Sorry to be the turd in the New Year's punch bowl, but it looks like the end of this year is littered with famous deaths.  James Brown, the Godfather of Soul dies in his prime.  Apparently he still had booked gigs.  Ex-President Gerald Ford dies at a ripe old age of 93.

Then, in a disgusting act of revenge, Saddam Hussein is executed in Iraq.  Look, there's no sugar-coating it.  He was an evil dude, and deserved to rot in a prison cell.  But, in Iraq they wanted his blood.  I think he got off easy.

Here's to 2007 - may it be less brutal than 2006. 

Tonight I had my first social dance lesson.  Then again, maybe it wasn't.  I seem to recall dance being a part of gym class in high school.  Except back then, it wasn't being taught by people who actually knew how to dance, it was being taught by a hairy guy in Bike (the brand) athletic shorts.  I also seem to recall it being square dance lessons and not anything you might actually use in life outside of a DELIVERANCE cast reunion.

I learned the basic "Night club slow dance," "Triple beat swing," and "single beat swing."

It's actually fun.  Give it a try sometime.

On show 75 we have Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, and more:

• Buy a Festivus Pole and Festivus Wine
  
• Our favorite Christmas Songs.  John likes Little Drummer Boy, and I like The Xmas Song
  
• Listen to our exclusive interview with Fezziwig
  
• Tune 1: A Month Of Rain by Simon Fox
• We got Curried!
• Xmas stuff, and John is back at the Stained Glass thing
• More Gluten Free Pierogi stories
  
• Tune 2: Baby's First Christmas by Maria De Angelis
• Our favorite Xmas shows.  John likes The Grinch and I like Rudolph and the Happy Days Xmas Show
• The Fonz was cool, and had great power, but wielded it responsibly
  

Show 74 is mainly comprised of:

• Black 47 (74?)
  
• Tune 1: Dance Like A Monster by Jonas Grumby
• Their Myspace page
  
• Vin: 2000 Columbia Winery Syrah
• On Film: The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
• If you're feeling generous, donate to The Oasis bird sanctuary
  
• Tune 2: Tell Me Something by The Fiendz
• More Film: The Science of Sleep

Peter Boyle, perhaps best known for his role on Everybody Loves Raymond, died today.  I never really watched that show, so for me he is best remembered for playing the monster in Young Frankenstein.  John probably fondly remembers him for his role in Taxi Driver.

Syracuse, N.Y. --- December 12, 2006 --- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Syracuse jazz singer and songwriter Maria De Angelis will perform an evening of songs by 60’s legend Joni Mitchell. One night only, Saturday, January 13, 2007, De Angelis will sing and play guitar for two different sets of Joni Mitchell’s songs, at 7:00 and 9:00 p.m., at Jazz Central in downtown Syracuse.

“Joni is my earliest influence as a singer and songwriter,” says
De Angelis.  “I spent most of my musical time from age 11 through 21 singing her songs in coffehouses with my sister. Now, I’m relearning these songs more accurately, and I’ve had lots of help from friends.” Among those who will be appearing with De Angelis on January 13th are singers Karen Oberlin and Hanna Richardson, and the music critic David Yaffe, a professor of English at S.U., who is currently writing a book on Joni Mitchell.  “There will be several other surprise guests as well,” says De Angelis.

Advance sale tickets may be purchased directly from Maria at 315-446-3918. Admission will be $10 at the door, $8 in advance.  Jazz Central, the cozy, 70-seat home of the Central New York Jazz Arts Foundation, is located at 441 East Washington Street in Syracuse, near the corner of Townsend Street.

For more information, go to Maria’s website, www.mariadeangelis.com .

Show 73 is packed to the gills with:

• Silliness
• Tune 1: d. by Amanda Monaco 4
• Top 5 things you'd ask a supreme being, by Jesse
• Tune 2: The Creature Without a Head by Lenny and the Squigtones
• On Film: This Film Is Not Yet Rated
  

Show 72 contains:

• SPAM!!!!   ARRHHHHGGGGHH!!!
• Tune 1: Storytellers by Minus Vince
• A virtual plethora of films:
• Broken Flowers
• A Prairie Home Companion
• Million Dollar Baby
• Happy Feet
• Tune 2: Whatever by The Asylum Street Spankers
• On Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
  

Yes lades and gentlemen, it's finally happened.  It took a year and a half, but Adam Curry (original MTV VJ, host of The Daily Source Code podcast) finally played our promo.

Back when we first started BV, John and I crafted a show promo JUST for Adam and his show.  We stroked his ego, busted some chops, and yet it never got played.  The other day, on a whim, I asked John if Curry still plays promos, and since he hadn't listened to TDS in a while, he didn't know.

I figured it couldn't hurt, so I sent our current promo to Curry on Sunday with a very indifferent email, and I'll be damned if he didn't play it on his very next show.  I'm linking to his site despite the fact that we didn't make his show notes.

He IS one of the most popular 'Casts on the net, so this is a good thing.