David Morrissey plays the Governor, who appears for the first time tonight on "Walk With Me." CREDIT: AMC

This episode features no Rick Grimes leading his troops. No Carl getting in trouble and annoying hapless pregnant mom Lori. No T-Dog or Carol or Maggie or Glenn.

They get the week off.

This week, it’s all about Woodbury, the “alternative” safe haven from the prison.

And on the surface, it sure looks purrty. (Thank you, Senoia!)

Michonne and a very ill Andrea stumble upon a helicopter wreck. But so do the men  of Woodbury. Michonne’s two armless, jawless pets start getting noisy so she ruthlessly cut their heads up to quiet them. But it’s too late. They were found. And guess who finds them hiding behind a tree?

Merle!

Yes, Daryl’s nasty, racist brother from season one, last seen alive handcuffed on the rooftop of a roasting hot Atlanta skyscraper rooftop. Merle had cut off his hand before the walkers got to him and somehow escaped.

Everyone in the Grimes crew probably …

Continue reading ‘The Walking Dead’ recap (’Walk With Me’) season 3, episode 3: Welcome to Woodbury! »

Rob Redding, whose show is heard locally at night on 1380/WAOK-AM, is best known as a journalist, author and a independent black talk show host who doesn’t always follow conventional wisdom.

Now he’s releasing a dance album with a racy title, “Unleash the Whip” on Dec. 4. The first single “Whip Him!” is co-produced with a Swedish producer DJ EVG. (Another local journalist with a musical side is HLN’s “Morning Express” host Robin Meade, who released a country album in 2010.)

“This first single will rock the dance clubs and the radio, while spreading consciousness about the Redding News Review radio show,” he wrote in a press release.

“Whip Him” is set to a progressive house track with a heavy trance influence, he said.

Redding said he worked with Bubba Sparxxx 14 years ago on his first album.

“Whip Him” will be available” via iTunes, SoundCloud and Beatport.

Redding’s talk show is also heard on SiriusXM 128 The Power while his news web site, ReddingNewsReview.com, has been …

Continue reading WAOK’s Rob Redding tries his hand in dance music: ‘Unleash the Whip’ »

Jimmy Alexander moves to Atlanta from D.C. and is paired up with Cindy Simmons on Star 94. CREDIT: Salvation Army

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Cindy Simmons, long-time host at Star 94, now has a new morning partner: Jimmy Alexander from D.C.

Alexander comes from the Jack Diamond Morning Show in Mix 107.3, which is similar to Star 94 here in its adult pop music blend. He started as a producer in 1997 on the show and was promoted to co-host 11 years ago.

Cindy’s co-host for eight years, Ray Mariner, was unceremoniously dismissed in May, no explanation given. (In fact, even in the grinding rumor mill that is Atlanta radio, I have heard precious little why he was cut and he isn’t talking.)

Cindy’s gone solo for several months. While Star’s ratings have slipped a bit since his departure, it appears to have been the entire station, not just mornings, that has …

Continue reading Cindy Simmons has a new Star 94 morning host: Jimmy Alexander from D.C. »

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New Coke. Classic Coke. The Pepsi Challenge. “Coke is It!” “Choice of the New Generation.” Ray Charles. Michael Jackson’s hair on fire. Whitney Houston promoting Diet Coke.

Ah… the 1980s Cola Wars. Fun times, eh?

Billy Joel even referenced it in his 1989 hit “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”

Bravo, seeking to expand into scripted programming, has put in development a workplace drama set in the 1980s in New York during the those crazy competitive times, according to Deadline.com.

The network has not greenlit any drama series just yet, but to have a series in which Atlanta-based Coca Cola is part of the action would be quite cool. “Mad Men” this is not. The 1980s were far tackier than that! But who of a certain age doesn’t want to re-live New Coke?

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Continue reading Bravo considering drama about Coke-Pepsi wars of the 1980s »

Lori Allen goes personal with a special Friday at 10 p.m. on TLC about her battle with breast cancer

Lori Allen is known as the no-nonsense style expert and mediator/moderator at Bridals by Lori in Sandy Springs. She is the star of not just one, but two, TLC reality programs; “Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta,” and “Say Yes to the Dress: Bridesmaids.”

But you’ll see a very different side of her at 10 p.m. Friday.

On April 17 at 7:05 a.m., the 52-year-old entrepreneur found out she had breast cancer.

