Never let it be said that being a world-renowned music blogger and radio host doesn’t have its privileges: click the button below to download “New Friend,” an exclusive track from Aqualung‘s forthcoming fourth album Magnetic North.
Last week was full of fabulosity. This week: decidedly less so. Be careful out there in record store land this week:
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, which features exactly that many tracks and exactly that many guest stars — among them: Mary Chapin Carpenter, Suzanne Vega, Janis Ian, and the divine Shawn Colvin — and I’m bringing her to Brandon’s Buzz Radio later this month to talk about it.
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arrives this week.
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, it’s on sale for the irresistible price of $7.99 at both Best Buy and Amazon.com through Sunday. So for God’s sake: forgo one grande latte this week and buy. this. album!
arrives on DVD this week, as does the incredible Mo’Nique and her Academy Award-winning performance in Precious
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(All times Texas, er… Central)
6:50: Welcome, everyone! 10 minutes to go before the ABC Red Carpet! Helping me with the first hour or so of tonight’s festivities are the lovely and witty Helen and Sherry Ann.
6:55: We are on the last few minutes of the Barbara Walters special. Sherry Ann wonders, “Why can’t Ryan Seacrest do this show?” Frankly, I don’t know who would be more annoying, but this is Barbara’s last Oscars special.
6:58: A toast to Barbara from Sandra Bullock. (We just learned that it’s pronounced, SAHN-dra, with the long AH’s, not as in San Diego!)
7:00: Here we go! Let the fun begin!
7:01: Did you know the Academy Awards began in 1929?
7:02: Yikes! It’s been raining in Southern California!
7:02: All five of the supporting actress nominees are here! Sherry Ann votes for Maggie Gyllenhaal!
It pleases me no end to announce the second annual Brandon’s Buzz / Academy Awards live blog event, which begins Sunday evening (March 7) at 8pm EST (that’s 5pm for you folks in Calla-forny) with coverage of ABC’s official pre-show festivities. I’m working late tomorrow evening, so A and Sherry Ann will be holding down the fort until I get home, but since they’re the funniest people I know, I assure you that you couldn’t be in better hands. Be there or be square.
One of the funniest, most wholly satisfying seasons of television in the history of the medium hits DVD at long last this week, surrounded by a passel of worthy music choices populating the new release wall at your local record store. Live it up, kids — it’s a banner week:
A’s new favorite guy, the cutie-pie balladeer Jamie Cullum, returns this week with his fourth album, The Pursuit, which includes his apeshit crazy cover of Rihanna’s smash “Don’t Stop the Music” and a gentle reading of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd classic “Not While I’m Around,” as well as the stirring title track he contributed last year to Clint Eastwood’s hit film Gran Torino. (Don’t miss the deluxe edition of Pursuit, which contains a DVD with a handful of live performances, recorded at the famed Montreux Jazz Festival, and videos, plus an interview which finds Jamie going through the album track by track.)
“She wrote ‘tax cuts’ on her hand! A Republican so stupid, she has to be reminded of the one thing — tax cuts?! This is like if you saw the Coyote’s paw and it said, ‘Road Runner.’”
— the ever-irreverent Bill Maher, on his latest HBO special …But I’m Not Wrong, discussing former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who, while giving a speech last month, was caught on-camera referring to a brief list of bullet points written on the palm of her hand.
The Buzz was down all last week, preventing me from penning a record store report. Fortunately, you didn’t miss much, as last week was a wasteland with regard to new music. And with only one major release of note this coming Tuesday, it looks like more of the same as February draws to a close. Dig in:
Three years ago, a knockout smash called “Stop Me” — a collaboration with Mark Ronson, who was the hot producer du jour, having just shepherded that hot mess Amy Winehouse to global glory — instantly hurled a striking young British lad name of Daniel Merriweather onto the map, and we’ve spent that entire time waiting patiently for him to deliver unto us a full-length project so that we could enjoy his huskily off-center voice over the course of several songs. The wait is finally over, as Daniel’s major-label debut album Love and War finally arrives stateside. Welcome back, Danny; can’t wait to get to know you, sir.
My wayfaring webmaster wasn’t answering emails, and even though my behind-the-scenes skill set has increased exponentially over the course of this website’s existence, I’m still stunned by how little I know how to do whenever something goes violently wrong around here. Hence, the Buzz was sadly down for most of the last week, but I’m thrilled to announce that we’re back in bidness and better than ever. Glad to be back, all.
My ten-month-old nephew Jack, heading to
his very first Super Bowl party last weekend.
