w/e Saturday 27th May

It was two Ivor Novello awards for Mr James Blunt this week, an artist who nearly everyone currently seems to hate. Mr B is clearly aware of the tide of opinion turning against him, judging by his award acceptance speech. "To all those bastards who don't like my music - you're all adults, you can switch your radio off. I'm the one who sings it, and it's continued to get me laid!" he said. Not exactly the way to get people to like you. Pop Flix actually likes the lad Blunt. His album is patchy for sure, but contains a few decent tunes and shows sufficient promise for the future. Or, it did that is. Can we now expect an angst-ridden effort with new tunes themed on the rigours of "touuuuuring" and how everybody hates him? The Curse Of The Second Album is upon us.

Madge continues to have the world under her thumb this week as the Confessions "touuuuur" began. After Blonde Ambition, cavorting naked with Vanilla Ice and simulated masturbation on-stage you'd think that the critics had cottoned on to the fact that she happily swaps a bit of controversy for some good old fashioned publicity. But still they don't get it. "Madonna's use of Christian imagery is an abuse and it is dangerous. She should drop it from the tour." said David Muir of the Evangelical Alliance. What he doesn't say is WHY it's an abuse. Crucifixs are used in tellings of the Crucifixion on stage, in film, posted on Churches and worn round billions of peoples necks without anyone giving them permission. Why is it an "abuse" to feature one in a pop concert? In what way is this musical crucifix-featuring stage show any different to any number of unchecked-for-accuracy productions of "Jesus Christ Superstar"? Or is simply that it's Madonna, it's a crucifix, therefore it must be offensive? The wily Dame won't have been bothered by more people talking about her world tour.

Joan Baez is up a tree! Elderly folkie and old Bob Dylan squeeze Baez has followed the example of Keith Richards and clambered up some branches, along with Julie "Butterfly" Hill, to prevent a local garden from being sold and destroyed. Why she'd do this is a mystery, but Pop Flix enjoys thinking about her up there. Hill, 32, once spent over two years from 1997 to 1999 in the branches of a 600 year old northern California Redwood to prevent it being sawn down, so Baez may be in for a long haul. Pop Flix respects her stance but wonders how she will wee while up a tree, or even worse, go for a poo? It's a valid question.

Meanwhile in Fiddy Watch this week, Mr Cent has won a Songwriter Of The Year award. We can't imagine what the American Society of Composers and Publishers (ASCAP) found to like in Fiddy's long-winded tales of hoes'n'bullets, but Annie "Fanny" Lennox also won some kind of award, meaning presumably the judges have never got stuck into her "Bare" album, which is so long winded we suspect nobody has ever actually heard the end. She's one for awards though, isn't she? She's Annie Lennox. The Pop Star it's now cool to like. Nobody ever says they like The Eurythmics to get respect, yet the name of Lennox conjures up an aura of maturity. Go on, name ten of her solo songs. I dare you. Not from the Covers album.

Finally pity Embrace. No-one thought to give them any World Cup tickets, despite the fact they wrote England's theme song. "We're definitely going out to Germany even if it means we'll just be standing outside the stadiums." said the McNamara. Pop Flix thinks it'll be a crying shame if he gets arrested for buying tickets off a tout, but hugely amusing too. We still haven't heard the song in question but, hey, we all know what it'll sound like anyway.

Well that's all from us for this time. If you're in London, watch out for Michael Jackson, he's around and working on a new album! Please ask for ten tracks and a release date this side of 2050. Apparently he's in a good mood, so he might listen. Bye for now, B*Witchya soon!