Five Overreactions To Obama’s Fiscal Cliff Proposal

THINK PROGRESS

Yesterday, the Obama administration unveiled its proposal to avert the looming fiscal showdown. The plan included $1.6 trillion in increased taxes on the rich over the next decade, $400 billion in savings to be found in Medicare and other social programs, $50 billion in stimulus spending to begin next year, and an end to current debt ceiling rules.
This proposal is not new. It reflects the very policies Obama not only put forth in 2011, as Kevin Drum noted, but also campaigned on extensively this year. They are the very policies that the American public voted for in November when they granted Obama another four years. Exit polling also showed that 60 percent of voters wanted to see income taxes increased for wealthy Americans.
However, these facts didn’t stop conservatives from acting as though Obama had proposed the “Kill All The Puppies Act of 2012″. Here are five overreactions to Obama’s plan:

• Worse than surrender in the Civil War: Leading conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer likened Obama’s proposal to the terms of surrender offered to Confederates in the Civil War, only the president’s deal was worse. “It’s not just a bad deal, this is really an insulting deal… Robert E. Lee was offered easier terms at Appomattox and he lost the Civil War,” said Krauthammer.
• Out of a fairytale: Writing in her Wall Street Journal column, Kimberley Strassel lambasted the plan as “something out of Wonderland and Oz combined.” She went on to argue that Obama wasn’t negotiating in good faith. “The most frightening aspect of the White House proposal is that it wasn’t an error.”
• “Nothing good can come of negotiating further”: RedState editor Erick Erickson, whose counsel congressional Republicans regularly seek, advised the GOP to pack up, go home, and take the country over the cliff. “Nothing good can come of negotiating further,” Erickson wrote. “The GOP should pass what they want and promptly go home. Let the Democrats stay and sort things out. Dive.”
• “I’d walk out”: MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, a former GOP congressman, said that his Party ought to walk out of negotiations, saying Obama’s proposal was solely meant to “provoke” House Republicans. Speaking on his morning show, Scarborough detailed what his reaction would have been had he been in negotiations: “I would have said, ‘We’re all busy people, this is a critical time, if you’re going to come over here and insult us and intentionally try to provoke us, you can do that but I’m going back to work now.’ And I’d walk out.”
• “Congress should dive headlong off fiscal cliff”: After a lengthy column detailing how going over the fiscal cliff “would shock the economy,” Daily Caller editor Tucker Carlson advised GOPers to “dive headlong off fiscal cliff” following Obama’s proposal. “Republicans don’t have a lot of good choices right now,” Tucker wrote. “They might as well try it.”

Vintage Nancy

GOP Rejects White House Opening Budget Bid

TPM

Republicans have rejected President Obama’s opening budget bid.
In a Capitol meeting with House Speaker John Boehner Thursday, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner submitted the Obama administration’s proposal for addressing medium term deficits, and avoiding across the board tax increases and spending cuts at the end of the year.
Republicans called the proposal outlandish and brushed it aside as unserious. But it’s almost entirely comprised of policies Obama campaigned on and included in his budget for the current fiscal year. And by satisfying GOP demands that Obama offer up a plan that includes spending cuts, it paints Republicans, who have been reluctant to specify their own Medicare cut proposal, into a tight corner.
The White House formally proposes to increase tax revenues by $1.6 trillion over 10 years by increasing top marginal income tax rates and taxes on both capital gains and dividends, and by limiting tax deductions for top earners, according to Republicans.
Obama proposes to reinstate the estate tax at its 2009 level, as well as patch the alternative minimum tax.
The administration asked Republicans to boost the economy, too, by either extending the payroll tax cut, or replace the holiday with a similar stimulus, such as the Making Work Pay tax credit in the Recovery Act. They also want to extend emergency unemployment benefits.
On top of that, the administration proposes $50 billion in new infrastructure spending, as well as a mortgage refinancing program. The plan would prevent automatic reimbursement cuts to physicians who treat Medicare beneficiaries, and would eliminate congressional control over the debt limit altogether.
In exchange, the administration proposes a tax reform proposal consistent with its $1.6 trillion in new tax revenues taken from top earners, and to cut 10-year deficits overall by $4 trillion, including $400 billion in savings from Medicare and Medicaid in Obama’s budget.

