An American Classic...A Night To Remember

[ladyofavalon77]

Have you ever just wanted to see a Broadway Show but didn't have the time or the money? Well, if you were in the US, you should have tuned in last night to NBC's "Tony Bennett: An American Classic." It was the closest thing to going to Broadway without going to Broadway. There were lights, there were stars, there were dancers, and there was just purely sensational entertainment. The staging was excellent, the singers in top form, and Tony Bennett never sounded so good. Oh, I can't wait to get the DVD and CD so I can watch them over again. And I never knew Elton John had such a wonderful voice. Go figure!! The best singers of the night (both in form and presence) were Juanes and Michael Buble...though Christina Aguilera was close to bringing the house down and Stevie Wonder just took it to a whole other level. *happy sigh* Can we say "Rob Marshall is a musical genius"?

So now that Dancing With The Stars is over, what on earth am I supposed to watch? Well one possibility has been House which I taped yesterday during our thunderstorm. Must add TWO episodes to watch now. Fortunately, Thanksgiving is tomorrow so plenty of time to catch up on that, Kidnapped, and Vanished :) I did watch a movie last night!! It was a really interesting and humorous romantic comedy called Prime. Uma Thurman is so beautiful, funny, and full of amazing depth. She's also my first choice for Kiefer Sutherland's love interest. I was looking for someone who could match him stride for stride and I think she's it. They're about the same age and she's pretty but not too much so that it's distracting. I love how real she was in this comedy and would meld so nicely with Kiefer on 24 or any other movie they would make. One slight problem...she is VERY tall and Kiefer is kind of short. So any publicity shots would be...awkward. Other than that I really think she's just perfect for him. And she does action!! Oh, the movie...the younger male character was quite charismatic and funny while Meryl Streep was GREAT as the psychologist who has to counsel the older woman dating her son. PERFECT set up for great comedic moments and Meryl played it to the hilt. Sally Fields would have been great in this movie too. The look on her face when she would discover the truth!! *winks at illusory_thrill*

Another good friend, clementine_lime , was SO VERY nice to point me in the direction of Strictly Come Dancing. They have the same ballroom set up overseas...or rather we copied their set up over here. Anyways, their host is this affable British guy who is so adorable and elegant at the same time while being able to bust a few moves of his own. Their professionals are quite good, especially the men (so handsome you could just die!!). However, the females aren't really that attractive (at least the ones I saw) and seem more muscle than elegance. I only saw two clips though so I could be completely wrong. However, I'm going to be searching for more clips to feed my ballroom dancing craze. Any readers into ballroom and willing to be my partner if you're male and single? *giggles*

And since I watched that WONDERFUL special last night, I'll be posting some good old fashioned romantic lyrics from Tony Bennett. Martha and Charles are of the age that they probably listened to him during their younger years. Wouldn't it be great if one of these songs was their theme song? I could see him surprising Martha with concert tickets and they could go off to hear those wonderfully enchanting vocals. Things were so much more romantic in the 50's *happy sigh*

So here is the first song...The Shadow of Your Smile. It's perfect for the Logans because now that the two have probably separated all Charles has left are the memories of their past life. And Martha has such a beautiful smile that it COULD be reflected in these haunting lyrics. I see this song as expressing the way he still feels for her as he thinks of better days.

The Shadow of Your Smile by Tony Bennett

One day we walked along the sand
One day in early spring
You held a piper in your hand
To mend its broken wing
Now I'll remember many a day
And many a lonely mile
The echo of a piper's song
The shadow of a smile

The shadow of your smile
When you are gone
Will color all my dreams
And light the dawn
Look into my eyes
My love and see
All the lovely things
You are to me

Our wistful little star
Was far too high
A teardrop kissed your lips
And so did I
Now when I remember spring
All the joy that love can bring
I will be remembering
The shadow of your smile

This next song is my favorite love song of all time. There is such a transcendent quality about it that always blows me away and leaves me wishing for more. The music is beautiful, the lyrics lovely, and when the right two people sing it, simply heaven on earth. I think it also epitomizes how Charles fell in love with Martha at first sight. She was everything he dreamed of and more. For a long time, he had considered the company of the opposite sex as something pleasant but not necessarily something he really desired...until he met Martha. And rest as they say was history!

A Stranger in Paradise

Take my hand
I'm a stranger in paradise
All lost in a wonderland
A stranger in paradise
If I stand starry-eyed
That's a danger in paradise
For mortals who stand beside an angel like you

I saw your face and I ascended
Out of the commonplace into the rare somewhere
In space I hang suspended
Until I know there's a chance that you care

Won't you answer this fervent prayer
Of a stranger in paradise
Don't send me in dark despair
From all that I hunger for

But open your angel's arms
To this stranger in paradise
And tell him that he need be
A stranger no more

When I saw that this picture was up next, I wanted to laugh.  Greg does such funny things with his face.  What a way to break the romantic mood!

This is MY pen and you can't have it!!