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Posts Tagged ‘Bethlehem’

Mariah Carey “Merry Christmas II You” Tracklisting

Music Lovers are in for a Very Mariah Carey’s Christmas this holiday season. The second holiday-themed album from the songbird — titled Merry Christmas II You — drops Nov. 12 and we’re getting our first look at some of the potential Santa-certified hits that will make up the album. The album features production by American [...]

Bob Dylan: Fall Tour Dates; Halloween & Thanksgiving Shows

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW


Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan will begin his fall
tour tomorrow night in Ft. Lauderdale at Nova Southeastern University. The tour will travel through the South before
hitting the Midwest and finishing up in the Northeast. On Halloween night, Dylan will play in Indianapolis, IN at the
Murat Theatre. The three day run-up to Thanksgiving will find Dylan performing for three nights at Terminal 5 in
New York. Check out all the dates below.


OCT 6 Fort Lauderdale, FL Nova Southeastern University — The Arena at Don Taft University Center

OCT 7 Tampa, FL University of South Florida — Sun Dome

OCT 8 Gainesville, FL University of Florida — Stephen C. O’Connell Center

OCT 10 Orlando, FL University of Central Florida — UCF Arena

OCT 11 Tallahassee, FL Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center

OCT 13 Birmingham, AL BJCC Concert Hall

OCT 14 Charlotte, NC UNC Charlotte — Halton Arena

OCT 16 Winston-Salem, NC Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum

OCT 17 Clemson, SC Clemson University — Littlejohn Coliseum

OCT 19 Nashville, TN Nashville Municipal Auditorium

OCT 21 Saint Louis, MO Saint Louis University — Chaifetz Arena

OCT 22 Champaign, IL University of Illinois — Assembly Hall

OCT 24 Cedar Falls, IA University of Northern Iowa — McLeod Center

OCT 25 Madison, WI Overture Hall

OCT 25 Madison, WI Overture Hall — Late Show

OCT 26 East Lansing, MI Michigan State University — MSU Auditorium

OCT 28 Ann Arbor, MI University of Michigan — Hill Auditorium

OCT 29 Kalamazoo, MI Western Michigan University — Miller Auditorium

OCT 30 Chicago, IL The Riviera Theatre

OCT 31 Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre

NOV 2 Akron, OH University of Akron — EJ Thomas Performing Arts Hall

NOV 3 Highland Heights, KY Northern Kentucky University — The Bank of Kentucky Center

NOV 4 Columbus, OH Ohio State University — Schottenstein Center

NOV 6 Rochester, NY Rochester Institute of Technology — Gordon Field House

NOV 7 Pittsburgh, PA University of Pittsburgh — Petersen Events Center

NOV 9 State College, PA Penn State University — Bryce Jordan Center

NOV 10 Charlottesville, VA University of Virginia — John Paul Jones Arena

NOV 12 Bethlehem, PA Lehigh University — Stabler Arena

NOV 13 Washington, DC George Washington University — Charles E. Smith Center

NOV 14 West Long Branch, NJ Monmouth University — MAC Center

NOV 17 Binghamton, NY Binghamton University — Events Center

NOV 19 Amherst, MA University of Massachusetts Amherst — Mullins Center

NOV 20 Lowell, MA University of Massachusetts Lowell — Tsongas Center

NOV 22 New York, NY Terminal 5

NOV 23 New York, NY Terminal 5

NOV 24 New York, NY Terminal 5

NOV 26 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa Event Center

NOV 27 Mashantucket, CT MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods

Bob Dylan
Tour Dates

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Bob Dylan News
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Bob Dylan
Concert
Reviews


Listen To Mariah Carey New Christmas Song “Oh Santa”

Mariah Carey is spreading the holiday cheer early this year. The heavily-rumored expectant mom will unveil her second holiday album, Merry Christmas II You, on Nov. 2 and the highly-anticipated first single — “Oh Santa!” — hit the airwaves on Friday. Rock It or Drop It? (If YouTube player does not work, CLICK HERE…)Produced by Jermaine [...]

