Cee Lo's Magic Moment Lives Up to Its Title

I know next to nothing about Cee Lo Green aside from the fact that he released a foul-mouthed but oh-so-catchy kiss-off song that I’ve heard several times with altered lyrics. Considering the bleep-worthiness of this song, I wasn’t at all sure I’d like his Christmas album, Cee Lo’s Magic Moment, so it ended up being one of the sweetest musical surprises of the season for me.

Cee Lo has a deep, soulful voice that makes him well suited to R and B-style Christmas classics such as What Christmas Means to Me, first recorded by Stevie Wonder; Donny Hathaway’s funky This Christmas; and Charles Brown’s soul-stirring Please Come Home for Christmas. There’s a sense of passion and sincerity in his delivery that really grabbed me and held my attention.

Songs of romance are plentiful here, and he fares similarly well with those. His rendition of Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is peppy and includes some vocal acrobatics, as does the duet Baby It’s Cold Outside; while it starts off fairly sedate, he and Christina Aguilera soon let their voices go wild as they sing over top of each other. Meanwhile, the brass-heavy Merry Christmas, Baby is a fun number that ties into the Christmas album of Rod Stewart, who guests here alongside Trombone Shorty.

The smooth but percussive Christmas Song is warmly relaxing, while The River is melancholy without being morose and his version of White Christmas is one of the bounciest I have heard. The rollicking keyboards are the real stars of Run Rudolph Run, but the vocals are great in a retro rock kind of way.

Silent Night has a truly reverent Gospel feel to it, with faint choral backing to a gorgeous lead vocal. After I listened to the album, I watched the video, which features a lanky Santa and several scantily clad women in red and white running in slow motion; the bizarre spectacle certainly detracts from the beauty of the music and the sense of sincerity, which is a shame. Thankfully, there is no such video for Mary, Did You Know?, which has rich instrumental backing and an even more soulful sound to it.

Cee Lo’s two most unusual tracks still are not wholly original, but they are a lot of fun. He teams up with the brilliant Straight No Chaser for a hugely entertaining rendition of You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch that is loaded with harmonic surprises. His recitation of several lengthy passages from the book adds to the enjoyment as well.

All I Need Is Love is weird and wacky, drawing from the Beatles’ All You Need Is Love with a beat straight out of Mambo No. 5 and a strong sampling of Muppet classic Mahna Mahna. Several Muppets have a solo line or two, so picking them out is a lot of fun, even though it takes a few listens to catch everything. Make sure to listen through to the end to allow perpetually cranky Statler and Waldorf their opportunity to weigh in, even though their assessment naturally differs from mine. This isn’t an easy track to sing along with, but it’s loads of fun, and it also has some nice sentiments about the joy of togetherness this time of year.

I’m still not entirely sure where Cee Lo is coming from, especially after seeing that Silent Night video, but his album is a joy to listen to nonetheless. If you’re into soulful renditions of Christmas classics, you should give it a spin too.

The Muppets: "Life's a Happy Song When There's Someone By Your Side to Sing Along"

Just about every year, it seems that there is one movie that I anticipate above all others. While 2011 had many promising candidates – including my beloved Winnie the Pooh and Harry Potter facing off against each other in the middle of summer – there was one film that had me aquiver with excitement from the time I first heard rumors of its release. Of course, it helped that it had the cleverest, most persistent ad campaign of any movie I can recall, expertly spoofing multiple genres while demonstrating its ability to appeal to a broad audience. I’m speaking, naturally, of The Muppets, the James Bobin-directed movie that launches Kermit the Frog and all his felt friends onto the big screen for the first time in more than a decade. While television specials and viral videos have helped them maintain a presence in recent years, The Muppets feels like a joyous return to the glory days of those madcap mischief-makers whose merriment brought mirth to millions.

It takes a special kind of person to get the Muppets in such a visceral way as to be able to revive them for a cynical generation. When I heard that Jason Segel was not just starring but actually co-writing the screenplay, I thought, “You know, this could be a very good thing.” While some of his recent projects have had a decidedly off-color streak, I will always recall Segel first as sweetly goofy aspiring drummer Nick Andopolis on the sadly short-lived high school dramedy Freaks and Geeks, and the endearing idealism he brought to that character seems a perfect fit for Jim Henson’s relentlessly positive creations. Together with Nicholas Stoller, he crafted a screenplay as innocent as it is exuberant – a movie that dares to demonstrate that there is room in this world for hope, togetherness and splashy musical numbers… and maybe an ill-timed explosion or two.

Segel plays Gary, a lovable grown-up kid who still shares a house with his little brother, his best friend. The brotherly affection between Gary and Walter, earnestly voiced by Peter Linz, is so genuine that it never feels weird that one is a man and one is a Muppet. In fact, it hearkens back to the peculiar brotherhood between Kermit and Fozzie Bear in The Great Muppet Caper. These are characters who have always transcended the traditional boundaries of family. Still, living in a tiny town surrounded by humans, Walter feels out of place, even with the world’s most supportive big brother looking out for him. His discovery of the Muppets as a child quickly bloomed into an obsession, a dream of a different destiny. Now, years later, Walter is childlike as ever and about to achieve a lifelong dream. But what kind of growing up will be required for him to take that all-important step?

