December 4: so who knew it?

Joseph Nebus

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Dec 5, 2009, 12:19:12 AM12/5/09

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C'mon, show of hands, who knew who Rachel McAdams's character in
the upcoming Sherlock Holmes movie had to be the moment it was mentioned
she was from New Jersey? (I didn't notice it being mentioned before
that point.)

--
Joseph Nebus
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Drew

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Dec 7, 2009, 10:57:43 PM12/7/09

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On 2009-12-05 12:19 a.m., Joseph Nebus verbated:

> C'mon, show of hands, who knew who Rachel McAdams's character in
> the upcoming Sherlock Holmes movie had to be the moment it was mentioned
> she was from New Jersey? (I didn't notice it being mentioned before
> that point.)

Nope, didn't ring a bell, although perhaps it should have, as I've watched
many Sherlock Holmes episodes (with Jeremy Brett) on my PBS station,
including "A Scandal in Bohemia." Shamefully, I haven't gotten around to
actually reading the stories; if I did, they probably would have made a
deeper imprint on my memory.

One thing that did register with me on Friday's show was Diane Birch's
performance of "Nothing But a Miracle," which was nothing short of amazing
to my ears. The Tonight Show was late in booking her, as she had already
made the rounds of the other late-night shows over the past half-year, but
no matter, as she sounded as full-voiced as ever even after months of touring.

I can't figure out why Birch hasn't made much of a dent in the Billboard
charts other than that she doesn't easily fit into a radio genre -- I'd
call her a singer-songwriter with a soul-inflected voice and a talent for
making torch songs with catchy pop hooks.

lugnut

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Dec 8, 2009, 11:24:04 AM12/8/09

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I just got around to watching this episode last night and yeah, Birch
was far and away the highlight of the show. I hadn't heard of her
before, but I was definitely digging it. I got a real "70s
singer-songwriter" kinda vibe from the song she did.

(Didn't Conan introduce her as being on tour with The Jonas Brothers,
though? I can't really imagine there being a whole lot of overlap
between their two audiences...)

-lugnut

Drew

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Dec 8, 2009, 10:08:33 PM12/8/09

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On 2009-12-08 11:24 a.m., lugnut verbated:

> I just got around to watching this episode last night and yeah, Birch
> was far and away the highlight of the show. I hadn't heard of her
> before, but I was definitely digging it. I got a real "70s
> singer-songwriter" kinda vibe from the song she did.
>
> (Didn't Conan introduce her as being on tour with The Jonas Brothers,
> though? I can't really imagine there being a whole lot of overlap
> between their two audiences...)
>

Actually just one of the brothers, Nick Jonas, and his new side project
called The Administration. It strikes me too as an odd pairing, as Birch is
not exactly big with the teenyboppers -- her songs have an adult
sensibility and a somewhat retro sound, as you pointed out. Perhaps Nick's
trying to transition to a more mature (i.e., less ear-splitting) audience.

Joseph Nebus

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Dec 9, 2009, 10:45:47 AM12/9/09

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Drew <dre...@verizonSPAMBEGONE.net> writes:

He did say Nick Jonas and The Administration. I don't know
how compatible they would be, really, but Drew's right about the 70s
singer-songwriter vibe she gives off. Birch sounds good to my ears,
but I was programmed to this sort of music before going off into the
late 60s psychedellia and tin-pan-alley ditties myself. Kids today,
who can guess what they like, or if Jonas is trying to get out of
doing what he got famous for doing.

--
Joseph Nebus
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