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Read the LATEST
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December
25, 2007
ET APPEARANCE - ET finally aired the segment they shot on us, and before I say anything else, I want to say thank you to the ET producers for including us in one of their shows. It gave us a great deal of exposure for the Christmas CD we would never have otherwise, and we are grateful. - However, I am now going to give you my impressions of the surreal experience of watching ourselves on that show. To me, Daryl and I seemed like a couple of big old elephants in a room full of darting, racing bees and hummingbirds. It is very clear to me now that television and people’s tastes have really moved on since our heyday. I mean, I knew it, but, frankly, I don’t watch ET or ACCESS HOLLYWOOD or any of those shows. My taste in television runs to news, Public Television and HGTV. - Daryl and I didn’t know where we would appear in the show, so we watched it right from the beginning. Frankly, after about 15 minutes, I was starting to get a headache. All of the quick cuts, rapid pace, commercials, Paris/Lindsay/Britney/Britney’s little sister/and all kinds of superficial silliness was just getting to me! Most of the “stories” seemed to be measured in seconds. I must say I was pretty amazed when our segment lasted a bit longer than a minute or so... that seemed very generous for that type of show. - What did NOT make me happy was the emphasis on my comments about Karen Carpenter’s anorexia...... although I now realize that was probably the only reason we made it onto the show. A little bit of “dirt” seems to be needed for today’s audiences. Here is how that happened. - In November, the ET crew was at our home in La Quinta for about four hours, setting up the lights and camera, taping an interview, taping us performing CHRISTMAS IN CALIFORNIA at our piano, and also shooting some footage of us walking together in our backyard. They also shot some of the personal photos we have in the house, including the one of us that quite a few of you mentioned.... the sepia-toned photo of us taken way back in the early 70s. It was our first “publicity” photo, and we have it displayed on the mantel over our fireplace in La Quinta. - Anyhow.... after the producer finished our interview and the crew was getting ready to wrap things up, somehow Karen’s name came up. I think the producer and I were talking about singers we particularly loved. She asked if we had known Karen, and I said we had been at A&M Records at the same time and knew each other casually. She then signaled the camera operator to start taping again, and began to ask me about Karen and her anorexia. - Although alarm bells went off in my head, I thought (in my usual positive way), “Maybe they are going to do a special about Karen some day, and want to store comments from people who knew her in their files.” So I went along with it. It never occurred to me they would use it on the show we were on! After ALL of these years in this rotten business, I am still too damned trusting! Yes, indeed, things have changed, and tabloid TV has taken over. - I had hoped that my comments about Karen might be used in a way to help other young women (and men) struggling with anorexia and bulemia. Instead, it was used to titillate and tease, and draw in an audience in the cheapest possible way. I am so sorry. She deserves so much more kindness and respect for the great joy she brought to all of us with her beautiful voice. C&T FUTURE? - This new year ahead of us looks like it will be a year when Daryl and I will have to make a lot of decisions about our future, and what we want to do professionally in the next twenty or so years of our lives. We have a lot of thinking and pondering to do. Here are some of the things we are taking into consideration as we think about our professional future. - On the ET show, it was kind of unnerving to watch one’s self “age” so rapidly in such a short piece..... from our first publicity photo (1972) to early TV clips from 1976-77, to our appearance on the GLAAD Awards show back in the early 90s to NOW. Yes, we both look pretty darned good for folks in their late 60s, but there is no doubt that we are now looking rather... ahem.... mature. I see my mother looking back at me from the TV screen. - This is not a BAD thing.... my mother was such a terrific woman, and so much fun to be around. It is just that, inside myself, I was always that young woman from 1970's TV. Now it is time to move to a much later phase, and be the most graceful, cheerful, MATURE woman I can possibly be. I am thinking that the best thing I can do right now is to pass on to younger people some of the things I have learned over a pretty long career. For example, Daryl and I were thinking about doing some Master Classes for the local Prescott colleges, perhaps passing on some of our performance and music business knowledge to the students. - Every October in Prescott, jazz trumpeter and music educator, Mike Vax, puts on a jazz festival that lasts for three or four days. The events occur in several venues throughout the town. Last year I had the privilege of attending one of the jazz concerts, which included a performance by a big band made up of Arizona university musicians... I believe they were from either Arizona State University or Tucson. Anyhow, their musicianship and enthusiasm just knocked me out, and took me right back to the days when I sang with the AUBURN KNIGHTS ORCHESTRA while I was at Auburn University in the early 1960s. - I was thinking that, once Daryl and I get settled into the new house and finally get our music library moved down from Carson City, I would dust off my great big band arrangements, and volunteer to sing and share them with these young college bands. It would be great fun for me, and I think they would love playing the fabulous arrangements Sammy Nestico and Matt Catingub (among others) have done for me over the years. This is kind of what I have in mind... giving back musically in some way. - I will write more about things Daryl and I are considering for the future as soon as we figure them out!! Right now, I think I’ve gone on enough for now. I do appreciate all of you who take a look at TONI’S TAKE from time to time, and I will try to write more regularly after the first of the year. So... until next time... Keep A Song Of Joy Inside Your Heart! - |
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December
19, 2007 |
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| December
3 , 2007 BACKSTAGE AT THE “SPIRIT OF THE SEASON” IN RENO | THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP ! - BACKSTAGE AT THE “SPIRIT OF THE SEASON” IN RENO - I am writing this Take while sitting in the Reno airport, waiting for the flight that will take me back to La Quinta... back to Daryl, the dogs and the cats. Daryl has been in Prescott, checking on the construction of our house while I was here. I talked to him this morning, and he was just getting ready to leave Prescott. He will make it home to La Quinta long before I do, since I have to fly to Phoenix, wait a couple of hours, and then take the cramped commuter jet to Palm Springs. I’m hoping to make it home by 6:30PM. - The Reno Philharmonic Christmas Concert was just beautiful, as it is every year. When the curtain opens on that huge stage to reveal the 90 member symphony orchestra and 150 voice chorus, the audience explodes into spontaneous applause because it is just such a lovely sight! I’m hoping to round up a few photos of the concert to share with you. - The concert, called SPIRIT OF THE SEASON, was created by Maestro Barry Jekowsky five years ago, and has become a highlight of Reno’s Christmas season... sold out every year. I have been guest artist four of the five years. - Barry basically puts together an entire Broadway-type show on a shoestring budget. Dress rehearsals are so chaotic, it just seems impossible that it will all come together on opening night, but it always does. Remember, this particular show is brand new each year, and there is only one full rehearsal to put it all together. - There were a few glitches on opening night. The magician that appeared just before the lovely Sugarplum ballerinas evidently shot some