Is it a suprise to anyone that Paul McCartney continues to break attendance records?
His two shows last week at Fenway Park in Boston set the record for highest two-day attendance for a concert in the history of the ballpark. The final three shows on the tour are Sunday in Atlanta, next Tuesday in Tulsa, Oklahoma and next Wednesday in Dallas. He'll probably break records there too.
Sarah Palin delivered her final sppech over the weekend in Alaska. Some people were confused by it's content, only to realize there was a poem in her speech.
Conan O'Brien did a great bit on that last night, as he had William Shatner-who's done albums that sound like beat poetry-do Palin's piece. The band joins in. Good stuff.
On Friday, Robert Plant received the Commander of the British Empire medal from Prince Charles at London's Buckingham Palace on Friday. Plant said he owed "everything to the musicians" he worked with, "From the U-K to Africa to Tennessee, it is their brilliance that I bounce off. Alone I'm nothing."
For the record, Plant now has a higher rank than his Led Zeppelin bandmate Jimmy Page, who's a member of the Order of the British Empire, but he says it won't be an issue. "If we can remember each other's phone number at this time in life it's a miracle. We're still good friends, we both enjoy a rather dark sense of humor that comes I think from being from rather the wrong side of the tracks for all those wild years."
This week, we have a couple of new releases in the classic rock world, and by new, I mean new greatest hits collections.
Check out the video below for what to expect from the latest releases from George Harrison and Don Henley.
Eddie Van Halen sat down with rolling Stone magazine and said that the Van Halen reunion last year was no fluke. In fact, he's been to David Lee Roth's house four or five times to write new material.
He also stated that they could be recording the record towards the end of the year with a tour to follow next year.Â
Eddie also wished his former band mates, Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony in Chickenfoot well. He says, "I don't know what a super-group means, but I hope they accomplish what they're setting out to do."Â
We told you about the rumored Bob Dylan-Paul McCartney collaboration. Now comes word that if it happens, it may involve Ringo Starr. Britain's Daily Express, says they could all get together in Los Angeles later this summer. The Express quotes its "mole" as saying, "Paul and Ringo have talked about recording together at some stage, and this is seen as the perfect opportunity-Ringo will be the perfect middle man between Bob and Paul as he knows them both well."
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Olivia and Dhani Harrison, and Yoko Ono were on hand yesterday as Microsoft unveiled some of the graphics and songs that will appear on TheBeatles: Rock Bandgame, due out September 9th.McCartney seemed especially impressed as they took the stage at L.A.'s Galen Center for the E3 computer and video game expo, saying about the game, "I love it." Giles Martin, the son of Beatles' producer George Martin, is serving as music supervisor and creative producer for the game. He announced the names of 10 of the 45 songs that will be included-"I Saw Her Standing There," "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "I Feel Fine," "Taxman," "Day Tripper," Back in the USSR," "I am the Walrus," "Octopus's Garden," "Here Comes the Sun" and "Get Back."
Things are getting uglier between two former band mates. Ozzy Osbourne is suing Tony Iommi, claiming Iommi illegally claimed sole ownership of the name Black Sabbath. Osbourne wants a 50 percent interest in the Black Sabbath trademark, along with a portion of Iommi's profits from use of the name. Iommi claimed the trademark to the Sabbath name in 1986, when he was the sole remaining original member in the group.On Friday, Ozzy released a statement about the suit saying, "The name 'Black Sabbath' now has a worldwide prestige and merchandising value that it would not have had by continuing on the road it was on prior to the 1997 reunion tour. Tony, I am so sorry it's had to get to this point by me having to take this action against you. I don't have the right to speak for Geezer and Bill but I feel that morally and ethically the trademark should be owned by the four of us equally. I hope that by me taking this first step that it will ultimately end up that way."
The new Pixar movie "Up" comes out this weekend, and though it may not be the best Pixar movie ever made, critics think it's incredible.
Unanimously, they agree that the movie is very funny with the "talking dogs" being one of the highlights.
"Thoughtful" and "uplifting" are also words that are being tossed around in the reviews. Many critics point to the amazing scenic views that the Pixar group have created.
