music

The Takeaway: Public Radio Stations Worry Shows (and Audiences) Getting Too Old

Posted on 06/25/2012 by Elizabeth Brown | Brooklyn, NY | Comments

News RoundupsAt public radio stations across the country, the biggest draws are decades-old shows like “A Prairie Home Companion” (started in 1974), “Fresh Air” (1987) and “This American Life” (1995). This has some producers trying to ‘youthanize’ NPR, if you will, with new programs designed to attract younger listeners. But could these appeals seriously change the tone of U.S. public radio?

The Takeaway: Fleetwood Mac Guitarist Bob Welch Commits Suicide

Posted on 06/8/2012 by Elizabeth Brown | Brooklyn, NY | Comments

News RoundupsFormer Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Welch died Thursday at his home in Nashville, in an apparent suicide. According to Reuters, Welch’s wife found his body with a single gunshot wound to the chest, and a suicide note. Police said Welch, 66, suffered from unspecified health problems.

Levon Helm: One More Brother Gone

Posted on 04/19/2012 by Ian Cunningham | AARP Blog Author | Comments

EntertainmentThe following is a guest post from Steve Mencher, AARP Multimedia Editor. On the death of Levon Helm today: They say if you remember the sixties, you weren’t there. And I’m not sure if the seventies are any different, but a bunch of us made it to the Oakland Coliseum on February 11, 1974, watching Bob Dylan and the Band in one of the most eagerly awaited tours of the decade. Dylan hadn’t been touring much, and The Band had …

Levon Helm Passes

Posted on 04/19/2012 by Ian Cunningham | AARP Blog Author | Comments

EntertainmentLevon Helm, drummer for The Band, has passed, aged 71. We’ll be watching The Last Waltz tonight. Did you ever see Helm or The Band in concert?

The Takeaway: Opera-Singer-Turned-Film-Star Marta Eggerth Still Cabarets At 100

Posted on 04/13/2012 by Elizabeth Brown | Brooklyn, NY | Comments

News RoundupsHungarian songstress and performer Marta Eggerth got her show-biz start as a child opera prodigy and went on to Broadway and film fame. These days, Eggerth—who will celebrate her 100th birthday April 17—still performs the occasional one-woman show at New York’s Cafe Sabarsky, which hosts a series of ‘upscale, unconventional’ cabaret evenings.

One Less Monkee Makes Me Sad

Posted on 02/29/2012 by Patti Shea | Home & Family blogger | Comments

EntertainmentOne of my earliest TV memories is watching The Monkees in reruns. I wanted to have friends push me in my bed into a city street. Thought that would be fun. So here I am 40 and extremely saddened by the death of Davy Jones. Why? I don’t know. (Catch this fab interview he did with AARP this past December) Perhaps it’s because my friends and I locked arms and walked like they did, crossing each others’ stride. Maybe it’s …