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Pick at the pops: 12 March 2007

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

In this age of product placement, tour sponsorship and artist endorsements, isn’t it a breath of fresh air to have uncomplicated young lads like the Arctic Monkeys around? You know, bands who only care about the music and none of the flim-flam that goes with it. They’d never be so crass as to have their own clothing line or… wait, what’s this we hear? Monkeys drummer Matt Helders has his own, erm, line of clothing called Supremebeing, featuring jackets, hoodies and t-shirts. It’ll be perfume next. Eau de teenage boy. Ew.

Arctic Monkeys feature in Rip-Off Corner this week, with the news that the Wizard Of Oz and Village People costumes the band wore for their Brits acceptance videos are being auctioned by an “anonymous seller”. Dear me. Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated? Taking the biscuit, though, are the tickets to a Tokyo party featuring a speech from Michael Jackson. They sold for £1750 a throw last week. Still, if you’ve got the money, and you’re stupid…

Lucky Jacko is in line for another windfall, with reports that negotiations are in progress for a Jackson Five reunion. The plan involves 250 gigs in Las Vegas for an ice cool £250m, which is nice work if you can persuade your hugely eccentric brothers to muck in with their bowler hats and plastic hair. It should be quite a spectacle if anyone’s got the nerve to go and see it.

Speaking of freakshows, hotshot producer Timbaland is the latest “friend” to offer unorthodox rehab to Britney Spears, after she was also invited to Cheryl and Ashley Cole’s lovely home last week. Timbo thinks it would be worthwhile getting her into the studio and says Justin Timberlake is on board too. Oh, that should work: cheer up a troubled young lady with the cad who once dumped her. Toxic.

Matthew Horton

Picture: Empics

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• 19/02/2007: Joss Stone's big love >>
• 12/02/2007: Lily conquers America >>
• 05/02/2007: Oasis to meet Ringo at last >>
• 29/01/2007: Amy Winehouse wows the Savoy >>
• 22/01/2007: Chris Martin: the B-Boy >>
• 15/01/2007: Whitney auctions her belongings >>
• 08/01/2007: The Police to reform? >>
• 02/01/2007: James Brown RIP >>
• 18/12/2006: Girls Aloud v Lily Allen >>
• 04/12/2006: Potty Pete pays the penalty >>
• 27/11/2006: Nelly says no to Playboy >>
• 20/11/2006: Queen's greatest-selling hits >>
• 13/11/2006: Ms Dynamite's high speed crash >>
• 06/11/2006: Glastonbury to go "gay"? >>
• 30/10/2006: McFly hit top spot yet again >>
• 16/10/2006: Girls Aloud v All Saints in war of words >>
• 09/10/2006: Razorlight ready for world domination >>
• 02/10/2006: Madonna's record breaking millions >>
• 25/09/2006: When pop stars reunite >>
• 18/09/2006: Robbie's new footballing chum >>
• 11/09/2006: Monkeys' Mercury delight >>
• 04/09/2006: Foo Fighters save miners >>
• 28/08/2006: Britney gets banned in Asia >>
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