IN FRONT OF THE STAGE AT THE “GEORGE STRAIT: ACM ARTIST OF THE DECADE ALL STAR CONCERT”

Well, I certainly have to laugh when I read back my entry about the ACMA rehearsals. If you kept up with the news, Tim McGraw never did rehearse for his spot on the ACMA’s and in fact didn’t appear on the show at all. He did make it to the George Strait concert though. More details on that, but first let’s review my night at the ACMA’s:

I got tickets for myself and my friends Annie and Chris. We ended up sitting in the stands to the right of the stage. Unfortunately, our view was blocked at times by a camera operator, but once we moved down a few rows, we were so close, it was like we were onstage. The show moved fast and the three hours were over in a flash. But the highlights of the evening came after the show. First, as Nicole Kidman was leaving the arena via a door on our side of the stage, Annie yelled out a goodbye to her and Nicole looked up and waved to her. Funnily enough, the next day Annie found herself sitting next to Nicole in a VIP lounge at the Bellagio and didn’t say a word to her!

After a quick dinner, we attended the ACM’s All Star Jam. This is an event that takes place after the show in a huge ballroom behind the Grand Garden Arena. I actually enjoyed the All Star Jam more than the official show, because while on the Awards, the performers tend to showcase their new singles, at the Jam, they play their most popular hits. While I was upset to find we were too late for a three song mini-set by Kenny Chesney, we did get to see John Rich, Luke Bryan and Randy Houser (whose song “Anything Goes” is going on my Ipod at my first opportunity). Best of all were the Zac Brown Band, who performed their number one song, “Chicken Fried” as well as a blazing version of “The Devil Went Down To Georgia,” and the newly crowned Entertainer Of The Year, Carrie Underwood, who was so on top of the world after her win that she gave the loosest, most spontaneous performance I’ve ever seen from her, rocking out on “Last Name” and “Before He Cheats.”

But that wasn’t the end of the country festivities, not by a long shot! The next night, we taped the “George Strait: ACM Artist Of The Decade All Star Concert” at the Grand Garden Arena. The show attracted another full house and since there were fewer people from the music industry in attendance than at the Awards, it was even louder. In fact, the energy didn’t flag the entire evening, as performer after performer went above and beyond in their salute to King George. The real question is how will they edit the show down to two hours? Every singer not only talked about what George and his music meant to them before their song, but afterward, most of them spoke even more before going over to shake George’s hand. It was really very moving.

Now I don’t want to give away too many details about the show, since it’s air date is still two months away at the end of May. I will say you might just be getting a look at your humble blogger. It seems during Alan Jackson’s rendition of “The Fireman,” one of the roving cameramen started filming our row. I figured he had trained his camera on Annie who was sitting beside me (although for that song, the entire audience was standing up and dancing), but it seems I was the target of his lens. I know this because I was later told that everyone at the producer’s table following the action on monitors yelled out my name when they saw me, so I should be on the show. Of course, every time I ran into one of the producers today, he mimed a pair of scissors cutting something. I think he was kidding…

BACKSTAGE AT THE 2009 ACMA’S

I’m writing this from the production office of this year’s ACMA’s at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Today things are a bit more hectic than previous days this week, thanks to the crush of performers coming in for rehearsals before tomorrow night’s live show. Although things will never get too over the top, thanks to the calm and steady demeanor of Executive Producer RA Clark (known to everyone as RAC). Assisting him in keeping the mood light is Producer/Writer Barry Adelman, who is constantly cracking jokes and singing the most nonsensical lyrics he can think of in current pop songs (you wouldn’t believe how many times we’ve heard the words, “That’s not my name”).

For an excellent overview of the rehearsals, you can check out Whitney Pastorek’s reports at Entertainment Weekly’s website. But my vantage point is quite a bit different. While Whitney is writing about what’s going on in the arena, I’ve been spending time watching the performers booked for “George Strait: ACM Artist Of The Decade All Star Concert” working on their songs with the house band for the show. It’s been fascinating sitting a few feet away while Jack Ingram rocks up his song or Keith Urban shows off his skills on acoustic guitar. The funniest thing is while the area around the Grand Garden Arena is ringed with fans and autograph seekers, outside the hall where they’re coming in to rehearse for our show, it’s totally free of fans.

