I have to give John McCain and his Republican strategists some serious props. What a clever move it was to try and diminish the popularity bump created by Barack Obama’s rousing acceptance speech last night in Denver by announcing today that a woman will take the vice-presidential spot on his ticket. First term Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin is the choice, a 44-year-old conservative, who is a member of the NRA and is a pro-life proponent. Introducing her today, McCain said she has "strong principles, a fighting spirit and deep compassion," and praised her record of fighting corruption.
A wise choice if, in fact, the unhappy Hillary supporters, especially the women who are still so miffed about her loss, will grasp at the straw of McCain’s new female running mate as a reasonable consolation prize.
A nice move, but Obama still did what he had to do, look confident and presidential, in his speech last night. This is going to be one hell of a race with two honorable candidates, slinging mud right up until election day. While I watched the Democratic convention in between innings of the Phillies loss to the Cubs, I couldn’t help but look for Martin Sheen lurking around. Whenever I watch the real political action, I’m reminded at how noble and tidy it all seemed on The West Wing. This really does feel like the West Wing story arc featuring Alan Alda and Jimmy Smits as the presidential candidates.

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The Budweiser Clydesdales (pictured here last year at their stop in Somers Point) will return to Gregory's on Monday, Sept 8. The horses are set to arrive around 2:30pm. There will be a parade at 4pm. Gregory's celebrates its 100th year this year. Here is a little history about the legendary Somers Point bar and restaurant.

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From left to right, Jeff Snyder, Margate Mayor Michael Becker, Steve Goldberg Linda Novelli and Joe Ventresca.
ReMax Platinum Properties celebrated its Grand Opening in style on Wednesday, August 27, as a large crowd gathered at the 2,000 square foot state-of-art office building at 7815 Atlantic Avenue in Margate.
Broker-owner Linda Novelli and her 25 agents welcomed the ReMax of New Jersey ownership team of Jeff Snyder, Steve Goldberg and Joe Ventresca, all of whom joined Margate Mayor Michael Becker in the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
ReMax Platinum would like send out a special thanks to sponsors J.P. Morgan, Chase Bank, Foundation Title Company, Countrywide Mortgage, Tilt-In Windows and North American Title Company. The event was catered by the Red Room Café of Ventnor and deserts were presented by Chef Vola.
ReMax Platinum Properties now has three locations with a second Margate office at 7828 Ventnor Avenue and a Ventnor office at 5321 Atlantic Avenue.

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I drove through Ocean City for the first time in a while on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 28, and was kind of amazed to see so much fun activity taking place all over town. There were stilt walkers and animated cartoon characters entertaining children, and sidewalk sales occurring all over Asbury Avenue near the 9th Street Bridge. I thought, "Probably part of the last hurrah in O.C. that will end after Labor Day Weekend." Not so!
If you check out the city's Web site, www.ocnj.us, you'll see there's plenty of fun stuff taking place during what America's Favorite Family Resort is calling its "Second Season." There's all kinds of special events scheduled all over town in September and October. September alone includes a Street Rod Weekend (Sept. 5-7), Ocean City Pops appearances (Sept. 9, 10 and 14), Boardwalk marching bands (Sept. 20), a Corvette Show (Sept. 21) and Fall Family Fun Fest (Sept. 27-28). There's also two fund-raising events scheduled — the "Mulligans for Mutts" golf tournament to benefit the Humane Society (Sept. 13), and the Multiple Sclerosis Bike-a-Thon (Sept. 27). October has even more in store, so check out the city's Web site or call 525-9333 for more information.

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My father, Harry Hoffman, grew up on the sandlots of Atlantic City, a young boy who loved the game of baseball and was a terrific shortstop from his Little League days to his years playing for Atlantic City High School. He didn’t grow up idolizing Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig. His baseball role model was closer to home.
Carole Mattessich’s wonderful article in this week’s A.C. Weekly reminded me of what my mom told me several years ago. My dad learned baseball from Atlantic City’s great Negro League star and eventual MLB Hall of Fame player John Henry “Pop” Lloyd. Pop Lloyd loved the game, and so when a little white boy hung out and watched him playing for the semi-pro Johnson Stars in the 1930s, he took that small boy under his wing. He taught him the game. He taught him to play hard and play smart, how pitchers worked hitters and how hitters could work them right back. Lloyd taught him how to keep score, and so that’s what my pop did. When the Johnson Stars played, he kept score in the dugout, sitting next to Pop Lloyd.

