Replies: 26 Unseemly Comments
Dodie Stevens factoid: I noticed Dodie got mentioned late last night. For fans of her who might not know this, Dodie surfaced in the mid-70s as Geri Stevens and recorded two incredible albums as part of Sergio Mendes & Brasil '77. The first is a genuine masterpiece in the Mendes canon, "Primal Roots," (just re-released on CD with a bonus track), in which Sergio recreates a lot of indigenous Afro-Brasilian chants. The second is a hard to find live album recorded at the Greek Theater, called "In Concert," (available in LP format only, and only as an import at that), which has some killer material, including the definitive version's of Sergio's take on "Goin' Out My Head." Geri/Dodie sounds great on these and you should check them out if you're a fan.
Posted by JMK @ 11/10/2002 10:02 AM PST
Wow! First post of the new year! Shalom!
Posted by Michael Shayne @ 11/10/2002 10:03 AM PST
One minute late for the first post of the new year. Oh well! sigh
Well then I'm
Off to the gym
Then to a fitting
etc etc
Posted by Michael Shayne @ 11/10/2002 10:07 AM PST
the new Broadway Radio Show will be up later this afternoon....we were supposed to have a very special guest, but, as usual, scheduling conflicts defeated that....however, that special guest will join us next week....so, this week, I had to quickly put together a show I wasn't planning on doing until the end of November -- we'll be previewing some London musicals that are headed for Broadway....plus, we have a set of 4 CDs from Decca Broadway to give to one of our lucky listeners; so, tune in to find out how to win!
Posted by Donald @ 11/10/2002 10:52 AM PST
I found a Dodie Stevens LP minus the cover that has a strange mix of songs on it including "Atcheson Topeka and the Santa Fe" and "Johnny One Note." She is indeed a terrif singer
Great party yesterday. Hope everyone recovered!
I am watching Ezio Pinza paw Lana Turner on TCM in "Mr Imperium" and it is really creepy! So I guess my question from sky (where giants are) would be why did/do film makers put completely at-odds couples together? And what would your nomination be for most-miscast couple? I am taking a bye until I read a few other opinions.
Posted by Jrand55 @ 11/10/2002 11:25 AM PST
The most mis-matched couple was John Travolta and Lily Tomlin who made a film called "Moment By Moment" in the late 70s or early 80s which critics referred to as "Hour by Hour".
Posted by William E. Lurie @ 11/10/2002 12:43 PM PST
Rober A.
Good Grief. When will Americans learn to understand Australians. The whole point of my comment was SUSAN! This little penny is really not that dumb.Have a good one Robert.
Ron: We refer to them as "Kiwis".(New Zealanders). Great rivalry between the two nations but we love them. Their country is amazing. Mr Crowe did in fact make his early films here - "Proof" and "Spotswood" are worth checking out. I have not seen "Romper Stomper". "Spotswood" has Toni Colette and Ben Mendelson and a delightful performance by Anthony Hopkins. It is very a much a film of Melbourne in my childhood. Benjamin K vintage.
Dodie Stevens as as Geraldine also had the good taste (!) to record the "answer" song to Kenny Rogers' "Ruby, Don't take your love to town". I know you all require that knowledge.
Posted by Tom from OZ @ 11/10/2002 01:09 PM PST
What I didn't do yeserday.
I did not put on my pointy party hat.
I did not each cham hunks and sleaze chises.
I did not dance the hora or the watusi or the hully gully or the freddie (neither cis-freddie nor trans-freddie).
I did not wish Mr. Bruce Kimmel and Mr. Guy Haines and Mr. Donal Feltham and Mr. Mark "You are all crazy" Bakalor and all and sundried at haineshisway.com a happy birthday.
And for that I am truly and humbly sorry. Deadlines, you know.
But now let me take the opportunity to say:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. BRUCE KIMMEL AND MR. GUY HAINES AND MR. DONALD FELTHAM AND MR. MARK "YOU ARE ALL CRAZY" BAKALOR AND ALL AND SUNDRIED AT HAINESHISWAY.COM!
