Russell Crowe And A Brush With The Paparazzi...

“Sometimes, restraint is the most lethal weapon”…Anthony Sharwood at news.com.au




(no copyright infringement intended)

While I am not a fan of Russell Crowe, I am extremely interested in how he uses Twitter to connect with fans, to publicise his work and interests and of course to attack the media who have wronged him.

This time he used Twitter to attack the paparazzi and them photographing his children. Fair enough too.

Russell Crowe@russellcrowe “Paparazzi idiot hiding in bushes wearing pink shirt, eldest son asks, “Why am I not allowed privacy? I’m not famous.” Good question. 22 September.

The fans were ready and waiting as they always are with a response. Within a couple of hours news services had picked up the tweet and were off, combining the actor’s comments and the fan’s responses to write a kind of article which soon appeared in other news services around the world. The tweet also became the discussion of morning television shows and viewers responded via Twitter.

I don’t very often respond to Russell Crowe on Twitter, no matter how much I am tempted to disagree with him as you never know who you are going to meet. People get huffy very quickly so I refrained from answering. I am glad I didn’t respond now the comments fans made on his Twitter site also became a part of a story for a larger audience.

Russell Crowe (his children and their mother) whenever they are out in private in Australia or overseas have a right to privacy. All people (whether they are famous or not) should not have someone (whether they are a journalist, photographer or fan) following them from place to place. Australia like in most countries it is illegal to criminally stalk and harass someone whether they are a celebrity or not.

In my journey through these fandoms I have found that fans and in particular Americans find it so acceptable to follow celebrities around photographing and video recording. The stalking of celebrities, the taking of photographs and videos fill a need in some fans. I have been called a troll for standing up to fans when I have suggested these activities are anything but a legitimate activity and in particular on my blog.

These same fans drive the need for photographers and fans to photograph celebrities like Russell Crowe and his children for magazines and other news services, without thinking about the impact their consumerism and needs have on celebrities and their families.

It is very difficult for some fans to tell the difference when photographing and filming celebrities is appropriate and when it isn’t and they basically don’t care no matter how much they profess to love them and their work. And photographers seeking the grand payout prize for their images definitely don’t care. (I have written posts about the paparazzi before including fans who record events in words and photographs.)

I found this story soon after Russell Crowe tweeted in some online news services. It was circulated throughout newspapers in Australia and overseas.

Russell Crowe makes a really poignant point about invasion of privacy without resorting to insults or phone throwing. By Anthony Sharwood. News.com.au 23 September 2015. (no copyright infringement intended).

ONYA Rusty. Whether you love the man or not, you’ve got to agree that Russell Crowe dished out an absolutely pitch perfect paparazzi put-down this afternoon.

What happened was, a member of the paparazzi appears to have been hiding out in the bushes at Rusty’s place waiting for a scintillating, priceless picture of god only knows what. Crowe, drinking a fascinating and deeply revealing cup of herbal tea, perhaps?

So the not very bright snapper thought he’d wear a pink shirt so he’d hard to spot in the shrubbery. We’re going to assume the bush was not a camellia or rose or some other form of pink flowering shrub because Rusty spotted the lurking privacy-invading menace with ease.

In fact it was Crowe’s eldest son, 11-year-old Charles, who spotted the paparazzo. He then asked his dad a very poignant question, which Crowe shared with the world via this tweet earlier this afternoon.

It’s a very good point, which numerous people on Twitter were quick to echo.

Alan Doyle And Cod Fishing At Placentia Bay, Newfoundland (2015)...

Alan shared his Sunday cod fishing at Placentia Bay via his official Twitter account...

I just wanted to keep a copy here of a couple photographs and tweets because I thought they were absolutely brilliant. This is such an awesome story.

I was lucky enough to taste cod tongues when I was in St. John's, Newfoundland. They are just divine.

There is a delightful short video of Alan demonstrating how to cut a tongue out of a cod. There are a few more photographs and tweets about this adventure available via his official Twitter account.

