Author Archives: Kneeknee

Weird Al Yankovic – Parody of Born This Way by Lady Gaga

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Weird Al Yankovic – Parody of Born This Way by Lady Gaga

Weird Al Yankovic - Parody of Born This Way by Lady Gaga

A musical parodist in the broad, juvenile yet clever tradition of Mad magazine, “Weird Al” Yankovic is known for adding his own gently satirical lyrics to current hit songs. His shaggy, hangdog appearance, affection for slapstick, and amiable willingness to do seemingly anything for a laugh made him a natural for videos. His burlesques of the form and its artistes — especially of Michael Jackson in “Eat It” (from “Beat It”) (#12, 1983) and “Fat” (from “Bad”) (#99, 1988) — became MTV staples. His medleys of rock tunes given the polka treatment inspired rumors —untrue — that Yankovic was a member of the singing Yankovic family, who made polka and Western swing records in the 1940s. Regardless of his heritage, Yankovic is undoubtedly the most successful comedy recording artist, with more than 11 million albums sold.

Yankovic, a high school valedictorian and architecture student, got his start I 1979, when he sent his “My Bologna” — a parody of the Knack’s “My Sharona” — to Dr. Demento, a syndicated radio host specializing in novelty songs and curiosities. Recorded in a bathroom across the hall from his college radio station with only his accordion and vocal, the song was popular enough with Demento’s audience for Capitol (the Knack’s label) to release it as a single. His next parody, “Another One Rides the Bus” (based on Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust”), became the most requested song in the first decade of the Dr. Demento show.

Yankovic signed with Rock ‘n’ Roll Records (a CBS subsidiary), which not only gave him access to better recording facilities and the production expertise of Rick Derringer but the financial backing for the video of “Ricky” (#63, 1983). A combination parody of Toni Basil’s hit single and video “Mickey” and homage to TV’s I Love Lucy, “Ricky” was the first of a string of videos that skewered the music, its creators, and its audience, not to mention pop culture in general. While often hilariously hamfisted, Yankovic’s takeoffs — such as “I Lost on Jeopardy” (#81, 1984) from “Weird Al” Yankovic in 3-D (#81, 1984), which rewrote Greg Kihn’s “Jeopardy”; “Like a Surgeon” (#47, 1985), which tackled Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” from Dare to Be Stupid (#50, 1985) — made their creator and star as much a rock celebrity as his targets. In fact, the longevity of Yankovic’s career has surpassed several of the artists’ whose songs he has parodied. Nearly half the songs on any of his albums were comedic originals, although only his biggest fans seemed to be aware of “Weird Al” the songwriter. But his lyric rewriting earned him eight Grammy nominations, including two wins.

In 1985 Yankovic released a video collection of his parodies, The Compleat Al. That same year MTV produced an occasional series starring Yankovic as the host of Al TV, wherein he spoofed current videos. In 1989 he wrote and starred in the movie UHF; costarring a pre-Seinfeld Michael Richards, UHF did poorly in the theater but later found new life as a cultish video hit.

Polka Party! (#177, 1986), which relied more on music than on videos, stiffed. Even Worse (#27, 1988) marked Al’s return to rock video, and Michael Jackson. For “Fat,” a grossly, literally overinflated Yankovic donned a leather outfit that copied Jackson’s on the cover and video of Bad down to the last buckle. Jackson not only gave his approval for Yankovic’s versions, he lent the subway set used in “Bad” for the “Fat” video.

