Stevie Nicks has more or less been on tour with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers this summer/fall. She's not at every show, but she's at a lot of them, singing back-up, dueting with Petty, and even taking lead on a couple tunes. She takes final bows with the band, and by all reports, she's revitalized these old boys (although I think she's actually older than any of the Heartbreakers). So here's a cool shot of Stevie at the Hollywood Bowl last weekend on stage with Petty and Mike Campbell. You can click on it to make it larger. Hopefully, I'll have some video in the next few days from the show last night in Berkeley. Maybe I'm just biased, but I think she looks fantastic for a nearly 60-year-old woman.
Of course, the million dollar question is whether or not she will be on Lindsey's tour.
Okay, the coast is clear. I just ordered my Lindsey Buckingham tickets, so it's safe for the rest of you to get yours now.
On Lindsey's website, you can preview five songs on the new album that comes out on his birthday Tuesday. I can't believe I'm typing these words, but I'm not really in love with the first one, the one they are touting as the single (Show You How).
Of course, the remaining songs are great, especially Castaway Dreams, Somebody's Got to Change Your Mind, and Down on Rodeo.
I'm a happy girl today, in spite of PMS. That's a rare day, indeed.
I'm running out of here in a minute for my knitting group, but I just wanted to say that I LOVED last night's episode of Grey's Anatomy. There are so many little things I want to comment on, but I loved the ending... how hot did McSteamy look coming out of the bathroom? That scene was so beautifully played by all three actors. I also dug Alex getting busy with the patient in the bathroom at Joe's bar. And Burke's parents fricken rule. Did you know Richard Roundtree (the actor who played Burke's dad, not to mention John Shaft) is a breast cancer survivor?
LONDON (Reuters) - Lee Redmond, 65, earned an entry in the latest edition of Guinness World Records with the world's longest fingernails that have now reached a resplendent 24 feet 7 inches (7.51 metres).
Redmond, who is from Utah, shares a centre spread in Guinness 2007, released on Thursday, with the proud purveyors of the world's stretchiest skin, narrowest waist and longest ear hair alongside a woman who can pop her eyeballs 11 millimetres ( 0.43 inches) out of their sockets.
Redmond, who started growing her fingernails 27 years ago, has a meticulous routine to keep them in tip-top condition.
"I clean them with a toothbrush when they get dirty and always keep them manicured," she said. Every day she treats them with warm olive oil and nail hardener.
However, the lifespan of her phenomenal talons is drawing to a close.
"I am going to have to take them off in November as I am looking after my husband who is suffering from Alzheimer's," she explained.
She still manages to shave her husband daily, but has to sleep on her side and rest her hands on the bed with her nails hanging off the edge.
She has attracted some unusual admirers over the years and was once offered money to have her nails nibbled. The prospective buyer suggested that he buy by the inch.
When asked the inevitable question about how on earth she goes to the toilet, Redmond said: "Very carefully."
Here is the Wikipedia page about YouTube which I found by Googling it (YouTube). Now, in order to bring that statement full circle, I'd actually have to post a video on YouTube of me Googling YouTube and finding the Wikipedia page. Still with me? Then you'd have an example of the new phras I've just coined, the media circle jerk.
LONDON - Jack Neal briefly became the proud owner of a pink convertible car after he managed to buy it for 9,000 pounds ($17,000) on the Internet despite being only three years old.
Jack’s mother told the BBC she had left her password for the eBay auction site in her computer and her son used the “buy it now” option to complete the purchase.
“Jack’s a whiz on the PC and just pressed all the right buttons,” Rachel Neal said.
The seller of the second-hand car, a dealer from Worcestershire, central England, was amused by the bid and agreed not to force the sale through.
“Luckily he saw the funny side and said he would re-advertise,” Neal said.
So McDreamy has lost his appeal and Grey's got off to a slow start this season, Rockstar Supernova is a distant memory and I've grown bored with Toby and EVS, and, seriously, what's Jake Gyllenhaal done for me lately? A whole lotta nothing, that's what.
Which explains why there was an opening in my heart in which the Brawny Man has taken up residence.
Now, I realize Brawny Man is a fictional character who was developed to sell paper towels to housewives. I also understand that he is the moral equivalent to Betty Crocker in that he has updated his iconic image in order to stay au currant. These are just a couple of the many, many reasons I adore Brawny Man.
And in case you haven't heard, Brawny Man has been running the Brawny Academy this summer for some men whose women sent them off for some advanced training in sensitivity, chivalry, and all things manly.
