American Idol on The Huffington Post

"Idol" Finalist Allison Iraheta Readies Debut Album

2009-11-30T08:03:18Z

LOS ANGELES — Allison Iraheta has come a long way since her awkward first interview with Ryan Seacrest.

The spunky 17-year-old singer, who stuttered and stammered when the "American Idol" host prodded her about school at the beginning of the eighth season, went on to win rave reviews from the judges throughout the competition, standing out early on with a rendition of Heart's "Alone" and leaving a lasting impression with her take on Janis Joplin's "Cry Baby."

Greg Archer: Adam Lambert Breaks Through The Glass Ceiling, America Pouts

2009-11-24T16:15:51Z

Pass America a tissue.

ABC said more than 1,500 people phoned in to complain about former American Idol contestant Adam Lambert's escapades on stage during Sunday night's performance at the American Music Awards. There were provocative struts with dancers -- men -- then he simulated a kiss with a guy (and liked it).

The network deemed the response "moderate" but the Parents Television Council reported that it had also heard from upset members.

I'm curious who those members are.

Would they be the same parents who are fine with allowing their 8-, 9- and 10-year-old daughters or teens to see Twilight: New Moon? Would their daughters be the ones that were sitting in the crowded theater I happened to be in on opening night; the ones who screamed so joyously when Taylor Lautner, who plays a hunky teen werewolf in the film series, appears on screen buff and shirtless? Maybe they were the ones wiggling in their seat in anticipation of Robert Pattinson kissing Kristen Stewart.

Of the AMA stint, Timothy Winters, president of the Parents Television Council, reportedly vented that parents were "outraged ... they just can't believe the nature of the content, the explicit nature, and how much graphic content there was."

Really? I find that hard to believe.

Not that it's such a glorious thing, but we do live in a day and age, sadly, where more children and teens are exposed to graphic materials, whether it be of the sexual nature or violence. This is the point at which we've arrived at. Where do the parents Winters mentioned actually live?

Questions: Would it be so graphic if a guy kissed a girl? If Britney Spears appeared in titillating clothes, as she once had (dazed, confused -- OK, bloated perhaps), would their be an uproar? Should parents monitor even more the types of programming their young children and teens are watching?

I'm not sure I have a definitive answer -- yet -- but I do know one thing: Little House on the Prairie is not on television any more. So, if you're going to sit inside of a creative raft and journey down a raging river, you probably need to think ahead -- bring a life vest.

ABC Family anyone?

Email Greg Archer at greg@gregarcher.com

Michael Bialas: No Grinch will ruin Carrie Underwood's Holiday

2009-11-19T18:11:59Z

The Fox network is wishing you -- the home television viewer -- a very Carrie Christmas. And they're gift-wrapping two hours of entertainment in a special package titled Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special that will air December 7 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT).

Of course, Fox, the network that brings you American Idol, has the gift that keeps on giving with Underwood. The country vixen from Checotah, Oklahoma, who broke through to national fame by winning the fourth season of A.I., has reason to be in the holiday spirit.

Her third album, Play On, was released November 3 (19 Recordings/Arista Nashville) and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and she's making all the talk show rounds this week, from Conan O'Brien on Monday to Ellen Degeneres (Wednesday) and Jimmy Kimmel (Thursday).

Last week, she completed her second straight stint co-hosting the Country Music Association Awards show with Brad Paisley, performing "Cowboy Casanova" in hot pants (one of her 10 costume changes), cracking jokes, and taking a not-so-subtle shot at Taylor Swift nemesis Kanye West ("Brad's idea," Underwood said on The Tonight Show).

If only those Grinches disguised as tabloid gossips weren't around to spill the eggnog. Underwood, during a Monday conference call to promote her special, took time to set the record straight when asked about the ending of the very entertaining CMAs last week.

"I just want to say that was really hurtful," Underwood said of tabloid reports and Internet gossip that she was miffed with Swift's runaway success that night and interrupted Paisley's closing comments in order to turn the spotlight back on herself. "My brain would never operate that way at all. I have so much respect for every single person that is in that room. Whether they're, I mean 'cause most of the people there are in the music industry. They are part of it. I would never dream of doing anything like that."

Underwood, 26, only received two CMA nominations this year, but had the chance to win Female Vocalist of the Year for the fourth consecutive time. The streak ended as the 19-year-old Swift won en route to sweeping all four categories in which she was nominated, including Entertainer of the Year. She became the first woman since Shania Twain in 1999 to capture the CMA's most prestigious honor. Swift's all-male competition included Underwood's co-host, along with Kenny Chesney, George Strait and Keith Urban.

At the end of the show, Underwood is seen hugging Swift in the background as Paisley takes center stage to wrap it up. "How 'bout that? Nineteen years old ... Congratulations, Taylor. What a night. I can't even imagine a better ... night than this."

Still clapping, Underwood returns. When Paisley briefly pauses after the word "better," she jumps in, "And how were we? We were awesome," she says with glee, offering a hearty laugh while the crowd applauds. Paisley ends with "Thank you for coming everybody. God bless you," while Underwood, smiling broadly and waving, adds, "Good night, everybody. Thank you so much. Good night."

It's hard to believe someone would mistake Underwood for a sore loser after watching that. Yet she witnessed a similarly misguided stance at the CMAs three years ago, when Faith Hill was taken to task for expressing mock anger after losing to Underwood in the female vocalist category.

Hill even released a statement through her publicist in response to her suddenly harsh critics. "The idea that I would act disrespectful towards a fellow musician is unimaginable to me. For this to become a focus of attention given the talent gathered is utterly ridiculous. Carrie is a talented and deserving female vocalist of the year."

This time around, it was Underwood who had to defend herself.

"Like I said, my brain does not work that way ... And it was really, really hurtful to see such a great night and such a great moment be turned into trash ... And it made me sadder for ... I feel like stuff like that kind of takes away anybody's moment more than, I don't know, more than anything else. Because that's turning somebody's great moment into a tabloid headline. And it's sad."

And it's a shame Underwood felt she needed to address it Monday while closing out an otherwise joyous occasion. After all, her variety special should be worth celebrating. The show will include performances from her new album, along with previous hits and holiday classics. Guest stars include Paisley, Dolly Parton, fellow American Idol champion David Cook and -- for comedic relief -- Kristin Chenoweth and Christina Applegate. (Underwood, middle, performs with Chenoweth, left, and Applegate.)

Earlier in the call, Underwood was asked about her relationship with Paisley, who performs on his own and with his CMA co-host for the upcoming special, although he couldn't be in Los Angeles for the taping. "Brad and I have a bit of a history together; I got to co-headline a tour with him not too long ago; he's just a great guy ... The more we're around each other, the more we get comfortable with each other. Things just get better and better ... It was a lot of fun co-hosting the CMAs again. I felt like we did a good job. I was really proud of both of us for managing to, I don't know, not cause any major problems (laughing, perhaps not knowing what was yet to come). It was just a lot of fun.

"From a host standpoint, it makes three hours fly by."

Underwood said two of her favorite moments on the special were with Parton and Cook.

Underwood was also happy to say "Hello Dolly" for the first time. Expect what she calls "an impromptu, fun moment," with the fun-loving country legend. "I never met her before this so I was so excited to get to talk to her and obviously get to sing with her. It was a dream come true," Underwood said "... [W]hen Dolly's there, you kind of step out of the spotlight, and let her do her thing because no matter how hard you try, she's going to steal the spotlight. She's great; that's the way it should be." (Parton, left, is shown with a well-endowed Underwood, right.)

Of Cook, 2008's American Idol winner, she said, "We sing together; the first time we sang together was last year -- was it last year? -- gosh, it seems like a long time ago. At the opening in Disney World of the American Idol attraction. They asked us to sing together and we did and it was like, 'Hey this is really good; this feels really good.' So, we kinda rocked out for a minute. And got to sing together again. It was probably one of my favorite moments in the show because I just love him to death."

She also continues to hold a special place in her heart for the show, even though it has been more than four years since she defeated Bo Bice for the title. Asked if she still watches, Underwood exclaimed, "Of course. I will always have just the biggest love for American Idol as a participant and as a fan. And now, you know, it's so crazy for me to watch it and think, 'Oh my gosh, I was on that show.' I love the people on it, I love the people working on it, I love to go back and talk to the contestants; and, I mean, I feel ... I vote, too, just like everybody else I sit out there and I vote. So it's great to understand being a fan and being a participant, I get to see both sides."

Among other recent American Idol performers, Underwood said she enjoys Season eight winner Kris Allen, who's from Conway, Arkansas ("He seemed really genuine and he was kinda from my neck of the woods"), and Danny Gokey ("just the sweetest person").

While her iPod includes everything from classic rock groups such as the Rolling Stones and Creedence Clearwater Revival to more eclectic choices, including Ne-Yo and Thousand Foot Krutch ("They're people that deserve more credit than they get"), Underwood also said it's filled with "a lot of other Idols."

Her Idol worship notwithstanding, Underwood offers firm words of advice to those alums still trying to make it in the music business. "Any contestant that comes off Idol that does well on Idol has to make sure they know what people voted for," said the blond singer who is the best-selling American Idol winner with more than 10 million albums purchased. "I've seen it happen a few times where people are one thing on the show and then they get off the show and try to do something else. And it's really strange because Idol is one of those things that ... they're telling you what they want. People are telling you, 'We love this person as is.' And it's the best testing forum that you can possibly have.

"So I think it's really important to remember why people voted for you. And, of course, cross your fingers and say a little prayer and hope that people dig what you're doing."

It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas.

Credits
• Photos from Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special by Michael Becker/Fox.
• CMA Awards photos by Rick Diamond/Getty Images.

Ryan Seacrest Gets A Restraining Order

2009-10-31T08:02:11Z

LOS ANGELES — A judge granted "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest a temporary restraining order against a man arrested on suspicion of stalking the radio and television host outside his workplace on Friday, court records show.

Seacrest's attorneys obtained the stay-away order hours after they say Chidi Benjamin Uzomah Jr. was detained at the E! Entertainment Television headquarters in Los Angeles.

Mark Olmsted: The New Epidemic: Entitlitus

2009-10-27T15:02:32Z

In the '30s came radio and newsreels, and with them access to a degree of fame never known before. Still, the vast majority of time, you had to do something to get a microphone or camera in your face. It wasn't until the '50s and '60s that John and Jane Doe might be seen by millions; in fact, I would bet game shows were probably what prompted Andy Warhol to declare: "In the future, everyone will have their 15 minutes of fame." He was off by 45 minutes.

The reality show epidemic has produced an entirely new creature: the near-instant has-been. With the rare exception of a Elizabeth Hasselbeck or Paris Hilton, most of these gigs are one-night stands. But evidently, seeing yourself on TV and getting recognized at the supermarket can go right to the head. Why else would Richard Heene, (Balloon Boy's Dad) appear on Wife Swap twice?

I can understand how someone who's made it the 8th round of So You Can Think You Can Dance feels like they've earned some minor celebrity status. But what we're seeing more and more is something a little bit different: a sense of entitlement to fame unearned by any accomplishment.

The desire for notoriety is as old as humanity; we confuse a lot of attention with a lot of love. But recently people seem to be unable to distinguish between wanting it and earning it. Richard Heene is a shining example, but far from alone. Notice how often are athletes or talent show contestants told: "It depends how much you really want this." The likelihood of success is measured by intention, not result; yearning over performance. The takeaway message is clear: If you don't win, it's because you didn't want it enough.

Blame it on reality shows, blame in on the culture of celebrity, the perception increasingly seems to be that desire makes you deserving. The sentiment is funny--if a little pathetic--during American Idol auditions, when the tone deaf screechers can't seem to hear themselves. But when Denver airport gets shut down and the Colorado taxpayer is out a million bucks, it's downright dangerous.

My advice to all those blinded by the kleig lights: rent Gone With the Wind. There's a scene where Mammy utters three little words to Scarlett about her insistence that Ashley will propose marriage: "Wantin' Ain't Gettin!"

Mike Ragogna: HuffPost Reviews : Jack Johnson, R.E.M., Train, Dolly, Carly, and More, Plus U2 Plays The Rose Bowl, and This Week's New Albums

2009-10-26T04:50:06Z

Jack Johnson - En Concert

In 2008, Jack Johnson toured the world with his Sleep Through The Static concerts, the best of these shows assembled for his new CD/DVD En Concert that captures quite a bit more than your average live album. Jack brings his beach-troubadour style to some of the great cities of Europe--Berlin, The Hague, Munich, Paris, Newquay, and London--with the help of an entourage of kindred souls featuring Adam Topol, Merlot Podlewski, Zach Gill, plus star appearances by G Love, Ben Harper, Mason Jennings, Neal Halstead, and Matt Costa. Eddie Vedder also makes the cut, his having taken the stage with Johnson at Bonnaroo, and Paul Fuga jumps in for a performance of "Country Road."

Filmmaker Emmett Malloy seriously documents all the fun of their trip across the continent (and beyond), from performances to backstage rehearsals and banter, and from surfing to scenic Euro-exploration. The audiences go as bananas over Johnson and Co.'s shows as if they were U2 concerts, the band's music as rhythmic and natural as if it were being played back home in Hawaii. The emphasis isn't on jitter-camera captures, but instead, everything's as smooth as Mr. Zog's Sex Wax, the lens especially kind to Johnson's various shades of five o'clock shadow.

There are commentaries sprinkled about, off-stage antics, you know, your standard fare. But it's all kept very low key with no rock-star nonsense by surf-celebrator Malloy, whose stylish documentary elevates all of the tour's nuances Endless Summer-style, with human moments outweighing grandeur and without the bro-chatter of the latter. Those personal moments--such as when the artist explains, "The songs we play are about love, and that makes people feel good...that's how I explain it to my son...is that the theme of love is what attracts people"--sweetly counter grand Europic visuals with Johnson's Seagull Soup For The Soul.

With performances sequenced together from various shows, there are moments when it crosses over into Jackson Browne's multi-venue Running On Empty territory, an audio document that also gave us many angles on what it was like for a lyrical artist to be on tour. But especially on the CD portion, you don't even notice as the venues fly by; instead, you just savor the loosey-goosey creative licenses taken that never give us jam band excesses, just occasional segues-for-the-hell-of-it like when Paul Simon's "Mother And Child Reunion" is slipped onto "The Horizon Has Been Defeated." With all its personality--like Johnson's lone surfdog Red Rocks performance and overall slowed down groove-a-billy--this no-miss concert now becomes a don't miss release with the vibe of an Hawaiian vacation spent in the old country. (Profits will go to Jack Johnson's Kokua Hawaii Foundation and the Johnson Ohana Family Trust that endow various environmental projects.) Start Here: "If I Had Eyes"

Tracks:

CD
1. Belle / Banana Pancakes
2. If I Had Eyes
3. Do You Remember / Remember
4. Sleep Through The Static
5. Flake
6. Bubble Toes / Express Yourself
7. Wasting Time
8. What You Thought You Need
9. Country Road With Paula Fuga
10. Staple It Together
11. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
12. Constellations With Eddie Vedder
13. The Horizon Has Been Defeated / Mother And Child Reunion
14. Good People
15. All At Once
16. Gone
17. Home
18. Times Like These
19. Angel / Better Together

DVD
1. Intro (If I Had Eyes - 11 Seconds - Palais Omnisports, Bercy, Paris)
2. Sleep Through The Static (Palais Omnisports, Bercy, Paris)
3. Belle (Palais Omnisports, Bercy, Paris)
4. Banana Pancakes (Palais Omnisports, Bercy, Paris)
5. No Other Way (Olympia Reitanlage, Munich)
6. Good People (Olympia Reitanlage, Munich)
7. Staple It Together (Olympia Reitanlage, Munich)
8. Flake (The Hague, Amsterdam)
9. Bubbletoes (The Hague, Amsterdam)
10. Go On (Kindl-Buhne Wuhlheide, Berlin)
11. Constellations (Watergate Bay, Newquay, UK)
12. Hope (Hyde Park, London)
13. Wasting Time (Hyde Park, London)
14. Hi Tide, Low Tide (Hyde Park, London)
15. If I Had Eyes (Hyde Park for 3:00 Min then Paris for 1:23)
16. All At Once (Palais Omnisports, Bercy, Paris)
17. Angel / Better Together (Palais Omnisports, Bercy, Paris)
18. Monsoon (Palais Omnisports, Bercy, Paris)
19. Rainbow / Buddha (Palais Omnisports, Bercy, Paris)

R.E.M. - Live At The Olympia

Here's an interesting approach: record an album and shoot a film centered around rehearsing songs that will be recorded for an album. Being a little Being John Malkovich? Overseen by Accelerate's co-producer Jacknife Lee, this release is the result of R.E.M. being holed-up in Dublin's Olympia Theater for five days in 2007, and these CDs--with the DVD doc This Is Not A Show--do show a band's creative process at work when it weighs audience feedback as its criteria for success.

Of course, the sold-out, capacity crowds go nuts after virtually every performance, and the 39 songs of this "Experiment in Terror" (as Michael Stipe called it on and off-camera) are energized; for example, there's "Cuyahoga," whose new aggressiveness adds a bit of fight to the anthem. A great moment of Vincent Moon and Jeremiah's This Is Not A Show keenly touches on a unique, modern day dilemma for songwriters when Stipe reads alleged "West Of The Fields" lyrics to the crowd, a translation he found on the internet: "The animals, how strange, try, try to stick it in." After the room giggles, the singer insists, "I guarantee you, in all my drug-addled twenties, I never wrote that line...never!"

