Tag Archives: Kermit the Frog

♫ The 🌈 Rainbow 🌈 Connection ♫

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, History, music, Social commentary

Last time I played this one was on April 3rd, 2020, because an old friend reminded me that it was National Find A Rainbow Day.  This is not April 3rd, is not a national day dedicated to rainbows, but … it’s been a bitch of a week here in the U.S., my psyche is strained to the max after watching four days of a political circus in our Congress, plus the memories that came flooding back yesterday on the anniversary of January 6th, the day we damn near lost our future.  So, I needed a bit of happy music, something that would bring a smile to my very tired old face.  The music purists among you won’t like it, and I’m sorry, but … humour me for this one day … I need a rainbow in my life right now, ‘k?

Each year on April 3rd, National Find A Rainbow Day challenges us to look to the sky and find a colorful ray of hope cast across it. 

There are people that see rainbows as an artistic masterpiece in the sky, to others it is a sign of hope and to many a sign of promise.
It can be all three; beauty, hope and promise.    (Jill Magnus) 

A spectrum of light in the form of a multicolored arc, appearing in the sky, is caused by both reflection and refraction of light in water droplets in the Earth’s atmosphere. These rainbows always appear directly opposite of the sun.  The light is refracted (bent) when it enters a droplet of water, then is reflected inside on the back of the droplet and refracted again when leaving it.

Red is the color that is visible on the outer part of a rainbow and violet on the inside of a primary rainbow. Children learn in science class the mnemonic ROYGBIV to help them to remember the sequence of colors in a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Many forms of airborne water can cause rainbows including, rain, mist, spray, and dew.  

Now, rainbows are rare in nature, but … perhaps we can make our own rainbow today?  I think we all need a sign of hope and promise, so … maybe if we just take ten minutes to close our eyes, listen to some music, and imagine a beautiful rainbow in our hearts.  Or draw one, if you have any artistic talent.  Anyway … this is a music post, and anytime I think of a rainbow, I think of one of my favourite characters of all time …

And in case any of you are curmudgeons that don’t just love Kermit, here is The Carpenter’s version …

The Rainbow Connection
Kermit the Frog/Carpenters

Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what’s on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide
So we’ve been told and some choose to believe it
I know they’re wrong wait and see

Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers and me
Who said that wishes would be heard and answered when wished on the morningstar?

Someone thought of that and someone believed it
Look what it’s done so far
What’s so amazing that keeps us stargazing and what do we think we might see?

Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers and me
All of us under its spell
We know that it’s probably magic
Have you been half asleep and have you heard voices?
I’ve heard them calling my name

Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors
The voice might be one and the same

I’ve heard it too many times to ignore it
It’s something that I’m supposed to be

Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers and me
Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers and me

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Kenny Ascher / Paul Hamilton Williams
The Rainbow Connection lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company

♫ You And Me Against The World ♫ (Redux)

Posted on by under music, Social commentary

Sometimes, I push myself too hard, I care too much about … well, everything.  And when that happens, I fall into a dark hole I call, for lack of a better term, the ‘rabbit hole’.  Often, whether intentionally or not, my music selections reflect that state of being, that dark rabbit hole.  Tonight … well .. this song speaks for itself.

This was the first song that Kenny Ascher and Paul Williams wrote together. They teamed up again to write the Oscar nominated score for the movie A Star Is Born, and the song Rainbow Connection for The Muppet Movie. Says Williams …

“We went to England to do a television show, Kenny was a member of my band. And when we got there there was a problem with the work permits, so the guys in my band couldn’t play. I had to use local musicians. So Kenny’s sitting around with nothing to do in a hotel in London. So we’re sitting there, and we’re having a few drinks, because that’s what I did in those days. I’m 17 years sober (2007), in those days I drank. We’re sitting around and we’re talking about writers, and we all love Cole Porter and a certain kind of writer and all. And we started talking about Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman. I loved Harry, but every time I tried to tell Harry how much I loved his songs, he would always tell me, ‘No, here’s the great writer,’ and he’d play me Randy Newman, who I also loved.

