#WhatsHappening for October 30, 2016.

Tinky Winky

Hey kids- thanks to every who came out last night and helped make our 7th Annual Costumes & Karaoke Party a success, and congratulations to the winners. We've got another fun filled night ready for you this Saturday, so rest up!

Best Costume went to Prince (Mark).

Scariest Costume went to Neagan (didn't get his real name)

Sexiest Costume went to Mr. J (Clint). It was going to go to Tiffany from Paizano's, but she didn't come inside for the judging.

Karaoke Performance went to Angel (Michelle). 

By the way, please feel free to share your pics with us. I'm not able to host and get a lot of pictures, so I'd love to see what you all came up with. Thanks!

Pocahontas & Hillary

Prince & Hillary 

This totally would've won Scariest if they weren't employees.

Pablo Escobar & Hillary

The Joker- Suicide Squad version.

The Sock Monkey had a monkey on her back.

I'm seriously surprised only one person chose this for a costume.

One.

And then there were two.

It's closer than you think

#WhatsHappening for October 23, 2016

Howdy kids. Hope your weekend has been outstanding so far. I've done a whole bunch of nothing- which I plan on continuing to do today, though the karaoke compound's garage really needs to be straightened up.

I won't be disappointed if Cleveland wins, though.

I'm feeling lazy, though. I normally take one Saturday off each month, leaving it to Mark (also known as "the nice one" to handle hosting duty) and I prefer to make the most of it by doing the least. I'm on a weird schedule with my day job, though (3:30am-12:30pm), so my sleep schedule precluded me from being able to watch the Cubs clinch the National League championship.

GaGa's new look. Or Richard O'Brien. I forget.

Billboard headline: "Ra-ra-ah-ah-ah: The 7 Best Lady Gaga Songs for Karaoke"

As I often say- That's not a thing.

Speaking of freaky people- "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" played on Fox this week. Oops.

I'll admit it- though I do like some of the songs, I never really was much of a fan of the movie (or the spectacle of going to see it). 

Bruce Springsteen says he wrote a song called "I'll Stand By You" for the Harry Potter film franchise- though the song was never used.

Springsteen told BBC Radio 2's Simon Mayo the song "was pretty good," but he's unclear on why it wasn't used.

"It was a song that I wrote for my eldest son, it was a big ballad that was very uncharacteristic of something I'd sing myself. But it was something that I thought would have fit lovely; at some point I'd like to get it into a children's movie of some sort because it was a pretty lovely song."

I don't know- sounds kind of Brokeback Mountain-y to me.

The estate of the late, great Prince says the first posthumous release of music from the Purple One will be a 40-track greatest hits collection titled Prince 4Ever- along with a deluxe reissue of Purple Rain, and that both will include unreleased music from Prince's vaults.

Prince 4Ever hits stores November 22nd, and will include the never released Moonbeam Levels and Prince's original rendition of Nothing Compares 2 U- along with never before seen photos of Prince taken by Herb Ritts.

The Purple Rain reissue, planned for 2014's 30th anniversary of the movie, will hit stores in 2017 and reps say it will include "a second album of previously unreleased material." 

Personally, I hope that "second album" will give us the unabridged versions of the movei's songs- at the very least.

In other Prince news, Minnesota Kevin Eide says he'll try to rule quickly whether Minnesota law entitles a purported niece, grandniece and nephew to shares of the late rocker's estate.

Attorneys for Prince's siblings say the claims should be rejected because they're not blood relatives.

Up for grabs- an estimated $100 million to $300 million, not to mention a cut of future album/music sales.

Swedish Academy member Per Wastberg says Bob Dylan's failure to acknowledge his Nobel Prize in literature is "impolite and arrogant", but not a surprise.

Wastberg told Swedish television Dylan "is who he is."

"We were aware that he can be difficult and that he does not like appearances when he stands alone on the stage" but called Dylan's silence on the matter "unprecedented" and it's still unknown whether Dylan will even accept the award. Jean-Paul Sartre is the other Nobel winner in Literature to have refused.

