POLLS CLOSED: Most Memorable Tag

Here are the results from the latest poll on "Most Memorable Tag Sung On The International Stage." Eighty-nine visitors voted. (However, the absentee votes have not yet been calculated. The 5th Wheel is based in Florida, what do you expect?)

1. 53% 2000 Platinum- Tony DeRosa's confident wink at Joe Connelly on Auld Lang Syne. (Tony, you are the man! You have been voted "Most Popular" on The 5th Wheel! Now that you're the BMOC, maybe you can get the captain of The 5th Wheel cheerleading squad to go out with you?)

2. 19% 1998 FRED- The "tagless" song in HOTlanta! (Shoot! The 5th Wheel had money riding on this pick. We thought for sure a quartet that loses all musical ability to sing just one tag would have creamed the competition. Sorry guys. You can now return to taking a bath with your Anaheim gold medals around your necks.)

3. 14% 2006 O.C Times- Devine's "Never say die" attempt on Save/Last Dance Tag. (Unfortunately for Sean there was no devine intervention to help him that day. Sean, buddy, pal, I'm sorry you had to be included on this list. However, rest assured that The 5th Wheel is your biggest fan and even though we pointed out a flaw in your performance, you are being associated in this poll with quartet champions, which you are my friend.)

4. 12% 1985 The New Tradition- Danny Jordan's long post as Chico Marx. (The 5th Wheel wants to point out that before Tony DeRosa and Tim Waurick came along, gold medalist Dan Jordan was first to have the reputation for being the long tag poster. Way to go "Leather-Lungs" Jordan!)

Photos courtesy of Dan Proctor and photographed by Lorin May. Dan Jordan picture from www.theperfectgentlemen.us

Pics from SUN

Check out some pictures from last weekend's SUN contest.

The SUN 2008 Quartet Champions, On Demand getting "comfortable" with each other on stage. On Demand is also the current 2008 Silver Medalists of the International Collegiate Championship that was held in Nashville earlier this year.

The 2nd place quartet, The Pursuit. They are a brand new quartet from the SUN District. The 5th Wheel doesn't know much about them yet. However, as soon as we check out their personal records at http://www.publicdata.com/, I'm sure we'll have a LOT to share with you.

Another new quartet from SUN, Attraction, lighting up the stage in 3rd place. Did you ever think powder blue would make it back to the competition stage? The 5th Wheel tips its hat to Attraction for taking a risk. "Looks good man. I swear..."

Photos courtesy of Jennifer Conover

QUARTET and CHORUS RESULTS!

{Update: Sun, 6:47pm EST} [NOTE] The 5th Wheel hopes you've found our site to be helpful in getting you the information you were wanting as quickly as possible. We are working on post-convention interviews from your favorite groups who sang this weekend. We may even be able to conjure up some photos and video footage from some of the performances. Keep checking back with The 5th Wheel throughout the week.

WANNA HELP? Next weekend is the JAD, PIO and ONT Conventions. The 5th Wheel needs some reporters/informants to cover the scores and highlights from these Districts. If you would like to help, please contact us at the5thwhl@gmail.com. Your service would be to the benefit of your fellow barbershoppers who enjoy having up to the minute news on the conventions.

QUARTETS
SUN- Quartet
1. On Demand 1901 79.2
2. The PURSUIT 1806 75.3
3. Attraction 1786 74.4
________
FWD- Quartet
1. Masterpiece 3098 86.1
2. The Crush 2910 80.8
3. Stardust 2813 78.1
________
CSD- Quartet
1. Crossroads 3248 90.2
2. Paradigm 2646 73.5

3. In Progress 2622 72.8

________

CHORUSES
SUN-Chorus
1. Heralds of Harmony 953 79.4
2. The Academy 943 78.6
3. Big Orange 934 77.8

________

FWD- Chorus

1. Voice in Harmony 1591 88.4

2. Greater Phoenix 1491 82.8

3. LaJolla 1386 77.1

________

CSD- Chorus

1. Ambassadors of Harmony 1705 94.7

2. Central Standard 1414 78.6

3. Heart of America 1402 77.8

POLLS are CLOSED!

