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Celebrity reactions to Whitney Houston's death
Looking for a collection of celebrity reactions to Whitney Houston's death at the age of 48? We have it via Boston.com's social media editor.
Ever want to meet your favorite celebrity? If it's one of these 72, you can do it in Burbank
Actor Billy Dee Williams
This weekend, the quarterly "Hollywood Show" autograph show is back in Burbank for more.
Some of the stars include Tom Felton from "Harry Potter" (Draco Malfoy!), Billy Dee Williams, Amber Benson of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" fame, the Monkees' Davy Jones, Shannon Elizabeth from "American Pie," Elvira, and, my personal favorite, the cast of '90s teen sketch comedy show "All That."
As with most fan conventions, there's also a big sci-fi presence, with numerous names that will be familiar to the hardcore "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" fanboys. There's also going to be a "Starsky and Hutch" reunion, with Huggy Bear. (Sidenote: Didn't love the "Starsky and Hutch" remake with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, but it's got some great bits. Personal favorite: Stiller's giant old school radio headphones.)
Conan O'Brien will be on hand filming segments for his late night comedy show, along with Syfy's "Hollywood Treasures."
As co-owner Kevin Martin described the convention in an email, "The purpose of this show is for fans to meet their celeb heroes." Some proceeds from the show are also donated to charity; in this case, the show's main charity is the William Holden Wildlife Foundation, while some stars have their own charities as well. The show started in 1979, with the current owners taking over in 2008.
If you can't go this weekend, no need to fear! They'll be back for more in April, August and October. They also hold regular shows in Las Vegas and Chicago.
All you need is milosc: Tuneful vintage Valentines of love (and loss) collected in new CD set
Forget the overpriced cards and flowers, the impossible-to-get dinner reservations and all the other corporate-created guilt-induced expressions of affection this Valentine’s Day. Instead, look back to a more innocent, freer time and serenade your sweetheart with song. Here’s a real mood-setter for you:
Oh, sorry, let me translate:
And what has become of all my joy?
Who will I now be picking nuts with?
Romantic, ain’t it? Well, that’s “Uwiedziona Dziewczyna,” which translates as “The Cheated Girl.” The Polish ditty, recorded in 1928 by Chicago-based immigrant ensemble the Franciszek Dukli Wijska Band, is one of the highlights of Aimer et Perdre, a two-CD set of songs addressing the complexities of love. Love and loss.
“With joy and exuberance comes sorrow and regret,” writes Christopher King in the liner notes, summing up these recordings compiled from his own collection of 78s, made in the 1920s and ‘30s largely by Eastern European-originated, Cajun and rural blues artists.
“Many of the songs in this collection convey the deep despair of abandonment and loss as if the only precondition of our being is our ability to suffer, to hold multitudes of contradictions such as regretting having done and not done the same thing at different times and under different conditions,” he adds.
And so in this package (being released by the great archival label Tompkins Square on, of course, Valentine’s Day) we get, in Cajun French, the set’s opening/title track, recorded in 1929 by Louisiana legends Joe & Cleoma Falcon, the very first lines of which, translated, are:
Oh dear little one, I loved you!
I lost you by wandering on the roads.
See what I have done to myself, sweet one.
If that’s not Hallmark-ready, what is?
And we get (in English) the Carter Family’s famed “I Never Will Marry,” Emry Arthur’s “She Lied to Me” and Dock Boggs‘ “False Hearted Lover’s Blues.” And when Cajun singer-accordionist Moise Robin, in duo with fiddler Leo Soileau, declares “Je Veux Marier (I Want to Marry),” he can’t because he’s flat broke!
Not that it’s all the dark side of the mooning here. For one thing, the music is lively and engaging, even when the words are most despairing. And since you won’t understand much of the lyrics anyway, you can make of it what you will.
And, arguably, the real treasures of this collection are several songs and dances from Eastern European weddings and, best of all, song-skits depicting the elaborate wedding scenes and ceremonies, which King says were largely targeted to the dislocated immigrant communities in the U.S. There’s the two-part “Ukrainske Wesilla w Ameryci” by the Ukrainska Orchestra Pawla Humeniuka from 1928, portraying the welcoming of the guests and the arrival of the happy couple at the post-wedding party.