My father’s baseball days ended with a bad knee injury and World War II. However, he used his love of the game in his work. He went on to become a popular sportswriter at the Atlantic City Press for 28 years. I didn’t know about Pop Lloyd until my teenage years, but I always called my father Pop. At the time, I didn’t know why he got such a kick out of that. My father and my mother, an athlete herself, taught me a love of the game. They also taught me that all people should be treated with respect, no matter what the color of their skin. Pop Lloyd taught him that, too.
My father died of a heart attack in Chicago in September of 1980, while covering the Phillies during the pennant race that would eventually culminate in the team’s only World Series win. My father was only 56 when he died. I turn 55 this week.
In some small measure, my love of the game was passed down from Pop Lloyd to my pop to me.

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According to the latest news, Anthony Rodio has resigned as president of the Atlantic City Hilton.

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Front-running Phillies fans are sure having a good time now. I went to a great game Monday, but for incredible drama and payback, it didn't come close to last night's epic conflict with the Mets. When the Phillies fell behind 7-0, I checked out the Democratic Convention (nice speech Hillary) and went to the store to get milk. On the way back, I heard the first rumblings of a comeback as the Phils hit a couple of two-run blasts, one by Jimmy Rollins (who has come off life support in a big way the last two days, raising his batting average 12 points!!), and one by league leader Ryan Howard, his 35th homer. It was 7-5; Jimmy made it 7-6 with another RBI a few innings later. Then came the ninth. Two quick outs and Jayson Werth gets another key hit. Our last chance was Eric Bruntlett, hitting a lusty .214. Naturally he hits a run-scoring double. It must have been because I was wearing my rally cap. Then all Chris Coste (pictured) does is enter the game in the eighth inning and go 4 for 4, including the game winning hit in the 13th that brought in the Flying Hawaiian. who tripled to start the final rally. By the way, catcher Carlos Ruiz was playing third base once Coste entered the game. Jimmy, it really is more fun when the team you are rooting for is in first place.

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Elite painter Bill Lopa will be at Borgata’s WHIM Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 30-31, from 2-5pm and 7-10pm; and Monday, Sept. 1, from 10am-1pm and 3-6pm, painting to music for six hours each day. Lopa will offer 20 to 25 pieces of his work for sale with autograph and photo opportunities, including his Eli Manning Celebration, Joe DiMaggio, Seattle Slew (signed by Steve Cauthen), and a Tony Romo signed piece. If you like the artwork pictured, check out this.
An avid sports fan and die-hard Yankees fan, Bill Lopa concentrates his art in a genre he finds most challenging and enjoyable: kinetic impressionism. His use of bold colors and splatter technique captures the image and spirit of an athlete in motion. Lopa’s artwork has been featured in several galleries and Hall of Fame memorabilia franchise stores, in addition to having been collected and hung in the homes of such greats as Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Yogi Berra, Derek Jeter, and many more.

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Joe Torre must be pulling his hair out. His Dodgers out-hit the Phillies 13-10 Monday night and lost a 5-0 shutout. It was the first time in Phillies history that the team recorded a 13-hit shutout. The record for futility in baseball history is 14 hits without scoring a run. Despite the fact that the Dodgers seemed to have baserunners on every inning, as I sat in my seat along the right field line, I just felt like Brett Myers would get out of the jam. And he did, every time. The moment that probably sealed the victory was in the seventh inning when Myers struck out Jeff Kent with the bases loaded, and Manny Ramirez hit a line drive to right caught by Jayson Werth. The relief core, J.C. Romaro and Clay Condrey, decided to keep the edge-of-your-seat thing going by giving up four hits, but the Dodgers failed to ever deliver a clutch hit.
It was great to see Jimmy Rollins leading the offensive flow by knocking in the first two runs with a clutch two-out single in the second inning, and later scoring after hitting a double. My favorite play of the night was when Jayson Werth stole third as Chris Coste hit a lazy bouncer to second. Werth never stopped and caught the Dodgers napping by scoring on the play. By the way, from my right field vantage point, I noticed that Werth is a compulsive nail biter. With the team in the middle of this divisional battle with the Mets and Marlins, the tips of his fingers might be bloody stumps by the end of September. Bring on the Mets, baby!

