There's an article about this in today's The Times.

Big Brother’s purple reign

After one housemate is expelled, rumours abound that Prince is about to be enter the Big Brother house. Our correspondent wonders if this is just a libidinous opportunity to dive into a gaggle of sex-starved women
When Prince is not in the charts, which these days is most of the time, he’s still great for unlikely news headlines. Two years ago there were tales of his new role as a Jehovah’s Witness, going door to door to spread the word. Now he may be knocking on a different door, down in Elstree, Hertfordshire. Rumours abound that the multi-platinum pop phenomenon and inspiration to countless musicians, who recently sold 140,000 London concert tickets in 20 minutes, is going into the Big Brother house – and there’s certainly room for one more after Emily’s explusion yesterday.

Despite sounding like the invention of a drug-crazed publicist, it seems that there may be truth in the story. A spokeswoman for Prince confirmed that “there has been a lot of talk between the two parties. Certainly Prince is intrigued. They approached him, and he’s taking the offer seriously. He watches the show.” In the usual course of these things it’s a case of flat denials until something actually happens, so these are encouraging words.

From celebrity spins on established formats to the masterclass (album-plugging) sessions offered by well-known artists of the Lionel Richie variety on shows such as Fame Academy or The X-Factor, rock-star appearances have become commonplace on reality television, especially in Britain, where opportunities to plug music on television continue to dwindle. But they’re rare on reality shows of Big Brother’s pressure-cooker nature, and even rarer when the guest stars are of Prince’s stature.

If Prince’s Big Brother appearance does come off, it will be the latest triumph in his perfectly stage-managed assault on Britain. In recent weeks we’ve had secret, low-key live appearances; well-placed endorsements of Amy Winehouse to show that he’s still down with the kids, and concert tickets that were not only reasonably priced but also came with a copy of his new album for each buyer.
It’s been a masterclass in PR, diverting attention from Prince’s dwindling commercial status and targeting instead, with pinpoint accuracy, a place in the collective psyche of a generation whose gig-going habits are, in 2007, more fierce than ever before. Despite Prince’s low profile in the charts, there is still a voice in the heads of many that says: “Hello. My name is Prince again and I was at one point funky. You have not played my CDs in over five years but you know I am quite good live. How about we spend the night together?”

As a keen Big Brotherviewer Prince will no doubt have been intrigued by the sight, two evenings ago, of the housemate known as Ziggy. He was once one fifth of Northern Line, a forgotten boyband so terrible that their legacy extends no further than Andy “Binman” Abraham from The X-Factorcovering one of their songs.

Ziggy’s the sort of guy who in the outside world would seem attractive only after 800 tequilas but he’s also the only man in a house of ten women. So Prince, sitting in his purple armchair with his hand rattling around in a tube of Pringles, would have seen Ziggy being chased around the house by a stampeding horde of sex-crazed young women, attempting to wrestle him to the ground and remove his shorts. Perhaps he mused on the fact that if such a flurry can be prompted by a former singer so devoid of celebrity status that he fails to qualify for Celebrity Big Brother, what hysteria could Prince – millions of records sold, 1,000 songs in his back catalogue – inspire?

Maybe Prince has also noted the euphoria experienced on Norway’s Big Brother a few years ago, when the housemates discovering Status Quo banging out a greatest-hits medley in their back garden. The footage, mercifully preserved on youtube, shows that while most of us would of course be surprised to see Francis Rossi on the back lawn, everything in a Big Brother house is thrown out of proportion.

The appearance of real celebrities on Big Brother works so well because the confined environment – where an argument about hair straighteners can prompt the Third World War – means that the significance of any event is amplified. Perfect for Prince.

A word of warning however. Thoughts turn to Jimmy Savile’s brief surprise appearance in last year’s Celebrity Big Brother. The response of the assembled celebrities instantly defined a huge generation gap. Savile was immediately recognisable to George Galloway and Pete Burns. Young Chantelle Houghton, however, was mystified by this strange man, a terrifying shell-suited blur of candyfloss hair and dark glasses.

Considering that this year’s Big Brother house is full of Chantelles more likely to lose control at the sight of any former member of Blue than this multimillion-selling rock legend, things could backfire rather embarrassingly.
Luckily for Prince, they’ll probably try to get his purple shorts off anyway.

