several gigs and Miami's White Party, and he may be hitting a Borders near you.

Beyoncé to sing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," while Carrie Underwood takes on "The Sound Of Music."

Turns out only two out of five listeners paid for the one million downloads of Radiohead's In Rainbows, but that's necessarily a bad thing.

Sheryl Crow releasing "environmentally conscious" new album in February.

Prince threatens his own fans with legal action, but they're ready for their day in court.

Peaches, Justice, 2 Live Crew and Jason Bentley to have a Hard New Year's Eve in L.A.

THIS WEEK'S NEW RELEASES:

New singles from Kylie Minogue ("2 Hearts"), Spice Girls ("Headlines"), Oasis ("Lord Don't Slow Me Down") and Idina Menzel ("Brave").

Nearly a year after its European release, To All New Arrivals by U.K. dance act Faithless arrives on iTunes.

Jay-Z's album of songs inspired by the the film American Gangster.

Chris Brown's Exclusive, containing the current #1 single on Billboard's Hot 100, "Kiss Kiss."

Sia's Day Too Soon EP.

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News: Project Runway, Mars vs Iraq, Wes Anderson, Humanity

The Project Runway designers are here! (Bios)

David Beckham rushes back to England after his father suffers a near-fatal heart attack.

''It will take months and years to really see" if Episcopal vote on exercising restraint with regard to gay clergy and same-sex relationships will mend the rift in the Anglican church, according to church leaders.

Milo Ventimiglia's booty makes appearance in new film.

Darren Hayes releases new video for "Me, Myself & I" but his Attitude magazine cover story is nowhere to be found.

Hotel Chevalier, Wes Anderson's 13-minute prequel to his upcoming film The Darjeeling Limited, is now available for download on iTunes.

Fishing Polar Bear spotted for the first time in two centuries: "The Inuit people of the Arctic have always known about it. But no outsiders have witnessed it for 200 years: a polar bear fishing. Not by scooping the fish out of the water like a brown bear - but by plunging in and swimming...Last August, researchers based in Iqaluit, Canada, watched an adolescent polar bear swimming in a river estuary packed with charr, a relative of salmon, that was migrating upstream. It caught about one fish an hour, swimming and peering into the water, then diving. In the two days they saw the bear, it caught three charr and three sculpin, a spiny fish that lives under rocks - which the bear seemed to lose enthusiasm for eating."

Clergy members in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley have come together to urge the Supreme Court to overturn the state's ban on same-sex marriage: "Ahead of what is widely expected to be the next major state Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, reverends, pastors and rabbis met at St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church in North Hollywood to announce they would file 30 amicus briefs, formal documents intended to persuade courts on an issue. The religious leaders, who were joined by 90 civil-rights organizations across the state that also filed briefs, are hoping to influence the court's decision on an upcoming review of a lawsuit seeking to overturn the ban on gay marriage."

The money the U.S. has spent in Iraq could have funded 11 independent missions to Mars.

A map of humanity.

Researchers: Is Alzheimer's memory loss due to a previously unknown third form of diabetes? " Now scientists at Northwestern University have discovered why brain insulin signaling -- crucial for memory formation -- would stop working in Alzheimer’s disease. They have shown that a toxic protein found in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer’s removes insulin receptors from nerve cells, rendering those neurons insulin resistant. (The protein, known to attack memory-forming synapses, is called an ADDL for 'amyloid ß-derived diffusible ligand.') With other research showing that levels of brain insulin and its related receptors are lower in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, the Northwestern study sheds light on the emerging idea of Alzheimer’s being a “type 3” diabetes."

Texas student suspended for wearing John Edwards T-shirt to school.

Elton John defends seized Nan Goldin photo: "The photograph exists as part of the installation as a whole and has been widely published and exhibited throughout the world. It has been offered for sale at Sotheby's New York … and exhibited in Houston, London, Madrid, New York, Portugal, Warsaw and Zurich without any objections that we are aware of."

