Author: Randy Slovacek

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Gavin DeGraw attacked in NYC – hospitalized

Singer Gavin DeGraw was hospitalized after he was viciously assaulted by multiple attackers late Sunday night in New York City … TMZ has learned.

A source close to Gavin tells TMZ the singer — who lives in New York City — was outnumbered by several people during the attack.

The 34-year-old singer, whose hits include “I Don’t Want to Be” and “Chariot,” was taken to the hospital by ambulance and remains “under observation,” the publicist said. A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department said that DeGraw, who had been drinking, suffered a broken nose and two black eyes when he was assaulted by several assailants at around 4:00 a.m. in the East Village.

There have been no arrests, and there are no suspects of interest.

Gavin has been touring with Train and Maroon 5 … and their next stop was scheduled for Tuesday night in Saratoga Springs, NY.

From TMZ – Story developing …

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Cougar Chat – Aug. 8, 2011

Cougar Chat 8-8-11 by randyslovacek

My latest appearance on Cougar Chat, August 8, 2011, where I am the Entertainment Correspondent.

The hosts Jennifer, Michele and Nan are very cool and always host a fun hour of talk radio where you never know what is going to be asked or answered.

To listen in, check out Cougar Chat on blogtalkradio.com

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Vanessa Williams and friends to honor Barbara Cook

The award-winning York Theatre Company will honor Tony and Grammy Award winner Barbara Cook with the 20th Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre Nov. 21 at the Edison Ballroom.

The evening will boast appearances by Cheyenne Jackson (“Glee,” “30 Rock,” Finian’s Rainbow, Xanadu), Norm Lewis (Porgy and Bess, Sondheim on Sondheim, The Little Mermaid), Tony nominee Marin Mazzie (Next to Normal, Ragtime, Passion), Tony nominee Emily Skinner (Billy Elliot, Side Show, The Full Monty), multiple Emmy, Tony and Grammy nominee Vanessa Williams (“Desperate Housewives,” “Ugly Betty,” Sondheim on Sondheim, Into the Woods) and Tony nominee Tom Wopat (Catch Me If You Can, Sondheim on Sondheim, Annie Get Your Gun, “The Dukes of Hazzard”).

The Oscar Hammerstein Award was created by York’s founder, Janet Hayes Walker, and is named in honor of the legendary lyricist who helped shape the American musical theatre through his collaborations with a number of different composers and writers.

Past recipients include Stephen Sondheim, Betty Comden & Adolph Green, Harold Prince, Cy Coleman, Charles Strouse, Arthur Laurents, Jerry Herman, Stephen Schwartz, David Merrick, John Kander & Fred Ebb, Terrence McNally, Cameron Mackintosh, Carol Channing, Tony Walton and Jerry Bock & Sheldon Harnick.

Cook, a Broadway legend who won the 1958 Tony Award (Featured Actress) for playing Marian the Librarian in the original production of The Music Man, is a Grammy winner and in 2010, she was nominated for a Featured Actress Tony Award for her appearance in “Sondheim on Sondheim.” She originated the role of Amalia in the Broadway premiere of the musical She Loves Me, and was Cunegonde in the original production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide.

This is sure to be an amazing evening.  I know Vanessa well, I’ve been friends with Norm Lewis for over a decade, and I was lucky to have worked with Tom Wopat on “Chicago the Musical” where he was terrific and a great, great guy.  I saw Barbara, Vanessa, Norm and Tom in “Sondheim on Sondheim” and it was a thrilling evening in the theater.  If you are going to be in the NYC area on November 21st, get a ticket, contribute to a good cause and catch the cream of the Broadway crop for a great evening.

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I’m bringing celeb gossip to Cougar Chat tonight

Tonight – from 9pm EST (6pm PST) – I’ll be on Cougar Chat talk radio bringing celebrity and entertainment gossip about Kanye West, Desperate Housewives, Two and a Half Men, Arnold Schwarzenegger and comedy legend Jerry Lewis.

As I previously posted, I join the crew of “Cougar Chat” every other week as their Entertainment Correspondent.

The hosts are a lot of fun, the chat is for mature audience, and apparently no question goes un-answered. This is “adult girls chat.”

🙂

I had a great time last visit. Tune at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cougarchat

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Dow Jones falls over 600 points in response to credit downgrade

U.S. stocks fell deep into the red on Monday as investors coped with the news that the United States had lost its “AAA” credit rating.

All three major U.S. stock indexes were down pushing the Dow below 11,000 for the first time since November.

The stock market has now lost 14% during the past two weeks.