In 1988 Yankovic collaborated with avant-garde synthesizer artist Wendy Carlos on recorded versions of the classical pieces Peter and the Wolf and Carnival of the Animals Part II. In 1992 Yankovic turned his eye to another musical trend, grunge, specifically Nirvana. “Smells Like Nirvana” (#35, 1992) took on the Seattle band’s image and garbled lyrics, with the accompanying video again using the original set, this time adding cows and Dick Van Patten, wile the cover of Off the Deep End (#17, 1992) had Yankovic replacing the swimming baby picture on Nevermind, his gaze focused not on a dollar bill but a donut. He also mocked the traveling summer tour Lollapalooza with his 1993 album, Alapalooza (#46), which featured “Bedrock Anthem,” a combination takeoff of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under the Bridge” and “Give it Away” as well as the classical cartoon series The Flintstones. In 1996 he wrote the theme song for the movie satire Spy Hard, as well as designed the opening credits and appeared as himself in the film.

The same year, Yankovic released Bad Hair Day, which rose to #14 thanks to the success of its first single and video, “Amish Paradise,” a takeoff on rapper Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise” (itself a rewrite of Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise”). The album cover even mimicked the rapper’s hairstyle. While Yankovic always prided himself on getting permission to parody, this time there was a miscommunication between the artists’ record companies’ Yankovic was told Coolio was fine with the idea, but when the album was released, Coolio claimed he never consented. Yankovic sent a letter of apology and vowed not to accept agreement from anyone but the artists themselves.

After being the subject of the Disney Channel mockumentary special “Weird Al” Yankovic: There’s No Going Home in 1996, the entertainer hosted the Pee-wee’s Playhouse-esque Weird Al Show on CBS’ Saturday-morning lineup in 1997 and 1998. He was frustrated by the network’s lack of support for his tongue-in-cheek humor, and the show was canceled after one season. Yankovic seemingly disappeared for a time in 1998; when he re-emerged without his trademark mustache and glasses — besides shaving, he’d gotten laser eye surgery — he was unrecognizable. His 1999 release, Running with Scissors, peaked at #16, due to the well-timed single “The Saga Begins,” a rundown of the current Star Wars movie The Phantom Menace sung to the tune of Don McLean’s “American Pie.” Even the official Star Wars Web site plugged Yankovic’s album, whose release was also timed to the premiere of his Behind the Music episode on VH1. In 2000 Yankovic contributed the original “Polkamon” to the soundtrack of the kids’ flick Pokémon 2000: The Movie.

While Yankovic and his band (bassist Steve Jay, drummer Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz, guitarist Jim West, and keyboardist Ruben Valtierra) are often not taken seriously, they are able to play the original songs they parody note-for-note, both in the studio and on tour, making them a great cover band, Yankovic has also tried his hand at directing music videos, both his own and for other artists, including country comedian Jeff Foxworthy, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Hanson, and the Black Crowes.

Bio source…..www.rollingstone.com

Picture source…..mikesbloggityblog.com

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Lamb Shank Casserole

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Lamb Shank Casserole

Lamb Shank Casserole

Ingredients

Serves : 4

  • 4-6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 lamb shanks, trimmed
  • 5 tablespoons flour
  • 1 leek, halved and cut into 1cm pieces
  • 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 12 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 350ml red wine
  • 600ml chicken stock
  • Sea salt

Directions

Preparation:20min  –  Cook:2hours30min  –  Ready in:2hours50min

  1. Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees C .
  2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy, metal baking dish on a hotplate over medium-high heat. Toss shanks with flour to coat well; then shake off excess. Sear the shanks in hot oil until well browned on all sides, then remove from the dish and set aside.
  3. Add the leek, celery, carrot, onion and garlic to the baking dish. Cook until softened and lightly browned, stirring constantly; about 5 minutes.
  4. Season with the bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme and rosemary sprigs. Pour in the red wine and chicken stock, increase heat to high and bring to a simmer.
  5. Season to taste with sea salt and place the lamb shanks on top of the vegetables.
  6. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and place into the preheated oven. Bake gently until the meat is tender and falls off of the bone, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
  7. Remove the bay leaf and herb stems before serving shanks with vegetables and sauce.

