Taylor Hicks’ book was mocked on VH1’s “Best Week Ever” this week. One of the actors pretended to be reading the end of the Harry Potter book but was actually reading Taylor’s book. At least it was free press!
Anyway, here’s a reminder that he will be at the Barnes & Noble on Cumberland Highway off Akers Mill Road at 7 p.m. I am doing my final oral presentation for a group project in my MBA class (global strategic policy!) on Krispy Kreme Doughnuts tonight and will miss the signing, unfortunately. Good thing about him is you know he’ll be back. Please email me photos if you take any while you go and I’ll post’em!
Michael Vick has basically just been suspended indefinately.
Roger Goodall has ordered Vick to NOT ATTEND TRAINING CAMP while the NFL completes its review of his actions. HE will be paid while he is out of camp, and the Falcon's are not allowed to take any action of thier own on Vick without League permission.
Bottom line -- no training camp = not ready to play when season starts.
Good morning all. THe CMA show last night was really good - a lot of big stars and some good young talent. And Kelly P had the pups on full display for the adoring crowds. ;-)
Hate to see the division among the crew here. More than that, I hate to see it over something that really ain't that important IMO. Pro sports and their 'leaders' get way too much play in our media and society. For instance, there was an article in the AJC yesterday about a little chihuahua dog that saved a one year old baby from a rattlesnake attack. The baby was playing in a bird bath when the snake approached. The little dog jumped in the of the baby and took numerous strikes and bites from the snake. The dog's owner heard the animal yelping from the snake biting it and came to the rescue. How much air time did this get? Probably one/one thousanth of what the Vick story got and to me that's a damn shame.
I agree with some on here that Vick has been a bit vilified in the press. He's not been found guilty in a court of law yet, and may not be. I think it's important to point out that society also has an obligation here, not just the criminal justice system. There's a reason that society looks down on poor behaviour and judgement. I offer a snippet of what Terence Moore of the AJC said in his column about MV.....
"It doesn’t matter whether or not Vick spent a millisecond watching pitbulls gnaw at each other for sport. It doesn’t matter whether or not he participated in the electrocution, drowning, shooting, hanging or crushing of losing dogs. It doesn’t matter whether or not he threw money toward the activity. It doesn’t matter whether or not he had knowledge any of this was happening. You won’t succeed as an NFL franchise with a heavy dose of turmoil in your world. It’s bad enough if the focus of that turmoil is a wide receiver such as Terrell Owens or a cornerback such as Pacman Jones, but if it’s a quarterback, forget it."
FWIW, I tend to agree with Moore. When I was a kid, I grew up idolizing NFL quarterbacks. My favorite was Johnny Unitas. Johnny wasn't the most talented guy in the world, and he dang sure couldn't run, but he could throw the right pass and knew how to win. Johnny was widely respected in the sports world for being a stand up sorta guy. He did his job without much fluff or drama. I'm sure Johnny U was human and had flaws.... but I say all that about Johnny to make this point.
Johnny Unitas in his entire NFL career NEVER threw up his middle finger to fans in the stands after a game. It would've been unheard of to do so. He most certainly would've suffered greatly if he had. But more importantly, he would've never done that because he had some class and self control. He was probably taught how to respect others.
Unfortunately, I can't say the same things I just said about Johnny U about Mike Vick. Vick IMO is utterly classless. Sure, I've loved watching him perform on Sundays, he's delighted many when he did. Many if us have marvelled at his skills and talent....but is that what's important?
I gotta say I've tried to keep an open mind about why Vick is being treated like he is. Some will say cruel things about him that might be unjust, but in the end I'll always feel that Mike Vick has only himself to blame for his troubles.
That's my dirty two cents on the issue and I'll leave it alone here afterwards.
RC
Posted by: flat screen on July 24, 2007 8:09AM EST
Mike, the atmosphere of being in Nashville for that show is much more electrifying than what they showed on TV last night. The concert clips that it showed last night was from 4 nights of concerts and there were so many more artists that they couldn't squeeze into two hours.
The start with Sugarland introducing Rascal Flatts was taped a different night than RF actually performed. The one they showed was the 4 take.
For anyone here that likes country music at all, I highly recommend going.