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Darren Hayes Gets 'Caution', No Charges in Alleged Race Incident

Darren Hayes posted the following on his blog today regarding the alleged racial incident that occurred at a London Thai restaurant in August:

"Today the Crown Prosecution and The Metropolitan Police concluded there was no case to answer in relation to the recent allegation that singer Darren Hayes had racially abused a door person at a London restaurant on July 22nd 2007. Upon an investigation the Police recommended that no formal charges be brought against Mr. Hayes and that there was no racist undertone to the incident. 'I could never think, let alone utter a racist remark. It's just not who I am,' Mr. Hayes said. 'As a gay man, I find the notion of discriminating against a human being because of race, gender or sexuality to be abhorrent. It goes against everything I have stood for.' Mr. Hayes confirmed that an altercation took place at the restaurant, for which he received a caution, but strongly denied any racial undertones to the brief exchange. He is pleased that any notion of racism has been ruled out by Police recommendation and he was not charged with any crime. 'It was a horrible thing to be accused of and I want to thank all of my friends, family and fans for giving me the benefit of the doubt. The experience has been frustrating and at times made me very sad, but through it all I have to say I support the legal system and our right of protection under the law. I'm glad the truth is out there. I just want to concentrate on my music now.'"

The specific details of the incident, as far as I know, have not been revealed.

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Music News: Exclusive Darren Hayes Podcast Interview [tr]
Darren Hayes Arrested for Alleged Racist Attack [tr]

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Music News: Exclusive Darren Hayes Podcast Interview

Please welcome Robbie Daw, who will be penning occasional music posts for us here on Towleroad! Robbie runs his own pop music site called Chart Rigger.

This week we've got something a bit different for you, in that I had the opportunity to interview Darren Hayes over the weekend exclusively for Towleroad readers. But rather than type the whole thing out, Andy and I decided it might be a bit more fun to stream the conversation as a podcast.

Darren Hayes, who between his years as both the singer for successful Australian duo Savage Garden and then as a solo artist, has sold over 30 million records. A year ago he married his partner, Richard Cullen, in London, and last month he put out the two-disc This Delicate Thing We've Made worldwide on his own label, Powdered Sugar.

Ironically, the same day of his album's release, news of allegations against him -- revolving around a racial slur he allegedly made in a London restaurant -- broke out. In the interview, Hayes talks about all these things, as well as the artists who have influenced him like Annie Lennox and Prince, and how growing up with an alcoholic father made him the artist he is today.

He also tells some great anecdotes about working with Janice Dickinson on his latest video ("We loved having her on set. I did have to run around making her cups of tea.") and getting to sing with Luciano Pavarotti.

Play the podcasts below as you would a video.

PART ONE: "Madonna is about to leave Warners and perhaps forge a relationship with a promoter. I've found myself at the forefront of this movement away from the major label system."

PART TWO: "I couldn't even think, let alone utter, a racist remark. But there's an investigation and I totally support that."

NEWS BITES: Madonna buys a sex toy.

Kanye West promises to boycott MTV.

Kid Rock could face jail time after his VMAs brawl with Tommy Lee.

Pet Shop Boys cancel their September 27 gig at the Hollywood Bowl.

Kaiser Chiefs ditch their American tour to "concentrate on recording new material."

It's down to the wire for Phil Spector.

YESTERDAY'S NEW RELEASES:

After weeks of the rappers' hype and posturing, 50 Cent's Curtis and Kanye West's Graduation officially began their chart showdown yesterday. However, if country music by a singer who is most certainly not gay is your thing, Kenny Chesney's Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates is also out.

Other albums dropping yesterday included alt rock act Hot Hot Heat's Happiness LTD., Scottish DJ Calvin Harris' I Created Disco and Rogue Wave's Asleep At Heaven's Gate.

iTunes also has up new singles by Alicia Keys' ("No One") and Backstreet Boys ("Inconsolable"), and a remix EP for Gwen Stefani's "Now That You Got It."