Recipe source…..allrecipes.com.au

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Stuck In The Middle With You – Stealers Wheel

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Stuck In The Middle With You – Stealers Wheel

Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealers Wheel

Although remembered today primarily for one or two songs, Stealers Wheel in its own time bid fair to become Britain’s answer to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Only the chronic instability of their line-up stood in their way after a promising start. Gerry Rafferty (b. Paisley, Scotland, Apr. 16, 1946) and Joe Egan (b. 1946) had first met at school in Paisley when they were teenagers. Rafferty had seen three years of success as a member of the Humblebums before they split up, and he’d started a solo recording career that was still-born with the commercial failure of his album Can I Have My Money Back? (Transatlantic, 1971). He’d employed Egan as a vocalist on the album, along with Roger Brown. Rafferty and Egan became the core of Stealers Wheel, playing guitar and keyboards, although their real talent lay in their voices, which meshed about as well as any duo this side of Graham Nash and David Crosby-Brown joined, and Rab Noakes (guitar, vocals) and Ian Campbell (bass) came aboard in 1972. That line-up, however, lasted only a few months. By the time Stealers Wheel was signed to A&M later that year, Brown, Noakes, and Campbell were gone, replaced by guitarist Paul Pilnick, bassist Tony Williams, and drummer Rod Coombes (ex-Juicy Lucy and future Strawbs alumnus). This band, slapped together at the last moment for the recording of their debut album in 1972, proved a winning combination working behind Rafferty’s and Egan’s voices. The self-titled Stealers Wheel album, produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, was a critical and commercial success, yielding the hit “Stuck In The Middle With You” (top 10 in America and the UK). Even this success had its acrimonious side. Rafferty had quit the band by the time Stealers Wheel was released, replaced by Spooky Tooth’s Luther Grosvenor, who stayed with the groupon tour for much of 1973. Delisle Harper also came in for the touring version of the band, replacing Tony Williams. With a viable performing unit backing it, the Stealers Wheel album began selling and made No. 50 in America, while “Stuck In The Middle With You” became a million selling single.
As all of that was happening, the group’s management persuaded Rafferty to come back-whereupon Grosvenor, Combes, and Pilnick left. Having been through a dizzying series of changes in the previous year, Stealers Wheel essentially ended up following a strategy-employed for very different reasons-that paralleled Walter Becker and Donald Fagen in the American band Steely Dan (funny, the similarity in the names, too). Egan and Rafferty became Stealers Wheel, officially a duo with backing musicians employed as needed in the studio and on tour.

There was pressure for more hits. “Everyone Agreed That Everything Will Turn Out Fine” was a modest chart success, the mid-tempo, leisurely paced “Star” somewhat more widely heard, cracking into the top 30 on both sides of the Atlantic. A second album, Ferguslie Park (named for a district in Paisley), completed with session players as per the duo’s plan, barely cracked the top 200 LPs in America (although it was somewhat more popular than that number would indicate, among college students), and that would lead to a poisonous internal situation for the duo, as the pressure on them became even greater. In fact, the record was first rate, made up of lively, melodic, inventive pop-rock songs.

The commercial failure of the second album created a level of tension that all but destroyed the partnership between Egan and Rafferty. Coupled with the departure of Leiber and Stoller, who were having business problems of their own, and the inability of the duo to agree on a complement of studio musicians to help with the next album, Stealers Wheel disappeared for 18 months. Ironically, the contractually mandated final album, Right Or Wrong, that emerged at that time came out a good deal more right than anyone could have predicted, given the circumstances of its recording. The group had ceased to exist by the time it was in stores.

The break-up of Stealers Wheel blighted Rafferty’s and Egan’s careers for the next three years, as legal disputes with their respective managements prevent either man from recording. After these problems were settled, Egan made a pair of albums for the European-based Ariola label. Rafferty, in the meantime, emerged as a recording star with a mega-hit in 1978 in the form of “Baker Street” and the album City To City.

