More on the news we broke to you over a month ago (with thanks to the Boston Globe), there’s increasing chatter about the expected reunion of the former Ben Folds Five. Ben’s talking more about getting back together with Darren and Robert for a recording session and maybe more, no doubt fueled by the nostalgia as he dug through years of archives and eventually reuniting for three songs on the upcoming Best Imitation of Myself compilation. Recently, there have been stories in Digital Spy, 7News, Contact Music, and Spinner, and probably more to come as the details develop. Update: Billboard.com has a story today, including mention that there’s not a lot of pressure to get it right the first time (“If it’s not great, we can check out and come back later”), but now that the cat’s out of the bag, they’ll “feel a need to make it really great.” (27 Sept 2011) Update: The interactive magazine Zimbio has an item as well. (30 Sept 2011)
News
More press on a Five reunion
Unruly man KO’d by security after San Francisco show
YouTube video has surfaced of an incident following Ben’s July 24 show at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco, which closed out the most recent US leg of the Lonely Avenue tour. According to a story in the San Francisco Examiner, an unruly man was apparently attempting to gain access to Ben’s tour bus when he was punched and knocked out by a venue security guard. The video shows the knockout at about 46 seconds in, the suspect lying on the ground, the arrival of an ambulance, and a couple passing law students giving the cameraman some legal advice. The clip concludes with the cameraman’s account of the incident.
“The Sing-Off” to expand, add another judge
At the NBC Television Network’s Upfront (a presentation on fall programming for the affiliates) today, the network announced that its popular a cappella competition show The Sing-Off, which features Ben Folds on the panel of judges, will expand for its third season. (more…)
Triple J Hottest 100 balloting open
Radio Triple J, the Australian pop station, is conducting its annual Hottest 100 listener poll. Ben has two selections in the list of a few hundred tracks from 2010: Levi Johnston’s Blues and From Above, both from Lonely Avenue. Vote and show your support for Ben’s nominations.
Success for “The Sing-Off”
The second season of NBC’s a cappella competition show, The Sing-Off, featuring an even stronger crop of contenders and Ben as one of the judges, is by most measures a success. Though not in first place, ratings are strong, leading New York Times’ media reporter Bill Carter to suggest that the show is a “virtual certainty” to return for a third season.  The show has posted ratings of 2.8 and 2.6 in the 18-49 demographic in overnight metering, representing viewership in the range of 8 million, a modest increase from last year’s showing. NBC says the December 8 episode registered the highest Wednesday rating the network has had this fall, in the face of strong competition from programming on rival networks CBS and ABC. Update: Ratings are strong for episode 3 which aired Monday, December 13, posting 3.2 the first hour and 3.4 for the second in adults 18-49 for an average of 3.3, representing 9.41 million viewers. Update: Despite tying its lowest rating of the season, Monday’s finale of The Sing-Off still won the night for NBC with a rating of 2.7 and a 7 share with 8.6 million viewers.
