Posted by William E. Lurie @ 08/14/2003 08:14 AM PST

MusicGuy - No, I have never had the pleasure of being inside that house in Gig Harbor, but I have seen some of the photos. I was invited to a recital there one time, but I had a performance on the same day.

Posted by TCB @ 08/14/2003 08:31 AM PST

Take note one and all (and all and one), for it is written in The Internet Movie Database (www.IMDb.com) that congratulations are in order this day.  Happy 26th Wedding Anniversary to our very own DR Susan Gordon and her husband, Avraham Aviner!

Posted by Matt @ 08/14/2003 08:37 AM PST

Thank you, DR Matt, for your thoughtful wishes.

Posted by Susan @ 08/14/2003 08:59 AM PST

Congratulations, DR Susan!!

Of course, she was a VERY young bride!

Posted by Laura @ 08/14/2003 09:04 AM PST

Happy Anniversary, DR Susan & Spouse.

R/R songs!

"Rock Around the Clock" - Bill Haley & his Comets

"All Shook Up" & "Teddy Bear" - Elvis

"Pineapple Princess" - Annette Funicello

So many, I will just say probably everything on everyone's list today.

BUT my favorite R/R instrumental is a Ronald Stein composition found on the BK-produced CD titled NOT OF THIS EARTH. It's the second jukebox number from "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman". I think it's track number 5, but the titles and tunes are mixed up on the listing. Two saxophones, drums, piano, and maybe a bass but it is the perfect dance tune for some of that hot couple 50's swing! PERFECT! And thanks to Mr BK, I own it and can play it all the time - which of course, I do!

Posted by Jrand52 @ 08/14/2003 09:06 AM PST

Best wishes, dear Susan!

Posted by TCB @ 08/14/2003 09:13 AM PST

Did someone say Classic Rock??! I happen to own the entire Time/Life Singer/Songwriter CD set. It has the bestest songs from the 60's and 70's by the likes of Carly Simon, James Taylor, Gilbert O'Sullivan, John Denver, Cat Stevens, Elton John...etcetcetc. But I think my favorite, if I MUST pick one, is "Vincent" by Don McLean. I must say, although I was generally a Clay Aiken fan, I was extremely disappointed in his ham-handed rendition of this simple, poignant classic. I am no longer a Clay Aiken fan.

I also love "That's the Way I've Always Heard it Should Be" (Carly Simon), "Mr. Bojangles" (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), "Tiny Dancer" (Elton John), "Blue Bayou" (Linda Ronstadt), anything by the Eagles or Simon & Garfunkel, and, just because of the title, "Thank You (Falletin' Me Be Mice Elf Agin)" (Sly and the Family Stone).

DR BK!
Water is the breath of life. Water is your best friend. Squeeze a little lemon in there, you'll learn to love it. Don't drink Evian, it tastes like body secretions. Drink cold Dasani or Aquafina, those are the best.

Posted by Joy @ 08/14/2003 09:47 AM PST

Congratulations to Susan and Avraham! 26 years of marriage is a proud accomplishment!

Posted by Joy @ 08/14/2003 09:48 AM PST

I want to tell everyone that it's my dog Abie's first birthday today. (That's Abie as in "Abie's Irish Rose"...) He's wearing a pointy party hat and four ballet slippers as I write. That's not true - but it creates a nice mental image for all you DR's. Abie is the best dog in the world. (FLASHBACK: My 13-year-old Lab had passed on and I never thought I could love another dog the same way - until (DRUMROLL) I found an 8 week old pup at the Humane Society - Abie!) He's a genius dog, I've been told. Rolls over, shakes hands, bows, of course, waits to be given permission before touching his dinner and never ever ever pees on the carpet. He doesn't even much like to pee or do the other thing. I think he finds it undignifed. So, one and all, please join me in singing Happy bBrtday to DRD (that's "Dear Reader's Dog") Abie, the wonder dog.

Posted by Panni @ 08/14/2003 09:56 AM PST

Sadly, I am not a fan of clasic Rock.
Some of it I like, but none of it
passionately.
Antigone got some very nice press
coverage, so I'm hoping that this will
mean more butts in seats. That is a
very important thing, particularly if I
want to do another show next
summer.
Congratulations to Susan and
Avraham! Happy marriages always
give me hope for the world.
I actually was thinking just what Jed
was yesterday "So many Grover
lovers, we really are cooliscious!"

Posted by Hapgood @ 08/14/2003 09:57 AM PST

...not Happy bBrtday (unless you stutter and lisp - which is fine). Happy BIRTHDAY.

Posted by Panni @ 08/14/2003 09:58 AM PST

Happy Birthday to Abie.

My soon-to-be favorite rock and roll song - I AM CERTAIN - will be Ms Susan (Must Use Middle Initial) Gordon's rendition of the Albert Glasser rocker "You're A Dolly" from the hit movie Attack of the Puppet People!!!

Posted by Jrand52 @ 08/14/2003 10:09 AM PST

Ahem. *blows on pitchpipe*

Awwrr awr rowwwwrrrr rowwrrrr arr arroooooooo,
Awwrr awr rowwwwrrrr rowwrrrr arr arrooooooooooooooo!
Awwrr awr rowwwwrrrr rowwrrrr aaaarrr Aaaabiiiiierrroowwwr,
Awwrr awr rowwwwrrrr rowwrrrr arr arroooooooowwwwwrrrrrooooo!!!

*clap clap clap*

Posted by Joy @ 08/14/2003 10:10 AM PST

There are still no Diet Cokes,
but I brought one of my own.
Where in tarnation IS
everyone? Shouldn't we have
100 posts before ten o'clock?
Only kidding.

My favorite classic rock songs:
Poor Little Fool, Sealed with a
Kiss, She Cried, In My Life,
and a million others.

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 10:13 AM PST

It would be too hard to pick just one classic rock and roll song. I love mostly pre-British Invasion Rock. I'm very big on doo-wop. Big fan of Elvis in his raw fifties era, like Jackie Wilson ("Lonely Teardrops" esp.), Gene Pitney ("With Every Little Breath I Take", my favourite of his), Timi Yuro (Hurt and What's the Matter, Baby) Dion, The Drifters, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Mary Wells, so many more...I loved Smoky Joe's Cafe, the Broadway Revue of Stoller/Leiber hits...that's about my speed.

From yesterday:

Joy, my Sherlock Holmes play, THE EBONY APE, was NOT a musical. In fact, it is subtitled: "A Sherlock Holmes Tale of Victorian Horror and Bizarre Mystery". You were probably thrown off by the fact that Doug Sills did a staged reading of it, but beyond being a sterling musical performer, Mr. Sills is also a fine actor in non-musical material. He was a witty, facile Holmes in my play. I've also seen him perform wonderfully in Shakespeare.

There are two Sherlock musicals that I know of. One, the rather well-known BAKER STREET , was done back in the sixties with Fritz Weaver, Inga Swenson, and Martin Gabel. I never saw it, but the score, though I find it uneven, has some nice numbers in it.

In either the late eighties or early nineties, Leslie Bricusse brought out his own Sherlock musical in England with Robert Powell finally in the lead (though I think there may have been an earlier incarnation of this with Clive Revill). It got as far as the Bristol Old Vic, never made it to London as far as I know...and certainly never made it over here. There was a cast album done for TER. I have it. Haven't played it for a long time. With the exception that he culled one of the numbers, LONDON IS LONDON, from his musical film of GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS, I remember the score as being somewhat undistinguished. Probably should give it another listen just for curiosity's sake.

Posted by Charles Pogue @ 08/14/2003 10:14 AM PST

Celebrities: I was raised to believe they're no different from you and me. Just people. Don't have different expectations of them; don't treat 'em different.

