G-Man Tribute another hit at Blu Fusion By Phyllis Bator 02/05/2004 Gary Groneman, also known as The G-Man, performed a birthday tribute to Neil Diamond, who turned 63 on Jan. 24. The G-Man is one of the few entertainers who is naturally earthy, loves what he does and has a voice that is extremely close to a younger Neil Diamond. This was a performance well worth seeing. The show ran from 7 to 10 p.m. with a short intermission. In the first half, The G-Man was dressed in a casual shirt and sang songs such as Cherry Cherry; I am, I said; Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen; A Little Bit of Me, A Little Bit of You and many others. He...

Issue date: 02.06.2004 Second Coming: 'Silverman' earns saving 'Saving Silverman': Rated R by Brett Harrison Davinger Staff Writer "Saving Silverman" is a stupid comedy. And therein lies its brilliance. Many movies today are billed as "stupid comedies," but this is usually a misnomer. They're typically just stupid movies with scattered comedic moments. It's not only that they aren't funny but many times (for extended periods) the filmmakers don't even try for jokes, opting instead for easy montages or contrived breakup scenes or the lead antagonist (either the idiot guy or the bitchy girl) suddenly growing a heart. Th...

Shaun Powell SPORTS COLUMNIST NFL Needs to Get Its Act Together February 3, 2004 Suppose, while being interviewed on live TV, an NFL player saw a woman and made a crass remark about her anatomy. Or after scoring a touchdown, he screamed, "It's getting hot in here!" and removed his jersey and pants. What would happen? I'll tell you what. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue would draw up a steep fine and hit the player harder than Ray Lewis. Tags then would say such nonsense won't be tolerated again. The league would tighten the rules regarding decorum and celebration antics and professionalism. These two incidents would be Exhibits A...

Overlooked and Underappreciated By George Solomon Sunday, February 1, 2004; Page E02 HOUSTON Offensive lineman Bob Brown waited 26 years before being chosen Saturday by the 39 selectors to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Carl Eller, the wait was 20 years. For Art Monk, one of the greatest Redskins receivers of all time, it's four years and counting. Monk, one of 15 finalists, did not even make the initial cut. Running back Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions and quarterback John Elway of the Denver Broncos, both out of the game for the required five years, joined Brown and Eller ...

Music industry of the future might be a brand new beast January 27, 2004 BY ANDY IHNATKO God knows I've stalled this epic task long enough, but now I'm committed. Boy, am I ever. My spare room is now officially the Burn Unit. A 12-inch PowerBook is connected to a half-terabyte hard drive and surrounded by heavy cardboard boxes. They contain every CD I've ever owned, and converting CDs to digital music files isn't even a misdemeanor, let alone a federal offense, unless of course you believe what the RIAA tells you. I've been turning CDs into MP3s since ... well, gosh, let me check. The oldest MP3 file in my current iTunes l...

Reminders that I am not as young as I used to be By Minna Jacobs Tuesday, January 27, 2004 The subject of "old" comes up now and then and I begin to wonder what "old" really is. Is it like one day you are on this side of "old" and the next, because of a thing called a birthday, you're on the other side? I don't think so; getting to be old is more subtle than that, in fact it kinda sneaks up on you day by day, year by year. One day you look in a mirror (don't do that as soon as you get out of bed, if you can help it) and your mother looks back at you. Of course you have known for quite a while that you "ain't what you used to b...

What's a political party if not a marketer? Shyam G. Menon. Mumbai , Jan. 26 ELECTION 2004 is possibly the first where `feel-good' has gone centre-stage. But is there a downside to packaging the free shine of many as a brand for one? To some, `India Shining' irks because stuck on a poster it betrays its entrapment. Your power supply may fail, but that shining hardly flickers. So, is it a country shining or is someone wanting a shine out there? Presumably the latter, for the attribute covers 1.03 billion people who tackled two tough fiscals, were going about their hard earned - in part, rejuvenated - lives as usual, bu...

