tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38935897172276749132024-03-13T21:00:58.343-04:00TVGrrrrlJenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-1304831585543553632015-05-17T22:55:00.000-04:002015-05-18T00:03:05.659-04:00Secret Military Human Cloning Project; codename: "Orphan Black"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="color: #fff2cc;">Tatiana Maslany plays several women who discover that they are actually clones. </span></i></div>
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It was a rainy day in March, I was bored, and I wanted something interesting to watch that was not a reality show, nor a documentary, nor one of the overly hyped so-called hits that appear on the major networks. I browsed through the on-demand listings and stumbled upon a series titled <a href="http://www.bbcamerica.com/orphan-black/" target="_blank"><b>Orphan Black</b></a> which smartly opened with Season 1, episode 1 for those of us who might need catching up. "I'll give it a shot," I thought.<br />
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I ended up binge-watching the first four episodes and was then hooked. By the time Season 3 began on BBC America on April 18, 2015, I was quite familiar with the story line and eagerly anticipating its debut.<br />
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But, why had none of my geeky sci-fi loving friends ever mentioned the show? Why hadn't I seen any Saturday night post-airing mentions on my social media feeds for hashtag CloneClub?<br />
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The show, which is filmed in Toronto Canada, has been slow to take hold here in the U.S., and is often overlooked for critical acclaim, including being passed over twice for a single coveted television Emmy nomination. It has earned a heavy shelf of other awards, however, including: four EWwy's (Entertainment Weekly), a 2014 Gracie, two 2013 Tubey's for most underrated show and best new show, and pretty much cleaned up at the 2nd and 3rd annual Canadian Screen Awards in 2014 and ’15 for best -- you name it. Once a critic takes the time to watch the show, they are captivated and impressed. Now in it's third season, the buzz is finally growing as the 13,000 Facebook-based CloneClub fans and over half a million series fans come out of hiding to show their support.<br />
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<i>Orphan Black on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/orphanblacktv/timeline" target="_blank">facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/OrphanBlack" target="_blank">twitter</a>. </i><br />
<i>CloneClub on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OBCloneClub/timeline" target="_blank">facebook</a>. </i><br />
<i>See <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphan_Black" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a> for a full list of awards.</i><br />
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-size: large;">Sometimes, a name is to blame. </span></b><br />
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"Orphan Black" is the codename for a secret military project involving the genetic research of human cloning.<br />
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The term "black" in the title refers to a top-secret, covert, private-sector-run, highly-classified military operation. It is an obscure usage of the word "black" to many American audiences who might shy away from it, assuming that it's a racist term. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the well-executed, thought provoking show has not caught on like wildfire in the U.S, …yet.<br />
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In the storyline, two projects were successfully launched about thirty years ago: Project Castor, which created a stronger-than-average breed of loyal, obedient, soldier; and Project Leda, which created a fast-healing, quick-thinking, intelligent female.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-size: large;">Plot in a nutshell</span></b><br />
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The pilot episode 101, which originally aired on March 30, 2013, introduces us to the lead character, con-man Sarah Manning (played by Tatiana Maslany), who returns to Canada where she discovers by accident that she has a twin she didn't know about. Sarah is leading a troubled life of crime and needs to hide out from her abusive drug dealer boyfriend, Vic (played by Michael Mando). She decides to switch identities with her newfound twin, Elizabeth "Beth" Childs, who has unfortunately just committed suicide, but left behind her purse with ID, a ledger for a healthy savings account, keys to a lovely apartment, and a gorgeous boyfriend Paul (played by Dylan Bruce). While a funeral is held for Sarah, she has no trouble impersonating Beth, even sleeping with Paul and cashing out the bank account, until she discovers that her deceased twin was employed as a police officer who is now under investigation for a serious manslaughter charge.<br />
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Over the next few episodes, we are introduced to a dozen Project Leda clones, each uniquely different from the other in personality and lifestyle. We become well-acquainted with the following main female characters:<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Allison</span></b> is the uptight, anal, pill-popping soccer mom married to her high-school sweetheart, Donnie (played by Kristian Bruun).<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Helena</span></b> is the dangerously uninhibited clever sociopath who was raised locked away in a closet in a nunnery in the Ukraine.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Cosima</span></b> is a brilliant scientist and lesbian who is suffering from a disease which is the result of a flaw in her human-engineered DNA. <br />
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<b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Rachel</span></b> is the "fully aware" clone, raised by the scientists heading project Leda, and is now a bureaucrat who helps run the project.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Sarah</span></b>, our lead clone character, is a con woman who was raised in the UK, then moved with her foster family to Canada. After having a fight with her stepmother Mrs. "S" (played by Maria Doyle Kennedy) over partying too much, she abandons her young daughter Kira (played by Skyler Wexler) and runs away to live in the UK. After a time, she returns to Canada to reclaim her daughter and join up with her beloved brother Felix (played by Jordan Gavaris), and this is where our adventure begins.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-size: large;">Tatiana Maslany</span></b><br />
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It would have been easier for the co-creators of the sci-fi drama Orphan Black, writer Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett, to hire a set of twins to play the 11 different adult female clone characters. Instead, they hired Tatiana Maslany (nicknamed Tat), a multi-lingual 29-year old actress from Regina, Canada.<br />
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As you watch the show, you quickly forget that Sarah, Cosima, Allison, Helena, and Rachel are all being played by one, and only one, single solitary actress. This differentiation in character portrayals is even more pronounced when one clone masquerades as another, as twins often do. Somehow, Tat manages to pull it off.<br />
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Actress Tatiana Maslany said she uses a few different techniques to get in character for each role, including preparing for each part by dancing in her trailer to sound tracks she's customized to match the mood of each personality. She says she waits until she has "transitioned" into the new person before going on set.<br />
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As an example, in a recent interview on the Kelly and Michael show (<a href="https://youtu.be/pX1pIP2cTrg" target="_blank">May 13, 2013 video</a>), Tat said she uses the Jurassic Park theme song to prepare to play the voice of Pupok, the scorpion, an imaginary friend and advisor to the psychologically unstable Ukrainian "seestra," Helena. <br />
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In addition to having to play several different personalities, Tat also must sometimes act her lines while "pretending that there's a person opposite me, when there often isn't."<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-size: large;">Creating an illusion</span></b><br />
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In order to pull off such an amazing feat of having just one actress play several opposing roles is a sophisticated, well-rehearsed, behind-the-scenes team operating highly technical gadgetry.<br />
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In some cases, Tat's primary body double Kathryn Alexandre steps in when the scene involves physical interaction between two or more twins. The scene is shot several times with Kathryn and Tat playing opposite roles, then with Tat playing to an invisible character marked only by a piece of tape or a ball, which is used to help keep her eyes focused on the correct location.<br />
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Each time a two-or-more-clone shot is filmed, it's achieved using a device nicknamed the "Time Vampire" which features a camera on a technodolly that memorizes movements and can then repeat them back, so that it is programmed to always follow the exact same track over the exact same period of time. This allows all of the versions of film to line up precisely so that they can be seamlessly edited, creating a believable illusion of multiple actresses. The gizmo is called a time vampire due to the necessity to allow it to run its full course and full length of time with each take.<br />
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A video explaining part of the process can be found online on <a href="http://www.bbcamerica.com/orphan-black/videos/series-insider-three-clones-one-frame/" target="_blank">BBCamerica.com</a>.<br />
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Director John Fawcett leads the crew. Aaron Morton is in charge of cinematography. The complex task of editing multiple takes of the same scene is completed by D. Gillian Truster, Brett Sullivan, Jay Prychidny, Stephen Lawrence, and Matthew Anas.<br />
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Tat's body double Kathryn Alexandre also appears as "Alexis," a member of a dangerous religious cult known as the Proletheans, who are interested in cultivating offspring from the clones.<br />
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Project Castor features the male clones, all portrayed by the talented Ari Millen, who plays a prominent role in Seasons 2 and 3. Unlike the clones of Project Leda, the military bred Castors are expected to conform and behave in much the same way as each other.<br />
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<i>(<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2234222/" target="_blank">Full cast and crew listed on IMDB</a>)</i><br />
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<i>On May 7, 2015, Orphan Black was renewed for ten more episodes in Season 4.</i><br />
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<i>Orphan Black can be seen on BBC America each Saturday at 9:00 p.m. Or, find past episodes on-demand and on itunes. </i><br />
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<br />Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-25720153562376748692014-12-18T22:59:00.000-05:002014-12-19T18:14:02.273-05:00Season 5 of The Sing-Off: Blink and you missed it<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Melodrones from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN became the first collegiate winner of The Sing-Off.</span></i><br />
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Last night (Wednesday, December 17, 2014), we were treated
to a two-hour spectacular Season Opener / Series run / Finale of <a href="http://www.nbc.com/the-sing-off" target="_blank">The Sing-Off</a>, a
group a cappella singing competition show. It was Season 5, all compressed into
a teeny tiny compact little two-hour time slot on primetime television on NBC. <br />
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Six well-chosen extraordinary groups heralding colorful matching uniforms performed amazing vocal acrobatics as they competed for a $50,000 Sony Music Recording Contract.<br />
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I felt as if I had been flicking channels and stumbled upon the yearly NCAA Cheerleading
competition, coming in at the end and having no clue what had already transpired in order for these particular groups to arrive at the finals. I had no idea who they were. I wasn't given the
luxury of getting to know the teams over the course of the season, not even a
short one. I felt as if I had been
cheated, as if I'd walked in at the end of an amazing movie, and hoping to find
it on Netflix so that I could rewatch it from the beginning, sadly realized that
it was not available. I wanted to get to know the team stars and hear their heart
wrenching stories of trials and tribulation; find out how they formed their
groups and trained for countless exhaustive hours; and watch as they grew as
artists over the course of the season in response to the judges' constructive
criticisms.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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I missed host Nick Lachey's dorky banter with the judges,
who each had little time to say much of anything. Though Jewel and Dr. Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men returned, Ben Folds was off on tour somewhere and
had to be replaced by Fall Out Boy's lead singer Patrick Stump. Poor Stump
didn't even get his photo featured on the NBC website and is shown as a sad
looking gray silhouette avatar: <a href="http://www.nbc.com/the-sing-off/about/bio/patrick-stump">http://www.nbc.com/the-sing-off/about/bio/patrick-stump</a><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I missed Ben Folds. I missed his dictionary-cracking
vocabulary and insightful and intellectually complicated
redneck-geek-charm-filled critiques. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dr. Folds should be happy to hear that he finally got a win
for a collegiate a cappella group. He's been rooting for this since Season 1 in
2009 when he helped launch the show with Deke Sharon, Mark Burnett, and Dr. Stockman after
recording a college a cappella album. The black and gold <a href="http://www.melodores.com/" target="_blank">Melodores</a> of
Vanderbilt University, formed right there in Dr. Folds own back yard of
Nashville, Tennessee in 2009 (the same year the Sing-Off debuted), pulled out a
win, beating out five exemplary groups.
I would not be at all surprised to see Folds work with the Melodores in
the studio or on tour. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My fear that the show would sink into the
over-commercialized world of electronic dance music and auto-tuned vocal bands
was dissuaded when the majority of the competing groups happily rejected the
use of aids and stuck to the purist form of a cappella: meaning "in the
manner of the church," without musical accompaniment. Only one group, a.squared, took advantage
of the newer relaxed restrictions and used a loop machine with a dedicated
operator to create a musical backdrop.
In the end, it was all for naught, for they did not advance to the
finals. In my opinion, the Sing-Off should return to the previous strict
requirements. There's no need to muddy the playing field. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I hope that like college cheerleading, a cappella
competition returns to television next year in some format, perhaps aired on
one of NBC's lesser sister networks over the summer, or even under a different
name and with a new producer and record company sponsor. The Sing-Off may have
lived out its life. However, a cappella will never die. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #b4a7d6; font-size: large;"><b>Show Recap</b></span><br />
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Jodi Walker wrote a nice recap of the season
opener/finale/special for Entertainment Weekly, a la TVgrrrrl style, listing
each act and the songs they performed. </div>
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<a href="http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/12/18/nbc-the-sing-off-recap-nick-lachey-blazers/" target="_blank">One Night, Six Groups, and 800 Blazers</a> </div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: large;">Season 5 Competitors</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">a.squared</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>New Haven, CT</i></div>
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5 member male group, formed from Yale University students,
using an electronic loop machine.</div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/thisisasquared">https://www.facebook.com/thisisasquared</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">The Exchange</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Myrtle Beach, SC</i></div>
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5 member male group, formed from various members of other
teams who met on the Sing-Off show while competing.</div>
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<a href="http://www.exchangevocal.com/">http://www.exchangevocal.com/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><b>Melodores</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Nashville, TN</i></div>
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14 member male collegiate singing group formed at Vanderbilt University</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><a href="http://www.melodores.com/">http://www.melodores.com/</a></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">SanFran6</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>San Francisco, CA</i></div>
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6 member diverse group, formed to compete on the show.</div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/SanFran6">https://www.facebook.com/SanFran6</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #b6d7a8;"><b>Timothy's Gift</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Nashville, TN</i></div>
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6 member female group, formed as a Christian faith based
ministry to perform in prisons.</div>
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<a href="http://timothysgift.com/">http://timothysgift.com/</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #b6d7a8;">Traces</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>New York, NY</i></div>
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5 member female group, performing jazz and soul music.</div>
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<a href="http://www.traces5.com/">http://www.traces5.com</a></div>
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Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-73756098049597317342014-12-05T14:19:00.001-05:002014-12-05T14:26:59.757-05:00Selfie is fun! It's fresh! It's new! It's exciting!.. It's cancelled :'-(<div class="p1">
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<i><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-size: x-small;">Henry Higgs (John Cho) and Eliza Dooley (Karen Gillan) take a selfie on Selfie.</span></i></div>
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One day while flipping through channels looking for something new and fresh, I stumbled upon the pilot of "<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ABCSelfie" target="_blank">Selfie</a></b>," a half hour show debuting on Tuesday, September 30, 2014 on <a href="http://abc.go.com/shows/selfie" target="_blank">ABC</a>. I managed to watch a few episodes here and there over the fall season as it grew on me. </div>
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"Well, this is a hit!" I thought to myself, "It's the new Ugly Betty, but a little different."</div>
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We have the chattily charming, knows-all-the-good-gossip receptionist Charmonique (Da'Vine Joy Randolph); the extremely popular fashion forward Eliza (Karen Gillan); and instead of an "ugly Betty," we have an "ugly Henry" (John Cho) who Eliza is determined to crack free from his stoney socially awkward shell. Set in Los Angeles, Eliza and Henry work for KinderKare Pharmaceuticals under chairman Sam Saperstein (David Harewood). Eliza is a top salesperson and Henry is a marketing executive. </div>
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The show encompasses all of the fun elements of a meaningless shallow self-contained sitcom, something of an endangered species these days in the sea of reality shows and soap operatic-like nighttime dramas. Actors parade about in a runway of fashions amidst sophisticated sets. There are plenty of references to the current affairs of the celebrity world, as well as heavy usage of real social media as characters take their own cell phone "selfies." Plots revolve around the ordinary everyday affairs most of us face in our own dreary less colorful lives, such as: the fear of speaking in public, getting shamed on social media, wanting to be promoted at work, being bold enough to ask a woman out on a date, and being smart enough to know when your boyfriend just wants you for your body. We haven't seen such fun television entertainment since Alicia Silverstone strolled on screen in "Clueless."<br />
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<b><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-size: large;">Interesting casting</span></b></div>
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The icing on the television cake is the excellent acting. The clever casting by Tim Payne and Lisa Ystrom of serious actors who can cross over from drama into comedy is what has created the magical chemistry that truly makes this show work. Though plots contains very light content, the show does not insult the viewer's intelligence.<br />
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To name a few: </div>
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<span style="color: #d5a6bd;"><b><a href="https://twitter.com/karengillan" target="_blank">Karen Gillan</a></b></span>, who previously starred as Amy Pond from 2010 to 2012 on Doctor Who, is entirely convincing as a beautifully shallow and ultra-critical social guru.<br />
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<b><a href="https://twitter.com/JohnTheCho" target="_blank">John Cho</a></b>, who we've also seen recently as police officer Andy Brooks in FOX's Sleepy Hollow, plays the sadly serious straight man Henry Higgs who is in dire need of loosening up.<br />
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<b><a href="https://twitter.com/DavidHarewood" target="_blank">David Harewood</a></b>, known for his role of David Estes in Homeland, is simply fun in his portrayal of the eccentric and open-minded company boss Sam Saperstein. </div>
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<i><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-size: x-small;">Charmonique (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) gets dressed for her high school reunion with the help of Eliza (Karen Gillan). </span></i></div>
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<b><a href="https://twitter.com/DaVineJoy" target="_blank">Da'Vine Joy Randolph</a></b> is far too realistic (in a good way) as the tough-as-nails receptionist Charmonique. Randolph, unlike the others, has been pulled in from the live acting world of Broadway. She was nominated in 2012 for a Tony award for her role as Oda Mae Brown in Ghost the Musical. </div>
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Actor <a href="https://twitter.com/SammLevine" target="_blank"><b>Samm Levine</b></a> from Freaks and Geeks plays Sam's son-in-law Terrance.<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/thebrianhuskey" target="_blank"><b>Brian Huskey</b></a>, who's appeared as "that guy" in nearly everything from the serious House to the parody Children's Hospital, plays Larry, a smart business colleague.<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/mattycardarople" target="_blank"><b>Matty Cardarople</b></a>, who I did not think I had ever seen in film before, but will now keep my eye on, is the awkward subdued assistant, Charlie. In real life, Matty is looking for a new job now that the show has been cancelled and has published an audition clip reel on twitter where he reveals himself to be the Skittles cloud petter. Ah ha! I have seen him before: <a href="http://vimeo.com/113567494" target="_blank">Matty's reel</a></div>
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Selfie's premise was marketed as a modern day "My Fair Lady," with lead characters Eliza Dooley named for Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgs for Doolittle's teacher and mentor Henry Higgins. However, the show is less about the cultivation of a socially proper young lady and more about the sexual tensions between the two leads: Eliza and Henry. Other than the pilot episode, it's really more along the lines of Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" as Henry attempts to teach Eliza how to care less about herself and more about others. Eliza sees him as her only true friend, and begins to fall in love, one sweet episode at a time. </div>
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For some reason, the show was cancelled by ABC, though due to an organized fan protest, the rest of the first season will continue to air on the paid service <a href="http://www.hulu.com/selfie" target="_blank">Hulu</a>. I hope it continues for another season or two. It's just the kind of fun and nearly meaningless clean fluff we need to relieve viewers from a difficult serious day at the office. </div>
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Is there hope for a Selfie season 2? We shall see. If so, it will most likely appear on another network. If not, I wish all the fine actors and crew the best of luck. </div>
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Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-21949774206313164222014-11-26T12:04:00.001-05:002014-11-26T12:17:15.083-05:00Sing-Off Season 5 to air Wednesday, December 17, 2014<div class="p1">
There is no need to stay home from black Friday shopping to watch Season 5 of the <a href="http://www.nbc.com/the-sing-off"><span class="s1">Sing-Off</span><span class="s2"> </span></a>during the NBC winter-season break this Thanksgiving holiday. The formerly all A Capella, now instrument backed vocal competition show will not debut until Wednesday, December 17th at 9 p.m. for what is being celebrated as "A Special Holiday Event."<span class="s3"><br />
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</span>I am looking forward to the new format with morbid curiosity. How will strict A Cappella groups fare against vocal groups using backing instruments? How do you judge apples to apple pie? Although I love Sing-Off Season 3 winner <a href="http://ptxofficial.com/home" target="_blank">Pentatonix</a> as a strict A Capella group, I am much more impressed with their collaboration with expert fiddler <a href="http://www.lindseystirling.com/" target="_blank">Lindsey Stirling</a> on an extraordinary cover of Imagine Dragons' Radioactive. In this rendition, Pentatonix' beat boxer Kevin Olusola (KO) also pulled out all the stops to accompany the group on cello: </div>
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The judges will have a challenging time discerning the quality vocal groups from those groups who perhaps have less vocal talent, but are musical geniuses in supplementing their lack of vocal prowess with a difficult-to-emulate horn section or harpsichord. </div>
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I am happy to report that both <a href="http://www.boyziimen.com/shawn/" target="_blank">Dr. Shawn Stockman</a> of Boyz II Men (Now using a PhD by his name on twitter, Stockman received an honorary doctor of humane letters from Drexel University in 1996) and <a href="http://www.jeweljk.com/" target="_blank">Jewel</a> are returning as judges on the Sing-Off. <a href="http://nicklachey.com/" target="_blank">Nick Lachey</a> of 98 Degrees is also returning as host. </div>
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Former judge Ben Folds is passing this year, he says due to scheduling conflicts as he took his concerto tour to the southern hemisphere, too far to hop on a jet plane to bounce back and forth for the show's tapings. However, it is no secret that he is an A Cappella purist and I'm sure the show's format change to allow the addition of instrumentation must have ruffled his feathers. </div>
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</span>Replacing Folds is <a href="http://www.patrickstump.com/" target="_blank">Patrick Stump</a>, lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist and composer for the popular pop punk alternative band, Fall Out Boy. Stump is currently an advisor for The Voice, joining "Team Adam" just this Monday to advise contestants on correct vocal styling. Known for his quality two-octave baritone tenor vocal range, he will bring an interesting and fresh set of opinions to the judges' box. </div>
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Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-79619877611555953942014-09-10T10:55:00.002-04:002014-09-10T16:38:16.534-04:00Sing-Off Season 5 – No longer A Cappella<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://instagram.com/p/svkcI2ANCF/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcYW_wN6S3t9JYhyfqFJP8Zfzdkux4i8KkWHScUzszZczimoYBgvXqkBpLNEWpPoaZy4HKwEpCdIOit0wfzS6kkl6DNBOYXfF6z-KAqJ0Uv1k8ed-9P_JScbD8YuVayo5Jcfn154DTrNR/s1600/Sing+off+audition+on+Shawn's%2Bwall.png" height="195" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #ffd966;">Dr. Shawn Stockman's instagram post announcing the Sing-Off auditions for Season 5.</span></i></div>
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It was a rumor which started as a simple <a href="http://instagram.com/p/svkcI2ANCF/" target="_blank">instagram post</a> on Tuesday September 9, 2014, shared by Co-Judge Shawn Stockman <a href="https://twitter.com/shawnstockman/status/509484166304776192" target="_blank">on twitter</a>. It's a simple photo announcing that the Sing-Off vocal group show will be returning to NBC for a 5th Season and there would be auditions beginning at the end of this month:</div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffd966;">Los Angeles – Tuesday September 30, 2014</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffd966;">Nashville – Thursday October 2, 2014</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffd966;">New York – Saturday October 4, 2014</span></b></div>
