Tinsel and Lights with Tracey Thorn

Old girl from Hertfordshire is best known as half (with Ben Watt) of the '90s dance-music group, Everything But the Girl (the multi-mixed "Wrong" and "Missing" were huge international club and radio hits). Last year, she released a Christmas album, getting a major push in the US for 2013, largely via Amazon.com.

Tinsel and Lights is a worthy addition to anyone's Christmas collection. Tracey possesses a voice I would classify as torch moderne. It's perfectly suited to her track choices for this cd, both original and modern classics like Dolly Parton's "Hard Candy Christmas" and Joni Mitchell's "River."

Said UK's The Guardian: "[C]hoice covers of Dolly Parton, White Stripes and Randy Newman songs and, in Joy and the title track, two fabulous self-penned tunes. Not every song is strictly Christmassy, but Thorn's duet with Green Gartside, Taking Down the Tree, captures the emotions particular to the season and stands comparison with anything she's done."

It's a nice, mellow treat for Christmas under the tree. Recommended for the holidays. You might think you have everything. But here's the Girl to help make our season bright.

World Aids Day 2013

World AIDS Day is tomorrow, December 1. Human immunodeficiency virus infection/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) affects people's immune systems and exposes them to opportunistic diseases and infections that do not usually affect HIV-negative people.

According to USA Today, "As the international community gets set to mark the 25^th annual observance of World AIDS Day next week, President Obama is facing renewed pressure from U.S. lawmakers and activists to take legacy-setting action to combat HIV/AIDS."

This is an affliction, so far without a cure, that has gone on too long. On a personal level, I have lost many friends and acquaintances (some close) to a disease that has been and remains an international tragedy, scourge and scandal.

New York City's own Dr. Frank Spinelli told QOC Radio, exclusively through me: "World aids day is a time for us to remember all of those we've lost to HIV as well as to acknowledge how far we've come in treating this disease. Do your part today. Get tested, use condoms and help stop the spread of HIV."

I still keep my '80s picture of my late, dear friend, Steve Newman and I on my bulletin board. His death of opportunistic pneumonia came swiftly, shockingly, but he is always in my heart. Steve was a very sensitive man, an artist and a Kentucky gentleman I am proud to call "friend." We were neighbors on the same floor on 26th St in Chelsea in the 1980s.

Bulletin board snapshot of my late friend Steve (l.) & I (r.) in the '80s

On the other hand, I have several friends who have been HIV-poz for some time but, due to advances in medicine, have been able to carry on with productive and healthy lives. I bless them and myself that they are in my lives still and going strong.

I urge everyone to play safe, stay safe and to commemorate World AIDS Day tomorrow.

I leave you with this beautifully written article by Chelsea Clinton today in the Los Angeles Times:

http://http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-jc-1130-elton-john-aids-book-20131130,0,4718526.story#axzz2m9VTekVs

And this blog article by Dr Frank Spinelli from September:

http://http://spinellimd.wordpress.com/

Hope springs eternal. Press on for a cure!

Christmas Countdown 2013 Kicks Off ~ With Cyndi Lauper

Thanksgiving's done, Black Friday's over. Tomorrow is Dec 1. Only 25 days before Christmas, during which I'll be doing my annual Christmas countdown here at Leave It to Beaverhausen. 

I love Cyndi's bluesy take on the perennial "Blue Christmas," written by Billy Hayes and J. Johnson as a country song but oft covered  and rearranged. Here is Cyndi, in fine form, singing on Good Morning America.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Jive Turkeys

"Conservatives bashed Macy's via social media for the inclusion of a drag queen and a musical number from the Tony Award winning Broadway musical Kinky Boots during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," read The Advocate on-line today.

People, chill out and grow up! That's what Dj Buddy Beaverhausen has to offer on this matter.

"Conservatives immediately took to Twitter, Facebook, and other forms of social media to bash Macy’s for the inclusion of a musical number from the Tony Award winning Broadway musical Kinky Boots in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade," according to the source Back 2 Stonewall.

Oh, puh-leeze, dahlings! From what I saw, it was SUCH a gay parade overall. Kristin Chenoweth! Joan Jett! Those campy cheerleaders! And those over-the-top fabulous floats! Get over yourselves, haters!

“Macy's worst decision ever with your cross dresser show on Thanksgiving, you've completely removed the family part of thanksgiving,” someone posted on Macy’s Facebook page. “Absolutely disgusting, whoever made that decision should be fired.”

“Not happy with the drag queen show,” another person wrote. “Not a conversation I wanted to have with my five-year-old on thanksgiving morning.” Really? It would be that hard to discuss?!

I would say that, for most people, it was such a mild and fun-filled parade performance. Wonder if Cyndi, Harvey Fierstein or Jerry Mitchell will have responses. It's like bitching about the witch in The Wizard of Oz  presntation being an anti-Christian symbol. How simple-minded! Why, if it wasn't for LGBT people in the arts, entertainment would be a snooze. We all know that! Besides, Kinky Boots has been such a huge success on Broadway, it's obvious not many people are offended by it.

Buddy B says fuck 'em if they can't take a little cross-dressing. Ain't they ever seen Uncle Miltie? Drag has been part of popular entertainment since theater began. Tell it to the ancient Greeks and to Shakespeare! Sheesh!

All or Nothing: La La Brooks Gets Her Groove Back

La La Brooks, lead vocalist of the legendary Phil Spector girl group, The Crystals, has released a new solo album, All or Nothing, on the independent Norton Records label. And I have to say: WOW! But, of course, that's not all I have to say.

Situated somewhere between echos of Spector and somewhat sparer punk-styled numbers with a touch of late '50s rockabilly, La La recklessly puts her clear and piquant voice to excellent, and very expressive, use. This is not a "nostalgia" album by any means. It's a contemporary reinvention of a classic '60s voice that has been nuanced by time. All or Nothing is a musical must for this holiday season and beyond.

I love the throwback graphics of the cover art, too. (Available at Amazon.com, not only on cd and mp3 but on vinyl!) Better yet is the back cover's photo of La La sitting on the steps outside Norton's headquarters which, she writes, was the very site where the Crystals first harmonized! Obviously, the artwork, credit listing and La La's liner notes are only available in physical formats.

