#WhatsHappening for October 31, 2017

Happy Halloween, homeys! Hope your days has been light on tricks and heavy on treats. Unless you're a hooker, of course.

Here's some more fun from the Eighth Annual Costumes & Karaoke Party.

Billboard headline: Andy Dick Fired From Movie Over Sexual Harassment Claims

I'm not nearly as surprised by the headline as I am by the fact anyone would hire Andy Dick. For anything.

Production on Emmy darling House of Cards has been suspended after star Kevin Spacey was accused of sexual harassment by actor Anthony Rapp.

Netflix and Media Rights Capital- producers of the show- said they had "decided to suspend production on House of Cards season six, until further notice, to give us time to review the current situation and to address any concerns of our cast and crew" in an announcement today.

Rapp says that Spacey made sexual advances towards him when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26. Spacey immediately offered his "sincerest apology" to Rapp via Twitter.

I was sad to learn that Antoine "Fats" Domino passed away last week at the age of 89. Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Medical Examiner Mark Bone said Domino died of natural causes.

The early rock star had a string of bluesy hits that influenced artists like Paul McCartney and Randy Newman and put his hometown of New Orleans on the rock and roll map.

Domino had more than 30 Top 40 hits, and 23 gold singles.

I know, I'm a tad late to the party with this- but I happened to watch Wonder Woman over the weekend, and I just can't find enough good things to say about it. Especially considering how weak I thought the last two Superman movies were, and the absolutely underwhelming Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice was.

Wonder Woman, though, was- well- wonderful. Great story, great screen presence from Gal Godot, the almost always entertaining (though, in my opinion, underused here) Danny Huston, and a very nice plot twist made for a very enjoyable two and a half hours.

Birthdays today include: Linn Berggren of Ace Of Base (47); Vanilla Ice (49); Adam Horovitz of Beastie Boys (51); Johnny Marr of The Smiths (54);Larry Mullen of U2 (56); Johnny Clegg (64). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for October 29, 2017

Good Sunday afternoon, friends. Hope you're all enjoying your weekend. We've got wonderfully cool weather here today at the karaoke compound- but I just saw that it's going to get back up in the upper 70s by next weekend. My sinuses and I aren't fans.

If you missed our Costumes & Karaoke Party, well- why?

Seriously, though, a good time was had by all.  And, if you were there- feel free to pass along pictures, 'cause these are all that I got.

The stick figure was more obvious once the lights went off.

Female Chucky.

He was keeping the peace. With booze.

Don King reviews things with his fighter.

Sir Elton came a'calling.

Friar John.

No costumes- they just wanted to sing!

 

Stranger Things' Eleven.

Elizabeth of York.

Into the Badlands' Sonny.

Gyspy Moth a'flittering.

Her t-shirt read "I'm a mouse." She had the ears, too.

Why was I reminded of this?

Birthdays today include: Toby Smith of Jamiroquai (47); Douglas "SA" Vincent Martinez of 311 (47); Pete Timmins of Cowboy Junkies (52); Einar Orn Benediktsson of The Sugarcubes (55); Randy Jackson of The Jacksons (56); Roger O'Donnell of The Cure (62); Roger Paton of Pilot (66); Ricky Reynolds of Black Oak Arkansas (69); former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green (71); Rob Van Leeuwen of Shocking Blue (71); and Denny Lain of Moody Blues (73). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for October 24, 2017

Hey, hi, howdy boys and girls. Hope your week hasn't been too terrible so far- and that you've got your costume ready (or, at least, almost ready) for the Eighth Annual Costumes & Karaoke Party at the Iron Horse Tavern Saturday night.

Sunday afternoon, I had the good fortune to snag a ticket to watch the Atlanta United match against Toronto at whatever the Falcons' stadium is called.

I enjoy soccer but I mainly wanted to see the stadium so I could see what $1.4 billion looks like in person. I have to say, I'm not impressed. Not with the game- it was a good match, and the crowd was enthusiastic and impressive- but with the stadium itself.

While the outside of the stadium in architecturally interesting, and the engineering of the roof seems impressive (though, from what I'm told, it doesn't work correctly), the interior is not. Yes, the wrap around video boards are neat- assuming, of course, that you're low enough to the field of play to actually see them. And the seats all seem to have a good line of sight.

