BUZZ: Karaoke killed the radio star

It's not really a party until... the karaoke erupts. And boy, has it ever. Everything else is in place, so I guess this final lynchpin means Orlando, much like Shuttle Atlantis, is now ready for takeoff. We reached critical mass tonight then, at least enough so that the SND karaoke-ers co-opted the lobby bar piano player to kick-it-karaoke-style late into the evening. A free piece of Mercury News swag (if I can find any around here :) )to the first person to correctly guess which famous show-tune the esteemed John Grimwade is leading the group in above (Hint: it's Mansfield's faaa-a-a-vorite ever).

The really sad thing is that there is a real honest-to-goodness sake-sushi-and-fortune-cookie karaoke joint just a short cab ride away at The Swan hotel. And Orlando Karaoke Sherpa Stephen Komives alleges he's scouted an ever better place just up the road. But once the piano was a-crankin' at the World Center Wednesday night, it was all over.

Ah well, warm up your pipes and get down here, folks, the show's just about to start.