Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo (aka Billie Hayes) was featured on today’s Who Said It game. And now she’s online too!

Check out her website, where you can order amulets, personally autographed photos, and see what Witchiepoo looks like behind all the makeup.

I had lunch with her in Los Angeles about ten years ago. Unlike Witchiepoo, Billie Hayes is a really nice person to hang out with (the fact that she’s donating the money from the amulets and autographed photos to charity should back that up). Not that her alter-ego Witchiepoo is mean or anything, but I’m thinking she could probably grate on your nerves after an hour or so – especially with Orson and Seymore around.

The holidays aren’t that far off. This would make a cool present for anyone familiar with the worlds of Sid and Marty Krofft. Thanks to Billie, the shopping for some of my friends is now done.

Nice to see SABRES, BILLS and BULLS big weekend WINNERS! 2 Exciting come-from-behind
WINS in FLA for the SABRES, THE BILLS “D” not allowing 3 points for a road opponent in 17 years, and Turner Bill (UB BULLS Head Coach) has to receive some kind of Coach-Of-The-Year AWARD for really turning around the football program at UB in the big win over the
Akron Zips on Saturday!

SKI MAGAZINE’S 2008 TOP 50 RESORT GUIDE is on newsstands now and kudos to
HOLIDAY VALLEY receiving #5 in the magazine’s TOP 10 RESORTS/EAST beating out the likes of Killington, Sugarbush, and Okemo VERMONT! I’ve often told other skiers that some
of the best skiing in North America is right here in WNY!

A few weeks back, Van Halen massacred “Jump” during a concert in Greensboro, NC.

Back in the 80’s, nobody would have known this even happened. Now thanks to YouTube, the whole world can watch this train wreck go down.

See it here. If your ears can take it, stick it out until the end – amazingly, it keeps getting worse as the song goes on.

This has been a bad year for a bunch of amusement parks.

Geauga Lake’s amusement park closed forever. Conneaut Lake Park south of Erie never opened. Williams Grove Park in Pennsylvania was auctioned off. The Chaos ride was removed from Fantasy Island (that really annoyed me). And it was looking like this would be the final year for Coney Island’s Astroland too.

But today, Astroland was given one more year! Go here for the complete story.

It won’t be goodbye to the Cyclone roller coaster – that’ll be staying. But the dark rides, the crazy spin rides which I love so much, and the cool Coney Island atmosphere is what will be going away after 2008.

Even though some things are gone already (like the insanely-run Zipper), I’m already looking forward to going again – but unfortunately, next year really will be the last time.

Rarely do I care enough about an artist to listen to their full CD all the way through. In the iTunes era, the album is a dying art form, and you’re lucky to get one hit single, let alone more than one. Lately, however, my faith in popular music, and the singer/songwriter genre in particular, has been restored.

Sara Bareilles, “Little Voice.” (A+)

Her first single is called “Love Song,” which I liked when I first heard it, but it was the rest of the CD that really blew me away. Sara’s piano-based music is at turns funky, soulful, and emotional. It’s been so long since I’ve heard someone sing with such confidence and conviction, with lyrics that match that intensity! Every song seems to be the result of a personal revelation or experience, as if you’re reading her diary, warts and all. Personal favorites: “Between the Lines,” a melancholy ode to heartbreak and crossed purposes; “Come ‘Round Soon,” an amazing vocal performance that demonstrates an almost defiant depression, and “One Sweet Love,” which I had to listen to twice the first time just to lock in the melody, because I knew I’d be singing it to myself after I turned off my iPod. I highly recommend this CD.

Emerson Hart, “Cigarettes and Gasoline.” (A-)

Former lead singer of the group Tonic, Emerson Hart is one of the most congenial artists I’ve ever worked with. (He called me personally to say thanks for playing his song “If You’re Gonna Leave” on Star 102.5!)

