Talking to a Werewolf

Working for a large city magazine does have its perks! Last week I had the opportunity to interview actor Chaske Spencer, who plays the role of Sam Uley in the hugely successful Twilight Saga: New Moon.

He is in town to sign autographs at a Worcester Sharks game and I spoke with him briefly on the phone last week from his NYC hotel room.

Chaske was really nice and a good sport during the interview; Only a year ago he was a little known actor but now he has broken out in a BIG way.

Look for him in New Moon, as well as the upcoming Eclipse, which is set to be released this summer.

And be sure to check out the interview with Chaske in this week's issue of Worcester Magazine!

(Image courtesy of reelmovienews.com)

Celebrity Chef Michael Giletto Coming to Judge the Woo

Worcester will be presenting the third annual Best Chef competition at the end of the month, and they have been able to get celebrity chef Michael Giletto as one of the judges for the event!

Giletto has appeared on Iron Chef America and has also been a contestant on one of my favorite shows, Chopped!

I was fortunate enough to interview him this week about his upcoming duties as a judge for the Worcester competition, and he's a really nice guy!

I can't disclose any deets at the moment, but don't forget to grab a copy of Worcester Mag the last week of January to check it all out!

(Image courtesy of www.harrahs.com)

Worcester Event: Cabin Fever at KJ Baaron's!

In some non-pop culture related news, the Cabin Fever team will be coming to Worcester Monday, January 11th at KJ Baaron's for a taste-testing.

For those of you who don't know, Cabin Fever is maple flavored whiskey that one of my family members created a couple years back!

Well, now it's starting to catch on outside of NH and into other states, so they are bringing the fun to Massachusetts!!

The event starts at 6pm at the bar where there will be taste testing of different mixed drinks involving the whiskey, or if you prefer simply some Cabin Fever on the rocks!!

I've had it before and it's delicious! Very smooth, with not bad after taste!!

I hope to see some people there!!!

(Image courtesy of www.themillfudgefactory.com)

If You're in the Woo...

Tonight a GREAT Clark University band will be performing at Beatnik's on Park Ave. The Great Whiskey Rebellion will be hitting the stage around 9:30-10pm so be sure to go check it out if you are around!

Here is a link to their Facebook page:

The Great Whiskey Rebellion

Some Non-Pop Culture News...WORCESTER ELECTIONS TODAY

I felt the need to say a little something about today's municipal elections here in Worcester, just because as a reporter I have been following these candidates for the last 5 months and for the first time I kind of know a little bit about it!

Although turnout for Worcester elections is usually low (last election only about 20% of all registered voters in the city actually voted) but this year we have an actual race for mayor, which hopefully will bring some new people out!

The contenders for mayor are as follows"

- Konnie Lukes (incumbent)
- Joe O'Brien
- Kate Toomey
- Emmanuel Tsitsilianos

It could be a tight race: It's really come down to incumbent Lukes and O'Brien, who will be the front runners in the election. If I could vote (I am still registered in NH) I would fully support O'Brien. It's time for something new, and he has the ideas and the energy to successfully take over this position. As incumbent, Lukes will receive a large chunk of the votes to start with, but I think Worcester is ready for a change. As for Toomey, she's been successful on city council and the school committee but it's just not her time; she's a little bit out of her league. As for Tsitsilianos, this guy is a joke; a native of Greece with no prior political background, who I think is a little sketchy. My votes goes to O'Brien.

(Image courtesy of 3.bp.blogspot.com)

Turtle Boy Music Awards TONIGHT!!

Everyone should come party and get ridiculous tonight on Green Street and Water Street for Worcester Magazine's Turtle Boy Music Awards Event!!

We have 30 bands lined up that will performing from 6pm-2am at various bars all up and down the two streets, with Worcester Mag employees MC-ing and handing out T-shirts!

Some of the bands scheduled to perform tonight are Flock of Assholes, Castine, the Mass Elite, Holmes, New Pilot, and MORE.

This event is HUGE and should be really fun! There are no cover charges at the bars so feel free to come and have a couple cocktails!

Kanye. Lady Gaga Coming to Worcester

GREAT NEWS! Kanye West and Lady Gaga are touring together this year, and they are coming to Worcester!

The two superstars are coming to the DCU Center on December 16th, and I'm sure the concert will be ridiculously awesome!

It has been said that the two performers will not be performing one at a time, but actually TOGETHER on stage for a Kanye/Gaga mash up! That would be amazing!!

I wonder if Gaga's having second thoughts after Kanye's childish temper tantrum at the VMA's?

The two are calling it the "Fame Kills" tour, go online to look for more dates!

(Image courtesy of manifestopart2.files.wordpress.com/)

Worcester on Jay Leno

last night on the Jay Leno Show, the king of late night had Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise on the show, who are filming their new movie "Wichita" at the Worcester Airport. They two stars were on via satellite from Worcester!!

