Bo Bice Bio Trivia
Bo Bice Bio Trivia by Roxanne McDonald
 |
He’s our southern comfort, our first (with Constantine Margoulis) Rock Idol, and one gorgeous, dignified, talented, and progressive music star. |
Accolades/Awards/Achievements
2005 – American Idol Runner Up
Won local school singing competition (at 13)
Earned a ranking of [averaged] 96.81 for talent, beauty, and sex appeal by Celebopedia users
First release, the single “Inside Your Heaven,” hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Singles charts; usurped Underwood’s #1 spot; featured “Vehicle” (on the flip side), with Richie Sambora; and went Gold in July of 2005.
Debut album, The Real Thing (featuring Sugar Money on three tracks), opened at #4 in December of 2005.
His release of The Chambers Brothers 1968 cover, “Time has Come Today,” became the Monopoly ad theme song in 2006.
Bice sings the title song for the 2007 film Blades of Glory.
Patti Smith Tribute Trivia
Patti Smith Tribute Trivia by Roxanne McDonald
 |
Those who have suffered understand suffering and therefore extend their hand. ~Patti Smith |
Patti Smith is the last person easily compartmentalized…or reduced to a list of trivia. But leaving the more expansive and exploratory pieces to those like thatof Greg Villepique of Salon.com, Steven Foehr of Shambhala Sun, and Dave Marsh at Rolling Stone, I offer highlights of the life and person–to place a special lens of interest on the ballsy, bombastic, and literary genius of a madwoman as she lived her own statement, came to know suffering as she defined it, and turned to saving others from such suffering…with the very poetic hand she suggests be extended to others suffering, now.
Accolades/Awards
Was the inspiration for SNL character, Candy Slice,” developed and performed by Gilda Radner.
First to sell out a poetry recital at CGBG’s—where Smith first played in 1975 and for which Smith would perform the closing night farewell (2006).
2005 Patti Smith presented with the Commander of the Order of the Arts and Letters by Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres—one of the highest of cultural honors in France.
2007 [March 12] Patti Smith inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She dedicated the honors to the memory of her late husband, Fred.
Ranked #15 on 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll list by Vh1.
Voted 47th Greatest Artist in Rock ‘n’ Roll by Rolling Stone.
Ozzy Trivia Part I: Accolades, Awards, and Achievements
Ozzy Trivia Part I Accolades/Awards/Achievements by Roxanne McDonald
 |
I kept hearing that metal is dead and Ozzy’s dead and people that like Ozzy are dead. I have never had an empty seat. I’ve always sold out, so who’s saying it’s all over? ~ Ozzy Osbourne |
So involved is Ozzy’s trivia that I had to split the entries, which include with this one–Ozzy Trivia Part I Accolades/Awards/Achievements—the following:
Ozzy Trivia Part II Rumors and Rumblings…
Ozzy Trivia Part III Appearances, Associations, and Inclinations
Ozzy Trivia Volume IV Actions and Arrests
Accolades/Awards/Achievements
Ozzy Trivia Volume IV: Actions and Arrests
Ozzy Trivia Volume IV Actions and Arrests (and Attributes) by Roxanne McDonald
 |
I have a saying. ‘Never judge a book by its cover’. I say that because I don’t even know who Ozzy is. I wake up a new person every day. But if you’ve got a fantasy of Ozzy, who am I to say? I mean, if you think I sleep upside-down in the rafters and fly around at night and bite people’s throats out, then that’s your thing. But I can tell you now, all I ever wanted was for people to come to my concerts and have a good time. I don’t want anyone to harm themselves in any way, shape or form-and my intentions are good whether people want to believe it or not. ~Ozzy |
So involved is Ozzy’s trivia that I had to split the entries, which include with this one– Ozzy Trivia Volume IV Actions and Arrests–the following:
Ozzy Trivia Part I Accolades/Awards/Achievements
Ozzy Trivia Part II Rumors and Rumblings…
Ozzy Trivia Part III Appearances, Associations, and Inclinations
Actions/Arrests
I can honestly say, all the bad things that ever happened to me were directly, directly attributed to drugs and alcohol. ~ Ozzy
In his early years, Ozzy set fire to barns in cornfields.
On a dare by Tommy Lee, Ozzy snorted ants through a straw.
The fifteen-year-old Ozzy did his singing debut at the Birmingham Firehouse. Only three people showed up to hear him.
1982 [January 20] – Bites head off what he presumes is a rubber bat. You know the rest.
Driving through a fence in his yard, Ozzy sank the XJ12 he used only for “special occasions.”
