Anyone still dreaming of a Led Zeppelin reunion should know this: Robert Plant once made a pledge to KBOO when he heard someone at the independent Portland station say they would never play "Stairway to Heaven."
The story says everything about who Plant is as a person and a musician. He knew that somewhere in the U.S., "there's gotta be a place that rains as much as my home on the Welsh borders." He was driving from Portland to Lincoln City, planning to take the coast highway to Eureka, just "exploring this beautiful land" and listening to KBOO. Someone at the station was playing the Jive Five, a Sixties soul group, and Plant was loving it. Then, during a pledge break, a challenge was thrown out: send us some money, and we'll never play "Stairway to Heaven" again. Plant pulled over and pledged $1,000 -- and he wrote the lyrics to the song!
"It's not that I don't like that song," Plant said at the SXSW music festival in 2005. "It's just that I've heard it before."
When Plant comes back to Portland on Tuesday with his new group, Band of Joy, he'll play a few Zep classics, but they'll be blues-ed up and run through Nashville and the Mississippi Delta by the man who titled one of his recent albums "The Mighty Rearranger." Plant is an Americana artist now, not a heavy metal dinosaur, and just because he's been opening with "Black Dog" and mixing in "Black Country Woman," "Houses of the Holy," "Tangerine," "Ramble On" and "Gallows Pole" doesn't mean he's cashing in on his past.
Far from it. He's left millions and millions of dollars on the table (guarantees for a Led Zeppelin reunion tour reportedly approached $200 million) because he'd rather challenge himself and play something fresh, first with Alison Krauss and T Bone Burnett on the "Raising Sand" album and tour and now with a band that includes alt-stalwarts Buddy Miller and Patty Griffin. Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were ready to take the money and pretend it's 1977 and Led Zeppelin was playing the Kingdome; Plant walked away and moved on.
The path that Plant took from Led Zeppelin to Band of Joy can be traced on his solo album covers. In "Pictures at Eleven" and "The Principle of Moments," he's all about the Eighties, with a slick look and sound that's a half-step away from Robert Palmer or Hall and Oates. By 1998's blues reunion with Page, "Walking Into Clarksdale," it's become more about the music. By the time Plant released the underrated "Dreamland" (2002), he's disappeared completely into the songs. Plant's last four albums show him digging deeper into the American sound that's always fascinated him, working with the best producers (Miller, Burnett), casting a wide net for songs to cover (Los Lobos, Richard Thompson, Townes Van Zandt, and Low on "Band of Joy") and putting his famously strong voice back in the mix to push the music forward.
Onstage, Plant has been first among equals, singing with soul and playing the harmonica while generously giving Miller, Griffin and Darrell Scott a turn at lead vocals. Griffin just won a Grammy for Best Traditional Gospel Album for "Downtown Church," a record produced by Miller that is a wonderful indication of what the vibe is around the Band of Joy tour.
The actor received the Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday night and made some controversial remarks during his acceptance speech.
Robert De Niro may have been trying to compete against Ricky Gervais for stand-up comedy onstage, but backstage the Lifetime Achievement winner was all business and a man of few words.
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•Golden Globes
As to why he tried to be funny – and the jury is still out if he was actually funny, he said, “I thought this would be more fun for this kind of evening.”
The actor showed up without his statuette because the top fell off, answering questions with his hands in his pockets. “They need to solder it back on.”
(Among De Niro's jokes: "I'm sorry more members of the foreign press aren't with us tonight, but many were deported right before the show along with most of the waiters. And Javier Bardem.")
As to the key to his longevity, he offered simply this: “I’m just here. Only the strong survive.”
The actor received the Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday night and made some controversial remarks during his acceptance speech.
Robert De Niro may have been trying to compete against Ricky Gervais for stand-up comedy onstage, but backstage the Lifetime Achievement winner was all business and a man of few words.
RELATED TOPICS
•Golden Globes
As to why he tried to be funny – and the jury is still out if he was actually funny, he said, “I thought this would be more fun for this kind of evening.”
