I found these on Dr. Ayala’s blog at Salon… so CLICK HERE and get some wonderful vegetarian recipes, and spare the Turkey!

And knowing that this is Thanksgiving Week, we sure could use a little good news (or so Anne Murray says):

Sometimes when I sit back and listen to some mellow-smooth ’70s grooves (on iPod shuffle) I wind up getting confused, trying to figure out who it is exactly that i’m listening to. Take for example to confusing case of Cross/Sedaka/Murray/Bread. Am I listening to a man? Or am I perhaps listening to Anne Murray? Or could I possibly be enjoying a rare gem by Mr. Neil Sedaka? I leave it to you, the reader, to click thru the links and figure out for yourself just how it’s possible that so many people of varying genders (well, ok, there are only 2 genders currently known to man) can sound the exact damn-same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTxLOphlnEo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoUv-QU9fBM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-tJBsOsboM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6VsmMN13Y0

-CM

Lots of good stuff in this Monday’s Link Roundup. For Anne Murry fans, there’s a glowing review of her recently published memoir We needed her. Don’t think you can tell a riveting story in a little over a minute?  Check out The Closet. And for those of you using LinkedIn, take a look at 10 Linkedin Tips for Professionals.

• Talking Suitcases tell unique life stories. “[Susan]Armington explained that a Talking Suitcase is broadly defined as some sort of container for a diorama of handmade artworks. Those created by the women of the Korean Service Center reflect each woman’s life. “These are thoughtful, courageous, and sensitive women. As they worked, more and more memories came alive.” [Thanks to Linda Coffin at www.historycrafters.com for alerting me to this article.]

• All of Me. “Anne Murray’s voice comes through in her autobiography with low-key, self-deprecating humour and surprising honesty.”

• Photo Storytelling. “The holiday season is nearly upon us! It’s a time of year I associate with food, family and friends, but it’s also storytelling season…Memory is a funny thing. You can show an older relative the same picture year after year and get no new information. Then all of sudden someone else in the room starts talking about an event related to the image, and remembrances start pouring out of that older relative. It’s all about finding the right memory trigger.”

• Danville resident used filmmaking to get the word out. “David Walker returned from military service in Iraq with countless memories and experiences — the kind that would stay with him for a lifetime. Fighting in a war is not something one easily talks about…[he]enrolled in English 497: Narrative, Oral History and New Media Technologies in the spring of 2009. The goal of the course was to help returning veterans become filmmakers by creating short documentaries about the experiences of the Iraq War. Dubbed “Back from Iraq: The Veterans’ Stories Project,” these films, along with student interviews, class footage, and course materials, are now available online at http://wpsu.org/backfromiraq.”

• The Closet. “Never underestimate the power of a great story.”- a seventy-four second YouTube video by Canal+ [Thanks to Larry Lehmer at Passing It On for suggesting this piece.]

• How to Be Happier: Stay Connected to Your Past. “A while back, my husband and I noticed a characteristic we shared – neither of us did a particularly good job of staying connected with our past. It was true of us as a couple, too, once we got married. In each stage of life, we’d have good friends, but when we moved to the next stage, we found it difficult to stay connected to the people to whom we’d earlier been close.”

• 10 Linkedin Tips for Professionals. “Despite the hype over Twitter and Facebook, Linkedin offers the greatest opportunity for professionals to make connections that lead to business.”

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Today’s music video is ‘You Needed Me’ from Anne Murray.

This video was posted to You Tube by happysun3000

There are some wonderful female voices out there, and Anne Murray can be ranked in with them. She is one of those legion of good singers to come out of Canada. She was the first Canadian to earn a Gold Record in the U.S. with her breakthrough single ‘Snowbird’ released in 1970, and she is credited as paving the way for female singers from Canada who followed, Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Sarah McLachlan, and k.d. lang to name just a few. Anne has won 4 Grammy Awards over her long career, and her soft vocals hit a spot not only with audiences, but also with those actually shelling out their hard earned for singles and albums. She has produced more than 30 studio albums in a career spanning  nearly 40 years. From those albums, 75 singles were lifted, and many of those made the mainstream charts, five of them in fact into Top Ten Positions, with one of them going to Number 1, while her hits on the U.S. Country Charts have been even more prolific with 26 in the Top Ten, and 10 of those going to Number 1, while in her home of Canada, even more of those went to the top.

Singers have their favourite songs and you might think that the one that brings you the most success would be the favourite, but Anne’s personal favourite song, ‘I Just Fall In Love Again’ only made Number 4 on the big Country charts, and she had numerous hits that did better than that.

This song ‘You Needed Me’ was that song that went to Number One on most mainstream charts around the World, and this was far and away her biggest hit. Written by Randy Goodrum in 1978, Anne sent it into the hearts of everyone who has ever heard this song, and if you don’t like this song, then don’t tell your partner. A wonderful song from a lady with a wonderful voice, her signature song.

Hoy desperté con esta canción en la cabeza. Es una de mis favoritas, me parece bellísima y me revuelve toda cuando la canto.

¡Qué la disfruten!

I just have one question: when did Anne Murray start kneading pussies?