Phil Spector had a certain type of female vocalist in mind for his productions and her voice is distinct, strong and unique.

There isn't a single bum track on this album, with the diva backed up by a very accomplished band (Mick Collins, Matt Verta-Ray and Sam Baker, along with 15 others including the back-up vocals and everything from saxophones to trombone and organ). I love the mixture of sweetness/toughness of both vocals and instrumentals on this effort. The album ends with a touching ballad written by La La, "You Gave Me Love" after rocking most of the way through and kicking off with the divine "When My Baby Comes," which sounds more La La goes Motown than Spectoresque.

Kudos to producer Mick Collins (who emerged from Detroit's garage punk scene in the '80s) for this cohesive album of 14 tracks that, amongst them, display La La's vocal expertise, often in fresh and revelatory ways.

"Your Love Is Amazing" is a '60s-styled number that echoes The Crystals' "Uptown" as well as Spector's "Spanish Harlem." On another track that's also very '60s, "What's Mine Is Yours," La La seems to be channeling Ronnie Spector.

 http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/la-la-brooks-vows-whats-mine-is-yours-song-premiere-20131010

The title track has a very '70s pop ballad quality as does "Crazy for You" while "A Boy Like You" and "Two Is Company" have an appealing, bouncy, throwback sound to them. "Sun Is Shining" is distinctly punk with La La's voice at its rawest. "I Broke That Promise" and "Two Wrongs" take the diva into country-western territory.

"Mind Made Up" is very soulfully funky while "Dear Boy, Love Girl" is a reggae tune with very '60s girl-group-styled lyrics. Kind of "Tide Is High"-ish.

La La covers The Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody" in a fresh fashion that is truly stunning. This album showcases the 66-year-old singer's vocal versatility and plasticity and is, in many ways, even to long-time fans, a revelation.

On All or Nothing, La La Brooks is rediscovered, remade, reinvented for the 21st Century. I guarantee you'll want this album as a holiday gift to yourself and for all those discriminating music fans whom you love.

Thanksgiving Day in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn 2013!

Thanksgiving day has come! It's a cold (just above 30 degrees) but sunny, almost cloudless day in New York City and a humbly mellow, small-scale celebration this year for Buddy Beaverhausen. Greetings from Bay Ridge!

The morning started with Kevin's, my friend and downstairs neighbor, breakfast of home-baked zucchini bread and pumpkin-flavored coffee. We sat at the living room coffee table and watched some of the Macy Thanksgiving Day parade on tv.

I was very impressed by NBC's fluid, kinetic camera work with all the swooping and the zooming and the dollying. And many of the floats were fabulous. As far as performances we saw, Cher Lloyd and Debbie Ryan were not so fabulous. They sound like the same person, that person being just about any current girl singer with the cookie-cutter voice. 

Kevin said the vocalist of The Sound Set sang like "a low-rent Justin Bieber." Auto-tuning doesn't go well with lip-synching on a float and a close-up on tv. 

Real talent was on hand with The Goo-Goo Dolls, Kristen Chenowith (a boffo "New York, New York" -- eat your hearts out, bimbos; loved Cheno's hair), and Joan Jett, singing "Any Weather" (impressive song). She was looking great; not every person Joan's age can pull off jet-black hair but it went well with her nip/tuck. And we adored her fitted red leather coat!

At 2:00, we walked one block down (which I now consider good exercise) to Lighthouse Cafe.

A four-course meal for $21.95 + tax and we each tipped our gracious waitress $10. (I mean, she even took our picture together and she's at work on a major holiday. ) Such a feast, I took home a ton of turkey, yams and a slice of pumpkin pie in a doggy bag. (And then had a two-hour "nap." Blame it on the tryptophan, the bossa nova or a sluggish metabolism? Can't decide. I'll have to sleep on it.)

The main course was a bounteous pile of turkey, yams, mashed potatoes, and peas and carrots with a pile of stuffing under the meat (dark and white both). Previous to this: a cup of cream of turkey soup (my choice), bowl of green salad (my choice of dressing: o&v), a free glass of red wine, bread basket. 

The aforementioned piece of pie was for dessert. With an already full belly, I may not have been gluten-free but opted to be glutton-free. It came home, possibly for tomorrow's breakfast. The meal, all in all, was a foodie's comfort-food wet dream.

I am thankful to the Lighthouse (7506 Third Ave., Brooklyn, NY). There was no lighthouse when the pilrgrims landed at Plymouth Rock I understand, nor was there Lighthouse Cafe when the Greeks landed in Bay Ridge. The Lighthouse will also be open on Christmas Day. 

I am also thankful to Bay Ridge itself, a neighborhood I enjoy for so many reasons. In fact, tomorrow is the second anniversary of my move here. 

I hope all my readers across the USA had a happy, a very special Thanksgiving. We have so much to be grateful for and it feels really good to take a time out to celebrate that fact. The feasting is merely symbolic. (Pretty good symbolism, though, in my book!) Because it's not what's on the table, it's who's around it.

Old friends, old friends sat on the park bench like bookends ~ Paul Simon

Tina Turns 74

Happy Birthday, Tina Turner (aka Anna Mae Bullock). Anyone who has watched What's Love Got to Do with It knows her story, so I won't repeat it here. I mean, this is Dj Buddy Beave, not A&E Biography!

I will say Tina is and always was on fire; electric; a singular sensation. She knew how to work a mike at Woodstock. She influenced generations of divas to come. She moved like nobody else. And her legs have always been first-class.

After she divorced Ike (Turner, not Eisenhower, though I think she'd make a hot First Lady), she was pretty much down on her (stiletto) heels. Her good friend, Ann Margret, sheltered her until she got back on her feet again and assisted her in getting some Vegas gigs.

She's got eight Grammys and she has sold more concert tickets than any solo performer ever. She's certainly no stranger to the dance-music scene, having rebuilt her career in the 1980s with a dance cover of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together." She also ventured into '70s disco territory with "Love Explosion" and "Music Keeps Me Dancin'." Of course, it was in the '80s that she got her groove back with the Private Dancer album.

Tina Turner is now a citizen of Switzerland. and a newlywed.  She is retired and so what if she's put on a little weight! She deserves to relax and enjoy. http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/07/whats-love-got-to-do-with-tina-turner.html

Tina Turner is the Acid Queen, people! She is the epitome of fierce. She is the one and only Tina.

