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[bk]

Well, you've read the notes, you know how many coins are needed for the fountain, and now you must be a veritable fountain of posts.

[JoseSPiano]

Yes, it's currently 4:23 AM EST - Why am I still up?!?!?!?!

Well, I'll tell you why I'm still up... Since we don't have an understudy rehearsal tomorrow - it was on the schedule, but we decided we didn't need another this week after today - my body/mind is now in the "let's stay up as late as we can because we can" mode.  Ah, well...

BK - It was I who mentioned Unsung Irving Berlin.  And, yes, it is pretty good.  

As for media players...  Well, my usual answer... But I did buy a few more CDs and DVDs in the past week, so does that count?

And as for chat on Monday night - I could be there if it happened this Monday.

And DR George - I do pity you and sympathize.  I used to house sit for my piano teacher.  She had two poodles.  Two standard poodles.  Two big, strong standard poodles.  If I was not up on time to walk them in the morning - at 5:00AM!!!!! - they would literally nudge me out of bed onto the floor!  They were some big, strong dogs!

[JoseSPiano]

Oh, and once again...

Goodnight.

Bonne nuit.

[JoseSPiano]

HA!!!!

Just got this one in an e-mail from a friend... Good for a giggle - couched in some irony I guess...

Go to www.google.com

Type in "miserable failure"

Hit "I'm Feeling Lucky"

...now SMILE  

[Michael]

Here is a list of the winning songs. My favorites are in bold

Academy Award for Best Song
2002
2001 If I Didn't Have You Monsters, Inc.
2000 Things Have Changed Wonder Boys
1999 You'll Be In My Heart Tarzan
1998 When You Believe The Prince of Egypt
1997 My Heart Will Go On Titanic
1996 You Must Love Me Evita
1995 Colors of The Wind Pocahontas
1994 Can You Feel The Love Tonight The Lion King
1993 Street of Philadelphia Philadelphia
1992 A Whole New World Aladdin
1991 Beauty and the Beast Beauty and the Beast
1990 Sooner or Later(I Always Get My Man) Dick Tracy
1989 Under The Sea The Little Mermaid
1988 Let The River Run Working Girl Carly Simon
1987 (I've Had)The Time of my Life Dirty Dancing
1986 Take My Breath Away Top Gun
1985 Say You, Say Me White Nights Lionel Richie Lionel Richie
1984 I Just Called To Say I Love You The Woman In Red
1983 FlashDance...What A Feeling Flashdance
1982 Up Where We Belong An Officer And A Gentleman
1981 Arthur's Theme(Best That You Can Do) Arthur
1980 Fame Fame
1979 It Goes Like It Goes Norma Rae
1978 Last Dance Thank God It's Friday
1977 You Light Up My Life You Light Up My Life
1976 Evergreen(Love Theme From A Star Is Born)  
1975 I'm Easy Nashville
1974 We May Never Love Like This Again The Towering Inferno
1973 The Way We Were The Way We Were
1972 The Morning After The Poseidon Adventure
1971 Theme From Shaft Shaft
1970 For All We Know Lovers And Other Strangers
1969 Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid
1968 The Windmills Of Your Mind The Thomas Crown Affair
1967 Talk To The Animals Doctor Dolittle
1966 Born Free Born Free  
1965 The Shadow Of Your Smile The Sandpiper Johnny
1964 Chim Chim Cher-ee Mary Poppins
1963 Call Me Irresponsible  Papa's Delicated Condition
1962 Days Of Wine And Roses Days Of Wine & Roses
1961 Moon River Breakfast At Tiffany's
1960 Never On Sunday Never On Sunday
1959 High Hopes A Hole In The Head
1958 Gigi Gigi
1957 All The Way The Joker Is Wild
1956 Whatever Will Be, Will Be(Que Sera, Sera) The Man Who Knew Too Much
1955 Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing
1954 Three Coins In The Fountain Three Coins In The Fountain
1953 Secret Love Calamity Jane
1952 High Noon(Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin') High Noon
1951 In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening Here Comes The Groom
1950 Mona Lisa Captain Carey, U.S.A.
1949 Baby, It's Cold Outside Neptune's Daugher
1948 Buttons And Bows The Paleface Jay
1947 Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Song Of The South
1946 On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe The Harvey
1945 It Might As Well Be Spring State Fair
1944 Swinging On A Star Going My Way ,
1943 You'll Never Know Hello, Frisco, Hello
1942 White Christmas Holiday Inn
1941 The Last Time I Saw Paris Lady Be Good
1940 When You Wish Upon A Star Pinocchio  
1939 Over The Rainbow The Wizard Of Oz
1938 Thanks For The Memory The Big Broadcast of 1938 Ralph
1937 Sweet Leilani Waikiki Wedding
1936 The Way You Look Tonight Swing Time
1935 Lullaby Of Broadway Gold Diggers Of 1935
1934 The Continental The Gay Divorcee

