NEWS ARCHIVES

2023

[MAR 26] Greetings all! Let's start off with movie news - nope not the documentary (yet).  The Neil Bogart/ Casablanca Records pic Spinning Gold officially opens Friday (March 31).  Of course there is publicity in the run up to the release. Variety has an article, Yahoo has one, and of curse there is the Spinning Gold YouTube channel that has a spotlight on Donna clip.  Even Spotify has a couple of songs from the soundtrack already including Last Dance by Jeremy Jordan and Tayla Parx.

[MAR 26] Now in documentary news, the film played at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen this week. Out of that came an interview with Roger Ross Williams.  Then we have a Daily Beast review from the SXSW showings.

[MAR 26] Boston - save the date! The annual Donna Summer Disco Party will be Friday June 16 from 6 to 9 pm at City Hall Plaza. They will have the roller skating rink.  :-)

[MAR 26] In Brooklyn Sudano news (that isn't the documentary  LOL), she is in a Lifetime movie called Every Breath She Takes that aired today, and will re-air on April 1. (You can also see it on demand on Hulu, SlingTV, Philo and frndly.)

[MAR 26] In Bruce Sudano news, DailyPopNews.com posted a nice review of Make The World Go Away. HollywoodDigest.com also posted a nice review. Don't forget his UK tour with the Zombies starts in just a couple of weeks.

[MAR 26] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up is a new clip from Suecase Hall called A Donna Summer Sampler. It's a really nice compilation (almost 22 minutes!)  showing some of the many sides of Donna.  It's really well done, so check it out.  For other clips, let's look at Some Donna unplugged.  So there is On The Radio from 1994, the unreleased So This Is Lonely, an acoustic version of Bad Girl, Anyway At All, Worth The Wait, and of course the version of Dim All The Lights from Live & More Encore that starts off "unplucked". 

[MAR 19] Happy Sunday all!  As you know the documentary played last weekend at SXSW. That resulted in a couple more reviews - one from Variety, and one from Quelle Movies.  We also got some promotion from Brooklyn and Roger Ross Williams on Deadline.com and Hollywood Reporter.  Look for Love To Love You Donna Summer to also hit the Sarasota Film Festival on March 31 and the Hot Docs festival in Toronto which runs April 27 to May 7.

[MAR 19] In release news, The 40th anniversary edition of She Works Hard For The Money is officially available for buying or streaming at all the usual places.

[MAR 19] In Johnnyswim news - Abner is taking a short break from social media, so Amanda is using this opportunity to cook up a birthday surprise for him.  Check out her Instagram post and then contribute to her project.  She's got a really cool idea.

[MAR 19] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up - a fan made video celebrating the documentary. And in honor of the 40th anniversary release of She works Hard For The Money, let's look at Donna performing the title track (along with the interview) on Johnny Carson. Then we have Donna and Onetta talking about the creation of the song in the film Off The Menu, and She Works Hard For The Money from the Broadway musical. And finally a video that includes the Unconditional Love Love and an interview from UK Breakfast TV.

[MAR 12] Happy Sunday all!  And Happy Oscar night to the movie fans out there.  Let's start off with movie news this week. Love To Love You Donna Summer is playing the SXSW Festival as we speak.  So far I have seen 1 review come out of the event and that was from the Austin Chronicle.  Brooklyn is at the SXSW festival, of course, along with her sister Mimi. Getty Images has a bunch of photos from the event.

[MAR 12] Johnnyswim fans - they have added the Catbird Festival in Bethel NY to their list of concerts. That takes place August 19 to 20.

[MAR 12] That brings us to YouTube.  Since it's Oscar night - let's look at some movie related clips.  First up, Donna singing Last Dance at the Oscars, followed by Paul Jabara winning the trophy for Best Original Song. Then we have Donna singing Papa Can You Hear Me at the 1984 Oscars. Up next is a compilation of clips of Donna from the movie Thank God It's Friday, No Ordinary Miracle from the film Let It Be Me (audio only), and The Power Of One from Pokemon the Movie 2000. And here's a rare bonus from the Brooklyn Dreams. It's called You Got Me Believing (written by Donna and Bruce) and it can be heard over the end credits of the movie Foodfight. The link goes directly to the song, but you can watch the whole film on YouTube if you really want to..  I warn you though, the film is not well regarded. The featured review on IMds gives it only 1 star and I have a feeling that the reviewer would have given less if they could.  LOL

[MAR 4] Greetings all and Happy Saturday! It's a new month so it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This time we are looking at Four Seasons Of Love.  That seems pretty appropriate right now because I swear I have experienced all four seasons over the last couple  of weeks. I think Mother Nature is off her meds....  LOL

[MAR 4] Let's start with the documentary. That will be playing at SXSW on March 11, March 12 and March 15  in Austin.  So if you are in that area, check it out.  And I am sure that following those screenings, we will have more reviews.

[MAR 4] In other movie news, Spinning Gold - the story of Neil Bogart and Casablanca hits theaters on March 31. In preparation, they have released a second trailer for the film which you can watch on YouTube.

[MAR 4] And finally in movie news, the film Magic Mike's Last Dance, which used Last Dance so prominently in the trailer, actually does NOT use the song at all in the film.  The fan who reported that also was not overly fond of the film itself but, of course, everyone's taste in movies is different.

[MAR 4] On to the music now - in the category of "how did I get so old?" LOL She Works Hard For The Money  was released 40 years ago.  And like the other albums that have hit the big 4-0 already, there is a digital deluxe release. You can read the press release here,  but I will tell you  now that the release is the original 9 tracks plus a remix and an instrumental each for the title track and for Unconditional Love.  Along with the digital deluxe release, Donna's YouTube channel posted a remastered version of the She Works Hard For The Money video.  The video is much cleaner and more vibrant and has none of the issues we had with the state Of Independence remastered video. The news show Nightline even had a little piece announcing the digital release for the 40th anniversary.  Pretty cool!

[MAR 4] Bruce Sudano fans... or perhaps I should say UK Bruce fans... he will be performing with The Zombies in various locations in the UK from April 18 to May 5. The dates and venues are listed on Bruce's website and if you want to go grab your tickets now because some venues have sold out already.  I saw him open for the Zombies here some time before COVID and it was a good time!

[MAR 4] That brings us to YouTube. Well, why not celebrate She Works Hard For The Money? First up the title track performed at the 1984 Grammys. Then we have Unconditional Love at Disney,  audio only clips for Do Believe ( I Fell In Love) and Love Has A Mind Of Its Own. And finally a video slideshow for He's a Rebel - one I included because this is the most bizarre slideshow I have run into.  I don't think there is one Donna-related photo in the whole thing! LOL

[FEB 26] Greetings all! Well, the Berlin Film Festival went well and we got a bunch of reviews for the documentary out there.  Before I get to what the pros have to say, there were some fans at various screenings and they said that the theater was packed, that the film was very moving, and that Brooklyn and team should be very proud.  From all accounts, the documentary is about the woman behind the music as opposed to being about the music itself. So now in no particular order, here are some of the reviews that have surfaced already:  Hollywood Reporter, POV, Little White Lies, In Review Online, Eye For Film, and Deadline.com.

[FEB 26] I forgot to mention above that  one person who saw the documentary revealed that it used a previously unheard demo of Bad Girls. Just to clarify - it was not the one that came out on the Deluxe edition of Bad Girls. There are a couple of photos online from the Berlin Film Festival - you can access them here.  (And yes, that is Mimi with Brooklyn in one of the pictures.) Next stop for the documentary is the SXSW festival - screening times are listed here. And of course it will start streaming on HBO/HBOMax in May. (If you don't have a subscription to those services, you can usually grab a free trial. Or you can subscribe for a month and then turn it off.)

[FEB 26] There is a new YouTube channel out there called Donna Summer Discography. It is a fan created channel focusing on rare and out of print singles and compilations.

[FEB 26] In the everybody is a fan category, I just found out about this song by Collaborati called When Donna Sang Last Dance. The song is about a relationship that started when the couple danced to Last Dance. There are also some sly references to other Donna songs sprinkled in the lyrics.

[FEB 26] Johnnyswim fans - the duo is reuniting with Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors (under the name Goodbye Road) for the Moon River Music Festival on September 9 in Chattanooga, TN. The festival is already sold out (That was QUICK!) but you can sign up for the waitlist.

[FEB 26] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up, a video called How Donna Summer Changed Pop Music Forever. It's about I Feel Love - of course.  :-) Then we have a video of the released demo for Bad Girls set to a slideshow of photos. And here's one for all you wig fans - someone on YouTube recreates the On The Radio wig all while talking about Donna's career.  And if you want to hear something really weird, a guy who claims to communicate spirits in the afterlife posted a video where he says that Donna says her name in her own voice. If you can hear it, you have better ears than I do!  LOL After that, I have to leave you with something good - how about Donna at the Royal Albert Hall in 1987 as broadcast on Capital Radio?

[FEB 19]  Happy Sunday all! As you know, the Berlin Film Festival is happening now with the  Love To Love You Donna Summer documentary due to be shown on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.  Brooklyn is there - she posted a photo of herself on Instagram enroute.  There are a few German fans going as well, so hopefully we'll get some fan reports soon.  I imagine we will get to see a trailer sometime too, but I don't know if they will hold back a public release of the trailer until closer to the HBO air date.

[FEB 19] Record Store Day hits the UK Saturday April 22. They usually have some sort of Donna something available, and this year it will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Hard For The Money tour with a 2 lp clear vinyl release of A Hot Summer Night.

[FEB 19] GoldDerby.com has picked its top 20 songs of the 70s. Bad Girls is Donna's contribution to the list.

[FEB 19] Bruce Sudano fans - check out his interview with NeuFutur.com. In it, he mentions that he is finishing up his new album called, Talking Ugly Truth, Telling Pretty Lies.  (Now that is an intriguing title.  :-) )

[FEB 19] Also in Bruce news, he recently made an appearance at open mic night at The Sugar Bar in New York City. The whole show was streamed on Facebook. Lots of very talented people performed, but if you don't have  over 3 hours to watch the whole thing, then you can find Bruce at the 33:50 mark with Two Bleeding Hearts - a duet with Valerie Simpson (of Ashford and Simpson fame!) It's a beautiful song - make sure you check it out.  And then look for a special sneak appearance by Mary Gaines Bernard at the 2:24:15 mark with a little bit of On The Radio.

[FEB 19]  I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's take a look at some duets today. First up is Enough Is Enough.  I could have picked the version with Barbra. I could have picked the one with Tina Arena. I could have even found one of the live versions with Mary. But this time I am sharing the version with Westlife. Then we have the suet with Liza Minelli, Does He Love You, Donna with Seal on Crazy and On The Radio, and Donna with Joss Stone on Try A Little Tenderness.  And finally Donna's duet with Dave Koz on A Whole New World. I know some people might not see that as a duet since Donna is the only vocalist, but I have always felt that Dave's sax IS his voice on that song.  So I count it as a duet.

[FEB 19] And finally, I am walking for MS again this year.  I'll be walking at Jones Beach on May 20 with as many of my teammates as I can gather. My link is here, and if you happen to notice  I'm not the captain this time, it's only because my friend was more organized than I was and signed up right before I did - so she became captain. (It doesn't matter - we have always been a rabble! LOL But we get the job done!) Thank you all for your support - be it financial or just good wishes. You guys have always been amazing all these years.

[FEB 12] Greetings all and Happy Valentine's Day (a little early).  As you know  the documentary about Donna premiere's very soon in Berlin at the film festival. So I hope that means a trailer for the fill will turn up very soon.  In the meantime, a couple more news outlets have posted about the documentary. There is no new info, but you can read the articles at MixMag.net,  NME.com, and AmericanSongwriter.com. Also, the documentary was previewed at Sir Lucian Grainge's pre-Grammy showcase. HitsDailyDouble.com has a photo with Bruce and Brooklyn at the event.

[FEB 12] In other news, long time fans Andrea Angeli Bufalini and Giovanni Savastano have written a book about Donna called Donna Summer: La Voce Arcobaleno. Da Disco Queen A Icona Pop.  As an extra bonus, there is a preface by Pete Bellotte. It is currently available for pre-order on the Italian Amazon website. It is currently ONLY available in Italian, but I am sure if the publisher has enough demand, it will eventually be translated into other languages. (And even if it's not - the photos alone may make it a worthwhile purchase for fans.  ;-)  )

[FEB 12] Yardbarker.com has posted its list of the best double albums of all time.  The first one on the list is Bad Girls.  :-)

[FEB 12] Bruce Sudano fans - Bruce has posted another live song on Facebook. This one is about getting lonely on the road.

[FEB 12] As you know Bruce just performed for the On The Blue Cruise, and Goldmine has posted  their report about the line up of performers.

[FEB 12] Johnnyswim fans - they put a bunch of merch on sale last week for Valentines Day.  There is still some stuff left, but it's going fast.

[FEB 12] I think that brings us to YouTube. Since it's Valentine's Day this week, I guess our theme should be love.  So let's start with Whenever There Is Love, followed by Love Is The Healer. Then we have Love On And On, and I Got Your Love.  And of course we can't forget Love To Love You, and I Feel Love.  Since today is Superbowl Sunday here, let's throw in Stamp Your Feet as a bonus.  For those of you enjoying the game today - I hope it's a good one!

[FEB 4] Greetings all and happy Saturday! I hope my east coast friends are all staying warm! This sudden blast of cold is quite the shocker after being so  unseasonably warm most of January. So first up - it's a new month so that means it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month we are doing A Love Trilogy - not a bad choice for Valentine's Day.  :-)

[FEB 4] Now for the BIG news of the week. Love To Love You  Donna Summer is the name of the bio Brooklyn (and company) has been working on for....? It feels like forever.  LOL It is making its debut at the Berlinale film festival in Berlin this month. (It runs February 16 to 26.) Then it comes to SXSW in Austin next month. (That runs March 10 to March 19.) And then.... look for it to hit HBO and HBOMax in May!  Now I know not everybody has HBO. But the cool thing is that you can usually get a free 7 day trial. HBOMax is also currently one of the channels that is available if you have Amazon Prime.  I also assume that at some point the bio will be available for sale. Tina Turner has a bio on HBO Max a couple of years ago, and I see that available for sale or rent now on Amazon. Looks like we will have a great summer... I mean Summer ;-)  to look forward to!

[FEB 4] Also in documentary news, look at the writeups in Vibe and RollingStone.  May can't come soon enough!

[FEB 4]  In other news, Newsbreak.com has an article about No More Tears (Enough Is Enough).

[FEB 4] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's celebrate the new Summer Fever Pick.  First up, a video for Try Me I Know We Can Make It.  Then we have Wasted  (with lots of bubbles  that just gave me an idea for my own photography  LOL) from a TV appearance, a live performance of Come With Me, and Could It Be Magic from TopPop. And finally Donna & Barry on Could It Be Magic just because I will use any excuse to play this!  LOL

[JAN 29] Happy Sunday all! Let's start off with Stock Aitken and Waterman this week.  They have been the subject f a UK Legends Of Pop documentary. Part one is here and part two is here.  Donna's work with them is covered in part two, but I recommend watching both while you can. There is a good chance they could get region locked or out right removed for copyright. In other SAW content, a viewer poll selected the top SAW tracks - This Time I Know It's For Real took the top spot.  But more importantly when the TV show ran the clip, they included some extras - like extra demo vocals that were not used in the finished track. (You can see the extra vocals in the SAW documentary too.) AND there is a podcast on Spotify talking about This Time I Know It's For Real. So lots of good stuff this week for SAW fans.

[JAN 29] Musical fans - Summer: The Donna Summer Musical is coming to my home theater - The Gateway in Bellport NY. (I have been going there since I was a kid, and I have been a season ticket holder for  I can't even guess how many years now.) Tickets are on sale now for the June 16 to July 16 run.  Casting is something we won't know until much closer to show time. But keep an eye on their Facebook page -  sometimes in the run up to a show they thrown in some behind the scenes video of rehearsal or whatever.  I will say that the Gateway theater is pretty small so there really isn't a terrible seat in the house.  Middle is always better than the sides - but that's true most places.  (I already know I'm there June 17 with my mom, so if you see me feel free to say hi. I might even sneak in some other nights as well. I'm on the verge of early retirement so I might have some extra time on my hands around then.  :-) )

[JAN 29] Bruce Sudano fans - Vents Magazine gave his latest single, Make The works Go Away, a really nice write up.

[JAN 29] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's celebrate Donna's work with SAW this week. First up is This Time I Know Its For Real live on Live & More Encore. Then we have Love's About To Change My Heart from Club MTV,  the video for When Love Takes Over You, I Don't Wanna Get Hurt from TOTP, and Breakaway live in Brazil.

[JAN 22] Greetings al!  The big news this week is Bruce's new single/video.  It's called Make The World Go Away. You can check it out on YouTube and all the usual places. And I highly recommend that you do.  It's got a nice grove to it that just sucks you in. I could definitely see some radio play in this song's future.

[JAN 22] Also in Bruce news,  he will be performing on the  On The Blue Reunion Cruise (sailing out of Miami) this coming Saturday January 28.

[JAN 22] In other news, Collider.com listed  7 musical movies debuting this year.  They included Spinning Gold even though that's not technically a musical. But it should include a bunch of music from the various artists on the Casablanca roster.

[JAN 22] In Brooklyn Sudano news... sort of... finally info about season 2 of Cruel Summer is available.  As you know Brooklyn was  in the original 2021 season, and although it was decided almost immediately that there would be another season, no actual details have surfaced until now. Unfortunately, they have decided that the series will be an anthology so that means new cast, new location and new plot for season 2.

[JAN 22] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's do some interviews for a change.  First up  - a 20 minute segment from 1987 courtesy of the UK's Sky TV.  Then we have the 1978 interview with Rona Barrett, a Signed Media interview from Donna's later years, Part 1 of a 1994 VH1 interview followed by Part 2, a 2008 interview for On Time TV, and finally a 2003 unedited interview with ET.

[JAN 15] Happy Sunday all! Let's start off with an announcement from Bruce.  He has a new single/video coming out Friday January 20 called Make The World Go Away.  (It will be available at all the usual places.)  If you are on Facebook, you can see the single's cover art on Bruce's page.  Go look at it because the cover art all by itself is powerful. Can't wait to hear the song!

[JAN 15] In the everyone loves Donna category, Barry Manilow had been touring and one fan who caught the show in Fort Lauderdale reported that Barry paid tribute to Donna during the show.  He started playing Could It Be Magic and then noted that Donna covered it as a dance song.  (For those who don't know, Barry's original version if a ballad.)  Barry joked that when he first heard Donna's version he wasn't sure he liked it.  But then it went to number 1 and he loved it.  LOL  He followed that with his own dance version of Could It Be Magic.  I imagine it sounded like this - only without a duet partner.  (I could play that clip forever!  I'm not even exaggerating. LOL)

[JAN 15] Speaking of people who love Donna - Lisa Marie Presley was a big fan. She unfortunately passed away this week and I would like to extend my condolences to her family, friends and fans.  Another one lost too soon.  Stampyourfeet put together a video tribute to Lisa Marie that starts with her comments about Donna.

[JAN 15] I think that brings us to  YouTube.  First up, a  roughly 30 minute piece called The Untold History of Disco.  Yes, it has Donna in it - how could it now?  LOL But more interestingly, it traces the rise and fall of the genre and the legacy it left behind.  Then we have Donna's live version of Could It Be Magic from 1994.  After that is Donna's complete 2005  performance at Night of The Proms in Belgium and clips from Donna performing with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, (Gotta love donna with an orchestra!) And then just for fun, we have the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra taking a stab at Hot Stuff. (The conductor seems to be having a blast!)

[JAN 08] Greetings all and happy Sunday.  SO the beginning of the year means it's time for websites to start ranking ... well just about everything.  LOL  Let's start off with Rolling Stones' highest rated disco albums of all time.  They put Bad Girls at #3.  Let the debating begin.  LOL

[JAN 08]  Then Smooth Radio ranked the top 30 female singers of all time ranked in order of pure vocal ability. (So they say.... get ready for the debate.  LOL)  They put Donna at #21  - right between Diana Ross (#22) and Stevie Nicks (#20). While I disagree (in some cases pretty strongly LOL) with the order they places these artists, I do have to  give Smooth Radio credit for covering a pretty decent range of time with artists like Billie Holiday on one end and  Beyoncé  on the other end.

[JAN 08] Back to Rolling Stone - they have ranked the 200 greatest singers of all time (male and female).  And here's an interesting point the article makes - they are ranking singers and not voices.  So it's less about the voice the artist has/had and more about what they do/did with it.  That would explain (sort of) how Axl Rose could rank higher than Barbra Streisand. LOL  Donna came in at #122. You notice I keep joking about people debating these lists, in the case of this article, the debate went further than the comments section and social media.  My local paper posted an article about reactions to the Rolling Stone article.  Mostly it is complaints about artists who were omitted from the list - with a very Long Island perspective. (Hey, they left Billy Joel off the list. Billy Joel is to Long Island is what Springsteen is to New Jersey. LOL) The article is here, but it is behind a pay wall. I have to admit that I have a hard time taking most of these lists seriously - so much is subjective especially when you are trying to compare acts from multiple eras and from multiple genres.  I mean, how can you really compare Axl Rose to Barbra? Or Loretta Lynn to Ozzie Osbourne? They are SO different that comparison is pretty much meaningless.  But the debates can be fun.

[JAN 08] I think that brings us to YouTube.  In honor of the Summer Fever  Pick, let's take a look at the Love To Love You album.  First up, Donna talking about Love To Love You.  Then we have a performance of the title track from The Midnight Special, a Suecase Hall video for Whispering Waves, a lyric video for Pandora's Box, and a lyric video for Virgin Mary (which was included on some European versions of the album.) Finally, here's a bonus version of Pandora's Box from Summer: The Donna Summer Musical (sung by Storm "Duckling Donna" Lever).

[JAN 01] Happy New Year all! I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. There is really nothing going on this week except for an article posted on Yahoo looking at Donna's best songs - with the emphasis on her disco classics.

[JAN 01] Moving on to YouTube, we have  a sort of random selection this week.  First up is a video look at Donna's Billboard Top 200 Albums chart history.  Each album is presented as a graph and it's pretty cool to see  "the Bad Girls era" when Live & More was still on the top 200, Bad Girls joined it, and then On The Radio joined both - so we had 3 albums going at once.  :-) It was also pretty cool to see a bunch of albums pop back up on the chart in 2012 - a couple of weeks after Donna went home.  Also on YouTube is the latest from Q - it's the final offering of his Other Side Of The Rainbow project and it's his Forever Donna mix of I Need Time.  We also have a 1978 appearance on the Merv Griffin Show promoting Once Upon A Time.  And finally we have a clip I don't remember from Top Of The Pops with Donna performing State Of Independence.

[JAN 01] Oh, I almost forgot - the new Summer Fever Pick is up. This month we celebrate Love To Love You.

2022

[DEC 22]  Greetings all, and Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. First up this week is an article about how I Feel Love changed music.  It's not a long article, but it is interesting.

[DEC 22] In remix news, check out the extended MHP West End 12" mix of Melody Of Love. Listen carefully - you might spot some extra adlibs

[DEC 22]  There's really nothing else going on at the moment because everybody getting ready for the holidays.  So let's share some holiday stuff.  First we have Johnnyswim's Christmas Live From The Backyard from a couple of years ago.  That was a special show - definitely worth revisiting. And then last year they did Christmas In Park City. And then of course, I have my Donna (and friends) Christmas playlist that I also shared last weekend. (I added a couple of clips to the end this week.) I will see you guys sometime before Donna's birthday - we'll see how the week plays out.  :-)  Whichever holidays you are celebrating this week - be safe, be happy, and don't take for granted the people you love.  As I was reminded this year, tomorrow is promised to no one and you never know which Christmas will be the last. 

[DEC 18] Greetings all, and Happy Hanukkah! Let's start off with movies.  As you may recall, the seemingly  endless project, Spinning Gold, finally hits theaters on March 31. The official trailer is out now on YouTube for those who want to check that out.

[DEC 18] And in other movie news, the Donna bio that Brooklyn is working on, is still in the works.  I think the last we heard was this from last year, BUT Brooklyn did post an Instagram story recently that said "Working hard for my mommy" and it looked like she was in a room where editing was happening. So even though it's all quiet on the news front, things are still happening behind the scenes. I know some people out there were getting discouraged - but come on guys. We are Donna Summer fans - we should be used to having patience!  LOL

[DEC 18] Johnnyswim fans - check out their recent Back Porch Sessions for Garden & Gun Magazine.  In it they sing Bullet, Ring The Bells,  Don't Make Me Wait, and Pass Me A Pint.

[DEC 18] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I'm going to share my Christmas playlist this week. Next weekend is Christmas Eve and Christmas so I haven't decided what I'm doing about the update. It might be early, it might be late, it just depends on what's going on. I'm going to aim for Friday, but we'll see. :-)

[DEC 11] Greetings all! Let's jump right into the news.  First up, Pop Matters posted an "advent calendar" article featuring Christmas Divas.  The list is 25 Christmas albums by female artists in a wide variety of styles. (Everything from Lena Horne to Cyndi Lauper and more!)  Day 11 features Christmas Spirit! Then, the website Something Else posted an article looking at their top 20 versions of Lush Life. (Who knew there were so many versions of Lush Life out there?) Donna comes in at #3 and most of the versions they discuss have YouTube links so you can actually hear what they are talking about.  Oh and finally BuzzFeed has a quiz asking you to identify various music icons.  They give you a photo and 4 choices. Donna is in there and the other choices under her picture are Gloria Gaynor (of course!  LOL), Teena Marie , and Thelma Jackson.

[DEC 11] Bruce Sudano fans - Bruce is hitting the road again.  January 28 he is doing the On The Blue Reunion Cruise out of Miami. Then, you guy sin the UK get your chance to see Bruce as he hits your shores on April 18 through May 6 in support of The Zombies. (They always have a good time touring together.) For dates and venues, check out Bruce's website.

[DEC 11] And finally for Johnnyswim fane - our favorite duo still has a couple more dates left on their Christmas tour before they wrap up on December 18 in San Francisco.

[DEC 11] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up, I mentioned last week that the movie Fame filmed their street dance scene to Hot Stuff, as the song Fame had not yet been written. I actually ran into a documentary that talks about that (among other things about the movie. You can catch it here with the street dance scene starting at about 26:54. (Or you can rewind to the beginning - there is lots of interesting stuff for people who are fans of the film.) Then I found something I haven't seen in awhile - it's a clip about Donna's cover of Mr. Rogers' song Are You Brave.  (And here is the song itself.) Also in the land of tributes, here is Donna's cover of The Power Of Love (by Luther Vandross). Other rare ones out there are Dreamcatcher, My Prayer For You, and Donna's original recording of La Vie En Rose.  (For comparison, here is the live version she did in Paris about 15 years later.)

[DEC 2] Happy Friday everyone.  Sorry I missed last weekend, but my mom ended up in the hospital unexpectedly. She's home and on the mend now, so things can (hopefully) get back to normal.  Yesterday started a new month and since it is December, you already know what I changed the Summer Fever Pick to.  LOL

[DEC 2] Let's get the sad stuff out of the way first.  As you have probably read, we lost Irene Cara the other day.  You may be wondering what the Donna connection is - well, other than she was one of the artists who was sometimes mistaken for Donna. Well,  if you have ever seen the movie Fame, you will remember they had a big street dance scene set to the title track. The thing is, when they filmed it, the song hadn't been written yet. So all those dancers were actually partying to Hot Stuff.  Rest in peace Irene.

[DEC 2] We also just lost Christine McVie too. (May she rest in peace as well.) Bruce posted a short video tribute of him singing the Fleetwood Mac classic, Don't Stop.

[DEC 2]  In happier news, there are a couple of interesting covers out there.  First is a cover of I Feel Love by Clara Luciani.  It's pretty faithful to the original, although she does sing some of it in French. And then there is the London After Midnight cover of Hot Stuff. That one is a bit.... different.

[DEC 2] In Johnnyswim news, they are on their Christmas tour now.  They have special VIP packages available for the various dates, and they are doing something really fun this time out. They have a portion of the show where they play some videos from their childhood Christmases, and they have invited fans (who are attending the shows) to email them videos of their own childhood celebrations and they will show those as well.  Keep an eye on their Instagram stories. Abner usually posts instructions about where to email your videos.

[DEC 2] Also in Johnnyswim news, they have a new Christmas single out now called Don't Make Me Wait.  ANd if you are looking for swag, they have a couple of deals on their website right now.

[DEC 2] I think that brings us to YouTube.   Let's do some mixes this week. First up - the New Wave XTension of Romeo. Then we have Olivia Newton-John vs Donna in Please Don't Keep Me Waiting For A Last Dance, the MHP extended mix of The Woman In Me,  Jandry's C'mon Darlin' Mix 2022 of (If It) Hurts Just A Little,  and the Millennium Mix of State Of Independence which features clips from Martin Luther King's I Have A Dream speech.

[NOV 20]  Greetings all! And Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends! Can you believe Thanksgiving is this Thursday? I have no idea where this year has gone.)

[NOV 20] First up for vinyl fans -  MusicOnVinyl.com has posted that we can look forward to a pink vinyl edition of Crayons on January 13. There are no extra tracks (Not even It's Only Love) but there will be a 4 page booklet. And, this is the first time Crayons has been released on vinyl. (Weird, huh? Even Live & More Encore had a vinyl edition when it came out. I used to refer to that as the large print version for us older fans.  LOL)

[NOV 20] There is a movie coming out in February called Magic Mike's Last Dance.  Can you guess what song features prominently in the trailer?  LOL

[NOV 20] In the everybody is a fan category, check out the album art for the RuPaul Mixtape Vol II.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but it seems to remind me of something....   ;-)

[NOV 20] Johnnyswim fans - the new episode of their cooking show on Magnolia is out. This time they are making tacos (with homemade tortillas) and a watermelon refresher that looks like it would be amazing on a hop summer day.  Look for a guest appearance by Abner's 4 year old sous chef.  :-)

[NOV 20] I'm exhausted tonight, so I'm just going to go straight to the YouTube list. Since Thanksgiving is traditionally the start of the Christmas season here, let me leave you with my Christmas YouTube playlist.

[NOV 13]  Greetings all!  Let's jump right into the news. First up, Vulture.com has ranked all 240 Rock & Roll Hall of Famers from best to worst. Now I should say, their basis for best and worst is the appropriateness of the artist's inclusion in the Hall Of Fame - were they influential to other artists, were they great at what they did, were they the first to do whatever...  That should eliminate a little of the inherent bias in lists like this, where artists get ranked higher or lower just because the author like a particular style of music over another. (But there will still be debates - just watch and see!  LOL) The cool thing is that each artist has a paragraph or so explaining something about the artist or about the way the Hall of Fame operates.  Donna comes in at #72 and her part of the list has a fairly long section about how the Hall of Fame treats women in general.  The whole article is an interesting read, so try not to skip over the artists you have no interest in...

[NOV 13] In other article news,  there is an op-ed piece out there in the Daily Northwestern about the lasting impact of Donna Summer.  The article was inspired by Beyoncé's  Summer Renaissance.

[NOV 13] And speaking of Summer Renaissance, the NY Times has a podcast talking abut that song and also about Donna, I Feel Love, and the Donna Summer album. Warning - there is a link on the page to get a transcript of the podcast.  Don't bother clicking it. When I tried it, I got the transcript for a completely different episode.  LOL

[NOV 13] If you are looking for something silly, There is a video on YouTube that compares the heights of  100 classic female singers. They have decided that  Donna (when played by Kelly Rowland dressed up in Donna drag) is 5 feet 7 inches tall.  But of course all long time fans know that Donna is actually over twice the height of a skyscraper... for proof, look at the  inside gatefold of Once Upon A Time.  ;-)

[NOV 13] In Johnnyswim news, the latest episode of In The Kitchen Abner & Amanda is available to stream on Discovery+/Magnolia.  This week they made Ropa Vieja and Frijoles - Abner's favorite meal.  It features a special appearance from Abner's mom, Marisol. And I know I say this every week - but do not watch the show when you are hungry. (Or when you are eating junk because you worked late. McDonalds, Burger King, etc will NOT compare favorably with one of their home cooked meals! LOL )

[NOV 13] I think that brings us to YouTube.  And while I was searching for something good to start us off, I ran into this re-upload  of Donna and Barry's Could It Be Magic. This one is the unedited version, some of the other uploads out there are missing a little.  I just LOVE that clip, so I couldn't resist sharing it (again). So now I am going to abandon what I was originally searching for and I'm going to have a little fun. So here is a rare one - The Wanderer live.  Then we have Unconditional Love at Disney with Donna singing to and with a bunch of kids. (Sharp eyes just might spot Mimi in there.  :-) ) And then we have Reflections from Divas 2000 and Love Is The Healer from the same show.  (And yes I cheated - those last 2 are on Vimeo.) And finally, since it was Veteran's Day here the other day, Donna performing There Goes My Baby  surrounded by a bunch of sailors.   To all the veterans out there - thank you for your service.

[NOV 6]  Happy  Sunday all! Tuesday is Election Day here in the USA, so to all my friends out there who are eligible to vote and haven't already -  make sure you get out there and make your voice heard!  (If you don't, then you don't get to complain about the results! And let's face it, we are Americans, we will complain no matter who wins.  LOL)  And don't forget, Bruce is performing on the iVoted Festival webcast Tuesday.  Check out the festival website for details.

[NOV 6]  In Donna news, the 40th Anniversary of  the self-titled Donna Summer album is out now. [Paid Amazon US  link] It is also available to stream at all the usual places.  And of course you can still see the official lyric video for the LeFlex mix of Mystery Of Love on YouTube.

[NOV 6] In honor of the release of Donna Summer, RetroPop posted a short article on their website featuring comments from Bruce.  They have said there is also a longer feature in the actual magazine itself.

[NOV 6] In other Donna news, the movie Spinning Gold (about the rise and fall of Casablanca Records) FINALLY has a release date.  (It's about time. I think they have been working on it for like 150 years now.  LOL) Look for it to hit theaters on March 31, 2023.

[NOV 6] Johnnyswim fans - they will be performing at the Tokens Show (now called No Small Endeavor) at the Ryman in Nashville on November 20.  And don't forget that their Christmas tour starts November 30 in Chicago.  Abner has said it will be more of an intimate experience with just Abner and Amanda accompanied by their friend and collaborator, Jonathan Berlin.

[NOV 6] And of course the latest episode of of In The Kitchen With Abner and Amanda is now streaming on Magnolia. This week they are making dinner with Osso Buco over Polenta. The standard warning applies - don't watch when you are hungry!  LOL

[NOV 6] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's do something a little different. Let's look at the 5 songs that had the lowest peak position on the Billboard Hot 100.  (And they are still darn good songs!)  So peaking at #85 in  1989 is Love's About To Change My Heart. Then Try Me I Know We Can Make It peaked at #80 in 1976,  I Will Go With You peaked at #79 in 1999, When Love Cries peaked at #77 in 1991 and finally, Supernatural Love peaked at #75 in 1984.

[OCT 30] Happy Sunday all, and Happy Halloween!  Since we start a new month Tuesday, I am posting the Summer Fever Pick now.  This time we are going back to Donna's first album, Lady Of The Night.

[OCT 30] In Donna news this week, Grammy.com posted a nice tribute to Donna and her 70s work this week.  And over on Albumism.com, they are celebrating the 45th anniversary of Once Upon A Time.  (45 years - yes we are old!  LOL)

[OCT 30] In Johnnyswim news, the latest episode of of In The Kitchen With Abner and Amanda is now streaming on Magnolia. This week they focus on breakfast with (among other things) some enormous croissants  that will make you want to reach through the screen and grab one. (Can you tell I was hungry when I watched?  LOL But they did look REALLY good!) Also, Decider.com posted a review of The Johnnyswim Show (their last series) because that is now available on HBOMax (as well as Magnolia/Discovery+).

[OCT 30] And if music is more your thing (or you just can't get enough Johnnyswim LOL), their new EP, Goodbye Road Vol 2 with Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors is available now at all the usual places.

[OCT 30] I think that brings us to YouTube.  In honor of the new Summer Fever Pick, let's look at some tracks from Lady Of The Night.  Frist up, the title track from TopPop. Then we have The Hostage from Van Oekel's Discohoek, a lyric video for Let's Work Together Now,  a lyric video for Domino,  and a lyric video for Wounded,

[OCT 23] Happy Sunday all! This week's update is pretty much a Johnnyswim update. Their new cooking show has debuted on the Magnolia Network and of course, on the Discovery+ streaming service.  Episode 1 is available to stream now and in it they make homemade egg noodles with carbonara and pavlova for dessert.  Warning - do NOT watch the show if you are hungry.  LOL  New episodes drop on Fridays, and I have to say that while so far each of the Johnnyswim TV shows has been different (on the road, home in quarantine, now cooking) they are really not that different.  It's Amanda and Abner just being Amanda and Abner.  So if you  liked the other shows, you will like this one as well.

[OCT 23] Also in Johnnyswim news, they were Live In The Backyard the other day.  Well, the show is called Live In The Backyard, but they were actually live in their Twin Peaks cabin - which is available to rent on AirBnB.  The show features  guest appearances by Drew Holcomb and chef Andrew Summern. Catch it when you can on YouTube.  And yes, they sing the new song with Drew, called What Have We Got To Lose. And don't forget  Goodbye Road Vol 2 comes out October 28 in all the usual places. The single What Have We Got To Lose is available now.

[OCT 23] Also this week - Johnnyswim will be performing at Silobration in Waco once again this coming weekend. Abner has said they will have a pop up merchandise shop, and as much as they can they will be making  merch on site - their Blood Sweat & Tears collection.  (That's what they call the stuff they sew, silkscreen or whatever themselves.)

[OCT 23] StyleBlueprint.com has posted a new interview with Amanda where they have made her this week's "face of the South." Oh, and yes, we have yet ANOTHER origin story for the name Johnnyswim.  Is this the real one? Probably not.  But it does sound more plausible than some of the previous stories.  LOL  (In case you haven't guessed , I LOVE that they have fun with the origin of the band name!)

[OCT 23] Moving on to Bruce, as you know he is performing at the iVoted online festival November 8.  I mention this partly so that you will catch his show online, but also as an excuse to remind all my American friends to make a plan to vote.  Election Day is November 8, but many places have early voting locations as well.  Please take time to research your candidates and the issues that are important to you  - not just for national level races (such as Senate) but  also for your local level candidates and issues.  Those local races often get overlooked, BUT they have the most immediate effect on your daily life, and the winners of those races often decide to move up to higher levels of government.  Want a great Congressman, Senator, President? Make sure you have a great pool of people to choose from...  I'll get off my soapbox now.  :-)

[OCT 23] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's so some concerts this week. First up - Brazil, 1995. Then we have Japan 1991,  Jones Beach 2008,  and Italy 1977.

[OCT 15] Happy Saturday all! Short update this weekend because my Dad's memorial and such has kept me busy this week.

[OCT 15]  Let's start with the UK. Channel 5 ran a show called Queens Of Pop featuring divas from Aretha to Whitney. For Donna they had footage of Love To Love You And I Feel Love.  According to one fan, the presenters spoke well of Donna and her success.

[OCT 15] Over here, Billboard Magazine has compiled a list of the best concept albums. They put Once Upon A Time at #22.  (Let the debating begin!  LOL)

[OCT 15] Johnnyswim fans - as you know their new cooking show debuts on Magnolia on October 21. But the day before than, October 20, Johnnyswim will be Live In The Backyard again.  Look for merchandise to go on sale the day before that. Abner has already posted clips of him silkscreening jackets. Look for the concert live on YouTube or Instagram.

[OCT 15]  I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up, Donna's A&E Biography.  And because everybody used to ask about this song every time Biography aired, here is Worth The Wait.  Then we have part of VH1's Behind The Music.  (The complete version has vanished from YouTube.) Then there is a 1978 interview with Rona Barrett, and finally probably one of Donna's final interviews.  And finally, in honor of my dad, I leave you with Donna's cover of Netherlands. I'll see you guys next week when we will probably have lots of Johnnyswim to talk about!

[OCT 9] Greetings all and happy Sunday! I hope my Florida area friends are doing well after that massive storm! 

[OCT 9]  Let's start off with Johnnyswim. You might as well call October Johnnyswim month because the have a lot going on.  As I mentioned last time, they have a new cooking show for Magnolia starting on October 21.  It is called In The Kitchen With Abner and Amanda, and you can watch the trailer on the Magnolia website.  It looks like it will be just as much fun as their previous shows on Magnolia.

[OCT 9] Johnnyswim also has a new album coming out  with Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors called Goodbye Road Volume 2.  The album comes out on October 28 and you can pre-order at the usual places.  But you don't have to wait that long to get a taste of the album - the first single, what Have We Got To Lose, is available now to buy or stream.

[OCT 9]  Paul Jabara fans -  expanded 30th Anniversary editions of his albums Shut Out and Keeping Time were released for the first time digitally on September 30. (FYI - both those links are paid links to Amazon, but you can check the albums out in all the usual paces.)  For those looking for the Donna connection, Keeping Time includes  Paul's version of Last Dance, and Something's Missing . BUT this is not the version of Something's Missing that we all know from Paul's Greatest Hits and Misses.  This one does not use her solo verse that was added for the Greatest Hits & Misses.  Shut Out of course has Shut Out/Heaven Is A Disco that has some guest vocals by Donna.  :-) (They also threw in the single version of Shut Out - also with Donna.) Just a little pro-tip on Something's Missing - if you are looking for the song title on a streaming service, both the versions with Donna and without her are  listed the same way.  Depending on the service, it's Something's Missing by Paul Jabara and Donna Summer, or they say it's Paul featuring Donna.  What you want to look at is the duration of the track.  Just Paul is 5:23.  Paul with Donna is 5:40.

[OCT 9] And while we are on the subject of Paul Jabara - to celebrate the release of  the expanded versions of Shut Out and Keeping Time,  the powers that be  booked a billboard on Times Square on September 30th.  Somebody captured the live stream and  posted it on YouTube. Oh, and I almost forgot - Paul's official website mentioned that a biography is coming soon.  I hope it includes the story of Paul locking Donna in a bathroom in Puerto Rico to make her listen to Last Dance.  LOL

[OCT 9] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Well in honor of Paul Jabara and Donna Summer's most famous collaboration,  let's look at the 1979 Oscars with Donna's performance of Last Dance, and Paul's acceptance of the award. In honor of  probably their second most famous collaboration,  here is a fan made video for Enough Is Enough featuring clips of both  Donna and Barbra. And why not share one of their not as well known collaborations - Never Lose Your Sense Of Humor. (This version is the extended one.) Speaking of a sense of humor.... Donna had one.  And here is a video someone made of clips of Donna being funny or silly.  It's 41 minutes long so lots of laughs!

[OCT 1]  Happy Saturday all.  I'm sorry I missed last week's update.  If you follow me on Facebook, then you know I had an unexpected death in the family which, as I'm sure you all know, kind of threw everything into chaos. But my family is learning to adapt to our new normal and we will be fine, it just takes time.

[OCT 1] So on to the usual site stuff - it's October 1, so it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month we look at Donna's musicals.

[OCT 1] In remix news, there is a 2022 Rivers From The Sky mix of MacArthur Park that has a few different vocals added.

[OCT 1] In the everyone is a Donna Summer fan (or should be  LOL)  category,  actress/singer Juliette Lewis is a fan and in an interview in Far Out Magazine, she talks about loving Donna's music - especially Hot Stuff.  There is even a video included showing her band's cover version of Hot Stuff.

[OCT 1] Johnnyswim fans - they have yet another show coming up on the Magnolia Network October 21.  This one will be In The Kitchen with Abner And Amanda,  and if you have ever looked at their Instagram, then you will know that food is a big deal in the Ramirez household.  It should be a fun show!  Also, Magnolia Shows stream on the Discovery+ service, and now some of them also stream on HBO Max as well.  Right now HBO Max has only 1 season of The Johnnyswim Show, whereas Discovery+ has both seasons plus Home On The Road With Johnnyswim.

[OCT 1] In musical news, The Aurora Theater in Lawrenceville, Georgia  is holding auditions for Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. They have the audition materials available for download - obviously essential for any of you who want to audition, but also interesting for the rest of us.   :-)

[OCT 1] Bruce Sudano fans - don't forget that he will be performing for the online iVoted Festival on Election Day, November 8.  To get access to the show,  see the iVoted Festival website. (You don't have to be a registered voter in the US to access the festival - they have access for both underage people and others who are ineligible to vote.

[OCT 1] I think that brings us to YouTube.  In honor of the Summer Fever Pick, I have a whole playlist of Donna singing songs from musicals.

[SEP 17] Happy Saturday all! We start right in with Donna this week. In anticipation of the upcoming 40th anniversary release of the self-titled Donna Summer album,  The State Of Independence video has been remastered and posted on the official YouTube channel, and The Woman In Me has also been remastered and will be released on October 7. (That link goes to a placeholder where you can ask YouTube to notify you when the video goes live.)  Now before you get excited.... oh boy.  I can't say I'm overly satisfied with the remaster.  On the plus side, they did bring out more of the color, made the dark tones richer, warmed up the overall tone a bit... so that is good.  It's not really any sharper than it was, but that might not be possible to fix with the source material they had, so that doesn't bother me.  (There is actually a Facebook video showing the comparison of a short clip from the video.) Where things start to fall apart, is visually they changed the aspect ratio from the original 4:3 to 16:9 to suit most modern screens. The problem is, that leads to Donna's head being cut off in places. A better option would have been to put a couple of black bars on the ends of the 4:3 to make it 16:9.  Yeah, black bars can be annoying, but not as annoying as cutting off the tops of people's heads.  Ugh.  Then there is the sound. It is badly muffled. And that's probably an easy fix. Strip the audio and replace it with remastered audio (or even unremastered audio) from any of the album releases.  A fan could probably even do that.  (Suecase Hall, are you listening?  LOL)  Oh! And I almost forgot, there is about 12 seconds missing from the beginning of the video. So while I do appreciate the effort, to me it fell short of the mark.   :-(  Here's a link to the original unrestored video for those who are interested.

[SEP 17] There is a YouTube channel called Celebrity Underrated, and they just posted an episode about Donna.  There's probably nothing new there for diehard fans, but it's always fun to hear people talking about Donna.   :-)  Also on YouTube in the Conversations with Christian John Wikane, we have Rahsaan Patterson talking about Donna.

[SEP 17] Moving on to Johnnyswim!  As you know, their tour starts up again on Thursday in West Springfield MA.  Now if you thought  they'd actually be done touring at the end of October with Silobration - well, you probably don't know Johnnyswim very well.  LOL  Our favorite duo has just announced a Christmas tour starting November 30 in Chicago and going through to December 18 in San Francisco.  Dates/tickets are available here, AND there are VIP packages available too.  As always - if you want to go, get your tickets EARLY!  And watch their Instagram for announcements,  ticket alerts, merchandise announcements, general tomfoolery...   ;-)  If you have never seen Johnnyswim live, - DO IT. It's always a good time.

[SEP 17] Bruce Sudano fans - Bruce did a couple of dates this past week, and a short clip of Bad Girls  from Club Passim has popped up on Facebook.

[SEP 17] I think that brings us to YouTube.  What am I in the mood for today? Let's start with some alternate vocals for One Of A Kind.  (Sounds like something fan mixers might want to play with.  ;-) )  Well that's it - now I just have to listen to the whole MacArthur Park Suite.  LOL (You realize this is the longest part of writing the update? I actually do listen to these clips as I write because I just can't help myself. And OMG I love this bridge! I always have! )  Ok, that video lead me to  a 2 part compilation of Donna's "best live vocals".  They are each a bunch of clips from various songs in various performances.  Part 1 is here, and part 2 is here.  Lots of great stuff in there!

[SEP 11] Greetings all! I hope you are as well as you can be this sad weekend.  My condolences to the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.  With a reign of 70 years, there aren't many people left who can remember a time before she was Queen.  Then of course here in the USA, we are marking the anniversary of the 9/11 attack.  So overall, it hasn't been a really great weekend....

[SEP 11]  Bruce Sudano fans - don't forget he has 3 concerts this week.  Thursday he is in Cambridge, MA, Friday he's in New York, and Saturday he's in Annapolis.  So if you are in (or will be in) those areas, do check him out.

[SEP 11] Johnnyswim fans have to be  a little more patient.  Their shows don't start up again until September 22.  But they have a bunch of dates going through October 2 in West Springfield, MA, Portland, ME, Montgomery, NY, Buffalo, NY, Cleveland, OH, Ocean City, MD, Boston, MA, and New Haven, CT. Then don't forget about Silobration in Waco, TX on October 29. Keep an eye on Johnnyswim's Instagram for ticket updates and merchandise announcements.

[SEP 11] I think that brings us too YouTube. Let's just go with the mood of the weekend.  So first up, Donna's cover of Celebrate Me Home. Then we have Riding Through The Storm live, Smile live,  In A New York Minute live, and one of Donna's go to songs for when tragedy strikes - Amazing Grace.

[SEP 11] Next weekend's update my be late - there is a chance that I will be away visiting my friend with the new baby.

[SEP 2] Happy Friday all! I took off last weekend because a dear friend just welcomed a healthy and beautiful 7 pound baby girl and I got to spend the weekend taking baby photos. (I discovered photographing babies is a lot like photographing cats - neither will do what you want when you want them to, but it is still very difficult not to get a cute picture.  LOL) And before anyone asks - I do plan to introduce the little one to Donna's music.  ;-)

[SEP 2] OK on to Donna-land. It's a new month so that means it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick.  This month we are celebrating all the colors that make up Crayons.

[SEP 2] Bruce Sudano fans - if you are in (or will be in the Annapolis MD area on September 17, go check him out in concert at 49 West Coffeehouse.  It's a free show, but seating is limited. See details on the venue website. Bruce is also performing at Passim in Boston on September 15.  You will need to provide proof of COVID vaccination at this venue.  And then he will be at Rockwood Music Hall in New York on September 16.  On November 8, Bruce will be performing yet again for the iVoted Festival - an online concert. It's free to access, but you do have to either send them a selfie with your blank ballot, or a selfie in front of your polling place to get access. If you are not eligible to vote in the US then they have other options to gain access.  Also, for those of you who missed out on the cancelled show at Bar Lubitsch last month, it will be rescheduled.

[SEP 2] Bruce is not the only one on tour, Johnnyswim hits the road again on September 22 with lots of dates in the Eastern US, and of course Silobration in Waco TX on October 29.  Details are on their website,  And keep an eye on their Instagram, Abner loves to post ticket alerts and merchandise updates.

[SEP 2] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Well, if Crayons is the Summer Fever Pick, we might as well go back to 2008.  First up, a full concert from Jones Beach.  Then we have a silly video of Donna talking about the tour (I love it when Donna is silly!), the unreleased track Run With It that was on the original track list for the album,  Stor Dubine's animated video for  Stamp Your Feet,  Nathan's video for Fame The Game, and one of his tour videos.

[AUG 21] Happy Sunday all!  I will almost definitely be out of town next weekend taking newborn photos (the mom-to-be is issuing an eviction notice to the little one effective immediately  LOL) so next weekend's update will either be a little early or a little late depending on exactly when I can leave.

[AUG 21]  First up is a time sensitive item for Bruce fans.  He will be playing  this Tuesday August 23 at 9pm at Bar Lubitsch in West Hollywood.

[AUG 21] Moving on to Donna... BBC2 in the UK ran a Top of the Pops special with a tribute to Donna. If you are in the UK (or are good with proxy servers), you can watch it on  the BBC iPlayer for the next 28 days.  Now if you are on Facebook an din the  Friends Unknown Group, you can see someone's recording of the tribute.  For those who can't access either, the tribute is about 6 minutes of clips of  Donna performing with a few pop up captions giving random facts about Donna or the songs. Of special note - it concludes with Donna's performance of Let It Be on Jools Holland.

[AUG 21] Moving on to release news - we have the 40th anniversary of the self-titled Donna Summer album coming out November 4.  You have the original tracks (of course) plus 7  extra tracks - Mystery Of Love Le Flex Summer Mystery remix, Love Is In Control 7" version, State Of Independence 7" version, The Woman In Me 7" version,  Sometimes Like Butterflies, Mystery Of Love Le Flextended Summer Mystery remix, and Love Is In Control Dance remix. There is also a new essay by Christian John Wikane.  It will be available as CD or colored vinyl and it is available for pre-order now. (Paid Amazon link) Townsend Music Store also lists a version that has both the CD and the vinyl versions together.  Donna's official YouTube posted a promo video for the new release too.

[AUG 21] Speaking of the Le Flex mix of Mystery Of Love, that is available for your listening pleasure now and our own Suecase Hall made a fan video for it.

[AUG 21]  Express.co.uk recently posted an article about Donna's death that draws heavily from the  Reelz Autopsy: The Last Days Of show from a couple of years ago.  While I am not a big fan of that Reelz show, the article may help some people in that it ends with a description of the common and less common symptoms of lung cancer.

[AUG 21] In other Donna news, Christian John Wikane has a YouTube series where he posts conversations with various musical artists.  He recently did an interview with Ruth Pointer, and the other day he posted Ruth's memories of Donna.

[AUG 21] As you know, Last Dance won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1979. The other day, Billboard posted an article about all the nominated songs from that year noting that 3 of the 5 nominees hat year were all big hits.  The article gives details about each of the nominated songs - including some chart history.  It's a fun little read.  :-)

[AUG 21] I think that brings us to YouTube.  The Mix-N-Mash channel has posted a couple of new acapella versions of Donna's songs.  This month they added I Feel Love,  Dim All The Lights,  and Sunset People.  (Remixers - go have some fun!) For those of you who are in an I Feel Love kind of mood, there is a 1 hour (yes you read that right!) edit of the song done by LPJ_IS_KOOL.  And in the you know it had to happen category - someone on YouTube named U4RIK mashed Beyoncé's Summer Renaissance  with Donna's I Feel Love.

[AUG 13] Happy Saturday all! First up - a very good friend of mine is expecting a baby very very soon. And when it happens, I will be traveling to take photos of the newborn.  So if the next update is late (or possibly the one after that, but I think we are looking at sooner rather than later), it means I am out of town taking baby photos for the weekend and will get to the update when I get back.   So don't freak out.  :-)

[AUG 13] Let's get the sad news out of the way first. As I'm sure all of you know (unless you've been hiding under a rock all week), Dame Olivia Newton John passed away after a very long battle with cancer.  She and Donna crossed paths several times - photos of the 2 of them have been circulating on Facebook. Both participated in the Spirit Of The Forest project in 1989,  and before that they did the 1979 Music For Unicef: A Gift Of Song concert. There are lots of clips of that online,  but here's one from the finale where both Donna and Olivia are onstage at the same time.  My condolences to Olivia's family, friends, and fans.

[AUG 13] Also lost this week, fan artist Raffaele D'Adamo.  He was the founder of the Friends Unknown group on Facebook and was best known for his  Donna art that he shared freely with fans in the group.  Condolences to all who knew and loved him.  It's another reminder guys, that nobody is promised a tomorrow. So make the most of today.

[AUG 13] In happy news  (and yes we need some of that!), Johnnyswim has a bunch of autumn tour dates coming up.  They will be (mostly) touring the northeast coast of the US at the end of September/Beginning of October.  Check their website for dates and cities, and if you plan to attend one or more of the shows - grab your tickets as soon as you can! They sell out fast.  :-)

[AUG 13] I think that's it for this week - Bruce and the Swims are all on a well deserved family vacation (watch their Instagrams for photos), so I don't expect much news next weekend either.