Dj Buddy Beaverhausen wishes her the best tonight and hopes she has many more birthdays to come. A true legend. Ms Tina Turner.

Giving Thanks for Divas on Thanksgiving 2013

Posted on a fan's Facebook Page

Thanksgiving has arrived, my turkeys, gobble gobble! Of course, Buddy B has so much to be thankful for this year, especially not having to cook for guests! (Ain't nobody got time for that.) I'm thankful for going to Bay Ridge's Lighthouse Diner, Thanksgiving afternoon, two blocks away, with my friend who called in the rezzies. Give me a bloody mary and a plate of lasagne and I'll be grateful, pilgrim! And, hey, Plymouth rocks! But also, I am thankful to the harvest of contemporary divas who keep us dancing and inspire us with their awesome voices.

Martha Wash has been our divine diva for five decades now, as a solo artist and as the voice of Two Tons of Fun, The Weather Girls, Black Box and C&C Music Factory. I am truly thankful for Miss Martha! And I adore her current album, Something Good, which is a perfect ~ and very inspirational ~ gift for the holidays. Available at Amazon.com.

I'm thankful for Cher! What a legend, icon, superstar diva, with an outstanding six-decade career. Her new album, Closer to the Truth, is marvelous and I highly recommend it for the holiday season and beyond!

La La Brooks, Darlene Love, Ronnie Spector. 1960s girl-group divas who survived Phil Spector and continue to have vibrant careers today! All have albums available on Amazon; Darlene and Ronnie having Christmas cds. Our Ms Brooks has a new album this season on the indy Norton label.

Cyndi Lauper! What more do I have to say? One of the outstanding pop vocalists of our lifetime. And she even recorded a Christmas album. Guess where you can get it!

Madonna and Lady Gaga continue to impress, tantalize and titillate. (Though neither has yet done a holiday cd; get on it, girls!)

Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand -- both boasting Christmas cds no holiday collection should ever be without.

Dj Buddy Beaverhausen and Our City Radio are grateful for our enduring divas and give thanks unto them. Not a turkey amongst them.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, and may God bless us all this holiday season! Stay safe, stay warm, stay tuned into Queens Our City Radio.

Happy Birthday, Bruce Vilanch!

My idol, comedy writer Bruce Vilanch, celebrated his 65th birthday on November 23rd. I wish him a happy one! My God, Buddy Beaverhausen would be so much different if it wasn't for the influence of six-time Emmy Award winner Vilanch.

We're both Jersey boys; in fact, we both grew up in Paterson, NJ. It's even feasible our paths may have crossed though, naturally, he's much older than moi. Bruce is also an accomplished songwriter and performer; a triple threat. He writes for the Oscars, Tonys, Grammys, Emmys. He makes presenters sound amusing when they read their cue cards.

He was an adopted child by Dr. Jonas Vilanch, an optometrist, and his wife Henne, who, having her own theatrical aspirations, helped Bruce's show business career by getting him signed on with Lane Bryant's Charming Chub division as a chubby child model. But chubby model wasn't what Bruce had in mind for the future. "I was going to be Neil Simon, batting out one Broadway show after another," Vilanch said of his aspirations as a teen.

His career began by writing comedy reviews at The Chicago Tribune. He later met Bette Midler in her early cabaret days. They became friends and Bruce later wrote comedy material for Midler's 1974 Broadway show, Clams on the Half Shell Revue and co-wrote 1980's Divine Madness.

He has written for Whoopi Goldberg, Roseanne Barr, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams and many more. Openly gay, his sensibilities have infused America's entertainment scene with wit, camp, dish and high comedy.

He's written songs, most notably for Eartha Kitt, and appeared on Broadway as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray.

So, today I bow to him in honor of his birthday. Bruce Vilanch is God, trademark shagtastic blonde hair and red glasses and all! Happy Birthday, Bruce!

A Kelly Clarkson Christmas

"Wrapped in Red," the opening track of Kelly Clarkson's new Christmas album of the same name, is a wonderful fusion of her powerful pipes in upper register and a Spectoresque production (album is produced by Greg Kurstin ) to ring in the holidays and her refreshing new Yuletide effort.

I may have taken the diva to task in what is still my most popular (and controversial, judging by the comments) blog post ever at a current 7,828 views. http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2011/12/advising-kelly-clarkson.html  But I have also heralded the best of her recent dance anthems, as well, on same blog. This holiday album is aces and I never had issues with KC's talent. Her promo images for "Wrapped in Red" have Kelly looking quite glam, too.

Country Weekly wrote: [F]or her Christmas album Wrapped in Red, Kelly goes from full-on Darlene Love with Phil Spector in the original single “Underneath the Tree” and title track... to a spectacularly soulful cover of “Blue Christmas” and a more traditional take on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

Indeed, Spector's pop aesthetic influences a few of this album's more upbeat tracks. "Underneath the Tree" even includes a sax bridge and well-timed bells in the background.

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," a melancholic holiday perennial, is solidly covered but not likely to make you forget Judy Garland's original version or even The Pretenders' cover featuring Chrissy Hynde. Likewise, "Blue Christmas" won't erase memories of Elvis (which it almost slavishly, at most time, emulates) or Cyndi Lauper's cover from last year. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a cute duet with Ronnie Dunn, but haven't all duets of this perennial been cuties? Still, it may warm your cold insides like a cup of hot cocoa. 

Kelly certainly makes "White Christmas" her own in a spare arrangement with piano. And she does a very nice version of the carol, "Silent Night," also with a soft hand on the production with back-up vocals effectively ending in dramatic acapella. "Run Run, Rudolph" rocks, a highlight of this album, certainly, allowing KC to put her own spin on the song popularized by Chuck Berry. "Please Come Home for Christmas" is beautifully soulful, and "My Favorite Things" (from The Sound of Music) is a wonderfully arranged swing/jazz interpretation showcasing the artist's vocal brilliance.

"4 Carats" is the dancefloor track from the "Stronger" songbird and producer. It distinctly owes a debt to "Santa Baby,"which isn't a bad thing. Imogen Heap's "Just for Now" is magnificently interpreted and put across. "Winter Dream" is a drop-dead gorgeous original. And you can't beat Kelly's bluesy powerhouse interpretation of the Billy Hayes & Jay Johnson number, "Every Christmas."