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.

Alan Doyle @alanthomasdoyle Wading past the mustard kelp into Placentia Bay shortly. Will report bounty. 20 September 2015




Alan Doyle @alanthomasdoyle Book. 20 September, 2015



Alan Doyle @alanthomasdoyle Cod Tongues in the Pan. 20 September, 2015



Alan Doyle@alanthomasdoyle Supper by me. Fried Fresh Cod a la Jean. 20 September, 2015

Sean McCann And The “You Know I Love You” Tour…

“Fans can expect to experience a much lighter “me”. I am doing “the work” and am reconnecting with the world in a far more meaningful way. And I love my job” Sean McCann with Jason Setnyk.

Sean McCann has started the ‘You Know I Love You’ tour that will take him all over Canada throughout September, October, and November 2015.

The review “Sean McCann Gets A Great Big Seaway Welcome” by Jason Setnyk was written for The Seeker Newspaper in Cornwall, Ontario about his most recent show. I really liked this reviewer’s description on Sean McCann’s voice “His voice soared like a bird vigorously flying over a mountain top”.

Attached to the article is an interview with Sean McCann in which he talks about the best times with Great Big Sea, recording his new album, the St. John’s influence on his music and life changes since quitting Great Big Sea.

There are two really great photographs attached to the article which has been shared via my Google + page. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Sean McCann Gets A Great Big Seaway Welcome by Jason Setnyk 20 September 2015 The Seeker Newspaper, Cornwall.

Cornwall Ontario — The setting of the show was Aultsville Theatre, a venue that sits modestly along the bank of the majestic St. Lawrence River. Hundreds of people attended Saturday night to see Sean McCann of Great Big Sea and Graham Greer of the Barstool Prophets perform live in concert.

The auditorium lights dimmed, the stage lights burned hot, and local radio host Sue Stewart appeared on stage to introduce Graham Greer with a cordial and glowing smile.

The audience applauded with earnest exultation as Greer entered the stage.

Graham played the strings on his guitar and he played the audience’s heartstrings equally well with the successful juxtaposition of sentimental themes contrasted with witty humour.

“The concert was amazing. Graham’s performance was outstanding, energetic and emotional at times”, said master of ceremonies Sue Stewart.

Greer played some new songs, some fan favourite tracks, and a Barstool Prophets tune too.

Next on stage was Sean McCann who received a great big Seaway welcome as he entered the stage.

He commenced his set with a marvelous a cappella. His voice soared like a bird vigorously flying over a mountain top.

“The echo of Sean’s opening song sent shivers down my spine. It was entertaining yet very intimate. 

The finale was the best when the pair got to reminiscing and performing each other’s band tunes from back in the day”, observed Stewart.

McCann and Greer have a good rapport and share a little bit of musical history together. In the mid-1990s it was Great Big Sea opening for the Barstool Prophets.

Their chemistry and experience helped to create memorable magic on stage, and the audience applauded with adoring approval.

“Both Sean and I commented on the incredible audience response – it was exhilarating! What a pleasure!”, Greer recollected.

Despite having throat surgery in July, Sean McCann sang with strength.

“I thought Sean’s delivery was personable and he looked extremely comfortable up there. He was nervous about his voice, having just had throat surgery back in July, but I thought he was in top form. Such a great guy”, remarked Greer.

Bravo to McCann and Greer on a breathtaking show.

The totally gorgeous 'Sean McCann 2015 Tour You Know I Love You' poster from the official Sean McCann Sings Twitter account. No Copyright Infringement Intended

The Good, The Bad And The Down Right Ugly Of The Online Kitchen Party... A Response…

Note...It seems the post and responses have been brought down. There was no admission of any wrong doing by the administrator. Fan sites should never be used to attack individual fans whether they are a member of that group or not. A week was too long to take any action and could have had serious consequences for the person involved. It was interesting the administrator didn't like it when someone contact her employer to allegedly discredit her reputation. But it seemed perfectly acceptable to discredit someone else's reputation via the fan site she administered.

