The Blog According to Buzz

On Monday I said there were no cool concerts coming to town. Scratch that. Madonna will make her first ever Vancouver appearance this year.

The closest Madonna has ever come to playing a concert in Vancouver was a jaunt to Seattle in 1988 on the Who’s that Girl Tour. Since then, we’ve seen U2, The Rolling Stones, The Police, Janet Jackson, Pavarotti, Bob Dylan, Prince , Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Britney, and everyone else in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame.

But not Madonna. NEVER have we seen Madonna.

This year, that changes.

Today Madonna, the Mother of all Pop Icons, unveiled the itinerary for her Sticky and Sweet Tour. Scroll down fellow members of the 604, cause only one date matters. Finally, we are worthy.

Okay, it’s at BC Place. That pretty much sucks. But it does give us 40 000 extra chances to try and avoid the fanny packed asses out front.

It’s Madonna, gang. In Vancouver. The day before Halloween! As Trent at PiTNB would say: Bring it, bitches!

Public tickets go on sale May 24. Presales start on May 20.

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Okay, maybe it’s just that I’m starting to push 40 and being nostalgic for the wild and crazy days of my youth is more important than actually going out and being youthful, but where has all the good music gone?

Sure, there are some good hits on the radio every now and again, but where are the big stadium filling music acts?

This morning Nat and Drew announced that Stevie Wonder is coming to town. GM Place on July 12.

The week before that George Michael (Jul 4, GM Place). Also this summer we’ve got concerts from The Cure (May 26, GM Place), Billy Idol (Jul 4-5, River Rock and Boulevard Casinos), Rush (May 29, GM Place), Boy George (Jul 21, Commodore) and Iron Maiden (Jun 3, Coliseum).

Apart from Kanye West and Rihanna the first week of June, there are NO must.see concerts du jour coming to town this summer. It’s all old school.

Even the Pemberton Festival is relying on nostalgia. Sure Jay Z and Coldplay will be there, but so will NIN, Tom Petty and the Tragically Hip.

Do All American Rejects, Simple Plan and Faber Drive (Sep 3, Coliseum) count as a major current must see show? What about KT Tunstall (May 11, Commodore) or Mel C (May 17, Plaza Club)? Those are current stars, but they’re in tiny little clubs.

Radiohead is coming this summer (Aug 19, Thunderbird Stadium) and so is Jack Johnson (Aug 21, Thunderbird Stadium). You could argue whether or not they’re current music stars. And I’d quickly counter with Glass Tiger (Aug 23, PNE), Oasis (Aug 27, GM Place) and Sass Jordan (Aug 22, PNE).

Where are the HUGE stadium acts for today’s kids?

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There’s a fun meme floating around the internets of late. One where people point you to one of the “best videos ever” only to have it end up being Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up.

Rick Roll’d: An online prank where the user is unknowingly misdirected to a video of Rick Astley. Usually done with YouTube videos related to unconfirmed gaming news. [source]

There’s an official website with a list of most of the Rick Roll videos.. Mark Cuban did it to his blog readers last week promising a special behind the scenes video that ended up being a Rick Roll.

It really took off last week as a prank for April Fools, and me being overseas, I’m kinda late to the party .. but ..

This, however, is one of the most genius Rick Roll ever. The blog entry heading is Best Muppet Video Ever… it ends up being .. well .. the best Muppet Video Clip Ever.

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Jen and I fell in love with Rob and Big when trapped inside our hotel room in Cuba. We were pregnant, not drinking and not smoking, so, there we were in Cuba, watching MTV. It was a Rob and Big Marathon, we saw about 10 episodes in a row. We were hooked.

To understand what we did today, you need to watch what Rob and Big did earlier this season.

So, imagine our surprise while trucking along the A13 in Normandy today when Enrique blasts on Radio NRJ! I grab the camera, flip on the video and the whole family breaks it down Rob and Big style.

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When the VCR came out, the forecasters said Hollywood was dead. Why would we go to the movies, when we can watch them at home?

Well, 20 years on, we’re still going to the movies. Actually, box office records are being set. Even with the advent of big screen tvs, and home theatre sound, and high definition quality, we’re still going to the movies. Yes, internet piracy cuts into the bottom line a bit, but it’s the personality of the place is what we love. The smells, the tastes, the big comfy chairs. So we go back.

Many thought satellite radio would kill the traditional broadcast model when it was launched. Hundreds of channels, continent wide, no commercials? That will kill the local morning zoo for certain, but it hasn’t. In fact it’s struggled. Long haul truckers and those in remote regions are fans of the service, but in the big cities, radio is doing fine.

But with one hypothetical press announcement this week, it could all change. Hollywood weathered the VCR, but can radio make it past the iPod?

Apple is in discussions with the big music companies about a radical new business model that would give customers free access to its entire iTunes music library in exchange for paying a premium for its iPod and iPhone devices.

The “all you can eat” model, a replica of Nokia’s “comes with music” deal with Universal Music last December, could provide the struggling recorded music industry with a much-needed fillip, and drive demand for a new generation of Apple’s hardware. [SOURCE]

All your music whenever you want - for “free”? Wait, isn’t that what radio does?