NO PEOPLE LIKE SHOW PEOPLE: Talk about yer star-studded evenings. Ann Blyth, Connie Stevens, Shirley Jones, Debbie Reynolds, Ruta Lee and Nancy Sinatra are among the sparklies set to honour indefatigable

REDGRAVE: Tennessee tribute

entertainer Mickey Rooney at the Thalians Gala this Sunday in Hollywood. (Did you know that Mickey, who married eight times, has been wed to his current missus Jan Chamberlin for more than 30 years? That’s gotta be a Tinsel Town record in itself!) … the late Patrick Swayze will be among the honorees at America Dances, the 24th Anniversary Jubilee of Career Transition for Dancers. Headliners for Monday night’s event at New York’s City Center include four-time Emmy Award winner Valerie Harper and Tony Award winner Ann Reinking. For all the details, including who’s hoofing, click here … and Eli Wallach & Anne Jackson, Vanessa Redgrave, Marian Seldes, John Guare, Olympia Dukakis and John Patrick Shanley are among the marquee names set to participate in an

KASH: Harvest time

evening of poetry, theater, and reminiscences in honor of the induction of Tennessee Williams into The Cathedral of St. John the Divine Poets’ Corner next Thursday in Manhattan.

TRICK OR TREAT: Only three more chances to see dynamic duo Linda Kash and Paul O’Sullivan play multiple roles in Harvest. The Ken Cameron comedy is set to close Saturday night at Showplace Peterborough … the two-day Zoomer Show is set for this weekend at the Direct Energy Centre at the CNE … and the Royal Cinema on College Street celebrates the scary season tonight with a 7 pm Halloween Double

STROMBO: with Anne tonight

Bill: Zombies: When the Dead Walk, and The Houdini Code, two intriguing documentaries produced by Donna Zuckerbrot.

TOGETHER AGAIN: Your boyfriend George Stoumboulopoulos welcomes Anne Murray back to his red chairs tonight on The Hour to talk about her new autobiography All Of Me …  and speaking of autobiographies, recently I mentioned that I thought comedian Kathy Griffin’s new autobiography has the catchiest title of the fall literary season (yes, she  really did call her book Official Book Club Selection.)

MANDEL: Touche-pas!

But some close runners-up are now looming. Obsessively compulsive Howie Mandel calls his book Here’s the Deal: Don’t Touch Me. Paul Shaffer’s Letterman years memoir is called We’ll Be Here For The Rest Of Our Lives. Inside its pages, current headline-earner Andre Agassi is reportedly living up to the title of his tome, Open. And Don Cherry wants to make it as simple for us as possible, so he’s called his new collection of on-and-off-the-ice fables Don Cherry’s Hockey Stories And Stuff.

OUR TOWN: The 2009 International Diaspora Film Festival opens here Sunday with a wide range of unusual events. Highlights include David Amram’s

MURRAY: on The Hour tonight

evening of music and dance from the Middle East, At Home Around the World, on Tuesday 3 at Revival, and the Toronto premiere of filmmaker Teri McCluhan’s 2008 documentary on Badshah Khan, The Frontier Gandhi, on Wednesday at Innis Hall. For more info on Diaspora events, click here … dazzling dance demon Noam Gagnon returns to Toronto Nov. 6-7 in The Vision Impure, an evening of solos presented by DanceWorks as part of Harbourfront Centre’s NextSteps series at the Enwave Theatre … and the seventh annual Weekend To End Breast Cancer saw 4,615 participants raise a staggering $11.6 million for Princess Margaret Hospital’s ongoing mission to conquer cancer in our lifetime. Organizers will broaden the base next year with The Weekend To End Women’s Cancers, giving walkers an option to designate whether the money they raise goes to breast cancer or gynecologic cancers research, treatment and care. Expect a HUGE turnout.

-/-

TONIGHT, TONIGHT: Tonight marks the Canadian debut concert of the world-famous Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela led by

DUDAMELL: he's a rock star

superstar conductor Gustavo Dudamel, the new music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic — (60 Minutes called him “the hottest thing to hit classical music since Leonard Bernstein”) — at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Special highlight tonight will be the presentation of the Glenn Gould Prize to Dr. José Antonio Abreu, whose visionary music education and youth orchestra system, El Sistema, has transformed the lives of over a million at-risk children and youth in Venezuela. Tonight’s gala concert kicks off a week of performances, education and outreach activities to illuminate, stimulate and communicate the passion for music. For more info, just click here.

