New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival - It Didn't Disappoint

Day Two of the New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival brought banging pianos, fresh voices, Louisiana funk, hip-hop edginess and longtime favorites.

A sunny, breezy day Saturday drew thousands of festival goers for headliners Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Feist and Cee Lo Green, as well as local favorites Irvin Mayfield and Tab Benoit.
Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue kicked off an early set with their New Orleans-based style of tattooed rockabilly, sparking spontaneous fais do-do dancing in the audience with original songs like Don't Think Twice and a rollicking cover of Pat Benatar's Love Is a Battlefield.

In the audience was Eric and Dianne Mayer, who traveled from southern California for the seven-day festival. It was their first Jazz Fest. They said the HBO series Treme got them into New Orleans music - and the festival didn't disappoint.

"There's no other place where jazz and blues and Cajun music all blends together like here," Dianne Mayer said. "It's so much more than jazz."

One of the day's highlights was local pianist Jon Cleary, backed on Saturday with the three-member Absolute Monster Gentlemen. It was fitting that Cleary played under a colorful mural of Professor Longhair, the legendary New Orleans piano virtuoso who died in 1980. Cleary, Bonnie Raitt's former touring pianist, channeled Professor Longhair on Saturday, pounding on the keyboard like it was on fire and running through songs like When You Get Back and Unnecessarily Mercenary with revivalist fervor.

One of the most anticipated acts of the day was Cee Lo Green, the cat-stroking judge on The Voice reality TV show and former member of the Goodie Mob hip-hop group. Several thousand enthusiasts crowded around the smallish Congo Square tent for the show. But the expletive-laced performance mostly felt disjointed and overproduced, leaving the throngs to politely sway instead of bouncing or dancing to the music. At one point, during an awkward break in the music, Green turned to his band and yelled, "What are y'all standing around for? Play the (expletive) music!"

The crowd got moving during his hit songs Crazy and Forget You - but barely.

New Orleans club owner and impresario Irvin Mayfield blows a mean trumpet and is a fine musical arranger. Saturday in the Jazz Tent, the Grammy winner put the latter skills to use in directing the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (itself a Grammy winning outfit) in a dynamic program. Mayfield welcomed Mardi Gras Indian leader Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, clad in his spectacular beaded parade costume, and the local legend led the group in an opening chant. A gorgeous and respectful orchestrated version of the Star Spangled Banner followed, composed he said, for the 200th anniversary of its adoption as the national anthem. Other guests included Cyril Neville and Kermit Ruffins.

The advocacy/musical group Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars, led by guitarist Tab Benoit, got right to their message, opening with Don't Let the Water Wash Us Away. Anders Osborne punctuated it with furious guitar runs and Jumpin' Johnny Sansone took it home with powerful harmonica riffs.

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dr. John later took lead on local R&B classic Ooh Poo Pah Doo and Neville summed up the prevailing sentiment of the afternoon - and perhaps the entire festival - by spitting out: "Ain't no funk like Louisiana funk!"

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers took the stage in front of thousands of enthusiasts - and delivered. The 61-year-old legendary rocker got the crowd singing along early with popular hits Here Comes My Girl and Free Fallin', as well as Handle With Care, a shout-out to his time with the Traveling Wilburys.

He wrapped up the show to a massive sing-along with Runnin' Down a Dream and, as a sizzling encore, American Girl.

Across the fairgrounds, fellow headliner Feist acknowledged the challenge of performing in the same time slot as Petty. "If we weren't playing, we'd be over there, too," she told her audience, several hundred strong. "Thank you for not abandoning us!"

They didn't. Those gathered stuck around to the end and clapped until Feist returned to the stage for a searing encore of When I Was a Young Girl. "Now go get in some trouble!" she shouted.

More Humor And Laughter Make You More Happier

The powers of humor and laughter are numerous.They entertain us and make us feel good, but above all, we have discovered that humor and laughter are the best medicine, they heal, alleviate pain, relieve stress and anxiety, are anti-aging and longevity facilitators and much more The ones who enjoy humor, laughter, fun and play to the fullest are always young children.

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. The teacher said it was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even though a whale is a very large mammal, its throat is very small.

The little girl stated that Jonah was swallowed by a whale. The teacher reiterated that a whale could not swallow a human, it was impossible. The little girl said, “When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah”.

The teacher asked, “What if Jonah went to hell?” The little girl replied, “Then you ask him!”

A man walks into a store to buy a Barbie doll forhis daughter. “How much is that Barbie in the window?”, he asks the shop assistant.

The guy asks, “Why is Divorced Barbie different from all the others?”

“That’s obvious,” the assistant states, “Divorced Barbie comes with Ken’s house, Ken’s car, Ken’s boat, Ken’s future…..”

Did you hear about the teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put on his boots?

He asked for help and she could see why. With her pulling and him pushing, the boots still didn't want to go on. When the second boot was on, she had worked up a sweat. She almost whimpered when the little boy said, "Teacher, they're on the wrong feet." She looked and sure enough, they were.

It wasn't any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on, this time on the right feet. He then announced, "These aren't my boots."

She bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream,"Why didn't you say so?" like she wanted to.

Once again she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off. He then said, "They're my brother's boots. My Mom made me wear them."

She didn't know if she should laugh or cry. She mustered up the grace and courage she had left to wrestle the boots on his feet again. She said, "Now, where are your mittens?"

He said, "I stuffed them in the toes of my boots..."

Her trial starts next month.

They are essential in helping us to find and maintain balance in life and career “If you are to busy to laugh ,you are too busy.”, they say. Let's dedicate some time from our ‘busy’ lives to analyse this unique propensity of mankind

Axl Rose Admitted He Had Mixed Feelings About The Induction

Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose has declined his entry into the New York Rock and Roll Hall of Fame saying he does not feel wanted or respected.

In an open letter, Rose, the only original member still in the band, said: "I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia."

In a statement, the Hall said: "We are sorry he will not be able to accept his induction in person."

Guns N' Roses are due to be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday.

'Honoured and excited'

Former members include Slash, Steven Adler, Izzy Stradlin, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum.

Although Rose has since replaced all the band members, it had been hoped the induction would bring together the original line-up.

Speaking in an interview with news agency The Associated Press, Slash said: "I have no idea what's going to happen on that day. It's more like going into it with blinders on and just see what happens."

But Rose rebuffed any hope of reuniting, writing in his letter: "There's a seemingly endless amount of revisionism and fantasies out there for the sake of self-promotion and business opportunities masking the actual realities.

"So let sleeping dogs lie or lying dogs sleep or whatever. Time to move on. People get divorced. Life doesn't owe you your own personal happy ending especially at another's, or in this case several others', expense.
Slash Original guitarist Slash left the band in 1996

"I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorised nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf."

Rose admitted when it was first announced the band would be inducted, he had mixed feelings.

"I was honoured, excited and hoped that somehow this would be a good thing. Of course, if Guns N' Roses were to be inducted it'd be somewhat of a complicated or awkward situation."

A representative for Slash said he would still attend Saturday's ceremony but had no further comment to make.

The current line-up of the group last performed in the UK in 2010, but they were bottled off stage at a concert in Dublin after they arrived on stage nearly an hour late.

Other new inductees due to be included in the Hall of Fame are the Beastie Boys, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Donovan, and The Small Faces/The Faces.

According to the Hall, the Sex Pistols are the only band who have previously declined to be inducted.

Fans AreThrilled By The Return Of Season 2 Of Game Of Thrones To HBO

"Game of Thrones", the HBO miniseries which has set a new standard by which all other epic series will now be measured, thrills its many fans by returning for its long-awaited second season on Sunday, April 1, at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on HBO East and HBO Latino East (with Spanish subtitles); followed by airings on HBO West and Latino West at 9 p.m. Pacific Time. All four channels repeat the episode immediately multiple viewings back to back.

When we last saw the people of Westeros, King Robert Baratheon had been killed. Ned Stark had lost his head, leaving his surviving daughters in their own personal forms of Hell. Joffrey Baratheon sits on the throne, but it his mother Queen Cersei, aided by her advisor Littlefinger, who is truly in control. Starks’ oldest son Robb has captured Jamie Lannister during a surprise attack and hopes to use him to free his sisters.

Dothraki ruler Khal Drogo has died of an infection, and his devoted widow Daenerys Targaryen ends the first season by walking into the flames of his funeral pyre along with her priceless dragon eggs. We are left with the stunning scene of Daenerys having survived the fire unharmed, holding three newly hatched dragons.

Fans are thrilled by the return of Season 2 of Game of Thrones to HBO this Sunday, April 1. Game of Thrones” is based on the beloved series of novels A Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin. The plot of Season 2 follows for the most part the second novel in the series, A Clash of Kings. If you have read the books, you will notice some characters actually come from the first novel where the series gets its name. There are also details from the third novel, A Storm of Swords, brought forward into Season 2, mainly to increase the role of Jamie Lannister.

More than two dozen new characters will be introduced this year including Stannis Baratheon; oldest brother of the late King Robert; Mellisandre, an eastern priestess and advisor to Stannis Baratheon; Sir Davos Seaworth, also allied to House Baratheon; and Brienne, a female warrior allied with King Renly Baratheon.

"Game of Thrones” Season 2 was filmed in Ireland, Croatia, Malta, and Iceland from late July through early December 2011. The lavish production sets a whole new standard for the miniseries on television. It is essentially a ten-hour long feature film, the equivalent of producing the entire “Lord of the Rings” movie trilogy every single year. The cast and crew are shooting an extremely complex story on location in less than comfortable circumstances. The costumers, artists, designers, set-builders, and every other artisan involved leave no detail out, bring the richly imagined world Martin created in his books to life for the lucky viewers.

Fair warning: this is NOT a series for young children, and parents should preview the series before allowing teens to watch. “Game of Thrones” would earn a strong R-rating if it were a theatrical film due to the violence, sex, nudity and profanity. Children and animals are hurt on screen, and there are monsters that will lurk under the beds and in the closets of younger kids. For adults who relish the delicious evil of it, it’s mature entertainment at its best.