Remember The Time...

Sooner Or Later
Michael Jackson & Madonna

I thought we'd welcome the first Friday of July with some Flashback Friday action. With the recent anniversary of Michael Jackson's death and Madonna's NYC gay club performance let's remember the time they attended the Academy Awards together, shall we? We Shall?

The year was 1991 Madonna had been asked to perform Sooner Or Later by Stephen Sondheim from the film Dick Tracy, in which she appears as Breathless Mahoney. Madonna with her usual flair invited the King of Pop as her date for the to do.

Madonna has since described the date as "epic" and "fun." To make the evening even better Sooner Or Later won the Oscar for Best Original Song.

The more you know...T.G.I,F!

The Academy Awards on Wikipedia -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awards

Hump Day & Chill - Tom Connan

Multi-Faceted artist Tom Connan has just released a remix of his song "Chaos" which tackles the subject of drug addiction in a very direct and realistic manner. I just had to know what inspired Tom to "go there" so without further adieu let's Hump Day & Chill with Tom Connan!

MS: I love your song Chaos, obviously it resonates with many others as you did a "Black Mix" of it and a whole new video. What made you decide to do a song addressing drug addiction?

TC: I wanted to make a song addressing drugs because several friends of mine fell into that trap, went to rehab etc. It's a horrible phenomenon which is also closely linked to everyone's personal history. Nobody takes cocaine or things like that just because it's "fun". I see a lot of people feeling depressed and trying to escape with drugs. To my own point of view, I think our modern society creates a lot of psychological frustration which sometimes become a real pathology. It's not exactly the same as alcohol, even if it's also some kind of drug, after all. But with cocaine, or heroin, people are looking for something new, some brutal effect in order to erase their negative thoughts. Except it doesn't work. However, I have a lot of empathy for drug addicts as life can sometimes be a very sad and tough experience.

MS: Requiem For A Dream is one of my favorite films. I am guessing you have seen it based on the video. What are your thoughts on it?

TC: I love Requiem For A Dream and I'm very happy that you mention it. I was a child when I first saw it, but then I saw it again a few years ago and I was absolutely fascinated. Not only because it's so realistic, but also because it has this ability to grab you and force you to see what you don't want to see. I think this is precisely where cinema is the best among any other arts. With the combination of music and images, you can't help but looking at it and being focused. Of course normal people feel bad when they see that kind of movie, but sometimes we need to see embarrassing things to increase our awareness about something. I enjoy feeling embarrassed. All the time we watch stupid shows and stupid ads on TV, and it's easy for the mind. With movies like Requiem For A Dream, or Fight Club, or Eyes Wide Shut, we really learn something and become someone new -at some level.

MS: While you show plenty of skin in the re-mix video, you showed a little more in the video for the single. Why did you decide to leave your booty out this time?

TC: Lol, I don't want to show that booty too often. More seriously, this new video was something like the "dark" side of the first one. With the original video, I was trying to show the recreational aspect of taking drugs, which is obvious for everyone. With this second one, I wanted to describe how it can evolve. I have the feeling that in any phenomenon, we can find a "positive" and a "negative" side -we all know that-, but also that we can't delete one part for the other. You can't have the positive if you don't want to take the risk associated with it. If you want to have fun, you have to accept that, at some point, you can put your life at risk. It's the same in love affairs. Love can be a fantastic experience, but when it ends -which happens quite often- it can drive you nuts, so nuts that you want to kill yourself. Love is dangerous, drugs are dangerous, life is inherently dangerous.

MS: Your look in the video is very reminiscent of David Bowie in The Man Who Fell To Earth. Especially when you are shirtless, am I on to something?

TC: Honestly I don't know very much of David Bowie, I was more into singers like Michael Jackson (or even Marilyn Manson). That said, I'm a big fan of transgender and genderfluid pop icons like Bowie, Cher or Prince. Playing with feminine and masculine sides of the human body is so interesting. My own body changed quite a lot the last few years, and I enjoyed all the different levels, if I can say so. We only live once, for me, we need to experience different versions of ourselves. French poet Arthur Rimbaud said something like that in the 19th century.