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Darren Hayes Arrested for Alleged Racist Attack

Singer Darren Hayes was arrested Friday night for an alleged racist verbal attack on a waiter at a Thai restaurant in London last month, the Sydney Morning Herald is reporting:

"Hayes fronted police in London last Friday night, where he was arrested for racially abusing a member of staff at Busaba Eathai in Wardour Street on July 22. The attack did not involve physical violence, but is believed to have been directed at a male member of staff. Hayes was released on bail. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "We can confirm that a 35-year-old man was arrested by Westminster police on suspicion of racially abusing a member of staff. 'He was arrested after voluntarily attending a Central London police station by appointment. He has been released on bail pending further enquiries, until the 21st of September.' The spokesman would not comment further."

Hayes' new double album, This Delicate Thing We've Made, came out in the U.S. today.

UPDATE: Hayes lawyer released this statement on his MySpace blog today: "Darren is unable to comment to any extent as the incident is presently under investigation by the police, with whom he has cooperated fully. However he is deeply upset at the allegation which he strenuously denies and anyone who knows Darren will recognise that the particular nature of the allegation is totally abhorrent to him and contrary to everything for which he has stood"

Recently...
Darren Hayes Disses John Howard [tr]

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Music News: Darren Hayes Disses John Howard, Plus Duran Duran, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Phil Spector, Robyn

Please welcome Robbie Daw, who will be penning occasional music posts for us here on Towleroad! Robbie runs his own pop music site called Chart Rigger.

For the past two weeks, Brisbane-born Darren Hayes and his British husband, Richard Cullen, have been zipping around Australia as Hayes promotes his album, This Delicate Thing We've Made (out next week), and current single, "On The Verge Of Something Wonderful."

While Down Under, Hayes has been met with the realities of being a legally-married gay man outside of England, as Cullen has to travel with him on a tourist visa, rather than as his partner, under the current laws.

In turn, the pop star has worked some criticism of Prime Minister John Howard's anti-gay policies into his interviews: "It makes me angry and frustrated. I'm Australian and the way the law sits I can't bring my partner home as my partner. I would never have voted for John Howard and I encourage people not to. I don't think he speaks for this country in the same way I don't think George Bush speaks for the U.S."

Meanwhile, Darren scored the seventh Top 20 hit of his solo career on Sunday's official U.K. singles chart when "On The Verge Of Something Wonderful" debuted at #20. He posted on his MySpace blog that today he begins shooting the video for its follow-up, "Me, Myself And I."

While everyone's eager to speculate on the Madonna/Justin Timberlake/Timbaland collaboration, let us not forget that first comes the new Duran Duran album that J.T. 'n' T. had their Midas-dipped hands in.

Entertainment Weekly is currently streaming "Night Runner," a track produced by Timbaland and Danja, which features Timberlake on vocals along with Simon Le Bon. Actually, "Night Runner" isn't so much shocking as it is confusing...why don't you try figuring out which vocals are Le Bon's and which are Justin's.

Duran Duran's twelfth studio album is titled Red Carpet Massacre, and will be released October 30. But despite the early promotion of "Night Runner," the confirmed first single is the Timberlake-produced "Falling Down."

Prior to the recording sessions, longtime band member Andy Taylor split from the group last fall.

Murder trail, shmurder trial! Phil Spector continues working with an artist he says "reminds me of a young John Lennon."

Courtney Love is a stripper...again.

On the official Pet Shop Boys site, Neil Tennant denies The Sun's claim that Damon Albarn gave the Boys the smackdown.

After the jump: the return of Robyn, and today's new releases.

IMPORTED: Ten years ago, in that hazy period pre-Britney, Swedish teenager Robyn scored two major American hits with "Do You Know (What It Takes)" and "Show Me Love."

After several record label growing pains, Robyn makes a gallant return this week as her self-released electro single, "With Every Heartbeat," has topped the U.K. chart.

Though only available on import, "With Every Heartbeat" is downloadable from 7 Digital.

TODAY'S NEW RELEASES: Country singer Lori McKenna's Unglamorous, produced by Tim McGraw and Byron Gallimore.

Alt rock act Eisley's Combinations.