SHARPS ‘N’ FLATS: Strumming queen Liona Boyd wants it known that despite the title of her new CD, Liona Boyd Sings Songs Of Love, she has not,

MULDAUR: here Wednesday

repeat, NOT given up guitar. “I might not quite be the virtuoso player I used to be,” the ageless entertainer confides to her fans, “but I can still perform beautiful melodies and incorporate many different guitar techniques, as you’ll clearly hear on my CD.” However, she’s more than partial to vocalizing as well. “I love singing and I practice my songs around the house at every opportunity … one of the great advantages of living alone!” … three dozen albums and one Midnight At The Oasis later, Maria Muldaur returns to her jug band roots with an intimate concert Wednesday night at Hugh’s Room … after almost four years and sales of four million copies of her debut album, Corinne Bailey Rae’s second

AZNAVOUR: jazz roots

album, The Sea, is set for release in February …Geri Halliwell (a.k.a. Ginger Spice) is reportedly set to produce a new West End “pop extravaganza” which would tell the tale of the rise of The Spice Girls, the ‘90s English pop girl group who made a big-boxoffice reunion tour last year … attention Christmas shoppers: The much-anticipated, rumoured-to-be-breathtaking CD featuring Charles Aznavour performing some of his classics with the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra is due in local disc shops on Dec. 1 … A.M. on A.M.? You bet. You can hear AM740’s two-hour Anne Murray All of Me – the Radio Special at 1 pm today, on the radio or on the internet (in stereo) at www.am740.ca … the new Lighthouse CD/DVD

LIGHTHOUSE: new CD/DVD package

package, 40 Years Of Sunny Days, includes a new DVD of 16 recent Lighthouse videos in surround sound, commentary by band members,s a newly remastered CD of the most requested Lighthouse  classics and a 42 page booklet about the band … and call it a sign of the times, but Chris Colepaugh’s new album Burning –  a collection of live performances captured by his Cosmic Crew — is being released in digtal format only. To preview the new album, go to his website right here.

QUOTABLE QUOTES: “I’ve been through a lot of change in the 21 years I’ve been anchoring this program, and I can remember times we’ve switched the

MANSBRIDGE: let sleeping dogs lie?

theme music and our loyal viewers got really upset – some of them wrote to us explaining how their dogs used to fall asleep to the old theme music and now they’re barking like mad – so there’s no doubt there will be a few people who will initially be unsure of it.”

The speaker? Peter Mansbridge, in an interview with National Post reporter Vanessa Farquharson, commenting on the new-look changes we’ll see tonight on The National and CBC News.

TOMORROW:

Who gets to play Hef in the movie?

Jonathan Lord

Last week, my post on Jonathan Lord’s selection was taken down by someone hacking into my WordPress account. Very petty. It also raised hackles that I appeared to “forget” that there was an election for us to fight if he was to become the next MP for Woking. No, I haven’t forgotten that, hence my many, many posts on the next election. The point about elections, for those who haven’t forgotten that they are happening but have perhaps forgotten how to win them, is to convince as many people as possible that a candidate is the person who will best represent their views and interests.

I am confident that in Jonathan, we have a candidate who is experienced in campaigning, who is an excellent performer on the doorstep and who talks with people easily and fluently about the issues that concern them. Hence, I believe he will be the next MP for Woking – if you can’t say that about the candidate you are campaigning for, why on earth would you be campaigning for them?

Today I went to a very enjoyable lunch event at the house of Cllrs Michael Smith and Anne Murray, which was well-attended and at which Jonathan spoke eloquently and spontaneously about the challenges we face as a party and a country. It reminded me again of the reason that he was selected – at the Open Primary he captured the imagination and support of the hall and was a clear winner on the night.

His CV is impressive – he has been a deputy leader of Westminster City Council, one of the country foremost local authorities and ran Anne Milton’s successful campaign to re-capture Guildford in 2005. All the evidence based on recent electoral history told us that the Liberal Democrats should have held onto Guildford – but they didn’t because of Jonathan’s excellent campaign and those involved in it. In June, he was heavily involved in the Guildford county campaign where the Liberal Democrats were pushed out of two Guildford seats and a third, Worplesdon, was turned from a marginal into a safe seat.

He is a proven campaigner, a superb speaker and is excellent one-on-one with people. He is local – I know that won’t stop his opponents trying to place Guildford as 40 miles away instead of four – and he will become more so as the campaign progresses. We know that the Liberal Democrats are targetting Woking, having given up in Guildford not in small part due to Jonathan’s efforts. I don’t blame them – but we will be ready with a candidate who they are going to have to work harder than in Guildford and South West Surrey combined if they are to beat.

Today, the Horsell and Woodham branch that saw Ben Carasco elected in Horsell pledged it was 100% behind Jonathan Lord in Woking and I am confident that with a smart strategy and dedicated teamwork we will be able to put Woking out of reach of the Liberal Democrats. But whatever the result, it should be one hell of a campaign and I for one am looking forward to it.

TONIGHT, TONIGHT: Your boyfriend George Stroumboulopoulos kicks off his sixth season of The Hour tonight with an intimate hour-long interview

GEORGE: Sixth Season

with Michael J. Fox. Other sparklies about to get Georged: Andre Agassi, Michael Buble, Drew Barrymore, Michael Douglas, John Irving, Michael Moore, Anne Murray, Edward Norton, Clive Owen, and Snoop Dogg … earlier in the evening Little Mosque On The Prairie returns with a new edge when Brandon Firla (Billable Hours) plays a manipulative minister from the big city who is less than thrilled to find a bunch of Muslims as tenants in his church. Zaib Shaikh, Sitara Hewitt, Sheila McCarthy, Carlo Rota, Debra McGrath and Arlene Duncan continue to keep the pot boiling … also returning tonight: Just For Laughs, with a premiere

GOLDBERG: just for laughs?

episode from Montreal featuring Whoopi Goldberg, Jim Gaffigan, Louis C.K., Pete Zedlacher and Adam Hills. In addition to Zedlacher, Canuck showstoppers set to perform on the weekly series include Mike MacDonald, Deb DiGiovanni, Angelo Tsarouchas, Shaun Majumder, Martin Short, Jon Dore and Gerry Dee. So what’s not to like? … and Hot Docs is the co-presenter of tonight’s showing of Larry Towell’s Canada-Palestine co-production Indecisive Moments at the 2009 Toronto Palestine Film Festival, which continues through Friday. A personal video diary of Towell’s experiences in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, which he refers to as “the world’s largest open-air prison,” the film screens tonight at 7:00 pm at the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Jackman Hall, with filmmaker Towell in attendance. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, just click here.