Hostess asks judge to approve additional $1.8 million in executive bonuses

RAW STORY

Texas-based Hostess Brands Inc. asked a judge on Wednesday to approve an additional $1.9 million in executive bonuses, according to The Associated Press, saying the money is needed to keep top managers on as the company sells off all its assets.
The now-defunct company, which rakes in more than $2.5 billion in annual sales, closed its doors earlier this month amid a strike by its unionized workers who refused to accept wage cuts. Despite still-heavy sales, the company declared bankruptcy twice in recent years as its revenues gradually fell. Many critics blamed the company’s net loss of $1.1 billion in FY 2012 on its failure to diversify into more healthy snacks.
The company’s most recent court filing asks New York-based bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain to give final approval of managements plans to liquidate its assets.
If approved, the move would be the final defeat for the company’s union, which saw Judge Drain order significant concessions from the workers earlier this month.
In addition to laying off more than 18,000 workers, the company stopped contributing to its union pension plans some time ago and now owes workers more than $111 million.
Gregory Rayburn, the company’s interim CEO, told The Dallas Morning News on Wednesday that more than 80 firms have lined up to buy out the company’s assets, in a series of sales that could pull in more than $1 billion. It is possible that the unionized workers could be hired on by one of those other companies.

Stella McCartney wins British Fashion Award 2012

We Will Never Forget Our Sweet George!

Paul Plays Edmonton

Concert review: Maybe we’re amazed at Paul McCartney

 

Legendary musician puts on best show of the year

 

BY SANDRA SPEROUNES, EDMONTON JOURNAL NOVEMBER 29, 2012

When: Wednesday

Where: Rexall Place

EDMONTON - May I be a human — and not a supposedly unbiased or clinical reviewer — for a moment? OhmygoshohmygoshPaulMcCartneyisonstage! Hesrightinfrontofme! andthousandsoffans! OneoftheBeatlesisfinallyinEdmonton! Wegettowitnessrocknrollhistoryintheflesh! IhopeheplaysHeyJudeorYesterday!

And breathe.

C’mon, who wasn’t thinking the same silly thoughts during Wednesday’s sold-out show, the first of two at Rexall Place? As the 70-year-old elder statesmen casually strolled onstage, 14,500 fans erupted in cheers — an explosion 50 years in the making.

Better late than never … and McCartney more than made up for avoiding us all these years, gracefully attacking us with all his charm and greatest hits, making us feel like giddy 15-year-olds watching the Fab Four on The Ed Sullivan Show in the ’60s. Or giggly five-year-olds, watching the Beatles battle the Blue Meanies in Yellow Submarine for the first time in the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s or ’00s.

“Waiting to take you away,” he beckoned during Wednesday’s opening number, Magical Mystery Tour, as a rainbow of colours danced on the three screens at the back of the stage. “Let’s go! Let’s go!” he coaxed on the second song, Junior’s Farm, introducing us to an Eskimo who was hoping for a “fall of snow” in the process.

Not much of McCartney’s set — more than 30 songs — was a mystery, especially for those who scour the web for such information. Then again, his choices were rather limited (or obvious) for an artist with 50 years of albums — 50 years! What a staggering number. What a staggering set of songs by the Beatles, including All My Loving, Got To Get You Into My Life, Paperback Writer, The Long and Winding Road, Blackbird, Eleanor Rigby, a ukulele version of Something in honour of George Harrison, ohmygoshitsPaulMcCartney!

Of course, he couldn’t forget tunes from his other band, Wings — such as Jet, Let Me Roll It, Band on the Run — not to mention squeezing in the odd “obscure” number. Obscurities such as Sing the Changes, by The Fireman, his project with another British bassist, Youth, from post-punks Killing Joke. The tune, however, felt more like McCartney’s attempt to write for U2 — big, expansive, atmospheric, with jangly guitars and echoey backup vocals.

His entire show was epic and he didn’t even need a fancy 360-degree stage or claw. Just a few screens, four backup musicians, and his modesty. “This is cool, I’m going to take a moment just to drink it all in,” he said after his third song, All My Loving, leaning back to savour all the love. (Yes, Taylor Swift takes her cues from the best.) As grateful as McCartney came across, he wasn’t just trying to win the crowd over with sincerity, wit and looks. He worked hard for each standing ovation, playing supple grooves on his Hofner bass, showing off his guitar chops on the scribbly funk of Let Me Roll It/Foxy Lady, crooning like a younger man as he played the piano on The Long and Winding Road. Wow.

For much of the set, McCartney’s voice felt nuanced and strong, only wavering on one or two numbers, particularly the high notes on The Night Before. At times, as is the case with most arena shows, his pipes were buried by the force of his bandmates, though he seemed to sound more powerful the higher up in the arena you sat.

McCartney’s power also extended to the pacing of his show. He’s a master at moving from gravity to humour and back again, knowing when to tell a story about a dearly departed friend and when to make funny faces and point at fans as if he knows each one of them personally. “You see all these signs in the audience and they’re really great,” he said. “One half of my brain says ‘Don’t look at the signs, just sing.’ The other half says ‘Read them’.”

