And so you are. Which is better than the people who read the notes and then log off without so much as a how-do-you-do.
DR Tomovoz - Best of Vibes to your friend.Thank you. He is a good man.
Good morning. Sorry I disappeared before saying hello, Jose. I didn't see you post on the marizipan stollen. Yum.
I'm already hungry, yet I am saving myself for dinner, which won't be until seven.
I just saw Carmen Jones for the first time a few weeks ago. Isn't Belafonte dubbed, too, at least in the more operatic sections?
Oh! And the wind today! The Wind!
Self-cannibalism is so festive. :o
.. I could settle for a first class ticket to London or New York with accomodations at a marvy hotel and tickets (perfect seats, of course) to 5 or 6 excellent plays/musicals. I just hope I don't get two of those this year. It's a bitch having to return.
..the ONLY gigantic hand-dipped fortune cookie measuring over 11" in circumference and weighing just under 1 pound. Our gigantic fortune cookies are personalized to say anything you want in a BIG, BIG way! It's a gift and a greeting card all in one! Inside we'll insert your own personalized message - up to 10 sentences long!
For the friend who needs for nothing:
(http://www.goodfortunes.com/media/images/gig_pix.jpg)
A One Pound Foturne Cookie!Order from Good Fortunes (http://www.goodfortunes.com/gigantic.asp)
And, gee whiz, they are only $26.50 (and a mere $18.50 delivery charge!)
der Brucer
Tacky tree museum a holiday treat
BREVARD, North Carolina (AP) -- The guest book was blank on a recent morning at the world's only museum for aluminum Christmas trees.
It was impossible to tell whether no one had been visiting -- or if visitors were simply ashamed to admit having stopped at a shrine to holiday tackiness.
What began as a joke in 1991, with a single shiny tree retrieved from the trash, has become an obsession for curator Stephen Paul Jackson. The affable 48-year-old home designer confesses to fond feelings for his collection of eversilver trees.
…
Jackson struggles to keep a straight face as he recites the full name of his museum: The Aluminum Tree and Aesthetically Challenged Seasonal Ornament Museum and Research Center, or ATOM for short.
…
The "Elvis Tree" has photos of the King hanging from its branches. The "Toilet Tree" has copper-colored floats for ornaments and is adorned with strands of pink, yellow and blue shower curtain connectors. The tree skirt is a toilet seat cover, and there's a matching knitted cover for a spare role of TP.
The museum also features a silver-belled "Bing Crosby Tree" and a blue-limbed "Frank Sinatra Tree" that pays tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes.
One tree sports pink flamingo ornaments, while another, sent from Australia features koala bear and kangaroo ornaments.
The "Election Bush" has a political theme, and was particularly popular four years ago, during the Florida recount, Jackson said: "We decorated it with swinging chads."
The peak of holiday season tackiness may be Jackson's "Tammy Faye Tree," complete with one-time televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker's signature false eyelashes, a pair of pink high heels and ornaments from Heritage USA, the Christian theme park near Charlotte that she and then-husband Jim Bakker operated in the late 1980s.
The Messiah was quite nicely done. The Los Angeles Master Chorale is a very accomplished ensemble, and their contribution to the evening was the highlight, though the four soloists and the Pasadena Symphony were quite strong as well…………
A curious mind want's to know:
(http://www.aoloutlets.com/images/product/301025/3010250997_LG.jpg)
Luigi Bormioli "Van Gogh" 64-oz. Pitcher
Is it called a "Van Gogh" 'cause you can get EARly delivery?
der (that's one hellofa martini) Brucer
I have tried sitting through The Messiah several times, but I just can’t seem to get a Handel on it.
Nice avatar JMK....
It's very peculiar - I feel I should be writing away, but I have decided not to write any more this year - to start fresh for the new year.
der Brucer can you identify that "light up" picture that you posted? Is that somehwhere in France, Europe?
As night falls in Quebec City, the shops on Petit Champlain street take on a warm glow.
(Jocelyn Bernier)
A SONG OF CHRISTMAS
Quebec, where merry is made
By Beverly Beyette, Times Staff Writer
Snowflakes dusted my nose as I stood in Place-Royale, the birthplace of French civilization in North America and, more recently, site of the arrest of Leonardo DiCaprio's con-man character in the 2002 film "Catch Me If You Can."