The actor showed up without his statuette because the top fell off, answering questions with his hands in his pockets. “They need to solder it back on.”
(Among De Niro's jokes: "I'm sorry more members of the foreign press aren't with us tonight, but many were deported right before the show along with most of the waiters. And Javier Bardem.")
As to the key to his longevity, he offered simply this: “I’m just here. Only the strong survive.”
The son of a police detective opened fire at a Nebraska high school Wednesday, fatally wounding the assistant principal and forcing panicked students to take cover in the kitchen of the building just as they returned from holiday break.
The gunman, who had attended the school for no more than two months, also wounded the principal before fleeing from the scene and fatally shooting himself in his car about a mile away.
Authorities declined to speculate about why the suspect, identified as 17-year-old Robert Butler Jr., targeted the administrators.
Vice Principal Vicki Kaspar, 58, died at a hospital hours after the shooting, police said. Principal Curtis Case, 45, was listed in stable condition.
"I can't think of a nicer person. I can't see how anyone would be cross with her," John Manna, who lives two blocks from the school, said of Kaspar earlier Wednesday. Manna said he knew Kaspar because his older son graduated from high school with her son in 1996.
Jessica Liberator, a sophomore at Millard South High School, said she was in the cafeteria when another administrator "rushed in to tell everybody to get in the back of the kitchen."
She said she started to cry when students heard a knock on the kitchen door and a cafeteria worker yelled for everybody to get down. It was a false alarm. Nobody came in.
She huddled with Brittany Brase, another sophomore. Asked whether they were best friends, Brase said, "No, not really." But, she added: "She's my best friend now. These things bring you together."
Butler had transferred in November from a high school in Lincoln, about 50 miles southwest of Omaha.
In a rambling Facebook post filled with expletives, Butler warned Wednesday that people would hear about the "evil" things he did and said the school drove him to violence.
He wrote that the Omaha school was worse than his previous one, and that the new city had changed him. He apologized and said he wanted people to remember him for who he was before affecting "the lives of the families I ruined." The post ended with "goodbye."
A former classmate of Butler's from Lincoln confirmed the Facebook post to The Associated Press and provided AP with a copy of it.
Conner Gerner said he remembered Butler as being energetic, fun and outgoing. Gerner said Butler sometimes got in trouble for speaking out too much in class, but he did not seem angry.
Butler's stepgrandfather, Robert Uribe, said the news still seemed unreal to him Wednesday evening and didn't seem to fit with the polite teen he knew.
"I have no idea what led to this," said Uribe, who last saw Butler about a month ago. Uribe said nothing appeared to be wrong at that time.
Lincoln school officials declined to provide details about Butler's student record. But Lincoln Southwest High School Principal Rob Slauson said Butler was involved in few, if any, activities before transferring to the new school.
"I think it's safe to say that in the yearbook, there was one picture of Robert Butler, and that was his school picture," Slauson said.
Police Chief Alex Hayes provided no details on the weapon Butler used or how he obtained it. Butler's father is a detective for the Omaha Police Department. Investigators were interviewing the seven-year veteran to learn more about what may have led to the shooting.
Authorities first received reports of the shooting around 12:50 p.m. The school was immediately locked down, but within two hours, students were being released in groups.
When the first group of students emerged, parents began applauding. Some of the students smiled, raised their hands in the air and flashed a V for victory sign.
Crystal Losole, whose son and a nephew are juniors at the school, said she got a call from her son when he was hiding in the kitchen.
Hugging him later and weeping, Losole said when she learned of the shooting, "My knees kind of buckled."
Her son, Skyler Marion, said he was in the cafeteria when Assistant Principal Brad Millard loudly announced that there was "a code red" and that everybody needed to evacuate.
At first, nobody believed Millard, Skyler said. But when Millard's face turned white, students knew it was no joke.
The shooting news jolted the suburban neighborhood in west Omaha where the principal lives.
"I'm really sad," said Judy Robison, who lives six houses away from the Case family. "There's been shootings downtown, but we're really pretty insulated out here."
The school on the west side of Omaha has about 2,100 students.
