Some Bar by the Harbor

The latest hotline:

"Dear Friends

To celebrate the BMIFC Convention during the weekend of May
22-24, and as a personal thank-you from me to you, I've put together a segment
of songs from my beloved "Here At The Mayflower" album that I'll be performing
during those shows. This segment will include songs we've never done.

I hope everyone that has supported the"Mayflower" CD makes sure that they're at
the Hilton for that weekend. I think it will be a very exciting and special group of shows

See you there-
Barry"

So if you're going to the Convention, you're in for a treat that some of us have only dreamt about. I passed the 28-week milestone so long-distance travel is out. Doctors' orders. I even have a note. Rats.

OK, so what does "segment" mean? Three songs? Five? Medley? Full-length? I'm going to be camped out on the Network to find out. IMHO, there's no need for a medley, especially since some of these songs will be new to performance. I about died when I heard about "The Night That Tito Played" being included in a recent show. That song curls my toes every time. It would be a PERFECT "dance girl" number, should the spirit move Barry to put that element back in the show. The heat on that is right up there with "Let Me Go" from This One's For You. If I got to dance w/ him to "Tito" you'd have to sop me up with a sponge.

More songs I would drool for: "Talk to Me", "Turn the Radio Up", "Some Bar by the Harbor". I love "Say Goodbye" but that would be better suited for a nightclub-type venue. Ditto "Shadowman". I can't imagine him not including "I'm Comin' Back". Can you imagine what Kye and the girls would do in the background to "Freddie Said"??? And how about some of the bonus songs from the Holy Grail extras CDs that are floating around? Some of those maybe could be put into a medley but the above songs - Barry, leave 'em alone. You did them right the first time.

One final editorial before I wish all of the convention-goers well while gritting my teeth in envy:
Every once in a while, in addition to Barry doing a Q&A session, he might walk through the party. At least that's what he did for the holiday bash.

If you folks are fortunate enough for that kind of visit, don't jump on him when he walks in the door. Or grab his ass. Or bite his ear. Or whatever else your buddies are daring you to do after a few extra trips to the bar. How many times over the decades has Barry said it scares him to death when people get that excited? Would YOU like it if someone jumped on you all of a sudden? No? Then why do it to him? Food for thought - you might actually get more "visit" time in the room if his bodyguards don't have to work so hard.

So ends the preaching. Except to say: WE WANT DETAILS!!! Us poor slobs stuck at home are living vicariously through you so post early and post often!!!

Miracles Never Cease (Stupidity Follow Up)

Remember how I said that the judges didn't even bother to apologize to Susan Boyle for prejudging her before her audition?

Well, looks like a miracle happened after all:

"I'm sorry, because we did not give you anything like the respect we should have
done when you first came out."

Quote from Piers Morgan here:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/04/17/susan.boyle.lkl/index.html

I'd like to think that common decency is not a rarity in entertainment. But I still wonder: with calls from Larry King and Oprah is the "exposure" she is getting from the talk show circuit a real celebration of her talent, with legitimate doors open in the future, or just exploitation for the profit of those with the ability to use her?

Things that make you go hmmmmmmm........

BTW - check the CNN link: she performs "My Heart Will Go On" on Larry King.

Why It's Stupid to Pre-Judge Talent on Appearance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Click the link. Trust me.

This video (this copy alone) has gotten over 10 million hits worldwide since being posted about 4 days ago. Sorry I can't embed it - YouTube would crash.

Susan Boyle put on her sunday best and auditioned for Britain's Got Talent. No wardrobe consultants. No makeup artists. No $500 hair styling with extensions and avant garde dye job. No lying about her age - she makes no bones about being 47. No pretentious, self-important bragging or mugging for the cameras.

Watch her as she comes out on stage. The judges are bracing themselves to tolerate a performance that was amateurish at best, a sad joke at worst. Piers is gritting his teeth. Simon is mentally sifting through his insult archive looking for just the right words to fling. Watch the audience as she answers the judges' questions - especially the chickieboos wrinkling their noses, shaking their heads, and rolling their eyes. Surely she's going to bomb. She's fooling herself. After all, she doesn't LOOK talented.

Right?

Just click the link and play...... "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables.

This kind of alto belongs on stage at Avery Fisher Hall. To hell with the talent shows, get this woman an audition at the Met! At least that's what Simon would have thought had he not been forgetting to close his mouth and barely realizing that he peed himself. Piers was close to crying. Whether it was the song that was performed so beautifully, or because he had more egg on his face than after a food fight on Animal House, you can't really tell. The audience - including the eye-rolling chickieboos - was on their feet. And I'll bet no one was telling THEM to sit down because they couldn't see!

Notice the judges' comments at the end too. They talk about how suprised they were at her performance and how their approval is the most enthusiastic they've ever given.

But the one thing they don't do is apologize for their pre-judgement.

Three little words: "I was wrong." But they're the hardest ones to say. Probably because anyone who thinks they should say them is afraid of not being forgiven; of being too vulnerable.

Look, I like a visually appealing performance too - butt grinding, crotch grabbing, the costumes, and everything else you process before the music. But without the music and the sheer talent behind it, all the window dressing is so much landfill.

What else are we missing because we can't see - or refuse to look - behind the appearance?

Daybreak

Glitter Graphics - GlitterLive.com

Have a great weekend, everybody!

I just placed my order for the new "Live at the Greek" DVD - Barry's performance on HBO from 1978. So it looks like I'll have something new to write about soon. (Hey, it's new to me!)

There might even be a new spoof lyric in the works. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha.....!

MUAH!!!