Tommy's #1 SHANIA TWAIN SuperSite Message Board

Tommy · Guru

RE: Shania mentions

twain2country · Guru

Backstreet is back for reunion show

December 25, 2008

When it comes to bands, Backstreet is well-known in the Southland. In fact, a 1999 Southland's Finest reader's choice poll in the then Daily Southtown (now the SouthtownStar) named the group the best live band of the year. Backstreet 2008 holiday reunion

Now, the band's members have booked a reunion weekend featuring the lineup of:

Perry Danos on lead vocals and guitar.

Michael Brown on percussion and vocals.

Michael McCune on bass and vocals.

Jimmy Hood on guitar and vocals.

Frank Capek on guitar.

Myron Pieczonka on keyboards and vocals.

Sopro Music, which is promoting the Friday gig at Trio in Palos Heights said, "This is a 'Don't miss this one' show - a big Christmas weekend double-header performance.

"Perry and the crew will be lighting it up with this long-awaited Backstreet reunion. This will be a great show."

McCune, of Tinley Park. said he is looking forward to playing with his band mates, especially Danos, both in Palos Heights and at Groucho's in Chicago on Saturday.

For those who might have been wondering what the Chicago native has been doing since he moved to Nashville, Tenn., here is the scoop straight from Danos' bio:

"Originally from Chicago, Perry Danos has continued his musical career in Nashville, Tenn., since 1995.--

"Perry is a versatile vocalist who stays in demand in Nashville and nationwide. He can be heard on national television and radio commercials, including Toyota, Coke, Southwest Airlines, Kodak, Ford, Disney, Wendy's, Coors, Budweiser and others.

"Perry has appeared in numerous videos and has played live corporate events for a number of well-known companies, such as Boomtown casinos, Ford, Radio Shack, Suzuki, Primerica and many more.

"Perry is an accomplished and extremely versatile live performer, singing and playing guitar for several national acts, including the Pat Patrick Orchestra and Show Band, which continues to be one of the busiest acts in the country.

"Appearing with the Pat Patrick Orchestra, Perry has performed for major political events for officials such as George Bush, Bill Clinton, and Al Gore.

"Fronting his own band, he has performed with such acts as Leon Russell, Eddie Rabbit, Charlie Daniels and Three Dog Night, and stays busy performing at festivals and clubs with his rock band Backstreet.

"Perry has appeared in several music videos for well-known artists, such as Shania Twain, Randy Travis and Gretchen Wilson.

"Especially noteworthy is his appearance in Shania Twain's 'No One Needs To Know' video, which was a Country Music Television Video Pick of the Year and title track of the major motion picture 'Twister.'

"Displaying his versatility, Perry also performs in the sophisticated style of Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin at nightclubs, hotels and casinos across the country.

"He recently completed his first CD entitled 'Sway,' paying tribute to the Rat Pack era. Perry interprets this music like no other contemporary jazz singer.

"GrandVista Music is proud to announce that Perry Danos has joined their artist roster.

"Perry Danos has recently signed an artist development and multi-release deal with the Nashville-based music company.

"Perry Danos, who has worked with a variety of artists and musicians, is a highly respected artist throughout the entertainment industry.

"A talented songwriter in Nashville, Perry has written for several successful music publishers. You can find Perry entertaining nationwide."

On PerryDanosMusic.com, GrandVista president Paul Carrol Binkley said:

"I have been taken by Perry Danos' talent and versatility for years. It is thrilling to be able to work so closely with him now that GrandVista has given him a home.

"Danos is the fifth addition to the roster, which includes Shelean Newman, the GVRO, Mr. Quaver and Orchestra Mastrangelo."

"I am excited about joining the talent at GrandVista Music," Danos said on his Web site.

"I am being challenged to grow as an artist and embrace my creativity. All of it brings a new energy to my career.

"I am looking forward to working with so many gifted people."

http://www.southtownstar.com/entertainment/52weekends/1346311,122508Backstreet.article

Tommy · Guru

Fake Celeb Profiles in Spam Attacks

Want to see 'more' of your favorite actor or pop star? Bad idea.

January 6, 2009
By Richard Adhikari:�

Just one day after hackers broke into the accounts of 33 Twitter users, including President-elect Barack Obama, spammers have launched attacks using fake profiles of celebrities.

One attack is on the LinkedIn social networking site for professionals, where the spammers put up a nude picture with a celebrity's name and a fake profile and links supposed to take visitors to three nude videos of the celebrity. Security software vendor McAfee (NYSE: MFE), posted an example on its Avert Labs blog.

However, the links redirect visitors' browsers to a site containing malware.

Another attack, discovered by security vendor Sophos, has spammers putting up pages with photos of celebrities on Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) Blogspot that redirect visitors to sites offering scareware -- fake anti-virus software.

Celebrities featured in the LinkedIn attacks include actresses Kate Hudson and Kirsten Dunst, and wrestler Hulk Hogan.

But the spammers have become tricky - instead of sending victims to one site, the links send them to a traffic management system that points to a different domain every time someone clicks on the links, according to McAfee Avert Labs.

This makes it more difficult to track the spammers, and helps hide the malicious site from the Web site's owner or administrator, helping keep the infection undetected for a longer time, McAfee Avert Labs said. It also ensures visitors are automatically redirected to sites where their local language is used.

"When you combine clicking attacks, which always work, with back end sophisticated technology like traffic management, where you get redirected to a site in your own language, you make attacks more effective," Dave Marcus, security research and communications director at McAfee, told InternetNews.com.

Celebrities whose images have been used in the Blogspot attacks include retired Playboy Magazine publisher Hugh Hefner, country singer Shania Twain, actor Warren Beatty and actress Barbara Hershey, according to a post by Paul Baccas, writing as Pob on the SophosLabs blog.

Bad guys Google too

The sites contain the Troj/JSRedir-F malicious script which redirects visitors to another site where scareware is downloaded onto their computers. SophosLabs is working with Google to shut down the sites, which are all hosted on Google Blogspot, Baccas said.

"We are aware of this particular issue and are working now to resolve it," a Google spokesperson told InternetNews.com by e-mail. "Google takes the security of our users very seriously, and we actively work to detect and remove sites that serve malware."

"The bad guys have two objectives - protect themselves and make it as difficult as possible to prevent them from spreading their malware," Randy Abrams, director of technical education at antivirus vendor ESET, told InternetNews.com.

The spammers are using different types of attacks on the rogue LinkedIn profiles. McAfee Avert Labs detected an IFrame attack, while Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at security and antivirus vendor Sophos said on his blog that SophosLabs detected the malicious Troj/Decdec-A Javascript code on them.

Malware authors are increasingly expected to use IFrame attacks. An IFrame is an HTML element that lets users embed an HTML document inside another.

Although spammers are expected to become increasingly sophisticated as they leverage Web 2.0 technologies, today's attacks were relatively simple because they work well, ESET's Abrams said.

Also, they tap into one of the most basic human motivators - lust, Abrams said.

"People fall for so many scams on the Web out of greed, and lust is just as powerful as greed."

http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3794581/Spammers+Use+Fake+Celeb+Profiles+for+Attacks.htm

Tommy · Guru

Rumours suggest that both Bob Dylan and Shania Twain have separately been spending time in the Sounds.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4813883a1860.html

The�Marlborough Sounds is an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys at the north of the South Island of New Zealand.

Covering some 4000 km² of sounds, islands, and peninsulas, the Marlborough Sounds lie at the South Island's north-easternmost point, between Tasman Bay in the west and Cloudy Bay in the south-east. Tasman Bay is a large V-shaped bay at the north end of New Zealands South Island. ... Cloudy Bay is located at the northeast of New Zealands South Island, to the south of the Marlborough Sounds. ...

The steep, wooded hills and small quiet bays of the sounds are sparsely populated, as access is difficult. Many of the small settlements and isolated houses are only accessible by boat. The main port is Picton on the mainland, at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound. It is at the northern terminus of the South Island's main railway and State Highway networks.

