Shania name-droppings... [Archive] - Page 6

FinnFreak

12-18-2006, 8:13am

;)

PR Newswire (press release) - Monday 18th December, 2006

Coty Inc. Launches Global Holiday Initiative Against Leukemia

World's Largest Fragrance Company Enlists Help of Employees, Partners and
Friends to Drive Donor Recruitment and Monetary Donations to DKMS

NEW YORK, Dec. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- This holiday season, Coty
Inc., the largest fragrance company in the world, will contribute $150,000
to DKMS, the world's largest non-profit bone marrow donor center, in honor
of the Coty-DKMS: Linked Against Leukemia partnership. Coty's holiday gift
is part of the multi-faceted "Snowflakes never match, People sometimes do"
winter campaign.

"With our large global network, it is Coty's sincere hope that our
employees, partners, families and friends take advantage of this unique
opportunity to unite behind such a deserving cause," said Bernd Beetz, CEO,
Coty Inc. "Just as an individual makes a difference within the Coty Inc.
organization, each donor registered or dollar contributed to DKMS can make
the ultimate difference - that of potentially saving a life."

From December through mid-January 2007, Coty Inc. will help leukemia
patients find their match by tapping into Coty's network of over 8,500
employees in more than 25 countries, worldwide business associates, friends
and family to encourage donor recruitment and monetary donations. Leukemia
knows no boundaries -- neither does Coty Inc. In an effort to raise
awareness of the partnership, Coty Inc. will:

* Distribute both print and electronic corporate holiday cards announcing
both the Coty-DKMS: Linked Against Leukemia partnership and Coty's
holiday gift of a monetary donation made in each card recipient's name.

* Develop a public service announcement (PSA) to educate consumers on how
to help leukemia patients find their match and join the fight for life.

The PSA, featuring CEO Bernd Beetz, DKMS spokesperson Daryl Mac Daniels
(better known as DMC of the legendary hip hop group, Run DMC), and DKMS
Americas CEO Katharina Harf, will run on Health and Wellness channels,
as well as a number of social networking Web sites. A special Web site
has been created for donor recruitment and monetary donations at
http://www.linkedagainstleukemia.org.

* Invite Coty Inc. employees to join the company's worldwide lifesaving
efforts by hosting a company donor drive held at Coty's New York
corporate headquarters.

More than a charitable cause for the holiday, Coty Inc.'s partnership
with DKMS is about saving lives and building loyalty among employees.
Research shows that cause-related initiatives are of great influence for
employees, consumers and other citizens alike. In fact, 64 percent of
full-time workers born between 1979 and 1984 say they feel loyalty to their
company due to its cause-related activities (The 2006 Cone Millennial Cause
Study).

Coty Inc. joined DKMS in October 2006 in the fight against leukemia,
one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide. Leukemia touched Coty
Inc. in a very personal manner in 1991, when the wife of longtime Coty Inc.
Chairman Peter Harf succumbed to the disease.

For more information on Coty-DKMS: Linked against Leukemia visit
http://www.linkedagainstleukemia.org.

About Coty Inc.

Coty was created in Paris in 1904 by Frangois Coty who is credited with
founding the modern fragrance industry. Coty Inc. delivers innovative
products to consumers in 91 markets worldwide.

Today, Coty Inc. is the world's largest fragrance company and a
recognized leader in global beauty with annual net sales of $2.9 billion.
Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, passion, innovation and creativity,
Coty Inc. has developed an unrivaled portfolio of 40 designer, celebrity
and lifestyle brands.

The Coty Prestige brand portfolio is distributed in prestige and ultra-
prestige stores and includes designer brands - Calvin Klein, Cerruti,
Chloe, Jette Joop, Jil Sander, JOOP!, Kenneth Cole, Marc Jacobs, Nikos,
Vera Wang and Vivienne Westwood; celebrity brands - Desperate Housewives,
Jennifer Lopez and Sarah Jessica Parker; and lifestyle brands - Chopard,
Davidoff, Lancaster, Nautica and Phat Farm.

The Coty Beauty brand portfolio is more widely distributed and includes
designer brand - Pierre Cardin*; celebrity brands - Celine Dion, David and
Victoria Beckham, Isabella Rossellini, mary-kateandashley and Shania Twain;
and lifestyle brands - adidas, Aspen, Astor, Calgon, Chupa Chups, Esprit,
Exclamation, Jovan, Miss Sixty, Miss Sporty, Rimmel, Stetson, the healing
garden and Vanilla Fields. For additional information about Coty Inc.,
please visit http://www.coty.com.

* European license only.

About DKMS

DKMS, ("Deutsche Knochenmarkspenderrdatei" or German Bone Marrow Donor
Center in English), is the world's largest non-profit bone marrow donor
center.

The organization was officially co-founded in Germany in 1991 by Peter
Harf, who was looking for a matching donor for his wife who was suffering
from acute leukemia, and his wife's physician, Professor Gerhard Ehniger.
Their goal was to build a donor center that would help more patients in
need find their donor match.

DKMS has become the largest non-profit bone marrow donor center in the
world and facilitated more than 10,000 transplants. In 2005 alone, DKMS
recruited more than 150,000 donors and currently has a network of more than
1.4 million registered donors worldwide. In January of 2006, DKMS extended
their mission to include registering more donors in the United States and
expect to register at least an additional 2, 500 donors in the US this
year.

When someone registers to become a bone marrow donor, their tissue
characteristics are listed anonymously on the National Marrow Donor Program
(NMDP), which can be searched by transplant centers for patients in need
all over the world.

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-18-2006/0004492727&EDATE=

John - :)

canoilers

12-18-2006, 8:45am

Thanks for the articles guys. :D

Troll

12-18-2006, 9:51am

Thanks for the article.

Troll

12-21-2006, 10:11am

"I've been saying for years country has more to do with Bon Jovi than it does Hank Williams," Doe said. "As soon as Garth Brooks came out with that earpiece microphone like Madonna, I felt 'that's done; that's over.' I don't feel the need to be nice, you know?

"F--- them and f--- their greedy business people that want to make country pop music that sucks. Mutt Lange and Shania Twain and the heavy metal producers that moved to Nashville can go f--- themselves for ruining something.

"Marginalization is death. I'm just a punk rock artist who loves country. When you see it done for money, it's hard to accept."

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/12/20/entertainment/movies/122006115936.txt

matty

12-21-2006, 2:11pm

Maybe he should research an artist before insulting them :rolleyes:

dreamer

12-21-2006, 2:44pm

FinnFreak

12-21-2006, 5:04pm

He's a punk rock artist - what else can you expect..? :dunno:

They tend to look at things from a certain perspective - that's *his* view.

John - :smirk:

EilleenTwain88

12-22-2006, 6:46pm

"F--- them and f--- their greedy business people that want to make country pop music that sucks. There is definitely a difference between making it for money or making money out of it...

canoilers

12-24-2006, 4:08pm

This punk rock artist seems to be a punk.

dreamer

12-24-2006, 5:09pm

I was thinking more of a fraidy cat - too afraid to be honest and true to himself. but ok punk works too:)

RKSTFan

12-28-2006, 5:52pm

Today - December 28 (http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=39255) - is Shania and Mutt's 13th Anniversary.

In 1993, country singer Shania Twain married producer Mutt Lange.

Source (http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=39255)

dreamer

12-29-2006, 6:39pm

love to both of them

matty

12-31-2006, 1:03pm

From the Sunday Mail Magazine...

The Tracks Of My Life - Ronan Keating

The Song I Romance To - You're Still The One, Shania Twain (1998)

The lyrics to this song are very poignant to Yvonne and me:'Looks like we made it, look how far we've come'. After eight years, our relationship is still fantastic.

Alex

12-31-2006, 3:14pm

Thanks for the little article.:D

Troll

12-31-2006, 3:56pm

Thanks Matty.

Troll

12-31-2006, 3:57pm

My Aunt Linda (Sortino) loved Dolly Parton, so I always listened to Dolly when I was at her home. But it was probably when Shania (Twain) came out that Liz and I both really got into country," said Chris.

http://www.thedailyjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006612300303

Troll

01-02-2007, 7:41am

So Brioso, 38, bought 15 acres of land from her sister. A former set and graphics designer for Univision, she made jewelry on the side. She decided to go into business for herself after Shania Twain, visiting her sister’s farm, bought several pieces from her. The singer encouraged Brioso to open a boutique.

Two years ago, she did. She now runs Alei & Ani’s Shabby Shak in downtown Ocala named for herself and her sister.

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/01/01/State/Cuban_Americans_sprea.shtml

dreamer

01-02-2007, 8:17pm

really neat snipit

Troll

01-03-2007, 9:54am

New today is a book by Rolling Stone contributing editor Rob Sheffield, "Love Is A Mix Tape: Life And Loss, One Song at a Time".

In the 1990s, when “alternative” was suddenly mainstream, bands like Pearl Jam and Pavement, Nirvana and R.E.M.—bands that a year before would have been too weird for MTV- were MTV. It was the decade of Kurt Cobain and Shania Twain and Taylor Dayne, a time that ended all too soon. The boundaries of American culture were exploding, and music was leading the way.

http://blawk359.blogspot.com/2007/01/new-release-in-books-love-is-mix-tape.html

FinnFreak

01-03-2007, 10:19am

:huh: Taylor Dayne..? oh yes - the lady who did: "Tell It To My Heart" (1988) :D

man, I feel old. heh. ;)

...I didn't care that much about Kurt Cobain, though... :uhh: - and still don't...

John - :p

matty

01-03-2007, 2:12pm

...I didn't care that much about Kurt Cobain, though... :uhh: - and still don't...

John - :p

Me either, I guess the whole tourtured soul image sells.

Troll

01-03-2007, 2:22pm

FinnFreak

01-08-2007, 4:30am

Staten Island Advance, NY - Sunday, January 07, 2007

Free to be a country fan

It ain't easy coming out of the cowgirl closet, but, yahoo, it feels great

By MEGHAN PERO

I was stuck in rush-hour traffic on the way to the beach when I heard it -- Kenny Chesney crooning the chorus to "Keg in the Closet." I rolled my eyes -- my brother's new infatuation: country music. It almost made me regret my midwinter migration to visit him in Florida. But by the second song, it wasn't so bad; and by the third, I was hooked.

I spent the rest of the week soaking up the sun and more of his country-music collection. When I got home I downloaded some of the songs I liked. After a few weeks of dabbling in country culture, I suddenly found my iPod taken over with Nashville's finest. I would catch myself humming Toby Keith songs during the day and watching CMT (Country Music Television) instead of MTV.

Now came the tricky part -- telling my friends. After a few months of being in the country closet, I felt it was time to come out. I was tired of hiding my iTunes and CD collection.

One day, it just happened. I was hanging out, listening to my iPod, and I offered my headphones to one of my friends. Her reaction -- confusion and disgust.

After resisting my best persuasion, my friends decided they didn't care what I listened to as long as they didn't have to. I finally felt free.

Having liberated my inner cowgirl, I became more comfortable with letting out my secret. My away messages were filled with Rascal Flatts lyrics ("... even New York City got one or two hillbillies ready to hit the road"), and I had no reservations about serenading my friends with my favorite song of the week.

I'm on a one-woman quest to educate people about country music.

Country is not that different from pop or rock. There are solo artists and groups. There are love songs, songs that make you feel good and songs that are good for when you're feeling down. There are sub-genres -- Christian country, Bluegrass, country folk, Nashville -- and purists who lament the influence of pop and rock.

Since country has hit mainstream radio, most city teens have enjoyed a country song without realizing it. Last summer "You'll Think of Me" by Keith Urban was played endlessly on Z100. I even caught a few of my friends singing along.

Shania Twain, top-selling female artist ever, blurred the lines between musical genres with her CD, "Up!" which debuted in three volumes, the pop, country and international version.

In 2006, country artists captured three titles in the Top 10 best-selling CDs: "Some Hearts" by Carrie Underwood, "Me and My Gang" by Rascal Flatts and "The Road and the Radio" by Kenny Chesney.

Country is not for the weak of heart. With daily interventions, friends try to snap you back to the reality that you live in NYC and not Alabama. The question I get asked the most is "why?" Sometimes we are drawn to music, and once we are there, there's no going back.

In the car, I still blast Z100 and sing along with my friends. But at night when I'm unwinding or studying for an extra hard test, country is what is pulsing through my eardrums.

http://www.silive.com/living/advance/index.ssf?/base/living/116816677745440.xml&coll=1

...though, IMHO, a good song is simply a good song - no matter what genre it's supposed to be...

...and now it's Johnny Cash-time..!

John - ;)

FinnFreak

01-08-2007, 6:36am

Pitchforkmedia.com, IL - Mon: 01-08-07

"Everything But Country"

Story by Stephen M. Deusner

For several years I've been taking a highly informal poll of friends, family members, coworkers, and random passersby, and I've discovered that the most popular answer to the question "What kind of music do you like?" is "I like everything," qualified with "except rap and country." This is unsettling. Let's set aside the possible race and class implications of that appending phrase; anyone who closes themselves off to these two genres is missing out on vast and exciting worlds of music in which territory is being explored that's foreign to indie guitar bands, squeaky clean pop acts, and dead rock idols.

Mainstream hip-hop has been filtering into indie culture for a few years, but contemporary country music has been slow to take root beyond safe alt- holdovers. Perhaps it's because the music as played by corporate radio stations is perceived to be simplistic, jingoistic, and sentimental-- which is true to an extent-- or simply because Arcade Fire fans don't want to be associated with NASCAR fans and Wal-Mart shoppers. As a result, indie faves Neko Case and Jenny Lewis are considered to be merely dabbling in country, and Tim McGraw covering "Stars Go Blue" doesn't mean Ryan Adams is the new Kris Kristofferson. Instead, older country music gets a pass, and artists like the Carter Family, Dock Boggs, and Bob Wills are perfectly acceptable to indie ears, perhaps because there was no rock'n'roll to compete with at that time or because they're so far removed from our current music climate that they don't register as country anymore. Even the next few generations of country artists have found an audience among younger listeners: Willie Nelson is a favorite due to his ceaseless experimenting, Loretta Lynn found a new audience working with Jack White, and Johnny Cash is more popular with the indie (and every other) crowd dead than he was alive.

On Legends of Country Music: Classic Hits from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, Shout! Factory has compiled three discs' worth of cap-C Country: songs that bring to mind dusty tapes in truck-stop carousels and free shows played on flatbeds at rural car shows. Accompanying a PBS documentary of the same name, the set is loosely, almost haphazardly organized, offering no criteria for what it considers country and asserting no discrimination between good and bad: obviously C.W. McCall's CB novelty hit "Convoy" was included for vastly different reasons than George Jones' anthem to self-delusion "She Thinks I Still Care", but Legends of Country Music presents these songs as equals, which is equally refreshing and admittedly a little confounding.

As a history of country music, the set is therefore sorely limited, presenting this music plainly and without much context, with no organizing principle or connective tissue (the liner notes read as a mere formality) to track the development of sound or style. Then again, for its core audiences (the older generations who bought other titles in the series, such as Doo Wop Vocal Greats Live and Magic Moments: The Best of 50s Pop), Legends of Country Music is a nostalgia piece, a collection of stimuli for reminiscence. For a younger, potentially indie-minded generation-- who either didn't experience these songs first-hand or, like me, experienced them as young children-- Legends of Country Music is an absorbing, albeit not very intensive, introduction to a wide range of country music.

Mostly, Legends of Country Music is fun, a quality many box sets are sorely lacking. It covers three decades of country hits, from the infectious two-step of Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys' "New San Antonio Rose" to the chugging rhythms of Willie Nelson's iconic "On the Road Again". In between are songs that prove both obvious and surprising. There are hits most everyone will recognize ("Ring of Fire" , "I Fall to Pieces"), relatively obscure or almost-forgotten gems (Donna Fargo's psychotically chipper "The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A."), an embarrassment of saccharine ballads (admit it, "I Will Always Love You" still brings a tear to your jaded eye), and more than a few oddball novelties (Johnny Horton's alligator-blasting "The Battle of New Orleans", Jerry Reed's "When You're Hot You're Hot", which was the "Float On" of its day). Granted, there are some curious choices and some glaring omissions: Hank Williams would be better represented by "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" or "Your Cheatin' Heart" than by "Jambalaya (on the Bayou)", and what the samhill happened to Merle Haggard? Tanya Tucker? Barbara Mandrell? Tom T. Hall? Bobby Bare? On the other hand, to include every significant country hit and every worthwhile country artist would take a collection of box sets, not just one.

Still, as a mixtape or short-run radio station, Legends excels, especially in its non-chronological tracklisting. The compilers have cleverly sequenced the songs to talk to one another, playing out sentiments and themes across several tracks. The back-to-back pairing of Hank Thompson's "The Wild Side of Life" and Kitty Wells' "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" is fairly obvious, as Wells wrote her song as a direct response to the woman-baiting accusations of Thompson's manly lament. Even better is Lynn Anderson's "Rose Garden" answering Freddy Fender's "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights", as if scolding him for wallowing in self-pity.

Perhaps even more intriguing is the fact that Fender and Anderson are even paired at all. Their interpretations of country elements are dramatically different: With its skipping beat and polished production, "Rose Garden" has a moddish poise that's worlds away from Fender's rough-hewn doo wop-inspired lament. And yet both songs were not only considered country, but were big hits for their singers (albeit five years apart). Almost accidentally Legends of Country Music demonstrates how wide-ranging country could be, how loose its definition could be stretched, and how dramatically our perception of "country" has changed over half a century. Alongside the usual suspects here (Waylon, Willie, Dolly, and any other singer you'd recognize by his or her first name) are artists who expanded the sound as they sought crossover success, incorporating hot jazz, blues, rockabilly, rock'n'roll, British Invasion, show tunes, easy listening, folk, and pop into their country songs. The gripe that country doesn't sound "country" anymore is not a new complaint.

In the 50s artists such as Bob Wills and Hank Thompson modeled their groups on swing bands, surrounding themselves with talented soloists, even as artists like Hank Williams and Johnny Cash ushered in the era of the lone singer-songwriter baring his heart on stage. Rock and roll has always played a role in country's development, and vice versa; Cash and Elvis were on the same label after all. And in the 60s artists borrowed liberally from rock music: Jeannie C. Riley's righteous "Harper Valley PTA" rocked a mod groove bolstered by her backsass delivery. Connie Smith's "Once a Day" deployed a modified two-step that almost sound like reggae, and Bobbie Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe" still casts its dusty Southern gothic spell 40 years after its heyday. A decade later, Crystal Gayle cooed "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" like she's Karen Carpenter's sister, not Loretta Lynn's, and Kenny Rogers crooned "The Gambler" like he's never sat at a card table, taking more pointers from pop singers than from country artists.

The final disc, which covers the 70s, is perhaps the most interesting, if only because it is the most recent and relevant to the state of country music today-- at least as viewed by indie eyes. Several of the artists on this disc-- including Freddy Fender, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings-- would not be considered country today. Instead, they'd most likely be shunted aside to the margins of alt-country along with the likes of Alejandro Escovedo, Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams, and Iris DeMent. Conversely, these artists might have been included in a compilation like this if they'd come along a few decades earlier.

Fifteen years ago, alt-country must have seemed like such a righteous undertaking, a means of reclaiming country traditions that had been forsaken by the mainstream. After all, it wasn't Nashville that made Johnny Cash an icon or helped the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack sell millions of copies and win multiple Grammys. But these days it's hard to imagine Neko Case or Victoria Williams being played alongside Shania Twain, Lee Ann Womack, or even Miranda Lambert. Nashville has so firmly delineated the terms and definitions of country music (along business as well as musical lines) that anyone who doesn't fit the camera-ready criteria doesn't stand much of a chance of getting heard on mainstream outlets. But the blame goes both ways: alt-country artists seem to have ceded the popular audience to the hat acts, remaining content to work the smaller alt-circuits and build modest cult audiences. Their fans have in turn established an us-vs.-them attitude that at worst cuts off all dialogue with the mainstream and at best just makes it a one-way street. McGraw has covered Adams, but it's doubtful Adams will reciprocate (although, who knows? He might just to spite me).

The truth is, mainstream country music-- now as ever-- isn't all that bad. Sure, you have to wade through a lot of Trace Adkinses and Craig Morgans to find your Julie Robertses and Toby Keiths (seriously), but the crap-to-gold ratio is no more substantial than any other genre-- it's just that the difference between the crap and the gold seems greater. To its considerable credit, Legends of Country Music harkens to a period when country could be inclusive rather than exclusive. In other words, it doesn't show us where we are now or even how we got here, but how far we moved in the past 50 years, for better or worse.

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/40330/Everything_But_Country

John - ;)

FinnFreak

01-08-2007, 7:52am

CMT.com, TN - Mon. January 08.2007

HOT DISH: Who Says They're the Hottest CDs?

Commercial Country Rarely Mentioned on Year-End Lists

By: Hazel Smith

(CMT Hot Dish is a weekly feature written by veteran columnist Hazel Smith. Author of the cookbook, Hazel's Hot Dish: Cookin' With Country Stars, she also shares her recipes at CMT.com.)

While history-making Nancy Pelosi looks hot in Armani as she hits the U.S. Capitol building as the first-ever female speaker of the House, I sit on my wide backside wearing my nightgown until noon while trying to rectify my misdeeds of ignorance.

See, I compare every country song by my personal choice of greatness -- that being George Jones' 1980 hit, "He Stopped Loving Her Today." A couple have come close: Kenny Chesney's "The Good Stuff" and Brooks & Dunn's "Believe" come to mind.

Using this measuring stick with albums, I began to chastise myself -- but others mostly -- when some of my favorite albums failed to make it to the year-end "best of" lists compiled by the so-called experts. I was literally scalding until my editor at CMT.com pointed out that two of the albums I had praised -- Brad Paisley's Time Well Wasted and Brooks & Dunn's Hillbilly Deluxe were actually released in 2005 and did not qualify for anyone's 2006 list.

Reviewers are only human, but a lot of them have a know-it-all attitude and tend to enjoy bragging on what they prefer -- and not what the fans necessarily like. Sometimes, reviewers can make or break an act. And then sometimes, they don't.

Rascal Flatts' Me and My Gang is the top-selling CD of all music acts for 2006, and I don't recall one outstanding review of the project. Me and My Gang sold 3.4 million copies, but I didn't see this act on a single "best of" list. That's my beef. As far as Rascal Flatts goes, young people have adopted this pop-country trio, and they're showing up at all the right places, like Dick Clark's New Year's Eve extravaganza on ABC with a zillion eyeballs glued to the tube no matter how glazed those eyes may have been. And Rascal Flatts' CDs are selling like hotcakes in spite of being omitted from the "best of" lists.

The experts' Top 10 list is more likely to be topped by Joe Such-and-Such from Austin, Texas, or Mary Who's-It from Phoenix. Who are these people? Who listened to their albums? Hey, it's gotten so ridiculous, I think if I saw Kenny Chesney's album on a "best of" list written by a Music City reviewer, I'd probably faint.

I keep thinking about Keith Urban's current album, Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing, and the room spins. When Keith checked into rehab just before the debut of his highly anticipated CD, it seemed all the high hopes and quadruple-platinum dreams dimmed as reality whooshed upon us without mercy. Lord knows, Keith worked his butt off and recorded a genuine killer record. Who, pray tell, is writing what a great record Keith made? Put the CD in your player and on your dadgum "best of list," friends! It's great music.

Locals have been fairly kind to Josh Turner's two platinum CDs. Josh has been lucky, and one can't help but wonder if the comparisons to Johnny Cash has upped his status. But surely we realize God created only one Johnny Cash, so there is no comparison.

Nobody has hurt themselves bragging on Rodney Atkins' If You're Going Through Hell. With 10 hard hillbilly years on his Music Row-ometer, most would have tucked tail and been long gone and forgotten. But not Rodney. A sickly, adopted child who was brought back to the orphanage before the third couple said they'd keep him, Rodney does not have the word "quit" in his vocabulary. Rodney has made it. Just think: A year ago, Rodney was selling wood to Alan Jackson for his fireplace -- and this year, he's opening shows for Big Alan.

Unlike the radio industry, journalists are too poor to ever be considered important enough for payola. So our gig is mostly writing about what we like or, in my case, writing about what the fans like. I'll admit it ticks me off royally when I think about the fact that we can't turn on the radio in January 2007 and hear the music of four of the greatest songwriters who ever picked up a pen. I speak of Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson.

Others can go ahead and write about Joe Such-and-Such from Austin, and Mary Who's-It from Phoenix, but it's like a poot in a whirlwind: It's here, and it's gone. Nobody cares, and that's because it didn't bring a smile or a tear to fans like Garth Brooks, the Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain and others have.

It reminds me of Shania Twain's Come on Over, which remains the all-time top-selling CD since Nielsen Soundscan started keeping tabs of sales in 1991. Shania's CD has sold a whopping 15.4 million copies, but despite the ringing cash registers, but I don't think the album was on many "best of" after it was released in 1997.

That, friends, is one reason I wrote this piece. Those of us who make a living writing about country music should remember the artists who make the money that keeps the lights on in all of those offices on Music Row.

http://www.cmt.com/news/articles/1549408/20070105/jones_george.jhtml?headlines=true

:shocked: - * I am speechless *

John - ;):up:

Troll

01-08-2007, 10:07am

Thanks for the articles.

tower

01-08-2007, 5:56pm

Hazel Smith is very similar in her views to that of Beverly Keel, one more music journalist, and a University Proffessor to boot who does not have much time for the Tin Pan Alley music machine that is Nashville.

I particularly get upset at the fact she points out that you can not hear great song writers such as Dolly Parton and Willy Nelson on country radio anymore, this was very true of the old Moose FM here in Timmins which refused to play country older than the 1980's and were so proud of that rediculous position they actually had jingles singing the fact that they refuse to play so called 'old' country.