Many of the members who posted on the Online Kitchen Party about a member being blocked on another fan site on Facebook have read my previous blog post “The good, the bad and the down right ugly of the Online Kitchen Party’. The post was posted days ago.

It seems a few of the members are particularly upset that I didn’t mention their names. The purpose of not naming names is not to inflame the situation further. Thank you to those that read my post and their comments and constructive feedback. I particularly like the comments from one fan that I am a troll (because well I don’t like crappy bootlegged videos and photos, piracy and the criminal stalking of celebrities).   

For the record I did contact Sonic Entertainment to report the page and the post. They responded it was the job of the administrator to monitor the page and they couldn’t interfere. But they did mention the bootlegged music that Lyndahere also mentioned. The 39 bootlegged songs from the Denver, Colorado concert of Alan Doyle were apparently flagged and brought down. So they didn’t agree with their actions either in that instance. Facebook agreed it is okay to cyber bully a woman with autism. But that says a lot about Facebook and where they are at re reporting and cyber bullying.  

The majority of Great Big Sea fans I have known about in the past 5 years did not contribute to the discussion and the one who did so respectfully and positively.  In fact nearly all the members that posted in that discussion I have never seen or heard of online before except Lyndahere of course. If they were big name Great Big Sea fans I would have seen them either on Facebook or Twitter and they would been responded to by Great Big Sea themselves.

None of the members made the point that the person being cyber bullied has been responded to a lot by Great Big Sea themselves and in particular Alan Doyle on Twitter most generously and kindly. If her actions and behaviour don’t bother Alan Doyle then really why should it bother anybody else.

PS  

I also really enjoyed reading people on the Online Kitchen Party spending their time writing about spelling and auto correct mistakes. You must have a lot to write about if spelling and autocorrect mistakes are all you have to write about.

The Good, The Bad And The Down Right Ugly Of The Online Kitchen Party...

Note...It seems the post and responses have been brought down despite the fact there was no admission of wrong doing by the administrator. Fansites should never be used to attack other fans whether they are a member of the group or not. A week was too long to take any action in this instance and could have series consequences for person concerned. It was interesting the administrator made a comment that someone had contacted her employer to allegedly discredit her reputation about the post. But is was perfectly acceptable to her to discredit someone else's reputation via a fan site she administered and someone with a disability.

The Online Kitchen Party on Facebook for the Great Big Sea Community has been the subject on some discussion of my blog as it is where I find a lot of my information about the fans of Great Big Sea and some of their friends. A couple of days ago I had the opportunity to witness one of the worst attacks of cyber bullying on a Great Big Sea and Alan Doyle fan I have ever seen. It is not the first cyber bullying attack on this fan. What makes this worse and totally unacceptable is this fan has Autism and in particular Asperger’s Syndrome.  I shall refer to her as K.

It all started when a member of the group Jackie Sherry had been blocked from what she thought was The Official Alan Doyle Fan Club page on Facebook. The Facebook page is administered by this Great Big Sea and Alan Doyle fan K. She has been a fan for many years and is an active participant in the fandom. Jackie Sherry was blocked because she had allegedly criticised a photo that K had posted of Alan Doyle.

This is the post Jackie Sherry wrote on the Online Kitchen Party

“I have been from The Official Alan Doyle Fan Club on Facebook…seems the owner (name)…didn’t like when I posted I thought her comment about a physical view/photo of Alan Doyle was inappropriate…(at first I said offensive but I meant inappropriate) especially someone who gets paid to represent him: ( She basically said I was being offensive to *her* for my comment. Discussions since been deleted by her...then an admin of hers started Pm’ing me…if I can screenshot I will”. September 8 , 2015 on Facebook.