Years ago I appeared on stage at the Triad, and my fellow cast member Frankie grabbed me after the show and said "There's this really neat lady who sings on Broadway who's having a party downstairs" and dragged me into a chair. Various performers sang songs to the guest-of-honor, and they were remarkably good. This wasn't a show, per se, people informally came in and out. And, of course, everybody, after singing, gave a long hug to the birthday girl, Lillias White. Then Lillias announced that her teenaged niece wanted to do a song, was there someone in the house who could play the piano for her. We looked around and noticed that all the pianists who'd played for the previous people had disappeared. (We also noticed that we were the only white people at this point.) Nobody was volunteering, and Lillias was about to say "Oh, well" when Frankie raised my hand high. "Noel can play" Frankie exclaimed, and suddenly I was hustled up to the bench.

What was nerve-racking was that nobody had any music. At the time, I didn't know (by heart) one of the songs Lillias wanted to sing herself, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" but that didn't stop us from doing it. Finally, a young man came up and wanted to do a song I find particularly hard to play by ear, "What Are You Doing for the Rest Of Your Life?" I fumbled this a bit, and Lillias saw that the singer was losing confidence in my ability. (Hell, even I had lost confidence on this one.) But Lillias, in the front row, quietly urged him on "Go on, baby. He's with you." and we managed to get through. When she said that, I knew I'd met a wonderful person, not just a celebrity.

Every Christmas I play a party in Beverly Hills and famous people attend. When Michael Feinstein walked in one year, I launched into his favorite song, and continued with a few more I thought he'd like. Our hostess effusively introduced us, but Feinstein made no acknowledgment that he'd liked, or even heard, what I was doing at the piano. He was cold and a shrimp. Did you notice I wrote "and" when it would have made sense to write "as?" I meant to do that. Merry Christmas indeed.

Posted by Noel @ 08/14/2003 10:24 AM PST

DR Charles Pogue - MBarnum is also a Timi Yuro fan and may have done an interview, maybe he will let us know!

And wasn't Beatrice Lillie in BAKER STREET as well...oh no wait...that is HIGH SPIRITS...I bought those cast albums on the same day MANY years ago...played them both and still sometimes get them mixed up...grrrrrrrrrr

Posted by Jrand52 @ 08/14/2003 10:24 AM PST

For the children - I guess I should explain how that can happen.

You see, you put both LP's on the stereo and both of the A sides play...then...you turn them over and both of the B sides play.

Posted by Jrand52 @ 08/14/2003 10:25 AM PST

My absence this week has been due, among other things, to my Joe's mother going into the hospital on Saturday after a "mild heart attack". We have been spending a lot of time there with her and a lot of time on the phone with her seven, count'em seven offspring. But she is back in her little room in daughter Diane's house now, and we will probably be out to see her on Saturday.

And... (oh, a A Chorus Line reference!) HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DEAR READER SUSAN!

Going back to one of yesterday's topics, my favorite celebrity meeting was with science fiction writer Samuel R. ("Chip") Delaney.

I was at the Science Fiction Writer's Association annual meeting in NYC in the seventies, having published two stories and therefore qualifying as a neophyte writer. At a large cocktail party, I spotted Chip, and although I was dying to meet him and discuss his works, I was much too shy.

Late in the evening, Chip came over to me and said, "Are you Bill Orr? I want to talk to you." It turned out he had some questions about mathematics, and someone had told him there was a mathematician present.

Once it got to about 3 in the morning, and I opined my despair at catching a train back to Long Island, Chip invited me to sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor of his apartment. And we did have a very interesting chat about his works the next morning.

And I got the crabs.

Posted by William F. Orr @ 08/14/2003 10:37 AM PST

Sarah & Joy - welcome to our world!

Jason - so nu???

Jose - trust you're enjoying your stay in the Big Apple!

Susan - bon anniversaire to you and your hubby!

"Music Man" closed with a flourish on Sunday - the Quartet got larger ovations than Harold & Marion for 3 of our 4 performances. We may even pursue singing together as a foursome, and even have a name: "Aural Sex" (a play on words, to be sure, and it includes part of my last name!)

Some top songs from the 60's (courtesy of a Time-Life set I own):

California Dreamin'
See You In September
Cherish
Mr. Tambourine Man
Monday, Monday
Turn! Turn! Turn!
Ferry Cross The Mersey
Up Up & Away
How Can I Be Sure
Light My Fire (Jose Felicano's
version, not the Doors!)
Turn Around, Look At Me
Abraham, Martin & John
Traces
Easy To Be Hard (3 Dog Night)
Wedding Bell Blues
Worst That Could Happen

Posted by Phil @ 08/14/2003 10:53 AM PST

DR Charles Pogue - Forgive my ignorance. You spoke in one of your posts yesterday about when you were doing Crucifer of Blood. Now, I know that you wrote the screenplay for The Sign of Four, which is the same story, but did you work on either the play or the film of Crucifer, as well?

Posted by TCB @ 08/14/2003 10:56 AM PST

JRand I think you are confusing Timi Yuro's HURT (which I am not a fan of) with Miss Toni Fisher's THE BIG HURT which I am a big fan of! Haven't interviewed Miss Toni Fisher, however, as she has passed on. And speaking of passings, I read that Edna Skinner of MR. ED fame passed away this week at age 82. She lived her in Oregon, North Bend to be exact and she and her life partner owned a shop there on the coast back in the 90s. She was a champion angler as well and even wrote for many sports/fishing magazines. I wished that I had known that she lived so close to me!

This reminds me that I once sat next to MR. EDs Connie Hines and Alan Young at a resteraunt in North Hollywood. Ms. Hines couldn't get the attention of the waitress and needed some ketchup for her scrambled eggs. I loaned her the ketchup from my table. She was very sweet!

Posted by MBarnum @ 08/14/2003 10:56 AM PST

An Update on Bricusse's Sherlock Holmes. I realized I actually have a Sam French script of the musical, headed on the cover: "Leslie Bricusse Musical Classics". Now there's cover hype for you! Anyway, it wasn't Clive Revill in the original incarnation of this flop, it was Ron Moody. You can understand my confusion. Also Liz Robertson was in the original version playing one, Bella Moriarty.

Owning a copy of this epic has cleared up one of those lyric mistakes that I had been making for years. As I mentioned it swiped and inserted LONDON IS LONDON from Bricusse movie musical of GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS. In CHIPS, When Petula Clark's character is onstage as Flossie From Fulham, singing this ditty, I always thought she was singing the opening lines in her cockney persona and they went:

'ere I stands in Picadilly Circus,
Nelson stands in Trafalgar Square.

When in actuality, the lyric is:

Eros stands in Picadilly Circus,
Nelson stands in Trafalgar Sq.

Makes slightly more sense, however, it's not as bad a lyrical flub as my old high school chum, Stu, who always thought: And Wendy has "storky" eyes...

Panni, the lovely wife, Julieanne and I used to throw birthday parties for Hotspur, the wonder yorkie (full name Hotspur Plantagenet) before he went to his reward in the early nineties a few months shy of his sixteenth birthday. They were glorious and raucous affairs. Alas, this practice did not continue with the next brood of dogs: Humbug (since gone to her reward) or Cully, the dog who will eat anything. Though this year I found Cully's birth certificate and nailed down his actual birthday...and so we did throw him his first party. I can't, however, see this happening with Mosby, the Cat.

Posted by Charles Pogue @ 08/14/2003 10:58 AM PST

And I had no idea that our own Mr. BK was responsible for the NOT OF THIS EARTH cd! I love that CD...I am your biggest fan BK, and I didn't even realize it!

Honestly, though, it really is one of my favorite CDs!

And happy anniversary to you Susan! Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!

