Pete Doherty dissed me! One reporter's London odyssey

I went all the way to London to interview England's most notorious rock star and all I got was this stupid blog post.

It wasn't supposed to turn out this way. The plan was for me to sit down with Pete Doherty, the former lead singer for shambolic buzz bands the Libertines and Babyshambles, a skinny bloke whose tabloid renown as supermodel Kate Moss' ex eclipses his musical notoriety in this country.

The meeting place: a posh hotel in the Shephard's Bush section of the British capital where we would talk about his debut solo album, "Grace/Wasteland" (Astralwerks), which hits retail stores today. And Doherty might provide a little light diversion by doing something druggy or outrageous before our time together was up.

Amy Winehouse Coachella watch: She's out

When the Coachella lineup was announced earlier this year, there was plenty of discussion about Paul McCartney and the boomer takeover of the event. But the McCartney booking was hardly as big of a surprise as another English artist: Amy Winehouse.

Though the tabloid staple couldn't get into the United States for the Grammys, would Coachella be able to work its magic and bring Winehouse to sunny Southern California? And could she stay out of trouble long enough to make it to America in mid-April?

Turns out no. The Associated Press reports -- and the Coachella Twitter confirms -- that Winehouse is out for the three-day fest. From Associated Press:

A spokesman for Amy Winehouse says the singer won't perform in the United States next month, as had been planned.

Spokesman Chris Goodman said Monday that Winehouse isn't going to the Coachella festival in Indio, Calif., in "light of current legal issues."

Winehouse was charged with assault last week for allegedly attacking a fan at a London party in September. The singer is due in court next week.

Being charged with a crime often makes it difficult for people to get U.S. visas.
Winehouse's battles with addiction and frequent run-ins with the law have been highly publicized.

And that's that.

On the plus side, it saves us a few more weeks of a will-she-or-won't-she Winehouse watch. On the down side, who will fill her Saturday night hole on the Coachella bill?

--Todd Martens

Photo:  Getty Images