Month: June 2011

5000 Questions, Part 4

A light green lounge suit. It was the 1970s…


76. Do you prefer Disney or Warner Brothers?

Well, WB for shorts, Disney for long-form.

77. What is the first animal you would run to see if you went to the zoo?

Zebras.

78. Would you consider yourself to be romantic?

It waxes and wanes.

79. If the earth stopped rotating would we all fly off?

I’d think not.

80. What is the one thing that you love to do so much that you would make sacrifices to be able to do it?

Blogging.

81. If you (and everyone) had to lose one right or freedom, but you could pick which one everyone had to lose, what would you pick? Continue reading “5000 Questions, Part 4”

The royal connection

My daughter is a princess.


There was this online article about Prince William’s Fargo, North Dakota cousin’s royal celebration. “Kay Johnson wasn’t too upset about being overlooked for Friday’s royal wedding guest list. Besides, she wasn’t the only Spencer to get snubbed.” Unfortunately, the free access post disappeared.

This story is specifically interesting to me because my wife and daughter are likewise related. Seems that late in the 17th century, John Olin married Susannah Spencer, and my wife is a direct descendent, ninth-generation I believe. Susannah Spencer is somehow an ancestor of Diana Spencer, who married Prince Charles, who had two sons, William and Harry.

We didn’t get up early to watch the wedding. But we did turn on the TV c 7 a.m. EDT to see a bit of the post-wedding pageantry, during which time I shared with the daughter her royal connection. Ever since, she has shared the news with all of her friends, has done drawings of herself as a princess, has dressed up as a princess…This too shall pass, eventually.

I met Kay Johnson (pictured) at an Olin family reunion in Binghamton, NY a few years back.

Gay rights QUESTION

Winning the Future: President Obama and LGBT Americans

It’s Gay Pride Month. Here is the schedule of events in Albany [PDF]. Also, check out Libby Post’s blog. And I’ve been encouraged by several things:

ITEM: Home Depot to American Family Association: take a hike, we support gay causes. It wasn’t that long ago that corporate America would cower under threat of a boycott by anti-gay forces.

ITEM: A prominent billboard urging a local politician to vote for same-sex marriage has a restaurant source: Bombers Burrito Bar. Bombers owner Matt Baumgartner owns Bombers in Albany and Schenectady, Wolff’s Biergarten in Albany, and a forthcoming Albany pub called The Olde English. He’s trying to sway state senator Roy McDonald, who voted no in 2009, but is perceived to be persuadable.

ITEM: Kicking off Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month, the Office of Public Engagement has launched a new webpage, Winning the Future: President Obama and LGBT Americans. People complain, not entirely without merit, that the Obama administration has been cautious about gay rights. But you would not see this type of initiative from President McCain or either President Bush.

So I’m feeling encouraged that, in the cliched language of the pollsters, the country is “moving in the right direction” on gay rights. What says you?

Without the Tonys, EGOT is just EGO

Unfortunately for the Tonys’ commercial appeal, this year’s list of recognizable names is dwarfed by last year’s roster.


The Antoinette Perry, or Tony Awards, which honor Broadway’s finest, airs Sunday, June 12, 8 pm EDT on CBS-TV. Of the four US major entertainment awards – Emmys, Oscars, Grammys, Tonys – it is the most mysterious to the general public. I watch it because I find it to be the most entertaining of the programs, even though, or maybe because I’m least familiar with the source material.

Reasons you should watch it:
It’s unique. Music has the American Music Awards, movies and TV have the Golden Globes, not to mention the People’s Choice Awards, plus a plethora of others.
Nothing else is on. Prime time shows are over, summer movies are showing on 30,000 screens each.
Neil Patrick Harris is hosting, and The Book of Mormon is up for 14 awards, either of which would make it interesting.
If you do have something else to watch, such as Sunday Night Baseball, tape or DVR the Tonys; it’s not as though the Tony show is water cooler fodder, though it should be.
*It’s informative. When Memphis showed up on the roster for our local theater, I actually knew the plot, from seeing it on the Tonys.

Also, you can tell people what your favorite TV and movie actors have been up to in the last year, such as Ellen Barkin, John Larroquette, Frances McDormand, Al Pacino, and Vanessa Redgrave.

Unfortunately for the Tonys’ commercial appeal, this year’s list of recognizable names is dwarfed by last year’s roster. In the best actor in a play category alone, there was Jude Law, Alfred Molina, Liev Schreiber, Christopher Walken, and winner Denzel Washington. Other “names” included Kelsey Grammer, Valerie Harper, Sean Hayes, Linda Lavin, Laura Linney, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and those were just in the starring categories.

I’ve been particularly fascinated by the career of one Brian Stokes Mitchell. As Brian Mitchell, he appeared in a bunch of serviceable roles such as Jackpot on the TV show Trapper John, MD. But as a Broadway performer, he’s a star, even a legend.

Can’t wait for the Tonys!
***
EGOT winners.

Underplayed Vinyl: Our Best to You

Apparently, the commercial nature of For Your Love drove Eric Clapton out of the group.


I used to do a series called Underplayed Vinyl, which is about LPs that I own that I used to play a lot, though not so much recently, but I probably should. Guess I’m going to try to reinstitute it.

I’ve been a sucker for compilation albums since I received Big Hits From England & U.S.A. from the Capitol Record Club in 1965 or 1966. It had the “kids” side (Beatles, Beach Boys, Peter & Gordon) and the “adult ” side (Nat Cole, Cilla Black, Al Martino). The next one was Best of ’66, a bunch of Columbia pop artists.

A year later, I got TWO different albums, both called Our Best To You. One contained the “adult” stars such as Jim Nabors, John Davidson, and Robert Goulet; it had a green cover but otherwise similar design.

The other album is the one pictured. Links to the songs provided.

Side 1:
1. The Buckinghams – I’ll Be Back. A good, if slightly melodramatic, cover of the Beatles song.
2. The Byrds – All I Really Want To Do. . A fine Dylan cover.
3. The Cryan’ Shames – Sugar And Spice. Fun pop song by a group I’m otherwise unfamiliar with.
4. Aretha Franklin – Sweet Bitter Love. A tremendous song by the Queen of Soul, before she moved to Atlantic and had her big hits. This is a song I often played after a romantic breakup; I played it quite a bit. Written by Van McCoy, best known for The Hustle.
5. Moby Grape – 8:05. A moody piece with nice harmonies that I enjoyed.

Side 2:
1. Paul Revere And The Raiders – Louie, Louie. The Raiders actually had a regional hit with this song most associated with the Kingsmen. This is NOT the cut from the album being described, but as close as I could find.
2. Peaches And Herb – Everybody Loves A Lover. Long before they “Reunited”, they did this pop/soul classic that I could only find on Napster, track 77 on the link.
3. Simon And Garfunkel – The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy). Just for fun, as the serious Simon might have said at the time.
4. The Tremeloes – Good Day Sunshine. The sound on this video is not good, but it’ll give you a feel.
5. The Yardbirds – For Your Love. Apparently, the commercial nature of this particular recording drove Eric Clapton out of the group. Gotta say I LOVED this song.

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