Ben will be back in his old stomping grounds this spring, performing with the North Carolina Symphony in two shows March 22-23 in Raleigh. It will be the first show in the Triangle since the 2008 Ben Folds Five reunion show, and according to David Menconi’s story in the Raleigh News and Observer, the two shows will be different programs, not the same program repeated two nights.
News
Symphony show back home
Release day for “Best Imitation”
So, what do you think of it?
Today (October 10) is the day that Ben’s retrospective compilation Best Imitation of Myself goes on sale in the United Kingdom, and tomorrow (October 11) in the US. If you’ve picked up your copy (that is, if there are any record stores left where you are), have had it delivered, or have downloaded it, let us know what you think! Leave your review in the comments section of this post and we’ll publish the best ones and bounce them over to the Magical Armchair e-mail discussion list (you can subscribe as well, using the box to the right). Is your favorite concert-only song on it? A song from a show you attended? Something you’ve only heard on a fifth-generation mixtape or bootleg, finally in the clear? Let everyone know your first impressions, and enjoy!
Lustre fading a bit for “The Sing-Off”
Second-episode overnight ratings numbers are in for the third season of NBC’s The Sing-Off, and it confirms the ratings drop for last week’s season premiere when compared with season two. Monday’s (Sept. 26) ratings averaged 1.7, with close to 5 million viewers at the start of the two-hour episode, but falling to just under 4 million toward the end of the program. The first week posted slightly better ratings, averaging 1.8 and around 5 million viewers. Overall, the show is in fourth place for Monday nights, behind shows on CBS, ABC and Fox. (more…)
Folds to appear at AES convention
The Audio Engineering Society, an international association of audio and acoustic professionals, has announced that Ben Folds will be the guest for a special interview segment during the society’s 131st convention in New York in October. The interview will be conducted by Errol Kolosine, Assistant Arts Professor at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. Kolosine is formerly general manager of the Caroline/Astralworks record label, on which Ben Folds Five released its first two albums, the self-titled debut and Whatever and Ever Amen, as well as Naked Baby Photos, a collection of b-sides and alternate takes after the group signed with Sony. (more…)
Ben co-hosting Today Show
Ben reports he’ll be co-hosting with Hoda Kotb (pictured left) on the late-morning segment of NBC’s The Today Show on Friday, September 30. The show, which airs on the NBC-TV network from 10-11 AM Eastern time (but check your local listings), features the lighter side of its newsier early-morning cousin, with celebrity gossip, entertainment news, and segments such as cute baby contests. Now that Ben’s a mainstream TV celebrity as judge on the peacock network’s The Sing-Off, he’ll need to keep it clean for the daytime audience. Kathie Lee Gifford, Hoda’s regular co-host, has been in Seattle working on a theatrical production. Update: In case you missed it, you can watch the show online. Ben said his drink of choice was a Gin & Tonic, and Tweeted “What the hell did I just do? after the show. (30 Sept 2011)