[AUG 13] So what do we want to watch on YouTube this week? Well, we might as well start with Donna's song from the UNICEF concert.  And here's a short rehearsal clip from that show. with a little bit of a German interview at the end.  As long as we are looking at rehearsal footage, here is some from Divas 2000. (The audio is a little rocky in places.) And here is a short fun outtake from the No More Tears recording session that might make you smile. (It's the beat him up with a stick part for those who are familiar with the outtakes.) I got no more rehearsal stuff so let's move on to some unreleased tracks. I just ran into Valley Of The Moon again tonight which was fun!  And then there is Run With It,  Adonai, and the demo for Begin Again.  (A little editing and that song could have been a dance hit!) And finally - a short clip of Only Love.

[AUG 7]  Greetings all!  Let me start with a time sensitive item for Johnnyswim fans.   Tickets for their performance at Silobration are now on sale. The show is not until October 29, but get your tickets early because they will sell out. Also, (and I hope Amanda isn't reading this) Amanda has a milestone birthday coming up on Thursday. Abner posted in a secret video that he would like to surprise Amanda with a bunch of videos of fans just saying "I love you Amanda".  If that's something you want to do, the place to upload is here.  But shhhhh! It's supposed to be a surprise.

[AUG 7]  Here's an interesting site I discovered recently thanks to some Facebook friends.  It's WorldRadioHistory.com and it is an archive  of tons and tons of music public publications going back decades! Just as an extreme example, when I clicked on Billboard Magazine they had issues going back to 1894 and no, that is not a typo!  When you click on a magazine title, it brings you to a page of the dates they have, and clicking on any of those brings you to a PDF file of the issue in question.  I found the site because someone kindly posted the direct link to the issue of Billboard that had a celebration of Donna's 20 years  in music. (The September 2, 1994 issue to be exact.) The site is a fun playground to explore!

[AUG 7] As you all know by now, Beyoncé  used I Feel Love in her new song Summer Renaissance. I know some of you weren't thrilled with the language in the album version of the song (too many sexy motherf-----s). There is now a clean version out on YouTube that you can listen to instead.  And with a clean version maybe now we can hear it on the radio or TV... Here's hoping!

[AUG 7] Bruce Sudano fans - he performed a new song in Boulder recently, and he gave us a sneak peek on Facebook. The song is Two Bleeding Hearts.

[AUG 7] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Last week we celebrated Live & More Encore, so this week why don't we look at some of the interviews from then. First up, as much of the 1999 Behind The Music special as I can find on YouTube.  It's a pretty good chunk of the show, but not the whole thing unfortunately.  (You know how it goes - clips come and go.) Then we have Donna's first appearance on The View, an appearance on UK This Morning, an appearance on Laat de Leeuw (it's funny!), an appearance on Queen Latifah's show,  a short interview from Brazil,  Donna on Oprah,  and finally Donna's second appearance on The View.

[JUL 31] Happy Sunday all!  Tomorrow is the start of a new month, so you know what that means - time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month we are dancing to 1999's Live & More Encore. 

[JUL 31] Well I guess the big news this week is from Beyoncé.  Her new album is out now and the last track samples I Feel Love.  The Today Show posted a story about it (as did weaa.org and many other places), Bruce tweeted:  "Big thank you to Beyoncé, Ricky Lawson and team for kindness and respect for Donna Summer…" If you want to hear the song, YouTube has it.  You know, they put I Feel Love on the I Remember Yesterday album as a nod to the future. 45 years later the song is STILL relevant  to the music scene.  Amazing!  :-)

[JUL 31] In the land of silly factoid articles, we have an article called "Is Donna Summer still alive" on fresherslive.com.  The article is exactly what you expect, and [SPOILER ALERT] the answer to the titular question is  "No".  But they will let us know if they get any updates.... maybe they think she's coming back?   Oh the questions I would ask if she did!  LOL

[JUL 31] In fan video/mix news, we have a new Suecase Hall video that is completely appropriate for the weather lately - well for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere anyway.  It's Summer Fever the 2022 Heatwave mix which is over 9 minutes of Donna goodness.  :-) The video also ends with  a quote onscreen from Beyoncé  from May 17, 2012.

[JUL 31] Musical fans, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical will be playing on Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Prima in August. The press release lists the actors playing the 3 Donnas - in the role of Diva Donna is American Idol's Kimberly Locke.  So if cruises are you thing, and you are a Donna fan, I think you know what cruise to book.  LOL

[JUL 31] Speaking of cruises - Bruce Sudano fans will want to check out the 2023 On The Blue Cruise January 28 to February 2, sailing out of Miami.  Bruce will be playing that with a ton of other great artists.  Details are on the cruise's website.

[JUL 31] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Well, since Live & More Encore is the Summer Fever Pick, we might as well start off with the full show.  (MacArthur Park still brings me right back to that night - I have a big grin on my face right now just remembering it!) Then we have rehearsal footage with Tina Arena,  and rehearsal footage of I Don't Wanna Work That Hard.  Up next is the video for I Will Go With You,  Love Is The Healer live from Divas 2000,  Part 1 of the interview Donna did for VH1 while rehearsing the show, and part 2 of that interview. Finally,  as a bonus, we have the Studio 54 version of Love On And On.

[JUL 23] Happy Saturday all! I hope you are doing well with the crazy heat that seems to be hitting so many places lately.  Who knew Hot Stuff was actually a weather forecast?  LOL

[JUL 23]  Rolling Stone has published it's list of the top 200 dance songs.  Yes, Donna made the list.  She 's there with Last Dance at #200, and again with I Feel Love at #1.  As much as I feel like Last Dance should have been higher up, I am amused that Donna acts as the bookends to the list.  :-)

[JUL 23] SmoothRadio.com posted an article with facts about Donna.  Long time diehard fans won't find anything new there, but it's a nice quick overview for someone who is more of a casual admirer. MSN has a similar sort of thing done as a slideshow. (The title is pure clickbait though.)

[JUL 23]  In the Donna's music is everywhere category, Beyoncé has a new album coming out July 29.  It's called Renaissance, and reports say that the closing track, Summer Renaissance, samples I Feel Love.  Donna, Giorgio and Pete are all listed in the credits.

[JUL 23] In the land of unusual covers, a band called Me First and the Gimme Gimmes did a cover of On The Radio that... is nothing like Donna's version.  LOL  This has much more of a rock beat to it.  I think it's one of those things you guys will either love or hate. I have  to say that I always find it interesting to hear a completely different take of a song. Sometimes you find something that is unexpectedly wonderful, and sometimes you find things that make you wonder if you are living in an insane asylum!  LOL

[JUL 23] Bruce Sudano fans - Bruce did a session with LR Baggs at SoundCheck Nashville.  He did 3 songs for them: Things Are Changing, Shadowland, and Fatal Love.  They are done as an acoustic session with Bruce and his guitar with Randy Mitchell and his guitar.  Catch all 3 videos on the LR Baggs site.

[JUL 23] I think that brings us to YouTube. Tonight I couldn't decide what I was in the mood for, so I randomly searched for Donna and this 1995 concert from Brazil popped up. So let's hang around Brazil for awhile (no passport needed!)... Next up is Donna on the Jô Soares show from 1995,  Donna live in Brazil in 1992,  and of course a fan video for Driving Down Brazil.  As a bonus, I have I Feel Love from the Brazilian production of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.

[JUL 17] Greetings all and Happy Sunday! I am back from vacation and trying to find out all the Donna stuff I missed.

[JUL 17] Let's start off with Donna Summer Ave. in Boston. You guys all probably saw the street sign being held by various family members at the Donna Summer Disco Party in Boston last month. well, now the sign is up for real on the corner of Parker Hill and Huntington.  If you are a local, go check it out, or if you aren't in Boston, check out the photo on the Mission Hill Main Streets page on Facebook.

[JUL 17] Fans of the song Starting Over Again will want to look at this article on WideOpenCountry.com. The article gives a brief history of the song - but ignore the article tile asking who sang it better. The author actually gives no opinion on that and just sticks to the facts.

[JUL 17] In remix news, Q has continued his Other Side Of The Rainbow project with his  Novelty Mix of Melanie.  Check it out on YouTube.  (It's a nice mix and a very cute video!)And if you missed any of his previous offerings, just explore his channel - he's posted them all.

[JUL 17] Bruce Sudano face - Bruce is hitting the road again!  Look for dates in mid-September in Cambridge, New York, and Annapolis. If you need something to hold you over for now, Bruce was live on his couch again on Facebook with a new song called Under The Gun.

[JUL 17] Johnnyswim fans - check out their new posts on YouTube: Hanging My Heart On You and Bullet. Both were taken from their last Live From The Back Yard concerts.

[JUL 17] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Lets celebrate the Summer Fever Pick this time. So first up is the 1991 concert from Japan. It's the whole show with a very blonde Donna.  Then we have the official video for Work That Magic - this one is remastered so it may be better quality than you usually see. Up next is Heaven's Just A Whisper Away (my favorite from that album!),  a Suecase Hall video for When Love Cries,  and another one for Let There Be Peace.  (Sadly that's a song that never loses its relevance.  There is always somebody fighting somewhere... sigh)

[JUL 7] Happy Thursday all!  I'll be away starting Saturday, so you get an early update - not that there is a lot new since Sunday.

[JUL 7] Johnnyswim fans - I know this will come as no surprise to you, but they will be performing at Silobration in Waco, TX again this year.  It runs the weekend of October 27 to 29 and tickets will go on sale to the general public on July 14. I believe you get early access on July 12 if you sign up for Magnolia perks.  Should be a really good time - Drew Holcomb will be there as well, and of course Chip and Joanna Gaines will be there.  And you know they are all good friends, so they will probably having more fun than should be legally allowed!  LOL 

[JUL 7] In the Donna's music is everywhere category,  on The Today Show the other day, hosts Hoda and Jason sang a bit of Bad Girls.

[JUL 7] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Since I'm going away, let's do songs with place names (none of which I am visiting next week.  LOL)  So we have  In A New York Minute,  and Georgia On My Mind live in concert.  Then we have To Paris With Love,  and Tokyo - both are audio only studio versions. Up next is a fan video for Driving Down Brazil,  and an acapella  version of Don't Cry For Me Argentina from a TV appearance.  And now I'm off to get ready to head off to Another Place And Time.  ;-)

[JUL 3]  Greetings all and happy Birthday to Canada and to the USA. Happy July to everyone else! Since it's a new month, you know it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick.  This month it's time to go blonde and celebrate Mistaken Identity.   ;-)

[JUL 3] Let's start off this week with an article celebrating the 45th anniversary of I Feel Love. (Yikes! I'm old!  LOL) The article is on The Quietus and features an interview with Pete Bellotte.  Far Out Magazine also has an article out celebrating the song, and so does UltimateClassicRock.com.

[JUL 3] Boston Globe finally has an article about Parker Hill Ave in Boston being renamed to Donna Summer Ave.  (I say "finally" because even the Globe admits that there have been a few things going on in the US and abroad that have dominated the news cycle.) They ended the article with the best line: "England has its queen. We had ours, and she lived on Donna Summer Ave."  :-)

[JUL 3] Just a little fun note - if you have been listening to the radio this weekend,  the various oldies stations that play Casey Kasem's American Top 40 have been running the countdown from June 30, 1979.  That was a good one - Donna was at #2 and #3 with Hot Stuff (down from #1) and Bad Girls (up from #5). Casey made a big deal out of the fact that the whole top 5 was female acts  AND that Donna had 2 songs in the top 3. (That was a new chart record - Donna was the only woman at that time with that distinction. Ans only a couple of men had pulled it off by then too.)  If you have SiriusXM you might be able to catch the show on demand on 70s on 7. (I have so many fond memories of lazing in bed on a Sunday morning listening to Casey on the radio counting down the hits.)

[JUL  3] Johnnyswim fans - you may remember that awhile back our favorite duo did an EP with Drew Holcomb called Goodbye Road. Well, they announced on Instagram that a Goodbye Road part 2 is now in the works.  So that is something to look forward to!

[JUL 3] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Since it's July 4, let's start off with this one: Freedom (The Power To Be Myself), and then we have another lost track, We're Gonna Win. This one isn't a lost track, but it speaks to me today - The Power Of One.  And another that speaks to me lately: Begin Again. And finally God Bless America.  No wait... all those I Feel Love articles? I HAVE to add an I Feel Love link here too.  LOL

[JUN 26] Happy Sunday all! This is a pretty  quiet week.  Either people are resting up from their big Donna party in Boston last week, or they are out protesting recent political events here in the US. (Google it if you don't know. I won't get into it here because politics almost always makes me cranky! And besides, this should be a happy place to escape reality for awhile.)

[JUN 26] So, in the land of Donna, Amazon is selling an "adult celebrity coloring book" of Donna. 40 pages for you to color!  But before you run over there to buy it, it's got only 2 reviews and both are bad.  LOL If the cover is anything to go by, you could just  turn your favorite photos of Donna into "drawings" in Photoshop or a similar program and then color those to your heart's content. (It's not overly hard to do - there are probably a million YouTube videos showing you how it's done.) Actually I just checked the pictures posted with one of the reviews...  The 1 star reviews do now do the awfulness justice!  LOL  Seriously - if you want to color, make your own pages.  LOL Oh and in the interest of full disclosure - my Amazon link is a paid one. But I will be really disappointed if I actually make any money from that link!   LOL Check it out for laughs only.

[JUN 26] For something more fun,  an article from last year has been a recent topic on the forums. It's an article on PopSmarts.com examining Donna's vocal range. I can tell you Donna had an awesome voice. This article will explain with all the appropriate technical terms exactly why Donna's voice was amazing.  Music nerds will love it.  :-)  (And when I say nerd - I mean it as a term of endearment.  I myself am a proud nerd in many different categories.  LOL)

[JUN 26] And that brings us to YouTube.  Let's see, I just stumbled upon this extended clip of Donna performing  with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra. This is the same show that gave us the symphonic version of I Will Live For Love.  This clip is about 15 minutes of pieces of that show, including parts of some hits, an extended Amazing Grace, and of course I Will Live For Love.  From there  dive into a YouTube free fall to Donna's performance of Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl, and then her cover of Nature Boy also at the Hollywood Bowl. Next YouTube suggested a Photoshop video, but we'll skip that and go to Anyway At All performed on Jay Leno's Tonight Show. Then we have Donna on American Idol's 2008 finale, and MacArthur Park from a 2004 episode of American Idol.  And then just because I like it, Donna and Barry having to much fin with Could It Be Magic.  :-)

[JUN 26] Oh and  just a heads up on the next few site updates. I think next weekend will probably be on time even though it's a holiday weekend here (and my Dad's birthday - Happy 82nd Dad!) But then the following weekend I am going on vacation with friends so if I don't do an update early (we'll see how much news there is)  then the weekend of the 10th will be skipped and you will see something sometime the following weekend - or right after the weekend. So if you don't see me on the regular schedule - don't freak out!  :-)  (And if any house robbers are reading this - my house will not be empty while I'm away. I have other family members staying home to guard my Donna treasures!  Plus my attack cat who will definitely shed all over you! LOL)

[JUN 19] Greetings all! Happy Father's day to all the dads out there!  And Happy Juneteenth to my American friends!

[JUN 19]  Let's start with the bad news first for Johnnyswim fans. A couple of members of the touring team have come down with COVID. So... Boston and New Haven have been rescheduled.  Boston will now be on October 1 and New Haven will be October 2.  Tickets that were previously purchased will be honored for the new dates,  but of course if you can't make the new dates for any reason, contact your original point of purchase for a refund.  Speedy recovery to all those affected!

[JUN 19] Before COVID struck, Johnnyswim preformed Devastating on Good Morning America this past Thursday. You can watch it  on the GMA website.

[JUN 19] In the land of Donna Summer, QuizForFan.com has posted a 10 question Donna Summer quiz. It's good - not too easy and not too hard. And after you do that one, they have a couple of other Donna quiz/games linked on the same page. (Give them a shot - the lyric ones use some deep cuts so they can be challenging.)

[JUN 19] In the Donna is everywhere category, The NY Post published an article about Nile Rodgers in which he shares a few stories about songs her worked on.  He also tells a story about hearing Donna's recording of Love To Love You for the first time. Also, in this category, a recent episode of the TV Show First Lady has Betty Ford crashing a pool party where she gets wasted while jamming to Last Dance.

[JUN 19] And now the news you were expecting - Donna Summer Day in Boston! That was this past Thursday and it looks like a great time was had by all!  There were many highlights - Donna's sisters were there (more on that in a second), various other family members were there including O'Mega Red and Taihisha, lots of fans were there...  There was dance music playing all evening long, people dancing, AND Parker Hill Avenue, the street Donna grew up on, became Donna Summer Avenue! That is so cool! Bruce posted a photo on Facebook  of the surviving Gaines girls holding up the street sign. I would challenge you to name the sisters, but since they are all labeled in the picture, it wouldn't be much of a challenge.  LOL

[JUN 19] As I said, the Gaines girls were all there for the party, and Mary performed.  You can see a video of Last Dance, a video of MacArthur Park, a video of On The Radio, and a video of No More Tears on YouTube, and there are other videos on Facebook.  This is where it gets tricky - lots of people posted things and I am going to try to link a few here that are (currently) listed as public as opposed to videos restricted to people on the friends list.  So, Taihisha shared  short clips of On The Radio (and part 2 here),  and a clip of  No More Tears, plus some photos. There are a ton of other clips online posted by fans and family  - BUT in many cases you needs to be friends with the posters. Mary posted a couple of videos herself, and if you are in her group, a couple of fans posted things there. (Actually if you are in that group - look for a long live video posted by Gina. It has O'Mega Red performing and Mary's whole set.) Linda posted some stuff on her wall, and so did Dara - so if you are friends with either one, check out their feeds.  And moving off of Facebook, WGBH radio posted a few photos on their website, and News7 Boston posted a short article.

[JUN 19] Boston Magazine's contribution to  the Donna Summer festivities is this article answering the question, "What is the greatest Boston summer jam of all time?" The author (who is definitely one of us! ) picked the ENTIRE Live & More album. (The original 1978 one, just in case there is any confusion.)  He also mentions that his favorite  event in Boston is the Donna Summer Disco Party.  (Can I marry this guy?  LOL)

[JUN 19] So with that.. let's head over to YouTube and celebrate that very same Live & More album. First up, concert clips from the album, videos and photos, and a commercial for the album.  Then we have the 1979 concert from Japan - no, it's not the same as the album but it does have a number of the songs we got on Live & More plus the then new songs of Hot Stuff and Bad Girls.

[JUN 12] Happy Sunday all!  Let's start off this week with a Billboard article listing the top 34 disco songs of all time - as selected by Giorgio Moroder.  It's pretty solid list, but I notice that the top 6 all seem to have one thing in common... I wonder what that could be?  ;-)  (Spoiler alert - the top 6 are all Donna songs.)

[JUN 12]  Hey Boston - don't forget that you have the annual Donna Summer Disco Party on Thursday (June 16)!  Mary will perform, O'Mega Red will be there, and so will other members of Donna's family.  Go check it out - it's a free event!

[JUN 12] AmoMama.com posted an article about Donna and Bruce.  Long time fans won't find anything new, but it's a fun read.

[JUN 12] Speaking of Bruce, he just posted a new song on Facebook this week. This one is Beautiful Love (and it is beautiful!) Long time Bruce viewers will note that he left the couch and moved to the piano this time.

[JUN 12] I think that brings us to YouTube. It's Tony Award night here in the US, so let's look at Donna and  musicals.  Let's start off in Germany where Donna did Hair,  Godspell, and The Me Nobody Knows.  Then we have songs Donna wrote for her own musical projects:  My Life, If There Is Music There, No Ordinary Love Song, Begin Again (all from Ordinary Girl),  and I Will Live For Love (Dream-a-lot's Theme). And finally, 4 years ago this weekend we got to see these 3 divas perform Last Dance from Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.  (Fun facts - "Disco Donna" Ariana DeBose is this year's Tony host, "Diva Donna" Lachanze is nominated again this year for Lead actress in a play, and "Duckling Donna" Storm Lever is currently touring with Six The Musical. )

[JUN 5] Happy Pride Month all!  Let's start off with Johnnyswim this week. They have just announced a bunch of new tour dates.  So after they wrap up this outing on June 18, they start all over again on July 28 and run to the end of September. (Well, so far.  LOL) Check out the list, and if you are interested in attending any of the shows, get your tickets as soon as possible. Johnnyswim always sells out fast.

[JUN 5] Johnnyswim has also posted a couple of new videos on YouTube recently.  First is Heaven Is Everywhere (from their Live From The Backyard album preview),  and the other is Baby Take A Number (also from the Live In The Backyard album preview.)

[JUN 5] Bruce Sudano fans - check out his live video from Parker Playhouse of September In Your Eyes.

[JUN 5] In musical news, the 2022 North American tour of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical closes tonight in Portland, ME.  Happy trails to the company and thank  you for keeping the legacy alive!

[JUN 5] Boston - don't forget that you have the 8th annual Donna Summer Disco Party coming up on June 16 - less than 2 weeks away!  It will be at Copley Square from 6 to 9 PM. It is a free event and you will have DJ Vince 1 spinning the tunes, a special performance from Mary,  and of course appearances from O'Mega Red and other members of Donna's family.  If you are/will be in the area - go check it out!

[JUN 5] And that brings us to YouTube.  I feel like looking at the Billboard charts this week. Did you know, Donna had at least one (and lots of times more) dance hit in every decade from the 1970s to the 2010s? Let's look at a random hit from each decade. (Just  note - the video clips I pick may not be from the same year the songs were hits.) Looking at the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart, we start off with the 1970s with about a million tracks  LOL, but I will pick Hot Stuff/Bad Girls from 1979. (One cool thing about this chart is that sometimes more than one song gets counted as a single entry.)  Then for the 80s we have another long list of hits. I'll pick She Works Hard For The Money from 1983. The 90s have more than you might expect too.  I'll pick Love Is The Healer from 1999 just because I love it, but you know, I Feel Love also had a comeback in 1995.  For the 2000s I pick Fame The Game from 1999 (also because I love that one.  And for the 2010s, I pick To Paris With Love from 2010 because that was a new recording. Other hits from the 2010s were remixes - for obvious reasons.

[MAY 29] Greetings all! It's Memorial Day Weekend here in the US which is the unofficial start of the summer season here.  It's also a big party weekend and I ask that while you guys are partying, take a moment to remember the reason for the holiday and send some thoughts/prayers to the soldiers who never came home, and the families they left behind.

[MAY 29] It is also almost the end of the month, so I have opted to update the Summer Fever page. For the month of June, we are celebrating Another Place And Time.

[MAY 29]  As I told you last week, the Spinning Gold film made its debut at Cannes.  A clip of "Donna Summer"  (Tayla Parx) has turned up on YouTube.

[MAY 29] In the Donna is everywhere category,  she was a question on Jeopardy recently. In the category of "Super sexy lyrics of the 70s",  One of the answers (for those who don't know - Jeopardy gives you answers and you have to come up with the question) was "This disco queen sang, 'Dim all the lights sweet darling cause tonight it's all the way.' " None of the contestants buzzed in. That's it, I'm officially disappointed in the human race.  LOL

[MAY 29] There is a limited edition box set coming out in mid-June showcasing  100 years of music at the Hollywood Bowl.  It's a exceedingly eclectic mix of music styles and artists. Donna's 2008 performance of Last Dance  is one of the tracks (listed in the Pop/Rock category.) It's a bit pricey if you are just looking for the one Donna Summer track, but if you are someone who loves the Hollywood Bowl, then this is a fascinating look at the history of that venue.

[MAY 29] On May 17, USA Today posted an article  with 10 "flawless songs that outlasted the disco era" to remember Donna.  There are no real surprises on the list - other than they were able to narrow it down to just 10 songs. ;-)

[MAY 29] Here's one  for the Live & More fans - someone put together a video with clips and photos from the Live & More concert.  It makes me wish (once again) for a video of the whole show!

[MAY 29] I think that brings us to YouTube. This week, let's celebrate the new Summer Fever Pick.  I think the best place to start is with the 30th anniversary mega-mix.  Then we have the rarely seen videos for When Love Takes Over You, and I Don't Wanna Get Hurt.  Up next is Love's About To Change My Heart from the Arsenio Hall Show,  This Time I Know It's For Real live in 1994,  and Breakaway live in 1992.  And finally some random video clips (including behind the scenes footage) set to the remix of Breakaway.

[MAY 22] Happy Sunday all!  I guess the first thing we should look at is the film, Spinning Gold.  As you may recall, that is a film about Neil Bogart and Casablanca Records. They have been working on it for so long that I feel like Neil hadn't even been born yet when they started.  LOL Well, the movie is officially complete and is making its debut at the Canne's Film Festival.  Variety has an interview with Tim Bogart (Yes, Neil was his father) and some photos from the movie. Of special interest to you guys, they  do have a photo of Tayla Parx as Donna.  They  also have a video clip of KISS from the movie.  If you want to keep up with all things Spinning Gold, the team has  a Facebook page.  I would imagine as time goes by, we'll see some more clips made available. (And hopefully a release date for the public!)

[MAY 22] In remix news, there is an unreleased (so far) mix of Sometimes Like Butterflies tucked away in a vault somewhere. The interesting thing about it is that the vocals are different!  You can hear about a minute of the mix on YouTube.  I want this mix! I want those vocals!  LOL

[MAY 22] Boston - dust off your dancing shoes! Donna Summer Day is back on June 22 from 6 to 9 PM at Copley Square. DJ Vince 1 will be playing the tunes, there will be appearances by O'Mega Red and other family members, and this year Mary Gaines Bernard herself will be performing!  The event is free, family friendly, and from all reports, a heck of a lot of fun! And one of these years I'm going to get there.   :-)

[MAY 22] Photographer Harry Langdon posted a new video for May 17 with some rare photos of Donna.

[MAY 22] Far Out Magazine has posted an article about I Feel Love on its website.  The article credits the song with creating New Wave.  And USA Today posted an article  with 10 of Donna's songs that outlasted disco.

[MAY 22] In the land of tributes, long time fan and singer, Nick Petrone, recorded a song ten years ago  called Woman Of Faith. Yes, you guessed it, it's about Donna.  :-)  This year in honor of the 10th anniversary of Donna's passing, he out out a couple of remixes of the song. You can hear the mixes and the original here.  If you like what you hear, Nick's music is available in all the usual places. He has links on his Woman Of Faith page.

[MAY 22] In sad news, Vangelis, the composer of  State of Independence, the score for Chariots of Fire, the score for Blade Runner, and many other things, has passed away at the age of 79.  My condolences to his family, friends, and fans.

[MAY 22] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up, a Suecase Hall video for There will Always Be A You (in tribute to Donna). Then we have Miami: The Box with Donna performing Melody Of Love,  Last Dance,  and Could It Be Magic live. Also "new" this week are Jeremy from TopPop, and an audio only clip with the 92KTU Studio 92 mix from Donna Summer weekend in March 1982.  And 2 songs I have been playing a lot this week, Sand On My Feet, and Be Myself Again.  And finally for fun, I have a cover of I Feel Love by someone named Damien Riehl.  He made a choral version of the song where he did all the parts himself.  I found it fun to listen to, and whether you like it or not, you have to appreciate the dedication it took to create it.

[MAY 15] "Go forward and don't look back. Celebrate, live love, laugh - love Donna"

[MAY 15] Greetings all.  I don't even know where to start - it's just been that kind of day today.  I guess the comic book is as good a place as any to start.  It is officially out on Amazon now, and yes you can even get a Kindle edition - but I recommend using  a Fire tablet or the cloud reader if you buy it that way so you get the images in color.  I got my copy the other day and it's not bad. It's only 25 pages, so there isn't really any new info that most diehard fans don't already know. I will tell you that neither the artwork they use for the hard cover edition, nor the art they use for the paperback/Kindle covers are any reflection of what the inside artwork looks like.  The drawings of Donna are mostly based on famous photos  of her and they don't necessarily use pictures that go with the era they are discussing. But that's just the nitpicking of a diehard fan.  LOL If you click the Amazon link above, they do have the option to "look inside" the book and see the first few pages.

[MAY 15] Johnnyswim fans - their tour is ongoing!  In June they are making up dates they had to postpone for COVID. Then new dates have been added for the end of July/beginning of August.

[MAY 15] Bruce Sudano fans - Vents Magazine has posted its review of Bruce's latest single, Ode To A Nightingale.

[MAY 15] This coming Saturday is my MS Walk, and you guys have been awesome as always! I just wanted to tell you why I walk (well, other than the fact that I really do need the exercise.  LOL)  I have a friend who was diagnosed, and I saw her go from "what's this weird thing going on with my eyes" to "It's MS!" So I started walking for her. And the funny thing is that once you know one person with MS (or any other condition actually) your eyes are opened up and you find out that a lot of other people you know (or know of) have it too. So I walk for them too. And since 2012 I also walk in Donna's memory - in memory of her generous and giving nature.  It just happened to work out that my local walk MS usually falls around May 17.  So once again this year (for the first time since this stupid pandemic started!) I will once again be sporting a Donna shirt, and walking at Jones Beach with my team and dozens of other teams in the hopes that we can make a difference for those who have this terrible and often unpredictable disease.

[MAY 15] And that brings me to May 17. That's Tuesday.  This year will be 10 years since Donna moved on to that other plain of existence.  (There HAS to be another plain of existence because a universe without Donna Summer is too terrible to contemplate.)  I can hardly believe it's been 10 years. In some ways it feels like we just lost her 10 minutes ago and in other ways it feels like it's been 10 thousand years.  I know many of us will be spending the day with Donna's music, but I would also like to ask you to do one other thing to mark the day.  Just do an act of kindness that day in Donna's memory.  What you do, I leave to your own imaginations, opportunities, and resources, but if you can, do SOMETHING. It can be big, it can be small, but just try to bring a little bit of light into the world. God knows we could use some!

[MAY 15] On to YouTube...  I think you can guess the theme. First up we have a couple of Suecase Hall videos: Celebrate Me Home and Take Heart/ The Way We Were.  Then we have Omega Red featuring Donna on Angel and Donna's cover of Netherlands. Those last two I am sure Donna left us as her way of saying goodbye.  And finally, I can't leave you down. Donna would never have approved of that! So I share my very favorite live clip of Donna. It is Donna with Barry Manilow having way too much fun performing Could It Be Magic.  Barry Manilow's team shared that for the first time the day Donna passed away.  It was a wonderful gift that always makes me smile - even on a bad day.

[MAY 8] Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! First up this week for the vinyl collectors out there, there is a limited edition (1000 copies only) release of Love To Love You on 180 gram vinyl.  Beyond the vinyl, there seems to be nothing new or different about the release - it's still the same tracks with no bonuses.

[MAY 8] Here's an unusual one - for the 10th anniversary of Donna's passing, Tidalwave Productions is releasing a tribute comic book. (Well they say it's coming out on the 10th anniversary, but they are really releasing it on May 15. )  It will be available in hardback, paperback and digital editions and should be available at all the usual places.  I just pre-ordered my copy at Amazon now.  I will say that I prefer the regular cover graphics to the hard back special edition graphics, but your mileage may vary.  :-)

[MAY 8] In the Donna is everywhere category, there is a new musical for Mrs. Doubtfire on Broadway.  The cast appeared on the Today Show to perform Make Me A Woman. This is the point in the show where the male lead decides to transform himself into a female nanny so he can spend time with his kids.  (If you never saw the movie this show is based on - go stream it. Robin Williams was great in the title role!)  Anyway, he enlists the help of some friends to transform him into a woman. All of the ideas they come up with involve various iconic women like Cher, Princess Diana, Jackie O... you get the idea. One of their icons is Donna Summer.  :-)  It's a fun song.

[MAY 8] Moving on to Bruce.  American Songwriter posted an article on Bruce's latest single - Ode To A Nightingale. Included with the article is the premiere of the video. There is also a video on YouTube of Bruce singing True Believer at one of his recent concerts.

[MAY 8] In Johnnyswim news, they have discovered the land of YouTube shorts and have posted a few on their YouTube channel.  They have posted a number of things there recently including a bit of a cover of Harry Styles' As It Was, and a bit of their own song Holla Holla Holla. Also, someone else on YouTube posted  Slow/Touching Heaven from the Harrisburg concert last month.

[MAY 8] I think that brings us to YouTube.  In honor of Mother's Day, let's have some videos with Donna and her kids.  First up is Mimi's Song from the Music For Unicef concert followed by State Of Independence (both featuring appearances by Mimi.) Then we have the This Time I Know It's For Real video (with an appearance by Brooklyn and Amanda at the end) and Donna singing Hot Stuff on the Sharon Osbourne Show (special appearance by Brooklyn).  We also have an audio only clip of a young Brooklyn and Amanda singing Part Of Your World with their mom in concert.  And finally an interview with Donna and her mom an dad.

[APR 30] Happy Saturday all!  Tomorrow is May 1 so you know what that means - time for a new Summer Fever Pick!  For May we will be dancing to All Systems Go! That's fitting because I am All Systems Go for my MS walk in just 3 weeks. Thanks to your generosity, we have raised over $1300 this year so far. You guys ROCK!  I'm very excited for the walk this year because it is the first time since COVID that we will be able all walk as a group together.  I imagine that it will be a big party at Jones Beach this year.  :-)

[APR 30] On to the news! It looks like there is now an official Donna Summer account on TikTok. There is no content there yet, but it is something you TikTokkers will want to keep an eye on.

[APR 30] Johnnyswim fans, as you probably know, they have a short break before their tour resumes in June with the make up dates for shows that COVID postponed.  But if you need a live Johnnyswim fix now, well check out their latest Live In The Backyard....  which wasn't actually filmed in the backyard.  It was filmed at the Orpheum Theater at what was originally the last show of the tour.  It is Johnnyswim's entire live set in front of an enthusiastic crowd, and as a special bonus you get Katelyn Tarver's opening set as well.  (If you are not familiar with her work, give her a listen! I'm sure you will enjoy her set.  :-)  )

[APR 30] In musical news, The Donna Summer Musical is hitting Dallas tomorrow, and so DallasVoice.com has an interview with dance captain, Francisco Risso.

[APR 30] I think that brings us to YouTube.  In honor of the new Summer Fever Pick, let's look at songs from All Systems Go.  First up, the title track from Solid Gold.  Then we have Dinner With Gershwin from Top Of The Pops,  Jeremy live in Japan, and Love Shock from Jacob's Stege. And finally, an interview clip that included clips from the original unused Dinner With Gershwin video.

[APR 24] Happy Sunday all! Of course the big news is that yesterday the 40th anniversary  picture disk if the self-titled Donna Summer album hit stores for Record Store Day.  I understand it was selling pretty well in at least some stores, and if you want to see if a store near you has it, RecordStoreDay.com can provide  a list of places in your area that carry the title, but they do recommend calling first to make sure they haven't sold out.  I also understand that copies have turned up on eBay already as well.

[APR 24] If you are looking for a blast from the past, I recently re-encountered a 1976 article from Interview magazine that they had reposted on their website when Donna passed away.

[APR 24] Bruce fans - he is still on tour until May 10. (Well for now, he may book some other dates this summer.)  He posted a video on Facebook of his performance of Ode To A Nightingale from his show in Decatur.

[APR 24] Johnnyswim is still on tour until  June 18 (so far at least. Before the pandemic I swore they were on the road so much that they probably didn't remember where their house is.  LOL)  If you follow their Instagram, you can see highlights from the various stops on the tour. And they are still doing Merch To Go.  The merchandise shop opens up on the day of the show, so you can buy your t-shirts or what have you in advance and then just pick them up at the merchandise table when you arrive.  No more waiting in a big mob at the merch table to grab some swag! (Well, unless you want to - that option is still available to you too.)

[APR 24] Ok, I think that brings us to YouTube.  This week let's look at some random clips that have attracted my attention recently. First up, Donna (and Neil Bogart) on The Merv Griffin Show in 1978. Then we have Science Of Love from SiriusXM's Artist Confidential, Sand On My Feet live in New Hampshire  (my god those earrings are huge!  LOL),  and  Donna's performances on Don Kirschner's Rock Concert.  This version of the My Man Medley is different from what we usually hear - it's more down tempo which makes it more interesting to me.  And finally, in honor of Barbra's 80th birthday (80? Really? ) we have the live acapella rehearsal of Enough IS Enough.

[APR 17] Greetings all. Happy Easter and Happy Passover to those who celebrate!

[APR 17] Starting off with Donna this week - fans of the self-titled album will be happy to know that RecordStoreDay.com has a 40th anniversary picture disk listed as being released on April 23.  It's nice to see the albums getting some love for their anniversaries, but this whole 40th thing is making me feel old!  Can we just say the albums are all 10 years old instead? LOL

[APR 17]  We have a couple of new mixes out there. First is I Feel Love (Moreno J Deeper Love Remix). And the second is Q's End Of The Week (Time To Party mix).  It is his latest song for his The Other Side Of The Rainbow remix project.  This has a very different vibe from the original. And the third is more of a mashup than a mix.  Suecase Hall made a video that combines live footage of Donna singing Aquarius (in English!) with a series of clips set to They Can't Take Away Our Music (from the Shout It Out collection of songs).  It's a video with a message.

[APR 17] In the Donna is everywhere category, she was the answer to... wait, I should say she was the question to a Jeopardy clue this week.  The clue in the category of Rock Art  was: "Lithographs by this late disco queen include Jazzman and Hard For The Money." The question (of course) was , "Who is Donna Summer?" and yes the contestant got it right!

[APR 17] Moving on to Bruce. As you know he's on tour. And of course touring means promotional appearances.  So check out Bruce on WDVX's Blue Plate Special Live from Saturday April 16.  He was on WBIR-TV on the 15th, and you can watch that here.  And finally, he performed All Hands for WSMV4.  Facebookers can also catch a performance of Bad Girls filmed at The Station.

[APR 17] Also in Bruce news, check out the show  9-1-1 on Fox tomorrow (Monday). They will be playing Keep Doin' What You're Doin'  at some point in the show.

[APR 17] Johnnyswim is also in the news this week. We have a video interview from Click2Houston.  Then there is a print interview on AmericanSongwriter.com. (Minor trigger warning for Donna Summer fans who are still in mourning.) The same website has also posted a review of the new album.

[APR 17] That brings us to YouTube. We're going to start with this video you may have seen with Fil from Wings Of Pegasus talking about Donna's voice in 1999.  If you have never seen Fil's channel before, he does videos where he seriously analyzes the voices of various singers. In this particular video he looks at how Donna's voice was different in 1999 than it was in 1977 and he compares performances of Last Dance to make his point.  It's really interesting to watch and I love the fact that he can't help but smile so many times while Donna is singing.  This video has inspired this week's YouTube list which I call "Then vs Later."  So we'll start with Last Dance like he did: 1977 (one of Donna's first performances of the song), 1999 (the one Fil was specifically looking at) and  2010. (Some think this was recorded on 2011, but no, this specific performance was recorded in 2010 for release in 2011.) Next is I Feel Love in 1977,  then in 1999, and in 2008. And then let's look at Hot Stuff in 1979, then in 1999,  and finally in 2008.

[APR 10] Happy Sunday all!  Let's start off with Johnnyswim. As you know, they had to postpone some shows due to COVID. Well, the good news is that everyone is healthy and the remainder of the tour is going on as scheduled.  The shows that had to be postponed (Columbus, New York, New Haven and Boston) already have new dates in June.  Tickets for the original dates WILL be honored for the new dates, but if for some reason you can't make it on the new date, contact the venue for info on refunds/exchanges.

[APR 10]  In other Johnnyswim news, their new album is out NOW and available at  all the usual places. Of course no new album comes without some promotion, so check out Abner and Amanda on KTLA live, and read the interview on AtwoodMagazine.com.

[APR 10] Bruce Sudano fans - you know Bruce is also out on the road this month.  Check out this review from the Clearwater show from RockAtNight.com.

[APR 10] Moving on to Donna... TheRinger.com has a podcast called Black Girl Songbook.  Chapter 27 is called  Donna Summer Deserves that debuted March 31. It's really interesting. It gives you a nice overview of Donna's career and  pays special attention her legacy. It's a very nice piece by someone who understands Donna's contribution to  music.

[APR 10] FarOutMagazine.co.uk has an article  about the song Bruce Springsteen wrote for Donna... and not they don't mean Protection (although that gets mentioned.)  They are talking about Cover Me which was originally intended for Donna.

[APR 10] And that brings us to YouTube. This week let's enjoy some chart success.  Looking at Billboard's Hot 100, Donna had 4 hits that went to number 1.  MacArthur Park spent 1 week at the top in 1978.  Then came Hot Stuff ( 3 weeks), Bad Girls (5 weeks) and Enough Is Enough (1 week) - all in 1979.  Special shout out to I Feel Love. It only peaked at #6 in 1977, but it spent more weeks in the Hot 100 than any of Donna's other songs.

[APR 10] Finally, just a reminder that I am walking to cure MS again this year. My fundraiser is still going and if you want to contribute, my link is here.  For those who  have already contributed, THANK YOU! I will be sending out my little tokens of appreciation some time after the walk on May 21.

[APR 2] Happy Saturday all and happy April. As you know, a new month means a new Summer Fever Pick. This month we are looking at Cats Without Claws.

[APR 2] Let's start off with the bad news for the week. If you have Johnnyswim tickets for this week in Columbus, Boston or New Haven - those shows have been postponed. Unfortunately, Abner tested positive for COVID this morning. Look for an announcement about new dates soon. Speedy recovery Abner!

[APR 2] Let's follow the bad news with some good news. The new Johnnyswim album comes out FRIDAY (April 8). You can grab a copy at all the usual places.  And check out their interview from WGN News.

[APR 2] Bruce Sudano fans - Bruce is currently out on tour now and he added some new dates.  Checkout his Instagram for posts from the road. You can also catch him on Facebook singing a little bit of The Rascal's People Got To Be Free.

[APR 2] In Donna news, Culture Factory is selling a cd of I Remember Yesterday that looks like a mini vinyl record. It's really cute!

[APR 2] In musical news, HanoverTheatre.org has posted an interview with Charis Gullage (Disco Donna), while Telegram.com posted an interview with Amahri Edwards-Jones (Duckling Donna).

[APR 2] And speaking of Summer: The Musical, congrats to Broadway's Disco Donna, Ariana DeBose.  She picked up the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Westside Story.  She made one heck of an inspiring acceptance speech that unfortunately (like just about everything else from that night) was overshadowed by the slap heard 'round the world.

[APR 2] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up, the promo "Selected Cuts From Once Upon A Time" is available to listen to on YouTube.  Then in honor of the new Summer Fever Pick, we have a Suecase Hall video for Cats Without Claws, There Goes My Baby from Italian TV, and Supernatural Love and I'm Free from Soul Train.  Finally for you remixers out there, someone posted the instrumental and backing vocals for It's Not The Way.

[MAR 27] Greetings all and happy Oscar night!  In honor of the occasion, our own Suecase Hall made a video compiling Donna's Oscar moments (among other things.) You can watch it on YouTube.

[MAR 27] Johnnyswim fans - they are on the road NOW! Keep an eye on their Instagram for  some behind the scenes glimpses.  They are doing a really cool thing this year. They have "Merch To Go".  At the venue there are QR codes everywhere you can scan and then buy what you want on your phone. You get a text when your order is ready and you can grab it during the show or after the show, whenever you want.  No waiting online! Even better, you can go to johnnyswimmerch.com BEFORE the show and place your order then.  Then you can just grab your stuff when you get to the venue. Now one word of warning - an item may show up as "sold out" online, but that doesn't necessarily mean it really is sold out. There might just be a very limited quantity left and you might get lucky by going to the merchandise table. Now you can also look at merchandise for future shows as well, but you won't be able to buy until the actual day of the show. It's a really great idea!

[MAR 27] Bruce Sudano fans - his tour starts on Friday, April 1.  If you do Facebook, you can see his video promoting the shows.  In the meantime, you can still grab his latest album, Ode To A Nightingale, which was just reviewed on RockAtNight.com.

[MAR 27] In musical news, Summer :The Musical is playing Nashville tonight and the Tennessee Tribune interviewed Brittny Smith (Diva Donna) in honor of the performances.

[MAR 27] Speaking of the musical, Broadway's Disco Donna, Ariana Debose, is up for an Oscar for Westside Story tonight. I'm really hoping she gets to take home the statue.  :-)

[MAR 27] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Well, since Suecase Hall covered Donna's Oscar moments, I think I'll celebrate some of Donna's other awards ceremony moments.  First up, her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. (I'm still highly annoyed they didn't do this while she was still here to enjoy it!) Then we have Donna an the AMAs in 1979,  Hot Stuff from the 1982 AMAs,  the medley with Kenny Rogers from the 1980 Grammys,  She Works Hard For The Money from the 1984 Grammys,  and Donna winning the Grammy for Last Dance. And finally as a bonus, we have the Broadway cast of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical (LaChanze, Ariana Debose, Storm Lever and company) performing at the Tonys.

[MAR 20] Happy first day of Spring all!  This week we start with Johnnyswim who were Live From the Backyard again the other day. They did the rest of the songs from their upcoming self-titled album and you can watch it on YouTube. They have also released their new single Desmond's Song. It comes with a video that you can also watch on YouTube. RatedRnB.com also has a short article about the song. And don't forget - the pair is hitting the road again (FINALLY) with their first concert this Thursday in Memphis.

[MAR 20] Bruce Sudano fans -  catch his new lyric video for All Hands on YouTube.  He is also hitting the road soon. Bruce's first show will be April 1 in Orlando.  You can also catch an interview with him on BronxNet's YouTube channel and read an interview with him on EssentiallyPop.com.

[MAR 20] In musical news, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical's national tour just celebrated their 100th performance.  Congrats to the whole company! And I have a fan review of one of the Boston shows for you. Remember Ken's Korner? It was a periodical editorial by Ken Allan who as you might remember is very shy about expressing his opinions. (Or not!  LOL)  Anyway, you can read his take on the touring production of the musical right here.  (And if you scroll down from that review, you can see some past contributions.)  One thing too note, Ken also saw the show on Broadway so he is in a position to tell you about any differences he noticed.  Welcome back Ken!

[MAR 20] That brings us to YouTube. This week is a really random collection of things I have run into recently, but I want to start off with Spring Affair just because it's the first day of spring!  Moving on, we have Rahsaan Patterson talking about Donna (yes he is a fan  lol),  then we have the TV show Pose using Once Upon A Time, an ad for Flora by Gucci and an ad for Lexus using I Feel Love, and a video with a native German speaker reacting to English-speaking celebrities speaking German. Donna is the first up and apparently she speaks German with a Dutch accent. Who knew? And finally we have a video that just makes me ask WHY? It's Love Is In Control, but they slowed is way down for some odd reason.  I figured I shouldn't be the only one walking around scratching my head in confusion, so I am sharing it with you guys.  LOL

[MAR 13] Greetings all and Happy Sunday! Let's start Johnnyswim. They were Live From The Backyard the other day with half of their upcoming album, and they will be live again this Thursday March 17. There will be merchandise available for sale on their website.

[MAR 13]  Bruce Sudano fans - Bruce has been Live On The Couch again on Facebook.  Just the other day he performed In A Stormy Season (which is extremely fitting these days). He also reshared his lyric video for Dawn Of Hallelujah Day - probably because we can all use a little hope these days.  :-)

[MAR 13] In Donna news.... and some of you may feel the need to skip this entry, a new YouTube video just turned up of Donna's final resting place.  If you want to see it, it's here. But again, I understand that some of you won't want to see.

[MAR 13] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up,  an oldie but a goodie  -  Donna and Giorgio at the mixing session for Live & More.  Let's go with a studio theme. So up next is an interview with studio footage  from Four Seasons Of Love,  footage of the all-star choir from State Of Independence, and studio of Donna and Barbra in the studio for Enough Is Enough.  And finally we have some behind the scenes footage from the making of the State Of Independence video.

[MAR 13] And finally, just a reminder that I am doing my annual Walk MS event.  A number of you  have already donated, and I think you SO MUCH!  If you are interested in donating, my page is here - but no pressure. I know that times are hard these days.

[MAR 5] Happy Saturday all!  This is just a  quick update because my weekend is shaping up to be busier than I thought.  :-)  First up this week, since the musical was playing Boston and Donna was a Boston native, the Boston Globe posted an article about Donna's younger  days.  There are quotes from Donna's sister, Jeanette, members of The Crow, and one of Donna's old teachers.

[MAR 5] In remix news,  long time fanmixer, Q, is back with his fifth installment of his project: The Other Side Of The Rainbow.  This one if True Love Survives (Q's Only Love Will Last Forever Mix).  It's available on YouTube for your listening pleasure.

[MAR 5] Johnnyswim fans - they will be Live From The Backyard TWICE before they hit the road.  They are planning shows for Thursday March 10 and Thursday March 17 and the plan is to perform all the songs from the upcoming album - that way people will know the songs and can sing along on the tour stops.  Usually new merchandise drops for a limited time a day or so before the concert, so keep an eye on their website.

[MAR 5]  That brings us to YouTube. In honor of the new Summer Fever Pick (and Women's History Month and even Black History Month) we have She Works Hard For The Money. The video for that was the first video by a black woman to be in regular rotation on MTV (back in the olden days when they actually played music.  LOL)  Then we have the second s ingle off that album, Unconditional Love, and the Grammy winning He's A Rebel (Best Inspirational Performance in 1983).  Moving on we have Donna's live version (with a funny intro) for  Natural Woman, and her live version of The Impossible Dream.  And finally, we have Donna's live version of Amazing Grace because I really feel like if she were still here and doing shows, she'd be performing that and dedicating it to all of the people in the world who are suffering these days, be it from the pandemic, or the war. I was at her concert in Boston in 2005 - the day the London Underground was bombed. She added Amazing Grace to her set that night and dedicated it to the people of London.  And when she did it - it wasn't just another song in a set. It was a prayer.

[MAR 2] Happy March everyone! It's time for the new Summer Fever Pick. This month She Works Hard For The Money (she meaning ME if my boss is reading this!  LOL)

[FEB 27] Greetings all! Believe it or not, I am going to start off with a quote from one of the Harry Potter films.  As the kids walk back to their train at the end of film #5 with the full knowledge that Voldemort is indeed back, Harry says (and I may not have it exactly right word for word but this is the gist of it) "Although we have a fight ahead of us, we have something that Voldemort doesn't - something worth fighting for."  As I watched the news all week and saw brave Ukrainians fighting to save their country, that quote just kept going through my mind.  To those in harms way - stay safe and stay strong.  Hopefully peace can return soon. And to the Russian people who have stood up and denounced the actions of their government (at great personal risk) - thank you for your bravery. You may feel like your voices are not heard, but they are.

[FEB 27] Ok, for all of us looking for a momentary escape from the chaos of the world, let's move on to the land of Donna and family.  We'll start with Johnnyswim who hit the road again in less than a month. (I bet that first show will be ON FIRE since they have been forced off the road for so long.)  The duo is currently making some merchandise to take on the road with them, and they are planning a Live From The Backyard concert with music from the upcoming album. They haven't given a date yet, but there will be exclusive merch for that too.) Watch their Instagram for more announcements.

[FEB 27] Bruce Sudano fans -  he is also hitting the road again starting April 1. (Live music is back!) Check Bruce's Instagram to hear him list the dates he's playing.  (Sorry - it's all Southeast US at the moment. The rest of us have to be patient! But while we are being patient - listen to the radio. Fatal Love has been picked up by a few stations!)

[FEB 27]  You can catch Bruce on the podcast Hip To The Scene. They talk about a few things, but the starting theme is about how to stay optimistic in hard times.  (The host's style is a little annoying, but there is good conversation there.)

[FEB 27] Mary Bernard fans - keep an eye on her Patreon. She and her daughter are working on another story video.

[FEB 27] In the Donna's music is everywhere category, they played Hot Stuff at the end of the show on Monday after they had spent part of the beginning of the show talking about WikiFeet (which is a site dedicated to celebrity feet.  I guess that's proof that you can find anything at all on the internet if you are nuts enough to look for it!  LOL)  On a side note, one of their guests that day was Ariana DeBose - the Tony-nominated Disco Donna from Broadway.  :-) She was plugging her latest film, Westside Story for which she was already won a Golden Globe and is nominated for an Oscar.  I  knew when I saw her on Broadway that she was going places!  :-)

[FEB 27] I think that brings us to YouTube. Let's start off with Let There Be Peace, my go to song when the world goes insane.  Then we have Riding Through The Storm,  New York Minute, Freedom, Stamp Your Feet, and Celebrate Me Home.

[FEB 20] Happy Sunday all!  And since it's the last night of the Winter Olympics, I'd like to say congrats to all the athletes who participated and to those who get to use music in your sports - always pick a Donna Summer tune. It's good luck.  ;-)

[FEB 20]  UK fans - mark your calendars. Record Store Day is April 24 and this year there will be a 40th anniversary limited edition PICTURE disc of the Donna Summer album.

[FEB 20] Bruce Sudano fans - check out his Facebook live from the couch performance (in a hat)  of Fatal Love for Valentines Day.  Don't forget, he hits the road starting April 1. If he's coming to your area be sure to check out the show - and if you have a Super Bruce bobblehead, bring it along. LOL

[FEB 20] Johnnyswim fans - as you know, they are hitting the road starting March 24.  And since the new album won't be out by then, Abner has announced that they will do an acoustic Live From The Backyard where they will sing all the songs from the new album so that people can get to know the new music before they go to a concert.  And of course any time we are talking about a Live From The Backyard, we are expecting new limited edition merchandise.  Keep an eye on their Instagram for details.

[FEB 20] Also in Johnnyswim news, ReleventMagazine.com has a short article about the new single, Heaven Is Everywhere.

[FEB 20] Before we get to YouTube, I have a personal announcement. I am once again walking for Multiple Sclerosis.  My walk happens Saturday May 21 and holy cow my team may be able to walk in person again!  (Well barring any unforeseen circumstances....  I'm looking at you COVID variant # whatever.  Keep your pandemic tendencies in check for once!) Anyway, if you would like to donate, my page is here.  And once again I will have little thank you gifts for my donors.  This year I made keyrings commemorating the tenth anniversary of Donna ascending to the next plane of existence. You guys have always been awesome about my fundraiser and I appreciate every one of you!

[FEB 20] On to YouTube!  Since it's the Olympic closing ceremony tonight, let's do some sports related clips. That means Donna singing at Art On Ice.  :-)  (Yeah, I know I'm favoring figure skaters, but unfortunately Donna never sang with bobsledders, or cross country skiers, or at a curling match.  Which is just as well, because that would have been really weird....   ;-)  )  First up, Donna promoting Art On Ice in a interview.  (Most of it is in German,  including an interpreter speaking over Donna. But you can pick up a few words in English from Donna from time to time.) Then we have a half hour clip from the Art On Ice Show featuring She Works Hard For The Money,  On The Radio,  Dim All The Lights,  La Vie En Rose,  Smile,  Enough Is Enough,  Last Dance, and Hot Stuff.  Then there is a separate clip for Macarthur Park.

[FEB 13] Greetings all, and Happy Valentine's Day! First up this week - Donna was at the Olympics!  Well, her music was.  LOL The American ice dance team of Hawayek and Baker performed their rhythm dance routine to Love To Love You and Bad Girls.  While I would have just given them the gold medal on song choice alone  LOL, the judges had them in 11th place going into tonight's free dance.

[FEB 13] Also in the Donna's music is everywhere category, Bad Girls was used in the season finale of the TV show Claws.

[FEB 13] uDiscoverMusic.com has posted a list of the best albums from 1980.  They picked 71 albums (which seems like a pretty random number) and The Wander was placed at #22.

[FEB 13] As you know, we are looking forward to a documentary  about Donna later this year.  A fan put together his own "trailer" for the film made from clips readily available on YouTube.  He did a nice job! You can watch it on Twitter.

[FEB 13]  Johnnyswim fans - we have a new single to enjoy! It is called Heaven Is Everywhere and it can be streamed in all the usual places.  You can also watch the video on YouTube.