Stealers Wheel disappeared after 1975, its name and identity retired forever by its two owners (although, ironically, Rafferty did an album in the mid-1990’s, Over My Head, on which he re-invented several Stealers Wheel-era song that he’d co-written with Egan. He and Egan have both made records that refer in lyrics to the troubled history of Stealers Wheel, immortalizing their acrimonious history even as at least three best-of European collections of Stealers Wheel material immortalize their music, and “Stuck In The Middle With You” remains a popular ’70s oldie, revived most recently on the soundtrack of Quentin Tarantino’s movie Reservoir Dogs, and was recut by the Jeff Healy Band.

Bio source and picture…….www.sing365.com

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Cheese and Bacon Rolls

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Cheese and Bacon Rolls

Cheese and Bacon Rolls

Ingredients:

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Cover a baking tray with baking paper and set aside.

Roll pizza dough into a large rectangle.

Spread diced bacon all over the dough evenly.

Top with shredded cheese.

Roll from short end to end, encasing all the bacon and cheese inside.

Cut 2cm segment from the end of the roll and place on the baking tray. Keep slicing until all rolls are placed on the tray. You can sprinkle some extra cheese on top if you have it.

Bake for 20-25 mins until golden.

Notes

  • I love making these cheese and bacon rolls at home for the kids – especially if we are having their friends over.
  • I find the bakery version a bit expensive to buy which is why I made this recipe. Super cheap!
  • You can replace the cheese and bacon with Vegemite and cheese or sundried tomatoes and olives. Just fill it with what you have on hand for a delicious snack.
  • Serve these hot with your favourite soup for a filling meal.
  • This recipe was created by Jennifer Cheung for Kidspot,  Australia’s best recipe finder.

Recipe source…..www.kidspot.com.au

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Weird Al Yankovic – White And Nerdy

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Weird Al Yankovic – White And Nerdy

Weird Al Yankovic - White And Nerdy

A musical parodist in the broad, juvenile yet clever tradition of Mad magazine, “Weird Al” Yankovic is known for adding his own gently satirical lyrics to current hit songs. His shaggy, hangdog appearance, affection for slapstick, and amiable willingness to do seemingly anything for a laugh made him a natural for videos. His burlesques of the form and its artistes — especially of Michael Jackson in “Eat It” (from “Beat It”) (#12, 1983) and “Fat” (from “Bad”) (#99, 1988) — became MTV staples. His medleys of rock tunes given the polka treatment inspired rumors —untrue — that Yankovic was a member of the singing Yankovic family, who made polka and Western swing records in the 1940s. Regardless of his heritage, Yankovic is undoubtedly the most successful comedy recording artist, with more than 11 million albums sold.

Yankovic, a high school valedictorian and architecture student, got his start I 1979, when he sent his “My Bologna” — a parody of the Knack’s “My Sharona” — to Dr. Demento, a syndicated radio host specializing in novelty songs and curiosities. Recorded in a bathroom across the hall from his college radio station with only his accordion and vocal, the song was popular enough with Demento’s audience for Capitol (the Knack’s label) to release it as a single. His next parody, “Another One Rides the Bus” (based on Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust”), became the most requested song in the first decade of the Dr. Demento show.

Yankovic signed with Rock ‘n’ Roll Records (a CBS subsidiary), which not only gave him access to better recording facilities and the production expertise of Rick Derringer but the financial backing for the video of “Ricky” (#63, 1983). A combination parody of Toni Basil’s hit single and video “Mickey” and homage to TV’s I Love Lucy, “Ricky” was the first of a string of videos that skewered the music, its creators, and its audience, not to mention pop culture in general. While often hilariously hamfisted, Yankovic’s takeoffs — such as “I Lost on Jeopardy” (#81, 1984) from “Weird Al” Yankovic in 3-D (#81, 1984), which rewrote Greg Kihn’s “Jeopardy”; “Like a Surgeon” (#47, 1985), which tackled Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” from Dare to Be Stupid (#50, 1985) — made their creator and star as much a rock celebrity as his targets. In fact, the longevity of Yankovic’s career has surpassed several of the artists’ whose songs he has parodied. Nearly half the songs on any of his albums were comedic originals, although only his biggest fans seemed to be aware of “Weird Al” the songwriter. But his lyric rewriting earned him eight Grammy nominations, including two wins.