Sad very sad is my view of Country music Radio in 2007. It has to buck up or it will not survive.

tower

01-08-2007, 6:02pm

I particularly get upset at the fact she points out that you can not hear great song writers such as Dolly Parton and Willy Nelson on country radio anymore, this was very true of the old Moose FM here in Timmins which refused to play country older than the 1980's and were so proud of that rediculous position they actually had jingles singing the fact that they refuse to play so called 'old' country.

Sad very sad is my view of Country music Radio in 2007. It has to buck up or it will not survive.

Moose FM of course changed formats in 2006 from so called 'New' Country to a similar tried, trusted and very tired format "Classic Rock". More playlisted narrow formatting, so listeners can get no choice.

This was after of course they 'used' Shania Twain's "That don't impress me much" to get them self some free national publicity after making the record 'stick' on air for some 12 hours. I think they had about 3 phone calls from Timmins complaining, most thought it an improvement on the previous rubbish they had been churning out 24/7. Sigh :uhh:

FinnFreak

01-10-2007, 7:57am

Manchester Evening News, UK - Wednesday, 10th January 2007

Soapstar Superstar: Gemma hangs on

http://soapstar.itv.com/uploads/images/1167840828921_0.13963644410155307.jpg

HOLLYOAKS: In the City star Gemma Atkinson has kept her place in ITV’s Soapstar Superstar.

Gemma who plays Lisa in the show, was battling to avoid elimination against fellow cast member Leon Lopez who plays Tank Top in the E4 Hollyoaks spin-off show.

But the sexy 22-year-old polled more votes than Leon getting the chance to sing-on with Shania Twain’s You’re Still the One.

The nine-day talent contest to raise money for charity pitches nine soap stars against each other, singing songs voted for by the viewers, with one booted off the show every night.

Last night though M.E.N. columnist Tupele Dorgu from Coronation Street and Alan Fletcher from Neighbours learned one of them would be eliminated after getting the least votes.

The surviving soap stars will have to sing a song chosen by the public as well as a medley of three songs by their favourite artists.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/filmandtv/s/232/232820_soapstar_superstar_gemma_hangs_on.html

John - ;)

Troll

01-10-2007, 9:32am

Thanks for the article.

dreamer

01-10-2007, 8:35pm

wow!!!:)

FinnFreak

01-12-2007, 3:30am

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO - Jan 10, 2007

Arc brings special workers and employers together

By Rebecca Roussell

Katie Bickel is well-known in her Crestwood community and thinks her job is fun.

Bickel, 28, who was born with Down syndrome, has been a hostess at the Daily Bread Bakery & Cafe in Des Peres for six years.

"She is very reliable and our customers really appreciate having her here," said Paul Barkofske, general manager of the cafe. "She adds a lot, personality wise, to the environment here."

Bickel is one of more than 500 people placed at jobs in the St. Louis area by the St. Louis Arc, a nonprofit organization that provides a variety of services and assistance to adults and children with developmental disabilities.

Founded in 1950, Arc began providing employment services for adults 18 and older about 15 years ago. It has 20 job coaches and specialists, offering a variety of help to employers and workers.

"We actually work together with them to find employment," said Ashley Nanney, assistant director of employment services for the Arc. "Once they obtain employment, they (receive) job coaching."

The coaches make sure job descriptions are understood and that employers have everything necessary to provide for employees' special needs.

As part of the assessment, workers usually spend about four hours at first trying out the job to see if their skills match up to the rigors of a particular post. The process also is designed to help employers get over any fears in hiring people with developmental disabilities.

"Making sure you have a good job match in the beginning will get you over some of those hurdles or stereotypes that might exist," Nanney said.

Employers also are offered information about financial incentives for hiring workers with disabilities. For example, they can receive a federal tax credit of up to $2,400 per year, per employee. The credit can be applied to any employee who receives supplemental security income.

But the tax credit isn't available every year. It depends on congressional approval and funding.

Nearly 45,000 Missouri businesses applied for the tax credit in 2006, but Congress didn't approve it. The tax credit is available this year.

Despite the incentive many businesses have reservations about hiring people with disabilities.

"When employers have their own fears and concerns of hiring people with disabilities, they don't actively look to recruit people with disabilities," said Linda Baker-Oberst, spokeswoman for the Missouri's Governor's Council on Disability.

The Missouri Department of Economic Development's Division of Workforce Development hopes to change those perceptions under a new initiative. Using a $1.3 million federal grant, the division will provide resources and information to employers about hiring people with disabilities.

"Diversity is not just a color, gender or ethnicity issue," Oberst said. "It (a disability) can happen to anybody."

For his part, Barkofske said the Daily Bread didn't need any incentives to hire Bickel.

"We don't need to be reimbursed or credited for us to have her (Bickel) employed here," said Barkofske.

Bickel required a little more time to get trained, but she has "benefited the day-to-day operations of the Daily Bread," Barkofske said.

"She is an important part of our team during the day," Barkofske said. "And when she is not here, it is noticed."

Bickel said she uses her paycheck to buy CDs by Shania Twain, her favorite country music artist. She also enjoys shopping and going to the movies.

Bickel's parents, Brenda and Martin Bickel, couldn't be happier for their daughter's job.

"Our goal was to have a functional adult in society, and she has reached that goal," said Brenda Bickel.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/0/AA0534765768A1488625726000148B3F?OpenDocument

* * *

MoviesOnline, Canada - Jan 10, 2007

Ne-Yo Interview, Director Stomp The Yard

Q: And the Irreplaceable song is on the charts right now with Beyonce. What is your writing process like? Is it all from personal experiences or what do you do?

Ne-Yo: It really depends song to song. The majority of the time it’s personal experience. I try to go off something that’s happened to me personally only because I don’t feel that I can write a song about something that I don’t know anything about.

Q: So were your bags to the left or were her bags to the left?

Ne-Yo: Well that particular song, the way that that one came about, I wasn’t really thinking about any personal experience. I was thinking about Shania Twain and Faith Hill when I wrote that song.

http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_10991.html

* * *

The Decatur Daily, AL - THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2007

Loretta Lynn to tell her story again, in song, from VBC stage

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/livingtoday/070111/loretta.jpg
Loretta Lynn will perform Jan. 19 in Huntsville.

By Ronnie Thomas

Loretta Lynn croons "Story of My Life" on the closing track of "Van Lear Rose," the Jack White-produced album.

"Not half bad for this ol' Kentucky girl, I guess ... here's the story of my life. Listen close, I'll tell it twice."

During the past 45 years, Lynn and others have told her rags-to-riches tale again and again, bouncing it like an echo from the coalfields of Butcher Holler to the world.

She rolled most of the story into one in "The Coal Miner's Daughter." The tag refers to a hit single, an album, a best-selling autobiography and an Oscar-winning film.

But to reach the heart of Lynn, and for her to reach yours, you have to see her up there, on stage, up close and personal, and let her tell you that story three times in song, one a devoted fan never tires of.

That's how area fans can catch her Jan. 19 — on stage at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville.

Lynn's talent and production levels seem only to rise with age. For example, it wasn't until her collaboration with White in 2004 that she combined her power full force as a songwriter and vocalist.

In the liner notes, she says, "This is the first time I wrote all the songs on a record, and I hope you like 'em."

Fans did like 'em, each and every one of 'em, and the magic sparked between Lynn, the country music icon, and White, a Detroit garage rocker who founded Jack White and the Stripes, was phenomenal.

From 1962, when Lynn released "Success," the single that became her first Top 10 hit, until she performed with White, she had become someone who could deliver a song in whatever mode she wanted. In effect, she had become, as one writer dubbed, the "toughest, meanest, fiercest, warmest and sexiest voice in country music."

She married Oliver "Doolittle" Lynn in 1949, when she was only 13. She had four children by the time she was 17 and became a grandmother at 29. Lynn's songs cut deep, most of them taken from life with Doolittle.

"You Ain't Woman Enough (to take my man)," "Don't Come Home a 'Drinkin' (with lovin' on your mind)" and "One's on the Way," pretty much speak for themselves, as do "I Know How," "Your Squaw Is on the Warpath," "When the Tingle Becomes a Chill" and "The Pill."

Lynn spent the decade of the 1990s away from the spotlight, caring for her ailing husband and, after he died in 1996, grieving her loss.

She knows the music landscape took a different turn during her absence, but it's also a scene she helped create. For certain, Lynn is the one who gave the edge to Shania Twain for her song, "Any Man of Mine" and to Deana Carter for "Did I Shave My Legs for This?" The titles have that Lynn flavor.

Lynn has written about 160 songs and clicked off 52 Top 10 hits and 16 No. 1's. She'll have a lot to choose from in Huntsville and she'll be poised to sing a lot of 'em, the old and new.

How to go

What: Loretta Lynn in concert

When: Friday, Jan. 19, 8 p.m.

Where: Von Braun Center Concert Hall

Tickets: $45.50 for lower level seats and $35.50 for upper level seats, available at the VBC box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com, at Ticketmaster outlets or by calling (800) 277-1700

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/livingtoday/070111/loretta.shtml

* * *

Myrtle Beach Sun News, SC - Thu, Jan. 11, 2007

Birthday among 'angels'

Family honors aid for disabled man

By Kim Hughes

"Tonight is not just a party for Michael, but a thank you to everyone for helping us get to this day. It's a celebration of hope. The last 30 years have not, by far, been easy."

Although angels abound during the holiday season, it is the everyday angels for which Marlene and Don Pasquine of Little River are most thankful. The couple invited those they consider "angels" to their home Dec. 28 to celebrate a milestone in their son Michael's life that they weren't certain he would ever reach: his 30th birthday.

Michael Pasquine was born Dec. 28, 1976, in New Jersey. Despite some minor health issues at birth, he was off to a good start.

At two months of age, however, he developed pneumonia and both lungs collapsed, cutting off oxygen to his brain. The prognosis was not good. "He was not expected to see his first birthday," Marlene said.

Diagnosed with cerebral palsy, Michael has been totally dependent on his parents and other caregivers for his survival since then. He is in a wheelchair, breathes through a tracheotomy tube and is tube-fed. While he can see and understand what is going on around him, he cannot verbalize at all. He has also survived numerous health crises throughout his life.

"There's always been hope. He always seems to rally around," his mother said.

At home in New Jersey with Michael and Michele, the Pasquines' daughter who is three years older than Michael, Marlene was Michael's sole caregiver during the day while Don was at work. The couple tried to maintain a normal lifestyle for their daughter's sake, but it was difficult. "You couldn't just jump in the car and go to McDonald's," Marlene said.

After much debate and pressure from other family members, Don and Marlene decided to admit 5-year-old Michael to a residential facility where he could be cared for by trained professionals. The biggest drawback was that the facility best suited to deal with Michael's limitations was in Connecticut, several hours away.

During that time, the family was able to do things they wouldn't have been able to otherwise, including taking Michele to Disney World. As much as Michele enjoyed the trip, she kept pointing out the obvious - that her brother wasn't with them - by saying how much Michael would have loved it.

When Don's job transferred him to Indiana, they found a facility two hours away and transferred Michael there. Every weekend, they picked him up and brought him home. "He always smiled when we picked him up, but he wouldn't smile on the way back," Marlene said.

With a job transfer back to New Jersey and Michele at an older age and with a greater understanding of her brother's situation, the couple took Michael out of the residential facility and brought him back home to live.

Michele Marlowe, now a mother herself, said she certainly didn't feel deprived during her childhood.

"To me, it was no different than [any] other family. We were a normal, happy family. We just had other challenges to face."

The Pasquine family moved to the Grand Strand in 1991 and at the age of 18, Michael was able to take advantage of services available through Horry County Disabilities and Special Needs. Michael is now on a Medicaid waiver, which enhances the state plan and allows authorization for the nursing services and medical equipment and supplies that make it feasible for him to stay under his parents' roof.

Marlene and Don, now retired, have nurses at their home seven days a week, providing care approximately 60 hours weekly.

"I have a group here who are the cream of the crop," Marlene said. "I know that he's in good hands. I believe every one of these nurses here is an angel God sent me to take care of Michael."

One of Michael's longtime nurses, Blanchie Bellamy, was on hand to help Michael celebrate. Bellamy has helped care for Michael for the past eight years.

Although Michael cannot speak, the two do find ways to communicate. "He speaks with his smile and his eyes. When I come in in the morning, if he's feeling good, he'll smile," Bellamy said.

Michael has distinct tastes, including a passion for Shania Twain and Garth Brooks. He enjoys listening to music while Bellamy gets him ready in the morning. Bellamy said he'll indicate his choice when she holds up a CD. "Whatever he's in the mood for, he'll smile."

With a good bit of Marlene's time freed up during the day, she is able to devote herself to taking care of her granddaughters, Allison Marlowe, age 3, and Macey Marlowe, 20 months, while the girls' parents are at work.

With her granddaughters, Marlene feels like she's been given a second chance to relive those early childhood years. "It's been a blessing for me to have them here every day." She added that it's also great for "Uncle Mike."

"He absolutely loves having them here. He just grins from ear to ear when he hears them," Marlene said.

One of Michael's friends, John "Reb" Smiley III, attended the party with his parents, Wanda and John Smiley of Conway. The Smileys are well-versed in what it takes to raise a disabled child. Their son Reb is a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy who is also blind and mentally retarded. Although Reb cannot see, he can verbalize and is not dependent on tracheotomy and feeding tubes like Michael.

As teenagers, Michael and Reb got to know each other when they attended special programs at Conway High School. Wanda Smiley said they have known the Pasquines for about 10 years and she and Marlene often find each other a source of comfort. Reb has always lived at home with his parents and currently goes to an adult center for part of the day, in addition to receiving nursing services at home.

When questioned about the biggest challenge in raising a disabled child, Wanda said, "All of it kind of comes to mind." Now that Reb is 29 and they are getting older themselves, his parents' biggest concern is what the future holds. "Nobody's going to give him the care we do. It's hard to saddle your other son and daughter with his care," John Smiley said. Michael's parents have similar concerns as they also grow older.

Before cutting Michael's birthday cake - designed to highlight his enthusiasm for NASCAR - Marlene paid tribute to all those who have helped her son reach this point. "Tonight is not just a party for Michael, but a thank you to everyone for helping us get to this day. It's a celebration of hope. The last 30 years have not, by far, been easy."

Marlene thanked her family as well as several of Michael's nurses and other family members who came to celebrate. To drive home her point, she handed out angel pins to each individual, adding, "The first 18 years were difficult, but the last 12 have been a blessing."

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/myrtlebeachonline/16433213.htm

* * *

The Tennessean, TN - Thursday, 01/11/07

China favorites

Alan Jackson and Carrie Underwood among 'well liked'

By RYAN UNDERWOOD

In mainland China, Alison Krauss and John Denver top the request list for Sound of Country, Shanghai's only country music television program, creator Cathy Chen said. Alan Jackson, Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood are also well liked, Chen said.

SOFTER THAN ROCK

The Chinese market is tough to crack for rock tours because some rock lyrics don't sit well with the censors there, said Judy Seale, a Nashville booking agent who focuses on foreign markets.

Country music may be better positioned because of its mostly innocuous lyrics.

"Lots of rock 'n' roll dates have been canceled because song lyrics can't get past the censors," Seale said, stressing that Chinese standards and laws tend to forbid the controversial topics and obscenity sometimes found in rock music. "Country's lyrics are much more friendly."

NO GUARANTEES

Hitting it big in the United States is no guarantee an act will find traction overseas.

Ben Kline, vice president of sales, marketing and new media for Universal Music Group Nashville, said that while Shania Twain has always been a big seller overseas — and he sees international sales potential for Sugarland — an artist like Josh Turner may not fare so well.

"Josh Turner is a very traditional country singer, while Sugarland has a look and a sound that may appeal more to an international audience," Kline said.

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070111/BUSINESS11/701110392

* * *

BuddyTV - January 11, 2007

Dancing with the Stars - An Alternate Version

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancingwth-alternate.jpg

By Oscar Dahl

Dancing with the Stars returns in March and between now and then there will surely be a litany of speculation regarding who will be cast. The show is coming off its highest rated season yet, and has firmly established itself as a ratings giant, a force to be reckoned with in the realm of reality TV. As a result, the casting rumors will have the show's producers striving for bigger names, now blessed with the extra clout that massive success brings. Who will be cast?

Reggie Miller and Jennifer Aniston have both turned down offers to appear. The fact that the producers even asked a big name like Aniston proves that they are indeed aiming high this time around. However, my theory is this: they will assume that the diversity and the cast dynamic of last season is what propelled the show into the troposphere and the producers will, therefore, attempt to cast a veritable clone of last season's cast.

Would Dancing with the Stars really have the audacity to do such a thing? I wouldn't put it past ABC. I'm going to put together what I would consider to be a clone of last year's cast, using each member of last season and implanting a new celebrity with a similar social stigma. Why not? We still have a few months till the premiere. Here's my proposed cast:

Emmitt Smith = Charles Barkley - Elite, immensely likable, Hall of Fame athletes. It would be hysterically funny to see Charles out on the dance floor.

Mario Lopez = Alfonso Ribeiro - Both are minority teen stars who played silly characters on TV shows I watched when I was 12.

Joey Lawrence = Kirk Cameron - Teen heartthrobs both, and who didn't like Growing Pains more than Blossom?

Monique Coleman = Anybody from the Disney Channel - Um, I don't consider Monique all that famous, so choosing someone I've never heard of in her spot would work just fine.

Jerry Springer = Regis Philbin - Old talk show hosts. The only problem is that Regis is about 130 years old.

Sarah Evans = Shania Twain - It's not like she's doing anything of note these days. If you're going to get a female country singer, you may as well get a really hot one.

Willa Ford = Britney Spears - A former teen pop singer who fell onto hard times and wants to make a comeback? Sounds about right.

Vivica A. Fox = Nia Long - Like Vivica, Nia has had a long and overlooked career.

Harry Hamlin = Corbin Bernsen - Both were on L.A. Law, but Corbin is way cooler. Less tan, though.

Shanna Moakler = Ali Landry - Ex-Beauty Queens. No one will complain about the inclusion of Beauty Queens.

Tucker Carlson = Sean Hannity - The show could always use an idiot political pundit to get voted off in the first week. Doesn't really matter who.

And that's my list. What's yours?

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/dancing-with-the-stars/dancing-with-the-stars-alterna-2960.aspx

* * *

FayObserver.com, Fayetteville NC - Friday
January 12, 2007

Country music’s women profiled

By Rodger Mullen

Country music has always featured a female perspective. For every Hank Williams, there’s a Loretta Lynn.

The Headquarters Library in downtown Fayetteville examines that perspective Tuesday at 7 p.m. when Jocelyn Neal is the guest speaker at the annual meeting of the Friends of the Library.

Neal, an assistant professor of music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will discuss the evolving role of women in country music. Her research spans from the 1930s and singers such as Patsy Montana to the present day and artists including the Dixie Chicks.

In between, Neal will discuss the impact of popular performers such as Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire and Shania Twain.

Neal’s talk will follow a short business meeting. For more information, call 483-7727, ext. 210.

http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=251690

...That's All, Folks..!

John - ;)

Troll

01-12-2007, 10:00am

Thanks for the articles John.

dreamer

01-12-2007, 3:38pm

thanks loads!

matty

01-12-2007, 4:08pm

Thanks for the articles :)

FinnFreak

01-16-2007, 3:41am

CBC News, Canada - Monday, January 15, 2007

Furtado to host Juno Awards

http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/arts/photos/2006/12/05/furtado-nelly-cp-2132661.jpg
Nelly Furtado, whose hit, Promiscuous,
won best pop single at the Billboard
Music Awards in December, will host
the upcoming Juno Awards.

Pop singer Nelly Furtado, who stormed back onto the music charts last year with her chart-topping track Promiscuous, has been named host of the upcoming Juno Awards.

The announcement was made Monday night.

Furtado follows in the footsteps of past singer-hosts Shania Twain and Alanis Morrissette. Other recent hosts have included actors Brent Butt and Pamela Anderson.

The 28-year-old Furtado, originally from Victoria, B.C., is a past Grammy and Juno Award-winner.

Furtado released her third album, Loose, in 2006 and it became the year's top-selling Canadian album. It has spawned three No. 1 songs, including the ubiquitous and radio-friendly Promiscuous, which features hit rap producer Timbaland.

Performers for the Junos, Canada's most prominent musical honours, have yet to be announced. The ceremony is set to take place in Saskatoon on April 1.

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2007/01/15/juno-host-furtado.html

* * *

FayObserver.com, Fayetteville NC - Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Girls of country

By Chick Jacobs, Staff writer

Country music, it is said, has eternally been a haven for songs about troubles.

That includes female troubles.

Beneath the Barbie-in-boots, glamour-gal world of modern country music beats the heart of a woman who can either stand by her man or D-I-V-O-R-C-E.

“Country music, perhaps more than any other genre, offers a window into the heart of American culture at the time,” said music historian Jocelyn Neal. “What the women of country music sang reflected the time.”

Neal, who teaches the history of country music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will discuss feminism in the music this evening at the Cumberland County Library. The discussion will delve into more than honky-tonk angels and coal miners’ daughters.

“Some of the song-writing for its time was very radical,” Neal said. “Those who see country music as reflecting very conservative opinions in this country might be surprised at how progressive some of the songs and artists were.”

And as you flip through the hits of country music, it’s clear that not everyone was the happiest girl in the whole U.S.A.

“There’s an interesting diversity in perspective in country music,” Neal said. “It’s not limited to country, but it is more pronounced there. Country music addressed societal issues more.”

Like members of a family, “country music is aware of its past,” she added. “It knows where it came from.”

Women, she said, have always been an important part of the music. Society simply wasn’t ready to give them the spotlight. The few female singers had to battle cultural expectations that a woman should be handling a frying pan, not a guitar.

“Remember that life on the road in the ’20s and ’30s was much tougher,” Neal said. “The prevailing attitude was that it was no place for a woman.

“As a result, many talented women chose a less public role. They became songwriters or stayed in the background as musicians. If they sang, it was in a group, like the Girls of the Golden West, or in the sheltering protection of their spouse, such as North Carolina native Lulu Belle and husband Scotty Weisman.

“Rachael Veach played banjo for Roy Acuff. Maybelle Carter was a tremendous talent, but people think of the Carter Family, not the women themselves.”

This “need for a man” in country music may well have led to the rich tradition of duets in country — which in turn gave women a chance to address cultural issues.

“Those duets allowed singers to address two sides of a story,” Neal noted. “With the man telling his side and the woman her’s, everyone had a say.”

Women finally had their own say in the ’50s, when Kitty Wells and Patsy Cline proved a strong voice and solid song could be enough for a woman. Wells’ “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels” — a saucy response to Hank Thompson’s “Wild Side of Life” — showed that women could be accepted as country acts on their own. It also gave them a modest platform in a male-dominated industry to speak their minds.

Soon, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton were addressing issues such as birth control and domestic abuse (though in a much more playful tone than the topics might suggest). While Tammy Wynette’s submissive opus “Stand By Your Man” played to the more traditional realm of country, new voices and new issues were creeping in.

It was as close to the cultural upheaval of the times as country would get, but it was a change. A decade later, Countrypolitan music was in vogue, and the strong female voices of the era were deceased, retired or swallowed in mainstream syrup.

“That pop trend actually helped with the rise of alternative country,” Neal said. “It can be fascinating for my students as they see how country artists progress and change reflecting the changes of the industry.

As an example, she cites two big names of country: The Dixie Chicks and Dolly Parton. The Chicks moved from a small label to major stardom, and their image changed along the way. Eventually they became alienated from their country fan base.

Parton, on the other hand, has branched into pop, movies, business enterprises — all without ever distancing herself from her roots.

“Dolly says, ‘I am country, it’s at my core, but I’m not just country,’” Neal said. “It’s a tremendous move. Country will always welcome her home, because she embraces it.”

Nowadays, it’s a little tougher to tell where country ends and pop begins. Female country artists have had limited crossover success for a generation, from Reba McIntyre, Emmylou Harris and Mary Chapin Carpenter to the platinum success of Faith Hill and Shania Twain.

“These women, especially Shania, have redefined the role of women in country music,” Neal said. Traditionalists may hate that, but it’s true.

“Each generation has its own favorites, and each person has their own favorite song. There’s no perfect song, because we’re all individual. There’s that one song we danced to, or cried to, or spent all our baby-sitting money to buy.

“Each generation may be different, but there’s music that speaks to each of us.”

Staff writer Chick Jacobs can be reached at 486-3515 or jacobsc@fayobserver.com

http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=251844

John - ;)

theTWAINfan

01-16-2007, 9:47am

Not really a name-dropping, but while zapping through the TV channels last night, Shania's Up! was played on the German show "XXL - Adventure Extended Family". I almost didn't recognize it because it's been so long since I last heard it on radio. We get Ka-Ching, That Don't Impree Me Much or Thank You Baby from time to time, but that's about it.

Troll

01-16-2007, 10:05am

Thanks for the articles John.

Alex

01-16-2007, 3:03pm

Thanks for the articles.

dreamer

01-16-2007, 7:46pm

very interesting thanks so much

FinnFreak

01-18-2007, 1:46pm

Anchorage Daily News - January 18, 2007

Save a cheer for school cheerleaders

By HEATHER LENDE, AROUND ALASKA

HAINES -- The bleachers in the Karl Ward Gymnasium weren't full for the first home basketball game of the season. There was also a home swim meet, and the debate team was away, as was the boys' basketball team. When you have only 105 students, you notice when 19 are missing. You also notice when 19 are cheerleading.

I like basketball games. I like sitting in my regular seat next to the same people who also always sit there, looking across at all the other fans and parents sitting in their usual places. I like listening to a local girl sing the national anthem with Shania Twain style. I like when someone whispers, "She should try out for 'American Idol,' " and someone else, who has been out in the bushes too long, replies, "What's that?"

