Brits: Hits, Misses and Mismatches

Wed Feb 9, 4:34 AM ET Entertainment - Reuters


By Paul Majendie

LONDON (Reuters) - In the 25-year history of the Brit awards, Prince
ranks as the only winner that dared not speak his name.



For the small but perfectly formed American rock star never won one
of the coveted record industry awards under his six-letter name.


He won three times -- in 1985 as Prince and the Revolution and 1995
and 1996 as The Artist.


Mick Fleetwood (news) of Fleetwood Mac must surely take the prize as
the unluckiest star of the Brits.


He and co-host Samantha Fox (news) were left floundering at the live
recording of the 1988 show when their autocue failed.


In 1998, Fleetwood Mac proudly received a Lifetime Achievement
Award -- but the headlines were dominated by a member of Chumbawamba
chucking a bucket of iced water over Deputy Prime Minister John
Prescott.


Robbie Williams (news) ranks as the all-time Brit winner. He won
four times as a member of Take That and nine times as a solo artist.
U2 is the top group with seven different awards.


Tom Jones (news), who sang such a memorable Brits duet with
Williams, ranks as the oldest winner. He was 59 when named Best
British Male Solo Artist in 2000.


To mark the 25th anniversary of the Brits, being staged on Wednesday
night, the organizers asked music pundit Paul Gambaccini to trawl
the pop archives to unveil the offbeat winners.


He came up with one nugget that might confuse even the most
addictive Trivial Pursuit or pub quiz fan.


Who won the only "Talking Brit" ever awarded?


And the winner was ... actor Richard Burton.


In 1977, he and the cast of "Under Milk Wood" by Dylan Thomas were
honored in the one-time-only category of Best British Non-Musical
Record.


The only Brit winner to have a category named after him was Freddie
Mercury (news). A special charity achievement award is dedicated to
the Queen frontman who died of AIDS (news - web sites).


The very first performance ever given at a Brit Awards ceremony was
by Procul Harum who sang their pop classic "A Whiter Shade of Pale."


And Brit is not short for British.


It is an acronym for the British Record Industry Trust, the music
business charity that supports young artists.

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Paralyzed Veteran Searching For Canine Companion
White German Shepherd Missing In Oxnard

POSTED: 6:08 pm PST February 8, 2005
UPDATED: 6:59 pm PST February 8, 2005

OXNARD, Calif. -- The family of a disabled veteran is asking Oxnard
residents to be on the lookout for a white German shepherd.



Sara Poet of the Heart is the canine companion of Army Ranger Nick
Lozano, who shattered his spine during a training jump.


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Images: Veteran Loses Dog

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The dog, whose name was inspired by the Fleetwood Mac song, escaped
Friday night from the Best Western Oxnard Inn on Oxnard Boulevard.
Lozano drove from San Luis Obispo to Oxnard for his parents' 50th
wedding anniversary.

"The dog is used to just him, and that's why it's so hard to catch
her," said Mary Lozano, Nick Lozano's mother. "We've been all over
Oxnard."

The white German shepherd is 4 years old. Sarah Poet of the Heart
might be wearing a new burgundy harness.

Lozano said he will not leave Oxnard without her.

The dog has been spotted in several Oxnard neighborhoods.

Sara is trained to open doors and other tasks, such as alerting
Lozano when he must take his medications.
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