The Avett Brothers Live CD/DVD New Video & Tour Dates

LIVE, VOLUME 3 OUT OCTOBER 5; “HEAD FULL OF DOUBT/ROAD FULL OF PROMISE” VIDEO
PREMIERES TODAY


The Avett Brothers

American/Columbia recording artists The Avett Brothers will release Live, Volume 3 on CD and DVD on
October 5, 2010. This electric performance was recorded on August 8, 2009 at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, NC.
A special thrill for the band after seeing artists like Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Queen and Bob Dylan grace this same stage.
Live, Volume 3 will feature material culled from their decade-long career including their most recent,
critically acclaimed album I and Love and You. Live, Volume 3 showcases the amazing live
performances
that have helped The Avett Brothers build a legion of loyal fans; growing exponentially with each release,
performance and appearance. Live, Volume 3 is available for pre-
order at www.theavettbrothers.com/us/livevol3

A new video for “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise” premiered on NPR Music’s All Songs Considered blog (www.npr.org/allsongs) today. Comprised of artwork
painted by Jason Ryan Mitchum and inspired by notable modern artists such as Phillipe Halsman and William
Kentridge (who just put on a major show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York), the video displays the
importance of fine art in The Avett Brothers’ work, furthermore demonstrated by Scott Avett‘s burgeoning
art career. His own original artwork, “Julianne in Vain”, served as the cover art for The Avett Brothers’ 2009
American/Columbia release, I and Love and You.

The Avett Brothers continue to tour in support of I and Love and You with notable headlining performances
at New York’s famed Radio City Music Hall, Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre and culminating with two nights at
Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium (see below for full itinerary).

The Avett Brothers on tour:

7/17 Portland, OR Edgefield
7/18 Seattle, WA Paramount, Theatre
7/20 Spokane, WA Bing Crosby Theatre
7/22 Calgary, AB Folk Fest
7/24 Detroit, MI The Fillmore
7/25 Louisville, KY Hullabalou Music Fest.
7/31 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live (formerly Nissan Pavilion) **
8/1 Newport, RI Newport Folk Festival
8/11 Bethlehem, PA Musikfest

8/13 Cuyahoga Falls OH Blossom Music Center **
8/14 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amph**
8/15 Noblesville IN Verizon Wireless Amph**
8/19 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues
8/20 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues
8/21 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues
8/28 Quincy, WA The Gorge **

9/2 Las Vegas, NV Silverton Casino
9/3 Park City, UT Deer Valley Ski Resort
9/4 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheater
9/10 Atlanta, GA Chastain Park Amp

9/24 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
9/25 Kansas City, MO Crossroads KC
9/26 Oklahoma City, OK Bricktown Events Center
10/1 Los Angeles, CA Nokia Theatre
10/3 San Francisco, CA Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
10/8 Raleigh, NC Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion

10/13 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
10/14 Boston, MA House of Blues
10/29 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
10/30 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium

The Avett Brothers
Tour Dates

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The Avett Brothers News ::
The Avett Brothers
Concert
Reviews


Adam Lambert Tour Dates 2010 [Featuring Allison Iraheta & Orianthi]

American Idol Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert will embark on his first solo tour this June, taking the stage to headline 19 US dates alongside fellow Idol 8 rocker Allison Iraheta and guitarist Orianthi. Lambert, 28, will kick off his “Glam Nation Tour” in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania on June 4, RCA Records and 19 Entertainment [...]

Keith Urban Nicole Kidman Haitian School

Hollywood power couple (I’m being generous…) Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman are teaming up with Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis and the Artists for Peace and Justice organization to provide financial backing for a school opening in the earthquake-ravaged nation of Haiti.

In addition to education, the school will also reportedly provide basic health needs to the [...]

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Tour

LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO RETURNS TO U.S. WITH 2010 TOUR

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, “South Africa’s long-running musical treasure” (New York Times), returns to the U.S. in 2010, bringing the nine-man a cappella group’s high energy live show to over 40 cities nationwide, including two dates in New York City. The group will perform songs from their 2009 Grammy Award-winning album Ilembe, in addition to selections from their wide catalog.

“There is an honesty and integrity in their music that illuminates the best parts of humanity,” notes the Associated Press. “Using their majestic voices and nothing else,” adds the San Francisco Chronicle, “[Ladysmith Black Mambazo] produces a full orchestra of sound.”

The group marries the intricate rhythms and harmonies of their native South African musical traditions to the sounds and sentiments of Christian gospel music, garnering accolades worldwide and solidifying their identity as a cultural force. As Billboard explains, “Ladysmith is proof that music knows no boundaries.”