Posted by MBarnum @ 08/14/2003 10:59 AM PST

TCB...I only worked in Crucifer of Blood as an actor in the LA stage version done at the Ahmanson with Chuck Heston playing Holmes and Jeremy Brett playing Watson (I was told I was the first actor to get cast from an open call). And Brett was just as brilliant a Watson as he was a Holmes. He said: In England, I always play these "weight of the Empire" roles. It's so nice to come over here to America and play Winnie the Pooh, which is exactly how I'm playing Watson.

Posted by Charles Pogue @ 08/14/2003 11:04 AM PST

Jrand52 - LP's? What are those?

kidding....

Noel - Merry Christmas. I've got a present for you.

And...
Charles - The Sherlock musical I saw was, unfortunately, none of the above. It was a staged reading here in New York. There was nothing wrong, that I recall, with the actor's performance; it's just that the character was written rather milquetoasty.

Wow, what a great word. I love words, aren't they fun? In fact, the Dictionary.com word of the day is:
sine qua non
\sin-ih-kwah-NON; -NOHN;
sy-nih-kway-\, noun:
An essential condition or element; an indispensable thing.

Let's see if we can all use it in a sentence!

HHW has become a sine qua non in my otherwise boring and law-filled (two interchangeable terms) day.

Posted by Joy @ 08/14/2003 11:09 AM PST

DR Charles:
Is Cully, by any chance, named after the bloodthirsty hawk of the same name in "The Once and Future King" by T.H. White?

Posted by Joy @ 08/14/2003 11:13 AM PST

Happy Anniversary, Dear Reader Susan!

WFO: Loved your Delany story! My husband is a major fan of his work, so of course I had to e-mail that to him. I'm sure it's more than he wanted to know about one of his favorite SF authors.

Favorite rock and roll songs:

Maybelline by Chuck Berry
I Only Have Eyes For You by The Flamingoes
La Bamba by Ritchie Valens
Twilight Time and My Prayer by The Platters
Yakety-Yak by The Coasters
Sixteen Candles by The Crests
Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis
Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis Presley
Be-Bop-a-Lula by Gene Vincent
Summertime Blues by Eddie Cochran
Johnny Angel by Shelley Fabares

...and, as Ron Popeil would say, "many, MANY more!"

Posted by Lulu @ 08/14/2003 11:20 AM PST

I am indeed babysitting at the moment, but the kid has gone over a friends house, and I am stuck here with not a thing to do. How boring.

DR Susan: Happy anniversary, my dear!

DR Phil: Thank you for welcoming me into your world, althoguh I am puzzled as to why I'm bec
ing welcomed so graciously. Also, bon anniversaire means Happy Birthday in French. I couldn't tell you how to say Happy Anniversary, so sorry!

My favorite Rock n roll songs are:

Joy to The World
Sweet Home Alabama
Anything by Aerosmith
California Dreamin'

I'm having a bit of a mind blank. I'll get back to you later.

BK: When I started running cross country last year, I strictly forbid myself to drink Diet Coke. For 5 months I had nothing but water, 24/7. When the season was over, I decided to have a soda, and when I took a sip, it tasted awful! I can't drink Diet Coke now, or anything carbonated for that matter. They taste like I'm drinking seltzer water plain, SO GROSS. It's alright though, because water is much better for you anyway.

:)

Posted by Sarah @ 08/14/2003 11:39 AM PST

I'm thinkin' we might reach 35
posts today. Jeans, a
Benjamin Kritzer t-shirt, gray
socks and sneakers and my
Penn & Teller's Bullshit cap.

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 11:46 AM PST

Sorry, have been tied up all morning. I wish I could contribute a meaningful response to today's question of the day, but it's a subject about which I really don't know a great deal.

But at least my post will take us a step closer to 35.

Posted by Jay @ 08/14/2003 11:52 AM PST

DR WEL: My most sincere wishes for your Joe's mother's speedy recovery. There is no such thing as a "mild" heart attack; the phrase should be stricken from the language. I am glad and proud to know that you and yours were there for her and Joe's siblings. Yours are the true family values.

RE the topic of the day, I'm sad to say that I really don't know much about rock and roll, classic or otherwise. My own mother was terribly bothered by the sound of rock, and banned it from the house. As a result, my sister focused instead on folk music, which of course was really the more politically revolutionary type of song, but my mother never seemed to catch on to that detail. Also as a result, I focused on show music. I don't think there is a real corelation, as is so often believed (I have several friends who do not have "the show-tune gene" and are perfectly happy and gay all the same), but the coinsidence of my being gay and loving show music certainly has made life easier for me. I feel sorry for my straight male friends who have to explain themselves when people find out they love show music. Of course, they also have to explain their gleeful giggles to others when we start discussing our common love in front of said others. No love should dare not bring forth giggles of joy, but try explaining that to some people. *sigh*

Posted by S. Woody White @ 08/14/2003 11:58 AM PST

OMG - I have been singing LONDON IS LONDON incorrectly ALL these bloomin' years. And of course it makes perfect sense now:

"Eros stands in Picadilly Circus..." Duh!

I love that part of the movie GOODBYE,MR CHIPS...in fact I like all of that movie! TCM had it on after midnight a few weeks ago, and I do have the video.

Yes DR MBarnum, check the backs of your CD's you probably have quite a collection of BK-produced discs. You know of course he did The Superman Television music cd AND the Godzilla CD that includes the Peanuts Mothra song!

And I am confused as to what you say I am confused about, so I guess I am back where I started.

The Samuel Delaney story was interesting...he must live as he writes....

Posted by Jrand52 @ 08/14/2003 11:58 AM PST

Well, Jay! Tied up all morning, eh? Are you bragging or complaining?

Posted by TCB @ 08/14/2003 12:02 PM PST

Don't pick on Jay. He had an, um, appointment with me this morning, and that's why he was all tied up.

Posted by Lash LaRue @ 08/14/2003 12:10 PM PST

Dear Reader TCB--

I should be so lucky.

Posted by Jay @ 08/14/2003 12:18 PM PST

DR Joy - maybe you can also start a series of posts about the Most Interesting Person Ever Met!

Posted by Jrand52 @ 08/14/2003 12:20 PM PST

Joy...we inherited Cully from a friend, so did not name him. My understanding is that Cully is Gaelic or Celtic for friend or companion.

Jrand52...I'm also a big fan of GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS...I'm glad TCM has restored it back to its original length. Even though O'Toole can't really sing, there's something charming about it anyway and his acting is brilliant. The songs, like so much of Bricusse, are often dodgy...he really hasn't been good since he stopped writing with Anthony Newley.

I'm presently listening to this Sherlock Holmes musical of his...and it's pretty much dreadful. Miserable songs and lousy voices. They even ruin LONDON IS LONDON.

Posted by Charles Pogue @ 08/14/2003 12:27 PM PST

JRand52, you had mentioned above that I was a fan of Timi Yuro who sang the song THE HURT. But,sadly, I am not a fan. So I was thinking that maybe you were confuding the two songs THE HURT and THE BIG HURT..all of which is hurting my brain as I type this.

BK did the Godzilla CDs too! Yipes! I love BK! I am a major Godzilla fan AND I have a Japanese CD of the Peanut's greatest hits straight from Japan.

Well, I suppose I need to read those inserts a little bit closer, now don't I!

Posted by MBarnum @ 08/14/2003 12:29 PM PST

REPORT #2 FROM CALIFORNIA - Well, folks, the number is set. There will be 135 candidates for governor on the ballot. I understand there will be 116 pages to wade through. Oy.

Welcome all newbies to HHW! Happy Anniversary DR Susan and her hubby! And Happy Birthday to Abie! Woof (for your first year)!

BK - I've read that carbonation will leech the calcium out of your bones. Don't drink too much!

Posted by Donna @ 08/14/2003 12:32 PM PST

Happy Anniversary to Susan and happy birthday to DRD Abie!