So Kenny and I wrote this little song, ‘Do you love me, babe, do you love me not? Let’s decide in the morning, not now. Boy, you don’t like Shuman, or Randy Newman, Nilsson ain’t your cup of tea. You think Van Heusen is a shirt worth choosin’, but you’re still undecided ’bout me. Bo-wo do you love me, babe, do you love me not, let’s decide in the morning, not now.’ It was really kind of a cute little song.

And Kenny’s sitting at the piano, turned to me, and he said, ‘If that was on an album…’ and he played, ‘bomp bomp bomp bomp bomp.’ He played the intro to what became ‘You And Me Against The World.’ And I just looked at him when he finished the intro and sang, ‘You and me against the world,’ and he hit another chord, and I went, ‘Sometimes it feels like you and me against the world.’ And we went on from there. It’s the first song we ever recorded, and God bless Helen Reddy, she had a big hit with it.”

There are more … professional versions of this song, but … as  I am a huge fan of Kermit, then it can only be this one tonight …

You and Me Against the World
Helen Reddy

You and me against the world,
Sometimes it seems like you and me against the world,
When all the others turn their backs and walked away,
You can count on me to stay.

Remember when the circus came to town
How you were frightened by the clown,
Wasn’t it nice to be around someone that you knew,
Someone who was big and strong and looking out for

You and me against the world,
Sometimes it seems like you and me against the world
And for all the times we’ve cried I always felt that
God was on our side.

And when one of us is gone,
And one of us is left to carry on,
Then remembering will have to do,
Our memories alone will get us through
Think about the days of me and you,
Of you and me against the world.

Songwriters: Kenneth Lee Ascher / Paul H. Williams
You and Me Against the World lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management

♫ The 🌈 Rainbow 🌈 Connection ♫

Posted on by under music, Social commentary

Today, our friend Ellen reminds me, is National Find A Rainbow Day!  According to the National Day Calendar people …

Each year on April 3rd, National Find A Rainbow Day challenges us to look to the sky and find a colorful ray of hope cast across it. 

There are people that see rainbows as an artistic masterpiece in the sky, to others it is a sign of hope and to many a sign of promise.
It can be all three; beauty, hope and promise.    (Jill Magnus) 

A spectrum of light in the form of a multicolored arc, appearing in the sky, is caused by both reflection and refraction of light in water droplets in the Earth’s atmosphere. These rainbows always appear directly opposite of the sun.  The light is refracted (bent) when it enters a droplet of water, then is reflected inside on the back of the droplet and refracted again when leaving it.

Red is the color that is visible on the outer part of a rainbow and violet on the inside of a primary rainbow. Children learn in science class the mnemonic ROYGBIV to help them to remember the sequence of colors in a rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. Many forms of airborne water can cause rainbows including, rain, mist, spray, and dew.  

Now, rainbows are rare in nature, but … perhaps we can make our own rainbow today?  I think we all need a sign of hope and promise, so … maybe if we just take ten minutes to close our eyes, listen to some music, and imagine a beautiful rainbow in our hearts.  Or draw one, if you have any artistic talent.  Anyway … this is a music post, and anytime I think of a rainbow, I think of one of my favourite characters of all time …

And in case any of you are curmudgeons that don’t just love Kermit, here is The Carpenter’s version …

The Rainbow Connection
Kermit the Frog/Carpenters

Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what’s on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide
So we’ve been told and some choose to believe it
I know they’re wrong wait and see

Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers and me
Who said that wishes would be heard and answered when wished on the morningstar?

Someone thought of that and someone believed it
Look what it’s done so far
What’s so amazing that keeps us stargazing and what do we think we might see?

Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection
The lovers, the dreamers and me
All of us under its spell
We know that it’s probably magic
Have you been half asleep and have you heard voices?
I’ve heard them calling my name

Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors
The voice might be one and the same

I’ve heard it too many times to ignore it
It’s something that I’m supposed to be

Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers and me
Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers and me

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Kenny Ascher / Paul Hamilton Williams
The Rainbow Connection lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company

Jolly Is AWOL … Again!