Everything else, though? Mediocre, at best. Concrete and open duct-work (props to Hannah's Cherokee Casino or whatever they're called for one of the few interesting design elements I saw inside the stadium with the reclaimed-styled wood wall) everywhere, boring graphic elements, and just not a whole lot of interest. Yes, I'm there to watch the game, but at least make it... I don't know... inviting?

I also thought it was pretty damned funny that one of the ushers was telling me about how she started off not thinking she would enjoy the soccer games very much, but how she now enjoyed them more than watching the Falcons. Since the Falcons have a history of suck, I think she's gonna hold that opinion for a while.

Birthdays today include: Drake (31); Adrienne Bailon of 3LW  (34); Monica (37); Ben Gillies of Silverchair (38); and Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones (81). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for October 20, 2017

Happy Friday. friends and neighbors. Don't forget to join us tomorrow at the Iron Horse Tavern for all the insanity of Saturday Night Karaoke.

Katy Perry found herself stuck in Nashville Wednesday night, after a malfunction left her suspended in mid-air. 

"I'm really stuck," Perry told attendees. "This is the first time that I've been stuck in space. I know I'm kind of a space cadet, but actually this thing is being stuck right now."

The Country Music Association Awards have released the first batch of names lined up to entertain the audience during their show next month. Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Garth Brooks, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Thomas Rhett, Little Big Town, Old Dominion, Brothers Osborne, and Jon Pardi were all announced as performers Wednesday morning, as well as 16-time CMA Awards winner Alan Jackson.
Underwood and Brad Paisley will host the show again this year- their 10th together as emcees.

Devin Lima of LFO is recovering after surgery to remove a "football-sized tumor" around his kidney and adrenal gland.
Check out the video from the band's YouTube channel.

The band had revealed Lima’s health battle on Wednesday, saying that they'd been hoping to announce the next leg of their Rich in Love- but that they instead had to postpone further dates because of Lima’s "serious" health problems.

Want to find your "true funk potential"? Bootsy Collins says it's not all that difficult, if you just follow these guidelines: 
- Manifest Your Future: Collins says he spent his childhood days drawing stick figures with star-shaped glasses. By the time the 60s rolled around, when he was "taking LSD and seeing all those colors. We had the hippie days coming through, and I grew up in that. We got a lot of encouragement about style."
- Give Back: The Bootsy Collins Foundation, established in 2011, provides musical instruments to disadvantaged schools. "The slogan is, 'Say it loud: An instrument for every child.'" Collins and his wife, Patti, run the Foundation.
"Music class made me want to go to school- and (made it) worth going through math and science."
- Stay Loyal: Collins prefers to perform with those familiar to him. He praised Parliament/Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell, who died in 2016, saying "Whatever I put down, he made it sound like it was right. That’s magic."

Also, wear proper eye protection.

- Learn From Legends: Collins began his career as bassist in James Brown's backing band and he clashed with notoriously strict bandleader Brown- though it was always a bad thing. "I never had a father in the house, and he taught me that discipline. I needed that," he says about Brown’s rules. "But when I got with George (Clinton), he allowed me to really find myself and do anything I wanted."
- Find Peace: Collins says that he wants his new record, World Wide Funk, to spread a message of fun and positivity in a world overwhelmed by tragedy and sadness. "I felt this record should be more upbeat because people are kind of down; a lot of negative stuff going on. We ain’t got no balance no more. And funk is here to help funk that up."
World Wide Funk hits stores October 27.

Birthdays today include: Paul Wilson of Snow Patrol (38); Snoop Doggy Dogg (45); Dannii Minogue (46); Jim Sonefeld of Hootie & The Blowfish (53); Mark King of Level 42 (59); Al Greenwood of Florida (66); Rick Lee of Ten Years After (71); and Wanda Jackson (79). 
Today also would've been Tom Petty's 67th birthday. 

#WhatsHappening for October 18, 2017

Happy hump day, dudes and dudettes. I can't be the only one who's pretty damned happy we're on the downhill side of the week, right?

You know what always make me go "what the fuck"? "Best of" lists. Like this one from udiscovermusic that purports to list The 50 Greatest Guitarists Ever.

