Cheryl Cole to record solo songs

Cole was voted world’s sexiest woman by readers of FHMWholesale jewelry

X Factor judge Cheryl Cole is to begin working on solo material, a spokesman for Girls Aloud has confirmed.

He said that it was too early to say who the 25-year-old would be working with but that a number of different producers had been approached. Replica rolex watches replica handbag

He said the group would “take time out” this year to work on solo projects from “music to acting to beauty to fashion”.

Earlier this year, Girls Aloud signed a new record deal promising three more albums, including one in autumn 2010.

Claim

“Cheryl is going to work on some solo music - there is no release date set for this yet as she has not recorded any music,” the spokesman said.

“Her A&R people have approached various producers with the view to working with her.

“Until she has recorded music, we can’t say who will be working on the record as we can’t say at this stage what will make it past the idea stage,” he added.

Meanwhile, rising electro-pop Designer replica handbags star FrankMusik has claimed on micro-blogging site Twitter: “I am producing Cheryl Cole’s solo album.”

Cole’s profile has been raised following her successful stint as a judge on ITV1 talent show The X Factor.

Dominic Cooper and Sarah Harding will star in BBC Two drama Freefall

On Thursday, it was announced that she had been named the world’s sexiest woman by readers of FHM magazine. Designer clothing

Girls Aloud were created through ITV talent show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002 and have become one of the most successful British pop groups of the decade, notching up 20 consecutive top 10 singles.

Cole’s bandmate Sarah Harding is to make her acting debut in forthcoming BBC Two drama Freefall, starring alongside Mamma Mia actor Dominic Cooper.  replica handbags replica watches

Festival axed over safety fears

Armin van Buuren was due to perform at the bank holiday weekend festival

A dance festival due to take place on an Ayrshire beach has been cancelled because of fears over public safety.

North Ayrshire Council has refused to grant a licence for the Homecoming Festival which was due to take place at Irvine Beach Park on 2 and 3 May.

The Pigeon Detectives and Armin van Buuren were among the acts lined up to perform.  replica handbags

The organisers said the cancellation was due to demands from the council for a 50% share of the profits.

Snow Patrol were also due to play a DJ set at the bank holiday weekend festival.

The council said a licence for the event was granted subject to conditions being met.

The organisers were asked to submit a risk assessment, a major incident and emergency plan and a traffic management plan.

Ian Mackay, assistant chief executive of legal and protective services at North Ayrshire Council, said: “None of these fundamentally important plans have ever been produced.

“The requirements of the other emergency services, particularly the police and ambulance services, appear to have been similarly ignored by the promoters.”

He added: “Our principal consideration has always been public safety. We cannot sit back and adopt the philosophy that ‘it will be all right on the night’.”

A statement on the Homecoming Festival website said: “It is with great regret that organisers of the Homecoming festival have announced that this year’s event has been cancelled.

“This is due to new demands from the council requesting 50% of the profits and a £60,000 bond on the land.”

New venues

The organisers said all ticket holders would be entitled to a full refund.

Arrangements were being made to organise new venues and dates for some of the artists that were scheduled to perform at the event.

Mr Mackay added: “It would have been perfectly reasonable for the council to charge a rental,ed hardy clothing not least to cover the hundreds of hours spent on this application by council officials.

“Council officials had in fact made numerous request to the promoters for numbers of ticket sales on which to base a rental calculation. However, that information was not produced.” replica watches

Nirvana to get vinyl re-release

Nirvana have sold more than 50 million records worldwide

The bulk of Nirvana’s back catalogue is to be re-released on vinyl this year for the first time.

The Seattle grunge band, led by the late Kurt Cobain, recorded just three albums between 1989-93 before Cobain killed himself in 1994.

The first record to be released is their seminal album Nevermind, most famous for the hit single, Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Nirvana’s Unplugged, recorded live for an MTV show, has also been re-mastered.

The album re-releases are being manufactured by Original Recordings Group (ORG), which produces and markets vinyl records.

Monti Olson, senior vice president of Universal Music Publishing Group and founder of ORG, said: “To our knowledge this is the first time ‘Unplugged” has ever come out on vinyl.

