What is going to happen with the NBA for the upcoming season?  Even in the midst of an exciting MLB finale between the Cardinals and the Rangers, and even nearing the halfway point of a great NFL season, we’re still blue about the very real possibility of an NBA strike.  What is the latest news to emerge from the offices and the empty locker rooms?

Things are looking downright scary, since the latest news is that there are some very hard feelings between players and owners, and racial tension, may even have something to do with it.  The latest meeting saw Derek Fisher claim that owners were lying to players, and from there name-calling began to increase.  The Reverend Jesse Jackson is actually very concerned that the situation could get ugly, perhaps evne degenerating “into names and language that’s hard to take back.”

Bryant Gumbel recently added some fodder to the fire, by suggesting NBA commissioner David Stern was a bully when it comes to negotiating with players.  Gumbel even made a racial comment in a recent interview stating that Stern was basically behaving like a “modern plantation overseer.”

Aside from racial implications, the biggest issue is most assuredly the pay cut that is destined to happy.  The league owners (which do include mostly senior-aged white men) are talking about a pay cut of almost $300 million dollars a year.  We also know that many NBA players have expressed an interest in playing basketball overseas.  Indeed, with in-demand players, and with wealthy league owners, the likely losers in this scenario will be the fans of professional basketball.

There is a nice thought in the midst of all this heated argument, and that is that the players themselves are happy to play ball–and even to do it for free.  Recently, some teammates of Michael Beasley all showed up and played an exhibition game at an Osseo High School.  What was a simple game for charity actually became a major NBA exhibition game.  The likes of Wes Johnson, Anthony Randolph and Dorell Wright showed up.

Of course, the day was not without a few conspicuous no-shows: Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall did not show up to the event despite advertised appearances.

What is going to happen to the NBA in 2012?

It’s not quite Halloween yet, but if you’re keeping track of the latest NFL scores, then you’re seeing some scary sights, a few “ghosts” who are fading from glory, and a few monstrous defeats–and not from the teams you expect. Let’s first talk about the most gruesome scores of October 16, 2011.

How about the Green Bay Packers slaughtering the Rams? Talk about a sacrificial ram–the Packers defeated the Rams 24-3, despite some serious offense problems from the former. The Rams have since acquired Brandon Lloyd from Denver, who will hopefully be an effective pass receiver for Sam Bradford. Many journalists are stating that the Rams need a miracle if they’re going to survive this season with their dignity intact.

How about the ghastly final score of 39-10, as the Chicago Bears wasted the Vikings? Perhaps Chicago had something to prove after last week’s disastrous game with the Detroit Lions, because they displayed some solid, if unorthodox, plays. Meanwhile, last year’s “big story” is now becoming ghostly, considering that they compiled a win/loss record of 1-5 as of mid-October.

Meanwhile, the New England Patriots strive to prove to their naysayers that they are not a ghost of a team. Many believe the franchise is over, New England is playing like a champion, thanks to great performances by players Tom Brady and Aaron Hernandez, both of whom helped the team to score a last minute touchdown for the win. And the Dallas Cowboys are starting to become translucent in terms of wins. Each and every week they test their competition, only to lose by a hair. Still, final score is what determines the season, not just strong resistance. In fact, Dallas’ future is looking bleak, just in time for Halloween, since they now have two offensive starters on the injury list: Felix Jones and Bill Nagy.

So which team has the best win and loss record this early in the season? The Patriots have only lost once, giving them an impressive 5-1 record, though the Ravens are holding their own with 4-1 for the season thus far. Both the Lions and the 49ers are also looking good, each one having only lost one game, but with five victories behind them. However, the team with the best score card this week is the Green Bay Packers who are 6-0. And while there are plenty of teams vying for the worst record of the league, it’s hard to non-compete with the Rams, who have lost five games without a single victory!

What do you think, is Green Bay destined to win Super Bowl 2012 or is it too soon to tell?

Kid Rock may appear a little rough around the edges sometimes, but don’t ever accuse this musician of not having a heart. In conjunction with his latest single release, aptly named Care, Kid Rock announced on Monday that he’ll be performing a 15-stop tour around the United States later this year. But this isn’t just your regular promotion tour. Kid Rock has set it up so that himself, as well as Detroit businessmen donate money to every city that Rock visits.

Being a Detroit native and seeing the hard times his own city has gone through over the past several years, Kid Rock knows what it’s like to live in those towns. And that’s why he’s set up the Kid Rock Foundation, the foundation that will be donating to local charities in every city stop along the tour. The tour starts on November 10 in Atlanta, Georgia and from there Kid Rock will make stops in Chicago, Denver, and New York, just to name a few.

Sales don’t go on sale until October 15.  Find out here if Kid Rock will be in a town near you, and then get your Kid Rock tickets!

Adele, and more the fans of Adele, just can’t catch a break. The singer, who has recently soared to the top of the charts and broken many records, including Eminem’s of most digital album copies sold, has just cancelled more of her tour dates. While it’s never good when a performer has to cancel shows, it’s especially disappointing in the case of Adele, mostly because these were largely shows that have already been rescheduled once.

