Singing for someone's supper

Credit (partially) to mbc for extending coverage of Live 8 to the widely-available mbc2, so it meant that most of the UAE could watch coverage cut out just as Bob Geldof started up with the Boomtown Rats. It might have been one of the few examples of the media censor working to the viewers' advantage.

Overall, there weren't as many stand-out moments as expected (though I did fall asleep after more than five hours). Madonna boogied away with some seriously flexible dancers and really showed the young contenders what it takes to be a serious star. Baby Apple Martin - complete with ear muffs - and mum Gwyneth Paltrow sang along to Coldplay; country singer Faith Hill's hair took more of the stage than she did; and mad Pete Doherty didn't do a thing to alter the media perception of him as a snorting, smoking, sideshow.

There was a trip down memory lane with 80s legends A-Ha (and my, hasn't Morten Harket improved with age!) and Duran Duran. Sadly, Simon le Bon Bon had been out in the sun and was burnt - apart from a few white lines where his neck wrinkles - and Nick Rhodes looked like he was wearing the same suit he did in the Girls on Film video more than 20 years ago.