Disco legend Thelma Houston's covers album, A Woman's Touch.

DJ Paul Van Dyk's In Between, featuring guests David Byrne, Wayne Jackson and Jessica Sutta of Pussycat Dolls.

The High School Musical 2 soundtrack. You now have three days to cram the lyrics into your memory before the Disney Channel movie airs Friday night.

Junior Senior's Hey Hey My Yo Yo. The half-gay (Senior) and half-straight (Junior) duo from Denmark sees a U.S. release of their sophomore album, which has been available internationally for two years.

Inching closer to adding The Beatles repertoire to iTunes, the online store adds John Lennon's back catalog today.

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Music News: Simon Cowell's Star Struck, Madonna, Darren Hayes, Spice Girls, Shayne Ward

Please welcome Robbie Daw, who will be penning occasional music posts for us here on Towleroad! Robbie runs his own pop music site called Chart Rigger.

   It looks as if next year will be your chance to finally judge how much talent Simon Cowell really possesses. The American Idol and X Factor pop mogul told The Hollywood Reporter that he's producing a feature film revolving around the angst of 10 young hopefuls competing on a fictional TV singing contest. Titled Star Struck, it's scheduled for a summer 2008 release.

Simon says: "We want it to be the musical version of Rocky -  an underdog story, a feelgood film."

Cowell plans on wrangling the 10 actors the same way the contestants are herded in for Idol auditions. "To enjoy the film, you've got to watch the actors and believe that they are contestants on a reality show. We always believed that a TV show like Idol would be successful. I have the same feeling about doing the movie."

   As Madonna continues working on her new album, she's hit a roadblock with the adoption of one-year-old David Banda. "The whole adoption process may crumble and David [may be] sent back to his village," social worker Penstone Kembe told the Reuters news service.

   While on an Australian promotional tour last week for his forthcoming album This Delicate Thing We've Made, Darren Hayes spoke candidly with The Sydney Star Observer about the process of coming out of the closet during his Savage Garden days: “My coming out to myself was very reluctant. It was a thorn in my side as it was something I did not want to be and so when I call it a violent reaction, it was one of shame. But I can only admit that now, as I really could get more gay – and be happy about it.”

After the jump, hot Brit export Shayne Ward, Rob Thomas reunites with Matchbox Twenty, the Spice Girls slightly extend their tour and today's new releases.

   The Spice Girls announced the lucky location of their  "Spice City" contest on their website. The reunited fivesome offered fans a chance to suggest one additional stop on their upcoming world tour, and the chosen city was Toronto. Said the Girls in their spice statement: "We set this up to give all our genuine fans the chance to turn their hometown into a SPICE CITY. This was all about making your own city a SPICE CITY and since we launched there have been literally millions of votes for us to play in hundreds of cities including places like Rio, Chicago, Melbourne, Manchester, Paris, Alice Springs, Baghdad, and Diss (in Norfolk England)! But one city had to win and we are now delighted to announce the winner is... TORONTO. Thanks to everyone in Canada who voted for us to play there - we’ll work out the date over the next few weeks and let you know."

   In other reunion news, Rob Thomas recently got together with his Matchbox Twenty bandmates to record a dozen songs. Billboard reported at least six of the tracks will be included on the group's Exile On Mainstream greatest hits compilation, due out October 2.

   After winning Britain's X Factor two years ago, Shayne Ward came across as just another scruffy-cute bloke from Manchester. But in the video for his new single, "If That's OK With You," Shayne's kicked up the sex appeal about 25 notches:

"If That's OK With You" is written and produced by Max Martin, who seems to have chucked his Kelly Clarkson and Britney-brand pop sound of the last decade for one more resembling his early work with Ace Of Base.

   August is typically a "no man's land" for new releases, but out today is True Colors: The Tour CD, which contains music by the artists featured on Cyndi Lauper's recent traveling show benefiting Human Rights Campaign, such as Rufus Wainwright, The Gossip, Indigo Girls, Cazwell and The Cliks. Among the mostly previously-released material is a new duet from Erasure and Lauper called "Early Bird."