Crashing his ATV quad bike, Ozzy incurred a broken collarbone, six cracked ribs, and a busted neck vertebra.
Ozzy Trivia Part III: Appearances, Associations, and Inclinations
Ozzy Trivia Part III: Appearances, Associations, and Inclinations by Roxanne McDonald
 |
Last year I sang for the Queen of England, met the president of the United States, and got an Emmy and a star on The Walk of Fame. And what did I do? I was just being myself. ~Ozzy Osbourne |
So involved is Ozzy’s trivia that I had to split the entries, which include with this one–Ozzy Trivia Part III Appearances, Associations, and Inclinations–the following:
Ozzy Trivia Part I Accolades/Awards/Achievements
Ozzy Trivia Part II Rumors and Rumblings…
Ozzy Trivia Volume IV Actions and Arrests
Appearances, Associations, and Inclinations
This has all been such an amazing journey for me. I can vividly remember sitting on the step of my house in Aston, just tripping about what it would be like to be a Beatle. And then, here I am at 58, and I’m at [Elton John]’s party. All these megastars are there, Paul McCartney or whatever. And there’s me with them, standing with all these people I used to admire. It’s like I’ve been in the music industry for 30, 40 years, and it’s just been incredible really. ~ Ozzy
Ozzy formed the band with former class mate, Tony Iommi. When Ozzy “auditioned” for the role of front man, Iommi disliked his voice—but two other band members did, so Ozzy was in.
Ozzy was so poor he went barefoot to rehearsals.
To set them apart from psychedelic bands, the band went with blues cum “gloomy lyrics” style—going “darker” after bassist Geezer Butler observed the penchant movie-going folks had for being scared; after Geezer read an occult book he borrowed from Ozzy; and after Ozzy wrote the lyrics for “Black Sabbath” in response to a dream Butler had had involving “a dark figure at the end of his bed.”
Sabbath were a hippy band. We were into peace. ~Ozzy Osbourne
Black Sabbath comes from a film starring Boris Karloff called Tre volti della paura I (1963)—also known as The Three Faces of Fear; The Three Faces of Terror; Black Christmas; and/or Black Sabbath (USA).
Two suggestions speak to what was behind Ozzy’s Diary of a Madman: that it is from the Vincent Price horror film, Diary of a Madman (1963), and/or that it is from Allister Crowley’s biography.
Also speculated is that on the Diary of a Madman tour, the featured little person is the very one who played R2-D2, a.k.a. Kenny Baker.
Black Sabbath’s song “N.I.B.” comes from how Bill Ward’s beard looked like the nib of a pen.
Ozzy and former Sabbath members re-formed the band for Live Aid in 1985; again when Ozzy thought he would retire and did a “final” tour in 1992; and again for the recording of the live album, Reunion.
Ozzy was once neighbors with Pat Boone. He used Boone’s version of “Crazy Train” as the theme song for “The Osbournes”.
While Ozzy [had] three older sisters and two younger brothers, he is close with only one sibling, sister Jean.
Ozzy is father to Kelly, Jack, and Aimee, with wife Sharon; and to Jessica and Louis, by first wife Thelma Reilly.
Jessica Osbourne is a surveyor; Louis Osborne is a chef and deejay.
Aimee Osbourne, who opted not to be a part of the reality TV programming of “The Osbournes,” “once paid $18,000 for charity passes to see Hanson.”
Kelly Osbourne sold out her first concert in fifteen minutes.
At one point, Kelly was working in the same studio as Christina Aguilera: Kelly stuck “boogers” on all of Christina’s car door handles.
2002- Ozzy and Sharon were invited to the White House Correspondents’ Association annual dinner. The Prince of Darkness met with the Prince of Power, President George W. Bush, who jokingly [yeah, right] commented, “The thing about Ozzy is he’s made a lot of big hit recordings: ‘Party With the Animals,” “Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath,” “Facing Hell,” “Black Skies,” and “Bloodbath in Paradise….” Ozzy, Mom loves your stuff.’
The bat thought I was giving him the kiss of life!
I got rabies shots for biting the head off a bat but that’s OK…, the bat had to get Ozzy shots.
Sometimes I think my whole career and life has only been about a bloody Bat! ~ Ozzy
Bat abuse, dove abuse, and cat and chicken murders: when he was with his first wife, Ozzy and Thelma would trade off the task of feeding the chickens. But one night when it was his turn, he was drunk, and he was sick of Thelma’s asking him when he was going to feed the chickens, Ozzy instead went out and shot them all. As he would later also confess, once the drugs and booze took their toll, and he shot the thirty-four cats.
1982- Ozzy donated $25,000 to the SPCA.