I cant beleave he is doing this....surely no please...bb is the worst thing in british tv history. Prince must be desparate to do this, how ever I am sure its all a publicity stunt to promote his new music. When will he realise its not the record companys fawlt for his cds not doing so well the last 10 years but the music itself. Prince's live shows are still legendary,but even thats sliping because he is sliping in alot of cover songs these days.
20 years ago he may of sliped in the very odd rare cover live a case of u.Now he slips in loads,stil thats another subjuct.
His last good cd was diamonds and p. Since then there has been about 3 good songs on each cd,if he had made fewer cds and focused more on the music he wouldnt need to do this.
He is still a Genius,however

Petdroo said:

So...how's everybody doing?

Prince, if you are reading this don't go on this awful show. Playing a gig for the house is one thing, but actually going into the BB house is something else.

Shilpa Shetty, a Bollywood star who didn't understand how low some British TV programs can stoop, thought it was an interesting idea last year, but she must have had a horrible time in the house. BB had a phenomenal number of complaints about racism and bullying related to how she was treated, and it is a miracle the show is still on this year. It is definitely on its last legs.

BB needs Prince more than Prince needs BB.

Petdroo said:

i love how freaked out some of you are getting.

3121Addict said:

If Prince does turn up on Big Brother his sales WILL rise.....job done!

Just checked out that utube link, very funny!

NNNOOOOO!! this cannot be happening.

and I DONOT like the tone of this article.

"So shall it be written, so shall it be sung..."

Steven Wright has a show? You would think he would be too slow for talk radio.

"I hear...Prince is ...going to.....be on Big Brother. If he goes on that tv show.....wouldn't.... that.. make the show be called..... "Little Brother"?

Yeah we are all gettin our knickers in a twist if he does it he does it. Its his problem

That'd be more embarrassing than American Idol but would get him in the public eye again...

Think promotion. What's the biggest show in the UK during Prince's London? When is he releasing the new LP (clue: on the way into the first show).

The joke is Prince's in telling BB/The Sun he's a big fan of the show. Then again, I'm sure that show picked up a lot of US fans when Jermaine Jackson went in at Christmas.

Sublime, T!

Trickology said:

Steven Wright has a show? You would think he would be too slow for talk radio.

"I hear...Prince is ...going to.....be on Big Brother. If he goes on that tv show.....wouldn't.... that.. make the show be called..... "Little Brother"?

mehogeni said:

It seems to me that Macca and Prince (Geminis both with birthdays this month, recent Camden gigs and new albums to promote) are competing on establishing new methods to circumvent the *critical* derision to which they're both subjected by the 'hater' media.

I'm all for this. If he does it, it will instantly seize control of the UK media in a way that a billion quid in advertising couldn't.

Also, it will bring into focus the divide between 'celebrity' and 'charisma'

yossarian said:

If Prince does turn up on Big Brother his sales WILL rise.....job done!

Can you imagine the look on those wanna-be celebrities faces when they witness the sheer genius of Prince cutting loose on guitar? He is famous for actually having a talent
[Edited 6/9/07 4:27am]

I agree Exetergirl - it certainly is on its last legs, plus if he wants to promote himself in the UK, I can think of plenty of other shows that are way more popular - lmao, he should have gone onto the UK Apprentice and sort that snob Katie out, lol! Thats not a bad show, Ive my bet on the Irish woman - you go girl!!!!!

I truly cannot believe this.

At the start of this year when I was watching Celebrity Big Brother (the one with Jermaine Jackson and Faceman from The A-Team) I posted on here saying wouldn't it be weird if Prince went on the show.

And now it looks like it might become reality. I swear, this is just TOO WEIRD!

I hope he doesn't do it. I really do.

Don't do it, Prince!




Having you go on American Idol was enough of a fucking embarassment. Let me break it down like this: It's cool to be a Prince fan. It is NOT cool to call yourself a fan of somebody who's willing to stoop to appearing on brainless shit like AI and BB. You're above this, man.

Please, for the love of all that's holy, consider these options for self-promotion instead:

-Take a bit more time to work on the album, and release something truly stellar. Word of mouth is still worth something. Surprise us.

