Il Divo are, from left to right, Urs Bühler, David Miller, Carlos Marin and Sébastien Izambard.
As part of my celebration of Father's Day, I thought it to be a good start to offer up a song to one of the biggest Daddies of them all. Many have used "The Lord's Prayer" to sing His praises, but few could sing it quite like Il Divo, as they did on their 2005 Christmas album. Il Divo are Urs Bühler, David Miller, Carlos Marin and Sébastien Izambard, four trained opera singers who lend their talents as a quartet, singing anything from Classic masterpieces to Pop confections. Sit back and enjoy as the boys sing "The Lord's Prayer".
You can purchase Il Divo's "The Lord's Prayer" from iTunes and Amazon. To learn more about Il Divo, visit their official website. There you can check out the new release, a 'Greatest Hits' collection that will be sure to include some great music. You might also want to look at 'An Evening With Il Divo', when they sing a selection of interesting music. Recorded in Barcelona, the collection also includes a beautiful version of "Amazing Grace".
'An Evening with Il Dino' is available on iTunes and Amazon.
Left to right: Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr, and Frank Sinatra.
As this is Father's Day Weekend, I tried to think of a way to give a tip of the hat to all the men out there who helped raise their kids. While I was pondering that, the Rat Pack came to mind, and I decided to go with it. For those who may not know, officially, The Rat Pack was made up by Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr, Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop. They often traveled and performed as a group, causing great joy whenever they got together. The group formed in the mid-1950s, but the name didn't really catch on at first, until after the passing of Bogart in 1957. In truth, it was in the 1960s when the group really become popular, especially in Las Vegas when the trio of Sinatra, Davis, and Martin would pack in the crowds for their performances. They became known for their loose style. I will begin with the 'Chairman of the Board'. I love listening to Frank Sinatra sing his many hits, and "Fly Me To The Moon", written in 1954 by Bart Howard, was definitely one of them. While it was sung by many, it is Sinatra's version that is mostly remembered.
I remember growing up and my parents watching 'The Dean Martin Show', and seeing him on this show, and never seeming to be without a drink and a cigarette in his hand. I instantly get a warm feeling when I hear his voice, especially when he is singing. In 1965, Dean had a bit hit with a song written by Russ Morgan, Larry Stock, and James Cavanaugh. Sometimes, it feels as though "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" was written for Martin, but it wasn't. His version, some 20 years after the song was written, went to #24 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #1 on the adult contemporary chart.
I remember seeing Sammy Davis, Jr. appearing on many variety shows, from Dean's show, to 'The Mike Douglas Show'. My mother loved watching those progams, and I can remember seeing one of the few black men I remember seeing regularly performing. Sammy's easy style, never seeming to be trying too hard, but never short-changing the people in the audience, was hard not to love. I hope you enjoy as Sammy sings "That Old Black Magic", the classic song written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer.
And, finally,I thought I would bring them all together for you, and you alone. In the next clip, Sammy, Frank, and Dean singing "Birth of the Blues". The song had music by Ray Henderson, the lyrics by Buddy G. DeSylva and Lew Brown. It was nominated fro an Academy Award for the 1941 debut in 'Birth of the Blues', a film starring Bing Crosby 15 years after the song was first published. The Rat Pack made it famous all over again when they started to perform it in the 1960s. In the following clip, the boys were joined on stage by a very young Johnny Carson.
To have some of the best of the music of these legendary friends, you can purchase 'The Very Best of The Rat Pack' from iTunes and Amazon. Individually, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis, Jr., were very gifted performers, But collectively, they inspired one another to be even better. I hope they have reunited up in heaven, and are singing to all the fathers there this weekend!
While trying to brainstorm what I was going to post for this fine Saturday morning, I was at a loss a bit. I just couldn't decide, with a bunch of ideas floating through my brain. But one I remembered the inspiration for the Saturday morning posts, I knew the direction I needed to take. You see, a long time ago, I was trying to figure out this whole blogging thing, and I thought it would be oh-so-clever if I were to post Liza Minnelli singing "Come Saturday Morning", originally on the soundtrack to Liza's film, 'The Sterile Cuckoo'. So I went back to dear Liza, and thought about going to see her in 'The Act' while still in high school, something that sealed my fate as her fan since. In fact, I still have my show program from the show, which tells you something. After seeing that show, I went out to purchase the latest from Liza, which turned out to be the odd album, 'Tropical Nights'. I say add, for it is an odd combination of Funk and Disco, some of which really works, and some did not. I was particularly fond of the song 'Easy', written by Jim Grady, who was also credited as 'Arranger, Composer, Concept, Piano, Piano (Electric), String Arrangements, and Vocals' for the album.
See, it really was a sweet song. I also find her medley of the title cut and "Bali Ha'i" to be something special, and one of the times on the album her voice is allowed to soar. Now, I am very happy to have this album in my collection, I can't say I would heartily recommend it to someone looking for some great Liza. There is a great wealth from which to choose, and I would go for one of the greatest hits collection. With that in mind, I would suggest anyone in the mood to buy the 'Ultimate Collection: Liza Minnelli' on iTunes and Amazon.
The poster for 'En Forelskelse', featuring Allan Hyde & Lars Brygmann.
