DAILY DOWNLOAD: Skillz - Rap Up 2008

01.05.09 : Skillz - Rap Up 2008
Better than Skillz's medley from last year's, but not his best...

RALPHIE REWIND: Human or Dancer?

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Ralphie read in Rolling Stone that The Killers' front man Brandon Flowers thought it was annoying that people didn't get the hook of the band's track, "Human". Well, Ralphie was one of those people, until this caller...

Read the Rolling Stone article here.

WINGMAN WEDNESDAY: New Year's Creepin Eve...

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The Wingman shares some knowledge on mixing creepin', boozin', and New Year's Eve...

Visit The Wingman on MySpace.

Soap Operas Say Safe-Sex Is Okay.

Obviously you can't see a contraceptive in a sex scene, but now the dialogue in some soap operas suggests a more overt attempt to relay a safe-sex message to women.

Article is here.

Is "Cougar" An Offensive Term?

Thankfully, Jill Brooke of FirstWivesWorld.com doesn't think so - read her editorial here and gather your thoughts - because Jill will defend her's Monday on The Ralphie Radio Show.

Pictures of NEPA'a Partying Priest...

The New York Daily News continues its coverage of Father Gregory Malia of Wilkes-Barre with these pictures taken inside Pink Elephant, an exclusive NYC club and one of Fr. Greg's many haunts...

Happy New Year!

Big thank you to everyone who celebrated the 2K9 with myself and A.J. at The Wilkes-Barre Hardware Bar Entertainment Complex... I'm not really big in to "resolutions" per say - I have goals that I'm constantly reaching for on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis - but that being said, I do have a few things in mind...

- Go to Church!!! This carries over from last year - I did a great job the first half of the year, and fell apart in the second.

- More Blog Threads!!! Of course, the holidays always affect the number of posts to this site, but I am making more of a consistent effort in 2009 to not only post more, but report more, break exclusives more, and share more pictures from my events/life occurances.

And on with the 2009...

PHOTOS: Reeeeetuuuuurn of the mack.

So I went back home to Western New York for Christmas.

That's my nephew Joey rockin' the Yankees Dugout Jacket that Grampa Ralph bought him. The full Facebook album is here.

RALPHIE REWIND: Psychic Jack predicts Ralphie's 2009 Love Life!

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Ralphie filled in for A.J. In The Afternoon and received a little more than he bargained for in the form of an in studio guest and a forecast on his romances for 2009!

Check out Psychic Jack on MySpace.

JILL BROOKE of FIRST WIVES WORLD on Celebrity Marriages!

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Think that average marriages last longer than celebrity marriages? Think again! FirstWivesWorld.com Editor Jill Brooke filled Ralphie in...

Read Jill's report here.

RALPHIE REPORT: Father Party-er of Wilkes-Barre

REVISED 12/30/2008
The following will appear this Wednesday in The Weekender.
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Turns out that one of the most extravagant partiers that calls The Valley their residence, doesn’t even party within Northeastern PA.

He is 43 year-old Gregory Malia – but many in the area as well as the bar staffs he so generously tips simply know him as “Father Greg.”

That isn’t a nickname for his charitable contributions on bills – tipping as much as 60 percent on one tab, which brought the grand total to a staggering $45,000.

Nope, this big city, bottle-ordering patron is of the priesthood. Father Gregory Malia preaches at St. James, a summer-only Episcopal Church in Carbondale.

 
Credit the New York Daily News with breaking this story. Their reporter scored an interview with Fr. Greg, however a publicist for the company which Malia owns cut the conversation short. The pharmacy specializes in medicine dedicated to blood disorders – allegedly the source funding these spending sprees of up to $52,000… in one night.

You’re probably wondering, and the answer is no, Malia doesn’t see anything wrong with the situation.

“I work hard. I make good money. How I spend it – that’s my business,” the priest told a reporter for the Daily News, which ran the article in its Sunday edition.
Bishop Paul V. Marshall of the Diocese of Bethlehem cares to dissent. The diocesan head swiftly released a statement via the Internet the day that the article ran.

