Tommy's #1 SHANIA TWAIN SuperSite Message Board

kelc317 · Guru

RE: From Rock to Choc: Rock and Roll Road Wife turns Chocolatier

Tommy · Guru

RE: Shania mentions

Tommy · Guru

Million-dollar RVs - the A380s of the highways

RVs are becoming a more common sight in Australia.

.....We are on the last leg of the journey, winding down the coastal road from North Oregon to California and catching glimpses of migrating whales and mating elephant seals, when we make an unplanned detour inland to Coburg.

A forgettable town on the I-5 highway popular with trucks wanting speed, not scenery, Coburg boasts no major attractions. Yet it's hosted celebrities from Paul Newman to Shania Twain and Larry the Cable Guy, all for one reason: million-dollar RVs (recreational vehicles).

With price tags of up to $US2.2 million ($A3.5 million), these McMansions on Wheels sell to celebrities and wealthy outdoors-lovers for more than the average house on Sydney Harbour. They are the A380s of the highways, and they're manufactured at huge factories right off the Interstate.

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/milliondollar-rvs--the-a380s-of-the-highways-20090324-987l.html

twain2country · Guru

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/...ix,842215.shtml

Coty Inc. Takes Home Six Awards From The 37th Annual FiFi(R) Awards

NEW YORK, May 29 NY-CotyInc.FiFi-Award

McGraw by Tim McGraw, Harajuku Lovers and Chloe All Named Fragrance of the Year Winners

NEW YORK, May 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Coty Inc., a leader in global beauty and the world's largest fragrance company, took home six prestigious fragrance industry awards, the most awarded to a single company at The Fragrance Foundation's 37th annual FiFi Awards held in New York City on May 27th. Coty's winning fragrances were:

Fragrance of the Year - Women's Luxe: Harajuku Lovers Fragrance: Love, Lil' Angel, Music, Baby, "G", Coty PrestigeFragrance of the Year - Men's Popular Appeal: McGraw by Tim McGraw, Coty BeautyFragrance of the Year - Women's Nouveau Niche: Chloe Eau de Parfum, Coty PrestigeFragrance Hall of Fame (tie) - Davidoff Cool Water, Coty Prestige Best Packaging of the Year - Women's Prestige(tie): Harajuku Lovers Fragrance: Love, Lil' Angel, Music, Baby, "G", Coty Prestige Best Packaging of the Year - Men's Popular Appeal: McGraw by Tim McGraw, Coty Beauty

"This year's FiFi Awards was a phenomenal night for Coty. It is both an honor and a privilege to receive six awards, and have nine Coty fragrances nominated by The Fragrance Foundation," said Bernd Beetz, CEO of Coty Inc. "Receiving this high honor from the Foundation validates why we are so passionate about our work and confirms Coty's position as a beauty leader and as the world's largest fragrance company."

At the awards ceremony, The Fragrance Foundation also honored Coty partner Marc Jacobs with the prestigious Hall of Fame Award. Coty and Marc Jacobs have premiered several must-have fragrances including Daisy Marc Jacobs and Marc Jacobs Splash. Moreover, Daisy Marc Jacobs was named the 2008 Fragrance of the Year Women's Luxe.

"Marc Jacobs is incredibly deserving of his induction into The Fragrance Foundation's FiFi Hall of Fame," said Beetz. "An icon in the fashion and beauty industry, Marc is an inspiration and we look forward to continuing and growing our prosperous partnership."

In the technological breakthrough category, Mane USA took home the 2009 award for their Aquafine technology. This water-based fragrance technology played a large role in Coty's Nautica Oceans fragrance, which is water-based and eco-friendly.

"I am extremely proud to be CEO of Coty and extend my endless gratitude to the hard work and dedication of the Coty family" added Beetz.

For complete information on the FiFi award winning fragrances and all Coty product lines, please visit www.coty.com

About Coty Inc.
Coty was created in Paris in 1904 by Francois Coty who is credited with founding the modern fragrance industry.

Today, Coty Inc. is the world's largest fragrance company and a recognized leader in global beauty with annual net sales of $4 billion. Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, passion, innovation, and creativity, Coty Inc., has developed an unrivaled portfolio of notable brands and delivers its innovative products to consumers in 90 markets worldwide.

The Coty Prestige brand portfolio is distributed in prestige and ultra-prestige stores, and includes Baby Phat, Balenciaga, Calvin Klein, Cerruti, Chloe, Chopard, Davidoff, Home Skin Lab, Jennifer Lopez, Jette Joop, Jil Sander, JOOP!, Karl Lagerfeld, Kenneth Cole, L.A.M.B. fragrance by Gwen Stefani, La Voce by Renee Fleming, Lancaster, Marc Jacobs, Nautica, Nikos, Phat Farm, Sarah Jessica Parker, Vera Wang, Vivienne Westwood and Wolfgang Joop.

The Coty Beauty brand portfolio is more widely distributed and includes adidas, Astor, Celine Dion, Chupa Chups, David and Victoria Beckham, Esprit, Exclamation, Faith Hill, Halle Berry, Jovan, Kate Moss, Kylie Minogue, La Cross, Miss Sixty, Miss Sporty, N.Y.C. New York Color, Pierre Cardin(1), Playboy, Rimmel, Sally Hansen, [B]Shania Twain[/B], Stetson, Tim McGraw and Tonino Lamborghini.

