OMG!!! Miley Cyrus sings karaoke!

So, you think you've been having a slow news day?

Every few days, this dedicated karaoke reporter goes out looking for late breaking karaoke news that is important for you, my valued readers. The big news in the karaoke world today is that Miley Cyrus celebrated Christmas with her family by singing karaoke. Here is just a sampling of the plethora of news reports:

http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00037564.html
http://www.celebridoodle.com/celebridoodle/2010/12/miley-cyrus-karaoke-christmas.html
http://gawker.com/5718890/miley-cyrus-celebrates-christmas-with-a-cant-be-tamed-karaoke-sister-act
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/entertainment/Miley+Cyrus-88914.html
http://entertainment.newsplurk.com/2010/12/miley-cyrus-sings-karaoke-on-christmas.html
http://www.musicrooms.net/rock-and-pop/22641-miley-cyrus-entertains-family-with-karaoke-performance-on-christmas-day.html
http://www.ineedmyfix.com/2010/12/27/miley-cyrus-loves-her-karaoke-video/
http://www.wenn.com/all-news/cyrus-joins-sister-for-christmas-day-karaoke/
http://gossipblender.com/gossip/cyrus-joins-sister-for-christmas-day-karaoke/
http://anythingdisney.livejournal.com/
http://www.durianboy.com/2010/12/miley-cyrus-spends-christmas-karaoke-ing-with-the-family-in-nashville/
http://www.gossipweasel.com/miley-cyrus-had-karaoke-christmascelebuzz/
http://jackskin.com/2010/12/26/miley-cyrus-sings-karaoke-on-christmas-people-magazine/
http://www.gnepse.com/miley-cyrus-sings-karaoke-on-christmas/
http://entertainmentoday.us/miley-cyrus-sings-karaoke-on-christmas
http://www.turkyurdu.com/hollywood/miley-cyrus-sings-karaoke-on-christmas/
http://bradsbeard.com/miley-cyrus-christmas-karaoke-with-the-family/
http://businessmobilenews.com/?p=1354
http://abendjournal.com/2010/12/27/miley-cyrus-sings-karaoke-on-christmas/
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b217932_miley_cyrus_has_very_merry_bong-free.html
http://nsbnews.net/content/371777-miley-cyrus-sings-karaoke-christmas-people-magazine

Surprisingly, this topic beat out karaoke news stories about Simon Crowell, and also beat out stories about people getting killed in the Philippines for singing My Way. With my tongue firmly lodged in my cheek, I am so glad that I decided to have a look today, because it would have been a shame for my readers to have missed this!

The definitive list of Jewish Christmas songs

I present the most complete list of Christmas songs written by Jews:

1. "The Christmas Song", Mel Torme
2. "The Christmas Waltz",  Sammy Kahn and Jule Styne
3. "Getting Ready for Christmas Day", Paul Simon
4. "Holly Jolly Christmas", Johnny Marks
5. "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day", Johnny Marks
6. "I'll Be Home for Christmas", Buck Ram
7. "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year", Edward Pola, and George Wyle
8. "Let it Snow, Let it Snow", Sammy Kahn and Jule Styne
9. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", Johnny Mark
10. "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer", Johnny Marks
11. "Run Rudolph Run", Johnny Marks
12. "Silver Bells", Livingston and Evans
13. "Sleigh Ride",  Leroy Anderson and Mitchell Parish
14. "There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays", Bob Allen
15. "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch", Dr. Seuss and Albert Hague
16. "We Need a Little Christmas", Jerry Herman
17. "White Christmas", Irving Berlin
18. "Winter Wonderland", Richard B. Smith and Felix Bernard

The song "O Holy Night" has been proposed as another song for this list, but I have seen a number of references that say that Adolphe Adam was not Jewish.

In my previous blog on this topic, a completely valid comment was made "songwriters need to write songs, and Christmas is a huge market waiting to be exploited." I think maybe a better question might be why John the Revelator is so obsessed with this topic!!!

Yet another update on "getting discovered through karaoke"

As my faithful followers can attest, I am on a lifetime quest to find a famous performer who made it to the big time by being discovered singing at a karaoke bar. While I have personally heard quite a number of karaoke singers who deserve to be made rich and famous, I am still unaware of this actually happening.

Let me be clear. I am talking about someone getting up on stage at a karaoke bar where there just happens to be a talent scout. And the rest becomes history. I am not talking about someone going into a karaoke booth and recording a demo tape, like Mary J. Blige. I am not talking about someone who won a karaoke contest, like Coco Lee. And I am not talking about someone who was discovered through American Idol.

I recently posted the story of how Garrett Hedlund auditioned for the movie Country Strong by going to a karaoke bar. That's not what I am talking about.

Here is another example of what I am not talking about: Tony DeCarlo was discovered through a MySpace video. The group Boston was looking for a lead singer and they happened upon a MySpace video that Tony's daughter had posted. And the rest was history. Great story, tear jerking, even. But it's not what I am looking for.

Shana Goodman suggested another singer who might have been discovered at a karaoke joint. She posted on the LinkedIn group "Karaoke Business Matrix" that the new lead singer for Journey had been discovered that way. Initially, I passed her comment off as a confusion between Boston and Journey. Shana, I apologize! I should never have doubted you!!

I finally looked this up today. The position of lead singer for Journey has been replaced a few times. Their first lead singer was Steve Perry. He could not make one of their tours because of a hip injury that he got while hiking. Perry was replaced by Steve Augeri, who had been in a few bands before. Then Augeri developed a chronic throat infection and needed to be replaced.

