Pretty Woman, Gary Marshall’s version of Cinderella, tells the story of an aloof and self-centered billionaire, Edward Lewis (Adam Pascal), who falls in love with a prostitute, Vivian Ward (Olivia Valli). With a nod to Pygmalion (aka, My Fair Lady) , Marshall has the staff at an exclusive Beverly Hills hotel “polish” Vivian’s rough manner so she can “fit-in” with the Upper Class she’s moving in as Edward’s companion.

The movie version of Pretty Woman (1990), fueled by the star power of Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, was a surprise hit. Of all of Gary Marshall’s 18 movies, Pretty Woman was his biggest success. The movie soundtrack, made up of 1980s songs (see the Track List below), was jettisoned in the musical for songs by Bryan Adams. and Jim Vallance. How much you might enjoy Pretty Woman: The Musical depends on whether you want to listen to 19 Bryan Adams songs in a row with their 1980s sound–electric guitar riffs and bombastic vocal balladry. Just imagine variations of “Summer of 69” sung by a Broadway ensemble and you’ll get the picture.

Additional changes include turning Vivian’s roommate Kit (Jessica Crouch) into a show-stopping diva. Happy Man (Kyle Taylor Parker), who was on-screen in the movie version of Pretty Woman for less than a minute, turns into a narrator/emcee for the musical…and steals every scene that he’s in!

If you’re looking for pure escapism–and are willing to set the bar low–Pretty Woman: The Musical might just entertain you for a couple of hours. Are you a fan of Pretty Woman? GRADE: B

MUSICAL NUMBERS:

Act I “Welcome to Hollywood” – Happy Man, Kit and Company “Anywhere but Here” – Vivian “Something about Her (Preamble)” – Edward “Welcome to Hollywood (Reprise)” – Happy Man “Something about Her” – Edward “I Could Get Used To This” – Vivian “Luckiest Girl in the World” – Vivian, Kit and Giulio “Rodeo Drive” – Kit and Company “Anywhere but Here” (Reprise) – Vivian “On a Night like Tonight” – Mr. Thompson and Company “Don’t Forget to Dance” – Happy Man, Scarlett and Company “Freedom” – Edward “You’re Beautiful” – Edward, Vivian and Company

Act II “Welcome to Our World (More Champagne)” – Stuckey, Kit and Company “This Is My Life” – Vivian “Never Give Up on a Dream” – Happy Man, Kit and Company “You and I” – Edward, Alfredo, Violetta and Company “I Can’t Go Back” – Vivian”Freedom” (Reprise) – Edward “Long Way Home” – Vivian and Edward “Together Forever” – Edward, Vivian, Happy Man, Kit and Company “Finale/Oh, Pretty Woman” – Edward, Vivian, Kit, Mr. Thompson and Full Company

TRACK LIST:

• Five for Louie
  Written by Karen Hernandez
  Performed by Karen Hernandez, Eugene Wright, and Earl Palmer
  
• King of Wishful Thinking
  Written by Martin Page, Peter Cox, and Richard Drummie
  Performed by Go West
  Courtesy of EMI, a divison of Capitol Records, Inc.
  
• Real Wild Child (Wild One)
  Written by Johnny O’Keefe, Johnny Greenan, and Dave Owen
  Performed by Christopher Otcasek
  Courtesy of EMI, a divison of Capitol Records, Inc.
  
• Show Me Your Soul
  Written by Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith, and John Frusciante
  Performed by Red Hot Chili Peppers
  Courtesy of EMI, a division of Capitol Records, Inc.
  
• Fame 90
  Written by David Bowie, John Lennon, and Carlos Alomar
  Performed by David Bowie
  Courtesy of Rykodisc
  
• Life In Detail
  Written by Robert Palmer and Allen Powell
  Performed by Robert Palmer
  Courtesy of EMI, a divison of Capitol Records, Inc.
  
• Tangled
  Written by Scott Cutler and Jane Wiedlin
  Performed by Jane Wiedlin
  Courtesy of EMI, a divison of Capitol Records, Inc.
  
• Kiss
  Written by Prince
  Performed by Julia Roberts (uncredited)
  
• Wild Women Do
  Written by Matthew Wilder, Gregory Prestopino (as Greg Prestopino), and Sam Lorber
  Performed by Natalie Cole
  Courtesy of EMI, a division of Capitol Records, Inc.
  
