My Coldplay.com

The new owner of record label EMI is enforcing tight restrictions on new artist signings and marketing budgets in a bid to get the firm back on track. There are also fears that job losses could happen among the 5500 workforce at EMI, which is home to artists including Kylie Minogue, Lily Allen and Coldplay. Guy Hands’ private equity firm Terra Firma completed the takeover of the record label for £4 billion including debt in August. In the same month as the takeover first-quarter revenues had slipped by 5.1 per cent. Should Coldplay leave EMI? Vote here.
[Read more]

Jude Law’s New Year’s resolution is to play the piano like Coldplay’s Chris Martin.

The ‘Sleuth’ star, who can already play the saxophone, harmonica and guitar, is desperate to become an amazing pianist because he is “rubbish” at playing the other instruments.

He told BANG Showbiz: “I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions because I try and have resolutions and ambitions all through the year.

“You know what, though, I don’t know whether I’ll be able to accomplish this next year but I’ve always wanted to learn a musical instrument well.

“I play a few badly - the harmonica, saxophone and guitar - but I’m rubbish at all of them.

“ I’d like to be able to play like Chris Martin, who I admire an awful lot.” [Read more]

Already, 2008 promises to offer new music from some of the industry’s biggest heavyweights, including Coldplay, R.E.M., U2, Green Day, Oasis, Metallica and Gnarls Barkley.

TheRecord

Earlier this month, Patrol Magazine released its first annual Christmas Sampler, a compilation of Christmas songs and covers from bands like Coldplay, Keane, Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead. Better yet, they released it as a free download. To get your copy, head on over to A Gift from Patrol and follow the link to the download.

Here’s the full track list:

1. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Coldplay
2. O Holy Night - Andy Zipf
3. White Christmas - Keane
4. Blue Christmas - Bright Eyes
5. O Holy Night (Live) - The Corrs
6. Do You Hear What I Hear? - Plain White Ts
7. Carol of the Bells - Thrice
8. If There Is A God (Live) - Smashing Pumpkins & Radiohead
9. Majesty Snowbird (Live) - Sufjan Stevens
10. She Came Home for Christmas (Live) - Mew
11. White Christmas (Live) - Coldplay

Enjoy, and happy holidays!

Here’s Coldplay’s year in review.

JANUARY

Coldplay donated items for the 3rd annual Charity Auction for Darfur which raised money for the Save Darfur Coalition and Human Rights Watch. Mark Ronson covered Coldplay’s ‘God Put A Smile Upon Your Face’ on his new album ‘Version’. Coldplay do the Slipnutz on the Conan O’Brien show.

There were rumours that the band would play Glastonbury this year [later unfounded].

Brian Eno announced that he would be producing Coldplay’s 4th album. The band release a new edition of X&Y to coincide with the announcement of their Latin American Tour.

Will Champion emailed me to let me know that Coldplay.com would be revamped and Coldplay were set to release a vinyl Singles Boxset.
[Read more]

When Coldplay wanted to preview songs from its latest album in a club here in 2005 before playing a bigger room in town, the band chose the Troubadour because of that legacy. “The Troubadour was one of those magical places in America that we grew up in England reading about,” Chris Martin said at the time. “It was an honor playing there.”

Miami Herald

Most Britons think the Live 8 concerts next month to boost awareness about poverty in Africa and protests outside a G8 summit in Scotland will fail to help solve the problem, a poll showed on Wednesday.

The gigs in London and other major cities on July 2 have been organised by rock star activist Bob Geldof to pressure leaders from the Group of Eight (G8) world powers to lift Africa out of its misery at their July 6-8 summit.

But the survey by YouGov and Sky News found that almost three-quarters of people quizzed believed African governments had the biggest impact on the continent’s standard of living and economy.
[Read more]

GWYNETH PALTROW shouldn’t get her hopes up this Christmas - her husband CHRIS MARTIN is giving vacuum cleaners as gifts.
The multi-millionaire Coldplay frontman was spotted on London’s Oxford Street buying three red Henry hoovers on Friday (21Dec07).

His bizarre last-minute purchases are said to be worth around $200 (£100) each. But he wouldn’t reveal who they are for. He tells Britain’s The Sun newspaper: “Some of them are gifts and one’s for me.

“I love to do the housework. I don’t really see the point of getting someone else to do all your day-to-day chores.”

PRInside

Happy Christmas and Chanukah and Eid-ul-adha.

Love

Will, Guy, Jonny Chris

Head over to Coldplay.com to check out the video of a festive ditty which Coldplay recorded this week as a Christmas message for you folks.

Happy Christmas!

I YouTubed it. Couldn’t help myself…