The battle of Barbie hots up! MCA Records have called in their solicitors to repel a lawsuit by Mattel Inc, who have taken exception to the racy lyrics of Barbie Girl, the Number One hit by Danish group Aqua. The US toy manufacturer recently sued the record label for unauthorised use of the Barbie trademark, but MCA have now hit back with a counter-suit claiming defamation, alleging that Mattel knowingly made false and malicious statements about the label. All this dolly carry-on has the undesirable effect of boosting sales of this (allegedly) dreadful tune. At the time of going to press, however, it is not known how many extra Barbie dolls have been sold as a result of the song's popularity.

Another rock'n'roll cat fight has broken out, this time between Bono and legendary punk poet Patti Smith. At a recent awards ceremony, Ms Smith took umbrage at being referred to by the U2 singer as a `sister, lover and mother' in a filmed tribute. "I'm not your lover, Bono, do your own dirty work. F*** you," was her considered rebuttal.