Most mismatched couple? John Travolta and anyone. (Did I say that? Slap my hand!)
Posted by William F. Orr @ 11/10/2002 02:01 PM PST
Dustin & Warren were certainly mismatched or mishmashed or something to that effect.
Isn't good to see that Robert is remaining with us. Family is family after all.
I must check out Brasil 77. I loved 66 and the voice of Lani Hall.
Posted by Tom from OZ @ 11/10/2002 02:35 PM PST
Tom from OZ--you're in luck, because there's an Australian pressing of the "In Concert" album that's still fairly available (at least if you take eBay into account). It has a lovely picture of Geri (and Mrs. Sergio Mendes, Gracinha Leporace) on the cover. "Primal Roots" is available from dustygroove.com (which ships internationally).
Posted by JMK @ 11/10/2002 02:38 PM PST
Tom - I knew you knew and I thought you knew that I knew you knew. It was just a sneaky excuse to talk about the penny again. When will you Australians ever get us New Yawkers?
Posted by Robert Armin @ 11/10/2002 03:11 PM PST
Well, it's just a Sergio Mendes day all around--I have just heard from Brasil '66's Janis Hansen. Mark Rothman was kind enough to try to answer a question about *a* Janis Hansen who used to be a semi-regular on "The Odd Couple." Inquiring Sergiophiles have wondered for years if they're the same Janis Hansen. Sergio's Janis has emailed me today to say that, no, she is not the actress. However, she is the same Janis Hansen who sang with an L.A. group that was quite popular for awhile called Carnival (two charted hits for those of you with Whitburn), and she was the singing voice for a "zillion" (her words) Ford commercials. Time to go listen to "Look of Love" (Janis singing lead, Lani on backups). :)
Posted by JMK @ 11/10/2002 03:18 PM PST
I remember when I was VERY young I worked one summer at the Greek Theatre as an usher. Brasil 66 played for a week, during which time one of the other ushers asked one of the singers (I think Lani) for a date and, as I remember, she accepted. The concept that a big-type star would go out with a lowly usher was very heady stuff.
Posted by Robert Armin @ 11/10/2002 03:27 PM PST
Well, I'm going out on a limb here on the first day of the new year - -
Marathon, technically speaking, would not be a Jacques Brel reference, but rather a Mort Shuman/Eric Blau reference. Brel's song, LES FLAMANDES, had nothing to do with a marathon, oh no, indeed it did not, but rather the quaint Flemish people.
I've been watching, and loving, the Kultur dvd of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, shot on videotape at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park. It looks every bit of its twenty years, but what performances! Where in the world did Linda Ronstadt find those coloratura notes? I was always under the impression that she was an alto...but, for those of you who haven't seen this production of PoP, it's worth it just to see Patricia Routeldge in action.
Posted by td @ 11/10/2002 04:58 PM PST
And three of those pennies make half a sixpence.And was Sweeney Todd originally published as "penny dreadful"?.
I liked Lani Hall's "Send In The Clowns". Quite a different take.
Posted by Tom from OZ @ 11/10/2002 05:10 PM PST
I wonder what are people's least favourite versions of Sondheim songs. No. Dame Edna's are fine!. I loathe Mel Torme's version of "Clowns". In MHO one of the few times he got it wrong. How was Liza's version of "Losing My Mind" received in the USA. I know it was a success in London.
Posted by Tom from OZ @ 11/10/2002 05:22 PM PST
Still the song keeps going through my head like so much fish.....OY!
"...for first class working to conscientious working Mr. Maraczek, why not try me..."
Posted by Kerry @ 11/10/2002 05:42 PM PST
BK:
Is your e-mail working? I've tried twice today to send something to Luckey at your e-mail address and both times it came back. The first time I used the address I have used before and the second time I clicked the "Ask BK" buttom on this here site and both times it came back.
Posted by William E. Lurie @ 11/10/2002 05:50 PM PST
Is everyone suffering from post party effects. Maybe you are all out helping Kerry to convince Mr Maraczek to "try him". Sounds a bit suspect to me. The sort of sign to hang on the door in "The Ritz"! At least "Happiest Girl In The Whole USA" has gone out for the day.