Williamson dog shelter overrun with gifts By MARK R. COOK Staff Writer Starting to flourish now, official says of puppies FRANKLIN — The 186 dogs, 30 puppies and 14 cats confiscated from the home of a Maltese puppy breeder Thursday night aren't the only things crowded into Williamson County's Animal Control shelter. Now there are stacks of dog food bags and cases of dog food cans, bundles of blankets and newspapers, treats, toys and pet carriers donated by tag-teams of concerned people and businesses from throughout the Midstate. No charges have been filed against breeder Jennifer Siliski of 2235 Bowman Road, just south of...

ARF lures big stars to shine CERTAINLY, we all love our animals, but it was never more evident than on Jan. 10 at the 13th annual Stars to the Rescue. The lovefest was hosted by St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, whose brainchild, Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF), was launched after he rescued and found a home for a stray cat that had wandered onto the playing field during an Oakland A's game in 1990. Since then, ARF's major fund-raiser has gained a reputation as one of the most popular celebrity events. This year brought a sold-out crowd to the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, and it was more electr...

0122 disc break Thursday, January 22, 2004 - 12:00 AM The Daily Herald | Foo Fighters, "One By One" Arguably one of the most charismatic men in entertainment, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl says all his life he's been looking for something, and it never comes, never leads to nothing. Well, there is something in this album -- the great sound fans have come to know and love.It's times like these that it's good to listen to this band because not only is there the fab Foo, but there is also "Tired of You" featuring Queen's Brian May, who adds his signature guitar work to the group. -- Jessica Eyre Various Artists, "Shrek -- M...

Around Norman: Old folks keep OU students young Staff column January 22, 2004 Cody A. Cundiff Norman’s population is like browsing my CD collection. At first glance, you see OutKast, Coldplay and The Darkness. The new stuff, the freshmen. Take a closer gander. You discover way too much Neil Diamond, with some Springsteen and McCartney thrown in for good measure. The classics, the senior citizens. It would be a little too easy to jump right out and say that college kids provide most of the fauna in Norman. ‘Cause yes, Dave, college kids do account for a large percent of the town’s population. However, here’s a just-invented ...

Second time around for luxury car company by Mark Steil, Minnesota Public Radio February 15, 2003 Max Prinzing has always wanted to own a car company. He makes new cars out of modern materials based on classic designs. (MPR photo/Mark Steil) There are few things as sweet as catching a dream and making it come true. Max Prinzing is still a few steps behind his, but he's closing fast. Prinzing builds brand-new cars that look like old classics. They remind people of a Rolls Royce or Duesenberg from the 1930s. The cars cost nearly $100,000. Prinzing hit some bumps along the way, but so far the wheels have not come off. Redwood ...

RADIO The Bopst Show 88 reasons to listen to the Bopst Show Chris Bopst Friday January 16, 2004 Let me, Chris Bopst, your humble, music loving radio show host and obsessive scribbler of words, start off the this week's column to inform you, the valued Internet user, that the Bopst Show can now be heard live on the web (Thursdays & Fridays 5-8PM Eastern Standard Time, United States). In order to hear the show, you will have to have a Windows Media Player installed on your computer, which Microsoft now offers a version of the popular program for Macintosh operating systems (for a free download, go to: http://www.microsoft.com/wi...

Never say never By Susan Passi-Klaus, sklaus@nashvillecitypaper.com January 19, 2004 This is a youth-oriented society, and the joke is on them because youth is a disease from which we all recover. — Dorothy Fuldheim I am surrounded by youth. Younger women with gumption, chutzpah and thin thighs. They tell tales of independent travels to hip hangouts in Chicago and New York; they shop the Web’s Urban Outfitters for overpriced thrifty things; and they never miss an episode of The Bachelor or I Love the 80’s. The young and the restless. They eat sushi and artisan cheeses, wear thong underwear without tugging and belly revealin...

Delta Goodrem has clocked up another week at No. 1 on the ARIA chart giving her a total of 29 weeks on top and this week and tying her with Neil Diamond's 'Hot August Night' as the second longest charting number one album in Australian history. As expected, Guy Sebastian's 'Just As I Am' tumbled further down the chart after a total run of four weeks at number one leaving Delta as the only pop star to truly be able to claim the term 'Australian Idol'. Delta's run this week was a double bonus. Her 'Innocent Eyes' album passed the one million mark in actual sales, a feat not accomplished since John Farnham's mammoth run with 'Whispering...

