A heavyweight main event

Having grown up as a Hulkamaniac, I couldn't help but pass this along:

The host of the new "American Gladiators" revival, former heavyweight wrestling champ Hulk Hogan (you might know him as Terry Bollea) was asked Thursday what celeb he'd most like to see get creamed by one of the Gladiators?

His answer? Rosie O'Donnell.

Now, really, who wouldn't like to see that?!

The Hulkster told TMZ.com that "Somebody needs to shut that big mouth up."

Well, on her blog, Rosie came out swinging with: "Hulk Hogan, the wrestler guy, wants to pummel me. Isn’t that sweet, and wildly odd. It’s like a gang of gross guys, a club almost, old, dumb, white and on TV.”

So here's my question:

Who would win in a fight, Rosie or the Hulkster? Leave a comment and let us know what ya think!

My best friend in college, Steve, used to play this game all the time: "Who'd Win In A Fight?" Like, who'd win in a fight, Britney Spears of Christina Aguilera? (This was when both were hot and relevant.) Or like, who'd win in a fight: Han Solo or Indiana Jones? ('Cause they're both the same guy!)

It would be great if World Wrestling Entertainment owner Vince McMahon (or as I call him, my uncle Vince) could somehow ink a Hogan/O'Donnell matchup for Wrestlemania 24 in March. OH! And I've got the perfect special guest referee ... yup ... this guy:

C'mon, Donald, whatta ya say?

(For more on the fascinating world of sports entertainment, check out Phil Strum's "Under the Ring" blog at www.pojoslam.blogspot.com and tell him Sean sent ya!)

WARNING: Shameless plug ahead!

For those of you who remember last Tuesday when I wrote about finishing my story about Clay Aiken, you'll remember I was in Rhode Island for another assignment.

Today, the fruits of that laborious trip have been published.

In an act of shameless self-promotion ('cause, really ... if I don't do it, who will?!) I ask you to click here for my story on Roosevelt High School grad Will Daniels, who's one of the best college basketball players in the country.

Again, I've known Will and his family since he was a 9th grader playing for the Presidents, and all knew this guy was going to be a star!

Off the court, Will is just as great a person as he is a player, and a lot of that has to do with his mom, Sharon. While people all over the country are talking about Will and his pro prospects, Mrs. Daniels (even now) doesn't let any of the hype get to him.

As a student, Will could've been graduating this month (in just 3 1/2 years) but he's spread out his class load so he can complete his fourth season with the Rams.

As horrendous as the drive to the Ocean State and back was, it was totally worth it to see Will play live and in person for my first time in almost four years, to talk with Will and his family after last Tuesday's game and to write about all the great things he's doing and share it with our Poughkeepsie Journal readers.

Hence, the shameless plug here on "Sean's Space." Admittedly, it's not really the pop culture I blog about here, but make no mistake: Around Rhode Island, Will is a rock star ... well ... make that, a star with the rock.

(Don't worry, the second part of the Barry Manilow story is coming up later today!)

So thanks to Will and his family and everyone at the University of Rhode Island for their help. And thanks, too, for you for clicking here and reading my story.

Did I mention Will is tall?!

Barry Manilow in N.J.: The Show

Just like with Clay Aiken, here's my statement of full disclosure: I've been a Barry Manilow fan for more than a dozen years.

I own every CD he's ever made, save one ("Here Comes the Night"); I have all his DVDs; and heading into Monday, I'd seen Barry in concert nine times — all the way up and down the East Coast from Connecticut from to Tampa, Fla.

Among my first nine shows, I've seen the "Greatest Hits" tour, Barry's "Ultimate Manilow" tour, Barry's 2000 Christmas show at Foxwoods, his "One Last Time" stop in the very same Meadowlands. I even saw his first "An Evening of Music and Passion" one-night-only show in Atlantic City back last October.

So don't come here to "Sean's Space" expecting an unbiased, journalistic review: I am a Barry Manilow, true and through. (But don't dare call me a "Fan-ilow!")

With that said, I can honestly say that Monday's "An Evening of Music and Passion" at the Izod Center ranks right up there with the best Barry I've ever seen!