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Judging by the response on twitter and instagram, the fans and potential contestants are indeed excited and thrilled to be a part of a 5th Season.<br />
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After much anticipation, details were released on the official <a href="http://www.singoffcasting.com/" target="_blank">Sing-Off casting page</a>.<br />
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The big news is that the Sing-Off, which debuted in 2009, is no longer an A Cappella show, which restricted performers to emulate all sounds of instruments, including bass and percussion, using only their voices combined with occasional hand claps and snaps. For the first time, instruments and backing tracks will be allowed into the audition portion of the competition. Apparently, the Sing-Off has been transitioned to become a vocal group show, instead of an A Cappella show.<br />
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Competitors should prepare three songs, with two of the songs being popular pop or rock songs performed in any style the group wishes, from big band to blues, gospel to rock, alternative to jazz, and so on. Each song cannot be longer than three minutes. Groups must consist of at least 4 members, with the maximum set at 20 members this year.<br />
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If accepted, groups must be available to compete in Los Angeles from mid November to December. </div>
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Shawn Stockman will return as one of the judges. It is unclear who else will be returning to the show. As more details are announced, I will add them here in my blog. </div>
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Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-50125070217486733062014-08-20T19:59:00.001-04:002014-08-21T04:20:22.598-04:00Simpsons Marathon on FXX starts tomorrow<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfN-XlwNoGYYtZRVhvFXdBCLwtmvvMtK-3v4wyn5t-qyi3elsLMXqP6A7lK_c0O8M_stDOX-H7FXFDzcmmXi86fEYPIN3m_dwumS7KPv5KrKCWBhGXjZ24F4iso4-nrTdD0hjStm1Ne8i1/s1600/treehouse+of+horror+simpsons.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfN-XlwNoGYYtZRVhvFXdBCLwtmvvMtK-3v4wyn5t-qyi3elsLMXqP6A7lK_c0O8M_stDOX-H7FXFDzcmmXi86fEYPIN3m_dwumS7KPv5KrKCWBhGXjZ24F4iso4-nrTdD0hjStm1Ne8i1/s1600/treehouse+of+horror+simpsons.gif" height="265" width="320" /></a><i><span style="color: #ffe599;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">A couch scene opens every episode. This one is from a Treehouse of Horror Halloween Special, my personal favorites. </span></i><br />
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Just in case you've missed the announcements, <a href="http://www.fxx.com/" target="_blank">FXX network</a> will be airing the complete 552 episodes of <a href="http://www.thesimpsons.com/" target="_blank">The Simpsons</a> in chronological order beginning at 10 a.m. on Thursday morning, August 21, 2014. The marathon will run through midnight on Labor Day, Monday September 1st.<br />
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FXX is a cable channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of 21st Century Fox, who owns Fox Broadcasting network, the owner of the Simpsons franchise. Though both are part of the same network family, FXX paid a record 1 billion dollars in November of 2013 for the rights to show reruns on cable, bidding out TBS and Adult Swim. In fact, tomorrow will be The Simpson's first ever airing on cable.<br />
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Though there are only 552 episodes totaling 11.5 days of air time at a half hour each, the 2007 feature film, The Simpsons Movie will add an extra two hours of viewing time. The movie will air at 6 p.m. Friday August 29, right after Season 18's final episode, "You Kent Aways Say What You Want." Interviews and bits of trivia will also be interspersed in short breaks during the marathon.<br />
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The Simpsons began as a short animated feature shown on Tracy Ullman's variety show in April 1987, then got it's own half hour time slot beginning with a Christmas special airing on December 17, 1989 titled, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." Twenty five seasons later, the show is still going strong.<br />
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I am particularly interested in seeing reruns of the annual Halloween holiday specials, titled "Treehouse of Horror." The first one debuted during season 2 in October 1990 and contains a memorable dramatic reading by Lisa of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven."<br />
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The Simpsons are time capsules of pop culture, known for their parodies of famous works of literature and movies, as well as their political satires. Watching the old shows in order will be a bit like reliving the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s as we are reminded of important events from the day. Though many cities claim to be the setting of the show, creator Matt Groening says the city of Springfield is a composite of several cities. Though he won't reveal the true locations, these are most likely all located within Washington State and Oregon where Groening spent all of his early life. Occasionally, a specific landmark or news event can be pinned on a place, such as the one-mile monorail to nowhere in Seattle featured in S4E12 "Marge vs. the Monorail," and the nuclear power plant found outside Portland Oregon, close to where Groening himself grew up.<br />
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If you'd like to follow along, here is a useful episode guide published by Wikipedia:<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Simpsons_episodes" target="_blank"><span id="goog_844805884"></span>Simpson's Episode Guide</a><br />
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Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-2835291025027430872014-03-02T23:59:00.001-05:002014-04-21T23:37:14.045-04:00The Life and Times of Norman Bates: Bates Motel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16zPRadrt4Vc-43pSWFqG6HsEsvjrcUL-AJO10SiwaKm0t4pjEFS3YCqUv81o07ScHCaqbZ8fEgmn15YTFfxAXXWiVqW9NhXwJdPOjp0LP5Rb-CnbrY70ALpzHgzvGzaQiGK6V7zu3Bwo/s1600/Bates+Motel+Norman+and+Norma+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg16zPRadrt4Vc-43pSWFqG6HsEsvjrcUL-AJO10SiwaKm0t4pjEFS3YCqUv81o07ScHCaqbZ8fEgmn15YTFfxAXXWiVqW9NhXwJdPOjp0LP5Rb-CnbrY70ALpzHgzvGzaQiGK6V7zu3Bwo/s1600/Bates+Motel+Norman+and+Norma+image.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
<i><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) and his mother Norma Bates (</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Vera Farmiga) purchase a hotel to run in "Bates Motel."</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">One of my favorite new TV
shows that premiered this past year is <a href="http://www.aetv.com/bates-motel" target="_blank">Bates Motel</a>. You won't find it on any of
the four major networks. It's tucked away, hidden on A&E along with the
unlikely pairings of a plethora of reality shows, such as "Duck
Dynasty," "Storage Wars," and "Hoarders."</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">While watching a marathon of
reruns today on A&E, I thought about how remarkably well the show has been
put together and how happy I am that it is continuing into a second season,
which will premiere tomorrow, Monday, March 3 at 9:00 p.m. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">When rumors circulated that
a Psycho movie spin-off had been produced for television, I felt a cringe. I
wondered: How on earth will the show play out? How can you take a masterpiece,
such as Alfred Hitchock's bone chilling, black and white 1960 film Psycho, and
turn it into a television series with enough interest and plot potential to
keep audiences enthralled for at least three years, the ideal minimum television
show life span? Fortunately, the daring new series on A&E is a huge
success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The secret in this case is
to stack your deck with talent. The acting is top notch and completely
believable. The writing is well constructed. But perhaps the real star of the
show is the ambience created through the combination of well chosen blue collar
costumes; rustic period sets placed in the drizzly Pacific Northwest in British
Columbia, Canada; excellent sound, lighting and backing music tracks; and most
importantly, quality direction. There are moments when the viewer forgets that
this is a one-hour television show on a non-premium cable network channel, and
not the work of highly paid Hollywood movie directors and cinematographers
working on a multi-million dollar movie. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DTSkJxlD_PZzM8Mp-EHsEx2bD-2_PynajjFedjborb6KQlKBbI_aRUrkfMhjXX4AN-XGF22eMRzgewuuzoenQm54SENnQlJNfDbMDnREQVHdcN_OkHDT6sKRkMR96OYn1R62tLVzZ65r/s1600/Norman+Bates+lying+in+bed+catatonic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6DTSkJxlD_PZzM8Mp-EHsEx2bD-2_PynajjFedjborb6KQlKBbI_aRUrkfMhjXX4AN-XGF22eMRzgewuuzoenQm54SENnQlJNfDbMDnREQVHdcN_OkHDT6sKRkMR96OYn1R62tLVzZ65r/s1600/Norman+Bates+lying+in+bed+catatonic.png" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">There's one
particular scene in Season 1, Episode 3, where the camera finds the very
disturbed teenage Norman lying on his bed, his eyes wide open, the sun passing
quickly from day into night, indicating that he has laid there in a catatonic
state for several hours. Norman begins to hallucinate that his mother is
lecturing him, something we discover occurs frequently.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial;">
MOM: You were right. As long as Shelby has that belt, he can control us. He can make us do things,
things we don't want to do. Just like your father did.<br />
NORMAN: We can't let that happen. Not again.<br />
MOM: This is all your fault.<br />
NORMAN: I know mother. There's something wrong with me.<br />
MOM: You know what you have to do, don't you? <br />
NORMAN: I have to get that belt.
</span></i></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The context of Bates Motel,
the television show, is a well thought out predecessor to Alfred Hitchcock's
1960 movie, Psycho. which was based on the 1959 thriller novel by Robert Bloch.
The Bates Motel writers have taken a lot of creative license, imagining how the
good-looking intelligent young Norman Bates (played by <b>Freddie Highmore</b>) might
have gotten himself into such a predicament where he ends up living in a
decrepit hotel on a forgotten old highway with his domineering and unnaturally
obsessive, controlling mother Norma (<b>Vera Farmiga</b>). Many questions are answered
in the first season. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We learn that Norman's
father, Sam, died tragically after Norman and his mother killed him after he
attacked her. However, Norma staged the death to appear as an accident,
collected the life insurance money, and moved her 17-year old son with her from Arizona to
the tiny town of White Pine Bay, Oregon. She buys an old 12-room motel on
highway 88, puts up a Bates Motel sign, and begins renovations in preparation
to open. However, trouble is on the horizon: the city is planning to build a
bypass to highway 88 which will greatly diminish traffic, potentially putting
her new fledgling company out of business. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Norma's son, Dylan Massett
(<b>Max Thierlot</b>), from a different father, moves in during episode 2 and finds a job
with an illegal marijuana growing business, apparently the small
town's primary economic base.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Death surrounds Norman, as characters are killed off
faster than those on the "Walking Dead." He becomes obsessed with the
macabre, learning taxidermy from the father (<b>Ian Hart</b>) of </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Emma DeCody (</span><b style="font-family: Arial;">Olivia Cooke</b><span style="font-family: Arial;">), </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">a young and beautiful
terminally ill classmate with cystic fibrosis</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We witness first hand the
early signs of schizophrenia, watching as a seemingly normal fine-looking young
man begins to lose his grasp on reality. We learn that his mother Norma is also
not quite stable, yet hides her mental illness quite well through lying and
taking advantage of her beautiful looks to manipulate well-meaning powerful
men. We find that no one is perfect, that there are flaws in everyone, that
corruption runs rampant and pure innocence does not truly exist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">There hasn't been such a
dark and twisted intelligent plot featured on television since Twin Peaks.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="color: #ffe599;">Bates Motel Website</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Just for a chuckle, check
out the cleverly assembled <a href="http://www.batesmoteloregon.com/index.htm" target="_blank">Bates Motel website</a>, complete with a cartoon map of
the town of White Pine Bay, Oregon where the television show is based. On it
you will discover childhood family photos of young Norman and a gift shop
featuring collectibles from the show.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdTOjSiAmTPDQej-n4MmTBvfb4S7ZZZW2LVvNNcAUakMaq8sH1zVyeU_JDOFrsNR4hCJXRfurqDzLL2nY9IfdQOWEAUbNX12VbkDW8tAu9S2YVgPN-tljTiDwoztVCBaAhXHn-wRtfrP0/s1600/White+Pine+Bay+cartoon+map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdTOjSiAmTPDQej-n4MmTBvfb4S7ZZZW2LVvNNcAUakMaq8sH1zVyeU_JDOFrsNR4hCJXRfurqDzLL2nY9IfdQOWEAUbNX12VbkDW8tAu9S2YVgPN-tljTiDwoztVCBaAhXHn-wRtfrP0/s1600/White+Pine+Bay+cartoon+map.png" height="218" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Though there is no White
Pine Bay and no Highway 88 (or even State Route 88) in the state of Oregon, the
series setting seems to be loosely based on the small town of Coos Bay off
Highway 101 on the coast of Oregon. The original Bates Motel in Bloch's novel was based on the
small town of Fairvale, California. There is a State Route 88 which runs from Stockton, CA near Sacramento to the state of Nevada. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-88162921229043972822013-12-23T17:33:00.000-05:002014-04-26T07:24:26.069-04:00Final Three Finale of the Sing-Off Season 4 to air tonight<div class="p1">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5QFh_iNhKdcvgN6efQRfLVfqGza_kppwjwuOytOGrxXPyY1-yiPuHdDJ9m2bjpjg8gA2F3sFZyi8RCARwsbnPtNqdeCXM_rzQ3CIML49sgle5xquMv0Iay45XhRqYUPYSoYTqFRZtBU5b/s1600/Home+Free.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5QFh_iNhKdcvgN6efQRfLVfqGza_kppwjwuOytOGrxXPyY1-yiPuHdDJ9m2bjpjg8gA2F3sFZyi8RCARwsbnPtNqdeCXM_rzQ3CIML49sgle5xquMv0Iay45XhRqYUPYSoYTqFRZtBU5b/s320/Home+Free.jpg" height="171" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-small;"><i>Home Free from Minneapolis, one of three finalists to perform tonight. </i></span></div>
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I am so sad.</div>
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The final episode of this season's Sing-Off will air tonight, Monday December 23, 2013 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on NBC. </div>
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The show is unlike any other in that it is an all vocal, unaided, untuned, raw a cappella competition show featuring groups from across the continent dressed in colorful costumes performing vocal renditions of hit songs. The only requirement is the groups must have at least five members, and all sounds must be made with what God has given you: your voice, and the occasional rare clapping, snapping, and foot stomping. Drums and bass, horns, and any other instruments are emulated with voices.</div>
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Judging the show are Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman, and Jewel and hosting is Nick Lachey of 98 degrees, all of whom will be performing in the pre-taped two hour finale airing tonight. The three remaining groups, Vocal Rush from the Oakland School for the Arts, Ten from Dallas, and Home Free from Minneapolis, are all competing for a chance at a $100,000 Sony recording contract. </div>
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The Filharmonic from Los Angeles was eliminated during last Thursday's show, episode 6. </div>
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The 2011 Season 3 winner Pentatonix, who will also be performing tonight, has not disappointed, having charted at #10 on Billboard's 200 with their latest release, PTX Vol. 2. </div>
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In addition, the one and only Pat Benetar, a classically opera-trained vocalist turned rock star, will be performing on tonight's show with her husband Neil Giraldo. </div>
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This will be the seventh episode of the fourth season of a hit show which has aired over the course of a mere 2.3 weeks. It is not long enough. But, I must admit, I'm glad we finally did get a season 4 after a year of campaigning to #SaveTheSingOff on twitter, Facebook, and in an online petition which garnered <span class="s1">39,139</span> signatures.</div>
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>Changes</b></span></div>
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I must say, this has been the best season ever since the show's inception five years ago in 2009. The a cappella groups are much better, so good that any one of the ten competitors would have been a finalist in Season 1.</div>
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The judging is finely honed, given more time for explanations and definitions, and reached an even higher note with the brainy addition of Jewel. Surprised? I know I was. I love her. I hope she's back to stay next season. </div>
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I enjoyed the mentoring moments where the judges helped the groups during their rehearsals. </div>
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I also found the sing-off rounds, where two groups go head to head, to be fun and adventuresome, as would-be-competitors became best friends (in some cases) and put on incredibly entertaining and fun shows. I don't think the judges made too many decisions based on these performances, since I'm pretty sure each had already decided who they thought should stay and who should go, but I do find it informative for those of us at home to truly see the contrast of why one group is a better fit to win the recording contract than another. </div>
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Judge Shawn Stockman, when commenting on a particular Sing-Off round between the acoUstiKats and VoicePlay, said, "You know, It was a mixture of Looney Tunes and Monty Python. It was fun… This is something that's very unique to this show. You'll never see anything like this anywhere else on television on any channel, and that's what's cool about the whole thing."</div>
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I don't love all the changes. </div>
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I would prefer that the show air once a week and that viewers at home get an opportunity to vote for their favorites, typical of other talent competition shows. </div>
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I also noted that the lengths of songs were inconsistent, with some groups given more time to perform their a cappella renditions of hit songs than others. Two minutes seems to be a good number.</div>
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In addition, I'd like to see some original songs introduced into the mix, if not part of the competition, then as video links on the website for added interest, with options to buy the songs on itunes.</div>
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>The ratings</b></span></div>
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A friend of mine who's a huge fan and follower of The Sing-Off show asked me to list the ratings for each night that the show has aired, in hopes of a Season 5 (fingers crossed). I'm not a fan of Nielsen, due to the minimal way in which viewership is tabulated, but it is what advertisers look at. Advertisers buy commercials, which then fund wonderful shows like the Sing-Off.</div>
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Ratings include the five non-cable major networks: NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, and CW. Mondays' ratings were higher both weeks. The first show followed The Voice finales, which boosted ratings. In my own neighborhood we were all watching our Orlando hometown girl, Sierra Deaton, compete in the finals on the X-factor on FOX with her boyfriend Alex Kinsey on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and win, I might add (Congratulations Alex & Sierra). Thursday at 8 also happens to be the time the Big Bang Theory airs, the number one show on primetime. Time slots make all the difference in the world. Mondays between 9 and 11 after The Voice seem to work well. </div>
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<td style="background: #99CCFF; border: solid black .75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 52.35pt;" width="52"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">Episode</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">date</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">time</span></div>
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<td style="background: #FFFF99; border-left: none; border: solid black .75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.85pt;" width="51"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">position</span></div>
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<td style="background: #FFFF99; border-left: none; border: solid black .75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.85pt;" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">18-49</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">rating</span></div>
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<td style="background: #FFFF99; border-left: none; border: solid black .75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.85pt;" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">18-49</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">share</span></div>
</td>
<td style="background: #FFFF99; border-left: none; border: solid black .75pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt;" width="50"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">Million</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">viewers</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 9.0pt;">
<td style="background: #99CCFF; border-top: none; border: solid black .75pt; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 52.35pt;" valign="top" width="52"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">S4E1</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.85pt;" valign="top" width="68"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">M 12.09.13</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.85pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">9-11</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.85pt;" valign="top" width="51"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">1st</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.85pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">2.4</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.85pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">6</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt;" valign="top" width="50"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">8.39</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 9.0pt;">
<td style="background: #99CCFF; border-top: none; border: solid black .75pt; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 52.35pt;" valign="top" width="52"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">S4E2</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.85pt;" valign="top" width="68"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">W 12.11.13</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.85pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">8-10</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.85pt;" valign="top" width="51"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">3rd</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.85pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">1.8</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.85pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">5</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt;" valign="top" width="50"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">6.03</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 9.0pt;">
<td style="background: #99CCFF; border-top: none; border: solid black .75pt; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 52.35pt;" valign="top" width="52"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">S4E3</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.85pt;" valign="top" width="68"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">Th 12.12.13</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.85pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">8-9</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.85pt;" valign="top" width="51"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">2nd</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.85pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">1.3</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.85pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">4</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt;" valign="top" width="50"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">4.58</span></div>
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<tr style="height: 9.0pt;">
<td style="background: #99CCFF; border-top: none; border: solid black .75pt; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 52.35pt;" valign="top" width="52"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">S4E4</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 67.85pt;" valign="top" width="68"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">M 12.16.13</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.85pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">10-11</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.85pt;" valign="top" width="51"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">1st</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.85pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">2.0</span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 42.85pt;" valign="top" width="43"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">6</span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt;" valign="top" width="50"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">7.28</span></div>
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<td style="background: #99CCFF; border-top: none; border: solid black .75pt; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 52.35pt;" valign="top" width="52"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace: none;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">S4E5</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">W 12.18.13</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">8-10</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">4th</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">1.2</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">4</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">4.44</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">S4E6</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">Th 12.19.13</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">8-9</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">4th</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">1.2</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">4</span></div>
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<td style="border-bottom: solid black .75pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid black .75pt; border-top: none; height: 9.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 50.35pt;" valign="top" width="50"><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">4.48</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">S4E7*</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">M 12.23.13</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">8-10</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">1st</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">1.3</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9.0pt;">4</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 11.818181991577148px;">5.19</span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">* Update note: The ratings for this finale episode, S4E7, were added later after this blog was published.</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>Post Show Addendum</b></span></div>
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<i>Added on April 26, 2014. </i><br />
<br />
Home Free was announced as the winner during this show.<br />
<br />
This season, the winner was chosen solely by the panel of three judges. The viewing audience was not allowed to vote in the final round as in years past.<br />
<br />
Home Free released their first album "Crazy Life" as a digital download on the Columbia Records label on January 14, 2014 and followed it up with a CD on February 18. The album reached an impressive #8 position on the country charts in the United States, and #40 overall. </div>
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Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-90255872381347669112013-12-19T14:40:00.002-05:002013-12-23T22:02:20.417-05:00Sing Off Sings into the Semi-Finals for Episode 6<div class="p1">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJD0Vr0wqt6lVJzUR4zIvCUcnT-IXdcAd1gBZ3lEbEeGW4joNgxvvHco4pjCK14aXmMyCX51u1QNE_aR9boro4jVRDnkKwi_5W6Zgf9tHONTSa9nAgdbbl4OVQQ_cvLDB2WBWM_jcWX-y/s1600/Ten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJD0Vr0wqt6lVJzUR4zIvCUcnT-IXdcAd1gBZ3lEbEeGW4joNgxvvHco4pjCK14aXmMyCX51u1QNE_aR9boro4jVRDnkKwi_5W6Zgf9tHONTSa9nAgdbbl4OVQQ_cvLDB2WBWM_jcWX-y/s320/Ten.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-small;">Ten from Dallas, TX performed an amazing rendition of "Sky Fall" in episode 5.</span></i></div>
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Tonight, December 19, 2013 the Sing-Off a cappella competition show will air Episode 6, featuring their four remaining acts, Vocal Rush from the Oakland School for the Arts, Ten from Dallas, Home Free from Minneapolis, and The Filharmonic from Los Angeles. They are each competing for a $100,000 recording contract with Sony Records.</div>
