Author: Randy Slovacek

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Michele Bachmann tries to capitalize on “The Iron Lady”

Margaret Thatcher has been all over the news as of late, thanks to the upcoming, Meryl Streep-starring biopic about the former British Prime Minister, The Iron Lady.

Hoping to capitalize on this renewed interest, Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann has taken describing herself as America’s “Iron Lady.”

In addition to making the comparison between herself and fellow conservative Thatcher while on the campaign trail, the congresswoman has now released an ad in Iowa that places even greater emphasis on her Thatcher-esque qualities.

I find it interesting that commenting or rating the above video on Youtube has been disabled.

But while Margaret Thatcher was an effective lawmaker overseas, the Des Moines Register recently noted that Bachmann has hardly passed any legislation.

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Tim McGraw’s new album arrives Jan. 24 – “Emotional Traffic”

Via press release: With 2012 freshly out-of-the-box, Curb Records offers an adrenaline rush to country music’s new year with the January 24 release of Tim McGraw’s latest album, Emotional Traffic—a studio project the iconic performer named ‘Artist of the Decade’ by Nielsen BDS proclaims as a ‘best ever’ creative effort in his more than three decades of hit music.

Creatively collaborating on the production with Bryon Gallimore his longtime producer whose fingerprints are consistently found throughout the remarkable McGraw dynasty of 32 #1 singles and 44 million units of music sold, Emotional Traffic leaves little doubt of the foundation material McGraw’s now legendary career has been built-in. It’s the artistic brick and mortar of great songs and a great talent.

The new 12 track set fast lanes with McGraw’s latest #1 single, “Felt Good On My Lips”, certified digital gold. His current single, “Better Than I Used To Be”, is now climbing the charts and is also included here. Of the sessions that produced the new music, McGraw noted in an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer on August 9: “…one of the best song I’ve ever recorded and certainly one of the best records we’ve ever made.”

Curb Records is set immediately to further announce the availability of two digital single releases from the new package which will be exclusive to iTunes and available prior to Emotional Traffic reaching its official in store street date of Tuesday, January 24.

The track listing for Emotional Traffic is as follows:

1. Halo
2. Right Back Actha Babe
3. One Part, Two Part
4. I Will Not Fall Down
5. The One
6. Better Than I Used To Be
7. Touchdown Jesus
8. The One That Got Away
9. Felt Good On My Lips
10. Hey Now
11. Only Human
12. Die By My Own Hand

Tim McGraw was won multiple Grammy® Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 11 CMA Awards, 10 American Music Awards, a trio of People’s Choice Awards and numerous other industry awards and accolades to varied to mention. His creativity has branched from music to acting—having starring roles in such films as the Oscar nominated blockbuster, The Blind Side (2009) and a breakthrough to major film in the 2004 release of the critically acclaimed Friday Night Lights.

In summer 2012, Tim McGraw will join Kenny Chesney on the “Brothers of the Sun Tour,” already anticipated to become one of the highest grossing tours of the year across all genres.

Check out the CD on Amazon.com

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The Candi and Randy Show – New Year’s Predictions w/LInda Dix

Listen to internet radio with CandiXRandy on Blog Talk Radio

Tonight we had Linda Dix join us to share her predictions for 2012, and to do some “mini-readings.” Hit the play button to listen.

We start the show with a bit of “Sexy And I Know It” as a nod to healthy self-esteem for the new year, plus it’s the #1 song of the day on iTunes.

(There may be a 30 second “commercial” that plays first. If it doesn’t appear, don’t worry – the show will play after).

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New Years Eve with Vanessa Williams

New Years Eve could not have been better this year.

Michael and our friends John and Mykel joined us for Vanessa Williams’ fantastic concert at The Riviera here in Las Vegas.

The crowd at the concert was packed, and Vanessa – as always – was amazing. The audience clearly loved the great music and the energy of the evening.

Vanessa’s band was terrific. Vanessa’s daughter Jillian was on hand singing backup – looking and sounding like a star herself.  And Vanessa had Broadway’s Darius de Haas with her for backup, duets and a Stevie Wonder solo that rocked.

Vanessa sang to perfection, and looked just as glamorous as expected. I love that she knows her fans not only look forward to great singing but serious glam. She sang for almost two hours, getting done about 11:20pm so everyone could get out in time to see the fireworks over the Strip.