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, cartoons, Humour, music, Politic-Free Mondays, Random

Friends … Jolly has gone AWOL again and … I simply cannot find him anywhere.  I’ve looked everywhere, but … there isn’t a sign of him.  He didn’t even leave a note.crying

I simply cannot do this without my Jolly!  I’ll try, but … well … let’s see what I can rustle up in the kitchen …

spilt coffee Oops

burnt-toast rotten-bananas

I’m really sorry, guys … I just don’t have it in me today.  Tell you what … how about I run over to Phil’s Phun and pick up some cartoons and such to at least bring you a bit of a smile today?

meme-1toon-1

toon-2toon-3toon-4toon-5toon-6toon-7

meme-2meme-3meme-4meme-5meme-6meme-7

My humblest apologies, friends, but that’s as much as I can come up with on my own.  Let’s hope that Jolly returns soon … maybe we’ll have a make-up day … a Jolly Thursday!  Please remember to share your smiles, and please forgive me and Jolly … I promise we’ll do better next week!  Perhaps this little clip will bring a smile …

♫ You And Me Against The World ♫

Posted on by under music, Social commentary

Sometimes, I push myself too hard, I care too much about … well, everything.  And when that happens, I fall into a dark hole I call, for lack of a better term, the ‘rabbit hole’.  Often, whether intentionally or not, my music selections reflect that state of being, that dark rabbit hole.

This was the first song that Kenny Ascher and Paul Williams wrote together. They teamed up again to write the Oscar nominated score for the movie A Star Is Born, and the song Rainbow Connection for The Muppet Movie. Says Williams …

“We went to England to do a television show, Kenny was a member of my band. And when we got there there was a problem with the work permits, so the guys in my band couldn’t play. I had to use local musicians. So Kenny’s sitting around with nothing to do in a hotel in London. So we’re sitting there, and we’re having a few drinks, because that’s what I did in those days. I’m 17 years sober (2007), in those days I drank. We’re sitting around and we’re talking about writers, and we all love Cole Porter and a certain kind of writer and all. And we started talking about Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman. I loved Harry, but every time I tried to tell Harry how much I loved his songs, he would always tell me, ‘No, here’s the great writer,’ and he’d play me Randy Newman, who I also loved.

So Kenny and I wrote this little song, ‘Do you love me, babe, do you love me not? Let’s decide in the morning, not now. Boy, you don’t like Shuman, or Randy Newman, Nilsson ain’t your cup of tea. You think Van Heusen is a shirt worth choosin’, but you’re still undecided ’bout me. Bo-wo do you love me, babe, do you love me not, let’s decide in the morning, not now.’ It was really kind of a cute little song.

And Kenny’s sitting at the piano, turned to me, and he said, ‘If that was on an album…’ and he played, ‘bomp bomp bomp bomp bomp.’ He played the intro to what became ‘You And Me Against The World.’ And I just looked at him when he finished the intro and sang, ‘You and me against the world,’ and he hit another chord, and I went, ‘Sometimes it feels like you and me against the world.’ And we went on from there. It’s the first song we ever recorded, and God bless Helen Reddy, she had a big hit with it.”

There are more … professional versions of this song, but … as  I am a huge fan of Kermit, then it can only be this one tonight …

You and Me Against the World
Helen Reddy

You and me against the world,
Sometimes it seems like you and me against the world,
When all the others turn their backs and walked away,
You can count on me to stay.

Remember when the circus came to town
How you were frightened by the clown,
Wasn’t it nice to be around someone that you knew,
Someone who was big and strong and looking out for

You and me against the world,
Sometimes it seems like you and me against the world
And for all the times we’ve cried I always felt that
God was on our side.

And when one of us is gone,
And one of us is left to carry on,
Then remembering will have to do,
Our memories alone will get us through
Think about the days of me and you,
Of you and me against the world.

