Elliott Yamin just texted to say since there is no power in Vina del Mar, occupants have just been bused to Santiago.

“I am fine…so happy 2 b alive!! Can’t thank yall enuff 4 ur concerns, thoughts and prayers!!“ he said. “Please cont 2 pray 4 the people who r far worse off than our group is at this point.“

Yamin said he’s been up for more than 30 hours straight. This morning, he was interviewed on CNN, the “Today” show and “Good Morning America” to discuss the devastation he witnessed and jokingly referred to himself as “Anderson Cooper 2.0.“

Earlier today, Yamin, a Type 1 diabetic, noted on his Twitter feed that he would soon be in need of insulin, as he was supposed to go home Sunday and only brought the necessary supply.

Deep breath, Elliott fans. He’s OK.

Elliott Yamin has been in Chile the past few days participating in the Competencia Internacional, the largest music festival in the country. Early Saturday morning he used his Twitter account to vent his unhappiness about losing the competition, but then moments later, after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck the area, he quickly changed topics.

“Huge earthquake just now in Chile!!....I swear I thought this was the end of my life!!!!!“ he tweeted around 1:50 a.m., followed by an understandable expletive and, at 2:20 a.m., “Complete and utter choas on the streets…no power…my heart is beatin outta my chest!....tsunami warnin…I am only a mile inland!“

You can follow his accounts at http://twitter.com/elliottyamin/  (a Twitter account is not necessary to read his posts).

I have a lot of friends who never loved Raymond. But I did, from day one.

Maybe it helps to have a mother who is, essentially, Marie Barone (and if my mother ever finds this blog, I am in big trouble).

Maybe the typical Italian-New Yorkiness of Ray and his family that hovers invisibly over most scenes makes the show even more irresistible. 

Or maybe it is the authenticity of Ray and Debra’s marriage – c’mon, who hasn’t left the suitcase at the bottom of the stairs, just waiting for the other spousal unit to carry it up?

My adoration of “Everybody Loves Raymond” runs deep. Not “I Love Lucy” or “30 Rock” deep, but definitely in the top five of all time.

So, time to fire up the TiVo. Even though there is no shortage of “Raymond” reruns in syndication, starting March 18, TV Land will become the exclusive primetime home of the show on cable – and celebrate its gem of an acquisition with a four-day marathon. After that, the show will air during a primetime block weeknights beginning at 9 p.m.

Even Marie Barone couldn’t find fault with that. Then again…

By Leigh Buckley Fountain

In 1991, Snoop Dogg took MTV and mainstream music by storm.  From early videos with Dr. Dre to his smash “Doggystyle,” he was almost singlehandedly responsible for West Coast gangster rap, seizing the imagination of middle America, and like it or not, paving the way for rap to take over as the primary popular music as it did for the next 10-15 years. 

We’ve all grown with Snoop as he went on trial for murder and was acquitted; escaped the supposedly brutal grip of the infamous Death Row Records; watched as he went to work for Master P, then formed his own huge set of enterprises and became the multi-media mogul he always claimed he’d be; starred in several mainstream films; and, recently, helmed a show on TV.   

Through it all, he never forgot where he came from.

Snoop has released albums on a steady basis.  Though none since “Doggystyle” was consistently good or revelatory (the man has a formula and he sticks to it) some have shined more than others. 

“The Last Meal,” ironically his last with the sub-par Master P production team, has some standout tracks, and his work with “The Eastsidaz” in the late ‘90s has held up well. 
But most of his releases these days follow a very marketable flow chart.  One to two singles, heavily hyped with major guests (Soulja Boy and Lil’ Jon are a couple of the high profiles on last year’s “Malice in Wonderland.”).

One or two ‘booty raps’ – slowed down R&B jams with still misogynistic, but slightly toned dow,n lyrical content “for the ladies.” 

Then there are the requisite strip club anthems, an addition since the heavy popularity of southern-based crunk-rap, which originated, to some extent, as pole dancing music, to put it euphemistically. 

Thus, each of Snoop’s 12 or more albums is usually a mish-mash, designed to please several demographics at once. 

So it is as a longtime, fairly serious, but also cynical, fan that I arrived at my very first Snoop show at The National Wednesday night. 

I have avoided Snoop’s concerts in the past because they usually didn’t come to Richmond, and mainly because the aesthetics of a rap show are not really my cup of tea:  Long lists of openers and short and lacking performances by the stars – who often seem to feel that their mere presence is what they are being paid for. 