[FEB 13] Bruce Sudano fans - as you know Bruce has his latest single out now called Fatal Love.  Of course a new single means publicity, so catch Bruce's latest interview on VentsMagazine.com.  There is also a video interview from JamTV on YouTube.  The questions are in Italian, but  all Bruce's answers are in English with Italian subtitles.  In it he talks about his music and about the upcoming Donna documentary.

[FEB 13] I think that brings us to YouTube. For Valentine's Day we need some love songs.  :-)  So let's start in the obvious place with Love To Love You from TopPop.  Then we have the videos for Whenever There Is Love, I Will Go With You,  and Love Is In Control.  Then we have Donna talking about and performing Science Of Love for SiriusXM,  the live performance of Someone To Watch Over Me from Live & More Encore,  and of course we can't leave out I Feel Love!

[FEB 6] Happy Sunday all!  Let's start  off with an article about I Feel Love from Cheatsheet.com.

[FEB 6] Bruce fans - Vents Magazine has a little write up about Bruce's new single/video, Fatal Love.

[FEB 6] Johnnyswim fans can look forward to a new single this Friday , February 11. The song is called Heaven Is Everywhere, and you can pre-save it on Apple Music and Spotify.

[FEB 6] And yes, that brings us to YouTube (already).   First up this week is a vaulted track - the original mix of Love On And On.  Let's keep going with rare tracks. We have Freedom (a liveandmore video),  Run With It (from Crayons), Adonai (from the vault),  Addiction (put together by a fan from a couple of clips Nathan DiGesare released), Valley Of The Moon (from the vault),  and That's The Way (from The Journey. OK, that one's not so rare, but I haven't played it in quite awhile.  LOL)

[JAN 31] Tomorrow starts a new month, so you know what that means. It's time for a new Summer Fever Pick and this month we will be dancing to the self-titled album, Donna Summer.

[JAN 30] Greetings all, and happy snowy day to my Eastern US peeps digging out from yesterday's blizzard.

[JAN 30] First up this week - Bruce's brand new video for Fatal Love (starring Honey The Cat and Super Bruce  LOL) is available now and it's a fun one.  (Well of course it is - look who stars in it.  LOL)  It debuted on RockCellarMagazine.com,  but you can also catch it on Bruce's YouTube channel. (Like and subscribe if you haven't already!)

[JAN 30] Brooklyn Sudano fans - catch her in NBC's Grand Crew.  I know she was a guest star in episode 4, but I'm not sure if she is scheduled to be in any of the upcoming episodes.

[JAN 30] Moving on to Donna.... did you know this year is the 45th anniversary of I Feel Love?  That bit of info makes me want to sing " I feel oooo-ooo-old."  LOL  Anyway, Juno.co.uk has an orange vinyl of I Feel Love coming around February 21.  The flip side is going to be Love To Love You.

[JAN 30] I don't think I can call this news because it's no exactly new...  LOL So back in the olden days when Donna was still a young unknown in Germany, she did lots of different projects - as you do when you are a young unknown. Someone on the forum found out that she did backing vocals for a group called  Twenty Sixty Six And Then on their album Reflections On The Past. You can hear her at the end of  Time Can't Take It Away and discogs.com says she's on I Want To Stay but I don't hear that.  Anyway, Viet Marvos was associated with this band, and Donna did work with him sometimes back then.

[JAN 30]  I think that brings us to YouTube and this week we have a few new mixes starting off with Q's latest from his Wanderer series,  Walk On (Q's Don't Look Back Mix). He's thrown a funky beat on it that has made some people reconsider their original opinions of the song. And then we have a Barry Harris 2022 mix of Love Is In Control, the Kike Summer Extended version of Love Will Always Find You, and a Madonna/Donna mashup of Vogue and Hot Stuff.  It's more Hot Stuff than Vogue - sorry Madonna fans.  LOL

[JAN 23] Greetings all!  Let's start off with a mysterious upcoming release.  A couple of outlets are advertising  a new vinyl release of Love To Love You due out in February.  PopMarket.com is one of the places listing it, but none of the places has any details other than it's vinyl and an import (and on the expensive side.)

[JAN 23] Bruce Sudano fans: look for the premiere of his video for Fatal Love on Tuesday on RockCellarMagazine.com. I'm sure Bruce will share a direct link to the video on his social media accounts. (He said we can expect to see Super Bruce and Honey The Cat.  LOL) And don't forget that Bruce is hitting the road again April 1 (COVID permitting of course.)  Check his sites for dates, and of course don't forget to check with the venues for any show you attend - different places have different requirements regarding vaccination status and/or testing. Know before you go!

[JAN 23] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up we have Showtime At The Apollo with Donna hosting.  It's posted in 3 parts: Part 1 (Donna sings Heaven's Just A Whisper Away),  Part 2 (no performance - just hosting duties),   and part 3 (also no performance - just hosting).  The same YouTuber has posted a number of clips of Donna playing Aunt Oona including this one of the cast just having fun at the end of the show. (I think that one is my favorite because it's just a bit of fun at the end that has nothing to do with the plot.) Then we have 2 clips of Donna performing Hot Stuff at the American Music Awards. The first is a nice clean copy of the video, BUT they replaced the audio with  the studio recording. The second's video isn't as crisp, but it has the original live audio.  Then we have an instrumental of I Feel Love. That should be fun for the remixers to play with, but I  have to tell you it's nowhere near as good without Donna's vocals if you are just listening. Finally we have Last Dance from a 1994 performance at Viña del Mar.

[JAN 16] Happy Sunday all! I hope 2022 is treating everyone well so far.  There's not a lot going on this week. Johnnyswim is working on their upcoming album (due out later this year, but with singles coming out as early as next month is I recall), and Bruce is gearing up to hit the road (COVID permitting of course.  Ahhh, remember the good ole days when you could count on tour dates without having to think that they could be cancelled at a moment's notice because of pandemic precautions?)

[JAN 16]  I do have a little musical news.  Summer: The Donna Summer Musical is still touring the US (with the usual caveats that some date have been postponed due to COVID) and  of course each stop has its own publicity.  In anticipation of the Augusta, GA performance (which has been postponed until May 31), the Augusta Press has published an interview with Duckling Donna, Amahri Jones-Edwards.

[JAN 16] The musical has posted new videos on its YouTube channel. The first features features members of the company trying to describe the show in one sentence.  The other has members of the company picking their favorite songs.

[JAN 16] Oh and congrats to original Disco Donna, Ariana DeBose. As you may know, after doing the musical on Broadway, she made a couple of movies including the acclaimed  remake of Westside Story for which Ariana has picked up a bunch of nominations AND awards - including a Golden Globe.  Way to go!  :-)

[JAN 16] In remix news, RedHouse is putting out a new mix of MacArthur Park on January 22.  This one is supposed to be very different from the one he did before, so that should be fun! Reshouse also asked me to pass on his thanks to everybody who has checked out his mixes.  He said he had lots of fun making them and he hope you all liked them.  This is his last Donna mix and going forward he's looking to put out some original tracks and covers, and he hopes you all continue to give a listen.

[JAN 16] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up, one of my favorite ballads - Heaven's Just A Whisper Away live in Chile.  Then we have She Works Hard For The Money from the 2008 Today Show Concert Series and a promo video for Could It Be Magic. We also have the complete broadcast of the 1980 TV Special - this one is a real blast from the past because it includes the commercials that aired back then too.  And finally we have another reaction video - yeah I know these videos are breeding like cockroaches!  LOL  But this one is a little different because they picked a real deep cut - Sally Go Round The Roses.

[JAN 9] Greetings all! Let's start off with Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. As you know it is currently touring the US,  and in honor of the performances in Tampa,  ABC's Morning Blend interviewed Brittny Smith (Diva Donna) and you can see a few clips of the touring cast.   There are plenty more dates/cities on the schedule so catch the show if you can. If you already have tickets to a show somewhere, just keep an eye on the news for your local venue.  COVID has caused some cancellations or delays here and there for all shows - not just this one.  And as always, if you are affected by a cancellation,  contact the box office for info on refunds or replacement tickets.  (Won't it be so nice when we don't have to worry about COVID any more?)

[JAN 9] If you are looking for more of a peek at the musical touring company, the official tour montage is on YouTube.

[JAN 9] UK's Retro Pop had a year-end top 20 poll and I'm A Rainbow Recovered and Recoloured came in at #9. They called it "a fitting celebration of [Donna Summer's] incomparable legacy."

[JAN 9] Johnnyswim fans - the Magnolia Network is now airing on many cable providers.  (If you had the DIY channel, then you have Magnolia in its place now.)  Episodes of The Johnnyswim Show air on Saturdays. Today Series 1 episodes 1 and 2 aired at 7 and 7:30 PM Eastern. And of course you can always catch the shows on demand on  The Magnolia app or Discovery+.

[JAN 9] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up this week, Donna live in 1987 at The Royal Albert Hall.  It's audio set to a slideshow of photos from the show.  Then we have a short video from the guy who edited Donna's autobiography and a clip of State Of Independence from Top Of The Pops that I never saw before. And here's a few for all you remixers out there - the instrumentals and backing vocals for Once Upon A Time, Back In Love Again,  It's Not The Way, She Works Hard For The Money, and Protection. (That last one keeps more of the vocals than the others.)

[JAN 2] Happy New Year all!  May this be the year we finally kick COVID to the curb! Since it's a new month, it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick.  This month we are looking at I'm A Rainbow.

[JAN 2]  Before we get to the news - Happy almost-birthday to Brooklyn Sudano who celebrates later this week.

[JAN 2] So as you know, this past Friday was both New Year's Eve and Donna's birthday. And if you were watching Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, they were celebrating their 50th anniversary with clips from past shows.  They included a clip of Donna's 2004 performance of Last Dance.

[JAN 2] In honor of Donna's birthday, Albumism.com posted a short tribute featuring some classic Donna video clips and a playlist of 10 of Donna's hit tracks. and on YouTube, Marchi Dj Oficial posted a tribute video for Donna's birthday.

[JAN 2] In remix news, fan mixer Q  has debuted another mix in his series of I'm A Rainbow mixes. This one is  his Tribute to Bellotte mix of A Runner With The Pack.

[JAN 2] Mary Gaines Bernard fans - if you are in her private Facebook group, you can catch the video she posted on Patreon a couple weeks ago, AND you can see the live video she posted on Donna's birthday.

[JAN 2] I think that brings us to YouTube. Let's do some Rainbow tracks. First up a Suecase Hall Valentine's video for True Love Survives.  Then we have another Suecase Hall video, this one for I'm A Rainbow (Junior's Shiny Rainbow mix),  a mashup video of live clips for Romeo, Q's celestial vox mix of To Turn The Stone, a lyric video for I Need Time,  and in honor of Brooklyn's birthday - a Suecase Hall video for Brooklyn (Ladies On Mars Child Of Rhythm mix).

[JAN 2] OH! I almost forgot. If you have the 1977 calendar  from the Four Seasons of Love album lying around somewhere, you can use it for this year too!

2021

[DEC 26] Greetings all! I hope everybody who celebrates had a nice Christmas, and that everyone else had a nice weekend.  First up this week, Mark Tara has  a radio show airing on Canadian Radio about Donna's I'm A Rainbow album.  The show is an episode of Rainbow Country which is syndicated so you will catch it on different stations at different times until January 3. Or you can listen to the 2 hour podcast online here. Mark has interviews with Ladies On Mars, and  Michael Neidus of Demon Music Group.  Mark is a huge Donna Summer fan, so he knows the right questions to ask.  :-) It is definitely worth a listen!

[DEC 26]  Bruce Sudano fans - catch Bruce on tour in 2022.  He had already announced some dates with The Zombies, and now he's added a few more dates in April with Jesse Terry. For a complete list of shows and a links to get tickets, see Bruce's website.

[DEC 26] Here's one to make you laugh. As many of you know, recently pictures of Donna and Kelly Rowland have been circulating on social media with people losing their freaking minds about how much they look alike. (Personally, I don't see any more than a slight resemblance, but whatever.)  The funny thing was an article I ran into that was talking about all the fuss about the pictures. What struck me was the second sentence: "Fans  have demanded that a 1979 photo of the 'Last Dance' legend be cast as the Destiny's Child alum."  So they are saying that fans want a PHOTO of Donna to be cast as Kelly Rowland? LOL Maybe the editor was enjoying some holiday cocktails on the job.....   Having said that, the idea of Kelly Rowland (the woman, not her photo) should be cast as Donna (the woman not the photo LOL) has been floating around Donna fan circles  for ages now - long before Twitter found these two photos.

[DEC 26] I think that's all I have for you this week. So let me leave you with some YouTube clips. First up is DayOne Reacts to Donna's Solid Gold performance of O Holy Night.  (Yes, she was as impressed as I think all of us were when we first saw it. )  Then we have Donna (and others) ringing in 1977, Donna singing You're So Beautiful on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2004, and Last Dance and On The Radio from Merv Griffin's 1993 New Year's Eve special.  We also have  a lstdnce tribute video in honor of Donna's birthday, and a slideshow set to Donna singing Happy Birthday live.

[DEC 26] I will see you all next weekend. Let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and healthy New Year! If you are out celebrating this year, please don't drive if you've been drinking, and don't drink if you plan to drive. And if you plan to be out with other people, please take all the necessary precautions against COVID.  It's getting bad out there again.   And Donna - if you are reading this somehow (do they have computers in  heaven?  LOL) HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I miss you!

[DEC 18] Happy Saturday all. Well... absolutely nothing happened this week. Nope not a thing. Well... unless you count this.  :-)  When you click that link you will find the press release for the upcoming Donna documentary project directed by Oscar winner (and Donna Summer fan) Roger Ross Williams and another name you might be slightly familiar with: Brooklyn Sudano. ;-)  This is the project we have been hearing about for awhile - the project some of you may have even contributed to.  Go read the press release - this is going to be amazing!  If you are not excited after you read the press release, and you are a Donna Summer fan, then I suggest you check yourself for a pulse!  LOL (And if you don't have one - by all means, call out sick from work Monday.) 2022 is starting to look good to me! 

[DEC 18] Johnnyswim fans - our favorite duo was Live From The Backyard (well, living room) the other day.  It's a holiday concert that you can watch on YouTube.  They are also performing at The Silos tonight, and with that comes an interview for the Waco Tribune-Herald.  And of course new episodes of The Johnnyswim Show debuted on Magnolia/Discovery+ yesterday.  By the way, Magnolia hits cable providers in January, so if you haven't been able to stream any of Johnnyswim's shows yet, you will be able to get them on cable TV soon. (You will have a lot to catch up with too - Home From The Road and 2 seasons of The Johnnyswim Show.)

[DEC 18] Mary Gaines Bernard fans: after a break, Mary is back on Patreon with a new story. This time she has a special guest - her niece Taihisha  - and they are talking about going to "Dona Summer University."  The story should come over to Facebook soon, so keep an eye out for that if you are in her group. (And if you are not, ask to join!)

[DEC 18] Since this will be the last update before Christmas, let me take this opportunity to wish you all Happy Holidays!  And on YouTube this week, let me leave you with my Christmas playlist for 2021. I will see you all at some point between Christmas and Donna's birthday. The update might not fall on Sunday but there will be one before the following weekend.  :-) Be safe everyone!

[DEC 12] Greetings all!  Johnnyswim fans - you have an early Christmas present coming! They will be Live In The Backyard (actually live from Park City, Utah this time) on Tuesday. You can catch it on Instagram or YouTube. They didn't mention the time yet, other than it will be in the evening. Just keep an eye on their Instagram for more info. And of course it wouldn't be a Johnnyswim concert without new limited edition merchandise.  Look for a bunch of stuff on sale TOMORROW starting at 9AM EST on their website.

[DEC 12] While we are talking all things 'Swim, our favorite duo has an album coming out  next year with the new single coming out early in the year. You can get a sneak peek on The Johnnyswim Show streaming on Magnolia/Discovery+. New episodes debut on Fridays. (Oh and watch out for Amanda and Abner trying their hand at Donna's diva walk.  LOL)

[DEC 12] Bruce Sudano fans: MusicLetter.it has posted an article about Ode To A Nightingale. It is in Italian of course, so if that's not your language you might want to make use of Google Translate. He was also live on Facebook the other day for Farm Fresh Radio. You can watch that here. And keep an eye on The Johnnyswim Show - Bruce has already made 1 cameo appearance there this season so far.

[DEC 12] Moving on to the Diva herself.... Vice.com has posted an article about how to get into Donna's music.  Obviously my regular readers need no help there, but it is a fun read and a great way to get some of your friends to take a look at Donna's music. The article breaks up Donna's music into 7 different styles and provides a playlist for each.  There are a lot of deep cuts included, so it's definitely worth a look. And in remix news SummerFevr has posted his Cruel To Be Kind mix of Love's Unkind on Soundcloud.

[DEC 12] Moving on to YouTube,  check out the new Suecase Hall video for the Ladies On Mars Buenos Aires remix of Don't Cry For Me Argentina.  I also ran into a nice copy of Donna's induction into the Rock Hall Of Fame - this is  her complete segment with chapter markers  so you can jump around and watch the parts you want to.  Next up we have Donna's whole segment from Don Kirschner's Rock Concert in 1977, then Donna promoting Thank God It's Friday on The Midnight Special, followed of course by Last Dance.  (I don't know why those clips aren't presented as one unless it's because of time restrictions.) Then we have an interview from a different episode of The Midnight Special where Donna can't stop laughing at the end, and finally we have a short profile as part of the Grammy's Greatest Divas series.

[DEC 5] Happy Sunday all! It's December so you know what that means - the new Summer Fever Pick is Christmas Spirit! (Still my favorite Christmas album ever!)

[DEC 5] Starting off in the land of remixes, Q is back again with his Talk Of The Town mix of People Talk.  (The video that goes with it is pretty cool too!)

[DEC 5]  BBC.com just posted an article looking at why Donna was "one of the original rock stars."  The article was inspired by the new release of I'm A Rainbow, but takes a look at her career as a whole. It's a good read.

[DEC 5] We have lots of Johnnyswim activity this week.  First up, they have a new single out called A Hard Year's Christmas.  And then if you have Discovery+ or Magnolia you can watch the first 2 episodes of season 2 of The Johnnyswim Show.  Among other things, you get to watch them make the hard choice to push back their tour until Spring. And, catch their interview on GardenAndGun.com about their holiday traditions.

[DEC 5] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up is a good clip of Donna on The Tonight Show in 1978 with the interview and both performances. That brought me to a 2000 ET piece promoting Divas 2000, and a clip from a show I haven't seen since it aired - Donna on Marsha Warfield's 1990 talk show.  (Unfortunately it's just a short clip and I'm pretty sure that show was a half hour or more.) Then we have a 2004 interview from the UK promoting The Journey,  and finally a 2008 ET piece promoting Crayons.

[NOV 28] Greetings al! And Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate! (And even to those who don't!) First up this week in the Donna's music is everywhere,  the new movie House Of Gucci uses bits of On The Radio, Bad Girls, Love To Love You and I Feel Love.  I haven't seen the movie yet, but I'd say it's got a pretty good soundtrack even if reviews for the film itself are mixed.

[NOV 28] In the land of remixes, this one just popped up for Ordinary Miracle of all songs.

[NOV 28] And in the land of covers, we have the David Morales/ Elle Cato version of I Feel Love available on YouTube.

[NOV 28] Johnnyswim fans - look for their new single, A Hard Year's Christmas on December 3 at the usual places.

[NOV 28] Bruce Sudano fans - if you find yourself in need of actual CD copies of Bruce's music, he's got a CD bundle for sale on his website that includes 6 of his albums: Ode To A Nightingale, The Burbank Sessions, With Angels On A Carousel, Spirals Vol 1 and Vol 2, and 21st Century World.  It's a great deal for $60.  (And of course he has the CDs available separately, along with Super Bruce bobbles, magnets, and stickers.

[NOV 28] I think that brings us to YouTube.  As many of you probably know by now, legendary Broadway  icon Stephen Sondheim passed away the other day.  As it so happens, Donna covered one of his songs on tour one year. The song is Send In The Clowns and this clip is a Suecase Hall video for the song.  Let's follow that with Donna's live cover of Celebrate Me Home,  her live cover of The Impossible Dream,  her live performance of A Song For You,  and finally Donna's recorded cover of Netherlands.

[NOV 21] Happy Sunday all! And an early Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends!

[NOV 21] First up, I'm A Rainbow Recovered & Recoloured is officially released.  You can stream it in all the usual places such as Amazon (paid link).  You can get physical copies too, but (at least in the US) you have to be a bit patient with the shipping. Don't forget the CD comes with a booklet with lines notes by Christian John Wikane.

[NOV 21] For more I'm A Rainbow goodness, check out Mark Tara's syndicated radio show, Rainbow Country.  He's interviewed Ladies On Mars and Michael Neidus from Demon Music for an episode that will debut December 28.  Each interview will be about a half hour plus music.

[NOV 21] In a blast from the past, Number1Albums.com posted an article about 10 years ago about Live & More.

[NOV 21] In musical news, Summer: The Donna Summer Musical is officially on tour now.  They've been having tons of fun in Pittsburgh and now they are heading to Utica, NY on Tuesday.  They've been posting  a bunch of photos on their Instagram,  and if you head over to the official website, you can catch up with all the tour dates, meet the cast, and even buy some merchandise.

[NOV 21] Bruce Sudano fans - catch him on tour in 2022 first in the UK with the Zombies, followed by a few dates in the US with them. Bruce also did a set for the Philly Folk Song Society recently. He posted the set Live From The Couch on Facebook, or you can catch the whole show on YouTube - Bruce comes in at 1:17:12 (which is where my link should bring you.)

[NOV 21] Bruce also did an interview for Inspired With Patrick L Riley for CrewTV. You can watch the teaser on Instagram,  If you want to catch the show, you can get CrewTV on Apple TV, Roku, Google Play and the web.  I think it airs Mondays at 6 PM and repeats until the next episode is available.  The show is not free however - you need to have a paid subscription to the channel.

[NOV 21] Johnnyswim fans - catch them Live at The Silos in Waco on December 13. They will be singing Christmas music (of course!)  Oh and Abner has been working on new merchandise, so be on the lookout for an announcement about that.  (He posted video on Instagram of him sewing patches  onto caps.)

[NOV 21]  I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's go with a Thanksgiving theme... well sort of.  First up is Donna's appearance on the Thanksgiving episode of Queen Latifah's talk show. First is the interview and Love Is The Healer, then  there is the duet of Bad Girls.  Up next is a pre-Thanksgiving appearance on The View.  Then we have Summer: The Musical at the Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2018.  And for laughs, we have a clip from Family Matters that might reflect how some of us feel after a big Thanksgiving Day feast. LOL  And one more clip from that episode just because you don't usually find the Hard For The Money ending on YouTube and it always cracks me up.

[NOV 14] Greetings all! And a belated Happy Veterans' Day to all the veterans out there! Thank you for your service. 

[NOV 14] First up, the I'm A Rainbow Recovered and Recoloured Bookpack is available from Amazon (paid link) starting November 19.  The streaming version will also be fully available then. 

[NOV 14] In the Donna's music is everywhere category, Lady Gaga plugged her movie House Of Gucci with a TikTok dance to I Feel Love.  Then on Twitter someone shared a clip of Patti Labelle using a bit of Bad Girls with Lady Marmalade.

[NOV 14]  Bruce Sudano fans - check out his new video for Cosmic Ride.  It features the return of Super Bruce as you have never seen him before.  LOL (There must have been a really fun photo shoot somewhere! ) Also, if you grab a copy of the latest issue of Goldmine magazine,  you will see Bruce gets a nice shout out in the Indie Spotlight article. (It's not available online yet, you have to grab an actual copy of the magazine.)

[NOV 14] Some sad news today, Jeff Wald passed away yesterday. Some of you will remember that he was Donna's manager for awhile in the 70s.  My condolences to his friends and family.

[NOV 14] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I have a random collection of clips that fell my way this week. First up, Donna in Family Tree back in 1974. (Yeah, it's not her voice. I'm sure there is a reason they didn't use her voice - maybe some sort of legal thing or something.)  Then we have a reaction video to MacArthur Park and one for No More Tears.  Continuing, we have Donna on Solid Gold performing All Systems Go. (I haven't seen that one in ages!), the story of I Feel Love from UK TV, and the full Live & More Encore VH1 special.

[NOV 6] Greetings all!  It's November (already ugh!) so it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick.  This month we are celebrating The Wanderer.

[NOV 6] Bruce Sudano fans - we have a few new things out there this week.  And the very first one I am going to mention was written by Bruce himself. It is an essay on how songwriting shaped his life and you can find it on Muse by Clio.

[NOV 6] Bruce also did a couple of podcasts to promote his album.  He did an episode of Music Is My Life for Berklee Online,  and he did an episode of Rock Of Nations on Spotify.

[NOV 6]  UK Bruce fans - catch him on tour this coming February with The Zombies.  He's toured with them before and it's always a fun time.  :-)  For dates, locations, and tickets, head over to Bruce's site. 

[NOV 6] Moving on to Donna remix news.... many of you may remember that the early 2000s were a great time for fan mixes. One of the more popular fan mixers working then was Q. And then he gave it up for awhile.  But Q was inspired to comeback with a Celestial Vox Mix of To Turn The Stone.  He's billing it as the first of his Other Side Of The Rainbow remix project.  Check it out on YouTube.

[NOV 6] In cover news, you might remember that  Redhouse released a cover of If There Is Music There.  Well they have followed that up with a cover of MacArthur Park.  (And let's be clear - it's a cover of Donna's version of the song and not a cover of the Richard Harris version.  LOL) You can check out either cover on the Redhouse Recordings website.

[NOV 6] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I'm just gonna go where YouTube takes me this time.  Let's start off with a nice clip of MacArthur Park live from 2004.  That brings me to a compilation of Donna's best live vocals part 1,  and her best live vocals part 2.  From there we go to Donna on Oprah,  then Suecase Hall's  video remembering Donna, and finally Donna's appearance at the 2005 Night of the Proms in Belgium.

[OCT 29] Happy Friday all, and Happy Halloween! I'm pet-sitting for a friend this weekend so I thought I'd better sneak the update in early.  :-)

[OCT 29] First up, we have another new mix out there!  This one is the Jean Tonique Remix of Back Where You Belong.  This sounds A LOT different from the original.  I kind of like the slow groove to this one. You can check it out on YouTube and all the other usual places.

[OCT 29] This isn't a new clip, but it's the first time I saw it - Broadway star Andre De Shields reminisces about the Studio 54 era and listening to Donna's Four Seasons Of Love in the club.

[OCT 29] Bruce Sudano fans -  Bruce is all over the media again this week.  :-) RockWrite.Blogspot.com has a brief review of Ode To A Nightingale in an article about the latest new releases.  RoadieMusic.com has a review of the  single Cosmic Ride - that site has a couple of language options. So if the article appears in one you don't know, just click one of the flags for another option.  (English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.)  And then mythaxis.com has a really interesting article about Bruce's songwriting.

[OCT 29] I think that brings us to YouTube.  This week's clips come straight from that last Bruce article I posted.  So first up is I'm A Rainbow (lyric video).  Then we have Starting Over Again (live on Eddie Rabbitt's TV special), a demo for So This Is Lonely,  and  Worth The Wait live in concert.  Fun fact about Worth The Wait - Donna only ever performed it in concert in the 90s.  A&E did an episode of Biography on Donna that included clips from that particular tour.  Worth The Wait was one of the songs they aired a clip of.  Every time A&E reran that show, I'd get a bunch of emails asking me what that song was.  Every time!  (Here's a bonus audio only version of Worth The Wait taken from the concert I was at.  The part where Donna and the audience starts leaving was because Donna's jacket got caught in whatever she was sitting on and she couldn't stand up - it took me years to find out why people were laughing. The show was at a theater that did staging in the round and at that point in the show, the stage had rotated so that I was behind Donna and couldn't see what was happening,)

[OCT 24] Greetings all!  First up for all the Facebookers out there - as you know Donna has an official Facebook page curated by her family. When you go there is has the blue "verified" checkmark and it states that it is her official page. But here's the thing, there is another recently created page out there called Donna Summer Fanpage, It tries hard to look like the official page with the same graphics, but it has no  "verified" checkmark.  That would not be an issue except for the fact that this fanpage account has messaged at least one fan, posing as Donna herself, offering a free ticket to show next time she's in town, blah blah blah. And all this is a prelude into asking for donations (to be sent as gift cards no less)  to "support orphanages around the world".  There are lots of alarm bells ringing there - not the least of which is that Donna is not in a position to be posting on Facebook or having concerts... well not in this plain of existence anyway.  The family has been made aware of fanpage, and if you have received one of these direct messages, please consider reporting it to Facebook.  And please don't  make donations to anyone unless you are sure of who they are and where the money is going.  :-)

[OCT 24]  On to the news!  For those eagerly anticipating the I'm A Rainbow Recovered & Recolored,  you can get a taste at juno.co.uk.  They have long samples of the 10 tracks that appear on the limited edition transparent blue National Album Day vinyl.

[OCT 24] Next up is Bruce.  We have a review (in Italian) on xtm.it of Ode To A Nightingale.  Then we have a video interview (in English) on Boomerocity.com also about Ode To A Nightingale (among other things), and an audio interview with omny.fm where Bruce gets to talk about the Casablanca years (among other things.)

[OCT 24] In the land of covers, the band Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs has covered Hot Stuff.  I don't think the cover will be to the taste of most diehard Donna fans, but it does show that the song really is a rock and roll song.

[OCT 24] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Next weekend is Halloween so let's look at some of Donna's potential Halloween costumes. Let's see there is the prostitute (Bad Girls), the waitress (She Works Hard For The Money), the 1930s era singer (My Man Medley), a wanderer (The Wanderer), a couple of different characters (Sunset People), Donna as Aunt Oona, and whatever you want to call this look (Supernatural Love).  And as a bonus, here is a clip  featuring Donna in her Kabuki makeup for the Another Place & Time album.

[OCT 17] Greetings all!  Let's see, we can start with  BBC Sounds, for National Album Day, they made a mix of 80s female artists - in particular, Whitney Houston, Kim Wilde, Janet Jackson, some woman named Donna Summer  ;-)  and Alison Moyet. And yes, I did say 80s, so Donna's part is drawn only from her 80s output.  You can check it out here.  (Donna comes in at about 36:00)

[OCT 17] While we are talking mixes, Eric Kupper remixed Reba McEntire's version of Does He Love You.  Some clever fan mixer took that mix and replaced the vocals with Donna and Liza's.  You can hear that on YouTube.  And then if you want a laugh, someone unearthed an old promo piece Liza did to promote her and Donna's original  recording of Does He Love You.  (I think they had a lot of fun making it!)

[OCT 17] Also in remix news,  Suecase Hall has been busy with the new I'm A Rainbow mixes. He's added Junior's Shiny Rainbow mix of I'm A Rainbow to his collection of fan videos.

[OCT 17] In the Donna's music is everywhere category,  The Voice used Enough Is Enough in the competition this week. You can see it here.

[OCT 17] Moving on to Bruce... he's got another interview out about Ode To A Nightingale.  This one is in Blog Della  Musica, and it's in Italian so if that's not your thing, Google Translate will do a decent job of converting it to English.  (Someone will have to let me know how it does converting  text to languages other than English.) Also, you can now stream all the songs from Ode To A Nightingale on Bruce's YouTube channel.

[OCT 17] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's  look at some of the original versions of the I'm A Rainbow tracks. First up, a Suecase Hall  video for To Turn The Stone. Then we have a lyric video for Highway Runner, the actual original People Talk (with the rap break),  the actual original True Love Survives,  the released version of I Need Time,  and I'm A Rainbow.

[OCT 10] Happy Sunday all! Let's start off with I'm A Rainbow. The new release is due out  October 29 now - hopefully that date stands!  (I think it should.)  As you know the mix  for Leave Me Alone was released recently, and now our own Suecase Hall has made a video for it.   But there is another new mix out there  as of Friday -  Junior's Shiny Rainbow Edit of I'm A Rainbow.  At this rate we may have the majority of the album before it's even officially released!  LOL

[OCT 10] In the everyone wants to dance to Donna category, someone has made a line dance for Dim All The Lights.  (I guess line dancing isn't just for Country music anymore!  LOL)  It would probably look pretty cool if they had a bunch of people doing it - line dancing always looks a little weird to me if it's only 1 or 2 people doing it.

[OCT 10] Moving on to Bruce. As you know, his EP Ode To A Nightingale is out now at all the usual places.  To promote it, Bruce has done an interview with MusicMap.it.  The article is in Italian, so if that's not your language, Google Translate does a pretty decent job of converting it to English.  (Your mileage may vary with other languages.)  One thing  Bruce mentions in the interview is that he would like to return to live performing and he's hoping to organize a tour of Italy some time in the future.  (Obviously, everything depends on how the pandemic situation is going.  Such weird times we are in!)

[OCT 10] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I think this week I'm gonna go with the theme of work.  So of course we have to start with the obvious - She Works Hard For The Money (live in Disney). Then we have I Don't Wanna Work That Hard (my personal theme song at my job!  LOL),  Working The Midnight Shift,  Lady Of The Night, Bad Girls (yes those girls are working!), Fame (also a job),  and End Of The Week.

[OCT 2] Happy Saturday all, and Happy October. A new month means a new Summer Fever Pick and this time we are dancing to the toot toots and beep beeps of Bad Girls.

[OCT 2] Let's start off with the upcoming release of I'm A Rainbow- Recovered and Recolored. It looks like we won't get that until October 29. Originally it was listed for October 8, but most places I see have changed to October 29.

[OCT 2] It's been a busy week in Donna land this time. We have a couple of new articles celebrating Donna's music. First up, The Guardian has come up with its list of Donna's top 20 songs.  And while I am sure nobody will 100% agree on the Guardian's list (I mean come on, we are Donna fans - we don't even 100% agree with each other on the best songs/albums!  LOL), there are some interesting choices. I mean any list that includes deep cuts like True Love Survives and Grand Illusion is worth looking at. It's probably no surprise to learn that they rank I Feel Love as #1.  Speaking of which, that brings me to the second article from Xtra Magazine that is specifically about I Feel Love. And finally with I'm A Rainbow expected this month, it only makes sense we'd have an article about that.  GScene.com  did an interview with Michael Neidus from Demon Music to talk about that album and Donna's other "post-Disco" recordings.  And finally, BBC America mentions I'm A Rainbow in their Pop Culture Pulse article.

[OCT 2] In the Donna's music is everywhere (well sort of), Dancing With The Stars used Hot Stuff for one of the dances. Unfortunately, somebody else was singing.

[OCT 2] Moving on to Johnnyswim.... Abner has teased that they would like to do a Live From The Backyard concert some time this month. Stay tuned to their social medial for more details.

[OCT 2] Bruce Sudano fans - his EP, Ode To A Nightingale came out digitally yesterday in all the usual places. And if you are old school and want a CD copy, head over to Bruce's website.  If you have not heard the album yet, get yourself over to any of the usual digital sites and listen! You will NOT be disappointed!  I just finally bought my copy today and now I'm on a Cosmic Ride with the EP on repeat as I work on the site.  :-)

[OCT 2] Moving on to Summer: The Donna Summer Musical - the full touring cast has been officially announced on Facebook, although it was on the musical's website last week. If you are planning to see the show (or even if you are not - yet) check out all the talented people bringing Donna's story to life in November.  Then head over to YouTube to watch a Zoom interview with the 3 touring Donnas.

[OCT 2] That brings us to YouTube.  Let's celebrate Bad Girls! First up, the title track on The Tonight Show (with those really cool glasses.  LOL)  Then we have a killer live version of Hot Stuff from the 1980 TV Special,  Dim All The Lights from Live & More Encore,  Sunset People also from the 1980 TV Special,  the 12" version of Walk Away (audio only),  the demo for Bad Girls, and because I need to add a ballad, an audio only version of There Will Always Be A You.

[SEP 26] Greetings all, and Happy Birthday Bruce Sudano!

[SEP 26] In honor of Bruce's birthday, we'll do his news first.  As you may know, he did a Facebook live set for Scenes the other day. You can still catch the video on Facebook.  Then make sure you check out the review of In Shadowland on IndiePulse Music.  The video for that song and for the new single Do Be Do (Day Trippin) are available to stream on Bruce's YouTube channel. (Like and subscribe!)  And both of those songs will be on the upcoming EP, Ode To A Nightingale which is coming out October 1.  (OMG  that's this Friday - where did September go?)

[SEP 26] Speaking of October.... we are expecting Donna's  I'm A Rainbow Recovered and Recolored on October 8. (Well depending where you are - Amazon US says October 29. You know how that goes.)  But  to keep us all going until the album is out, the estate has released yet another mix. This one is the Ladies On Mars Independence remix of Leave Me Alone and you can stream it now in all the usual places, including YouTube.

[SEP 26] In other mix news, ShyBoy has made a mashup of Fame (The Game) and Madonna's Vogue.  It works pretty well!  (And I love the cover art they made for it!) There is also a mix out there by Eric Kupper of Reba McEntire's cover of The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia. Why do I mention it here? Go listen to it and see....   it will only take you about 3 seconds before you find yourself singing "I feel looooooove".   LOL

[SEP 26] Moving on to Johnnyswim...  they have added new dates to their tour in Charlotte NC, Indianapolis, Memphis, Harrisburg PA, and an extra date in Atlanta.  For all the latest, keep an eye on Johnnyswim's website and/or sign up for their newsletters.

[SEP 26] And finally Summer: The Donna Summer Musical is BACK! The national tour that got cancelled for COVID is back on starting in November.  Dates and ticket info are on the musical's website.  The 3 Donnas will be played by Brittny Smith (Diva Donna), Charis Michelle Gullage (Disco Donna), and Ahmahri Edwards-Jones (Duckling Donna).  Welcome to the family ladies!  For additional cast info, check out the musical's website.  It is so nice to have live theater back!

[SEP 26] I think that brings us to YouTube. Since it's Tony night and the musical is back, let's celebrate its Broadway run.  So first up is a promotional compilation. Then we have the cast's performance at the Tonys, the cast performing outside in bitter cold for the Thanksgiving Day parade, LaChanze singing Friends Unknown, and  Ariana DeBose and La Chanze singing MacArthur Park in a live clip from the show. There is also a news clip from Cleveland featuring the original touring cast and featuring Mimi talking about the musical. ANd you may remember Donna's daughters got to introduce Summer: The Musical at the Tonys. The only clip I found of that is part of a larger  video Suecase Hall made celebrating the show. You see all 3 daughters at about the 48 second mark. If you feel really adventurous, there is a "clickbait" video about Summer The Musical. It does have spoilers if you haven't seen the show yet.  And for a special bonus, I have Donna's demo for Begin Again which would have been part of Ordinary Girl.

[SEP 19]  Happy Sunday all!  Let's start off this week with Rolling Stone's Top 500 Greatest Songs of all time. It's a pretty eclectic list of songs from the rock era and I guarantee you that 500 songs will provide 500 reasons for music fans to debate.  LOL  Donna makes the list at #52 with I Feel Love.  (For those who are curious - Aretha made the top spot with Respect.)

[SEP 19] The big news this week if Bruce's new single, Do Be Do (Day Trippin').  This one is a fun lyric video and I'm pretty sure there is a cameo by Honey the cat's paws.  LOL   If you like what you see - subscribe to Bruce's channel.  Celebrating the new release are 2 new articles.  One is in Italian from Jam TV.  The other is Americana Highways which  includes an interview about the upcoming Ode To A Nightingale album.

[SEP 19] Speaking of Bruce, he was like live for O Museum with Handsome Bill.  You can watch the show on YouTube now.

[SEP 19] I think that brings us to YouTube. Let's do some really early tracks this week.  First up a clip called Black Power. (This one includes clips of Donna from the actual TV show, but since the whole performance didn't make the TV show, the video is padded out with clips from other things so we get the whole song.)  Then we have the rare single If You're Walking Alone/ Can't Understand. (This is audio only with a photo of the single.) Then we have Sally Go Round The Roses and So Said The Man.  And finally, the recently discovered  Time For Change and Something I'd Like To Say.

[SEP 13] I have breaking Johnnyswim news for you. Today they announced that the  fall tour will be postponed until spring.  This is not a decision they made lightly. They really want to be able to do things right, so rather that deal with all the restrictions that are happening now, they'd rather tour later when things should be safer. The last thing they want is to become a spreader event.  So if you have tickets to the fall tour, they will be honored for the new dates EXCEPT for Nashville.  The Nashville show is moving to the Grand Old Opry House, so if you have tickets for that show, get a refund from your point of sale (probably Ticketmaster). Then you will get an email with a code to use to get tickets for the new venue/date.  New dates for the shows are as follows: March 27 - ST Louis,  March 28 - Minneapolis, March 29 - Chicago, March 31 - Knoxville, April 1 - Cincinnati, April 2 - Columbus,  April 4 - Boston, April 5 - New Haven,  April 6 and 7 - New York, April 11 - Raleigh, April 13 - Nashville, April 15 - Atlanta, April 18 - Houston, April 19 - Dallas, April 21, OKC, April 22 - Kansas City, April 23 - Denver, April 27 - San Francisco,  April 28 - Los Angeles. The dates are on Johnnyswim.com but they are not fully updated in that the old dates are still listed as well as the new ones.  How much you want to bet that making the decision to postpone will be an episode of the upcoming season 2 of The Johnnyswim Show?  ;-)

[SEP 12] Greetings all!  Let's start out with the latest from the upcoming I'm A Rainbow release.  Just the other day they released the Ladies on Marc "Child Of Rhythm" Extended Remix of Brooklyn.  You can check it out on YouTube .

[SEP 12] Also in Donna news, we have a new article on uDiscoverMusic.com talking about the "best" Donna Summer songs.  They mostly go with hits, with a couple of deeper cuts thrown in for good measure.  And of course the list is mostly from the 70s with just a couple of 80s tracks thrown in. It's very heavy on Bad Girls tracks.  :-)

[SEP 12] In Bruce Sudano news, he's performing for O Museum tonight at 6 and that will be followed by a Zoom green room Q&A at about 7:15.  If I don't, or you see this too late, I believe they record the Zoom meetings and post them on the website later.  And while you are waiting for the new single, check out the videos he already has posted including a lyric video for September In Your Eyes that he just recently posted.

[SEP 12] Also in Bruce news, his new single Do Be Do (Day Trippin) is out on Friday, so be sure to keep an eye on his YouTube channel for that.  (Or better yet, subscribe and click the bell for alerts when new things come out.)

[SEP 12] Moving on to Johnnyswim,  we have 2 new articles out there. The first is on AtwoodMusic.com and it discusses the new single Devastating.  The other one is on AmoMama.com and is about Amanda making a career in music.  Also Abner posted a video on Facebook  teasing the start of season 2 of The Johnnyswim Show.  And before you say - wait, season 2 is already out... there are 2 different shows.  The first one they did was Home On The Road. Then The Johnnyswim Show was a different show covering their time home in the pandemic.  I would think season 2 would cover them getting ready to go back out on the road and what you do with school age kids  (and their chickens!) when you can go back on the road.

[SEP 12] I was just sent a radio interview with Susan Munao from earlier this year and in it she does talk about Donna a bit.

[SEP 12] I think that brings us to YouTube. I think  this time we will look at that uDiscoverMusic article and spotlight some of the deeper cut tracks they included  in their "best of" list. So we have Sunset People (from the 1980 TV Special),  Our Love (lyric video),  Lucky (lyric video),  There Goes My Baby (official video),  and Walk Away ( the 12" version audio only).

[SEP 5] Greetings all, and happy Labor Day to my American friends. Can you believe the summer season is over?  Anyway, a new month means a new Summer Fever Pick and this month we are celebrating my first Donna album - Live & More.

[SEP 5]  First up, you all know My Life from Live & More Encore. Well there is a studio demo out there now - the Junior Vasquez Private Collection mix long edit.

[SEP 5] Beat posted an article online celebrating black female vocalists of the 70s.  Of course Donna is on the list - and she is in very good company. (Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, Chaka Khan and a whole bunch of others.)  They don't say anything we don't already know, but it's nice to see her in such illustrious company.

[SEP 5] In Bruce Sudano news - don't forget that he will be  livestreaming a live concert for  O Museum one week from today.  Then on Friday September 17, he's got a new single coming out.  So mark your calendars!  (Silly me, I forgot it's 2021 - mark your calendar apps!  lol)

[SEP 5] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's start with a quote from Donna about the voice.  And now let's have some clips of Donna showing off her voice - the sexy Love To Love You voice, the power of MacArthur Park, the rock and roll edge of Cold Love, the trippiness of Grand Illusion, the softness of Sand On My Feet, Donna in character as Hattie Mae in Slide Over Backwards, her "unplucked" Rod Stewart voice in Dim All The Lights, the torch singer voice on Lush Life and the silly Donna goofing around with the Brooklyn Dreams on Hollywood Knights.

[AUG 29] Happy Sunday all! As you can see, my area survived Hurricane Henri just fine (in fact is was pretty much a bust here.) But right now I am thinking of the people in the path of Hurricane Ida.  That one looks like it will be catastrophic and I am hoping everyone in its path is safely evacuated or hunkered down in the safest place you can find.

[AUG 29] Let's start with Donna.  The latest single from the upcoming I'm A Rainbow Recovered & Recoloured is Brooklyn (Ladies on Mars "Child Of Rhythm" Remix) and you can hear it in all the usual places including YouTube. Personally, I like the music, but I am still not a fan of sped up vocals.  But that's just me - the ballad freak.  LOL

[AUG 29] In the Donna is everywhere (sort of) category, the songwriter Jimmy Webb (MacArthur Park), did a livestream on Facebook recently.  Bruce shared a piece of it where Webb talks about a change Donna made to MacArthur Park.  Bruce said that Donna would have loved what he said.

[AUG 29] In the Donna's music is everywhere category, Burger King has been running an ad for it's spicy chicken sandwich.  Now I haven't tried the sandwich, so I have no idea if it really is "hot stuff" it is, but I do like Burger King's taste in music. (Although nothing beats the time McDonalds adopted She Works Hard For The Money and made a whole bunch of remixes for the ads!  By the way - this is not a comment on the food - only on the music.  LOL)

[AUG 29] Johnnyswim fans - the final episode of The Johnnyswim Show is now streaming on Magnolia/Discovery+. In this episode you will see how they wrote the new single, Devastating.  Speaking of which, check out the video for Devastating on YouTube.  It is made up of a lot of clips of Amanda and Abner's life together so far including a whole bunch of clips from their wedding.

[AUG 29] Also in Johnnyswim news,  as you know they have been posting videos to social media after each episode of The Johnnyswim Show airs. As you know, last week's episode of the show focused on all the adults helping Joaquin make a movie called Water Spies (which included no water and no spies.  LOL)  Johnnyswim has posted his movie on Facebook (and Instagram) for anyone who wants to see it.  It looks like a fun time was had by all.

[AUG 29] Moving on to Bruce news.  He will be performing at a livestream benefit for O Museum in  Washington DC  on September 12.  Tickets are available here,  or you can livestream it here.

[AUG 29] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up, the long lost interview clip from  Tom Snyder's old talk show. (It's the show that gave us performances of The Wanderer and Cold Love). And then because I happened to hear Love Is In Control on the radio today and the friend I was with didn't even know the song (I know, right?  LOL),let's so some clips from the self-titled album. So first up is the video for  Love Is In Control.  Then we have a Suecase Hall video for Mystery Of Love, the video for The Woman In Me,  the video for State Of Independence,  and a live performance of Livin' In America.

[AUG 21] Happy Saturday all! First things first, I am expecting Hurricane Henri to make landfall in my area sometime tomorrow morning so there is a good chance I may lose power for a time. (Last time we lost power for 8 days - but that was partly due to someone at the power company forgetting to turn on our part of the street after they made repairs.) Anyway, I will be perfectly fine here but there is a chance next week's update  will be late.  I'll be checking in on Facebook with my phone after the storm.  Those who followed me in 2012 when we had Hurricane Sandy may remember that my posts got sillier and sillier the longer I was out of power.  LOL

[AUG 21] On to business...  Let's start with Johnnyswim. Of course the next episode of The Johnnyswim Show is streaming on Magnolia/Discover+ and this one is about them filming a movie in their backyard written and directed by their 5 year old son.  It's a fun episode. Oh! And check out Amanda's t-shirt in that one. Donna fans will recognize it!   But they have more than that going on. Also in the fun category,  they did a little feature for  Good Housekeeping's YouTube channel called Celebrity Spin.  It's sort of a truth or dare type thing where they answer random questions.  A little teaser for you.... they talk about the time Abner mooned Donna.  Oopsie.  LOL

[AUG 21] That isn't all going on in Johnnyswim-land. They have a new album coming out later this year and the first single will be out August 25. It is called Devastating and it will be available at all the usual places.  Check out the cover image they chose - talk about your perfectly timed photos!

[AUG 21] In Bruce Sudano news, his new EP is due October 1, also at all the usual places, and also with an interesting cover image.  He shared the track list on Facebook: Cosmic Ride,  Fatal Love, Ode To A Nightingale, In Shadowland, Do Be Do (Day Trippin'), Not Your Hero, and All Hands.  Of course, In Shadowland is already out on YouTube. So go check it out there, and subscribe to Bruce's channel.

[AUG 21] In some silly Donna news, Pink News picked up an old story about a Marvel Comic movie idea called Dazzler,  that would have had Cher and KISS vs Donna and Village People. Cher would have been the Witch Queen and Donna would have been Queen Of Fire.  It's funny to read about now. If they had actually ever made the thing I think it would have become either a hysterically funny camp classic or an unmitigated career-ending disaster.  LOL  There is a PDF of the movie treatment. You can download it here.

[AUG 21] Moving on to something saner (although really, ANYTHING is saner than that Dazzler thing  LOL), in the land of covers there is a performer called REDHOUSE who has made a cover of If There Is Music There. It comes out on Friday (August 27) and keep an eye on his website for the appropriate links.  It will be interesting to hear his take on it - as far as I know this is the first cover of any of the Ordinary Girls songs.

[AUG 21] I think that brings us to YouTube. Let's start with a gem I never saw before until it turned up on Facebook. (Don't worry, this IS a YouTube link.) It is Donna promoting  Monday Night Football in 1994 with a variation of She Works Hard For The Money. (It almost makes me sorry I don't watch football. Although if I had known about this then, I would have! LOL)  Now the same YouTuber that posted this treasure has also been experimenting with remastering and enhancing some other Donna videos in 4k.  So far he has done Sunset People  and Bad Girls from the 1980 TV special,  and She Works Hard For The Money from the 1984 Grammys.  And in honor of the upcoming hurricane, let me leave you with Riding Thru The Storm.

[AUG 15] Happy Sunday all!  I'm going to start off with a throwback to earlier this summer when Boston held Donna Summer Day at Copley Square. I was just sent a video promoting the event featuring Officer Kim Tavares from the Boston Police. Watch it to the end - Officer Kim could totally moonlight as a singer if she wanted to.

[AUG 15]  Speaking of Boston,  New Kids On The Block and Bel Biv Devoe held a concert there recently and they sneaked in a little Hard For The Money in tribute to our girl.  :-)

[AUG 15]  In Johnnyswim news, the latest episode of the Johnnyswim Show is now streaming. In this one you get to see them silk-screening merchandise for one of their Live In The Backyard events.  If you are on Facebook, you can also catch Abner's silly video for the last episode (which was about getting chickens if you recall.)  The video is the Hen Debutante Ball.  lol 

[AUG 15] Bruce Sudano fans,  check out the press release for his new single on EINPresswire. Then head over to YouTube to watch the video for In Shadowland if you haven't already - or even if you have.  ;-)  If you like w hat you see, subscribe to his channel and click the bell so you get notifications when Bruce posts new content.  (That will also help your YouTube feed - you will get suggested videos based on channels you have subscribed to.) Did you know that as I write this, Bruce only has 880 subscribers? That's nuts because I know he has WAY more fans than that. Let's see if we can het him into the 4 digit category at least.  :-)

[AUG 15] Finally, in sad news this week, Singer-Songwriter Nanci Griffith has passed away. While she had written songs for many different artists, Donna Summer fans will probably know her most for the recording of From A Distance she did with Donna and Raul Malo for the 1996 album, One Voice.  My condolences to her family, friends and fans.

[AUG 15] That brings us to YouTube.  You know, I've already shared From A Distance this week, so let's stick with Donna's collaborations with others. So first up is Donna with Joss Stone on Try A Little Tenderness.  Then we have No More Tears with Westlife,  Donna with Seal on Crazy,  Donna with Mac Davis, Dolly Parton and Tom Jones on a gospel medley,  Donna with the Brooklyn Dreams on a Motown Medley, and of course, Donna with Barry Manilow on Could It Be Magic.

[AUG 6] Happy Friday all!  (Yes my schedule is a bit weird this week so I am fitting in the update while I can.  :-) ) So today's big news is Bruce Sudano's new single and video, In Shadowland.  It's gotten a really positive review on Music-News.com,  and while they have posted the video there, I recommend clicking through to YouTube itself for a bigger video and for the lyrics posted in the description.  I don't want to spoil anything other than to say the song has a really nice vibe to it similar to the Rainy Day Soul album, and the video has a story to tell in a sort of dream-like way. (Sorry, no Super Bruce or Honey the Cat.  LOL )

[AUG 6] In Johnnyswim news, since today is Friday there is a new episode of The Johnnyswim Show available to stream on Magnolia/Discovery+.  I haven't had a chance to see it yet, but from Amanda's Instagram post it looks like we will see Abner's growing obsession with the chickens he didn't actually want to get (at first). LOL

[AUG 6] In other Johnnyswim news, if you have Apple Music, you can hear the duo on episode 24 of Color Me Country Radio.

[AUG 6] In Donna news, she got mentioned in a couple of articles this week.  An article about Tony Armstrong included songs that were the soundtrack of his life (so far). The first one talked about was I Feel Love.  The Pratt Tribune had an op-ed piece about disco that name checks Donna near the end, and a piece from Far Out Magazine about Blondie's Heart Of Glass mentions that Debbie Harry loved Donna. (I knew there was a reason I liked her!  LOL)

[AUG 6] I don't know if you want to call this Donna news or Bruce news, but Bruce did a short segment  with Bernie Keith on BBC Radio where they talk about the infamous vault and the new I'm A Rainbow release.  Some of you can listen on the BBC website.  Those who are locked out by region restrictions (North America for sure, and probably almost anyone outside the UK) can catch it on YouTube.  And I think Bruce understand us fans pretty well judging by what he said in the beginning.  LOL  We must drive him absolutely nuts sometimes!  (Let me clarify that - I'm not saying he doesn't like us... it's more like a family thing. It's like you have a spouse or kids or parents and you love them to death, but yes they make you absolutely nuts sometimes with the things they do!  LOL)

[AUG 6] I think this brings us to YouTube. Well.... the vault has been mentioned, so let's go there! (Well, to the few things that have escaped anyway. )  So we have Ordinary Miracle (that only ever came out on a hard to find movie),  Freedom,  Adonai, Walk Hand In Hand, My Life (Junior Vasquez mix),  and the ballad version of I Will Live For Love.

[AUG 1] Greetings all and happy Sunday. Congrats to all the Olympians competing in Tokyo. Whether you medal or not, just getting to the Olympics is a huge achievement in and of itself - despite what media coverage might make you think.

[AUG 1] Well it's a new month so you know what that means - time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month we explore the fairy tale high we get from Once Upon A Time.

[AUG 1] First up this week, we have new single from the upcoming I'm A Rainbow release. This one is the Oliver Nelson mix of You To Me. It is available to buy/stream at all the usual places.

[AUG 1] Billboard recently posted an article called 8 Times MTV's Impact Was Seen At Awards Shows. Donna was credited as the first performance that was clearly influenced by MTV when she performed She Work Hard For The Money on the Grammys.