There are a few reasons this show was different for me (my next post will explain the most surprising, if not biggest, one!) was because it might have been the most complete show of his I've ever seen.

Sure, I've seen the same opening for maybe the last 3 or 4 shows (not including A.C., when he was rolled out in a wheelchair following his surgery, only to bounce out grasping his recently won Emmy Award) and I know which songs lead into which others. Still, this show still was one of Barry's best.

Let me explain: Of course, he did all the hits we all love ("Mandy," "Weekend in New England," "I Write the Songs," et al) and combined tunes from his latest CDs ("Greatest Songs of the Fifties," "Greatest Songs of the Sixties" and most recently, "Greatest Songs of the Seventies") but he also threw in songs I hadn't seen him do in a long time.


There was this tribute (above) to the 1940s with a medley of "Singin' with the Big Bands" songs. I don't think I've seen/heard this act since my first Barry show (which was also his last show in Poughkeepsie) back in '95.

Two weeks before Christmas Eve, Barry even included the Joni Mitchell holiday tune "River" as a special yuletide treat.

Then, he added this medley of '60s songs, led in by "Yesterday," the great Beatles' hit, which made my fav Fab Four fan happy. (It was my GF's first trip to the Meadowlands, let alone a Barry show!).

Click here for "Yesterday" and more of the '60s medley

Most importantly for me, though, was seeing Barry still connect with his fans — all of us who have supported him all theses years, despite what ridicule we might incur from friends, co-workers or loved ones.

Particularly with him being in Las Veags now, sometimes playing twice a night, you might think he'd be tired, if not jaded — like this is just a job for him. Let's face it: He really has been from Boston to Denver, and everywhere in between! This is just another gig for him, right? Just another big paycheck?

Nope!

You have to watch him sing — look at the emotion on his face — and see how into the music he gets, making you think Mandy really just left him, this some 33 years after that song was released. Watching him sing, you really believe he just left someone in New England, not knowing when he'll see her again. (This, btw, is what I was trying to explain to my GF, even directing her to the big video screen so she could see the emotion in his face.)

In short, Barry satisfied everyone in the building! I think he even made a new fan, sitting next to me ... though she says she just had a good time, she's not quite a fan yet. (Right, Hun!)

Everyone sung along. We all clapped and danced, some of us more than others! (I fully admit that.) And capping the night, Barry finished the show on stage alone, performing "Old Friends" and "Forever and a Day," both of which I own on CD, but had never seen live.

Again, for the 10th time, I can easily say:

Barry is the Man(ilow)!

Coming next week: "Barry in N.J.: The Really Good Story"

Read the story behind our trip to the show and learn how our $7.99 tickets in the nose-bleed section unexpectedly turned into 21st-row floor seats in the middle of the action!

Barry Manilow is on his way!

For all you "Sean's Space" fans dying to read about Monday's Barry Manilow concert at the Meadowlands, don't worry: two write-ups are on the way.

The first will be just a review of "An Evening of Music and Passion;" the other will explain how our $7.99 tickets in the upper deck of the Izod Center turned into 21st row floor seats!

Because of a craaaazy workload at the office, though, it looks like it might take at least til Wednesday to get the first write-up here on the blog.

(Remember: I don't actually watch concerts and TV for a living. No, no ... I watch sports for a living!)

But c'mon ... isn't my witty prose worth the wait?

OK, OK ... isn't Barry worth the wait?!

Stay tuned...

Poughkeepsie pics taken by fans of Clay Aiken

Following Saturday night's show at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center here in Poughkeepsie, I asked fans to e-mail me some of their pics of the Clay Aiken performance to share with other fans here on "Sean's Space."

Several of you helped out and responded, so...

...here we go...

Kendra was nice enough to send in a few pics of Clay, including this one.

Want more?

Janice from Hopewell Junction, who was a big help when I interviewed, met and wrote about former "American Idol" champ Taylor Hicks back over the summer, came through again.

Here's one of several pics Janice passed along to share with fans.

But we're not done yet...

Becky also sent me a few pics but I'm having bit of a problem downloading them. Fear not, Becky! I'll get at least one of them up here on "Sean's Space" eventually!