Arnel Pineda was brought in as the next lead singer. He was discovered through a YouTube video of him singing Journey songs with his cover band, The Zoo.

YouTube. Not a karaoke bar. Once again, a near miss. I continue on my quest.

Stories of losing your karaoke virginity

We all remember our first time. The nervousness, the anticipation, the excitement!

My first karaoke performance was in a bar in Appleton. I sang James Taylor's version of Steamroller Blues, and I totally rocked it. I mean none of those dulcet Sweet Bay James tones... I tore that song apart with my teeth and spat it out. A woman came up from the audience and stuffed a dollar bill in my jeans. (If you were there, you may remember it slightly different. You tell it your way. I'll tell it mine.)

I surfed the net to find other stories of the loss of karaoke virginity. I hope you enjoy!

First story
It was an aborted ski trip. He found himself at a little motel in a snowstorm. Since there was nothing to do, he headed for the bar, and got caught up in the camaraderie of karaoke and kamikazes.

Things started getting a little fuzzy by then, and the next thing I knew, I was up on stage with the mic in my hand, singing Folsom Prison Blues.  I had never karaoked before, and I had always thought it was pretty lame.  But there I was, in front of a dozen or so of my new best buds, singing my heart out. And I gotta say: I tore that shit up.  I was the Man In Black, even if it was black Gore-Tex.

http://butterbeanandcobra.blogspot.com/2010/11/how-i-lost-my-karaoke-virginity-in.html

Second story
She describes herself as one who always listens to the other people torturing karaoke songs, wanting to sing but always leaving for home with her tail between her legs. A party with co-workers changed all that.

“But last Saturday, I did it.  On Saturday, I lost my karaoke virginity!”
“Well, what was it like?”
“It hurt a little at first…but then it was smooth sailing.”

http://kenyonreview.org/blog/?p=10236

Third story
Here is another story of the loss of karaoke virginity that happened with coworkers and a party. To put her courageous feat in perspective, this is how she described watching her boyfriend sing:

"I would dig my nails into the palms of my hands and go through the motions of extreme anxiety, as if it was me on the stage. I would experience similar feelings if I saw others go on stage and bomb – feeling sympathetic stage fright."

She finally lost her karaoke virginity when she was out celebrating Christmas with co-workers. 

"Someone suggested karaoke and I egged them on, morbidly curious about seeing my boss sing. Turns out, he’s another one of those closet karaoke enthusiasts who would probably, if given the chance, sing Backstreet Boys tunes in front of an audience. In the space of half an hour, I found myself in a booth, helping people to choose songs, watching my boss belt out Wham! and drinking whisky. Someone passed me the microphone, I sang Tainted Love. It’s done."

http://captio.wordpress.com/2010/12/18/karaoke-done/ 

A bunch of fourth stories
There are a number of interesting karaoke stories on the website below. I have taken a few excerpts:

"Hi, My name is Moe, and I am a Karaoke junkie. Come, sit closer, and hear the tale of how a good and innocent young girl was lured into the dark underbelly of the karaoke world, and how, after losing her karaoke virginity (at about 18) became the notorious Mistress M- Kamikaze Karaoke Junkie (a.k.a. Miss Kitty)."

"I decided to try Billy Joel's Uptown Girl. I massacred the song by singing a verse that didn't belong, and created further damage as my voice cracked while singing a line... My first karaoke bar experience occurred in Montreal in the summer of 1993, at a club that boasted the perfect mix of atmosphere, alcohol, and good singers. Ever since then, I've been a karaoke slut."   

"All of a sudden, my love for karaoke turned into an outright addiction." 


"It took me 6 weeks to decide that I had enough guts to hold a microphone and sing into it."

"I was "dragged" to a small café on Bloor Street in Toronto. That was it. I got the bug. I was hooked. Within months, all of my friends and my free time included karaoke."

http://www.dogandponysound.com/fun_stories.htm

Fifth story

"Details about the sing song, I really have no idea how to describe......... but the last 20 minutes was epic! Everyone of us stood up, I mean every single person in the room, and sang whatever song was playing. I don't know why, but I had a temporary voice conversion after that."

http://wseen.blogspot.com/2010/12/first-time-going-karaoke.html

Jewish Christmas songs, once more

Since we are in the Christmas season, and since I am talking about two Jewish songwriters (Pomus and Shuman), I will revisit the question of Jewish Christmas songs. A year ago, I wrote a post about Christmas songs that were written by Jews. I found nine such songs.

In April, I posted an addendum with a tenth Jewish Christmas song.

Just recently, Mathew Semple made me aware that another Jew, a certain Paul Simon, has just released a Christmas song. This brings the tally up to eleven.

Update on KaraokeCam

I reported earlier that the New Orleans KaraokeCam at Cats Meow was down. As far as this reporter knows, this is still the case. But that does not keep them from winning a prestigious award. EarthCam selected KaraokeCam as one of the 25 most interesting webcams.

The famous "Cat's Meow" has been catering to karaoke fans for over 20 years and you have a live bird's eye view of all the action. And this very cool webcam gives you the option to mouse over the screen when there is no live action and choose a time frame from the previous night so you can re-live some extreme karaoke moments.

I am excited that karaoke is receiving some long due recognition. Along with Rich da Barber Cam and Sea Monkey Cam.

Is this getting discovered?

Country Strong will be opening in theaters Dec 22, 2010. The movie is about country singer songwriter played by Garrett Hedlund, and  the comeback of a country singer, played by Gwenyth Paltrow.

Paltrow's connection with karaoke has been documented before in this blog. Hedlund also has a connection to karaoke. He auditioned in a karaoke bar.