Yet I was told repeatedly that “Snoop really brings it” in his live shows .  He certainly has the catalog, following, and money to do it right. 

So this second time he has graced our city I plunged into the chaos, vying to see one of my boyhood heroes, hoping against hope that he would transcend the rap show stereotype. 

At 10:20 p.m., what looked like a garage band was setting up, much to the audience’s surprise. It turned out to be the eight-piece The Constellations. 

The band had a lot going on – they are apparently hometown heroes in Atlanta, poised to make the jump to stardom, so the record company paired them with Snoop for exposure. 

Though the crowd already sat through a few rap acts (doors opened at 8), the band was solid enough to earn everyone’s appreciation.  They had a lot of style; a little bit Faith No More, a little bit Talking Heads, a little Of Montreal.  They closed with an energized Tom Waits cover, “Step Right Up.” 

Shortly after 11:30 p.m., a video montage started; it featured over-the-top footage of Snoop in different outfits, footage from “Training Day” and other films Snoop has starred in, machine guns firing, cash changing hands, etc. 

After about five minutes, the new album’s art was unveiled in front of it. 

“Richmond, are y’all ready for Snoop Dogg?” was asked a few times – then the man himself ran out on stage.  Alone for a few minutes, he did a nice interpolation of some of his most memorable lyrics: “He is I and I am him/ Slim with the tilted brim” is one of the more printable ones—all of it over that familiar mellotron riff and 1990 beat made so famous by Dr. Dre. 

Then four gentleman ran out on stage including the famed Kurupt the Kingpin and Daz Dillinger of the Tha Dogg Pound. They were almost anonymous until mid-show when a couple of the “Doggystyle” songs allowed them to name-check themselves, notably “Ain’t No Fun,” which,  though it sorely missed the baritone voice of Nate Dogg, was still a show highlight. 

One surprise was Snoop’s willingness to cover others: a Biggie and Tupac tribute, though kind of weak, was somewhat understandable, especially as it was really an excuse to bump the infamous “America’s Most Wanted,” the only song Snoop recorded with Tupac (at least before he died). 

But the early break out of 50 Cent’s hit “P.I.M.P” was a bit more of a surprise; it seemed awfully filler-like for a man with 12 albums – though it is true he hasn’t had too many completely mainstream crossover hits in a long while. 

On that note, Snoop dipped into his few huge hits of the last 10 years – his smash with Akon, “I Wanna (Love) You,” one of the first songs to use Auto Tune. 
Other than that he had to go all the way back to “Gin & Juice,” king of the rap party songs. 

Snoop also dipped farther back to his first two singles with Dr. Dre— “187,” off the “Deep Cover” soundtrack (his first musical appearance ever) and “Nuttin’ but a G-Thang,” the first video off “The Chronic,” and an unforgettable moment in pop music. 

His only musical nod to the new album, “Malice in Wonderland,” was the catchy “Gangsta Luv,” as silly as it is unbearably catchy. 

If you’re going to see a rap show, see an experienced rapper who has been around the block a few times.  At least the DJ will generally be on point and the arrangements inoffensive. 

Snoop is probably doing the thing as well as it can be done in the genre, a fact I had to keep in mind as the requisite shouts “Keep your hands in the air” and “We love you Tupac” echoed through the venue. 

This year’s Dominion Riverrock will feature some cool tunes to accompany the sports and river life aspect of the event.

On May 14 at 8:30 p.m., Grace Potter and the Nocturnals will headline a concert, then at 9 p.m. May 15, Robert Randolph and the Family Band do the honors. Both shows will be held on Brown’s Island and are free and open to the public.

This is the second year for Dominion Riverrock, which is produced by Sports Backers and Venture Richmond. For more information, visit http://www.dominionriverrock.com/schedule.html.

It’s a little scary to think that the future of music might be the Black Eyed Peas, but the quartet certainly gave enough hardcore examples during their zippy, high-tech stop at the Hampton Coliseum Monday to prove it might be true.

From the opening seconds, when will.i.am, Fergie, Taboo and apl.de.ap rose from the floor, shrouded in green laser cones and wearing outfits possibly swiped from the set of “Iron Man 2,” the game was on.

This is a band that, while not artistically astounding in a traditional sense, knows its audience and plays to its gotta-have-it-fast-gotta-have-it-now mentality.

