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Pick at the pops: 5 May 2008

Our weekly round-up of the weird and wonderful world of pop music...

Hello and welcome to this week’s Winehouse Watch: not content with inexplicably ditching her loser jailbird drug fiend husband, Amy plans further changes in her life with the launch of her own record label. A “friend” comments that once Amy gets her third album out “she wants to set up her own label – she plans to release her own material on it”. A cynic might scoff at the idea that Amy’s going to complete a third album, for a start – and that cynic might be Mark Ronson. The maestro of putting loads of horns over other people’s songs is already unsure that Winehouse is going to make her mooted Bond theme, unless it’s “by some miracle. I’m not sure Amy is ready to work on music yet.” Look of surprise not pictured.

We can go elsewhere for our surprises – Bristol, for instance, where flame-haired soul dwarf Mick Hucknall, once of Simply Red, is charging fans £40 (that’s FORTY QUID, apocalypse predictors) to watch him rehearse. Obscene. The money’s obscene too.

Black Eyed Pea - and habitual enemy of pop – Will.i.am has this week chosen to fight the power and not cancel a tour of China, in spite of all those pesky human rights arguments. The reason? He sees no need to “punish a whole country”. Why are you playing there then, Will? Ha ha ha ha ha.

Well, someone has to break through these barriers, I suppose, which brings us to our Pop Pioneers of the Week. This week we’ll be honouring Coldplay for their groundbreaking decision to give away new single ‘Violet Hill’ for free on the interweb. This astonishing and inspirational move looks set to change the face of… what’s that? It’s been done before? Loads of times? Why are they making such a song and dance about it then?

Matthew Horton

Picture: PA Photos

• 28/04/2008: Shakira collaborates with Gordon Brown >>
• 21/04/2008: The last word on the Jay-Z at Glasto debate >>
• 14/04/2008: Beyoncé and Mark E Smith fight the animals >>
• 07/04/2008: Lennon and Mills - separated at birth? >>
• 31/03/2008: Leona topples Wilde record >>
• 24/03/2008: Rihanna the "new Britney"? >>
• 17/03/2008: Madonna in B12 shocker >>
• 10/03/2008: Bjork gets political >>
• 03/03/2008: Keef disses Led Zep >>
• 25/02/2008: Mark Owen gives KT Tunstall his last quid >>
• 18/02/2008: Aretha or Tina - just who is the Queen of Soul? >>
• 11/02/2008: We mourn the Spice Girls - again >>
• 04/02/2008: Winehouse and Spears - will the madness end? >>
• 28/01/2008: Oh no! Simply Red and UB40 have split up! >>
• 21/01/2008: Annie Lennox and The Verve won't pave streets >>
• 14/01/2008: Robbie and Coldplay turn on EMI >>
• 07/01/2008: Out with the old, in with the new >>
• 2007 archive >>
• 2006 archive >>