I’m going to be away from this spot, “It Is What It Is“, for a few days. I won’t have full access to a PC or laptop.
I still have the capacity to keep an eye on what happens in the blogosphere while I’m away.
I’m not able to just disconnect, particularly with what is going on in our world at this time.
There are so many problems, issues, conflicts, injustices, bigotry, destruction, killing, wars ….. We need to stay informed and educated about “happenings“.
I will leave you today with a message.
As noted above, we won’t find peace until we extend our circle of compassion to all living things, as Mr. Sweitzer noted.
‘Tis the season …
We are all in this together. Be kind to on another.
Karen Rodriguez is out to smash all the pop chart toppers.
After killing you softly with her Spanglish cover of Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” the American Idol alum is back with another bilingual twist, giving Adele a run for her money with a raw and powerful rendition of “Hello.”
“I connected deeply with ‘Hello’ and after seeing how well it was received, I knew people would enjoy hearing it in a new way,” said Karen to VIBE Viva.
“I decided to give it a twist and write my own lyrical adaptation in Spanish, opting out of a literal translation. I wanted to express what the song made me feel, and I also wanted to stay as true to the melody and to Adele’s flow in the original.
But I am a bilingual artist, I love singing and writing music in both languages, and I hope this cover serves as a platform where I can gain more fans who genuinely love and appreciate the work I do!”
I listen to her new CD over and over and over again. In my car, in my house, through my cell phone. All the songs have something special. Each one stands on its own.
Can’t tell which one is the best but this is one of my many favorites. Enjoy.
Adele Wows With “Million Years Ago” Live Performance On ‘The Today Show’
Singer Adele doesn’t have a single day to rest in the first week of release of her new album “25”.
The British diva is continuing with her promotional tour across different TV shows in America. On November 25th, she attended NBC’s “The Today Show” to offer a live performance of the super emotional guitar-driven ballad “Million Years Ago” from “25”, which by the way, if you haven’t heard, beat the N’SYNC record of most album sales in a single week in just three days. “25” sold 2.4 million copies from November 20th to November 23rd!
Before going into the actual post, I must confess that I have totally fallen in love with Adele’s new musical project.
I have been listening to her new CD “25” and must say that I’m totally taken by it.
I know I’m not the only one because everything seems to be Adele nowadays. She was on a visit to New York City and hit all the major talk and late night shows. She appeared on Jimmy Fallon and was hilarious.
She also filmed a TV special for NBS which will air December 14 at 10 PM. One show that I will surely record and watch at my leisure.
Ellen DeGeneres made a parody of her “Hello” which was quite entertaining. Heather Rooney, an incredible illustrator, painted a colored pencil picture of Adele.
I found this video, a rendition of Adele’s “Hello” by the Southern University Marching Band and the Dancing Dolls.
Southern University Marching Band’s Outstanding Cover
By COLLEEN ANNEK
December 3, 2015
Southern University, “of Baton Rouge, not New Orleans: this distinction is incredibly important” as noted by USA Today, takes on Grambling State in the Bayou Classic every year, this year having been the 42nd face-off between the teams, according to the Bayou Classic’s website.
Southern University competed in the Bayou Classic Battle of the Bands on November 27, 2015, and they came to impress. With a stacked horns section, the band covered Adele’s chart-topping single ‘Hello’ with unparalleled power as the Dancing Dolls accompanied the band from the field.
Record-breaking ‘Hello,’ which is currently one of the most popular songs in the country (it has been at the top of Billboard’s Hot 100 list for five weeks now) was the perfect card for Southern University’s marching band to play.
~~GALLERY~~
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While Adele’s power-ballad might not be the first thing you think of when considering marching band music, the orchestration of the original track leaves plenty of room for the song to be adapted to a full marching band arrangement. The resulting harmonies are out of this world — just make sure you don’t have the volume turned up too high, these horn players mean serious business.
Pink reveals her new role as a UNICEF ambassador on Good Morning America
Pink has been appointed a UNICEF ambassador.
And the proud pop star appeared on Good Morning America on Monday to share her big news.
The 36-year-old singer – who shares three-year-old daughter, Willow with husband Carey Hart – will focus on children’s health initiatives, including fighting global malnutrition, which impacts 159 million children.
Watch Adele, Jimmy Fallon, Roots Sing ‘Hello’ With Classroom Instruments
Tonight Show’ supergroup perform chart-topping ballad with melodica, tambourine, toy xylophone, kazoos
By Ryan Reed
Adele’s “Hello,” a chart-topping ballad from her record-breaking new LP, 25, is already one of her most intimate singles. But the singer achieves a new level of intimacy with this Tonight Show rendition of the poignant track, backed by Jimmy Fallon and the Roots on classroom instruments.
Crammed into a small space, the supergroup fleshes out Adele’s croon with melodica, tambourine, wood block, toy xylophone, bongos, a banana shaker and kazoos.