The main sounds, other than Queen Charlotte Sound, are Pelorus Sound and Kenepuru Sound. Tory Channel is a major arm of Queen Charlotte Sound, and between them they isolate the hills of Arapawa Island from the mainland. Other islands in the sounds include D'Urville Island.

Tommy · Guru

Vince Gill made a surprise guest appearance Sunday night at the Jonas Brothers concert in Nashville, and he turned around the next night and played another unannounced date, bringing along former "American Idol" contestant Jordin Sparks to sing with the Time Jumpers.

The group, a western-swing ensemble that was nominated a year ago for a Grammy award, performs regularly at the Station Inn, a tiny bluegrass club in downtown Music City. According to WKRN, Jordin met Vince at the Jonas Brothers show and was persuaded to attend the Time Jumpers date, where she sat in with the band on the Patsy Cline classic "Crazy."

It was actually a double-bonus for the Jump crew, which was featured the same day in a segment on NPRs well-regarded All Things Considered. Featuring such musicians as steel guitarist Paul Franklin, bass player Dennis Crouch, Riders In The Sky guitarist Ranger Doug Green and fiddler Kenny Sears, the Time Jumpers individual members have played on recordings by the likes of Alison Krauss, Shania Twain and Alan Jackson. Their shows have drawn such notable guests as Reba McEntire, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and Ronnie Dunn.

TheTime Jumpers cram roughly 10 musicians onto the tiny stage at the Station Inn, meaning they split the purse into pretty small fragments. Clearly, they dont do it for the money.

"This is my therapy," Ranger Doug told NPR. "My relaxation. This is when I get together with the people I really like and play music I really love. I don't have to front the band and remember jokes and make up the set list and drive 500 miles. I just get to show up and play with people I respect enormously. It's just inspiring."

http://www.gactv.com/gac/nw_headlines/article/0,3034,GAC_26063_5939988_,00.html

Tonto · Guru

Tommy wrote:

Rumours suggest that both Bob Dylan and Shania Twain have separately been spending time in the Sounds.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4813883a1860.html

The�Marlborough Sounds is an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys at the north of the South Island of New Zealand.
Covering some 4000 km² of sounds, islands, and peninsulas, the Marlborough Sounds lie at the South Island's north-easternmost point, between Tasman Bay in the west and Cloudy Bay in the south-east. Tasman Bay is a large V-shaped bay at the north end of New Zealands South Island. ... Cloudy Bay is located at the northeast of New Zealands South Island, to the south of the Marlborough Sounds. ...

The steep, wooded hills and small quiet bays of the sounds are sparsely populated, as access is difficult. Many of the small settlements and isolated houses are only accessible by boat. The main port is Picton on the mainland, at the head of Queen Charlotte Sound. It is at the northern terminus of the South Island's main railway and State Highway networks.

The main sounds, other than Queen Charlotte Sound, are Pelorus Sound and Kenepuru Sound. Tory Channel is a major arm of Queen Charlotte Sound, and between them they isolate the hills of Arapawa Island from the mainland. Other islands in the sounds include D'Urville Island.

�I wonder if she is alone or with Fredric or isn't that where Mutt is New Zealand? Wonder if Eja is with her, could this suggest she is still pining for Mutt.� Lots of food for thought with this one.
Warmest regards as always,
Tonto

Tommy · Guru

Rodeo (drive) girls

Dust off that fringed jacket the Rodeo is in town!

The 2009 Built Ford Tough Invitational kicks off Friday at MSG, but will any of the celebrities who claim to be down-home girls at heart leave Tinseltown for a weekend of ropin and ridin?

Dont bet the ranch on it.

Raised in the backwoods of Ontario, Shania Twain insists, Im still who I was, and Ill never lose that.

But her real estate choices say otherwise. She and soon-to-be-ex husband Mutt Lange shared a 40-room castle in Switzerland, a mansion in the Adirondacks and a 10,000-acre New Zealand property.

With a $1,760 Louis Vuitton dog bag, pop star-turned-country-singer Jessica Simpsons spending habits are more Saudi princess than Southern bumpkin. She once dropped $750 on two bras and matching panties, and sources say she spent $16,000 to fly her hair and makeup team to Iraq for a USO performance.

We do have to tip our Stetson to Jewel, who lives happily with rodeo star Ty Murray on their sprawling Texas ranch, which she describes as good cow country.

On the ranch, she says, Im able to do the things I was raised with, like riding horses and doing branding.

Yee-haw!

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/01/09/2009-01-09_rodeo_drive_girls.html

lulu · Guru

Is Shania in New Zealand. For some reason I thought Mutt was going to keep this property? I could be wrong though. My personal opinion is that Mutt should give the title to this property to Shania. JMO Thanx for posting Tommy and tonto

twain2country · Guru

NZ is a beautiful place so I can understand why she wants to go back there and visit, but I thought Mutt and Marie-Anne had been spending a lot of time there and had made it their home-base of sorts.

EveryBodyLovesKevy · Guru

lulu wrote:

Is Shania in New Zealand. For some reason I thought Mutt was going to keep this property? I could be wrong though. My personal opinion is that Mutt should give the title to this property to Shania. JMO Thanx for posting Tommy and tonto

Mutt has no say it only. They are co owners of the property and both have their� names on the title.
Maybe they agreed to share the property and go at seperate times. But Shania still owns half of the property and I don't think she would give it up considering all the time and effort she put into it.

Also the article didn't say Shania was in New zealand. They were just indicating that Shania has spent time there in the past

twain2country · Guru

Star spotting a Kiwi pastime

Shania Twain, who owns property near Wanaka, is also said to be holidaying in the Marlborough Sounds.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10551339

twain2country · Guru

Notice the article doesn't say if she's holidaying with anyone, maybe she made this trip alone? Eja has�just gone back to school after the Christmas break, so I'm not sure if she would have�taken him and if Fred is there, then wouldn't�the papparazi caught wind of it and tried to get pictures, having pursued them on their travels to New York, Florida and Paris?

kelc317 · Guru

They never said in the article that i read that anyone really saw her,i think it was phased something like Shania owns property their and is said to be vacationing their.Someone saw Bob Dylan eating somewhere,nobody reporting seeing Shania.

-- Edited by kelc317 at 16:51, 2009-01-11

Tommy · Guru

Your Favorite Album: Coming to a Bookstore Near You

By Judy Berman

Posted on January 12, 2009

Interested in reading an entire book on or inspired by Slint's Spiderland? Well, their are seven wannabe authors who are interested in writing one. Every 18 months or so, Continuum's 33 1/3 series puts out a call for proposals, asking professional and amateur music critics to make a case for devoting a volume in the acclaimed series to the album of their choice. The most recent deadline was December 31, and 33 1/3 editor David Barker has just released a list of all 597(!) proposals on the series's blog.

All of the usual suspects are represented: David Bowie, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Iggy Pop, etc. There are also a surprising number of new acts, from Animal Collective and Annie to Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Young Jeezy. And then there are the head scratchers, like Shania Twain, Korn's self-titled debut and--not kidding--Now That's What I Call Music vol. 26. Oh yes, and then there's my own humble, little proposal for a book on X's Los Angeles. You can advocate for any of these volumes (especially mine) at the 33 1/3 blog.

The 16 books I'd most like to see, minus my own, of course, are under the cut.