“The allegations made in the article, if true, constitute a serious violation of ordination vows to be ‘a wholesome example’ to a priest's people,” writes Bishop Marshall. “If true, they may also violate other canonical provisions and certainly portray an unacceptable idea of Christian stewardship,” Bishop Marshall wrote. The Bishop goes on to reveal that The Daily News did not reach out to him or his communications department for comment, and that Malia hadn’t returned an e-mail and a phone call.

Furthermore, the Bishop removed Malia as his vicar at St. James, prohibiting him from the exercise of priestly ministry.

The Daily News would not comment on the piece, noting that it is still a work in progress.

I shouldn’t and won’t pass judgment on Malia, however I will say that he could certainly teach a thing or two about tipping to most of the celebrities and athletes that roll through this area.

T.I. SHOW CANCELLED

Speaking of celebrities in the 570, T.I. will not be one of them, at least in 2008. E & R Entertainment’s Jingle Jam, which was to feature T.I.P. along with fellow Atlanta artist Young Jeezy, was canceled Monday.

The concert was slated for December 29. Ticket holders can receive a full refund at point-of-purchase. The promoter cited ticket sales as the reason for cancellation, although a reschedule date is still in the works – pending approval from the judge overseeing T.I.’s forthcoming jail sentence, which begins in March 2009.
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Listen to Ralphie Aversa weekdays from 5-10p on 97 BHT.

T.I. Show Postponed

The promoter told me yesterday morning that the show will be postponed to early next year. Ticket holders can keep their tickets for the future date or receive a full refund from the Arena box office.

Greetings from Niagara Falls - I first found out about this yesterday, however for some reason I couldn't send the item to Blogger from my Blackberry.

I'll have more on this, with possibly an exclusive word from the promoter, Monday afternoon on the show. Be listening around 5 PM.

RALPHIE REWIND: Men Take Risks To Impress Women?

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Read the study here.

RALPHIE REPORT: T.I. Exclusive...

The following will appear in The Weekender, which hits newsstands this Wednesday.
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His jail sentence may be imminent; his music and acting career may be flourishing; but don’t think for a second that rapper T.I. may have mixed up his priorities.

The platinum-selling artist called up The Ralphie Radio Show exclusively last week, talking about a wide array of topics – from his scheduled performance at the Wachovia Arena on December 29, to acting career and his plans for the holiday season.

“We’ve been looking forward to doing something, and we look forward to doing more in the future,” T.I. revealed about his cameo on Season 5 of HBO’s Entourage. The rapper played himself in a small, yet hilarious scene across from actor Jeremy Piven, known on the show as super-agent Ari Gold.

But the Atlanta-born artist isn’t all business.

“Just spend (Christmas) with my family, and try and grant all of the wishes of my kids,” T.I. replied when asked of his plans for December 25, four days before he heads to Wilkes-Barre. “And try to give back to the community. We always try to give away about a thousand bikes on Bankhead (Atlanta) in the hood; every year… we make sure everybody in the hood got something.”

The rapper, real name Clifford Harris Jr., received a number of gifts this year: most of the positive ones stem from his LP “Paper Trail”, already spawning the number-one hits, “Whatever You Like” and “Live Your Life”, which features Rihanna.

The latter actually wouldn’t have come to fruition without a couple gifts, thanks in part to the Barbados-born bombshell as well as the man responsible for sampling the “Numa Numa” song.

“I can’t take no credit for the sample man, that’s all Just Blaze,” T.I.P admitted. “He brought me the track, and you know, I gave my contribution to the record. Rihanna did her thing. She seemed perfect for it, and when she agreed to do it, I think it took the record to another level.”

With Rihanna’s recent track record, no pun intended, of hits, as well as the performance that preceded the release of the LP, T.I.’s assessment of her addition to the song couldn’t be more correct. This is reaffirmed in news that broke this week: Kanye West will re-release the track, “Paranoid” off of “808’s and Heartbreaks” with RiRi featured on it.

Speaking of Yeezy, T.I. also talked about a track that he admits to rocking out to… yes, one of his own, the star-studded “Swagga Like Us.”

