pimblr.com

Starting this month and stretching through early September, numerous festivals are planned throughout Western Pennsylvania. The festivals’ themes range from the arts and culture to ethnic and home-grown fruits to animals and boats. The events’ sizes range from small to huge, and their settings range from rural to urban.
“It’s everything from strawberries to probably leatherworking,” Karen Hall says. She is the director of the Pittsburgh Folk Festival and the president of the board of the festival, which kicks off the season on May 16.
Summer festivals are appealing and charming for many reasons, including the opportunity to learn something new and try something different, Hall says.
“I think it’s because there’s a lot of other people that get together to share common interests,” she says. “People that have similar interests can come together and learn and share. … Our daily lives are so different than what these different festivals specialize in.”
The nice weather during the sunny months also gives people the desire to get out and do something, Hall says.
Following is a listing of some of the festivals — big and small.
52nd Pittsburgh Folk Festival: Noon-6 p.m. today. David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. Highlights the cultural diversity of more than 25 nationalities in the Pittsburgh area. Traditional ethnic food, cultural exhibits, fold crafts, music and dance, marketplace, children’s crafts. $10, $4 for ages 4-12, free for younger than 3. 412-278-1267.
National Road Festival: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. today. Nemacolin Castle, Front Street, Brownsville. Art and craft booths, information booths, food, High Ryder Country Band, castle tours (11 a.m.), ghost tours (7-10 p.m). Castle tours: $7, $4 for age 12 and younger. 724-785-6882; info@nemacolincastle.org
Buffalo Township Community Day: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. today. Lernerville Speedway, Sarver. Crafts, displays, games, Rainbow Express Train Ride, Syria clowns, petting zoo, pony and hayrides, food booths. Free. 724-295-3653 or 724-352-3316 after 5 p.m.

pittsburghlive.com

The Rocket Man is headed to Fairbanks.
Sir Elton John will perform at the Carlson Center on May 29, according to Joe Wooden, the regional general manager for SMG of Alaska, which manages the venue. The pop superstar — who boasts more than 200 million in album sales, membership in the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame and knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II — is making his debut in Alaska.
With a career that spans nearly 40 years, John is famous for his flamboyant style, piano prowess and songs like “Rocket Man,” “Daniel” and the best-selling single in history, “Candle In the Wind.”
Wooden said he expects the show to sell out in a matter of hours. “This is by far the biggest concert that I can ever remember coming to Alaska,” he said.
Carlson Center box office manager Kristin Baysinger said Alaska is benefiting from a stopover that John is making following a concert in Hong Kong. He’ll perform on consecutive nights in Anchorage and Fairbanks before continuing to Las Vegas.
Baysinger said specific details of the concert are still being worked out, but she expects at least eight sections will be opened on the Carlson Center floor, using a configuration the arena has never used before. The venue will do its best to maximize space while maintaining good sight lines, she said, with an expected capacity of about 6,500 seats.
“Basically, we will have every seat available that we can get,” Baysinger said.
Ticket prices for the event are set at $115 and $75, not including fees. Tickets for the event go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, and will be available at Fred Meyer Ticketmaster outlets, the Carlson Center box office, 456-4800, and www.ticketmaster.com.
Sounds like a heck of a deal. $115 to see the a middle aged prima donna sing a few songs in an acoustic nightmare of a venue, and tell us what crappy people Americans are. On second thought, I think I’ll just go somewhere and drop a rock on my foot. Less painful.

newsminer.com

Only the man himself can say for certain, but I’m pretty sure that Attorney General John Ashcroft would disapprove of the Realdoll, a life-size $5,999 sex dummy that boasts "a completely articulated skeleton which allows for anatomically correct positioning." Nor, I imagine, would he have any kind words for the Extreme Bonk’er™ sex trapeze, the mango-scented Cum-Kleen personal wipes, or the thousands of hardcore videotapes and DVDs that are for sale here at the Adult Entertainment Expo, a bustling trade show for sexual entrepreneurs sponsored by the adult video trade magazine AVN in January at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.
Perhaps what Ashcroft would find most distressing about the event, however, is the crowd it has attracted. Elsewhere at the Venetian, in the casino’s own Guggenheim-Hermitage Museum, where Picassos and Manets adorn walls designed by prize-winning architect Rem Koolhaas, admission is only $15, but there are few takers. At the Adult Entertainment Expo, it’s a different story. The show is open to fans as well as those in the business, and by noon hundreds of people are standing in line for tickets, ready to hand over $40 for a chance to meet the stars of Weapons of Ass Destruction 2, The Incredible Gulp, and other X-rated fare.
Ultimately, nearly 16,000 fans will attend the four-day show. Those in line today attest to the democratizing power of double-penetration videos: Businessmen toting expensive digital cameras stand next to leather-clad bikers, who stand next to frat dudes in baseball caps and sports jerseys. There are whites, blacks, Asians, and Latinos here, and many of them are female. There are people in wheelchairs, aging hippies, bespectacled lesbian hipsters, curious tourists, a member of the Backstreet Boys, and Mike Tyson. The only other place where such diversity flourishes is at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

