Pop ’superstar’ Michael Jackson is being forced to sell the remaining rights to the Beatles songs he owns in a bid to pay off outstanding debts.

The Thriller star purchased the British group’s back catalogue in 1985, but sold part ownership of the songs to record company Sony in 1995, using the rest as security for loans in a deal rumoured to have made the star $1.4bn.

However, under the deal, Jackson must sell the rest of the rights to Sony by 31 May next year after they helped him repay a $140m loan.

According to US celebrity writer Roger Friedman: “(The deal) is not a lot for a celebrity who likes to travel, stay in expensive hotels and shut down toy stores for private shopping.”

Ozzy Osbourne, Mariah Carey, and Celine Dion have been branded the “worst singers of all time”.

The poll, carried out by British music magazine Q, lauds Elvis Presley as “the greatest voice of all time”, but singles out popular stars such as Dion and Carey for their vocal inability.

The judging panel says: “(Mariah Carey) may have an 100-octave range and the ability to sing so loudly that birds’ nests fall from tress, but that doesn’t make it right.

“(Celine Dion) grinds out every note as if bearing some grudge against the very notion of economy.”

But the magazine’s most scathing remarks are reserved for former Black Sabbath frontman Osbourne, who “now sings like he speaks – this may be a cause for sympathy but not for buying his albums”.

Yoko Ono, Limp Bizkit, star Fred Durst and “any death metal singer” were also among those criticised for their singing.

Irish rockers Snow Patrol are hoping to expand their worldwide fanbase after recording new music for the upcoming Spiderman 3 movie soundtrack.

Frontman Gary Lightbody revealed the Chasing Cars hitmakers’ involvement in the Hollywood blockbuster this week, and while he’s not sure exactly where their track Signal Fire will be included in the film, he is delighted to be associated with the Spider-Man franchise.

He says: “Signal Fire will be featured in the trailers and the movie itself. It may only appear over the end credits, but hey, it’s Spidey!”

The Italian Guns N’ Roses fan who threatened to shut down his popular website dedicated to the rock group if their delayed Chinese Democracy album didn’t hit stores this month has lived up to his word.

The fansite posted threats late last year after another delay, but the unnamed fan gave frontman Axl Rose the benefit of the doubt when he released a statement promising fans the album would hit stores this month.

A recently announced delay has now sounded the death knoll for GNRonline.it, which has closed down in protest.

In a statement, the site’s administrators write: “The never-ending saga of Chinese Democracy, the lack of respect, clearness and mutual loyalty are just some of the reasons that has brought us down to this painful conclusion.

“Until now detractors have always accused us of being ‘Axl fanatics’ (and to a certain degree, that is probably true), but today we aren’t able to sustain Axl’s project anymore, neither financially nor economically. We just can’t afford to waste our head on a project that has never even taken us into consideration.

“We still want to believe in Axl Rose and his record and we greatly wish that Chinese Democracy would see the light of day before February 2008.

“If that will be the case we will make our best effort to re-open the site, otherwise our domains will be lost and that will be the end of it.”

Sources close to philanthropic rock star Bono’s charity campaign Red are slamming media reports claiming the organisation has spent more on marketing than raising funds.

The high-profile campaign raises money for the Global Fund to Fights Aids in Africa by selling red products such as iPods, clothing and mobile phones.

US advertising trade magazine Advertising Age reported the campaign “raised a meagre $18m” despite a “marketing outlay by Gap, Apple and Motorola (which) has been enormous – with some estimates as high as $100m”.

A source close to the campaign slams the report, telling the New York Daily News: “First of all, Red didn’t launch products until mid-October (2006). And they raised $25m.

“Before that, the fund had taken in about $5m over a four-year period. Before that, they had one T-shirt out and a pair of sunglasses. And on marketing, Bono’s Red campaign didn’t spend anything.

“The companies they work with spent a few million each. The $100m is a phantom number Ad Age pulled out of thin air. It’s off by tens of millions of dollars.”

But Red director Bobby Shriver has put a positive spin on the controversy: “This can only help us all stay focused on the fact that 5,500 Africans are still dying needlessly of AIDS every day.”

Even though we can just about stomach the word “rehab” and, are frankly getting bored of reporting on it! Anywho, though:

Robbie Williams has come out of rehab after spending three weeks in a clinic in Arizona being treated for a dependency on prescription drugs.

The singer’s spokeswoman confirmed he was out and said he would now continue with an “after-care programme in Los Angeles”.

He is being looked after by his mother Jan and a drink and drugs counsellor, who has flown to the US.

The former Take That star checked himself in on his 33rd birthday. It was not the first time the British star had been in rehab.

He was also treated for drink and drug addiction after leaving the boy band in 1995.

The biological father of Madonna’s adopted son David is hoping the superstar brings the tot to visit him when she returns to Malawi next month.

Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie are scheduled to return to the African nation to open a $2.92m Kabbalah Centre, which the singer has funded herself.

David’s biological father Yohane Banda desperately misses his son and hopes Madonna will let them meet during her time in Malawi.

Banda says: “I can’t wait to hold him in my arms again. I want to see if he still recognises me after all this time.

“I want to see if he still looks like me with all the British food he is eating.”

Madonna and Ritchie filed interim adoption papers to adopt the youngster in October and will have to wait up to 18 months for the paperwork to become official.

Aging rocker Sting reformed The Police nearly a quarter of a century after they split to surprise his fans.

The “Roxanne” hitmaker, who left The Police to focus on his solo career in 1984, reunited the band to satisfy a long-standing urge he could no longer suppress.

He says: “The logic of leaving the band when it was the most successful band in the world was odd. I needed the freedom to write songs on a wider palette and I did that for the next 25 years. Every time I had a successful album, The Police went further away.

“Then one day I woke and said now is the time to deal with this thing.

“I’d just done this lute album that was more successful that I could have ever imagined. I could do another one but that would be painting myself into a corner.

“Do I want to do another Sting record? I thought, I’m not ready. What will really surprise people, really surprise me?

“What kept coming into my head was: ‘Phone the boys.’ Then I made the call. They were thrilled and so am I.”

The Police reunion tour kicks off in Vancouver, Canada in May.

British TV star Mischa Barton reckons that she would have been a lawyer working in the UK if she wasn’t an actress.

Barton was born in London but moved to New York with her family at the age of five, and she couldn’t be more proud of her origins.

She says: “I’m so proud of my roots. I feel very English and if we’d stayed in London I’d probably be a lawyer now.”

Barton, 21, even keeps her Los Angeles home well stocked with tastes of England.

She adds: “In my house you wouldn’t know that we weren’t in England. I have Lucozade and Ribena in my fridge, and Marmite and Weetabix on the cupboard.”

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