Tag: entertainment
The Starbugs – Mr Tambourine Man
An evening pause: Sung by Jessie Hillel, Sarah Whitaker, Roisin Anderson, Ben Anderson, Rebecca Jenkins. From the youtube page: “We have re-pitched this captivating selection of favourites to suit children’s voices.”
Truly one of Bob Dylan’s most beautiful and poetic songs.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
Fawlty Towers – Wrongly Shaped Chips
An evening pause: John Cleese at his peak.
Hat tip Phill Oltmann, who noted that the kid reminded him of what we think of as the typical millennial. Is he right? I await some response from my younger readers.
Beverly “Guitar” Watkins – Rock Me Baby
An evening pause: Performed live March 3, 2017, with the Rick Fowler Band. She passed away, aged 80, on October 1, 2019.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
Thomas Dolby – Blinded Me With Science
Josh & Larkin – Just Like Heaven
The Carol Burnett Show – The Queen & the Palace Guard
World Order – Singularity
Women Of Country – medley
An evening pause: Performed live by Terri Clark, Sara Evans, Crystal Gayle, The Highwomen, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Jennifer Nettles, Dolly Parton, Tanya Tucker, Carrie Underwood and Gretchen Wilson at the 2019 Country Music Awards.
Hat tip Mike Nelson.
Eleanor Powell & Buddy Rich – I’ll Take Tallulah
An evening pause: Actually, the song is the least interesting thing about this dance number from Ship Ahoy (1942). Stick with it to see the dance interplay between dancer Powell and drummer Rich.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
Queen – You’re My Best Friend
USAF Band – Greensleeves & Carol of the Bells
A evening pause: Performed live December 3, 2014 at the Udvar-Hazy Center of the Air & Space Museum in Virginia. They call this a flash mob but it isn’t, since the crowds clearly know what is about to happen. The music however is wonderful, and makes for a nice start to the holiday season.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
Louis Armstrong – What a wonderful world
An afternoon pause: We are all too busy right this moment with turkey, friends, family, and socializing. Here Louis Armstrong tells you what it all means, really.
Recorded in 1967.
Paganini in gypsy jazz style
A evening pause: The performers are Florian Cristea (violin), Richard Smith, Bina Coquet, Fernando Seifarth (guitar), and Nando Vicencio (bass).
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
Janik & Arnaut – Snake dance
An evening pause: From the 1954 Colgate Comedy Hour Christmas Special with Abbott & Costello.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
André Rieu – Lippen Schweigen
An evening pause: From the opera The Merry Widow. If anything, Rieu knows how to put on a good show. And it helps that his Austrian audience understands the lyrics.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
Red Skelton & Walter Brennan
Carolina Eyck – The Ecstasy of Gold
An evening pause: The music is by Ennio Morricone. She is playing a theremin, which is played without any direct contact by the player. The antennas sense the positions of the hands and fingers.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
Wayne Brady – Thriller
An evening pause: This Postmodern Jukebox version does Michael Jackson’s song in the style of 1930s jazz.
I remember the passion for this song when Jackson first released it in 1982, including crowds forming on the street near Times Square to watch the music video. Yet, I have always wondered why. To me the song and video has always seemed quite uninteresting, almost boring. This version, however, I think brings it to life much better than Jackson. The two dancers are especially good.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Shashi Tharoor – Is Your Vocabulary Up to Mark?
An evening pause: This is entertaining, in that it demonstrates the ability of English to absorb an endless number of words, even words that are absolutely ridiculous. Most of these words are unknown because they are hard to say and their meaning can be stated more efficiently and simply using normal vocabulary. I must also add that Tharoor is a Indian politician from the socialist Congress Party, now the minority party in India with the rise the present conservative government under President Modi.
I am therefore not surprised that he is skilled with using big words that can help him obfuscate his meaning, while making him seem erudite.
Hat tip Diane Wilson.
Canadian Brass – Flight of the Tuba Bumblebee
An evening pause: This is just a bit of silliness with some nice music as well.
Hat tip Phill Oltmann.
Martha Raye – No Time At All
An evening pause: From the Broadway musical Pippin.
The words from this song mean more and more to me, with each passing year.
Here is a secret I never have told.
Maybe you’ll understand why.
I believe if I refuse to grow old
I can stay young till I die.
Now, I’ve known the fears of sixty-six years.
I’ve had troubles and tears by the score.
But the only thing I’d trade them for
Is sixty-seven more…
Chorus:
Oh, it’s time to start livin’.
Time to take a little from this world we’re given.
Time to take time, cause spring will turn to fall
In just no time at all.
And believe it or not, I see this also as a fitting song for Veterans Day.
Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band – Hello Mabel
An evening pause: The pauses this week have gotten steadily sillier. I think this one is a good way to finish off the week.
Hat tip Diane Wilson.
Carol Burnett – clips from the last show
An evening pause: A short section from the last Carol Burnett Show, March 29, 1978. Note how Tim Conway can make people laugh merely by pausing.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
Hey-ho!
A evening pause: Something short and silly for tonight. Don’t ask me to explain it.
Hat tip Frank Kelly.
Gene Wilder – Pure Imagination
Women Of Soul – Proud Mary
An evening pause: A live performance at the White House. As I watched I couldn’t help feel sorrow that these same performers are probably so partisan and filled with hate that they would never do the same for a Republican president, especially Donald Trump.
Hat tip Mike Nelson.
Jeanne Jolly – Long Way Home
Carnival of Souls
A evening pause: For Halloween, one of best low budget spook films ever made. No blood, no gore, no boring killer. Just style and atmosphere producing a creepy experience and a sense of dread.
And it was produced and directed by Herk Harvey for an estimated $33,000!
Bobby Pickett – Monster Mash
An evening pause: From American Bandstand with Dick Clark, October 13, 1964. Perfect in anticipation of Halloween. And yes, believe it or not it was a pop hit in the mid-1960s.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.