Feb 28, 2012

Legendary PA announcer Budd Lynch still types his game notes

This is awesome.

Budd Lynch is the PA announcer for the Detroit Red Wings.  He's 94 years old. And here's a photo of his game notes from the other night.


Photo posted with kind permission of Ayron.

Feb 21, 2012

The Secularization of Shrove Tuesday

Happy Pancake Tuesday everyone.  Hope Aunt Jemima is good to you.


Feb 19, 2012

Strong candidate for "best fan costume of the season" at an NHL game: The Queen visits Winnipeg

Here's a photo that was posted to the Winnipeg Free Press web site this weekend. 

"Queen Elizabeth II makes an unexpected appearance at Friday night's Jets game. The winsome beauty graced the MTS Centre crowd with a wave of her elegantly gloved hand during the singing of the Canadian anthem. (FRED GREENSLADE / REUTERS)"


Feb 12, 2012

30 True Grammy Facts, Compiled


I've been researching all day to come up with these little-known Grammy facts and pop music trivia.
  1. Grammy Fact: LMFAO's new single is actually a remake of an old Irving Berlin showtune, "Please Accept My Apologies For Party Rockin'" 
  2. Grammy Fact: The term "Grammy" is a nod to the proliferation of cocaine in the music industry. 
  3. Grammy Fact: Original Lyrics to Adele's hit song: "There's a fire / burning in my yard." 
  4. Grammy Fact: "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 only has one chord. 
  5. Grammy Fact: Forget Adele's return from throat surgery. Music insiders are eagerly anticipating Tony Bennett's return from laser eye surgery 
  6. Grammy Fact: Tonight's Coldplay performance deliberately scheduled at end of broadcast so that they don't put everybody to sleep. Thank you. 
  7. Grammy Fact: I'm not familiar with Deadmau5 but I did find one in my basement once. 
  8. Grammy Fact: An old tradition is that whoever wins "Best New Artist" has to buy all the other artists a round. 
  9. Grammy Fact: The award for "Best New Artist" has been handed out since 1959. Christina Aguilera has won it three times. 
  10. Grammy Fact: Diana Krall, the only Canadian performing at this year's awards, was invited by accident. 
  11. Grammy Fact: To reduce the length of the broadcast, all musical performances have been cut from the show this year.
  12. Grammy Fact: It took me more time to write all these facts than it did for Bruno Mars to write his entire album.
  13. Grammy Fact: Maroon 5 set to introduce their follow-up single, "Sits Kind Of Awkwardly At Piano Like Tori Amos".
  14. Grammy Fact: LL Cool J and Dexy's Midnight Runners set to perform "Knock Out Eileen" at tonight's awards: http://t.co/shixezqN
  15. Grammy Fact: Carlos Santana still refuses to do a duet with Taylor Swift.
  16. Grammy Fact: The Grammy Awards have been held every year since 1959, except for 2010 during the Bird Flu epidemic.
  17. Grammy Fact: Legend has it that after Alanis won in 1996, she threw her award into the Rideau Canal.
  18. Grammy Fact: My kids have listened to Katy Perry's "Fireworks" about 850 times in the past year, iTunes reports.
  19. Grammy Fact: Hootie and the Blowfish won Best New Artist in 1996.
  20. Grammy Fact: In 1998, I was nominated (but did not win) for "Best Hockey Organist". (The category has since been dropped.)
  21. Grammy Fact: Prince and Adele to perform "Some 1 Like U" on tonight's broadcast. 
  22. Grammy Fact: Janet Jackson is the only artist to receive a "Best Album" award posthumously.
  23. Grammy Fact: Robert Goulet, who won Best New Artist in 1963, went on to a 14-year career with the Chicago Blackhawks and Quebec Nordiques. 
  24. Grammy Fact: As if Walter Ostanek has not been nominated this year. Seriously Grammys, WTF. http://bit.ly/5a85N4
  25. Grammy Fact: The broadcast has had a 10-second delay ever since Raffi's explitive-filled tirade about endangered whales in 1985. 
  26. Grammy Fact: The Recording Academy blamed the 1989 snub of Technotronic on a rounding error, and fired their accounting firm. 
  27. Grammy Fact: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince was originally a prank to get nominated in the "Best Contemporary Jazz Artist" category. 
  28. Grammy Fact: Due to changing demographics, the Academy has added a "Best Old Artist" category this year. Nominees: Usher, Green Day. 
  29. Grammy Fact: The Grammy Awards are usually held in Los Angeles, except for in 1989 when they were held in Neil Young's barn.
  30. Grammy Fact: Unlike the MTV Music Awards, performers on the Grammy telecast are encouraged to play instruments.
Actually only two of these are true. Which ones?

Post Script: Incredibly, Grammy Fact #25 made it back to Raffi, who denied it via Twitter: "in a word, no. def not my style"