Sarah--Out of curiosity, I looked up the French word for anniversary in my French-English dictionary. You wanna know what's weird? It was anniversaire. The French use the same word for birthday and anniversary! (And if I am mistaken, I'm sure DR François can gently reprimand me)

DR William F. Orr--you're a mathematician? Can I come to you with homework problems?? I suck at math like you wouldn't believe!

BK--I'm not a big water fan myself. But water with lemon is quite yummy, and I've also grown quite fond of flavored water drinks like Propel and Fruit20. There's no Diet Coke flavored water as of yet :)

As for today's subject, count me out. I used to listen to rock and watch MTV and all that until I was 12 or 13, but then I discovered musicals and haven't turned back. I do like some Supremes and Lesley Gore and Connie Stevens though.

Posted by Maya @ 08/14/2003 12:33 PM PST

DR Susan, Happy Anniversary!!!

Although I listened to rock and roll and enjoy it, I don't love it the way I love show tunes/theatre music/soundtracks and jazz and folk. I do have a soft spot for the Beatles and I remember liking the Dave Clark Five quite a bit.

It's hot and muggy in NYC and I'm wearing my wonderful blue Washington DC National Zoo (with the panda on the upper left side) T-shirt, black office casual pants w/a black weave belt, my socks w/doggies on them and my penny loafers (with a penny in each slot). I needs must do laundry after work because tomorrow and Saturday there is no time for such plebian chores. Then we will celebrate the clean laundry by having Chinese food for dinner (probably our favorite, Chicken with Eggplant and Brown Rice and steamed vegetable dumplings). Only a half-hour left at work.

Posted by Ben @ 08/14/2003 12:34 PM PST

I forgot.

Happy Birthday to Abie!

Posted by Ben @ 08/14/2003 12:35 PM PST

Finally, some word (and pictures) from Edinburgh. All looks sharp.

From memory, the bridge to Sandy Wilson's The Boy Friend...

He is really
A necessity
If you want to get on
And we might as well confess it 'e
Is our sine qua non

Posted by Noel @ 08/14/2003 12:42 PM PST

Woody---
That's WFO with a sick Joe. I have a healthy Ray. But I'm sure he thanks you for the wishes.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 08/14/2003 12:48 PM PST

If Diet Coke or carbonation
leeches calcium out of the
bones I'm afraid I have no
calcium left.

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 12:52 PM PST

I'm thinkin' we might just get to
fifty posts.

There are many Godzilla CDs -
the one I produced is called
Monster Mania and is
available on Varese
Sarabande. It's quite good.

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 01:02 PM PST

Thanks to DRs Joy and Noel - another lyric explained!

Who knew?

Great song choices, Lulu. And of course Connie Stevens co-starred in THE PARTY CRASHERS with Miss Frances Farmer. Connie is also fond of telling the story that when she was at first under contract to the Warner Bros, her salary was so low, she was selling Avon on the lot. The embarrassed Bros finally raised her salary if she promised to give up her route.

Also, a memo to all the directors on "Hawaiian Eye" cautioned them to keep a weather eye on Stevens' gait. Particularly in the long shots when she was wearing high heels. The producer warned them that "she tends to pick em up and lay em down like an elephant."

Is there no dignity?

Posted by Jrand52 @ 08/14/2003 01:04 PM PST

Speaking of Leslie Bricusse and Doug Sills, Playbill.com reports that Bricusse and Wildhorn are penning a new Cyrano musical to star Sills.

Can the ticket line start too soon?

Posted by Maya @ 08/14/2003 01:31 PM PST

Does the world need another Cyrano musical?

Posted by TCB @ 08/14/2003 01:39 PM PST

I don't think I have the Monster Mania one (although I do have a DVD with that title), but I suspect I will be doing a little shopping on Amazon.com very soon! :)

Posted by MBarnum @ 08/14/2003 01:47 PM PST

I think Mr. Wildhorn is working
on thirty or forty musicals. Or
at least he's ANNOUNCING
that he is.

I shall be going to our very own
Donald Feltham's home on
Saturday morning to record an
upcoming radio show and we
will be playing selections from
the new CD.

Td, if you're reading this, can
you e-mail me Richard Valley's
home address - not the po
box.

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 01:48 PM PST

MBarnum: The Monster Mania
CD was part of a trio of CDs I
did for Varese with the same
team - we also did a
Superman compilation
(different than the TV music
one) and we did a Titanic
album, which remains my
biggest selling album ever,
over 70,000 copies - it was on
the Billboard Classical
Crossover chart for over forty
weeks.

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 01:50 PM PST

DR Phil: Excuse me for telling you that you were wrong! Apparently my 1st year French teacher had no idea what she was talking about, because when she showed us 'Bonne Anniversaire', we all said "Happy Anniversary, duh." and she said "Nope, thats a common misconception. It means Happy Birthday."

Silly lady.

Posted by Sarah @ 08/14/2003 01:54 PM PST

Does the world need another CYRANO musical, especially penned by Wildhorn and Bricusse? Mr. Sills certainly deserves better.

I finished listening to the Bricusse Sherlock Holmes musical. I am apalled. Such phlegmatic performances and some of the worst lyrics I've ever heard...those that aren't predictable or banal just veer into tortured absurdity.

MBarnum...I like both THE BIG HURT and HURT, but I think Yuro's WHAT'S THE MATTER, BABY, IS IT HURTING YOU? is even better than HURT.

Posted by Charles Pogue @ 08/14/2003 02:00 PM PST

I am and always have been a Broadway Baby, so I never bought or listened in my room to any rock and roll. My brother, however, was a big buyer and listener of the stuff, so I heard a lot of it growing up. I always liked "You Can't Hurry Love" by the Supremes the best. And, of course, Petula Clark's "Downtown," "I Know a Place," and "Don't Sleep in the Subway" had enough melody and lilt to them for me to like them.

Funny thing about Bricusse using "London Is London" in SHERLOCK HOLMES. When they put GOODBYE MR. CHIPS on the stage, they didn't use it. That and "You and I" were the only two songs in the CHIPS score that I really liked.

Charles, I have to respectfully disagree with you about Bricusse's scores. The ones with Newley are fantastic for sure, but I also think SCROOGE is tremendous, and about half of DOCTOR DOLITTLE is also about as good as it gets.

Posted by Matt H. @ 08/14/2003 02:02 PM PST

No exclamation points used in
anger. Use commas or
semi-colons in anger that way
it won't look like you're angry, it
will only look like you don't
know how to use punctuation,
and I, for one, think there is far
too much punctuation in the
world.

Love Petula Clark.

More to the point, re Bricusse,
is when did he go down this
awfulness path that he's on?
His work with Newley was
wonderful and his solo efforts,
Dr. Doolittle, Goodbye, Mr.
Chips and Scrooge also have
wonderful things in them.
Makes you wonder.

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 02:06 PM PST

The perfect way to get me to post BEFORE breakfast:
Bobby Darin's "Mack The Knife/Beyond The Sea".
Bobby Vee "The Night Has 100o Eyes"
Buddy Holly "Well All Right"
Rick Nelson "Hello Mary Lou"/Travelin' Man"
Elvis Presley "Little Sister"/"His Latest FLame"
The Ventures "Walk Don't Run"
Gene McDaniels "Chip Chip"
The Drifeters "Save The Last Dance For Me"
Sam Cooke "Twisting The Night Away"
Bobby Rydell "Swinging School"
The Shirelles "Will you Still Love Me Tomorrow"
The Animals "It's My Life"
Brenda Lee "Dum Dum"
Connie Francis "Blue Winter"

I could type a few hundred!

Mark Dinning "Top 40 News Weather & Sports"

Posted by Tom from Oz @ 08/14/2003 02:07 PM PST

Ven vill dey learn?

The dish-vasher is a two, the toaster is a six, and the frying pan is a four.

