Of The Voice and whether (such shows) will truly end life as we know it …

— The third-place singer on The Voice, Nicholas David of Eagan, Minn., has a good friend who works at a group home in the town of Hudson and even has been known to emulate him when singing Sinatra-style karaoke at Bo’s ‘n Mine in River Falls. The guy mentioned early on that — despite his well-referenced humility — the Eagan man is like many contestants and doesn’t use his real name when performing. But he can kick it out on the piano and when surrounded by bursts of fire while doing Hendrix, becoming one of several musicians with Hudson ties to make headway on American Idol and other such contests.
— I’m guessing that the world has not come to an end after all, but the last time there was such a scare, it was toasted at the Village Inn in North Hudson. After all, if the dooms-dayers are right, it’s time to run up a monster tab and not have to worry about ever paying for it. (It has been suggested that if you read the fine print, the aliens legally have to pick up any lingering debts of the people they blow to smithereens). On the down side, there is a sign on the Village Inn wall that says “Free Beer — Tomorrow.”
— It’s also the holiday season, which meant at least three Ugly Sweater contests, which were held at various times of the evening, afternoon and even in one case late morning. Showcasing their questionable taste were Woody’s in Bayport — which was packed full with nattily dressed patrons — the Green Mill and Pudge’s. Seen were a woman dressed as a Christmas tree, complete with lights and decorations that included beer cans, (empty we assume), as well as a man who literally was walking with a candy cane, which one hopes never gets stuck to the fuzz on his obnoxious shirt. There was also more of a liederhosen theme than you’d expect.
— Singer Tawny and guitarist Chris got up on stage during the Jeff Loven show recently, and although not having worked with each other prior to this, get kudos for a spirited version of the hard-to-sing-number “Message in the Bottle” by The Police.
— Rock singer Amy Lee just turned 31, but an area man must think she’s not yet reached a point where having to hold at 29. He claims that after a Somerset mega-rock concert, he and five others found themselves in bed with the veritable songstress. With the man’s bravado you have to wonder, but he seemed pretty confident in his story.