No Prince. No Lindsey Buckingham, Les Paul, Jerry Reed, Jimmy Nolen, Garry Shider, Michael Hampton, Vince Gill, Larry Carlton, Peter Green, Steve Lukather, Steve Miller. Hell, I could probably come up with 50 guitarists that should be listed before some of the people listed in the top 10.  And they could come up with a single female guitarist? Nancy Wilson is a flat-out badass, and what about Orianthi? Or Bonnie Raitt, Big Mama Thornton, Mary Ford, Joni Mitchell?

Give me a break.

The judge in the lawsuit against Frank Ocean filed by his estranged father, Calvin Cooksey,  has ruled that Cooksey failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove defamation.

The evidence offered was a Tumblr post from Ocean where he recalled a childhood memory of being at a New Orleans restaurant with Cooksey when the latter called their transgender waitress an anti-gay slur, before dragging Ocean out of the restaurant because the waitress was "dirty."

Judge Steven Wilson ruled that Cooksey could not produce anyone who saw the post or believed it was about him, and that any claim for damages were "speculative."

You'd be smiling, too.

Sixty-eight year old Billy Joel and his wife Alexis are expecting the birth of their second child next month. The couple have a two year old, Della Rose, who was born shortly after their marriage ceremony.

It will be Joel's third child.

Gord Downie, front man of Canada's The Tragically Hip, died yesterday, 10 days ahead of the release of his solo album-  Introduce Yourself. Downie had been battling brain cancer. More here. 

Queens of the Stone Age have added more US dates to their Villains tour after selling out all of their North American shows. 
The additional shows begin in January in Victoria, BC and run through and February date in Los Angeles.

Birthdays today include: Ne-Yo (35); Baby Bash (42); Peter Svensson of Cardigans (43); Wynton Marsalis (56); Keith Knudsen of Doobie Brothers (65); Gary Richrath of REO Speedwagon (68); Ronnie Bright of The Coasters (79). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for October 16, 2017

Monday.

Speaking of loads of shit- the whole "I'm boycotting the NFL thing."

Look, if you've decided that you don't want to watch NFL games because you feel like the players "taking a knee" during the National Anthem goes against your grain- that's cool. Own it. Live it.

But, if you've claimed that stance- stop. Stop watching the sports segment of the evening news. Stop watching SportsCenter on ESPN. Block the NFL Network from your cable/satellite package. Don't read articles about it. No fantasy football. And, for fuck's sake, stop commenting on NFL stories.

Because each and every time you do any of those things, you're making a liar out of yourself.

Cher will be in the sequel to Mama Mia.

Mama Mia, I went from very little to absolutely zero desire to see that movie. Then again, I didn't particularly care about seeing the original, either. And I'm an ABBA fan.

Speaking of movies- I'm almost as embarrassed for Mel Gibson, being in Daddy's Home 2 as I was for Robert DeNiro being in the Fokkers movies.

DJ Calvin Harris says he'll be donating proceeds from his latest performance at Las Vegas' OMNIA night club to the Las Vegas Victims' Fund. 

Harris joins DJs Diplo, Kaskade, and others in donating to the victims and families of those affected by the massacre. 

"The city of Las Vegas has given me so much," Harris posted to Instagram. "Life is so unbelievably precious. Please be the most life loving version of yourself you can be. Go outside. Get off your phone. Engage with the world around you. Love. God bless."

Ryman Hospitality Properties said that it will be expanding the Grand Ole Opry with an additional 5,000 square feet of retail space next year.

The expansion will begin in January and is expected to be completed by this time next year. New food options, a redesigned box office, a VIP lounge, and additional parking spaces are also included in the expansion.

RHP chairman Colin Reed said "more people than ever before are making the journey to Nashville to experience the magic of the Grand Ole Opry firsthand. This expansion will allow us to improve our guest experience before and after the shows while also providing us the opportunity to meet growing customer demand for additional Opry-themed experiences, enhanced food and beverage options and expanded tour offerings."

The company said the construction should not interfere with the Opry's calendar of events or daily tours. 

Good one. I love the Carpenters, though.

