At Home in Hespeler

All the fluffy news about those nutty celebrities

Twilight: New Moon, the movie that was given numerous zero and one star reviews, topped last weekends box office with a $258.8M worldwide weekend. It also set a new opening day high when it took $72.2M. This isn’t shocking, when movie prices increase the same number of people bring in more money. However, it can’t be comfortable being a critic in an industry that’s in deep decline, knowing the value a large swath of the population puts on your opinion is zero, or even negative.

Taylor Swift won four awards at last weekends American Music Awards, including Artist of the Year. Swift thanked God, her mother and Kanye West when receiving the award.

West, who’s career has taken a bit of a hit after interrupting Swift’s acceptance speech for femal video of the year at the MTV video awards, again interrupted her speech, asking three giggling girls coming home from Twilight: New Moon if they would like fries with that.

The other big winner at the |AMAs was Michael Jackson, who released no new music but did release his mortal coil to great success.

The controversy of the show was Adam Lambert’s homo-erotic dance routine. Many fans complained about the routine, others complained that the complainers are really homo-phobic. Lambert’s problem is, however, that he’s not Madonna – he came to success on family friendly American Idol, not as a skanky-ho who fished the bottom of the moral barrel. In short, the homo-phobes he offended are his fans.

Review in Brief – Twilight: New Moon: It was better than the first Twilight movie, dad.

The NFL announced this week that his years Superbowl half time show will be headlined by the Who, with Pete Townsend, Roger Daltrey and a bunch of guys not named Keith Moon and John Entwistle (or even Kenny Jones)

Canada lost one of it’s treasures this past week when singer/songwriter Haydain Neale passed away, age 39. Neale, who is, is variously reported to be from Hamilton and Guelph, died of lung cancer last Sunday.

Here is Haidain Neale, and his band Jacksoul, with Sleepless.

Fluffernutter Adam Lambert, AMAs. American Music Awards, Haydain Neale, Jacksoul, John Entwistle, Kanye West, Kenny Jones, Kieth Moon, Michael Jackson, Pete Townsend, Roger Daltry, Sleepless, Superbowl, Taylor Swift, The Who, Twilight: NEw Moon

… Geoffrey Arnold Beck

Jeff Beck is the middle of the three great Yardbird guitarists, his time with the legendary band squeezed between Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. Never a great improviser, songwriter or singer he is often underestimated. His renderings of other people music is, however, often brilliant and his guitar playing is as good as any in the rock genre. It is no exaggeration to call him a great guitarist, far more so than the more highly celebrated Clapton, in my opinion.

Beck’s first post-Yardbirds group would feature a young Rod Stewart on vocals and future Rolling Stone Ron Wood on bass. It was considered the template for friend and Yardbird band-mate Jimmy Page’s future band,  Led Zeppelin (the name Led Zeppelin incidentally, emerged from a recording session called Beck’s Bolero, with Beck Who drummer Kieth Moon, Pianist Nicky Hopkins and future Zeppeliners Page and John Paul Jones).

Beck was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year, many years too late (he was, of course, previously inducted as a Yardbird).

Jeff Beck, one of the true greats of rock ‘n’ roll guitar, happy 65th birthday:  enjoy your seniors discount years.

Beck’s Bolero

Beck Bogart and Appice – Superstition

Birthday Wishes, Rockin' and Rollin' and Never Forgettin' Beck Bogart Appice, Beck's Bolero, Carmine Appice, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jeff Beck Group, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Kieth Moon, Led Zeppelin, Nicky Hopkins, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Rod Stewart, Rolling Stones, Ron Wood, Tim Bogart, Yardbirds