The Doobie Brothers to Play the Orange Bowl Halftime Show

Ahhh... the sweet sounds of classic Seventies California pop. No one has ever embodied that sound more than the Doobie Brothers. And now that the style the Doobies perfected has become a musical archetype (see modern artists like the Autumn Defense, Beck, and so on), it's all too easy to look back through the lens of nostalgia, rather than give the band the credit it deserves. Looking at the Doobies catalog from a more objective, musical standpoint -- and sober of the pop-culture fetishism we place on the era -- the band expertly concocted a blend of soft pop, funk, blue-eyed soul, and light jazz under an infectious glaze of polish.

Much like the sunny Pacific atmosphere in which they incubated their approach, the Doobies sound washes past you like a cool breeze. That's even as it percolates with hooks and rousing grooves, as best captured on radio staples like "China Grove" and "Black Water." And, though certain key elements from the classic era - Michael McDonald, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter - are long gone, the band has impressively retained longtime core members Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons, John McFee, and Michael Hossack.

---

Source: New Times

Rare 1937 Bugatti supercar found in English garage

An extremely rare 1937 Bugatti has been found in a garage in England and is expected to draw a record price when it is auctioned in Paris next month.

The dusty but intact Bugatti Type 57S Atalante is one of only 17 ever made. It had a top speed of 130 mph (209 kph) at a time when most cars could only go half as fast.

The powerful two-seater car from the heyday of the celebrated Bugatti marquee is expected to be sold for more than 3 million pounds ($4.3 million).

It was hidden away in the garage of an elderly doctor who last used it around 1960. His relatives found it after his death.

British race car driver Earl Howe was the car's first owner.

---

Source: The Associated Press

Bernie Hamilton, 'Starsky and Hutch' captain, dies

Actor Bernie Hamilton, who played the no-nonsense police captain on the 1970s TV series "Starsky and Hutch," has died. He was 80. Hamilton died of cardiac arrest Tuesday night at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said his son, Raoul Hamilton.

Born in Los Angeles in 1928, Hamilton ran away from home as a teenager and wound up staying in someone's garage and attending Oakland Technical High School, where he played football and got involved in acting.

Hamilton appeared in more than 20 films, including "The Young One," "The Devil at 4 O'Clock," "Synanon," "The Swimmer," "Walk the Walk" and "The Organization."

He also had guest appearances on television series before becoming a regular on "Starsky and Hutch," the ABC police drama starring Paul Michael Glaser and David Soul. Hamilton played the brusque, by-the-book Capt. Harold Dobey, a role that gave him wide recognition to this day, his son said.

After "Starsky and Hutch," Hamilton spent the next 20 years in the music business producing R&B and gospel records under the record label Chocolate Snowman.

---

Source: The Associated Press