Alan Doyle stated on his official Twitter account soon after being asked by another fan the only official Facebook page associated with him was his own. K removed official from the title soon after these comments were made. Many of the official fan pages are generated by Facebook in the hope that some fans may pick them up have the word official in them. Some are never picked up and remain unused. They are not endorsed by the people whose name they use.  

The members of the Online Kitchen Party were quick to weight in and cyber bullying K (with a developmental disorder of Autism not to be confused with a mental disorder). They showed little empathy, understanding and knowledge of the condition of Autism that affects a person’s ability to socially interact appropriately with others. This is a challenge for most people with Autism in their daily face to face interactions but even more of a challenge in an online environment. Obsessive tendencies (and in this case Great Big Sea and Alan Doyle) is another characteristic of Autism. These obsessive tendencies and passion were confused with getting paid to promote something. A stickler for the rules is also another characteristic of Autism.   

On and on the cyber bullying went. Post after post and not an administrator in sight. There were 131 post in all. Some of the members posted hundreds of words criticising K’s online and personal behaviour over many years. I certainly can understand Jackie Sherry’s position when she was blocked from what she thought was the official Alan Doyle Fan Club Facebook page and she may be hurt. But these people are mature adults on social media and are interacting with a whole lot of people who they have probably never met and most probably strangers, not friends they have established relationships with. They are also not an adolescent teenager being rejected by their peer group and do I assume have skills in managing relationships.

For the record I was also unfriended on Facebook by K after I had raised issues about her posting a post to flame another person who in her opinion thought the contribution she made to a particular situation was not perfect. I was unfriended when I wrote that well to be honest some of the things K posted on her social media pages including photos and videos were not of a high standard and I would remind her next time she posted something. People just get offended and block people when they can’t say or do exactly what they want. That is the nature of social media.

Most of the members engaging in cyber bullying were mature age women and some men who chose not to walk away from this situation. I am wondering why these fans sites are so important to these people when the people on them are on most occasions strangers and people they have never met. Who cares what they think? I don’t. I have never seen many of the members that chose to enter this conversation before online and they are certainly not contributors that I have noticed sharing information, photographs and other stuff online.

A member who posted put it nicely when she said if you do not feel respected online then walk away.  She controls who she interacts with online. That is so true. Another member felt the posts should be left there to remind other members and control their behaviour online. But K being cyber bullied has a developmental disorder not any other kind of disorder that can be cured with threats, intimation and behaviour modifications. As the members who posted stated the Online Kitchen Party has a long history of negative behaviour that is well documented. Perhaps there needs to be some awareness and education in cyber bullying and netiquette online and a greater monitoring by an administrator or administrators. Perhaps members so critical of K’s behaviour should look at their own behaviour as apparently normal functioning mature adults free from any diagnosed developmental disorder before criticising others. Cyber bullying others is not okay.   

The administrator Helen Reynolds responded

“First : Thank You for all being 10 years more mature than the old OKP days and for keeping this real, honest and really anything negative was from observations and experience not to be hurtful. Second: This is a COMMUNITY page for the Great Big Sea community. The music has brought many people together and we’ve known one another through his over and over. Third: I apologise for not getting here sooner. I just relocated and don’t have the Internet yet. Fourth and Finally: Thank you to everyone who contributed positively to the discussion and thank you Lynda Here….”10 September 2015

It is of course a community and fans are welcome if you agree with Helen Reynolds and her friend LyndaHere and her bootlegging and piracy and criminal stalking. The person being cyber bullied on this page runs an opposition page.

It is also unfortunate many of these members are not familiar with the condition of celebrity worship syndrome and the research. K in my opinion has never and does not fit the criteria associated with Celebrity Syndrome Worship other than we all probably think about our favourite celebrities a bit more than we should. I have reposted the post I wrote a couple of years about celebrity worship syndrome for those fans interested. They may like to take the test to see where they fit in the celebrity syndrome worship.

