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.

 

Just downloaded the Prodigy’s “Invaders Must Die,” the title track from the band's forthcoming fifth full-length, made available today as a freebie on the Grammy-nominated trio’s website. While I’ve listened to the track only a few times now, I’ve got to say I’m a little underwhelmed. You can check out the song -- which isn't officially a single, reps say -- for yourself here.

There has never been a better time for the Prodigy to reclaim their old-school techno throne. Aggressive-sounding dance music is once again in favor, thanks to electro artists such as Justice, who have made more inroads with American rock music fans this past year than any other outfit. But with "Invaders Must Die," the Prodigy don't reach the high bar they set for themselves with their stellar back catalog of hits such as “Firestarter,” “Jericho,” “Breathe,” "Fire," “Charly,” “Smack My Bitch Up,” "Poison" and others.

So, Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson have a new baby, and his name is exactly what you think it would be! The Fall Out Boy bassist and lyricist's first creative endeavor under a thousand syllables, Bronx Mowgli Wentz, came into this world Thursday night at 7 pounds, 11 ounces and a difficult middle school tenure scheduled for sometime around 2020. The 29-year-old Wentz and 24-year-old Simpson are reportedly doing just fine. Hopefully, we'll be able to catch a glimpse of the little Jungle Book hero at a future FNMTV taping.

-- August Brown

Photo by Nancy Ostertag/Getty Images

Beyoncé may be a married lady now, but she's still all caught up in the drama of love's first glances and final door slams. It's refreshing that she's staying in character: When artists such as Mary J. Blige start making music about how happy they are with their chubby hubbies, it may be sincere, but it also serves the function of feeding the tabloids. Beyoncé and her Hova have always kept business and pleasure separate, which imparts dignity to their relationship -- and lets her be an artist first, a personality second.

Beyoncé's emotional reserve also allows for hits that still appeal to her core fan base of independent women. "Irreplaceable" was a masterpiece of that ilk, the finger-wagging summation of mercenary, "Sex and the City"-style post-feminism. That song made Beyoncé pop's Chairwoman of the Board, as worldly wise and merciless about love as Sinatra was in the wee small hours of the morning.

Her new club banger, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," elaborates on "Irreplaceable's" theme of love as sport, if not war; sounding a lot like a Destiny's Child song, it has Beyoncé doing call-and-response with her backup singers over a rump-shaking beat provided by The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. More than most female singers, Beyoncé understands the funky art of singing rhythmically, and this is a prime example.

Snap Judgment: the Prodigy's 'Invaders Must Die'

 

Just downloaded the Prodigy’s “Invaders Must Die,” the title track from the band's forthcoming fifth full-length, made available today as a freebie on the Grammy-nominated trio’s website. While I’ve listened to the track only a few times now, I’ve got to say I’m a little underwhelmed. You can check out the song -- which isn't officially a single, reps say -- for yourself here.

There has never been a better time for the Prodigy to reclaim their old-school techno throne. Aggressive-sounding dance music is once again in favor, thanks to electro artists such as Justice, who have made more inroads with American rock music fans this past year than any other outfit. But with "Invaders Must Die," the Prodigy don't reach the high bar they set for themselves with their stellar back catalog of hits such as “Firestarter,” “Jericho,” “Breathe,” "Fire," “Charly,” “Smack My Bitch Up,” "Poison" and others.

So, Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson have a new baby, and his name is exactly what you think it would be! The Fall Out Boy bassist and lyricist's first creative endeavor under a thousand syllables, Bronx Mowgli Wentz, came into this world Thursday night at 7 pounds, 11 ounces and a difficult middle school tenure scheduled for sometime around 2020. The 29-year-old Wentz and 24-year-old Simpson are reportedly doing just fine. Hopefully, we'll be able to catch a glimpse of the little Jungle Book hero at a future FNMTV taping.