After reading a few for laughs, McCartney played a pair of spine-tingling numbers on his acoustic guitar — Blackbird, featuring an arena of backup singers, and Here Today, dedicated to the late great Beatle John Lennon.

But instead of letting fans wallow in sadness, McCartney then picked up the mood by playing one of his 21st century numbers, Dance Tonight, as his drummer waved his hands for most of the song. “That’s our choreography for the night,” joked McCartney.

And that was all in the first 90 minutes. By deadline, he was just finishing a string of mesmerizing numbers, including Let It Be; Live and Let Die, complete with pyro; and Hey Jude, prompting one of the night’s many mass singalongs and standing ovations.

Double, triple, quadruple wow.

McCartney’s visit caps off a year stacked with classic-rock concerts, running the gamut from Roger Waters to Neil Diamond to Red Hot Chili Peppers to Journey/Loverboy/Night Ranger. Do I even need to tell you Sir Paul’s three-hour show topped them all?

And lucky for Edmonton, we get to experience the majesty all over again on Thursday night. Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh.

ssperounes@edmontonjournal.com

Twitter.com/Sperounes

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

 

With Arlen

Romney Campaign Did Great, Right? Yes, Says Man Who Ran Romney Campaign

Breaking news from the Washington Post: A Romney advisor thinks Mitt Romney did, like, so awesome in this election, and we should all feel really good about the future of the Republican Party.
Quit thinking Republicans suck, we only lost the biggest election in the country, says Stuart Stevens, chief Romney strategist (and occasional employee of child-soldier commanders):

On Nov. 6, Mitt Romney carried the majority of every economic group except those with less than $50,000 a year in household income. That means he carried the majority of middle-class voters.

Yes, yes: Romney did so well! He got a majority among people who have a bunch of money, which was his only market, so good for him. We still do not have to pay attention to those pesky lower-middle-class households; they’re unreachable. Ditto 96 percent of blacks.
Let us peruse the rest of the column for a straight, unbiased analysis of the Romney strategy, from the Romney strategist. READ MORE »

Stella McCartney Crowned Designer Of The Year And Designer Brand Of The Year

Double gold at British Fashion Awards for label worn on every red carpet and copied on every high street

• Jess Cartner-Morley, fashion editor
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 27 November 2012 20.00 GMT

The final gold medal to be awarded for Team GB's outstanding showing at the Olympics has been awarded fashionably late. Stella McCartney, who created the kit worn by Great Britain's record-breaking team this summer, has been crowned designer of the year at the British fashion industry's most prestigious award ceremony.

McCartney took to the podium twice at the Savoy Hotel, also receiving the designer brand of the year award in recognition for a label which this year has been worn on every red carpet and copied on every high street shopfloor.

The accolades were an appropriate end to a year which has brought McCartney hometown triumph. Her first London catwalk show in 16 years, held in Mayfair in February, was favourably reviewed – but it was her contribution to this summer's Olympics which did most to boost her domestic approval ratings.

McCartney emerged the eventual winner from a close three-way contest, with Christopher Kane and Mary Katrantzou also nominated. Kane, whose name has been linked with the prestigious design post at Balenciaga recently vacated by the surprise departure of Nicolas Ghesquiere, had strong support from within the British fashion industry, while Katrantzou had vociferous champions amongst the international voting committee. It is a second designer of the year award for McCartney, who also received the gong in 2007.

This was a night in which the breadth and depth of talent in the British fashion industry was rewarded at the expense of some of its most famous names. Neither Burberry, Alexander McQueen nor Mulberry were recognised, although there was a nod to the influence of Burberry in the model of the year gong for Cara Delevingne, star of the label's advertising campaigns.

A stellar year for Roksanda Ilincic, which has seen her dresses worn by Michelle Obama and the Duchess of Cambridge, was reflected in her beating stiff competition from McCartney and Victoria Beckham to bag the red carpet award, her first British Fashion Award.

The ceremony was a showcase for the huge success of the British fashion industry's concerted campaign to raise its profile and status by forging connections with other areas of British public life. McCartney's Olympic connection was a prime example, granting fashion a place at the top table at a time of national triumph. Samantha Cameron, fully signed up as an "ambassador" of the British Fashion Council, presented the new establishment award to Erdem, a designer whose dresses she favours, while Princess Beatrice's appearance, handing the special recognition award to the departing chairman of the British Fashion Council, Harold Tillman, reflected post-royal wedding close ties between fashion and the royals which recently saw the Prince of Wales host a reception in honour of London menswear catwalk shows. Music and film were also represented, with Ronnie Wood, Lily Allen and Salma Hayek among the presenters.

