News of February 2005
24/02/05
Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher has branded pop
pin-up Robbie Williams stupid - and says he should be called 'Rodney' Williams.
His comments re-ignite a long-running feud between the pair which dates back
five years.
It started after Noel branded Robbie: "The fat dancer from Take That." The
latest attack came as he blasted the singer and fellow Brit Award winners Joss
Stone and the Scissor Sisters.
Noel snarled: "The Rodney Williams and the Joss Stones and the Scissor Sisters
are rubbish, and they know it."
Noel's band Oasis scooped three Brits in 1996 but haven't won since. The picked
up a gong at the recent NME awards but Noel blasted Brits bosses for not
rewarding real talent. Noel's comments are certain to anger Robbie -
particularly as he and Joss are reported to be new best pals.
24/02/05
Singer Robbie Williams has labelled British
royal Prince Charles' upcoming marriage to amilla Parker Bowles 'Seabiscuit 2' -
in a cruel dig at the couple's facial features. The outspoken Let Me Entairn You
star was answering a question about the UK media frenzy surrounding the
long-term lovers' troubled wedding plans, and compared the pair to horses.
The 31-year-old joked live on British radio station BMRB, "You know they are
actually thinking about putting it live in cinemas. "Yeah, they are going to
call it Seabiscuit 2." Last week (ends18FEB05), Hollywood actor Tom Selleck said
a video of the April (05) wedding "will be released in movie theatres under the
title Seabiscuit 2."
23/02/05
Robbie Williams will team up with the Scissor
Sisters for a track on his next album. His new album due out later this year
will be an album of duets reports the Daily Express.
A source said: "Robbie was so impressed with them that he asked singer Jake
Shears what sound he should go for next and now a deal has been struck. They
plan to get together as soon as possible in New York."
16/02/05
Pop hunk Robbie Williams' mother Jan has
laughed off reports her son's classic ballad Angels is about her - insisting the
singer wrote the track about a statue in his hometown.
The former Take That star picked up a Brit Award at Wednesday's ceremony in
London, after Angels was named the best song in the past 25 years of Brit Best
Single winners. Fans always thought Angels was written about Jan's support of
Robbie when he was fighting his drink and drug demons, but now she has revealed
he was inspired by a 1.52-metre high statue, which stands in the town hall of
Burslem, Staffordshire. Jan says: "Robert loved that angel - he'd stand and
stare at it. When he went to bed he'd look at it and say his guardian angel was
looking after him. It was lovely."
10/02/05
The Brit awards have kicked off and Robbie
Williams has won the gong for the best song of the past 25 years with
Angels.Keane have been named the best British breakthrough act and Franz
Ferdinand have won the best British rock act category - beating the likes of
Kasabian, Muse, Snow Patrol and The Libertines.Collecting their award, the
Glasgow band's singer Alex Kapranos said: "We've had a smashing time and we
think it's time for someone else to have a go."
Robbie beat off competition from Will Young's Leave Right Now, Queen's We Are
The Champions, Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights and Joy Division's Love Will Tear
Us Apart. Presenting Robbie with the first gong of the night were Little Britain
stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams dressed up as his former Take That bandmates
Gary Barlow and Howard Donald. Accepting his award, Robbie said: "Sorry Gary, I
was always the talented man of the band."
"Whatever I said, whatever I did, I didn't mean it. I just want you back for
good," he quipped - nicking the line from an old Take That song. He then went on
to say: "I'm just amazed that my career keeps going. I would just like to thank
my boyfriend, Jake, from the Scissor Sisters, and Chris, it's great to see you
back on stage."
The stars trotted up the red carpet for the event at London's Earl's Court, with
some serious glamour from the girls, such as Natasha Bedingfield and Jamelia -
who's threatened to bare her butt if she wins all three of the awards she's up
for tonight.
Chris Evans is hosting the awards, his first major TV job in four years.
09/02/05
FROM ICNEWCASTLE:
Chart-topper Robbie Williams has
been bombarding Lisa Brash with phone calls urging a reconciliation, the Sunday
Sun has been told. Lisa, 30, from South Shields, South Tyneside, had a fling
with the singer last year, but he dumped her when their romance hit the
headlines, thinking she had betrayed him. The mum of two is adamant she did not
kiss and tell to the London-based newspapers . . . and after an appearance on
afternoon TV's Trisha on January 28, Robbie now believes her, according to a
male pal.
