Rachael Yamagata is a Japanese-American singer-songwriter. This is a little bit misleading, however, as her family came from Japan several generations ago. And since then, in very American fashion, her family has included people of German and Italian descent. Anyway, her music is known in a rather small circle of groups, even though it has appeared in several different television shows and movies. Last October, a couple more songs by Yamagata came out on internet video sites and she released an album earlier this year. It has been well received and you should take a look at it.

After you lose your (second) husband and your children and the former career that once placed you in the realm of celebrity royalty…and you shave your head and smash cars and put on a little weight… and get photographed ad nausem and you try and make a comeback that falls flat on its face…and basically everyone is poking fun and prodding at you…you’d probably decide to make a change or two as well. That’s just what former pop superstar Britney Spears has done. With intensive exercise and studio time, she’s ready to make her legitimate comeback.

Puhlease People Magazine! It took you this long to declare Hugh Jackman as the sexiest man in the world? IT’S ABOUT TIME! This little dame right here has known this for years now. He’s already won my personal “Dream Boat Award” for three years running, my “Bodacious Bod” award for 5 years running, and my “Mr. Delicious Hunkalicious” award for 2 years running. I’m just glad that he finally gets the recognition he deserves from People Magazine.

Dancing with the Stars has repeatedly shown that it is a big favorite on American TV. Famous actors and actresses, singers and athletes, and all forms of celebrities are paired with real pro ballroom dancers in a competition to see who can learn the fastest and the best.  The audience watches them and then votes on which team is the best.  It’s great fun to watch a former politician or a large offensive lineman dancing the Viennese Waltz or other traditional dances.  But it’s also very impressive, because you can admire the pluck of these people, getting out and doing something that they aren’t as good at. Watching the show is supposed to be a lot of fun. You can get Dancing with the Stars tickets by clicking on this sentence!

The show must go on just like the Cedric must entertain. After successful appearances on “It’s Showtime at the Apollo,” “Def Comedy Jam” and “The Steve Harvey Show,” Cedric has solidified his place in hitory as one of the Kings of Comedy. But he’s not ready to stop just yet. He’s hitting the stage again with a revitalized fervor and looks to leave no funny stone unturned. Learn a little bit more about Cedric at his official website ceddybear.com.

Mamma Mia is still playing on Broadway.  People have loved this show all the time, and it’s because Abba is still very popular among many different groups of people.  Abba makes just the kind of music to bring you up when you’re down, to give you something else to think about.  Even on a dark and gloomy day, ABBA is there to cheer you up.  It’s no surprise, then, that Mamma Mia always brings in lots and lots of people for their audiences.  The musical is based on their music and chocked-full of it as well.  Of course, the movie, Mamma Mia the Movie, has brought yet more people into the fold.  Not that many people can make it to Broadway, but lots of people can make it to the movies and then they could see this musical.

Madonna is on tour, but she’s having some trouble at home.  A couple weeks ago, she and Guy Ritchie announced their divorce after 7.5 years of marriage.  The story got a little bit more complicated in the last few days, when Ritchie announced that he was turning down Madonna’s offer to settle the divorce out-of-court for $31 million.  His spokeman said “$31 million is a lot of money,but not in the entertainment world.  So now they are involved in battling out the details, and seeing whether they will have to take it to court or not.  They are also arguing about custody plans for their three children. Ritchie wants to keep them near him but she wants to move them to live with her.  Since she’s in the process of a tour, things can’t be great for her; the stress must be high.

The Phantom of the Opera US tour, as staged by the Cameron Mackintosh/Really Useful Theatre Company, Inc., has been touring for almost 16 years so far and is still playing to packed houses all over the country.  After celebrating its anniversary last December in Chicago, the producers and actors are still pleased with how well the piece is received in all parts of the country.  Of course, Phantom has been a fan favorite pretty much since the beginning of its production, not only as a touring work, but as a show on Broadway, in London and in Toronto.  The CD has sold many copies over the years as well.  73 cities have shown Phantom on their stages over the years of the US Tour, and everyone involved expects to have a long run ahead of them!  For future show dates and locations, click here.

AC/DC has begun an 18-month tour promoting their new album Black Ice.  The North American tour will begin on October 28th in Wilkes-Barre, PA, and continue until January 31, 2009.  Then the tour will move to other venues in South America, Australia, Europe and Asia.  Only some of the dates for the global shows have been announced so far.  Black Ice is the first album from the group since Stiff Upper Lip in 2000.  The tour is the first of theirs since 2001.  Opening for AC/DC during the North American shows will be the band “The Answer,” a hard rock and blues rock band from Northern Ireland.

AC/DC was formed in 1973 by Malcolm and Angus Young, brothers who brought in Larry Van Kriedt, Dave Evans and Colin Burgess. They became most famous in the late 70’s, thanks to the success of their album High Voltage.  Black Ice, the album, was released in North America on October 20th.