I don't want anybody to get the wrong idea here. Hedlund was not discovered in a karaoke bar. Getting discovered through karaoke is a favorite topic of mine:
Getting discovered through karaoke
Update on getting discovered
Finally some real research on karaoke

Just in case you don't have time to read these fantastic blog posts, let me summarize. I still have not found a celebrity who was discovered because there was a talent scout at a karaoke bar who happened to hear them.

Hedlund came close to being the first recipient of the Discovered Through Karaoke Prize. Unfortunately, his performance was an official audition. The director, Shana Feste, didn't know whether Hedlund could sing. What better way to check this out, than at a karaoke bar?

Update on "the most maligned karaoke song"

I had a previous post about a KJ who was charging for people to sing Don't Stop Believin. Evidently my post was not the only outcry. There was a follow up interview that explains why the KJ has taken such strong measures to combat one song in his collection.

Roger Niner explained in the interview that he got tired of hearing it, so he took it out of his songbook. Even then, people kept asking for it. Despite not having the song listed in his book, he had a night where numerous people asked for the song. In his words: "I just snapped. I'm not going to delete it, because that's just going to be a disaster. So I said, 'Alright, I'm going to make some money from this.'"

The interview ends with this comment from Niner: "... that song, I just -- I can't do it anymore. It just drove me to the point of insanity."

The song is among the most popular karaoke songs, if not the most popular. People want to sing it. These are the people who spend money on drinks and make it possible for a club to hire a KJ.

Just to balance this out, I quote from an excellent article about the song, written by Dorian Lyndsky of the Guardian:

It was a song inspired by failure. Journey started life as a jazz-rock band in San Francisco in 1973, but they were floundering and hitless when, four years later, they recruited singer Steve Perry, who was having little luck himself. Their fortunes drastically improved, but the sentiments of Don't Stop Believin' harked back to the lean years. Before keyboardist Jonathan Cain joined in 1980, he was also struggling while living on LA's Sunset Boulevard. Each time he called home in despair, his dad would tell him: "Don't stop believing or you're done, dude."

That's the kind of positive stuff I like to hear!

Celebrity karaoke - Paul Rudd

Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson will be vying for the heart of  Reese Witherspoon in How Do You Know, opening Dec 17, 2010. I found an interview of the Rudd and Wilson that gave a little foretaste. Paul Rudd will be singing some hysterical Teddy Pendergrass song to Witherspoon. And... this is a favorite number for him when he sings karaoke.

Nothing on the official website tells me what he is going to sing, so I guess I will just have to see the movie for myself.

Rudd is a big fan of karaoke. Here is a quote from Entertainment Weekly


"My big karaoke friends are Bobby Cannavale, [Role Models director] David Wain, Joe Lo Truglio [from I Love You, Man], Mather Zickel [the best man in Rachel Getting Married], and sometimes Peter Dinklage. We've all 'raoked together over the years. We rent rooms. It isn't like we're going to a bar. So it's like four guys sitting around singing. We'll often say, ''Tonight we're doing songs that we've never done before.'' We all want to impress the others with the song choices. A lot of it is lost '70s classics. It'll be great if somebody busts out a little ''Shannon'' by Henry Gross, or ''So Very Hard to Go'' by Tower of Power. I love ''The Worst That Could Happen'' by Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge. We all love to sing, but none of us are singers."

And here is a YouTube video of Rudd singing More Than A Feeling.


"We all love to sing, but none of us are singers."

Al Jarreau

I was surprised to hear this week that jazz singer Al Jarreau was born of a Seventh-Day Adventist minister and church pianist in Milwaukee. I suppose everyone else in Milwaukee knew that. I am a transplant, being born 117 miles and 7 realities away in Baraboo, so I am not up on all the famous people who are from Milwaukee.

In 1962, Jarreau was a psychology student at University of Iowa. Ben Marcus hired him to sing in his lounge. He was billed as the "Singing Psychologist".


Jarreau returned to Milwaukee in November to performed for the 75th anniversary of the Marcus Corporation. This is what he said about the performance: "At the end of the dinner and presentations, the band and I—you know the guys—did a 50 minute burn that I would describe as one of the most intense and delightful performances of my life. It was ‘the zone’ where time slows down to the point where you can reach out and move the pieces on the chessboard at will and in slow motion. Athletes talk about it all the time."
Read the full diary entry here

"where times slows down to the point where you can ... move the pieces on the chess board ... in slow motion"
Cool.

What karaoke songs does an opera diva sing?

Do opera and karaoke go together?  Maybe.  Here are song karaoke favorites from opera singers.

Australian soprano Rachelle Durkin
" I was always in love with Whitney Houston and Maria Carey, so I like to sing like that every now and then."
http://www.mcv.gaynewsnetwork.com.au/features/marriage-the-mozart-way-008194.html

"I'm a classically trained singer, and while I don't generally do opera at karaoke bars, I do sing a lot of show tunes, standards, and pop songs that I have carefully picked out because I can sing them in my lower range and have them sound like pop songs."
BirdGirl
http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101105090024AAqT46w

Barbara Pasqa, a semi-pro opera singer from Uniontown PA entered a karaoke contest back in April of this year. Her songs? You Raise Me Up and I Could Have Danced All Night.
http://www.allbusiness.com/humanities-social-science/visual-performing-arts-theater/14263707-1.html

Carla Thensen Hanson, an American soprano, was asked if she sang opera:
"Only when drunk. The last time I went I was with my sisters and we were all quite intoxicated because it was for another sister’s wedding. We sang We Are Family. Naturally."
http://www.rochestermagazine.com/10/or/so/questions/with/carla/thelenhanson/opera/singer/story-714.html

Just in case you actually want to sing an aria next time you are out for karaoke, you can download your favorite track: http://www.opera-karaoke.com/index.html

Karaoke Man - the movie

I am always excited when I hear of another movie that features karaoke. Even more excited when I hear of a movie that is about karaoke. And being a goofy romance? I can hardly contain myself!