In the movie, the ancient square with its rebuilt 17th century church, Église Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, passes for France. No surprise here. Old Quebec, its narrow, cobbled streets and 17th and 18th century stone houses, seems as French as Napoleon.
This city of 508,000 on the St. Lawrence River 155 miles northeast of Montreal was founded as a French fur trading post in 1608, conquered by England in 1759 and in 1775 attacked by an army led by American Revolutionary Gen. Benedict Arnold in an ill-fated attempt to capture it. Today, Quebecers may be part of the British commonwealth, but they cling to their founding fathers' heritage; 95% of them are French-speaking.
So here it's Pčre Noël, not Father Christmas, who will shimmy down chimneys five days hence. And the city's Christmas celebration, which began Dec. 2 and continues through Jan. 2, is called Québec Fęte Noël.
…
The heart of the celebration is Old Quebec, the area within the 19th century walls, whose crowning glory is the turreted, copper-roofed 1893 Fairmont le Château Frontenac. It sits atop Cap Diamant, the cliff that divides the Upper Town and the Lower Town, which includes the Place-Royale and Vieux-Port (Old Port) areas.
(http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2004-12/15492893.jpg)
"Sledders enjoy the snow near the grand Fairmont le Château Frontenac in Old Quebec. Sledders enjoy the snow near the grand Fairmont le Château Frontenac in Old Quebec."
…
Later, I soaked in that atmosphere, strolling narrow, pedestrian-friendly Rue du Petit-Champlain, with its gaily decorated shops and inviting cafes, rows of evergreens ablaze with white lights. Just as Mayor Jean-Paul L'Allier suggests in his greeting on the fete program, even those who long ago stopped believing in Santa Claus may succumb to the magic of Christmas in this setting.
(http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2004-12/15492852.jpg)
"Ice skating at Quebec City's public skating rink in the Place d'Youville, across from the 1903 Capitole theater, is a festive way to keep warm."
(Jocelyn Bernier)
One way for visitors to stay warm is ice skating in the big public rink at Place d'Youville, just across from the festively lighted Capitole theater, where Edith Piaf, Sarah Bernhardt and Maurice Chevalier once performed. Another is with a coffee or alcohol-infused hot chocolate from one of the street kiosks.
I have ROMANCE, ROMANCE on tape, taped off TV back when I had regular cable (as opposed to digital cable), and it's snowy and grainy and almost unwatchable - almost because I do like it and watch it occasionally. That's one of those shows that did have a small commercial release that it's almost impossible to find now (the Hal Linden-Lee Remick I DO! I DO! is another.)
Off to a brief rehearsal and then, like General MacArthur, I shall return. If I don't return like General MacArthur, perhaps I shall return as General Foods or even General Delivery.
...the shopping for my family in Ohio is finished!
N.J. School Bans Christmas Carols MAPLEWOOD, N.J. (AP) Dec. 8, 2004 — School officials are sticking to their ban on Christmas carols during holiday instrumental concerts despite heavy pressure from residents and outsiders.
The South Orange/Maplewood Board of Education voted earlier this fall to ban music with "a religious orientation or focus on religious holidays," Brian F. O'Leary, the school board president, reiterated at a Monday night board meeting.
…
The policy has been in place for more than a decade. But the real problems started when the board said the ban extended to instrumental renditions of Christmas carols or other songs referring to religious holidays or symbols.
The schools' brass ensemble was allowed to play songs such as "Silent Night" or "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," in past years; this year it can't.
NOT-SO-SILENT NIGHT
The Maplewood school board in New Jersey has banned religious music from its annual school Christmas programs...even in music-only form. School board President Brian O’Leary maintains the ban’s intent is to “balance the important roles that religion and music can and do play in our curriculum with a desire to avoid celebrating or appearing to celebrate a religious holiday.”
This once again brings to mind the immortal words of Mark Twain: “In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards.”
DR Jay - I forgot to mention that the other night while you were attending The Messiah and it was being broadcast live.... I was listening to it while driving... And I heard you coughing! ;D
I have ROMANCE, ROMANCE on tape, taped off TV back when I had regular cable (as opposed to digital cable), and it's snowy and grainy and almost unwatchable - almost because I do like it and watch it occasionally. That's one of those shows that did have a small commercial release that it's almost impossible to find now (the Hal Linden-Lee Remick I DO! I DO! is another.)I had no idea that Romance, Romance had a commercial release! I taped it off of TV, but it's in mono and I don't know where it is. I did buy the Linden/Remick I Do! I Do! and I do know where that one is, fortunately. :)
A&E broadcast TINTYPES in the early 1990s, as I recall.I have Tintypes, Sophisticated Ladies (both from Brazil! through eBay), and several others that seem to be part of a series.