“Investors are having one reaction to the downgrade: sell first and ask questions later,” said Paul Zemsky, head of asset allocation with ING Investment Management.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) sank 634 points; the S&P 500 (SPX) lost 79 points; and the Nasdaq Composite (COMP) had dropped 174 points.

During the Debt Ceiling negotiations, economists urged lawmakers to come to a compromise to avoid just such a reaction from the stock markets. However, several conservative and Tea Party pundits and supporters made clear they thought a downgrade would be a good thing.

Fox News’ vice president of business news Neil Cavuto recently said during an interview with John Stossel “I would welcome a downgrade. I really would.”

ThinkProgress spoke with Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) to get his further thoughts about a possible default. Mulvaney said that a default would actually be preferable because raising the debt ceiling without addressing the “underlying fundamentals” would make “things worse.” Mulvaney argued that just increasing the debt ceiling would cause more harm than a default. “If we do a clean debt ceiling, that could be the worst thing we can do,” he said:

ThinkProgress: In terms of the debt ceiling, there’s a lot of talk about possibly defaulting in a couple weeks, but obviously Republicans are worried about long-term fiscal health in terms of the effects of raising revenue. Which do you think would end up being worse for the country, if we were to go through a short-term default or if we were to have long-term revenue increases?

MULVANEY: I think the worst thing for the country is to not fix what got us here in the first place. That’s why you see us fighting so hard on this issue, to not have a clean debt ceiling. I think ratings agencies told me the same thing. If we simply raise the debt ceiling but don’t address the underlying fundamentals, then we’re making things worse.

ThinkProgress: So that might end up being even worse than a default?

MULVANEY: I think so. If we do a clean debt ceiling, that could be the worst thing we can do.

Mulvaney is not the only member of the Republican caucus downplaying the consequences of a default. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) called for the nation to default on our debt obligations because “it could benefit us to go through a period of crisis.”

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) agreed that default could be a “positive thing” because it will show we’re “serious.” Even House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI), considered by many in Washington to be the “serious” conservative economic voice, advocated a short-term default.

So as you watch your retirement accounts and life savings take another hit, remember the message from these folks: this is for our own good.

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The GLEE boys pose as The Village People

The show’s resident bad boy, Mark Salling, dressed up with fellow costars as the Village People and then tweeted the photo.

A motorcycle-cop-clad Salling was joined by Chris Colfer, who suited up as the soldier; Darren Criss, who dared to be the leather daddy with unruly chest hair; Cory Monteith, who rocked the headdress; and Harry Shum, who went country as the cowboy.

Salling tweeted, “The glee bros and I wanted to keep up our chops up over the hiatus so we formed a tribute band.”

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Olivia in studio working on new John Farrar dance track

Olivia Newton-John in the recording studio with Marius de Vries (center) working on new dance track by John Farrar.

Yes, for all the fans, this is a new song by John Farrar, recorded by Olivia and produced by Marius.

Marius has produced for artists such as Madonna, Pet Shop Boys, Rufus Wainwright, Kylie Minogue, Josh Groban and David Gray.

More news when it’s available.

I think some Olivia fans are going to be happy…

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“Two and a Half Men” and the fate of Charlie Sheen’s character

Charlie Harper, Charlie Sheen’s “Two and a Half Men” character, will meet a horrific death when he falls — or is pushed — in front of a Paris subway train, TMZ reported today.

Sheen was fired from the sitcom in March after blasting the show’s creator, Chuck Lorre, and network executives. He has since been replaced by former “That ’70s Show” star Ashton Kutcher.

According to TMZ, sources who attended the taping of Kutcher’s first episode yesterday have finally revealed how producers decided to kill Harper off.

They told the showbiz website that Harper marries Rose, the stalker with whom he flew to Paris last season, before meeting a grisly death in the French capital’s Metro network.

At the funeral for Sheen’s character, Rose reportedly says she found him in the shower with another woman. The following day, she says, he slipped and fell while the two were waiting for a subway — she describes the result as a “meat explosion” — with the implication that Rose probably pushed him.

Despite the gruesome end reportedly awaiting his on-screen persona, Sheen has apparently promised to host an at-home screening and a party to celebrate Harper’s demise.

On Wednesday, CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler disclosed that Kutcher, 33, will play Walden Schmidt — an “internet billionaire with a broken heart” — as he takes over the vacant lead role.

The new character, unlike Sheen’s Harper, shares no family relation to the other characters, Tassler added.

The ninth season of “Two and a Half Men” premieres Sept. 19.