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More Dixie Thunder from Down UnderThe article on Australia is finally up! To celebrate, here are some more photos from the trip. Above, Martie is getting groped at the Australia Zoo, home of the late Crocodile Hunter, by some Republican mascots. Below, Gus juices it for the camera. Fred and John from the band do little to save Natalie from the jaws of a crocodile, while Sebastian just phones it in. And by request, here's a photo that Natalie took of me shortly before wiping out. Leave your comments on the article below! Try saying something other than POOPYSEX! The Chicks Hit The City of Angels and the City of SinThe last 48 hours in Los Angeles and Las Vegas have been absolutely bonkers. I don't know where to begin. For starters, Natalie Maines gave away her Toyota Prius to one lucky fan, but schooled a dozen unlucky fans to score third place in a backstage blackjack tournament. Emily, on the other hand, didn't do so hot in the tournament, prompting her to tag the table with "Thanks for taking our money!" At the MGM Grand, the Dixie Chicks were ubiquitous as their music played nonstop in the casino/hotel and their mugs were on countless ads, not to mention the cover of multiple Las Vegas magazines. While Vegas treated us well, a female blackjack dealer at the MGM told Martie that "I hate the Dixie Chicks," not knowing that Martie was 33.33% of the group. Natalie and Emily not only thought this story was hilarious, but they wished they could've been there to help egg on the dealer. Natalie imagined saying something to her like, "I hate the Dixie Chicks too!" However, Martie is apparently more sensitive than the other two, which helps to explain why her husband Gareth stepped in and, in his words, "tore the dealer a new [anatomical expletive]." There were so many VIPs and celebrities buzzing that me, the lone paparazzo, was busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest. Dom DeLuise, seen in the photo above, complimented Dixie Chicks band leader David Grissom. The delectable Liz Phair was hanging out backstage in Vegas, while British hunk Robbie Williams was hobnobbing backstage in L.A. One of my childhood idols, Lou Diamond Phillips, brought his kids into the Playroom. Adrian also invited the entire cast of Heroes to the LA show. (Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet my hero, Hiro, whose real name is Masi Oki.) Rick Rubin bobbed his head throughout the setlist. The crew and I kept trying to find where Will Ferrell was sitting. And walking to her seat, my sister-in-law Serene accidentally nudged Ben Harper's hat with her ginormously pregnant belly. In more important news, Eva and Katie enjoyed some delicious popsicles, while rehearsing for their Kiss band tryouts. And superfan Kent keeps it real, showing off a bumper sticker made by superfan Mike B., who has been literally following the Dixie Chicks everywhere west of the Mississippi. Many more of the details will eventually show up in an article on the main MSN page. America's SweetheartsBoth times CNN's Larry King interviewed the Dixie Chicks this year, he told Emily how much she looks like Julia Roberts. He also noted the similarity off-camera, during a commercial break, when the Chicks were in CNN's Los Angeles studios. Larry wasn't able to remember Emily's actual name, but boy, could he stare at her like a hungry septuagenarian bear eyeing an open picnic basket. Personally, I don't see the similarity. Oh sure, Julia and Emily are both tall, thin, white brunettes who have eloped with Lyle Lovett, but I think that -- wait, what's that? -- whoops, sorry. Emily is telling me that she did not actually elope with Lyle Lovett. To Larry King's credit, when I looked at the above photo, my first thought was, "When did I take a picture of Julia Roberts playing the dobro?" Emily herself admitted that she could "kinda see" the resemblance when looking at the pic. But generally speaking, I humbly submit that any comparison to Julia Roberts is an insult to Emily ... especially given the fact that Julia Roberts looks like a horse from certain angles. Giving Thanks to Chicks and TurkeysThe Chicks have fled the coop to join their families for Thanksgiving. Most of the band and crew have also returned to their respective peeps. No doubt, everyone is storing up energy for the final leg of the Accidents and Accusations tour, which ends in less than two weeks. Perhaps now is a good time to thank all you readers for keeping this website vibrant. The Chicks, MSN, and I are grateful for your devotion and curiosity. I am especially humbled by you, the Chicks, and everyone who works for the Chicks for being so vigilant while on patrol duty for the fashion police. Although, to be frank, I don't know why I keep getting arrested. I mean, c'mon, I'm a walking cover photo for GQ ... (Photo by N. Maines) If I don't appear stylish in a Rico Suave/I'm-Too-Sexy-To-Bring-Sexyback way in the above picture, the fault lies with either the poor quality of your monitor or the low-grade skills of the photographer, who might have been too short to get a respectable shot. (Did I just reference Gerardo, Right Said Fred, and Justin Timberlake in the same clause? Yes, I did. And you're welcome.) For those with tickets to the upcoming DCX shows in L.A., Las Vegas, Nashville, Atlanta, Dallas, or Austin, I'll see you soon. Unless, of course, I fail to wake up from the Tryptophanapalooza and Carb Fest 2006 that I will be attending tomorrow with elastic waist pants and a bib. I Believe in Flavor of LoveHere are some early photos from the American Music Awards at the Shrine in Los Angeles. I didn't realize it was my lifetime goal to take a picture of Flavor Flav (of my all-time favorite band, Public Enemy) on stage with the Dixie Chicks. But tonight, my life feels deeply fulfilled. Unfortunately, Flavor's clock broke on stage so he didn't know it was time for the Chicks' live televised performance of "Easy Silence." Here's the infamous "boogie check" right before cameras started rolling: And finally, here's a photo of