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The show is in its fourth season and is judged by Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men, and Jewel and is hosted by Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees. It will air on NBC at 8 p.m. tonight and replay again on Saturday night. Following tonight will be a two-hour Saturday Night Live holiday special.</div>
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Six remaining groups performed for the judges on Wednesday's show last night, and two groups were eliminated: The acoUstikats from the University of Kentucky, and VoicePlay from Orlando. </div>
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The two-hour finale featuring the finalists is scheduled to air on Monday night from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and will feature a special treat: performances by the judges. </div>
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Be sure to tune in!<br />
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In case you missed it, here's a recap of Wednesday night's show, which aired on December 18, 2013:</div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Season 4 Episode 5 Recap – "Movie Night"</span></b><br />
Each of the groups was mentored by Jewel who inspired the groups to sing with emotion and heart.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Home Free</span></b></div>
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<i>Minneapolis, Minn</i></div>
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<i>5 men</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/homefreevocalband"><i>https://www.facebook.com/homefreevocalband</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.homefreevocalband.com/"><i>http://www.homefreevocalband.com/</i></a></div>
<i>covering "Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison, from the movie "Pretty Woman."</i><br />
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Home Free performed quite a creative version of "Pretty Woman," a 1964 hit by Roy Orbison, first launching into an upbeat almost punk-country rhythm, then adding in an exclamatory group "Hey!" here and there. It was a bit like Johnny Cash meets Roy Orbison meets the Ramones.<br />
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The judges found their rendition to be interesting. "Home Fries, y'all my boys… that was tight. That was really great," said Folds. "One little silly thing that I liked to see you guys went 'Hey' … that was very cool."<br />
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The group then brought down the tempo into a beautiful, quiet and romantic section reminiscent of the original recording, per suggestions their mentor, Jewel had made during rehearsals. "Just make sure it doesn't pass by as just a toe tapper," warned Jewel," When you get done singing, we want to have it to haunt us, and we want it to have moved us."<br />
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"it's a really iconic song. It's a song everybody knows, so we want to be able to bring the really familiar aspects of the song to life. But we also want to do something with it to make people enjoy it in a way they weren't expecting," explained band member Austin Brown.<br />
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"Sounded awesome," said Folds.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Vocal Rush</span></b></div>
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<i>Oakland School for the Arts high school in Oakland, CA</i></div>
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<i>12 young men and women</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/osavocalrush"><i>https://www.facebook.com/osavocalrush</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.oakarts.org/school-vocal-music/647-vocal-rush-info-page"><i>http://www.oakarts.org/school-vocal-music/647-vocal-rush-info-page</i></a></div>
<i>covering "Against All Odds " by Phil Collins from the movie, "Against All Odds."</i><br />
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Noted for high energy songs with lots of choreography, the Oakland School for the Arts high school a cappella group, Vocal Rush, toned it down a bit and delivered a beautiful moving rendition of "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins. The performance was so momentous and heart stirring that it made me cry.<br />
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Kyana Fanene, who is usually singing the percussion, instead boldly took a risk and sang lead vocals on the intro and outro of the song in a delicately sweet voice, "The judges said we have a lot of youthful energy that tends to make us too excited and speed up. This will show how mature we can be," she said before her performance.<br />
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Jewel complimented the young singer, "Kyana, you're only 16 years old and you came out there and you allowed yourself to be really vulnerable and I heard your nerves. I heard it kind of taking your breath and cutting off your phrases and I liked it. It's endearing because it's really honest and I like hearing that. I want to hear your vulnerability. I don't want to hear something perfect without emotion. I want to hear emotion even if it's slightly flawed, 'cause those flaws make us relate to you as human."<br />
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The group used 18-year old Jordan Holly's soulful vocals to deliver a powerful punch for the meat of the song. Stockman noted the singers' technique, "Jordan, I loved you since the first show. And the fact that you have such control with your voice and you're 18?" noted Stockman, "Sometimes it takes people years to develop that type of vocal control and to develop that type of such a richness about your voice and that is a great, great trait to have if you're gonna sing."<br />
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Folds, who has two teenagers of his own at home, was equally impressed with the moving rendition, "I just like you guys and you all sort of stand for something in a good way."<br />
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"As a unit, I believe that you guys have the ability to do anything you guys want because you understand each other. You really are a group. Great job," said Stockman.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">acoUstiKats</span></b></div>
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<i>University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts in Lexington, KY</i></div>
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<i>12 men</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/acoustikats"><i>https://www.facebook.com/acoustikats</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://finearts.uky.edu/music/acoUstiKats"><i>http://finearts.uky.edu/music/acoUstiKats</i></a></div>
<i>covering "Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seeger, from the movie "Risky Business."</i><br />
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One thing a large all-male collegiate a cappella group can do well is put on an entertaining show, and that they did while acting out the song, "Old Time Rock and Roll" by Bob Seeger, which featured Tom Cruise dancing in his underwear in the movie, "Risky Business."<br />
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"Because these are movie songs, create a picture for us, you know, give us a character. It's a fun song. It's about nostalgia," suggested Jewel during rehearsals.<br />
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The 'Kats (as they are affectionately known back at the University of Kentucky) started out their rendition in barbershop before quickly flipping into a very true-to-the-original version of the song led by singer, Ross Hill.<br />
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"Jewel gave us some really good feedback, like having a story line, having excitement, and a nostalgic feel," said Ross.<br />
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For the second verse, the group changed up the song and delivered a honky tonk country swing version with Jeremy Michael Lewis on lead vocals. They then transitioned into a bluesy version with the help of lead vocalist Ron Wilbur, a shift that Jewel noted as a "musical tour."<br />
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Despite all that was happening on stage, the vocals were reasonably tight, "Seriously guys, it was a great performance. Lots of energy," said Stockman, "Harmony wise, sometimes when you do the choreography, those harmonies can waiver. And I heard that just a little bit. But other than that, it was still a wonderful performance. Obviously, you guys found a niche."<br />
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"I thought the transitions were good. They were well executed," noted Folds. "I'm not dead sure if I was sold on the idea of that many styles of music being represented in a song that was about rock and roll," and suggested the "lead vocals could have used more, uh, growling."<br />
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In the final chorus, all three leads came together and stripped into their tidy whiteys, dancing across the stage in an homage to Tom Cruise's iconic scene.<br />
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"It was rocking' and rollin'. I could have done without the exposure," joked Stockman.<br />
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Sadly, the group went home after this show, not a reflection of their performance, but more as another sad casualty of the necessary elimination process, which has become quite difficult this year due to the impressive caliber of groups this season.<br />
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>The Filharmonic</b></span></div>
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<i>Los Angeles, CA</i></div>
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<i>6 men</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheFilharmonic"><i>https://www.facebook.com/TheFilharmonic</i></a></div>
<i>covering "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," by Aerosmith, from the movie "Armageddon."</i><br />
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There is no doubt that The Filharmonic group are six very attractive young men, with lead singer VJ Rosales notably a "pretty boy," in the best sense of the term. Since the group is known for its good looks, beautifully smooth voices, and slick dance moves, mentor Jewel suggested to them that they add emotion to their performance, something she felt was lacking, "I just encouraged VJ to not just be a cute face, smiling, but to give me some feeling, give me some heart. Make me believe what you're saying."<br />
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"It's important for us to show and convey emotion this time around," agreed VJ.<br />
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And show it, they did. Their rendition of "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith was sweet and emotional, opening with the smooth croonings of VJ Rosales, before switching to the more powerful lead vocals of Joe Calgoy, who was moved to tears himself by the ending.<br />
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"It was really nice to see that vulnerable side of you," commended Jewel, "I love how you started that a cappella. It was really touching. You guys did a tender emotional performance of that," said Jewel, "you weren't relying on a lot of energy and dance moves, and so it made you guys really vulnerable."<br />
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Host Nick Lachey also gave his approval of Joe's emotional outpouring, "It's a blessing to see you up here giving it your all and coming from a place of real sincerity and honesty. That's a beautiful thing, man. Don't be ashamed of that at all. That's awesome. "<br />
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Folds had nothing but praise for the lead vocals, "Joe, especially in your lower range, the texture in your voice, and the tone to me that was the tambour of your voice, it was the most compelling thing about your performance," he said, "VJ, too. Great singing. The lead singing was really fantastic on both your parts."<br />
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"I think you guys interpreted it, lovely," added Stockman.<br />
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Folds took the opportunity to make a "global statement" about beat boxing on cymbals, finding no point to them in most a cappella renditions, "You might not need them. A cymbal in real life sustains beyond everything else… It is like, 'Psssssss' and it keeps going. But when you're beat boxing, you have to drop that in the middle. And what it does to the listener, is you hear someone spitting. And this is no reason for it."<br />
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Stockman reminded the group, "You have to make sure those harmonies stay locked from beginning to end," noting that their arrangements tend to come apart at the bridge. "You guys can be better. Just keep that in mind."<br />
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">VoicePlay</span></b></div>
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<i>Orlando, FL</i></div>
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<i>6 men and women</i></div>
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<a href="http://thevoiceplay.com/about/"><i>http://thevoiceplay.com/</i></a></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/VoicePlay"><i>https://www.facebook.com/VoicePlay</i></a></span></div>
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<i>covering "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds, from the movie, "The Breakfast Club."</i></div>
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Ben Folds joked that when the song "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds came out in 1985, someone who looked like Nick Lachey was beating him up in the school yard over lunch money.<br />
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I think the song hits home for a lot of us who have seen the movie, "The Breakfast Club," a movie which explores the high school angst of how students divide themselves into cliques where one person in one clique doesn't generally associate with someone in another clique, but then are suddenly thrown together, and find they actually really like each other. Folds noted, "I'm not someone who normally comments about choreography, but I liked that in the last chorus, you all kind of took off pieces of your high school identity to move on. I thought the symbolism of that was really powerful. That was really good."<br />
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During rehearsals, Jewel mentored the group.<br />
<br />
Honey LaRochelle spoke of her fear of letting go of her emotions, "Being transparent and being vulnerable is a scary thing, but maybe that's really the way to go," said Honey. "Jewel said that maybe I wasn't being as honest as I thought I was being. I thought I was really putting it all out there, but the fact that she wants to see even more is even more scary."<br />
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Jewel gave her pointers, "I think you have a really deep well in you, and it's really vulnerable. Give me your heart, and I promise people will give it back to you."<br />
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Stockman shared some wise words based on his own experiences in the music business, "I think part of what makes us unique as artists and as singers is that we can bare our souls in front of millions of people… That's the magic and power of being an artist. You can be honest. Always remember that. And do not be afraid."<br />
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The group's vulnerability made their vocals that much more special as both Honey and Eli Jacobson sang emotional opposing lead parts, reflecting the mood of the song.<br />
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"I'm proud of you Honey, and it's an ongoing journey and I really do encourage everybody, every singer to really let your honesty come through. You know your realness is your thumbprint. It's what makes you uniquely you," said Jewel.<br />
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"Elliott, you surprised us all," said Stockman. "That's awesome that you came in the front and did your thing," noting, "It was nice to see you comin' out the box, sir." <br />
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The groups arrangement of the song was also complex and intricate.<br />
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"I liked how you guys deconstructed the song, it was a moment of polyphony, not to steal one of Ben's big words, but, I kinda had to do it," laughed Jewel, explaining that polyphony refers to intertwining, separate and distinct complementary melodies that are being played simultaneously, "instead of it being a harmony built on the triad."<br />
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"…as opposed to monophony," explained Folds, referring to music with just one melody or 'voice.'<br />
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"In other words, it was dope," joked Stockman, "I loved the arrangement. I love how you started. I loved how you brought in Honey, you have a unique voice in a way, because you can do almost anything. I always love your delivery, and I love your performance."<br />
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Both Stockman and Folds noted a loss of momentum in the arrangement somewhere near the bridge.<br />
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Stockman suggested that the group incorporate the song's musical hook, "the most memorable part of that song, "la la la la, clap, la la la la, clap…" as a way to end the song in a grand finale. "I didn't get that at the end, and I wish I did. Other than that, it was a good performance," said Stockman.<br />
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Sadly, the group was sent home, despite their amazing rendition. Once again, not due to anything they did or didn't do, but more attributed to the fact that someone must be eliminated.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Ten</span></b></div>
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<i>Dallas, TX</i></div>
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<i>10 men and women</i></div>
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<i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/officiallyten">https://www.facebook.com/officiallyten</a></i></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.officiallyten.com/">http://www.officiallyten.com/</a></i></div>
<i>covering "Skyfall" by Adele from the James Bond movie, "Skyfall."</i><br />
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I always want to turn up my volume louder when I hear Ten perform, since the wall of sound they create with mere vocals tickles my eardrums. It's important to have good speakers while watching the Sing-Off, really good speakers with a full spectrum of sound, in order to truly appreciate and enjoy the amazing harmonies truly good a cappella groups can create.<br />
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"You guys are doing really intricate ten-part harmonies. It was very impressive, very sophisticated and very appreciated," said Jewel.<br />
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Ten chose to perform a 007 James Bond movie song, "Skyfall," by Adele, as their movie hit with both Deedee Yancey-Mackey and Emoni Wikins on lead vocals.<br />
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"That was really good guys, that was really powerful," said Folds, "You hold back the groove like nobody else. Your choir is world class… amazing."<br />
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Jewel complimented the arrangement, "I loved that. It was like watching a movie. You had a lot of suspense and drama. A lot of great brushstrokes in the beginning. You set a scene."<br />
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Ten seems to have discovered the secret of how to arrange their parts. The song began with Deedee on lead vocals, hitting every note absolutely perfectly, then transitioned to the higher-ranged Imani, who was able to punch the high notes with power at the end.<br />
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"Deedee, that was a great reserved vocal at the top. That's so hard to do, especially on a competition show," noted Jewel.<br />
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"You've understood vocally what you guys can do as far as dynamics," said Stockman, "Deedee, your voice is so mesmerizing… You take over the song, you bring it to where everybody is in full attention at what you're doing. And that's the power and the drama that we as artists can create. You drew the picture, and Imani, you just brought it way home."<br />
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Stockman also complimented Deonis Cook on his percussion, "I was gonna see if you did the syncopated, do do do do do do do do do do do do do do, and I was like, YES! Everything was on point. You guys sound amazing. I'm so happy that you found your niche. Congratulations."<br />
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Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-57954495053337289972013-12-18T19:47:00.002-05:002013-12-19T08:40:44.506-05:00Jewel proves her prowess as a professor of a cappella<div class="p1">
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<i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Jewel adds her knowledge base to this Season's Sing-Off panel of judges</span></i></div>
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This new Season 4 of The Sing-Off a cappella singing competition show has rushed by so quickly, I haven't had an opportunity to give the judges props, especially new judge, Jewel, who replaced hit singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles who stepped down from the role of judge in order to promote her new album. </div>
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The seven episode show, which debuted on December 9, 2013, and has aired three times each week, has only three more episodes left to air: tonight, tomorrow, and a finale on Monday. Now over halfway through, it's gone by far too quickly, in my opinion, and I'm sad that by this time next week, we'll be back to singing Christmas carols and listening to the same old tired musak that's filling up most of network televisions' airwaves this time of year. </div>
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This past Episode 4, which aired on Monday, December 16 at 10 p.m., was an hour long show which featured four of the seven remaining competitors: Home Free, VoicePlay, Element, and Vocal Rush. </div>
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The show has been judged by Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman, and hosted by Nick Lachey over its course of four seasons and has seen its ups and downs in ratings. The third judgeship role has been filled by Nicole Scherzinger in Seasons 1 and 2, Sara Bareilles in Season 3, and now Jewel in Season 4. </div>
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I think many of us wondered how on earth the beautifully voiced Jewel would fare. A four-time Grammy Award nominee and platinum album seller, she has made her mark singing soulful emotional ballads, the equivalent of the chick flick for music. </div>
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I must confess, I have been a fan of Jewel's since before most people ever heard of her. I've always admired the interesting texture of her soprano voice, found her songwriting intelligent and heartfelt, and even bought some of her CDs. But, what does she know about a cappella singing? </div>
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Plenty, apparently. </div>
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During the first episode, I was so shocked by her usage of vocal terminology, I almost wondered if Jewel would dethrone the great Professor Ben Folds as academia's premiere expert on singing. Her knowledge of technical terms and acute observations have put her at least on an equal footing. What I was not prepared for is her vast knowledge of music in general, factoids and little gems of trivia about the original recordings of the songs which are featured on this season of the Sing-Off. To put it simply, Jewel is a jewel. </div>
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Though she talks about ten miles a minute, you can learn something from listening to Jewel. This particular episode, while taking notes and transposing her comments, I have defined some of the musical jargon she has tossed out within parentheses to make it easier for those of us at home without dictionaries handy to understand. </div>
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Folds, while no longer throwing out the big words this season 4 (though Lachey did accuse him of being a sesquipedalian) has decided this season to instead come up with odd little non-word sounds to emulate various inanimate objects, such as: a walking bass guitar, a tree, and a refrigerator, to date. As a writer, this has been a challenge attempting to transpose and quote these vocalizations. </div>
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In the meantime, Stockman talks mostly with his hands and vocal expressions. I have also enlisted parentheses to help illustrate these moments when I feel it's important to use a gesture as a quote.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Season 4 Episode 4 Recap – "My Generation"</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Home Free</span></b></div>
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<i>Minneapolis, Minn</i></div>
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<i>5 men</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/homefreevocalband"><i>https://www.facebook.com/homefreevocalband</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.homefreevocalband.com/"><i>http://www.homefreevocalband.com/</i></a></div>
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<i>covering "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash</i></div>
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As a professional touring a cappella group, Home Free's Rob Lunquist explained that the group lives out of an RV and does about 250 shows a year. That kind of experience shows in their live performances, which are always tight, always harmoniously perfect, and truly entertaining. Their particular rendition of "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash was absolutely momentous. </div>
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Tim Foust, started off the night by capturing the audiences' attention by spotlighting his deep rich bass vocals, singing slowly and deliberately:</div>
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<i>"Love is a burning thing. </i></div>
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<i>And it makes a fiery ring."</i></div>
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The key changed as regular lead vocalist Austin Brown took over the next two lines: </div>
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<i>"And bound by wild desire, </i></div>
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<i>I fell into a ring of fire." </i></div>
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The first verse took the band a full 32 seconds to deliver, twice the amount of time they would deliver the second verse, and captivated the audience with every single note and syllable. The group is only given about two and a half minutes to perform a song before the judges, and these four lines represented one fifth of their allotted time. </div>
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"You guys opened and you encapsulated something about the song which is sad, and it was perfectly executed," said Folds.</div>
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"You know, June actually wrote this song when she met Johnny, and she was still married, which gives it a lot of heart and a lot of feel, of like, you're sinning. So that poignancy was really brought out by that beginning," noted Jewel, speaking of June Carter Cash.</div>
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The group then upped the tempo and launched into a full group chorus, of "<i>I fell into a burning ring of fire</i>," complete with voice emulated drums and bass. Each verse which followed was up tempo and bouncy, what Stockman termed as a "reggae dance hall beat." </div>
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"I would have never thought of anything like that, but it worked. Like, it absolutely worked," said Stockman.</div>
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The song featured bassist Tim Foust on lead vocals. With each incredible note he delivered, it was apparent that we were watching a star perform. His control of his own four-octave range is incredible, reaching up into falsetto F#3 during one emotional verse, then back down to end the song in a fog horn like depth of a low F#0, that Judge Jewel noted to be over three octaves apart. </div>
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Lachey marveled at the feat, "Shoot the floor! Have you ever heard anybody sing that low before? I don't know if I've ever heard anyone hit a note that low."</div>
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Folds thought the arrangement was awesome, "Tim, you went from being an instrument this time to being human. And it was so great… it was because before you've been … like the singing refrigerator guy, 'wom om bu om bu,' but this time, like the tree, like the wise tree. Maybe a wise tree is a better, you know? …And then, the end, with that massive heavy low note. it's just a great way to leave everyone going, holy carp,* what was that?" </div>
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"That was sick," said Stockman.</div>
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Their performance nearly insures them in one of the four coveted spots in the finals, assuming they can continue at this level.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">VoicePlay</span></b></div>
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<i>Orlando, FL</i></div>
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<i>6 men and women</i></div>
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<a href="http://thevoiceplay.com/about/"><i>http://thevoiceplay.com/</i></a></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/VoicePlay"><i>https://www.facebook.com/VoicePlay</i></a></span></div>
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<i>covering "Don't Speak" by No Doubt</i></div>