Coty and Puig Fashion and Beauty S.A. have a strategic partnership for the distribution of the perfume lines of Nina Ricci, Carolina Herrera, Prada, Paco Rabanne, and Antonio Banderas in the United States and Canada.

For additional information about Coty Inc., please visit www.coty.com.

-- Edited by twain2country on Friday 29th of May 2009 02:28:08 PM

peever · Senior Member

it would be nice if she branched out and created other stuff, other than perfume, maybe shoes, or clothes or maybe even did another movie one day,

Tonto · Guru

She should do a line of boots and cowboy hats. That would be cool.
Warmest regards as always,
Tonto

PurplePeopleEater · Guru

How about a line of frozen poutine?

kelc317 · Guru

I was thinking more on the lines of a heath food store's.As good as she looks she would be a great representative.

-- Edited by kelc317 on Monday 1st of June 2009 03:56:55 PM

PurplePeopleEater · Guru

But junk food sells better.

Tonto · Guru

Honestly I think she should think about writing other things. Not just songs. Maybe children's books or possibly fiction novels or more serious creative writings. I think she is probably very diverse in this area and could be a great author whatever she chose to write. Maybe she could write screen plays for movies. The possibilities are endless.
Warmest regards as always,
Tonto

kelc317 · Guru

Well has long as your driving,Read this story about some knucklehead that thought Shania was helping him drive,he had one to many. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x4952429

Tommy · Guru

Formerly Homeless Stars

Shania Twain lived in a homeless shelter in Toronto in late 1978 at age 13 with her mother and siblings.

http://www.foxnews.com/photoessay/0,4644,7389,00.html#6_0

twain2country · Guru

HOT DISH: Fans Make the Country Music World Go Around

CMA Music Festival Has Changed Since Its Simpler Days as Fan Fair

June 8, 2009; Written by Hazel Smith

Hot Dish

(Editor's note: Hazel Smith has been vacationing in Florida and will return next week tanned and rested -- and with a new CMT Hot Dish column. With the CMA Music Festival taking place this week, we're revisiting an excerpt of a column she wrote in 2008 about how the event has changed through the years.)

I do believe money is a lousy way of keeping score. But then, I've never had a lot, so what do I know? Read on.

About the maddest I've ever been in my life was when a star said, "Nashville's crawling with gherms."

"What are you talking about?" I demanded.

"Fan Fair. Downtown's mobbed with gherms."

"What's a gherm?" I asked. "How do you spell it?"

The person I was talking to was a former sideman who drove to Nashville in a used vehicle and with an alimony payment but somehow lucked up on a record deal and some hits. The fans thought he was one of them -- and he called them gherms.

He spelled it for me. "G-H-E-R-M-S. Like germs, they're all over the place. The 'H' is for hell," he snickered.

"I am one of them," I proudly told him. "I am a country music fan. Country music fans are the best people in the world."

I walked away knowing I had won that round. He responded with a lot of throat clearing and utterances of "er" and "uh."

But that was years ago when Fan Fair was held at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds -- when nearly all of the superstars were proud to sign autographs for hours, no matter how hot it was. It's where Garth Brooks stood outside and signed autographs for 23 hours straight without a potty break. It's where pop star Bryan Adams stood beside the stage with songwriter-producer Robert "Mutt" Lange in the blinding hot June sun. Mutt was no doubt already head-over-heels in love with the lovely Shania Twain. He'd seen her video -- and came to Fan Fair to check her out. He must have liked what he saw. They married, and he made a superstar out of her.

You know, when Fan Fair moved from the fairgrounds to its downtown location, I thought it was a good thing. Stars would enjoy signing autographs in air conditioning at the Nashville Convention Center. But I was wrong. Fans came by the thousands, but very few of the big stars came with pen in hand. Instead, the powers that be kept bringing in stuff that has zilch to do with country music -- like TV soap stars.

Most people who come to what's been turned into the CMA Music Festival are blue-collar working people. They work in mills and factories and offices and farms and ranches during the daylight hours. They don't watch soaps. They're too busy working to make a living. They save money to vacation in Nashville every June to see the stars and hear the music.

The fans can no longer easily get autographs from many of the big stars. They can't get photos made with the stars, either. During the CMA Music Festival, they are allowed to line up and march around in front of the stage to take photos of the acts performing. And they do so over and over with no complaints whatsoever.

Someone suggested to me that the fans can get autographs on the road after a concert. Hey, try it, and you will see it almost takes an act of Congress to get into a major star's meet-and-greet on the road. Once the fan gets in, many artists sit and have the fans ask questions. No pictures. No autographs. Not even a handshake. One artist I know autographs her photos before the fans arrive and uses hired help to hand them out to her admirers. This particular artist once refused to autograph my 6-year-old niece's hat.