This is definitely a keeper to play for many holiday seasons to come. Recommended for your Christmas list.

Link to Jackie Vs. Marilyn

I wrote an article exclusively for Queens Our City Radio, commemorating the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination. Perhaps a tad irreverent ~ but I am Buddy Beaverhausen after all! Icons are there so I can get clastic with them, no?

Anyhow, this is about the tensions between Marilyn Monroe and First Lady Jackie Kennedy over a man. Who happened to be the President of the United States.

Check it out. You may be surprised by what I dug up.

http://queens.ourcityradio.com/stations/americana-news/jackie-marilyn

Phil Spector Christmas Album: 50th Anniversary

Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift for You Christmas album was released on November 22, 1963, the same day as the assassination of JFK. Although now considered a holiday classic, it was a relative disappointment at the time as it peaked on Billboard at #13. (Ooo! That unlucky number.) Perhaps the national mood had something to do with it. (Another famous Jackie, Ms Susann, was upset that the President's death would affect sales of her first book, Every Night, Josephine by stealing the media spotlight at the time!)

The album was re-released on Apple Records in 1972 ~ with a picture of Spector dressed as Santa, wearing a "Back to Mono" button. It was retitled Phil Spector's Christmas Album. This version went to No. 6 on Billboard's Christmas Albums chart in December of that year.

The album features the major artists from Spector's Philles label including The Ronettes, Darlene Love, Bob B. Soxx and The Blue Jeans, and The Crystals. Ms. Love and Ronnie Spector have become so associated with the holidays because of this quintessential pop Christmas album, they tour every holiday season with a special Christmas show. (Both are returning in December to B.B. King's in NYC; I'll be reviewing both shows.)

Darlene Love's "Christmas, Baby Please Come Home" became a smash hit as a result of her annual appearances on Late Night with David Letterman. As Dave says, "It isn't Christmas until Darlene Love sings Christmas, Baby Please Come Home."

Buddy Beaverhausen's Podiatric House of Pain

Blood pressure cuffs

Despite what you might have heard around town, I'm not into bondage and torture at all. Oh, the ugly rumors! Mine is not The Story of O, it's The Story of O, No You Don't!

I just don't like pain and I have a very low threshold for it. So, if, say, your idea of kinky sex is waterboarding, count me out. I like to be comfortable, which is why sex and exercise are basically out of the question these days. You see, agony is not my ecstasy and I don't enjoy getting messy. It's just so not my scene; it's just not happening for me, kids. Can I make it any plainer? Outside my comfort zone? Ha! Why, there's no such thing, dahlings!

It was therefore a miserable morning at the podiatrist's office where I submitted to tests for my insurance company regarding treatment for mild neuropathy. The medical technician, working off two laptops to record my results on disc, was a handsome, 30-something latino who coerced me into assuming all sorts of positions in order to have his way with me. And then he cuffed me!

Blood pressure cuffs were applied to my legs, from thigh to shining ankle on each leg. Plus, a cuff was placed around the big toe of each foot. It was the toe cuffs that hurt the most. They were absolutely crushing, crippling! Why not just use a nutcracker on my toes??!

Little did I know this morning, I'd entered the podiatric equivalent of The Anvil. I left dressed for success, not for distress!

After the toe crushings (and oh, de agony of de feet!), cuffs removed, I was then told I was about to undergo electric shock testing! Before the tests started, I was ready to tell them anything they wanted to know if only they'd spare me! But, no, the testing began.

The hot latino, holding a wand ~ a device not unlike a small cattle prod ~  placed it against my legs. The torment had me moaning so loudly, I was afraid people in the waiting room outside our closed door might misconstrue what was taking place within. When I innocently arrived for my appointment, fresh faced and caffeinated, little did I know I would soon be tasered, legs convulsing with each applied shock to my neuromuscular system.

I left on crushed toes through the reception area, head held high, fluffing my hair a little in defiance. The best part of my Chelsea morning visit, I must say, was sitting in the waiting room, before my 60 minutes of pain, flipping through Out magazine and coming across the scratch'n'sniff ad for Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Male cologne. I applied it to my wrists. I really like it, turns out! And I can probably get it cheap on Canal. After what I went through with my feet and legs, I deserve it! Don'tcha think?

Jackie Kennedy: Fashion, Flair and Hair

The assassination of President Kennedy, 50 years ago on November 22, was the end of America's cultural innocence to a great extent. The Kennedy Camelot years, 1960-1963, also oversaw an era of big hair and small skirts and a kind of glamour of its own that emerged from the popular culture.

First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy set the standard in haute couture. "Fashion, in the early 1960s [for many Americans], was seen as a preoccupation of the wealthy." Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology explained. Pre-Jackie,"[m]ost Americans had a sort of knee-jerk reaction: fashion was elitist, decadent. What she did was give a totally positive spin to fashion."

After JFK's death, public interest remained very high regarding the fashionable ex-First Lady.  During her post-White House years, she helped to make big, round sunglasses chic. In July 2013, Brie Dyas in Huffington Post reported (during what would have been Jackie's 84th birthday), "her name became a code word for a complete lifestyle. Having great manners? Very Jackie Kennedy. Using candelabras at the dinner table? That's very Jackie Kennedy, too.... When Jackie became First Lady, the public became enthralled with her simple approach to clothing and beauty. She shepherded women out of the tight waists, crinolines and overly styled hairdos of the 1950s and into sleek shifts, pillbox hats and a more natural approach to makeup that played up the eyes.

"Today, any store that makes its fortune in simple dressing -- we're looking at you, J.Crew -- should salute her."

Jackie wore a "flip" hairdo. Good girls in the Sixties wore flips. Lesley Gore wore a flip. Mary Tyler Moore wore a flip. Bad girls wore beehives, like The Ronettes and The Shangri-Las.

Mrs Kennedy was certainly a refreshing departure from the dowdy Mamie Eisenhower, and she set a standard for glamour that was embraced by First Ladies Nancy Reagan and Michelle Obama. Of course, most iconic is Jacqueline Kennedy's pink suit with pillbox hat that she wore to Dallas in November 1963. After the assassination, according to William Manchester’s The Death of a President, she was asked to “clean up her appearance,” but refused.

