Shaq vs. Show – A Wrestlemania Dream Match?
If you have ever watched the WWE, then you probably already know that celebrity stunts are a wrestling tradition, ever since Vince McMahon marketed the first Wrestlemania to mainstream audiences with Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper. The tradition has continued through the years, featuring all sorts of bizarre cameos, including Mike Tyson (long before The Hangover made him cool again), Donald Trump (in a bad hair vs. bad hair match with McMahon) and even the Muppets (strangely enough). Now it looks as if the WWE is up to its old tricks again. Now there is serious talk of Shaq vs. Show, as in Shaquille O’Neal vs. “The Big Show” Paul Wight at Wrestlemania.
It’s hard to imagine anyone in America not knowing either of these giants. Shaquille O’Neal is a former MVP and NBA Legend, standing seven feet and one inch tall, and 325 pounds, making him one of the NBA‘s largest athletes of all time. He recently retired from the league after 19 years of power playing. The Big Show is a veteran of wrestling going way back to the beginning of the WCW era, during which he was cited to be “Andre’s son.” He is a former WCW and WWE champion and a sports entertainment icon. Ever since his WWE days, he has tightened his muscle tone and now stands a huge man (not just chubby!) at 485 pounds and seven foot even.
That’s right, Shaq is actually taller than The Big Show, so right away this is going to be a hard fight to predict. If you’re been watching WWE recently then you may remember that Shaq and Show have already met each other, under troubled circumstances. After a title match, Shaq and Show had a confrontation that led to Shaq shoulder blocking The Big Show. He also served as a Raw Guest Host and earned a Slammy nomination–though he later lost to Bob Barker. (Honestly though, who doesn’t lose to Bob Barker in everything?)
Will the dream match happen? Shaq is already saying he’s in negotiations with the WWE to schedule a match, and it would only be fitting since this year’s Wrestlemania takes place in Miami. Who could forget that Shaq played for Miami Heat from 2005 to 2008? If it happens, it will certainly make for one of the WWE’s top celebrity moments in history!
Elton John is Mad at Madonna!
If you watched the Golden Globes on Sunday night, you got to see Madonna accept her award for her Best Original Song, “Masterpiece.” You may have also seen fellow nominee, Elton John, sitting in the crowd trying to burn her off the stage with his eyes. It didn’t work, as Madge continued to thank everyone and trot off-stage. But if Elton’s fierce look didn’t show us what he was thinking his husband, David Furnish, came right out and said so after the awards were over.
Furnish took to Facebook soon after posting, “Madonna wining Best Original Song truly shows how these awards have nothing to do with merit. Her acceptance speech was embarrassing in its narcissism. And her criticism of Gaga shows just how desperate she really is.” The former part of the rant alludes to the rumors that were floating around that “Masterpiece” didn’t win because it’s a great song, but because the Golden Globes wanted her to be there as a presenter and so gave her the win as a bonus. This falls in line with general public opinion, which seems to be that the song is not very good.
The latter part is in obvious reference to the interviews Madonna gave last week while promoting her film “W.E.” In those interviews, Madonna called Gaga’s song “Born This Way” to Madge’s own song, “Express Yourself,” saying that it was “an interesting redo of my song,” and also called the song “reductive.”
Madonna was a little more gracious after accepting her award saying, “He’s been known to get mad at me so I don’t know. He’s brilliant and I adore him so he’ll win another award. I don’t feel bad!”
Carrie Underwood and Other Huge Names Headline CMA Music Festival
Fans wait every year for the CMA Music Festival, as was represented by the 65,000 that were in attendance last year. But this year’s numbers might top those, after event organizer’s recently announced the lineup – and it includes some huge names!
Carrie Underwood and Lady Antebellum are just two of the top acts in country music that are set to perform at this year’s Festival, but they won’t be the only big draws. Faith Hill, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Zac Brown Band, Eric Church, and Luke Bryan are also set to be there. Those acts will play in LP Field during the evening while neighboring Riverfront Park will host autograph booths, fan club parties, and family activities during the day.
This year’s event will be held in Nashville as it has been every year since it began in 1972. The Festival always donates a portion of its proceeds to local music charities; and it’s a huge boost for Nashville’s economy every year. For those who can’t attend, ABC will be airing a portion of the event on its annual television broadcast “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock,” a tradition that began in 2005.