“They might have done a limited promotional thing but I doubt it.”

Bleach, Nirvana’s first album, is being manufactured for vinyl release by the grunge band’s first label, Seattle-based independent label Sub Pop.

Nirvana were one of the most popular alternative American rock bands of the early 90s. On 8 April 1994, heroin addict Cobain was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.

The ‘flight of the Spider’

Forty years ago this week, mankind’s attempts to land on the Moon took a giant leap forward with the maiden spaceflight of the Apollo Lunar Module. Continuing his series of essays for the 40th anniversary of the Moon landings, Dr Christopher Riley reminds us of the importance of the often overlooked Apollo 9 mission and the momentous message one of its crewmen brought back to Earth.

Hanging upside down, incongruously, 155 miles above the Earth - the first Apollo Lunar Module to fly in space looked about as much like a flying machine as the preposterous contraptions dreamt up by aviation pioneers 70 years before.

The crew had called their spiky legged spacecraft “Spider”.

It lacked any of the refinements of a craft required to fly in air and was constructed on the tightest weight budget engineers had ever had to contend with.

The craft’s insect-like form was dictated entirely by the job it was designed for and the environment it would inhabit during its short life.

The Lunar Module had had a difficult gestation, stretching the engineers who’d created her beyond their limits on countless occasions.

The resulting delays in delivering a flight-worthy model had contributed to a crew shuffle which had changed history; throwing Neil Armstrong and his Apollo 11 mission into line to attempt the first Moon landing in the July of 1969.

But now, in March, the burden of Nasa’s “end of the decade” deadline sat firmly on the shoulders of the Apollo 9 crew of Jim McDivitt, Dave Scott and Rusty Schweickart.

Their tests of the new Apollo spacesuit and the Lunar Module needed to be perfect.

On the fifth day of the mission, both spacecraft were depressurised and Schweickart climbed out of Spider’s side hatch wearing the first Apollo pressure suit to be worn in space.

Supplied with oxygen and other life support essentials from his backpack, Schweickart also became the first US astronaut to spacewalk without life support from his spacecraft.

His unique suit and backpack were as exquisitely engineered as the spacecraft he had emerged from.

Its simplicity concealed years of careful and ingenious research and development. Even though it didn’t look like it, many considered it to be a spacecraft in its own right - albeit one you could wear.

In honour of this “spacecraft” status Nasa had given the suit and its astronaut their own separate call sign - “Red Rover” a reference to Schweickart’s red hair.

The Red Rover stood outside on the Lunar Module’s porch photographing Dave Scott standing in the Command Module hatch beneath him.

Later that day, with McDivitt and Schweickart back inside at the controls of the Lunar Module, they undocked from Scott inside the Command Module (nicknamed “Gumdrop”) and began the Spider’s maiden flight.

In the hours which followed, the crew bravely flew the two craft to a distance of over one hundred miles apart - a daring feat which left McDivitt & Schweickart without a life line should anything go wrong.

Their Spider lacked a heat shield and any way of returning to Earth on its own. Rendezvous and docking with the Command Module was imperative if the two test pilots were going to live to tell the tale.

Several engine tests and two more hours of orbital catch-up later, and the Spider and Gumdrop were close together again.

The first Lunar Module to fly in space had proved it could keep two astronauts alive - manoeuvring them safely between orbits and ultimately to a safe and successful rendezvous with the Command Module; something which was crucial for the later Moon landing missions.

Back on Earth McDivitt wrote to the designers with a photograph of his “Spider” in space. The caption below read: “Many thanks for the funny-looking spacecraft. It sure flies better than it looks.”

Older fathers ‘hit brain power’

In contrast, children with older mothers did well on the tests, which assessed abilities such as memory, learning and concentration.

Experts believe mutations in a man’s sperm, which build over time, may be a factor.

The University of Queensland study appears in the journal PLoS Medicine.

The age at which men and women are having children is increasing in the developed world.

But while the effect of increasing maternal age on reduced fertility is widely known, the impact of increased paternal age is not as well established.

