Tag: entertainment
Julie Andrews & Christopher Plummer – Something Good
An evening pause: O that face. Even with this poor recording, you can see why I said, in my very first evening pause, Julie Andrews had “one of the most incredible screen presences of any actor in the history of film.” And the lighting here, reflecting off her features and eyes with a glint, accentuates that presence.
From The Sound of Music (1965).
Kukla, Fran and Ollie – Here We Are Again
A evening pause: Hat tip Jim Mallamace, who writes, “Before there was Shari Lewis; before there were the Muppets, there was Kukla, Fran, and Ollie. An American television staple from 1947 – 1957, Kukla, Fran, and Ollie demonstrated there would be as large an adult audience for puppetry as there was a child audience. Burr Tillstrom voiced all the puppets. Fran Allison was the host. In this video, they sing their theme song ‘Here We Are Again.'”
Do a quick search on youtube and you can find clips of them singing songs from things like The Mikado and doing satire on television advertising. As primitive as it might seem when compared to modern television, this was a children’s show with a whiff of sophistication.
Dwight Yoakam with Buck Owens & Flaco Jimenez
An evening pause: Performed live, 1988. The magnificent set starts wth “Guitars Cadillacs,” then goes on to “Streets of Bakersfields,” “Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room,” and finishes with a song I simply can’t identify. It’s a bit long for an evening pause, but worth every second. And a great way to end the week.
Hat tip Robert Pratt of Pratt on Texas.
How To Use A Semicolon Correctly
An evening pause: Time for some lessons in sentence structure and the history of an obscure bit of punctuation.
Hat tip Jim Mallamace.
Diane Keaton – It Seems Like Old Times
Radiohead – Creep
An evening pause: Seems to me that these guys could be Mrs. Hughes’ son from the comedy routine posted in yesterday’s evening pause.
Hat tip Jim Mallamace.
Dale Watson – South Of Round Rock Texas
An evening pause: Hat tip Robert Pratt, of the radio show Pratt on Texas, who offers it “to balance the ‘jazzy.'”
Anneke van Giersbergen & Danny Cavanagh – The Blower’s Daughter
Michael Dudok de Wit – Father and Daughter
An evening pause: Hat tip Jim Mallamace, who was quite right when he said this nine minute animated film flies by in an instant.
Sam Smith – Burning
Above & Beyond Acoustic – On A Good Day
Aimee Echo & Teddybears – Punk Rocker
Willie Nelson & Kenny Rogers – Blue Skies
Andrea Motis & l’Orquestra Simfònica – Solitude
A evening pause: Hat tip Robert Pratt.
Numberphile – The Most Powerful Dice
Katie Mullins – A Disney Love Song Medley (on the ukulele)
An evening pause: In order, “Kiss the Girl” (The Little Mermaid), “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” (The Lion King), “A Whole New World” (Aladdin), “I See the Light” (Tangled), and “You’ll Be in My Heart” (Tarzan), and then finishing with a reprise of “A Whole New World.” All good songs, but to my ear, it is very clear that “A Whole New World” stands out.
And the singer is really joyous.
Hat tip Jim Mallamace.
Greys – Needle in the Camel’s Eye
Etta James – Something’s Got A Hold On Me
An evening pause: Performed live on television sometime in the mid-1960s.
Hat tip Jim Mallamace, who notes, “Etta James was an inspiration to a generation of popular female singers, from Janice Joplin to Christina Aguilera.”
The Wilson Sisters – The Battle of Evermore
The Amazing Paul Frees
An evening pause: You have heard his voice, many times. This highlight reel, suggested by Jim Mallamace, includes just a few, all amazingly different:
Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion
Boris Badenov
Pillsbury Doughboy
Lion and Mouse
Voyages Through Inner Space
Burgermeister Meisterburger
The Beatles Cartoon
Morocco Mole
Ludwig von Drake
He was a contemporary of Mel Blanc (most famous for providing the voices for Warner Brothers’ cartoons), was as good, but is far less well known.
Elvis Presley – C.C Rider
10 Songs You’ve Heard and Don’t Know the Name
Frederica von Stade – Song to the Moon
4 Non Blondes – What’s Up
Marshmallow Farming
An evening pause: At first glance you might think this an April Fool’s piece, but it really isn’t. To be a good April Fool’s joke, you have to be fooled for at least a little while, something this does not do. What this video does do however is illustrate in an hilarious way the empty fake nature of television news. This is what they do normally, which has as much reality as this video.
Hat tip Jeff Poplin.
Benjamin Costello – In My Daughter’s Eyes
An evening pause: Beautiful cover of the James Slater song made a hit by Martina McBride.
Hat tip Jim Mallamace.
Jimi Hendrix On An Acoustic Guitar
An evening pause: There are two clips, with the second beginning at 4:37. This is I think more interesting than good. The first clip is well shot, but it clearly is an unfinished music video because Hendrix himself I think was unsatisfied with his performance. The second is better performed, as it is a improvised performance at what appears to be a party. Regardless, they are worth watching because even when he played below par you can see he is playing at a level above most.
Hat tip Michael Nelson.
Renaissance – Mother Russia
Marina Sirtis tells the costume story
An evening pause: For fans of Star Trek: the Next Generation, this will be especially funny. The filming isn’t great, but it is worth it to stick with it to the end.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.