MS: I love that Tom Connan has gotten freer and more out there creatively.

TC: I think you're totally right about the "freer" person I became. Back a few years ago, I was obsessed with other people's opinion. Now, I just don't give a fuck. My work is not understood by everybody, including in my family, and I think that's good. If you follow what your parents or your brothers want you to do, you'll never achieve your dream. We need to stick to our own model, that nobody can copy. There are tons of singers and artists out there, I don't want to look like them. I want to express my personal, and radical freedom. Otherwise it's absolutely useless.

MS: Spill about your other ventures outside the music world.

TC: The last two years I worked a lot on other ventures outside the music world, I changed the project name many times, and I finally decided to simply choose one name for every division of the brand: Connan. That's simple, that's neutral, that's honest -it's my real last name- and there's no confusion with my full artist name. It's currently a website (connan.io) when you'll soon be able to find different cultural products: music (not only mine), tv, books, fashion and art. I'm currently working with other artists for the music division, as well as authors for the publishing division. It's super exciting as I'm working on several levels at the same time: my next novel will be published by a well-known French publisher called Albin Michel, but I will also publish myself other authors as an entrepreneur. It's great to have this opportunity to work as an author as well as a publisher. The best is yet to come. 

MS: If you could be any famous person fictional or not, who would you be?

TC: I'd love to be Tyler Durden, that Fight Club character played by Brad Pitt. He's gorgeous, he's radical, he's clever, he wants to revolt against society. That's a role model for me. No joke.

Get social with Tom at:
https://connan.io/

https://www.instagram.com/tomconnan/?hl=en

https://twitter.com/TomConnan

https://www.facebook.com/tomconnan/  

A Tale of Two Paris'

I See London, I See France...
Paris Hilton & Paris Jackson

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale..." Theme From Gilligan's Island 

Here's the tale, it goes something like this Michael Jackson so loved Paris Hilton's first name that he asked Kathy Hilton permission to name his daughter Paris and of course being the game gal she is, she said "yes" - and the beat goes on.

Thus when Paris Hilton celebrated her 37th Birthday, well, yesterday the two Paris' took the time for a photo op, naturally.

Actually this is one time I am not going to state I would like to have been a fly on the wall because, well think about it. While I don't purport to know either of these women, I feel they would have nothing to add to my life experience, collectively or separately.

What slays me is that Paris Hilton is 37! Seriously, it makes me realize how much older I have gotten as I remember when she was doing the The Simple Life with Nicole Richie at a mere 22 years old!

Aye Carumba! 

Paris Hilton on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/parishilton/?hl=en

Paris Jackson on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/parisjackson/?hl=en  

Michael's Musings

"Life ain't so bad at all If you live it off the wall" -
Off The Wall, Michael Jackson
Michael Shinafelt

This week Harvey Weinstein is the new blue, as in blue balled. My smart phone both disturbs and fascinates me. Angelina Jolie is still, what else? Winning!

Shall we play games?

"The Weinstein story should be less about him, and more about the hundreds of men who knew, and did nothing" - Tony Tripoli, Comedian

Just when you thought your smart phone couldn't get any creepier and omniscient, upgrades happen

My favorite quote from Margaret Cho's Fresh Off The Bloat tour that I attended last week: "Jesus was a rape baby!" Think about it, but not too much

Night calling, wine wankers

Just use your safe word and make him go away

Take a stand for LGBTQ youth next Thursday October 19th and go purple.

Reading is fundamental, seriously people

Now for something entirely different? A homeless man panhandled me for a pair of shorts yesterday rather than money

Angelina Jolie on the cover of Harper's Bazaar, winning!

When I was a kid I used to crush on witches. While waiting in line for a haunted house with my Dad I even told the one who was entertaining everyone while they were waiting she was pretty and asked to kiss her. "Yes" she had warts and green skin, she was beautiful.

Coming next year another installment of, well the infamous Halloween series with original star Jamie Lee Curtis returning. I can't wait! 

