At Home in Hespeler

All the fluffy news about those nutty celebrities

It’s open warfare on the Two and a Half Men set.
Sheen went on a flat out rant against executive producer Chuck Lorre Thursday, causing producers to shut down production of the show, and put it‘s future in doubt. Calling Lorre a “contaminated little maggot,” Sheen proved once again that his recent negative drug tests are tainted:

Clearly I have defeated this earthworm with my words – imagine what I could have done with my fire breathing fists.

His fists breath? Fire??

Review in Brief: Anna Nicole, the Opera: John Paul Jones on bass and a big blowsy blond singing, what could possibly be wrong with that?

(ed’s note: the above opera was not actually seen by the reviewer)

Speaking of Charlie Sheen and floozy blonds, one of Sheen’s hooker friends from his infamous, briefcase full of blow party is back in the news. After the party, and the fame, Kacey Jordan discovered she was pregnant.

The pregnancy is no more, as Jordan told TMZ.com “I don’t have a baby anymore.”

And was Charlie Sheen the father?

“I really don’t know.”

Singing’s a nice gig. Ask Mariah Carey, Usher or Beyonce. On New Years Eve 2009 Carey was jetted to the Caribbean island of St. Barts and paid $1M to sing 4 songs, four – $250,000/song. Nice! Usher and Beyonce both had similar gigs in the year that followed, although actual money amounts have not been disclosed.

Nice gig! Nice people, not so much.

The host of Carey’s million dollar new years eve “shityesapalooza” was the sons of Libyan protest-straffer Mu’amar Gaddafi (or Kaddafi Duck, as I recall it in a famous 80’s era cartoon).

The big billed Bedouin has recently declared war on Libya. This is bad because

a)war is bad and

b) he’s Libyan.

A leader at war with, and murdering his own people is bad company. Now, some music industry types are asking, why were the stars performing for this nutcase and his family. Case in point, Grammy winning band Arcade Fire’s manager David T. Viecelli:

People put a big paycheck on the table, and people don’t consider where the money is coming from, or what they’re at least passively endorsing. I don’t want to specifically say Beyonce or Mariah Carey behaved unethically, because I don’t know all the details. But if it’s true that Mu’amar Gaddafi’s son says, “I’ve got $50 million, come and play for my buddies,” I really think you have to say no to that.

Added former president of Reprise Records Howie Klein:

When I saw Beyonce and Usher and whoever else out there partying with these Libyan criminals… these are people who have stolen tens of millions of dollars from their nation…

Actually what they have in common is they are shooting at their own people, but lets not split hairs.

I can’t speak for Beyonce or Usher, but in fairness to Mariah Carey, she’s really not that smart.

Friday Charlie Sheen Update:

About his bosses at CBS, including Jewish creator and producer of his *ahem* sit-“com” Two and a Half Men:

These people are a bunch of AA Nazis.

As one observer put it, Sheen has an awful expensive lifestyle to afford on residuals.

Catherine Zeta-Jones was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire this week, at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The British actress, along with husband Michael Douglas and their children, Dylan and Carys to the ceremony. Zeta-Jones (CBE), was honoured for her charity work and services to the film industry.

Also honoured was American actor Henry (The Fonz) Winkler, who received an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his work with children’s charities.

Fluffernutter Anna Nicole, Arcade Fire, Beyonce, Catherine Zeta Jones, Charlie Sheen, Chuck Lorre, David T. Viecelli, Henry Winkler, Howie Klein, John Paul Jones, Kacey Jordan, Kaddafi Duck, Mariah Carey, Michael Douglas, Mu’amar Gaddafi, Opera, St. Barts, The Fonz, Two and a Half Men, Usher

All the fluffy news about those nutty celebrities

Good news for Charlie Sheen. He has passed, according top reports, two drug tests since his home-based rehab began. He is feeling good, and ready to work.

So good, and so ready, in fact, that he went to work. Turned up at the set and, surprise, it was locked up tight:

…I was banging on the stage door, going, ‘Hello?’ and I don’t know what happened, I guess they’re closed. Nobody told me. I just figured I was supposed to go back to work because I‘m ready…

Did I mention he passed two drug tests?

Karma, meet Justin Beiber: Justin – karma: Young master Beiber had the weekend set up just perfect. A new docu-flick, Never Say Never, on Friday, preceding the Grammy’s on Sunday. Top the box office, two big awards and on Monday morning, Beiber arrived in the BIG time. He sets ‘em up, and then he knocks ‘em down…

Or get’s knocked down: Monday morning everybody was talking about fellow Canadian’s Arcade Fire, who did win big at the Grammys’ and Just Go With It, the 1 star Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston flick, which was #1 at the box office.

Consolation prize was a Brit award Tuesday for International Breakthrough act, beating – gasp – the Glee cast.

Arcade Fire, conversely, enjoyed a good karma weekend, thank you for asking. The Montreal rockers won a major Grammy for album of the year. They celebrated with a small, private party at their LA hotel’s rooftop patio. They then jetted to London for the Brit Awards, where they won best international album and best international group.

Congratulations to a group of real musicians, making real solid rock music. Lets hope they are the beginning of a trend, not a one-off “talent beats pretty” event.

Karma Juice: A report from the National Enquirer says unconvicted murderer OJ Simpson was beaten unconscious by white supremacists at the Nevada prison he now calls home. Simpson allegedly was talking about his relationships with white women when the prisons Nazi element took offence.