Tickets for the CMA Music Festival have already gone on sale and there are many different packages. Choose a package and get yours today to see some of the hottest acts in country music today!
Stripper 101 in Las Vegas is Pole-arizing Fun
Sure, there is plenty of adult fun to be found in Las Vegas, but the most mainstream and popular Vegas show for the ladies is Stripper 101, the number one pole dancing and strip tease class in the world. It is one of the must-do events in town and is often the show of choice for bachelorette parties, birthdays and “girls’ night out.”
As with any Vegas live show, tickets must be purchased in advance. Here, women can learn strip tease moves with poles, chairs and boas from professional dancers. R-rated choreography is taught in this class and students are encouraged to let go of inhibitions and have fun with their sexy new talent.
However, don’t expect any elitism or American Idol type criticism here. The pole dancing classes of Stripper 101 are designed to help women of all ages, shapes and sizes feel sensual and confident about their bodies. After the classes conclude, ticket buyers take home an official and yet cheeky souvenir: a Las Vegas Stripper License.
Stripper 101 is hardly a seedy affair, as it has received mainstream attention from A-list entities like Cosmopolitan, People, the LA Times, USA Today and InTouch Magazine. It was also featured on the E! Entertainment Channel. You can buy tickets for the show online. The show is not actually touring, but is exclusive to Las Vegas, specifically at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, inside an exclusive room in the V Theater (Miracle Mile Shops).
The show is for all women over the age of 18 and casual wear is encouraged, such as workout shorts, t-shirts, tank tops or skirts. However, because everyone loves the shoes, high heels are also a must-bring. And yes, it is a universal rule in school that showing up for class late is disrespectful to the teacher, so all attendees must arrive 45 minutes in advance of the starting time.
If you’re looking for some steamy but not too kinky bachelorette fun while in Vegas (and a way to spice up your love life just the same) then don’t forget to visit Stripper 101 one of Las Vegas’ hottest “hot” shows.
Peter Pan is Coming Back to Broadway!
While it might sound like a tired show about Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and of course, Tinkerbell, the newest show bringing Peter Pan to Broadway takes a whole different look at the story. In this play, Peter and the Starcatcher, Peter isn’t Peter Pan just yet; he’s just an orphan boy who’s about to learn what it’s like to never grow up. Those other characters are there too, just in a way like we’ve never seen before. Unless of course, you managed to catch the show in its previous off-Broadway run at the New York Theater Workshop.
The play that will run on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theater will run from March 28 – April 15 and based on critic and audience reviews of the previous production, this is sure to be a good one. Although, the cast of 12 that takes on about 50 different characters might not be entirely the same. Christian Borle, who played the character of Captain Hook Off-Broadway won’t be returning as he’s going to be jumping back into his role of NBC’s “Smash.” No members of the cast have been confirmed yet, but the lead role of Peter could be the same, as Adam Chanler-Berat is just wrapping up his role in the Off-Broadway production of Rent.
The concept of this Peter Pan isn’t entirely new. The play is based on the book of the same name written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson in 2004. The book was published by Hyperion Book, which is a subsidiary of Disney; and the play is also co-produced by Disney Theatrical Productions.
Jeffrey Ross – Comedy Central’s Roast King Visits the People
Jeffrey Ross (or Jeff Ross) is not only king of the roast, but also the “Roastmaster General” for Comedy Central’s Roast. What originally started as a televised version of the Friars Club tribute show, evolved into its own entity–a raucous anti-tribute show of a modern or past icon that featured insults from today’s hottest living comics, like Jeff Ross, Lisa Lampanelli, Gilbert Gottfried and Andy Dick. (If you count Andy Dick as a comic or “living”…zing!) Jeffrey Ross is now part of both entities, the Friars Club and the Comedy Central Roast, but he also goes on the road entertaining millions of Roast fans.
Actually, the insults get much worse on the uncensored broadcasts and that’s partially because of Jeffrey’s Ross’ talent for X-rated, nothing-sacred cut downs. He’s like Rick Moranis and Walter Matthau had a baby that was then beaten up by Don Rickles. Yes, he started the whole “if so and so had a baby” routine, as well as many other “bits” that are far too risqué to be printed here.