I even like the opposing team, the strong and scrappy Mt. Edgecumbe boarding school Lady Braves -- especially the girls staying with us. (One's from Dillingham, the other from Tanana.) In our league, with communities separated by the waters of the Inside Passage, the home team hosts the visiting team for two or three days each weekend, with the boys and girls alternating. So while our girls play Mt. Edgecumbe here, our boys are playing their boys in Sitka. I also like that the mostly Native boarding school still proudly calls its players the Braves.

My mood changed when I noticed half the program was taken up by Haines cheerleaders. There are 19, more teens than are on the combined girls and boys basketball teams. If a few ballplayers on either one fall behind with their schoolwork or get injured, we could be going to the gym Friday and Saturday nights to watch the halftime show.

There are so many cheerleaders that they line up two deep in front of the student section of bleachers.

My generation was the first to benefit from Title IX, the 1972 law that requires schools to offer the same athletic opportunities to girls as boys. In Haines, that resulted in the formation of a girls basketball team, a team that won a state championship in 1985.

Now, more than 30 years after Title IX's passage, the idea that more girls (17 -- two boys help with stunts) prefer shouting "Defense!" to blocking a shot has me stewing. How can we have a woman governor, a woman speaker of the house, a woman space shuttle captain but more Haines girls choosing outfits than uniforms?

I got so distracted by all this that I barely noticed my daughter making a runaway lay-up.

I started to share my concerns with my thoroughly modern friend, Anna, as the cheerleaders did a kind of music video routine in bright blue leotards, when she said, "If they had this when I was in school, I'd be right there. I love to dance."

I hadn't thought about it that way.

Anna's daughter is a 5-foot-10 freshman who has never before played basketball. Anna also housed two Mt. Edgecumbe girls. Her husband, sister, sister's husband and parents were all at the game to support her daughter.

But she didn't get to play. She sat on the bench.

Having had a similar experience with my son when he was younger, I could imagine what would happen after the game, when all the cold drinks and warm words won't dull the pain.

You say, "Well, maybe next time," or note the starting senior who was on the bench as a freshman. You may also say how proud you are at the way they handle the disappointment. You say all the right things to your child.

But later, in bed, you'll fume privately to your husband and tell him you can't stand that they spend hours a day practicing, are barely home for meals, not to mention the days away traveling and lost class time -- and then they don't even get to play in the games.

"How," you half hiss and half sob, "are you supposed to get better if you never get in a game?"

Your husband sighs. "I agree with you, but that's not how basketball teams work and not how life always works either." Then he reminds you that no one is making your child play -- it is a choice.

You think that if he says basketball builds character, you may sleep on the couch. Luckily, he doesn't.

But you still can't sleep, so you think of the 17 girls and two boys who have chosen to be cheerleaders. And instead of feeling worse, you feel better. It is kind of funny, really. The cheerleaders are all shapes, sizes and aptitudes. Most are earnest beginners. But they all get equal court time and look so happy. (And their parents are probably sleeping soundly by now.)

Then you think of all the teenagers, especially in rural towns, who have such trouble with drugs, sex and alcohol, and you know that if 19 kids want to be cheerleaders, well, that's a pretty good problem to have. And right then you know that your job as an adult is to stand up and applaud them, loudly and often. And your job as a mother is to hope that the teams in uniforms learn a lesson from the team in outfits.

Heather Lende can be reached at hlende@adnmail.com.

http://www.adn.com/life/lende/story/8570513p-8463886c.html

John - ;)

Alex

01-18-2007, 1:53pm

Cool article. Thanks for posting.

FinnFreak

01-18-2007, 2:01pm

;)

The Hook, VA - January 18, 2007

Radioheads: Locals succumb to the call of the airwaves

By LISA PROVENCE LISA@READTHEHOOK.COM

They usually don't do drive time. They don't get paid. Sometimes, in the wee hours, they wonder if anyone is even listening.

Yet hundreds of locals do radio on their own nickels, and without them, the local airwaves would sound very different indeed.

Charlottesville has two non-commercial stations that are largely driven by volunteers. All of WTJU's DJs are volunteers, and after 7pm, so are WNRN's.

WTJU general manager Chuck Taylor counts "in excess of 200" volunteers, including those who work behind the scenes. "If there were no volunteers, we'd have to have purchased programming," he says.

Over at WNRN, which has four paid staffers, about 80 volunteers join in the fun, according to GM Mike Friend. There, the more senior volunteers can pick up a stipend.

"They're on the air from 7pm to 5:30am Monday through Friday, and most of the time on the weekend," says Friend. "They're pretty important."

At both stations, experience is not a prerequisite for getting on the air. "If they have good voices, sound good on the air and have half a brain, we'll train 'em," says Friend, who has an ongoing training program.

"It's pretty easy to learn the technical stuff," says Taylor. He guides volunteers through rules and regulations and common courtesy in the control booth. Novice announcers sit in on two or three shows with similar music in 'TJU's mostly classical/jazz/folk/rock line-up.

Not everyone makes the cut. "Sometimes it's clear they've never listened to the station," says Taylor. "I swear to God a young woman proposed an all Shania Twain show."

And not all volunteers are dream dates. There are the occasional no-shows. At WNRN, cash seemed to disappear when one DJ was on the premises. Another DJ doing the Boombox allowed friends in who shouted obscenities on the air, says Friend. He also had to let a news person go who wanted to to advocacy journalism and "get on the air and editorialize," says Friend.

Those who want to dabble in radio don't have to play music: news, technical support and of course, fundraising are other opportunities.

One common motive emerges from the volunteers who come in week after week to do their shows: "They really enjoy it," says Taylor. "That really helps."

http://www.readthehook.com/stories/2007/01/18/COVER-amalg.rtf.aspx

John - :)

Alex

01-18-2007, 2:04pm

Shania's name always appearing in the most important quotes of the article:D Thanks!

Troll

01-18-2007, 2:09pm

Thanks for the article.

Troll

01-23-2007, 10:11am

Q What is your favourite love song of all time?
A There are so many. One that always comes to mind on Valentine’s Day is Shania Twain’s ‘Still the one’

http://www.responsesource.com/releases/rel_display.php?relid=29213&hilite=

Troll

01-26-2007, 10:33am

.....Carving your name in leather seats would appear to be a time-consuming job, and we have to wonder what kind of instrument would work for such a job, and whether Home Depot sells it. A stiletto heel? Flick knife? Box cutter? And on all the seats, or just the front two? First and last name?

And why slash a hole in all four tires? Even with a spare, wouldn't Bubba be unable to go far if you slashed just two tires? Wouldn't the bleach-blonde tramp already be running for her life? Wouldn't the faithless boyfriend already be planning a move to another continent?

Right now, she's probably singing some

white-trash version of Shania karaoke ...

Right now, she's probably saying, "I'm drunk"

and he's a thinking that he's gonna get lucky,

Right now, he's probably dabbing on $3 worth of that bathroom Polo ...

and he don't know ...

We've never understood the Shania Twain hate, particularly if you put her in the company of such country luminaries as, say, the tabloid-licious Sara Evans. And that Feel Like a Woman song? It's a guilty secret that 95 percent of the American public bops out to that tune every time they hear it. (The other 5 percent can't pronounce "Shania.")

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/entertainment/music/16540212.htm?source=rss&channel=kentucky_music

FinnFreak

01-26-2007, 12:56pm

This isn't new - I remember remember reading a similar text before... so what.

We don't have such approach over here at all... nobody "hates" Shania in Europe... and, when you really think about it - there's no reason... at all...

...anywhere.

John - ;)

Eleanor

01-26-2007, 1:04pm

There is a lot of musicians in Nashville who hate Shania because they are crap and Shania is brilliant.

dreamer

01-26-2007, 6:59pm

There is a lot of musicians in Nashville who hate Shania because they are crap and Shania is brilliant.

LOL SO true:funny: :scowl: :love:

Troll

01-28-2007, 11:04pm

Country Weekly has the "top 50 love songs". Shania doesn't appear on the list until we get to #26 with FTMO, #38 FAFA. There is no YSTO on this list. Apparently this was picked by CW readers.

Troll

01-29-2007, 10:01am

Country Weekly has the "top 50 love songs". Shania doesn't appear on the list until we get to #26 with FTMO, #38 FAFA. There is no YSTO on this list. Apparently this was picked by CW readers.

Here is the scan done by Spock

http://www.shaniasplace.com/GreatestHits_Gallery/Articles/2007_Small_Articles_Scans/jpgs/070212_CWShaniaFTMO.jpg

dreamer

01-29-2007, 6:48pm

beautiful scan

FinnFreak

02-01-2007, 8:09am

MyWestTexas.com, TX - 02/01/2007

Shania Twain song sums up feelings about Valentine's Day

Alex Rose, MRT Correspondent Midland Reporter-Telegram

Just nine more days until the most loveable and wonderful holiday is celebrated around the world.

The history and why we celebrate St. Valentine's Day has been shrouded in mystery and only the legends that have been passed down can account for this special day for lovers. By the Middle Ages, Valentine was in prison at the time he sent a letter to the person he loved and signed it "From your Valentine," an expression that lives on today.

Our history in America gives credit to Esther A. Howland for producing and selling the first mass-produced valentines in the 1840s. According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year (and yes, women do purchase most of them).

What a great way to connect with the soldiers who are in Baghdad. I have noticed several organizations getting together to make valentines to send to the soldiers along with valentine cookies. What a wonderful way to make people in a nursing home feel special. If every organization that met in early February would make their meeting meaningful by making valentines or decorating cookies, just think how many people would benefit from the thoughtfulness of others.

To all grandmothers, like me, spending an afternoon with the grandchild or grandchildren helping them make valentines for all of their family members and friends can be such a special time. Gathering the materials and letting their creativity shine through can produce cards that you could never buy in a store. These times will be treasured memories for the child.

When I got on the Internet to check a little about St. Valentine's Day, I found that gift ideas range from teddy bears, to pearls, to cupid's hearts of love, to personalized Hershey's, to custom-printed M&Ms, and of course those special holiday packages at spas and hotels. Florists around the world find that Valentine's Day is their busiest time of the year.

The feeling of Valentine's Day can be best summed up by the song "From This Moment," by Shania Twain.

" ... From this moment, life has begun

From this moment, you are the one

Right beside you, is where I belong.

From this moment on...

My dreams came true because of you

From this moment, as long as I live,

I will love you, I promise you this,

There is nothing I wouldn't give.

From this moment on..."

http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17793389&BRD=2288&PAG=461&dept_id=475591&rfi=6

John - :]

shania megafan

02-01-2007, 8:11am

Awee how sweet! :love::]

Troll

02-01-2007, 10:01am

Thanks John.

Troll

02-02-2007, 10:09am

-- Today in 1996, Shania Twain tops the charts with "(If You're Not In It For Love) I'm Outta Here."

matty

02-02-2007, 4:16pm

Thanks for the posts :)

dreamer

02-02-2007, 5:37pm

now I have a reason to celebrate:bounce:

FinnFreak

02-06-2007, 5:10am

NewsBusters - February 5, 2007

GMA’s Sawyer ‘Grills’ Syrian Dictator on Shania Twain, Video Games and His Ipod

http://newsbusters.org/media/2007-02-05-ABCGMASawyer.jpg

by Scott Whitlock

As already noted on NewsBusters, ABC’s Diane Sawyer threw softballs to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in an interview for Monday's "Good Morning America." However, GMA featured a section segment that was, amazingly, even worse. In the piece, the hard-hitting journalist probed the dictator about pertinent issues such as his favorite movies ("Pursuit of Happyness"), music (Shania Twain and Faith Hill), and whether he enjoys video games (no). Rather then press Assad over points such as the fact that Freedom House recently gave the country its worst scores (7 out of 7) for both political and civil liberties and ranked it "not free," Mrs. Sawyer allowed the Syrian leader to play film critic:

Diane Sawyer: "And American movies?"

Bashar Assad: "Sometimes. Not– Not– Not very much to movies in general. I don’t have time actually."

Sawyer: "But you like true stories?"

Assad: "True stories and historical stories. Want to know the names?"

Sawyer: "Yes."

Assad: "Yeah. ‘The Pursuit of Happyness.’"

Sawyer: "And you liked it?"

Assad: "Yeah. It tells you a story that you– Maybe there’s many beneficial things to learn from, about real life. Providing that it's accurate about the story. The real story."

So, Bashar Assad enjoyed the uplifting aspects of the 2006 drama, provided that the producers stayed true to the "real story?" (Perhaps Will Smith could use that quote in his Oscar campaign?) Sawyer introduced the segment, which aired at 7:45am on February 5, by touting how cultured the Syrian leader seemed:

Diane Sawyer: "We are standing here in Damascus. And this is Souk which is the market place. Such a blend of the old and the new in this country. And as we said before, the 41-year-old president, President Assad seems to know pretty much everything about American politics, as well as American popular culture. He studied in London to become an ophthalmologist. His wife was a hedge fund manager with European banks. I had a chance to talk to him a little bit about popular culture in America. But he told me, among other things, when he was in London one of his greatest pleasures was to be anonymous and ride the bus. When you were studying in England you would take the bus?"

Bashar Assad: "Yes, yes. For a while, then I would car."

Sawyer: "And you met your wife there? But, you decided to marry when you were there?"

Assad: "No. After I came back."

Sawyer: "After you came back."

Assad: "Yeah. Yeah. We decided together. I didn't decide, we decided. [Laughs]"

Sawyer: "Stand corrected. You have talked about the internet. You like video games?"

Assad: " No. No. I use internet for information, actually. Not for games."

Sawyer: "Do you have an iPod?"

Assad: "Yes."

Sawyer: "What’s on it?"

Assad: "What’s on it? Plenty of songs. Arabic and westerns. Some French, because my foreign language used to be French before English."

Sawyer: "And you're a country music fan. Faith Hill? Shania Twain?"

Assad: "[Laughs] Yeah. Is it– Is it considered as ad? [Laughs]"

Sawyer: "Yes. That’s true. They get free advertising. Free promotion. And American movies?"

Assad: "Sometimes. Not– Not– Not very much to movies in general. I don’t have time actually."

Sawyer: "But you like true stories?"

Assad: "True stories and historical stories. Want to know the names?"

Sawyer: "Yes."

Assad: "Yeah. ‘The Pursuit of Happyness.’"

Sawyer: "And you liked it?"

Assad: "Yeah. It tells you a story that you– Maybe there’s many beneficial things to learn from, about real life. Providing that it's accurate about the story. The real story."

Sawyer: "Another ad."

Sawyer’s friendly questioning followed a long media tradition of coddling dictators. In Febuary of 2003, the MRC’s Tim Graham noted how Dan Rather gushed over how strong and respectful Saddam Hussein seemed when he interviewed the Iraqi leader.

Finally, the iPod query appears to be a reoccurring theme for media puff pieces. In January, CNN noted how much Senate Majority Leader Harry enjoyed his MP3 player. One wonders if Mahmoud Ahmadinejad prefers country music or jazz.

[B]http://newsbusters.org/node/10624

* * *

CSTV.com, NY - Feb. 5, 2007

Women's Golf

Quiet The Crowd

Getting to know Hawkeye golfer Melanie Boyles

http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/iowa/sports/w-golf/auto_action/899286.jpeg
Junior Melanie Boyles

. . .

If you could tour with any band or musician who would it be? - Shania Twain, I love her music.

http://www.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/stories/020507aac.html

* * *

San Jose Mercury News, CA - Mon, Feb. 05, 2007

Hawkeyes are making their run

By Mark Snyder, Detroit Free Press

. . .

FORGET ABOUT IT: Minnesota interim coach Jim Molinari is reaching for anything he can these days and, knowing the Gophers' recent struggles against Illinois, he tried something different with his team before Saturday's game against the Illini.

"I don't know why I did this, but I quoted this thing from Mark Twain : `The inability to forget is much more disastrous than the inability to remember.' " Molinari said. "In other words, we had to forget what happened - we have to go on. Of course, some of our guys thought Mark Twain was Shania Twain `s husband, but that's what I try to do. I try to stay in the present."

Though they lost, 59-49, the Gophers seemed motivated - even if it was by a pop star's husband.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/16629794.htm

* * *

Nashville City Paper, TN - February 06, 2007

‘Thieves’ Hatch wine label idea

BY AMY GRIFFITH, agriffith@nashvillecitypaper.com

Nashville iconography will appear on wine bottles nationwide this week, and those connected with the project say it will be impossible for customers not to notice.

Historic printing and design company Hatch Show Print of Nashville contracted with The Three Thieves wine company to create labels for a special run of what Three Thieves head Charles Bieler calls, “really cool Napa Valley Cabernet.” Bieler said Hatch was a perfect fit for the cabernet.

“It’s strikingly American. It’s incredibly strong. It just maps the personality of this wine we came across,” Bieler said.

Three Thieves will produce 10,000 cases of the wine (a dozen bottles per case), which will debut in local stores next week. Orders have already been signed with several Nashville attractions looking to sell the wine, and Bieler expects it to do well here.

Three Thieves is owned by Rebel Wine Company, a joint venture with Trinchero Family Estates. Bieler is one of three founders of the company.

Though the Three Thieves project marks the first wine labels designed by Hatch, Brad Vetter, the Hatch employee who designed the labels, said the design is keeping with Hatch’s history.

“We were definitely trying to get the spirit of the shop – of Hatch – as well as something really bold and iconic,” Vetter said. “It’s definitely different from any other wine labels out there.”

The wines of Three Thieves have amassed a small cult following locally. Usually sold in jugs or boxes, Three Thieves sells red and white blends that stand out to consumers because of their low price and relatively high-quality taste experience.

“For the price point, we think it represents tremendous value,” Bieler said. “Our company took a different path than average wine companies. It’s ultimately just fermented grape juice, and people take it way too seriously.”

The Show is the Three Thieves’ first foray into selling wines in traditional, 750-millimeter bottles.

The work of Hatch Show Print is the stuff of legend. Founded in the 1870s by Charles and Herbert Hatch, the shop achieved icon status with its music business promotion posters generated in the 1920s and 1930s.

Hatch is now property of the Country Music Foundation, but the shop still designs and prints the old-fashioned way. Work is still designed and printed on a working letterpress, which aficionados say creates a look that can’t be imitated. Recent projects include promotion of Shania Twain, Trisha Yearwood, Ricky Skaggs and BR5-49.

“People are appreciative of the organic design of letterpress,” said Jim Sherraden, manager of Hatch. “It’s experiencing a revival.”

Americana imagery isn’t usually the inspiration for wine labels, Bieler said. And that’s what Three Thieves had in mind.

“It’s not classic wine label material. Their imagery is full-on,” Bieler said. “We wanted to take inspiration and promotion from the music industry, not the wine industry.”

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=12&screen=news&news_id=54461

* * *

Boston Herald, MA - Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Life in the fast-food lane to life in the fast lane

By Herald wire services

Before Jay Leno hit the big time on “The Tonight Show,” he worked slinging burgers and fries at his neighborhood Mickey D’s. No joke.

McDonald’s reports that 10 percent of Americans have been in the fast-food biz - so it’s no surprise the Andover homey-gone-Hollywood isn’t the only famous face to work the Fryolator.

Another stand-up guy, D.L. Hughley, a star of NBC’s “Studio 60,” admits that his first job was cleaning the lobby of a McDonald’s. Think he found some humor in that???

And before sexy Shania Twain topped the country and pop charts with multiplatinum albums like “The Woman In Me” and “Come On Over,” the Canadian songbird served up shakes at a Mickey’s in Ontario. Those were also the days she was known as “Eileen.”
[you just can't get the spelling right, now can you..?!?] :p

“Basic Instinct” bad girl Sharon Stone, who worked the counter at a McDonald’s in her Pennsylvania hometown, shed her polyester uniform for a modeling gig and stardom in Hollywood.

Former presidential chief of staff - and Holbrook homey - Andrew Card knows something about making a minimum wage. The fast-food chain’s outpost in Brockton supplemented his high school allowance and helped pay the bills when he was studying at the University of South Carolina.

“Wedding Crashers” chick Rachel McAdams is proud of her many years peddling Happy Meals to the masses. But pop punk divaP!nk doesn’t have such fond memories of her days packing up fish filets. The rock star said she spent most of her time as a Mickey D’s employee “tripping on acid” and “would sit in the bathroom and watch the tiles.”

Other boldfacers who are part of McDonald’s all-star lineup include nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis. The track and field star recently appeared in a McDonald’s TV spot insisting that his days working at the Golden Arches helped him gain responsibility and develop leadership skills.

And finally, there’s Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, who was named Time’s “Man of the Year” in 1999.

“One of the great gifts I got from that job is I can crack eggs with one hand,” Bezos once cracked.

http://thetrack.bostonherald.com/moreTrack/view.bg?articleid=181273

John - ;)

Troll

02-06-2007, 9:55am

Thanks for the articles.

FinnFreak

02-07-2007, 4:34am

Holmdel Independent, NJ - February 7, 2007

BCC annual Guitar Show on Feb. 18

MIDDLETOWN - Continuing a decade-long tradition, Brookdale Public Radio 90.5 The NIGHT's 10th annual Guitar Show will be held Feb. 18 at the Donald D. Warner Student Life Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A special gift package will be presented to the first 100 people entering the show. General admission is $10, or $5 if attendees bring a guitar to sell or trade or show a 90.5 The NIGHT Membership Card. Parking is most convenient in Lot 1.

"We have an exciting lineup of performances, workshops and over 50 East Coast music vendors for this year's show," C.J. Civitano, the owner of Raritan Bay Guitar Repair, Freehold, and co-founder of the event, said in a press release.

The performance schedule has hourly presentations as follows: 10 a.m., Tommy Anton & Abby Cahn, acoustic singer/songwriters; 11 a.m., Sonni Shine, acoustic singer/songwriter; noon, the Complicate (aka Jay Hernandez), acoustic singer/songwriter; 1 p.m., Doug Mikula, progressive/experimental guitar player; 2 p.m., Rick Barry with Jeremy Korpas (of Days Awake), acoustic singer/songwriter duo; and 3 p.m., Woodfish, jam band.

Free clinics all day will feature Steve Conte of the New York Dolls, Jack Frost, Jon Rogers of Blue Oyster Cult, Bobby Bandiera and Marc Muller of Shania Twain. An All Star Blues Tribute to Dave Mac with Matt O'Ree, Sonny Kenn, Chuck Lambert, Terraplane Blues, Jody Joseph & The Average Joes, Jo Wymer and the VooDudes will also highlight the day.

"Attendance at last year's show topped 3,500 and we are expecting even more people this year. We have expanded our vendor accommodations for this show and have a limited number of tables still available," said Kristin Florio, event coordinator. Prospective vendors may contact her at (732) 224-2470.

Raffle tickets will be available for a red Gibson guitar signed by Jon Bon Jovi. Chances are $5 and only 1,000 will be sold. Proceeds will benefit Brookdale's chapter of the national honor society Alpha Pi Theta. The drawing will be held at March 15 at noon in the Warner Student Life Center. The winner does not need to be present at the drawing.

For more information regarding the Guitar Show, visit www.brookdaleguitarshow.com. Brookdale Community College is located at 765 Newman Springs Road in the Lincroft section of Middletown.

http://independent.gmnews.com/news/2007/0207/Front_Page/016.html

John - :)

Troll

02-07-2007, 10:02am

Thanks John.

FinnFreak

02-08-2007, 4:15am

Newsweek - Feb. 7, 2007

Lucinda Williams Cries Us a River

The songs on her new album deal with the death of her mother and the breakup of a love affair--and that’s the good news.

By Lorraine Ali

Feb. 7, 2007 - Like any true country artist, Lucinda Williams is at her best when things are at their worst. The past few years have brought her a truckload of heartache, and at least one album’s worth of cut-to-the-bone songs simply titled “West.” From the death of the singer’s mama to the implosion of a longtime relationship to the sheer suckiness of everyday life, this record is heavy duty—even on Lucinda terms. No amount of flowery romanticism could hold up under this Southerner’s scrappy, poetic realism: “Don’t buy yourself a fancy funeral,” advises Williams on “Fancy Funeral.” “It’s not worth it in the end. Lily of the Valley and long black limousines. It’s three or four months’ salary just to pay for all those things.”

Williams is a salt-of-the-earth gal with a poet’s complicated heart. Those dueling personae are what make this songwriter so damn compelling. For over a decade William’s working-class eclecticism—and broken heart—have fueled the best country records around. For a time Williams was lumped in the category of alternative country—a subgenre that served as a safe haven for old-school fans who just couldn’t subscribe to Nashville’s new obsession with VH1-friendly pop (whatever did happen to Shania?). But the highly respected Williams has always been in a class of her own, i.e., alone.

“I can’t feel love anymore,” she sings on the breakup song “Everything Has Changed.” “The mystery and splendor don’t thrill me like before.” Her voice is late-night bedraggled, melodious and hypnotizing, and loaded with twang. Like most songs here, she is accompanied by spare acoustic guitar and not much else. There are small, haunting keyboard effects throughout this CD, but most numbers are firmly planted in rocky soil. “West” is so sad at times, it’s a tough listen, and for that reason, it’s sure to get mixed reviews. The ode “Mama You Sweet”: “And pain hits a wall. And doesn’t know which way to go. And ocean says I’m crying now. And tells pain to follow.” But Williams is so artful with her misery you can’t help but ride the waves, and occasionally sink, with her.

There are moments here where the tone lightens a little. On “What If” Williams plays with her ideas of the world turned upside down and asks, what “if dogs became kings. And the Pope chewed gum. And Hobos had wings. And God was a bum?” There is a sweetness and purity to this song that proves the polar opposite to the acerbic and immature “Come On.” Here she lashes out at an ex-lover for never really hitting the spot: “You think you’re in hot demand. But you don’t know where to put your hand.” The latter is the weakest song on the record, but sure to get the most attention. But it’s easy to forgive Lucinda for one lame track. She is, after all, that down-home gal who spins emotional carnage into dusty lullabies and makes us realize how good we really have it.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17032023/site/newsweek/

* * *

Ottawa Business Journal, Canada - Wed, Feb 7, 2007

Exec Dining: Searching for Canadian cuisine

By Julie Fortier

When Canadian icon Shania Twain was invited to go onto Martha Stewart's show and whip up a dish of good old Canadian home cooking, she did what any good Canadian girl would do, she hauled out the deep fryer and made a plate of poutine.