[Michael]

BTW I left 2002 because I don't consider that year's winner a song

[DearReaderLaura]

Note to DR Ron: I thought you were referring to the classic church potluck green-bean casserole, which I could skip.

Well, fellow dear readers, here I am waiting for the plumber to arrive. Day 2. He never showed or called yesterday. The house is getting repiped. Merry Christmas.

[Noel]

My simple Christmas wish (Uh-oh: a David Friedman reference) would be for all DRs to follow those marching orrders from Mr. Orr and buy Our Wedding - The Musical.  Some of you wonderful people have already followed suit (apparently Jennifer thinks it's coming in a box).

You do realize I wasn't talking about you when I said, "For Christmas (Channukah for me) I really want a certain guy to send a certain box.  We shall see. "

I cannot tell if you were serious or joking. But I do call every package a box!

I didn't realize that: that every package is a box.  But I'm sure you were referring to me when you said:

the people I have been dealing with the past few days there are not the brighest. Oy.

Too many Oscar songs to choose from: The Way You Look Tonight is probably the best crafted.  I get very emotional when I hear all of Thanks For the Memories, and there's one verse of Que Sera Sera that similarly knocks me out.  From right after Three Coins in the Fountain (which didn't deserve the award) until the disaster era, you've got a string of terrific songs there.  And every one from the forties as well.

In the new bedroom it-hangs-on-the-wall CD player: the Ella Fitzgerald-Louis Armstrong collaboration.
DVD: A Week in the Life (I'm mentioned in the commentary track

[William E. Lurie]

BK - You are definitely NOT TV Guide.  You keep improving with age while the magazine gets worse with each issue.  The listings are now incomplete and without the kind of detail they used to contain and the features are not as interesting as they once were and are often plugs for new movies that won't be on television for a year.  Plus they think people don't mind a 25% price increase every few weeks for a holographic cover.

Media Players:

DVD - I have several new titles ("Applause", "Love Me Tonight", "An Enchanted Evening With Richard Rodgers", and Season 5 of M*A*S*H) that will have to wait for the annual viewings of "Christmas Story," "A Charlie Brown Christmas", "Mrs. Santa Claus" et. al.

VHS - I've recorded part 1 of "Angels in America" and will record Part 2 Sunday (I have to see if all the raves are right and if what sounds like a very stupid plot is actually better seen than described.   I may not be able to get through more than an hour or so although I hope I am wrong) but meantime there is "Pee Wee Herman's Christmas Special", "Christmas With Kukla, Fran and Ollie" and other items which either have not been released on DVD or which I have not replaced my VHS with DVD.

CD - In addition to "A Broadway Christmas", "A Hollywood Christmas" and all 5 volumes of the BC/EFA Christmas CDs (why is this year's on 2 discs when the total running time of the two is under 70 minutes?), we have the annual tradition of listening to a chapter a night of "The Cinnamon Bear", a 1937 Christmas 26 chapter Christmas story that was broadcast every year until the early 50s.

Cassette - Christmas Shows from the Golden Age of Radio.  Jack Benny's annual Christmas show (either shopping or trimming the tree) is still funnier than any television Christmas episode of one of today's sitcoms.

[Jennifer]

BK wrote in his notes today:

I must say that it’s very easy to be hooked on Alias, even when it is at its most annoying, as in most of episodes one through four episodes of season two. And whoever is casting the show always manages to get in some interesting guest stars. I still find I’m able to predict where things are going, but it’s fun seeing how they get there.

Um somehow I don't think you'll predict the finale
(lips sealed).

But I am an Alias addict and I would love to know what things you've found so predictable (while it's fresh in your mind).

