A lot happened in 2007: The iPhone came out, Prince played the Super Bowl, Britney Spears shaved her head, the final Harry Potter book was released — and Minneapolis musician Tay Zonday became one of YouTube's first viral stars with "Chocolate Rain," a video created in his apartment that has been viewed more than 110 million times. Now 34 and living in California, the freakishly deep-voiced singer marked the anniversary by posting an acoustic version on his YouTube channel. What's he up to these days? Commercial voice work, though he would love to host a game show, he said in a Skype interview this week. "I always joke if Alex Trebek or Pat Sajak retired, that's my line of work." Zonday says he originally put the video on YouTube to get honest feedback about his singing: "I put it up as an experiment, and I guess it did well." Any tips for wannabe viral video stars? "Just be authentic and be yourself. And find your audience that loves the authentic version of you."
KELSY KETCHUM
Mayte's busy week
Mayte Garcia — Prince's first wife and his first associate to write a book — will be in town next week to promote "The Most Beautiful: My Life With Prince." First up is a talk at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the University Club in St. Paul; the $30 ticket includes an autographed book (info at subtextbooks.com/events). She'll also sign books at the Mall of America Rotunda at 6 p.m. Wednesday and lead a belly-dancing class at 1 p.m. Thursday at Barre Bliss Studio (mayte.com/ bellydanceclass). The book discusses her life as a childhood belly-dancing phenom, the birth and death of her baby with Prince, her romance with Motley Crue's Tommy Lee and single motherhood (she has a 4-year-old girl).
JON BREAM
Naughty Nick
Every once in a while, Adam Sandler gets the urge to shelve his doofus persona and tackle material with more depth. One of his prize students, Minneapolis-bred comic Nick Swardson, may have the same itch, but he has yet to scratch it — and he certainly wasn't going to start last Friday at Mystic Lake Casino, where his loud and proud fans sold out his one-night stand in 20 minutes. Swardson, who got his start at open-mic nights at Acme Comedy Co., has developed into a savvy stage performer. His opening, in which he imagined being introduced on stage to Adele's "Hello," included a brilliant sendup of Wayne Newton in Las Vegas, punctuated with cuddling in the front row. A good chunk of his 70-minute performance took scatological humor to a new high — or low, depending on how much you giggle at the vision of an ice skater with diarrhea. Maybe he'll dig deeper when he returns to Minnesota for a Treasure Island Casino show June 21 with Sandler, David Spade and Rob Schneider. But don't bet on it.
NEAL JUSTIN
Out of the lineup
Kylie Bunbury isn't getting a second inning. Fox has canceled "Pitch," the TV drama starring the former model from Prior Lake as a pitcher who becomes the first woman to play in the major leagues. The show was not a ratings hit, but developed a cult following and won critical praise for its rookie star. "My heart is heavy," Bunbury posted on Instagram Tuesday. "I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to play a role that resonated with so many people." It was a touch of class from someone who undoubtedly learned from her dad, Alex — a member of the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame — that sometimes you lose, no matter how well you play.
