Here are random pictures of celebrities I found interesting/funny/sad today:
Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor share a celebratory a kiss after being named knights at France's National Order of Arts in Paris [via Dlisted]
The lineup for this year's Coachella festival was announced this morning. It looks stellar as always, with Muse, Jay-Z, Them Crooked Vultures, Gorillaz and Pavement among the big-name acts. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. Three days will cost you $269. As with last year, there's a layway option.
As you may or may not know, I'm a guest on Alan Autry's KYNO radio show most Fridays at 11:30 a.m. talking about weekend happenings around Fresno.
In addition, our former mayor often drops some jewels that have nothing to do with weekend happenings. Remember the "Mike Oz Song?" Yeah, that was good. Still listen to it. But he may have outdone himself this time.
Ladies and gentleman of Fresno, I present to you ... Alan Autry rapping the theme song to "The Beverly Hillbillies" over the beat to Jay-Z's "Run This Town." You're welcome.
In my 7 column today, I wrote about Little Tito, a nation-traveling bobblehead who got his start here in Fresno. It's a long (but amusing) story that you can read in full here. The short version is that Little Tito's owner was moving out of Fresno for a new job, but some co-workers kidnapped Tito and have since sent him around the country.
He's been to all kinds of cool places -- the NBA Finals, New Orleans, the owner's suite at Fenway Park. Last week, he ended up in my hands for a tour of Fresno. He's got a Twitter account (@littletito) and a blog (littletito.tumblr.com) where his travels are documented. But here's a sneak peek at what Tito did with me in Fresno.
It's never a good sign when you wake up exhausted on Monday morning -- yet that was me a couple hours ago. But here I am, ready to dominate another week. Here's what made me so tired this weekend. Add your own weekend adventures in the comments:
FRIDAY
- I started my weekend at Creative Fresno's monthly blender. November's took place over at Silver Dollar Hofbrau. It was good times hanging with a bunch of Fresno creatives, many of whom I already knew and some who I was meeting for the first time. I met some of the ladies behind Fresno Etsy Especial and they are -- cheap plug alert -- having a holiday crafts bazaar next month.
SATURDAY
- Sanger Firsts! I went to lunch with James of Taste Fresno and we tried the tacos at Sanger Colimas. Pretty darn good, especially the carnitas. James wrote a review on his site and I gave my two cents as an assist.
- Swede Fest 4 was standing room only at Starline. Good to see people out supporting something different and not-so-mainstream. There were some really good entries this year -- our own Heather McLane even made a Swede. You can check out the Swedes from the comfort of your computer by visiting swedefest.com. Oh, and one more note: We need more events that start at 5 p.m.
He came, he saw, he conquered. And Jay-Z didn't need an encore to win over the Fresno crowd. It seemed like he had them the second he stepped on stage.
Jay-Z, the biggest star in rap, had the Fresno crowd on its feet pretty much all night, zooming through a setlist of hits in the almost-two-hours he was on stage. The show might not have been a complete sellout, but it was pretty full.
Who was there? What did you think? Did he prove that he's the best rapper out there? Or have you seen better? What did you think of Hov's set list? The crowd? What about opening acts N.E.R.D., Wale and J. Cole? Chime in on any of that, plus whatever else you want. You can also upload your own photos over here.
UPDATE: My reviews, photos and videos are all below. Check 'em out.
Try as you might to avoid it, I'm sure you've heard at least part of that Miley Cyrus song where she's caterwauling about listening to Jay-Z. It's unavoidable.
You know what's totally avoidable, though? Jay-Z songs, at least for Miss Miley. Check out her answer when she's asked in an interview which of Jay-Z's songs she's singing about (skip to 2:55 for the response):
Holy crap. Did anyone else know this girl sounds like a 50-year old truck stop waitress with a two-pack-a-day habit? How did that little blond girl not run from the room crying when Miley barked at her with that paint-peeling voice that she was wearing her Halloween costume ("I don't dress like this every day. I'm not crazy. Now, you want those eggs scrambled or sunny side up? *coughhackcough*").