In 1985 Yankovic released a video collection of his parodies, The Compleat Al. That same year MTV produced an occasional series starring Yankovic as the host of Al TV, wherein he spoofed current videos. In 1989 he wrote and starred in the movie UHF; costarring a pre-Seinfeld Michael Richards, UHF did poorly in the theater but later found new life as a cultish video hit.

Polka Party! (#177, 1986), which relied more on music than on videos, stiffed. Even Worse (#27, 1988) marked Al’s return to rock video, and Michael Jackson. For “Fat,” a grossly, literally overinflated Yankovic donned a leather outfit that copied Jackson’s on the cover and video of Bad down to the last buckle. Jackson not only gave his approval for Yankovic’s versions, he lent the subway set used in “Bad” for the “Fat” video.

In 1988 Yankovic collaborated with avant-garde synthesizer artist Wendy Carlos on recorded versions of the classical pieces Peter and the Wolf and Carnival of the Animals Part II. In 1992 Yankovic turned his eye to another musical trend, grunge, specifically Nirvana. “Smells Like Nirvana” (#35, 1992) took on the Seattle band’s image and garbled lyrics, with the accompanying video again using the original set, this time adding cows and Dick Van Patten, wile the cover of Off the Deep End (#17, 1992) had Yankovic replacing the swimming baby picture on Nevermind, his gaze focused not on a dollar bill but a donut. He also mocked the traveling summer tour Lollapalooza with his 1993 album, Alapalooza (#46), which featured “Bedrock Anthem,” a combination takeoff of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under the Bridge” and “Give it Away” as well as the classical cartoon series The Flintstones. In 1996 he wrote the theme song for the movie satire Spy Hard, as well as designed the opening credits and appeared as himself in the film.

The same year, Yankovic released Bad Hair Day, which rose to #14 thanks to the success of its first single and video, “Amish Paradise,” a takeoff on rapper Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise” (itself a rewrite of Stevie Wonder’s “Pastime Paradise”). The album cover even mimicked the rapper’s hairstyle. While Yankovic always prided himself on getting permission to parody, this time there was a miscommunication between the artists’ record companies’ Yankovic was told Coolio was fine with the idea, but when the album was released, Coolio claimed he never consented. Yankovic sent a letter of apology and vowed not to accept agreement from anyone but the artists themselves.

After being the subject of the Disney Channel mockumentary special “Weird Al” Yankovic: There’s No Going Home in 1996, the entertainer hosted the Pee-wee’s Playhouse-esque Weird Al Show on CBS’ Saturday-morning lineup in 1997 and 1998. He was frustrated by the network’s lack of support for his tongue-in-cheek humor, and the show was canceled after one season. Yankovic seemingly disappeared for a time in 1998; when he re-emerged without his trademark mustache and glasses — besides shaving, he’d gotten laser eye surgery — he was unrecognizable. His 1999 release, Running with Scissors, peaked at #16, due to the well-timed single “The Saga Begins,” a rundown of the current Star Wars movie The Phantom Menace sung to the tune of Don McLean’s “American Pie.” Even the official Star Wars Web site plugged Yankovic’s album, whose release was also timed to the premiere of his Behind the Music episode on VH1. In 2000 Yankovic contributed the original “Polkamon” to the soundtrack of the kids’ flick Pokémon 2000: The Movie.

