A friend who is also a June baby sent me this charming item -- it perfectly expresses my thoughts on mortality as I slide over into my 52nd year(no, not today). I saw The Sound of Mucus when I was an extremely cynical and unsentimental 12-year-old, and HATED it. But I saw it another 6 times with all the friends and family who adored it, it was the subject of a mega-musical at the American School in Kodaikanal (I went to Presentation Convent, on the neighbouring hill) and eventually, after much time had passed, I had to concede that Julie Andrews is a wonderful star even if I DID continue to think that particular film was diabetic-coma-sweet.
So here's a toast to Julie! And here's her current version of MY FAVOURITE THINGS:
To commemorate her 69th birthday on October 1, actress/vocalist Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was "My Favorite Things" from the legendary movie "Sound Of Music." However, the lyrics of the song were deliberately changed for the entertainment of her "blue hair" audience. Here are the lyrics she recited:
Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cadillacs and cataracts and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the pipes leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Hot tea and crumpets, and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heat pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Back pains, confused brains, and no fear of sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.
When the joints ache,
when the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd that lasted over four minutes and repeated encores.
15 comments:
Happy birthday :) ! I'm a June-born too. Was it cake or something more wicked at the P's residence today ?
I love the 'my favourite things' remake, (I've even sent it to my mum). Thank you :)
-- ah ... but today is NOT my birdie! I plan to go out to dinner with a couple of friends. I don't entirely approve of making a big deal about birthdays. My theory is, the aim should be to enjoy EVERY day -- and anniversaries kind of suggest the opposite -- i.e., moan and suffer all through the year then get presents and hugs on that one day ...
*SIGH*
*As always the king steps behind and salutes the great dame*
I daresay the dame wouldn't be to pleased about being saluted from behind. ;) .. as always ...
Hey another thing we differ on. Used to be crazy about the Sound of music! :-) Having said which, you have a knack for spoof! Reminded me of Wierd Al Yankovic (in a nice way though!)
Thanks for the laughs
You know something, whether its the original or the recently tweaked lyrics, the song still has...whats that word we don't use as much nowadays, ah yes - innocence!
mp mp - muchos u know wh@4wh@. spatially the pos of the earth is q close to where it was last year - but remember, despite the cyclic nature of events th@ the universe is expanding - even absolute space coordin8s shift - all is irreversible - but you've got one year closer to ze finish. gr8 job & good luck! gt
oooh ... have just returned from a gigantic tuck in at a very attractive restaurant called OLIVE near the Qutb Minar with two close friends. The heat is hot, me hearties and I am 52, yow! I think I'm going to spend the rest of my life feeling amazed at every second of continued existence (I've been that way ever since I turned fifty).
imhunt, err ... I wasn't aware that kings routinely stepped behind great dames to salute 'em. Did you mean Great Danes? Interesting imagery. Royalty going to the dogs, arf arf arf.
Well thanks for all the friendlies, all! May we all survive one more circuit around our local star.
err faux pas
Firstly, happy birthday! And secondly, you're not old enough to fit into this song yet. There's still some growing left to do, dear :-)
What?! You mean it gets WORSE?? (reaching for the Valium ...)
Belated Happy Birthday. Don't worry, while you continue to get older, your writings are staying young for ever. Which is one reason why I always envy writers and playwrights. Sigh.
Thanks for the birdie wishes. Is it true, I wonder, that writings "remain young forever"? It seems to me that books and plays have life-cycles too ... a few last forever but the majority are forgotten quite soon.
Seems the only way to get your attention is with a blog “comment”. Incidentally, your blog persona is quite different from the one I’m familiar with!
Enjoyed the Julie Andrews’ update on “These Are Some of My Favorite Things”. Whether or not you or I liked Sound of Music, it brought to a whole generation of children what childhood might be like in the best of all possible worlds and with a nanny like Julie. Sarah Vaughn, years ago, did her own take on the song, without changing a word of the lyrics. With her world-weary, sexy, cynical, view all coming through her phrasing and wonderfully modulated voice, she managed to make “these things” sound absolutely sinful.
New topic: there must be some method to solving the Sudoku puzzles.To mess around empirically would be a waste of time. Like the rubic cube, there must be a way to go about it to save time. I’m not asking you to reveal your secret, just to say whether it’s a hit and miss affair (unlikely) or whether there’s a sensible way to begin, at least – like with all the segments that have fewer fill-ins, etc. Chandigarh J.
Hi Chandigarh J! Nice to see you here. I had NO idea that my blogger persona is different to the other one ... But which one is bettah?!
As for SUDOKU secrets -- as you can see -- I've posted a revamped version, using pix instead of numbers. I plan to post a longer note too, but not right now coz I've spent half the day trying to post the silly thing, with all kinds of trials and struggles (web variety) along the way. Finally it's up, but I didn't have the energy to write the note that was supposed to go with it. *SIGH*
Post a Comment