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Head for Kennedy Plaza opposite Boardwalk Hall Wednesday morning at 9:30am to participate in an attempt to set the Monopoly world record for the “Largest Simultaneous Game of Monopoly.” As fans of the board game know, the original Monopoly game was based on Atlantic City streets (and a misspelled Marvin Gardens from Margate). The event will celebrate the launch of Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition.
Monopoly fans in Atlantic City will join players in Las Vegas, London, Tokyo, Madrid and other cities around the globe. The event takes place from 10-11am. To participate, send an email with your name and address to monopolyatlanticcity@hunterpr.com. Attendees under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to participate.
Mr. Monopoly will roll the ceremonial first die as fans play the hometown game on the Boardwalk, which is also home to the highest rent property space in the original game. Fans will also get the chance to play Monopoly on multiple digital platforms, including the Nintendo Wii™, online at Pogo.com™ and on mobile phones. The first 200 attendees will receive free t-shirts. The event is free.

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It appears that, on Wednesday night, Atlantic City City Council will "review" an ordinance that pertains to allowing certain city residents "with medical conditions" to drive modified golf carts on city streets pending approval of a permit."

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When I brought tickets for tonight’s Phillies game vs. the Dodgers, it didn’t look like such a big deal, just another game on the schedule. However, the Dodgers picked up Manny Ramirez, swept the Phillies in a 4-game series in L.A. and the Mets surged in front of the Phillies in the standings. Now, tonight’s game is huge. The Phillies have a chance to complete some nice payback on the Dodgers with a 4-game sweep of its own after last night’s exciting 5-2 Phil’s victory in the 11th inning. Welcome back Pedro Feliz. I was hoping tonight’s game would offer a sweep opportunity, ever since the Dodgers killed us with that sweep on the coast. Sometimes wishes do come true.
On top of that, a Phils victory and a Mets' loss to the Astros tonight, and the Phillies would lead the NL East by a half-game. That would give the team a little edge over the Mets who come in for a two-game series Tuesday and Wednesday.
P.S.: Enough, with the booing J-Roll. He just used a poor choice of words. Get over it, Phillie Phanatics. We need J-Roll playing well down the stretch.

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In a Star Ledger article published over the weekend, about how the slumping economy and other factors are negatively impacting Atlantic City's casinos, Deutsche Bank analyst Andrew Zarnett questions the timing of the Oct. 15 full smoking ban in the casinos. Meanwhile, Harrah's Entertainment's eastern division president Carlos Tolosa is optimistic about the future. The article quotes him as saying: "I do believe that in '09, we'll have modest growth in Atlantic City. ... I think we'll come through."

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Photos by Lew Steiner
Peter Noone (left) and Herman’s Hermits played to a packed crowd (top right) that filled Amherst and Washington avenues in front of Tomatoe's, Maynard’s, Sofia’s and host Roy Goldberg’s Junior’s Donuts and Dogs.
Roy introduced local legend Ed Hurst (bottom right), star of the Summertime at the Pier show for many years. I attended the performance 40 years ago when Ed introduced Herman’s Hermits to the audience at Steel Pier.
Noone kidded about the Hermits following the Diving Horse. Tonight they weren’t horsing around, but they played hits such as “I’m Henry the Eighth I Am,” “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter,” “What a Wonderful World,” “Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat” and many more.
Mike Pritchard of AC Weekly spoke to Roberta Cincotti, spokesperson for the event. “The festival does keep growing.” And as for why festival organizers booked 1960s phenom Noone and his band, well, it’s pretty simple. “We like them,” Cincotti said. “They put on a great show.”
The show ended with a fireworks display that was sponsored by Tomatoe’s and filled the skies over the bay. More than 30 local businesses sponsored the event. Prior to Sunday night’s event, the Gold Foundation had raised more than $2.2 million in support of 85 local charities. To find out how you can become a sponsor, call Roberta at 823-0200.