The Darkness May Work With Neil Diamond Friday January 16, 2004 @ 01:00 PM By: ChartAttack.com Staff The Darkness Like your mom would say, every cloud has a silver lining. Sure, that may sound like a bag of crap, but The Darkness will gladly tell you it’s true. While in Toronto to promote their debut album Permission To Land, singer Justin Hawkins revealed a little premature gem to ChartAttack which proves even the shittiest situation still results in a positive. Thanks to a casual mention in some British rag, it looks as though The Darkness might be collaborating with none other than Neil "Sweet Caroline" Diamond in the near fu...

Blink Blow Up Mark Hoppus is stoked Really into the Cure Blink-182 have finally reached post-pubescence. For their fifth album, the San Diego punks vetoed the masturbatory references, retarded jokes and doo-doo humor that had been the band's calling card since its debut nearly ten years ago. Instead, for their new disc, Blink-182, Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker toiled for nine months in a rented house, breaking out of their pop-punk mold by experimenting with keyboards and drum samples to create a darker, tougher sound. Bassist Hoppus, 31, who is the proud father of a one-year-old daughter, Eva, is stoked about how fa...

Book Reviews Ready, Steady, Brand By Jonathan Jackson January 13, 2004 Brands That Rock By Roger Blackwell and Tina Stephan 240pp. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. $27.95. Everything you'll ever need to know about marketing your small business you can learn on MTV. Implausible as that may sound, that's the implied premise of a new book looking at the business of rock and roll. By revealing some of the techniques used by the masters of rock marketing, the authors of Brands That Rock attempt to teach small businesses how to turn customers into fans. The music business, like any other business, needs to market their goods. Contr...

Race to the border Jack Kemp January 12, 2004 One of my all-time favorite songs is Neil Diamond's "They're Coming to America." I know it drives the xenophobes on the right crazy and the illiberals on the left into a frenzy, but it reflects my view that people come to America not for welfare but for work, not for food stamps but for their families. In 1788, George Washington said, "I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong." I could not agree more, which is why I was pleased to see President Bush put immigration re...

Press Release -- Sideshow David Edelstein Named Executive Producer at Sideshow Page 1 of 1 NEW YORK (Jan. 12, 2004) -- Veteran producer David Edelstein has been named executive producer for the New York office of bi-coastal "concept to completion" creative services company Sideshow, announced Sideshow partners Scott Mantel, CEO, and Mike McCall, president. "David's (Edelstein) experience in a wide range of entertainment fields, from broadcast design, to commercial production, features and short films, promo production, and live event programming, provides the perfect mix to enable us to continue to expand our already diverse clie...

Delta Goodrem Back At Number One Delta Goodrem has returned to the top spot on the Australian chart knocking Guy Sebastian down to number three spot after just a four week run. Delta's 'Innocent Eyes' album, now in it's 42nd week on the ARIA chart has now spent a grand total of 28 weeks at number one. Her success this week was unbeatable in all states, with 'Innocent Eyes' registering at the top in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. (ARIA includes Tasmanian figures in Victorian sales, ACT in NSW sales and Northern Territory sales in with South Australia). As well as topping the album...

Digital licks Nashville-based Gibson ready to pull the curtain on its next-generation guitar By JOHN GEROME, Associated Press January 10, 2004 NASHVILLE - As Gibson Guitar Corp. prepares to launch a new digital model, an advancement some herald as the industry's most sweeping technological change in 50 years, company CEO Henry Juszkiewicz can close his eyes and almost hear the notes. "The defining moment will be when a certain lick in a popular song is out there, and it can't be done with anything else but a digital guitar," Juszkiewicz says. "It only takes one example to really inspire people." That, Juszkiewicz predicts,...

