He has a radio program on WXOU out of Oakland University
Wild At Heart
For the second week in a row I really don't have a lot going on. I haven't seen any new plays or movies to review and even my concert lists have been lax the past few weeks but I do have something for aspiring actors who like to dance. With the remake of the "Karate Kid" and a big screen adaptation of the "A-Team" coming up, it only makes sense that they would also redo the Kevin Bacon hit "Footloose". Paramount is looking for males 18 or older to play high school seniors for their production which will start shooting in the summer of 2010. They are looking for kids with natural rhythm and while you don't have to be a trained dancer, you must be able to learn quickly. If interested, go to http://www.footloosecasting.com/ to find everything you need to apply for the auditions. You need to get on this quick since the deadline is June 9th. If you have any questions, you can contact footloosecasting@yahoo.com but hurry and good luck.
This past weekend I was watching some morning news shows concerning the economy and the oil crisis and it just makes me wonder if America is still what we used to call a great nation. One of my friends works for a big company and recently was told he would lose his job if he didn't improve. Now he is a great worker with lots of ideas but his bosses don't seem to realize if they change the criteria of the job daily, it is hard to get the work done in a timely fashion. I have never understood why the managers of big business never seem to be able to grasp the true needs of the worker or the job. From experience, I have known many big name managers who have lofty expectations, do everything in their power to make the task nearly impossible to do and then blame the worker for not being able to carry out the task the way he/she wants. When one looks at these bosses, is it so hard to wonder why the levees in Louisiana never got the attention they needed before hurricane Katrina hit or why BP though paying a few extra bucks for the proper cut-off valves was not cost effective enough to put into place. Or how about how Enron was able to keep cooking their books to make it look like they were solvent when they were actually going backrupt or the banks were able to keep moving their mortgage debt around until the housing market collapsed. What is worse in my friends case and so many other people I know is that the businesses don't even have a foundation of support in many cases where workers can truly talk with someone without fear of losing their job. Too many times the big name bosses fire people that should have been kept because they don't want to admit their idiot mistakes. I hope that with all the talk in Washington that someday big business will come around and start doing everything in their power to help the good American workers keep their jobs here in the US but that may be a fantasy. I keep hearing politicians talk about how great the US is but rarely do I see them doing anything but partisan politics. My heart goes out to everyone who finds himself in a similar situation and wish you the best of luck.
On a happier note, here are a list of some nice upcoming concerts that I recommend.
Tuesday (6/08) - Michael Franti & Spearhead w/One Eskimo @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
Wednesday (6/09) - Reggae superstars the Original Wailers w/Al Anderson & Junior Marvin @ Magic Bag
Thursday (6/10) - The Psychedelic Furs @ Royal Oak Music Theatre, singer/songwriter Will Hoge @ Magic Stick, rockers The Fleshtones @ Majestic Cafe
Friday (6/11) - Creedence Clearwater Revisited @ Caesars Windsor "The Colosseum", folk rockers Great Lake Swimmers @ The Ark, music and comedy with the Scintas @ Andiamo Celebrity Showroom (Warren), jazz artist Stanley Clarke @ Sound Board Theater (MotorCity Casino)
Saturday (6/12) - Trey Songz @ Chene Park, rockers Marah w/Scarlet Oaks @ Pike Room, Detroit Wig Out w/Mick Bassett & the Marthas and The Wrong Numbers @ Magic Stick
Sunday (6/13) - Concrete Blonde @ Majestic Theatre, Gordon Lightfoot @ Fox Theatre, Thrice @ St Andrews Hall, the Music Of Queen @ Pine Knob, Broken Arrow Blues Band opens for Coco Montoya @ Callahans
Monday (6/14) - The New Pornographers @ Crofoot
My band of the week is Haircut 100, a British pop group formed in 1980 by Nick Heyward. The band had four UK Top 10 hit singles between 1981-82. Haircut 100 seemed poised for further success when Heyward left the band in January 1983 due to stress and he then went on to pursue a solo career. The album "Pelican West" is especially a wonderful insight to the power of the early new wave scene with a strong pop sensibility fused with a multitude of other styles including some jazz and funk and is often descibed as being artsy though accessible. Great music for a day at the beach or when need an uplift in your mood. Here are their 2 biggest hits.
Have a good week and I'll see you around town.