Congratulations, Lynne Welch, for winning this Paul Simon Giveaway. A copy of the 40th edition Bridge Over Troubled Water is on its way to you!
Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts
November 14, 2011
October 29, 2011
Paul Simon: Graceland or Bridge Over Troubled Water Giveaway
Last night we went to a Paul Simon concert. It was amazing. This teeny little 70-year-old man whose songbook is nearly as old as I am, with horrendous arthritis, entertained a happy audience along with his eight-member band for more than two hours.
The concert began with an opening act: The Secret Sisters, two sisters from Alabama who performed old school country music. I am no fan of country music, but they captivated me with their harmonies, the songs they sang, and how they connected with the audience. T Bone Burnett produced their first album, and they are currently at work on their second. If you want to be transported musically to Mayberry, and I mean that as a compliment, consider The Secret Sisters.
After this astonishingly good opening act, Paul Simon strolled onto the stage, to a standing ovation, and proved throughout the concert just why he deserved it. Though I would have liked a few more of his Simon & Garfunkel songs, his solo acoustic version of Sounds of Silence answered a question I've had for years: How good would a S&G song be without Garfunkel? Very good indeed, because his guitar playing was so lyrical.
Each of his band members played multiple instruments; one of his two guitarists played a saxaphone, the keyboardist played either the marimba or the vibes, and one of the two percussionists played the washboard in a Zydeco piece. And let me say this: Audiences love Jewish boys who sing gospel (cue Marc Cohn's Walking in Memphis).
Simon's lyrics are unique; many of his songs are not the typical love song. Obviously he was politically active in the 60s and what worked then is equally prescient today in the current climate. Carwash and My Little Town, in particular; the latter of which reminded me of Sarah Palin and her talk about small town virtues in a way I'd never considered before when hearing that song.
Some of my favorite moments came when Simon played songs off his landmark Graceland album. I ask you: Who among us does not adore Diamonds on the Souls of Her Shoes? The only song missing as far as I was concerned was You Can Call Me Al. He came out for two encores, and each time I hoped I'd hear it start, but after his final song in the second encore, Still Crazy After All These Years, the house lights turned up and it was, sadly, over.
In honor of Paul Simon and Graceland, I'm giving away one of two favorite Paul Simon goodies:
(1) A remastered version of Graceland on iTunes.
(2) The 40th anniversary edition of Bridge over Troubled Water, which includes not only the CD, but two DVDs. One reissues S&G's Songs of America documentary and the other is an amazing look into the history of recording BOTW. Earlier this year I watched that history documentary on cable, and loved it so much I bought this CD/DVD set...even though I saved the doc on my DVR and already own BOTW.
If you would like to be eligible to win one of these...the winner can choose between the two...click here and send me an email. Type Paul Simon into the subject line and include in your email whether you want (1) Graceland or (2) Bridge Over Troubled Water, as well as your snail mail address so I can mail your prize if you choose the second option. If you go for the iTunes download, provide the email address associated with your iTunes account. You must live in the U.S. to qualify and I must receive your entry by midnight, Eastern Time, November 11th (I like the symmetry of 11/11/11).
August 17, 2011
John Hodgman on Bookstores
Last night John Hodgman appeared on The Daily Show to discuss with Jon Stewart the End of Borders...and how brick and mortar bookstores might compete in the digital age with Amazon. Although I take exception to being called a snarky nerd (I left the snark at home when I worked at B&N), this is brilliantly funny.
August 16, 2011
Most Eligible Dallas
As a result of last night's debut, I'm even more embarrassed than usual that I live in Dallas. Let me introduce the cast of characters:
- A one-time third-string quarterback from UT whom I believe now works for his daddy
- A free-agent football player who's been on so many NFL teams in a decade he can't keep count, now looking to jump-start a modeling career (he's gorgeous—and boy, does he know it!—but his abs are actually scary)
- A gay ex-fattie who takes bragging about wealth to a new level and also injects himself daily with so much female hormone (to stay thin) he could pass a pregnancy test
- A woman in denial about her love for the third stringer
- Another woman, this one with the redeeming quality of loving animals, unfortunately mitigated by her tremendous pride in living two blocks from George W. Bush
- A single mother who had the temerity to go out on the town and enjoy an evening with [supposed] grown-ups rather than her one-year-old baby, leaving the woman in denial in a state of apoplectic seizure.