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If anyone asked me, "who is the Pentatonix of Season 4," I'd have to say VoicePlay. Their three part harmony, bass, and drums, with a lead female vocal has made them the act that no one saw coming, especially after a rocky start this season. However, even Pentatonix was in the bottom at one point, but faced with the threat of elimination, pulled themselves up and kept going, and that's what VoicePlay has also done. And done well, I must say, as they performed an interesting version of "Don't Speak" by No Doubt.</div>
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After getting the assignment, band member Earl Elkins voiced concern, "We don't normally do emotional songs. We're not really a ballad style group, which it's gonna be difficult." The five-man backing group usually performs upbeat pop songs to tourists around the Orlando area, and added in their friend Honey LaRochelle for standout leads during the Sing-Off competition.</div>
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Judge Folds, who mentored the four groups this episode, suggested that they "put the song first in this one. I think you guys are at your best when you're really focused to the song, and then you can just tell the story," said Folds. "You're unique anyway… The things that you already are, are going to do their own work… Kick its ass."</div>
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The group started the song out with a delicate intertwining of high harmonies backed up by a light rhythm section, then came together perfectly as a group, each solidly hitting their marks. The highlight of the performance was an interesting Middle Eastern sounding solo, by Eli Jacobson, not an easy feat.</div>
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"That was amazing, just from the beginning," said Stockman. "It's really right now about arranging, and you guys showed a different side to yourselves that we haven't seen before. The way that Honey and Layne (Stein), how you guys just started the whole thing off. Everybody was like (mouth open in gawked amazement), It was like, you had us!"</div>
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Folds complimented them for their wise arrangement for this particular song, "All the things you started with that were sort of your liability,… the way that you would jump from one thing to another so quickly, kept us from knowing who you were. That time, you used all those dynamics to say something and it was really awesome."</div>
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Jewel broke down the song piece by piece, illustrating how the groups' changes made the song work, "You guys did that great and you used a lot of dynamic (variation and gradation in the volume) to help serve that point, starting in pianissimo (very softly), and then building, and you know you're crescendoing (gradually and steadily increasing) into forte (a loud forceful tone) and then into fortissimo (a very loud tone), really getting big, and then dropping back down, using the real sensitive vocal breakdown that you did out of the bridge was really beautiful. You guys did a great job considering a lot of different dynamics." </div>
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"That was emotional," summed up Stockman.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Element</span></b></div>
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<i>New York, NY</i></div>
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<i>10 women</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Elementvocals"><i>https://www.facebook.com/Elementvocals</i></a></div>
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<i>covering "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by the Supremes</i></div>
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One of the difficulties with a large group, and especially an all-female group, is arranging a song in such a way that the lead vocal can be easily distinguished. Element was able to achieve this task by trading off lead vocals amongst their very talented pool of vocalists after listening to some sage advice by mentor Judge Folds, "Who ever's singing needs a clear space to sing. If you have other singers in your range backing you up, they're not backing you up anymore, they're getting in your way," he explained. "It could be one person singing and everyone else could be Shh Shh whispering."</div>
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Their cover of the Supremes, "You Keep Me Hangin' On," was a personal one, "That song's really about female empowerment, and I can see why you guys chose it. I know that's really a mission for you guys and I think we definitely felt that. There's a lot of sincerity in the lead vocal," noted Jewel. </div>
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However, the groups' rendition seemed a bit too nice. Folds suggested that they dig deeper, "You have such kind faces," said Folds, "Julie (Manjula Raman), you almost got pissed, like, you almost summoned a little bit of anger. Go ahead and drive it home and get pissed about it. It's okay."</div>
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Despite their efforts, they were unable to impress the judges enough to survive this round and were sent home. "I liked what you guys did. I just felt like there were moments where some of the harmonies were kinda muddy. They were a little unglued, which made it for me, not as dramatic as it could have been," explained Stockman, "It just felt like one movement and it just wasn't enough change for me in the midst of that record."</div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Vocal Rush</span></b></div>
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<i>Oakland School for the Arts high school in Oakland, CA</i></div>
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<i>12 young men and women</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/osavocalrush"><i>https://www.facebook.com/osavocalrush</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.oakarts.org/school-vocal-music/647-vocal-rush-info-page"><i>http://www.oakarts.org/school-vocal-music/647-vocal-rush-info-page</i></a></div>
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<i>covering "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler</i></div>
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Once again, the talented kids of Oakland School for the Arts Vocal Rush impressed us, this time with their amazing rendition of "Holding out for a Hero," by Bonnie Tyler. Noting their handicap, mentor Judge Folds suggested during rehearsals, "It's down to technique right now, because what you don't have going for you is …15 years on the stage or touring constantly together, so make sure that your T's are dotted and your eyes are crossed."</div>
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What I enjoyed most about watching Vocal Rush perform is the wide range of vocal talent: For this song, the group featured its deep rhythm section and strong lead vocals, something that you wouldn't expect from high schoolers. Add to that their multi-ranged harmonies and impressive dance moves, and you have a recipe for success.</div>
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"The fact that you're young and you have no fear, ya'll just go for it. Ya'll give your one hundred percent… every time you perform, and that's what's so great about you guys, and not only that, to be the youngest crew in this whole thing, you guys are so musically intelligent," praised Stockman.</div>
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"The bass and drums. You guys really really held it down this time in a way that you hadn't before," said Folds, "The double chorus at the end, was like you just about hit your limit, but when you ended it and you landed the plane, it was awesome. and I can't tell you how much I like watching you sing. And, It's just an inspiration. When I was your age, I was an idiot," joked Folds.</div>
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"I think you guys make this sound cool. I loved the rap. I thought that was really great. It took me by surprise. I didn't expect that," said Jewel, "And again, there's so many single voices, but you guys sound so warm and so rich, your tones are just beautiful, and they're blending beautifully. </div>
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The group was given homework on ways to improve, "If there was one tiny chink that is in your armor, it's that your youthful exuberance can also just be a slight achilles heel, because you do get a little bit excited, and sometimes it just gets a little bit fast. You just get ahead of that tempo a tiny bit, and that's probably the only chink that I can find," noted Jewel.</div>
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"It fell apart just a little bit, but you picked yourselves back up. It's nothing else I can say except, awesome," said Stockman. </div>
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<i>* the word carp is implied. the actual expletive was bleeped out. </i></div>
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Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-72222681796570868922013-12-16T19:21:00.001-05:002013-12-19T11:30:52.224-05:00AcoUstiKats singer's girlfriend says, "Yes" during Sing-Off<div class="p1">
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<i><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-small;">Mike Owens proposes to Maggie Blair during Thursday's Sing-Off taping.</span></i></div>
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Day three of the Sing-Off a cappella competition show was an hour long show featuring only four of the eight remaining groups: TEN, Street Corner Renaissance, the acoUstiKats, and The Filharmonic each competing amongst each other for one of three spots that would survive to the next round. </div>
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The Sing-Off Season 4 Episode 3 aired on NBC on Thursday night, December 12, 2013 from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. The show is judged by Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman, and Jewel and is hosted by Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees. Competing are ten groups hoping to win a $100,000 recording contract from Sony.</div>
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Mentoring the four competitors during rehearsals this episode was Judge Shawn Stockman who drew from his extensive vocal knowledge and experience performing with the successful band, Boyz II Men, to give pointers to each of the four groups.</div>
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The surprise of the night came when AcoUstiKats member Mike Owens asked his girlfriend Maggie Blair to come up on stage to join them after their romantic performance of the song, "Amazed" by Lonestar. Referencing the title of the song, Owens told her, "I am amazed by you, Maggie," then got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. </div>
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She said, "Yes." </div>
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Host Lachey joked, "And guys, for the record, we all expect to be invited to the wedding." </div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Season 4 Episode 3 Recap – "Number One Hits"</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Ten</span></b></div>
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<i>Dallas, TX</i></div>
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<i>10 men and women</i></div>
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<i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/officiallyten">https://www.facebook.com/officiallyten</a></i></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.officiallyten.com/">http://www.officiallyten.com/</a></i></div>
<i>covering "Chain of Fools" by Aretha Franklin</i></div>
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There's more than one lead singer in the group, Ten, but you wouldn't know it from the way in which the group works as a cohesive unit to emulate the instrumentation and backup vocals of a full supporting rhythm and blues a cappella band. With Deedee Yancey-Mackey singing lead on Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools," the rest of the all-star cast of gospel church and professional performing backup singers divided themselves into three groups of three: a group of three male singers vocalized the sounds of drums and bass; another group of three backed up the singer with a mixture of melody and doo-wops; while the third group acted as the the three-girl backup band characteristic of the famous Motown sound. </div>
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Their arrangement was filled with interesting changes and dynamics as they transitioned from part to part, building to a fast tempo gospel-choir-like finale where all the members joined in for one final flourish. The performance was filled with strength and power and garnered the group a standing ovation from all three judges. "It was amazing," said Folds, "You're dangerous."</div>
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Jewel complemented the group on how they divvied up their roles behind Deedee, the lead singer, "Girls, backing her up, Imani, Peaches, and Sidney. That sounded great. Ya'll just supported her, you gave her a place to grow and be there. You guys back there in the band, acting like a band, I loved it. I love the staging. It was great." </div>
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"There you go, There you go. Nice. Yeah!" cheered Stockman, "Here's the thing that sucked about that whole performance. It wasn't long enough."</div>
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During rehearsals, Stockman had suggested the group drag out the choral hook of the song, "Chain Chain Chain," and make it sound gritty and grimy. "Make people feel you. Take them to church," said Stockman. The group took his suggestions to heart and delivered with power and grit. </div>
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"That performance right there is your signature as far as who you are. When people say Ten, I guarantee, they will bring up this performance right here. That's what it's all about. Great job. Great job," praised Stockman.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">acoUstiKats</span></b></div>
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<i>University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts in Lexington, KY</i></div>
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<i>12 men</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/acoustikats"><i>https://www.facebook.com/acoustikats</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://finearts.uky.edu/music/acoUstiKats"><i>http://finearts.uky.edu/music/acoUstiKats</i></a></div>
<i>covering "Amazed" by Lonestar</i></div>
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Delivering a beautiful, traditional, choral arrangement of "Amazed" by Lonestar, the acoUstiKats melted the hearts of everyone in the viewing audience. </div>
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Stockman had advised the members of the group beforehand to make the song more emotional and personally meaningful by using a trick he had learned during his many years of performing, "Pick a girl in the crowd, and sing to her. You'll be amazed at how you'll start to sing better. Because, you'll then see her reaction…"</div>
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React, they did. "That was moving," said Folds. </div>
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"I was a little worried when I found out you guys picked this record, because its such a sincere vocal, and what I've seen out of you guys so far is sort of this goofy frat persona, and I think I just found you guys' heart," said Jewel.</div>
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Folds noted the groups tight arrangement, "The choral approach was good, the bond you had together to push the song out, and Ross that was a beautiful vocal. It's like Josh Groban," said Folds, referring to Ross Hill's beautiful, manly, and rich lead vocals.</div>
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"I think you guys are a legit choral group. And I loved hearing this approach. This was harmonically very challenging and you guys didn't shy away from it," praised Jewel.</div>
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"Overall, a great performance," echoed Stockman.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Street Corner Renaissance</span></b></div>
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<i>Los Angeles, CA</i></div>
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<i>5 men</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/streetcornerrenaissance"><i>https://www.facebook.com/streetcornerrenaissance</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.streetcornerrenaissance.com/"><i>http://www.streetcornerrenaissance.com/</i></a></div>
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<i>covering, "Forget You" by CeeLo Green</i></div>
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I always enjoy how Street Corner Renaissance takes a current song, changes it up, then Motowns it down. The group played with CeeLo's hit song, "Forget You," by customizing, then acting out the lyrics in typical SCR fashion, and the result was hilariously funny as expected. </div>
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"That was the grooviest crying I've ever heard... You were crying right in time," laughed Folds.</div>
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"That was really enjoyable," said Jewel. "You guys have been this time machine. You've been going from One Direction to the Contours, and back here to the present, and you're making it all work for you. You guys are adapting this to your style."</div>
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The one thing I have noted about this act is their consistency. They always sound great and they always entertain. They never disappoint. Sadly, Street Corner Renaissance was sent home at the end of the night, a casualty of elimination.</div>
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"That was a lot of fun," said Folds.</div>
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"You could probably do a rock song in doo-wop and it'll sound good," said Stockman. </div>
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>The Filharmonic</b></span></div>
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<i>Los Angeles, CA</i></div>
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<i>6 men</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheFilharmonic"><i>https://www.facebook.com/TheFilharmonic</i></a></div>
<i>covering "One More Night" by Maroon 5</i></div>
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Imagine a boy band with a lead singer with a voice as smooth and full of character as Adam Levine's, combined with equally impressive harmonizing backup singers such as those found in Maroon 5, and imagine that this six-man band is performing Maroon 5's "One More Night," and sounds remarkably similar, yet does not have an actual band behind them: as in no real drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, and other instruments, and yet sounds as if they do, since these a cappella band members are only using their voices to emulate instruments. Imagine that feat, and you have The Filharmonic. Each time I hear one of their performances, I am equally impressed. </div>
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Despite their stellar performance, there were cracks in the armor. When a band is as tight as The Filharmonic, you hear every tiny flaw, every small mistake. </div>
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Though lead singer VJ Rosales is jokingly referred to by his band mates as "The Filipino Adam Levine," for sounding nearly exactly like Levine, Jewel noted that his vocals were not angry enough, "VJ on that vocal, you're so charming, and you're so lovely, and you're so smiley, and adorable, but this song has a little bit of …dark anger. It has some heartbreak that I wasn't getting from your vocal. So it made it a little bit light for me."</div>
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Folds also noticed that something seemed to be missing. "For some reason, [ I ] was not as excited about that performance, myself," he said. "We're not all perfect the whole way and the whole journey, and I know you guys have got it in you. You've got such personality. You see it in each and everyone of you," </div>
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"There's some interesting things going on that you guys did. You guys re-harmonized the bridge,... and that was pretty cool," said Jewel.</div>
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"The thing I'm most proud about you guys is that you've actually improved. This is the tightest you've ever been," said Stockman.</div>
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Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-74255262523770614142013-12-12T19:23:00.003-05:002013-12-16T19:05:21.687-05:00Sing-Off a Cappella show continues to make its mark on primetime with high ratings<div class="p1">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqf1VcqfoLml09W4rfT8exbmKm45xwcFOCjkmPdqPsJ9wOR0cbqrb87E_62DFKNaVvO2QaHHqxI-FN6h8mLl2QP_9TZo4J5PqLy5K9o7e8L4PuJTm7n_qkn-6YDamyPCoOJRU0ITigfcea/s1600/Filharmonic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqf1VcqfoLml09W4rfT8exbmKm45xwcFOCjkmPdqPsJ9wOR0cbqrb87E_62DFKNaVvO2QaHHqxI-FN6h8mLl2QP_9TZo4J5PqLy5K9o7e8L4PuJTm7n_qkn-6YDamyPCoOJRU0ITigfcea/s320/Filharmonic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-small;"><i>The Filharmonic a cappella group featuring six Filipino-Americans residing in Los Angeles. </i></span></div>
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The Sing-Off a cappella show is now entering its fourth season in 2013 after a one year hiatus when it was not renewed by NBC. The show is a competition reality show with ten singing groups competing for a grand prize of a $100,000 Sony recording contract. It is judged by Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman, and Jewel. Hosting it is Nick Lachey. It debuted on Monday night in first place for its time slot of 9 p.m.</div>
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It's hard not to say, "I told you so," to the invisible powers that be at NBC. </div>
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But what the heck? </div>
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We told you so. The Sing-Off is a great show. It can be a force to be reckoned with when not challenged in an impossible time slot.</div>
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With a first place ranking of 9.34 million viewers during its debut hour at 9 p.m. following the Voice semi-finals on Monday, December 9, 2013, the Sing-Off proved that it not only is prime time material, but also showed that it can swim with the sharks, beating out FOX's Sleepy Hollow (great show, I might add), CBS's Mike and Molly (also a decent show), and a Christmas movie on ABC. While the Sing-Off's own a cappella group Street Corner Renaissance was doo-wopping One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful," the real McCoy, the actual band One Direction was barely pulling in views on their own iHeart Radio special on the CW with only 600,000 viewers. </div>
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The second hour drew in nearly as many ratings with a first place ranking of 7.38 million viewers. </div>
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Adjusted viewership numbers showed an average of 8.39 million viewers for the two hour show that night. </div>
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It was a very good night for the Sing-Off.</div>
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Keep in mind these numbers are not perfect and are only based on a few discreetly placed Nielsen ratings big-brother boxes, usually located in single-family homes, not in the college dormitories where a cappella has its base. I'm sure the viewership is most likely even higher in reality. [ see article on <a href="http://tvgrrrrl.blogspot.com/2012/05/nielsen-ratings-signal-doom-for-sing.html" target="_blank">how Nielsen ratings are tabulated</a> published May 21, 2012 ] </div>
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Season 4, Episode 2 which aired on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 was pitted against two other reality shows: Survivor on CBS, which took the lion's share of ratings at 9.92 million, and the X-factor semi-finals on FOX which had less viewers at 4.97 million. The Sing-Off, with a ranking of third for the night at 6.03 million viewers behind ABC's the Middle is making a large primetime impact. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Season 4 Episode 2 Recap – "Party Anthems"</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Vocal Rush</span></b></div>
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<i>Oakland School for the Arts high school in Oakland, CA</i></div>
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<i>12 young men and women</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/osavocalrush"><i>https://www.facebook.com/osavocalrush</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.oakarts.org/school-vocal-music/647-vocal-rush-info-page"><i>http://www.oakarts.org/school-vocal-music/647-vocal-rush-info-page</i></a></div>
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<i>covering "Gonna Make You Sweat" by C&C Music Factory</i></div>
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This is one fun song to dance to. Vocal Rush successfully pulled off "Gonna Make You Sweat," one of the most difficult and complex dance tunes of our century so well, that I forgot that these were children, that there were no instruments, and that the group had only been given one week to learn and practice the song before presenting their version to the judges. Vocal Rush exhibited remarkable control and depth for young vocal chords, swelling in intensity when the song called for it, and working in unison to create those beautifully thick walls of multi-frequency vocal sound that A Cappellaeans such as myself love so much. Everyone was exactly on their mark. They sold the song and I believed it.</div>
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"You guys have such a poise, to be so young," said Stockman, "…holding down the beat... and doing 90s dance moves is quite impressive… You guys were not even born when this song was out… But you captured the energy of it."</div>
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Jewel felt the song started slow, but "the breakdown was awesome. It was wicked and really rocked after that."</div>
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"We just keep forgetting you're really young," said Folds, "So, as of now, you're just adults and you have to swim with everyone else… You just have to tighten some things up."</div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Home Free</span></b></div>
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<i>Minneapolis, Minn</i></div>
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<i>5 men</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/homefreevocalband"><i>https://www.facebook.com/homefreevocalband</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.homefreevocalband.com/"><i>http://www.homefreevocalband.com/</i></a></div>
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<i>cover of "Life is a Highway" by Rascal Flats</i></div>
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Home Free stepped "out of the box a little bit" noted Stockman, to take a risk attempting some rather safe dance moves on stage for their rendition of "Life is a Highway" by Rascal Flats. "And then, you jumped back in the box… but you know what? That's good. You stay with what you know and that's what makes you guys so great, and so far, so consistent," said Stockman. The song was exemplary of good arranging, with a well-defined beginning, middle, and end, noted Stockman. </div>
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"Like a three course meal," added Jewel.</div>
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The first first few notes were soloed, then the song launched cleverly into a spare, yet exact mix of tasteful drums and bass backing the lead singer, then melodically swelled into the bridge as the other two members joined in, finally becoming a more formal three-part-harmony choral arrangement during the chorus. It was all well planned and well executed, the mark of a true professional and experienced touring group.</div>
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Although the song was well done, I will never get used to Tim Foust singing solo lines in that insanely deep voice of his. It always cracks me up when it's his turn to sing. </div>
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Folds noted it as well: "When the bass guitar starts speaking, that's crazy. That's like my bass just jumped off the shelf and 'wah wah wah wah wah'"</div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">VoicePlay</span></b></div>
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<i>Orlando, FL</i></div>
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<i>6 men and women</i></div>
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<a href="http://thevoiceplay.com/about/"><i>http://thevoiceplay.com/</i></a></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/VoicePlay"><i>https://www.facebook.com/VoicePlay</i></a></span></div>
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<i>covering "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry</i></div>
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A unique and original arrangement, VoicePlay brought it and represented in their version of "Play that Funky Music" by Wild Cherry. They utilized their assets and did what they do best: the five backing men provided a solid melody and rhythm while lead singer Honey Larochelle sang, then rapped, then vamped out the lyrics. </div>
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The judges were also impressed. Stockman gave them a standing ovation and commended them for reinventing themselves after a rocky start in their first competition. "The whole dance hall break down, the arrangement, everything was smooth, it was seamless, it was great." </div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Street Corner Renaissance</span></b></div>
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<i>Los Angeles, CA</i></div>
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<i>5 men</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/streetcornerrenaissance"><i>https://www.facebook.com/streetcornerrenaissance</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.streetcornerrenaissance.com/"><i>http://www.streetcornerrenaissance.com/</i></a></div>