      

Celebrity Worship Syndrome published 6 January 2013

An article in the UK Mail on Celebrity Worship Syndrome provided an overview of some research being done on the condition by psychologists at the University of Leicester. Celebrity Worship Syndrome is defined by Wikipedia as an “obsessive-addictive disorder in which a person becomes overly involved with the details of a celebrity's personal life. Psychologists have indicated that though many people obsess over glamorous film, television, sport and pop stars, the only common factor between them is that they are all figures in the public eye (i.e., celebrities)”.

The basis of the article was from the research conducted by Maltby et al (2003) in their article “A Clinical Interpretation of Attitudes and Behaviors Associated with Celebrity Worship”. They developed a scale and argue there are three levels of attitudes and behaviours associated with Celebrity Worship Syndrome, entertainment-social, intense personal and borderline pathological.

The study of around 700 people aged 18 to 60 found “ 22 per cent of our sample had the low-level form of Celebrity Worship Syndrome (entertainment-social), while 12 per cent showed signs of the moderate (intense personal) form which meant they had an intense personal type relationship with their idol. Around 2 per cent of people had the most serious form of the syndrome, meaning their celebrity worship was borderline pathological."(UK Mail).

Maltby et al (2004) provides an overview of the three levels in the article ‘Personality coping. A context for examining celebrity worship and mental heath’. “Low levels of celebrity worship have entertainment–social value and comprise attitudes and behaviours like ‘My friends and I like to discuss what my favourite celebrity has done’ and ‘Learning the life story of my favourite celebrity is a lot of fun’. This stage reflects social aspects to celebrity worship and is consistent with Stever’s (1991) observation that fans are attracted to a favourite celebrity because of their perceived ability to entertain and capture our attention”.

“Intermediate levels of celebrity worship, by contrast, are characterized by more intense–personal feelings, defined by items like ‘I consider my favourite celebrity to be my soul mate,’ and ‘I have frequent thoughts about my celebrity, even when I don’t want to’. This stage arguably reflects individuals’ intensive and compulsive feelings about the celebrity, akin to the obsessional tendencies of fans often referred to in the literature (Dietz et al., 1991; Giles, 2000)”.

“The most extreme expression of celebrity worship is labelled borderline–pathological, as exemplified by items like. ‘If someone gave me several thousand dollars (pounds) to do with as I please, I would consider spending it on a personal possession (like a napkin or paper plate) once used by my favourite celebrity’ and ‘If I were lucky enough to meet my favourite celebrity, and he/she asked me to do something illegal as a favour I would probably do it’. This factor is thought to reflect an individual’s social pathological attitudes and behaviours that are held as a result of worshiping a celebrity”.

The researchers conclude celebrity worship syndrome was not an uncommon behaviour. They argue like many attitudes and behaviours carried out in moderation should not be of concern. Celebrity worship for entertainment and social reasons was not related to any mental health problems. However, when carried out for intense personal reasons and the way they engage people may be at risk of severe mental health problems including stress, anxiety and depression. Celebrity worship is seen as a coping strategy and a way of disengaging with life.

“Therefore, it may be necessary to begin to speculate how it may be possible to intervene when celebrity worship takes on intense–personal characteristics to a point of concern. The present findings inform this issue. For example, those who engage in intense–personal forms of celebrity worship are characterized as tense, emotional and moody (neuroticism). They deal with stress by disengaging (both mentally and behavioural) and by living in a state of denial…As a result, individuals who demonstrate a worrying level of intense–personal celebrity worship and who suffer from mental health problems might be best helped by understanding and addressing their emotionality”.

So do you have CWS symptoms? 

Say yes to the following and you may have low-level CWS: 

• My friends and I like to discuss what my favourite celebrity has done. 
• I enjoy watching my favourite celebrity. 
• Learning the life story of my favourite celebrity is a lot of fun. 

Agree with these more intense feelings and you may have a moderate case:

• I consider my favourite celebrity to be my soul mate. 
• I have a special bond with my celebrity. 
• I have frequent thoughts about my celebrity, even when I don't want to. 