It seemed very odd to me that the sub-text of that last related to how many of the adults the single mother knew. Turns out she only knew one of the five because she's newly back in town. According to these Brilliant Lights of Dallas, a single mother may only leave her baby with a sitter if she knows everybody at the table, leaving me to wonder whether these personages ever had baby sitters when they were young, or if their moms and dads never left the house after dark.
Rachael loved Most Eligible Dallas. I hated it, so much, in fact, that it made me long for the return of Rachel Zoe, perhaps the whiniest, most annoying toothpick on the planet. Harold...somewhere in the middle.
June 30, 2011
The Voice: The Morning After
We were happy in our house last night; Javier Colon won The Voice. Rachael and I got the chills listening to his duet with Stevie Nicks (Rachael has loved that song since she was a child) and I actually plan to buy the iTunes download.
Which brings me to my next point: Why are we such conspiracy freaks in the U.S.? And why do people get so carried away over trifles while the important stuff doesn't hold our attention?
1) "Dia outsold Javier on iTunes, so the results must have been rigged."
2) "Vicci or Beverly were robbed because America can't handle a lesbian winning The Voice."
3) "Justin Bieber's fangirls robbed the rightful winner."
I can just imagine if the vote had gone a different way...would people be complaining that America won't vote for a half Dominican/Half Puerto Rican?
Okay, so how about this as a scenario instead: More of those who voted by text, phone, or online, whose vote counts were never revealed, voted for Javier. Gee...that's what I did, and I'm not a Justin Bieber fangirl. Neither is Rachael, who also voted for Javier. My husband didn't vote, but his choice? Javier. I don't think anyone would accuse him of being a Justin Bieber fangirl.
I, for one, rarely like a cover better than an original rendition. One reason I stopped watching Glee is because it started to remind me of that PBS show Rachael used to watch of teenyboppers "running" a TV station and putting out "music videos" of popular music. While I wouldn't buy his cover of "Angel" or Dia's covers of "Losing My Religion" or "Heartless," I will likely buy whatever CD he produces with his new record company. Then again, I'll probably buy Dia's too, because I've no doubt she'll sign with a label as well.
But back to the haters...after reading some great pieces on EW today, I couldn't believe the vitriol being spewed in the comments. It's a fucking TV show, people! GET. A. FUCKING. LIFE.
@ew reports all four coaches have signed on for season two of The Voice. Here's hoping the network and/or producers don't get greedy and ruin the show. I guess one more season with these coaches would be nice, but after that, pick some new ones. At lunch Rachael suggested Usher and Jennifer Hudson...I came up with Gwen Stefani, Pat Monohan, Bruno Mars, and Carrie Underwood.
June 29, 2011
The Voice: Awesome in More Ways than One
Last night was the final competition round for The Voice, a show I started to watch after NBC promo'd it to hell and back using the gimmicky chair swivels. What can I say? Worked for me. Add to that Adam Levine, whom I've crushed on for years—and doesn't he just keep getting more and more gorgeous with age?—and Ceelo Green ("Crazy" and "Fuck You" are two of my favorite songs), and, obviously I'm there. Rachael came home from college after the first couple of episodes, and quickly became hooked. We now watch it together, faithfully, every week...usually joined by my husband, who sometimes watches it from his study as he's Working on Stuff. And this is why it's awesome...