No way Glover could be smooth as Billy Dee, though.

Donald Glover has joined the cast of the Star Wars/Han Solo stand-alone film as Lando Calrissian. StarWars.com made the announcement Friday. 

The movie is due out 

In other movie news, Leonardo DiCaprio has signed on to produce a bio-flick based on the book 'Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock 'N' Roll.'

DiCaprio will playing Phillips, the founder of Memphis-based Sun Studio- one-time home of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ike Turner and Johnny Cash. No release date has been given.

Vince Neil has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery for a sidewalk scuffle involving a woman outside a Las Vegas Strip resort in April.

The Mötley Crüe singer's plea was submitted in writing Thursday. Neil didn't appear in court.

The judge fined Neil $1,000 and ordered him to undergo impulse control counseling and stay out of trouble for six months.

Neil was accused of grabbing the woman and pulling her to the ground.

If I was her, I'd be concerned about disease.

Birthdays today include: David Thomas of Take 6; Weird Al Yankovic; and Dwight Yoakam. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for October 17, 2016

Hi there, kids. Welcome to another week. Don't forget- the Seventh Annual Costumes & Karaoke party is just 12 days away. Join us for all the fun at the Iron Horse Tavern on October 29th. We'll have prizes for best costume, sexiest costume, best karaoke based on your costume and so much fun I can even remember what the hell it is we do!

The Swedish Academy says they're "doing nothing" further to attempt to contact this year's Nobel Laureate in Literature. 

Sara Danius, the Academy’s permanent secretary told a Swedish radio station that she had "called and sent emails to (Bob Dylan's) closest collaborator and received very friendly replies" but had heard nothing from Dylan himself. "For now, that (response is) certainly enough."

It's currently unknown whether Dylan will travel to Stockholm to officially receive his award, presented by King Carl XVI Gustaf.

“If he doesn’t want to come, he won’t come," Danius said. "It will be a big party in any case, and the honor belongs to him."

If you're going to be in Vegas for New Year's, Sting and The Weeknd will be on hand to help you ring in the New Year.

Sting will play The Cosmopolitan on the 30th, while The Weeknd will be on stage at The Chelsea. On New Year's Eve, the two will swap stages. 

Tickets for the shows at the Chelsea go on sale this Friday at 1 pm. No on sale date for the Cosmopolitan shows yet.

Today's puzzling Billboard headline: "Lady Gaga, T.I. & Metallica Help Launch SiriusXM All Music Talk Channel 'Volume'"

Music talk channel? So... all talk, no music?

Randy Travis, who suffered a stroke in July of 2013, was on stage last night in Nashville to accept his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. After his wife, Mary, told the story of Travis' rise to stardom in the 1980s, she handed the mic off to her husband, who began singing "Amazing Grace."

The ceremony also included producer Fred Foster and Charlie Daniels being officially inducted as part of the Hall’s Class of 2016.

Dolly Parton, who Foster signed to her first professional contract and produced her first chart single- "Dumb Blonde"- said Foster "saw something in me no one else did…..You started my life."

After Vince Gill inducted Foster, he said he could not "come up with the words to describe how I feel...I want to thank the musicians, songwriters, and engineers that made me look like a producer."

Charlie Daniels, the second inductee, said " the faces on the wall laid the foundation for all of us," referring to the Hall's wall of fame. Trisha Yearwood, Jamey Johnson, and Trace Adkins performed selections from Daniels’ catalogue.

For the final presentation of the evening- Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, and Garth Brooks took to the stage, with Brooks saying he was "going to do my best not to ‘fan girl’ right now." Brooks, who famously said his own 2011 induction to the Hall didn't "feel right" without Travis there, said "Today the world is spinning right. Never will you have to say ‘Randy Travis isn’t in the Hall of Fame ever again. It’s long overdue and well-deserved. I would not be standing her...I would not be married to Miss Yearwood….I would not be in this town if it weren’t for Randy Travis….Tell me some other artist in some other genre ever in the history of mankind who has taken a format, turned it around back to where it was coming from, and made it bigger than it was. It’s never happened. It will never happen again."