Why the F#ck would you even desire a virgin cocktail?! If you want that you might as well have H20

Every time you touch yourself an angel dies. This should make it perfectly clear there are no such beings.

Dear White People...never mind

You know how to follow, just click on the links below....

https://www.instagram.com/michaelshinafelt/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/MShinafelt    

You Didn't Give Them A Chance

Entertain Me favorite and friend Tom Connan is back with a decidedly different tone. He has done a dance mix of his cool as ice song  "You Didn't Give Them A Chance."

Turning it on it's head and making it into a terrific political anthem. I could extrapolate on this, but wouldn't you rather hear it from Tom?! I thought so, moving on...

MS: What made you decide to do the dance mix with a political bent?

TC: I live in France and, as you know, several terror attacks happened here the last few years. And over time, this is spreading all over the world. I'm creating music but I can't get this shit out of my head. When we decided to make a new video, I wanted to do something special, something more personal. Then I thought about those great moving videos Michael Jackson made quite a long time ago, especially They Don't Care About Us. I said to myself: "that's exactly what I need to do now". 

MS: I like the use of Anonymous. How did you land on him as a central figure?

TC: I'm not sure I'll keep using the Anonymous mask, but this was clearly inspiring. It represents some kind of progressive hidden resistance, which is really important nowadays -social media are awesome but this is also the place where you can find a lot of hateful comments, a lot of anti-Semitic or homophobic people for instance. It can be really tough. Therefore you must have some kind of online counter power. A journalist recently said in the Huffington Post that I was trying to "bring entertainment and politics together". I think she understood exactly my intention. 

MS: There are so many images of people who were dictators and failed, I think I am sensing the overall message, correct?

TC: I tried to analyze coldly the phenomenon of barbarism. Some people, including some close friends of mine, were afraid to see the face of Hitler in the video, especially because he's laughing. Obviously I can understand that. And believe me, we thought long and hard about it. But we decided to keep the footage, because we don't have the right to forget it. A lot of Jews are still being murdered simply because they are Jews, that's why it's still a hot topic. Our world is bleeding, and history is sometimes repeating itself. We must be aware of that. We must be united as citizens to protect the free world. It's more fragile than we think.

!

Look, He's Naked!
Tom Connan

MS: What are you wearing right now? 

TC: I have to admit I'm only wearing my own clothes from now on -we launched a clothing brand this summer (www.tomconnan.com/store). This is Karl Lagerfeld's fault: as you know he's always wearing the same outfit... I do the same! More seriously, I'd say I feel more comfortable with my own clothes. Fashion is a new world for me but this is so exciting, especially when you live in Paris. 

MS: Leave us the foremost thing on your mind regarding this project.

TC: This new single and music video is closing what I would call the first chapter of my musical career. We released four singles and four music videos in ten months, it required a tremendous amount of work. A lot of things happened, I met some incredible people in the industry and new stuff will be coming soon. What is really exciting is that you never know what will be next. Six months ago I never thought I would create some clothes, or make such a "political" music video. I chose to be an artist and I always try to do my best. But I don't want to forget the main reason why I chose this path: to be free.

Be Free with Tom, check out You Didn't Give Them A Chance after the jump!

Tom on Social Media at:

https://www.facebook.com/tomconnan/

https://www.instagram.com/tomconnan/

https://twitter.com/TomConnan  

Michael's Musings

Spin Bike Porn
Michael Shinafelt

Are you scratching your collective heads about the above image and caption? Well let me strap one on and extrapolate.

Those of you who take a spin class on a regular basis get what I mean, for the uninitiated here we go. Everyone no matter who they are have their favorite bike when they enter the spin room, in my case this takes place at Gold's Gym Hollywood (they should pay my ass for all my internet mentions of them.)

I have two favorite instructors there, Jessica & Michelle, and guess what? I like the same bike all the time. Now don't get me wrong, if someone arrives before me and snags it, I can move on and not get bent. But that never happens, because I get there early enough to insure my place in the universe.