However, older fathers have been linked to a range of health problems, including an increased risk of birth deformities, autism and neuropsychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

The Queensland team analysed data on 33,437 children born between 1959 and 1965 in the US.

Each child was given a range of tests of cognitive function at eight months, four years, and seven years.

The researchers adjusted their study to take account of socio-economic factors, such as family income and parental education.

They found that the older the father, the more likely the child was to have lower scores on the various tests.

In contrast, the older the mother the higher the scores of the child in the cognitive tests.

Nurturing environment

Previous researchers have suggested children of older mothers may perform better because they experience a more nurturing home environment.

But the latest study suggests this might not be the case in relation to fathers.

Genetic factors are likely to be key, as there is evidence that genetic mutations become more widespread in a man’s sperm as he ages.

But the Queensland team said the impact of social factors could also not be ruled out, although they said a child would usually benefit socioeconomically from having an older father, with better access to health and educational services.

The researchers, led by Dr John McGrath, wrote: “Given the trend towards older maternal and paternal ages in the developing world, policy-makers may want to consider promoting an awareness of the risks to children that this study associates with delayed fatherhood.”

Dr Allan Pacey, an expert in fertility at the University of Sheffield, said: “We have known for some time that the children born from older fathers are at increased risk of a number of medical problems and this is almost certainly because as men get older the sperm production gets less efficient and their sperm have a higher number of genetic defects.

“The author’s observation that most neurocognitive outcomes is also reduced in the children of older fathers provides a further piece of evidence to remind us that nature intended us to have our children earlier in our lives than we currently are.” archlord gold

U2 play surprise rooftop concert

Rock band U2 have played a surprise gig on top of BBC Broadcasting House, in central London.

A crowd of around 5,000 watched the rooftop show, which capped off a day of promotion for the Irish band’s 12th studio album No Line On The Horizon.

U2 had been special guests on BBC Radio 1 and rumours of the gig appeared on internet message boards during the day.

The band performed four tracks during the 20-minute gig, including new songs Get On Your Boots and Magnificent.

They also performed Beautiful Day and Vertigo, as onlookers danced, clapped and sang along in the street below.

‘Great honour’

The BBC’s Darryl Chamberlain, who was at the scene, said: “Some people tried to crowd on to traffic islands to see them… the crowd was screaming and cheering.

“Others were spilling out of pubs and shops to see it, and looking out of windows. It was a good natured crowd and people really seemed to be enjoying it.”

Police closed Portland Place in Westminster to divert traffic away from the area.

News of the unannounced gig spread on internet message boards

The band all wrapped up against the cold, except The Edge who wore a short-sleeved lumberjack shirt and hat.

The performance was also broadcast live on DJ Chris Evans’ BBC Radio 2 show.

U2’s impromptu gig echoed The Beatles’ 1969 rooftop performance at record label Apple’s London headquarters.

Earlier the band revealed they are preparing to tour later this year, and hope to offer tickets with cheaper, recession-busting prices.

Frontman Bono told BBC Radio 1’s Jo Whiley they had “something very special planned” for early summer.

He added that it was “a whole way of trying to do shows outdoors and make them very intimate”.

In an interview on Radio 5 Live with Simon Mayo, Bono said that he had “gone off” Get On Your Boots a few weeks ago, but was now “back on it”.

“It’s a small song, a tiny little song, a little shot of adrenalin,” he added.

Another song from the album, Breathe, had its live debut at an intimate Radio 1 concert on Friday morning.

Bono told the audience: “This is a great honour. This is the first time we’ve played these songs to people, so we hope we don’t screw it up.”

He said they were “trying” to work on some cheaper ticket prices, but added: “We’re also going to have some very expensive ticket prices because rich people have feelings too!”

Radio 1 also apologised on-air immediately after Bono used an expletive to describe Coldplay’s lead singer Chris Martin.

The BBC said it had received no complaints about it.

Visit the U2 at the BBC site to see video of the full roof-top gig, plus video of the Live Lounge performance, photos and blogs.

Bolt fends off Shopaholic movie

The film is also being shown in 3D in some cinemas

Disney animation Bolt has secured a second week at the top of the UK and Ireland box office chart, ahead of Confessions of a Shopaholic.

