Friday, July 2, 2004 Liz Smith Meals and a book fit for the King 'Never eat more than you can lift," said Miss Piggy. HEY, I WANT TO GIVE a rave to the new Bill Clinton book. No, no, not that one - not the big one that is making history even as we speak. I haven't read his memoir and apologia, or whatever, because I have only one life to live, and I am already reading a massive book about "The Reformation." I should be through with this history of what divided the Christian church in about a year or so. The Clinton book I'm touting is "The Clinton Presidential Center Cookbook" from Sedgewood Press. This is a collection ...

July 01, 2004 Fundraiser Mania Councilperson Charlotte Laws, Ph.D. It was never a close game; Los Angeles had the all-star team with Willie Nelson, Ben Affleck, Dustin Hoffman, Jamie Foxx and dozens of other first-rate players. San Francisco had a rookie named Gavin Newsom who missed the entire game obviously due to a "big-league" engagement, and San Jose had Rob Reiner and Carole King and no other "hitters." I am talking about the three recent John Kerry fundraisers, and yes, I impetuously attended all three. It's not that I'm a Kerry devotee and frankly, I'm not even a Democrat with my "decline to state" status, but my schedu...

Newsworthy Music! June 30, 2004 By Tim Jaramillo In his latest big-screen comedy, 'Anchorman; The Legend Of Ron Burgundy,' WILL FERRELL pulls in the laughs as a tragically un-hip newscaster with a stylish moustache. The soundtrack to the movie offers a flashback of butt-kicking classic rock and soul-shakin' funk hits! BLUES IMAGE gets this party started with its 1970 hit single "Ride, Captain, Ride." The CORNELIUS BROTHERS & SISTER ROSE bring on the funk with the pulsing "Treat Her Like A Lady," and GENE CHANDLER lays down a thick groove on his smooth soul tune "Groovy Situation." More classic rock comes courtesy of KANSAS, ...

Vail Trail Issue Thursday, July 1, 2004 Bob Gallegos Hihgh Country Character - 7/1/04 Caramie Schnell Bob Gallegos loves his hometown, and he has fought hard to keep the charming mining town he grew up in reminiscent of the same town he knew as a child. “That little town still has a special place in my heart,” Bob says with a smile. Bob was born in Gilman and grew up in Minturn, or Min’urn as the locals say. He graduated from BMHS and worked as a meat-cutter at the local grocery for 10 years. His mother, Rosa Cordova, the family matriarch and a truly talented cook, according to sources, still lives in the house on Pine ...

He's a believer Local man channels music legend Neil Diamond By Jennifer Cho Salaff Staff Writer If there is a formula to capture the essence of Neil Diamond, musician and Alta Loma resident Dean Colley might include the following on a list: -A dozen hand-made sequined shirts -Black leather Italian boots, a la "Captain Kirk" -Nail those moves -Encourage audience participation -Don't forget the occasional grunt and groan between sets Of course, it also helps if you look like the legendary singer-songwriter. For Colley, that was the easiest part. His thick, bushy eyebrows, cleft chin and black hair -- fashioned i...

Please do not pogo on the grass Not so long ago, the nation's stately homes were elegantly crumbling piles attended by ever dwindling files of tourists. But now, says Tim de Lisle, they are reinventing themselves - as the unlikeliest of rock venues Wednesday June 30, 2004 The Guardian Pop fans are accustomed to being told what not to do at concerts - don't use recording equipment, don't carry illegal substances, and so on. But now a new prohibition has landed. On Sunday, Norah Jones, the Texan jazz-pop-country crossover star, played to a crowd of 15,000 at Althorp, Princess Diana's childhood home, and ticket-holders were asked...

Red, white and groovin' Ten songs that celebrate America for the Fourth of July Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." has come to be regarded both as a celebration of a great nation as well as an indictment of it. COMMENTARY By Michael Ventre MSNBC contributor Updated: 8:32 p.m. ET June 29, 2004The Fourth of July is fast approaching. For most of us, that means one thing: hot dogs. No, wait, two things: hot dogs and hamburgers. Wait a minute. What am I saying? The Fourth of July is Independence Day, which is when we celebrate our break from England, a country that really didn’t distinguish itself musically until the Beatles a...

Cantwell listed as one of top small towns When one thinks of the top small towns in America, Cantwell usually doesn't register. But a national online company, screensavers.com, recently ranked Cantwell number eight on its list of the top 10 small towns in America. Cantwell, with a population of 147, was aided by "Caribou Dundee," who is also known as Mike Bugbee. Screensavers.com ranked the top 10 small towns based on the number of wallpaper downloads through June 21. The list includes small towns in New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, North Dakota, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Puerto Rico and Michigan. Cantwell is the smallest town to...

