Joe Kavanagh's Music News

The fallout continues in the wake of one of the most contentious Eurovision Song Contests in years, with nations from eastern and western Europe assuming sides in a standoff that threatens the very future of the 52-year-old competition. Organizers of the event are said to be utterly livid at recent comments made by Irish broadcaster, Terry Wogan, who has hosted the contest for over two decades. The Limerick man suggested that western European countries should consider whether it is even worth their while entering future contests, given what he and others perceived to be the politicized nature of the voting, which has essentially split the continent into east and west. Organizers are said to privately believe that the hubbub has more to do with the UK's last place finish than any genuine gripe, though they have threatened to take away the Britain's automatic place in the final. Given the fact that the UK is one of the contest's biggest financial backers, that would be like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, or in this case, the rotten egg. As for Ireland, we care so much about it that we sent a turkey puppet who didn't even make it past the qualifiers but we're in a good place with that as a nation. If this sandpit fight continues then there may not even be a Eurovision next year. Who says wishes never come true? ...

Speaking of items of poor taste, the latest desperate attempt to inject some life into the imminent reunion of Irish boyband, Boyzone, comes in the form of a new poster, soon to be plastered on bill-hoardings all over the nation, featuring the five buffed-up, members fully naked, holding hats strategically placed over their private parts. Looking beyond the fact that the poster looks more gay than Big Gay Al's pink frilly curtains, it looks a little sad when men of a certain age try so desperately to look younger than their birth certificates. I suppose it's no more pathetic than calling yourself a boyband while in your late-30s, or reforming to play to empty houses, or ripping off other people's ideas that weren't even any good first time around. If it's any consolation, I'm sure the band's manager, Louis Walsh, loves the poster...

U2's longtime friend and manager, Paul McGuiness, narrowly avoided the same tragic fate as Christopher Reeves, when he was almost paralyzed as the result of a recent fall from a horse. Although details remain sketchy, Ireland's Sunday World newspaper reported that McGuiness fell from the animal while out riding on his estate in County Wicklow. According to the newspaper, the music mogul did break his collarbone, which was considered a very lucky escape given the severity of the fall. We wish him a speedy recovery...

Pete Doherty has a new crush apparently, after the troubled rocker acted as guest announcer for a performance by singer, Coco Sumner, who just happens to be the daughter of Sting (real name Gordon Sumner). Looking better after his recent trip to prison, Doherty told the crowd: "She's only 17, she's a great musician and I really fancy her." Given 29-year-old Doherty's 'colorful' history, if you listened carefully at that moment, you could almost hear Sting uttering the words: "Fetch me my finest ivory-handled shotgun."... Maybe not though, he's more of a whiney type really, so he'd probably just moan about it and write a couple of vapid, pretentious ditties about the whole saga...

Politics may indeed make strange bedfellows but the world of music is no slouch when it comes to matching up unlikely collaborators. There's Tim McGraw and Nelly, Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman and William Shatner and a microphone, to name but a few, but I don't think anyone would have predicted a match between the angriest front man of all time and the most mixed up celebrity in recent memory (unless Lindsay Lohan ate Nicole Richie as we went to print). Yet, such a bonding is apparently on the cards after Johnny Rotten told journalists last week that he would indeed welcome the opportunity to work with Britney Spears, saying: "I haven't written a song for Britney yet but I would love to. I'd like to help out because there's a girl who needs some help. She's been hurt. And hurt is the root core essence of good music." ...

Morrissey has parted ways with his manager of five years, the delightfully named, Merck Mercuriadis, having decided to take up with management company, IE: Music, who also count Robbie Williams as their client. Despite rumors that the split was less than amicable, Mecuriadis claimed: "Over the last five years, Morrissey and I have had three albums which entered the charts at five, two and one, and had ten top 20 singles and sold hundreds of gigs all over the world from Earl's Court to the Hollywood Bowl. I believe my penance is complete and Saint Morrissey has granted my absolution." Yeah, it really seemed like he had a ball on the strength of that statement...

Welsh singer Duffy revealed what she believes to be the secret behind her unique voice in an interview last week, but it had nothing to do with singing lessons or an inspirational teacher. Speaking to ITV.com, the star recalled: "When I was four-years-old my sister blindfolded me and chased me round the garden. She forgot that I was blindfolded and I ran into a fence and broke my nose. I remember it as well because it was so extreme, and I was really worried. I went to the doctor, I had broke my nose, everything was a mess. I was screaming and upset, and the doctor said, 'Don't worry. One day, she'll be a really good singer.' So, I don't know - maybe I owe it to my sister for breaking my nose!" I would thank my own brother for breaking my nose but all it gave me was a couple of years of migraines. If singing was all about broken, crooked noses then Ricky Hatton and Mick McCarthy would be the hottest crooners in Vegas...

Falling under the category of 'things that seemed like a good idea at the time', all-girl, Swedish indie band, Those Dancing Days, will find out tonight how much cash they have managed to raise for Unity Day, when the winner of the charity auction gets to join the band onstage in Leeds and kiss lead singer, Linna Jonsson. Given the type of trench-coat, clammy-handed weirdos that often participate in such auctions, I'm sure that Miss Jonsson might want to spackle on a three inch thick layer of anti-bacterial lip balm before locking lips but that is not even the most embarrassing aspect of this venture. At the time of going to press, the top bid for the aforementioned kiss was a rather paltry £1:24 or about $2.50, which surely can't do a lot for Jonsson's self-esteem. I would have thought the tagline alone of "singer in all-girl Swedish band" would have been worth a fifty spot, just to get things going. I'm sure the good people over at Unity Day have the accountants waiting on standby just in case there is a last minute rush of pitiable perverts with more in their wallets than a one-stop bus fare.