Whether it's concert, rehearsal, commentary, or atmospheric footage, Moon and Jeremiah link everything together with the common theme of "Will this work or not?" that the band seems to be genuinely questioning; and, obviously, if it didn't work, we wouldn't be talking about it now. But the band smartly chose what works best, in this case, deeper album material over hits. This is the band raw--or as close as we're getting to the one we grew up on--and from R.E.M.'s perspective, Live At The Olympia goes out to the songs they love. Start Here: "Carnival Of Sorts"

Tracks:

CD 1
1. Living Well Is The Best Revenge
2. Second Guessing
3. Letter Never Sent
4. Staring Down The Barrel Of The
5. Disturbance At The Heron House
6. Mr. Richards
7. Houston
8. New Test Leper
9. Cuyahoga
10. Electrolite
11. Man-Sized Wreath
12. So. Central Rain
13. On The Fly
14. Maps And Legends
15. Sitting Still
16. Driver 8
17. Horse To Water
18. I'm Gonna DJ
19. Circus Envy
20. These Days

CD 2
1. Drive
2. Feeling Gravity's Pull
3. Until The Day Is Done
4. Accelerate
5. Auctioneer
6. Little America
7. 1,000,000
8. Disguised
9. The Worst Joke Ever
10. Welcome To The Occupation
11. Carnival Of Sorts (Boxcar)
12. Harborcoat
13. Wolves, Lower
14. I've Been High
15. Kohoutek
16. West Of The Fields
17. Pretty Persuasion
18. Romance
19. Gardening At Night

DVD
1. This Is Not A Show - A Film By Vincent Moon and Jeremiah

Train - Save Me, San Francisco

It's back to the basics for "Drops Of Jupiter"'s Pat Monahan, Jimmy Stafford, and Scott Underwood who have returned with a rejuvenated core band sound, and their best album since their self-titled release. Sporting a full-on celebration of its roots and all that is San Francisco, their latest is not any kind of concept album, though its stories and relationships are all San Fran-focused, with the best geo-shout-out going to The Doobie Brothers in "I Got You." Within this Train original, the guys cannibalize then regurgitate that group's "Black Water" with so much glee that Patrick Simmons might as well be in the studio's control room, ready with a slop bucket. Yet it's all so tastefully done.

All this fun starts with the title track during which we hear about the misadventures and that-of-which-we-dare-not-speak from being on the road, including certain "blisters" from not-so-virginal sources. The single "Hey, Soul Sister"--climbing atop a pop chart near you--has the best and only Mr. Mister reference one can recall, and the checklist of things Pat Monahan will be giving his girl on "If It's Love" will NOT be including cologne since, as he cheekily indicates, it's poison (by the way, it is, check it out).

For the retro fan in all of us, Train offers "You Always Know" whose Hollies-meets-Motown amalgam is amazing with Pat sounding like Allan Clarke's more in-tune little brother. In fact, Pat's vocals only have gotten stronger with time, no pitch-correcting devices allowed. Jimmy Stafford's guitars are tighter than ever, and Scott Underwood's pounding, especially on the rockier tracks, also show the drummer in fine form. The lyrics are snappy and feisty, and the ballads don't insult your intelligence. The trio's recent dissolution and reformation has made them personally and musically closer, and these eleven non-Disney, non-American Idol-pop recordings are the very pleasing fruits of their non-labored reunion. Start Here: "Save Me, San Francisco," "Hey, Soul Sister," "Marry Me," and "If It's Love"

NOTE: Please read this Wednesday's HuffPost interview with Train in which we learn if the group will be performing "Spiders And Snakes" on its new tour.

Tracks:
1. Save Me, San Francisco
2. Hey, Soul Sister
3. I Got You
4. Parachute
5. This Ain't Goodbye
6. If It's Love
7. You Already Know
8. Words
9. Brick By Brick
10. Breakfast In Bed
11. Marry Me

Dolly Parton - Dolly

What an excellent overview of Dolly Parton's career this four disc set is, featuring every important hit (as well as some that should have been) plus seven previously unreleased tracks. It reaches back to when the singer was just eleven years old on Louisiana's Goldband Records, and marches forward through her Mercury and Monument releases, her two decades of RCA recordings, and her Columbia period. Dolly then wraps it up with the event record that was "Romeo," her 1993 group effort with Billy Ray Cyrus, Tanya Tucker, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kathy Mattea, and Pam Tillis.

Through its repertoire, Dolly's producer Rob Santos--along with liner note writers Holly George-Warren and Laura Cantrell--trace the musical history almost seamlessly, treating this singer-songwriter-entertainer with a dignity that has long-eluded the country music legend. Beyond the historical information contained within this collection's 60-page booklet, each period, sequenced chronologically, speaks musical volumes on the Parton story, a couple of the more interesting chapters being her duets with Porter Wagoner and her early RCA days that introduced us to "Jolene" and a mighty song titled "I Will Always Love You." (The box even features "Put It Off Until Tomorrow," the only track among the 99 presented here not sung by Dolly.)

It's kind of unfortunate that many only know Dolly Parton's pop hits "9 To 5," "Here You Come Again," and her Kenny Rogers duet, "Islands In The Stream," since there are so many other important recordings, many of which she composed, that are better representations of the artist. But however one gets there, Dolly Parton's music deserves all our attention, from its pure country roots to its more sophisticated musings for the masses. Start Here: "Jolene," "Dumb Blond," "Together Always" with Porter Wagoner, and "My Tennessee Mountain Home"

Tracks:

Disc 1
1. Puppy Love
2. Girl Left Alone
3. Gonna Hurry (As Slow As I Can) (demo)
4. It's Sure Gonna Hurt - with Merry Melody Singers
5. Love You Gave - with Merry Melody Singers
6. Nobody But You
7. Busy Signal
8. Don't Drop Out
9. I've Known You All My Life
10. Put It Off Until Tomorrow - with Bill Phillips
11. Dumb Blonde
12. Something Fishy
13. I Couldn't Wait Forever
14. I'm Not Worth The Tears
15. Last Thing on My Mind - with Porter Wagoner
16. False Eyelashes
17. Bridge
18. Just Because I'm A Woman
19. Holding On To Nothin' - with Porter Wagoner
20. We'll Get Ahead Someday - with Porter Wagoner
21. Jeannie's Afraid Of The Dark - with Porter Wagoner
22. In The Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)
23. Daddy
24. Evening Shade
25. Gypsy, Joe And Me
26. My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy

Disc 2
1. Just The Way I Am
2. Down From Dover
3. Everything Is Beautiful (In Its Own Way)
4. Daddy Come And Get Me
5. Just Someone That I Used To Know - with Porter Wagoner
6. Tomorrow Is Forever - with Porter Wagoner
7. Daddy Was An Old Time Preacher Man - with Porter Wagoner
8. Comin' For To Carry Me Home
9. Golden Streets Of Glory
10. Mule Skinner Blues (Blue Yodel No. 8)
11. Joshua
12. Daddy's Moonshine Still
13. Last One To Touch Me - with Porter Wagoner
14. Better Move It On Home - with Porter Wagoner
15. Coat Of Many Colors
16. Traveling Man
17. My Blue Tears
18. Here I Am
19. God's Coloring Book
20. Will He Be Waiting
21. Touch Your Woman
22. Together Always - with Porter Wagoner
23. Lost Forever In Your Kiss - with Porter Wagoner
24. My Tennessee Mountain Home
25. Eugene Oregon
26. What Will Baby Be

Disc 3
1. Jolene
2. Early Morning Breeze
3. I Will Always Love You
4. Please Don't Stop Loving Me - with Porter Wagoner
5. Love Is Like A Butterfly
6. Sacred Memories
7. Bargain Store
8. On My Mind Again
9. Kentucky Gambler
10. Seeker [New Edit]
11. We Used To
12. All I Can Do
13. Light Of A Clear Blue Morning
14. You Are
15. Applejack
16. It's All Wrong, But It's All Right
17. Here You Come Again
18. Two Doors Down
19. Me And Little Andy
20. Heartbreaker
21. I Really Got The Feeling
22. Baby I'm Burnin'
23. You're The Only One
24. Sweet Summer Lovin'
25. Starting Over Again

Disc 4
1. Old Flames Can't Hold A Candle to You
2. 9 To 5
3. But You Know I Love You
4. Single Women
5. Heartbreak Express
6. Do I Ever Cross Your Mind
7. Potential New Boyfriend
8. Islands In the Stream - Dolly Parton with Kenny Rogers
9. Save the Last Dance for Me
10. Tennessee Homesick Blues
11. God Won't Get You
12. What a Heartache
13. Don't Call It Love
14. Think About Love
15. Why'd You Come In Here Lookin' Like That
16. Yellow Roses
17. Time for Me To Fly
18. He's Alive
19. Rockin' Years - with Ricky Van Shelton
20. Eagle When She Flies
21. Silver and Gold
22. Romeo - with Billy Ray Cyrus, Tanya Tucker, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kathy Mattea, and Pam Tillis

Carly Simon - Never Been Gone

With a super-nudge from her son Ben Taylor, Carly Simon re-recorded some of her classics in stripped-down versions, reducing them to an almost unplugged state. Her holding that magnifying glass on the album cover is an accurate depiction of what's going on track-to-track as the singer-songwriter gets to the heart of what was great about these compositions. She reworks the details as well as her vocals, such as in her new read of "You Belong To Me" that now seems less about re-seduction than an indictment of the temptress that might as well have been from James Taylor's "You Make It Easy." All of the songs offer at least one or two similar curve balls, and Carly's rich, mature voice now offers a smokiness reminiscent of the late Mary Travers'.

It's satisfying to hear Carly Simon approaching some of her popular material through this method as opposed to releasing yet another greatest hits. And it's nice to have a couple of new songs, although "No Freedom" tries a bit too hard to be special. On the other hand, the chordal movements and reflective mood of "Songbird" places it somewhere near "That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be" and stalwarts such as "Embrace Me You Child," two chestnuts that showcase the artist at her emotive best. Of the avian, Carly sings, "...I don't where it leads, but I believe it sings its song for me...sees the things I see," but it seems there's a little personification going on here since the song sounds less about the concept of the "muse" and more about how she's taken flight in her own life, making her own inspired choices.

After all her challenges--personal and musical--Carly's a fighter (we always heard that strength in her voice) and a winner. Scaring us a couple years back with the somber, haunting album Into White that came off like some sort of graceful goodbye (especially on James Taylor's "You Can Close Your Eyes," sung with their children Ben and Sally), she re-emerges with solid offerings every couple of years. Never Been Gone is no exception. Start Here: "Songbird," "Boys In The Trees," and "You Belong To Me"

Tracks:
1. The Right Thing To Do
2. It Happens Every Day
3. Never Been Gone
4. Boys In The Trees
5. Let The River Run
6. You're So Vain
7. You Belong To Me
8. No Freedom
9. That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be
10. Coming Around Again
11. Anticipation
12. Songbird

needtobreathe - The Outsiders

This alt folk-pop Christian group always seemed like it was gunning for Counting Crows or at least a southern band or two. Their new album The Outsiders rocks lightly with catchy tunes featuring occasional banjoes or a finger-picked/strummy instrument of your choice. It also whips out a big gospel-y chorus for a couple of tracks, and it's all pretty even. This band has a big following, and for them, The Outsiders most likely will do the trick. Newcomers will have to come to the party with a lot of open-mindedness in order to wade through heavy-handed anthems and a little religiousness. Perhaps they should try the country track "Stones Under Rushing Water," featuring the always wonderful Sara Watkins on vocals, since it touches the heart in a way the rest of the album should. Suggestion? Next time out, be a little more outsider-y. Start Here: "Stones Under Rushing Water" with Sara Watkins

Tracks:
1. The Outsiders
2. Valley Of Tomorrow
3. Through Smoke
4. Lay 'Em Down
5. What You've Done To Me
6. Hurricane
7. These Hard Times
8. Stones Under Rushing Water - with Sara Watkins
9. Prisoner
10. Won't Turn Back
11. Girl Named Tennessee
12. Something Beautiful
13. Garden
14. Let Us Love

Pink Martini - Splendor In The Grass

Ooh-la-la, you had us at "Ninna, nanna." Thomas Lauderdale's brand of alt-jazz-world music splashes through France, London, Brazil, with a stop or two in Old Harlem, and elsewhere. The Mama Cass-lite vocals are sprite-like, especially while dancing along French, Italian, Spanish, and Neapolitan cobblestones. For those in the New York know, Moondog's "New Amsterdam" gets beautifully resurected here, and Sesame Street's "Sing," with guest Emilio Delgato (aka the show's "Luis") is adorable. Accompanied by The Harvey Rosencrantz Orchestra and with additional guests Chavela Vargas, Ari Shapiro, and Courtney Taylor-Taylor, Pink Martini's Splendour In The Grass might be a tad poorly titled; it's barely as pastel as the cover and moniker suggest. Instead, it's like a dimly lit foyer in the forties, the one G.I.s waited breathlessly in for Mathilde to appear from her boudoir. Or not. Start Here: "Ou est ma tete?" and "Tuca tuca"

Tracks:
1. Ninna nanna
2. Ohayoo Ohio
3. Splendor In The Grass
4. Ou est ma tete?
5. And Then You're Gone
6. But Now I'm Back
7. Sunday Table
8. Over the Valley
9. Tuca tuca
10. Bitty Boppy Betty
11. Sing
12. Piensa en mi
13. New Amsterdam
14. Ninna nanna - reprise

GUILTY PLEASURE:

"Weird Al" Yankovic - The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic

This is all ultra-gooey stuff that any cheese connoisseur worth his or her weight in chedduh would gladly pig-out on. Start Here: "The Saga Begins"

Tracks:

Disc One
1. Another One Rides The Bus
2. Polkas On 45
3. Eat It
4. I Lost On Jeopardy
5. Yoda
6. One More Minute
7. Like A Surgeon
8. Dare To Be Stupid
9. Dog Eat Dog
10. Lasagna
11. Melanie
12. Fat
13. UHF
14. The Biggest Ball Of Twine In Minnesota
15. Trigger Happy
16. Smells Like Nirvana
17. You Don't Love Me Anymore
18. Bedrock Anthem
19. Frank's 2000" TV
20. Jurassic Park

Disc Two
1. Since You've Been Gone
2. Amish Paradise (Parody of "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio)
3. Gump (Parody of "Lump" by The Presidents Of The United States)
4. Everything You Know Is Wrong
5. The Night Santa Went Crazy
6. Your Horoscope For Today
7. It's All About The Pentiums (An adaptation of "It's All About The Benjamins" by Puff Daddy)
8. The Saga Begins (Lyrical Adaption of "American Pie")
9. Albuquerque
10. Ebay (Parody of "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys)
11. Bob
12. Hardware Store
13. I'll Sue Ya (Main Version)
14. Canadian Idiot (Parody of "American Idiot" by Green Day) (Main Version)
15. Pancreas (Main Version)
16. Don't Download This Song (Main Version)
17. White & Nerdy (Parody of "Ridin'" by Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone)
18. Trapped In The Drive-Thru (Parody of "Trapped In The Closet" by R. Kelly)

U2 PLAYS PASADENA'S ROSE BOWL

The best word to describe this event is the overused colloquial term "awesome." To turn your head around and witness 95-100,000 fellow U2 devotees packed into the Rose Bowl couldn't help but elicit an emotional response; but to have shared a musically historic event with seven continents being broadcast from your home turf almost made it spiritual. Reportedly the largest assembly since the nineties that the Pasadena venue had ever hosted, the technologically über-advanced concert carried a message of community and interconnectedness, the themes flowing relentlessly through the set list.

Always at the forefront of technology, U2 and its 360 Tour--in association with YouTube--took the stage following a loudspeaker cranking Bowie's "Space Oddity," the stage harnessing what Bono nicknamed "The Space Station." It was an interactive circular screen that was attached to a giant "claw" structure that folded around the platform, then intermittently opened as a bridge to the audience for Bono's coming walkabouts. When Bono, The Edge, Adam, and Larry finally launched the event with No Line On The Horizon's "Breathe," about 1.3 million viewers from all places around the world witnessed as the 24-song set unfolded. "Get On Your Boots" with its Elvis Costello wordplay rip from "Pump It Up" came next, and the music and dazzling special effects relentlessly continued for about 90 minutes of fan bliss.

The set list borrowed much from No Line On The Horizon, but most of the hits surfaced as well as appendages such as "Stand By Me" that was attached to "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." Throughout the night, Bono-isms--some from song lyrics--were tossed about, including funky phrases like "The future needs a big kiss," "We've got old songs, we've got new songs, we've got songs we can barely play, we've got a spaceship," "Enough with the folk mass," "What time is it in the world, and where are we going?" and "Get up off your big fat ass now." Band introductions included a reference to a time-traveling Larry Mullen, an Adam "Clark Gable" Clayton toss-off, and the singer added, "Every sci-fi movie needs a visitor from outer space...he's Mr. Spock to us, he's The Edge to you" before referring to himself as being an Arnold Schwarzenegger with a little Danny DeVito. There were even pre-taped guest appearances from an international politician and an astronaut from the International Space Station, emphasizing the night's messages of global community and cosmic connection.

One touching moment found Bono calling out to Iran for that "connection" while embracing an American flag prior to revving up "Sunday Bloody Sunday," its symbolism hardly escaping the assembly. Another beautiful scene came in the form of sending love and music to a Burmese dissident. By the time the concert entered its encore phase, "One" bled into five or so songs, the circular screen's "spaceship" and "alien" completing the band's mission with the simple message, "Turn on your radio." Bono and his gang faux-left then returned, the singer crooning "Ultra Violet" into a dangling color-morphing, mini-UFO-looking microphone. With the words "We're going to turn the Rose Bowl over to the Milky Way," the band concluded the spectacle with "Moment Of Surrender" at 11:18 pm, after which 95-100,000 dazed participants exited to Elton John's "Rocket Man," preparing themselves for the very grounding and messy traffic experience that was to come.