When Bill Anderson suggested the idea of Fan Fair in the beginning, he and those who agreed with him wanted to create an event to honor the fans of country music. It was their intention to show the fans they appreciated their support. Figuring that turn about is fair play, they wanted to say thanks to those who attended shows, bought records and merchandise, requested songs on the radio and joined the fan clubs. Times were simpler, money was scarcer, but the music was just as good. Joy was spread all around. And nobody dreamed that anybody would ever ask for a round red cent for performing at this wonderful event they called Fan Fair.

But, on the other hand, who'd ever thought back then that a hillbilly could fill an NFL stadium, take home a million bucks in one night and own a Lear jet, a fleet of buses and a parking lot filled with semis to haul band equipment? Keep in mind, the fans made it possible for singers to have all these perks. And they are proud of it.

Right now, I wish Fan Fair was still at the fairgrounds. Those in travel trailers and motor homes could park nearby like they used to, and fans could park their cars for free without a hassle. Sweet people from Ohio and other places could still build booths for fan clubs -- like the girls who ran Eddie Rabbitt's fan club. Those girls still take flowers to Eddie's grave. That shows you the devotion of country music's most faithful fans.

Yes, yes, yes. I know we cannot be successful by looking only to the past or present. We must look to the future. I don't know what the future holds, but I do know who holds the future.

See the new Hot Dish recipe of the week: Corn on the Cob.

http://www.cmt.com/news/hot-dish/1613375/hot-dish-fans-make-the-country-music-world-go-around.jhtml

-- Edited by twain2country on Monday 8th of June 2009 02:47:34 PM

-- Edited by twain2country on Monday 8th of June 2009 02:56:43 PM

Tommy · Guru

Finishing schools master the art of surviving
by Marianne Burkhardt
Montreux - 06 February 2009 | 10:16

A multitude of finishing schools in the Lake Geneva region shaped and polished daughters of the world’s social elite for decades. Since the 1970s, there has been a drastic decline in these purveyors of poise whose alumni include Carla Bruni and Princess Diana. The remaining establishments tell Swisster about survival and Nadine de Rothschild talks about self-improvement in Geneva.

In the 1950s, around 50 finishing schools in the Lake Geneva region taught French and social graces to the daughters of the rich and famous. Only two remain.

Surval Mont-Fleuri and Villa Institut Pierrefeu, are located above Montreux. Their directors partly attribute the disappearance of their counterparts to the 1960s’ social revolution. According to Fritz Sidler, director of Surval Mont-Fleuri: “Rules of etiquette and protocol were seen as constraints and swept aside.”

From the late 19th century, finishing schools offered a curriculum of French, housekeeping, protocol and etiquette. When English superseded French as the most important language in Europe, parents stopped sending their daughters away to learn French.

Viviane Néri, director of Villa Institut Pierrefeu, explained that many schools were family run. The next generation either didn’t exist or wasn’t willing to make the necessary personal commitment.

Manor houses that had served as elegant settings for practising etiquette, cookery, table-service and flower-arranging were sold. Some became home to wealthy individuals (Canadian singer Shania Twain’s home is a former finishing school), others were demolished by property developers.

Sidler said the creation of four personalised programmes, with options such as PR, graphic design and art, has enabled Surval Mont-Fleuri to survive.

In 1999, the school set up a Business Administration programme in collaboration with the European University of Montreux. It also took over the US High School Diploma syllabus of a neighbouring establishment that closed.

Surval Mont-Fleuri still provides two finishing school curricula.

Institut Villa Pierrefeu has continued to specialise in teaching etiquette and protocol but its focus is now international. Students learn the social and business customs of 14 countries, as well as home management, cooking, table service and hostessing.

Néri believes her students benefit from acquiring skills that “others don’t have." She gave the example of a former student who wrote to say she had been recruited by the French Embassy because she was the only applicant who had studied diplomatic protocol.

Since closing its boarding facilities four years ago, the school runs a joint three-term curriculum with Surval Mont-Fleuri, awarding certificates and diplomas in international protocol and etiquette. Surval provides the English and French classes, accommodation, optional activities and excursions. A school year at either establishment costs between 60,000 and 70,000 francs.

Institut Villa Pierrefeu now offers summer courses and attracts a clientele aged from 18 to 40 and sometimes older: “I had a 62-year-old student who had always dreamed of attending a finishing school,” said Néri.

Many summer students are wives of prominent businessmen in countries where travel was complicated until recently. Knowledge of customs and etiquette enables them to entertain their husbands’ international clients with confidence.

Néri said that Institut Villa Pierrefeu does not train snobs. “We teach students to adapt to the people they’re with, to understand them and not think that their manners are the best in the world - each culture has the right to do things their way.” Néri believes that “good manners become bad manners when you show them off.”

Short etiquette courses have sprung up in several countries. Nadine de Rothschild adopted this formula when she opened her self-named Académie in Geneva three years ago. She did no market research beforehand but “observed a real need.”

For 700 francs, men and women of all ages and nationalities spend two days learning the rudiments of savoir-vivre. Shorter programmes covering aspects such as business receptions and table manners start at 200 francs. Youngsters aged from 10 to 16 have their own course.