Those shows were initially to be held during May and June of this year, but Adele had to reschedule them after she came down with a violent case of laryngitis. Adele did perform in August, but has now had to cancel the rest of her shows due to hemorrhaging in her vocal chords. Adele took to her website to tell her fans of the cancellations, and to express how deeply sorry she was.

It doesn’t sound like a serious condition, just something the singer will need plenty of rest for. And at this point, it’s probably best she take the time and come back in full gear; rather than needing to cancel even more shows after a premature return.

TicketMaster is still selling tickets to some of Adele’s shows but her reps have been pretty clear that there will be no shows in the near future. Whether or not these shows are just being scrapped altogether, or will once again be rescheduled, has not yet been announced.

Adele has also been known to put on surprise shows before — perhaps that’s the best way for the singer to make the ultimate comeback upon her return?

Even though he says that it “isn’t like the old days,” Elton John’s returning to Las Vegas and he’s bringing yet another huge show with him! What the icon actually meant when saying that when about this most recent show, was that it will be nothing like anything fans have ever seen before. And that just might be true.

When Elton John opened his “The Million Dollar Piano” show this past Wednesday night, it may have been no surprise that he arrived in Elton style, sparkling cape and all, or even that he received a standing ovation after every song. The fact that the icon had a piano on-stage with him certainly also comes at no shock, given that he is after all, usually sitting behind one. And as an interesting side note, his show that ended in Sin City in 2009 was also dubbed “The Red Piano.” So the fact that he brought one along again is to be expected. But, this piano isn’t quite like any other that fans may have seen — or even heard of — ever before.

Inside the piano is a washing machine (spin cycle and all,) a microwave, and an aquarium. While Elton does spill that the washer is located in the back of the cycle, who knows where all that other stuff is crammed in? But this piano’s beauty doesn’t only lie on the inside; the outside is full of things for crowds to look at too, including a video screen on its side.

The piano is named Blossom after Blossom Dearie, the legendary jazz singer, and it took Yamaha 4 years to create the piece. Fans can see it for themselves throughout the month of October when Elton will be playing 16 shows. After that, the show will stay in Las Vegas for the next 3 years; so there’s lots of chances to get your tickets and see Elton (and Blossom) live!

Radiohead has never been a band to hog the spotlight. They recently performed on Saturday Night Live’s season premiere, after not appearing on the show for more than ten years; and during their stay in The Big Apple, they’ll also perform at the Roseland Ballroom on Thursday and Friday later this week. All of this after performing in Glastonbury this past June. That’s already a lot of touring for a band that prefers to keep to the studio, away from the bright lights and big crowds.

But apparently all of that was just a warm-up, as Radiohead has just announced that they’re going on a full tour in 2012. And for fans who sometimes have to wait a decade or more to see this rock band, that’s news to get excited about!

All of the recent performances, along with the upcoming tour, are in effort to promote the band’s eighth studio album, The King of Limbs. And, it was the show in Glastonbury that Philip Selway, the band’s drummer, said “reignited [the band’s] passion for performing live.” Perhaps that means that there will be plenty of stops on what’s hopefully a world tour? No one knows just yet, as official dates and stops have not yet been announced. The band’s lead singer, Thom Yorke, did spill on the fact that Clive Deamer from the band Portishead would be coming along on the tour with them, after performing on stage with them in Glastonbury.  No one wants to ruin the magic, after all.

In addition to all of this, Radiohead fans have even more to look forward to in the coming months. Yorke is also currently working on an album with Flea, bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and that album is due to be released shortly.

You can’t deny it; Radiohead may be a band that makes their fans wait. But when they do come up with something, it’s always been well worth it!

Update:

Just minutes after tickets went on sale Monday morning for Radiohead’s newest tour, fans started having problems purchasing those tickets through TicketMaster. Tickets would appear in their shopping cart one minute and when they tried to check out the next, the tickets disappeared, with a message saying that the tickets were no longer available. What was going on?

TicketMaster says it’s a problem with the paper system and their paperless system, banned in New York, would fix the problem. The Fan Freedom Project, a non-profit organization working in the interest of consumers, says it’s a problem with bands and promoters not being honest about how many tickets they actually have on sale, and when those tickets go on sale. That turned out to be the more likely reason of the two, as later in the afternoon the ticket purchasing problem turned out to be resolved, indicating that the promoters and band had simply released more Radiohead tickets.

The Winnie the Pooh legacy was acquired by Disney in 1961, several years after the death of Stephen Slesinger, who bought the rights to the story in 1930 from the original creator A. A. Milne.  Since then, Disney has been handling all productions involving Winnie the Pooh and his friends, including films, direct-to-video productions and merchandising.

Contrary to what you’ve heard though, Winnie the Pooh is not hibernating, nor is he extinct.  In fact Winnie the Pooh was last seen in the summer of 2011 in theaters around the country.  The 2011 film was based on the original writings of A. A. Milne and produced by Pixar powerhouse John Lasseter.  All this plus John Cleese’s narration and a new rendition of the famous theme song sung by Zooey Deschanel, of all people.