So the image above is me showing affection for my favorite spin bike in the room with a tongue bath. Let's move on, I know you want to....

United Airlines, moving on...

Oral tops & waffle makers

Hey Guys & Dolls, this Easter I wish you the biggest basket

Hagsploitation - I never thought a limited series on FX named Feud would introduce me to my new favorite term.

There's no gray in Sonja Morgan's gardens. Dye it's not just for Easter eggs

A woman named Ida Lickhammer gave a like to one of my Instagram posts this week. Yes, really.

That time in spin class (you know, on my favorite bike) you mistake a Michael Jackson song for a Britney Spears one. Yeah, that really happened.

Here comes Peter Cottontail, I hope he cleans up after himself

To all the RHOBH fans out there. Look what I saw this past week DTLA

Erika Jayne's Husband Tom Girardi's
Law Office

Why are Donald Trump and Augustus Gloop never in the same room?!

This Saturday I will be attending a performance of Bella Gaia, which has been described as "poetry in motion" with Maresa Wickham. Thanks Lynn Tejada

Quote of the Week: "I don't fuck much with the past, but I fuck plenty with the future" - Patti Smith

Give it a name, but not mine

Mike Clifford, Mike Clifford, Mike Clifford - https://www.facebook.com/Mike-Cliffords-Wonderful-World-878305508977287/

When you think of me, follow me, here:

https://www.instagram.com/michaelshinafelt/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/MShinafelt   

Twerking Tuesday

Twerking Is No Laughing Matter
Madonna & James Corden

Coming Wednesday as in tomorrow, Madonna makes her Carpool Karaoke debut with James Corden on The Late Late Show. 

In honor of her Madgesty's debut I hereby decree today, December 6th Twerking Tuesday! As you know Madonna just had to show off her twerking skills, which she does in the teaser image above, to "Bitch I'm Madonna."

On a side note it seems Twerking has officially entered the spell check wheel house as it is the first time I have used it that it did not get flagged as a misspelled word.

We are also going to get a taste of the two performing "Vogue" and a kiss and tell story about Madonna's evening with Michael Jackson at the Oscars. 

I hope they do the song song "Deeper and Deeper" too, off of my favorite Madonna album "Erotica" but somehow I doubt that will make the cut, I must tune in tomorrow night to find out!

Get teased and get twerking below!

The Late Late Show at:
https://www.facebook.com/latelateshowcbs/
https://twitter.com/latelateshow?lang=en
www.cbs.com/shows/late-late-show/ 

