MattH:Here's a little bit more information about Clay AIken's rendition of "Vincent." Fifteen minutes before the show began that night, the producers changed the arrangement of "Vincent" cutting a different part of the lyrics than he had been practicing for three previous days. He didn't even have a chance to sing the new version with any accompaniment before the show started. He was trying during his backstage time to learn the altered cuts in the song, and that's why he went up on the lyrics during the live broadcast. When I found that out, I completely eliminated "Vincent" from my mind as dirty pool on the part of the show's producers. As far as I'm concerned, his renditions of every song during his weeks on the show were simply astounding.
I thank you for this reminder that "reality" television is anything BUT "reality." People are hoodwinked into believing they're watching a competition in which the winner is decided my some sort of national poll. Nothing could be farther from the truth, and I find this hoodwinking disgusting.
DR Charles Pogue: How fondly I recall that ACT Taming of the Shrew, which had a great influence on me at the time. I hope our local video store has it.
I thought Saratoga was only famous as a place where you got off the train rather than get married. The club sandwiches must have broken a lot of hearts if they were so enticing.
TFO is kidding, of course, but it astounds me how many singers of Adelaide's Lament I encounter who have no idea why that train is stopping in Saratoga, of all places. The film tried to clarify this, by changing it to the track in Yonkers, but why a train to Niagara would stop in so local a place is anyone's guess. (You'd hardly have time to enjoy the air-conditioned compartment on the 20 minute ride.)
Ask BK - a couple of Ask BK days ago, I asked what songs you almost recorded for the Lost In Boston series but didn't. Your response mentioned shows such as Sherry, leading me to believe that you thought I was asking what songs you almost recorded for the Unsung Musicals series but didn't. LIB, as far as I can tell, didn't contain songs from Unsung Musicals like Sherry. Am I making sense?
Perhaps there's no answer.
Today I must create and send a Christmas card. I'm hoping the folks at Village Copier can help me.