WA2K Radio is now on the air

Thanks, Mr. Wizard. I spent a good part of this early morning looking at the short stories, but I shall check out your link later.

Well, folks, how about a different poem by John Donne:

The Sun Rising

Busy old fool, unruly Sun,
Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains, call on us?
Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run?
Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide
Late schoolboys, and sour prentices,
Go tell court-huntsmen that the king will ride,
Call country ants to harvest offices,
Love, all alike, no season knows, nor clime,
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.

Thy beams, so reverend and strong
Why shouldst thou think?
I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink,
But that I would not lose her sight so long:
If her eyes have not blinded thine,
Look, and tomorrow late, tell me
Whether both th' Indias of spice and mine
Be where thou leftst them, or lie here with me.
Ask for those kings whom thou saw'st yesterday,
And thou shalt hear: "All here in one bed lay."

She is all states, and all princes I,
Nothing else is.
Princes do but play us; compar'd to this,
All honour's mimic, all wealth alchemy.
Thou, sun, art half as happy 's we,
In that the world's contracted thus;
Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties be
To warm the world, that's done in warming us.
Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere;
This bed thy centre is, these walls, thy sphere.

-- John Donne

Letty, one motivation for my visit to Pohnpei, Micronesia was that i thought the Nan Madol ruins--which comprise about 100 artificial islands--



were likely the inspiration for the sunken city of R'lyeh in HPL's famous story, The Call of Ctulhu. of course, the actual edifices bear little resemblance to HPL's gothic description:



http://www.dagonbytes.com/thelibrary/lovecraft/thecallofcthulhu.htm

as Lightwizard mentioned, it's pretty cool that the entire HPL opus is available online at the above URL.

Lightwizard has kindly offered to allow me to tag along on his visit to the Ackerman mansion. perhaps i can be the WA2K photographer on the occasion; there's sure to be no shortage of astounding memorabilia.

Isn't our Mr. Turtle fun, folks? One gorgeous photo, m.d. and yes, we will expect shots of the Akerman Mansion, in glowing and horrific color.

Thanks for the excerpt, incidentally. Can't fault H.P. on diction, can we.

Good morning WA2K.

Wishing a Happy 61st to Steve Martin; 46th to Sarah Brightman and 40th to Halle Berry.

Well, there's our Raggedy, thank goodness. Hey PA, great pics as usual.

Funny song by Steve, folks:





Steve Martin: I'd like to talk seriously just for a moment. One of the great art exhibitions ever to tour the United States is the Treasures of Tutankhamen - or King Tut. But I think it's a national disgrace the way we have commercialized it with trinkets and toys, T-shirts and posters. And three months ago I was up in the woods, and I wrote a song. I tried to use the ancient modalities and melodies. I'd like to do it for you right now. Maybe we can all learn something.

(King Tut. King Tut.)
Now when he was a young man, he never thought he'd see
People stand in line to see the boy king.

(King Tut)
How'd you get so funky?
(Funky Tut)
Did you do the monkey?
(Born in Arizona, moved to Babylonia
King Tut)

Now if I'd known they'd line up just to see him
I'd have taken all my money and bought me a museum.

(King Tut)
Buried with a donkey.
(King Tut)
He's my favorite honky
(Born in Arizona, moved to Babylonia
King Tut)

(Tut! Tut!)
Dancing by the Nile!
(Disco Tut! Tut!)
The ladies love his style!
(Boss Tut! Tut!)
Walkin' for a mile.
(Rockin' Tut! Tut!)
He ate a crocodile.
(Oooooh, wah-ooooh)
He gave his life for tourism

Sarah Brightman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English soprano and actress. She debuted with disco singles, achieved worldwide fame as a musical theatre performer and partner of theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, and then established a position as a chart-topping classical crossover artist with former Enigma producer Frank Peterson.

Biography

Brightman was born in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire to Paula and Granville Brightman, the oldest of six children. Her ambition to be an artist was apparent from an early age; she took ballet lessons starting from age three and was an excellent student. At age eleven she attended a boarding school for stage; although she disliked the school, she remained enrolled. Brightman auditioned for London's Royal Ballet a few years later but was rejected.[1]

At age sixteen, in 1976, Brightman joined the dance group Pan's People. She later went on to lead Hot Gossip, a mixed dance act who appeared regularly on The Kenny Everett Video Show. The group, who were somewhat more 'raunchy' than Pan's People, had a chart-topping disco hit in this year with "I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper", wherein she first discovered her vocal talents. Brightman released several more disco singles in subsequent years, but none became as prominent.