Agree with these and you may be obsessed, borderline pathological and suffering seriously from CWS: 

• If someone gave me several thousand pounds to do with as I please, I would consider spending it on a personal possession, like a napkin or paper plate, once used by my favourite celebrity. 
• If I were lucky enough to meet my favourite celebrity, and they asked me to do something illegal as a favour I would probably do it. 
• I would be very upset if my favourite celebrity got married. 

The UK Mail placed this quiz for celebrity watchers to decide whether they or their friends had ‘Celebrity Worship Syndrome’. From the questions asked I guess anyone who follows a celebrity on social media and responds to a post written by them or to other followers/friends has some type of low level Celebrity Worship Syndrome. A celebrity wouldn’t be a favourite if people didn’t know something about them, seen their work or enjoyed watching them do their work. This level of interest was not associated with any mental health issues according to the research.

What was interesting about this survey was the criteria offered by psychologists for the third level borderline pathological and suffering seriously from Celebrity Worship Syndrome and the statement ‘if I were lucky enough to meet my favourite celebrity and they asked me to do something illegal as a favour I would probably do it’. @Lyndahere did take it upon herself to do something illegal which was to make bootlegged videos of live concerts and engage in music piracy on YouTube. She then distributed links via social media and has loaded them up onto other sites for distribution. The other statement that defines this type of condition “If someone gave me several thousand pounds to do with as I please, I would consider spending it on a personal possession, like a napkin or paper plate, once used by my favourite celebrity”. @lyndahere spends thousands of dollars on travel, accommodation and tickets to see Alan Doyle and Great Big Sea and every show creates bootlegged videos for people to view on YouTube and listen to on other sites.

References.

"Do you worship the celebs?Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-176598/Do-worship-celebs.html. Viewed 4 January 2013.

"Do you have Celebrity Worship Syndrome? Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-176674/Do-Celebrity-Worship-Syndrome.html. Viewed 4 January 2013.

Maltby, J., Houran, M.A., & McCutcheon, L.E. (2003). ‘A Clinical Interpretation of Attitudes and Behaviors Associated with Celebrity Worship’. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 191, 25-29.

Maltby, J., Day,L., McCutcheon,L.E., Gillett, R., Houran, J & Ashe, D.(2004). ‘Personality coping. A context for examining celebrity worship and mental health, British Journal of Psychology, 95, 411–428

Wikipedia Celebrity worship syndrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.mht. Viewed 4 January 2013.

Catching Up With Alan Doyle During Summer 2015...

Catching up with Alan Doyle (August and September 2015)…


Alan Doyle at the CNE…
Fans travelled from around Canada and the United States to see Alan Doyle and the Beautiful Gypsies perform at the CNE in Toronto. A number of big name fans took some wonderful photographs which were distributed via the Great Big Sea Online Fan Community on Facebook and by Alan Doyle on his official Twitter account. An online magazine ‘Aesthetic Magazine Toronto’ also took some fabulous photographs that are available for viewing at their site.

Burlington, Newfoundland…

The official webpage for The Gathering in Burlington, Newfoundland describes the event as “As one single part of the larger social business, the Gathering will play an important role in transforming the region into a viable, world-class tourist destination through intimate music performances by local and internationally known artists, traditional and contemporary NL cuisine, story telling, chef hikes and much more. The Gathering will help facilitate people’s access to the many unique experiences rural NL has to offer by allowing them to participate in the power of the landscape and its people.

There is a short video with Alan Doyle and Shaun Majumder advertising the event. I circulated this on my Google + page. Little was written about the music part at the Gathering at Burlington in Newfoundland even though the event was attended by some of Newfoundland’s most prominent artists, musicians, music groups and celebrities and very few photographs that I could find.





