Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

November 7, 2012

Mars still in orbit over SNL trip

From news service reports

NEW YORK - Bruno Mars' recent appearance on "Saturday Night Live" was more like "Saturday Night Fever": He says he had so much fun hosting the show, he'd be happy to do it again.

"Whatever 'SNL' wants from me, they can always call me," the smiling 27-year-old said in an interview. "I don't know who told them I can act or anything 'cause I can't. I don't know what they saw. (But) whatever they need from me, they can get."

The singer-songwriter's Oct. 20 appearance as host and musical guest gave the NBC variety show its second best ratings this season behind last week's episode, hosted by comedian Louis C.K.

Mars was praised for his hilarious and silly sketches, particularly one skit where he did impersonations of other musicians as a live fill-in at Pandora when the company's computers crashed.

"It was kind of a way for me to face my fears and just let it all hang loose, literally," he said, laughing. "People don't understand that they're changing things right before the show, so you can't memorize lines because they're going to change it. They cut sketches and it's an amazing operation. I wouldn't trade that experience for the world."

The Grammy winner says he watched the show days after it aired live, and that's when things started to sink in, especially seeing himself dressed as a woman.

"I was like, 'Oh my god,"' he said.

The "SNL" success is giving Mars a boost as he readies the release of his sophomore album, "Unorthodox Jukebox," out Dec. 11. It features Esperanza Spalding, Mark Ronson, Jeff Bhasker, Diplo, Paul Epworth and others.

On "SNL," he debuted a new song, "Young Girls," and performed his current single, the upbeat "Locked Out of Heaven."

Crash leaves Kershaw, crew shaken and sore

NASHVILLE, Tenn - Country singer Sammy Kershaw is thankful to be alive after his tour bus was struck by another vehicle.

It happened Friday in Nocona, Texas. The impact caused major damage to the bus, and the car was totaled. The driver of the car was hospitalized with injuries. Kershaw and the nine members of his band and crew were shaken and sore but not seriously hurt.

In a statement, Kershaw said, "Buses and cars can be replaced, but people can't." Kershaw believes they had "a guardian angel."

City forgives Stewart's youthful folly

TUCSON, Ariz. - The mayor of Tucson doesn't exactly know what Rod Stewart did that got him banned from a Tucson hotel 40 years ago.

But Mayor Jonathan Rothschild wants the sexagenarian rocker to know that he can return to the city.

Rothschild reached out to Stewart recently when the British television show "Loose Women" contacted the mayor about Stewart's standing in Tucson.

Rothschild wrote, "While I cannot speak to any legal obligations he may have, I can say that Mr. Stewart is welcome in our city." According to his biography, Stewart and some former band mates vandalized an unidentified local hotel because its bar was closed.

Swift delighted at 'Red' response

LONDON - Taylor Swift says the response to her latest album, "Red" -- 1.2 million sales in the first week, making it her first U.K. No. 1 album -- has been "unbelievable."

The American singer was speaking at Westfield London shopping mall Tuesday, where she was switching on the Christmas lights.

Speaking after the big moment, Swift said: "I had hoped that my fans would get what I was doing there -- that they would embrace it."

 

Tweet