The family film took £1m more than its comedy rival, which stars Isla Fisher as a New York retail addict.

Despite its triumph at the Oscars, Slumdog Millionaire dropped from number two to third spot. final fantasy gil

But after six weeks on the chart, Danny Boyle’s Mumbai odyssey has made more than £23m in ticket sales.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which was largely overlooked at the Academy Awards, also went down from four to number five.

The only new entry in this week’s cinema ratings was Push, in at seven.

The action movie chronicles two young Americans with special powers who are charged with reaching a girl before a mysterious government organisation gets to her first.

Confessions of a Shopaholic also missed out on pole position in the US box office chart, landing at number four, well behind horror remake Friday the 13th.

Its star Isla Fisher is best known to television viewers for playing Shannon Reed in Australian soap opera Home and Away for 11 years from 1994. ffxi gil

Duffy crowned queen of the Brits

Welsh singer Duffy has scored a Brit Awards hat-trick, picking up three prizes including the coveted statue for best British album.

The 24-year-old fought back tears as she accepted the award, saying it was the result of “five years’ work”.

Duffy was also named best British female and won the British breakthrough award at the ceremony in west London.

Elbow were named best British group, Girls Aloud won best British single and Paul Weller took best British male.

Accepting her British female award, Duffy said: “It’s a real honour to be here. British female - I don’t know what that means, but it’s a good job my mum didn’t have a boy.”

Kylie Minogue hosted the show with James Corden and Matthew Horne

I Kissed a Girl singer Katy Perry flew into the UK to pick up best international female despite being ill.

She said: “I’m so sick right now, but they said to show up to the Brits because something special might happen… Obviously I’ve worked pretty hard because I want to die now.” lord of the rings gold

This year’s stage had a music festival theme, with the stars performing under a giant Glastonbury-style pyramid, flanked by cows, a caravan and a tipi.

Irish rockers U2 opened the show with a performance of their new single, Get On Your Boots. A heavily made-up Bono told the crowd it was “good to be back”.

Hosts James Corden and Matt Horne then appeared, dressed in red skirts and thigh length boots, as backing dancers as co-host Kylie Minogue sang Can’t Get You Out Of My Head.

Veteran singer Paul Weller, who beat Will Young, Ian Brown, James Morrison and The Streets to win best British male, was not at the ceremony.

Girls Aloud celebrated their first ever Brit Award

He accepted the award from singer Adele in a pre-taped video, saying: “I’m sorry, I can’t be there tonight but thank you very much for this award.”

US rockers Kings of Leon won two awards - best international group and best international album.

Dressed in suits, they collected the first from former Neighbours star Natalie Imbruglia, joking that “it was not just for our good looks - it was for our music as well”. LOTRO Gold

The best British live act, chosen by listeners of BBC Radio 2, went to heavy metal legends Iron Maiden.

They were a no-show and thanked their fans in a video, standing in front of their huge skeleton mascot, Eddie.

Singer Bruce Dickinson said: “We couldn’t keep this entire show on the road without our fans. They’re the people that keep this band alive.”

He added: “And I do hope that Eddie doesn’t get too jealous.”

Another absentee was Kanye West, who received the best international male award. He joked that he was taking his new title literally, claiming “in every nation I’m the best male”.

He added: “That means if you go to a club, and you’re a girl, and you’re looking for a male, and you see me, you now have the best.”

Best British group went to Elbow, who can add the Brit to the Mercury Prize they won for their album The Seldom Seen Kid last year.

Receiving the prize from David Hasselhoff, they paid a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the former Baywatch star.

Singer Guy Garvey joked: “You will not believe how long it has taken to get this close to the Hoff - but it’s worth it.”

The Pet Shop Boys were joined by Brandon Flowers and Lady GaGa

Viewers voted throughout the show for the winner of best British single, which went to Girls Aloud for The Promise.

A clearly delighted Sarah Harding screamed: “Can I just say, it’s about time.”