I like the track a lot, its lushness belying the coldness of the lyrics: “If you’re gonna leave/you better get going/’cause I ain’t wasting no more time on what might have been.” The next single (“I Wish The Best For You“) is destined to be a classic breakup song, along the lines of Don Henley’s “Heart Of The Matter.” But my favorite track is “Flyin’“, which I can’t get out of my head. Breakups, and all the regret that comes with it, have always been fertile ground for songwriters, and Emerson uses that sadness to beautiful effect here. Softer acoustic guitar and piano melodies work better than the rockier stuff on this CD, but taken as a whole the album is a brilliantly produced, introspective masterpiece that gets better with each listen.

Emerson headlines the “Rising Star Concert Series” at the Town Ballroom November 10th! Reserve your tickets here, by the way. They’re free.

Two other albums I liked almost as much as Emerson and Sara, are:

Vanessa Carlton “Heroes and Thieves.” (B+) Best tracks: “Nolita Fairytale,” “Come Undone.”

Colbie Caillat, “Coco.” (B) Best tracks: “Bubbly,” “Midnight Bottle.”

–Brian

Thanks to the quick cancellation of Viva Laughlin, Amazing Race returns sooner than expected!

The new season starts Sunday, November 4th and features a lot of waiters, bartenders, actor wannabes, and a goth team from Kentucky (not too hard to spot that team in the picture).

Click on the photo for the official Amazing Race CBS website where you can learn more about each of the teams.

Over the past year, Donald Trump’s reality show The Apprentice has become incredibly dull.

I’m not usually a fan of celebrity editions of reality shows, but in this case I think it’s going to help. Especially after I heard who’s going to be on it.

I am in two fantasy football leagues this year. My brother convinced me to participate in one league with his friends and in-laws, and some of my co-workers asked me to join in another league. It’s been fun to set up my teams, but frustrating to see them fail week after week. Case in point:

* LaDanian Tolminson (RB). San Diego’s star running back racked up enormous fantasy league points last season – this year, when I actually have him on one of my teams, he’s lucky to bring me 10 points per game.

* Patrick Crayton (WR). Dallas Cowboys receiver has career highs when he’s on my bench, when he starts I’m lucky to get 7 points from him!

* Jon Kitna (QB). One week he’ll get 35 points and pass for 400 yards. Then he’ll get 5 fantasy points the following week. Meanwhile, my quarterback on the bench sets NFL records for yardage and TD passes thrown.

For your amusement, this week’s matchup (above), with my opponent more than doubling my score. Yea me.

But hope springs eternal. My teams are like the Bills and Lions: you never know what you’re going to get each week.

–Brian

P.S. This weekend Heather and I have a Halloween party to go to. Check back for pictures of our amazing – or should I say, amazingly cheesy – costumes!

Were you, like me Sunday, waiting for the VERY LAST TICK of the clock hoping the BILLS
wouldn’t “give another game away?” All ended right for the GOOD GUYS this time, and even
though Willis had a good game (long run/TD and over 100 yards rushing) we did spoil his
birthday party with the big WIN. It’s on to the Meadowlands and a 4pm game with the
JETS this Sunday…can TRENT pull out another win? If you think about it if the BILLS had
won those “give away” games, Denver and Dallas, we’d be talking about a WILD CARD
playoff appearance about this time…either way GO BILLS!!!

BIG SHOTS…A BIG HIT???

While I’m not about to say it’s a definite winner, or even a show that will be renewed, I can honestly say that BIG SHOTS is, in my mind, the best new show of the season. Billed as the male Desperate Housewives, it does bear the same production values of Desperate, but BIG SHOTS’ scenarios are much more realistic, the writing more clever, the acting stronger. It’s got a terrific lead in from Grey’s Anatomy, but BIG SHOTS may suffer from too many show of the same genre being out at the same time (LOVE SEX MONEY, and that other show with Jimmy Smits whose name escapes me right now). There is also some question as to how strong Grey’s is. Do you think it has gone downhill and turned into nothing more than a nighttime soap?