Birthdays today include: John Mayer (40); Wendy Wilson of Wilson Phillips (48); Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers (55); Bob Mould of Hüsker Dü (56); Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet (58); Tony Carey (64); Bob Weir of Grateful Dead (70); Roger Hawkins of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (71); C.F. Turner of Bachman Turner Overdrive (74). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for October 15, 2917

Happy Sunday, friends. Hope you're all enjoying your weekend. I've accomplished a whole bunch of nothing.

Well, that's not exactly true. I'm halfway through season three of Gotham and I managed to watch all of the DVR'd shows that were waiting.

Okay, I'm not sure why I think this is so funny- but damnit. It's funny!

Apparently a lot of people are talking about the cat who stole the show. If you missed it, here ya go. pic.twitter.com/cYSvanti3R

— Scott Madaus FOX13 (@scottmadaus) October 14, 2017

Attorneys for a Seattle woman who claimed rapper Nelly had raped her on his tour bus says she will refuse to testify against him in court and wants the criminal complaint against him dismissed. 
The woman reportedly said she "wishes she had not called 911 because she believes the system is going to fail her."
Police arrested Nelly after the incident on suspicion of second-degree rape. He was released the same day and has not been charged.
Nelly's attorney called the woman's claim a "completely fabricated allegation."

The Los Angeles mansion that was home to Eagles' co-founder Glenn Frey has been listed for sale.
The nearly nine-thousand square foot home in Brentwood Park is said to include six bedrooms and a total of seven full and four half bathrooms, a three car garage, an entertainment space, bar, and a home theater in the basement, two family rooms, a swimming pool and spa with a guesthouse/fitness room with its own bathroom.
If you're interested- the asking price is just shy of $15 million. Oh, and let me know when I can come visit.

Chance the Rapper, The National, and Gloria Estefan have been tapped to perform at the inaugural Obama Foundation global summit in Chicago.
The Foundation says it will be handing out 1,500 plus tickets to the show, which will be streamed live.
The summit aims to gather civic leaders from around the world "for a hands-on exchange of ideas to inspire and empower participants with tools to create positive change in their communities," according to a statement.

Joan Baez, Lucinda Williams, Patty Griffin, Steve Earle, and Brandi Carlisle  were among the performers at last week's benefit concert for the Jesuit Refugee Service in Los Angeles and the Baez told Variety that the show would be one of her last, as she's planned to stop making live appearances.
"Next year is my last year of formal touring," said Baez. "There will be four different tours, one month each, and then that’s it. I can choose if I want to go sing at a protest, or do something like this. The voice is so difficult to deal with now that having a point where I don’t have to do it anymore will be wonderful."

Baez says she plans to paint once she retires- building on the success of her recent exhibit, The Mischief Makers, in Mill Valley, California.
Baez also has a new album of 12 songs coming soon.

Bob Seger's new album is due out on November 17, the singer announced last week.
I Knew You When will include Seger's tributes to Lou Reed, Leonard Cohen, and Glenn Frey among it's 13 tracks. Frey and Seger had been friends since the late 60s, and Frey sang backup vocals on his breakthrough single, Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man. The album is also dedicated to Frey’s memory.

Birthdays today include: Jessie Ware (32); Keyshia Cole (36); Ginuwine (47); Tito Jackson of The Jacksons (64); Chris De Burgh (69); Richard Carpenter of The Carpenters (71); Don Stevenson of Moby Grape (76); Barry McGuire (81); and Freddy Cole (85). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for October 12, 2017

Hey, hi, howdy kids. Happy Thursday. 

Don't forget to join us this weekend for another exciting edition of Saturday Night Karaoke- live and in your earholes at the Iron Horse Tavern this weekend from 10pm-1am. Magic Mark handles the hosting duties this week.

You know, I imagine Snoop is a nice guy. He certainly projects an engaging personality.

But if I hear another fucking pot joke during the promos for the new version of The Joker's Wild that he's hosting, I might lose it.

And speaking of losing it- fuck the battle rap show, or whatever the fuck it is. The promos alone makes me want to go upside the heads of those involved.

The long-in-the-works Dan Fogelberg tribute album will finally hit stores November 17 and features a surprisingly country flavor.