In the only award voted for by the public Alexa Chung scored a hat trick, claiming the British style award for the third consecutive year.

The winners 

Designer of the year Stella McCartney

New establishment Erdem

Red carpet award Roksanda Ilincic

Designer brand Stella McCartney

Accessory designer Nicholas Kirkwood

Menswear designer Kim Jones for Louis Vuitton

Emerging talent award – ready to wear JW Anderson

Emerging talent award – accessories Sophie Hulme

Emerging talent award – menswear Jonathan Saunders

Model Cara Delevingne

Isabella Blow award for fashion creator Louise Wilson

Outstanding achievement in fashion Manolo Blahnik

British style Alexa Chung

http://www.guardian.co.uk/fashion/2012/nov/27/stella-mccartney-british-fashion-awards

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Mr Anonymous and clitoral acclaim at the British Fashion Awards

How 'Mr Anonymous' told Stella McCartney she was bound to fail - and other disasters - from the British Fashion Awards.

BY LUKE LEITCH | 28 NOVEMBER 2012

Presenting the British Fashion Awards last night, the actress Gemma Arterton observed that Jonathan Saunders' menswear had received "great clitoral acclaim". And when Princess Beatrice of York handed a Special Recognition award to the the outgoing British Fashion Council's chief Harold Tillman, she rather unfortunately called him "Howard".

But hey, we all make mistakes. And neither Princess Bea nor Gemma A's tongue-slips were anything compared to the biggest misjudgement we heard about at the Savoy yesterday. Luckily for him, 'Mr Anonymous' - an unnamed senior executive at McCartney's early employer, Chloé - wasn't there as Britain's fashion folk listened to McCartney's speech when she collected the first of her two awards.

IN PICTURES: Stella McCartney's stellar year

This is what she said: "I just wanted to share a quick story with you. Many years ago I worked for a big fashion house in Paris. It was well-known, and I learned so much there, and I did love my time in Paris. But I knew in my heart it was time to come home to the city I was born in and be surrounded by the people I love. It was a really hard decision, a scary one, but I decided to tell the house that I was going to leave and start my own label in Britain.

IN PICTURES: Stylish guests at the British Fashion Awards

"It was to the top man at this brand that I delivered this news, and as I did he was really shocked. He said: "Stella, you will live to regret this. You will fail. And I offer you to stay here and start your brand in Paris with us." I was really grateful for his offer but I stuck to my instincts and and said that I still wanted to go.

"As I left he said - in his French accent - [at this point Stella adopted an 'Allo 'Allo lilt] 'you need to know: there 'as never in the history of fashion been a British fashion house with a woman's name on the label that has ever been truly global.' [Cue boos]

"So I guess I do have to thank him - Mr Anonymous. Although I disagree with him: there is Dame Vivienne, amongst others. But I will never forget how I felt that day leaving his office. I couldn't be more determined to prove him wrong. And with this award I feel like I am at the start of doing that."

The audience roundly decried this tale of sexist French fashion snobbery - and quite right too.

SEE MORE FROM THE BRITISH FASHION AWARDS

After that, and despite the abysmal scriptwriting of whoever wrote the autocue material (Poor Arterton was left trying to inject some passion into this line about Burberry: "their customer data innovations have only added to the international success of this desirable British brand"), the rest of the ceremony proceeded without further calamity - JW Anderson's sandals apart.

http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/columns/luke-leitch/TMG9707683/Mr-Anonymous-and-clitoral-acclaim-at-the-British-Fashion-Awards.html

Penn Jillette: Donald Trump's 'Celebrity Apprentice' is Fake

Entertainment

In his new book, magician Penn Jillette, who has been on Celebrity Apprentice twice says the show is fake and there are no rules -- and that Donald Trump decides the rules as he goes on.
And the more you suck up to him, the more likely you are to go further in the game. Penn is on the All-Stars edition, or he was actually.
He suddenly was fired when news of his book's revelations started to leak. He also said that the boardroom scenes which only air a few minutes each episode take hours and hours to film because Donald loves listening to himself talk and thinks that everyone should also enjoy listening to him talk.
The talking has nothing to do with the show or who is going to get fired, which really only does take a few minutes. Penn says he spent 22 hours in the span of six weeks listening to Donald's speeches.