"So this is Canadian junk food?" Ms. Stewart asked.

"Comfort food." Ms. Twain corrected. After all, what else qualifies as "Canadian cuisine?"

http://www.ottawabusinessjournal.com/300795532349939.php

* * *

Scene, New Zealand - 8 Feb 2007

Scene & Heard - Glamour & Gossip

CANADIAN singer Shania Twain, Wanaka’s most famous part-time resident, recently enjoyed a night at Sofitel Queenstown.

http://www.scene.co.nz/cms/scene_heard/2007/02/art1000594.php

John - :smirk:

FinnFreak

02-08-2007, 5:33am

Allmediascotland, UK - 08/02/2007

International A-W-A-R-D for Northern Star

An Inverness-based radio presenter has been awarded one of the highest accolades in music broadcasting.

Helen McPherson is the Country Music Association’s International Broadcaster of the Year.

Helen has been broadcasting her Country Show on Moray Firth Radio across the north of Scotland for the last 25 years and was presented with the award at a CMA event held in Glasgow.

During her 25 years, she’s met and interviewed many of Country Music’s biggest names, from Boxcar Willie to Shania Twain.

Helen went to the CMA event with no idea she was to scoop the award. This is not the first time she’s had this kind of surprise - in April last year, Irish singer, Daniel O’Donnell, made an appearance at awards hosted by Moray Firth Radio to hand over a lifetime achievement award.

Said Danny Gallagher, managing director of Moray Firth Radio, of the CMA award: “Everyone at the radio station is ecstatic at this award for such a remarkable broadcaster. In the many years in the radio industry, rarely have I come across such a presenter who is not only loved by her listeners but also her peers. I certainly think this will be rather emotional for Helen as I know it will mean a lot to have this level of recognition.”

http://www.allmediascotland.com/articles/872/08022007/international_a-w-a-r-d_for_northern_star

John - :)

EilleenTwain88

02-08-2007, 8:07am

...Of course, some of our guys thought Mark Twain was Shania Twain `s husband...
:D :D :D The lucky fella, eh? :D :D :D

FinnFreak

02-08-2007, 8:34am

:D :D :D The lucky fella, eh? :D :D :D

heh... most people here, would be very fast to point out, that Mark is in fact Shania's brother... ;)

...but how he has come up with such eloquent phrases, that everyone seems to be quoting him... well, that's a completely different matter altogether...

John - :p

Troll

02-08-2007, 10:00am

Thanks for the articles.

dreamer

02-08-2007, 2:12pm

silly silly:)

shaniafan19

02-08-2007, 2:37pm

I came across this...

Glamour & Gossip - 8 February 2007

CANADIAN singer Shania Twain, Wanaka’s most famous part-time resident, recently enjoyed a night at Sofitel Queenstown.

Here is the link:

http://www.scene.co.nz/cms/scene_heard/2007/02/art1000594.php

dreamer

02-08-2007, 2:46pm

yeah at least we know she's doing something now:)

Alex

02-08-2007, 3:56pm

Eleanor

02-08-2007, 4:31pm

I have just read on that website that Queenstown is having problems with drunks. There was very little on Shania Twain.

Raphael Twain

02-08-2007, 6:15pm

Well... I think she's doing something new to us!!! :D

Eleanor

02-08-2007, 7:19pm

Shania might of gone to record some sheep noise's for up and coming CD, I think Shania and Mutt have got lots of sheep in New Zealand, Is it just for the wool, Vegeteran Sheep farming. Buy the way this is my 501st post, not bad for some one who joined this forum 2 month ago.

Troll

02-08-2007, 11:02pm

Thanks for the info.

Tiago

02-08-2007, 11:08pm

Thank You for the information... will be itself truth, then we will have photos

FinnFreak

02-09-2007, 12:08am

FinnFreak

02-09-2007, 5:30am

;)

The Spoof (satire), UK - 08 February 2007

Residents Express Concern as Nashville Votes to Make English Official Language

http://www.thespoof.com/sitepics/pdi/8207-2933CountryMan.jpg
"It's un-American to make
people speak English."

by Con Chapman

NASHVILLE, Tennessee. A wave of anxiety swept through Nashville yesterday as the Metro Council, its governing body, voted 23 to 14 to adopt English as the official language of the booming metropolis known as "Music City USA".

"Ah jest don't see how you can take a man who's already a high school graduate and start gradin' how he talks," said Buddy Emerson, a session musician who has played behind Porter Wagoner and Minnie Pearl, among others. "Ah think it's un-American to make people speak good English."

Nashville is the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the state, registering a 17% population gain between 1990 and 2000. That influx of residents has been fueled primarily by Asian, African and Hispanic newcomers, as well as a large Kurdish community. "lt would have been easier for the city to absorb small Kurds," said Councilman Eric Crafton, sponsor of the measure. "Just take a look at the two different kinds of cottage cheese at the grocery store and you'll see the difference."

The ordinance, which will take effect immediately, will confer powers of arrest and detention on English teachers, a group that has been at a disadvantage in its struggle to impose rules of grammar and syntax on Nashville's adolescents. "So many of our students say things like 'Gene Ray don't like Shania Twain'," notes Abigail Hartnett, an instructor at Dolly Parton Consolidated Regional High School. "If you tell them to say 'Gene Ray doesn't like Shania Twain,' they come back at you with 'That's what I jest said' or 'Don't make me no nevermind'."

Twenty-eight states have adopted English as their official language leading to concerns that the nation is becoming more xenophobic, but supporters of Nashville's new measure say that criticism doesn't apply to them. "I'm not xenophobic," says Veneta Suter, a receptionist at an insurance brokerage here. "I got a booster shot last summer."

http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s2i14707

:p

* * *

Sun Valley Online.com (press release), ID

Just Good Enough To Win

Notes from the Suns Locker Room

Saturday

19:00 – I’m petitioning to have the Latvian National Anthem, or the anthem of any nation for that matter, sung before we ever decide to play the Shania Twain version again. There’s a good chance Eggshell, who is in net tonight, might pull his groin if he has to stand in one place this long.

http://blog.sunvalleyonline.com/index.php/jkduval6/991/

* * *

Washington Times, DC - February 9, 2007

'08 slate without standout for GOP

http://a248.e.akamai.net/7/800/1133/1168983399/oasc02.247realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/Creatives/washtimes/ThoseShirts_250x250_2007.01/washtimes-imagine-250x250.jpg

By Ralph Z. Hallow

Many conservatives say they pick "none of the above" when faced with a choice of Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani as the 2008 Republican presidential nominee.

"When I look at these top three guys, I think of Shania Twain singing 'That don't impress me much,' " said former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, referring to the popular country singer.

http://washingtontimes.com/national/20070208-115658-7902r.htm

:shocked: - heeyyy... that was a good one - how did that get in here..? :p

* * *

The Daily Evergreen, WA

Listen your heart out

Music of all genres for Valentine’s.

By Lynsi Burton

Forget the roses, candy and pink-stuffed puppies. The best part about love is the music that captures every facet of that feeling – good or bad. This Valentine’s Day, show that special someone you care with a classic tune that says it all. It’s a lot cheaper than jewelry and expressed much more eloquently than anything you could write in a card. No matter what your situation, in bliss or misery, there’s a song out there that speaks to you and penetrates the heart of the staunchest cynic. Sans the stereotypical “I Will Always Love You” and “Love Me Tender,” here are some of my favorites that will hopefully find a place in your heart, as well.

This feeling has got to stay:

“New” by No Doubt The perfect tune for that too-good-to-be-true, brand- new love. Gwen Stefani really knew how to say it before her solo sellout. Absent of sap and saccharine, this one speaks from the heart and still rocks.

How to make a girl melt:

“Your Song” by Elton John Elton John plays the bumbling love-struck songwriter like no one else. With lines like “Yours are the sweetest eyes I’ve ever seen,” guys can really learn a thing or two from such romantic genius. But the kicker in this song: “I hope you don’t mind that I put down the words/How wonderful life is while you’re in the world.” Bring a mop when you play this for your girl.

Infatuation (in the best way): “Here, There and Everywhere” by The Beatles Is life just better when your loved one is with you everywhere you go? This song could probably teach a chronic commitment-phobe that sharing your life with someone isn’t so bad. One of John Lennon’s and Paul McCartney’s great compositions, this lilting ballad represents what love should be.

Love as a “Where’s Waldo?” Book: “Love Song for No One” by John Mayer You’re always told that there’s a person out there for everybody. But where’s yours? This song sums up the sentiments of every person looking for love: “I’m tired of being alone/So hurry up and get here.” We’re perfect for each other ... in my head: “You Don’t Know My Name” by Alicia Keys Girls often don’t want to admit these things out loud, but Alicia Keys is not afraid. Here’s the quintessential groove for the girl who has planned out her lifetime with that really cute guy she’s never actually spoken to. This Valentine’s Day, go out on a limb and say, “Hi.” How to make a girl melt No. 2: “Slide” by Goo Goo Dolls Most people kowtow to “Iris,” but this is my sappy Goo Goo Dolls favorite. It’s got all the things a girl wants to hear: “I want to wake up where you are,” “I’ll do anything you ever dreamed to be complete,” and “What you feel is what you are and what you are is beautiful.” Guys, you’re welcome.

You right me when I’m wrong: “Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney and Wings This is for the woman who just makes you a better man. One of the all-time great love ballads, Paul McCartney is never at a loss for romantic prose.

Random Puerto Rican girls just won’t do: “Miss You” by The Rolling Stones Even Mick Jagger was down in the dumps without his woman. You know the feeling: The one you lost haunts you everywhere and you’re pathetic. When a pack of eager Puerto Rican girls and a case of wine doesn’t sound appealing, you know you’ve got it bad.

Beating the odds: “Faithfully” by Journey Whether they’re legit in your book, sometimes you get an itch and the only band that can scratch it is Journey. With a shot of ’80s rock cred, “Faithfully” blows Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One” out of the water, with some sweet guitar to boot.

Metal love: “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses Who said love songs were for saps? If you think you’re too metal for schmaltz, get in touch with your soft side with this one. It will let you express your sentimentality while keeping your rock image intact.

http://www.dailyevergreen.com/story/21020

:uhh: - hmmm... I love Journey to bits.

But, I wouldn't compare Faithfully against YSTO - because that's just plain silly.

But I DO want to hear Shania sing a duet with Steve Perry.

I pay my taxes - why can't I have that duet..?!?

Puhleeeeze..? :p

* * *

Calgary Sun, Canada - Fri, February 9, 2007

OUT AND ABOUT

The Canadian Idol crew stops in Calgary for auditions tomorrow and Sunday at Southcentre. Details are at www.idol.ctv.ca. It takes guts to put yourself out there and audition in front of a panel of judges. If I had the gumption, was talented and was in the allowable age range, I'd throw down a solid rendition of Roger Miller's King of the Road. What song would you sing at your Idol audition if you were able? I hit the bricks yesterday to find out.

Colleen Scott, 40-ish: "I'm a country singer. I'd go with Shania Twain's Don't Be Stupid. I love country music."

http://calgarysun.canoe.ca/NewsStand/News/Alberta/2007/02/09/3567982-sun.html

* * *

The Lafayette Daily Advertiser, LA - Friday, February 9, 2007

No Jacket Required: Canadians in the limelight of death metal

By Trevis Badeaux

Kataklysm: In the Arms of Devastation (Nuclear Blast)

Angry Canadians? What’s that aboot? Aye?

It’s about “devastation.” That is, if the latest from Canadian death metal quartet Kataklysm is any indication.

In the Arms of Devastation hit the streets nearly a year ago. The brutality and unchecked rage of the disc continues to propel Kataklysm into the limelight of the global death metal scene.

That and the catastrophic live show the quartet have unleashed with an unrelenting tour schedule, which includes a stop on Saturday, Feb. 10 at The High Ground in New Orleans.

Vocalist Maurizio Iacono, guitarist J.F. Dagenais, bassist Stephane Barbe and drummer Max Duhamel officially slaughter the concept that Canada’s music scene includes only Shania Twain and Alanis Morissette clones anxiously awaiting the chance to jump across the border to the more lucrative American music industry.

In the Arms of Devastation bears a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth with opening track Like Angels Weeping (The Dark), heads straight for the jugular with Crippled & Broken and lacerate the soft tissue with Temptation’s Nest. Anyone who picks up this nine-track killer will be left battle-scarred, broken, bloodied and hungering for another spin.

Think late Sepultura. Toss in a bit of Slayer, a pinch of Megadeth. Roll in a meal of Opeth. Deep fry in a cast-iron skillet filled with Suffocation until your eardrums turn a crisp, golden-brown. Serve with a side of Testament.

http://www.acadiananow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070209/ENTERTAINMENT/70208061/1040

"Silly" seems to be the word of the day...

John - ;)

FinnFreak

02-09-2007, 6:54am

;)

Syracuse Post Standard, NY - Friday, February 09, 2007

C-NS junior among 170 'Idol' finalists

By William LaRue

Thank you, Simon Cowell.

It was a deciding vote by the often-cantankerous judge on Fox's "American Idol" that helped land a trip to Hollywood on the hit television show for Phoenix Rainbow, 17, a junior at Cicero-North Syracuse High School.

She is one of about 170 singers good enough to move on to the second round of competition, which was taped in November in Los Angeles. Portions of that round to pick 24 semifinalists begin airing 8 p.m. Tuesday on WSYT-TV (Channel 68).

National viewers haven't heard Rainbow sing yet because "American Idol" didn't show her successful tryout in August in New York City.

During that audition, Rainbow said Thursday, she sang "I'm Gonna Getcha Good," one of her favorites from Shania Twain.

Guest judge Carole Bayer Sager and regular judge Randy Jackson both thought her singing was pretty good, but judge Paula Abdul "didn't like it that much," Rainbow said.

"She said I sang a country song, but I didn't sound like a country singer," Rainbow said. "Simon said, 'I disagree with you, Paula. I think she knows what she wants to do. And she's going to do great in the competition.' "

Rainbow said the show's producers asked contestants not to discuss the outcome of the Hollywood competition until after the results air.

The teenager, whose parents are Tom and Piper Rainbow, of Clay, said her singing experience includes performances in school plays and at weddings. She also sang on Thursday's edition of the Syracuse talk show "Bridge Street With Rick & Julie" on WSYR-TV (Channel 9).

http://www.syracuse.com/living/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/living-3/1171015317163230.xml&coll=1

* * *

iAfrica.com, South Africa - Thu, 08 Feb 2007

HEART STRINGS

Indulge in the mushiest love songs

By Rebekah Kendal

It would be great if life had a soundtrack. And no, I’m not talking about an iPod. I mean a real soundtrack, which plays scary music when something bad is about to happen and sweeping symphonies when you meet the love of your life.

An idle fantasy perhaps, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pick out a few mushy love songs to play at appropriate moments during that romantic Valentine’s dinner. Okay, just to set the record straight, I am talking about mushy songs of the Dianne Warren and Mutt Lange variety, not great love songs. You know, those songs that misguided couples insist on playing at their weddings.

The trick to a great soundtrack is not only the right song, but also the right moment. To help you, the budding soundtrack producer and connoisseur of lurve, we have compiled a list of the mushiest love songs we could find and appropriate moments for use.

The Smitten Lover

A rule of thumb for these songs is that they might not be appropriate for a first date – you may give the impression of coming on a bit strong. Perfect for that period of infatuation (the falling in love phase) these songs are best played before a significant event or when you are reunited with your lover after a time apart.

Narrowing this list was challenging, but in the end we settled on Aerosmith’s ‘I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing’ from the movie ‘Armageddon’ (note: significant event) and Bryan Adams’ ‘(Everything I do) I do it For You’ from the soundtrack of ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’.

Looking at the grand scheme of your life, these songs would best fit the period of adolescence – when sleep and life for that matter are not that important when compared to the object of your affection.

The Casanova

Not quite the Smitten Lover, the Casanova is more interested in telling his love what he will do/mean to her. Try playing this at the beginning of the evening – a promise of things to come. When it comes to the Casanova however, there are two varieties.

On the one hand, there is the ‘Truly Madly Deeply’ (Savage Garden) variety. Fairly innocent, lines like “I’ll be your dream/wish/fantasy/love/hope” just let the recipient know about all the wonderful things in store for them.

‘I’ll Make Love to You’ by Boyz II Men, on the other hand is loaded with sexual innuendo: “Baby tonight is your night/ And I will do you right/ Just make a wish on your night/ Anything that you ask/ I will give you the love of your life.” Arrogance aside, you might want to hold off on this one until you are a little more certain about whether it will elicit a slap in the face or crazed clothes removal.

The Vow

Okay, if you plan on proposing this Valentines, one of these songs should do the trick. If however you’re more into a casual fling, these may give the wrong impression. The songs should be accompanied by deep earnest gazes, tender hand-holding and perhaps a slow dance.

We opted for ‘This I Promise You’ from N Sync and ‘From this Moment on’ by Shania Twain (who incidentally is married to the aforementioned Mutt Lange who wrote this song). Both contain promises of eternal love and nuptial bliss.

The Conqueror

Love the Conqueror – a great and timeless theme. This is quite a flexible type of song. It works well for marriage, overcoming hard times and even, in the case of ‘Titanic’, death.

Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes’ ‘Up Where We Belong’ is the kind of elevating song that works well at the end of the movie or after some sort of adversity has been overcome (it might work well to patch things up after a fight).

A brief aside: don’t play this song if you are eating burgers or in a teepee, because the “where the eagles fly, on a mountain high” line may remind you a little too much of the Spur ad, consequently ruining the poignancy of the moment.

Another favourite, Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’ is perhaps a tad sombre, but nevertheless promises eternal love, even after death. This may work better at a funeral.

The Failed Love

Mmm…I agree it’s not an ideal theme song for Valentines Day, but sometimes things just don’t work out. If the 14th happens to be the day on which you leave the love of your life, you might want to leave them to the dulcet and heart-wrenching notes of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’. Yes, I know what the title suggests, but the excluded part in brackets reads: ‘from far far away’.

You don’t believe me. Well, I think the lines “Bittersweet memories/That is all I’m taking with me/ So, goodbye. Please, don’t cry/ We both know I’m not what you need” make it pretty clear. Fine then, play it at your wedding, but I warned you.

If you are still hoping to salvage your failing love, Air Supply is the answer. Yip, ‘All Out of Love’ says it all – the yearning, the self-chastisement and the appeal for forgiveness.

The Stalker

So, perhaps you aren’t having that romantic dinner because the love of your life is just not that interested. If you find yourself in this predicament, your best bet is blare Police’s ‘Every Breath You Take’ loudly outside his or her window whilst simultaneously spying on the object of your obsession through binoculars. This is the ultimate stalker song, but suggested actions may result in arrest and a restraining order.

Please note that iafrica.com will not be liable if following the above ‘soundtrack guide’ results in marriage, divorce, loneliness or criminal action.

http://lifestyle.iafrica.com/valentine/features/622125.htm

Mutt gets mentioned too - now, isn't that sweet or what..?

John - :p

EilleenTwain88

02-09-2007, 8:30am

Mutt gets mentioned too - now, isn't that sweet or what..?
Mutt who writes the Mushiest love songs, eh? Sounds suitable to me heh.

Only that Shania is totally denied any copyright to FTMO; that sounds sad.. and ignorant. :sad:

FinnFreak

02-09-2007, 8:40am

Heeyyy... *only* the fans aren't ignorant over this issue.

IF the writer had bothered to check the credits on the album, the wording would perhaps be more accurate... :smirk:

:uhh: ...funny, they didn't mention Mutt's involvement on Bryan Adams’ ‘(Everything I do) I do it For You’..? :huh:

:scowl: - Typical female writer..!

(No, I didn't REALLY mean that - I just WANTED to say it) :p

John - ;)

Eleanor

02-09-2007, 9:17am

Typical female writer..! What do you mean John, I would have credited Mutt on the Bryan Adams (Everything I do) I do it For You’. It's mainly men that wright in the UK tabloid news papers and they are full of CRAP, and they say horrible things about Shania.

Troll

02-09-2007, 10:14am

Great articles.

EilleenTwain88

02-09-2007, 10:29am

...funny, they didn't mention Mutt's involvement on Bryan Adams’ ‘(Everything I do) I do it For You’..? :huh:
Well yesh. With the same logic that should have been called Mutt's song also, since he co-wrote it with Adams...?!? I have never seen it called anything else but Adam's song?? Well then again they were not married, eh? :uhh:
...(No, I didn't REALLY mean that - I just WANTED to say it)[/size] :p
:D
You don't have to be a female to envy/dislike Shania.
We have seen some crap from the male writers also over the years, haven't we.

FinnFreak

02-09-2007, 10:41am

Well yesh. With the same logic that should have been called Mutt's song also, since he co-wrote it with Adams...?!? I have never seen it called anything else but Adam's song?? Well then again they were not married, eh? :uhh:

...and what about Michael Kamen..?!? :huh:

:D
You don't have to be a female to envy/dislike Shania.
We have seen some crap from the male writers also over the years, haven't we.

...and the undecided too.

(No, they usually ADORE Shania. Yep, that's the word to describe it.) ;)

John - :p

SHANIANUTS!

02-09-2007, 1:46pm

What is theSofitel Queenstown? Kind of a hotel?...

What was she supossed to do there?:uhh:... I would like to see more about this... it's poor the new to me.. no details..:dunno:

Thanks for the info.....you forgot how to Google?:funny:

http://www.sofitel.com/sofitel/fichehotel/gb/sof/5688/fiche_hotel.shtml

Troll

02-09-2007, 2:13pm

Thanks for the link Bob. Looks like a great place.

GorToma

02-09-2007, 3:30pm

thanks for info :D

Roger

02-10-2007, 2:59am

I don't think this "news" is significant enough to justify for it's own thread..?

A minor tidbit, not really groundbreaking screamin' freakin' headlines..?

Besides, I think the Kiwis didn't quite get the story right: it was Mrs Lange - NOT Shania.

There's a difference.

John - ;)

This is a significant thread for me. We will be in both Wanaka and Queenstown over the next week. So, while I will not stalk her at her Motatapu home, you bet I will keep an eye open for her.

Roger in New Zealand

Eleanor

02-10-2007, 6:10am

Hi Roger are you sleeping in a tent on the grounds of her Motatapu home?
Hope you are both having a great holiday in New Zealand. Love Eleanor.

Troll

02-10-2007, 10:11am

Just stick to simplicity

Dear Future Boyfriend, In case you were wondering what not to get me for Valentine's Day, I do not agree with the whole expensive gift thing. In the words of Shania Twain, it just "don't impress me much." Hey, let's drop $150+ for some cologne and piece of Tiffany's jewelry . . . great idea! And why don't we just throw in his and her iPods on top of it. What? Get them engraved too? Sure, why not! You might smell amazing, I might look amazing, and we both might be listening to some pretty amazing music, but I don't have an income right now.

Let's face it, you're no Bill Gates. After all, if you go broke, how will you pay for my birthday present come August? So, how about let's just stick to the cute card and candy this year or whenever you choose to grace me with your presence?

-ShannonObey '08

http://media.www.thecowl.com/media/storage/paper493/news/2007/02/08/ValentinesDaySpecial/Tangents.And.TiradesValentines.Style-2708028.shtml?sourcedomain=www.thecowl.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com

dreamer

02-10-2007, 5:24pm

OMG now I have a reason to have a bit more resepct for a republic in congress

When I look at these top three guys, I think of Shania Twain singing 'That don't impress me much,' " said former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, referring to the popular country singer.

tower

02-10-2007, 8:07pm

Like everyone here, I just hope Shania is HAPPY, indeed I hope everyone is happy, for that costs little. I have been the poorest person I know and been happy.

Only when you have nothing do you know when you have something. I am happy now, just hanging around Timmins doing not a lot but happy is a state of mind.

Happy is something that NO ONE can purchase. I don't care where Shania is or what she doing right now. I know when she comes back into our lives she will make us MORE happy than we would otherwise be and that is all I need from Shania or anyone for that.

Someone makes you happy and then they are gone? Well then you have to make yourself happy or find someone who will do that... for you.

But my advice for what my 57 years on Planet Earth is worth is...

True Happyness you generate all by your self...

and it gets better...

For when I am happy, I have found I can make the people around me happy too. Richard is a classic example of that for those who have met him at the past 4 fan conventions.

So of COURSE I hope Shania is happy and her family too, for she has had a lot of 'stuff' come into her life which I am not even sure I could deal with and I KNOW MONEY does not make you happy on it's own.

But that is Shania's problem, not mine. Of course I would like to think as you read this thread you are happy too? Again that is your option not mine.

If I could give a gift, it would be happyness. Sadly I have not got the power to do that but a few times in a life, but the reward of passing that on are perhaps the greatest I have ever experience in my lifetime.

Happyness and Love are close but not the same. Love is bio chemical full of reproductive hormones and can destroy. Making someone Happy is simply the best thing to ever experience.

A smile or a simple hello costs so little and can light up your day.:)

dreamer

02-11-2007, 4:55pm

yes babies are also a good example too! I give them a grin and they just giggle and giggle......

Eleanor

02-11-2007, 5:15pm

Babies always seem to like me, they stop crying and give me a big grin, even when I was all punky in my mid teens. I must be doing something right. Mybe they find me funny

dreamer

02-11-2007, 6:26pm

Me too!! (babies like me I mean :funny: )

FinnFreak

02-13-2007, 8:44am

Business Wire (press release), CA - February 13, 2007

GAC Valentine’s Day Survey Finds Country Music Fans Love Their Love Songs

Almost One in Three Has Sung a Love Song to a Significant Other

Faith Hill, Tim McGraw Top “Most Wanted” List of Country Crooners

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nearly one-third of men and women have tossed embarrassment aside to sing a love song to that special someone in their lives, according to a national survey conducted for Great American Country network (GAC). The willingness to express one’s love in song is almost evenly split between male and female voices. The GAC Valentine’s Day survey of 600 adults found that 31 percent of men and 33 percent of women had belted out a country classic at one time or another as a token of their love.

