Thursday - 2/2/12

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February 1, 2012
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January 30, 2012

By Jennifer Tyler

Paul McCartney honored. Happy birthday Graham Nash. First review for Van Halen album. NYPD bans its own apparel? Divorce is worse for people in their 30's. Super bowl ads. More men do this than women. 'Squoob'. 10 reasons why weddings are dumb.

PAUL MCCARTNEY

Paul McCartney will become the fourth and final Beatle to receive a solo star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 2 p.m. PST on February 9th -- 48 years to the day that the "Fab Four" made their American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. The star will be in front of the Capitol Records building next to the stars of John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.

The next night, McCartney will be honored in L.A. by James Taylor, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, the Foo Fighters, and Coldplay, among others at the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year honors. Beatle Examiner reported that among the other talent on the bill at the Los Angeles Convention Center will be Norah Jones, Sergio Mendes, Katy Perry, Alison Krauss and Union Station with Jerry Douglas, Alicia Keys, Duane Eddy, Tony Bennett, McCartney's current collaborator -- and Elvis Costello's wife -- Diana Krall, along with the cast of The Beatles' LOVE Cirque du Soleil Las Vegas show.

The event will be hosted by comedian Eddie Izzard, with legendary Beatles producer George Martin, along with Lorne Michaels, McCartney's lawyer and brother in-law John Eastman, co-chairing the event. Tommy LiPuma, who produced McCartney's upcoming album, Kisses On The Bottom, will serve as the evening's musical director with Totokeyboardist David Paich.

GRAHAM NASH

Happy Birthday to Graham Nash who turns 70 today!!! On November 8th, Nash and David Crosby performed an unamplified acoustic performance at Manhattan's Zuccotti Park in support of the then nearly two-month-old Occupy Wall Street movement. The duo, who was joined by Crosby's son, James Raymond, who played a portable melodica keyboard, entertained and inspired the masses with runthroughs of such Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and solo favorites as "Military Madness," "What Are Their Names," "They Want It All," "Long Time Gone," and "Teach Your Children."

Last year, Crosby & Nash released their first live DVD, called, Crosby-Nash: In Concert. The collection was filmed on May 22nd, 2011 in Stamford, Connecticut during the duo's latest tour and features such CSN/CSNY standards as "Wasted On The Way," "Long Time Gone," "Just A Song Before I Go," "Marrakesh Express," "Deja Vu," "Guinevere," "Almost Cut My Hair," "Wooden Ships," and "Teach Your Children," among other duo and solo favorites. Among the DVD's highlights is Crosby-Nash's show opening version of Crosby's 1966 Byrds classic "Eight Miles High."

In 2010, along with the rest of the Hollies, Nash was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The occasion marked Nash's second entrance into the Hall, having already been inducted with Crosby, Stills, & Nash backin 1998.

VAN HALEN

The first review of Van Halen's new album, A Different Kind Of Truth, has been posted online at Antiquiet -- and it's overwhelmingly positive. Critic Johnny Firecloud says that the band's first album with original singer David Lee Roth in 28 years is a "true return" and "screaming triumph," adding, "That old familiar feeling has returned, the unique flare of excitement that comes from a muscle car rhythm section led by a six-string wizard and a singing sexual megalodon with an ego that made Kanye look like a kid flaunting his new Spider-Man underoos -- and the pipes to back up the strut."

The review acknowledges that much of the album is made up of material pulled from the band's archives, writing, "Thankfully, these songs do not sound like old men putting on the smelly old spandex and combing over the strays. Fresh is the operative word here, a supremely confident swing for the fences in an understandable progression from the obsessively romanticized pre-Hagar era."

First single and album opener "Tattoo" is described as the "low point for an otherwise fantastic album," which may offer hope to fans who have voiced displeasure with that track. Other songs cited as standout tracks include "She's The Woman," "You And Your Blues," "China Town" and "Stay Frosty."

