Robbie Williams news from month: October, 2006

Robbie Williams is collaborating with seven different filmmakers to create seven original short films using the tracks from his new album Rudebox.

Now he is inviting all the independent filmmakers out there to provide the eighth for his track The 80′s. The winner, chosen by Robbie Williams and other industry greats (to be announced shortly), will win a £7,500 prize. There is a further prize of £7,500 for the winning film as voted by the public.

“This is the record I’ve always wanted to make. It’s reignited how I think about what I can do with music myself, ‘Rudebox’ was done in a guerrilla way, no plan of action, it just evolved into what it is naturally.

That’s what I like about film today and why I wanted to do this project and competition. Just like in music, you can create a masterpiece out of an i-book and some digital footage, as much as you can in a fancy studio. That’s how ‘The 80s’ began life itself, in my bedroom in LA with my friend Jerry messing around on my Mac. I’m very excited to see what the film makers can come up with.

robbiewilliams.com/rudeboxshorts

London, Oct. 7: Fans of Robbie Williams may have to wait for his new album for some more time, for his ex-manager has filed a writ petition against him over the inclusion of a song he believes is defamatory, casting doubts as to whether his new album will release on time.

Nigel Martin-Smith has reportedly filed a writ petition against Williams and his record label Chrysalis in the High Court, demanding 300,000 pounds in damages over a track on his forthcoming Rudebox CD. Nigel is said to have made this move after the singer did not pay a heed to his demand to not release a song in the album called ‘The 90s’, the lyrics of which, he believes, are highly defamatory to him and are untrue. Since the album is scheduled to be out on October 23, Williams’ lawyers will have to move quickly to avoid its release from being delayed. A procedural judge will hear the initial stages of the action against Chrysalis Records, while his colleague will take up the early stages of the claim against Robbie.

The hearing is expected to last for weeks or even months, and this has become a cause of worry for Robbie’s record label, which has already shelled out a lot of money on the international marketing campaign to promote the album. “The major problem is that thousands of pounds have already been spent on an international marketing campaign to promote the album. From the record label’s point of view the album has to come out on time,” the Sun quoted an insider as saying.ANI / news.sawf.org

London, England (BANG) – After Robbie Williams’s mom recently noticed her son had been spinning out-of-control towards a downhill spiral, she became increasingly concerned for his mental health and decided to do something about it. Reports say the “Angels” singer recenly checked in to see a psychiatrist at the advice of his worried mom. The 32-year-old British star left fans disappointed when he canceled the Asian leg of his tour due to “stress and exhaustion.” Now his mom Jan, a 56-year-old drug counselor, has persuaded him to seek help at a psychiatric practice in Chelsea. A source told Britain’s Daily Star newspaper that Robbie, currently resting at his home in Los Angeles, turned to a counselor for help after Jan’s “tough words of love.” The singer suffers from bipolar disorder, the clinical term for manic depression, and before canceling his tour had been struggling to get out of bed before 3 p.m. and said he couldn’t face going on stage.

Jan has previously spoken of the periods of depression Robbie calls the “blues” in the past. She said, “He was in the depths of despair. I had to practice what I call tough love. I still loved him but I didn’t like him very much.” In a BBC documentary about manic depression, Robbie told actor Stephen Fry, “I only get the manic highs when I’m on stage, it’s downhill after that.”

Maira Oliveira – All Headline News Reporter / allheadlinenews.com

The mother of Robbie Williams’ Kiwi love interest says her daughter, formerly of Christchurch, is devastated at being forced to kiss and tell. Jill Blunden’s daughter, Charlotte Austin, hit the headlines this week after a British tabloid told of her romance with the British pop superstar. Austin, 26, told The Sunday Mirror newspaper she was Williams’ London lover after they got to know each other across the bar of the five-star Conrad Hotel she worked in. Blunden, 54, said her daughter, who grew up in Christchurch and went to Christchurch Girls’ High School, agreed to reveal details of the romance only after she was told by a reporter the story would be written with or without her input. “She’s really upset and blown away because it’s not her style to be public about it. She’s fiercely private about her personal life, so it’s been hugely traumatic for her,” Blunden said. Blunden, who is just back from spending two months staying in her daughter’s East London flat, said Austin did not have stars in her eyes and was realistic about the casual arrangement with Williams.

“It was just an unspoken arrangement. She’s always been very grounded about that,” Blunden said. “She’s not the sort of girl who goes bragging about these things.” Austin was not going to become the next Rachel Hunter, her mother said. The friendship had grown naturally as they chatted when Williams was drinking – always non-alcoholic drinks – at the bar, Blunden said. Austin now had a Scottish boyfriend who had been very supportive during the past few days, Blunden said.

JOANNA DAVIS / stuff.co.nz

He has a traditional Maori tattoo on his shoulder, but it is his interest in Kiwi women, not culture, that has landed pop star Robbie Williams in the headlines again. A British tabloid has exposed a romance with a New Zealand barmaid, who joins previous Kiwi conquests including supermodel Rachel Hunter and would-be model Robin Reynolds. Charlotte Austin, 26, told the Sunday Mirror she met Williams while working at London’s swanky Conrad Hotel as he tried to avoid a pack of photographers. Ms Austin joked that the paparazzi were there for her picture and told Williams to stop being so self-centred.

“He laughed and told me I was a fabulous-looking girl. We hit it off right away. I’m not a fan and I don’t like his music. Because I took the p… out of him, I think he felt comfortable with me. “It’s a bit empowering – if Robbie Williams tells you you’re gorgeous, well it does help to get rid of some of your insecurities.” Ms Austin, who moved to London 18 months ago, met Williams last year but it was only in May that he asked for her phone number. “We were just chatting away about normal stuff – well, my stuff was normal, his was about LA and recording. “Then he asked me when we were going to start hanging out.”

The pair began seeing other, usually at Williams’ luxury apartment to avoid being mobbed by fans and media. Ms Austin said she became the superstar’s “London lover” but had not spoken to him in a month and was unsure if they would see each other again. She no longer works at the hotel and could not be reached yesterday. Williams has a shoulder-to-elbow Maori tribal symbol, etched by artist Te Rangitu Netana while Williams was visiting New Zealand.

LANE NICHOLS and NZPA / stuff.co.nz