Max, a comic book illustrator, is told that he should wear a superhero costume in order to have the courage to sing karaoke. Max asks if that is cheating. The answer? "Not if you get laid out of the deal!"



Karaoke Man. Coming to a theater near you. Maybe.

New strange places to sing karaoke

I have had a few posts about odd places to sing karaoke. My last post on the subject was about the karaoke cabbie. Before that, I listed a few places in Texas, including the Houston airport.

I just found out that Houston airport will once again be providing karaoke for their travelers. Here is news coverage from last year's karaoke.



Another airport karaoke opportunity popped up just before I published this. According to StuckAtTheAirport.com (what a great URL name!) You can also sing karaoke at the Detroit Airport this holiday season.

More on karaoke for your health

No doubt you have already read my blog on all the wonderful health benefits of karaoke. It would appear that fitness guru Billy Banks, Jr. read my blog as well!  Have a look at Cardioke!

Sing karaoke with Lionel Richie!

While I am in a Motown mood, I should mention that Lionel Richie will be going on tour in Australia and New Zealand in March of 2011. I caught an interview of him. Richie had this to say about his show:

"Just tell them it will be the best karaoke night you could go to. Because that's a fact. We are going to have a big ole' karaoke jam with lots of funk and lots of ballads and there'll be romance and laughs and some great music."

If you want to warm up your Motown karaoke before you head to the land down under, stop in at MJ Cafe and Martini Bar on Sunday nights. Revelator Karaoke will be serving up the best Motown karaoke in the area. Singing starts at 7:30.


MJ Cafe and Martini Bar
A relaxed eatery and martini bar
6901 W. Brown Deer Rd
Milwaukee
(414) 377-2524

Save the Last Dance

I was in high school when I first heard the song Save the Last Dance for Me. I thought it was a dumb song. "But don't forget who's taking you home, and in whose arms your gonna be"? I mean really. It sounds like the guy is getting all possessive of the woman who took to a dance. But there is a whole lot more to the story.

The lyrics of Save the Last Dance for Me were written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. Doc had polio at a young age and needed crutches just to walk. His wife Willi was a beautiful actress and dancer who loved the nightlife.

Not only couldn't he dance with his lovely wife, but he felt out of place with the Broadway crowd that she attracted.  He had this to say:
"I had a house, a swimming pool, all that shit, and we had nothing but these Broadway characters hanging around. None of them paid any attention to me and if they asked what kind of songs I wrote I felt embarrassed. If I had written a fifth-rate Broadway song, my God, they would have been proud."

Willi and Doc were married in 1957.
"Save the Last Dance" was first recorded in 1960.
Willi divorced Doc in 1965.

All of a sudden the song has become rather poignant. Doc, I take back what I said about your song when I was a teenager.

References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Save_the_Last_Dance_for_Me
 http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/elvis_presley_doc_pomus_mort_shuman.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doc_Pomus
http://www.felderpomus.com/docpomus1.html
http://launch.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/billybeartrivia/message/141417?unwrap=1&var=1
http://wfmu.org/LCD/23/docpomus.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/2005/06/30/2005-06-30_nobody_s_cripple__doc_pomus_.html

The most maligned karaoke song

 I saw something online that really shook me. There is a KJ in San Francisco who is charging folks $5 to sing Don't Stop Believin'!

To me, this is sacrilege. My loyal readers will remember a blog of mine ("What should I sing?") where I combined the lists of best karaoke songs from 41 websites. Don't Stop Believin' came out on top. Of the 41 "best of" lists, 14 of them included Don't Stop Believin'. The next song in line (Total Eclipse of the Heart) was mentioned only 11 times. DSB is clearly the winner. This is not my opinion. This is the consensus of the experts on the web! 

I might add that Don't Stop Believin' did not make it on my list of worst karaoke songs. I searched for lists of worst karaoke songs, and combined the results from 19 websites.

I am sorry Mr. SF KJ. People like the song.

Karaoke therapy

I stumbled across an article in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research that piqued my interest. I remember years ago when the medical community was rocked with research that red wine is good for your heart. The first reaction of the medical community was to get legislation passed that prohibited anyone from ever implying that more than one glass of wine was good for you.

The next thing the medical community did was to go looking for the chemical in red wine that prevented heart attacks, provided one never ever drank more than one glass of wine. Resveratrol was one of the early suggestions. Later, they found that one would need to drink hundreds of bottles of wine a day for the resveratrol to have any effect. Since it is illegal to imply that more than one glass of wine might be good for you, this part of the research was quickly hushed up.

Right from the start, I knew that the search for a chemical component to wine that promoted health was ill conceived. Yes, there probably are some components of wine that are healthful, but (my opinion) the silly researchers were missing the forest for the trees. Alcohol relaxes you. And reducing stress will do all kinds of good chemical stuff in your body, and so, will promote good health. And further, the socializing we often do when we drink also helps relax us. The picture below relaxes me even without even having a sip of beer.

What about the ill effects of too much drink? Again, maybe stress is the operative force. Anyone who has had a hangover or been in a drunken bar fight will attest to the fact that too much alcohol can raise your stress level.