If you want to use the coffee pot, which is a two - YOU HAVE TO UNPLUG the toaster!!!!

Posted by Lisa Douglas @ 08/14/2003 02:10 PM PST

Good to see BK mentioning "Sealed With A Kiss". It has been a hit in this country four times (Hyland, Vinton, the Toys & Jason Donovan) and of course its writers wrote a couple of great stage musicals plus songs that were successful on pop charts, R & B charts and C & W charts..

Posted by Tom Guest @ 08/14/2003 02:11 PM PST

Mr BK - as much as I LOVE the Ronald Stein CD, and the Superman TV music CD, AND the Godzilla Cd - my favorite is indeed the Complete Titanic CD!!!

Posted by Jrand52 @ 08/14/2003 02:11 PM PST

Thank you, jrand. It was one of
my best ideas - perfect timing -
and yet it took me two weeks
to convince the powers that be
at VS - he kept waffling and I
finally said to him, "You know
what, I'm doing it - I'm not
going to let you waffle this to
death." He said, "Oh, okay"
and six weeks later we were
recording (it had to be
transcribed and orcestrated
from scratch - an amazing job
by the late Donald Johnston)
and it was in the stores three
weeks later. Sadly, I never
had a piece of any of my
albums, so while I made a
nice yearly salary there, VS
made over a half a million
dollar profit on an album that I
brought in for forty-two
thousand dollars. And such is
the way of the world.

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 02:17 PM PST

I have heard that the east
coast has had a power
blackout that might not be fixed
for three or four hours. That
could be the reason for our
little lull - hopefully the power
will be back up sooner than
later, and hopefully this isn't
impacting any
Hainsies/Kimlets in bad ways.

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 02:21 PM PST

I've just recorded myself singing "Someone To Watch Over Me". The sound quality isn't very good, as it's an old computer, and there are breaks because the stupid recorder won't keep recording. There are also some very odd noises that I think are the mic moving ever so slightly, but other than that, it's ok. If you want to hear it, tell me, and I'll email it to you.

Posted by Sarah @ 08/14/2003 02:31 PM PST

I want to hear it. e-mail it to
bruce@haineshisway.com

Are you not being affected by
the blackout?

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 02:35 PM PST

DRD Abie thanks all those who so kindly and sweetly wished him happy birthday.

Posted by Panni @ 08/14/2003 02:38 PM PST

No sir, I am indeed not. :)

Posted by Sarah @ 08/14/2003 02:39 PM PST

This blackout makes me think once again that we are ruled by technology. I mean, how can the WHOLE east coast just lose power from one moment to the next? One thing going wrong (and causing some kind of massive chain reaction, I suppose) did this. Wow. (That's a scientific term.)

Posted by Panni @ 08/14/2003 02:43 PM PST

See my post above....

Posted by Lisa Douglas @ 08/14/2003 02:44 PM PST

Is DR Jose in NYC?

Posted by Jrand52 @ 08/14/2003 02:44 PM PST

Mr BK - your Cd is the ONLY place to find the main title theme from the 1953 Titanic along with the main title from A Night to Remember and of course some of the themes from the blockbuster DiCaprio Titanic and the Broadway musical!

It is a stunning achievement, and I swear the orchestrations were so perfect, I thought they were soundtrack recordings!

Posted by Jrand52 @ 08/14/2003 02:47 PM PST

There is now a second
recording of the title music to A
Night to Remember, on a
William Alwyn film music CD
release last year on Chandos.
It's not very good, however -
and not played nearly as well
as our conductor Randy Miller
got our orchestra to play it. But
then, Mr. Miller is a terrific film
music composer and he
understands such things
better than classical
conductors. And it was
recorded like film music rather
than classical music, which
also helps.

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 02:52 PM PST

My computer is being a pain in the bootay, and is taking forever to send, because apparently it's a big file. It's not that big, erg. Could be a while.

Posted by Sarah @ 08/14/2003 02:52 PM PST

Matt H....I love STOP THE WORLD and ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT. I'm damned fond of CHIPS, though I think the score wildly uneven, still some lovely stuff...It happens to be one of my and my wife's favourite movies and we can probably see every song in it by heart. In fact, I do a pretty amusing impression of Peter O'Toole going, "What a lot of flowers..."

Caught a bit of the tail-end of DOCTOR DOLITTLE a few weeks back (First time since I saw it in the theatre) and can't say I was overwhelmed and I've never been much of a fan of TALK TO THE ANIMALS. I don't think I've ever seen SCROOGE. Did Bricusse do THE GOOD OLD, BAD OLD DAYS with Newley? I've never heard it and know nothing about it. And did not Bricusse do the lyrics for Jekyll/Hyde with Wildhorn? I saw the forever-stuck-in-my-mind (and I want to scream) David Hasslehoff production of this on Showtime or HBO or wherever it aired and was aghast at its ghastliness.

I ponder, like Mr. Kimmel, what happen to Mr. Bricusse, who started out so well...

I am, however, I confess somewhat guiltily, rather fond of CAN HEIRONYMUS MERKIN EVER FORGET MERCY HUMPPE AND FIND TRUE HAPPINESS? (Of course, I've not seen it for years) Music by Mr. Newley and lyrics by one Herbert Kretzmer. If memory serves (because I haven't listened to it for years either), it too is a neglible score though I remember fondly OOO, WHAT A SON-OF-A-BITCH I AM and couple other pleasant melodies. He also has a song in it called I'M ALL I NEED, a number that tries to emulate WHAT KIND OF FOOL AM I? and WHO CAN I TURN TO?, but ends up being a good bit paler than those two showstoppers. Low point: Joan Collins (Mrs. Newely at the time) singing CHALK & CHEESE.

Of course, the criticism could be made that the Newley kept writing the same show over and over...Stop the World, Roar of the Greasepaint, and Heironymus Merkin all have that vaudevillean life cycle motif to them. But then I'm not sure all writers keep writing the same story over and over again...some can just disguise it better than others.

And the other question is: Was Newley ever as good once he stopped writing with Bricusse? Certainly, always a dynamic performer...But maybe he and Bricusse brought the best out of each other as writers and composers.

Tom from Oz...Gene McDaniels, yes! Someone else remembers him! Besides the very good CHIP,CHIP, he also had 3 other significant hits: 100 POUNDS OF CLAY, TOWER OF STRENGTH, and THE POINT OF NO RETURN...all good, rocking tunes.

Posted by Charles Pogue @ 08/14/2003 02:58 PM PST

Sarah - if it is on your hard drive...you could post a link.

Put the url in the "Homepage" cell and when we click on your name we could hear it.

Posted by Jrand52 @ 08/14/2003 02:59 PM PST

Only because I'm computer illiterate and I haven't got the slightest clue if it's on my hard drive or not, let me tell you how I did it, and you can tell me what to do with it.

I recorded it in Sound Recorder, then I saved it into My Documents. And there it sits...

What do I do now?

Posted by Sarah @ 08/14/2003 03:03 PM PST

Reassessment: So while I was jabbering about Heironymus Merkin, I yanked out the album. It's not quite as neglible as I remember. Pleasant and melodic much of the score, if somewhat indifferent. And Joan Collins is not all that bad on Chalk and Cheese. Not that great...but not terrible.

Well, if nothing else this day is getting me back in touch with my record collection.

Posted by Charles Pogue @ 08/14/2003 03:04 PM PST

Actually, I have to go babysit, and I wont be back until tomorrow, so just post it and I'll get it to you sometime tomorrow afternoon.

Bye!

Posted by Sarah @ 08/14/2003 03:07 PM PST

Well...blind leading the blind....but if you right click on the folder you might get an instruction that says copy folder location....click on that....the come here and put your cursor on the homepage cell and click edit and paste.

Maybe....

