Free Republic

You don’t hear Air Supply’s hits on classic rock radio and you’d probably have a problem getting, say, an AC/DC or Black Sabbath fan to admit liking the Australian group’s music. Such is the guilt inherent to guilty pleasures, silly as that is. But you can’t knock the fact that the band’s chief members have been performing and recording for 45 years, playing thousands of shows in that time to audiences of all sizes and at one time the group had a string of seven Top 5 singles in the U.S. The people who remember those songs (and who love...

Jim Steinman, the songwriter and producer best known for his grandiose ballads sung by Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Celine Dion and Air Supply, has died at age 73. The Connecticut state medical examiner confirmed Steinman's death to Variety, though a cause was not immediately announced. Steinman was born Nov. 1, 1947, in New York City, but he found his calling while studying at Amherst College in Massachusetts. There, he became involved in musical theater, writing music and lyrics for his 1969 production The Dream Engine, which led to work with Joseph Papp, founder of the New York Shakespeare Festival. His...

BAGHDAD – U.S. Soldiers here at Al Asad Air Base recently showed their Iraqi Army counterparts an inexpensive way to deliver critical necessities like ammunition, food and water to their Soldiers in the field. U.S. Soldiers with the 307th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Advise and Assist Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, recently introduced the Iraqi Special Operations Forces to the Low Cost, Low Altitude Aerial Resupply System at Al Asad Air Base. Supply bundles such as these are airdropped from helicopters, an inexpensive way to deliver supplies to Soldiers in the field. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. P. Valentine.The U.S. Soldiers,...

PALMDALE - City officials say the poor economy might, ironically, help attendance at this year's Starlight Concert Series, even as they charge an admission fee for the first time in the event's history. The $5 gate fee, instituted beginning tonight for "American Idol" finalist Bucky Covington at 8 p.m., is expected to help mitigate the cost of the series. "It's cheaper than going to a movie and it's great entertainment," Mlynar said. Tickets for Covington's show went on sale July 6 and will be available again beginning at 2 p.m. today at the Palmdale Amphitheater at Marie Kerr Park, 2723...

Air Supply Performing in Cuba By VANESSA ARRINGTON Associated Press Writer July 8 2005, 11:26 AM CDT HAVANA -- Air Supply are performing for two nights in Cuba, adding the communist country to a list of exotic venues including North Vietnam, Lebanon and mainland China. Vocalist Russell Hitchcock said the rock group, which rose to popularity in the 1980s with the song "All Out of Love," produces music that is able to transcend language. "We're always very excited to take our music to places we've never been before," he said at a news conference Thursday. Songwriter Graham Russell's "lyrics and...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. .................................................................. .................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should...

<p>MONTERREY, Mexico - The duet Air Supply was detained in the border city of Nuevo Laredo by Mexican migration officials after failing to provide documents to legally work in Mexico, officials said Friday. Air Supply had just finished a Thursday night concert as part of the city's annual carnival when eight agents from the National Migration Institute asked to see their work visas.</p>