Caps anthem singer Bob McDonald sang ‘O Canada’ in French and it’s stunning

Before most Caps home games, Sergeant Major Bob McDonald delivers a stirring, up-tempo rendition of the national anthem. With Montreal in town Saturday, McDonald also had to perform O Canada. He did it in French.

Perfectly.

“I used to do it whenever Montreal came to town, way back in the day,” McDonald said to me after the game. “Then I was asked to do it just in English and it stayed that way until tonight. I had asked Continue reading “Caps anthem singer Bob McDonald sang ‘O Canada’ in French and it’s stunning” →

Chanson Du Jour (for Zsa Zsa): Moulin Rouge

Rest In Peace, Zsa Zsa Gabor, who passed away today at age 99. Here’s a song from a film you starred in – John Huston’s “Moulin Rouge.” The song is not quite as catchy as your sister’s themesong from Green Acres, but considerably more highbrow.

You had more marriages than sister Eva (nine to Eva’s five). If there is a Heaven, I hope They allow you eleven.

Travel with Rick Steves: Best Chocolates in Europe & Holiday Travels

Rick Steves’ 12/17/2016 radio show left me in desperate need of a chocolate fix. Our upcoming summer trip to Brussels cannot come soon enough!

“Writers Jane and Michael Stern discuss wintertime comfort food served in America’s roadside restaurants, then food and culture expert Fred Plotkin explores the various kinds of chocolate available across Europe. And listeners share the experiences that made their Christmas vacations in Europe really special — plus we’ll hear how locals get into the Christmas spirit in Prague.”

 

Girl’s Paris note gets reply from Louvre

An eight-year-old girl who sent a letter addressed simply to “somewhere in Paris, any house” has received a reply from the Louvre Museum.

Iris Corbett, from West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, wrote the note as she wanted to find out about the French capital.
She asked about about food, the Eiffel Tower and what the city was like after France’s Euro 2016 final loss.

The Louvre responded with answers to all her questions.
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The letter comes in a week when a similarly vaguely-addressed Christmas card found its way to the intended recipient in Suffolk.
Iris got the idea for her letter having seen her brother let go of a balloon and thinking it might end up in China.
Iris’s mother, Helena Tyce, said she was really pleased her daughter’s note received a reply.

She said: “Kids have these fantastic, creative ideas; you follow them through and nothing happens.

“I didn’t expect anything back, I really didn’t, we were so surprised and thrilled.”

The family are now planning “an adventure” on the Eurostar to visit Paris during the next school holidays.

Source: West Bridgford girl’s Paris note gets reply from Louvre – BBC News

Chanson Du Jour: l’Ouverture du Barbier de Séville

Chanson Du Jour 12/16/2016: es Quatre Barbus chantent l’Ouverture du Barbier de Séville 1954 

Les Quatre Barbus, founded in 1938 recorded thirty albums including sea chanties, children’s songs, popular songs, bawdy songs and even an album of anarchist songs in 1969.

Among the members was the photographer Pierre Jamet, who sang tenor. Jamet was the son of a butcher, born on rue Mouffetard in Paris in 1910. Jamet’s daughter has written that her father had two passions: singing and photography.

Jamet’s brilliant photographs are featured at the top of the pages of my blog.

Rossini’s Barber of Seville has proven to be one of the greatest masterpieces of comedy within music. Below is a cartoon treatment by Woody Woodpecker.