Lady de Rothschild told Swisster: “I sell a product that enables you to move up in the world and be at ease in any situation. It is an enormous asset.”

Institut Villa Pierrefeu : www.swissfinishingschool.com/en/default.asp
Surval Mont-Fleuri : www.surval.ch
Académie Nadine de Rothschild: www.academienadinederothschild.ch

http://www.swisster.ch/en/news/socie...ng_158-1073348

Tommy · Guru

I have to find this dancing bunny!!!

For some, last night was the last hurrah in a season's worth of playoff rituals. Dean Falavolito, 31, of Carnegie, met three friends at the Sports Rock Cafe in the Strip District before almost all the home games. Since the Penguins won each Stanley Cup home game, "we figured it was good luck," Falavolito said.

Gina Malkin -- a pink, 9-inch-tall stuffed bunny, which dances and plays a Shania Twain tune when owner Tom Dugan squeezes its foot -- stood on Dugan's table at Jerome Bettis' Grille 36 on the North Shore.

"She is very much so our good luck charm," said Dugan, 43, of Cincinnati. After Talbot's second goal, Brian Barclay, 35, of Cincinnati danced around the dining room with Gina, as Twain's voice emerged from the bunny singing, "I'm gonna getcha good!"

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_629439.html

PurplePeopleEater · Guru

Tommy wrote:

I have to find this dancing bunny!!!

For some, last night was the last hurrah in a season's worth of playoff rituals. Dean Falavolito, 31, of Carnegie, met three friends at the Sports Rock Cafe in the Strip District before almost all the home games. Since the Penguins won each Stanley Cup home game, "we figured it was good luck," Falavolito said.
Gina Malkin -- a pink, 9-inch-tall stuffed bunny, which dances and plays a Shania Twain tune when owner Tom Dugan squeezes its foot -- stood on Dugan's table at Jerome Bettis' Grille 36 on the North Shore.
"She is very much so our good luck charm," said Dugan, 43, of Cincinnati. After Talbot's second goal, Brian Barclay, 35, of Cincinnati danced around the dining room with Gina, as Twain's voice emerged from the bunny singing, "I'm gonna getcha good!"

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_629439.html

The newspapers in Cinci are devoid of mention of this creature, and I have heard of no blogs etc. that mention it. If I can be of assistance in your search please advise.

Tommy · Guru

I've never heard about it either. I searched Google and Yahoo, couldn't find anything.

kelc317 · Guru

Did you look on e-bay or craigs list,it may be out of production.

Tommy · Guru

I looked on both. Nothing.

PurplePeopleEater · Guru

You tryin' to run up your post count, eh?

Tommy · Guru

...So how much have these chaps (Def Leppard) been influenced by country?

"In all honesty, not very much, but it doesn't mean we don't appreciate the good side of any kind of music," lead singer Joe Elliott said, reached by phone at home in Dublin.

"Shania [Twain] basically stood country music on its head by introducing a glam-rock aspect to it. There were certain things she did with Mutt [Lange, Twain's estranged husband and Def Leppard's erstwhile producer] where, if you took the fiddles off, they could've been one of our records."

http://www.cleveland.com/popmusic/index.ssf/2009/06/after_collaborating_with_count.html

Chris Farley · Senior Member

This photo sickens me.

AikoujOi · Member

The photo two posts up sickens you? Sorry I don't see the sickening part.

twainee · Senior Member

It is weird to see Taylor Swift stepping into an act that Shania's ex husband produced and being on a country awards show.

Tommy · Guru

.....Michael Jackson's "Thriller" sold 27 million copies in the United States alone and was America's top-selling album of all time for years before eventually being overtaken by the Eagles' "Their Greatest Hits" collection.

Since the 1982 release of "Thriller," only one other album has sold more than 20 million copies in the United States, Shania Twain's "Come On Over," and it's highly unlikely that any new studio record ever will come close to matching those numbers.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/49334912.html

Tommy · Guru

Light the 'cue, pop the top

Canucks to mark Canada Day with a beer by the grill: Survey

By JENNY YUEN, SUN MEDIA
1st July 2009, 3:20am

On Canada's 142nd birthday, it's all about the two Bs: Beer and barbecues.

A national Nanos Research survey for Moosehead Breweries found that about 50% of Ontario residents will be knocking back a cold one or two at a barbecue today.

Only 5%, meanwhile, will be skinny dipping.

"We usually celebrate with a barbecue with relatives," said Pamela Williamson, 57, who has decorated her Elmer Ave. home with a half dozen Canadian flags and an Ontario flag.

"I think every true Canadian should celebrate Canada Day."

The survey, which polled 1,004 Canadians in June, also found that only 7.1% of Canadians plan on going commando, compared to 23.6% who prefer briefs and 22.4% who lean toward boxers.

At St. Lawrence Market yesterday, most people agreed with the idea of grilling veggies and burgers.

Cynthia Quirion, 34, and Jula Vacchino, 28, said they were heading up to Uxbridge for a dip in the pool (with red bikinis on) and volleyball.

"Where are those commando people hanging out?" said a laughing Julia Vacchino, of Stouffville.

And even one guy said he'd wear a thong.