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<i>covering "Do You Love Me" by The Contours</i></div>
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Street Corner Renaissance mash-potatoed and twisted their way through "Do You Love Me," a 1962 Motown standard by The Contours. Their doo-wop rendition was so natural and so relaxed, it was evident that this was not the first time they were performing it. Once again, I felt the loving arms of music wrap around me and comfort me like a warm blanket. </div>
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There's really nothing to criticize with this group. They are who they are, and they do it well. </div>
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"You guys are proof that less can be more," said Jewel, noting that the arrangement was spare and full of lots of quiet moments, termed "space" in the music world.</div>
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"There's more than one way to party," said Jewel, "and you guys bring a vibe and you set the tone and everybody… joins in and sings along."</div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Element</span></b></div>
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<i>New York, NY</i></div>
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<i>10 women</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Elementvocals"><i>https://www.facebook.com/Elementvocals</i></a></div>
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<i>covering "Raise Your Glass" by Pink</i></div>
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Performing "Raise Your Glass," by Pink, Element utilized an interesting technique where they joined their voices together to "chong," creating an almost bell-like melodic rhythmic percussion behind the lead singers. I felt the technique of incorporating a key change and singing in unison into the final chorus gave the song strength and power and drove it home.</div>
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Though the group could use a little work, I felt this was a great rendition. I especially enjoyed the moments where the lead singers soloed, also noted by both Folds and Stockman: </div>
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"The bridge is where the party started for me," said Folds, "I think some of it may have been you were singing in unison at the top. Almost nothing was sung as a solo, so we didn't get a chance to latch on to anyone. And then suddenly, in the bridge, you started splitting off and singing, and I got a chance to hear you actually sing and I prefer that," said Folds.</div>
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"It would have been nice to hear you guys individually," echoed Stockman. "It would be nice to hear a spotlight on one of you guys and then the next one and let them do their thing while you guys back the girl up."</div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">acoUstiKats</span></b></div>
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<i>University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts in Lexington, KY</i></div>
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<i>12 men</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/acoustikats"><i>https://www.facebook.com/acoustikats</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://finearts.uky.edu/music/acoUstiKats"><i>http://finearts.uky.edu/music/acoUstiKats</i></a></div>
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<i>covering "Hey Ya" by Outkast</i></div>
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The acoUstiKats covered "Hey Ya" by outcast. This is one particular performance that sounds even more phenomenal when you only "listen" and don't try to watch the usual accompanying choreography, which is always a highly entertaining spectacle of typical-collegiate antic-filled danced-out skits. </div>
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Jewel gave the group props, complementing them on an impressive key change into a high note, "…and we think that's as high as it's gonna get, and then you… take it up to 11, spinal-tap style, even higher."</div>
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Though well executed, the arrangement was extremely busy so that it sadly lost tempo in two very noticeable locations. "Just savor the groove," suggested Folds. "You had us from an entertainment point of view for the whole thing. it's just a matter of … really locking in the musical part of it." </div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Calle Sol</span></b></div>
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<i>Aguadilla, Puerto Rico</i></div>
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<i>6 men and women</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/callesolmusic"><i>https://www.facebook.com/callesolmusic</i></a></div>
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<i>covering "Livin' la Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin</i></div>
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When the ladies of Calle Sol sing in unison and back up the male lead over a backdrop of percussion, the sound is like pure acoustic honey. To incorporate dance into their rendition of "Living la Vida Loca" by Ricky Martin brings their performance into the rhythmic gymnastics expertise level of a cappella singing. </div>
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Sadly, the musical portion suffered as a result of attempting to both dance and sing and "for me, there were some holes in the performance," noted Jewel. </div>
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Stockman stated it well, "The crazy thing about this whole show is that arrangement is everything… Sometimes the dancing can be somewhat of a hindrance," he said, noting that at times the singers were laboring to simply catch their breath, much less sing. </div>
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"You have to look at what you've got. You know that one of your strengths is dancing," noted Folds, but "the party has to be supported by music."</div>
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Though the overall result was not good enough to keep the group in the competition, Stockman said, "You are very courageous first and foremost in creating this type of a cappella group. Because, you not only have to dance, you also have to lock in on some of those harmonies."</div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Ten</span></b></div>
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<i>Dallas, TX</i></div>
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<i>10 men and women</i></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/officiallyten"><i>https://www.facebook.com/officiallyten</i></a></span></div>
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<span class="s1"><a href="http://www.officiallyten.com/"><i>http://www.officiallyten.com/</i></a></span></div>
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<i>"Hot in Herre" by Nelly</i></div>
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The Dallas group, TEN performed a highly entertaining, incredibly amazing rendition of Nelly's "Hot in Herre." The arrangement was complicated and the performance tight, so that the overall result was simply beautiful. The group is so professional, I have no doubt that they will make it to the finals, provided of course they don't get hired away before the competition ends.</div>
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I think there's an intrinsic value to having a gospel choir and backup singer background, as each of the members of TEN have. </div>
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"All of you are lead singers. Any one of you can be stars," noted Jewel. </div>
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But what makes TEN special in my opinion is that each member knows when to step forward and take the lead, and each member knows how to step back and offer support instead. Singing is like crew rowing. Only one person can steer the boat to where it needs to go. Everyone else must paddle hard in the same direction, or they will simply go nowhere. By working together, they can be the first to cross that elusive finish line upstream. It takes a certain humility to step back and let the leader lead. Church singing does that. Being a backup singer to a professional teaches that as well.</div>
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Emoni Wikins, who was also celebrating her birthday on the day of the taping, sang lead for this song. "When you're hitting it like that, it doesn't even need the band," noted Folds.</div>
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"i just want to thank you for the gift," complemented Jewel, "'Cause all of those little notes and those trills you were doing were icing on the cake." </div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">The Filharmonic</span></b></div>
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<i>Los Angeles, CA</i></div>
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<i>6 men</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheFilharmonic"><i>https://www.facebook.com/TheFilharmonic</i></a></div>
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<i>covering "This is How We Do It" by Montell Jordan</i></div>
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Saving one the best performances for last, the Filharmonic of Los Angeles delivered their version of Montell Jordan's "This is How We Do It" as smoothly sweet as "chocolate covered strawberries," as promised by Joe Caigoy, one of the members before their performance. All singing was done well and in unison. Vocal breakdowns added interest and build-ups were on cue. The overall execution was smooth and professional.<br />
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"You showed a lot of new elements," noted Jewel as she complemented them on their vocal arpeggios. </div>
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"You started it from the gate, ...from the first note you sang, it was a party," said Stockman, who said he enjoyed the way that the group incorporated 90s dance styles such as "running man" into their choreography. </div>
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"You guys have a good sound," said Folds, "You've got a really slick midrange. It's just the way you blend together." Folds added that he had no criticisms for the group, only pats on the back, "I'm trying to think of anything at all to tell you other than, "You grabbed it from the beginning, it sounded like a record, and it was fun, and I was wishing it wasn't over." </div>
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I felt it was the best performance of the night, so great that I feel comfortable predicting that the Filharmonic will go to the finals and have a shot at actually winning this Season's Sing-Off. </div>
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What's interesting is that some of the members are still quite young. As these young men age and gain a bit more maturity in their voices, they will only sound richer, stronger, and fuller. </div>
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Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-9510743905191681102013-12-11T13:42:00.001-05:002013-12-18T07:59:12.104-05:00Sing Off Season 4 raises a cappella to a new high<div class="p1">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2boNGUNyKEv2Ut9wkQ9WT6XFhXvHdiNIbPS-DN0JsmZ4k7dR_O2qD19JfTaI6kgfHV5sXdwXQvPLkWImjITpzRt6_invQwTXpTduTT75vKjcXgybPOlCMiJTYwOCZcbcJSiLje957g83/s1600/Vocal+Rush+Oakland+HS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2boNGUNyKEv2Ut9wkQ9WT6XFhXvHdiNIbPS-DN0JsmZ4k7dR_O2qD19JfTaI6kgfHV5sXdwXQvPLkWImjITpzRt6_invQwTXpTduTT75vKjcXgybPOlCMiJTYwOCZcbcJSiLje957g83/s320/Vocal+Rush+Oakland+HS.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;"><i>Vocal Rush, a high school a cappella group from the Oakland School for the Arts, opened the show. </i></span></div>
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Debuting it's Season 4 opener last night, the Sing-Off singing competition show brought a cappella to a new high. The show aired Monday December 9, 2013 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on NBC following the Voice semi-finals.</div>
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The groups seem to have gotten better — much better, in fact. </div>
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The <a href="http://www.nbc.com/sing-off/" target="_blank">Sing-Off</a> show took a one year break in 2012 when it was not renewed for Season 4 due to low ratings in a slot-challenged full season 3 in 2011. However, the show was never officially cancelled, and fans rallied for a return of the show, if not on NBC, then on another network. While producers Mark Burnett and Sony were working out the details for a come back, a cappella took off.</div>
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Versions of the Sing-Off franchise were launched in China, the Netherlands, and France. The winner of Season 3, <a href="http://www.ptxofficial.com/" target="_blank">Pentatonix</a>, began making giant leaps and strides furthering the music genre front and center into the mainstream by charting their debut CD, <i><a href="http://www.ptxofficial.com/music" target="_blank">PTX Vol II</a></i> in the top ten on the Billboard 200. The hit musical drama television show <a href="http://www.fox.com/glee/" target="_blank">Glee</a> continued to be a hit show. And the movie <a href="http://www.pitchperfectmovie.com/" target="_blank">Pitch Perfect</a>, a musical comedy about an all-girl collegiate cappella group, peeked at number 3 at the box office. </div>
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It was a very good year for a cappella.</div>
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NBC, smartly re-upped for Season 4 and the Sing-Off was back, one year later in 2013, but much much stronger.</div>
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Now, the competing a cappella acts are not just good, and are no longer just a novelty. During the one year hiatus of the show, a cappella performance groups have become forces to be reckoned with. Gone are the amateurs who assembled just to fill a slot on a bracket. We are now seeing primarily professional touring groups dominate the list of entrants, such as Home Free from Minneapolis and Street Corner Renaissance from L.A. Though college a cappella is still a large part of the foundation for learning the craft, only two of the ten competitors hail from college campuses: The Princeton Footnotes and the University of Kentucky acoUstiKats. </div>
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Continuing to host the show was the forever charming Nick Lachey, and returning to judge the acts were the debonair Shawn Stockman and the brilliant Professor Ben Folds. Newcomer Jewel proved herself to be a cappella-worthy as she filled the judge vacancy left by Sara Bareilles with uniquely insightful observations. </div>
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I really enjoyed the Season 4 debut show. Here is a recap:<br />
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>Vocal Rush</b></span></div>
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<i>Oakland School for the Arts high school in Oakland, CA</i></div>
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<i>12 young men and women</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/osavocalrush"><i>https://www.facebook.com/osavocalrush</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.oakarts.org/school-vocal-music/647-vocal-rush-info-page"><i>http://www.oakarts.org/school-vocal-music/647-vocal-rush-info-page</i></a></div>
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<i>covering "Bottom of the River" by Delta Rae</i></div>
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As I listened to Vocal Rush launch into a cover of "Bottom of the River" by Delta Rae, the beautiful mix of harmonies covered me like maple syrup, deliciously rich and authentic. Their music moved to a driving bass beat. And their leads were incredibly powerful, soaring high above the vocal wall of sound they had created. </div>
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"I can tell that you probably listen to some great singers," noted Jewel, who said that the feel of the lead vocals reminded her of Nina Simone's Sinnerman. "It had that sort of righteous anger. And righteous anger for youth is important. I think our youth has to embody that. That's how change comes about." </div>
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It was my favorite performance of the night. Their arrangement and choreography was sophisticated and professional. Their execution was technically perfect. </div>
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<span class="s1">And no wonder. Vocal Rush recently won first place in the <a href="http://www.varsityvocals.com/acappella.html" target="_blank">Varsity Vocals International Championship of High School A Cappella</a> held in New York City this past April. One of their lead singers, Sarah Vela, won the B</span>est HS Soloist CARA award. I watched several of their videos on youtube, and despite the fact that the student roll rotates from year to year, Vocal Rush continues to be consistently exceptional in the high quality of their performances. Their success can be credited to their mentor and director Lisa Forkish and to the creative fostering of their school, the Oakland School for the Arts.</div>
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Host Nick Lachey said it best: "I've got to remind everyone watching at home, there is no band up here. Everything you're hearing is from these voices right here on stage. High school voices, I might add."</div>
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Stockman said, "You guys are the youngest group in the competition, yet you guys have a certain maturity."</div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Home Free</span></b></div>
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<i>Minneapolis, Minn</i></div>
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<i>5 men</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/homefreevocalband"><i>https://www.facebook.com/homefreevocalband</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.homefreevocalband.com/"><i>http://www.homefreevocalband.com/</i></a></div>
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<i>cover of "Cruise" by Florida-Georgia Line</i></div>
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I'm not used to hearing country music performed as a cappella. When Home Free launched into rapping during "Cruise" by Florida-Georgia Line, I laughed my caboose off. It was funny and silly and entertaining all at once, yet still retained that pure country feel. </div>
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Home Free's vocals are solid, complete, and well-rounded, with "tight great harmonies" that lock in well, noted Jewel. Both Folds and Stockman took special note of the true bass vocalist, a rare range, since most bass singers in a cappella groups are baritones attempting to sing lower. "You have a natural freakish sound with that bass," noted Stockman. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">The Princeton Footnotes</span></b></div>
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<i>Princeton University in Princeton, NJ</i></div>
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<i>13 men</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/footnotes"><i>https://www.facebook.com/footnotes</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://footnotes.princeton.edu/"><i>http://footnotes.princeton.edu/</i></a></div>
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<i>cover of "Trouble" by Taylor Swift</i></div>
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A really dapper group of gentlemen with cleverly donned plaid bow ties, The Princeton Footnotes produced a solid harmonic rendition of Taylor Swift's hit song, "Trouble." Judge Stockman noted their talent: <span class="s2">"I'm going to shout out to the unsung heroes in your crew: the tenors and the baritones. You guys are the ones that can either make or break those harmonies. </span>If you guys are off, then the whole thing is off. And you guys managed to stay on through this whole performance."<span class="s3"> </span></div>
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Unfortunately, the Princeton Footnotes were sent home at the end of the show. Though the lead did deliver, he was virtually drowned out at times, something which is inevitable in large groups with solid full harmony backups. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Calle Sol</span></b></div>
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<i>Aguadilla, Puerto Rico</i></div>
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<i>6 men and women</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/callesolmusic"><i>https://www.facebook.com/callesolmusic</i></a></div>
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<span class="s1"><i>covering "Pon de Replay</i></span><i>" by Rihanna</i></div>
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With the Sing-Off now branching out into other countries such as China, France, and the Netherlands, it is only natural that it would find its way into Latin America. Calle Sol hailing all the way from Puerto Rico has achieved something new by combining salsa with a cappella. Though the first winners of the Sing-Off were Nota, also from Puerto Rico, Calle Sol has infused the full flavor of their culture into their craft. </div>
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Comprised of four women and two men, the group danced and sang their version of "Pon de Replay," by Rihanna, a song asking the DeeJay to put their favorite song on the replay, or "pon," which is a colloquial term short for "put on." The women salsa'd throughout, all whilst singing beautiful song-bird-like harmonies as the two men vocalized a solid bass and drum line throughout most of the song. </div>
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A memorable part of the performance was a vocalized breakdown of Latin percussion. Jewel noted that she could hear a cowbell and woodblock.</div>
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Judge Folds noted that the song was "really fun and really unique," but was missing the middle ranges. "You're going to have to come up with some ways to stay full in your sound so that the unshakable party on the top that you have mastered has something beneath it." </div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Street Corner Renaissance</span></b></div>
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<i>Los Angeles, CA</i></div>
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<i>5 men</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/streetcornerrenaissance"><i>https://www.facebook.com/streetcornerrenaissance</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.streetcornerrenaissance.com/"><i>http://www.streetcornerrenaissance.com/</i></a></div>
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<i>covering "What Makes You Beautiful," by One Direction</i></div>
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Street Corner Renaissance added some tender loving care to One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful," to make it feel more like home. They added a drop of bluesy southern comfort, wrapped it in a warm woolen blanket of old school familiarity, and gently tap danced a Cole Porter jazz bass line behind it. </div>
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There's something rich and wonderful about old voices. Over time, vocal cords develop flaws and scars, and these translate into fuller and thicker singing voices, almost like the pops and whistles of a needle on an old vinyl album. It's called character. </div>
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"There's a texture about doo-wop groups of old – the harmonies, the three-part, that'll never grow old, that will always sound good. I don't care what generation you're from," noted Stockman.</div>
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Their rendition was surprisingly hip. I felt as if I'd stepped into a time machine and been transported back to Motown in the 1960s. </div>
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Stockman summed it up, "Children take notes. Ya'll talk about swag. This is swag."<br />
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Ten</span></b></div>
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<i>Dallas, TX</i></div>
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<i>10 men and women</i></div>
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<i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/officiallyten">https://www.facebook.com/officiallyten</a></i></div>
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<i><a href="http://www.officiallyten.com/">http://www.officiallyten.com/</a></i><br />
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<i>covering "Tell Me Something Good" by Chaka Khan</i></div>
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You would never know from their stellar performance that the group Ten had only been rehearsing as a group for a few days before competing on the Sing-Off. Comprised of a group of gospel singers who work as backup singers for big names such as Justin Timberlake, Nicki Minaj, and Florence and the Machine, they already have the skills and knowledge to understand their own unique role in how they can contribute to the team. A cappella isn't about one person, it's about teamwork. It's about "Ten."</div>
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The group provided that rich, full, th<span style="font-family: inherit;">ick wall of sound that is so desirable through utilizing their diverse vocal ranges. That's the sound you hear when all of the mechanoreceptors in your ear hair cells are being stimulated at once, from the very lows to the very highs. Your ear muscles will automatically twitch back when you hear a high note, which opens them up so that you can hear better, making the lower frequencies sound even louder. It's an odd phenomenon, and probably something that evolved as a way to better hear the high frequencies of crying babies</span>. When it all comes together, this technique doesn't just open the ears, it opens the heart and soul, stirring compassion.</div>
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Jewel said, the first chord "was like a pipe organ at church."</div>
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Folds noted that the group made "the speakers in here… suddenly take on a sound we haven't heard out of them, yet."</div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">Element</span></b></div>
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<i>New York, NY</i></div>
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<i>10 women</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Elementvocals"><i>https://www.facebook.com/Elementvocals</i></a></div>
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<i>covering "Burn" by Ellie Goulding</i></div>
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By far my favorite all-female a cappella group I've ever heard perform in all the years I've been watching the Sing-Off, Element fills in the low end nicely to help round out the sound with thick bass and tight percussion. I was quite impressed with Element's performance of the hip and trendy girl-power song, "Burn," by Ellie Goulding. Folds felt that they employed creative methods to get through the song.</div>
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Stockman noted that the only flaw he found was that the song built too quickly: "You started off at a level where once you reached your peak, it wasn't too far from where you started," and told them that they need to "not only know your ceiling, but your floor," in determining where to shift dynamics within the song.<br />
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My only small criticism is that the two lead singers used a wee bit too much vibrato in their voices so that when they sang in unison, it magnified the vibrato in an unpleasant way. Their voices were also almost "too pretty," and not raw enough to impart the true meaning and feel of the song. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">VoicePlay</span></b><i></i></div>
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<i>Orlando, FL</i></div>
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<i>6 men and women</i></div>
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<a href="http://thevoiceplay.com/about/"><i>http://thevoiceplay.com/</i></a></div>
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<i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/VoicePlay">https://www.facebook.com/VoicePlay</a></i><br />
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<i>covering "Feel this Moment" by Pit Bull with Christina Aguilera</i></div>
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The male members of VoicePlay have been performing a cappella for years, both together and also in other groups, working the theme park circuit here in Orlando. I've actually seen some of them perform at Universal. Their years of training and experience were easily apparent in their daring and risky arrangement, which transitioned frequently throughout their rendition of "Feel this Moment" by Pit Bull featuring Christina Aguilera. </div>
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Jewel felt the group employed clever techniques to change up the song, which might have sounded monotonous otherwise. "You chose a dance track and there's not a lot of music there… i thought it gave our ears something interesting every single time it changed every eight bars or so."</div>
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Newcomer, lead vocalist Honey adds an entirely new twist to the group. </div>
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Jewel commended the male group for adding her, saying, "When you hear a record, you want to hear that singer be real identifiable and a lot of singers are really generic. They're great singers, but they kinda sound like other singers and you had a lot of style and character."</div>
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As my local group, I am a wee bit jaded in favor of seeing VoicePlay go all the way to the finals. My only slight criticism is that Honey's lack of a cappella experience was evident in that she did not stay in the pocket and on beat with the others, so that the overall sound was a wee bit messy. This kind of thing takes years to learn, but I feel they have what it takes with hard work and self-discipline to become a major performing vocal act. </div>
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<span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;"><b>The Filharmonic</b></span></div>
