Miscellany but exceptionally relevant information about, or from Michael on, MB.

Thought I would start this thread for there does appear, at times, to be different relevant articles, tweets, retweets, pictures etc relating to Michael but not really fitting into an already recognized thread nor, each of them individually, being able to be grouped together where a relevant thread could be started and so decided on this "Miscellany" thread.   

I hope you agree with its relevance and that you enjoy everything that is put in as well as hoping that many will find interesting tidbits about Michael that can be included and help to make this, whilst a serious sharing of information, a FUN page to be able to visit too and, as is my intention, somewhere that everything which does not have a particular "home" can be placed, so that is all grouped together and can be easily found and located if someone wants to look at.

Here now, so that we can all focus on the main reason for this thread, is a beautiful picture of the "Theme" of the thread.......wonder if MB has ever been called that before ???? LOL. 

 

 

Believe this one definitely belongs in here for I would say sharing with us that coconut sorbet is his favourite dessert is both miscellaneous and more than extremely relevant to the "THEME" of this website and in particular, to this thread  !! LOL.

Hope everyone enjoys content and feels free to add their very own miscellany !!! :)

SPECIAL POSTS    

MICHAEL DID A QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION ON FACEBOOK ON 3RD FEBRUARY, 2015 AND THOSE QUESTIONS TO WHICH MICHAEL REPLIED CAN BE FOUND ON THIS THREAD FROM PAGE 259 TO 266.

A separate thread has been created for the Q&A Session and it can be found at  http://www.michaelbolton.com/forum/topics/michael-s-question-and-an...

 

Sylvia.   Your wee Scottish friend.

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Saw this Petra, he captioned it Tea Time!!! LOL

Robin in MD  :)

Properly Robin! I had forgotten to copy the text! Thank you very much!!!

Petra (Germany)

Don't know if any of you saw this article posted yesterday but it is correct and I'm hopefully going to get more info shortly!.  You can also check out www.welcome.us

Michael Bolton, Jared Leto, others lend names to immigration cause

  

Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Oscar winner Jared Leto is among the entertainment figures who've lent their support to a new pro-immigration non-profit, Welcome.US. Others include hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, and singer Michael Bolton.

Here’s a brainteaser: What do 90’s crooner Michael Bolton, Oscar winner Jared Leto and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti have in common?

All are honorary board members for Welcome.us, a new non-profit promoting immigrants and their stories.

The group, which launched its site today, was conceived by the same people behind FWD.us, a pro-immigration lobbying group bankrolled by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and other Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.

But while FWD.us has come under criticism for its political tactics, Welcome.us said it will not engage in lobbying efforts. Instead, it’s taking a kinder, gentler approach that will have some of the biggest names in entertainment promoting a positive message: immigrants come to the US for a better life.

“Welcome.us is a brand-new, non-political organization that is focused on helping as many Americans reconnect with and celebrate their immigrant heritage,” said executive director Tolu Olubunmi, who emigrated from Nigeria as a teen.

This latest campaign comes as time runs out for immigration reform to pass this year in Congress.

Emily Lam of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group — one of Welcome.us’s partner organizations and the trade group for companies such as Google and Yahoo —  said immigration reform has been stalled in Congress since last summer in large part because politicians from some southern and midwestern states are worried about constituent backlash.

"So if people’s attitudes change about who are immigrants and what immigration reform would do for Americans then I think that pressure will start to ease off of the legislator," Lam said.

Other honorary board members:

  • Entertainment: actor Jamie Lee Curtis; magician David Blaine; hip hop mogul Russell Simmons
  • Tech: Hosain Rahman, CEO and founder of Jawbone; Ruchi Sanghvi, vice president at Dropbox
  • Immigration advocates: Jose Antonio Vargas; Ali Noorani, head of the National Immigration Forum.

Olubunmi said the group came together organically, with many members joining after hearing about its mission by word-of-mouth.

The members' combined social media clout — Jared Leto, alone, has nearly 1.8 million followers on Twitter — could come in handy as the non-profit tries to orchestrate the launch of the first-ever Immigrant Heritage Month.

