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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!

1.20.2010

EXCLUSIVE: Nick Jonas Hasn't Met Prince, Doesn't Watch "Jersey Shore", Does Rock A BlackBerry

Much is being made in the media over Nick Jonas and his new project: Nick Jonas and The Administration. How successful will they be? Are the Jonas Brothers no more?

The chatter is growing louder after E! News reported that Joe Jonas is now writing songs off on his own, with other musicians that don’t share his last name. However, the man the brothers refer to as “The President” told me exclusively on “The Ralphie Radio Show” that his brother Joe did recently talk shop with one artist – U2 front man Bono.

“The main thing that Bono was saying, was to just be honest with your music,” revealed Nick on his second-hand account of the conversation. “Yunno, when you write your lyrics, write things that are real to you. And don’t be afraid to be too honest.”

It seems the youngest of the 3 musical brothers already picked up on those traits though. Nick wrote a bunch of honest songs – and honestly believed they weren’t for the Jonas Brothers. He told Joe and Kevin how he honestly felt. Now Nick has an honest chance of breaking the stereotypes of an artist cultivated by the Disney machine and to be perceived as well, an honest musician.

Jonas offered up, sorry last time here, honest answers during our conversation, which lasted over 10 minutes. Apparently, the inspiration behind “Stay” – a song written after the initial recording process of the new album – is quite authentic.

“I actually wrote that song in (Washington) D.C. on a day off that we had, a couple weeks ago,” said Jonas. “I was going through some things in my life and that kind of inspired the song and it’s always good when you can pull from real inspiration and real stuff in your life.”
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Part 1: Influences - Prince, Stevie Wonder, U2's Bono


Part 2:
President Obama, Blackberry, "Jersey Shore", "Stay"

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Nick seemed equally surprised and impressed that fans already know the lyrics simply from YouTube videos of the live performances. Jonas said the band recorded a studio version of the track recently in Boston, and that it will see the light of day somehow – possibly in an album repackage or as an iTunes bonus.

It’s also been reported that at one show recently – fellow Disney star Selena Gomez was crying as Jonas played the song. The two were recently photographed together in Chicago and ended up on the front of TMZ.com. I reminded Nick that while I’m sure he’d like to keep his personal life just that, he should still be happy that he’s relevant to the point where people care.

“Well, thank you – that’s very, very nice of you to say,” he responded with a chuckle. “Yunno, it is what it is.”

The conversation did not stray from music-related topics often, but the TV show “Jersey Shore” did come up. The Jonas clan was raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey. Nick heard of the MTV show, but has not seen an episode.

“I did see the YouTube video of Snooki, I believe it is, getting punched in the face,” he admitted. “For me personally, I feel like, coming from New Jersey, and going from that area, which, if you’re from that area, you just know that that’s kind of what it’s like. And so for people across the U.S., they’re thinking, ‘Wow, this is crazy, I’ve never seen this.’ But for me, it was like, ‘Man, that’s home.’”

Jonas still has a couple friends from Seaside Heights.

That album by the way, Who I Am, hits stores February 2. Jonas is in the midst of a 22 date-tour – a trek that he admits is much more scaled down in venue size and production from the massive schedules he embarked on with his brothers. Nick says it’s not a coincidence – as the group tries to center each performance on the music itself.

“This project in particular for me was about just being able to express myself as an artist and as a musician,” he said. “Hopefully, people will respond well to it.”

1.19.2010

EXCLUSIVE: Jason Derulo On Lady GaGa, Haiti, New LP

Despite Monday's Lady GaGa/Jason Derulo show being postponed, the "Whatcha Say" singer still made time for The RRS, chatting for the first time about GaGa's tour changes and appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Derulo also dropped some knowledge about hit self-titled LP, which hits stores this March.

Part 1: Lady GaGa, Haiti

Part 2: Self-titled LP, T-Shirt ripping

TMZ: Creepin' On Ke$ha



I love TMZ - a reporter calls my show at least once a week to chat about one of the many entertainment stories they are breaking exclusive news on. But, this photog is creepy. No, not because he's videotaping Ke$ha shopping in New York City, while she prances around sans pants, ala Lady GaGa. Instead of the video, focus on the audio... his running commentary is, well, priceless.








MTV NEWS' SHAHEEM REID: Lil Wayne Working On Tha Carter VI

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MTV News reporter Shaheem Reid called in to "The Ralphie Radio Show" last week to chat about footage posted on mtvnews.com of Lil Wayne from a new DVD entitled, “The Nino Brown Story, Pt. 2.” The footage is unprecedented – showing the rapper as his fans have never seen him… laughing in the vocal booth, chatting in the mixing room, hanging out in his New Orleans home.
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Check out MTV News here.
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After chopping it up about the DVD, which hits stores January 22, I asked Reid what new music we could expect from Wayne before he heads to prison next month. I also inquired about a possible release date for Tha Carter IV.

“I talked to Wayne, and he’s already on Carter VI,” revealed Reid. “It just depends on what music he wants to release.”

The reporter – who visited Scranton to cover the kickoff of Weezy’s summer tour at Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain – says Wayne will be in prison for 8 to 12 months, and that there’s a chance the we could begin hearing material from the album while he’s away.

TMZ'S DAX: NBC Gives It Back To Jay, Old Show Title Included

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TMZ's Dax called in to The RRS to chat about Jay Leno officially moving back to "The Tonight Show."

Catch Dax on TMZ TV - Local listings here.
Check out the the latest
here.

WINGMAN WEDNESDAY: A Believable Lie

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The Wingman insists, if you're going to lie about your profession - make it good - and make it believable.

Visit The Wingman MySpace, Facebook, & Twitter.

1.18.2010

EXCLUSIVE: Jason Derulo Talks About GaGa's Oprah Appearance And Helping Haiti

In an interview that aired Monday evening on "The Ralphie Radio Show", Jason Derulo, the main supoprting act for Lady GaGa on "The Monster Ball" tour, spoke for the first time about the recent cancellation of a couple shows, as well as GaGa's appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" The segment with Winfrey taped the morning after GaGa failed to perform at Purdue University. She would eventually cancel her Saturday and Sunday tour dates, and postponed Monday's performance at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.

The "Whatcha Say" singer defended his tour mate's condition and decision to tape the show. He also offered a possible explanation as to how she might have been able to appear on the show but still be forced to cancel concerts.

"There's something you can take, it's like a shot, like steroids, which a lot of performers take for a quick fix," explained Derulo. Although later clarifying that he wasn't sure whether GaGa used the remedy or not, he reiterated that it is common for artists to rely on it for very short stints. "It's definitely not something you can do all the time."

Derulo also said that there are certainly no hard feelings over the incident.
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Listen to the audio below, and check The RRS blog later for the interview in its entirety:

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"I mean, 'Oprah' was obviously a really, really big thing - a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he said. "She just had to do that."

The Miami-born singer still spent the weekend in Atlantic City - performing a previously-scheduled solo date on Friday, then performing a second time on Saturday - the night he was to perform with GaGa at The Borgata. Derulo donated all proceeds from the second show to the relief efforts in Haiti - a disaster which hit home for the crooner.

"My heart goes out to Haiti. My parents are from Haiti," revealed Derulo. His uncle still resides there, and survived the earthquake.

"For the first couple days, like, he was just sleeping on the streets," Derulo said. "He was saying how the streets just smell of death."

While on The RRS, Derulo solicited listeners to text "YELE" to 501501. The text will donate $5 to Yele Haiti - a grassroots foundation started by singer Wyclef Jean to aid the country.