Also out is How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?, the 10th studio album from Public Enemy. It marks the 20th anniversary of the influential hip-hop legends.

A week before the High School Musical 2 soundtrack bombards shelves and digital stores, Disney's Hollywood Records is issuing the self-titled sophomore release from Jonas Brothers. Think of it as Hanson: The Next Generation.

James Blunt's new single, "1973," is available on iTunes, as is the video. Unlike "You're Beautiful," this one actually takes a stab at having a beat...albeit a mid-tempo one.

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News: Francis Bacon, Provincetown, Darren Hayes, Blue Whale

Italian bishops cause furor by ordering Catholic legislators to vote against gay rights legislation: "The long-awaited note, issued on Wednesday by the Italian Bishops Conference, was significant because it specifically targeted politicians as they consider a law to give homosexual and heterosexual unmarried couples more rights. While not specifying any punishment by the Church, it says Catholics could not hide behind "the principle of pluralism" or compromise on what it called the ethical needs of society. The note said Catholic politicians had 'the moral duty to clearly and publicly voice their disagreement and vote against any proposed law that would recognize homosexual couples'."

Francis Bacon painting "Study from Innocent X" could set auction record for a postwar artist.

The Cliks cover Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River". "The group is the brainchild of singer Lucas Silveira, a transgendered male, who started to write songs in 2005. After multiple personal crises, Silveira climbed back up and started to come to terms with his individuality. 'They say when it rains, it pours, and that essentially happened to me before the creation of this album.'"

Birmingham, Alabama City Council rejects resolution that would have made it part of the Partnership for Inclusive Communities, an initiative of the National League of Cities, because the resolution includes rejecting discrimination based on sexual orientation: "The resolution itself is a sanguine, feel-good political statement, supporting inclusiveness and condemning all kinds of bigotry and intolerance. The NLC’s website lists the numerous other cities that have already passed the resolution, including Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and Raleigh. In addition, several cities in Alabama have already passed the resolution — Selma, Aliceville, Valley and Talladega."

Ever wanted to swim next to a blue whale? Here's your chance, sort of...

Darren Hayes gets back behind the microphone in New York City.

Marc Jacobs to open 730-sq-ft store in Provincetown: "[President Robert] Duffy is especially fond of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, and Jacobs stores nationwide are selling T-shirts to benefit it. The 730-square-foot Provincetown store will sell women’s and men’s collections and items tailored to the location. Those will include 10 specially designed T-shirts, flip-flops, sunglasses, bathing suits, tote bags, umbrellas, and even surfboards and motorcycle helmets for those who ride around the town on Vespa scooters. Children’s products also may be added. 'Everybody thinks it’s all gay men in Provincetown, but there’s a lot of families, there’s a lot of young single people, and there’s a lot of young families with children,' Duffy said. 'The town can handle it. I just know we have a customer there.'"

Just days after a decision by New York's Jewish Theological Seminary to admit gays and lesbians, Jerusalem's Schechter Rabbinical Seminary says they won't.

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News: Cuban Gays, Darren Hayes, Bradley Whitford, Naked McFly

Has the 2006 mid-term election already been stolen? Let's hope not.
(via virtual matter)

Brit band McFly in steamy Swedish interview.

Police continue search for 19-year-old Daquan McGill, suspected in the murder of 55-year-old John Canora. Canora's body was found decomposing in his home in Howard Beach after a fatal beating. Police suspect McGill and Canora were involved sexually.

Genetically altered HIV virus proves successful in battling AIDS in early trials.

Studio 60 actor Bradley Whitford makes calls on behalf of Fair Wisconsin to help fight amendment banning same-sex marriage in that state: "Whitford told voters that he was a Madison native and University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate, and reminded them to show up at the polls on Tuesday. Fair Wisconsin spokesman Josh Freker said that the group will have called about 1.6 million people in the last stretch of the campaign."