[AUG 1] Bruce Sudano fans - don't forget he has a new single coming out next week called In Shadowland which he describes as "an illusionary song and video." So you know what that means, right? There will be a video too.  :-)

[AUG 1] Johnnyswim fans - episode 4 of The Johnnyswim Show is streaming now. In it you get to find out how they came to raise chickens during their quarantine time.  Also in Johnnyswim news, check out their Instagram page where they have posted a video of Amanda and her friend making charcuterie boards for the family.

[AUG 1] Moving on to YouTube... let's go with some tracks that might inspire athletes. First up Stamp Your Feet.  Then we have One Of A Kind (I actually did hear that played after a sporting event a long time ago),  the unreleased Run With It,  the also unreleased Begin Again, She Works Hard For The Money (or for the NO money lol),  The Power Of One,  and finally,  Looking Up.

[JUL 24] Happy Saturday all!  First up this week is Johnnyswim. Episode 3 of their new series is available on Discovery+/Magnolia. Watch Abner tease the episode on the Johnnyswim Instagram page.  And check out our favorite duo talking about the Magnolia Network launch on FirstCoastNews.com.

[JUL 24]  Bruce Sudano fans - don't forget he has a new song coming out August 6 - In Shadowland.

[JUL 24] That brings us to YouTube. (Yes, already - it's a quiet week.)  Let's cover some of the lesser viewed official music videos. First up, the one that inspired this list, When Love Takes Over You.  Then we have Work That Magic,  All Systems Go,  The Woman In Me, Love Is In Control, Unconditional Love,  and Romeo.  (Donna isn't seen in that last one - it only uses movie clips. I'm sure a clever editor could fix that....  ;-) )

[JUL 18] Greetings all!  Let me give a special shout out to my European friends who are dealing with that crazy flooding. I hope you are your loved ones are all safe.  And another shout out to my North American friends who are going through the insane heatwave - yikes!  Stay safe!  I don't know - excessive heat in some places, storms in others, flooding, a pandemic.... I get the feeling Mother Nature is a bit cranky these days.

[JUL 18] On to the news! First up, the word on the upcoming Donna bio film that the estate is working on, is that they have a very rough cut put together so far.  Now they are looking at what else they want to add. So progress is definitely being made.  (That doesn't mean a release date is imminent. It just means they have enough stuff to put together and now they are seeing where the holes are, and what they need to fix.  It's sort of like writing a novel - you make a first draft, then the editor reads it and shows you everything you did wrong. Then you fix that and the editor reads it again and shows you everything you did wrong this time...  And hopefully several rewrites later, you have a decent book. LOL)

[JUL 18] Johnnyswim fans - the Magnolia Network is up and running on it's own app or on Discovery + and with that comes Johnnyswim's SECOND series for the network.  Their Home On The Road series was fully available as soon as Discovery+ launched, and now their second series, The Johnnyswim Show, is partially available to watch.  The first series followed the Johnnyswim team in their adventures on the road, and the new one follows their adventures in lockdown. The first 2 episodes are available now (and you get to watch them learn how to film themselves and how to throw their Live In The Backyard concerts).  New episodes debut weekly on Fridays.  (I'm trying to figure out why if the first series was called Home On The Road, the second wasn't called Home Off The Road?  LOL)

[JUL 18] TheList.com has posted an interview with Johnnyswim about the new TV show. And if you head to Johnnyswim's Instagram, you can see Abner's Mom make their favorite meal (as seen in episode 1 of The Johnnyswim Show), Ropa Viejo. (Looks yummy!)

[JUL 18] If you are in Mary's Once Upon A Diva group on Facebook, then you can catch her live video from this weekend.  And if you aren't in the group, then why not join?

[JUL 18] In the land of things that just make me laugh, apparently Minecraft players have the option to dress their little 8-bit characters in the "Donna Summer Rainbow Tissue Dress".  It's the dress that you see on the back of the Live & More album.  It sort of loses something in 8-bit though.  LOL

[JUL 18] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's start with this really cool find I was sent the other day - it's a minute of Donna singing Lady Of The Night. She's wearing a fur coat and standing in a parking garage and that clip is new to me!  Too bad it's not the full song.  I had the opportunity to talk to someone this week about Donna songs that resonate with me, so let me find clips for those songs.  First was Mimi's Song (as performed on The Tonight Show). Then I talked about On My Honor (this is a lyric video),  MacArthur Park (live in Belgium 2005),  Sand On My Feet (live in 2008),  Be Myself Again (live in 2008), and Netherlands (a Suecase Hall video).  And yes, I did tell this person about Christmas Spirit too  LOL , but I will save those songs for December for you. I probably could have listed a lot more songs, but who wants to hear me talk THAT long.  ;-) You know what though? This is a very ballad heavy list (no surprise there for those who know me!) so let me leave you with Crayons because I do love that one too.   :-)

[JUL 11]  Happy Sunday all!  We're going to start with Bruce this week. He has a new album coming out soon  called Ode To A Nightingale, and the first single will be out August 6. The single is called In Shadowland.

[JUL 11] Bruce did the My Backstage Podcast recently. In it he talks about the new album (and you get a little sneak peak). He also mentions that the tour of  Summer: The Donna Summer Musical will hit the road in the US starting in November. the Brazilian tour will also be back, but he didn't have a date for that yet, and there will be a production in London at some point as well.  The usual caveats apply - everything depends on how the COVID situation plays out. Here in the US things are opening back up (fingers crossed, knock wood,  you get it) but I know other places are not so lucky thanks to the new variants out there.

[JUL 11] Johnnyswim fans - the Magnolia Network officially launches on Discovery + and the Magnolia app this week.  So tune in and watch Johnnyswim Home On The Road if you haven't already. (And watch it again if you have!)  Also, keep a close eye on our favorite duo - they too have an album coming out soon.  Keep an eye on their Instagram for updates.

[JUL 11]  Brooklyn Sudano fans - you know you can catch her on Hulu in Cruel Sumer, but now you can also catch her in My Wife And Kids.  Hulu just picked up that series, and you can see Brooklyn in seasons 4 and 5.

[JUL 11] And finally, in sad news Italian singer, dancer, actress, TV host, Raffaella Carra has passed away.  Donna fans will probably best know her for this 1989 clip of the song Lovin You performed with Donna.  My condolences to Raffaella's family, friends and fans.

[JUL 11] That brings us to YouTube. Let's do some duets this time.  Of course we have to start with Heaven Knows (with the Brooklyn Dreams of course!).  Then we have Donna with Barbra Streisand on Enough Is Enough. This one is just the raw vocals from the recording session. Up next is A Whole New World with Dave Koz - it's not your traditional type of duet as Donna sings and Dave plays his sax. But it's still beautiful.  Next is Donna with Darwin Hobbs on When I Look Up,  then Donna with Paul Jabara on Something's Missing.  (Something IS missing... both Paul and Donna. Sigh.) And finally, (you know I have to do this, I love this clip so much!  LOL) - Donna with Barry Manilow on Could It Be Magic.

[JUL 3] Greetings all and Happy Canada Day to my Canadian friends, and Happy Independence Day to my American friends.

[JUL 3] On to the news. Stacker.com posted an article called Donna Summer: The Life Story You May Not Know.  Basically the site did some research and came up with 25 facts about Donna that casual fans might not know. (I'm sure there is nothing there that will surprise anybody here. LOL)

[JUL 3] Last week was the Donna Summer Party in Boston and Omega Red posted a video celebrating the event.  (Before you say it - no, they didn't use any music from the event in the video. I assume that's so YouTube wouldn't kill it for copyright reasons.)

[JUL 3] Moving on to Brooklyn Sudano -  she appeared on the Typology podcast recently, where they spent the hour trying to pin down her Enneagram type.  (For those who don't know, Enneagram types are a way of examining people's personality traits.  Googling will get you more detailed info and even show you how to take free tests to determine your type if you want. )

[JUL 3] And speaking of Brooklyn, her show Cruel Summer  was the subject of a recent article on Gruntstuff.com. The article is notable because it looks like it was Google translated from some other language.  Read it and you'll see what I mean. Anyway, the show is coming to Amazon Prime August 6 for people outside North America. For those checking it out for the first time - pay attention to every detail and enjoy the ride.   :-) (And then feel very old when you find out they had to teach the young actors how to use a walkman because they had no idea.  The show's Instagram pas a video of a bunch of the main actors interacting with things from the 90s.)

[JUL 3] In Johnnyswim news, I just found an article on TheList.com  called The Untold Truth Of Amanda Sudano. I'm not really sure how it's "untold" truth as everything they list comes from interviews Amanda gave at some point. Maybe they should call it the Told Truths?   LOL

[JUL 3] Oh, by the way, the new Magnolia Network starts streaming on Discovery+ and on the Magnolia app July 15. It will hit cable in January.  So if you are looking to see Johnnyswim's show - head to Discovery+.

[JUL 3] I think that brings us to YouTube. It's a bit of a mixed bag this week.  First up is a Suecase Hall video for the new version of I Believe In You.  Then we have a 2008 video of Donna on CBS This Morning. As I recall it was very popular when it aired.  After that is Donna singing On The Radio and Starting Over Again on the Tonight Show. (Listen to Bruce talk about Starting Over  Again on Border Crossings here.) And of course since it is Independence Day this weekend, we have to have Donna singing God Bless America and The Star Spangled Banner.

[JUL 1] Greetings all! It's a new month so it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick.  This month we get nostalgic with I Remember Yesterday.

[JUN 27] Happy Sunday all!  Well the big news this week is the release of I Believe In You (Figaro Sound Version).  It is the first track off the upcoming  I'm A Rainbow Recovered and Recoloured and you can find it in all the usual places you find singles. You can also listed to it on YouTube.  It's very different from the original which probably means you will either love it or hate it!  LOL Personally, I think it's pretty cool. :-)  It makes me eager to hear what they did with the other tracks. 

[JUN 27] Speaking of I'm A Rainbow, Instinct Magazine posted an article about the new release. There isn't much there we don't already know, BUT they do have larger versions of the cover art - front and back.  And I know some of you are in love with those photos! Then over in Italy, the Italian version of Billboard has an article written by super fan Andrea Angeli Bufalini.  The article is in Italian (of course) but you can get Google to translate it.

[JUN 27] The other big event this week was Donna Summer Day in Boston.  They had dancing instead of roller skating this year because they were using a smaller  space. (That seems to be a thing this year with events - they are all a little different than usual, since at the planning stages nobody was quite sure what pandemic restrictions would be in place.) Boston Globe has an article about the event, and if you are on Facebook check out some of the Donna Summer groups there. You will find photos. And if you are in Mary's group, you will find her photos and videos because she was there. (So weird - no masks in sight. I almost forgot that people have faces!  LOL)

[JUN 27] In the Donna is everywhere category, she was an answer on the game show Beat Shazam.  The game is basically a musical quiz show with teams competing to see who can answer the name of the songs the quickest. In the category of Divas, Donna was represented by her song Bad Girls. 

[JUN 27] And in the Donna's music is everywhere category, there is an internet show called Stars In The House hosted by Broadway's Seth Rudetsky and his husband James.  They usually host these Zoom reunions of starts from various TV Shows, Broadway Shows, etc. For Pride, they dropped the idea of a remote gathering and instead hosted a live-streamed Concert For America: Pride Edition.  They closed the show with Last Dance as sung by Broadway star Shoshana Bean.  (By the way, all the Stars In The House episodes are fundraisers for the Actor's Fund. )

[JUN 27]  In Johnnyswim news, I finished reading their book, Home On The Road.  I really enjoyed it! I mentioned last week that they wrote 2 stories about how they came up with the name Johnnyswim.  There are actually THREE real official final stories about how the band got its name. #3 might be the most creative one yet.  LOL  May I suggest that the next book be called How We Got Our Name, and it would be a compilation of all the stories they have told thus far, plus any new ones they come up with. Maybe the kids can help? LOL

[JUN 27] On to YouTube.  I ran into Donna's Walk Of Fame Ceremony recently and it was nice to watch again. So I'll share those with you this week.  So here is part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4.  And finally, footage of her star right after she passed in 2012.

[JUN 20 Again!] Holy cow, I can't believe I forgot to mention this!  Donna Summer Day in Boston is back again this year - June 24 6 to 9 PM at Copley Square. Bring your roller skates!

[JUN 20] Happy Father's Day all!  Let's start off with a "new" release.  I'm A Rainbow is being reissued in October as a CD and as a clear vinyl edition. Now this isn't like the other releases we've been getting where they take the albums we already know and love, spruce them up with liner notes, spiffy packaging, beautiful colored vinyl, etc....  They have taken this one a step further.  As the original album was never really finished, they've decided to revisit it and present a finished version for 2021.  Now this isn't what we would have gotten in 1981. The songs have been reimagined by today's producers and remixers - some of whom might not have even been born in 1981. (Ok, that made me feel old!  LOL)  The album has been slimmed down to 10 tracks - all remixed, and then there are a few bonus mixes added for good measure.  The new artwork is amazing and colorful - which is what an album called I'm A Rainbow deserves.  RetroPop magazine has an article about the release, and  Resident-Music.com has photos of the vinyl and the CD. The lead single is slated to be I Believe In You (Figaro Sound version) and you can expect to see that June 25.

[JUN 20] Remember the Neil Bogart biopic, Spinning Gold that has been a work in progress since... um... it feels like since Neil was born, but I may be exaggerating a little.  LOL But seriously, people started talking about it before Donna passed, and it looks like now it is finally moving forward again with some new casting announcements.  One of those announcements is they they have found their Donna Summer.  She will be played by a young singer/songwriter/actor named Tayla Parx.

[JUN 20] Brooklyn Sudano fans -  season 1 of Cruel Summer wrapped up this past Tuesday, and what an ending that was! It answered all the questions it needed to, but then opened up a new question that hopefully they will explore in the just announced season 2. Yup, the show has been renewed for another season.  Now, we haven't heard yet what a second season will mean.  Will they continue the story with the 2 girls, or will they explore some of the other characters. Will they stick with the same time period, or will they move forward a bit? Will all the characters be welcomed back, or only some of them?  Or will they start from scratch with  new characters and a new story. The only thing confirmed so far is that they will continue to use the non-linear form of story-telling.

[JUN 20] Johnnyswim fans - make sure you are subscribed to their newsletter. It is the best way to find out about new concert dates - especially since their upcoming tour is not quite set in stone yet. Just the other day, they added a second show in New York.

[JUN 20] And don't forget that Johnnyswim has a book out called Home On The Road.  I started reading it last night and now Amanda and Abner owe me a couple of hours of sleep.  LOL (I had a bit of trouble putting it down.)  I'm  about  a third of the way through the book and it's been Amanda and Abner taking it in turns to  explain how they met, how they got engaged, etc.  A couple of highlights so far - they have the actual official story of how they got the name Johnnyswim. (For those who are counting, I think this is actual official story #947.  LOL Update: I read a bit more and they have another actual official story about how they got their name - so story #948?  LOL And I still have more book left to read!)  And Amanda provided the answer to the question she gets a lot - what was it like to be the daughter of Donna Summer. Her answer is perfect and you will have to read the book to hear it.   :-)

[JUN 20] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's celebrate the version of I'm A Rainbow we are all familiar with as we await the new version. So first up is a fan video for the title track.  Then we have Romeo live in Spain,  Don't Cry For Me Argentina from a TV appearance,  a Suecase Hall video for True Love Survives,  a Disconet video for Highway Runner,  and a lyric video for I Need Time. And finally as a special bonus, To Turn The Stone from Summer: The Donna Summer Musical cast album.

[JUN 13] Happy  Sunday all! Let's start off with Johnnyswim. Their book, Home Sweet Road, is available now.  To celebrate, the couple did a .... well it was going to be Live In The Studio concert, but then they changed it to Live In The Livingroom.  They did a new song, some old songs, and they read from their book.  You can check it out on YouTube.

[JUN 13] But that's not the big Johnnyswim news. The real news is that they are going back out on the road this fall!  The dates are here, and if you want the inside scoop on new dates, etc, you need to sign up the Johnnyswim's newsletter. You can do that on their website.  Live shows are back!!!

[JUN 13] All Media Broadcasting has posted the "Ultimate Stock Aitken Waterman Top 40". Donna appears in 3 of the 4 parts.  In Part 2 you can see her at 16:55 With Love's About To Change My Heart at #26.  In Part 3, you see her at 33:12 with  I Don't Wanna Get Hurt at #12. (It looks like they recut the music video for that so it now includes footage of Donna singing the song mixed in with the original video footage. ) And finally in Part 4 you can see Donna at about 44:00 in the number 1 spot with This Time I Know It's For Real.  This clip also includes a bunch of people talking about Donna after the video ends.  I should mention that this list was voted on by fans and is definitely geared towards the UK. (The chart data that gets quoted here and there is all UK chart data.) Now if you want to see the entire list of songs without having to watch the whole videos, just zip to the end of each part and you can see a list of all the songs covered in each part.

[JUN 13] Speaking of Donna, I finally got to read the 33 1/3 Once Upon A Time Book by Alex Jeffrey that came out last month.  It was pretty interesting. It's broken into chapters that analyze the Cinderella story the album tells, and puts it in context of other Cinderella stories,  what was going on in Donna's life at the time the album came out, what was going on in society when the album came out, and of course this is all viewed through the lens of the author's personal experience of listening to the album.  As I said, it was very interesting to read. You may find yourself agreeing with the author, or you may find yourself disagreeing with the author.  But I can pretty much guarantee that after you read the book, you will want to pull the album out again and listen to it start to finish.

[JUN 13] Brooklyn Sudano fans - the finale of Cruel Summer is on Tuesday. And to get you in the mood, check out this interview with Brooklyn on YouTube.  And UK fans - Cruel Summer will hit Amazon Prime for you on August 6.  (2 tips for you guys when you watch: pay attention to everything and try to avoid spoilers!)

[JUN 13] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I think to celebrate live shows coming back, we should take a look at some live concerts.  First up, one I actually watched last night - Live & More Encore 1999. (What memories that brings back!!) Then we have Crayons from 2008,  Mistaken Identity 1991,  Brazil 1995, Japan 1987, and Italy 1977.

[JUN 6] Greetings all, and Happy Pride Month! I think it's actually safe to celebrate this year!   :-)

[JUN 6] Johnnyswim fans -  there book comes out in 2 days, but that's not all. They are announcing a TOUR as well. Look for that announcement in 2 days. If you head over to their website and sign up for their newsletter, the dates will come right to your email box.  Abner has said on Instagram, that they are creating special merchandise for the concert (like they do with the Live From The Backyard events) that you can buy in advance to wear to the shows. Concert season is back!

[JUN 6] In the Donna is everywhere category (or at least her style is), River City Fashion paid tribute to Donna's iconic looks last year (in an article that I only just found out about).  The article talks a bit about Donna's style and then features photos of a model dressed in outfits inspired by Donna's looks.

[JUN 6] Brooklyn Sudano fans - the penultimate episode of Cruel Summer debuts Tuesday.  We should be getting some more answers to the  questions that have been haunting viewers since the show began. Questions like: Who is lying?,  What secrets are being hidden?, What is the significance of the snow globe they showed last week?, Why isn't Brooklyn in more scenes and will she sing again? And the most important one - can this show have a satisfying conclusion while still leaving room for a (potential) season 2? We'll find out soon!

[JUN 6] On to YouTube. I guess for Pride it's only appropriate that we play a couple clips of Donna playing Gay Days in Orlando back in 2007.  (Sorry, the quality if these is not going to be all that great.  They were all filmed by fans - in the rain no less.) First up is MacArthur Park.  Then we have On The Radio,  and Last Dance.  This one has a bit of She Works Hard For The Money and Last Dance and the fireworks at the end.  And this one is Hot Stuff, but the sound is absolutely horrible.  And just to make up for the bad sound, here is Donna live for the Night of the Proms in Belgium 2005 (it's so much easier to listen to!  LOL) And since part of Pride is dressing up for the parades - well, here you go. Donna and Prince Poppycock dressed up for America's Got Talent.

[MAY 30] Happy Sunday all! And I hope my American friends are enjoying the holiday weekend. (And if you are, or even if you aren't, take a minute to remember the reason for the holiday.  Thank you to all the service people, vets and especially to those families who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.)

[MAY 30]  I'm going to start off this week with Brooklyn's show Cruel Summer because I told you last week that last week's episode was the season finale. Apparently I was reading the wrong sites.  LOL  There are actually THREE more episodes left - and thank god for that because I still have a bunch of questions I need answered!  (Like - when is Brooklyn's character gonna break out the karaoke machine again?  LOL) And according to the articles I've read fans will be on the edge of their seats until the very end.  :-)

[MAY 30] In Donna news, MusicRadar.com is doing a series of articles on the greatest synth sounds of all time.  #3 on their list is I Feel Love and they have lots of techy stuff about how to recreate the sound.

[MAY 30] Vinyl collectors - mark your calendars!  On July 9 we are looking at a Demon Record colored vinyl release of The Wanderer,  Cats Without Claws, All Systems Go, Another Place And Time, and Mistaken Identity. RetroPopMagazine.com has the announcement along with photos of the albums. As always, the colored vinyl looks gorgeous!

[MAY 30] Memorial Day weekend is traditionally a time when radio stations count down summer songs, and SiriusXM's Studio 54 channel is no different. They counted down the top 54 Disco songs as voted by the listeners. .  Bad Girls came in at #8, I feel Love at #6... and at #1?  None other than Last Dance!  :-) If you are a subscriber, you can catch the countdown on demand on the SiriusXM website.

[MAY 30] In the Donna's music is everywhere category, there is a song called Mr. Haze by Texas. It uses samples of Love's Unkind. (That's pretty cool - that one doesn't usually get much attention outside  the Donna fan community!)

[MAY 30] Since June 1 is just around the corner, I'll post the new Summer Fever Pick now and it is Four Seasons Of Love. I think that's an appropriate choice. I don't know about the rest of you, but around here Mother Nature has been a little weird and I swear I've experiences all 4 seasons just this week!  LOL

[MAY 30] And I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's start off with God Bless America and The Star Spangled Banner.  Then we have Amazing Grace live in Nashville,  Celebrate Me Home live in Japan,  and finally Let There Be Peace.

[MAY 23] Happy Sunday all!  Next weekend marks the official start of the summer season here in the  US, and things are starting to open up more around here (and I hope it's getting better all around the world too.)  So I suggest we all put on our dancing shoes, blast some Donna tunes and celebrate until we just can' dance anymore. (At my age, that probably won't take too long.  LOL)  Oh and let me apologize now the the recent flood of typos on the site. My spellcheck was accidentally turned off and I didn't realize it until now.  So now you all know what a crummy typist I am.  (My brain can spell - just not my fingers!  LOL)

[MAY 23]  In the land of Donna, I forgot to mention that I got my copy of 33 1/2 Once Upon A Time last week. I've been busy so I haven' t had time to do more than read the intro - but it looks fascinating.  The book itself is a small paperback (about the size of my hand) with about 120 pages of text.  From what I can tell. it looks like an academic look at the Once Upon A Time album.  Think back to school when you would discuss famous books in class - I think this is sort of the same idea.  I'm looking forward to sitting down with it later.

[MAY 23] In the Donna is everywhere category, Pitchfork.com has an article about the Sparks album No. 1 In Heaven that includes a discussion of Donna's I Feel Love.

[MAY 23] Rolling Stone just published an interview with Warren Ham who you may remember was part of Donna's touring band at one time. (You can see him in the Hot Summer Night concert.)  In it he talks about a lot of things including his time with Donna.  (He also talks about his time with Cher -  I know some of you guys are Cher fans too.)

[MAY 23] Johnnyswim fans -  Their book Home Sweet Road comes out June 8.  In honor of that, the duo is thinking of doing a Live From The Livingroom event where they will sing and maybe read some excerpts from the book.  They are looking at the first week of June, but they don't have a specific date set.  Keep your eyes on their Instagram.

[MAY 23] Bruce Sudano fans - I forgot to tell you last week that he is giving you the chance to win a Super Bruce Bobblehead. Details are on his YouTube channel, but I'll tell you now that the first step to win is to subscribe to his channel. (Click the bell too so you are notified when he posts something new.)  And if you haven't already subscribed to Bruce's channel, why not?  Don't be like my dad who just clicks random (and usually weird) things on YouTube and then doesn't know how to find them again. Subscribe to the stuff you like so you can always find it again!

[MAY 23] Brooklyn Sudano fans - the season finale of Cruel Summer debuts on Freeform on Tuesday night (Wednesday if you watch it on Hulu.)  Brooklyn's character has been more involved in the last couple of episodes (she has a really impressive scene in the last one in particular) so I expect to see her in the finale as well.  And for those who have been following the storyline, a recent interview with one of the stars confirms that while answers to the main plot will be gives, there will still be things to explore in potential future seasons.  So here's hoping that the series is renewed and we get to see plenty more of Brooklyn (maybe even with her karaoke  machine! LOL)

[MAY 23]  I think it's YouTube time.  In honor of the Once Upon A Time book, let's look at some music from that album.  First up, a  promo video for the title track.  (I feel like that aired on The Midnight Special at one time, but I might be misremembering.) Then we have Fairy Tale High/Faster And Faster live in Japan,  A Man Like You live on the Midnight Special,  I Love You live on The Tonight Show,  an alternate version of If You Got It Flaunt It, and a liveandmore video for Queen For A Day.  Finally, since it was 9 years ago today that Donna was laid to rest,  I want to mark the occasion  with one of Donna's final public performances of Last Dance.  We still miss you Donna.

[MAY 16] Greeting all! My second COVID shot is done and I celebrated by sleeping ALL DAY yesterday. (That's not an exaggeration, the shot really did knock me on my butt! )  But today I am feeling energetic enough to celebrate all things Donna on the eve of the 9th anniversary of her passing.  In honor of that, Suecase Hall has made a new tribute video to Donna that you can watch here.

[MAY 16] In the Donna is everywhere category this week,  We have Series 3 episode 3 of Pose being heavily influenced by Donna (look and music).  And then episode 3 of the Netflix series Halston features a scene set in Studio 54 where you can here Spring Affair.  It just goes to show that Donna's music will always be with us.

[MAY 16] Bruce Sudano fans, Bruce posted his video for Walking Down The Road on Facebook the other day, and in his post he teased a new song and video from a new project coming in about a month.   :-)

[MAY 16] Brooklyn Sudano fans - last week (FINALLY) featured some more Brooklyn and she even got to sing. (Wait don't get too excited - it was just karaoke. It's not like she hired a band and took over the whole show or anything.  LOL)  BUT - it did make me figure out everything finally.  Those of you who have been watching, see if this makes sense to you. Jeannette was completely complicit in Kate's kidnapping because it was part of her master plan to get to someday sing karaoke with Brooklyn Sudano....  (And if that's NOT the actual answer to the mystery, then I will be really mad.  LOL)  But seriously, episode 6 debuts Tuesday on Freeform (Wednesday on Hulu) and I believe there are only supposed to be a total of 7 episodes, to they better start answering some questions SOON.  The teaser for episode 6 does show Brooklyn, so we will get to see more of her this week.  If you haven't been watching the show yet, start binge watching now to catch up!

[MAY 16] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Well, I have to start off with this one -Donna and Barry having way too much fun with Could It Be Magic.  Unfortunately this is only a small pieces of the original, the longer versions seem to have vanished (for now).  And speaking of videos that won't last long, there is this full length video from Broadway.  Then another favorite of mine, the ballad for I Will Live For Love.  And looking to tomorrow, I have another Suecase Hall video with celebrities remembering Donna,  and finally 2 songs that I feel Donna left for us as a way of saying goodbye - Omega Red's Angel and her cover of Netherlands.

{MAY 16] And finally - my MS walk was officially yesterday, but since it is virtual again this year I can do it any time I like so hopefully the weather will allow me to walk next weekend. My usual walking buddy will be back and I won't need to sleep off the COVID shot anymore. I'll see if I can film something fun for the occasion.  :-) Thank you to all who contributed - and even though WalkMS might not count the December 2020 donations  as going towards this walk, I do count them.  :-) You guys ROCK!

[MAY 9] Happy Mother's Day all!  Let me start off with an announcement for next week's update. I'm scheduled for my second COVID vaccine on Friday, and the word is that sometimes the second shot hits you harder than the first.  So if this shot knocks me on my butt, then the update will be late.  But no matter how I react to the shot - at least I will be that much closer to normal life!  :-)

[MAY 9] Speaking of things returning to normal - Broadway is scheduled to reopen later this year, along with tons of local theaters.  So keep an eye on your local theater community news.  Some of you will find that you won't just get the joy of seeing any show, but you may find that Summer: The Donna Summer Musical is heading your way.   :-)

[MAY 9] Brooklyn Sudano fans - Cruel Summer is still doing really well. I only wish I could just binge it instead of having to wait a week for each new part of the story!  LOL I did get an alert in my email  about the show from a source speculating on whether there was going to be a second season.  Basically, all the article said was "We don't know and nobody associated with the show is talking."  In my opinion, I don't think we could possibly know for sure if there will be a second season until we find out how the first season ends.  And I will put forward my predictions on the ending right here. Either the butler did it, or the ship sank, or Rosebud was the sled.  (Or perhaps I am mixing up my story endings?  :-)  )

[MAY 9] Johnnyswim fans -  Don't forget they have a book coming out June 8 called Home Sweet Road.  You can pre-order an autographed copy on BooksAMillion.com.  And if you go to the Random House website, you can read an excerpt from the book. Also, Rolling Stone picked their new song, Best Thing Ever, as one of their Country Music Picks for the week of May 3.

[MAY 9] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up an interview clip with Donna and her parents.  Then we have Mimi's Song from the Music For Unicef concert, an audio clip for Brooklyn, State Of Independence live from the Hot Summer Night Concert,  a Suecase Hall video for Part Of My World (featuring Brooklyn & Amanda),  and a video celebrating Summer: The Musical featuring Donna's daughters' introduction at the Tonys.

[MAY 2] Happy Sunday all!  First things first - it's a new Month, so it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month we celebrate A Love Trilogy.

[MAY 2]  Let's start off with The Oscars.  In a very strangely formatted show (Thanks COVID), they took a break in the middle to to do a music trivia quiz.  In it they played a clip of a song and asked someone in the audience to guess if the song was an Oscar winner, a nominee or none of the above.  They played a snippet of Donna Summer, and the celebrity audience member got it wrong - but that led to Donna being name checked several times.  :-)  You can watch the segment on Pitchfork.com - and as a bonus you can watch Glenn Close dance to Da Butt.  LOL

[MAY 2] Bruce Sudano fans - he did a Facebook Live concert for Farm Fresh Radio.  You can still catch it on Facebook if you missed it.

[MAY 2] Johnnyswim fans - our favorite duo has a new video out now for the song Best Thing Ever (from the Netflix film A Week Away.)  I have to say, the more I hear the song the more nostalgic I get for the times when we could go out and have fun on a beautiful summer day. I really hope those days are coming back SOON!

[MAY 2] And finally for Brooklyn Sudano fans - Freeform's Cruel Summer is Freeform's biggest multi-platform premiere ever.  So far 3 episodes have aired, and I am totally sucked into the mystery of these characters. Now I will say that Brooklyn hasn't had much to do yet, but don't wait for her episodes to tune in because you will be hopelessly lost if you do.  This a show you have to see from the beginning and pay close attention to.

[MAY 2] I think that brings us to YouTube. In honor of our Summer Fever Pick, I think we'll head back to 1976.  First up is Try Me from American Bandstand. Then we have Could It Be Magic from German TV,  Come With Me live in Venezuela, and a TV performance of Wasted with lots of bubbles.  LOL

[APR 25] Happy Sunday all!  Let's start with a time sensitive item. Bruce Sudano fans will want to  check out his Facebook Live tomorrow (Monday April 26) at 3PM ET on Farm Fresh Radio's Facebook page.  You can even try asking about Honey the cat in the comments.  LOL

[APR 25] Brooklyn Sudano fans - her new show Cruel Summer is now available on Hulu (well the first 2 episodes are so far), and new episodes will be on Freeform on Tuesdays at 10 or Hulu on Wednesday. I got to check out the show this week and it looks VERY interesting - if you are into the whole suspense/mystery genre.  I will warn you that this is the sort of show that you have to pay attention to. In a nutshell, the series is the story of 2 teenage girls. When it starts out, one is a nerdy girl with braces, and the other is the cool girl. The cool girl gets kidnapped and is missing for a couple of months, and the nerdy girl is accused of being complicit (sort of) in the kidnapping.  The story unfolds over the course of 3 years and this is why you have to pay close attention - they jump from year to year sometimes in just one scene.  For instance there was a scene of the nerdy girl in her bedroom. You watch her put something down in 1993 and the camera follows her hand, then it pans back up and you see 1994 girl looking at herself in the mirror, the camera pans again and it's 1995 girl in the room.  It probably sounds confusing just from what I'm writing, but if you watch it's pretty easy to tell which year you are in because the events of the story cause significant changes to the characters. It also looks like the episodes will each concentrate on the point of view of one character. The first one was from the point of view of the nerdy girl, the second was from the point of view of the cool girl. And tonight Brooklyn posted a clip on Instagram from episode 3 which makes me feel like that one may be from the point of view of the boyfriend.  A word of warning for those tuning in just to see Brooklyn - she hasn't had much to do yet. I'm sure that will change as the story unfolds. BUT - don't wait until she has a big episode to tune in - you will be hopelessly lost!

[APR 25] Speaking of Brooklyn, new shows come with lots of publicity. So check out this article called "10 Things You Didn't Know About Brooklyn Sudano."  (Although if you look at entry #1, I'm sure most of us will say it's only 9 things - or less  LOL that we didn't know.) And then there is an article about where you have seen the Cruel Summer actors before.

[APR 25]  I think that brings us to YouTube. I have an eclectic mix this time of clips that have come my way.  First up is Donna on one of Mac Davis' TV specials singing Last Dance.  (Yes, I am cheating - that's on Vimeo.  LOL) Also from one of Mac Davis' shows - Donna singing A Song For You. Then we have Songs That Changed Music: I Feel Love.  And finally a "missing" episode of Dick Clark's Live Wednesday with Donna as the guest.  I say "lost" because I remember looking forward to seeing the show back in the day and then for some reason I didn't get to.  I feel like maybe it was pre-empted by baseball in my time zone. Or something like that.  The link is for the whole show. Donna performs twice - MacArthur Park and Last Dance.  And finally, a look back at Summer: The Donna Summer Musical at the Tony's (and more) courtesy of Suecase Hall.

[APR 25] I should have announced this sooner - but time seems to be getting away from me. (I blame the pandemic!  LOL)  I am walking for MS again this year.  The official walk date is May 15, but it will be a virtual event again this year.  If you would like to donate, my link is here. And if you already donated back in the beginning of the year when I launched the 2021 page in the hopes of getting some of Facebook's matching donations - THANK YOU. (You guys were far more generous than Facebook..... ) I will have some little thank you trinkets to hand out. I haven't decided what yet, but there will be something.  :-)

[APR 18] Greetings all!  First things first - if next week's update is late, don't freak out. I am (FINALLY) getting my COVID vaccination next weekend! (Very excited about that!!) Anyway,  I know sometimes there are nasty side effects, so if I end up feeling awful then the update will be delayed. On the other hand, if I feel fine, then I will be celebrating with lots of Donna tunes! LOL

[APR 18]  In the Donna is everywhere category, She was part of a Jeopardy question (or maybe I should say answer seeing how the game is played) recently. The $1000 clue in a duet category was "She joined Neil Diamond on 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers' and sang 'No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)' with Donna Summer." The correct response of course is Barbra Streisand.

[APR 18] In musical news,  look for Summer: The Donna Summer Musical to hit Proctors in Schenectady, NY December 7 to 12, 2021.  That is, of course, assuming that their projections are correct and they can oped at full capacity by December.  I would say, start looking for more announcements like this.  With the vaccines becoming more available all the time (at least here in the US - I hope everywhere else as well!) I think we will see more live entertainment become available.

[APR 18] Brooklyn Sudano fans - don't forget her new show, Cruel Summer, debuts on Tuesday April 20 on the Freeform cable network, and then the next day on Hulu.  If you follow Brooklyn on Instagram (or even Amanda - she joined her sister for the Cruel Summer premiere) then you saw how they handled the big  press premiere in LA.  They put everybody in hotel rooms with balconies that faced out to a courtyard (or roof?) with a giant screen where they projected the first episode. I thought that was a really creative way to handle an event like that in COVID times.

[APR 18] Mary Gaines Bernard Fans - look for her to post a new story on Patreon on Wednesday April 21. It will eventually show on on Facebook as well.  :-)

[APR 18] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Remember a few weeks ago someone had posted the various tracks that make up MacArthur Park? Well that same user has done it to one extent or another for Bad Girls,  Love Is In Control, and Love To Love You. The links I gave you all go to playlists for the songs. Remixers - go have fun! Oh - I also see the drums for Hot Stuff. I'll make this a playlist too in case I find more.)

[APR 11] Happy Sunday all!  Let's jump right in with one for all you fashionistas out there.  i-D.vice.com recently posted their list of Donna's 7 most iconic outfits.  (They seem to be very fond of 1979.)

[APR 11] VinylMePlease.com is selling a blue vinyl copy of Bad Girls that was remastered from the original source tapes. A fan who purchased it said the sound quality is absolutely amazing, and the blue vinyl is gorgeous.  His only real complaint was about the quality of the cover - the front is a bit washed out, and the back is darker than it should be. He said you can also see pixels if you look closely enough.  The inner red sleeves with the lyrics are printed on a heavier paper than usual, but they do stick out of the main sleeve just a bit.  But it sounds to me like he is so impressed with the sound quality of this release that any issues with the cover are irrelevant.  :-) His exact quote was" Donna's vocals almost seem live now like you are listening in the booth with her."

[APR 11] Former "Diva Donna" from the musical, Ariana DeBose did a brief AMA (ask me anything) on Twitter today. In it she was asked what her favorite Donna Summer song is - the MacArthur Park Suite, and she was asked if she could have lunch with any of the characters she's portrayed, who would she pick. Her choice was Donna Summer.  :-)

[APR 11] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I'm in the mood for some covers tonight. First up, Nights In White Satin live.  Then we have Pearls live in Westbury NY,  Georgia On My Mind (audio only), Natural Woman live (audio only),  Superstar live at the Hollywood Bowl (accompanied by Richard Carpenter),  and Nature Boy live at the Hollywood Bowl.

[APR 4] Happy Easter to all of you who observe it. Happy Sunday to everyone else!  First up - it's a new month so it's time for the new Summer Fever Pick. Spring is in the air, so it's time for Love To Love You Baby.  :-)

[APR 4] On to Donna.... The Grammy website posted an article celebrating women singers who shaped dance music.  Of course you know they had to talk about I Feel Love.   :-)

[APR 4] Johnnyswim fans - our favorite duo has something sneaky up their sleeves in honor of the 1 year anniversary of their first Song with Strangers.  It just might be... more songs with strangers.  ;-)  Watch their Instagram for more info.

[APR 4] Brooklyn Sudano fans -  don't forget her new series Cruel Summer debuts on April 20 on Freeform (or the next day on Hulu).

[APR 4] Musical theater fans... Here in the US, things are starting to look hopeful.  There is talk of theaters being allowed to open this fall (if not sooner) with the appropriate pandemic protocols in place.  Broadway in Boston has already started selling subscriptions for a season  slated to start this coming November. Included in their lineup will be Summer: The Donna Summer Musical slated for February 22 to March 6, 2022.  Obviously this could all change depending on how things go with the pandemic, but I feel like we actually might have a light at the end of the tunnel!

[APR 4] And that brings us to YouTube.  In keeping with the holiday, let's look at Donna's spiritual songs.  First up, Amazing Grace. Then we have a gospel medley from the Mac Davis Show,  How Great Thou Art,  Forgive Me,  Riding Thru The Storm, and He's A Rebel.

[MAR 29] Greetings all.  First things first - I just bought a new computer so that's why this update is late. I had the update all written out, and then I couldn't publish. I found out that the problem was that I am a dumbass.  LOL

[MAR 28] On to the news.  Johnnyswim was live in the backyard the other day. You can now watch it on YouTube.

[MAR 28] Spring cleaning season is here and The Atlantic posted a playlist to keep you motivated while doing the work. Donna made the list with a surprising choice - Pandora's Box.  Not many casual fans would know that one.  :-)

[MAR 28] Bruce fans - check out his interview with Glide Magazine.

[MAR 28] And because I need to get back to beating my head against a wall with the new computer - this will bring us to YouTube.  Let's do some interviews to keep things easy. First up A&E's Biography.  Then we have another documentary here, and the Signed Media interview here.  Fingers crossed - I'll be back to normal next weekend!

[MAR 21] Greetings all!  Let's start off with a reminder that Johnnyswim will be Live In The Backyard this coming Tuesday (March 23). They are going with a 90s Spring Break theme, so look for some beachy limited edition merchandise to hit their webstore tomorrow morning. They will have cups, shirts, hats, etc all starting tomorrow at 8AM PDT. Get there early if you want to buy - their stuff sells out fast!

[MAR 21] And speaking of Johnnyswim, they wrote a new song called The Best Thing Ever that will be in the Netflix release, A Week Away that debuts Friday March 26.  The soundtrack  is already available on streaming services like Spotify. (Hey the new song sounds like it would fit in with Live In  The Backyard!)

[MAR 21] In honor of the Grammy Awards, CMT.com posted its list of 5 Essential Historic Country Music Grammy Moments. Right off the bat, they start with Donna and Kenny Rogers' duet of Grammy nominated songs.  :-)

[MAR 21] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up, a video I haven't seen for awhile - the edited version of Donna hosting American Bandstand.  (Bandstand was a 1 hour show, but at one point VH1 started airing half hour edits of the shows under the title The Best Of American Bandstand.) Donna was the only person other than Dick Clark to ever host.  That was 1978. She also did the show as a guest in 1976 where she sang Love To Love You and Try Me,  and she was on the Christmas 1984 Episode where she did Supernatural Love and I'm Free, which you can see in the VH1 edited version of the show.  She also sang some Christmas songs on that show, but that video seems to have disappeared off YouTube for now. Donna also did aninterview with GMA and Dick Clark in which they showed a clip of Donna hosting Bandstand t hat didn't make the edited VH1 version.

[MAR 14] Happy Sunday all! And Happy Pi Day. (This concludes the math portion of the update.  LOL)  On a personal note, I was finally able to schedule appointments for COVID vaccinations for me and my parents, so I feel like there might be a light at the end of this long quarantine tunnel! Maybe some live shows this summer? Is it too much to hope for?

[MAR 14] On to the news! On the Donna front, we have a couple of webpages that turned up recently. The first is on Amo Mama and is  a biography of sorts focusing on Donna's family. It give a little background on Donna, then it talks about Bruce, and then each of the girls. I don't think there is much there that most of us didn't already know, but it's a fun read anyway.  The other page is on Who's Dated Who, and it's just what you'd think from the site name.  There isn't much there, and at least some of what is there is just silly gossip.  The fun of this site is the 6 degrees of separation search.  Type in any celebrity name and the site will see if it can find connections between Donna and that celebrity.  Naturally (if you are me  LOL), you type in a ridiculously improbable celebrity name in the hopes of stumping their computer.  You'd be surprised at what it comes up with sometimes.  And as long as we are talking silly things.... some of you might have seen some animated photos of Donna on Facebook. There is a site that does that.  It's the Deep Nostalgia app on the My Heritage website. It's meant for uploading old photos of your deceased ancestors to give you an idea of what they were like when they were alive. It's sort of a creepy version of the moving photos from the Harry Potter films.  It's fun to play with, but I wouldn't use it on a photo of anybody I cared about just because it is kind of creepy.

[MAR 14] Ok - let's move on to something that's not silly.  As you know, Bruce was on Plymouth Rock TV's  Sunday Story Tellers last week.  Those shows to become available on demand eventually.  The latest episode they put on demand was from about 2 weeks ago I think, so we may see Bruce's episode up next weekend.

[MAR 14] Also, Bruce was interviewed by Dave Marsh this morning on SiriusXM channel 106 on Kick Out The Jams With Dave Marsh.  If you have SiriusXM, you can probably catch a replay on demand on the Sirius XM website next week.  They have previous episodes posted on demand now, but the most recent one was from last Sunday.

[MAR 14] Bruce's fellow Brooklyn Dream, Joe Bean Esposito, was interviewed recently by New Jersey Stage. It's a pretty good overview of his entire career and yes, he does talk about working with Donna.  LOL

[MAR 14] Johnnyswim fans - catch them live in the Backyard on March 23 at 5:30.... I just realized that that they said PST, but I believe that should be PDT now?  They are going with a Spring Break theme, and I know they are working on new merch for the show.  :-) Keep an eye on their Instagram for updates, and of course the show will be aired on both Instagram and YouTube.

[MAR 14] You can also catch Johnnyswim doing an AMA on the Magnolia Network's Instagram. And they FINALLY give the true story of how they came up with the band name! (Or did they?  LOL)

[MAR 14] Oooo- BREAKING NEWS on YouTube! Harry Langdon literally just published a video on The Wanderer photoshoot.

[MAR 14]  So that does bring us to YouTube finally. I'm feeling the need for live music, so let's have some concerts this time. First up, Crayons 2008.  Then we have Brazil 1995, Mistaken Identity 1991,  Spain 1990, and finally an audio from Japan 1979 that is longer than the usual video that's been on YouTube forever.  This audio is 1:17 instead of 45 minutes.

[MAR 6] Greetings all! It's pretty quiet this week so let's start off with a new remix. This one is the 2021 Impassioned Lockdown mix of Love To Love You made from the original multitracks.

[MAR 6] In the Donna is everywhere category, Broadway World posted an article in honor of Women's History Month about Broadway shows based on real women in history. And Yes Summer: The Donna Summer Musical was on that list.  Which brings me to item #2 -  this week Jeopardy featured this question (wait... I mean answer. You know how the game works.  LOL ) "In the roles of Diva Donna, Disco Donna and Duckling Donna, 3 actresses played this 1970s singer in a 2018 show." Apparently the 3 contestants gave 3 different answers - Cher, Mama Mia and finally the correct answer, Donna Summer.

[MAR 6] Mary Gaines Bernard fans - she has a new video up on Patreon. This one is called Prankster Duet. If you don't have Patreon, you will be able to see the story on the Facebook group probably next weekend.  :-)

[MAR 6] Bruce Sudano fans - look for him on The Sunday Story Tellers Series tomorrow night at 6pm on the Plymouth Rock TV channel on Roku, Distro TV, AppleTV, Amazon Fire TV and the PRTV app for iOS and Android. Also catch Bruce in the new video from Christian John Wikane where he asks 8 people to talk about their greatest challenge.  The video is here and Bruce is the second guest in the video.

[MAR 6] Johnnyswim fans: check out their latest interview for Relevant Magazine talking about their life during lockdown.

[MAR 6] That brings us to YouTube. Let's have a few laughs this week. First up, a 20 min compilation of clips with varying levels of humor.  Then we have a 2008 clip of Donna (and Bruce) being silly,  Donna on Regis & Kathie Lee having fun, a Vimeo clip with Donna being VERY silly, and Donna with Barry Manilow having way too much fun with Could It Be Magic.

[FEB 28] Greetings all! Tomorrow starts a new month, so we have a new Summer Fever Pick. This time we go back to Lady Of The Night.  Also, here in the US, February is Black History Month and March is Women's History Month.  Since Donna fits into both categories, it is your  assignment to spend the rest of today and tomorrow listening to all your favorite Donna songs.  ;-)

[FEB 28] We have a couple of new YouTube documentaries on Donna that were posted recently. One is Why Are They Iconic: Donna Summer, and the other is The Tragic Tale Of Donna Summer.  Diehard fans are not going to find any new info there - particularly if you read Donna's autobiography.  (And if you haven't, Amazon has it available for the Kindle at a normal price, or as a hard cover at many wildly different prices.)

[FEB 28] Brooklyn Sudano fans - her new TV series Cruel Summer debuts on April 20 on the Freeform network. It will be also on Hulu, with new episodes airing there the day after they debut on Freeform. You can read more on IndieWire, and on TVLine. (The latter also has a video trailer.)

[FEB 28] Bruce Sudano fans - Vents Magazine has an article about Bruce's latest single, It Don't Take Much.  Also, keep an eye on Bruce's Instagram. He posted a contest recently and said to stay tuned for more.

[FEB 28] Johnnyswim fans - catch them in EW.com's article on the Magnolia Network. The article also features a video with a short clip from Amanda & Abner's second series - At Home With Johnnyswim which then flows into a conversation between our favorite duo and Chip & Joanna Gaines.

[FEB 28] Here's a silly thing for you. If you haven't done it yet, stream episode 3 (Charleston) of Home On The Road with Johnnyswim with the subtitles ON . (That's available on Discovery+). Here's the thing. Someone somewhere put the wrong subtitle file on the episode, so instead of seeing what Johnnyswim is saying, you see the subtitles from some gardening show. And that creates some interesting juxtapositions at times.  For instance, as Abner talks about the venue they are scheduled to play, the subtitles say something to the effect of "this used to be a big compost heap..."  LOL  I'd love to find the gardening show and see if it has the Johnnyswim subtitles.

[FEB 28] OK, I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's celebrate our Summer Fever Pick this time.  So first up, an excellent quality clip of Lady Of The Night from a European TV appearance.  Then we have another great clip for The Hostage, also from European TV.  After that we have a lyric video for Wounded, another one for Let's Work Together Now, and one for Virgin Mary.  And finally a bonus lyric video for Can't Understand.

[FEB 21] Happy Sunday all! Last time I mentioned the Donna Summer documentary that's in the works. Well, Brooklyn posted an Instagram story on her account where she talks about the documentary and how she and the family would love for the fans to be a part of it. So she reiterated the call for  film, photos, memorabilia, stories about how Donna impacted your life, etc. If you have things you would like to share, send an email to  thedonnadoc@gmail.com explaining just what you have.  :-) And then they will get back to you.  Brooklyn's post is gone now (because that's how Instagram stories work - they vanish after awhile), but you can follow Brooklyn on Instagram so you don't miss any future posts.  (I will warn you, Brooklyn is not as prolific on social media as her younger sister is.  It's possible that makes her smarter than all of us.  LOL)

[FEB 21] Mary Gaines Bernard is also working on a project with the help of her daughter the Marvelous Xe. To find out more about that, you gotta join the Facebook group!   :-)

[FEB 21]  Johnnyswim fans -  Their Love In The Backyard concert is now available on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.  You can also catch their watch party for Home On The Road with Johnnyswim (now streaming on Discovery+). That is broken into 3 parts and is basically just Amanda & Abner's Quaran-Team (who do all their live in the backyard stuff) watching the show and commenting on things as they go along. In between they answer a few questions and sing a few songs.  For each episode (there are 6) they give you a countdown so you can hit play the same time they do.  Catch part 1 here, part 2 here and part 3 here.  Now whether you stream the watch party or now, when you watch the show on Discovery+, look for a guest appearance by Bruce Sudano in the Long Island episode (#5).  There is also some discussion about Donna in that one so Donna fans will be interested too.  :-)

[FEB 21] One bit of info that slipped out during the watch party is that their next series of At Home With Johnnyswim (which takes place during lockdown) is expected to come out July 15.  That's when the Magnolia network officially launches on cable, so check with your cable provider for more details. (Or if you have cut the cord - just go with Discovery+.  I was surprised when I signed up for the trial just how many channels are in the Discovery network. This is a streaming service I might actually keep!) Oh, I almost forgot, there are a couple of t-shirts available at Johnnyswim.com to celebrate the watch party.

[FEB 21] Also in Johnnyswim news, they have a book coming out on June 8 called Home Sweet Road: Finding Love, Making Music & Building A Life One City At A Time. It's a collection of stories, photos, poetry, recipes (they are major foodies!  LOL) and more from their live on the road.  It's available for pre-order at places like Amazon now. And there will be autographed copies available on Johnnyswim.com at some point.

[FEB 21] Bruce Sudano fans -  his new single, It Don't Take Much (starring Honey the cat  LOL) is now #124 on the BDS Building chart. If you haven't checked out the video yet, it's on YouTube.

[FEB 21] And speaking of YouTube... let's see what Donna goodies I'm in the mood for tonight.  Well it snowed here the better part of the last couple of days, so every thing I see around me is white. Let's do some tracks that go with that. So of course there is White Christmas.  Then there is White Boys from Hair,  and Donna's cover of Nights In White Satin.  Umm....  then I guess we can go with Dim All the Lights (because she's turning her brown body white? Yes It's a stretch  LOL), and Reflections from Divas 2000 (because it did snow that morning - I had to drive to the train station in it.  LOL) And I have to end with Enough Is Enough because I'm pretty sure I said that after the 3rd or 4th time I shoveled out my driveway!  LOL Is it Spring yet??

[FEB 12] Happy Friday all!  I'm back early this week because I have some news for you (and because I plan to be watching Johnnyswim Live In The Backyard on Sunday - more on that in a bit.)

[FEB 12] Some of you have seen this on Facebook or the Fan Club site already,  but I am now officially authorized to make this announcement:

"The long awaited authorized documentary of one of the greatest vocalists is in production, and we are looking to you for help!

Donna Summer is calling on her loyal fanbase to check those attics, dust off those boxes and dive into any treasured materials you may have been holding onto for a moment just like this!

We have been working with Donna’s family to uncover untold treasures that will bring this film to life, but now we need YOU to show Donna’s story in a way that has never been done before!

Donna’s fans were family to her – her extensive journals speak to this – which is why we are asking you to help us portray the amazing, sometimes even life changing experiences that this legendary performer’s shows could have on those who were there at the time, and you can do this by sharing your beloved personal materials of Donna Summer including:

*Donna Summer performance footage/photos/ticket stubs/t-shirts/vintage merchandise
*Photos / home videos of you / your friends at a Donna Summer show (snap-shots, S8mm film, VHS video, etc.)
*You in a present day video telling us what Donna meant to you and how her music influenced you
*Ephemera/posters advertising the performances
*Newspaper clippings from your local print publication highlighting/advertising the shows

Please contact us if you may have something to contribute to this project but do not send any photos or videos initially -- only send us a short note telling us what you have available, including the show date and a general description of what you have (example: “June 17, 1978 at the Universal Amphitheater, 8mm silent footage shot and owned by myself.”)

Please make clear what year(s) the material was shot, what format it was shot in, and the format it is currently in. (i.e. 8mm, 16mm, digital, etc.)

Send the descriptions of your photos, audio, and/or films to us at thedonnadoc@gmail.com, and we will follow up about reviewing your material. Thank you, and stay in touch!"

This came to me from a gentleman named Daniel who is working with Donna's family and who is definitely interested in making this documentary great.  So if you have anything that you think might be of interest, please  email a LIST of what you have to thedonnadoc@gmail.com. Once they figure out what is out there and what they can use, they will be in touch with individuals with info on how to send them the actual stuff.   :-)

[FEB 12] So let's get back to Johnnyswim Live In The Backyard, or as they are calling it this time, Love In The Backyard. The merchandise is already available for sale on Johnnyswim.com as of this morning (and some things are sold out already - you have to be quick with them!  LOL) The concert itself is Sunday at 6:30 PST and should make for a nice COVID era date night. Just picture a quiet romantic dinner at home followed by a Johnnyswim concert right there in your living room.  :-) Also, don't forget you can catch the entire season of Johnnyswim Home On The Road on Discovery+ on Friday February 19. Watch their Instagram for more details.