confetti out of a cannon as part of his act. The stagehands didn’t clean up all of the confetti, and one of the ballerinas slipped on the bits of paper and fell to the stage (she’s fine). The other dancers continued to dance.... veeerrry carefully. For the matinee yesterday, the director reversed the order of the acts so the stage would be confetti-free for the dancers. - Speaking of the dancers, they were absolutely LOVELY.... dancing en pointe to the familair WALTZ OF THE FLOWERS. Onstage they moved like they were weightless.... floating effortlessly like feathers. Becky and I were standing in the wings when these lovely girls glided offstage as if gently carried along on a soft breeze. The minute they were in the wings and out of sight of the audience, they all bent over, hands on their thighs, gasping for breath! Then when they heard their musical cue to return to the stage, off they floated, smiling and gliding. - For the past two times I have been guest artist, I have been carried onstage in grand style in a horse-drawn sleigh. While the orchestra and chorus sing SLEIGH RIDE, Star, the little mustang, brings me onstage, passing right in front of the musicians and chorus. His owner leads him on... I’m not doing any driving. Besides, I’m in a fancy ballgown.... not my jeans and leather driving gloves! - Star was born in the wilds of Nevada as part of herd of mustangs. He was adopted when he was young by a loving family, and now appears in many shows, especially at Christmas time. They dress him up in red leather “boots”, and his harness is covered with bells and bows, and he looks adorable. He has carried me onto that huge stage safely four times now, and I have to admire his courage and calm amidst the sound of the instruments, the singers, the flashing stage lights and the audience’s applause when they see him. - However, there are things the audience never sees or knows about, thank goodness. On opening night, Star’s owner brought him and the sleigh into the wings, stage left, so I could get myself and my ball gown into the sleigh before our entrance. We were supposed to enter about halfway through SLEIGHRIDE. Just as I was preparing to get in the sleigh, Star lifted his beautifully decorated tail and pooped.... .a very large, steaming pile on the stage floor. We only had moments before our entrance. One of Star’s handlers came flying over with the pooper scooper, and as she removed Star’s contribution, I got into the sleigh, and onstage we went, the audience none the wiser. Star made a perfect stop, right by the percussion section, as they were banging away on their various instruments. I descended to the stage as gracefully as I could, and off he went to get his treats for being a good boy. I had a very hard time holding back the laughter that was bubbling up inside me. Yes... you were a good boy, Star! - At the matinee yesterday, once again, Star and the sleigh arrived in the wings, I got into the sleigh, Star raised his tail, and pooped....... seconds before our entrance this time. Is it something about ME, or does he have just a touch of stage fright? Once again, someone appeared with the scooper, and off Star and I went to make our grand entrance. That little mustang will always have a place in my Christmas heart! - Oh, and I must say how fabulous TAHOE SNOW sounded! I sang it, backed by full orchestra and chorus. You just can’t imagine how thrilling it is to me to hear one of my songs played by a symphony orchestra! - Later...Wednesday, December 5th. My trip back to La Quinta from Reno did NOT go smoothly. We boarded the plane in Reno right on time. Then we were told that there seemed to be leak of some sort in the brakes, and we had to wait for a maintenance crew to check it out and, hopefully, fix it. We sat on the plane at the gate for almost two more hours before the problem was repaired and we took off for my first stop...Phoenix. - Since I had 2 1/2 hours between flights, I thought I might have a chance to make my connection to Palm Springs. With about 15 minutes to go, I raced as fast as I could to the next gate, two terminals away. When I ran up to the ticket counter, I was told that the Palm Springs flight would be delayed two hours! - Well...what can you do? This is the nature of air travel these days. So, I bought myself a Wolfgang Puck spinach salad in a plastic container, sat in one of those little cafe-like places among the other weary and rather disgruntled passengers, and ate my “dinner”. I finally made it home around 9PM, where I was greeted by Daryl and the frantically barking Aussies..... all of whom seemed as glad to see me as I was to see them! - I do want to mention a lovely young singer who appeared in the Christmas concert. She has an absolutely beautiful, crystalline voice...what I call a “Broadway Voice”....pure, strong, sweet and expressive. Her name is Carrie Lyn Brandon and she is fourteen years old! Evidently, Maestro Jekowsky heard her sing the National Anthem at a Giants game in San Francisco, and asked her to sing with the orchestra he founded, the California Symphony. In Reno, she sang two gorgeous songs from the Broadway musical, ANASTASIA, and the audience loved her. She had a loving and proud family with her in Reno, and I got the sense that they would not let her do anything professionally that would push her too hard vocally and possibly harm her young, developing voice. Broadway is her eventual goal, and I predict you will find her there not too far in the future. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELP! - And now I must say many, many, MANY thanks to all of you who have written, telling us about your experiences trying to find THE SECRET OF CHRISTMAS and our new DVDs. I have passed on all of your comments to Brant Berry, the head of RetroActive Entertainment. And Daryl and I are so grateful and so moved by those of you who have called radio stations and stores in your area to ask for the product. We can’t thank you enough for your efforts on our behalf. - We find ourselves releasing product at a time when the entire business is changing completely. Where it will finally end up, I have no idea. “Brick and mortar” stores are stocking less than half of the CDs and DVDs than they have in the past. Recording artists who have stayed above the radar and worked constantly, like Barry Manilow, are getting the prominent display spots in the stores, as well they should. Daryl and I have been so quiet professionally for so many years, it is harder for us to get the store’s attention. Also, quite a few of the store buyers now are a couple of generations younger than we are, and the name Captain and Tennille doesn’t ring a bell with them. The good news is, most of the outlets have had to re-order, so we are seeing sales! Your calls and requests to the stations and stores really make a difference for us. - By the way...if you have children or grandchildren, you might find that they will really enjoy the C&T DVDs. My sister, Louisa, who teaches second grade, showed some of the shows to her class, and she said they LOVED them, and demanded to see them over and over again. What did they love best about the shows? THE CAPTAIN!!! Others have told us the same thing. This, of course, makes Daryl very happy! He has a whole new generation of Hat Joke fans! - Now I’m off to do a million things in preparation for the arrival of all three of my sisters! Louisa and Bob arrive tomorrow night, Jane and Frank Saturday afternoon, and Melissa and Andy on Sunday morning. I will probably not write again until their visit is over. Once again, thank you all! Until next time, Keep A Song of Joy Inside Your Heart. - |
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| November