Set List:
1. Breathe
2. Get On Your Boots
3. Magnificent
4. Mysterious Ways
5. Medley: Beautiful Day / In God's Country / God Only Knows / The Maker
6. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Stand By Me
7. Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of
8. No Line On The Horizon
9. Elevation
10. In A Little While
11. Unknown Caller
12. Until The End Of The World
13. The Unforgettable Fire
14. City Of Blinding Lights
15. Vertigo / It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)
16. I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight / Two Tribes
17. Sunday Bloody Sunday
18. MLK
19. Walk On / You'll Never Walk Alone
20. One / Amazing Grace
21. Where The Streets Have No Name
22. Ultra Violet (Light My Way)
23. With Or Without You
24. Moment Of Surrender

THIS WEEK'S NEW ALBUMS:

AC/DC - Black Ice (expanded reissue)
John Anderson - Greatest Hits
John Anderson - Greatest Hits Volume II
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Fruit
Atreyu - Congregation Of The Damned
Emilie Autumn - Opheliac: The Deluxe Edition (CD/DVD expanded reissue)
Awesome New Republic - Hearts
Devendra Banhart - What Will We Be
Cecilia Bartoli - Sacrificium - (double disc)
Bassnectar - Cozza Frenzy
Between The Buried And Me - The Great Misdirect
The Blind Boys of Alabama - Duets
Blondie - Blondie Singles Collection: 1977-1982 (double disc)
The Breakaways - Walking Out On Love: The Lost Sessions
The Canadian Tenors - The Canadian Tenors
Chipmunk - I Am Chipmunk
The Cowsills - The Cowsills (reissue)
Creed - Full Circle
Deep Purple - Who Do We Think We Are (vinyl)
Dragonette - Fixin To Thrill
Duran Duran - The Singles 81-85 (3 CD box set reissue)
Editors - In This Light And On This Evening
Melissa Etheridge - A New Thought For Christmas (CD/DVD)
Mike Epps - Funny Bidness ... Da Album
Rosie Flores - Girl Of The Country
The Four Tops - Something To Remember: The Casablanca Sessions
Glass Ghost - Idol Omen
Gov't Mule - By A Thread
Grin - Gone Crazy (reissue)
Euge Groove - Sunday Morning
Sarah Lee Guthrie & Family - Go Waggaloo
Halford - Halford III: Winter Songs
Heavy Trash - Midnight Soul Serenade
Hot Chelle Rae - Lovesick Electric
Michael Jackson - The Music That Inspired The Movie Michael Jackson's "This Is It" (double disc)
Tommy James - Tommy James
Katherine Jenkins - Believe
Jack Johnson - En Concert
Jesse Johnson - Verbal Penetration (double disc)
Kid Creole and the Coconuts - Anthology Volumes 1 & 2 (double disc)
Lightning Bolt - Earthly Delights
Nils Lofgren - Cry Tough (reissue)
Marillion - The Singles 82-88 (3 CD box set)
Brian McKnight - Evolution Of A Man
Lorrie Morgan - A Moment In Time
Morningwood - Diamonds & Studs
The Motels - Atomic Cafe: Greatest Songs Live
The Mother Hips - Pacific Dust
Mr. Big - Back To Budokan: Next Time Around 2009 Tour (CD/DVD)
Joe Nichols - Old Things New
Orba Squara - Sunshyness
Orianthi - Believe
Painkiller Hotel - Black Roses
Dolly Parton - Dolly (4 CD box set)
Pink Martini - Splendor In The Grass
Chuck Prophet - Let Freedom Ring
Putumayo - Putumayo Presents A Family Christmas
R.E.M. - R.E.M. Live At The Olympia (double disc)
Kenny Rogers - Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years (box set)
Kenny Rogers - The Greatest Duets
Matthew Ryan - Dear Lover
Carly Simon - Never Been Gone
Phil Spector - A Christmas Gift For You (reissue)
Spirit - Fresh From The Time Coast: The Best Of 1968-1977
The Squirrel Nut Zippers - Lost At Sea
Rod Stewart - Soulbook
Stephen Stills - Live At Shepherds Bush Empire (CD/DVD)
Sting - If On A Winter's Night ... (CD/DVD deluxe edition)
String Cheese Incident - Trick Or Treat: Best Of The String Cheese Incident
Swell Season - Strict Joy
Taylor Swift - Fearless Platinum Edition (CD/DVD expanded reissue)
Tainstick - 6 Pounds Of Sound
Tegan and Sara - Sainthood
Train - Save Me, San Francisco
Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Night Castle
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
Velvet Acid Christ - The Art Of Breaking Apart
"Weird Al" Yankovic - The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic
Barry White - Unlimited (4 CD box set)
Winger - Karma
Wolfmother - Cosmic Egg
Yo-Yo Ma - Yo-Yo Ma: 30 Years Outside The Box (box set)

Frank Rich: In Defense Of The Balloon Boy Dad

2009-10-24T23:56:14Z

For a country desperate for good news, the now-deflated "balloon boy" spectacle would seem to be the perfect tonic. As Wolf Blitzer of CNN summed up the nation's unrestrained joy upon learning that the imperiled boy had never been in any peril whatsoever: "All of us are so excited that little Falcon is fine."

Adam Lambert Goes Hetero, Tongues Girl For Details (PHOTOS)

2009-10-20T15:32:07Z

***Scroll down for photos***

Adam Lambert is on the cover of Details, and inside he impersonates a heterosexual in an awkward photo shoot.

He also talks about coming out, losing his virginity and having an acid-fueled epiphany at the Burning Man Festival. Here are some highlights:

You can read the whole Details interview here.

On kissing women:

"I am gay, but I like kissing women sometimes. Women are pretty. It doesn't mean I'm necessarily sleeping with them."

On his "Cajun" 24-year-old mystery boyfriend:

"I like 'em smaller and younger."

On connecting with his fans:

"A lot of times I'll pick up a bra and play with it during a song. It's a way to connect. It's like, 'I threw my bra up onstage and you're spinning it around. Cool. Yay.'"

PHOTOS:

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Kara DioGuardi Sleep Eats: Paula Abdul

2009-10-14T11:18:52Z

Kara DioGuardi has become a household name since becoming the fourth judge on "American Idol" last year, but her former co-star Paula Abdul wants us all to remember one thing - she was the one who discovered the songwriter-turned-reality star ten years ago. But having lived with DioGuardi, Abdul also discovered the musician suffered from an interesting eating issue.

"I literally discovered Kara and believed in her, we had lunch together and I told her that if she wants to give two weeks notice, I would move a stranger into my own home. She lived with me and we became the best roommates, we never fought, except she would sleep walk and eat," Abdul told Tarts after announcing the AMA nominations on Tuesday morning. "I'd wake up in the morning and I thought 'did my dog do this?' There was food on the ground. 'What the heck?' I thought. But she would have no recollection that she did it."

Boulder City Council hopefuls talk pot, nudity

2009-10-11T20:01:57Z

Candidates who run afoul of audience members' tastes will be routinely kicked off the stage based on audience votes. The audience will vote by periodically text messaging a number to debate organizers that corresponds to their favorite candidate, American Idol-style.

'Idol Gives Back' Returns in 2010

2009-10-06T15:18:25Z

After a hiatus in 2009, "Idol Gives Back," American Idol's annual special benefit show, is returning for a third year.

The charity special features performances and appearances from music's biggest stars, interspersed with requests for donations from viewers during and following the show. "Idol Gives Back" is slated to air April 21, 2010, during the top 7 results show.

Proceeds from the show will aid the Children's Health Fund, Feeding America, Malaria No More, Save the Children's U.S. Programs and the United Nations Foundation. More than $140 million was raised in the two previous specials, which featured special guests President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Bono, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Miley Cyrus and Mariah Carey, among others.

January marks the beginning of the show's ninth season, with host Ryan Seacrest and judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi.

Blake Lewis & "HEARTBREAK ON VINYL" Album Release

2009-10-06T08:19:21Z

Heartbreak On Vinyl includes a more pronounced synth pop and as Lewis describes it, an "indie pop dance record with a 80's nostalgic feel."

Mike Ragogna: HuffPost Reviews : Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Genesis, and Chris Bell, Plus an Interview with Jason Mraz, This Week's New Albums, and More

2009-09-28T05:48:07Z

An Interview With Jason Mraz

In the few short years following the release of Jason Mraz's 2002 debut album Waiting For My Rocket To Come, the young San Diego singer-songwriter has had the longest running hit on Billboard's Pop Singles chart ("I'm Yours," 70 weeks), has become a Grammy award-winner, has earned a Songwriters Hall Of Fame trophy, has opened for The Rolling Stones, and, most importantly, has been immortalized by American Idol contestant Chris Richardson for his read of Mr. A-Z's "Geek In The Pink." Though these great achievements say much about the artist, he had a bit more to add about all things Mrazworld...

Mike Ragogna: With all your recent success and popularity, apparently, everyone has one important, burning question. What's up at the avocado farm?

Jason Mraz: Avocado farm's good, man. It's a wealth of trees that have been putting out fruit for the past thirty years. I've only been responsible for it for the past five years, and it's going really well, it's a happening place.

MR: Your latest tour is a bit unique because of how you're approaching the charitable element. Can you explain it a little?

JM: It's called the Gratitude Café Tour that's been going on this summer. Our effort was to make a concert experience a little different for people -- it isn't just "come and sit and watch the show," it's really "come and participate." So, our final show is going to be in San Diego which is my hometown, and we're making it a "gratitude" show where you kind of pay what you want. You can come and pay a dollar or seventy-five dollars, or you can go online for some of our best seats for probably a couple o' hundred dollars. Or you can come with your pockets empty and learn about the local charities we're going to have on hand. It was a way for me to give back to my community, and also, hopefully, a way to inspire that community to pay it forward.

MR: Are some of the proceeds of that last concert going to The San Diego Youth Services?

JM: Yup! The San Diego Youth Services, VH1 Save The Music, and the Surfrider foundation are our three main beneficiaries, and we're getting hit up by many other charities who are probably going to be on hand on that day. I think there are going to be quite a few.

MR: Rumor has it Bushwalla and Brett Dennen are going to be there.

JM: Yeah, Brett Dennen was my first choice. I knew that this was going to be any kind of show I wanted to make it, and Brett is one of the most righteous dudes out there today who's as much an activist as he is a musician. I really wanted to get him on board and continue with the whole philosophy of giving.

MR: And you've had your eye on social causes for a while now.

JM: I wish I had a thousand eyes, you know? But I do go that direction. I try to be socially conscious, I think most of us are, it's just that some of us have a problem with the label of it. We can be socially conscious and just be members of the P.T.A. We could just care for our kids and the kind of school they're going to. Or you could be for the whole planet. There's really no right or wrong way to do it.

MR: You're a vegan, right?

JM: Yeah, I am.

MR: Being a vegan suggests one is more aware of the bigger picture, maybe with a broader way of looking at life.

JM: Let's say you're a vegan or if you choose to eat raw food. Well, that makes you a little more conscious about what you're putting in your body, therefore, raising your consciousness, if you will. And the same thing goes for being conscious about thoughts, your own thoughts, and what you're telling yourself, how you're living your life, how you're creating a life experience for yourself. That is definitely going to bring in how the world shows up for you, and how you can see the world improve in certain areas, or how you could inspire certain people to improve their work or outreach and share a little more of life's resources. There's really no limit as to how far you can go, and hopefully, the concert we do in San Diego will continue to speak that message.

MR: So, in your case, you're doing some educating as well as making some great music.

JM: Yeah, but I'm not trying to preach, I'm definitely not pointing at something then going, "You should do this, you should live this way." I just want it to be inspiring. I want people to leave (the concert) and create their own way to be generous, to create their own version of social consciousness. You know, all I can do is demonstrate the way I'm doing it, and then, hopefully, people will just consider to do it their way too.

MR: Have you always looked at the bigger picture, or is it something that's been growing with your success?

JM: It's definitely grown, I think it comes with age. There were people who taught me, and the more success I have, I feel it's both a great opportunity and a great responsibility to make a positive contribution with the popularity. It's a great opportunity to say some pretty powerful things while people are listening. I could say, "Thank you very much," and go home, but, to me, that doesn't echo.

MR: Your new live album Jason Mraz's Beautiful Mess: Live From Earth will be released on November 10. Can you tell us what's special about it?

JM: It's a concert CD/DVD with some of our favorite songs from the night. We filmed it in one night in Chicago, and the best thing about the DVD is some of the bonus footage. It's behind the scenes documentaries from the videos we've been making, behind the scenes of a day in the life of the tour -- which, as a fan of music and DVDs, I always love the back story that you get--and there are unreleased tunes that will be coming out on the album and DVD as well, so that's always fun.

MR: Many concert DVDs show how close the band is on the road just from the wacky stuff and casual interactions. How tight are you with your band?

JM: We've been pretty tight. We've all been on the road pretty regularly for more than a year-and-a-half with this tour, and you get to be like brothers. Some days you can't get enough, and other days, you bicker like brothers. But overall, there's always a time before the show starts when we come together in a circle and really express our gratitude for where we get to be today. So I'm really glad I travel with guys that are like-minded individuals that really want to support the message and this whole movement. These are great musicians I travel with that are choosing to play my music, so I'm really touched by that. I love my band.

MR: Does your creative process include them?

JM: Once we get to the tour, I kind of let everyone find their own part and add their own thing, but for the writing and arranging of the songs, I'm usually by myself. I kind of play the parts and do a really half-assed job at it before I bring the guys in, so they're not really there for the inception of the songs. They all have other gigs.

MR: Since your new record is live, did they bring as much creativity as you did for the project?

JM: Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, definitely to this live album. On this one, each of the guys expresses himself in his own way. I certainly don't tell them, "You should play this part," and I don't tell them what to wear. We're just a bunch of normal dudes that are figuring this out on a daily basis, learning the best was we can express these songs. And every day is different, every venue we play makes it sound different. So, these guys really do express themselves in a show.

MR: Anything about this tour or record that excels beyond what you expected?

JM: The guys who really standout are our horn section, and they're all over the album and DVD and also, my last record. Those guys derive their own parts and really put a lot of color into our show, so this album is really going to highlight what they bring to it.

MR: Does Colbie Caillat join you?

JM: She does join us, yeah. She made a little appearance for us that night in Chicago. We were very lucky.

MR: Will she make an appearance in San Diego?

JM: I don't think so, I've already seen her tour schedule and it doesn't have her in the area. I tried to get her to the Hollywood Bowl as well, but she was already out of town. So I can't imagine she'll be swoopin' in. But I have a great duet partner that I've been with on the road who will be doing a great job that evening in San Diego.

MR: Will the CD/DVD combo be covering material from all three studio albums?

JM: I don't think we got around to any of the songs from Mr. A-Z. We recorded a few that night but they didn't make the final cut, so you're really going to (only) hear songs from the first album and from the most recent one as well as the new material.

MR: Best album title almost ever? We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. Jason, do you really need to steal things?

JM: I actually stole that title. I read those words in a drawing by an artist named David Shrigley, and he's the same artist who I ultimately got to do the portrait doodles on my album cover and on the inside artwork. I just loved his brand of humor. When I read that, I thought, well, a) that's hilarious, and b) I think it sums up what modern civilization is all about, and c) that's a really strong album title! I thought, "I'd really love to use that." As I was making the album and kept looking for a title, that one just kept coming back to me. I thought, "I really think I'm making that record." We sing and dance? That's obvious. Through our internet addictions and television programs and celebrity gossip, all humans just want to express themselves. We steal things? Well, that's just our adaptability. We can just look at someone, admire them, and take on their style, become that. Or we steal resources from all over the planet, just so that we could sustain this human situation. I also look at it as anything we don't say "thank you" for, anything we may take for granted.

Tracks:

CD
1. Intro
2. Sunshine Song
3. Traveler / Make It Mine
4. Anything You Want
5. Coyotes
6. Live High
7. Only Human
8. The Remedy
9. The Dynamo Of Volition
10. A Beautiful Mess
11. I'm Yours
12. Lucky - with Colbie Caillat
13. Copchase
14. All Night Long
15. Butterfly
16. The Boy's Gone

DVD
1. Intro
2. Sunshine Song
3. Traveler / Make It Mine
4. Anything You Want
5. Coyotes
6. Live High
7. Only Human
8. The Remedy
9. The Dynamo Of Volition
10. A Beautiful Mess
11. I'm Yours
12. Lucky - with Colbie Caillat
13. Copchase
14. All Night Long
15. Fall Through Glass
16. Butterfly
17. The Boy's Gone
18. Un Beau Désordre
19. We Sing. We Dance. We Make Videos.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:

Barbra Streisand - Love Is The Answer

"There's no 'yes' in yesterday and who knows what tomorrow brings or takes away, as long as I'm still in the game, I wanna play for laughs, for life, for love, so here's to life and all the joy it brings..."

Sounding warmer and the most at home with her recordings since the mid-seventies, the 67-year-old vocalist-supreme at last reclaims the musical territory she reigned over in the sixties. Love Is The Answer is the latest portal into the soul of a woman celebrating her golden years with an album so beautiful, it's easily one of the best she's ever recorded. Make that one of the best albums of its kind that she or any of her contemporaries have recorded in decades.

Sensuously produced by Diana Krall and romantically orchestrated by Johnny Mandel, Love Is The Answer puts Streisand right back on the musical path she once immortalized and probably should have been following for the last twenty years. Her mastery of classics -- such as Bob Hilliard and David Mann's "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning" or Jacques Brel and Rod McKuen's "If You Go Away" -- evokes her People and My Name Is Barbra albums of over forty years ago as it transports the listener to a post-prime-Sinatra era filled with music you still had to listen to with your heart to appreciate fully.

Colored by Krall's own moody quartet, everything here wears different shades of melancholy, like "Where Do You Start?" with its lines "Our lives are tangled like the branches of a vine that intertwine, so many habits that we'll have to break, and yesterdays we'll have to take apart." These songs are like the blues on a rainy day, offering semi-sweet, romantic insights into peoples' lives and loves.

Barbra Streisand recording an album this strong and lush and elegant brings her career full circle, and is in sharp contrast to recent Songbook marketing exercises that have filled the pipeline with especially mediocre recordings by maturing artists for years. Love Is The Answer is the antidote to such unimaginative, painfully-contrived releases, and it's time to either discover or rediscover this style of music with Streisand's latest being the perfect place to start.

On Love Is The Answer's "Here's To Life," Streisand sings, "May all your storms be weathered, and all that's good get better, here's to life, here's to love, here's to you." Right back at ya, Babs.

Tracks:
1. Here's To Life
2. In The Wee Small Hours Of the Morning
3. Gentle Rain
4. If You Go Away (Ne Me Quitte Pas)
5. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most
6. Make Someone Happy
7. Where Do You Start
8. A Time For Love
9. Here's That Rainy Day
10. Love Dance
11. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
12. Some Other Time
Bonus Track:
13. You Must Believe In Spring

Deluxe Edition Second Disc:
Features tracks 1 -- 12 without orchestration

Madonna - Celebration

It's hard to think of our Material Girl as being 51, especially since Madonna can still slink and writhe and wriggle across a stage just like those young upstarts such as Christina Aguilera. But it's true, and all the hits featured on her double disc set Celebration--spanning 26-plus years if you include her early disco anthem "Everybody"--are still a lot of clubby fun regardless of how many soundlifts the mastering process has applied to keep these old Bessies from sagging. The new track "Revolver," despite its "modern" tweaky synths, relates as well to the earliest hits as it does to the newer recordings like "4 Minutes" with Justin Timberlake, proving Madonna had more than a lucky star guiding her throughout her whole very public, very savvy pop career. Yeah, she always could write and record a cool song.