"Since everybody has a little bit of a different base, perhaps they can bring attention to it in a different realm," Lam said.

But at least one critic of comprehensive immigration reform said the campaign was overly simplistic by focusing on immigrant success stories.

“Frankly, the successful immigrant entrepreneur tells us no more about immigration policy than the immigrant welfare case or the immigrant criminal,” said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies.

Welcome.us is still getting its sea legs. Its website is populated with more photos of board members than those of the immigrants whose stories the group hopes to promote.

But expect to hear more from Welcome.us in June, when events inaugurating Immigrant Heritage Month are scheduled for Miami and Atlanta, Olubunmi said.

Interesting article Gail, thanks for sharing. Take care. Hugs, sincerely, Sylvie QC Canada :D

Thanks Gail and wish them all well in such a worthwhile venture and hope they get their voices heard because there are not many of us that are true to the nationality we go by....great majority of people on the planet can be classed as immigrants.

Sylvia.  Your wee Scottish friend.

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http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/why-its-always-a-good...

A nice interview with Michael! Please enjoy!

Petra (Germany)

Thanks for the article Petra, take care sweetie. Hugs, sincerely, Sylvie QC Canada :D

Thanks for that interview Petra for it was good.....danke !!! :)  Adore the picture with the flowing locks and beard and moustache for he did suit it and love the smile for have seen other pictures taken at same event but none with him smiling so broadly....thanks !!! :)

Sylvia.  Your wee Scottish friend.

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Thanks for the article and photos, Petra. I always laugh at that third news headline along with MB.....LOL....:) Hugs,

Kathy T. :)

Thanks Petra. I love the bearded look. I know it's an old photo, but he looks so good (as usual).

Hi everyone, found this. Nice interview! Nothing new here, but I like what he says about us, his loyal fan base! 
Mississauga News
Soul singerGrammy-winning musician Michael Bolton performs June 3 at the Living Arts Centre.Soul singerGrammy-winning musician Michael Bolton performs June 3 at the Living Arts Centre.

MISSISSAUGA — Whether you know him as a chart-topping vocalist who dazzles audiences across the globe, a philanthropist who stands up for victims of domestic violence or the guy with the mountain-top voice in the viralSaturday Night Livemusic video "Jack Sparrow," Michael Bolton is a household brand.

At 61, the Grammy-winning artist is still going as strong as ever, performing hits such asHow Am I Supposed to Live Without You andTime and Love and Tendernessat nearly 100 shows a year from here to Asia.

In 2012, Bolton published his autobiographyThe Soul of It All: My Music, My Lifewhere he shares his humble beginnings in the industry to selling millions of albums and working big names like Bob Dylan.

In the days leading up to his June 3 show at the Living Arts Centre, Bolton took the time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions forThe Mississauga Newsvia e-mail.

Q: You've sold millions of records and won several awards. What is considered a success in your musical career these days?

A: To me, the greatest gift, or perk of success, is having creative freedom. That only comes with a lot of sacrifice and an extreme work ethic and usually abiding by other people's terms at first. But once you've had success, you then get to create on your own terms and that is ultimately the most rewarding.

Q: The demographics of our world have changed dramatically, especially in Canada's big cities. Has your audience changed over the years as well?

A: I'm blessed and grateful to have a very loyal fan base that has stayed with me since the beginning. But I've also recently noticed a new generation of fans: lots of daughters who grew up hearing my music in their homes on the radio and lots of guys who are fans of the "Jack Sparrow" skit and other comedy I've been doing. It's awesome to look into the audience and see such a diverse crowd.

Q: Do you prefer performing in a more intimate setting?

A: I enjoy different settings for different reasons. If I'm performing in Asia, at a stadium filled with 40,000 people, it's exhilarating to watch and hear them all in unison singing in English to my songs. Still, I also love performing in beautiful historic theatres and opera houses, where the acoustics are much easier to control and the atmosphere is intimate and magical. The same with performing arts centres that have invested in state-of-art equipment and have made the acoustics great for everyone wherever they are seated.