In 1981, Brightman auditioned for a role in the then-new musical Cats and received the role of Jemima. It was there that she met her future husband, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. At the time, Brightman was married to another Andrew: Andrew Graham Stewart, a music manager. Lloyd Webber divorced his first wife, Sarah Hugill, to marry Brightman in 1984. She went on to star in a number of his musicals, including Song and Dance and Requiem.

Brightman achieved greater success with her starring role as Christine Daaé in Lloyd Webber's adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera. Lloyd Webber refused to open The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway unless Brightman originated the role of Christine, which he had written specifically for her. Initially, the American Actors' Equity Association balked, due to their policy of hiring only Americans. Lloyd Webber had to agree to cast an American in a leading role in his next West End musical before the Equity would allow Brightman to appear, a promise he made good on with Aspects of Love. However, the two divorced amicably in 1990, effectively ending Brightman's stage career.

Brightman decided to pursue a solo career in Los Angeles. Inspired by the recent success of German band Enigma, she requested to work with someone from the group and traveled to Germany in 1991 to meet her future producer and boyfriend, Frank Peterson. Their first collaboration on a major label release (with A&M Records) was Dive (1993), a water themed pop album featuring the hit 'Captain Nemo'.

Fly (1995), a pop/rock album, propelled Sarah Brightman to fame in Europe with the hit 'A Question of Honour'. The song was introduced at the World Boxing Championship match between Germany's Henry Maske and Graciano Rocchigiani and featured a mix of dance music, rock elements, classical strings, and Brightman's operatic vocals from "La Wally".

Time to Say Goodbye (Con Te Partirò) was the second Brightman song debuted for Maske, this time at his retirement match. The duet with tenor Andrea Bocelli sold more than 4 million copies in Germany alone, the largest-selling single there to date, and a bestseller in numerous other countries. Indeed, a 1996 re-release of Fly contained this song as the first track.

Timeless (1997) contained 'Time to Say Goodbye' and other classically inspired tracks such as "Just Show Me How To Love You" (with José Cura) originally sung (by Dario Baldambembo) with the title "Tu Cosa Fai Stasera?", a cover of the Queen hit "Who Wants to Live Forever", and "Tu Quieres Volver", originally by the Gipsy Kings.

Subsequent albums included Eden (1998) and La Luna (2000), both in the classical crossover genre. Reviews were mixed - LAUNCHcast deemed Eden "deliriously sappy" [2], while All Music Guide called Eden "a winning combination" [3] and La Luna "a solid, stirring collection". [4]. Chart performance for both albums was more uniformly positive. Eden reached #65 on the Billboard 200 charts, and La Luna peaked at #17. In addition, both albums reached #1 on Billboard's classical crossover charts.

In 2001, Brightman released Classics, an album comprised of operatic arias and other classical pieces, including a solo version of Time To Say Goodbye. Many of the songs on this album were taken from her previous efforts. Reviews were somewhat better; Entertainment Weekly, although calling Brightman a "stronger song stylist than a singer", gave the album a grade of B-. [5]

Her 2003 album Harem represented another departure: a Middle Eastern-themed dance album. It peaked at #29 on the Billboard 200 charts, #1 on the Billboard classical crossover chart, and yielded a #1 dance/club single with the remix of the title track.

The albums Eden, La Luna, and Harem were accompanied by live tours which incorporated the theatricality of her stage origins. Brightman acknowledged in an interview, "They're incredibly complicated...[but also] natural. I know what works, what doesn't work, all the old tricks." [6] She currently has a new album in process.

Vocal Profile

Sarah is a versatile singer, able to switch from powerful Broadway belting as showcased on her Andrew Lloyd Webber material, to a pure sweet voice or a powerful operatic soprano. She accesses the whistle register by hitting a high E in the title song from The Phantom of The Opera. [7]

Halle Berry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Halle Maria Berry


Born: August 14, 1966
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.

Halle Maria Berry (born August 14, 1966) is an Emmy, Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning American actress and former fashion model. In 2002, Berry won Best Actress at the Academy Awards for her role in Monster's Ball.