The Pet Shop Boys received an outstanding contribution award and closed the show with a medley of greatest hits including Go West, West End Girls and Always On My Mind. maplestory Mesos

They were joined on stage by US chart-topper Lady GaGa and The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers.

Flowers, who presented the award, told how he was one of the group’s greatest fans and once chose Pet Shop Boys over The Smiths when he only had enough cash for one album.

Former Suede star Bernard Butler had already been named producer of the year for his work on records by Duffy and Black Kids.

Meanwhile, Florence and the Machine received the Critics’ Choice prize for new talent.

Bafta winners downplay Oscar talk

The Academy Awards are now just two weeks away. Speaking at this year’s Baftas, however, the lucky winners would not be drawn on their Oscar chances.

Winslet’s parents Sally and Roger were present to see her named best actress

Having triumphed at the Baftas, Kate Winslet, Mickey Rourke and Slumdog Millionaire’s director Danny Boyle must surely be hoping that Oscar glory will follow.

Speaking backstage at the Royal Opera House in London, though, all three maintained they were taking things one ceremony at a time.

“I think it would be wrong to hope for anything beyond this point,” said Winslet as she clutched the second Bafta mask of her career.

“The girl from Reading will always be in me,” she continued. “These are dreams that, as a kid, I wouldn’t even dare to dream.”

“Obviously we are very privileged to have got that recognition,” said Boyle of the 10 Academy Award nominations his film received last month.

However, the Manchester-born director preferred to concentrate on the “wonderful” seven prizes his film had just earned.

Rourke, meanwhile, said he would not be upset if the best actor Oscar went to his main rival, Milk star - and good friend - Sean Penn.

“If I am down there clapping for Sean it’s okay with me,” he smiled, revealing a gold tooth every bit as lustrous as his latest accolade.

‘Quiet night’

“If it ain’t this year I will come back next year, or the year after that.”

Heavy rain failed to dampen spirits on the Bafta red carpet, thankfully free of the soapy suds that swamped it when 2002’s event suffered similarly inclement weather.

Danny Boyle kisses one of the seven Baftas won by Slumdog Millionaire

“There’s a good atmosphere this year,” said Irish actor Brendan Gleeson, whose dark comedy In Bruges took home the best original screenplay prize.

The party continued inside for the cast and crew of Slumdog Millionaire as it won five of the first nine awards.

“It’s been a quiet night for us tonight,” deadpanned cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, one of several technicians to be recognised for his work on Boyle’s film.

“I know it seems as if one ought to get used to it,” said Simon Beaufoy, whose Slumdog script landed the best adapted screenplay award.

“But a few months ago we were looking at a film that was not even coming out in the States in cinemas.”

His, however, was just one of several homegrown success stories to be celebrated at this year’s event.

Animator Nick Park - who already has his name on five Bafta masks - swelled his tally further with an award for his most recent Wallace and Gromit short.

‘Good ideas’

There were also gongs for artist Steve McQueen, recognised for his debut movie Hunger, and director James Marsh, whose documentary Man on Wire was crowned best British film.

Inspired by Philippe Petit, the Frenchman who famously wire-walked between the Twin Towers in New York in 1974, the film might not seem an obvious choice for such an accolade.

Gilliam paid tribute to Heath Ledger, with whom he worked on two films

According to Marsh, though, it showed UK film-makers were “alive to good ideas and good stories, whoever might bring them our way.”

The evening ended with Monty Python alumnus and “full-time Brit” Terry Gilliam receiving the Bafta fellowship award, the most prestigious honour in the Academy’s gift.

Proud as he was, however, the director of Time Bandits and Brazil admitted he had had some reservations about accepting it.

“It is very strange because I feel like I am suddenly being respected,” said the American-born 68-year-old, who arrived sporting an Order of Lenin medallion he claimed to have bought in Moscow for 25 cents.

“I don’t like that. It is not a good feeling. I still like the idea of being able to outrage people.”

The film-maker went on to say how happy he was that the late Heath Ledger had been named best supporting actor for The Dark Knight.

“Heath was a genius,” he said of the actor, with whom he had been working at the time of the Australian star’s death last year.

“Frankly, it would have been nice if he had won more awards when he was alive.”