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Pick at the pops: 23 July 2007

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

Ooh, doesn’t Amy look thin? How radiant Posh looked in LA! I can’t believe Lindsay Lohan had a third pint of cider last night! Yes, this week we’re all about the tittle-tattle, sponsored by Alright? magazine. We don’t care about Rihanna’s 10 weeks at the top, or the Mercury Prize nominations – this is the real stuff. To kick off, our spies tell us that Kylie Minogue has been spotted hanging around Paris every couple of weeks – could she be getting back with Olivier ‘love rat’ Martinez? Kylie’s story is that she likes walking Ollie’s dog Sheeba. So that’s what it’s called now.

No less plausible is the report that Britney Spears asked about a waitress position at New York venue Les Deux. Come on, Britters, things aren’t that desperate yet. Oh.

Queen-of-Pop-in-waiting Kate Nash revealed this week that she chucked her boyfriend when she found out he’d been reading the ultimate pulling guide The Game: Penetrating The Secret Society Of Pick-Up Artists. Kate branded the dolt a “loser” and had him sling his hook. But was he so bad? There are worse ways to get ahead than copying someone else’s style, aren’t there, Lily, sorry, Kate?

There were a couple of the weekly split/reform stories – with a difference. Despite bassist Peter Hook’s announcement back in May, New Order aren’t splitting up after all. Seems that Hooky’s just left. You can imagine him looking behind him at the press conference - “Yep, we’re finished. Isn’t that right, lads? Lads? – as the others pelt it back to the studio without him, giggling. Meanwhile, Jeff Beck’s manager has denied that Beck and Led Zeppelin legend Jimmy Page are reforming The Yardbirds. Literally no one cares.

Finally, Travis’s Fran Healy has at last come clean and admitted that Coldplay are all his fault: “We created a playing pitch for bands like Coldplay… to sell not just hundreds and thousands of records, but millions of records.” Do we still have Witchfinders in this country?

Matthew Horton

Picture: PA Photos

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• 11/06/2007: George Michael avoids jail >>
• 04/06/2007: Beth Ditto bares all >>
• 29/05/2007: Stevie and Jacko disappoint Macca >>
• 21/05/2007: Lily vs Cheryl in catfight nirvana >>
• 14/05/2007: Eurovision carve-up shame >>
• 08/05/2007: How is Kurt Cobain still writing diaries? >>
• 30/04/2007: Bez and Mani? It's 1990 all over again >>
• 23/04/2007: MC Hammer inspires Arctic Monkeys >>
• 16/04/2007: Your planet is safe in Madonna's hands >>
• 10/04/2007: Kaiser Ricky fights for pop double standards >>
• 02/04/2007: Weller vs Sting in battle of the spittle >>
• 26/03/2007: Jagger and Trousersnake snubbed >>
• 19/03/2007: Ray Quinn and the death of pop >>
• 12/03/2007: The Jackson Five eye some filthy lucre >>
• 05/03/2007: George is on his way to Wembley >>
• 26/02/2007: Mel C holds up Spice reunion >>
• 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 >>
• 2006 archive >>