Posted by Jrand52 @ 08/14/2003 03:07 PM PST

DR Charles: Gene McDaniels was indeed popular here with "Spanish Lace", "It's a Lonely Town" and "The Puzzle" hits as well. I remember him in the UK movie "It's Trad Dad" singing (beautifully) "Another Tear Falls". BK is also a fan.

"The Good Old Bad Old Days" was a terrific show (old fashioned perhaps)but a lot of fun and had some great Bricusse/Newley songs" such as "The People Tree", "The World Is Made Of Music" and of course "The Good Old Bad Old Days". There was also some social comment issues that were not too subtle. I saw the show in 1973. Newley was an amazing talent. I also quite liked the movie "Quilp" with Newley/Bricusse songs and Newley in the title role.

Posted by Tom from Oz @ 08/14/2003 03:08 PM PST

I'm All I Need is Mr. Newley's
paean to Mr. Newley, one of
the strangest songs ever, but I
really like it a lot. The film is a
guilty pleasure, too.

I can't stand Talk to the
Animals, but Dolittle has really
nice stuff - At the Crossroads,
When I Look in Your Eyes,
After Today.

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 03:08 PM PST

Good - hopefully you will get better instructions from someone else before you attempt it!

Oh hey, Joan Collins....DR's td, BK, and DR Charles Pogue.....I happened to notice that one of the composers of the Cliff Richard musicals was Ron Cass....is that the Ron Cass that was at one time married to Joan Collins....AKA...Nellifer?

Posted by Jrand52 @ 08/14/2003 03:09 PM PST

If NYC is afflicted powerwise, however will the illiterati visit and post nasty messages???

I'm wondering about Jason in the Poconos...and whether his performance tonight has to be cancelled (or whether they could do it via Coleman lanterns???).

I mean, they didn't have any electricity at the Stratford-Upon-Avon...so...

Are any of our Canuck posters affected by the lack of power? Where does Dave live? And others?

All I can think about is wouldn't it be great tonight if local TV stations showed the old comedy "Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?" starring Doris Day and Richard Harris (??am I remembering correctly that Harris was her co-star??).

I'm guess east coast programming won't be coming our way this evening...so....we'll need some kind of alternate entertainment.

MAYBE THIS WOULD BE A GOOD EVENING FOR A SPONTANEOUS CHAT!

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 08/14/2003 03:12 PM PST

LOL, Jrand....I just understood the Nellifer reference.

I was thinking, "How the heck does he know her maiden name" when I recalled that was her character in "Land of the Pharaohs."

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 08/14/2003 03:15 PM PST

Request to those who are available on this powerless day.

Does anyone have a copy of the movie "Caravans" which they could copy. It seems to be on the impossible to find list and the score (which is readily available on CD) is terrific.

I can send my thought to the East coast readers but not my posts and emails.

Posted by Tom from Oz @ 08/14/2003 03:20 PM PST

If you get to read this DR Susan, Happy anniversary for today (or yesterday from where I am). By the time power is restored it could be yesterday there too!

This could be a day with 100 posts without much from the East Coast to help.

Posted by Tom from Oz @ 08/14/2003 03:23 PM PST

Tom from Oz...forgot Another Tear Falls...

BK...Rumour has it Joan Collins said at one point the problem with the marriage with Newely was that she was in love with him and he was in love with himself.

All those songs you mentioned from Dr. Dolittle must have been in the half I missed when I caught it on the tube.

Posted by Charles Pogue @ 08/14/2003 03:29 PM PST

Land of the Pharoahs is a favorite....and she gets one of the most deserved and fitting rewards in movie history.... Music isn't bad either!

Off to GYPSY - people in Indiana get to see it tonight...people in NYC...prolly not.

Posted by Jrand52 @ 08/14/2003 03:31 PM PST

If there is this power outage,
how could dear reader Sarah
be on her computer? Can
anyone who has power shed
some light on this? And if we
are without the East Coast H/K
group, then those of us who
have power should use it and
post until the cows come
home. I've heard they
cancelled all the B'way shows
this evening.

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 03:34 PM PST

BK: I will have to check out the Titanic CD also. I just had no idea!

Charles P. I too enjoy the music of Gene McDaniel. He really isn't as well known as I think he should be. 100 Pounds of Clay is an odd song, but I love it. Tower of Strength is a great one too. I wonder if he is still around.

I bought two CDs of Miss Toni Fisher and she does a grand job of many other songs too!

Posted by MBarnum @ 08/14/2003 03:45 PM PST

My favorite Gene McDaniel is,
of course, Point of No Return
(aaaaaaaaand for me there'll
be no turnin' back), which I
loved large when I was a mere
sprig of a twig of a tad of a lad
of a youthlet. I'm thinkin' we
might get to 100 posts today,
but we must pull together to
make up for our lack of East
Coast H/Ks.

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 03:50 PM PST

Well, perhaps we won't reach
100 posts. At least I know
we'll reach 95, oh, yes, at least
I know THAT.

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 04:12 PM PST

Hope it is not too unseemly but a personal note to TCB. Is your email in working order at work (and home)? Odd things happening.

More Gene McDaniels. He wrote the Roberta Flack hit "Feel like Making Love" and also the song "Compared To What" on one of her early albums.

Posted by Tom from Oz @ 08/14/2003 04:16 PM PST

Now, BK -- you know perfectly well we will get WELL BEYOND 100 posts...OH! YES!

Mark my words...or let me mark them.

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 08/14/2003 04:20 PM PST

I can feel the 100th post hovering nearby...sure as the Lord made little green apples (ooh-ooh, a Meredith Willson reference).

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 08/14/2003 04:21 PM PST

It's Closer and Closer (ooh-ooh, an Alan Jay Lerner reference!)

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 08/14/2003 04:22 PM PST

BOO!

Posted by Ron PUlliam @ 08/14/2003 04:22 PM PST

No, Richard Harris was Doris' co-star in the abysmal (but guilty pleasure) CAPRICE. WHERE WERE YOU co-starred Robert Morse and Patrick O'Neal.

Posted by Matt H. @ 08/14/2003 04:25 PM PST

Now the really BIG question is, "Where the heck is François?"

I'm wondering if, through some rude machination, he's prevented from getting through because of a downed link somewhere between us and him.

Today IS Thursday, and it's Thursday, it must be François Day, because he alwasy appears on Thursday and disappears during the overnight between Saturday and Sunday.

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 08/14/2003 04:26 PM PST

Whew, oh, yes, whew.

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 04:27 PM PST

Ah, thanks, Matt!

So it must have been Rod Taylor who starred in "The Glass-Bottomed Boat" with her!

Anyone other than me just "absolutely love" Please Don't Eat the Daisies?

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 08/14/2003 04:28 PM PST

Re: BOO! -- I'm thinking, "Ooh-ooh! A Bruce Kimmel reference!

Was there a song with "Boo" in it, Bruce?

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 08/14/2003 04:30 PM PST

According to nytimes.com, blackout spans from southern New Jersey north into Canada, west into Pennsylvania, Ohio and even Michigan. It happened at 4 pm. Transportation systems brought down. Officials are pretty sure it was system overload and not terrorism that caused it.

Having lived through two major blackouts back east, I feel for those people. It creates such a mess, can be very dangerous for drivers (no traffic signals) and very frightening for anyone on an elevator or the subway when the blackout hits.

Posted by Jay @ 08/14/2003 04:32 PM PST

DR Ron & Other Frogaphiles the amazing Disneykid François is out of Paris on holidays in his home town of Angouleme.He will be back in three weeks. The weekends will not be the same for moi.

