January 2014 News

by NewMediaWire



The Red Dress Collectionâ„  is returning and once again kicking off the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City -- this year backed by the first-ever collaboration of leaders in the fight against heart disease in women.

The American Heart Association's Go Red For Women movement and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's (NHLBI) awareness campaign, The Heart Truth -- both known for the iconic red dress that symbolizes the fight against the No. 1 killer of women -- are teaming up Feb. 6 to showcase the Go Red For Women® / The Heart Truth ® Red Dress Collection℠. This year's show will star Lindsey Vonn, AnnaSophia Robb, Colbie Caillat, Giada De Laurentiis, Gina Torres, Bella Thorne, JOAN JETT, Leona Lewis, NeNe Leakes, Rutina Wesley, Sasha Cohen and Vanna White, among others.

"It is a distinct privilege to join with The Heart Truth as co-presenter of the 2014 Red Dress Collection," said American Heart Association CEO, Nancy Brown. "The Heart Truth has played a seminal role in nationwide efforts to raise awareness of heart disease in women, and Go Red For Women is proud to work together toward our shared goal of improving women's heart health."

The Red Dress Collectionâ„  has kicked off Fashion Week since 2003, with celebrities such as Toni Braxton, Jennie Garth and Felicity Huffman taking to the runway. Zac Posen, Badgley Mischka, Nicole Miller, Tadashi Shoji and other top designers have participated over the years. This year's show is set to be equally impressive with top designers including Carolina Herrera, Nicole Miller, Carmen Marc Valvo, Mark Zunino and Austin Scarlett.

The Red Dress icon was created by The Heart Truth and has helped Go Red For Women earn international recognition through its tremendous support and high fashion association. Therefore, it is fitting that Go Red For Women and The Heart Truth are now presenting the show together.

by Jason Harris



1. Only glam-rockers and professional wrestlers can get away with wearing black leather/pleather/vinyl/whatever body suits. Jett looks as fit at 55 as she did in the '80s. Yeah, she can sing, but I bet she can also jump off the top rope and land a flying body splash.

2.New album Unvarnished, Jett's 10th with The BLACKHEARTS, was well represented. Tracks like "Make It Back" and "TMI" are very clearly part of a linear progression maintaining Jett's pop-punk sound but not relying solely on nostalgia, instead proving that three-minute rockers hook as hard now as they always have.

3.Jett, whose biggest hits were often covers, dug deep into the bin for karaoke classics. The givens--"I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Arrows), "Do You Wanna Touch Me?" (Gary Glitter) and "Crimson and Clover" (Tommy James & The Shondells)--all hit the mark. The encore concluded with a high-voltage take on Sweet's "A.C.D.C." and "Everyday People," Sly & The Family Stone's song that's so good, it's almost impossible to mess it up.

4.The hits kept coming with sing-along jam "I Hate Myself for Loving You," "Bad Reputation" "The French Song," and two welcome nods from her RUNAWAYS days, "You Drive Me Wild" and "Cherry Bomb."

5.At first I thought the Eastside Cannery an odd fit for Jett, who made her name in small clubs. But it's a locals' casino, and taking the Vegas out of it and viewing it from a neighborhood perspective, any town would have been happy with the spacious converted ballroom. Rock 'n' roll lives everywhere.

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Guitar Heroes at the BBC
from: bbc.co.uk
by BBC

BBC Four
Friday 17 Jan 2014
Saturday 18 Jan 2014

Guitar Heroes at the BBC
DURATION: 1 HOUR
Series featuring legendary guitarists treading the boards and trading licks at the BBC studios. Expect riffs, solos and histrionics from the likes of Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls, Brian May from Queen, Duane Eddy, BB King and JOAN JETT, filmed in the 1970s for shows including Top of the Pops and The Old Grey Whistle Test.

