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The Norwich Bulletin has an article: “Mohegan Sun: Buffett fans go wild for new Margaritaville cafe“. The article includes a video and photos.

Despite catching only a few hours of Z’s the night before, dozens of Hawaiian shirt-sporting, lei-wearing fans anxiously stood vigil Monday morning outside Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant at Mohegan Sun casino for the restaurant’s official opening.

“We were here until about 1 a.m. last night,” said Terri Sonnemann of Waterbury. “And now we’re waiting to go back in.”

Part Six of the Time After Island Time series on Little Feat with Fred Tackett

As we continue our exploration into the music and personality of each member of the legendary band Little Feat, we bring you Fred Tackett. Fred Tackett is a guitarist, mandolinist and trumpeter with Little Feat. His association with Little Feat goes back to the very beginning when he was friends with Little Feat founder, the late great Lowell George. He was always a friend of the band, contributing session work and songwriting. In 1988 he became a fulltime member of the band. He has recorded with artists ranging from Tom Waits, Ringo Starr, Jimmy Webb, Bob Dylan and the Allman Brothers. He is also a solo artists and with Paul Barrere forms the duo Paul and Fred.
Great music and one of the best Little Feat interviews all in one episode. You won’t want to miss it!

Tune into Time After Island Time from anywhere in the world via Radio JimmyDreamz at www.radio.jimmydreamz.com
Monday - 3:00 PM – September 29, 2008
Wednesdays - 9:00 AM – October 1, 2008
Thursdays - MIDNIGHT – October 2, 2008
Saturday - 8:00 PM – October 4, 2008
*All Broadcasts are Eastern Time*
For more information check out www.timeafterislandtime.blogspot.com and www.littlefeat.net

Radio Margaritaville will be broadcasting the grand opening of Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Cafe at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, CT on Monday September 29th. Miles Hampton will broadcast live from 12:30pm - 3:30pm ET. The ribbon cutting, first margarita toast, and doors open to the public at 11 a.m. Radio Margaritaville can be heard on SIRIUS Satellite Radio channel 31, DISH TV channel 6031, and streaming free to the world on radiomargaritaville.com

USA Today ran a contest to come up with a new verse to the song “Margaritaville”. The winner was announced in USA WEEKEND, and it’s Jack Honey from Salem, Oregon.

And the winning verse is …
A glass of perfection
Headed my direction
Givin’ my mind a chance to be free
Head’s still reelin’
Sunburn’s still peelin’
Finding sand where sand shouldn’t be

From USA Weekend Magazine: This summer, we invited you to compose a new first verse to Buffett’s classic tune … The response was overwhelming: More than 14,000 readers from across the country waxed poetic on nibbled spongecake, shrimp left untended and, in a frankly convincing attempt to win us over, USA WEEKEND Magazine.

Needless to say, picking a winner was tough. But we did, and we can’t imagine a better choice: It is Jack Honey, 59, a carpenter from Salem, Ore., who got the news on his 36th wedding anniversary and who has only flown once on an airplane. “I was reading USA WEEKEND, and I saw the contest and thought, ‘I kind of get the attitude of Jimmy,’ ” says Honey, who has a garage band named Loose Rock. “Not that I can write as well as he does, but I thought, ‘Maybe I can write just one lyric that will fit into the song.’ I can’t believe I did.”

The International Herald has an interview with Jimmy Buffett while he was tour the city of Paris last week on the “Velib” rental bicycle: “Jimmy Buffett talks with Globespotters”

Pete Farmer from Kilbirnie, Scotland, wanted to know if Buffett had any plans to appear in the U.K. And Debbie, who lists the U.S.A. as her place of residence, asked about plans for any other shows outside the U.S.

Buffett at the New Morning jazz club in Paris. (John Ellis, Sheffield, England)“Yes, maybe next year. We have been thinking about it,” said Buffett. “Next year it could be a ‘He Went to Paris’ and a ‘He Went to London’.”

Rayden, from Gold Coast, Australia and Billy from Melbourne wanted to know if Buffett planned to play concerts in Australia. “I am looking at it for early next year. Have not been there in almost 20 years, an am looking to get back. Stay tuned.”

Steve Adams from North Carolina asked, “What do you think of the upcoming election? Whom do you plan on voting for?” Buffett stressed his support for the candidacy of Senator Barack Obama several times during the conversation with Globespotters. Keep an eye out, and you just might see a Buffett appearance in support of the candidate.

Rolling Stone has an article on the two Paris Shows: Jimmy Buffett Plays Paris Shows: “I’m Getting Back to My Roots”

Buffett first came to Paris 34 years ago, at the behest of some friends in Key West, Florida, that were working on a film with a French production team. “Paris had been on my song line since I was a kid reading Fitzgerald, Gertrud Stein and Hemingway — I just had to figure out a way to get there,” he says. The movie needed a soundtrack and Buffett wound up spending the summer living in a castle an hour outside of Paris, “learning the language and the bohemian lifestyle.” He has been coming back regularly ever since.