Hollywood stars come out for Kerry campaign Fri Jun 25, 3:41 AM ET Add Top Stories - AFP to My Yahoo! LOS ANGELES (AFP) - US Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry (news - web sites) harnessed star power to fuel his campaign, with diva Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond singing his praises at a rare gala concert. Superstar and arch-Democrat Streisand, 62, performed with crooner Neil Diamond for the first time in 24 years as a galaxy of Hollywood celebrities rallied in Los Angeles to raise cash for Kerry's White House bid. Streisand and Diamond sang their 1978 hit duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," bringing Kerry around ...

Streisand and Diamond Help Raise Millions for Kerry Campaign, Democrats Nearly $5 million was raised for John Kerry's presidential bid and the Democratic National Committee Thursday night at a star- studded concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond performed together for the first time in 24 years. They were expected to sing their 1978 hit duet, "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." Willie Nelson and Billy Crystal were also scheduled to perform. Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro were among those in attendance. The concert was originally scheduled for June 7 but postponed because of the ...

Radio station broadcasts in Iraq By NICK ROGERS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WRITER When Radio TFO-FM 94.6 signed on for broadcast at Camp Freedom in Mosul, Iraq, most of the American troops stationed there thought it was a joke. Brian Pierce and Kellie Michaels, morning DJs on WNNS-FM 98.7, took to the lunch-hour airwaves Friday to show their seriousness for sending soldiers songs of the '70s. "This is the no-joke voice of Camp Freedom," Pierce belted out to open Friday's "I Love the '70s Lunch" broadcast, which will be burned to compact discs and sent to Camp Freedom. The 139th Military Public Affairs Detachment, half of whose tro...

BOISE STATE SIGNS AGREEMENT TO NAME THE PAVILION “TACO BELL ARENA” by: Max Corbet (6/17/2004) Taco Bell Logo BOISE, Idaho – “The Pavilion” at Boise State University is history. No, the event facility built in 1982 is not coming down, but the name is. Today (June 17) Boise State is pleased to announce an agreement which renames the facility “Taco Bell Arena”. At its meeting today, the Idaho State Board of Education approved a sponsorship agreement with the local Taco Bell franchisee. The sponsorship with the Department of Athletics at Boise State, is a 15-year agreement which will pay the...

Jacko pleading poverty? That's rich Michael Jackson does have problems, but they're not of the financial kind. Despite reports that the Gloved One is plagued by money woes stemming from numerous debts, the pop star is still bringing in the bucks. Jackson, whose financial affairs have been taken over by no-nonsense brother Randy, cried money problems this year when his $150 million worth of debt came due. But his loans were recently renegotiated, and he still has $500 million in assets, including half of the Sony/ATV Music Publishing song catalogue, which brings him $40 million a year alone. "With every successful entre...

Summer fair circuit braces for Smash Mouth by Rob Evans liveDaily Editor June 11, 2004 02:37 PM - California pop-rockers Smash Mouth (news | tickets | CDs) are set to appear at several large summer fairs in the coming months as they continue to back last year's "Get the Picture?" Since breaking through with their first single, 1997's "Walking on the Sun," Smash Mouth has been churning out a steady stream of hits via movie soundtracks and their own albums. "Get the Picture?" yielded "You're My Number One," a song the band co-wrote with Neil Diamond. The track features guest vocals from English Beat's Ranking Roger. The col...

Democrats Reschedule Kerry Victory 2004 Concerts; Barbra Streisand, Billy Crystal, Neil Diamond, Willie Nelson to Perform 6/9/2004 12:18:00 PM To: National Desk Contact: Michael Meehan of John Kerry for President, 202-464-2800, Jano Cabrera of the Democratic National Committee, 202-863-8148 WASHINGTON, June 9 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Kerry campaign and the Democratic National Committee announced today that the Los Angeles concert originally scheduled for Monday June 7th to benefit the "Kerry Victory Committee 2004" has been rescheduled for Thursday June 24, 2004 at 8 p.m. and the New York concert originally scheduled for Thursd...

Kerry lauds Reagan to high school students, cancels campaign events through Friday NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer Sunday, June 6, 2004 (06-06) 12:38 PDT TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry lauded Ronald Reagan's legacy of bipartisanship Sunday and canceled five days of campaign events in honor of the former president's death. "Yesterday, we lost one of our great optimists," Kerry told graduating seniors at Bedford High School. "President Reagan's belief in America was infectious. And because of the way he led, he taught us that there was a difference between strong beliefs and bitter...

