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Donna Summer: She could sing anything,
anywhere, with anyone, at any time.
[MAR 9] Happy Sunday everyone!
Did you all survive the time change this morning? (Well, those of you had to
switch to Daylight Savings Time...)
[MAR 9] Let's start with the mural
the kids in Boston are making at Donna's old high school. They are
still trying to raise
money for the project, and with only 26 days left to raise money, they
still need just about $4000. They have various perks available for different
contribution amounts, but really - you can toss in as little as $1 if that's
all you can spare. It's just important that the kids make their goal so that
the mural can be completed! :-)
[MAR 9] The other night a
concert was taped at the White House honoring the Women Of Soul. (It will be
broadcast on PBS starting April 7 as "In Performance At The White
House: Women Of Soul" - check your local listings.) They had a bunch of
cool people there like Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, Jill Scott, Melissa
Etheridge, and a young lady named Tessane Chin who did a really good cover
of Last Dance.
I believe she may be one of us! ;-)
[MAR 9] Bruce Sudano fans:
Catch him live at Genghis Cohen in LA on March 21. And if you need a little
something to tide you over until then... check out this NEW song called No
Surprise that Bruce put up on his Soundcloud this weekend.
[MAR 9] Johnnyswim fans: Keep
an eye on this page
on NPR.org. The pair are performing tonight for a special event for
Generation Listen and video highlights will be posted there when they are
available. Also, Broadwayworld.com
has an article to promote the upcoming album, Diamonds, and
the tour that goes along with it.
[MAR 9] I think that brings us
to YouTube. First up is the video for Fame
The Game, then there is the Queens
Of Pop special, the ENTIRE Hot
Summer Night With Donna special, and Donna with Joss Stone on Try
A Little Tenderness.
[MAR 9] And finally - if you
have a dollar or two left after donating to Donna's mural, I am about half
way to my goal of $2012 for the MS
Walk this year. If I hit that, I have someone who will be happy to toss
me another $517. My walk is on $517 at Jones Beach and I will be
thinking of every Donna concert I've ever seen there. Any little bit you can
throw in is greatly appreciated. :-)
[MAR 1] Well, it's March 1 so
you guys know what that means... time for a new Summer
Fever Pick. This month it's Live & More Encore.
I expect you all to spend the month saying things like "Sorry
Rod", and "unplucked section." :-) What are you
laughing at? It works for Barbra...
[MAR 1] I know we have
some remix fans out there. If you have ever wondered how a remixer works his
or her magic on a song, check out this
video about the making of the Hot Chip mix of Sunset People.
[MAR 1] The blog, My
Fabulous Disease, has reposted a very nice tribute to Donna that was
originally published in May 2012. If you missed it back then, go read it
now. And if you did see it then, go back and reread it.
[MAR 1] In the Donna is
everywhere category, Pop
Matters has an article on Kylie Minogue and Madonna that talks about how
their music carries on where Donna left off in the early 80s. (The article
is actually much better than I just made it sound. LOL)
[MAR 1] Bruce Sudano fans:
catch him at Genghis Cohen on LA on Friday March 21 at 8:30. Be there!
Also, Bruce has released his new video for Neighborhood
Of My Dreams - shot in his old Brooklyn stomping ground.
[MAR 1] Johnnyswim fans: Their
episode of Live From Daryl's House is streaming now on VH1.com.
For those of you wondering about the name "Johnnyswim"... well,
the pair has yet another story on where they got the name. ;-)
[MAR 1] If you need a little
more Johnnyswim, check out their interview on QCTimes.com.
[MAR 1] I think that brings us
to YouTube. In honor of the Summer Fever Pick, let's start with part
1 and part
2 of the interview Donna did to promote the VH1 special. Then
there is Donna's performance of I Will Go With You (and the
interview) from the Rosie
O'Donnell Show, Enough
Is Enough from the same show, Donna and fans on The
View, another appearance on The
View, Donna on Queen Latifah part
1 and part
2, and finally, Donna on Oprah.
[FEB 23] I have a challenge for
my
MS Walk. We have a generous Donna fan who said that if I make $2000 he
will thrown in another $517. I am amazed! And my team captain may have
fainted when I told her. In fact, since I am now officially walking in
my Donna gear, she would like to do something too to thank the Donna
community if I hit $2000. I have t-shirts I could loan her to wear on the
walk, we could get a boombox and play some Donna tunes while we
walk... actually, we are open to suggestions. (But the first person who says
we should play I Will Survive will be ridiculed publicly! LOL)
If we hit $2000 what would you like to see my team captain do? (And keep it
clean guys - we have some young children on our team. Some are so
young they can't even walk yet! LOL) Let me take this
opportunity to thank those who have donated so far - you guys are awesome!
