The Rolling Stones: In the Shadow of the Beatles Again?
It's been 50 years since the Rolling Stones released their debut album in the United States. Entitled England's Newest Hit Makers and released on May 30, the LP rose to number eleven during the summer...
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Come On, Shake Your Body, Broadway, Do the Conga
Gloria Estefan Talks About "On Your Feet!", New Musical Headed to Broadway Like it or not, jukebox musicals have earned themselves a meaty chapter in the history books of The Great White Way. Since the...
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Nashville Rocker Holland Marie Drops Fiery, Heartfelt Debut
You haven't heard of Holland Marie. But you will. For two years the Nashville rocker has been ripping up Music City's honky tonks, marching across the stage in her skin-tight, black pleather pants,...
View ArticlePrimavera Sound 2014: Music Criticism, Riding a Dead Horse Back to Life
Yesterday at Primavera Sound Music festival in Barcelona, I spoke on a panel entitled Music Criticism: Resurrection Man or the Walking Dead? The panel was moderated by the Guardian's Luke Bainbridge,...
View ArticleMad Men: All Business Is Personal
There's no truth to the phrase...it's just business, nothing personal. And the mid-season seven finale episode of Mad Men that aired Sunday, May 25, 2014 titled, "Waterloo," made that clear. Although...
View ArticleDammit, Jimi Hendrix, That Was Supposed to Be MY Les Paul!
There had been other 'fad' guitars during rock 'n' roll's earlier years. In the early 1960s, the brief but crazy-popular Surf Instrumental era, Fender Stratocasters, Jazzmasters and Jaguars were...
View ArticleHall & Oates Inducted Into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Video)
Sporting a "Hall&Oates" T-shirt and speaking backstage at the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony before induction Daryl Hall and John Oates into the Hall of Fame, Questlove...
View ArticleA-Sides With Jon Chattman: Tony Awards Spotlight on Beautiful's Jarrod Spector
Jarrod Spector a is making quite a name for himself on Broadway by playing music icons. First, he played a record 1,500 performances as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys, and this year, he's nominated for a...
View ArticleBurt's Buzz and Elena: Documentary Premieres
Burt of Burt's Bees, honey-bee pollen and beeswax skin care products sold in supermarkets and pharmacies all across American, really exists, and he even looks just like the illustration on the yellow...
View ArticleA Million Ways To Die In the West Is DOA
Movie Review Jackie K Cooper A Million Ways To Die In the West (Universal Pictures) Seth MacFarlane is the creative force behind the new movie A Million Ways To Die In the West. He co-wrote it,...
View ArticleXavier Dolan's Mommy: Exuberant Film Shares Jury Prize at Cannes
Anne Dorval does a tour de force performance in Xavier Dolan's Mommy as the dedicated single mother to a son with what is termed "ADHD." The boy Steve (played memorably by Antoine Olivier Pilon)...
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Celebrity Collector: Alison Sweeney
PHOTO CREDIT: Tom Rafalovich Alison Sweeney has been a regular on your television screen since she was 5 years old. You might not remember her original Kodak moment but no doubt you know her for her...
View ArticleThe Expectations of the American
The American was much maligned. It is a great movie. It suffers only from its marketing campaign. It was promoted as an action thriller in which George Clooney plays George Clooney. But it actually is...
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A High Road & Soulshine: Conversations with Michael Franti and Night Ranger's...
A Conversation with Michael Franti Mike Ragogna: What gave you the idea to merge music with yoga for your Soulshine tour? Michael Franti: I started practicing yoga on tour about thirteen years ago as...
View ArticleMarriage Advice for Kim Kardashian and Kanye West
Dear Kim and Kanye, We came to Florence to celebrate love, strolling hand in hand along the cobblestone streets and soaking up the romance of this gorgeous city. Imagine our surprise to find out you...
View ArticleWhy It's Unfortunate That 'Sex Sells' in Advertising and in Life
Katy Perry and Madonna posed on the cover of the summer issue of V magazine for a "bondage-themed" photo shoot for photographer Steven Klein. Actor Neil Patrick Harris was completely naked except for a...
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Jesse Boykins III Sings Music for Grownups
The roots of rock and roll come from the African American music of gospel and blues. Everyone knows that. For those who don't, let Jesse Boykins III stand as a statement of fact and proof. Returning...
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Liverpool, Beatles and the Beauty of the Back Story
Fab 4's early instruments featured at The Cavern Do you yearn for back stories that offer valuable guidance and inspiring insights? The music group that brought us Help! and taught America how to...
View ArticleUnCabaret: USMC, Balls to the Wall Comedy
As a comedy writer, I usually perform my material from behind my keyboard, safe from the line of fire of a live audience. I respect standup comedians for their talent and bravery. They go onstage and...
View ArticleTop 10 Reasons to Party With Us at the 2014 CMT Awards
If you've ever seen our show Party Down South on CMT -- which you could have because we are CMT's highest-rated show EVER -- or even just heard about us, then you probably already knew one thing, we...
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