Crass Christ the Album
David Bowie The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

Dead Kennedys Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
Brian Eno and David Byrne My Life in the Bush of Ghosts
Gang of Four Entertainment!
Iggy and the Stooges Raw Power
Liz Phair Exile in Guyville
Modern Lovers Modern Lovers
New Order Power, Corruption and Lies
New York Dolls New York Dolls
Pulp Different Class
Radiohead Kid A
Suicide Suicide
Xiu Xiu Fabulous Muscles
X-Ray Spex Germ Free Adolescents
Young Marble Giants Colossal Youth

http://blog.limewire.com/posts/4572-Your-Favorite-Album-Coming-to-a-Bookstore-Near-You

Tommy · Guru

Deerhurst Resort has been a staple in this neck-of-the-woods for decades. Popular as a family and corporate destination with all the extras, it is also famous for the Lodge Showroom where, among others, the platinum career of Canada's own Shania Twain first took flight.

http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1388349

lulu · Guru

Does anyone recall a release by Universal Merc records in Spain where it stated that Shania would have a new release in May 09? I recall reading something like that and wondered if anyone else recalls reading this as well.

PurplePeopleEater · Guru

I remember Universal Merc records in Hungary tipping us off first to the Up! release back in 2002...

twain2country · Guru

Still a honky tonk girl

Loretta Lynn brings decades of joys, sorrows and country hits to Silver Springs

By Joe VanHoose
Staff writer

Published: Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 6:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, January 15, 2009 at 6:54 a.m.

In an age of Faith Hill, Shania Twain and Carrie Underwood, of Redneck Woman and Mississippi Girl, Loretta Lynn can still stand out.

bilde?Site=OS&Date=20090115&Category=ENTERTAINMENT&ArtNo=901120265&Ref=AR&MaxW=250&border=0

Country music singer Loretta Lynn makes an earlier appearance at the Silver Springs attraction. Lynn takes the stage there again on Saturday.

Staff/2003 file

Loretta Lynn

WHEN: 3 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Silver Springs attraction, 5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Silver Springs
HOW MUCH: Concert is included in park admission ($24.99 to $34.99).
INFORMATION: 236-2121

And, many country music fans contend, she has no living equal.

Shes the last of a dying breed, a Coal Miners Daughter who sang solid country gold for more than four decades. And shes still going strong at 74 (or thereabouts).

Lynn will sing many of her 16 No. 1 singles and 52 Top 10 hits Saturday at Silver Springs in front of an expected crowd of thousands, some undoubtedly longing to hear country music the way it was meant to be sung.

Shes at a magnitude that shell draw a big crowd just because of what shes done, said Shane Finch, the program director at WTRS Thunder Country 102.3 FM. There are few artists of that era that are still capable of knocking it out. Shes the only woman of that era capable of doing it.

Lynns career started and took off in the 1960s with a string of gold records and hit singles. Shes sold 12 gold albums, four platinum albums and a best-selling autobiography.

Coal Miners Daughter, a movie about Lynns life, won an Oscar.

Much of what Lynn has sung came from her experiences growing up impoverished in Kentucky. Lynn delivered songs like Coal Miners Daughter, Im a Honky Tonk Girl and Dont Come Home ADrinkin (with Lovin on Your Mind) with a straight-forward, honest twang that Finch says she is still known for today.

Shes a big deal, Finch said. You dont need any special promotions or anything to get people to come out and see her. To have her singing outside on a beautiful Saturday is enough.

In an interview with Lynn in 2004, Rolling Stone magazine said she has had enough concentrated joy and pain for 10 lifetimes, but she still possesses that resilient mountain spirit, blunt sense of humor and tenacious love of life that make their way into so many of her songs. When you are around her, you cannot help but feel uplifted.

Lynns last No. 1 song came in 1982, before current country sensations Underwood and Taylor Swift were born.

After not touring or recording much in the 1990s, Lynn returned to the spotlight in 2004 with Van Lear Rose, an album produced by Jack White from The White Stripes. The album won a Grammy for best country album, and a single a duet with Lynn and White called Portland, Oregon won a Grammy for best country collaboration.

Shes got a built-in audience here because she appeals to retirees and a younger crowd, Finch said.

Its as huge as it gets to have this woman here.
http://www.ocala.com/article/20090115/ENTERTAINMENT/901120265?Title=Still_a_honky_tonk_girl

�

twain2country · Guru

THIS DAY IN MUSIC

Tommy · Guru

RE: Shania mentions

lulu · Guru

Thanx for posting Tommy. It is so great that you keep us update on anything about Shania in print. Thank you so much for this.

PurplePeopleEater · Guru

Some might think he walks on water.

Tommy · Guru

Sean Penn: Into the Wild

Did you know that Sean Penn directed Shania Twains video for the song Dance With The One That Brought You? Yes, that was ages ago, but its yet another feather in this actors cap (critics say Milk might get him a best actor award at this years Oscars). The progressive Penn has directed several movies, the latest being 2007s Into The Wild, a non-fiction account of how a US-based top honours student gives up his comfortable lifestyle and treks to Alaska from Georgia.

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Sean+Penn:+Into+the+Wild&artid=/pFz6K/j8Kk=&SectionID=IgMuKRE8KM0=&MainSectionID=IgMuKRE8KM0=&SEO=Sean,+Penn&SectionName=q/UTssfdfvPtQOFdqR%7CJRA

-- Edited by Tommy at 11:49, 2009-01-18

twain2country · Guru

'Legends' line up for Lee TV

Monday, January 26, 2009 By STEVE CAMPBELL
Times Staff Writer steve.campbell@htimes.com

Newsmakers with local ties in focus for magnet journalism students

This group of budding broadcasters has learned that producing a televised interview is hard work.

Since last April, students in the Lee High School broadcast journalism magnet program have been editing tapes of previous interviews with local news makers.

Their work will soon pay off. "Legends: Rocket City" debuts later this month on Education Television.

"We finally have a product we can show that's perfect - or close to perfect," said April Allison, a senior.

The young journalists began their interviews more than a year ago. Among their guests were JD Blair, a drummer for singer Shania Twain, and Beth Boldt, a photographer credited for discovering model Naomi Campbell. Blair, Boldt and the other "Legends" guests are from the Huntsville area.

But after countless hours of writing scripts, designing graphics, and recording the interviews, the tapes still needed work before going on TV.

Tweaking the tapes to (near) perfection was at times tedious, but mostly it was fun, the students said. The best part, they said, was watching a completed interview after all their work.

Lauren Clark, also a senior, said she hopes TV viewers stop and watch the show as they flip through the channels.

"I hope they recognize us," said Clark, who interviewed Guadalupe Robinson, a local artist known for her pottery.

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletim...970.xml&coll=1

twain2country · Guru

Fox Chase Farm's Rich History Contributes to Present and Future Success
Equestrian News Release

Middleburg, VA - January 27, 2009 - Along with offering the $20,000 TCH Fox Chase Show Series, Fox Chase Farm provides exhibitors with a show experience as rich in history as it is in prize money. Fox Chase Farm, located in Middleburg, VA, has endured decades in the heart of hunt country, hosting fox hunts, trail rides, horse shows and riding lessons, as well as visits from renowned celebrities and television crews.

Before Mr. and Mrs. Timothy C. Hanley purchased the farm in September of the year 2000, the facility went by many different names over the decades. Originally named Colony Farms, the place was owned by the legendary Benny O'Meara, a horseman whose enthusiastic spirit continues on today through countless stories told by local horsemen in the community.

"There are so many stories about Mr. O'Meara," commented Maureen Hanley, daughter of the late Timothy C. Hanley and Director of Operations for Fox Chase Farm. "Supposedly he would line up his staff in the indoor arena and jump over them! I guess he jumped everything and anything, from people to trucks, tractors and cars. They say he was a natural rider and had a way with the horses, riding, and winning in the show ring against the very best."

O'Meara produced many top show jumpers, including Silver Lining, Grey Lady and The Hood, who he rode to win the prestigious Jumper Championship at the National Horse Show. Unfortunately O'Meara was killed in a tragic plane crash in the early 1970s at the young age of 30. After his death, his horse, Gone Flying, won the National Horse Show Jumper Championship with Barney Ward in the irons.

When the ownership of Colony Farms changed hands, it became The Stallion Station, a Thoroughbred breeding operation that was owned by several retired Redskin football players. It later became Paper Chase, a boarding and training facility.

