Amy denied US visa

AMY Winehouse has been denied an American work visa – and now she’ll miss out on her biggest US show to date.

The 25-year-old Rehab singer - who was charged with common assault last week – has had to cancel next month's massive Coachella festival.

She had been lined up to do a headline performance along the likes of The Killers, Sir Paul McCartney and Morrissey at the California spectacular which is attended by around 75,000 fans.

Her spokesman said: "She is not appearing at Coachella this year in the light of current legal issues."

The singer was said to be "absolutely gutted" at the development.

As well the thousands of fans, legions of top record executives are expected to visit Coachella.

Winehouse - whose Back To Black album is a multi-million seller - was last week charged with assaulting a woman in Berkeley Square, Westminster, on 26 September.

She will appear at City of Westminster Magistrates Court on 17 March.

It is not the first time US visa problems have stopped her performing.

Last year a delay in finalising via paperwork forced her perform for the US Grammy awards ceremony live via satellite from London.

The Killers and Oasis to top V Festival bill

The Killers and Oasis (pictured below) are to headline the V Festival 2009.

Other acts will include The Specials, Fatboy Slim, Razorlight, Snow Patrol, Keane and Elbow, as well as newcomers The Tings Tings, MGMT and Lady Ga Ga, according to organisers.

Bob Angus, the festival's director, said: "We're genuinely thrilled to have such an eclectic line-up this year.

"Our headliners, The Killers and Oasis, are two of the biggest acts in music today and with them being joined by some really exuberant newcomers, this summer's V Festival is set to give festival fans something to shout about."

Peaches gets a makeover by penny-pinching grannies

A GROUP of grannies gave Peaches Geldof a makeover today using clothes found in charity shops where they work.

The blonde socialite, who normally decks herself out in pricey designer gear, was styled on a shoestring by the pensioners and fashion expert Mary Portas.

They chose a vintage, fifties-style red dress for the writer, which had been donated to one of the charity shops Portas has been working with for a new BBC2 TV show.

Portas fronted two series of Mary Queen Of Shops, where she attempted to turn around struggling fashion boutiques, but will focus on charity shops in the forthcoming series.

She has spent the past six months revamping Save the Children, MIND, Barnardo's and North London Hospice, and believes charity shops are the key to dressing during the recession.

Portas said: "I brought my style volunteers up to London Fashion Week to give a message to the fashion world that charity shopping is not just great for the environment and for a good cause. These are places where you can get unique, fashionable outfits that are on trend and look great."

The pensioners also gave charity shop makeovers to supermodel Erin O'Connor, actress Natalie Press and DJ Jodie Harsh at their stall, backstage at London Fashion Week in the Science Museum.

Lily hints at Glastonbury gig

 
LILY Allen has hinted she will be playing at the Glastonbury festival this year.

The Smile singer spilled the beans during a radio interview with Absolute Radio Hometime DJ Geoff Lloyd.

When asked what festivals she would be performing at this year, Allen remained tight- lipped. She said: "I’m not allowed to say”, before admitting one of them begins with ‘G’.

The brunette pop star, 23, has performed at the hugely popular festival twice, and her appearance this year will no doubt attract huge crowds.

Allen also hinted that she might be opting out of society for a while.

The pop diva told Lloyd she had bought a three-acre beach in Jamaica and plans to build a hippy commune on it.

She said: “It is like a compound ... Almost like a kind of communey thing.

“We’re going to have like a big sort of central house and a pool, and then that all looks out onto the sea, and then I’m going to have like little sort of Adobe villas, just little two beds, like a bedroom with a shower, like really simple. ”

Glastonbury Festival will run between 24 - 28 June in Somerset this year.

To hear the full interview watch the video at www.absoluteradio.co.uk

Britannia High gets the chop

ITV has axed its all-singing, all-dancing "British High School Musical", Britannia High, after it flopped in the ratings.

The blockbuster musical drama series, set in a fictional stage school, was supposed to be a homegrown, 21st century version of Fame with the popular - and merchandising - success of Disney's cult hit High School Musical.

But it has been pulled after just one series. One episode lured just over three million viewers and was trounced by the Antiques Roadshow at 8.8 million.

The ITV1 show was created by Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips and had songs penned by Gary Barlow.

There were even plans to release a single accompany the series, and an arena tour.

But critics slammed it as an "excruciatingly cliched fiasco" with "cartoonish characters", "lame dialogue" and "plodding plot".