A Tribute to Dan Fogelberg will feature performances by Garth Brooks, the Eagles, Zac Brown, and Vince Gill & Amy Grant- as well as Donna Summer, Michael McDonald, and others of fourteen of Fogelberg's best known songs.

Gill and Grant- who have been married for seventeen years- perform a duet of the late Fogelberg's best known single, Longer- which you can check out here.

A Tribute to Dan Fogelberg track listing:

1. Phoenix performed by Garth Brooks

2. Nether Lands performed by Donna Summer

3. Better Change performed by Michael McDonald

4. Longer performed by Amy Grant/Vince Gill

5. Same Old Lang Syne performed by Train

6. Don’t Lose Heart performed by Dobie Gray

7. Old Tennessee performed by Fool’s Gold/Denny Henson and Tom Kelly

8. As the Raven Flies performed by Casey James

9. Sutters Mill performed by Randy Owens

10. Run for the Roses performed by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with Richie Furay

11. Hard to Say performed by Boz Scaggs

12. Part of the Plan performed by Eagles

13. There’s a Place in the World for a Gambler performed by Jimmy Buffett

14. Leader of the Band performed by Zac Brown

Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre broke ground today for the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy- which the pair endowed in 2013 with a $70 million gift to the university.

The Academy has admitted 114 undergraduate students in the four years since who will receive a bachelor of science degree in arts, technology and the business of innovation that Iovine has called essential to industries of the future. A masters program at the academy was announced in March.

The facility will include fabrication labs for metal, wood, plastics and electronics; 3D printing and scanning; media labs for photo, video and audio capture and editing; and workshops and studios to encourage innovation and the development of startups.

Iovine said he hoped the school will "help our students to dream big, execute and build the courage to stay in the saddle."

Billy Corgan, who evidently didn't think people already perceived him as pretentious enough- has rebranded himself William Patrick Corgan ahead of his new solo set, Ogilala, due out tomorrow. 

Corgan will also head out on an acoustic mini-tour, starting in New York on Saturday night. You'll be at karaoke, of course.

Birthdays today include: Jordan Pundik of New Found Glory (37); Martie Seidel of Dixie Chicks (48); Garfield Bright of Shai (48); Chris Botti (55); Bob Mould (57); Jeff Keith of Tesla (59); Pat DiNizio of The Smithereens (62); Jane Siberry (62); Melvin Franklin of The Temptations (75); and Sam Moore of Sam & Dave (82). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for October 9, 2017

Hey kids. Happy Monday (if there is such a thing).

Don't forget to join us at The Iron Horse Tavern for Saturday Night Karaoke this week. It was a melancholy blast last weekend as we held a karaoke memorial for Tom Petty.

I took the night live on Facebook, too- but it's not the best quality. It seems that the only time I can get HD video is if I record the video and upload it, but not going live. That's kind of a bummer, because I'd really like to be able to do the live thing and have it look good. Of course, I'm going to have to get a separate webcam, because using my phone is a pain (plus, you can hear me talking to people because the phone evidently has a very sensitive microphone). 

Anyway, this week's Saturday Night Karaoke will bring us a step closer to our Eight Annual Costumes & Karaoke Party on October 28th- and I know you don't want to miss that!

The nominees for the next class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was announced last week. They are:

• Bon Jovi
• Kate Bush
• The Cars
• Depeche Mode
• Dire Straits
• Eurythmics
• J. Geils Band
• Judas Priest
• LL Cool J
• MC5
• The Meters
• Moody Blues
• Radiohead
• Rage Against the Machine
• Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
• Nina Simone
• Sister Rosetta Tharpe
• Link Wray
• The Zombies

The truly deserving on the list? Debatable, obviously. My picks are The Cars, Dire Straits, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Maybe the Moody Blues.

As much as I like LL Cool J, I don't think he belongs. I'd say the same about Eurhythmics (though I might but Dave Stewart in solo- I love Annie Lennox's voice, but I don't think the duo merits the call), Moody Blues, Depeche Mode, and Rufus featuring Chaka Khan. The rest, I just don't agree with.

