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Adoption Option

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City Voices

City Voices

ADOPTION OPTION

Joker is available for adoption through WARL.

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Meet Joker

Meet Joker! This goofy boy lives up to his name. Joker is tons of fun and sure to put a smile on your face! At this point “Sit” is the only trick Joker knows. Eager to please and a sucker for attention, Joker is hoping to find a home with someone creative who can teach him more tricks and reward him with lots of treats. Joker is still learning how to walk on leash without pulling, and how to greet other dogs in a calm manner. With loads of puppy like energy, this young boy would love to find a home with a yard where he can run in the sun and relax in the shade! Due to Joker’s overly enthusiastic nature when greeting people and during play, a home without young children will be the most fun for him at this time. Email the shelter at dogs@worcesterarl.org to learn more about this handsome fella and to find out how to set up an appointment to visit.

Adoption Option is a partnership with the Worcester Animal Rescue League highlighting their adoptable pets. Check this space often to meet all of the great pets at WARL in need of homes. WARL is open seven days a week, noon-4 p.m., 139 Holden St. Check them out online at Worcesterarl.org, or call at (508) 853-0030.

COVID-19 Protocols: The Worcester Animal Rescue League remains closed to walk-in visits with the animals and appointments must be made, in advance, to meet with any of the animals. Masks are required. Visit https://worcesterarl.org/ for more information.

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shoot in the city was Nick’s Bar and Restaurant, 124 Millbury St.

In early March 2012, Nick’s proprietor Nicole Watson told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette that she heard ABC was looking for “a European-style bistro bar for burlesque scene,” and Watson instantly exclaimed, “That’s Nick’s!” It turned out Watson was right.

To dress the set, they took out all modern items, including television sets and all the liquor bottles. Watson said the jukebox was the biggest problem, followed by a humongous duct.

Two major additions made for the film shoot at Nick’s that still stands 10 years later are the stage being extended by 18 inches and a mural behind the stage featuring a blue moon.

According to the Massachusetts Film Office, “Gilded Lilys” was shot entirely in Massachusetts (including Boston University and the Wang Center in Boston), and, at the time, was the first television pilot to be filmed in the Bay State since 2010.

A year later, “American Hustle” came to Worcester and used both places, Union Station and Nick’s. Thus beginning the city’s hot streak of major motion pictures being shot here.

Listen up

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was going through it/had a hole in my heart like a bullet through it/had my back against the wall/but you knew I'd do it."

But it's not just another great song from James, it's also his first release on a major label, Universal/Republic Records. "I signed the deal a little while ago," says James, in a phone conversation last week. I was kind of waiting until we had a single. I had a deal before, and it didn't work out, so I didn't want to build the hype."

With the single's release on March 18, though, the time for hype is finally here, and it's well-deserved: The song was produced by Internet Money — who have a string of Billboard charting hits from artists such as Lil Tecca, Juice Wrld and Trippie Redd — and features heavy-hitting rapper Moneybagg Yo and rising rap star No Cap. It's catchy as heck, riding the line between hip-hop and pop, with James' signature soulful vocals flowing well into the rap breaks. "I've been through the ringer through this business," says James. "It's been a roller coaster for me. I wrote the song out of a real place. I went back to the mindset of being a lot younger … The music business is alot of heartache, just like any other business. It's a lot of no's, and lot of rejection, and occasionally, someone takes a chance on you. It's moments. I equate it to parenting. Parenting is the hardest job on Earth. It's crazy as a parent, and 90% of what you go through is a maddening, but the 10% is so good, you forget about the madness."

James says he's not in a rush to put out an album — his journey through the music world has made him patient — but it's definitely in the plan. Indeed, he says he's spent the past six months in the studio, and is excited about what's emerging. The song also features a lot of familiar names, including his frequent collaborator Nick Black, and music executive and Burncoat High graduate David Saint Fleur. "Saint really championed this record," says James. "He's really an integral part of this record." James has high praise for his of his longtime manager, North High graduate Lincoln Bloh. "Lincoln is a rock star," says James. "None of this would have happened without him."

James says that he's grateful for Bloh's support for more than decade, a time when other music industry folks were more fickle.

For now, James is working toward a possible EP in the summer, and lining up touring dates, but in the meantime, he brims with excitement when the talks about "Going Through It." "I wasn't trying to be someone I wasn't," says James, noting that when he writes for other artists, he's either trying to match their voice, or create a blank canvas because he doesn't know who will be singing the song. "This is my story, my life, these words are my words. I literally talk about growing up … I'm really proud of this project, more proud than of anything I've ever put out."

If there's a message for listeners in the song, says James, it's that, "I never gave up on this … I've always been a dreamer, but I never gave up on the dream. When I got a door slammed in my face, I found a way to unlock it. Now, I want my story to help other people who feel stuck … I don't even think I've accomplished the dream yet. I feel I have a lot more to give. But if anybody is looking back at their lives and didn't do everything they wanted to do … You can reinvent yourself, you can find new avenues. That's what I would want people to take out of this."

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