Over its forty-year career, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has earned three Grammy awards and received over 15 Grammy nominations, in addition to a Tony Award, and even an Oscar nomination. They’ve performed for kings, queens, presidents and popes. They accompanied Nelson Mandela when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and also recorded with Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Melissa Etheridge, Sarah McLachlan, Josh Groban, among many others.

Tour Dates:

01/31/10 Sun Hill Auditorium Ann Arbor, MI

02/03/10 Wed Highline Ballroom New York, NY

02/04/10 Thu B.B. King Blues Club New York, NY

02/05/10 Fri Colonial Theater Bethlehem, NH

02/06/10 Sat Sanders Theater Cambridge, MA

02/07/10 Sun Mahaiwe Theater Great Barrington, MA

02/10/10 Wed Western Illinois University macomb, IL

02/11/10 Thu West Side Theatre Gary, IN

02/12/10 Fri McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage Glen Ellyn, IL

02/13/10 Sat Old Town School of Folk Music Chicago, IL

02/14/10 Sun Sheldon Concert Hall St. Louis, MO

02/16/10 Tue Jesse Auditorium Columbia, MO

02/18/10 Thu Bethel College Newton, KS

02/19/10 Fri Mccain Auditorium Manhattan, KS

02/20/10 Sat Walton Arts Center Fayetteville, AR

02/23/10 Tue Finney Chapel Oberlin, OH

02/24/10 Wed Akron Civic Theater Akron, OH

02/25/10 Thu Goodnight Theater Franklin, KY

02/27/10 Sat Avalon Theatre Easton, MD

02/28/10 Sun Byham Theater Pittsburgh, PA

03/02/10 Tue Mahaffey Theater at the Progress Energy Center for the Arts St. Petersburg, FL

03/04/10 Thu Winston-Salem State University Winston-Salem, NC

03/05/10 Fri Strathmore North Bethesda, MD

03/06/10 Sat Washington PAC Olympia, WA

03/08/10 Mon Benaroya Hall Seattle, WA

03/10/10 Wed Montalvo Arts Center Saratoga, CA

03/11/10 Thu Congregation Sherith Israel San Francisco, CA

03/12/10 Fri Beckman Auditorium Pasadena, CA

03/13/10 Sat Anthology San Diego, CA

03/14/10 Sun Centennial Hall Tucson, AZ

03/16/10 Tue Newman Center for the Performing Arts Denver, CO

03/17/10 Wed Lincoln Center Performance Hall Fort Collins, CO

03/18/10 Thu Popejoy Hall | UNM Albuquerque, NM

03/19/10 Fri Avalon Theatre Grand Junction, CO

03/20/10 Sat Peerys Egyptian Theater Ogden, UT

03/23/10 Tue Emerson Center for the Arts Bozeman, MT

03/24/10 Wed University Theatre Missoula, MT

03/25/10 Thu Bing Crosby Theatre Spokane, WA

03/26/10 Fri Broadway Center for the Arts Tacoma, WA

03/27/10 Sat McIntyre Hall Mount Vernon, WA

03/28/10 Sun Ross Ragland Theater Klamath Falls, OR

03/30/10 Tue John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts Eugene, OR

Ladysmith Black Mambazo perform “Homeless” at the Nobel Peace Concert:


Crowds celebrate Christmas Eve in Bethlehem

Thousands of people have attended Christmas Eve celebrations at the birthplace of Christianity in Bethlehem. Christmas Eve began with festive marches through Manger Square by Palestinian boy and girl scouts. The celebrations took place outside the ancient Church of the Nativity, where tradition says Jesus was born.

Furthur: Massive Tour Announced

Furthur: Massive Tour Announced

FurthurPhil Lesh, Bob Weir , Jeff Chimenti (RatDog, The Dead), John Kadlecik (DSO), Jay Lane (RatDog) and Joe Russo (The Duo, Bustle In Your Hedgerow) – has announced a new set of tour dates kicking off February 5, 2010 in Miami, FL and concluding March 8 in Portland, OR. And as previously announced, the band will celebrate NYE with two shows at San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on December 30 and 31. Details below.