But wait a minute, this collection is missing "Angel," "True Blue," "Causing A Commotion," "Keep It Together," "Hanky Panky," "Rescue Me," "Rain," "I'll Remember," "This Used To Be My Playground," "Deeper And Deeper," "Secret," "You'll See," "Don't Cry For Me Argentina," "Oh Father,"...OMG! What, there's a box set coming in 2010? (Oooh, a box set coming in 2010, nice!) Well, whatever, two discs of Madonna's best still is cause for a celebration.

Tracks:

Disc 1
1. Hung Up
2. Music
3. Vogue
4. 4 Minutes
5. Holiday
6. Everybody
7. Like A Virgin
8. Into The Groove
9. Like A Prayer
10. Ray Of Light
11. Sorry
12. Express Yourself
13. Open Your Heart
14. Borderline
15. Secret
16. Erotica
17. Justify My Love
18. Revolver

Disc 2
1. Dress You Up
2. Material Girl
3. La Isla Bonita
4. Papa Don't Preach
5. Lucky Star
6. Burning Up
7. Crazy For You
8. Who's That Girl
9. Frozen
10. Miles Away
11. Take A Bow
12. Live To Tell
13. Beautiful Stranger
14. Hollywood
15. Die Another Day
16. Don't Tell Me
17. Cherish
18. Celebration

ALSO RECOMMENDED:

Genesis - Genesis Live 1973 - 2007

If you're a Genesis fan, you'll love this box. If you only bought the studio records because you feared the live albums wouldn't have the same impeccable arrangements, performances, and production, you'll love this box. And if you're just aching to get your hands on more classic era Genesis since there are only so many times you can listen to Nursery Crime, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, or Abacab, you'll love this box. It nicely documents Genesis' genesis, from its Peter Gabriel-fronted period to the hit-filled Phil Collins era and beyond (and back again with his return). Genesis Live 1973 - 2007 lets you see and hear the progression, now with new stereo mixes that reveal each keyboard squeak and previously hard-to-hear bass drum kick. Phil Collins has never looked or sounded so sweaty, nor Peter Gabriel as gloriously psycho. For those still unconvinced because of a pre-conceived belief that Genesis' live albums were so-so, you so should try this box out, or at least grab Seconds Out and Three Sides Live when the set eventually is broken down to its individual components.

Includes:
8 CDs / 2 DVDs
Genesis Live
Seconds Out
Three Sides Live
The Way We Walk
Live at the Rainbow 1973
Live Over Europe 2007

Chris Bell - I Am The Cosmos / Deluxe Edition

By the time Chris Bell recorded the material that comprised his posthumous album I Am The Cosmos, his involvement with Big Star was over (in 1972), and the solo artist was left to create music from his own vision. He wrote on everything from the cosmic to Christianity, traveled to Europe in search of creative inspiration, and, before passing in 1978 from a car accident, he left behind enough material to complete a solo album. Surprisingly, I Am The Cosmos never sounds like it was cobbled together in any way, despite its having been recorded in two Memphis studios as well as at France's Chateau D'Heurville where its original sessions occurred. Geoff Emerick -- most famous for his work with The Beatles and various Abbey Road Studios projects -- sonically shaped the initial batch (including the title track), though it later was shelved as Chris moved on to Memphis' Ardent and Shoe studios to record further. Regardless of its piecemeal history, I Am The Cosmos (considered by some to be one of the great early alt-pop records) and its key cuts -- "You And Your Sister," "Look Up," "Make A Scene," "I Got Kinda Lost," "Speed Of Sound" (amazingly Poises-esque), and, of course, "I Am The Cosmos" -- display Bell's spun-out genius at its best. This deluxe edition also features alternate mixes, and tracks from his pre-Big Star group, Icewater, along with recordings including Keith Sykes and Nancy Bryan.

Tracks:

Disc 1
1. I Am The Cosmos
2. Better Saver Yourself
3. Speed Of Sound
4. Get Away
5. You And your Sister
6. I Got Kinda Lost
7. Look Up
8. Make A Scene
9. There Was A Light
10. I Don't Know
11. Fight At The Table
12. Though I Know She Lies

Disc 2
1. Looking Forward - Icewater
2. Sunshine - Icewater
3. My Life Is Right - Rock City
4. I Don't Know - alternate version
5. You And Your Sister - alternate version
6. I Am The Cosmos - extended alternate version
7. Speed Of Sound - alternate version
8. Fight At The Table - alternate mix
9. Make A Scene - alternate mix
10. Better Save Yourself - alternate mix
11. Get Away - alternate version
12. You And Your Sister - acoustic version
13. Stay With Me - with Keith Sykes
14. In My Darkest Hour - with Nancy Bryan
15. Clacton Rag - instrumental

THIS WEEK'S NEW ALBUMS:

Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue
Jann Arden - Free
The Avett Brothers - I And Love And You
Chris Bell - I Am the Cosmos / Deluxe Edition (expanded reissue)
Joshua Bell - At Home With Friends
Bellamy Brothers - The Anthology, Volume 1
Big & Rich - Greatest Hits
Blackberry Smoke - Little Piece of Dixie
Breaking Benjamin - Dear Agony
Brookville - Broken Lights
Ian Brown - My Way
Buckcherry - Live & Loud 2009
Mariah Carey - Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel
Cherry Poppin' Daddies - Skaboy JFK: The Skankin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Cory Chisel And The Wandering Sons - Death Won't Send A Letter
Chromeo - DJ Kicks
Jesse Cook - The Rumba Foundation
Elvis Costello - The Costello Show: Live At The El Mocambo (reissue)
Dethklok - Metalocalypse: Dethklok Dethablum II
Dennis Diken with Bell Sound - Late Music
Drivin N Cryin - The Great American Bubble Factory
Danny Elfman - Taking Woodstock
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Welcome Back My Friends, To The Show That Never Ends...Ladies And Gentlemen (reissue, deluxe edition)
Evergreen Terrace - Almost Home
The Fools - Lost And Found
Foreigner - Can't Slow Down (CD/DVD)
Judy Garland - The Garland Touch (reissue)
Ghostface Killah - Ghostdini: Wizard Of Poetry In Emerald City
Bebel Gilberto - All In One
Selena Gomez - Kiss And Tell
Green Jelly - Musick To Insult Your Intelligence By
Corey Harris - blu.black
Hatebreed - Hatebreed
Al Jarreau - The Very Best Of: An Excellent Adventure
Karen O And The Kids - Where The Wild Things Are (soundtrack)
Robert Earl Keen - The Rose Hotel
Kidz Bop Kids - Kidz Bop Christmas
Kill Hannah - Wake Up The Sleepers
Kris Kristofferson - Closer To The Bone
Miranda Lambert - Revolution
La Roux - La Roux
Fedde Le Grand - Output
Ramsey Lewis - Songs From The Heart: Ramsey Plays Ramsey
Like a Storm - The End Of The Beginning
LoveHateHero - Fight Of Flight
Patty Loveless - Mountain Soul II
Corb Lund - Losin' Lately Gambler
Lynyrd Skynyrd - God & Guns
Madness - The Liberty Of Norton Folgate
Madonna - Celebration
The Manhattan Transfer - The Chick Corea Songbook
Michael McDonald - This Christmas
The Melvins - Chicken Switch
Paramore - Brand New Eyes
Abby Parks - The Homeplace
Push Play - Found
Mitch Ryder - Detroit Ain't Dead Yet (The Promise)
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions - Through the Devil Softly
Bob Schneider - Lovely Creatures
Chris Smither - Time Stands Still
Skyzoo - The Salvation
State Radio - Let It Go
Curtis Stigers - Lost In Dreams
Barbra Streisand - Love Is the Answer
Strung Out - Agents Of The Underground
The Supremes & Four Tops - Magnificent: The Complete Studio Duets
Twin Atlantic - Vivarium
Warren G - The G Files
Zero 7 - Yeah Ghost

THIS WEEK'S NEW BOX SETS:

Alabama - The Music Of Alabama
Mariah Carey - MC
Johnny Cash - The Music Of Johnny Cash
Miles Davis - The Music Of Miles Davis
John Denver - The Music Of John Denver
Earth, Wind & Fire - The Music Of Earth, Wind & Fire
Genesis - Genesis Live 1973-2007
The Isley Brothers - The Music Of The Isley Brothers
Waylon Jennings - The Music Of Waylon Jennings
Kenny G - The Music Of Kenny G
KoRn - The Music Of KoRn
Willie Nelson - The Music Of Willie Nelson
Ted Nugent - The Music Of Ted Nugent
Elvis Presley - The Music Of Elvis Presley
Frank Sinatra - The Music Of Frank Sinatra
Rod Stewart - The Rod Stewart Sessions 1971-1998
Katt Williams - The Katt Box

***IT'S SEPTEMBER AND TIME FOR CHRISTMAS PRESS RELEASES!

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA WELCOMES YOU TO NIGHT CASTLE, THEIR MOST AMBITIOUS ROCK OPERA TO DATE;

FIRST SINGLE IS "NUTROCKER";

PROGRESSIVE ROCKERS TO RELEASE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED TWO-CD SET AT LOW, FAN-FRIENDLY PRICE;

EPIC WINTER TOUR BEGINS NOVEMBER 1ST;

NIGHT CASTLE ARRIVES EVERYWHERE OCTOBER 27TH

Atlantic recording group Trans-Siberian Orchestra has announced the upcoming release of its hugely anticipated new album. NIGHT CASTLE will arrive in stores and all digital retailers on October 27th.

Years in the making, NIGHT CASTLE is without question TSO's most ambitious and adventurous work to date. Founder Paul O'Neill and crew have created 26 songs that run the gamut from hard rock to classical, taking the listener on a journey through different points of history. NIGHT CASTLE details the triumphs and follies of man but is ultimately an epic story of transformation and love. The two-CD set will be released at a special low price, and will include a unique 68-page booklet, featuring story, lyrics, and full-color illustrations by legendary artist Greg Hildebrandt.

"Obviously our fans have been unbelievably patient," O'Neill says. "This was supposed to come out a few years ago. But we were dedicated to making something really special, and the longer it took, the more pressure we felt to give people the best possible piece of art we could.
"These are hard times," he adds, explaining the lower price, "and we're trying to do what we can to make them better. We believe in value with Trans-Siberian Orchestra; everything we do - the shows, the albums, the souvenirs - are over-the-top productions with a lot of stuff for people to see and hear and feel, and we do that for as inexpensive a price as we can."
NIGHT CASTLE will be preceded by the first single, "Nutrocker," which ships to multi-format radio outlets nationwide later this month. The track sees TSO paying homage to one of their greatest influences, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and features rock icon Greg Lake on bass.

One of the most successful live acts in music history, Trans-Siberian Orchestra has slated a major North American tour to bring NIGHT CASTLE to its legions of loyal fans. The massive trek -- which includes both matinees and evening performances in many markets - begins on November 1st and rolls on through early January.

With sales in excess of 7 million -- including nearly 2 million CDs and DVDs sold in the past two years --Trans-Siberian Orchestra is among the most popular groups of the modern era. The Orchestra debuted in 1996 with the timeless CHRISTMAS EVE AND OTHER STORIES. Highlighted by the remarkable hit single, "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24," the album has since achieved 2x platinum certification from the RIAA, with sales now rapidly approaching 3 million. Two further albums completed O'Neill's Christmas Trilogy: 1998's THE CHRISTMAS ATTIC and 2004's THE LOST CHRISTMAS EVE, both of which are currently approaching 2x platinum certification. All three of the Orchestra's Christmas-themed albums have proven enduring blockbusters, returning annually to the top 10 on Billboard's "Top Catalog Albums" and "Top Holiday Albums" charts.

BEETHOVEN'S LAST NIGHT, TSO's rock opera fantasy about "what could have happened" on Beethoven's final night of life has also been certified gold.

Released in 2001, TSO's full-length DVD, THE GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS EVE, has also received RIAA platinum certification. Narrated by the late award-winning actor Ossie Davis, the magical production - which features guest appearances from Jewel and Michael Crawford - is the annual centerpiece of PBS' holiday programming, airing over 500 times in more than 120 markets since 2002.

TSO has also made an array of high-profile TV appearances, including bravura performances on such shows as ABC's Good Morning America and Live with Regis & Kelly, and NBC's The Today Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

As visionary on stage as they are in the studio, TSO is one of the fastest-growing live bands on the road today, with attendance increasing consistently each year. The group has performed before more than 5 million people since 1999, with a total live gross now exceeding $200 million.

For additional information, please visit www.trans-siberian.com and www.nightcastlealbum.com.

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA

Winter Tour 2009/2010

NOVEMBER
1 Council Bluffs, IA Mid-America Center 3:00pm & 7:30pm
1 Youngstown, OH Covelli Centre 3:00pm & 7:30pm
2 Wichita, KS Kansas Coliseum 7:30pm
2 Lansing, MI Breslin Center 7:30pm
3 Denver, CO Pepsi Center 8:00pm
4 Colorado Springs, CO World Arena 3:30pm & 8:00pm
5 Richmond, VA Richmond Coliseum 7:30pm
6 Charleston, WV Charleston Civic Center 8:00pm
7 Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center Arena 3:00pm & 8:00pm
7 Dayton, OH EJ Nutter Center 3:00pm & 8:00pm
8 Green Bay, WI Resch Center 3:00pm & 7:30pm
8 Toledo, OH Lucas County Arena 3:00pm & 7:30pm
9 Madison, WI Kohl Center Arena 7:30pm
11 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place 7:30pm
12 Fort Wayne, IN Allen County War Memorial Coliseum 7:30pm
12 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre 7:30pm
13 Moline, IL i wireless Center 8:00pm
13 Rochester, NY Blue Cross Arena 8:00pm
14 Minneapolis, MN Target Center 3:00 pm & 8:00pm
14 Hartford, CT XL Center 3:00 pm & 8:00pm
15 Grand Forks, ND Alerus Center 4:00pm
15 Manchester, NH Verizon Wireless Arena 3:00pm & 7:30pm
16 Winnipeg, MB MTS Center 7:30pm
18 Providence, RI Dunkin' Donuts Center 4:00pm & 8:00pm
18 Calgary, AB Pengrowth Saddledome 7:30pm
19 Worcester, MA DCU Center 7:30pm
20 Vancouver, BC Pacific Coliseum 8:00pm
20 Wilkes-Barre, PA Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza 8:00pm
21 Seattle, WA Key Arena 3:00pm & 8:00pm
21 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center 3:00pm & 8:00pm
22 Portland, OR Rose Garden 3:00pm & 7:30pm
22 Hershey, PA Giant Center @ Hershey Park 3:00pm & 7:30pm
25 Salt Lake City, UT Energy Solutions Arena 4:00pm & 8:00pm
25 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum 4:00pm & 8:00pm
27 Reno, NV Reno Events Center 3:00pm & 8:00pm
27 Greenville, SC BI-LO Center 3:00pm & 8:00pm
28 Sacramento, CA Arco Arena 3:00pm & 8:00pm
28 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena 3:00pm & 8:00pm
29 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion 3:00pm & 7:30pm
29 Columbia, SC Colonial Life Arena 3:00pm & 7:30pm

DECEMBER
2 Fresno, CA Save Mart Center 7:30pm
2 Raleigh, NC RBC Center 4:00pm & 8:00pm
3 Anaheim, CA The Theater at Honda Center 8:00pm
3 Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena 7:30pm
4 San Diego, CA San Diego Sports Arena 8:00pm
4 Sunrise, FL BankAtlantic Center 8:00pm
5 Las Vegas, NV Orleans Arena 3:00pm & 8:00pm
5 Orlando, FL Amway Arena 3:00pm & 8:00pm
6 Phoenix, AZ Jobing.com Arena 3:00pm & 8:00pm
6 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum 3:00pm & 7:30pm
9 Las Cruces, NM Pan American Center 4:00pm & 8:00pm
9 Washington, DC Verizon Center 4:00pm & 8:00pm
10 Lubbock, TX United Spirit Arena 7:30pm
10 Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena 7:30pm
11 Tulsa, OK BOK Center 8:00pm
11 Uniondale, NY Nassau Veterans Memorial Arena 8:00pm
12 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center 3:00pm & 8:00pm
12 East Rutherford, NJ Izod Arena 3:00pm & 8:00pm
13 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center 3:00pm & 7:30pm
13 Albany, NY Times Union Center 2:30pm & 7:30pm
16 Memphis, TN FedExForum 4:00pm & 8:00pm
16 Pittsburgh, PA Mellon Arena 3:00pm & 8:00pm
17 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena 7:30pm
17 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena 7:30pm
18 Bossier City, LA CenturyTel Center 8:00pm
18 Cincinnati, OH U.S. Bank Arena 8:00pm
19 Little Rock, AR Alltel Arena 3:00pm & 8:00pm
19 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Area 3:00pm & 8:00pm
20 Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center 3:00pm & 7:30pm
20 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena 3:00pm & 7:30pm
22 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena 7:30pm
23 Indianapolis, IN Conseco Fieldhouse 3:00pm & 8:00pm
23 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center 3:00pm & 8:00pm
26 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena 2:00pm & 7:00pm
26 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center 3:00pm & 8:00pm
27 Detroit, MI The Palace of Auburn Hills 3:00pm & 7:30pm
27 Houston, TX Toyota Center 3:00pm & 7:30pm
28 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center 3:00pm & 8:00pm
29 Hamilton, ON Copps Coliseum 2:30pm & 7:30pm
30 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center 3:00pm & 8:00pm
30 Buffalo, NY HSBC Arena 3:00pm & 8:00pm

Michealene Cristini Risley: Emmy Awards and the Demise of Television as We Know It

2009-09-24T13:18:52Z

Amidst the ticket stubs and litter-strewn garbage on the infamous red carpet, I watched Monday as the production grips and gaffers hustled to dismantle the dreams and the disappointments of the 61st Annual Emmy Awards. Through their methodical breakdown and equipment removal, one burning question remained in my mind.