Birthdays today include: Wyclef Jean of Fugees; Eminem; Christopher Kirkpatrick of 'N Sync; Ziggy Marley; Rene Dif of Aqua; Alan Jackson; and Jim Seal of Seals & Crofts. #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for October 13, 2016

Hey-o, kids. How goes? It's almost Friday- and that means Saturday Night Karaoke is almost here! Don't forget to join us for all the fun at the Iron Horse Tavern in Norcross.

On the last day of New York Comic Con, IDW Publishing announced the upcoming graphic novel 'Lennon,' which follows the John Lennon's life story.

The comic book biography adapts French author David Foekinos' 2010 novel which told Lennon's story through imagined sessions between Lennon and an therapist (see what I did there?). 

The book will be released in May 2017.

Depeche Mode will be hitting the road next year in support of their new album, 'Spirit'

The album is set to be released early next spring and the tour kicks off May 5 in Stockholm. "We’re exceptionally proud of Spirit’s sound and energy, and we’re excited to get back on tour to share it with our fans around the world," said frontman Dave Gahan. 

The band will also headline Portugal's Nos Alive festival on July 8. Tickets for the tour go on sale tomorrow, but no US dates have been announced.

I did a triple take at the radio this morning after hearing the headline on the BBC that Bob Dylan was this year's recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

The announcement marks the first time the prize has gone to a musician- a man who the Swedish Academy credits with "having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition."

"Most song lyrics don’t really hold up without the music, and they aren’t supposed to. Bob Dylan is in the 2 percent club of songwriters whose lyrics are interesting on the page, even without the harmonica and the guitar and his very distinctive voice. I think he does qualify as poetry," said poet Billy Collins

Literary scholar Sara Danius, permanent secretary of the Nobel Academy, called Dylan "a great poet in the English-speaking tradition."

Rosanne Cash tweeted: "Holy mother of god. Bob Dylan wins the Nobel Prize." 

Not everyone was quite so thrilled, though. Novelist Rabih Alameddine said on his Twitter account that "Bob Dylan winning a Nobel in Literature is like Mrs Fields being awarded 3 Michelin stars. This is almost as silly as Winston Churchill."

Scottish novelist Irvine Welsh tweeted that he was "a Dylan fan, but this is an ill conceived nostalgia award wrenched from the rancid prostates of senile, gibbering hippies."

On the heels of his successful performance at last weekend's Desert Trip festival, Roger Waters has announced new tour. 

The tour will be Waters' first since 2013 and starts in May of next year.

Waters has christened this the "Us And Them," and will stop in over 30 cities across the US and Canada.

"I was listening to [the song] the other day. There's a line which goes, 'With, without, and who'll deny that's what the fighting's all about?' And the answer to the question is this: Almost everyone. Almost everyone will deny that 'with/without' is what the fighting's all about. My contention is that it is. That's why my new tour is going to be called 'Us and Them.' It's specifically about that line."

The tour kicks off May 26 in Kansas City and wraps up next October in Vancouver- and includes a July 16 stop at the Infinite Energy Center here. Tickets go on sale October 21.

Birthdays today include: Marie Osmond; John Ford Coley of England Dan & John Ford Coley fame, Sammy Hagar; Robert Lamm of Chicago; and Paul Simon. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for October 10, 2016

Hey kids- welcome to another exciting week. Hope you enjoyed your weekend.

First things first: I have zero commentary regarding last night's debate.

I have said before, and firmly believe, that anyone who wants to be president should be automatically disqualified. And I also find the majority of politicians to be lying, two-faced narcissists who think their only job is to get reelected instead of actually serving their constituency. And the fact that we're stuck with a two party system where third party candidates are marginalized to the point where they face astronomical odds in getting elected (or complete whack jobs) sickens me. But- them's the breaks.