the DCX all-star crew -- Marty, Donny, Scotty, Kap, and Bucky (on the phone) -- More news at 11. Eye of the TigerMartie, Emily, and Natalie are about to pounce onto the stage to rehearse for the American Music Awards, which airs tomorrow (Tuesday) night on ABC at 8/7c. For those assuming that the Dixie Chicks will be performing "Not Ready To Make Nice" on the show, you're in for a surprise. (Emily had me guessing which song they're scheduled to perform; I didn't guess correctly until my fifth try. Here's a hint: it's not "Eye of the Tiger.") Speaking of bad predictions, I'm guessing that the Chicks will ask me to bring all my Japanese family members onto the red carpet to pay homage to fellow AMA performer Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Girls. Or not. Regardless, since Gwen's human fashion accessories are known as L.A.M.B. (Love Angel Music Baby), I will rename my family F.U.T.K (Freedom Understanding Truth Knowledge) just to be prepared. In case PETA is reading, I'd like to note that no leopards were killed to make Emily's dress in the photo above. However, Ms. Robison's animal spirit, on the other hand, was later captured and subject to scientific experiments. Surf's UpAsk and ye shall almost receive ... The above photos are from Martie and Natalie's successful foray into surfing, which you can read about in my article set to go live on http://dixiechicks.msn.com in the next few days. Thankfully, the Chicks also approved a grip of photos. So many, in fact, that I can promise an original never-before-seen picture every day on the blog from now until Kwanzaa, give or take a few bathroom breaks. Unfortunately, some of the photos didn't get approved, like the one below of Natalie in her bathing suit. She assures everyone, however, that she looked totally hot. An Honor To Be Nominated To Be NominatedShut Up and Sing finally hit theatres nationwide today. As you can see from my photo above, Natalie might finally be ready to kiss, make up, and make nice, now that their story is available for massive public consumption. In a related story, the Dixie Chicks documentary was recently chosen as one of the fifteen documentary films (from a field of 81) eligible to become one of the five nominees for the Academy Award for best Documentary Feature. The news that the film made the initial cut has definitely aroused some cautious excitement in these circles. Tonight, in Oakland, Natalie deadpanned, "It's an honor just to be nominated to be nominated." She also noted that if forced to vote for another documentary, her vote would go to the film Jesus Camp, which she watched in San Francisco today. * Leave your reviews of Shut Up and Sing below! (Or, if the documentary didn't make it to your neck of the woods or sold out before you could buy tickets, you can leave your thoughts on the new James Bond film, which you watched to console yourself.) More Than Just A Caption ContestInstead of explaining the context of this photo I took of the Chicks on the way to their movie premiere, I thought it would be more fun to let y'all use your creative juices to create the back story. Feel free to submit your own theory in the comments. Some Days You Gotta Dance"Hey Junichi, you wanna see something funny?"
Tonight, after the show in Portland, Natalie asks me this question and giddily summons me to move closer to her laptop, as Emily groans.
A few YouTube videos later, we are both dying of laughter, although I am mostly chuckling because of how much Natalie is guffawing. While this is only my first time seeing these cleverly edited videos, Natalie has incessantly watched these clips, over and over, with no signs of diminishing amusement.
I could say that this is an example of how the Chicks laugh at themselves. But in this case, Natalie is mostly laughing at Emily's expense.
So that everyone else can join in on the source of the hysterics, please enjoy Emily Robison dancing here and here. You can also watch the Chicks bring sexy back here. (In my humble opinion, Martie actually looks like she's channeling Dana Carvey doing the Church Lady dance.)
Finally, see if you agree with Natalie's steadfast belief that I was bidding in yen instead of dollars in this video. Cash Rules Everything Around The Dixie ChicksAre the Chicks following Angelina and Madonna to get their hands on the latest celebrity fashion accessory? No, silly rabbit! Chicks are for kids! Actually, the above photo is one I shot of the ladies holding music director Tony Kaye's beautiful child, shortly after the Chicks were filmed for a new Johnny Cash video that's airing tonight. Back in August, during rehearsals in Los Angeles, Tony Kaye filmed the Chicks listening to the late Johnny Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” for the first time. The Chicks are now among thirty six celebrities that will be weaved into a new music video set to debut tonight. VH1 and MTV will simultaneously premiere the video at 11:00pm ET/PT. You can also peep this Cash tribute on the CMT Top 20 Countdown show tonight at 7 pm PT. The thunderous song is incredible, which shouldn't be surprising given the track was produced by Rick Rubin and, well, it's Johnny Cash. But even if you're not interested, this might be the only chance you get to see Martie, Natalie, and Emily appear in the same music video as Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Johnny Depp, Patti Smith, and Chris Rock. Natalie = Mrs. Potato Head? Natalie's husband, actor Adrian Pasdar, and the entire cast of Heroes (which Natalie has impartially referred to as the best show on television) drew illustrations of their characters to help raise funds for the Pediatric Epilepsy Project. When asked how Adrian was inspired by his drawing above, he apparently said, "Yup. That's me. Mr. Potato Head." Yes, as of 1:45 am eastern time, I am the highest bidder. And the CMA goes to ...Tonight, the Dixie Chicks took home a Country Music Award for every category in which they were nominated! (Unfortunately, they weren't nominated in any categories.) |
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