The son of a police detective opened fire at a Nebraska high school Wednesday, fatally wounding the assistant principal and forcing panicked students to take cover in the kitchen of the building just as they returned from holiday break.
The gunman, who had attended the school for no more than two months, also wounded the principal before fleeing from the scene and fatally shooting himself in his car about a mile away.
Authorities declined to speculate about why the suspect, identified as 17-year-old Robert Butler Jr., targeted the administrators.
Vice Principal Vicki Kaspar, 58, died at a hospital hours after the shooting, police said. Principal Curtis Case, 45, was listed in stable condition.
"I can't think of a nicer person. I can't see how anyone would be cross with her," John Manna, who lives two blocks from the school, said of Kaspar earlier Wednesday. Manna said he knew Kaspar because his older son graduated from high school with her son in 1996.
Jessica Liberator, a sophomore at Millard South High School, said she was in the cafeteria when another administrator "rushed in to tell everybody to get in the back of the kitchen."
She said she started to cry when students heard a knock on the kitchen door and a cafeteria worker yelled for everybody to get down. It was a false alarm. Nobody came in.
She huddled with Brittany Brase, another sophomore. Asked whether they were best friends, Brase said, "No, not really." But, she added: "She's my best friend now. These things bring you together."
Butler had transferred in November from a high school in Lincoln, about 50 miles southwest of Omaha.
In a rambling Facebook post filled with expletives, Butler warned Wednesday that people would hear about the "evil" things he did and said the school drove him to violence.
He wrote that the Omaha school was worse than his previous one, and that the new city had changed him. He apologized and said he wanted people to remember him for who he was before affecting "the lives of the families I ruined." The post ended with "goodbye."
A former classmate of Butler's from Lincoln confirmed the Facebook post to The Associated Press and provided AP with a copy of it.
Conner Gerner said he remembered Butler as being energetic, fun and outgoing. Gerner said Butler sometimes got in trouble for speaking out too much in class, but he did not seem angry.
Butler's stepgrandfather, Robert Uribe, said the news still seemed unreal to him Wednesday evening and didn't seem to fit with the polite teen he knew.
"I have no idea what led to this," said Uribe, who last saw Butler about a month ago. Uribe said nothing appeared to be wrong at that time.
Lincoln school officials declined to provide details about Butler's student record. But Lincoln Southwest High School Principal Rob Slauson said Butler was involved in few, if any, activities before transferring to the new school.
"I think it's safe to say that in the yearbook, there was one picture of Robert Butler, and that was his school picture," Slauson said.
Police Chief Alex Hayes provided no details on the weapon Butler used or how he obtained it. Butler's father is a detective for the Omaha Police Department. Investigators were interviewing the seven-year veteran to learn more about what may have led to the shooting.
Authorities first received reports of the shooting around 12:50 p.m. The school was immediately locked down, but within two hours, students were being released in groups.
When the first group of students emerged, parents began applauding. Some of the students smiled, raised their hands in the air and flashed a V for victory sign.
Crystal Losole, whose son and a nephew are juniors at the school, said she got a call from her son when he was hiding in the kitchen.
Hugging him later and weeping, Losole said when she learned of the shooting, "My knees kind of buckled."
Her son, Skyler Marion, said he was in the cafeteria when Assistant Principal Brad Millard loudly announced that there was "a code red" and that everybody needed to evacuate.
At first, nobody believed Millard, Skyler said. But when Millard's face turned white, students knew it was no joke.
The shooting news jolted the suburban neighborhood in west Omaha where the principal lives.
"I'm really sad," said Judy Robison, who lives six houses away from the Case family. "There's been shootings downtown, but we're really pretty insulated out here."
The school on the west side of Omaha has about 2,100 students.
Limitless is based on the novel The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn. Directed by Neil Burger the action adventure film stars Robert DeNiro, Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish and Anna Friel.
Screenplay for the film has been penned by Leslie Dixon.