Songwriters: Kenneth Lee Ascher / Paul H. Williams
You and Me Against the World lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management

Jolly Monday … {Yawn}

Posted on by under animals, Bits 'n Pieces, cartoons, Humour, Politic-Free Mondays

Monday-sleepy-2Good morning … {yawn} friends … come in and make yourselves {yawn} comfy.  What?  On no, don’t mind me, I’m just really … oh, what’s that word … sleepy!  Yes, that’s it, I’m really sleepy.  Oh, it’s a long story, that involves a broken washing machine, broken central air-conditioning, cats, vacuuming the floor at 7:00 a.m., a frog, rotten bananas, a razor, and … well, it’s really quite boring.  Anyway … I did manage to ship … er, whip up a few treats for you, and I found a few things for us to start this week of on a happy foot.

Sadly, young Benjamin will not be joining us today, for he has entered the world of academia … yes, that’s right, he started kindergarten two weeks ago.  I think I’ll still put his juice box and donut out, though, just in case.  And now … let the fun begin!donuts-2

Benjamin’s Juice Box!

An absurd potty tale …

In the UK, an unnamed, 66-year-old man has been arrested for … stealing a toilet.  But, this wasn’t just any ol’ toilet …toilet.jpgThe toilet, titled America, is a work of art by the 58-year-old Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. It had been installed for an exhibition at England’s Blenheim Palace earlier this week.  The estimated value of the toilet is $1.25 million!

Now, since this is a Jolly Monday post, and not one of my snarky snippets, I shall refrain from the snarky comment in my head about the name of the toilet and the fact that it is … well, a toilet!  Let your imaginations go to work on that one.

The toilet was actually plumbed and functional, and in fact tourists could sign on for a 3-minute … um … well … to use it in the manner toilets are intended to be used for 3 minutes.  So, when the thieves stole it, they ripped up the plumbing, causing substantial damage and flooding.  The man in police custody is believed to have accomplices, and the police are still searching for them.  But, the toilet was in the man’s possession, and has been returned to Blenheim Palace which, incidentally, is the birthplace of Winston Churchill.

Another interesting tidbit about the toilet is that back in 2017, the artist Cattelan offered to lend the toilet to none other than Donald Trump, to grace the loo at the White House … well, one of the 35 bathrooms in the White House, anyway.  Yes, I said 35 … aren’t you glad you don’t have latrine duty there???

I must confess that as I work on this post, I am struggling with ‘funny’, at least struggling to find stories that I find funny.  So, for this Jolly Monday, I believe the rest will be done in a few cartoons and memes … I hope you don’t mind … I seem to be a bit off my game today.

toon-1

toon-2

toon-3

toon-4

toon-5

toon-6

Yeah, yeah … a bit risque, but I couldn’t stop laughing!

toon-7

"I thought you were out front telling the fence company how to do their job."

And just a few pictures I found to be funny …

funny-pic

WTF????????  How the … ????

funny-pic-2

funny-pic-3

This one … this is the sign I need for my front door!!!

sign-1

You all remember Dueling Banjos, right?  Composed by Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith in 1954, it has been used in the Andy Griffith Show, and came into its own in the 1972 film Deliverance, which also led to a successful lawsuit by the song’s composer, as it was used in the film without Smith’s permission.  But all that is neither here nor there.  You all know how much I love Kermit the Frog, right?  Well, I came across this clip with Kermit and comedian Steve Martin doing Dueling Banjos … priceless!

And last, but not least, let’s have a chuckle watching these tiny baby critters …

jollyThat’s it, I’m afraid, for Jolly Monday!  I’m so glad you stopped by, and I hope you remember to share your gorgeous smiles with someone this week.  Have a safe and happy week, my dear friends!  Love ‘n hugs from Filosofa and Jolly!

Jolly Monday Smiles

Posted on by under animals, Bits 'n Pieces, cartoons, Humour, Politic-Free Mondays

Good Monday morning, my friends!  Another rainy one, eh?  Don’t worry about tracking the mud in … we’ll clean it up later.  Just come on in.  How was your weekend?  Did you do fun and exciting things?  We are finally now officially in summer.  On the first day of summer, parts of Colorado saw up to two feet of snow! snow-colorado.jpgWe, on the other hand, have had fairly mild temps, but I do wish the bloomin’ rain would quit.  Then again, at least I haven’t had to water the flowers for over a week now!  So, are you guys in the mood for a bit of humour to start this week off right?  Grab a snack and a drink and pull up a chair … let’s get this show on the road, shall we?