Now what is that saying about picking sides when Nazi’s and OJ Simpson are fighting? Oh yea, c’mon lightning.

Poppa Montana, Billy Ray Cyrus, is speaking out about his daughters recent run of wild behaviour: three tattoos; an underage 18th birthday Party at a bar; a video of her smoking a big bong. The problem, says Miley Cyrus’ dad is her handlers.

This is an 18 year old girl, so I don’t want to make fun. We’ve all seen the path another semi-wild 18 year old ended up on in Lindsay Lohan. So here’s what Papa Billy had to say:

The damn show (Hannah Montanna) destroyed my family. I’d take it back in a second. For my family to be here and just everybody be okay, safe and sound and happy and normal would have been fantastic. Heck yea, I’d erase it all in a second if I could.

I’m scared for her (daughter Miley). She’s got a lot of people around her that’s putting her in a great deal of danger. I know she’s 18, but I still feel like, as her daddy, I’d like to help.”

She seems to be, in truth, acting like a pretty normal 18 year old, or at least, not outrageously unlike an 18 year old, and Billy Ray Cyrus sounds exactly like a worried dad should. While it’s agreed the danger can become more pronounced in a big star like Cyrus, as of yet it doesn’t seem to be anything more than sowing a few wild oats.

Lets all hope it never become more.

Uncle Leo (1922-2011)

Farewell to Seinfeld’s Uncle Leo, aka Len Lesser, who died this week age 88.

Among his other roles, Lesser was three times in Get Smart, including his turn as Luden, in The Decoy. He gets the great line at around 4:30 in the video below, “No torture? What do you have against torture.”

RIP Len Lasser.

Fluffernutter Adam Sandler, Arcade Fire, Billy Ray Cirus, Charlie Sheen, Get Smart, Glee Cast, Grammy, Hannah Montana, Jennifer Aniston, Just Go With It, Justin Beiber, Len Lesser, Miley Cyrus, Never Say Never, OJ Simpson, Seinfeld, Uncle Leo

One likes to believe in the freedom of music.

Rush – Spirit of Radio.

Another year has come to an end, and it seems a good time to have a quick peek backwards and see what the year past in music was like. So here’s the Billboard top 10 of 2010:

• Taylor Swift
• Susan Boyle
• Glee: Soundtrack
• Jackie Evancho
• Michael Jackson
• Jamie Foxx
• Eminem
• Nicki Minaj
• Keyshia Cole
• Rhianna

I was right, that was quick. Not much to see, or hear, here.

But wait. BestEverAlbums.com says Arcade Fire’s Suburbs was the top album of 2010. In fact, I’ve seen any number of lists, and Billboards is the first not to include the Canadian bands third album fairly well up the list. That’s not a bad choice, a decent album written as “ a letter from the suburbs.” Actually, something that we haven’t seen a lot of recently, a concept album.

Not a rock opera format mind you, not an album that must be played first to last. That idea just doesn’t work in the CD era, never mind MP3s. But certainly it’s an album in which each song is part of a greater theme. And while it’s not as good as their second album, Neon Bible, it’s a decent representation of the year in music.

Then there’s Billboards number 15, Kid Rock’s Born Free. I confess I hate that I like Kid Rock. He seems like such an unpleasant human being, yet he writes songs that delve into the spirit of the human condition with some dexterity. On 2010’s Billboard number 15 album, Kid Rock eschews the cheap rap songs with the potty lyrics and falls very comfortably into the country rock vein. Like I said, I hate that I like it, but I do, none the less.

Coming in the middle of both charts top 100 is the Kings of Leon Come Around Sundown, at 45 in Billboard and 53 on Best Ever Albums. Kings of Leon broke through a few years ago with their Only By the Night album, including the hit Sex on Fire. Once again, this years album doesn’t match the previous effort, but it’s still a good collection of songs.

At the end of the day, however, scouring the charts for quality music is to lose yourself in the misguided hope that the Billboard music chart would know good music in any guise. Finding quality new music in the Billboard charts is like finding quality writing on network TV: not in this decade. A chart of 200 albums that includes Thriller, because that’s not so 1984, a number of Glee’s and Mariah Carey’s 2nd Christmas collection somehow misses completely the best album of the last few years. Journey’s Greatest Hits circa 1988 – check: The Beatles, half of whom have been dead for ten and thirty years – check: Frank Sinatra Greatest Hits – yup. All these albums of completely different vintages make it, but the wonderfully hard rockin’ yet melodic Black Country Communion, released in the year of our lord 2010 is nowhere to be found.

Consisting of a rhythm section of Glenn Hughes, ex-of Deep Purple among others and Jason Bonham, Black Country Communion is so solid on the bottom end a monkey could play guitar and sound good. Instead, they chose Joe Bonamassa, more virtuoso than monkey and one of the finest blues/rock guitarists playing today. His guitar playing is some of the finest, the tastiest playing I’ve heard in years. Topped off with keyboardists Derek Sherinian of Kiss and Alice Cooper fame, BCC produced the best album of 2010, and possibly the best in the past couple of years.

The good news is, Black Country Communion is going back into the studio in January, so Billboard has a chance to get it right again in 2011. Not that I think they will, or care: as long as Black Country Communion keeps putting out music of the quality they did this year, Billboard can put Thriller in it’s top 200 for the 27th year. I know what album I’ll buy.

The Freedom of Music Arcade Fire, Billboard, Black Country Communion, Born Free, Come Around Sundown, Kid Rock, Kings of Leon, Sex on Fire, Suburbs