Friday, November 1, 2013
TV's 'Duck Dynasty' waddles its way into country, music that is
By Vernell Hackett
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) – Already atop the duck hunting industry and cable television, the Robertson family of juggernaut reality series “Duck Dynasty” now has the music charts in their crosshairs.
“Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas,” which was released this week, features the bearded, down-home-on-the-bayou clan singing traditional Christmas carols and duck-themed songs in the latest addition to their stable of merchandise.
The album, in which the family showcase their work on the squawking duck calls that have made their Duck Commander company leaders in the hunting industry, will also be a test of how the unlikely TV stars can compete head-to-head against Christmas albums by country music’s perennial million-sellers Kelly Clarkson and Trace Adkins.
But Willie Robertson, Duck Commander’s chief executive, is not counting on music being a full-time gig for the “Duck Dynasty” crew, who have also parlayed the A&E Network’s series into a merchandise lines sold at big-box retailers like Walmart and Sears.
“We’re not aspiring to be country music stars,” Robertson said in an interview about the album, which was produced by Nashville hitmaker Buddy Cannon.
“When we first went in the studio with Buddy we didn’t know what was going to happen, but we are very proud of the album,” Robertson said.
“Duck Dynasty” drew 11.8 million viewers for its season four debut in August, a record for a cable nonfiction series according to A&E. The show chronicles the Robertson’s rural Louisiana life of hunting, fishing and domestic squabbles among men and women.
Critics ascribe its success to fact that the Robertsons are seen as a regular family and viewers can compare their quirks and eccentricities to their own family members.
The TV show has also spawned diverse merchandise, from sporting goods and apparel to the unusual antibacterial bandages and camouflage reclining furniture. A&E’s online store has more than 300 “Duck Dynasty” products.
‘MIDDLE-AMERICA CHRISTMAS’
The family also got a little help on the album from country stars such as Luke Bryan, George Strait and Alison Krauss, who lent their voices to some tracks.
The album includes a few novelties from the long-bearded, camouflage-wearing hunting enthusiasts from West Monroe, Louisiana, along with traditionals, including “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
“It is definitely from our perspective of a down-home middle-America Christmas,” Robertson said. “There is some funny stuff and then there is some serious stuff.”
Willie even had a hand in writing a few of the songs, including “Ragin’ Cajun Redneck Christmas” with top Nashville songwriter Dallas Davidson.
Led by Robertson patriarch Phil, his sons and daughters-in-law, grandchildren, wife Miss Kay and brother Si, sing and toot their duck calls on songs like “Duck the Halls” and “Camouflage and Christmas Lights.”
Although a strong starting position on the Billboard 200 album chart next week would cement the national appeal of the family’s personas, do not expect them to be quacking about the album after November 23.
That is the start of duck-hunting season, and the Robertsons will get away from the cameras, leave the manufacturing company behind, and go off into the great outdoors to make sure their duck calls really do work.
(Writing by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Mary Milliken and Lisa Shumaker)
TV's 'Duck Dynasty' waddles its way into country, music that is
U.N. envoy hopes for Syria peace conference within weeks
BEIRUT (Reuters) – The United Nations envoy to Syria said on Friday he hoped a long-delayed peace conference could still be held in the next few weeks despite obstacles that have held it up for months.
The so-called Geneva 2 conference, intended to bring Syria’s warring sides to the negotiating table, has been repeatedly delayed because of disputes between world powers, divisions among the opposition and the inflexible positions of both sides.
Arab and Western officials said this week that international powers were unlikely to meet their goal of holding the conference in November.
U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, speaking at a news conference in Damascus after a trip to shore up support for the talks, said he would go to Geneva to meet U.S. and Russian representatives.
They would later be joined by representatives from the other three permanent U.N. Security Council members – Britain, China and France – to prepare for the conference and agree on a date.
Asked when the conference might be held, he said: “We hope it will be in the coming weeks, not next year or after that.”
Syrian state media quoted President Bashar al-Assad as telling Brahimi in a meeting on Wednesday that talks would only succeed if foreign powers stopped supporting the rebels.
Some disagreements about the conference have centred on who should attend – in particular Assad’s main ally Iran, which has said it is ready to take part.
Brahimi said the United Nations preferred that Iran attend, but there had been no agreement on this yet. He also said he hoped just one delegation would represent the opposition.
The rebels fighting to overthrow Assad in the 2-1/2-year-old conflict have been hindered by severe divisions.
Some of the main rebel groups reject the authority of the Syrian National Coalition, an Istanbul-based opposition group which Western powers are trying to convince to join the talks.
Brahimi declined to specify any date for the conference.
