This week, James writes;

"Daniel Bedingfield is the third British male singer to have had three chart-toppers since the year 2000."
No, that’s not true. There had already been three, so if we’re going to count Daniel as a Brit, when he’s actually a New Zealander, he’s the fourth.

"Robbie Williams and Gareth Gates are the other two."
They are certainly two of the other three since 2000, but Gareth Gates has already clocked up four number ones, not three, and James has completely ignored Will Young, who has also had three. Methinks James has forgotten about The Long And Winding Road, the duet which would account for both of these omissions.

"For the females, Christina Aguilera has also hit the top three times in the same period…"
That bit’s correct, at least. Her second, third and fourth number ones were in this period. Genie In A Bottle was outside of it, in 1999.

"…but since the turn of the millennium the only act to have managed more than three are, perhaps inevitably, Westlife who have done it no less than seven times."
Huh? Now he’s getting really confused! Westlife have had eleven #1s so far. Seven of them were in the last millennium, and only four of them (Uptown Girl, Queen Of My Heart, World Of Our Own and Unbreakable) were in this one.

Don’t believe what you read!
· link

Bit of a rotten day for celeb-spotting at London Pride on Saturday (apart from those on stage). So many people were looking for cover from the rain. We made up for it on Sunday though, with two of our favourite men seen up Hoxton way, savouring Shoreditch sunshine and shopping. (Try saying that when you've had as much vodka as we had on Saturday!) Firstly, we saw the BBC's economics correspondent, Evan Davies, in a shop (and we'll leave it at that).

Funnily enough, two of the three of us have met him before, and DID HE REMEMBER US? No, he did not. But then, we didn't speak to him either.

Later, outside the Apostrophe Boulangerie & Patisserie, we realised we were about to park our bottoms next to 'that bloke from Spooks', who I absolutely love, both aesthetically and for his acting. He was also brilliant in The Project; the drama about New Labour.

Unfortunately though, we couldn't remember his real name (Matthew Macfadyen) and I wasn't going to call him 'Tom' from Spooks to his face. My friend R took great pleasure, after the actor left and we moved tables, in telling me the seat was still warm.
· link

A tough one this week, with Junior Senior and Robbie out as well, but it's got to be...

Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh) - Lumidee

The Summer of 2003 will surely be remembered as the Summer of clapping songs. Wayne Wonder is the new millennium Shirley Ellis, and Lumidee is the new Belle Stars. Ol' Dirty Bastard is about to join the happy-clappy gang too, under his new Dirt McGirt moniker. Lumidee has been stuck in my head for weeks, and should be stuck pretty high in the charts on Sunday too. We may even see Never Leave You challenging the thematically similar Never Gonna Leave Your Side for #1, in a linguistic battle not seen since Eternity and Eternal Flame were consecutive number ones, exactly two years ago.

Pointless prediction: #2
UPDATE: Lumidee did indeed enter at #2, behind Blu Cantrell & Sean Paul, with Daniel Bedingfield slipping to #4.
· link

In a blatant, feeble attempt to use another song title as a heading, World Of Chig acknowledges the passing yesterday of Bob Hope, age 100. Dying at 100 must be a whole lot better than dying at 99. Chig was rather surprised though, that this was the lead story on BBC One's 6 o'clock news yesterday evening. Was it really more important than the Tony Martin story and everything else going on in the world? I think not.
· link

Well, that just about sums up London Pride. It was mainly fun, what I remember of it. But was it worth £26 for the park? No, definitely not.
· link

Make Mrs Turner happy (and read about Scott's childhood, according to his Mum).

Don't let this happen.

09011 21 44 09
· link

L-R: Andrea Corr, Antony Costa (Blue), David Beckham, Heather Small, Nush BB4, Ryan Phillippe and my cousin Mandy. Along with a few others, they're all in Fame Academy 2, coming to a TV near you this Saturday. As one reality TV door closes, another opens. Hurrah!
· link

Is it Christian Aid week? Be very afraid! Daniel Bedingfield is inexplicably (because it's the fifth single off his album) heading for number one, and Cameron is probably going to win Big Brother tomorrow. Never underestimate the Christian vote!