Benjamin’s Juice Box!

Long arm of the law …

Amy Rush is now 45 years of age, but back in 1990, at age 15, she tried to run away from home.  She was apparently hitchhiking when an older man picked her up (no, don’t worry, this isn’t a story about sex, drugs and alcohol) and gave her a ride.  Well, the man was stopped for speeding, and young Amy was also ticketed … for not wearing a seat belt!  The ticket was for $35, and the officer didn’t question why Amy was with the man, or what relationship there was.

Fast forward to last week when Amy, much to her surprise, received a letter from a debt collection agency looking to collect that $35!  According to Amy …

“I’ve almost considered driving down there the two and a half hours to talk to a judge to tell him how absolutely ridiculous this is and what a waste of taxpayer money this has been for the 15 years. I can’t imagine the postage they’ve paid on following me around trying to get this $35.  I told them they can keep sending me mail and wasting more money because I’m not paying it.”

Good for her!  I wouldn’t pay it either, especially in this day and age where some can commit murder and not be held accountable!  Twenty-nine years it’s been, and they’re still trying to collect.  🙄

What to do with those pesky pennies?

I am not a big fan of spending hours … even days, months or years … building something for the sole purpose of proving that it can be done, or in this case, setting a Guinness World record, and then destroying all that work.  However, Cory Nielsen of Phoenix, Arizona, has built something that is really rather cool, and I couldn’t help but share it with you. penny-pyramid-2.jpgIt is a pyramid made of pennies.  1,030,315 pennies, to be exact.  It weighs 6,360 pounds and stands 44.6 inches tall.  At the base, it is 65 rows wide by 65 rows long, and stands 65 rows tall.

About three years ago, Nielsen built a small one on his desk at work (nothing else to do?), using only a few pennies … 41,000 to be precise.  He showed pictures to some colleagues at work, and they wondered if that was a world record. Nielsen replied to them, “I don’t know; if it isn’t, I’ll make it one.”penny-pyramid-1.jpgOriginally thinking the world record was made of only 626,789 coins built by a man in Colorado a couple of years ago, Nielsen knew he could beat that, and so the building process began.

Once the pyramid construction began, he found out that the actual world record was set in Lithuania.

“I was already committed, and so I went ahead and beat that one too.”

And what do you think Mr. Nielsen plans to do with the pyramid that has more than $10,000 worth of copper in it?  Destroy it and take it to the credit union.  Somehow … I’m just not sure it was worth all that time, but it is rather cool … in a way.

Mr. Nielsen has a few YouTube videos …

Congratulations to Mr. Nielsen  … I guess … on fulfilling his life’s goal?  I wonder what’s next for him?

A new job for Filosofa?

I have been in an Ikea store just once, and once was enough.  It was a frustrating, painful experience, and even prompted a post on this blog some five years ago … wow, has it really been that long?  I still remember it as if it was only yesterday!  I just went back and looked … it was in the early days of this blog, and I had exactly one ‘like’ and two comments on that post!  Anyway, I don’t like to shop there, but I have a friend who works there, and I do know they treat their people very well.  So, I think I might just have found myself a job, folks!

According to United Press International (UPI) …

Furniture chain Ikea posted an unusual job opening for a “happiness hunter” willing to temporarily live in Denmark and get paid in money and meatballs to study what makes a home happy.

The company said the winning candidate will live for two weeks at a temporary home in Copenhagen and will experience “home visits, guided tours, talks and dinners” in a bid to determine the ingredients for a happy home.

The person will document the experience on social media.

The winning candidate will be paid a salary that corresponds to the average Danish living standard and receive free meatball meals from Ikea.

Applications are being accepted online through July 1.

What do you think, guys?  Sounds good, yes?  Guess I better update my résumé!