I wish I had seen the show, Mike and Mitch but hubby took me out last night. When mom's feeling well, we try to take advantage of some time together. I bet the show was a lot of fun.
Sorry I didn't get a chance yesterday, but CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Glad to hear you passed your tests. I'm considering going back to school this fall to finish my degree.....now if I can only find that dadgum walker......
Drew will do a good job at The Price is Right! Did anyone see him interviewed at the soccer game where David Beckham debuted? Drew is a huge soccer fan and couldn't talk for watching the game. What will entertainment reporters do if they have to interview a celebrity during soccer?...wait until halftime?...there's really no pause in the action, like baseball or football.
This, IMO, is why the American people talk so much about what is going on in Celeb's lives.
Beyonce had a show in Atlanta over the weekend. I have seen more about her visit to the strip club and her shopping at Nicole's at Lenox. Why is this news and why is it reported with a headline on the front page. So she shops.
I went to the Walmart over the weekend with several hundred of my closest friends and The Charlotte Observer to see the need to do a story on it.
I have yet to see the headline on how good (or bad) her show was.
Posted by: flat screen on July 24, 2007 8:46AM EST
MIke and Mitch...did yall see the nascar show on espn last night?
Smoltzie looked really good last night, and as a mid 40's type I loved seeing a 40 yr old pitcher dominate the young guys and a 49 year old Julio Franco rap a couple good hits. Not to mention the awesome double play Julio turned in the eigth.
Good morning fellow bloggers. Is it safe to come in here today? LOL! I watched the CMA show last night and really enjoyed it Carrie was wonderful as was Brad Paisley. Those 2 were my faves but everyone did a great job. Oh yea Reba as usual was outstanding I thought she kind of overwhelmed Kelly in their duet.
I still don't know why we got rid of Julio in the first place. he may be old but the guy is really talented!
I'm heading down to the ranch today, guys! I'll say hello to the little fish for you. Probably a lot more people will get on after I leave. :-) Have fun and I'll pop in when I get back!
Posted by: flat screen on July 24, 2007 9:24AM EST
KPH...it's always safe to come on here...why wouldn't be?i got jumped on yesterday,but i'm back!
Well, that didn't take long --- LINDSAY LOHAN has been arrested for DUI and Cocaine possession. She reportedly blew a 0.12 on the breathalyzer -- WHILE WEARING AN ALCOHOL DETECTION BRACELET that she was ordered to wear after leaving REHAB ONE WEEK AGO!!!!!
Posted by: on July 24, 2007 9:45AM EST
wth? oh! good morning all!
I reiterate, wth? I'm sick of these so called "stars" and all their addiction drama crap. Terribly sad and pitiful.
BTW Lohan has moved ahead of Brittany and Paris in the Superficial Dead Pool. She is now voted most likely to be the first to die of Overdose or Car Accident.
That young lady needs to go to jail not rehab then and only then will she be able to break away from her party hard friends. She has proven over and over that she is a fool. No more coddling it's time to get serious with her.
Posted by: flat screen on July 24, 2007 10:15AM EST
Kimmy....try beinbg a nascar fan....more of a family sport!and for the hollywood whores...WHO CARES...they do nothing for me!!!!too damn skinny and look like crap!
Posted by: flat screen on July 24, 2007 10:29AM EST
Mike S and Flats -- I luv ya, after those comments about stick-figure hollywood gals. Unfortunately, I still have a few surplus curves left over, courtesy of my now 9-month old.....sigh.
Posted by: flat screen on July 24, 2007 11:35AM EST
YW...kochany, women need to look healthy not sick!!!
GREG! how about NOT stirring it up again, ok? D's apologized for what SHE feels she may have said to offend.... don't stir the pot, sweetie, PUHleeeeze??? and thanks in advance, because i just KNOW you really don't want to cause problems.... toe tapping, mom-style i said i just KNOW you don't really want to cause problems, DO you? *grin*
Koch.... i wish i could say the same, but i'm afraid my curves are no longer "left over" ... they've permanently moved in, apparently (but then, i DID have 3 full-term pregnancies between the ages of 35 and 40, so.... perhaps the muscles just gave up?)
that's one reason i just LOVE the Glamazons on AGT this year, i hope they go a LONG way toward the finish!!!