Buffett concluded both nights much the same way his career began — onstage by himself, in a small club, playing a great ballad. It was the moment the faithful had waited for all evening. The magic of Buffett is that in five minutes he can transport a crowd back to a 1960s Bourbon Street bar or the Quiet Knight in Chicago where he found the inspiration for his final song, “He Went to Paris.” Buffett promised the Paris shows would become an annual engagement and also said to expect more interesting gigs in 2009.

From Forbes: “New owner: Trump Marina to stay open during revamp“.

The developer who’s buying the Trump Marina Hotel Casino says it will remain open while it’s renovated into “Margaritaville.”

“I wanted to come here, in person, and tell you we intend to keep the marina, hotel and casino open during the entire rebranding and refurbishment process,” Fields said at a meting of the Alliance For Action in Trenton. “In addition to creating hundreds of new construction jobs, we want to keep as many of the hotel staff working as well because when Atlantic City succeeds and New Jersey succeeds, I believe we all succeed.”

Coastal Marina will own all of the Atlantic City project, but will engage in a business venture there with Margaritaville Holdings LLC, owned by singer Jimmy Buffett and which includes a string of restaurants and retail shops. The shops feature a Florida Keys theme, and take their name from Buffett’s most famous song.

Caribbean Net News has an article: “Turks and Caicos cruise centre to reopen next month“. According to this article, Margaritaville Cafe in the Turks and Caicos suffered “minimal damage” from the direct hit of Hurricane Ike and the complex will reopen next month.

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band performed at the New Morning Jazz Club in Paris, France on Friday September 19th. Jimmy performed for the first time in Paris at the same club on June 6, 2007.

The set list from the show is now available.

Some photos from the show are now available in the “Photo Gallery“.

A video of the beginning of the show with the song “Hot, Hot, Hot” is available on youtube

Frontgate has information on the newest frozen concoction maker: “Tahiti Margaritaville Frozen Drink Machine”

Our Tahiti Margaritaville Frozen Drink Machine is the ultimate bartender. It features three 24-ounce blending jars to create multiple frozen drinks at the same time. Rotating ice hopper sends shaved ice to all 3 blending jars. 6 fully automatic, preprogrammed drink settings take the guesswork out. Available 10/24/2008. Retail price $599.00

Charity Buzz has an auction up for 2 Tickets and hospitality passes (cocktail lounge backstage prior to concert) to any regularly listed Jimmy Buffett concert. This is in support of The 5th Annual Chevy Chase Green School Auction. Auction ends Sep 23, 2008.

An East Hampton newspaper covers this wonderful volunteer effort by Mr. Buffett and others: “Community rallies around autistic surfers”

That night, a raucous, free-wheeling concert by Jimmy Buffett—held under tents because of pouring rain—had people singing and dancing in the aisles and batting beach balls around in the air while the good-natured Buffett had a grand time taking requests for songs shouted from the 400-plus audience. During the two hours and 20 minutes he played, Mr. Buffett sang a lot of favorites, among them: “Son of a Son of a Sailor”; “One Particular Harbor”; “Come Monday”, and his signature, “Margaritaville.”

In addition to parents and volunteers, who were admitted for free, in the audience that night were also benefactors who paid $100 for general admission tickets, and $1,000 for tickets and dinner at Second House Tavern. A silent auction also was held. More than $125,000 was raised for East End Disability Associates, Long Island Families Together and Surfers Healing.

Mr. Buffett was on the beach during the surfing event, mingling easily with the crowds and praising the parents and caretakers of autistic children. Such children have limited social and communications skills, often are unable to speak or make eye contact, and can be extremely difficult to care for. In 2007, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported that one in 150 children is diagnosed with autism.

“Last year, I came out and thought that this is such a great thing to do, I wanted to support it and keep it going,” Mr. Buffett said. “This is as much for the parents and the caregivers as it is for the children. It takes real courage and dedication to raise these kids. The parents don’t get the recognition they deserve. So it’s good for them to have a day off and to have a beer afterward.”

“The surfing community in Montauk is really connected to this thing, so we decided to amp it up some this year,” he said, referring to the concert. Mr. Buffett put on a smaller show, more like a jam session, at last year’s event.

Mr. Buffett said he had met the co-founder of Surfers Healing, Israel Paskowitz, at a similar surfing event in Mexico a few years back. Mr. Paskowitz, who goes by “Izzy,” founded the organization with his wife, Danielle, in 1999 after they discovered that their then 3-year-old son, Isaiah, who is autistic, had a life-changing experience when his father took him surfing.