“There are some very, very serious efforts being developed everywhere to try and make this conference possible, but we will say it happens only when it happens,” he said.
(Reporting by Alexander Dziadosz; Editing by Alistair Lyon)
U.N. envoy hopes for Syria peace conference within weeks
Frank Skinner quizzed over art show
Frank Skinner has said lots of people questioned why he was involved in an art programme when he took on Portrait Artist Of The Year.
The comedian, who is better known for his love of football, presents the new Sky series which searches the UK for undiscovered artists alongside Dame Joan Bakewell.
He admitted: “I have been asked, ‘Why are you doing this?’ quite a lot.
“Not, why is Joan Bakewell doing this, but why am I? I am genuinely, and I’m not saying this because you’re supposed to say it, excited to be meeting a load of artists and watching them do their stuff.
“What about if we found someone who’s brilliant and that changes their life? That’s what telly’s about.”
Frank also said he would like to become a better artist himself, but didn’t manage to convince producers that it would be a good direction for the show.
He said: “I don’t actually paint but I wish I did. I kept dropping hints like, ‘Wouldn’t it be great as a sub-plot if I learnt to paint?’, but they wouldn’t have it. I’m still hoping it might inspire me to do it though.”
:: Portrait Artist Of The Year starts on Sky Arts 1 on Tuesday, November 5.
Frank Skinner quizzed over art show
Chavez face 'appears in Caracas subway'
Hugo Chavez may have died in March, but his successor says the comandante is still around — most recently in an image of his face that appeared on a subway tunnel.
President Nicolas Maduro said Wednesday workers in the tunnel saw the image come and go, and he showed a photo of the alleged visage in a rally in Caracas.
“Look at the figure, a face. This picture was taken by the workers,” he said, smiling. “Chavez is everywhere.”
Maduro, handpicked by the ailing Chavez to run for president upon his death, said during the election campaign in April that he had seen the populist leader incarnated as “a little bird.”
Since then in several speeches he has imitated the tweeting of a bird to allude to Chavez.
Critics have made fun of him. But Maduro brushed this off, and called on all Venezuelans to be “little birds” of the government he oversees.
Then, in June, Maduro said Chavez tends to appear to him in the mountains that overlook Caracas.
“Every time I see the mountain, I see Chavez appear on the mountain,” he said once.
Chavez face 'appears in Caracas subway'
Bonfire Night Warning As Firefighters Strike
Firefighters in England and Wales will go on strike this evening after negotiations on pay and pensions broke down, despite the likelihood of it being one of the busiest days of the year for the fire service.
Members of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) will walk out from 6.30pm to 11pm, and again for two hours from 6am next Monday – the day before Bonfire Night.
The union went on strike last month but called off another stoppage when a deal appeared to be in sight.
But officials said the Government and fire employers failed to offer guarantees on jobs or pensions as a result of changes to the pension age from 55 to 60.
FBU general secretary, Matt Wrack, said: “It is ludicrous that after two years of negotiations the Government has still not sorted out this mess.
“Firefighters are keen for these issues to be resolved through discussion but the Government won’t even listen to its own evidence which highlight that the schemes are unworkable and unaffordable.
“Firefighters want a pension scheme that takes account of the hazardous nature of the job, is affordable and workable for them and for the taxpayer.
“We hope this brief strike will mean the Government returns to negotiations so we can agree a sensible way forward.”
The union added it was led to believe the Government was willing to offer a guarantee that firefighters whose fitness levels declined with age would not face the sack.
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said its emergency response service will be “severely reduced” because of the strike.
Chief Fire Officer James Courtney said: “Don’t hold your bonfire or fireworks display tonight.
“We’re satisfied with the contingency arrangements we are putting in place, but our 999 service will still be severely depleted so we need the public to help keep our fire engines available for real emergencies.”
Fire Minister Brandon Lewis said: “This strike action by the FBU is completely unnecessary and does nothing but damage the good reputation firefighters have with the public.
“We offered firefighters similar fitness principles to those the FBU accepted in Scotland. The FBU should reconsider their decision to strike – announced just four days into discussions – and work for a resolution to this dispute.
“The public will be baffled by the FBU’s course of action when they hear that the deal being offered to firefighters gives them one of the most generous pension schemes in all the public sector.
“A firefighter who earns £29,000, and retires after a full career aged 60, will get a £19,000 a year pension, rising to £26,000 with the state pension.
“An equivalent private pension pot would be worth over half a million pounds and require firefighters to contribute twice as much.”
The union has said the figures were a “myth”.
Source Article from http://uk.news.yahoo.com/bonfire-night-warning-firefighters-strike-045507329.html
Bonfire Night Warning As Firefighters Strike
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