[Source]
As you know by now, Jay-Z is in Fresno tonight, but it's only the latest stopper for the superstar rapper, who this week is earning his jet-setting reputation.
Here's a video of him performing with U2 on Thursday night in Berlin at the MTV European Music Awards.
Less than 24 hours later, here's Jigga celebrating the Yankees World Series win at home in NYC. He performed "Empire State of Mind" on Friday in front of city hall.
Besides checking out the Swede Fest, the Creative Blender and Exene Cervenka, all of which we also recommend:
1. THROW UP THE ROC: You should already know by now -- Jay-Z is in town on Saturday night, his first ever Fresno concert, and one of only two Cali concerts he's doing this year. It oughta be fresh. You can read more about Jay-Z, and why he matters beyond just rap, in this story from today's paper. I also did an interview with his young protégé J. Cole, who is one of the show's openers along with Wale and N.E.R.D.
Afterward, don't forget that the afterparty at Aqua Shi should be hopping too -- with Jay-Z's DJ Neil Armstrong spinning.
Last week we gave you a Fresno-ized version of a popular song and you guys totally WTF'd it. Now we have another Fresno-centric take off that needs your verdict.
This time it's taking Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind" (as heard before Game 2 of the World Series) -- and giving it a Fresno spin. The song is the work of Rich Nix and Koncrete Rose, and features a lot of hometown reference and shout outs. The Tower District line is probably my favorite.
Personally, if I'm picking, I prefer Planet Asia's "Fresno State of Mind" (circa 2002). But WTF of FTW isn't about my opinion. You guys need to decide whether this is a certified win or a Fresno Fail.
Voting Key:
WTF = What the [Fudgesicle], a.k.a. "What are you thinking?"
FTW = For the Win, a.k.a. "That idea is a victory for people everywhere."
It's Monday and we all probably have a Halloween hangover. Which isn't actually a bad thing, because looking at the week ahead of us, there's a lot of good stuff. You could probably use the rest tonight. But if you're determined to hit the town, might we recommend heading over to Veni Vidi Vici where Johnny Q should keep things quite chill.
Looking ahead this week brings a long line of great entertainment options: Jay-Z (and the afterparties), Little Dragon, Cage the Elephant, Langhorne Slim, Three Bad Jacks, Exene Cervenka, The New Limb, the Swede Fest and a big night of comedy at Chukchansi Park. There's even more beyond that. All the fliers are below.
Lots of concert news and tidbits to share, so let's not waste any time.
BRAD'S BACK
Any Brad Paisley fans out there? A new list of tour dates released Wednesday by Paisley includes a Feb. 19 show at Save Mart Center.
Openers for the tour are Miranda Lambert and Justin Moore. No details were announced about ticket prices or ticket sales. Expect more details soon.
Vampire Weekend, one of the hottest indie rock bands of 2008, will play The Cellar Door in Visalia on Nov. 9.
Tickets go on sale at noon on Friday via TicketWeb and cost $20.
Promoter Aaron Gomes of Sound N Vision -- who deserves another pat on the back for landing this -- expects tickets to sell real fast.
"This'll sell out in less than five minutes," he says. "I've been told that there are some very special surprises lined up."
A note for Vampire Weekend fans: The band debuted a new track, titled "Horchata," today on their site. The band's sophomore album, "Contra," is due in January.
That first part of November is looking nice concert-wise: Little Dragon is coming back on Nov. 5. Jay-Z is Nov. 7. And now this on Nov. 9.