June 03, 2004 Stars taking stage in two Kerry fund-raisers By Tamara Conniff Artists are coming out in full force in support of Democratic presidential contender Sen. John Kerry. Two major concerts will be held next week -- one Monday June 7 in Los Angeles at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and one June 10 in New York at Radio City Music Hall -- to raise money for the campaign. The Los Angeles gala will feature performances by Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Willie Nelson and Billy Crystal, while the New York show boasts Bette Midler, James Taylor, John Mellencamp, Jon Bon Jovi, Wyclef Jean, Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg. ...

Here are the answers that Richard answered for Jonathan Still over the course of their recent visit together in Nashville. Question from Tori: I've just ordered your cd after listening to the clips on your site and can't wait to hear the whole record. I'm no expert, just a person with ears, but I think your sound is very similar to Mark Knopfler's playing (particularly on Riviera). Do you feel he has been a major influence on you since you've begun working with him? Also, I know you play several different stringed instruments - what are they, and which did you play on this record? Thank you and best of luck with the cd. Ri...

Live Music: Halcyon days for a writer in demand Country music's biggest names are clamouring to record the songs of Gretchen Peters, but as Damien Murray learns, she's opted for a simple folky feel for her new album Damien Murray featureseditor@belfasttelegraph.co.uk 28 May 2004 The list of those who have recorded her material reads like a who's who in the international music industry. So, it's no surprise that Gretchen Peters has been hailed as one of Nashville's best contemporary songwriters. It's great when other singers cover your songs, but for Peters, the ultimate accolade is when other songwriters, like Neil Diamond, al...

Toby Keith: ACM Win, Willie and a Little Politics He and Ted Nugent Will Be Entertaining U.S. Troops Overseas By: Calvin Gilbert LAS VEGAS -- The big winner at Wednesday's (May 26) Academy of Country Music Awards wasn't expecting to take home any trophies, but Toby Keith has been around long enough to know the drill. Keith won in four categories, including entertainer of the year and male vocalist. His Shock 'n Y'all was named album of the year, and a collaboration with Willie Nelson on "Beer for My Horses" managed to lasso the fan-voted video of the year honor. "It feels like the Joker overthrew the kingdom," Keith said as ...

DAN SHAUGHNESSY Chilly night no problem for hot team By Dan Shaughnessy, Globe Columnist | May 26, 2004 Another hot team comes to town. Another regular member of the Red Sox lineup goes on the disabled list. Another day goes by with no progress on the contracts of the Big Four. None of it matters. In the end, it's just another day in paradise by the Back Bay. The Red Sox continue to get great pitching. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez keep playing the Monster Mash. And the Sox, it seems, cannot be beaten at home. Maybe it's Matty in the Morning or the WEEI Whiner Line that gets them fired up. Maybe it's the Bernie and Phyl commer...

$1,100 and a dream Tuesday, May 25, 2004 Three local filmmakers take a risk and watch it pay off with `My Date With Drew' By MATT KATZ Courier-Post Columnist Growing up, we have two kinds of crushes. First, there are the school crushes. These are the crushes whose names end up encircled by hearts in girls' notebooks; they are crushes who end up being pegged by boys with dodgeballs. But then there's another kind of crush - the celebrity crush. This is the Crush you never meet, the one who becomes a fantasy. My first one was Daisy Duke of the Dukes of Hazzard. I then moved on to Samantha Fox (Brit pop star) and Alyssa M...

New York Times May 24, 2004 Vintage Pop Star With the Soul of a Bar Mitzvah Boy By JOSEPH BERGER During Neil Sedaka's run of rock hits in the 1950's and 60's, when he recorded songs like "Calendar Girl," "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" and "Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen," he almost never played the ethnic card, and more than a few fans thought he was another heartthrob of Italian heritage. But this singer and songwriter is Jewish, and quite flavorfully so. Sedaka is Hebrew for charity, and Mr. Sedaka is a product of a Jewish variety of mixed marriage, Ashkenazic and Sephardic. As a boy in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, he loved hearing the...

Singer-songwriter pays tribute to Neil Diamond By Rex Rutkoski VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH Thursday, May 20, 2004 Even the middle of January can be a "Hot August Night" for Chris Denem. That's because while the Butler County singer-songwriter is his own man, he's also often "Neil Diamond." In solo performances and occasionally with a band, Denem performs enthusiastically received tributes to Neil Diamond and his music throughout the year at venues in the tri-state, including Mountaineer Park, Seven Springs, and the Eastern U.S. He debuts in a dinner show at Jimmy G's, Sharpsburg, Saturday night, supported by a five-piece ...