Miss Sexy Legs

Fox Host: People Who Died In Walmart Factory Fire Were Thankful For Their Jobs

THINK PROGRESS

The 129 Bangladeshis who died in a fire caused by poor fire safety conditions in their garment factory should be thankful for their jobs, according to Fox Business host Charles Payne. Speaking with Neil Cavuto on Fox News this Monday, Payne excused this Sunday’s fire as a rare event and labelled all critics of the unsafe conditions that contributed to the tragedy as anti-Capitalist:

PAYNE: It is tragic. I don’t think something like this will happen again. Don’t think that the people in Bangladesh who perished didn’t want or need those jobs, as well. I know we like to victimize everyone in this country, particularly when it comes to for-profit motivation, which is being assaulted. But, you know, it is a tragedy but I think it is a stretch, an amazing stretch, to sort of try to pin this on Walmart but, of course, the unions in this country are desperate.

Watch it:



The Bangladeshi factory in question, Tazreen Factories, had no functioning extinguishers, locked the exits, and employed managers who told factory workers to go back to their stations when the fire alarm went off. Since 2006, over 200 people have died in Bangladeshi garment factories as a consequence of the substandard safety precautions prevalent in their factory. Some believe companies like Walmart — whose brands were found in the burnt factory — would move if production at the faculty were more expensive; that is, if things like basic safety precautions were implemented.
During his defense of the factory, Payne referred to himself as “a spokesman for capitalism and the American Dream” and said “for a lot of people, this [Walmart business practice] is a step in the right direction.”

Florida Republicans Admit Voter Suppression Was The Goal Of New Election Laws

THINK PROGRESS

Floridians endured election chaos and marathon voting lines this year, largely thanks to reduced early voting hours, voter purges, and voter registration restrictions pushed by Republican legislators. In an exclusive report by the Palm Beach Post, several prominent Florida Republicans are now admitting that these election law changes were geared toward suppressing minority and Democratic votes.
Former governor Charlie Crist (R-FL) and former GOP chairman Jim Greer (R-FL), as well as several current GOP members, told the Post that Republican consultants pushed the new measures as a way to suppress Democratic voters. Crist expanded early voting hours in 2008 despite party pressure, but Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) targeted early voting almost immediately when he took office in 2011. Scott’s administration claimed the new laws were meant to curb in-person voter fraud, despite the fact that an individual in Florida is more likely to be struck by lightning than commit voter fraud.
Current party members and consultants confirmed the motive was not to stop voter fraud but to make it harder for Democrats and minorities to vote:

Wayne Bertsch, who handles local and legislative races for Republicans, said he knew targeting Democrats was the goal. “In the races I was involved in in 2008, when we started seeing the increase of turnout and the turnout operations that the Democrats were doing in early voting, it certainly sent a chill down our spines. And in 2008, it didn’t have the impact that we were afraid of. It got close, but it wasn’t the impact that they had this election cycle,” Bertsch said, referring to the fact that Democrats picked up seven legislative seats in Florida in 2012 despite the early voting limitations.
Another GOP consultant, who did not want to be named, also confirmed that influential consultants to the Republican Party of Florida were intent on beating back Democratic turnout in early voting after 2008.
[...]A GOP consultant who asked to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution said black voters were a concern. “I know that the cutting out of the Sunday before Election Day was one of their targets only because that’s a big day when the black churches organize themselves,” he said.

Though the state ultimately went to President Obama, the Republican effort to suppress votes was largely successful. A post-election report found that new voting restrictions led to a huge increase in provisional ballots, which are cast when there is some question of the voter’s eligibility.
While crying voter fraud, the Florida GOP had to confront its own scandal when a voter registration firm they hired turned in hundreds of fraudulent registration forms in several Florida counties. The GOP hastily cut ties with the group when the state opened a criminal investigation into their operations.

Military expert booted after accusing Fox News of ‘operating as wing of the Republican Party’