Today, the final chapter in the 8-episode-long series became available on the website. Watch as the Brawny Man puts the guys through the obstacle course in high heels with baby dolls strapped to their chests. Swoon at the armory and jousting-on-tricycle event. Weep during the therapy sessions and poetry writing. Laugh as they learn to dance the salsa. It's all good.
Now we, the viewing public, get to vote on which camper is the most-improved caveman.
But most importantly, the folksy wisdom of the Brawny Man is not to be missed, not to mention all his red plaid flannel shirts that barely conceal his rippling muscles.
You know how amazon.com started out as an online venue to buy books and music? You know how amazon.com evolved to become a place where you could buy just about anything? Well in case you haven't heard, amazon.com offers groceries. Cool, I'm down with that. But the best part is that people have been writing reviews of the groceries which is turning into a cultural phenomenon on par with Peeps. Behold the milk reviews. Not only are they fucking funny, but there are 768 of them.
Only 1 hour 45 minutes until the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy, bitches! I don't even care what happens, I'm so hungry for some new episodes. (I say that now, but I'm sure I'll be bitching about some plot point soon enough.)
In other news, I'm listening to Spread Radio Live which is like a pirate radio show Dave Navarro runs from his house. He does it 2-3 times a week live and the rest of the time, you can hear the archives. In between calling his friends on the air, he plays an extremely eclectic mix of music. He just played "Conjunction Junction" (School House Rock) followed by Steely Dan's Deacon Blues. It's always entertaining. Check it out.
Yesterday, Monday, I talked to my brother who was on his way to the Dodger game to entertain clients. I don't really follow baseball like I once did, so I asked a few questions and discovered that the game in question was Dodgers vs Padres who were neck-and-neck for their division title. So when I woke up today, I checked the sports page (okay, online) and learned the scoop about what might be the greatest baseball game in history. In case you haven't heard, the Dodgers tied the Padres in the bottom of the 9th with four consecutive home runs, and then went on to win in the bottom of the 10th.
I quickly emailed my brother to ask if he had stayed for the whole game and what his thoughts were. Following is his summary, and to have a little perspective, you need to know that our father was in sports management and as a family, we have all been to Super Bowls, World Series games, NBA finals, Rose Bowls, etc. My brother works for one of the two sports cable channels and has literally attended hundreds if not thousands of games in his lifetime. This is what he had to say:
"Including World Series games, it was probably the most exciting game I’ve ever been to. It was total bedlam after the game, people were going absolutely crazy. When I was walking to my car, this huge guy was coming towards me for what I thought was going to be another high five with a random person, but instead he bear hugged me and actually lifted me off of the ground. It was crazy!"
Okay, I'm dying laughing here. This is Los Angeles. People are nothing if not cool. Dudes here do NOT give bear hugs to strangers in parking lots of baseball stadiums. OMG, I totally wish I had been there. It sounds really fun.
Last night's Dodger game reminds me of this one. I used to be a huge college football junkie. I'll never forget a game during Thanksgiving weekend in 1984. I was in college myself at the time, and this was probably my lifetime peak of loving football. Boston College was playing University of Miami on national television. The game was really, really close, and Bernie Kosar of the Hurricanes drove his team down the field to score with like less than a minute left in the game. Miami erupted (home team), thinking they won the game. But Flutie threw what was probably the greatest Hail Mary pass in history which was caught by his roommate, Gerald Phelan, in the end zone as the clock ran out. It was totally fricken amazing.
That settles it. My memory for inconsequential trivia is pretty spectacular. I wrote the above paragraph from memory, and found that the above referenced game actually has its own Wikipedia page, so you can check out my accuracy here. Not bad. I'd forgotten the yardage of the pass and the score of the game and failed to mention that Flutie won the Heisman. What I do remember was when Miami was in the middle of their rally, you could hear Kosar on television yelling "fuck yeah, let's play football!"
Jesus, this is lame. They should just call themselves Ctrl Alt Delete.
Anyway, here's Supernova's new name. You might want to swallow an antiemetic or ten before reading this.
Tommy Lee's 'Supernova' Takes New Name By Steve Gorman Reuters
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Forced by court order to change its name, a made-for-TV rock band featuring Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee made its commercial music debut Thursday as Rock Star: Supernova -- the title of the CBS show that spawned it.
The new group, which also includes former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted and onetime Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke, originally had planned to call itself simply Supernova.