Michael Jackson, Death Becomes Him

MICHAEL JACKSON’S THRILLER IS THE FIRST ALBUM CERTIFIED RIAA 30X MULTI-PLATINUM, THE KING OF POPMAKES HISTORY (AGAIN)! THRILLER REMAINS THE BIGGEST ALBUM OF ALL TIME, TOPPING 100 MILLION SALES WORLDWIDE I'm sure Michael Jackson is Moon Walking in his grave right now.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the Estate of Michael Jackson, Epic Records and Legacy Recordings announced today that Michael Jackson’s THRILLER is the first album in RIAA Gold & Platinum Program history to be certified 30X multi-Platinum for U.S. sales, continuing The King of Pop’s reign as the biggest selling artist of all time with worldwide sales of over 100 million for Thriller and 1 billion overall.    “RIAA has awarded Gold & Platinum records on behalf of the music business for nearly 60 years, but this is the first time an artist has crossed the 30X multi-Platinum plateau,” said Cary Sherman, Chairman & CEO, RIAA. “We are honored to celebrate the unique status ofThriller in Gold & Platinum history. What an exceptional achievement and testament toThriller’s enduring spot in our hearts and musical history.” Michael Jackson’s masterpiece Thriller, produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson, won a record setting 8 Grammys, more than any album ever, and has been earning awards and setting new standards of success since its release on November 30, 1982. Thriller spent nearly 2 ½ years on the Billboard album chart and holds a modern day record of 37 weeks at No. 1.  It was the first album in history to spend each of its first 80 weeks in the album chart’s Top 10, a feat only reached by one other album in the more than three decades since. During its 112th week on Billboard’s album chart, it became the first title ever to be certified RIAA 20X multi-Platinum (October 30, 1984). Worldwide, Thriller went to #1 in practically every country in the world, including the UK, France, Italy, Australia, Denmark, Belgium, South Africa, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and apartheid South Africa.   The album was acclaimed for its range and depth. Rolling Stone referred to the album as a “watershed” moment for Michael, and Newsweek prophetically wrote that “Michael’s voice haunts these songs, gives them heart…It is what will make this music endure.” Seven tracks from the album became Top 10 singles, and three, “Beat It,” “Billie Jean,” and “Thriller,” went No. 1. ALL nine assumed a permanent place in hearts and memories of everyone on the planet.                                                                    Thriller More than just an album, Thriller has remained a global cultural multi-media phenomenon for both the 20th and the 21st centuries, smashing musical barriers and changing the frontiers of pop forever. The music on Thriller is so dynamic and singular that it defied any definition of rock, pop or soul that had gone before. “Beat It” was a new kind of pop-rock hybrid and demolished the longstanding segregation between black and white music with Eddie Van Halen’s incendiary guitar. On “The Girl Is Mine,” a black man and a white man bantered about the same girl. On the same album were songs like the African-rooted “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” and the rhythm and blues-based “Billie Jean.” No one had ever released an album with such a vast range of material. “Perhaps Michael’s most significant racial trailblazing came with music videos,” wrote Joe Vogel in Man in the Music. Fascinated with the fledgling art form, Michael wanted to tell a story and entertain on a grand scale. Despite the luscious cinematography, dramatic narrative and spectacular choreography of “Billie Jean,” a fledgling MTV, which was programming white rock artists almost exclusively, refused to play it. Epic persisted. Once the wall came crashing down, MTV’s ratings soared and a door was opened for a generation of African American artists. “He was MTV’s Jackie Robinson,” said cultural critic Touré. Next, came the unforgettable short film for “Beat It,” which featured Michael bringing two gangs together through the power of music and dance. And then there was “Thriller.” Premiered at the AVCO Theatre in Los Angeles in 1983, it sold out every night for three weeks. No other video before or since has generated such excitement and has such a hold on our attention, such that more than 30 years later we all share it as a collective memory and it remains the only music video to be inducted into the elite National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. The importance of Thriller was recognized by Michael Jackson’s industry peers at the Grammys.  Thriller was nominated in a record-breaking 12 categories, and won a history making eight, which stands as the record for most Grammy Awards to be won by any album. Seven of those Grammys that year were awarded to Michael for: Album of the Year; Record of the Year ("Beat It"); Best Male Pop Vocal Performance ("Thriller"); Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical (Thriller); Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ("Beat It"); Best Male R&B Vocal Performance ("Billie Jean"); Best R&B Song ("Billie Jean"). (Michael's eighth Grammy that year was in the Best Recording for Children - Single or Album, Musical or Spoken category for "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial"). That same year, Michael Jackson took home eight American Music Awards and three MTV Video Music Awards. The following year, "The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller" took home the Best Video Album trophy at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards.    # # # SOCIALS: RIAA: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram  MICHAEL JACKSON: Website / Facebook / Twitter

Anything Goes: The VMA's

Get Your Tongue Off My VMA Miley Cyrus!

"Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!" - Bette Davis as Margo Channing in All About Eve

That's right MTV's Video Music Awards are on tonight with Our Lady of Cyrus, Miley hosting. So that means anything can happen when she hits the stage and as you know, anything will!

Executive producers have been proactive and prepared a delay for her and lots of wide shots for audience reactions. Way to work those ratings people!

With live performances by Nicki Minaj, Macklemore, Pharrell Williams, Tori Kelly and many more planned it is a music lovers buffet.

Aside from the hostess with the mostess, or is it host with the most, sorry Miley I know you have stated you feel more like a guy than a girl in the past...the other wild card of the evening will be the coming of Yeezus!