Alan Doyle@alanthomasdoyle Burlington NL bound @BurlGathering. Yeha 28 August 2015 (from the official Twitter account of Alan Doyle. No copyright infringement intended)


At the Fat Cat in St. John’s, Newfoundland….
As I mentioned in the previous post Cory Tetford from Alan Doyle’s band the Beautiful Gypsies had a show at the Fat Cat in St. John’s in which he performed with Alan Doyle, Kendel Carson and other Newfoundland musicians.





Mark Critch@markcritch Yes @kendelcarson @alanthomasdoyle @boomerstamp @ChrisLeDrew @PaulKinsman ect is a HORRIBLE Sunday #lies 30 August 2015 (From the official Twitter account of Mark Critch. No copyright infringement intended)

There was a great photo that was taken by Mark Critch and circulated on his official Twitter site and a lovely short 20 second video taken by a fan of the event. Although short it is beautifully filmed of the band and the crowd showing the good times share by all.

Alan Doyle From the Road (alandoyle.ca)…
Alan wrote another post for his official webpage that was also circulated via his official social media sites including Twitter and Facebook. Alan wrote about his recent concerts and travel over the past couple of months. The highlight of the blog contained information about the release of his new single and video 1, 2, 3, 4 from the So Let’s Go album and co-written with BNL singer, Ed Robertson. There were some great photographs on the site. The fans certainly will be looking forward to that one.

A charity event…
As many Great Big Sea and Alan Doyle fans know he is always willing to lend a hand to a good cause when he can in his down time. This Labor Day weekend Alan Doyle played a benefit concert for a local Newfoundland community, Garden Cove where he and his family have a cabin. There was an article distributed in the local newspaper and online which is copied below.




Alan Doyle@alanthomasdoyle Dudes be going to the cabin. Happy Labour Day Weekend Everyone. 4 September 2015. (From the official Twitter account of Alan Doyle. No copyright infringement intended).

I have included this absolutely drop dead gorgeous selfie of Alan Doyle and his cute dog Spencer taken before heading up to the cabin on Friday night.

‘A Musical Helping Hand’ by Jonathon Parsons published 2 September 2015 in the Packet Newspaper.

Alan Doyle with be in Garden Cove on Labor Day weekend this year as the Newfoundland musician will play a benefit concert for a very good cause.

Over 30 years ago, on Aug. 4, 1985, a young man named Shawn Wareham died due to an accident while working on a student project in the community.

Now, Garden Cove looks to honour his memory by renovating and naming a playground and all-ages park, the Shawn Wareham Memorial Park.

Refurbishment has been ongoing for the park, but there still work to be done. The Garden Cove sports and recreation committee hopes this concert will help them achieve their goal of having a grand opening on Saturday, July 30, next year.

Sports and recreation committee chair Beverly Eddy says the concert will be a great help.

“I think it’s absolutely wonderful,” said Eddy. “ … (Doyle’s) really great for our community.”

The “So Let’s Go” performer can be seen and heard at the Memorial Park in Garden Cove this Saturday, Sept. 5, from 2-4 p.m.

Cory Tetford And Friends (including Alan Doyle) At The Fat Cat NL...

Cory Tetford last week (after the Burlington show with Alan Doyle and Kendel Carson) played at the Fat Cat in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Alan Doyle and several other St. John’s musicians and celebrities attended and played including Kendel Carson. By all the social media reports everybody had a great time.

I always find researching our Newfoundland favourite fellas music experiences at home on social media particularly interesting. Compared to concerts held throughout the rest of Canada and the United States there is generally few pictures and almost no videos. This says a lot to me about Newfoundlanders, their love of their own music, how they engage with social media and how they often like to keep their good times with their family, friends and community private and on most occassion within the community. That is their choice of course.

There were only a couple photos from the Cory Tetford concert at the Fat Cat last week. They were shared mostly by the Newfoundlanders who were there. I just wanted to keep a copy here for my own interest. No copyright infringement intended.




