Let’s start with The Voice. Clearly I’m a fan as I’ve written about this show many times, but this season I think the show went on for too many weeks. At some point the judges don’t have anything new to say and it gets repetitive. I’m also annoyed that Danielle Bradbery, a cookie-cutter teenage girl from Texas who had never performed on a stage before in her life, won over someone like Michelle Chamuel who has talent, her own style and heart. No question that Bradbery has a killer voice but it was like The Voice took the American Idol easy way out by doing a little bit more to promote Bradbery instead of someone who really does bring a new voice, look and style to music. I know it was ultimately America’s decision but come on!

In other news:

-Watching the Swon Brothers trade versus and chords with the legendary Bob Seeger in a stripped down version of “Night Moves” was the highlight of the show. The three of them sat on stools with their acoustic guitars and had the attention of every single person in the room and at home.
-Cher looked like she was on some kind of sedative as she awkwardly sang “Woman’s World” in her peacock and leather crazy outfit. What a nutjob!
-Christina Aguilera’s song with Pitbull sounded like a bad version of a Kesha song on auto tune. You have a multi-octave voice that rivals Whitney and Mariah – why are you singing club hits?
-As much as I love Blake Shelton and want to be friends with him he needed to put down the moonshine last night – clearly that was not cowboy coffee in his cup.

On to the Heat! In a win-or-go-home scenario no team plays better under pressure than this Heat lineup but as the fourth quarter was waning I was worried. Really worried. The San Antonio Spurs aka The Most Boring Team in NBA History could not take this from us. No way. Following a pivotal offensive rebound and assist from Chris Bosh, 37-year-old Ray Allen hit a three-pointer that tied up the game with five seconds left in regulation.

Was I surprised that Allen made the shot? Hell no – the guy holds the record for most three-pointers in NBA history clocking 2,850 in his 17-year career. That being said the Miami Arena is no joke and neither is game six of the NBA finals when your team is down. So thanks to Allen’s heroic performance and some gnarly blocks by Bosh, the Heat came out ahead in overtime by the skin of their sneakers, 103-100, extending the dramatic series to game seven. Now that’s good television! And by good television I mean my dog was looking at me like I was insane as I repeatedly screamed at the flat screen and I was worried my mother was going to have a heart attack. Thanks for the drama Miami!

In conclusion:

Danielle –I hope you do well, make a career for yourself and decide not to be like other teen pop stars out there who shave their heads and can’t handle the pressure. Michelle and the Swon Brothers – I think you will have no problem succeeding in the biz. You guys are amazing.

In the meantime see ya tomorrow at 7 p.m. Mountain Standard Time for the final showdown. Let’s go Heat!

Never in my life did I think people would be able to walk into store and buy weed, grow plants at their house and have a card that allows them to do so. Whether the feds like it or not marijuana is part of our lives now and it doesn’t look like it will be changing anytime soon.

But what I find most interesting about the marijuana movement is that the way we view weed is changing as well. No longer is it a hippie/outlaw drug of choice and any person who used to believe what they saw in the film Reefer Madness has been proven wrong.

Marijuana has become ever-present in movies, on TV shows (there is a show called Weeds for crying out loud), on the radio and in newspapers and magazines. It’s no longer hush-hush or taboo – it’s part of our existence like food, alcohol and anything else you would buy at the store or use at home. It just doesn’t matter anymore and it’s not a big deal.

So the question is will marijuana continue to be its own genre when it comes to movies, music and TV. Will movies like Pineapple Express, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and Dazed and Confused still get made? Will characters like Brad Pitt’s Floyd in True Romance or Jeff Bridges’ The Dude in The Big Lebowski still get written? Will Dr. Dre put out another album called The Chronic? Will shows like Weeds continue to be on channels like Showtime and HBO or are we going to find them on basic cable? I can’t wait to find out.

On Saturday night, at a 5,000-person capacity venue in downtown Denver, four of us went to see Tosh live. His opening act was very good – something we weren’t expecting because you just never know with opening acts – and then came Tosh. Dressed in jeans, a blue button down shirt, a five o’clock shadow and possibly last night’s hangover, he looked rough. Clearly the producers shine up his face a bit on Tosh.O but that’s television – no big deal. I also noticed his enormous hands and did think it was very cool to see him in person. Before writing this post I looked up his age and was surprised to learn that he recently turned 38. For some reason I thought he was a bit younger but what do I know.

