Entertainment news from talent network, inc. entertainment booking agency.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
"A Biased Review" | 2011 Year-in-Review
Part 1 of 2
December 29, 2011
Written by - Meat Park
Twitter - @meatpark
Photo Source: Billings Gazette
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Welcome all, to my 2011 year-in-review. This is part 1 of 2, rating different categories of events on how much they ruled or, in most cases, didn’t rule. Let’s get right to it.
Politics - 0/5
I needed to get the most terrible thing I could think of out of the way first. I’ve never thought of myself as overly political; in fact, most of my life I’ve avoided them because I think it’s a broken system. Over the past few months, I found myself following stories online about the way things are running over in D.C. In an effort to retain readers (all 7 of you), I certainly don’t want to use this blog as a podium for my political opinions. As I said above, I think that politics are broken, and 2011 made no effort to hide that fact. Congress has totally lost their collective minds at this point. The people currently running our country are the same people who cut our funding for NASA while declaring that pizza is a vegetable, the same group who refuses to make large corporations and banks accountable for their unethical actions against citizens while over half of the U.S. is considered poor or low income. These are our elected officials.
talent network news presents The Weekender...
December 29, 2011
Posted By - Emma Venezie
Source Credits - talent network, inc.
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Welcome to The Weekender: Your guide to the going's-on in Pittsburgh entertainment for New Year's Weekend, ranging from music to comedy and everything in between.
Thursday, December 29th
Steve-O's "Entirely Too Much Information Tour"
With Aaron Kleiber
8:00pm
Punchline "The Greatest Party Ever." Annual Holiday Show
with Nightbeast, Mace Ballard and Trophies
7:00pm Doors, 8:00pm Show
Astrologer Judi Vitale and Read The Stars Rings in the New Year at The Lodge at Woodloch
December 29, 2011
Posted By - Emma Venezie
Source Credits - Read The Stars
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Local Astrologer Judi Vitale will be speaking and ringing in the New Year at The Lodge at Woodloch in the Poconos this weekend - December 30th through January 1st. December 30th's talk will revolve around Judi's book "Lovecasts: Use Astrology to Create Better Relationships." On New Year's Eve, the talk will hone in on the major events of 2012, and on New Year's Day, Judi will look at the overview of Love in 2012.
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| Buy "Lovecasts: The Astrological Guide to Finding Lasting Love" |
Check out Read The Stars.
For more information or if you're interested in booking Judi Vitale, contact
talent network, inc.
412-264-4727
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Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Eddie Ifft Comedy Benefit: Laughs for Zach at the Pittsburgh Improv
December 27, 2011
Posted By - Emma Venezie
Source Credits - Improv Comedy Club Pittsburgh
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Eddie Ifft is holding a Comedy Benefit - Laughs for Zach - at the Improv Comedy Club Pittsburgh on Wednesday, December 28th at 8:00pm. Laughs for Zach is benefiting the recovery of Zach Miller, one of the Panther CrossFit co-founders, who is currently in a coma after a terrible car accident on August 4th. Ticket sales for the event will support the Z Fund. Special Guests for the night include Aaron Kleiber.
Buy tickets for the Eddie Ifft Comedy Benefit: Laughs for Zach Show here.
Visit CrossFit Pittsburgh for more information and to donate to the Z Fund.
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Thursday, December 22, 2011
Ed Palilla's "From the Outhouse to the Poorhouse"
Festivus for the Rest of Us
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Written by Ed Palilla, talent network news staff
Twitter @pittsburghace
Photo Sources: falselogic, mockingwords, blogs babble, nbc/seinfled
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Although this weekend may be Christmas, it is also a holiday that is just as important, Festivus. As depicted by the episode “The Strike” of Seinfeld, Festivus is a secular holiday celebrated on December 23 as a way to celebrate the holiday season without participating in its pressures and commercialism. As someone who hates the pressures and commercialism of Christmas, it’s a nice fit.
I do not have a 13-foot aluminum pole I purchased on line at home. Nor do I plan on doing the Festivus meal or the Feats of Strength. But I find the Airing of the Grievances to be quite important. Because I got a lot of problems with you people! And now, you're gonna' hear about it.
1) Christmas before Thanksgiving: On of the reasons for Festivus. Why can’t we just enjoy Thanksgiving for a day, instead of destroying it before it starts? Thanksgiving is about Black Friday shopping anymore, instead of getting together with family and friends to do something really American; Overeat and watch NFL football.