Indepth Arts News: "Superstar Neil Diamond is charmed by the Art of a Belgian Action Painter" 2004-04-15 until 2004-04-28 VRT - Vlaams Radio and Television Station Brussels, , BE Belgium Patrick Gysemberg brings an Art project on Belgian National TV. He created five "one - minute paintings" during the music of US superstar Neil Diamond and brings this creation on Belgian Television over five separate days. A unique promotion of the ARTS. A fan-site of Neil Diamond, www.neildiamondhomepage.com helped Patrick on the search of appropriate music to accompany the action painting; "his music inspires me and gives me a great feeling a...

Posted on Fri, May. 14, 2004 TONY HICKS: MUSIC CRITIC Finally! Cover bands, tribute albums worth praise I'd just like to point something out in my own chickenly way before we get started. And that is: I'm not sure "chickenly" is a real word. I'd like to whine like a wet puppy and say to all of you berserk Barry Manilow and Clay Aiken fans that it wasn't my idea to include either of those fine gentlemen in the "Bad Songs" piece we ran earlier this week. I usually can aptly pretend I have a spine, but I've dealt with these people before. Just to put this into perspective: In Tahoe a few weeks back, I saw Ted Nugent sitting a ...

Streisand, Diamond to Sing for Democrats By Associated Press WASHINGTON — Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond, who crooned the 1978 hit "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," will sing for John Kerry and the Democrats next month as a star-studded list of entertainers perform at two fund-raising concerts in New York and Los Angeles. Streisand and Diamond will perform together for the first time in 24 years at the Los Angeles concert, the Democrats said. The concert also will feature country singer Willie Nelson and comedian Billy Crystal, a frequent host of the Academy Awards program. New York's lineup includes comedians Robin Williams an...

Ramirez carries flag onto field on return to Red Sox HOWARD ULMAN, AP Sports Writer Tuesday, May 11, 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (05-11) 19:54 PDT BOSTON (AP) -- Manny Ramirez led his Red Sox teammates out of the dugout Tuesday night, waving a small American flag on his first full day of U.S. citizenship. With the flag rippling in the wind, he ran to left field as fans cheered, then went to the seats along the foul line and handed it to a fan. "I'm very proud to be an American citizen," he said with a big smile before Boston's game against Cleveland. ...

Thursday 13th May, 2004 Neil Sedaka to get top songwriting honor -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Big News Network.com Wednesday 12th May, 2004 The Songwriters Hall of Fame has selected Neil Sedaka to receive its highest honor in recognition of his 45 years in the music business. Sedaka, who wrote Clay Aiken's current No. 1 song Solitaire, will receive the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award June 10 at the 2004 awards dinner in New York, the organization announced Tuesday. Sedaka has written scores of pop music classics recorded by the likes of Carole King, Connie F...

From the new issue of Goldmine Issue # 622 May 29,2004 NEIL DIAMOND Stages:Performances 1970-2002 Columbia (C5K 90540)(Five CD, one DVD) You know you've become a pop-music icon when your record label for 30 years-in the case of Neil Diamond-issues the largest single collection of previously unreleased live material by any artist in history.Stages:Performances 1970-2002 holds up to its billing,scattering 83 songs across more than five hours on five CDs.Of these 42 have never been released as live versions,and five (including covers of Bob Dylan's Lay Lady Lay" and Elton John's "Rocket Man") had never ever been recorded until now. ...

Barbra, Neil, Bette Will Sing for Kerry Thursday, May 06, 2004 By Roger Friedman Kerry Concert | Jacko Update | Robert Altman Barbra, Neil, Bette Will Sing for Kerry The likely Democratic presidential nominee is about to get some big gun help from some major pop stars. Next week it will be announced, I am told, that Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond will perform at one off-concert for John Kerry. The pair, who had a huge hit many generations ago with "You Don't Send Me Flowers," will be sending bouquets of cash Kerry's way on June 7 in Los Angeles. Streisand isn't likely to stop there. She performed for Al Gore ...

Super Diamond is surreal McCoy By M.R. Rees SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES February 2001 marked a postmodern high point in the history of the entertainment industry: Providing the music at the Hollywood premiere party for the film "Saving Silverman," which features Jack Black and his pals playing in a Neil Diamond cover band, was a real-life Neil Diamond cover band, Super Diamond. Joining Super Diamond on the stage was none other than the Neil himself, who crooned with his much younger and much hipper progeny through "Cherry Cherry" and "Forever in Blue Jeans." More than three years have passed since that epic moment, but two...