Anyway, with no videos to reference or YouTube clips to mock, it was interesting to watch him casually move around the stage and do his approximately 90-minute routine. He seemed relaxed and happy to be there and, as per usual, was not afraid to say some dark, opposite-of-PC stuff. He commented on family, relationships, other countries, a variety of races and religions, etc. He even made fun of how people in the audience react to his jokes by “wooing” instead of just laughing. Without question Tosh brought his balls to Denver and I’m assuming he brings them everywhere he goes because he is anything but censored.

I will paraphrase one of my favorite parts of the show: He was talking about China and how it is a better country than America but gave a disclaimer saying that he is not anti-American. “Chinese people are amazing – they get up at four in the morning and practice violin, then they do math for hours and hours and then at night they are ninjas!”

I hope that doesn’t lose translation in print because two days later it’s still making me laugh!

While Tosh has no qualms about making uncensored remarks, he did remind us to not take what he says out of context because he didn’t want us going home and writing nasty things on our blogs. Clearly he was alluding to an incident last summer when a blog titled Cookies for Breakfast published an account by an unnamed woman in which Tosh made a series of jokes about rape at the Laugh Factory. According to the blogger, after she called out “Actually, rape jokes are never funny!” Tosh responded, “Wouldn’t it be funny if that girl got raped by, like, five guys right now?” Later that day Tosh claimed the blog post was inaccurate and that he was misquoted, but apologized on Twitter for what he said. The owner of the comedy club, who was present during Tosh’s set, stated that the blog’s account of the incident was inaccurate but the event received a degree of media coverage, with anti-sexual assault groups arguing that his actions normalize sexual violence.

While I obviously don’t think rape is funny, you have to realize what you’re getting yourself into when you go to a Tosh show. He is not going to be nice, he is going to be inappropriate and you’ll probably have more fun if you check your PC mind at the door. If you’re offended easily, stay at home and if you don’t like his show you will not like his stand-up because there is no edit function. Overall we had a great time at the show and laughed the entire time – there is a reason he has a popular show on Comedy Central and over nine million Facebook friends. Unapologetic, unafraid and sporting a razor-sharp tongue, Daniel Tosh is definitely worth your time and money.

Yep, you read that right – there is an exhibit at the Met that is celebrating punk’s impact on high fashion from the movement’s birth in the 1970s through its continuing influence today. Sid Vicious is bent over with laughter in his grave!

A quote from the Director and CEO of The Met: “Punk’s signature mixing of references was fueled by artistic developments such as Dada and postmodernism,” said Thomas P. Campbell, “so it makes sense to present this exhibition in a museum that also shows the broader output of those movements.”

I love it! So Mr. Campbell, what you’re saying is that after years of getting grief from “The Man/The Establishment,” one of the most prestigious and largest museums in the world is embracing punk rock. And it gets better! To benefit that celebrated the opening of the exhibition that took place on May 6 featured Beyoncé as Honorary Chair!

Ok enough smack talking – let’s talk about the exhibit. Featuring approximately 100 designs for men and women, “Chaos to Couture” is showing original punk garments from the mid-1970s juxtaposed with recent, directional fashion to illustrate how haute couture and ready-to-wear have borrowed punk’s visual symbols. I.e. lots of safety pins, razor blades and studs – yes!!!

Presented as a multimedia, multisensory experience, the clothes are animated with punk music videos and the exhibit is organized around the materials, techniques and embellishments associated with the anti-establishment style.

Each of the seven galleries has designated punk heroes who embody the broader concepts behind the fashions on view. For example the first gallery is devoted to CBGB in New York City, represented by Blondie, Richard Hell and Patti Smith while the Do-it-yourself section highlights Sid Vicious (Sex Pistols guitarist). Exploring punk’s tradition of provocation and confrontation through images and text is exemplified by The Clash and the section that examines the effect of punk’s rip-it-to-shreds spirit is typified by Johnny Rotten (Sex Pistols lead singer).

Surprisingly, there are a lot of heavy hitter designers participating in the exhibition including Christopher Bailey (Burberry), Francisco Costa (Calvin Klein), Dior, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana (Dolce and Gabbana), Karl Lagerfeld (Chanel), Helmut Lang, Martin Margiela, Malcolm McLaren, Alexander McQueen, Hedi Slimane (Saint Laurent), Gianni Versace and Vivienne Westwood, among many others. Additionally, a book called Punk: Chaos to Couture, by Andrew Bolton, with an introduction by Jon Savage and prefaces by Richard Hell and John Lydon (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols), will accompany the exhibition.

