A Closer Look with John Beaudin - Thanks for Lip Synching at the Oscars Beyonce – That was Awesome! Feb. 22, 2009 – Does anybody sing live anymore? I like Beyonce; she saves me money on primal scream therapy. When Etta James went all crazy-mars-bars on her a few weeks ago it almost made me take Beyonce’s side. The former Destiny’s Child member sang James’ famous signature song ‘At Last’ at President Obama’s inauguration, and after James’ crazy-train reaction Beyonce never really responded. Well, she did at the Oscar last night. In her music lip-synched number with host Hugh Jackman, Beyonce slipped in ‘At Last.” I should say she slipped in a big “F*ck You Etta James!” Did Beyonce really have to be so petty? Sure, Beyonce played the Blues Icon in a movie but she’s no Etta James. I don’t know why but, to me, Beyonce, always comes off like she’s trying too hard. She’s like an insecure cheerleader dying to show you her happy fingers. So keep investing in those Beyonce albums, who knows, maybe one day they could be worth as much as Elvis’ movie collection. She’s so overexposed she gives gators gas.
‘Slumdog Millionaire’ took away all the music categories at the Academy Awards last night. In all, the foreign film won 8 awards including ‘Best Picture.’ More
Etta James: “I can't stand Beyoncé…She going to get her ass whipped” Feb. 6, 2009 – Etta James is getting an acute attack of “Let’s Make John Beaudin’s Dreams Come True.” She’s going to kick Beyonce’s ass. That’s right James is falling on the sword for me.
After Beyonce covered her tune “At Last” at Obama's 1st Inauguration Ball on Jan. 20th Etta was fighting mad. The grand Miss James, 71, threatened Beyonce at a concert in Seattle. She told the crowd, "Your President, the one with the big ears ... he had that woman singing my song. She going to get her ass whipped."
She added, "The great Beyoncé ... I can't stand Beyoncé.” It was all recorded by Crown City Media.
Beyonce who has built a career on bringing us crappy music at breakneck speed did however have a right to sing the tune. James didn’t even write “At Last” and she certainly was not the first to record it. Glenn Miller had a hit with the tune in 1942 and then Nat King Cole had his turn in 1957. Then came Etta in 1961 and her version is known as the one that’s stood the test of time.
Interestingly, Beyonce did play James in the movie "Cadillac Records” and she didn’t threaten to kill her then. Beyonce has not made any statements yet.
Etta might sound a little too territorial on the tune but if the result is the end to Beyonce’s reign as Queen of flesh-eating R&B then we are all for it. – by John BeaudinStory courtesy of Rock History Book.comUpdate - Etta says she was just joking? ...right!
Beyonce Gets £500,000 for One Show July 3, 2008 – What would you do with £500,000? Maybe buy a dream home? Help a downtrodden charity or you could go really nuts and hire Beyonce? That’s right, for a measly £500,000 you could have Beyonce all to yourself – well kind of. The singer is set to headline the Bermuda Music Festival along with Alicia Keys and UB40 and her share is £500,000. Beyonce and Alicia Keys on the same stage, that’s a lot of cheese! Insiders say the Beyonce deal breaks down like this; she gets £250,000 for the actual appearance and another £250,000 to cover her expenses.
Rock Newman, the producer for the big Festival says, "This event will garner more worldwide attention for Bermuda than anything that has ever happened here. Folks around the world are going to say 'Bermuda has got it going on!' " The festival runs Oct. 1-4/08. - by John Beaudin
Beyonce and Jay-Z both in Worlds Most Powerful Celebrity List June 20, 2008 – Oprah, to no ones surprise was number one on the annual Forbes magazine's Celebrity top 100 list but Beyonce and Jay-Z? The singer who brought us such classic-junk as ‘Bootylicious’made the list along with new husband Jay-Z. No they didn’t win the lottery, people actually buy their music. – What duh? – by John Beaudin
Forbes magazine's 2008 Celebrity 100, top 10: 1. Oprah Winfrey
2. Tiger Woods
3. Angelina Jolie
4. Beyonce Knowles
5. David Beckham
6. Johnny Depp
7. Jay-Z
7. The Police
9. J.K. Rowling
10. Brad Pitt
Star Vocalists Beyonce and Alicia Keys Set To Perform On ParadiseIsland! June 5, 2008 - Bermuda does not only attract attention because of its mythical Triangle or its crystal clear waters and pink sand beaches. Since 13 years, the paradise island also hosts the Bermuda Music Festival, which has already received on its stage famous R&B, jazz and soul artists such as Kenny G, Seal, Lionel Richie, Earth, Wind and Fire, Al Green, Chris Botti, George Benson and many others.