Biography

Early life and career

Berry's parents selected her first name from that of Halle's Department Store, which was then a local landmark in her birthplace of Cleveland, Ohio. She is the daughter of Judith Ann Hawkins, a Liverpudlian[1], and Jerome J. Berry, who is African American. Berry's maternal grandmother, Nellie Dicken, was born in Sawley, Derbyshire, England, while her maternal grandfather, Earl Ellsworth Hawkins, was born in Ohio.[2] Berry's parents divorced when she was 4 years old and she subsequently was raised by her mother, a psychiatric nurse. Her father was an orderly in the same psychiatric ward where her mother worked. Berry has an older sister, Heidi who was born two years before her.[3]

Berry was a popular student at Bedford High School and was a cheerleader, honor society member, editor of the school newspaper, class president and prom queen. She worked in the children's department at Higbee's Department store. She subsequently attended Cuyahoga Community College.

Before becoming an actress, she entered and won several beauty contests, including Miss Ohio USA, Miss Teen All-American, Miss USA (was first runner-up in 1986 to Christy Fitchner of Texas), and Miss World 1986 (as "Miss United States World", she placed sixth in a contest won by Trinidad & Tobago's Giselle Laronde.)








Hollywood career

In the late 1980s, she went to Chicago, to pursue a modeling career as well as acting. One of her first acting projects was a television series for local cable by Gordon Lake Productions called "Chicago Force."

Berry auditioned for a role in an updated Charlie's Angels television series by producer Aaron Spelling. At the time, Spelling wanted one of the "Angels" to be an African American woman. She did not get the role (because the project never materialized) but she impressed Spelling with her skills, who encouraged her to continue perfecting her craft.

In 1989, Berry landed the role of brainy Emily Franklin in the short-lived ABC television series Living Dolls (a spin-off of Who's the Boss?). Her breakthrough feature film role was in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever in which she played a drug addict named Vivian. Her first co-starring role was in the film Strictly Business. Another early role Berry played was the villain/friend in the Flintstones movie as "Sharon Stone", in a part rumored to have been intended for Sharon Stone (Berry would later co-star alongside Stone in Catwoman). In 1996, she played the role of Sandra Beecher in Race the Sun, which was based on a true story. The year before, Berry really caught the public's attention with her portrayal as a female biracial slave in the TV adaption of Queen: The Story of an American Family, by Alex Haley.

Berry is also known by many comic book fans for her portrayal of the regal mutant Storm in the movie adaptation of the popular comic book series X-Men (2000) and its successful sequels X2: X-Men United (2003) and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).

In late 2001, Berry appeared as Leticia Musgrove, the wife of an executed murderer, in the film Monster's Ball. The role earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress.

As Bond Girl Jinx in 2002's Die Another Day she famously re-created the scene from Dr. No, bursting from the surf - scantily clad - to be greeted by James Bond, as Ursula Andress did 40 years earlier.

In late 2003, Berry starred in the psychological thriller Gothika opposite Charles S. Dutton, which was the first film that she "carried," i.e., her role was the most important one in the film. Her next lead role was in the film Catwoman, for which she was awarded a "worst actress" Razzie award in 2005, which she actually accepted in person with a sense of humour and recognition that "to be at the top, you must experience the rock bottom".

She has recently wrapped (2006) filming the thriller Perfect Stranger with Bruce Willis and is next set to star in Things We Lost in the Fire with Benicio Del Toro.

Berry is also making a transition to behind the scenes work in film and television. She is working with author Angela Nissel to executive produce an HBO comedy series based on Nissel's two memoirs, The Broke Diaries and Mixed: My Life in Black and White.[4]

Berry has served many years as the face of Revlon cosmetics and was recently named the new face of Versace. She is featured in Maxim magazine's Girls of Maxim gallery. She is also one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood, commanding $14 million each for Gothika and Catwoman.


Personal life

Berry has been married twice. Her first marriage in 1992 to pro baseball player David Justice ended in a 1996 divorce due to alleged infidelity and incompatibility. Her second marriage in 2001 to musician Eric Benét has resulted in a 2004 separation (and 2005 divorce) allegedly due to Benét's infidelity. In 2004, after their seperation, Berry stated "I want love, and I will find it, hopefully". [5]

As of 2006, she is currently dating Canadian model Gabriel Aubry, who is nine years her junior. The couple met at a Versace photoshoot. After six months with Aubry, she stated in an interview "I'm really happy in my personal life, which is a novelty to me. You know I'm not the girl that has the best relationships". [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Berry recently revealed to Extra that she plans to adopt children. "I will adopt if it doesn't happen for me naturally", she said. "I will definitely adopt. And I probably will adopt even if it does happen naturally". It has since been speculated that Aubry, who lived in five foster families between the ages of 3 and 18, possibly inspired Berry's interest in adoption. [11]