BRIDGES: new John Wayne?

NO PEOPLE LIKE SHOW PEOPLE: Newcomer Christoph Waltz, the breakout star of Inglorious Basterds, is set to play the villain opposite Seth Rogen in The Green Hornet … Jeff Bridges is in talks to star in a Coen Brothers remake of the classic John Wayne western True Grit … Meryl Streep’s daughter, actress Mamie Gummer, has been cast in director John Carpenter‘s new thriller, The Ward … and watch and listen for songbird Dawn Langstroth on a channel near you. She’s set to stop by AM 740 today at 2 pm to perform selected songs from her new CD Highwire in the radio station lobby. And tomorrow morning she’ll serenade early-risers on Breakfast Television (BT Toronto, that is.) So stay tuned!

LORD OF THE FLIES: When Canadian comedy icon Rick Mercer flew to B.C. to kick off the new Spread The Net campaign at Simon Fraser University, SFU biologist Carl Lowenberger, challenged him to stick his arm in a cage filled with mosquitoes — and you know how Mercer responds to challenges.  You can see the results on tomorrow night’s premiere of The Rick Mercer Report. (And I won’t even mention the bit where Lowenberger dares him to stick his entire head in the cage.)

MERCER & LOWENBERGER: SFU research team?

Meanwhile, Mercer’s spoof of that weird Michael Ignatieff commercial, which will be revealed to television viewers on RMR tomorrow night, has already ricocheted around the word as a viral video. And yes, it’s funny. Funny enough for Ignatieff to instantly install it on his Facebook page (not to mention his Twittering about it.)

Still haven’t seen it?

Really?

So what was it like in the monastery?

Never mind. If you’re really sure that you really can’t wait ‘til tomorrow night, just click here.

TOMORROW:

More fun ‘n’ games. (Who knew?)

STARS IN OUR EYES: What a weekend for celebrity-spotting in Our Town.  In addition to Penelope Cruz, Colin Farrell, Jeff Bridges, Jason Bateman, Hugh Hefner, Drew Barrymore, Ewan McGregor (who walked the red

McGREGOR: took flight

carpet, then dashed to Pearson International to catch a flight) and too many more to mention here, Anne Murray hosted the stars receiving Walk Of Fame honours on Saturday night at the Four Seasons Centre. New sidewalk star owner Kim Cattrall, back in New York this morning shooting Sex And The City 2, also sparkled at George Christy’s 25^th annual filmfest family reunion at the Four Seasons, as did Michael Caine, Rachel Ward & Bryan Brown, Norman Jewison, Michael Sheen, Rex Reed, novelists Ron Base & Shinan Govani, Seamus O’Regan, Chaz & Roger Ebert, Ben Mulroney and An Education scene-stealer Carey Mulligan, who flew to Manhattan yesterday to start shooting Wall Street 2 with Michael

CATTRALL: Back to Manhattan

Douglas. A few blocks away at Il Fornello TIFF co-founder Bill Marshall & Sari Ruda hosted their annual All-Star Lunch for directors Fred Schepisi, Patricia Rozema and Don Shebib, satirist Rick Miller, filmfest veteran Tony Watt, columnist Martin Knelman, ex-Toronto mayors David Crombie & Art Eggleton and many more. Veteran filmfest programmer Hannah Fisher and producers Pierre Sarrazin & Suzette Couture were among the guests soaking up the sun and snacks at Tonya Lee Williams’ lively networking reception at The Pilot for her ReelWorld Indie Lounge. And producer Laszlo

CLOONEY: with Oprah

Barna and dozens of TIFF participants showed up to shmooze at the Canadian Film Centre soiree hosted by CFC chief Slawko Klymkiw at The Spoke Club.

Biggest crowd-pleasers of the weekend: George Clooney, who greeted cheering fans Friday night at the premiere of The Men Who Stare At Goats and then showed up with Oprah Winfrey on his arm for the Saturday screening of Jason Reitman’s crowd-pleasing Up In The Air. (My spies tell me Reitman’s Thank You For Smoking star Aaron Eckhart also was there. Who knew?) La Wnfrey herself drew thunderous applause last night at the premiere of Precious, as did Mariah Carey. But it was Michael Caine who earned the most affectionate TIFF standing ovations yesterday in his stellar Q&A session with Canada A.M. stalwart Seamus O’Regan.