My thesis is that a large part of the health benefit from drinking (no more than one drink) is from relaxation and socialization. The article I found shows that the medical community has finally heard my message. The conclusion to the paper:

Conclusions:  Social support may enhance the beneficial effect of light-to-moderate alcohol consumption on risk of cardiovascular disease.

But the paper really caught my attention when the subject of karaoke was brought up. Here is a comment from one person who commented on the article: 

Tanigawa [the author] also recommended karaoke bars as one way for business persons to cope with stress.' Singers use deep breathing, which is good for the parasympathetic nervous system. After singing, they usually receive applause. It is a good kind of social support, and helps in the face of adverse occasions or stressful events.'

YES!!!!  They finally get it!! Thank you Dr. Tanigawa.

Intrigued, I went on a search through Pubmed to find other research that said karaoke can promote good health. I found two research papers on the benefits of karaoke therapy.

Karaoke therapy in the rehabilitation of mental patients
CONCLUSION: Karaoke therapy may be more effective [for treating chronic schizophrenic patients] than simple singing in improving social interaction. There is preliminary evidence that it may be anxiety-provoking for unstable schizophrenic patients. More research is required for further elucidation of the characteristics of favourable candidates, optimal schedule and active components of the therapy.

Karaoke for quads: a new application of an old recreation with potential therapeutic benefits  for people with disabilities
CONCLUSION: This article examines theoretical considerations and proposes a research agenda. Empirical research would be valuable to confirm the potential benefits of karaoke for people with disabilities.


But just like vino, there can be too much of a good thing. I found an article that warns of the dangers of too much karaoke.

Effect of hydration and vocal rest on the vocal fatigue in amateur karaoke singersThese results suggest that hydration and vocal rests are useful strategies to preserve voice function and quality during karaoke singing. This information is useful educational information for karaoke singers.

Just how valuable is karaoke?

I read the following new story from Huntington, W. Virginia:

A 48-year-old Chesapeake area woman reported last week that someone entered her home in Union Township and stole jewelry and a karaoke machine. The items were valued at $2,350.
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/briefs/x784149180/Lawrence-blotter-Jewelry-karaoke-machine-stolen-in-home-break-in

I am imagining the thief wandering around the house. "Now where would they hide that karaoke machine. Gotta find it... Oh! Quick stuff some of this jewelry in my pocket. ... Now where is that karaoke machine!??!?!"

Please contact the police if you happen to live near Huntington and a guy in a trench coat tries to sell you a karaoke machine. And everyone else?  Make sure you chain your karaoke machine down!

Motown karaoke at MJ Cafe on Brown Deer Rd

Some interesting connections between John the Revelator and Motown ...

My second eight-track tape was The Temptations Greatest Hits. (I am just a little bit embarrassed to say that my first eight track was John Denver. John Denver, by the way, is not generally considered to be part of the Motown sound.)

Michael Jackson was two months old when I was born. Two months after that, Barry Gordy started the Tamla Records, the first Motown label.

One of the highlights of my 2009 trip to New Orleans was singing some Motown and doo wop with Jay-Ray & Gee in front of the Hotel Monteleone.

photo by Michael Middleton

And now the most important fact...  Sven (in conjunction with John the Revelator) will be hosting Motown Karaoke at MJ Cafe, every Sunday night, starting Dec. 5. Karaoke starts at 7:30 PM.

MJ Cafe
A relaxed eatery and martini bar
6901 W. Brown Deer Rd
Milwaukee
(414) 377-2524

Finally some real research on karaoke!

Dr. Kevin Brown (associate prof at the University of Missouri) earned his doctorate from the University of Colorado doing an ethnographic study of karaoke. Finally, a university with a KhD program! Here we have an excerpt from his thesis.

Brown speaks of the "karaoke dream", which he defines as: "the fantasy that one will be 'discovered' singing karaoke and go on to make their mark on the 'big time' entertainment industry." Brown discusses a karaoke singer by the name of Roger who had demo CDs made, and was talking with people who had contacts in Vegas.

Obviously, a lot of karaoke singers  have something of that fantasy. I personally have a fantasy of singing just once to a huge crowd with a great band behind me. Just once, though. I certainly don't want to have to spend a year or two of voice training. And I definitely have no interest whatsoever in spending the years and years of singing every weekend in every dive in Hoboken in order to pay my dues!! 

But karaoke is not the way to actually reach the karaoke dream. My research ("getting discovered through karaoke", and "update on getting discovered") shows that nobody made it to the big time by jumping up on stage at a karaoke bar. Well... maybe someone did. I just haven't found them yet.

If a large percentage of karaoke singers were doing karaoke in the hope of becoming a star, then they would all get disappointed and just stay home and watch Glee. Since karaoke appears to still be popular, I am guessing that people are not actually trying to reach that dream, but rather they are singing karaoke in order to experience a facsimile of that dream, if only for a brief moment.

In a previous blog I asserted that karaoke was an opportunity for people to sing in groups. I submit this blog as reason #2 - karaoke is an opportunity to sample what it feels like to be a rock star.

This is just darn silly!

I am sorry that I missed another important Texan contribution to the silly places to sing karaoke hall of fame.          Karaoke in a taxi??!?!  That's just darn silly!

Francisco E. Loaiza, formerly of New Orleans, runs a taxi in Dallas. Same rates as the other taxis, but there is an added feature. Karaoke.

Damn! what a silly idea.  Why didn't I think of it first?!?!?!

Odd places for karaoke

Sydney Australia is a pretty happening place when it comes to karaoke. Not only can you go on a karaoke ghost tour, but you can also hire the karaoke bus to get you there. Yes, they do have a stripper pole.

