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Thursday, December 31, 2009

Another New Year's Eve

Wanted to get some thoughts and good wishes out before Pete and I have our private New Year's celebration.

From the Day Late and a Dollar Short Files: anyone else think that "Keep Each Other Warm" would have fit right in at the Christmas shows in Palm Springs and Chicago? There's always next year.

Our household is grateful for a good year. Not because everything was perfect but because we could see the good in whatever happened.

No saying goodbye to the old year via "moon shine". The neighbors won't know what they're missing.

Barry (and everyone else at Stiletto) congrats on an incredible run at the Hilton and thanks especially for the shows I got to see. Break a leg at the new venue. Try to get some rest in between recording sessions and promotional appearances for the new CDs. (We're still going to get Fifteen Minutes, right? I mean the CD, not your PR guy's book! ;-) )

Just when I think that there won't be any more Barry fun for me, something works itself out. So we'll see if a trip to the new show at the Paris happens. It's a night that feels like anything is possible.

Pete and I are settling in with the bottle of Dom Perignon that he promised me after TNLF was born. (1999 - supposedly a good year according to the dude in the wine shop. Not that Dom is ever made in a bad year!)

I hope everyone stopping by tonight has a wonderful 2010 and feels as happy as our family does tonight.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Counting Blessings

My first few moments of relative peace in about 10 days started.... now!

All that happiness and preparation and scheduling and getting stuff done doesn't give you the time to reflect on what you have.

Fortunately, it didn't take more than a few moments to notice peace in the whirlwind.

During one of the rare days this month that was both warm and dry, I shooed the kids out of the house to burn off energy, even though my energy was long gone. Among the dormant shrubbery were a few azaleas and wild honeysuckle in bloom.

On a morning when I don't think I'll make it through the day with the kids cooped up and cold rain outside, an extended family of eastern bluebirds lines up at the bird feeder like a smorgasboard.

I had new music for my iPod. It had been quite a while since I explored anything new. I noticed that most of it came from acts who either worked with Barry or opened for him. Usually opening acts are something to endure but I became a fan of Dave Koz, Brian Culbertson, and Straight No Chaser because of those connections.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo are coming to Georgia Tech in January. It's been forever since I've seen these guys live and now they're in my back yard. (I hope they do Pas de Quatre!)

Ditto Straight No Chaser. I missed their last visit to Center Stage Atlanta in November but April 2010 will be a different story.

Had a pre-holidays visit with MIL and SIL. This one was important. Pete lost his eldest sister soon after TNLF was born. Those relationships can't be the same anymore so we took some time to rebuild them from the ground up. That was a good week.

This year we were able to contribute to every charity request we came across. Not just bell-ringers for the Salvation Army either. The local police force collected toys and brought the entire community together to serve each other - haves and have-nots alike.

One I'll always remember: a team effort between our church and the county foster care services. The congregation was asked to sponsor foster children who otherwise wouldn't get any presents. Ours was an 8 year old boy, the eldest of three siblings, who only wanted a skateboard and a new coat. How can anyone NOT fulfill that kind of request?? I hope he liked them.

At home this was our first Christmas where TOLF was old enough to understand and participate in what was going on. She's still afraid of Santa Claus, although she wanted him to bring her presents. Even going so far as to make various crafts with paper and glitter and crayons as gifts. But in person, she much preferred the Coca-Cola Polar Bear and the Pink Pig. (You have to be near the ATL to understand that last one.)

The kids are finally in bed and Pete and I can finish leaving "Santa's" calling card: a pile of presents and a half-eaten gingerbread house. I got to write Santa's thank you note. TOLF really believed Santa was there. Her little sister was just bouncing because something exciting was going on. She's a baby, not an idiot, she knows how to have fun.

Finally - I don't have to do laundry this week! The greatest gift of all!

I hope everyone's Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year/whatever you're celebrating was as peaceful in your own way as was mine. I know that some other fans out there have times that are more stressful. I dish out some harsh criticism on this blog when somebody starts acting weird. I won't apologize for what I think of that. But at the same time if I see that someone's truly struggling, know that when I read your story you'll be in my thoughts and prayers, always.