RAW STORY


A Pulitzer Prize-winning author who is acclaimed for his military expertise had his interview abruptly ended on Monday after he accused Fox News of “operating as the wing of Republican Party” because the September attacks in Benghazi had been “hyped by this network especially.”
Fox News host Jon Scott noted that Tom Ricks had “spent decades covering our military” as he invited the author to analyze why Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) seemed to be backing away from his threat to block U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice’s potential nomination to become the next secretary of state.
“I think that Benghazi was generally hyped by this network especially,” Ricks explained. “And now that the [2012 presidential] campaign is over, I think [McCain] is backing off a little bit. They’re not going to stop Susan Rice from being secretary of state.”
At that point, Scott shifted the interview’s focus from McCain to defending his employer, asking Ricks, “How do you call that hype” when four Americans died in the Benghazi attacks?
“How many security contractors died in Iraq, do you know?” Ricks wondered.
“I don’t,” Scott admitted, seemingly at a loss for words.
“No, nobody does because nobody cared,” Ricks pointed out. “Several hundred died but there was never an official count done of security contractors dead in Iraq. So when I see this focus on what was essentially a small fire fight, I think — number one — I’ve covered a lot of fire fights, it’s impossible find out what happened in them sometimes.”
“And second, I think the emphasis on Benghazi has been extremely political, partly because Fox was operating as wing of the Republican Party,” the author added.
“Alright, Tom Ricks, thanks for joining us today,” Scott said, ending the interview less than two minutes after it began.
“You’re welcome,” Ricks smiled.
Mother Jones’s Kevin Drum observed last week that the “Fox News effect” was reflected in a recent Pew poll which showed that 21 percent more Republicans than Democrats were “closely following” the Benghazi story.
“The only segment of the country that really cares about the sham Benghazi scandal is Republicans, and the reason Republicans are riled up about it is because of Fox News,” Drum wrote.

The Bride And Her Bridesmaid

McCartney brings legacy to town

Sir Paul's bucket list gig in Vancouver exactly what the fans ordered

 

By Stuart Derdeyn, The Province November 26, 2012 1:06 AM

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/entertainment/McCartney+brings+legacy+town/7609458/story.html#ixzz2DLxrsK2B

The last time Paul McCartney graced a stage in Vancouver was Aug. 22, 1964. The show was cut short due to fear of a riot.
"Its been a long time since I was here last," said McCartney. "They tell me 48 years. That can't be right, I haven't even turned that yet."
There were times last night at B.C. Place when the 70-year-old could make you believe the clock was running backwards.
Opening with Magical Mystery Tour, things got off to a bit of a rough start. But by the third song, a wee ditty titled All My Loving, he was dropping those signature "woohoo's" like someone at least a third his age. This back and forth would continue all night.
Those high-pitched harmonies in The Night Before are indeed a young man's game. But Let Me Roll It from Band On The Run burned with McCartney tearing off the tune's feedbackdrenched licks with panache. He and powerhouse drummer Abe Lagoriel Jr., were beaming during the wee Foxey Lady interlude at the end.
This gave McCartney a chance to tell a story about Hendrix that was both funny and a reminder - if you needed one - that he was the Sixties. No doubt many of the 40,000-plus at the sold out local date of the On The Run Tour wanted to be reminded of the decade. Many more just wanted to say they saw a Beatle once.
Besides the animated Lagoriel Jr., guitarists Rusty Anderson and Brian and keyboardist Paul Wick-ens backed Sir Paul with The requisite journeyman chops you would expect. All provided harmonies to make tunes such as Nineteen-Hundred-and-Eighty-Five soar when it needed to and then swagger along to McCartney's boogie-woogie piano man.
I suppose having Natalie Portman and Johnny Depp onscreen providing signing for My Valentine gave the song some celebrity cred. But the song from McCartney's most recent album
Kisses on the Bottom is a full-on clunker. Maybe I'm Amazed, easily one of the best songs of his postFab Four career followed and literally wiped the preceding track.
You really get the sense he loves this song because, man, did he ever sing the heck out of it. Much worship followed.
To say that hearing I've Just Seen A Face was fantastic is gross understatement. One my fave songs off Rubber Soul was followed by And I Love Her and Blackbird - a pretty epic one, two, three combination if there ever was one. A quite different setlist last night than the previous three shows, lucky us.
Here Today from Tug of War was dedicated to his friend John. Nice, but again not much of a tune. McCartney's sappy side always got the better of him without the other three around to say nay.
Nonetheless, more worship followed.
The catalogue of tunes is positively staggering. It was pretty clear that McCartney really loves performing them too. From the ukulele strumming on Something to the other classics during the latter half of the night he was in much better voice and bouncing around in those Beatle boots like a mop-topped lad of yore.
That may have been decades ago, but Paul McCartney still does his legacy justice. Few of his living peers can make any similar claim. This was a bucket list gig and turned out to br one for the memory books as well.
Thanks for that.
Sderdeyn@theprovince.com Twitter.com/StuartDerdeyn

© Copyright (c) The Province

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McCartney cements his status as a legend

 

Return engagement was 48 years in the making - and it was worth the wait

 

By Francois Marchand, Vancouver Sun November 26, 2012 1:05 AM

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/McCartney+cements+status+legend/7609341/story.html#ixzz2DLz0NflE