Get out your leather, skulls and studded boots – The Met has embraced punk rock!

1) Does the voting public consider which coaches they like the best when they decide which competitors to save?

For instance Shakira only had one team member left (Sasha Allen) so I’m wondering if people voted for Sasha because they like Shakira and want to keep her in the game.

2) Do voters think about pervious performances or do they have such short term memories that they only consider the performance they saw the night before?

Last week Adam Levine’s powerhouse Judith Hill gave everyone on the planet goose bumps when she paid homage to her former singing partner Michael Jackson by singing “The Way You Make Me Feel.” Her version was so good I went to iTunes and downloaded it. But then this week she was voted off when she sang some will.i.am song that starts with “hashtag” that I’ve never heard of in my life. Similarly, Sarah Simmons (another Levine girl) tore the roof off with her rendition of “Mama Knows Best” (I downloaded that one as well) but then she sang “Somebody That I Used To Know” and America said goodbye.

3) Is America right to just consider the most recent performance or should they consider how much the artist has improved or grown throughout the competition?

Michelle Chamuel is without a doubt a loveable weirdo with Where’s Waldo glasses and a refreshingly unique voice. While she was exciting in the beginning of the show, I think she’s improved the most out of everyone and continues to get better every week. Good call America!

4) Is Blake Shelton right? Is the show all about memorable moments? And if so, shouldn’t the artists be memorable as well?

I find it virtually impossible to decipher between Holly Tucker and Amber Carrington. Although I do remember that Tucker sang “Done” by The Band Perry last night and Carrington destroyed Adele’s “Skyfall” in the best way possible, in general I find myself forgetting who is who and who sang what when it comes to the two of them.

On the other hand, I clearly remember artists like Hill, Chamuel and the Swon Brothers every week and although I don’t love Danielle Bradbery, I remember her as well.

5) Are people more likely to vote for songs they like?

For example I really like the Swon Brothers but I’m wondering if it’s because I like the songs they sing i.e. Tom Petty, The Eagles, etc. or if they are really that good.

I would love to hear what Voice fans think about this – especially now that the person I thought would win (Judith Hill) is gone. Also, I find it interesting that every team is down to one artist other than Shelton’s team which boasts three.

See ya next week!

For example: Even though I saw Prince at a large venue almost 10 years ago, the second I heard he was playing at a tiny venue on the most notorious street in Denver I had to buy tickets. Yes the price for general admission was absurd but I couldn’t possibly miss out. It’s Prince for crying out loud! In a venue that houses just over 2,000 people! At 11:30 at night! Who does that? I had to see it.

Another example is the highly-anticipated Rolling Stones tour – “50 and Counting” – which will kickoff at the Los Angeles Staples Center. Next they’ll hit Oakland’s Oracle Arena on May 5, tour through the month and wrap up on June 18 at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center. Want to know how much tickets will set you back? Over $300 for nosebleed and over $800 for first level. Yeah.

While I understand that the music business is in a very different place in 2013 than it was in 1997, I was lucky enough to see the Stones in 1997 at Miami’s Orange Bowl and my ticket was just over $76 and my seats were good. To say that’s quite a jump is an understatement.

But you know what’s not? Kid Rock tickets. I saw him in 2006 and my ticket, with convenience charges of course, was about $50. You know what tickets to his show are running this summer? $20 – no matter where you are sitting. Because in an effort to damn the man Kid Rock’s “$20 Best Night Ever” tour will stop at 29 U.S. locations and will feature his Twisted Brown Trucker Band, along with Kool & The Gang, ZZ Top and Uncle Kracker.

Offering more than just discounted reserved seating and lawn ticket prices, Kid Rock has also announced that draft beer will be $4, the coffee will be free and discounted merchandise and food will also be available. Unidentified special Walmart locations are also expected to be offering a $20 ticket package for fans that includes no additional fees or parking charges.

Kid Rock said it was his decision to take a pay cut and that he made the tickets more affordable to benefit those struggling during the tough economic period. He also made it clear that although the ticket prices are low the shows still promise premium entertainment and said that they are not sparing any expense on the tour.

For those who write Kid Rock off as a random Detroit artist who started off in the rock/hip hop genre and fell into country think again. He can play over 10 instruments, puts on a great show and has traded verses with some of the best in the business including Aerosmith, Bob Seeger and Sheryl Crow. But that’s not even the point. The point is asking yourself: What’s a show worth to you? Would you rather spend a large sum of much money on awesome seats or save money and see your favorite artist/band from the back of the venue? Personally if I’m going to see live music I want to have good seats – otherwise I’d watch it at home on DVD or on a HBO special. If I’m going to a venue, regardless of the size, I’m paying for good seats.

