Want to see how the show was? Want to see how your competition did? Take a peek at the video from the SW Regional Show of the Country Showdown held at the Shuler Theater in Raton, NM on October 17th. Video graciously provided by Country Showdown sponsors KCRT Radio in Trinidad, Colorado and KBKZ Country Radio in Raton, NM. See if you can guess which act the judges picked!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSYXBQfdZu0
* * * * *
ADAM LEVINE SLAMS RECORD LABELS FOR MISMANAGING ‘THE VOICE’ WINNERS: ‘NO ONE KNOWS WHAT THEY’RE DOING’
When NBC’s “The Voice” coach Adam Levine was once quoted criticizing his own show (specifically, the fact that it’s never produced an actual music star), he claimed his words were taken out of context. But on Tuesday, he visited Howard Stern’s radio show and delivered some unusually candid, harsh words about the same topic, all directed at the record labels affiliated with the reality competition series.
It started when Stern, a fellow NBC star on “America’s Got Talent,” asked Levine why “American Idol” was able to launch winners to legitimate stardom, yet no other singing show has been able to “really capture that lightning in a bottle.”
Levine hedged at first. “I’ll be relatively cryptic about what I think the big problem is,” he said. “When the baton is passed post-‘Voice,’ there’s some problems. People take over after we do this great job of building these people up on the show. There’s some real issues there.”
Translation: The winner of “The Voice” lands a record deal with Universal Music Group, which takes things from there. Depending on their genre, winners go on to a variety of Universal labels, from Republic Records (Tesseanne Chin, Sawyer Fredericks) to Nashville’s Big Machine (Danielle Bradbery, Cassadee Pope).
Wherever they go, Levine doesn’t think the people in charge are doing a very good job capitalizing on “The Voice” fame. Mainly, he said, there appears to be no strategic career plan for what to do with the winner once they leave the show and head to a big-time label.
“The rollout of all that is still such a mess,” Levine said. “And by the way, just to clarify, this has nothing to do with what happens on NBC or with the people. In that time, we do so much great s— for these singers, and then they go to a record label that I won’t mention. But they go to a record label that f—s it up.”
“Record labels are — our business is the worst right now,” Levine added. “No one knows what they’re doing.”
Stern wondered if the labels try to rush the winner into recording and writing with a bunch of producers that have zero connection to them.
“Most of them don’t even do that! You’d be shocked to see it. The show ends, and they’re like, ‘Okay, they don’t matter to me anymore.’ This is how they feel on the other end,” Levine said. “I don’t understand why they don’t care. That’s what drives me absolutely bonkers. And then it makes me feel defeated on my end because there’s really not much I can do.”
Levine echoed his frustration of being on the sidelines when the mentees are locked into contracts with labels, and he can’t do anything to help, even if it appears their career is going downhill fast. “We get so attached and so passionate about helping these guys. And now it’s become this thing where I feel like after I want to be part of it, too, to whatever capacity I can. And I’m glad I’m saying this on air so maybe the label will get angry and f— off, so we can get somebody else to do it,” Levine said.
“But they should get angry … they’ve got the world’s greatest promotion!” Stern said, noting they’re squandering the potential of the show’s millions of viewers every week.
Levine went on about how he would change things: For starters, it’s especially imperative to rush a debut single and album, since it’s way too easy for a new singer to lose momentum as people stop paying attention, he said. “In that moment when you’re never going to be bigger … it’s been this whole meteoric rise to the top of this thing, you’re peaking right here,” he pointed out. Levine said it also doesn’t make sense for contestants to perform their new single on the finale as they’re named the winner: They’re crying and confetti is coming down, and viewers can’t even hear a thing.
Eventually, Levine acknowledged that when it comes to post-reality show success, the record labels can’t be blamed for everything: Sometimes there are personality problems when musicians develop giant egos, and it becomes difficult to work with them. “Some people are huge pains in the a–es, too. A lot of artists think all of a sudden that they’re god’s gift,” he acknowledged.
Overall, he said, for “The Voice” winners to actually make a mark, the labels have to step it up. “We do a great job,” Levine concluded. “I just wish that someone on the other end was there to do it right.”
By Emily Yahr October 27 at 3:59 PM
* * * * *
THE 11 WORST INTERNET SCAMS WE’RE STILL FALLING FOR
In 2001, I planned to move to a new town in Connecticut. I put my house up for sale, but it sat there, unsold in the recession, for over a year. Not a nibble, even after I dropped the price and made some improvements.
Then one day, my realtor called with some astonishing news. “You’ve got a full-price offer!” she said. “And get this: The buyer doesn’t need an inspection, she’s paying cash, and she wants to close at the end of this week!”
- OK, what? She didn’t need a mortgage? She didn’t want to negotiate?
Well, whatever. I showed up at the closing—but the buyer herself was absent.
Her lawyer was deeply apologetic. “She just called; she’s in tears. She won’t be buying your house after all. She just keeps saying, ‘The Nigerian man promised that I’d have the money by today!’”
Oh come on. Really? There’s one person left in America who fell for the old Nigerian email scam?