For the first 30 minutes of the show, the Peas barely stopped to exhale, plowing through the obvious opener, “Let’s Get it Started” (horribly muddled, as if the sound was ricocheting in a concrete blender), “Meet Me Halfway” – which began with Fergie, in one of her many versions of spaceship couture, fluttering her hands prettily until the song kicked into funky overdrive – and the Peas’ newest single, the ridiculously stupid, yet insanely catchy “Imma Be.”

The group has a knack for writing simplistic songs that, nonetheless, are impossible to ignore. How else to explain the record-setting iTunes downloads of “I Gotta Feeling” and “Boom Boom Pow”?

Credit – or blame, depending on your perspective –will.i.am for his production prowess and Fergie for, according to band members, envisioning many of the ideas implemented on this 100-date world tour.

The lasers, the well-used catwalk, the “Flashdance”-worthy strobes, the five-piece band tucked away upstairs on a jigsaw-piece of a stage, the bizarrely clad dancers, the video screens flashing a talking version of the dude on the cover of “The E.N.D.” album – all of it gelled into a stylistic funhouse.

During the nearly two hour show, each member received a solo turn, and, aside from will.i.am’s annoying – and lengthy – DJ set, showcased what each Pea brings to the collective harmony.

Mr. apl.de.ap backflipped through the reggaeton “Mare” and Taboo cruised above the crowd in a white-striped motorcycle while rapping a few lines of “Rocking the Beat.”

Fergie deservedly received the most time sans Peas, popping and locking her way through “Fergalicious,” cooing “The Glamorous Life” and, finally, unleashing those power vocals she rarely gets to flaunt in the group on a poignant “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” If you really want to hear what she’s capable of, though, take a listen to her booming “Be Italian” on the “Nine” soundtrack.

Of the foursome, Fergie also seemed the most, well, human, despite the cactus-spikes on the shoulders of her short silver dress (the rest of the night she spent clad in unforgiving bodysuits that would make Apolo Ohno wince, but made plenty of men in the sold out crowd of about 10,000 very, very happy). There are only a handful of women in pop music – Beyonce and Gwen Stefani among them – who can effortlessly zig-zag from tomboy cool to coquettishness, and, at the moment, Fergie is at the top of that list.

But, as interesting as it always is to see the separated parts of a successful group, the Peas really do ooze an infectious euphoria when clumped together.

Although “Where Is the Love?”, their radio breakthrough from 2003 when Fergie joined the group,  trailed on endlessly, when the Peas regrouped for the knockout punch encore of “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling,” it was impossible not to acquiesce that, if this is the future of music, at least it’s a ton of fun.

The Black Eyed Peas concert repeats at 7:30 tonight at the Verizon Center in D.C. with LMFAO and Ludacris opening. Visit http://www.verizoncenter.com for ticket info. Also check out http://www.930.com for info about the official show after-party at the 9:30 Club.

The Goo Goo Dolls will bring their huge list of hits to The National this spring. The band performs on April 20. Tickets are on sale for $36.50 at 10 a.m. Saturday. Tickets can be purchased at The National box office, http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000.

In case you can’t remember specific song titles, since the Goos exploded at a time when many other bands (Gin Blossoms, Vertical Horizon) sounded just like them, a refresher: “Long Way Down,“ “Iris,“ “Slide,“ ‘Black Balloon,“ “Name,“ “Here is Gone,“ and their most recent visit to the Top 40, 2005’s “Better Days.“

The band is eyeing a spring release for a new album.

Simon Cowell briefly chatted with reporters tonight on a conference call addressing the current “American Idol” season, and all of those rumors of his replacement.

He said that given the talent pool, he thinks there is a greater chance of a girl winning this year and ideally would like to find, “A Taylor Swift, somebody who is relevant rather than just a contest winner.“

Speaking of relevant females, Cowell also chose Lady Gaga as an ideal mentor for the show. “She is the most relevant pop artist in the world at the moment. She would be number one [on my list]. I’ve met her; she’s very smart. I like her.“

Of course, the majority of questions tossed at him—and let it be noted that Cowell is unfailingly polite, thanking each reporter for his/her question and often throwing in the typical British goodbye sentiment, “look after yourself” at the end—dealt with his inevitable replacement.