[FEB 12] Bruce Sudano fans - his new video is out right in time for Valentine's Day. The song is It Don't Take Much (Because I Do) and stars animated Bruce with his animated band the Brucettes. It's an homage to his animated cat Honey, and features appearances by the Super Bruce Bobblehead, and the magic chair from Keep Doin' What You're Doin'.  You can catch the video along with an article about the song on Parade.com. Oh - if you actually have a cat, don't make my mistake. I watched with one of my cats and now I think she's getting ideas..... sigh

[FEB 12] I think that brings us to YouTube.  It's Valentine's weekend.... since Donna doesn't have any songs about chocolate, then I guess we have to go with the theme of love. Gee, I wonder if she recorded any songs about that?  LOL So we have I Feel Love from The Midnight Special,  I Love You from Johnny Carson,  Donna's cover of The Power Of Love, No Ordinary Love Song (written for Ordinary Girl),  To Paris With Love, I Will Live For Love (the ballad), and of course we have to include Love To Love You Baby, this one live in 1977. Happy Valentine's Day all!

[FEB 7] Greetings all! It's another snow day here in NY - I guess that's Mother Nature's way of making me exercise? (That snow doesn't shovel itself!  LOL)

[FEB 7] Let's start off with Johnnyswim.  On Sunday the 14th, they will be Live In The Backyard for a Valentine's Day concert, and Abner has already started teasing the merchandise. Something about mixtapes? I guess we'll find out later in the week.  :-)  You can catch the show on YouTube (which has the better quality feed) and Instagram. Merchandise will be on their website probably Friday or Saturday, and the show is Sunday at 6:30 PST (and then on demand on YouTube thereafter.)

[FEB 7] That's not the only Johnnyswim news.  As you know the first episode of their TV Show for Magnolia is available on the Discovery+ streaming service.  But you don't have to settle for just one episode. On February 19, Discovery+ will air all the episodes and Johnnyswim plans to have a live watch party on Instagram.  Now here's the thing - Discovery+ is $4.99 or $6.99 per month (depending on if you want to deal with ads or not) - but you can also get a 7 day free trial.  So, if you time things right, you can watch Johnnyswim for free and then still have time to explore Discovery+ to see if you want to keep it.

[FEB 7] Also in Johnnyswim news, they hooked up with Acura to perform some songs for a virtual watch party. I shared 1 clip last week, but there were several performances and Acura had put them all together in one video now/ You can see it here.  The duo also appeared on the  PreachersNSneakers podcast where they talked about a number of things - including a SECOND upcoming show for Magnolia.

[FEB 7] Bruce Sudano fans, the new issue of Goldmine is out and in it is an article where Bruce lists the 10 albums that changed his life.  Bruce posted it on his Instagram, or you can grab a copy of the magazine in stores.

[FEB 7] Moving on to the Donna is everywhere category - RuPaul's Drag Race did a disco themed episode recently and of course Donna was mentioned. Someone collected the relevant parts of the show and posted them on Vimeo.  The photos they showed are pretty cool and I loved listening to Ru work all the disco song titles into his intro. I wasn't very happy with the contestant who tried to explain the difference between Diana Ross and Donna though. I think someone needs to lock him in a room with some Donna music until he is fully educated!  :-) 

[FEB 7] The Ten-Minute Record Reviews vlog has a review of Love To Love You Baby.  The reviewer gives a ton of background info before he gets into the actual review. (Spoiler alert - he gives it 4 out of 5 stars.  :-) )

[FEB 7] I think that brings us to YouTube.  In honor of cleaning up after 2 snowstorms in a week's time, I'm going to go with a theme of work. So of course we have to start with  She Works Hard For The Money, this one live on a TV show.  Then we have a liveandmore video for the Womack rework of Working The Midnight Shift,  I Don't Wanna Work That Hard from Live & More Encore,  Work Than Magic (the official video),  and Riding Through The Storm from Live & More Encore.

[JAN 31] Happy Sunday all!  Tomorrow starts a new month, so it's time for the new Summer Fever Pick. This month we are taking a look at musicals. (Ah... musicals. Remember the good old days when you could go to a show and watch people perform live? I hope they come back again soon!)

[JAN 31] On to the news. Bruce Sudano fans - look for his new video for The Promise out on YouTube now, and Rock Cellar Magazine's article about the video.  Also look for the March issue of Goldmine Magazine in stores starting tomorrow.  It will have a feature on Bruce. :-) (If you are in the part of the US looking at a big snow storm today/tomorrow - then look for the magazine AFTER you have a chance to dig out!  LOL)

[JAN 31] Johnnyswim fans -  They just did The Relevant Podcast the other day. On it they talk about their upcoming TV Shows for Magnolia. (Jump to about 41:30 if you are only looking for their part of the podcast.) They also did a performance for Acura's Virtual Watch Party - filmed in their backyard of course.  :-)  So if you saw them setting up stuff in the yard on Instagram - that's what it was for.  :-) On and don't forget they have a new Live In The Backyard coming up on Valentine's Day.  Look for special limited edition merchandise to go with that show to hit their website a day or 2 before the show.

[JAN 31] And that brings us to YouTube.  Since we are expecting a big snowstorm here later, I'm going to go with a winter (ish) theme, starting of course with Winter Melody. Then we have Cold Love from the old Tom Snyder Show, and a few from Donna's appearance for Art On Ice: Smile, On The Radio, Enough Is Enough, La Vie En Rose, and She Works Hard For The Money.  And then one special one in honor of the Summer Fever Pick - from a show not covered on that page.  :-)

[JAN 24] Greetings all! Fair warning - I will NOT be posting any Bernie Sanders and his mittens memes on this site. I don't know if that makes you  disappointed, or relieved  LOL  but there has to be one spot on the web that he hasn't taken over!  :-)

[JAN 24] Let's start off with Johnnyswim. They will be live in the backyard again on February 14 - Valentine's Day at 6:30 PM PST.  Keep in mind that they usually have exclusive merchandise for their backyard shows, so keep an eye on their website and Instagram. (The merch sells out quickly so you have to grab it when you see it!)  And of course the show itself will be on Instagram and YouTube.

[JAN 24] The Guardian posted its list of the best 10 remixes.  Right off the bat they start with the 1982 I Feel Love Mega Mix.

[JAN 24]  Brooklyn Sudano fans - you may remember that she is going to be part of Freeform's upcoming series, Cruel Summer (set to air later this year.)  UK fans will be able to catch it on Amazon Prime as the service has just acquired the rights to the show.

[JAN 24] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I don't know about the rest of you, but where I am it's pretty cold, so I want to play some tunes to warm up and get the blood flowing!  LOL  So you know we have to start with Hot Stuff (live in 1979!) Then we have Stamp Your Feet on Letterman,  Love Is In Control (the official video), Love's About To Change My Heart ( the video),  With Your Love (video edit), and Could It Be Magic (live with Barry Manilow).

[JAN 17] Happy Sunday all! So last week I  gave you links to MacArthur Park with just the vocals and one with just the piano. There is more out there.  :-) Here is just the bass, and a video with just the strings. Fanmixers - go have some fun!

[JAN 17]  There was a 2009 audio documentary about Donna done by the BBC called Feelin' Love, The Donna Summer Story.  Someone has put it up on YouTube in parts.  So here is  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and finally Part 6.

[JAN 17] NPO Radio 2 in The Netherlands has a podcast about Donna on their website.  There is just one problem - I believe you have to be in the Netherlands to actually be able to play it.  When I click it, I get a short message in Dutch that I believe is telling me that the clip is region restricted.  But if you are in the Netherlands (or have some sneaky proxy trick you want to try), give it a listen.  :-)

[JAN 17] Bruce Sudano fans - look for a feature about him in the March issue of Goldmine. That will hit stores on February 1.  In the meantime, go check him out on Facebook where Bruce has been live on his couch again.  This is another new song he's working on. Unfortunately the video cuts off abruptly.

[JAN 17] Mary Bernard fans, if you are in her Facebook group, then you can watch the story that was posted on Patreon last weekend.  It's an interesting story about fan mail.... If you are not in Mary's group, then apply to join it!  (The technical side of the group is handled by Mary's daughter, so sometimes it takes a little while for them to get to the membership requests. Just have a little patience if you are on the waiting list.  :-) )

[JAN 17] I think that brings us (back) to YouTube.  As my American friends know (and quite possibly my international friends as well) - on Wednesday we swear in a new President.  (Hopefully without any drama!) Anyway, I thought it would be fun to look back at Donna's previous Presidential performances.  First up - Donna performing at the 1985 inauguration for President Reagan. Then we have Donna's performances at the Nobel Peace Prize concert for President Obama.  She did She Works Hard For The Money,  Bad Girls/Hot Stuff, and of course, Last Dance. And then I'm going to throw in a link to Begin Again just because I really feel like we need to do that.  Between the pandemic, the economy, and the divisiveness of the political situation, I'm looking tor a great big reset button!  (Hey wait - has anybody tried that yet?  Unplug the country for 30 seconds and then plug it back in again? It works for gadgets, maybe it will work for the country?   LOL)

[JAN 10] Happy Sunday all! Well, this week has been a .... bad dream? Continuation of 2020? Bruce reposted his American Sunset video on Facebook, and you know....  that song fits more now than it did just a few months ago.  Anyway... after a week like this, I think we can all use a little escape into the land of Donna.

[JAN 10] Let's start off with Mary. She just posted a new story on her Patreon that will show up on the Facebook group next week.  This one is a story of some memorable fan mail and yes, you will be amazed at what people send.  To access the story now (and get early access to future stories), sign up for Mary's Patreon. Or join the Facebook group and join the "family".  :-)

[JAN 10]  Eurweb.com posted an article about  Love To Love You and Time Magazine's coverage of it at the time.

[JAN 10] Here's a gem for you -  MacArthur Park. But not just any version of the song. This is just the vocals! Along with that, we have a track with just the piano.  Aside from the fact that it is very interesting to hear the various pieces that make up the whole, I can totally see some fan mixers having a blast with these.  :-) I should also tell you that the piano is for the whole suite, but the vocals are just MacArthur Park, but with some extras that weren't used.  :-)

[JAN 10] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up,  a Suecase Hall video of Enough Is Enough/Let There Be Peace.  Then we have In A New York Minute, The Impossible Dream, Love Is The Healer, Riding Through The Storm, Amazing Grace,  and finally the symphonic version of I Will Live For Love.

[JAN 3] Happy New Year all!  And good riddance to 2020!  LOL  First up for the New Year (and new month) - the new Summer Fever Pick. This month we are playing with our Crayons. :-)

[JAN 3] I want to start off with Johnnyswim this week because if you have Discovery +, you will be able to see some of the programming for the new Magnolia Network starting tomorrow.  Some of that programing includes a 1 episode preview of "Home On The Road With Johnnyswim".  The show covers Johnnyswim doing a 3 month cross-country tour filmed what seems like a lifetime ago.  (Concerts? What are they?  LOL) Read more at Deadline.com.

[JAN 3] Moving on to Donna, Albumism.com posted a playlist the other day in tribute to Donna on what should have been her 72nd birthday.  Also, SiriusXM's 70s on 7 station had a countdown of the listener's picks for the top 300 songs of the 70s.  Now, I haven't been able to find a written list of the songs yet (probably because they were counting down all weekend) but I do know that Last Dance was on the list somewhere. I heard them play it the other day.  :-)

[JAN 3] In the land of remixes, we have the Joey The Hatt 2021 mix of Come With Me, the MHP mix of MacArthur Park (listen for extra adlibs in that one!), and the Ivan Sash mix of The Woman In Me.

[JAN 3] That brings us to YouTube. This week's theme is random stuff I've run into over the last couple of weeks.  First up is a British guitarist analyzing Donna's Hot Summer Night performance of Last Dance.  He gets into a lot of technical reasons about why Donna is such a great singer.  :-) Then we have This Time I Know It's For Real from a Norwegian TV show,  and Donna on The Tonight Show performing On The Radio and Starting Over Again.  Those of you who have heard Bruce talk about Starting Over Again will recognize this as the performance that made Dolly Parton get in touch to see if she could record the song. And finally we have Last Dance from American Bandstand's 33 1/3 Anniversary show.  (Those last 2 clips bring back a lot of happy memories of stalking the TV listings for any sign of Donna.  LOL)

2020

[DEC 27] Greetings all! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday week - whether you celebrated or not.

[DEC 27] First up this week, photographer Harry Langdon is now selling a few of his Donna photos. Check out his YouTube video for a look at the ones available and for more info.

[DEC 27] Zora.com has compiled a list of the 100 most iconic albums by African American women.  Bad Girls is on that list! You have to scroll down quite a bit because the albums are listed chronologically, and they start in 1950.  But don't just read what they say about Donna - there is a TON of great music on that list!  Then The Atlantic has an article about the 2020 Disco Revival.

[DEC 27] Moving on to the land of remixes - we now have a Groovefunkel mix of Heaven Knows that comes right from the original multi-track recording. (I really like the way they did the video too - with some trivia, and the full credits at the end. Plus those wave forms for the various parts are hypnotic to me.  LOL) Then we have the Tom Moulton mix of Love To Love You on his Unreleased Remixes Vol 3.  And for those of you who want to make some remixes of your own, the studio acapella track for Hot Stuff has turned up on YouTube.

[DEC 27] I think that brings us to this week's trip to YouTube.  This time we are ringing in the New Year. Actually considering when these clips were recorded, we are ringing in several different New Years.  LOL  First up - a brand new video from our own Suecase Hall that celebrates Donna and 2021. Then we have Try Me  and Could It Be Magic, from  New Year's 1977,  On The Radio and Last Dance from Merv Griffin's 1993 New Year show, and You're So Beautiful from Dick Clark's 2004 show. Of course it it also Donna's birthday on New Year's Eve, so of course we need to hear (and sing) Happy Birthday.  And finally,  I have the edit of Begin Again just because after the raging dumpster fire we call 2020, I think we all need to begin again! :-) Happy New Year everyone! May 2021 bring health and happiness - and a return to some sort of normalcy I hope!

[DEC 20] Greetings all. This should be the last update before Christmas, so let me take the time to wish you all a very happy holiday season.  Yeah, I know with COVID this may not be the holiday we had hoped for, but better times are coming!

[DEC 20] There isn't a whole lot going on right now - I think it's just the usual end of year quiet.  But something just popped up recently on Facebook related to Donna and the musical Hair.  There was a 25th Anniversary concert fundraiser celebrating Hair back in 1988 at the UN and Donna was there along with Paul Jabara.  Clips of this event have surfaced on YouTube.  The show is uploaded in parts, so in Part 1 you have Donna and Paul (at about 16:05)  making an appeal for the charity (helping children with AIDS), and introducing one of the songs.  In Part 2, look for Donna and the tribe at about 20:50 singing Aquarius.  (It's so weird to hear her sing it in English - I am so used to her German version!)  And finally in Part 4 they have the big finale of Let The Sunshine in (starting at about 21:00). Little by little all the evening's performers come out for what becomes a big celebration onstage.  You can see Donna in the front row on the left pretty clearly at 24:33. Oh, by the way - does anybody happen to recognize the dress Donna is wearing?  You've all seen it before - although Donna's makeup was a bit different in the famous photos of her wearing it.  ;-)  Also - kudos to the Facebooker who found these clips. It's a great find!

[DEC 20] Related to the clips above, I found a little AP article about the benefit. It doesn't say too much, but it's a good companion to the clips above.

[DEC 20] And as long as we are celebrating Hair,  we have some clips of Donna with the German cast back in the day,  and a video by Suecase Hall for Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In.

[DEC 20] I think that brings us to YouTube. And I'm just going to share 2 things with you this week.  First is my YouTube playlist of Donna Summer Christmas songs (with a few bonuses thrown in).  And the second thing is Johnnyswim's Live From The Backyard #4 - Another Johnnyswim Christmas.

And then let me just leave you with this:

[DEC 13] Greetings all!  I'm going to start off with Johnnyswim this week because, they have new limited edition merchandise coming out tomorrow morning at 8 AM PST.  I think they might even still have a little Live From The Backyard stuff left.

[DEC 13] Speaking of Live From The Backyard, if you missed their last Christmas themed show, then you missed something really special. The last one was Christmas themed, and there was a space in the middle that was just ... transcendent.  It was emotional and touching, and something that just needs to be experienced.  Lucky for you, the show is still on YouTube for you to watch.  Donna Summer fans will want to pay attention at the 1:30 (ish) mark because Amanda shared a couple of Christmas memories from when she was a kid.

[DEC 13] In chart news, Donna has hit the UK  iTunes Top 100 with Last Dance at #60 on the December 13 chart.  It shares the chart with a heck of a lot of Christmas songs, so I am declaring Last Dance a Christmas Song now.  LOL  (Hey if Ronnie Spector can be Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, then why can't Donna have the Last Dance under the tree?)

[DEC 13] TheArtsDesk.com has a list of vinyl Christmas gift ideas - The Wanderer 40th Anniversary set made the cut.  :-) 

[DEC 13] Also in Donna news (well, maybe not news to the diehard fans  LOL), CheatSheet.com has posted the stories behind She Works Hard For The Money and it's video.

[DEC 13] Bruce Sudano fans - AmericanaHighways.org has included Spirals Vol 2 in their list of Reader's Favorite Albums from 2020.

[DEC 13] Bruce will be part of the iVoted concerts again on January 5 in support of the Georgia run off election for the Senate. Check out the iVoted website to see how to get access to the show - and no, you don't have to be a Georgia voter to watch.  (They are listing Bruce's show as a rebroadcast, so I assume that means they are just restreaming his performance from November.)

[DEC 13] I think that brings us to YouTube.  In honor of the iTunes chart, let's start off with Last Dance live on the Midnight Special. (One of the first performances of that song.) As long as we're dancing, let's keep going but with  a relatively recent spin. So next up is My Life from the VH1 special, a video for To Paris With Love, the original mix of Love On And On, Stor Dubine's video for I Got Your Love, and  Love is The Healer live on The View.  And just for fun, a bunch of college kids dancing a choreographed routine to Donna's music in a shopping mall.

[DEC 4] Happy Friday all! The new Summer Fever Pick is up and of course you know that it is Christmas Spirit!

[DEC 4] Let's start off with Johnnyswim.  As you know, they have their Live In The Backyard Christmas concert tomorrow night.  That means that their digital merchandise table is live NOW.  There are new shirts, a hoodie and a Levi's jacket - hand screened by Johnnyswim themselves.  All the money goes to a good cause - keeping the live concerts going! :-) Oh, and don't forget that the concert merchandise is only available for 72 hours.

[DEC 4] Also in Johnnyswim news, as of today, their new Christmas EP, Another Johnnyswim Christmas,  has hit all your favorite places to stream or buy music, including Amazon.

[DEC 4] In Donna news, there is a book coming out May 6 called Donna Summer's Once Upon A Time which is (yes you guessed it) all about that album. It is available for pre-order now at Amazon.  There is also a book called I Feel Love: Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, and How They Reinvented Music.  Look for that on May 1 and you can also pre-order it at Amazon.  (Both books are available as paperbacks only - sorry eReader fans.)

[DEC 4] In Bruce Sudano news, he's posted a beautiful video for Morning Kisses on Facebook.  It's a beautiful video created by Rueben at Noksound - the same guy who did American Sunset. I expect it will find its way to YouTube one of these days.  :-)

[DEC 4] Also in Bruce news, he's posted a couple of other new Facebook videos this week.  The first one (live at the piano instead of on the couch is a tribute to John Prine.) Then the next day he posted another song he is working on called Doobie Doo. And on YouTube there is a video of Bruce talking about Donna.

[DEC 4] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I can't resist - we have to do some Christmas songs.  :-) So here is The Christmas Song live on GMA,  O Holy Night from Solid Gold, a lyric video for Rosie Christmas, and a lyric video for Christmas Spirit.  And finally one weird  video of the MacArthur Park Suite.  Someone has made a video for the suite by combining various clips of people dancing. There are clips from what looks like The Nutcracker, there is some Irish step dancing,  a whole bunch of people dancing in a mall (flash mob or performance?),  some precision marching,  what looks like an outdoor flash mob,  another group of Irish step dancers,  and it ends with something that looks like the stage moves more than the dancers?  It's a very strange video.  :-)

[NOV 29] Happy Sunday all! Let's start off with the Bad Girls red and blue vinyl edition that was due out Friday.  It's online release now been delayed until the Spring because Culture Factory is using it for their Record Store Day. (Which means right now, you'd have to find it in an actual store. Wait? Are there still actual record stores?  LOL)

[NOV 29] Mary Bernard fans - she has a new story video coming out on the  Once Upon A Diva Facebook group next week,  but if you go join her on Patreon, you can see it NOW.  (And you will be helping to finance these videos.) The new video is the story about the time that..... oh wait, I can't tell you.  :-)  But I will say that Mary's stories are still set in the early days.

[NOV 29] In musical news,  the site for the Brazilian production of Summer: The Musical has a couple of videos posted with I Feel Love, MacArthur Park, and Hot Stuff.  I see the dialog is in Portuguese and the  music is in English.  Someone will have to let me know how that works out for the Brazilian audiences.  Knowing that some songs (and not necessarily hits) are used to tell parts of the story, does that make it harder to follow the story when it's in 2 languages?

[NOV 29] Johnnyswim fans - we have a busy weekend coming up. Their Christmas album drops on Friday December 4. They have their Live In The Backyard Christmas concert on December 5, and there will be special merchandise available that weekend ONLY. (That's how they finance the shows - through the sales of merchandise.) If you have never watched them Live In The Backyard, I'm telling you that they do an amazing job. They could seriously advise other acts on how to do online shows.

[NOV 29] Bruce Sudano fans - check out the short article on SongFacts.com about Bruce's song, For The Sake of Humanity.  That's off of Spirals  Vol 2 which you can buy/stream at all the usual places. Or you can head to Bruce's site and grab an actual CD copy. You can also grab a Super Bruce bobblehead, or some stickers or magnets. Lots of that stuff is on sale until midnight Monday (November 30).

[NOV 29] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Since I ate too much over the holiday to even want to think about moving  LOL, let's do some ballads.  Let's start with Celebrate Me Home. Then we have Heaven's Just A Whisper Away live on The Word,  Thinkin' 'Bout My Baby (audio only),  There Will Always Be A You (audio only),  Sand On My Feet (live),  and Anyway At All live on The Tonight SHow.

[NOV 22] Greetings all and Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends!  Where should I start? Well, since it's 2020 and it seems to be the year of weird things happening, let's go with this new mashup. Somebody managed to mashup Donna's Hot Stuff with... wait for it... Ozzy Osbourne's Flying High Again.  Not a combination you would exactly expect, but it's actually not terrible.  But I can't help but wonder what those guys blowing up disco records in 1979 would have thought?  LOL

[NOV 22] In other weird news... reporter Andrew Marr did an interview recently in the UK where he said that he interviewed Putin at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. (If you remember - there was a big controversy at the time because Russia wasn't exactly the most gay-friendly place, to put it mildly.) Anyway, this journalist happened to run into Elton John shortly before the Putin interview. Elton, tasked Marr with the job of giving Putin a Donna Summer album and a kiss from him.  He did not say if he actually did as he was asked or if he chickened out.  LOL

[NOV 22] Moving on to more normal things, Jazziz.com has a nice little piece celebrating the song I Remember Yesterday.  And in cover news, Kelly Clarkson recently performed a cover of She Works Hard For The Money on her show.  (And I don't think I will ever get used to the virtual audiences some shows are using!)

[NOV 22] And in Wanderer news,  Pete Bellotte did an interview with Phil Marriott in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the album.

[NOV 22] In musical news, Summer : The Musical is slated to run at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust February 16 to 21, 2021.  I am assuming that is subject to change depending on the COVID situation.

[NOV 22] Bruce Sudano fans -  check out his 5 questions on DittyTV.com,  then his interview with Cashbox Canada.

[NOV 22] Johnnyswim fans -  check out their latest release, Pass Me A Pint from their upcoming Christmas album.  You can also watch them perform it live from their garage on Instagram. Also, they are planning another Live From The Backyard concert on December 5. No special guests this time - just a Christmas party at the Johnnyswim home.  And be on the look out for new merchandise for the show.  They always come up with something, and I think they are working on making some stuff themselves again.  (Looked like maybe screen printing this time.... last time it was tie dye.)

[NOV 22] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Since it's Thanksgiving this week,  let's do a throwback to when the cast of Summer: The Musical performed live for the Macy's Parade in 17 degree weather.  (That's -8 for those of you who use Celsius.)  I'm still stunned you can't see any chattering teeth!  LOL Johnnyswim also did a Macy's Parade but their was 2016. Catch them here on the rehearsal interviews,  here on an audience home video, and here on the actual parade broadcast.  Then we have Donna on the Queen Latifah Show talking about Thanksgiving (and performing), and another Thanksgiving interview on The View.

[NOV 14] Happy Saturday all! Not a lot going on this week, but Congrats to Bruce! A whole bunch of stations have added tracks from Spirals Vol 2 to their playlists.  And he's #88 on the Billboard BDS chart! (It's the bobblehead - nobody can resist the bobblehead!  LOL)

[NOV 14] In Johnnyswim news. WideOpenCountry.com has an article about their upcoming show on the Magnolia Network.

[NOV 14] Mary Gaines Bernard fans - as many of you know, she has a Facebook group for Donna Summer fans or perhaps I should say family, as she does consider us members of the family.  It's a private group so your membership request has to be approved - so be patient if you join and it takes a little while for you to get approved. (Mary's daughter handles that techie stuff and she's busy in her own right too.)  In this group. Mary posts videos with stories from her time with Donna, and she sometimes goes live to chat with us crazies. What came out of the last chat is that at some point, Mary would like to hit the road and do small pop up concerts for the fans.  So hopefully we can get this COVID situation under control and stuff like that can happen.

[NOV 14] I think that brings us to YouTube. Hmmmm.... I haven't done any duets in awhile. Let's go there. First up, Donna with the Brooklyn Dreams doing a Motown Medley on the Midnight Special.  Then we have Donna and Mary on Enough Is Enough,  Donna with Joss Stone on Try A Little Tenderness, with Darwin Hobbes on When I Look Up,  with Seal on Crazy, and with Paul Jabara on Something's Missing.  And finally, (I can never resist posting this one!) Donna with Barry Manilow on Could It Be Magic.

[NOV 8] Happy Sunday all! It's been quite a week here in the US and the good news is that I can stop reminding people to vote for at least another year!  LOL  We had a record number of voters this  year and the highest turnout in terms of the percentage of eligible voters since 1900.  I guess it takes more than a pandemic to silence the people.  :-)

[NOV 8] I know some of my American friends feel like Christmas has come early - and actually, it sort of has! Johnnyswim has a new Christmas album coming out and they are teasing us with the first track now. It is Little Drummer Boy, and you can buy/stream it at your favorite music sources.

[NOV 8] In the Donna is everywhere category, she got name checked in a recent episode of The Connors. Some characters were playing poker, and when one lost, she asked for her money back because she worked hard for it. Another player replied, "Hey we all work hard for the money Donna Summer. Next time you'll be more careful."

[NOV 8] Bruce Sudano fans - check out this piece he posted on the eve of election day.

[NOV 8] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Here are some of the songs I have been drawn to this week (in no particular order).... Love Is The Healer from Divas 2000,  Georgia On My Mind in concert from 2004,  A Whole New World with Dave Koz,  Enough Is Enough with Barbra, Crayons live in 2009,  the unreleased Run With It,  the recently remastered Looking Up,  and of course, God Bless America.

[OCT 31] Greetings all and Happy Halloween. I have an announcement to make....  the year 2020 is being extended another 6 months!  Did I scare you?  (Seriously, ghosts and goblins have nothing on 2020 for scariness! LOL)

[OCT 31] Before I get to the news, I just want to remind my American friends to GO VOTE! (Well, unless you already did.)   If you have an absentee ballot and haven't mailed it yet - DON'T! Take it to a ballot drop box, or bring it to your polling place on election day. It is TOO LATE to use the US Mail.  And if you already voted and are in a position to, help someone else vote. Bring somebody to the polls who doesn't have transportation, bring snacks or water to the voting lines in your area, teach a first time voter how to fill out the ballot or use the machines correctly, bring a boom box  and play some Donna tunes for the people waiting online... just use your imagination, you can come up with something.  :-) (Do they still make boom boxes?  ROTFLOL)

[OCT 31]  On to the world of Donna.  If we flashback to 2012 for a second, the Republic of Togo issued a series of stamps honoring Donna.

[OCT 31] Since masks/face coverings seem to be a part of our lives for the foreseeable future, you might as well get some cool ones.  Amazon has a bunch of Donna Summer masks up for sale. One caveat though - most of them have ridiculous prices and/or  high shipping fees. They are also not eligible for Prime shipping. But some of them are really cute.

[OCT 31] In musical news - Summer: The Musical is back in Brazil for the 2021 season at Teatro Satander in Sao Paulo.  It will be playing  January 14 to April 18 and if you had tickets to the cancelled performances from this year, the theater will be emailing you to set up new tickets for you. If you see the show next year, let me know how you like it and what safety protocols they had to use.

[OCT 31] Bruce Sudano fans -  check out Bruce's acoustic performance of American Sunset in support of  the Biden/Harris 2020 ticket.  Also, he will be performing online on election day for  the iVoted.com festival.  The site finally posted the official schedule and Bruce is slated to perform at 3:20 PM Eastern time.  (Sigh.... and I am working then...)

[OCT 31] Johnnyswim fans - episode 3 of Live In The Backyard is available for you to watch on YouTube.  It got a really nice write-up on AtwoodMusic.com. And the pair is already planning on doing another one - if I recall Abner said maybe after Thanksgiving. I think they want to do a Christmas theme.  Listen, if you haven's watched any of the live in the backyard shows yet - you NEED to see at least one.  They do such an amazing job with the lighting, sound, set design, etc that I really believe they could teach classes for other artists.  (Plus their music is amazing and they always make the shows fun events.)

[OCT 31] Speaking of Christmas - Johnnyswim is doing another Christmas album. Look for that next weekend!

[OCT 31]  Donna's second grandchild, Savanna has been written up  on OxfordStories.net for her work as an artist and designer.

[OCT 31] I think that brings us to YouTube. Being Halloween, and seeing as how Donna never really did  anything scary, let's do some videos that show Donna in a costume.  First up is Breakaway (with behind the scenes clips). You can see Donna getting into the APAT cover makeup.  Then we have Donna doing Last Dance with Prince Poppycock, She Works Hard For The Money from Disneyland's 30th anniversary (Donna in her waitress costume), Sunset People from the 1980 TV special - look for a few different looks in that, and finally clips from Family Matters Pound Foolish.  For a little audio fun, here is Donna performing Hot Stuff on Bette Midler's Hulaween event.

[OCT 31] Oops I forgot to mention - the new month starts tomorrow, so I have posted the Summer Fever Pick tonight. This month we are celebrating the excitement of Love & More Encore!

[OCT 24] Happy Saturday all! First up Johnnyswim is live from the backyard TOMORROW October 25 at 6:30 PST. Their digital merchandise table is open for business as of 8AM this morning and  will only be up for a total of 72 hours. Don't forget that once that 72 hours is up, those Live In The Backyard items will disappear forever. And also keep in mind that it is the merchandise dales that pay for the otherwise free concerts.  :-) Catch Live In The Backyard streaming on YouTube, or watch the other 2 episodes in preparation for tomorrow night.

[OCT 24] Bruce Sudano fans - his EP, Spirals Vol 2 is officially released as of yesterday.  Had over to Bruce's site to grab a CD (or other cool stuff), or head over to your favorite music supplier to grab a download.

[OCT 24] A new album means new promotion, so check out Bruce on Goldmine Magazine's podcast. Then go read the review on AmericanaHighways.org, and then the interview on AmericanSongwriter.com. If you do Facebook, check out his video over there too.

[OCT 24] Don't forget that Bruce is performing live on the web for IVoted.com. The show is free, but to get tickets you have to send a selfie of yourself with your blank absentee ballot, or outside your polling place. (If you already voted, or you are not eligible to vote, they list other ways to get your free access to the show. Oh - and some states will NOT allow you to take photographs within a certain distance of a polling place, so be aware of that. )

[OCT 24] In remix news, Boston University News Service reviewed the Kygo mix of Hot Stuff. It's an interesting review - they like the mix only because they like the original song, but they don't like that to them the mix dilutes the power of the original. Go read it, you will see what I mean.

[OCT 24] That brings us to YouTube.  I feel like we need some positive songs.... so let's start with Love Is The Healer live on The View.  Then we have the video for Love Is In Control,  a slideshow for Love Will Always Find You, a liveandmore video for Let There Be Peace, a liveandmore video for Smile,  and finally Riding Through The Storm from Live & More Encore.

[OCT 24] And finally for my American fans - we are in the home stretch! Make your plan and vote! I am going bright and early tomorrow morning to cast my early vote. Keep in mind that turn out has been really high at many early voting sites - even in my usually quiet area, they had a line around the block this morning LITERALLY!  (Which is why I didn't vote today - I failed to plan adequately.) So wear your masks, bring your hand sanitizer, bring some friends, and plan to be there awhile. Have snacks and water with you if you feel you will need those - maybe a folding chair too.  Will it be inconvenient? Yeah... but nothing compared to the "inconvenience" suffered by the people who got us the right to vote in the first place.  So VOTE! Oh yeah - bring some tunes with you in your phone or whatever - that always helps pass the time.  :-)

[OCT 17] Greetings all!  Are  you all having a Wanderer lovefest?  I hope so because the 40th Anniversary edition of The Wanderer hit stores yesterday.  :-)  If you're still waiting for your copy to arrive, head over to Spotify to give it a listen.  :-)

[OCT 17] Johnnyswim fans - they are performing Live In The Backyard on Sunday October 25. Last week they announced that one of their special guests will be  Katelyn Tarver. Yesterday they announced their other special guest - Hanson.  Keep an eye on their Instagram - I'm sure there will be a merchandise announcement.

[OCT 17] While you are waiting for the concert, check out Amanda on the Motherly podcast. (Please note - the interview with Amanda was taped BEFORE quarantine.)

[OCT 17]  Congrats to Bruce Sudano! His video for Keep Doin' What You're Doin' broke 100k views on YouTube. (It's the Super Bruce - everybody wants to be him.  LOL) 

[OCT 17]  Bruce's new EP - Spirals Vol 2: Time & The Space In Between will be out October 23 - that's next week!  :-)  You can pre-save it on your favorite streaming service, or you can head to Bruce's website and order a CD. (Or some Super Bruce merchandise...)

[OCT 17] Looking for something to do October 29? The Palm Canyon Theater will be livestreaming clips from their production, I Know What You Did Last Donna Summer, along with commentary from the cast and crew. The show is a parody of slasher films set to the beat of Donna Summer.  Sound weird to you?  It does to me too, so I will try to check that out for myself. I love weird!  LOL

[OCT 17] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up, we have a new fan video from Suecase Hall for  Looking Up. (The original version, not a remix.) And now because I am about to watch a musical on TV, I'm going to do Donna's musical songs. First up, White Boys from Haare (Donna's vocals set to scenes from the film). Then we have  O segne Gott mein Seel from Godspell (audio set to a slideshow),  Donna's cover of Don't Rain On My Parade, her cover of Someone To Watch Over Me,  and from the vaulted Ordinary Girl, No Ordinary Love Song.

[OCT 17] And finally, for my American friends - make a plan and VOTE!

[OCT 10] Happy Saturday all! I guess we can start with remix news. The Figo Full Sound Mix of The Wanderer is out on YouTube now.  It's longer than the previous mix.  :-)

[OCT 10] MusicRadar.com has an article listing 5 Quincy Jones songs you need to hear.  #3 on the list is Love Is In Control.  :-)

[OCT 10]  We have some musical news (fingers crossed!)  The Starlight Theater in Kansas City has announced it's Summer 2021 schedule and Summer: The Musical is listed for July 23 to 25.  With any luck next summer we'll all be able to go back to the theater (or concerts, or movies...)

[OCT 10] Johnnyswim fans - they will be live in the backyard on October 25 and they have announced that they will have 2 special guests. The first is  Katelyn Tarver. The second... is a mystery until next week.  That Abner loves to be a tease!  LOL

[OCT 10]  Bruce Sudano fans -  his single American Sunset got a nice write by by TooMuchLoveMagazine.com. It also got a write up on IndieMusicReviews.net.  And don't forget - Bruce will be performing on Election Day on iVotedConcerts.com.  Check the site to see how to gain access to his (and/or other) performance.

[OCT 10] Which brings me to my usual rant to the American fans.  Election Day is November 3, but  many places have started their early voting already, and many people who requested them have already received in their mall in ballots. You need to make SURE you have a plan to vote! Educate yourself on the issues and candidates (if you haven't already) and then cast your vote! If you are voting by mail - get it in early because we all know the post office is a bit... slow... at the moment.  And if you are in a state that allows you to - track your vote online to see that it is received.  USA.gov/voting has lots of general info on how to vote, and links to the local election offices for each state or territory. My state (NY) doesn't start early voting until October 24, but you can bet I will be there bright and early with mask and hand sanitizer at the ready! 

[OCT 10] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I feel in the mood for some ballads today, so let's start with Be Myself Again live in 2009. (It took me a LONG time to be able to play that one again after Donna left us.) Then we have the song that started it all for me - Mimi's Song live on The Tonight Show.  Then some others I like a lot: Anyway At All live on the Tonight Show,  Heaven's Just A Whisper Away live,  Sand On My Feet live 2008,  the unreleased ballad version of I Will Live For Love,  and Donna's final gift to us, Netherlands.

[OCT 4] Happy Sunday all!  It's October already so now it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month put on your blonde wigs because we're looking at Mistaken Identity.   :-)

[OCT 4] Let's see, where should we start this week? Let's go with remix news.  As you know The Wanderer 40th Anniversary edition comes out on October 16. And we have another new mix out  from the release.  This one is the Figo Sound Radio Mix of The Wanderer.  It's kind of cool.  You can hear the audio on YouTube,  but there is an actual video that goes with it too. It WAS on YouTube for awhile, but you can still find it on Donna's Facebook page.

[OCT 4] In other remix news, the Kygo mix of Hot Stuff is doing really well. It is in the top 10 in Germany, and here in the US is just debuted at #1 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart.   :-) It is also #9 on the Dance/Electronic Digital Songs chart, #15 on the Dance Digital Dongs Streaming chart, and #18 in Overall Digital Song Sales.

[OCT 4] Bruce Sudano fans - check out IndiePulseMusic.com's write up on American Sunset.  Then head over to Bruce's Facebook to see a video for Shelter Island.

[OCT 4] Johnnyswim fans - they will be live in the backyard again on Sunday October 25 at 6:30 PM Pacific time. I'm sure between now and then they will announce some surprises and some exclusive merchandise, so keep an eye on their Instagram.

[OCT 4] I think that brings us to  YouTube.  This week singer/songwriter Mac Davis passed away. Donna was a guest on his variety show in the late 70s and we are left with these 2 clips:  Donna performing A Song For You, and a gospel medley with Mac Davis, Dolly Parton, Tom Jones and of course Donna. Then we have a 2003 interview for Fresh Air (audio only). On that one, only the first half hour is Donna. And finally, in honor of the Summer Fever Pick, we have a 1991 concert from Japan starring Donna in her blonde wig.  :-)

[SEP 27] Greetings all! It's been a pretty quiet week.  I will say though that Donna's latest remixes have been seeing some chart action. The Hot Stuff mix was as high as #1 on the ITunes Dance chart, although currently it sits at #8. And on the iTunes world chart it was #4 but now it's down to #22.  I have to say the iTunes charts are fun to watch because they are so volatile.  You never know from one hour to the next where something will be in the charts!

[SEP 27] Happy belated birthday to Bruce Sudano!  Bruce fans on Facebook can watch a video about the inspiration for Bruce's latest song, Keep Doin' What You're Doin'.

[SEP 27] I mentioned last week that Bruce has some new merchandise for sale on his website.  If you are outside the US and would like to purchase something form his site, send an email to brucesudanomerch@gmail.com.

[SEP 27] Mary Gaines Bernard fans - as you know, she started a Facebook group for fans, and this weekend she just posted a new video story about her time with Donna.  She also started a Patreon account which is just starting to get rolling. It looks like the plan is to debut Mary's story videos there and then bring them over to Facebook.  This might be a really good option for those people who don't like Facebook.  So far only 2 of us have signed up to be Patreon supporters, so it's a little lonely over there. Come keep us company!  :-)

[SEP 27] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I feel like doing some old interviews. So this week we have a 1978 interview with Rona Barrett, a 1978 interview with Johnny Carson,  a 1981 interview for the Midnight Special,  an early 80s interview in German with footage of the filming of the State Of Independence video,  a Mike Douglas interview about Love To Love You, and a 1986 Good Morning America interview with Dick Clark.

[SEP 27] And finally a note to my American friends - early voting has started in some places already (or vote by mail is available now in some places) and in other places it will be starting soon.  So please, if you haven't already, make sure you are registered to vote, educate yourself on the issues and candidates, and then make a plan to get out there to vote! Make your voice heard! And since the polls are likely to be very busy this year, I highly recommend voting early if your state allows it. Oh and I know everybody like to focus on the Presidential race, but it is just as important to focus on your local candidates as well.  Those people have just as much (if not more) direct effect on your everyday life as the President does.)

[SEP 20] Happy Sunday all! I guess the best place to start is in the land of remixes.  First up is the Le Flex Sunset Remix of Nightlife.  It's got a completely different vibe from the original. And then with way more fanfare, we got the new Kygo mix of Hot Stuff complete with music video starring Madelyn Cline and Chase Stokes from Outer Banks.  The Hot Stuff mix hit #1 on the iTunes Dance Chart and #10 on the  iTunes Top 200.   :-) You can read  about the mix on kticradio.com. (Oh and if you like  behind the scenes things - EDM.com has some  pictures from the Hot Stuff video shoot.)

[SEP 20] Bruce Sudano fans - check out his new song and video Keep Doin' What You Are Doin'. Note - this video features the return of Super Bruce who was last seen in The Mountain.  The song is available to stream at  the usual places (Spotify, etc), and it got a write up on BSidesBadlands.com.

[SEP 20] Speaking of the return of Super Bruce - he is now a bobblehead that you can buy.  He is also available as a magnet, a pin and a sticker. And of course if music is more your thing,  autographed CDs of Spirals vol 1 are still available for sale, as well as cd and vinyl for  21st Century World.  Grab any (or all!) of those on Bruce's website.  (And yes, I ordered a bobblehead just because it makes me laugh.)

[SEP 20] Johnnyswim fans - they posted their cover of Dear Theodosia (taken from their latest Live In The Backyard event) on YouTube as a stand alone video.

[SEP 20] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I have an eclectic mix of clips this week - stuff that just fell in my lap.  First up, the JRX 2020 Lockdown remix of Hot Stuff. Then we have Donna's live cover of Natural Woman along with Donna's spoken intro about "twins".  (Those of you who saw the shows where she did it know what I mean. Everyone else - prepare to be entertained.  :-) ) Then we have Donna's performances of Last Dance and On The Radio for Merv Griffin's 1993 New Year's Eve Special. And finally we have Donna's cover of Georgia On My Mind.

[SEP 12] Happy Saturday all! Wanderer fans (in North America)  -  the US Amazon store now has the pink vinyl available for pre-order.  Now if Amazon isn't your thing, Barnes and Noble has it listed too,  along with ImportCDs.com.  I am told that Import CDs will slap a customs fee on anything shipped out of the US.

[SEP 12] So, The Wanderer isn't the only album coming out soon in colored vinyl.  In November we can expect to see Bad Girls in beautiful blue and red translucent vinyl.   :-) FNAC.com has the images posted already.

[SEP 12] Johnnyswim fans: our favorite duo filmed episode 2 of their Live In The Backyard concert series and you can now watch it on YouTube.  During the show, they debuted the video they made (and directed themselves) for Til We Get Back Again. You can also watch that on YouTube.

[SEP 12] Bruce Sudano fans: Bruce has a new video out for his new song American Sunset from his forthcoming EP, Spirals vol. 2. It is very much a song for the times we find ourselves in now.  Bruce got to talk a little about the song to American Songwriter. Song Facts also talks about the song.  And of course you can find the new song on all of your favorite music sources.  :-)

[SEP 12] I think that brings us to YouTube. This week... well, it's been a weird week (like every week in 2020 LOL). I feel like we need some songs of encouragement. So we'll start with Riding Through The Storm. Then we have the unreleased We're Gonna Win, the also unreleased ballad for I Will Live For Love, a performance of Carry On, and of course I can't leave out Stamp Your Feet.  And as a bonus, here's a live performance of Amazing Grace.  I saw Donna do that one a couple of times in concert in response to terrible events. (In particular I remember her doing it in Boston to honor the victims of the bombing in the London Underground.)

[SEP 6] Happy Sunday all! I hope my American friends are enjoying the holiday weekend!  So let's start off with The Wanderer. One of the new mixes is available for sale now - the Figo Sound mix of Looking Up (and the extended version as well.)  The mix was posted first on Facebook as a lyric video,  but then Suecase Hall got his hands on it and made a fan video which you can see on YouTube.   :-) By the way - if you have Spotify, you can find the new mix there as well too.  It's so nice to see The Wanderer tracks getting so much love these days.  I've always looked at that album as an old friend. :-)

[SEP 6]  Bruce Sudano fans -  catch Bruce performing on a live webcast Election night (November 3) for the I Voted concert series. That will be so much more fun to watch than the talking heads on TV trying to analyze the election results. (You know how they are - "With 0.0001% of the votes counted, we can confidently predict that one of the candidates will win. And the others will lose."  LOL)

[SEP 6] Johnnyswim fans - as you already know, episode 2 of live from the backyard is slated for September 10. And they have just announced that Chip and Joanna Gaines will be among their special guests. Also, (and this is important) there will be special merchandise available for the show including tie-died shirts, crew jackets, and other special surprises. The merchandise "table" opens Wednesday September 9 at 8 AM PST and will remain open for 72 hours.  It is the sales from the merchandise that finance these backyard concerts, so  if you want to keep seeing the shows make sure you grab some merchandise.  :-) Also note - the shirts were tie dyed by hand by Johnnyswim - so when you watch the show Thursday, see if they ever got the dye off their hands.  ROTFLOL

[SEP 6] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I have a sort of random mix of clips that came my way this week. First is the Suecase Hall video for Grand Illusion. Then we have a Donna vs Michael Jackson mix called Bad Girls (Can't Let Them Get Away), an acapella  recording of Bad Girls (which is Donna and the backing singers  with the music mostly removed from the track), an acapella recording for Love Is In Control, the Groovefunkel alternate vocal mix of Last Dance, and finally a 1999 commercial for McDonald's featuring She Works Hard For The Money with alternate lyrics recorded just for the campaign. Did somebody say McDonna's?  LOL

[AUG 30] Happy Sunday all!  The new month starts on Tuesday, so I am posting the new Summer Fever Pick now. We are welcoming the fall with Another Place And Time. (On a side note - what the heck happened to summer?  Even in quarantine, time flies!)

[AUG 30] Okay, on to Donna. First up, BBC radio 4 posted the episode of Great Lives: Jessie Ware on Donna Summer. It runs for about a half hour and includes commentary from Pete Bellotte. (That's extra cool since we don't get to hear from him often. They also use some clips from archived BBC interviews with Donna, and they have commentary from the Danielle Smith, author of an upcoming book called Shine Bright: A Personal History of Black Woman In Pop. It sounds like it might be an  interesting book. :-)

[AUG 30]  North American fans - good news about the forthcoming anniversary edition of The Wanderer. The CD version is available for pre-order from Amazon.com.  As of right now, they don't have the vinyl available, but that is something to keep an eye on. The release date for the CD is October 6 - same as in the UK.

[AUG 30] We may be looking forward to a Kygo mix of one of Donna's songs. He did an interview recently where he mentioned that he was doing a project that he wasn't sure he could talk about yet, and his hint was that it would be for the Queen Of Disco. When one of the hosts Googled "Queen Of Disco" (don't get me started on that! LOL) and guessed "Donna Summer", Kygo said "Maybe..." Oh yeah... it's her! LOL

[AUG 30] Spotify users - there is a new playlist out there called Donna Summer: Top Tracks.  It kicks off with Love's About To Change My Heart (from our Summer Fever Pick!)  and includes  an eclectic bunch of tracks from Love To Love You all the way up to Crayons. There are some mixes, some remasters , some hits, and some deep cuts. At 57 tracks, this playlist will keep you company for a long time!  :-)

[AUG 30] Johnnyswim fans - they are live in the backyard again on Thursday September 10 at 6 PM PST. They are planning to have at least one special guest, and there will be exclusive merchandise only available for 72 hours starting the day before the show. Even better - they are hand tie-dyeing the shirts THEMSELVES.  If you follow them on Instagram, you will see in their stories some of the adventures in tie-die.  Their backyard concerts have been lots of fun so be sure to tune in on either Instagram of YouTube. (The YouTube feed is much higher quality though.)

[AUG 30] Also in Johnnyswim news, look for a new video for one of their Songs With Strangers EP soon. Our favorite duo sneaked off  for an afternoon to shoot and direct their own video for Till We Get Back Again, and they will debut it during their upcoming Live In The Backyard broadcast. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

[AUG 30] I think that brings us to YouTube. Let's celebrate our Summer Fever Pick.  First up, This Time I Know It's For Real and I Don't Wanna Get Hurt from Top Of The Pops.  Then we have an ABC News feature to promote Another Place And Time,  and an appearance on Arsenio Hall also to promote the album.  And finally, there is the rarely seen official video for When Love Takes Over You.

[AUG 23] Greetings all!  Well, we now have order links for The Wanderer 40th Anniversary edition.  It is available in vinyl or CD at Amazon UK (which is unfortunately NOT shipping to the US at this time.) Resident-Music.com also has it (and that looks like it will ship to the US but I didn't look up the shipping costs) and TownsendMusicStore.com also will ship to the US... but shipping costs almost as much as the item itself!  LOL I'm sure as we get closer to the October 16 release date there may be other options for purchase, or Amazon UK may start shipping overseas again. In the meantime use the Townsend Music link above, or this Facebook link to see what the vinyl looks like.  (It looks really nice, although the pink vinyl is paler than I expected.)

[AUG 23] In the Donna is everywhere ... or not.. category, there is a kebab place in the UK called Doner Summer. And there is an item on the menu called the Bad Girl Berlin.  :-)  I have no idea how the food is (the menu looks good)  but if you find yourself in Leeds or York, go check them out.

[AUG 23] Johnnyswim fans - guess what? The duo are planning to be live in their backyard again on September 10.  They are also planning some surprises for that night. Keep an eye on their Instagram for updates.

[AUG 23] I think that brings us to YouTube. Let's celebrate The Wanderer this week in honor of the upcoming pink vinyl.  :-) So first up is the official video for the title track.  Then we have the new Le Flex Poolside mix of Grand Illusion, the live version of The Wanderer from Tom Snyder's talk show, Cold Love from the same show, and a stampyourfeet video for the studio version of Cold Love that incorporates clips from Art On Ice.  And finally we have liveandmore's video for Grand Illusion that uses footage from the Whenever There Is Love video to really great effect and a Suecase Hall video for Running For Cover that makes great use of both the 1980 TV Special and A Hot Summer Night.

[AUG 16] Happy Sunday all!  I can't believe summer is almost over and we had to waste so much of it in quarantine.  So listen, if there is any other virus out there looking to cause a quarantine - I am hereby decreeing that you can only do so in horrible weather when nobody wants to go out!  LOL  (Wouldn't it be nice to have god like powers like that?  LOL)

[AUG 16] So on to Donna.   :-)   BBC Radio 4 has a series called Great Lives where they spend a half an hour talking about - well whoever the subject is that week. They cover everybody from Maya Angelou to Mussolini and everything in between so there is a decent variety of subjects.  Anyway, on Tuesday August 25 at 4:40 PM UK time, they will feature Donna.  Here's the best thing.... unlike BBC television, BBC Radio is not locked into UK residents only.  So we here in North America (and I am assuming most other places as well) can listen in live online. And shortly after the broadcast it will be available to stream on demand.  So check out the BBC 4 website.

[AUG 16]  In the land of politics,  the Vote Proud campaign here in the US is using Enough Is Enough to help bring out the LGBTQ+ vote.  The ad has gotten enough attention that BroadwayWorld.com has an article about it (and a link to the video) , Variety has an article about it (also with the video), and so does CNN. And this is probably a good time for what may be the first of many public service announcements for my American friends. (Everybody else - skip ahead.  lol)  Election Day is rapidly approaching and this year... well this is probably the weirdest year I've ever lived through.  Between the post office being all messed up and the pandemic, voting may be more difficult this year. But don't let that discourage you!  As a citizen, it not just your right, but your RESPONSIBILITY to educate yourself on the issues and VOTE for the candidates you feel will do a good job.  So if you are not already registered, go register now. If you are planning to vote by mail - do it as soon as you possibly can in your state, and if you are planning to vote in person, see if your state allows early voting and do that to avoid some of the lines.

[AUG 16] In the Donna's music is everywhere category,  I Feel Love is used in the latest commercial for Amazon Alexa. (Watch it until the end.  :-) )

[AUG 16] Johnnyswim fans - as you know, our favorite duo performed live in their backyard the other day to celebrate Amanda's birthday.  You can catch the show here on YouTube.

[AUG 16]  Bruce Sudano has also been performing live on the internet.  He filmed a short clip for Ditty TV that you can see on Facebook.  And he also did a half hour set for the Philadelphia Folk Festival  which had to go online this year.  Now if you bought a ticket and watched online last night like I did, you will know there was a problem with the feed.  That has been corrected for the archive which is available on line - probably only to ticket holders though.  If you want to catch the archived performance, use this link then scroll to about 9:25 - well, unless you want to check out all the other talented acts too.  :-)

[AUG 16] Mary Bernard fans - as you know she and her daughter created a Facebook Group for the diehard Donna Summer fans where she can share stories from all those years of touring.  She posted another video just the other day, so group members should check that out if they haven't already. And those interested in joining the group should check out Mary's public page for info.

[AUG 16] I think that brings us to YouTube.  All these live performances this week puts me in the mood for more concerts.  So let's see some of Donna's concerts.  First up the Crayons tour at Jones Beach, NY 2008, then we have Brazil in 1995,  the Mistaken Identity tour in Japan 1991,  and live in Japan 1979.

[AUG 8] Happy Saturday all! If you are looking for some music to play while you check out the update,  Try this megamix from De Manger. I was playing it while writing this.  :-)

[AUG 8] Let's start with The Wanderer's 40th anniversary.  :-)  To celebrate, a special anniversary edition of the CD is coming out with extra mixes plus liner notes by Christian John Wikane.  There will be new interviews with Pete Bellotte, Harold Faltermeyer, Bruce, Tom Kelly , Figo Sound and Le Flex. Plus they are throwing in some archived interviews with Carmen Grillo and Donna.  The mixes include 2 Figo Sound mixes of The Wanderer, 2 Figo Sound mixes of Looking Up,  2 Le Flex mixes of Nightlife and the Le Flex Grand Illusion mix we've already heard.  :-)  (All the ones with 2 mixes are  basically an extended version and a radio edit of the mixes.) RetroPop Magazine has an article about the release.  Oh and you vinyl hounds will like this.... the album will also be released in a 2 LP pink and black vinyl set.  (I bet it will be gorgeous!)  :-)  Look for that October 20. Order links are not available yet, but I assume you can get it from all the usual sources.

[AUG 8] SIriusXM's Studio 54 Radio is celebrating it's 9th birthday on August 15.  In honor of the occasion, they will be counting down the listeners' Top 54.  If you want to vote, the list of choices is here.  You can vote ONCE between now and August 12, then tune in at 4PM on August 15 to see how your songs placed.  :-)

[AUG 8] Johnnyswim fans -  first of all, don't forget that they are doing a live concert from their backyard on Instagram and YouTube on Tuesday August 11 to celebrate Amanda's birthday.  There will also be special merchandise available on that day AND if people tune in and buy the shirts, they will keep doing these shows.  One note, if you  have the choice of which service to use for the stream - YouTube is the higher quality one.  And no time has been posted yet, so stay tuned to their Instagram for an announcement on that. I know the last one they did ran a little late for the east coast, so I think they were going to try for an earlier time.  But they also have kids to feed and get to bed, so who knows?