No, not one person—a lot of people. Internet scams are still a huge business. We sent Internet scammers $13 billion last year, and our gullibility shows no signs of abating.
All Internet scams are fundamentally the same: Someone offers you something you want for nothing. It’s usually money, but it might also be male sexual prowess, weight loss, or a cure—for baldness, herpes, cancer, cellulite, heart disease, diabetes, or deafness.
Here’s a shocker: Not everything you read on the Internet is true. And so, for your own entertainment and education, here they are: The 11 hottest Internet scams that we’re still falling for.
1. The Nigerian email scam
It comes to you by email:
“I am Mr. Paul Agabi,” it says. “I am the personal attorney to Mr. Harold Cooper, a national of your country, who used to work with Exxon Oil Company in Nigeria. On the 21st of April, my client, his wife and their only child were involved in a car accident. All occupants of the vehicle unfortunately lost their lives.”
Amazingly enough, rich dead guy left behind millions of dollars—and your correspondent wants you to have it! If you’ll help Mr. Paul Agabi get those millions out of the country, using your bank account as a parking spot, he’ll share the dough with you.
So you get excited. You write back. Maybe you make an offer on a house in Connecticut.
But then a funny thing happens: Mr. Agabi asks you to send some money to him, to cover bribes to officials. It’s only a couple hundred bucks, so you send it.
A week later, there’s another problem—he needs another payment, this time to take care of taxes. You send it.
Then legal fees. Then other fees.
You will never get any money. You will be asked to send more, more, more money until you come to your senses and realize you’re being bilked. Though it has expanded beyond the country of Nigeria, it is still called the “Nigerian” or “419″ scam (named for the section of the Nigerian penal code it violates).
Yes, people still fall for the Nigerian scam. A lot of people. Commence mass forehead-slapping.
2. The perfect girlfriend scam
You’re on a dating site, and you find The One: She’s gorgeous, she’s witty, and she’s really into you. She really wants to meet you—and she hints that your first date will be something you’ll never forget. You’re hooked, lined, and sunk.
Oh—but she needs a little money for a ticket to come see you.
Oh, and can you help her out with her rent?
And how does it go when the big night arrives? It doesn’t. She doesn’t show up, because she’s not a real person. She’s a stock photo and a con artist who’s been playing you—probably a male.
3. The Craigslist scam
You’re trying to sell something on Craigslist, the free classified-ads site—a bicycle for $300, let’s say. You hit paydirt almost immediately:
“Send me your address, and I will mail you check right away for $1,500 to cover the bike and shipping to me in Germany. Deposit the check, and then send $450 by Western Union to my shipping company.”
Maybe your spider-sense is tingling. But sure enough, you get a money order or certified check in the mail. Fantastic!
The only problem is, it’s a forgery. You’ll deposit it, wire this guy $450 of your real money—and a couple of days later, your bank will let you know that the money order was a fake. Now you’ve lost your bike and $450.
Three big clues that you’re being targeted: (a) The offer is for more than you’re asking; (b) you’re supposed to send your item to another country; and (c) you’re asked to use the other guy’s shipping company.
4. The classic phishing scam
You get an email from your bank (or Amazon, eBay, PayPal, Yahoo, Apple) saying that there’s a problem with your account. You’re encouraged to click the link to fix the problem—“or else your account will be suspended!” [more]
5. The SMishing scam
Same thing as phishing, except that it arrives by text message (SMS) instead of email. [more]
6. The “mugged on vacation” scam
“Things got out of control on my trip to London,” says an email from one of your friends. “I was mugged, and all my belongings including cell phone and credit card were all stolen at gunpoint. I need your help flying back home and paying my hotel bills!” [more]
7. The pre-approved credit-card scam
Your current financial situation isn’t so great right now, but hey, look at that—it’s your lucky day! You’ve just gotten an email that offers a pre-approved Visa card! Or a loan with an impressively high credit limit. Hallelujah! [more]
8. The you’ve-won-the-sweepstakes scam
Hey, wow! You just won an overseas sweepstakes—one that you never even entered! How lucky can you be? [more]
9. The work-at-home scam
At this point, you should be rolling your eyes. These Internet scams all follow a pattern. [more]
10. The false “infection detected” scam
You’re on the Web, when a pop-up message appears, claiming that your computer might be infected by a virus. You’re invited to click a link that will scan your system for infections. Surprise, surprise—the scan discovers one! [more]
11. The faux charity scam
Every time there’s a disaster—a hurricane, an earthquake—millions of people, grateful to be safe and concerned for the victims, want to help. [more]
# # #
None of this is new. None of this is surprising. The Internet may be the latest conduit for scams, hoaxes, and frauds—but the greed, fear, and hope it exploits are as old as homo sapiens.But here’s the thing: homo sapiens means “wise person.” You have brains, too. Use them to steer clear of anything that’s too good to be true.
By David Pogue
David Pogue is the founder of Yahoo Tech; here’s how to get his columns by email. On the Web, he’s davidpogue.com. On Twitter, he’s @pogue. On email, he’s poguester@yahoo.com. He welcomes non-toxic comments.https://www.yahoo.com/tech/the-11-worst-internet-scams-we-1283163153588278.html