Almost Like Being in Love
Great Start to the week with Jazz FM‘s Nigel Williams Breakfast show choosing Track of the Week: Rod Stewart with Jools Holland – Almost Like Being in Love
http://ukrp.planetradio.co.uk/?station=jazz-fm&fs=e&s=cl
And Vernon Kay’s Radio 2 show had it as Record of the weeek
Abba Voyage
On Monday Penny attended the Abba Voyage show again with her neice
Last few calendars ..want one?
We are down to the last few SMILER calendars if you want one hurry they will soon be sold out very soon.
Louie
Rod shared a clip on his Insta story of him playing with grandson Louie, in the clip Louie sits on his grandfather’s lap and Rod takes over the little one’s hands as he moves them to the beat, with Louie watching intently as he does.
Penny also posted this great family shot
Rod on CNN
With 2023 running short on days, CNN announced it will once again provide live coverage of the end-of-year festivities and the start of 2024 with its New Year’s Eve Live broadcast starring Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.
The yearly tradition featuring the duo will cover the occasion live from Times Square in New York City for the seventh year running.
“There’s no one I’d rather spend New Year’s Eve with and nowhere I’d rather be at midnight than New York’s Times Square!” said Cooper. Cohen added, “Spending new years with my dear friend Anderson is my idea of a great time and a happy tradition that I look forward to all year long.”
CNN’s coverage of the Central Time Zone entering the new year in years past used to be helmed by Don Lemon in New Orleans, who used to be paired with Brooke Baldwin and, most recently, Alisyn Camerota.
Lemon’s drunken antics would make for entertaining late-night TV watching, but with his exit from CNN earlier this year, the CT celebration coverage will be led by a new pairing from a new location: CNN News Central anchor Sara Sidner will be joined by CNN host Cari Champion. Sidner and Champion will take over the New Years Eve Live coverage at 12:30 a.m. ET/11:30 p.m. CT from Auditorium Shores in Austin, Texas.
CNN notes its New Year’s Eve live coverage will also feature correspondents reporting from across the country, including Richard Quest from Times Square, Stephanie Elam from Atlantis, Paradise Island in the Bahamas, Randi Kaye from Key West, Fla., Gary Tuchman and his daughter Lindsay from Las Cruces, N.M., and Boris Sanchez from Miami, Fla.
CNN’s coverage will also feature musical performances from Enrique Iglesias, Maroon 5, Jonas Brothers, Flo Rida, Miranda Lambert, Darius Rucker, and Rod Stewart. There will be live interviews with Patti Labelle, Jeremy Renner, Neil Patrick Harris, Bowan Yang & Matt Rogers, and a special appearance from David Blaine will also help ring in the new year.
CNN New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen airs on Sunday, Dec. 31 at 8 pm ET. It will stream live on CNN Max and for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN-connected TV, and mobile apps.
This Week’s Rod Art..
Rod has put his LA mansion on the market for $80m, as he prepares to spend more time living at his UK residence.
“It’s just time,” estate agent Tomer Fridman told the New York Times, which first reported the listing. “The whole family lived there for 30 years. The children grew up there, and he’s got grandchildren already. He’s touring, and he lives in Europe a lot of the time.”
Rod paid $12m in 1991 for the lot situated in the Beverly Park neighbourhood, and commissioned the 28,000 sq ft yellow-painted, nine-bedroom, 12-bathroom mansion from architect Richard Landry. It also features a 4,500 sq ft guesthouse: “That would be a main house anywhere else. But in Beverly Park, that’s a guesthouse,” Fridman said. Stewart originally put the property on sale in June, asking for $10m less.
The home features a football pitch and, until recently, housed Rod’s cherished epic train set, entitled Grand Street and Three Rivers City and modelled on US railroads. “It took me 23 years to build,” he said in 2021. “It’s 60ft long by 25ft wide. Bigger than most people’s houses. It’s taken seven months to move [to the UK].”