In Switzerland, on a walk from the high-end hotel where he was staying, Ozzie came upon a starving stray dog. Tying a string about the animal’s neck and leading it back to the hotel restaurant, he insisted the staff feed the poor thing. When they resisted, he reminded them of how much he was paying to stay there. The next things out of the waiter’s mouth, after getting Ozzy’s order for himself, were, “What will the dog have?” followed by “How would the dog like his steak done?”
Ozzy (and Sabbath bandmates) support the Aston Villa Football Club, which is a mere “few-hundred yards” from where Ozzy was raised [on Lodge Road].
Ozzy Trivia Part II: Rumors and Rumblings
Ozzy Trivia Part II: Rumors and Rumblings by Roxanne McDonald
 |
Could be worse . . . I could be Sting. ~ Ozzy |
So involved is Ozzy’s trivia that I had to split the entries, which include with this one– Ozzy Trivia Part II Rumors and Rumblings…– the following:
Ozzy Trivia Part I Accolades/Awards/Achievements
Ozzy Trivia Part III Appearances, Associations, and Inclinations
Ozzy Trivia Volume IV Actions and Arrests
Rumors and Rumblings…
“Suicide Solution” considered by Ozzy to be a tribute to the late Bon Scott of AC/DC who died in 1980 of alcohol-related complications.
Bob Daisley, however, said he wrote the song to speak to Ozzy’s alcohol and drug abuse.
“Suicide Solution” was blamed for Sabbath fan John McCollum committing suicide.
Ozzie Trivia Part I: Accolades, Awards, Achievements
Ozzy Trivia Part I Accolades/Awards/Achievements by Roxanne McDonald
|
I kept hearing that metal is dead and Ozzy’s dead and people that like Ozzy are dead. I have never had an empty seat. I’ve always sold out, so who’s saying it’s all over? ~ Ozzy Osbourne |
So involved is Ozzy’s trivia that I had to split the entries, which include with this one–Ozzy Trivia Part I Accolades/Awards/Achievements—the following:
Ozzy Trivia Part II Rumors and Rumblings…
Ozzy Trivia Part III Appearances, Associations, and Inclinations
Ozzy Trivia Volume IV Actions and Arrests
Accolades/Awards/Achievements
After Ozzy left Sabbath, formed Law—was so broke he had to steal the new band’s music equipment from a warehouse
After only two gigs, Law changed their name to the Blizzard of Oz.
2000 – Grammy for “I Don’t Want to Change the World” [on Live and Loud album]: only Grammy Ozzy has ever won.
2001- Nominated for MTV Award for Best Cameo in a Movie (Little Nicky).
2002- Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Personality.
2002 [April 12] - Honored with Hollywood Walk of Fame star.
2004 - NME award for “Godlike Genius”.
2005 [November 16] Black Sabbath inducted into UK Music Hall of Fame [for outstanding contribution to British music and as integral part of British music culture].
2007 – Mojo Awards Icon Gong.
2007 [May 18] It was announced that Ozzy would be the first inductee of The Birmingham Walk of Stars, the induction ceremony to occur July 6.
2007 [May 24] Ozzie honored at the Second Annual VH1 Rock Honors. Was one of the first “shock rockers.”
Black Sabbath named on 100 Greatest Rock ‘n Roll Artists of all Time by Rolling Stone [no.85].
Black Sabbath named by DigitalDreamDoors’ 100 Greatest Guitar Riffs [no. 18, for “Paranoid” and no. 53, for “N.I.B.”; as well as no. 101 for “Sweet Leaf”, no.133 for “Sabbra Cadabra”, no.138 for “Children of the Grave”, no.145 for “Electric Funeral”, no. 149 for “Black Sabbath”, no. 158 for “Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath”, no.167 for “War Pigs”, no.173 for “Into the Void”—and Sabbath’s Tommy Iommi named no.2 on 100 Greatest Guitar Riffs Creators]
Ozzy named for 100 Greatest Guitar Riffs [no. 19, for “Crazy Train”]
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne ranked by Sunday Times Rich List as one of the UK’s richest couples [coming in at no. 458], ranking above most British rockers (including Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Queen).
Ozzy’s duet re-make of “Changes”, done with daughter Kelly, went directly to no. 1 within a week after its release.
* Every single original content album of Ozzy’s has gone platinum [30 million sold in the U.S.; 75 million sold worldwide]. Two are quadruple platinums [Blizzard of Ozz, 1980, and No More Tears, 1991], and another, Live and Loud, ranking no. 10 on the charts, has gone mani-platinum.
Black Sabbath has sold over 70 million albums.
