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2008:
[APR 12] Let me start off with
a couple of announcements. First of all, I have a few new article links for
you below. I also have some Taihisha news in the Family Matters
section. And I'll probably be back tomorrow with some tweaking to the radio
page. Oh and before I forget - for those of you who have been
listening to Diverse
Universe Radio, some of the request restrictions have been lifted.
Apparently a grumpy server was at fault and now everything is back to
normal. So you can request all the Donna you want - although I will
guarantee that 99% of the time you request Stamp, it will already be
in the queue to play! LOL
[APR 12] Okay - let's get the
bad news out of the way first. Atlanta - Ticketmaster is reporting that the
July 1 show is cancelled. I suspect scheduling issues are the
reason. Sorry guys. :-(
[APR 12] In chart news, I'm
A Fire slips back to #4 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
chart for the week of April 26. But in Brazil
it's up to #11. And over in Russia, it's #15 at Radio
Unost.
[APR 12] The guys at
Perfectbeat.com have said that they blew through almost all 2000 copies of
the limited edition I'm A Fire CDs in just 2 days. I knew they would
go fast, but I didn't expect them to go that fast! LOL
[APR 12] On to happier things - Let
me remind you that Stamp Your Feet will be available for download
starting April 15 (Tuesday). At least, that's true for the USA. Other
countries may have to wait a week.
[APR 12] Speaking of releases,
as you all know the announced release date for Crayons is May
20. That will unfortunately not be the case for every country. I found
out that Mexico was given a release date of June 9. and Germany is showing a
release date of June 6. Now if I had to guess, I'd say that all of
Europe should get it at about the same time as Germany (allowing, of course,
for variations in which day of the week new stuff comes out. ) And I would
guess that the rest of South America should get it about the same time as
Mexico. But as I said - I'm just guessing at this point. As soon as I
hear something concrete for other countries, I'll post it here. (Canada -
after I'm A Fire, I don't even know what to guess for
you! If you live near the boarder come on over and get a copy on May
20th.)
[APR 12] Here's a late-breaking
release item - someone just sent me a link to HotTracks.com.
There is a compilation there (Hot Tracks 27-2) with yet another I'm A
Fire mix. You can hear a clip on the site.
[APR 12] There is yet another
article out there on BandWebBlogs.com.
It doesn't really say much that we don't already know, but there is a larger
version of the photo from the Burgundy site posted there. Their track list
for Crayons also lists Fame (The Game) instead of Run With It, and they have
a list of tour dates at the end. Most of that list is exactly what I have
listed here on the site with 2 exceptions. They have June dates listed in
Nashville, TN and Marksville, LA. Neither venue's website lists Donna as as
the other early dates have been cancelled, I suspect that those dates are
not actually part of the official schedule.
[APR 12] In Belgium, Radio
1 is doing a poll on the best voices in pop music. To vote, select
"FAB
50 De strafste stemmen" and then "naar het stemformulier".
There you will find a list of artists - with one notable name missing.
Pick 2 that you like and then go down to the bottom of the page and fill in your name (naam), e-mail, phone (telefoon), and at
"jouw artist" you
can add the name of any artist you like who wasn't on the list.
[APR
12] Let's take a look at a classic release for a second. There is a
wonderful article about Once Upon A Time posted on the dance
music section of About.com.
If you haven't seen it already, you should go take a look at it.
[APR 12] In the Donna is
everywhere category, check out this interesting technology
article - in particular the last line. ;-) And in a more expected
place, the German magazine Stern printed an interview with Kelly
Rowland in which she said: "Donna Summer is a fantastic Diva - I also adore Patti Labelle and
Barbra Streisand."
[APR 12] I think that finally
brings us to the web news. Over on Multiply, Philippe
has posted his new animated On The Radio video. And on YouTube, fzkny
has posted a couple of new video mixes for your enjoyment. Over at the Donna
fan site on Bebo,
look for new videos. And on MySpace, look for Nik
Ramli. He's got a bunch of concert photos and some other Donna
goodies posted there.
[APR 10] So I was playing
around with some interior pages and I figured as long as I was here I'd
throw in a little news. First up is an article from Washington DC's Metro
Weekly. It's a nice article that borrows heavily from Donna's
MySpace page, but there is one thing there that I know you will all want
to see - yet another new photo. :-) (It might even be the one
they took the I'm A Fire cover from.)
[APR 10] In the rumor category,
I have a hot one that can't be verified yet. There is a post on the So
And Thus blog that says that the Hollywood Bowl concerts will be
recorded for a DVD release. I mention it only because I know the post
is there and some of you have seen it and have been talking about it, but I
want to stress that at this point it is UNCONFIRMED.
[APR 10] And finally I have a
word to the wise... as some of you know, there was a fan made video
that used Stamp on YouTube. Sony/BMG has had that video
pulled for copyright reasons. So if you are into making fan videos that's
something you need to keep in mind.
[APR 10] Diverse
Universe Radio is still playing Stamp Your Feet in heavy
rotation. Thanks to the inundation of Donna fans, I've noticed that they had
to make a few changes to the request process. First of all, a request won't
be accepted if the song is already in the queue to be played. It also seems
to limit the number of songs in a row the station will play by the same
artist, or from the same album, and you can only make 5 requests every 90
minutes. Having said that - I know many of you went there to hear Stamp,
but there are a ton of other cool songs there too. (I'm really liking the
new Cyndi Lauper track they have.) Thanks to Marshall for putting up
with us and to those of you who are tuning in, after you request Stamp
(and find out that it's in the queue already LOL) definitely look at
the other things they have to offer over there. You won't be
disappointed.
[APR 9] Hello ONTARIO! The
Casino Rama tickets go on sale Tuesday April 15 at noon via Ticketmaster.
[APR 9] Don't forget that PerfectBeat
will have I'm A Fire starting tomorrow morning. There are 2 separate
disks. CD 1 has Baggi Begovic & Soul Conspiracy Original Mix, Baggi
& Begovic & Soul Conspiracy Mixshow, Matty's Soulflower Club mix,
Matty's Soulflower Reprise Mix, Matty's Soulflower Beats, Matty's Soulflower
Acapella, Craig C Mixshow, and Lost Daze Remix. CD 2 has Solitaire
Club Mix, Solitaire Instrumental, Craig C Burning Club mix, Craig C Burnin
Vocal Mastermix, Rod Carrillo Leave It On The Floor Mix, Rod Carrillo Grove
Dub, Redtop Extended Mix, and Redtop Dub. That should keep you all
busy until we get Stamp Your Feet. ;-) I expect that
their site will be very busy tomorrow, so be patient if it seems to load
slowly or anything. :-)
[APR 9] While I'm here, I may
as well share this awesome
article with you. I'll give you the link to the article on Yahoo, but
it's being reprinted all over the net. It's about I'm A Fire being
the number one dance song, and I hadn't really thought about this until it
was mentioned in the article, but this number one means that Donna has had a
number one dance hit in every decade since the 70s. She is the ONLY artist
who has done that! (Take that, everyone else! LOL) One other
interesting thing is the track list attached to the article. In the article,
the song Run With It has been replaced with Fame (The Game).
Time will tell which is the current list. :-)
[APR 8] Calling
BOSTON! Your tickets go on pre-sale Thursday April 10 at 10 AM
to Friday April 11 at 10 PM via Live
Nation or Ticketmaster.
The main on sale date is Monday April 14 at 10 AM.
[APR 8] I did a little
housekeeping around here yesterday that I didn't publicize yet. The links
page has been updated a bit and I've added a list of Donna-friendly US radio
stations so you can figure out which ones in your area are worth tuning
into. (I don't care how much good info your local all news station has - if
they don't play Donna they aren't worth tuning into! LOL)
[APR 7] I was planning to
just work on some interior pages today, but I just have to share this
because it's cracking me up! There is an online radio station called Diverse
Universe Radio. They just got Stamp Your Feet and they seem to be
happy to play it as many times as it is requested. I swear to you I've
been listening for only about 45 minutes or so and I've heard it at least
4 times already - without requesting it once myself! And when they aren't
playing Stamp Your Feet, they are throwing in a bunch of other Donna mixes
too. Actually - right now they are playing the Stars On 45 Donna Medley
which if I recall is by Summer2k. Tune in and check it out. And if
you want to make a request, click on playlist, then use the alphabet links
to find artists (they are arranged by FIRST name), click on an album and
when you get a list of available tracks with a "request' button.
Click the request button of your choice. I'll go back to my hidden
updates now. LOL (Sorry o the guys at Diverse Universe for
sucking up all your listening slots - we found you while we were in the
throws of EXTREME cases of Summer Fever. I hope we didn't burn out
your server.)
[APR 6] Wow! I spent all day
indulging my inner sci-fi geek, only to come home and find all sorts
things happening here. :-) Talk about a great day! LOL [On a
non-Donna side note - if you ever get the chance to hear sci-fi author
Harlan Ellison speak, jump at it! He's a funny guy with a lot of great
stories to tell. I saw him several times this weekend and he had me
laughing to the point of tears.]
[APR 6] On to Donna - where
do you want me to start? Hmmmm...... let's go with Stamp Your Feet.
As I mentioned the other day, it is going to radio next week. And as the
first official single - we will be able to buy it VERY soon! :-) Amazon.com
has the MP3 version listed.... well, on one part of the page it says April
15 and on the other it says April 22. I expect it to show up at iTunes on
whichever of those 2 dates is correct also. I haven't seen any other
listing through official channels yet, so I don't know if it is going to
be like I'm A Fire where is came out here first and then (almost)
everywhere else a week later. Don't worry, if we run into any issues with
specific places like we did with I'm A Fire, I'll help you guys
out. There is also a nice cover image posted over there - it's a variation
of the Crayons album cover photo. Also, while we are talking
about Stamp Your Feet, I know some of you are going to want to call
your local radio stations to request it. Rocky over on Imeem has a
few helpful
tips for getting your request taken seriously.
