Big TV Shows

Whitney Houston back In the Top Ten

Molly Heales — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:49:36 +0000

Though Houston’s “Greatest Hits” CD sold enough to make it the sixth biggest selling album in the land last week, its age makes it ineligible from appearing in the Top 200. It does, however, top Billboard’s Catalogue Album list, with sales of 63,853.

Still, McCartney’s album, as well as most others on the chart, had a full week to tally those numbers. Houston’s boost came from just a single day, since Nielsen SoundScan cuts off its counting on Sunday night (for the Wednesday chart).

Expect Whitney’s disk to sell far more by the time next week’s chart hits.

In the meantime, Houston’s self-titled debut disk also made the Top Catalogue Chart, at No. 5.

Hicks: Neal Schon sued for $50 million stealing guy’s wife

Grace Frankland — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:39:54 +0000

Tareq Salahi is suing Neal Schon’s for $50 million because Schon stole his wife.

Can he keep his money if he gives her back?

Salahi filed the suit Tuesday in Virginia, saying he and estranged wife Michaele Salahi were on track to make a fortune together from multiple TV shows, including “Dancing with the Stars,” before the Journey guitarist’s sexiness screwed everything up.

You never see drummers causing this kind of trouble.

According to the suit, Salahi and Michaele had an offer to make $150,000 to participate on the Australian version of “Dancing with the Stars” in 2011, an offer to appear on another network TV show in the U.S.

“Divorce Court,” maybe?

But when Michaele ran off with Schon in Sept.

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Celebrities arriving in New Orleans for Mardi Gras

Gabriel Nanson — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:21:55 +0000

NEW ORLEANS — Actress Patricia Clarkson got a brass band reception when she arrived Wednesday in New Orleans, setting the stage for the all-women Krewe of Muses parade to roll Thursday night.

Muses kicks off a string of celebrity-studded parades leading up to Mardi Gras on Tuesday. The parades are held by individual krewes — social clubs that spend all year putting together the elaborate floats and costumes. The pop-rock band Maroon 5 rides with the krewe Endymion on Saturday night, comedian and actor Will Ferrell rides as king of Bacchus on Sunday night and rocker Bret Michaels will join Grammy-winning singer Cyndi Lauper in Orpheus on Monday.

Singer and multi-instrumentalist Theresa Andersson will also be featured in Muses, and as her float rolls through the city streets she will perform songs from her upcoming album “Street Parade,” accompanied by a 50-piece marching band. It

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Operator of Muslim site to plead guilty

Grace Frankland — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:22:57 +0000

ALEXANDRIA, Va – A Muslim convert from Brooklyn who ran a website that posted threats against the creators of the television show “South Park” for supposedly insulting the prophet Muhammad is expected to enter a guilty plea.

Jesse Curtis Morton, also known as Younus Abdullah Mohammad, was charged last year with communicating threats and has been in custody since his arrest in Morocco in October.

A plea agreement hearing in federal court in Alexandria has been scheduled for Thursday. Morton’s lawyer, James Hundley, confirmed Morton will plead to three counts, including communicating threats.

Last year, another operator of the Revolution Muslim website, Zachary Chesser, was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

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Crickets, Famous Flames, Comets, Miracles, Midnighters and Blue Caps added to Rock Hall induction ceremony

Molly Heales — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:49:28 +0000

The guest list for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions just got longer.

The Crickets, the Famous Flames, the Comets, the Miracles, the Midnighters and the Blue Caps also will be enshrined during the sold-out ceremony Saturday, April 14, at Public Auditorium in Cleveland.

The Rock Hall is expected to announce the additions today.

“It’s a real honor to take our place among all those great rock and rollers,” said guitarist Sonny Curtis of the Crickets, Buddy Holly’s band.

The Famous Flames backed James Brown early in his career. The Comets were Bill Haley’s group. The Miracles were led by Smokey Robinson.

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Guns N’ Roses, Chili Peppers in Rock Hall

Gabriel Nanson — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:35:52 +0000

They’re in … a new class of inductees was announced by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Wednesday morning.

Performers inducted are: rap/rock pioneers the Beastie Boys, pop troubadour Donovan, hard rockers Guns N’ Roses, poetic singer/songwriter Laura Nyro, L.A. funk-rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers and British pop icons the Small Faces/the Faces.

The Guns N’ Roses induction sets up the drama: Speculation is rife about how abustible reunion of guitarist Slash and frontman Axl Rose would lead to a full reunion tour.

Inducted as an “early influence” is R&B/bluesman Freddie King (“Hideaway”); the Ahmet Ertegun (nonperformer) Award goes to song publishing mogul/TV producer Don Kirshner; and the Award for Musical Excellence was awarded to New Orleans recording engineer/studio owner Cosimo Matassa, recording engineer/producer Tom Dowd and recording engineer/producer Glyn Johns.

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Cuban Pianist Chucho Valdés Plays Jorgensen

Gabriel Nanson — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:39:58 +0000

Still very much an irrepressible life-force at 70, Chucho Valdés, the renowned Cuban pianist, composer and bandleader, is on a winter tour of the United States that sets down for high-energy maneuvers Friday and Saturday, Jan. 27 and 28, at the cabaret series at the University of Connecticut’s Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts.

Valdés is trekking coast-to-coast with his fiery ensemble, The Afro-Cuban Messengers, promoting his eighth Grammy Award winning album, “Chucho’s Steps.”