Snapping pictures of the disassembly, I wondered if I was actually witnessing the demise of the institution of television. Certainly we have seen the decline of network ratings for years with the advent of cable and pay per view. When Walter Cronkite moderated the moon landing, and television was at its peak, an estimated 500 million people worldwide watched that broadcast. When the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan over 73 million people watched. (Remember at that time, the number of households that owned television was significantly less than today.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most watched_television_broadcasts#United_States

February 28th, 1983 105 million people watched the M*A*S*H Finale. This was over 60% of households that had television. Even American Idol, at its most viewed show on May 21st 2003 was 38 million people: a whopping 462 million less than the lunar landing. If you look at a few examples contributing to the erosion of viewership, it is hard to argue against the shift in television habits.

There are certainly many more choices today and that affects the ratings of television shows. I can hear radios collective on-air gulp at the advent of the motion picture. I can feel the motion picture business "group quiver" when the little black box arrived. The invention left studio executives wondering if anything else would remain in the theaters besides remnants of candy and buttered popcorn.

So, does television, with the advent of Internet, cable and mobile content simply disappear? It seemed to be a reoccurring theme at Sunday's Emmy Awards. Who knows really what is going to happen. Yet, in somewhat of a desperate state, we see more and more lowest common denominator shows. Years ago a Victoria's Secret television show would have been laughable. It's true, when the infamous catalog arrived at Studio office, one hundred doors closed in unison, with catalog in hand, yelling "Hold my calls."

Another example of the lowest common denominator approach was at the Emmy's. During the nominations for Best Family Programming, an animated Stewie from Family Guy asked his dog Brian who he is voting for and when the dog lists another show that he is going to vote for, Stewie beats him up. It was violent and bloody and years ago, that would have NEVER made it on the air. I watched the audience's reaction near me, and no one was laughing. In fact, a few heads were shaking in disbelief. Yet this type of writing has become a common occurrence in television. When sex and violence stop being used as a centerpiece for the audience grab, we might get some creative juices flowing again. Well-written, clever shows that don't use a body to sell the storyline -- unless of course that is the storyline -- which then begs the question, do that many people focus on sex for that much time in a day? Err, then again...

Legitimate, illegitimate, fear or truth, all of these shifts in technology and acceptable content have largely given the audience, the user, and the consumer more choice. That is the good news.

The bad news is these tectonic shifts have highlighted cost concerns, and helped to dumb down the fare that is created in broadcasting. Yes, there is more choice and more competition yet this has resulted in less creativity and quality. You have heard this before; the lowest common denominator has become the easy tool for writing because sex, misfortune and violence sell.

We can blame the additional choices that consumers have for the demise of television or take a deeper look at why so many people have stopped watching television. I must admit the production of this years Emmy's was terrific. The best I recall in years, thought it might be just be another example of too little, too late.

Ken Levine: 2009 Emmy Awards

2009-09-21T10:09:52Z

The 61st Annual Emmys, with the theme this year "A Tribute to Lorne Michaels," benefited greatly by having Neil Patrick Harris host instead of Heidi Klum, yet introduced maybe the most appalling innovation in all its 61 years: the promo scroll at the bottom of the screen. Right in the middle of someone's acceptance speech they would flash, "Jennifer Love Hewitt and Patricia Arquette in 5 minutes." In other words, just five minutes until these nobodies are through and people you care about will again be on.

Never once during an actor's speech however, did they flash "The Writers of Burn Notice in 6 minutes."

It was painfully obvious that the producers had one goal only -- reverse the ratings trend and not lose again to the Weather Channel. The scroll was one device. Another was to pre-shoot several awards and only air edited versions (cutting out those interminable crosses from the winners' seats up to the stage). But the ATAS realized that might be disrespectful to the industry when the major guilds threatened to boycott the show and not grant them use of any film clips.

So in reviewing the telecast I have to cut them some slack because they had to stage an awards show where they were forced to actually show the awards.

The evening started on a high note for me since KTLA Channel 5 once again rolled out their red carpet show. Hosted, of course, by celebrity footstool Sam Rubin and a random bimbo. This year's tomato was Victoria Recano, who I learned is their evening news anchor. These two lovable chuckleheads are always good for a few idiotic questions and comments. Also present was Tom O'Neill (a so-called Emmys expert). Sam asked him for a preview of the show and he said, "The highlight will be the In Memoriam feature."

And then there was fashion expert Jennifer Dorogo (whoever the hell she is). Jen did not like Elizabeth Moss' gown. So Sam asks, "Is there someone to blame?" Apparently not since Jen declares, "The celebrities have the final say."

Victoria to Anna Gunn regarding her gown, "Who is this guy?"

Sam to Johnny Galecki of Big Bang Theory: "Have you heard from nerds?"

Dexter's Julie Benz, quite birdlike in a dress that looked like a chandelier, was very excited to get the free mints KTLA doled out. My daughter Annie said, "That's her dinner."

More fashion critiques from Jennifer Dorogo, who somehow mistook Lonny Ross (Josh on 30 Rock) for Jennifer Morrison (of House).

The actual show got off to a rousing start with Neil Patrick Harris (in a white dinner jacket) singing a big splashy opening number. The Academy wanted to recapture the magic of Neil hosting the Tonys and they certainly succeeded: it was the gayest opening of the Emmys ever. But Doogie can really sing and perform and has a nice easy charm. I thought he was the best Emmy host in ages. Next year the show airs on a different network, so depending on which it is, expect either Gordon Ramsay or Katherine Heigl.

There were fewer Kanye West jokes than I thought. Maybe twelve.

Very elegant comedy montage -- pratfalls, sex jokes, and Tina Fey on the toilet. Doesn't it seem like Frasier's been off the air for a hundred years?

Yay for Kristin Chenoweth, who won for a show that ABC canceled. Her voice is so squeaky high anyway that when she started to cry garage doors all over America went up. But her emotional speech felt very real and heartfelt and after directing her last sitcom, I'm relieved that I didn't kill her career.

A big comedy bit was "Best Seat in the House." A supposed fan is given the best seat in the house. But one time it's behind the Harlem Globetrotters and another it's behind equipment. Ha ha. I'm sorry but I'd rather see a winning writer walk all the way from his house to the stage than that lame bit.

Much funnier was the mock commentary by John Hodgman and Neil Patrick Harris introducing presenters by their most cringeworthy credits. Fortunately for me, no one from Mannequin 2 was a presenter this year.

Olivia Wilde had the dress of the night, maybe the year. It was a two-piece white backless gown. Feathers over her left breast and then the other part. All she needed was a parrot on her elbow and she could get a thousand dollars a night performing at the Badda Bing.

I'm sure Toni Collette deserved her award. I understand she was very good. What show was she on again?

The Reality Show montage: five minutes of angry people being bleeped. This is the "excellence in television" we're celebrating tonight.

When Jessica Lange was thanking everyone in the world I was hoping for a promo crawl underneath her to say, "Jessica Lange speech over in 8 minutes."

One category they should eliminate is "Guest Actor/Actress" for comedy and drama. These are nothing more than a salute to stunt casting. It's a reward for movie stars to slum it and do TV or former TV stars to get a big payday while they still can. Steve Martin, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Aniston, and perennial Ellen Burstyn (who actually won one year for being on camera for literally 14 seconds). Replace the category with "Newcomers of the Year." The ATAS wants new viewers? Honor new talent. Can you imagine anyone who uses the word "dude" rooting for Ellen Burstyn?

How is Jimmy Smits considered a "Guest" actor on Dexter? He was in 12 of the 13 episodes.

Debra Messing came dressed as Ariel, the little Mermaid.

I was thrilled for Michael Emerson and Cherry Jones. Happy for Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin (although I would have been happier for Jim Parsons).

Jeff Probst -- Best Reality Host. Hugh Laurie can't win an Emmy but this guy now has two for saying, "Wanna know what you're playing for?" every friggin' episode.

During the Movies and Mini-Series montage they should have had a promo crawl that said, "Music and Variety Awards in 38 minutes."

Note to winner Shohreh Aghdashloo: Sleeves!!

How did Bruce Gowers win an Emmy for directing American Idol? First of all, it was in the musical-variety category. Isn't American Idol a reality show? And second, how hard is it to direct American Idol? One singer at a time comes out and stands in the same spot. And the judges all sit at one table. Half the nimrods on YouTube could do that.

Only in television could the great Sir Ian McKellan, Kenneth Branaugh, Kevin Kline, Kevin Bacon, and Brendan Gleeson be up for the same Best Actor in a Movie award with Keifer Sutherland for the two-hour 24.

After Ken Howard thanked someone for giving him a kidney, isn't it a little hard for the next winner to go up and thank Lorne Michaels?

Family Guy might've won for Best Comedy had they campaigned.

I hear Grey Gardens was great unless you were expecting the musical.

No one who watched any of the mini-series or movies-for-television had the slightest clue what the Dr. Horrible bit was all about.

Congratulations to all the Creative Arts winners, although there was not even a single mention of them this year. "Creative Arts" is a nice word for "crew." To use a football analogy (since most people were watching the Cowboys-Giants game anyway) they're the offensive line that protects the quarterback. Without them Teri Hatcher would be sacked forty times a game.

Question about the Variety montage -- there was a shot of the Inauguration. The Presidential Inauguration is now considered Musical/Variety?

You're going to think I'm making this up but I'm not. While the winners of the best song were giving their acceptance speech a promo crawl appeared that read, "In Memoriam in 11 minutes."

The one criticism everyone had about the Oscars was that instead of just showing the people who passed on full screen during the "In Memoriam" segment, they opened with a long shot of the stage, the names and faces appearing on a screen in the background while an anguished singer performed in the foreground. That was universally reviled. So what do the Emmys do? The exact same thing.

I was happy for Matthew Weiner of Mad Men, although during his speech I half expected a promo crawl to say, "Summer Olympics in 3 years."

No big surprises for the honored shows. Mad Men, 30 Rock, The Amazing Race, The Daily Show. All well deserved. But if Lost, Dexter, Family Guy, or The Colbert Report had won I wouldn't have been that upset.

Will all the "improvements" and Neil Patrick Harris be enough to turn the tide? It's hard to say. They certainly made some strides. But the Weather Channel had a special on hail storms in Kansas. I'm not optimistic.

Read Ken's blog here.

Simon Cowell Shows Off His Chest (PHOTOS)

2009-09-17T17:17:17Z

"American Idol" grand poobah Simon Cowell attended a charity function in London Thursday night sporting a plunging neckline, a swath of chest hair and a deep tan.

Cowell, who also enjoyed some cigarettes and beer, was a guest at the Collars and Cuffs Ball at the Royal Opera House. The charity raises money to help abandoned animals find new homes.

PHOTOS:

Ed Martin: TV Tirade: Ellen DeGeneres on "American Idol," Kanye West on MTV, Jay Leno in Primetime and the End of "Guiding Light"

2009-09-17T11:03:00Z

The new television season officially begins on Monday -- and it can't get here soon enough. Perhaps the excitement of all those new shows, some of them quite promising, will take my mind off the bad decisions and boneheaded moves by network executives, powerful show-runners and ego-crazed celebrities that have dominated the medium in recent days.

My growing dismay began last week with the announcement from Fox that Ellen DeGeneres will fill the judges' seat recently vacated by Paula Abdul on American Idol. Perhaps I should pin the cause of this distress on Abdul herself for deciding to leave the show that so grandly revived what had been a career on the slide and made her very wealthy in the process. Of course, Paula's self-created public persona is that of a foggy ditz, so it really wasn't out of character or all that surprising for her to do what she did. But how can the executives at Fox allow the producers of Idol to bring DeGeneres on board? It seems so wrong in so many ways. As we learned during Idol's problem-plagued eighth season -- which succeeded only because of its terrific contestants, a group collectively more talented than any since Season 4 -- the four-judge format simply does not work!

Since its start in 2002 as a humble summer series, Idol has been all about making stars out of unknowns, and that has held true for contestants, host and judges alike. (The American viewing public had never heard of Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson or Ryan Seacrest before Idol began.) Idol has never been and should never be a platform for a star of DeGeneres' magnitude. And then there is the matter of her qualifications. I am a big fan of Ellen. I think she has richly deserved every Emmy she has won for her daytime talk show. But when it comes to music and to Idol she's just another fan! What does she know about offering valuable advice to aspiring singers? I seriously do not want to hear her make jokes (or add humorous banter of any kind) after performances. That will get old wicked fast. Idol should have reverted to the three-judge format, with Cowell, Jackson and Kara DioGuardi remaining in place. DioGuardi deservedly received much harsh criticism for her wildly uneven contribution to the show last season, but as one-third of a relaxed trio (rather one-fourth of a harried quartet) perhaps she would have benefited from the breathing room and finally stepped up. For me, the arrival of Idol in January is the most exciting television event of the year. I hope Fox and friends haven't effed it up.

(On a side note, I caught the sold-out American Idols concert at the Harbor Yard Arena in Bridgeport, Conn., last week and was knocked out by the talent on stage. Michael Sarver, the first to go among the Top 10, has improved dramatically since he left the show and could have a fine career in country music. The immensely popular Danny Gokey was nothing short of spectacular and should have as successful a career as Carrie Underwood now that he has signed with a country label. Yes, he was that good. Idol winner Kris Allen was ill that evening and could not perform, though he did come out on stage to personally apologize. That made the performance by runner-up Adam Lambert the grand finale of the show. To say he didn't disappoint would be the mother of all understatements. Lambert was electrifying -- the energy he generated on stage could barely be contained in the venue, which seats 10,000. I can't imagine how Allen or anyone else could have followed him and not appeared diminished. Lambert is a super-nova. This guy knows what it takes to be an entertainer. Maybe Idol should have signed him as the fourth judge!)

Continuing with my mounting TV despair, count me among the masses that may forgive but will never forget the extremely bad behavior of Kanye West at last Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards. What an ass! I have twice interviewed Taylor Swift at the CMT Music Awards in Nashville and found her to be one of the friendliest, smartest and most articulate young performers I have met during my 25 years working in and around the entertainment business, so perhaps I am overly sensitive to West's wacked behavior. But what a terrible thing for him to do to a girl who has risen to the top of her profession by doing everything right, in front of millions of her young fans, not to mention his own. MTV isn't without fault here. I don't know if West was drunk when he bullied his way onto the stage, but I have seen the footage of him swilling cognac straight from the bottle on the red carpet before the event, in front of hundreds of cameras. Where were his handlers? Where was the network? Where was security? Why was that allowed at an event that is targeted as much to teenagers as any other demographic?

West's pitiful display of egregious disrespect for all (including himself) proved to be a blessing for MTV, because it enjoyed the highest ratings in five years for the VMAs and unprecedented post-Awards publicity; ABC, because its daytime talker The View had previously booked the sublime Swift for its live Tuesday telecast; and especially NBC, because its bold and brazen experiment in primetime reconstruction, The Jay Leno Show, launched the day after the VMAs with West as a previously confirmed guest. West had been booked solely to perform (with Jay-Z and Rihanna) but was understandably asked to sit for a jiffy-quick interview during the debut show's second half hour. Believe what you will about Jay Leno's unexpectedly high opening night numbers -- millions tuned in for no reason other than to see how West would comport himself less than twenty-four hours after his public disgrace. Unfortunately Leno flubbed what could have been another Hugh Grant opportunity, never once asking West the question to which everyone wanted an answer: Why the hell did you do it?

The low energy of the West interview segment fit right in with the astonishing lack of excitement that characterized Leno's first hour as a primetime entertainer, a big disappointment well documented by almost every TV critic of note. Unlike most of those reviewers I did watch Tonight with some regularity during his 17-year tenure and thought it was lively good fun. Comparatively, I found his Monday night premiere to be shockingly dull, beginning with the inexplicably subdued title sequence. Indeed, it was such a humor vacuum that even the always reliable Jerry Seinfeld couldn't deliver the funny. (The canned appearance by Oprah Winfrey via satellite was arguably the low point of the night.) It was about as much fun as watching someone moving a pile of sand from one side of a room to another, one grain at a time.

Someone suggested to me that Leno and his crew need time to get comfortable with their new gig. I replied that the new gig isn't all that different from the old, except for the uncomfortable looking blue chairs in which Leno now conducts his interviews, and that after a 17-year warm-up Leno and his producers should have been on their game right from the start, seeing as their arrival in primetime is supposed to change the course of television history and all.

Night two showed some signs of improvement, so maybe we should throw out the first pancake, as they say. Leno was a little looser and his monologue more up-to-the-minute, though he still looked somewhat lost on that giant new stage, which affords none of the critical intimacy of his old Tonight Show environs. It's as if he's working in a half empty warehouse. (What is it with NBC and jumbo studios? Conan O'Brien seems totally adrift in his ginormous new arena.) Tuesday's guest comic, Jim Norton, was not particularly funny, but his segment wasn't as difficult to sit through as Monday's mishap featuring Dan Finnerty at a car wash. Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz were entertaining guests in their live remote from a movie set in Worcester, Mass.

But I'm still a long way from satisfied. Critics who complain that The Jay Leno Show is too much like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno are wrongheaded. The new Leno needs to be more like the old Tonight before O'Brien and his crew steamrolled over it.

I have saved the worst of the recent network bungles for last, in part because it has yet to happen. Friday will bring with it the end of Guiding Light, the longest-running scripted series in television history. From its humble beginnings as a radio serial in 1937 thru the dawn of the digital era, and without ever ceasing production, GL brought compelling entertainment to generations of families. It survived the Great Depression, the Second World War, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the assassination of a president, years of riots in our cities and calamitous protests on our campuses, Watergate, the resignation of a president, multiple recessions and energy crises and natural disasters, the Gulf War, 9/11 and the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, among other national and international hardships and challenges. But this one of a kind broadcast entity couldn't survive the calamitous machinations of the current executive regimes at CBS and Procter & Gamble Productions. Working together, those well-compensated folks couldn't come up with a way to continue this precious and historic franchise -- not even via low-cost webisodes or basic cable movies.

Guiding Light wasn't just another soap opera. It was an American treasure, and it deserved much better. So did its millions of faithful fans.