“I think all the music I do man, I do it because, you know, it’s something that I can appreciate as well as something I feel that the fans can appreciate,” T.I. told me regarding the song.

On the track, Lil Wayne, who shares the record with T.I., West, and Jay-Z, shouts out NBA Superstar and fellow Syracuse University alum Carmelo Anthony. Certainly Anthony and T.I.P. could be compared right… two superstars attempting to capture Mainstream America while maintaining street cred?

“(Laughing) Yeah I guess I’d have to agree, I guess the facts would show just as you stated.”

That really is the “type of ish that make them call you Carmelo.”
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Listen to Ralphie Aversa weekdays from 5-10p on 97 BHT.

WYOU Interactive Appearance

The good people at WYOU-TV (CBS) invited me back to their 11 PM Newscast for the "WYOU Interactive" segment, where I spoke on the "war" between the greetings, "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Holidays."

50" HDTV For Under $1000?

Could be true, click here for the newest phenomenon on 97 BHT - iBid.

Enjoy Without Overindulging This Season

You can read more here. Good luck with that.

Risk Equals Love?

"Guys may flirt with risk more to score a mate"

Article here.

One Truffle Is Never One Truffle

"College students who ate one truffle were more likely to eat more — and to desire other temptations."

Read more here.

TMZ: Wesley Snipes' Financial Woes

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Wesley Snipes is alledgedly in debt... but that isn't his only issue. TMZ's Leslie Harris filled in Ralphie...

Catch Leslie on TMZ TV - Weekdays at 6 on Channel 38 - The CW.

BRAD WILSON, BRADSDEALS.COM, on last second deals!

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Ralphie calls up online shopping expert Brad Wilson from BradsDeals.com to find out if its too late to take advantage of holiday shopping on the web.

Visit BradsDeals.com!

T.I./Jeezy Tickets!

Win tickets to E&R Entertainment's "Jingle Jam 2008" featuring T.I. and Young Jeezy! Another big show in NEPA - and more free tickets from 97 BHT! T.I. and Jeezy take over the Wachovia Arena on Monday, December 29th.

Purchase tickets here.

97 BHT's already given away THE PROMOTER'S FRONT ROW SEATS - starting Thursday at 5PM with Ralphie, you'll have your chance to win 5th Row Seats - and we'll count down to the front row every weekday after.

T.I. called in to The Ralphie Radio Show to talk about the big concert and his CD - check it out here.

And don't forget, you heard about this show FIRST on 97 BHT!

DAILY DOWNLOAD: Flo Rida, Star Six Nine...

12.17.08 : Flo Rida - Touch Me
Hot track...
12.16.08 : Star Six Nine - I Like You
Also dope... he's opening for T.I./Young Jeezy...

WINGMAN WEDNESDAY: Girl w/ Jealous Friends...

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The Wingman comes to the aid of a woman who may be the victim of some seriously jealous friends...

Visit The Wingman on MySpace.

BARBARA PURCELL on Sex Reducing Stress...

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Relationship expert Barbara Purcell, who's appeared with Martha Stewart and Tyra Banks - talked with Ralphie about why there's so much stress during the holiday season, and how it can be relieved...

Barbara owns Urban Rapture NYC.

EXCLUSIVE: T.I. INTERVIEW

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T.I. discusses "Entourage" - "Paper Trail" - plans for Christmas and 2009 on 97 BHT - A Ralphie Radio Show Exclusive.


Click Here To Purchase Tickets To The Show.

RALPHIE REPORT: AAR/NBC Drops The Ball Early...

The front man of The All-American Rejects might have a dirty little secret regarding his throat. Ailments hampered Tyson Ritter a couple of years ago while AAR toured. Bassist Nick Wheeler decided to all-but-skirt the issue last week, when I asked him about it on The Ralphie Radio Show.

“(Tyson’s) doing good,” replied Wheeler, before quickly segueing to another topic. “We’ve got a big week ahead of us – new record’s coming out finally.”

