Buffett in the News

[Fred]

It's amazing how many times "Jimmy Buffett" or "Parrotheads" appears in the news. Seems, lots of writers refer to Jimmy, even in articles that have nothing to do with the world of Parrotheads. I've been feverishly tracking the news and travel channels, waiting for the first hint that a date has been set for Jimmy's next Hawaii appearance. Rumor has it that he's performing at the opening of his new "Margaritaville" restaurant in Hawaii.

So, in my quest for this tidbit of news, I've uncovered a lot of other interesting items ... Here's a partial list of the past few weeks:

Little Feat pays tribute to all-star musicians

First, it's a tip of the cap to the all-star lineup of musicians -- including Dave Matthews, Jimmy Buffett, Bob Seger, Emmylou Harris and Vince Gill Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Lucy Buffett builds own brand

With a Gulf Shores restaurant that has gross sales in excess of $10 million annually and a cookbook that sold 35,000 copies in 2008, 55-year-old Lucy Buffett has built her own brand from a home base in Baldwin County. With some investment from her famous brother, the youngest of the Buffett children launched the first incarnation of her restaurant, LuLu's Sunset Grill, on Weeks Bay Estuary after she moved home from Los Angeles in 1999 to care for her ailing parents. She has since grown a modest outdoor bar and grill into a major Gulf Shores tourist draw. Press-Register - al.com - Mobile, AL, USA

Soldier Killed in Bar Fight Over Jimmy Buffett Song

A fight broke out between five men outside the Tap House in Steamboat Springs after 37-year-old Richard Lopez and two friends put a Jimmy Buffett song on the jukebox that others didn't agree with, police told the Rocky Mountain News. By the time officers got to the bar at about 12:15 a.m., the fight had ended and Lopez was lying on the ground. His two friends were also injured. Lopez was part of a Special Forces unit, the Rocky Mountain News reported. Police are investigating the incident as a homicide. No arrests have been made, but police have spoken to individuals involved. The Jimmy Buffett song that sparked the brawl remains unknown.
Also covered in the rockymountainnews.com, but it's the denverpost.com who reports "Lopez's relatives told The Denver Post that the song selected by Lopez was Buffett's "Margaritaville." FOXNews - USA

Jimmy Buffett's Country Song Gone Wrong

A number of country songs have been built around not playing specific songs on the jukebox, but none of them ever advocated killing someone over it. It's the second time in less than a year that Jimmy Buffett has had a tenuous attachment to a tragedy. A 23-year-old worker had his leg severed in June when a crane fell on him during preparations for a Buffett concert at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park. Great American Country - Nashville, TN, USA

Come Monday, it'll be all right

That refrain to one of my favorite Jimmy Buffett songs, pretty well sums up this morning. I imagine most of us are back at work or school after the holiday break (I sure know I enjoyed my time away last week).
Waco Tribune Herald - Waco, TX, USA

A dozen 2008 recipes to remember

Lucy Buffett, owner of Lulu's in Gulf Shores, shared the recipe for one of her eatery's signature items. The recipe has evolved from one that Lucy (sister to Jimmy Buffett, who crooned "Margaritaville" onto the charts) discovered when a friend arrived at a party with black-eyed pea dip. Lucy gave the recipe a few twists and named it L.A. Caviar, a reference to her years in Los Angeles and her roots in Lower Alabama. The Birmingham News - al.com - Birmingham,AL, USA

Parrot-weary man sues St. Pete Beach for $1 million

It all started with noisy parrots. It ended with a $1-million lawsuit against St. Petersburg Beach. Terry Richards, 59, is a Vietnam-era veteran who has championed veterans' causes since 1990. He's disabled and says incidents with his neighbor's "annoying and disturbing" parrots and the subsequent police investigation have worsened his health, reports the St. Petersburg Times. His problems began in August when his neighbors moved in with eight exotic birds, including two parrots that he says emit "up to 140 decibels of ear-deafening noise" when allowed in the back yard. That level is similar to a jumbo jet, according to Richards, and has damaged his eardrums and caused "pain and discomfort." Hope he doesn't have Parrotheads for neighbors. Sun-Sentinel.com - Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

How 2009 will shine

So what awaits us down the line in '09? Which movies, tours, CDs and books will we be talking about? Metallica, the Eagles, AC/DC, Nickelback, Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley, the Killers, Dave Matthews Band, Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band. GoErie.com - Erie, PA, USA

Mike Pound: Creeping into the 21st century

I don't listen to music on an iPod Shuffle because I'm uneasy with products that begin with a small letter. And finally, I don't like new music unless the new music is by someone named Jimmy Buffett. Joplin Globe - Joplin,MO, USA

Atlantic City 2009 forecast

Trump Entertainment Resorts, owner of three casino hotels, is negotiating with bond holders and others to restructure its debt after missing a December payment to "improve liquidity, and create a platform to grow and diversify," according to a corporate press release. If negotiations fail, bankruptcy is an option. The company is also set to shed Trump Marina this year to a partnership between New York developer Richard Fields and Jimmy Buffett. But the deal isn't done until the deal is done. Fields has until the end of May. Examiner.com - USA

Listen in on authors' choices

For readers: "Jimmy Buffett and Kenny Chesney, who I listen to almost exclusively. Or if you want, you can watch a Renée Zellweger movie while reading my books -- or a Jimmy Buffett book -- and listen to Chesney. Sacramento Bee - CA, USA