PAUL MCCARTNEY
Sunday night BC Place
It took close to half a century for Paul McCartney to step on a Vancouver stage for the second time in his musical career, and in the span of nearly three hours at BC Place, Sir Paul closed the gap, looped the loop and gave his fans a timeless experience.
By comparison, McCartney's 1964 concert at Empire Stadium with the Beatles was a mere blink of an eye, a shambolic mess that lasted under half an hour, security breaking down and the Beatles being rushed off the stage and flown out of the Lower Mainland in about as much time as it took McCartney to sing Hey Jude along with 40,000 or so fans that had come from far and wide to see the 70-year-old legend Sunday night.
With a playlist comprising close to 40 songs and covering pretty much every corner of his career, with heartfelt nods to old pals John Lennon and George Harrison along the way, McCartney never even paused to take a break, commanding the stage with more power, presence and stamina than pop stars half his age.
It's no mystery why McCartney's output with the Fab Four, Wings and on his lonesome will be loved and appreciated by past, present and future generations: McCartney's pop songwriting mastery is virtually unmatched, and the execution Sunday night was near flawless.
Backed by an ace band consisting of guitarist/vocalist Rusty Anderson, keyboardist/guitarist/percussionist Paul Wickens, guitarist/bassist Brian Ray and drummer Abe Laboriel Jr., McCartney kicked off, quite fittingly, with Magical Mystery Tour, the stadium transported back in time to rainbow-era Beatles, back when the Walrus was Paul.
And off Macca was, On The Run, as his tour is called, handing out memory-filled classic after another, mixing things up early on - Wings' Junior's Farm, Jet and Let Me Roll It; the Beatles' All My Loving and Paperback Writer; a few solo tracks including Maybe I'm Amazed - before truly settling into a Beatles-centric groove and sticking mostly to the Fab Four's greatest cuts from the halfway mark on.
McCartney was indeed in a form that makes you wonder where he stores all that energy: He still shimmies and shakes and flashes his trademark pouty grin, wielding his signature Hofner bass like only he can, and barely pauses for a drink of water or to catch his breath, telling anecdotes about departed friends like Hendrix.
The fans that braved the bottleneck madness at Gate A and eventually made it through unscathed (while most of the other gates were a breeze) were originally greeted by a remixed mashup of some of the Beatles classics and an animated memorabilia display on the giant screens on both sides of the stage, the concert eventually kicking off about 45 minutes after its scheduled start time.
"It's been a long time Vancouver," McCartney said a couple numbers in. "It's good to be back. I have a feeling were going to have a real good time here tonight. Oh yeah."
Looking rather spry in his sharp blue jacket (which he would later remove during "the evening's only wardrobe change"), McCartney's voice took a few numbers to really warm up, fully finding its spark in a fist-pumping Jet and Drive My Car, which he prefaced by saying, "It can't have been 48 years. I'm not even 48!"

From the stands, the sound was punchy and crisp, with minimal distortion. You have to hand it to both McCartney's and BC Place's sound techs, this was a great-sounding gig.
McCartney sounded especially at home behind the piano for The Long and Winding Road. The Wings material was particularly snappy, with Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five stirring up quite a groove, while the tender My Valentine paid tribute to his wife Nancy, with Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman providing a video where they signed the lyrics. And then there was I'm Amazed, dedicated to Linda, which lifted the stadium high.
The pacing of the concert was expertly conceived, McCartney spending the middle part of the concert on the acoustic guitar, playing a disarming And I Love Her, and taking a solo turn on Blackbird, which echoed beautifully in the building, dedicated to the civil rights movement in the '60s.
Rumours that were started by radio station CKNW on Friday said Bruce Springsteen was slated to join McCartney Sunday night to resume the joint set that had been interrupted earlier this year at London's Hyde Park when London shut down the concert due to curfew.
At press time, there had been no sign of The Boss. Instead, McCartney was paying tribute to Lennon playing Here Today.
Halfway in, McCartney's was already a concert for the ages, and one that will have touched Vancouver's history as much as Sir Paul's first "on the run" show here close to five decades ago.

fmarchand@vancouversun.com Blog: vancouversun.com/awesomesound twitter.com/FMarchandVS

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Garrett Morris- Gonna Get Me a Shotgun

STEELERS FOOTBALL 11-24-12

STEELERS at BROWNS
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2012
KICKOFF - 1:00 PM - CBS
Steelers Game Notes

Signing Autographs

GQ&A: Sir Paul McCartney talks teasing Stevie Wonder and meeting Kanye West

By Andy Morris 24 November 12

Sir Paul McCartney's bookshelf speaks volumes: sitting alongside Hunter Davies' exhaustive collection of John Lennon's unpublished letters is Miles Davis caustic autobiography, an Arne Jacobsen coffee table book and a copy of Jeremy Rikfin's vegetarian tract Beyond Beef. GQ has come to McCartney's office in London's Soho to discussLive Kisses, a short film of an intimate gig of tracks from his rapturously received (and smuttily titled)Kisses On The Bottom album. McCartney himself is in good humour with an impish sense of fun - as I enter the room Bobby Darin's booming "Baby Face" is ringing out from his Wurlitzer jukebox. To mark the film being shown on ITV, McCartney discusses teasing Stevie Wonder, chatting to Jay-Z and punching Stu Sutclfffe...