"Maybe just for Canada Day," said Wade Kelly, 26, who was visiting Toronto from Edmonton.

Kelly and friend Phil Paschke, 28, planned to travel to Parliament Hill in Ottawa for today's fireworks show.

"Usually we try to see fireworks in the evening, hang out with friends and toss around a frisbee, depending on the weather," Kelly said.

The maple leaf is considered the original symbol of Canada by 62%, but only 2.4% see the term "Eh?" as symbolic of their country, according to the poll.

Country singer Shania Twain was voted by men who participated in the survey as the sexiest Canuck export.

"How come Celine Dion's not on the list?" Vacchino said. "But I'd agree with Shania. She's gorgeous. For symbols, I'd agree with the maple leaf, but they should add Tim Hortons, too."

Because some firework displays were cancelled because of the city workers strike, some people will head down to Ontario Place, where the show will go on in the night sky.

"We see them from the top of our condo," said Liz Henriques, 41.

"We have our Canada flag out and (my daughter and I) usually paint our nails red and white with little maple leafs on it. We also put maple leaf tattoos on our cheeks."

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2009/07/01/9989916-sun.html

kelc317 · Guru

I wonder if Shania plans on coming to Canada this summer,or if things are getting real serious in Switzerland.

twain2country · Guru

Who knows, but I think she might want to avoid the media and going back home to her native Canada is only going to attract attention, especially with her and Fred.

Tonto · Guru

I don't know about anyone else but I am really surprised at just how little we know or have heard about this dude anyway. I mean what do we really know about him except that he is the husband of the woman who allegedly cheated on Shania with Mutt and he has a daughter the same age as Eja and he has been friends of Mutt and Shania's for about 10 years or so and he is now dating Shania. Why no more information. Why no in depth stories on who he is and what he does and all the normal stuff the media digs into with famous people or people who are dating famous people? Just my thoughts.

Warmest regards as always,
Tonto

kelc317 · Guru

If Shania and Fred lived in the USA I think we would know all about him.But it is funny that there is 0 info about them.I heard he repaired antique clocks,then i heard he work for Nestles.No one can say for sure if Mutt and Annmarie are still together.But you would think some celebrity reporter would do some basic story on the public info about Fred and some type of a follow up on the divorce.

Tonto · Guru

Yeah, the media has been really relaxed on this. I don't think they realize just how many people are interested in this story. I guess it is because she has not been around the States and Canada much. But still you would think at least the tabloids would have done a better job of keeping up with this story.
Warmest regards as always,
Tonto

PurplePeopleEater · Guru

kelc317 wrote:

If Shania and Fred lived in the USA I think we would know all about him.But it is funny that there is 0 info about them.I heard he repaired antique clocks,then i heard he work for Nestles.No one can say for sure if Mutt and Annmarie are still together.But you would think some celebrity reporter would do some basic story on the public info about Fred and some type of a follow up on the divorce.

I think they prohibit paparrazzi photogs and reporters from entering Switzerland.

Tonto · Guru

Don't need photos, can do new story and can use old photos of the trip to New York and Florida from December. They do it all the time anyway when they want to sell papers and magazines. Look how often they use Shania's name lately. Any chance they get. Sometimes I think they create opportunities just to use her name.
Warmest regards as always,
Tonto

kelc317 · Guru

But they never really have any new info.I haven't read the latest scans Tommy posted but my guess is there will be nothing new.

Tommy · Guru

Wrigley hosts different all-stars

Empty seats don't generate cash. Full stadiums do. So while the Cubs play on the road after baseball's All-Star Game break, Wrigley Field hosts three huge concerts. A look at what's ahead:

Rascal Flatts show takes park out to the country on big scale

BY BOBBY REED

Hype for Billy Joel and Elton John's Face 2 Face tour has stolen some of the attention away from this week's other Wrigley Field headliner: Rascal Flatts, a country trio that has become one of the most commercially successful acts in popular music.

The group's most recent album, "Unstoppable," was released in April and debuted at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 album chart. The band has released 10 chart-topping country singles, including "Bless the Broken Road," "My Wish," "What Hurts the Most" and "Here Comes Goodbye."

In a press release, lead singer Gary LeVox reflected on Saturday's show: "As a kid, you stand in front of your mirror and only dream about being able to sell out arenas and stadiums. And to be able to play a place like Wrigley Field and sell it out -- you can't even dream that big. The feeling is awesome."

At press time, some tickets were available, but the concert is likely to sell out by show time. Rounding out the bill are country titan Vince Gill and Hootie & the Blowfish singer Darius Rucker.

Saturday's triple bill will be the largest country concert ever held at Wrigley Field, but the genre often has been represented at the ballpark. In 1999 Kenny Rogers performed a six-song concert prior to a Cubs game. Trace Adkins, Martina McBride, Kellie Pickler and Shania Twain are among the country singers who have served as guest conductors for "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."

http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/music/1668043,CST-FTR-wrigley16.article

Tommy · Guru

Booking agent now ‘fugitive'

By EMMA PEREZ-TREVIÑO and LAURA B. MARTINEZ/The Brownsville Herald

A concert promoter, who allegedly swindled roughly $56,000 combined from the city of Brownsville and a local developer, is now considered a "fugitive," Brownsville police Sgt. Jimmy Manrrique said Friday.