Q: According to your website, you're performing quite frequently over the next couple of months. How do you stay in good health for shows?

A: The tour is almost five months long (and runs) from the States to Central America, back to the U.S. to Germany and now the U.K. I will finish in mid-June in the States. I may perform between 75-100 shows every year, all across the globe from here to China and pretty much everywhere else in between. It can be really strenuous keeping up that kind of travel schedule with changing time zones, boarding flights every other day and switching hotels several times a week. I try to religiously get at least eight hours of sleep, especially on show nights (which I call school nights), rest my voice as much as possible and work out in a gym near the hotel or venue five days a week. And if I can sneak in some golf, I prefer to walk the course rather than use a cart.

Q: Where do you find the inspiration for songwriting? How do you keep it fresh? Are you listening to any younger artists that might surprise some of your fans?

A: I'm fortunate to be able to travel the world and experience so many different people and cultures, which brings me a lot of inspiration. It also confirms how alike we are in what's important to the "human" experience regardless of cultural differences. I have always been a reflective person and my observations of the world and human relationships make their way into my song ideas and lyrics.

I always love discovering young artists I have recorded duets and performed with a lot of them like Kelly Rowland, Melanie Fiona, Leona Lewis, Delta Goodrem, Helene Fischer, Orianthi and Sam Bailey. For my album, One World One Love, I worked with Lady Gaga and NeYo, which was awesome. I'm always excited to collaborate with young songwriters and producers on new material, either for myself or for other artists, which is how my whole career really started.

Q: You're considered a blue-eyed soul singer, much in the mould of Bill Medley or Bobby Hatfield, etc. Who have been some of your musical heroes and mentors over the years? Was there a singer or a song that turned you on to music as a child?

A: First of all, yes, I have been a huge fan of the Righteous Brothers since I can remember. One of my first biggest thrills as a writer was to have Bill Medley record one of my songs and my publisher put me on the phone with him and he was very gracious and encouraged my to "keep singing and writing." When I hung up the phone, my heart was pounding. (It was) very surreal to have one of your childhood heroes thank you for a musical contribution.

The roots of my early musical influences grew from rhythm and blues. That goes back to my early-teens when my brother introduced me to everyone from Paul Butterfield and B.B. King to Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and Muddy Waters. Of course, everyone was aware of the music coming our of Detroit, and especially out of Motown. My most recent album,Ain't No Mountain High Enough is a tribute to Hittsville USA, where Motown was born. That music takes me back to my childhood and some of my very early influences, especially Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. But all the songs coming out of that little studio in Detroit in the '60s, crafted by collaborators like Holland, Dozier and Holland, Smokey Robinson, Ashford and Simpson, Strong and Whitfield, made a huge impact on me as a singer and as a songwriter. Those songs have impacted the world.

Q: A lot of people may not be aware that you've written songs and/or collaborated with a number of notable artists (Bob Dylan, Lady Gaga). They seem to run the gamut. Can you list a few and what it was like working with them?

A: Writing with Bob Dylan for my album Time, Love and Tenderness, was an out-of-body experience. When I first heard that he wanted to work with me, I thought someone was playing a practical joke. Even as I drove into the driveway of his famed Malibu home, I couldn't believe it was happening: Bob Dylan, who I admired and studied as a kid just learning to play guitar and write lyrics. He was everything I imagined him to be…artistically eccentric and absolutely genius. We drank coffee and played around with a chord progression I had put together in my hotel room. I wanted to have options for him and he liked the first one I played. I started singing melodies and then hearing Dylan sing out, "Steel bars wrapped all around me" was too much. I kept pinching myself, but it was in fact a dream come true. That album topped the Billboard charts and went on to sell over 16 million copies.