Notoriously private Darren Hayes, who came out of the closet and married his partner earlier this year, is set to release a new documentary look into the private life of a performer. Hayes: "It's an inside look at the person I've become today. And it looks back on a period which now, with retrospect, was a difficult time for the ego. It was a really transitional period in my life."

Cuban TV introduces gay characters on soap opera: "Some of the island's gays say the overwhelming popularity of 'The Hidden Side of the Moon' is proof Cuba's hardline communist government has become more tolerant of homosexuals. In the past, gays in Cuba were routinely harassed and beaten by police. Other gays, however, took issue with the fact the gay characters on the show are HIV-positive. 'The simple fact that they put a gay issue on TV shows a lot,' said Oilime, a gay Cuban who would only provide his first name. 'But it promoted the idea that if you sleep with a gay man, you will get a fatal illness.'"

37%: Men in India who have reported having a homosexual experience.

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News: Anderson Cooper, Marijuana Gumballs, Einstein...

More chatter regarding the ABA Report that says Bush is violating the constitution. Lou Dobbs: Why is the President ignoring our laws? "A bipartisan, 11-member panel of the ABA found that President Bush is not only disregarding laws but using such signing statements far more than any president in history. In fact, Bush has used signing statements to raise constitutional objections to more than 800 provisions in more than 100 laws. All of the presidents combined before 2001 had issued only 600."

Simon Doonan: "After watching Anderson Cooper’s intrepid reports last week, I am totally convinced that there is room for style on the battlefield. Somehow or other, Gloria’s handsome lad, while dodging bombs in Lebanon, became a style icon. Damn him! He looks so wickedly handsome and au courant! His preferred garments—a cobalt-blue sports shirt under a matte-black top-stitched bulletproof vest—have a definite whiff of the Belgian fashion designer Raf Simons or vintage Helmut Lang about them. As a result, Mr. Cooper gets my fashion-in-the-face-of-adversity award." (capture via ata)

First UK gay man to be prosecuted for infecting his partner with HIV is on the lam: A warrant was issued for the arrest of Mark James, 47, of Park Road, Burgess Hill, and Judge Jonathan Lowen promised to sentence him in his absence if he is not apprehended within a short time."

Jared Leto channels...Madonna?

Using Einstein's theory of relativity to speed the airline boarding process: "According to New Scientist, which reports the research today, it is the first practical application of Einstein's work outside physics. And the researchers are in talks with a major airline which wants to use their ideas."

Anatomy of an outing: the Sydney Star Observer dissects the coming out of singer Darren Hayes. “When was the last time you saw me on the red carpet with a fake girlfriend? Some people do that, and I have always chosen to take a higher road than that as I want to be an artist and an expressive person.”

For those not as threatened by the 'man purse' as Andy Roddick, Cool Hunting takes a look at bags for guys.

Penny for a gumball, Red-eye!

Readers of Jane magazine want Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom to go gay in the next Pirates of the Caribbean.

Nikke Finke: Is Jake Gyllenhaal's urge to play Lance Armstrong a ride to nowhere?

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Singer Darren Hayes Comes Out, Marries Partner

Formerly reluctant to discuss his sexuality, former Savage Garden member-turned-solo artist Darren Hayes came out of the closet on Monday with an announcement on his website that he had married his British boyfriend Richard Cullen in London. The pair have been together for two years. Hayes, an Australian, called it the "most significant event" of his life:

"I feel lucky to live in an era where my relationship can be considered legally legitimate and I commend the UK Government for embracing this very basic Civil Liberty.

I'm proud of who I am, and after what felt like an eternity, I'm finally in a place where my heart is secure and content. And I can finally make sense of all of the searching."

Hayes, who also said he is about to enter the studio to begin recording his third solo album, is not the first music artist to enter into a civil partnership in Britain since they became legal. Elton John married his partner David Furnish last December. And recently, amid media attention surrounding his troubles with driving and drugs, George Michael reiterated his plans to marry longtime partner Kenny Goss.

Related
George Michael: It's Elton's Fault [tr]
Chaos in Windsor as Two Queens Marry [tr]

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