While Yankovic and his band (bassist Steve Jay, drummer Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz, guitarist Jim West, and keyboardist Ruben Valtierra) are often not taken seriously, they are able to play the original songs they parody note-for-note, both in the studio and on tour, making them a great cover band, Yankovic has also tried his hand at directing music videos, both his own and for other artists, including country comedian Jeff Foxworthy, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Hanson, and the Black Crowes.

Bio source…..www.rollingstone.com

Picture source…..www.befms.com

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Rhubarb Strawberry Crumble

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Rhubarb Strawberry Crumble

Rhubarb Strawberry Crumble
Ingredients
Serves : 18

  • 1 cup (200g) white sugar
  • 3 tablespoons plain flour
  • 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
  • 3 cups diced rhubarb
  • 1 1/2 cups (185g) plain flour
  • 1 cup (220g) packed brown sugar
  • 250g butter
  • 1 cup (80g) rolled oats

Directions
Preparation:15min  –  Cook:45min  –  Ready in:1hour

  1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.
  2. In a large bowl, mix white sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, strawberries and rhubarb. Place the mixture in a 20x30cm baking dish.
  3. Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, brown sugar, butter and oats until crumbly. You may want to use a pastry blender for this. Crumble on top of the rhubarb and strawberry mixture.
  4. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until crisp and lightly browned.

Recipe source…..allrecipes.com.au

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Dean Martin and The Andrews Sisters

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Dean Martin and The Andrews Sisters

Dean Martin and The Andrews Sisters

IN THE COOL, COOL, COOL OF THE EVENING: From the mid-1960s to the early 1970s, The Dean Martin Show held sway as the toniest spot on the television dial. In the final hour of prime-time each and every Thursday, the party was getting a glow on, and singing filled the air. In the shank of the night, they were doing it right, and much of America was there.
But the second major attempt to recapture the magic of this hippest-of-hip series and bottle it for home video has drawn lukewarm reviews at best and ignited a firestorm of fury among fans. In the piece that follows, we cover the heat, but also endeavor to shed additional light, on the subject at hand.

“Wonderful, Wonderful Television.”

It’s the title lyric of one of those catchy jingles that served to introduce an assortment of regular segments that appeared on The Dean Martin Show during the course of its 9-year run from 1965-74 — indeed, the refrain pops up several times on the new 6-DVD Best of The Dean Martin Variety Show: Collector’s Edition recently released by Time-Life — and it’s a phrase that aptly sums up the high levels of both esteem and affection with which Dean’s original landmark series is regarded by its millions of fans throughout the world.

But with a substantial portion of the sweet sounds that once emanated from this finely-tuned instrument muted in the new Time-Life treasury drawn from the vaults of the network that first brought us the series, NBC, many are left to wonder what happened to so much of what made the show so great in the first place — the musical content.

A finale to the 9/29/66 episode that ended with Dean, The Andrews Sisters, Lainie Kazan, Tim Conway and Frank Gorshin, gathered ’round a piano — played by no less than Duke Ellington — to sing “Swingin‘ Down The Lane”.

Info source…..thegolddiggers.wordpress.com

Picture source…..deangoldsanddings.wordpress.com

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Cranberry Nut Loaf

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Cranberry Nut Loaf

Cranberry Nut Loaf

Ingredients
Serves : 12

  • 2 cups (250g) plain flour
  • 3/4 cup (150g) caster sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
  • 125g chopped cranberries
  • 60g chopped walnuts
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup (180ml) orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange rind

Directions

Preparation:15min    Cook:50min   Ready in:1hour5min

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Grease a 23x12cm loaf tin.
  2. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and bicarb soda. Add the cranberries and walnuts and stir to coat with flour. Mix together the egg, oil, orange juice and grated orange rind in a separate bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture, and stir until just blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin.
  3. Bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a skewer inserted near the centre comes out clean. Cool in tin for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack, and cool completely.