The review concludes, "A Different Kind Of Truth will be remembered as evidence that a band can endure every cliche in the book and return, with the right focus, obsessed dedication and mojo, to a sweet spot of rejuvenation -- one that holds the hand of nostalgia but doesn't go for the full embrace, leaning instead, wisely, toward evolution."

A Different Kind Of Truth arrives next Tuesday (February 7th), with the band kicking off a North American tour on February 18th in Louisville, Kentucky.

Read the full review

NYPD BANS ITS OWN APPAREL?

A new order issued by New York City's police Commissioner Raymond Kelly bans New York City's 35,000 officers from "wearing any item of apparel which contains a department logo or shield" unless approved by a committee. Some police officers feel the law unfair, and violates their free speech rights. The president of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association said, "Telling police officers what images or objects he or she can own or wear in their private lives is a clear violation of the officers' free speech rights. Many private citizens proudly wear NYPD apparel -- and police officers can't? It makes no sense." Mayor Michael Bloomberg commented on the controversy, saying, "When they're not officially at work... they're still police officers and that's one of the things that enhances the safety in our city. And so they're not totally independent even when they're not on duty." Bloomberg says he'll leave the decision in the Commissioner's hands. (Reuters)

DIVORCE IS WORSE FOR PEOPLE IN THEIR 30S

People who divorce when young suffer more damage to their health than those who split up later in life. Researchers revealed that going through a divorce caused health to decline, with those aged between 35 and 41 at the time of the split more affected than those who were born at the same time but were older when their marriage ended. The study, published in the journal Social Science & Medicine, also found a difference in how the generations are affected by divorce, with those born in the 1950s finding it harder to deal with than those born ten years earlier. (Daily Mail)

CLOSE, EXCITING SUPER BOWL MEANS ADS MAKE MORE IMPACT

A close, exciting Super Bowl will maximize the impact of advertisers' messages. An Oregon State University researcher says viewers consider advertising in a more favorable light after watching a close, exciting sporting event. "Games with high excitement levels result in a transfer of that emotion to the ads -- particularly to ads shown at the end of the game that also have a lot of energy and excitement built in," said Colleen Bee, an Oregon State marketing expert and author of the study published in the Journal of Advertising. In the study, 112 people watched a collegiate basketball game and viewed ads in the context of either a high-suspense game or a low-suspense game. "The most important influence we found was the level of suspense, both for the game and the advertisement," Bee said. "An ad with more zip and high energy paired with a close game resulted in increased favorable responses toward the ad and brand." (UPI)

MORE MEN HACK INTO PARTNER'S ACCOUNTS THAN WOMEN

New survey found that one in ten men has 'hacked' into their partner's accounts: One in ten men said they've used a loved one's PIN or password without their knowledge, while women supposedly snoop less -- with just 6 percent admitting they do it. But it seems we have only ourselves to blame for such 'cyber hacking'. It is not the result of high-tech intrusion -- but instead due to using passwords that have been left around the house, always using the same one or using a code that is easy to guess. In fact, more than three quarters of us are put at risk online by using the same password for multiple accounts - including email, social networking sites, online banking and shopping. And 24 per cent keep all passwords in one place. Apparently the average person is asked for a password up to 11 times a day. The most popular is a mother's maiden name, with almost 20 per cent using this. (Daily Mail)

TREND ALERT: 'SQUOOB'

A new term has been coined -- 'squoob' -- to describe the squashed boobs popping up on every red carpet. Check out some photos: http://bit.ly/xjQ2Lw>

10 REASONS WEDDINGS ARE DUMB (TruTV)

Reason #1: The average wedding can cost $27, 800: There are people who spend north of $100K on their weddings. The amount of money Americans spend on weddings is ridiculous and obscene. Even the average cost is over-the-top. Why not spend all that money on a honeymoon? Honeymoons are awesome. For $27 grand, you could, like, rent a Monster Truck and go on a tour of heart-shaped hot tubs across America.

