Rush Limbaugh is no stranger to headlines lately, but it’s been focused on the possibility of becoming part owner of the St. Louis Rams, which is no longer an option for Limbaugh. There had been a lot of speculation about what having him as an owner might mean for the team and the entire NFL, given his often controversial comments, among them the remark about quarterback Donovan McNabb (or rather, how the media covered him) that lead to his resignation from ESPN.
That’s not the only Rush Limbaugh news, but there’s something you may have missed while the debate over his possible NFL ownership went on (which hasn’t completely died off, now the blame game has started up), not to mention all the coverage “balloon boy” has received.
Rush is going to be a judge at the next Miss America pageant.
*sigh*
Maybe I’m being pessimistic, but I don’t think this isn’t going to end well.
Recently, Gene Simmons passed a kidney stone and decided to put it up on eBay for charity, raising $15,000.
Ummmm…. yeah.
Sure, it’s not tissue, fluids or anything, but I have to wonder if this is actually “allowed” under eBay policy.
Strangely enough, this isn’t the first kidney stone to raise cash; William Shatner sold a kidney stone in early 2006, raising $25,000 for Habitat For Humanity.
Norway’s Leprous already have an impressive résumé; they are two time finalists in the Norwegian Rock Championships, singer/keyboardist Einar Solberg was in Emperor during their 2006-2007 tour and Leprous was selected by Ihsahn to be his backing band in support of Opeth (which was unfortunately cut short). Signed to Sensory Records, Tall Poppy Syndrome was released on May 5th.
I don’t really know how to best describe Leprous’ sound. It’s progressive, it’s avant-garde, it’s experimental. But above all, it’s awesome. The varied list of influences come through (including Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Devin Townsend, Mike Patton, Ihsahn, Seal, Björk and some classical composers) but Leprous doesn’t really sound like any of them, the closest comparison I can think of would be something like Arcturus. But better.
Samael has covered a lot of ground over the past twenty years or so, gradually moving away from their black metal origins. As they have progressed through the years, Samael included more elements to their albums, honing their skills and crafting a sound that has remained recognizably Samael throughout, with subtle touches that come through upon repeated listens.
Originally devised as a ‘virtual band’ playing a tribute to Samael’s origins, the band decided to release Above as Samael instead of as a side project. This album has been described as being a kind of missing link between Ceremony Of Opposites and Passage.
Thanks to Cormorant for posting about this in a blog. Long before Chuck Schuldiner’s Death, there was another, based in Detroit. A trio of black musicians, they changed their sound in the early 70’s. Initially funded by Columbia, their untitled album unfortunately faded into obscurity until recently (and has since been given a name).
Today is officially “Record Store Day”. Is there an album you’ve wanted to get your hands on? Go get it, but instead of trekking to War-Mart/Target/Best Buy/Sam Goody/Hot Topic or whatever, go visit our local record/music shop. Well, if you still have one in the area.
And don’t let the name fool you, today shouldn’t be only about the vinyl, although some stores have events and appearances planned that do involve records.
The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame wasn’t the only Hall Of Fame ceremony happening on Saturday night. As they have since Wrestlemania XX, the WWE held their Hall Of Fame inductions the night before Wrestlemania.
Gathering old and new wrestlers alike, along with fans and celebrities (such as Mickey Rourke this year) the WWE pays tribute to the men and women that paved the way for the wrestlers of today, although not every inductee has been a wrestler. While there are some questionable entries, for the most part, the WWE has gotten it right.
Without FUSE TV, I had to rely on the internet to see what I missed and didn’t want to wait until next weekend to possibly see a repeat on FUSE’s site. I didn’t see it all, but I saw most of what I wanted to see. Thanks be to YouTube!
Over the years, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has spread out into different areas of music, which is what they’ve needed to do. However, this also seems counter to the name, being more of a Music Hall Of Fame than the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Naturally, people will question including the likes of Grandmaster Flash, Madonna and Run-DMC, but the same might be said of including metal bands like Black Sabbath or Metallica, though the connection to rock and roll is more obvious with metal. That’s not to say that rap doesn’t have a connection – but to many, hard rock and metal is closer to rock and roll.
I think the HOF needs an overhaul and a hard look at what it is they’re doing now versus what they’ve done in the past. I do think that the inductees, past and present, are worthy of recognition, among many others that get passed by. At least this year’s ceremony was held in Cleveland, where the actual Hall Of Fame is located, and will return there on a more regular basis.
Thanks to Daniel Haggard for bringing this to my attention. Hopefully I can do the same for someone wandering through.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has stated that it will issue fines for those who link to pages that are on its blacklist and can otherwise compel site owners and operators to remove pages and content, even without the planned mandatory censorship legislation in place.
While I may be in America, I see this as something that can have an effect outside of Australia, with other countries and governments using this a precedent to exert control over the internet and what goes on it. As it stands, some places in the world do not have the amount of access many of us have and what the ACMA is currently doing (or trying to do) could very well make it so that the gap closes.