Recipe source…..allrecipes.com.au

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Nancy Sinatra – These Boots Are Made for Walking

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Nancy Sinatra – These Boots Are Made for Walking

Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made for Walking

Growing up as the child of one of the greatest icons in American music can’t be easy, but Nancy Sinatra managed to create a sound and style for herself fully separate from that of her (very) famous father, and her sexy but strong-willed persona has endured with nearly the same strength as the image of the Chairman of the Board.

Nancy Sinatra was born in the Summer of 1940, while her father, Frank Sinatra, was singing with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra; as the daughter of show business royalty, Nancy grew up in the spotlight, and made her first appearance on television with her father in 1957. It wasn’t long before Nancy developed aspirations of her own as a performer — she had studied music, dancing, and voice through much of her youth — and in 1960 she made her debut as a professional performer on a television special hosted by her father and featuring guest star Elvis Presley, then fresh out of the Army. After appearing in a number of movies and guest starring on episodic television, Nancy was eager to break into music, and she signed a deal with her father’s record label, Reprise. However, her first hit single, 1966’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” made it clear she had the talent and moxie to make it without her father’s help. Sounding both sexy and defiant, and belting out a definitive tough-chick lyric over a brassy arrangement by Bill Strange (and with the cream of L.A.’s session players behind her), “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” was an immediate and unstoppable hit, and took the “tuff girl” posturing of the Shangri-Las and the Ronettes to a whole new level.

A number of hits followed, including “How Does That Grab You,” “Sugar Town,” and the theme song to the James Bond picture You Only Live Twice. Nancy also teamed up with her father for the single “Somethin’ Stupid,” which raced to the top of the charts in 1967. Most of Nancy’s hits were produced by Lee Hazlewood, who went on to become a cult hero on his own and recorded a number of memorable duets with her, including “Sand,” “Summer Wine,” and the one-of-a-kind epic “Some Velvet Morning.” Nancy reinforced her “bad girl” persona in 1966 with co-starring role opposite Peter Fonda in The Wild Angels, the Roger Corman film that helped kick off the biker flick cycle of the 1960s and early ’70s; she also teamed up with Elvis Presley in the 1968 movie Speedway.

Nancy continued to record into the early ’70s, but in 1970 she married dancer Hugh Lambert (a brief marriage to British singer and actor Tommy Sands ended in 1965), and she devoted most of her time to her new life as a wife and mother, as well as working with a number of charitable causes. In 1985, she published the book Frank Sinatra: My Father, and became increasingly active in looking after her family’s affairs; she published a second book on Frank Sinatra in 1998 and currently oversees the Sinatra Family website. In 1995, Nancy returned to the recording studio with a country-flavored album called One More Time, and she helped publicize it by posing for a photo spread in Playboy magazine. Nancy launched a concert tour in support of the album, and in 2003 teamed up with Hazlewood to record a new album together, Nancy & Lee 3, which sadly was not released in the United States. However, Nancy soon returned to the recording studio at the urging of longtime fan Morrissey, and in the fall of 2004 she released a new disc simply entitled Nancy Sinatra, an ambitious set which included contributions from members of U2, Pulp, Calexico, Sonic Youth, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and other contemporary rock performers.

The album’s release was followed by more live work from Nancy, including a memorable appearance at Little Steven’s International Underground Garage Rock Festival 2004, in which she performed songs from her new album as well as “These Boots Are Made for Walkin” backed by an all-star band (including a horn section) and flanked by dozens of frugging go-go dancers.

Bio source…..www.mtv.com

Picture source…..userserve-ak.last.fm

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Yul Brynner Biography

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Yul Brynner Biography

Yul Brynner Biography

There is only one Yul Brynner. No other actor had his looks, his range of talents, his energy – and his capacity to draw others into the spell of his charm. A true sophisticate of deliberately mysterious origins, Brynner was at home in a wide variety of languages and social environments.

Born Yuliy Borisovich Brynner on 11 July 1910 in Russia, his mother Marusya Blagоvidova was the daughter of a Russian doctor and his father, Boris Brynner, was an engineer and inventor. Yul was named after his paternal grandfather, Jules Brynner.

