Wow, what a tough week in Hollywood and for all those who grew up watching and listening to them: three icons gone before you could blink. And how sad is it that all three were going through some of the toughest times in their lives when they passed?

First Ed McMahon, he of the TONIGHT SHOW 2nd chair, STAR SEARCH and TV’s PRACTICAL JOKES AND BLOOPERS, passed at the age of 86.  It appears that the bone cancer he had been suffering, among other health problems, may have contributed to his death.  (No doubt the added stress of being in financial trouble and on the verge of losing his home didn’t help…  Too bad he couldn’t have been enjoying his golden years instead of having to hawk Cash for Gold to make ends meet!)

Then, just when we were getting used to his being gone, Farrah Fawcett loses her battle with cancer at 62.  (How weird is it that all of the original Angels ended up with cancer? I’d seriously want to check out where they were filming for nuclear waste products!!) 

While I actually liked Jacklyn Smith the best of the three original Charlie’s Angels, the chemistry of the three leads together made for a fun show. Unfortunately, like many actors who leave successful shows before the storyline is really ready to let them go, Farrah’s career never really ever took off again. She ended up being known more for the men in her life and the best-selling (cheesecake) poster of all time and now for dying of a really embarrasing form of lower body cancer.  How sad is that?

Then, before we all stop reeling, the biggest shock of the week happens.  Ed McMahon was getting up there in years and Farrah had been battling cancer for a while, but Michael Jackson always seemed to go on and on no matter what bumps and bruises tossed his life.  Then, he gets accidentally done in at only 50 by the doctor that’s supposed to be watching his fragile health? (That’s just one of the many rumors running rampant right now…  Among the thousands that no doubt will spring up and grow and take on a life of their own as the days, weeks and months go by.)

I’m sorry to say I don’t really miss this Michael much.  I miss the Michael of the earlier years, the one who hadn’t gotten twisted so much by either his father or all the money or just finally being unable to cope with all the fame and pressure. I miss the originality of his early music, the magic he seemed to have lost as he lost his own way, personally and financially, not quite seeming to live in the real world anymore.  It’s too bad that it looked all downhill for him, no matter what he did.

RIP to all three. May they now have the peace and tranquility they seemed to have lost so late in their lives…

What a week…

Technorati Tags: Charlie's Angels, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, MUSIC, Obituary, Thriller, Tonight Show, TV

I rarely watch reality TV much lately, generally due to lack of time (and inclination), but when I read all the buzz about Susan Boyle, I had to take a few minutes to see what it was all about.

Like probably just about everyone watching that excerpt from BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT (including Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan, Amanda Holden and the entire audience that night), I would have thought she had more cheek than talent given her opening remarks and looks if I hadn’t had an inkling ahead of time that she was something very special.  (Sometimes I swear so many people get on those shows just so the judges can make snarky remarks that it gets too easy to lump contestants into that category, especially, and unfortunately, based on looks.)  So I wasn’t as surprised as I might have been…

Yet, I was still bowled over by Susan’s voice!  She has one of the purest, sweetest voices I’ve heard in a long time, especially for someone 47 years old.  And her delivery and stage presence is amazing.  Nowadays, you get too many singers who have pretty good voices, but who don’t really know how to sell a song or you get ones who can use a stage well, but don’t have the voice.  She’s got both in spades.

I can’t wait for her to come out with an album.  I rarely buy them, because usually only a few songs on each are worth having, but I think she’d be wonderful across the board, making whatever she does a keeper.  (There’s a limited edition charity CD she sang on years ago that shows she’s not a fluke…)

Here’s hoping she wins on BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT.  She surely does.  (If "Mamma Trish" makes it to the finals, and she doesn’t, I think I’ll puke prolifically, and then I’ll remember why I don’t usually watch these shows in the first place, not to mention boycotting any future Simon Cowell productions should that be the case…)

Click on the photo above to watch her performance or here.

Technorati Tags: Britain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle

Vintage 1959 Gibson Les Paul Flametop Guitar

In this day and age where cash seems to be worth less and less, there still are a few items that seem to appreciate with age. One of those categories appears to be vintage guitars, especially vintage Gibson guitars.

In recent years, Gibson guitar collectors have been known to pay as much as $400,000 (yes, that’s a 4 with 5 zeros!) for a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Flametop.  According to Jay Boone, owner of Emerald City Guitars in Pioneer Square, that particular guitar was sitting under a bed gathering dust for 40 years, unbeknownst to the adult children in the family in Illinois who discovered its worth after seeing some press about Boone and its sister guitar.*

Guitars like that just 10 years ago would have only gotten a 10th of that, but currently the market is hot, even with people striving to save every penny.  Avid (or should I say rabid?) collectors of all types don’t seem to have slowed down and the guitar market proves that.  Quite a few people would love to have their hands on the same type of guitar that say, Les Paul, Bruce Springsteen or Paul McCartney may have played.