"No," the First Lady said, "Let them see what they have done."

Carol Channing Comes Back to Broadway

Golden anniversaries seem to be springing up all over the place these days! The latest? Nothing less than the 50th Anniversary of Hello, Dolly. Caol Channing will perform and Justin Vivian Bond will host, reprising their Fire Island roles of this past summer.

TheaterMania informs us:

Beloved actress and comedienne Carol Channing will return to the stage in New York City for a one-night event at Town Hall on January 20. Channing will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Broadway opening of Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart's Hello, Dolly!, in which she starred.

Tony Award-nominated performance artist Justin Vivian Bond will host the event, which will be produced by Daniel Nardicio. The evening will include video footage from Channing's career as well as filmed tributes from her celebrity admirers.

Channing last appeared on Broadway in the 1995 revival of Hello, Dolly!. Her many stage credits also include Lorelei, Wonderful Town, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Dj Buddy B Blows His Own

...Horn, of course, like that Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. Well, anyhow, now that I have your collective attention, I just want to announce -- because I'm not sure everyone realizes at this point -- that I am not only a blogueur (or is it blogueuse? Damned French, it confuses moi! Zoot alors!) but also a member of the press these days! Yes, I am writing for Queens Our City Radio, part of the Our City internet radio network, as their Dance (Music) Promoter. 

Ah, the glitz! The glamour! Why, you can hardly imagine and neither can I! But listen up, people! Here are some of my posts heating up QOC this cold holiday season.
Check out Queens Our City Radio and circumnavigate like Magellan; explore, discover new worlds, go bi-coastal and enjoy yourselves in the process! For example, Chris Colby, Dance Music Personality at QOC, has a fabulous Friday night 10 pm mix show you party animals won't want to ignore, trust me.
http://queens.ourcityradio.com/

Monumental thanks & lots of love to Barbara Sobel of Sobel Promotions with her own dance-music background who "discovered" me (again, the Magellan analogy) and transported me from Leave It to Beaverhausenland to Queens Our City world. I'm very thrilled to be a part of this internet station. In fact, I'm qvelling! It's more than just a radio station; it's a happening! It's a movement! Get into the groove.

Here are some of my recent posts at Queens Our City Radio you won't want to miss (if you know what's better for you):

France Joli ~ Exclusive Interview:
http://queens.ourcityradio.com/music-news/queens-city-radios-exclusive-interview

Victor Po - Exclusive Interview:
http://queens.ourcityradio.com/music-news/exclusive-queens-city-radio-interview-victor-po

Cher:
http://queens.ourcityradio.com/music-news/chers-closer-truth

Joan Crawford:
http://queens.ourcityradio.com/what-to-do-in/surviving-mommie-dearest-nyc

Marc Massive - Exclusive Interview:
http://queens.ourcityradio.com/music-news/talking-eighth-day-animal-rights-marc-massive

Petula Clark:
http://queens.ourcityradio.com/music-news/happy-81st-birthday-petula-clark-queens-city-radio

Lady Gaga:
http://queens.ourcityradio.com/music-news/queens-city-radio-review-lady-gaga-applause

Donna Summer:
http://queens.ourcityradio.com/music-news/queens-city-radio-views-donna-summer-releases

And you're waiting for what? This is already a written invitation!

Loving Donna Summer Too Much?

Maybe holiday-timed releases are loving Donna Summer a little too much. As in smells like exploitation spirit this season!

Love to Love You Donna is the much-anticipated release on the Universal/Verve label serving up 13 remixes of some of the deceased diva's legendary songs. It does offer an update of the Queen of Disco's legacy for today's dancefloors.

It kicks off with the divine "Love to Love You, Baby" mix by the fantastic Chris Cox that perfectly preserves the integrity of the Giorgio Moroder/Pete Belotte original while creating a more contempo, upbeat and exciting sound to put us in a gotta-dance frame of mine. No way club and partygoers are going to stay on their asses once this is played, djs.

The second track on the album is the Duke Dumont deconstruction of "Dim All The Lights." Not good. But it's followed by the Frankie Knuckles/Eric Kupper "Hot Stuff" with hot keyboards putting it across for some lounge action if not intended for big room dj'ing. Album version clocks in at 6 minutes.

Afrojack's "I Feel Love" offers us a nice, 6-minute bit of updated electronica against Donna's distinctive vocals from this iconic song. On the other hand, the Benga work-over of the same song is more than a tad bit dirge-like and boring. Believe you me, it takes some kind of talent to make this number a big bore but somehow Benga managed it. No excuse to have a 7:15-minute track on this collection of this dross.

Jacques Greene's handling of "On the Radio" is likewise glum. It actually offended me on an aesthetic level. Luckily, it's followed up with a freestyle version of "Last Dance" by Masters At Work that really works and restored my faith in this collection.

Chromeo & Oliver have their fingers on the trigger for a happy-house mix of "Love Is in Control," already out to djs in an extended mix. The album version is just a 4-minute version of this song but it's distinctly a highlight. Holy Ghost's "Working the Midnight Shift" re-do is also a fairly inspiring and upbeat job of delivering the song to 2013 clubgoers and Donna fans.

Gigamesh's "Bad Girls" remix is a commendable remix but will hardly supplant the original version of the song in anyone's mind. Still, give it a spin, toot-toot beep-beep. "MacArthur Park," as remixed by Laidback Luke sounds impatient and clumsy as it gallops along loudly. Hot Chip's dub edit of "Sunset People" lost me at the starting gate.

The album ends in class and style, however, with "La Dolce Vita" mixed by Giorgio Moroder. 

The Boston Globe wrote: "Donna Summer was known as the “Queen of Disco,” but the Boston native was successful in several formats... the focus of “Love to Love You Donna"... is squarely on Summer’s triumphs under the glittering mirror ball." Yes, indeed.

Universal/UMC/ Spectrum in the U.K. have released Donna Summer: I Feel Love The Collection, as well. It gathers 19 of the diva's hits (radio edits) including the rarity, "Theme from The Deep" and '80 favorites like "Unconditional Love" and "She Works Hard for the Money." It also includes a second disc of seven extended 12" mixes, as well, that should impress fans.