We get to follow a 78 year old balloon salesman who never got to go on that great adventure. He ends up in South America with a nine year old, and plenty of animals for comic relief.
If you see it, let me know your thoughts.
Neil Young's BBC Documentary will finally see the light of day in the U.S. Look for Neil Young: Don't Be Denied to be a part of the American Masters Series next month. It's to mark the release of the long overdue Archives Volume One package, and will feature David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, James Taylor and the E Street Band's Nils Lofgren, plus performance footage. It could air locally as soon as June 3rd. Watch for it.
There's Steven Tyler at Woodsquawk last night, who despite having the stomach flu thanks to Max Keller's slop, brought out his A-game with Aerosmith.
All told, Woodsquawk was a massive success... if you didn't include the traffic gridlock that made the drive nine hours, or the fact that half of the Sacramento Valley couldn't find it.
We estimate that at it's peak on Sunday afternoon we had 575,000 people in attendance, 756 sent to the hospital for heat exhaustion, 4 ran over by Max Keller's tractor, and 2 who were tasered by our Altamont security staff.
Kat Maudru has been doing a phenomenal job with Mark and Brian doing stage announcements at Woodsquawk. As you can imagine though, it gets pretty tiring, especially after three days straight.
That's why we have brought in celebrity pitchman Billy Mays. He's gonna sell the tar out of our bands, let me tell you. Oh, and by the way, he'll be handing out plenty of Orange Glo for everybody in attendance.
See what you're missing in our VIP tent?
This is what Max Keller came up with. Tin trays and a pile of slop for all of the bands. He said he didn't want to pay for catering.
What is that thing in the upper left hand corner? I'm gonna have Keith Richards be our guinea pig.
Keith Richards backstage at Woodsquawk right before he took the stage with The Stones.
He doesn't look a day over 90 does he.
We made sure that we moved the kegs of Evian water away from his amps so he didn't electrocute himself in Sacramento for the second time.
Here's a look at what the backstage area on Max Keller's farm looked like at 6 A.M. today, before the riding lawnmower accident this morning. Â Â
We've had to reassemble the beer garden, and our whole broadcast area. Max Keller took the brown acid a little too early this morning.
A British rock journalist has compiled a list of what he thinks are the worst lyrics ever written. The winner? Steve Miller's "The Joker." It's actually hard to argue with once you look at them in written form.
The line that the author mentions is actually from another song, however. "Really love your peaches, wanna shake your tree. Lovey dovey lovey dovey lovey dovey all the time. Ooh yeah baby, I'll sure show you a good time" came from "Lovey Dovey," a 1953 song by the rhythm and blues group The Clovers. Other artists to make the list include Def Leppard for "You got the peaches, I got the cream" from "Pour Some Sugar on Me," and America for "After nine days, I let the horse run free, 'cos the desert had turned to sea. There were plants and birds and rocks and things," from "Horse With No Name."
What are your least favorite lyrics?
I did a little video featuring what is out on DVD this week. There are a couple of nice music DVD's too, including Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton. Oh, and that Paul Blart Mall Cop too.
Dom DeLuise, the comic/actor who was a staple of TV talk shows during the '60s, '70s and '80s, died last night in an L.A. hospital. He was 75. His humor made him a popular guest with Johnny Carson andDean Martin -- and it translated well to the big screen. Dom became a member of Mel Brooks' movie ensemble, co-starring in the comedies Blazing Saddles, Silent Movie, History of the World -- Part One and Robin Hood -- Men in Tights. He starred in Fatso, directed by Brooks' wife Anne Bancroft. And he did well as Burt Reynolds' sidekick in the Cannonball Run flicks and The End. He also poked fun at his weight by publishing several cookbooks.
Regis Philbin went on Letterman's show last night dressed as Shrek. He spent 2 1/2 hours in a makeup chair for a two minute segment. That doesn't seem to quite balance out.
All just to promote Broadway week on Regis and Kelly. Is Shrek on Broadway?
Watch the segment. It's pretty funny how Letterman abuses him.
Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton have a live record coming out soon called Live at Madison Square Garden. What's not intriguing about that?
Now, Winwood on his website is streaming a couple of songs from the CD/DVD-"Dear Mr. Fantasy," and "Cocaine."
Check them out here
People are buzzing over this Joaquin Phoenix-like interview that involved a Canadian air-talent and Billy Bob Thornton.
It seems the intro that the announcer uses instantly puts the interview in a tailspin, which Thornton admits to, later in the interview when him and the broadcaster get into an argument.
It's uncomfortable yet somewhat amusing to watch. Thornton is almost universally being panned for his behavior.
A black cloud continues to hang over Lynyrd Skynyrd. Earlier this year, keyboard player Billy Powell died, and now comes word that bass player Ean Evans has cancer. Members of Skynyrd, 38 Special, the Marshall Tucker Band and others are getting together on April 19th at the Columbus Fairgrounds in Columbus, Mississippi for a benefit concert in his honor. Evans joined Skynyrd following the death of bassist Leon Wilkeson in 2001.
Did you hear about this Turkish newsanchor who, in reporting about President Obama's arrival in Turkey reported the story in blackface?!
Who thinks this is actually a smart idea? Ted Danson?!
There's been debate on whether it's a spoof, but many close to the situation think it's real.
The Turkish news agency is hiding behind the lame excuse that it's "a metaphor for the way the Bush administration "darkened" the face of the Turkish public, and how the anchor hopes Obama will turn things around."
What, you can't say that with your own face?
Bob Dylan is streaming another song from his forthcoming album, Together Through Life. The song, "Feel a Change Comin' On," is the second song to be featured in the last few weeks. Get it at BobDylan website. Together Through Life will be out on April 28th.
You can also "Mash your own message and lyrics along with Bob's to create a unique lyrical portrait video. You can then upload your video message to the community gallery and share it with others. This is the first time the lyrics from a Bob Dylan song have been released prior to the record." For more info on that, go to here
You know how you might hear a song and then misinterpret the lyrics? Somebody took it a step further by taking footage of Joe Cocker at Woodstock and inserting subtitles (with pics)Â for what he could be singing throughout his performance. This is laugh out loud funny.
Watch it here.
There were a few April Fools' jokes played on fans yesterday. Backstreets, the Bruce Springsteen fanzine, annually does one, and this year was no exception -- there were six. They ranged from Springsteen doing a Los Angeles rehearsal show with Burt Bacharach joining him for "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" (where the tour opened last night) to Springsteen's son Evan taking his father's place during some of the European shows, like Jay Weinberg is taking the place of his father, E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg. The purported reason is so Bruce can attend classes at Princeton.
The Elton John fan site, Elton Fan, has Elton doing a New Year's Eve show in the South Pacific on "the new landmass that was just recently created by the eruption on the tiny volcanic island of Hunga Ha'apai... As the eruption last month destroyed rich birdlife and vegetation, leaving a wasteland of black ash and tree stumps, the island will only be used to set up the gigantic stage. Seats for spectators will be available on floating islands along the shoreline. It is also reported that some of the big cruise ships, including the Queen Mary Two, plan to drop anchor at the time of the show, allowing their passengers to watch the concert from the comfort of their luxury cabins with balconies or from the deck of the ships."
The Deep Purple fan site, Highway Star, has them playing New Year's Eve on the South Pole along with "training for a flight to space to perform on the moon. NASA and the European Space Agency are already busy at work on reducing the weight of the Hammond organ."
Everybody is talking about the Julia Roberts appearance on Letterman last night. She was on for three segments talking about her new movie Duplicity.
What is catching people's attention though is her story regarding a co-star she worked with, who flipped out on set.
No, she hasn't worked with Christian Bale (that we know of).
Â
Alright kids...he's done it again.
In his latest appearance "rapping" Joaquin Phoenix attacked a heckler in the front row by jumping in the audience and going after him. Of course, Casey Affleck (Ben's brother) has been on hand filming everything along the way.
Can't wait for this mess to win Best Picture at Sundance. Take a look.
