Fleetwood Mac album, world tour in 2009

Fleetwood Mac will be releasing a new album in 2009 and will be promoting it with a world tour. Speaking on the BBC's evening talk show The One Show on October 8th, Mick Fleetwood said that the "latter-day line-up" of Mick, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie and Stevie Nicks are in the studio now recording new material and will be taking it out on the road next year. It will be their first studio album since 2003's Say You Will, and the first tour since 2004.

Update: Tickets for the UK tour are now on sale at: www.britishconcerts.com/fleetwoodmac

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High School Musical 3 Breaks Bookings Record, UK Premiere

Screaming fans greeted the stars of High School Musical 3: Senior Year for the film's premiere in London's Leicester Square. Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and Corbin Bleu were joined by dancers and basketball players on the red carpet. Hudgens said she was "amazed" by the number of fans that turned out to see the cast make their appearance. The film will be released in cinemas across the UK on 22 October. "We came here for the first premiere, so coming back and seeing how many more people came and how much of a bigger deal it is, is amazing," Hudgens told the BBC News website.

The BBC's Colin Paterson said you could "almost smell the hormones" in Leicester Square, as young fans turned out to see 20-year-old heartthrob Efron - who plays basketball player Troy Bolton in the film series. "For noise levels, this ranks up there with the screams for Johnny Depp at the Pirates of the Caribbean premiere," our correspondent said. High School Musical 3 follows the pressures of being in the final year of high school before going off to college. Fans will also get to see the two lead characters kiss for the first time in the film's series.


"I've always admired that about them, it builds up the tension and finally in High School Musical 3 it feels well deserved," said Efron on why it had taken so long for the long-awaited scene to happen. "It's about time - we're seniors, we're adults," he said. Hudgens, who stars as maths whizz and love interest Gabriella Montez, added: "It just shows their respect for each other - it's a really sweet and innocent love that doesn't need everything else." The film also introduces British teen actress Jemma McKenzie-Brown as a new character, Tiara Gold. "I had a fantastic time - they welcomed me into the cast right away," the 13-year-old told the BBC News website.

Co-stars Ashley Tisdale and Corbin Bleu both said they were sad to see the end of their High School Musical journey. "It's hard because we love working together and this project is the last chapter for us, but I'm excited to see what the future holds," Tisdale said. Bleu added: "It was sad to move away from the halls of East High but it's good to be able to graduate and move on to some new projects." But with all the cast dodging questions on whether reports of a fourth instalment are true, director Kenny Ortega said he remained hopeful. "If these kids are still reacting this way after High School Musical 3, I think it would be fun to try to imagine how we would do it for the next generation," he said.

This is the first cinematic release for the series - the first two instalments were made-for-TV movies which were initially screened on the Disney Channel. Cinemas have already taken record advance bookings. The original TV movie took the US by storm in January 2006. It went on to become a worldwide phenomenon and its sequel shattered cable TV records last summer, with 18.6m people in the US tuning in for its premiere. The Disney franchise has spawned a top-selling soundtrack album and a 40-date tour of the US, not to mention countless school productions.

Robbie Williams: New Album Out In 2009

Robbie Williams' 'album strike' is over, according to his manager.

In January, Tim Clark said the singer wouldn't deliver a new record to EMI because he wasn't happy with the company's new owners. But he's now told Newsbeat that Robbie is hard at work on a new album and is hopeful it could be released in 2009. He said: "I would certainly hope that a new album will be coming next year. There are never any guarantees but that's what we would hope."

Earlier this year, Tim Clarke was quoted as saying "we have no idea how EMI will market and promote the album". Many people took that to mean that Robbie Williams was on strike. But Tim Clark says the singer hasn't stepped back from music and is gearing up for a new album.

He said: "He's been writing and we heard some wonderful stuff. "I was with Robbie last week. He was at home and he was writing songs and he played some of them to us." Tim says Robbie is on good form. "He's in very fine spirits, in very fine form and I think what he's doing sounds really wonderful," he said.

As for the subject of the album, there have been claims Robbie Williams was working on an alien-themed record due to an interest in UFOs. But Tim Clark says that's rubbish. He said: "It's been pretty much exaggerated in the press, as if that is anything new."
- Frances Cronin, BBC

Browse and buy official Robie Williams merchandise: eBay UK | Amazon UK | EIL Rarities | HMV | Play | Jamster Ringtones
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Rick Astley up for Best Act Ever at MTV Awards !

Eighties pop icon Rick Astley is no doubt as surprised as the rest of us to discover he's been nominated for Best Act Ever at the MTV Europe Music Awards. The 42-year-old singer hasn't bothered the UK charts in nearly 20 years, and yet this year's Rick-rolling phenomenon appears to be enough to clinch him a place alongside fellow nominees Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and U2. Astley enjoyed a belated return to the limelight when a viral campaign deliberately misdirecting people to one of his music videos made national headlines.

The show's producer Richard Godfrey told the BBC: "Rick's fans have obviously decided that he deserves recognition as a pop icon and no doubt they are determined to make sure he wins on the night."

Astley has never been nominated for an MTV award before and fans will vote online to choose this year's Best Act Ever. But whether tricking millions of internet users into viewing his 1987 hit Never Gonna Give You Up will equate to actual votes remains to be seen.

The winner will be revealed when the show airs on November 6.

Kylie Win x 2 at Digital Music Awards

Kylie Minogue scooped two gongs at this year's BT Digital Music Awards, which took place at the Roundhouse in London. Minogue was awarded best pop artist and best innovation for the Kylie Konnect site, which allows her fans to create their own profiles on it. Radiohead were crowned artists of the year and Coldplay won best rock/indie artist and best official music website. A panel of experts chose seven award winners while the public voted online for the remaining 13 prizes.

'Cutting-edge' The Sugababes and British Sea Power performed. Last year Radiohead invited fans to decide how much they wanted to pay to download their new album. And Coldplay launched their single Violet Hill on their website as a free download for six hours before it was available anywhere else.

"The music industry is continuing to evolve, with artists and record companies seeking new ways to communicate with fans digitally," said BT's Matthew Dearden. "The BT Digital Music Awards recognises the artists and those in the industry, both established and up and coming, who are delivering the best in cutting-edge digital music entertainment."

Hadouken! scooped best electronic artist and DJ and Wiley was named best urban artist after for his single Wearing my Rolex. Other winners included The Zutons for best video podcast and Vampire Weekend for best breakthrough artist. The show will be broadcast on ITV2 on Saturday and will be presented by Fearne Cotton and Rufus Hound.