To communicate with or to be contacted by the executives and/or companies mentioned in this column, link to the JackMyers Connection Hotline.

This post originally appeared at JackMyers.com.

David Kronke: Ellen DeGeneres Named New White House Press Secretary

2009-09-16T10:15:58Z

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Less than a week after being named the newest judge on the hit TV reality show American Idol, comic and talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres has added yet another high-profile job to her already busy schedule: She'll serve as the new White House Press Secretary, replacing Robert Gibbs, who succumbed over the weekend to a case of terminal tediousness.

DeGeneres announced her new position on her talk show today. "I have a big announcement to make," she said, clearly excited. "No one knows this. I just finally got the OK just moments ago to announce this to you today. I am going to be the new White House Press Secretary."

After her studio audience finished cheering wildly, DeGeneres assured them, "I'm not leaving here. Don't worry about that. I'm going to have two day jobs and a night job. The times we're living in, we're all doing that. It's just that most people who work three jobs don't earn millions of dollars in their cumulative paychecks."

Just as some assailed DeGeneres's ascension to Idol's judges' table because of her lack of a musical background, many have questioned her being positioned as the mouthpiece of the Obama Administration, given her lack of experience in politics and governance.

"Blah blah blah - we think that's silly," said White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. "She brings something different. She brings her wit and her love of politics, or at least her love of the idea of politics. She has a vision of what she likes and doesn't like. She will share what she sees from her vantage point. Really, does it matter? It's about America voting. She's going to add a different flavor; that's the whole idea. She's a rabid fan of Obama who happens to be one of the biggest stars in the world."

As she did when DeGeneres was named the new Idol judge, ousted panelist Paula Abdul approved DeGeneres' new position on her Twitter page. "I think Ellen will be a great White House Press Secretary," Abdul wrote. "She is funny, talented and I wish her the best of luck! Wait - bats! Why are so many BATS in this room? Help!"

Some have questioned why DeGeneres needs so many jobs when she's already so handsomely paid, particularly with the unemployment rate in America hovering around 10%. But on her show today, DeGeneres hinted that she may not be done with her job search.

"I'm not going to be happy until I have half the jobs in America," DeGeneres declared. "If that means taking your job, then so be it. Maybe I'll hire you as one of my low-paid personal assistants."

The studio audience cheered wildly.

Joe The Nerd Ferraro: Hey, I Got Your Civility Right Here, Champ!

2009-09-15T10:52:32Z

I try to participate in talk radio when I can. Tuesday morning I tried to call into the Smerconish Show when he brought up the topic of Civility. Why is the discourse so coarse? A number of people rang in with things like: the media did it, declining family values, technology makes it easier to see all of us in a raw state.

The point I was trying to get in, before he ran out of time was, being uncivilized pays - not only with cash, but in getting what you want.

How many of us had any clue before last week what a Joe Wilson was? He is getting free air time and a huge monetary boost from right-wing donations by being a jerk. Last count close to a million is going to him.

How long has Jerry Springer been on the air or in syndication with his act? He has paid for a lot of stuff by getting a segment of the population to watch his brand of “civility”. Springer is too easy of a choice for this.

We can look at the “reality” show phenomenon, where we are watching to see who loses it. We can point, cluck our tongues and the produces walk away with a wad from ad $$$. How many people watch American Idol for Simon? It isn’t enough that really talented people get their due, they need to be ripped afterwards. We are rewarding the ripping.

I remember Crossfire on CNN. Intellectual mud wrestling that became unwatchable after a while. This spawned (spawned is the right word here…) the network cable morass where uncivil behavior isn’t called out but celebrated. It pays with the ratings rolling in.

Part of uncivil behavior is allowing a falsehood to stand or stoking a fire that is self-generated. It was ok to demonize people like Richard Jewell. This was a guy who saved a lot of people’s lives during the Atlanta Olympics. He found a pipe bomb in a sack and did what he could to clear the area. He should have been celebrated as a hero.

When the cops started hitting dead-ends, they leaked his name. The media ran with it, and he ended up a poster boy for the incivility of the media. You can make a buck on that. And, after all we are a capitalist society.

Jewel died about 2 years ago. He spent the remainder of his (I believed directly shortened) life trying to clear his name and pick up the pieces. In a civilized world we are supposed to look out for one another. I wonder if Jewell would take the same actions again if he had a do-over.

For more uncivil behaviors – look at CNN Cash Cow Nancy Grace! If a show exists to make money and only to make money, there are no human ethics involved. Unbelievable as it may seem – she’s still there making money on other people’s misery and making people miserable. What would the Duke Lax families or the family of Melinda Duckett (who committed suicide after a session of Grace Civility) have to say about the rewarding of the uncivil? ( Should these folks get a cut for being part of the entertainment, or talent, for those evenings where Ms. Grace got the good ratings? ) She still gets cash and a nightly seat at the table. The victims of the uncivil attempt to move on with their lives.

Uncivility has its non-monetary trophies. How about when we go to a sporting event and work the ref? A lot of us do it. One of the masters of this is Pa. Governor Ed Rendell, he is a fixture at Penn Quaker games. He screams, but he gets the calls for his team. He gets what he wants by being uncivil.

Staying more in the political realm, what does a candidate do when they are down in the polls in the home stretch? That’s right – go negative! “Pull that other guy down, because I have to have that seat no matter what, or what I destroy in the process.” When was the last time a seat was vacated after some sort of election fraud?

The rewarding of bad behavior is only part of the problem. It starts the cycle where uncivility is the solution to any public problem.

What is the penalty for being uncivilized? There are a lot of people who see this stuff, but being too “civilized”, don’t want to challenge the boars who are inflicting the pain. They are afraid to be seen as somehow unseemly to stand up to these bullies. Guess what, the milquetoasts are as much a part of the problem as the bullies raining down the half truths.

There will be no penalty when no one speaks up.

I have been in and out of local politics for about 2 decades now. I have worked on a number of campaigns where a critical juncture is reached. We would have the opponent dead-to-rights on an issue (a state auditor’s general reports saying the town isn’t managed properly, or the white chief-of-staff of the incumbent surveilling the black challenger’s house (we think it was on state time)) and those involved wouldn’t go forward to stand up and speak in a load clear voice. Nothing negative, just report the facts in a civil dispassionate tone. They wouldn’t do it. Those were campaigns that would be lost.

When the town fathers where I live tried to ram through a museum, hotel, and conference center (the American Revolution Center or the ARC) inside Valley Forge National Park, people involved stood up to them. The residents had some outside help too - but it would not have arrived if there weren’t people in the town ready to call out the abuse of power. The forces-that-be had all the money in the world, the Governor, the local newspaper; printed flyers mailed first class to residents’ homes. The incumbents lost the subsequent election hands down, because they incumbents were acting like bullies and some people actually stood up to them. The ARC is being built in downtown Philly…

That fact is we are coarse because we reward it. Answer - Stop rewarding it. Glenn Back is feeling the heat because somebody is standing up to him.

I hope that President Obama calling people out on the incivilities will lessen the rewards for acting like a dope. Whether the Kanye comment was leaked or not we all need to just start calling this behavior for what it is…

Maya Baratz: A Sundance for Startups

2009-09-14T12:42:08Z

In
the somewhat congested realm of tech conferences, TechCrunch50 has quickly distinguished itself
as Silicon Valley's "American Idol"-esque competition
for entrepreneurial hopefuls. Fifty early-stage, hungry startups are
selected from
a pool of around 1,000 applicants to launch for the first time in
front of a panel of 20 of the tech industry's most influential,
deep-pocketed entrepreneurs, VC's and media.
One winner claims
some seed money ($50k)
to get their company off the ground.

Creating Something Out of Nothing

But
if you were to compare this conference to anything related to Hollywood - a
comparison folks in the tech industry love to hate - it's probably more like
the Sundance Film Festival, circa anytime before
this decade. Which is why it isn't surprising that conference co-host Jason
Calcanis, CEO of Q&A site and search engine Mahalo, claimed he'd like
TechCrunch50 to be just that: The Sundance Festival of the tech industry.

See,
the self-proclaimed "full-contact conference" for startups highlights a key
dynamic that was best described to me by Jay Bangash of indie film production
company Shooting Gallery Entertainment, back in 2000 when he released
the film that
won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, "You Can Count on Me." When I asked
Bangash for his definition of the quintessential independent film,
he sighed, "production must be difficult - and yield something unique out of
that difficulty." The difficulty implied here, of course, is shared with many
tech startups: An infringing budget.

The Indie Startup

The
companies that have emerged from TechCrunch50 typically emulate the same type
of niche that Sundance films used to embody. Odds are you'll probably never
hear of or use any of the products or services that get featured until they are
ripe for mass consumption. And that process can take years. Nope,
Twitter wasn't launched at a TechCrunch
conference; it's actually older than the
conference, as are most products and services we currently use online.
But you may be familiar with personal
finance application Mint, which won the
conference's top prize in 2007. Just
last night, news broke of Mint's acquisition by Intuit.

When Niche Meets Mass

The
problem with Sundance, and the indie film industry as a whole, is that the more
attention it got, the more saturated it became, often with filmmakers
who already
had the competitive advantage of resources and connections. This shift
widened the
gap between truly unconnected, hungry artists and the power structure required
to distribute their films.

TechCrunch50 highlights the same dilemma for the tech industry. In just its second year,
Ashton Kutcher pitched a startup.
This year, magician tag team Penn and Teller will be headlining
with their own.
And the companies these celebrities
pitch may be good, but their very presence somehow seems to take away
from unveiling
the artistry required for a budding entrepreneur to create that something out
of nothing.

Mike
Arrington, co-host of TechCrunch50 and founder of leading tech blog
TechCrunch, is well aware of this
encroaching dynamic.
It's a byproduct of too much of a good thing: The conference aims to
not only reveal
the best of what's to come from Silicon Valley, but provide a platform to help
these budding businesses grow. So it isn't all that surprising that its
gathered so much interest already - from entrepreneurs all over the world hoping
to make the next Facebook or Twitter, to media giants looking to cover the next
big thing. In fact, this year, CNBC will be covering the conference
live,
which will probably open the floodgates.

HuffPost Live at TechCrunch50

Since
the conference is only in its third year, we have yet to see how this attention
will ultimately pan out. TechCrunch50 2009 starts today, and Huffington Post
will be covering it from downtown San Francisco. Stay tuned for more.

Mike Ragogna: HuffPost Exclusives: R.E.M. and Cory Chisel, Plus Bruce Hornsby Interview, Big Star Box, Paolo Nutini Live, This Week's New Albums, and more...

2009-09-14T08:10:30Z

On October 27th, R.E.M. will be releasing Live At The Olympia, a 39-song, two CD set containing "working rehearsals" from 2007. Taken from five nights of live "tests" at the Dublin venue and culminating in the group's Accelerate album, these recordings document R.E.M.'s "experiment in terror" during which the band played before friends, family, fan club supporters, and lucky fans from across the globe. "We were just trying to do something we hadn't done before," says guitarist Peter Buck, "which meant there was no relaxing during the set. Every second we were playing something we didn't know all that well, which was kind of good. There were all sorts of terror elements going on during that show." A CD/DVD variant also will debut with backstage footage directed by filmmakers Vincent Moon and Jeremiah. As a teaser for the upcoming release, the Huffington Post was lent the audio track for "Mr. Richards" that captures the band's energy and insightful views.

...and don't forget to visit remhq.com and remdublin.com

Cory Chisel and The Wandering Sons -- "So Wrong For Me" Video

On September 29, the multi-talented Cory Chisel releases his Black Seal album Death Won't Send A Letter, a record filled with his unique alternative folk-rock that is rich in lyrics and rootsy, American images (available on iTunes now). With guests Jack Lawrence and Brendan Benson from The Raconteurs and guitarist Carl Broemel of My Morning Jacket, Chisel and company's CD features "Born Again," the album's first single and leadoff track, plus "So Wrong For Me," its new emphasis track. "Wrong"'s video now debuts on the Huffington Post with a little history and commentary by the artist:

"This was shot by our good friend John Christian Adams while we were recording at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles prior to moving to Nashville for the remainder of the album. We're so used to having John around that you really don't ever notice him filming. 'So Wrong For Me' is such an important song for me in particular. The original demo that Adriel Harris and I did for that tune just seemed impossible to match. So much so that when we released our debut EP Cabin Ghosts last year, we decided to release just that original demo. It was the only song off of that EP that we felt must be on the record so the stakes were really high. It's a song best kept spare so that the lyrical content really resonates. And the simple playing by Blake Mills, Little Jack, Patrick Warren and Matt Chamberlain is just beautiful."

Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons - Death Won't Send A Letter

Tracks:
1. Born Again
2. Calm Down
3. Longer Time At Sea
4. Angel of Mine
5. My Heart Would Be There
6. Curious Thing
7. So Wrong For Me
8. What Do You Need
9. Love Is Gone
10. Tennessee
11. Mockingbird

Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers - Levitate

Beyond calling Bruce Hornsby "a remarkable pianist," the New York Times added, "The America in his music is one of countless connections and intersections...that's still wide open and welcoming." That's a pretty good introduction to Hornsby's latest album, Levitate, his Verve Forecast debut and first "solo" (kind of) project since 2004's Halcyon Days. His two more recent, critically acclaimed collaborative efforts--the bluegrass-driven Ricky Scaggs & Bruce Hornsby, and the jazzy Camp Meeting recorded with Christian McBride and Jack DeJohnette--showcased Hornsby's musical diversity; but Levitate's thirteen tracks return the three-time Grammy®-winner to the singer-songwriter/story-filled Americana that was at the heart of his most classic recordings. Levitate also is elevated by its musical ensemble made up of Hornsby's touring group the Noisemakers (guitarist Doug Derryberry, bassist JV Collier, drummer Sonny Emory, keyboardist John "J.T." Taylor, and Bobby Read on reeds), guest Eric Clapton (on "Space Is The Place"), and co-writing collaborators Robert Hunter, composer Thomas Newman (through a unique "arrangement"), and his old friend, Chip deMatteo.

Mike Ragogna: The recorder wasn't on yet, I didn't get you. Okay, let's start.

Bruce Hornsby: I'm the enigmatic and inscrutable. You can't really get me.

MR: But I just did. And so did Verve. What's the story behind your label switch?

BH: I was signed in 1985 by RCA. Clive Davis dropped me after eighteen years in 2003, and then I signed with Columbia/Sony, and they merged with BMG, so all my catalog is at one place. I was with Sony Legacy, then signed with Verve, my third label in my ... good lord ... twenty-four years of doing this.

MR: Verve is pretty rich in history, it having been the home of so many great jazz and folk legends. It seems like the perfect label for your recordings.

BH: I signed with Verve over two or three other labels because we just felt that it was the right place. When we went to them, they instantly responded to the record, plus there was an historical reason ... Bill Evans is one of my all time piano heroes, and he recorded for many years on Verve Records. When it came time to pick the CD cover art, they came up with something fancy for the label, personalized to me, and I said, "No, no, I just want the old Verve label like Bill Evans At Town Hall." When I was on Columbia with Halcyon Days, I said I just want an all red label. I'm just a sentimental ol' bastard in that way...

MR: Cool perks when you're on a cool label. So, what's behind Levitate?

BR: The goal for this record -- the raison d'etre, I guess, was I felt we never made a studio record that captured the sound of our band, the Noisemakers. As you see, this is the first record called Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers. From note one of the first song, especially on the first four songs, I wanted it to feel like our band playing, and it was recorded the old fashioned way -- a bunch of guys in a room playing together. The record, to me, splits up into three different four-song segments, the first four ending in a sort of anthemic ballad, "Continents Drift," the second four ending in another one, "Here We Go Again," and the final four ending with a funny song about the South, "In The Low Country." The songs in the middle mostly tended to be, not so much live, but with modern loops and production techniques. "Levitate" and "Invisible" don't have the sound of our band, really, but the first four and the last four are the sound of the Noisemakers.

MR: Many of these songs are great social commentaries and even historical docs, such as "Black Rats" that combines the two. I think it's safe to say it's the best wiseass ode to pestilence ever written.

BH: I think that's a great way of putting it. It is a wiseass way of deflating the whole "Isn't Our History So Great!" scenario. So many people like to whitewash history. And also, it's a funny truth. People talk about our great Revolutionary War where we beat the redcoats. Well, you know, we probably wouldn't have done it if Cornwallis' army hadn't been so f***in' sick! You know, it was from whatever they had -- "standing weekly on Yorktown battlefields with measles and small pox," set to rhyme with "parasites decimated the red army of Cornwallis and his flock." So, right, it is a wiseass way of deflating some of those myths or just the way people think of U.S. history.

MR: You're always there with that line where people can go, "What? What did he just say?" like at the end of the track.

BH: It's funny, I felt like I had to put an addendum in the tag because I didn't want people to think that I thought this was such a good thing that we defeated the Indians in the 1600s. So I wrote the last "Where were the black rats when we needed them the most, there were slave owners to infect and the Joe Mengeles of the American West" sort of referring to the American holocaust of the Indians. I would think they would get the cynicism right away with the intro that goes, "In our beautiful pursuit of manifest destiny, we give ourselves great credit, we thank the good Lord so earnestly," I mean, you've got to realize it right away, it's like, "oh, okay..."

MR: Who's rapping with you on "Prairie Dog Town"?

BH: I'm in there saying, "Watch your dry bones," but the main voice there is a longtime voice from our records. His name is Floyd Hill, he's about 77-years-old, and he's the most trash-talkin'-est cat and one of the greatest people I know. Actually, on my record Big Swing Face, "June" as we call him -- his name is Floyd Hill Jr. -- had a great part in a song called "No Home Training," and he talked a load of craziness. The "best" and dirtiest stuff we didn't use, but we came close to the line on that one. I don't know anybody else who can sound like that, you know, there are just some people who have a certain "sound," and he has an amazing one, and I always wanted it on my records. On "Black Rats," he's also the guy going, "Jamestown!"

MR: Then after the fun and games, "Cyclone" gets more philosophical, especially with lines like, "I've got no answers of my own, and none have been provided."

BH: You know those are Robert Hunter's lyrics with a couple of additions from me.

MR: And the chorus sounds a little influenced by The Band.