Kia Spectra Gets Worst Crash Test Rating
First Since 2001 to Get the Insurance Industry's Worst Safety Rating
By DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP
WASHINGTON (Dec. 19) - The Kia Spectra is the first vehicle since 2001 to get the insurance industry's worst safety rating in a frontal crash test, according to results released Sunday.
…
Only two small cars - the Mazda 3 and the Hyundai Elantra - earned the institute's highest rating of good in this round of testing.
…
Lund said 11 small cars have good ratings. Besides the Mazda 3 and the Hyundai Elantra, they are the Volkswagen New Beetle and Jetta, the Subaru Impreza, the Suzuki Aerio, the Mini Cooper, the Toyota Corolla, the Ford Focus, the Mitsubishi Lancer and the Honda Civic.
Where's General Mills?
Yeah... A&E sold videotapes of the various musicals it broadcasted way back when: ROMANCE, ROMANCE, all those NUNSENSE ones, STOP THE WORLD... (or was it the other Newley one - with Peter Scolari) and some other ones I can't remember right now. They were part of their "Breakfast with the Arts" series, or something like that.
Speaking of SNOWY AND BLOWY:Handfull smandfull. I brought in a pinch of snow, no more.
SWWs beloved "white grass" - one AM and he comes prancing into my room with a handful of snow!...der Brucer
...the dishes are washed, the floor vacuumed and the counters wiped down. I even went ahead and sorted out the various fruit baskets.You're the only person I know, DR Jose, who would alphabetize the fruit in the baskets. ::)
Off to a brief rehearsal and then, like General MacArthur, I shall return. If I don't return like General MacArthur, perhaps I shall return as General Foods or even General Delivery.If you got demoted, we'd have a Major Catastrophe!
Speaking of cookbooks, has anyone else seen the new Gourmet Cookbook? It weighs more than five pounds and sells for $55 (Canadian). But the recipe and note titles are all in an extremely pale yellow on a cream-colored paper - and virtually unreadable.Yes, I've seen it and have the same complaint. Bleh.
If DR Jane is still in town on Wednesday morning, maybe she and Panni and Jay and BK and Sandra and I can all get together for pancakes.
I always wanted to see a stage version of Paint Your Wagon because nine of the songs written for the stage were not recorded and always wanted to hear them.
The songs that were not recorded are in bold were not recorded.
Wandrin Star
I'm On My Way
Rumson Town
What's Going On Here
I Talk To The Trees
Lonely Men
Dream Ballet
They Call The Wimd Maria
I Still See Ellisa
How Can I Wait?
Trio
In Between
Whoop-Ti-Ya
Carino Mio
There's A Coach Coming In
Fandango
Hand Me Down That Can of Beans
Can Can & Rope Dance
Another Autoum
Moving
All For Him
Take the Wheels Off the Wagon
Strike!
Spring
Note: A song called What Do The Other Folks Do? was rewritten as What Do the Simple Folks Do? for Camelot.
DRMichael Shayne, I'm looking at the published vocal score to PAINT YOUR WAGON, and there are items on your list I cannot locate. I, too, regret the unrecorded TRIO and MOVIN' ON, and I'd like to hear the dance arrangements by the great Trude Rittman. Several items on your list like "Take the Wheels Off the Wagon," Spring," and "Dream Ballet" are not in my score. The "Lonely Men" dance goes straight into "They Call the Wind Maria." The other cues you mention are all dance pieces.
The Fandangos are the dance hall girls who come on at the end of Act One, and "The Strike" is composed of several earlier tunes "I'm On My Way" and "There's a Coach Comin' In."
I wasn't aware that so many Paint Your Wagon songs weren't recorded, Michael.
I grew up in the Bronx, and one of the members of our temple was Seymor Penzner. His stage name was Robert Penn, and he played Jake ("Hand Me Down That Can of Beans") in the original Paint Your Wagon. Do you know if he sang any of the unrecorded numbers?