Another big thanks goes out from me to Kendra, Janice and Becky! If you have pics from Clay's Dec. 8th show you want to share, e-mail me at journalsean@aol.com and I'll do my best to get them up on "Sean's Space."

Barry is the Man(ilow)!

Just got back from the Izod Center, where music superstar Barry Manilow, the greatest showman of this or any other generation, rocked the house again!


I say "again" because his "An Evening of Music and Passion" show was the second time I'd seen Barry at the Meadowlands; we'd seen his farewell tour there on Sept. 30, 2004. And of the 10 times I've now seen Barry throughout the East Coast (from Connecticut to Tampa) this one ranks up there was one of the tops!

Honestly, there's soooo much to tell and I'm soooo tired, so I'm going to give you the rundown on Tuesday (likely after 12 p.m.), so be sure to come back.

PS: For those of you like Janice and others who were kind enough to e-mail me pics of Saturday's Clay Aiken concert here in Poughkeepsie, thanks! I'll get some of them up here on "Sean's Space" soon ... hopefully Tuesday.

It's the day after Clay...

...and I don't know about you, but I'm still in awe of what I saw and heard last night. In one sentence:

I was blown away by Clay Aiken's "Christmas in the Heartland" stop at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie.

In the interest of full disclosure, I voted for Clay on Season Two of "American Idol." I thought he was better than Ruben Studdard. I have all of Clay's CDs, including the "All is Well" EP that dropped on iTunes last Tuesday. I told Clay all of this last week when I interviewed him, and he was very appreciative.

So with that background, I went into the weekend with high expectations ... and Clay blew past the high bar I'd set! Having only been able to catch the second half of last night's show due to previous work commitments, I left the Civic Center assured that, as I wrote in my last post (and I quote)...

Clay has the best voice of anyone I've ever seen in concert. And I mean it!

Clay sings a little of "All is Well" last night. Admittedly, the video is somewhat wobbly.

Sure, it comes through on CDs, but to hear him live is a totally different experience. A microphone is all he needs; his voice is his own instrument. I swear, I heard him hit notes last night that I've never heard a male singer hit. It was truly amazing.

I knew the guy could sing; but you can't appreciate how well he can sing until you hear it live in person.

Now, this wasn't just a concert (and certainly not a run-of-the-mill pop concert), it was more like what I'd expect a night at the Kennedy Center to be like: It was classy, it was elegant and it was fitting with both Clay and the music singing and the season he was celebrating.

Decked out in formal wear, Clay seemingly hovered over the grand piano in the middle of the stage (he was actually on a platform behind it, climbing several steps to get there) and was flanked by a back-up vocalist on either side, each wearing a ball gown. Wearing nice jeans and a button-down dress shirt (I'd just come from work, remember), I felt naked compared to all this!

On a personal note as a veteran of 13 years of Catholic school, I found it extremely refreshing to see a performer sing the religious songs I heard (oh) so many times from kindergarten all the way through high school. It was nice to see that while far too many artists compromise their personal beliefs to sell tickets, Clay didn't. He provided a nice mix of traditional and religious Christmas standards ("O Come All Ye Faithful," "O Holy Night" and the like) with newer, more secular songs that celebrate the holiday ("Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "The Christmas Song," et al).

The most disappointing part of the night for me was seeing empty seats. (It almost makes me feel like no one read my story in Friday's Poughkeepsie Journal!) As I'd passed along in an earlier post Saturday morning, ticket sales apparently weren't what people had hoped so they sold 2- and 4-packs for basically half-price. It's a shame because too many people missed an amazing show, the best I've seen at the Civic Center in all of 2007.

After the show, Clay finally emerged from the stage door close to 90 minutes after the show, wearing a sky-blue University of North Carolina sweatshirt, quickly walking to his bus to escape our the temps in the 20s, but kind enough to turn around and wave to the dozen or so dedicated fans who braved the cold.

As a P.S. to the story: Around 12:45 a.m., after the last fans had long departed, Clay left that bus and walked back to the other bus (the one closer to the stage door) and before departing for tonight's show at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

As a P.P.S. to the story: As I stated earlier, treacherous weather is forecast Sunday for the Northeast throughout the day and night, so hence, I won't be driving the 3+ hours and reviewing the Mohegan Sun show.