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Interviewing celebrities, breaking national stories, blogging daily, and offering candid commentary on pop culture is just a small sample of what he does. Ralphie Aversa is the relentless, tireless, non-stop-always-go host and executive producer of “The Ralphie Radio Show.” Check out his links above, and his blog below - and thanks for swinging through!

11.11.2009

Sean Paul/Keri Hilson Show Cancelled

The Sean Paul concert with special guests Keri Hilson & Colby O'Donis on Friday, November 13 at the Wachovia Arena has been cancelled. Refunds are available at point of purchase.

The Creators of Pornaments on The RRS

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Would love to post links/photos... but I don't think my bosses would appreciate that... if you listen to the interview, you can find out where to snag more info on "Pornaments." Google searches always work too...

EXCLUSIVE: Sean Kingston Talks New LP, I-Yaz, Jason Derulo

Don’t expect a new single from Sean Kingston’s sophomore LP tomorrow, or the day after, or the day after.

Checking in to The Ralphie Radio Show via telephone, Kingston told me that Tomorrow is yesterday, as he is already in production on his third album.

“We’re gonna go to a brand new album, with some crazy joints,” revealed Kingston. “I’ve been so inspired that I’ve been in the studio… and I’ve been coming up with a lot of smashes.”
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The “Fire Burnin’” singer did confirm that J.R. Rotem is contributing to the new effort. Rotem produced the number one hit, “Whatcha Say” – a song performed by Jason Derulo but originally intended for Kingston’s album. Perhaps it’s that song, along with “Replay” – which is by Kingston’s artist I-Yaz, that inspired the new material.

Kingston closes out the year with the “Tomorrow Tour” and radio promo dates, and then will continue production on his next LP.

EXCLUSIVE: Colby O'Donis Talks New Music Projects...

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The Grammy-nominated Colby O' checked in to the RRS to give us an update on his next music project...

11.09.2009

EXCLUSIVE: OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder On Possible Rihanna Collaboration, New OR Single

He’s the lead singer of OneRepublic. The guy’s band is currently on tour with Rob Thomas. The group is releasing a new LP this month. He’s also writing and producing some of the biggest hits on radio for some of the most popular artists. But if you’re Ryan Tedder, you know you’re busy when you miss the deadline for Rihanna’s new album.

“(Laughing) Man, that week literally, I was working on stuff, and they were closing out her record, and I just missed (the deadline) by the cusp,” Tedder revealed. OneRepublic’s front man called in to The Ralphie Radio Show while on the road, and sounded optimistic about a future opportunity to work with Rihanna. “I mean, I know they’ll be repackaging it at some point. Yunno, they repackage everything at some point, so. I talked to her label and I’m definitely gonna bring some heat for the reissue.”
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Part 1: Rihanna, Michael Bolton, Making Radio Hits

Part 2: Balancing OneRepublic/Side Projects, New LP, New Hit Predictions


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Rihanna’s last LP, Good Girl Gone Bad, spawned Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded, which included the mega hit, “Take A Bow.”Other projects that Tedder worked on included the new release from Leona Lewis (Tedder co-wrote “Bleeding Love”, and wrote her new single, “Happy”) and Adam Lambert’s For Your Entertainment. Tedder is responsible for the song, “Sleepwalker” – which he predicts will be a radio hit. Another big song prediction of Tedder’s is the next OneRepublic track, “Secrets”

“It connects, man,” Tedder noted of the song, which already reached the top of the iTunes sales charts overseas (The German movie, Zweiohrküken featured “Secrets” on its soundtrack). “We have a lot of high hopes for ‘Secrets’.”

While the song is reminiscent of the sound that made Dreaming Out Loud such a success, if it doesn’t take off in the States, it wouldn’t mark the first incorrect prediction by Tedder. The songwriter admits he is still learning the skill of marrying the right song to the right artist, and cited Jennifer Lopez’s “Do It Well” as an example.

“It sounded like such a hit for her,” said Tedder. “It was kind of one of those deals where, I think people just really didn’t care. They were kinda like, ‘Eh, J-Lo, whatever.’”

Clearly, Tedder hopes for a different reaction when OneRepublic releases their sophomore LP, Waking Up, on November 17.

EXCLUSIVE: Jordin Sparks Hadn't Heard "Let The Music Play" Until "S.O.S."

Of course, Jordin Sparks never thought that she would sample the 1983 hit “Let The Music Play” by Shannon for a track of her own. Before using the song, Sparks hadn’t even heard of it.

“I thought it was going to be really cool, just a different kind of experiment for me because I’ve never done like, a dance track before,” said Sparks, who called in to The Ralphie Radio Show from Los Angeles. “I played it for my mom and she was like, ‘Oh my god, I love this song!’ and I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ And she was like, ‘This is ‘Let The Music Play’ by Shannon!’ and I was just like, ‘Oh my goodness.’”

Sparks’ mom gave birth to Jordin 6 years after Shannon’s song burst on to the music scene. “S.O.S. (Let The Music Play)” is now Jordin’s second single from her sophomore LP, Battlefield. It’s the second album released since Sparks won American Idol Season 6 – at age 17. She is the youngest winner of the reality show in its seven season history. Now, at age 19, she is not only an Idol champ, but an American Music Awards winner, a Grammy nominee, and an opener for such acts as Alicia Keys, the Jonas Brothers, and Britney Spears. It’s quite the diverse roster of acts, and Sparks noted that there were some differences between touring with the Jo-Bros and Britney.
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Part 1:
World Series, Touring With Britney, The Jonas Brothers

Part 2: Self-Image, "SOS (Let The Music Play)"

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“On the Jonas crew, we were all around the same age,” said Sparks. “So we all got along, just hanging out, doing different things like that. With Britney, she’s trying to get back on track, and the people around her are definitely taking care of her. I did get to see her, but she’s Britney Spears. She’s busy doing her V.I.P. meet-and-greets and adding new songs and choreography and stuff, but it was amazing to be able to see her back on the stage.”

Certainly Sparks learned, both what to do and what not to do, from watching Spears so closely. Both entered mainstream as teenagers (Spears released “…Baby One More Time” when she was almost 16). Both now must stay conscience of the tabloids, blogs, and paparazzi. Spears and Sparks have even both posed for their own “Got Milk?” campaigns. But any type of downward spiral from Sparks seems highly unlikely, judging by a refreshingly honest answer she gave to a listener-generated question on The RRS about her look.

“The Hollywood obsession with being skinny and everything, it’s so crazy,” Sparks said. “For me, I’m just all about staying healthy. I mean, yeah I’ll work out and, yeah I’ll eat healthy. But it’s not like, to diet or to lose weight. Yunno, it’s to stay healthy and not get sick, like I did so many times last year.”

Jordin even went as far as to say that some of her detractors refer to her as “fat,” but does not waver in her stance on her image – citing her taller, curvier frame as the reason why she may not look the same as other artists or actresses. But clearly it isn’t just Sparks’s figure that sets her apart from others, but rather her talent, confidence, and perspective on young women and their self-image.