Public records show that on July 10 Municipal Court Judge Ben Neece issued two warrants of arrest for 33-year-old Hiro Jamal Hariram, of Houston, charging Hariram with theft.

As of Friday, he remained at large.

"The Houston authorities and the U.S. Marshals are assisting us toward his apprehension," Manrrique said.

Hariram’s name has been placed in a nationwide law enforcement database. "He is a wanted person," Manrrique added.

A Brownsville police investigator filed the July 10 affidavit requesting the arrest warrants on behalf of the city and developer Richard Hope.

In the affidavit regarding the city, it is noted that on or about March 24 and July 3, Hariram committed a theft of $9,562 by deception, when he entered into a fictitious booking contract to book a musical group, Boyz II Men, to perform in Brownsville at a live July 4 concert — "which was never to take place."

City Parks Director Chris Patterson and City Manager Charlie Cabler signed the contract dated March 10, public records show.

Patterson and Cabler believed at the time that they signed an agreement with a representative of Grabow Booking Agency, of Beverly Hills, Ca., which also has a Dallas office. The city officials later learned that Hariram was not associated with Grabow.

The contract, which was not drafted or reviewed by City Attorney Mark E. Sossi, does not contain Hariram’s signature.

In a recent e-mail to The Brownsville Herald, Hariram wrote, "I nor my company ever represented ourselves in any way as working for and or dealing ‘directly’ with Grabow."

City Commissioner Charlie Atkinson, who has been involved in the development of the Brownsville Sports Park where the concert was to take place, said Friday that he never met Hariram and was not involved in the agreement with him.

"It’s unfortunate that the city was put in this position, but I think that at the end of the day, we’ll get our money back," Atkinson said. "We’ll get our money back and we have to trust city staff that they are going to get that money back."

"I’m sure Charlie Cabler is kicking himself because he is usually real cautious about stuff like this and I think that no body feels worse than him. He’s going to take care of it," Atkinson said.

Atkinson noted that the situation was a "little hiccup" in Cabler’s successful administrative career. "He’s a man’s man," Atkinson said of Cabler.

"I don’t think it will ever happen again," said Atkinson, who also noted that Patterson feels terrible. "I think he (Patterson) meant well in trying to provide something for the July 4 event. I think he meant well and I’m sure he feels super bad about it. He’s taken it pretty bad."

A complaint filed by Hope Properties of Brownsville with the Brownsville Police Department, says Hariram bilked the business out of $46,000.

The complaint states that between March 24 and July 6 Hariram committed the offense of theft by "unlawfully promising performance in a transaction and that Hariram did not intend to perform or knew the promise would not be performed."

Police in the affidavit allege Hariram "appropriated" $46,000 in wire-transferred money with the intent to deprive Richard Hope, owner of Hope Properties.

Hariram is accused of entering into a fictitious booking contract with three performers for a concert that was never to take place, the affidavit says, adding that Hariram did this without Hope’s consent.

Two of the artists he promised to book were country music stars Garth Brooks and Shania Twain, city officials and police said. They were to perform at a Sept. 5 concert at the Brownsville Sports Park.

Hope Properties had been scheduled to sale tickets for the Brooks and Twain performance ranging from $40 to $100 per ticket, according to an e-mail promoting the concert. The tickets were to be sold from Hope Properties’ office.

Richard Hope did not return telephone calls from The Brownsville Herald for comment. It is unknown if he has recouped the $46,000.

The alleged Brooks-Twain scheme started to unravel sometime in June after a local radio program director, Joe "Jo-Jo" Cerda, checked to see if the artists were coming to Brownsville. The radio station, FM-100 KTEX, had been asked to promote the concert, according to Cerda and Country Aircheck Today, which provides updates on country music happenings around the United States.

Cerda contacted Brooks and Twain representatives, who said reports that the entertainers would perform in Brownsville were "100 percent false."

Country Aircheck also reported that Hariram’s Empire Media Group had attempted to work out a deal with Ronald McDonald House of the Rio Grande Valley. Hariram’s company tried to get the Ronald McDonald House to wire it a deposit for a Taylor Swift concert that was never going to happen, the report said. Cerda also contacted Swift’s representatives who said there would be no performance.

Jeff Schmatz, a spokesman for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Rio Grande Valley, said it had no comment. Ronald McDonald House assists children with cancer and other illnesses.

http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/hariram-100032-friday-manrrique.html

Tommy · Guru

An historical and memorable night of Australian rock music will take place this Friday night at the Enmore Theatre when some of our finest artists and musicians will come together to support a mate, Mick ****s, guitarist and founding member of the iconic Australian rock band Rose Tattoo.

Mick has been diagnosed with liver cancer. In true Aussie tradition Jimmy Barnes, You Am I, Ian Moss, Rose Tattoo, The Screaming Jets, and The Radiators all join forces with other special guests in a concert that is a must for all Australian music fans.