[AUG 8] As you know, Johnnyswim is slated to have a show on the new upcoming Magnolia Network.  (The network was supposed to debut this fall, but it has been pushed back due to the COVID virus situation. So stay tuned for a new date for that.)  Anyway, CountryLiving.com has an article teasing the various shows slated to air on Magnolia and the article features a video from Johnnyswim singing Home inter cut with clips of the Ramirez family at home.

[AUG 8] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I feel like doing some Donna medleys tonight. So first up, her country medley with Eddie Rabbit.  Then we have a gospel medley with Mac Davis, Dolly Parton and Tom Jones,  a Motown medley with the Brooklyn Dreams,  the 1980 Grammy medley with Kenny Rogers, the My Man Medley from her 1980 TV Special, and a short hits medley from 1999.

[AUG 1] Happy Saturday all! Sorry last weekend's update was late. I had some technical difficulties with the upload.  This week let's start with the new Summer Fever Pick which is All Systems Go.  :-)

[AUG 1] Something else new this week is... the Le Flex Poolside mix of Grand Illusion.  This the first of 4 mixes that are being released to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Wanderer.  (Yes we are all old!  LOL)  Now I am going to give you one small tip for when you play this mix.  When I first heard it, I thought it was the weirdest thing ever. And then after about 10 seconds, I realized that I had another open tab in my browser that was playing something else at the same time.  Oops!  LOL (It's not so weird when you play only one thing at a time. )

[AUG 1] In this day and age of everyone wearing face masks, you might want  to make a statement with yours.  If you head to RedBubble.com,  they have a ton of Donna Summer masks. (Like lots of the t-shirts out there now, these are not authorized by the estate.) Now as someone who has had to become a connoisseur  of face masks (I work in a pharmacy), I bought a RedBubble one for a friend and the fabric is comfortable, but there is no metal piece to tighten it over your nose, so it might be prone to slip.  The earloops are not adjustable either, but you can buy the adjuster beads online if that is an issue.  (If you are crafty, you can probably also add some bendable metal for the nose too. And of course as with most face masks these days, you have to be patient with the shipping.  Seriously.... I never thought I'd have to become an expert in face masks.  2020 is weird!

[AUG 1] Moving on to Johnnyswim. August 11 is Amanda's birthday so the duo have decided to celebrate with another live streamed concert from their backyard.  :-)  They will stream it on their Instagram and YouTube   accounts and I can tell you from my experience with the last one that Youtube is a much higher quality stream. They haven't picked a time yet, so stay tuned to the Johnnyswim Instagram page for more details as they come.   Abner is already promising surprises. :-)

[AUG 1] And that brings us to YouTube.  This week, let's celebrate the Summer Fever Pick.  First up is the official video for All Systems Go.  Then we have the official video for Dinner With Gershwin,  then an interview done on the set of the original unused video for Dinner With Gershwin,  a 1987 UK interview promoting the album,  All Systems Go live in the UK,  Dinner With Gershwin from a TV appearance,  Jeremy live in Japan,  and Love Shock from a TV appearance.

[JUL 26] Greetings all! I hope your weekend is going well.  :-)  First up this week, the 2017 documentary, Donna Summer: Hot Stuff is now available on Amazon Prime Video here in the US. A bunch of people (including Mary) are interviewed, but I need to warn you that stuff filmed in English will air in English, and stuff filmed in German will air in German.  So if you are like me and are not so good with German, you will want to make sure you turn on the English subtitles.

[JUL 26] Attitude.co.uk has posted a review of the Hot Summer Night CD/DVD. They call it a real gem and give the show a 4 out of 5.  :-) There is another review posted at The Second Disc, and you can also watch an unboxing video here on YouTube.

[JUL 26] Here's an interesting bit of trivia for you.  Do you remember the 1980 movie Fame, with Irene Cara? Well I was watching this show on YouTube called Stars In The House that featured a reunion of some of the key people from that movie.  And they talked about filming a couple of the dance numbers where they actually hadn't written the music yet. So they used other music to stand in for the missing songs.  So the big scene where the cast danced in the street to Fame was actually filmed with the cast dancing to Hot Stuff.  There is another number called Red Light (where the kids are all auditioning) and they used Bad Girls to stand in for that.  :-)

[JUL 26] Bruce Sudano fans -  this week Bruce performed a live set for BandsintownOutskirts. He posted a copy of his setlist on Facebook,  followed by videos for the new song All Hands, and his cover of Tighter And Tighter dedicated to his friend (and former bandmate) Pepe. He also posted a lyric video for  Shelter Island.

[JUL 26] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's look at some more interview type things this week. First up, Donna  talking about songwriting on Platinum Hit. Then a funny late night interview that touches on songwriting, Donna talking about the creation of Love To Love You, and an interview about Disco's deeper meaning from 2010.

[JUL 19] Happy Sunday all! I don't know about where you guys are, but by me it is HOT this weekend. So it's nice to have a little something to keep me busy in the air conditioning. This is where I mention that my Hot Summer Night DVD/CD came the other day.  :-)  I got mine from Amazon UK and yes, it is region free so the DVDs play here in North America too. (And everywhere else as well, for all my friends who live everywhere else.) You can also get the vinyl there. I opted not to because I am trying to minimize the amount of stuff I have as I get older, but I have seen photos and the purple vinyl is GORGEOUS. Now as for the DVD, the sound is good and the picture seems a little improved from what exists on YouTube.  Of course the original source material was analog, so you can only go so far with it.  They kept it in the 4:3 aspect ratio, so expect it to play with black bars on the sides of today's TVs. (Unless you are one of those weirdos who like to stretch the screen so it fits even though it makes all the people look strange.  LOL)  One thing you will notice if you are like me and wore out the original VHS release, there have been a few cuts made. The original running time is about 1:17 and on the DVD package it is listed as about 1:12.  So that's roughly 5 minutes worth of cuts and from what I can tell it's mostly in Donna's dialog/shenanigans.  For instance, if you have seen the show before you will remember hat Donna fiddles with a radio on a dressing table before On The Radio. That's gone in this DVD release.  Before Forgive Me there was some dialog including the bit about "Do stars drink out of silver goblets?" That's gone too.  And the dialog before her hits medley is gone, so goodbye Scarlett O'Hara joke.  (If you are new to this particular concert and have no idea what I am talking about - go check YouTube, the jokes are all still there.) I leave it to all of you to decide for yourselves if the cuts are good, bad or indifferent.

Now on to the packaging - the CD/DVD set come inside a nice little hard covered booklet. The first page inside is a sleeve that holds the CD and the last page inside is a sleeve for the DVD.  The pages inside include the track list, credits, lots of stills from the concert and the rest is another wonderful article by Christian John Wikane that includes comments from director Brian Grant and choreographer Arlene Phillips.  The article covers both the concert (and talks about each song individually as well as about the show as a whole), and it also talks about the music video for She Works Hard For The Money. There is a lot of interesting stuff in there.  :-)  And of course, for me, this set is like revisiting a dear old friend.  The VHS copy was how I first saw a full Donna Summer concert, and I played it to death.  :-) 

[JULY 19] Ok, moving on.... Johnnyswim fans - their new EP, Songs With Strangers, is out NOW at Amazon and all the other usual places.  :-) To celebrate the release, the pair held a YouTube/IG live concert in their backyard. (Wouldn't you have LOVED to be one of their neighbors?  :-) ) You can catch it on Youtube. It's in 2 parts because of technical difficulties . Part 1 is here and ends rather abruptly. (People watching it live saw the YouTube stream freeze.  Instagram continued and people watching there got to hear them decide to take an intermission to reboot everything. ) And then part 2 is here and includes a little bit of the after party.  It's possible they may decide to do something like this again.  :-) Oh and as long as we're talking Songs With Strangers, Vacancy-Mag.com has posted a review. And if you head over to Johnnyswim.com you can pre-order the vinyl album or grab some Johnnyswim merchandise.

[JULY 19] Bruce Sudano fans -  check out this new interview with him on PennyBlackMusic.co.uk. It's a pretty extensive interview and ends with the great news that the first video and single from Spirals vol 2 will be out in late August. :-)

 [JULY 19] And that brings us to YouTube.  Let's do some interviews this week. First up a UK interview from  the 80s that has the video for I Don't Wanna Get Hurt tacked on.  Then there is a 1987 UK TV AM interview  (and here is the clip with the mic issue they mentioned. BTW - that's how a pro handles a problem.  :-) ) Moving on we have TV AM from 1991,  UK This Morning from 1999,  a BBC interview from 2004,  and  finally a fun one from Chicago, 2008 that I don't remember seeing before.

[JUL 12] Greetings all!  If you ordered the new release of A Hot Summer Night, then your copy should be on the way if you don't have it yet.  Mine is still in transit, but I've heard that the notes are interesting, the packaging is good and if you get the DVD, the video format is still the old school 4:3. I'm really looking forward to the DVD - it will be like revisiting an old friend.  :-) By the way, if you use Spotify, you can find the audio for A Hot Summer Night here.

[JUL 12] Remix fans... here's an odd thing for you. Someone mashed Bad Girls with a song by Danzig called Mother. The song Mother is a really hard rock song, but the remix works surprisingly well. is it something I would add to my music collection? Probably not, but it's worth listening too once or twice.  And I have to give full credit to the remixer for coming up with such an interesting idea.

[JUL 12] Bruce Sudano fans - Bruce is live on his Facebook couch again.  This is a new song he's working on called Ugly Truth And Pretty Lies.

[JUL 12] Ok Facebookers - I told you awhile ago that Mary Bernard had something up her sleeve. Well, she's put together a private group on Facebook just for the fans... I mean Donna family.   :-)  Here's her video on Facebook making the announcement.  And if you join the group, there is another video  where Mary explains how she ended up in LA with Donna all those years ago.

[JUL 12] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's start off with the Hot Summer Night concert so we have something to compare the new release to.  :-) Then we have Hard For The Money on Musikladen - note the familiar dress :-)  and Romeo from another TV show. Then for something COMPLETELY different, there are a couple of clips from an old German TV show called Hits A Go Go.  Back in 1974 Donna would sometimes perform with a group called The Family Tree and this group sometimes did backing work on Hits A Go Go.  There are 2 clips that I have seen so far where you can spot Donna. First is this one featuring Lucio Battista.  At about 3:15 you can see Donna (on the right)  and other members of Family Tree take the stage. Then there is a clip with Dobie Gray where members of Family Tree are scattered around the set and you can spot Donna at about 1:30. There may be more clips out there, but  "Family Tree" is a tough search term to work with.  lol

[JUL 5] Happy Sunday all! I hope all my American friends had a nice holiday weekend.  And I hope my non-American friends had a nice regular weekend too. :-)

[JUL 5] Bruce Sudano fans - he's got a new video out for Back In The Neighborhood. You can watch it, and read an article about Spirals Vol 1 on BigTakeOver.com. You can also read an article promoting the video on Menafn.com.

[JUL 5]  Ever wonder what TV shows or movies have used Donna's music?  Check out WhatSong.com. The list starts back in 1981 with Highway Runner, and ends just about a week or so ago with Bad Girls on Doom Patrol.

[JUL 5] If you are into reaction videos, there is one on YouTube with a guy reacting to I Feel Love.  The guy is completely blown away!  :-)

[JUL 5] That brings us to YouTube. First up a new "mix" of Lush Life, where basically most of the music has been removed so for the majority of the song all you hear are Donna's vocals.  Then in honor of July 4th we have Livin' In America live,  God Bless Anerica live,  and The Star Spangled Banner live.  And then, one more that I posted recently, but I want to post it again anyway - Suecase Hall's video for Let There Be Peace/Enough Is Enough inspired by the global protests.

[JUL 2] The new Summer Fever Pick is up! This month we are celebrating Cats Without Claws.  :-)

JUN 28] Happy Global Pride Day everyone! (Although with the pandemic, this may be the weirdest Pride month ever... as well as the weirdest everything else this summer!  LOL)

[JUN 28] So this is interesting.... this week (and some of you may have seen this already), a fan named Casper found a previously unheard early recording of Donna's! It is a 1972 recording credited to Cool Union Drive. The A side is a song called Time For Change which if you listen to it, you will recognize it as an early version of Walk Hand In Hand!  The flip side is called Something I'd Like To Tell You and the writing credits are listed as Brodersen/Pierre. Donna did used to use the name Gayn Pierre back around that time, so it is POSSIBLE she is the cowriter.  The other writer is Patrick Brodersen. Another interesting thing - the woman pictured on the single sleeve, is Donna's sister Linda Gaines. The photo is one she did for a Black Is Beautiful campaign back in Germany.  Over on Facebook, someone got in touch with Patrick Brodersen's son, and it's easier if I just quote what was posted:  "The song started out as a promo single for the 'junge union', the youth organisation of the German conservative party CDU. The CDU traditionally sports black as its colour and to cast a black singer, at the time for Germany somewhat untypical and exotic, was supposed to appeal to a young audience. Germany had no race segregation as there were almost no persons of colour here. It was recorded in the early to mid seventies when my father worked for the CDU as a graphic designer. He was a guitarist and song writer as well and somehow convinced the team around the later chancellor Helmut Kohl to record the song. Donna was cast when her engagement with the Hair musical ensemble in Munich was finished and she looked for other engagements. What you hear here is the original voice track on a complete new arrangement recorded a few years later in Hannover with the band Eloy as session musicians. My father had the rights to the track and the recordings, produced the new version and published it on a few samplers. I still got the 36-track reel somewhere and probably some very old two tracks.

I have no recollection to Donna Summer herself but i can remember the Eloy musicians rooming in in our house during the recordings, I was 12 then. The rest of the story was told to me by my parents. One nice touch to the story: on the original single cover it says Donna Summer, but the picture was of her sister, who was, as they say, more conventionally beautiful. The original single sported the slogan 'black is beautiful', again, a German like my father in the seventies had probably very little understanding of the political significance of that slogan and neither had any of the big wigs in the CDU it seems. Well, who am i to judge, by the way, no need to flame him either, he is dead."

So thank you Casper for sharing this great find!!!

[JUN 28] I feel like everything after  previously unknown is going to be anti-climatic, but let's keep going anyway.  LOL In Johnnyswim news, our favorite duo did a podcast for Relevent in which they get to talk about Songs With Strangers and their upcoming TV Show on the Magnolia Network.  (You can jump to about 44:25 if you only want to listen to the Johnnyswim part.)

[JUN 28] Bruce Sudano fans - check out the video of Bruce talking about Casablanca with Christian John Wikane.

[JUN 28] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's look at clips from the early years.  :-)  First up is Can't  Understand (credited to Donna Gaines). Then we have O Segne Gott Mein Seel from Godspell,  Black Power from a German TV show, an ad for Afri-Cola,  and The Flesh Failures from Hair.

[JUN 21] Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there!

[JUN 21]  Johnnyswim has popped up in the news a couple of times lately. The first is part of a CMT list called "On Juneteenth discover these African-American artists in country music and beyond". Johnnyswim is represented by their video for Home.  (A note for my non-American friends who might be wondering - in a nutshell, Juneteenth is an American holiday celebrating the end of slavery.  And yes  it is a bit more complicated than that, so Wikipedia is your friend, and then Google if you are interested in learning even more.  :-) )

[JUN 21] For those looking for a bigger Johnnyswim fix,  check out the Dream Big podcast for a half hour of Johnnyswim goodness.  :-) On a side note, they mention in the podcast that they have been together for 15 years! How is it possible THAT much time has passed?  LOL

[JUN 21]  Facebookers... Mary Gaines Bernard has teased an upcoming... something? Keep an eye on her page she said there are some great stories coming our way.  :-)

[JUN 21] Here's an unusual poll for you guys. In Boston there is (was?) a statue of Christopher Columbus that has become controversial.  There is serious talk of replacing it with something else so Boston.com published a poll asking readers what should replace the statue.  Donna is one of the choices on the list and you can vote for her if you want.  (I did, but I honestly believe that if they do replace the statue, it will be with an historical figure rather than a contemporary one. But wouldn't it be cool to have  a statue of Donna?  :-D )

[JUN 21] That brings us to YouTube. Since yesterday marked the first day of summer (well, at least here in the Northern Hemisphere), let's celebrate Summer!  First up, one that just screams summer to me - Sand On My Feet. :-) Then of course we have to have Summer Fever - this one is live in Brazil.  And of course the summer of 79 was defined for me by Hot Stuff, Bad Girls, and Dim All The Lights.  Then 20 years later my summer was defined by I Will Go With You. I don't know what song will define this summer for me, but I can say that this week I have been really drawn to this unreleased gem - Run With It.

[JUN 14] Greetings all!  Let's start off with Donna this week.  First up, a 1982 interview on Soundcloud. Then we have a new Suecase Hall video combining a little Enough Is Enough, a little Voices Crying Out, A lot of Let There Be Peace, and a ton of images from all the recent Black Lives Matter protests. It's powerful stuff!  :-)  We are living in historic times. (And not just because of the most 2020 thing ever - murder hornets...  lol)

[JUN 14] Johnnyswim fans, while our favorite duo has been off the road, they have picked up a new hobby - cooking videos!  Yes, you can watch Amanda and Abner make beef Bolognese, a roast chicken, macarons, Palestinian chicken, and croissants (so far). Warning - do NOT watch these videos if you are hungry!  LOL

[JUN 14] Bruce Sudano fans - check out the essay he wrote for Americana Highways about "Corona Time".  Then go check out his songwriting tips mini-lesson on the Grammy Museum website.

[JUN 14] And I think that brings us to YouTube. This week let's look at some Summer/Sudano collaborations.  First up,  the unreleased gem, Worth The Wait. Then we have Donna's version of Starting Over Again,  the demo for Bad Girls,  Anyway At All from the Tonight Show,  and as a bonus, Bruce's cover of Bad Girls.

[JUN 7] Greetings all and Happy Sunday!  Also, Happy Pride Month!  (For those who have lost track due to quarantine - yes! It is June!  LOL) And to all the peaceful protesters out there - (worldwide! Holy cow!) You guys ROCK! And you are making history. And in these dark times of pandemic, economic disaster, intolerance, hate, and violence, you are a ray of hope for the future, and you are being heard.

[JUN 7]  TheGuardian.com is counting down the top 100 UK #1 singles since the beginning of the charts.  Currently I Feel Love sits at #4.

[JUN 7] A blog post written in March  from VindicateMJ.wordpress.com has recently surfaced and it has some interesting SPECULATION about Donna's relationship with David Geffen. It's worth a read, but take it with a grain of salt.

[JUN 7] A 2008 interview from the Crayons tour has been recently reposted on YouTube. And something else interesting -  a promo clip for the 1994 "Complete CD"  has surfaced as well.

[JUN 7] Bruce Sudano fans: As you know he did an interview for Pop Matters recently.  Now pieces of that interview have been posted in video form on YouTube on the Conversations With Christian John Wikane channel.  :-) Also, check out American Songwriter's review of Spirals Vol. 1.

[JUN 7] I think that brings us to YouTube. I think this week we will celebrate the Summer Fever Pick. First up we have the title track live at Disney.  Then we have the video for Unconditional Love,  the extended version of Stop Look & Listen, Klyk's Smooth mix of Tokyo,  a clip of a 1983 interview in Rome (in Italian),  Donna's 1983 appearance on Johnny Carson, and finally Harry Langdon's discussion of  the Hard For The Money photoshoot.

[MAY 30]  Happy Saturday all! Yes the update is a little early - mainly because I had time tonight and I felt the need to escape from the real news cycle for awhile.  (How much death and mayhem can you watch before you get completely depressed?) Let's start off with the Summer Fever Pick for June.  This month it's She Works Hard For The Money.  Coincidentally, June is my annual evaluation at work, so boss if you are reading this, She (ME) Works Hard For The (no) Money!  LOL

[MAY 30] In the Donna is everywhere category, in episode 8 of the TV series Mrs. America there is a scene where the actress playing Gloria Steinem enters a hallway in slow-mo  and they play I Feel Love.  Better yet, there is no dialog running over the song.

[MAY 30] Also, catch an appearance by Donna in a documentary called The Secret Disco Revolution.

[MAY 30] Johnnyswim fans - they have completed yet another Songs With Strangers. This one is called Running and it is the last song on their upcoming Songs With Strangers album. It's been a fun run and they got some great songs out of it!

[MAY 30] Bruce Sudano fans - catch his interview with Christian John Wikane on PopMatters.com.  It's a nice long interview peppered with video clips and great new photos courtesy of Sekou Luke Studios.

[MAY 30] That brings us to YouTube.  This week let's play some songs that have been on my mind lately. A couple of them are audio only, but I think you will like them anyway.  First up, Mistaken Identity and Let There Be Peace.  Then we have Love Is The Healer, a cover of The Impossible Dream, the Ordinary Girl track Begin Again, the ballad of I Will Live For Love, State Of Independence with clips o f MLK, and We're Gonna Win. And a bonus clip from Johnnyswim, Let It Matter.

[MAY 24] Happy Sunday all! I hope my American friends are enjoying their Memorial Day weekend. And please, whatever your plans include, take a moment to remember the reason for the holiday and say a little thanks for the service people and their families who made the ultimate sacrifice.

[MAY 24] Let me start off with Bruce this week because he is doing an Instagram Live Lunch with Mike Montali tomorrow at 1 PM EST. He also did Thumpin' Thursday with Hollar which you can watch now on Facebook, and he also did Sittin' In With The CAT which you can also listen to online now.

[MAY 24] Brooklyn Sudano fans - catch her in the Freeform TV Series Cruel Summer. (It used to be called Last Summer.) The show is described as a thriller that takes place over 3 summers in the 90s and each episode is told from the point of view of one of the two main characters to keep viewers guessing as the plot moves along. Look for that to debut in 2021.

[MAY 24] In the Donna is everywhere category, there is a Hulu original series called High Fidelity. The main character owns a record store and somebody noticed  the album covers for The Wanderer and for Cats Without Claws in the record store.  :-) (That reminds me of the times I spotted The Wanderer in some old Cosby Show repeats. Or the Donna poster in the Fact Of Life repeats. :-) )

[MAY 24] I think that brings us to YouTube. In keeping with the holiday weekend, we have Donna singing The Star Spangled Banner, God Bless America, Amazing Grace, and Let There Be Peace.

[MAY 17] Happy Sunday all. Can you believe 8 years has gone by since I had to write the site update that I never wanted to write? In some ways it seems like it was so very recent, but at other times I feel like it was decades ago.  Sigh...

[MAY 17] Let's get the bad news out of the way first. The tour of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical has officially closed according to BroadwayWorld.com.  Now the musical's website only says that this season has been cancelled - which is dates through September 2020. So there is a CHANCE it could return in 2021, but if it does I expect they will recast it. Also, keep in mind that the musical is available for licensing so that local theaters could theoretically mount their own productions.  Honestly, while it's sad that the tour has closed, I'm not surprised. Before this COVID situation is sorted, I'm afraid we will lose a lot more Broadway and touring shows. Heck - even the moneymaker Frozen announced that it's Broadway run is over. Anyway, Happy Trails to the Summer touring company and thank you for being part of our Donna family even if it was only for a short time.

[MAY 17] GQ Magazine posted an article called 16 Donna Summer Songs That Changed The Way We Dance. It's a pretty eclectic list that is arranged chronologically. It starts off with Aquarius which is not something most writers even consider. Of course it also stops with This Time I Know It's For Real which I am sure will annoy fans of the material that came later.  LOL

[MAY 17] In Bruce news, he posted a short little song on Facebook from his couch (well, I think it's from the couch - he just moved it outside.  lol) It's called No End In Sight.

[MAY 17] Over in Johnnyswim land... they are hanging out with strangers again and writing songs.  The new one is called And We Remain, and the accompanying video showing the creation of the song is also up. I think this whole Songs With Strangers thing may be the best thing to come out of this quarantine.  Every song they write this way just shows that it's not as important WHAT life throws at you, as it is what you DO about it.

[MAY 17] Harry Langdon has posted a new video about his photo shoots with Donna. This time he talks about the On The Radio sessions. Fun fact - the cover photo was the result of a second session they planned at the last second.

[MAY 17] I think that brings us to YouTube where we have some new and old clips.  First up, Suecase Hall has posted a video featuring Donna's music and a whole bunch of celebrity quotes from 2012 remembering Donna. Then Rikymira1 posted a video celebrating Donna's  whole musical career from Haare to Angel. Moving on, we have a song that I had on repeat on the drive to work today, Netherlands.  (Maybe it's the quarantine plus the date, but I was really feeling that one today.)  Then we have Omega Red (ft Donna) with Angel,  Bruce Sudano with See You When I Get There, and  Johnnyswim's Let It Matter. And then I can't leave you depressed... so here is one of my favorite FUN clips with Donna: Could It Be Magic performed live with Barry Manilow. I dare you to watch it and not smile.  :-)

[MAY 17] And finally - my annual MS Walk was officially yesterday.  Since we are in quarantine around here, the walk was made into a virtual event. So I put on my Donna gear, grabbed a safe "friend" (you will see  lol) and did some sort of walk that you can see on YouTube.  I want to thank all of you for your support! You guys are AMAZING - especially this year when I know so many can't work.  I have little trinkets to mail to you as my way of saying thank you - I promise I will sanitize them before I mail!  LOL (Oh and I also did a real walk yesterday of about 4 miles. If you are my Facebook friend and saw my post last night - that's how I got sunburnt! )

[MAY 10] Greetings all and Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.

[MAY 10] First up - you guys remember the Hot Summer Night With Donna concert from 1983? It's back - or at least it will be on July 10!  You can get it as a CD/DVD combo or you can pop for a purple vinyl edition.  Either way, it comes with a booklet with new interviews with Bruce, director Brian Grant, choreographer Arlene Phillips, and executive producer Len Epand.  It's currently available as a pre-order from Amazon UK, but heads up to my fellow North Americans: they currently won't ship here. BUT.... SuperDeluxeEditions.com will.   :-D

[MAY 10] In musical news, Summer: The Musical's Nashville performances have been rescheduled to  July 6 to 11, 2021. Ticket holders should have already received an email, but if you didn't - log into your TPAC.org account to see what your options are regarding rescheduling, etc. You MUST respond by May 26, or you will be locked into your rescheduled date. Also, both Detroit and Kansas City have been suspended.  I think Detroit is planning to reschedule at some point, I'm not sure about Kansas City though.  If you haven't heard from them already, contact the venues or ticket sellers for more info.

[MAY 10] Bruce Sudano fans, he's put out a lyric video on Facebook for  When This Is Over. Also keep an eye on his Facebook page for other cool things. The other night he teamed up with  the Philadelphia Folk Society for an online concert in which he did all the songs from the new EP, Spirals, and a couple of other songs as well.

[MAY 10] In Johnnyswim news, their Songs With Strangers project got a write-up on the JulieXplores.com blog under the title Johnnyswim Saves 2020.   :-)

[MAY 10] Moving on to the land of remixes, there is a new one out there  for This Time I Know It's For Real the JQ Bango Dance Remix.

[MAY 10] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Well, in honor of the Hot Summer Night DVD/CD/Vinyl coming this summer, I think we should look back at the concert as originally released.  As it happens the whole thing is on YouTube.  Not included in the original broadcast, but included on the Blue Live Lady album that came out way back when is Enough Is Enough.  The audio for that is also on YouTube. Then we have a TV performance of She Works Hard For The Money which features one of the Hot Summer Night costumes.  Up next is the official video for Unconditional Love with Musical Youth, a 1990 live performance of Romeo, and finally State Of Independence live at the 2005 Night  of the Proms.

[MAY 10] And finally next weekend is my official Walk MS  Event, although instead of getting us all together at the beach, we are doing a virtual walk in quarantine.  I'll have a video next week of my walk - and yes I really am walking somewhere.  If you would like to donate, my link is here.  If you already donated - THANK YOU!  And if you just want to show some moral support and walk too, pick a place and walk next weekend - even if it's just in random circles around your living room.  (So what if the neighbors think you are weird.  LOL)

[MAY 3] Greetings all and Happy May! A new month means a new Summer Fever pick, so this time we will be dancing to the tunes on the Donna Summer album.

[MAY 3] Let's start off with the musical. Summer: The Musical's Tampa dates have been rescheduled to  July 2021 (yes, 2021).  The shows in Miami, FL and Greenville, SC have been cancelled.  If you have tickets to any of these events, you may have already been contacted by the box offices. If not usually how this works is that tickets for postponed events will be honored on the new dates. Now for the cancelled dates they usually give you the options to get a refund, exchange your tickets for tickets too another show (or a gift certificate) or to make a donation out of your tickets. Check with your venue for further guidance.

[MAY 3] Also in musical news, the Brazilian cast of Summer recently surprised Brian Edwards on Zoom with a live from quarantine version of Last Dance.  :-)

[MAY 3] Moving on to Johnnyswim. They now have all 4 Instagram live videos up on YouTube for their Songs With Strangers tracks.  Better than that though, all 4 tracks are available to stream on Spotify, Amazon, Soundcloud, etc, etc,  and there are plans to make them into an album in the coming weeks.  They also have some t-shirts available to preorder commemorating each song.  All the profits will go to charity: The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society,  Crew Nation,  Convoy Of Hope, and  Michael Hernandez Kidney Transplant. Check out Johnnyswim.com for more info.

[MAY 3] That brings us to Bruce. He and his couch are live on Facebook again with a new one called American Sunset.

[MAY 3] Some of you Brooklyn Dreams fans might remember that they teamed up with Kenny Vance to become Professor LaPlano & The Planotones in the movie American Hot Wax. Well, the guys have gotten back together again along with special guest Vini Poncia on a song called Brave Companions.  You can check it out on YouTube,  ITunes/Apple Music, and Google Play music.  Proceeds from the songs will go to  the First Responders Children's Foundation COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. And before you ask - they still sound  great together!

[MAY 3] Ok in the everybody loves Donna category, there is a song out there called Gloomy Sunday - Donna Summer To The Rescue.  Give it a listen on Soundcloud.

[MAY 3] And that brings us to YouTube.  In honor of the Summer Fever Pick, let's do some tracks from the self-titles album.  :-) First up the official video for Love Is In Control - see if you can spot the baby bump that became Amanda.  :-) Then there is the video for State Of Independence, and some video from the recording of the song. (It's only the all-star choir - no Donna.) There is a video for The Woman In Me, and the live performance of Livin' In America from Reagan's inauguration.

[APR 26] Happy Sunday all! Let's start off with the musical, as I feared, the shows scheduled for Tampa, FL have been suspended.  If you have tickets for any of those shows, contact your ticket vendor for further instructions.  :-(

[APR 26] Moving on to Johnnyswim. Tonight the DIY Network is airing a show called  "Magnolia Network: A Look Ahead". It's supposed to be on at 8PM and Midnight here on the East Coast, and then I imaging it will be on demand thereafter.  As you probably remember, Johnnyswim will have a show on the network this fall, and you can expect to see a preview of that on the show tonight.  :-) And you can also check out People.com's article on how Amanda and Abner hooked up with Chip & Joanna Gaines.

[APR 26] And while we are in Johnnyswim-land, our favorite duo has launched a website, TheSongsWithStrangers.com, in which they link all things related to their Songs With Strangers project.  So right  now they have the Soundcloud links to all 4 songs (the latest is Still Wonderful), and YouTube links to the first 3 Instagram Live events that led to the songs. Those are really long videos, that's why it takes them awhile to show up.  Not linked there just yet is the music video for the first song, Wait, which you can find on YouTube. If you want a chance to participate in Songs With Strangers (or if you just want to watch it happen live), head over to the Johnnyswim Instagram page.  Abner posts an announcement usually a day or two before the event.  They usually happen on Thursdays around 12 - 12:30 ish. Of course that is subject to change - last week they switched to Wednesday. And once the live thing starts it will go on for 4, 5 ,6 hours - or whatever it takes.   :-)

[APR 26] That brings us to Bruce.  He's been live on his couch on Facebook again.  The first video is a new song called When This Is Over.  The other video is just as timely. It's a rather pointed commentary on a certain political leader  in the vein of "if you are gonna dish it out, you better be able to take it."   LOL

[APR 26] I'm sure you all know that you can find Bruce's new EP, Spirals Vol 1, Not A Straight Line To Be Found, on Spotify (and other music places.)  Well, Bruce has created a playlist of some of his favorites called "Do you hear what I hear ? #1" Go give it a listen when you get a chance. (Well, unless you are too busy playing Spirals....   ;-) )

[APR 26]  That brings us to YouTube.  Since tomorrow is my birthday, let's have a virtual party! You have to bring your own snacks and beverages, provide your own venue, and the dress code is Quarantine Casual.  LOL (Oh and no gifts - unless you want to donate to fight MS. But seriously no pressure on that because I know times are hard.) I will provide the playlist though.  :-) Let's start with this rare Melody Of Love West End video mix that I haven't seen for ages. Then we have the video for Fame The Game, a stampyourfeet video for Crayons,  MacArthur Park from LME (because I have such fond memories of that show!), the whole Mistaken Identity concert from Japan (because I haven't watched footage from that tour in awhile), and the whole Crayons concert from Jones Beach (you know I haven't seen a show there since Donna passed...). ANs as a bonus, I know this isn't a party song but it's the performance that started me on this fan journey - Mimi's Song from The Tonight Show. After that - either play what you want from your own collections or just go into a YouTube freefall and see where the clips take you.   :-)

[APR 19] Happy Sunday everyone!  I hope everyone is well in these strange times.

[APR 19]  Let's start off this week with Bruce. His EP, Spirals Not A Straight Line To Be Found Vol 1, is officially out and available at all your favorite music sources. Now if you want an actual CD, head over to BruceSudano.com and you can order a copy for $10.  It might even be autographed! Bruce signed a bunch in anticipation of his Blue Cruise Event that got cancelled due to COVID. One of the places you can hear the new songs is on Bruce's YouTube channel. If you like what you hear, leave him a comment.

[APR 19] Also, there is a Facebook video (probably on his famous couch  lol) in which Bruce talks about the EP and the cover art. In it he mentions a very interesting little detail.... Spirals  Volume TWO will be out in 3 months.  :-)

[APR 19] And of course with the new EP there is new promotion.  Americana Highways gives Spirals a very favorable review, and Bruce did an hour long podcast called Go Beyond Here.  It's a little different from other interviews in that the host is a medium, and she starts off by connecting Bruce with his late mother, and then they get to talk about the more typical subjects - the album, Bruce's career, etc.

[APR 19] Let's move on to Johnnyswim. In one of the more interesting ideas to come out of this quarantine, they are using Instagram live to write songs with strangers. The latest in this series is  A Little Bit Sorry and you can find it on Soundcloud.  Now if you head to YouTube you can see the WHOLE Instagram live sessions for Wait (almost 6 hours!)  and Til We Get Back Again (7 and a half hours!)

[APR 19] Moving on to the Donna's music is everywhere category, on a recent episode of The Masked Singer, the Kangaroo performed Hot Stuff.  You will have to click the link to see how that went down. I don't want to provide any spoilers for those who haven't seen the episode yet.

[APR 19] In remix land, there is a new I Feel Love mix out there called the JQ Ultra Feel It mix. This one is a lot different from any other I Feel Love mix I have heard. I suspect it is one people will either absolutely love, or absolutely hate with no in between.  LOL

[APR 19] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I think we need some feel good songs. :-) Let's start off with a lost Ordinary Girl song called Begin Again. (Yes, it starts off slow and stays that way for awhile, but when it kicks in you WILL smile!)  Then we have the original Love On And On,  To Paris With Love, I Got Your Love, Adonai, and finally Someday. (Can you tell I've been listening to rare tracks this week?  LOL)

[APR 11] Greetings all! Happy Passover or Happy Easter or just happy anything you want to celebrate in these weird times.  :-)

[APR 11] Let's start off with the Encore boxset this week.  We have a couple of reviews out there now. Attitude wrote a nice article which can be summer up by saying that they give the set a 5 out of 5.  :-) The Second Disc also posted a favorable review that takes the time to go album by album, putting each in the appropriate context of Donna's career.

[APR 11] The Professor Of Rock YouTube channel featured a video recently called The Power Of Donna Summer celebrating Donna's career. There is some interesting stuff in there - particularly where they show her influence on other artists.  :-)

[APR 11] There is an EP out there by an artist named Agnes called Nothing Can Compare. Two of the tracks feature a VERY familiar voice speaking in the recording. The first is Not Dangerous. You can hear Donna speaking right at the very beginning.  :-) The other is Interlude (I Like To Sing), and you can hear Donna speaking at about the 44 second mark.

[APR 11] Moving on to Bruce Sudano -  he's put out an audio only YouTube video for The Mountain (although personally I enjoy the quirkiness of the original superhero video.  lol) He also posted a video on Facebook for Alone (from The Burbank Sessions). You can also catch him (on his famous couch!) in a multi-artist video put together by Neale Eckstein. It's a cover of The Band's classic, The Weight, and basically about a billion people got together virtually from the comfort of wherever they are quarantined, and they put this song together.  It's really cool - I can't wait to see more artists collaborate this way too.  It just goes to show that a quarantine can't keep creative people down for long!  :-) Oh and by the way - don't forget that Bruce's new EP hits all your favorite music places on April 17 - Spirals, Not A Straight Line To Be Found.

[APR 11] In Johnnyswim news,  I told you last week that they did an Instagram live thing where they wrote a song with strangers. Well they had so much fun doing it, that they went and did another one the other day. This one is called 'Til We Get Back Again. Check it out on Soundcloud.  And if you are not following their Instagram, you should be.  :-)

[APR 11] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Since this is a religious weekend for many, and let's face it nobody is going to church with this stupid virus going around (at least they SHOULDN'T be going out to church), let's have a little Donna church this week. First up, Forgive Me live.  Then we have Riding Through The Storm from Live & More Encore,  Amazing Grace live,  a fan video for How Great Thou Art, and a Suecase Hall video for Rejoice and the Gospel Medley she did with Dolly Parton, Tom Jones and Mac Davis.

[APR 4] Happy Saturday all! First things first - we have a new Summer Fever Pick.  This time it is I'm A Rainbow - the album that was shelved by Geffen in favor of the Quincy Jones album.

[APR 4] Just a quick note about the Encore box set. I had one fan receive a copy that had one duplicate CD, so instead of disk 1 and disk 2 of one of the bonus collections, he had 2 of disk 1.  So once again, I would like to remind everyone to do a quick inspection of your disks when your box set arrives just to make sure everything is fine.  While it will take hours and glorious hours to play all the CDs, it only takes a few minutes to take them all out and make sure all the disks you are supposed to.  If you run into an issue, then contact the Demon record group. (And be patient for a reply, who knows how the COVID virus is affecting their business operations?) Oh and keep in mind that I am not expecting too many people to have issues. They made 1500 of these box sets and I have only heard of 2 problems so far - but better safe than sorry.  And the earlier any problems are found, the easier it will be to get the problem fixed.

[APR 4] And while we are talking about Encore, it debuted at #30 on the UK Physical Albums Top 100 for the week of April 3 to 9.  Not bad at all for an expensive limited edition set! :-)

[APR 4] Moving on to Summer: The Musical.  Baltimore - your dates have been changed to August 18-23, 2020. If you already had tickets for the old dates, they will be honored for the new dates, and you can expect an email from the box office with more info.

[APR 4] We also have some new dates for the musical: September 8-13, 2020 in Austin, TX and September 15-20,2020 in Dallas, TX.  It is also playing in  Kansas City, MO July 7 - 12, 2020 - but I'm not sure if that is a new date, or I just forgot to add it to my master list below. We also still have dates scheduled for the month of May - hopefully those can go on as scheduled, but we will have to see how this pandemic situation plays out. You know, I bet the first shows that go on after the quarantine is over will be wild. Performers will be eager to go out there and do their thing again, and audiences will just be ecstatic to be out having fun again.  :-)

[APR 4] Johnnyswim fans: they have a new song on Soundcloud that has an interesting story behind it.  They did an Instagram live event where they wrote a song with strangers. They listened to people giving their accounts of how the current quarantine is affecting their lives, and from that they came up with lyrics and a melody. They started at noon and by midnight they uploaded a fully written and produced song.  The song is called Wait - go check it out.

[APR 4] Bruce Sudano fans:  check out his interview with TheHypeMagazine.com in which he talks about his upcoming EP. It's an audio thing that lasts about 13 minutes, so go give it a listen.

[APR 4] Bruce has also been busy on Facebook. He's posted 3 videos from his couch this week. The first one was on Wednesday - a song called The Best Of A Bad Situation, then on Thursday he posted a cover of I Wish It Would Rain,  and on Friday he posted his tribute to the late Bill Withers.

[APR 4] And getting back to Donna - as you probably know, photographer Harry Langdon has a YouTube channel and last week he posted a video talking about the Bad Girls photo shoot. This week he added one taking about the She Works Hard For The Money photo shoot.  Oh and if you comment on any of his videos - Mr. Langdon does read them all - he even responds when he can.  :-)

[APR 4] I think that brings us to YouTube.  So let's  do something in honor of the Summer Fever Pick.  First up is a fan video by Suecase Hall for the title track.  Then we have a live performance of Romeo,  a TV performance of Don't Cry For Me Argentina, Summer2k's re-edit of End Of The Week, an audio only file of one of my favorite Rainbow tracks, I Need Time,  and from Summer: The Musical, To Turn The Stone.

[MAR 29] Happy Sunday all!  Just a quick note for Pittsburgh before we get started - your dates for Summer: The Musical have been suspended. If you have tickets for those shows, contact your point of sale for more info.  Baltimore - your dates haven't been affected YET.  But I am thinking it will happen.  :-(

[MAR 29] As long as we are in rescheduling mode, let me move on to Bruce.  He was scheduled to perform in Baton Rouge with The Zombies on April 9. That date has been changed to October 11.  Tickets are on sale now, but if you already have tickets to the April 9 date, they WILL be honored for the new date.

[MAR 29] And continuing with Bruce news, he did an interview with Medium.com in which he talks about a number of things - including his new single The Mountain. He also posted a brief clip on Facebook from his couch  to inspire everyone in these weird times we are living in now.

[MAR 29] Now on to the Diva herself.....  :-) The big news for the week is that the Encore boxset is out!  And many of us in the US who ordered from the UK actually already got our sets in the mail already!  (Usually, the overseas shipping means we have to wait a few extra days for something to arrive.)  SuperDeluxeEdition posted an unboxing video for those who want to see it.  Now before I go any further, if you have your boxset already (and haven't already done so), drop everything and  take every single CD out of its sleeve and look at it. My set is fine, but one fan found that one of his sleeves had a piece of plastic  in it instead of a CD.  It's going to take a long time to actually listen to all the CDS, but at least take time to make a quick visual inspection so if there is an issue you can get it resolved quickly.

Now, on to my impressions.  First of all, the box is the same size as a vinyl record sleeve - only considerably thicker of course!  LOL  And it's pretty heavy.  :-) It's also a really sturdy box (not to mention good looking), so it will keep the contents nice and safe. When you open it up, the first thing you see is a gorgeous hardcover book that has a foreword by Giorgio Moroder, pages for each album with the covers and credits for each, a HUGE retrospective written by Christian John Wikane, quotes from various people about Donna, and of course comments from Bruce at the end. Then you have the CDs - stacks of CDS! Each album in a sleeve that looks as close to the original LP artwork as possible.  (Which means that Bad Girls no longer says "Over 70 minutes of music" across the album cover!  LOL)  And then inside each sleeve is another sleeve that mimics the paper sleeves the LPs had. So if the LP had paper sleeves with lyrics, liner notes, etc - those are there with the CDs.  But here is the really cool thing - at least for me.  When I picked up a handful of the CDs, and just held them.... how can I explain it? It was partly awe that I could hold Donna's whole career in my hands, partly a reconnection with old friends, and... I don't know. It was just a really moving experience to hold them all.  And of course the set came at just the right time when so many of us are limited in where we can go, and  who we can see in these uncertain times. It brought back that old feeling that I've had so many times before - no matter how bad things are, as long as there are some Donna tunes to keep us company, we'll find a way through. Which brings me to this... Bruce wrote a footnote for the book. I won't quote the whole thing here, but I will share the last few lines:

"Her voice was anointed. The sound of her voice alone could heal you, but it was wrapped in a package of completeness. It was her whole spirit that you were feeling in the sound of her voice. The fact that the sound of her voice still keeps her present in people's lives - by bringing them joy, giving then hope, helping them forgive, letting them know that they are loved, giving them the strength to carry on - that is a life well-lived. That is Donna accomplishing her purpose in life. I'm sure she's rejoicing in heaven."

[MAR 29] In other Donna news, photographer Harry Langdon has a YouTube channel and in a recent video he talks about the Bad Girls album shoot.  He's promising more videos in the future that will discuss the other album cover sessions (On The Radio, The Wanderer, She Works Hard For The Money, Cats Without Claws, etc.)

[MAR 29] Over in the UK, Record Collector Magazine's April edition has an article by Pete Bellotte about the music he made with Giorgio and Donna. (Sorry guys, it's one of those magazines you have to buy to get to read. They don't put it up online for free.)

[MAR 29] I think that brings us to YouTube. So there has been a clip of Donna preforming Come With Me (and a couple of other songs) live in 1977 floating around for ages. Well, not somebody has either found a really clean copy, or they were able to clean up what was already there, and now we have an amazing copy of it out there. Go look - you will love it! (And stick around for the My Man Medley - never heard her do Some Of These Days quite like that anywhere else.) Let's see, from there let's check out Donna's version of A Song For You, then Be Myself Again live, and  Anyway At All live on Leno.  Let's bring the tempo back up again with one we probably need to here right now: Carry On. And finally, Love Is The Healer live from Divas 2000, and the unreleased Begin Again.

[MAR 20] Happy Saturday all! I hope everyone is well and staying healthy! There's not a lot to talk about this week with most of the world confined to their homes and/or jobs. But lucky for us, Bruce has a ready made studio on his couch and he hooked up with Americana Highways to stream a concert from his couch.  (Bruce, who knew you were so far ahead of the curve with this live on the couch thing?  LOL) You guys can watch it on Facebook, and yes it is sideways.

[MAR 20] And now is a good time to remind you that his new EP, Spirals Vol. 1: Not A Straight Line To Be Found, is due out on April 17 from all your favorite music sites including Amazon.

[MAR 20] Also a reminder that the massive Donna Summer box set, Encore, is coming out March 27.  That should give us something to do while we are social distancing!

[MAR 20] And speaking of social distancing.... every year for the past decade or so, I've done a fundraising walk to fight MS in May.  This year was going to be no different... until COVID19. Now instead of walking with a ton of people at Jones Beach, the walk is going virtual. The MS Society had given us free reign to interpret that as we like, so I am going to try to do something fun on video for you - even if I end up walking in circles in my back yard.  Hopefully Donna Summer music will play a part in that. (I've seen videos muted for copyright violations before so I have to keep my fingers crossed that I can use music.) I posted my fundraising link on Facebook ages ago and some of you have already donated. To you guys - THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.  If there are others who want to donate, this is my link - but please understand, THERE IS NO PRESSURE!  Times are hard these days, and I know some people are not able to work. I'll be happy if everyone just manages to stay healthy!

[MAR 20] That brings us to YouTube, and I would like to start with this clip of Donna performing with Kenny Rogers at the Grammy Awards. Kenny passed away this morning and I dedicate this clip to his memory. My condolences to his family, friends and fans.

Moving on we have this clip of Donna singing Riding Through The Storm (because it just seems appropriate these days),  then we have a clip with some footage of the original Dinner With Gershwin video that was never released, and my favorite clip of Could It Be Magic with Donna and Barry having way too much fun together.  :-)  And finally there is an awesome compilation of clips of Donna just being funny because we all need to laugh!

[MAR 20] Oops! I almost forgot! I posted this link on Facebook but I want to give it to you non-Facebookers too. I have been trying to digitize some of my paper Donna collection, so to that end I have made PDF files out of the press kits that I have. I have them in my Google drive for anyone who wants them. And yes, I know the 4 Seasons Of Love order sheet is in the wrong press kit. But I found it shoved in there and since I don't have a 4 Seasons press kit, it can just stay there.  LOL

[MAR 15] Just a quick update to let Brazilian fans know that their production of Summer: The Musical has been suspended until April 5. Contact the venue for information about ticket refunds or exchanges.  Stay healthy everyone!

[MAR 14] Happy Saturday all! I got sick of cleaning the house, so I thought I'd do the site update instead. (And yes, I have scrubbed every pixel down with disinfectant, so the site should be perfectly safe.  ;-) ) To all my readers who are in quarantine (either mandatory or voluntary) - hang in there! Don't panic, and whatever happens never ever lose your sense of humor. (How many of you sang that last line in your head as you read it?  LOL)

[MAR 14] Johnnyswim fans: if you have tickets to any of their upcoming shows, their tour with Lauren Daigle has been suspended through the end of April. Most (if not all) of the cancelled dates have already been rescheduled and your tickets will be valid for the new dates.  (That goes for both the show tickets and the VIP tickets.) They have a graphic on Facebook with the new dates, or you can check out their website.

[MAR 14] Bruce Sudano fans: As you know he was going to be at Tin Pan South Songwriters' Festival this month -  that festival has been postponed until later this year. That is due in part to the Corona virus and in part to the tornados that slammed the Nashville area recently.  Keep an eye on their website for  updates.  Bruce is also scheduled to perform with the Zombies in Baton Rouge on April 9.  If you are planning to go to that show, just keep an eye on the news or on the theater's Facebook page. So far that theater is still operating, but that could change as the virus situation develops.

[MAR 14] Moving on to the North American tour of Summer: The Musical... well, it opened in Toronto and now the musical website is saying that engagement is now suspended.  Also suspended are Schenectady, NY  and Dayton, OH. If you have tickets to any of the suspended shows, please contact the place where you got your tickets (box office, or online ticket agency).  If you have tickets to a show that has not been suspended yet, just keep an eye on the musical's website or the venue's website. Depending on how this virus situation goes, more dates may have to be suspended.  And hopefully they will be able to reschedule the suspended shows at some point. (Probably next season, as I am sure all the theaters have this season's shows 100% locked in.)

[MAR 14] Speaking of the musical, The Star has an article about the show to promote it - before they had to cancel it.  :-( And BroadwayWorld.com has a review of the show.

[MAR 14] Moving on to Donna, CheatSheet.com asks the question, Did Donna Summer ever have a #1 Hit? Fortunately we don't have to run over there and educate them, because they answered their own question in an article spotlighting Donna's 4 journeys to the top of the Billboard Hot 100.  :-)

[MAR 14] I guess that brings us to YouTube. So let's escape this dystopian novel we are all living and and run to the land of Donna. I did full length concerts on the last update, so let's do some full length interviews this week.  So here is the  1995 A&E Biography (and a live performance of Worth The Wait.  Every time that bio aired, someone would email me asking about that song.  Good times!  LOL) Then we have a 1978 interview with Rona Barrett,  part 1  and part 2 of a 1994 interview,  the Signed Media interview that turned up recently, the Pop Star conversations interview that just popped up last week, and part 1 and part 2 of a 1980 interview. Also just so you know, the VH1 Behind The Music and the Lifetime Intimate Portrait shows are not currently on YouTube. If you search for them, you will find them listed, but each actually links to a copy of the A&E Biography.

As a special bonus here is one of my favorite Johnnyswim songs (go catch them live when they hit the road again), and here is Bruce's latest (which I feel like is getting lost in all the virus hysteria.) Go see him live if you can too. Oh and for an extra bonus - here is the song I referenced at the beginning of the update featuring Paul Jabara and Donna. Go ahead, sing along!  :-)

[MAR 10]   Happy Tuesday all. Sorry the update is late, but things got a bit hectic around here this weekend.  So let's start off with Donna. Stereogum is continuing their list of Number Ones and now they are up to Enough Is Enough.  Read all about it here.

[MAR 10] We also have a "new" interview with Donna from Pop Star Conversations.  We also have one that's been around for awhile about State Of Independence.

[MAR 10] Speaking of interviews, we have a short one with Mimi about the dresses that were donated to the Rock Hall Of Fame. Mimi's part starts at about 1:12.

[MAR 10] Moving on to the Musical, as you know it is now playing in Brazil. I am told by a fan who saw it that they translated The Queen Is Back and White Boys into Portuguese.  If you want a little taste,  the show posted I Feel Love on YouTube. And there is an interview with the 3 Brazilian Donnas posted here.

[MAR 10] Moving on to Bruce, as you know he has a new single out called The Mountain.  Vent Magazine did a story about it,  and he performed it live recently. You can see the live video on Facebook.

[MAR 10] And finally, Mary Gaines Bernard fans will want to check out this Facebook video of her performing her sister's songs live in concert.

[MAR 10] That brings us to YouTube. With all the freakout on the news about the Corona virus, and people trying to stay away large groups of other people, I thought it was a good time to feature some full length concert videos. (Hey, if you are going to stay in anyway, you might as well make it fun!) So put on your dancing shoes and check out Donna live in Italy 1977, Donna live in Japan 1979, 1983's Hot Summer Night concert,  Donna live in Spain 1990, Donna live in Brazil 1995, and finally live here on Long Island in 2008. I'll be back on the weekend - stay healthy everyone!

[MAR 1] Happy March everyone! And you know a new month means it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. So for March we are rocking to the sounds of The Wanderer.

{MAR 1] Let's start off with Bruce this week. As you know (if you follow his social media at all) he put out a new single Friday (complete with video) called The Mountain.  Music-News.com has an article about the song along with the video. Go check it out. The song is a serious message, but the video is pretty fun! (Hey Bruce, does this mean you will be putting out an action figure?  LOL) And of course you can buy/stream the song at all the usual places like Amazon.

[MAR 1] In musical news, Summer: The Musical hits Brazil on March 5.  Youtube has a video promoting the show and it it looks like the costumes and staging are very different from the Broadway show. If anybody catches the show who has seen the Broadway production, let me know if there are any other changes.

[MAR 1] Also in musical news, the touring is wrapping up in North Carolina tonight where they got this really nice review on Triangle Arts & Entertainment.

[MAR 1] That's going to bring us to YouTube. In honor of the Summer Fever pick, let's go with some Wanderer tracks.  First up the official video for the title track and then a live performance of that same song from the Tom Snyder Show. Then we have stampyurfeet's take on Cold Love, and his alterego liveandmore's take on Grand Illusion. (The Whenever There Is Love footage works well!)

[FEB 23]  Happy Sunday all! Let's start off this week with an article about I Feel Love courtesy of La Nacion. The article is in Spanish, so if that's not your language, then Google Translate might be your new best friend. :-)

[FEB 23] You remember how Target was using the Sam Smith cover of I Feel Love in their holiday ads? Well, Marks & Spencer have done a little better. They are using DONNA'S I Feel Love in their ad.  :-)  (No offense to Sam Smith - but given the choice of Donna or ... well anybody else, I'll take Donna.  LOL)

[FEB 23] Moving on to Summer: The Musical, BroadwayWorld.com has an interview with the touring Bruce, Steven Grant.

[FEB 23] Bruce Sudano fans, look for his new single The Mountain this Friday.  I know I'm gonna be waiting for it!

[FEB 23] Johnnyswim fans: the duo is back out on tour again this time at bigger venues with Lauren Daigle.  They are bopping around the US and Canada together until July 19 so check the dates and if you see one (or more) that work for you - get those tickets NOW! The tour is selling out fast!

[FEB 23] I think that brings us to YouTube.  In honor of I Feel Love being the popular advertising song lately, let's start with that. Only instead of playing one of the regular live clips, let's go with the  Rollo & Sister Bliss Monster Mix.  Then we have the same song, but this time it's the MAW promo. And of course I can't leave out the Patrick Cowley mix.  Oh wait - I have one more that I've always loved - it's the I Feel Chased mix featuring I Feel Love and Giorgio Moroder's The Chase.

