I'm telling you, if you want to get in the news, the perfume is the way to go. No, I don't mean hit someone over the head with a bottle, although in some cases that might not be such a bad idea. The perfume industry, it seems, is growing tired of all those big bad names such as Dior and Channel - or so some seem to think.

Otherwise, I can't imagine why every singer and actor today feels the need to launch a fragrance that bears their name. Sarah Jessica Parker, the Beckhams (wait...they're not acting OR singing), P.Diddy, Christina Aguillera, they all have their own namesake perfumes floating around. Even Courtney Love wants to get a fragrance out - God forbid - and now it seems that even some of the not-so-hyped-lately singers are making a dash for fame.

I'm talking about Usher. To tell you the truth, I had no idea he was still around. And when I say that, I mean not just "around" as in doing cameos in videos - but seriously around, as in singing. I don't know about the singing, but he seems to be doing loads of other things. Such as getting married, having a kid on the way and, finally, launching his own perfume line.

The new fragrances are called USHER for Men and USHER for Women - yes, I know, really imaginative. But then again, the name and the brand go hand in hand, right? Among the celebrities who came to lend a hand with the press attention were Beyonce (who managed to wear a hot red dress and never once flashed her armpits), Martha Stewart, Nelly, Jermaine Dupri, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Gayle King and Usher's own mother, with whom he hadn't been having the best relationship in the world lately. But it looked like they had made up.

Usher, it seems, was a little keener this time to talk about his recent marriage and his unborn baby - which, it turns out, is going to be a boy. "I've found that it is a step-by-step process. You can wish for a million and one things. But I hope that my son has the same energy I had as a child, Hopefully, he won't be as bad as me. I hope that he's just a healthy son".

Not really sure what he means by "bad" - or maybe he's only talking about the past, seeing how waving perfume bottles around is not a very hazardous operation. I do wonder though - what does it mean, exactly, smelling like Usher? He'd better remind us all with a new album - 'cause I for one have pretty much forgotten what the hype and spark was all about.