Then there’s “Cyganske Vesilia (A Lemko Wedding)”, parts 2 and 3 which cut right to the, uh, chase. In this sequence from the extended Polish nuptials in a Carpathian village, the musicians serenade the couple as they are put to bed before the family and guests get on with their boisterous revels, leaving the newlyweds to attend to, well, whatever. As they are bid good night, the singer addresses the bride:
May you stay healthy my lady
We used to collect hazel nuts together.
What, again with the nuts?
(You can listen to all of disc 1 here.)
1,000-calorie, vegetarian, 'bacon milkshake' pops up at Jack in the Box
Put down the kale and curry tempeh, the "Bacon Shake" is here.
Jack in the Box's new off-menu secret item has popped up in California with frothy disregard for nutritional responsibility. The 1,000-calorie lactose disaster and seemingly kosher nightmare is, however, vegetarian friendly.
Not a real swine in sight, the synthetic bacon is taste trickery ala flavored syrup mixed with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and Valentine ready maraschino cherries.
Even among self-proclaimed non-food snobs, the beverage has recieved harsh reviews. SFist called the straw n' artery stopper, "horrific," noting a heavy leave behind described as, "lingering bland with a touch of smoke that doesn't go away."
Will you try it? Have you tried it? Tell us all about it in the comments.
President Obama joins Spotify; playlist includes Ricky Martin, Hootie
File: President Barack Obama delivers remarks on the economy February 1, 2012 at the James Lee Community Center in Falls Church, Virginia.
The 2012 Obama campaign is trying to use some of the social networking zeitgeist they seized upon in 2008 with social media like their huge MySpace following (quit laughing, that was still a thing then). Obama's already on Tumblr and Instagram, which are de rigeur for most hipsters these days, but now he's on Spotify, too. (Or at least someone in his office set one up for him.)
The official playlist runs the gamut with everything from country to R&B. It also includes some artists that have been used for numerous political campaigns, like Bruce Springsteen and U2. A couple artists even get two songs: Sugarland and Darius Rucker (of Hootie & The Blowfish fame).
Here's the full rundown of songs:
- Raphael Saadiq: "Keep Marchin'"
- Noah And The Whale: "Tonight's The Kind Of Night"
- Bruce Springsteen: "We Take Care Of Our Own"
- Zac Brown Band: "Keep Me In Mind"
- Aretha Franklin: "The Weight"
- U2: "Even Better Than The Real Thing"
- Ricky Martin featuring Joss Stone: "The Best Thing About Me Is You"
- Dierks Bentley: "Home"
- Ray LaMontagne: "You Are The Best Thing"
- Earth Wind & Fire Experience featuring Al McKay Allstars: "Got To Get You Into My Life" (Live)
- Booker T. & The MG's: "Green Onions" (Single/LP Version)
- Wilco: "I Got You"
- The Impressions: "Keep On Pushing" (Single Version)
- Jennifer Hudson: "Love You I Do" (from Dreamgirls)
- AgesandAges: "No Nostalgia"
- Sugarland: "Stand Up"
- Al Green: "Let's Stay Together"
- Darius Rucker: "This"
- Arcade Fire: "We Used To Wait"
- Florence + The Machine: "You've Got The Love"
- James Taylor: "Your Smiling Face"
- REO Speedwagon: "Roll With The Changes"
- Sugarland: "Everyday America"
- Darius Rucker: "Learn To Love"
- Electric Light Orchestra: "Mr. Blue Sky"
- Montgomery Gentry: "My Town"
- No Doubt: "Different People"
- Ledisi: "Raise Up"
As the playlist notes, it features picks by the Obama campaign staff, so it's not exactly handpicked by the president himself, but it does include "a few of President Obama's favorites."
How does Obama's taste compare with former President George W. Bush's? Bush gave the New York Times a peek at his iPod in 2005. Like Obama's official playlist, it included a good dose of country, though more traditional artists (George Jones, Alan Jackson and Kenny Chesney) than the newer artists in the Obama list (Zac Brown Band and Sugarland). Bush used the iPod primarily during bike workouts at the time, according to the Times.
The Obama campaign also has a playlist with those working on the campaign sharing their stories, as well as discussion of the relaunched campaign site, BarackObama.com.
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