The film tells the story of Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper), a former cocain addict who works as a copywriter for a small publishing house. His life is transformed by a top-secret smart drug that allows him to use 100% of his brain and become a perfect version of himself. In a matter of hours, he is able to write a book, learn a foreign language, or predict certain events by detecting patterns in vast amounts of information. His enhanced abilities soon attract shadowy forces that threaten his new life in this darkly comic and provocative film.
The film releases in theaters on March 18, 2011.
Limitless is based on the novel The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn. Directed by Neil Burger the action adventure film stars Robert DeNiro, Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish and Anna Friel.
Screenplay for the film has been penned by Leslie Dixon.
The film tells the story of Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper), a former cocain addict who works as a copywriter for a small publishing house. His life is transformed by a top-secret smart drug that allows him to use 100% of his brain and become a perfect version of himself. In a matter of hours, he is able to write a book, learn a foreign language, or predict certain events by detecting patterns in vast amounts of information. His enhanced abilities soon attract shadowy forces that threaten his new life in this darkly comic and provocative film.
The film releases in theaters on March 18, 2011.
Florence Henderson has really had an emotional few weeks on “Dancing With the Stars.” Two weeks ago, she broke down while practicing her “Sound of Music”-themed dance, dedicated to her late husband. And last night, while practicing for TV theme night in a performance put on in front of “Brady” son Barry Williams, she remembered her former “Brady Bunch” co-star, Robert Reed, who died 18 years ago.
Reed, of course, played the perfect Brady dad to Henderson’s perfect Brady mom. In honor of them, here’s five things about Reed you may not know or may not remember:
1. His real name was John Robert Rietz.
2. His first television series wasn’t “Brady;” it was “The Defenders” during the early 1960s.
3. As a classically trained Shakespearean actor, Reed felt the part of Mike Brady on the silly sitcom was totally beneath him.
4. Unlike his character, Reed had only one child in real life, a daughter who actually guest starred in one “Brady” episode.
5. He died of cancer in 1992, but he was also suffering from AIDS. He was one of the first big Hollywood names associated with the disease, and sadly lived a closeted life, though most of his “Brady” family knew that he was gay.
Florence Henderson has really had an emotional few weeks on “Dancing With the Stars.” Two weeks ago, she broke down while practicing her “Sound of Music”-themed dance, dedicated to her late husband. And last night, while practicing for TV theme night in a performance put on in front of “Brady” son Barry Williams, she remembered her former “Brady Bunch” co-star, Robert Reed, who died 18 years ago.
Reed, of course, played the perfect Brady dad to Henderson’s perfect Brady mom. In honor of them, here’s five things about Reed you may not know or may not remember:
1. His real name was John Robert Rietz.
2. His first television series wasn’t “Brady;” it was “The Defenders” during the early 1960s.
3. As a classically trained Shakespearean actor, Reed felt the part of Mike Brady on the silly sitcom was totally beneath him.
4. Unlike his character, Reed had only one child in real life, a daughter who actually guest starred in one “Brady” episode.
5. He died of cancer in 1992, but he was also suffering from AIDS. He was one of the first big Hollywood names associated with the disease, and sadly lived a closeted life, though most of his “Brady” family knew that he was gay.
Susan Parker has a common-sense approach to her job as one of the three members of the Alabama Public Service Commission.
“I can help people who need help the most,” she said Friday during a meeting with the TimesDaily editorial board. “I've gained a tremendous amount of knowledge in the past four years, and I'm poised to really help Alabama.”
Parker, a Democrat from Rogersville, is seeking her second term on the regulatory board. She faces Republican Terry Dunn, a contractor, in the Nov. 2 general election.
Partisan politics are not a part of the job, as she sees it.
“That has nothing to do with my work,” she said. “I have met some opposition just because I am a Democrat. I think that's because times are tough, and you blame whoever is in office. But this didn't happen overnight. It's been going on for nine years, and this president has only been in office for two years.”
Parker opposes the energy cap-and-trade proposals touted by the Democratic leadership in Washington.
“The Southeast would be at a disadvantage under cap and trade because we don't have the renewable energy sources other parts of the country have, such as wind power,” she said. “They won't count hydro-electric and nuclear power, which are carbon-free, which is the ultimate goal.”
