Well, dear readers, I attended a lovely dinner party, a birthday bash for my friend, Barbara Deutsch. I didn't know all the attendees, so I got to meet some very nice folks. The party was held at the home of singer Joan Ryan, and the guests I did know included STAGE director David Galligan, Lee Lessack, Ron Abel and Chuck Steffan, and a few others. There was lots of food, including brisket, some sort of chicken, some sort of salad (I say "some sort of salad" because the salad had pine nuts and raisins in it, which took it out of the realm of just plain salad), potatoes, and more desserts than you could shake a stick at. I know this because I did, in fact, try to shake a stick at the desserts and the stick wasn't having any of it because there were simply too many desserts. There was an entire tray of pastries, two birthday cakes (chocolate and carrot) and cookies. The only disappointment was that there were no cheese slices and ham chunks - I'm sorry, but a party isn't complete without cheese slices and ham chunks, at least not to a Hainsie/Kimlet. Obviously, none of those people read these here notes or they would have known that simple fact.

When I got home last night, I checked my e-mail here at haineshisway.com and whilst doing so someone IMd me. I didn't recognize the name, but I figured it had to be someone who knew me. So I IMd back and we had a sparkling conversation. After a time it finally became apparent that this person had no clue who I was. It turns out that someone else had once used the moniker "haineshisway" and this person thought I was that person. I hate when that happens, when this person thinks you're that person when, in fact, that person is totally incorrect about you being that person. Or is it this person? Now I've gone and confused this and that. In any case, that or this person thought I was a fellow named Haines. I told him that I most certainly was not a fellow named Haines but that Haines was a friend of mine who allows me to use his website. However, my Haines and his Haines are two totally different people. His Haines was a banker from the mid-west and my Haines is a singer from Metcalf. It was all very Samuel Beckett. I did suggest he become a Hainsie/Kimlet. This seemed to confuse him. I also got a most wonderful e-mail from dear reader Tracey, who enjoys these here notes. I do love getting e-mails from you dear readers, and this one was especially sweet.

I recently got the new Bernadette Peters Rodgers and Hammerstein CD along with a couple of new DVDs, Sexy Beast and Mr. David Mamet's Heist. I haven't had time to check out the DVDs yet, but will in the next couple of days. But I did check out Miss Peters' new CD. However, I'm afraid we must all click on the Unseemly Button below at this time, because Mr. Mark Bakalor is very rigid about this sort of thing. Mr. Mark Bakalor is rigid, he is unbending, he is unyielding and he will bitch-slap us until the cows come home. However, we have thwarted him as regards the latter, because Mr. Rigid Mark Bakalor, the cows came home last night. That lets the air out of your rigid balloon, doesn't it. So, I guess he won't be bitch-slapping us until the cows come home because the fershluganah cows are home and sleeping in, thank you very much. Where was I? Oh, yes, we must click on the Unseemly Button below, and while we're all doing that I shall try to remember what the hell I was talking about.

Have I mentioned that this person thought I was that person? Have I mentioned the rigidity of a certain individual? Have I mentioned that I recently got Miss Bernadette Peters new CD? I have always enjoyed Miss Bernadette Peters. She is adorable and quite talented. But this new CD is a strange one. The songs are all by Mr. Rodgers and Mr. Hammerstein, and that is a good thing. But they've chosen to record the album in the old-fashioned way - basically "live" with Miss Peters and the orchestra. They boast "no Pro Tools", etc. Well, some people can do that and do it well, but some people need the benefits that the recording process can offer. In other words, if you have the tools to make sure your vocal is perfection, why not use them? It's not that it's artificial. If something works all in one take - great (Kristin Chenoweth did her version of Lion Tamer in one take - it was so perfect there was no point in doing a second take). If something works all in one take except for one line, why not fix the line? It's like film. You shoot various takes, and if a take is great but someone screwed up a line, or a moment could be better, they do a pick-up. It's not artificial, it's just part of the process. While it's always a pleasure to hear Miss Peters, I'm afraid her voice sounds tired at times, nasally at times and gravelly at times. Some of that is her style and is fine - but a whole album of it is ultimately defeating. I really like her voice, though, and if you're a fan you'll probably like the album. One further note - it's arranged, orchestrated and conducted by Mr. Jonathan Tunick. Now, Mr. Tunick is a decent conductor and a brilliant orchestrator. But he is not an arranger, in my opinion and the album could have used a good arranger. Every song tends to sound the same, which doesn't exactly make for a diverse listening experience. However, buy it and judge for yourselves - and if you have a differing opinion, post it here.

Here is what no one even remembered: I was supposed to post the answer to our handy-dandy trivia contest yesterday and I forgot. Yes, Virginia, I forgot, I had a senior moment. We had no "official" winner, although Mr. Michael Shayne did send an answer that was, in fact, correct, just not the answer I was looking for. So we do give him credit. In any case, the question was:

Since 1993, I have produced approximately 130 albums, many of which have had multiple artists on them. Two of the singers I have used frequently have been married to the same person. This is, as far as I know, the only time that has happened. Name the two singers, the person they were/are married to, and the show connection between the singer who's currently married to the person, and the other person whom the other singer subsequently married.

Now, interestingly, I was looking for two women who'd been married to the same man, but Mr. Michael Shayne's guess was the opposite, and it worked - he guessed Danny Burstein and Greg Jbara, both of whom had/have been married to Miss Rebecca Luker. I'm not sure what the show connection is, but it does work. My answer is: Michele Pawk was married to producer Kevin McCollum. They divorced and Mr. McCollum subsequently met and married Lynette Perry. Miss Pawk then met and married actor John Dossett. Both Mr. Dossett and Miss Perry were in Ragtime. Whew. I will never ask such a convoluted question again, since Mr. Shayne's was the only guess I received. No one got the bonus question or even made an attempt to answer it - quite shocking, in my opinion. So, I'm throwing down the gauntlet, whatever the hell that means. I am challenging all of you Hainsie/Kimlet people who know everything, even the tiniest trivia: I once sang a song on one of my albums using a pseudonym. Name the song, the album and the pseudonym. The clue is: It's not obvious. But it is findable if you're clever and do good sleuthing. Sleuth away. There will be an extra-special handy-dandy something-or-other for the first person who gets the correct answer.

Well, I must prepare for my Drat! The Cat! meeting. Has anyone else been having terrible allergy problems? I most certainly have. It's that time of the year, I suppose. It's a beautiful day, by the way, and our very own singing bird is right outside my window, singing a terribly wicked version of I Can Cook, Too. Today's topic of discussion (yesterday we had a wonderful series of posts about everyone's favorite Mercer songs - obviously everyone loves Johnny) we'll continue with our favorite songs of favorite composers and/or lyricists: What are your favorite Charles Strouse songs? I'll start - There's Always One You Can't Forget, the title song of Rags, the utterly beautiful Once Upon A Time, Baby, Talk to Me, the title song of the film version of Bye, Bye Birdie, and One Boy.