It isn’t known when Ritter began experiencing issues with his vocal chords. But, the condition became public in July 2006. The pop-rock stars cancelled the remaining four dates on their Canadian tour. The following fall, the group played the U.S. – but Ritter did not make the media rounds - reportedly not speaking all day, perform the show, and then not talking for the remainder of the evening.

The Rejects released “When The World Comes Down” on Tuesday. The new album brings a number of press obligations. But without a clear answer from AAR’s bassist, it’s unknown whether Ritter is in the clear himself.

Wheeler seemed equally taken aback later in our conversation. Only this time, he entertained the thought of what the Rejects career would look like if their current record label, Interscope, had released their first, self-titled LP. Wheeler first paused for two seconds, before tearing into a mini-diatribe about the current conditions in which bands sign to labels.

“Yunno, I’d like to think that music speaks for itself. Granted, you need people to help you get it out there. From the beginning, we’ve gotten in a van and gone out and played shows. We were around before MySpace and YouTube.”

Certainly the aforementioned networks have unequivocally fostered viral marketing plans and short-term success – but only time will tell if anyone from this new era of music can sustain that.

But with The Rejects predating this new phenomenon, I suppose that’s something the Oklahoma-based band won’t have to worry about.

NBC DROPS THE BALL EARLY

This has nothing to do with Jay Leno’s earlier timeslot, and everything to do with the New Years Eve special on the Peacock Network.

But how much of the show will be live, as opposed to “live”? According to my source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, NBC already pre-taped at least one musical performance. Expect to see The Ting Tings play 1-3 songs, including the iPod commercial-featured “Shut Up and Let Me Go.”

The event occurred in Rockefeller Center, and needed multiple takes. NBC even equipped the audience with hats and noisemakers, as if the ball was dropping.

Problem is, this all went down last Sunday night.
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Listen to Ralphie Aversa weekdays from 5-10p on 97 BHT.

DAILY DOWNLOAD: New AAR!

12.15.08 : The All-American Rejects - Mona Lisa (When The World Comes Down)
Nick Wheeler explains the track to Ralphie...

Dumb Cheap Prices on AAR/FOB LPs

How about the new All-American Rejects album, "When The World Comes Down" - for a mere $2.99?

Or Fall Out Boy's "Folie A Deux" for $3.99? Saweet.

new hair dooooo...

bye bye fohawk. thoughts?

More Sex Means Less Stress?

Interesting... click here for the scoop.

TMZ: Stevie Wonder to DWTS?

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How desperate is ABC? Stevie Wonder on "Dancing With The Stars" desperate. TMZ's Leslie Harris explains...

Catch Leslie on TMZ TV - Weekdays at 6 on Channel 38 - The CW.

EXCLUSIVE: Jess from The Veronicas...

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After missing her call, Ralphie phones back Jess Origliasso to chat about The Veronicas LP and the hit song, "Untouched." BTW - is there good Italian food in Australia?

The Veronicas CD, Hook Me Up, is in stores now.

WINGMAN WEDNESDAY: C*** Blockers

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The Wingman offers up knowledge on moving past c*** blockers in the club.

Visit The Wingman on MySpace.

EXCLUSIVE: AAR's Dirty Secrets...

Listen to this report, complete with audio, below:

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Does the front man of The All-American Rejects have a dirty little secret regarding his throat? Something seemed off when I asked Bassist Nick Wheeler about it.

It isn’t known when Ritter began experiencing issues with his vocal chords. But, the condition became public in July 2006. The pop-rock stars cancelled the remaining four dates on their Canadian tour. The following fall, the group played the U.S. – but Ritter did not make the media rounds. His band mates handled any press obligations. Ritter reportedly would not speak all day, perform the show, and then not talk for the remainder of the evening. He cycled this habit throughout the duration of “Tournado.”

The Rejects will release “When The World Comes Down” in less than a week – and with the LP comes interviews, performances, and appearances. But without a clear answer from Wheeler, it’s unknown whether Ritter is in the clear himself.

Wheeler seemed equally taken aback later in our conversation. Only this time, he entertained the thought of what the Rejects career would look like if their current label, Interscope, had released their first, self-titled LP.

The Oklahoma-based band drops their third album this Tuesday.