Tonight, for my 'Date Night' showing, I bring you a really beautiful short film, 'En Forelskelse', or 'Awakening' in English. This Danish film was released in 2008, written & directed by Christian Tafdrup. It stars Allan Hyde, Lars Brygmann, and Julie Grundtvig Wester. It was the following year American audiences got to know and fall just a little bit in love with Hyde, when played the beautiful Godrick on 'True Blood'. Before we touch on 'En Forelskelse', I thought it might be nice watch a trailer for another movie you might want to check out sometime in the near future. This is a peak at '3-Day Weekend', written and directed by Rob Williams.
Now back to the task at hand. In this film, Allan Hyde plays 16-year-old Carsten, who recently started dating Melissa, played by Julie Grundtvig Wester. Things seem to be going smoothly for the couple, who even enjoy spending time Melissa's parents, played by Lars Brygmann and Ellen Hillingsø. But there is one moment in which so much changes, and Carsten truly begins to learn about himself. 'En Forelskelse' runs just under 39 minutes, and has English subtitles.
'En Forelskelse' was the winner of the Robert Award for Best Feature Film - Fiction/Animation in 2009. The Robert Awards are the Danish equivalent of the Academy Awards. The award was well-deserved, as the film told the story of a young man coming of age with a light touch, allowing the story to have a more organic feel. The the performances are all strong, but particularly those by Hyde and Brygmann. They told so much of the story in the quiet moments, and kept my attention to the end. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
It is Friday morning, and many will be getting ready to take advantage of your weekend off from work, so I thought I would bring a little something to the table to get your weekend off a little early. So today I offer you "The Boy That I Like (Don't Like Me Back)" the latest by Scandocious J.r., aka 'The King of Gay Music'. The Chicago native has been making out and proud Hip-Hop music for a while, and just always seems to up his game. This song if from the up coming album 'Secrets of the King', and I am certainly looking forward to learning some of J.R.'s secrets. But first, give a listen to "The Boy That I Like (Don't Like Me Back)".
To learn more about J.R., you can 'like' him on Facebook, and 'follow' him on Twitter. When his new album, 'Secrets of the King' is released, I hope to being you more about Scandocious' music. You can check out his other music on iTunes and Amazon.
It was all over the television, there was a big storm coming to the area. According to both local newcasts and 'The Weather Channel', this was going to be a quick by hard storm. There were reports of the dark clouds coming in, and making it seem more like night than day. High winds and heavy rains would make it seem more like a monsoon than a spring shower, so they said. Soon the thunder and lightening could be heard in the distance, and some dark clouds came rolling in. It turned the day gray, not quite the darkness we expected. The wind blew a bit, but not enough to send the sheets of rain that followed too far. And just as quickly as it come in, it moved on through. The sky to the East showed the effects of lightning, flashing more dimly as the sound of moved further and further away.
With the storm gone, it left a glistening sheen on the plants, and puddles on the driveway with the occasional ripples from the drops off the trees. The birds came out, looking to eat, flying from one spot to another to check for worms and insects. Life was quickly back to normal. But it lasted long enough to make me think of songs about rain, some you might be familiar with, others refreshingly new. The first is a song by Darren Ockert, from his album 'Anything Is Possible'. There is a wonderful feel to the song, the sound of rain made in musical form. Enjoy "Out of the Rain" by Darren Ockert.
You can purchase 'Anything Is Possible', the album which features "Out of the Rain" on iTunes and Amazon. The next song has a beauty that is stunning in conjunction with the description of Manhattan's 8th Avenue. This is a very different rain than what I just experienced on the farm, but one I do remember from the decade I spent living in New York City. Dudley Saunder's evocative and intoxicating "The Rain on 8th Avenue" just fills me up like few songs could.
You can purchase the album 'Emergency Lane', which features "The Rain on 8th Avenue" on iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp. There is a wonderful tone to "The Rain", the beautiful song by Anna Gutmanis, off the album 'Glimmer in the Dark'. While listening, I begin to feel bewitched, transported into the story.
You can purchase 'Glimmer in the Dark', which features the song 'The Rain', on iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp. And finally, after bringing those three original songs to the post, I thought I would bring a classic in to complete the post. Matt Gold sings the classic "Come Rain or Come Shine", written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, but puts his own stamp on it, giving it new life. I found the song on his SoundCloud page, and am very glad I did. Here is Matt Gold singing "Come Rain or Come Shine".
You can find the song on Matt's SoundCloud page. If you'd like to check out more of Matt's music, he recently released the excellent album 'Drown Before You Swim'. You can purchase Drown Before You Swim' on iTunes and Amazon. And I hope this 'rain' music has helped brighten your rainy day at least a little bit.
Above you will see some screen grabs from the latest music video from Vanilla Lush (the blond), Vicki Vivacious (the brunette), and Maddison Lee (the redhead), better known collectively as The Supreme Fabulettes. Their single, "A Drag Queen Is A Cowboy's Best Friend", was written by Boy George, and he also directed the music video. As you can see, The ladies are joined in the music video by several handsome men, including the adorable Johnny Hazzard. The song is just a delight, at least for me. I hope you enjoy "A Drag Queen Is A Cowboy's Best Friend".
To learn more about The Supreme Fabulettes, you can visit them on their official website. You can 'like' them on Facebook or "follow" them on Twitter. You can purchase "A Drag Queen Is A Cowboy's Best Friend" on iTunes and Amazon.