Posted by Tom from Oz @ 08/14/2003 04:32 PM PST

Cinderella had "Bibbity Bobbity Boo" is that close enough Ron? I am old enough to remember the Gordon Macrae & Rosemary Clooney version. (Hope I got the singers right)

Posted by Tom from Oz @ 08/14/2003 04:35 PM PST

Thank God for Quebec's isolationist power system! :)

I am home from the Laurentians where I fun time was had by all attending. I swam, I hiked, I danced with happy squirrels and bunnies. I also got a touch sunburned - but only on my right shoulder, which is weird cuz I wasn't ever sitting in such a way that only my right shoulder was in the direct sunlight. Whatever.

I made my friends pancakes this morning and I was blown away with praise. Dontcha love it when people do that? I think someone should start a service where they come to your house to pay you compliments.

The Query of the Day: My absolute favorite rock and roll song is "One" by U2. How can life get better than that song? I also adore "Downtown" by Petula Clark(e?) since it was the first song I ever successfully played on the piano.

I'm going to spend the rest of tonight watching The Amazing Race and reading over the posts from the last couple of days. I may check in later if a race is started to reach 200!

Toodles :)

Posted by Emily @ 08/14/2003 04:36 PM PST

btw... it makes sense to me that the french don't have a separate word for birthday and anniversary,

An anniversary is just something that happens once a year on the same day - like a birthday.

There are anniversary's for any event - not just marriages, etc.

Posted by Emily @ 08/14/2003 04:37 PM PST

Ron, Rod Taylor did GLASS BOTTOM BOAT and DO NOT DISTURB with Doris. Yes, I love DAISIES, too. Janis Paige's finest hour on film, even better than SILK STOCKINGS.

Posted by Matt H. @ 08/14/2003 04:37 PM PST

Ron, Rod Taylor did GLASS BOTTOM BOAT and DO NOT DISTURB with Doris. Yes, I love DAISIES, too. Janis Paige's finest hour on film, even better than SILK STOCKINGS.

Posted by Matt H. @ 08/14/2003 04:38 PM PST

Good one, Tom.

My reference, though, was to BK's aborted efforts to do a musical of "To Kill A Mockingbird"...my "Boo" ref being "Boo Radley."

I could have said "Oooh-ooh, a Harper Lee reference," but it was never a song, unless BK somehow managed to do one.

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 08/14/2003 04:39 PM PST

I wrote the whole score to
Atticus (To Kill a Mockingbird) -
I'm going to send a list of the
songs to Shayne for the
website of ME, but there was
indeed a song called Boo
Radley, sung by Jem, Scout
and Dill.

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 04:48 PM PST

DR Emily:We English speaking people are the ones who don't make sense of course. We all only have one birthday. We just celebrate the anniversary of that day. "Happy Birthday" only makes sense once in out lives!

Whenever I hear "Downtown" I keep thinking of the Mrs Miller version and the one by Allan Sherman. The song has never been the same since those versions were unleashed on an unsuspecting public.

Posted by Tom from Oz @ 08/14/2003 05:08 PM PST

Dear Reader Jose S. Simbulan:

OK, what did you know last night at 17 minutes past midnight that the rest of the northeast did not know until 4:11 this afternoon?

Posted by Jay @ 08/14/2003 05:22 PM PST

I'll be leaving work shortly and
heading home. Isn't that
exciting? Isn't that just too
too?

Posted by bk @ 08/14/2003 05:34 PM PST

I can just picture BK now, racing with the clock (ooh-ooh! An Adler-Ross reference) to get just enough done to call it a day!

Hurry home, BK! Drive safely!

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 08/14/2003 05:41 PM PST

DR Susan -- You may be powerless (like much of the east coast) at the moment, but I send you our very best and warmest wishes and thoughts on this significant day.

Dear esteemed, lithe, always fully powered, and sartorial BK -- I've checked in a couple of times today, and really enjoyed your various observations and quips and quipettes.

It's funny how "classic" rock has so many different meanings, all dependent on when you were born. A few of my favorites would be Beach Boys "Little Old Lady From Pasadena", Everly Brothers "Wake Up Little Suzy," and then in a different era, I really liked a lot of the "Glam-Hair" bands like Wham, and early Bon Jovi. Also of course, I was a Disco lover...rarely went to one, but loved the energetic happy sound of Disco !!

Posted by MusicGuy @ 08/14/2003 06:11 PM PST

As Emily said, in Montreal we have power. Although Toronto and Ottawa don't.

I am happy we do. Otherwise i would have missed the Amazing Race!

Plus I hate being in the dark at night.

Hey where are the Big Brother people? Were you happy at the cage contest? Results were announced online as they occured. The game is changing!!!!!

Posted by Jennifer @ 08/14/2003 06:16 PM PST

Welcome back, Emily!

Sucks that your shoulder got sunburned. Let me tell you though, the worst place to get a sunburn is your feet. I was foolish enough to not wear sandals at the beach once in like 90 degree weather, and let's just say I was soaking my poor tootsies in a tub of aloe vera for like a week after.

Posted by Maya @ 08/14/2003 06:22 PM PST

Maya: Ouch... I did have the sense to wear shoes and the sunburn on my shoulder is minor enough to not be completely annoying. It just makes itself known whenever I move my shoulder too quicky:

"Heeelllooo? Emily? Remember that fun in the sun? Bwahaha"

Jennifer: For a moment I thought CBS was going to be stupid enough to not show TAR in favor of more redundant blackout coverage.

Does anyone here actually see the POINT of CNN and the networks covering a blackout? The only people who would actually be interested in listening to the broadcasts don't have the electricity needed to turn on the tv or radio!

It's not the end of the world. C'mon people, toughen up!

This is coming from the girl who had a panic attack during the Northeast Ice Storm of '98. No hot showers for four days!?! Ahhhh!!!!!!!! :)

Posted by Emily @ 08/14/2003 06:59 PM PST

Jennifer: I am really glad for Erika and the remnants of the alliance (just Jack, actually). June and Alison BETTER behave.

I'm guessing Justin and Robert are up for noms since they promised Jee he would be safe if he left the small cage.

Man! I couldn't believe the summaries at canoe....all that talk about the peeing and how it stank. I'm sure we won't see THAT on the Saturday night show.

Julie Chen said there would be a twist introduced next Wednesday.

I'm also amazed that we learned last night that Nathan was going to the sequester house where he would be "with" Dana. That means they'll all see one another and compare notes and conspire together. I'd rather they each had no exposure to any of the others and took only their unique memories into the final show.

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 08/14/2003 07:02 PM PST

Reporting in from New Jersey: Electricity has (gratefully) been restored to the homes of our immediate neighborhood, although other parts of our town were not that lucky. However, I seem to be having trouble maintaining a connection to the internet. The router on our cable modem might have been damaged by the multiple power surges we had as the electricity struggled to be reconnected. So if this post is cut short, you'll understand.

All traffic lights in the area remain out. Stores and restaurants were forced to close when the sun went down. One major supermarket in the area is open, lit only by a number of randomly-placed generator-powered lights. The semi-lit isles of the store give it a very eerie feeling, with everyone walking around somewhat in a daze. It's like a scene from a bad horror film.

For those who had expressed concern about Jason, I have confirmed that his area was not affected by the blackout. "The show must go on," and it did.

Posted by Susan @ 08/14/2003 07:02 PM PST

MusicGuy: Interesting...I still think of "classic rock 'n' roll" as music of the '50s and early '60s, although I was born in the '70s! "Classic Rock" brings to mind Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Doors, and disco is just...disco. :)

Jay: You noticed that too! When I heard about the blackout I immediately thought of Jose writing last night about there apparently being "some problem with Con Edison." Is he psychic?

Posted by Lulu @ 08/14/2003 07:21 PM PST

If anyone would like a preemo example of a writer so smitten with himself -- and so sure he is clever and beyond such things as good manners or gentlemanly conduct -- I invite you to check out the URL (which I hope does NOT turn this into a cinemascope width page) below.

http://www.filmsinreview.com
/Features/features.html

Actually, you can just click on the blue part and find the article there...it's by Kenneth Geist and is called "How I Became A DVD Commentator."