[APR 6] Moving on to MySpace
- it looks like we have an official Donna
Summer MySpace page now. :-) There is a whole bunch of new
info about some of the Crayons tracks - all of which I will
be stealing for an upcoming Summer Fever page. (At least I'm upfront about
my thievery! LOL) But seriously, go look at the page. There are some
really good quotes about some of the songs - and a list of writing credits
for those songs. (I'll wait for you - go look now....
;-) )
[APR 6] Before I move on to
more news, I think I should clarify the Billboard chart situation because
I'm getting lots of questions in my email about it. Billboard.com
will only show you the current chart which right now is the one dated
April 12. Subscribers get the chart info a week earlier, so they
have the April 19 chart. That's the one where Donna is number 1. I
don't want to print the whole chart here, but since some of you have
expressed an interest in seeing Donna at number 1, I'll give you the top
5.
This
week |
Last
week |
|
| 1 |
4 |
I'm A Fire - Donna Summer |
| 2 |
2 |
Sensual Seduction - Snoop Dogg |
| 3 |
6 |
Break You - Ralph Falcone |
| 4 |
7 |
Run The Show - Kat Delune featuring Busta
Rhymes |
| 5 |
9 |
If - Collette |
[APR 6] Moving right along, PerfectBeat
is putting out a CD single of I'm A Fire. It's actually going to be
a 2 part limited edition CD with all of the mixes on it. As far as I know,
Perfectbeat is the ONLY retailer who will have this CD single and they
won't have it until Thursday (April 10). So you won't find a listing for
it just yet (but don't let that stop you from browsing around the site
anyway - they have lots of cool dance music. :-) ) Also, note that
they are on California time, so if you are in Europe, or you are in New
York and happen to be up early Thursday and you don't see the listing
right away - give the guys over there a chance to wake up and get it
listed. (I'm not saying they WON'T have it listed early, I'm just
saying that IF they don't just allow for the time difference. :-) )
And if you are interested in getting it, expect that it will sell out
quickly.
[APR 6] Let's move on to
Oprah. She threw a
3 day party in Florida recently at Trump's Mar-A-Lago and a certain
diva we all know and love was one of the performers. I hope this means
Oprah is enough of a fan to plug the new CD on her show at some point.
(Now THAT would be good for sales! :-) )
[APR 6] Let's take a look at
some different charts for a minute. Over in Brazil, their top
Dance Chart has Donna climbing to #15 this week. That's up from
# 21. :-) In Russia, I'm A Fire is number 15 on this
chart and in Latvia, Stamp Your Feet is apparently
close to charting on the Kurzemesradio site. (I'm having some language
issues over there, so I'm not 100% sure what I'm seeing there - well,
other that Donna's name. LOL)
[APR 6] In release news, the Endless
Summer video has been reissued in Brazil under the title Donna
Summer. If you are in Brazil, you can get it here,
but if you live somewhere else you might want to try CDPointe
instead. Please keep in mind that the last time it came out, it was NOT
digitally remastered so even though it was on a DVD, it was still VHS
quality. If you need some ordering help and you don't speak Portuguese,
Sandro posted a handy step by step guide in this
post.
[APR 6] In the Donna is
everywhere category, she got a mention in a Moby interview in Los Angeles'
IN Magazine. Moby said, "The single best piece of electronic dance music was 'I Feel Love' by Donna Summer. Every
couple of years I ask her to do something. But for some reason, I don't think she wants to make
disco music anymore. I'm tempted to pull a bait and switch and bring her into the studio and ask
her to record a gospel or R&B song and take the vocals and put them on a disco track."
[APR 6] A few updates ago I
mentioned a French film called Disco.
Well, I found out that Donna is on the soundtrack
to that movie - with Last Dance. The soundtrack is on the Columbia
label which just happens to be a Sony imprint. :-)
[APR 6] I think that brings
us to the web news for the week. :-) Over on Bebo, the Donna
fan site there has added new polls, a clip of Stamp Your Feet (done as
a video) and of course some news updates. If you are on Bebo, go check it
out. Also for you users of GayRomeo.com, there is a Donna
group over there too that's worth looking in to. :-) Over
on YouTube, check out the hot new video mix of Sunset
People by Glenn Rivera. He takes clips from the movie Sunset
Boulevard and puts them to Donna's Sunset People to very good
effect. :-) (And while you are there, nose around his other videos
too. He made plenty of non-Donna videos that are also good. :-) ) Also
check out the very cool
I'm A Fire video mix by colorsbynumbers that uses the Soulflower
mix. Over on Multiply, Carl
has posted a couple of mixes of Love's About To Change My Heart and
Steve
has posted a video of Donna performing Macarthur Park, and the Stamp
CD cover. I'll be back.... well, as soon as I need to be. :-)
[APR 4 - still] Well, I
couldn't pass this up. Guess which song is #1 on the Billboard
Hot Dance Club Play charts? Do I even have to tell you the answer?
LOL It's I'm A Fire AND PureTone
has updated its site to make note of that. :-) Also of note,
PureTone has a link to Donna's official tour list. I haven't
checked it line by line yet, but at a glance it looked like what I have
listed below. And they are promising that we will get lots of Donna on TV
and in print. It's gonna be a great summer!
[APR 4] And now for a little Stamp
Your Feet news. PureTone has said it ships to radio next week - so
start talking to your local Donna friendly stations. Let them know you are
listening and that you want to hear it (and any other Donna tune they
might have handy too. :-)) I'm spending my weekend exercising my
inner geek at a sci-fi convention (no I don't dress up! LOL) so the
regular update won't show up until Sunday night.
[APR 4] Sorry Lake Charles -
Ticketmaster is listing your June 27-28 shows as being cancelled. I'd say
it's got to be a scheduling issue.
[APR 3] NEW
HAMPSHIRE! Your tickets go on sale this Saturday April 5 at 11 AM
through the Meadowbrook
US Cellular Pavilion's website. If you are an Inner Circle
member of the pavilion, you can buy your tickets sooner. See the website
for details. Oooo - and just as I was typing this, the Today Show
played a bit of Spring Affair.
[APR 2] Calling SARATOGA,CA! You will see Donna on Wednesday August 13 at the Mountain
Winery. And RENO - your tickets for
August 15 are on sale NOW through the Peppermill
website.
[APR 2] And now for the
reason I originally planned to come back - the Summer Fever pick. I hope
you all enjoyed the April Fool's page,
but it's time to post the real pick. This time I am picking Live
& More Encore. :-)
[APR 2] If you are a member
of Sony
Rewards, you can enter to win 10 (yes 10) tickets to the Crayons
launch party. Along with that the winner gets 10 signed CDs, 10 roundtrip
coach airline tickets to New York from anywhere in the continental US, 5
luxury hotel rooms for 2 nights, and $2500 spending money. Oh yeah, and
you get a meet and greet with Donna. :-) When the winner is announced, I
expect it to be one of you guys! :-)
[MAR 31] I know it's still
March 31, but somewhere in the world it is already April 1 - so I'm
bringing you the new Summer Fever pick. I thought that you might
like to learn a little more about Crayons.......
;-)
[MAR 30] I've been doing a
little work on the discography tonight - in particular I added the
tracks for Crayons and Wolfgang has sent some updates for
his German discography. :-) But while I'm here - the Billboard
Dance Hot Club Play chart for April 12 is out. I'm A Fire
climbs to #4 and it still has a bullet. (Hey Burgundy - I expect to see an
update tomorrow that says I'm A Fire is now a Top 5 song. ;-)
)
[MAR 30] BUFFALO! You will
see Donna at the Seneca Allegany Casino on Sunday July 20. Tickets will go
on sale May 27 through Ticketmaster
- or sooner for high rollers I'm sure. ;-) I'll be back late
tomorrow or early Tuesday with the Summer Fever pick and whatever other
internal updates I have time for.
[MAR 30] Well, I'm back a few
hours earlier than I thought - and I haven't even started the main things
I was planning to do later. LOL But the Crayons
track list is out and I didn't want to wait to post it. (I feel like I'm
15 again! LOL) Here we go, courtesy of Amazon.com:
1. Stamp Your Feet
2. Mr. Music
3. Crayons (featuring Ziggy Marley)
4. The Queen Is Back
5. Run With It
6. Sand On My Feet
7. Drivin' Down Brazil
8. I'm A Fire
9. Slide Over Backwards
10. Science Of Love
11. Be Myself Again
12. Bring Down The Reign
[MAR 29] I'm calling this the
official weekly update even though I know I'll be back very soon with some
updates to other pages on the site - and of course the new Summer Fever
pick in a couple days. :-) Let me start off by saying that I
don't have the Billboard chart info for April 12 yet - but
I'll throw it up here as soon as I get it.
[MAR 29] Let's start off with
concert news. The Seneca Allegany Casino in upstate NY lists Donna as
"coming soon" with no specific date listed yet. I'll let you
know when I hear more.
[MAR 29] Big news for Canada
- you can FINALLY get I'm A Fire on iTunes! Better late than
never - but I hope they are a bit more prompt when Crayons
comes out.
[MAR 29] I meant to mention
on one of the other recent updates that you can now pre-order Crayons
at Amazon.de. (That's the German Amazon.com) It was doing really well over
there too. :-)
[MAR 29] Over in France, be
on the look out for a new film called Disco
that opens April 2. Hopefully they will sneak in some Donna tunes
somewhere. ;-)
[MAR 29] This isn't
specifically Donna related, but I have some news for the Paul Jabara fans
out there. There is a press release out there in circulation that
mentions Paul's
website, the fact that his Greatest Hits & Misses is
on iTunes now - and most importantly, it talks about the musical (Last
Dance) using his music. Apparently they plan to use a long vaulted
song called We're Gonna Win which is an anthem for the fight
against AIDS. There is one quote in particular you need to
read: "There is a great secret in Paul Jabara's LAST DANCE.
He composed an anthem for the fight against AIDS. A little known fact is
that Paul founded the red ribbon campaign, setting a precedent now
utilized for many causes. The never released song is called 'WE'RE GONNA
WIN' and it is absolutely stirring! People will hear this song for the
first time in our show.""
[MAR 29] That brings us to
the web news. Over on Multiply, Patrice
has added to his photo collection, Philippe
has added a new video, and Denis
has sneaked in a couple of Andy mixes for your listening
pleasure. On YouTube, makintoch10 has added a couple of classic
Donna clips, venezuelaplc has added a vintage clip of Donna performing Lady
Of The Night. It is an EXCELLENT quality clip! And finally, fzkny
has added a short video mix of a by now familiar song sample to his
offerings. :-) I'll see you guys in a day or 2. ;-)
[MAR 28] Greetings ATLANTIC
CITY! Your tickets go on sale on Wednesday April 2 through Ticketmaster.
[MAR 26] This is what I love
right now - every day I come home from work and there is something new to
be excited about. So let me start with a TV appearance/live event.
Donna will be part of the Today Show Summer Concert series on
Friday May 30. That show is aired live from I think 7 AM to 10 AM
these days and the concerts take place outside at Rockefeller center.
Anybody can show up - it's free! But even though Donna wouldn't be on the
show until probably 8:30 or so, you will want to be there EARLY to stake
out a good location. (You can bring banners and things to wave - it might
even get you on TV briefly.)
[MAR 26] In other news,
Burgundy has updated their site today. On the news page they mention that
I'm A Fire is a top 10 dance song. And if you go to Donna's page there,
the press release is posted along with a new picture. One little note
though - I use Firefox as my web browser and that made me refresh the page
numerous times before the new picture came up. So if you go there
and still see the one with the sunglasses, just keep refreshing until it
changes. :-) And speaking of pictures, I was sent a larger
version of the one from the Hollywood Bowl ad. So I'll just post it here
for you to see:

[MAR 25 - again!] I thought I
was done for today.... but then I got this very interesting link in my
email box. It's to a Russian
Top Hits site and they have an entry on their list for Stamp Your
Feet. But that's not ALL they have. Look closely and you will
see an icon for an available sound clip. :-D It's only
about a minute long - but what a minute it is!
[MAR 25] I knew I'd be back
early. LOL ATLANTA!! Your tickets just
showed up on Ticketmaster
as available for presale starting tomorrow at 10 AM. (That looks like some
sort of promotion through Citibank or something, so you'd need a
code.) The regular on sale date is Saturday March 29 at 10 AM.
[MAR 23] Yes, this is
the official weekly update - although it's hard to tell these days with
all the extra updates I've been sneaking in. LOL One little
thing I did the other day that I haven't mentioned yet, is I added links
to all the venues on the concert listings below. I still have no ticket
information for most of the dates, but now we all have sites we can stare
at daily. ;-)
[MAR 23] Let's start off with
something hot out of my email box. :-) Crayons
is now starting to show up for pre-order at places like Best Buy, Circuit
City, etc. So if Amazon isn't your thing, then you have even more
options now. It's doing very well at Amazon at the moment - last
time I checked it was ranked #444 in music - not bad for an album that
isn't even out yet! (I swear it wasn't me! I only bought one
copy - so far! LOL )
[MAR 23] LA Weekly
printed an entertainment calendar recently for the Hollywood Bowl concert
season. It included a brand new photo of Donna that we haven't seen
before. Unfortunately I haven't seen a larger version of this photo yet,
but if you have sharp eyes, you can see it here on the LA
Weekly website. Just look for August 22-23. But be warned - it is
really tiny!
[MAR 23] In chart news - we
have a couple of non-Billboard charts to look at tonight. First up
is the Toronto
Star's Anti-Hit list - a list of tracks that aren't getting much radio
support, but that are worth listening to. I'm A Fire comes in at #6
with this commentary: "Hard to believe the first queen of disco is now a grandmother who will celebrate her 60th birthday
on the last day of this year. You'd certainly never guess it after listening to all seven
glorious minutes of this lead single, which revisits her glory days while making it clear she has no
intention of taking up permanent residence there." Then in
Brazil, Donna makes the Top
30 Dance Club Play chart as a new entry at #28. :-) And if
that's not enough for you, I'm A Fire is #19 on the World
Dance charts - with a bullet! :-)
[MAR 23] In the land of blogs,
A
New Muse has declared Donna a style icon. The
Daily Swarm has some excellent comments posted by fans - check out
# 10 and #12 in particular. :-) And over on Amazon
there is a place for fans to talk about the album - apparently it's a new feature
they are trying out. A couple of guys have posted already - so go
join them if you are so inclined. :-)
[MAR 23] So that brings us to
the web news for the week. Over on YouTube, look for a cool new fan
video for I
Got Your Love posted by colorsbynumbers. You also want to see Toby
Gad's video blog for March 18.There is also a clip of She
Works Hard For The Money taken from a Grammy telecast, and fzkny
has a new video mix of Love
to Love You Baby. And on Multiply, Patrice
has posted a new gallery of pictures. I was about to say I'd be back next
week.... but the way things have been going lately, it will probably be
sooner. :-) It's times like this when running the site
is even MORE fun!
[MAR 22] I'll be back either
late tonight or late tomorrow with the regular update, but for now I
have two things I want to share with you guys. The first thing
is that Crayons is now available for pre-order at Amazon
and Amazon
UK. Other vendors shouldn't be too far behind. The other thing I
wanted to tell you is that on the April 5 Billboard Hot Dance Club
Play chart, I'm A Fire climbs to number 9 with a bullet.
:-)
[MAR 20] HOLY COW! I
came home from work and found out that Pollstar went nuts. I have
MANY new dates to share with you and the easiest way to do it is to go
straight down to the list below. I don't have ticket
info for most of them yet - but I'll post it as I get it. Canadian
fans - don't stop looking at the list when you get to your first
date. She's going back there a few times.
[MAR 19] This one is for you Oakland,
CA - Donna will be at the Paramount Theater on August 16
(Saturday). Tickets go on sale through Ticketmaster
on Monday March 24 at 10 AM. Radio station 92.7 was giving away tickets -
I don't know if they have more, so you will have to tune in and see.
[MAR 18] First of all -
oops! I accidentally put July 20 instead of August 20 for Alpine in
the concert section below. If you show up July 20, you will have a
LONG wait for Donna. ;-)
[MAR 18] So now for the real
reason I'm here. I just can't torture you any
longer..... it's time to unveil the surprise. As you all
know, earlier this year Mary Bernard put out her own CD of inspirational
music. So I asked her if I could do an interview with her for the site and
she graciously consented. So with out any further torture... here is
the first interview I've ever done with anyone - creatively titled, "An
Interview With Mary Gaines Bernard." (On a side note - the video
clip that I added to that page with sound clips was an experiment. I
like the way it came out, so I'll do something similar with Crayons
and slowly I'll start adding videos like that to the Summer Fever pages I
think.)
[MAR 17] Wake up SAN
DIEGO, CA - you will see Donna on August 20 at the Viejas Casino in
Alpine. :-) Those tickets go on sale this WEDNESDAY (March 19)
at 10 AM via Ticketmaster.
Sorry for the short notice, but I just found out now. Also, Washington
DC fans will be happy to learn that Wolftrap tickets go on sale
March 29 at 10 AM. On a side note - watch for my special surprise this
weekend. It's all done and ready to go.... I just want to torture you for
a little longer. ;-)
[MAR 16] Happy St. Patrick's
Day to all my Irish friends (and those who are only Irish for the
day. ;-) ) My upcoming surprise is going to be published next
weekend. I had hoped to get it done in time for this weekend but things
got a little out of hand earlier in the week. It will be worth the wait
though. :-) What I do have for you is an update to Ken's Korner
(that will undoubtedly not win him any popularity contests in certain
corners LOL) and a reminder to those of you who haven't been able to
buy I'm A Fire yet - the EP goes on sale through iTunes and other
download vendors on Tuesday for those of you outside the USA. And if you
are inside the USA - what are you wanting for? iTunes
has it NOW. :-) (On a side note, I finally figured out how to
link to stuff on the iTunes store. You'd think I'd have noticed that
little "copy iTunes url" feature sooner. LOL)
[MAR 16] In I'm A Fire
news, it's charting on a few DJs' lists. Check out DJ
Wesley and DJ
Matty Heilbronn in particular. It's also number one at WDA1
internet radio. And listen for it next Sunday (March 23) in the fourth
hour of Larry Flick's radio show on the Sirius station, OutQ (Channel
109).
[MAR 16] In Crayons
news, it gets a mention on a French
blog. It doesn't look like there is any new info - but there are some
photos there you guys will like. :-)
[MAR 16] In the Donna is
everywhere category, MacArthur Park was used in a German comedy
show called Quatsch Comedy Club. Also check out AlKasha.com
and RocaSound.com
for some nice Donna mentions.
[MAR 16] That brings us to
the web news for the week. Over on Multiply, you need to check out AJ's
page. He's got a few mixes up and he's got this really awesome Donna
PWL remix video that is well worth a look. Patrice
has a new multi-artist mix with 2 Donna songs included, plus he's got a
whole gallery of screen captures from Live & More Encore.
And Philippe
has added a video representation of Donna's discography. Over on Youtube,
Yeroi has posted a clip of Donna singing A
Song For You from a 1977 Venezuelan show. (If you check his
profile, he's got a few other songs from that same show posted too. So
does user Venezuelaplc.)
There is also a very funny interview Donna did with Greg
Kinnear, and for you Giorgio Moroder fans, check out this
clip about Love To Love You and I Feel Love. And
finally, Donna gets a brief mention in this Kylie
interview. (Wait for the part where Kylie talks about the music she
used to listen to all the time. )
[MAR 14] Well, I logged in to
do a little housekeeping, but while I'm here I might as well mention that I'm
A Fire climbs to # 14 on Billboard's Hot Club Play for the week
of March 29. :-) And Baltimore - don't forget that your
tickets go on sale tomorrow morning!
[MAR 14] Speaking of
housekeeping - the People Talk guest book has been cleaned up a
bit. The spammers were having a field day over there, so I may
actually delete that feature at some point. I haven't decided yet.
The classified ads have been deleted however - they were also a
spam magnet. Pretty much any thing you wanted do do on the
classified ads page can be done better on the forums or through me on the
main site itself. I also got rid of a couple of old promo
pages for past projects. Finally, on the splash page, the "interact
with fans" link has been replaced with a link to the Donna Summer
& More (formerly Endless Summer) forum, and clicking the site title
will bring you directly to the news page. (Oh yeah - all that is in
addition to some behind the scenes stuff I've been doing for my upcoming
surprise.)
[MAR 13] Donna's
site is updated with a little clip of I'm A Fire and the
awesome cover art.
[MAR 12] I came back tonight
for Baltimore. :-) You guys will see Donna at
the Pier Six Concert Pavilion on Wednesday July 16. Tickets go on sale
this Saturday (March 15) at 10 AM through Ticketmaster.
[MAR 11... still] Okay - I
got a reply to my email about I'm A Fire. The international
release date is March 17 - next Tuesday. So just hang in there a
little longer, and then if there are any problems with specific countries
we'll deal with it then. :-) On a side note - look for an
update to Donna's site soon. (Although now that I think of it - if you
guys are like me, you've been obsessively checking it daily anyway.
LOL)
[MAR 11] Okay.... I'm A
Fire hit US iTunes and Amazon this morning, but so far it hasn't
turned up internationally. I have an email out asking about that, so watch
this space for further developments. Don't worry - whatever answer I
get, we will get you guys legal downloads one way or another. :-)
[MAR 11] As long as I'm here,
I have a site announcement. Actually, make that a teaser.
;-) I have a surprise coming up for you very soon - something I've
never actually done on the site before, so I'm excited. (And before you
let your imaginations go wild, it has nothing to do with Crayons
or an advanced copy of the next Shout It Out.) I'm shooting
for this weekend for the surprise, but if not this weekend then probably
next weekend. It will be worth the wait. ;-)
[MAR 9] Happy Daylight
Savings Time! We're that much closer to spring now. :-)
Don't forget that on Tuesday, I'm A Fire goes up for sale on Amazon.com
(and probably other places too). So if you have a copy by other
means, go out and buy a legal copy to show your support (and so Donna can
pay the mortgage. ;-) ) And if you don't have a copy yet - well, now
is your chance to get one. :-)
[MAR 9] Let's start off with
the chart news that I didn't have the other day. For the week of
March 22, I'm A Fire climbs to #23 on the Billboard Hot Club
Play chart, and it's the power pick of the week. :-)
[MAR 9] In classic release
news, CDUniverse
has a listing for an import called Oro - Grandes Existos.
There is no track list posted, but it seems to be a greatest hits package
- a real one instead of a Shout It Out disguised as a
greatest hits set. ;-)
[MAR 9] In German news,
the site SoulSite.de
has a mention of the new album. There is no new information there
but I know of at least one fan who was thrilled to finally find something
in his native language. :-) And the TV show Backstage
Live had a little mention of I'm A Fire. You can watch it on the
web - Donna comes in about halfway through the clip. (If I'm not mistaken,
I believe they are showing part of fzkny's original I'm A Fire
video too.)
[MAR 9] In the Donna is
everywhere category, there is a TV commercial for Ruffles potato chips in
Mexico that has animated potato chips (crisps if you are in Europe)
dancing to Hot Stuff. (And by some strange coincidence
- Hot Stuff is the track that iTunes decided to play for me just as
I started to type this. :-) )
[MAR 9] That brings us up to
the web news for the week. Over on Bebo,
the Donna fan site there has had a few new additions. Look for a
couple of videos and a brand new poll. (Plus the awesome I'm A Fire
cover is on prominent display. :-) ) On Multiply, Denis
is having a big I'm A Fire party with all the mixes posted for your
listening pleasure. (He's got some other new additions too if you
still have time left after I'm A Fire. ;-) ) Patrice
also has a mix of I'm A Fire plus a few videos to watch, and Philippe
has added his Crayons drawing and some other goodies. Over
on YouTube, fzkny has another I'm
A Fire video, there is a video for the David Vendetta version of Love
To Love You, and I just discovered a 6 part documentary on the
making of the Spirit Of The Forest record. (That was one of those all star
choir records - but this one was to help protect the rain forest.)
They have no interview footage of Donna, but you see her in several clips
taken from the recording session. Here are the links: Part
1, Part
2, Part
3, Part
4, Part
5, and Part
6.
[MAR 6] Good news! I'm A
Fire will be available for legal download starting Tuesday March 11
from Amazon.com
(and probably other places as well.) So for everybody who has the
mixes by other means, show your support for Donna on Tuesday by purchasing
a legal copy. :-) You just HAVE to see the cover art too. (Go ahead
and click it - there is a bigger version. :-) )

[MAR 6] Hello MINNESOTA!
According to Pollstar, you will get to see Donna in Prior Lake on August
31 at the Mystic Lake
Casino. No word on when tickets will be available yet.
[MAR 6] Getting back to I'm
A Fire news, the second round of mixes is circulating. They are: Baggi Begovic & Soul Conspiracy Original Mix
(9:01), Redtop’s Dub (7:51), Matty’s Soul Flower Club Mix (9:10), Rod Carrillo’s Leave It On The Floor Mix
(9:26), Rod Carillo’s Groove Dub (8:30). The mixes are all so different
from each other that I'm sure just about everyone will find one to their
liking. :-)
[MAR 6] In chart news - I'm
still waiting for the next set of chart positions to come out, but there
is a nice little blurb about I'm A Fire in the March 6 Chartbeat column on
Billboard
Online. They say that I'm A Fire is Donna's highest Dance
chart debut since This Time I Know It's For Real in 1989. :-)
[FEB 29] Wow - it's actually
been a couple of days since my last update. The main reason I'm here
tonight is that it's time to change the Summer Fever pick. This
month as we start preparing for a brand new album, I decided to go all the
way back to the beginning and put the musicals back in the
spotlight.
[FEB 29] As long as I'm here,
I might as well make this the official update. So, let's start with the
charts. On the March 15 Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart, I'm
A Fire is the hot shot debut at #28. :-) And speaking of I'm
A Fire, the second wave of mixes are in the works and they will
include Rod Carrillo's Leave It On The Dancefloor Mix and his Groove
Dub. So if you are out clubbing, keep your ears open for those.
[FEB 29] In the Donna is
everywhere category..... holy cow, she really IS everywhere! I have
a mailbox FULL of news alerts announcing Donna's first studio album in 17
years. (And I'll try not to get all nitpicky that clearly they are
forgetting about Christmas Spirit which was released 14
years ago. ;-) ) Mostly they all just reprint parts of the official
press release, but I'll post a small list of articles below.
TV is even getting into the act - the CNN news channel even mentioned Crayons
on the news ticker that runs beneath the programming. :-) And
of course radio stations around the world are mentioning the new CD as
well. We've got quite a buzz going! .....Oh, and I think in all the
excitement, I may have forgotten to post a link to the Pure
Tone website for you. (They are the guys handling the promotion. They
also did the promotion for Chaka Khan's recent release on Burgundy.)
[FEB 29] In radio news, San
Francisco fans can tune into the morning team at Energy
92.7 for their I'm A Fire fix, and in Portugual, Lisbon's Mix
FM has added I'm A Fire to its rotation.
[FEB 29] In case you need
something to keep you busy until May, there is a UK 3 disk set called Here
Come The Girls that features the work of top female recording
artists like Dusty Springfield, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight,
and others. Donna is represented by Love To Love You and I Feel
Love.
[FEB 29] That brings us to
the web news for the week. Over at YouTube, fzkny
has added another I'm A Fire remix video to his collection. (This
one uses video from Melody Of Love.) And also check out the live
clip of Celebrate
Me Home. The video quality isn't the best, but it's such a
beautiful song! Over on Multiply, check out Patrice's
I'm A Fire II mix. I'll be back next weekend - or sooner if
there is breaking news. :-)
[FEB 26] Donna's new site is
up. So far (besides the new look :-) ) all that's up is a chance to
register for the site and a countdown to the CD release. But expect
lots more stuff to come as we get closer to May 20. :-)
[FEB 26] Elsewhere on the
web, you can read the official
press release about Crayons. And about 8 billion news
sites have picked up the story about the new CD, so Donna is getting
mentions EVERYWHERE. :-)
[FEB 26] HELLO ATLANTA!
Your concert date is July 1 at the Chastain Park Amphitheater.
Tickets go on sale March 2 at 10 AM. As for everyone else - I'll
post 'em as I get 'em. :-)
[FEB 25] It's official!
According to both Billboard
and USA Today, Crayons hits stores on May 20.
:-) Let the countdown begin!
[FEB 24] Happy Oscar
Night! Believe it or not, this will actually be the official weekly
update. (Although whatever happens this week, I may be back a little bit
early for the Summer Fever Pick.) Let's start off with a request
from the guys at WDA1.com.
I mentioned that they were playing I'm A Fire in my last update and I
mentioned that they take requests. What I didn't mention is that the best
way to get your requests to them is to use the big yellow request button
on their homepage. If you do it by email it takes more time for the guys
over there to get it, and it makes more work for them. You also need
to know a couple of other things. Listeners are restricted to 2 song
requests over a 2 and a half hour time period and they must be for 2
different songs. (They track IP numbers, so they can tell.) And if you
request the song, you must stay logged into the stream until it plays, or
the request will be ignored. I just did it myself, and it's actually
easier to use the request page than it is to type an email. And so
far they are playing some cool songs. :-)
[FEB 24] Let's move on to
some chart news . (Yes, there is some already!) Donna is poised to
debut on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart probably for the
week of March 15. I'm A Fire is the top breakout track on
that chart for the week of March 8. (The breakout tracks are the hot new
tracks that are just bubbling under the charts.)
[FEB 24] Speaking of I'm A
Fire (and pretty much everyone is these days :-) ) there is
supposed to be a second round of mixes in the works by people like Lost
Daze, Soulflower and Rod Carrillo. Once Upon A Time (about a
day ago - or even less LOL) this
site, had a clip of the Soulflower mix. However, I think they blew
their bandwidth so some people were not hearing it. (You also need to have
the Quicktime plug in to make sound on that site work - something that
seemed to confuse my Firefox browser for some reason.)