However, if you have enjoyed any of Comedy Central’s greatest Roasts in recent years, like Bob Saget, Drew Carey, Pamela Anderson and most recently, Charlie Sheen, then you have already enjoyed the best and meanest of Jeffrey Ross. Ross secretly writes a lot of the insults you see on those celebrity roast shows as spoken by celebrities, as most big Hollywood names (unlike the glory days of the Friars Club or the Dean Martin Roasts) are not spunky or fearless enough to think of those burns on their own.
Of course, witnessing Ross in person is not exactly like a roast, since there is no celebrity sitting on a mock throne pretending to laugh after an insult about his/her crack habit. However, in person you can expect the same Jeff Ross spirit, a more personal look into his life, many funny observations about stupid or insane people, and sure, some acid-tongue insults that are too hard to resist.
Jeffrey Ross is the Don Rickles of this generation, though he cites his most important comedy influences as Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin and, naturally, Cheech & Chong. He’s no spring chicken at the age of 46, but he still has many years of roasting and toasting to go, as he is gaining mainstream attention as the insult go-to-guy.
The Hypnotic and Beautiful Sarah McLachlan Live and in Person!
There seems to be something hypnotic about the Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan’s voice. Her beautiful, soulful singing melds well with the very personal ballads she belts out, and fans can’t get enough. A lot of things have changed since her early touring days, as she is now a mother of two and life has given her a few more lessons along the way. The singer all but vanished from the recording scene for a few years, but finally surfaced in 2010 with a brand new album Laws of Illusion. Many of those life lessons from the past several years can be heard in the singer’s heartfelt new songs.
Sarah McLachlan has enjoyed a successful singing career, especially with her 7th album, Surfacing, which landed the singer two Grammy awards and a lot of praise. Well known hits from the album included “Building a Mystery”, “Sweet Surrender”, “Angel”, and “Adia”. McLachlan is also famous for founding the all-female musicians concert tour known as “Lilith Fair” in 1997, which featured some of the best female artists of the day. To the happiness of music fans, Lilith Fair resumed performances in the year 2010 as the starting tour for the Laws of Illusion album.
The newest album has received positive reviews, much like all of the singer’s previous works. Naturally, her true fans have been giving the newest album nothing but praise, as the singer stays true to her original sound and reminds fans just why they fell in love with her voice to begin with. Songs from the album already making waves include “Loving You is Easy”, “One Dream”, and “Illusions of Bliss”.
The 2012 year will see more touring by Sarah McLachlan starting in the summer season, and you can expect her to be in the Toronto, Canada area, particularly the Molson Canadian Theater. More tour dates are going to be announced soon, so keep up to date on the latest news. The singer is coming to a town near you, so if you hear an enchanting and hypnotic voice in the distance, know that it’s Sarah McLachlan calling you, a modern day “siren” of musical enchantment!
Cee Lo Green Imagines a Less Popular World
Cee Lo Green may have wowed his fans with a live performance on NBC’s New Year’s Eve from Times Square, but John Lennon fans are saying “Forget You” to the southern hip-hop artist. It seems as if Cee Lo Green blasphemed against the spirit of Lennon by altering the late singer’s lyrics to his iconic 1970s song “Imagine.” Instead of reading the former Beatles’ gospel as is, he changed the most controversial verse from “and no religion too” to “and all religion’s true.”
Since then, Green has taken a lot of heat from Lennon fans and caused a Twitter uproar. (And that’s when you know you’ve made it) Of course, it’s important to realize that many artists alter the lyrics of songs they cover, and in most cases the original performer doesn’t take offense. Over the past two decades, we’ve seen many renditions of “American Pie” (Don McLean as interpreted Madonna) and even “Satisfaction” (The Rolling Stones as interpreted by Britney Spears). Most artist consider self-interpretation and new perspectives as an honor.
Of course, in the case of a politically charged song like “Imagine”, it’s hard to imagine Lennon shrugging off Cee Lo’s arbitrary tinkering. Imagine is a song that credits religion, nationalism and materialism as the cause of suffering. As one pro-Lennon fan tweeted, “If ‘all religion’s true’ it would be a pretty bleak place.”
Naturally, younger fans may not quite remember who John Lennon was, aside from his cameo appearances in comedy flicks of today, and of course docudramas about Mark David Chapman. However, anyone who knew of Lennon back in the day understood that he was anti-religion throughout his career, which even threatened his mainstream popularity. Would Lennon approve of such a lyric chance? We’re thinking the Walrus would be “crying.”
