“Concert fans wait longer to buy tickets, but arenas still packed - Detroit News” plus 4 more |
- Concert fans wait longer to buy tickets, but arenas still packed - Detroit News
- Britney gives in to smoke cravings in Miami - Thaindian.com
- Emery's Russian exile ends with NHL return - ESPN.com
- Inside North Korea: Will these people see change? - Globe and Mail
- Britney Spears pregnant ? - Mister-info.com
| Concert fans wait longer to buy tickets, but arenas still packed - Detroit News Posted: 05 Sep 2009 12:46 AM PDT Adam Graham / Detroit News Pop Music WriterTickets to Green Day's July 14 concert at The Palace of Auburn Hills went on sale in May, but Matthew Caruana didn't buy his ticket until two days before showtime. Years ago, this may have netted him nosebleed seats, far away from the on-stage action. But when he bought his ticket this summer, the Royal Oak resident ended up on the Palace floor, within spitting distance of the Bay Area rock trio. Despite the recession, the concert industry is continuing to do steady business both locally and nationally. But analysts say more concertgoers like Caruana are waiting to buy tickets closer to show times, meaning as money gets tighter for fans, concerts are becoming more of a last-minute decision. Advertisement "People still support great music, and they want to get out," said Rick Franks, president of the Detroit arm of Live Nation, the concert industry's leading promoter. "People have given up the new flat screen, maybe they don't go to Florida with the family, but for four or five hours of escapist entertainment, they're still doing one-night vacations at my shows." And, on a local level, Palace Sports and Entertainment president Tom Wilson said top-tier shows such as Nickelback and Dave Matthews Band are continuing to draw big crowds, but some second-tier shows that people have traditionally come out to see year in and year out -- the Doobie Brothers, for example -- are experiencing a sharp drop-off in attendance. Still, industry tracker Pollstar magazine is projecting another record year for sales and reports tickets for the Top 100 tours hit 18 million for the first half of 2009, up 6.5 percent from 2008. But for promoters, banking on those sales is becoming worrisome. A week before Brad Paisley's July 10 concert at DTE Energy Music Theatre, fans had snatched up only about 8,000 tickets to the country star's show. By showtime, however, the concert had sold out, with a crowd of more than 15,000 turning up for a night under the stars with the "Ticks" singer. This year's Vans Warped Tour at Comerica Park, meanwhile, had sold just shy of 9,000 tickets the week before the July 31 concert. But by concert's end, nearly 22,000 fans came out for the all-day punk rock carnival. And though the show went on sale in February, tickets for Kenny Chesney's Aug. 22 concert at Ford Field didn't sell out its 49,125 available seats until 24 hours before showtime. "Sometimes it's hard to pay out the money way in advance," said Caruana, 31, who has recently become more of a last-minute ticket buyer. "If I have money the week of the show, then I go." Wilson, whose Palace Sports and Entertainment programs concerts at the Palace, DTE and Meadow Brook Music Festival, said some concerts -- such as the Jonas Brothers' recent Palace date -- remain instant-sellers when tickets first go on sale. Those exceptions aside, however, "everything else is just slower," he said. "It always leaves us scratching our heads. "Is it the show, have they just played out, or is it the economy, and is it just the new way of the business?" Wilson said. "I think our feeling is, after experiencing this for a summer and having it happen on so many shows, it's telling us, '(Sales are) coming, just wait for it.' And that is a hard way to do your business." For now, the concert business remains strong. But promoters have had to work extra hard for those sales. Live Nation has introduced a series of ticketing discount programs called "No Service Fee Wednesdays," where various promotions have been offered to customers weekly throughout the summer. Some of the programs have been as simple as eliminating the service fees that are tacked onto most ticket sales, while others have included food and drink vouchers along with the purchase of a ticket. Franks said the "No Service Fee Wednesday" plan has been a "total smash." "Speaking to the economy," he said, "if people can find more value in the experience, and if they know they can save money, they embrace it." But at what cost? Some in the industry fear that extensive ticket-discounting programs -- including Palace Sports and Entertainment's annual "Two Day Ticket Blitz" sale, in which tickets are offered at up to half-price -- have trained consumers to wait for discounts as opposed to buying tickets up front. "The biggest challenge we're going to face as an overall industry is, once you start discounting programs, what about that loyal buyer who bought a ticket at the beginning? Will they buy a ticket next year on the on-sale?" said Kevin Lyman, founder of the Vans Warped Tour, which celebrated its 15th year this year. "That's how we dictate a lot of our tours and marketing, is on the on-sale. People's habits form very quickly these days, so will they just say, 'Wait, I'm not going to buy a ticket, because I know if I don't buy a ticket they'll start discounting them?' "I think we're going to have to get really smart as an industry to come up with a plan. Because if it goes as haphazard as I felt it went this summer, then I think we're going to be in real trouble next year." For now, the local touring schedules remain stocked with options. In August, Palace Sports and Entertainment hosted a combined 44 events at its three venues, eight of which were sellouts. But in light of the area's