This very special rock music event is being presented by Support Act Limited the registered charity set up to assist members of the entertainment industry.

The full line up is: Jimmy Barnes, You Am I, Ian Moss, Rose Tattoo, The Screaming Jets, The Radiators, Mark Gable (Choirboys), Phil Small, Dave Tice and Mark Evans (ex AC/DC), Steve Prestwich, Chris Turner, Lucy DeSoto, Shauna Jensen and Dee DeMarco plus a house super band featuring Randall Waller (Shania Twain Band - Guitar), Clayton Doley (Keyboards), Dario Bortolin (Bass), Paul DeMarco (Drums), Theo Kats (Drums) and Andy Thompson (Sax -Moving Pictures).

http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/yb/133139976

Tommy · Guru

Taylor Swift’s Fearless spends its 30th week in the top 10 at #9 on the Billboard 200 chart, logging the second longest run for a country album after Shania Twain's Come on Over logged 53 weeks from its release in 1997.

http://www.examiner.com/x-13907-DC-GLBT-Arts-Examiner~y2009m7d23-Billboardcom-goes-for-a-new-look-both-manic-and-addictive

twain2country · Guru

Want Garth and Shania? I Have a Bridge to Sell

Tommy · Guru

RE: Shania mentions

kelc317 · Guru

Fake Shania Garth Brooks concert

kelc317 · Guru

RE: Shania mentions

Tommy · Guru

.....While she [Tara Oram] doesn't know if Shania Twain will be at the Canadian Country Music Awards (Sep. 13), Oram says she'd love to meet the singer.

"I grew up on her music and she was a huge influence on my career. I'd love to sit down with her and say, 'Thank you for everything. Thanks for inspiring young girls and for opening doors for us,'" Oram says.

http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=273769&sc=84

Tommy · Guru

..... Graduating from high school, [Krista] Storey was torn between a career in music and something more practical.

She opted to get her feet wet in the business world and through an uncle got a job in the insurance business in Toronto.

She enjoyed her job in credit and collections, but the world of show business called again when a boyfriend who played trumpet got a job with the house band at Deerhurst Inn.

She followed him north to Muskoka in 1985 and was soon a regular performer in the Four Winds Disco at Deerhurst.

But she kept her hand in the business world, working in resort sales.

Perhaps her most memorable moment was hearing a young and unknown female rock ’n roll singer audition for a Las Vegas-style Revue show at Deerhurst.

“Her voice sent chills down my spine,” Storey recalled.

Then known as Eileen Twain, the gifted singer would later switch over from rock to county and soar up the pop charts as Shania Twain.

Storey recognized an exceptional drive in Twain, who was looking after her siblings after death of their parents in a car accident.

Though Storey admires Twain’s accomplishments, she wouldn’t change places.

“I don’t think she’s had a moment’s privacy in her life.”

http://www.orilliapacket.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1680124

twain2country · Guru

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/arts/music/02cara.html?hpw

Country’s New Face: It’s Young and Blond

By JON CARAMANICA

IN a video posted to YouTube in January 2008, Veronica Ballestrini — then 16, blond, precocious — sits on a wrinkled couch wearing a pink Abercrombie & Fitch zip-up hoodie and clutching a guitar. “Today one of my fans messaged me, and he thought I should do a Taylor Swift song,” the singer said, then began a committed, occasionally imperfect version of Ms. Swift’s “Teardrops on My Guitar.”

Rick Diamond/Getty Images

Taylor Swift performing recently in Alabama.

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Whitney Duncan, whose debut album is due out in the fall.

It was one of several videos she posted over the span of a few months, revealing a streak of determination at apparent odds with the casualness of the videos, each one filmed on a different couch or chair.

When she first began recording music at age 13, “I had no idea about anything, nothing about the industry or radio or singles,” Ms. Ballestrini recalled last month, on the phone from Peoria, Ill., during her first tour of country radio stations. “But I did know I needed a lot of fans.” And so from her Connecticut home Ms. Ballestrini set about cultivating an audience online: MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, DigitalRodeo and more.

A year and a half later, all the screen time has begun to pay off. Last spring she recorded a proper video for “Amazing,” a single of her own, and uploaded it. After a couple of weeks it was picked up by CMT.com, the digital arm of Country Music Television, and shown on CMT Pure Country, the network’s all-video digital channel.

A young female country singer savvily using online media to construct a career built on largely self-written songs about teenage experiences? The Taylor Swift Playbook is making the rounds.

Ms. Swift, 19, who has sold more than seven million records in the last four years, has proved to be seismic in Nashville. And thanks to the pop crossover success of Ms. Swift and Carrie Underwood, 26, who has sold 10 million albums, notions of where a country star might fit in are being rewritten almost daily.

“Taylor is having such massive success,” said David Ross, publisher and editor of the Nashville trade magazine Music Row. “Should we be surprised that marketers are saying, ‘Hey, I need a Taylor too?’ ”

The next generation proposes a range of options. It includes clean-scrubbed country-leaning pop singers like Ms. Ballestrini, chipper country modernists like Jesse Lee, the TV-child-star-turned-musician Jennette McCurdy, sassy country-rock sirens like Jessie James and even some young women with a more traditional Nashville style, like Mallary Hope and Katie Armiger. (Both, perhaps not coincidentally, are brunettes.) Even Miley Cyrus is making a land grab: her single “The Climb,” from the recent “Hannah Montana: The Movie” soundtrack album, has been a hit at pop radio as well as country.