Greg.... apparently there are some HARD feelings about certain things, and somehow, someway, talking about MV got them riled up, the feelings i mean. Do I think you meant to rile them up? Nope. I just think it was bad timing, bad topic, bad day, bad vibes, bad whatEVAH! yesterday.
so i'm sorta kinda trying to di-fuse the sitcheeation before it gits outahand again today, y'knowhatimean?
Mitch were you and Paul at the big stadium show that was on the tube last night?
Posted by: on July 24, 2007 1:24PM EST
Afternoon....sure is quiet today. Oh well! I just updated my profile w/a couple pic's from Hawaii, if you haven't seen them. If you have, sorry to bore you:)
Yes, KPH. We were at that show or those shows. It was 4 nights worth. They did not include any of the daytime shows which are heald on the riverbank across from Titan Stadium.
Our seats were left of center 21 rows back. We have our tix for next year 1 seat from center.
linny, I agree that a DVD would be great but they do not do it. All the artist that perform donate their time. So I am sure contract issues arrive with the recordings. Several artists that performed on the night time stage were not on the show last night.
The tickets range from $250 for the gold circle (but they do have some added perks) to around $100 for the upper arenas) for the 4 day passes. This includes all nightly shows in the arena, daytime shows on the riverfront and the autograph areas in the convention center. We sit 1 row behind gold circle so our tickets are $160 for the 4 day pay. You can also buy daily and nightly tickets for the concerts but only 4 days pass holders can go to the convention center.
All proceeds go to promote music education in the Nashville areas schools.
We usually stay at some of the downtown hotels. These are usually around 5 to 8 blocks from "Lower Broad" or the honky tonk ditrict.
Since it is a convention, the hotels that close usually go up to around $180 (avg) a night. Traffic can be heavy. This year we didn't move the car from Wednesday until we left. They festival has a shuttle that runs from the convention center to the HOF to the riverfront to the stadium back to the convention center. This is included in the tix price. Some hotels offer shuttles but not all.
Some of the hotels in town charge a steep parking fee per tonight. This is the first time we drove in 4 years. We flew when we lived in Dallas.
I assume then Mitch that the performers played a full set of songs since it was 4 nights. Last night they made it appear to be one show. 4 stadium concerts in 4 nights plus others I bet you and Paul were rocked to the core and worn out LOL!
Yes KPH. On the daytime stage and up to this year on the nighttime stage, the stage is divided. While one artist is performing, they are setting the stage up for the next artist so they can keep things rolling. This year, the night stage was 1 stage and we had to wait between artists for them to reset the stage. We are anticipating that it will go back to the 2 stages next year because of so much negative feedback.
We always have a blast. Tickets go on sale on Saturday morning for those in attendance. This year was Paul's turn to camp out for the tix for next year. I get that lucky task next year. Next year will be our 7 year.
Posted by: flat screen on July 24, 2007 2:02PM EST
The state of Tenn can throw some parties...200K twice a year for bristol, and this huge concert!
They have one of the Bush races the same weekend as CMA Music Fest. Around the same time, this year it was the next weekend, they have Bonaroo Festival a couple hours out of Nashville. This festival has all types of music. A fews years ago the 2 were the same weekend. Bonaroo is more camping. It rained the entire weekend. At the airport, you could look and tell who was Bonaroo & who was CMA. CMA was jeans, boots, cowboy hats etc. Bonaroo was baggie jeans, kinda the "flower child" look and covered with mud.
Yep Flats and the Bonnaroo music festival is getting bigger every year too. I like verything about Tennessee except the Vols! LOL! GO DAWGS SIC EM WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF! Damn that feels good!
We usually go on Monday to Monday. On Monday, walking around Lower Broad, you have several people there. There are usually alot of fan club parties at the beginning of the week. Tuesday, the streets have a few more people.
Wednesday you can pick up your "goody" bags, then the parade and some kickoff concerts. The streets are now full of pedestrians. It is like this through the week.
The next Monday, you get up and it is like a ghost town.