BH: I love Levon, I performed at his Midnight Ramble last Fall up in Woodstock. He's an old friend, and Robbie Robbertson and I wrote a song together for his record Storyville in '92. Those guys are old friends of mine, and obviously, I love The Band. I totally hear it too, I can totally hear it as being "Band-ish."

MR: The next song, "Continental Drift," is another heartfelt track, and the 3/4 versus 4/4 timings are pretty seamless. Intentional?

BH: That's one of my supposed clever tricks that I'm proud of. It starts in waltz time, then it goes into 4/4 gradually. To me, it's fairly seamless, but fun. I'm a lifelong music student, and I'm always looking to find interesting ways of doing things in the songs whether it's harmonically or, in this case, rhythmically.

MR: And then along comes "Paperboy." Creepy.

BH: Yeah, that's my Arnold Schoenberg meets The Beatles song. I'm really into 21st century classical music with its very dissonant, chromatic, harmonic language, and I'm constantly inflicting that music on my poor, unsuspecting audience. On the last record, I had a fairly dissonant moment in a song called "What The Hell Happened To Me," and with this one and the song "Michael Raphael," I'm dealing with more chromatic/melodic material. I'm really proud of those two songs in that way, and I'm finally utilizing this language in my music and in my songwriting more.

MR: There's more of that dissonance in your title track which is an old movie theme inside out. Did you work on this with Thomas Newman?

BH: I didn't do it with him, I just took his music and turned it into a song, so it's sort of "money for nothing" for Tom. [Laughs] I was glad he liked it. He could have said, "Nah, forget about it, I don't like it, please don't use this." But he liked what we did. I just loved that theme in The Shawshank Redemption score, and so I thought it would make a good song. I put this beat to it and wrote the song ... it's very simple, there's not much to it. It's doing its loop, and I think the verse is sort of my Righteous Brothers melody. I can here Bill Medley singing it.

MR: When your topics or characters are especially American, you seem to approach them with a lot of the same spirit as another Newman ... Randy. And "Michael Raphael" pretty much matches his humor. Is he an influence?

BH: Randy Newman's one of my heroes, I've always loved what he's done. I rediscovered him about ten years ago with his box set, and I love his last two records, especially Bad Love, the one he made for Dreamworks. So anyone who says they hear Randy Newman in my stuff, I'm all for that, I love him. The lyrics on "Michael Raphael" were written by my old childhood friend, Chip deMatteo.

MR: Did you and Chip work on anything when you were kids?

BH: We had our own company -- Zappo Productions -- in junior high school and high school, and we'd book only the worst bands in our town. We reserved the right to name them, so we had such bands as "The Uncommon Cold" and "The Soul Basketball." Anyway, he wrote (the lyrics on) "Continents Drift," "Paperboy," "Simple Prayer," and "Michael Raphael."

MR: On that last title, what motivated you to write about an Italian Renaissance painter turned musical producer?

BH: [Laughs] It's about the archangels Michael and Raphael, and the reason we wrote that is the producer of the play we're writing--by the way, some songs on this record are from our musical that's called SCKBSTD--is named Michael Raphael. So we wrote this just to mess with him. That's Chip deMatteo's inane cleverness.

MR: Who's overseeing SCKBSTD?

BH: Kathleen Marshall is signed on which is a coup for us because she's one of the great Broadway directors. She has really helped develop the play, and it's still in development ... I still don't think we have a strong ending yet, but it's close.

MR: Are you able to nix anything you don't like?

BH: I definitely have a lot of input, so sure.

MR: What's going on exactly in "Here We Are Again"?

BH: "Here We Are Again" is a time-travel fantasy using physicists' language in the lyrics, and harmonically, it has that little trick that takes it out of standard diatonic writing. It's a love song utilizing physics, oddly enough. I don't write many love songs, I never considered myself to be that good at it. I think it's hard to write a really good one after all the years of thousands of them. But every now and then, if I feel I've got an interesting slant on it or way into it, I'll write one. "Here We Are Again" is also for the musical.

MR: Then you've got "Space Is The Place" which sounds like jazzy rock romp with a little Parliament thrown in.

BH: Parliament, wow! Funkadelic! You know, my bass player and drummer J.D. Collier and Sonny Emory are both huge Parliament/Funkadelic fans, and they really brought that fact to life when they played on it. We had the song lying around and we recorded it with just some loops and machines, and it wasn't that great. I played it for them, and interestingly enough, I had this Jane's Addiction record that one of my sons liked. I played it for them and said, "This is the felling I'd like for this song." And so they played that and transformed the song, hence, their songwriting credit because I think their contribution on a groove level really made the song come to life. And that's Eric Clapton playing guitar on it.

MR: By the way, "In The Low Country"? Ridiculously addicting.

BH: Hey, we love our Bobby Labonte and the WWF. It's about Williamsburg or lots of places in the South, really.

MR: As far as other projects, you recently participated in The Village compilation on Savoy/429 Records. How did that come about?

BH: It's a Village folk scene tribute record they're putting out soon. They asked me if I was interested in being a part of it, and I always loved the John Sebastian song, "Darling, Be Home Soon." So I asked them if it was okay if I submitted that, they said yes, and I said, "Okay, I'm in."

MR: How does the guy behind "The Way It Is" and "Look Out Any Window" feel about the current fracus over healthcare?

BH: I'm always surprised that people trust corporate America more than they trust the government. Corruption is rampant everywhere, but I don't think that corporate America or insurance companies have given us anything that has the impact of or compares with Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the G.I. Bill, Head Start or the Peace Corps for God's sake! I don't understand this knee-jerk hatred of government involvement when compared to the alternative.

MR: It's such a misinformation campaign by these corporations and their political allies that's actually been successful on many levels. On the other hand, you've got the democrats who refuse to bring their weapons to the war.

BH: I think the democrats and liberals in general have been cowed for years by the venom and vitriol of the republican campaigns to, for instance, turn the word "liberal" into a four-letter word. So now, lots of people like to call themselves "progressives." You know, "liberal" means being broad-minded and open to things. It's gradually changing, but it takes a while to realize there's nothing wrong with saying you're a liberal--it's actually a beautiful thing. It's been so demonized, and it's interesting because "conservative" has meant opposition to the Civil Rights movement, you know? It was conservatives who were opposing it, though my conservative friends will say, "Well, they were democrats." Okay, but that's disingenuous because everyone knows that democrats in the South, up until the Civil Rights Act was passed, were conservative. So to say that is misleading, and my conservative friends, when pushed, will go, "Okay, that's right, the conservatives were the democrats."

MR: Switching gears a little, how do you feel you've grown as an artist since your early records?

BH: My whole approach is about improving and growing and evolving. I think anyone who's stayed with us has seen the gradual evolution, and anyone who's missed a big chunk and comes back to it will go, "Hmm, this is not what I expected." That's pretty much the reaction I generally get, which is nice. I think that if someone listens to this record and listens to the first record, it's unrecognizable. Like the singing ... it sounds like a different person.

MR: All those years ago, were you surprised at how big a hit "The Way It Is" became?

BH: Of course. You know, it was a fluke. It was a wonderful accident that occurred on BBC Radio in England. A guy over there heard it, put it on, and it instantly became a hit. Everyone at RCA thought it was a b-side, so that was a shock and a beautiful surprise. And then it just went from there. We had the other two hits and we could have kept releasing singles from that album, but we just stopped because we were ready to make the next record that had "Valley Road" and "Look Out Any Window" which were also hits. It's funny, we didn't think of ourselves as a Top Forty group at all, we just thought we were an American group utilizing accordions and violins, pianos and guitars. But then we went a long way in a hurry, and we found ourselves opening for the Grateful Dead, Steve Winwood, John Fogerty, and the Eurythmics, and that was a whole new arena for us. We had to grow up, we had an adult dose of learning how to deal in the big arena. That was the most difficult year I had, quite frankly.

MR: In Nashville in the eighties, your music was the talk of the industry.

BH: A lot of Nashville piano players would say to me years later, "Hey, thanks a LOT, motherf***er ... for about ten years, all I'd get was, 'Can you make it sound more like Bruce Hornsby?'" It was unfortunate for those guys, and I've apologized to them profusely for years for their having been inflicted with that.

MR: The next question comes from a friend of your family's, Al Albert's son Graham. "Who is your favorite Norwegian soccer goalie?"

BH: [Laughs] That would have to be Aiden Brown. I knew his dad when I was a kid. He went to William & Mary, played football and was always over at our house, and he was a friend of my parents who took him under their wing. So it's great to see young Aiden all these years later. His little brother Chris came to private school here and ended up in Boston College as a goalie too. It was the illustrious jock Brown family.

MR: You and your brothers are big sports fans too, right?

BH: Yeah, that's right, we'd shoot a little ball, sure. And now one of my sons plays, and his brother is a runner. We're always competing at something.

Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers - Levitate

Tracks:
1. The Black Rats Of London
2. Prairie Dog Town
3. Cyclone
4. Continents Drift
5. Paperboy
6. Invisible
7. Levitate
8. Here We Are Again
9. Space Is The Place
10. Michael Raphael
11. Simple Prayer
12. In The Low Country

Big Star - Keep An Eye On The Sky

At the time of its release, Big Star's album #1 Record was supposed to fulfill the prophecy of its title, it being cleverly dubbed so for marketing purposes while revealing a tad of the foursome's humor. But Big Star's debut -- starring former Box Top member Alex Chilton, Chris Bell, Jody Stephens, and Andy Hummel -- never rose to such heights, and the group's Bell-less follow up Radio City (as in the venue such a phenomenally successful band naturally would play) commercially glimmered even less. A third album, Third/Sister Lovers, barely made it out of the gate and was all but an Alex Chilton showcase. However, over the years, history has recast Big Star in a different light, as a seminal band that influenced everyone from R.E.M. to Matthew Sweet, practically inventing the power pop genre along the way. To celebrate the group's very real contribution to popular music, on September 15, Rhino is releasing three discs of those three albums' key tracks, alternate versions, demos, rare mixes, as well as a fourth disc that contains various live performances of the Stars at Memphis Lafayette Music Room. The following are some sentiments and reminiscences on the band:

Interview With Original Big Star Member Jody Stephens:

Mike Ragogna: At the time, did you think that #1 Record was going to be an important one?

Jody Stephens: Right after we worked up the first song, I went, "Damn, that's a great song!" Then there was our first adventure into the studio together and that process ... getting things mixed, and the revelation while hearing those things that it was becoming an important record to me. Outside of that, you know, none of the records were hits. We would have ads at particular radio stations -- I think WBCN in Boston -- and we were getting some really great press. John King was the publicist and marketing guy at Ardent. He made sure the right music journals got the record.

MR: And there was consistent critical acclaim, right?

JS: The reviews were wonderful, that was all pretty exciting. But at some point, Stax took their distribution deal to Columbia and that just didn't work out.

MR: All fingers seem to point at the distribution deal being the main problem.

JS: We'd do these records and be really proud and excited about them, and it was enough for me to hold them in my hands. Both Andy and I were going to school at the time, and Big Star was not really a full time venture for any of us. From my understanding, no one was really interested in managing us, and their were no booking agents who were stepping up and booking the band. So we had a lot of time to kill, Andy and I went to school, and we had part time jobs and stuff.

MR: Did you tour a little to support the record?

JS: Emphasis on the word "little." After the release of the first album, Chris, Andy, Alex and I all piled into a minivan with another band and did some gigs around Mississippi and maybe Alabama. Andy dubbed it "The BC Tour" because they were cities like Corinth and Athens and all Greek names. And we played City Park in New Orleans. But that was about the extent of that touring.

MR: How about touring for the second album?

JS: Andy, Alex and I flew up to New York to play Max's Kansas City, where we traded sets with Ed Begley Jr ...

MR: These days, you and Alex are joined by The Posies' Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer and still play out, right?

JS: The four of us get together, and the last time we played in the States was in October 20, 2008 at the Filmore in San Francisco. Last year we played Shepherd's Bush in London, and then a date just north of London. This year, we played in Málaga, Spain, then we went back to London and played a date in Hyde Park with Junior Sticks, and now we're booked to play the Masonic temple in Brooklyn on November 18, so that will be our third date for the year.

MR: Is touring still fun?

JS: I can't imagine doing this if it wasn't fun. It's such a gas playing that it makes it all worthwhile.

MR: Who have you played with over the years since Big Star?

JS: I played in a band The Suspicions, they were kind of a power pop or power punk band. I played with a guy named Keith Sykes, some cover bands, and I sat in with Matthew Sweet on a record, and Elliott Smith. I just did some overdubs with the Afghan Whigs, Bill Loyd, and was a band member of Golden Smog on the Weird Tales record.

MR: What were the internal dynamics of Big Star after #1 Record? Was there any drama due to the great expectations?

JS: Being in a band is much like in a marriage, and you share things that are intimate. You're about as vulnerable in sitting down to be creative with someone as you are being in a relationship with someone in terms of love. So, there were typical moments when there'd be a rub in personalities. But there was no real tension that was chronic between Chris and Andy, or Chris and Alex, or any of us really.

MR: Why did Chris Bell leave the group?

JS: Chris left the band, I think, because he was disappointed with the results of #1 Record and also with the fact that the press focused on Alex given that he'd had success with The Box Tops. It was only natural for music writers to focus on Alex because of that success. I think Chris saw himself, maybe, as living in that shadow, and didn't really care to do that. So Chris left the band, it wasn't about band chemistry at all or personalities, it was more about that.

MR: And you and Alex played on Chris' album?

JS: Yeah, we all remained good friends. Alex wound up singing on a few things of Chris' like "You And Your Sister," and there are some other interactions included on the (I Am The Cosmos) reissue that's coming out. I played drums on some tracks, and even Andy participated.

MR: Over the many years that have passed since the early Big Star days, you've stayed pretty active playing music. That's pretty impressive these days.

JS: I'm lucky enough that I can be in music and I get a paycheck every couple of weeks. But even as Big Star, I don't know that we all could make careers out of being in it.

MR: Do you have any advice for new bands as they try to have a life in music?

JS: I'd say play the music that strikes your fancy. Play stuff that comes out of you without a whole lot of thought about it...that just comes naturally. And have a good time with it, because making a career out of it is even more difficult these days. Learn all the social networking on the internet. So, have fun with it, if you're able to make a living at it, that's great. If not, well, you have something entertaining to do.

Jon Auer of Big Star and The Posies:

"The Posies started while I was still in my teens. I moved around a lot when I was a kid but basically grew up in a small college town called Bellingham, about 80 miles north of Seattle, Washington. When I finished high school, I moved to Seattle to get a shot at better Posies gigs and landed a job at a record store. A manager at the shop heard me play some of my Posies music on the in-house stereo system one day and forcibly walked me over to the vinyl section and handed me a copy of Big Star's reissued Radio City, said it was 'on him.' He told me to go straight home after work and drop the needle on 'September Gurls,' which I did.

"Ever hear that cliché about meeting someone for the first time and you feel like you've met them before, maybe even known them your whole life? It might sound corny, but that was definitely my experience. 'September Gurls' was undeniable. It was such a perfect pop song, a superlative performance and recording. Still is.

"Beyond that, I've been very touched by the darker, moody elements of Big Star, especially things like 'Daisy Glaze' and 'Nightime.' In my book, it's essential to include 'I Am the Cosmos' by Chris Bell which has been a profound influence as well. It's just an out-of-the-emotional-park number, a spiritual as far as I am concerned. It may be the most heartbreaking song of all time. My last solo CD Songs from the Year of Our Demise arguably reflects these kinds of songs: the melodic married with the melancholy. It's a perfect marriage if you ask me."

Ken Stringfellow of Big Star and The Posies:

"Big Star opened a huge door for me, where something truly avant garde and alternative could be made with structure, pop appeal, and top class recording quality. Not an underachievement to be appreciated to be glimpsed through the patina of shoddy recordings or half-assed playing, these records let their light shine unabashed...and still managed to miss connecting with an audience in their initial run. This added to my equation of what to aspire to, and what not to take personally should my shiny attempts at similar perfection (attemps, I said) see a similar fate."

Big Thoughts on Big Star from New York rock critic Rob Kemp:

Mike Ragogna: Rob, what do you love most about this group?

Rob Kemp: As much as most folks lionize Alex Chilton, I love Big Star best when Chilton collaborated with Chris Bell on #1 Record. Bell was pretty much the Robert Johnson of power-pop: the second side of #1 and I Am the Cosmos are every bit as haunted and soulful as King of the Delta Blues Singers. Although the band were dyed in the wool British invasion fans, it couldn't help but sound a good deal more soulful than, say, Badfinger or the Raspberries: growing up in Memphis in the 1960s is gonna have that effect.

MR: What do you think was Big Star's contribution to music?

RK: It seems like power-pop nerds and younger musicians have identified with Big Star for twenty years, and as such, have been invested with the perception that "they coulda been contenders." That's powerful mythology, but not as powerful as the band's music often is.

MR: Which bands do you think were the most influenced by Big Star?

RK: Obviously, there's the Replacements, Cheap Trick (they recorded "Out in the Street" as the theme for That '70s Show) the DBs, and every power-pop band ever post 1973. But I swear to God that Motley Crue's Mick Mars quoted "Try Again" in a guitar solo once, so I reckon he liked 'em!