However, Winnie the Pooh is not just a superstar of the small screen or the big screen–he is also a Broadway sensation!  Winnie the Pooh has been involved in theater almost since his creation, the first production produced by Sue Hastings Marionettes in 1931.  The latest production for Winnie the Pooh is by the Broadway Theatre of Pitman, and is a children’s production starring all of your famous friends like Pooh, Baby Roo, Piglet, Eeyore Owl, Rabbit and Tigger.

This production is an interactive children’s show, one that blends imagination and education.  There are many creative sets, live actors, and best of all, live music and songs.  Productions are short and last just long enough for toddler-aged children to appreciate what’s happening without becoming scared, bored or distracted.

If you grew up watching Winnie the Pooh and company, then tradition suggests you should give the same learning experiences to your own children.  Winnie the Pooh is such a peaceable and timeless story, that it has been circulated worldwide in a number of different languages.  It is also been used by numerous philosophers as a way to explain some rather complex ideas; just consider how Benjamin Hoff used the characters to explain Taoism, or how Frederick Crews used the characters to satirize philosophical analysis.

It seems as if Winnie the Pooh’s beautiful simplicity inspires children and adults alike!  Come see the event live and relive your childhood!

With the original release of her video “You & I,” Lady Gaga proved that she can not only be many people, but be them all at the same time. But a month after the original’s release, she’s focused on just one of those people — her mermaid alter-ego. Yuyi.

Let’s look back to the original….

The video for “You & I” starts off with a high-fashion Gaga walking down a countryside road. From there, it goes to Gaga in her purest form — nearly no makeup and just straight, natural hair — playing in a cornfield (in what eerily resembles a crop circle,) with her alter-ego, Joe Calderone, sitting atop of the piano and bopping away as she plays. But while it may all look like a mishmash of the various “stuff” that goes on in Gaga’s head, there is a real plot here.

When talking about the video, Gaga has said that it’s her portrayal of coming back to Nebraska for the one she loves. This explains the large-brimmed black hat and the strappy heels (which have made her ankles bleed slightly,) that we see Gaga wearing in the beginning of the video. And it also explains the love scene in a barn that we see later on in the piece, with her and her Nebraskan lover and Gaga appearing as Yuyi.  Mishmash sure, but organized mishmash at that.

But that was all in the original and apparently, Gaga wasn’t entirely happy with it…..

Perhaps unhappy with the little time spent as a mermaid in the original, Gaga’s now released a newer and shorter version of the video, in which she’s dressed as a mermaid for the entire piece — including gills on her shoulders, neck and face. After writhing around and under a chair for about two minutes, she then is carried off to another Nebraskan shack by hunks of shirtless men. The video is actually backstage footage of the original shooting, but it is a move that hasn’t been done by many artists before. And for hopeful fans, it might be a hint that there’s more behind-the-scenes footage to come from Gaga.

R.E.M. was one of those rare bands that has the talent and the passion to not only stick around on the music scene for a very long time, but truly be a part of its core and change it for the better. Now, after 31 years, the band is “calling it a day.” With no temper tantrums and no hard feelings, the four band members are splitting up and disbanding R.E.M. And they’re doing it all for each other, for the fans, and for the band.

The band made the initial announcement on their website yesterday, stating that, “we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening.”

The band then updated the announcement later on, each giving their own personal insight to the breakup; and each expressing that there are no hard feelings. The music and concerts had simply come to an end and it had nowhere else to go. Wanting to go out on a high note, they knew it was time and wanted to do it the right way.

R.E.M. is not just a band that tours and records together. They are four men that have seen each other through multiple ups and downs in both their personal lives and throughout the course of their career. The three members that make up the band today are original members of the band; they started it together, and they will end it together. In November, the band will release a greatest hits album that will include the biggest hits of their career.

Alice Cooper will never stop, and he’s currently proven that by jet-setting around the globe on a world tour. For the past few months he’s been bringing his music to fans in New Zealand, England, Singapore, and Australia, to name just a few of the faraway places Cooper’s been. But now, the rocker who was just inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this past March, will bring his music back home to his fans in North America.

Alice Cooper will only take about a week’s break from the No More Mr. Nice Guy tour when he leaves Moscow on November 19. He’ll pick it back up in Huntington, West Virginia on November 26 and from there make a few other U.S. stops, including Atlantic City, New Jersey. Then on December 5th, Cooper will start giving Canadians a show too, with his first stop being in Kingston, Ontario. From there he’ll travel to other Canadian cities including Kitchener and Oshawa, before heading back to the States to wrap up the tour on December 14 in Orlando, Florida — with many shows in between, of course!

Alice Cooper is a rock legend that’s released 19 studio albums during a career that has spanned over four decades. Cooper’s most known for bringing big shows filled with intensity and drama and from the shows he’s already given on this tour, it’s proving to be no different. For a complete listing of concert dates, you can check them out on StubPass: Alice Cooper Tickets.