The 5th Wheel has finished its polls. Wanna know the results?

POOKIE FOR PRESIDENT?
Yes 65%
No 15%
Undecided 19%
# of votes: 26

It looks as though Pookie has been given the thumbs up to be our fearless leader. I'm scared...
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MIDWEST VOCAL EXPRESS CONVENTION SET FOR 2009?
Star Trek 15%
Presid. Election 9%
Chippendales 43%
The Birdcage 31%
# of votes: 64

Well, the good news is MVE doesn't have to worry about their costume budget. I mean how much money can you spend on a tie and spandex? However, you'll need to put money aside for gym memberships and Weight Watchers. This may be the one contest you DON'T want to be sitting close to the stage.

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WHAT YEAR WILL MASTERPIECE WIN THE INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION?
2009 11%
2010 19%
2011 38%
1996, 2001, 2004 29%
# of votes: 67

While 2011 was considered to be the year for Masterpiece, it seems as though some don't have a lot of faith in their abilities to repeat? From what The 5th Wheel has witnessed these past 10 years, almost any past champion can win International a second time.

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WHICH CHORUS WILL EARN THE HIGHEST SCORE IN THE FALL CONVENTION?
Ambassadors of Harmony 26%
Sound of the Rockies 2%
Voices In Harmony 4%
Vocal Majority 58%
Other 8%

# of votes: 84

This poll wasn't really a surprise. However, who would you consider to be "other?" Our guess, Toronto Northern Lights who are returning from a one year hiatus.

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SHOULD OLD SCHOOL BE DISQUALIFIED FOR THE "OLD SCHOOL MEDLEY" WHICH INCLUDED A 30 SECOND RAP?
Yes 40%
No 23%
Judges Got It Right 35%

# of votes: 81

This was a close one! Again... not surprised. However, you could count the "no's" in the "Judges Got It Right" catagory which would make it 58% to 40% difference. This poll falls in line with Red vs.Blue, Left vs. Right, KIBBers vs. Non-KIBBERS. Basically, the sides are split and the battle lines are drawn.

Thank you all for participating!

Stay tuned for more polls from The 5th Wheel.

BIG BOYS Competing This Weekend!

AMBASSADORS. VOICES IN HARMONY. CROSSROADS. MASTERPIECE.

This weekend will offer a TON of great performances from some of the top musicals groups in our Society, squaring off to see who gets bragging rights leading up to Anahiem.

This weekend, the Ambassadors of Harmony, under the direction of Dr. Jim Henry from the CSD will be considered the favorite to walk away with the most points in their goodie bag. They are coming off two years of highly explosive performances which may not of had the "golden ending" they were hoping for, but certainly pushed them to be one of THE top choruses in the world. There's no doubt they have raised the bar from their 2004 win in Louisville, KY.

However, the FWD will be having their competition this weekend as well. The Voices In Harmony, under the direction of Dr. Greg Lyne have certainly improved from their performance in Nashville and may be nippin' on the heels of AoH. Lyne's competitive nature and motivational speeches will no doubt increase the level of their performance on Saturday. Also competing to qualify for Int'l this weekend in the FWD is the Greater Phoenix Chapter, who have been finishing in the Top 15 at Int'l for several years.

The quartet competition between CSD and FWD will be just as equal. Crossroads, current 2008 2nd place Int'l Medalists are in a rare position to be competing for their Central States District Championship AFTER earning a medal at International. Very cool! The 5th Wheel feels confident that Crossroads will have a great weekend crushing the competition as four super-nice guys.

The Far Western District, as well as the entire Society is in for a real treat as the new power quartet, Masterpiece (Check out our story on them in an earlier post) makes their official debut at the District competition.

Lately, the F.W.D. ("...will always be!") has been a breeding ground for International Champions (Nightlife, Revival, Gotcha!, OC Times), and their Prelims are usually considered to be a mini-International. Masterpiece will offer up a unique style and sound that will help represent the FWD at the top once again. Expect big numbers from this new foursome.