I found it nearly impossible to believe that Films in Review, as diminished as it has become, would print something so vile.

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 08/14/2003 07:25 PM PST

WOW! Just click on my name above and it takes you to the same place. I copied the URL into the "Homepage" field...and le voila, as François might say if her weren't having vacation fun without us.

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 08/14/2003 07:26 PM PST

Dear Readers, thank you for all your kind anniversary wishes, but anniversaries aren't necessarily what they appear to be. 'Nuff said. ;-)

Posted by Susan @ 08/14/2003 07:26 PM PST

Ain't it the truth!

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 08/14/2003 07:31 PM PST

What a LULL!

What I'm a'wonderin' right now is whether all them folks who lost electricity today...will they be charged as much as Californians were for the cure?

Posted by Ron Pulliam @ 08/14/2003 08:16 PM PST

We are having a lovely loud booming thunderstorm at the moment. I'm hoping we get some rain tonight!

Posted by Laura @ 08/14/2003 08:28 PM PST

It's dark here.

Posted by Joy @ 08/14/2003 08:29 PM PST

Does anyone remember the (true) story about the woman who called to talk to a tech support person because her computer wouldn't turn on? As the story goes, the helpful techi walked the distraught woman through various check points, trying to discover why the computer wouldn't turn on. He finally asked her to check to see if the power cord was firmly plugged into the cpu unit. When she told him that she couldn't see if the plug was in or not, he asked her why. She replied, "Because it's dark in the room." "So turn on a light," he returned. "I can't," she responded. "Why not?" he asked. "Because we're having a power outage just now." (long pause) The kind techi then asked the woman if she still had the boxes her computer came in. When she replied, "Yes," he told her to pack up the computer and return it to the store because she was just too stupid to own a computer. Needless to say, the techi was fired from his job.

In honor of today's blackout.

Posted by Susan @ 08/14/2003 08:46 PM PST

Just got off the phone with tech support. Same story.

Posted by Noel @ 08/14/2003 08:57 PM PST

Hooray! It's raining!! (This is a big deal to us.)

Posted by Laura @ 08/14/2003 09:14 PM PST

Great news Laura. Rain is so significant to us on the dry continent too. Heaven's gift!

Great story Susan and it even made its way to OZ some years back. I suspect I have worked with a few people that bright - and they were teaching teenagers!

Posted by Tom from Oz @ 08/14/2003 09:30 PM PST

Over FOUR HOURS without a
single post?!? This is just
downright unseemly! I have
nothing much to say, but
simply could not stand to see
such a horrendous lull
continue any longer.

Posted by Jed @ 08/15/2003 01:51 AM PST

Hope you East coasters are fine. no doubt there will be lots of stories to share with us - after all, we've had to hold the fort today. Your turn to tomorrow (today).
Thanks Jed for keeping the keeping the day alive!

Posted by Tom from Oz @ 08/15/2003 03:01 AM PST

Yay! Power's back!

Now I can pose this no-longer-relevant question. How many songs have the name of a city in the title TWICE?:

"New York, New York"
"London is London"
"Paris is Paris Again"

(I'd give honorable mention to "Gary, Indiana"; even though the title only has it once, the song itself has it three times in a row!)

Posted by Sigerson Holmes @ 08/15/2003 03:05 AM PST

Honolulu Lulu comes close! Congratulations on your repowering.

Posted by Tom from Oz @ 08/15/2003 03:19 AM PST

I am home, and planning on going back to bed and getting up at 9, but I wanted to read/post first. The people I was babysitting for had every type of internet to choose from, but whenever I tried to get online, the server wouldn't be found. So alas, I was lost of HHW for 12 hours.

bk: My email box says that the "Someone..." that I sent you did indeed send. Did you get it?

DR Noel: It's sending to you right now, very unsucessfully. I'm sure thats not spelled right.

bk once again: I don't think any part of Virginia was affected by the power outtage. But it was stupid, because when I wanted to watch the news (yes, kids watch the news, *shock*), all they had was STUPID coverage of blackout stuff. It was the most irrelevant thing ever, and it got on my nerves.

I left my pretty flower earrings at the house I was babysitting at, and I won't get them until next week. They'll be missed...

And now time to sleep.

Posted by Sarah @ 08/15/2003 03:23 AM PST

Tom: I had hopes that I'd heard the last of that nickname... *sigh*

Posted by Lulu @ 08/15/2003 03:25 AM PST

DR MusicGuy - "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena" and (sorry Lulu) "Honolulu Lulu" were hits for Jan and Dean.

Things I suppose are returning to normal, but it was exciting there for awhile wasn't it?

Robert Morse was very funny with Doris in WHERE WERE YOU WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT? Too bad they didn't work together again. And I like PLEASE DON'T EAT THE DAISIES as well, although I think D. Day had more chemistry with other co-stars than David Niven. Janis was pretty terrific and Spring Byington was perfect as Doris' mother.

Posted by Jrand52 @ 08/15/2003 03:37 AM PST

All this talk about Leslie Bricusse! and not a single mention of his film work with Henry Mancini on VICTOR/VICTORIA!!!
I know that there are some who call him Leslie Bisquick, and who wouldn't after his non-specific lyrics for JECKYLL & HYDE?
I think his lyrics for DOCTOR DOLITTLE (and the music) are delightful:
"Where are the Words?"
"When I Look in Your Eyes"
"Faraway Places"
"At the Crossroads"
"Beautiful Things"
"Like Animals"

His film work for V/V, which is very sparse on songs, actually, is better than what became of V/V on Broadway; which also applies to SCROOGE.

About that addy, Bruce: you've got mail.

Posted by td @ 08/15/2003 05:53 AM PST

My computer is being a piece of crap (it plays the role quite well), and won't send. So here's the plan.

I'm going to record it into 2 smaller sound clip-y things. That way, I can just send you 2 emails, and my computer wont explode from trying to do something even slightly technological. Capishe?

Is that how you spell capishe?

Posted by Sarah @ 08/15/2003 06:13 AM PST

What an amazing career Bricusse has had. Hollywood taps him to write songs and screeplay for a movie. The movie tanks and gets panned. But he wins an Oscar for Best Song. So, they let him do another movie. The movie tanks and gets panned. So, they let him do another movie. He's nominated for an Oscar for Best Song. The movie tanks and gets panned. They let him do another movie, and it provides a hit song for Sammy Davis Jr. that's so good, years later Sondheim steals the melody for the 11 o'clock song in Into the Woods.

And then, mysteriously, Bricusse's talent unravels. How did he go from the charm of Someone Nice Like You to the numbing dullness of Someone Like You? By dropping the "nice"? Where oh where is the Leslie of yore?

Posted by Noel @ 08/15/2003 06:22 AM PST

Good morning, one and all and all and one. Are all east coast H/K accounted for? Something of interest is brewing, pertinent to H/K in the area. Please send me an email link if you're curious. (How's that for mystery?)

Sarah, please remind me, where are you located?

Posted by Susan @ 08/15/2003 06:30 AM PST

I'm located in Northern VA, just southwest of DC, :)

Posted by Sarah @ 08/15/2003 06:35 AM PST

Bricusse runs hot and cold for me....but GOODBYE, MR CHIPS is the tops! And really a lot of WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY is enjoyable.

"I want it now!"

Posted by Jrand52 @ 08/15/2003 06:52 AM PST

No power from Toronto to NY and West to Cleveland and there are still almost 150 posts?

Our power came back about 8:30 but the cable company just got the DSL back. Power is still not back in much of NYC and there are no subways. I'm sure "where were you when the lights went out" will be discussed Friday so I'll save my story for the new posting day.

Posted by William E. Lurie @ 08/15/2003 07:01 AM PST