Awesome #1: For those of you with decent relationships with your kids throughout the tough years, well, this won't make much sense to you, but for those who struggled...and I've recounted our struggles on both blogs...sitting down week after week and watching a TV show that we all enjoy is a relatively novel experience for us. I inherited negativity from my mom, and passed it along to my daughter, although she swears I'm the only one who calls other shows "stupid." We have a running gag in our house that whenever she deems a show or somebody on a show stupid, I say, "You are not allowed to say anything negative." That never happens on The Voice. All there is, in fact, is discussion during commercials, and though I'm not a Beverly fan, I feel the need to stick up for her because Rachael and her dad really don't like her. So the world doesn't need another Melissa Etheridge, okay, but I don't think the world needs a new Pat Benatar or Joan Jett either, nor does it need, in Dia and Xenia mashed up, another Nora Jones. What it does need, however, is the angelic voice of Javier, who shares certain qualities with Aaron Neville, but adds the sex of Seal and so much more. (That's not to say I didn't love Dia's renditions of "Heartless" and "Losing my Religion," or won't look forward to a slightly older Xenia when she learns to become comfortable in her own skin.)
Awesome #2: The best singers actually made it to the finals...and presumably, the best will win. With the exception of the early years on American Idol, which I stopped watching years and years ago, many of the most talented finalists don't actually win. Between that problem and the interminable audition shows, of which more and more were tacked on as the show became a juggernaut, I found that by the time I stopped watching AI, it had become a parody of itself. I understand this season's episodes were an improvement, but that again, the most talented singer did not win. Contrast that with The Voice, which weeded out the ridiculous and through the coaching versus judging experts, we saw not only Xtina's boobage each and every week on display, but more importantly, the development of true talent...and that Adam Levine is a very smart Jewish boy who knows how to play a game.Awesome #3: Most of the original song performances of last night showcased how shitty "A Moment Like This" really was. How many of you remember that as Kelly Clarkson's first single? It sucked big time; had she not had Clive Davis behind her (who tried and nearly derailed her career a few years later when she had the temerity to state the obvious), she might never have gone on to "Miss Independent," "Break Away," and "Since U Been Gone." None of the original songs last night are going to end up on my iPod, but they weren't treacle either.
Awesome #4: All the coaches with the exception of Christina Aguilera entertained me, and all have real knowledge of music, the history of music, and how, for the most part, to help their contestants shine. Whether it was Ceelo Green channeling Mad Max and King Kamahamaha in his duet last night with Vicci, Adam's one-liners, or Blake's wearing his fondness for Xenia and Dia on his sleeve, I loved to watch them. Yes, they didn't offer a lot of criticism on performance nights, but they weren't acting as judges on television. They were acting as coaches, and coaches do a lot of praising. When they showed the actual coaching sessions, you saw the coaching, the suggestions and changes, and the song choices, although I don't know, truly, how much input they had into those. The three male coaches charmed me; Christina Aguilera was a camera hog and it seemed to me, insecure about herself among her male counterparts. She also failed to initially choose a wide variety of finalists, which hurt her in the end. As for last night, how smart was Adam Levine that he chose a song sure to highlight Javier's abilities, even at the expense of his own? I love Levine, but he knows his limitations, and unlike Shelton, whose powerhouse of a voice drowned out Dia in their duet, he put his ego aside so that his finalist might win, even if voters were not supposed to consider the duets.
I'm sure there are more reasons why The Voice Is Awesome, but I need to read a book about a goblin now.
June 28, 2011
Separated at Birth
When I heard about the Rob Blagojevich conviction yesterday, the first thing that popped into my mind is how much he looks like Larry Bondurant, the character who married Carol Kester during the fourth season of The Bob Newhart Show. That reminded me of other separated at births, some of which I previously posted on my old blog. So as not to be mean to Dan Hill, I omitted his separated at birth.
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 | "Larry Bondurant"— although Will MacKenzie is who prompted today's blog, I cannot find a single photo of the actor online. Those of you who remember The Bob Newhart Show should recall the husband so obsessed with his "Red" that he won't let her out of his sight. |
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June 26, 2011
You've Got Mail
On Thursday my daughter and I went out to lunch, then stopped off at a local B&N before moving on. After being accosted by the Nook salesman, I realized how off-putting my own Nook selling must have been for many of the customers I hawked at. I did enjoy playing with the new B&W touchscreen Nook, but didn't like the salesman's getting a basic Kindle fact wrong in trying to contrast the two. All in all, not a great experience, and one that alerted me to the reality that I no longer enjoy visiting B&N. Since the Borders across the street—there first for years before B&N moved in on their territory with a boutique-like store that remains one of my least favorites—closed a couple of months ago, it's the only game in town, save the big Half Price Books nearby, and as much as I enjoy a bargain, the experiences are not the same.