When asked which song best describes the feeling invoked by singing a love song, respondents chose the Elvis Presley standard “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You,” followed by Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind.”

Lovers-turned-singers also expressed clear preferences when asked from which country music artist they would most like to receive a love song for Valentine’s Day. Men would like to hear lyrics of love from Faith Hill (49 percent), Reba McEntire (47 percent) and Shania Twain (41 percent); while women prefer Tim McGraw (61 percent), Garth Brooks (52 percent) and Kenny Chesney (41 percent).

The GAC survey proves once again that country music really is America’s music of choice. Forty-two percent of those surveyed picked country music as the genre they most prefer.

As for their favorite all-time country love song, both men and women named Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” as their No. 1. Men picked Patsy Cline’s classic “Crazy” as their second-favorite love song, while women named “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” by Garth Brooks.

The GAC Lifestyle Survey interviewed 600 adults, age 18-69. At 95 percent confidence, the margin of error is +/- 5 percent. Several survey questions allowed respondents to have multiple choices, in which case the total percentage may exceed 100 percent.

Highlights of GAC Lifestyle Survey

February 2007

All-time favorite country love songs:

Men: “I Will Always Love You”/Dolly Parton (24 percent); “Crazy”/Patsy Cline (21 percent)

Women: “I Will Always Love You” (25 percent); “If Tomorrow Never Comes”/Garth Brooks (19 percent)

Which song best describes the relationship with that special someone in your life?

Men: “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” /Elvis Presley (35 percent); “If Loving You is Wrong, I Don’t Want to be Right” /Barbara Mandrell (18 percent)

Women: “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” (35 percent); “If Loving You is Wrong, I Don’t Want to be Right” (16 percent)

Have you ever sung a love song to that special someone in your life?

Men: Yes 31 percent

Women: Yes 33 percent

Which song best describes your feelings when you sang to that special someone?

Men: “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You”/Elvis Presley (46 percent); “Always on My Mind” /Willie Nelson (35 percent)

Women: “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You” (45 percent); “Always on My Mind” (23 percent)

Which country artist would you most like to sing you a love song for Valentine’s Day?

Men: Faith Hill (49 percent), Reba McEntire (47 percent), Shania Twain (41 percent)

Women: Tim McGraw (61 percent), Garth Brooks (52 percent), Kenny Chesney (41 percent)

About Great American Country

Great American Country is America’s main street for the widest variety of country music, its artists and the lifestyles they influence. In addition to country music videos, GAC features original programming, special musical performances and live concerts, and is the exclusive television home of the Grand Ole Opry. GAC is available in more than 46 million households and online at http://www.GACTV.com .

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070213005338&newsLang=en

John - ;)

Troll

02-13-2007, 10:01am

Thanks John.

Alex

02-13-2007, 4:07pm

shania's third place weird in her:p Thanks for the post.

matty

02-13-2007, 4:40pm

Thanks for the articles.

I'm hearing a lot of Shania at the moment, no doubt due to valentines day.

dreamer

02-13-2007, 7:22pm

me too!!!

Troll

02-14-2007, 2:11pm

Most of the people that you hear aren't surviving are really ambitious about their careers -- some of these people are more interested in nurturing their relationships with their public and their bank accounts than nurturing their relationship with their partner."

Kreviazuk should know. With another Valentine's Day upon us, she and her husband Raine Maida, frontman of Canadian alt-rockers Our Lady Peace, are among a small but hard-working group of musical couples who are making it work, many of whom are Canadian. Among them are Elvis Costello and Diana Krall; Elton John and David Furnish; Celine Dion and Rene Angelil; Neil and Pegi Young; and Shania Twain and Mutt Lange.

Marriage is hard work for just about everyone, but when both spouses are big stars in the music industry, there are greater hurdles to overcome -- even if neither is a hotel-trashing rock-star.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/entertainment/story.html?id=c04ab3b7-862a-497f-89c3-9e52bf87e648&k=90303

dreamer

02-14-2007, 8:33pm

I was just thinking about that today here's to Shania and mutt :love::kiss:

FinnFreak

02-15-2007, 3:55am

PR Newswire (press release), NY - Feb. 14, 2007

Deerhurst Resort Pours on Pure Canadian Fun for Maple-Flavored Spring Break

MUSKOKA, Ontario, Feb. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- It takes forty gallons of clear maple sap to make one gallon of the sweet syrup we lavish on pancakes. You'll find that out, and have buckets of fun, when you visit Deerhurst Resort during its "Gold Rush" maple festival, running March 9 to 18 then weekends through April 8.

The celebration centers around Deerhurst's timbered sugar shack. Sap boils slowly in a large evaporator pan as kids and adults learn traditional and modern methods for getting 2,000 trees worth of sap from woods to table. Tours include a wagon ride, taffy-making on snow and maple treats from the pastry kitchen, plus cider, hot chocolate and locally roasted maple coffee.

Aptly named Executive Chef Rory Golden oversees the harvest. Steeped in syrup science and lore, he confirms, "It's not just for breakfast anymore."

In 14 years what started as a unique attraction has spread to every corner of the 800-acre resort. Deerhurst's popular Maple Madness package includes two night's accommodation and family sugar shack tour for CDN $190 per adult, just $1 more than regular room rates. The resort's Aveda Spa adds maple creme manicures and pedicures to its Muskoka Maple sugar body scrub. And, of course, there's the food.

This year, Golden looked east to Quebec for inspiration from the country's largest syrup producing region. His French Canadian maple brunch buffet includes classics like pea soup, "tourtiere" meat pies, maple roasted ham, white chocolate maple mousse and "oeufs a la neige," snowy meringues poached in syrup.

An all-you-can-eat feast, it's served, complete with pancakes, right below the sugar shack in cozy, log-walled Steamers restaurant for CDN $12.95 per person. Throughout Deerhurst you can indulge in pancake breakfasts and a range of maple-spiked menu items, from salad dressing to butternut squash soup, salmon and cheesecake.

For families who come to see the forest and the trees during school spring break, Deerhurst's biggest draws are location and activities. An easy, two-hour drive from Toronto, here snow still invites skiing. And, depending on weather, other on-site sports include dog sledding, skating, snow tubing, Hummer tours and sleigh rides.

Even if spring thaws, indoors there's a 20,000 square foot sports centre with swimming pool, tennis courts and a video arcade. Deerhurst also takes child's play seriously with a YMCA day camp for kids 18 months to age five based on theme days that run from mad scientist to mediaeval. From March 9 to 18 that's supplemented with a program of resort activities including jewelry making, giant board games and basketball. Maple or not, there's always a new adventure at Deerhurst http://www.deerhurstresort.com/marchbreak .

Deerhurst Resort is home to one of Muskoka's earliest historic lodges, superstar Shania Twain's recording discovery and the region's first modern, 36-hole golf course development. Located on Peninsula Lake just east of the town of Huntsville, Ontario, this classic escape offers the most on-site activities of any resort in Eastern Canada 1-800-461-4393 http://www.deerhurstresort.com .

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-14-2007/0004527752&EDATE=

:funny: - heh, now I've got a serious craving for pancakes & maple syrup..! :p

John - ;)

Troll

02-15-2007, 10:14am

Thanks for the article. I am craving for pancakes too. :p

Eleanor

02-15-2007, 2:50pm

I bet Deerhurst Resort has stuck up their prices because a certain singer once entertained there. Did someone mention Pancakes? yum yum:D

Troll

02-15-2007, 5:10pm

I bet Deerhurst Resort has stuck up their prices because a certain singer once entertained there. Did someone mention Pancakes? yum yum:D

I doubt they would do that.

dreamer

02-15-2007, 7:01pm

maple :]

FinnFreak

02-16-2007, 7:11am

;)

The Decatur Daily, AL - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2007

Doggie dancing

Where humans and dogs do-si-do for fame and glory - and wear fun costumes

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/livingtoday/070216/dog.jpg
MaryAnn Fuhrman and her dog Candy perform their doggie
dancing showcase at the National Western Stock show.

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/livingtoday/070216/dog2.jpg
Mandy, left, performs her doggie dancing
routine with her owner Donna Taylor at
the National Western Stock show.

By Kim Nguyen, Associated Press Writer

DENVER — Candy normally keeps to herself and doesn't speak up. She stays close to those she knows best and does as she's told. But when she dons her red handkerchief and hits the dance stage, she sheds her reserve.

To Brooks and Dunn's "Boot Scootin' Boogie," she frolics, twirls and, as the country song instructs, does the "heel, toe, do-si-do."

Then she lands a slobbery lick on the face of her partner, owner MaryAnn Fuhrman.

Fuhrman and Candy, a 2-year-old white and fluffy Samoyed, are doing what's known as canine freestyle. In the growing sport, human and dog become a dancing duo, dress in over-the-top costumes and show off their fancy footwork using all six of their legs to songs of all genres, from country to disco to classical masterpieces.

The sport has invaded canine culture in America, including doggie day cares, kennels and boarding facilities. You can see it on YouTube.com and at places such as the National Western Stock Show, where Candy and roughly a dozen women and their dogs performed in front of about 100 cowboy hat-and-boot wearing spectators in January.

Dog owners and their pets don't cut the carpet just for exercise. Many try to perfect their routines to win competitions around the nation and worldwide. Colorado will be the site for two competitions this year being held by the World Canine Freestyle Organization, including the group's international titling contests that will take place in July.

The competitions are memorable, to say the least.

At the stock show, one woman and her dog dressed in coordinating Denver Broncos gear (the woman in face paint as well), doing their dance as a tribute to fallen football player Darrent Williams. Another woman dressed in red pranced around her toy poodle while Michael Bolton's "Go the Distance" blared from the speakers. During the routine, the woman did splits while her tiny dog jumped over her legs and circled around her.

And at the end of the performances, the women changed into black, red, white, and blue sequined suits, each grabbed an American flag, and did a choreographed dance to Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" and George M. Cohan's "You're a Grand Old Flag," complete with a giant dog and human spinning pinwheel formation and chorus line of the owners kicking up their legs.

"It's just pure fun. That is the crux of the thing. It's not a stress thing like a showing is," said Fuhrman, 62, of Lakewood, Colo., with Candy wagging her tail and standing by her side. "The dogs enjoy it as much as we (humans) do."

Fuhrman, like lots of canine freestyle dancers, first heard of the sport when she was putting her pets through obedience training. It's there, many say, where doggie dancing got its beginnings in the late 1980s in Canada and Europe, when some people set their competitive obedience routines to music.

"Many people take credit for starting it, but no one has ever actually been called out," said Jessy Gabriel, vice president of dog training at the Triple Crown Dog Academy in Austin, Texas, which specializes in dog obedience, training and agility.

Doggie dancing clubs have sprouted around the nation, including the Mile High Musical Tails in Colorado, which has grown from five to 22 members since October 2002, said founder and president, Sue Cianfarani.

Big international scene

While canine freestyle's popularity is rising in the United States, the international scene is already big. It's especially popular in Australia, Holland, Japan and South Africa, said Patie Ventre, the founder of New-York based World Canine Freestyle Organization, which boasts 1,000 members worldwide, and around 5,000 competitors in the events it hosts annually.

She estimates around 15,000 people dance in clubs worldwide, which serve as gathering points for dog owners and the pets and a place where they can polish their dance moves.

With the sport generally dominated by older women, the World Canine Freestyle Organization is hoping youth will continue the future of the sport. Ventre said it has been reaching out to 4-H clubs around the America and has set up scholarships to send juniors to competitions around the world.

Skeptics often decide to give it a go after seeing a live performance, when they better understand how owners use verbal commands, eye contact, and doggie treats to seduce their charges into twirling, walking through their owners' legs and doing low-height jumps.

On the Net

World Canine Freestyle Organization, www.worldcaninefreestyle.org

Triple Crown Dog Academy, www.triplecrowndogs.com

Mile High Musical Tails, www.milehighmusicaltails.com

Canine Freestyle GB, www.caninefreestylegb.com

John - :D

Troll

02-16-2007, 10:15am

Thanks for the interesting article.

dreamer

02-16-2007, 2:22pm

:shocked:.....

FinnFreak

02-16-2007, 7:32pm

...waiting for the laughs...

John - :p

dreamer

02-17-2007, 4:34pm

:biglaugh: there you go... actually I know about the doggie dancing just not the Shania song in them it gets a little more respect from me now

dreamer

02-17-2007, 5:50pm

has this been posted here?....:dunno:

American Idol Voters Demand Border Fence
By Extrapolater (Special to The Pug Bus)
Feb 16, 2007, 08:19
an image
Canadian bacon banned.
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - In an unprecedented break from tradition, American Idol voters took to the phones one week early, inundating the Department of Homeland Security with nearly fourteen million calls and four million text messages.

What was the subject that aroused such passion in a segment of the populace best known for inflicting Clay Aiken on the world? The border fence. No, not the southern border fence meant to slow illegal immigration from Mexico, but a trade barrier levied against our Canadian neighbors to the north.

In Wednesday's final cut-down show, Idol viewers were bombarded by consecutive, heartfelt renditions of "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman," a ballad recorded in 1995 by Ontario native Bryan Adams.

"I lost consciousness sometime during the eighth version," said self-described Idol worshiper Danielle Cummings. "When I woke up, I realized that Canada was ruining an American institution. Why should we allow them to export their crappy pop songs when we have plenty of crappy pop songs made right here in the good old U.S. of A.?"

Cummings cited Celine Dion, Shania Twain, and Sarah McLachlan as other undesirable foreign nationals whose songs dominate the auditions for the show. She joined millions of other viewers in the grass-roots campaign to bar northern-born singers from auditioning for American Idol.

Results of the voting will be aired on a special Friday night edition of the popular show, during which diminutive host Ryan Seacrest is expected to say, "We'll find out . . . after the break" at least five times. Seacrest will also attempt to break his own Guinness World Records entry for longest dramatic pause preceding an announcement, which he set during last year's final results program.

Troll

02-17-2007, 6:20pm

Thanks for the article.

dreamer

02-17-2007, 6:31pm

you're welcome --- it makes me mad but what the hey

EilleenTwain88

02-18-2007, 4:28am

Why should we allow them to export their crappy pop songs when we have plenty of crappy pop songs made right here in the good old U.S. of A.?"
Hah. Pathetic IMO.

Well that is how rest of the world might think of those crappy USA pop songs, too? Why should we listen to them, instead of those beatiful Canadian, British etc. songs? :D Let them have it all to themselves then. Actually there is NO US singer or group that I like at the moment anyway. Springsteen is okey but he is not making anything new to buy any more, so little harm done to me at least (start deliberate boycott I mean). :funny:

dreamer

02-18-2007, 5:23pm

yes we do the good music is 99% imported!

singingstarz

02-19-2007, 1:34pm

aww nice, thanks for the articles!

FinnFreak

02-20-2007, 6:01am

New York Daily News, NY - February 20, 2007

Newfangled fusion

Southern Culture on the Skids
goes to town on 'Countrypolitan'

http://www.nydailynews.com/ips_rich_content/579-farber_southernCulture.JPG
Hybrid Hoedown: (From l.)
Rick Miller, Dave Hartman
and Mary Huff

Shania Twain and Faith Hill weren't the first country stars to give the genre a slick, urban makeover.

More than 40 years ago, a host of Nashville writers and producers toned down country's twang and played up plush new arrrangements to create a style known as "countrypolitan."

Stars like Patsy Cline, Marty Robbins and Tammy Wynette all participated in this pop-country crossover, contributing songs too smart and appealing to dismiss as sellouts.

The trio known as Southern Culture on the Skids know this history well. So, for their latest album, they've cooked up their own corollary to the style.

Their new CD, "Countrypolitan Favorites," isn't a literal rehash of the era's hits, even though it does feature solely cover versions of older songs. Yet only a few were part of the countrypolitan rush, including a take on Lynn Anderson's snarky 1970 smash, "Rose Garden."

In the rest, the Skids crisscross continents and eras to find their own cultural connections. There's a terrific cover of The Kinks' "Muswell Hillbilly," which found those English lads twanging like they were born in a holler. There's a reivention of T-Rex's "Life's a Gas," moving it from a piece of glittery Brit-pop to something that could have come from below the Mason Dixon line. The Skids also draw an interesting line between Celtic music and its Appalachian cousin with their take on The Who's trad-rock classic "Happy Jack."

The Skids have been making these cultural leaps since 1983, when they came charging out of Chapel Hill, N.C., with a sound that both worshiped and mocked Southern stereotypes. While they maintain that humor in their attitude and press photos, they're utterly earnest in their delivery. Mary Huff gives it her all on Wanda Jackson's rockabilly anthem "Funnel of Love," while Rick Miller gets all the poignance out of Don Gibson's "Oh Lonesome Me" and The Byrds' "Have You Seen Her Face."

I wish the band had chosen some more obscure pieces. But the ones they include prove irresistible. Better, they've demonstrated once again how well music can work when intentions and sensibilities collide.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/story/499009p-420709c.html

* * *

Flint Journal, MI - Monday, February 19, 2007

Ryan's hope

Pediatric support team helped local family cope

By Carol Azizian

Death courted Ryan McDonald like an insistent suitor. For most of his 12 years, he turned his back on it.

His journey would have been unbearable but for the small army of caregivers who helped him fight the inevitable. Ryan, a Davison boy who suffered from a rare, debilitating neuromuscular disorder, died on Feb. 9.

This is the story of how he lived. And of a program that gave him support and hope.

A conversation

The boy with an irrestible grin and drooping eyelids lay in his bed, clutching his mom's hand. A nurse prepared to draw blood from his leg. He dreaded the ritual.

Standing at the foot of his bed, a perky social worker named Kim Thwing engaged him in conversation to ease his anxiety.

They talked about the hair growing on his upper lip; a potential trip to Mississippi to visit his hero, a cousin who served in Iraq; and his disagreement with a teacher's aide over who's the better singer - Hannah Montana or Shania Twain.

He shared a concern: "My brother told me I have the face of an old man and the body of a kid."

"Tell your brother you have the face of an adolescent and the body of one too," Thwing reassured him.

The conversation was slow and deliberate. Ryan spoke with tremors, the way Katharine Hepburn did near the end of her life.

Click here to read entire story (http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/features-6/117189677551190.xml&coll=5&thispage=1)

John - :(

Troll

02-20-2007, 10:08am

Thanks for the articles.

Troll

02-20-2007, 10:09am

Her name was mention on the Tonight Show last night. She was mention because she worked at Mcdonalds.

FinnFreak

02-20-2007, 10:43am

Canada NewsWire (press release), Canada - February 20, 2007

Women don't realize how phenomenal they are

"Phenomenal Woman" survey reveals truth about phenomenal female perceptions

TORONTO, Feb. 20 /CNW/ - It's a well-known fact that many women feel under-appreciated by their partner. In reality, men think more highly of the woman in their life than the woman thinks of herself *. According to the "Phenomenal Woman" survey conducted by Canadian Radisson, Country Inns & Suites, and Park Plaza Hotels, to celebrate its Phenomenal Woman Getaway Package, while only 52 percent of women surveyed believe themselves to be phenomenal women, 70 percent of men surveyed consider their partner to be phenomenal.

Here's what else the survey discovered:

Not surprisingly, Oprah Winfrey is the No. 1 celebrity phenomenal woman. What is more interesting is that more respondents opted for Angelina Jolie as phenomenal than Belinda Stronach. Just goes to show that if your name must be spread over the tabloids, being associated with Brad Pitt makes you far more phenomenal than being associated with Tie Domi.

Speaking of female celebrities, Shania Twain, Celine Dion and Diana Krall are the most Phenomenal Canadian Woman Celebrities. Seems that if you are Canadian, the ability to sing is somehow closely associated to being phenomenal!

It would seem that childbirth and surviving your daughter's teenage years are worth it. Forty percent of women and 15 percent of men (second only to spouse or partner) named their mother as the most phenomenal woman in their life.

Showing "kindness and concern for others" was the characteristic that defined a woman as phenomenal most often for both men (44 percent) and women (53 percent). Being a great mom came in second.

While flowers are nice, the best way to thank a phenomenal woman is to treat her to a getaway.

Recently Carlson Hotels Canada, which includes Radisson Hotels & Resorts(R), Country Inns & Suites By Carlson(R) and Park Plaza(R) Hotels & Resorts, launched the Phenomenal Woman Getaway Package.

"We created this special package for all the phenomenal women in Canada," said Sandy Russell, senior director, Revenue Generation - Canada at Carlson Hotels Worldwide. "What better way for truly phenomenal women to kick back and relax than to get away with other phenomenal women for a night of fun, possibly with a bit of dining and shopping thrown in." It seems that both women and men agree, as more than half of the Canadians surveyed believe that their phenomenal woman deserves to get away.

With the Phenomenal Woman package, available through April 15, 2007, in addition to receiving overnight accommodation and breakfast, a $10 donation will be made to the Canadian Cancer Society on the guest's behalf. When guests check in, they receive a goodie bag that includes Amy Sky's latest CD, Life Lessons - The Best Of Amy Sky, a $20 discount certificate from Laura Canada, plus the Canadian Cancer Society's "Cancer Facts for Women: What you need to know" brochure.

"Providing potentially life-saving information and contributing to the Canadian Cancer Society is a very important component of the Phenomenal Woman campaign," Russell said. In its survey, Carlson Hotels found that nearly half of the respondents have had either a family member or friend diagnosed with breast, ovarian, uterine or cervical cancer.

Carlson Hotels believes that Phenomenal Women deserve a reward. So, while the Phenomenal Woman Getaway Package is available, guests are invited to nominate a Phenomenal Woman in their life by submitting a letter at www.girlsgetawaypackage.com. The woman judged the most phenomenal will receive a four-night trip for two to the deluxe 5-star Radisson Edwardian May Fair Hotel in London, England. In addition, the person who nominated the winner will have a $1,000 donation made on their behalf to the Canadian Cancer Society.

For reservations for the Phenomenal Woman Getaway Package visit www.girlsgetawaypackage.com, call 1-877-810-1846 or contact your travel consultant.

NOTE: To interview Sandy Russell or for more information please contact: Judy Murdoch, 905/853-5744 or judymurdoch@sympatico.ca

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/February2007/20/c2218.html

* I knew that. And it's true. - Time for our daily getaway.

John - ;)

Troll

02-20-2007, 2:05pm

Another great article.

tonyme

02-20-2007, 4:25pm

Thanks for those articles... I have a membership with Google Alerts and every time an article with Shania Twain in it, it is sent to my email address...

I think it's the easiest way not to miss anything on the net;)

dreamer

02-20-2007, 8:01pm

those are cool is the google thing free how do you do it?

Troll

02-20-2007, 10:42pm

Thanks for the tip Tony.

FinnFreak

02-21-2007, 2:50am

yep, you can pretty much get alerts from all major news agencies and services...

;) - like this one:

Queerty, NY - Tue, Feb 20, 2007

NJ Lesbians Out-Gay The Gays

Women's "Wedding" Soundtrack's For Sissies

Our memory must be failing, because we forgot to mention the New York Daily News' rundown on NJ gay "marriage". Good thing those gay loving Gawkers posted on it earlier today, pointing out that a particularly queer couple, Christopher Dean & Keith Denick, have perpetuated years of stereotypes by singing their vows and vowing to have a "fabulous" reception. Despite the f*g's best efforts to have the gayest wedding in town, the article's lesbian subjects, Elena Cardona & Liz Quinones, seem to have out-fagged them. The article describes their musical selections:

Elena will walk down the aisle to Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings." "I cry every time I hear it because the words are so touching," says Liz. The first dance is to Shania Twain's "From This Moment." Elena's Mother and Daughter dance is to Celine Dion's "Because You Love Me."
Sure, the tracks may be a bit dated, but they're certainly gay classic. If we didn't know better, we'd say the ladies do it in the what what.

http://www.queerty.com/queer/gay/nj-lesbians-outgay-the-gays-20070220.php

So - there you go... and I have to say,
whether you're straight - or the other way:
Everyone - Have a Gay Wednesday..!

John - :p

Troll

02-21-2007, 10:05am

But he's inconsistent in his tastes. He takes the show to task for making stars out of mediocrity, yet, in a conversation with the Simon character, he reveals a genuine love for producer Mutt Lange for having done the exact same thing with Def Leppard, Bryan Adams and Shania Twain.

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/02/21/041432.php

captainCorr

02-21-2007, 1:15pm

(....)

Overall Assessment –
It’s my contention that America has been robbing Peter to pay Paul but Peter is now tapped out. Thanks to Wall Street and Madison Avenue, the average American has been led to believe that more money equals more happiness. Unfortunately, they’re killing themselves by trying to keep up with the Joneses by obtaining many things, but owning outright very little of them. They bow not to their God in Heaven but to their debt pushers. It may be hard to believe, but Shania Twain has seen the reality of all this better than most in her song “Ka-Ching”. I urge you to seriously listen to all the lyrics (as hard as that can be with Shania in the video). It’s an absolute bulls-eye assessment on how Americans have been living. [source (http://news.goldseek.com/Grandich/1172073720.php)]

Troll

02-21-2007, 2:22pm

Thanks for the article.

dreamer

02-21-2007, 8:07pm

cool:) thx

FinnFreak

02-23-2007, 4:48am

Northwest Herald, IL - Friday, February 23, 2007

Black-belt mom, daughter pack one-two punch

http://www.nwherald.com/content/articles/2007/02/23/news/local/doc45de8a3200837376488585.jpg
Dori Frye, 12, demonstrates how to escape from a
hold that her mother, Julie, has put on her. The
mother and daughter duo have both earned black
belts while training at Z's Martial Arts in Huntley.
(Robert Winner photo)

By TOM MUSICK - tmusick@nwherald.com

HUNTLEY – Julie Frye-Keppler already was bruised and exhausted in her black-belt test when an opponent’s blow to her kidney knocked the wind out of her.

