Cheryl Cole shows her support for 'electronic charity box' service Pennies!

We all love a good deed, and judging by this cute video, so does Cheryl Cole! Joined by fellow celebs Gary Barlow and Jason Donovan, the Geordie star sings the praises of electronic charity box service Pennies.

Pennies is an intuitive service that allows customers to round up their bills when paying by card, with the extra money going to charity. In our increasingly electronic payment culture, it makes sense for technology to play catch-up here, providing a handy alternative to the classic penny-in-a-box that was a hallmark of so many high-street tills.

The Pennies service has already proved to be a rousing success, racking up one million 'micro-donations' in just 12 months - this has helped raise £250,000 for charities, which we think is fantastic! People go on a lot about wallets tightening in the recession, but it's heartening to see people still digging deep to share a little love and support.

Gary Barlow auctions off tickets for Royal Albert Hall gigs

We've all felt that awful sinking feeling of missing out on tickets to our favourite singer's live shows. But fear not fans of Gary Barlow, you've got an awesome second chance to nab some tickets to see the Take That man at his upcoming Royal Albert Hall dates.

Even better, they're some of the best seats in the house and it's all in aid of the Princes Trust charity - you had better be quick though, the winners are announced on Friday!

Speaking about the shows, which take place on the 5th and 6th of December, Gary said: 'I've been overwhelmed at the response for both shows which sold out on Friday. Fans will be glad to know we've kept some back with great views of the stage to auction off to the highest bidder so we can make as much money as we possibly can for The Princes Trust'

'I’m glad the tickets have sold out so quickly - the money being raised is going to a cause close to my heart. The Prince’s Trust’s City Riots Appeal will help disadvantaged young people living in riot-torn areas.'

The auction tickets are available from GigsAndTours here.

Children in Need set to take Manchester by storm!

Ever since I was a kid, Children In Need has always been one of those big TV events of the year that I really, really looked forward to.

That steady reliability as the autumn months rolled round, the accompanying charity single release, and of course the massive telethon on the night itself too.

There's something magic about it and the way it captures the public goodwill is truly heartwarming.

This year's show has something extra thrown into the mix - a big one-off pop gig! Taking place at Manchester's MEN Arena on the 17th November, the whole thing will be shown on BBC1 at 8pm.

The line-up is as follows:

Michael Buble 

Coldplay

Elbow

JLS

Lady Gaga

Hugh Laurie

James Morrison

N Dubz

Snow Patrol

Ed Sheeran

Tickets go on sale at 9am this Friday (16th September)

Gary Barlow, who's helping to put together this year's Children in Need charity single, had this to say: “I’m so thrilled that these incredible artists are giving their time for such a special charity that is very close to my heart. I can’t wait to see it all come together on November 17th, there are still some great acts we're keeping up our sleeve to announce in the coming weeks and who knows, I might even sing a little something on the night too.”

Children In Need 2011 cover Massive Attack's 'Teardrop'

Teardrops seem to be something of a flavour of the moment right now. First Coldplay enthuse about how each one is actually an immense waterfall in one of their typically mystifying pop metaphors, and now a whole host of artists are teaming up in the name of Children In Need to cover that 90s classic Teardrop, by Massive Attack.

So, who's on this year's CIN track? Ok, deep breath... Chipmunk, Dot Rotten, Ed Sheeran, Ms Dynamite,
 Mz Bratt, Rizzle Kicks, Tinchy Stryder,
Tulisa and Wretch 32

And breath! There's an X Factor judge in there, the current UK Number One holder - basically a real who's who of happening stars. And they've all been put together by that unparalleled saint of British music, Gary Barlow. Surely it's only a matter of time before this guy gets knighted, right?

I love the above shot of some of the artists together too - it's like Gary is their cool uncle or something.

Considering some of the previous CIN tracks, Teardrop is a relatively 'arty' choice and I reckon this new cover could potentially by very, very good indeed. It's one of those truly euphoric tracks that speaks out to everyone, a fitting selection for a cause such as this.

Teardrop is released on the 13th November.

Jo Birchall - Wonderful

When it comes to dealing a card from the deck of life, you don't get much better than Mr Gary Barlow - surely as close to British pop royalty as you get these days.

And so the story began for aspiring young songstress Jo Birchall. Under the guidance of good ol' Gary, Jo also toured with Westlife and appeared on shows like Children In Need - so far it's sounding like a silver-studded ride right to the top, right?

But sadly, a series of unfortunate events led to Jo's career faltering before it had truly started. Through no fault of her own, the dream was put on ice, for the time being at least. With Gary Barlow off on his jaunts with the newly reformed Take That, it was time for Jo to go it alone.

Reinvigorated by the assorted setbacks, she set about recording her debut album Something To Say, intent on putting together a collection of 'real songs with real meanings and experiences'. Music wrote straight from the heart.

Lead single Wonderful is every bit the cheery, one-with-yourself ditty you'd expect then of someone so clearly determined and radiant in the face of everything - as light and as airy as a sea breeze, but with that inner heart of true emotion.

The likes of Wonderland and Taylor Swift have cornered the market on this kind of inoffensive, radiant pop of late - plenty of space then for Jo Birchall to add herself into the mix then.

Frolicking away in a floral dress to a backdrop of coastal scenes, Wonderful's video feels as quintessentially English as Birchall herself - there's a Richard Curtis movie plot in here somewhere, and Birchall is ready to step it up to the next scene.