Rod is now set to live mainly at his 10-bedroom, Grade II-listed mansion on the Hertfordshire and Essex border, near the village of Sawbridgeworth, which he moved into in 2016 with wife, Penny
So in honour of the story, for this weeks Rod art we bring you Rod’s UK mansion, Durrington House at Christmas an amazing smudge painting from our good friend Ray Guselli
And Rod’s art..
This week Rod sold a painting for almost £17,000 as part of thedecluttering of his mansion.
He was selling items from his home in Sheering near Harlow, Essex, during a special auction.
The sale made £50,000 after 40 lots went under the hammer at auctioneers Sworders The 20th Century yachting painting he listed for sale fetched the highest price when it went under the hammer, selling for £16,900.
Faces 2 out this week
Faces 2 the brand new shirt By Ronnie Wood for Mr Wood was released yesterday [Thursday].
After selling out in a couple of days with the first collaboration, Ronnie is back. With a reverse of the original shirt design. If it ain’t broke…
Ronnie Wood has been a long time supporter and wearer of Mr Wood shirts. It helps that they come with his name tape already sewn in.
And for a second time, he has provided his artwork for the latest print.
Taken from the monochrome paintings that the critically acclaimed artist, song writer, and Rolling Stones, Faces and The Jeff Beck Group guitarist produced during lockdown depicting himself and Faces bandmates Rod Stewart and Kenney Jones.
Made from 100% Viscose, with coconut husk buttons and passport sized breast pocket.
The short sleeve has a cuban collar, and the long sleeve a button-down collar.
Limited edition of 150 per sleeve length. The pattern placement is random. No two shirts are the same.
IFEMA MADRID
On Thursday Rod and the band flew to Spain to appear on stage at the IFEMA MADRID and SMILER photographer Marc Baulisch-Stienes was on hand to get some stunning photos including this weeks main photo
Martin Heidt [words] and Silke Mock [Pictures] were also on hand to bring us a review of the evening
Feliz Navidad: Rod Stewart celebrates an acclaimed end to the year in Madrid
For the second time this year, audiences in Spain’s capital Madrid were able to enjoy a concert by Rod Stewart. The singer, who performed at the WiZinkCenter in July, opened the Starlite Christmas Festival last night, which attracts music stars from near and far to the stages of Madrid. In addition to Rod Stewart, Sting and Ricky Martin will also be performing as part of this Fetsival week.
The Spanish media announced the show in the Ifema exhibition hall as a “Christmas spectacle”, but in the end it was Stewart’s great hits from six decades that put the audience in the best of moods.
Rod took to the stage at exactly 9.39pm that evening and opened the almost two-hour show in high spirits with INFATUATION. “Good evening ladies and gentlemen,” the 78-year-old then greeted his audience. “Thank you for your time and your money”. Around 10,000 fans had gathered that evening in the not quite sold-out Pabellón 12 at the Madrid exhibition centre.
Stewart and his band rocked and rolled from hit to hit. IT’S A HEARTACHE, I DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT, MAGGIE MAY, HAVE I TOLD YOU LATELY SAILING or FOREVER YOUNG – Rod Stewart didn’t miss out on any of his big hits and was clearly having fun on stage. With a Celtic scarf around his neck, he called for peace in the world, then performed IT TAKES TWO, a tribute to Tina Turner, who died this year. At the end of his show, Rod Stewart wished the audience a merry Christmas with HAVE YOURSELF A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.
The fans, who included numerous Spanish celebrities (actors, politicians and many more), did not feel like going home for a long time afterwards. Many of them simply continued celebrating at the official after-show party, while others rounded off the evening with a few drinks in the bars and pubs of the Spanish capital.
Don’t miss out on your Christmas Wolfie’s
Here is a quick reminder that this Sunday is the last date to order Wolfie’s before Christmas
https://mailchi.mp/01714ab87868/your-wolfies-12671685
You don’t want to be without your favorite tipple at Christmas!
And Finally..
The latest edition Mojo magazine carries a short article with Rob Caiger talking about up coming Faces releases..watch this space for more news as it breaks
See you next week..