The Associated Press reports that entertainer Fred Travalena died yesterday in Los Angeles. He was 66. Travalena suffered from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that first surfaced in 2002. The cancer resurfaced in 2008. Travalena is survived by his wife of 39 years, Lois; sons Fred IV and Cory; daughter-in-law, Kelly; and a granddaughter.
Travalena was best known for his celebrity impressions, which earned him the nicknames "Mr. Everybody" and "The Man of a Thousand Faces." His extensive resume included television shows and headlining shows in Las Vegas, Reno and Atlantic City; he was a regular on the late night talk show circuit. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005.
There's a group on Christian music industry insiders who get together every year for a private "ceremony" designed to honor the worst in Christian music over the past year. They meet the day before the Dove Awards, much like the Razzies precede the Oscars.
This year, the group members - who all remain anonymous - passed on the results of their voting so I could share it with you. Just to be clear: I'm not part of the group. But where possible, I linked their "honorees" to stories here on the Gospel Soundcheck blog so you could read more about them. The other links go right to websites.
So here, from The Timmy Awards "committee," are this year's honorees:
If "The Office" met the Christian music industry and they had a baby (after they got married, of course), the result would be "Jesus People," the new movie from screenwriters Dan Ewald and Rajeev Sigamoney and director Jason Naumann.
In the tradition of great mockumentaries like "Best In Show" and "A Mighty Wind," "Jesus People" spoofs Christian music in a way that makes viewers come face to face with some of the absurdities of the Christian culture. It's a great chance to laugh both at and with ourselves.
I was doing some research today for an article I'm doing on social networking, and came across this video on GodTube. It's old but it's hilarious. I know Ray Stevens' song "The Streak" and this is another one that'll make you chuckle.
According to the blog, Never Been Thawed is a mockumentary ala "Best In Show" (or "Spinal Tap" or "A Mighty Wind," I would guess), which focuses in part on a band called The Christers. I surfed around the fake band site, and it's pretty funny (although some of the song lyrics are edgy, so just a head's up if you to check out the music. This isn't a Christian band, but a spoof. The Christers used to be a punk band but changed the f-word in all of their songs to "pray" so they could get a record deal more easily You get that joke, right?)
I just wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! As many of you know, in my other life I'm a columnist for several Christian magazines and newspapers, so I thought I'd share with you...
Well, knock me over with a pack of Testamints but apparently some of you didn't get my "You might be a Christian music fan if..." post. Well, at least the Jonas Brothers/David Archuleta joke anyway. Most of you probably didn't...
Very funny Christian writer Matthew Paul Turner did a post this week on his blog, Jesus Needs New PR, in which he asks readers to finish the phrase, "You might be a Christian rock star if ..." His suggestions range...
Hopefully, you caught the webisodes of the show "Jesus People" that I posted last week. The web series satires a Christian dance pop group, from their beginnings to success, complete with the Christianese and secret lives of believers. The...
What do you get when you cross "The Office"-style humor with Christian music? You get "Jesus People," an mockumentary about four music artists who have come together to form a Christian dance band. Trouble is, they bring with them insecurities,...
Last week I shared a couple of really cheesy videos making the rounds on the internet, and pointed out that one of them, "The Renewed Mind Is The Key," was a real performance from 2007. Today I found out that...
My friend Kevin Sparkman sent me this video and I cracked up. I think it's a joke ... I hope it is, anyway ... it's from a "band" called Sonseed and is called "Jesus Is My Friend": And here's another...
Last week I shared a video clip of a (faux) Christian acoustic duo called God's Pottery, who made it through the first round of "Last Comic Standing" with their song about abstinence. Today, I found their full audition, featuring their...
OK, so I'm not sure if this technically qualifies as "Christian music" since it's actually a parody of Christian music, but it's so much fun that I have to share it with you. If you didn't catch the premiere of...
Award-winning freelance writer and columnist Joanne Brokaw covers entertainment for The Christian Examiner newspapers, The Minnesota Christian Chronicle, and The Ozarks Christian News.
Her other writing credits include Breakaway and Brio Magazines, OnCourse Magazine, ChristianMusicPlanet.com, BuddyHollywood.com and AGreaterFreedom.com. Her humor column, A Big Slice of Life, appears monthly in the Christian Voice Magazine and she pens a regular humor column on The Writing Life for ByLine Magazine.
Joanne lives in Western New York with her darling husband David, their Border collie Scout and their cat Murphy. Their almost adult daughter Cassie drops by often. Find out more about Joanne at JoanneBrokaw.com.
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