Joining in on the silliness, the singer fakes a cell phone call, channeling the long-distance melancholy of the lyrics.
It’s a duet between Pink and her father, James T. Moore.
As she explains before the song, her father wrote it while serving in Vietnam.
As a child, Pink used to accompany her father to Veterans’ centers and sing it with him – it was the first song she ever learned, ever performed and is, in fact, how she learned to sing.
It’s a tribute to her father and to war veterans everywhere.
The Tenors Become Vampires for ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’ Video With Lindsey Stirling
The Tenors released the new music video for “Who Wants to Live Forever” on October 28, 2015, exclusively via Billoard.com. The video – which features Lindsey Stirling – dropped just in time for Halloween.
“Who Wants to Live Forever” is featured on The Tenors’ most recent release Under One Sky.
~LYRICS~
(Instrumental Intro featuring Lindsey Stirling)
(Fraser)
There’s no time for us.
There’s no place for us.
What is this thing that builds our dreams, yet slips away from us?
(Remi)
Who wants to live forever?
Who wants to live forever? Oh,
(Clifton)
There’s no chance for us.
It’s all decided for us.
This world has only one sweet moment set aside for us.
(Victor)
Who wants to live forever?
Who dares to love forever?
Oooh, Ahh,
(Clifton)
Who dares to live forever? Woah,
When love must die.
(Instrumental break featuring Lindsey Stirling)
(Fraser/Remi)
But touch my tears with your lips
Touch my world with your fingertips
(All)
And we can have forever,
And we can love forever.
(Victor)
Forever is our today.
(All)
Who wants to live forever?
Who wants to live forever?
Forever is ours,
(Fraser)
Who wants forever anyway?
(Instrumental close featuring Lindsey Stirling)
~~GRAPHICS SOURCE~~
Google Images
The Tenors (formerly known as The Canadian Tenors) are a vocal quartet consisting of Remigio Pereira, Victor Micallef, Fraser Walters and Clifton Murray. They perform operatic pop music that is a mixture of classical and pop, featuring songs such as “The Prayer” and Panis Angelicus from the former genre, and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah from the latter.
Originating from Canada, Pereira from Ottawa/Gatineau, Micallef from Toronto, Walters from Vancouver and Murray from Port McNeil, the Tenors have performed on more than 60 international television programs. They appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show with Celine Dion in 2010, at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, at the opening ceremonies of 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and on ITV (TV network) Diamond Jubilee Show at Windsor Castle for HM Queen Elizabeth II. The venues they have performed in include the Tel Aviv Opera House, and the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. They also appeared on the 2009 Grey Cupbroadcast and on CBC Television’s Holiday Festival of Ice.
They have shared the stage with Sarah McLachlan, Neil Young, Paul Anka, Justin Bieber, Paul McCartney, Brian McKnight, David Foster and Natalie Cole.
Who doesn’t love a good vampire scene set in a haunted castle?
In The Tenors’ video for their cover of Queen’s “Who Wants To Live Forever,” from their latest album Under One Sky, the quartet are vampires lamenting their immortality. The clip also features violinist Lindsey Stirling who contributed to the song.
Directed by Matěj Pichler, the video was shot in a historic castle in Prague, which locals have rumored is haunted by a previous family who inhabited the space 300 years ago.
“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” is a song written by English singer-songwriter Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin.
It was released as the first single from Elton John’s 1974 album Caribou; it was released that year during the latter half of May in the United Kingdom, and on 10 June in the United States. The song found further success in 1991 in a version recorded live as a duet between John and George Michael which reached number 1 in the UK and US.
In the song, Elton sings to someone he has helped and from whom he is now experiencing rejection:
I can’t light no more of your darkness
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white
I’m growing tired and time stands still before me
Frozen here on the ladder of my life
Too late to save myself from falling
I took a chance and changed your way of life
But you misread my meaning when I met you
Closed the door and left me blinded by the light
Don’t let the sun go down on me
Although I search myself, it’s always someone else I see
I’d just allow a fragment of your life to wander free
But losing everything is like the sun going down on me
I can’t find, oh the right romantic line
But see me once and see the way I feel
Don’t discard me just because you think I mean you harm
But these cuts I have they need love to help them heal
1991 George Michael and Elton John version
As successful as the 1974 record had been, it was as a duet with George Michael that “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” had its greatest success. The pair had performed the song at the Live Aid concert in 1985. Recorded live at a concert at Wembley Arena, London on 23 March 1991 when Elton John was a surprise guest of George Michael, the duet became a massive hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
It was released later that year and reached number one on the UK singles chart for two weeks in December 1991 and a single week on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1992. The duet also spent two weeks at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart.
~~GALLERY~~
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~~Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me~~
George Michael, Elton John
Uploaded on Oct 3, 2009
Music video by George Michael;Elton John performing Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.
(c) 1991 Sony BMG Music Entertainment (UK) Limited
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