27, 2007 - CHRISTMAS CD PROMOTION HELP | ALL FOUR TENNILLE SISTERS TOGETHER FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!!! - CHRISTMAS CD PROMOTION - RetroActive Entertainment, the company that has released our Christmas CD and DVDs of our ABC TV Specials this month, has hired a Record Promotion person to help get songs from THE SECRET OF CHRISTMAS on radio stations around the country this holiday season. Just yesterday we received a rather disheartening note from him regarding the Virgin Megastore in San Francisco. Although they had 10 copies of the CD, they were not on display. They were in the stock room, where, of course, no one could see them. Please read his comments below. - “I was in the Bay Area for Thanksgiving, and found myself at the Virgin Megastore on Market St./San Francisco. Thought I'd pop in to see if "Secret" was in stock. After searching, I did not see it in the Christmas music section nor was it in the C&T section in Pop/Rock. So I asked a store employee to locate the title in their computer. Sure enough, it "came up" as being in stock...but where were the copies hiding!!!???? Long story short, he checked the stock room, and soon retrieved 10 copies. I said to him in a friendly way, "Dude...these should be out so people can buy them!" Moral to shoppers: if you don't see it, ask for it! - It was back on the phones with radio today, and most PDs (Program Directors) just received the CD in the mail after the holiday and yet to listen. Just a note of suggestion to Daryl and Toni for your website and blog--please consider asking the fans to request songs from the album at their favorite radio station. Every little bit helps!” - So... as he has suggested, when you are in one of the “Big Box” stores, please ask if they have our product. If they don’t, ask them to search the computer listing of their stock. Perhaps you will find that the copies are “in the stock room” instead of on display. - If possible, you could also really help us out by calling your local radio stations, and asking them to play selections from THE SECRET OF CHRISTMAS on their station during this holiday season. If they say they don’t have the CD, please let me know, and I will make sure they receive one ASAP. ALL FOUR TENNILLE SISTERS TOGETHER FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!! - I am getting all my chores and housecleaning done before I leave for Reno early Thursday morning. I’ll return on Monday, and shortly after that, my sisters and their husbands start arriving here in La Quinta. Louisa and Bob arrive first, and can only stay a few days. Melissa and Andy arrive on Saturday morning, and can only stay until Monday morning. Jane and Frank arrive (all the way from Orlando) on Saturday afternoon, and will be with us until Thursday morning. That gives us ONE complete day when all four Tennille Sisters will be together... Sunday, December 9th! It is so rare that all four of us are together, and I can’t wait! I’ve booked a private dining room at one of our favorite restaurants here so we can all have dinner together that evening. Since the room is private, we can laugh, talk and even sing without disturbing the other diners. - Daryl and I are making some pretty big decisions about our future and what we will be doing after we get the new house finished and have settled in. Things are just in the “concept” stage right now, and I will share them with you at a later date. Believe me, it is nothing huge, but something we feel like we can handle at this stage of our lives. - I’m off to alter one of my gowns for the Christmas show, and then do some serious housecleaning. Many, many thanks ahead of time to all of you who help us out with calls to radio stations! Until next time, Keep A Song of Joy Inside Your Heart. ( LISTEN NOW...) - |
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| November
16, 2007 PROCRASTINATION | MORE ON SEDAKA TRIBUTE | MORE ON CLAYMATES | RENO PHIL CHRISTMAS | C&T ON TV? - PROCRASTINATION - I am writing this from our little rental house in Prescott, AZ. Daryl and I and the dogs drove over from La Quinta a few days ago to check on the progress of our new home. I am happy to say it is going very well, and I am really hopeful that we’ll be able to move in this spring and start our new life here in Prescott. - I sat down at the computer yesterday morning, with a couple of hours to devote to writing TONI’S TAKE. I sat there... and sat there... and I just couldn’t get started. “WHY am I having trouble writing this TAKE ?” I kept asking myself. And then it hit me. Frankly, I am SICK of talking about myself!!!! - For the past couple of months, Daryl and I have been promoting the C&T Specials DVDs and the Christmas CD, doing interview after interview, answering many of the same questions over and over again.... which is to be expected, of course. Most of the interviewers don’t spend their lives trying to keep up with what Daryl and I are doing..... or did... or might do in the future. They are just doing their jobs. So they ask, “How did you get the name CAPTAIN?” and “How long have you been married?” My mother was a TV Talk Show host when I was growing up, and I had my own syndicated talk/variety show in 1980, so I know how hard it is to ask questions that might be interesting to the person you are interviewing. It is just easier to ask the usual questions. - I also feel that I should only write TONI’S TAKE when I have something to say about show business or something of that nature. Honestly, Daryl and I lead such unremarkable lives.... we just do a lot of the same things you do..... cook dinner, take out the trash, clean the house, take care of the dogs and cats, visit with friends, etc. Once in a while we have an “excitement bump”, such as the recent trip to New York for the Neil Sedaka Tribute and to crazy, traffic-snarled, hectic LA for promo. But most of the time, we are just regular people.... like you are. Admittedly, we have a pretty interesting past, but our present is very mellow, and that is just the way we like it. MORE ON SEDAKA TRIBUTE - A few comments from the past couple of months’ events. I heard from a writer to TONI’S TAKE who was at the Sedaka afterparty - http://www.sedaka50.com. She said that she saw CONNIE FRANCIS and PAUL SCHAFFER there, near one of the entrances to the party. I didn’t know they were there, since I didn’t see them, but Daryl and I were kind of backed into a corner, with a sea of people between us and the entrance, so that is why we missed them. - Many of you wrote to ask if the Sedaka event was taped for television, and the answer is no. Actually, although the artists who were gathered there to pay tribute to Neil’s songwriting were wonderful, and even legendary, I must say I was disappointed with the presentation. I thought the stage looked pretty bare and boring, and the lighting was lacking in creativity. I suppose the producer wanted to keep costs down so as to donate even more money to Elton’s AIDS Foundation, but I just feel more should have been done to make the stage setting worthy of Neil and the talent assembled on his behalf, and to give the audience more of what they paid a great deal of money for. MORE ON CLAYMATES - I can’t believe the number of emails I have had from Clay Aiken fans since I mentioned him in my last TAKE! They call themselves CLAYMATES, and they absolutely adore him. What was interesting to me was how many of them say they are middle-aged women in their 40s, 50s and up. They tell me that, in addition to his voice, they are incredibly impressed with him as a person, and with his interaction with his fans. They follow him from show to show in different cities, and talk to each other in chat rooms all the time. Something about Clay has really touched a huge number of people, and I think it has something to do with this crazy, out-of-control world we live in now. Clay seems to display the sort of caring, kind persona we all wish we saw more often. So to all of you CLAYMATES.... keep rooting for your guy! With all of you behind him, I’m sure he will have a long, fulfilling career. RENO PHIL CHRISTMAS - In a couple of weeks I am headed back to Reno to sing with the RENO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA in their annual SPIRIT OF THE SEASON Christmas concert on Saturday, December 1st and Sunday, December 2nd- http://www.renophil.com. Daryl won’t be going, since he needs to be in Prescott to check on the house construction during that time. - I missed singing with the orchestra last season, and this year is the final concert under Maestro Barry Jekowsky, who is leaving at the end of the season. When Barry called me a couple of months ago to ask if I would join them again, I just couldn’t say no. I absolutely love that orchestra, and have many friends among the musicians. And the trip also gives me the opportunity to