2) Congress; Republicans; Democrats; Tax Cuts; Universal Health Care; All of it.
talent network news presents The Weekender...
December 22, 2011
Posted By - Emma Venezie
Source Credits - talent network, inc.
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Welcome to The Weekender: Your guide to the going's-on in Pittsburgh entertainment for December 22nd to December 25th, ranging from music to comedy and everything in between.
Thursday, December 22nd
Bill Crawford
8:00pm
The Spacepimps Holiday Extravaganza
with Special Guests My Cardboard Spaceship Adventure, Lookout Loretta, Dash City Skyline
6:00pm Doors, 7:00pm Show
Protest The Hero, Scale The Summit & Last Chance To Reason
7:00pm
Cue Ball
9:00pm
The Mike Medved Band
with Jeremy Frantz
7:00pm Doors, 8:00pm Show
talk hot rods' 2011 Christmas List
December 22, 2011
Posted By - Emma Venezie
Source Credits - talk hot rods
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It's that time of year again - and talk hot rods is ready for the holidays with a 2011 Christmas List. Check out a snippet below:
#2: 100th Anniversary Corvette. Wow, 100 years of Chevys! Check out the cool ads GM is running in Detroit. Why don’t they just build a new ’57 Chevy?
#3: Audi S5. This hot rod just does it all for me.
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| Audi S5, models.audiusa.com |
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
"America Caught On Camera" with Frank Nicotero and The Travel Channel
December 21, 2011
Posted By - Emma Venezie
Source Credits - America Caught on Camera
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Comedian, TV Show Host and talent network artist Frank Nicotero is the voice of Travel Channel's new show "America Caught on Camera," airing every Wednesday at 10:00pm. Based in Vegas, "America Caught on Camera" is an "outrageous and unpredictable clip show that combines jaw-dropping video footage with an ironic and irreverent tone. Videos from by-standers and surveillance cameras expose people at their wildest, while their inhibitions are more relaxed on vacation."
Check out "America Caught on Camera" every Wednesday on the Travel Channel at 10:00pm.
Frank Nicotero can also be seen on "Primetime in No Time," where he recaps your favorite shows from last night.
For more information or if you're interested in booking Frank Nicotero, contact
talent network, inc.
412-264-4727
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Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Ed Palilla's "From the Outhouse to the Poorhouse"
Five Best Christmas Movies | Part 2 (#'s 1 & 2)
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Written by Ed Palilla, talent network news staff
Twitter @pittsburghace
Photo Sources: Amazon.com, Wikipedia
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As we make our final decent in to Christmas this week, I wanted to give you a little bit of holiday help. So I came up with a comprehensive list of the 5 best Christmas movies to watch this year. You can read my post from Monday with movies 5 through 3.
Five Best Christmas Movies | Part 1 (#'s 3-5)
To make my list, I used 5 different categories and weighed them accordingly with abbreviations and possible points next to them in parentheses.
- Rewatch-ability (RW: 5 pts)
- Christmas connection (CC: 5)
- Family watch-ability (FW: 5)
- Tradition (TR: 8)
- Entertainment (ET: 10).
33 points (RW 5; CC 5; FW 4; TR 8; ET 10)
The best of all of the National Lampoon movies. Randy Quaid has several memorable scenes (The black mock turtleneck under the white sweater. Emptying his sewage in his bathrobe). Plus can you even see a house with Christmas decorations without thinking of Clark Griswold.
1. Home Alone [1990]
33 points (RW 5; CC 5; FW 5; TR 8; ET 10)
It made Macaulay Culkin the biggest star on planet and launched his career. Doesn’t matter if you are young or old, there is something for everyone to like about this one. Who doesn’t love watching a kid left by his parents who went on a trip to Paris, and is forced to defend his house from burglars by booby-trapping the burglars. Also, the most quotable of all the Christmas movies by far. I was going to dock it points for making a sequel, but I just blocked it out of my mind and pretend like it never happened.