Mr. Penzner directed and helped to create several temple shows. He made it an extremely exciting time for everyone - even those, like me, who merely painted the scenery.
I had myself a Julie Andrews evening, too: STAR! and MARY POPPINS. Both excellent.
Clairol sponsored ROMANCE, ROMANCE, I know, and perhaps those NUNSENSE TV versions, too.Yes, it was Clairol behind Nunsense I & II. (And underneath their wimples, they have curlers in their hair.)
Yes, it was Clairol behind Nunsense I & II. (And underneath their wimples, they have curlers in their hair.)
Just rechecked my notes and just saw that Take The Wheels Off The Wagon
was added to the tour. I suspected that alot of the unrecorded numbers where dance numbers. Did Trude Rittman one of the great unsung people of the Broadway musical, compose any of the dance music? She usually went uncrecited for the shows that she did write for.
Well, she never went totally uncredited; people often didn't know how much she actually did. She told me with Kurt Weill and Fritz Lowe she worked out the rhythm charts and they composed the dance music to fit her patterns for the choreography. With ONE TOUCH OF VENUS, I'm sure the ballet music is all Weill's, but I've always thought the great melodies in the Bonnie Jean and Come to Me, Bend to Me dances were Trude's. Maybe not, but unfortunately, Trude's mental state is so bad now that we'll never know.
In CAROUSEL, the wonderful hornpipe following "Blow High, Blow Low" is based on that song and the music to "when I work in the mill, weavin' at the loom." Her musical skills were boggling, and I don't think there's anyone today in her class. There are some talented dance arrangers working now, but I don't think they make music of it as Trude did. In the CAROUSEL ballet in Act Two, she turns Mr Snow's "I own a little boat" into a pompous polonaise for him and his brood that is not just right but funny at the same time. Almost all of "The Small House of Uncle Thomas" is Trude's, and if the figure behind Simon Legree isn't clear enough, Trude reinforces it with a variation on "A Puzzlement" to help the audience out. I think that moment and the austere version of "Hello, Young Lovers" in the ice walking sequence may be the only two moments of Rodgers in the ballet!
He played the character of Jack Whippany. Since I am not familar with the show and no longer have the cast album I can't answer that question.
Since DR Ellmoore has the score he might be able to answer your question.
Yes, it was Clairol behind Nunsense I & II. (And underneath their wimples, they have curlers in their hair.)
Agnes de Mille's dances for PAINT YOUR WAGON got better reviews than Alan Lerner's book and he never forgave her. That's why Hanya Holm did MY FAIR LADY and CAMELOT.
Sorry to hear she is in poor health. I don't think she ever received the acknowledgement or the recognition she deserved
She was a student at the conservatory in Cologne and she studied with a great composer, Braunfels, whom the Nazis banned and who deserves more recognition today. His opera THE BIRDS is quite beautiful. I think she liked me because I knew a bit about Braunfels and had heard the opera.
Trude's in a home in Lexington, Massachusetts, in her mid-90's I believe, and very frail. I went to visit her around 10 years ago, and she was charming and energetic. Unfortunately, she tired quickly, and her mind was sharpest in the morning. I took with me some manuscripts of cut numbers from ON A CLEAR DAY to show her, and she had no memory of them!
I don't think there's a clear mind any more, and I expect any day now to hear of her death. She was left an income in Fritz Lowe's will (I think they may have been a couple at some point) and I believe she has some royalty income from Rodgers & Hammerstein. I'm very fond of her and so happy to have had a chance to know her, however slightly.
I am tired of hearing the following Broadway songs. There should be a ban on any further recordings of:
Memory
Send In the Clowns
Medowlark
Music of the Night
I Dreamed a Dream (hate the english translation)
anything by Frank Wildhorn
I am sure there are others. Any one care to add to the list.
Speaking of cookbooks, has anyone else seen the new Gourmet Cookbook? It weighs more than five pounds and sells for $55 (Canadian). But the recipe and note titles are all in an extremely pale yellow on a cream-colored paper - and virtually unreadable.
Whatever DD Rachel had to drink at the table looks very yummy...
I REEK of garlic, I tell you.
I REEK of garlic, I tell you.Garlic is a highly regarded anti-oxidant, so you shouldn't have a problem with oxidizing.
Garlic is a highly regarded anti-oxidant, so you shouldn't have a problem with oxidizing.
::)