Posted by: on July 24, 2007 2:16PM EST
I like all college football teams except FSU. I HATE the criminoles! As a kid, I was always a Notre Dame fan first and always seem to root for the underdog...
speaking of ND. I read they are going to play a "home" game in the Super Dome in NO in 2008. They said they wanted to move a "home" game around for a a few years since they have such a large fan base to let their fan base see them play.
Also, The Criminals I mean Seminoles are planning on playing a non-conference game in the GA Dome in 08
Posted by: flat screen on July 24, 2007 2:25PM EST
Georgia will playing in the GA Dome Dec 8th 2007 agianst the SEC Weast champion......GO DAWGS!!!!!!!
Posted by: on July 24, 2007 2:29PM EST
That's cool, I hadn't heard that about ND. I would give large amounts of $$ for good seats to see them play. Brings back good childhood memories watching them w/my dad and I heard I used to watch them play w/my grandfather (who was 100% Irish Catholic)--good stuff.
Posted by: flat screen on July 24, 2007 2:31PM EST
Hey KP....What about that comeback last year over the hokies...21-3 at half.....outscored them 31-3 in the 2nd half...Stafford grew up a bit in that game.....I expect huge things from him this year!!!David Greenes sophmore year...13-1....GO DAWGS!!!!!
I would love to see them play just for the tradition of ND. The article I read didn't mention where they would take the games but I thought it was a great idea.
Posted by: on July 24, 2007 2:34PM EST
Me too Mitchy. Easy Gregory! I don't want to relive that game against my Hokies......the chokies, I mean Hokies are my team too. Hokies & ND baby!!!lol...
Posted by: flat screen on July 24, 2007 2:35PM EST
Kimmy...sorry...that was a strange game...good at the end for me!!!
Posted by: on July 24, 2007 2:39PM EST
LOL! greg, just kidding w/you. We had that game, just forgot how to play the game for some reason....
Yep Flats that was one of those games that I was cursing the whole first half and partying the second half as well as the rest of the night. Stafford is going to show em some tough, smart QB play this season and hopefully 2 more.
now THAT's a topic i could do without hearing, since beginning about now it's ALL we hear about in Athens for the next few months. Ah well.... if y'all come to town, be sure to hit the Georgia Bar on Clayton (near the Georgia Theatre) for a beer on Friday night 'n say howdy to the hubby at the door (greybeard security guy)... we'd love to see ya!!!
Linny I've been to the Georgia bar several times over the years but not lately. One time during Athfest I stayed in there until closing and had one of the best times I have ever had in Athens. They had the Drive By Truckers in there that night before they got popular I was there with my wife and oldest son who was attending UGA at the time and my wife and I were getting down like we were in college again it was great. Athfest is a cool thing we have missed it the last 3 or 4 years but will be back.
Posted by: Flowerchild on July 24, 2007 4:02PM EST
Can someone tell me and I honestly don't know, why none of Nashville Star's past winner's haven't made any appearances that I know of?? Maybe Chris Young has, I don't know! As far as I know, this years winners tour is not coming to Atlanta......sooo dissapointed! I was so hoping that Angela Hacker would be on the show last night, "Countries night to Rock". She is this years Nashville Star winner. That lady has a voice that won't quit! I have not seen anything of her since the show........I am wondering why not! I personally think she will be one of the all time greats........her voice is earthy and sultry with soul and feeling! She can make you cry........anyway........does anyone know where she is?? Also, I haven't heard any of the radio stations playing any of her songs.........she has one that she wrote that is so good! "Sifting Through the Ashes" She sang it on Nashville Star!
In the 5 years of Nashville Star, only Buddy Jewell appeared on the main stage (night time) at CMA Musicfest. The others have always appeared there but they appeared on the riverfront stage. None of those shows were part of the show last night. Buddy Jewell, Brad Cotter & Erica Jo have all lost their record deals (I think). Chris Young, although very popular, has had very minimal chart success.
Miranda Lambert has been the most successful product of NS.
AI has had much success in country. Carrie Underwood has been the biggest draw in the autograph lines of all country artists for 3 years now. Kellie Pickler, Bucky Covington & Josh Gracin all are having good success on the charts for country music and Carmen Rasmusen has a CD set for release in Aug or Sep.
