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last night’s Dancing with the Stars snoozefest

retroDan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:02:08 +0000

Last night’s Dancing with the Stars results show proved to us all once again their uncanny ability to stretch what could have been done in five minutes, into a full hour. man, that was painful. viewers had to wait what seemed like eternity to simply confirm the obvious choices for the finale – Donny, Mya and Kelly. And in my opinion, Mya is going to take the trophy home … unless Donny’s faithful fans push him over the top in the end.

Other than getting to the final three, there really wasn’t much else. Obviously there was a bunch of time to fill so they had three musical acts and a dance showcase for the upcoming film Nine.

Alicia Keys screeched her way through her new song “Try sleeping With A Broken Heart”. and then Leona Lewis lip-synced to her new song “Happy” which was a bit of a disappointment since she actually has a great singing voice.

and just when I thought the show couldn’t get any worse, they trot out the two remaining Gibb Brothers to perform “You Should be Dancing”:

yikes! They should simply outlaw anyone over 60 from singing disco music in high falsetto!! it’s definitely hazardous to the ears!

But on the other hand, it was nice to see Cheryl Burke and Chelsie Hightower on the show dancing again. They’re both a treat for the eyes.

as a matter of fact, if it were me, I’d rather watch Chelsie, Cheryl, Lacey Schwimmer and Edyta Sliwinska in those skimpy outfits for an hour and be done with it.

Rock Along Productions brings you Music News

retroDan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:17:22 +0000

This is a sponsored guest post written by Justin Germino on behalf of Rock Along Productions. Post powered by Sponzai.

Want the very best in local and national music news, events and more? Rock Along Productions is the best online source for everything music related. Great articles, relevant discussions, contest, best in upcoming events and much more. The site is jam packed with music at its best. The site features monthly artist from all over. The company also puts on local concerts in which members of their mailing list can receive special offer and discounts on admission. They also offer up to date music news with Rolling Stone’s Rock N Roll Daily report. The site features an up to date events calendar in which you can find things to do in music and art. Interesting videos and tons of media makes this site one that you can visit everyday to discover new things.

Sting – A Winter’s Night – Live DVD

retroDan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:40:26 +0000

Around this time every year, the market is saturated with Christmas albums done by well known recording artists. From rock to country, jazz and R&B, it’s highly probably that your very own favorite performer released a “seasonal album” at some point in their career. Hell, even Bob Dylan put one out this year.

Not to be outdone, British rock icon Sting has recently released his own seasonal recording titled If on a Winter’s Night. Thankfully Sting didn’t go the typical route of covering the same ol’ yuletide fare that countless of other artists have done over the years. He dug deep and unearthed ancient carols, folk-songs and lullabies from the British Isles. It’s an intriguing collection that challenges the listener with, at times, dark imagery and a somber mood.

If you’re looking for sugary-sweet holiday music, look elsewhere. But if you want thought-provoking and an ultimately rewarding meditation on the winter season, be sure to pick this album up.

On a related note, Sting is also releasing a live performance of the new album on DVD titled Sting: A Winter’s Night… Live from Durham Cathedral. Filmed this past September near his hometown of Newcastle, Sting performs the bulk of “If on a Winter’s Night” along with some extra material not on the album including “Ghost Story”, “Bethelehem Down” and “I Saw Three Ships”.

Deutsche Grammophon will be releasing the 2-DVD set on November 24. Purchase it here via CDUniverse.

And be sure to catch a special edition of this concert as part of the Great Performances series on PBS on Thanksgiving night (Thursday, November 26, 9pm EST, local schedules may vary).

here’s the tracklist for the new DVD set:
Disc 1
1. Intro (Sting/A Winter’s Night Concert)
2. The Snow It Melts The Soonest
3. Gabriel’s Message
4. Soul Cake
5. There Is No Rose Of Such Virtue
6. Lo How A Rose E’er Blooming
7. Christmas At Sea
8. Now Winter Comes Slowly
9. Cold Song
10. The Burning Babe
11. Ghost Story
12. Team Spirit
13. The Hounds Of Winter
14. Cherry Tree Carol
15. Balulalow
16. Bethelehem Down
17. Coventry Carol
18. Lullaby For An Anxious Child
19. I Saw Three Ships
20. You Only Cross My Mind In Winter