But a lesser-known band that has claimed that name for 17 years filed a trademark infringement suit last month, and a federal judge in San Diego this week ordered Lee's band to find another name pending the outcome of the case.
Thus, a day after Toronto native Lukas Rossi was plucked from obscurity and crowned the band's lead singer on the finale of "Rock Star: Supernova," the quartet issued its first two singles under its lengthier, somewhat awkward, new moniker.
"It's going to be Rock Star: Supernova. That's their actual name," said Natalie Geday-Sorem, a spokeswoman for the group's label, Epic Records.
The first two songs -- "It's All Love" and "Be Yourself & 5 Other Cliches" -- were made available for digital download from the online music store Yahoo! Music Unlimited (www.music.yahoo.com).
Epic Records plans to release the group's debut album on Nov. 21, with the foursome slated to launch a 28-city North American tour in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve.
Geday-Sorem added that the label, a unit of Sony BMG Entertainment , was counting on more than just one album and tour from the band.
"It's a permanent thing," she told Reuters. "Once they get off their tour, they're going to go right back into the studio and start to write more material."
For now, the name Supernova will belong exclusively to the Southern California trio best known for contributing the song "Chewbacca" to the cult film "Clerks."
That group, consisting of Jodey Lawrence, Art Mitchell and David Collins, has recorded four albums since forming in 1989.
I pretended I was a grown-up yesterday and went with an actual realtor to see a condo for sale. It was a cozy little place with emphasis on the word little. Seriously, it was less than 400 square feet.
So why did I even bother? Location, location, location.
Check this out.
You can't really beat a bay-front building (well, except for ocean-front), but I honestly need more room than this place offered. It was like a little hotel room with a kitchenette and miniscule bedroom that fit exactly a bed which sits up on a built-in platform with storage underneath it. (Look straight back in the last picture, you'll see it.)
It also had an optional boat slip, but it didn't come with a parking space in the underground garage. Thing is, I have a car, not a boat. The "decor," what little there was of it (there were a couple pictures of boats and a starfish on a table), was nautical and I have the feeling it's someone's weekend getaway spot.
Anyway, it wasn't right for me, but it's in a nearby neighborhood, one that I like a lot and in which I feel safe, so I thought I'd check it out.
A judge has granted a preliminary injunction against Rock Star: Supernova, which means that, once formed tonight, the new group may not perform under the name it has used all summer long.
Judge John Houston said Supernova is prevented from “performing rock and roll music, or recording, or selling rock and roll music recordings under the same [name], pending a trial of this action on its merits, or until otherwise ordered by the court.”
In August, the band already named Supernova filed for the injunction after previously suing the producers and CBS over use of their name.
The judge said that “irreparable harm [to the original Supernova] is presumed” and “defendants access to [a] large amount of monetary and promotional resources will effectively diminish, if not eliminate, [the original Supernova’s] commercial presence in the marketplace.” He also said “there is evidence of actual confusion in the market,” because they will both be rock groups with the name Supernova.
This photo of Toby with Supernova was taken a couple of weeks ago. When they were down to the final five, Supernova did promotional shots with each remaining contestant, presumably to get product out ASAP. The Supernova album is done save vocals, and Tommy Lee is already on tour with Motley Crue; thus, photos were taken two weeks before a winner was officially chosen.
As I type these words, taping for the finale is in session or just ending. In fact, this could be a serendipitous moment in that as I'm typing these words, the winner is possibly being announced on the CBS lot to a live audience. Or not.
My guess: Lukas Rossi.
My preference: Toby Rand.
Since Storm was eliminated last week, I've been a little less enthusiastic about the show. Don't get me wrong. I didn't think she was going to win, but I think Mark Burnett Productions miscalculated on keeping Dilana as the last female rocker standing. Storm was just way more interesting than Dilana, and my interest level dropped accordingly.
That's not to say I didn't watch the reality webisodes nor the show last night. Of course I did.
My take on last night's show is thus: When Ryan Star was introduced as the audience encore, I realized that I hadn't missed him at all. That's not to say I don't like his song or that I don't think he's talented; I'm just not really into him. Why did Dilana get to introduce him? Isn't that Brooke Burke's job? And why was Paula Abdul there? WTF?
Tommy Lee made it pretty clear that Magni's out. No surprise, but I took exception to his criticism of Magni's original song, saying it's not as memorable as the other three. Bull. Dilana's original pretty much sucks ass. Sure, Magni's original may not be as memorable as Toby's or Luke's, but it's 100x more memorable than Dilana's. Watching Supernova this summer has made me much more immune to Tommy Lee's charms. Bitch is a little primadonna.
