The convention is now about 10 days away. What’s going to be hot? What going to be “not”?

Here’s a start:
In
* Suits
I have been told that in general, the attire at the convention follows the trend of the president of the United States. George Bush was a suit man, and the past several years had more suits than casual attire. Bill Clinton was more casual, and the attire reflected that. Barack Obama is a suit man all the way. There’s another reason for the suits, too.

* Resumes
The convention is a great place to job prospect. I’ve done it in the past (many years ago). Looking for a job? Wear a suit.

Out
* Big crowds
I said earlier that while the overall attendance figures will be lower than last year, I don’t expect a huge drop in the raw number. However, I expect more people will spend fewer days in Las Vegas. Instead of a full week, they’ll make it a three-day – or even two-day — vist.

* Swag
The freebies — foam toys and things — have been declining over the past several years. I don’t expect to see too much this year either. Some t-shirts to select clients. I don’t count USB sticks as swag per se; they serve a useful function.

I’ll add more later.

I had to laugh when I saw the latest ongoing dig between the Music First Coalition and the NAB. When the Music First group issues a press release mocking the NAB, it reprinted the lyrics from the Beatles song We Can Work it Out without any attribution to the rights holder or author.

It was a non-commercial use, so it’s not the worst possible offense. Still, for a group so focused on rights and royalties, you think someone would have thought it through.

I first heard about it in a press release from the NAB.

Is this debate coming down to finger-wagging and “Oh yeah?” arguments?

It’s obviously a polarized issue. Terrestrial stations don’t want to pay. I recognize the symbiotic relationship there. As a musician, I also side with the performers: Compensate them for their work.

I look forward to the final resolution.

By now I know you’ve seen some of the look-alike comparisons of famous people to other famous people, or people to animals or objects. Some of them are dead on. Some are really frightening.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, one site is totallylookslike.com. One famous comparison puts Bono against Robin Williams. Here are some other good examples I found:

example 1         example 2         example 3         example 4         example 5

You get the idea.

I have one of my own. You’ve seen pictures of David K. Rehr, the president of the NAB. Who does he remind you of?

Here’s Rehr:

Any guesses?
How about Buster Poindexter?

Enjoy April Fool’s Day.