Texas is another unexpected hotbed of unexpected places to sing karaoke. How about singing at the
Houston airport? Or, you could visit Super H Mart Korean grocery store in Carrolton, TX which offers 232 types of noodles, and (naturally) karaoke.

I regret that  Mable Peabody's Beauty Parlor and Chainsaw Repair in Denton, Texas is apparently no longer open. It was a great place to drop off your chainsaw for sharpening, get your nails done, and sing a little "Boot Scootin' Boogie". They had karaoke every night.

New Orleans Karaoke Cam

This just in...

The live KaraokeCam at Cat's Meow in New Orleans is temporarily out of service. I will stay on top of this breaking story and post updates as they come in.

Getting caught singing karaoke

My wife, the lovely Gypsy Songstress, has often told me that I can flirt as much as I like, but I better not be singing any duets with other women. Of course, I know she's kidding. She really doesn't like me to flirt much, either!

Maury Povich featured a case of 'til karaoke do us part. Raven and Kenny were karaoke sweethearts. But when Raven caught Kevin singing "their song" with another woman at the karaoke bar, she began to suspect...

Cheating by means of karaoke wasn't evidently hot enough for Maury's show, so Kenny was seduced backstage by a very sexy actress. She gave him another chance, but Kenny and Raven are now divorced.

Debra Rowley of Ocali, FL was incensed when she found her ex-husband singing karaoke with another woman. She should have listened to her lawyer's advice and taken him to the highest court, where Judge Maury could pass sentence.

Instead, Rowley took justice into her own hands. She will serve at least seven years for driving her car through the porch where her ex-husband was sitting.

Her lawyer must not be worth his salt. I mean, couldn't he get her off on justifiable attempted murder? I mean... it was her ex-husband, for goodness sake!  And he was singing a duet!! I mean really, what more justification does she need to try to murder the guy?

Love does not enter into all of today's stories of cheating karaoke. A woman in England was caught cheating the government out of disability payments when she was seen singing karaoke at a pub. Anita Todd is suffering from multiple ailments, and supposedly is not able to even walk more than a few steps, let alone belt out some karaoke.

Oh what a tangled web we weave....

Half naked karaoke that I have missed

I found out that I missed the lingerie karaoke party at "Supperclub" in San Francisco. Evidently this is an annual thing.


I was in Johannesburg and Cape Town last spring, but I missed Bikini Karaoke at Glendore Arms in Port Elizabeth. I couldn't even find any pics of the ladies in bikinis, even thought I found their FaceBook page.

Here is a clip from another karaoke performance that I missed. Maybe this one wouldn't have been worth the trip to Tokyo? I don't know. I missed it.

I also missed this karaoke show:
Oct. 27 — DJ Free Beer & Naked Karaoke, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., T.G.I. Fridays, 9430 Hwy. 16, Onalaska, free.
And here I am only a four hour drive from Onalaska! I don't recall what I was doing on the 27th, but how could it have been as much fun as Naked Karaoke. I mean really?



So much half-naked karaoke. And so much of it that I have missed. Sigh. I will have to address this when New Year's resolutions come around again.

Pet karaoke...

By now I am sure you have seen the videos of Mishka the husky who says "I Love You", and who sings Justin Beiber.

It should come as no surprise that pet karaoke is on it's way. If you just happen to be near Pensacola, FL on Saturday, Check out American Pet Idol at Pet Fest 2010: Paws & Applause for Your Pets.

If pets like to ham it up, they can enter Dancing with the Dogs and American Pet Idol, the search to find the best singing pet. Dancing with the Dogs is new," said [Meg] Peltier [Chamber of Commerce]. "It will be set up like American Bandstand. The last dog standing wins."

Also new is American Pet Idol, which is pet karaoke. "A lot of animals sing when their owners sing," said Peltier.

The Gypsy Songstress

Just to clarify... There were some photos that appeared on the internet, labeled "Gyspy Songstress". This is a soprano, apparently from Liverpool, who wears too much makeup (for my taste) and sings in the street, apparently giving away leaflets.

Do not be fooled. This Gypsy Songstress is not my Gypsy Songstress. Mine very rarely wears red. Below is a pic of the real Gypsy Songstress in all her plumage

I had to do a bit of research to find out who had stolen the name of my little songbird. I seems that the woman in the first picture is actually a woman named "Gypsy" - no songstress. Whoever took the picture had affixed the "Songstress " part.

Her original name was Sarah Watkins. She is an opera singer. Another mark against her in my book. I'm not maligning opera, or any of its aficionados. I personally just don't care for it. Or for heavy makeup.

Here is a video of Gypsy Watkins, opera singer from Birkdale, England.

I dunno... her voice sounds OK, for an opera singer. I really don't consider myself a seasoned critic of opera. I just know that I would much rather wake up listening to the warbling of my own Gypsy Songstress.

BTW... When Sarah Watkins had her name legally changed to Gypsy, she asked her husband to change his name to "Purple". He complied. I guess I could put up with changing my name from Revelator to Purple. John the Purplator? Purple the Revelator?  The makeup, the opera, though? I don't think I could deal with that.

Being replaced by a karaoke machine

Willie Jolley left showbiz when his gig as a nightclub singer was replaced by a karaoke machine. Rather than becoming demoralized, he has become a motivational speaker.

Tony Hampton was also replaced by a karaoke machine. Up until recently, he was the organist for a crematorium in Northampton, England. Yes, that's right. Karaoke hymns at a funeral. And evidently, there are some people who are not happy about this. People who are upset are invited to read Karaoke Funeral by Tania Rochelle. I have no idea whether the book of poetry would be helpful. But just in case.