In other Further news, the band played a surprise mini-gig last Friday night (November 20) at the intimate 19 Broadway in Fairfax, CA. Here’s the setlist from that show:

Bob Talks About “Standing Waves,” Hey Jude, Terrapin Station, Help On The Way > Slipknot! > Franklin’s Tower

E: Good Lovin’

Setlist from: philzone.com

Further Tour Dates

Furthur :: 09.20.09 :: Oakland, CA by Weiand

12/08/09 Tue Hammerstein Ballroom New York, NY

12/09/09 Wed Hammerstein Ballroom New York, NY

12/11/09 Fri Oakdale Theatre (Formerly Chevrolet Theatre) Wallingford, CT

12/12/09 Sat Convention Hall Asbury Park, NJ

12/13/09 Sun Convention Hall Asbury Park, NJ

12/30/09 Wed Bill Graham Civic Auditorium San Francisco, CA

12/31/09 Thu Bill Graham Civic Auditorium San Francisco, CA

02/05/10 Fri Bayfront Park Amphitheatre Miami, FL

02/06/10 Sat Hard Rock Live Orlando, FL

02/08/10 Mon The Tabernacle Atlanta, GA

02/09/10 Tue Thomas Wolfe Auditorium Asheville, NC

02/10/10 Wed Bojangles’ Coliseum (Formerly Cricket Arena) Charlotte, NC

02/12/10 Fri Hampton Coliseum Hampton, VA

02/13/10 Sat Patriot Center Fairfax, VA

02/14/10 Sun Barton Hall Ithaca, NY

02/15/10 Mon Stabler Arena Bethlehem, PA

02/17/10 Wed Sheas Performing Arts Center Buffalo, NY

02/18/10 Thu Verizon Wireless Arena Manchester, NH

02/19/10 Fri Mullins Center Amherst, MA

02/20/10 Sat Utica College Utica, NY

02/22/10 Mon Bob Carpenter Center Newark, DE

02/23/10 Tue Radio City Music Hall New York, NY

02/24/10 Wed Radio City Music Hall New York, NY

02/26/10 Fri Mohegan Sun Casino Uncasville, CT

02/27/10 Sat Trump Taj Mahal Atlantic City, NJ

03/02/10 Tue Auditorium Theatre Chicago, IL

03/03/10 Wed Auditorium Theatre Chicago, IL

03/08/10 Mon Portland Memorial Coliseum Portland, OR


Fatah replaces party leadership

Fatah delegates wait for voting results in Bethlehem, 10 Aug

The Fatah faction of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has voted to overhaul its top executives in its first election in two decades, initial results show.

At a congress in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, 15 new officials were voted onto its 18-member central committee.

Among them was Marwan Barghouti, jailed for life in Israel for organising the killing of Israelis, charges he denies.

Election results for Fatah’s other ruling body, the Revolutionary Council, are expected later on Tuesday.

New faces

Less than half of the 10 members of the so-called "old guard", who were seeking re-election, managed to hold onto their seats on the central committee, Reuters news agency reported.

Can Fatah reinvent itself

Profile: Fatah movement

Fatah leaders at the congress in Bethlehem

Correspondents say Fatah is struggling to dispel its image among Palestinians of being corrupt and divided, after a stunning election loss in 2006 to rival faction Hamas.

The congress on Saturday backed Mr Abbas as the party leader, a post which he has held since the death of Fatah’s founder, Yasser Arafat, in 2004.

The 2,000 delegates also backed changes to the party’s charter, but retained the right to "resistance" by "all means".

A commitment to "two states for two people" was added, specifying that a Palestinian state should be established on the basis of 1967 borders – meaning all of the West Bank and Gaza, delegates said.


This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Fatah extends stormy conference

PA President Mahmoud Abbas in front of Yasser Arafat poster at Fatah conference

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction’s first party congress for 20 years has been extended amid rows between rival camps.

The meeting, which was originally scheduled to last three days, will go on for at least an extra day.

Participants are divided over the process for voting in new members of its powerful central committee.

Younger members want to wrest more control from older leaders seen as corrupt and ineffective.

Nabil Amr, a spokesman for the conference, told local media the second day, Wednesday, was "stormy".

Proceedings have been hindered by a row over the treatment of the votes of about 400 Gaza-based delegates who been prevented from travelling to the congress in the West Bank town of Bethlehem by Fatah’s rival faction Hamas.

