It shouldn’t really have come as a surprise. We’ve all experienced Al Fayed’s tastes in interior design before – just think of the sphinxes and gold in Harrods.

Again, we’ve all witnessed his desire to immortalise those he loves – remember the Diana and Dodi statue? So, seeing as Al Fayed was friends with Michael, his commissioning of a statue following the singer’s death was almost foreseeable.

And yet, Harrods is pretty different from Fulham Football Club. Whereas the flashy and frankly bizarre ‘likeness’ of Jackson could have blended in with Harrods’ more flashy design, it stands out like a sore thumb at the FC.

Reactions to the giant statue have been mixed, but Al Fayed is unrepentant:

“Football fans love it. If some stupid fans don’t understand and appreciate such a gift they can go to hell.

“I don’t want them to be fans. If they don’t understand and don’t believe in things I believe in they can go to Chelsea, they can go to anywhere else.”

So, there you go. Whatever you think of Craven Cottage’s newest resident, the message is: like it or lump it…

Now, I admit she has an impressive voice, and I’ve never tried to write a song (I imagine it’s not that easy, which would explain why a lot of songs just regurgitate the same old rubbish), but can’t help thinking that we’re just seeing 2011’s musical bandwagon pick up speed.

Reading comments on an article about Adele, what becomes clear is an overwhelmingly cynical view of the music industry, the feeling that everything is orchestrated to make as much money as possible and that even her Brits slot had more to do with riding the wave of hype.

Some feel she is an exceptional talent, an antidote to the over-sexualised pop stars that dominate the charts, and seem to feel that she is an authentic songwriter. Complaints from the ‘against’ camp include the argument that material isn’t innovative, let alone ground-breaking, and that the hype is completely exaggerated.

It’s all a bit ‘same old, same old’: manufactured pop vs. authentic talent… the debate rumbles on.

And yet, in the same week, the Chinese authorities allowed Bob Dylan to play a gig for the first time. Not without imposing conditions, mind you. His set list had to be submitted for approval, and any songs that could be interpreted as offensive to the government had to be dropped. He was bound to adhere

“strictly… to an approved programme”.

Apparently, Chinese officials have been reluctant to allow big Western names to play in China since Bjork’s outburst in 2008, when she chanted pro-independence messages for Tibet. Now, they allegedly check the records, and particularly opinions, of any artists who want to play in China, to ensure they do not hold views that go against those of the government.

In Britain, too we occasionally refuse entry to famous artists – US singer Chris Brown was refused a visa for the UK last year by the Home Office on the grounds for being guilty of a serious offence.

Artists include The Beatles, David Bowie, The Chemical Brothers, Radiohead and The Beastie Boys while the items on offer range from private recording sessions and ‘meets and greets’ to signed albums and photos.

At the time of writing, a signed and used Hermès bag belonging to Serge Gainsbourg’s ex, singer and actress Jane Birkin, had reached more than $7,500. A Robbie Williams life-sized cardboard cut-out (?) had so far attracted 3 bids and £67.

EMI is promising to match the money raised, up to a maximum of €1,000,000 and is adding more items to the auction over the coming weeks to sustain interest. So, if you fancy splashing out for a good cause, go and have a look at the EMI auction before 21st April…

LCD Soundsystem played their last gig (3 ½ hours long) last Saturday. When tickets went on sale, they sold out in 15 seconds.

No surprise then, when touts started selling tickets for as much as $1,500 to see the band that has been going for 10 years and released three albums and nineteen singles.

LCD frontman James Murphy tweeted in response to the prices: “NO MATTER WHAT WE DO, IT IS NOT WORTH THAT KIND OF MONEY TO SEE US!”

This was a popular funeral, though, and neither Murphy nor the touts seemed to put people off. There have been some though who see more of a cynical stunt in this event.

As this is just the end of a project for Murphy, could the spectacular end of LCD Soundsystem be an attempt to promote future solo work, or is it refreshing to see a band go out with a bang rather than clinging on until the bitter end? Either way, would have been good to be able to judge for myself…

Instead, I am making it my mission to stick to the smaller gigs, and trying to get to see things I wouldn’t normally go see – so, trusting my friends and family to suggest things around the country, and to keep their eyes peeled for some interesting adventures for me!

So, if you see summit, let me know!

I personally thought it was a great thing for him, and a bad thing for the group – Robbie was getting way more lines in the papers than the others put together, but he was not in the same place as the rest of them and needed to be free. Robbie’s successful solo career soared, and Take That disappeared into obscurity.

But what a difference 10 years can make! Robbie floundered and Take That soared, because 10 years on all of there fans were grown ups with the money to spend on concert tickets to relive their youth – and oh how they bought those tickets!

I think that 10 years ago, Take That couldn’t have worked without Robbie (and didn’t), but these days they don’t really need him to work – but with him, they open up totally new avenues.

I know that the price of things has gone up – but are the artists giving us more bang for our buck? Some do, some don’t – the likes of Lady GaGa rarely disappoint, and the Take That shows look awesome, but when you see other artists that pop on stage, sing, and leave again, what’s the point?

But do these shows really discover talent, or do they manufacture it? Do they really give a talented individual a career, or is it a couple of weeks of fame compared to a standard 15 minutes?

I do enjoy the selection process, as we do get to hear from some very entertaining, not necessarily talented, people, but once it gets “serious”, it stops being fun for me – and the recent run that the dreadful Wagner has had simply highlights the lack of talent searching and the abundance of commercial entertainment.

Well, in all fairness I like them both, but thinking back, I much preferred the big events in my late teens and early-mid twenties, but now I’m late twenties (and yes, approaching 30) I much prefer the smaller stuff.

I think that this is because the big events are now so commercial, I can barely differentiate the music from that of others.