Craig David
Photo: Eufloria

May 24 wasn't such a beautiful day for U2, who lost Best Contemporary Song honors to English R&B crooner Craig David at the 46th Annual Ivor Novello Awards ceremony, which was held at the Grosvenor House in London. The British Academy of Composers and Songwriters presented the event, and during the evening David won three awards. He received the aforementioned Best Contemporary Song for "Seven Days," beating out U2's "Beautiful Day" and David Gray's "Please Forgive Me." He also took home the Ivor Dance Award for "Woman Trouble," a song which earned the singer and co-writer Mark Hill the Songwriter of the Year trophy as well.

Although David Gray was beaten out for Best Contemporary Song, he won Best Song Musically and Lyrically for "Babylon," beating Coldplay's "Trouble" and S Club 7's oh-so-poignant "Never Had a Dream Come True." Other awards went to All Saints (Performing Rights Society's Most Performed Work for "Pure Shores"), classical composer and Metallica collaborator Michael Kamen (Best Original Film Score for "X-Men") and Sonique (International Hit of the Year for "It Feels So Good").

Who guitarist Pete Townshend was given the Lifetime Achievement Award and Stevie Wonder won the Special International Award.

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Toni Braxton, All Saints, and Bon Jovi will help inaugurate the first Laureus World Sports Awards by serving as the featured performers at the event, which is being taped in Monte Carlo on May 25.

Actors Dylan McDermott, Ashley Judd, and Jeff Bridges will host the first annual World Sports Awards, which will honor achievements by athletes and teams in nine categories, such as World Sportsman Of The Year, Newcomer Of The Year, and Athlete Of The Year With A Disability, among others.

Celebrities scheduled to attend the World Sports Awards and serve as presenters include Samuel Jackson, Sylvester Stallone, David Hasselhoff, Naomi Judd, Greg Kinnear, and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos.

Nominees for the Laureus World Sports Awards were submitted by over 200 sports journalists from around the world, while the winners will be selected by the World Sports Academy, a 38-person jury composed of such athletic legends as Pele, Jack Nicklaus, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Nadia Comeneci.

For a complete list of Laureus Awards nominees, head to www.laureus.com.

TNT plans to broadcast an edited version of the first annual Laureus World Sports Awards on June 6 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).

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While All Saints leader Shaznay Lewis hones songs for the band's sophomore album, the remaining members of the British quartet will spend their time working on a new film, entitled "Honest," to be directed by former Eurythmic Dave Stewart.

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Nicole Appleton has issued a statement answering a media report that said she had left All Saints with assurances that she will be touring with the band when they head out on the road next Spring.

That statement follows a week of speculation in the wake of a London newspaper story that said Nicole had quit the band. The London Sun reported that Appleton had left the taping of a BBC New Years Eve show in tears and refused to perform at an awards show a few days later, causing All Saints to cancel their appearance.

Following that report, the four All Saints members issued a joint statement that seemed to confirm at least parts of the tabloid tale, but did not specifically address the story. It said that the "odd row was inevitable" and that the group would be taking some "time to reflect." (see "All Saints Break, But No Break Up)

Bandmates Shaznay Lewis and Natalie Appleton then left for a promotional tour of the states without Nicole. (Melanie Blatt is on temporary leave following the birth of her daughter).

A spokeperson for the band's label confirmed to England's Dot Music that there had been a tiff, but told the publication they were trying to work it out.

Apparently the break did some good. Appleton's brief statement said she was looking forward to touring and recording a second album with the band.

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B*witched is in, the Spice girls are out and All Saints are way out, according to Smash Hits magazine, considered the pop bible for Britain.

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All Saints issued a statement today that appears to confirm a British tabloid story reporting an internal tiff causing the cancellation of their appearance at the Smash Hits poll party in London on the weekend. But it doesn't directly address the same report that also said singer Nicole Appleton has left the band. According to the London Sun, Nicole, 24, told her three bandmates that she was leaving because she could not cope with the stress. The paper added that she was not getting along with the band's management, plus she wanted to spend more time with her fiance, former Take That star Robbie Williams.

The statement, purportedly a joint effort on behalf of Nicole, her sister Natalie, Shaznay Lewis and Melanie Blatt, admitted that the past year had been "tiring and at times very pressurized."

"We have been living in each other's pockets, and so the odd row has been inevitable," it read. "We are now all taking time to reflect."

They went on to say that they were looking forward to some time off over the Christmas holidays and intended to rest and recharge their batteries. They added that they would be recording some new tracks in the new year and were looking forward to seeing their fans on the 1999 tour, which kicks off in April.

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All Saints singer Melanie Blatt has given birth as expected by Caesarean section early Friday morning London time to a 6 pound, 6 ounce baby girl named Lily Ella.

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All Saints singer Nicole Appleton is about to make her acting debut in a Mick Jagger movie called "Saving Grace."

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• The Rolling Stones

In the midst of an American tour and with one member expecting a child, the All Saints are once again blurring the lines of distinction between themselves and the U.K.'s most popular music export, the Spice Girls.

The comparisons between the two groups have dogged All Saints since the band released its self-titled debut back in March, but as the girls recently told MTV News, they don't care much for the global assault to fame and fortune favored by that other all-female group.

"It's not aimed for us," Natalie Appleton said, "It's not aimed for us, and we're nothing like them, are we Mel?"

"We're not out for world domination or anything like that," added vocalist Melanie Blatt, "we sing our songs and we enjoy what we do. And if somebody enjoys that as well, then fine -- they buy our record. [400k QuickTime] We're not out for some big marketing thing where we're gonna clean up everywhere we go and make loads of cash Although we do want to make cash, it's not in the same sort of vein."

In related news, the recent bout of fame afforded the group by it's Top Five hit, "Never Ever," [400k QuickTime] has also brought the All Saints some new legal problems.

The group is being sued by two songwriters who claim that they penned the song with the Saints' Shaznay Lewis in 1996, but were never credited for their work, and Lewis has said she intends to fight the songwriters' claim. No word yet on when that case may come to trial, but we'll keep you posted.

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Try on a pair of jeans, go see an All Saints show for free.

As part of a publicity deal inked with DKNY jeans, the British vocal quartet has agreed to play free concerts in New York on August 26 and in Los Angeles on August 28, according to "Billboard."

Two tickets for the shows will be given out free at DKNY stores in L.A. and New York to anyone who tries a pair of DKNY jeans, although no purchase is necessary. The Los Angeles concert will be staged at the Venice Beach Recreation Center, while the New York show is set for Central Park.

After its self-titled debut has been on store shelves for five months, All Saints are enjoying a belated hit in the U.S. with "Never Ever," which holds strong for the second straight week at number three on singles charts.

Despite rumors of strained relations between All Saints singers Shaznay Lewis and Melanie Blatt, which Blatt appeared to confirm in an interview with "New Music Express," where she claimed that her main interest in the future was for her family with husband Stuart Zender of Jamiroquai, a spokesman for the group recently scuttled talk of a possible break-up to several British press outlets, saying that the Saints remained strong friends and were about to head into a studio to begin writing and recording a new album.

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