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In our region we might have all those casinos with their impressive dining options, but they also come with an impressive price that many of us can’t afford. Since this is New Jersey, the “diner capital of the world,” dining out at a diner is one of my favorite options. Diners might not serve hand-massaged Kobe beef, but they offer good comfort food, desserts “baked on the premises,” and large dinner entrees that come with two sides and a choice of soup or salad. I hate places that want you to pay $7 bucks for each ala carte veggie. We also love diners because they are often open all night, serve breakfast anytime, make great soups, and have a wide selection. Mom and I dined out last night after she visited Bodies … The Exhibition at the Taj. We settled on the Shore Diner, the huge and always busy silver monster in front of the Days Inn.

As always, it was packed, but at 6:15 we only had a ten-minute wait for a table. It took a few minutes to decide what we wanted. The Thursday chicken pop pie special was tempting, but I could not resist a broiled seafood combo ($21.95), that included scallops, shrimp, a small King crab leg, a signature crab cake and a little hunk of salmon. It was the salmon that convinced me. I don’t like white fish and normally take the piece of stuffed flounder home to my cat. Jordi wasn’t getting any of this meal. Mom also went for seafood, the broiled tilapia stuffed with crabmeat ($17.95). She ordered salad and I went for the Navy bean soup. The soup was surprisingly light for a bean soup, with a nice sweetness from the carrots. Mom, however, was unhappy with her salad. It had some rusty lettuce in the mix. Bad lettuce is like a red flag to my mom. She pushed it aide and pounded the table with the plate. Our waitress, Billie, picked up the signal, came by and Mom asked her for the Italian chicken noodle soup instead. Billie came out immediately with the soup, nice and hot as mine was.
The entrees were excellent. My two sides were a baked potato and sautéed zucchini; Mom went with the zucchini and carrots. The seafood was broiled to perfection. The crab cake was good and the scallops, although small, were tasty. The shrimp were a nice size and the salmon was also just right. Mom enjoyed her tilapia and of course there was plenty left for lunch the next day. I’m writing this with the taste of salmon and scallops on my palate. We split a piece of lemon meringue pie ($3.50) that was nice and tangy, as it should be. Mom ended her meal with some fresh decaf coffee. Good food, prompt and professional service and reasonable prices — that’s a New Jersey diner tradition that Shore Diner upholds beautifully.

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More tickets have been released for Madonna's Nov. 22 appearance at Boardwalk Hall this Nov. 22.
According to press release from Caesars Atlantic City, sponsors of the concert:
"Now, Atlantic City fans who missed out on tickets will have a new opportunity to see Madonna when she performs for one night only at the historic Boardwalk Hall.
"With the completion of the production for Madonna’s Sticky & Sweet Tour, promoters Live Nation announced today that the sight-lines are better than previously anticipated and as such a limited number of tickets at various price levels are now available at www.LiveNation.com, the Boardwalk Hall Box Office or through Ticketmaster at 1-800-736-1420."

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Well it turns out George Clooney will not make the Toronto Film Festival this year, but there are still plenty of stars and interesting movies. While star-gazing and looking for Oscar-worthy fare will be my first priority, part of the fun of doing the Festival is finding new and exciting filmmakers. Quentin Tarantino was an unknown when he brought Reservoir Dogs to Toronto in 1992. It is also fun to see movies from around the globe that will never make it to US screens.
With this week’s announcement of the complete list of films on tap, I’ve continued to compile my must-see list.

So far the list includes the Coen brothers’ Burn After Reading; Dean Spanley, an acclaimed film from New Zealand starring Peter O’Toole, Sam Neill and Bryan Brown; Rod Lurie’s latest political drama Nothing But the Truth starring Kate Beckinsale, Vera Farmiga, Alan Alda, David Swimmer, Noah Wyle and Angela Bassett. A tribute to the Big Apple by 12 filmmakers, New York, I Love You, will be screened as a work-in-progress. Rachel Getting Married is the latest film by Jonathan Demme and stars Anne Hathaway. And New Jersey's own Kevin Smith is bringing Zack and Miri Make A Porno, starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks.
These join my previously blogged must-sees: Jean-Claude Van Damme in JCVD; the Aussie flick Not Quite Hollywood, a documentary on Australian genre cinema; The Burrowers, a western with a horror flick twist; the kung fu documentary, The Real Shaolin, and LeBron James's high school basketball team examined in More Than a Game. LeBron will attend the festival straight from picking up Olympic gold in Beijing. I’m getting that Toronto Buzz fever early.