As I told my daughter over lunch when she launched into Luddite mode about the death of retail (yes, she's only 19), the world changes, and we must change with it. I told her about Lee leaving his job as lead in the Music section because he didn't want to preside over its eventual dismantling. I told her that although I left to earn that abortive MLIS degree, I knew that every Nook I sold would eventually eliminate my job. I understood that the necessary cannibalization of B&N's brick and mortar stores through lower prices at B&N.com would eventually do the same. It just depressed the hell out of me to be in the thick of it.
Is that a bad thing? Well, last Thursday my daughter wanted two older books. They were available at Amazon and I planned to order them until she asked if we could get them at B&N so she could start one immediately. I did that whole text me if you have them thing...and never heard back. Meanwhile, I went ahead and ordered the books from Amazon, and they arrived Friday afternoon, a full day before we expected them. Now, you may not be able to browse at Amazon, or sit in a comfy chair...oh, wait...you can't do the latter at many local B&N's anymore either. The store I worked at never had the great chairs, and at some point the management removed all customer chairs save those in front of the window at tables near the magazines. Another local store removed most of their comfy chairs; the last three times I visited and wanted to sit and read awhile, there was no place to do so, leaving me feeling bait & switched: "You once invited me to spend the afternoon by providing a comfortable place to sit and read, and now, unless I go spend more money at your cafe, you'd really prefer that I leave."
I'm hoping this disaffection with visiting B&N ends, because as a life-long reader, spending time wandering around bookstores has been a favorite activity. Even throughout my two-years as a B&N bookseller I enjoyed visiting various stores throughout the country as a customer, although I forever straightened up display tables and put books away that others had left behind. But because actually buying at a B&N tends to be a costly experience, and because Amazon's prices tend to be lower (sometimes by a little...sometimes by a lot) than B&N.com's prices, I don't expect it to go away any time soon.
Sigh.
BTW, I did take exception to one scene in the movie. When Kathleen Kelly wanders into Fox's books and sits in the Kids section, a customer asks a salesman about a particular book, and he can't help her because he's simply an anonymous clerk who might well have been working at Home Depot. At least at our B&N, we had answers most of the time because those of us who worked there actually, you know, read. At least at our B&N, that woman would have been offered help and/or a recommendation by the time she landed in the Kids section.
June 15, 2011
New at H&H: Interfering Relatives
Online today from me at Heroes & Heartbreakers: Interfering Relatives, which I kick off with a video clip from Auntie Mame, featuring Rosalind Russell as my favorite cinematic Interfering Relative Of All Time.
The idea came to me while recently trying—but ultimately giving up on—a soon to be released historical romance, in which an Interfering Relative played a strong role. But the book didn't compare with other, better romances with far more memorable Interfering Relatives, so I chose my two favorites—one from a contemporary series and another from a Trad Regency—and used them to open up a discussion on other Interfering Relative stand-outs. I'd love to know which fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, siblings, or cousins you remember fondly for sticking their noses into the private lives of friends and relatives, so be sure add your two cents to the comments after you read my piece.
June 1, 2011
New at H&H: A Makeover of a Different Kind
I think that subconsciously, watching Will Farrell's hilarious appearance on Conan O'Brien's show in early May gave me the idea for my new article at Heroes & Heartbreakers. It reminded me of a joke I heard back in the day. The joke kicks off the article. Feel free to watch the clip below in its entirety, but it's between 1:20 and 1:55 minutes in that it all started to gel in my head.
Putting a piece out there of on a topic such as this (you'll see when you read it) was not something I took lightly. I mentioned last week that I had a blast writing it, but that it took a lot of effort on my part to get to and maintain just the right tone...to write about a delicate matter and keep it light so as to be funny yet not be prurient, and to be revelatory enough while not exposing myself too much in the text. Hopefully I succeeded.