[FEB 16] Happy Valentine's Day chocolate is 50% off weekend all!  lol  Let's start off with Stereogum's  series on The Number Ones.  On last week's update I mentioned that they had an article about Hot Stuff. Well, you know that they had to follow that up (a few days later) with Donna's next #1 - Bad Girls.  I'm thinking the next article (with Donna that is) in the series should be No More Tears in a few weeks. And then I think we're done unless Stereogum decides to look at other charts at some point.

[FEB 16] In musical news, Summer: The Musical is playing in Chicago right now, and the Daily Herald has a short interview with "Disco Donna" Alex Hairston to promote the show.  ChicagoNow.com also has a short article to promote the show - but this is more a profile of Donna herself than a discussion of the show.

[FEB 16] Bruce Sudano fans - Bruce is heading out to the Durango Songwriter Expo this weekend. Mark my words - there will probably be some live on the couch videos afterwards. You can't put a whole bunch of creatives together and not have have everyone coming out inspired to do something.  :-)

[FEB 16] I think that brings us to YouTube. I guess since it was just Valentine's Day and Donna is the First Lady Of Love, we should have some clips about love.  So let's start with Love To Love You live, and Donna's discussion of the song. Then we have Love Is The Healer live on VH1 Divas 2000, the video for Love Is In Control, the original mix of Love On & On,  Stor Dubine's video for I Got Your Love,  and of course no list like this is complete without I Feel Love - live in 1977.

[FEB 9] Happy Oscar Night all! It's a pretty quiet week, but we do have a new article in Stereogum's series on Number Ones. This one is a look at Hot Stuff which took that top spot on June 2, 1979. 

[FEB 9] Then we have a blog entry from a couple of years ago that I don't remember running into before.  This one is from Jeremy Gloff, and he talks about how he became a Donna Summer fan. It's a good read - go check it out.

[FEB 9] Remember that movie Spinning Gold about Neil Bogart that's been in the works.... ummm... forever?  LOL Things might be getting a little weird. Production was scheduled to start July 16, 2019. Now if you go to  the IMDB website (which in all fairness can be edited by anyone, and so may not always be 100% accurate - just like Wikipedia), the movie's status has been updated to  "Post-production."  But then if you look at the Trivia section, it says that the production was shut down after 3 weeks leaving many workers and suppliers unpaid. Now it's hard to find any recent info on this movie online, but I did find an article (in French) from Journalmetro.com which is based in Montreal. With the help of Google Translate, what I got is that they started filming in Montreal on July 15 and then they ran out of money by July 24 and didn't pay a lot of the technical staff. So naturally production stopped. (Yeah, if my job stopped paying me, I'd stop working too!) They were trying to work out something so that production could resume, but I couldn't find out if that actually happened or not.  So who knows if this thing will ever be completed?

[FEB 9] Johnnyswim fans: Check out their new video, Long Gone - Backstage At The Ryman, filmed unplugged at the famous Ryman Auditorium.

[FEB 9] I think that brings us to YouTube.  It's Oscar night, so let's make it a Sunday of movie songs.  So of course we have to start with Last Dance which won Paul Jabara the Oscar for  best Original Song back in 1978. Then in 1984 Donna sand Barbra Streisand's nominated song - Papa Can You Hear Me. Up next is  A Whole New World from Aladdin - a 1993 Oscar winner covered by Donna and Dave Koz in 2007, and The Way We Were which won the Oscar in 1974 and was covered by Donna on tour 1977-79. Other movie songs are The Power Of One from Pokemon: The Movie 2000, Whenever There is Love from Daylight (1996), Romeo from Flashdance (1983), and Ordinary Miracle from Let It Be Me (1996).

[FEB 2] Happy Groundhog Day all! Our local guy predicted an early Spring.... I guess it makes sense since we've barely had any winter at all so far.  :-)  It's a new month so you know what that means. It's time for a new Summer Fever Pick and I'm sure this one will make all the Bad Girls out there happy. :-)

[FEB 2] In box set news, Instinct Magazine has an article about the Junior Vasquez mix of My Life that will be on the Encore set.

[FEB 2] In the Donna is everywhere category, SundayPost.com posted an interview with Barbra Streisand in which she talks about some of her favorite artists. Donna made that list.  :-)  Barbra says: "She was a Disco Queen but boy could she sing just about everything. What an amazing voice and she was as good with a slow, moody number as she was belting out a great dance number. One of my favourites."

[FEB 2] Bruce Sudano fans, Bruce posted this clip of him performing Coney Island Days in 2018.

[FEB 2] That brings us to YouTube. And in honor of the Summer Fever Pick, I think we should look at some Bad Girls tracks.  First up is this classic Tonight Show performance of Bad Girls from 1979 (with the glasses!  lol) Then we have Hot Stuff live on the 1980 TV special, Dim All The Lights from Live & More Encore, an instrumental of Lucky, Sunset People from the 1980 TV special, an acapella version of There Will Always Be A You, the 8:31 version of Walk Away,  and the Summer2k Insomnia mix of Can't Get To Sleep At Night.

[JAN 27] Just sneaking in with one little (or big depending on your point of view) update on the upcoming Encore box set. SuperDeluxeEdition.com has the scoop - art and track list!

[JAN 26]  Happy Sunday all! Big news this week....  Amazon UK is listing a new box set due out on March 27.  The set is called Encore and it will be a 33 CD set  all of Donna's studio albums (starting with Lady Of The Night up through Crayons).  Also included ate both Live & More albums, On The Radio and a whole bunch of "non album singles" and extended mixes. One of the tracks includes will be the first time ever commercial release of Junior Vasquez's mix of My Life. And that's not all. (God, I sound like an infomercial now!  LOL)  The disc will be in mini replica sleeves, there will be a 40 page 12x12 book with a new 25,000 word essay by Christian John Wikane, a foreword by Giorgio Moroder, tributes from 25 industry legends, and the album label copy info.  This thing just screams collectible! :-)

[JAN 26] Moving on to the musical, Sao Paulo Brazil, you get to see the show March 5 to June 28. If I am interpreting the Portuguese right, it looks like  Amanda Souza is playing the young Donna (Duckling Donna), Jeniffer Nascimento is Disco Donna, and Karin Hils is Diva Donna.  Welcome to the family ladies! Get used to your audiences dancing in the aisles.  :-) You can read a longer article about the show here.

[JAN 26]  Bruce Sudano fans - Bruce is live on his couch again on Facebook.  This is #27 and is a new song Bruce is working on that will probably resonate with anyone who has been in a relationship.  :-)

[JAN 26] I think that brings us to YouTube. First up, in honor of the box set we have the studio version of My Life. Then we have the rare track, Sometimes Like Butterflies, another b-side called Tearin' Down The Walls, another one called Face The Music, the original Love On And On, Donna's cover of Someday, and finallyDonna's "duet" with Dave Koz on A Whole New World.

[JAN 19] Greetings all! First let me say CONGRATS! to Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. The tour just played its 100th show. And it's still got plenty more to go, so catch it when they come to your area.  :-)

[JAN 19] Collectors: We have a new limited edition yellow vinyl pressing of She Works Hard For The Money due out on March 27. It is available for preorder at Amazon now,  and it is the same album you know and love - it's just yellow.  :-) (Too bad they couldn't add the red lines too...   I'm so demanding!  LOL)

[JAN 19] There is an interview on YouTube with photographer Bruce Talamon and Earth Wind & Fire's Verdine White. At one  point talks about a photo session with Donna that directly led to his first national magazine cover. The Donna part starts at about 19:05 - my link should bring you right to it.

[JAN 19] Bruce Sudano fans - his upcoming EP now has a new title. It will be called Spirals Vol 1 and he said not a straight line is to be found. (I'd also like to note that anything called Vol. 1 is bound to be followed by a Vol.2  :-) )  This is the EP that will have  In The Garden Of November, and With Him. The EP is due out this Spring and if you head over to Bruce's Facebook page, you can see some shots of him and Steve Addabbo working in the studio.

[JAN 19] And that brings us to YouTube. Let's do some interviews because I ran into a few good ones I hadn't watched lately while looking for something else. So first up, a 1994 interview in 2 parts. Part 1 is here and part 2 is here.  Then we have a 1984 interview with Paula Yates and a 1986 GMA interview with Donna and Dick Clark. And finally, here is a clip of State Of Independence that I don't remember seeing before.

[JAN 12] Happy Sunday all! Let's start with Johnnyswim. They have announced a Valentine's Day show  in Los Angeles. Tickets are available NOW for those who want to go. (And, yes you want to go if you can.  :-) )

[JAN 12] Moving on to Donna, we have a new article from Stereogum celebrating MacArthur Park. We also have an old interview posted by Paste Magazine from 1982 promoting the Donna Summer album.  That one is audio so you get to hear Donna's voice.  :-)

[JAN 12] We have a couple of ummmm.... unusual things this week as week.  Let me start with the prayer candle. There is a company out there called Kitschup Creations that makes celebrity prayer candles. Basically, they are prayer candles that would ordinarily depict a saint, but these depict various celebrities as saints. And yes, there is one for Donna. 

[JAN 12] Then in another head-scratcher I found this week, someone posted  an "afterlife interview" with Donna on YouTube.  The premise of the channel is that this woman uses a medium to contact her dead son and in some videos they get the son to put them in touch with famous people who have passed away.  Whatever you think of the "interview", personally I think it is proof that you can find literally ANYTHING on the internet - whether you want to or not! LOL

[JAN 12] Ok time for some sane stuff on YouTube! lol First up is actually a Daily Motion video of She  Works Hard For The Money taken from the Nobel Peace Prize concert (and decorated with a border of portraits of Donna). Then on YouTube we have (from the same Nobel concert) Bad Girls/ Hot Stuff, and Last Dance.  For something a little different, we have There Will Always Be A You as an acapella version. (Obviously somebody stripped the music off the original recording, but it's pretty cool to hear.) And then for those of you interested in Donna's vocal range, someone on YouTube broke it down with clips from various songs. It's interesting in a music geek sort of way.  :-)

[JAN 5] Happy New Year all and Happy Birthday to Brooklyn Sudano!

[JAN 5] It's been a really slow week  since everybody has been off celebrating the holidays,  but we do have Albumism's tribute to Donna in honor of her birthday.

[JAN 5] In musical news, the tour wraps up its stay in Seattle tonight and then opens in Tempe, AZ on Tuesday.  So catch it you can.  :-)

[JAN 5] Oh yeah, I almost forgot - the new Summer Fever Pick is up. This time we are dancing to Once Upon A Time.

[JAN 5] And that brings us to YouTube.  Let's do some clips in honor of the Summer Fever Pick. First up, the title track live in Japan.  Then we have audio of the single versions of Rumour Has It, Once Upon A Time and Winter Melody.  (Yes, I know Winter Melody is from a different album - call it a bonus.  LOL) After that we have Working The Midnight Shift set to clips of an old movie featuring office workers, and finally, I Love You love from 1978.

Summer: The Donna Summer Musical performance dates

2019
10/1 to 6/2019 Rochester, NY
10/8 to 27/2019 Cleveland OH
11/5 to 24/2019 Hollywood, CA
12/3 to 29/2019 San Francisco, CA
12/31 to 1/5/2020 Seattle, WA

2020

Note: Due to the COVID19 outbreak, as of May 2020 the tour has closed for the season.  The official website says no more shows through September 2020, and as of now I'm not sure the status of 2021. I believe if those shows happen, they will recast with a new company. Please check with your venue for more info.

1/7 to 12/2020 Tempe, AZ
1/15 to 26/2020 St. Louis, MO
1/28 to 2/9/2020 Denver, CO
2/12 to 23/2020 Chicago, IL
2/25 to 3/1/2020 Durham, NC
3/10 to 22/2020 Toronto, ON (Canada) - suspended
3/24 to 29/2020 Schenectady, NY - suspended
3/31 to 4/5/2020 Dayton, OH - suspended
4/7 to 12/2020 Pittsburgh, PA - suspended
4/19 to 19/2020 Baltimore, MD - CHANGED to August 18 to 23, 2020
4/28 to 5/3/2020 West Palm Beach, FL - suspended
5/5 to 10/2020 Tampa, FL - CHANGED to July 13 to 18, 2021
5/12 to 17/2020 Miami, FL - cancelled
5/19 to 24/2020 Greenville, SC - cancelled
5/26 to 31, 2020 Nashville, TN - CHANGED to July 6 to 11, 2021?
6/2 to 7/2020 Philadelphia, PA - cancelled
6/9 to 21/2020 Detroit, MI - cancelled
6/23 to 28/2020 Atlanta, GA - cancelled
7/7 to 12, 2020 Kansas City, MO - cancelled
7/14 to 19/2020 Minneapolis, MN - cancelled
7/22 to 8/2/2020 Washington DC - cancelled
8/4- to 16/2020 Boston, MA - cancelled
8/18 to 23, 2020 Baltimore, MD (rescheduled from  April 2020 and now cancelled)
9/8 to 13. 2020 Austin, TX - cancelled
9/15 to 20, 2020 Dallas, TX - cancelled

2019

[DEC 29] Happy Sunday all! Can you believe New Year's Eve (and more importantly, Donna's birthday) is just a couple of days away? So this will be your final reminder that Mary Gaines Bernard is doing her annual tribute to Donna at the Old School Square Pavilion in Delray Beach, FL on Tuesday night. Ticket info is available on the Old School Square Website.  Here is a little taste from a previous year just to show you why you need to go to see the show.

[DEC 29] I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Johnnyswim added a new little baby Swim to the family.  Well, they have finally announced her name and she is Paloma Grace. And if you hang around Johnnyswim's Instagram, you will see pics of little Paloma, her brother Joaquin, and her sister Luna. You can also check out their Touring Toddler page as well.

[DEC 29] You might remember that a couple of weeks I posted interviews from Signed Media.  I thought there was more out there and hoped they would post it.... there is more. They just posted a new clip of Donna talking about the creation of Love to Love You Baby. It's about 7 minutes long and worth watching. :-)

[DEC 29] That brings us to YouTube.  It's Donna's birthday in a couple of days, so let's have some fun!  First up, (to set the tone) Foggy Day/Never Lose Your Sense of Humor with Paul Jabara. Then we have Donna being silly in 2008, a funny interview from the 90s, Donna and Barry Manilow having way too much fun with Could It Be Magic (I can't even tell you how much I love this clip!),  Donna and her sisters fooling around on stage in 1983, and then..... ummm.... this. lol (And then there are so many funny things from concerts I wish had made it to YouTube - like maybe one really good version of the red Ferrari story, or Donna as "Hattie Mae" introducing Mary's solo number....) And of course I have to include Donna's cover of Happy Birthday. It wouldn't be New Year's Eve without it!

[DEC 29] And since I will be in bed New Year's Eve (thanks a lot work! lol), I will leave you with this now. You can click for a bigger version.

[DEC 21] Happy Saturday all! Let me take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Hanukkah, a Merry Christmas, and a Happy anything else you feel like celebrating.  :-)  (Click image below for larger version.)

[DEC 21] Let's start with some musical news. If you are going to see Summer: The Musical in either San Francisco or Seattle, then you will get to see Storm Lever back in the role of Duckling Donna. (You will recall that she played the role on Broadway.) She's just filling in temporarily though. Olivia Elease Hardy will be back for other locations.

[DEC 21] in Bruce Sudano news, he was interviewed on BSS Radio's Interviewing The Legends this week.  If you missed it (like I did) you can catch it in the show's archives (like I did LOL).

[DEC 21] Don't forget that Mary Gaines Bernard is doing her annual celebration of Donna's music and legacy on December 31 at the Old School Square Pavilion in Delray Beach, FL. Ticket info is available on the Old School Square Website. If you are going to be in that area - GO! You will be happy that you did.

[DEC 21] On to Donna herself. An interview just turned up on YouTube where Donna talks about State Of Independence. They call it The Story Behind The Song. It's about a 5 minute piece from Dutch public television. But it is presented in English with Dutch subtitles. It's really interesting - give that a play when you can.  :-)

[DEC 21] I think that brings us to YouTube. We're going to do a holiday play list this time starting with a YouTuber reacting to Donna singing The Christmas Song.  Spoiler alert: he was impressed.  :-) Then we move on to an actual Christmas playlist I made with clips of Donna, a couple of Johnnyswim Christmas clips, and one from Mary too.

[DEC 13] Greetings all! Let's start off with the musical. Summer: The Musical was the subject of the latest Lifetime Broadway Balances America segment of their morning show the other day.  It will be repeated on December 31, or you can just catch it on YouTube right now.  Just so you know there are interviews with the touring Donnas and  some rehearsal footage, but the actual performance clips they used are from the Broadway production.

[DEC 13] In honor of the musical's tour hitting San Francisco, MercuryNews.com has a list of "21 Cool Facts" about Donna.  There is nothing there that will be news to us diehard fans, but casual fans may pick up some trivia they didn't know.

[DEC 13] In other Donna news, there is a new clip on Soundcloud from 1979.  You know the part in Live & More (1978) where Donna introduces the band in the middle of I Feel Love? Well, this is the 1979 variation of that where her backing girls are going by the name Oreo, she is backed by the Peter Graves Orchestra, and there are some fun jokes and interesting vocalizations. Even though this is not a full song, you want to listen. It's a lot of fun to hear.  :-)

[DEC 13] For those of you interested in the charts,  both I Feel Love and the Bad Girls Gigamesh remix have been on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Digital Song sales chart recently. Both peaked on November 16 - I Feel Love was #5 and Bad Girls was #19. You guys realize that in a couple of weeks, we start a new decade, right? We need to get something to chart so we can add to Donna's list of decades with chart action.  :-)

[DEC 13] In the Donna's music is everywhere category, Dancing With The Stars used Last Dance for the opening number on the finale. It was a pretty long number for a TV show. You can watch it on YouTube.

[DEC 13] For those of you in Florida (or who can be in Florida on New Year's Eve) - don't forget that Mary Gaines Bernard is doing her annual tribute concert to celebrate her sister Donna.  She will be at the Old School Square Pavillion in Delray Beach, FL. Ticket info is available on the Old School Square Website.  Facebookers who want a taste of what to expect should check out this video Mary posted.

[DEC 13] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up is a cleaned up version of the Work That Magic video.  Then let me go into my archives and see what else is interesting... Oh here is a French documentary about Donna.  Now here is the thing - every clip where Donna speaks is shown as is with French subtitles. But every clip with someone else speaking has a translator speaking over the English dialog.  You can sort of hear  the English, but it's challenging.  Then we have the short clip from 1999 where Donna did a bit of Love To Love You for the first time in YEARS. And finally for a not so random clip, here is Donna singing Amazing Grace. I dedicate it to the Gaines family who so recently experienced a tragic loss, in the hopes they will find some comfort in faith, family and friends.

[DEC 13] I'm not sure which day I will be back for the next update. This one was early because my weekend is shaping up to be busy. (I'm cat sitting again - Facebook followers can expect more cat pics on my feed!  LOL)  One thing I do know is that I will have a special Christmas picture for you next time.  :-)

[DEC 8] Happy Sunday all! Let's start with the musical which is currently playing in San Francisco.  Some of the cast will be playing at a charity gala tomorrow (Monday December 9} at Marines Memorial Theater in San Francisco at 7:30 pm.  The event is hosted by the Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation which is a non-profit that raises funds for AIDS services, hunger programs, and youth programs in the San Francisco Bay area.  Oh and I almost forgot - St. Louis - your tickets are on sale now for January 15 to 26.

[DEC 8] Bruce Sudano fans - check out his new interview with All Access in which he talks about the upcoming EP (among other things). Then head over to Facebook to see Bruce's latest video where he sings a new song about the Edward Snowden situation. (For my international readers who might not know about Edward Snowden - Wikipedia has an article that will give you the background. )

[DEC 8] Moving on the Queen herself, there is a new book out now on Amazon by Craig Halstead called Donna Summer: All The Top 40 Hits. It's a detailed chronological listing of songs that hit the top 40 in at least 1 major market (so it's not just US figures) and it includes dates, catalogue numbers. etc. There is also a list of the "almost top 40s" which are songs that peaked between 41 and 50 in one or more of the major markets, a points based list of the top 30 singles and top 20 albums over all, and a trivia section.  Go check it out!  :-)

[DEC 8] That brings us to YouTube and we are going to start with an interview that just surfaced on YouTube from Signed Media. Allow some time for this one - it's about a half hour long with no filler.  :-) Then check out this other video (from the same interview session) where Donna talks about Aretha, Madonna, Beyonce and Diana.  (That one is only about 3 and a half minutes.) I feel like maybe there is more to this interview that is still yet to be seen.  There is no date on the clips (well, other than the date it was uploaded to YouTube) but I would guess somewhere between 2009 and  2011. (The company that filmed it is based in Hamburg so For comparison, here is Donna performing with David Foster  October 1, 2011, and here is Donna performing live in Berlin 2009. And then I really want to add this 2008 clip of Donna performing I Feel Love because, I KEEP hearing that  Target ad with Sam Smith's I Feel Love and even though his cover is fine, I hear those first notes and then am immediately disappointed it's not Donna.   :-(

[DEC 1] Greetings all and Happy December!  Of course since it's a new month, it's time to change the Summer Fever Pick, and if you think it would be anything but Christmas Spirit this month... well then you must be new here. :-)

[DEC 1] First things first - CONGRATS to Johnnyswim! Amanda and Abner have just welcomed their third child! Full details have yet to be announced, but if you head over to the @Johnnyswim Instagram and click on their story called #3, you will get a brief glimpse of the new little Swim. (If you see Abner talking about  Black Friday deals, then that's the right video. And then if you are like everybody else on Instagram, you will go back through all the recent Johnnyswim photos to see how Amanda hid her belly.  LOL)

[DEC 1] Moving on to the business side of Johnnyswim - they are having Black Friday sales on their site thru Cyber Monday. It's 25% off most things and they have  "Mystery Boxes" where for $50 you get $100 worth of  random Johnnyswim merchandise. (Yes they do ask for your size, so your items will fit. :-) )

[DEC 1]  Bruce Sudano fans - he has another concert date lined up. This one is April 9 at the Manship Theatre in Baton Rouge, LA opening for the Zombies.  If you are in that area (or will be) go check out the show! Now if you need a little Bruce fix right now - check his Facebook live on the couch video for In A Stormy Season.

[DEC 1] In musical news,  Lifetime Channel's Lifetime Morning Show is doing their 6th season of Broadway Balances America, and coming up on December 10th (and 31st) at 7:30 AM, they will feature Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. If you can't catch it on TV, keep an eye on their YouTube channel. Previous episodes are posted there (along with a bunch of their other segments.)

[DEC 1] Moving on to the Queen herself, Donna got a mention when Kelly Rowland appeared on Andy Cohen's show.  Rowland would love to do a Donna Summer biopic!  So somebody needs to make that happen!  LOL

[DEC 1] I think that brings us to YouTube. Let's start with one that has been making the rounds a lot lately - Addicted To You.  This is actually a fan mix made from 2 clips released by Nathan DiGesare a couple of years ago. Let's see where YouTube takes us from there.... next up Donna on David Foster & Friends with Seal.  Up next is a video by Suecase Hall remembering Donna, Donna on Oprah, Donna with Rona Barrett in 1978,  and finally a 2004 interview promoting The Journey.

[NOV 24] Happy Sunday all and Happy (almost) Thanksgiving to my American friends! Let's start off with Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. The 3 touring Donnas made an appearance on Access Daily this week to perform Hot Stuff.  It unfortunately didn't air everywhere due to the impeachment hearings, but the show did tweet out the clip of the performance, so you can see it right here.  :-) Then you can catch Diva Donna Dan'yelle Williamson on the West Of Broadway Podcast. The tour closes tonight  in Hollywood then the cast gets a much deserved break for the Thanksgiving holiday before they get San Francisco up dancing on December 3.

[NOV 24] Speaking of the musical, the Brazilian production has announced 2 of its Donnas:  Karin Hils and Jeniffer Nascimento. Welcome to the family ladies!

[NOV 24] Mary Gaines Bernard fans - don't forget she is doing her annual concert on December 31 to celebrate her sister's life and career. It is, as always, at the Old School Square in Delray Beach, FL.  Be there!  :-)

[NOV 24] Bruce Sudano fans:  his single The Garden Of November had debuted this week on Ditty TV.  For those who don't know, Ditty TV is a streaming music TV station that you can watch on your computer, smartphone, smart TV, TIVO, Roku, etc.

[NOV 24] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I think in light of all the stuff we Americans will be eating Thursday, we're gonna need a little exercise! So this week let's dance with Donna.  Let's warm up with some robot moves on I Feel Love. Then we have She Works Hard For The Money live at the Grammys,  then we can pick up the pace a little with Romeo live, then kick it into high gear with a classic performance of Hot Stuff. (Bonus points if you have a leopard print skirt to wear!  LOL) By that time you will need to catch your breath, so the slow to fast pace of Last Dance should help you out.  :-)  Of course if you don't want to dance and would rather just look at some eye candy with your music - there is always Donna performing Enough Is Enough with Westlife.  ;-)

[NOV 17] Greetings all! I guess we can start with the musical this week.  You guys in Brazil will be happy to learn that you will get to see Summer: The Musical some time next year. ABroadwayEAqui.com.br has an article announcing a casting call for the show, so hopefully we will be hearing more soon.  :-)

[NOV 17] Moving on to Bruce - he's got a video now for his new song, In The Garden Of November. Check it out on AmericanHighways.org.

[NOV 17] In Johnnyswim news, new dates are on sale now  for their tour with Lauren Daigle.  Check out their website for ticket info, and maybe even to score some  VIP meet & greet passes.

[NOV 17] Now here's someone I don't get news about often enough - Brooklyn Sudano. :-) She's scored herself a pilot for a show called Last Summer which will be a thriller from Freeform. You can read more about it here,  but it is described as a story that takes place over 3 summers about 2 girls - one who is abducted and one who transforms from awkward outlier, to most popular girl in town, to most despised person in America. Each episode will be told from the point of view of one of the girls. It sounds interesting - can't want to check it out.  :-)

[NOV 17] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's start off with a mix that people have been talking about lately - Love On & On the original mix. Next up is  the lost song Ordinary Miracle,  a live acoustic vaulted track called So This Is Lonely, the Ordinary Girl song, No Ordinary Love Song, Donna's live cover of Georgia On My Mind, and finally the unreleased Crayon's track, Run With It.

[NOV 10] Happy Sunday all! And happy Veteran's Day to all the vets out there! Thank you for your service.  :-) Let's start off this week in the land of covers. I mentioned last time that Sam Smith has recorded I Feel Love and that this cover would be used in Target's holiday ads. Well, the holiday ads have started and holy cow, I have heard I Feel Love about a million times already! (And I don't even watch a lot of normal TV.  LOL)

[NOV 10] In musical news, Summer: The Musical is playing the Pantages Theater in Hollywood until November 24. If you are out that way go check it out. And everybody can check out this video celebrating opening night in Hollywood.

[NOV 10] Bruce Sudano fans - check out this clip he posted on Facebook of True Believer filmed at the LOLA concert this past week. Brooklyn Dreams fans can spot Eddie Hokenson on the stage too. Rounding out the crew are Steve Addabbo and Andrew Zehnal.

[NOV 10]  I think that brings us to YouTube. In honor of the Summer Fever Pick, let's look at some of the songs from I Remember Yesterday. First up, Can't We Just Sit Down live. Then we have Love's Unkind live,  Take Me live, I Remember Yesterday live,  and of course I Feel Love live. And finally we have the alternate studio version of Can't We Just Sit Down that turned up unexpectedly on the remastered album a couple of years ago.

[NOV 3] Greetings all! It's a new month so you know that that means - time for the new Summer Fever Pick. This month we look back to I Remember Yesterday.

[NOV 3] Ok, Bruce Sudano fans check out his new single In The Garden Of November available at all the usual places (Spotify, ITunes, Amazon, etc). If you want to catch him live,  he'll be in New York City November 5, Washington DC on November 6, Stamford, CT on November 7 to 10 and then next year he'll be On The Blue Cruise in Miami, FL April 1 to 8. Ticket info for all of those shows is here. And you can watch a Facebook video of him listing al the dates. And speaking of Facebook videos, Bruce was live from the couch with In A Stormy Season.

[NOV 3] Moving into the land of covers, there is a new cover out there of I Feel Love by Sam Smith.  According to Rolling Stone, it will be used in Target's holiday campaign. (The article also includes the song so you can check it out for yourself.)

[NOV 3] I think that brings us to YouTube.  I was sent a couple of clips in my email this week, so I'm gonna start with them and see where that leads me. First up an interview for Entertainment Las Vegas Style (including some performance clips),  Donna and Bruce Roberts talking about (and performing) Whenever There is Love from 1996, that lead me to Donna on Arsenio Hall in 1989,  which lead me to Anyway At All on Jay Leno,  and that lead me to Try A Little Tenderness with Joss Stone in 2005. And finally in honor of the Sam Smith cover, I think we should take a look at the original I Feel Love. (Do your best robot dance as you play it!  LOL)

[OCT 27] Happy Sunday all!  To my friends in California in the fire zones - please stay safe! Fire is nothing to mess around with!

[OCT 27] Let's start with Bruce this week. I have already mentioned that he is playing with Dave Navarro in Washington DC November 6.  He is also playing at Lola (Coney Island Baby NYC) in New York City (with friends) on November 5 (Election Day - do NOT forget to go out and vote!) at 9PM with proceeds benefitting HeadCount -  a non-partisan group that promotes voter registration/voting. (Seriously, did I mention that you need to go out and VOTE?) You can get ticket info here, and if you  have an "I Voted" sticker, you get a free CD. The venue is 21 and over which I am sure is not a problem for the vast majority of my readers.  :-)

[OCT 27] Moving on to Johnnyswim where we have some BIG news!  Some of you may know Chip and Joanna Gaines from their show Fixer Upper. Well they've been friends with (and fans of) Johnnyswim for quite awhile now. And now they are starting their own network called Magnolia. The first show announced for the new network is a 6 episode original series called Home On The Road. The show will follow Johnnyswim (and family and crew)  as they tour North America.  Look for that some time in October 2020.  Read more about the show here, and watch a teaser on Instagram.  And read a little more about Johnnyswim here.

[OCT 27] I think that brings us to YouTube. Let's see if we can make a Halloween theme. First up is She Works Hard For The Money featuring Donna in costume as a waitress. (It also features various Disney characters - I leave it up to you if that counts as people in costumes.  ;-) ) Then we have Sunset People and Bad Girls from the 1980 TV Special. That features Donna in a few different costumes. Up next is Donna with Prince Poppycock on America's Got Talent, then Slide Over Backwards with Donna dressed up as her alter ego Hattie Mae,  some Another Place & Time footage  featuring Donna in the famous kabuki makeup, and finally the two episodes of Family Matters with Donna - Aunt Oona and Pound Foolish. Oh wait - we also have this strange clip.  LOL (Fair warning - for some reason my Firefox browser won't play it, but Chrome does. So if you have an issue, give another browser a shot if you can.)

[OCT 27] And finally, since Halloween is this week, I have this message for you - and yes you can click it for a larger version:

[OCT 20] Greetings all! Lets start off this week with Donna Summer Day in Cleveland.  Another article popped up this week about it, and it includes video of Mimi in the Rock Hall Of Fame with both dresses that were loaned to the hall.  The first one if the one from Four Seasons Of Love, and I'm sure I have seen Donna in the second one - and someday it will come to me where!  LOL Check it out at WKYC.com - oh and the clips they show from the musical are from the Broadway company.

[OCT 20] I mentioned last time that Bad Girls is being used in the new Charlie's Angels trailer. Well, the song is also listed in the  of the soundtrack album as well.  :-)  Look for t hat November 1.

[OCT 20] Bruce Sudano fans - check out his interview with Song Facts. It covers Bruce's whole career from his early days  learning to write songs with Tommy James up to the work he's doing now. And don't forget that Bruce is performing (along with Dave Navarro) at the Mansion  on O Street in Washington DC on November 6. If you want to go, you can reserve your seats here.

[OCT 20] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Last week I gave you a list of clips by rikymira1 exploring Donna's whole career, but one part was missing.  Well part 4 is back covering the 80s. You can see it here. And if you missed the other parts, explore rikymira1's YouTube channel. They are worth a look! And since I'm in a Live & More Encore sort of mood tonight, let's check out some clips from the turn of the millennium.  First up is a medley  from a 1999 German TV appearance. Then we have the music video for I Will Go With You,  My Life from the Live & More Encore concert, Donna on Queen Latifah's show singing Love Is The Healer,  Donna on Oprah singing I Will Go With You, and finally MacArthur Park and Last Dance from the Today Show concert series.  (See if you can spot yourself if you were there.  :-) )

[OCT 13] Happy Sunday all! Let's start off with the musical this week.  As I write this, Summer: The Musical is playing in Cleveland, OH which you might recognize as also being the home of the Rock & Roll Hall of  Fame.  Put those 2 fact together and you wind up with Donna Summer Day at the Rock Hall where Mimi presented 2 of  Donna's dresses to the museum.  By sheer coincidence, one of those dresses is the one you see on this month's Summer Fever Pick.  :-) They didn't say what the other one was, so if any of you decide to visit the museum, let me know.  :-)

[OCT 13] Also in musical news - there is new merchandise available on the website. They have a Last Dance hoodie, a national tour poster, and a Hot Stuff enamel pin.  And I can't remember - is the metallic Hot Stuff mug new? The ornament is gone - at least for now.

[OCT 13] In the Donna's music is everywhere category - the Netflix show, The Politician, used I feel Love in episode 4. (I have to check that show out - I have heard good things about it.) Also, there is a new Charlie's Angels film coming out and they are using a mix of Bad Girls in the trailer. (It starts about halfway in... and these are not the Angels I remember from the 70s.  LOL)

[OCT 13] And speaking of remixes.... a new one has surfaced for Whenever There Is Love. It's called the Warren Rigg Vocal Mix.

[OCT 13] Moving on to Bruce. Yes, he and his guitar have been hanging out on the couch (and on Facebook) again making videos.  The first is his version of I Cast All My Cares Upon You. The next is a mashup of a new song Bruce is working on and a cover of The Letter. And of course we still have his video With Him out there on YouTube. If you haven't seen that, go check it out. And if you like it, share it! The more views it gets, the easier it is for Bruce to get gigs - which means the easier it is for us to see him live!   :-)

[OCT 13] I think that brings us to YouTube and this week I have something unusual for you.  A very dedicated fan (using the YouTube handle rikymira1)  put together a massive 6 part tribute to Donna that covers her whole career - starting in the 60s and going right up to 2011.  I can't even imagine how long it took to put this all together! So here we go: part 1 (starts with Hair),   part 2 (starts with I Remember Yesterday),  part 3 (starts with Last Dance),  part 4 is missing but it would cover the 80s,  part 5 (starts with When Love Cries), and then there is the final part (starting with The Power Of One). Standing ovation for the effort (and love!) that went into this tribute.  :-)

[OCT 6] Greetings all! It's a new month so it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick.  So this time we ring in Autumn with the  Four Seasons Of Love.

[OCT 6] I guess we can start with the musical. As you know, the Summer: The Musical tour started in Rochester. Broadwayworld.com has a review of the show. And the Akron Beacon Journal has an article about Summer's costume designer.

[OCT 6] Bruce Sudano fans -  catch him live November 3 at the Philadelphia Folksong Society at 7PM. For details and  tickets, check out  Eventbrite.com. In the meantime, you can also check out Bruce's latest Facebook video.... well he didn't call it live from the couch, but it looks like he's on the couch.  LOL It's a song called For The Sake Of Humanity.  (It's a very timely message.)

[OCT 6] Mary Bernard fans - she will be celebrating Donna's birthday again this year with a concert in DelRay Beach FL on December 31 at the Old School Square Pavilion.  For more info and to get tickets, head on over here.  :-)

[OCT 6] Last time I mentioned that Bob Esty had passed away. The Hollywood Reporter has posted his obituary on its website, as has BroadwayWorld.com, and 5Mag.net.

 [OCT 6] In the Donna's music is everywhere category, someone put together a 3 minute song that's a mix of samples from 50 songs from 1979.  It's really clever and really good. I can't even imagine how long it took to get it right.  :-) And yes, of course Donna is in there.  Oh and it's not just audio samples - they actually used clips from all the various videos too.

[OCT 6] That brings us to YouTube. So let's celebrate our new Summer Fever Pick.  First up is a liveandmore video for  Autumn Changes.  Then we have a slideshow set to Summer Fever, Spring Affair on Soul Train,  and Winter Melody from the same Soul Train appearance.  There is also a rare video for Winter Melody, a live clip of Summer Fever, and a performance of Spring Affair from a rather odd looking TV show. (Donna's performance is fine - I'm trying to figure out what the hosts are sitting on and why they have a monkey....)

[SEP 29] Happy Sunday all! This week we start off with sad news.  A couple of weeks ago I posted a GoFundMe for  producer/arranger/songwriter Bob Esty to cover his hospice expenses. Well, unfortunately Bob has succumbed to his illness.  My deepest condolences to his family, friends and fans.  Bruce posted a nice tribute to Bob Esty on his Facebook page.

[SEP 29] Moving on to Donna. You guys will like this.  :-) Groovefunkel has posted a new mix of Last Dance.  It's called the Groovefunkel Alternate Vocal Remix.  (Yes you read that right - ALTERNATE vocal!)  You can listen to it on YouTube, or you can download it on the Groovefunkel website.

[SEP 29] In the Donna's music is everywhere category, the TV show Dancing With The Stars Premiered a couple of weeks ago and one of the contestants did the cha cha to She Works Hard For The Money. (I linked you to the part of the video where she starts her performance.  But they have some rehearsal footage as well if you want to see it.)

[SEP 29] Mary Gaines Bernard fans - I don't know how I missed posting this before but,  Mary has posted a video with highlights of her  show, "once Upon A Time: A Donna Summer Celebration".

[SEP 29] In musical news, I heard from a fan that Summer: The Musical is coming to Toronto March 10 - 22, 2020 at the Princess Of Wales Theater. Now, it's not on the theater website yet, but it's not uncommon for subscribers to get info in the mail before it hits the web for the general public.

[SEP 29] Disco fans: our buddies Andrea and Giovanni have published a book about Disco called "La Storia della Disco Music." (Yes, that's in Italian.  :-) ) You can expect lots of Donna in the book and if you are a Facebook person, you can check out their page to keep up with all the news about the book.

[SEP 29] I think that brings us to YouTube. In honor of the late Bob Esty, let's look at some vintage Once Upon A Time clips.  First up, the title track.  Then we have a fan video for Faster & Faster,  a fan video for Rumour Has It, an extended version of I Love You, a fan video for Queen For A Day,  and even though it's not from Once Upon A Time, I have to include the video for Last Dance. Rest in Peace Bob Esty. (And say hi do Donna for us.)

[SEP 22] Greetings all! Can you believe it? Summer is already over and autumn is here.  Ok, let's start off with Bruce this week. He's got a new EP, Stories Of Our Lives Vol 1, coming out next spring, but lucky for us he released a track from it already. The song is called With Him, and it comes with a very powerful video.  The song is about a bad breakup told from the point of view of the person scorned. Read more about it and check out the video here.

[SEP 22] In the Bruce's music is everywhere category... you might remember a song called Hollywood Knights that Bruce recorded with the rest of the Brooklyn Dreams.  (It's on YouTube if you need to refresh your memory.) Well, it's been sampled in a song called Good Day that has been used in a McDonald's McCafe commercial.

[SEP 22] Johnnyswim fans - guess what, there are new tour dates! Starting February 20 they are hitting the road with Lauren Daigle for a tour that will go until July 18. Tickets are already on pre-sale, but if you sign up for Johnnyswim's email list you can get advance notification of ticket on sale dates and you might even be able to score some VIP meet and greet passes.  :-)

[SEP 22] Moving on to Summer: The Donna Summer Musical... as you know, the touring production is gearing up for their first performances in Rochester, NY starting September 29.  So of course there is going to be some promotion in the media. Playbill.com has a video of various members of the company talking about Donna's music, the show, etc.  They also have a video of "Disco Donna" Alex Hairston performing Hot Stuff and talking about her role. (Please note, she is not in costume for this performance.)

[SEP 22] The Lifetime Channel has  a morning show called The Balancing Act. They have a segment called Broadway Balances America that will launch September 30 and will go behind the scenes of 4 Broadway touring companies.  They will feature Summer on December 10 and 31 (how appropriate!) at 7:30 AM.  If you want an idea of what Broadway Balances America is like, they have a play list of past year's episodes on YouTube.

[SEP 22] I think that brings us to YouTube. In honor of the changing seasons, let's start with Autumn Changes.  Then we'll do some long form TV stuff in honor of it being Emmy night as well. So first up for that is the 1980 TV Special, then we have the Hot Summer Night Special for HBO,  live in Lloret de Mar Spain,  and finally a live concert from Japan.

[SEP 15] Happy Sunday all! Let's start off with Summer: The Musical. As you know the company is getting ready to hit the road. They recently gave a preview rehearsal performance for the media and of course al the usual places covered it.  Broadwayworld.com has photos, Playbill has some photos,  and Broadway.com has some video on their YouTube channel.  Please note - as they are in the rehearsal space, they are not using the set or the full costumes/wigs.

[SEP 15] Johnnyswim fans - they will be performing at Silobration October 18 to 19 in Waco, TX.  They also have a few more upcoming dates in October in Georgia and South Carolina.

[SEP 15] Earlier this year, The Guardian posted Giorgio Moroder's top 20 songs.  Of course Donna is on that list - and if you didn't guess that I Feel Love would be on the top of that list, well then I guess you are new here.  LOL

[SEP 15] I'm sure most of you guys know who Bob Esty is. He's an arranger, producer and songwriter who worked with a whole bunch of people - including Donna of course. (And if you want to know more about him, read his interview with Sebastiano on DonnaSummer.it.) Anyway, this summer he was diagnosed with metastatic gastro-intestinal cancer and now he's been admitted to hospice care.   :-(  One of his friends has set up a GoFundMe to raise money for Bob's care.  If you would like to contribute, here is the link.

[SEP 15] I'm sure a lot of you also know who John Billings is too - at least if you ever saw Donna perform live in the later part of her career. He's the blonde bass player who used to have really long hair.  (Donna dances with him during Randy's lead guitar solo in Hot Stuff  - go watch Live & More Encore and you'll see.)  Anyway, if you are going to be in Nashville September 17, you can catch John at Wine Down Nashville talking about his life in music with Donna and others he has worked with over the years.  And if you go - make sure you say hi to John. He's a really nice guy.

[SEP 15] I think that brings us to YouTube. Let's start with an interview with John Billings where he talks about being in Donna's band, and a clip of Hot Stuff from Live & More Encore. Then we have Bob Esty talking about working with Donna.  Moving on,  we have an interesting slow mix of The Woman In Me - the Ivan Sash slowdance edit and one for Sentimental - the DJ Jay C Special Tough Extended Mix). And finally, On The Radio from Live & More Encore. I post this because a photo from that concert recently turned up on Facebook and people were having fun spotting themselves in the audience. And I remember when this clip came out ahead of the TV special, people were having fun spotting themselves in this too.  So if you were there that night - see if you can see yourself.  :-)

[SEP 8] Greetings all!  Let's start off with Johnnyswim.  You may remember that they had a Live From The Garage video for Say What You Will. Well, now that recording is available for sale (or stream at all your favorite music services. (iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, etc)

[SEP 8] As you know, Johnnyswim was slated to play in Charleston on September 3. Because of the hurricane, that show was rescheduled to October 24, but you can still read the promo printed by CharlestonCityPaper.com.

[SEP 8] And if you are following Johnnyswim's Touring Toddler sites, Joaquin and friends have a new recipe up for Fruit Galette. (You think he'd come over and cook for me?  LOL)

[SEP 8] Moving on to Donna. In the land of remixes, we have one on YouTube for I Will Go With You labeled "Exec Ears Only."  If you listen to it, you will find that the vocals are a bit different in places than what we are used to.  :-)

[SEP 8] That brings us to YouTube. First up, I clip I'd half forgotten about featuring the making of the video for State Of Independence.  Just note that the interview that goes with it is in German. Then we have Donna in the studio working on Last Dance, and Donna in the studio working on Summer Fever. That interview is also in German, but then dubbed over in French. Then we  have the all-star choir from State Of Independence in the studio and a rehearsal of Enough Is Enough and I Don't Wanna Work That Hard from Live & More Encore.

[SEP 1] Happy Labor Day weekend to my American friends and Happy Sunday to all! Consider this your respite from all the terrible news this weekend - mass shooting in Texas (can this crap STOP already? Congress - DO something! Thoughts and prayers are not working!)  And then of course we have a major hurricane currently demolishing the Bahamas before it heads to Florida? Georgia? The Carolinas?  Please stay safe everyone! (On and when I said "demolishing" - that wasn't an exaggeration. The pictures I've seen are heartbreaking."

[SEP 1] So moving on to fun stuff.. it's a new month so we need a new Summer Fever Pick. And this time it's A Love Trilogy. (I think we can all use a little love these days, right?  :-) )

[SEP 1] Let's start with Johnnyswim (who are STILL on tour until at least October 5.) They have a show scheduled for Tuesday September 3 in Charleston, SC.  Well, they HAD a show scheduled for that date. Because of the hurricane (and the mandatory evacuation that goes with it), the show is being rescheduled to Thursday October 24. All tickets previously purchased for September 3 WILL BE HONORED for October 24. If there are any questions at all, please contact the box office.  In the meantime - stay safe!

[SEP 1] Bruce Sudano fans - catch him and Larry Mitchell Saturday September 7 at Friday's Creek Winery in Owings, MD from 6:30 to 9:30. (Somebody should buy him a glass of red at sunset.  ;-) )

[SEP 1] Moving on to Donna, last week I had some YouTube clips of rare Donna songs, one of which was The Planet Is Alive.  That was recorded for a special about the Pope in 1987. Well YouTube's Suecase Hall got inspired to update the video to fit with today's situation - in particular the fires in the Amazon rainforest.  He did a beautiful job - see it here.  Of course that got more people interested in the song, so here is what I have learned. It was originally recorded in 1985 by Sarah Vaughan under the title Let It Live for an album called The Planet Is Alive... Let It Live! Writing credits for the song are listed as Music by Lalo Schifrin and lyrics by Gene Lees.  If you want to here her version, YouTube has it.

[SEP 1] In the land of remixes, we have a mix of I Will Go With You that's listed as an Exec-Ears-Only demo.  Listen to the vocals carefully - there are some differences! Then we have a mix called Come On Baby which samples a little of If It Hurts Just A Little.

[SEP 1] I think that brings us to YouTube. This first one is a special request - although I did cheat a little.  He requested the song, but I picked the video of the song - this one is a fan video of Let There Be Peace and I would like to dedicate it to ALL who need to hear it. And let's take that as sort of a theme and continue with Riding Through The Storm from Live & More Encore, then we have another Suecase Hall video. This one puts The Way We Were with Take Heart. Moving on we have Smile live and  Amazing Grace live (Donna's standby for just about anytime she wanted to recognize a tragic event in concert. I remember seeing her in concert in Boston the day they had the bombings in the London Underground. She sang Amazing Grace for the people of London.) And let's throw in Love Is The Healer just because I think love really can be the healer. (Plus you probably need to dance after those other tracks.  LOL)

[AUG 25] Happy Sunday all! Big news today - the cast for the touring production of Summer: The Musical has finally been announced. Broadwayworld.com has the cast list here, Playbill.com has it too, and Broadway.com has  a closer look at our 3 new Donnas: Dan'yelle Williamson as Diva Donna,  Alex Hairston as Disco Donna, and Olivia Elease Hardy as Duckling Donna - including a video introduction to our new Donnas. You can also head to the musical's website to see headshots and info about all of the cast. Welcome to the family everyone!

[AUG 25] Johnnyswim fans - as you know they played Live On The Green the other night in Nashville, and Luminationnetwork.com has photos from the event.

[AUG 25] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Since we now have the touring cast for SUmmer, let's take a look back at the Broadway cast.  First up - the cast performing at the Tony Awards. This first clip is unusual because it is filmed from the audience and is not exactly the way we saw it on TV at home. (Watch the cameramen moving around the actors to get the shots we saw.) For comparison, here is the TV clip of that same performance. Then we have some random promotional show clips, LaChanze singing Friends Unknown, the cast at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (it was crazy cold out that day and they still killed it!), and finally some rehearsal footage. (Unfortunately clips from The Tonight Show and the Today Show are no longer currently online or I'd link those too. ) Just for fun, here's the real Donna singing I Got Your Love with animation by Stor Dubine.

[AUG 19] Happy Monday all! I'm gradually getting back on track with the updates.  :-) Let's start off with the musical. The tour of Summer: The Donna Summer Musical kicks off in Rochester in just a little more than a month. Tickets for those shows are on sale NOW via Ticketmaster and the box office.  For ticket info for that and the other stops on the tour, check out the musical's website.

[AUG 19] Since nothing much is happening this week, let's go back to 2015 where we get to hear Pete Bellotte (among others) talk about I Feel Love.

[AUG 19] That brings us to YouTube.  Let's do a deep dive into Donna's back catalog with some rare tracks. (Note, most of these will be audio only.) Let's start with Dreamcatcher from the Naturally Native album, The Planet Is Alive (from a 1987 video about Pope John Paul II),  Tearing Down The Walls (the flip side to Dinner With Gershwin),  Ordinary Miracle from the soundtrack to Let It Be Me, Sometimes Like Butterflies (flip side to Love Is In Control),  My Prayer Is For You from the album Sing Me To Sleep Mommy, and A Whole New World from the Dave Koz album At The Movies.

[AUG 14] Happy Wednesday all! I'm back from vacation, and yes I did take a little Summer with me.  :-) Let's start off in the land of covers - well sort of.  (Does it count as a cover if one of the original duet partners is the same one from the original recording?) Anyway,  Barbra Streisand performed Enough Is Enough in Chicago recently and she got Ariana Grande to sing the Donna part with her. You can see clips here. Fair warning - it's a little annoying to watch because it's 2 and a half minutes of clips strung together which makes it kind of choppy. This Facebook video is  from further away and is a little shaky, but it's the full song.  :-)

[AUG 14] You guys remember that Spinning Gold movie about Neil Bogart/Casablanca that's been a work in progress for ages?  Well they have announced more casting for the film, including Sebastian Maniscalco as Giorgio Moroder.

[AUG 14]  Bruce Sudano fans: Don't forget that you can see him live this Saturday (August 17) at the Philadelphia Folk Festival.

[AUG 14] Johnnyswim fans: Catch the duo on tour until October 5 in various places on the East coast.  (Although that could change at any time - they do like to sneak in new dates when they can.  :-) ) And then go check out their Touring Toddler YouTube channel where they have a couple of new videos featuring the itty bitty Swims (and friends).  :-)

[AUG 14] And that brings us to YouTube.  Let's do some full shows this week.  First up, Donna live on Long Island in 2008. Then we have her live in Brazil in 1995, live in Chile 1994, live in Spain in 1990,  live in Costa Mesa (A Hot Summer Night) in 1983,  live in Japan 1979, and live in Italy in 1977.

[JUL 28] Happy Sunday all! Let me start with an announcement about the site. There will be no update next weekend because I am going away on vacation with friends.  And I'm not sure if the one scheduled for August 11 will be on time or a little late. What I do know for sure is that  it's a road trip so at some point if you see crazy women in a car blasting Donna tunes - that's probably us.  :-)

[JUL 28] So since I won't be here next weekend, let's update the Summer Fever Pick tonight. For August we are celebrating Donna's first US release - Love To Love You Baby.

[JUL 28]  Let's start with Bruce. He's live on his couch again (in funky colors this time  lol)  with a new song he's working on called Can't Hit A Moving Target.

[JUL 28]  Johnnyswim fans - last week you got to hear them on part 1 of the Typology podcast.  Well, part 2 is out now and Johnnyswim is joined by their manager Jay King.  Also, the littlest Swims are featured on The Touring Toddler Blog where Johnnyswim and company talk about handling airports with young kids.

[JUL 28] I think that brings us to YouTube. Let's start with a clip that was recently brought to my attention - a really clean 1977 video of Donna performing Come With Me, Could It Be Magic and the My Man Medley. Then in honor of the Love To Love You album, we have  the title track live on the Midnight Special,  and we have audio of Donna's version of Pandora's Box and the version from the musical (as performed by Storm Lever). And for fun, here's a really short clip of Donna rapping Love To Love You in 1999 - the first time she had performed any part of that song in many years! Ok, so I will see you all after vacation!  :-)

[JUL 21] Happy Sunday all! Let's start with Bruce. If  you are in/near Owings, MD (or can get there), catch Bruce September 7 at Friday's Creek Winery at 6:30 PM. (Maybe you can share a Glass Of Red & The Sunset?  ;-) )

[JUL 21] Moving on to Johnnyswim. Our favorite duo has done a podcast called Typology with Enneagram guru Ian Morgan Cron. The first part is out now for your listening pleasure. Part 2 should be out this week. Now for those of you asking , "what the heck is  Enneagram?"  - well, in a nutshell it's an analysis of personality types. I think there are 9 different types and the people who follow this are usually looking to promote self awareness and development.  If you are interested in learning more, Google is your friend.

[JUL 21] In Donna land, there's not much going on (other than that Mother Nature seems to have really taken a liking to Hot Stuff here this weekend  lol), but a classic article turned up talking about how Enough Is Enough came about.  It was one of many such articles that came out when Donna passed that some of us may have overlooked at the time in our shock and grief.

[JUL 21]  I think that brings us to YouTube. And since it's been so freaking hot here this weekend, I'm going to look at some cooler songs starting with Cold Love. Up next are Winter Melody and Autumn Changes. And let's throw in a couple of Christmas songs for good measure... White Christmas and The Christmas Song.

[JUL 14] Greetings all!  I guess we should start with Johnnyswim. The duo have announced 3 new acoustic dates -  August 29 in Jacksonville, FL, September 3 in Charleston, SC and September 13 in Amagansett, NY (just a short drive from their beloved Georgica Pond!) For more info, check out Johnnyswim.com.

[JUL 14] Speaking of our favorite touring couple, their album Heart Beats made Leo Weekly's list of the 8 albums you needed to listen to before the Forecastle Music Festival.

[JUL 14] In the Bruce's music is everywhere category, Hollis Brown talked to Glide Magazine about their latest album Ozone Park. One of the songs, Forever In Me, was written by Bruce for the band.

[JUL 14] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Oh let's do some rare tracks this week. First up - the unreleased Valley Of The Moon. (Obviously it's a mix because you can definitely hear some I Feel Love in there.  :-) ) Then we have  the studio version of My Life,  the unreleased Adonai, the very hard to find Ordinary Miracle, the not as hard to find Dreamcatcher, the demo for Begin Again, an acoustic performance for BBC Radio of So This Is Lonely, a clip of  Donna singing La Dolce Vita on an airplane, and the live Worth The Wait.

[JUL 7] Happy Sunday all! California - you need to stop partying so hard! You are literally making the ground shake!  ;-)  No, but seriously I hope everyone is OK and that Mother Nature stops the shaking.

[JUL 7] Let's start with a new show called A Year In Music available on AXS TV. The show starts tonight actually with Downtown Julie Brown  hosting an episode dedicated to 1977. (Hmmm... they don't mention I Feel Love in the trailer, but seriously that was the best thing to come out of that year. Not that I am biased or anything....   lol) For more info and to see where AXS TV is available in your area, check out their website.

[JUL 7] In the everyone loves Donna category, Dionne Warwick did a Facebook live thing with SiriusXM in which she talks a little about Donna. (However she is not a huge fan of the song Enough Is Enough - or at least she's not a fan of Barbra singing it.)

