Band

We're at the finale already (didn't this season seem short?). I'll say it right here at the top of the episode - unless William falls repeatedly on his keister, requiring the judges to give him 5's across the board, there's no way he's not winning this thing. That being said, I'd be OK with any of the three finalists winning, even though I'm personally Team Driver. Tonight's show will have each couple dancing two dances:  1. Judge's pick, which are new routines danced to new music, but in a style the couple has previously danced and in which the judges would like to see them improve.  2. Freestyle Tomorrow night, the couples will be doing some sort of third scored dance, details about which we'll learn later.

The search for America's next greatest talent continues in New York.  First up is The Flyte Cru, who I guess you could call basketball stunts-men. They use trampolines to do all sorts of somersaults as they shoot hoops. Their act is pretty entertaining, but I feel like I've seen it before, so I'm not very impressed. Judge Howie Mandel thinks the same thing and gives them a “no.” New judge Howard Stern has been surprisingly kind this season; he continues that streak and says he wants to see Flyte Cru move on to next round.

The search for America's next greatest talent continues in New York.  First up is The Flyte Cru, who I guess you could call basketball stunts-men. They use trampolines to do all sorts of somersaults as they shoot hoops. Their act is pretty entertaining, but I feel like I've seen it before, so I'm not very impressed. Judge Howie Mandel thinks the same thing and gives them a “no.” New judge Howard Stern has been surprisingly kind this season; he continues that streak and says he wants to see Flyte Cru move on to next round.

Filmmaker John Waters' crazy cross-country hitchhiking journey continues, with word Monday that he sped through Kansas with a middle-aged married couple from Illinois. Laura Broviac and Michael McHaney, she a county Democratic Party chief, he a circuit judge, were motoring through Junction City, Kansas, this weekend and according to wjbdradio.com, saw a man near an exit ramp holding a sign. She thought he looked like Waters and after a quick Google search, found that the Baltimore filmmaker was in fact hitchhiking across country.

Filmmaker John Waters' crazy cross-country hitchhiking journey continues, with word Monday that he sped through Kansas with a middle-aged married couple from Illinois. Laura Broviac and Michael McHaney, she a county Democratic Party chief, he a circuit judge, were motoring through Junction City, Kansas, this weekend and according to wjbdradio.com, saw a man near an exit ramp holding a sign. She thought he looked like Waters and after a quick Google search, found that the Baltimore filmmaker was in fact hitchhiking across country.

This episode begins with Emily meeting for “girl talk” with her best “gal pals.” She mentions that all her friends are the mothers of her daughter's playmates. Can't Emily form meaning relationships by herself? While she hangs out at the park these friends that are twice her age, the guys indulge in a pool party reminiscent of a Schmitts Gay commercial . Only two of the 19 bachelors have chest hair! Ryan Gets the First Date Card Sarah: Ryan “Fluff Head” spent a lot of time getting ready for the date - except he forgot to comb his hair.

John Waters could have been starring in a John Waters movie today when he was picked up hitchhiking in Ohio by members of an indie rock band. It's so weird, it can only be true. The website DCist had the amazing details. The band Here We Go Magic was motoring in a van through eastern Ohio, close to the Pennsylvania border, when they pass a dude on the side of the road holding up a sign. They pick the dude up, who turns out to be Baltimore's own quirky filmmaker Waters.

When Beach House, the Baltimore dream-pop duo of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally, released 2010's "Teen Dream," the band was immediately thrust into the forefront of the indie-music world. Pitchfork named it the fifth best album of the year; Rolling Stone placed it at No. 17 . Indie-rock chart-toppers Vampire Weekend invited the band on an impressive North American tour that included stops at New York City's Radio City Music Hall and Merriweather Post Pavilion . Following the steps of Animal Collective, the duo seemed positioned to become the new "it" band in taste-making circles.

QUEENSTOWN -- They've kept their day jobs but come the weekend, they still come out to play weddings -- affairs of the heart, under the stars, under tents and always under the influence of music. Introducing Gazze, as if the group needs any introduction after working Maryland for 33 years. Once a fixture on the bull roast and crab feast circuit, the former Dundalk garage band played its 699th wedding reception here last week. Gazze headlined at the wedding of Kristen Henel and David Lillis, who are honeymooning in Europe as we speak.

Frequent Midnight Sun contributor Evan Haga caught the Red Hot Chili Peppers show in Washington last night. Here's his take: The most impressive thing about the Red Hot Chili Peppers' sold-out show last night at D.C.'s Verizon Center had more to do with what the band played than how they played it. The Chili Peppers formed in Los Angeles 28 years ago - an eternity in pop - and they're beginning to reap the nostalgic rewards of...