Â
I had a very tough assignment yesterday. Hanging out with two 49er cheerleaders for a half an hour. Deanna on the left is one of them. Also, there was Angel at the interview, which was a fun one that you will get to see soon on the Eagle website.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go take a cold shower.
Is it a suprise to anyone that Paul McCartney continues to break attendance records?
His two shows last week at Fenway Park in Boston set the record for highest two-day attendance for a concert in the history of the ballpark. The final three shows on the tour are Sunday in Atlanta, next Tuesday in Tulsa, Oklahoma and next Wednesday in Dallas. He'll probably break records there too.
Sarah Palin delivered her final sppech over the weekend in Alaska. Some people were confused by it's content, only to realize there was a poem in her speech.
Conan O'Brien did a great bit on that last night, as he had William Shatner-who's done albums that sound like beat poetry-do Palin's piece. The band joins in. Good stuff.
On Friday, Robert Plant received the Commander of the 
This week, we have a couple of new releases in the classic rock world, and by new, I mean new greatest hits collections.
Check out the video below for what to expect from the latest releases from George Harrison and Don Henley.
Eddie Van Halen sat down with rolling Stone magazine and said that the Van Halen reunion last year was no fluke. In fact, he's been to David Lee Roth's house four or five times to write new material.
He also stated that they could be recording the record towards the end of the year with a tour to follow next year.Â
Eddie also wished his former band mates, Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony in Chickenfoot well. 
The new Pixar movie "Up" comes out this weekend, and though it may not be the best Pixar movie ever made, critics think it's incredible.
Unanimously, they agree that the movie is very funny with the "talking dogs" being one of the highlights.
"Thoughtful" and "uplifting" are also words that are being tossed around in the reviews. Many critics point to the amazing scenic views that the Pixar group have created.
We get to follow a 78 year old balloon salesman who never got to go on that great adventure. He ends up in South America with a nine year old, and plenty of animals for comic relief.
If you see it, let me know your thoughts.
Neil Young's BBC Documentary will finally see the light of day in the U.S. Look for Neil Young: Don't Be Denied to be a part of the American Masters Series next month. It's to mark the release of the long overdue Archives Volume One package, and will feature 
There's Steven Tyler at Woodsquawk last night, who despite having the stomach flu thanks to Max Keller's slop, brought out his A-game with Aerosmith.
All told, Woodsquawk was a massive success... if you didn't include the traffic gridlock that made the drive nine hours, or the fact that half of the Sacramento Valley couldn't find it.
We estimate that at it's peak on Sunday afternoon we had 575,000 people in attendance, 756 sent to the hospital for heat exhaustion, 4 ran over by Max Keller's tractor, and 2 who were tasered by our Altamont security staff.
Kat Maudru has been doing a phenomenal job with Mark and Brian doing stage announcements at Woodsquawk. As you can imagine though, it gets pretty tiring, especially after three days straight.
That's why we have brought in celebrity pitchman Billy Mays. He's gonna sell the tar out of our bands, let me tell you. Oh, and by the way, he'll be handing out plenty of Orange Glo for everybody in attendance.
See what you're missing in our VIP tent?
This is what Max Keller came up with. Tin trays and a pile of slop for all of the bands. He said he didn't want to pay for catering.
What is that thing in the upper left hand corner? I'm gonna have Keith Richards be our guinea pig.
Keith Richards backstage at Woodsquawk right before he took the stage with The Stones.
He doesn't look a day over 90 does he.
We made sure that we moved the kegs of Evian water away from his amps so he didn't electrocute himself in Sacramento for the second time.
Here's a look at what the backstage area on Max Keller's farm looked like at 6 A.M. today, before the riding lawnmower accident this morning. Â Â
We've had to reassemble the beer garden, and our whole broadcast area. Max Keller took the brown acid a little too early this morning.
A British rock journalist has compiled a list of what he thinks are the worst lyrics ever written. The winner? Steve Miller's "The Joker." It's actually hard to argue with once you look at them in written form.
I did a little video featuring what is out on DVD this week. There are a couple of nice music DVD's too, including Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton. Oh, and that Paul Blart Mall Cop too.