As you know, for me the only way to kick off a new week is with a cute animal video …

And I came across these …

animal-meme-1animal-toon-1

And lastly, I promised this song, The Rainbow Connection, sung as only Kermit The Frog can sing it, to a special young reader …

And that’s it for today, my friends.  Be sure to share those smiles this week, for not everybody got to hear Kermit singing!  Keep safe and have a great week!  Love ‘n hugs from Filosofa and Jolly!

jolly

The Rainbow Connection …

Posted on by under music

I have absolutely no idea why I keep feeling a compulsion to share music with you guys every night, and I don’t imagine this will last long.  I suspect it is my way of working through the mass of angst that resides somewhere in the core of me at the moment. As I chat with you all via comments, write my posts for the next day, and do other tasks such as research, scanning the news, etc., I am most always listening to something (sometimes I am simply listening to the purrrrrr of a contented kittie in my lap).  I cannot write while I listen to anything with lyrics, for I am too easily distracted, so while I am writing, I am usually listening to Beethoven’s Pastorale or other classical selections.  But then later, I come upon something and for some reason just feel compelled to share.  Bear with me, for I’m sure this phase will pass, but meanwhile, I hope you enjoy at least some of the tunes.

Tonight, I find myself softly singing the Rainbow Connection … as sung by my favourite, Kermit THE Frog!  ♫  There is a better version done by the Carpenters, but somehow … sometimes … nothing will do but the Kermit version! (For the record, Willie Nelson even did a version of this, which I have not heard.  I love Willie … in some things, like Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain, and Always on my Mind, but the Rainbow Connection???  NO … just no.)

 

Saturday Surprise — A Step Back In Time

Posted on by under Humour, Saturday Surprise

Welcome to Saturday Surprise!  Today, I would like to travel back in time … about 48 years, to be exact, to 1969.  Remember what you were doing on this day in 1969?  Of course you do, right?  The only thing I can say for sure is that I was a lot younger then. Heck, I cannot remember what I was doing five minutes ago, let alone 48 years!  But come along with me for just a few minutes …

Pull up a chair and turn on the television … it’s time for …

On this day in 1969, “Sesame Street,” a pioneering TV show that would teach generations of young children the alphabet and how to count, makes its broadcast debut. “Sesame Street,” with its memorable theme song (“Can you tell me how to get/How to get to Sesame Street”), went on to become the most widely viewed children’s program in the world. It has aired in more than 120 countries.

The show was the brainchild of Joan Ganz Cooney, a former documentary producer for public television. Cooney’s goal was to create programming for preschoolers that was both entertaining and educational. She also wanted to use TV as a way to help underprivileged 3- to 5- year-olds prepare for kindergarten. “Sesame Street” was set in a fictional New York neighborhood and included ethnically diverse characters and positive social messages.

Taking a cue from “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In,” a popular 1960s variety show, “Sesame Street” was built around short, often funny segments featuring puppets, animation and live actors. This format was hugely successful, although over the years some critics have blamed the show and its use of brief segments for shrinking children’s attention spans.

From the show’s inception, one of its most-loved aspects has been a family of puppets known as Muppets. Joan Ganz Cooney hired puppeteer Jim Henson (1936-1990) to create a cast of characters that became Sesame Street institutions, including Bert and Ernie, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Grover and Big Bird.

The subjects tackled by “Sesame Street” have evolved with the times. In 2002, the South African version of the program, “Takalani Sesame,” introduced a 5-year-old Muppet character named Kami who is HIV-positive, in order to help children living with the stigma of a disease that has reached epidemic proportions. In 2006, a new Muppet, Abby Cadabby, made her debut and was positioned as the show’s first female star character, in an effort to encourage diversity and provide a strong role model for girls.

Since its inception, over 74 million Americans have watched “Sesame Street.” Today, an estimated 8 million people tune in to the show each week in the U.S. alone.