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<i>Los Angeles, CA</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheFilharmonic"><i>https://www.facebook.com/TheFilharmonic</i></a></div>
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<i>covering "Treasure" by Bruno Mars</i></div>
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<span class="s1">The Fil</span>harmonic can serenade me any time and any place. I love this guy group made up of six men from Los Angeles, many of whom are first generation Filipino Americans. They melted my heart and spirited me away on a magical dream ride over the clouds with their beautifully romantic vocal rendition of "Treasure," by Bruno Mars.</div>
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<span class="s2">The judges were in agreement. Folds felt the group was, "</span>absolutely fun and entertaining," and held the attention of the audience.</div>
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"You have so much personality," said Jewel. </div>
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Host Nick Lachey pointed out that the Filharmonic reminded him of Stockman's own hit vocal group, Boyz II Men.<br />
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Stockman agreed, taking special note of how the Filharmonic didn't lose the groove due to a solid, locked in bass line, "<span class="s1">You have the same style we have… We weren't very loud singers. Our harmonies are very smooth ... You captured that."</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: large;">acoUstiKats</span></b></div>
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<i>University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts in Lexington, KY</i></div>
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<i>12 men</i></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/acoustikats"><i>https://www.facebook.com/acoustikats</i></a></div>
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<a href="http://finearts.uky.edu/music/acoUstiKats"><i>http://finearts.uky.edu/music/acoUstiKats</i></a></div>
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<i>covering "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke</i></div>
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Where many large a cappella groups fail, the 12 members of acoUstiKats excel. They have somehow learned how to work together as a team, supporting each other, the backup singers taking a backseat to the leads, learning their own individual vocal range parts, and creating one purely entertaining and "fun" vocal experience with clever choreography. </div>
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The judges agreed. Jewel said, "I giggled. I don't think I've giggled that much in years."</div>
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Folds said, "That was fun. That was so good… The fun was anchored by some stuff that was going on that was really really right… It wasn't just like sort of irresponsible fun. It was very responsible fun."</div>
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Their name acoUstiKats emphasizes the U and the K for the University of Kentucky where they all attend school. Their name alone drew the best quotes of the night from the judges.<br />
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Stockmen gave the group a standing ovation and said that Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" was one of his favorite records of the year and, "I was afraid it was gonna be a acoUstiKatastrophe…. I had so much fun watching you. It was great. Good job" </div>
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Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-43894641270747619342013-12-09T00:06:00.000-05:002013-12-13T15:10:44.415-05:00Sing-Off Season 4 debuts Monday night at 9 on NBC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: inherit;">Local Orlando group VoicePlay will compete with the addition of renowned singer Honey Larochelle.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Just in case you missed all the hoopla, <a href="http://www.nbc.com/sing-off/" target="_blank">The Sing-Off</a>, television's only a cappella competition singing show, has finally been renewed after a year of grass roots fan-based campaigning of tweeting </span>#savethesingoff<span style="font-family: inherit;"> and will debut Season 4 on Monday, December 9, 2013. This season offers seven new episodes broadcast for three weeks on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays through Monday, December 23.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The show will air at 9 p.m. on NBC following <a href="http://www.nbc.com/the-voice/" target="_blank">The Voice</a> singing competition show which airs at 8 p.m. Unlike The Voice, The Sing-Off does not allow a band or backing track behind the singers. Only a singer's voices may be used, and use it they do! Drums, bass, woodwinds and strings are all emulated using clever vocal tricks. It's an amazing feat – something everyone should witness first hand for themselves! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Competing are ten groups from all walks of life: college clubs, professional groups, and high school classes from locations spanning as far away as Minneapolis to Puerto Rico.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Judging the competition this year are returning Judges, Smooth Shawn "groovemaster" Stockman of <a href="http://www.boyziimen.com/shawn" target="_blank">Boyz II Men</a> and Professor "genius" Benjamin Scott Folds of <a href="http://www.benfolds.com/" target="_blank">Ben Folds Five</a>. Adding to the mix is newcomer three-time grammy nominated <a href="http://www.jeweljk.com/" target="_blank">Jewel</a> who has been lighting up the television screen this past week in numerous promotional spots, appearing on everything from the Today show to the Chew. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not surprisingly, former judge <a href="http://www.sarabmusic.com/" target="_blank">Sara Bareilles</a> will not return for she is busy promoting her new CD, The Blessed Unrest, featuring the huge hit song "Brave." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Also returning is host <a href="http://nicklachey.com/" target="_blank">Nick Lachey</a> of 98 Degrees, who promises to entertain with his usual wit and charm. </span><br />
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Unlike other performance competition shows, the show is taped and not shown live and contestants are eliminated by the judges for the first few rounds of the show. However, viewers will have an opportunity to vote for their favorite group in the finals. The winner will receive a $100,000 Sony recording contract.<br />
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<span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: inherit;"><b>Local Orlando group VoicePlay to compete</b></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This year, Orlando's own <a href="http://thevoiceplay.com/" target="_blank">VoicePlay</a>, formerly known as 42Five, will be performing with the addition of well-known area singer-songwriter, <a href="http://honeylarochelle.com/" target="_blank">Honey Larochelle</a>. Larochelle has toured with Joss Stone, written songs for Macy Gray, and been taken under the mentoring wing of Roberta Flack. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The group's 5-octave vocal range and unique high-low switch-off arrangements give them an excellent chance of getting all the way to the finals. There's a wonderful interview about them featured in the <i>Orlando Sentinel</i> (</span><a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/blogs/tv-guy/os-orlando-voiceplay-competes-on-sing-off-20131206,0,233918.post" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">click here to read it</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You can also find their fun website here: <a href="http://www.thevoiceplay.com/">www.thevoiceplay.com</a> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Be sure to submit your answers to their questionnaire in the lab section and perhaps they will write a song about you! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #ffe599; font-family: inherit;"><b>Set your DVRs! The Sing-Off will air at:</b></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mon. Dec. 9 – 9:02 pm to 11 pm </span><br />
<span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: inherit;"><b>Season 4, Episode 1, "The Sing-Off is Back!"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">All ten groups perform.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wed. Dec. 11 – 8 pm to 10 pm </span><br />
<span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: inherit;"><b>Season 4, Episode 2, "Party Anthems"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nine groups perform and one is eliminated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thurs. Dec. 12 – 8 pm to 9 pm </span><br />
<span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: inherit;"><b>Season 4, Episode 3, "Number One Hits"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Four groups perform and one is eliminated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mon. Dec. 16 – 10:01 pm to 11 pm </span><br />
<span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: inherit;"><b>Season 4, Episode 4, "My Generation"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Four groups perform and one is eliminated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wed. Dec. 18 – 8 pm to 10 pm </span><br />
<span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: inherit;"><b>Season 4, Episode 5, "Movie Night"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Six groups perform.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Thurs. Dec. 19 and repeated Sat. Dec. 21 – 8 pm to 9 pm </span><br />
<span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: inherit;"><b>Season 4, Episode 6, "Judges Choice"</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The judges select songs to be performed by the final four groups. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mon. Dec. 23 – 8 pm to 10 pm </span><br />
<span style="color: #a2c4c9; font-family: inherit;"><b>Season 4, Episode 7</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Season finale. Season 4 Sing-Off winner is announced.</span></div>
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Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-8009050939583570392013-10-08T23:27:00.001-04:002013-10-09T10:58:32.330-04:00South Park spoofs George Zimmerman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="color: #d5a6bd; font-size: x-small;">Token and Eric "Zimmerman" Cartman</span></i></div>
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On Wednesday, October 9, <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/" target="_blank"><b>South Park</b></a> will air episode #1703, "<a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/58hx61/does-that-little-boy-have-a-gun" target="_blank"><b><i>World War Zimmerman</i></b></a>," about a vigilante-minded Eric Cartman who runs amok amid the town of South Park in search of Token, the sole African American male resident, who he sees as a threat to all humanity. The story is a parody of the George Zimmernan trial, with Eric Cartman apparently portraying a Zimmerman-like character. </div>
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George Zimmerman, as you recall, was a 28-year old Hispanic white man who was charged with murdering 17-year old African American Trayvon Martin after he spotted him walking through his condo complex one rainy night on February 26, 2012 in Sanford, FL, just north of Orlando. Zimmerman mistook Martin for one of the teenagers who had burglarized the neighborhood. Martin was wearing a hoodie (a hooded sweatshirt) and carrying only a pack of Skittles and an Arizona Watermelon Tea. The trial took place this summer. Zimmerman plead self defense and was found not-guilty on June 14, 2013, much to the dismay of those who felt he panicked and should have at least been charged with manslaughter. </div>
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Here in Central Florida, we have a uniquely personal relationship with the Martin/Zimmerman case. We joke about the <i><b><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">"Stand Your Ground"</span></b></i> (<b><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">SYG</span></b>) Florida law which was not utilized in this trial, but was considered by the defense as a possible way to defend Zimmerman. <b><i><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">"Stand Your Ground"</span></i></b> allows a person to injure or kill someone who they view to be a threat. In many states, prior violence must be clearly proven, and unless someone is inside your house or car, you can be charged with murder. Locals joke about murdering unpopular politicians who they find to be particularly offensive and wondering if the <b><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">SYG</span></b> law would stick. Criminals have been successful using the law as an excuse to shoot and kill someone, even when they are the aggressors and went looking for a fight. (<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/stand-your-ground-law/fatal-cases" target="_blank">interesting chart on SYG law cases</a>) The law is very controversial since the victim, now deceased, cannot tell their side of the story. </div>
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Since Zimmerman has been released, he has managed to stay in the media spotlight. On July 31, 2013, Zimmerman was pulled over for speeding on U.S. 80 near Dallas, TX. Displaying a gun to the officer, he got off with only a warning after letting the police officer know who he was. On September 9, police were called to the Zimmerman home over a domestic dispute between George, his estranged wife Shellie (who had just filed for divorce), and Shellie's father. Shellie had said in an ABC interview a few days earlier that her husband "believes he is 'invincible' after being found not guilty." </div>
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Locals joke about watching out for Zimmerman while visiting Sanford, since he seems to be able to shoot random innocent people at will. There are even "Zimmerman" sightings, like Big Foot. </div>
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I'm sure that South Park will reveal a moral lesson in this episode, that people cannot be judged as evil merely based on the color of their skin. Perhaps the show will take a poke at Florida's inane laws.<br />
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One local TV critic, Hal Boedeker of the Orlando Sentinel, has theorized that Zimmerman himself will make a guest appearance on the show (<a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/blogs/tv-guy/os-south-park-is-george-zimmerman-in-episode-20131007,0,708648.post" target="_blank">Article dated Oct. 7, 2013</a>). Since South Park is animated, only Zimmerman's voice would be used.</div>
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The episode will debut at 10:00 p.m. on the Comedy Channel (66 or 1292HD on Brighthouse Cable in Orlando). The half hour show will replay several times this week:</div>
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<span color:="" d5a6bd="" style="color: #d5a6bd;">Wednesday October 9 -- 10:00 p.m.</span></div>
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<span color:="" d5a6bd="" style="color: #d5a6bd;">Thursday October 10 -- 12:01 a.m.</span></div>
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<span color:="" d5a6bd="" style="color: #d5a6bd;">Thursday October 10 -- 3:45 a.m.</span></div>
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<span color:="" d5a6bd="" style="color: #d5a6bd;">Thursday October 10 -- 10:30 p.m.</span></div>
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<span color:="" d5a6bd="" style="color: #d5a6bd;">Friday October 11 -- 11:30 p.m.</span></div>
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<span color:="" d5a6bd="" style="color: #d5a6bd;">Monday October 14 -- 2:00 a.m.</span></div>
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<span color:="" d5a6bd="" style="color: #d5a6bd;">Wednesday October 9 -- 9:30 p.m.</span></div>
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Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-28737878538947670012013-08-07T13:18:00.003-04:002013-08-11T14:46:36.489-04:00Time Warner Under the Dome of CBS<div class="p1">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2FDriWnqXHQgP_4s9hdahWMKkwWwS-2qQ97kJt04VXZi4551BH30zVsXuR7RlQEcVUPcnb-w6QRAtZXHynnv7n8eR1fXl2czkHe0i3zdbysVi_C42CVD0JzlOhzeNoDiiDCLsL_w87kM/s1600/Under+the+Dome+dropped.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb2FDriWnqXHQgP_4s9hdahWMKkwWwS-2qQ97kJt04VXZi4551BH30zVsXuR7RlQEcVUPcnb-w6QRAtZXHynnv7n8eR1fXl2czkHe0i3zdbysVi_C42CVD0JzlOhzeNoDiiDCLsL_w87kM/s400/Under+the+Dome+dropped.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<i><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Under the Dome on CBS is no longer viewable on demand, online, or on TV in certain markets due to an airing fee dispute.</span></i> <br />
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Like many viewers out there, I have become a big fan of <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/under-the-dome/" target="_blank"><i><b>Under the Dome</b></i></a>, the shiny new sparkling TV series airing on Monday nights at 10 p.m. on <a href="http://www.cbs.com/" target="_blank">CBS</a>. The show debuted on June 24, 2013, during the <i>off</i> summer season, a brilliant move. It is now rated the number one show nearly each week and boasts viewership from 10 to 14 million each episode. (according to <a href="http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/" target="_blank">Zap2it</a>)</div>
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<i><b>Under the Dome</b></i> is a really exciting, unique, and original thriller conceived by popular horror novelist <a href="http://www.stephenking.com/index.html" target="_blank">Stephen King</a> about the community of Chester’s Mill, Maine which is mysteriously cut off from the rest of the world when it is encompassed by a 10-mile diameter transparent dome one beautiful sunny morning. The dome allows nothing in, nor out, save for for a little air and moisture. People are trapped inside without extra food or medicine. The doctor was out of town “when the dome came down.” The fire department had left for a parade in a neighboring city. And a few unfortunate visitors happened to be driving through and are now trapped inside, away from their homes and separated from their families, friends, and all their own personal belongings. </div>
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With no cell phones, email, or television signal, Chester’s Mill residents are reduced to scrawling hand written messages and holding them up to show to others outside the transparent sound-proof dome. Lip reading sisters act as interpreters, revealing that the U.S. military is just as in-the-dark as to the cause of the dome as are the residents, and so is the rest of the world. </div>
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Efforts to penetrate the dome with ordinary construction equipment are futile and it's discovered that metal objects touching the dome become electrically charged as if in a microwave, causing them to burn up. The government perceives the dome as a potential threat created by an unknown entity (possibly extraterrestrial) and in <b>episode 5, <i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Blue on Blue</span></i></b>, aims a missile at it, exploding a M.O.A.B. (mother of all bombs) in an effort to destroy it. </div>
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Anticipating the complete annihilation of the town of Chester’s Mill and it's inhabitants, the bomb only manages to destroy the surrounding landscape of homes and farmlands into oblivion. (These are miraculously restored in the next episode -- whoops! ) </div>
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Nothing can crack it. Life goes on as best as possible inside the dome.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: large;">The CBS dome over Time Warner Cable</span></b></div>
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I try to watch <b><i>Under the Dome</i></b> via <b><i>on demand</i></b> each week due to my busy schedule, but was sadly dismayed to discover that CBS has pulled it's <b><i>on demand</i></b> viewing menu and blocked online viewing on it's own website due to a failed airing fee negotiation with <a href="http://www.timewarner.com/" target="_blank"><b>Time Warner Cable</b></a>. In an effort to rally support from viewers to call <b>Time Warner</b> at 1-888-TW-Cable and “tell them you want your CBS shows back!,” CBS has initiated its own blackout. </div>
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CBS has created a website explaining their position and attempting to rally support here: <a href="http://www.keepcbs.com/" target="_blank"><i><b>KeepCBS.com</b></i></a></div>
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Time Warner has created a far more detailed explanation and offered solutions on their website here: <b><i><a href="http://www.twcconversations.com/dispute/cbs/" target="_blank">Time Warner Conversations</a>.</i></b><br />
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It's a wee bit complicated. You pay for cable. Your cable company (Time Warner in this instance) pays CBS to air their shows. But, CBS wants more money and claims they are underpaid. Time Warner says essentially: No, you're getting your fair share. So, CBS has cut the feed and Time Warner customers are now experiencing a <i><b>blackout</b></i> of sorts. </div>
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Obviously, if you just hook up a good antennae to your TV, you can still watch CBS shows free of charge, which is what many of the 3.5 million paying Time Warner customers in the blackout cities of Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City, and Pittsburgh are doing. These are the major metropolitan markets where CBS owns and operates the local CBS stations, thereby enabling them the control needed to create the blackout. </div>
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Several channels are affected. In addition to CBS, Time Warner Cable customers can no longer view Flix, The Movie Channel (TCM), Showtime, and the Smithsonian Channel. To appease customers, Time Warner has replaced TCM with Encore, and Showtime with Starz.</div>
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I live in Orlando and I don't have Time Warner Cable. I have Bright House Cable. However, Time Warner is leading the negotiations with CBS for both Bright House and Time Warner, so I am also blocked from not only viewing my favorite CBS shows on demand on channel 304, but also from viewing them online via my Bright House internet connection. Fortunately, I can still view shows during their regularly scheduled viewing time slots since WKMG, our local CBS affiliate station, is owned by the Post/Newsweek Corp and will not block out the shows.</div>
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While I don't want to harp on this issue, I do feel that as a consumer, it's difficult to take sides in this matter without knowing all the facts. I would love to know what the fees are that Time Warner pays ABC, FOX, and NBC. Is CBS asking for more money? And if so, why? CBS airs several major sporting events – do they feel that's their big bargaining chip? NBC airs the Olympics every two years and you can't get much bigger than that.</div>
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Hit shows come and hit shows go, and I'm all for equality in democracy. All four major networks who air their own original primetime shows from 8 to 11 each night: ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC should get paid the same fee. HBO and Showtime are also equal to each other in my eyes, and should get the same fee as well. If CBS wants more than what NBC is getting, then shame on CBS. If Time Warner wants to pay CBS less than what they are paying NBC, then shame on Time Warner. Just make it equal. Problem solved. If CBS feels they deserve more since they have a few hit shows, can't they simply make up the difference in advertising revenue? Leave us innocent cable customers out of the fight.</div>
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But, this blog is supposed to be about <i><b>Under the Dome</b></i>, not about a ridiculous behind-the-scenes spat which has affected viewers of all CBS shows, including many of my favorites: the popular <i>Big Bang Theory, Two Broke Girls, </i>and<i> How I Met Your Mother</i>, just to name a few.</div>
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<span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: large;"><b>Life Under the Dome</b></span></div>
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Fortunately, I was able to watch the latest <b>episode 7, <i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Imperfect Circles</span></i></b>, when it aired this Monday at 10 p.m. on Bright House Cable. However, I've missed the previous <b>episode 6, <i><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">The Endless Thirst</span></i></b> and had to resort to watching an action-figure collecting, computer-repair geek’s <a href="http://youtu.be/qQO2X-IqvP0" target="_blank"><i><b>online critique</b></i></a> on youtube to find out what happened. Apparently, the town’s water tower was knocked down, it rained inside the dome, and the character Rose, who ran the diner, was gunned down and killed by two hooligans, a sad, sad day in Chester’s Mill.</div>
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I love the premise of the show. The concept of “what would you do?” if you were suddenly cut off from the rest of society, unable to ship goods inside or out, with limited communication, power, water, food, medicine, and other resources? Especially with no hope in sight, no promise of future interaction, and no promise of anything ever returning to normal. I imagine it must feel a wee bit like those on the U.S.S. Minnow felt after being stranded on Gilligan’s island. At first, you hope for a quick rescue and end to your misery, drinking up all the wine which floats your way. As time passes, you adjust, take inventory, and create new ways to accomplish simple tasks.</div>
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I’ve experienced such an event myself on a short-term basis after a two-week power outage here in Orlando back in 2004 after Hurricane Charley swept through Florida, wrecking havoc. We neighbors met on the street, pooled our resources, and formed a cooking-and-entertainment brigade of sorts. One neighbor had a freezer full of thawing meat, so he made us dinner each night. I had a large screened in porch that offered a nice breeze and bug free environment. Another neighbor brought over their furniture, and another their candles. We read books and played canasta. Down the street, we charged our phones and computers at the gas station. We raided the next door neighbors’ orange trees and juiced the oranges to make mimosas.</div>
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If we had gone far longer without power and resources and been cut off with no hope in sight, we would have done more, entering unoccupied homes looking for canned goods and toilet paper stashes. </div>
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Even longer, and I imagine creating a co-op exchange of goods and services: hand-me-down clothes in exchange for roof repair, mending in exchange for canned tomatoes. I'm sure we would have scrounged up some seeds and planted some new crops of vegetables. </div>
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The show is based on the book of the same name, <i><b>Under the Dome</b></i> by Stephen King, and in it, just as in the adapted TV show, anarchy results, disasters occur, and people are killed. In the book, after a little over a week, the dome is lifted and it is discovered that only 26 people still remain alive. However, this is a television series, and the hope is that it will last a few years as we explore the sociological impacts and scenarios that would develop over the course of several months. Though King wrote the first episode, Producer Brian K. Vaughan has been hired to adapt and modify some characters and scenarios to accommodate the longer timeline.</div>
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My largest complaint, as a nerdy geek sci-fi fan are that the fallout from the disasters are magically erased each episode. Giant fires and explosions should be creating great clouds of unbreathable pollution, but are magically dissipated. The fields and homes destroyed by the M.O.A.B. have magically reappeared in the next episode. The dome edge seems to move. </div>
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Before I read the book’s synopsis online (I don't recommend it -– it’s a spoiler), I was intrigued with what on earth could have caused the dome to form. I wondered if it were Eden, and mankind was being given a protective barrier against the rest of humanity in an effort to preserve them from some future cataclysm which would erase mankind from the surface of the earth, leaving only the dome occupants to repopulate the world. The latest episode, with a black egg-shaped stone at the center emanating the force field, led me to theorize that this is perhaps a giant alien egg, and the people of town of Chester’s Mill have invariably been caught in the wasp’s nest, perhaps to be living food for whatever creature will be hatching from within. </div>
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The true cause of the dome revealed in King’s book is just as exciting. Let’s hope that the dome on CBS and Time Warner and Bright House subscribers is lifted so that the rest of the world can see the show for themselves. Until then, you can watch this nerdy guy Trevor here on youtube for show updates: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/Trevschan2" target="_blank"><i><b>Trevschan2</b></i></a></div>
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Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-14748915421024039512013-03-29T15:30:00.001-04:002013-04-25T11:21:53.708-04:00Sing-Off Season 4 Accepting ApplicationsOn Wednesday, March 13, the producers, cast, crew, and loyal fans of <a href="http://www.nbc.com/sing-off/" target="_blank">The Sing-Off</a> received the wonderful news that their beloved show had been picked up by NBC for a fourth season in 2013. A call for applicants to audition was posted and word is spreading among the predominantly college-based a cappella community that group auditions will begin on Saturday, April 27th in Chicago.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Group Audition Dates:</span></b> <br />