The farm took on the moniker Fox Chase Farm when the Hanleys became the new owners. "We named the farm in honor of its notable location in the best part of hunt country," noted Hanley.

In addition to talented horsemen and women, celebrities such as country music star Shania Twain and actor William Shatner have visited the farm. Ms. Twain spent time there while on tour, parking her bus on the property and riding horses during her time off. Mr. Shatner also rode at the farm while passing through town.

In September of 2003, Fox Chase Farm was featured on "Perfect Proposal," a television show on The Learning Channel (TLC). In the episode, one of the reality stars proposed to his girlfriend at the farm after they went on a trail ride. Additionally, the farm has been featured twice on the local Fox News 5 with Tony Perkins. The first news cast included former Redskin kicker Mark Moseley, and the second involved Redskins players riding horses as a spoof for their upcoming game against the Dallas Cowboys.

At another time, contestants from the CBS show "The Amazing Race" were filmed at Fox Chase Farm. The farm had also received requests from NBC to film scenes for the show "The West Wing."

Fox Chase Farm currently plays host to the $20,000 TCH Fox Chase Show Series, which started on January 10, 2009. The horse show series is an annual non-rated show circuit for equestrians in the Virginia area, and the farm hosts two shows a month. Competitions continue throughout the year until late September.

Fox Chase Farm also provides free online classifieds for local equestrians and businesses in the area. This free service is available on the farm's website. Members of the equestrian community can buy and sell horses and ponies, tack, farm equipment, cars, trucks, trailers, and post Help Wanted ads.

To advertise for free on the Fox Chase Farm website, please go to http://www.foxchasefarm.net and click on "Free Online Classifieds."

For more information on Fox Chase Farm, please go to http://www.foxchasefarm.net or call their main office at 540-687-5255.

http://www.equestrianmag.com/news/fox-chase-farm-success-01-09.html

-- Edited by Tommy at 20:34, 2009-01-27

Tommy · Guru

Top five halftime shows in the history of the Super Bowl

For�35 years, the Super Bowl halftime show was a gaudy punch line, nothing more than an ideal time to refill the nacho trough and uncap another bottle of suds. We were routinely punished with such intermission groanfests as "A World of Children's Dreams," "Blues Brothers Bash" and "A Tapestry of Nations" starring Toni Braxton. This stuff made Up With People look like a Kiss concert. It's as if they were trying to suck. But in 2002, Super Bowl XXXVI, the Irish lads in U2 changed everything. Blending showmanship, hits and a big sloppy kiss to a wounded nation, Bono & Co. made the halftime show must-see TV. From then on, we've still been critical (Paul McCartney was a dud; the Stones creaked a bit, too); but we also haven't wanted to miss a second. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band should knock 'em flat at Sunday's Super Bowl XLIII. But will the Boss top our top five halftime shows of all time?

5. Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake,Super Bowl XXXVIII, 2004

Nipplegate! The "wardrobe malfunction" flashed 'round the globe! But before Ms. Nasty brazenly introduced her right one to the masses, Jackson and JT generated serious steam.

4. Diana Ross, Super Bowl XXX, 1996

Diana Ross, the original diva, looking fabu in flowing redness, exits the stage via helicopter. Can't remember a thing she performed. But I'll never forget that chopper.

3. No Doubt, Sting, Shania Twain, Super Bowl XXXVII, 2003

Gwen Stefani's midriff pushups were hot, very hot. But the peroxide pixie's duet with Sting on Message in a Bottle was an unexpected lesson in May-December heat.

2. U2, Super Bowl XXXVI, 2002

It's one of the great images in Super Bowl history. The Dubliners wailing Where the Streets Have No Name as the names of Sept. 11 victims scroll behind him. And then, at the end, good Irishman Bono opens his jacket to reveal a peak of American flag, a flash of brotherhood.

1. Prince, Super Bowl XLI, 2007

Oh, it was weird all right: Dylan covers, Creedence covers, even a snarky take-that to the Foo Fighters. But it was also jaw-droppingly awesome, His Royal Badness whipping up a maelstrom. There were explicit shadow puppets and Prince playing Purple Rain in the rain! The Colts beat the Bears in the game, but all anyone was talking about the next day was the Purple One's killer halftime set.

Sean Daly can be reached at sdaly@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8467. His Pop Life blog is at blogs.tampabay.com/popmusic.

http://www.tampabay.com/features/popculture/article971458.ece

PurplePeopleEater · Guru

..nice change of pace in your avatar...

Tommy · Guru

Scenes from the Super Bowl

TheStar.com | Sports | Musicians take centre stage

AMY SANCETTA/AP FILE PHOTO

Shania Twain was part of the halftime show at the 2003 Super Bowl between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders, played in San Diego.

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Send Dave Perkins a Super Bowl question

This party's got the media covered (Jan. 28)

Even Media Day was thrown for a loss (Jan. 27)

Pitfalls of the digital age (Jan. 26)

Perkins has answers

Dave Perkins has covered the NFL's biggest spectacle many times and this week he's taking your questions.
Ask him about the big game, the media circus, or anything else from the buildup to the matchup and he'll answer a selection at thestar.com. Click here to submit a question.

Jan 29, 2009 10:22 AM

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Dave Perkins

TAMPA, Fla.Waiting for Springsteen.

By 1 p.m. today, the players will have been locked away from us, which both sides are sure to consider a blessing, and the attention turns to the real stars of the weekend: The musicians and entertainers and the commissioner himself, Roger Goodell.

The commissioner's address goes Friday. It's always highly anticipated, because traditionally the NFL commissioner is the best, most glib sports spinner of them all. Today, in addition to all the coach-of-the-year bumpf and painting houses in a bad part of town and so on, they trot out the halftime singers and dancers and the anthem singer(s).

Generally, these musicians don't have a lot to say, but attendance is required in case something good happens. Plus, you sit within 10 or 15 feet of them and you get to see the looks on their faces when they see this ain't quite the regular audience.

A couple of years ago my North York neighbour Prince asked if there were any questions and before anyone could shout one out, he blasted into a guitar rant and played for about 15 minutes straight at full volume. I believe the piece was called Tinnitus For Ya.

Shania Twain was a personal favourite, all peppy and happy, looking good but kind of clueless. Somebody asked her what she was going to play and, invoking the title of her new album at the time, she pointed skyward and shouted Up! Then she added, "Because that's where the balls go."

There was a brief silence, which I felt compelled to end by suggesting, "Depends how cold it is." Shania merely looked confused and she's from Timmins.

Steven Tyler of Aerosmith shared the press-conference stage with Justin Timberlake a few years ago. Tyler looked like an old-time rock'n'roller who had just gotten out of rehab and Timberlake looked like the paper boy, or what paper boys used to look like when papers had paper boys. Tyler mumbled something about biting the head off a chicken, or some such rock behaviour staple, and Timberlake looked aghast. This was a couple of years before he did that Nipplegate thing with Janet Jackson, which was clearly planned and I like to think it was his proximity to Tyler that sent him a little closer to walking on the edge.

Who else? Well, Tom Petty was a lost cause last year. Paul McCartney didn't have much to say, but at least was polite. Billy Joel grumbled at everyone, plainly not interested in being there. My man P. Diddy, Nelly and Kid Rock, together four or five years ago, were basically incomprehensible. KnowI'msayin?

We'll see what happens today with Springsteen and Faith Hill, who is on the dais a little earlier.

http://www.thestar.com/article/579082

Tommy · Guru

Dierks Bentley, Mistaken Identity

Feb. 6, 2009 A week ago, Billy Currington confessed to Entertainment Weekly that hes often mistaken as Dierks Bentley in fact, a Grand Ole Opry member whos sung with him in the past thought he was Dierks when she saw Billy at the airport.

Turns out, people sometimes I.D. Dierks as Billy, too.

