PopEater Columnist Rob Shuter Predicts 2011 Super Bowl Champ!

It promises to be a tight game.  Two defensive powers come face to face when the Green Bay Packers meet the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.  Both franchises have been to the big game before; both have hoisted the Vince Lombardi trophy.

This year the Steelers bring experience to the game.  Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has twice led his team to Super Bowl wins.  The Packers bring grit and determination.  Green Bay has rallied behind quarterback Aaron Rodgers with impressive playoff victories.

At press time the oddsmakers have the spread at 2 1/2 points.  It’s a game that’s just too close to call.  So, who better to consult than a man who is used to handling pressure situations, and who is unafraid to make the tough calls. 

He’s worked with Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson, and Paris Hilton.  Picking the Super Bowl champ should be a snap for PopEater’s Rob Shuter.  We asked the popular columnist to share his game day plans and prediction.

2011 Super Bowl: Green Bay Packers vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Who will win and why?

Pittsburgh Steelers because I like that the name of the city is in the name. Makes it easy to remember where they are from. Plus I like Pittsburgh. One river meets another river and forms a massive river!

Favorite Super Bowl and/or football memory?

I’m from the UK so it’s still very new to me. I like when fans paint their faces and stand outside shirtless in the freezing cold. I liked when Whitney sang the national anthem. That girl can really sing.

Where and with whom will you watch the game?

None of my friends will watch with me cause I ask too many questions about what is going on. Rules of the game confuse me so I’ll probably be alone on the sofa texting and tweeting stupid questions. I once watched an entire game and didn’t realize a team had won. I like cricket. 

Favorite Super Bowl snack food and libation?

Don’t need to be watching a game to enjoy beer and chips!

Late breaking news: Looks like Rob will have to move the sofa to Cowboys Stadium.  A  recent tweet confirms that the gossip columnist will be reporting from the game on Sunday:

I’m going to Super Bowl with HDNet and Direct TV!!! Will bring you the best buzz…what teams are playing again?

 

 

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Be sure to catch Rob’s AOL PopEater column for the latest “Naughty but Nice” celebrity news here: 
http://www.popeater.com/category/naughty-but-nice/

Rob has the hottest dish of the day on AOL video; his latest webisode:
http://video.aol.com/video/popeater-denis-richards-bans-charlie-sheen-from-kids/2344199332

Taylor Hicks on Tour: Date Night at Highline Ballroom

This post kindly provided by Candy/skeeter226 and supplemented by photos from Louise/4tay

 

It was with great anticipation and excitement that I looked forward to the July 25, 2010 Taylor Hicks concert at Highline Ballroom. Out-of-state friends were arriving on July 24 to travel with me to New York City the next day.

On the morning of the 24^th I read on Twitter that @TaylorRHicks and @NaughtyNiceRob were running a contest.  The prize: a date with Popeater columnist Rob Shuter and the chance to meet Taylor Hicks after the Highline Ballroom show.  The contest question: “Is Taylor Hicks left handed or right handed?”  I tweeted my answer, and then left to meet friends who had flown in that day. En route I received this tweet from Rob Shuter: “@skeeter226 would you be my date at Highline tomorrow night?”  I answered:  “HELL YES” and it was a total whirlwind after that.

Now reality was beginning to sink in; I started to feel a little queasy and had to pull over to the side of the road.  My phone was going crazy with tweets and phone calls from friends who congratulated me on winning the contest.  It was crazy!

I’ve met Taylor several times and he is as down to earth as they come; he always makes you feel comfortable right away. It was Rob Shuter that had my stomach in knots.  I spent a sleepless night tossing and turning, wondering what this date would be like.  I have to thank my good friends for soothing my nerves before the big event; it wasn’t easy!

I was to meet Rob outside the Highline at 8pm.  I asked a friend to come with me to snap a few pictures and to keep me from freaking out! Rob came rushing up the street at 8 o’clock sharp saying KA’NDEE!! just the way my mother does (she is British also).  He gave me a big hug; we took a few pictures, and then made our way inside. I was totally comfortable with Rob from that first moment.  It turns out there was no reason to be worried or nervous about meeting him or spending the evening with him.

Rob grabbed me by the hand and on the way to our seats stopped to tell several people that I was his date. We paused at the table where my son was sitting for some quick introductions. Our table was in the second row at the end to the right of the stage. I gathered up my courage and asked Rob if he would mind sitting at the table where I had planned to join my friends. These good people had secured 3 tables in the front row center. When I showed Rob where we’d be sitting, he said: “Of course! You ladies have a better table than I do!”

As we settled into our seats and ordered drinks, we discovered that we had arrived just in time for the opening act, Javier Colon. I really enjoyed Javier’s acoustic set.  He has a wonderful personality and is a very talented artist. My favorite songs from Javier included a soulful “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” and “Use Me”.  I am sorry I didn’t get to meet him after the show, and hope he’ll open for Taylor again in the future.

Finally the time came for Taylor Hicks to hit the stage.  If there is anything better than seeing Taylor perform live, it’s to see the show with someone who has never had this experience before.  My friends and I tried to prepare Rob for what he was about to see, but as I have said many times, there is no explaining a Taylor Hicks show.  You just have to see it for yourself.  Taylor did not disappoint;  he burst onto the stage with “Not Fade Away/Runaround”, and it just got better from there.  Taylor’s band is fantastic and they were tight that night!  One comment from Rob:  “Taylor is NOTHING like this when we are out for drinks!”  He really seemed to be impressed, especially with Taylor’s guitar and harmonica playing.  I had the best time just listening to his comments during the show.  My favorite performances from Taylor Hicks that night were “Ain’t Gonna Hurt Nobody”, “Hold On To Your Love” and the encore performance of “Bulletproof”.  Simply fantastic!