Hamas controls the Gaza Strip, and refused to allow the delegates to leave unless Fatah released some 900 Hamas prisoners the Islamist movement says are being held in the West Bank.

"The Palestinians of course are committed to a peaceful solution, however, we maintain the right for armed struggle when it is necessary and as an option"

Mahmoud Abbas

Can Fatah reinvent itself

Profile: Fatah movement

One proposal is to allow the Gaza delegates to vote via telephone or email, another to allocate a specific number of seats on the committee for the Gaza wing of the faction.

The second option is controversial as it is thought likely to benefit former Gaza security head Mohammad Dahlan, a younger but divisive figure widely believed to be corrupt.

Delegates seeking to modernise Fatah have also accused the "old guard" of packing the conference with sympathisers to squeeze out younger members.

They accused those who control the Central Committee of adding hundreds of extra delegates to the original list of 1,550.

"They illegally keep adding new members. No one knows the actual numbers," Fatah member Mansuor al-Sadi told Reuters news agency, accusing the committe of "trying to hijack the congress".

A row also broke out when another delegate, Hossam Khader, who has been critical of corruption among Fatah leaders, challenged Mr Abbas to provide a detailed report about the Central Committee’s activities in the 20 years since the last conference.

Mr Abbas reportedly told him his lengthy opening speech on Tuesday should suffice and ordered him to sit down.

Charter debate

International interest in the conference has so far centred on whether Fatah will alter its charter, which calls for armed struggle to end the existence of Israel.

This dates back to Fatah’s formation in the 1950s by the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

But by backing the Oslo peace process in the early 1990s, Fatah effectively renounced violence and recognised Israel.

On Tuesday Mr Abbas said Fatah was committed to peace, but maintained armed struggle as an option.

Correspondents say that without major reform Fatah will struggle to restore its image among Palestinians, which will be particularly important if elections scheduled for January 2010 go ahead.

Nonetheless, opinion polls suggest that Fatah is currently more popular than its main rival, Hamas.

It lost Palestinian parliamentary elections to Hamas in 2006.


This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Fatah holds key party congress

Palestinians install a poster bearing a portrait of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in Bethlehem

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah faction is due to begin a congress – its first in 20 years.

A draft of the movement’s new platform proposes to push to the sidelines a call to "armed struggle" against Israel, without dropping it altogether.

Fatah is widely seen as corrupt and ineffective, the BBC’s Middle East correspondent Tim Franks says.

He says there will also be close interest in who is elected to the faction’s internal positions of power.

‘Princes of the Gulf’

Some 2,000 delegates are convening for Fatah’s three-day congress in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.

They will be discussing a new platform that seeks to rejuvenate the movement.

However, the draft document proposes to keep the option of "armed struggle" if peace talks with Israel fail.

It also says that an Israeli settlement freeze in the West Bank is a precondition for any further talks with Israel.

The congress comes as the US is hoping to broker a new round of peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Maybe more important is also the issue who the delegates elect to the internal positions of power, our correspondent says.

He adds that – in the words of one reformer – the current leaders are like princes in the Gulf.

Opinion polls still suggest that Fatah is currently more popular than its main rival – the Islamist Hamas movement which controls the Gaza Strip.

But without a strong infusion of freshness, in the long-term Palestinians say that Fatah will only decline, our correspondent says.


This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Dr. Dog Sign to Anit- Set Big Fall Tour

Dr. Dog Sign to Anit- / Set Big Fall Tour

Dr. Dog has signed to Anti- Records. Here’s a note from the band.

From www.drdogmusic.com:

Hey Everybody,


Dr. Dog

Before we head into the studio for the next few weeks we wanted to let you know that we’ve gone and signed to a new label. The record we’re making now is going to come out on Anti- Records early next year. As you might notice, this will be the first time that we’ll release a record in the U.S. that’s not on Park The Van and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank the PTV guys for all of their love and support over the years.


Park the Van was basically started to help us release
Easy Beat which was our first “proper” album. The work that that Park the Van has done to let people know about Dr. Dog has been incredible. Over the past few years PTV and Dr. Dog have come a long way together and we’ve had a lot of fun in the process. We wish the guys at PTV and all of the great bands on the label the best of luck, and we’re thankful for what has been and will surely continue to be an amazing relationship.

Thanks guys!