The Sunshine District will also be holding their Fall Convention this weekend with the Big Orange Chorus, under the direction of Tony DeRosa and the Heralds of Harmony competing for the top spot.

The 5th Wheel will have the results posted as soon as they are announced. Come back and see us over the weekend.

Photos courtesy of Dan Proctor and photographed by Lorin May

The 5th Wheel: METROPOLIS Bass Released From Hospital!

The 5th Wheel received an early call this morning. Metropolis funnyman Brian Philbin was released from the hospital late last night from what the doctor's described as an apparent "facial freeze." According to Lead singer Bob Hartley, Philbin was at quartet rehearsal preparing for their show on Oct. 18th with the Mountain Jubilee Chorus in Salt Lake City, UT when in the middle of the rehearsal Philbin's facial muscles froze up and could no longer move. After several minutes of massaging his face with no effect, the quartet rushed him to the hospital using a dog bowl to catch his drool.

The doctors administered the muscle relaxer Flexeril, to Philbin which eventually returned his face to normal. Doctors are not sure if the facial freeze left any permanent damage to his face. The doctors did caution Brian to be more careful in the future and maybe next time heed his mother's warnings about making funny faces and the consequences if you do.

The 5th Wheel obtained this picture from Philbin's medical records.

THE SWEDISH ARE COMING! THE SWEDISH ARE COMING!

The 5th Wheel is getting around the globe pretty fast. We just received an email from Sweden! It seems The 5th Wheel AND the Harmonet Reporter have left a chorus off the International Summary list that well deserves some attention. "Bad blog! Bad blog!"

If you look at the Top 5 Chorus Scoring Summary in the right hand column, you'll see a chorus with a rather... different name. The chorus is called zero8 and they represent the SNOBS affiliate out there in the warm and tropical land of Sweden! Their director is Doug Harrington, baritone of the 1989 International Champions, Second Edition and husband to the Lead of SAI Quartet Champion, Swinglish Mix. Can I just say, "These guys ROCK!" Well, I don't know if you can "rock" barbershop, but their energized, tight sound will make your nose bleed. It's frickin' awesome! They scored 85.8 per judge with only 24 singers! That's freaky! For a taste of what these young men can do, check out their YouTube performance of You Don't Know Me. MOST IMPRESSIVE!

The 5th Wheel highly recommends you visit the zero8 website here.

Cindy Hansen Ellis Update On Her Condition

I just wanted to take a moment and give ya'll an update on our favorite UBER-coach, Cindy Hansen Ellis. For those who don't know, Cindy was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder called Auto Immune Hymalitic Anima. Hansen explains, "One of the ways to treat the blood from killing itself is to remove your Spleen." It was suppose to be a simple outpatient procedure. However, the removal of the Spleen resulted in massive blood clots, particularly in her lungs. The blood clots closed off 100% of her right lung, 33% of the left lung as well as an 18 INCH CLOT in her left leg.

Needless to say, the Splenectomy failed miserably, which included several other complications that set her back even more, which is amazing because to know Cindy is to compare her to a lion. For all the time she spent traveling around the world coaching, I never saw her tire... EVER!

She is still working on removing the blood clots and unfortunately she's battling a disease that is life-threatening. On Wednesday she's headed to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN to see if they can find another way to fight the AIHA.

The 5th Wheel has known Cindy for over 20 years. She is one of the rare individuals within our hobby that has made a large impact on not only the art form, but the evolution of our Society. The theatrical performances by choruses and the comedic charms by several of our top performers are large in part due to Cindy's influence. She has coached not only the top choruses such as the Masters of Harmony and Vocal Majority, but also the smaller chapters that don't always get to have the top names come and coach them. She will never say no unless it's due to her schedule. Please leave a comment at the bottom of this post to show your support for Cindy and Dave.

Coming up... Cindy's "Top 10 reasons why it's great to be out of the hospital" and to keep in the spirit of Halloween, Cindy will share the true story of her "phantom roommate."