"About four years ago, I was in an airport going through the screener, and I failed the thing twice," Dierks told Entertainment Weekly. "So now I'm over getting the hand-wand thing, gettin' kind of a hard time. I'm late. All of the sudden, this woman's facial expression changed. She's like, Ohhh, I know who you are! I'm like, Cool, maybe this will speed things up. I saw you dancin' around in that [Party For Two] video with Shania Twain."

Ouch! The "Party For Two" singer was, of course, Billy Currington, not Dierks. But Dierks didnt bat an eye. He decided to follow the route that got him through security the fastest.

"I signed an autograph [as] Billy Currington," he said.

"I don't get it too much anymore," he added. "I have fans who tell me they get mistaken for me, and I'm like, Man, if that helps you out, go for it. I'm married, with a child. If I can help you get laid, I've done my job, from one dude to another." Dierks released his latest album, Feel That Fire, on Tuesday.

http://www.gactv.com/gac/nw_headlin...940425_,00.html

Tommy · Guru

Those in search of hoopla, will have to look back at past presidential visits to Ottawa:

George W. Bush November 2004: Bush W. and his wife, Laura, were treated to an eclectic, whirlwind tour of Canadian history and pop culture when they visited a Gatineau archival preservation centre. The tour, designed to appeal to Mr. Bush's folksy tastes, was said to include one of the earliest rule books for baseball and a Shania Twain songbook with the score for her hit tune The Woman in Me.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Obama+comes+Ottawa/1291929/story.html

Tommy · Guru

Jimmy Lane: Before they were stars

By JIMMY LANE
For The Norwich Bulletin

Posted Feb 18, 2009 @ 02:56 PM

There is an old joke that when you hear someone say they are a country music songwriter, you say, Oh, really? What restaurant?

It seems whenever you visit Nashville, every waiter, waitress and cab driver is a future country star. Take Stephanie Eisley of Mystic. She became famous in Eastern Connecticut and played regularly at all the fairs and at the Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun. Now, she is living in Nashville persuing her career, while earning a living at the Hard Rock Caf�.

It is interesting to see what kinds of jobs some of your favorite country stars had while waiting for their big break. It is true some of them made their money singing for drinks and tips at Tootsies Famous Bar and Grill on Broadway, but most of them had to do real work, just like you and I.�

The best-selling country artist of all time, Garth Brooks, sold boots at a western store in a Nashville outlet mall.

We all know Elvis Presley was a truck driver and Johnny Cash sold vacuum cleaners door to door. Did you know Shania Twain and Faith Hill both had jobs at McDonalds? For Twain, she was supporting her brothers and sisters while living in Canada after her parents were killed in an automobile accident. Hill had other jobs. She worked selling T-shirts at Fan Fair, was a receptionist at a music publishing company and packaged fan merchandise for Reba McEntire.

Martina McBride also worked for a country music superstar while waiting her turn for stardom. She sold T-shirts for Garth Brooks and eventually became his opening act.�

Both Toby Keith and Trace Adkins worked in the oil industry. Keith started as a derrick hand and eventually worked his way to become an operation manager in Oklahoma. Adkins grew up in Louisiana and played football at Louisiana Tech University. Working off shore on an oil rig, he lost the pinky finger on his left hand in an accident.

Some artists, such as Keith, Adkins and Charlie Pride, had promising career opportunities as professional sports athletes. Jake Owens began a career as a professional golfer. He won a scholarship to Florida State University. Unfortunately for golf, but fortunately for country music, he injured himself in a waterskiing accident and that ended his golf career.�

Many artists graduate from Belmont University with a music degree and end up working for record labels, giving tours at the country music hall of fame or selling souvenirs on music row. Dierks Bentley worked at the Nashville Network, researching old footage of country performances.�

Jimmy Lane is the 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. disc jockey and program director at WCTY (97.7 FM) in Norwich. E-mail him at jimmy@wcty.com

http://www.norwichbulletin.com/entertainment/x286841062/Jimmy-Lane-Before-they-were-stars

twain2country · Guru

And here's a little tidbit, Shania was given the title 'Employee of the month' at McDonald's.

-- Edited by twain2country at 17:34, 2009-02-18

Tommy · Guru

Canadians can read your mind

Toronto scientists have invented a machine that can guess what you are thinking, and it's 80 per cent accurate

Mark Harris, in Seattle, New Tech City

Be very careful what you think about Shania Twain. Not only is she a national hero in her homeland of Canada, shes popular in America too, with the bestselling country album of all time to her name. Now, new technology developed by scientists in Toronto enables Canadians to detect how you feel about their favourite singer without you even saying a word.

A team of researchers from the University of Toronto has developed a brain-scanning headset that can detect a persons preferences, with an accuracy of 80%. The headset is fitted with fibre-optic cables that emit infrared light at around the same frequency as a typical TV remote control.

This harmless radiation is beamed into the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain associated with decision-making. Here it is scattered by blood vessels, and the reflections are picked up by sensors on the headband. By measuring the amount of oxygen in the blood, researchers can decode brain activity and determine whether a person prefers Twains country pop to, say, the crooning of C�line Dion.

Previous brain-reading systems required people to sing songs in their heads to trigger a response, and used the expensive MRI scanners found in hospitals. The new technology is based on cheap, lightweight infrared emitters and needs nothing more than its user to decide which of two options they favour.

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5774191.ece

Tommy · Guru

Scent of a celebrity

By Christopher Muther, Globe Staff �|� March 5, 2009

Aside from making fun of those ridiculous soft-focus Elizabeth Taylor commercials for White Diamonds, I had never thought much of celebrity fragrances until I heard last week that Celine Dion was about to introduce her sixth (!) fragrance, Halle Barry and Queen Latifah have fragrances coming soon, and adult film star Jenna Jameson has a new perfume of her own. Jenna Jameson? Isn't this getting a little out of hand?

"Getting out of hand? How many fragrances does Jennifer Lopez have?," asks Candace Corlett, president of WSL Strategic Retail, a New York consulting firm. "There's an entire generation of consumers out there that only knows about celebrity fragrances and doesn't know about the classics. Now it's stack 'em high and watch 'em fly."

Once upon a time, all we had was the classics. Scents like Chanel No. 5 and Shalimar sat in the boudoirs of women across the country. There were celebrity fragrances - hello, Mae West - but not every pop star, soccer player, and Hollywood starlet West of the St. Louis Arch inked a deal to develop a fragrance. If you'd like to blame someone for the onslaught of celebrity fragrances, please lift your hands and point your fingers in the direction of Jennifer Lopez.

"We're in the middle of an explosion of celebrity fragrances," says Chandler Burr, New York Times perfume critic and author of the book "The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris and New York." "There's a single woman who created the celebrity boom. Her name is Catherine Walsh, and she's at Coty. She signed Jennifer Lopez."

Lopez's fragrance, called Glow, was such a massive success in 2002 that it prompted beauty houses Coty, Estee Lauder, L'Oreal, LVMH, Clarins, BPI, and Proctor & Gamble, to seek out more celebrities to boost the $2.68 billion high-end fragrance market in the US. Celebrity fragrances accounted for $170 million of that market last year, according to market research company the NPD Group. As a result, Christina Aguilera the fragrance, Kylie Minogue's Showtime, and Jessica Simpson's Fancy are finding their way to stores.

According to award-winning perfumer Christophe Laudamiel, who has developed fragrances for Tom Ford and Ralph Lauren, only a small percentage of celebrities are actively involved in developing their fragrances. Sorry to disappoint, but this means that Celine Dion probably did not don a white coat and toil for weeks in a secret lab to develop her modestly named Sensational.

"I'd say there are about 5 to 10 percent of celebrities who are actively involved at all stages," says Laudamiel. "There is another 45 percent who will come in a few times during the process and offer their opinions. The rest, another 45 percent, come in at the end and choose between two or three scents that have already been developed."