"The Jay Leno Show," 10 p.m. KSEE (Channel 24.1): NBC has aired 12 zillion promotional commercials for Jay Leno's move from late-night to prime-time. Now Leno has to live up to the hype. He brings a lot of the comedy bits to the earlier hour that were popular on his "Tonight Show" days. There's no question Leno is funny, warm and entertaining. The big question is whether that will be enough to attract viewers especially next week when the show will have to go against new episodes of dramas on the other networks. Look for Leno to have great ratings tonight but those numbers will begin to fade immediately. Leno doesn't have to worry too much. NBC will stick with it because it is cheaper to produce that the five hours of dramas that would have aired in the time slot. "The Jay Leno Show" will eventually become the best fallback series on TV. It will be the program you turn to when everything else is a rerun.
It looked like having Jerry Seinfeld as his first guest and Jay Z, Kanye West and Rihanna as the musical guests was a safe opener for Leno. The show should have a little more punch because West is on program a day after he took the microphone during Taylor Swift's win for best female video at the MTV Video Music Awards to declare Beyonce, also nominated, should have won because her "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)" was "one of the best videos of all time.
Michael Moore, Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz will be on the show Tuesday night. Pee Wee Herman and Amy Poehler are scheduled to stop by next week.
Also new tonight: The season premiere of "One Tree Hill" airs at 8 p.m. on KFRE (Channel 59.1) followed by the season opener of "Gossip Girl" at 9 p.m.
UPDATE: It's official! Jay-Z will play Save Mart Center on Nov. 7.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. next Saturday. Prices are $35, $50 and $75. A special $25 discounted ticket is available to students.
Tickets will be available at the Save Mart Center box office, at Ticketmaster locations, including many Save Mart supermarkets, online at ticketmaster.com or by calling (800)-745-3000.
You know how it is when you find something you love and instantly want everyone you know to love it, too? Here is a list of things the Beehive is into at this very moment. We invite you to share your obsession in the comments.
Heather: "Clash of the Gods" on the History Channel is my newest obsession. Ancient myths are brought to life on this hour-long show which features plenty of blood, drama, insane costumes and makeup, and, oh yeah, a little bit of history. Newsflash to anyone named Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton or "Hills" star [name]: your tired and ridiculous antics pale in comparison to the sexual exploits, murder, incest and child-swallowing of the Olympians. I want to see Zeus on the cover of US Weekly next week.
Donald: I am obsessed with how the red shirts worn by the employees at Target don't match. There are dozens of hues represented, from maroon to near-pink, which for some reason makes me think of rag-tag Confederate troops in mismatched uniforms trudging through a war with meager resources. It physically pains me to see two employees standing next to each other with wildly clashing shades. I want my employee Target shirts to all be the same, exact fire-engine red. Please. For my own sanity.
In my column today, I'm talking about pop culture happenings to look forward to in the last few months of 2009.
On my list: "Dexter," New Super Mario Bros Wii, new albums of Jay-Z and Brother Ali, "Community," roller derby movie "Whip It!" and some retro Air Jordan XIs.
But I'm just one dude who likes hip-hop, serial killers, Joel McHale and kicks. Odds are pretty high that your tastes aren't like mine, so give a shout out to what you're looking forward to as '09 winds down.
I didn't do a whole heck of a lot this weekend, so I'm gonna need you guys to carry this post with your comments. Cool?
FRIDAY
Along with a packed house, I said goodbye to Milano on its final day. It'll still be open for a few upcoming concerts, but Friday night it served up its final pizza. Too bad more nights weren't like that ... then I probably wouldn't be writing this.
SATURDAY
I did the grueling there-and-back-in-one-day Bay Area drive, which is never fun. It was fun to see the A's, but navigating I-5 and Highway 152 on the way home is as yucky as a Heidi Montag song-and-dance routine
SUNDAY
A bunch of not-noteworthy stuff with laundry heading the list and chillin' running a close second. Even "Mad Men" and the new Jay-Z song were a bit underwhelming.
YOUR TURN
Tell me about all the awesome stuff I missed out on this weekend. Did you check out a show? Find a new restaurant? See a good movie? Try a new adventure? Go for it ...
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