When speaking on the likelyhood of future marriage, Berry stated "I want a relationship because I am a relationship oriented person. I just no longer need to do it the traditional way...That paper isn't as important as it used to be". [12] Later, she stated "I never want to be married again. I guess you could say I have bad taste in men. But I no longer feel the need to be someone's wife. I don't feel like I need to be validated by being in a marriage." [13]

When speaking on the subject of having her own biological child, Berry has recently indicated that she has given thought to Aubry being the father, but that it is too early for that level of commitment involving a biological child between them. She stated that they both share the same feelings against the need to be married, and she indicated this to be one of she and Aubry's many strong bonds with one another. She stated that both feel the need to commit to one person emotionally and physically, but neither feels the obligation to marry in order to make that commitment official. [14]


Film Awards

Berry won the best actress Oscar in 2002 for Monster's Ball, becoming the first African American woman to win this award. She won the award despite the fact that she had won far fewer critics awards than her main competitor that year, Sissy Spacek.
Berry won an Emmy and a Golden Globe in 1999 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her portrayal of Dorothy Dandridge in the HBO movie Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. Interestingly, Dorothy Dandridge was the first African American woman to be nominated for a best actress Academy Award. Another similarity the two women shared was being born in the same hospital.
Berry "won" a Razzie for her infamously poor performance in 2004's Catwoman. She made headlines by accepting her award in person, an unusual gesture that was last performed by Tom Green in 2001. Berry accepted her award with dignity, saying, "When I was a kid, my mother told me that if you could not be a good loser, then there's no way you could be a good winner" but adding "I hope to God I never see these people again!" shortly afterward. At the podium, she appeared with her Razzie in one hand, and her 2002 Oscar in the other (see e.g. BBC News).
Halle Berry won The Hasty Pudding Theatricals Woman of the Year Award for year 2006.
Preceded by:
Julia Roberts
for Erin Brockovich Academy Award for Best Actress
2001
for Monster's Ball Succeeded by:
Nicole Kidman
for The Hours


Controversy

In February 2000, she was involved in a car accident when she struck another vehicle after running a red light and left the scene before the police arrived. Berry, who had sustained a head injury, later stated she had no recollection of the accident and pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge. She paid a fine, made restitution to the other driver, performed community services, and was placed on three years' probation.[citation needed]
Berry's portrayal of Storm in the X-Men films has provoked some criticism and controversy from fans of the series as well as critics. Some fans of the character of Storm refer to Berry as "HalleStorm" or "movie Storm". Furthermore, there was a rumor that Berry had said that because of a lack of roles for black actors, she was "reduced to" playing a comic book character. Berry and co-star Ian McKellen maintain that she was misquoted. [15][16]

Trivia

In 2003, Berry was named No. 1 in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll.
In 2005, She was No.1 on VH1's top 50 Sexiest Bodies countdown.
She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1989.
Channel 4 reported in 2006 that Berry has 6 toes on her right foot. [17] [18] [19] [20]. However, she has since debunked that as the most unusual, and untrue, rumor circulating about her. (Interviewed on the WB11 Morning News, May 22, 2006)
Dated actor Rey-Phillip Santos.
Dated actor Michael Ealy, her co-star in Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Her measurements are listed as 36C-22-37.
She had a kissing scene with Limp Bizkit frontman, Fred Durst, in one of their music videos.
She's a fan of Britney Spears. She almost kissed Spears (referred to the 2003 MTV VMA 'kiss' performance) when they did teaser commercial for Saturday Night Live. Both of them appeared on the show later that night.
Halle Berry was considered for roles in Gigli, Speed, Indecent Proposal, and What's Love Got to Do with It.
She played the lead in a mini-series about Dorothy Dandridge, who was the first black actress to be nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award.