[Jennifer]

DR Ron wrote last night:

I'm putting together my green bean casserole for tomorrow's pot luck.  Thus far, I've managed to avoid slicing the walnut-pumpkin cheesecake.  Just for fun, I'm also doing some BBQ meat balls for appetizers.

I'm curious, what are BBQ meat ball appetizers? Sounds so good.

[Matt H.]

Some of the years where there were ten nominees for Best Song, I don't know HOW they made the choice because there are easily a half dozen songs that deserve it.

My favorite song from the list is "Secret Love." I have always loved it, and I adored the movie it came from when I was little and could never see enough of it (sad to say, in those prehistoric times, there were no VCRs, laserdiscs, or DVDs, so we had to hope local stations would buy the package of movies from Warner Brothers that contained CALAMITY JANE. There would be years between showings of that wonderful musical. All I had was the soundtrack to keep me happy.)

During the Golden Years, one Oscar-winning song sticks out to me as wholly undeserving: "Sweet Leilani." It's a boring song, barely melodious, and it's even more absurd when one notes that it beat out the classic "They Can't Take That Away from Me" (the Gershwins never won an Oscar). How did it win? Well, Bing Crosby had a hit record with it, but the theory goes that during the middle part at the 1930s, Hollywood extras were allowed to vote on the awards (which is why one of their own, Walter Brennan, won THREE supporting actor Oscars), and most assume "They Can't Take That Away Me" was too sophisticated for their tastes.

I agree with you DR Noel. "Three Coins in the Fountain" did not deserve the Oscar in 1954; "The Man That Got Away" did.

[Matt H.]

My media check for today:

CD - Jim Brickman "Peace"

VCR (actually it's the digital recorder) - last night's WILL & GRACE and SCRUBS.

DVD - PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

[Jennifer]

I didn't realize that: that every package is a box.  But I'm sure you were referring to me when you said:
 
the people I have been dealing with the past few days there are not the brighest. Oy.
 

OMG this made me laugh (even though nobody will get this but me).

Actually no I wasn't, I was referring to amazon, follow
(I know you were joking).

It's not your fault that the postage turned out to be less than what you were originally quoted.

And I figured out how to order the cd thru paypal rather than thru your website quite easily. So no problem.

But thanks for the laugh.

[Jennifer]

Hey BK, did you ever tell us if you got your UPS package?

[Diane]

 [move=left,scroll,6,transparent,100%] HAPPY FRIDAY!! [/move]
Jennifer: So when will you be recieving your box?  

Craig: Were you not supposed to send me something last night

Noel: How are you feeling today?

Nothing in my VCR at the moment...

I was listening to Madonna and A Little Night Music on my CD Player this morning.

[MBarnum]

In my CD player at work: borrowed from a co-worker 101 STRINGS Christmas Cd called WINTER WONDERLAND. At home I am listening to a compilation CD that my friend David made up of winter related vintage songs. David and I have known each other since 7th grade and he now lives up near Seattle with his partner Roy.

DVD: Started rewatching a DVD that DR JRand53 sent to me for my Christmas gift, a Bollywood film (how did he know I liked those movies? LOL!) called PAKEEZAH. Has some beautiful music in it and nifty costumes to. Tonight I will likely watch a new (2003 release) Bollywood film called FOOTPATH. Don't know what it is about but I liked the cover of the DVD box! LOL!

VHS: Probably won't have time to watch much this weekend.

[Jennifer]

[move=left,scroll,6,transparent,100%] HAPPY FRIDAY!! [/move]
Jennifer: So when will you be recieving your box?  

Which one?

[Jennifer]

Oh DR Diane: I sent you an email to your HHW account.

I am starving. Need to eat NOW.

[Matt H.]

Most used CDs are $6 or $7 but I picked up Barbra Streisand's CD  "Christmas Memories" for $2.99. Is it THAT terrible? I haven't gotten around to listening to it yet; possibly this afternoon, but has anyone heard it already and feel the need to prepare me?