Then we joined Vanessa upstairs in her suite to toast the New Year and enjoy the fireworks from a great vantage point above the Strip.

Sorry to gush, but normally I do not “do” New Years Eve. It’s just not my holiday. But this couldn’t have been better. As Vanessa said, “Fireworks, friends and fun!”

Check out some pics from the evening below (click the pics to view larger).

These were all over The Riviera

Vanessa in concert

Vanessa and daughter Jillian right after the concert

With Vanessa and Michael upstairs for fireworks

Broadway actor and recording artist, the amazing Darius de Haas

With Vanessa, still in concert gown, on the balcony watching the Las Vegas fireworks

Michael and I right after the fireworks ended over the Strip

Our group (John, me, Mykel, Michael) with Vanessa at the end of the night
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The first year ends here at The Randy Report

Well, as 2011 draws to an end in a few short hours, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who comes and reads my rants; listens to my eclectic choice of music; finds any bit of enlightenment or news; laughs, cries or finds some  inspiration in the stories that cross The Randy Report.  
And of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my public obsessions with Joe Manganiello and Ben Cohen 🙂
It’s been an amazing first year.
My first month I had 3,000 hits here at The Randy Report.  Just under a year later, the stats counter shows 53,509 hits for December!  
For the year, you guys hit me up 282,537 times.  Seriously – all of you – you rock.
The top viewed posts of the year – appropriately – are a mix of politics, music and just plain funny.  
My post on Ben Cohen retiring to fight bullying was the #1 post.  
Olivia Newton-John celebrating NYC Gay Pride as marriage equality in NY state passed into law was also at the top of the chart – a perfect combination of all things Randy Report.
Also, the funny photo of the lazy neighbors Christmas decorations was also near the top.  Ah, comedy!
In addition to The Randy Report, I was lucky to be picked up for many articles by LGBTQnation and other news aggregators, which was very flattering (“you like me! you really like me!”).
AND I wrote three magazine cover stories for QVegas Magazine, the largest LGBT magazine in Nevada.
I can’t tell you how much I enjoy writing here each day.  And the fact that you all show up means more than I can truly express.

Part of my starting The Randy Report was a reaction to friends who would sometimes be surprised at not having a clear understanding of some current event.  And I realized that I wanted to help explain why some people stand where they do on issues, and what’s in play underneath the surface – especially regarding issues of equality.

I also like to entertain or make folks laugh, so a lot of The Randy Report is aimed at giving readers a break from the day, to “go elsewhere” for a minute.

Thank you very much for being a part of The Randy Report.  It’s much fun when you’re here.
See you all in the New Year!

Forward.  No fear.

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Rick Santorum would invalidate all same-sex marriages

In a recent interview with MSNBC’s Chuck Todd, Rick Santorum explained that not only would he support a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, he supports invalidating all currently legal same-sex unions:

SANTORUM: I think marriage has to be one thing for everybody. We can’t have 50 different marriage laws in this country, you have to have one marriage law…

TODD: What would you do with same-sex couples who got married? Would you make them get divorced?

SANTORUM: Well, their marriage would be invalid. I think if the constitution says “marriage is this,” then people whose marriage is not consistent with the constitution… I’d love to think there’s another way of doing it…”

THIS is what we would get from a President Santorum.  Thankfully, THIS will never happen.

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Jennifer Saunders on Ab Fab movie: “Definitely going to do it”

Rumors of an Absolutely Fabulous feature film have been around for years, ever since the original BBC series starring Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley first ended and the Roseanne Barr-produced US version was killed.

While many fans thought the concept had been replaced by the three current specials — the first of which appears on BBC America January 8th — the idea still persisted. Saunders, who co-created the show with funny lady Dawn French, even hinted at the possibility on a recent episode of The Graham Norton Show.

Now, it seems, the rumors are true.

“Yes, I’m definitely going to do it,” she said in a recent New York Magazine interview. “I’m aiming to shoot this in a beautiful part of the Riviera. I fancy the south of France in the spring.” Saunders also noted in the interview that these three specials came about because of Lumley, who anounced AbFab would be back while she was performing in La Bête on Broadway.

“It was mainly because she announced it that we did it,” Saunders explained in the interview. “She said, ‘Darling, I told them in New York that you’re going to do a few more’. I said, ‘Oh, well, got to tell the BBC’.”

No word yet on the story, shoot date or who’s distributing the movie version of Patsy and Edina’s big screen adventure.