Looks like there was some cheating on this past season of Big Brother 8. And it was the producers of the show that did the cheating to keep Dick & Danielle in the game as long as possible (which in turn, kept the show’s ratings up).

On the Reality TV Podcast #122, there’s an interview with Jessica from this past season, where she reveals what happened.

If you’d rather read about it, check out a partial transcript at Silly Hamsters (a Big Brother blog).

I have always loved music. From the time I started playing piano at age 4, I have loved listening to and performing music. It’s one of the reasons I got into radio in the first place. There’s a lot more to my job, of course, but what other profession allows you to listen to and pick the best songs, play them on the air, and get paid for it?

The other amazing thing about working in radio, and especially at Star, is being able to meet so many great artists: Five For Fighting (left), Shawn Mullins, Barenaked Ladies, REO Speedwagon, KT Tunstall, Vanessa Carlton, Leigh Nash, Jon McLaughlin – all have done shows for my station in the last 18 months! I really do love my job.

In the next few weeks, you’re going to have the opportunity to hear more great music from some of my favorite up and coming artists, as well as some old favorites. Buffalo is really a music mecca this year:

October 26th
Rob Lucas in the Morning
Jon McLaughlin “live” in-studio

November 10th
Town Ballroom
“Rising Star Concert Series”
Emerson Hart, former lead singer of Tonic. “If you’re gonna leave” is his new single, with new artist Sara Bareilles. “Love Song” is her new single.

November 12th – venue TBA
Ingrid Michaelson – the singer from the Old Navy commercials, and the Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack, who’s new single is called “What I Am.”

November 23rd
Mod Club, Toronto
Vanessa Carlton

November 25th
HSBC Arena
Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Some of these shows are free – so listen to Star 102.5 for all the details!

–Brian

If you caught the SABRES/LEAFS game on Monday night you know one the greatest sports
rivalry’s is alive and well in this young NHL season. I know many of you in the past have
complained about all the LEAFS fans at Sabres games…but I say “let ‘em come” and after Monday night’s THRILLER of a game I’m sure you would agree! If you thought the Sabres intensity might not be there this year (after losing the two co-captains in the off season), after
the OT win on Monday you now know that won’t be the case (to me it was as thrilling a game
as the last 2 seasons combined)! If the Sabres continue playing like that (and on Versus TV
before a National audience) we’re going to have another GREAT year!

GO SABRES!!!

1999 was the year of Hampton The Hampster and the Hampster Dance.

2005 was the year the world was introduced to Crazy Frog and its Axel F remake.

Now, get ready for Gummy Bear! I’m warning you now – once you hear the song, you won’t be able to get it out of your head.

The “I Am Your Gummy Bear” CD by Gummibar (including both the song and the full video) will be released November 13th. I’m sure it’ll make a perfect Christmas present for all your friends.

Pre-order it at amazon.com now.

For some reason, whenever I like a sitcom – it fails. That was the case with The Pitts. It lasted only five episodes in 2003 on Fox.

It was a sitcom about the unluckiest family on Earth. It was all sight gags and slapstick comedy. And even though it was live action, it looked just like a cartoon.

Well, now it might end up as a cartoon. Fox has ordered two scripts and already started casting The Pitts cartoon. If all goes well, The Pitts will be back within a year!

For anyone unfamiliar with the show, here’s some episode descriptions from the original series…

• The Pitts take the wrong bus and are held hostage by escaping prisoners.
• Faith gets a Volkswagen bug that falls in love with her and wants to marry her in Vegas.
• Bob and Liz become werewolves and wreak havoc at night.
• Faith loses her chance of being in a rock band after a lead pipe goes through her head.

And there was three others too – as I’m sure you can tell, it was television brilliance!

I’m sure you’re just as excited as I am about this. I’ll let you know the second I find out when the new show will be airing.

And who knows, maybe they’ll even release the original series on DVD!!!