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A new story on the MSNBC Web site, picked up from Forbes Traveler site, goes "Beyond the Boardwalk." Not too much new info here, but nice national coverage of the resort's "face-lift" with an optimistic slant for the city: "And though gambling revenues have fallen across the board in recent years," the story's author Jonathan Ages writes, "it’s possible that shopping and entertainment receipts may make up the difference."

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Back in a July 21 blog, I wrote the following about the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival:

It will be interesting to see how the TIFF tops having George Clooney and Brad Pitt at the festival last year.

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The Atlantic City Surf have announced that tickets for the 2008 Can-Am League playoffs will go on sale tonight, Tuesday, Aug. 19. The winners of each half, along with the two teams with the next-best records during the entire season, qualify for the four-team playoffs. Quebec has already reached the playoffs, having won the first half. If the Capitales also win the second half, the three teams with the next-best overall records will qualify. The semifinals take place September 3-7, while the finals will take place September 9-13. Both rounds are best-of-five series.
Playoff tickets will be on sale at all remaining Surf home games, at the Bernie Robbins Stadium box office during the day, by calling the Surf office at 344-7873, or online. Admission to all games will be $10 for adults, and $7 for children (12 and under) and seniors (60 and over). Tickets purchased in advance will be held at the Will Call window at Bernie Robbins Stadium. If tickets are purchased to a game that is not played, they must be returned to the box office by September 30, and their value will be credited to tickets for the 2009 season.

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It is the final week to check out Bodies … The Exhibition at the Taj now through Friday, Aug. 22. The exhibit will be open daily from 10am–10pm.
Seen by more than eight million visitors, Bodies…The Exhibition features real, whole and partial human body specimens that have been meticulously dissected and preserved through an innovative process, giving individuals the opportunity to view the complexity of their own organs and systems like never before.
This exhibition provides an up-close look inside the skeletal, muscular, reproductive, respiratory, circulatory and other systems of the human body.
Tickets are $27 for adults, $25 for senior citizens 65 and above, $24 for groups of 15 or more, $20 for children 12 years of age and under, $14 for school groups of 15 or more. Tickets are available at the Xanadu Theater box office. For box office hours and more information call 449-6003.

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While enjoying the beach on Saturday in Ocean City, I noticed a flying political jab, mixed in with all the usual airplane banner ads for beer and nightclubs. It said:

John McCain wants to drill here. Do you?

The presidential race has added a new twist, using an airplane banner to draw the attention not only of New Jersey shore year-round residents, but of Delaware Valley vacationers who want their pristine beaches to remain pristine.
So, I asked myself, does the “environmental” Republican really want to drill off the New Jersey coast? It turns out, he does. Go here for the YouTube proof. McCain wants to end a federal moratorium on offshore drilling. He favors letting each state decide whether to allow offshore exploration for oil and gas and share royalties with the federal government if any is found.

Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez (both D-N.J.) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th Dist.) have denounced the plan, and Gov. Jon Corzine said during an appearance on CNBC, "I don't think you're going to find a governor or the citizenry believing that we ought to move to offshore drilling. There are huge economic losses at risk."
Even Lautenberg's Republican opponent, former congressman Dick Zimmer, said, "Regardless of where the drilling takes place, I'll oppose it if it poses a risk to the Jersey shore."
Our South Jersey representative, Republican Frank LoBiondo, says, "With more than 68 million acres nationwide already leased though unexplored for oil and natural gas, we should be focusing on those areas before drilling in sensitive locations such as off the Jersey Shore."
As someone who grew up on the Jersey shore, the thought of off shore drilling feels me with dread. However, other New Jerseyans say gasoline prices is the economic issue that worries them the most, and by a 64 percent to 34 percent margin, state voters support offshore oil drilling, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. New Jersey voters also support new nuclear power plants (61-32 percent) and drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuse (53-41 percent).
“New Jersey voters may like their beaches, but they also like being able to fill the tank and drive to the beaches,” said Clary Richards, the Associate Director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “If Obama is going to continue his opposition to offshore drilling, he’ll have to convince voters it won’t help bring down the price of gas.”