RALPHIE REPORT: Ne-Yo, T.I.

A thankful and surprised Ne-Yo received a Grammy nomination last week for Album of the Year – but if you listened to the singer at the press conference and on The Ralphie Radio Show, you wouldn’t know who should receive the credit.

Ne-Yo’s Year of the Gentleman marked somewhat of a departure from the crooner that fans knew from his rookie LP. You need not look further than the dance-driven “Closer”, which served as the lead single. Some called the song a microcosm of the evolution of his sound.

But in a Ralphie Radio Show exclusive, this progression ignited conflict within the star’s record label, Island Def Jam Music Group, resulting in a number of trips back in to the recording studio as well as a couple of delays in the album’s release. When Ne-Yo called me in June, I brought up to him an August 5 release date.

“August 5, that’s pending right now too,” he revealed. “I was listening to the record as a whole, and I realized, I did a lot of experimenting with this new one. Just with different genres of music. But I went so far with it, that I kind of left out my core audience.”

Fast forward to last week – Ne-Yo speaking with the media at the Grammy Nomination Ceremony Press Conference:

“Closer wasn’t exactly embraced right away, in the very beginning you know. And I gotta give a shout out to L.A. Reid, I gotta give a shout out to my manager – people… that stayed with that record because in the beginning, people were like, ‘Ehh, we don’t know about this one Ne-Yo, you might have went somewhere we don’t know,’ but they kept with it, they told me to keep with it, and here we are, “Album of the Year.”

The first conflict is that Ne-Yo told me that it was his idea to push back the release date and record more tracks – as opposed to other people within his camp. But the second, another Ralphie Radio Show exclusive, is that it was the man he thanked, label head L.A. Reid, that told Ne-Yo to record more tracks “for his core.”

The mystery of the inspiration behind Ne-Yo rerecording tracks for the LP may never be officially revealed by Island Def Jam – and with another Grammy Nomination under the label’s belt, I’m sure it won’t be anytime soon.

T.I./JEEZY TICKETS DROP LIKE THE DOW

In a move inspired by the holidays and the current state of the economy, E&R Entertainment announced a drop in ticket prices for the T.I. concert. The show, which also features Young Jeezy and a special guest performer, goes down December 29 inside The Wachovia Arena.

The lowest ticket prices dropped over half price, from the $75 range to $35. Other seats can be purchased at $50, $65, $75, and $125.

In a text message, the promoter cited both the holidays as well as the number of younger kids, who may not have as much expendable income, but want to attend the show regardless.

E&R Entertainment also promoted the successful Lil’ Wayne show last October.
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Listen to Ralphie Aversa weekdays from 5-10p on 97 BHT.

DAILY DOWNLOAD: Lady Gaga's Christmas...

This might be the featured song right through Christmas. "Hollaback Girl" meets the holiday. I love it.

EXCLUSIVE: Nick Wheeler of The All-American Rejects...

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The All-American Rejects' Nick Wheeler assures Ralphie that Tyson Ritter isn't mad at him. Nick also discusses "The Office", college, the Rejects career, and the new LP, "When The World Comes Down" - which drops this Tuesday (12/16).

Ralphie & AAR - Spring '06 - Buffalo, NY.


Ralphie & AAR - Fall '06 - Rochester, NY.

TMZ: Britney's Ex Behind Bars...

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One of Britney Spears' former lovers ended up in jail - TMZ's Leslie Harris told Ralphie who and why.

Catch Leslie on TMZ TV - Weekdays at 6 on Channel 38 - The CW.

EXCLUSIVE: Ne-Yo 2-steppin'

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RALPHIE RADIO SHOW EXCLUSIVE: Ne-Yo gets his 2-step on regarding his album, the postponement of its release, and who stood by it despite it being different from his previous works.



Ralphie & Ne-Yo - Syracuse, NY - April 2007.

DAILY DOWNLOAD: David Rush/Kevin Rudolf/Pitbull

12.04.08 : David Rush f. Kevin Rudolf & Pitbull - Shooting Star
Ralphie finds David's track and immediately gets him on the line...


Rush's official site is feeltherush.tv.