reason.com

Who can it be now? How about Colin Hay, the voice and songwriting talent behind 1980s mega-hitmakers Men at Work. Hay’s been on the comeback trail for a few years now and he’s built enough of a fan base that he shouldn’t have any trouble filling the World Cafe Live for his two shows Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Hay’s still-intact wit and warmth defined the now-classic Men at Work albums — which contained Aussie-heavy Top 10 hits like “Down Under,” “Overkill” and “Who Can It Be Now?” during the MTV hey-day of the mid-80s.
More recently, Hay’s “I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You,” became a memorable part of the “Garden State” movie soundtrack, earning praise from even John Mayer: “This is without a doubt my favorite song of the year,” Mayer wrote in Esquire Magazine. “I’m still trying for a tune like this of my own.”
As frontman for Men at Work, Hay was responsible for one of the most identifiable sounds in ’80s pop music: infectious, blue-eyed soul with a pointedly quizzical lyrical outlook. For the past 16 years, guitarist/singer Hay has worked primarily as a solo artist.
Over the past few years, Hay’s solo material has been given increased exposure thanks to actor Zach Braff (TV’s “Scrubs” and “Garden State”) and producer/director J.J. Abrams (”What About Brian,” “Alias”). Both Abrams and Braff have taken personal interests in Hay and his music, featuring Hay’s songs in television and film projects.
Hay’s current album, “Are You Lookin’ At Me?,” is his first record of new material in more than five years and is a tuneful and insightful meditation on love, life, sobriety and perseverance.
And if you’re in the mood for something truly sizzling, check out Alo Brasil at the World Cafe Live Saturday night. A band consisting of 12 Philadelphia musicians spanning three generations Alo Brasil was born out of a passion for Brazilian music.

courierpostonline.com

friday march 28th
seminar Groundskeeper Landscape Care conducts seminars on landscaping and ponds Friday through Sunday at the Homer Glen Home Show at the Homer Megaplex, 15301 S. Bell Road, Homer Glen. Information: (708) 301-7441.
saturday march 29th
benefit A martial-arts event to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is 11 a.m. Saturday at Tao Martial Arts Academy, 12634 W. 159th St., Homer Glen. For those interested in participating or donating: (708) 645-0427. More information on St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is at www.stjude.org.
monday march 31st
Identity theft State Bank of Countryside hosts events designed to protect individuals from identity theft during financial awareness week at the bank’s Homer Glen branch, 15980 S. Parker Road. Free credit reports are offered from 10 a.m. to noon Monday through April 4. Free personal shredding of old documents and bills is offered from 1 to 3 p.m. April 4. Information: (708) 485-3100 or www.statebankofcountryside.com.
tuesday april 1st
senior trip Orland Township sponsors a trip Tuesday to see the Jacob Henry Mansion, a National Historic Landmark. Resident tickets are available now for $60; non-resident tickets available for $65. Ticket price includes lunch, show, tours and deluxe motor coach transportation. Information: (708) 403-4222.
born colored Discussion of author Goseer Mitchell’s book “Born Colored: Life Before Bloody Sunday,” is 7 p.m. Tuesday at Homer Township Public Library, 14320 W. 151st St. Information: (708) 301-7908.
wednesday april 2nd
Jane Austen Homer Township Public Library, 14320 W. 151st St., hosts a Jane Austen program 7 p.m. Wednesday. Discussion focuses on the life of Jane Austen, her writings and how her work is presented in movies. Information: (708) 301-7908.
thursday april 3rd
Banquet for hope Illinois House of Hope of Mokena, a charitable nonprofit ministry that helps hurting teens and parents, hosts a banquet, including a silent auction, at 6 p.m. April 3 at the Orland Chateau, 14500 S. LaGrange Road, Orland Park. Tickets: $40/person. Information: (708) 479-2322 or www.IllinoisHouseOfHope.org

southtownstar.com

Atlanta, GA 4/09/2008 03:45 PM GMT (FINDITT)
Radiohead has created a social networking site called Waste for fans to gossip and interact online.
Waste lets fans post videos, remixes, photos, music files, blog and even sign up for a special Radiohead email address. Waste, which is paired with the Ning network, also gives fans access to Radiohead tour dates and presale tickets.
Radiohead will begin its tour in May and it will extend till August. The band will travel through the United States, Canada, England, Italy and other European countries. Tickets for the tour are available on Ticketmaster.
For more Music News, please go to

transworldnews.com

There are few absolutes in life like the sun rising and the Dave Matthews Band playing Hersheypark Stadium.
DMB will make its 11th appearance in Derry Twp. June 27.
The Black Crowes will be the opener.
Tickets are $70, $56.50 and $40.75 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Giant Center box office, all Ticketmaster locations, on-line and by phone (534-3911 or 260-2000).

blog.pennlive.com