Disc 2
1. Intro (Sting/A Winter’s Night Documentary)
2. Italy
3. Newcastle
4. Durham
5. The Ship Inn
6. The Gosforth Hotel
7. Durham Cathedral
8. Christmas At Sea

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new wireless iPod speaker system

retroDan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:45:52 +0000

Until recently, I was one of the last remaining holdouts from the glorious world of the iPod. I didn’t like the fact that Apple forces all iPod owners to use their proprietary software (iTunes). I personally hate being restricted in that sense and have been using alternative mp3 players these last few years. But while on a recent trip to CostCo, the sleek new design of the fifth generation iPod nano finally lured me over to the “dark side”. Plus, CostCo had the 8GB model at a price-point that I couldn’t resist. I’m pleased to report that the user interface as well as the sound of the new nano are both superb. The color screen is bright and sharp and the video camera is a nice added feature. The placement of the camera lens is a bit odd but I guess I’ll get used to it.

Since I’m your typical music buff with a blog, I’m constantly listening to music. I’ve already filled my iPod pretty much to the gills with my current music collection. perhaps, I should have sprung for the 16GB edition. Anyway, I’m now looking for an iPod-ready speaker system for me to use so that I don’t have to constantly wear my Bose in-ear headphones around the house. The recently released Yamaha PDX-60 is currently on the top of my list of affordable docking systems. The neat thing about the Yamaha system is that you can dock your iPod on a wireless base and the music is streamed to the main speaker unit. With the wireless feature, you can basically lounge back and change playlists right on your iPod without having to get up like you would on a typical docking system. The unit utilizes the proprietary yAired technology in which the music is transferred uncompressed that ultimately helps keep the sound full, rich and detailed.
I’ll have to hear the unit for myself before I can make my final decision but reading through preliminary reviews, it seems the unit is capable of providing a full and balanced soundscape for a broad range of music styles.

here are the specifications for the PDX-60:
Supported iPods: iPhone 3G, iPhone, iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano and iPod (5th generation)
features: iPod charging, remote control, wireless technology
speakers: Bass-reflex
Frequency Response: 60 Hz–20 kHz
Woofer: Dual 3-1/4″ full-range cone
Product Dimensions (W x H x D) : 13-3/4″ x 4-1/4″ x 4-7/8″
Product Weight (lbs.) : 3.7

Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme joins Rihanna for world tour

retroDan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:43:29 +0000

Here’s an interesting rock news item. According to this morning’s press release, guitarist extraordinaire Nuno Bettencourt has agreed to be part of Rihanna’s live band. Talk about a head scratcher. But I guess in this economy, even a “rock guitar god” has to seek out these types of opportunities in order to pay the bills. Evidently, playing in Rihanna’s band is more lucrative than doing another tour with his main band, Extreme. Ya can’t blame the guy for trying to earn some bank … but really, with Rihanna? I’m not hearing a lot of scorching guitar leads in her music, at least in my mind. who knows, maybe Nuno’s presence in her band will completely change her sound…

here’s the official announcement – November 16, 2009
Guitar virtuoso, Nuno Bettencourt, has joined forces with Rihanna and will be her 2010 world tour lead guitarist. The unexpected combination of Grammy Award winning R&B artist, Rihanna, and Rock guitarist, Nuno Bettencourt, has in fact become what Nuno says, “A great opportunity to blend our talents to create a high energy experience”.

Nuno is best known for his work in the multiplatinum rock band Extreme, where they were Grammy nominated for their Billboard Chart topping hit, “More Than Words”. Nuno has worked on many projects including, multiple solo albums, film scores and has also worked with notable artists such as Janet Jackson, Perry Farrell, Robert Palmer and many others.
Rihanna’s choice to have Nuno in her band is a great surprise, and Nuno assures that her live sound is really complimentary to his “style”. When he heard the direction Rihanna wants to go in a live setting Nuno said, “Wow, this rocks! It’s heavy and funky, and it hit me that this is ‘my’ thing, this is ‘my’ style…”

Once Nuno and Rihanna blended their talents and began the first round of rehearsals, Nuno stated, “…it did not disappoint. Even better than what I expected because she also has the most incredible band, and I get the privilege to add to their wall of sound. It’s gonna be fun. Come see and hear it for yourself!”