The 2008 edition (October 1st through October 4th) will stick to this tradition of great performers with R&B stars Beyonce Knowles and Alicia Keys, veteran funk/R&B legend band the Whispers, Internationally acclaimed British reggae band UB40 and singer Aaron Neville. This musical weekend on the paradise island will be hosted by TV and movie star, syndicated morning radio host Steve Harvey. For more information: www.bermudamusicfestival.com. - By Akbar Nour
Aretha Slams Beyonce's Grammy Tina Tribute February 13, 2008 - Pretentious, self indulgent and cheesy are just a few words that describe Beyonce's intro to her Tina Turner tribute at the Grammy's on Sunday night.Aretha Franklin has her own words. The "Queen of Soul" was not happy with Beyonce calling Turner the queen of anything. She released this statement yesterday, "I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyoncé, however, I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy," Franklin said. "In addition to that, I thank the Grammy's and the voting academy for my 20th Grammy and love to Beyoncé anyway." Franklin who has easily earned the title of "Queen of Soul" started performing, like Turner in the 50's. Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich, noting that Beyoncé idolizes Franklin, says he was baffled. "It was an innocent remark," Ehrlich said. "It certainly wasn't meant to disparage Aretha. Aretha has been and continues to be a very important part of the music industry and transcends labels. That's why the Recording Academy gave her the honor of MusiCares Person of the Year and invited her to perform on the Grammy's." Beyonce's father/manager treated the incident in his usual "Sensitive guy" fashion. He released this statement, "I'm not even going to take this to her," he said. "Something this ridiculous, it's childish, it's unprofessional. And it's a sad day when egos get bruised because somebody used the word king, queen, prince or princess." Let's see how he reacts when Beyonce gets called the "Queen of Cheese." That's just around the corner I'm sure.- by John Beaudin
Are We Sick to Death of Beyonce? February 5, 2008 - It's hard to argue that Beyonce has not been severely overexposed. Admit it she's probably in your backyard right now pushing toothpicks to squirrels, well, brand-name toothpicks of course. Turns out music fans may have had enough of the former Destiny's Child Diva. In a recent on-line pole for the upcoming Grammys on February 10 Entertainment Weekly asked an interesting question. Which Grammys Performance Are you Most Excited About? Turns out music fans were more excited about every other choice on the list over Beyonce. Only 9% of online respondents claimed they were looking forward to yet another tune that sounds just like 'bootylicious.' Check out the list. - by John Beaudin
Entertainment Weekly Pole Which Grammys Performance Are you Most Excited About? - Carrie Underwood 29%
- Foo Fighters with a yet-to-b- named unsigned unsigned act conducted by John Paul Jones 28%
- Aretha Franklin, Mary Jo Blige and Gospel acts 19%
- Rihanna with the Time 15%
- Beyonce 9%
Review Policy - Smooth Jazz Now.com believes money
does not buy a positive review. The music world is filled
with magazines and websites that will play you, or positively review you if you buy advertising. That's
not what we are about. It's a little thing called credibility.
If you want to advertise with us, we welcome you and will
do our very best to make sure anyone who visits this site
will know your name, but we won't guarantee you a positive
review. If you work with a magazine that gives you these
guarantees remember it's your reputation that's on the
line, they've already sold theirs. - John Beaudin, President,
Smooth Jazz Now.com
Sacramento Loses Their Smooth Jazz KSSJ 94.7 March 5, 2010 – Smooth Jazz has gone dark in Sacramento. Entercom Communications, owners of Smooth Jazz KSSJ 94.7 FM pulled the plug on the station this week. More
Now 3 Chances to Win “Classic Smooth Jazz 6 Packs” February 27, 2010 – Smooth Jazz Now wants to thank you for listening. Starting Monday March 1st listen for your name andyou could win some of the biggest albums in Smooth Jazz history. More
In Conversation with U-NAM on his latest CD ‘Unanimity’ February 23, 2010 - French Smooth Jazz guitar sensation Emmanuel Abitebol, more known as U-NAM, came to fame with his widely acclaimed somophore album ‘Back from the 80’s’ released in 2007. More
Sade Is Queen Again February 23, 2010 – The new Sade album is kicking some serious butt on the charts. After a 10 year break the sultry singer is back on top of the Billboard Album Charts with “Soldier of Love.” It sold over 500 thousand in its first week of release. More
Record Numbers of Votes Registered for the 6th Annual Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards February 22, 2010 – The annual Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards ballot count ending last Friday (Feb. 19) reflects a dramatic increase in voter interest. Awards co-chair, Mary Kirk, of Wave 94.7FM says, “Thank you to the huge number of fans from all over the world who took time to send in their ballots.” More
In Conversation with Paula Atherton February 19 - 2010 - Smooth Jazz female sax players are not numerous, but there is a collection of talented performers such as Candy Dulfer, Jessy J and Paula Atherton among others. Mrs. Atherton does not only perform sax and other horn instruments, she is also a consummate singer. Read the interview
Feb. 22, 2009 – Does anybody sing live anymore? I like Beyonce; she saves me money on primal scream therapy. When Etta James went all crazy-mars-bars on her a few weeks ago it almost made me take Beyonce’s side. The former Destiny’s Child member sang James’ famous signature song ‘At Last’ at President Obama’s inauguration, and after James’ crazy-train reaction Beyonce never really responded. Well, she did at the Oscar last night. In her music lip-synched number with host Hugh Jackman, Beyonce slipped in ‘At Last.” I should say she slipped in a big “F*ck You Etta James!” Did Beyonce really have to be so petty? Sure, Beyonce played the Blues Icon in a movie but she’s no Etta James. I don’t know why but, to me, Beyonce, always comes off like she’s trying too hard. She’s like an insecure cheerleader dying to show you her happy fingers. So keep investing in those Beyonce albums, who knows, maybe one day they could be worth as much as Elvis’ movie collection. She’s so overexposed she gives gators gas.