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<td><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Chicago</span></td>
<td><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">April 27</span></td>
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<td><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Nashville</span></td>
<td><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">May 4</span></td>
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<td><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Los Angeles </span></td><td><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">May 11</span></td>
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<td><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">New York</span></td>
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<i>More information can be found online at <a href="http://www.singoffcasting.com/">sing off casting</a>.</i>
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The Sing-Off is an a cappella competition show that began airing in 2009 and features all-vocal musical performances of groups of four or more members competing for a $100,000 Sony recording contract. Acts are judged on their live performances by a panel of three experts and are encouraged to perform unique vocal arrangements of popular songs. Microphones are the only equipment permitted and are supplied by the show. The sounds of drums, horns, bass and other instruments are created solely through vocals.<br />
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The show had meager beginnings. It was slotted as a season end filler which ran in December 2009 in Season 1, then again in November and December 2010 in Season 2 where it gained high viewer ratings. In the fall of 2011, the Sing-Off was awarded a regular primetime Monday night spot. Unfortunately, it did not compete well against Dancing with the Stars which aired in the same time slot, and therefore was not renewed for 2012, instead being replaced with The Voice. However, confident that they had a healthy fan base, show owner Sony continued to shop the Sing-Off around to other networks.<br />
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What is unique to the Sing-Off are its overly enthusiastic fans. After the Sing-Off was not renewed by NBC for a fourth season in 2012, a fan named Dan St. John launched a #savethesingoff twitter and facebook campaign to gather signatures in an <a href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-the-sing-off/" target="_blank">online petition</a> to save the show. To date, over 38,000 signatures have been gathered, bringing the popularity of the show to the attention of the network.<br />
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During the Sing-Off's one year hiatus, a cappella music as a commercially viable art form has risen from the level of goody-two-shoes obscurity into the popular mainstream, thanks in part, to the Emmy award winning FOX TV show Glee; the hilariously funny $110 million-high-grossing hit movie Pitch Perfect; and the Sing-Off's own Season 3 winners <b><a href="http://www.ptx-official.com/" target="_blank">Pentatonix</a></b>, who have stormed across the country making musicial history by charting on Billboard and itunes.<br />
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Money talks, and a cappella is hot!<br />
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NBC finally saw the light and on March 13, word was leaked that the Sing-Off would return in 2013. On March 20, NBC made it official in a press release. The show is returning as a regular season ending filler during the holidays.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-small;">At the helm in Season 3: Dr. Ben Folds, Sara Bareilles, and Shawn Stockman.</span></i><br />
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What is unclear is who will head up the helm at the judges desk. Though Sony still owns the show, and <b><a href="http://www.totalvocal.com/" target="_blank">Deke Sharon</a></b> is still a producer and huge contributor, a new executive producer, <b>Mark Burnett</b> of <i>Survivor</i> and <i>The Voice</i> fame, has been brought in to help boost the shows ratings in its fourth season. Burnett may make changes.<br />
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In the past, the show's format consisted of three judges who made all of the preliminary decisions on which group shall move forward and which shall stay behind, with audience participation not allowed in the decision making process until the finale. A fourth regular cast member is a host who introduced the acts.<br />
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All three judges and the host are well-liked, admired by fans, and have the street-cred needed to be worthy of their roles:<br />
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I personally do not feel that the show can go on without the clever quips from "Professor" <b><a href="http://www.benfolds.com/home" target="_blank">Ben Folds</a></b>, who not only evaluates competitors objectively, but also is a veritable encyclopedia of musical and vocal terminology. Folds simply <i>IS</i> the show.<br />
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<b><a href="http://micahsvoice.com/" target="_blank">Shawn Stockman</a></b> has become a regular feature as well, without whom the show could not survive. As an cappella performer with 25 years experience performing with <a href="http://www.boyziimen.com/" target="_blank">Boyz II Men</a>, he comes in tow with real-life working knowledge.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.sarabmusic.com/going-on-tour" target="_blank">Sara Bareilles</a> </b>came on board as a judge in Season 3 to replace Nicole Scherzinger, who left to join the X-factor. Bareilles, though new, is a good fit for the show with her recent experience competing as a member of an a cappella group while attending college at UCLA. Her amazing vocal prowess, youth, and star success are a much needed asset. <i>[Update: As of April 5, Sara Bareilles announced that she will not be returning to help judge the Sing-Off.]</i><br />
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The show's host, <b><a href="http://nicklachey.com/tagged/news" target="_blank">Nick Lachey</a></b>, is perhaps underutilized. His 18 years with <a href="http://www.98degrees.com/" target="_blank">98 Degrees</a> have given him real life experience and yet he is given the neutral position as announcer. I am curious – how would he work as a judge? Perhaps he could slide into a judges chair if one of the others is unavailable. Or, perhaps his role could be expanded to help vet the applicants during the auditions before they are chosen to compete in front of the panel of judges.<br />
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All four celebrities have cleared their schedules by early August when the show usually begins taping. <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><br />
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Shawn Stockman and Nick Lachey are currently touring together through August 5 with <b><a href="http://thepackage-tour.com/" target="_blank">The Package</a></b>, a three-act power house featuring Boyz II Men, 98 Degrees, and New Kids on the Block. Ben Folds is touring with Ben Folds Five through July. Sara Bareilles is touring through May.<br />
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<br />Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-3349777522024294702012-12-02T15:26:00.001-05:002013-04-08T14:02:59.130-04:00Cusack family is featured in High Fidelity<br />
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<i><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-small;">John Cusack and his sister Joan Cusack both star in High Fidelity, a 2000 movie based on the novel by Nick Hornby.</span></i><br />
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A few years ago in 2000, I remember vividly when the record-store-based movie <b><i>High Fidelity</i></b> was being promoted in interviews with John Cusack and his older sister Joan. John, who I first remembered playing a teenager in the movie <i><b>Sixteen Candles</b></i>, helped to write and co-produce the movie, which is based closely on the 1995 book of the same name by <a href="http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/minisites/nickhornby/index.html" target="_blank">Nick Hornby</a>. John cast three other members of his talented family: his older sister Joan, who I also first saw in <i><b>Sixteen Candles</b></i>, his younger sister Susie, and their father Richard "Dick" Cusack.<br />
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The movie is showing tonight, Dec. 2, Monday Dec. 3, and on Tuesday Dec. 4 on television on <a href="http://www.sundancechannel.com/" target="_blank">Sundance </a>and AMC, the <a href="http://www.amctv.com/" target="_blank">American Movie Channel</a> network. Times are listed below.<br />
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I immediately went out to see the movie as soon as it was released, and I consider it to be one of the best of the year 2000, along with other fine music-filled and interesting artsy movies such as <i><b>Almost Famous</b></i>, <i><b>O Brother Where Art Thou</b></i>, and <b><i>Billy Elliott</i></b>. The movie was nominated for a Golden Globe, along with numerous other honors. Writers John Cusack, Steve Pink, Scott Rosenberg, and D.V. DeVincentis were nominated for a BAFTA award for best adapted screenplay, and Jack Black won a Blockbuster Entertainment award for best supporting actor in a comedy/romance.<br />
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John Cusack took on the title role of Rob Gordon, a vintage collectible record store owner in Chicago, who's live-in girlfriend Laura (played by Iben Hjejle) is fed up and finally leaving him. His older sister, Joan, is cast in the role of Liz, a mutually supportive friend and confident.<br />
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Throughout the movie, Rob counts down his top five past relationship breakups, evaluating what went wrong and why he's once again, alone. He calls up each of his old girlfriends, arranges to meet with them, then rehashes the past, looking for clues pointing to why his romances always seem to fail.<br />
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There's Caroline Fortis (played by Natasha Gregson Wagner), who was his first kiss in junior high school, but she kissed a different boy a few days later much to the dismay of Rob. Then, there was Penny Hardwick (played by Joelle Carter) who dated him in high school, but would never put out. One of his lost loves was Charlie Nicholson (played by Catherine Zeta Jones), who he dated in college. Gorgeous, popular, and seemingly out of his reach, Rob was mesmerized by the very idea of being Charlie's boyfriend. Then, there is the beautiful and mysterious singer Marie de Salle (played by Lisa Bonet), who he goes to see perform. There are a few missteps and stark awakenings along Rob's journey of self-discovery. For instance, past girlfriend Sarah Kendrew (played by Lili Taylor) has now become unbalanced and is struggling to keep her sanity while on prescriptive medications.<br />
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Paralleling the plot are scenes in the record store where the two employees, Dick (played by Todd Louiso) and Barry (played by Jack Black), count down the top five songs of various made-up categories, such as: Monday songs, songs to play at a funeral, first songs on first albums, and songs to make love to. Rare and unusual tidbits of music trivia, much of it from the original novel, are sprinkled throughout the script, and we even get to see a surprise cameo by Bruce Springsteen, as himself, who gives advice on breaking up in his song, "Bobby Jean." Music by local Chicago bands is featured throughout. Even Jack Black performs.<br />
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Other famous actors make appearances in minor roles: Tim Robbins is a zen-like neighbor named Ian and Sara Gilbert is Anaugh, a record store patron. Luke Perry is a dinner party guest. Margaret Travolta, John Travolta's sister, provides an amazingly realistic and humorous portrayal as Rob's mother.<br />
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In the end of the movie, we come to the conclusion that Rob Gordon's perception of his failed past relationships is perhaps the only major part of his behavior which is in error. It turns out that not all the girlfriends left him, he has forgotten that he broke up with some of them as well. Some are perhaps better left alone as he rediscovers why they simply weren't right for him. In all cases, we find that like many men, he has failed to communicate his feelings properly. Throughout this process, he learns to open up and bare his soul, which leads to a realistic, yet somewhat happy ending.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iBJA_MXJz60aqxDj05QKjZmBVSA1boYHH8XdhJdiLDsfOVY1UZWhKd4QyRcsChkktKp_S-yqTNEi3WbzwW1SiJ5NudoyRnjMjji2XM2d5C4m0KwgYB6qtpVqjpsTBAqPgn6jBHBohslA/s1600/Dick+Cusack+as+minister.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_iBJA_MXJz60aqxDj05QKjZmBVSA1boYHH8XdhJdiLDsfOVY1UZWhKd4QyRcsChkktKp_S-yqTNEi3WbzwW1SiJ5NudoyRnjMjji2XM2d5C4m0KwgYB6qtpVqjpsTBAqPgn6jBHBohslA/s320/Dick+Cusack+as+minister.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-small;">Dick Cusack as the minister at Laura's father's funeral.</span></i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj71Fn-TDlIIsgKt9AULzC3uVHPOr0a4Kod5WCBX50tSE7ZsghJ01FaMK2smow9cYb2x0qY37pkinfjH-DZXpBBcvH7H8-uqGfzOTRKCUwflXWkXjYT0Z0pPPsQKURa5lKypaV5ffuUpwg/s1600/Susie+Cusack+w+Catherine+Zeta+Jones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj71Fn-TDlIIsgKt9AULzC3uVHPOr0a4Kod5WCBX50tSE7ZsghJ01FaMK2smow9cYb2x0qY37pkinfjH-DZXpBBcvH7H8-uqGfzOTRKCUwflXWkXjYT0Z0pPPsQKURa5lKypaV5ffuUpwg/s320/Susie+Cusack+w+Catherine+Zeta+Jones.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i><span style="color: #cfe2f3; font-size: x-small;">Susie Cusack (at right) plays a dinner guest at Charlie's (Catherine Zeta Jones) dinner party.</span></i><br />
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<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">Notes on the Cusack family</span></b><br />
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The two other Cusacks are cast in minor roles. During a later scene in the movie, Patriarch Richard "Dick" Cusack plays the role of the minister at Laura's father's funeral. Sibling Susie Cusack is cast as a party guest at Charlie's dinner party.<br />
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There are two other Cusack siblings in the business who do not appear in the movie: Ann and Bill, who are equally talented. Ann Cusack, like Joan and John, is quite busy, having recently wrapped up her regularly appearing role as Susan Grant in the Grey's Anatomy spin-off show, "Private Practice." She is currently guest starring on several television shows.<br />
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Their mother, Nancy Cusack, though not in the business, is a former mathematics teacher and political activist, a passion held by her children.<br />
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Sadly, patriarch Dick Cusack passed away only three years after the release of this movie in 2003 due to pancreatic cancer. He has left behind a legacy in their hometown of Evanston Illinois, where he worked to preserve a school and turn it into the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, where his own children trained to be come actors.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #cfe2f3;">High Fidelty is airing:</span></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Sunday Dec 2 at 10 PM on Sundance </li>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(channel 179 or 374 on Brighthouse in Orlando)</i></span>
<li>Monday Dec 3 at 7 PM on Sundance </li>
<li>Tuesday, Dec 4 at 3 AM on AMC </li>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(channels 48 or 1355 HD on Brighthouse in Orlando)</span></i>
<li>Tuesday, Dec 4 at 9:15 AM on AMC </li>
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<br />Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-47111980500430913272012-10-05T10:43:00.001-04:002014-05-09T11:01:47.026-04:00The Vanilla Ice Project: Rockin' Renovation<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgalRwCS14QZRqROmUl9Im7B14uf3mPCKASol87fxCl8qO3-eDbOnLbjOqPrzqgmT4VkcUmiZ6M1JLsFD7odJxgy7ezbWbrjS1MBydA4yMHe5-d8CT8aYRUkll8L5VDuOfyBPp0q7unTqpp/s1600/vanilla-ice-project.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgalRwCS14QZRqROmUl9Im7B14uf3mPCKASol87fxCl8qO3-eDbOnLbjOqPrzqgmT4VkcUmiZ6M1JLsFD7odJxgy7ezbWbrjS1MBydA4yMHe5-d8CT8aYRUkll8L5VDuOfyBPp0q7unTqpp/s320/vanilla-ice-project.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Today, three hours of the first ever episodes of the DIY network's <a href="http://www.diynetwork.com/the-vanilla-ice-project/show/index.html" target="_blank">The Vanilla Ice Project</a> are re-airing starting with Season 1 Episode 1, "Nice Nice Landscaping," at 1 PM on <a href="http://www.hgtv.com/" target="_blank">HGTV</a>. More re-airings of shows from Season 2 will air on Monday, November 19 on the <a href="http://www.diynetwork.com/" target="_blank">DIY</a> network. Season 3 is set to launch in January of 2013.</div>
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The TV show begins by renovating and restoring a 7,000 sq ft house in Palm Beach, FL that rapper star and rock vocalist <a href="http://www.vanillaice.com/" target="_blank">Vanilla Ice</a> bought as a short sale after it had been abandoned and stripped by it's former owner.</div>
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Vanilla Ice, also known by his real name of Robert Van Winkle, or "Rob," to his work crew, said he had been doing home repair for 10 years before launching the show. Hands-on home renovation is a hobby he enjoys. </div>
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Ice's first venture into real estate investment began in the early 1990s by accident, when he purchased three homes with the 20 million dollars he earned from the 1990 hit song, "Ice Ice Baby," the first hip hop song to hit the Billboard top 40. He toured the world for three years, returned to his homes in LA, Greenwich Village, NYC, and Snowbird, Utah, only to decide he didn't really want to live in any of them. "Sell 'em," he said. </div>
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After making a tidy profit of hundreds of thousands of dollars, he said, "It can't be this easy," in an interview with DIY network <a href="http://www.diylife.com/2010/10/07/the-vanilla-ice-project-exclusive-interview/" target="_blank">( article dated October 7, 2010 DIY network )</a>. It was. The real estate market was experiencing a boom.</div>
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In the early 1990s, Ice eventually settled on Star Island in Miami Beach, purchasing a 14-room home where he discovered that life after fame can be quite lonely. At first, he paid others to redecorate, but the party-themed atmosphere soon grew old. He got married to girlfriend Laura Giaritta in 1997, settled down, and started a family. He had two daughters, Dusti and Keelee. Customizing and redecorating his own home to suit his growing family's needs grew into a passion that led to purchasing other homes in need of some TLC. The hobby grew into a business, and Ice found himself doing something he truly loves: home renovation. </div>
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Rather than build new homes that just sit vacant, and resell only after they appreciate, Ice decided instead, to turn someone else's discarded houses into dream homes. In today's buyers' market, he can buy distressed houses at a lower price as well as afford quality workers to assist him. After working his magic to create beautiful homes from tear-downs, he can then re-sell the house at a decent profit. </div>
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In the real estate market, that's known as "flipping." However, there are good flippers who truly renovate a home, and bad flippers who only do cosmetic repairs while hiding the true problems. Rob "Vanilla Ice" Van Winkle is a good flipper.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">The Vanilla Ice Project TV schedule</span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Listings courtesy <a href="http://www.tvguide.com/" target="_blank">TV Guide</a>. Synopsis courtesy <a href="http://www.diynetwork.com/the-vanilla-ice-project/show/index.html" target="_blank">DIY network</a>.</span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Friday, October 5</span></b><br />
HGTV 61, HGTVD 1250 Orlando<br />
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<b><span style="color: #ffe599;">1 PM<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Nice, Nice Landscaping S1 E1</span></b><br />
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Rapper Vanilla Ice renovates a home in Palm Beach, Fla., in this series. First up: improving the landscape with palm trees and LED lighting suitable for a concert venue. <br />
Original Air Date: Oct 14, 2010</div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffe599;">1:30<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Party Pool<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>S1 E2</span></b></div>
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Vanilla Ice replaces an old pool and lays a new patio, enhancing the space with tiki torches and a fire bowl. Original Air Date: Oct 14, 2010</div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffe599;">2 PM<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>The Master Sweet<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>S1 E3</span></b></div>
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Vanilla Ice installs a spa in the master bathroom. Original Air Date: Oct 21, 2010</div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffe599;">2:30<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>A Tasty New Kitchen<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>S1 E4</span></b></div>
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Customized cabinets are made for Vanilla Ice's kitchen while he searches for countertops. Original Air Date: Oct 28, 2010</div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffe599;">3 PM<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Living Room Rescue<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>S1 E6</span></b></div>
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A faux coral fireplace and a new bar are added to the living room in the mansion. Original Air Date: Nov 11, 2010</div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffe599;">3:30<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Rapping It Up<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>S1 E11</span></b></div>
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Vanilla Ice and his crew put the finishing touches on the mansion and hire a staging expert to prepare it for sale. Original Air Date: Jan 1, 2011</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Monday, November 19, 2012</span></b><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span></div>
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DIY Network</div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffe599;">1:00 pm<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Upstairs Reality Check<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>S2 E6</span></b></div>
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Rob's daughters, Dusti and Keelee, help make over the upstairs bedrooms (under his supervision). Original Air Date: Feb 18, 2012</div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffe599;">1:30 pm<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>The Master Hideaway<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>S2 E7</span></b></div>
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Vanilla Ice and his team design and build a master suite that features ceiling frescoes and a spa-like bathroom. Original Air Date: Feb 25, 2012</div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffe599;">2:00 pm<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>The Ice House Retreat Suite<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>S2 E8</span></b></div>
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Vanilla Ice and his crew build a guest suite that features sleek white marble, a Murphy bed and a spa bathroom. Original Air Date: Mar 3, 2012</div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffe599;">2:30 pm<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Baby Got Back Yard<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>S2 E9</span></b></div>
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A backyard makeover, complete with a zip line and a fire pole, as well as high-end landscaping and a state-of-the-art sprinkler system. Original Air Date: Mar 10, 2012</div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffe599;">3:00 pm<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>The Ultimate Garage Getaway<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>S2 E10</span></b></div>
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Vanilla Ice and his crew transform an old garage into a refuge for auto aficionados. They install a car lift and hurricane-proof doors, and add some rock-star bling to complete the look. Original Air Date: Mar 17, 2012</div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffe599;">3:30 pm<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Elevator up to the Mega Den<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>S2 E11</span></b></div>
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The project: renovate an unused second-floor loft and turn it into a gaming room. Included: a glass elevator that opens directly into the gaming room. Original Air Date: Mar 24, 2012</div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffe599;">4:00 pm<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Boom-Boom Screening Room<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>S2 E12</span></b></div>
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Vanilla Ice and his team turn a dated, oversized room into a high-tech theater room with an elaborate sound system. Original Air Date: Mar 31, 2012</div>
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<b><span style="color: #ffe599;">4:30 pm<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Punch List Olympics<span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>S2 E13</span></b></div>
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In the Season 2 finale, Vanilla Ice and his crew hurry to finish their work on the mansion as the open house approaches. Original Air Date: Apr 7, 2012</div>
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Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-68209146547010935872012-07-08T04:18:00.002-04:002014-10-22T16:56:37.588-04:00Little Boxes on the Hillside, Little Boxes Made of Ticky Tacky<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4daD_IBLys" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_QfxI_yRlukxuStDsVVzeLYw0r4HkCgCsUsavDqqvN__B3mi2Ls7tL2y_2g0nxItiZfYUw4sePtLoZw4ZzPq0Pnk0hZ4BAYmDGOow062QjMHrtgKvcFOXhCFMYz4IuxArkUgn3toYfcM/s320/Weeds+opening+animation.png" height="299" width="320" /></a>
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Showtime's hit TV show <a href="http://www.sho.com/sho/weeds/home" target="_blank">Weeds</a> features the opening theme song, "Little Boxes," a cutesy folksy song originally written and recorded by Malvina Reynolds in 1962. Reynolds wrote the song during a trip with her family through Daly City, California as a social commentary on the shoddily built, conformist track housing she saw from the road. The lyrics refer to the homes being built of "ticky tacky," a reference to cheap construction. The song was then recorded by Pete Seeger who ultimately made the song famous.
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Season 1 in 2005, the Weeds show featured songwriter Reynolds' original version. However, seasons 2 and 3, featured unique renditions by famous recording artists. A few of the performers have included Elvis Costello, Regina Specktor, Billy Bob Thornton, The Shins, Randy Newman, Linkin Park, and The Decemberists. The covers were unfortunately abandoned during seasons 4 through 7. Now in its final season 8, the show is reintroducing guest artists to remake the theme.
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Episode 1 "Messy," which aired on Sunday July 1, debuted a new opener with a whiteboard cartoon created by <a href="http://www.idearocketanimation.com/" target="_blank">Idea Rocket Animation</a>, depicting a timeline of the shows plot over the last seven seasons. [ <a href="http://youtu.be/D4daD_IBLys" target="_blank">Link to the new animation.</a> ] Company creative director William Gadea explains the process artist Robert Kopecky employed to create the cartoon opener in an <a href="http://www.studiodaily.com/2012/07/five-questions-william-gadea-producercreative-director-idearocket/" target="_blank">interview with Studio Daily</a>.
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This Sunday, July 8, Episode 2, "A Beam of Sunshine," will feature recording artist and Sing-Off judge, <a href="http://www.benfolds.com/" target="_blank">Ben Folds</a>. You can find the show on Showtime at 10 and 11 PM EDT on Sunday, July 8. The show repeats throughout the week at various times. [ <a href="http://youtu.be/FSyO9d0KSS0" target="_blank">Ben Folds' cover of Little Boxes Weeds intro</a> ]<br />
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Folds is currently working on the production of his first CD made with Ben Folds Five in over 12 years via an <a href="http://www.pledgemusic.com/artists/benfoldsfive" target="_blank">online pledge campaign</a>. His last CD of newly unreleased material, Lonely Avenue, which he cowrote with book author Nick Hornby, featured a similar animation of the song "<a href="http://youtu.be/X5peqCDJi0A" target="_blank">From Above</a>" by Simpsons director and animator Julius Preite and designer Justin Owens.
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<b><span style="color: #ccffcc;">Covers by various artists
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Here are some of the versions of the series theme song performed on the show. I starred some of my favorites. Just for fun, try playing these for a friend and don't tell them who is performing them, then see if they can guess who it is.
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thanks to youtuber joeblowaz for taking the time to post the intros from Seasons 2 and 3. A special note: Watch out for the odd little pop-up video ads in the upper right hand corner on some postings. They contain an audio track which can ruin your listening experience.