Streaming Live from London, November 16, Rihanna and Nuno will be performing tracks from her album, Rated R, to a free online audience. Join in on the largest free music event of the year at: nowplaying.nokia.com/join-us/. Rihanna’s latest album drops November 23rd.

Nuno’s new endeavor as lead guitarist for Rihanna has just been one of many significant events for him in 2009. The renowned guitarist recently wrapped up dates of the Extreme reunion tour and just recently made a music video for the CBS hit comedy, “How I Met Your Mother”. In addition, Nuno celebrated his twenty year anniversary as an endorser of Washburn Guitars with the debut of his signature N4XX and also released a signature Randall half stack, the NBKING100, both to critical acclaim.

It is clear Nuno has been one of the most influential rock guitarists of our time, and will continue to do what he does best, perform. As for the future of Extreme, Nuno explains, “NO… this is NOT the end of Extreme. We have a live DVD and CD coming out in early 2010 and we will be writing new material throughout the year. We had a great run across the globe on Saudades de Rock… and we’ll be back.”

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Here’s Nuno playing “Star” with his band Extreme live in Tokyo 2008:

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last minute changes to Banana Shpeel before Chicago opening

retroDan — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:54:52 +0000

Speculation is at its peak now that there’s less than a week left before the world premiere of Banana Shpeel at the Chicago Theatre. With no sneak peeks or advanced reviews, most of us theater fans are pretty much left in the dark on what to expect from the brand new Cirque du Soleil show. Playbill.com recently reported that Serge Roy and David Shiner had to make the difficult decision to rewrite the whole show to streamline the plot. Unfortunately, the two love interests, Emmett and Katie had to written out of the show. The change was very unexpected especially when the initial press events heavily featured the two actors in those roles, Michael Longoria and Annaleigh Ashford.

But I suppose the creative team was simply doing what needed to be done to live up to “Cirque du Soleil” standards. And there seems to be a ton of interest in this show since Banana Shpeel is a bit of a departure for the successful entertainment brand. Cirque du Soleil is known the world over for their complex acrobatic trapeze acts and unique contortionists but with Banana Shpeel, they’re attempting to do a twist on vaudeville in a traditional theater-type setting.

My personal favorite show of theirs is “Love” but I’m sort of biased since I’m a life-long Beatles fan. The visual interpretation of Beatles classics was absolutely breathtaking and the newly remixed Beatles music in surround-sound was simply to die-for.

I can’t wait to hear more about Banana Shpeel once the show finally opens. With the show being promoted as being “light and fun”, expect big laughs and a lot of clowning around. Zany humor, clowns and slap-stick aren’t usually associated with the usual Cirque du Soleil show but I, for one, applaud the creative team behind Banana Shpeel for branching out and going for something completely different. Be sure to head on over to the Cirque du Soleil website for show dates and ticket information.

the Friday Free for All – Macca in Rio

retroDan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:23:50 +0000

To celebrate next week’s CD/DVD release of Paul McCartney’s Good Evening New York City, I thought I’d share some tracks from his 1990 tour. It was his first tour in nearly a decade and he basically traveled the world over to support his superb Flower in the Dirt album.

The following are from McCartney’s April 21st, 1990 gig in Rio, Brazil. A record breaking 184,000 people attended the show.

My Brave Face
Ever since you went away I’ve had this sentimental
inclination not to change a single thing.
as I pull the sheets back on the bed I want to go bury my head
In your pillow.
We Got Married
It’s not just a loving machine, it doesn’t work out
if you don’t work at it.
This One
What opportunities did we allow to flow by
Feeling like the timing wasn’t quite right?
What kind of magic might have worked if we had stayed calm,
Couldn’t I have given you a better life?
Put it There
I don’t care if it weighs a ton,
as long as you and I are here, put it there.
P.S. Love Me Do
Someone to love, somebody new
Someone to love, someone like you
Let ‘em In
Someone’s knockin’ at the door
Somebody’s ringin’ the bell
Do me a favor, open the door and let ‘em in

The live band featured: Paul, Linda McCartney (on keyboards), Wix Wickens (keyboards), Hamish Stuart (bass, guitar), Robbie McIntosh (lead guitar), Chris Whitten (drums).

enjoy!! happy friday!!