And for those of you who haven't - we'll you are awesome too. And if any of
you are worried that you don't have big bucks to donate, that's totally
cool. Even $1 is helpful, or even just your well-wishes are very
welcome.
[FEB 23] While I'm begging for
money, I might as well also take this opportunity to remind you that the Dreambuilder's
Youth Project is still accepting donations to fund the Donna Summer
mural they are creating to honor her legacy. They offer a few perks
for various dollar amounts, so be sure to check that out. And keep in mind
their deadline for donations if April 4.
[FEB 23] In the Donna is
everywhere category, she was the subject of Beauty
World News' Throwback Thursday feature.
[FEB 23] Johnnyswim fans -
their appearance on Live
From Daryl's House debuted on Palladia just the other night.
It will repeat a few more times before they switch to the next episode, and
it will be on the show's website starting March 15. And don't forget
to check out Johnnyswim's
tour page - they have a ton of dates coming up all over the place and
you WILL hate yourself if you miss out. ;-)
[FEB 23] I think that brings us
to YouTube. First up is an
old video from Stampyurfeet that combines footage of Barbra Streisand's
Kennedy Center Honors with Donna's vocals. I have to say it's kind of funny
to see Barbra's mouth move on Papa Can You Hear Me while you hear
Donna's voice singing. Then there is a video that starts with some
other divas singing Last
Dance, and then ends with a separate clip of Donna singing it
herself. (You will have NO DOUBTS as to who the real diva is! LOL)
Then we have a cool video for the MAW
mix of Last Dance that combines footage from several different things, Hot
Stuff live on the Dinah Shore Show, and Donna's awesome
cover of Nights In
White Satin.
[FEB 18] It has come to my
attention that I messed up my MS Walk link. Apparently I stick in a link for
She Works Hard For The Money instead. Oops. LOL
This is the right
one.
[FEB 17] Sorry - I was tired
last night, so my update is a little late. First up today... the new
video by Stor Dubine. :-) It's his vision of the Laidback Luke
mix of MacArthur
Park. (And yes there is a cake, and rain - but the cake isn't
actually out in the rain. LOL)
[FEB 17] Last week I mentioned
the Dreambuilder's Youth Project at Donna's old high school. They are
creating a mural to honor Donna's legacy, and now they have a way for people
to contribute to the project. They have a fundraising
page - it's kind of like Kickstarter only this is hosted by another
company. If you would like to contribute, there are 47 more days left to do
so.
[FEB 17] In release news,
remember that Casablanca box set? Well the Dutch retailer I mentioned last
time still has a release date of February 7, but apparently they were
counting on building a time machine because the real release date is now September
27. LOL I guess we can wait - it's not like that's a new concept
to us. ;-)
[FEB 17] The
Advocate has an article about what happens when the gay community feels
betrayed by someone they've made an icon. Unfortunately Donna is in there
because she was accused of making certain statements, but thankfully
the article does say she denied making comments. And really the thrust of
the article is not so much about what various divas did or didn't do, but
how the gay community reacted to whatever was done/said/accused/whatever.
And Donna is only one of several divas they talked about. (By the way,
I am aware of recent online "celebs you didn't know were
homophobes" articles. I don't generally comment on them because I don't
want to give any more page views to their garbage, but anyone looking to
respond to one of those articles may find ammunition here
and here.)
[FEB 17] OfficialCharts.com
has picked This Time I Know It's For Real as their Pop Gem for
Valentine's Day.
[FEB 17] Bruce Sudano fans -
don't miss his interview with Dave Marsh posted here
on Soundcloud. It's a pretty extensive one focused mainly on With
Angels On A Carousel.
[FEB 17] Johnnyswim fans -
catch them on Palladia this Thursday night at 11 for Live
From Daryl's House. If you miss it (shame on you!) it
usually repeats a few times AND they post the shows online. Also check out
their tour page -
more dates have been added. :-)
[FEB 17] I think that brings us
to YouTube. Look for the Work
That Magic video, the Romeo
video (Donna's not in that one, it's just movie clips), Last
Dance from the Midnight Special, She
Works Hard For The Money from a TV appearance, and Donna with Joss
Stone on Try
A Little Tenderness.