At the same time, it is my duty and privilege as a citizen to vote for the person I think is the best choice, who will do the best job, who will keep the interests of the greatest percentage of the population in their mind as they shape policy. As far as I'm concerned, election day can't get here fast enough.

Next: I hope everyone in the Coastal Empire and Low Country- as well as Florida- is safe and sound, and relatively unscathed by Hurricane Matthew. 

Please remember, you might have taken a financial or emotional hit- but you're alive. And that's the important thing.

I saw a Facebook "poll" asking readers to name a movie with great music. My first thought was "anything with a John Williams' score" (Star Wars being my favorite).

Now I do realize that they were probably thinking more about soundtracks that were a little more pop, so here are a few that came to mind:
- Purple Rain (DUH!)

- American Graffiti

- Saturday Night Fever

- Stop Making Sense

- Coal Miner's Daughter

- The Beatles movies. All of them.

- Footloose (If you even for a second think I'm referring to anything other than the original, I seriously have to question our friendship)

- Fast Times at Ridgemont High

- Ghostbusters (again, the original, and damn you if you thought otherwise)

- Animal House

- Vacation (Holiday Road? Dancin' Across the USA?)

- The Exorcist

- The Wall

- Beavis and Butt-Head Do America

- Rattle And Hum

- Bright Lights, Big City

- Less Than Zero

-  Beverly Hills Cop

- Halloween

- Most of the Roger Moore James Bond movies

- Against All Odds

- Little Shop of Horrors

- Cat People

- Dirty Dancing

- Urban Cowboy

- O Brother, Where Art Thou?

- White Christmas

- School Daze

- Most of the Elvis movies 

- Pulp Fiction

- Bring on the Night

- Flash Gordon

- Most of Will Smith's movie songs.

I'll stop there. Feel free to share your own thoughts.

John Legend was on hand yesterday for the ribbon cutting ceremony at the John Legend Theater in Springfield, Ohio. The Oscar and Grammy winner also performed several songs for the event held in his hometown- and donated $500,000 for the project.

The singer recalled memories of growing up and performing in the city and said he wants to extend opportunities to young people living there.

Birthdays today include: Mya; Vinnie Tattanelli of Nine Days; Michael Bivens of Bell Biv Devoe; Mike Malinin of Goo Goo Dolls; Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet; Tanya Tucker; David Lee Roth; and John Prine. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for October 7, 2016

Whoo-hoo! It's Friday. Can ya dig it? 

A behind the scenes documentary about Rush‘s R40 Tour will hit theaters for a one night screening next month.

The band’s farewell to full-scale touring, R40 was already documented for fans via last year’s R40 Live, but the new film- titled Rush: Time Stand Still- promises a "a raw, intimate and vivid look" at the shows as "a documentary event which covers the R40 tour and the unique relationship Rush have with their devoted fans."

In addition to a documentary overview of the tour and the band's fan base, Time Stand Still will feature interviews with Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, as well as narration from actor and well-known Rush fan Paul Rudd, and interviews with Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters, Heart's Ann & Nancy Wilson, Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy sharing their own stories about Rush. 

Check out Fathom Events' website for info about theaters showing the movie.

In 22 days.

Smokey Robinson, Kenny Loggins, and Sam Moore of Sam & Dave were among the performers at the eighth annual Little Kids Rock benefit in downtown Manhattan Wednesday, helping raise more than $1 million for the foundation that helps fund music programs in schools.

"I grew up in the ghetto, I grew up in the hood, but we still had all the arts in the schools at that time," Robinson said. "I was in the band, I was in the glee club, I was in the choir, they had drama classes. Now those programs have been cut from so many schools. I think it's a shame, and we need to do whatever we can to re-implement them."