TIFF TALK: TIFF visitor Tilda Swinton reportedly wants to star in a new screen version of Mame, more along the lines of stage & screen Mame Rosalind Russell than movie musical Mame Lucille Ball … popular music-makers Terri

SWINTON: new Mame?

Clark and Hawksley Workmen are among the entertainers appearing this week at the Hard Rock Café as part of the fifth annual TIFF-related Canadian Music Café …  Canuck luminaries ranging from Christopher Plummer, Norman Jewison and David Cronenberg to Margaret Atwood, Oscar Peterson and Louise Pitre are currently showcased in a new 30-year retrospective by photographer Edward Gajdel at the o born contemporary gallery on Yonge street … Bobby Del Rio is living the Actor’s Dream. He’s in every single scene of Mio Adilman’s short TIFF film Unlocked … and organizers of the Dubai International Film Festival pulled the plug on tonight’s planned Park Hyatt cocktail soiree. All in all, not Dubai’s best year for public relations. Maybe all the headline-grabbing fuss about the TIFF salute to Tel Aviv scared them off?

-/-

OUR TOWN: Still the biggest draw in the history of CBC Radio, Jian Ghomeshi and Q return for a new season this morning with special guest

DAMON: on 'Q' this morning

Matt Damon. Damon, in town for the TIFF screening of his new flick The Informant, has now been named the recipient of the American Cinemateque Award next March, following in the footsteps of previous honourees Julia Roberts and Samuel A. Jackson … French DJ David Guetta, who rocked the Guvernment on Sunday night, is scheduled to greet fans at MuchMusic today. His new CD One Love debuted here at #2 … don’t look for Tony Bennett at the opening of TIFF on Thursday. He’ll be serenading fans at Casino Rama …  sidewalk star owner Anne Murray returns to King Street this weekend to host Blue Rodeo, Kim Cattrall, Tom Cochrane, Howie Mandel and Robert Munsch, among

BENNETT: Barrie-bound

others, at the 12th annual Canada’s Walk of Fame Tribute … speaking of veteran music-makers, Loggins & Messina are set to play Fallsview Casino this coming Friday and Saturday nights. Slightly closer to home, The Smothers Brothers play Casino Rama on Friday followed by Black Crowes on Saturday … terminally gorgeous Cheryl Tiegs brightened Breakfast Television this morning in City TV’s new digs at Yonge-Dundas Square … keep wishing you could go on one of those sensational tours of Ontario wine country? Me too. Especially when I learned that more than 90 (!!) Ontario wines will be available for sampling next week at Taste Ontario, a one-night-only event at the Art Gallery Of Ontario: “Tour the best of wine country for only $45!” Hey, I’d love to! … but alas, it’s all sold out.

MS. SOMEBODY: We loved her work as a writer and director on Away From Her, but we must admit we’re really looking forward to seeing her on

POLLEY: on screen again in Mr Nobody

screen again. Sarah Polley, who seems to get better and better each time we see her, co-stars with Jared Leto, Diane Kruger and Linh-Dan Pham in Mr. Nobody, a new TIFF entry by much-admired Belgian director Jaco Van Dormael. Insiders whisper you should add it to your Must List right now … meanwhile Polley’s Oscar-nominated Away From Her leading lady, iconic British beauty Julie Christie, also co-stars in a new Special Presentation film: Glorious 39, from director Stephen Poliakoff … and TIFF-bound filmmaker Joe Dante, currently on jury duty at the Venice Film Festival, will wing his way

CHRISTIE: Polley protegee (AP)

here in time to introduce his new film The Hole as well as a special TIFF screening of the W.C. Fields classic It’s A Gift.

WILL ‘CATCH ME’ CATCH ON?: In the Good Ol’ Bad Ol’ Days, gentle reader, Hollywood took big Broadway musicals and turned them into lavish movie musicals. Now Broadway takes movies like Hairspray and Billy Elliott and turns them into lavish stage musicals. Latest casualty is Dolly Parton’s tuneful 9 to 5, which closed Saturday night. Newest pretender about to open on the Great White Way? The musical version of Catch Me If You Can, the hit Steven Spielberg drama with Leonardo DiCaprio as a compulsive but irresistible

DICAPRIO: with foxy flight attendants in Catch Me If You Can

impostor. Leo is not, I repeat, not repeating his role on Broadway. But with a book by Terrence McNally (The Full Monty) and music and lyrics by Hairspray duo Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman, the show is already creating some boxoffice sizzle.

Still to come in the new year: Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth in The Addams Family, and the $40 million musical extravaganza Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, directed by Julie Taymor.

TOMORROW:

new films for Leo,  Zach and Charlize — and 13 Essential directors

-/-

I’ve written before about how some of the lesser-known relatives of big stars have had nice careers of their own, even if not to the heights of their famous kin. Johnny Cash’s brother Tommy is one, and another would be Dave Loggins, whose famous cousin Kenny has certainly made a bigger splash, with countless hit songs and a couple of Grammy wins. But Dave has a few awards too, and something Kenny doesn’t — in addition to a big pop music hit, he’s also had a song rocket to the top of the country music charts.

