Posted: 06 Oct 2009 07:40 AM PDT

Figures from the Grand Forks events center show last month`s Britney Spears concert lost $96,600.

Alerus Center officials said the concert attracted 13,019 people, including suite holders, and earned $1.1 million. Expenses totaled $1.2 million, with most of it the $850,000 guarantee that the Alerus Center made with promoters.

Still, University of North Dakota economist David Flynn estimated the concert had a direct economic impact of $1.9 million. The figure is based on surveys of concertgoers about how much they spent on such things as food, beverages and hotel stays. Officials estimated about a third of the concertgoers were from Canada.

Britney Spears' Royal Aliases - Teen Music

Posted: 02 Oct 2009 09:04 AM PDT

Britney Spears has a regal way of keeping her whereabouts a secret when she's travelling - she checks into hotels using the names of royalty.

Author Steve Dennis reveals in his new biography, Britney: Inside the Dream, that the Toxic hitmaker has a string of fake names to keep paparazzi and crazed fans at bay.

According to Dennis, the singer goes by the moniker "Mrs. Diana Prince" in honour of the late Diana, Princess of Wales - who was killed in a Paris, France car crash while being chased by photographers.

But it's not only royal names Spears adopts - she also calls herself "Queen of the Fairy Dance", "Ms. Alotta Warmheart", and "Mrs. Abra Cadabra", reports the New York Post.

Make My Day - American Reporter

Posted: 06 Oct 2009 09:45 PM PDT

Make My Day
PARIS FOR PREZ
by Erik Deckers
American Reporter Humor Writer
Indianapolis, Indiana

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- It was the snit heard 'round the world. The snarky, scantily-clad video response that got pundits tongues wagging about something other than politics, at least until their wives saw them. Maybe its echo has faded from the news, but it still makes me wake up screaming in the middle of the night.

Paris Hilton says she's running for President.

The vapid blond heiress and star of "The Simple Life," announced her candidacy in a spoof video on FunnyOrDie.com. Hilton said she was running because that "wrinkly white-haired guy" - John McCain, for those of you emerging from under your rocks - used her image in a television spot against his opponent, presumptive President of the United States, Barack Obama.

"Hey America, I'm Paris Hilton, and I'm a celebrity too," she said without a sense of irony or shame. "Only I'm not from the olden days, and I'm not promising change like that other guy. I'm just hot."

Oh man, this is really bad. I've always been a big supporter of third party candidates, but my one litmus test is whether they can even spell "candidate." And that they haven't starred in an Internet sex video/ I swear, if she wins, I'm moving to Canada with Alec Baldwin, unless he chickens out like he did last time. (Big wussy. The guy swore up and down he would move to Canada if George Bush became President, but we're stuck with him and his 17 brothers.) Still, I don't think she's got a real shot, so I'll probably be here for a while.

"But then that wrinkly white-haired guy used me in his campaign ad, which means I guess I'm running for President," she continued. Yeah, right. By that logic, since her boyfriend used her in that sex video, I guess that would make her a slut. . .

Uh, oh. This is worse than I thought! Do they get the NFL in Canada? Can I get the Dish Network to work up there?

"So thanks for the endorsement, white-haired dude, and I want America to know I'm, like, totally ready to lead."

Oh, good, as long as you're totally ready. I mean, we wouldn't want someone who was , like, only concerned about whether certain other world leaders are, like, hot, or whether the White House clashes with her outfits. She'll probably appoint Extreme Makerover's Ty Pennington the Secretary of the Department of the Interior to make sure.

"I'll see you at the White House," she concluded. "Oh, and I might paint it pink."

Looks like I've got a tough decision to make. Do I go for the big city or the small town? I've been to Toronto, and it's a nice city with a strong arts community. But if I lived in a smaller town, I'd be closer to nature and some really good fishing. Dryden, Ontario is gorgeous in the summer.

But even as I pace the floor and gnaw on my fingernails, I have to admit, her energy policy made some sense.

"We can do limited offshore drilling with strict environmental oversight, while creating tax incentives to get Detroit making hybrid and electric cars. That way, offshore drilling carries us until the new technologies kick in, which will create new jobs and energy independence. Energy crisis solved. I'll see you at the debates, bitches."