History.com, 2009, Sesame Street debuts, http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/sesame-street-debuts, November 10, 2017, A+E Networks

A trip down memory lane is always fun, isn’t it?  Ahhhh … the good ol’ days.  Who was your favourite character?  I think Kermit was mine, though I loved them all!  I had so much fun with this one … I spent literally hours watching YouTube clips!  How about a bit of trivia about the show …

  • The show was almost called 123 Avenue B, but it was changed due to the fact that it was a real New York City address.
  • Cookie Monster predates the show by 3 years. Jim Henson originally designed an early version of the character in 1966, for a cracker commercial.
  • In 2004, Cookie Monster revealed that, before trying cookies for the first time, his name was Sid.
  • Big Bird is 8’2″ tall.
  • Big Bird’s teddy bear is named “Radar” after the character from M*A*S*H (1972) who always slept with a teddy bear.
  • As of 2005, this program has won over 100 Emmy Awards, the single-most awarded to any television show in the United States.
  • Don Music, the piano player who would bang his head against the piano in frustration, was discontinued when kids at home started doing the same thing.
  • The Count’s birthday is October 9, 1,830,653 B.C.

I hope you enjoyed this Saturday Surprise, brought to you by the letter “S”.  Have a great weekend, everyone … love and hugs to all!

On Rainbows, Kermit, and … Russians???

Posted on by under Humour, music, Political commentary, Social commentary

Kermit-1Who could NOT love Kermit the Frog?  Remember seeing Kermit singing The Rainbow Connection in The Muppet Movie?  WHAT???  You don’t remember Kermit the Frog???  Oh woe, woe, and thrice times woe! (Did I do it okay, Roger?) Well here … check out the original of Kermit singing the song in the movie, and then we can proceed.

Brings a tear to your eye, doesn’t it?  It’s actually one of my favourite songs and resides high on every playlist on my phone and ipod, though what I listen to is the version sung by the Carpenters.  Well … to get on with this story … no, first I must show you the lyrics so you understand where I am coming from:

♫Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what’s on the other side?

Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide.

So we’ve been told and some choose to believe it.

I know they’re wrong wait and see.

Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection.

The lovers, the dreamers and me.

 

Who said that wishes would be heard and answered when wished on the morningstar?

Someone thought of that and someone believed it.

Look what it’s done so far.

What’s so amazing that keeps us stargazing and what do we think we might see?

Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection.

The lovers, the dreamers and me.

 

All of us under its spell.

We know that it’s probably magic.

Have you been half asleep and have you heard voices?

I’ve heard them calling my name.

Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors.

The voice might be one and the same.

I’ve heard it too many times to ignore it.

It’s something that I’m supposed to be.

Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers and me.

La-da-da, de-da-da-do

La-da-da-da-da-de-da-do ♫

 

Okay, so now to the point of this post.  The other day, as I was going about my house chores and singing (terribly off-key and with only half the lyrics right … I once mistook the line “Hey, I’ve looked” for “Help me Agnes”) and I found myself, quite unbidden and without conscious thought, singing the following lyrics …

kermit

♫Why are there so many thoughts about Russians and who’s on the other side?

Russians are visions, but only illusions, and Russians have nothing to hide.

So we’ve been told and some choose to believe it.

I know they’re wrong wait and see.

Someday we’ll find it, the Russian connection.

The Sessions, the Kushners and Trump. ♫

 

Mind you, this came completely unbidden, without malice aforethought … it just popped out of my brain/mouth as I flapped the towels for rolding. I ask myself, and you, dear readers … have I been spending too much time on the ‘dark side’?

My apologies to Kermit the Frog, the late Jim Henson, songwriters Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher … I meant no harm.

A bit of history, to try to make amends for my faux pas …

The song was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song, though it didn’t win either; instead it reached #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, appeared in every subsequent Muppets film, and has been covered dozens of times. And it all started with Jim Henson’s voice in a swamp.

On March 27, 1996, a New Zealand man invaded a radio station and held its manager hostage. His main demand? That the station, Star FM, play “Rainbow Connection.” Before the song could be played, police retook the station and arrested the man. “Who said that every wish would be heard and answered when wished on the morning star,” indeed.

And still my favourite is the one done by the Carpenters, released in 2001:

kermit-4