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Monday, December 19, 2011
Ed Palilla's "From the Outhouse to the Poorhouse"
Five Best Christmas Movies | Part 1 (#'s 3-5)
Monday, December 19, 2011
Written by Ed Palilla, talent network news staff
Twitter @pittsburghace
Photo Sources: MoviePosterdb, Supershopsite, Movie-List
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Every year there are lots of movies on TV for Christmas. Some are great, and we have been watching them since we could crawl (Rudolph, Frosty, Grinch, Charlie Brown, Mickey’s Christmas Carol). However, a lot are terrible. As we make our final decent in to Christmas this week, I wanted to give you a little bit of holiday help. So I came up with a comprehensive list of the 5 best Christmas movies to watch this year. Since you are reading this blog, I am going to assume you are over the age of 10, so I skewed the age demographic a little higher than kid’s movies. I have left plenty of good ones off, and you can destroy me in the comments for it, but at 28 years old I have a bit of a different movie taste at this point. There were a few old standards I kept. Because when it comes to Christmas movies, there are some you just can’t forget.
To make my list, I used 5 different categories and weighed them accordingly with abbreviations and possible points next to them in parentheses.
- Rewatch-ability (RW: 5 pts)
- Christmas connection (CC: 5)
- Family watch-ability (FW: 5)
- Tradition (TR: 8)
- Entertainment (ET: 10).
5. Bad Santa [2003]
18 points (RW 4; CC 3; FW 1; TR 1; ET 9)
Not exactly the movie you show on Christmas Day with Grandma on the couch, but an awesome movie. It is main Billy Bob Thornton being Billy Bob Thornton. If your tired of seeing Frosty or Rudolph on for the 26th straight year in a row, grab your friends and a case of beer, Then throw this in and have a good laugh.
Side note: This was the last movie the amazing John Ritter did before he passed. It was released 15 days after he died in 2003.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Read The Stars | December Horoscopes
December 16, 2011
Posted By - Emma Venezie
Source Credits - Read The Stars
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Check out Astrologer Judi Vitale's Read The Stars for your December Horoscopes:
"With Mercury in and out of Retrograde, Uranus moving direct, an eclipse of the moon, Jupiter going direct in more, things will happen whether we want them to or not! The holidays will be fine, but getting there could be quite an adventure!"
Watch the video on Read The Stars' December - Moving Right Along? to find out all there is to know this December in the astrological world!
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| happinessseries.com |
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Thursday, December 15, 2011
talent network news presents The Weekender...
December 15, 2011
Posted By - Emma Venezie
Source Credits - First Watch; talent network, inc.
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Welcome to The Weekender: Your guide to the going's-on in Pittsburgh entertainment for November 15th to November 18th, ranging from music to comedy and everything in between.
Thursday, December 15th
Terrance Vaughn Trio
8:00pm to 11:00pm
WYEP's Holiday Hootenanny
Benefitting Education Programs at WYEP
7:30pm
Holiday Q Ball
Featuring Sara Bareilles, Parachute, The Cab, Mat Kearney
6:30pm Doors
Intergalactic Holiday Spectacular
with Phat Man Dee and Friends
8:00pm to 9:00pm and 9:30pm to 10:30pm
Highmark Holiday Pops with Marvin Hamlisch
Through Sunday, December 18th
7:30pm
'Rich and Almost Famous' by Rich Miller |
Blue Slide Park' Tour Spins Mac Miller Back to the 412
Thursday, Decmber 15, 2011
Written by Rich Miller, talent network news staff
Twitter @rmillertime24
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Mac Miller’s Blue Slide Park Tour concluded this weekend at the North Shore’s Stage AE in front of a packed house anticipating the return of Pittsburgh’s new face on the hip-hop scene, and he did not disappoint. Miller brought tons of energy put on a great show for the crowd, and his excitement for this show somehow over matched the collective excitement of the nearly 3,000 in attendance. I was backstage for the show and actually was one of the first people Mac saw before he took the stage. He was clearly overwhelmed with emotion when he invited me and several other people standing in the hallway on stage for Donald Trump during the encore. This is what makes Mac cool. Not because he invited guys on stage, every rapper does that. In fact to quote my younger brother Timmy who was with me, “Clearly the more people you have dancing behind you, the better you are as a rapper, and even if you suck you still have the people.” But because I was a tall white guy wearing a North Face who would have stuck out like Lindsay Lohan in church. I respectfully declined telling him he would have to go on without me.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Pittsburgh-based Forensic Pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht Covers The Case of The Missing D.A. On Dateline NBC
December 14, 2011
Posted By - Emma Venezie
Source Credits - Dateline NBC
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Local Forensic Pathologist and Corporate Speaker Dr. Cyril Wecht will be featured on Dateline NBC this Friday, December 16th at 10:00pm, discussing the Case of the Missing D.A. from Penn State:
"A decade before the scandal of coach Jerry Sandusky publicly dismantled the Penn State University community, a local district attorney, Ray Gricar, first investigated his case. But then, he disappeared. Was there a connection?"