GQ: What was the best record in your parent's collection?

Sir Paul McCartney: My father didn't have a record collection! He played piano but he never had a record player - amazing isn't it? My cousin Cath did and my Auntie Jen did but we didn't have records and just listened to the radio. One of my favourite songs that my Dad would play is a song called "Lullaby Of The Leaves" - just an old tune.

How has your friendship with Stevie Wonder changed over the years?

I've always been an admirer from the early days when we first heard him as "Little" Stevie Wonder with "Fingertips". Then I met him on and off [for a few years] and going to his shows. Eventually I asked him if we could record together "Ebony and Ivory". I spent some time with him in Montserrat  to make that record. As guys you can have a good laugh - he's a lovely fellow. I just admire him so much and I think that its kind-of mutual - he's always saying really nice things about me. He's such a musical monster. You sit down with him and piano and immediately he's off.  I know some of his old stories so I can joke with him and take the mickey. He was originally "Steveland Morris" and he was in a little blind school in Detroit. He was just one of the blind kids who just happened to be musically gifted. He went to Motown to make "Fingertips" and then he was famous. He came back as "Little Stevie Wonder". So he once told me all the blind kids in the school used to call him [adopts mocking tone] "Wundurr". They didn't like him and were jealous of him. So now when I see him and if we pass in the corridor I say "Wundurr" and he immediately knows its Paul. We have little things in common which is cool.

You've discussed how Kisses On the Bottom relates to your work with the Beatles but can you also see links between it and your other solo work?

In the organic way of making it, yeah. You don't always use that strategy but when you do it pays off. I think what Kisses On the Bottom did was remind me of how cool it is to get a bunch of musicians who know what they're doing in a room and then kick it around. It's very much what we did with the Beatles. I'm doing some new recordings and I'm doing that a bit with the band I play with now - it's very nice to do. I like sitting down in a room and letting people have ideas and then trying to organize them.

Was the challenge of a smaller gig part of the appeal of Live Kisses?

It really was. It was something completely alien to what I do.  I didn't have an instrument as my good luck charm, my safety valve or my blanket to suck on.  It was just me on a stool in front of a mic. At first it was very nervewracking but there was no way out so I had to work out how to do it - I grabbed at every resource I could and every scrap of knowledge and eventually found a vocal style that eventually made the album a lot easier to do. I was going into it with almost a Vegas mentality. I'd written a song that we didn't use that [his wife] Nancy and I used to laugh hysterically about. She used to say "Where's the pinky ring? Where's the rhinestone jacket?" There's always a danger of going into that area and leaning a little too far that way. It can look just like a parody. It's hard to pull it off because we know Sinatra was that. We know Nat King Cole was that. But we're not that and we know we're not that - to find your place in that is a little bit difficult. I decided to play it very simply and very honestly. That's why the musical selection is just things we loved rather than [sings] "The way you look tonight!" I love all those songs  but they're done so much! There's a danger you're going to interpret them in a little bit too Rat Packy style which we avoid.

You met Kanye West at British GQ's Men Of The Year in 2007. What did you talk about?

I imagine I would just have said I loved what you do. With Kanye, I'm always so excited that he knows who I am and he's come up. I'm a fan of his. I met him and "Jay Zed", as we call him, at the Met Ball that Stella was being honoured at. I never know what to say. They were just saying "Hey man, you're really a Knight!" Their perspective on that, as Americans, as ex-Project guys - for them a knight is like Sir Lancelot. It's always funny as I'm just Paul, one of the guys.

When was the last time you threw a punch?

In Hamburg. At Stu Sutcliffe. We threw punches at each other and found ourselves locked in a death grip. The bouncers had to prise us apart eventually. I'd said something, he's said something and we got into it on stage. Very embarrassing. And neither of us were fighters so we ended up in a lock trying to suppress each others abilities!

What's the strangest gift you've got from a fan?

Old knickers. Too old to talk about - I don't mean vintage! Just not freshly laundered...

The Live Kisses concert is on ITV1 on 24 November 11pm.  Kisses on the Bottom - Complete Kisses' (Hear Music/Concord Music Group) is out 26 November

gq-magazine.co.uk