Darkness at 3AM: Most of Sugababes turn to alcohol

That driving a car while drunk thing? 3AM reckons Amelle Berrabah can explain:

The Sugababes star, 26, who faces court after she was caught driving over the limit says: "I didn't know it was possible six hours later. The fact you can still be over the limit several hours later should be better known."

"I had no idea stabbing a man several times in the head could kill him. The fact you can stab someone nowhere near their heart and still kill them should be better known."

If anyone's going to get away with pretending they're so stupid they don't know that alcohol remains in your system, I guess it would be Berrabah.

Unfortunately for Amelle, it's actually in the Highway Code:

[Alcohol will] take time to leave your body; you may be unfit to drive in the evening after drinking at lunchtime, or in the morning after drinking the previous evening

So even if she had managed to never notice that you can still feel drunk hours after drinking, she should have at least heard the news before she took her driving test.

Instead of pointing this out, though, the 3AMies treat her like she's arrived bearing previously unknown news:

Don't say she didn't warn you...

No, 3AM. Our biology teacher warned us when we were about ten years old.

Sugababes struggle with the concept of quitting

I'm not sure I quite follow Amelle's explanation of how Keisha came to be out of The Sugababes:

"We did not sack Keisha.

"Me and Heidi actually left the band and left her on her own.

"She didn't walk out or anything like that. We ditched her."

But then how come you're still trading under the name? If you quit the band? How would that work, exactly?

Sugababes: Now comprising entirely of third Sugababes

It's confusing times trying to work out exactly what's going on over at the Sugababes, and in confusing pop times we look to Popjustice for clarification.

And there, you find a statement even Popjustice has trouble explaining:

Monday 21st September

The current line-up of the Sugababes has disbanded.

Heidi Range and Amelle Berrabah will continue as the Sugababes and will be joined by new member Jade Ewen. They release their album ‘Sweet 7’ on November 23rd through Island Records.

Keisha Buchanan will continue to record for Island Records as a solo artist.

So Heidi, Amelle and her off of Eurovision are now going to pretend to be the Sugababes, somehow, despite none of them having been around when... well, when this happened:

Sugarbabes - Overload
by FabCure

There comes a point when you might take a look at the name above the shop, and wonder if it really fits anymore. Calling Amelle-Heidi-Jade the Sugababes makes about as much sense as the Carphone Warehouse sticking doggedly to its name rather than adopting the more honest Pay As You Go Hovel-Shed.

Third Sugababe changes

The position of third Sugababe is, like the American Presidency or chairmanship of the Wheeltapper And Shunter's Club, a limited appointment. Oh, you might be able to find a new role as second Sugababe, but that's only for the lucky few - for most, you get one, maybe two, terms, and then that's it. You're moving on.

Heatworld is just reporting that Amelle Berrabah's time in the band has come to an end; perhaps one of the least-successful Third Sugababes in living memory, she's mainly been successful at getting the brand linked to dubious stories involving terrible allegations and great upsetment.

In a surprise move, they have decided the time is right to appoint the first ever Celebrity Third Sugababe (it's not known if this version, like Celebrity Big Brother, will only last for about one-tenth the time when it's an unknown holding the post.)

Well, I say celebrity - it's actually supposedly Jade Ewen, who is putting promotional work for her solo career on hold:

Jade Ewen's record label Geffen sent an official statement out just a few minutes ago which read, "Due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control, we regret to inform you that Jade Ewen will be taking time off from all promotional activity for the foreseeable future."

Since this promotional work basically involved being seen leaving bars with one of JLS, it's not like there's going to be a lot of effort gone to waste there, then.

Bookmakers William Hill are taking odds on David Cameron replacing Jade by the end of the autumn; you can get 7-4on.

[Thanks to Michael M for flashing the news]

Gordon in the morning: Fuller story and pics

We're sure that Gordon will be delighted to know that it's hard to find fault with his big, splashy interview this morning - he's got an exclusive with Amelle Berrabah and Freddie Fuller, doing a big, clearing-his-name session. The money for the interview is going to Rape Crisis. And, thankfully, there's enough in their statements that Gordon has to do little more than transcribe their words.

One thing, though: Amelle explains why they're doing the interview:

People need to know the truth about what really happened and that Freddie is completely innocent.

And why do people need to know that? Perhaps because everyone was told what the allegations were in the first place. By, erm, a front page splash on the Sun which yelled '"Sugababe 'rape' hell: Star's love 'attacked her sister'". It's probably lucky for the paper that they're running a feature about the horror of everyone thinking you're a rapist, rather than having to explain to m'learned friends their role in everyone thinking that in the first place.

One other thing. Freddie observes:

People were quick to judge me because of my background.

The Sun? Finding space to let a traveller suggest they get a rougher ride in reporting because of the way they live?

After all this, though, it's back to business as normal: here's Cheryl Cole holding a chocolate bar.

Sugababes won't split, says at least 33% of Sugababes

Fabulous, the News of the World's increasingly amusing attempt to provide a colour supplement that competes with the weekly glossies makes room this week for the Sugababes, and a very, very soft interview indeed.

Sympathetically, Rachel Richardson introduces the piece:

THEY’RE SMART AND SUCCESSFUL, BUT THE SUGABABES FACE THE SAME HIGHS AND LOWS AS THE REST OF US, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO MEN.

Ah, yes. Ammelle Berrabah's highs and lows - which of us can't say we've been here:

First, her boyfriend Freddie Fuller, 25, was arrested for an alleged sex attack.

Then Amelle was arrested after a brawl.

And at Christmas, she saw Freddie almost die after a machete attack virtually severed his arm and leg.

Ah, yes, which of us can truly say we haven't been there?

