"(You Drive Them) Crazy"...

Britney Spears hits are being used by the UK's Royal Navy to scare off Somali pirates.

The hit singles"Oops! I Did It Again" and "Baby One More Time" have proved the most effective deterrent on supertankers off the east coast of Africa. "Her songs were chosen by the security team because they thought the pirates would hate them most," merchant navy officer Rachel Owens told Metro. "These guys can't stand Western culture or music, making Britney's hits perfect."

The Royal Navy has 1,500 sailors on 14 warships in operation in the area, after there were 176 attacks on ships by pirates in 2011. Owens revealed that speakers playing the music can be specifically aimed at the pirates, so it doesn't disturb the crew and their rest or work. "It's so effective the ship's security rarely needs to resort to firing guns," she said. "As soon as the pirates get a blast of Britney, they move on as quickly as they can."

Steven Jones, of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry, added: "Pirates will go to any lengths to avoid or try to overcome the music. "I'd imagine using Justin Bieber would be against the Geneva Convention."

Ah, Britney the war hero! Just imagine, we could have world peace of people would think of using the "music" of Mariah Carey!

SOTD...

It's another Monday - but here is cheerful little tune to brighten your day!

Men Behaving Badly actresses Caroline Quentin and Leslie Ash released this cover of the Exciters hit "Tell Him" in the summer of 1996. The single reached number 25 in the UK Singles Chart.

The video features the gals parading around in 50s outfits, stealing icecream for small children and doing some dubious dance moves. So, all in all, perfect for Monday. Enjoy!

RIP...

Lou Reed has passed away at the age of 71.

The legendary singer, a founding member of The Velvet Underground, was one of the most influential rock musicians of the past 50 years. His solo hits included the classics "Perfect Day" and of course the timeless "Walk On The Wild Side".

More sad news, as the world heard today that actress Marcia Wallace had passed away on Friday at the age of 70.

Marcia rose to fame in the 1970s with her role on hit series The Bob Newhart Show, before joining Fox's animated comedy The Simpsons in 1990.

She is best known for the 20+ years she spent on the series voicing Bart Simpson's sardonic schoolteacher Edna Krabappel, a role which earned her an Emmy Award in 1992. Loved for her dry humour and barking laugh, Krabappel appeared in more than 150 episodes of The Simpsons up until Wallace's death.

The makers of the show have stated that they will retire the character of Edna instead of replacing Marcia with another actress. "I was tremendously saddened to learn this morning of the passing of the brilliant and gracious Marcia Wallace," added Simpsons executive producer Al Jean. "She was beloved by all at The Simpsons, and we intend to retire her irreplaceable character."

A good thing, since I don't think anyone could replace that voice.

Tracks...

Time for some tracks. As always, the selection ranges from the tacky to the fabulous! I'll let you decide which songs fit where...

SOTD...

These days it's all about Cher in the Galaxy. The diva has just scored one of her highest charting albums ever in both the US and the UK and I must say it is one of the most welcomed comebacks, well, ever (but then again, so have all her previous comebacks been) ;)

Since it is Saturday (thank god), I feel that disco-Cher is most appropriate! So we travel back to March 1979. "Take Me Home" was the first single from the album of the same name. It became her first US top 10 hit since "Dark Lady" in 1974, peaking at #8 (and at #2 on the dance chart). The single sold around million copies and became her last top 10 hit in the States, until she unleashed her 1987 comeback.



The song became the debut solo single by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who released a cover in 2001. It became a hit in the UK, peaking at #2 and topped the charts in Spain for 6 weeks.

Here are both versions:

"If You Like A Penny, Wouldn't You Like Many Much More?"...

After my previous post today featuring photographs of Madonna before she became famous, here is a selection of recently leaked outtakes from various photoshoots after she became the ruler of the world.































For much more, click here

Oh Dear...

Can't say I'm loving the "artwork" for the latest Lady Gaga releases. The woman seems to have become allergic to clothes (don't all female singers these days?), her music is now complete s**t and her recent on-line ramblings, along with some seriously dubious interviews seems to suggest that perhaps the "lady" should check herself into rehab before trying to get her career back on track? Just saying...

For The Very First Time...

Some previously unpublished photographs of Madonna from her nude modeling days have surfaced. The photos, which were taken around 1977 by Herman Kulkens, were found in the estate of former Penthouse publisher Bob Cuccione who had bought the rights to publish several of the photos after Madonna became famous.