The 5th Wheel: SAY IT AIN'T SO!!

(Editor's note: The employees of The 5th Wheel are not responsible for the information or damage that may be caused by any anonymous sources reported on this blog. The reader is responsible for what they deem to be considered the truth, or utter nonsense.)

The tabloids have "come out" with a headline story that should rock the barbershop community. If People magazine reports this as a cover story, then it MUST be true!

An "anonymous" source has brought forth to The 5th Wheel information on our favorite quartet, Metropolis.

James Sabina, (Pictured at right) and tenor of the world famous Metropolis quartet, is seen posing with his newborn baby girl. Apparently, James had a secret that has finally been revealed!

This came out of nowhere!

Of course, this isn't the first time a member of Metropolis has made front page news of the ever so accurate and truthful, Screw Up Your Life... I mean, People magazine. In 2006, baritone Kelly Shepard (Pictured below) also had a revealing front cover announcement.

So, did Kelly have any influence over James' "choice of lifestyle?" Inquiring minds want to know.

We here at The 5th Wheel wish both these men the best of luck!

If you are interested in learning more about this quartet, here's a book you can purchase at most bookstores nationwide.

You can also visit their website.

The 5th Wheel: MASTERPIECE of sh... eer beauty!

Have you heard of this new quartet coming into the limelight? The 5th Wheel has. Maybe not the name, but certainly the members. Yes, it is another quartet made up entirely of previous gold medalists. You may not think it's fair to those who have never won an international contest to compete against another "power" quartet? I disagree. Masterpiece has the potential to be something very special for this Society and the art form. I'll tell you why.

The members of Masterpiece are Rob Menaker (Nightlife, 1996), Mark Hale (Michigan Jake, 2001), Alan Gordon (Gotcha!, 2004) and Brett Littlefield (Nightlife, 1996). OK, pick your jaw off the ground and keep reading. Yes, this quartet has some very impressive singers in the group. Rob is a strong and accurate Tenor, Mark sings with musicality that is unmatched, Alan is, in my opinion being a fellow baritone, probably the best baritone in our Society. Alan can fill and sing like a Bass and yet match the musicality and sensitivity of the Lead. Brett... well, Brett is Brett. I believe Brett's former life was one of the trumpets that took down the walls of Jericho. His resonance and deep voice is tremendous. OK, but we already know this about them. Yeah, they're good. But what makes them so special?

Masterpiece represents all that is right about our Society and why we sing together. First off, they are all friends. They get along together and enjoy each other's company. That really comes across on the stage when they are singing. An audience can tell when a quartet's members are friends. The members of Masterpiece are also "crazy" technicians when it comes to perfecting the craft. I can guarantee you that they will ring every chord, in tune, with musical execution and precision. It's just the nature of the foursome. However, that's not what makes them stand out in my book.

They understand what it means to be a barbershopper. They "get" the culture of the Barbershop Society and why we sing. It's not just the music, it's also the fellowship of meeting and hanging out with other brethren around the country who share the love of this great hobby/lifestyle. When Masterpiece agrees to do your show, they won't ask to be first on the afterglow so they can catch the midnight flight home. They will stay and close out the afterglow. If you give them a beer, they'll stay even longer. ;) That's because all four of them joined barbershop as kids. They were all raised in small chapters and learned probably 90% of their musical abilities through the Society and its educators. While they are all superstar singers, they are humble men who give back to the Society that has so enriched their lives.

This is why I believe you and I will receive a great benefit with Masterpiece. They will go out of their way to make us/Society look good in the public's eye and be incredible ambassadors to the art form. Besides, with all the members being past champions, you think there may be a little pressure on these guys to meet the high expectations of their fans? You bet.

The 5th Wheel endorses Masterpiece and recommends you book them on your chapter show ASAP! Not only will your audience enjoy their performance, but your members will enjoy their company... and vice versa.

Masterpiece will be competing in the FWD Fall Convention on Oct. 10-12. Please visit their website.

Check out the poll in the right-hand column and cast your vote!

Photo from www.harmonize.com/masterpiece