We Need A Little Christmas... Now

It takes the perspective of years to determine where the times of our lives ultimately rank... 2008 held much good, but of course it will go down in history as the year that I lost my beloved best friend Strele... that is indelible. There is a bright side: He has guest starred in five dreams since he left, and all have been positive experiences in which he's dead and yet comfortably conversational... we've even had discussions about how things are going. I reap comfort where I can.

Still, I am the luckiest man alive to be in love and to have the good fortune to decorate one more Christmas tree. Of course, what better background during the festivities than... "Mommy Dearest"!!

Pictured here, we have Ayhan skillfully assembling the pieces of our artificial tree, because lord knows, I am obsessively green and would never think of having downing a poor, poor live tree (kindly see * below); the Christmas scene in "MD" and myself ever-so-carefully hanging Kirby on a strong branch on the tree (Ayhan failed to find the amusement in this scenario).
(* "Green" can bite me. I was around in the '70s when "ecology" was the buzzword to "save" the environment. Just live smart, be free. I have never consumed bottled water, I replaced my light bulbs, I take public transportation. Kindly let me alone.)

What In the Name of Bejesus Is This?

The fact that Barbara Walters' recent "10 Most Fascinating People of 2008" included Tom Cruise and Will Smith is odd enough... but what in heaven's name is with this bizarre green-screen work of fiction that introduced each segment?

Is this a bat with her wings tucked? Why is her head larger than a watermelon? It's as if Ms. Walters' noggin were Chyroned atop the petite body of a 12 year old. I have... to... look.. away... now.

Note the sepia-tone, just to make Barbara feel more at home.

I Got "Milk"

What a momentous experience to see the bio of our nation's first out gay politician, Harvey Milk, so elegantly brought to life—a mainstream movie starring Hollywood A-listers. I have never had more respect for Sean Penn... he nailed the man with utter precision: the mannerisms, charisma, vocal patterns and even his '70's-style physical persona.

I've waited two decades to see the life of Milk reach theaters. I discovered Oscar-winning documentary "The Times of Harvey Milk" in the late 1980s, and, uh, milked my fascination by devouring the book "The Mayor of Castro Street." He is among few in his time to carry the flag high, in fact, pinning his very life on being out, loud and proud. I saw the movie at Brooklyn's Cobble Hill Cinema, taking a nice, leisurely mile-long Sunday (cold & windy) stroll through the nabe to get there.

Milk did much to propel national civil rights, making it an awful lot easier for me to come out in 1985. Now, 20+ years later, much of his legacy is sadly lost in time, amid the greater ease of being openly gay today—thanks to the Internet and other out public figures, TV shows and movies that have helped erase the stigma of being "alone" in small towns (Lynchburg, Va., for instance). Milk is a pivotal figure in U.S. history and I am thankful for his audacity. I have never been prouder to be an out gay man.

Key Food Debacle Covered in the NY Times: CTB's Take... Unions Blow

The local Key Food on Montague Street here in Brooklyn Heights has earned some dastardly press, thanks to the allegedly abhorrent treatment of beloved manager Mamadou "Mohammed" Doucoure, who was demoted to an overnight-shift shelf stocker after he complained to management about a long-pending overtime disagreement. Mohammed turned to the United Food and Commercial Workers for help, which—surprise!—offered no meaningful assistance. The Key Food story was first covered with true journalism savvy by my buddies at the Brooklyn Heights Blog, and picked up today by the New York Times.

Here's a lesson for the nation at large: unions drain workers of wages, make millions for fat-cat honchos and debilitate American industries: hello automakers, hey airlines, hi New York Transit, howdy U.S. education, whassup Hollywood? Unionfacts.com: "Unions raise the cost of services and products that companies provide which, in turn, raises everyone's cost of living. Unions require businesses to pay employees based on seniority and not performance. The result is poorer quality and service."

My view is atypically anti-liberal, but step foot onto one international flight operated by a non-union corporation, where staff care, work hard, offer service (and food), and where bankruptcies are the exception and not the rule, and my stance is iron-clad: unions need to be stripped of their unbalanced tower of power. With the current economic climate, never has there been a better time for companies to demand reasonable pushbacks and rewrite the game book.

Stepping off the soapbox now.