In case you’ve forgotten, Dave Loggin’s pop hit was his 1974 mega-seller, “Please Come To Boston,” a song that seemed to be on the radio almost continuously at that time. The Tennessee-born singer wrote the song too, and in the years since it’s been recorded by everybody from Joan Baez to country singers like Tammy Wynette, Glenn Campbell and Willie Nelson.

Songwriting has always been one of Loggin’s strengths, and he’s furnished a lot of good music to other stars. Three Dog Night’s “Pieces Of April” was one of his, and a lot of country singers have loved his songs too. Wynonna Judd, Toby Keith, Reba McEntire and others have recorded his music, and Kenny Rogers had a number-one hit with his “Morning Desire.”

Ironically, Loggins didn’t write the song that ended up being his own top country hit, and he also had a little luck in his choice of a singing partner. His 1984 duet with Anne Murray on the love song, “Nobody Loves Me Like You Do,” (video below) proved to be a winner — not only with fans, but also by taking home numerous awards.

In 1995 Loggins was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, continuing to prove that the Loggins family is one talented clan.

With your hosts The Bummin Cousins Peter A. Clay and Jim Reid.

Click here to listen or right click to download.

In this episode:

Enjoy!

Today is Canada Day which, besides being a paid stat holiday, is a day to celebrate our great nation and its contributions to the world and whathaveyou. I myself am a proud Canadian, but as this blog’s purview mainly involves mocking compromised music made by stooges to the system, a post on lame-ass Canadian musicians seems to be in order.

I have previously written posts ridiculing many crappy Canadian “artists”, including Nickelback, A Simple Plan, Hedley and Karl Wolf. Of course, there are many good bands from Canada as well, but certainly many of our most well-known are also our most embarrassing.

Test your knowledge of crappy Canadian music and qualify to win a prize with the following Canada Day quiz:

Canada Day Music Quiz

What do Bryan Adams, Michael Buble and Anne Murray all have in common?

a) They are all from North Battleford, Saskatchewan

b) They are all managed by Bruce Allen

c) They all lost huge sums of money in Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme

d) They all suck

If you chose answer choices b or d, *congratulations—you have won a six pack of warm Molson Canadian to enjoy on Canada Day! (*disclaimer—World-Class Shitty readers, members of their families, their friends, acquaintances, c0-workers and pets are ineligible to win).

Allen: "Rictus grin? Check! Orange shirt matches huge, pumpkin-hued head? Check!"

That’s right—Adams, Buble and Murray are all managed by immigrant-baiting gas-bag Bruce Allen. If the Canadian music industry were a filthy fast food restaurant, Allen would be its obnoxious and ill-mannered shift manager. It’s not, however, that Allen only wants to work with musicians who release MOR snooze-fests, it just seems that musicians who actually make worthwhile music don’t want to work with him. In his excellent autobiography, I, Shithead, Joe Keithley writes about a time when Allen wanted to discuss a management deal with D.O.A. The band was waiting for Allen in his office and when he entered the first words out of his mouth were, “Okay boys, how much money are you going to make me?”

Another Canadian band managed by Allen is 80’s rockers Loverboy. Although these days you can see them play the Legion in Bremerton, Washington, they had a big hit record back in 1981 with Get Lucky. Ironically, the only way you could count yourself as “lucky” when that record was all over the shitty local radio stations was if you had contracted a case of rubella severe enough to cause deafness.

Loverboy as they look today: While it's true that a good pair of leather pants never goes out of style, apparently Mike Reno no longer needs to wear a headband to keep the bald out of his eyes

I’d like to wish everyone a happy and safe Canada Day and, as a respite from all the lame Canadian musicians mentioned in today’s post, leave you with this video of Burnaby, BC’s D.O.A.

Chart Position: 33

• From the film Urban Cowboy
• Written by Wayland Holyfield and Bob House

Well I watched on Monday night with baited breath hoping above hope that they would say they were going to work it out, they were going to try.  That he had never given her a chance, that he had not communicated with her for the last five years.  He has sat back and been passive and allowed her to increasingly take control and manage every aspect of everything.  That he was not going to fault her for this when he didn’t play and equal role in their relationship and speak up and tell her that it was not how he wanted to live.  But….  Alas….  No such announcement.  The annoucement was that after 10 years the Gosselins are dissolving their marriage.  He is all smiles and cocky and ready for a new chapter.  She is devistated because she didn’t see it coming.  He never gave her a clue there was a problem until he just wanted out.  I have watched the show since the beginning and remember from the beginning that her greatest fear was that he would leave her with the kids and well, it has come true.  I cried with her on Monday night.  I don’t know how she keeps it together.  I completely understand what she says about allowing herself to have a melt down.  I think she is the strongest person I have seen to be able to keep smiling for her kids!  I don’t care what anyone says about her, she is a good mother.  She loves her kids!  Everything she does is for them.  They have everything they need and some they really don’t but they are all looked after and very lovely.  Now I think they should be left alone to work this out.  Get used to their new lives and show the world that single parenting is possible!  Best wishes Kate! 

I love the movie The Fox and the Hound!  It is my fave. Disney movie.  I don’t know why but I looked these scenes up the other day and ended up crying!  Hmmmm!  Silly but really the message and the look on their little faces how can you not feel sorry for them?