Number of #1 singles on Daniel Bedingfield's album, after 5 releases: 3
Number of #1 singles on Madonna's American Life album, after 3 releases: 0

· link

Was Chig the only one feeling smug last night watching Big Brother live? The housemates were playing that game where they had to name, in rotation, a country beginning with A, then with B etc. etc. They had already played the game with boys' and girls' names and animals. It's a shame they don't have any paint to watch drying. When it came to naming a country beginning with J, they really struggled before coming up with Japan the first time, and on the second round, they gave up, thinking they had already mentioned the only one. I'm sure it wasn't just me who was shouting 'Jamaica' at the TV. Interestingly, Jon came out of the diary room/ toilet/wherever he'd been and joined in. It was his turn when they got to W, and he was absolutely flummoxed. He pondered in silence for what seemed like forever, and then it went to an ad break, at which point I imagine viewers from Flint to Pembroke, from Yns Mon to Monmouth were throwing their leeks and daffodils at the telly. Come on Jon, it's not that difficult, is it? Federico may not be going to Newcastle - I think you should steer clear of Cardiff.
· link

Chig is. Make yourself known. And where should we be going on Saturday night? Do tell.
· link

Apologies if you've been bursting to leave a comment in the last few days and haven't been able to. I tried to insert the necessary code to make the update, but it didn't work. However, it has now been fixed by World Of Chig's technical support helpdesk, to whom I am eternally grateful. Comment away!
· link

If this track hadn't been out this week, it would have been Stereophonics, with their best single in ages, but this week's single of the week couldn't be anything other than;

Swing Swing - All American Rejects

Because it's brilliant. What a comprehensive, informative review that was.

Pointless prediction: #10. (The pressure's on, after Chig was spot on with the Benny Benassi prediction last week.)
· link

...is not, as everyone keeps saying, Justin Timberlake. I'm currently hearing the new Gareth Gates single, 'Sunshine', for the first time and it is one amazing Jacko impression from start to finish, even with a Jacko gasp near the beginning. (It's actually quite good, in a laid-back Summer vide kinda way, but will it still be sunny on 8th September, when it eventually hits the shops?)
· link

I went inside this yesterday, in a park in Swindon. It was fab. I took loads of photos. Funnily enough, they look exactly like this bloke's.
· link

Met three lovely Welsh blokes tonight. They're in a band. Didn't seem too pleased when I asked where the fourth one was though.

Yes, it's that top again. I do take it off sometimes, honest.
· link

Damn those pesky housemates! I must admit to being a bit surprised. I had assumed Steph would be out this week. (This seems to be the only thing on which nasty Lisa and I agree.) So let's leave Cameron in, so he can come second to Scott, and evict Nush, so we can see Scott emotionally tested but come out of himself when she's gone.
· link

It's 30 degrees C again today, as yesterday, and it's St. Swithin's Day too, which means....hot weather for the next forty days. Hurrah!
· link

· link

Satisfaction - Benny Benassi presents The Biz

For the first time in three weeks, Chig's single of the week doesn't start with the word 'crazy'. We seem to have been waiting aeons for this track to actually be released; it's been all over Radio1 for months, and a mighty fine choon it is too, although it sounds nothing like the Rolling Stones' version.
To celebrate Bastille Day, here's Benny's website in French.

Pointless prediction: #2 (Because Beyoncé is at the top for as long as the good weather holds, I reckon.)
UPDATE: Spot on! Benny bounded in at #2.

UPDATE: This was indeed the second best-selling single, in Brum at least, today (Monday), behind Beyoncé. I know this because a certain local, commercial radio station plays Brum's best selling four singles every day at four o'clock. (I'll let you guess what that little feature's called. Yes, you're right.) It's the first time I've noticed this radio station play this particular track, and I was pleased to hear it. Imagine then, my horror, when the presenter declared, "What a load of crap" immediately after playing it. Philistine.
UPDATE: He retracted later in the week and admitted to liking it after all. Result.