(Top photo by Kelly Shimoda for The New York Times)

Countess Kristina's Annual Birthday Extravaganza

The gang was out in full force for Kristina's annual birthday celebration. Following pre-festivities at Lunasa, we headed to a beautiful new restaurant, Broadway East, on East Broadway between two streets I've never even heard of: Jefferson & Rutgers. Afterward, madness ensued at tavern Mason Dixon on Essex, where yes, K'tina rode the mechanical bull. How Urban Cowboy!

Now that's a group picture, though we're sure as hell not the Brady Bunch! From left, Matt, Cara, Christa, Bryan, Kilgour, Tina, Michael, Emmy, Chuckle, Donna, Alim and Oliver.

LUNASA December 5, 2008!

Pre-festivities for Countess Kristina's birthday extravaganza!

This Is Why They Call Me Billboard's POP Correspondent

BARRY MANILOW
The Greatest Hits of the Eighties
Producers: Barry Manilow, Clive Davis, Scott Erickson, Michael Lloyd
Release Date: Nov. 24
Arista
With a Christmas single on the AC singles chart for the second year in a row and a fifth sold-out year of live shows beginning in Las Vegas, Barry Manilow’s millennial presence continues to dazzle. Following “The Greatest Hits of the Fifties” (No. 1 debut, 2006), “Sixties” (No. 2, 2006) and “Seventies” (No. 4, 2007), “Eighties” is already off to a merry start with a No. 14 debut this week. Manilow’s gleeful duet with Reba McEntire on “Islands in the Stream” proves what a master arranger/interpreter he is, taking an overtly familiar hit and recasting it honorably. The same holds true for “Right Here Waiting” and “Have I Told You Lately.” Most surprising are “I Just Called to Say I Love You,” now a lite rhumba, and “Never Gonna Give You Up,” where Manilow busts a groove. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the world at large, but “Eighties” is one sure thing.—CT

Robert Buckley: What's Not To Love?

"On the brink of her 40th birthday, Jackie decides to take a holiday vacation, and the risk pays off in the form of a very cute younger man. Starring Heather Locklear and Robert Buckley." All right!! This fine piece of cinematography debuts on Lifetime Saturday, December 6 at 9 p.m. Yes, I love some Heather Locklear, as you can see from this entry... Here's a few more pictures of Roberrrrr... uh, Heather...

Celine's Surprisingly Sleepy "At Seventeen"

When Celine Dion discussed her love for Janis Ian's 1975 top 3 "At Seventeen" on "CBS This Morning," explaining more or less that she was an ugly duckling as a teen-ager, I figured she was going to plump up that sad, sad song with maudlin melodrama, bringing me to a near emotional collapse. Not quite. Celine's performance of the song on CBS' "Grammy Nominations Live!" show (click on headline to see video) perhaps took understated beauty too far. I found the rendition... sleepy... Mind you, her control was a wonder to behold.

I dunno, perhaps it will grow on me; I'll certainly be playing the YouTube clip dozens of times today, cause hey, new Celine is always an event. But I'm developing a slight bald spot where I continue to scratch my head. P.S. She looked stunning... and hearing her announce the album noms for the year (at right) was fun. I kind of doubt the words "Lil Wayne" have ever come out of her mouth before.

Grammy Nominations: Dumb & Dumber

WTF?!?!?! Where is Leona Lewis among the Grammy nominations for Best New Artist?!
There have always been absurd anomalies—the two most shameful that I recall are Lena Horne’s win in 1981 for Pop Female Vocalist and (dead) Ray Charles’ Album of the Year in 2004. As a NARAS voter, sadly I find that I am more often voting against artists (Fergie, anyone?) than for those that deserve the award. But this is a damn crime. iTunes announced Wednesday that Lewis' "Bleeding Love" is the No. 1-selling single of 2008. The song spent NINE weeks at No. 1 at top 40 radio this year: the longest reign at the format. Her album "Spirit" DEBUTED at No. 1. Uh, what more do we need?
Instead, we have Adele and Duffy, clearly talented, but one-hit wonders in the U.S.; Jonas Brothers, a pretty boy pop trio that will be a whisper in the wind two years from now; country act Lady Antebellum, whose CMA award for the same covered all territory for any merit this barely out-of-the-box act has earned... and the best: Jazmine Sullivan, who scored two R&B hits that flopped in their attempts to cross to the mainstream. Nice!

