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Soundcheck
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Battle of the Runner-Ups
Reality TV shows like "American Idol" and "Britain's Got Talent" have produced plenty of stars – and many of them didn't become famous by winning the top prize. In this week's Soundcheck Smackdown, it's a battle of runner-up pop sensations: "Britain's" Susan Boyle vs. "Idol's" Adam Lambert. Also: the trio Whitetree brings its electroacoustic compositions to our studio.
Soundcheck Smackdown: Boyle vs. Lambert
He is a 27-year-old goth-vampire rocker who wears black nail polish and eyeliner. She is a dowdy 48-year-old Scot who says she has never been kissed. Adam Lambert and Susan Boyle overcame their unlikely personas to become the two most popular figures on television and YouTube – as products of "American Idol" and "Britain’s Got Talent," respectively. So which of them makes for the best pop hero of this recession? It’s Boyle vs. Lambert in another Soundcheck Smackdown.
Joining us are Ann Powers, chief pop music critic of the Los Angeles Times, and Tavia Nyong’o, an Assistant Professor of Performance Studies at New York University, and author of The Amalgamation Waltz: Race, Performance, and the Ruses of Memory.
Tell us: What do you think? Who's the bigger pop success story? Why?
Soundcheck blog: John Schaefer asks, "Who are these (famous) people?"
Whitetree Live
Put a prominent Italian classical pianist and composer together with a German electronica duo and the result is the trio known as Whitetree. The group brings their surprising blend of electroacoustic compositions to our studio.
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See Tori Amos Live!
Join us Tuesday, Dec. 9 at The Greene Space
Singer and pianist Tori Amos joins us to talk about reworking and reinventing seasonal carols on her new holiday album. And, she performs for a live audience in The Greene Space! Click the link for ticket info.
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