8:17 p.m.: I vote for Green Day next year...what do you think?
8:12 p.m.: OK, a lot better than I thought overall -- I give them a 7 out of 10. I still think they could gave ditched a few of the tunes and extended a few others. "Pinball Wizard" and "Who Are You" in particular.
8:10 p.m.: Drums need to be turned up...can't even hear them.
8:09 p.m.: Putting on a lacklustre performance of "Won't Get Fooled Again," but the crowd doesn't seem to care...
8:08 p.m.: 10 seconds of "Tommy"...why bother?
8:08 p.m.: Showing their age...no "Who the f**k are you!" Edited.
8:04 p.m.: Great light show....the crowd getting into "Who Are You"....now...will he say it?
8:04 p.m.: Last half of "Baba O'Riley" nailed...except for Roger's harmonica...
8:02 p.m.: The one minute we heard of "Pinball Wizard" was very well done..."Baba O'Riley" not so much. A glaring example of Roger Daltrey not being able to hit the high notes anymore. Pete Townshend, on the other hand, nails his part....crowd joins, for added touch.
8:01 p.m.: Mix sounds good so far...
7:59 p.m.: A little Who trivia while we wait.
The Who notched a first hit with its first release in January of 1965. What was that song?
Drum roll..........
Answer: I Can't Explain.
7:53 p.m.: I hope The Who provide a little bit more excitement than Indianapolis or New Orleans...booooring. Almost ready to go...
6:00 p.m.: Hello football and music fans.
I'll be giving my two cents on The Who's halftime performance.
They've already released their planned set list, which will be a medley of hits lead off by "Baba O'Riley."
They will then transition into "Pinball Wizard" and "Tommy," "Can You Hear Me?" -- both from their groundbreaking rock opera "Tommy" -- and finish the set with "Who Are You" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" (I think everyone gets the CBS-"CSI" connection now...).
It was pandemonium Wednesday night at Macy's in Herald Square. Hundreds of delighted, excited and hysterical fans lined up to see the star du jour (or I must say of the year), Beyoncé. The diva was releasing her new perfume, HEAT, 72 hours after winning a record of six trophies at the Grammy Awards Sunday night. Needless to say, Beyoncé is the woman of the moment. Some fans cried, some screamed, some waited for hours to catch a glimpse of her smile.
Queen B took time to pose for pictures with nearly 500 of them. According to Woman's Wear Daily, her fragrance generated $60,000 in sales in the store in one day. Her success seams to have no limit.
«This is my first fragrance, I've been working on this for two years. I'm so proud and every little detail is from the heart. I've been wearing it for a about year on the road on my tour and I never had so many compliments from my fans. This is for the confident woman, the sexy woman, the woman that walks inside the room and dominates the room. Hopefully it will give you confidence. Once again thanks for all the support, this year has been incredible for me especially with the Grammys», Knowles addressed the crowd. She was wearing a navy dress by Rafael Cennamo and red peep-toe pumps by Gianmarco Lorenzi.
Basia Bulat's powerful voice and lively song writing can both inspire the imagination and heart rate of her listener. Her second full length Heart Of My Own was released on January 26th in Canada on Secret City Records with glowing accolades from critics and contemporaries complimenting her accomplishment. I caught up with her over a phone call to New York where she was spending a week to promoting the American release of the record on Rough Trade. The album is available in stores across Canada, online and through iTunes.
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Your voice is stronger on this record, how has it developed since the last album?
I definitely think I'm a stronger singer on this record. I have spent a lot time getting in touch with… singing is a really physical thing, so I've been really lucky because I have a voice coach that I study with when I get a chance to go back to London. There is an opera teacher there by the name of Rachel Mallon who is really wonderful. She has helped me so much to become a better singer. It gives you more a lot more paint to paint with, in a way. But that's something that I have been working on for a very long time as an instrument.
Your music is very whimsical, where does that come from when you're writing?
It's very hard to know where songs come from, I'm just grateful that they still come. It's really hard to say because the way I write songs is different every time.
The record has a really warm sound. Did you get that from playing as a band in a room or was it brilliant mixing?
