Frank Russo Recording a Live Show at the Avalon Theater (Easton, MD)

I just received word that Frank Russo will be performing with The Fred Hughes Trio at the legendary Avalon Theater in Easton, MD.  This isn’t just any show, it’s a special show, according to the email message I just received:

It’s not too late to get your tickets for this Friday, March 21st, when the Fred Hughes Trio featuring Amy Shook on bass and Frank Russo on drums play A Tribute to the Great Jazz Pianists at the Avalon Theatre in Easton, Maryland.

The show will be recorded for a CD and DVD to be released this summer.  So come be a part of the audience for this must see performance!

So you can be a part of musical history!  Purchase tickets online by clicking here.

Also – they’re performing this Thursday, March 20th at 9pm during their “monthly residency” at 49 West Coffeehouse and Winebar, at 49 West Street, Annapolis, MD.  Tel:  410-626-9796.  9pm – $10 cover.

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  For today, let’s go back a number of years to when television late-night host Conan O’Brien visited the Irish homeland.  This is from the time he was still on NBC. And this bit still cracks me up.


My favorite parts include his visit to his family castle, the school child he speaks to about taking over his TV show sometime in the future, and the great people of Ireland he speaks with along the way.

 

Attention Madison Avenue Executives

Ignore Button

Dear Advertising Industry Executives,

If you want my attention, stop SCREAMING AT ME.

When television commercials used to play at the same volume as TV shows themselves, I paid attention to those commercials.  But once you began CRANKING UP THE VOLUME of commercials so that they BLASTED OUT OF MY TV, I began turning my TV on mute and walking away.

Now you’re doing the same thing on the Internet.  I’m watching simulcast shows online and finding that the commercials are suddenly BLASTING AT MAXIMUM VOLUME.

Maybe the SHOUTING works in the television broadcast medium.  But online it is really easy for me to hit MUTE and find something else to do.  And that’s exactly what I’m doing.

LOUD COMMERCIALS never worked with me on television, why are you taking that miserable policy to the Internet?

New Year’s Day, 1892 – Ellis Island and Annie Moore

On New Year’s Day, 1892, New York’s legendary Ellis Island opened up for business for the first time to receive immigrants arriving from Europe.  The first immigrant to be processed through was Annie Moore, who had left Ireland as a 14 year old girl, and travelled to America with her two younger brothers.  Her parents had already moved to America four years earlier, and she and her brothers were coming to join them.  Annie’s birthday was New Year’s Day – she arrived at Ellis Island on her 15th birthday.

The video below is the Three Irish Tenors – Finbar Wright, Anthony Kearns, and Ronan Tynans – performing the song Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears, which commemorates the experience of Annie Moore.  This performance took place at Ellis Island in the Registry Room, and features an introduction by veteran actor Martin Sheen.

Announcement Imminent: WMAL’s Chris Plante

On his morning radio show this morning, WMAL personality and talk radio phenomenon Chris Plante tantalized listeners by saying he will have an announcement tomorrow morning, Friday, December 20, 2013, about "this show" – his show.  

At the same time, he spoke about the major afternoon shakeup in the lineup after January 1 that moves nationally syndicated talk show host Michael Savage into the 3 PM time slot held by Sean Hannity for several years at WMAL.   The combination of topics implies that Plante may be making an announcement about his show’s schedule.

Longtime listeners have been expecting Plante to go into national syndication sometime, perhaps this is it.  

Stay tuned.

Justin Bieber’s mom talks with Kathie Lee Gifford about abuse and suicide attempts

Just a few days ago, on December 9, we here at Skere9 reported about Kathie Lee Gifford‘s brand new Kathie Lee and Company Podcast.  Days later Gifford’s new podcast show made headlines worldwide in the entertainment media with its episode of December 11, 2013.  That episode features a revealing interview with Pattie Mallette, the mother of Justin Bieber, who speaks about her own experiences with abuse and even suicide attempts.

You can listen to the entire show here:

You can also visit Kathie Lee’s podcast website by clicking here.