economic woes, booking those shows is becoming more difficult, Wilson said. "Unless you're a lock like Kid Rock or Kenny Chesney," he said, "everybody else has to at least go, 'Hmm, is it as bad (in Detroit) as we think?' " He cited Britney Spears, who skipped the Detroit area on the first leg of her current "Circus" tour, but is coming to The Palace on Tuesday. As of press time, her concert is not sold out. "Part of it is, you're back to selling, which for years we've never had to do. (Artists) were selling us," Wilson said. Live Nation's Franks, on the other hand, said the outlook for the industry and the marketplace remains sunny. He sees Kid Rock and Nickelback -- each performed back-to-back sold-out concerts in the area this summer -- as examples of how despite the area's down economy, the rock-and-roll business continues to roar onward. "If we keep bringing quality shows, and we try to right-size the price of admission and try to load the bill up with stuff that's very entertaining," he said, "we're going to do well." agraham@detnews.com (313) 222-2284  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Britney gives in to smoke cravings in Miami - Thaindian.com Posted: 04 Sep 2009 10:30 PM PDT
The pop princess was seen puffing on her hotel balcony during a break from her 'Circus' tour. Britney has been showing off her toned body, thanks to her abstinence from 'greasy takeaway food and fatty Starbucks', reports the Sun. The mum-of-two, who previously suffered a series of emotional meltdowns, has also resorted to an improved diet and frequent workouts. (ANI) Sphere: Related Content
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| Emery's Russian exile ends with NHL return - ESPN.com Posted: 04 Sep 2009 09:33 PM PDT [fivefilters.org: unable to retrieve full-text content] PHILADELPHIA -- Ray Emery pulled up to the rink in a white Lamborghini. He pulled on his No. 29 Flyers sweater and tried to pass on some tips to a group of youth hockey players on how to improve their games. The impressionable group selected to ... This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Inside North Korea: Will these people see change? - Globe and Mail Posted: 04 Sep 2009 09:26 PM PDT Our ancient train had just started rolling clamorously away from North Korea's border with China when I made a simple, unconscious slip – reaching for my guidebook – that even a few years ago might have landed me in jail, or at least had me speedily deported. "Can I have a look at that?" said one of the North Korean officials escorting us on the train. The official was referring to the Lonely Planet guide to Korea I had just pulled out of my bag, and it was clear from the curt tone I didn't really have the option of saying no. My heart started to pound as I handed over the book, knowing full well that its chapter on North Korea referred to the country as a rogue state with "a human-rights record worse than anywhere else on Earth." Even more problematic, the Dear Leader, Kim Jong-il, was described unflatteringly in the book as "Mini-Me" (presumably making his father, Kim Il-sung, Dr. Evil) and blaming him for nuclear brinksmanship as well as a famine that took three million lives in the 1990s. I knew that it was a criminal offence to bring into the country any publications deemed "hostile to the North Korean socialist system." Worse, I had entered the country under not-quite-honest circumstances, identifying myself as a Russian historian rather than a Canadian journalist, something I worried would be discovered with a little extra scrutiny.
 Sean Gallagher/For The Globe and Mail A woman seeling souvenirs to tourists in Pyongyang. But instead of reprimanding me, the young official read every last word in the North Korea chapter, greedily gulping down information. The book was then wordlessly passed on to another official on the train. The second official passed the book to a third, carefully avoiding the eyes of the Workers Party of Korea cadres who were riding in the same car to keep an eye on me, photographer Sean Gallagher, who had entered by telling consular officials that he was an English teacher, another semi-true tale, and a 50-strong Chinese tour group with which we had fortuitously met up at the border. As the book made its way around the cabin, I began to sense that the Lonely Planet's take on recent Korean history wasn't offending those assigned to watch over us, but was confirming their suspicions. Eventually, one of the officials handed it back to me. Map and itinerary of the trip
"There are some mistakes in here," the official said, pointing out a name that had been misspelled and a date that was slightly off. Both errors were in the ancient history section. "But otherwise, it's pretty correct." Catching a glimpse of the exchange, one of the Workers Party cadres leaned over, bringing me to eye level with the red Kim Il-sung pin he and every North Korean wears on their lapel. I started sweating again. "Do you have a novel I could borrow?" he asked in soft, stilted English. "Maybe a love story?" I gave him River Town , the memoir of an American who wound up teaching English in small-town China. Throughout two years there, the author and the locals slowly overcome long-held stereotypes and a history of adversity by taking the time to get to know each other better. The cadre smiled gratefully and read silently the rest of the way to Pyongyang. We were just hours into our five-day stay in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and I could already see that the Kim regime's ideological grip on its citizens was weakening. The episode was the first in a series over the next few days that suggested to me that North Korea is changing despite the Dear Leader's best efforts, and that perhaps even the Hermit Kingdom can't isolate itself forever.
