Ask Geo
GO columnist Georgette Braun is curious about a lot of things. She’ll answer your questions, pose some of her own, and comment on everything from entertainment to life and death. |
 |
1 comment September 14th, 2009
On Friday, before Cheap Trick’s Sunday opening at the Las Vegas Hilton of “Sgt. Pepper Live,” Cheap Trick members outline their connections to The Beatles in this Las Vegas Review-Journal story.
2 comments August 13th, 2009
Rick Nielsen, guitarist for Cheap Trick and a Rockford resident, jams with Les Paul in this undated (and provided) photo taken at Iridium Jazz Club in New York City.
Nielsen (left) e-mailed me this photo this afternoon. Guitar legend Les Paul died today.
Add comment July 28th, 2009
Wonder how long it’ll take for Stephen Colbert to book Rick Nielsen to play on “The Colbert Report” again?
Not long, I’ll bet, seeing as how Nielsen’s new DiPinto guitar has Colbert’s face and upper body plastered all over it.
(photo at dipintocustomshop.com)
The last time Cheap Trick guitarist Nielsen and vocalist Robin Zander played on the show was June 29. Colbert was impressed with the Rockford-based power poppers’ release on 8-track of its new CD, “The Latest.”
1 comment July 27th, 2009
On the inaugural show of “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” on June 1, O’Brien “ran” from New York City, where his former late-night show broadcast from, to Los Angeles, his new base city, while Cheap Trick’s “Surrender” hit played in its entirety.
On Sept. 1, the 35-year-old, Rockford-based power popsters who are in the midst of a busy second wind in their career, will play a song off their latest album, “The Latest,” on O’Brien’s show, according to the quartet’s Web site. The song, “Sick Man of Europe,” rocks more than pops, thank you very much.
Cheap Trick will be winding down in California that week from a summer tour with Def Leppard. Then it’s on to Las Vegas. At the Las Vegas Hilton, band members will “take on one of the most ambitious projects of their career - performing what is perhaps rock’s most iconic album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, according to glidemagazine.com.
The show runs for nine nights Sept. 13-15, 17-19 and 21-23. Tickets cost $65 to $95.
Add comment July 2nd, 2009
A video where girl group KSM covers Cheap Trick’s “I Want You To Want Me” is being used in promotion spots for a new ABC Family channel show, “10 Things I Hate About You.” It debuts at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 7 (Comcast 25).
The show is a half-hour high school series directed by Gil Junger, who also directed the 1999 film by the same name, which provided Heath Ledger’s breakout role. “I Want You To Want Me” was featured in the movie.
(KSM with ‘10 Things’ cast. J-14.com)
According to the ABC Family Web site: Rockford-based power-pop quartet “Cheap Trick released a studio version in 1977, but it was the live take from their 1979 concert album, “At Budokan,” that made it a huge hit. It’s been covered a lot; even Lindsay Lohan did a version in 2005.”
Add comment June 26th, 2009
Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander of Rockford-based Cheap Trick will appear Monday night on “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central (Comcast 45). The theme song for the Stephen Colbert program is “Baby Muggles,” a Cheap Trick piece. Nielsen has appeared before on the show.
Add comment June 12th, 2009
Taste of Randolph Street festival features Miles Nielsen Friday, June 19, and Tinted Windows, headlining act with Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick, on Saturday, June 20.
The Last Vegas, July 2, which includes Rockford-reared Adam and Nate Arling, at the Double Door in Chicago, opening for Duff McKagan’s new band.
Corey Chisel and the Wandering Sons, which includes Miles Nielsen, plays the Metro on July 30, opening for Josh Ritter.
Add comment June 12th, 2009
Tickets go on sale Saturday for the three sets of Cheap Trick performances at the Las Vegas Hilton, the band’s Web site says. The Rockford-based band will perform Beatles music, “Sgt. Pepper Live,” for nine nights Sept. 13-15, 17-19 and 21-23.
(Photo provided. Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander, Tom Petersson and Bun E. Carlos)
If negotiations are successful, “Sgt. Pepper Live” will be performed on a recurring basis in the future, perhaps alternating with resident headliner Barry Manilow, this Las Vegas Sun story says.
Add comment June 5th, 2009
Nintendo’s new Wii video game, aimed at competing with PlayStation 3 games, features work by six Rockfordians and will hit stores June 23.
Along with Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick who contributed guitar riffs to the game, the others involved, according to an e-mail sent me by Eric Nofsinger, chief creative officer of High Voltage Software Inc. in Hoffman Estates, which developed the game:
“The Rockfordians that had the most direct involvement in the Conduit were Mark Muraski, Pat Dolan, Tom Martin, and me.
Mark is an audio engineer and designs and implements sound effects and music for our games. Mark joined our team in March of last year and has really added a lot to the feel of the game.
Pat is a game designer and has had a big role in our online multiplayer experience and overall game balancing. Pat joined our team in 2004 and has played a positive role in making our game polished and fun. Pat has worked on more than 10 shipped games in his career.
Tom is a line producer, and his role is organization, facilitation of communication, and scheduling. Tom started in 2005 and this is his third game in his career.
My role is chief creative officer, and I am responsible for all elements of the game and the development of original intellectual properties. I have worked on over 70 shipped games and DVDs in my career. I started at High Voltage in 1994.
Another local that had some limited involvement was Damion Davis, a senior animator here at High Voltage Software.”
Add comment June 2nd, 2009
Check out this video of Conan O’Brien’s “run” from New York to Los Angeles on the Monday premiere of his hosting “The Tonight Show. “The run features the soundtrack of the entire “Surrender” song, a hit of Rockford-based Cheap Trick.
O’Brien took over as host of Jay Leno’s 10:35 p.m. weekday NBC show, which is based in LA. Conan’s “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” was based in New York.
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Aug | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |||
(Stephen Colbert)