From the official Twitter account of Mark Critch...(no copyright infringement intended)

Yes @kendelcarson @alanthomasdoyle @boomerstamp @ChrisLeDrew @PaulKinsman ect is a HORRIBLE Sunday #lies 30 August 2015




From the official Twitter account of Paul Kinsman...(no copyright infringment intended)

Tonight! Nobody gets out unrocked 9.30 Our pal @ChrisLeDrew sitting in + wicked guests @corytetford @lowerdaboom114 30 Aug





From the official Twitter Account of Paul Kinsman...(no copyright infringment intended)

#soundcheck 30 August 2015

Great Big Sea And State of Play...

Some fans have been circulating a movie poster of the Russell Crowe movie State of Play. It is one of my favourites. Many Russell Crowe and Great Big Sea fans will recognise the Great Big Sea song 'The Night Pat Murphy Died' on the sound track. So I went in search of information and the connection between the movie and the song.

For those fans who have never seen the movie there is a nice little description about the plot on the back of the State of Play DVD copy. “Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) is the rising star of his political party-until his research assistant/mistress is murdered, and buried secrets come tumbling out. Investigative journalist, Cal McCaffrey (Russell Crowe) has the dubious fortune of both an old friendship with Collins and a ruthless editor Cameron (Helen Mirren) who assigns him the story. As Cal and his partner Della (Rachel McAdams) step into a cover-up that threatens to shake the nation’s power structures they discover one truth-when billions of dollars are at state no-one's integrity or love life is ever safe.”

Great Big Sea have their own entry on the IMDb site (as well as a mention on The State of Play IMDb movie site and trivia site). “Great Big Sea is known for their work on State of Play (2009), The Shipping News (2001) and Republic of Doyle (2010)”.

The IMDb State of Play trivia site write “The Night That Paddy Murphy Dies” is a song featured in the opening scene of the movie. The song is by Great Big Sea band from Newfoundland Canada. Alan Doyle Great Big Sea’s lead singer, and Russell Crowe are known to be close friends. In previous years, Crowe has been spotted numerous times visiting the province of Newfoundland.”

The music helps establish the main character Cal McCaffrey as a 40 something old-fashioned reporter, driving a battered old car, who eats junk food and listens to good old fashioned Irish music telling stories of those who know how to drink and party hard, pretty much like himself. Although Cal is an old fashioned street smart reporter that costs too much and takes way too long he knows how to get the information required to write news stories.

I found a couple more articles with information about the State of Play movie and the Great Big Sea song “The Night Pat Murphy Dies” …

The article “It is all connected…Russell Crowe, Great Big Sea and Me” from the Montreal Gazette August 11 2011 mentions the scene in the movie, the song and Great Big Sea.

… “Movie connection: In the film State of Play (2009) Crowe plays Cal McAffrey, a rumpled, old-fashioned reporter who drives a beat-up old car and uses outdated software. He has lots of contacts all over Washington, D.C., who can help him find out where the bodies are buried, why they were killed or what skeletons are in whose closet…(so to speak.)
Anyway, when Crowe is driving his old car around (while also eating and talking on his cellphone at the same time), the song The Night Pat Murphy Died, by Great Big Sea can be heard on his sound system. (Probably on a cassette.)”

The Buzz “Russell Crowe's great big love for Great Big Sea” by Arts Online posted January 28, 2010.

“…There’s more Crowe-Great Big Sea synergy in the new conspiracy thriller State of Play. The first time we see Crowe’s character, he's driving in his car, singing along to GBS’s The Night Pat Murphy Died in a boisterous if somewhat annoying manner. One can only assume the actor suggested the tune’s inclusion on the soundtrack. The scene helps to establish the character’s bona fides as a rugged, whiskey-loving reporter, but for anyone who knows about Crowe’s ongoing relationship with the band — admittedly, a small percentage of the audience — it’s a distracting meta moment”.

I have circulated a copy of 'The Night Pat Murphy Dies' on my Google + page. Unfortunately there was no official video for this song.



(No copyright infringement intended)