Regis Philbin went on Letterman's show last night dressed as Shrek. He spent 2 1/2 hours in a makeup chair for a two minute segment. That doesn't seem to quite balance out.
All just to promote Broadway week on Regis and Kelly. Is Shrek on Broadway?
Watch the segment. It's pretty funny how Letterman abuses him.
Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton have a live record coming out soon called Live at Madison Square Garden. What's not intriguing about that?
Now, Winwood on his website is streaming a couple of songs from the CD/DVD-"Dear Mr. Fantasy," and "Cocaine."
Check them out 
People are buzzing over this Joaquin Phoenix-like interview that involved a Canadian air-talent and Billy Bob Thornton.
It seems the intro that the announcer uses instantly puts the interview in a tailspin, which Thornton admits to, later in the interview when him and the broadcaster get into an argument.
It's uncomfortable yet somewhat amusing to watch. Thornton is almost universally being panned for his behavior.
A black cloud continues to hang over Lynyrd Skynyrd. Earlier this year, keyboard player Billy Powell died, and now comes word that bass player Ean Evans has cancer. Members of Skynyrd, 38 Special, the Marshall Tucker Band and others are getting together on April 19th at the Columbus Fairgrounds in Columbus, Mississippi for a benefit concert in his honor. Evans joined Skynyrd following the death of bassist Leon Wilkeson in 2001.
Did you hear about this Turkish newsanchor who, in reporting about President Obama's arrival in Turkey reported the story in blackface?!
Who thinks this is actually a smart idea? Ted Danson?!
There's been debate on whether it's a spoof, but many close to the situation think it's real.
The Turkish news agency is hiding behind the lame excuse that it's "a metaphor for the way the Bush administration "darkened" the face of the Turkish public, and how the anchor hopes Obama will turn things around."
What, you can't say that with your own face?
You know how you might hear a song and then misinterpret the lyrics? Somebody took it a step further by taking footage of Joe Cocker at Woodstock and inserting subtitles (with pics)Â for what he could be singing throughout his performance. This is laugh out loud funny.
Watch it 
There were a few April Fools' jokes played on fans yesterday. Backstreets, the Bruce Springsteen fanzine, annually does one, and this year was no exception -- there were six. They ranged from Springsteen doing a Los Angeles rehearsal show with Burt Bacharach joining him for "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" (where the tour opened last night) to Springsteen's son Evan taking his father's place during some of the European shows, like Jay Weinberg is taking the place of his father, E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg. The purported reason is so Bruce can attend classes at Princeton.
The Elton John fan site, Elton Fan, has Elton doing a New Year's Eve show in the South Pacific on "the new landmass that was just recently created by the eruption on the tiny volcanic island of Hunga Ha'apai... As the eruption last month destroyed rich birdlife and vegetation, leaving a wasteland of black ash and tree stumps, the island will only be used to set up the gigantic stage. Seats for spectators will be available on floating islands along the shoreline. It is also reported that some of the big cruise ships, including the Queen Mary Two, plan to drop anchor at the time of the show, allowing their passengers to watch the concert from the comfort of their luxury cabins with balconies or from the deck of the ships."
The Deep Purple fan site, Highway Star, has them playing New Year's Eve on the South Pole along with "training for a flight to space to perform on the moon. NASA and the European Space Agency are already busy at work on reducing the weight of the Hammond organ."
Everybody is talking about the Julia Roberts appearance on Letterman last night. She was on for three segments talking about her new movie Duplicity.
What is catching people's attention though is her story regarding a co-star she worked with, who flipped out on set.
No, she hasn't worked with Christian Bale (that we know of).
Â
Alright kids...he's done it again.
In his latest appearance "rapping" Joaquin Phoenix attacked a heckler in the front row by jumping in the audience and going after him. Of course, Casey Affleck (Ben's brother) has been on hand filming everything along the way.
Can't wait for this mess to win Best Picture at Sundance. Take a look.
Â
I had a very tough assignment yesterday. Hanging out with two 49er cheerleaders for a half an hour. 