-Quit fucking around with perfumes and the like and start up your own web browser, a la Bowie. Get professionals to take care of it, so it doesn't go belly up like the fanclub did.

-Open up a new nightclub, and wrangle up some top-notch DJ's. Yes, I know the Glam Slam venture fell flat, but if you're willing to give cologne a new swing, why not this? I'd go to your club before I'd buy your silly body spray.

-Go out to clubs and small local gigs yourself and see what's truly got the young people moving. Because Beyonce? She's not it. Trust me. Throw yourself into the mix, see what's new, what's fresh. Play around and experiment. Nothing's wrong with this old-school kick you've been on for the past few years. But the thing is, it's called old-school because it's already been done. You're not too old yet to play with the new toys.

meow85 said:

Don't do it, Prince!




Having you go on American Idol was enough of a fucking embarassment. Let me break it down like this: It's cool to be a Prince fan. It is NOT cool to call yourself a fan of somebody who's willing to stoop to appearing on brainless shit like AI and BB. You're above this, man.

Please, for the love of all that's holy, consider these options for self-promotion instead:

-Take a bit more time to work on the album, and release something truly stellar. Word of mouth is still worth something. Surprise us.

-Quit fucking around with perfumes and the like and start up your own web browser, a la Bowie. Get professionals to take care of it, so it doesn't go belly up like the fanclub did.

-Open up a new nightclub, and wrangle up some top-notch DJ's. Yes, I know the Glam Slam venture fell flat, but if you're willing to give cologne a new swing, why not this? I'd go to your club before I'd buy your silly body spray.

-Go out to clubs and small local gigs yourself and see what's truly got the young people moving. Because Beyonce? She's not it. Trust me. Throw yourself into the mix, see what's new, what's fresh. Play around and experiment. Nothing's wrong with this old-school kick you've been on for the past few years. But the thing is, it's called old-school because it's already been done. You're not too old yet to play with the new toys.

I think something has reactivated with P that will take him out of the american orbit of cars, hotels and perfumes and into the UK orbit of funkier sheeeit.
I mean as long as he sees his peers as being the bling mob that turn up at the Grammys wearing the wealth of 100000 Zimbabweans on their necks, then there ain't gonna be much reality in his equations. Get Free!

he is extending his stay in London... plz don't b stupid Prince.

"So shall it be written, so shall it be sung..."

Suppose it's not so bad if he doesn't actually go into the house (but considering he needed a body guard for his recent London gig when that woman jumped on him, and even when he collected a Brit award years ago, he couldn't have coped with the BB house anyway).

BB is much worse than American Idol because at least the participants on AI have talent and are trying to get a break. On BB they are just trying to get attention. Imagine what the housemates will say when the hear that Prince will be doing a concert for them:

Prince, that's the boxer, right?
Nah, it's dog food, innit?

They just don't deserve him....

GiGi319 said:

meow85 said:

Don't do it, Prince!




Having you go on American Idol was enough of a fucking embarassment. Let me break it down like this: It's cool to be a Prince fan. It is NOT cool to call yourself a fan of somebody who's willing to stoop to appearing on brainless shit like AI and BB. You're above this, man.

Please, for the love of all that's holy, consider these options for self-promotion instead:

-Take a bit more time to work on the album, and release something truly stellar. Word of mouth is still worth something. Surprise us.

-Quit fucking around with perfumes and the like and start up your own web browser, a la Bowie. Get professionals to take care of it, so it doesn't go belly up like the fanclub did.

-Open up a new nightclub, and wrangle up some top-notch DJ's. Yes, I know the Glam Slam venture fell flat, but if you're willing to give cologne a new swing, why not this? I'd go to your club before I'd buy your silly body spray.

-Go out to clubs and small local gigs yourself and see what's truly got the young people moving. Because Beyonce? She's not it. Trust me. Throw yourself into the mix, see what's new, what's fresh. Play around and experiment. Nothing's wrong with this old-school kick you've been on for the past few years. But the thing is, it's called old-school because it's already been done. You're not too old yet to play with the new toys.

I agree with you. Now, if we could only get Prince to actually read this...

purplesweat said:

3121Addict said:

purplescarf said: