It’s been really fun highlighting a different Stephen Sondheim song on the blog in the week since the great Broadway legend’s death. He has such a rich songbook that I am going to be doing a weekly Sondheim Sunday feature moving forward replacing Showtune Sunday – for now.
With 68 words sung in a total of 11 seconds, Getting Married Today is notable for being one of the fastest songs in Broadway history.
The patter song from the musical Company is sung by the manic Amy, as the thought of marriage sends her into a panic on the day of her wedding.
Beth Howland originated the role on Broadway and we see her below as well as versions from Madeline Kahn, Carol Burnett (hilarious), Julie Andrews, Darren Criss and even one from the TV show Glee.
Well, if there was ever a cuter teen idol than Ricky Nelson, I’ve never seen him.
He grew up on television alongside older brother David on their family’s television show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. And it was on that show that Ricky began performing rock and roll!
Between 1957 and 1973, he placed 56 songs on the Billboard 100 charts including his first number one Poor Little Fool. Subsequent hits included Hello Mary Lou, Travelin’ Man, and Garden Party.
Here are two holiday songs Ricky performed on Ozzie and Harriet. In the first, A Christmas Song, his young daughter can be seen smiling at him. She’s actress Tracy Nelson who went on to star in The Father Dowling Mysteries.
Ricky died far too young. He was just 45 when a private plane carrying him and his band to a New Year’s Eve concert in 1985 crashed.
Wishing beloved actor Jeff Bridges a very happy birthday and he continues to wage his battle with lymphoma.
This handsome guy has been a big star since 1971′s The Last Picture Show and he’s been going strong ever since. He is currently in production on the action-drama series The Old Man, in which he stars in and is executive producing. The series is set to debut on FX on Hulu in 2021,
I really developed a crush on him after seeing him in Against All Odds. I don’t think he’s ever been so sexy in a movie and he’s been plenty sexy in lots of them including Jagged Edge, Starman and The Fabulous Baker Boys.
What is so impressive about Jeff is how he has lasted so long as an A-List actor in major films scoring Oscar nominations for The Last Picture Show and Thunderbolt and Lightfoot in the 1970s, Starman in 1985, and The Contender in 2001.
On his fifth nomination, for Crazy Heart in 2009, he finally won an Oscar. The next year, he was nominated again for True Grit and most recently in 2017 for Hell or High Water.
His other memorable films include Tron, The Fisher King, The Big Lebowski, Fearless, Fat City, Bad Company, King Kong, Tucker: The Man and His Dream, American Heart, Seabiscuit, and Iron Man, among others.
On her Going There book tour, Katie Couric interviewed Leslie Jordan who shared a touching story with Katie about his father buying him a doll he desperately wanted for Christmas.
Many of our biggest female stars have belted out I’m Still Here which is from the Stephen Sondheim show Follies.
My favorite version is Shirley MacLaine’s. Not because it’s technically the best but because it is performed in such an important scene in the 1990 film Postcards from the Edge and it tells us so much about MacLaine’s character and her relationship with her daughter (played by Meryl Streep).
But that doesn’t mean I don’t love Elaine Stritch’s knockout performance or Elaine Page’s. Here are those and some others including Patti LuPone, Polly Bergen, Shirley Bassey, Eatha Kitt, Ann Miller and Yvonne DeCarlo.
Ben Platt recently filmed a movie in London with Kristen Bell and Allison Janney and shared with Ellen DeGeneres that during their down time, the trio went out to see “Magic Mike Live”! The actor also chatted about how his boyfriend Noah Galvin encourages him to express himself in different ways, and his hopes to bring his dog George on tour with him. Plus, Ben played a game of “Mystery Word” to try and win the audience tickets to his concert in Los Angeles!
This is, hands down, my favorite Christmas song – ever. So what better way to kick off this year’s Holiday Tune series.
Merry Christmas Darling was written by Richard Carpenter and Frank Pooler was made a classic by the gorgeous delivery of the late, great Karen Carpenter who died in 1983.
The single of Merry Christmas Darling went to number one on Billboard’s Christmas singles chart in 1970, and did again in 1971 and 1973. It was then included in The Carpenters 1978 Christmas Portrait album and Karen performed it on their ABC Christmas special that year.
Wanda Sykes shared with Ellen DeGeneres earlier today how she was recently invited to what she thought would be an intimate double date with Amy Schumer and her husband — but it turned out to be a party of 80 people loaded on a yellow school bus to see a Broadway show! The comedian also talked about her kids’ pet geckos, the French car that she considers a “death trap” and the amusing way Oprah sings.
When I came across a video of two-time Tony Award winner Donna Murphy performing Could I Leave You from the musical Follies I became obsessed with there song – and her.
It’s simply brilliant storytelling and she managed to deliver a stupendous performance during an all-star concert celebrating Stephen Sondheim’s 80th birthday while sharing the stage with the likes of Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Audra McDonald and the late, great Elaine Stritch.
In the show, the character of Phyllis sings to her husband about how apathetic she is to her marriage, yet she decides to stay – for now.
I think Murphy’s performance is the very, very but there are other solid efforts that I share with you below.
The song is yet another example of the brilliance of Sondheim who died last weekend at the age of 91.
Call Me Kat fans will be happy about this as will fans of hilarious Leslie Jordan and dreamy Cheyenne Jackson.
The two openly gay actors have recorded a cover of the Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth for our enjoyment. This is the same duet famously sung on a Bing Crosby Christmas special with David Bowie back in the 1970s.
Jackson writes on Instagram, “I’m the BOWIE to his BING. On this day in 1977, Bing Crosby & David Bowie released this duet for what would be Bing’s last Christmas special. I’m so honored to have been asked to record it with my compadre @thelesliejordan.”
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Well, if there was ever a cuter teen idol than Ricky Nelson, I’ve never seen him.
The Dude turns 72 today.
On his fifth nomination, for Crazy Heart in 2009, he finally won an Oscar. The next year, he was nominated again for True Grit and most recently in 2017 for Hell or High Water.
Many of our biggest female stars have belted out I’m Still Here which is from the Stephen Sondheim show Follies.
This is, hands down, my favorite Christmas song – ever. So what better way to kick off this year’s Holiday Tune series.