see my non-musician northern Nevada friends again! - Like the Sedaka Tribute, this show will NOT be taped for television viewing, which is a real shame, since it is a spectacularly beautiful show in every way. It is just too expensive to pay for eighty or so musicians, all the tech people working the show, the dancers, chorus, acrobats, and everyone else involved, PLUS pay the rights for the music and arrangements. I have always donated my appearances with the RPO as part of my support for the Arts in Nevada, partly because I’ve always thought it was the right thing to do, but mostly because it is just so much fun for me, and gives the audience such a lovely and heartwarming holiday treat. - This year I’ll be singing a gorgeous and thrilling arrangment of THE CHRISTMAS WALTZ by Daryl’s father, Carmen Dragon. I recorded it some years back with Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra for a CD called CHRISTMAS WITH THE POPS. Rosemary Clooney and Doc Severinsen are also featured. It is a lovely CD, and I highly recommend it. I believe it is still available at amazon.com. - I’ll also be singing TAHOE SNOW at Barry’s request. Most of the people in the audience either live at Tahoe, or spend lots of time there throughout the year, so you could call it a special Christmas song for nothern Nevadans. Daryl and I performed it with the orchestra two years ago, and it really sounds great with full orchestra and chorus. You can’t imagine what a kick I get out of hearing one of the songs I have written performed by a symphony orchestra! I’ll also sing a sparkling arrangement by the legendary Sammy Nestico of the much-loved WHITE CHRISTMAS, and ask the audience to sing along with me. - But my favorite part of the show is when I get to recite the famous poem, ‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, as a kind of “duet” with the orchestra. The arrangement is just enchanting... there is just no other word that better describes it, and it gives me great pleasure to tell that classic story again for all the children in the audience. - By the way, many thanks to all of you who wrote with anniversary wishes for me and Daryl. It is truly hard to believe we have been married 32 years (plus three “illegal” years). As Daryl says, we have now been together longer than we HAVEN’T been together. He definitely has a way with words. C&T ON TV? - And now a couple of things to tell you about where you might see us on television during the holiday season. A crew from ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT came out to our home in La Quinta a couple of weeks ago to shoot an interview and footage of us for their Christmas show. They were at the house almost four hours, including set-up time. However, knowing how television works, if we ARE included in the show, the time devoted to us could be as little as a couple of minutes. I believe it is set to air around December 8th, but I will post the actual date in TONI’S TAKE as soon as I find out when it is. - We also did an interview for the TV GUIDE CHANNEL for their Christmas roundup. I’m not sure when that will air, either, so I’ll have to get back to you as soon as I find out specific dates. - You know, these shows are mostly about the current pop music scene, and Daryl and I represent the past, so how much air time we’ll get is really up to the directors and producers (who are younger and younger these days). It is just a fact of the way things are... and not just today. It has ALWAYS been that way. Also, Daryl and I keep such a low profile, when we “resurface”, it takes a while to get things going. - Now I’m off to do a million things. We’re headed back to La Quinta tomorrow, and have lots to do before we leave Prescott. Until next time... Keep A Song of Joy Inside Your Heart! - |
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October
29, 2007 OUR TRIP TO NYC - Becky, Daryl and I landed at the Palm Springs airport Saturday night around 7:30PM, very, very tired, and glad to be home from our New York trip. Becky needed one more flight to take her home to Las Vegas, but stayed over in La Quinta on Sunday to relax and watch her beloved Sunday football on TV. I must admit that, although Daryl and I had been dreading the flights to New York, all of our American Airlines flights were fairly close to on time, and our bags arrived when we did! - Daryl, as happens every time we fly, was pulled aside this time by Palm Springs airport security, told to remove his hat, jacket and shoes, and was wanded, patted down, and questioned by the agent. He must look like a terrorist, poor guy. - The only little bump in the air travel road happened when we landed back home at Palm Springs and taxied to the gate. After the Captain turned off the seat belt sign and all the passengers stood and gathered their things to get off the plane, airport ground staff were unable to “mate” the jetway to the plane door so we could get off. It was an interminable fifteen minutes or so before they finally got the jetway in place so we could deplane. Then we waited forty minutes for our bags to appear at baggage claim.... but at least the bags showed up..all five of them. - For those of you who may be reading TONI’S TAKE for the first time, let me explain that we were in New York last week to appear in a concert honoring singer/songriter Neil Sedaka for his fifty years of writing hits. We also did some promotional interviews for our new Christmas CD, THE SECRET OF CHRISTMAS, and the DVDs of our ABC television specials from the 1970s. Many of you have written to ask about the concert and events that occurred before and after, so here is my TAKE. - Daryl, Becky and I arrived at New York’s La Guardia airport late Tuesday night. We checked into the hotel arranged by the producer of the Sedaka tribute concert. The hotel lobby looked like a setting for the “beautiful people”...very, very chic and upscale... maybe even a tad pretentious. We had stayed there some years ago when we were in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but it had been renamed and remodeled, and I honestly did not recognize it. When the Doorman said, “Welcome back,” I thought he thought I was someone else. - Our suite was very nice.... clean, spare, neutral colors... kind of Scandanavian in style. The bed had lots of fluffy down pillows, and a down duvet, all covered in very high thread-count white sheets. I liked the decor. Daryl didn’t. But it was quiet, clean, and the bed was comfortable. Our first interview was scheduled for 12:30PM the next day, so we knew we could sleep in for a while in the morning. - The next morning we got our first shock. I ordered breakfast from room service.... fruit, yogurt, granola and hot tea for me.... orange juice, apple juice and a banana for Daryl (he brings his own cereal). The bill was $96.00!!!!! Yes, that is NINETY-SIX DOLLARS!!!!! For breakfast... for two people. Later, Becky told us she ordered a bagel and coffee, and the bill was $36.00! Although the Sedaka people were paying for the rooms, we were paying for all of our incidentals.... like breakfast. So much for hotel food. It is just against my principles to pay that much. Thursday morning, when our interviews started at 8:30AM, we bought granola bars at a little shop in the radio station building, and then begged the radio staff for coffee once we got upstairs. - Did I mention it rained the entire time we were in New York? - Later on Daryl and I walked in the rain to a drugstore a few blocks away and bought reasonably priced bottled water for our room. The hotel only had Evian, and they charged almost $10.00 a bottle for it. I’m sorry I am venting, but the whole thing is just ridiculous. Daryl and I finally just had to laugh when we realized we could eat breakfast every Sunday for a month at the Dinner Bell in Prescott for what we paid for one breakfast at the hotel.... better food, too! NEIL SEDAKA TRIBUTE CONCERT - Thursday afternoon Daryl, Becky and I arrived at the rehearsal studio to rehearse LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER with the band, and go over LONELY NIGHT/ANGEL FACE with Neil. Just as we were entering the studio, the legendary Connie Francis was leaving, having rehearsed WHERE THE BOYS ARE and STUPID CUPID with Neil. She greeted us with