As you know, I did phone interviews with many of the performers on the George Strait show before I got to Las Vegas, but it’s much more fun to talk to the stars face to face and tell them things I’ve always wanted to share. For instance, I got to tell Faith Hill how much I enjoy her song “Paris” from the album “Butterflies,” even though I’ve never been all that sure what it was about. Faith said she wasn’t sure what it was about either, so I certainly felt good about that. Continuing with the compliments, I told Keith Urban how happy I was that he redid the song “Got It Right This Time (The Celebration)” on his “Greatest Hits” album. Previously, he had put a demo version on a previous album and while I liked the song, I still wanted a full-blown version, which I got on “Greatest Hits.”

But the most memorable moment was getting a surprise hug from Taylor Swift. Writer Fred Bronson had approached Taylor to show her the intro that she’ll give before her song. She was very happy with it and didn’t want to change a word. Fred reminded her that she had done a phone interview with me just a week ago, so much of what he had written were her words anyway. So Taylor came over to say hello and gave me a hug. Naturally I had her sign something for my friend’s daughter, who’s a big fan. And don’t think I forgot about myself, as I also had her sign the CD cover for her latest album, “Fearless.” So far I’ve also gotten autographs from Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley and Toby Keith, which probably makes me one of the most successful autograph hunters in the building. I was only stymied by Lee Ann Womack, as I didn’t have a CD cover along when she was rehearsing yesterday, something I was reminded of when she turned up in front of me when I was walking through the casino to my room this afternoon.

Okay, time to check out Tim and Faith rehearsing on the big stage!

WE ARE BACK… AGAIN!

Had another time-out on my internet access, thanks to moving. True, I only moved from one bedroom to the other in my apartment, but the loss of my roommate and his internet connection and the subsequent painting and carpet cleaning of the rooms made for quite a lot of trouble right here in Studio City!

But I’ve now got my world straightened out (well, I still have some stuff to put away and I haven’t started my search for a new roommate yet but at least now I have my own DSL line) and I have plenty to write about.

Right now I’m working as a researcher for another Dick Clark Productions show, following up my jobs last year on “The American Music Awards” and “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.” This time I’m helping to put together tribute montages for the “George Strait: ACM Artist Of The Decade All Star Concert.” This should be a really fun show with the biggest names in country music (including Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, LeAnn Rimes and Tim McGraw) paying tribute to George by performing their favorite George Strait songs. The All Star Concert will be held on April 6th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. That’s the night after the Academy Of Country Music Awards, enabling us to take advantage of the fact that all the country superstars will already be in town. I myself get to go to Vegas for a week, although I doubt I’m going to have any time to hang out by the pool…

I’m a big country music fan and so I’ve always wanted to work on a country music show, which isn’t so easy to do when you don’t live in Nashville. I still remember the night years ago at the American Music Awards when I was walking across the parking lot to the shuttle beside Garth Brooks and I didn’t say anything to him because I wasn’t a country music fan back then. I’ve always regretted that, so I’m happy to be getting the chance to talk to some of my country music faves. In fact, I’m getting to talk to many of them even before the show.

One of my jobs is to arrange and perform interviews with the singers to ask about their memories and affection for George Strait and his music so that the scriptwriter, my longtime colleague Fred Bronson, can use the information to make what the singers will say onstage more personal. So far I’ve done phone interviews with Blake Shelton (singer of my all-time favorite song, “Austin,” and don’t think I didn’t tell him that), Miranda Lambert and Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry. Every single one of them had great stories to tell, and with Taylor Swift and Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn calling me on Monday, I have a feeling the quality will remain high.

That’s it for now. More bulletins as events occur…

JUST ANOTHER NEW YEAR’S EVE

I haven’t had a lot of memorable New Year’s Eves. I’ve never gotten that fabled midnight kiss. I have been to a few good parties though.

Probably the best one was also attended by Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. It was years ago at a mansion in the hills above Silverlake that I later recognized as the setting for the climax of “Scream 3.” While Tobey stuck to the upstairs VIP area, Leo was often downstairs on the first floor and was happy to take photos with his fans. Of course, my wingman Eddie was most excited by the appearance of Milla Jovovich, not that she ever gave him a second look (or a first one for that matter).

I had a little better luck at a New Year’s Eve party a few years later. A promoter had rented the Castle, a house in the Hollywood Hills which was owned by my friend Lance’s father. The Castle was built to look like, you guessed it, a castle. That night I started talking to a couple of ladies who had come together and eventually set my eye on one. I told her how I ended up at the party and she asked, “How long have you and Lance been together?” Naive little me, I replied we’ve known each other for years. Yes, I didn’t realize she thought Lance and I were a couple. I did figure it out a few minutes later. Hopefully she figured it out after I asked her out and got her number…

Other years, I’ve spent New Year’s Eve with some buddies in Palm Springs and seeing Barry Manilow up at the Universal Amphitheater (okay, maybe it wasn’t such a leap to assume I was gay… ). So what’s my excuse for staying home this year?

