This is up early as I have some medical stuff going on for Thursday and Friday. Shortly another Friday will roll around and I am still fighting with blogger over uploading images, so color my face red approaching livid purple. I had to cut and paste html from a previous 5 on Friday just to get the logo in and will have to to a three way copy of web picture to computer from computer to Picasa, copy code in Picasa and paste in Blogger so I definitely need soothing. Fortunately Travis of Trav's Thoughts has provided this happy meme and Rod Stewart has provided this week's music. So on Friday hop on over to Trav's blog for the instructions and to sign in so that we can all share the great music.
For several years now Rod has been releasing a series of albums with covers of the great songs often referred to as "The Great American Songbook". The fifth volume in the series has just been released. The songs in each album are mainly from the 30s through 50s written by the amazing songwriters of that period such as Cole Porter, the Gershwin's, Rogers and Hart, and Johnny Mercer. Rod may not have a top of the line crooning voice, but he sings well and simply, has carefully chosen the songs, and delivers them with excellent production values. The best reason for buying these recordings is to have access in one place to the most unforgettable music of an era.
Since this whole blogging exercise has been one of making the dumb program work despite the frustration, I then selected one somewhat lesser heard song from each of the albums and then went to Amazon to link the album where it is featured so that you can buy it and then to You Tube to find the other singers who celebrated the music..
Another 5 on Friday rolls around again courtesy of Trav's Thoughts. Stop by to join in on the fun and share some of your favorite music.
This week I actually found all the songs I was seeking on Playlist dot com. The hint came from the first song on the IPOD this AM "It Must Have Been Love". Now Pretty Woman may not be anywhere close to reality, but it makes you smile every time, and it's nice to know that not all lost loves stay lost.
Poor Fievel ends up all alone for awhile as he heads west, but hangs on to enough hope to sing "Somewhere Out There".
Arthur may have been a drunk, but he knew what to do when caught between the moon and New York City.
All things are connected as the animals could teach us if we really pay attention to The Lion King and the Circle of Life.
Some movies have very sad endings and still produce beautiful songs particularly when Everybody's Talkin' is written by Harry Nilsson.
The video of Circle of Life is always worth watching again:
I heard this song today from a musical that I had actually forgotten, "Side Show", which was one of those musicals with a short life despite good critical reception and probably deserves a revival or at least an "In Concert" so that the songs don't get lost in the mists of time.
Daisy and Violet Hilton were Siamese twins who became a successful vaudeville act in the 1930's. The roles on Broadway were played by Alice Ripley as Violet and Emily Skinner as Daisy. This was the only time when two actresses were nominated for a single award as, due to playing conjoined women, they were always on stage together. Their duets on stage led to two albums of duets following the show.
What makes the song unique is that it is at the heart of what we all home to find: Someone who will accept and love us exactly as we are with all of our virtues, failings, and personalities that don't always mesh perfectly with what the world considers "Normal". Just one person to find us and with the lyrics of the closing song utter the magic words, "I will Never Leave you".
It’s been decided. On October 20th, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the 6 gay boys who committed suicide in recent weeks/months due to homophobic abuse in their homes at at their schools. Purple represents Spirit on the LGBTQ flag and that’s exactly what we’d like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love you and respect you for who you are, no matter your sexuality. Please wear purple on October 20th. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and schools.
RIP Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh (top) RIP Justin Aaberg, Raymond Chase (middle) RIP Asher Brown and Billy Lucas. (bottom)
REBLOG to spread a message of love, unity and peace.
Bloggingham is playing the numbers game today and the Queen has three things on her pencil brain (about two more than she can handle right now if you ask me what with all the globes spinning around). Still her wish is our command so head on over to The Queen's Meme for your marching orders and join in on the fun.
Welcome to The Queen's Meme #57. We're talking THREES. Answer these questions all having to do with the number 3. I predict this meme will take about 3 minutes to do. Of course I could be wrong. It's been known to happen. And watch out! Question #3 is a doozy.