As any pop culture follower knows, Howard Stern has been busily gunning for the job (and if you haven’t heard his hilarious rants and reasonings about why he’d make a perfect judge, well, it might be time to get Sirius). When asked about Stern’s chances, though, Cowell said, “I’m fairly certain there hasn’t been any approach at any time for Howard to do the show.“

While the decision will ultimately be up to Fox, Cowell shared his criteria for a suitable replacement (aside from being good-looking, as he jokingly noted) when asked how important music experience will be.

“I think it’s really important,“ he said. “It’s interesting that when we first started with [the show], we had a record producer, an artist and an A&R man…in simplistic terms, it’s like if you judge the ice skating at the Olympics—if you’re going to give a score, you’ve got to know what you’re talking about.“

When it was pointed out that new judge Ellen DeGeneres doesn’t possess a robust music industry background, Cowell responded, “Ellen was a good choice because she is responsible for the people performing on her own show [which he knew from getting his own artists booked] and she loves music.“

Though Cowell refused to speculate about who he would like to replace him—“You’re never gonna pick anyone as good as you, now, are you?“ he said with a laugh—he didn’t discount a reporter’s suggestion of Oasis’ Noel Gallagher (“He’s quite funny and a brilliant songwriter”).

But Cowell has his own criteria.

“The important thing is, you’ve seen it on a lot of shows, you see people put in a role to play a certain role, which has become quite tiresome. You’ve just got to find somebody who can actually make a difference to the contestants, who isn’t afraid to speak their mind, but not be gratuitously rude. I’m getting tired of that.“

The Black Eyed Peas get all freaky futuristic with their new video, “Imma Be Rocking That Body.“ Should we assume that will.i.am is a big “Transformers” fan?

Speaking of the Peas, who play Hampton and D.C. next week, check out my interview with Taboo in Thursday’s Weekend section.

There are two problems with HBO’s new young-guys-looking-for-success dramedy, “How to Make It in America,” which premieres tonight at 10.

The first is its awful title. Truth be told, I assumed it was a documentary when it arrived in my mail several weeks ago. I suspect many other viewers might make the same incorrect guess.

Which dovetails into the second problem…where is the advertising for this show? A few print ads in entertainment magazines aren’t enough in the crowded cable marketplace, and, considering “America” shares an executive producer – Mark Wahlberg – with the network’s onetime water cooler cornerstone, “Entourage,” it seems a wasted opportunity to trumpet a pretty solid show.

In many ways, though, “America” is sort of the anti-“Entourage,” starting with its setting – real, gritty, hardscrabble New York, instead of shiny, sunny, stardom-handed-to-you Los Angeles.

The two main characters, introspective Ben (“October Road” ‘s Bryan Greenberg) and world class hustler Cam (Victor Rasuk, last seen in “ER”), ride in grungy subways instead of convertibles, and their lives are consumed with the drive, desire and need to make some coin, even if it means buying swindled merchandise down at the docks.

Vinnie Chase and his boys never had to work this hard, even when they inhabited Queens Boulevard.

But Ben and Cam settle on a dream – to launch a high-end jeans line named Crisp, made from stolen Japanese fabric; the first four episodes track their progress and the headaches involved in a ground-floor endeavor.

Doesn’t sound like a scintillating topic, does it?

But what the plot lacks in heft is more than compensated for by the appealing characters.

Ben is consumed with his ex – the increasingly mannish-looking Lake Bell – and her constant appearance would be annoying if it didn’t equate to plenty of screen time for her boss, Edie, played with Amy Sedaris-like wackiness by Martha Plimpton. But Ben’s mope-a-zoid tendencies are countered by Cam’s dreamy optimism, giving the pair the necessary yin-yang balance and a believable friendship.

While “America” has no central villain/comedic relief, a la Ari Gold, Luis Guzman, as Cam’s criminal cousin out early from jail and inhabited with his own entrepreneurial spirit (he’s pushing an energy drink called “Rasta Monsta”) provides some amusing glowering.

What keeps “America” endearing, though, is its sincerity. Any time you’re in New York, you see guys like Cam and Ben on every street corner. Even the show’s theme song, Aloe Blacc’s “I Need a Dollar” and the well-chosen hip-hop tunes thumping between scenes are the sounds you hear walking down any sidewalk on the Lower East Side.

Sure, watching guys build a clothing line from the back of the van up isn’t quite as engaging as witnessing a flashy Vinnie Chase “Aquaman” shoot, but “Made in America” ’s New York heart beats as strongly as “Entourage”’s L.A. vapidity rises.