From houstonpress.com Originally published by Houston Press Jan 08, 2004 ©2004 New Times, Inc. All rights reserved. Oral Surgery Reconstructing Smash Mouth BY GEOFFREY HIMES Don't hate them because they appeal to juveniles: Smash Mouth is the best bubblegum going. Maybe you know Smash Mouth only from that TV commercial where their song "All Star" creates more excitement about buying a new car than seems reasonable. Perhaps you know the band from the end of Shrek when the quartet sings the old Monkees hit "I'm a Believer," or you've heard them in heavy rotation on Radio Disney. Maybe, as a result, you dismiss Smash Mouth as ...

by Stanley Laughner Illustration by Kathryn Hyatt In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, "Ask what you wish me to give you." —1 Kings 3:5 I wish for you all you wish for yourself, Mr. Diamond. —Marianne, Neil Diamond Dreambook, 2003 You do not ever need to listen to Neil Diamond. He is already a part of you. He is inside you, outside, everywhere. When you had your first kiss, like it or not, somewhere in the world a Neil Diamond song was playing that—like Collaso and Torresola’s wild pistol shots—was meant for you. Perhaps you felt Neil close by that near-miss night. Perhaps you do ...

By Tod Goldberg When I started writing this column three years ago, I lamented openly about the angst I was feeling about turning 30--I believe I devoted nearly 1,000 words to things like gray hairs appearing on my scalp, my inability (and lack of desire) to drink 40s of Crazy Horse malt liquor and the general sense of depression I felt realizing my youth had departed me like a train lurching from a station. All aboard! Last train out! Next stop, inordinate taxation, thyroid disease and conversations with friends about estate planning! Now, as I sit down this week to celebrate my 33rd coronation, it occurs to me how wrong I was: Tu...

From lowly miner's pants to worldwide recognition: Denim rules Delma J. Francis, Star Tribune Denim's influence on popular culture is impossible to ignore. If you need a denim fix in the Twin Cities, you don't have to go far to find it. In clothing, you'll find something denim to cover you from head to toe: caps, shirts (dress and casual, embroidered, beaded and sequined), skirts, shorts, trench coats and shoes. You can even sandblast your favorite designs into your jeans. In funky teen and tween stores, denim is sometimes found in combination with tonier fabrics such as velvet. But you don't have to wear it to enjoy it. There are...

Edited By Jonathan Cohen. Billboard Bits: Beyoncé, Little Steven, Tangle Eye Beyoncé Knowles has been tapped to sing the National Anthem prior to Super Bowl XXXVIII on Feb. 1 at Houston's Reliant Stadium. She joins a roster of previous Anthem singers that includes Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Neil Diamond and the Dixie Chicks, who performed last year. As previously reported, Janet Jackson will perform as part of the MTV-produced halftime show. Additional artists have yet to be announced. E Street Band guitarist "Little Steven" Van Zandt has signed on as a creative advisor for Sirius Satellite Radio. He will create a programmi...

Red Devil Dawn Crooked Fingers Merge Records Neil Diamond may be super hip in the world of sorority-girl ironic hipdom, but he still doesn’t cut it where true rock fans are concerned. That’s where Eric Bachmann steps in. The former Archer of Loaf drops his third solo full-length with a delivery that could be mistaken for the Big D himself. That’s where the similarities end, however, as Brachmann dips into the world of murky minor-key melodies and snappy bursts of brass that embrace a twilight world between singer/songwriter tunes and Goth-rock This is one selection from Aversion’s 2003 Favorites. To view all the albums (we’ll drop...

Get hip: Strut with the (square) beat PCC offers a square dance class at the Aloha Grange, and there's no shortage of dances in the area 01/01/04 POLLY CAMPBELL You don't have to go to a sock hop to dance to "Locomotion" and groove to other 50s favorites. Just head to a square dance. Anything with a good beat, including pop tunes, such as "Pink Cadillac," the Neil Diamond hit "Beautiful Noise," and old-time fiddle and Western tunes, makes ideal square-dancing music, said Norm Yoder, a square dancer and caller from Hillsboro. Yoder also teaches the square-dance class offered at Aloha Grange beginning Saturday through P...