Find out this Friday, December 16th at 10:00pm with Dr. Cyril Wecht on Dateline NBC's "The Case of the Missing D.A."
For more information or if you're interested in booking Dr. Cyril Wecht for a speaking engagement, contact talent network, inc.
412-264-4727
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Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Jim Slack Still Missing in Pittsburgh | Please Help Distribute
December 13, 2011
Posted By - talent network news staff
Source Credits - Facebook, http://dormont-brookline.patch.com
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Man Who Disappeared After Concert Found Dead In River
James Slack Last Seen During Stage AE Show On North Shore
http://www.wtae.com/news/30280395/detail.html#ixzz1kJul8GT1
Friends we ask that you take a moment to read this, Observe the photos and Forward along to friends on facebook and twitter and by email. Many of you already on on the case but the family needs more help from all of us.
STORY
Police Searching for Missing Bridgeville ManJim Slack went missing early Wednesday morning after a concert at Stage "AE" in Pittsburgh.
Police are searching for a 25-year-old Bridgeville man who went missing early Wednesday morning after a concert in Pittsburgh.
Jim Slack was last seen at Stage “AE” when he was separated from a friend while they were at a concert inside the North Side venue.
His sister, Maureen Shields, said his family is desperately searching for him and asking the public for help. They’ve already had radio stations alert the public, and friends on Facebook are making others aware of his description.“It sure is awesome everyone is getting the word out and trying to help,” Shields said. “This is very scary and we just want to find him.”
Bridgeville police said Slack is 5-feet, 10-inches tall, weighs about 160 pounds, has blond hair and a light beard. He was wearing a green and black hooded sweatshirt with a tie-dyed T-shirt under, and had a Penguins baseball cap.
Anyone with information about Slack’s whereabouts is asked to contact police at 412-279-6911.
The situation is upsetting Slack’s family as they work feverishly to find the 2004 Chartiers Valley High School graduate.
Shields said he went to the concert with a female friend when they were somehow separated. She received a ride from a mutual friend, although they drove around the area looking for him. The friend talked to him on the phone briefly, but he was too lost to tell them where he was.
“This is not in his character,” Shields said. “He is very much a family person.”
The family contacted his barge job at Imperial Towing, but he hasn’t checked in there either. They’re now canvassing the area with fliers and trying to spread information on social networks.
Their simple message on Facebook is this: “If you know anything about his whereabouts please contact the Slack family day or night 412-221-5795. We all love him very much and want nothing more then see him home safely.”
Comedian Tammy Pescatelli Is Back On WEtv With "A Stand Up Mother"
December 13, 2011
Posted By - Emma Venezie
Source Credits - Tammy Pescatelli, talent network, inc.
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Comedian and talent network artist Tammy Pescatelli's "A Stand Up Mother" will be airing two new episodes on WEtv tonight - December 13th - at 11:00pm and Midnight.
Check out "A Stand Up Mother" on WEtv.Tammy Pescatelli on Facebook.
Follow Tammy Pescatelli on Twitter.
Related Story:
Tammy Pescatelli's New Reality Series: "A Stand Up Mother"
For more information or if you're interested in booking
Tammy Pescatelli, contact
talent network, inc.
412-264-4727
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Friday, December 9, 2011
"A Biased Review" | The Black Eyed Peas
December 09, 2011
Written by - Meat Park
Twitter - @meatpark
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Hello again everyone. I hope that you had an amazing Thanksgiving filled with family, friends and a ton of food. There’s nothing quite like spending some quality time at home to realize why you moved out in the first place.I am writing today to give A Biased Review of the Black Eyed Peas since they recently announced that they’d be taking a “break”. In order to get in the proper mood to write this post, I put on a playlist of their music, so forgive me if I come across as particularly angry (I have the hate machine running at full-speed).
Cheap Shots Sketch Comedy "Occupy Monopoly" | (Video)
Friday, December 9, 2011
Posted by Frank Murgia
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Here's the latest parody from our friend and former Pittsburgh native, Bill Harvanek who currently resides in Los Angeles and is a member of "Cheap Shots" Sketch Comedy Team. Bill is the one who looks like UFC fighter Randy Couture. Ha-ha.