[FEB 9] Greetings all! Let's
start with a special upcoming valentine from our own Stor Dubine. If
the name doesn't sing a bell, let me remind you that he is the guy who makes
cool animated videos like this one for I
Got Your Love. Well on February 14 (Velentine's
Day :-) ) he will be releasing his latest video through the fan
club site. It will be a video for the Laidback Luke mix of MacArthur
Park. Personally, I cannot wait! I love his videos! :-)
[FEB 9] There is a program
called the Dreambuilders Youth Project operating out of the Jeremiah E Burke
High School in Boston. (If that school sounds familiar, it's because
that's where Donna attended school.) Basically, it's an after school program
designed to help give kids the inspiration and encouragement they need
to succeed in their chosen fields of interest. The project they will be
working on is a mural to honor the legacy of Donna Summer. You can
watch their PSA here,
or follow their Facebook
page to keep up with announcements on how you can help support the mural
project.
[FEB 9] NME.com has published
their 500
best songs of all time. I Feel Love comes in at #3!! :-)
(Personally I would have put it up higher, but they didn't ask my
opinion. LOL)
[FEB 9] Bruce Sudano fans -
keep an eye out for his upcoming video, The Neighborhood Of My Dreams.
He has promised on Facebook that it's coming "soon". (And it can't
be too soon for me - that's one of my favorite tracks off the album!)
[FEB 9] I think that brings us
to YouTube. This week we have Dim
All The Lights live (preceded by a short interview), a 2003
interview, a recent Giorgio
Moroder interview, MacArthur
Park live, and She
Works Hard For The Money at Disney.
[FEB 9] And finally, as many of
you know I have done the local MS Walk for the last couple of years. I will
be doing it again this year and as I did last year (and as I have been
doing with all my charitable endeavors since 2012), I do it in Donna's
memory to celebrate her humanitarian legacy. This year the walk takes
place at Jones Beach again (last year it was too wrecked by Superstorm Sandy
for it to be ready in time.) And this year by pure coincidence, it takes
place on a very special day: May 17. If you would like to contribute,
here is the
link. There is no pressure.... but if I hit my $500 goal, then I will
once again ditch my team t-shirt and instead dress in my Donna gear.
:-) My team captain was totally cool with that last year.
(Please help me wear my Donna gear - I hate wearing the color orange!
LOL)
[FEB 5] Mary Bernard fans - go
see "The Real Diva" (sorry Donna LOL) sing in Delray Beach
Florida at the Garlic
Festival this Sunday February 9. Mary will be there all day and
she's even gonna hit the stage with Andy Child for a couple of songs. She
very specifically said that she would LOVE to see everyone, so if you are in
that area (or will be) go catch her performance, and then go say hi. (I
promise - she doesn't bite! Well.... maybe if you asked her
really nicely to, she might... LOL)
[FEB 2] Happy Groundhog's Day!
That darn groundhog predicted 6 more weeks of winter, so I might be eating
groundhog stew for dinner this week. ;-) Fortunately in here
it's always SUMMER. And that brings me to the Summer
Fever Pick for the month. If you've been keeping track, we are now up to
Mistaken Identity by some blonde chick. :-)
[FEB 2] Some of you may
remember a couple of months ago that a an 8 CD Donna Summer
Casablanca box set was announced for European release. That should be
released Friday February 7 according to this Dutch
retailer. There is still no definitive word about this collection -
other than it seems to be 8 CDs in a cute box. They haven't said if there is
any new remastering, or if all the original art is included or anything. I
suspect we won't know much more until one of us grabs a copy.
[FEB 2] 2 of the stars of the
Broadway musical Kinky Boots were asked by Playbill
to pick their favorite disco songs. Can you guess which artist made the list
5 times? (Hint: She is blonde in this month's Summer Fever Pick. LOL)
[FEB 2] Johnnyswim fans - mark
your calendars for April 29. That is Abner's birthday and I strongly suspect
he would just love it if you would celebrate by grabbing a copy of Johnyswim's
first full length album - coming out April 29. Woot!!
[FEB 2] And that brings us to
YouTube. First up is a commercial
for Live & More that will make you yearn to have the whole
concert on DVD. Then there is the There
Goes My Baby video, Forgive
Me live from a telethon, and an AMAZING
playlist from the 2008 tour that kicks off with Be Myself Again.
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