That's correct, Kanye West will be accepting the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, prepare thyself. 

Here's hoping Taylor Swift makes an appearance during that moment and there's no Bad Blood!

Tune in or be square to the MTV Video Music Awards tonight at 9/8c on MTV, duh!

Wiz Bomb!

We're Going to "Wiz"
Mary J. Blige & Queen Latifah

So NBC is reviving The W-I-Z. 

That's correct, The Wiz is being, revived, woot! I remember seeing the original film starring Diana Ross as Dorothy and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow. Oh, and let's not forget the late great Lena Horne as Glinda the Good. Directed by the great Sidney Lumet.

A lot of critics were divided, but I was completely spellbound. Hey "Ease On Down The Road" people.

Well current casting news on the NBC production eases like this: Queen Latifah as The Wiz and Mary J. Blige as Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West.

Personally I can't wait for this! I love myself some Latifah and Blige!

 Just say no to poppies!

Get Wizzy with:

Latifah at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001451/?ref_=nv_sr_6
Blige at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004763/?ref_=nv_sr_3

Pentatonix Tackle Michael Jackson

PTX: It's Easy, ABC

With the release of their tour documentary ON MY WAY HOME and their upcoming tour with Kelly Clarkson  CLICK HERE -

What else is an acapella super group to do? Why cover the musical history of the King of Pop Michael Jackson in one big ole mash-up, the Evolution of Michael Jackson.

Jeeze do these guys ever take a break?! No seriously...?!

Groove to the mash-up after the jump.

Get more PTX here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/PTXofficial  

Sandy Zacky Puts A Spell On You

Sandy Zacky Is Magic!

It's time to get your witch on! Thus it must be Halloween, Yay! This is the time of year we turn and face the strange with open arms. It's also when our thoughts turn to music along the lines of Michael Jackson's Thriller & Bobby Pickett's Monster Mash.

Every year on Entertain Me we celebrate with the song Witchcraft covered by it's resident chanteuse Sandy with a "Y" not "E" Zacky.

Originally recorded by Frank Sinatra, Ms. Zacky's rendition is flawless and her vocals are on par with old blues eyes crooning.

Check out our one one one chat we had a few years back here on EM.

http://mshinafelt.blogspot.com/2011/10/checking-in-with-jazz-chanteuse-sandy.html

So, yes, it's time to go there, and fall under Sandy Zacky's magic spell, her special brand of Witchcraft is here...!

Jump The Broom at:

www.reverbnation.com/sandyzacky

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Sandy-Zacky-Fan-Page/142692019103428

http://www.showmetalkradio.com/zacky.php

All That Jazz: The Lost Fingers

Lose A Finger?

Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz Presents
2014/2015 Season Opening Night with The Lost Fingers
The Canadian Gypsy Jazz Evening Kicks Off
The 14th Season of the Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles
Friday, September 19, 2014

Fall is here, want to know what to do September 19th in Los Angeles?
Jazz Hands! That's what's happening!!!

o

Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz (TRK) presents the 2014/2015 Season Opening Night with The Lost Fingers on Friday, September 19, 2014. The evening, made complete with an opening reception, kicks off the 14th season of TRK’s public performing arts series at the innovative performance space at Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles. The Quebec-based and award-winning headliner, The Lost Fingers, is known for transforming pop/rock classics into Django Reinhardt-style gypsy jazz, with a hint of blue grass, taking listeners on a musical journey through reinterpretations from AC/DC to Earth, Wind and Fire; from Deee-Lite to Dolly Parton and Daft Punk. This will be The Lost Fingers’ Los Angeles debut as a quartet, featuring vocalist Valérie Amyot (a finalist on La Voix, Quebec's version of the popular American TV show, The Voice). The band previously performed at TRK in 2010 as a trio, before Amyot joined the group. TRK’s 2014/2015 Season Opening Night with The Lost Fingers is made possible with the support of the Quebec Government Office in Los Angeles. 

Pre-show reception sponsored by The Consulate General of Canada in Los Angeles and Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles.