Even other models of vintage guitars that would have only brought $2-$3000 a decade ago are currently being snapped up for $20-$30,000.  Of course, the vintage guitars are also 10 years older than they were, and finding ones in good condition is getting more and more scarce as time goes by, making each more valuable.

So, if you happen to have what might be a vintage guitar hiding in a closet or attic somewhere that appears to be in fairly good shape, you might want to get it appraised.  Even if you aren’t planning to sell it to finance your kid’s education, take that vacation, or sock the money away for your retirement, it wouldn’t hurt to have it insured for what it’s really worth.  (However, if you’re going to sell or buy a guitar as an investment, as with all investments, realize that guitar values can go down as easily as they go up…as the stock market and housing markets recently proved.)  And as with all collectibles, watch out for phony or reissued models.  When unsure, always ask an expert.  (And, as the Antiques Roadshow has shown time and again, sometimes it’s best to ask at least 2! And don’t forget to check out up-to-date price guides, too.)

 *According to Taking stock of your collectibles in the Seattle PI.

Technorati Tags: guitars, investments, Les Paul, vintage gibson guitars

On Sunday, February 8th, the 2009 Grammy Awards were given.  Here are the winners:

Album of the Year
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Raising Sand

Best Rap Album
Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
John Mayer, "Say"

Record of the Year
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, "Please Read This Letter"

Best New Artist
Adele

Best Rock Album
Coldplay, Viva la Vida

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, "Rich Woman"

Song of the Year
Coldplay, "Viva la Vida"

Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group
Sugarland, "Stay"

Best R&B Album
Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Hudson

Industry Icon Award
Clive Davis

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Rick Rubin

Best Rock Song
Bruce Springsteen, "Girls in Their Summer Clothes"

Best Rock Instrumental Performance
"Peaches En Regalia," Zappa Plays Zappa, Featuring Steve Vai & Napoleon Murphy Brock

Best Metal Performance
Metallica, "My Apocalypse"

Best Hard Rock Performance
The Mars Volta, "Wax Simulacra"

Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Kings of Leon, "Sex on Fire"

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
John Mayer, "Gravity"

Best Alternative Music Album
Radiohead, In Rainbows

Best Pop Vocal Album
Duffy, Rockferry

Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Coldplay, "Viva la Vida"

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Adele, "Chasing Pavements"

Best Pop Instrumental Album
Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Jingle All The Way

Best Pop Instrumental Performance
Eagles, "I Dreamed There Was No War"

Best Spoken Word Album
Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth (Beau Bridges, Cynthia Nixon and Blair Underwood)

Best Contemporary R&B Album
Mary J. Blige, Growing Pains

Best R&B Song
Ne-Yo, "Miss Independent" (Mikkel S. Eriksen, T.E. Hermansen and S. Smith, songwriters)

Best Urban/Alternative Performance
Chrisette Michele Featuring will.i.am, "Be OK"

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
Al Green Featuring Anthony Hamilton, "You’ve Got the Love I Need"

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Al Green Featuring John Legend, "Stay With Me (by the Sea)"

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Alicia Keys; "Superwoman"

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Ne-Yo, "Miss Independent"

Best Rap Song
Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major, "Lollipop"

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Estelle Featuring Kanye West, "American Boy"

Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
Jay-Z and T.I. Featuring Kanye West and Lil Wayne, "Swagga Like Us"

Technorati Tags: Grammy, Music Awards

For the 4th time in 5 years, singer Kenny Chesney went home with the big prize:  Entertainer of the Year.  He beat out Brad Paisley, George Strait, Sugarland and Keith Urban to take top honors in this year’s Country Music Awards. Other winners included:

Female Vocalist of the Year

• Carrie Underwood
   

Male Vocalist of the Year

• Brad Paisley
   

New Artist of the Year

• Lady Antebellum
   

Vocal Group of the Year

• Rascal Flatts
   

Vocal Duo of the Year

• Sugarland
   

Single of the Year (Award goes to Artist and Producer)

• "I Saw God Today" George Strait Produced by Tony Brown and George Strait MCA Nashville

This year’s CMA Awards show was hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood. For full information on the 2008 CMA Awards, check out their official website.

Technorati Tags: Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, MUSIC

The movie hasn’t even come out yet, but TWILIGHT, starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, has already set a record – its soundtrack album hit #1 on the Billboard 200 chart this week, outperforming AC/DC’s Black Ice at #2, followed by the soundtrack to Disney’s High School Musical 3 at #3, Hinder’s Take It to the Limit at #4 with Pink’s Funhouse taking spot #5.

