Major Lance – The Beat

Major Lance performing “The Beat” on television:

Link me baby, one more time

Finding the best of the news so that you don’t have to:

1. You can’t touch this: no really. MC Hammer’s cousin accused of rape [SanFransiscoChronicle]

2. Madonna is a journalist [AFP]

3. Bandstand busking with very cool bands [lastfm]

4. Unfortunate headline of the day (it’s really bad) [HuffingtonPost]

5. Cow born with two heads [Channel4News]

RIP: Sir Bobby Robson

John writes:

“A few years ago Sir Bobby was doing a signing in a bookshop on Charing Cross Road. I went along to get a copy of his autobiography and to get it signed. When I finally got to see him after queuing for over an hour, I asked him how it had been going. As he signed my book he said, “Alright thanks lad, I’ve done bloody hundreds of these.” I said thank you and left. When I got out of the shop, I looked inside my book and he’d signed it, “Bobby Hundreds”. Brilliant!”

Jackson family tree: day VIII

La Toya Yvonne Jackson, number five in the Jackson family tree, shares her birthday with one of her siblings – she was born on Rebbie’s sixth birthday.

La Toya has no children, and was allegedly forced into marrying her manager Jack Gordon, who is reported to have physically abused her throughout their marriage. She divorced him in 1997 after her brother Randy rescued her from her New York home.

She is now back in contact with the Jacksons.

(Tomorrow: Janet Damita Jo Jackson)

Celebrity magazine olympics: batch V

Best cover line: “Jordan juggles 2 men in 1 week! Parties with cage fighter and takes him home for night. Secret dates with male model” [CLOSER]

Best cover lie: Angry Posh: “David – I’ve had enough” (It’s important to note that this quote is not used anywhere in the article, and nor is the quote in the article’s headline, which reads: Posh “I won’t stand for this abuse”.)  [REVEAL]

Artistic licence with a ‘source’: Jen tells Brad “I think I’m pregnant!” – says a pal [NATIONAL ENQUIRER]

Freak of the week: “My lover faked giving birth – she told me I was a dad, but where was the baby?” [THAT'S LIFE] (We had to put in the close 2nd place this week, of “I love having sex with a fairground ride!” in CLOSER).

Most bashed celeb of the week: Jordan is back as the most hated, summed up in the headline “JORDAN: BEAUTIFUL TO BITTER” [HEAT]

Too fat/thin: Michelle Heaton is getting targeted as too skinny with reports that she’s dropped from a size 14 to a size 6.

Made up feature special: This week it’s the stars without make up. The National Enquirer condemns it while Heat promotes it, but NOW just points out their pimples. Nice.

Jen/Jolie story and photo count: Back up to five out of nine mags displaying photos or stories on all three of Jen, Brad and Ange.

P.s. Hasn’t anyone else noticed that every photo that has been used of Jennifer Anniston for a story in any of the mags we’ve seen in the past two weeks has been from the same reel? The same outfit from the same day? Blue vest and black waisted skirt.

Question of the week: Why is Sophie Ellis-Bextor turning up in places like Closer and Now with the same photo of her in the black playsuit? We didn’t think she was that kind of fodder.

1991: Salt N Pepa: Let’s Talk About Sex

Salt’s real name is Cheryl James and Pepa’s is Sandra Denton. The third member of the group, Spinderella, was born Deidra Roper.

It’s no surprise that they all adopted stage names then…

[More 1991 hits here]

Summer’s Electro Sensation to play an exclusive gig for Beck’s*

Ladyhawke is to play an intimate, stripped-down gig to celebrate the launch of her self-designed, cutting edge Beck’s label art. Set to be the hottest ticket in town, only 400 lucky guests will get the chance to see Ladyhawke up close and personal on the 25 August 2009. The gig is so secret that they haven’t told anyone where it is yet and fans will have to register for a lucky dip style draw to see if they can get their hands on a pair of tickets. To be in with a chance, visit  www.becks.co.uk/ladyhawketickets and register.

On the night there will also be DJs and live art being created around the theme of ‘Music Inspired Art’. Beck’s and Beck’s Blue will keep guests refreshed as they get an exclusive first look at the two art label designs from Ladyhawke as well as two created by Hard-Fi.

Ladyhawke singer, Pip Brown said: “I can’t believe that the bottle art labels I’ve been working on are going to be going on sale. I’ve had great fun creating my own labels for  Beck’s and feel honoured to have joined a long list of talented artistic collaborators, from Tracey Emin to  Gilbert and George.”

*sponsored post

Jackson family tree: day VII

Maureen Reillette “Rebbie” Brown, (maiden name Jackson) is the first of the Jackson children. She is a Jehovah’s Witness like her mother Katherine, and is one of two Jackson children to not have been divorced. (Marlon is the other one.)

Rebbie married Nathaniel Brown at the age of eighteen. They have three children together: two daughters Stacee and Yashi, and a son Austin who is more commonly known as Auggie. 

Stacee and Yashi made a girl group with actress Lark Voorhies and named it X-Girls. The group is now called Geneva. Auggie is working on his solo album. 

(Tomorrow: La Toya Yvonne Jackson)

1991: Dizzy – Vic Reeves and the Wonder Stuff

[More hits from 1991]

Bad tattoos batch #2

Katy Perry can’t spell. She got this tattoo of the name “Josh Grobin” a couple of nights ago in Soho. That’s great, for whoever he is. But if she was meant to be paying tribute to the singer/songwriter “Josh Groban”, then she should be feeling a little red in the face.

Lucky it’s a fake tattoo then.