Three Priests

Three priests were in a railroad station on their way home to Pittsburgh .
Behind the ticket counter was a very sexy, shapely, well endowed woman wearing a very tight, skimpy sweater.
She made the three priests very nervous, so they drew straws to determine who would get the tickets.
The first priest approached the window.
"Young lady, I would like three pickets to titsburg."
He completely lost his composure and fled.
The second priest goes to the window.
"Young lady, I would like three tickets to Pittsburgh and I would like the change in nipples and dimes."
Mortified, he too fled.
"Morons...." the third priest mutters and moves to the window.
"Young lady, I would like three tickets to Pittsburgh and I would like the change in nickels and dimes. And, if you insist on dressing like that, when you get to the pearly gates, St. Finger's going to shake his Peter at you."
They took the bus.

It's going to be in the next couple of weeks -- hopefully I won't be back-to-work full time but usually that means two weekdays off with art galleries.

Hey, hawkman. Glad you are back with us. Fabulous background, buddy, and of course, your Freudian slips are hilarious.

I was waiting for your bio on Sarah Brightman. Now I remember her well in the movie, Phantom of the Opera. Lovely voice and a marvelous actress.

From Sarah:

Let me dive in,
To pools of sin
Wet black leather on my skin
Show me the floor
Lay down the law
I need to taste you more

Refrain

Then I feel your sea,
Raining down on me
Can this be my Once In A Lifetime?
H***'s at heaven's doar
As I need you more
You know you're my Once In A Lifetime

When you take me,
You make me cry
Then I feel you satisfy
Show me the cage,
It's all the rage
Then lock it up

Refrain #2

Found a part of me,
that's a mystery
That will be just Once In A Lifetime
When the moon is high,
Passion never dies
Will you want me for all a Lifetime

Once In A Lifetime (3x)

Giving you my soul,
Letting you control,
Took away a part of my Lifetime
Memories of you,
Left me black and blue
Now I know you're Once In A Lifetime

Lw, thanks for the info. i ordered a copy of an Ackermanthology, so i can get an FJA autograph, or at least his initials.

Letty, i'm much obliged for being allowed to use the station as a message board.

We prefer to call it a typical radio interview, Yit and Wizard.<smile>

Music: Takis Mousafiris
Lyrics: Takis Mousafiris
Singer: Dimitris Mitropanos

Tell me where they sell hearts

Tell me where they sell hearts; I will buy one for you.
Tell me where they sell joys; I will buy two for you.
Tell me where they sell souls; I will buy one for you.
Also where they sell eagle's wings, I will buy two for you.

I want you to have to hearts; I want you to love double.
I want you to have two souls; I want them to be full of mint.
I want you to be an eagle.

Tell me where they sell hearts; I will buy one for you.
Tell me where they sell souls; I will buy two for you.
Also where they sell the Sundays, the feasts, the holidays.
Tell me where they sell joys; I will buy them all for you.

I want you to be an eagle, to fly at high dens.
You wine to be the sunlight as you will be treating the stars.
I want you to be an eagle.

Ellinas, Welcome back, Greece. What a nice surprise, button nose. <smile>

That song is delightful, dear, and I particularly like this stanza:



"I want you to be an eagle, to fly at high dens.
Your wine to be the sunlight as you will be treating the stars.
I want you to be an eagle."

An eagle in his aerie.

Good morning one and all.



So You Want To Be A Rock´n Roll Star
The Byrds

So you you want to be a rock´n roll star
then listen now to what I say
Just get an electric guitar
and take some time and learn how to play
And when your hair's combed right and your pants fit tight
it´s gonna be all right
Then it´s time to go down town
where the agent men won´t let you down
Sell your soul to the company
who are waiting there to sell plastic ware
And in a week or two if you make the charts
the girls'll tear you apart
The price you pay for your riches and fame
Was it all a strange game
You´re a little insane
The money that came and the public acclaim
Don´t forget what you are
You´re a rock´n roll star

Well, folks. There's our Try playing the Byrds. Certainly not Virginia Byrds, right?

Lots of number signs in those lyrics, honey. Is that really a part where your "hair's combed right."?

Here's another kind of bird:


GRATEFUL DEAD lyrics - "Bird Song"

All I know is something like a bird within her sang,
All I know she sang a little while and then flew on,
Tell me all that you know, I'll show you snow and rain.

If you hear that same sweet song again, will you know why?
Anyone who sings a tune so sweet is passin' by,
Laugh in the sunshine, sing, cry in the dark, fly through the night.

Don't cry now, don't you cry, don't you cry anymore.
Sleep in the stars, don't you cry, dry your eyes on the wind.

All I know is something like a bird within her sang,
All I know she sang a little while and then flew off,
Tell me all that you know, I'll show you snow and rain.