It's easy to see the appeal of bringing in celebrities to sell a fragrance. They have a built-in fan base, which means that less marketing is necessary. For the celebrity, it means free promotion and the cache of teaming with a leading beauty house. There's nothing bad about celebrities adding their names to perfume and cologne. In fact, according to Burr, it's the same thing that fashion designers have been doing for years.

"Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan are basically celebrities, and they're lending their names to perfumes," Burr says. "It's not automatically absurd."

But with beauty houses eager to repeat the success of Glow or White Diamonds, we have been assaulted with strings of celebrity smell-a-like perfumes. How else can you explain Britney Spears's four fragrances?

"It's like Hollywood," says Boston-based perfumer Neil Morris. "If there's a hit, they start developing a sequel instead of creating something new. So you're left with a string of scents that smell similar. These companies are spending millions, so they're less willing to take chances."

Lest you think that I'm being a snob about celebrity fragrances, I went on a smelling mission and found that some of them were quite good. True, Tim McGraw's McGraw smells like a damp wool sweater that was left in a compost pile and Minogue's Showtime smells like a carnival exploded in a bottle. But there are some, such as Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely, which are gorgeous.

"J.Lo's Glow is quite good," Burr says. "And Britney Spears's Fantasy is also excellent. It's all about who they partner with. Shania Twain's perfume is horrific, Christina Aguilera's is pretty bad, and Jessica Simpson's collection is for 12-year-old girls in the Midwest."

Christopher Muther can be reached at muther@globe.com. �

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/fashion/articles/2009/03/05/scent_of_a_celebrity/

Country gal · Guru

I hate that article,
all these sissy boys and those biatches that like their fancy brands making fun of shania's perfume.
personally i believe it smells great and not cheap,its fresh and light.

-- Edited by Country gal at 18:31, 2009-03-05

twain2country · Guru

Well, I think this guy's taste is horrific. Shania's perfumes are nice and the shape of the bottles and the packaging is beautiful. The only negative comment I would have to make is why Coty doesn't sell them here in the UK.

-- Edited by twain2country at 17:09, 2009-03-05

Country gal · Guru

twain2country wrote:

Well, I think this guy's taste is horrific. Shania's perfumes are nice and the shape of the bottles and the packaging is beautiful. The only negative comment I would have to make is why Coty doesn't sell them here in the UK.

-- Edited by twain2country at 17:09, 2009-03-05

exactly,this is the only negative,i bet it would be a hit.

�

twain2country · Guru

http://newsblog.projo.com/2009/03/beauty-product.html

Beauty product firm Coty to lease office near CVS hub
Tue, Mar 17, 2009

Beauty product firm Coty Inc. in mid-2009 will open an office in Cumberland -- near the headquarters of drugstore chain CVS Caremark Corp. (CVS:NYSE), according to the Economic Development Foundation of Rhode Island.

Coty sells cosmetics, fragrances, skin care and toiletry products under brands that include: Calvin Klein, Kenneth Cole, Gwen Stefani, Sara Jessica Parker, Shania Twain and Vera Wang. The company had sales of $4 billion for the year ended June 30, 2008.

Based in New York City, Coty employs more than 8,500 people at offices in 30 countries. This summer, it will move an undetermined number of workers to a 5,500-square-foot office in the Cumberland Commerce Center, a two-building development inside the Highland Corporate Park in Cumberland.

Coty wants workers in Rhode Island to handle its sales to CVS Caremark, a Coty spokeswoman said.

CVS Caremark has made its home in a 500,000-square-foot headquarters in the park -- which is partly in the Town of Cumberland and partly in the City of Woonsocket -- since 1982. CVS is expanding its presence in the park, constructing two buildings with a total of 300,000 square feet on the Cumberland side of the complex.

The drugstore chain, which operates 6,800 stores nationwide, also is making a big push in its cosmetic sales.

CVS debuted Beauty 360 in 2008, a two-store test operation to sell high-end cosmetics. CVS hopes to open 50 Beauty 360 outlets by the end of 2009.

twain2country · Guru

http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/News/Most...edia-business/

Coty retains OMD for £25m media business

LONDON - Coty, the international cosmetics company, has decided to retain OMD to handle its £25m media planning and buying business in the UK after a final head to head battle against WPP's Maxus.

The review includes the media business for Coty’s Prestige business and its Beauty division.

The pitch process has been run by Coty’s international marketing director Signum Graeff.

The reappointment has been confirmed by a Coty insider who admitted the company was impressed with the expanding Maxus network but OMD provided a strong defence.

A Coty spokesman said OMD is expected to sign a new contract before the end of the week.

According to The Nielsen Company, Coty spent £25m on media in 2008, including £12m on TV and £11.3m on press.

Coty was founded in Paris in 1904 and since its acquisition of Unilever’s fragrances division (UCI) in May 2005 can claim to be the world's largest manufacturer of mass-market fragrances.

Coty Beauty brands include adidas, Pierre Cardin, Rimmel and Stetson while Coty Prestige includes brands Calvin Klein, Chloé, Jennifer Lopez, JOOP!

The company is also known for its cooperation with celebrities and has created fragrances for stars including Celine Dion, David and Victoria Beckham, Desperate Housewives and Shania Twain, Vivienne Westwood.

At the end of last year, Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech agreed to become the face of Coty’s Adidas Active men's body care products.

For 2008, the privately-held company reported net sales were up 26% to $4bn; $2.1bn for its prestige division and $1.9 billion for its beauty division. Coty's European operations generated the strongest growth, up 54%, followed by North America (23%), Asia (7%) and Africa (7%).

Despite the global economic downturn, chief executive Bernd Beetz is hoping to achieve annual sales of $5bn in 2010.

twain2country · Guru

Victor Wooten plays Legends

Tuesday, 24 March 2009
by PATRICK BAB****
Lifestyles Reporter

Legends was bouncing Thursday night when bassist Victor Wooten and drummer J.D. Blair came to town.

The duo came to Appalachian State University as a part of their “2 Minds 1 Groove” tour.

Wooten is best known as the bassist for progressive bluegrass group Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.

He has released solo material to high critical acclaim and won two Nashville Music Awards for Bassist of the Year and three Bass Player magazine’s Bass Player of the Year Awards.

He has played with such artists as Mike Stern, Branford Marsalis, Chick Corea, Dave Matthews and Prince.

Blair is the drummer for country star Shania Twain’s band and played the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show with them, but has played with Victor Wooten on and off since the release of Wooten’s debut solo album, “A Show of Hands,” in 1996.

“I had a great time tonight,” Blair said. “I have a great time every night. The people I’ve met tonight have been very friendly, and I guess everybody around here is like that.”

Wooten was slightly more critical of his performance.

“It felt pretty good,” Wooten said. “It wasn’t my best, it wasn’t my worst.”

He’s always enjoyed playing at Appalachian, he said.

“College towns in general are just fun,” he said. “The students that come are just excited. The Flecktones have always have always had a good time, a good experience in Boone. [They have in] all of North Carolina, but Boone in general, and because of that, the Flecktones have laid a nice bed for me to able to come through, so I’ve always had a great experience here, plus I have a lot of friends here.”

Student reaction to the show was exuberantly positive.

“I had never seen Victor Wooten before Thursday,” freshman electronic media broadcasting major Annie L. Sadler said. “To be perfectly honest I didn’t really know who he was until the day before when my boyfriend who plays bass was talking about him. Now I feel kind of stupid because his concert was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to.”

However, Blair’s name was overshadowed by Wooten’s to a fault, Sadler said.

“Yeah, it was weird,” she said. “I didn’t even hear J.D. Blair’s name regarding the concert, but he was definitely my favorite of the two.”

A particularly heart-warming part of the concert was when Wooten’s children performed on stage with Blair and their father, Sadler said.

Wooten’s array of foot pedals made for a large variety of tones for his bass.

Blair’s setup included a Theremin, a synthesizer that reacts without contact by its user.