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LeapFish – the social search engine

retroDan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:58:41 +0000

It’s amazing when you think about how the internet has evolved over the last decade or so. I still remember those static HTML pages that were hosted on geocities way back when. Websites are no longer static and are dynamically rendered using powerful PHP scripts. Not only that but everything is interactive and constantly being updated with blog comments, tweets and status updates. I can’t even fathom the amount of new content that gets created on the web every minute of the day. How do we even try to keep track of it all? Tried and true search engines have been very helpful in this manner but even search engines have to evolve to keep up with the ever-changing web.

Take leapfish for example. LeapFish not only features real-time searching capabilities, their on-screen portal includes facebook, twitter and digg applications so that you can share info and interact with friends all in one place. Why go to all these separate websites to perform different tasks when you can do search, be informed, interact and share through the LeapFish portal.

I tested out the search aspect of LeapFish by using the term “AWATS”. It’s an acronym related to Todd Rundgren’s album “A Wizard a True Star” that he’s currently performing live in concert. Leapfish’s results are nicely organized in separate categories instead of just a straight list of links. There’s a section for web results and then a separate list of videos, photos and twitter feeds. the side bar conveniently displays related links from Digg, facebook and amazon. Leapfish correctly identified AWATS as a Rundgren album and gathered videos, photos and links from the recent shows in Akron. I like the look and feel of the website and think the added social networking apps are great additions to the search portal.

Head on over to LeapFish and check out the next level in search engines.

Kenny Mayne, Len Goodman and Jerry Rice on Dance Center

retroDan — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:47:37 +0000

Kudos to the writers of Dancing with the Stars for bringing on the funny in the Dance Center segment on last night’s results show. The twisted take on ESPN’s SportsCenter featured Kenny Mayne and Jerry Rice, who were both former contestants of the show. Judge Len Goodman was also there to help out with the commentary.

The running gag on shoe sizes was hilarious along with some good natured ribbing of the current contestants:
Joanna Krupa – laughs like a seal
Donny Osmond – “acts like a three year old on sugar”
Aaron Carter – “has the lowest pain threshold of any man I’ve ever seen in my life”
Kelly Osborne – “she’s got a cute accent but she swears like a trucker”
Mya – “needs counseling, got anger problems”

And thank goodness Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff are finally off the show. their on-screen antics definitely got on my nerves this season.

At this point it looks like the highly sought after DWTS trophy will be going to either Donny Osmond or Joanna Krupa. at least in my opinion anyway. stay tuned…

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the world is on sale with British Airways

retroDan — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:41:55 +0000

While booking a trip for my parents the other day, I came across a great deal offered by British Airways that I thought I’d share here with my readers. They’re currently running a promotion called the “World Sale” to help remind travelers their world-class service is not only for routes in and out of the U.K. but also for the rest of Europe, India, Africa and the Middle East. Along with their great fares, British Airways offer “upgrades” that you won’t find anywhere else including: more than 200 on-demand entertainment options, complimentary food and cocktails on ALL flights, ergonomically designed seating and of course their world-renowned customer service. You can save even more by combining hotel reservations and car rentals when you book your flight.

Currently, flights from JFK to London are only $659, round-trip. Flights to Madrid are only $755, round-trip. I booked a flight to Rome for my folks for just $749 each, round-trip. They had a fabulous vacation in Italy a couple years ago and they’re ready to go back and explore the country some more. It’s not too late to book your own vacation. Head on over to the British Airways website before November 19th to take advantage of the special sale.

And speaking of British Airways, they put together a special website for frequent flyers of New York and London, highlighting the best of both cities called MetroTwin. It’s a handy resource that helps you find a great restaurant, attraction or place to shop. The best thing about MetroTwin is the interactivity. Add your own two-cents on various hot-spots, vote for your favorite places and even submit your own photos to the site. It’s definitely a must-see for New Yorkers and Londoners alike.

While browsing through the online destination guide that’s also available on the British Airways site, I was reminded a trip I took in my youth that I’d love to re-live again with my wife and kids. It’s a trip to Prague in the Czech Republic. I loved the incredible architecture, the intriguing castles, the food and of course their culture. Hopefully I can save up enough to take my whole family there in the near future.