Dj Buddy Beaverhausen: Lady Gaga's ARTPOP

Lady Gaga is obviously feeling very Andy Warhol these days as she attempts to weld commerce and art for her latest #1 album, Artpop. This may not be as fresh a concept in pop music as the artiste would have us believe. Ask Grace Jones. Despite the Jeffrey Koons album art (I do recommend getting the cd for this reason, as well as for the liner notes and lyrics), the extraneous Greek mythology pretensions and the title coming at us graphically in all capitalized letters, this effort succeeds musically with typical Gaga moments of sheer brilliance.

The hit single, "Applause," is the album's concluding track. "ARTPOP" (the album's eighth track) is well-written and beautifully delivered, frankly, showcasing Gaga's skills as songwriter and vocalist.

Artpop opens with "Aura," not at all melodic though it certainly sets up the album's conceit. "Venus," the second track and expected single, owes a debt to the B-52s. I must admit that I love the lyrics: "Uranus/Don't you know my ass is famous?"

Stefani Germanotta is, if nothing else, a very accomplished songwriter as demonstrated by songs like the dancefloor-intended "G.U.Y.," "Sexxx Dreams," "MANICURE" (which I envision being inspired at a NYC Korean nail salon) and "Mary Jane Holland." "Swine," however, is a misfire industrial-disco number.

I found "Dope" to be quite a raw and touching ballad. "Gypsy" is a dance number that seems close to the heart in its yearnings. These songs truly exemplify Gaga's songwriting expertise.

Can you get gayer than the satirical "Donatella"? Gaga as fashionista. Yes, we're talking Versace. You'll swirl to this, bitches! Expect it, ultimately, on your club floors. "Fashion" is another hot disco tune with a similar theme. Drag queens, please take note.

"Jewels N' Drugs" is the hip hop tune on Artpop, another expected single. It has a very retro-progresso quality to it that endeared itself to me. "Do What U Want," a duet with R. Kelly, is smooth but undistinguished. Expect it to be an urban radio hit, though, as it has all the right hooks.

All in all, ARTPOP is a hot album this cold season. Highly recommended, especially to dance music lovers.

Hot Interview: France Joli @ Blab It to Beaverhausen

France Joli is a dance-music and entertainment legend and treasure. Do not miss my exclusive Q&A with her at Blab It to Beaverhausen and Queens Our City Radio!

http://blabittobeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/11/dj-buddy-beaverhausen-comes-to-france.html

http://queens.ourcityradio.com/music-news/queens-city-radios-exclusive-interview

Flavor of the Week: Mel B's Spicy New Number

This is how I feel: The video for the new Mel B song, "For Once in My Life" is stunning!

Melanie Janine Brown aka Scary Spice aka Mel B of the '90s girl group, the Spice Girls, is back with a hands-in-the-air, high-NRG/electronica/pop song that should have no problem capturing the attention of djs globally.

Check out the girl-on-girl action during the video's party sequence, too. Uplifting, fun, makes you wanna move! Isn't that what dance music is all about? And what's so scary about this Spice? Welcome back to the '90s.

Lauren "LoDo" Surratt's Women & Hip Hop, Part 4

Lauren Surratt continues her very informative series about women in contemporary hip hop music.

I want to congratulate, more publicly, Lauren and her husband, Tristan, for joining Queens Our City Radio this weekend, where we will all now be Music Promoters. Lauren will be covering Rock (yes, not Hip Hop/Urban!) and Tristan will be the QOC Comedy Promoter (again, a surprise). I, of course, am Dance Music Promoter. I'm so happy we'll all be part of another family, along with Barbara Sobel this time.

Lauren's Women & Hip Hop, Part 4 blog article/interview can be found at:
http://www.ashytojazzy.com/thewritersblock/2013/11/10/lodos-women-and-hip-hop-series-part-4-the-extinction-of-the-crew-featuring-phoenix-pagliacci

Eloquently written and well researched, please check it out!

Julie Brown Does Victoria Jackson

Excellent satire from our girl Julie Brown. Definitely cool!

Eye on This Week's Billboard

Here what's new and interesting to me on the Billboard dance music hit parade this week.

At the top of the Top 25 Dance Club Songs list, Britney Spears' refreshing hip-hopper, "Work Bitch" is at number 2, likely to supplant Rihanna's "What Now" in the top spot next week. What now? You're about to get booted from ruling the roost. You better work, bitch.

Katy Perry's "Roar," which peaked at #1, holds on to the 7th spot in a slow descent, having held strong on the chart for 9 weeks now. At #9, we find the downwardly mobile "Lose Yourself to Dance," a great retro-disco/funk number from Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams and the legendary Nile Rodgers. It's been aboard the chart for a robust 10 weeks and also peaked at #1.

Icona Pop's "All Night" climbs to #21 this week. Sports the awesome Wayne G/Leo Frappier remix and we can thank Sobel Promotions (https://www.facebook.com/groups/SobelPromotions/) for aiding and abetting this refreshingly snappy girl duo's U.S. dance-chart rise. Just interviewed Leo and we discussed, among other topics, this song. http://blabittobeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/11/exclusive-q-with-leo-frappier.html

"Wrecking Ball," twerks it into the #15 spot this week, coming up fast with dancefloor mixes galore that buoy the Miley Cyrus tune on the Bangerz label upward. Expect this "Ball" to rise.

A shout out to readers: Thank you, North America, the UK, Italy, Germany, France, Brazil, Malta, Saudi Arabia, Australia, China, Russia and Ukraine, especially. Dance music is a great uniter. Support your clubs and dance for peace, love and ~ most of all ~ happiness! Spread it around.

Audio Beaverhausen: Cher's Closer to the Truth

In a recent interview with CBS Morning News, Cher allowed as to how "[m]y gay following kept me alive when no one else came to see me." That is, the 67-year-old pop songbird and all-around icon admitted to entering the true "living legend" phase of her career a'la Judy Garland, say, or Bette Davis!

Cher famously crossed over to disco when she released "Take Me Home," produced by Bob Esty and Paul Jabara,  in 1979. She returned whole-heartedly to the dance-music genre in 1998 with the smash single, "Believe," from the album of the same name that spawned other hits (and pioneered auto-tuning). This was followed by the Living Proof (of what? Cher's eternal fabulousness, I imagine) album, a club-friendly follow-up from which "A Song for the Lonely" was enormously popular worldwide and, released in the wake of 9/11, became an anthem.