I also found these songs by Anne Murray which happen to be two of my faves and well the videos are just slides of animal babies so I love them too! 

Anne Murray nació en un pueblo minero de carbón, Spring Hill, en Canadá, el 20-6-1946, y fue la única chica en una familia de 6 hermanos.

Cuando comenzó a cantar, la música country no se encontraba entre sus preferencias. Fue Brian Ahern, el cual hizo de manager de Anne, cuando esta tenía 23 años, quien hizo posible sus diez primeros álbumes. Por cierto, Ahern más tarde llegó a ser un conocido productor en Nashville y se convirtió en el primer esposo de Emmylou Harris.

El primer álbum de Anne fue “Snowbird”, con 6 canciones. Le siguió “This Way Is My Way” y después “Honky Wheat & Laughter”, para el mercado canadiense. Posteriormente, en 1970, reeditó Snowbird en USA y el sencillo que daba título al álbum fue un gran hit, proporcionándole el primer disco de oro para una vocalista femenina canadiense llegando al nº 10 en las listas de country.

Sin embargo, no llegó a considerarse asimisma como una cantante country, y en eso estaba en lo cierto. Ni siquiera pensaba que esa canción lo era. Siempre se consideró una artista más versátil.

Lo cierto es que Anne tuvo muchísimo más éxito en el country que en el pop. En las listas de country llegó a tener diez canciones alcanzando el nº 1. Su voz dulce y cristalina, sin duda era  apropiada para la música country, aunque lógicamente, carecía del típico acento sureño y su primer top lo consiguió en el año 1974 con “He Thinks I Still Care”, una extraordinaria canción, compuesta por Dickey Lee, con la cual anteriormente, en 1962, también consiguió llegar al nº 1 George Jones, (pero, naturalmente, comenzando con “She” en lugar de “He”) en una versión absolutamente magistral e insuperable del “possum”.

Tuvo un reconocido éxito con una magnífica canción (que después se oía en las bodas para que los novios abriesen el baile), llamada Could I Have This Dance, y que también fue interpretada en la película “Urban Cowboy”, protagonizada por John Travolta, la cual se desarrolla casi en su totalidad en el que fue famosísimo dance hall llamado Gilley’s, en Pasadena, a las afueras de Houston, un local que perteneció precisamente a Mickey Gilley y donde también aparece Johnny Lee, cantando su gran éxito “Looking For Love”

Casi podría decirse que se “especializó” interpretando canciones muy amorosas, como por ejemplo “You’re A Part Of Me”, una composición de Kim Carnes, quien ella misma también grabó con Gene Cotton. Excelente canción que, sin embargo no tuvo reconocimiento alguno en las listas de éxitos.

Todos los cantantes tienen una canción básica en su carrera. En el caso de Anne no fue Snowbird, sino una composición de Randy Goodrum, llamada “You Needed Me”. Se trata de un tema universal, poético y maravilloso. La combinación de música y letra está muy cerca de la perfección. Esta canción llego al nº 4 en las listas del año 1978 y al nº 1 en las de pop.

Inmediatamente después, en 1979 también alcanzó su segundo nº 1 con I Jus Fall In Love Again, y le siguieron otros primeros puestos con Shadows In The Moonlight y Broken Hearted Me y continuaron sus éxitos en la década de los 80 con Could I Have This Dance, Nobody Loves Me Like You Do, Just Another Woman In Love, etc, etc.

Anne, a partir de 1990 quiso que su carrera tomara otro rumbo, y comenzó a cantar otro tipo de música, aunque eso no quería decir que abandonase completamente el country. Pero nunca volvió a encontrarse con el éxito, al menos como los que tuvo en los años 80. De cualquier forma, quedan para la historia y nuestro deleite.

Escuchemos esta emocionante y maravillosa canción, You Needed Me, que en la voz de esta canadiense, su sencillez y su impecable entonación, supone todo un hermoso regalo, especialmente para aquellos que no la conocían. (1556)

BIG NEWS EPISODE 312: “7800 Weekends at Bernie’s”

Starring Kipleigh Brown, Nick Bush, Sean Cowhig, Bailee DesRocher, Rachael Drummond, Neil Garguilo, Matthew Harris, Gregg Lopez, Artemis Pebdani, Ray Stakenas and Phillip Wilburn

Special Guest: Matt Champagne

Directed by Michael Hughes

1. YOU’RE GOOD by Gregg Lopez
Bernie (Gregg), Ira (Phillip), Mark (Matt), Judge Chin (Ray), Victim #1 (Bailee), Victim #2 (Artemis), Other Victims (Nick, Kipleigh, Sean, Neil, Rachael)

2. VIDEO: SESAME STREET by Phillip Wilburn

3. LET’S MAKE A NEW DEAL by Joanna Quraishi, Jeff Cosgrave and Michael Hughes
Barack Obama (Matt), Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (Bailee), Hillary Clinton (Rachael)

4. THERE’S ONLY ONE RUSH by Peter Soby Jr.
Geddy (Gregg), Neil (Sean), Corey (Neil), Anne (Artemis)

5. STAND BY YOUR PLAN by Matt Moore
Viacom (Rachael), Nickelodeon (Nick)

6. JUICE IS FOR CLOSERS by Ben Boodman
Mr. Blake (Phillip), Student #1 (Ray), Student #2 (Sean), Student #3 (Kipleigh), Student #4 (Artemis)

