more on the week that was...

in a sneak look at this week's ralphie report - which will be published in the weekender.
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As if “Concert for a Cause 6” didn’t bring enough of a live music party to Northeast PA last week, 97 BHT brought a little more.

Epic Records artist Kat DeLuna ran the show last weekend inside The Wilkes-Barre Hardware Bar. Kat killed it – in a set just shy of a half-hour that included her hits “Whine Up” and “Run The Show.”

“C’mon PA – we gonna get it poppin’!” Kat emphatically yelled while dancing and singing.

The Bronx-born singer also encouraged the jam-packed audience to join on the fun. In between songs, DeLuna brought a bride-to-be on stage. With Kat’s buoying, the future misses grinded to Enur’s “Calabria”, while masses of college students and thirty-something’s alike cheered.

It’s interesting enough that the former opera singer leads the party inside bars and clubs across the nation. After all, she’s only 20 years old.

“It’s funny because usually I like, go in, perform, and then they’re like, ‘Get out – you have to get out quick!’” Kat said the night previous to the show.

Of course, DeLuna was anything but hurried out of Hardware Bar. After taking refuge in her dressing room, Kat spent another forty minutes meeting and greeting BHT V.I.P. winners in a back hallway directly outside the drinking establishment. Everyone snapped pictures, snagged autographed photos, and even received a compliment or two about their attire.

This certainly isn’t the last anyone will see of the Dominican-rooted star. Her CD, 9 Lives, is set for a summer re-release. Kat’s manager allowed BHT a quick listen to one of the new tracks for the LP – a song that Akon produced and hopped on. The record could be a summer anthem, similar to last year’s “Whine Up.”

THE POLITICAL INFERNO CEASES

Last Tuesday, the dust kicked up by the Presidential Primary in Northeast PA finally settled. In the end, Senator Hillary Clinton emerged from the raucous victorious. The candidate, who spent summers vacationing in Lake Winola, defeated Senator Barack Obama by 10 points. Here in NEPA – Clinton’s margin of victory reached 3-to-1.

About an hour before the polls closed, Senator Clinton reached out to 97 BHT – speaking exclusively with A.J. In The Afternoon and myself.

While speaking with A.J., Clinton reminisced about her vacations in the area, and her grandfather and father’s strong ties to Scranton. I immediately inquired about her plans to help reduce the cost of higher education. I also couldn’t help but ask the junior senator about her current emotions.

“I’m always excited, and a little anxious,” Clinton admitted.

Clinton didn’t need to worry, as her candidacy lived to see another primary.