- Blink-182 took a long break nine years ago. There most
recent hiatus will be much shorter. Back in 2005, the pop-punk trio took nearly
four years off and pursued their own individual projects, only to reform in
late 2008. They still didn’t release any album for three years, but did return
together on stage as presenters at the 2009 Grammy Awards. Their first album in
eight years, 2011’s “Neighborhoods,” didn’t exactly set the punk world afire,
but the lukewarm response to the release hasn’t deterred a band that has been
cranking out the same sort of punk-pop sound for two decades. Now,
guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge has confirmed that Blink are working on a new album with
an Instagram post stating that the band have started rehearsals for their
upcoming live dates – which includes a headline slot at Reading And Leeds
Festivals later in August – as well as the successor to “Neighborhoods.” "Rehearsals
start today," DeLonge said in the caption to an image of old photos of the
band. "And yes there will be a new album. Sorry for the wait."
Appearances have been sparse from Blink of late, although last month the band
did announce a one-off London show in August as a warm up to the Reading and
Leeds festivals. One key difference with the new album, whenever it may drop,
is that the band split from their previous label, Interscope, in 2011. They put
out the “Dogs Eating Dogs” EP the next year, but this will be their first
full-length project since that time……..
- Corruption is never far away in China. For example, Chinese state television has posited a steady string of
corruption claims and theories by a series of government officials in recent
months and yet, the state-run broadcaster itself now faces allegations of graft
in its own ranks. At least six people at China Central Television's financial
news channel, including star anchor Rui Chenggang and two senior executives,
have been arrested in the past two months and Rui was taken away just before
going on air for a recent edition of his business news show. All of this is
part of a massive anti-corruption campaign that has reached to all levels and
multiple areas of the government, including a former deputy chairman of the
body that controls China's military and a former boss of the Cabinet agency
that oversees the biggest state-owned companies. Other state media have claimed
that CCTV took bribes for favorable coverage and while that does obliterate a
broadcaster’s integrity and credibility, it really shouldn’t surprise anyone in
a thoroughly corrupt, Communist nation. Sure, Chinese newspapers, broadcasters
and other media are owned by the state and can largely make their own editorial
decisions, but they are always bound by official censorship guidelines. Men and
women like Rui often take bribes from companies to bury news about scandals or
speak favorably about companies. Allegations of corruption within state media
have persisted for years, with bribes ranging from a few thousands of dollars
to six figures. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who took power in 2012, has
trumpeted ending corruption as one of his top priorities. At the same time, he
has imposed severe restrictions on the media and ordered outlets to undergo
training in Marxism to emphasize the ruling party's control. Rui may now be the
face of that campaign, with 10 million followers for his blog and national
prominence………
- As all of Major League Baseball pauses for a three-day
break, its top officials on both sides of the aisle are talking big about a
major issue. MLB commissioner Bud
Selig and players' association executive director Tony Clark both want their
league to eradicate the menace of smokeless tobacco and both view the recent
death of Tony Gwynn to salivary gland cancer as a potential tipping point in
the fight. Selig is not nearly as tepid at this point than Clark, even though
he is dropping heavy hints about retirement and maybe be more focused on the
early bird special at Bob Evans and his next game of shuffleboard than fixing
baseball. Clark, on the other hand, expressed hope that smokeless tobacco use
among players will diminish through greater efforts to educate them on the
health hazards. The union head said the players are willing to discuss the
issue in labor talks, but ass-hattedly insisted the use of smokeless tobacco
should remain a matter of individual choice with no blanket ban. "We
believe the numbers suggest that usage has declined significantly," Clark
said. "It's declined in the minor leagues and the major leagues. Our hope
is that we can continue to educate guys on the damage that dipping can do and
they will continue to decide not to dip and chew. We give the players the
opportunity to make the decision they're going to make against the backdrop of
it being legal. At the end of the day, we don't condone it and they know we
don't condone it." As Clark alluded to, smokeless tobacco is banned in the
minor leagues, but MLB only refuses to provide tobacco to players and bans them
from carrying tobacco cans in their uniforms or doing on-camera interviews
while chewing. Selig can continue to point to those rules and Clark can crow
about personal choice all he wants, but turning a deaf ear to the horrors that
smokeless tobacco wreaks on the game and the mouths that chew it is
indefensible for both………
- Rarely is there a lack of losers at a casino. However,
those losers are typically the dorks in polo shirts or Hawaiian shirts who came
to Las Vegas or Atlantic City with a surefire plan to beat the house and walk
away with thousands of dollars more than they came to the casino with. Over the
weekend, Harrah's Cherokee Casino
Resort in Cherokee, N.C. welcomed in a massive share of tools and fools in
pursuit of, you guessed it, a new Guinness World Record. The Guinness Book of
World Records has inspired more insipid acts of idiocy among losers who know
they have nothing of worth to add to the world but insist on trying anyhow by
gathering with other like-minded knobs to all play the opening lick of “Smoke
on the Water” or bark like a seal in unison while hopping on one foot and
eating an Oreo. The record in question at the casino was as moronic as they come,
with backwards-thinking dweebs looking to set the world record for the largest
gathering of Elvis impersonators. Being an Elvis impersonator is embarrassing
enough for anyone who knows a person, but getting together at some second-rate
casino with 895 impersonators to smash the previous mark of 645 is on another
level. Worse still, this wasn’t even a legit gathering of pathetic people who
dress up like Elvis on a regular basis. No, the casino padded the total by
giving guests free Elvis outfits to wear and while singing a chorus of
Presley's “Can't Help Falling In Love.” It was dubbed the Ultimate Elvis
Tribute Artist Contest by the casino and ironically, the only ultimate part of
the day is the ultimate and permanent shame that everyone involved with this train
wreck should feel and eventually will when the reality of what they’ve done
becomes officially certified by Guinness………
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