3. Where were you 3 hours ago? - Time difference lady - In bed sleeping. I woke up for this?
3. Is there anything pink within 3 feet of you? - There isn't anything pink in this house. Probably ranks as one of my least favorite colors
3. Name the 3 scariest places in the world. - Looking over the edge of anything high, A family reunion, and my next birthday party
3. Name the 3 loveliest sights you've seen lately. - How about 71?
3. Name the top 3 Bands in the year you were born. - Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw, and one to swing on: Tommy Dorsey
3. Walk to your front door. Go outside and get in your car. Drive 3 miles East. Describe 3 things you saw on your way. One tree looks pretty much like another tree. Pick out the three you like best. Google hates images again today. Imagine three evergreens and ocean inlets on your way to the race track.
3. I, Queen Mimi, have sentenced you to a 3-day diet of your most sinful cravings. What will you be partaking? - Bread Pudding with brandy sauce and whipped cream, Macadamia nuts, and Chocolate Fudge with Walnuts. You are paying for my gym membership and Nutrisystem food bils right?
3. Go back to question #3. Change the first word to "travel" and let me know if you survived.
I'll hold a room for you in the dungeon in the meantime.
3. If you are the 3rd person to do this meme and sign the Mr. Linky as #3 you win a prize! The prize is you don't have to do this meme. Oops. **Don't you know you should always read all the instructions/questions FIRST??**
That's all you get today because I'm not going to go to war with Google/Blogger at this hour of the day.
Our buddy Travis has invented one of the truly great memes. To join in simply stop by Trav's Thoughts for instructions, sign in, and then share five songs with everyone.
I confess I have become a total Gleek. Each week Glee gives you get a wide variety of music performed by a group of extremely talented young performers all wrapped into a story that deals with contemporary issues as lived by wonderful characters. So those of us who just adore musicals finally have some place to go to feed our addiction now that Hollywood has become nothing but overpriced explosions, crashes and special effects.
To top it off some of the biggest names in entertainment have this habit of just dropping in on the story in some minor or pertinent to that week's story line role and you go "Hey! It's Neil Patrick Harris, Kristin Chenoweth, or Britney Spears". The really nice part - After each episode you can download individual songs you loved or a whole album or wait and get a whole season. This show should simply last so long that the current cast's grandchildren are performing.
Dream On - Neil Patrick Harris & Matthew Morrison
Defying Gravity - Chris Colfer and Lea Michele (Kurt and Rachel)
Alone - Glee Cast and Kristin Chenoweth guest appearance
Sometimes the hope for peace works out - 1993 nominees . Frederik de Klerk & Nelson Mandela.
Prize motivation: "for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa"
Sometimes it doesn't. The 1994 peace prize jointly awarded to Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin "for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East".
However it works out, we can't stop trying. Please join the November 4 Blogblast for Peace.
World War I (The war to end all wars) had ended and the President of the United States proposed a League of Nations to ensure that there would never again be a global conflagration as the one that had just passed. Apparently nobody was listening. Are they listening yet?
As soon as I typed "are they listening", I heard Don McLean's "Vincent"
Starry starry night
paint your palette blue and grey
look out on a summer's day
with eyes that know the
darkness in my soul.
Shadows on the hills
sketch the trees and the daffodils
catch the breeze and the winter chills
in colors on the snowy linen land.
And now I understand what you tried to say to me
how you suffered for your sanity
how you tried to set them free.
they would not listen
they did not know how
perhaps they'll listen now.
The first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in 1901 and was equally divided between:
JEAN HENRI DUNANT, Switzerland. Founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva; Initiator of the Geneva Convention (Convention de Genève).
In the run up to the Blogblast for Peace, I'll do some short pieces on the men and women who have won the Nobel peace prize. Today's is the winner in 1975 - Andrei Dmitriyevich Sakharov.
In 1975, he was the first Soviet to win the Nobel Peace Prize. After he denounced the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Soviet authorities were quick to respond, exiling him to Gorky. In December 1986, Sakharov's exile ended when Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev invited him to return to Moscow. He was subsequently elected to the Congress of People's Deputies as a democratic reformer. Sakharov died in 1989.
Google did something amazing today with their iconic logo used to celebrate one of the greatest Icons of the century, John Lennon. Below is the singing logo and the 70th birthday greeting from Yoko Ono.
As you know, the annual Blogblast for Peace will be on November 4. If you have a blog, please join us in declaring the realization that all people want to live in peace. All you have to do is IMAGINE and a simple phrase with simple words can have power when thousands, millions, or billions giventhem a voice: Dona Nobis Pacem.
