The Princes of Serendip Proud Winners of the Golden Gherkin Award VANINI DENIES GHERKIN SMEARS The mounting controversy surrounding the award of the Golden Gherkin to The Princes of Serendip took a new turn when T. G. Vanini, the Princes' songwriter, vehemently denied any wrongdoing. Amid rumors of influence-mongering and biased judges, Vanini broke a self-imposed silence to issue the following statement: "I had never even heard of the Golden Gherkin before we were awarded it, and I have never met any of the judges. As far as I'm concerned, they may as well not exist." Vanini then went on the offensive, blasting his detractors: "These would-be do-gooders, these green-faced nay-sayers are just out to deny The Princes of Serendip any small condiment after our seven years of toiling in the shadows. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't exist either." Vanini insisted that the Princes' performance this Sunday at the Colony Café will go ahead as scheduled. "We'll be there at 7pm, and I'm sure that we'll provide our usual good value to our loyal supporters and other curious people. The award has not turned our heads. Much." PRINCES IN A PICKLE The Daily Planet, Wednesday, September 8, 2004: With a fresh Golden Gherkin under their belts (as it were), you might think The Princes Of Serendip would be resting on their laurels and enjoying their new status. Instead, they're spending up to 16 hours a day fending off reporters and dealing with a barrage of criticism claiming that their Gherkin isn't genuine. An anonymous group, calling itself "Pickle Jar Veterans for Truth", lists on its website a series of alleged irregularities in the Golden Gherkin award process that, they say, make it "a sham". The most damning allegation is that T. G. Vanini, the Princes' co-founder and éminence grise, himself appointed the panel of judges. For Vanini, bottled up on his Woodstock estate, the whole affair may turn out to leave a sour aftertaste. PRINCES OF SERENDIP WIN GOLDEN GHERKIN AWARD Woodstock, NY - August 31, 2004: The Princes of Serendip, an unusual musical trio based in Woodstock, NY, have been awarded the coveted Golden Gherkin Award for 2004. The Golden Gherkin is awarded once every 17 years to sophisticated troubadours who weave stories, puzzles, laughter and tears with their music, and who feature all-original material written by a professor of mathematics. The identities of the judges, and of the artists who reached the shortlist of nominations, are closely-guarded secrets, but the chair of the panel of judges revealed that the Princes were the judges' unanimous choice: "They were first and last on our shortlist." The Princes of Serendip will celebrate their honor with a special performance at Woodstock's Colony Cafe on Sunday, September 12 [2004], at 7pm.