 
Even the World Cup is not immune to the infiltration of karaoke. Due to recent drops in ratings, the penalty shoot outs will be replaced by karaoke contests.

Celebrity karaoke - Gerard Butler

Gerard Butler (from Phantom of the Opera, and 300) is apparently an old hand at karaoke. Here is a clip of him from July singing at a karaoke spot in Detroit. Demi Moore and Michelle Monaghan also hit the tiny stage that night.



Butler celebrated his 41st birthday in New York by singing Wonderwall and Mustang Sally with John Mayer.
http://www.examiner.com/celebrity-headlines-in-los-angeles/gerard-butler-s-awesome-karaoke-birthday-party
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/news/article_1599137.php/Gerard-Butler-does-karaoke

The very model of a modern US president

Ok, so this is not karaoke, but it is musical. Those who are familiar with Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance will get a kick out of this.



Are there any karaoke fans who are Gilbert and Sullivan fans? I mean, other than my darling wife?

An online interview with the Revelator

I am proud to say that my fame is starting to catch up with my over-inflated ego! There is an online interview of me posted at Karaoke HQ.

Thank you, Kat!

Gwenyth Paltrow on Glee!

Gwenyth Paltrow has been a long time advocate of karaoke. She has never (to my knowledge) turned down a request to lend her star power to an event for one of the karaoke charities, such as KOUGH Karaoke Opportunities for Unkempt Geeks and the Homeless, or ERK (Equal Rights for Karaokephiles). Many will recall that it was her sheer determination that brought together KK (Karaokeholic Konfidentialous) that has does so much to turn around the lives of karaoke addicts everywhere.

Gwenyth has appeared in two of my previous blogs. The first was for appearing in the greatest karaoke flick ever produced, Crusin'. Just recently, I published a blog where I quoted some bloviator who had the unmitigated audacity to say that Crusin' is a movie that only a karaoke fanatic could love.

Gwenyth finds her way to my blog a third time. My sources tell me that she will be appearing on Glee, which has been voted an Emmy in 2010 in the category "TV show that is most like karaoke in it's hokeyness, but which isn't quite as bad as American Idol". She will be singing the original words to Cee-Lo's recent hit song: "Forget You".

Porn star karaoke

I found out about Porn Star Karaoke from NPR. No, really. National Public Radio.

The NPR story was about Alex Jablonski and Michael Totten, who decided to do a documentary once a month for a year. Almost like a certain karaoke blogger who has written a karaoke blog every day for over a week now!

Jablonski and Totten called the project Sparrow Songs. You can see all twelve of the short documentaries at their website, or on vimeo. The first documentary is about the fellow who inspired them, a song writer who has put together an album every month for a year. Documentary #5 is assembled from a twelve hour visit to a donut shop. Documentary #8 is about a circus family.

And documentary #3 is about the karaoke bar Sardo's of Burbank. You can go sing there pretty much every night, but on Tuesday night, they offer something with a twist. There are porn stars there.

Here it's a relaxed environment where people can get together, have some drinks, enjoy themselves and see your favorite performer do something ... out of the ordinary, which is, get up on stage and sing rather than go on stage and have sex.

Sardo's put together their own video of Pornstar Karaoke. I dunno. Somehow they missed out on the seedy and pathetic parts of the Jablonski / Totten documentary.

By the way, Sardo's has family night on Fridays. I am John the Revelator Seymour, and I am no relation to Seymour Satin, owner of Sardo's.

Karaoke movie premieres Nov 26

Finally!  They are doing a movie about karaoke, scheduled to open on November 26!! It's been a long dry spell since Duets. We did get that quick little snippet in everybody's favorite movie Sex and the City II. Finally karaoke will be taken as serious mainstream stuff.

That's what I was thinking when I first heard about Freak Out. Then I started digging for more details.

The movie stars 18 year old Jillian Clare, who plays on Days Of Our Lives. What? Sandra Bullock wasn't available?

The movie is being produced by the folks who bring you the teen soap Victorious on Nickelodeon. Uh-oh. Second warning sign. I don't spend a whole lot of time watching teenie-bopper shows on Nickelodeon.



The movie is about a karaoke competition. The winner gets to go out with Jade's boyfriend, Beck. OMG!  How can they defile something as sacred as a karaoke competition?!?!?   Oh well. I guess I need to wait longer for that Great American Karaoke Movie.

Time to karaoke with Barbie!

I saw a Facebook post saying that Mattel has come out with a line of three Barbie ladies of the 80s.

The news is a bit dated, since the dolls were introduced almost a year ago. But still, Mattel has immortalized three great ladies of rock in the 80s: Cyndi Lauper, Joan Jett, and Debbie Harry. And there is at least one more lady of rock from the 80s who has become a Barbie Girl: Cher. Note that the Cher doll is wearing her uber-sexy outfit from her 1989 If I Could Turn Back Time video. Wow. That still gives me chills. (Honey... my birthday is coming up...)

These Barbie dolls tie back to a recent post of mine, where I reported spending literally hours of time painstakingly compiling an almost infinite number of lists into the definitive list of best songs of the 80s. Naturally, it makes sense to wonder how Mattel did at picking their dolls? Did they pick the best of the best?

Actually, Mattel didn't do too bad. Three of the four ladies are on my definitive list. Here are the most popular songs from these three ladies and where they ranked.

Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun   (#18)
Joan Jett - I Love Rock 'N Roll   (#19)
Debbie Harry - Call Me   (#58)

Cher, surprisingly enough didn't make it on my best of the 80s list. Evidently, none of the ten websites I looked at knew that If I Could Turn Back Time was recorded in 1989. That's too bad.