More recently, working with Lady Gaga was inspiring and refreshing. We wrote and recorded together a few months before The Fame was released. I had decided to work with a variety of young, fresh writers and producers for my album One World One Love, which was recorded in L.A. As soon as I heard Gaga's CD, including Just Dance, before it was released, I thought she was great and going to be a massive star. I was told that she was a fan of mine and wanted to write so we spent two consecutive days in the studio. Well, actually nights, since we were both night owls and started around 8 p.m. and worked until 6 a.m. We hit it off immediately and my instincts about her having a great career were being confirmed while getting to know her, observing her level of energy and focus on her art and the kind of work ethic it takes to keep success going if you have it. She was singing great riffs and melodies and had every intention to writer and complete something great. Before we started writing, I told her we had to come up with a song that would absolutely slay people and she responded, "You murder my heart" and that became the song title.

Q: Do you have any Canadian connections or stories from Canada that you'd like to share? Is there a different vibe about Canadian audiences?

A: I happen to love Canada because of the people I've met and worked with through the years, and I mean almost 40 years. I have an amazing base of great fans and I enjoy my time there. I love my home, but I wish the States were half as peaceful. When I finally started having success, Toronto was my most common first stop because it was the media centre for national promotion I was doing for each record. Eventually Sony, my record label for 20 years, would have events celebrating the platinum and multi-platinum discs we were receiving because Canada had become my third most successful country in the world, after the U.S. and Great Britain. Through the years, I have been across Canada regularly touring and promoting a new project from Montreal to Vancouver. I find the people sincere and unpretentious, and the audiences appreciative, animated and I can have fun with them.

Q: Can you tell me a little bit about Michael Bolton Charities?

A: During my 18-year climb as a struggling and starving artist, times got really tough. Especially when I had a wife and three daughters I was trying to support. We were constantly on the verge of homelessness and barely scraping together enough dollars to keep frozen peas in the fridge. I vowed to myself that if I ever had success, I would find ways to support families in need. So once my career finally took off, and I was in a position to give back, I started addressing homeless shelters to see how I can help. What I realized was most of the shelters were filled with women and children, and not necessarily due to poverty, but because of domestic violence at home. I learned how widespread the epidemic was and how hidden. I decided to take a stance as a man speaking out for women and children at risk and working to support the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and make sure the bill continues to get reauthorized in Congress. For 21 years now, the Michael Bolton Charities has distributed funds to organizations around the country to provide services and support for women and children at risk and we are currently working to establish a Family Justice Centre in my home state of Connecticut.

Q: Lastly, what's the story behind the "Jack Sparrow" song? Did you know that it was going to be an online sensation? Has the popularity given way to a new generation of fans?

A: None of us know what would happen with the "Jack Sparrow" skit, certainly not that it would achieve an Emmy nomination and 120 million YouTube views and counting. After the script was tweaked for about eight months, then spending a whole night in the recording studio creating the record somewhere in Atlanta, Georgia, amidst my crazy tour schedule, we got together in New York City to film the video in two days. From the dallies, we were getting early feedback that the Saturday Night Live producers were loving it, but then The Lonely Island guys only had about 24 hours to edit the entire thing before it aired on SNL. They pulled all-nighters and worked right up until the last minute. I was pretty nervous standing backstage during the live broadcast, waiting to see how the audience would react. Everyone laughed! A lot! At the after-party that night, I was talking to John Mayer who predicated it would become viral and become a huge hit. When I woke up the next morning and came downstairs, my eldest daughter was in the kitchen monitoring the Internet. "You are not going to believe what is going on," she said. It was already up to one million YouTube views and people are raving about it. Mostly new fans. Even Justin Bieber was tweeting about the video.

The "Jack Sparrow" video has led to a lot more opportunities to play in the comedy space from Two and a Half Men to the Honda and Starburst commercials, all of which were amazing, creative, inspiring, fun and very, very funny experiences – filled with such talented and supportive crew and performers. I'm thrilled that people all over the world and from all walks of life seem to be enjoying my comedic vein because there's a lot more where that came from.

____________________________________________________________________

Michael Bolton plays June 3 at 8 p.m. in Hammerson Hall. Tickets to the all-ages show range from $80-$120. To order, visit livingartscentre.ca or call 905-306-6000.

Terrific article Joy, thanks! Nice to know he remembers Montreal and God bless him for his comments on fans in general and Canadian audiences... :D Take care Joy. Hugs, sincerely, Sylvie QC Canada :D

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