Reason #2: Gigantic wedding cakes that look fancy, but tastes like regular, old cake: Sorry, this wedding cake doesn't taste like "apricot butter cream" or "lemon champagne mousse." Strangely, it just tastes like "cake." When you make a cake that is three stories tall and weighs the same as a fully-loaded F-16, then it is impossible to serve anything approaching "subtle." Most wedding cakes are "sugar" flavor. The only good thing about a usually overly sweet slice of wedding cake is it's a sign the wedding is almost over.

Reason #3: The cornball DJ who can't help but play "YMCA" by The Village People twice: What is it about cheesy pop rock anthems that make a mixed crowd of the elderly and the young, family and strangers, spazz out? Play anything by Queen or Gloria Gaynor and people go mental. They shake their fat, sweat like bologna left in the sun, and put their hands in the air, because clearly they don't care. This phenomenon is a dark art practiced by the wedding DJ, a terminally uncool toad who conducts an orchestra of cheesy CDs containing music that would normally make mortal ears bleed.

Reason #4: Wedding meals are best described as "gourmet hospital food." Wedding invitations always politely ask if you'd like beef, chicken or fish. Pick the chicken, because it's harder to screw up. Never pick the beef because A.) someone in the bride's family will think you just picked it because it's the most expensive item and B.) because the beef will always be tough, like snow tires. The fish always smells like FISH, in all capital letters. If the food is a buffet, good luck grabbing a slab of protein to accompany the spinach goop and potato spackle. Wedding food is awful. If you've ever worked in catering, you'll know why.

Reason #5: "Throwing the bouquet" is basically "throwing a grenade bridesmaids want to jump on" During a wedding, every single woman is reminded that she is single and probably unlovable. For whatever reason, there are brides who hold their wedding over the heads of their bestest friends in the whole world. Sometimes, it's not enough for a bride to be happy; all of her bridesmaids must be miserable and envious. The tradition of throwing the bouquet, therefore, is an exercise in sadism. Tradition says whoever catches the bouquet is the next to be validated by society, so the bridesmaids fight over the flowers like piranha fighting for a bite of clumsy tourist.

Reason #6: The "Father of the Bride" has to be happy about being emotionally mugged: There's always a part in a wedding when the father of the bride gets misty. His eyes well-up and all the ladyfolk swoon. Maybe it's when the old man walks his baby girl down the aisle or takes to the floor to dance with her during the party. But the man definitely weeps when he gets the bill for throwing a party that ends with some creep he doesn't even like banging his daughter.

Reason #7: The "best man's toast" is when everyone just holds their breath: The best man is usually a jackhole. He might be a decent guy in "reality," but the role of the best man is a furnace that turns the nice into the douchetastic. The best man has three jobs: organize the bachelor party, which is an attempt to peer pressure the groom into one final Bad Life Choice. Second, get the groom to the wedding on time. Finally, drink a couple gallons of white wine and toast the groom. The toast will either sound like "Ah luffz dis guy hessa make'er huppa" followed by hot tears or it will be the most unfunny, hyper-awkward monologue of inappropriate non-sequiturs topped off with a mumbled "all the happiness in the world."

Reason #8: Bridesmaids turn lovely normal women into unhappy emotional sponges: Groomsmen have it easy, because society doesn't place as much pressure on men to get hitched as it does women. Being an unmarried bridesmaid can feel like one of those celebrities who are constantly shielding their eyes from paparazzi flashbulbs. But that's not the worse part of being a bridesmaid. The worst part is becoming a stress sponge for the bride. Bridesmaids have to absorb the emotional fury of a bride who has gone off the deep end because the table cloths aren't pink enough.

Reason #9: "If there is anyone here who thinks these two should not be married, speak now or forever hold your peace." The vows are the best chance you have of grabbing a quick nap before the circus of illiness following the wedding. But has anyone in the history of weddings ever actually stood up and said "I think these two should not be married. I'm speaking now, because otherwise, according to the minister, I'd have to hold my peace." What is the protocol in case that ever happens? Does the father of the bride go berserk? Is the wedding cancelled? Do the groom and rival duel? This part of the vows is dumb because it's pointless. Maybe if more men or women stood up and gave reasons why the bride and groom shouldn't get married, then weddings would be more interesting.