· link

Half way through the year, it's time for a recap of Chig's singles of the week so far, in reverse order. This is disc one of my (imaginary) two disc compilation album. I should reiterate that my single of the week is never intended to necessarily be the 'best' new release of the week. It's just a personal thing. And in the case of Jemini (which wouldn't even be the best single of the week in a week where nothing else was released), it was a recognition of their sheer bravery and chutzpah in the face of media mockery, for turning their failure into the most successful media blitz that a UK entry has ever seen, ending up with a #15 single, only two places lower than Jessica Garlick made last year, when she finished third in Eurovision, with 111 points more than Jemini managed. Mind you, she didn't then drop to #39 in her second week, before disappearing for ever. Rumours that Jemini's next single is a tongue-in-cheek cover of Nick Berry's 'Every Loser Wins' remain unconfirmed.

W/c Title - Artist
07/07/03 Crazy Beat - Blur (#18)
30/06/03 Crazy In Love – Beyoncé (#1 for 2 weeks so far)
23/06/03 Fight Test – The Flaming Lips
16/06/03 Universally Speaking – Red Hot Chili Peppers
09/06/03 Don’t Wanna Lose This Feeling / Don’t Wanna Lose This Groove – Dannii Minogue
02/06/03 Every Way That I Can – Sertab (#72)
26/05/03 Cry Baby – Jemini (#15)
19/05/03 Not Gonna Get Us – t.A.T.u
12/05/03 No Good Advice – Girls Aloud (#2)
05/05/03 You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) – Dead Or Alive
28/04/03 Loneliness – Tomcraft (#1)
21/04/03 When I See You – Macy Gray
14/04/03 Train - Goldfrapp
07/04/03 It's Tricky 2003 - Run DMC feat Jacknife Lee
31/03/03 El Salvador – Athlete
24/03/03 Clocks – Coldplay
17/03/03 Being Nobody - Richard X vs. Liberty X
10/03/03 Spirit In The Sky - Gareth Gates & The Kumars (#1)
03/03/03 I Begin To Wonder - Dannii Minogue
24/02/03 Move Your Feet - Junior Senior
17/02/03 Pain Killer – Turin Brakes
10/02/03 I Can’t Break Down – Sinéad Quinn
03/02/03 Cry Me A River – Justin Timberlake
27/01/03 All The Things She Said – t.A.T.u (#1)
20/01/03 Nice Weather For Ducks – Lemon Jelly
13/01/03 Year 3000 – Busted (#2)
06/01/03 Danger! High Voltage – Electric Six



· link

17:55 Someone else is entering the house tonight! Not exactly someone new , but you'll be able to decide.....You heard it here first...
· link

Ooh, we don't do ligging by halves in our family. No sirree. Continuing the fine tradition of ligging set by her Big Brother (moi!), my little sister's not just in the crowd for tonight's Big Brother shows. She's on the bloomin' guest list! Here she is! Look out for her on the two later Big Brother shows tonight. (Not BBLB.) She will apparently be wearing a pink top with a hood, next to a short blond bloke with a white and green striped shirt. Hopefully scary Lisa won't be wearing the same pink outfit. It's true what Graham Norton said last night, bookies have been paying out on Lisa IN ADVANCE, because they think it's the most foregone conclusion in four years of Big Brother. She received 70% of votes on RI:SE on Wednesday (with Steph on 18% and Caeron 12%). Then, yesterday they tried to persuade vieweers to keep her in, because she's so inflammatory (which I can understand) and the vote reduced to...69%. So I think she's a gonner.

· link

It's back! Full rundown soon of the ones we've missed. (I may not have written about them, but I have chosen them, never fear).

