Celebrity Interviews

There are two types of celebrities: accomplished people who are famous because they have achieved or created something of renown, and vacuous people who are famous because they are famous. However, accomplished or vacuous, celebrities seem to have one thing in common. They always have a lot to say, especially when they need to plug a new movie or book. Let us not forget, though, the main reason for listening to celebrity interviews: to find out the newest gossip. Isn't it interesting that when our friends and relatives get divorced or have financial problems, it's nothing but a big pain, but when the same things happen to celebrities, we are fascinated? Maybe it's because famous people are so far removed from our personal world, it doesn't bother us when they screw up their lives. (Or maybe it's because celebrities don't call in the middle of the night asking us to choose sides or lend them money.) Anyway, if you like to hear celebrities talking, not to mention people talking about celebrities, here are the places to be.


Web:

http://www.pmpnetwork.com/Live.htm
http://www.pmpnetwork.com/Live2.htm
http://www.premrad.com/entertainment/celeb/bytes.html
http://www.zeldman.com/15/main.html


Commercial Radio Stations

There are lots and lots of regular commercial radio stations that you can listen to over the Net. There's something intriguing about listening to a station that is far away. And, somehow, local commercials for a distant city don't seem to be as obnoxious as local commercials in your own hometown. Here are collections of links to hundreds of radio stations you can listen to on the Net. I bet you'll have fun exploring.


Web:

http://www.radiotower.com/
http://www.virtualtuner.com/
http://www.web-radio.com/


Custom Music Stations

In the late 1980s, I did a consulting job for a well-known top-40 radio station in Southern California. The station had a call-in phone number that listeners would use to request their favorite songs. There was a young lady who answered the phone and, no matter what song anyone requested, she would always say, "I'll get that on for you as soon as I can." But it was all a lie -- the music was programmed in advance. All the young lady did was gather statistics for marketing purposes. Once in a while, the disc jockey would tape someone asking for a particular song, and play the tape just before that song was played, but it was an illusion to fool the listeners. The requests had nothing to do with the playlist. (In general, there is a lot of dishonesty in the entertainment business.) But now we live in the twenty-first century and you can have control. Would you like to build your own custom Internet music station? Just choose the type of music you like, rate the songs, and before you can say "I'll get that on for you as soon as I can," you'll have your own personal source of continuous music. Moreover, you can share your personal station with your friends (including all the people on the Net who are just waiting to admire your good taste), and you can listen to custom stations created by other people.


Web:

http://www.live365.com/
http://www.scour.com/
http://www.shoutcast.com/
http://www.spinner.com/


Live Broadcasting Guides

Every minute of every day, there is a lot of broadcasting -- audio and video -- on the Net. These broadcasting guides will help you find out what's happening live right now (or soon). Enjoy audio broadcasts, video broadcasts, sports, concerts, live chats, and more. As I was writing this, I checked to see what was on the menu for the day. I found a large variety of free shows including sporting events, live music, a poetry festival, news and commentary from Scotland, India, Africa, Italy, United States and New Zealand, several comedy shows, a science discussion, celebrity gossip, religious sermons, live coverage of the British parliament, a public affairs discussion, a philosophy lecture, and an animated trivia game show.


Web:

http://radio.broadcast.com/
http://www.comfm.com/live/radio/
http://www.flip2it.com/
http://www.live-at.com/


Live Concerts

Concerts are a lot of fun, but who wants to wait? If you are like me, you want the world and you want it now. Check out these concert archives -- both audio and video -- that you can enjoy anywhere you want. After all, why should you pay through the nose for expensive tickets when you can use the Net to listen to a concert for free (through the ears)?


Web:

http://www.hob.com/onlinemusic/concerts/


News Broadcasts

News, news, news. 24 hours a day. Live. Video and audio. News, business, sports, weather, science. Video and audio. Live. 24 hours a day. News, news, news.


Web:

http://news.npr.org/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/
http://www.cnn.com/audio/
http://www.cspan.org/watch/cspanradio.asp


Sports Broadcasts

If you're a sports buff, you'll love the Net. There are lots and lots of sporting events you can listen to and watch -- baseball, hockey, basketball, football, college sports, and more -- as well as post-game shows, updates, interviews, clips and archived games. And, of course, you can listen to sports news whenever you want, so you never have to worry about missing the latest scores just because you are forced to spend some of your time working, eating or sleeping.


Web:

http://www.espnradio.com/
http://www.sportsbroadcastpages.com
http://www.sportsbyline.com/
http://www.sportsline.com/u/radio/live/sports/


Video Broadcasting Guides

Remember how everyone used to think that in the future there would be zillions of video channels offering any type of content we could imagine whenever we would want it? The future is almost here: just cruise through these video guides and you are sure to find something to distract, entertain or inform you. There is a lot more out there than you think and, as a citizen of the Net, it is your duty to explore the brave new world of video whenever you can grab a few moments away from what people without fast Internet connections call "real life".


Web:

http://www.mediachannel.com/
http://www.vidnet.com/