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Last Saturday (Aug. 16), for the fourth time in five years, Bob Dylan made a tour stop at the Borgata Casino Hotel & Spa in Atlantic City.
To a packed Event Center crowd, Dylan and his band played 16 songs, many of which the 67-year-old performer hadn't pulled out of his song bag for a while. Highlights of the concert included rarely (and beautifully) played tunes like "Visions of Johanna," "Mississippi" and a mournful "Lenny Bruce."

The banjo-driven "Ballad of Hollis Brown," with its sorrowful tale of economic gloom — ("You prayed to the Lord above / Oh please send you a friend / You prayed to the Lord above /Oh please send you a friend / Your empty pockets tell yuh /That you ain't a-got no friend") — and Dylan's surprising and poignant take on 1997's "To Make You Feel My Love" were gifts to an audience that hung on every line and whose bodies shook with every beat. Dylan was on at the Borgata — on like he is during very special performances and this was surely one. Dylan's current road band is subdued, yet it sounds great behind him. The players are masters of their instruments and are a tight-knit outfit, which allows Dylan to take his songs wherever he wants them to go.
Other Dylan Notes: A few nights before the A.C. gig, Bruce Springsteen was spotted at Dylan's show up in Asbury Park (Aug. 13).
If you visit www.bobdylan.com you can download a free and previously unreleased song ("Dreamin' of You") from Dylan's upcoming Bootleg Series Vol. 8 release Tell Tale Signs, which is due out in October. Hopefully, we'll see Dylan back in these parts next spring or summer. Also on the official Dylan site you'll find a news item about Dylan's top-notch show in Atlantic City and at the Foxwoods casino up in Connecticut the night before.

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I had weight loss surgery last October, the gastric lap-band procedure. I have lost 50 pounds, but am stalled at the moment. Looking for motivation at the excellent lap-band community Band2Together.net, I heard about a Web site call Weightview.com. For free, they will take a current picture and show you what you will look like when you weigh less. I figured, what the heck, I’ll send my picture in. I just got the e-mail back and the results of their digital technology is amazing.

The thought that I could look like the thinner picture in a few months is really making me feel good about himself and my determination to lose the weight. I was surprised at how I felt looking at a picture where you could see a space between my thighs. Damn, it really has been worth the effort. I encourage anyone looking for some additional motivation to send your picture into Weightview.

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When the Miss America Pageant first fled its Atlantic City birthplace three years ago — it seems longer doesn’t it? — Pageant fans were heartbroken. In retrospect, it was like a popular professional athlete who is suddenly cut by the team because he can’t get the job done anymore. Fans are unhappy, the player moves on, and more often than not, that player really was over-the-hill. His time had passed. The Miss America Pageant has not thrived since it left town.
A.C.’s City Council has acknowledged that it is time for the city to move on. The pageant was an important part of the resort’s image for many years. It helped extend the summer season by an extra week, and gave the town much needed national TV exposure every year. However, it is time to move on down the road, and to do just that, City Council passed a measure to change the name of the street outside the Convention Center. Miss America Way will be changed to Convention Boulevard.
Atlantic City is moving on, expanding its number of hotel rooms, including the new boutique hotels The Chelsea and The Water Club, and adding more shopping and dining options. And, despite the tough economy, several more casino-hotel projects are planned that will continue to expand the city’s “destination resort” profile.
Miss America, we loved you, but life goes on.

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While doing research for an upcoming profile of the Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville empire for AC Weekly, I came across some of the more unusual items available for sale from his business empire and had to pass them along. While writing about Buffett and finding out about his extensive business dealings, I kept thinking about that commercial for CDW with the guy on the island and his chimp companion. I imagined Buffett sitting in a grass hut, on one of his specially designed
Margaritaville lounge chairs, with a LandShark Lager in his hand and some Margaritaville Salsa and chips on a Margaritaville table as well as the salt and pepper shakers.. This is some wild stuff. I’m hoping there will be a Margaritaville gift shop when the Trump Marina is transformed into Margaritaville in the next year or so. Go here if you can't wait and want to shop in Margaritaville now.