Wonderful is released on the 21st August.

(Official Video) Take That - When We Were Young

When the Take That boys were young... well, you'd have to have been living under a rock for the past twenty years not to be aware of the whole Robbie-gate business and the ultimate dissolution of the group, the end to a glorious, shining pop career that would finally be resurrected - the band reformed and rejuvenated - 10 years later.

It's a defining saga of pop music. The tale that everyone knows. Yet it still holds an undefinable power to it - and much the same can be said of the band's new single, the last to be taken from their dizzyingly successful Progress album.

Interestingly, When We Were Young sees a return to the sound of the Robbie-lite Take That, the band that banged out mega-ballad after mega-ballad to massive success. It was a formula Gary Barlow seemed born to fulfill - unleashing these behemoth-like songs on the UK, a nation of fans lapping them up.

For all the song's charm though, it feels a little flat compared to both past successes like Rule The World and Greatest Day, and even more so compared to the new electro-driven Take That which has manifested itself courtesy of Robbie's return to the band and the involvement of super-producer Stuart Price.

No, if anything, it's the track's accompanying video which is the real attraction here. Shot in ear-wateringly rich quality at Wembley Stadium during the band's immense eight night residency there, it simply looks magical. All in black and white, it feels classy, magical - a fitting showpiece for the group who stand as Britain's premiere pop band.

As Gary Barlow sings in the track, 'We adored the fabulous' - Take That, we adore you.

When We Were Young is released on the 22nd August and features on the soundtrack of new movie The Three Musketeers.

A good old Arctic Monkeys / Take That love-in

Do you remember Arctic Monkeys' frontman Alex turner saying some rather rude things about Take That at the Q Awards? He let loose at the band saying they were a 'load of b*llocks'. Now, while that might be anatomically correct what with them being five guys... it's not a very nice thing to say, and is also incorrect as Take That are actually Very Good.

But Turner's done a U-Turn now and in a recent NME interview has professed his love for the 'lads'.

'We love Gary Barlow!' he enthuses. Don't we all! Judging by how pretty much every single one of the dates on Take That's impossibly immense UK stadium tour are already sold out, the whole of the UK seems to love Gary Barlow (and Robbie, and the others...)

'I think I really offended him a few years ago though, which I'm sorry about,' continued Turner. 'I didn't understand it then. Didn't know what was going on, trying to rustle some feathers.'

See, isn't a lovely when bands make up. Now, when are we going to get them all teaming up for a big ensemble version of Never Forget?

Video: Take That - Kidz

I love it when music videos just get it SO right. Where the video just fits the track SO well. Take That's Kidz does just that. I mean, just how amazing is a Take That space-ship coming down and landing in a city?! Very amazing.

Now, to be fair, I definitely prefer Girls Aloud's take on the whole 'futuristic popstars invade the Earth' thing when they did their Untouchable video, but Take That definitely come a very well deserved second.

What are the best bits of the video? Well, for starters, the band's costumes are just so fantastical and steam-punk - very befitting a band that is the epitome of old mixed with new. They're almost scary - Gary Barlow in all his military finest, Robbie with a chain-mail vest and Mark Owen looking like he's stepped off the set of the BBC's Merlin with that hooded robe and staff of his.

Oh, and there's lots of soldiers thrown in. And in our age of Spooks and Call of Duty, stuff like that always adds a bit of excitement to things.

'Welcome to the future of the world...' goes the song. If the future is as exciting as this video makes out, I want more.

Take That - Kidz

Ever since Take That 'returned', I've been longing for them to return to the sound of their dance-pop roots; the music that made them such a big success in the early 90s. And with Kidz, the second single from their Progress album, they finally do.

Except, now they're even better than before. Gone are the acid-house piano riffs and drum machine, replaced by a hard industrial beat, crunching guitar power chords and buzz-saw synths. It's almost Nine Inch Nails.

It's also a brilliant chance for Mark Owen to shine. I've always been a fan of Mark's vocals and their David Bowie-esque lilt (his solo track Four Minute Warning is a much over-looked pop gem of a song). Kidz, with its minimal, stark verses and crystaline, epic choruses really is a 'progress' for the band - their big, Barlow-penned soft-rock ballads are all very well and good, in many cases even amazing - but this is a new side of Take That. It's fun, risque, daring and above all, very exciting.

Kidz is released 21st February.

The Wanted - Gold Forever

I've always had a bit of a soft spot for The Wanted, All Time Low was one of my favourite pop songs from last year, so I was intrigued to hear what their new single would sound like. Well, for starters, it begins like some epic Coldplay/Take That ballad. Definitely more than a few pages being taken out of the big Gary Barlow songbook at any rate.

And then, suddenly, it goes all Basshunter, erupting into a massive synth riff that quite literally blows your socks off. Boybands seem to be quite big fans of ballad-into-dance songs at the moment (Look at JLS, they've done it twice). But let's be honest it's a formula that works, and if something works well, why not use it again. It's a rule The Wanted stick to closely; you even get a rhythmic All Time Low string section thrown into the mix.

All in all, Gold Forever is a strong track, my only reservations being that there are so many better tracks on The Wanted's debut album which will probably never see the light of the day as singles now. But anyways, this track is for Comic Relief, so go out and buy it - do your bit for charity etc.

Oh, and when I heard the title of this song was Gold Forever, I had a brief image of this being some raved up futuristic cover version of Spandau Ballet's Gold. Now that would have been amazing.