John Waters could have been starring in a John Waters movie today when he was picked up hitchhiking in Ohio by members of an indie rock band. It's so weird, it can only be true. The website DCist had the amazing details. The band Here We Go Magic was motoring in a van through eastern Ohio, close to the Pennsylvania border, when they pass a dude on the side of the road holding up a sign. They pick the dude up, who turns out to be Baltimore's own quirky filmmaker Waters.

Steel Panther and James Durbin performed at Rams Head Live on Thursday night. Contributor Jay Trucker has this review: Comedy clubs are littered with guys who can strum the guitar and tell jokes concurrently, but the key to a great musical comedy act is the strength of their musicianship. As with Weird Al and Spinal Tap, Steel Panther demonstrate talent comparable and at times superior to the acts they parody.   The '80s glam-metal foursome formed in 2000 according to its bio (or in 1988 according to the “bio”)

"Rock 'n' roll will never die," sang Neil Young in 1979. Lately, though, it seems to be in a coma. How else to describe the sad state of rock? The Billboard charts are filled with pop acts, rappers and country singers. Even sugary boy-bands have re-emerged. But search for a rock band - the kind that peels the paint off garage walls and leaves ears ringing - and you won't find many. One of the only exceptions is the Black Keys, the blues-rock duo of Ohio natives Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals)

Genevieve O'Neill Williams, a homemaker who enjoyed singing with her family, died of complications from Alzheimer's disease May 2 at her Towson home. She was 88. Born Genevieve O'Neill in Baltimore, she was the daughter of pulmonary specialist Dr. John O'Neill. Her mother died when she was a baby. An aunt, M. Genevieve Thuman, a Johns Hopkins librarian, raised her at the family's Mount Washington home. She was a 1941 graduate of the old Mount St. Agnes High School in Mount Washington, where she earned a diploma at its junior college.

He pioneered one the most influential, far-reaching musical genres of the past 50 years. He became a galvanizing force, too, in the cause of human rights. When he died, more than a million people turned out to witness his funeral cortege. Among those mourning his loss were the 27 women who had once been his wives. The extraordinary story of Nigerian musician and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti inspired the 2009 musical "Fela!" which garnered three Tony Awards. Judging by the ecstatic reviews, the international touring production that comes to Baltimore this week has only increased the show's reputation.

Frequent Midnight Sun contributor Evan Haga caught the Red Hot Chili Peppers show in Washington last night. Here's his take: The most impressive thing about the Red Hot Chili Peppers' sold-out show last night at D.C.'s Verizon Center had more to do with what the band played than how they played it. The Chili Peppers formed in Los Angeles 28 years ago - an eternity in pop - and they're beginning to reap the nostalgic rewards of...

Steel Panther and James Durbin performed at Rams Head Live on Thursday night. Contributor Jay Trucker has this review: Comedy clubs are littered with guys who can strum the guitar and tell jokes concurrently, but the key to a great musical comedy act is the strength of their musicianship. As with Weird Al and Spinal Tap, Steel Panther demonstrate talent comparable and at times superior to the acts they parody.   The '80s glam-metal foursome formed in 2000 according to its bio (or in 1988 according to the “bio”)

He pioneered one the most influential, far-reaching musical genres of the past 50 years. He became a galvanizing force, too, in the cause of human rights. When he died, more than a million people turned out to witness his funeral cortege. Among those mourning his loss were the 27 women who had once been his wives. The extraordinary story of Nigerian musician and activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti inspired the 2009 musical "Fela!" which garnered three Tony Awards. Judging by the ecstatic reviews, the international touring production that comes to Baltimore this week has only increased the show's reputation.

For Jana Hunter, the multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter of rising Baltimore band Lower Dens, album release dates typically mean anxiety and, once they're over, relief. But on the morning her group's second album, "Nootropics," hit stores, she said this day felt different. "I'm very excited about it," Hunter said earlier this week. "I feel like a little kid celebrating a birthday or something. " It's a feeling the members of Lower Dens have earned. After the band released its critically acclaimed debut album, "Twin-Hand Movement," in 2010, the group toured beyond the point of exhaustion, leading to member departures and panic attacks.

If you're like us, you're itching for Tiki Barge weather. If you're bartender Megan Morstein, it's already started. It's the Columbia, MD native's second season serving drinks on the Barge, and she could not be more excited. "[Tiki Barge] is the only place in Baltimore where it doesn't feel like you're in Baltimore anymore. " Now living in nearby Federal Hill, Morstein is also a teacher, but started working at the Barge after spending an entire summer on the opposite side of the bar. When last summer was coming around, she contacted the owner, and management, and the rest, as they say, is history.