[FEB 24] Let's move on to Crayons
for a second. I heard from another fan who was at the Florida shows and
this is his take on what Donna said about the album title: "The way I understood what she said was that, when a child begins to color with crayons he goes out side of the boundaries constantly. She said "out of the box", and for her this album is out of her box, comfort zone etc."
[FEB 24] In the Donna is
everywhere category this week, TMZ
featured her photo in one of their then and now features.
[FEB 24] That brings us up to
the web news for the week. First up, for those of you who use the Bebo
website, a fan named Wayne has set up a Donna site over there. So make
sure you go check it out. :-) Over at YouTube - well, it's a
fire over there. LOL This
is the clip most people have been passing around. And that one is good for
listening to the song. But if you want something with more visual action,
you need to see fzkny's
version. There are also a couple of very short clips from the Florida
shows posted by koolbeenz,
and a clip of Ain't
No Mountain High Enough - the finale from Divas 2000. Over on
Multiply, Philippe has posted a video of Supernatural
Love, Jeffrey has posted his Janiak extended mix of Unconditional
Love, and Patrice has posted his mix of... you guessed it, I'm
A Fire.
And if you come visit us on the Donna
Summer & More (formerly Endless Summer) forum, some of the
other fan mixers are sharing their efforts as well. (The pros can do round
1 and 2 of the mixes, the fans can provide the rest. ;-) )
I'll be back at the end of the week with the new Summer Fever page - or
sooner if there is news. :-)
[FEB 22] I wasn't actually
going to update tonight..... but then I thought I might as well go
for the hat trick. LOL But seriously, I have a request
for you. I know that there are people out there who have copies of
Donna's new songs (or think they are getting copies from someone, or have
good blackmail on someone who might be getting them, etc ;-) ) If
you are in the category and you actually do find yourself with an advance
copy of any of the new album tracks, I'm asking you to please NOT share
them. (And I will kick myself for saying this, but I mean not even with
me. Ouch, that hurt! LOL) The thing is, there is a whole plan
to the promotion of the new CD and if we jump the gun we'll end messing it
all up for Donna (and by extension, for ourselves.) Also, think
about the first time you went out and bought ... let's say Bad Girls.
If you were like me and got it when it first came out, then probably the
ONLY song you knew when you bought it was Hot Stuff. Wasn't it cool
to bring it home that first time and discover that wow! Bad Girls
is awesome too! And so is Love Will Always Find You! And Walk
Away! And so on until Sunset People. I want Crayons
to be like that for all of us - a fun discovery of all the gems it has to
offer. :-) (By the way, the above does not apply to anyone who
gets an advanced copy of the next Shout It Out. I
think those are pretty safe to share because there will be no
takers. LOL)
[FEB 22] And here's another
reason to not go looking for early copies of the album tracks - we still
have I'm A Fire mania going on! LOL We have to let that
run its course. If you want to hear it on internet radio, run right
over to WDA1.com.
They have I'm A Fire in medium rotation and they take requests. (I
wonder how many requests it takes to get a song into high rotation?
;-) ) I've also seen the song either played on or at least mentioned
by a whole bunch of blogs. (Hey - maybe I can finally realize my dream of
having the WHOLE internet dedicated to Donna? Who needs news and stock
quotes anyway? LOL) A couple of the recent ones I've seen are Herman's
in the Netherlands and DivaDivoDance.
But there are a TON more. Go to Google and search for Donna Summer
and I'm A Fire and you'll get 10 pages of hits. (Maybe more by the
time some of you see this.) And of course the song is playing in clubs -
if your favorite club isn't playing it yet, then you need to have a
serious talk with the DJ. ;-)
[FEB 22] And I probably
should save something for the weekend update, but what the heck, Ill throw
this in now too because I enjoyed it so much. There is a really
flattering review of the Florida concerts on BrowardTimes.com.
Some of the song titles are a bit messed up, but otherwise I'd say
the reviewer is one of us. :-)
[FEB 21] I'm back again so it
MUST be Summer Fever! LOL I have more from Florida,
including a review from a first time concert goer, and photos from
Jonathan. I also have a special edition of Ken's Korner
in honor of I'm A Fire.
[FEB 21] I also have a quick
update on 109 OUT Q on Sirius radio. Larry Flick promoted I'm A Fire
through out his show and finally played it at 10:30 this morning. (That's
Eastern time - I don't know if it runs live or on tape in other
places.) He asked listeners to call in and talk about the song, and
every comment he got was very positive. Now here's the best news of all,
Larry is going to have Donna on his show sometime soon to talk about the
new CD, the tour, and whatever else comes up. As I hear more, I'll
let you know. :-) I have more odds and ends for you - but I
want to try to save something for the weekend. LOL But who knows? I
might end up being back tomorrow too. ;-)
[FEB 20 again] Okay, so after
calming down for 8 hours at work, let me start off by saying that the
MenArt site I linked to is NOT in Germany - it's in Croatia. I think I was
a little too excited to figure out what language I was looking at (and not
understanding. LOL) I do want to add that one of the posters got the page
translated and it says that they don't have the actual track list yet, but
the songs they listed will definitely be on the album. It also lists a
June 1 release date. For those who haven't looked at the page yet, MenArt
lists: Stamp Your Feet, I'm A Fire, Crayons, Be Myself Again, Brazil,
and Mr. Music. I have also seen a
forum that adds, Unpredictable, I Will, and Reasons. And
that forum lists a May 6 release date. I've also read a review (that I
can't find at the moment) that says that I'm A Fire is the weakest
of the tracks he's heard. Which means there must be some KILLER
tracks on the album! :-)
[FEB 20 again] For those of
us grooving to I'm A Fire - I got this club report from
Atlanta: Donna's single "IM A FIRE" (Craigs Mix) was released to our DJ and he had to tell me about it. The club was packed- DJ announced here's a new single- If you can guess the "QUEEN' who recorded it-- your drinks are free for the night. Everyone knew the voice and the Name. I gave so many drinks away last night till it
wasn't funny. It packed the dance floors and even the second level of the club
upstairs was stomping and chanting DONNA! DONNA!- The song is hot- and will
definitely be a long request for the DJ to play. I have another fan in
Tampa who has been burning the track to CD and handing it to DJs at his
favorite clubs. He even got Larry Flick of OUT Q on Sirius radio to post
it on his MySpace page. For those of you who don't have the song by other
means, check out the Solitaire mix at the Donna
Summer Burgundy MySpace page.
[FEB 20 again] For those
looking for a little about the official single coming up, Stamp Your
Feet, check out the So
And Thus blog.
[FEB 20 again] For those of
you wondering about the title, Crayons, well.... Donna
mentioned it in Florida. She said that it's like when you are a kid and
you open a box of crayons with all the various colors and flavors to play
with. The CD is like that - it will have lots of different flavors
of music. :-) Speaking of Florida.... that's supposed to
be the reason I updated again tonight. LOL So let's start you
off with a few photos on Getty
Images, and then you can read the fan
reports I have so far. (Please keep in mind that the Florida shows are
actually the last dates of the last tour , so no sneak peeks of the
new album yet. The new tour will start later this year and that's
when we'll hear the new songs.) I'll be back again, well, whenever I
need to be back. :-)
[FEB 20] So, the plan was to
update later tonight with what I have so far from Florida. And that's
still the plan because I don't have time for a real update right now. But
I couldn't let this wait. Fresh from my email box, the cover to the CD:

That is courtesy of Menart
Records (not) in Germany which also provides this track list: Stamp Your
Feet, I'm A Fire, Crayons, Be Myself Again, Brazil, and Mr. Music.
Also the date I keep hearing so far is May 6. I still consider that highly
subject to change until I see it somewhere official, but that's the one I
see everywhere else. :-) I guess I'll be back after work with
Florida and a few other links I wanted to share. (It's days like
this I hate my job! LOL)
Just like the sun reveals the sky,
Just like the torch becomes your guide,
I’m a fire, I’m a fire, and I’m burning so bright...
[FEB 16] So, I was going to wait until
tomorrow to update so that I would have time to hear from at least some of
the Florida fans first. But how can I stay away when everything is
happening? :-) So, yesterday's update gave you the names of
the mixes for the new club single I'm A Fire. Well, yesterday the
DJs received copies and let's just say the song is out there now.
And not only is it out there - is it HOT! The Queen is back! (Not
that she ever really left. ;-) ) One of the guys on the forum
actually got to experience it in a club last night and this is what he had
to say: "Went to a club last night. DJ is personal friend. Told me he had this Craig Mix. He put it on a few minutes later. He said here was the new
DS single. After about 30 seconds the place went berserk!!!! He ended up playing the entire
11 minute version another 5 times during the night and it packed the floor each time. The
Supreme Queen of Dance Royalty is BACK!!!!!!!!!!" And pretty much
every reaction I've read had been positive - ranging from "what a
cool song" to "my jaw hit the floor and I can't pick it back
up." I've been doing this site for almost 11 years and I
haven't seen this much excitement in quite awhile! :-)
[FEB 16] Okay, now that I got the
big news out of the way, let's move on to the normal stuff for the 1 or 2
of you who aren't jumping around the room for joy. (And those 1 or 2
people really need to see yesterday's update.) ;-) First up,
Mary fans will want to look at the Family Matters
section below. And everybody will want to see the media
section for a new Donna interview.
[FEB 16] Here's one for you guys in
Canada. Donna will be performing at the David Foster Foundation's
fundraiser, Crescendo, on March 29 at the Halifax Metro Center. She'll be
sharing the stage with Natalie Cole and comedian Sinbad, and they will be
backed by Symphony Nova Scotia. The event will raise funds to help
Canadian families with children who need organ transplants. The bad
news is that they don't sell individual tickets to the show. You either
have to buy a whole table (and those seem to be sold out) or you need to
buy a weekend pass to the whole Crescendo event. More info is available at
DavidFosterAtlantic.ca.
[FEB 16] I have an interesting little
rumor out of the west coast. Apparently there is a guy looking to put out
a compilation of Donna's more spiritual tracks. The tentative title is Unconditional
Love and he hopes to have it out next year. I guess
we'll see what happens.
[FEB 16] In the Donna is everywhere
category, she got a mention on the Grammy Awards this week. Beyonce did a
little number paying tribute to many of the great ladies who have graced
the Grammy stage. She said, in part, "When I was a little girl I
dreamed of being on this stage. But I knew I needed all the right
elements. Like the beat of Donna Summer...."
[FEB 16] Donna also got mentioned in a
couple of recent interviews. There was a St.
Louis Today interview with Gloria Gaynor when she was asked who is
the Queen of Disco. Her answer: "Whoever someone is giving it to
at any given moment. Those titles are to be given by the fans or the
public. I was elected it by the International Association of Disco DJs,
who were fully qualified to choose me at that time. After that, other
people thought Donna was the queen. I have no problem sharing the
crown." And then there was a Hex Hector interview on SX
News where he said, "I’ve been blessed with
opportunities to work in the studio with some of the most amazing singers
and entertainers put on this earth. But I have to say the only time I was
ever star-struck was when I worked with Donna Summer on ‘I Will Go With
You’. When she walked into the studio I was a mumbling fool!"
[FEB 16] That brings us to the web news
for the week. Over on YouTube look for a Donna
and Joss Stone duet taken from VH1, an interview
to promote Whenever There Is Love, MacArthur
Park from the Hot Summer Night special, and a few new
goodies from the vaults of fzkny.
And if you do a little searching for Beyonce on the Grammys, you will even
find that performance I mentioned in the Donna is everywhere
news. On Multiply, check out Philippe's
picture disk collection, WEN!NG's Tribute Mix on Denis'
page, and Patrice's
new mix of I Love You. I'll be back during the week with news
from the Florida shows, and anything else that happens to turn up.
:-)
[FEB 15] And now for a slightly belated
Happy Valentine's Day for everyone. :-) But before I get
to the real reason I'm updating let me say this first for the Mary fans
out there. (I'd throw this down to Family Matters, but I know after you
read tonight's news, you won't read any further down the page. LOL)
iTunes (and other places) have FINALLY fixed the problem with Mary's CD,
so if you buy it now you will get I'll Go. If you bought the album
as a download already and are missing that song, I have a copy now and can
send it to you. Just send me an email. Okay....... now
fasten your seatbelts and hang on to your hats..... :-)
[FEB 15] In my email today, I got a
message from someone with a friend in the music business who saw this
interesting little press release: "The Queen is back! Legendary singer songwriter DONNA SUMMER is back with a NEW STUDIO ALBUM – CRAYONS AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE MAY 2008 on BURGUNDY/SONY
Donna shows her love for the club community as she gives an early taste of her new album before the official single “STAMP YOUR FEET” goes to radio next month.
Donna Summer - “I'm A Fire” round one mixes:
1. I'm A Fire (Solitaire Club Mix) 7:12
2. I'm A Fire (Craig C's Burnin' Master Mix) 11:02
3. I'm A Fire (Redtop's Extended Mix) 7:21
4. I'm A Fire (Sebastian Original Album Version) 7:23"
The only thing I'll add is that after I got the email, I did a little
snooping on the net and found this little
announcement from the company pressing copies of Stamp Your Feet.
It's happening guys! :-) I will be back either tomorrow or
Sunday with the regular update - which will probably be very boring
compared to tonight's micro-update. LOL
[FEB 14] Happy Valentines Day Washington
DC. :-) You guys will get to see Donna perform at Wolf
Trap in Vienna, VA on Saturday July 5. Members of Wolf Trap have
an extra special bonus. Donna's show has been chosen as one of the
events for the Associate Theater Parties. So members can buy a special
package that includes dinner and the show. Right now tickets for the
concert are only available to members, but look for that to change next
month. I already have one gentleman who is looking to hook up with
other fans for this concert. (His name is Duane and anyone interested can
contact him at: summerfan43 AT yahoo.com) I think as more dates are
announced, I'll set up a page for fans who want to meet up at the various
shows. I did that a couple years ago and some of you seemed to enjoy
that. :-)
[FEB 9] Before I get to the Donna news
(and yes there is some :-) ) let me start with a couple of
announcements. First of all, fans of Bruce Sudano and Mary Bernard will
want to see the Family Matters section below.
And fans (or enemies LOL) of Ken will want to check out his new Ken's
Korner.
[FEB 9] Okay - let me start with
this. Somebody has seen the new release sheet from Sony. It lists Crayons
by Donna Summer with a May 6 release. But before you freak out (I know,
it's too late, you already did! LOL) - please keep in mind that this
could be subject to change without notice, AND this date has not been
confirmed anywhere else yet. This was too big not to report, but I
still think we should call this a rumor and nothing more for the
moment. Having said that, I am told that we should be getting some
news "soon." (And I put "soon" in quotes because time
is relative, and when it comes to new CD info, even 5 minutes can seem
like an eternity. LOL)
[FEB 9] Here's a little warning for you
guys in Austin, Texas. The South By Southwest music festival has
announced its line up. On the list if DJ Donna Summer - which is that
other guy. So if you run into publicity for that, it's not our
Donna.
[FEB 9] Back to the land of OUR
Donna. :-) She was on Majic 102.7 in Fort Lauderdale in a
phone interview. The easiest thing to do here is just quote the
report I was sent. (Thanks Steve!) "The local 60s/70s oldies station Majic 102.7 has been advertising Donna's concerts here and interviewed her by phone this morning after 9am. They talked to Bruce also. It was about 15
minutes long. By coincidence, the morning DJs names are Bruce and Donna. She laughed about that and sounded great. They asked her about the website, tour, and new CD!!! She said the website should be up in few weeks and they were tired of the old one. This is the tail end of this tour she said, so these concerts won't be much different from the last few. She will change the concert once the CD is released. They asked her about the name of the new CD, she didn't have the name of yet. She talked about Neil Bogart and Casablanca, and how he shot her career into orbit back then, and 3 songs on the new CD are being produced by Neil's son (forgot his name). They talked to Bruce for a few
minutes, his new CD will be out in few weeks and a single is being released to AC radio shortly.
They asked what's it's like being married to Donna, he said she's very creative and it's very interesting. The best part of the interview was the end. Bruce (the DJ) told Donna she was robbed by Madonna getting into the Hall of Fame before her, and without her there would be no Madonna. She was very gracious and said she was honored to be nominated and maybe after the new CD she'll have another chance. That's about all I can remember."
[FEB 9] Anyone looking for some Donna
tunes on the net, check out this megamix
by P.J. Farrauto. You have a choice of the 18 minute version or the
9 minute version. Or check out this blog
with the 12" version of With Your Love.
[FEB 9] Here's one for you 12"
collectors out there. (I'm talking about MUSIC here guys, this is a more
or less family friendly site after all. ;-) ) Universal has been
reissuing some of Donna's 12" singles with the original Casablanca
sleeves. So far they have issued MacArthur Park Suite/Last Dance, Hot
Stuff/Bad Girls, and I Feel Love/Love To Love You.
[FEB 9] In the Donna is everywhere
category, once again her music was a category on Don't Forget The
Lyrics. This time the contestant picked that category because he
said that the crowd was demanding it. :-) The guy won by
knowing that the missing lyrics in She Works Hard For The Money were
"treat her right."
[FEB 9] And that brings us to the web news
for the week. Over on YouTube, look for new classic clips from ingressolibero,
fzkny, summerholiday44,
and Sandro.
[FEB 3] Let me start off with a
dedication. Many of you remember Tom Gilliam from the fan club.
Well, I got a message from him this week with a special request that
I dedicate a certain song to the memory of his mother who passed away last
week. So this update is dedicated to Mary Bell Gilliam, may she rest in
peace:
|
Any Way At All
(Summer/Sudano/Silver)
We never know/ Where the winds of love will carry/
Our hearts unfold/ Into the hands of time
Nothing will ever change/ This love we share/ No matter what it takes/
I will be there
When the sun don't shine/ You pray for clouds to break/ Reach up to the sky/
And pray for it to rain/ When the times get hard/ You rely on your faith/
We'll be together/ If there's any way at all/ If there's any way at all
Don't be afraid/ 'Cause we're in this love together/ We'll ride the waves/
Till we reach the other side
Your love is life to me/ None can compare/ Long as I live and breathe/
I will be there
When the sun don't shine/ You pray for clouds to break/ Reach up to the sky/
And pray for it to rain/ When the times get hard/ You rely on your faith/
You know that we'll be together/ If there's any way at all/ (If there's any way)/
If there's any way at all
If there's any way at all/ We'll be together, baby/ If there's any way at all/
We'll be together forever and ever, oh
Reach up to the sky/ And pray for it to rain (oh, baby)/ When the times get hard/
You rely on your faith/ We'll be together/ If there's any way at all/
(If there's any way at all)/ If there's any way at all |
[FEB 3] For those who don't know,
yesterday was Groundhog Day and unfortunately Punxsutawney Phil, the
official groundhog, saw his shadow so that's supposed to mean that we are
in for 6 more weeks of winter. I just want to say that if that causes the
new CD to be delayed 6 weeks, then I'm going to go to Punxsutawney and
make that groundhog into a coat! LOL But on the bright
side, I did want to mention that while there aren't too many concrete
facts yet, the album IS coming. :-) And just as importantly -
there are a ton more tour dates yet to be announced, so look for this to
be a very busy summer. (Not to mention Summer.) ;-)
[FEB 3] Someone sent me a link this week
of Donna albums that are currently available for
sale in France. I'm not sure if I should be scared or amused
that the first one that pops up if a Shout It Out
collection. On a side note, I think we're overdue for a new Shout
It Out collection. I'm betting we see at least one shortly
after the new CD comes out. LOL
[FEB 3] So here's one for the Donna ISN'T
everywhere category. LOL CMT's
blog has an entry about journalistic accuracy and a story that went
astray years ago. It seems that back about the time Amanda was born, some
paper printed a report that one of the Oak Ridge Boys had just broken off
his engagement to Donna. Well, the story was only partly right. It turns
out the guy was engaged to a woman named Donna SummerS. Which just
goes to show that my teachers back in school were right - spelling does
count. ;-)
[FEB 3] That brings us to the web news for
the week. Over on YouTube, check out the DJ Jimmy M and Frank Mendez mix
of One
Of A Kind, a live clip of Melody
Of Love, and a clip of Dinner
With Gershwin. On Multiply, Jeffrey
has posted a couple of extended mixes, Jorge
has posted some of his drawings and photos of Philippe's exhibition in
Guadalajara, and Scott
has posted a couple of his mixes.
[FEB 1] It's that time again - time for a
new Summer Fever page. :-) This month I'm putting She Works
Hard For The Money in the spotlight and I'm dedicating it to all
my coworkers in the pharmacy because of all the chaos we are dealing with
now. (If anyone at your job ever tells you that a systems
"upgrade" will go smoothly, you can probably call them either a
liar or extremely naive. LOL) While I'm here, I'll throw a couple of
news items at you too as a warm up for Sunday. :-) And to
start that off, Mary Bernard fans need to hop down to the Family
Matters section for details on her new album.
[FEB 1] While I'm here, I thought I'd kick
up the Summer Fever around here just a tiny notch. ;-) The Hollywood
Bowl website has a little promo for Donna's concerts there. It's just
the usual little promo thing, but the important thing is that it mentions
that in addition to the hits, Donna will be singing songs from her new
CD. :-) So my question is, is it way too soon for me to camp
out in front of my local record store? ;-) I will
be back Sunday with the official weekly update - working on the site will
be a welcome refuge from the football game. LOL (For those outside
the US - Sunday is the Super Bowl when even people who rarely watch a game
tune in. So far, I have a perfect record for missing every Super Bowl game
that has ever been played in my lifetime and I don't plan to change that
now. LOL)
[JAN 30] Hello Los Angeles! I just got
word from one of the regular local boys that Donna will be at the
Hollywood Bowl on August 22 and 23. (That's a Friday and Saturday.) Ticket
info is yet to be announced, but he says it should be soon and of course
they will be offered to subscribers first. :-) (So if you are not a
subscriber - go make friends with one now. ;-) ) I'll be
back later this week with the full update - including some big Mary
Bernard news. :-)
[JAN 27] I guess the best place to start
is with new CD info. :-) No, we don't have a release date, but
we have a blog
entry that mentions a new song that is "gorgeous." (And that
leads me to the obvious question - is it Spring yet?? ;-) )
[JAN 27] Just a note for Ticketmaster
users (which I think is most of us in the USA), if you click the
iTunes link on their artist page for Donna - the first item up is the
album Heaven In My Eyes which they credit as a Donna Summer
album. It is, of course, the Twiggy album produced by Donna and
Juergen Koppers. But it's nice to see it listed as readily
available. :-)
[JAN 27] Speaking of Ticketmaster, someone
showed me an article this week listing Donna's Florida concert date as
February 19 at the Bank Atlantic Center. That's not correct - the
dates are still February 16 and 17. (And it is me, or are an awful lot of
venues being sponsored by banks lately?)
[JAN 27] Here's one I mean to mention on
the last update - JustCircuit.com
has announced the winners of their awards and Hall Of Fame. They
voted Donna's performance at the One Mighty Weekend event as the
"Performance Of The Year." (I knew those guys had great taste!)
[JAN 27] In the Donna is everywhere
category, she got a couple of unusual mentions this week. One was a
throwaway line in an article
about economics and taxes. The relevant part is: "Ron Paul would also eliminate taxes on capital gains and eliminate taxes on tips. That last one is a big deal to a lot of hard working single mothers, college students, heck, anyone living off of tips works hard for the money. (Ask Donna Summer)."
The other was in an
article about a list of "ideologically harmful" groups
that was compiled back in 1985 by the Communist Party's youth wing in the
Ukraine. Donna made the list (along with my #2 diva, Tina Turner) for
promoting eroticism and sex. (Hey! I never thought I Believe In
Jesus was that sexy...... ;-) )
[JAN 27] That brings us to the web news
for the week. Over at Ning.com, the whole xmultiplied site vanished.
I'm not sure what happened, but I'm taking Ning off my Christmas card
list. ;-) On Multiply, Jeffrey
has posted a few new goodies for your listening pleasure. And on YouTube
we have some classic clips posted by fzkny,
Antonturboton
and aalphan.
[JAN 27] And finally on a personal note,
I'd like to wish a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Adrian Parrado who just turned 5 this
week. (Or some age that ended in a 5 anyway. ;-) ) I
hope you had a big party!!! (Or are you saving that for the concerts next
month? ;-) )
[JAN 20] I'm going to start off this week
with some annoying news. Some of you remember the artist Jason Forrest who
sometimes goes by the name "Donna Summer." He stopped
using it for awhile, but now he's coming out with a new album that will be
credited to "DJ Donna Summer". He's also going to be performing
live at a few places this year. So any reference you run into to an
album called Panther Tracks is about him and NOT our
Donna. And any concert dates you run into that are for unusual
venues should be investigated before you buy your tickets. I'll sort stuff
out as I run into it too.
[JAN 20] On to the real diva....
:-) A little bit more has surfaced about the upcoming album. One of
the people Donna is working with is "hip-hop violinist" Miri
Ben-Ari. There are no details on the songs yet, but in an
interview, Miri said "it's going to be amazing." (This is
doing absolutely nothing to curb my impatience. Is it spring
yet? ..... How about now? LOL)
[JAN 20] In remix news, DanceRecords.com
now has Britney Spears vs. Donna: Breathe
On Me/I Feel Love and the Castelli & Bravetti mix of I
Feel Love.
[JAN 20] In the Donna is everywhere
category, a UK show called This Morning had a little quiz the other
day, and the question was, "Who sang the original hit song Hot
Stuff in 1979?" They gave 3 choices for the answer: "A.
Donna Winter, B. Donna Spring, or C. Donna Summer." (Of course the
answer Donna Autumn.... hey wait! Why wasn't she a choice? ;-)
)
[JAN 20] Also in the Donna is everywhere
category, the USA
Today Listen Up blog has a little about Donna's record sales.
[JAN 20] In radio news, Orlando radio
station Sunny
105.9 has a poll where listeners can pick their favorite artist. Donna
is one of the choices.
[JAN 20] That brings us up to the web news
for the week. Fancast.com
has a section for Donna's TV and DVD appearances. It's a nice list, but be
warned that some of the things listed only feature Donna's music. TV.com
also has a section on Donna that has several photos where Donna bears an
astounding resemblance to Diana Ross. ;-) Over on Multiply, Marcel
and Jeffrey
have each posted a few goodies, and at YouTube check out Philippe,
fzny and venezuelaplc
for even more goodies. On Myspace, Christopher has set up a new Donna
Summer discussion group for anyone who would like to join. Also
in the land of new sites, Jay has gotten fed up with Multiply and started
a Donna/Giorgio group on xmultiplied.ning.com
and Rocky has a new Donna blog on iMeem.com.
At this rate, the whole internet will be taken over by Donna and her
fans! [Insert maniacal laughter here.] ;-)
[JAN 13] The 2008 concert dates are
already starting to show up. :-) Now we can add Highland
Park, IL to the list on August 30 at
the Ravinia Festival. Look for those tickets to go on sale this spring.
[JAN 13] Also in concert news, I have a
fan named Gareth who was supposed to go to the concert in Florida on
February 16. Unfortunately for him, real life has intervened and now he's
looking for someone who would like to take the ticket. There is one little
hitch - he was supposed to pick up his ticket at "Will Call", so
I don't know if that will make it too difficult to transfer ownership of
the ticket. But if you want to give it a shot, contact Gareth at
garyidavies AT aol DOT com.
[JAN 13] In sad news, Johnny
Grant (honorary mayor of Hollywood) passed away this week at the age
of 84. Many of you will remember him as the man who presided over the
ceremony when Donna got her star on the Walk Of Fame.
[JAN 13] I Feel Love fans - there
is a nice article about the song (along with a couple of video clips)
posted on the Disco
Delivery blog. There are a lot of nice comments to go with the
article.
[JAN 13] Moving on to the Donna is
everywhere category, she gets a mention in a German bestseller called Ich bin dann mal weg - Meine Reise auf dem Jakobsweg
by Hape Kerkeling. In the book he mentions singing All Through The
Night during his pilgrimage on the St. Jacob's Trail. If you listen to
the audio book, he actually sings at least part of it.
[JAN 13] And in the Donna's music is
everywhere category, the new movie Charlie Wilson's War
features Bad Girls pretty prominently in a bar scene.
[JAN 13] That brings us to the web news
for the week. Over on Multiply we have a BBC Radio 2 special on I
Feel Love posted on the Apollo
Zero Jukebox page. (Nose around his page a little and you will see
that heexplains how to save the files if you are so inclined. ;-) )
Also check out Hank's
page for his paintings of Donna and some mixes, and Patrice's
page for his mix of Now I Need You. Over on YouTube, look for
videos of Donna at the One
Mighty Party concert from last year, a performance of This
Time I Know It's For Real from French television, and a cute
"cover" of Cold
Love by one of Donna's younger fans. ;-)
[JAN 6] I guess the best place to start is
with a little release news. (No - not the announcement you are hoping
for. LOL) Dave Koz is putting out a DVD version of his At
The Movies CD within the next month or so. I don't know if it will
include all the music from the CD yet, but I read an
interview where Dave mentions recording a show inside Capitol
Records with Barry Manilow, Anita Baker, Johnny Mathis and Vanessa
Williams. So
I guess we'll just have to wait and see what other details turn up. (I
believe the show is also supposed to air on PBS later this year - probably
during a pledge drive. So watch your local listings for that.)
[JAN 6] In annoying TV news, the Night Of
Proms broadcast from December 31 won't be available online for us to
watch. Apparently the TV company only bought the rights to play it on the
air and not on the internet. Someone who was able to watch said they
aired Hot Stuff, Bad Girls and Last Dance. Too bad they left
out the rest.
[JAN 6] In the Donna is everywhere
category, she gets a mention in another
article about music that was banned (at one time) on BBC radio. She
also got a mention in an article in Guideposts about a woman
who started a walk aerobics class. She cited Donna's music as good to walk
to.
[JAN 6] This is sort of old news in that I
linked to the article last week, but the New
Pittsburgh Courier article about the Rock Hall Of Fame has a few
more comments added - and not all of them are from the usual suspects. I'd
say Bob Davis hit a nerve. :-) I got an email from him earlier this
week in response to all the comments and apparently there have been a
bunch of emails too. ANd Bob sees this as a good thing. He said (in
part): "This activity around the injustice done to Donna Summer is a good indicator to me.
If more people care, then the processes that surround the honoring of artists will improve and become more fair.
As long as people don't care, then nothing will change...
In other words - if you keep speaking up, maybe somebody will hear.
:-)
[JAN 6] For those interested in the Philippine
production of The Queen Of
Disco: A Musical Tribute To Donna Summer thet I mentioned a couple
weeks ago, you can check out the show's
website and you can see clips on YouTube.
[JAN 6] I think that brings us up to the
web news for the week. Over on Multiply, Jay
has posted a number of Donna mixes and even some Giorgio stuff for the
Moroder fans out there. Jeffrey
has posted his first video attempt, and Steve
has posted a video clip of Donna singing a cover of Joe Cocker's You
Are So Beautiful from Night Of The Proms. Over on YouTube, look for
videos of Ain't
No Mountain High Enough (the finale from Diva 2000 - a great clip
for fans of both Donna and Diana Ross :-) ), and a classic clip of Love
To Love You.
[JAN 1] Happy New Year everybody! It's
officially 2008, so where is the new CD?!! ;-) (Just teasing -
I know we have to wait until spring.) But since it is a new month, it is
time to update the Summer Fever page.
So this time I decided to put Another Place And Time in the
spotlight. In other news, I finally fixed the spellchecker on my web
software so maybe there will be a few less stupid typos. LOL
2007:
[DEC 30] Welcome to the last update for
2007. I can't believe the year is over already! Of course that means
that we can go full speed ahead into 2008, and as someone told me
recently, fasten your seatbelts. :-) Before I get to
Donna, I just want to say 2 things. First, I have some news for
Mary's fans in the Family Matters section below. And the other thing is
that I will be back on some time Tuesday with the Summer Fever pick.
[DEC 30] Moving on to something time
sensitive - if you can listen to Italy's RAI
Radio2 (either on the radio or on the computer), they will be airing
an interview and concert with Gloria Gaynor at 9:30 PM local time. Before
you all yell at me and say "WRONG DIVA!" ;-) she does talk
about Donna at one point in the show. If you choose to tune in via the
internet and Italian isn't your language - the link you are looking for
says "Ascolta Live".
[DEC 30] In the Donna is everywhere
category, a round
up of happenings in Florida mentioned Donna's February show in a
very cool quote: "The first gig going on about town that simply must be mentioned first and foremost is the Feb. 17th Donna Summer concert at the Bank Atlantic
Centre. Now, this woman is on fire and has been smokin’ hot since the seventies. If she can’t get your mind off your troubles, then I’m afraid you may be hopeless."
:-) Also, Donna's gotten a mention in about 8 billion (so far
LOL) articles that list the upcoming celebrity birthdays. And if you can
stand one more Rock And Roll Hall of Fame article - there is a good one at
the New
Pittsburgh Courier
site.
[DEC 30] Speaking of Donna's birthday, if
you are on Facebook, there are 2 Donna Summer groups. One is Donna
Summer Rocks and the other is just called Donna Summer. Nik at the "Donna
Summer" group has designed and posted a birthday card for Donna,
so check that out if you get a chance. (I gave the link for the group, but
I don't think it will work unless you are logged in to your Facebook
account.
[DEC 30] If you have a little time off for
the New Year's holiday and want to spend it surfing the web, check uot the
IMDB entry for Donna. They list a whole bunch of TV and soundtrack
appearances - AND it looks like they finally ditched that incorrect entry
for the movie Coming To America. Also, Rock
On The Net has a really detailed timeline of Donna's career that's
worth looking at.
[DEC 30] And here's a weird one for you,
Donna got a mention on TMZ
when they mentioned playing This Time I Know It's For Real on a
kazoo. (Hmmmm - maybe a whole album of kazoo covers would make a
great Summer Fever pick for April 1? ;-) ) (For those
who might not know what a kazoo
is - check it out on the Wikipedia.)
[DEC 30] That brings us to the web news
for the week. Over on YouTube, look for new videos posted by fzkny
and Philippe.
And at Multiply, look for new stuff posted by Shawn
and Jeffrey.
(Note, Jeffrey's url has changed - he had some problems with his old
account.)
[DEC 22] Since this will be the last update
before Christmas (unless something important comes up) let me tae the
opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! (Or if Christmas isn't
your thing - have a very happy Tuesday! :-) ) And please do me
one favor - if you are out partying, keep in mind that alcohol and driving
don't go well together.
[DEC 22] I'm sure some of you remember
that Donna turned up on Toby Gad's video blog a couple of months ago.
Well, he's posted his special Christmas
edition of the blog (part 1) and he's got Donna on that too. (She's
the first celeb up, so you can't miss her. :-) )
[DEC 22] Users of the site Gay
Romeo have voted for their Donna Summer top 20 for 2007. (You have to
be a member to access it though.)
[DEC 22] In the Donna is everywhere
category, she was on ET's Insider the other day. I missed it, but
it sounded like they dragged out the footage from 2003 with Donna talking
about recording with Barbra, and about depression. Also in the Donna
is everywhere category, TheDay.com
posted an article about what Santa keeps in his iPod. One of the songs
mentioned was She Works Hard For The Money. (Go Santa! ;-) )
[DEC 22] In the world of covers, the movie
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert was turned into a stage
musical in Melbourne, Australia recently. The soundtrack is now available
for sale and it includes covers of Hot Stuff and MacArthur Park.
And on an ice skating special that aired today, Brian Boitano and others
skated to the music of Barry Manilow. Barry was there performing live for
the skaters and for the finale he did Could It Be Magic. The reason
I'm calling that a cover is that he did the disco version of the song. So
I guess you could say that Barry was doing a cover of Donna's cover of his
song. (Did I just make your head explode trying to work that out?
LOL)
[DEC 22] That brings us to the web news
for the week. Over at Multiply, there are new things posted by Philippe,
Jeffrey, and
Patrice. And
on YouTube, check out the posting frenzy of DonnaSummerBR.
Or if the David Vendetta mix of Love
To Love You is more your speed - that is now posted on YouTube as
well.
[DEC 19] At long last the E-Greetings
page is complete! Thanks to everyone who wrote. This has become a fun
tradition here at the site thanks to all your participation. :-)
[DEC 19] As long as I'm here I'm going to
do part of the regular update now in case things get a bit crazy this
weekend. :-) To start things off, Ken has a new Ken's
Korner for you. I also have another Rock Hall Of Fame article added to
the list below.
[DEC 19] The 2008 dates are starting to
trickle in apparently. :-) Pollstar reports that Donna will be at L'Auberge
du Lac Hotel & Casino in Lake Charles, LA on June 27 and 28,
2008. It's not listed on the casino's website yet, but I'll be
keeping an eye on that.
[DEC 19] If you are in the Phillipines and
are looking for a Donna fix, check out the new stage musical, The Queen Of
Disco: A Musical Tribute To Donna Summer. It premiere's December 31 at
Onstage Greenbelt 1with Jenine Desiderio playing Donna. Inquirer.net
has an interview with Jenine posted on the site.
[DEC 19] In the Donna is everywhere
category, she gets a mention in a Telegraph
article about songs and lyrics that were banned by the BBC. (Hmmmm,
maybe this actually falls into the category of "Donna isn't
everywhere"? LOL)
[DEC 19] I'll be back this weekend with
all the web news and whatever else turns up between now and then. :-)
[DEC 15] If you have RealPlayer and want
to listen to a little Donna while reading this update, check out Soul
Patrol's internet radio show - the Donna edition of course. ;-)
[DEC 15] So, the big news is still the
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductions. I know most of us are
disappointed that Donna didn't get in this time, but personally I'm
finding a little humor in the whole situation. If you were reading
the various music blogs when the nominees were announced, there were a
bunch of people complaining that Donna (and others) shouldn't have been
nominated at all because she's not rock enough, or because [insert
name of any rock band] should have been nominated first. And now that the
official inductees for 2008 have been announced, the blogs are all saying
Donna was robbed and she should be in the Hall Of Fame. Talk about a
180 degree change! LOL (Hmmm - maybe that's the REAL purpose
of the induction process - it's to make people argue! LOL) I'll put
links to some of the latest Hall Of Fame articles in the media
section below, and for those who still would like to see the ceremony
- it will air live on VH1 Classic on March 10. (And I REALLY hope Madonna
sings her Future
Lovers/I Feel Love medley. ;-) )
[DEC 15] You have just a few more
days to get your E-Greetings to Donna in to me. Just send your message to
webmaster@donna-tribute.com and put something obvious like
"e-greeting" in the subject line, and I'll post your message.
The deadline is the 19th, so get writing! :-)
[DEC 15] That brings us up to the web news
for the week. Over at Donna
Summertime, Sebastiano has finally updated his Donna Top 40. A
Whole New World makes an amazingly high debut! Over at YouTube, Sandro
has posted some new VLADIS Art video mixes. And on Multiply, look for new
mixes from Patrice,
Jeffrey, and
Denis.
[DEC 13] Well I said I'd be back
today. Only I was hoping to be back for a cele |