Cue Music Database Notoriety Awards 2008
If you want to stay in the public eye these days, making music just isn't enough. There's no such thing as bad publicity so as long as you can fill your year with as much nonsense as possible, then we'll write about you. Here is CUE Music Database's countdown of the most talked about musical acts of 2008, starting at number 5.
5. Oasis
Another busy year for the Manchester lads started with Noel Gallagher feeling inclined to sell his Ibiza home since James Blunt had moved in next door. A whole host of festival appearances, collaborations and, of course, a new album, gave Oasis all the attention they deserve and we all remember Noel's opinion about Jay-Z appearing at Glastonbury! Other notable moments include Noel getting attacked on stage in Canada and the band sacking their 74th drummer.
4. Coldplay
It's amazing that the band that nothing ever happens to are in there at number 4. Officially voted as the band most likely to send you to sleep they manage to make headline after headline by just telling us what they think of other bands. We don't care! Ironically, it seems Chris Martin's music doesn't have the same effect on him as it is revealed he has a sleeping pill problem (allegedly). Apart from storming out of the odd interview and being accused of plagiarism left right and centre and donating a piano to a flooded school and selling skip-loads of records, nothing happened to Coldplay this year.
3. Amy Winehouse
Right then, now we're getting to the nitty gritty end of things. Apart from the fact that Back to Black has been the most played album in our house this year (by my wife) I've got nothing against Miss Winehouse. Seems everyone else does though, so the year has been littered with stories of drugs, self-abuse, vodka snorting, naked photos, rehab, court cases, assault, adultery etc. Think of the opposite of Cliff Richard and you have it.
2. Britney Spears
And here's where it starts to get difficult squeezing a year of someone like Britney into one paragraph. First she goes a bit 'mental' and has her sons taken away from her. Then it turns out that everyone else is mental too so everyone gets a restraining order. Apart from her Dad who gets control of everything she owns cos she's not fit. But she's well enough to record an album and do some rather dodgy performances get her kids back and now suddenly everything's hunky dory. Yeah right.
1. Madonna
Yes, you'd never have guessed it, Madonna's the number 1 in our Notoriety Awards. She's not here to collect her award in person so let's just take a look at her year. Malawi child adoption case, release of Hard Candy album, A-Rod 'affair', divorce Guy Ritchie, produce film, give Guy Ritchie anything between £50 million and £100 million depending on who you believe and lowest charting single in over 20 years. Yes, despite all the attention, Madonna's 'Miles Away' charted at number 39 in the UK, making it her least successful single since 1984. Still, she is 50 years old now.
So here's the full Top 20 most talked about artists of 2008:
1. Madonna
2. Britney Spears
3. Amy Winehouse
4. Coldplay
5. Oasis
6. Radiohead
7. Jay-Z
8. The Beatles
9. Lily Allen
10. Eminem
11. Metallica
12. Paul McCartney
13. Jonas Brothers
14. Kanye West
15. Lindsay Lohan
16. The Rolling Stones
17. Duffy
18. Kings Of Leon
19. U2
20. Kaiser Chiefs
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