Cantara’s (Social) Notebook

Now that I’ve got your attention, you Susan Boyle fans, it’s just a fantasy. But wouldn’t you love to hear Captain Jack and our beautiful Sue do this number from the Great American Songbook, “Baby It’s Cold Outside”? Liner notes: Frank Loesser wrote the music and lyrics; it won the Oscar for Best Song in 1949; it was from the movie Neptune’s Daughter in which Ricardo Montalban sang it to Esther Williams (on dry land, I think). There is some controversy as to whether this is a song about date rape—“Hey, what’s in this drink?”—to which I say: screw you. Gals have got no sense of playfulness anymore. There's a juiceless version of this song at YouTube with Michael Buble and Jane Monheit and a creamy one with Dean Martin that makes you want to crawl into bed with him. But the best one overall, where the arrangement and the voices really shine together, is the one sung by Margaret Whiting and Johnny Mercer. Enjoy—and Happy New Year! [ Baby It’s  Cold Outside ] SUBSCRIBE TO MY O...

My lit quarterly Cantaraville was lucky enough to get acquaintance Stephen Tobolowsky to contribute a written version of his soon-to-be periennial classic “An LSD Christmas” to the special free Winter issue, which can be read and downloaded here. Tobolowsky’s story can be heard in different versions, in the film Stephen Tobolowsky’s Birthday Party (directed by Robert Brinkmann) and now—thanks to Slashfilmcast producer David Chen—in audio podcast at the two-month old Tobolowsky Files . So gather the family around the old laptop, and remember, when the dog talks, you listen. _____ SUBSCRIBE TO MY OCCASIONAL NEWSLETTER. CLICK HERE.

Besides being able to act, sing tenderly , sing patter , dance , move like and elf, and make people laugh without uttering a word , the next Danny Kaye also has to demonstrate a genuine desire to put a smile on a child’s face and a genuine interest in other people. You hear that, Naomi ? Au suivant!