Judy Katz took this picture; I'm short, and so she chopped off our heads to get everyone in, but I still love this picture!

After the show Rob introduced me to some of Taylor’s “people” and there were photos taken.  I really enjoyed listening to Taylor and Rob talk about the show backstage!  Taylor’s publicist Judy Katz was there and she was such a sweetheart.  She was very calm among all of the craziness and kept everything running smoothly.  I also enjoyed a good fifteen minutes talking to saxophone player Jeff Lopez backstage, and that was another one of the very special times that night.  Jeff is extremely talented and always a joy to see; I felt so lucky to have been able to spend so much time with him.  All of Taylor’s band members take the time to talk with the fans and I really appreciate that.

The Highline Ballroom show was just the beginning of a fantastic tour, and I can’t wait for September when Taylor Hicks and his band come back to the northeast.  Taylor Hicks and his band LIVE makes me “FEEL SO GOOD DOWN IN MY BONES” and THAT’S what it’s all about!”

Huge thanks to Rob Shuter, Taylor Hicks, and Judy Katz for making this a magical night that I will never forget!! You’re a “doll” Rob!!!..CHEERS!!!!

For more on Taylor Hicks, visit www.taylorhicks.com

Follow Rob Shuter on Popeater at
http://www.popeater.com/bloggers/rob-shuter/

Doggone Smart: Curry, Rob, and Taylor

courtesy of AP Photos

Meet Champion Coleraine’s Mandalay Royalty, a three year old Glen of Imaal terrier, recipient of the Best of Breed award at the 2010 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.  Nicknamed “Curry”, the terrier prefers Hebrew National hot dogs (grilled not boiled), enjoys lazy mornings in bed, and is uber friendly.

She’s a lot like her owner, Rob Shuter.  Yet outside the show ring, and away from his day job as Popeater’s celebrity columnist, Rob is most often found at home.  He’s a private person who prefers the local dry cleaner and sandwich store, and doesn’t venture out to the parties at night.

Perhaps it is that shared sense of privacy and individuality that has led to a friendship between Shuter and musician/singer Taylor Hicks.  Rob reports that when the two recently met for drinks, the fancy bar setting was quickly exchanged for a neighborhood dive where ball cap and T shirt were appropriate fashion. 

Rob describes his friend as a gentleman, a kind and decent man who is “comfortable in his own skin and doesn’t need fame so badly that he needs to lose himself”.  Rob reports that Hicks is a savvy businessman who recognized the disarray that currently describes the music industry, and so quietly went his own way, recording the songs that he wanted to sing and making the album he wanted to make.

What’s next for Rob Shuter?  It could be television, “Naughty but Nice” on cable with a theme song co-written and sung by Barry Manilow.  What’s next for Taylor Hicks?  His friend couldn’t be certain, but suggested that a major televison opportunity may be on the way for the American Idol winner.

What’s next for Curry?  With a face like that, surely the film directors will be calling.

Rob Shuter: Nice with Spice

Photo courtesy of Rob Shuter

 First in a three part series.

Rob Shuter talks about other people for a living.   The twist?  He actually likes the celebrities whose ups and downs are chronicled in his Popeater.com column.  Does this mean that Shuter is “celebrity friendly”?  Rob prefers to describe his reporting as “celebrity fair”.

The Naughty but Nice columnist applies a dinner table standard to his reporting.  “If it’s not something that I would talk about with friends in the cafe, I won’t print it.  If it’s not appropriate, I won’t talk about it.”  That doesn’t, however, mean that Shuter is a pushover.  When celebrities fib, and they do, they’re challenged with a quiet “Now that just doesn’t sound right.”

Rob insists that this is the right time and he’s in the right place to deliver gossip of the kinder, gentler variety.  Mean just isn’t selling well this century.  When asked if his comments refer to firebrand Perez Hilton, Shuter replies, “Ooh, Voldemort, he who shall not be named!”

Nice seems to be working out well for Rob.  In just a few weeks, he’ll film the pilot for a new cable television show, “Naughty but Nice”, based upon his Popeater column of the same name.  The format?  Think Chelsea Lately without the edge.  The thirty minute show will include a 15 minute chat between Rob and his media colleagues, a 10 minute celebrity interview, followed by 5 minutes of audience questions.  The nicest (Brad Pitt is very tall) and naughtiest (Brad Pitt has terrible skin) tidbits of the day will be shared.

Rob confesses that he loves his job.  He enjoys talking about the stars that we all love, and likes to give his readers a laugh, even if those laughs sometimes come at the expense of celebrities like TLC reality show queen Kate Gosselin.  Which celebrities does Rob most admire?  He respects those who are most difficult to reach, those stars who prefer a quiet corner bar to the New York City hot spots.

And which celebrity would Rob most like to see naked?  “Lassie. I hate dogs in those silly coats!  Wink.”  Come now, Rob, that just doesn’t sound right.

 

Coming Thursday:  Rob Shuter on Taylor Hicks