Since then, it's been 12 long years for the diva to return with an album, so to call this "long anticipated" is an understatement. There were also Cher numbers from the Burlesque soundtrack album, including "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me," in 2011. (Another survivor's anthem if there ever was one which charted internationally with an array of amazing remixes for the dancefloors.)

Wikipedia mentions that Cher is "[r]ecognized for having brought the sense of female autonomy and self-actualization into the entertainment industry" and this is surely very evident on her new album, Closer to the Truth. It opens with her already phenomenal dance and radio hit, "Woman's World" and follows that up with the dance track, "Take It Like a Man," another floor-filler at the waiting.

With a very strong publicity machine behind her this time, Cher has been omnipresent as of late, most recently turning up on tv's Dancing with the Stars. Like Joan Crawford and Madonna, her longevity has depended upon her reinventing her image for the public. If this Cher reincarnation is any Closer to the Truth, it's because, despite her disarming honesty and off-the-cuff remarks to the press, it has previously been remote.

The album is available at Amazon.com on cd format or download. Each track has potent potential for radio/club play. "Lovers Forever" and "Dressed to Kill" seem especially ripe for remixes for the clubs. Hello, I mean, "Mary, I am dressed to kill"? Does this diva know her core audience or what? "Lie to Me" is a sweet and haunting power ballad, reuniting La Diva with her rock roots. "Sirens" and "I Hope You Find It" (a cover of the Miley Cyrus song) are both lovely and inspiring non-dance tracks as well.

Closer to the Truth is just a wonderful, expertly produced and balanced album. It currently has a four and 1/2 star rating from the public on Amazon.com (out of 5), so you don't have to just take my word, even though I kindly suggest that you always should.

Cher's unique, unmistakeable throaty contralto rules supreme on this effort. Jake Shears (Scissor Sisters) sings back-up on "Take It Like a Man." Pink is a back-up girl on "I Walk Alone." Babies, Cher sings alone! Let me know if you can even hear anyone else in the mix!

Lady Gaga: Queen of Outer Space

As I have shouted to a chosen few: "Get off my planet!"

But now, it seems, it is Lady Gaga who will become the Queen of Outer Space! According to Us Weekly on-line:

No one ever said she was down-to-earth! In early 2015, [she] will become the first artist to sing in outer space.... The "Dope" performer, 27, is set to blast off in a Virgin Galactic ship and belt out a single track during the Zero G Colony high-tech musical festival in New Mexico. "She has to do a month of vocal training because of the atmosphere," says a source, who adds that the diva's glam squad will join her in the shuttle.

Zero G Colony is a three-day hi-tech festival set to take place at Spaceport America in New Mexico that features world-class entertainment and cutting-edge technology. Gaga's performance in space is planned to take place on the third day at dawn, which is approximately six months after the first Virgin Galactic commercial flight.

Thinking of booking a flight and being interplanetary chic?  Says a source: "Gaga has taken out a ridiculous life insurance policy!"

A Gigantic Win for NYC

Bill de Blasio is the first Democrat  to serve as the mayor of New York City since David Dinkins, defeating Republican Joe Lhota, a longtime adviser to former mayor Rudy Giuliani. It was a landslide victory by 73 percent to 24 percent. (Hey, Lhota! Is the big L on your head for your last name or does the scarlet letter now stand for big Loser?)

Of Blasio: "His landslide victory, stretching from the working-class precincts of central Brooklyn to the suburban streets of southeast Queens, amounted to a forceful rejection of the hard-nosed, business-minded style of governance that reigned at City Hall for the past two decades and a sharp leftward turn for the nation’s largest metropolis," wrote The New York Times.

LGBT people rejoice! This is great news for civil rights in this city, in general. And I congratulate Blasio for his historic win!

Jon Stewart, who is 5'6" (my height) noted this win means "greatest incumbent-successor size discrepancy in the history of swearing-in ceremonies" as 6'5" Bill de Blasio supplants 5'6" Mike Bloomberg.

Fran Leibowitz commented: I think it's very important that we don't ever have a mayor this rich or this short. The richness comes from the shortness, this is what I believe. I believe every single person suffers for what happens to boys on playgrounds. So I really believe that a short boy gets bullied by taller boys, or ignored by them, or doesn't have the same status as they do, they grow up, they get very rich, to kind of get back at these tall boys, and then everyone suffers for this. I like de Blasio for many reasons, but his height is very important.

Napoleon Complex? I understand completely. Now let's give Goliath a chance. Bill de Blasio, let's go!

Beaverhausen's Gossip Galore from The National Enquirer !

"The tragic death of John F. Kennedy Jr. was marked by deep sorrow — and intense family bickering over the funerals before the bodies were even recovered, according to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s secret diary," reports the New York Post.

The tabloid takes its information from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s secret diaries, apparently. "The journal’s entries in the aftermath of the July 16, 1999, plane crash that killed Kennedy, 38, wife Carolyn Bessette, 33, and sister-in-law Lauren Bessette, 34, provide a rare eyewitness account of the intensely private scene at the Kennedy compound and the petty, tense squabbling over whether Carolyn deserved the royal Kennedy treatment."

Meanwhile,  I just read some juicy stuff from the National Enquirer that I purchased mid-week. Katy Curic's wedding is on hold because she's fighting over the pre-nup! Dolly Parton collapses "after rumored lesbian lover is injured in car wreck"! Priscilla Presley's boyfriend leaves her for Raquel Welch!

But the best gossip is about Barbra! According to that publication, 73-year-old husband James Brolin declared, "I want out!" after 15 years of marriage. He is reportedly "tired of his diva wife's controlling way, bossing him around, treating him like 'a second-rate citizen.'" Really? Barbra? I'm shocked!

Brolin complained that, "when she's not ordering him about, Barbra treats him like he doesn't exist," according to a family member. (Jason, is that you?)

Meanwhile, Brolin seems to be focusing on his acting career again, though "pals" say this contention could lead to a $390 million divorce.

