8/12: The Gong Show Live, Claiken & the Velvet Teddy Bear…
…and Food for Thought at the NY Botanical Garden
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Clay Aiken, his hair, and Ruben Studdard crowd Hammerstein Ballroom tonight.
TWOFER DELUXE: American Idol has undergone plenty of sea changes since the Velvet Teddy Bear vanquished Claiken (only to watch the runner-up smash him in record sales), but no amount of Paula-Ellen-Simon drama could take away the feelgood cheese-ola vibes surrounding the Clay Aiken/Ruben Studdard reunion tour, which alights at Hammerstein Ballroom tonight.
FROM HOLLYWOOD, ALMOST LIVE: The first-ever Gong Show Live happens at B.B. King’s tonight, and just like with the 1970s camp classic, there’s no way to know whether acts will be brilliant or gong-able, but we do know the organizers—who began auditioning acts of all stripes for the project months ago--are committed to upholding the “unpredictable, deranged and magnificent” appeal of the television show. Chuck Barris would be proud.
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