Along with the music and gadgets, the duo even brought some advice for the students.

“Keep the vibes positive, do your homework and don’t fail,” Blair said. “It’s not good for you.”

http://theapp.appstate.edu/content/view/4967/40/

Tommy · Guru

Today on the Refresh channel you'll hear the music of Goo Goo Dolls.

On JaxCountry, Shania Twain is today's featured performer and over at Doc's Place, it's Avant.

We're featuring extra long sets from your favorite artists on RadioJax every weekday at 1p.m.

You’ll find the RadioJax tuner on the right hand side of the http://www.jacksonville.com homepage. Click the play button of the channel you’re interested in to start the stream.

http://www.jacksonville.com/interact/blog/jonathan_bennett/2009-04-03/artist_of_the_day_goo_goo_dolls

Tommy · Guru

Volunteer passion helps Azalea Festival stand the test of time

.....Wooing popular, high-profile celebrities and entertainers, of course, helps make money. But Criner says the festival has had to change with the times to survive in that category, too.

The days of attracting actors and singers in the prime of their careers to the Azalea Festival in Wilmington are gone.

“We’ve been criticized for selecting up-and-coming stars,” he said. “But I’m telling you, that’s what sells tickets.”

Older stars don’t seem to attract the crowds, Criner said. But “big” stars don’t seem to make them money, either. To hire Shania Twain, he said, the festival would have to pay her $500,000 to $1 million.

For the festival to make money on that event, admission would cost a lot more than the $45 that this year’s David Cook tickets goes for.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090404/ARTICLES/904049962/1155?Title=Volunteer-passion-helps-Azalea-Festival-stand-the-test-of-time

EveryBodyLovesKevy · Guru

Yeah I read that last week in another article.It said to get Sting or Shania to perform it would cost the organizers 1 million.

Tommy · Guru

She [Jessica Simpson] also cited Martina McBride, Shania Twain and Faith Hill as inspirations: "I think there is a strength in female country artists."

http://www.usmagazine.com/news/rep-jessica-simpson-no-longer-on-country-label-200974

Tommy · Guru

Owner of Emerald Masterfonics studios files bankruptcy

By G. Chambers Williams III
THE TENNESSEAN

Voss Development Corp., the California-based company that owned the Emerald Masterfonics recording studios and other downtown Nashville properties, today filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation.

According to the filing, the company’s local and California real-estate holdings had already been foreclosed on, including the main Emerald building at 1033 16th Ave. S., for which Fifth Third Bank of Franklin is owed $900,000, and 209 3rd Ave., for which First State Bank of Union City, Tenn., is still owed $160,000.

The company’s owners are listed in the filing as Dan and Kim Voss of Ventura, Calif., and the company president as Daniel J. Voss Jr.

Dan Voss is a California homebuilder and real-estate developer and former world-champion kick-boxer who bought the studios in 2005 from the bankrupt Emerald Entertainment.

Besides the 16th Avenue location, the studio properties included the Emerald Masterfonics building at 28 Music Square E. and The Tracking Room at 2 Music Circle E.

The company's premier studio, The Tracking Room, was large enough to hold up to a 90-piece orchestra, and was used by performer Shania Twain to record her blockbuster album Come on Over.

In the bankruptcy case, filed in Nashville, Voss Development listed total assets of under $7 and liabilities of $5.79 million, which includes $1.8 million in secured claims and nearly $4 million in unsecured debt, including the money still owed on the short sales of the 16th Avenue and 3rd Avenue properties.

Nashville bankruptcy attorney Jennifer Lawson, who filed the petition for Voss Development, declined to comment about the case other than to acknowledge the filing and say that the music studios had ceased operations at least several months ago.

Dan Voss could not be reached for comment.

At one time, Masterfonics was one of Nashville’s busiest and most prestigious studios, but it filed bankruptcy three times under two previous owners as well, beginning in 1998. The studio began operations in the 1970s.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090408/BUSINESS/90408070

Tommy · Guru

20 Most Controversial Songs By Women

Juli Thanki | March 2nd, 2009 Email Share

March is Women’s History Month. And what better way to celebrate than by turning our eyes to the women of country music? No shrinking violets here; these ladies have no qualms about saying what’s on their minds at the risk of backlash and blacklisting, and in doing so, they’ve cemented their place in country music history. Oh, and the songs are damn good too.

