Blondie "Mother"

Debbie Harry is an institution! She and the boys have a new song, "Mother", which is impossibly catchy. Debbie sounds great. Looks great, rocking the thigh-high boots. And her boobs look spectacular.

Only downside? The video is stupid. Zombies? Really?

Die Walküre

Went to see the Met production, live and in HD -- Next-best-thing to being there.

In grand opera the drama is extraordinarily high. Characters don't just fall in love; they fall so hard that the heavens will not be able to contain their joy. They don't just get sad; they become so over-wrought with pain and despair that the world will end and death is the only answer.

Ridiculous, sublime, and never boring (ok, a little in Act 1), Die Walküre was a 5-hour marathon of a wild story, gorgeous music and singing, awe-inspiring sets and costumes, and my boyfriend, Bryn Terfel, in the lead as Wotan. Oh, and a gaggle of Valkyrie warrior sisters wearing horns!

While I don't consider myself a Ring Nut, it was a terrific way to spend a Saturday. Here's a clip from Act II (that's Bryn as Wotan and Deborah Voight as Brünnhilde, his daughter).

I Want To Sing in French

I want to sing in French
To eat rich sauces made with goose fat
Pretend I belong, but enjoy being mocked
Ask for a coffee, but get a baguette instead
Smoke cigarettes - outside
Buy a shirt I can't afford (doesn't fit either)
To be somewhere elegant,
Not for a lifetime
Just for a moment

I Dreamt I Was In Marching Band Again

I dreamt I was in marching band again, but I'm the age I am now.

We were playing the theme to "CBS Sports Spectacular" circa 1979. I had it memorized, but my chops wore out.

Steve Carell was the band director.

Hmm... musta been the crack I smoked before bed.

Audra McDonald at Carnegie Hall

In a New York Times review of the 120th Anniversary of Carnegie Hall Concert, my darling Audra gets some nice notices (luckily PBS will televise the concert!):

After intermission Audra McDonald, looking and sounding radiant, sang four works by Duke Ellington. In “Solitude,” Ms. McDonald blended luscious singing with disarmingly direct sentiment. Her wistful way with “Sophisticated Lady” was also haunting. I especially loved her dreamy performance of “On a Turquoise Cloud,” a vocalise in which the singer’s “ah” sounds are cushioned by Ellington’s plangent harmonies in the orchestra. Ms. McDonald ended with “It Don’t Mean a Thing (if It Ain’t Got That Swing),” a demonstration of how swing in the Ellington sense should be lithe and rhythmic, yet relaxed and easy.

Coffee Tastes Better

Coffee tastes better when you’re not waiting for someone
When you’re not checking the time
Not wondering if anyone will show up
Or trying to look busy and not sad
Just alone and silent

Comic of the Week