After hearing her account on the programme, the friend said Robbie had not only
forgiven her, but had invited her to stay in his London pad when he jets back
from the US.
The pal, who did not wish to be named, told us: "He's been bombarding her with
phone calls since the Trisha show."
He's made numerous calls in which he says he now believes her side of the story,
and she didn't betray him to the tabloids.
"I was actually there when she took one phone call and saw the name `Rob' appear
on her mobile phone screen. She walked off and had a private conversation with
him." Last night Lisa said she would not comment on the claims for the sake of
her children. She said: "I can't confirm or deny it. I have to say `no comment'
because things are just starting to get back to normal and I can't let this
start up again."It's been a hectic few months but I'm back in work now at the
Probation Service and they have been so supportive it's amazing. "I said my
piece on Trisha and I've had a lot of support from people after doing that."
People do now know the truth and know I didn't sell my story to the papers."Robbie
did not wreck my life, it was the publicity that wrecked it." I had hate mail,
his name was scratched into the back of my car and I've even had a wreath sent
to my door.
"I think it's a shame, because we got on so well. I've just had the tip of the
iceberg because Robbie's had this for 16 years. "He's a fantastic writer, singer
and artist, yet he's been driven out to live in Los Angeles. "I've had my 15
minutes of fame that I didn't even ask for."
07/02/05
Pop hunk Robbie Williams terrified a
72-year-old photographer on Wednesday (02FEB05) - by threatening he'd pay
someone to break the veteran papparazzo's legs. Snapper Dennis Stone was waiting
to photograph the Angels star as he landed at London's Heathrow Airport, but he
claims the Rock DJ star masked his face with a scarf and warned, "I can pay to
have someone break your legs". Stone complains, "He was angry, and I didn't know
whether he was going to hit me. "I'm not big enough to take care of myself - I'm
an old man and I don't like aggro."
But Williams' friend counters, "What Robbie actually said was, 'If your editor
told you to break my legs, would you do it?'"
06/02/05
Pop superstar Robbie Williams has been snubbed by Morrissey, after the morose singer refused to duet at next week's Brit Awards. Williams - who is nominated for the Best Song award with hit Angels - is now due to stage a solo act for the event's 25th anniversary at Earls Court, London, next Wednesday. A source at Morrissey's record label says, "It was all set to go then Morrissey decided it was not the right thing for him to do.
02/02/05
Pop prankster Robbie Williams is up to his old tricks again, this time joking around with the stars of Little Britain to help promote the launch of this year's Comic Relief. Robbie, who's a big fan of the award-winning BBC comedy, dressed up with Matt Lucas and David Walliams for the Emily Howard sketch, at a boutique in Fulham, west London. The special Little Britain sketch can be seen on the Comic Relief Little Britain DVD, which will be available from HMV; www.rednoseday.com and all BBC shops from Monday, February 14. The theme for this year's Red Nose Day (March 11) - Big Hair and Beyond - Just Do Something - is about changing the way you look to transform someone else's life.
02/02/05
The Who's celebrated rock-opera Tommy is to
become the most expensive animated movie of all time. Grease producer Robert
Stigwood plans to turn the 1975 Pete Townshend movie into a $400 million (GBP210
million) cartoon, which is tipped to feature the voices of singers Robbie
Williams and Bono. Stigwood, 70, says, "Pete Townshend is right behind this." It
will feature the biggest names in the music industry. The original movie costs
$3-4 million but this will cost $300-400 million.
"If you are going to do it, you've got to do it right."
01/02/05
British pop star Robbie Williams has hit out
at reports he plans to embark on a movie career, insisting he has "no interest"
in acting. The singer has lent his voice to the character of Dougal in a new
movie version of 1960s children's cartoon The Magic Rondabout - but Williams has
no desire to expand his acting repertoire. He explains, "There's been a lot of
talk of me doing films, which I have no interest in whatsoever." But I've
started to get into watching animation.
"To be asked for your voice to be used as a character in a film such as this is
very exciting for me, because it'll be there forever."