What's funny is that Cruise and Diaz are being interviewed from within the airport, and there is absolutely no one to be seen. Now, they may have closed the airport down for the mega stars but on a given day there are only about 5 people there anyway...


Check it out below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eoW1Dy9S8g

(Image courtesy of www.accesshollywood.com)

Megastars Coming to Worcester!

Get ready folks, because in a couple weeks both Tom Cruise AND Cameron Diaz will be gracing our presence when they begin shooting their new film Wichita at Worcester Airport!

Cruise plays a secret agent who keeps popping up in Diaz's life...sounds like a winner...

The location was chosen due to the um...light crowd that frequents the airport (aka no one even knows that Worcester has an airport) so they crew will be able to film without the real hustle and bustle of a busy place like say, LAX.

This is exciting! If you are interested in being an extra head to www.bostoncasting.com and fill out a form!


(Image courtesy of www.topnews.in)

Turtle Boy Music Awards EVENT

Worcester Magazine presents the 2009 Turtle Boy Music Awards!!

The event will be taking place Thursday September 24th all over the Canal District! Starting at 6:15pm and running until 2am, the event will have over 20 of Worcester's best bands performing and receiving awards that have been voted on by the people of the Woo!!

This event is going to be HUGE! The bands will be playing all over Green Street, Water Street, Milbury, Winter, and Kelley Square!

For more info head to worcestermagazine.com!

Worcester's Art in the Park

I was able to swing by Elm Park the other day and see the awesome artwork on display for the annual Art in the Park exhibit. This is a really cool exhibit that allows you to walk around and enjoy this gorgeous park (it's the oldest in the country!) while looking at some very interesting pieces.

The exhibit will be up through September so feel free to go check it out!

Worcester Brings the Latin Flava

Mark your calenders for August 15th Worcesterites, as the 19th Annual Latin American Festival takes place around City Hall from noon to 9pm.

There will be tons of performers, including Miami band Local34, as well as a bunch of local talent as well.

There will also be a children's tent for the young ones to play while the adults enjoy great live music and good food!

Worcester Wednesday's

Worcester has some great events coming up, and one of them is the Out on a Limb Art Exhibit.

Starting August 8th at the Booklovers' Gourmet in Webster, join artists Debra Horan and Pamela Redick as they take you on a journey through the wonderful world of trees.

The exhibit will showcase different pieces from each artist, both showcasing their love of trees, and even incorporating elements from the trees themselves.

Everyone should go take a look! The Booklovers' Gourmet is also a coffee shop/bookstore where people can just chill and relax.

Find out more details below!


http://www.er3.com/book/

Lucky Dog

If you're in Worcester, Head to Lucky Dog Music Hall tonight to see the Dave Rivers Group perform, with guests Castine, Dental Plan, and Jamie Brown.

The show runs from 8pm - 2am tonight!

The venue is known to get packed so get there early and have a great time!

For more info to their site!

http://www.luckydogmusic.com/

Turtle Boy Music Awards

Don't forget to go to Worcestermagazine.com and vote for your favorite local bands and musicians!

The Turtle Boy Awards has become an annual fixture for Woo Mag; last year we had over 4,000 votes!

We're trying to equal that and more this year, so go online and vote!

Worcester Shakespeare Festival!

The Worcester Shakespeare Festival has already kicked off, and I heard this year the shows are amazing!

I was able to snag tickets for tomorrow's performance of MacBeth, and I am very excited!

If you're a Shakespeare fan I urge you to buy a ticket to one of the shows! It runs until August 23rd at the amphitheater in Green Hill Park!

Worcester Events: Noches Calientes

For everyone in Worcester looking to work up and sweat and dance the night away, Noches Calientes is the place to go!

Go TONIGHT! The event runs from 9pm - 1am at the Hanover Theatre, where you can dance to Salsa, Bachata and Meringue music!

For more info go to thehanovertheatre.org!

Skate of the Art in Worcester

Everyone in the area should check out the Skate of the Art Exhibit that's taking place at the Dark World Gallery on Grafton Street in Worcester.

This art show displays skate decks that have been painted, broken and reassembled, and everything else you could possibly do to a board.

The show opens August 1st from 6-10pm. Check it out!

(Image courtesy of paraorkut.com)

Worcester Wednesday's

Another new segment is "Worcester Wednesday," when we feature a great local artist from the area. This week is Sam James, a Worcester native that combines a mix of John Mayer, minus the dbag-ness.

I was lucky enough to interview Sam James for the magazine I work for, and he's a great guy. Head to his myspace page to listen to some of his original work!

Here's a link to his page!

http://www.myspace.com/samjamesmusic
(Image Courtesy of Sam James' Myspace Page)