Loggins remembered the importance of picking up an instrument in his childhood, saying it was the "learning to play the guitar" saved his life. "When you're a teen and you don't know what to say, music comes in to bridge that gap."

Quincy Jones' lawsuit against Sony Music and Michael Jackson's estate has been put on hold after the judge in the case ruled that Sony and MJJ Productions could not share a legal team. 

Jones' suit is in pursuit of damages claims related to payment from permanent digital downloads. Jones says he was shorted because Sony was underpaying MJJ, the company controlled by the late artist's estate.

Jones says Sony should have been treating those downloads as licenses instead of as sales- which would have given both Jackson's company and Jones more money. Artists get half of revenue from licenses, but only 15% on sales and digital downloads have been an area of continual conflict between artists and labels.

Coldplay will tour again in 2017. Whiny bastards.

Birthdays today include: Leeroy Thornhill of Prodigy; Toni Braxton; Thom Yorke of Radiohead; Tico Torres of Bon Jovi; John Mellencamp; David Hope of Kansas; and Kevin Godley of 10cc. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for October 5, 2016

Hey, hi, kiddios. Hope you're all doing well.

First up, I'll remind you to mark your calendars for Saturday, October 29th- it's our 7th Annual Costumes & Karaoke Party at the Iron Horse Tavern in historic downtown Norcross.

We'll have prizes for best costume, sexiest costume (which is always fun for me), best costume-related karaoke performance, and all kinds of fun. 

Don't miss it!

The man behind the title track to the biggest selling album has passed away.

Rod Temperton, who penned Thriller, died last week after a brief battle with cancer.

Temperton was the keyboardist for Heatwave and wrote their two biggest hits- Boogie Nights and Always and Forever- before taking on songwriting as a full time gig when Quincy Jones sought him out to write for Michael Jackson's "Off The Wall".

Temperton penned the album's title track as well as "Rock With You" and "Burn This Disco Out" for the hugely popular album, leading Jones to recruit him for Jackson's next effort.

Talking about the album in an interview with BBC Radio 2, Temperton said "Originally, when I did my demo, I called it 'Starlight,' Quincy said to me, 'Well, you came up with the title of the last album, see what you can do for this album.' I said, 'Great.'"

"I went back to the hotel, I wrote two or three hundred titles for this song. Then I came up with the title 'Midnight,' Quincy said that's a little bit more mystery, more where you should be heading … The next morning I woke up and I just said this word."

"Something in my head just said 'This is the title.' You could visualize it on top of the Billboard charts. You could see the merchandizing of this one word; it jumped off the page at you. So I knew I had to write it as 'Thriller,' and I wrote all the words very quickly, then went to the studio and we did it."

Temperton also wrote "Baby Be Mine" and "The Lady In My Life" for the album that would become the biggest seller of all time. He also wrote George Benson's "Give Me The Night," the Patti Austin/James Ingram duet "Baby, Come to Me", and Michael McDonald's "Sweet Freedom"- as well as tunes for  Karen Carpenter, Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock, Donna Summer, and the Manhattan Transfer.

He was 66.

Bon Jovi has announced that they'll be on the road next yet in support of their upcoming album, This House Is Not for Sale.

Twenty dates have been announced so far, beginning February 8 in Greenville and wrapping up six weeks later in Indianapolis. 

Pre-sale tickets for the tour go on sale to American Express and Fan Club members Monday, with general sales beginning October 15. Ticket buyers will also receive a physical copy of the new album.

By the way, the tour stops at Philips Arena on February 10th.

The album, which was scheduled for release later this month, has been rescheduled for release on November 4th.

Birthdays today include: Paul of Good Charlotte; Heather Headley; Sir Bob Geldof of Boomtown Rats; Brian Johnson of AC/DC; Steve Miller; and Richard Street of The Temptations. #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for October 2, 2016

Hey ho, kiddios. Hope you've all had a stellar weekend so far. I've done a whole bunch of nothing, really (it was my weekend off, Magic Mark handled SNK duty last night)- and that's what I plan to do for the rest of the day, too.