a big smile and a hug, and seemed genuinely glad to meet us. I remember hearing her voice on the radio in the 50s and 60s, smooth and sweet, like vocal satin, with just a little “teardrop” in it when she sang the big ballads. She has one of the great “radio” voices. - I was so happy to see Neil again. He was bouncing around the studio like a man half his age... or LESS! Neil is all about the music... it is the true love of his life and his reason for being. The minute he starts to play the piano or sing, he lights up like a Christmas tree! And his voice is as sweet and true as it ever was. The band Neil provided was excellent, and we were finished with rehearsal in about 20 minutes. - Friday afternoon, concert day, we went over to Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center for sound check. Just off stage I ran into Natalie Cole, whom I hadn’t seen for several years. Natalie and Daryl go back a long way... to Malibu in the 1950’s. She was just a little kid, but she used to come over to Daryl’s parent’s house on Carbon Beach, and sing in a little jazz trio with Daryl’s brother, Dennis, and arranger Nelson Riddle’s son. Natalie wanted to sing like Ella Fitzgerald (who didn’t?), and jazz was her music back then. She has had a long and well-deserved career, and it was great to see her. - At sound check that day we also met singer Lou Christie (LIGHTNING STRIKING AGAIN), who was funny and quite charming, and musician Paul Schaffer, whose acerbic wit was just like it is on the Letterman Show. - After sound check, we went back to the hotel and ordered room service! We only had a couple of hours before we had to be back at the theatre, it was raining, and we just decided to bite the bullet and pay up. Two small side salads, a shrimp cocktail (for me) and vegie pasta with a side of green beans for Daryl. $90.00. Unbelievable. - It was raining heavily when we left for the theatre Friday night. We shared the limo with singer/actress Renee Olstead and her mother. Renee stars in STILL STANDING on the CW Network, and has a new CD produced by David Foster, who has produced records for many, many famous singers such as Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand. Renee is a tiny little slip of a girl with a radiant, beautiful complexion (I hope she stays out of the sun for the rest of her life!). She looked about 12 years old to me, but she is actually nineteen. She has a lovely voice which sounds much older and more mature than she is! She sang Neil’s beautiful ballad, I SHOULD HAVE NEVER LET YOU GO. - When we arrived at the theatre, we entered the dressing room marked CAPTAIN AND TENNILLE to find producer, David Foster, napping on the couch! We ended up sharing the room with him, and he and Daryl had some very interesting discussions about the current state of the music business. On that subject, if you have a chance to pick up the latest issue of NEWSWEEK, read the Op Ed piece called HOW MUCH IS MUSIC WORTH by Steven Levy. It is the best description I have read of the current sad and sorry state of the music business right now. You can also go to newsweek.com, and type the above title in the site search. I recommend that ALL of you read it now. All I can say is... thank God Daryl and I had our hits in the 70s. Today, we wouldn’t have had a chance. - We also met Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Dion, and his wife backstage before the show. He went out onstage with just his guitar and had the audience rocking and singing along to Neil’s infectious CALENDAR GIRL. What a pro he is! - Now.... for all of you “Claymates” out there who might happen to read this..... I never saw Clay Aiken backstage. He wasn’t there for the finale, THAT’S WHEN THE MUSIC TAKES ME, and he didn’t attend the afterparty. In fact, I never saw him at all!!! He drifted in and out of the proceedings like a ghost... almost like he was “beamed” in and out of the theatre. Becky and I sneaked out into the stage right balcony to hear him sing SOLITAIRE, and he sang the heck out of it! And I got such a kick out of the screams of excitement when he appeared on stage, and when he held that four-measure, fortissimo note (“Sol-i-TAIRE!!!!!”) in the middle of the song..... the audience went bananas just like all the young girls who screamed for Sinatra and the Beatles! His fans, who appear to be mostly female, absolutely adore him. What a phenomenon. I’m so out of it, I had no idea how huge he is. - Before I tell you about the afterparty, I want to make it clear that Daryl and I were paid absolutely nothing for our participation in the show. The producer paid for our airfare, hotel rooms and transportation to and from rehearsal and the concert. For every other expense we encountered in New York, we were on our own. But the net profits for the show go to a very good cause.... Elton John’s AIDS Foundation.... and we were happy to be there for Neil, and for Elton’s worthy cause. AND, we were able to do some promotion for our new releases while we were there. - It was our understanding that, since some people were paying a great deal of money to attend the party after the show, we were expected to be there to meet, greet, sign autographs and pose for pictures. I somehow had pictured a party of no more than 50 or 60 people... 100 at the max. I was also looking forward to seeing my niece, Laura (Jane’s middle daughter), whom I had not seen for three or four years. She and her friends had purchased their tickets long ago, and we arranged for them to come to the party. - What greeted us when we arrived was a huge room with too many people packed into it!!! If the fire department had been there, they would have made everybody leave. People were jammed into the room like sardines in a can. If you were afflicted with claustrophobia, you would have been a dead duck. At the entrance to the main room, we posed for photos with Neil and his wife, Leba, and then waded into the fray. I was trying very hard to find my niece, a petite young woman. Becky finally got her on her cell phone, and we guided her to the corner of the room where we were. We were really unable to exchange more than a few words, since there seemed to be a long line of people wanting us to pose for photos and sign autographs. - This is what I know...... Natalie and Clay did NOT come to the afterparty. Neil came, had a glass of wine, posed for a few photos, and was gone within 45 minutes or so. I didn’t see David Foster, Dion or Paul Schaffer, so I’m guessing they didn’t come either. That left me and Daryl, Renee Olstead (bless her heart, she was so tiny, it would be hard to find her in that packed room) and Lou Christie. - After about fifteen minutes, during which time we posed for photo after photo, and signed many, many autgraphs, I realized that my feet were KILLING ME!!! I was still in heels (only two inches), and I hadn’t had heels on for so long, my feet were fiercely and painfully complaining. I’m certain that we were only getting that much attention because we were the only “celebrities” anyone could find in the room. - After about an hour, people started leaving the “party”. I was in so much pain with my feet, I couldn’t wait to get out of those heels! But everytime we tried to leave, someone would ask, “Oh, please, just one more photo,” and so we stayed.... to the very end! By the time we finally made it to the elevator, we were told that all of the cars taking the show’s participants back to their hotels were gone for the evening! It was still raining, and we had no transportation. - Finally, a very nice young gal from Neil’s publicist’s office went down in the rain, and found a cab for us. - And that is all I can write right now. We’re leaving for Prescott tomorrow morning, and I have a million things to do. Tell you what... if you have specific questions about the event, please write to me, and I will try to answer them to the best of my ability in my next TAKE. By the way, my feet are finally feeling better!!! Until next time, Keep A Song of Joy Inside Your Heart! - |
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October
20, 2007