Because of the subject matter's delicacy, I feel a little squirmy knowing that people will actually read the article. On the other hand, I'm kinda proud of myself for tackling the topic in a funny way. Did I succeed? Please let me know by posting a comment at H&H after you read it.
May 28, 2011
One of the All-Time Great TV Characters
This summer my husband and I are re-experiencing Northern Exposure, and on the second DVD for season one is the first episode in which Adam appears. Watching it reminded me that he is one of the all-time great television characters.
Enjoy!
May 7, 2011
L Isn't Just for Losers...It's for Lakers
As for the game itself, the Mavs got off to a bad start, but eventually came back to lead.
In the end the Mavs won by a healthy margin. At the start of the game the chant was "Beat the Lakers." By the end it was "Sweep the Lakers," in reference to the now 3-0 lead we have over Bryant et al. I hope that's the case, but at this point it's nearly impossible for the Lakers to come back. No team has ever been down 3-0, and I should know. The Mavs almost came back a few years ago, but didn't. That was the year they choked less than usual during the playoffs.
Watching the game was incredibly frustrating because even after losing year after year after year in the playoffs, the Mavs continue to stick with their same outside game. I've watched several coaches come and go, and it doesn't matter; the Mavs refuse to shoot within the paint. Yes, when their 3-point game is on, it's fantastic, but is it too much to ask that they be able to add some lay-ups into the mix? Honestly, I don't think so.
When we got on the train to go home, a gaggle of adorable teen-age girls got on at the West End, with a guy, probably one of their dads, and though they hadn't been to the game, they knew all about it. Everyone was in such a party mood that the smack talk began when one of the girls mentioned she was going to "Cali" for the summer. (Note to cute girls everywhere...us "Cali" natives don't call it Cali.)
On Sunday we'll be watching game four, this time on television, to see if the Mavs make a clean sweep. With Ron "I need anger management" Artest back from his one-game suspension for hitting J.J. Barea in the face, who knows what'll happen?
May 2, 2011
"This Is the End"...now at H&H
My newest piece for the Heroes and Heartbreakers blog went online late this afternoon. I've been on sort of a writing frenzy the last several days, turning in two more spec pieces to the blog. This one, though, on why I won't be buying Dead Reckoning, Charlaine Harris' new Southern Vampire Mysteries release that goes on sale tomorrow, started forming in my head probably a month ago. Anyway, it goes from Sookie Stackhouse and Liz Phoenix to Eve Dallas, LOST, The Sopranos, and Mad Men, all in the space of about a dozen paragraphs.
I hope you'll swing by, read it, then post a comment. As for me, I'm still trying to take in the death of Osama Bin Laden...and yes, episode three of Game of Thrones.
March 31, 2011
Mystery Solved
Earlier in the week I read Time magazine's spread on Elizabeth Taylor. On page 62 of the article, there's a photo of Taylor and an unidentified, damn fine-looking man leaning up against what looks to be a sound stage at some or other studio. Earlier today I tweeted: "Who is unidentified male on page 62 of new @TIME with Elizabeth Taylor? Inquiring minds want to know!" Within an hour (ain't Twitter grand?), @Allie_Townsend, who works for Time (and asked the photo department), provided the answer. The unidentified smoldering yet nonetheless nonchalant hunk is Montgomery Clift, whom we now know was deeply tortured by his bisexuality during a time when nobody came out of the closet. (According to Patricia Bosworth's biography of Clift, he once said, "I love men in bed, but I really love women!")
Regardless of that bit of gossip, here's the photo (I cropped it for maximum hunk-gazing), taken by Peter Stackpole, Time & Life Pictures back in the day. Enjoy!
Top Chef Finale
To be honest, Richard Blais sometimes came off like a dick during this season of Top Chef, not giving any of the credit to Stephanie Izard for his loss to her during season four. But more often, Mike Isabella wore the mantle of asshole chef. During the last couple of episodes, though, he appeared to be more likable, while Blais' neurotic lack of confidence sometimes seemed to be a front to gain sympathy from the judges and other "cheftestants." (How ridiculous is that name, and is it worse than "celebreality?")