But then she, like, totally shot herself in the foot when she said she was considering Rihanna, the R&B artist, as her vice presidential nominee.

Come on! Rihanna?! Are you kidding me? Everyone knows she doesn't have the foreign affairs experience needed to re-establish the U.S. as a world leader. Plus, she was born in Barbados, so she's not a natural-born American citizen, which means she can't take on that role.

While some people would say Britney Spears, Hilton's fellow celeb and John McCain commercial target, is the emotional favorite, I think Cameron Diaz is the better choice. She can shore up the Hispanic vote and improve relations with Latin America. Of course, you'll also need Ashton Kutcher to head up the Department of Homeland Security (Hey Iran, you've been punk'd!). And what do you think of Scarlett Johansen as the Secretary of State... ?

Uh, excuse me. I don't know what came over me. If anything, I'm worrying too much about something that will never happen. Hilton is only 27, eight years too young to run for president, which means I don't have to worry about a global disaster for eight more years. But with her sordid past, I doubt she could even be elected dogcatcher of Putnam County.

Besides, I'm hoping Lindsey Lohan will be out of rehab and ready to run for Senate by 2016.

Music Review | Pink - New York Times

Posted: 06 Oct 2009 09:45 PM PDT

The job description for a pop star keeps expanding: songwriter, singer, bandleader, dancer, video actress, fashion plate. Pink, whose world tour played Madison Square Garden on Monday night, has added another task: athlete. Early in the show she casually did a gymnastic flip onto a couch between songs. And near the end Pink belted "Get the Party Started" from overhead at the arena, hanging upside-down from a trapeze by one knee. Even in an era of escalating pop spectacle, Pink's "Funhouse" tour is going to be hard to top.

It's wrapped around Pink's songs, which veer between longing and anger, between kiss-offs and hopes for reconciliation, with occasional thoughts about pills, booze and celebrity. She's a rocker at heart, with a gutsy voice that needs no processing. It takes on a soul singer's ache for ballads, and it can pack Janis Joplin dynamics into terse, direct pop choruses for songs like "Please Don't Leave Me" and "I Don't Believe You." Among the songs on her five albums since 2000, Pink, whose real name is Alecia Moore, has exposed childhood traumas in "Family Portrait," and sneered, "So what — I am a rock star." She's not subtle as she lets loose both brash confidence and self-doubt, but she sidesteps clichés by revealing her conflicts: "Go away, come back — Why can't I just have it both ways?" she sang in the punk-poppy "Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely)."

Onstage, she was a down-to-earth superwoman. The tour is a two-hour, circus-theme extravaganza, with dancers, aerialists, funhouse mirrors and giant, inflatable clowns. Pink flaunts outsize costumes that fall away to reveal every toned contour of her body in scantier garb, including what looks like athletic-grade lingerie. And she was equally natural joining the steps of her troupe's choreography or swaggering like a rock frontman.

She was sultry for a moment, cooing the Divinyls' "I Touch Myself" while writhing on a couch with hands coming up through it, caressing her. More often she was simply frisky. For one song she encouraged bad dance moves from the audience, then gleefully imitated them; she's a quick study. And midconcert, she set the circus trappings aside to appear barefoot in bluejeans and a tight T-shirt, singing "Family Portrait" as an unguarded confession. (Another quiet song was one of the show's few missteps; as righteously as Pink performed it, "Dear Mr. President," her outraged letter to George W. Bush, is now outdated.)

The circus format is no novelty. Janet Jackson and Madonna have both used it; Britney Spears has her own "Circus" tour this year. But Pink outperforms her fellow music-video pros. She doesn't lip-sync, even when she's skipping down a long runway in treacherous high heels. And where troupers like Madonna come across as disciplined and determined — the work shows onstage — Pink smiled through it all, looking genuinely playful.

For her finale, the ballad "Glitter in the Air," she wore a barely-there costume and rose up once again, suspended below a team of aerialists who struck slow-motion, geometric Cirque du Soleil poses. The apparatus dipped her into a tank of water and she emerged with it pouring off her, glittering in the spotlights, as she sang about taking chances and finding joy — not boasting about her strength, but sharing it.