July 3, 2008 – What would you do with £500,000? Maybe buy a dream home? Help a downtrodden charity or you could go really nuts and hire Beyonce? That’s right, for a measly £500,000 you could have Beyonce all to yourself – well kind of. The singer is set to headline the Bermuda Music Festival along with Alicia Keys and UB40 and her share is £500,000. Beyonce and Alicia Keys on the same stage, that’s a lot of cheese! Insiders say the Beyonce deal breaks down like this; she gets £250,000 for the actual appearance and another £250,000 to cover her expenses.
June 20, 2008 – Oprah, to no ones surprise was number one on the annual Forbes magazine's Celebrity top 100 list but Beyonce and Jay-Z? The singer who brought us such classic-junk as ‘Bootylicious’made the list along with new husband Jay-Z. No they didn’t win the lottery, people actually buy their music. – What duh? – by 
June 5, 2008 - Bermuda does not only attract attention because of its mythical Triangle or its crystal clear waters and pink sand beaches. Since 13 years, the paradise island also hosts the Bermuda Music Festival, which has already received on its stage famous R&B, jazz and soul artists such as Kenny G, Seal, Lionel Richie, Earth, Wind and Fire, Al Green, Chris Botti, George Benson and many others.
February 13, 2008 - Pretentious, self indulgent and cheesy are just a few words that describe Beyonce's intro to her Tina Turner tribute at the Grammy's on Sunday night.Aretha Franklin has her own words. The "Queen of Soul" was not happy with Beyonce calling Turner the queen of anything. She released this statement yesterday, "I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyoncé, however, I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy," Franklin said. "In addition to that, I thank the Grammy's and the voting academy for my 20th Grammy and love to Beyoncé anyway." Franklin who has easily earned the title of "Queen of Soul" started performing, like Turner in the 50's. Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich, noting that Beyoncé idolizes Franklin, says he was baffled. "It was an innocent remark," Ehrlich said. "It certainly wasn't meant to disparage Aretha. Aretha has been and continues to be a very important part of the music industry and transcends labels. That's why the Recording Academy gave her the honor of MusiCares Person of the Year and invited her to perform on the Grammy's." Beyonce's father/manager treated the incident in his usual "Sensitive guy" fashion. He released this statement, "I'm not even going to take this to her," he said. "Something this ridiculous, it's childish, it's unprofessional. And it's a sad day when egos get bruised because somebody used the word king, queen, prince or princess." Let's see how he reacts when Beyonce gets called the "Queen of Cheese." That's just around the corner I'm sure.- by John Beaudin
March 5, 2010 – Smooth Jazz has gone dark in Sacramento. Entercom Communications, owners of Smooth Jazz KSSJ 94.7 FM pulled the plug on the station this week. 
February 27, 2010 – Smooth Jazz Now wants to thank you for listening. Starting Monday March 1st listen for your name andyou could win some of the biggest albums in Smooth Jazz history
February 23, 2010 - French Smooth Jazz guitar sensation Emmanuel Abitebol, more known as U-NAM, came to fame with his widely acclaimed somophore album ‘Back from the 80’s’ released in 2007. 
February 23, 2010 – The new Sade album is kicking some serious butt on the charts. After a 10 year break the sultry singer is back on top of the Billboard Album Charts with “Soldier of Love.” It sold over 500 thousand in its first week of release. 
February 22, 2010 – The annual Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards ballot count ending last Friday (Feb. 19) reflects a dramatic increase in voter interest. Awards co-chair, Mary Kirk, of Wave 94.7FM says, “Thank you to the huge number of fans from all over the world who took time to send in their ballots.” 
February 19 - 2010 - Smooth Jazz female sax players are not numerous, but there is a collection of talented performers such as Candy Dulfer, Jessy J and Paula Atherton among others. Mrs. Atherton does not only perform sax and other horn instruments, she is also a consummate singer.