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On Sunday, Aug. 24, the Gold Foundation will host its annual summer concert, the Margate Pop Festival 4, with a fireworks display along the Margate bayfront. The free concert will take place at 7pm at Washington Ave. and the Bay, and will include a special children’s concert by the Dream Jam Band.
The main musical attraction follows. Peter Noone and Herman’s Hermits will be playing their hits just like they did back in the '60s on Steel Pier and to top it off, they will be introduced by none other than Ed Hurst, star of the “Summertime at the Pier" show for many years. The shows will be followed by a fireworks display sponsored by Tomatoe's Restaurant. Over 30 businesses and professionals are sponsoring this event. Proceeds from the show will be distributed to various South Jersey charities. For more information about the Margate Pop Festival 4, or to find out how you can become a sponsor, please call Roberta at 823-0200.

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According to reports, a woman's dead body was found on the beach in Atlantic City earlier this morning.
UPDATE: According to reports, the body has been ID'd as Patrita D. Lee of Philadelphia.

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David Byrne is coming to the Borgata Nov. 1, touring in support of his new album with
Brian Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, due for release on this web site on Aug. 18. On the site Byrne says, “For the most part, Brian did the music and I wrote some tunes, words and sang. It's familiar but completely new as well.”
The Borgata date has not been officially announced yet, so stay tuned for ticket prices and when they go on sale. Also not announced but confirmed on k.d. lang’s web site, she will make a Halloween stop at the Borgata on Oct. 31, touring in support of her new album Watershed.
The House of Blues just announced a show featuring Death Cab For Cutie on Sunday, Oct. 5, 9pm. Tickets go on sale here on Saturday, Aug. 16.

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When you hear someone has pneumonia, you don’t expect to hear that person has died, especially when we are talking about a 50-year-old entertainer who has access to the best medical care. That’s why the death of comedian-actor Bernie Mac in Chicago on Saturday was so shocking. Bernie Mac was a fine actor and a funny man. While best known for his popular TV series The Bernie Mac Show, and his performances in the three Ocean’s Eleven movies, I thought he gave one his best performances in Guess Who. That performance opened up my eyes and made me a bigger fan of B-Mac. His other film roles include Pride, Mr. 3000 and Get On The Bus. He has two movies in the can, Old Dogs and Soul Men, the latter opposite Samuel L. Jackson. Go here for the full story.
Ironically Isaac Hayes has a bit role in Soul Men. Hayes passed away on Sunday at the age of 65. The musician, singer and actor became an instant superstar when he penned the Academy Award winning “Theme From Shaft” for the 1971 film. His acclaimed albums included 1969's Hot Buttered Soul and the double-disc, Grammy-winning Black Moses (1971). He has been credited with helping to lay the foundation for the hip-hop sound that followed thanks to his rap-like “Theme From Shaft” which won two Grammys as well as an Oscar for best song. His acting career included being the voice of The Chef on the animated series South Park. My favorite of his acting roles was in John Carpenter’s Escape From New York. Go here for a complete obit.

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If you didn’t know that Miranda Lambert was a country singer and happened into her set at the House of Blues on Thursday (Aug. 7), you might argue with the “country” label. While Lambert did slow it down a couple of times for some heartfelt country angst, for the most part she was a total rocker girrl during her sizzling set at the HOB. Of course these days with Kid Rock, Jessica Simpson and Darius Rucker on the country charts, the face of country music is changing, becoming more relevant for a younger audience.
Miranda Lambert is a Texas tootsie providing a nice shot of new blood. She wrote or co-wrote most of the songs on her current album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and performed most of them for an enthusiastic crowd at the Music Hall. Show highlights included the title track “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” to get the party started, “Famous In A Small Town,” a zippy cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Traveling Band,” the dynamic rock anthem about love gone bad, “Down,” and the love-gone-bad ballad “Desperation.” “More Like Her” was a beautiful country lament and Lambert included a couple of hits from her debut album, “Me and Charlie Talking” and “Kerosene.” The audience exploded when Lambert rocked out with her country/rock anthem about a women who won’t take being abused, “Gunpowder and Lead.”
It was a great night of country rock from a new star worthy of the acclaim. To read my interview with Lambert in AC Weekly, go here.

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