News Round-Up 23/04/2004

*** Blue's Antony Costa has reportedly said that he is convinced the band will be together for at least another two years, despite rumours that member Lee Ryan is planning a solo career. Costa said: "Nearly three-and-a-half years down the line it is still upsetting that people put out these rumours because people believe them. It's hard on the fans but we are still together."

*** Muse frontman Matt Bellamy has spoken about his guitar related mouth injury sustained during a gig earlier this month. "It's all healed up now. It's fine", he said. "When it first happened it looked like I had opened it from the nose all the way down to the lip. But when we got to the hospital and actually washed it out a little bit it turned out to be a small cut inside the mouth."

*** Michael Jackson's lawyer Mark Geragos has suggested grounds for a unique defence challenge to the singer's indictment on child sex charges. The defence may argue that the extraordinary security measures, including hiding witnesses and transporting jurors in buses with blacked-out windows, may have intimidated witnesses and grand jurors.

*** Quincy Jones is uniting a host of stars for a massive free concert in Rome aimed at helping children in war-ravaged countries. Jones, who produced the 1980s charity single 'We Are the World' alongside Michael Jackson, has signed up artists including Alicia Keys, LL Cool J and Andrea Bocelli for the May event.

*** Actress Juliette Lewis is to guest on The Prodigy's new album, despite recent rumours that singer Keith Flint had left the band. Liam Howlett and Maxim were said to have been "blown away" by Lewis' voice after hearing her sing while partying with friends in a Los Angeles bar.

*** Franz Ferdinand have hit back at claims that the band have 'sold out'. In an interview with VH1, frontman Alex Kapranos explained how "alternative music sometimes suffers from an artificial modesty", and that their band was very ambitious. "We wanted to play pop music. It's that simple."

*** Morrissey has announced a number of shows to take place in London. As well as acting as the Artistic Director of Meltdown 2004 in June, the 44-year-old singer will also perform at the festival in London's Royal Festival Hall.

KS