Perhaps it is ironic that the ex-Beatle who once remarked that his band was “bigger than Jesus” would suffer similar blasphemy a lifetime later. Cee Lo Green is hotter than the Beatles today (at least in concert) and so his core audience accepted the lyric change without a fit. However, Cee Lo wasn’t above answering his critics. He later tweeted, “Yo I meant no disrespect by changing the lyric guys! I was trying to say a world where u could believe what u wanted, that’s all.” Guess the “change in his pocket” wasn’t enough to please everybody.
Imagine the controversy you are missing out on by not seeing Cee Lo Green live!
What Hugh Jackman Means to Theatre
Hugh Jackman earned a reputation as a Broadway-caliber thespian even after his career-defining role as Wolverine in Marvel’s X-Men films. Jackman has since done everything to expand his range, from romantic dramas like Australia to even one-man shows on Broadway. His latest work, Hugh Jackman Back on Broadway, has been playing in the New York theatre district (the Broadhurst Theatre) since October of 2011 and is set to finish in 2012.
So successful was Jackman’s latest performance that even A-lister Scarlett Johansson recently bid on his “sweaty shirt” for charity. Though Johansson is a friend of Jackman’s, it was quite a scene to witness Jackman auction off his shirt, and then see Johansson (accompanied by Uma Thurman) run onstage in a chunky sweater, woolly hat and glasses, and then proceed to bid $3,000 on the shirt. Of course, she was outbid in the end–it sold for $30,000!
Jackman’s show is something amazing to behold. While it is a “one-man show,” it is anything but a lonely night. He typically performs with six female back-up dancer and singers, as well as an 18-piece orchestra. Sometimes, indigenous Australian vocalists and didgeridoo players accompany him in making international melody.
Jackman’s is loved everywhere, from the Tony’s to the Emmy’s. He won a Tony Award for playing in the musical, The Boy from Oz. (A production that still tours today) He also won an Emmy Award for his hosting the Tony Awards in 2004. The most exciting gossip about Jackman is that he may be in the running to star in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s upcoming musical movie Sunset Boulevard, along with Ewan McGregor. Sunset Boulevard is perhaps the one great musical movie that we have yet to see, as it was based on the legendary 1951 film, with book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton.
Hugh Jackman is a multi-talented performer who has a promising career ahead of him, both in movies and on Broadway. See him in person while he’s still playing on Broadway and then catch The Boy from Oz touring near you, a role that he helped to shape. All that and maybe you can grab his $30,000 shirt!
Who’s Playing Where New Year’s Eve 2012
If you still don’t have plans for New Year’s Eve 2011, you know there are always three places you can go — Times Square; Niagara Falls, Canada; and Las Vegas. All three host a multitude of talented performers every single New Year’s Eve, and this year is no different. Here’s a list of who’s playing in which of the three biggest NYE locations on the planet.
From Dick Clark to Ryan Seacrest, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” has always been the most watched, and one of the most-attended, New Year’s Eve parties. The lineup for this year is huge, including acts such as Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Pitbull and Hot Chelle Rae. Of course, the raising and subsequent dropping of the ball are also going to be some of the most anticipated highlights of the night, but people will probably walk away talking about the guest that will perform “Imagine” just as the clock strikes midnight — that performer has not yet been announced.
If you happen to be in the neighborhood of Niagara Falls, Canada to bring in the New Year, you might want to stop by Clifton Hill for a huge lineup of acts for the yearly (and free!) New Year’s event held with the majestic Falls as a backdrop. This year the show begins with some local talent by Stephanie McIlroy followed by The Sheepdogs. Then, the big names take over when Our Lady Peace takes the stage before Simple Plan closes out the show.
On any given night in Las Vegas you can find something to do, but even The Strip holds its own kind of special magic on New Year’s Eve. Bruno Mars is set to perform at The Bellagio, while Celine Dion continues her show at Caesars Palace. Also at Caesars Palace is Chris Brown, who’s hosting his own NYE show. And of course, it’s Vegas so if none of those tickle your fancy, walk into just about any building and you’ll be sure to find something going on!
If you didn’t have New Year’s Eve plans before now, head to any of these huge cities known for their huge NYE parties. You might just find yourself with a new tradition!