So is Kid Rock’s tour a gimmick or something that artists should seriously consider? How can he afford to take such a big financial hit on such a large tour? Is he pulling a Radio Head circa 2007 when the band released In Rainbows online and invited fans to pay whatever they thought the album was worth?

While I wish that tickets were cheaper, that “convenience” fees didn’t exist and bands didn’t have to rely on gimmicks to fill seats, this is not 1995 and people are not lining up outside of local records to buy tickets. The question is will artists follow in Prince’s footsteps and justify the cost by playing in a small venue or take Kid Rock’s route by playing the same venues with lower prices? And the bigger question is how will fans respond.

Following his SXSW performance in Austin, Prince announced a West Coast nine-city, 17-date tour of theaters called “Live Out Loud” and each night he was going play two shows –at 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. with the grand finale taking place on May 13 at the Ogden. Ticket prices were astronomically high and everything was general admission. I didn’t care. I had to see this.

In August 2004 I was lucky enough to see him at the Pepsi Center on his Musicology tour which I assumed would never happen again and it was a great show. We got to hear an acoustic version of “Little Red Corvette,” he blasted through “Baby I’m A Star” and “When Doves Cry” and we got what we paid for – a two-hour arena extravaganza. And nine years later I’m still talking about it so I figured it was worth the money to do it again with one tenth of the people.

Although the show was slated to start at 11:30 p.m. we arrived at 9:30 p.m. to get in line. So old school but that’s what you do when it’s GA and the artist you’re going to see has 10 platinum albums, thirty Top 40 singles and has sold over 80 million records worldwide. As we waited in line on Colfax, the event staff – contracted by the Ogden because they clearly needed more help – checked our IDs and gave us wristbands while we waited. Smart move considering everyone, including us, was anxious to get inside and grab spots. As we waited we learned a few things: 1) There was no merchandise for purchase. 2) No photos or video or they would kick you out.

At 10:30 the doors opened and we immediately went upstairs. We wanted front balcony seats and we got them. An hour later Prince appeared and he, along with chick trifecta band 3rdEyeGirl, came out guitars blazing. Clearly channeling Jimi Hendrix, he was sporting an afro and a black sequined outfit that might have made Slash blush. Speaking of Slash, the girls Prince found for this tour shredded their guitars and went hardcore Dave Grohl on the drums. It was unreal. Featuring guitarist Donna Grantis, bassist Ida Nielsen and drummer Hannah Ford, 3rd Eye Girl is a badass trio that really brought the rock and roll that would have made Angus Young/Slash/Nikki Sixx proud. And they brought it out of Prince too. This was more than a concert – this was a rock and roll party that didn’t stop for 90 minutes.

The show kicked off with “Let’s Go Crazy” and we knew it was going to be quite a ride. Prince, who is 54 years old, sounded great. The notes he can hit are incredible and the screeches and pops in his voice are like a separate instrument. It could have been 1999 or even 1989 – that’s how good he sounded. And not that anyone needed to be reminded of the fact that he is one of the greatest guitarists of all time but he made that very clear last night. Balls to the wall guitar with Grantis keeping up every step of the way – especially during their snippet of Led Zeppelin’s “The Ocean.” Mind. Blown. I also loved the neon-colored lyrics that appeared as the backdrop during his new song “Screwdriver.” The chorus is “I’m your driver, you’re my screw” which is so hilariously Prince-esque and one of the funniest lines is “Everywhere that we go now, there’s a show now, people pay money for the rock ‘n’ roll.” We sure did! And it was worth it!

We also got to see him play piano – something that didn’t happen at the 2004 show – and when the lights dimmed and all we saw was his silhouette with purple backlighting it gave me chills. I couldn’t believe it was happening – a stripped down “Purple Rain.” I’ll never forget it. Especially since Prince loves his medleys – he will tease a song and only play the first few notes or will just play snippets of hits and combine them together which is fine but you never know if you’re going to get the whole song. Needless to say “Purple Rain,” which is by no means is my favorite song, was one of the most memorable moments in my concert-going history. In fact this whole experience was remarkable and I think Prince had just as much fun as we did.