I mean, I won't argue that Bon Jovi didn't have five or six monster years in the 80s, but what else? Yeah- not much. Rage Against the Machine and Radiohead are more along the lines of "I really don't care for them, fuck 'em" kind of things. And the only reason Link Wray showed up on this ballot is because he died recently.

Then again, the Hall is a joke anyway, so...

Anyway, you can cast your vote by visiting the museum's website.

Birthdays today include: Sean Lennon (42); producer Giles Martin- son of Sir George (48); P.J. Harvey (48); Kurt Neumann of The BoDeans (57); Ini Kamoze (60); James Fearnley of the Pogues (63); Jackson Browne (69); and Nona Hendryx of LaBelle (73). #MusicalBirthdays

#WhatsHappening for October 5, 2017

Hi kids.

I was chatting with a friend yesterday and they asked why yesterday's update had more on Marilyn Manson being injured than Tom Petty's sudden death. As I told them- I just didn't have it in me. I don't know that I do even now.

I mentioned in Monday's update (before there was actual verification of his passing) that Petty was part of the soundtrack of my life- releasing his first album in November of 1976, when I was all of eight years old. Much like Prince- whose debut came two years later- Petty's lyrics spoke to me, even if I might have been too young to initially understand the complexities that were cloaked by their simplicity.

Unlike some of the other performers we've lost in the past couple of years, it seems like Tom Petty might have been getting the short end of the stick as far as tributes go. It's not like his name and picture weren't all over the internet and airwaves Monday and Tuesday (though, admittedly, there was a slightly bigger story to report)- the news just seems kind of... I don't know... muted? I never met him, but I kind of think he really wouldn't mind.

Unlike David Bowie, or Prince (or George Michael, to a lesser degree), Petty wasn't flashy, flamboyant, or a fashion plate. As far as I know, he didn't have Glenn Frey's volatile personality (I can't recall ever reading about he and any of the rest of the Heartbreakers having knock-down, drag out fights and vowing to not play together again until "hell freezes over"), and he didn't cloak his lyrics in literary obscurity, a la Walter Becker (don't get me wrong, I love Steely Dan- and their lyrics- but, man, can they get dense).

No, Tom Petty didn't seem to be any of those things. What he was was a rock and roller, a damned fine guitar player (having seen him play live, I will attest to that), down to earth (at least, by appearances), and- very much like the other artists I mentioned- his songwriting was genius, tremendously meaningful, while being simple and relatable at the same time.

Petty had said that the tour that the band wrapped up last week- their 40th anniversary tour- would likely be the last "big" tour they'd do- owing to their collectively advancing ages. But he was also firm in his commitment to the Heartbreakers because it "keeps us young. I think it keeps me young."
In his final interview, Petty told Randy Lewis of the LA Times last week that the only way the band would call it quits was "If one of us went down or if one of us died -- God forbid -- or got sick … Then we’d stop. I think that would be the end of it, if someone couldn’t do it."

Little did he know that just five days later he'd be that someone.

#WhatsHappening for October 4, 2017

Hey kids, happy Hump Day.

Obviously, the big news in music continues to be the terrorist gunman's attack on the Route 91 Festival in Las Vegas.

May I make some suggestions? Don't mention his name. Don't share his picture. Don't acknowledge his motives- if any are ever found.

Instead, remember the victims. Celebrate them. Share their names.

Fuck that guy.

The other big news, of course, is that Tom Petty did die. 

That sucks.

Marilyn Manson was forced to cut his Saturday night show at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom short after a stage prop fell on him. 

A rep for the singer told Rolling Stone that "Manson suffered an injury towards the end of his NYC show. He is being treated at a local hospital."

EMT workers worked on the singer after roadies lifted the prop off of him. The incident came just one day after Manson fell off the stage during his concert in Pittsburgh.

Oh yeah... 6000%. That's the jump in sales of Tom Petty's songs from Monday to Tuesday.

Jennifer Hudson had a shoe thrown at her at a concert last week. 

My initial reaction was "what the fuck?"

Then, after reading the news piece about the incident and learning that the person who threw it was just imitating something Hudson herself had done on The Voice, I realized that that's what she gets for attention whoring herself out to the show- and making the completely moronic statement that "where (she comes) from, that's considered a compliment."

I think I'm gonna go ahead and put in for time off on July 17, 2020. Feel free to join me at the premiere of the Bob's Burgers movie.