RPO CHRISTMAS CONCERT GROUNDHOG DAY FOR THE DVDS - Now I want to speak to you about the product we are releasing this year. As most of you who are regular readers know, the DVDs of our three 1970s Specials for ABC...C&T in HAWAII, C&T in NEW ORLEANS, the C&T SONGBOOK special..... and the 1976 C&T CHRISTMAS SHOW have officially been “released”. The C&T Christmas CD, THE SECRET OF CHRISTMAS, is due for “release” November 6th, along with boxed sets of the three specials. - When I say “released”, that means they should be available in stores, as well as online. I do know that Amazon is carrying the DVDs right now. However, it is now seeming to me and Daryl that it is Groundhog Day once again. I have received emails from several fans, detailing how difficult (or impossible) it has been for them to find the new DVDs in stores. I would infer from those emails, that the DVDs are NOT in stores. This is exactly what happened last year. Needless to say, Daryl and I are becoming more and more frustrated and upset. THIS time it was going to be different. But it isn’t. - Before I explain what I believe the main problem is, let me tell you that Daryl and I, and our Personal Assistant, Becky, have been ready to go with this project since MARCH of this year. We have had everything ready for release, and were only waiting for the packaging to be completed, and we’d be on our way. - Well.... MONTHS went by, with delay after delay. Our publicist, The Lippin Group, is one of the finest in the business, and they had been anxiously awaiting the DVD promotional copies, so they could get them to the media....newspapers, magazines, tv, radio, etc. The promo copies finally arrived at Lippin, but many weeks late, during which time we lost all sorts of media opportunities to let anyone who might be interested know that the C&T DVDs are available for purchase. We are now going through the same thing with the promo copies of the Christmas CD. The bottom line is, if people don’t know the product is available, they won’t look for it. - I understand that the promo copies for the Christmas CD (in beautiful new packaging, I might add, including lyrics and personal notes about each song) will finally be delivered to the publicist on Monday. That is very late, but we’re going to do the best we can under the circumstances. - Now here is what I believe the problem is. RetroActive Entertainment is a very, very small company. And although the national distributers (Navarre for the DVDs and Koch for the CD) are large and well-respected distributers, they are catering more to their very large clients, and letting the “little guys” wait. That’s just the way the business works, and there is really nothing we can do about it. Brant Berry, founder and President of RetroActive, is actually a big fan of ours, and is doing the best he can under the circumstances. - Also, because of piracy, copying and file sharing, profit to the retailers, releasing companies and distributers is drastically down. The music business is in the middle of a huge sea change, and we have yet to see how it will all sort out. Daryl and I frankly don’t expect to receive or care about any monetary profit to us. It would be NICE, but we don’t expect it. We are very pragmatic about the state of the business right now. We just want to get the music out to you. Unfortunately, we need these other entities to make it happen. - So here is what I would like for you to do. Please email me your experiences in trying to purchase any of our product. Did you find it in a store, or did you order it online? And, if so, which stores and which online companies did you use? How long did it take you to get the product? How did you find out about the product? This will be very helpful to us as we try to determine what is going on out there in the “real world”. A BIT ABOUT DARYL - Now....on to other, a bit more personal, matters. Some of you have heard me mention that Daryl has developed a tremor. He has actually had it quite a while, but to a much lesser degree. It is NOT Parkinson’s Disease, thank God. He was thoroughly checked out a couple of years ago for Parkinson’s at Stanford Medical Center by one of the top neurologists in the country. His condition is called Familial Tremor, and it is exacerbated by stress and anxiety. - The problem is, whenever he is involved in a public appearance or social situation, the tremor causes him embarrassment, which then makes him anxious, which then makes the tremor worse. You get the picture. Consequently, he is less and less inclined to appear in public. - Also, his knees are just about ready for replacement, something he has been putting off for decades. The pain is at a point now where it is physically interfering with many things he likes to do, such as hiking and walking, or things he SHOULD be doing, like kneeling to put air in the tires or pick up an item he has dropped. Luckily, Prescott has a very fine orthopedic knee surgeon, whom Daryl has already consulted. Did I mention that anxiety about impending knee surgery also makes his tremor more pronounced? - Now we just have to decide WHEN he will have the surgery. We will have to finish the new house and get ourselves moved in before we undertake the surgery and the rehab that will precede and follow it. This situation is going to postpone any concerts we might want to do until Daryl is fully recovered. Life deals you the cards, and then you must decide what to do with them. I’ll keep you posted. - And now, as my sister, Louisa, always says, “I’m off to do a million things” before we leave for New York. Until next time... Keep A Song of Joy Inside Your Heart. ( LISTEN NOW...) - |
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| September
27, 2007 - GOODBYE, MONSOON | AUTUMN IN NEW YORK | YOUR MAKEUP QUESTIONS ANSWERED - GOODBYE, MONSOON - Monsoon season here in Arizona went out with a wild deluge last Saturday. After a week or so of dry, sunny weather, we were beginning to think the monsoon, with its sometimes violent thnderstorms, stunning cloud formations, and heavy rains was over for this year. Hubble, our thunder-phobic Australian Shepherd was as happy and relaxed as I have seen him since the monsoon began. - Then the monsoon gods laughed and threw everything they had left down on little Prescott. Hubble cowered and shook and panted as the lightning and thunder raged outside, especially when one lightning strike flashed and cracked with a tremendous BOOM within a block of the house. - After that, the storms swelled and ebbed all day long, with one brief period of sunshine. It’s over. NO IT ISN’T!! More lightning and thunder into the night, finally subsiding, I THINK, until next year. - I must say that, after that “big bang” so close to the house, Hubble actually began to calm down a bit. It really surprised me when he hardly flinched when he heard the rumble of thunder not far off. He even accepted a treat, which he has never done during the storms. Maybe he was just too tired to react anymore. Next year, when the new house is finished, he will have a special hidey-hole in an interior closet, where he can ride out the monsoon in a dark, quiet, safe spot. AUTUMN IN NEW YORK - We are coming close to the time when we will return to our home in La Quinta, CA until after the first of the year. We have quite a bit of traveling to do to promote the release of our ABC Specials on DVD and the Christmas CD, and it is much easier to fly back and forth from the Palm Springs airport than it is from here in Prescott. The nearest airport is Sky Harbor in Phoenix... a ninety minute drive from Prescott (if traffic is moving well). We also have some promo to do in Los Angeles, which is a relatively easy drive from La Quinta. I don’t have a promo schedule yet, but as soon as I do, I will post it in TONI’S TAKE. - We will be in New York City October 22-27. Our main reason for going is to appear in the tribute to Neil Sedaka’s fifty years of writing great music. (Neil Sedaka’s Fifty Years of Songwriting .) The event will be held on October 26th at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, with all net proceeds going to Elton John’s AIDS Foundation. Although most of you who are regular readers know that Daryl and I HATE to travel, we felt we should be there to pay tribute to Neil. After all, he wrote (mostly in collaboration with Howie Greenfield) three of our million-selling hit singles (LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER, LONELY