Barry, I hope you got some serious R&R and that your time off was had without papparazzi or other public demands on your private time.

Back to the family. I'll come up for air again some time after January 1.

Happy New Year, everybody!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Stone Soup

This is what happens when you have a lot of people getting together and contributing some of what they have to a larger whole. This is why there is no such thing as a contribution that is "too small".
Congrats to everyone involved with Barry's shows at the McCallum. You did some great things there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

BARRY MANILOW RAISES NEARLY HALF MILLION IN FUNDS FOR LOCAL PALM SPRINGS CHARITIES WITH SPECIAL HOLIDAY CONCERT SERIES

Palm Springs, CA (December 15, 2009)—Pop culture icon and music legend Barry Manilow, together with the Manilow Fund for Health and Hope, raised $464,750 in much needed funds from “A Gift of Love…,” the five-night holiday concert series that Manilow performed at the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, CA. The concert series, which ran December 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th and 9th, honored 25 local charities in Palm Springs, California, the singer’s hometown—each night benefiting five of the beneficiary charities. Manilow performed his hit songs in addition to special holiday songs featured on his new Christmas album, “In the Swing of Christmas,” released October 13th, 2009 and previous holiday releases, “Because It’s Christmas” and “A Christmas Gift of Love.”

“At this time of the year, I couldn’t be happier to give back to this community that I love so much,” states Manilow.

He recently performed his first ever solo concert at the Hollywood Bowl on October 24th, 2009–where, in association with the Manilow Music Project and the Grammy Foundation, he raised a donation of $100,000 in musical instruments for the LAUSD. An avid philanthropist, earlier this year Manilow donated $500,000 in musical instruments to schools in the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley area which with this latest charitable donation takes his efforts over one million.

The legendary entertainer is also currently recording his next album, “The Greatest Love Songs of All Time,” which will be released January 26th, 2010 in time for Valentine’s Day. He will next making music and magic at Paris Las Vegas with a new resident show. On March 5, 2010 Manilow will throw open the doors to the Paris Théâtre at Paris Las Vegas with a re-imagined stage show that will be both more intimate and more exciting than ever before.

With worldwide record sales exceeding 80 million, Barry Manilow is ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time, according to R&R (Radio & Records); with no less than 25 consecutive top 40 hits to his credit between 1975 and 1983, on the Billboard Hot 100. Manilow has worked on over 40 albums over the course of his career as a singer, songwriter, arranger and producer.

“A Gift of Love..” Beneficiary Charities: The Palm Springs-based charities benefiting from Barry Manilow’s “A Gift of Love…” holiday concert include: ACT for MS – Palm Desert, Angel View Crippled Children’s Foundation, Animal Samaritans, Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS of the Desert), Boys & Girls Club of the Coachella Valley, Desert AIDS Project, Desert Arc, Desert Samaritans for the Elderly, Desert Paws, FIND Food Bank, Inc., Gilda’s Club Desert Cities California, Guide Dogs of the Desert, Healthy Family Foundation: The Ophelia Project, Joslyn Senior Center, Mourning Star Center, Olive Crest, One Heartland, Pegasus Riding Academy for the Handicapped, Shelter From The Storm, Stroke Recovery Center, Temple Isaiah Fund, The Living Desert, United Cerebral Palsy – Inland Empire, and Variety Club of the Desert. For information on which night the aforementioned charities were be honored, please visit http://www.starz.bz/agiftoflove/


About The Manilow Fund for Health and Hope: The Manilow Fund for Health & Hope is a nonprofit organization that was created by Barry Manilow to support local, grassroots organizations that promote education, health and care. The fund donates to organizations that focus on cancer, AIDS, children’s issues, victims of abuse, the homeless and music education.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Barry on NBC Nightly News

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

He got his album promotion on NBC News as a news story.

Bragman gets a bonus for this one.

Update 12/11/2009:
Jay, there's a reason why your ratings are tanking. You couldn't shoehorn in a few minutes to actually TALK to Barry about his work?