What. You thought there wouldn't be an audio exclusive? Click on the arrow for a previously unreleased live version of "In the Street":

Big Star "In the Street" (Live)

value="http://www.rhino.com/musicplayer.swf?&song_url=http://rhino.com/Sound
s/MP3_Files/damnfineday/inthestreet.mp3" />click to play

Big Star - Keep An Eye On The Sky

Tracks

Disc 1
1. Psychedelic Stuff - Original Mix - Chris Bell*
2. All I See Is You - Icewater
3. Every Day As We Grow Closer (Original Mix) - Alex Chilton
4. Try Again (Early Version) - Rock City
5. Feel
6. The Ballad Of El Goodo
7. In The Street - Alternate Mix*
8. Thirteen - Alternate Mix*
9. Don't Lie To Me
10. The India Song - Alternate Mix*
11. When My Baby's Beside Me - Alternate Mix*
12. My Life Is Right - Alternate Mix*
13. Give Me Another Chance - Alternate Mix*
14. Try Again
15. Gone With The Light *
16. Watch The Sunrise - Single Version
17. ST 100/6 - Alternate Mix*
18. The Preacher - (Excerpt) - Rock City*
19. In The Street - Alternative Single Mix*
20. Feel - Alternate Mix*
21. The Ballad Of El Goodo - Alternate Lyrics*
22. The India Song - Alternate Version*
23. Country Mourn
24. I Got Kinda Lost - Demo
25. Back Of A Car - Demo
26. Motel Blues - Demo*

Disc 2
1. There Was A Light - Demo*
2. Life Is White - Demo*
3. What's Going Ahn - Demo*
4. O My Soul
5. Life Is White
6. Way Out West
7. What's Going Ahn
8. You Get What You Deserve
9. Mod Lang - Alternate Mix*
10. Back Of A Car - Alternate Mix*
11. Daisy Glaze
12. She's A Mover
13. September Gurls
14. Morpha Too - Alternate Mix*
15. I'm In Love With A Girl
16. O My Soul - Alternate Version*
17. She's A Mover - Alternate Version
18. Daisy Glaze - Rehearsal Version*
19. I Am The Cosmos - Chris Bell
20. You And Your Sister - Chris Bell
21. Blue Moon - Demo*
22. Femme Fatale - Demo*
23. Thank You Friends - Demo*
24. Nightime - Demo*
25. Take Care - Demo*
26. You Get What You Deserve - Demo*

Disc 3
1. Lovely Day (aka Stroke It Noel) - Demo
2. Downs - Demo
3. Jesus Christ - Demo*
4. Holocaust - Demo*
5. Big Black Car - Alternate Demo*
6. Manana*
7. Jesus Christ
8. Femme Fatale
9. O, Dana
10. Kizza Me
11. You Can't Have Me
12. Nightime
13. Dream Lover
14. Big Black Car
15. Blue Moon
16. Holocaust
17. Stroke It Noel
18. For You
19. Downs
20. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
21. Kanga Roo
22. Thank You Friends
23. Take Care
24. Lovely Day*
25. Till The End Of The Day - Alternate Mix*
26. Nature Boy - Alternate Mix*

Disc 4 - Live at Lafayette's Music Room, Memphis, TN
1. When My Baby's Beside Me*
2. My Life Is Right*
3. She's A Mover*
4. Way Out West*
5. The Ballad Of El Goodo*
6. In The Street*
7. Back Of A Car*
8. Thirteen*
9. The India Song*
10. Try Again*
11. Watch The Sunrise*
12. Don't Lie To Me*
13. Hot Burrito #2*
14. I Got Kinda Lost*
15. Baby Strange*
16. Slut*
17. There Was A Light*
18. ST 100/6*
19. Come On Now*
20. O My Soul*

*Previously unreleased

Paolo Nutini Live At The Wiltern

You really had to see this show to understand what this Scottrocker and his mates musically have put together, their having conquered The Wiltern in Los Angeles with opening act Anya Marina last Friday night. This is like nothing you've ever heard, it being an amalgam of Cab Calloway mini-moochings, Paul Simon Graceland rhythms, E Street Band stage camaraderie, dirty boogies, Aryan soca, Memphis country, Van Morrison and early rock 'n' roll howlings, and a raw energy that doesn't give a flip about promoting singles over having a damned good time. Purely based on feel and spontaneity, the band moves, spins, poses a little, and plays its collective ass off. The 22-year-old and his young non-hooligans (or young-hearted as in the case of his outrageously good harp-buster) genuinely seemed to enjoy each other's company as they rocked, and this boys club had a real "presence" very reminiscent of the great acts of the sixties. Though Paolo was absolutely the focus, there was so much else to be watching on stage--including the well-timed, subtle lighting effects and the billowing '50s "lamme" curtain that back-dropped the band. Actually, the whole show felt like it was of another era with the stage vibing like a mid-twentieth century high school gym, and Paolo's swagger and raspy, raucous vocals abducting the assembly and dumping them at the local pool hall.

The entourage rocked through many of the songs from These Streets, the new album, Sunny Side Up, and tracks that appeared in Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill, CSI: Miami, and that addicting Puma commercial. When Paolo and company eventually ended their set, the audience genuinely didn't want this party to end, and after about three minutes of clapping, stomping, expected rowdiness (plus a stage-left roadie stoking the crowd further with a quick "get it louder" hand gesture), the lads returned for their fat encore after which Paolo again thanked the audience as the players exited carrying bottles of their well-earned hops-based libations. This show, like much of Paolo's recorded output, was high octane, and if you catch him and his brothers on tour, you will not be disappointed since this is extremely entertaining.

Paolo Nutini's Wiltern Set List:

Alloway Grove
High Hopes
Loving You
Mellow Down
Growing Up
Candy
Worried Man
Funky Cigarette
Coming Up Easy
Pencil Full Of Lead
(Hi Di Hi) / Mexico
Sleepwalking
10/10
New Shoes
No Other Way
ENCORE:
These Streets
Jenny Don't Be Hasty
Last Request

Paolo Nutini's Band:
Gavin Fitzjohn - trumpet/sax/keys
Seamus Simon - drums
Michael McDaid - bass
Dave Nelson - guitar/percussion
Donny Little - lead guitar/ukelele
Fraser Speirs - harmonica

Hey, here's a little taste of the gang at T In The Park:

This Just In...

KROQ debuts "Sex On Fire" by That Noise
Apparently, Sunday night at 9:05 Pacific Time, the phone blew up at KROQ with calls coming in from all over the country requesting That Noise's cover of the Kings Of Leon song "Sex On Fire." Hey record companies, how are you missing this one?

Kanye West interrupts Taylor Swift?
A very strange moment at the VMAs. No matter how one feels about Taylor Swift's win, that doesn't mean sore losers and egomaniacs get to ruin that moment for her. The music business should act better than Joe Wilson, no? At least Lady Gaga distracted us from Kanye's obnoxia.

This Week's New Albums...

Air Supply - The Singer And The Song
All-4-One - No Regrets
Anvil - This Is Thirteen
The Band Of Heathens - One Foot In The Ether
Peter Bernhard - Straight Line
Big Pun - The Legacy: The Best Of Big Pun
Big Scoop - Tech N9ne Presents Big Scoop Monsterifik
Big Star - Keep An Eye On The Sky (box set, see above article)
The Black Dahlia Murders - Deflorate
Rob Blackledge - Inside These Walls
Butterfly Boucher - Scaryfragile
Cain's Offering - Gather the Faithful
Cy Coleman - The Best Is Yet to Come: The Songs of Cy Coleman
Kurt Carr - Playlist: The Very Best of Kurt Carr
Dada Life - Just Do the Dada
Dappled Cities - Zounds
Marié Digby - Breathing Underwater
Dodos - Time to Die
The Elms - The Great American Midrange
Every Time I Die - New Junk Aesthetic
Renée Fleming - Verismo
Ace Frehley - Anomaly
Gordon Gano and The Ryans - Under the Sun
Gary Go - Gary Go
Vern Gosdin - Late & Great: The Voice
The Grates - Teeth Lost, Hearts Won
Honor Society - Fashionably Late
Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers - Levitate (see above interview)
Infected Mushroom - Legend Of The Black Shawarma
Jefferson Airplane - Playlist: The Very Best of Jefferson Airplane
Lyfe Jennings - Playlist: The Very Best of Lyfe Jennings
Mason Jennings - Blood Of Man
George Jones - Playlist: The Very Best of George Jones
Jupiter One - Sunshower
Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon: The End Of Day
Kittie - In The Black
Chris Knight - Trailer II
Mark Knopfler - Get Lucky
Living Colour - The Chair in the Doorway
The Lovemakers - Let's Be Friends
Manic Street Preachers - Journal For Plague Lovers
John Mayall - Tough
Donnie McClurkin - Playlist: The Very Best of Donnie McClurkin
Megadeth - Endgame
Men At Work - Playlist: The Very Best of Men At Work
Moneen - The World I Want To Leave Behind
Muse - The Resistance
Orange - Phoenix
Outloud! - Outloud
The Pointer Sisters - Playlist: The Very Best of Pointer Sisters
Porcupine Tree - The Incident
Q-Tip - Kamaal the Abstract
The Rifles - Great Escape
Royal Bangs - Let It Beep
Rubik - Dada Bandits
Tom Russell - Blood and Candle Smoke
Santana - Supernatural: Legacy Edition
Savoy Brown - Too Much Of A Good Thing: The Savoy Brown Collection 1992-2007
Shadows Fall - Retribution
The 69 Eyes - Back In Blood
Shudder to Think - Live From Home
Simian Mobile Disco - Temporary Pleasure
Nina Simone - Playlist: The Very Best of Nina Simone
Chad Smith's Bombastic Meatbats - Meet the Meatbats
Something To Burn - Transitions
Sonos - SonoSings
Stars Of Track And Field - A Time For Lions
Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary
Super 400 - Sweet Fist
David Sylvian - Manafon
Toad the Wet Sprocket - Playlist: The Very Best of Toad the Wet Sprocket
Trick Daddy - Finally Famous: Born a Thug, Still a Thug
Uncle Kracker - Happy Hour
Barry White - Number Ones
Ying Yang Twins - Ying Yang Forever
Yes - Something's Coming: The BBC Recordings 1969-1970
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson - Break Up

The Press Releases You Need To Read Right Now (or later, that works too)...

SINATRA FAMILY ESTATES 2007 "COME FLY WITH ME"

Inaugural Vintage of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Sinatra Family Estates is proud to announce the release of its first vintage, "Come Fly With Me," a limited-production 2007 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (500 cases). The wine is being produced from a 5-acre vineyard site in Napa Valley. "We spent several years seeking out the right vineyard land for this project and are delighted with the quality of fruit it is producing," said Sinatra Family Estates managing partner John Schwartz. The wine exhibits a deep ruby color with flavors of cedar, tobacco leaf, blueberry, and black currant, with beautiful tannins and a nice fleshy finish.

Each vintage of the Cabernet Sauvignon will pay tribute to the music and artistry of Frank Sinatra. The initial vintage celebrates the classic "Come Fly With Me," recorded by Sinatra in 1957. The album of the same name became Sinatra's first-ever #1 on the Billboard charts and was nominated in 1959 for an Album of the Year Grammy. The wine label is highlighted with a classic 45 rpm, embossed with the logo of Reprise Records, Frank Sinatra's own record company founded in 1960. The fedora is in orange, Frank's favorite color.

"Dad often ended his concerts with a toast to the audience that said, 'May you all live to be 100 and may the last voice you hear be mine.' With the launch of Sinatra Family Estates, we toast our father," says Nancy, Tina, and Frank Sinatra, Jr.

About Sinatra Family Estates
Privately held Sinatra Family Estates is a collaboration between the family of the legendary icon Frank Sinatra, Frank Sinatra Enterprises, and partners Danielle Price (Executive Director of Wine for Wynn Resorts and owner of Coup de Foudre Winery) and John Schwartz (owner of Amuse Bouche Winery, Napa Valley).

READY SET GO!
TREY SONGZ MAKES STUNNING TOP 3 DEBUT WITH
HUGELY ANTICIPATED THIRD ALBUM;
BREAKTHROUGH COLLECTION INCLUDES THE HITS,
"I NEED A GIRL," "SUCCESSFUL (DRAKE & TREY SONGZ),"
AND "LOL :-) (FEAT. GUCCI MANE & SOULJA BOY TELL 'EM)";
R&B SUPERSTAR TO HEADLINE "BET LIVE! 106 & PARK TOUR,"
KICKING OFF ON SEPTEMBER 29TH IN LOS ANGELES;
HIGH PROFILE LIVE PERFORMANCE ALSO SET FOR UPCOMING
VH1 HIP-HOP HONORS 2009 EXTRAVAGANZA

Ready, the new album from Songbook Entertainment/Atlantic recording artist Trey Songz, has made a phenomenal chart debut, entering Billboard's "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums" tally at #2. The album - which includes the hits "I Need A Girl," "LOL :-) (Feat. Gucci Mane and Soulja Boy Tell 'Em)," and "Successful (Drake & Trey Songz)" - also exploded into the #3 spot on the overall SoundScan/Billboard 200.

What's more, Ready is proving a digital blockbuster, debuting at #2 on this week's SoundScan "Digital Albums" chart. The Deluxe Version and the standard edition of "READY" are currently standing tall at #1 and #2 respectively on iTunes' "Top R&B/Soul Albums" chart. In addition, the album's Deluxe Version is ranked at #11 on iTunes' comprehensive "Top Albums" tally.

Hailed by the late, great Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun as "among the most promising R&B artists we have had on Atlantic since we started the company 60 years ago," "READY" officially establishes Trey Songz among the pantheon of R&B greats. The album - which follows 2007's breakthrough sophomore set, "TREY DAY" - sees the Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter teaming with an array of accomplished collaborators, including Eric Hudson, Bryan-Michael Cox, Johnta Austin, Carlos "Los DaMystro" McKinney, and Trey's longtime producer, Songbook Entertainment founder Troy Taylor. From the player's anthem, "Neighbors Know My Name," to the Mary J. Blige-inspired "One Love," Trey draws on a range of styles to craft an extraordinary album guaranteed to thrill his already fervent fanbase while happily surprising all newcomers.

Ready is highlighted by Trey's top 5 rap smash, "Successful (Drake & Trey Songz)." Originally found on Drake's hit mixtape, "SO FAR GONE," the track now includes a brand new verse from Trey and is first available for purchase on Ready. A companion video is currently in rotation at BET, FUSE, and all MTV properties, including MTV, MTV2, MTV Jams, MTV Hits, MTV Tr3s, and VH1 Soul.

"LOL :-)," the album's most recent single, is blowing up now at Urban Mainstream radio outlets nationwide. The track follows Trey's recent smash single, "I Need A Girl." Produced by the Grammy Award-winning team, Stargate (Flo Rida, Ne-Yo, Beyoncé), the track was a top 5 Urban Mainstream hit earlier this year. The "I Need A Girl" companion video was recently added at MTV, while remaining in major rotation at MTV2, MTV Jams, MTV Hits, and MTV Tr3s. The clip is also a top 5 video at VH1 Soul, where it is currently in "Power" rotation.
Recently named the "Hottest R&B Singer In The Game Right Now" by BallerStatus.com, Trey celebrated last week's arrival of Ready with an intimate performance at New York City's Highline Ballroom. "Trey Songz transfixes like no other R&B singer of the day," declared the New York Times' Jon Caramanica in his rave review of the show, further praising Trey as "dapper, charming and utterly confident." The superstar singer is now poised to hit the road as headliner on the upcoming "BET Live! 106 & Park Tour." The coast-to-coast trek - which also features Mario, Day26, and Sean Garrett - will launch on September 29th at Los Angeles' House of Blues and then travel the country through mid-November (see attached itinerary).
As if all that weren't enough, Trey will be among the luminaries performing at the upcoming VH1 Hip-Hop Honors 2009, slated to tape later this month at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, New York. The star-studded event - which this year commemorates the 25th anniversary of Def Jam Records - will then premiere on VH1 on Tuesday, October 13 at 9PM ET/PT (check local listings).

UM, HAVE YOU MET JER COONS?
ANNOUNCING JER COONS FALL TOUR DATES, FIRST NATIONAL TOUR
JER COONS' DEBUT RELEASE SPEAK COMING SEPTEMBER 29TH
NEW VIDEO AND SINGLE "LEGS"
FILE UNDER "VERMONT POP"

Jer Coons' new tour dates are announced today. After the Speak record release show at Higher Ground in his hometown of Burlington, VT on September 25, Jer will head out on his first large national tour. The initial run of 16 dates will be followed by west coast shows later in 2009. Jer just finished a run of east coast dates supporting Colin Hay of Men at Work.

Two decades into life, Jer's dedication to his songwriting is about to payoff. The young Vermonter will release his debut CD Speak on September 29. From the graceful power chords of the title track that open the album to the closing, endearing ballad "The Only Trace," listener's can hear Jer's persona within each song. There are no "album tracks" as they all stand alone as well-executed pop songs, crafted with maturity and an ear for melodies. His backing band of musicians - all Vermonters as well - keep the songs instantly engaging. And they are great players that can play the tracks as well live as they did on the album.

Though Speak isn't out until fall, the world got a little taste of Jer Coons this June. His first slick and impossibly catchy single "Legs," was featured on the Hollister June in-store play list. While other artists have songs that find their way into a store, most don't get the same reaction. As the song played through out the day in over 6,000 stores, his MySpace plays skyrocketed to over 4,500 per day with "Legs" alone getting 3,000+. All this traffic has turned Jer into the 3rd most popular artist on MySpace from the Green Mountain State after Phish and Grace Potter. At the same time he sold over advance 4,000 singles across the month of June on iTunes. All this is without any other promotion.

"I've been waiting my whole life to make this album," Jer says with a grin. It truly shows. As his debut release, Speak really seems twenty years in the making. The melodies, the lyrics, the production and most of all, Jer's personality sync together perfectly to create a unique brand of Vermont pop.

Simon Cowell Says Ringo Slam Was A Joke

2009-09-12T08:15:24Z

LOS ANGELES — The Beatles once got in trouble over a flip comment about Jesus. Now Simon Cowell has ruffled feathers with a quip about the Beatles.

Cowell says that he really was joking when he claimed the legendary group wouldn't have made the cut on "American Idol" or "Britain's Got Talent."

Ellen Promises Compassion On 'Idol'

2009-09-10T08:52:40Z

LOS ANGELES — Ellen DeGeneres is known for being nice. But the new "American Idol" judge said she's ready to be honest with the show's contestants, good or bad.

"I think it's going to be hard, but as my career has grown. ... I've learned how to be tougher and learned how to say no," DeGeneres said Thursday, a day after her addition to the show was announced. "I think I can do it, and I think I can do it in a respectful way."

Ellen DeGeneres JOINING 'American Idol' As 4th Judge

2009-09-09T20:48:50Z

LOS ANGELES — Ellen DeGeneres is dancing her way into the fourth judge's seat on "American Idol."

Fox announced Wednesday the talk show host and comedian, who admittedly has no formal music experience, just a passion for tunes, will join Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi for the ninth season. The announcement all but seals the departure of Paula Abdul, the original third judge who announced she was quitting amid a contract dispute in July.