I’ll only retire in the day I should be dead and they have me buried, and some idiot spell over my casket some stupid gospel stuff. ~Ozzy Osbourne
In 1993, Ozzy claimed touring fatigue and announced what would turn out to be a recalled retirement: by 1995, his entire discography had been remastered, he released Ozzmosis, and was back on tour doing what he called “The Retirement Sucks Tour.”
Also in the 1990s, Ozzy created Ozzfest, as managed by wife Sharon. With bragging rights to over five million metal-head attendees, Ozzfest has featured—besides a re-formed Sabbath–such hard rockers as Atreyu, Avenged Sevenfold, Danzig, Disturbed, Drowning Pool, Godsmack, HIM, Incubus, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Marilyn Manson, Megadeth, Otep, Pantera, Papa Roach, Sepultura, Slayer, Slipknot, System of a Down, and Velvet Revolver.
Has reportedly begun work on a Broadway musical about the Russian monk Grigory Rasputin.
2007 [May 22] - Released Black Rain
Performed the Black Rain song, “I Don’t Wanna Stop,” on WWE Smackdown, which became the theme song of the [Judgment] day.
Ozzy has also performed/worked with Kim Basinger [once Madonna recanted her back-up vocals for the re-mix version of “Shake Your Head (Let’s Go to Bed)”], Alice Cooper, Lita Ford, Sam Kinnison, Holly Knight, Miss Piggy, Gary Moore, Motorhead, Slash, Bill Ward, and Dweezil Zappa.
n.b. Information culled from such comprehensive sites as IMDB, MediaWiki, and ICS Ozzy Osbourne Archive/Database
(read more…)
The Prince of F—ing Darkness Forever!
The Prince of F—ing Darkness Forever! by Roxanne McDonald
 |
Bubbles! Oh come on Sharon! I’m fucking Ozzy Osbourne, I’m the Prince of fucking Darkness. Evil! Evil! What’s fucking evil about a shitload of bubbles!? Ozzy Osbourne |
One day, my son and I were arguing and he said: “Do you mind if people laugh with you, or at you?” And I said I didn’t give a shit, so long as they were laughing. But really, I was thinking, I wouldn’t like to know for a fact that they’re laughing at me. ~ Ozzy Osbourne
So what that he is often panned? Let’s think it is done out of respect:
Horatio Sanz does Ozzy on “Saturday Night Live”
Genevieve Morris does Ozzy on “Comedy, Inc.” [Australia]
“Dead Ringers” [BBC] does a whole Osbournes thing
Michael McDonald does Ozzy on “Mad TV”
And in a most bizarre of formats, Ozzy and family are parodied in The Ozzporns
One Ozzie news article response comments board features a fan (at least I think he’s a fan) jokingly, lovingly describing the Prince of Fu—ing Darkness’ coherence:
Hi OZZY, how are you today?Reply- jiowjocwfnlkcnd; fjklnclwqn mkl qk ; oeijfmncin[mmxmmljjlm, Thanks for asking. [SlapDaddy]
Yeeup. We get it. Drugs and head-banging can do some damage.
Top Ten Rock Bands
Top Ten Rock Bands by Roxanne McDonald
 |
Then I can go absolutely coo coo with my fervent list-making and do top 10 female artists, top 10 blues artists, etc., etc., etc.!
MSNBC, of course NBC one of the oldest and most legendary television networks in its own right, has determined the top ten best rock bands ever. Or, rather, reporter/contributor Eric Olsen does, conceding that the list is of course purely subjective.
I would like to see if I can come up with my own list, taking it as a challenge not to make a list but to limit myself to a short list like this.
I mean, how do I fit The Partrideg Family in there when I only have ten slots?
Heh heh. You don’t know if I’m kidding….
So. Anyway.
I like to make my own rules, just barely teetering on those fringes (or dangling from them by two fingers), so I will add my list with cheats and cut corners and all.
Top Ten Greatest Rock and Roll Artists
Top Ten Greatest Rock and Roll Artists by Roxanne McDonald
 |
Just as fitting only ten onto the list of greatest albums of all time was a daunting, restrictive task, so counting down the top ten best rock and roll stars becomes a super jam of a challenge. |
But Vh1 did it (well, the top 100 greatest list)…by polling Vh1 viewers/listeners, and Rock on the Net (affiliated) followed up that with a separate survey.