[Panni]

Apologies to Sammy Cahn, but THREE COINS IN A FOUNTAIN has a very silly second verse that always makes me think of Hannibal Lecter loose in Rome:  

Three hearts in a fountain
Each heart longing for its home
There they lie in the fountain
Somewhere in the heart of Rome

Heard a wonderful story last night. I was going a little stir crazy and needed company, so I went to Coffee Bean near my place just to be among people. (Pathetic!) While I waited for my order I saw a rather large, middle-aged man with a florid face who was telling a story to a young woman. I sidled near them to eavesdrop (a writer's habit). He was telling her of a day in his youth when he had gone to some famous writer's country home and just driven back and forth in front of the place.
At this point, I had come into the story too late to catch the writer's name. He went on to say, "And there he was in the front garden! Suddenly he came toward the car and called out to me. 'Young man, I've noticed you going back and forth for hours. What is it you want?'
'To see you, sir,' I answered.
'Well, now that you've seen me, would you like to come in for some lemonade?'
And that's how I spent the best hour of my life with the great Carl Sandburg!'..."

The man went on to tell his companion that Sandburg invited him back for another talk, but died soon after their visit, so he never got to see him again.

That story made my night. I no longer felt lonely, but was filled with the wonder of a young man who so many years ago had his life changed by an invitation for a glass of lemonade.

[LC]

DR Panni, he was loose in Florence, not Rome.  

[LC]

Oh yes, and that is a lovely story.

[Matt H.]

Is this what's known as a lull?

[Ron Pulliam]

DR Jennifer:

1 package pre-cooked meat balls
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1 crock pot.

Put meat balls and BBQ sauce in crock pot; let cook several hours.

Voila!  BBQ meat balls.

[bk]

How to handle a lu-ull,
There's a way said a wise old man
A way known to every Hainsie
Since the site that is right began

How to handle a lu-ull,
Mark me well I will tell you, dear
The way to handle a lu-ull
Is to post here, simply post here,
Merely post here, post here, post here.

[Matt H.]

LOL - bk. Very good suggestion which made me smile broadly for the first time this morning.

[Matt H.]

And congratulations to DR Ron for being the first to attain 1,000 posts without vanishing into a puff of smoke!    

[Ron Pulliam]

Of all the songs to have ever won an Academy Award, I think "Three Coins in the Fountain" is easily one of the more beautiful ones.

That it beat out "The Man That Got Away" does not diminish its qualities.

Far worse things have happened in the Best Song category in Oscar history.  For one, the song from "An Affair to Remember" was NOT NOMINATED.

"Thee I Love" from "Friendly Persuasion" is a beautiful, touching song and outclasses, to my mind, "Que Sera, Sera" in so many ways.  The way that song was used in the Hitchcock film's florid denouement in an embassy, with Day reconnecting with her son using that song, is high melodrama with a distinctively cheesy aftertaste.

Still, it sold millions of records.

DR MattH:  I'm sorry to disagree with you about the beauty of "Sweet Leilani" -- but for me, it's highly melodic and one of the better songs on the list of Oscar winners.  Its usage in "Waikiki Wedding" may seem uninspired, but the song itself has a sensuous quality that has resonated for me since I first heard it sung by Crosby.  I've also heard it in "south seas" arrangments and it's a pleasure.    "The Continental' , on the other hand, well....it's fun to watch the number in the movie, isn't it!



Oscar history is filled with winners that make no sense to us today.  Things we consider classic (like "Singin' in the Rain") did not resonate in the years of their release -- either with the Academy or the critics or the public.  As wonderful as Josephine Hull was in "Harvey," she doesn't hold a candle to either Celeste Holm or Thelma Ritter in "All About Eve."

And that's just a for instance.  Some may disagree about it, and others may have their own examples.  I, for one, would like to know what others have found "incredulous" about Oscar winners.

[George]

In my DVD player:  first, my sister's boyfriend taped and put on a DVD-R the first half of "Angels in America."  After that, I just received from eBay by way of Brazil (actually, it's still at the post office and I have to get it) the Brazilian DVD release of Sophisticated Ladies.  I'm pretty sure that I have the original cast album but I've never listened to it.  Now I'll get to see the whole show.  I bought this DVD from the same seller that I got Tintypes with Carolyn Mignini, Jerry Zaks and Lynne Thigpen.

In my CD player at work:  the entire (I'm pretty sure...well, everything that I own) Betty Buckley Solo CD Collection.  For some reason a couple of nights ago, I wanted to put all of my BB CDs together.  So I'm going to start from the beginning of her solo career and listen to them all in chronological order.  That will take several days.

I'll comment about the Academy Award songs later.  I want some time to think about them.