I happened upon a colleague's copy of a tabloid newspaper at lunch today, and I was slightly perplexed to see that the front page headline was some story about Mark Owen from Take That. Aparently, the "Thatter" has spent much of his time in the band quaffing up to three bottles of expensive champers per night and "romping" with a "bevy of busty beauties."

I don't understand. What's the story, here? Are we meant to be feeling sorry for him, or something? If he hates it that much, I'll gladly swap places with him, and he can be a pensions administrator instead.

has just offered Mark "Tommo" Thompson out for a fight live on Channel 4 news! It's the best bit of TV I've seen all year!! "Mark Tommo Thompson. I would like to have a fight with you. I think I can take you..."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tees/8461879.stm

Alan Ellis, the chap that ran the much missed torrent site Oink's Pink Palace has walked free from court after a seven day trial, having been cleared of conspiracy to defraud.

He is the first person in the UK to be prosecuted for illegal file sharing, and he walked.

So, what now for the music industry? I'm no legal eagle, but doesn't this set some sort of legal precedent? Would it now not be pointless to bring any more of these cases to court?

The influential Birthday Party guitarist has died from liver cancer at just 50 years old.

http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i4045046a22fd3...

I'm not sure what makes me more sad; the fact that this brilliant musician has died at such a young age, or that I had to spend considerable time trawling the internet to confirm what a friend in the states had emailed to me as speculation. Nothing on the NME site and nothing on any major news sites. This guy was the same age as Jacko, and was a hell of a lot more significant in my musical upbringing.

This is my favourite. Not the Peter Powell bit, obviously, but the bass, drums and echoplex guitar bit is just so wonderfully atmospheric. Not my favourite song ever by any means, but those first twenty or thirty seconds are hard to beat. What's your favourite song intro, massive?

After watching Lady Gaga's performance on X factor on another thread here. I must admit to a bit of a stirring in the old trouser department. However, a friend of mine is convinced that there are rumours rife on 'tinternet that the good Lady may well be/has been/once was/is still sort of a fella.

Can it be true? I can't search myself as Mrs Futurenoir shares the PC and I'm already in trouble for googling Sasha Grey after reading an article about her in a reputable film magazine. That brought up a few interesting sites in the old search history, I can tell you.

Additionally, I succumbed and bought Miss/Mr Gaga's cd the other day. It really is fantastic pop music.

Play.com are today offering the box set of the entire series of the show for £35!! That's 33 discs and a 226 page hardback book for less than the price of the original retail price of one series! I intend to buy one and flog my original dvds on ebay.

Offer only stands today, apparently.

According to 6music, Marilyn Manson has been dropped by record label Interscope after his last album only sold 100,000 copies.

Seems like, in the words of Spinal Tap manager Ian, his appeal is becoming more selective.

Well, I've really been looking forward to seeing the new film "Zombieland" as all of the reviews I have read have been extremely enthusiastic about the performances and the story. All of the critics make reference to a terrific and unexpected cameo halfway through the film. Somewhat uncharacteristically, the critics managed to keep a lid on the identity of the mysterious cameo. Even mark Kermode managed to keep his mouth shut.

So, a big thanks to Kate Mossman for ruining the surprise in the new issue of Word. Still, I'm sure it won't spoil my enjoyment of the film. But please, can no-one give away the major plot developments of "Titanic" "Pearl Harbour" or "World Trade Centre" as I haven't gotten round to seeing those yet, either. And what's all this about a sledge in "Citizen Kane?"

Mrs Futurenoir and I are big fans of the dour one, and were extremely happy when he announced his show in Salisbury (just down the road from us). I was gutted when the show sold out in minutes without me being able to get tickets. Morrissey subsequently cancelled the show, originally scheduled for the summer and rescheduled it for November 2nd. I was doubly gutted. Not only is November 2nd my wife's birthday, but it will also be our fourth wedding anniversary. It would have been the perfect present for her. I tried to put it out of my mind, and had managed to do so, until I received an email from Salisbury City Hall this morning announcing that a few tickets had been returned to their box office today. I got straight on the interweb and nabbed myself a couple. Result? A deleriously happy Mrs Futurenoir and endless brownie points for me.

Sometimes things just work out, don't they?

Let's just hope his glumness watches his health this weekend.

Anyone see this? The reformed Spandau Ballet (or Spandau Belly as one reviewer cruelly called them) performed on Saturday's Strictly show. Good grief, it was bad. The Kemp brothers barely moved a muscle; former sex god Steve "Plonker" Norman now bears a striking resemblance to the bloke that empties my bins every Thursday; and poor Tony "Foghorn" Hadley looked like he needed an oxygen tank at the end of "Gold". I honestly thought he was going to keel over. How on earth are they going to get through a whole gig, let alone a tour?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8282356.stm

It seems that Harry Potter author JK Rowling was denied a top USA award, the Presidential Medal Of Freedom, because some members of the Bush administration believed her books promoted witchcraft and sorcery, according to a book published by one of GW Bush's speech writers.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, when I looked at the date on my watch this morning, I could swear it read 2009.

And to think these people had their fingers on the nuclear button for eight years.

I'm amazed we are all still here.

I was lucky enough, at the weekend, to hear a pre-release copy of the New Flaming Lips album, "Embryonic." I'm a huge fan of the Lips and absolutely love the last three albums. I am also very pleased that they now seem to be achieving the level of success they deserve. However, the new album is a real left turn for them. It's terrific, but seems to have virtually no commercial potential. Over 70 minutes long, it sounds like a cross between Can, Beefheart and "Bitches Brew" era Miles Davis, with bizarre instrumentals, heavy percussive drums way up in the mix, atonal guitar solos, vocals so low in the mix that they are barely audible and a general aura of weirdness.

Of course, I know the band, in their early years made some very odd sounding music, but from "The Soft Bulletin" onwards, they seemed to be getting more commercial and more tuneful. It makes Radiohead's so called left turn after "OK Computer" seem rather pedestrian by comparison. "Embryonic" is a great record, but you're going to have to work hard at it.

It's got me thinking. How many other bands took a real left turn at the height of their success? The aforementioned Radiohead is one. Talk Talk are the other obvious contenders, David Sylvian is possibly another. But there must be more, yes?

Yesterday evening, I got all excited as I settled down to eat my tea in front of the box. I could swear I heard the continuity announcer, just before Eastenders, announce that there was a programme coming up later called "Britain's Dirty Bitches." I thought to myself "Fantastic, the FPO is out for the evening. I'll draw the curtains and have a gander. I might even see someone on there I know."

Imagine my dismay, when said programme turned out to be a Panorama special on "Britain's Dirty Beaches."

Shame.

So, when I worked in a record shop in the 80's, we used to get Monday's new releases the previous Friday. Sneakily, we used to put them out in the racks on the Saturday morning to draw in the shoppers and the obsessives who liked the idea of getting the new releases a couple of days early (pre internet, of course.)

Looks like some stores in the USA are doing this with the new Beatles Remasters, as a quick trawl of the internet reveals that they are already on the shelves in Target and Best Buy stores.

The upshot of this of course, is that the whole set of stereo remasters can already be downloaded from various torrent sites. I'm not advocating, condoning or supporting this, but I have sampled a couple of tracks, just out of curiosity (Strawberry Fields and Tomorrow Never Knows, as they are my favourites) to compare the sound quality. Even on my small PC speakers, they sound extraordinary.

Just thought I'd let you know, as many "remasters" are simply a marketing strategy to get you to buy again what you already own, but these, I think, are going to be something special.