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<b><span style="color: #ccffcc; font-size: large;">Original song</span></b>
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Here is the original song as performed by Malvina Reynolds, <a href="http://youtu.be/2_2lGkEU4Xs" target="_blank">"Little Boxes."</a><br />
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<b><span style="color: #ccffcc; font-size: large;">Season 2 of Weeds Opening Theme: Little Boxes
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Season 2 Episode 1 - <a href="http://youtu.be/cjbV9z50gPM" target="_blank">Elvis Costello</a>
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Season 2 Episode 2 - <a href="http://youtu.be/aVv7iNEy9fU" target="_blank">Death Cab for Cutie</a>
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Season 2 Episode 3 - <a href="http://youtu.be/MybCoRDSdb0" target="_blank">Engelbert Humperdinck</a> **
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Season 2 Episode 4 - <a href="http://youtu.be/rvRa_23viJI" target="_blank">McGarrigle Sisters</a> (French version)
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Season 2 Episode 5 - <a href="http://youtu.be/RHNM7qyPHYY" target="_blank">Maestro Charles Barnett </a>(symphonic version)
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Season 2 Episode 6 - <a href="http://youtu.be/DNwuTCvZi0E" target="_blank">Aiden Hawken</a>
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Season 2 Episode 7 - <a href="http://youtu.be/l3wPR7TIxB0" target="_blank">Ozomatli</a>
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Season 2 Episode 8 - <a href="http://youtu.be/XPc2a_iSxAY" target="_blank">The Submarines</a>
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Season 2 Episode 9 - <a href="http://youtu.be/R_8DoAOUO8Y" target="_blank">Tim DeLaughter</a>
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Season 2 Episode 10 - <a href="http://youtu.be/1KnC-obchYM" target="_blank">Regina Spektor </a>**
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Season 2 Episode 11 - <a href="http://youtu.be/uWOIh4rI_Eo" target="_blank">Jenny Lewis with Johnathan Rice</a> **<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #ccffcc;">Season 3 of Weeds Opening Theme: Little Boxes
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Season 3 Episode 01 - <a href="http://youtu.be/JcCXUzZWWpY" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Randy Newman</a>
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Season 3 Episode 02 - <a href="http://youtu.be/gotNVfyVrl0" target="_blank">Angelique Kidjo</a> (Afropop Carribean) **
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Season 3 Episode 03 - <a href="http://youtu.be/i7M173t7w8U" target="_blank">Kinky</a> (disco Spanish)
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Season 3 Episode 04 - <a href="http://youtu.be/YRU1xv-pIto" target="_blank">Donovan</a>
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Season 3 Episode 05 - <a href="http://youtu.be/M22Izc9TiWE?t=10s" target="_blank">Billy Bob Thornton</a> **
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Season 3 Episode 06 - <a href="http://youtu.be/5mGTLrI8rxQ" target="_blank">The Shins</a>
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Season 3 Episode 07 - <a href="http://youtu.be/orkww6zkdWc" target="_blank">The Individuals</a>
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Season 3 Episode 08 - <a href="http://youtu.be/aCdYE6dwe9c" target="_blank">Man Man</a> **
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Season 3 Episode 09 - <a href="http://youtu.be/aAch3MypvoA" target="_blank">Joan Baez</a>
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Season 3 Episode 10 - <a href="http://youtu.be/txE-ZRfB_4s" target="_blank">The Decemberists</a>
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Season 3 Episode 11 - <a href="http://youtu.be/xsyihruFBdM" target="_blank">Michael Franti</a>
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Season 3 Episode 12 - <a href="http://youtu.be/SrWLdWh7Ayg" target="_blank">Persephone's Bees</a> (Russian and English) **
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Season 3 Episode 13 - <a href="http://youtu.be/_rP8Tu-sN4E" target="_blank">Laurie Berkner Band</a>
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Season 3 Episode 14 - <a href="http://youtu.be/sN40lATBjFg" target="_blank">Linkin Park</a>
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Season 3 Episode 15 - <a href="http://youtu.be/oeoDoeukvKg" target="_blank">Pete Seeger</a>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #ccffcc;">Season 8 of Weeds Opening Theme: Little Boxes
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<i>To be updated throughout the year</i>
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Season 8 Episode 01 - <a href="http://youtu.be/D4daD_IBLys" target="_blank">Malvina Reynolds with new cartoon intro by Idea Rocket Animation</a> **
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Season 8 Episode 02 - <a href="http://youtu.be/FSyO9d0KSS0" target="_blank">Ben Folds</a> **
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Season 8 Episode 03 - <a href="http://soundcloud.com/billboard/little-boxes-kevin-nealon/s-ROoqr" target="_blank">Cast member Kevin Nealon (Doug) with Steve Martin yelling and screaming while playing banjo</a>
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Season 8 Episode 04 - <a href="http://soundcloud.com/wblandre/mariachi-el-bronx-little-boxes" target="_blank">Mariachi El Bronx</a> **
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Season 8 Episode 05 - <a href="http://soundcloud.com/wblandre/mountain-goats-little-boxes" target="_blank">The Mountain Goats</a>
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Season 8 Episode 06 - <a href="http://soundcloud.com/wblandre/bomb-the-music-industry-little" target="_blank">Bomb the Music Industry!</a>
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Season 8 Episode 07 - <a href="http://soundcloud.com/wblandre/womenfolk-little-boxes" target="_blank">The Womenfolk</a> **
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Season 8 Episode 08 - <a href="http://soundcloud.com/wblandre/the-thermals-little-boxes" target="_blank">The Thermals</a>
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Season 8 Episode 09 - <a href="http://www.facebook.com/dierksbentley?v=app_178091127385" target="_blank">Dierks Bentley</a> **
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Season 8 Episode 10 - <a href="http://soundcloud.com/wblandre/hunter-parrish-little-boxes" target="_blank">Cast member Hunter Parrish (Silas)</a>
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Season 8 Episode 11 - <a href="http://soundcloud.com/wblandre/aimee-mann-little-boxes" target="_blank">Aimee Mann</a> **
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Season 8 Episode 12 - <a href="http://www.sho.com/sho/media/audio?productId=31553" target="_blank">Cut Chemist</a>
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Season 8 Episode 13 - <a href="http://youtu.be/D4daD_IBLys" target="_blank">Malvina Reynolds</a> (Series finale)
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #ccffcc;">Never used theme covers:
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</span><br />
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After Season 3 ended, the show temporarily ceased using other performers to cover the theme song. However, these versions were already recorded and can be found on youtube. In fact, you can find numerous independent recordings of the theme by fans and lesser known artists, perhaps hopeful that their versions would be chosen.<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/PcMQrVCd8dQ" target="_blank">Rise Against</a>
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<a href="http://youtu.be/N1b44PKMpU4" target="_blank">The Crackheads</a>
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<a href="http://youtu.be/gZ_7QrSEtzA" target="_blank">Mayer Hawthorne / Haircut</a>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: #ccffcc;">Props used on Weeds:
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</span><br />
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As long as we're on the subject of "Weed," here is another youtube video I ran across while scrounging around for the opening theme song posts. This video from Season 4 features the creation of the magnificent fake marijuana props for the show, using ingredients such as Mexican spices, parsley, and kosher salt attached to dowels with hot glue.<br />
Video: <a href="http://youtu.be/y3fc2hPtRAE" target="_blank">The Weed Wranglers.</a>
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<span style="color: #134f5c;">20 21 22 23 24</span>Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-36235048215379299622012-06-18T14:01:00.000-04:002012-06-19T07:15:51.805-04:00The Power of Bieber<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNH2_ZmAKKEfIJqkadWdPkMU1haFyQ_11T8U2tmhhvaWXuo72GblereNWlnxzk1KRnOFqFg-_GDMl6qdX_LmQS3z0keLI-BEhj2uE5jBtMEiZRCkTrAcLU4GhS45_GbqXX-9Tb3ipCmIp/s1600/2012.06.18+Mlauer's+138K+followers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNH2_ZmAKKEfIJqkadWdPkMU1haFyQ_11T8U2tmhhvaWXuo72GblereNWlnxzk1KRnOFqFg-_GDMl6qdX_LmQS3z0keLI-BEhj2uE5jBtMEiZRCkTrAcLU4GhS45_GbqXX-9Tb3ipCmIp/s320/2012.06.18+Mlauer's+138K+followers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
On Friday morning, June 15, 2012, Justin Bieber performed on the Rockefeller Plaza outside the NBC <a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/" target="_blank">Today show</a> studios. Before the concert, he sat down with Matt Lauer to discuss his tour.<br />
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Longtime Today show host Matt Lauer confessed that Bieber had convinced him to sign up for twitter, something he said he swore he'd never do. During the interview, Lauer asked the 18-year-old pop star to prove his influence by helping him gain followers, "I want to find out the power of Bieber. I'm gonna do a little test here... I want you to tell your 23 million followers to follow me."<br />
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After first promoting the release of his new album <i><b><a href="http://www.justinbiebermusic.com/believe/" target="_blank">Believe</a></b></i> on June 19th. Bieber finally complied, tweeting from <a href="https://twitter.com/justinbieber" target="_blank">@justinbieber</a> at 8:18 that morning:<br />
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<i><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">"Everyone follow my man <a href="https://twitter.com/MLauer" target="_blank">@mlauer</a>" </span></i>
</ul>
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Matt Lauer had quietly signed up for twitter the day before, but said he had "zero followers." Lauer said that NBC's director of digital news operations, Ryan Osborne would streak in the studio if he can gain over 750,000 followers by Tuesday, June 19.
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I found Lauer's account before the Bieber blitz and clicked to follow his tweets, taking this screen shot showing 85 followers. Joining right before me were: Amanda Wright @adwritght10, Susan @savedbygraceto, Carrie Mitchell @MonsterPuma, and Lauren Boudreau @LBoudreauu.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJX6I0HgP-0Pw-_Hn_SOsfaO54lYNbnnARZvBmZkCpifB5i2xf47-ZiRxf10dUFIqwcQRCGyHaChJjZB9cKua7x6I6WTEjYaJQAJ5fx1ej_rTeaAqTn3Ye_qtfzn7uqPAnfwaWxGyqW0U4/s1600/2012.06.15+matt+lauer+joins+twitter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJX6I0HgP-0Pw-_Hn_SOsfaO54lYNbnnARZvBmZkCpifB5i2xf47-ZiRxf10dUFIqwcQRCGyHaChJjZB9cKua7x6I6WTEjYaJQAJ5fx1ej_rTeaAqTn3Ye_qtfzn7uqPAnfwaWxGyqW0U4/s320/2012.06.15+matt+lauer+joins+twitter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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"We're going to see the power of Justin Bieber by Tuesday," said Lauer.
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Within three minutes, while Bieber typed away, Lauer announced: "We have 9,000 already, okay? And this has been going on for three minutes... Ryan, start taking your clothes off."
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Within five minutes, Matt Lauer had 30,753 followers and was trending.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjeANUhAl8mLEBgc29s375bs0BX7aBUMA2eRAHnu62gOQo4k9lajjKWDMGa9BE-UfIrmlHoSo2iM4jhVpCKpd8vbir2yFmnYtJ89TINFkvc8sPoPvQwp3aLSv6ED-uw-tZwN7SjXPDcDG/s1600/2012.06.15+Matt+now+has+30K+followers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjeANUhAl8mLEBgc29s375bs0BX7aBUMA2eRAHnu62gOQo4k9lajjKWDMGa9BE-UfIrmlHoSo2iM4jhVpCKpd8vbir2yFmnYtJ89TINFkvc8sPoPvQwp3aLSv6ED-uw-tZwN7SjXPDcDG/s320/2012.06.15+Matt+now+has+30K+followers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Only one day later, on Saturday, June 16, @mLauer had over 131,000 followers. Today, he has nearly 140,000. Although he won't reach the 750,000 mark he had hoped for, it's still quite impressive.
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Will Matt Lauer remember me, having been one of the first 100 to follow him on twitter? Nah, probably not. It's fun trivia, though, just another story for tvgrrrrl's files.
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Bieber will be back on NBC on Wednesday and Thursday nights, June 20th and 21st, for his <i><b><a href="http://www.nbc.com/justin-bieber-around-the-world/about/" target="_blank">All Around the World</a></b></i> tour TV special airing at 8 p.m. each night. (NBC can be found on channels 4 and 1020 in Orlando on Brighthouse Cable.)<br />
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<br />Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-78127881873759489602012-06-13T19:40:00.001-04:002012-11-24T10:45:31.419-05:00Who shot J.R.? Dream Season, Priscilla Presley, and more Dallas folklore<br />
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<i><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-size: x-small;">Season 3 of Dallas included cast: Gary Ewing (Ted Shackleford), Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy), Pamela Barnes Ewing (Victoria Principal), patriarch Jock Ewing (Jim Davis), J.R. Ewing (Larry Hagman), Sue Ellen Ewing (Linda Gray), matriarch Miss Ellie Ewing (Barbara Bel Geddes), and first grandchild, Lucy Ewing (Charlene Tilton).</span></i><br />
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Do you know who shot JR? Did you remember that Season 8 of <a href="http://www.tntdrama.com/series/dallas/" target="_blank">Dallas</a> was mostly just a bad dream? Did you wonder if Priscilla Presley could actually act when you found out she had been cast? And did you remember that Lucy had an affair with Ray Krebbs, who was later discovered to be her half uncle?<br />
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These are just a few of the scandals revealed on the hit television series Dallas, which ran from 1978 to 1991. I was too young to understand it when it first aired, but caught it in reruns. Unlike daytime soap operas, the plot on Dallas moved quite fast, airing once a week, keeping viewers spellbound by shocking them with the cruel and conniving behavior of the Ewings, a mega rich Texas oil family.<br />
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The show is re-airing tonight on <a href="http://www.tntdrama.com/series/dallas/" target="_blank">TNT</a> in a newly produced series, picking up where it left off, and reviving the old fabulous characters of J.R., original heir to the South Fork family ranch and the Ewing oil well fortune, his ex-wife Sue Ellen, and his brother Bobby.<br />
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The same hallmark Dallas soundtrack is also being used, much to my delight. <a href="http://i.cdn.turner.com/v5cache/TNT/Media/Dallas/Dallas_MT_10_28_11.mp3" target="_blank">Hear the Dallas theme soundtrack here.</a> It's catchy!<br />
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New characters in the form of offspring who have grown up, new wives and husbands, and others have been added to inject new life into the series. I hope they walk with a swagger, emitting the same air of nasty confidence which only extreme wealth can foster. I hope that the bad guys are just as ruthless, selfish, and lawbreaking so that I can cheer when their innocent victims, the good guys, muster the strength to fight back and win in the end.<br />
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The show will air from 9 p.m. to 11:13 p.m tonight with two back-to-back episodes on TNT, channel 11 or 1237 HD on Brighthouse cable here in Orlando. The show will re-air tonight at 11:14 p.m., Friday night at 10:30 p.m., and Saturday morning at 11 a.m.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-size: x-small;">If you didn't watch Dallas the first time around, here is the plot in a nutshell: </span></b><br />
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Jock Ewing (Jim Davis) marries Miss Ellie (Barbara Bel Geddes), who chooses him over her other beau, Digger Barnes (David Wayne and later Keenan Wynn). Jock Ewing and Digger Barnes become business partners, then have a disagreement over oil rights where Jock ultimately cheats Digger out of the oil, setting the field for a huge Ewing-Barnes rivalry.<br />
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The Ewings have three children: J.R. (Larry Hagman), Gary (David Ackroyd and later Ted Shackelford), and Bobby (Patrick Duffy). As the eldest son, J.R. runs the farm and oil company like a ruthless bastard, steam-rolling over anyone who gets in his way. Youngest son Bobby is more interested in loving life, doing good, and caring for others.<br />
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Digger Barnes marries Rebecca Blake and has two children: Pam (Victoria Principal) and Cliff (Ken Kercheval).<br />
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In the first episode, Pamela Barnes and Bobby Ewing, children of the two rival families, elope in Romeo and Juliet fashion. Bobby brings Pam home to the Southfork ranch where he resides with his father Jock, mother Miss Ellie, siblings Gary and J.R. and his wife Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), and niece Lucy (Charlene Tilton), who is the daughter of his brother Gary. Lucy is so boy crazy that she sleeps with farmhand, Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly).<br />
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The show stews in scandal. There are murders, shootings, affairs, lawsuits, and conniving criminal business deals. It's over-the-top fantasy, filled with the glitz and glam of designer fashions and fancy sports cars owned by people residing in sprawling mega mansions and downtown Dallas condos. I owe the success of the show to the fact that in the real world, the economy in 1978 had tanked, and everyone needed an escape, a mythical place to live in their minds as far detached from reality as possible, while still representing the very real American dream of becoming absurdly rich and successful.<br />
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<i><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-size: x-small;">Priscilla Presley was added during Season 7 as Bobby's first love, Jenna Wade.</span></i><br />
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-size: large;">And, to answer those questions:</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-size: x-small;">Do you know who shot JR at the end of Season 3? </span></b><br />
We find out at the beginning of Season 4 that Kristin (Mary Crosby), J.R.'s mistress who is also Sue Ellen's sister pulled the trigger.<br />
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<span style="color: #f6b26b; font-size: x-small;"><b>What about Season 8, otherwise known as the "Dream Season?"</b></span><br />
Bobby and Pamela, divorced for two years, decide to remarry, only to have their dreams tragically end after he is killed in a car accident saving Pam's life. At the beginning of Season 9, we find that Bobby's death was all just a bad bad dream which Pam had been having, earning that year the nickname, the "Dream Season."<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-size: x-small;">Could Priscilla Presley act?</span></b><br />
Yes, Elvis Presley's widow Priscilla could act, and quite well in fact. She played Jenna Wade, the mother of Bobby's son Lucas Wade, and was introduced in episode 138, then appeared on the show from 1983 until 1988. After her time on Dallas, she continued acting in various roles on TV shows and movies until the year 2000.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #f6b26b; font-size: x-small;">Lucy slept with her uncle?</span></b><br />
At the beginning of the series, Lucy and ranch hand Ray Krebbs (Steve Kanaly) have a steamy sordid affair. It was later revealed that Krebbs was actually her father's half-brother, Jock's illegitimate son, making him her half-uncle.<br />
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<br />Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-85769250431938805612012-06-10T13:17:00.001-04:002012-06-10T15:03:55.115-04:00Bonnaroo TV blasting broadcasts via youtube<br />
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<span style="color: #ffe599;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Donald Glover, who plays Troy on Community, performs at Bonnaroo as his rap act, Childish Gambino, </span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">on the "little screen" of youtube, which is livecasting the festival.</span></i></span><br />
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Were you unable to make it to Manchester, TN to the <a href="http://www.bonnaroo.com/" target="_blank">Bonnaroo</a> music and arts festival this year? No worries. It's being "live" cast online via youtube. Unlike other live feeds I've seen, this one is a huge improvement. I began watching Friday evening just to see how it was working out, and the picture, though high definition, stuttered annoyingly despite my high speed internet connection. The problems appear to have been fixed. Rebroadcasts, which have been airing each morning and during downtimes, are TV perfect.<br />
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In order to stagger performances and give the viewers at home a steady feed of entertainment, some shows seem to be captured in near real time with a safely padded, room-for-editing, 30 minute delay, while others are shown hours or days later, such as the heavily bearded acoustic <a href="http://trampledbyturtles.com/" target="_blank">Trampled by Turtles</a>, who played Friday and Saturday, but are being broadcast live today at 4:00 p.m. EDT.<br />
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Bonnaroo's trailer aptly advertised: "Sounds. Stages. Sights. Get down on the farm, without being on the farm."<br />
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Airings are pretty spectacular – definitely one of the best live music broadcasts I've ever seen, and youtube-upload-worthy for future watches. The sound is perfect. The camera angles are great. The picture is crystal clear. All that's missing are the smells, and I can do without that.<br />
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Broadcasting Bonnaroo acts live on youtube will most likely have the same effect on the festival that MTV’s Spring Break had on Daytona Beach in the late ’80s.<br />
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There is a legend here in Florida of epic Woodstock proportion of the day the film crews came to town beginning in March of 1986, with big stars in tow, drawing in mega crowds of sweaty coeds from all over the country. For four years, we kids would do anything to get our parents to let us go to the free beach concerts. I got to see the Beastie Boys live, something I'll never forget.<br />
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At Bonnaroo, performers are able to strut their stuff live, proving they are not just smoke and mirrors while crowds of festival goers vie for camera time from the front row waving hi to Mom back home. I get to sit in the comfort of my air-conditioned apartment and watch online on hi-def, blowing up the picture mega huge, with my Bose speakers blasting the beautifully crystal clear music. It's like I'm there, but without all the dusty dirt, long lines for the honey pots, greasy hair and stench. Win! Win!<br />
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Two channels broadcast each day, on the appropriately named Channel 1 and Channel 2. I'm sure next year, they'll come up with much more creative names for these, but hopefully not as confusing as "This Tent," "That Tent," and "The Other Tent," just a few examples of real Bonnaroo stage names. Both channel feeds are found here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/BonnarooMusicFest" target="_blank">Bonnaroo Music Fest on Youtube</a><br />
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Unlike television which is subject to panels of censors, youtube appears to be self-regulated, meaning that swear words can fly freely.<br />
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I caught <a href="http://www.nbc.com/community/" target="_blank">Community</a> TV star, <a href="http://www.nbc.com/community/bios/donald-glover.shtml" target="_blank">Donald Glover</a>, performing as <a href="http://childishgambino.com/" target="_blank">Childish Gambino</a> in an uncensored rebroadcast this morning. I have to give props to the guy -- he can energize a crowd, displaying sing-a-long lyrics on a big screen, exciting the crowd into clapping in time, then moving them with sad and heart broken lyrics.<br />
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Later today on Channel 2 at 6 p.m. EDT is <a href="http://www.nbc.com/sing-off/" target="_blank">Sing-Off TV show</a> judge <a href="http://www.benfolds.com/" target="_blank">Ben Folds</a>, reunited with his fabulous lineup from the late '90s: <a href="http://www.benfoldsfive.com/" target="_blank">Ben Folds Five</a>. Dr. Folds promises to stand on his piano, whip out his wide lens and photograph people flipping him off. Sounds like he’s a gluten for punishment.<br />
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Should be fun. Catch it if you can. Check out the uploaded videos on the Bonnaroo youtube channel as well.<br />
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<br />Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-68166256377278150242012-06-05T00:22:00.000-04:002012-06-05T06:38:22.249-04:00Save The Sing-Off petition reaches landmark halfway pointYesterday marked a landmark victory for the fan-based movement to #SaveTheSingOff. The grassroots campaign reached 25,167 signatures by midnight, eastern time, Monday, June 4, just over halfway of its goal of 50,000 signatures. The fan-based group formed on Monday, May 14, just three short weeks ago. The online petition was created by Dan St. John of Lawrence, Kansas, to gather enough signatures to gain the attention of network executives at NBC. The halfway point now being reached, the movement is gaining even more momentum.<br />
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The Sing-Off television show, which aired on NBC for three seasons from 2009 to 2011 and features several a cappella groups vying for a Sony recording contract, was not renewed for a full season this coming fall. Fans are hoping to bring The Sing-Off back in Season 4 as a five or six day post-season run in December, the slot in which it originally ran during both Season 1 in 2009 and Season 2 in 2010.<br />
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After higher than expected ratings in 2010, NBC gambled and ran the show for a full season on Monday nights from 8 to 10 p.m. in Season 3 in 2011. However, the show was head-to-head against staunchly established competition: <i>How I Met Your Mother</i> and <i>Two and A Half Men</i> on CBS, and <i>Dancing with the Stars</i> on ABC, so that the 2011 ratings were less than stellar.<br />
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By showing that viewers care, the petition should light a fire under NBC execs to possibly bring the show back in December 2012.<br />
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The Sing-Off is hosted by the dashing Nick Lachey, and judged by the ever intelligent panel of Dr. Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman, and Sara Bareilles.<br />
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I want to issue a huge congratulations to the wonderful grass roots campaign to #SaveTheSingOff. I especially want to acknowledge Dan St. John for his ceaseless promotion on both twitter and facebook.<br />
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Well done, Dan! Well done!<br />
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<br />Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3893589717227674913.post-33377887772338749062012-05-29T09:58:00.001-04:002012-05-29T12:36:50.962-04:00Fan petition to Save The Sing-Off reaches 20,000 signaturesThis morning at 7:40 a.m., I was given the rare treat of being able to watch the number of signatures on the petition to <b><i>Save The Sing-Off</i></b> television show flip from 19,999 to 20,004. The number had crept to just under 16,000 signatures on Friday, then surged over the long Memorial Day holiday weekend.<br />
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The show, which has aired each fall for three consecutive seasons from 2009 to 2011 and features several a cappella groups competing for a Sony recording contract, is currently on the cutting room floor of the NBC scheduling room. The show is hosted by Nick Lachey and judged by performers Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman, and Sara Bareilles. Because The Sing-Off enjoyed high ratings during the post-season five-day run in December 2010, the show was extended to run the full season in the fall of 2011. Unfortunately, it did not fair as well and struggled for viewership against hit shows such as <i>How I Met Your Mother, Dancing with the Stars, House,</i> and Ashton Kutcher's debut on <i>Two and a Half Men</i>.<br />
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The show will sadly not run the full season this fall on NBC. Whether or not NBC will pick it up for a short December run in 2012 is still a big question mark. Industry insider @mcbc noted on twitter:<br />
<ul><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #9fc5e8;">"...that holiday thing is looking increasing unlikely. 10/90, 5/95 at best. And it would only be a reunion."</span></i></ul>
Undaunted, Sing-Off fans are not giving up! Here are just a few of the efforts currently in place:<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Petition</span></b><br />
The petition, started by Dan St. John of Lawrence, Kansas, now boasts over 20,100 signatures:<br />
<a href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-the-sing-off/" target="_blank">Sign the petition.</a><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Twitter trend campaign</span></b><br />
Fans are continuing to post #SaveTheSingOff on twitter.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta;">Videos by Sing-Off competitors:</span></b><br />
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X-Factors from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois:<br />
<a href="http://youtu.be/-dm1v5D9rbk" target="_blank">Cover of Eric Hutchinson's "You Don't Have to Believe Me</a>" with an introduction and plea.<br />
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Members of Fannin Eleven from Wisconsin:<br />
<a href="http://youtu.be/rlGCO2e52UY" target="_blank">Cover of "Break Even" by the Script</a> with a testimonial of the joy they experienced while on the show.<br />
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Pentatonix, Season 3 winner, from Arlington Texas;<br />
<a href="http://youtu.be/BpuddwqqWqo" target="_blank">Cover of Beyonce's "End of Time"</a> with a request to sign the petition at the end.<br />
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<br />Jenny Pennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04038577171949651015noreply@blogger.com0