 Sean Gallagher/For The Globe and Mail The red communist star hangs in the "Victorious Fatherland Liberation Museum" (otherwise known as the Korean War Museum). Little of the outside world seems to have reached the peasantry, who have known nothing but Workers Party propaganda since Kim Il-sung came to power after the Second World War. The rare glimpse of the rural countryside we got during the five-hour, 20-minute train ride from the border town of Sinuiju to the capital Pyongyang made clear that the vast majority of this country is desperately and heart-wrenchingly poor. But among a select but important few to whom the regime has given the privilege of travelling abroad and interacting with foreigners, there is an awareness of the country's massive shortcomings. Though they're a tiny minority, these people are crucial to the survival of the world's last Stalinist state. They are the tour guides, the diplomats, the bureaucrats and even the cabinet ministers who help ensure the country brings in enough food, energy and foreign capital to keep the military fed and armed, and the vital organs of the state – especially its surveillance and propaganda apparatuses – functioning at least at a minimal level. They are likely even more important now that Kim Jong-il is apparently in failing health, making few public appearances since suffering a reported stroke last fall. The Dear Leader is believed to be preparing the way to eventually hand over power to his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, further ensconcing the world's only Communist hereditary dynasty. But some of the North Korean elites – and I interacted with nearly a dozen of them both inside and outside the country during my journey late last month from Beijing to Pyongyang – have been changed by what they've seen outside their isolated country. They know how poor their country really is, and how the outside world views the place they were raised to believe was a socialist paradise. Map of Pyongyang and the places Mark and Sean visited
They crave the luxury goods they've seen on sale in the markets of Beijing, Bangkok, Frankfurt and Toronto (all places to which the North Koreans I met had travelled), and they've fallen in love with the Hollywood movies they've seen and English pop songs they've heard during their travels. More than anything, they long to be united with their countrymen and women in South Korea, on the other side of the world's most heavily armed border. Though they were likely chosen for their perceived loyalty to the system, those I met left the clear impression that none of them completely believes in it any more. What that means for the future of the Kim regime, especially as it heads into a potentially sensitive handover of power, is impossible to foretell. None of the guides, cadres and diplomats said anything contrary to the party line, and all praised the leadership of the deceased Great Leader Kim Il-sung and his son, the Dear Leader Kim Jong-il throughout our trip. When they referred to their country's obvious economic hardships, they dutifully placed the blame on "American imperialism." Under suspicion from the moment we crossed the border and repeatedly questioned about our backgrounds and reasons for travel, Sean and I were kept completely separate from the Chinese tour group and other foreign tourists once we reached Pyongyang. We were escorted everywhere by at least two North Koreans, an entourage that changed at various stops on our trip. But what initially seemed like a handicap slowly revealed itself as a stroke of good luck. Instead of standing amid a tour group and mutely listening to explanations about the wonders achieved during six decades of Kim Il-sungism, the official state ideology, we had private, one-on-one conversations in and around the series of monuments, museums and memorials to which we were taken as part of the standard tour itinerary. (Though no one spoke out against the regime, names and some details of the people we interviewed have been withheld for fear it will bring trouble to those who spoke with us.) The most frequently expressed feeling was an aching hope that the election of President Barack Obama in the United States will bring an end to decades of hostility between Pyongyang and Washington, paving the way for the North's reunification with South Korea. Life in a constant state of confrontation has taken an obvious toll here. Wedged between the affluence and modernity of South Korea and a rapidly developing China, North Korea seems to exist in the past.