“It was a life-changing moment,” she told me earlier this week. “I’ve spoken to other women and they all remember the exact date and time. It’s so shocking. I’ve always been so healthy. I’ve always taken care of myself. This diagnosis came out of the clear blue.”

You’ll watch her journey during TLC’s “Say Yes to the Cure: Lori’s Fight.” For the first time, you’ll meet her husband and children and see her home.

Allen said she almost skipped her annual mammogram, given how busy her …

Continue reading TLC airs special ‘Say Yes to the Cure: Lori’s Fight’ Oct. 26 »

Cee Lo Green AP

Atlanta R&B star and “Voice” judge Cee Lo Green has dressed up like a Muppet before at the Grammy’s. And he possesses a larger-than-life cartoonish Muppet-type persona.

So it makes perfect sense for him to record a Christmas special with… the Muppets, courtesy of the TV Guide Channel.

And he’s getting in there early. His special, dubbed “CeeLo’s Magic Moment” will air Nov. 30 at 8 p..m.

“With a little help from my friends, I’ve created a classic holiday special that I’m thrilled for the world to watch, and I invite fans to tune in on November 30 to join me while we celebrate this magic moment of the year!” CeeLo said in a statement. “I hope to make this an annual holiday special for families to look forward to each year.”

Other guests include Rod Stewart, Eric Benet and former contestants from “The Voice.”

The “Forget You” singer will also croon a duet with the Muppets called “All I Need is Love.”

Cee Lo is the king of leveraging his brand name. Besides …

Continue reading Cee Lo Green creates Muppet Christmas special »

‘American Idol” is set to return for its 12 season on January 16 and 17.

That’s a pretty typical launch date. The first night, a Wednesday, will be two hours while the second will be one. It’s less than three months away!

***
And here’s Phillip Phillips singing the National Anthem last night before Game One of the World Series. He kept it in his lane and did a very respectable job. His single “Home” has sold two million downloads. Impressive! Only two other coronation singles went double platinum: David Cook’s “Time of My Life” and Kelly Clarkson’s “A Moment Like This.”

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Simon Cowell wants Carmen Electra as a judge for “America’s Got Talent” to replace Sharon Osbourne, according to the New York Post.

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Continue reading ‘Idol’ bits: ‘American Idol’ returns for a 12th season January 16, 2013 »

When station formats are truly dead, the website urls are usually sent to whatever that particular new format is.

Curiously, when you type in www.99x.com, it doesn’t go to its replacement, the harder-sounding 98.9/the Bone.

Rather, the page is still sitting there, inert, with the old jock lineup and the last few songs played. The station’s annual Mistletoe Jam with Bush is still happening December 4 at the Tabernacle.

The Twitter and Facebook 99X pages are still alive.

So you have to wonder if Cumulus is parking the station for now, perhaps plugging it in soon on 97.9, where the clearly temporary Q100, 20 at 97.9 is at the moment. The 97.9 signal is rather weak but it’s better than nothing. 99X sounded a bit more aggressive in its mix than Dave FM but it also played many acts Dave did, such as the Avett Brothers, Coldplay, Florence + the Machine and the Wallflowers.

I would bet if they did bring it back, it would sound softer to counter sister stations Rock 100.5 and 98.9/The …

Continue reading Is 99X truly dead? Or in hibernation? »

CineStars’ Brittany Umar and I discuss “The Walking Dead,” the launch of sports talk 92.9/The Game FM and “Say Yes to the Cure: Lori’s Fight.”

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Continue reading Video: Talking “Walking Dead,’ 92.9/The Game, ‘Say Yes to the Cure: Lori’s Fight’ »

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At 1:57 p.m. Oct. 24, the final song for Dave FM was Big Star’s “Thank You Friends.”

Thank you, friends
Wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you
I’m so grateful for all the things you helped me do

Apropos and sweet.

Margot Smith, Dave’s music director for its entire eight-year lifespan, will remain on sports talk 92.9/The Game as a producer. So she put the music mix together to the very end. In her mind, the final day of live jocks on Sept. 29 was really the last day with Butch Walker’s “ATL” the final song. She didn’t do anything special for the final hours today of the playlist though you could (over) read into some of the song titles she chose: “Don’t Come Around Here No More” by Tom Petty. “With or Without You” by U2, “Dance Away” by Roxy Music, “Is There a …

Continue reading Dave FM flipped to sports talk 92.9/The Game at 2 p.m. Oct. 24 »