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100-Word Review: "Unvarnished"
from: daily-journal.com
by Dimitrios Kalantzis



JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS
"Unvarnished"
Label: Blackheart
Release date: Oct. 1, 2013

JOAN JETT is at her best when she sounds angry (which is most of the time), and on "Unvarnished," she turns her ire on two targets: reality TV and the extent to which social media has rendered nothing about many people's lives off-limits.

"Reality Mentality" takes aim at trash TV: "Wanna be a star? We'll just lower the bar." And on "TMI" (as in too much information), she recoils in horror about what people will post about themselves for the world to see. "Soulmates to Strangers" is a wistful look at a relationship that withered and died, while "Make It Back" starts with insecurity that ends with certainty that things are going to be all right.

I wish there were 100 JOAN JETTs, but since there's only one, anytime she makes an album it's worth a serious listen.

Rating: 4 out 5

Key Cuts: "Any Weather," "Soulmates to Strangers" and "Hard to Grow Up."

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Crimson and Clover - a blast from the past
from: YouTube.com

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JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS to Perform at Eastside Cannery Jan. 18
from: vegasnews.com
by VegasNews.com



Rock and roll 1980s band JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS will rock the stage in the Eastside Events Center at the Eastside Cannery Casino & Hotel at 5255 Boulder Hwy, Las Vegas, Nev. on Saturday, January 18, 2014 at 8:30 p.m.

Best known for their No. 1 hit record on the Billboard Hot 100 for nearly three months in 1982, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," as well as other popular songs including "I Hate Myself for Loving You," "Do You Want to Touch Me," and "Bad Reputation" In 1990, the band had a song on the Days of Thunder soundtrack, "Long Live the Night."

Jett, a feminist icon as well as an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and occasional actress, has three certified Platinum or Gold albums.

When Jett formed the BLACKHEARTS she placed an ad in the L.A. Weekly "looking for three good men and found John Doe for bass, Gary Ryan also on bass who had been crashing on Doe's couch, and guitarist Eric Ambel who was recommended by Ryan. The final addition to the original BLACKHEARTS was drummer Danny "Furious" O'Brien, formerly of the San Francisco band The Avengers. This line-up played several gigs at the Golden Bear, in Huntington Beach, California and The Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood before embarking on their first international tour.

Tickets start at $34.95 and can be purchased at www.eastsidecannery.com or by calling the Eastside Cannery box office at (702) 856-5470.

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The Best 80s Singles That Never Made the Top 40
from: huffingtonpost.com
by Xaque Gruber

As a teenager in the 1980s, I amassed a large, eclectic collection of that decade's vinyl. In going through it all, I find myself listening more often to the hits less travelled, and after some research, I discovered a surprising array of brilliant, beloved singles that failed altogether to grace Casey Kasem's countdown. So I compiled a list (in alphabetical order) of the best 80s singles that, despite their awesomeness, never made Billboard's Top 40 (and in many cases, the Hot 100)...

Anchorage (1988) - Michelle Shocked
A brittle, heartbreaking ode to friendships growing apart, this folk-pop classic (#66) written in the style of a postal letter reminds us that in the not so distant past, reconnecting with long lost friends didn't happen with a Facebook search. (no music video available)

Ashes To Ashes (1980) - David Bowie
Despite a riveting music video, and a tuneful, inventive hook, Bowie somehow missed the charts (#101) with this moody and memorable Scary Monsters jewel.

Bad Reputation (1981) - JOAN JETT
In a catalog legendary for fiery badass rock hits, this two minute and 42 second fireball showcases Jett at her punk best. Missing the Hot 100 altogether, it's proof that the charts don't know anything.



Big In Japan (1984) - Alphaville
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JOAN JETT thrills sold-out crowd with her fierce set at opening of Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park (review)
from: frontiersla.com
by Laura DeMarco, The Plain Dealer | Photo by John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer)



"It's good to be the first."

JOAN JETT wasn't talking about her groundbreaking role in the RUNAWAYS in the 1970s, a girl power act decades before the term was coined.

Nor was she talking about her role as one of the rare guitar-playing woman fronting her own rock band, the BLACKHEARTS, for the last several decades.
[more]