She thought about giving up. After hours of pushing her body and mind to their limits, another grueling two-minute round seemed overwhelming for the 41-year-old mother from Crystal Lake.

Then she heard the voice of her 11-year-old daughter, Dori Keppler, who encouraged her to keep going.

“Come on, mom!” said Dori, who offered karate coaching tips. “Body, head! Body, head!”

Dori’s encouragement carried special meaning. On the same January day that her mom earned a black belt, Dori earned a junior black belt.

The pair became the first mother-daughter duo to receive their black belts at Z’s Martial Arts Academy in Huntley. They trained for more than six years for the sport’s highest honor.

Most athletes start to decline in their 30s and 40s – when Frye-Keppler was just starting to train. Frye-Keppler also had knee and back surgeries as relics from playing on her college volleyball and basketball teams.

“It’s just amazing,” Z’s owner Rob Zbilski said. “When I first met Julie, I wasn’t sure if she was going to stick it out. Her work ethic is great.”

Meanwhile, Dori’s training has helped her beyond the training mats, Frye-Keppler said. Dori recently made the honor roll as a sixth-grade student at Bernotas Middle School in Crystal Lake.

Dori remembers her junior black belt when she faces challenges at school.

“I just think of the test and how hard it was,” said Dori, who was adopted when she was 2 by Frye-Keppler. “I just think, ‘If I could get through that test, then I can get through this test.’ ”

Karate also helped the pair to bond.

Before Frye-Keppler and Dori received their black belts, they performed a karate routine to the [B]Shania Twain song, “Any Man of Mine.” Frye-Keppler’s 9-year-old twins, Kody and Kaleb, played along as their mom and sister playfully pushed them around.

Frye-Keppler said she cried when Dori received her junior black belt.

“She’s at an age where moms are not the coolest thing,” Frye-Keppler said of Dori. “By us doing this together ... it has brought us a lot closer.”

Dori wants to try kickboxing after she turns 12 later this month. But she said she had a long way to go before she could compare with her mom, who has traveled to Iowa to kickbox in addition to her college sports career.

“She has a million newspaper articles,” Dori said, smiling. “I only have one.”

http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2007/02/23/news/local/doc45de8a3200837376488585.txt

John - ;)

FinnFreak

02-23-2007, 8:17am

NYU Washington Square News, NY - Friday, February 23, 2007

Best Album Ever:

AC/DC - BACK IN BLACK

http://accordionguy.blogware.com/Photos/2005/06/acdc-back_in_black.jpg

By Daniel Lehman

Most rock 'n' roll fans know that 1980 should have been a very bad year for Aussie hard-rock act AC/DC. Shortly after the band had finally reached international acclaim with 1979's "Highway to Hell," lead screamer Bon Scott died suddenly in true rock-star fashion (he choked on his own vomit in the back seat of his car). And that could have been the end of it.

They weren't finished yet, though - within the next five months, the band found a new singer, wrote 10 new songs and released its seventh studio album.

Now that's a pretty good story. But it wouldn't be worth a damn if the resulting album was not "Back in Black" - an unstoppable aural assault, with so much strut and swagger to spare that it could be called the most explosive rock 'n' roll eulogy ever recorded. No lame power ballads, no existential meditations on death - and certainly no rehab. Just all killer, no filler, lean and mean rock 'n' roll, propelled by Angus Young's instantly recognizable guitar riffs.

The album is an example of perfection in simplicity. Each track is tightly wound and ready to blow, but producer (and future Mr. Shania Twain) :p Robert "Mutt" Lange maintains clarity amid chaos. Every track has become a lesson in air-guitar greatness, and a model for kick-@ss karaoke.

Songs like the hauntingly heavy opening track "Hell's Bells" and the rolling thunder of "Givin' the Dog a Bone" confirm that "Back in Black" deserves to be the soundtrack to every bar brawl, or at least your next late-night freeway drive. New singer Brian Johnson proved he was more than capable of filling Scott's hard-drinking, hard-living, womanizing shoes on songs like "You Shook Me All Night Long," "What Do You Do for Money Honey," and other highlights such as the title track and - hell, everything here is classic.

For those about to rock, we salute you.

http://media.www.nyunews.com/media/storage/paper869/news/2007/02/23/Arts/Best-Album.Ever.Acdc.Back.In.Black-2739779.shtml

John - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v434/FinnFreak/ROCKON.gif

Troll

02-23-2007, 10:05am

Thanks for the articles.

Troll

02-23-2007, 10:06am

Co-host Shania (?)

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?ref=rss&storyid=76475

captainCorr

02-23-2007, 10:57am

Bolton swings it like Sinatra

(....)

I hear you got (wife) Nicollette (Sheridan) to sing for you. So any hits she has, you get 50 percent (of the royalties) instead of the agents' standard rate?

Well, Mutt Lange did it with Shania Twain. I call it a brilliant merger. But Nicollette has always had a beautiful voice, she has always sung perfectly in key. I told her that for years. The one thing she's always been afraid of is singing in public. It was (a) big deal for her. She stepped up and sang beautifully.

Of course, it's a Sammy Cahn song, "Second Time Around." [source (http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070223/LIFESTYLES0101/702230336/1050)]

Troll

02-23-2007, 2:22pm

Thanks for the article.

dreamer

02-23-2007, 6:11pm

those are great!

FinnFreak

02-28-2007, 5:51am

Kansas City Star - Wednesday, February 28, 2007

"Nashville Star" (it's like "Idol," only with talent)
rides sibling rivalry to the finish line

By Aaron Barnhart

It was the matchup no one saw coming, except perhaps for a proud papa in Muscle Shoals, Ala.

Entering the "Nashville Star" country music competition in separate tryouts in different cities, brother and sister Zac and Angela Hacker both made the cut for season five, then sang their way forward.

And now it's come to this: Thursday night, there is a two out of three chance that someone named Hacker is going to be named the winner of "Nashville Star" and take home not only a recording contract with a major label and a Chevy truck, but family bragging rights as well.

The smart money says Angela Hacker, a 29-year-old single mom, will be collect the most votes from viewers. The results will be announced on the show, which airs 9 p.m. Thursday on USA Network

For the record, 23-year-old Zac told their local newspaper, the Times Daily, that he thought his sister would win. Angela only partially returned the favor, saying that her baby-faced brother "has a huge chance."

After she belted out the Deanna Carter torch song "Strawberry Wine" on last week's show with characteristic power, one of the show's judges, Blake Shelton, gushed, "When I look at you I see a little dandelion growing out in the field ... and then when you sing, I see cigarettes and beer and whiskey!"

Earlier this month I spent time at "Nashville Star" with my friend John Bohlinger, the show's bandlander. I thought that Whitney Duncan, the bluesy statuesque blond who was voted off two weeks ago, had the most commanding stage presence, while behind the scenes the jut-jawed David St. Romain, who might have the most raw talent of any contestant, strutted confidently backstage.

By contrast, the Hackers seemed to blend in with the crew. That's not a criticism, just a sign that two southern kids from humble roots have yet to catch up with the personas that were created almost overnight for them by television.

"Nashville Star" is one of the top-rated cable series in prime time, according to Nielsen. It draws about a third more adult viewers than "Battlestar Galactica," which airs in the same time period Sundays (on sister channel SciFi) and has a much higher profile in the media.

But -- and here begins a short yet unavoidable list of the ways in which this show is not "American Idol" -- "Nashville Star" is far from the highest-rated program on USA Network (that would be "WWE Raw"). Its weekly audience is less than one-tenth the number who, on average, watch "Idol."

Buzz is harder to come by for "Nashville Star" because it only airs once a week, meaning that each hour-long episode must include both a performance round and an elimination rite based on the votes that were cast seven nights earlier. ("Idol" schedules a separate show the night after the performances to announce which contestant is leaving.)

For these reasons, it's not too surprising that "Nashville Star" has had trouble living up to its title. The closest thing to a star the show has minted is Miranda Lambert, and she finished third during its first season. While that year's winner, Buddy Jewell, released one best-selling CD and then faded quickly, Lambert went platinum with her 2005 release "Kerosene."

Still, not even Lambert's success comes close to that of Carrie Underwood, who parlayed her 2005 win on "American Idol" into a CD that just passed the 5 million mark in sales -- the biggest-selling debut by a female artist since Shania Twain.

The Hackers' hometown of Muscle Shoals is legendary in the annals of the music industry. In its heyday in the 1960s and 1970s, everyone from Bob Dylan and the Stones to Reba McEntire and Ronnie Milsap recorded songs there, relying on the area's rich supply of versatile sidemen.

Their father, Hardy Hacker, was a professional musician in his day, and as Angela Hacker revealed on last week's show, she and her brother are third cousins of Elvis.

Above all, the Hackers have their improbable twin ascension from nobodies to nearly famous country-music artists working in their favor.

Regardless of who wins, both will walk away with recording deals, both will likely release nationally distributed CDs this year and both will perform on tour this summer along with St. Romain and fourth-place finisher Joshua Stevens. (Several dates have been announced at 2007NashvilleStarTour.com, none so far in the Midwest.)

The winner of "Nashville Star" will get a contract on the WB Nashville label, whose roster includes Shelton, the show's co-host, Cowboy Troy, and the Wreckers, featuring Kansas City's own Jessica Harp, who performed on the show earlier this month.

http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/2007/02/nashville_star_.html

John - ;)

Troll

02-28-2007, 10:10am

Thanks for the article.

Troll

02-28-2007, 4:43pm

Kellie Pickler meets idol Dolly Parton

Kellie Pickler was told to come to her label Monday for an interview, but it was a set-up for a surprise meeting with Dolly Parton, who invited Kellie to her office to listen to songs for her new album.

"It was the highlight of my life," Kellie says. "Ever since I was a little girl, I grew up listening to Dolly Parton. I've seen all of her movies; I have all of her albums. I hope I can be half as successful as Dolly."

Kellie cried when she met Dolly, apparently a common reaction; Shania Twain and Alison Krauss did the same when they first met her. "I don't feel as bad now," says Kellie, after learning this.

Of this adoration, Dolly says, "It makes you feel like your life ain't been in vain, that it's a little more than just what you wanted out of the business for yourself. To think that I've lived long enough to be able to see all of this happen . . . for them to say that I inspired them is very moving to me."

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070228/COLUMNIST0501/702280433/1121/ENTERTAINMENT06

Troll

02-28-2007, 10:13pm

-- Today in 1996, Shania Twain wins her first Grammy for her album, The Woman in Me

FinnFreak

03-01-2007, 5:06am

;)

UB Post, Mongolia - Thursday, 01 March 2007

Doloo Wins Chi Shuu Reality Show

http://ubpost.mongolnews.mn/main/images/stories/January07/chi-shuu-winner.jpg

By M. Bayarmaa and D. Jocelyn

21 YEAR-OLD student, Doloo, has won the long-running reality television show Chi Shuu, which climaxed with a live performance at the Grand Hall in the UB Palace, on February 23. Throughout the night, members of the reality show danced and sang, as members of the public voted for their favorite contestant. Just past ten o’clock at night it was announced that Doloo was the winner, being presented with a key to a one-bedroom city apartment - the prize provided by the show for the victor.

From the outset of the show it was clear that this was going to be a special night. The lights went up on an empty stage which suggested a technical error had occurred. But to everyone’s surprise, suddenly the contestants zipped down onto the stage using special wires, giving the illusion that they were flying. The crowd, consisting of friends and family as well as members of the public, shouted and screamed as the Chi Shuu contestants made their entrance.

To start with, the group danced using contemporary moves to a pulsating disco beat. Some truly remarkable moves were on display, especially between Enkush and Suvdaa. First to take to the stage in their own right was Muba, who sung rock song “Kryptonite” which got the crowd into the spirit of things, as he jumped around manically. To calm things down – but just a little – Khulan came onto the stage next and sang “Breathless” – a pop song by American country music diva Shania Twain [ :uhh: looks like the Mongolian fans are a bit confused :p ]. She was accompanied by Suvdaa and Nomuunaa who helped her out of some old, Country-and-Western dungarees to reveal a more risque outfit – one of which Shania herself would be proud. [ :p - ! ]

Obviously, the best vocal talent of the night belonged to Zulaa, who wowed the audience with a rendition of Norah Jones’ “I Don’t Know Why.” The performance slowed the whole show down and everyone’s attention was on Zulaa as she hit each note perfectly and left a lasting impression on the show. Organ music then filled the theatre and cloaked figures march solemnly onto the stage. Any 80’s music aficionado (and there are many of those) would know this was the introduction to George Michael’s “Faith” and sure enough, Enkush bounded onto the stage as the strains of the acoustic guitar rang out. With relentless energy he performed effortlessly, combining a great singing voice with killer dance moves.

Following the up-and-down tempo of the evening, Ireedui and Khulan took to the stage for a waltz as Orgil crooned “Strangers in the Night” – a Frank Sinatra classic. As he crooned, some of the female audience member’s swooned to his version of Ol’ Blue Eyes’ hit. However, if there was any member of Chi Shuu that this evening’s females saved their adoration for, it was Doloo. Greeted like the Fonze on steroids, the sheer screaming and shouting from the female contingent of the audience was overwhelming. Singing classic 90’s hit “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” he was an instant hit and was going to be the out-and-out victor of the show if the audience reaction was anything to go by. It wasn’t just American pop that was performed. Joe Dassin’s signature French pop song, “Et Si Tu Ne Exist a Pas,” was sung by Ireedui.

Putting a bit of funk in the performance was Amaraa who got down with it to sing “Play That Funky Music, White Boy.” Wild Cherry’s instantly recognizable 70’s hit went down a storm. Muba took to the stage again to sing “Forever,” with Enkush and Nomuunaa acting out scenes that the song represented behind a parasol. Both Enkush and Nomuunaa also stayed onstage for their version of saccharine pop hit “Barbie Girl.” In tribute to the music video, a radio-controlled toy car, was driven onstage by Orgil but was dwarfed by the performance of the duetting couple. All the Chi Shuu girls did a performance of “No Scrubs” by TLC and keeping in line with the theme, Zulaa performed “That Don’t Impress Me Much” – Shania Twain’s song also about the failings of a man’s charms.

An antidote to this quick burst of female empowerment was provided by Orgil singing Tom Jones’ “Sex Bomb.” Giving Doloo a run for his money in the ‘most attractive male’ stakes, he performed every part like the famous Welshman, surrounded by the five Chi Shuu girls all wearing Bunny-girl costumes. This was this evening’s highlight for many audience members.

Contemporary pop group The Pu55y Cat Dolls provided the grammatically-imperfect song “Stick Wid U” for Chimgee to sing along to. Holding the stage arena by herself, she sung very well and was an audience favorite.

Some Latino flavor was injected by Ireedui’s “La Bamba” which saw all of Chi Shuu follow his lead and take to the stage wearing Hawaiian shirts and bikinis. The friendly charm of Ireedui’s performance quickly evaporated as audience favorite Doloo took to the stage to sing a song out of a Korean TV drama, which climaxed in a staged brawl between all the Chi Shuu male members, where, of course, Doloo came out on top.

And on top he was to remain, as it was soon time to announce the winner of the show. As the final votes were counted, amongst a deafening myriad female screams and shots, Doloo was presented with the top prize. N. Bayasgalan, vice director of the “CAC Pictures” Studio and B. Bayarmagnai, representing of the Mongol news media group (the shows sponsors) presented Doloo with the key to the apartment he had won. Energetic Enkush won second place with Suvdah coming in third.

“It was a great night,” said audience member Z. Batzaya, who is a student studying at the Mandah Accounting Institute. “I thought the best performer was Zulaa by far – for me she was outstanding, especially when she sung solo, although Doloo is a worthy winner.”

The television show – a daily schedule favorite - began in May, 2006 and has lasted ten months. It is organized by Mongol News Media Group’s “CAC Pictures” studio.

http://ubpost.mongolnews.mn/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=514&Itemid=45

* * *

FOXSports.com - Thursday, 01 March 2007

Ask Ryan -presented by AskMen.com

Ryan Murphy / AskMen.com

Singin' Steve, San Diego, Calif.
Subj: karaoke

Ry Guy, what's the best song to sing at karaoke if you want to score with the ladies?

You've come to the right place, Steve. As a veteran of hundreds of karaoke bars I've determined the best panty peeling songs are Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers, Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye and Little Nikki by Prince. Each of these tunes is so irrevocably sexy they could be sung by a punch drunk baboon and still hit their intended mark. Regardless of your personal taste, make sure to avoid any of my top five mood killers:

1. It's Raining Men (Weather Girls)
2. You make me feel like a natural woman (Aretha Franklin)
3. So Many Men, So Little Time (Miguel Brown)
4. Dancing Queen (Abba)
5. Man, I feel like a woman (Shania Twain)

Experience has taught me that these songs will only help you score if you're serenading strangers at a bar called "The Upturned Stool." Have fun!

http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/6516796

twit

:p

* * *

Winnipeg Sun, Canada - Thu, March 1, 2007

Comic Edwards Sleeping on job

By PAT ST. GERMAIN, SUN MEDIA

Derek Edwards has come a long way in the comedy biz but he hasn't forgotten where he came from -- and we're not just talkin' about his hometown of Timmins, Ont. (And no, we're not gonna dredge up the old second-most-famous-person-from-Timmins-after-Shania-Twain trivia, either.)

http://winnipegsun.com/Entertainment/AandE/2007/03/01/3680305-sun.html

John - :p

FinnFreak

03-01-2007, 6:43am

PR Newswire (press release), NY - Thursday, 01 March 2007

Nashville singer makes heroes out of troops' wives in two new U.S. performances

Nashville, Tenn., March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Usually, the word "hero" during wartime is for the soldiers who go off to fight.

However, rising star and Nashville singer Robert Mycko's prolific song, "You're My American Hero," portrays the spouses, who take care of the children while the soldiers are away, as the heroes of today.

In response to the overwhelming growing demand of "You're My American Hero," Mycko will be performing to a sold out show the new song and opening for country music's national recording artists Heartland at the Cadillac Ranch March 12 in Connecticut.

Mycko is also scheduled for a homecoming performance, for returning troops from Iraq, at Fort Campbell, Ky., on March 17.

Mycko, a native of Connecticut, was launched into the spotlight when a TV reporter in Connecticut heard his song and aired Mycko's story. That report landed Mycko on the front page of the local newspapers and MSNBC.

"We have a box going over to Iraq for the soldiers at work. One of the items they were looking for was music," says Mycko. "One Sunday morning, I was at the breakfast table, where I also write, with my wife and kids, when I came up with, 'You're My American Hero.'"

"You're My American Hero" has been receiving airplay on country stations with a growing number of requests daily from an escalating fan base, not to mention winning two consistent first-place awards in New Artist contests.

This led Mycko to becoming the first live performer at the Connecticut State Capitol in the Lawmaker's Chambers in Hartford last April. Mycko has since performed at numerous political rallies, including a performance at the USO last September.

Mycko has just completed recording an EP at Merit Studio in Nashville featuring renowned Nashville session players John Willis - Guitar (Shania Twain, Leann Rimes); Bobby Ogden - Keyboard (Elvis Presley); Steve Holland - Drums (Melissa Gibson); Bob Wray - Bass (Marshall Tucker Band, Hank Williams Jr.,); Bill Hulled - Acoustic Guitar, (Loretta Lynn, Alabama); and Tom Pick - Engineer (Elvis Presley, Waylon Jennings, Dolly Pardon, Roy Orbison). Mycko's daughter also sings backup on his debut CD.

Mycko is scheduling new performances daily and will be touring throughout 2007. The Cadillac Ranch is located at 45 Jude Lane in Southington, Ct. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $18.

An upcoming performance schedule is at

http://www.robertallenmycko.com

and

http://www.sonicbids.com/robertallenmycko

His debut CD can also be purchased on

CD Baby http://www.cdbaby.com/mycko.

For booking information, contact Nancy Dobek, (203) 231-3041 or Jim & Joe Music, Inc. at http://www.jimandjoe.com

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-01-2007/0004537097&EDATE=

John - :)

FinnFreak

03-01-2007, 7:05am

Timmins Daily Press - Wednesday, February 28, 2007

No room in Shania Twain Centre to house city museum: officials; With extended closure, facility makes mall its temporary home

By Chelsey Romain

The doors to the Timmins Museum building may be closed, but it's business as usual for staff and art enthusiasts.

After water damage caused the museum to close in December, staff were forced to find a temporary location to display exhibits and replace their office space.

The staff set up shop in the Porcupine Mall.

Located across from Dollarama, the current space is large enough to display a limited number of pieces of art and accept. The temporary office allows staff to accept registrants for its programs, but they are unable to access the museum's full collection.

"We're exhibiting local artists," said museum curator Karen Bachmann. "We will be re-opening our gift shop soon."

Damage from built-up moisture in the museum building's south wall was thought to be the worst of the problems, but further inspection revealed that the problem was much more severe.

The opening date of the facility was then delayed from January to September.

City administration is now preparing a report for city council so it can decide the best option when it comes to the current museum building. Council must decide whether it will renovate the building or scrap it and build anew.

"We're looking at all options as to what can be done with the current facility," said Timmins city clerk Jack Watson. "We're waiting on the costs to rehabilitate the site."

In Tuesday's Daily Press Vent section, a reader suggested that the museum be relocated to the Shania Twain Centre - a solution Bachmann and Watson both say is impossible.

"They are two very different organizations and the Shania Twain Centre is full," said Bachmann.

"There is no room for us."

Watson said the size of the Shania Twain Centre doesn't come close to the space needed by the museum.

"In doing so you would have to enlarge the centre," said Watson.

Watson also said the city was looking to various agencies to see what kind of funding opportunities are available for the museum. With limited space at the temporary location, Watson said, the museum is "fairly limited at this time, but is still continuing with outside programs."

"We are not able to display exhibits we planned for 2007," Watson told The Daily Press.

"But the big thing at this time is, we have to make a decision for the community and for a long-term fix."

Until council makes a decision on what option it will tackle, there is no word on when the museum will begin to operate at regular capacity. Porcupine Mall owner Barry Martin has donated the location to the museum for as long as it is needed, or until it is rented by another business, said Bachmann.

"We're visible and it's a place to work from," said Bachmann.

"I'm anxious to see what direction this will take us in."

Those wanting to sign up for museum programs can call 235-5066.

http://www.timminspress.com/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=423920&catname=Local+News&classif=

John - :)

Troll

03-01-2007, 10:09am

Thanks for the articles.

dreamer

03-01-2007, 9:33pm

thanks LOL

FinnFreak

03-02-2007, 5:31am

;)

The Australian, Australia - March 02, 2007

Plague on both houses

Carl Williams is in jail, the Moran family men are dead and the underworld matriarchs are still at war, writes Cameron Stewart

. . .

The bride and groom walked into the reception centre to the strains of Shania Twain's You're Still The One - a song Roberta chose because it reflected "all the s**t Carl and I have been through". There was a lot more s**t to come.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21309207-28737,00.html

* * *

Ruidoso News, NM - March 2, 2007

Cowboy up! Urban Cowboy is kickin'-licious and headin' this way...

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site562/2007/0301/20070301__vam01urban~1_Gallery.jpg

Not your average cowboy-chic schtick, Urban Cowboy is musical theater at its most exuberant and surprising. Compulsively watchable and sing-a-long friendly, the 1980s blockbuster turned Broadway adaptation presents an eclectic play-list straight off the discographies of cowboy singers Clint Black, Travis Tritt, Charlie Daniels, and Brooks and Dunn, as well as that of Shania Twain and Dixie Chicks, while featuring audience-familiar hits "Lookin' for Love in All the Wrong Places" (Johnny Lee) and "Could I Have This Dance For The Rest of My Life" (Anne Murray), not to mention a few original tunes - all that and a 21st-century-style opportunity to follow, once again, the good-time romance and honky-tonk games of on-again, off-again love birds Bud and Sissy.

The musical opens where the movie (Paramount Pictures) began. Bud, a new breed of cowboy, arrives in Pasadena, Texas, to work at an oil refinery with his uncle Bob. Soon, Bud not only discovers but defines the city's nightlife, specifically at the sawdust covered dance floor of (Mickey) Gilley's Club. There he meets Sissy and after a quick courtship the two get married.
But, when a mechanical bull arrives, the honeymoon, as they say, is over. Bud forbids Sissy to ride it, offending her sensibilities, so the two separate, until, that is, Gilley hosts a bull riding contest and brings the pair back together again.

Kickin'-licious, Urban Cowboy, the Musical, is, as entertainment columnist Liz Smith says, "Boot stompin', thigh slappin' fun - a hit!"

And, as The Star Ledger reports, "...a jukebox of enjoyable country and western tunes."

http://www.ruidosonews.com/vamonos/ci_5332957

* * *

CMT.com, TN - Thu. March 01.2007

Toby Keith Jams, Notches 50 Million Airplays

CRS Gives Him a Stage, BMI Recognizes His Songwriting

By: Craig Shelburne

One of the most durable and diverse country artists in history, Toby Keith acknowledged 50 million airplay performances as a songwriter this week at a Nashville party. He graciously thanked country radio with a private concert at the Country Radio Seminar's (CRS) Music City Jam on Wednesday night (Feb. 28), bringing along famous friends like Montgomery Gentry, Crystal Gayle and Bobby Bare.

Comprised mostly of programming directors and personnel, CRS boasts a notoriously difficult crowd. At most Toby Keith shows, everybody sings along without much needling. However, when he encouraged the audience to sing along to the chorus of "Get Drunk and Be Somebody," it ended up sounding more like an instrumental break.