 A family huddle together in Kaesong city near Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. Some of the scenes we saw as our train rolled through a succession of crumbling towns and farming communities on its way to Pyongyang were startling. An entire village waded in a canal, dredging it with their bare hands. An old woman and a younger woman walked, kilometres from anywhere, carrying jugs of water attached to bamboo poles slung over their shoulders. Weaponless soldiers in mismatching footwear filled sandbags for a war the government insists could start at any time. In a country with chronic food shortages, rice and corn fields are everywhere. The problem, however, lies in the outdated techniques on which the farmers are forced to rely in the absence of fuel and farm equipment. In the hundreds of fields through which we drove by train and car (there seems to be plenty of fuel for tourists and government officials) during our stay, I saw only two antiquated tractors, only one of which was moving. Even though the fields were many hectares in size, most of the work was done with hoes and spades, or by digging in the soil with bare hands. There were few cars even on the streets of Pyongyang, and almost none outside of the country's showcase capital city. In the countryside, it was almost as common to see a farm animal in the middle of one of the divided four-lane highways as it was to see a private car. Though our guides bragged of the city's mass transportation system, which costs just pennies to ride – a standard part of the tour involves showing off a metro system decorated with larger-than-life murals celebrating the achievements of Kim Il-sung – the vast majority of North Koreans seemed to walk wherever they were going, even if they were travelling from one town to the next. It was obvious that even bicycles were too expensive for many. On the day we left, we saw dozens of uniformed pilots walking the 24-kilometre distance between Pyongyang and the capital's main airport. It was also clear that for all the tanks and missiles deployed in the Korean peninsula, the strongest weapon the United States possesses is still the "soft power" that helped it win the Cold War in Eastern Europe, the lure of a culture that allows complete freedom of expression. During our five days in North Korea, I repeatedly lent my iPod out to North Koreans I met, watching their reactions as they listened to songs and watched films unknown in a country where Internet access is denied to all but a very few and there's no such thing as a music store or a movie channel. One Pyongyang resident who borrowed my earphones hummed along to the soft chorus of Nelly Furtado's All Good Things (Come to an End) , and gleefully started the song again as soon as it was over. At another juncture, I was asked to help write out the lyrics to Billy Joel's 1983 hit Uptown Girl . Hip-hop and alternative rock music proved less popular, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall , the raunchy Judd Apatow comedy that, regrettably, was the only movie I'd downloaded for the trip, drew a slightly mortified thumbs-down. But the excitement generated by these rare glimpses of Western culture was far more revealing than the rote recitations of propaganda we received at stops like the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War – otherwise known as the Korean War – museum, the monument to the foundation of the Workers Party, or the Great Leader's mausoleum. "Our hatred of American imperialism and our feelings for the American people are not the same thing," one 20-something woman said after revealing an affection for Britney Spears songs and Harry Potter books. She, too, wore a red Kim Il-sung button over her heart. After a week of dining in restaurants that had the same five music videos on rotation – all of them melodramatic hymns to the Dear Leader and the mighty North Korean military – it was easy to see how Oops, I Did it Again would be a breath of fresh air. Even the Arirang Mass Games, the dance and gymnastics spectacular that we saw on the second-last night of our stay, was filled with the same messages with which North Koreans have been bombarded since the day their state was founded in 1948. An astounding display of athleticism and precision by some 100,000 schoolchildren, soldiers and amateur athletes told the same story that everyone in the May Day Stadium had been forced to absorb countless times before: Kim Il-sung, almost single-handedly, saved the country from Japanese colonialism and American imperialism. Now, his son, the Dear Leader, was building North Korea into a force that was inspiring fear and awe in the outside world.
 Sean Gallagher/For The Globe and Mail The Arirang Mass Games at the May Day stadium in central Pyongyang. The games depict various stages of North Korean history through dance and gymnastics. The dullness of the message overwhelmed a truly astounding display by the performers. By Act 5 of the 10-part performance, about the time Kim Jong-il's childhood house was being portrayed shining like a certain manger in Bethlehem, many of the North Koreans around us in the VIP seats were fast asleep. The propaganda has been repeated so often that it no longer has any meaning, especially to those who have seen the rest of the world and understand how far their country has been left behind. On one of the last days we were in Pyongyang, we were walking near another of the standard tour sites when a low voice started crackling over a public loudspeaker that looked like it was installed in the 1940s. "What are they saying?" I asked. "It's the news," one of the ever-present North Korean officials replied, sounding bored. I asked for a translation, and the young woman listened attentively for a moment. "The Dear Leader, Comrade Kim Jong-il, visited some factory or other today," she said. "Or something like that, anyway."  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Britney Spears pregnant ? - Mister-info.com Posted: 04 Sep 2009 08:07 PM PDT The boyfriend of Britney spears declared that the pop star was pregnant with his child, Star magazine has interviewed the collegue of the paparazzi Adnan Ghalib, he confirmed that the information was real and that britney spears was pregnant. A reaction from britney's spokesman was expected and has just denied the information, "Britney is not pregnant", according to him, the pop star gained some weight due to new medication. Copyright Mister-Info.com Mister-info.com team, February 29, 2008. Email this storyTotal views: 3917 Related Articles· Jessica Alba gets married · Beyonc and Jay-Z: married! · Britney Spears will be maid of honor for marriage of her sister · Britney Spears, guest-star in the comedy show : How I Met Your Mother  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
London, September 5 (ANI): Britney Spears was said to have given in to her nicotine cravings, for the singer was spotted smoking in Miami.
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