July 14th, 2011
Words by Josh Rotter
If Sandra Bernhard were ever honored with a window tribute at L.A.’s historic Improv or The Comedy Store, where she got her start, and needed a statement lauding her, I’d submit something along the lines of: “Sandra is bold, beyond measure, a real fighter, a national treasure, a comic, a singer, raw and real, always outspoken, nobody’s token, like an eagle who’s soaring, a seer, a be-er, fearless, peerless, Sandra is Mother Courage sublime, offering much-needed guidance during today’s troubled times.”
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Tags: I Love Being Me Don’t You?, Kabbalah, lesbian, Pride, Real Housewives, Sandra Bernhard, Tracy Morgan
Posted in Celebrity Interviews, Comedy, Gay Themed | No Comments »
July 14th, 2011
Big fun starts today at Cal Expo with 18 days of concerts, exhibits and agriculture
The California State Fair opens today at Cal Expo in Sacramento.
Courtesy art
By Joshua Rotter
Special to The Record
July 14, 2011 12:01 AM
The trick in keeping a 157-year-old event such as the California State Fair as fresh and flavorful as the bountiful produce from the Golden State is to have it grow increasingly bigger and better. This year’s exposition promises to surpass expectations with its “The Fun Just Got Bigger” theme.
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Tags: Blue Oyster Cult, California State Fair, MC Hammer, REO Speedwagon, Starship, Three Dog Night, war
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June 3rd, 2011
by Josh Rotter
Rocker Bebe Buell would argue that Rolling Stone photographer Bob Gruen’s request that she perform at his recent birthday party was nothing short of divine intervention, because after guest, Wendy Dio (manager and widow of Ronnie James Dio), caught two of the singer’s numbers, she offered her a management deal. This provides yet another opportunity for Buell—best known as a former fashion model, Playboy Playmate, and girlfriend of rock icons Steven Tyler, Todd Rundgren, Stiv Bators, and Elvis Costello, as well as mother of actress Liv Tyler—to find success as a musical artist. While she’s released a string of EPs and albums dating back to 1981’s Covers Girl—winning professional support from Rick Derringer, Ric Ocasek, Todd Rundgren, John Taylor, and Joey Ramone along the way and a major label recording offer from Atlantic Records—still more emphasis has been placed on her storied life, recounted in her bestselling autobiography Rebel Heart. She’s said to have inspired the Penny Lane character in Almost Famous, and depending on whom you ask, may have shaped the part of the seductress in Prince’s “Little Red Corvette.”
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Tags: American Idol, Bebe Buell, Elvis Costello, Liv Tyler, Steven Tyler, Todd Rundgren
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June 3rd, 2011
by Josh Rotter
Thomas Dolby is often heralded as a one-hit wonder for his catchy 1982 Top Five smash single “She Blinded Me With Science”, the synthesized mid-tempo dance track about a mad scientist who falls in love with his assistant. Its quirky video, portraying the bespectacled, disheveled-haired new-waver as a nerdy neurotic, became a staple on MTV, sitting well with the public’s then push-pull feelings about technology, with the unfortunate side effect of typecasting him as a tech geek.
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Tags: A Map of the Floating City, Oceanea, She Blinded Me With Science, Thomas Dolby
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May 20th, 2011
Taste of San Joaquin festival returns with barbecue competition, live entertainment, fireworks, and, of course, plenty of mouth-watering delights
James Henderson of Shorter’s BBQ places his pork ribs on grill at last year’s event. CALIXTRO ROMIAS/Record File 2010
By Joshua Rotter
Special to The Record
May 20, 2011 12:01 AM
Tender, well-seasoned and smothered in bone-sucking sauce, nothing enhances warm weather leisure time quite like summer barbecue.
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April 14th, 2011
by Josh Rotter
OMD
March 26th at the Fox Theater, Oakland
For anyone who came of age in the ’80s, there is one especially iconic cinematic moment that has stayed with us—the final scene in Pretty in Pink where Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy make up and make out to OMD’s perfectly-crafted pop track “If You Leave.”
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April 14th, 2011
Stockton native plays main character’s brother in new film ‘Soul Surfer’
Ross Thomas, with Helen Hunt, said he spent time with Bethany Hamilton’s brother Noah to learn about him for the role.
By Joshua Rotter
Special to The Record
April 07, 2011
With his surfer looks and boarding abilities, actor Ross Thomas was a natural choice for the role of Noah Hamilton, brother of real-life pro surfer and shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton. But it’s the Stockton native’s humanitarian side that drew him to the inspirational story, brought to the silver screen in “Soul Surfer,” opening Friday.
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Tags: Carrie Underwood, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Ross Thomas, Soul Surfer
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April 14th, 2011
By: Josh Rotter
Boy George first garnered international fame in the early 80’s as the “androgenius” front man of New Romantic outfit Culture Club. With his soulful voice and dragamuffin appearance, he won over a generation of fans with singles “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?,” “Time (Clock Of The Heart),” and “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya,” which famously made the group the first since the Beatles to achieve three top 10 hits from a debut album. “Karma Chameleon” off their next LP, spent three weeks at number one and became their signature track. The group would sell over 100 million singles and 50 million albums.
Although Boy George eventually went solo and achieved a Top 20 hit with 1992’s “The Crying Game,” a Grammy nomination for 1999’s “When Will You Learn,” and a Tony nod for his Taboo musical, he’d become more famous for being infamous. News of his previous tempestuous relationship with Culture Club drummer Jon Moss, drug problems, criticisms of other celebrities and 2007 arrest and later incarceration for assault and false imprisonment of a male prostitute, overshadowed his musical output in most people’s minds.
But now, after a five month stint in the slammer, a guest spot on Mark Ronson’s single “Somebody to Love Me,” and a 35-date European tour, a drug-free George is ready to seize the spotlight again — as an artist — with his first full-length in a decade, the uplifting, 16-track, electronic album Ordinary Alien, out this month. There is also a Culture Club reunion planned for 2012, which promises longtime fans a new album and tour.
AfterElton.com recently caught up with a calmer, gentler George to discuss among other things his new album, the Culture Club reunion, and perhaps his greatest legacy, making it OK for young boys to wear makeup.
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Tags: Adele, Boy George, Culture Club, Lady GaGa, Madonna
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February 28th, 2011
by Josh Rotter
Prince with special guests
February 23rd at the Oracle Arena, Oakland
I had my first Prince sighting as a teenager in the early ‘90s, standing outside an LA Oscar party, hoping to spot some big-name movie stars. My only obstacle aside from the velvet ropes was a certain white limousine blocking my view of the red carpet that led in and out of Morton’s, a then popular West Hollywood eatery, which regularly hosted star-studded events.
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Tags: Larry Graham, Oracle Arena, Prince, Sheila E.
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February 13th, 2011
by Josh Rotter
Bright Eyes
The People’s Key
(Saddle Creek, 2011)
A friend recently posted on her Facebook page that “Music is the only thing in this world you can count on, because no matter how you feel, there is a song that can match your feelings to the letter.” I would go one step further and say that there are certain go-to albums that I rely on, depending on my mood. This last week was a painful one, after spraining my back. Lying around, feeling sore and sorry for myself, I was only able to find relief in a combo of Bright Eyes’ latest release and seventh studio album, The People’s Key, and Carisoprodol.
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Tags: back pain, Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst, Soma
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