Cher and Joan Jett did make it on my list of crowd pleasing karaoke songs. I am guessing Cher might be embarrassed about this, but I Got You Babe is her only entry in the best of karaoke. It is the #2 duet. Joan Jett's I Love Rock 'N Roll was a well deserved #9 on the list of best karaoke.

I think Mattel missed an important female artist from the 80s, though. Madonna had two hits that were high on my list:

Madonna - Like a Virgin (#4), Material Girl (#21).


Incidentally, Mattel also sells a karaoke Barbie. Well... actually it is an American Idol Barbie. But, you can certainly pretend that she is singing karaoke.

OMG is that bad PR!

On June 22, Hilton Worldwide got some of the worst PR imaginable. I quote from USA Today:

Chinese authorities shut down one of Hilton's flagship hotels in the country indefinitely as they investigate an alleged brothel operating in the hotel's independently run karaoke club, reports say.

OMG... they run karaoke at that hotel?!?!?!?  Stay away from that place! 

This is too much....

Come on guys... enough maligning of karaoke!!!

http://www.buyawardsandtrophies.com/resin-karaoke-toilet-trophy-p-2476.html?PID=4010397&refid=cj

Good website for karaoke articles

I found a Facebook page that is posting links to a lot of good karaoke articles. The Facebook page is called "MySpace Karaoke".  (I wonder how Facebook feels about that!??!)

I just took a little stroll through recent postings... they have a couple videos of folks in the Sugarland karaoke contest, a link to an article with karaoke tips for guys who can't sing, another link with tips on how to avoid karaoke embarrassment, and a link to a list of good karaoke tunes for Halloween.

I'm liking it. Thanks Kat!!

BTW... for information about the MySpace karaoke contest, visit a previous blog of mine, or have a look at their site.

Who do you want to sing karaoke with?

There was a recent poll in Singapore asking which artist you would most like to sing karaoke with. Naturally, my absolute first choice would be the Gypsy Songstress, who just happens to be my wife. It's all very convenient the way that works, cuz we do get a chance to sing karaoke together.  :)

But... I think their question had more to do with fantasy, and real pros rather than pro wannabees.

For me, I think I would have fun singing with Bette Midler. She has such a bawdy in your face style and I love her voice. Here is a pic of Bette. The one on the left is not me, by the way. It's Gladys Knight, without any Pips.

How about you?  What celebrity or performer would you like to join on a karaoke stage? Add a comment to tell me who you would like to get up on a karaoke stage with, and why.

Claudia Schiffer "admits" to singing karaoke

Believe it or not, supermodel Claudia Schiffer admitted in an interview that she sang karaoke at a party.

"I think I had a little too much to drink and it ended out with me being totally out of character and do a lot of karaoke... cuz I know me and I'm quite shy..."



Sigh.  Why do people need to make excuses to explain why they sing?  It isn't all that nasty of a disease, but it is catchy!

A few goofy karaoke videos

Karaoke for the deaf


Star Trek karaoke

Best songs of the 80s

Best of the 80's
I found out that I will be doing an 80's themed gig!  I have to be honest. I pretty much checked out of the music scene in the 80's. Career, kids... Tragically, life kinda got in the way of music for a while. I have my priorities straight now, thank god, but I needed a refresher course on what's good from the 80's.

So, I did a little Googling for "best music of the 80's". I picked out ten websites (see below) with lots and lots of songs  - most had a top 100 list. And I compiled votes. Here is a list of all the 27 songs that got at least 5 votes. So, if you happen to be coming to the Milwaukee Art Museum on Friday, Dec. 17, stop by for karaoke. Here is a list of songs you could sing.

Votes	Song	Artist
8	When Doves Cry	Prince
7	Billie Jean	Michael Jackson
7	Don't You Want Me?	Human League
7	Like A Virgin	Madonna
7	Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)	Eurythmics
7	Take on Me	A-ha
6	Every Breath You Take	The Police
6	Hungry Like the Wolf	Duran Duran
6	Livin' on a Prayer	Bon Jovi
6	Pour Some Sugar on Me	Def Leopard
6	Tainted Love	Soft Cell
6	Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go	Wham!
6	With or Without You	U2
5	Beat It	Michael Jackson
5	Don't You (Forget About Me)	Simple Minds
5	Everybody Wants To Rule the World	Tears for Fears
5	Faith	George Michael
5	Girls Just Wanna Have Fun	Cyndi Lauper
5	I Love Rock N' Roll	Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
5	Kiss	Prince
5	Material Girl	Madonna
5	Nasty	Janet Jackson
5	Sweet Child O' Mine	Guns N' Roses
5	Total Eclipse of the Heart	Bonnie Tyler
5	Walk Like An Egyptian	Bangles
5	Walk This Way	Run D.M.C.
5	You Shook Me All Night Long	AC/DC

Other posts in my "best songs" series
Crowd pleaser karaoke songs
Worst karaoke picks
Best slow dance songs of all time

Websites that I collected data from
http://hubpages.com/hub/Top-100-Songs-of-the-80s
http://www.liketotally80s.com/best_80s_music_videos.html
http://rateyourmusic.com/list/Clarkone68/top_100_songs_of_the_80s
http://www.nutsie.com/top100sradio/Top%20100%2080s%20Songs/2094767
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_dance-80s.html
http://www.80sxchange.com/radio.htm
http://www.squidoo.com/100-greatest-songs-of-the-80s
http://mag.weddingcentral.com.au/music/songs/top1080s.htm
http://jeantop10.com/top100/72-music-charts/250-top-100-songs-80s
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/best-songs-of-the-80s.html