Best Prince quotes of the night:

While sitting at the piano and playing the first few chords of “Purple Rain”: “Colorado, listen to me. Strange times in America now. We gotta try to get along. You’ve heard before, but now more than ever, that’s what we need. We also need your voice. You can sing if you want to.”

(And the whole place sang along…)

Also during “Purple Rain”: “I can’t argue with anybody anymore. I’m too happy. I’m too blessed. Aren’t we all? You know times are changing. They’re not the same any more. It’s time we all reach out for something. Something new. Something different.”

(As someone who was notorious for fighting with his label, having copyright issues, going by a symbol and being a weird guy in general, it was nice to see him really having fun and connecting with the audience.)

After the “Nasty Girl” section of the medley: “Ain’t no party like a purple party. Purple party don’t stop.”

(It sure didn’t…)

Set List:

Let’s Go Crazy
Endorphinmachine
Screwdriver
Stratus
The Love We Make
How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?
I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
Guitar
Plectrum Electrum
FixUrLifeUp

Medley:

When Doves Cry
Nasty Girl
Sign O the Times
The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
Housequake
I Would Die 4 You
A Love Bizarre
Hot Thing (with a few other snippets of songs included)
Purple Rain
Bambi

Encore:

She’s Always in My Hair
U Got the Look

The only aspect that’s remotely interesting about Jackson’s departure is that the other judges are leaving as well which means that after only one season Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey and Keith Urban are done with the show. Could it be because Minaj and Carey hate each other and are always trying to out-diva one another? Or is it because they can’t seem to make it to the show on time? There were several instances where Minaj arrived halfway through the show or Carey’s entourage was blamed for her tardiness. Get a grip. You’re making millions just to give your opinion and you can’t bother to get your ass in the chair on time?

Salaries: Carey raked in close to $18 million, Minaj made almost $12 million and Urban’s take was a reported $6 million for the season.

While I think shaking up the cast of judges is a generally a good thing (i.e. bringing in Shakira and Usher to replace Christina Aguilera and CeeLo Green on The Voice) at this point I don’t think anything can save this show. Between the cheesy car commercials, transparent attempts at showing the audience how Idol “gives back” to the community and making the contestants sing songs that are part of a theme rather than what works for their respective voices, it’s become the equivalent of a middle school talent show.

And it’s not just me who has this opinion – last month American Idol averaged a 4.3 rating in the adults 18-to-49 demographic, its worst showing since its debut season in 2001. Conversely, The Voice reached a 5.2 rating in the same demographic while Idol dropped to a series low 2.8 in the same week.

Hey Television Powers That Be: Take a hint and let’s make this a one singing competition world. Trust me; we’ll all be better for it.

This Friday, the highly-anticipated Leonardo DiCaprio-starring film The Great Gatsby will be released at a theater near you. While the movie itself has already gained a great deal of hype due to the big names (Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire complete the trifecta) and the fact that F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel is an iconic piece of American literature, what’s surprising is how much hype the soundtrack is getting. Why? Check out a few of the heavy-hitters who contributed: Jay-Z, Beyonce and Andre 3000 covering Amy Winehouse’s “Back To Black,” will.i.am, Florence + The Machine, Lana Del Rey, Gotye, Kanye West and Jack White, just to name a few.

How the hell did this happen? How did Gatsby garner such big music industry names and since when do these big names care about being on a soundtrack? Released today in retail stores and on iTunes, it will be interesting to see how many units the album sells or if people will just buy specific tracks instead.

In the meantime, here’s a trip down soundtrack memory lane…

The five top-selling soundtracks of all time:

1) The Bodyguard – Featuring Whitney Houston’s most iconic and best-selling song “I Will Always Love You,” the soundtrack won a Grammy for Album of the Year and has been certified 17 times platinum. To date, the soundtrack has sold over 45 million copies worldwide and is the best-selling soundtrack of all time.

2) Titanic – Released in November 1997 and riding the wave of the film’s success, the soundtrack shot to the top of the charts and sold over 30 million copies. It is also the highest-selling primarily orchestral soundtrack ever and gave Celine Dion her best-selling single ever – “My Heart Will Go On.”

3) Purple Rain – Published in July 2008, Entertainment Weekly’s 1,000th issue listed the album at number one on their list of the top 100 best albums of the past 25 years. It has gone platinum 13 times, features two number-one songs and has sold over 20 million copies worldwide.

4) Saturday Night Fever – Certified 15 times platinum, the album has been added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress. It stayed atop the album charts for 24 straight weeks from January to July 1978 and stayed on Billboard‘s album charts for 120 weeks until March 1980.