Meanwhile, in my favorite category, Best Pop Female Vocalist, the nods went to: Adele’s “Chasing Pavements," Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song,” “Mercy” from Duffy, “Bleeding Love” from Leona Lewis (thank God), “I Kissed a Girl” from Katy Perry and Pink’s “So What.” All fine efforts and fair nominations. Without a doubt, my vote with go to Leona, followed by Bareilles, Perry, Pink and Adele. I love the Adele song, but it wasn't a bona fide hit. That's what Grammys should reward.


For Male Pop Vocalist, there are, as usual, few contenders with merit: The "Gotcha" Award goes to Paul McCartney and James Taylor, both nominated because they shared oxygen with mere humans during the year (what: didn’t Sting pass gas in 2008? Where's his Grammy?). The others: Kid Rock, Jason Mraz and Ne-Yo… zzzzzz…. This category should just be retired. I'll go with Kid, who had a great, multi-format comeback kind of year, with hits that impacted pop, rock and country.

Record of the Year, which goes to the song itself: Adele (How did this happen? She was barely a blip commercially). Coldplay's "Viva La Vida," Paper Planes "M.I.A." "Please Read The Letter" from Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and... "Bleeding Love" from Leona!! And yet... no Best New Artist wave? You betcha.

Song of the year goes to the songwriter: Hands down, I give it to Adele’s genius “Chasing Pavements." I'm also fond of Bareilles' "Love Song" (even though it reminds me of having a molar drilled by the dentist for 40 minutes). Other nods: Estelle & Kanye West, Jason Mraz and Coldplay. That Coldplay song "Viva La Vida" is awfully good. That probably SHOULD win.

Okay, I can't take any more of this madness.

Ladies & Gentlemen: The Fabulous Deborah Cox!

A swank Manhattan evening with R&B blues and free booze, courtesy of the stunning and graciously talented (not to mention seven months pregnant) Deborah Cox. My buddy Tim Engle and I hung with the diva before her 20-minute set in a Union Square model apartment—accessible only by riding an outdoor steel mesh elevator. Fortunately, we were on the fourth floor... not the 54th. Cox's new album "The Promise," which dropped in mid-November, leads with the single "Beautiful U R."

Also present at the event was Fox 5 weather-stud Mike Woods. Boy, it's hot in heah!

See Chuck On E! December 5 & 6

It's common knowledge within my circle that Celine Dion makes my world go round (Get that? Circle... round... Jesus, I'm clever, huh?). Many years ago, before the millennium, I had the pleasure to participate in VH1's "Behind the Music" series on Celine DIon and I am thrilled that E! has finally produced a "True Hollywood Story" on my main muse, and I was fortunate to be included once again.
I received a DVD copy of the upcoming episode, scheduled to debut Friday, Dec. 5 at 9 p.m., with an encore Saturday, Dec. 6 at 8 a.m. Boy, it's nice to have several bits of commentary, but it was an unfortunate time for me to be captured on tape. I am about to burst out of my own face, egads. Here's a fun game: Every time Chuck is shown, drink as many shots as I have chins.

Okay, anyway, minus 25 pounds later here's the official descrip from E!: "Celine Dion, the petite woman with powerful pipes, is one of the most successful singers of our time. She’s a mother with a newfound business sense, but make no mistake, her family comes first. From a tiny town in rural Quebec to the toast of the town in Vegas, Celine has lived a life that can only be described as a fairytale. On this installment of 'True Hollywood Story,' we reveal the rags to riches story of Celine Dion."






























I am joined on the program by a number of much more attractive folks, whom I admire to no end, including:

(right) DAVID FOSTER, GRAMMY-WINNING PRODUCER & (below) VITO LUPRANO, SONY MUSIC CANADA, WHO HAS EXECUTIVE PRODUCED CELINE FOR MORE THAN A DECADE. Many others appear, including Celine & Rene, an author, Celine's brother Paul,

her image consultant, "A New Day"/Vegas' choreographer and the mighty (and mighty kind) DAVE PLATEL FROM FEELING/CMA MANAGEMENT (below, left). After seven Billboard cover stories on Celine and many other extraordinary experiences that have consistently proved Celine and Rene to be two of the kindest, most grounded and utterly generous A-listers I have had the pleasure of sharing company with, this goes down in history as one of my great honors as a journalist. I am truly humbled. Hope you can watch!