• Vivaldi: Autumn (The Four Seasons)
  Written by Antonio Vivaldi
  As arranged and performed by Charlotte Georg (as Lee Ashley)
  Courtesy of Capitol Production Music / Ole Georg
  
• Vivaldi: Spring (The Four Seasons)
  Written by Antonio Vivaldi
  As arranged and performed by Charlotte Georg (as Lee Ashley)
  Courtesy of Capitol Production Music / Ole Georg
  
• Vivaldi: Winter (The Four Seasons)
  Written by Antonio Vivaldi
  As arranged and performed by Charlotte Georg (as Lee Ashley)
  Courtesy of Capitol Production Music / Ole Georg
  
• Richard Gere’s Piano Solo
  Written and Performed by Richard Gere
  
• Oh, Pretty Woman
  Written by Roy Orbison and Bill Dees (as William Dees)
  Performed by Roy Orbison
  Courtesy of CBS Special Products, a division of CBS Records, Inc.
  
• Songbird
  Written and Performed by Kenny G
  Courtesy of Arista Records, Inc.
  
• You Don’t Understand
  Written by Clarence Williams, Spencer Williams, and James P. Johnson (as Jimmie Johnson)
  Performed by Grand Dominion Jazz Band
  Courtesy of Stomp Off Records
  
• One Sweet Letter from You
  Written by Harry Warren, Sidney Clare, and Lew Brown
  Performed by Grand Dominion Jazz Band
  Courtesy of Triangle Jazz Ltd.
  
• Fallen
  Written and Performed by Lauren Wood
  Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
  By Arrangement with Warner Special Products
  
• Selections from La Traviata
  Composed by Giuseppe Verdi (uncredited)
  Arranged and conducted by Thomas Pasatieri
  
• It Must Have Been Love
  Written by Per Gessle
  Performed by Roxette
  Courtesy of EMI, a division of Capitol Records, Inc.
  By Arrangement with EMI Svenska AB
  
• No Explanation
  Written by David Foster, Linda Thompson (as Linda Thompson-Jenner),
  Bill LaBounty, and Beckie Foster
  Performed by Peter Cetera
  Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
  
• She Rescues Him Right Back
  Composed by Thomas Pasatieri
  

The New England Patriots (8-4) clash with the Buffalo Bills (7-4) in a battle for the leadership of the AFC East. The Bills, surprisingly, are 3-point favorites.

Rain, wind, cold, and snow are in the forecast for this Monday Night Football game on ESPN. With the weather conditions so dicey, I suspect this will be a close, low scoring game. What do you think?

The Buffalo Bills, coming off their 31-6 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving night, prepare for their biggest game of the year: the suddenly potent 8-4 New England Patriots. More about that game tomorrow. For now, how is your favorite NFL team going to perform today?

Diane, our niece Elise, and I saw Tina: The Tina Turner Musical at the Lunt Fontainne Theatre during our Thanksgiving trip to New York City. The show was sold out.

I’ve always loved Tina Turner’s music. I saw the movie What’s Love Got To Do With It back in 1993. This musical covers part of the same group–growing up in poverty, abused by a heartless mother, and abused by her talented but frustrated husband, Ike Turner. After 16 years of abuse, Tina finally split with Ike Turner. Ike took all of Tina’s money and the rights to the songs she sang. Tina had to start over and reinvent herself.

Act II centers on Tina’s career without Ike. It was a struggle for a forty-something “washed up” soul singer to get a record contract and find a new audience. Leandra Ellis-Gaston played Tina with plenty of zest and energy. Daniel J. Watts played Ike Turner as a gifted musician who was ground down by the music business and took his frustrations out on Tina.

If you’re a fan of Tina Turner and her music, you’ll enjoy this musical. I’m sure it will be touring the country next year or in 2023. Are you a fan of Tina Turner? GRADE: B+

MUSICAL NUMBERS:

Act I “Nutbush City Limits” (Tina Turner) – Richard, Young Tina and Company “Don’t Turn Around” (Albert Hammond, Diane Warren) – Tina, Gran Georgeanna and Company “Shake a Tail Feather” (Otha Hayes, Verlie Rice, Andre Williams) – Alline, Tina, Ikettes and Company “The Hunter” (Booker T. Jones, C. Wells, Al Jackson, Jr., Donald Dunn, Steve Cropper) – Ike and Ronnie”Matchbox” (Ike Turner) – Ike, Tina and Company “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine” (Rose Marie McCoy, Sylvia McKinney) – Zelma, Ike, Tina, Alline, Ikettes and Company “A Fool in Love” (I. Turner) – Tina and Ikettes “Let’s Stay Together” (Al Green, Willie Mitchell, Jackson) – Raymond and Tina “Better Be Good to Me” (Nicky Chinn, Mike Chapman, Holly Knight) – Tina and Company “I Want to Take You Higher” (Sly Stone) – Tina, Alline and Ikettes “River Deep Mountain High” (Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich) – Tina and Company “Be Tender with Me Baby” (Hammond, Knight) – Ike, Tina, Alline, Ikettes, Ronnie and Richard “Proud Mary” (John Fogerty) – Tina, Ike, Alline and Ikettes “I Don’t Wanna Fight” (Lulu, Billy Lawrie, Steve DuBerry) – Tina and Company