This week's single of the week:
Crazy Beat - Blur
· link

Just when you thought that World Of Chig was now a Eurovision-free world, the dates and venue for Eurovision 2004 have just been announced! The rehearsal period is longer now, to accommodate the semi-final, which is happening on the Wednesday before the final, so arrival day in Istanbul is pushed back to Thursday 6 May. Which just happens to be Chig's birthday! Oh, where to spend it? Dilemma....

The semi-final is on Wednesday 12 May 2004.
The final is on Saturday 15 May 2004, in Istanbul's Mydonose Showland Hall. (I'm not sure if the venue is any more built than the website, but they have 44 weeks to work on it.)
· link

It's been a tough decision, but I've finally decided that I do not want;
(a) to enlarge my penis
(b) to buy Viagra, either real or imitation
(c) to buy the world's smallest digital camera
(d) to see anyone getting f***ed by a horse
(e) to buy marketing lists from a German marketing company
(f) to make money with the help of offspring of various former leaders of African countries
(g) to buy works of art
(h) to buy bargain printer cartridges
(i) to buy 'top-selling software at rock bottom prices!'
(j) to visit an on-line casino
(k) to make untold amounts of money in 'get rich quick' schemes

To this end, can anyone recommend some anti-spam software which REALLY works (and is free)?

· link

...but now we've all been found out.
· link

Like there was any doubt about it. Does anyone like her, inside or outside the Big Brother House? Keep an eye open on Friday for my little sister (age 34) on TV. She'll be at the house, in the crowd for both Big Brother's Little Brother (18.00) and Lisa's eviction (22.00). I'll put a picture on here soon, so you know what she looks like.
· link

Congratulations to the Wimbledon seeders for actually getting the top four women right, and what a lovely symmetry there is to the semi-final draw. Both semis feature a Williams sister versus a Belgian. Marvellous. As I write, Timbo is 1-4 down against Grosjean, but saved for the moment by rain. Hopefully it will rain until 4pm, when I'll be back home and able to watch it properly. Having the BBC Sport website's '2 minute refresh' page open is exciting, but missing a little something, I feel.
· link

As I seem to have enormous power over this Big Brother eviction lark, mate, I'll go for three out of three with Gos, mate. He's unhappy, mate. He adds nothing to the house, my man. Time to leave mate. Leave the others to starve, my man. And take your bloody cliches with you mate. Alright mate?
· link

Sadly, not mine. Too busy at the moment. But while you're waiting, read Dave's - it's very good. (I've known Dave through Mike for many years, but didn't know he was at Glasto.) Later, you will be able to work out the moment when we must have come tantalisingly close to actually bumping into each other.
· link

You could do far worse than stay in tonight and listen to Radio 2 for five hours (88-91FM, 19.00-24.00). Tonight is the night of the Great British Music Debate; a whole evening of documentaries and discussion about the current state of the music biz. Including how to get a number one and the demise of the single. It's bound to be interesting and provocative. Expect some comment on it here tomorrow. Feel free to join in the discussion group.
· link

Just before Christmas, my Dad reminded me about an autograph he's had for decades (since the 1960s, I think). A Hollywood megastar was dining in a restaurant in Stratford-Upon-Avon, where he grew up, so he dared to ask her to sign the menu, which she duly did, and he has kept it for 40 or so years. He asked me in December to use the interwebnet thing (with which he has never interfaced) to see how much the autograph might be worth. It seemed, looking at memorabilia signed by the said actress, that it was probably worth £200-300. And it was gratifying to be able to look at samples on the internet which proved that the signature was indeed the same as the one my Dad has. Yesterday, my first thought on hearing the sad news of Katharine Hepburn's death - for it was her who he met all those years ago - was to wonder if the value of the autograph had gone up. Indeed it has. Comparable Katharine Hepburn autographed items now seem to be worth around £500. I don't know whether to be pleased or not. Should I advise my Dad that now would be a good time to sell, or do these things carry on increasing in value once someone has been dead a long time?
· link