-- August Brown

Photo by Nancy Ostertag/Getty Images

Beyoncé may be a married lady now, but she's still all caught up in the drama of love's first glances and final door slams. It's refreshing that she's staying in character: When artists such as Mary J. Blige start making music about how happy they are with their chubby hubbies, it may be sincere, but it also serves the function of feeding the tabloids. Beyoncé and her Hova have always kept business and pleasure separate, which imparts dignity to their relationship -- and lets her be an artist first, a personality second.

Beyoncé's emotional reserve also allows for hits that still appeal to her core fan base of independent women. "Irreplaceable" was a masterpiece of that ilk, the finger-wagging summation of mercenary, "Sex and the City"-style post-feminism. That song made Beyoncé pop's Chairwoman of the Board, as worldly wise and merciless about love as Sinatra was in the wee small hours of the morning.

Her new club banger, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," elaborates on "Irreplaceable's" theme of love as sport, if not war; sounding a lot like a Destiny's Child song, it has Beyoncé doing call-and-response with her backup singers over a rump-shaking beat provided by The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. More than most female singers, Beyoncé understands the funky art of singing rhythmically, and this is a prime example.

Pop & Hiss welcomes Bronx Mowgli Wentz into this bright, cruel world

So, Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson have a new baby, and his name is exactly what you think it would be! The Fall Out Boy bassist and lyricist's first creative endeavor under a thousand syllables, Bronx Mowgli Wentz, came into this world Thursday night at 7 pounds, 11 ounces and a difficult middle school tenure scheduled for sometime around 2020. The 29-year-old Wentz and 24-year-old Simpson are reportedly doing just fine. Hopefully, we'll be able to catch a glimpse of the little Jungle Book hero at a future FNMTV taping.

-- August Brown

Photo by Nancy Ostertag/Getty Images

Beyoncé may be a married lady now, but she's still all caught up in the drama of love's first glances and final door slams. It's refreshing that she's staying in character: When artists such as Mary J. Blige start making music about how happy they are with their chubby hubbies, it may be sincere, but it also serves the function of feeding the tabloids. Beyoncé and her Hova have always kept business and pleasure separate, which imparts dignity to their relationship -- and lets her be an artist first, a personality second.

Beyoncé's emotional reserve also allows for hits that still appeal to her core fan base of independent women. "Irreplaceable" was a masterpiece of that ilk, the finger-wagging summation of mercenary, "Sex and the City"-style post-feminism. That song made Beyoncé pop's Chairwoman of the Board, as worldly wise and merciless about love as Sinatra was in the wee small hours of the morning.

Her new club banger, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," elaborates on "Irreplaceable's" theme of love as sport, if not war; sounding a lot like a Destiny's Child song, it has Beyoncé doing call-and-response with her backup singers over a rump-shaking beat provided by The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. More than most female singers, Beyoncé understands the funky art of singing rhythmically, and this is a prime example.

First Listen: Beyoncé's 'If I Were a Boy' and 'Single Ladies'

Beyoncé may be a married lady now, but she's still all caught up in the drama of love's first glances and final door slams. It's refreshing that she's staying in character: When artists such as Mary J. Blige start making music about how happy they are with their chubby hubbies, it may be sincere, but it also serves the function of feeding the tabloids. Beyoncé and her Hova have always kept business and pleasure separate, which imparts dignity to their relationship -- and lets her be an artist first, a personality second.

Beyoncé's emotional reserve also allows for hits that still appeal to her core fan base of independent women. "Irreplaceable" was a masterpiece of that ilk, the finger-wagging summation of mercenary, "Sex and the City"-style post-feminism. That song made Beyoncé pop's Chairwoman of the Board, as worldly wise and merciless about love as Sinatra was in the wee small hours of the morning.

Her new club banger, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," elaborates on "Irreplaceable's" theme of love as sport, if not war; sounding a lot like a Destiny's Child song, it has Beyoncé doing call-and-response with her backup singers over a rump-shaking beat provided by The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. More than most female singers, Beyoncé understands the funky art of singing rhythmically, and this is a prime example.