Well, I’m working. I’m the researcher on “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” and I’ve agreed to stay near my phone and computer until 12:30 east coast time just in case one of the writers has a last minute research question. In fact, they did have one just a few minutes ago: “What is Hillary Clinton called since she hasn’t been confirmed as Secretary of State?” I said go with either nominee for U.S. Secretary of State or nominee-designate. In the end, they decided not to change what they already had in the script. Yes, that’s the kind of thing that earns me a credit at the end of the show…

So whether you’re out at a party or staying in to watch Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest ring in the New Year (you couldn’t be watching one of those motorcycle stunts on the other channels, could you?), all the best to you and yours tonight and in the year to come. Happy New Year!

AMA’S 2008 – A REALLY BIG SHOW

I got downtown to the Nokia Theater at 3:45. After picking up my credentials, I immediately went out to the red carpet and stood behind the beautiful Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls and watched her interview celeb after celeb (and if you happened to watch the pre-show, I’m proud to say I wrote many of the interview questions). Saw Taylor Swift, Jamie Foxx, Terrence Howard, Annie Lennox, Chris Brown, David Cook, David Archuleta, Natasha Bedingfield and Ne-Yo while standing there from 4:15 to 4:45 but the highlight was when Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith stepped up on the platform. It was like seeing royalty.

During the actual AMA’s, I hung out with Craig, a guy working party security (for about twenty years now, I’ve helped out with security for the after-party, usually confirming that celebrities without party tickets are actually who they say they are and are important enough to let in). Craig had one goal: to get a photo of himself with the Jonas Brothers to show his two young daughters. So we hung out outside the Jonas Brothers dressing room for a while. He snapped a photo of them with his phone when they went to the rest room, but they had a big bodyguard so he didn’t ask if they’d stop to take a photo with him, at least not then. Afterward, we went outside to wait for them after they finished their performance, figuring they’d be going directly to their limo. Hilariously, my friend went back into the building to use the rest room for a moment and a minute later, out came the Jonas Brothers. Fortunately a professional photographer had gotten the brothers to stop so he could snap a few shots. Craig came out a second later and the boys were nice enough to take a photo with him.

We may have been waiting for the Jonas Brothers, but it was the perfect vantage point as we also spotted such artists as Coldplay, Leona Lewis, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Alicia Keys, Pink, Sarah McLachlan, Rihanna and Daughtry.

By 8:00, I was stationed at the entrance to the party to help out there. There were hardly any problems with people without tickets trying to lie their way into the party, although one guy did try to say he put his ticket down in the restroom and someone just happened to mark it with a Sharpie (obviously he had found a ticket someone had already used to get into the party). Probably a lot of the stars went through the VIP entrance as just one celeb came through to go to the party without a ticket: Carrie Ann Inaba, a judge on “Dancing With The Stars.” Jordin Sparks, who won “American Idol” two years ago also walked past us to get to her car in the parking garage.

After years of having a band play at the AMA after-party (one year Stevie Wonder even went up and did a song with them), last year they had a DJ for the first time. There was a DJ again this year and it seems like more people were dancing than ever. I saw the producer and the writers of the AMA’s at the party and they were all very happy with the show, even if it did ruyn three minutes over the allotted three hours…

BACKSTAGE AT THE 2008 AMA’S – DAY 2

Actually got up early enough to get down to the Nokia Theater by noon, in time to watch Alicia Keys run through her hit, “Superwoman.” Although the director announced Alicia’s rehearsal would be a closed set, all the chairs up front were filled by the time she started. Alicia wowed the audience with a little help from some special guests. I’ll just say who knew opera could be so funky…

Next up were two of the hottest teen acts around. First came the Jonas Brothers performing “Tonight.” While it was the first time I’d heard the song, it was very catchy. I couldn’t get it out of my head, at least until the next singer, Miley Cyrus, started her rehearsal of “Fly On The Wall.” Miley showed off some nice dance moves and rock star poses while running through her song. Actually, it’s lucky Miley got a chance to use the stage at all, considering how many fans went up onstage at the end of the Jonas Brothers’ rehearsal to try to get an autograph from one of the boys.

Otherwise, I made sure I met some of the record company publicists escorting the acts in my constant quest to arrange interviews for next year’s new edition of “The Billboard Book of Number One Hits.” I also got to meet singer Sheila E, who was picking up her credentials for the show tomorrow night and went out of her way to be friendly to everyone she met.