Last night, though, I think we saw the real thing from both chefs. Blais willingly delegated to his sous chefs (I worried that Spike wasn't at the same level as Antonia or Angelo, but wasn't he the one who suggested changing the foie gras ice cream?), while Isabella, no doubt immensely talented, wasn't interested in taking any suggestions from Carla, Tiffani, or Jamie. Was that some of the same sexism he exhibited throughout much of the competition (and poor Antonia suffered the most for it when three got cut down to two)? Actually, I don't think so. I think Isabella followed his vision, and for the most part, he succeeded admirably.
Still, I think Blais as winner was the correct call, and I hope this will give him the confidence he needs to give his nasty little "you're not good enough" inner voice a rest. I'm familiar with that voice. So is my daughter. She called Monday to say she'd gotten an A on her philosophy midterm, which surprised her because she thought she'd earned a C+. Poor thing. She's experiencing precisely what I went through after each round of tests in college. I finally stopped fucking with myself in grad school. Hopefully it won't take her four years to figure it out.
I think this was one of the best seasons of Top Chef, even though I wish Angelo had made it into the finals. He against Blais...now that would have been something to see.
October 29, 2010
Steve Tyrell in Concert
Music has always been a big part of our lives; both my husband and daughter live and breathe it, and while I don't have the knowledge or the talent they possess, I find magic in listening to music and watching it performed live.
One of our very first dates was a Ramsey Lewis concert at SMU's acoustically perfect McFarlin Auditorium. I may not have heard of him before that evening (you can forgive me...I was seventeen years old at the time), but I loved Earth, Wind & Fire, with whom he'd collaborated. Because I'd inherited my dad's love of jazz - he loved Pete Fountain and the entire New Orleans style of jazz - and because the piano is just about my favorite instrument (and I miss it in much of today's rock), I fell for Lewis's meld of R&B and jazz.
I mention the Ramsey Lewis concert because it occurred during fall of my freshman year. I may no longer be a freshman (does having a freshman count?), but we're smack dab in the middle of fall, and a Steve Tyrell concert more some 30 years later during the same time of year offers a certain symmetry that I find cozy.
I'd never heard of Steve Tyrell until we saw the remake of Father of the Bride. It, btw, is one of the few instances in which the re-make is as good as the original...the jury's still out on whether Father of the Bride II equals Father's Little Dividend, but as much as I liked The Way You Look Tonight from the first movie, his rendition of Give Me the Simple Life from the second captured my imagination, and when iTunes came to be several years later, Steve Tyrell was among the first few artists I downloaded.
Cut ahead many years on a long, long drive in Utah from Salt Lake City to a wilderness program in the middle of nowhere. We're listening to XM or Sirius radio on the rental car's radio of Steve Tyrell hosting a show about Burt Bacharach and playing cuts off his new CD, Back to Bacharach. By the time the show ended, we'd already stopped at a music store and bought it.
So when several weeks ago I heard about a Steve Tyrell concert on the radio, I called my husband, and as I'd hoped, he suggested I buy tickets. The concert was last night, at the historic Lakewood Theater, and it was oh-so lovely. 
I hadn't realized until then that Tyrell began his career on the other side of the microphone way back when, working for Burt Bacharach, and that he only got into singing when producing the soundtrack for Father of the Bride. Apparently he recorded himself as filler and test audiences loved it so much that, in his 40s, he embarked on a new career as primarily an interpreter of the American Songbook.
I'm not sure I totally agree with his definition of a standard - using his logic both Highway to Hell and Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah are standards - but he sure can sing 'em. And the musicianship of his band - the arranger/piano player, keyboardist, drummer, bassist, and guitarist - really, really tight. One of the reasons I'm blown away at jazz concerts is the level of musicianship and how seamless it sounds, even if they're riffing. My favorite rock bands also feature fabulous musicians, but their skill can sometimes get lost in the sound and the theatrics of a live show.