That's not Keith's fault. He worked the stage as hard as ever, though this time he was in the basement of the Nashville Convention Center and only 200 or so people came up to the front of the stage while everyone else hovered by the makeshift bars or at the dining tables. He rolled through many of his biggest hits, starting off with "Honky Tonk U" and "Stays in Mexico." He also trotted out a few artists on his Show Dog label, including sister act Carter's Chord, rebel rousers Flynnville Train and singer-actress Lindsey Haun ("Broken").

He had a few surprises up his denim sleeve as well. It's unlikely that anybody expected Bare to show up because the veteran singer rarely performs anywhere these days. "All right, we're going to pick this show up a bit now," the veteran singer deadpanned. He strummed his way through "Detroit City" and "Marie Laveau," letting the audience catch its breath and providing a chance for Keith to hang with one of his heroes, who delivered the songs with grace.

Later on, after a few more of his own hits, Keith turned heads by suddenly crooning the first lines of the sweeping 1980s duet, "You and I," and grinned ear-to-ear when Gayle strolled to center stage to sing her part. He then stepped back so she could perform "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue," then persuaded her to stay for "Makin' Up for Lost Time," from the Dallas TV show and originally a duet with Gary Morris. Gayle gushed that she was excited and honored to be invited by Keith. He returned the compliment by calling her his favorite female country singer.

Keith capped the night by bringing out Montgomery Gentry for some harmonies and hard liquor, and together they knocked out a superior version of "Can't You See," followed by the big finale, "Beer for My Horses."

The previous evening (Feb. 27), Keith held court at the BMI offices to celebrate the fact that the songs he's written have been played on the radio 50 million times. Only a handful of BMI songwriters can claim that distinction, including John Lennon, Elton John, Barry Gibb and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.

Keith recalled the day he met BMI's Clay Bradley to join the performance rights organization in the early 1990s, a year or two before Keith ever had a hit record.

"It was 9 o'clock in the morning, and he said, 'It looks like you've been up all night.' I said, 'It's the only way I could make the meeting!'" The room roared with laughter. Keith also thanked former Mercury Nashville label chief Harold Shedd for signing him to his first record deal at a breakfast meeting -- one that Keith had again stayed up all night for -- following a showcase in an Oklahoma nightclub.

Shedd was present for the party at BMI, joined by producer James Stroud, songwriting collaborator Scotty Emerick, manager T.K. Kimbrell and "I Wanna Talk About Me" songwriter Bobby Braddock. Guests munched on bite-sized fried bologna sandwiches, cornbread, white and pinto beans, mashed potatoes and peach cobbler. Outside, two huge, black Ford trucks adorned with the Harley-Davidson logo were stacked with cardboard boxes plastered with photos of Keith's album covers, including his next one, Big Dog Daddy, due June 12 on Show Dog Records.

Keith's magnificent tally began with his 1993 single, "Should've Been a Cowboy" -- ultimately the most-played country song of the 1990s.

"The first time I heard it [on the radio], I was going to Bowling Green, Ky., and I was with Shania Twain in the back of the bus," he said, attracting catcalls and suggestive whistles from the audience, plus a few laughs. (Twain and Keith signed with Mercury around the same time and toured together early on.) "Those are good memories. We left Nashville as a bunch of greenhorns and went up into Kentucky and flipped the radio on. 'Should've Been a Cowboy' came on and it changed my life. ... Fifty million has been phenomenal, and I thank all of you people."

Played back-to-back, 50 million songs would add up to a staggering 285 years. "Should've Been a Cowboy" has received 3 million spins since then, according to BMI. "He Ain't Worth Missing," "Wish I Didn't Know," "Who's That Man," "You Ain't Much Fun" and "How Do You Like Me Now?!" have all been played more than 2 million times. Titles surpassing the million mark include "Big Ol' Truck," "Does That Blue Moon Ever Shine on You," "A Woman's Touch," "Me Too," "Dream Walkin'," "Country Comes to Town," "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This" and "I'm Just Talkin' About Tonight."

In more recent years, he has continued to rack up hits: "Who's Your Daddy," "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)," "I Love This Bar," "Beer for My Horses," "American Soldier," "Whiskey Girl," "Stays in Mexico," "As Good as I Once Was," "Honky Tonk U" and "Big Blue Note" have all won BMI Country Awards. He was named the BMI Country Songwriter of the Year in 2001, 2004 and 2006 and has been the most-played country artist for four consecutive years. He's currently climbing the charts with "High Maintenance Woman."

Prior to another grateful nod to BMI, Keith wrapped up his remarks simply and with conviction. "I know I've got 50 million more in me," he said, "and I'm not going to quit."

http://www.cmt.com/news/articles/1553672/20070301/keith_toby.jhtml?headlines=true

* * *

The Tennessean, TN - Friday, 03/02/07

Country music urged to serenade Hispanics

Format ignoring big audience, radio says

By RYAN UNDERWOOD
Staff Writer

If Music Row and country radio hope to woo a growing block of potential Hispanic listeners to country music, the first thing they need to learn is how to say "howdy" in Spanish.

That was the basic conclusion that came out of a six-month study of Hispanic attitudes toward country music undertaken by Edison Media Research in Somerville, N.J., and presented Thursday at the ongoing Country Radio Seminar convention being held in Nashville this week.

"Many of us who have worked in radio for a long time — me included — we kind of assume that everybody knows all the country stations on the dial," said Larry Rosin, president of Edison Media Research. "Well guess what? These people told us in the loudest voices that they have no idea we're even there. And why should they? We haven't done anything to tell them about us."

Rosin pointed to statistics from the research showing that 64 percent of 600 Hispanic survey respondents ages 12-49 in Miami and Houston said they either enjoyed listening to country music or would be opening to listening to it.

Of that group, 41 percent said they agreed with the statement, "Country radio stations are not interested in appealing to Hispanic listeners."

Latin remixes suggested

That was a finding that Eva Melo, president of the Franklin Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and an anchor on the local television affiliate of TeleFutura, could relate to.

"My mother, who speaks mostly Spanish, loves country music," said Melo, who attended yesterday's research presentation. "But there's just nowhere for her to go to find out more about the artists or the music."

Rosin said Music Row in particular would be wise to take a page from acts like the international pop star Shakira or R&B diva Beyonce Knowles, both of whom have put their music out in multiple languages and are well known among Hispanic audiences.

The most recognizable country act among Hispanics is the Dixie Chicks, which 51 percent of respondents had heard of, while Shania Twain ranked as the most well-liked artist.

Rosin said those relatively low numbers pointed to opportunities for Nashville record labels to explore pairing country artists with Hispanic pop stars or creating Latin-flavored remixes as ways to reach Hispanic audiences. "We can't take the attitude that we're just the white peoples' format. We can't afford not to do this research because we'll go out of business," he said.

He added that when his company first announced that it was taking on this research project, his inbox quickly filled with angry e-mails from country music fans concerned that trying to appeal to a Hispanic audience would somehow dilute the genre.

Asked if she thought the local Hispanic community associated country music with the divisiveness provoked by the English-only debates in Nashville recently, Melo said most people she knows had not linked the two topics.

'The potential is huge'

Rick Murray, vice president of strategic marketing for the Country Music Association, said the study that was presented Thursday represented the first step for an 18-month-old Hispanic audience task force that has been created within the trade organization.

"This is not about creating some kind of hybrid format," Murray said. "We've got a great product already. It's about story telling and it's about family values. Those are things that are part of Hispanic culture as well. So there are some great parallels."

Exactly what kind of market potential a Hispanic audience for country music represents is just too early to tell, Murray said.

According to 2005 census numbers, 42.7 million people in the U.S., or about 14 percent, are Hispanic. But that number is growing rapidly, with Hispanics making up half of all people added to the population between 2004 and 2005.

"Just looking at the raw numbers — and then looking at the percentage of Hispanics from this research who either enjoy or are open to country music — the potential is huge," Murray said.

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070302/BUSINESS11/703020410/1438/ENTERTAINMENT50

* * *

Seattle Times, WA - Friday, March 2, 2007

Dining Deals

Get your fill of meat and taters

By Providence Cicero
Special to The Seattle Times

Welcome to Route 66: The Restaurant. Peanut shells litter the floor. Neon gas-station signs light up the bar. Cocktails come in Mason jars. Sacks of spuds stand sentry by the kitchen door awaiting their turn to go under the knife and into the deep fryer.

The smell of mesquite and the voice of Shania Twain lasso you before you're even in the front door. If you have not arrived in a pickup truck or wearing cowboy boots, don't worry — neither has most of this crowd. A real cowboy wouldn't put up with wearing a coffee-filter crown while a rowdy bunch of servers gather to sing a silly happy birthday song.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/restaurants/2003595820_deal02.html

John - ;)

Troll

03-02-2007, 9:59am

Thanks for the articles.

matty

03-02-2007, 4:11pm

Thanks for the articles :)

Troll

03-02-2007, 5:01pm

Shania, Si!
-- Shania Twain is ranked as the most well liked country artist among Hispanics living in the U.S. -- with the Dixie Chicks being the most recognizable, according to a recent study by Edison Media Research.

dreamer

03-02-2007, 5:09pm

yay!:D

tonyme

03-02-2007, 5:40pm

Thanks for this information and for those articles:D Read them all;)!

Troll

03-02-2007, 11:23pm

Seattle
Salon: Butter London
THE SCOOP: Frustrated by in-and-out nail joints that fogo quality and hygiene, manicurist Sasha Muir, who has groomed the nails of Kate Moss and SHANIA TWAIN, created spa kiosks at the airport and one mall here that excel at lickety-split services. A manicure at each sleek, four-seat oasis takes just 15 minutes, including a massage with lemongrass-scented cream. Price: $15.

633 Southcenter Mall
Seattle, WA 98188
206-243-0820

http://www.instyle.com/instyle/shops/beautyblackbook/0,23460,1546631_6,00.html

Troll

03-03-2007, 10:12am

-- Today in 1999, Shania Twain is seen hanging on Nancy's wall in the form of a poster in the "Nancy" comic strip.

Troll

03-03-2007, 2:32pm

-- Today in 1999, Shania Twain is seen hanging on Nancy's wall in the form of a poster in the "Nancy" comic strip.

Here is the strip

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g210/steve35terry/Nancy.jpg

Aurore

03-03-2007, 4:01pm

thanks for the post!! that's so cute!! the little girl reminds me Mafalda, a spanish famous comic!:D :p

dreamer

03-03-2007, 5:03pm

I have seen that comic it's a good one;)

Troll

03-04-2007, 10:03am

Which love songs move celebrities?

Nick Cassavetes: The director of "Alpha Dog" and "The Notebook" draws on a personal reference for his pick.

"This is really geeky, but my girl and I have our song, 'You're Still The One' by Shania Twain."

http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070304/Lives09/703040494/-1/Lives

Troll

03-05-2007, 3:01pm

"Hazel, Brad here. It's getting late. Thought I would get you. Guess you heard the baby's here. He's William Huckleberry Paisley. As in Huckleberry Finn -- a reference to a spirit of adventure I hope he embodies. I can see him now -- out playing in the woods, taking chances. Sorta conjures up ideas of Mark Twain, you know. He's healthy. Doing great. Kim's doing great. We call him Will. Can't wait for you to meet him. Thanks for your calls and good thoughts. I love you."

Well, was I happy to hear from him and learn why he and Kim chose the name. At least Brad was thinking of Mark Twain -- not Shania Twain.

http://www.cmt.com/news/articles/1553767/20070302/paisley_brad.jhtml?headlines=true

dreamer

03-05-2007, 5:17pm

:mad: :rolleyes:

Troll

03-06-2007, 9:57pm

Definitive Country
-- The "Definitive 200" list of albums and soundtracks co-sponsored by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has been released.
Shania Twain is the highest ranking country act on the big list, with 1997's "Come On Over" showing up at No. 21.

dreamer

03-07-2007, 12:24am

d@mn right! but it should be higher

shania megafan

03-07-2007, 1:49pm

Thanks for posting! But she will always be number 1!

dreamer

03-07-2007, 7:18pm

yep!!!!!!!

FinnFreak

03-08-2007, 5:15am

Boston Herald, MA - Thursday, March 8, 2007

Beatles, sure, but Shania??

By Larry Katz
Boston Herald Music Critic

What’s the No. 1 Definitive Album of all time?

The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” at least according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the National Association of Recording Manufacturers, which have released their “Definitive 200.”

Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” comes in at No. 2 and Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” at No. 3. No surprise there.

But you might be tempted to start laughing when you find Shania Twain’s “Come On Over” ranked No. 21. Keep reading to see which Boston boys made the cut: The band Boston’s “Boston” is No. 43 and Aerosmith’s “Toys In the Attic” No. 54, which puts them both ahead of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born In the U.S.A. (No. 56) and John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” (No. 78).

The final local entry, The Cars’ self-titled debut, lands at No. 131. But don’t feel too proud. Kenny G., Creed and Nelly also made the cut.

Check out the entire list at www.rockhall.com/pressroom/definitive-200 and let the arguing begin.

http://thetrack.bostonherald.com/moreTrack/view.bg?articleid=187083

:dunno: - What's to argue about..? :huh: - Those two looooong words: influencial & popular..? :p

The following list - the Definitive 200 - was developed by NARM, the National Association of Recording Merchandisers in celebration of the art form of the record album. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is pleased to recognize this varied collection of some of history’s most influencial and popular albums, many of which are Hall of Fame Inductees.

For more information on the Definitive 200, please visit www.definitive200.com.

:funny: - YES: Shania!!

..."tempted to start laughing"..? - :D - laugh away - That's the Shania-effect alright: she *always* manages to bring a smile to a face... ;)

:really: - heeeyyy... you Bostonians didn't like tea either, right..?

John - :p

Troll

03-08-2007, 10:27am

Thanks for the article.

Troll

03-08-2007, 10:28am

"I've always loved embellishment," she said. "It's always been a part of me. I've always been attracted to things that are 3-D and have more texture, as opposed to a sleek, modern purse."

Now it looks as if the fashion world is heading her way, but the designer is already ahead of the pack, having been named Accessory Designer of the Year in the 2004 Dallas Fashion Awards, and with a fan base that includes Hollywood celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Simpson, Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria, Shania Twain and Kate Hudson, to name a few.

http://starbulletin.com/2007/03/08/features/story02.html

matty

03-08-2007, 2:02pm

But you might be tempted to start laughing when you find Shania Twain’s “Come On Over” ranked No. 21.

Things like that really annoy me. What's to laugh about? She obviously makes good music otherwise it wouldn't be ranked that high. Some people really need to get off their high horses when it comes to music, Floyd and the Beatles aren't everything. Her music is fun, why does music have to be serious and pretenscious to get credit.

dreamer

03-09-2007, 12:45am

I agree

Troll

03-10-2007, 1:59pm

Maxim sexiest album covers....Shania made the list with Up!..
Shania Twain, Up!
Like such a command is even necessary. The holes in the tank top alone could cause the…um, reaction…the title demands.
http://www.maximonline.com/slideshows/index.aspx?slideId=3114&imgCollectId=162

Troll

03-10-2007, 2:00pm

Don't hold your breath looking for Shania to his the road and tour. No new music is set, or tour, or anything. She's a veryyyyyyyy rich mom and doesn't need the hassle of a tour or riches it would bring.

http://www.allaccess.com/

dreamer

03-10-2007, 4:48pm

Lol!!!!!!:D what does that last bit mean? no new music "set" is there something I missed:huh:

EilleenTwain88

03-11-2007, 4:20am

Things like that really annoy me. What's to laugh about? She obviously makes good music otherwise it wouldn't be ranked that high. Some people really need to get off their high horses when it comes to music, Floyd and the Beatles aren't everything. Her music is fun, why does music have to be serious and pretenscious to get credit.
Actually it is because she is still alive and kicking, I guess. And still in the middle of her recording career (at least she hasn't announced it to be finished altogether). Her albums will get the credit of being classics only after some time...

What I sometimes wonder is, does these journalists realize (when making high-handed remarks like this) how they are shortselling the buying audience and its taste and sense of quality music. Not only her.
Don't hold your breath looking for Shania to his the road and tour. No new music is set, or tour, or anything. She's a veryyyyyyyy rich mom and doesn't need the hassle of a tour or riches it would bring.[/url]
This is my fear also.. and biggest hope at the same time. I have a feeling that IF she ever comes back, she will start everything at fresh. New kind of music, smaller tours, etc - different type of career altogether.

Looking at Mutt's way of living I find it very likely that she might concentrate on writing and background work of music business more. At least the temptation must be big.

Troll

03-11-2007, 10:06am

Michelle Wright on Shania:

Q: What Canadian country artists do you admire?

A: I have a great respect for any fellow artists who are having any sort of success because I know how challenging it is. Patricia Conroy is someone I hold in the highest regard, first as a human being, and secondly, in my opinion, she's one of the finest songwriters that I write with. I am in awe of Shania Twain. I think that she is a wonderful artist, a great performer and she carries the torch of success with grace and dignity.

http://www.northpeel.com/entertainment/article/19198

dreamer

03-11-2007, 9:49pm

beautifully said:D

Troll

03-12-2007, 10:09am

2. Out: No. 21, Shania Twain, Come on Over (1997). In: Nirvana, In Utero (1993). Nirvana's debut, Nevermind, is lodged accordingly at No. 10, but its follow-up, a bundle of raw nerves and ragged glory, was wrongly left off The Definitive 200. We're righting that wrong, and getting rid of a campy Canadian in the process. Score!

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/arts/story.html?id=67331ccb-d867-4380-b109-e04384ad20aa

Troll

03-12-2007, 10:10am

FinnFreak

03-12-2007, 10:44am

Much of the list's Top Ten is a no-brainer - you won't be shocked to see "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" at #1, or "Dark Side of the Moon," "Thriller," Highway '61 Revisted" and "Nevermind" follow soon-after. But I was thrilled to see a bunch of albums that are influential whether or not anyone thinks they're artistic (Shania Twain's "Come on Over" and Matchbox Twenty's "Yourself Or Someone Like You"), and some I think are often forgotten about in the shadow of all the albums everyone gushes on about.

For instance, Carole King's awesome "Tapestry" is listed at #7, before "Highway 61 Revisited," which I like because a) it's brilliant and b) these lists are often representative of the fanboy tastes of the men that write about rock music.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/streeter/entries/2007/03/the_definitive.html

:D - Wow, that was actually an article worth reading. :]:up:

:shocked: - Wait..! - since it has a positive undertone, lacks drama and feelings of resentment and doesn't offer an adequate amount of controversy to further feed gasoline into the flames... and in fact makes a reader feel good & happy... - I guess it's pretty much lightweight at best then..? :smirk:

:p

John - ;)

dreamer

03-12-2007, 2:14pm

Omg!!!!

Troll

03-14-2007, 9:54am

I'm having a grand time until my overly-analytical ears pick up Shania Twain on the sound system. The song is from her most popular record, Come On Over, and it seems like they're playing the entire album tonight. It's a great disc.

Shania does use a good amount of fiddle in her songs, but is certainly not Irish music. She's from Canada and the sound caters to North American pop & country charts. She's a global icon,

http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker/2007/03/13/shania_twain_in_an_irish_pub_is_globaliz

dreamer

03-14-2007, 2:58pm

yep!!!!

Troll

03-15-2007, 11:22am

Mother and daughter compete in barrel racing event
Kaitlin Bell
March 14, 2007 - 9:30PM

MERCEDES — Most people were content to whistle, clap or tell the riders to hustle at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show’s barrel racing Wednesday evening.

Not 10-year-old Ernie Cantu. The San Benito fifth-grader wasn’t letting anyone off easy.
“Wayyy too slow. Wayyy too slow,” he murmured from the stands as one rider made unhurried turns around the barrels.

“I like speed,” he added.

Ernie doesn’t ride himself, but he seems to know what it takes to win in barrel racing, a traditionally female sport in which riders guide their horses around an obstacle course of metal barrels.

Competition was intense Wednesday, as several dozen riders sought to make the tightest, cleanest turns around the barrels in order to shave seconds from their time. The prize: a share of the $264 jackpot collected from registration fees. The top riders in several age divisions split the pot.

Competition may have been fierce, but 7-year-old rider Morgan Arnold likes to ride because the horses are gentle, she said. Arnold’s horse, Festus, may have mellowed with age, though; at 15, he’s more than twice as old as his rider. Morgan, for her part, has been riding since she was 3.

Stephanie Martinez, of San Isidro, has been at it a bit longer — but she hadn’t really raced since high school, she said. She decided to jump in the ring this time because her daughter and niece were racing, she said.

Her horse, Shania, namesake of country singer Shania Twain, might have been a little nervous, too: It was her first time racing, and she was whinnying a little.

As she sat waiting in the saddle, Martinez fielded cell phone calls from the moms at the cattle competition who had daughters racing. It was getting a little annoying, she said. She needed to focus — preferably on not falling off.

“I’m glad the ambulance is here,” Martinez said, nodding toward the emergency vehicles parked nearby.

She made it through, safe and sound, though. Her 15-year-old daughter, Alyssa, who had placed first in her division, shouted in encouragement, “Hustle, Mom! Hustle!”
____

Kaitlin Bell covers Mission, western Hidalgo County and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4446.

http://www.themonitor.com/onset?db=monitortx&id=751&template=article.html

FinnFreak

03-15-2007, 11:45am

She's a global icon

Yep..! :D:up:

Her horse, Shania, namesake of country singer Shania Twain, might have been a little nervous, too: It was her first time racing, and she was whinnying a little.

Another horse called Shania..? There must be hundreds out there.

John - ;)

dreamer

03-15-2007, 1:44pm

it doesn't hurt one of my children will be named Shania!

Troll

03-15-2007, 2:05pm

Another horse called Shania..? There must be hundreds out there.

John - ;)

You are probably right.

Troll

03-17-2007, 2:10pm

Today in 2000, Shania Twain's "Come On Over" is certified for sales of 17 million in the U.S., making it the best-selling solo album by a female artist, according to the RIAA.

dreamer

03-17-2007, 3:31pm

yay go Shania!!!!!!!!!!!:boogie: --- I LOVE THIS SMILEY!

Troll

03-17-2007, 6:09pm

yay go Shania!!!!!!!!!!!:boogie: --- I LOVE THIS SMILEY!

I agree that is a cool smiley.

Troll

03-17-2007, 10:53pm

Definitive 200

Shania Twain
"Come On Over"

Original Release Year: 1997

The come-from-nowhere success of Shania Twain's previous album, The Woman in Me, proved that the world was ready for a combination of traditional instruments, girl-power themes, and dance-pop dynamics. Whether Twain is a modern-day Dolly Parton or a country music Spice Girl is a matter of perspective. But with her third album, she accentuates the sing-along choruses and simple dance rhythms while downplaying the country elements. As a pop move, it works wonderfully for her, earning Twain a valued spot on MTV, VH-1, and pop radio. The emphasis is on fun rather than depth, of course. But no one can accuse her of being stingy: she and her Svengali-like producer/husband, slick-rock king Robert "Mutt" Lange (Def Leppard, Bryan Adams, AC/DC), load down the album with 16 songs, all of them quite radio-friendly.

--Michael McCall

http://www.definitive200.com/200_list.php

dreamer

03-17-2007, 11:57pm

thanks bunches!!!!!!:D :boogie:

FinnFreak

03-20-2007, 4:35am

TV Guide - Interviews & Features - Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Semi-Homemade's Sandra Lee Has Food for Thought

http://content.tvguide.com/NR/rdonlyres/32342994-72AB-4079-861A-2A7B9E571BE8/16586/070320interview5.jpg
Sandra Lee

by Megan Cherkezian

She's famous for her tablescapes. She can frost a cake to perfection. Even her cocktails are colorfully sweet. But Semi-Homemade (http://www.tvguide.com/detail/tv-show.aspx?id=3945547&sourcetype=S)'s Sandra Lee (http://www.tvguide.com/detail/celebrity.aspx?tvobjectid=268771) faced some sour moments before tasting success, and she's sharing her story in tonight's installment of Chefography (http://www.tvguide.com/detail/tv-show.aspx?id=5366415&sourcetype=s) (9 pm/ET, Food Network). TVGuide.com spoke with the culinary pro about how she turned food stamps into an everyday philosophy, why her difficult childhood led her down certain roads, and how she's giving back to those in need.

TVGuide.com: Who or what inspires you when you're in the kitchen?

Sandra Lee: A lot of my inspiration comes from my two grandmothers, when they were alive. My Grandma Dicey used to do a lot of Southern cooking, and my Grandma Lorraine did a ton of baking and cake decorating. I was really fortunate to get the best of both worlds.

TVGuide.com: You definitely frost a lot of cakes on Semi-Homemade.

Lee: Exactly. Tomorrow I'll be frosting a cone and sticking powered doughnuts on it! [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: Do you ever have a night when you just don't know what to make for dinner?

Lee: Sure, I just grab one of my cookbooks and I'm like, "Oh yeah, I'll have that!" There's this pepper-peach veal chop.... I had exactly one of those days, and I opened up the cookbook and that was the page I turned to, and I said, "Perfect." I went to the grocery store and bought it, because everything's easy and fast.

TVGuide.com: And you probably had half of the ingredients already.

Lee: No, you have all of them, because you can improvise, too. If it's not pepper-peach, it could be pepper-raspberry, because it starts with preserves. Plus, with Semi-Homemade [recipes], you can really improvise the taste; it doesn't have to be exact.

TVGuide.com: How do you create new recipes for Semi-Homemade. Do you start with a theme?

Lee: Sometimes I just start with an idea and then I go look. Sometimes I'll find an ingredient in the store that looks interesting. Sometimes I'll be sitting in a restaurant going, "Hmm, this is amazing. OK, what's in here?" I feel sorry for people who have to go out to dinner with me. [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: Because you're picking apart the recipe?

Lee: I am. I'm, like, writing on napkins.

TVGuide.com: What other cooking shows do you watch?

Lee: I love Iron Chef, and I love the guy on Ace of Cakes.