[JUL 7] That brings us to YouTube. Let's start with the correct link to that bonus cover of Lucky by Paul Ybarra I posted last week. (Yeah, I messed that up. Some of you did a little more research anyway and found out that he has a few more Donna covers too. But Lucky is my favorite.) Moving on to Donna, well since we just celebrated July 4 let's  start with God Bless America,  The Star Spangled Banner, and Livin' In America. And then we have some clips of Donna from the TV Show Family Matters -  "Aunt Oona" singing Last Dance, "Aunt Oona" in the shrinking chamber, "Aunt Oona" and the regulars dancing to Hard For The Money, and the only clip I could find of "Aunt Oona" singing Rejoice. (I just signed up for Hulu and discovered they have that show. So of course the first things I watched were Donna!  lol)

[JUL 1] Greetings all! The new Summer Fever Pick is up. This month we go back to the early years with Lady Of The Night.  By the way, Happy Canada Day, and (early) Happy July 4th!

[JUN 30] Greetings all! Happy World Pride!

[JUN 30] Let's start with a little Donna news. Hot Stuff hit #1 on the Billboard charts 40 years ago last week (June 24 to be exact.)  MPRNews has a tiny story about that.

[JUN 30] You guys probably remember Daeida Magazine.  It's been a Donna friendly publication forever and has had some really good interviews with people who worked with Donna, like Harold Faltermeyer. Keep that site bookmarked because they are planning something for Donna's birthday. David didn't say exactly what they are planning, but I know whatever it is will be worth the wait.  :-)  (Also when you get to the YouTube clips below - David is the one who pointed me to an awesome Lucky cover that I am throwing in as a bonus clip.)

[JUN 30] If you have ever wondered about the sources used for some of Donna's remixes.... well here is an article that might explain why original source material may not always be available. Apparently Universal Music Group had a fire back in 2008 and they lost a whole bunch of masters and things dating from the 1940s on up.  Now Donna isn't mentioned specifically, but the article is an interesting look at how UMG is (or was) prioritizing its search for replacement copies of the lost material. It's also an interesting look at the label's dealing with the artists in the aftermath of the fire and it shows how we may never truly know exactly how much music as lost.

[JUN 30] Bruce Sudano fans - catch him live at the 58th annual Philadelphia Folk Festival August 15-18, 2019.  Details are on the festival website. Now if a cruise is more your thing, Bruce will also be playing the On The Blue Cruise April 1-8,2020 with lots of other great bands.  Those details are available here.

[JUN 30] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up is a rare treasure. It's an interview with Donna filmed backstage at the filming of the original (UNRELEASED) video for Dinner With Gershwin.  There are even a few clips from that unreleased video.  :-) Then we have Don't Cry For Me Argentina - this one is from Regis & Kathie Lee, but I vividly remember Donna bringing down the house at Carnegie Hall with that one when she performed for GMHC.  :-) (I'm pretty sure they filmed that show - I'd love to know who has that video!) Then we have one for the ladies out there (and maybe some of you men too): The Man I Love (My Man Medley). And moving on to the theme of love, we have Love Is The Healer live on The View,  the I Feel Love video from 1977, and Klyk's extended mix of I Got Your Love.  I think we should throw in Stamp Your Feet this week too.  (Sometimes you just have to make a big ass sound!) And I can't leave without adding I'm A Rainbow to this week's list. :-)  And one final bonus that was brought to my attention this week - Paul Ybarra's cover of Lucky.  It's a REALLY nice down-tempo version of the song (and for those who are interested - he didn't change any pronouns.)

[JUN 30] I'll be back hopefully tomorrow night with the new Summer Fever Pick.

[JUN 23] Happy Sunday all! Boston - did you have fun the other night?  :-) The annual Donna Summer Roller Disco Party happened on Friday and fortunately the rain let up so the party could actually go on without anybody drowning.  :-)  If you have Facebook, you can read some of the posts here. I imagine in a couple of days we'll see some more photos and things from the event.  Now if you want to see something from before the event - check out this interview with Robert "Omega Red" Grant - the guy behind the party.  :-) (On a side note - he filmed all the prep for the interview as well as the interview itself. So if you are interested in the behind the scenes of radio interviews - check it out.)

[JUN 23] OK - who remembers a project called Spinning Gold? It was to be a movie about Neil Bogart and Casablanca starring Justin Timberlake (among others.)  Well, it's been so long since we've heard anything about it that I was fairly sure that it was shelved.  Well, the project is NOT shelved - in fact they start production in July.  Justin Timberlake isn't in it anymore, but they have Broadway actor Jeremy Jordan playing Neil. You can check out most of the rest of the cast here, but I'll warn you now all they say about Donna is that a "top young singer" will be cast in the role.

[JUN 23] Bruce Sudano fans - check out his full length interview for the ArtistFirst Radio Network. And then if you want to hear some music check out Bruce live on the couch: It Took A Long Time To Get Here.

[JUN 23] Johnnyswim fans - they have added Live On The Green in Nashville to their list of dates. The event runs from August 29 to September 1. Check out the event website for the full lineup, schedule and ticket info.

[JUN 23] That brings us to YouTube.  First up is a rare clip of Donna singing Last Dance on Dick Clark's Live Wednesday 1978. If I recall, that episode was actually pre-empted by the World Series baseball game. (Or something like that.  I remember being excited that Donna was going to be on Prime time TV and then it didn't air - at least not by me.  (Remember kids, that was back in the olden days when we couldn't get OnDemand streaming and none of our dinosaurs had wifi.  LOL) Speaking of Dick Clark and 1978, here's the edited version of Donna hosting American Bandstand. (Wouldn't it be cool if the whole version of that show came out one day?) Then we have Donna's 1978 interview with Rona Barrett, A Man Like You like on the Midnight Special (1978), Last Dance (and Donna talking about TGIF) from the Midnight Special, and I Feel Love from that same show.

[JUN 16] Happy Sunday all and happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!  Let's start with the musical today. Summer: The Musical has added Durham, NC (February 25 to March 1, 2020 at the Durham Performing Arts Center) and Washington DC (July 22 to August 2, 2020 at the National Theatre) to the national tour.  For tickets to those (or any other stop on the tour) head to the musical's website.

[JUN 16] In the Donna is everywhere category... there is a museum in the Netherlands called the Philips Museum.  It's dedicated to the history of the Philips company from it's early days in the late 19th century making lightbulbs, through it's growth into a major company that makes a heck of a lot more things - including Philips Records.  In one display, they show off a record player and to round out the display, they have a couple of record albums displayed with it. One of those albums is Bad Girls.  :-)

[JUN 16] Bruce Sudano fans - he just posted a new lyric video on Facebook for his song Your World Now (from 21st Century World).

[JUN 16] Johnnyswim fans - the duo are still out there on the road working their butts off.  Check here for dates and check out their Instagram for pics from the tour. Also,  on their Touring Toddler YouTube channel, they have added a couple more videos of Joaquin and friends exploring a couple of cities on the tour.

[JUN 16] That brings us to YouTube. It's Father's Day so let's go with that theme tonight. First up, Donna singing Papa Can You Hear Me.  Then we have an interview with Donna and her parents. Then we have a couple of clips of Donna with Bruce (the father of her kids)... On The Radio (unplugged) and  Worth The Wait (live).

[JUN 9] Greetings all! First things first - if you donated to my MS Walk this year, you can expect a little package from me in the near future - maybe as soon as tomorrow depending on how far away from you you live.

[JUN 9] First up - NME has posted their list of the 20 Best Disco Songs of all time. It's a rather unusual list - they  don't automatically throw in Gloria Gaynor or the Bee Gees.  They actually take a deeper look into the genre.  And the list starts with - you guessed it - I Feel Love.  :-)

[JUN 9] Stereogum has just a list of  8 Memorable Covers of The Queen Of Disco, Donna Summer.  Some of them may be ones you are already familiar with like Blondie's version of I Feel Love,  or Dusty Springfield's Sometimes Live Butterflies.  But here's one I never expected - Shooter Jennings cover of Born To Die. I have to wonder how a country boy found such a deep early Donna cut?   :-) You can read more about the project here.  Or you can read the movie treatment here (in PDF format.)

[JUN 9] Now here is something a little..... um... different. Apparently back in 1979 Casablanca and Marvel thought about collaborating on a film project (that ultimately never happened.)  The plan was to simultaneously release a film, album and comic all based on a character called The Dazzler. Among other interesting casting choices (Bo Derek, Robin Williams, Rodney Dangerfield, KISS and  Village People), the film would have has Cher (as the Witch Queen) facing off against Donna (the Queen Of Fire).

[JUN 9] On to something more serious for all you Bruce Sudano fans.  Bruce is live on his couch again - this time with a work in progress called See You When I Get There.  I think it's a song we can all certainly relate to, about missing those we have lost.

[JUN 9] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Since tonight is Tony night, let's look back at Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.  So here is the cast performing at last year's awards. And here they are performing at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Then we have some rehearsal clips,  some show clips, a clip of LaChanze singing Friends Unknown, and a short clip of Last Dance.

[JUN 2] Happy Sunday all - and Happy Pride Month! It's a new month so it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick. This month we look at Donna's musicals. And if you have seen that page before, go see it again because there have been a few updates since the last time it was posted.

[JUN 2] So there is no Donna news at all..... nope none at all.... UNLESS - you could could a track escaping from the vault!   :-D  Cast your mind back to 2008 when we were all eagerly awaiting the release of Crayons. The original track list included a song called Run With It.  By the time the album actually came out, that song had been replaced with Fame (The Game). Well, this week somehow Run With It sneaked out of the vault and now we can all hear it.

[JUN 2] Boston - don't forget you have the 6th annual Donna Summer Roller Disco Party coming up on the 21st. They always have tons of great music and lots of fun for the whole family, so if you will be in the Boston area that day, check it out.

[JUN 2] In the Donna is everywhere category - well, in name at least - designer Fabrizio Viti is now designing handbags.  His first one is called the Donna bag, after our Donna.  :-)

[JUN 2] In the I wish Donna was still here category,  A YouTuber named Steve posted a video mini-tour of the Harpeth Hills Cemetery in Tennessee.  The majority of the video is focusedon the Sudano plots.  If that is something you'd like to see, it's here. Of course if you are not into seeing the grave, then move on to the next item for something more fun.  :-)

[JUN 2] Once upon a time, some crazy webmaster (well she wasn't a webmaster then the web wasn't invented yet!  LOL) - well, she used to record interviews and things off the TV since vcrs weren't a thing yet either. (Yes, I am OLD!  lol) As it so happens, this webmaster found one of those tapes and by some miracle it actually still plays! She digitized it this week and you can hear the result on SoundCloud. (If that link doesn't work for you, try this one to my Google drive. I think there might be a region problem with Soundcloud.) There are a few interview clips in that file including the rebroadcast of the first time I ever saw Donna on the Tonight Show.  Also includes are  clips from The History Of Rock & Roll, most of the interview with Tom Snyder (the show where the videos of Cold Love & The Wanderer came from), WNBC's Saturday Night Special, and another Tonight Show.  All were recorded in 1981, but the Tonight Shows were originally broadcast before that.

[JUN 2] And I think that brings us to YouTube.  In honor of the Summer Fever Pick - let's do some Donna songs from musicals.  First up, Someone To Watch Over Me  (from Crazy For You), If There Is Music There (from the unreleased  Ordinary Girl), and My Life (also from Ordinary Girl.) Then we have Don't Rain On My Parade (from Funny Girl),  der Wasserman (from Haare),  and I Will Live For Love  (from the unreleased Dreamway Express).

[MAY 26]  Happy Sunday all!  It's Memorial Day weekend here in the US which is the official start of our summer (or do I mean Summer?  ;-) ) season here. It is also a time to remember all the military personnel  who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. To the families of the lost - I say thank you, and you will not be forgotten.

[MAY 26] On to the news. In the Donna's music is everywhere, TV host James Cordon did one of his carpool karaoke segments recently - this time with Celine Dion.  At about the 2:15 mark Celine spontaneously  bursts out with a couple of bars of On The Radio.  Some of you may remember that James Cordon also did a segment with Barbra Streisand a while ago where they did a little Enough Is Enough.

[MAY 26] Bruce Sudano fans - he's feeling better and celebrating that with a new edition of Live On The Couch. It's a new song called For The Sake Of Humanity and you can see it on Facebook.

[MAY 26] Moving on to Johnnyswim - they performed on The Today Show the other day and you can watch it online. The song they did was Bridges from the new album Moonlight. And don't forget, the duo is still on tour so make sure you catch them while you can!

[MAY 26] Also in Johnnyswim tour news - as you know they set up a new Instagram and blog called The Touring Toddler to share their experiences  touring with the kids. Well, they just added a YouTube channel too featuring Joaquin and Friends in their adventures in the various cities on the tour.

[MAY 26] That brings us to YouTube. Let's do some interviews for a change.  First up, Donna and Dick Clark on Good Morning America 1986. Then we have Donna's interview with Alan Thicke,  clips from Donna's 1979 appearance on 20/20,  a late 80s interview with Jacob Dahlin,  Donna's 1989 interview with Arsenio Hall,  a 1978 interview with Johnny Carson, and a 2008 interview for On Time TV.

[MAY 19] Happy Sunday all! Can you believe it's been 7 years since we lost Donna? 7 years! Where does the time go?  I posted this on Facebook on May 17 and I'll post it here for you now. It's my favorite clip of Donna. She's live with Barry Manilow singing Could It Be Magic and it looks like they are having so much fun! I can't watch it without smiling! I have tried to keep it my policy to remember Donna with smiles instead of tears. I think that's better for me personally, and I think Donna would definitely approve.   :-)

[MAY 19] Speaking of May 17.... David Foster recently did a Facebook Live where he was asked about Donna.  You can watch it here (skip to about the 28 minute mark if you only want to hear the Donna part). For those who can't see it, basically he says she was a great friend of his for 32 years and that he believes was the only non-family member to speak at her funeral. But even he hadn't been told about her illness because she kept it to just immediate family. He said she went out on her own terms and that he still thinks about her all the time.

[MAY 19] On YouTube, The Honest Vocal Coach takes a look at Donna's live version of Last Dance - one of Donna's final performances.  Her impression summed up in one line: "Absolutely awesome - that is how you do it!"

[MAY 19] In the Donna is everywhere category, the LA Times did a profile on photographer Bruce Talamon last December. In it, he mentions that a session he did with Donna in 1977 became one of the most important ones of his career. (They also show a photo from the session.)

[MAY 19] Moving on to the musical, Summer picked up 10 NAACP Theater Award nominations. ( I believe the NAACP Theater Awards have a different eligibility timeframe than other awards such as the Tonys.  That's why these nominations came now instead of last year.) The awards the show is up for are: Best Choreography, Best Costumes, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Music Director, Best Playwright, Best Director of a Musical, Best Producer, Best Lighting, Best Set Design and Best Sound.)  Congrats to the company of Summer and good luck!

[MAY 19] That will bring us to YouTube.  This week I am going to take a trip down memory lane.  Let's start with Mimi's Song from The Tonight Show - the performance that started it all for me. Then we have the 1980 special - the first time I saw Donna in anything other than a guest shot on a talk show. Next is Cold Love and The Wanderer from Tom Snyder's show - the only time I ever saw Wanderer songs performed live back when the album came out. Next is the 1983 A Hot Summer Night With Donna - the only full concert I ever got to see until the mid 90s. (That VHS got a lot of play for many years!  LOL) Then we have the 1995 A&E Biography - the first long form TV profile I saw, and then we jump ahead to 1999's Live & More Encore. Her performance of MacArthur Park still makes me grin like a fool.  :-) We follow that with Love Is The Healer from Divas 2000 where Donna stole the show!  And finally, I did my MS Walk this week at Jones Beach. And every time I go there I can't help but remember all the times I saw Donna perform at the amphitheater. So this last video is Donna's 2008 Jones Beach show from the Crayons tour. (You know, I haven't seen a show there since... they haven't had anyone I particularly wanted to see...  :-(  )

[MAY 19] Finally, as I mentioned above - my MS Walk was yesterday and you guys ROCK!  You contributed over $1000 to fight MS, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart! I have a few little trinkets to send out as thank yous, and I will get to that soon.  :-)

[MAY 12]  Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! He's a fun fact for you - Donna Summer is the mother of 13. No that's not a typo.  But I'm also cheating.  The mother of 13 is a horse named Donna Summer who has given birth to 13 racehorses over her breeding career. (Rumor has it - she can't sing a note...   lol)

[MAY 12] If you want some tunes to keep you company while you check out this update, head over to Mixcloud where DJ Tom Ragu has put together a 104 minute mix of all Donna Summer (the diva, not the racehorse. ;-) )

[MAY 12]  Calling Boston - the annual Donna Summer Roller Disco Party will be held on June 21 in City Hall Plaza. (Can you believe it's the 6th annual one? ) They have DJ Vince 1 scheduled to play all your favorite Donna and disco tunes. O'Mega Red (the host of the event) will be performing in tribute to Donna, and of course you never know which members of Donna's family you might run in to.  It's always a big fun street party! If you have Facebook, you can follow the event here.

[MAY 12] Bruce Sudano fans - well, Bruce has planned to  be at Fridays Creek Winery yesterday.  But, unfortunately he caught whatever respiratory thing is going around, so the show had to be postponed.  (Instead of A Glass Of Red and the Sunset, maybe it's a glass of Nyquil and the sunset? LOL )The new date has yet to be announced - in the meantime, feel better Bruce!

[MAY 12] Johnnyswim fans - they are STILL touring! And if you want to see something really fun (and different), check out their new TheTouringToddler instagram page. Among other things, they currently have a video of Joaquin giving a backstage tour of the Ryman Auditorium. (Look closely - Johnnyswim has inherited one of Donna's old touring cases!) The tour is an "instagram story" so it won't stay up long.

[MAY 12] My annual Walk MS event is next weekend and thanks to your generosity I will be wearing my new Donna shirt! If you still want to donate, my link is here.  I am also asking that everybody pray to whatever God/gods/spirits/imaginary creatures/whatever you believe in that we have nice weather on Saturday.  My team is CVan and CVan herself if coming up for the walk. She did it last year and it poured rain on us! This year we are hoping to stay dry!  LOL (And while you are at it - put a hex on my employer who is making my partner in crime work that day! She usually walks with me so we can harass people with our cameras together!)

[MAY 12] On to Youtube! What so we want to watch this week? Oh let's go back to 1979.  So will start with a concert in Japan. Then we have the 1980 TV Special (it was filmed in 1979 so it counts.  LOL)  Moving on there is Donna's 1979 performance of Bad Girls on Johnny Carson,  a 1979 performance of Last Dance,  Mimi's Song from the 1979 Music For Unicef concert, and a fan video for Journey To The Centre Of Your Heart.

[MAY 5] Greetings all! It's a new month so it's time for a new Summer Fever Pick (a couple of days late...)  This month we celebrate all the colors of Crayons! Oh and Happy Cinco de Mayo!

[MAY 5] Bruce Sudano fans, don't forget that you can catch him live at Fridays Creek Winery this Saturday May 11 in Owings, MD.  Doors open at 5PM and  who knows? If you ask nicely, he might share A Glass Of Red and The Sunset with you.  ;-)  Tickets are available here.

[MAY 5] Johnnyswim fans - yes the pair on on their annual tour and yes, you better get your tickets before they sell out! But they have something new going on too. There is a new blog and Instagram page called TheTouringToddler where Amanda shares her tips on touring with the kids (and where you can see more cute pictures of Joaquin and Luna). So if you are a parent looking for tips on how to travel with your little ones without going insane - check it out.

[MAY 5] And speaking of Johnnyswim - last week's New Music Monday clip was Say What You Will - live from the garage of course.  :-)

[MAY 5] That brings us to YouTube and this week I am going to do something a little different. This week I am featuring unusual covers of Donna's music. First up, a choral cover of MacArthur Park by the Boston Gay Men's Chorus. (As an added nice touch - they have a woman there signing the song as well.) Then we have an actual ASL cover of Last Dance from Long Beach Pride 2012. Moving on to a different style, we have a classical instrumental cover of I Feel Love by Cherry Mint Koala, we have a salsa version of  On The Radio by Lucy Grau,  we have a jazzy cover of Hot Stuff by Judith Owen, we have a (mostly) orchestral cover of Hot Stuff by the Beogradska Filharmonija, we have a "techno acoustic" I Feel Love cover by violinist Vanessa Mae,  and finally an electronic cover of Love To Love You by Ry Jays. I don't expect you guys to fall in love with all (or even any) of these covers, but I just find in fun to occasionally explore other people's takes on Donna's songs.

[MAY 5] Finally - my MS Walk is rapidly approaching!  If you would like to donate, there is still time! My link is here. Thanks to all who have already supported me, and to those who have always supported me over the years!

[APR 28] Happy Sunday all! Let's start off with the musical.  Summer will be playing in Nashville May 26 to 31, 2020 at the Andrew Jackson Hall.  So dates are still being announced. :-)

[APR 28] Johnnyswim fans: check out their album review at PopDust.com, and also check out the podcast they did with Relevant. And of course, Johnnyswim is still on tour. If you want to see them live - grab your tickets as soon as possible because they WILL sell out. (I saw that so many times, I swear that will be on my tombstone one day.  LOL)

[APR 28] Bruce Sudano fans: he will be back performing in the US on Saturday May 11, 2019 from 5 to 9 PM at Friday's Creek Winery in Owings, MD. Tickets are available here.

[APR 28] Now on to the diva herself! As I am sure you know (unless you are in denial about your age, like I am  LOL) Bad Girls turns 40 this year.  Albumism.com is celebrating the anniversary with a retrospective about the album.  (I celebrated by playing the whole album start to finish on a loop while I painted my screen porch this week. I have to say, Bad Girls sounds just as good today as it did in 1979.  :-) )  Now if they would just get rid of that red "over 70 minutes of music" bar on the CD/Digital artwork.....

[APR 28] This is an old listing from 2013, but one of Donna's former residences was up for sale back then and there are  pictures and videos online from the real estate listings. So if you want to get an idea of what the house looked like in 2013, check out this article, this video, and this shorter second video.  I probably don't need to say this, but I will anyway - the house sold. If you are in that area, please don't bother the new owners by trespassing.

[APR 28] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's do some mixes this time.  We'll start off by cheating and going to Soundcloud for the Angelo Ferreri mix of I Feel Love. Then it's back to YouTube for an audio only clip of the Groovefunkel mix of MacArthur Park. (I give those guys bonus points for adapting the font from the Mary Tyler Moore Show in their opening ident.  :-) ) Then we have I Will Go With You (Groovy G Club mix), the Swinging In Summer mix of Someday,  I Got Your Love Klyk Extended Dance Mix,  and the Razormaid Remix of Our Love/Sunset People.

[APR 20] Greetings all! Happy Passover! Happy Easter! Happy Earth Day! And happy anything else you might be celebrating!

[APR 20] First up this week - Johnnyswim's Moonlight is out and ready for you to buy or stream from your favorite music outlets! I downloaded my copy last night and I'm playing it (again) while I work on this update. (And no, I haven't picked a favorite track yet. At the moment I'm kind of partial to Bridges, but I might gravitate to something completely different tomorrow.  LOL) And if you want to switch things up a little, take a break from the album and play the New Music Monday versions of the Moonlight songs filmed in the Ramirez garage (presumably while the kids were napping or otherwise occupied. lol) The latest entry is Souvenir.

[APR 20] So the new release brings us some iTunes chart news.  As I write this, Moonlight is #7 on the top albums chart, and #1 on the top Singer/Songwriter albums chart.  :-)  (Diamonds is there too at #19, along with Georgica Pond at #32, Heartbeats at #68, and Goodbye Road at #107.) On the Singer/Songwriter song chart, The Last Time and Say What You Will are #24 and #25 respectively, and Souvenir is #42,  Lost In Translation is #48, Flowers is #49,  Long Gone is #52, Back To You is #56,  Same Old Thing is  #63, Home (from the Diamonds album) is  #83, Moonlight is #86, Toughing Heaven (from Georgica Pond) is #93, Ring The Bells (from the Goodbye Road EP) is #104, First Try (from Georgica Pond) is #130, Amanda is #156 and Take The World (from Diamonds) is #183. I think I got them all?  :-)  (Oh, and thanks Amanda and Abner for spelling JOHNNYSWIM in all caps. It makes it much easier to scan the charts.  LOL) You know, I remember seeing Johnnyswim at a local winery here on Long Island one time when they were playing a bunch of sets over the course of a whole evening. At one point Donna and Bruce walked in with some friends. And I will never forget Donna asking me, "Are they good?" (Of course she knew they were good - but she wanted a non-mom opinion.  lol) I wish she could be here now to see how well Amanda and Abner are doing. She would be so proud - and rightfully so!

[APR 20] Oh and of course you all know that Johnnyswim is still on tour. (I swear they LIVE on the road!  LOL) If you want to see then live - and I can assure you, you will hate yourself if you don't go see them live -  grab your tickets as soon as you can because they tend to sell out quickly.  Also, give them a follow on Instagram. You will see lots of cute pics of their kids, and also they sometimes toss in a surprise for fans - early chances for tickets, or ticket upgrades..... you never know.  And Amanda and Abner, if you are reading this I have just one suggestion for this tour - WESTHAMPTON .  ;-)

[APR 20] Donna collectors (with deep pockets) we have a fan out there who has found himself in a situation where he needs to sell off a couple of his treasures. One of them is a Bible that she actually used to carry around with her everywhere. It is inscribed with her signature and a message to the fan. As I write this, we have about 6 days left on the eBay auction, so go check it out. I feel sad that he needs to sell it, but I also know that if there is anybody out there who can give this Bible a good home, it will be one of you guys. If you check out his other auctions, you will also find a signed She Works Hard For The Money poster.

[APR 20] Bruce Sudano fans in the UK - don't forget he's only got a few more dates coming up. So if you want to see him live, you better go grab some tickets now!

[APR 20] I think that brings us to YouTube. I'm going to start with a couple of clips that were just brought to my attention and then see where they lead me. (It's fun to just do a YouTube freefall once in awhile!)  So first up is a performance of This Time I Know It's For Real from some TV show with a very enthusiastic audience. Then we have the Harder & Faster remix of Hot Stuff. And then this one is a little.... unexpected. It's a reggae remix of Donna's Let It Be cover.  I give that one points for creativity, but since I'm not really much of a reggae fan I don't think it's a mix I personally will revisit often. But hey, your mileage may vary.  :-)  So those clips made YouTube suggest Donna's country music medley, and that threw me to Netherlands.  After stopping to play that a few times in a row, I let myself be led to Donna's Motown Medley, and then a stampyurfeet video for Take Heart. And I think I'll leave off there or I will be on YouTube all night.

[APR 20] Finally, my MS Walk is May 18.  If you would like to donate, my link is here. As usual I have some thank yous to send to my donors. I still have pens from last year and this year I have added buttons with both my team's logo and Donna's logo. (Well, one of her logos.  :-) )  They are the very same buttons I intend to hand out to the rest of the team to wear. (They WILL wear them if they know what's good for them!  LOL) And one very cool thing I saw in the news recently is that there is a new medical breakthrough that should help treat people with MS. I'd like to think that your generosity through the years has in some way helped make this new breakthrough happen. 

[APR 14] Happy Sunday all! Let's start with the musical. First of all, the Summer: The Musical website has finally listed all the tour dates (so far). New to the list this week, Schnectady, NY (March 24 to 29/2020 at Proctors),  Tampa, FL (May 5 to 10/2020 at the Straz Center), Philadelphia, PA (June 2 to 7/2020 at the Academy Of Music), Detroit, MI (June 9 to 21/2020 at the Fisher Theater) and Minneapolis, MN (July 14 to 19/2020 at the Orpheum Theater). BroadwaWorld.com has a short article announcing the tour. (Oh and on a side note - the new show taking over the Lunt Fontanne in NY is Tina - another diva musical.  :-)  )

[APR 14] Bruce Sudano fans - he's still got a couple more dates left to play in the UK and he's added a November date in Washington DC. For venues and ticket info, check out Bruce's site. And if you want to see some of the interesting venues Bruce has been playing, check out his Instagram.

[APR 14]  Johnnyswim fans - their new album is out FRIDAY! Bust since you probably want a fix right now, head over to YouTube to check out their New Music Monday videos. The last one was for Flowers (from the upcoming album, Moonlight). I wonder which one they will post tomorrow?  :-) And of course, the pair are still on tour and packing the house wherever they go.

[APR 14] I think that brings us to YouTube. You know, this year marks the 40th anniversary of the Bad Girls album - the anniversary of the release date falls on April 25th to be exact. So let's celebrate those songs. First up a live performance of the title track from 1979. Then we have Dim All The Lights from Live & More Encore (starting with the "unplucked" version), an audio of the uncut long version of Walk Away,  Sunset People from the 1980 TV Special, an audio of There Will Always Be A You, and wait, I think there is one more song.... a hit...  What was it called again? Oh yeah, Hot Stuff (live from 2003 I think or maybe 2004).

[APR 7] Greetings all! Let's start with the musical again. Seattle - you can see Summer: The Musical  from December 31, 2019 to January 5, 2020 at The Paramount. (December 31 seems somehow appropriate!  :-) ) And Rochester, NY,  you get to see the show October 1 to 6, 2019 at the RBTL Auditorium Theater. The schedule is filling out nicely!  :-)

[APR 7] The 30th Anniversary boxset release of Another Place & Time is out. You can check out the review from Attitude magazine here.

[APR 7] Bruce Sudano fans - catch Bruce live in the UK now! He's got about a half a dozen more dates this month, so check out the list and hit a place near you.

[APR 7] Also - you can hear Bruce speak about Giorgio Moroder in a new BBC World Service documentary about Giorgio. You can listen to it on the BBC website for the next month. (And yes, the link works outside the UK because it's audio only.) Oh and surprise - they grabbed some clips of Donna talking about her time with Giorgio too.

[APR 7] Moving on to Johnnyswim (who are still on tour by the way), this week's New Music Monday was  a song called The Last Time from the upcoming album, Moonlight. You WANT to hear it!  :-) (And I can't want to see what they pick for tomorrow.) Also, check out their interview on 1010 WINS.

[APR 7] I think that brings us to YouTube. I think in honor of the Another Place And Time anniversary box set, we should do some APAT clips.  First up a clip with some behind the scenes footage from the album photo shoot. (watch for Donna being silly.  LOL) Then we have audio of Love's About To Change My Heart (Pete Hammond 12" mix),  DJ Moch's APAT Tribute Megamix,  This Time I Know It's For Real from Live & More Encore,  Love's About To Change My Heart live on Arsenio Hall, and I Don't Wanna Get Hurt from Top Of The Pops.

[APR 7] And on a final note, my walk to fight MS is May 18.  If you would like to donate, my link is here. I even ordered a new Donna shirt to wear this year. But you won't see it if I don't reach my goal!  :-)

[MAR 31] Happy Sunday all! First up - the April Summer Fever Pick is up. This month we are Live & More (Encore)!

[MAR 31] We have more dates for the musical.  From December 3 to 19, 2019 it will be in San Francisco at the SHN Golden Gate Theater.From April 14 to 19, 2020 it will be in Baltimore, MD at the Hippodrome. And  on May 19 to 24, 2020 it will be in Greenville, SC at the Peace Center. Hey, and if you are a performer and think you have the chops to be one of the Donnas (or even one of the other roles) in the touring production, Playbill has posted an audition date and location. (You have to be a member of Actors' Equity if you want to audition.)

[MAR 31] Johnnyswim fans - this is a good week to be a fan! First of all, New Music Monday is back. This past Monday they posted Bridges live from their garage. They followed that up a couple of days ago with an audio stream of The Last Time (featuring Michael MacDonald). On Wednesday they were live at Paste Studios - a performance you can see on YouTube. And then on Thursday they were live at Billboard - that one is on Facebook. Don't forget that the pair are on tour most of the summer, and the new album, Moonlight, comes out April 19 at all your favorite music places.

[MAR 31] I think that brings us to YouTube.  In honor of the new Summer Fever Pick, let's play some tracks from Live & More Encore. First up is  what was then a brand new song, Nobody. Then from Ordinary Girl, we have My Life and If There Is Music There. And from the infamous "unplucked" section - I Don't Wanna Work That Hard. And finally on an unrelated note, apparently today is National Crayon Day.  So in honor of that, we have Crayons live in Brooklyn.

[MAR 24] Happy Sunday all!  Let's start off with the musical. I have created a section on this page with a list of known dates and locations so far. I'll update that as more performances are added.  :-) And speaking of updates to that list -  this week sees the addition of Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, and Atlanta.

[MAR 24] On to Donna herself.  If you have Facebook and follow Nathan DiGesare, you might have run into this interesting post. And in case this link doesn't still work (or if you don't have Facebook), Nathan said: "Best part of my musical journey has been the honor of working with Donna Summer...a friend that has left us too soon. We wrote many songs together, but I Will Live For Love was my favorite. I remember like yesterday working on this vocal with Donna in my studio. As it came to the final chorus, she would look and give me a happy smile. We played it over and over that evening knowing that God gave us something special...a beautiful song. This performance with the Nashville Symphony was truly the intent and style we envisioned when writing." And then he linked to this awesome clip that I'm sure you have all seen of Donna performing with the Nashville Symphony. (I always KNEW that song as written to be a ballad!  LOL)  He also added an even more interesting dropbox link.

[MAR 24] Bruce Sudano fans - catch him performing in the UK through the month of April with Colin Blunstone. Check his site for a list of dates and venues.

[MAR 24] I think that brings us to YouTube.  In honor of I Will Live For Love, let's look at some ballads this time. First up, A Song For You from a TV appearance. Then we have audio for Sometimes Like Butterflies, La Vie En Rose live in Paris,  Sand On My Feet live in 2008, and a fan video for Netherlands.

[MAR 24] And finally - once again I am walking for MS. If you would like to donate, my link is here. And I will have thank yous to send to my donors after the walk is over on May.  :-)

[MAR 17] Happy St. Patrick's Day all! And to the people of New Zealand... I have no words that are adequate for what you are going through. But please know that good people everywhere stand behind you. And I hope that some day we figure out how to stop these sort of mass-killings from happening.

[MAR 17]  In musical news, Summer The Musical will be performed at  ASU Gammage in Tempe , AZ January 7 - 12, 2020.

[MAR 17] In the Donna is everywhere category, Grand Analog has a song called Donna Summer.

[MAR 17] Johnnyswim fans - don't forget that the duo is on tour and those tickets are going FAST. Check the list of dates and places here.

[MAR 17] Check out Bruce Sudano's lyric video on Facebook for September In Your Eyes from The Burbank Sessions. That should help tide us all over until the new music comes out.  :-)

[MAR 17] That brings us to YouTube. Let's do some really early stuff this week.  Let's start with the audio for Sally Go Round The Roses and So Said The Man. From Haare we have video of The Flesh Failures (jump to about 2:33 to see Donna), and audio of Der Wasserman. From a rare early TV appearance we have Black Power - this particular clip combines the actual footage of Donna with some other stuff to fill out the whole song.  (In the TV show the song mostly played behind the scene that was going on.) And from Godspell we have an audio clip of O segne Gott meni Seel.

[MAR 10] Happy Sunday all! I guess we can start with the musical. Summer will be in Denver, CO at the Buell Stage January 28 to February 9, 2020.  And it will be at the Fox Theater in St Louis, MO January 15-26, 2020.

[MAR 10] Bruce Sudano fans - mark your calendars for November 4. That's when Bruce will be playing at the O Mansion in Washington DC.  Also, Bruce has been spending lots of time in the studio lately, so you know what that means - new music on the way!

[MAR 10] I'm sure many of you remember a few weeks ago that I was talking about an episode of  the REELZ Autopsy series that was about Donna.  The show has found its way to YouTube for those of you who didn't get to see it.  I highly recommend watching some of your favorite Donna clips afterwards to put your mind in a better place. At least if you are watching the show now, you are going in with the knowledge that they will be discussing Donna's death -- that fact was a very unpleasant surprise for those of us who watched it when it first aired. We were all just expecting a regular artist profile along the lines of Behind The Music, etc.

[MAR 10] I think that brings us to YouTube. This week we have  a new mix: the JQ Trance mix of Could It Be Magic. Then we have an audio only concert from 1977 featuring one of the earliest performances of Last Dance, a 1995 concert from Brazil, and finally, my favorite clip of Could It Be Magic with Donna and Barry Manilow. (If that REELZ Autopsy show depressed you, this clip should make you smile!)

[MAR 2] Happy Saturday all! It's a new month so it's time for the new Summer Fever Pick. This month we are going blonde for some Mistaken Identity.  ;-) (Ok, maybe I'll just be blonde in my head...)

[MAR 2] We have new dates for Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. It will be playing March 31 to April 5, 2020 at the Schuster Center in Dayton Ohio.  It's also coming to the Playhouse Square in Cleveland, OH October 8 to 27, 2019.

[MAR 2] Mary Gaines Bernard fans - don't forget that she is performing Friday March 8 (THIS FRIDAY!) at the Lyric Theatre in Stuart, FL. And in case you are looking for a little taste of what Mary's show is like, check out this YouTube promo.  :-)  I wish I could be there!! (Quick somebody get me the winning lottery numbers so I can ditch this whole job thing.  LOL)

[MAR 2] Bruce Sudano  fans should also save March 8. On that day he will be a guest on TGIF With Tom & Laura on BBOX radio from 1 to 2 PM Eastern. And yes, you CAN listen online! If you do Facebook, you can  check out the show's page here. (If you like what you hear - be sure to let Tom & Laura know!  :-) )

[MAR 2] If you are looking for fine art prints of Donna (and have deep pockets) 1stdibs.com has a few things available for sale. If you have a more modest budget, Amazon has a Donna Summer adult coloring book.  Of course, if you  have access to Photoshop (or something similar), you can make your own coloring book with the images of your choice.  :-)

[MAR 2] I think that brings us to YouTube.  In honor of the new Summer Fever Pick, let's do some Mistaken Identity clips.  First up is a blonde Donna live in Yokohama. Then we have Donna live in Brazil from 1992. Then in the land of shorter clips, we have Friends Unknown live,  Work That Magic from European TV, a fan video for Fred Astaire, Heaven's Just A Whisper Away from the Apollo,  and a fan video for Let There Be Peace. And finally, I shared this mystery video last week.  It has nothing to do with Mistaken Identity and I'm pretty sure it won't stay on YouTube long, so check it out while you can.  It's a full length thing so leave yourself plenty of time to view it.  ;-)

[MAR 2] And finally  - I am doing my annual MS Walk at Jones Beach again this year on May 18.  If you would like to donate, my link is here.  I still have lots of pens from last year to hand out to my donors, and who knows.... maybe I'll come up with something else to share with you as well.  :-) You  guys have always been awesome about supporting my walks and I really do appreciate it!

[FEB 24] Happy Oscar night all! Some of you may have run into a couple  of  tabloid-ish stories about Donna coming out of the UK press this week.  It's all because REELZ is repeating their Donna Summer episode of "Autopsy: The Last Hours of..." tonight. I will not be tuning in. I hated it when it first ran, and I'm sure rewatching it would just piss me off again.  LOL (Besides it's Oscar night - I think it's a law that people have to watch at least part of the awards.  LOL)

[FEB 24] In honor of Oscar night, EW.com has an article listing the 19 best Oscar musical performances.  And yes - Donna made the list with Last Dance.  :-)

[FEB 24] In musical news, the Washington Post has an article about the recent invasion of jukebox musicals on the Broadway stage.  They discuss a number of the recent, current and upcoming musicals and while noting that Summer has some flaws, they seem to get why people like the show.

[FEB 24] Johnnyswim fans - keep checking their tour list! They are adding new shows including a just announced date in New York City. If you see your city on the list - GRAB YOUR TICKETS IMMEDIATELY!  They will sell out fast!

[FEB 24] Bruce Sudano fans - Bruce is live on the couch again on Facebook. This time he's performing a classic Brooklyn Dreams tune.

[FEB 24] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's go with a movie theme this time. So first up is Donna performing Last Dance on the Oscars, followed by her performance a few years later of Papa Can You Hear Me. Then we have The Power Of One from the Pokemon 2000 movie,  Ordinary Miracle from Let It Be Me,  Whenever There Is Love from Daylight,  Down Deep Inside from The Deep, Highway Runner from Fast Times At Ridgemont High, and Romeo from Flashdance.  And finally a surprise mystery video that will probably not last long on YouTube. This one is not movie related.  :-)

[FEB 17] Happy Sunday all! This week the news is Johnnyswim.  As you know, last week they released the video for their new song Bridges.  This week they've released the official stream for the new song, Flowers.  :-)

[FEB 17] As you know, Johnnyswim is touring this summer with dates starting March 29 and ending (so far) September 8. These dates include appearances at the Moon River Festival in Chattanooga, TN which is now SOLD OUT. This is why I always say that if you want tickets to see Johnnyswim, you better grab them as soon as they are available for sale. Those tickets do not stick around long!  (And if you have never seen Johnnyswim live, then you really have no idea what a treat you are missing!)

[FEB 17] I think that brings us to YouTube.  First up - the alternate version of Can't We Just Sit Down (And Talk It Over). (For those who don't know where that came from - it randomly appeared on a remastered I Remember Yesterday. Since it wasn't promoted as an alternate version, I'm thinking that Universal didn't realize they used a different master.) Let's keep going with some rare tracks. Next up is Sometimes Like Butterflies, the b-side to Love Is In Control,  then Face The Music - the b-side to  Supernatural Love, and Tearin' Down the Walls - the b-side to Dinner With Gershwin. Then there is the lost track Walk Hand In Hand which has only been released on one or two of compilations over the years. Then we have the alternate version of People Talk (with the rap in the middle) and the original demo of True Love Survives.

[FEB 10] Happy Sunday all!  Let's start with the musical. You guys in the Hollywood area will be able to see it November 5 to 24 at the Hollywood Pantages. Right now tickets are available to season subscribers - keep checking their website to see when tickets for individual shows become available.  West Palm Beach, FL  - you will get the musical too, but you have to wait until April 28 to May 3, 2020. (Yes, I said 2020.) That will be at the Kravis Center and tickets are not on sale yet. Season ticket renewals don't start until March then they will sell new season tickets before they sell individual shows. (If I was there, I'd get the season subscription - they have a great lineup!)

[FEB 10] Johnnyswim fans - the music video for Bridges is out now!  :-)  It's a really cool video - but I can't describe it in a way that does it justice. Just go watch it! (And that song is going to be a great addition to their live shows!)

[FEB 10] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Since it's Grammy night, let's show some clips of Donna at the Grammys.  First up, the duet medley with Kenny Rogers. Then we have She Works Hard For The Money performed at the Grammys,  and Donna winning the Grammy for Last Dance. Then in honor of Valentine's Day this week, we have Love To Love You on the Midnight Special, the video for Love Is In Control,  Love Is The Healer live on The View, and a video for To Paris With Love. (That's 4 decades of love if you weren't paying attention.  ;-) )

[FEB 2] Happy Groundhog's Day all! The groundhog here is predicting an early spring. He better be right because I can easily find a recipe for groundhog stew.  LOL It is also a new month, so it's time for the new Summer Fever Pick.  This month it's time to dance to Another Place And Time.

[FEB 2] As you may know, this year marks the 30th anniversary of Another Place In Time. And while we all sit here feeling old about that, a 30th Anniversary boxset has been announced for  a March 29th release. Amazon UK has the CD boxset which is 3 discs. The first is the album itself and the other 2 are packed with various mixes. The website has the full list. Banquet Records is also showing a 2 disk vinyl set also available March 29.

[FEB 2] We have musical news! Miami - you will get to see Summer: The Donna Summer Musical at the Adrienne Arsht Center on the very fitting dates of May 12 to May 17. For more details, check the venue's website.  I'm not sure if that will be the official touring company or if they just licensed the show themselves, but either way it will be a good time. (And if you need some swag to wear to the show, the official musical site is still selling things.  :-) )

[FEB 2] Calling The Netherlands - Carolina Dijkhuizen has just started a Thank God It's Donna tour. For info and dates, check out this site.

[FEB 2] Bruce Sudano fans - catch him Friday March 8 on BBOX Radio from 1 to 2 PM (ET) on the TGIF with Tom & Laura show.  One of the hosts, Tom Ragu is a long time Donna fan and a comedian, so it ought to be a fun show.  :-)  You can tune in at BBOXradio.com/listen or at  bboxradio.dreamhosters.com/player-live.html. And you can connect with the show on Facebook.

[FEB 2] That brings us to YouTube. Let's celebrate our Summer Fever Pick!  First up is the video for This Time I Know It's For Real, and the video for Love's About To Change My Heart. Then we have a short clip of APAT footage that includes some behind the scenes footage of the photo sessions, a playlist for the CD+G decode of the APAT songs,  an Another Place & Time megamix,  the video for When Love Takes Over You, and the video for I Don't Wanna Get Hurt which does NOT include Donna.

[JAN 27] Happy Sunday all! It's a pretty quiet week, but let's start off with Bruce.  He's got a video up on his Facebook page of a recent performance of Bad Girls.

[JAN 27] Johnnyswim fans - their new album Moonlight is due out on April 19. And don't forget that the new tour starts May 3.  Grab your tickets early if you want to go because Johnnyswim tends to sell out FAST! (You have been warned!  LOL)

[JAN 27] And that brings us to YouTube. Let's so some long form profiles on Donna this week. First up is the 2004 Lifetime Intimate Portrait. Then we have the 1995 A&E Biography. And to go with that, we have a live clip of Worth The Wait. And then there is 1999's VH1 Behind The Music. To go with that one we have  Junior's Sound Factory Mix of My Life and a SoundCloud file of No Ordinary Love Song.

[JAN 20] Happy Sunday all!  I'm going to start with Johnnyswim this week.  Their new album, Moonlight will be released on April 19 at all the usual music vendors. With the album is a new single called Bridges that you can get now - also at all the usual music places.  There are also links on the Johnnyswim website to preorder vinyl, or  bundles including the vinyl, the cd, and other merchandise. But that's not all - there is also a tour! They have dates listed from early May to mid-June so far. And they are working on booking more places. SO if none of the cities listed is close to you, just keep checking back.  Head to Johnnyswim.com for details on all of the above.  And while you are there, sign up for their newsletter if you haven't yet. Doing so will get you access to perks like presale codes for concert tickets.  :-) Also, check out YouTube to hear the new single Bridges.

[JAN 20] Moving on to Donna... let's talk briefly about that REELZ special from last week.  The show was billed as "Donna Summer : Disco Queen". It was actually an episode of their series "Autopsy: The Last Days Of...". They ran a marathon of that series the night they debuted the Donna show and strangely Donna's episode was the only one that didn't make it clear that the show was about the death of a celebrity.  So.... I know there are some of you that still have a heard time dealing with Donna's loss. If I would have known what the show was, I would have given you a heads up so that you would have been prepared. (Hell, I would have liked to have been more prepared myself when I tuned in!) Now if you saw the show and know what it's all about - fell free to skip ahead to the next entry of the update. For those who didn't (or couldn't) see it, let me give you a short recap.

Ok, so first of all you have to know that REELZ is tabloid TV for the most part.  So a show like Autopsy is looking for scandal. Of course, it's a lot harder to make something like lung cancer seem scandalous especially when you compare it to something like drug overdose, homicide, etc. But they get points for trying, I guess.  LOL  So what we have is a forensic pathologist laying out facts and speculations based on available info. Supplementing him was a psychologist, and then some Donna Summer experts - Josiah Howard (author of a Donna biography), Joe "Bean" Esposito (of the Brooklyn Dreams), Robert "Omega Red" Grant (Donna's nephew and the guy behind Donna Summer Day in Boston every year), and Peter Muhldorfer (Donna's ex boyfriend - referred to in her autobiography by a pseudonym.)

Now the set up of the show is that they spend a few minutes in the beginning just giving an overview of Donna's career. (Literally - a few minutes. I think it was 5. )  They combine footage of the pathologist explaining various things (real info about cancer, speculation about Donna's specific situation) with clips from interviews with the Donna experts, and clips of actors re-enacting certain moments in Donna's life - including her deathbed. (Yikes!)  The show is broken into various segments where they discuss some aspect of Donna's life and try to link it to cancer somehow. And then they drop a sort of cliffhanger just before going to commercial. (Literally after a discussion about how Donna was insecure about her appearance as a kid, they ended the segment with the question "Did Donna's quest for success and acceptance lead her on a path to destruction and early death?". Seriously? How can I explain this? The show kind of reminds me of those click bait articles you find on the web. You know the type - "Learn the shocking secret behind blah blah blah"  and when you actually click it, you go through multiple screens to find out that there is nothing particularly shocking.  LOL

Anyway they talk about various things. There is some real info about lung cancer in general - how it spreads, what the usual prognosis is, how cancer patients tend to lose weight, etc. But then they speculate on the specifics regarding Donna.  Was smoking a factor? They note that she was a non smoker most of her life, but also mention that she worked in a lot of smoky clubs back in the days before they banned smoking in public buildings.  They did a lot of talking about Donna's weight and how she gained weight in her later years. But then after doing that, they decide that weight is no factor in lung cancer. (So then why bring it up? Guess they needed to pad the hour.) They talked about Donna's history of depression - not as a contributing factor to the cancer but as a clue as to how Donna might have handled the diagnosis (and as an excuse to reenact the 70s suicide attempt.) They also talk about 9/11 and the possibility that the dust in the air was a contributing factor. (My opinion on that is that it's something you can never definitively prove one way or the other BUT if the discussion ends up shining a light on the cancers that the first responders and recovery workers have experienced and gets them help, then let's keep talking!)

In the end after a lot of drama that really goes nowhere (because really, lung cancer isn't scandalous!) they decide that probably the main factors in Donna's cancer were smoky clubs and genetics, and that she spent the end of her life privately with her family - EXACTLY THE WAY SHE WANTED TO. 

I did not record the show.  It aired twice (so far) and because of the time it came on, I missed the first half of the first airing and I was so mad at the tabloid aspect of the show that I spent the second half yelling at the TV. (My mother actually tuned in to see what I was yelling about!  LOL)  When I watched the second airing, I was taking notes so that kept me more focused. (So I was able to listen instead of yell!  LOL) Honestly - Donna deserves WAY better.  And I find it interesting that REELZ was reportedly deleting negative comments about the show from their Facebook page. (Apparently a number of fans were upset that the REELZ website wasn't upfront about the fact that it was an episode of Autopsy, and posted words to that effect.)

[JAN 20] So let's put REELZ and Donna's final days out of our heads and look at a real profile of or favorite Diva.  About a year ago Slate's Hit Parade podcast did an episode about Donna.  That one is a true overview of Donna's career. It's over an hour long, but it's worth a listen. We also have an article from Pop Dose from 2006, but it's an interesting look at  the Wanderer singles.

[JAN 13] Greetings all! Don't forget that tomorrow we have the REELZ special at 9pm (ET). You can check the REELZ website or your local listings to find out where to find REELZ in your area. (I found that for me, the REELZ site gave the wrong channel number and I was better off just checking with my cable company's website.)

[JAN 13] And that brings us to YouTube.  Since the temperature around here is about to drop like a rock, I think we should counter that with some Hot Stuff - from a UK TV appearance (and yes, it goes into Bad Girls  lol). Then we have the Spring Affair/Summer Fever medley live from Brazil. (As a bonus the clip also has Heaven Knows and Melody Of Love.) And we have Sand On My Feet live in New Hampshire (featuring the sunset from Donna's balcony),  and the full concert from Jones Beach in 2008 (a venue that always brings happy memories of music on the beach on a warm summer (or Summer) night.  :-)  )

[JAN 13] Florida - don't forget that Mary Gaines Bernard is performing her tribute to her big sister at the Duncan Theater in Late Worth, FL on January 16. Be there!  :-)

[JAN 13] Johnnyswim fans - our favorite duo has a new album coming out soon. They have been teasing it on social media all week. Check their instagram feed for the video tease and make sure you click each of the pics to see the song titles. Or you can watch the video on their website and then sign up for their newsletter (if you haven't already.)  And I believe we will see the teasing stop tomorrow in favor of an official announcement.  :-)

[JAN 13] Bruce Sudano fans - catch him next weekend at the 30A Songwriter's Festival in South Walton, Fl.  And check out his new video on Facebook for Common Sense.  When you watch it, pay very close attention to the lyrics. They become more relevant  every single day.

[JAN 13] And I think that brings us to YouTube. First up a full length concert from Brazil 1995.  (You will love how much fun she has in some places in the show!  :-) ) Then we have the video for Fame, and my favorite clip - Donna with Barry Manilow on Could It Be Magic.  ANd for fun, here is Mary featuring Andrew Christian on Heaven Knows from her recent show in Aventura, FL.

[JAN 6] Happy Sunday all!  And happy belated birthday to Brooklyn Sudano! Reminder - we have the REELZ special on Donna coming up on January 14. (So nice to have something to look forward to on TV again.  :-) )

[JAN  6] Let me wrap up the musical coverage (at least until the tour starts or the West End production starts.) Grosses for the final performance week (December 30) were $1,094,723 so it ended with a bang.  :-)  You can see the cast's final bows on Facebook. And if it's still there, check out Storm Lever's takeover of the Broadway World Instagram feed.  (Just look for her name in the stories bar. It was there as I typed this, but Instagram stories do tend to disappear after awhile.)

[JAN 6] I wanted to take this opportunity to put Summer's run into some sort of context. Because it opened so late in it's season, I'm going to look at both the 2017-18 season and the 2018-19 season - and of course, just the musicals.  Over those 2 seasons we have had 17 musicals open so far (by my count.)  Only 8 of those are still open and some of those are VERY recent like Kong Kong,  Cher, and The Prom. Looking at the ones that closed, Summer had a pretty good run with 289 regular performances.  Going from the lowest to highest number of performances we have  both Getting The Band Back Together and Rocktopia with 40 performances each.  Then we have Escape To Margaritaville with 124,  the revival of Carousel with 181, Head Over Heels with 188 (that one just closed today),  Springsteen On Broadway with 229, then Summer with 289,  Spongebob Squarepants with 327, and  Once On This Island (also closing today) with 458.  That leaves the following shows still open: The Band's Visit which opened November 9, 2017, Frozen  which opened  March 22, 2018 (that's Disney's hot property so it may run forever  lol) , Mean Girls which opened April 8, 2018, the revival of My Fair Lady which opened April 14, 2018,  Pretty Woman which opened August 16, 2018, King Kong which opened November 8, 2018, The Prom which opened  November 15, 2018 and Cher which opened December 3, 2018.  And of course there is still plenty of time for more to open for the 2018-19 season. So in a nutshell, I'm pretty happy with Summer's run - especially since they are taking it on the road.  Yeah, I would have preferred it to run forever  lol but I think this was a pretty decent run.  :-)

[JAN 6] Moving on to the Diva herself.  :-)  As you know Donna's birthday was the 31st and that means fans were celebrating - i ncluding those who work in the media.  :-)  So the Daily Beast posted a really nice tribute, Albumism reposted their profile of Donna,  BBC Radio 2's Sounds Of The 80s played a Donna Summer Mastermix, and a journalist named Luis Lapuente came out with a book called Historia De La Música Disco which of course mentions Donna.  There is an article about the book here, but be advised that it is in Spanish.

[JAN 6] Bruce Sudano fans - check out his rendition of Things Are Changing from his Threefer Madness show at City Vineyard.

[JAN 6] I think that brings us to YouTube.  Let's watch some New Year's Eve clips . We have You're So Beautiful from Dick Clark's Rockin' Eve 2004,  Could It Be Magic  and Try Me from the 1977 New Year's Rockin' Eve, Donna on Merv Griffin's 1993 New Year's Eve special,  and Donna and company singing Auld Lang Syne at midnight on the 1976-77 New Year's Rockin' Eve.

[JAN 1]  Happy 2019 all! It's a new month so it's time for the new Summer Fever Pick.  This month we look at All Systems Go.  :-)

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