As enquiring minds need to know, the paper also contained info on John Travolta's custody battle. According to The National Enquirer, his secret $220 million divorce from Kelly Preston now "explodes!" And it's about Travolta demanding custody of portly childen, Ella and Benjamin. According to The National Enquirer, the tension has erupted in the marriage as the 5-year anniversary of their son, Jett's, death approaches.

Kelly's trying to revive her career with an internet series co-starring Scientology friend, Michelle Stafford, from The Young and the Restless.

John got pretty restless about his ex's ignoring the children at the expense of reviving her moribund career. Hence the custody issue according to the Enquirer.

Doug Goterba, Travolta's former pilot, previously claimed he was the star's lover for six years and there are photos to support that allegation. In a recent trip to Dubai, Travolta "gushed over the local women, saying they 'are very beautiful and exotic in the best way.... And I like women who like men like me.'"

Fag hags, John?

Dj Buddy Beaverhausen's November Turntables

November is off to a hot start with new club music! And some mixes can be found on-line via Sobel Promotions. https://www.facebook.com/groups/SobelPromotions/

First off, it's a chiller killer hi-NRG remix that will take you to the dancefloor from Joel Dickinson. Halloween is over but "Thriller" is timeless. Joel does a magnificent re-work on this Michael Jackson classic that I think will be irresistible for dj sets and club floors around the world. Nice work on the Vincent Price moments scattered throughout. You can download from Soundcloud. https://soundcloud.com/joeldickinsonremix/thriller-joel-dickinson-2013

Matt Consola & LFB Swishcraft does a monster job on Vicki Shepard's "When Love Comes Calling," bringing the diva's outstanding vocals to a boil. Great pianissimo bridge. Solid, floor-filler stuff!

The new Chromeo & Oliver "Love Is in Control" re-do from the Donna Summer remix album is a very sturdy and uplifting mix with la diva's vocals very much upfront. Bound to be popular on the  floors but be aware it's a compact 4-minute mix in its original form.

Celine Dion's "Loved Me Back to Life" is currently sporting dj remixes. Just got a promo. I was not particularly impressed by the album version despite the diva's typical pyrotechnic vocals. JRMXMusic's remix, however, really delivers. I defy anyone to stand still to this. Magical match of mix and vox. Jump Smokers offer an uneven and hyperbolic re-vamp. Craig Vanity v. Rafael Frost is a bit of a misfired mess as well. The Dave Aude big room effort is very "processed," I found; kind of like Velveeta cheese for the ears. It might become the popular mix that delivers this to club crowds, at least in the USA, but I'll stick with JRMX, people.

When it comes to Icona Pop's "All Night," go directly to the Wayne G/LFB remix.  The Swedish girl duo is most infectious with a genuine pop snappiness in a sort of retro SAW-like style. The aforementioned mix puts this across in an updated '80s retro-progresso fashion. If you don't dance to this, check your pulse.


Finally, thank God it's "Thursday," The song by Pet Shop Boys is the next song off their fresh album, and Eddie Amador delivers the goods to club people globally. Excellent rap bridge by Example.

Until next time, have fun, play safe and get out there and dance! Support club life and it couldl be your life support.

Dj Buddy Beaverhausen & November's Dance Music Scene

Have I mentioned to all you wonderful blog readers out there how grateful I am that my blog receives the thousands of hits it does each and every month now? You guys are the best! But Dj Buddy Beaverhausen has big news. As of last week, I am now the Dance (Music) Promoter for Queens Our City internet radio! You can also follow my articles and interviews there, PLUS there's so much great music to listen to on that station and so much to read outside of my own contributions. I love working with QOC's Barbara Sobel and Chris Colby! (You guys are the best.) Check Queens Our City out, you'll love it there! Straight from the beat of NYC:
http://queens.ourcityradio.com/ 

And attention New Yorkers! Pick up a free copy of this week's LGBT going-out guide, Next! There's a whole section devoted to "The State of Drag 2013" showcasing some of the City's fresh faces on the club scene. However, Lady Bunny is perennial and will be spinning the first Sunday of every month (including tomorrow, Nov. 3) at The Monster in a Disco Classics Tea Dance, 6 - 10 pm! No cover and $5 Bloody Marys and Mimosas. We love our disco classics and our Lady Bunny!

Also on Sunday, November 3, pop and dance-music diva, Cyndi Lauper, who is very bonded with the LGBT community and who recently became the first solo woman to ever win a Tony Award for best score to a Broadway show (Kinky Boots), brings her 30th Anniversary She's So Unusual Tour to The Palace Theatre in Greensburg, PA! My PA pal, AJ's headed there, and Edge NY columnist Kevin Scott Hall wrote a guest blog on Leave It to Beaverhausen after seeing the show in Atlantic City, NJ in July. 
http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/07/guest-blogger-kevin-scott-hall-cyndi.html

The social season is in full swing, the holidays are coming; it's party time, people! Enjoy! There will be more interviews coming up very soon on my Exclusive Q&A spin-off blog, Blab It to Beaverhausen, over this festive season as well. Don't miss the buzz from Buddy!
http://blabittobeaverhausen.blogspot.com/ 

And, finally, thanks again to everyone reading this. Stats are strong for October, both Leave It and Blab It upwardly mobile in terms of readership. Outside of my core readership in the USA, I want to thank my readers in the UK, Russia, Ukraine, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Switzerland, China, Spain, Australia & Malaysia, this week, especially. Please check out Queens Our City radio (link above) and tune in to the dance sound of New York! The dancefloor unites us all over the world. Dance for peace, for universal happiness, for a better world. We are a global community and we can defeat hate. Peace, love, disco and out!

Turn Back Time

"If I Could Turn Back Time," Cher sings. Well, not only can you, it will be incumbent upon you if you're living in North America and want to stay in step with everyone else. This Sunday, at the stroke of 2 a.m. in whichever time zone you reside, clocks go back an hour in all areas observing Daylight Saving Time. (The states of Arizona and Hawaii, for example, do not take part in this time change.)

So it's through the Time Tunnel once again for the bi-annual happening. Club people, that means an extra hour on the dancefloor if your local bar/club/lounge hours extend past 2:00 in the morning! Djs might prepare for the added 60 minutes in their sets for Saturday night. All non-digital clocks need to be set manually, if that's not already perfectly obvious.

And, of course, if you happen to be home Saturday night, you can get that "extra" hour of sleep!