Speaking of primadonnas, let's talk about Gilby Clarke for a minute. Have you ever watched his face when Magni's playing guitar? One reason Magni will never get this gig is because he's exponentially the guitar player Dilby is. The jealousy is palpable and observable right across Dilby's face.
So oddly enough, Jason Newsted has made a meteoric rise from my least favorite to favorite member of Supernova, mostly by exception, but his star rose a lot with me when I found out how devoted he is to animal welfare and that he's a big dog lover.
It's funny that this whole show was designed to build excitement and interest in Supernova, but on the brink of the big finale, I'm instead consumed with thoughts of what douches these guys all are. I'm probably just outside of their target demographic in terms of age, but I do spend my disposable income on CDs and concerts, so that should be of concern to the machine behind this show.
One more final thought. The House Band fucking rocks, and has anyone noticed how much they light up when Magni's on stage with them? They should break off from this Supernova fiasco (when all their contractual obligations are fulfilled) and tour on their own. I bet they'd be a huge success. Also, you can download music from Toby's real band in Australia, Juke Kartel, on iTunes. Good stuff. Check out Storm Large's original music on CD Baby which is truly awesome.
Lindsey Buckingham is my one true love. He's releasing Under the Skin, his first solo album in 14 years on October 3rd which also happens to be his 57th birthday. You can listen now to a 5-song preview on his website, but don't you dare buy concert tix before I have mine secured. Because I'll beat a bitch who has better seats than me.
Here's Toby getting spanked by the other rockers after he spanked his two songs tonight and made them his bitches. This guy's momentum just keeps getting better! Will he really beat the favorite in the finale next week? From where I'm sitting, I'd say yes. Lukas has been the #1 guy since the beginning, and right now, he's the only rocker who hasn't had to sing for his life in the bottom three. It's really going to be exciting.
How did you guys like Storm's original song? This is the tune I mentioned a week or two ago. Obviously, she sang the PG version of Ladylike, but there's definitely an R-rated version where the lyrics are more ironic. Check it out on her myspace. I dig this song, it kicks my ass.
I really liked Lukas' original song, Headspin. I didn't love his version of Bon Jovi, but he's always memorable when he performs. I think Jason was happy that Lukas opened up his throat tonight.
Dilana keeps talking about "the incident," but everyone else seems to want to move on. Sadly enough, as she continues to fall apart, so do her performances. I thought she sounded okay on Behind Blue Eyes, but her original song wasn't up to par with the competition. Tomorrow night, I think we'll hear the Tommyhawk say, "Dilana, mama, you're the next to go."
Are you watching HGTV's Design Star? No? Cool, so you won't mind going here and voting for David since I can only vote once a day.
Design Star is the only other reality show I watch besides Rockstar. Mercifully, they both end next week, and then I will be free of the curse of reality. No, I'm not going to watch DIY's new show, Stud Finder (great name, BTW).
Word on the street is that tonight's (Tuesday, 9/5) performance show on Rockstar is the best of the season. Each of the five remaining rockers gets to do a 2-song set, one cover and one original. And if my sources can be trusted, Toby, Lukas, and Storm each bring the house down. I cannot wait. It's on CBS tonight at 9:00 pm, check it out, and then vote for everyone except Dilana.
Listen for Storm's original song, Ladylike. It rules, fools.
I went to a BBQ last night hosted by some friends who recently sold their business and are considering some pretty exciting plans. They just got back from a 3-week trip to New Zealand where they actually put an offer in on a home. They're not moving (yet), but it all sounded very liberating. The night ended with several guitars and songs around the campfire, the campfire being played by the understudy known as several candles. Good times.
I often find myself going through life, shaking my head in disbelief at what I see. And then sometimes I am awed by something so stunningly beautiful that I'm breathless. I hope to document both here.
Stevie Nicks has more or less been on tour with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers this summer/fall. She's not at every show, but she's at a lot of them, singing back-up, dueting with Petty, and even taking lead on a couple tunes. She takes final bows with the band, and by all reports, she's revitalized these old boys (although I think she's actually older than any of the Heartbreakers). So here's a cool shot of Stevie at the Hollywood Bowl last weekend on stage with Petty and Mike Campbell. You can click on it to make it larger. Hopefully, I'll have some video in the next few days from the show last night in Berkeley. Maybe I'm just biased, but I think she looks fantastic for a nearly 60-year-old woman. 