Cap and trade ultimately would increase utilities costs, which would have a severe financial effect on the poor, she said.
“We need more nuclear power and more energy efficiency, but that won't happen overnight,” she said.
Parker is president-elect of the National Association of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners, a position she said will give her considerable influence with the policy makers involved in cap and trade discussions.
The Public Service Commission regulates various aspects of most utilities, including telephone, natural gas, electricity (except the Tennessee Valley Authority, which is a federal agency), private water and wastewater, trucking and taxis, and railroads.
Deregulation has occurred in some industries, including telephone, which has reduced PSC's reach.
Parker said it is too early to say whether deregulation in the telephone industry will ultimately benefit consumers. With the Legislature's help, however, she helped create regulations that prevent phone companies from charging higher rates for rural customers. She said the companies must maintain their outlying lines because cell phone service is not available in all rural areas, such as Waterloo.
She met recently with AT&T officials about establishing cell phone service for Waterloo and was told they are including requests for four towers in their budget. That could take two years if AT&T approves it, she said.
Parker, a native of Morgan County, was elected state auditor in 1998. She ran against Republican U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2002 and was elected to the PSC in 2006. She has a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Alabama.
Susan Parker has a common-sense approach to her job as one of the three members of the Alabama Public Service Commission.
“I can help people who need help the most,” she said Friday during a meeting with the TimesDaily editorial board. “I've gained a tremendous amount of knowledge in the past four years, and I'm poised to really help Alabama.”
Parker, a Democrat from Rogersville, is seeking her second term on the regulatory board. She faces Republican Terry Dunn, a contractor, in the Nov. 2 general election.
Partisan politics are not a part of the job, as she sees it.
“That has nothing to do with my work,” she said. “I have met some opposition just because I am a Democrat. I think that's because times are tough, and you blame whoever is in office. But this didn't happen overnight. It's been going on for nine years, and this president has only been in office for two years.”
Parker opposes the energy cap-and-trade proposals touted by the Democratic leadership in Washington.
“The Southeast would be at a disadvantage under cap and trade because we don't have the renewable energy sources other parts of the country have, such as wind power,” she said. “They won't count hydro-electric and nuclear power, which are carbon-free, which is the ultimate goal.”
Cap and trade ultimately would increase utilities costs, which would have a severe financial effect on the poor, she said.
“We need more nuclear power and more energy efficiency, but that won't happen overnight,” she said.
Parker is president-elect of the National Association of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners, a position she said will give her considerable influence with the policy makers involved in cap and trade discussions.
The Public Service Commission regulates various aspects of most utilities, including telephone, natural gas, electricity (except the Tennessee Valley Authority, which is a federal agency), private water and wastewater, trucking and taxis, and railroads.
Deregulation has occurred in some industries, including telephone, which has reduced PSC's reach.
Parker said it is too early to say whether deregulation in the telephone industry will ultimately benefit consumers. With the Legislature's help, however, she helped create regulations that prevent phone companies from charging higher rates for rural customers. She said the companies must maintain their outlying lines because cell phone service is not available in all rural areas, such as Waterloo.
She met recently with AT&T officials about establishing cell phone service for Waterloo and was told they are including requests for four towers in their budget. That could take two years if AT&T approves it, she said.
Parker, a native of Morgan County, was elected state auditor in 1998. She ran against Republican U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2002 and was elected to the PSC in 2006. She has a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Alabama.
The photo of comedian Robert Schimmel after his accident has hit the airwaves. That doesn’t mean that it is necessarily something that many folks will want to see. Not every piece of media was made for the world to see. If you haven’t followed the story, the Robert Schmimmel photo is definitely not one on the must-see list.
The comedian and his daughter were in Arizona on August 26, 2010 when his daughter tried to avoid a collision. The car she was driving with her father as a passenger flipped multiple times. Aliyah was injured but her father simply couldn’t withstand the trauma. Now, the world is scrutinizing the Robert Schimmel photo with little respect to his daughter or his family.