Producer Mr. Porter says that Eminem is finished with recording sessions for his upcoming album.

Porter added that the album isn't ready to roll out yet, but a single could be released very soon.

Netflix and Marvel announced today that cast and crew members of their new series based on The Punisher would be pulling out of their planned appearance at New York's Comic-Con after Sunday night's terror attack in Las Vegas.

The companies released a joint statement today, saying they "are stunned and saddened by this week’s senseless act in Las Vegas. After careful consideration, Netflix and Marvel have decided it wouldn't be appropriate for Marvel’s The Punisher to participate in New York Comic Con. Our thoughts continue to be with the victims and those affected by this tragedy."

All five living former presidents will participate in the Deep From the Heart: The One America Appeal hurricane relief concert at Reed Arena on the Texas A&M campus on October 21.

The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library Foundation announced that Bush, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama would appear onstage together at the event- which will be emceed by Lee Greenwood.

Alabama, the Gatlin Brothers, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Sam Moore, Yolanda Adams, Cassadee Pope, and Stephanie Quayle are among the scheduled performers. 

George H.W. Bush said in a statement that he and his son "and our distinguished colleagues in this 'One America Appeal' are very grateful to these wonderful performers... for giving their time and talent to help the urgent cause of hurricane recovery in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean. It’s important that those affected by these devastating storms know that, even if the path to recovery feels like a road that goes on forever, we’re with them for the long haul."

The former presidents launched the fundraiser last month to raise money for hurricane relief with the original intent to raise money for those affected by Hurricane Harvey. The effort was then expanded to include recovery from Hurricane Irma in Florida and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Birthdays today include: Lena Katina of t.A.T.u. (33); Leo Barnes of Hothouse Flowers (52); Jon Secada (56); Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys (58); Barbara K. MacDonald of Timbuk 3 (59); Russel Simmons (61); and Jim Fielder of Blood, Sweat & Tears (70). #MusicalBirthdays 

#WhatsHappening for October 2, 2017

Fifty-nine dead at last count, more than 500 injured after a gunman opened fire on the final day's performance of the Route 91 Festival that was held on the Las Vegas strip this weekend.

Country singer Jason Aldean was on the stage when the shooting broke out, coming down on the Las Vegas Strip venue from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Las Vegas police who went to confront the shooter found him dead from suicide.
Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said police found 10 rifles in the shooter's hotel room- along with "several thousand rounds" of ammunition, explosives, and "electrionic devices". A raid at the suspect's home in Mesquite, Nevada this afternoon yielded 18 more firearms, more explosives, and several thousand more rounds of ammunition.

Despite Islamic State claims of responsibility for the incident, FBI Special Agent Aaron Rouse told a news conference this afternoon that the agency had "determined at this point no connection to an international terrorist organisation."

I want to say something profound. Persuasive even. But let's be honest- if a fucking nut-job shooting up an elementary school and killing 20 children didn't lead to real, meaningful changes in gun laws, there's no way this will, either.

Instead there'll just be a lot of uproar about gun laws, the NRA, mental health, etc. It's the same bullshit we've heard after every single instance. 

All we can do is mourn the victims.

I've been listening to Tom Petty's music since I was eight. Much like the music of Prince, Petty's tunes have been integral pieces to the soundtrack of my life. I own each of his albums. I've seen him in concert. I'm reeling. 

On the bright side- as of 10:15 Eastern- there is still no confirmation that Petty has died- or even that he's actually hospitalized. I'm going to keep holding out hope that TMZ is just wrong in their reports that he singer was found in full cardiac arrest in his home in Malibu.

Local authorities would not confirm who it was, and the CBS News says its Tweet saying that the LAPD had confirmed Petty's death was erroneous. They issued a statement that said the "LAPD... said it was not in a position to confirm information about the singer and that 'initial information was inadvertently provided to some media sources.' In that statement, the LAPD also apologized for 'any inconvenience in this reporting.'"

The Heartbreakers just wrapped up their 40th anniversary concert tour last week in Los Angeles and Petty said it was, very likely, the band's last full-scale tour.

Peace out, everyone. That's all I can handle tonight.