NIGHT/ANGEL FACE and YOU NEVER DONE LIKE THAT), as well as many other terrific songs we were privileged to record. - Here’s what I know about what we will be doing in the concert. Daryl and I will perform LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER (our version) on our own in the first half of the show. Then we will do LONELY NIGHT/ANGEL FACE (Neil’s version) as a duet with Neil in the second half. As you know, Neil’s version is quite different from ours.... no jungle sounds!!!! I’m going to have to take a listen to Neil’s recording of the song to remind myself how he sings it to make sure my phrasing complements his. - We will perform only those two songs, since there are at least TEN acts in the show, and time is limited. The latest act to be added to the show... as far as I know.... is Connie Francis, who had SO many hits singing Neil and Howie’s songs back in the 50s. WHERE THE BOYS ARE comes to mind, among many others. I always thought she had a great voice.... perfect for radio. It caught your ear as you were changing stations, and you simply had to stop and listen to her. I am looking forward to seeing her. We may have met once briefly, years ago, at some event or the other, but we certainly didn’t have a converation of any sort.... just hi, nice to meet you. While we’re in New York for Neil’s concert, we’ll also do some promo for our DVDs and the Christmas CD, and as soon as I know what we’ll be doing, I’ll pass it on to you. YOUR MAKEUP QUESTIONS ANSWERED - On another subject, after Daryl posted the interview we did for CASPER’S SCARE SCHOOL with SIDEWALKS, a show out of San Francisco, I received some very nice emails to TONI’S TAKE, saying how nice we looked. Thank you. It is getting harder and harder to “look nice” as we get older and older, but great lighting really helps! More than a few of you asked about my makeup, and wanted to know who does it, and what cosmetics I use. - First of all, whenever I think I can get away with it, I run around town with NO makeup on..... but I’m always hoping I don’t meet anyone who wants to take a photo with me! - I do my makeup myself, and have for years. Of course, during our television show, I simply didn’t have time to do it, and we always needed a makeup person standing by while we were taping, to make sure that we didn’t get “shiney” or smudgey, or sweat all the makeup off. I still have a makeup artist standing by during a long photo session, even though I do my own makeup for the shoot. - However, for concerts, and even for photo shoots, I found I was much more comfortable doing my own makeup... mainly because I do it much faster, and I am always looking for a natural look. Many makeup artists want to cake on the foundation, and load on the false eyelashes. I look HORRIBLE with false eyelashes, and they absolutely drive me crazy anyway. It took me a while before I was confident doing my own makeup, but I had just had too many bad experiences with makeup artists who tried to make me look “glamorous”. I’m not the glamorous type. I always think of myself as just a regular person who happens to sing and write songs for a living. When I call someone “regular”, that is the highest compliment I can pay to them. That means they don’t “put on airs” or “play games”. It is hard to find “regular” people in our business, although there are some exceptions. Ella Fitzgerald was “regular”. So was Dinah Shore. - Anyhow..... back to makeup. Right now I am using Maybelline Instant Age Rewind (I wish!!!) Foundation, which I put on pretty sparingly with my fingers. It covers my trouble spots pretty well, without having to plaster it on. I use a concealer that is not on the market. It was given to me by my dermatologist... his wife created it, but never marketed it. When this runs out, I’ll have to find another one. - I use Maybelline mascara, both regular and waterproof, in black. I also like the Maybelline and Sonia Kashuk (Target) matte eyeshadows.... shades of brown work best for me. I line my eyes, top and bottom, with dark brown matte eye shadow, using a fine brush. I use a very light brown shade of eye shadow on my poor, fading eyebrows. I brush it on with a small angled brush. - I am always looking for a transparent powder to set everything (after blotting thoroughly with a tissue), and I’m now using Dermablend Setting Powder. It has no color of its own, and doesn’t affect the color of my makeup base. - I’m using Physician’s Formula Mineral Wear blush in the Pink Glow shade. Note: Use SPARINGLY!!!! When I’m done, I brush Physician’s Formula Multi-Colored Light Bronzer over my entire face, neck and throat. Women my age tend to lose warmth and color in the face....and we certainly don’t want to lie out in the sun and get MORE wrinkles!!!! The Light Bronzer is subtle, but it does the trick. - I hope that answers some of your questions! - Please remember that I am probably NOT going to be writing every week as I used do. Life is just about to get extremely hectic. Not only are we in the middle of building the new house, but we’re going to be packing up and heading back to La Quinta in less than two weeks. And we’ll also be traveling quite a bit. I promise to write as often as I can. Thank you all for being such faithful readers. Until next time.... Keep A Song of Joy Inside Your Heart. _ |
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| September
9, 2007 - PRESCOTT UPDATE | FALL DVD / CD PROMO AND RELEASE SCHEDULE | MY PAVAROTTI STORY - PRESCOTT UPDATE - Autumn is almost upon us, and I simply cannot believe how fast the summer went by. We broke ground for our new home here in Prescott the first week of May. Although the progress on the construction seems agonizingly slow, it is actually pretty much on schedule. The exterior walls are up, most of the interior walls have been framed, the sub roof is on, the shingles have been delivered and are waiting to be loaded onto the roof to “settle” for a few weeks before they are installed. The windows are scheduled to be delivered tomorrow, although the contractor is not quite ready to install them just yet. - Daryl and I go out to the site almost every day to check on the progress. It actually seems a bit eerie to go through the house now, since it is almost an exact copy of our northern Nevada home. It is even sited exactly the same..... courtyard facing south, kitchen window looking east, etc. However, the views from the windows could not be more different! Instead of seeing the Sierras and the Virginia Range of mountains, we see Granite Mountain to the south, and a pair of flat-topped buttes to the north. The house, and all the decisions that need to be made daily, have been taking up quite a bit of our time. But because we are out at the construction site so often, we have caught small problems before they developed into big ones. - I must say that we are loving Prescott more and more as each day goes by. It is really a kind of leap of faith to move to an entirely new state and community. You can do all the research you want, and make as many visits as possible before making your decision, but you absolutely have to LIVE in a community before you really know if you made the right choice. After having lived here all summer in our little rental house, Daryl and I feel certain that we did make the right decision.... the friendly people, the healthy lifestyle, the history, the art scene, the scenic beauty, the weather... all suit us and our lifestyle perfectly. We are looking forward to next year, when the new house is finished and we can really settle in and start to contribute to our new community. I’ve written a Christmas song for California (CHRISTMAS IN CALIFORNIA), and one for Lake Tahoe (TAHOE SNOW). Perhaps I could write a PRESCOTT Christmas song. After all, Prescott is called ARIZONA’S CHRISTMAS CITY! - Now, however, we have to get ready to head back to our home in La Quinta and get ready for our promo trips this fall. We will be tied up with all of that until after the first of the year, when we will return to Prescott and remain here until the new home is finished. I guess what I am saying is.... life is hectic right now, so please forgive me if I am not punctual with Toni’s Take each week. I may even have skip a week now and then until after the first of the year.