7. SEE NO EVIL by Julia Gaudette
Tim (Neil), Samantha (Bailee), Random Man (Matt)

8. BO VINE: BIO CLASS by Tom Repetto
Announcer (Phillip), Bo (Ray), Mrs. Willis (Kipleigh), Donny (Neil), Jake (Matt), Timmy (Nick), Billy (Gregg), Carolyn (Artemis), Sheila (Rachael)

9. MARCHTRAX by Matt Blitz
Doctor (Kipleigh), Patient (Gregg), Announcer (Ray)

10. K-FED IN CHARGE by Scott Garner
Announcer (Phillip), K-Fed (Sean), Pookie (Neil), Coach (Nick)

11. SPECIAL GUEST: Matt Champagne
Intro (Bailee)

12. BIG NEWS REPORT by Boggs, Carlow, Cosgrave, Dorsey, Drummond, Eilenberger, Faga, Fisher, Gulas, Hughes, Isao, Kalkin, King, Manser, McClain, Orvedahl, Paulas, Reber, Saliman Reingold, Repetto, Rosen, Quraishi, Scheer, Simm, Tippler, Weitz and West
Phillip/Artemis/Bailee/Rachael et al.

MEET MR. GORGEOUS: We don’t know him over here, but Nia Vardalos’ leading man in My Life In Ruins, Alexis Georgoulis, is apparently the George Clooney of Greece. After audience reaction to him at the first sneak previews,

VARDALOS & GEORGOULIS: Mr. Gorgeous?

 the U.S. press has started calling him Alex Gorgeous. “Which I think is apropos,” Vardalos told wowOwow web writer Kristin Fritz. “One reviewer said, because apparently I have an every-woman look, and I have this gorgeous, Greek god as my male lead, the reviewer basically said, ‘Who do you think you are?’ And I’m like, umm, hi. No one. I’m just an every-woman. And in the same way that Seth Rogen gets Katherine Heigl in Knocked Up, and Paul Giamatti gets Virginia Madsen in Sideways, yes, my character gets the Greek god in this one.”

QUOTABLE QUOTES: “At a very young age I learned from my parents to have respect for all people no matter what race, religion or station in life. Respect takes on many forms. Respect is being on time: your time is no more important than others. Respect is being prepared: people are relying on you. Respect is treating everyone with dignity. The janitor, the gardener, the CEO should all be acknowledged and appreciated for the jobs they do. My father taught me to always stand up when being introduced to someone. When you shake his hand, look him in the eye. Take time; remember his name; make him feel special.”

MURRAY: wise words

The speaker? Supersongstress Anne Murray, to graduating students at the  University of Prince Edward Island. Murray, whose hit Music Of My Life special encored last weekend on CBC Television, is currently putting the final touches on her memoirs for October publication. But she’ll still be spending most of the summer in Nova Scotia and looks forward to greeting her legions of fans on July 25 for 20th anniversary celebrations of the Anne Murray Centre in Springhill.

EVERY LITTLE MOVEMENT:  New showbiz sport is trying to spot Twitterbugs at major theatrical openings. Did you notice that Jane Fonda was all a-Twitter at the Tony Awards two nights ago? Fonda has just returned from a trip

FONDA: Tony Twitterer

to the Galapagos with a group that included Angela Lansbury’s nephew David Lansbury. When David’s aunt won her fifth Tony, as Best Featured Actress for Blithe Spirit, Fonda noted, “as usual, she was graciousness incarnate.”  But she admitted she was as surprised as we were when Next To Normal “won best new score, beating Elton and Dolly. I haven’t seen it — yet.” Fonda and her fellow nominees were also enlisted as impromptu extras: “We’ve just all been handed throw-away lighters, I guess to light up during an upcoming Rock of Ages number,” she reported.  When the cast of Hair danced into the orchestra seats, she said, one of them landed in the lap of her pal and fellow nominee Janet McTeer. “This number from Hair really makes me wanna see it,” she added. After she lost the best actress prize to Marcia Gay Harden, Fonda was still sanguine. “For me it felt like a prize just getting to this. Janet McTeer and I will now go have some vodkas with impunity.” And after Hair won Best Musical Revival, Fonda footnoted, “I swear, half the audience is up there to accept the Tony!”

SPACEY: Tony talk

Yeah, there did seem to be a lot of that going on. Meanwhile, unless you were in a musical, you could hardly get arrested on this year’s unfortunate televised event. Mind you, Poison rocker Bret Michael came pretty close when he got bonked by the descending backdrop and ended up with a broken nose. Quipped Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody: “I’m concerned about Bret Michaels’ fractured nose. An acute sense of smell is essential to his dating process.” Meanwhile, stage & screen lion Kevin Spacey told New York Post scribe Michael Riedel he thinks the Tonys should be taken over by PBS, directed by Broadway veteran Mike Nichols and given the formality and inclusiveness that the theater deserves.

Dunno who would pick up the tab, but it sounds like a darn good idea to me.  

-/-