20. “What Made you Say That” - Shania Twain
The song isn’t controversial, but the music video was. A glimpse of Twain’s midriff sent country music into hysterics way back in 1993. The video was banned from CMT, only to be unbanned once everyone calmed down. Now that half-naked girls are de rigueur in country music videos, Twain’s tummy seems downright quaint, but for a brief moment, Shania was the most controversial woman in country music.
19. “Act Like A Married Man” - Jean Shephard
Jean Shephard is one of country music’s unsung outspoken badasses, spending the 1950s recording songs with titles like “The Root of All Evil is a Man,” “I Hate Myself,” and “The Other Woman,” a track in which she sings from the point of view of the titular character. Here, Shephard lays down the law with a wannabe adulterer in this song as she sings “You have a good wife at home, you know she’s never been untrue/She has a whole world of faith and trust and confidence in you/How you can be unfaithful, I just can’t understand/Now why don’t you go home to your wife and act like a married man.”
18. “Gunpowder and Lead” - Miranda Lambert
“His fist is big, but my gun’s bigger/He’ll find out when I pull the trigger.” This is the first of multiple songs on our countdown in which a woman kills her abuser. To date this is the best-charting single of Lambert’s career, suggesting listeners weren’t offended by this controversial topic—for that, see the other songs with similar subject matter on this playlist—but just the opposite. Lambert should be commended for creating a great country-rock song that also does its part to raise public awareness about the horrors of domestic violence.
17. “Maybe I Mean Yes” - Holly Dunn
People were up in arms—and rightly so—with this song. Containing lyrics such as “Nothin’s worth havin’ if it ain’t a little hard to get/So let me clarify so you won’t have to try to guess/When I say no I mean maybe/Or maybe I mean yes,” it’s difficult to see Dunn’s song as anything but icky at best, a justification or excuse for date rape at worst. Either way, it’s a song no young girl should be listening to as an example of a healthy relationship.
16. “Independence Day” - Martina McBride
Another husband-killing song. Though it didn’t chart as well as the other singles from her second album, The Way I Am (1993), “Independence Day” has singularly defined McBride’s career as she sings about a woman who burns her house down in order to free herself from her abusive spouse. The video was a bit controversial too, featuring McBride singing in front of the burning house the lyrics describe, but it won a CMA award for Video of the Year.
15. “Single Girl, Married Girl” - The Carter Family
At the time this song was recorded in 1927, lead singer Sara was married to A.P. Carter, who, for all his value as a country music pioneer, wasn’t much of a husband, wandering far and wide with Lesley Riddle in search of songs to work up and subsequently copyright while Sara stayed at home managing the land and raising the couple’s three children. In this song, you can hear the naked desperation in Sara’s voice as she sings “Single girl, single girl/She goes to the store and buys/Married girl, married girl/Rocks the cradle and cries.”
14. “Womanhood” - Tammy Wynette
Here Wynette is torn between religious faith and desires of the flesh. As she begs for guidance, pleading “I am a Christian, Lord, but I’m a woman too” she sings for all of those who have struggled with the same issue throughout the centuries. After all, we’re only human.
13. “She Thinks His Name Was John” - Reba McEntire
From 1994 album Read My Mind comes a song that wasn’t even originally released as a single, but first garnered airplay from listener requests. Songwriter Sandy Knox’s lyrics never concretely mention AIDS—the song was written after Knox watched her brother die of the disease—and it’s all the more powerful for it. Though the song verges on moralistic (lyrics such as “She lays all alone and cries herself to sleep/’Cause she let a stranger kill her hopes and dreams” reinforce the stigma of AIDS, since apparently “letting” someone give you the disease means you will die alone and unloved) props to Ms. McEntire for having the guts to record such a song, and to the listeners who helped make a song thought too depressing for radio a hit.
12. “Heaven Help The Working Girl” - Norma Jean
Pretty Miss Norma Jean scored big with this Top 20 hit in 1967. Penned by Harlan Howard, this song about a waitress doesn’t mention glass ceilings, unequal pay for equal work, or any of the other issues that have plagued women. But when Norma Jean sings “Heaven help the working girl/In a world that’s run by men” all that, and more, is implied.
11. “Not Ready to Make Nice” - Dixie Chicks
After the conflagration surrounding Natalie Maines’ 2003 comments about then-president George W. Bush and the Chicks’ subsequent exile from commercial country radio and television, the trio made their return to music with this song, the first single from 2006’s Taking the Long Way. Here the ladies refuse to apologize for their actions as they cite the violent backlash they received for speaking their minds. Whatever your thoughts on their politics, you’ve gotta admit that these women have a lot of guts.
10. “Letter to Mom” - Iris Dement
This song would have been incredibly controversial–if the mainstream had ever had a chance to hear it. From her 1996 country-folk album The Way I Should, the “letter to Mom” mentioned in this song details a young girl’s molestation by her mother’s new boyfriend. It’s everything a country song should be: a solid honkytonk arrangement beneath an absolutely gutwrenching story. When Dement’s unique voice sings “One night he climbed into my bed/He left me wishing I was dead/I’ve been walking around with secrets now too long” it’s a rare soul who doesn’t want to lay right down and die with her.
9. “I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again” - Maddox Brothers & Rose
The best hillbilly band in country music history takes a look at marriage’s downside with this infectious classic. As her brothers hoot, howl, and interject with bits of yokel witticism, sister Rose sings “When I was single and he used to come to court/He always brought me candy and I thought he was a sport/Now we are married and what do you think/He bought a gingham apron and he showed me to the sink.” It’s a wonder any woman who heard this song wanted to get married at all.
8. “Fancy” - Reba McEntire
In an extremely loving—if extremely unusual, and more than a little gross—gesture, a mother turns her daughter out, prostitution being the only way to escape suffering the same fate as the rest of her poverty-stricken family. By following Mama’s advice, including “To thine own self be true” and “Just be nice to the gentlemen, Fancy/And they’ll be nice to you,” Fancy is able to get herself a mansion by working her, ahem, “charm” on “a king, a congressman, and an occasional aristocrat.” Take note, Julia Roberts: this is how you portray a hooker with a heart of gold.
7. “Goodbye Earl” - Dixie Chicks
Oh, those halcyon days of 2000, when the controversy surrounding the Dixie Chicks was about a murder ballad in which the victim kinda deserved what he got. Despite country music’s long association with murder ballads, mainstream radio got their knickers in a twist and several stations cut the song from their playlists. The hilarious video featuring an undead Dennis Franz fared a bit better, winning the CMA award for Music Video of the Year.
6. “Stand By Your Man” - Tammy Wynette
Since this classic’s release, a debate has raged about the meaning of its lyrics. Is the song feminist in that it encourages equality, or is it anti-feminist because—among other reasons—the lyrics “you’ll have bad times, he’ll have good times/Doing things that you don’t understand” implies that women just can’t wrap their pretty little heads around “boys will be boys” behaviors such as infidelity. The real controversy came when former First Lady Hillary Clinton cited Wynette’s song in the midst of her husband’s 1992 presidential campaign after reports of him having an extramarital affair with Gennifer Flowers surfaced, stating she wasn’t “Some little woman standing by [her] man like Tammy Wynette,” thereby raising the ire of country music lovers and Wynette herself. But you know what? When push came to shove, Mrs. Clinton followed Tammy’s advice. And then she offered an apology to the legendary singer.
5. “Down From Dover” - Dolly Parton
In the anthology The Rose and The Briar: Death, Love, and Liberty in the American Ballad, music journalist Eric Weisbard describes the way he makes Dolly converts out of ex-punks: “I’ve never played ‘Down From Dover’ for someone and not seen his or her jaw drop. Can you believe this? That was a Dolly Parton song?” Among most non-country listeners, Dolly is just a mass of boobs, fake hair, and pop crossovers. Those of us in the know are aware that’s far from the truth, and no other song better proves it than “Down From Dover.” An unwed mother-to-be is cast out from her family and waits in vain for the man who impregnated her to return. The final stanza is the saddest of all as you can hear the tear in Parton’s voice as she sings “My body aches, the time is here/It’s lonely in the place where I’m lyin’/Our baby has been born, but something’s wrong/It’s too still, I hear no cryin’/I guess in some strange way she knew she’d never have a father’s arms to hold her/And dying was her way of telling me he wasn’t coming down from Dover.” “Dover” never had a chance on the radio, and although Dolly re-recorded it for 2001 bluegrass album Little Sparrow, it’s still her best least-known song.
4. “Would You Lay With Me (In A Field Of Stone)” - Tanya Tucker
America clutched its collective pearls as country music’s bad girl Tanya Tucker sang about sex. Funny that the issue wasn’t raised when the David Allan Coe-penned song was also covered by Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.
3. “Harper Valley P.T.A.” - Jeannie C. Riley
Riley lays the verbal smackdown on hypocritical, small town gossips in this 1968 hit that catapulted her into crossover stardom. She topped both pop and country charts with this instant classic that’s been covered by just about every girl singer in Nashville–and the occasional dude as well (Billy Cyrus). Unwilling to apologize for her miniskirt or the way she’s raising her daughter, Mrs. Johnson ranks as one of country music’s most colorful characters.
2. “The Pill/Rated X/Fist City/The Wings Upon Your Horns” - Loretta Lynn
The Coal Miner’s Daughter doesn’t shy away from hot topics; in fact, we could have made an entire playlist composed entirely of Lynn songs that have been “banned” from radio (over a dozen at the time of this writing). With these songs and lots more, Loretta directs her sharp tongue toward the new birth control pill, divorcees, teenage sexuality, and suckerpunching husband-stealing hussies. If only contemporary country radio stars had the guts to be so outspoken.
1. “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” - Kitty Wells
There’s no other song that could top this list. A response to Hank Thompson’s 1952 hit “The Wild Side of Life,” Wells’ song delivers a sweetly-sung reply that lays the blame squarely at the feet of her accuser. Kitty Wells may be the consummate lady, but when she sang “It’s a shame that all the blame is on us women/It’s not true that only you men feel the same/From the start, most every heart that’s ever broken/Was because there always was a man to blame,” country music never had more balls.

Juli Thanki is a The9513.com and PopMatters.com contributor. She can be reached via email. Check out “Working In The Coal Mine And Singing About It, Too,” the latest entry in her PopMatters column Torch & Twang

http://www.the9513.com/20-most-controversial-songs-by-women/

kelc317 · Guru

Have to say there are some controversial songs in there.We have come a long way from getting upset over a woman's stomach and belly button.I guess country music was a little behind the times.

Tommy · Guru

.....In recent years, Dolly has also got to know New York City Mayor Bloomberg—"a very nice man"—a little bit. "In fact, I guess Shania Twain, one of our country stars, he called her 'Shenowia,' or something," Parton recalled. "He said to me, 'I felt so bad saying your girl's name wrong,' and I said, 'That's O.K., Mr. Bloomingdale.' "

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2009/05/04/090504ta_talk_collins

Tommy · Guru

London Chic

We can't get enough of Taylor Swift!

Not since Shania Twain has a country musician been poised for such international success.

The cutie, who's just released a new video dedicated to her mother, The Best Day, was spotted today leaving her hotel in London.

And Swift was looking gorgeous!

Very fashionable, yet age appropriate. Very trendy, yet not slutty.

We loves us some Taylor Swift!

http://perezhilton.com/2009-05-04-london-chic

twain2country · Guru

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