Check out this spot on article regarding the Braves' abandoning Turner Field after today's game.

The quote from John Scheurholz that the supposed $200 million that was needed in renovations on the stadium "would do nothing to improve access or the fan experience; these are issues that we simply cannot overcome" is complete "fucking horseshit" (as Bobby Cox would say)- because there's no fucking way that access will be improved by moving to the traffic black hole they're going to.

Opening series vs. the Cub. Can't remember if it was Friday or Saturday.

Everything about the "deal" that is moving the team reeks of corruption, greed, and complete disregard for every fan that doesn't live near the location of the new ball park.

From 1972-2015, I went to at least one Braves' game a year. One of my fondest memories is getting to take my dad to Game One of the 1992 World Series against the Blue Jays. Three years later I was at the last game ever played at Fulton County Stadium- a World Series Game Five loss to the Yankees- three years and a few months, I was there for the first game ever played at Turner Field- a win over the Cubs.

From 1978-2016, I listened to Braves' games on radio.

From 1974-2016, I watched Braves' games on WTCG, WTBS, TBS, Peachtree TV, SportsSouth, FoxSports Net, CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox.

All that ended today. 

I will never darken the doors of the new stadium.

I will never give the Braves any more of my money.

No longer will I listen to Don Sutton's blithering stupidity on radio.

No longer will I subject myself to Chip Caray's monumentally asinine verbal diarrhea on the television broadcasts.

Liberty Media's money grab has done what the abysmally shitty teams of the 70s- and the past five years- were never able to do: Make me give up on the team.

Goodbye, Braves.

Every time I think I can't be surprised by how fucking stupid people can be, Trump's poll numbers are posted. Or a headline like this is: iPhone 7 owners are drilling into their phone to find 'hidden' headphone socket

I'm begging you people- please don't breed. There are enough fucktards like you already.

A stage musical based on the life and music of the late Bob Marley will debut in the UK next year.

One Love: The Bob Marley Musical will premiere at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre on March 10 and run until April 8.

The show has the blessing of Marley's family, including his daughter Cadella, who said Birmingham was a "natural place for its UK premiere... With its great mix of cultures, it’s a city where my father performed to audiences that were captivated by his presence, and we have no doubt that telling the story through music to a new generation in Birmingham will be part of his continuing legacy."

Oscar Brand, American folk artist and host of Folksong Festival for more than 70 years, passed away yesterday.

Brand's show was known for showcasing artists like Woody Guthrie and introducing a young Bob Dylan- among others.

He had been battling pneumonia and was hospitalized before a decision was made to bring him home for comfort. Brand taped his final Folksong Festival for public radio station WNYC two weeks ago, and it aired Saturday, September 24.

Doug Yeager, manager and long-time friend, called Brand "a unique and extraordinary individual" and versatile artist. "I don't know of another who could perform alongside Woody Guthrie in overalls among the poorest of the poor, move on to a radio performance with mainstream star Kate Smith and then conduct an interview with first lady Eleanor Roosevelt."

Brand recorded some 100 albums, wrote eight books, created TV shows, composed Broadway musicals and films. He was 96.

A Florida circuit court judge has ruled that Justin Bieber must appear to be deposed within the next 30 days or face contempt charges. 

The order was sought in relation to the lawsuit filed by a photographer who got into an altercation with one of the singer's bodyguards two years ago in Miami Beach.

The photographer's attorney says he has been unable to get Bieber to sit for the deposition.

Bieber's attorney didn't respond to an email from Billboard seeking comment.

Birthdays today include: Lene Grawford Nystrom of Aqua; Tiffany; Bud Graugh of Sublime; Sigtryggur Baldursson of The Sugarcubes; Robbie Nevil; Freddie Jackson; Phillip Oakey of Human League; Sting; Mike Rutherford of Genesis/Mike + The Mechanics; and  

Don McLean. #MusicalBirthdays