It’s highly unusual for a soundtrack to top the charts before the movie has even hit the screens, much less take the #1 spot.

The movie, based on Stephanie Meyer’s bestselling series, comes out in theaters November 21st.  Stewart (ZATHURA) plays Bella Swan, a teenager who finds herself in love with a vampire played by Pattinson (HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE).

Based on the reception the album has already received, it’s probably a safe bet the movie itself will also score big at the box office.  (Pattinson has been continually mobbed at pre-screening events by hundreds and thousands of young girls trying to get a glimpse of the actor bringing the supernatural “Edward Cullen” to life.)

If you want to check out the music for yourself, click on the box below:

Technorati Tags: Kristen Stewart, MUSIC, Robert Pattinson, TWILIGHT

Recently, I was listening to a TV music channel in the background when MERCY by Duffy came on. I looked up to watch, expecting to see a retro-1960’s black girl’s group singing it, only to be surprised to see this little Welsh blond belting it out. Needless to say, I was quite amazed at what a great voice she has, part Billie Holiday, part Ronettes, and a little Ben E. King mixed in. =)

Duffy looks like she’s got the chops to be another Bonnie Tyler or Dusty Springfield (if she keeps getting such good material.) She’s an artist I’ll be keeping an eye on to see if she fulfills her promise – I’d hate to see her end up a 1-hit wonder given her voice. Check it out:

Technorati Tags: Duffy, Mercy, MUSIC, Soul

One of my all-time favorite pop music artists, Cher, is going to have a show opening at Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, starting May 6th 2008.

For anyone who missed her (many) Farewell Tour(s), this is a chance to see a really amazing stage show and hear some great classic pop music.

There will be 18 dancers and aerialists backing her up and Bob Mackie’s back doing all her costumes. (Think”The Sonny & Cher Show”!)

The concert will only run for a month when it premieres, then will return in August, so there will be 2 chances to catch it depending on when you can make it to Vegas.

I really like her new “softer” look. The jet black, totally straight hair she’s been wearing for a long time did nothing for her. The lighter brown, streaked look makes her look about 20 years younger. (She’ll be 62 this year!) And the toned down make-up really looks much better than the harsh blacks she was using! (And she’s one of the only people I know who can wear something that looks like it got caught in a shredder and make it look sexy. LOL) I should only look that good when I reach her age! (Which is sneaking up on me fast!)

BTW, don’t miss Cher making a special presentation at The Grammys tonight!

Click Here for CHER Tickets at Caesars Palace

Cher’s Official Website

Technorati Tags: Cher, Concerts, MUSIC, Pop Music

I was desperate for something to watch while I work – especially since I’m getting 2 premium movie channels for free so there HAS to be SOMETHING on, right? – when I noticed MUSIC AND LYRICS, the movie with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore, was showing this month. I never saw it when it first came out, but had liked the commercials, so wanted to see if I’d missed out by not seeing it in the theaters.

Now, normally I find that Hugh Grant tends to play the same character over and over as does Drew Barrymore a lot, so I figured I’d get some work done since I wouldn’t have to give it my whole attention. What I didn’t realize is how well their “usual” characters would mesh and work so well together. In fact, I’ve now watched it about 4 times (and counting since I DVR’d it) and it keeps growing on me.

I really couldn’t say why. There’s just something about it that makes me want to rewatch it again and again. (It’s probably the great 1980s derivative “Pop Goes My Heart” song they created as the signature tune of the has-been band – very dead-on Duran Duran-ish/Flock of Seagalls-ish and most likely would have been a chart-topper back in the day!)

Or maybe it’s the chemistry and the writing. Both characters have brains, when they choose to use them, the comedy is fun and not mean-spirited, and I love the 80s in-jokes – I think I lived almost ALL of them! LOL

Kristen Johnston is a bit over-the-top as Drew’s older sister, but Brad Garrett actually does a nice understated job as Hugh Grant’s agent, even if I do wonder how they managed to get them all in the same frame: Garrett’s like 6′8″, Grant’s 5′11″and Drew’s about 5′4″!. The girl playing Cora gets on my nerves, but her character is supposed to be a bit spacey, so I guess she’s doing a good job, eh?

So, if you’re looking for a fluffy little romance with some cute comedy, great toss-off lines, intelligent, witty dialogue, and catchy music that grows on you, this is a good one. (This is also one of the few movies where I actually want to pick up the music CD…) This is one movie where I’d also love to see the outtakes. (Time to hunt down a DVD copy to see if it has any!)

Technorati Tags: Drew Barrymore, Hugh Grant, Humor, MOVIES, Musicals