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Thursday, December 8, 2011
"From the Outhouse to the Poorhouse" | Déjà vu: The Sequel Part II
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Written by Ed Palilla, talent network news staff
Twitter @pittsburghace
Photo Source: coverdude.com
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Stop me if you have heard this plot for a movie before: Group of guys blackout the night before a wedding of their friend; end up confused on the events of the night before because they were drugged; have to try to retrace their steps because someone is missing; as they begin to remember things, they recall how they got themselves into trouble the night before; the super conservative friend, a dentist, does something extremely radical he doesn’t remember; the group of guys has to call the bride-to-be to tell her they have lost an important person, until the dentist realizes what has happened and figures out where said person is; the group of guys then speeds back and gets there just in time for the wedding and the dentist friend confronts the father-of-the-bride.talent network news presents The Weekender...
December 8, 2011
Posted By - Emma Venezie
Source Credits - La Tavola Italiana; talent network, inc.
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Welcome to The Weekender: Your guide to the going's-on in Pittsburgh entertainment for December 8th to December 11th, ranging from music to comedy and everything in between.
Thursday, December 8th
A Christmas Carol Pittsburgh
Through December 23rd
7:30pm
Friday, December 9th
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Comedian Bill Crawford Celebrates Christmas at Pittsburgh Improv
December 7, 2011
Posted By - Emma Venezie
Source Credits - Improv Comedy Club Pittsburgh; talent network, inc.
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Comedian and talent network artist Bill Crawford is back at the Pittsburgh Improv for three Christmas Shows after spending the last two years on the road (with the likes of Steve Byrne, Jim Bruer, Bert Kreischer, Bryan Callen and Loni Love). Since 2006, Bill's Improv Christmas Shows have successfully sold out and this year, he's celebrating the season with some comedy on Thursday, December 22nd at 8:00pm and Friday, December 23rd at 7:00pm and 9:00pm. Jeff Konkle will host both nights, Mike Wysocki will be the feature and each show will include a special guest.
Buy Tickets for Bill Crawford's Christmas Shows at the Pittsburgh Improv:
For more information or if you're interested in booking Bill Crawford, contact
talent network, inc.
412-264-4727
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Monday, December 5, 2011
Megan Wolfley and the Girlie Girls Who Love Sports | Pearls, Heels and Cleats Now On Etsy!
December 5, 2011
Posted By - Emma Venezie
Source Credits - Pearls Heels and Cleats; Pearls Heels and Cleats Etsy Shop
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Megan Wolfley - daughter of Craig Wolfley and friend of talent network - has created an Etsy Shop for all those girls out there who love sports. Her Etsy Shop is the same name as her website - Pearls Heels and Cleats - and will adhere to the Girlie Girl in Sports:
"I created my first tree skirt while in Texas over thanksgiving and I'm going to start creating other ones that are themed to college and football teams! Then I bought some chalkboard paint and was messing around with some wine glasses that I thought I'd put up as my first listing! They are so cute and no two are the same! I'm also going to tailor those to teams and personalize those to customers!"
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Thursday, December 1, 2011
talent network news presents The Weekender...
Posted By - Emma Venezie
Source Credits - Primanti Bros.; talent network, inc.
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Welcome to December! And the Weekender: Your guide to the going's-on in Pittsburgh entertainment December 1st to December 4th, ranging from music to comedy and everything in between.
Thursday, December 1st
Beach Boys
8:00pm
Raul Malo Christmas Show
7:00pm
Yves Jean CD Release Show
7:00pm Doors
Dick Wolf, Legs Like Tree Trunks, Ike
9:00pm
George Porter, Jr. and Runnin' Pardners
8:00pm
Fat Beckett
Through December 18th
Pittsburgh's Vanessa Campagna & Macy's Christmas Concert
December 1, 2011
Posted By - Emma Venezie
Source Credits - Vanessa Campagna
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Musician Vanessa Campagna will be holding a Christmas Concert from 2:00pm to 6:00pm at the Macy's in Monroeville Mall on Sunday, December 4th.

Come say hi and grab a copy of her Christmas album "Believe" Christmas with Vanessa Campagna.
Check out Vanessa Campagna's Website and Macy's Vanessa Campagna Christmas Concert for more on the event.
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