Press Room Banter - Daily Californian

Posted: 06 Oct 2009 09:02 PM PDT

YouTube has become a strange bedfellow of celebrity. From Chris Crocker crying over the treatment of Britney Spears to the inmates of a Filipino penitentiary dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," the most unlikely of celebrities have found their 15 minutes of fame on the popular video-sharing website.

But Marshawn Lynch?

Lynch is probably best known in the Bay Area for his former day job as the All-American running back for the Cal football team. Lynch spent three productive years at Cal compiling 3,230 yards and 29 touchdowns on his way toward numerous accolades, like the 2006 Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year.

However, far more intriguing for some Bears fans was Lynch's unique flair for the dramatic.

On one occasion, following a game winning touchdown against Washington, Lynch commandeered an injury cart and wildly drove it around the field in celebration.

Later that season, to the excitement of the Lynch faithful, he gave an equally reckless encore performance after Cal's 45-10 shellacking of Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl.

Now, a few years removed from Cal, Lynch has an NFL career with the Buffalo Bills and is establishing himself in the talent-saturated NFL as a punishing feature back with a rare combination of size, speed and agility.

But before Lynch stepped onto an NFL gridiron, he showed off his true colors.

Since declaring for the NFL Draft in 2007, Lynch has developed a cult following in the Bay Area since a string of YouTube videos starring the dreadlock-adorned running back surfaced.

One video, a SportsCenter piece by ESPN funnyman Kenny Mayne, sarcastically details Lynch enjoying the "limitless" Buffalo nightlife. The satirical evening includes visits to such Buffalo hot spots as Applebee's and Dave & Buster's.

"On the really crazy nights," as Mayne puts it, "(Lynch) returns to Applebee's."

Numerous other interviews, chock-full of Lynch quips, show his propensity for the art of stream-of-consciousness conversation. Lynch playfully discusses meeting Oompa Loompas at a Super Bowl party, the plethora of uses for spell-check and shamelessly plugs his hometown of Oakland, which he fondly refers to as "the town."

Lynch only stops his verbal barrage to show off his customized gold grills -- molded into his hyper-masculine mantra "Beast Mode" -- or for one of his nimble back flips. But one thing shines true throughout all of his videos: Lynch is the consummate entertainer on and off the field.

When you think about it, isn't this a continuation of Lynch's job as a football player?

As a professional athlete, doesn't he get paid to entertain? Lynch and his peers are simply muscled-up virile performers. Players like Lynch are what make the league so entertaining. Remember Joe Namath lounging in his bathing suit, surrounded by eager reporters, confidently guaranteeing a Jets victory in Super Bowl III?

That's Lynch. Sorta.

As long as Lynch and his athlete-turned-thespian compatriots don't follow too closely in Namath's footsteps -- drunkenly asking ABC's Suzy Kolber for kisses on national TV, for example -- their antics can only help the NFL.

In fact, they can preserve its dominance in American professional sports.

With last year's World Series receiving the worst TV ratings in history, maybe baseball should be encouraging some similar eccentricities in their players. I mean, which would you rather watch: Lynch dancing in the end zone, or Chase Utley yelling the F-word at a family-oriented celebration parade in 2008? Come on, MLB.

Honestly, who wouldn't tune in to see Ryan Howard doing Warren Sapp's bunny hop after a colossal home run?

If you want any evidence for the importance of antics, look at this past summer's Olympic Games. The only man to steal the spotlight from American poster-boy Michael Phelps' record-breaking was the playfully cocky performance of Usain Bolt.

He did set a couple of world records, but what he is most remembered for is his "lightning bolt" celebration and showboating in the final stretch of the 100-meter final.

Even Michael Phelps' most memorable moment was the slow-motion image of his vein-popping celebration after an improbable victory by the U.S. in the 400-meter relay.

Maybe it's the media attention of the NFL that has fostered Lynch's playful side. Or maybe it is his elation, so often absent among overpaid professional athletes, at having made it from Oakland to the glitz and glamor of the NFL. Whatever the reason for his bubbly personality, the Bay Area cannot get enough of its loquacious hometown hero. And neither can I.

Tags: MARSHAWN LYNCH, YOUTUBE, BUFFALO BILLS, NFL, CAL FOOTBALL