The show will start at 7:30pm and will take place at Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, 10361 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90064 (310.286.0553). Tickets are $40 for adults and $30 for students and include an opening reception that starts at 7:00pm. For more information on this event, please visit TRK’s event page here and the Facebook Event Page here. Tickets are available online here. To learn more about Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, please visithttp://www.theatreraymondkabbaz.com.

Th e Lost Fingers, Jazz/Swing/Django/Pop/Rock/Symphony – 
The Lost Fingers, a Canadian gypsy jazz music group formed in Quebec City, are composed of Alex Morissette(backing vocals, upright bass), François Rioux (guitar), Valérie Amyot (lead vocals), and Byron “Maiden” Mikaloff (backing vocals, guitar). The band’s name was inspired by gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, who lost the use of two fingers following a fire.

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The band takes listeners on a entertaining musical journey, offering unique arrangements of Daft Punk, Anna Kendrick, Earth, Wind and Fire, Guns and Roses, Michael Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Technotronic. Their high-energy show attracts a wide range of music lovers, pop-culture aficionados, and even conservative jazz experts. They have sold over 400,000 albums across the world, including their Canadian double-platinum selling debut,Lost in the 80s (2008), and gold selling Rendez-vous Rose (2009). Also in 2009, the group was nominated for two Juno Awards (in the categories Fan Choice and Album of the Year), based on the success of their debut release. The band’s sixth album, Wonders of the World (2014), was released earlier this year.

The Lost Fingers have toured Canada, from coast to coast, and have performed in over 22 different countries including the US, Russia, France, Spain, Lithuania, Turkey, United Emirates, New Caledonia, and Colombia. They’ve shared the stage with a long list of top-selling artists, most notably Celine Dion on TV’s Star Academie. They have also collaborated and performed with respected jazz/studio musicians, including the belated George Harrison's favorite guitarist, Robin Nolan; Elton John's band leader/guitarist, John Jorgenson; and the guitar virtuoso, Andreas Oberg.

“The Lost Fingers blew the roof off the tent. What a performance!!! They were absolutely outstanding.”   

– Jan Riley, PEI Jazz & Blues Artistic Director

Get the 411 at:

• Facebook Event Page – https://www.facebook.com/events/766837743357861
• The Lost Fingers Official Site – http://www.thelostfingers.com/en 

I Have An "Alien Ant Farm" In Africa

Ei ei ooooooooooooo.....

Multi-Platinum Alt-Rockers ALIEN ANT FARM

Post Sneak Preview of New Song

Multi platinum rockers Alien Ant Farm have shared a sneak peak of one of their new songs "Let Em Know"....

About Alien Ant Farm:

Since the formation of Alien Ant Farm in 1995, the quartet has enjoyed worldwide success. Over the course of their four studio albums, cumulative sales surpass five million units a Grammy nomination and 4 top 10 singles. The band built a massive following on the road early in their career via high profile 2001 runs with Linkin Park, Papa Roach, Warped, and as the headliner on an MTV presented Fall Tour. In 2002, fame spread across the world, bringing Alien Ant Farm to the major European festivals, Australia's Big Day Out and a headline run in Japan. The following year they returned to Europe with Metallica, and to this day the band has steadily delivered audiences in territories across the globe. 

From the beginning, the clever humor of vocalist Dryden Mitchell and guitarist Terry Corso has delivered visual imagery that made the band vanguards in the realm of music video. All of the singles released received heavy rotation on MTV and MTV2, with "Smooth Criminal" was voted the #2 video of 2001 on MTV's countdown. They appeared on the channel's programs Celebrity Dismissed, MTV Cribs, and hosted House of Style. Alongside the massive support from cable, Alien Ant Farm were darlings of broadcast television with multiple appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and support from Carson Daly, Extra, CNN, Access Hollywood and Mad-TV amongst many more. With all the notoriety also came a 2001 Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2001.