Air guitarists break record at Reading Festival

The Reading Festival high-jinks have kicked off in comedy fashion – with a record-breaking performance by an air guitar ensemble.

But there was a serious message behind the stunt, which saw 254 revellers rocking out to Bon Jovi’s You Give Love A Bad Name in the event’s Bollocks To Poverty tent.

It was organised by charity ActionAid, with a Guinness World Records official on hand to make sure everyone was playing air guitar non-stop throughout the track.

Anella Wickenden from ActionAid said: “This is our seventh year at Reading and we always have a fantastic response from people who want to get involved and join in the fight against global poverty.

“We want to say a big thanks to everyone who joined us to break the world record. The atmosphere in the tent was electric.

"Who needs real instruments when you’ve got hundreds of Reading fans all armed and ready to rock their air guitars?”

Review: Mystery Jets

Mystery Jets

Barfly, Camden

***

The festival season is an important time for bands, so having to cancel a string of dates this summer has been a minor disaster for Mystery Jets.

They're close to greatness and a successful summer should have hurled them into the mainstream.

But when your singer (Blaine Harrison has spina bifida) is hospital-bound with pressure sores on his feet, muddy fields and outdoor stages take a back seat.

So it’s back to Barfly basics as Blaine makes his return to the stage and gives the London audience a taste of what festival goers have sadly missed.

These include Mystery Jets' mastery of boyish, angst-free guitar pop, brilliant live performances of new single ‘I’m In Love With Elizabeth’ and recent top 40 hit ‘Two Doors Down’ - not to mention Blaine’s fantastically floppy hair.

The band themselves aren’t the most charismatic, but fortunately their tunes more than make up for any lack of stage presence.

And while Camden Barfly can’t hope to recreate a festival atmosphere on a muggy Thursday night, filling the venue to an uncomfortable capacity leaves a certain festival odour in the air if nothing else.

- Michael Baggs

Glasto tickets on sale in October

Organisers of the Glastonbury Festival today said tickets would go on sale for next year's event within the next two months.

For the 2009 event held at founder Michael Eavis' Worthy Farm, in Pilton, revellers will have the option of putting down a £50 deposit when tickets go on sale on October 5.

Festivalgoers had to register personal details before purchasing tickets this year - a scheme introduced for the 2007 event.

Those who registered details for this year's festival will not have to do so again and anyone who has not registered their details yet will be able to do so from September 1.

This year's festival, held in June, did not sell out until the Somerset event actually got under way.

It was the first time the festival had not sold out within minutes of tickets going on sale for years.

This was blamed on a variety of factors - including torrential rain at previous festivals, and the controversial appointment of New York rapper Jay-Z in the Saturday headline slot.

V Festival: Amy Winehouse's 24-hour transformation

The Verve, Kings of Leon and Muse all shone at this weekend's V Festival - the hottest ticked in town for all the celebs.

Duffy was there too but there was one group the star failed to impress.

Goldie Lookin Chain took a pop at the Mercy singer.

"She's made a lot of money out of a song about a tube station [Warwick Avenue]", said Dwain Xain Zedon.

He added: “We're thinking of a writing a song called Cockfosters."

Meanwhile Amy Winehouse managed to claw back some of the support she lost on Friday night when she kept her fans in Weston Park, Staffordshire waiting 15 minutes before taking to the stage.

She had stuttered her way through her performance, even forgetting some of the words to Back to Black.

What's more she looked terrible state, coughing and spluttering and with bad skin and make-up smudged across her face.

She was met with fans but 24 hours later managed to turn herself around and turned up looking fresh-faced and glam for the second leg of the festival at Hylands Park, Chelmsford.

Click below to see her transformation

Beachbombing is the new Snowbombing

Clubbers and sun-seekers alike should check out the alternative Ibiza experience - Beachbombing.

The people that brought us Snowbombing (crazy music festival action at various ski resorts) are putting on a five-day summer extravaganza on the island best known for its party antics.

There will be pool-side fancy dress dos, action from the Ibiza Rocks Hotel, Zoo parties, secret parties and boat parties. Basically any kind of party that springs to mind.

Artists and deck-spinners signed up so far include the Cuban Brothers (pictured), Freestylers, Streetlife DJs, Krafty Kuts, Herve, Greg Wilson and Todd Terje.

Beachbombing tickets also offer access into some of the island’s biggest clubs and end of season bashes including the beast that is the Manumission Closing Party.

For more information for the event which runs from 17 - 21 September visit www.beachbombing.com or call 0845 331 3061.