After his father abandoned the family, his mother took Yul and his sister, Vera Bryner to China, where they attended a school run by the YMCA. They relocated again in 1934, this time to Paris.

During World War II, Brynner worked as a French-speaking radio announcer and commentator for the United States Government, broadcasting propaganda throughout occupied France.

He made an immediate impact upon launching his film career in 1956, appearing not only in the film version of ‘The King and I’ that year, but also in major roles in ‘The Ten Commandments’ opposite Charlton Heston and ‘Anastasia’ opposite Ingrid Bergman.

However, he found his perfect role in ‘The King And I’. The Academy Award-winning success that might have become a trap for a lesser star became the ongoing glory of his career, from the peak of his stardom to his untimely death. For his role as the King of Siam, Brynner shaved his head and following the success of the film, he continued to shave his head throughout his life but wore wigs for certain roles. This was an unusual and striking look for the time and became known as the ‘Yul Brynner Look’.

He later appeared in such films as the Biblical epic ‘Solomon and Sheba’ (1959), as ‘Solomon’, ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (1960), and ‘Westworld’ (1973).
He also co-starred with Marlon Brando in ‘Morituri’; Katharine Hepburn in ‘The Madwoman of Chaillot’ and William Shatner in a film version of ‘The Brothers Karamazov’.

He starred with Barbara Bouchet in ‘Death Rage’ (1976). His final feature film appearance was in the sequel to Westworld, titled ‘Futureworld’ with Peter Fonda and Blythe Danner, in 1976.

Brynner also appeared in drag in an unbilled role in the Peter Sellers comedy ‘The Magic Christian’.

As well as acting, Brynner was an active photographer and wrote two books on the subject. He published ‘Bring Forth The Children: A Journey To The Forgotten Children of Europe and the Middle East’ in 1960, which featured his own images. In 1983, he released ‘The Yul Brynner Cookbook: Food Fit For The King And You’.

In 1977, Brynner embarked upon a stage revival of ‘The King and I’, and though he was dogged by tales of his outrageous temperament and seemingly petty demands during the tour, audiences loved the show.

He inaugurated a second tour in 1985; this time, however, he knew he was dying of lung cancer, but kept the news from both his fans and co-workers. Unable to perform some parts of the show, Brynner nonetheless played to packed audiences.

Two months after the play closed in 1985, Brynner sadly died in a New York hospital – still insisting that his public not know the severity of his condition until after his death, although he had recorded a dramatic public-service announcement to be broadcast afterwards that blamed the illness on smoking. It included Brynner giving the warning: “Now that I’m gone, I tell you don’t smoke. Whatever you do, just don’t smoke. If I could take back that smoking, we wouldn’t be talking about any cancer. I’m convinced of that.”

Brynner was married four times, the first three ending in divorce. He had three children and adopted two others. He married actress Virginia Gilmore in 1944 and they had a son called Yul Brynner II on 23 December 1946. His father gave him the nickname Rock when he was six-years-old. His parents divorced in 1960.

In 2006, Rock wrote a book about his father and his family history entitled ‘Empire and Odyssey: The Brynners in Far East Russia and Beyond’.

Brynner’s daughter Lark was born out of wedlock in 1959 and was raised by her mother Frankie Tilden, who was 20 when her child was born. Brynner financially supported them. He wed his second wife Chilean model Doris Kleiner in 1960. They had daughter Victoria in 1962 before divorcing in 1967.

In 1971, he married French socialite Jacqueline Thion De La Chaume and they adopted two Vietnamese children – Mia in 1974 and Melody in 1975. They divorced in 1981.

His fourth wife, Kathy Lee, was a dancer in The King and I shows. They married in 1983, when she was 24 and he was 62.

Bio source…..www.thebiographychannel.co.uk

Picture source…..www.born-today.com

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