Check out the American Music Awards on ABC tomorrow night. I’ll be back with coverage of the red carpet, the show and the party soon after!

BACKSTAGE AT THE 2008 AMA’S

This Sunday night is the 2008 American Music Awards and if today’s rehearsals are any indication, it promises to be a great show!

I went down to the Nokia Theater in downtown L.A. this afternoon and immediately took a seat to watch the lovely Leona Lewis run through her great ballad, “Better In Time.” This is one singer who doesn’t need the Autotune, as she belted out each and every word with emotion, all the while maintaining her balance on an elevated platform. I couldn’t do it, and I don’t even wear heels!

Next up were the Pussycat Dolls, who drove a car onto the stage for their number. Listen for lead singer Nicole Scherzinger’s long-lasting held note on Sunday night’s show.

More simple but just as impressive was Sarah McLachlan who sung one of her beautiful hits, “Angel,” sitting at the piano in a duet with a special surprise guest.

The final artist to hit the stage was Pink, who will be performing her new single, “Sober,” on the show. This week I had a chance to listen to Pink’s latest album, “Funhouse,” and was impressed by the diversity of the songs, both musically as well as lyrically. Pink is a true artist.

In between performances, I got a chance to talk to David Archuleta, who will be presenting an award on Sunday night. David may be celebrating the high debut of his new album on the charts but is even more excited about another achievement. The singer just earned four more merit badges on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout. Now back when I was a Scout, I only made it to the rank right below Eagle, Life, and let me tell you, the requirements for Eagle are not easy. Not only do you have to earn 21 merit badges, but you have to complete a time consuming service project (David’s was planting trees in a park). So congratulations on this impressive achievement.

Of course, David being David, music is the love of his life, so rather than talk, he was much more interested in going into the theater and watching the other performers rehearse (it turns out he’s a fan of the Pussycat Dolls’ lastest hit, “I Hate This Part”).

Look for another AMA update tomorrow night!

WHEN IS A HOUSE A HOLMES?

I was there when the Fonz first put on a leather jacket, when Scully met Mulder and when Oceanic Flight 815 crashed. But I wasn’t there when Dr. House first wrote a list of symptoms on a blackboard…

You see, medical shows have never been a favorite of mine. I never watched “St. Elsewhere,” “ER” or “Grey’s Anatomy.” Who wants to watch the sad struggles of sick people? In fact, the only medical show I was ever a fan of was “Chicago Hope,” thanks to the bravura acting of Mandy Patinkin, plus the fact they often spent more time in a courtroom than in the hospital, as befits a David E. Kelley produced show.

But I have a friend that works as a script coordinator on television shows here in L.A. His name is Dustin Paddock and he used to work on another of my longtime favorite shows, “Monk,” before landing a job on the pilot of “House, M.D.” I missed a good part of the first season due to my predjudice against hospital shows, but Dustin kept pushing me to give it a chance, saying it was more like a detective show than your typical medical drama and that Dr. House solved mysteries a la Sherlock Holmes. So I took Dusty’s advice, watched an episode and loved it! I enjoyed the cantankerous title character (whose dialogue has only become funnier every season) and the constant reversals the team faced on the way to solving each week’s medical mystery.

In fact, my only problem with the show was that unlike a murder mystery where you can play along and try to guess the identity of the killer, only real medical professionals could hope to keep up with Dr. House’s diagnoses… although after watching a season or two,  I realized the medical terminology was sinking in and I could guess sarcoidosis or lupus as easily as Cameron, Foreman or Chase!

Dustin still works on “House,” and if you watch the show tonight, you’ll notice he’s gotten a one week only promotion. Not only will you see his name in the end credits as script coordinator, you’ll also see it in the opening credits because he co-wrote the episode!

I’ve read a few things Dustin wrote over the years while trying to get noticed as a writer. I remember early on, he wrote a movie spec script featuring a very dislikeable protagonist. I cautioned him that no one would ever buy a script featuring a hero like that, and no one ever did. I would have never guessed that Dustin’s big break as a writer would come writing about, yes, a dislikeable hero…

The episode is titled “Adverse Events,” and for Dustin Paddock, it’s anything but. Check it out tonight on Fox!