Today's 5 on Friday from Trav's Thoughts has a built in theme. This would have been John's 70th Birthday. This music has been a part of my life for more than 45 years. Imagine that - Hapy Birthday John wherever you are. To join in on the meme, simply go to Trav's and sign in.
Stand By Me
Many of the Lennon videos have disabled video and I really wanted as much separate from the Beatles as I could find. Here is one where you will have to go to the link.
Today is R U OK? Day in Australia. With the recent news of bullying leading to suicide, it might be a good day for everyone everywhere to take the seconds to ask a friend of loved one, "Are you okay?". It is a small thing that can save lives for those who may feel desperate and alone without anyone who can share their pain and make it easier to bear.
Here are the two promotional videos done by Simon Baker and Hugh Jackman. I realize celebrities can draw attention to an issue, but this is one where human beings shouldn't need a reminder to reach out and show you care. R U OK?
Her majesty is feeling a bit peckish on this Tuesday Eve so naturally the royal heralds have declared that the minions hop to for her entertainment on the morrow. Should you care to join in just sign in at the Queen's Meme.
I seem to be in a very bad evil Queen mood today and have devised some lame questions for you. Got that? Lame. L.A.M.E.
Let's play.
1. What is your favorite part about the Fall season? - See the blog article below. I love everything about Fall. It is my season of the year.
2. When was the last time you fell in love? Being a tad contrarian I don't fall in love. I fall in like and wait for it to grow up. Some grow into glorious adults and others run away from home. Most just hang around the house being agreeable but not spectacular. The last truly great one was back in the 1980s. The last 20 years haven't been too great, but no major disappointments.
3. Have you ever injured yourself falling down? - I've practically made a career of it. Torn muscle in ankle. Down a flight of stairs. Off a kitchen stool. Pruning rose bushes landed me in traction in the hospital.
4. Imagine that your head is on the guillotine block and the blade is about to fall on your head. What is your last thought? - Should have gotten my hair done.
5. Do pumpkins scare you? - I scare them. Come home with me and you will be eaten.
6. You are free-falling from the sky to Earth. It has taken you 3 days to fall from the galaxy and you are hungry. Where do you land? - Tuscany and I'll have wine with that and that and that and that.
7. I found this painting by John Everett Millais: Autumn Leaves
(1856) It struck me totally funny. Look at their faces. What are they saying?
What is going on??!
Since there are four of them, I immediately thought of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy and there will be 19th century games followed by food and cider after the chore is done. Now if there had been three of them, I would have assumed a rehearsal of:
Thrice the brinded cat hath mew’d.
Thrice and once, the hedge-pig whin’d.
Harpier cries:—’tis time! ’tis time!
Round about the caldron go;
In the poison’d entrails throw.—
Toad, that under cold stone,
Days and nights has thirty-one;
Swelter’d venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot!
ALL. Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn, and caldron bubble.
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And since we are all about leafing or leaving, here's a little song to sooth our Queen's savage breast.
October is simply my favorite month in the year. This harvest season when the world winds down for its winter nap. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are all well and good, but they are family events. October is when you snuggle under the blankets and do a sort of individual inventory or take long walks on damp streets. The days are still warm, but the nights cool and moist with fog. Snow hasn't arrived, but the leaves are going to their death in a blaze of glory. So here is my annual tribute to October:
Last Chances
Fall, even the name says down
Crushed into the earth.
The leaves of autumn become
No more than mulch, sacrificing what has been
To a future spring.
Foot falls, damp, the lamps of
Twilight wash sidewalks
Already wet with fog
Old songs filter through
The air thick with might have been.
Low moaning of horns and whining of clarinets
Speak of places at the end of a bar,
Old movies, and mysterious women in black
A time when gravity finally wins
To take hold of a year almost done.
This is the edition of the 5 on Friday meme, invented by our friend Trav of Trav's Thoughts. Click on the link to get the full instructions and sign in to share your choices with others.
Today, I've gone with a completely different genre with Bluegrass from Allison Kraus alone, then with Vince Gill, and with her group Union Station which you may recognize from the motion picture Oh Brother Where Art Thou, and to finish off, a couple of oldtimers in this type of music: Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs.