No.

As one chain is famous for boasting, radio plays “what we want.” As in, the station, not the listeners. If you feel like Jack Johnson, your iPod can do that now, the radio might have a format that’s “like” Jack Johnson, but they’re not playing him right now.

Want some Ella? Well, the standards smooth jazz station might be playing Ella this morning, then again, they might be in their John Tesh, Kenny G megamix hour.

Radio can’t win this fight on music alone. Once the WiFi abilities of the iPod Touch and iPhone are more widespread across the platform, you won’t even have to wait to sync your iPod at home to get your music. If you want to have a Megadeth marathon while waiting in line at Starbucks, you can get it with a few clicks.

This idea, if it happens, could effectively nail the coffin shut on radio. If more manufacturers put plugs in cars to attach iPods, all music radio could be obsolete within a decade.

Which should not be taken as a eulogy, but rather as a challenge to step up the personality on the air - an iPod may have all the music ever made, but it has ZERO personality.

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My sister in law wrote up a post about how she has successfully navigated some parenting pitfalls over her 2 year career, notably she discovered the music you play your kids does not have to suck.

I totally agree. While we regularly spin some french children’s cds, complete with Frere Jacques lullabies and the like, and I did do up a mixed disc of Sesame Street classics, we’re trying to expose Le Grand Monsieur to something other than a steady diet of Raffi and Charlotte Diamond, mostly for our own sanity.

Here are some child friendly favourites you can drop into the mix, feel free to add your own in the comments.

The Beatles - 1: Yellow Submarine, Penny Lane, She Loves You, 8 Days a Week .. they’re all upbeat, simple to sing, full of rhymes and easy to dance to (for both of you).

Jack Johnson - Curious George Soundtrack: If I didnt tell you it was a kid friendly cd, you would never know. Jack’s laidback flip flop friendly music fits right in for a long Sunday drive.

They Might Be Giants: These guys are legendary for bringing cool music to the kids, they’ve already served up 3 albums, and a DVD of the stuff.

French Playground - Despite its kid-centric vibe, the disc is fun since every track stands out as great world muisc.

Barenaked Ladies - Snack Time: Their last album proclaimed Barenaked Ladies Are Men, and they’re dads too. The Scarborough Lads will serve up this kid’s disc on May 6.

While we’re on the topic of kid friendly stuff that’s easily digestable for adults, you should check out Working Dad’s ongoing series of posts about Children’s Books That Won’t Make Your Hurl.

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I’ve done some interviews recently, thought I’d throw them up for you to listen to, incase you missed them.

2 weeks ago I chatted up Zach from OneRepublic about their instant success, hanging with Timbaland and why they use MySpace instead of Facebook.

 

 buzz bishop with zach from one republic [8:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 buzz bishop with james from survivor [3:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today, I got a few quick minutes with the gravedigger, James from Survivor. He made what is viewed as the dumbest moves in the history of the game by holding 2 immunity idols and not playing them. I asked if he learned his lesson and what it’s really like to be stuck on those islands.

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Almost as many people will watch the SuperBowl on Sunday to see the commercials between the plays, as will watch to see Brady v Manning.

It’s become a part of the culture of the game. It’s the day Madison Avenue cranks up it’s best and Monday newscasts are covered with extra free plays of the spots.

YouTube’s early days were fueled by our desire to watch these cool commercials. Since the spots are what we want, why not “leak” your commercial a few days in advance? Instead of getting lost in the post-game hype, you can capture some of the pre-game chatter.

Here are the spots that have surfaced so far:

Justin Timberlake for Pepsi.

Madonna and Shakira for Sunsilk.

That Madonna one is actually a duplicate posting, the original one was pulled because of “terms of use violation”?? An advertiser pulling a spot that people WANT to see, and they didnt have to pay for it? Colour me confused.

I’ll add more spots as they pop up.

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?.

It's halftime!  Here's what's up for Wednesday:

    - It's Weedless Wednesday.  A part of National Non Smoking Week.  Already BC has the lowest smoking rate in the country.  If you still smoke, I'd like to ask you "Why?"  Seriously, why would you do something like that to yourself.  Pretend this is a debate, convince me that smoking is fine and dandy.  You can't do it.  Quit already.

    - Check out what London Drugs can do to help you quit. If you're a teen and willing to pledge to stay smoke free, you could score $5000.

    - Another perfect Vancouver day.  The Best Place on Earth.

    - Janet Jackson's doing the Grammys.  So is Beyonce (with Tina Turner). Britney has been told to stay the hell away.

    - A lot of sensational stories have been written about Heath Ledger. This one isn't like that. Here's a sweet quote from Michelle Williams' father.

    - Mrs Brady wants to be on Dancing with the Stars.

    - Congratulations Coquitlam! You're the Cultural Capital of Canada for 2009.

    - "Um, like, Mom? I'm busy being, like, Zoey 101. Can you, like, look after my baby?"

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?

The Blog According to Buzz. Spread the word, ya heard?