THU., MARCH 30, 2006

News flash for the CMT crowd: Lil’ Bow Wow is no longer Lil’, he’s just Bow Wow. Woof! He’s all growed up. Doesn’t matter. You missed him anyway. He blew up the Tuesday headliner spot this week at Rodeo Austin, aka.the Star of Texas Rodeo. Nice change. Rodeo Austin feels homier … plus they knocked five whole syllables off the name. Nobody hates syllables more than cowboys. Cowboys, like cavemen, are notoriously conservative with syllables. Maybe it’s because they talk slowly and don’t want to spend all day flapping their yaps. Rappers, on the other hand, are all about the syllables. The more the merrier. Sometimes they use so many syllables they run out of words and have to freestyle with syllables alone … sort of like Mel Tillis without the music. So kudos then, to Rodeo Austin for extending a hand across the cultural chasm and pulling Bow Wow a little closer to the cowboy way. Of course, Rodeo Austin isn’t the first to tap into the goldmine of cross-cultural marketing; it’s been working for NASCAR too. For some time now they’ve been successfully pimping motorsports to urbanites in the Northeast – people who still think Copenhagen is the Capital of Denmark. Maybe this is what Clinton was talking about when he said we need to expand the definition of “us.” Great idea. With the success of Brokeback Mountain, a natural next step would be “Rainbow Rodeo” night. Really, what’s a few more dudes in tight Wranglers? Speaking of dudes in tight jeans, this Friday country heartthrob Joe Nichols brings plays the rodeo’s arena stage. You might know Joe from hit songs like “Size Matters” and “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off.” If you don’t, you’re probably not into country music, but you might be into a guy who looks like Matt Dillon’s hotter younger brother.