Serving? Helping? It's more than food to eatery, boss

Just for the record, yes, Clint Pitts is managing partner of Muncie's Cheeseburger in Paradise, and no, he's never met Jimmy Buffett, the now-legendary singer whose tuneful paean to that "huge hunk of meat" inspired the restaurant chain's name. He loves the music of the man from Margaritaville, though. "I've always been a huge Jimmy Buffett fan," the friendly 31-year-old restaurateur said recently, looking as summery as palm fronds in a short-sleeved blue shirt while seated at a spacious booth in his eatery. But Pitts is gaining some dedicated fans of his own these days. Muncie Star Press - Muncie, IN, USA

Mr. 400 recalibrates his calendar

Three thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven miles – not too bad for a part-time biker. If I straightened it out and started in Seattle, I'd be in Miami by now, probably even Key West, drinking margaritas with Jimmy Buffett fans, searching the alleys for the ghost of Hemingway. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Milwaukee, WI, USA

Strange Paradise

Thirty minutes outside Panama City is a former radar tower that the U.S. once used to monitor the canal. Lavishly renovated, the three-story cylinder is now the Canopy Tower hotel, a mecca for serious birders. From the roof, you can see parrots and parakeets swooping through the mist and the trees. Birdwatching's high Brahmins—Jimmy Carter, Jimmy Buffett, Martha Stewart—have all stayed here. Atlantic Online - USA

Hoffman: A radio station for every listener

Hey, I can't find a music station that hits a bull's-eye with me, either. I'm mostly an Arrow listener, because I like classic rock. But I also like Jimmy Buffett and James Taylor and Sheryl Crow. And I hate it when a classic rock artist, like John Fogerty, Bruce Springsteen or Buffett puts out a meaningful good new album, and nobody plays it in Houston. At least I haven't found the station that does. Houston Chronicle - United States

The Independent Weekly Line on Durango and Beyond

Robert Earl Keen -- I've heard fellow critics dismiss him as a "yuk-yuk, pluck-pluck" kind of guy and musical contemporaries call him the "Jimmy Buffett of folk music." While neither is totally inaccurate, both miss the point. He's genuine, and he's a genuinely nice guy who cares about his mentors, his contemporaries and his fans. Durango Telegraph - Durango,CO, USA

Meyer Can Cement His Legend With BCS Win

Meyer is relentless on details, focused to the extreme. In four seasons at Florida, he has built a program in his image. The man who listens only to music by Jimmy Buffett actually spends no time in Margaritaville. Can you really picture Urban Meyer wasting away in any place but a film room or practice field? Tampa Tribune - Tampa, FL, USA

They write the songs that make the whole world yak

Reports that a soldier was beaten to death late last week just because he played Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville" on a jukebox in the Tap House Sports Grill in Steamboat Springs sounded preposterous — until we caught Vanilla Ice's halftime performance during the January 3 Denver Nuggets game. Those mind-numbingly catchy, unbelievably annoying songs were almost enough to drive us to violence. Westword - Denver, CO, USA

Another reason why death in Kanye West-Jimmy Buffett fight was ...

But the ultra-trivial dispute that led to the tragedy -- a jukebox spat that pitted Jimmy Buffett-loving Lopez against some Kanye West boosters -- makes the Westword - Denver, CO, USA

Like the break in a wave, Trader Vic's is roaring back.

The challenge is that people assume tiki falls into the Jimmy Buffett realm of things and there's a bit about this neighborhood that falls into that," Lawrence said. "But there's a sophistication about Trader Vic's, the drinks they have and the meals that elevates what tiki is and restores it to the tiki which Americans understand. That's why this is a beautiful place." Chicago Sun-Times - United States

Jimmy Buffett's pal to sing, cook Friday night in Naples

Most blues concerts don't end with a steaming bowl of soup — but this musician isn't like most. He is the Sauce Boss. He plays the guitar and sings the blues and mixes up a 10-gallon pot of gumbo at the same time. It all started with a bottle of hot sauce, says Bill "Sauce Boss" Wharton, 61, who has been serving up his unique mix of food and music all over the country since 1989. Naples Daily News - Naples, FL, USA

Jaimie Johnson -- Stepping it up

But there's no doubt this confirmed Parrothead would rather be listening to Jimmy Buffett; she sees him perform annually, makes pilgrimages to Margaritaville Restaurant and dreams at night of a barefoot retirement on St. Thomas or St. Martin. What I'm listening to: Tales From Margaritaville (audiobook), by Jimmy Buffett (See what she looks like in this picture) Las Vegas Weekly - Las Vegas, NV, USA

Meyer A Champion In Paradise

Maybe he'll crank up his sound system and kick back with a little Jimmy Buffett, because that's the only music Urban Meyer listens to. Maybe he'll waste away for 15 or 20 seconds in Margaritaville before getting back to work. Tampa Tribune - Tampa, FL, USA

Margaritaville is easy to find for vacationers

The 15,000 fans packing the sold-out MGM Grand Garden Arena were enjoying the final concert of the season by Jimmy Buffett, the singer whose popularity and fortune grow greater even as his hair grows grayer. Houston Chronicle - United States

Live Last Night: Metallica

That created a very un-Metallic scene that one might find at a Jimmy Buffett concert. Well, if 20000 Beavises showed up at a Jimmy Buffett concert. Washington Post Blogs - Washington, DC, USA

Margarita Meltdown featuring music by Jimmy and the Parrots is ...

NOT JUST A BUFFETT BAND -- Jimmy and the Parrots are Jimmy Maraventano fronting the band on guitar, banjo and vocals, Jimmy Maraventano Jr. on guitar and vocals, Lance Hyland Stark on drums and vocals and Hal B. Selzer on bass and drums. Great Falls Tribune - Great Falls, MT, USA