What I love about Tyrell, Mel Torme, Michael Feinstein, and even Michael Bublé - and what is sometimes missing in modern music - is the interpretation. I don't actually listen to standards for the lyrics; for me it's the song in its entirety, or in how a certain phrase is sung, a piano bridge played, or a mood evoked. Come to think of it, that's how I judge music of any era.
I feel kind of unique in that regard. I can listen to a song over and over and over simply to hear a sigh, a wail of a saxaphone (I also miss horns) at a certain moment, or when a singer's voice goes thready and it fits the lyrics perfectly. I've talked to my husband and daughter about this, and they don't quite understand, but in a way these small sounds do for me what music on a far larger scale does for them, and for that I'm grateful.
But back to this specific concert...Steve Tyrell created an intimate atmosphere just perfect for his song list. The stories he wove around the songs were filled with love, about his two careers in music, the people he's met and collaborated with, and the woman he giddily introduced as his wife-to-be. IIRC, his first wife, also in the biz, died several years ago after a lengthy bout with cancer. His long experience as a producer - his attention to sound levels, timing, and the overall production of each number - only added to the musicality of the evening. The only off note for me was a special encore he sang to a woman celebrating her 95th birthday; it was corny, cheesy, and a teensy bit creepy, but his heart was in the right place.
I've a lifetime of concerts to store in my aural memory, from Elton John in 1976 (I know the year because Kiki Dee was his opening act), the Electric Light Orchestra in or around 1978, Mel Torme at the 1981 Playboy Jazz Festival (and if anyone knows where I can put my hands on his version of Come On-a My House, please let me know), Billy Joel multiple times, Les Paul at Fat Tuesdays during almost annual pilgrimages to NYC in the mid-late 1980s, David Benoit and Earl Klugh in the early 90s, Maroon 5 a few years ago, to Steve Tyrell last night, with many others in-between. How very lovely.
October 23, 2010
Old Movies
B&N's simply phenomenal DVD sale allowed me to buy The Producers and Blazing Saddles for my DH and The Princess Bride and Monty Python & the Holy Grail - for me - for just $28, using my membership (on sales like these, the employee discount isn't as good). I just swung by another B&N for a $6.21 copy of Emma (Paltrow and Northam...sigh) after ordering online Keira Knightley's Pride & Prejudice 
(although the ending is not true to the book, this is my favorite version - I know, heresy, but I think Matthew Macfadyen is to die for). The Knightley P&P, btw, set me back a mere $6.88...I also used coupons for the Austen adaptations.
All of this started last weekend when I worked music and Marie, one of our lead cashiers, came back to buy a bunch of sale DVD's. 
After I took a look at her booty, I decided it was time for me to get in on the action. She is far better than I am at discerning great values; during the last semi-annual employee sale, she bought an entire library worth of books for a pittance. It was impressive. I bow to Marie.
Anyway, I worked in Music again last night, and directed every customer to check out the sale; nearly everybody found something to buy. As for me, I noticed The Glass-Bottomed Boat among the sale DVD's, along with 
Nicholas & Alexandra. While I've read the latter probably a dozen times, the original price of $19.95 halved wasn't quite cheap enough for me, so I added it to my Netflix queue, along with Hello, Down There, a ridiculous movie from the 60s that I adore, one which pops into my head every time I think of The Glass-Bottomed Boat (probably because of the Doris Day/Tony "Have some Madeira, M'dear" Randall connection - I think he co-starred in each of her movies with Rock Hudson).
While I was at it, I looked for two more ridiculously fun flicks: The Impossible Years and Love in a Goldfish Bowl. The former, btw, starred a teen-aged Cristina Ferrare, once married to the infamous John deLorean, while starring in the latter was...wait for it...Fabian. Alas, neither of these is available on DVD at Netflix, or B&N or Amazon, although I could buy the Ferrare/Niven movie on VHS for a mere $145.
I don't know why I love so-bad-they're-good old comedies. I've got far better taste where musicals are concerned. Regardless, if you ever come across any of these three cheese-tastic choices - feel free to add Otto Preminger's The Moon Is Blue, once considered oh-so-shocking that it was banned in parts of the U.S. to this list - on TV, sit down and watch them. As for the Austen adaptations, which are your favorites?
