Tag Archives: concert

Boy George to Serenade Sanitation Workers

I guess it takes one to know one. Whether they like it or Boy George says he is planning to serenade his former New York City sanitation co-workers during a special summer concert. The British singer is planning to perform some of his greatest hits for the New York City Department of Sanitation’s Family Day on August 17th, according to city officials. The goodwill gesture comes two years after Boy George (whose real name is George O’Dowd) donned a fluorescent orange vest, dark Capri pants and shoes without socks and hit the streets of Manhattan to fulfill his community service … Continue reading →

Hannah Montana Body Double Brouhaha—Much Ado About Nothing?

Personally, I don’t see what the big deal is… but you might. For days now entertainment news shows have been making a huge production out of a relatively innocuous switcheroo that took place on stage at a recent “Hannah Montana” concert. Now, several mainstream media outlets have jumped on the story and the “Hannah Montana” body double brouhaha has seemingly taken on a life of its own. If you’ve been living under a rock for the pat few weeks here’s what the controversy is all about: It centers around a video posted on YouTube (surprise, surprise) that shows Miley Cyrus … Continue reading →

Hannah Montana Concert Ticket Story with a Happy Ending and Johnny Depp Braces For Wisconsin Chill

Finally, a story involving Hannah Montana concert tickets that has a HAPPY ending. In the wake of the recent Hannah Montana concert ticket brouhaha in which a Texas mother helped her daughter write an essay filled with lies (it essentially recounted a sob story of how the girl’s father died in war-torn Iraq, only the dad is alive and well and knew little of the ruse) it’s nice to see that there are still some people in this world who live honorably. One such person lives not too far away from me in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His name … Continue reading →

Hannah Montana Essay Contest Debacle

It’s incidents like these that make me overjoyed that my young daughter is still in love with Strawberry Shortcake, Hello Kitty, Elmo and Blues Clues… and that she has no clue who Hannah Montana is. (I’m hoping I can keep her in the dark for years to come.) If you have a pint-sized Hannah Montana fan in your home then you might be familiar with the essay contest brouhaha that emerged when a 6-year-old girl and her mother went to extremes to secure four concert tickets to the tween sensation’s sold-out show. The youngster’s essay began with the powerful line: … Continue reading →

Celine Dion Says So Long to Sin City

So much for wanting to get my mom tickets to see Celine Dion perform live in Las Vegas. Last night the 39-year-old French-Canadian singing sensation took her final bow on the Caesars Palace stage that she has called home for the last five years. Dion performed 717 shows in Caesars’ $95 million, 4,100-seat Colosseum, which was designed and created specifically for her five-year engagement. In return, the singer walked away with more than $160 million—-a record for a live entertainer. But that’s peanuts compared to how much Dion’s show “A New Day…” has grossed since opening in Vegas in March … Continue reading →

Celebrity Updates—Cashing in on Rock ‘n’ Roll Memorabilia

Celebrity auctions intrigue me. Not so much because of the items that are up for sale (though it is interesting to see what celebs consider “safe” to part with), but what I find so astounding is how much some die-hard fans are willing to fork over for an item previously owned by someone they likely have never met. In a previous blog I previewed an auction Christie’s was running featuring rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia from some of the hottest bands of the 1960s and ’70s. Most of the items were non descript and unpretentious, such as used T-shirts, sweaters and … Continue reading →

Pop Culture Potpourri: Streisand Rip-Off, “Dateline” Dumped, and Three Times Is Not The Charm

STREISAND RIP-OFF Rosie O’Donnell may be thrilled about her idol Barbra Streisand’s upcoming concert in Rome, but Italian consumer groups want authorities to cancel the singer’s gig because they think people are getting ripped off. According to European news reports, the consumer group maintains Streisand’s concert tickets cost way too much money. The Adusbef and Codacons groups urged the city of Rome and the Italian Olympic Committee to deny permission for Streisand to perform at the Stadio Flaminio on June 15th. Never mind that the venue is where the singer plans to perform her first-ever concert in Italy and the … Continue reading →

Music News: It’s All About The Digits

Do you remember Tommy Tutone’s 1982 hit single that made the phone number 867-5309 famous? The song used the digits over and over in its catchy refrain and skyrocketed to the top of the pop music charts. Well, now the song is the subject of a bitter battle between two businesses. According to news reports, a Rhode Island company and a national firm are battling over the right to use the number. The fight reportedly began two years ago, when Gem Plumbing & Heating of Lincoln, Rhode Island trademarked the popular phone number after Tutone’s song reached No. 4 on … Continue reading →

Bob Geldolf vs. Al Gore

In this corner: Bob Geldolf, former front-man of The Boomtown Rats and the man who organized the Live Aid and Live 8 benefit concerts. And in this corner: former vice-president and resident greenie Al Gore. Both ready to do battle. Ding. Ding. Gore probably outweighs Geldolf by the equivalent of a dozen Sanjaya Malakars, but Geldolf is the one who has been getting in the most jabs. Most recently Geldolf has come out swinging at the politician-turned environmental activist, criticizing the Live Earth music events Gore is putting together this summer, saying they lack a specific goal. In a previous … Continue reading →

The Dream Concert

It’s a star-studded event to honor a man that helped shape history. This fall Radio City Music Hall in New York City will be filled with stars raising money to build a memorial to The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the National Mall. The event dubbed “The Dream Concert” is being spearheaded by the likes of Quincy Jones, Russell Simmons and Tommy Hilfiger. The group of Hollywood A listers is hoping to raise about $20 million—the amount needed to complete and maintain the memorial. (More than $79 million has already been raised for the memorial, but organizers say to … Continue reading →