Well, the record, a lot of it was done to tape. Obviously recording to 2 inch tape is a little bit old fashioned but it also necessitates that you play as much together as possible. That's how a lot of my favourite records are made and I think that it gives a little bit of warmth to the record in that way. It sounds a little more human I guess, in really subtle ways. Records recorded digitally can also sounds really warm… they just achieve it in different ways.
With the launch around the corner, are you happy so far with the reception?
Yah, yah. I'm just feeling really great to let it go out into the world and find it's place or other people will try to put it in a place, which I'm okay with as well. I'm just feeling really peaceful about it.
What's on your plate for your week in New York?
I'm here to do a bunch of promo and press, and then I have a show at the end of the week.
How is the American reception of the album?
The States has been really great actually and the past couple times I've toured here has been wonderful. Just being here to do all sort of different promo stuff has been really nice. I'm really grateful that people like the album.
What are you looking forward to in the next 6 months?
Really and truly to be able to get back out on the stage again and to be able to go from coast to coast across Canada will be really fun. Some of these venues that I'm getting to play I'm just really excited about. It's just a real privilege to be able to do that. It's just what I love to do, so to be able to play these songs for people… it's just a dream. I'm really lucky that I get to do that.
"Go On" - from Heart of my Own
Upcoming Tour Dates
February 4th 2010 - The Aeolian Performing Arts, London, ON
February 5th 2010 - Highwayman Inn, Orillia, ON
February 6th 2010 - Hillside Inside at the Sleeman Centre, Guelph, ON
February 7th 2010 - The Casbah, Hamilton, ON
February 10th 2010 - St. Matthew's United Church, Halifax, NS
February 12th 2010 - L'Astral, Montreal, QC
February 13th 2010 - First Baptist Church, Ottawa, ON
February 25th 2010 - West End Cultural Centre, Winnipeg, MB
February 27th 2010 - Amigo's, Saskatoon, SK
March 2nd 2010 - Central United Church, Calgary, AB
March 3rd 2010 - Starlite Room, Edmonton, AB
March 5th 2010 - St. James Hall, Vancouver, BC
A lot goes on behind a red carpet or stage look. I met Annie Horth, Celine Dion's stylist last week during the rehearsal of Michael Jackson's tribute at the Grammy Awards. She was there to get the vibe from the room, the performance and hints on what the other four singers would wear. She was still hesitating between two completely different dresses, an Aquilano Rimondi (look #26 below) and a rocker type of dress by Balmain. Annie sat in the audience. The 3-D video started to play showing images of a young girl in the middle of a lush tropical jungle. She instantly turned to me and said with excitement: "I know what dress, I made my decision". I don't know what set her up but she clearly made the right choice judging by what many fashion blogs had to say about the outfit.
Here's the look book that Annie uses for Celine's looks:
She finally chose that dress on the left by Aquilano Rimondi.
She was also considering that other dress on the left by Balmain.
"Love to Montreal. Had a blast this weekend. Joe Beef, Chez Serge and Stereo. Great Places", wrote Jimmy Fallon on his Twitter page a few weeks ago. A page followed by nearly 2.5 millions Twitterers. Fallon was in Montreal? Yup he was. His little getaway remained pretty much under the radar until he tweeted his display of affection for the Canadian metropole. The 35-year-old Late Night host and Saturday Night Live alumni took some time, in the middle of a late night shows storm at NBC to answer my little Montreal questionnaire. Thanks Jimmy.
-Was it your first time in Montreal?
No, I actually got my agent from performing at Just for Laughs in 1996.
-What were your second impressions of Montrealers then?
Fun, up for anything and great senses of humor.
-What surprised you the most about the city?
It wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be.
-Did you get to taste our famous poutine?
In America its fries with gravy. I’m out of that phase now and am into microwave drunk food.
-Did you learn a few Quebec French words?
No, but I started getting an accent before I left.
-How did you end up Chez Serge?! (A local bar in the heart of Mile End neighborhood)
One of our writers is from Montreal and I have a few friends from Just for Laughs. They both recommended it and they were both right.
-I read you went dancing at Stereo?
It was a cool club’s great sound and a peaceful vibe. I had fun.
-What was your favorite restaurant of the weekend? Joe Beef. Dammmnnn that was good.
-Did people recognize you during your stay?
Sure, but they were super polite and nice.
-Do you plan to go back?
I might be there as you read this now. I love Montreal.
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