Posted by Tom from OZ @ 11/10/2002 07:29 PM PST
Happy First Day of the Second Year!
Well, I'd post more, but after finishing my first week of South Pacific rehearsals, plus Carmen Jones, I'm going to get ready to head to bed for some very well-deserved sleep. *And I've already decided that I'm truly going to take tomorrow off - at least the morning - and relax. I was going to be Mr. Productive and get some orchestration work done in the morning, but I can already tell that even if I did get up at 7:00, there's no way I'd be functional. *And I also took Baayork's "class" again this morning, and something tells me my quadriceps will be making their presence known to me tomorrow.
So, after sharing that news...
I hope everyone - posters, lurkers, and even the merry searchers - had a great weekend. See you tomorrow!
Posted by Jose C. Simbulan @ 11/10/2002 07:44 PM PST
I may be going out on a HUGE limb here but, in answer to Tom's question about least favorite versions of Sondheim songs , there are two complete recordings that come to mind and both are full of some of what I think are the most awful renditions of Sondheim I have ever heard. In fact, I played them once and now they stay in that special place for things that I cannot listen to without running from the room.
The first is Jackie Cain & Roy Kral, A Stephen Sondheim Collection. It's a concert/cabaret performance from 1982. They are pictured w/SS on the cover art but maybe it was taken before the performance so he didn't have a chance to hear what they did. I just found the whole thing phony, oversung and just plain dreadful.
The second one puts me on a possible limb because I know that so many people find Julie Wilson amazing. I'm talking about "Julie Wilson Sings the Stephen Sondheim Songbook". Oh, I think the whole thing is a stinker. Once was more than enough for me. I'm one of those who don't "get" Julie Wilson. Perhaps it's because I saw her in about 1976 or 1977 in a dreadful bus and truck of Night Music. If my sister had not been with me (having purchased the tickets as a present) I would have left at intermission. I listened to her recordings intermittently after that and I have friends, whom I respect, who adore her. They say I should have seen her earlier in her career and that I should see her live. But if I don't like the recordings, I can't imagine that I will like what she's doing live. I wish I would have seen her live so I could have something with which to compare.
Oh, well. That's my 2 cents on least favorite versions of Sondheim.
Posted by Ben @ 11/10/2002 07:48 PM PST
Someone is out there! Have to agree Ben. I have the Cain & Kraal Cd (first time I had heard a couple oF SS songs from Forum I think) but I certainly don't allow it near my Cd player anymore. I heard the Wilson one when it first came out and for someone who was buying everything Sondheim, I realised there was a limit. I hope that limb can support us both Ben.
Posted by Tom from OZ @ 11/10/2002 08:27 PM PST
Just caught a bit of Harnick
and Bock melody recycling. My
ear suddenly realized that the
melody for "Any Day Now," the
song written for the movie
version of Fiddler to replace
"Now I Have Everything" and
then eventually cut itself, used
much of the melody from "No
More Candy" from She Loves
Me.
Of course, many of you may
already be aware of that, but I
just noticed it and it seemed to
me like a fine free-for-all
Sunday entry.
Posted by Jed @ 11/10/2002 08:46 PM PST
William E. Lurie - don't know of any mail problems - have forwarded the info to Mr. Mark Bakalor to see if he knows what's up. I suppose sometimes these hiccups arise, but it's hard to think that it would be both addresses.
Posted by bk @ 11/10/2002 10:53 PM PST
Rats, I missed the fun again! Moi didn't have any cheese slices and ham chunks or even ham slices and cheese chunks. I'm still suffering from furballitis.... But alas I did find a pointy party hat to wear!
Posted by Angela D. @ 11/11/2002 12:15 AM PST
Is it really possible no one
else caught on to the "Any Day
Now"/"New Candy Box"
similarity?
Post and let me know I'm not
alone!!!
p.s. - good morning to the east
coast crowd...I'm up due to a
most unseemly west coast
morning
Posted by Jed @ 11/11/2002 03:34 AM PST