Act II “Private Dancer” (Mark Knopfler) – Tina “Disco Inferno” (Leroy Green, Ron Kersey) – Tina and Company “Open Arms” (Martin Brammer, Colette van Sertima, Ben Barson) – Rhonda, Tina and Company “I Can’t Stand the Rain” (Ann Peebles, Don Bryant, Bernard Miller) – Tina, Ike and Company “Tonight” (David Bowie, Iggy Pop) – Young Tina, Gran Georgeanna, Tina and Roger “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” (Terry Britten, Graham Lyle) – Tina, Ikettes, Ronnie and Raymond “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” (Britten, Lyle) – Tina and Company “The Best” (Chapman, Knight) – Tina and Company”Nutbush City Limits (Reprise)” (T. Turner) – Company “Proud Mary (Reprise)” (Fogerty) – Company ENCORE: “Don’t Turn Around” “Proud Mary”

Reading a book that’s over 50 years old presents some surprises. In the first chapter of The Case of the Talking Bug (1955) there’s talk of the polio epidemic (no vaccine yet!). And the “talking bug” referred to in the title of the book is “new” technology: wiretaps!

Detective Greg Evans, a recent graduate of the FBI Police Academy, is working on a number of cases that he later learns are related. The first is the death of a young girl who was found dead wearing a snorkel. The second case is a money laundering scheme worth millions of dollars. Evans suspects the victim, Jan Logan, may have told vital information to her sister, Cokie. But, Cokie can’t be found! And, unknown to Cokie and Evans, a killer is on her trail to eliminate a “loose end.”

The Case of the Talking Bug was nominated for the Edgar Award in 1956 (a condensed version was published in American Magazine). The Gordons were crime fiction authors Gordon Gordon (born March 12, 1906, Anderson, Indiana – died March 14, 2002), and his wife, Mildred Nixon Gordon (born June 24, 1912, Kansas – died February 3, 1979, Tucson, Arizona). Although mostly forgotten now, The Gordons produced some successful books. Check out the list below. GRADE: B

• Make Haste to Live (1950; filmed in 1954)
• FBI Story (1950; John Ripley)
• Campaign Train (1952)
• Case File: FBI (1953; John Ripley; also wrote the screenplay when filmed as Down Three Dark Streets in 1954)
• The Case of the Talking Bug/Playback (title in UK; 1955)
• The Big Frame (1957)
• Captive (1957; John Ripley)
• Tiger on My Back (1960)
• Operation Terror (1961; John Ripley; also wrote the screenplay when filmed as Experiment in Terror in 1962)
• Menace (1962)
• Undercover Cat (1963; also wrote the screenplay when filmed as That Darn Cat! in 1965)
• The Informant (1973; John Ripley – later reprinted under the title It Could Happen)

I was both saddened and elated while listening to this concert CD. The major stars, Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley, died; Sharon Jones in 2016 and Charles Bradley in 2017. But, we have this wonderful new album to enjoy and remember how great they were.

Performed and recorded over three nights in front of a sold out crowd at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY (December 4th – 6th, 2014), this album brings electrifying performances featuring live sets from Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires, Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens, Antibalas, The Budos Band, Menahan Street Band, Saun & Starr, The Sugarman 3, as well as em-cee, Binky Griptite. There’s a nice mix of Soul Classics and new music to delight your ears!

If you love Soul Music, you’re going to love this 2-CD set full of great songs and high-voltage music. And, it would make a wonderful Holiday Present for that Soul Music enthusiast on your Gift List. GRADE: A

TRACK LIST:

1	The Dap-Kings–	Introduction By Binky Griptite Written-By – The Dap-Kings
2	Saun & Starr With The Dap-Kings–	Hot Shot Written-By – B. Mann*, C. Gastelum
3	Saun & Starr With The Dap-Kings–	Confess ItWritten-By – B. Mann*, C. Gastelum*Written-By – B. Mann*, C. Gastelum*
4	Saun & Starr With The Dap-Kings–	In The NightWritten-By – B. Mann*, N. Sugarman
5	The Sugarman 3*–	Witch’s Boogaloo Written-By – A. Scone*, B. Mann*, D. Guy*, J. Crispiano*, N. Sugarman*, R. Petschauer
6	The Sugarman 3*–	Love Went Away Written By – C. Cochran, D. Williams, R. Hampton
7	Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens–	Thank You Lord Written By – D. Williams Written-By – C. Driver
8	Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens–	StrangerWritten-By – M. Shrager
9	Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens–	Higher Ground Written-By – C. Gabriel*, Rev. J Oatman, Jr.
10	Menahan Street Band–	Make The Road By WalkingWritten-By – B. Mann*, D. Guy*, H. Steinweiss*, L. Michels*, M. Deller*, T. Brenneck*Written-By – B. Mann*, D. Guy*, H. Steinweiss*, L. Michels*, M. Deller*, T. Brenneck*
11	The Como Mamas*–	Out Of The Wilderness Arranged By – The Como Mamas*Written-By – Traditional
12	Charles Bradley And His Extraordinares–	Heartaches And Pain Written-By – C. Bradley*, T. Brenneck
13	Charles Bradley And His Extraordinares–	The World (Is Going Up In Flames) Written-By – C. Bradley*, L. Michels*, M. Deller*, T. Brenneck*
14	Charles Bradley And His Extraordinares–	Lovin’ You, Baby Written-By – C. Bradley*, T. Brenneck
15	Charles Bradley And His Extraordinares–	Slip Away Written-By – M. Daniel*, W. Terrell*, W. Armstrong
16	Charles Bradley Featuring Menahan Street Band–	How Long Written-By – C. Bradley*, D. Guy*, H. Steinweiss*, L. Michels*, T. Brenneck
17	Charles Bradley And His Extraordinares–	Let Love Stand A Chance Written-By – C. Bradley*, T. Brenneck
18	The Budos Band–	The Sticks Written-By – The Budos Band
19	Charles Bradley Featuring The Budos Band–	Ain’t It A Sin Written-By – B. Profilio
20	Antibalas–	Sáré Kon Kon Pt. 1Written-By – B. Mann*Written-By – B. Mann*
21	Antibalas–	Sáré Kon Kon Pt. 2 Written-By – B. Mann
22	The Dap-Kings–	Miss Sharon Jones’ Intro Written-By – The Dap-Kings
23	Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings–	He Said I Can Written-By – B. Mann
24	Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings–	If You Call Written-By – B. Mann
25	Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings–	Tell Me Written-By – B. Mann*, N. Sugarman
26	Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings–	Get Up And Get Out Written-By – H. Steinweiss
27	Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings–	Making Up And Breaking Up (And Making Up And Breaking Up Over Again) Written-By – B. Mann
28	Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings–	I’m Not Gonna Cry Written-By – B. Mann*, T. Brenneck
29	Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings–	Calamity Written-By – B. Mann
30	Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings–	Every Beat Of My Heart Written-By – J. Otis
31	Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings–	There Was A Time Written-By – B. Hobgood*, J. Brown
32	The Daptone Family*–	Family Affair / Outro Written-By [Family Affair] – S. Stone *Written-By [Outro] – B. Mann

Diane and I flew on jetBlue to New York City on Thanksgiving (the flight was super discounted!). The cab ride from JFK to Patrick’s new apartment in Brooklyn took an hour and a half! But, Patrick, Katie, and their friends cooked us a delicious Thanksgiving feast: scalloped potatoes, turkey, cranberry jello salad, green beans, lasagna, and squash soup. Desserts: apple pie, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie.

Patrick now works out of the Chelsea GOOGLE office so he decided north Brooklyn was the best option for him for apartment living. The apartment building Patrick lives in is only five years old and very nice. Grand view of the City!

Katie took the train down from Boston and our niece, Elise, took the train up from Washington, D. C. Elise is a lawyer for the National Labor Relations Board. This was her first trip since the Pandemic. Diane, Katie, Elise, and I stayed at the Marriott Renaissance hotel in Times Squire since we had tickets to TINA (the Tina Turner musical), The Rockettes, and SIX (a musical about the six wives of Henry VIII).

By the size of the crowds in Times Square, you’d have no idea a Pandemic was raging here and abroad (watch out for the Omicron Variant!). NYC demands both ID and a vaccination card for admittance to restaurants and plays. And…masks.

The highlight of our visit to NYC was brunch at the wonderful Clinton Street Baking Company with Jeff and Jackie Meyerson. The food and the conversation were delightful!

Do you have any travel plans?

