The Block site causes chaos

Neighbours of the four houses being used for The Block TV series in the North Shore suburb of Takapuna say the huge construction effort is affecting their daily lives and impinging on their privacy. Linda Haynes lives next door and says her biggest concern is that the council is letting the production company break “all sorts of rules” to allow the show to go ahead

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Pharrell Williams sues will.i.am over song

Music producer Pharrell Williams has filed a lawsuit asking a US court to rule he has not violated any trademark that Black Eyed Peas rapper will.i.am owns for the phrase I AM. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, said that will.i.am, whose real name is William Adams, has repeatedly sent letters to Williams demanding he stop using versions of the phrase I AM on a website founded by Williams, iamother.com.

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The king of the keyboards

People have one of two reactions to the music of French pianist Richard Clayderman – they love it or hate it. For every person who finds his instrumentals hard to distinguish from anonymous elevator music and too populist to be considered classical, there’s the legion of fans who have bought 75 million of his albums.

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Bad behaviour is tested path to fame

Arizona restaurateur Amy Bouzaglo became an instant internet celebrity last month after demonstrating an impressively short temper on a reality TV show that helps reform struggling businesses. The episode of Kitchen Nightmares drew more than a million viewers on YouTube, and Bouzaglo’s vitriolic rants became popular fodder on Twitter and Facebook.

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