This just points why Fabulous is never going to succeed as being anything more than the old SunDay magazine with a higher budget: how can a newspaper expect to parade celebrities' dirty underwear up and down the high street and still expect them to come and do fashion shoots for the supplement? The crunching change in tone between Rav Singh's column and the fawning fashion pages is never going to fool any but the most desperate for coverage.

The front of the magazine claims an exclusive:

We won't split over boyfriend scandal

Oddly, though, it's only Amelle who even addresses the subject:

“The girls have never told me to dump Freddie though,” says Amelle.

“They stood by me through all of this and wanted to protect me.

"Despite what’s been said, my problems have never been an issue for the band. We’re a family.”

The other two? They don't mention it. Perhaps they couldn't fit "I don't think the other two are going to kick me out" on the cover strapline.

Sugababes fight for interest

Apparently, Keisha Sugababe wasn't that bothered when Amelle got beaten up earlier in the year. And not becuase "we can just get another person in, if need be".

Oh, no: it's the edge:

"Things like that need to happen once in a while so things don't get boring."

Yes. What a shame the whole boyfriend-sister accusations thing couldn't have been better timed to coincide with a best of album, eh?

Fuller: No evidence, no charges

Surrey police have announced that there are to be no charges following the rape allegations made by Amelle Berrabah's sister Samiya:

"The case never went to court and due to lack of evidence no charges have been made.

"A number of men including [Berrabah's boyfriendFreddie] Fuller were brought into the station on a number of occasions to be questioned and bailed each time.

"They were last questioned on Sunday, at which point they were all released without charge."

Mixing Suga again?

According to Victoria Newton, the Sugababes ' revolving door is about to spin again: she reckons they're auditioning a replacement for Amelle.

It appears the other two are less worried about the shabby boyfriend and bad behaviour, it's more a timekeeping thing:

“Keisha and Heidi are the ultimate professionals when it comes to their career. They have worked hard for everything they have achieved. Amelle doesn’t seem to take it as seriously. When the girls were recording their latest album, Amelle kept arriving late to the studio. They had blazing rows over timekeeping."

Clock cards, ladies. That's the answer.

Mutya warms-up Sugababes leftovers

Amelle out of the Sugababes wrote a song which she thought her band should record. The management, however, thought otherwise, and passed the ropey track on to the record company, who, in turn, gave it to - what larks - Mutya to record instead.

Buena didn't see the funny side of this, and so now the track is going out with a made-up name on the writer's credits. Although since everyone knows about it now, it hardly seems to have been worth all the effort.

Sugababes Overload

Zoe's usually moribund Sunday Mirror gossip column actually has an exclusive worthy of its name (assuming it's true, or at least based on a true story.)

She reckons that the Sugababes could be about to change out members again, as the rape-allegation-tainted antics of Amelle Berrabah's boyfriend Freddie Fuller isn't exactly helping the band's image. The prospect of Amelle standing by her man as he goes on trial accused of raping her sister... well, it's not exactly going to help selling the next album.

Zoe reports that Amelle's handling of the 'dump him or quit' ultimatum is to go to ground:

A pal of Amelle told me: "She loves Freddie and believes his claims that Samiya has made the whole thing up. But the other two girls, the management and the label have threatened to axe her unless she dumps him.

"She's gone underground and has refused to answer their calls - but it will all climax this week.

"Amelle has got a serious decision to make."

The official line is slightly ominous:

Last night a Sugababes spokeswoman played down the problems, saying: "As far as we're concerned, it's business as usual."

Uh-oh. Since "business as usual" for the Sugababes means ferret-in-sack levels of infighting and members flouncing off without giving notice, that's not a good sign.

I'm innocent, insists Amelle

Apparently, in the Sugababe-nightclub-scrap, it's Amelle who's the injured party:

"The other girls should be the ones punished, not me. What happened was unbelievable and my sister got hit by one of the boys."

Although this doesn't really explain the whole bouncers-calling-police and Amelle-carted-off-by-cops aspects of the story.

Run For Cover - Sugababe attacks

Amelle Berrabah has been arrested, after a scrapping incident in a nightclub. The Sun reports that Amelle attacked a girl at the, um, glittering Bra Med in Guildford, requiring bouncers to pull her off - and restarted the attack on the same girl outside, in front of the police.

The paper runs an extensive quote from the alleged victim - who is apparently "too scared" to give her name or press charges, which seems a little extreme:

“She just went mad and attacked me. I was thrown into a friend and we both hit the ground.

“Amelle started kicking me but ended up hitting my friend in the head as well. It was terrifying. The blows just rained down and she wouldn’t stop."

In our experience, pub fights (especially in places like Bar Med) seldom begin because the attacker "just goes mad", but since there's nothing in the report from Berrabah, we've not really got any indication of the cause of the fight. So it's someone famous attacks a person we don't even know we've not heard of, allegedly, over what, we don't know. Great reporting from The Sun, then.

How long to Sugababes v4.0?

The rocky existence of the Sugababes is something of a wonder - you get the sense of a band never far from total implosion, which has somehow kept itself aloft by ruthless pruning and transplanting.

It might be not be long until the next transplant is due, by the looks of things, as Keisha and Amelle aren't getting on. It says so in the Sunday People, relishing Keisha's non-appearance at Amelle's birthday party:

HEIDI RANGE, 23, was at London's Silver nightclub but a source revealed: "It was a very pointed thing for Keisha to do and shows the widening gap between her and the other two girls.

"They come together in the recording studio when they need to work but they are not really friends outside of that.

"Keisha is very career driven because she was the founding member but the other girls see her as too bossy at times."

On the other hand, you don't have to hang out with the people you work with all the time, do you?