Oh, NO!

Toto was one of my favorite bands when I was a kid. This makes me want to break stuff and stomp around in a tantrum.

As Pinnacle Entertainment prepares for the Jan. 25 anticipated release of its two Christian/gospel music-based compilations, The Pinnacle Project: Last Say So and The Pinnacle Project: BIG, the first single releasing to Christian radio stations across the nation is already generating a buzz among major radio programmers and industry insiders.

"Hosanna," the first single from The Pinnacle Project: Last Say So, is a derivative work of the 1982 smash hit single "Rosanna," recorded by mainstream pop/rock group Toto. The single skyrocketed up the charts to No. 1 and helped win the group five Grammy Awards including Record of the Year and Album of the Year, the two highest Grammy honors.

The Pinnacle Project's "Hosanna," was re-written and arranged by label founder and acclaimed music producer Marc Harris (Michael McDonald, BeBe & CeCe Winans). Harris rewrote the song with the blessing of Toto keyboardist and songwriter David Paich, who has admired Harris' work and was excited about the idea for a new version of the band's signature song.

The song's recognizable melody makes the perfect backdrop for the updated arrangement of vertically-driven lyrics and emotion-packed vocals that build into a powerful worship anthem. In early testing, Christian radio stations and networks in key markets have been flooded with listener phone calls after playing "Hosanna" on the air just one time. Radio programmers in markets across the country are already asking for the single, which will officially go for adds at AC, CHR and Inspo radio stations across the country on Friday, Feb. 4.

The Critic.

Well, the editor of the website for which I'm writing some commentaries has taken the role of critic and redirected my efforts. My first column, and I knew it did, needs some work. But it's good for a critic to be criticized, especially since I wrote for years and years and my magazine editors never advised me much. I got away with murder in my journalism classes, being published before college encourages ones professors to just pass you right through. Not that I was a horrible student or anything, I just didn't really try that hard. Or maybe I was a genius. [Natch.] Let's go with that. Perhaps I need to embrace my arrogance and judgmental attitude. All the things I think, I've been reluctant to put down in print. I don't want people to think me some horrible, elitist, opinionated snob. But I suppose a critic can't really ride the fence. So here I am, opinionated snob, where everyone can see it -- in black and white.

The Saddest Day.

We lost a real class act yesterday. Johnny Carson was a wonderful comedian and a top-tier celebrity who's gift made him famous, not his personal affairs. He was a charmer on stage, and off-stage he maintained a quiet lifestyle. He was never overexposed. He never pounded us over the head with his political ideals, moral values or shortcomings. He was an entertainer, and that perfect image of the entertainer is how he will be remembered.

As a grade school kid, I would try to fall asleep in front of the TV so maybe, just maybe I could open my eyes later and sneak in some sights of the Tonight Show. I laughed at everything the audience laughed at. I always wished I would have a chance to be a guest and meet the funny man myself. There's talk of the many celebrities' careers he launched, but I'm sure there are many people in all aspects of show business who attribute their beginnings to having watched The Tonight Show. How inspiring to watch someone do what he loved to do, and it seemed so effortless. He just made people laugh.

Snow Day.

The snow finally stopped falling early this morning, and by noon, the city was covered with about a foot and a half. Not exactly the record-breaking blizzard the TV news channels predicted, but a lot of snow nonetheless. I walked around Central Park where kids and adults trekked along with sleds, skis, and snowshoes. Even the neighborhood dogs romped and wrestled with extra vigor.

The exceptional drop in temperature this week warranted almost 5,000 calls to 311 in just one day. The calls were all made in complaint of landlords not in compliance with city heat and hot water codes. What kind of a city is this that landlords even attempt to get away with not to turning on tenants' heat?