TVGuide.com: Tell me a little bit about your Chefography story.

Lee: Well, it's going to be pretty intense, because I don't often talk about my childhood. In fact, never. I talked about it once when I was given an award for mentoring and no one in the room really knew my story. When I got up, all you saw was this successful, tall blonde. You know, the look, like Samantha Stevens. It was the first time I told my story, so it was really hard, sharing, "Hey, I was these kids. I know exactly what this is and what they need." And that's where the Semi-Homemade philosophy came from. It was really hard — we didn't have any money growing up, we were literally on welfare, I would organize the food stamps when they came in the first of the month. Food was always better the first of the month; the last of the month was not so good.

TVGuide.com: Was it important for you to share your childhood with viewers?

Lee: I told [my story that previous time] in a closed environment, at a charity luncheon, so this is the first time I'm really telling it to the general public, and certainly to any of the fans. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I couldn't get through the first hour of the interview; I just cried, because you don't deal with that stuff, you just move on in your life.

TVGuide.com: What did you first think when they approached you about the show?

Lee: "Are you out of your mind?" [Laughs] "No way!"

TVGuide.com: Did it take a lot of convincing?

Lee: Yeah, I didn't want to do it for a long time. In fact, after the first week of shooting, I literally said, "I don't want to do this." It was just too painful. But they were very right in that it will inspire and help other people who don't think there's a future when you come from places that aren't perfect. I remember watching a Shania Twain biography and before I watched it, I was like, "Ugh, I can't stand her," and [after] I was like, "Oh, my god, I love her."

TVGuide.com: What perspective does your past give you about your life today?

Lee: I know why I'm doing what I'm doing now and why I'm so good at it. When you're growing up and going through those hard times, you look up to heaven and literally say, "God, why am I going through this exactly? Why does this day have to be such a root canal?" Who doesn't think that growing up? "Why am I standing in this warehouse packing boxes? Why am I at the state fair chopping onions? Why are you doing this to me?" [Laughs]

TVGuide.com: And now there's an answer.

Lee: Now you know. "Oh, that's why I had to go through that. That's why I had to learn how to shop at the grocery store with food stamps. That's why I was reading all those JCPenney and Sears catalogs at Christmastime and tear-sheeting outfits that go with bedroom sets," all sorts of stuff. It's unbelievable. Every single part of it makes sense now, because this is what I'm supposed to be doing.

TVGuide.com: I've seen your family on the show before. Do you ever find that cooking with your nieces and nephews brings back feelings about when you were in the kitchen at such a young age?

Lee: I baked a lot in the kitchen with my grandma, and I am very thoughtful that these are going to be their memories when they grow up. I think it's important that they have good memories that are meaningful. [They shouldn't] grow up and say, "Well, I never cooked with Aunt Sandy. I was never on her show." I like being with them. It's a pleasure. And we're all going to Disney World for spring break.

TVGuide.com: No cooking while you're on vacation!

Lee: No, we'll just get served.

TVGuide.com: Are there celebrity guests on your Chefography?

Lee: Mary Hart was interviewed for it, and also Florence Henderson. Mary is a girlfriend and she wrote the introduction to [my book] Semi-Homemade Desserts, and Florence Henderson was the spokesperson for my company when I was too young to be the spokesperson. I've known her since '93. She has a very similar upbringing to mine, so we bonded instantly. And she has also been a huge mentor to me.

TVGuide.com: How did you come up with the idea for Kurtain Kraft? That's when your career really took off!

Lee: Well, I had taken coat-hanger wire and formed it into these different apparatuses when my uncle came over and saw it and was like, "Honey, I have a welder friend. You should make these up and go down to the L.A. County Fair." So, he did, and they sold out within three days. Plus, we took the blue ribbon for booth display and design and new-product entry in the fair. So, from there, Wal-Mart was my first retailer, Target was my second and QVC was my third. It just kind of happened.

TVGuide.com: Tell me about your involvement with Project Angel Food and UNICEF.

Lee: I was one of the founding members of the Los Angeles board of UNICEF. I sit on the board of directors at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital and all of the proceeds from Semi-Homemade Desserts are donated to Project Angel Food.

TVGuide.com: That's a lot to juggle, but they're all very important.

Lee: They are. Project Angel Food delivers meals every day to people who are homebound with cancer, Parkinson's, HIV, diabetes.... They also have a new initiative for poor children who normally don't get the nutrition they need to even go to school, so there's a food program set up for them. My mom was bedridden, and that's why I had to do most of the things in the house. She had severe fibromyalgia, which attacks the joints in your body and is debilitating, and that would be the same type of person that Project Angel Food would serve.

TVGuide.com: That's great, how it comes full circle.

Lee: Yes, it really is.

http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Interviews-Features/Article/default.aspx?posting=%7B32342994-72AB-4079-861A-2A7B9E571BE8%7D

John - ;)

FinnFreak

03-20-2007, 4:42am

Wanganui Chronicle, New Zealand - Tue, 20 Mar. 2007

Leen streak of kindness

A NEW scholarship sponsored by a former Wanganui woman will be among those received by 36 Whanganui Ucol students at a ceremony tomorrow evening at the Racecourse Event Centre.

It has been donated by Toni Leen, a former Wanganui Polytechnic catering student, who, with partner Hugh Macfarlane, has a catering business for the music industry, Upbeat Food, based in England.

Her $500 scholarship is for a second-year female catering student from a low-income, Wanganui background.

"I've established the scholarship because I want to give someone else the opportunity to believe in themselves," said Toni, who was in Wanganui recently.

"I'm lucky enough to be able to give something back, and hopefully inspire someone to believe in themselves and go for it."

Toni is living proof that if you aim for the stars, you may end up catering for them.

When she began her catering course in 1992, tertiary education for "someone like her" was like reaching for the stars. But she was determined to succeed.

Within three years of gaining her TCB Bar 1 and Bar 2 qualifications, she co-owned her own restaurant on Waiheke Island.

Here she met Tina Turner's personal chef, who gave her some catering contacts in the rock 'n' roll music industry.

Toni and Hugh then headed off overseas and, after a stint in Australia, landed in London. There she was hired by one of the contacts she'd been given.

Invited to a Linda McCartney memorial at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1999 to see what cheffing for rock stars was all about, she rubbed shoulders with Paul McCartney and Marianne Faithfull, along with some home-grown talent:

"The Finns were there – I was well chuffed, but thought I can do this."

Her determination, she believes, stems from her "tough Wanganui background".

She left school at 15, having hated the experience. Kids from her background, she said, were usually marched to the freezing works as soon as they were out of school.

"Tertiary education was for the poshies, not something a state house kid did."

Her life changed when she went on a Conservation Corp scheme for unemployed kids run by David Harre, renovating an old cottage in the bush at Moeawatea. "It was a bit like brat camp!"

In the bush, she discovered a natural flair for cooking, and not only did she meet Hugh, but found Harre to be "an amazing, inspiring man," who encouraged her to apply to Wanganui Polytechnic catering course.

Harre also acted as referee for her winning application to the George Albert Ammundsen scholarship, worth $500.

"The scholarship meant a huge deal to me because it meant I'd done something decent in my life, and somebody believed in me."

The course also prepared her for a global catering career. "It gave me the basics of cooking in classical French style. I work in France so often these days, and because of the course I know how to do butchery, filleting, baking, how to make a roux and a hollandaise – all those skills you need."

Also having a trades qualification made the difference. "As an employer I don't want to know about it if they haven't got a trades qualification."

Toni and Hugh have worked with the Eurythmics, Diana Ross and Shania Twain. Tours have taken them to the US, Russia, Korea, and "pretty much everywhere in western Europe'.

Upbeat Food was set up 10 months ago, and its first gig was with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Germany. The couple then toured around Europe and the UK for six months, before going on tour with Ben Harper.

"Sometimes we get four hours' sleep. We walk 10-20km a day."

"We have to unload 20 flight cases which contain our kitchen equipment and front of house set-up to feed up to 150 crew; cook three meals a day; look after production offices, stage coolers, dressing rooms and crew tour buses, and also any specific dietary requirements the crew or artists require.

"We set up and cloth tables for all of our ovens etc to go on: hygiene is crucial, as we're sometimes in less than ideal situations. We've worked everywhere from stadiums to bullrings. It's physical work and not many people last more than a year."

Toni is also donating signed posters and laminates to Ucol to auction off to raise money to send students to competitions. And she has donated a preview copy of her proposed book, A Culinary Road Trip, to the Ucol library.

http://www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3726578&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=

John - :)

Troll

03-20-2007, 10:04am

Thanks for the articles.

dreamer

03-20-2007, 1:51pm

thanks soooo much for making me smile!

FinnFreak

03-27-2007, 8:20am

Victoria Times Colonist, Canada - Tuesday, March 27, 2007

The two sides of a singing star

When Nelly Furtado hosts the Junos, will she project an oh-so-sexy persona or play the wholesome hometown girl?

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/idl/vitc/20070327/136589-42584.jpg
When Furtado sang for her fans at the Nelly Day ceremony
she looked like a girl who went to high school in Victoria.

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/idl/vitc/20070327/136589-42585.jpg
But the Nelly Furtado who
attended the MTV Europe
Music Awards last fall left
nothing of her charms to
the imagination.

http://www.shaniasplace.com/Up_Gallery/PictureScans/030406_Junos2003/jpgs/Junos_news06.jpg
Shania Twain is another Canadian songstress who changed her
wholesome image.

By Sarah Petrescu, Times Colonist

The whole thing started with Shania Twain's legendary gaudy display of sequined hockey jerseys in 2003. Then came Alanis Morissette in a Lycra skin suit with removable nipples and pubic hair -- mocking U.S. reaction to Janet Jackson's nipple blunder at the Superbowl - in 2004. Last year, Pamela Anderson was booed for her anti-seal hunt rant.

The Canadian celebrities who have hosted the Juno Awards lately have all taken the opportunity to reveal something controversial about themselves: bad fashion sense, a penchant for making fun of Americans or hawking political views.

This year, Victoria's own Nelly Furtado will take the helm at our country's biggest music awards show, airing live on television Sunday night. She also has five Juno Award nominations for her comeback album, Loose.

How will our home girl represent?

Furtado made a pig-tailed debut at the Junos in 2001, but since then, her image has undergone several renovations. Not all of them have been successful -- she has garnered countless citations on the fashion police blog gofugyourself.com, and she kicked off her new tour here in Victoria last week in an unflattering pair of pants that reminded some observers of MC Hammer in his heyday.

But the most recent change has been a newly sexed-up image that goes with the slick new sound of her new album. That's miles away from the quirky, wholesome image that went along with her debut success, Whoa Nelly!

In a 2002 interview with Hair Style Guide magazine Furtado credited her style to her teen years in Victoria.

"Everyone would make their own clothes or make their own hats," Furtado, 28, said about her days at Mount Douglas High School. "I'm so thankful for my creative upbringing, and how creative my friends were."

But her second album, the Earth Mother-esque album Folklore, almost left Furtado in the land of has-beens. Who could blame her for hitting the gym, baring her midriff and calling on L.A.'s golden boy of pop hits, Timbaland, for some backup on Loose?

"Sexy sells" is a cliche because it works, especially with young girls, who appear to be Furtado's market. But who am I to judge the millions of pre-teens shaking their low-rise jeaned booties to Furtado's latest hits Promiscuous and Maneater? The first album I ever bought was Madonna's Like a Virgin in 1984, when I was six years old.

Despite feeling Nelly-fatigued with all the hype over her lately, I went to check her out at the Nelly Furtado Day ceremonies March 21. I was curious about a woman my age, from my town, who abandoned the Lilith Fair image to make millions as an idol for girls only a few years older than her own three-and-a-half year old daughter.

Furtado surprised me. My first impression of her was echoed by the words of a seven-year-old girl standing beside me, with her Nelly haircut, Loose T-shirt and disposable camera at the ready. "She's so ... normal," she said.

It was true. Not only did Furtado look "normal," and smart, in skinny jeans, suede boots and jacket, she seemed much cooler and grounded than the club grinder in her videos.

In her thank-you speech to the city, she championed music education in schools, spoke passionately about preserving the Sooke Potholes and shared her day with the United Nations day against discrimination. She even suggested sponsoring the defunct FolkFest, where she got her performance start playing Portuguese folk songs on the ukulele in full costume.

Furtado's views have never been the fodder for much controversy. But hey, she is the girl a Rolling Stone reporter once caught reading Pure Lust, a 450-page attack on patriarchy by radical feminist Mary Daly. In 2002, she performed at Rock the Vote, supporting activism in the U.S.

At the ceremony, Furtado said her music career is about expressing herself. Fair enough. But what is she saying with the beefed-up costume changes, backup dancers and saucy image?

If Furtado plans to reveal anything as the host of the Juno Awards, my hope is that it involves more substance and less skin. She should take the opportunity to let through that gracious, passionate and strong woman who endeared herself to us at the ceremony. It's more her, it's more Canadian and, with 10 million in album sales under her belt, she can afford it.

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/life/story.html?id=1eaf3954-882d-4172-abc3-5a0d84823c63&p=1

John - ;)

Troll

03-27-2007, 10:10am

Thanks for the article.

Troll

03-27-2007, 10:10am

-- Today in 2002, Shania Twain's "Come On Over" is certified 19x platinum, making it the best-selling solo album for a woman in any music genre

dreamer

03-27-2007, 2:34pm

thanks but I have to say Shania looked great when She hosted!

Troll

03-27-2007, 2:36pm

thanks but I have to say Shania looked great when She hosted!

She did look great.

tower

03-27-2007, 3:47pm

What is it with some people, a Girl trys to look her best and then they say it is too sexy... I am fed up of this trend in North America for people to decide for me what I should see or not see, listen to or not listen too. No wonder people are switching off the major networks in droves and finding what they want via bit torrent downloads on the Net...

No 'morality' warnings after EVERY advert break on an Internet download... Oh and come to think of it... NO ADVERTS either ;) Goodbye ABC, Fox, NBC not missing you at all.

As for the dig at Shania, well she is used to that and so are we as Shania's fan. Shania never looks anything other than her best, and that is head and shoulders above most her age. A girl does not have to take ANY clothes off to look SEXY. For my money one of the sexiest Video's Shania ever did (to date) was "From this Moment" and I think it was the one where she wore the most clothes now that I think about it.

And if I was to try and think of a second more recent 'sexy' Shania Video then 'Don't' would also get quite a few votes, and she is all dressed up in period costume for goodness sake, but no doubt some Critic someplace will have something BAD to say about both those video's just to try and upset me.

I think some music critics confuse CLASS and STYLE for cheap and sexy... Just as they confuse the UP! concerts as Cheese and souless, when in fact it was polished and rehearsed perfection brought about with a lot of very hard work and an excellent sound, lighting and Video system.

The UP! tour won all sorts of professional and industry awards, for stage, sound, lighting in specialist industry magazines, but please do not confuse a Music Critic with anything as obtuse as the FACTS! For they mostly all panned it anyway, and that included the London Evening Standard, one of the UK's highest circulation daily papers, and boy did that get me upset big time.

I was at the July 2002 Hyde Park pre UP! tour Concert, and just wondered what that music Critic had been smoking during the show, for it sure as heck was not tobacco!

I have shown in previous threads the photo where Shania is just beaming back at the crowd, for she knew she was pleasing her fans, but some it would seem just don't get it and never will.

http://www.shaniaforums.com/showthread.php?t=34884&highlight=re-visited

GO here for the proof Hyde Park was a great concert Mr London Evening Standard music Critic! Nah I doubt you will have time, you are too busy trying to bring down Superstars on some personal agenda based on Hate.

dreamer

03-27-2007, 7:02pm

breathtakingly spoken tome I couldn't agree more!!!

tower

03-27-2007, 11:21pm

breathtakingly spoken tom I couldn't agree more!!!

I tried to say that to the Music Critic of the London Evening Standard at the time, but the email bounced and went unread. Like most, good at giving out but does not like getting it back.

I have seen and heard some excellent Singer Songwriters in Timmins this time around, all playing at the Victory Tavern - just across the road from the Windsor in downtown Timmins.

dreamer

03-28-2007, 12:32am

god I can't wait to be there I can feel the magic:love:

FinnFreak

03-29-2007, 7:12am

Edmonton Journal, Canada - Thursday, March 29, 2007

Juno gold

By Aideen McCormick, Calgary Herald; CanWest News Service

Sunday's Juno awards make this an ideal time to tune in to the money-spinning skills of Canada's top melody-makers ... like Alberta's nine-time Juno award-winning rockers Nickelback, whose latest release, All the Right Reasons, has sold more than seven million albums worldwide.

93% of Canadians feel music by home-grown songsters is equal or superior to music by international artists, no doubt helping Canadian artists increase their share of the Canadian music market, up from 16 per cent in 2001, to 25 per cent in 2004.

25.3% Hike in Canadian album sales from 2001 to 2004, to 8.5 million from 6.8 million units. However, continuing retail price wars saw the sixth straight year of declines in sales, down 4.7 per cent to $901.9 million in 2004 from $946.4 million.

#29 Cracking Forbes' 2005 list of the 100 most powerful celebrities, Shania Twain -- with earnings of $34 million in the year ending June 2005 -- surpassed both David Beckham's $32.5 million and Rod Stewart's $31 million haul for the same period.

SLICING THE CD PIE

4% Retailer profit;

7% Label profit;

9% Manufacturing costs;

12% Artist/Songwriting payments;

13% Promotion and marketing costs;

19% Recording, production costs;

24% Retail stores costs.

$978,127.99 Earnings of last year's album, Barenaked Ladies Are Free, in its first week of sales. By releasing the album in many formats, including digital, ring tones, and deluxe editions, as well as CDs, the Ladies increased overall sales revenue, as well as the percentage of earnings flowing back to their record label, Desperation.

$586 million Canada's music industry retail losses over the last six years, forcing the industry to cut jobs by 20 per cent, according to a 2006 Canadian Recording Industry Association statement.

175 million Albums sold worldwide by Celine Dion, whose Caesars Palace, Las Vegas show grosses about $80 million US a year.

9-0 June 2004 Supreme Court vote, upholding the Federal Court of Appeal in 2005, which ruled Internet service providers are not bound by federal copyright law, and have no obligation to pay royalties on music downloaded by users.

4 Number of foreign owned multinationals dominating the music recording market in Canada -- EMI (Britain), Sony/BMG Music, (Germany and Japan), Warner Music (US), and Vivendi Universal (France) -- accounting for 90 per cent of the total revenue of Canada's $800 million music market.

21 Number of Juno nominations awarded Calgary singer-songwriter, Jann Arden, of which she has won eight, including Songwriter of the Year, and Female Artist of the Year.

122% Growth in digital music sales in Canada in 2006 makes Canada a world leader in legal digital downloads. That compares favourably to an 80-per-cent hike recorded in Europe and 65 per cent in the US. However, digital sales account for only one per cent of the total recorded music revenue in Canada.

$84.4 million Value of all formats of music shipped in 2006, down 17 per cent from $102 million the previous year.

#6 Rank of Cirque du Soleil's Delirium in Billboard's all-genre top 10 tours in the year ending November 2006, with gross revenue of $78.5 million. Rockin' granddaddies, the Rolling Stones, earned revenue of $425 million for the same period.

10.4 million Albums sold in Canada since 1995 by Canadian-born crooners Celine Dion and Shania Twain. The warbling wonders topped SoundScan's list of best-sellers in the True North Strong and Free, Celine with 6.2 million albums sold, and Shania netting a cool 4.2 million albums.

Sources: Canadian Heritage; Canadian Recording Industry Association; Now Magazine; CAB; p2pnet; Forbes; Juno Awards

JUNO YOU WANT IT

Watch exclusive video interviews, red-carpet footage andc behind-the-scenes clips from the Junos at Dose.ca/junos. Plus, get video highlights on your BlackBerry by visiting bbtv.ca.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/culture/story.html?id=5906a36d-9951-4afe-b879-53b5d4ed8989&k=68599

:funny: - ...warbling wonders..? - Nicely put..! :p

John - ;)

Troll

03-29-2007, 10:16am

Thanks for that John.

Troll

03-29-2007, 10:17am

-- Today in 1998. Shania Twain begins her first headlining tour, along with a nine-piece band in her Canadian homeland in Sudbury, Ontario.

dreamer

03-29-2007, 2:17pm

cool!

Troll

03-29-2007, 5:28pm

You're Still The One sung by a contestant in West Africa's Idol contest, by a site from Ghana (!)

Amazing success of a 10 years old song, achived with an old fashioned way...
http://www.graphicghana.info/article.asp?artid=16173

FinnFreak

03-30-2007, 4:13am

American Chronicle, CA - Friday, March 30, 2007

CMA'S "NEW FROM NASHVILLE" IN LONDON, DUBLIN AND GLASGOW

By Peter Cronin

CMA hosted two of Country Music's best and brightest artists - Jace Everett and Julie Roberts - overseas in late January and early February as part of "New From Nashville," with several high-profile showcases in London, Dublin and Glasgow.

"Each year, CMA brings artists interested in touring internationally to Europe on a promotional tour as part of our 'New From Nashville' program," said Rick Murray, CMA VP of Strategic Marketing. "In the ever-evolving world of technology, artists marketing in music delivery systems, it is imperative that Country Music continue to build a presence in the global marketplace."

"'New From Nashville' was developed as a vehicle to introduce newer artists to audiences, industry and media in the UK," said CMA International Director Bobbi Boyce. "We couldn't be happier to welcome Julie to the 'New from Nashville' fold and to welcome back Jace for the second year. We have already had positive support from the industry and media for the shows and are looking forward to another successful tour."

JULIE ROBERTS

Music critics from The New York Times, People, USA Today, Vanity Fair and more have raved about Julie Roberts and compared her to Faith Hill and Bonnie Raitt - high expectations that she manages to meet with panache on her sophomore album Men and Mascara on Mercury Records Nashviille. The petite blond from Lancaster, S.C., made an immediate impact with her 2004 Gold self-titled debut album and hit single "Break Down Here." Her deep, blues-soaked voice and honest music combined with her exuberant personality quickly made her a fan favorite. Roberts co-wrote four songs on her new album and already enjoys an international presence, with the release of her music in the UK on Wrasse Records.

JACE EVERETT

Growing up in Grapevine, Texas, the sounds of Guy Clark, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and other Texas legends were in heavy rotation in Jace Everett's house. Everett's career took him from his hometown church to around the world, learning about all styles of music and languages in France, Italy and Spain. Everett, who is proficient on bass, guitar, keyboards and harmonica, toured Europe as a bass player where he garnered material for a wealth of songs. Everett recently celebrated a No. 1 hit as a songwriter with "Your Man," recorded by Josh Turner.

For Everett, who has been playing European gigs for the past 12 years, the international market has been a key part of his career strategy. CMA Close Up spoke to the Nashville-based artist and hit songwriter in January prior to his leaving for the UK to perform at the "New From Nashville" showcases.

WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU TRAVELED TO EUROPE?

"The first time I went over there was in 1994, as the bass player in a cover band."

HOW IS A EUROPEAN'S IMPRESSION OF COUNTRY MUSIC DIFFERENT FROM AN AMERICAN'S?

"There is definitely the kitsch factor, especially in the non-English speaking places, France and Italy and places like that. They love the 1950s era of America and they love the cowboy thing. So yes, there are going to be people who are into the very traditional, almost gimmicky stuff. But they're not as likely to be swayed by some of the marketing gimmicks we use here in the United States. Contemporary Country, which is a lot more like pop music than Hank Williams, has a tougher row to hoe over there, but there's a girl named Shania Twain who's done pretty well in Europe and she's not exactly Patsy Cline-style Country."

WHAT ABOUT THE DOWNSIDE, WHERE AN AMERICAN ARTIST MIGHT MAKE THOUSANDS A NIGHT IN TEXAS AS OPPOSED TO MAKING HUNDREDS IN EUROPE, LET ALONE THE TRAVEL EXPENSE?

"That probably is true for somebody who is more of a star than I am, but I'm not a headline act. I find quite the opposite. Traditionally, the European markets actually pay really well or better. What's cost prohibitive is actually getting over there. That's expensive, but I know what I'm doing when I'm there."

DO YOU THINK THAT OTHER ARTISTS MIGHT BENEFIT FROM TOURING OVERSEAS?

"I think artists are crazy not to, especially if they're stars. Garth showed us something brilliant back in the day when he went over to Ireland and just exploded and did some of the biggest shows ever over there. Obviously, he doesn't fit anybody else's parameters because he's Garth, but I think a lot of artists could do really well. You can take chances musically over there. Even artists who are really successful - the Chesneys and the McGraws - could play some smaller venues and really enjoy it."

HOW DOES THE EUROPEAN COUNTRY MUSIC LANDSCAPE COMPARE TO AMERICA'S?

"There's an incredibly loyal fan base over there, much like the Country fans in the States, but radio is vastly different in Europe than it is here. Playlists are much broader. Even though there's not as much Country Music on the radio, they will play a guy like me who hasn't had a lot of airplay in the States."

YOU GREW UP IN TEXAS, THAT MOST AMERICAN OF PLACES. WHY DO YOU THINK YOUR MUSIC WORKS SO WELL FOR EUROPEAN AUDIENCES?

"They're not as interested in celebrity as people in the States. If they dig it, they dig it. It's not about who you're married to or if you've appeared in Country Weekly magazine, and that's exciting for someone like me."

DO YOU THINK OVERALL THAT YOUR CAREER HAS BENEFITED FROM THE INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE?

"I've seen a lot of Internet downloads come from the European market, and whatever merchandise I have at every show sells out over there - every single show. Whether I've brought 20 CDs or 50, I end up selling every blooming one of them. They're really starved for quality American music. If you bring it over there, just be yourself and don't try to pull the wool over their eyes, they eat it up. It's a real joy for me to be able to go, and I'm really grateful to the CMA for taking me."

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=23103

John - ;)