In these days of Glee and The Sing Off, a capella is bigger than ever, and one of the more well-known groups is in the area now. Male a capella group Straight No Chaser was first spotted at the Salty Brine Broadcast Center in East Providence on Monday, where they went on air on PRO-FM. And tonight they are planned to perform at the Dunkin' Donuts Center as part of their fall 2011 tour. They will have new songs, a new stage, and their biggest production ever. It's a long way from home for these guys from Indiana University...

 

And they weren't the only famous musicians in Rhode Island. Last Wednesday night singer Josh Groban had a concert at the Dunk. He made his show interactive with fans by holding a text-in Q & A session, and he even invited audience member Jordan Paiva to come on stage and sing a duet with him. On Saturday night rock band 3 Doors Down played at the Providence Performing Arts Center. They are out touring and promoting their new album "Time of My Life" that came out in July. They waited to play their best known song "Kryptonite" until the encore, but everyone was singing along when it finally came...

 

A famous child actor shone on a smaller stage this weekend. Harrison Chad, the voice of Boots the monkey on Dora the Explorer, is a sophomore at Brown University, and this weekend he starred in a production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the school. This wasn't his first foray into theater- he was on Broadway as early as age ten playing Gavroche in Les Miserables and Chip in Beauty and the Beast. He also provided the singing voice for the character Leo on the children's show Little Einsteins.  His funny and nuanced performance at Brown as William Barfee earned him a standing ovation...

 

If you were at Ultra the Nightclub last week, you may have been in the presence of a reality show star. DJ Pauly D from MTV's Jersey Shore was back in Providence last Wednesday night, doing what he does best— spinning beats and getting people dancing. One of his close friends Tweeted "It's the return of Team DJ Pauly D tonight at Ultra the Nightclub (in) Providence, Rhode Island....We're celebrating tonight!" His spinoff series, set to air in 2012, just started filming this week, so I think there's a good chance some footage from the club or from his hometown of Johnston will make it to national television...

 

Next time you're at the Apple Store, keep an eye out for James Woods. The Warwick native and Emmy award winner was seen last Thursday at the Apple Store in the Providence Place Mall. He just finished shooting the independent film Officer Down with David Boreanaz, Stephen Lang, Dominic Purcell, and Stephen Dorff in Bridgeport, Connecticut, set to be released next year. In between playing poker, attending press events, and filming movies and doing voice work (most recently for Happy Feet Two), I wonder where he finds the time to go technology shopping...

 

The man who came to go to college in Rhode Island and then made an animated show about it was recently a guest on National Public Radio. On Saturday, Rhode Island School of Design graduate Seth Macfarlane went on the air to talk about Family Guy, promote his new album, and play a game called "Five Hours in the Slammer Will Change a Man," inspired by Lindsay Lohan's recent five hour stint in the big house. His album, which came out in September, is called "Music is Better Than Words," and in it he sings many classic American show tunes. Macfarlane's responses to questions about Family Guy (which started out as his senior thesis), the album, and celebrities in jail are interesting and funny, check them out here...