FALL DVD/CD PROMO AND RELEASE SCHEDULE MY PAVAROTTI STORY - And now to Maestro Luciano Pavarotti’s recent passing. I had the great privilege of hearing him sing in person in 1983. We were in the midst of building our home at Lake Tahoe at the time, and our architect invited us to attend a concert by the great tenor in Reno, Nevada. Many of you know that I am a great fan of opera, and Daryl and I lent our support to Nevada Opera for many years, occasionally doing local concerts on their behalf. - My only concern was the venue. It was held in the basketball arena (Lawler Events Center) at the University of Nevada at Reno (UNR). Now, I don’t have a problem with rock or pop concerts in huge arenas.... some acts are so big, they require a large venue. But a concert by an opera singer seemed out of place there. Still, the opportunity to hear the great singer in person overcame any doubts I had about where he would be singing. - The concert was sponsored, in part, by Harrah’s... one of the major casinos in town. The head of the entertainment office at Harrah’s invited us to meet Pavarotti at Harrah’s after the concert, and I jumped at the chance. - For some reason, Daryl didn’t go with us that night... I can’t remember why. The concert was excellent, and the sound was very well done. Maestro Pavarotti was accompanied by a full symphony orchestra, and, although he had to use a microphone because of the size of the place, it was not a distraction to me. - When he made his first entrance onstage, the audience went bananas.... jumping up from their seats, cheering, shouting, yelling bravos... all this before he sang a note. He was VERY large in size, but he sailed onto the stage, huge white handkerchief in hand, like a large, graceful sailing ship, his famous wide smile beaming his joy to the audience. - His voice was magnificent.... strong and vibrant throughout his entire vocal range... from the low notes to the ringing high “Cs”. His technique was effortless, and his personal charisma filled the space.... larger than life, indeed. - Yes, when you saw him in an opera, rather than in concert, it was very hard to believe this hulking man as a young, starving poet in LA BOHEME, or a handsome, strong military man in TOSCA, and I must say I like my opera singers to look and act the parts they are singing. But you didn’t go to hear Pavarotti sing because he was a great actor... or even just an adequate one. You went to hear him sing because the voice was one in a lifetime... because you are unlikely to ever hear a voice like his again. - Later, I had my very own “Pavarotti Moment” when I was taken to meet him at Harrah’s after the show. The Vice President of Harrah’s introduced me to the Maestro. He was seated, signing posters and programs for the very lucky people who were in line. “Maestro, I’d like to you to meet one of our most famous singing stars here in the United States, Toni Tennille,” said the Harrah’s executive. Pavarotti looked up at me (he had no clue who I was, of course), beamed his brilliant smile, grasped my hand in his HUGE hand, kissed it, and said in his wonderful Italian accent, “You no have-a to tell-a me she’s a beeg star....she is so BEE-U-Ti-FOOL!!!!” I promptly fainted. - No I didn’t. But it is a moment I will always remember! - And now, as my sister, Louisa, says....I’m off to do a million things! Until next week (or whenever I can sit down to write again) Keep A Song OF Joy Inside Your Heart. ( LISTEN NOW...) - |
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August
27, 2007 A SATELLITE TOUR - Recently Daryl and I did a Satellite Tour on behalf of the release of CASPER’S SCARE SCHOOL on DVD. Some of you may know what a satellite tour entails, but I thought you might be interested in how it is done. When you watch celebrities promoting a movie or CD, and they are not physically on the set with the host, but instead are appearing on a television screen in the studio, they are doing a satellite tour. - It is much easier and less expensive to make appearances on television shows around the country via satellite than it is to actually GO to these cities. The CASPER releasing company, Genius Products, arranged to have a satellite truck, complete with a director, sound and lighting crew and makeup artist, drive to Prescott from Phoenix. Daryl and I and our assistant, Becky, met the crew and the representative from Genius Products at 6AM in the morning at the Prescott Conference Center, where they had created a set for us in front of a large CASPER’S SCARE SCHOOL poster. We had to get started so early in the morning in order to connect with the morning television shows in the eastern time zone. - I always do my own makeup and hair, so I had gotten up that morning at 4AM in order to clean the cat litter boxes, set out food and water for all the animals, walk the dogs (in the dark), and get myself camera-ready before we had to leave for the set. Daryl has to be made up on the set, since I really don’t know how to do a man’s makeup (and don’t really WANT to know). - Once the lighting and sound check were done, we were ready to go. Daryl and I each had earpieces so we could hear the satellite tour director and the people who would be interviewing us from around the country. We weren’t able to actually SEE anybody we were talking to, but just talked right into the camera lens. - We would hear the director in our earpieces saying, “Now you will be talking to Marie in Miami at such and such a station.” Then we’d hear Marie’s voice, and we’d be off and running. This went on for 2 1/2 hours, with one short break.... station after station. Many times we’d answer the same questions over and over again. - I am pretty good at this sort of thing, but it takes a quite a lot mental concentration, especially that early in the morning! Daryl and I are very early risers, but we aren’t really THINKING at that time.... just walking the dogs and reading the paper. On a satellite tour you have to be ready to jump right into each interview with enthusiasm and keep your facts straight. Daryl can keep it going for about 20 minutes, and then his attention starts to wander. - I’m a Taurus.... plodding, methodical and patient. Daryl is a Virgo.... creative, intelligent and totally LACKING in patience! Once he has answered a question, he really doesn’t want to answer the same question AGAIN.... at least, not the SAME way he answered it before, even if it is a completely different interview. This can make for some very interesting answers from Daryl. As we went from interview to interview with our faceless hosts, I had to work hard to keep MYSELF “with it”, much less helping Daryl to stay on track. - On our C&T home page, Daryl has posted one of the interviews we did that morning. It was with a young host named Rafael for a show called SIDEWALKS out of San Francisco. I think this interview was about the fifth or sixth one that morning, and Daryl had just about HAD it by that time! You can see Daryl kind of going off on tangents as the interview progressed. If you look closely towards the end of the interview, you can see me not-so-gently “jab” Daryl with my elbow. That was the only way I could remind him we needed to wrap up the interview! At 9AM we finished the last interview, and frankly, I was pooped. I had not slept well, knowing I had to get up so early. Daryl was tired, too. However, a satellite tour is definitely MUCH easier than packing a suitcase, getting on a plane, and flying to all those cities. And I have to say that the Phoenix satellite director and crew were absolutely wonderful! They were professional in every way, and made things as easy and comfortable for us as they could. And, boy, did I appreciate the excellent lighting!!!
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| August
19, 2007 - AN EARLY MORNING VISITOR | MARVELOUS MERV - AN EARLY MORNING VISITOR - Early this morning, around 3AM, I let Hubble out on the deck. If there are no thunderstorms about, he likes to lie out there until Daryl and I get up around 6AM. This morning, just before six, we were startled awake by Hubble’s HUGE alarm bark... ”HAAHOOOOOOOOOOO... Rarf! Rarf!! Rarf!!! !... HAAHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!......” - “What in the heck is THAT??” I said, jumping out of bed to see what was going on. By that time Adelaide, who was still inside the house, had joined in the barking, and was pawing at the front door to get outside. - When I opened the door, she rushed past me to join Hubble as they barked frantically at something beyond the trees and shrubs on the far side of the yard, next to the road. Soon both dogs changed directions and ran along the deck towards the garage. - And, suddenly, there it was. In the early morning light, looking like some kind of weird visitor from another planet, my first javelina.... a large male, trotting along the road, oblivious |