5) Dirty Dancing – Spending 18 weeks at number one on the Billboard 200 album sales charts, the soundtrack went multi-platinum and sold 32 million copies worldwide.

A few more thoughts:

-Two of these soundtracks (The Bodyguard and Purple Rain) feature singers that were also actors in the movie. Does that make a difference in their success?
-Titanic’s soundtrack was a big deal because the movie was an enormous hit – in fact it is the second-highest grossing film of all time with a worldwide total of over $2 billion. Yes, billion with a “b.” As a result, people rushed out to buy the soundtrack because they wanted to own the Celine Dion song. In fact I remember working in the music stores and dealing with a perpetual line out of the door because of this album.
-Will the Gatsby soundtrack make money even if the movie sucks?
-This soundtrack features arguably two of the biggest names in music right now – Jay-Z and Beyonce. With such popular singers featured on the album will customers view it as a “collection” of songs or just buy the ones they like by the artists they like?

You tell me….

While she isn’t the first and definitely won’t be the last, Lauryn Hill is the most recent example of a celebrity who is going to jail for tax evasion. Today the Grammy-winning singer was sentenced to three months in prison and an additional three months in home confinement for failing to pay taxes on about $1 million in earnings. She pleaded guilty last year in the case and explained to the judge that she had always meant to eventually pay the taxes but was unable to during a period of time when she dropped out of the music business.

Before the sentencing, her attorney said Hill had paid more than $970,000 to satisfy the state and federal tax liabilities. Hill had faced a maximum sentence of one year each on three counts and her attorney had sought probation. At this point it is unknown when or where she will report to prison.

In the 90s it seemed that Hill couldn’t be stopped as she was extraordinarily popular as part of the Fugees and then her solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill cleaned up at the Grammys in 1999. After that she completely disappeared from the public eye to raise her six children. On the rare occasions that she surfaced she could usually be heard giving rambling, ridiculous quotes about society and the music industry. Her story is a shame because she could have been a legend in the realm of Aretha Franklin, Etta James and Whitney Houston. Hill was a double threat because of her abilities to sing the big notes and rap – especially at a time when female rappers pretty much consisted of only Mary J. Blige and Missy Elliott.

Here are few other examples of famous faces doing time for tax evasion:

Wesley Snipes: The actor failed to file tax returns between 1999 and 2006 and prosecutors claimed that during those years $38 million worth of income had gone unreported. Snipes justified the nonpayment in a 2006 statement in which he claimed he was “a nonresident alien” of the United States. In reality, he was born in Florida. He also stated the U.S. government had “no lawful authority to impose any kind of criminal sanctions” and that he had no income for the U.S. government to legitimately tax. The courts didn’t see it that way and on in February 2008, he was convicted of three misdemeanor charges of failure to file income tax returns.

Richard Hatch: Five years after winning $1 million on the first season of Survivor, Hatch was indicted by a federal grand jury in Providence, Rhode Island on charges of failing to report the money he had won in his 2000 tax return. The indictment not only listed his unreported winnings but also unreported money from rental properties he owned, the car he won on the show and false statements that he had knowingly given about all of the above. In 2006, he was found guilty of tax evasion and sentenced to 51 months in prison.

Heidi Fleiss: Frequently referred to as “The Hollywood Madam,” Fleiss ran a prostitution ring during the early 90s. Although she never named names, her business attracted clients who were well-known and well-off. Her business became too popular for its own good leading to unwanted attention which resulted in an arrest in June 1993. Fleiss was convicted of federal tax evasion charges, which carried a seven-year prison sentence.

Pete Rose: Despite his on-field accomplishments as a player and later a manager for the Cincinnati Reds, Rose agreed to permanent ineligibility from baseball when he was caught gambling on games, including those played by his own team. In 1990 Rose was sentenced to five months in prison and fined $50,000 for tax evasion because he had failed to report more than $350,000 of income from autograph signings, sales of memorabilia and even the gambling that had cost him his career and good standing. At the sentencing hearing, Rose accepted responsibility for his predicament.

Willie Nelson: In 1990, the IRS served Nelson with a bill for $32 million in back taxes, one of the largest ever presented to an individual. The country singer claimed that his taxes had gone unpaid because his accounting firm, PriceWaterhouse, had put his money into tax shelters of dubious validity instead. He ended up settling his debt with the IRS in 1993.