September 29, 2010
RIP Greg Giraldo
TMZ reported, the Washington Post picked up, and friend and fellow comedian Jim Norton confirmed: Greg Giraldo is dead at age 44 after an accidental prescription drug overdose over the weekend.
Although I stopped actively following his career awhile back, he was once among my favorite comedians; way back in 2003 I named him the most consistently funny guest on Colin Quinn's old Comedy Central show, and in 2004 referred to him as one of my Grown Women Crushes. In recent years, though, his humor became more bitter, although I thought him very funny when he guested on The Ref this year and always enjoyed his Comedy Central Roast appearances. It seemed to me he stopped being as funny and became more rage-filled and under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol as his marriage failed. That's when I stopped actively seeking him out online and on television.
Even so, I'm incredibly sorry that this man who brought so much laughter into the world left it the way he did. Rest in peace, Greg Giraldo.
You will be missed.
September 14, 2010
The Chairman of the Board
Earlier this month I participated in the Fifteen Albums Meme, which asked that users name 15 memorable albums without giving it a whole lot of thought. Like you, I had a very tough time naming only fifteen, and as soon as I'd posted my list and asked friends for theirs, wanted to make some changes. I plan to return in awhile and put together a better list, but first...
In consideration of things musical, I recently watched VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. During the five hours of programming, I often agreed with which artists made the list, although I also often wondered at the rankings. But as the hours wound down, and this artist or that didn't make the list - the omission of Paul Simon, left me dumbfounded, and I found it hard to imagine such a list without CCR, No Doubt, and James Taylor - I started to squirm.
By the time there were only five slots left and I did the math in my head, I realized one man would be snubbed, and wondered how in the world that man, who defined "cool" for two decades, the man for whom every artist who has since donned a fedora owes his existence and very likely his credibility - from Run DMC, Jay Z, Steven Tyler, Justin Timberlake, and Michael Jackson (all of whom made the list, btw), to Dave Navarro, Kid Rock, and Neyo (who didn't) - was overlooked. I'm speaking, of course, about Frank Sinatra.
Yes, he criticized rock 'n' roll (maybe that's why VH1 left him out), and his later covers of some pop music was most definitely not among his best, but by then he was, comparably, like "fat Elvis." Frank in his prime was a like a modern rock god. Girls fainted when they saw him the way they did when the Beatles came to town. John Legend, Sara Bareilles, and Alicia Keys all consider Sinatra iconic, but U2's Bono, once quoted as saying Sinatra "invented pop music," makes the credible link, surprisingly, not just from pop, but to rock: "Frank Sinatra didn't care much for rock music. The feeling is not mutual. Rock 'n' roll people love Frank because Frank has got what we want: swagger and attitude."
If Bono is correct, then we also have Sinatra to thank for Mick Jagger and Billie Joe Armstrong, another two of my favorite artists who made the VH1 list.
Personally I like Frank's up-tempo songs more than his ballads because he was a wonderful jazz singer, but if you've overlooked the Chairman of the Board in the past, go check him out. His songbook is immense, and as iTunes has only fifty of his songs, you may need to look elsewhere. As a fan of musical comedy, I would be remiss not to mention how terrific his performances are in many a movie, yet mentioning my favorites in this particular blogging doesn't advance my argument today...but it was a different time.
August 9, 2010
Forgot...
Over the weekend I posted my download wish list, and forgot altogether the original CD that spurred the list's creation while on vacation: the Talking Heads' True Stories album. It wasn't until we re-watched Byrne's movie of the same name earlier this summer that I realized my iTunes Talking Heads collection was woefully inadequate and should also have included Hey Now and Love for Sale, as well as this classic, among others:
Every time I hear Wild, Wild Life I hear John Goodman (near the start of his career) telling David Byrne as narrator that "I'm 6' 3" and maintain a consistent panda bear shape."
Coming later today, at least one review, and possibly two.
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