The groundwork for this movement was laid in 2005, the year Ms. Swift signed her recording contract and Ms. Underwood won the fourth season of “American Idol,” validating the idea that a country singer could still succeed on a pop stage, something that hadn’t truly happened since Shania Twain in the 1990s.

In hidebound Nashville, though, where male acts easily dominate the genre in sales and recognition, their success was by no means a given. In April Ms. Underwood won entertainer of the year, the top prize at the annual Academy of Country Music Awards, making her the first solo female artist to do so since Ms. Twain in 1999.

Together, Ms. Swift and Ms. Underwood began clearing huge swaths of brush out of Nashville’s clogged pathways. The duo, along with their fellow blond country singer Kellie Pickler, 23, the former “American Idol” contestant and Ms. Swift’s best friend, were photographed together at a December 2007 Nashville Predators hockey game, making a public show of unity. In July 2008 the three appeared on the cover of Country Weekly magazine under the headline “Girls Rock!”

In 2007 Ms. Swift and Ms. Pickler were both opening acts for Brad Paisley; they also appeared in his video for “Online.”

“The reaction to these guys was spectacular,” said Bill Simmons, Mr. Paisley’s manager. “We watched Taylor explode.”

Mr. Simmons now also manages Mallary Hope, 22, who this week will digitally release her debut EP, “Love Loves On” (MCA Nashville). For “all the kids sitting at home right now who are 12 and 13 and who want to be Carrie and Taylor,” Ms. Hope said, the success of those singers “gives all of these dreamers some hope.”

Apart from some notable exceptions — Tanya Tucker, LeAnn Rimes — youth has often been a liability in Nashville. More than any other genre, country music leans heavily on storytelling, an area where life experience, or perceived life experience, makes a difference.

Katie Armiger, 18, began coming to Nashville four years ago in search of a record deal. “At that time there were not any artists out like me,” she said, adding that a couple of labels offered her contracts but “told me that I would be on the shelf for five to six years.” Last year Ms. Armiger released “Believe” (Cold River), her second independent album, and her videos play regularly on the GAC (Great American Country) music channel.

“In the past, I’ve seen talent at a young age and was averse to starting a business relationship,” said Mike Dungan, the president and chief executive of Capitol Records Nashville. “I felt our radio partners wouldn’t be receptive to it.”

Tommy · Guru

CNN: "Sing" seems like it would fit that description. Does that song sum up your life in a way?

Nanci Griffith: Many have asked that, but I was actually inspired to write that by watching an interview with Shania Twain where she said it would not have mattered if she remained a lounge act for her whole career. It's not something you choose. It's just what you do.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/06/nanci.griffith/

twain2country · Guru

Mountain haven

Beyond Diamond Lake, Pursley points out, is a left-hand turn that takes you deeper into the mountains and to singer Shania Twain's $NZ21.4 million ($17 million), 24,000-hectare ranch. Twain is divorcing music-producer husband Robert "Mutt" Lange after 14 years of marriage and the talk in town, where she sometimes sips coffee incognito, is that he'll get the ranch, despite it being her passion.

http://www.theage.com.au/travel/accommodation-reviews/mountain-haven-20090805-e9oa.html

Tommy · Guru

I'm not sure what this is all about?

What new video?

The address is for an electronics store.
http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Electronic.Interiors.Inc.203-861-0707

Dear Sun Spots: Would you happen to know the address of Shania Twain. I'd like very much to write to let her know how much I like her new video. Thank you so much. - Irene Frechette, Lewiston.

Answer: Try contacting her at Shania Twain, 40 West Elm St., Greenwich, CT 06830.

http://www.sunjournal.com/node/75249

twain2country · Guru

Tommy wrote:

I'm not sure what this is all about?

What new video?

The address is for an electronics store.
http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Electronic.Interiors.Inc.203-861-0707

Dear Sun Spots: Would you happen to know the address of Shania Twain. I'd like very much to write to let her know how much I like her new video. Thank you so much. - Irene Frechette, Lewiston.

Answer: Try contacting her at Shania Twain, 40 West Elm St., Greenwich, CT 06830.

http://www.sunjournal.com/node/75249

Had to laugh, when I saw this article.

AikoujOi · Member

Tommy wrote:

I'm not sure what this is all about?

What new video?

The address is for an electronics store.
http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Electronic.Interiors.Inc.203-861-0707

Dear Sun Spots: Would you happen to know the address of Shania Twain. I'd like very much to write to let her know how much I like her new video. Thank you so much. - Irene Frechette, Lewiston.

Answer: Try contacting her at Shania Twain, 40 West Elm St., Greenwich, CT 06830.

http://www.sunjournal.com/node/75249

[sarcasm] Wow, I didn't know Greenwich, CT was a part of Switzerland[/sarcasm]

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