So Susan Boyle DIDN’T win “Britain’s Got Talent”. After the show turned her into a household name in more countries than I could list, the 48-year-old came second in Saturday’s final, surprisingly losing out to street dancers Diversity. Now don’t get me wrong. Diversity were impressive, and the choreography was as good as the execution on the night. It’s just that the momentum behind Boyle, one of the biggest Internet stars in history, was so great that it had been widely assumed she would walk off with the cheque for 100,000 pounds and the headlines on Sunday.
It was not to be, but this is unlikely to be the end of the road for Boyle. A lucrative recording contract is surely only days away as labels, notably Simon Cowell’s very own Syco, seek to trade in on her global fame, fine voice and anti-celebrity appeal. Some might feel that losing out to Diversity could be a blessing in disguise for a woman who has struggled to cope with the demands her instant celebrity has brought. She threatened to walk out of the show, had an altercation with journalists and reports said she had to be taken to a “safe house” in the days leading to the final to escape the limelight. Perhaps coming second will give her a little space and time to recover from what judge Cowell rightly called “a weird seven weeks”.
The motto of this popular restaurant is “Midwestern farmers, Mediterranean flavors.”
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When the design superstar Philippe Starck and his wife, Jasmine, unplug, entertaining is never on the half shell.
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When the design superstar Philippe Starck and his wife, Jasmine, unplug, entertaining is never on the half shell.
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This summer’s selection is a modest, back-to-basics palate cleanser after last fall’s celebrity-chef-food-porn-o-copia.
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‘Royal Pains,” a series premiering Thursday on USA, stars Mark Feuerstein as a “concierge doctor” to the rich and famous living in the Hamptons (much of the series was shot on Long Island). Here are five other TV series with Hamptons ties.
Music producer Phil Spector was sentenced on Friday to 19 years to life in prison for shooting to death Hollywood actress Lana Clarkson in 2003. But the day of judgment for the “Wall of Sound” creator came long after his high-wattage career had dimmed to a glow.
Spector was most famous in the 1960s, when he worked with The Ronettes, Ike and Tina Turner and The Beatles. The radio-friendly tilt of his sound earned him the nickname The Tycoon of Teen in the ’60s, and he called his “Wall of Sound” technique “little symphonies for the kids,” because it involved overdubbing many musicians playing a wide range of instruments. But it’s a rare teen today who would be all that familiar with Spector’s recordings.
By the 1980s, Spector had withdrawn from the music industry, with his last major recording coming in 1980 as the Ramones album “End of the Century.” His reputation was harmed by that last album, amid stories that he threatened the punk band with a gun to get them to do his musical bidding. He still collected heavy royalties, but the 1980s era of MTV and compact discs passed him by, as did the 1990s popularity of rap and alternative rock.
Spector, 69, may end up dying in prison. He won’t even be eligible for parole until he’s 88 years-old. When he was convicted in April of murdering Clarkson, it was widely covered in the news media, but it failed to attract the public interest generated by pop star Michael Jackson’s 2005 acquittal of child molestation. Since the sentencing was largely a formality – Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Fidler required by law to give a hefty sentence to Spector – there was little suspense involved in Friday’s hearing. And for a public only accustomed to hearing Spector’s musical work on “oldies radio,” is his sentencing just another criminal case?
If the name had not already been taken, Fleetwood Mac might be more accurately known as the Buckinghams.
Guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, dubbed the veteran rock band’s “mentor” and “maestro” by drummer and co-founder Mick Fleetwood, poured on the highlights during the Mac’s 2-1/2-hour concert at the Staples Center on Thursday.
Clearly invigorated by his tour last year to promote his latest solo album, Buckingham wowed the 18,000-strong boomer crowd with flashy, pick-free guitar work on such tunes as “Go Insane,” “I’m So Afraid” and “Big Love,” which he dedicated to his wife and young children in the audience.
Co-conspirator Stevie Nicks was off stage for the latter two songs, but she won over fans with her gravel-voiced take on “Gold Dust Woman” and show closer “Silver Springs.” Perhaps the loudest roar was reserved for her synth-laden solo tune “Stand Back.”
Not all of Buckingham’s tunes worked. The brassy climax of “Tusk” could have benefited from a guest spot by the University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band, who performed on the original recording and are based down the road from the venue. Instead, some deft playing by a touring keyboardist had to suffice.
Singer/keyboardist Christine McVie was also sorely missed. The writer of such tunes as “You Make Loving Fun” and “Little Lies” retired to her English country estate a decade ago to focus on her culinary passions. But that did not prevent Buckingham and Nicks from trading verses on two of her best-known songs “Don’t Stop” and “Say You Love Me.”
Fleetwood Mac are touring without a new album — “yet,” Buckingham told the crowd. The idea is to “just go out and have fun,” he said.
But for the first half of the show, Buckingham, Nicks, Fleetwood and bass player John McVie barely acknowledged each other, firmly keeping to their designated areas of the simple stage. However Nicks embraced Buckingham after she finished singing “Sara,” and other bonding moments soon occurred. By the end, it looked like a major love-fest among the various ex-lovers and combatants.
The souvenir stands did a roaring trade in $40 tambourines (what recession?), though this led to a lot of unnecessary accompaniment during the show. Mick Fleetwood wigs might be a better choice on the next tour.
Almond-tinged custard served warm, over good strawberries, is almost as good an option for summer’s bounty as shortcake.
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A chicken cutlet, pounded thin, that is soft and savory beneath its ultra-crisp crust.
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