The early history of the band began when the name came from a daydream Terry Corso had while employed at a day job. The concept revolves around the human species being cultivated by alien intelligence, and the colony forming much like it does in a traditional children's toy. In 1999, Alien Ant Farm self-released their debut titled Greatest Hits, which went on to win Best Independent Album at the L.A. Music Awards. In 2000, they signed to DreamWorks SKG, and went on to release Anthology. The following year, a cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" became a massive hit overseas, rising to #1 in Australia and New Zealand, and on the U.S. Modern Rock charts. It also rose to #3 in the U.K. To set the record straight on the inspiration behind choosing this song amongst the millions of copyrights, Corso shares, "When we were a young local band in SoCal, we'd play a different cover song by a different artist every show we would do. Wild unexpected stuff and sometimes not even songs we were that into. Just whatever was going on around us on the radio or whatever fit in with our inside jokes at that minute, from Ileah to Gary Glitter to The Police, we had a lot of fun with it. One week we had been throwing the idea of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" around the jam room, I believe someone had just watched Moonwalker again. The very next sow we played, we hadn't learned the whole song yet but decided to klunk the main riff out for fun, the crowd loved it and went a little crazy. After that we learned the entire song and super charged it. The rest is pretty much history." To this day, the cover is a crowd pleaser. This past October 8th, the band was asked to appear alongside Cee Lo Green, Smokey Robinson and The Jackson Family at the Michael Jackson Forever Tribute Concert in Cardiff, Wales.

In 2003, the Alien Ant Farm entered the studio with Stone Temple Pilots' Robert and Dean DeLeo and cut Truant. Unfortunately, they ran in to unforeseen adversity with the closure of their record label, offering an insurmountable obstacle to continue building on the band's successes. Still under contract to Universal, Geffen green-lit the opportunity for Alien Ant Farm to return to the studio. In 2005, they recorded with Jim Wirt, but that album was not released as scheduled. Alien Ant Farm chose to share it with with fans via a bootlegged version, which has affectionately been re-named 3rd Draft by the public. Looking back on the adversity the band went through, alongside the massive fame Mitchell reflects, "This Alien Ant Farm 'Wave' is a bigger, longer wave than I could have hoped for. All these years later, we are still intact. From friends to foes to friends again, this band is something special, and nothing short of tight and explosive." 

The next year in 2006 Up In The Attic was issued, and for the next several years the members went their separate ways reconvening in 2009 for performances in Kansas City, the Sonisphere Festival in Knebworth, UK and at the WARPED Tour in memory of Michael Jackson. They were back, and come 2010 began to rebuild a legacy that grows with each passing month. The band staged a very successful tour over the Summer and Fall, where they road tested new material in front of the live audience. In the New Year, they'll release the new recordings. Mitchell shares, "The First batch of these new songs are pretty to the point and pissed. Angry, but not negative. That is possible in this non tangible, musical and lyrical world. Unfortunately not possible in the real world, and that's why I love music. I can get this all out without hurting anyone."

Come 2013 Alien Ant Farm will return, and the path for the future will unfold one day at a time. The band is hard at work on their new record "Always And Forever" (AAF) which will be release in the summer of 2013, guitarist Corso shares, "We are pretty excited for the year to come. We just came off of a three-month tour in the U.S. that made us realize that with the original line-up back together, we have fire and hunger again. With a fresh new collection, we hope to get our core fans excited, as well as turn some brand new listeners on to the ALIEN ANT FARM sound and show the world we have a lot more to offer than the average rock band.” Having the original members back in the line-up will give the fans what they have been waiting for." In summation, bassist Zamora offers, "Although we spent a couple of years apart and wrote our last record with only three original members, there is no denying the chemistry of the original four piece. The band, the show, and the songs are just better with all of the original members doing what they were born to do, being Alien Ant Farm." Drummer Cosgrove echoes, "It's good to have the original core back together." With strong repertoire, great attitudes, and a fan base that has been there every step of the way, the future is lining up nicely for Alien Ant Farm.

Go Meryl Streep and have an "Alien Ant Farm" in Africa - Ei ei oooooooooooo:

http://www.alienantfarm.com/