Fellow comedians have spoke out about their peer. Jimmy Kimmel tweeted that Schimmel was one of the funniest and nicest guys in comedy. Other fans and celebrities indicate that they have been watching the news closely hoping that the news of his death weren’t true. However, if you decide to take a look at the Robert Schimmel photo, you will surely understand how the injuries were just too much for him to battle through.
The photo of comedian Robert Schimmel after his accident has hit the airwaves. That doesn’t mean that it is necessarily something that many folks will want to see. Not every piece of media was made for the world to see. If you haven’t followed the story, the Robert Schmimmel photo is definitely not one on the must-see list.
The comedian and his daughter were in Arizona on August 26, 2010 when his daughter tried to avoid a collision. The car she was driving with her father as a passenger flipped multiple times. Aliyah was injured but her father simply couldn’t withstand the trauma. Now, the world is scrutinizing the Robert Schimmel photo with little respect to his daughter or his family.
Fellow comedians have spoke out about their peer. Jimmy Kimmel tweeted that Schimmel was one of the funniest and nicest guys in comedy. Other fans and celebrities indicate that they have been watching the news closely hoping that the news of his death weren’t true. However, if you decide to take a look at the Robert Schimmel photo, you will surely understand how the injuries were just too much for him to battle through.
Comedian Robert Schimmel died at 60 last night in Phoenix due to injuries he sustained in a car accident last week, reports TMZ. He was in a serious crash while riding as a passenger in a car with his 19-year-old daughter, who swerved to avoid an accident.
His daughter is still in the hospital, but reportedly will be okay. His son was allegedly in the car as well, but walked away from the crash relatively unharmed.
Schimmel was a frequent guest on Howard Stern's radio show, and also Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He wrote a memoir chronicling his battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma called Cancer on $5 A Day.
Comedian Robert Schimmel died at 60 last night in Phoenix due to injuries he sustained in a car accident last week, reports TMZ. He was in a serious crash while riding as a passenger in a car with his 19-year-old daughter, who swerved to avoid an accident.
His daughter is still in the hospital, but reportedly will be okay. His son was allegedly in the car as well, but walked away from the crash relatively unharmed.
Schimmel was a frequent guest on Howard Stern's radio show, and also Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He wrote a memoir chronicling his battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma called Cancer on $5 A Day.
Comedian Robert Schimmel, perhaps best known for his work on "The Howard Stern Show," was involved in a car accident in Arizona on Thrusday and is currently in "very serious" condition.
Schimmel's 19-year-old daughter was reportedly driving at the time and the comedian was in the passenger seat. Sources say the daughter swerved to avoid a collision in her driving lane and the automobile rolled over on to the side of the freeway.
According to TMZ, who first reported the accident, Schimmel's daughter was hospitalized and is in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery. His 11-year-old son was also in the car; he was released without injuries the same day.
Schimmel is still in the hospital and in "very serious" condition, with his family at his bedside.
Schimmel has released a number of comedy albums. He is also a cancer survivor who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2000 and underwent chemotherapy. He wrote the book "Caner on $5 a Day (chemo not included): How Humor Got Me Through The Toughest Journey of My Life" about his struggle with the disease.
Comedian Robert Schimmel, perhaps best known for his work on "The Howard Stern Show," was involved in a car accident in Arizona on Thrusday and is currently in "very serious" condition.
Schimmel's 19-year-old daughter was reportedly driving at the time and the comedian was in the passenger seat. Sources say the daughter swerved to avoid a collision in her driving lane and the automobile rolled over on to the side of the freeway.
According to TMZ, who first reported the accident, Schimmel's daughter was hospitalized and is in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery. His 11-year-old son was also in the car; he was released without injuries the same day.
Schimmel is still in the hospital and in "very serious" condition, with his family at his bedside.
Schimmel has released a number of comedy albums. He is also a cancer survivor who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2000 and underwent chemotherapy. He wrote the book "Caner on $5 a Day (chemo not included): How Humor Got Me Through The Toughest Journey of My Life" about his struggle with the disease.