Dr. Dog Tour Dates


07/31/09 Fri Pickathon Roots Festival Happy Valley, OR

08/01/09 Sat Pickathon Roots Festival Happy Valley, OR

08/03/09 Mon Musikfest Bethlehem, PA

09/18/09 Fri Miller Plaza Chattanooga, TN

09/19/09 Sat Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Bristol, VA

09/20/09 Sun Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion Bristol, VA

09/28/09 Mon Orange Peel Asheville, NC

09/29/09 Tue The Loft Atlanta, GA

09/30/09 Wed Howlin’ Wolf New Orleans, LA

10/01/09 Thu Chelsea’s Baton Rouge, LA

10/02/09 Fri Zilker Park Austin, TX

10/03/09 Sat Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival San Francisco, CA

10/04/09 Sun Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival San Francisco, CA

10/05/09 Mon The Brookdale Lodge Brookdale, CA

10/06/09 Tue Henry Fonda Theatre Los Angeles, CA

10/07/09 Wed Club Congress Tucson, AZ

10/09/09 Fri Urban Lounge Salt Lake City, UT

10/10/09 Sat Belly Up Aspen, CO

10/11/09 Sun Fox Theatre Boulder, CO

10/12/09 Mon Bottleneck Lawrence, KS

10/13/09 Tue Gargoyle St. Louis, MO

10/15/09 Thu Mad Hatter Covington, KY

10/16/09 Fri Beachland Ballroom/Tavern Cleveland, OH

10/17/09 Sat Mass MoCA North Adams, MA

10/20/09 Tue The Southern Charlottesville, VA

10/21/09 Wed Cat’s Cradle Carrboro, NC

10/22/09 Thu Ottobar Baltimore, MD

10/23/09 Fri Theatre of Living Arts (TLA) Philadelphia, PA

10/24/09 Sat Theatre of Living Arts (TLA) Philadelphia, PA

For more on Dr. Dog check our exclusive feature/interview here.


Militant group issues threat over Bruno film

A Palestinian militant organisation that was ridiculed in the new Sacha Baron Cohen film has threatened to “respond in the way we find suitable” against the London-born satirist.

The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the armed wing of the Fatah movement, has condemned the film, Bruno, in which Cohen plays a gay Austrian fashionista, as “part of a conspiracy” against them. There was no comment from Cohen.

In the film, Cohen attempts to get himself kidnapped and arranges a meeting with Ayman Abu Aita, who, it is claimed, is a leader in the Martyrs Brigade, which is designated as a terrorist group in the US and European Union. While promoting the film, Cohen spoke of the clandestine meetings at shadowy locations and bodyguards required to set up the scene.

Cohen tells Abu Aita: “I want to be famous, and I want the best guys in the business to kidnap me,” before adding: “Al-Qaida are so 2001″. He then advises Abu Aita to shave off his moustache, “because your King Osama looks like a kind of dirty wizard or homeless Santa”.

According to Abu Aita and the Martyrs Brigade, Abu Aita is not a member of the organisation, although he reportedly has had links in the past. He is a political representative for the Fatah party in Bethlehem and a board member of the Holy Land Trust, a non-governmental organisation promoting Palestinian rights with a commitment to non violence. He said it took a couple of phone calls for Cohen to locate him, and that the meeting was held in a private section of a popular restaurant.

While Abu Aita is pursuing legal action, the Martyrs Brigade issued a statement, through Jerusalem-based journalist Aaron Klein, of the WorldNetDaily website, saying: “We reserve the right to respond in the way we find suitable against this man. The movie was part of a conspiracy against the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade.

“According to what we checked, there was no meeting about the real context of the film. This was a dirty use of our brother Ayman.” The statement added Abu Aita was not a member of the Brigades. “And we don’t accept that the name of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade is part of the film”.

Abu Aita has said he does not carry weapons, and the person who accompanied him to meetings with Cohen was not a bodyguard but the American manager of the Holy Land Trust.

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds


Maria Rodale: Top 10 Places I Want to Travel to Before I Die

I am going to share my list of the top 10 places I want to go to before I die (in no particular order, although I hope dying comes last).

Richard Z. Chesnoff: Saving the Islamic World’s Christians

Here’s a good question. Why do the majority of American Christians remain so oblivious to the increasingly bitter fate of their fellow Christians in the…