WE ARE BACK

So obviously it has been many months since I last sat down and wrote a blog entry. This was mostly due to technical difficulties (my internet connection was down for a few months), followed by a month of vacation and then the sheer boredom of having nothing exciting to write about. Not that I ever let that stop me before…

Still, various friends never gave up razzing me about stopping, so I’ve never been quite able to walk away with a clear conscience. One friend recently read back through the archives and asked why didn’t I just call it “Everything You’ve Always Wanted To Know About ‘American Idol’”? So in his honor, here are five things I never got around to writing about during “Idol” Season 7:

1.  As REO Speedwagon once noted, “You can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish,” to which I add, “Especially at the CBS Commissary!” During the final weeks last season, Billboard.com’s Fred Bronson took on the task of interviewing each member of the top ten, and I tagged along to the interviews to run the tape machine. We interviewed those still left on the show one afternoon at the CBS Studios on Beverly Blvd. Unfortunately, I had eaten a tuna sandwich from the on-site restaurant earlier and it disagreed with me… right in the middle of our interview with David Cook! Fortunately I made it to the restroom down the hall with time to spare. Hopefully David didn’t think too poorly of me for stepping out right in the middle of the interview without a word!

2.  Ken Baker of E! News stole my seat! I attended the results show during Neil Diamond week and left my seat for a while so Fred could introduce me to David Archuleta’s father (I especially enjoyed reading a recap on EW.com that said “Papa Archuleta stood in the wings talking with a guy two rows in front of me during the entire pre-show period”… that guy was Fred!). I learned Mr. Archuleta thought David should be singing more contemporary material on the show, a quest that ended with “With You” during Top 3 week. Anyway, when I got back to my seat, I discovered it was occupied by Ken Baker from E! News. I didn’t blame him, as I had been sitting beside a very attractive blonde woman who he was already talking to. And since I always enjoy Ken’s reports on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show, I didn’t say a word to him and moved to an empty seat further down the row.

3.  I hugged Paula Abdul! Paula came up to Fred after the show and he introduced me to her. I told her that we had actually met once before 20 years ago! I had interviewed her for Dick Clark’s radio show “Countdown America” right when she was starting her music career. She gave me a hug and made a joke about how long ago that was for both of us…

4.  I finally attended the finale for the first time ever! And like many others, I thought David Archuleta was bound to win (you’d think such a fervent fanbase would be unbeatable), but once Simon started apologizing to David Cook near the end, I realized he’d be the winner, thus ruining what would have been a wonderful surprise.

5.  I never should have listened to Jason Castro! I think I enjoyed our interview with Jason the most. He was very funny and also very truthful about being ready to go home due to his problems learning new songs he had never heard before. He also complained about people wanting to take his picture and asking for autographs, which he thought was awkward and didn’t enjoy. I took his words to heart, and when I attended this year’s “Idol” tour stop at L.A.’s Staples Center, I didn’t bring along a camera. Naturally at the after-party, all the Idols including Jason were happy to take photo after photo with their fans. And there I was with no camera to add to my collection of photos with the Idols…

AMERICAN IDOL 7: TOP 2 ANALYSIS

Even though it doesn’t matter anymore what was sung, I still thought I should write this up so as to have a complete record of the season. Although after hearing many of the contestants this season say how they were annoyed with (as one of the Top Ten said) fat guys in their underwear with no life writing about them, I feel bad about being tough at times on the kids. Now that that’s going to stop me…

CLIVE’S CHOICES:

“I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR” – David Cook

David has brought a bit of Bono to some of his earlier performances, so it was fitting he sing U-2. This didn’t show his smarts when it comes to arranging, as it hewed to the original, but it was still enjoyable.

“DON’T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME” – David Archuleta

Nice touch starting the song sitting on the stage, which gave it a thoughtful feel. But Clay Aiken still owns this song, as it’s obvious David A. hasn’t lived the heartache of the lyric.

SONG CONTEST:

“DREAM BIG” – David Cook

Well, I’m glad they didn’t sing the same song. Unlike Mr. Cowell, I thought this was catchy with a good lyric. The key seemed a bit high for David, but it was fun.

“IN THIS MOMENT” – David Archuleta

I hated this song. It makes me want to vote against David A. just so “Dream Big” would get released! Let’s hope they put out “Angels” instead…

CONTESTANTS CHOICE:

“THE WORLD I KNOW” – David Cook

An O.K. performance, but I don’t know the song and it didn’t knock me out. But David C. has been saying he designed the season as a set list for one of his concerts, so this is a nice thoughtful encore.

“IMAGINE” – David Archuleta

Great tone, and another great performance. David A. wins the night… and I thought “American Idol.” But we all know how that turned out!