If you put Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Pirates of the Caribbean (only the first one), Romancing the Stone, and The African Queen in a blender, you’d get Disney’s Jungle Cruise. Yes, this movie is based on the legendary Disney ride and stars Emily Blunt as an intrepid scientist named Lily Houghton searching for a mythical cure-all called “Tears of the Moon.” The action is set in 1916 with World War I raging. A German Prince also wants the “Tears of the Moon” for evil purposes. So, the race is on to the Amazon to find the mysterious magical MacGuffin.

Dwayne Johnson (aka, The Rock) plays a riverboat captain called Frank who has a lot of baggage in his Past. Johnson’s character is perfect for his slapstick wit and proclivity for action. Lily can’t stand Frank, but ends up hiring him to take her down the Amazon with the fiendish German Prince chasing them.

There’s plenty of action and silliness in Jungle Cruise. But, I’ll watch anything with Emily Blunt it in. And, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a High Adventure movie. Enjoyable and fun! GRADE: B+

Kelefa Sanneh’s Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres sets out to map the development of Rock, R&B, Country, Punk, Hip-Hop, Dance, and Pop music over the past 50 years. All the major groups and solo performers face Kelefa Sanneh’s analysis. The result, a least for me, is a list of music I need to re-listen to. And, of course, buying more music CDs that I somehow missed!

I liked the chapter on R&B music the best. Sanneh traces the origins of “Black music” as it morphed into Motown music. Barry Gordy’s vision of making groups like The Supremes and The Temptations mainstream worked. I did not know the story of Smokey Robinson’s A Quiet Storm album that not only created a “Quiet Storm” radio format, but also fostered the development of “Smooth Jazz.” In the 1970s, “Smooth Jams” became popular and I’ve been one of the eager listeners to that genre.

Even if you’re not a fan of Country & Western or Punk or Hip-Hop music, you’ll learn a lot about the trends that made those genres popular.

Major Labels offers insights, historical perspectives, and great information about music made over the past 50 years. It’s very readable and consistently clear and concise. What’s your favorite type of music? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction vii

Wearing Headphones

Literally Generic

Excellent/Popular/Interesting

Divide and Conquer

1 Rock 1

The Kingdom of Rock ‘n’ Roll

Abunchanoise

Less Monstrous and More Glamorous

The Edge of Wuss Cliff

Alternative Everywhere

Heavy Metal Rules

The Power of Evil

Cock Rock

Counter-Countercultural

The Opposite of Noise

Confessional

Making Progress

Old-Time Rock ‘n’ Roll

2 R&B 86

An Exclusive Music

Race Records

Soul Music Is Ours

Selling Soul

Ain’t Nothing to This Disco

The Comforts of Crossover

The Other Black Music

Shame and Shamelessness

Guilty

Deplorable

A Rebirthing Process

Mea Culpa

3 Country 154

At Its Purest

What Is Country Music?

Absolutely No Hollering

A Revolt, a Revival, and a Sales Pitch

Make Country Country Again

The Horseshit Rebellion

Suburbs and Sippy Cups

Good Luck on Your New Venture

Where Are Your Guts?

Only in America

The White Experience

What Makes You Country

What’s Right with the Format

4 Punk 216

Converted

Incoherent and Inescapable

Rock ‘n’ Roll at Its Finest

Punk Explosion

Punk Politics

Tougher Than Punk

An Incantation

Feasting on Crumbs

Stubborn Purists

The Opposite of Punk

Hipsters Everywhere

5 Hip-Hop 277

Rap Music Don’t Have to Teach You Anything

The (New) Sound of Young America

Music in Every Phrase

Making Records Out of Records

Street-Corner Rhymes

I’m Not a Rapper

The Real Face of Rap

Raging Sexism

Self-Conscious

Ambition and Hunger

Escape from New York

Serious Rapping

Your Voice Too Light

Mixed Up

6 Dance Music 362

What Else Is Music For?

One Big Mix

Very Much Alive

Party Monsters

Different Worlds

The Upward Spiral

Get Lost

7 Pop 404

Pop Revolution

The Monster with Seven Letters

The Triumph of Poptimism

The Most Popular Records in the Country?

Pepsodent Smiles

The Perils of (New) Pop Stardom

Pure Pop Music

You’ll Grow Out of It

The End of Taste

How Can Anyone Listen to That Stuff?

Acknowledgments 457

Index 460

After defeating the New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving night 31-6, the inconsistent Buffalo Bills are off until the Monday Night Football game a week from now against the suddenly potent New England Patriots. How will your favorite NFL team perform today?