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Pick at the pops

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

Cruel pranksters dominate the pop news this week with reports that conceptual art maverick Banksy has been swanning around the country enhancing copies of Paris Hilton’s Paris album. His spokesperson (should a ‘maverick’ have a spokesperson?) says that he’s been taking out the CD and replacing it with satirically-titled remixes, and messing with the artwork. No punter has complained yet. No comment.

Charlotte Church has joined in with the practical joking, muscling in on The Feeling’s performance of current single Never Be Lonely on her new Channel 4 show. It wasn’t a joke? Oh. Still, at least the show was funny. Oh.

Not so much a prank as plain cruel, two Australian miners trapped in a collapsed Tasmanian shaft earlier this year got through their ordeal by listening to Foo Fighters mp3s. Foo frontman Dave Grohl has offered to buy them a beer when the band tour Australia in November. Not sure that’ll make up for it, Dave, but I suppose it’s a start.

Speaking of poor unfortunates, the Beatles - well, Paul, Ringo and a couple of Yoko Ono types (including Yoko Ono) - have been given the go-ahead to sue EMI over alleged underpayment of royalties. They claim the record company sold off scrapped material at full price or something. Obviously, Sir Paul’s well-known for his aversion to passing off shoddy, half-baked tosh as new albums.

Lastly, striking a blow for Shayne Ward lookalikes everywhere, Justin Timberlake has nabbed the No.1 spot with Sexyback. Amazingly, it’s his very first UK chart topper. His best effort up to now was three No.2s in a row. No jokes, please.

Matthew Horton 

• Last week: Britney gets banned in Asia
• 21/08/2006: Radiohead's grumpy greatest hits >>
• 14/08/2006: Natasha Bedingfield's Rocky return >>
• 07/08/2006: The heavyweight return of Meat Loaf >>