Here are the first ten of 100 of their respective lists, followed by my pitiful attempts to do my own survey for one:
Vh1 Top Ten Greatest Rock and Roll Artists, with Rock on the Net Results (voters who agree, in brackets)
1. Beatles [1]
2. Rolling Stones [9]
3. Jimi Hendrix [7]
4. Led Zeppelin [5]
5. Bob Dylan [13]
6. James Brown [46]
7. David Bowie [14]
8. Elvis Presley [3]
9. The Who [90]
10. The Police [34]
Top Ten Greatest Albums of All Time
Top Ten Greatest Albums of All Time by Roxanne McDonald
 |
A nearly impossible list to come up with: even Rolling Stone resorts to naming the top 100. |
Still, what better way to wile the time than to try to jam only ten of your most favorite albums into a limited “greatest” list?
And while I follow such criteria as lyrical appeal (being a writer who digs words as much as and usually more than the music) and personal aesthetic value, I’m thinking that I will toss in another “rule”: consider the Rolling Stones Top 10 albums givens, and not include them on my own list. (Plus, that will make it easier, will free up the slots…).
Plus, I am going to cheat a little, and double up (rather than do what I could do, and make a top 20 list, or something); and will also name “Greatest Hits” albums, while you rock purists will likely bristle at this fan faux pas…as I was turned onto certain artists by way of their compiled hits albums, and have nostalgic fondness….
Anyway.
Top Ten Greatest Albums of all Time from the Rolling Stone
Top 100 List
1. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles
2. Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys
3. Revolver, The Beatles
4. Highway 61 Revisited, Bob Dylan
5. Rubber Soul, The Beatles
6. What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye
7. Exile on Main Street, The Rolling Stones
8. London Calling, The Clash
9. Blonde on Blonde, Bob Dylan
10. The Beatles (”The White Album”), The Beatles
Say it isn’t so, Tyler!
Say it isn’t so, Tyler! by Roxanne McDonald
 |
Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler leaving the band? Tyler leaving a rumor? |
He wears Bavarian ceremonial fur-lined coats and dresses his mic stands in scarves.
He has superstitions enough that he will only enter a chauffeured car only from the passenger side (TMZ.com).
And reportedly, he has added another quirk—getting worn out by the autograph hounds and the mistreatment by fellow Aerosmiths (New York Post Online and Levine Breaking News). This is what the 58-year-old frontman’s daughter, Liv Tyler, had been telling people in her sphere.
Sabbath! Ozzy and Changes We Go Through Together
Sabbath! Ozzy and Changes We Go Through Together by Roxanne McDonald
|
One of my absolute favorite bands in my teens (the 70s) was Sabbath. When Ozzie was booted, I boycotted. In the last ten or so years, though, I have gone through changes missing that band. |
If it weren’t for the MTV’s brilliant move to televise “The Osbournes,” I would be longing even more deeply, but once again am jonesing for that unforgettable, utterly unique sound.
When Ozzy sings, it is as if we are being called to from an ancient cave (yeah, where else would the fu-king prince of darkness reign from?), the sound not hollow but resounding (without the ecoplex or the wahwah) in this enduring, haunting, wailing way….
If one could wear out an LP, I would have made several new grooves in my Volume 4 Black Sabbath album, listening so repeatedly as I did the tracks like “Changes”. About five years into life in California, after having left the album (among others) behind, I was again drawn to the old Sabbath when my boyfriend bought me that very 33 for Valentine’s Day, fascinated as he was with my fascination.
When we went to cassette tapes (or when I finally gave in and invested), I got another copy of Vol. 4., using it as power-walking accompaniment and inspiration.
Then we went to CDs. It wasn’t until after I had collected, oh, ten CDs? (most home-burned goodies from students who wanted me to remember the day I referenced Who Let the Dogs Out by whoofing simulations or the time the class did dramatic Intertextual interpretations of Waiting for Godot and used Led Zepplin and other teacher-pleasing 70s rock as theme music)—that I got my first installed CD radio in the classic car a different bf was restoring for me.
Bret Michaels Still Rocks
Bret Michaels Still Rocks by Roxanne McDonald
 |
And now he will do so on TV, with a new rocker dating show wherein he searches for a partner who can keep up, put up, and, well, shut up? |
Shut up about the rocker lifestyle, that is. Evidently, Bret Michaels (front man for Poison) has relationship problems when it comes to having a love accept the amount of time he spends on and with his first love: rock.
So the songwriter and singer with multi-platinum success that continues to this day has engaged in a search—an on-the-air, reality televised search—to find a mate who will be able to hang as a backstage VIP.
I already wrote about the upcoming “Rock of Love” to show on Vh1 starting on July 15, so here I offer the profile/bio that the contending rock lovers (Bret lovers) will be experiencing—along with jet-setting, tour bus partying, and rubbing elbows with Bret’s fellow celebs (according to StarPulse and Vh1 press releases).