Odds & Ends: Justin Bieber, Morrissey, Pulp, Billy Bragg

To all the Justin Bieber haters throughout the world, Orlando Bloom must seem like some kind of hero.  The actor and the 20-year-old superstar were at Cipriani in Ibiza when something happened to cause the almost dustup.

Although Bloom’s punch didn’t connect with Bieber’s face, the crowd cheered the attempt, according to the New York Post’s Page 6. Supposedly Bieber made a “rude comment” about Bloom’s former wife, Australian model Miranda Kerr.  However, there are conflicting reports as to whether the remark was before or after the attempted KO.

This may not have been a one-off event.  The Post notes that in 2012 Bieber was seen “getting flirty with Kerr after a Victoria’s Secret fashion show.”  What’s more, the article suggests the incident might have fueled tension between the model and Bloom, leading to the couple’s 2013 separation.

But wait, there’s more innuendo. Apparently Bloom was spostted hanging out with  ex-Bieber girlfriend Selena Gomez.  So there’s bound to be some bad blood between the singer and the actor.

But regardless of the reason for the off-target punch, there is video of the incident.  So grab a handful of popcorn and enjoy.

A security guard for Morrissey has filed a lawsuit claiming the ex-Smiths singer wanted him to lay some hurt onto a fan.  What’s more, that same guard says Moz’s tour manager wanted him to do more than hurt the guy.

Bradley Steyn is the man making the claims, according to progenitor of truth TMZ.  Apparently hired after a San Jose gig where fans rushed on stage, Steyn says Morrissey wanted him to hurt the operator of Morrissey-Solo.com, David Tseng.

But it gets better.  Steyn also claims that Morrissey’s tour manager asked in front of Morrissey  if the fan “could be gotten rid of” and that the two men then discussed ways of getting the fan’s address.

Today Morrissey took to fan site True-To-You.net to refuted the accusations.  Saying he “cannot admit to actually ‘knowing’” Steyn, the artist notes that the guard is South African, lives in Los Angeles and has “walked off” three tours.  Morrissey calls Steyn’s claim “a vexatious lie.”

However, Morrissey is definitely aware of Tseng’s existence in this world.

“It is common knowledge that I dislike the SoLow site, and I am aware that all of the opinions posted on the site are controlled or written by David Tseng, and that David Tseng will give maximum and inexhaustive publicity to anything said in the negative about me,” Morrissey wrote.

Morrissey also said Steyn had “been trying to extract money from what he terms ‘The Morrissey Tour,’ and he has failed.” 

Needless to say, Steyn won’t be using Morrissey’s name as a reference when hunting for his next job.

British band Pulp and its Sheffield, England, stomping grounds have been immortalized in film by Florian Habicht.  A sneak preview of “PULP: A Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets” will be screened in New York next week and frontman Jarvis Cocker will be there.

Evidently Cocker will be very busy at the Aug. 7 preview.  The musician will be on hand for a Q&A and will be a celebrity judge for a post-film karaoke contest.  Venue is on the roof and in the courtyard of Industry City at 220 36th street in Brooklyn.

Want to go?  To win tickets, send a tweet to @RoofTopFilms with the hashtag #singforjarvis and plead your case as to why you should attend. You have until Aug. 4 at 12 p.m. EDT to do so.

While you’re contemplating a night with Jarvis, here’s the film’s trailer:

Prisoners in British prisons will soon be able to play steel-string guitars, thanks to Billy Bragg.

The singer/songwriter wasn’t alone in the campaign he spearheaded to revoke the infamous steel-string prohibition.  Johnny Marr and David Gilmour also took up the cause, reports London’s Telegraph.

While not allowed to bring their acoustic guitars with them to prison, prisoners are allowed to purchase the instruments.  That is, once they reach a certain level of privileges.  The guitars are seen as therapeutic. 

In an open letter published in the Guardian, Bragg, who started the Jail Guitar Doors initiative in 2007, and 11 other musicians wrote that many of the guitars owned by inmates were steel-string instruments, and because of “practical reasons” the strings could not be swapped out for those made of nylon.

But it was more than just musicians in Bragg’s corner.  Labour MP Kevin Brennan got behind the campaign, saying the end of the ban was a “victory for common sense.”