The latest product of Valdés’ expansive, ecumenical musical mind — an intellect honed in the demanding proving grounds of Cuba’srigorous conservatories and celebratory clubs — the new disc is a vibrant blend of hard-swinging American jazz and complex, compelling Afro-Cuban rhythms. And, a

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Local schools doing their best: Parents can do more to introduce more fruit, veggies to children

Molly Heales — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:40:53 +0000

A third of high school-age children do not eat the daily requirement of fruits and vegetables, and more than a fourth don’t always have a daily serving of fruit, according to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Although the study highlighted a need for healthier school lunches, local school officials said they can only do so much.

“We are required to provide two or more servings of fruits, vegetables or a combination of those at each meal,” said Joann Knox, director of child nutrition operations for the Abilene Independent School District. “But just because we provide them doesn’t mean we can make the students eat them.”

AISD serves about 13,000 lunches every day of the school week, feeding about 75 percent of the student population.

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Petra Ecclestone in Rag & Bone

Grace Frankland — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 03:04:29 +0000

Petra Ecclestone was spotted doing some shopping in Beverly Hills, California. She dropped by Barneys to pick up some things. I wonder if she dropped by Paige as well? She wore a pair of Rag & Bone Skinny Leather Pants in Navy for the shopping trip. I dont know much about Petra besides being heir to Formula One Racing and buying the Spelling Mansion. Because you knoweveryone needs multiple rooms for just gift wrapping.

I like that Rag & Bone is one of the brands that didnt let denim dominate the color market. I think the color of these is great and they fit Petra amazing.

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Melanie Amaro wins ‘The X Factor’

Molly Heales — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:41:53 +0000

‘X Factor’ winner: Melanie Amaro captures title in Simon Cowell’s import of British talent competition

‘The X Factor’ winner Melanie Amaro with Simon Cowell.

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‘The X Factor’ finale

Who deserved to win?

“The X-Factor” has crowned its first American Champion.

Melanie Amaro, who was briefly sent packing from the reality competition show earlier in the season only to be later reinstated, went home with a $5 million recording contract and a starring role in a Pepsi commercial.

“Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh

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Dianna Agron: Mary J. Blige Concert Chick

Grace Frankland — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:13:04 +0000

Looking for a little Sunday evening excitement, Dianna Agron was spotted at the 2nd Annual Mary J. Blige Honors Concert in New York City last night (May 1).

The “Glee” gal, who celebrated her birthday on Saturday, looked lovely as she walked the red carpet outside the Hammerstein Ballroom.

Dianna has been in the Big Apple as of late filming the season finale of her hit FOX show, and it sounds like she’s having a blast.

Miss Agron tweeted, “Filming in NYC is simply wonderful,” while Lea Michele shared, “Thank you again to all of our amazing devoted fans who hung out with us today. It truly wa

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City Struggles as Football Team is Set to Reap Millions

Gabriel Nanson — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 03:22:10 +0000

The state of New York and the Seneca Indian Nation have a contract that states the Nation will provide a percentage of the funds created by slot machines in the Seneca casinos. But for the past two years the Nation and the state of New York have been at odds with one another over the issue of allowing casinos not owned and operated by one of the Indian Nations that reside in the state of New York. As a result for the past two years the state of New York and the communities where the casinos are operated have not received any slot machine funds.

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Concert review: Oklahoma City Philharmonic, pianist Andrew von Oeyen offer satisfying performance

Gabriel Nanson — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:02:14 +0000

The Oklahoma City Philharmonic is an orchestra whose programming remains strongly anchored in the classical and romantic periods. So it’s always a treat when a concert features music that was written before or after those eras.

Andrew von Oeyen Photo by Akos Photography

In a rare foray into baroque music, the orchestra’s recent classics concert opened with Handel’s “Music for the Royal Fireworks,” a 1749 work composed to celebrate the Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle that ended the War of Austrian Succession.

Joel Levine drew ample majesty and pomp from the opening Overture, with dotted rhythms carefully executed and a tempo that was brisk but never rushed. As

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Black Keys, Radiohead, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg to headline Coachella festival

Molly Heales — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:30:37 +0000

LOS ANGELES (AP) The Black Keys, Radiohead, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg will headline two weekends of concerts at The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Organizers of the Indio, Calif., music festival on Monday announced a dizzying list of top musicians who are slated to perform over two long weekends, April 13-15 and April 20-22.

The six-day concert schedule marks the first time Coachella is to extend over two consecutive weekends.

In addition to the headliners, more than 100 bands are expected to perform at the shows, including Arctic Monkeys, The Shins, Bon Iver, Pulp, Florence and the Machine, Beirut, At The Drive In, Cat Power and ska legends Madness.

Tickets go on sale Friday at 1p.m.

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Hicks: Nick Cannon’s ‘mild kidney failure’ apparently cured

Grace Frankland — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:03:45 +0000

thicks@bayareanewsgroup

Nick Cannon is out of the hospital after battling what wife Mariah Carey called “mild kidney failure.” That’s right. In addition to being an award-winning songstress, she’s also a practicing physician.

Cannon was hospitalized in Aspen, Colo., last week after he fell ill while the couple was vacationing there. He was transferred to a Los Angeles hospital a few days later. Carey said he was suffering from a form of kidney failure but no further details were released.

In a statement Monday, Cannon’s publicist Tracy Nguyen said he’s now “resting and recovering at home” and thanks everyone who was concerned about him.

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