Walter is truly the heart of the movie, a representation of those devoted fans for whom the luster of the Muppets has never dimmed. Like Kermit in The Muppet Movie, he is a dreamer in search of a connection, but because The Muppet Show pointed the way for him, he knows just where to find it. It’s a story of self-discovery, of letting go and reconnecting, and all those who ever laughed until they cried over Gonzo’s cannon-shot chickens and Fozzie’s groan-worthy jokes will understand the euphoria emblazoned on Walter’s flexible face as his heroes gradually gather for a raucous reunion.

These are the viewers who will best appreciate all of the in-jokes and the cameos from lesser-known Muppets, to say nothing of the wistfully funny situations in which the main players find themselves. The newly initiated, meanwhile, can have fun pointing out all the human celebrities, from contemporary child stars Selena Gomez and Modern Family’s Rico Rodriguez to elder statesmen Mickey Rooney and Alan Arkin. Jack Black gets more screen time than most as Animal’s disgruntled anger management sponsor, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who geeked out over the revelation of who Walter would look like if he were human.

Then, of course, a menacing Chris Cooper is the oil baron darkly commiserating with his paltry band of sycophants as the fate of the Muppet Studio Theatre hangs in balance, while Amy Adams brings her usual brand of sunshine with a spritzer of vulnerability to Mary, a hands-on teacher so beloved by her students they dread spring break but unable to secure a commitment from the man she’s dated for a decade. Like Segel, she seems a perfect fit for the Muppets’ harmonious mayhem.

Speaking of harmonies, there are some great ones in this movie that features several original songs written by Bret McKenzie, one-half of the brilliantly batty New Zealand folk-comedy duo Flight of the Conchords. His style meshes marvelously with the Muppets’ fine fusion of silliness and warmth, with the two standouts the soul-searching duet between the brothers and the lavish group number we hear at both the beginning and end of the movie. Beyond that, we get classic Muppet fare like Rainbow Connection and Mahna Mahna with a new twist or two, along with a few regular radio hits. If I’d had any lingering doubt as to whether they were going to pull this off, I would have relinquished it in sheer delight over the opening montage set to the sprightly strains of a song Paul Simon once performed on Sesame Street.

However, even before the movie started I was grinning over the Toy Story short Small Fry, which pokes fun at poorly conceived kids’ meal toys at fast food restaurants. On a trip to a medieval-themed chicken joint, Buzz Lightyear falls prey to a nefarious plot by a miniature Buzz who has languished too long in the display case. After a romp in the ball pit, Little Buzz makes his way into Bonnie’s backpack to hobnob with Woody and the gang while the real Buzz wanders into a group therapy session for discarded toys led by a militant mermaid voiced by Jane Lynch. Askew versions of beloved characters and a bunch of oddballs finding solace in each other appropriately foreshadows what’s to come in the movie proper.

More than 15 years ago, Pixar established itself as a studio capable of bringing that rare blend of sly wit and wholesome fun that, coupled with a compelling story, makes an ideal family film. The Jim Henson Company has always offered that type of entertainment, so The Muppets is truly a joy from pre-start to finish. While reflecting upon the wonders of the rainbow, a famous frog has postulated, “We know that it’s probably magic.” If we’re talking about the rainbow of marvelous misfits that make up the Muppets, there’s no “probably” about it.

The Muppets Get Spooky in the Comic Collection Muppet Mash

The Muppets seem to be everywhere these days, and one enjoyable form in which they have surfaced is the comic book. Roger Langridge has crafted several books in The Muppet Show Comic Book series, one of which is the Halloween-themed Muppet Mash. Each of the four sections is meant to be an episode of the show, and each focuses on a particular type of monster, making this a silly, spooky collection fitting for this time of year.

In Chickens of the Night, Gonzo begins displaying some very strange behavior after his trip to Transylvania. While weirdness is Gonzo’s trademark, his new choice of attire and his secretive habits begin to make his friends suspect that he has returned a vampire. Are they jumping to conclusions, or does this mark a dramatic change for Gonzo? While the main story is fun, my favorite part of this segment is Casey Was a Bat, a parody of the beloved baseball poem Casey at the Bat.

That’s a Wrap introduces a woman with an Egyptian vaudeville act. Statler and Waldorf both fall for her immediately, as she reminds them so forcefully of a performer they saw in their youth. Could she actually be that same Cleopatra wannabe? This one is a lot of fun because it’s so odd to see the crusty curmudgeons attempting to be romantic, all the while undermining each other’s efforts in that department. I also enjoyed all the Egyptian puns, many of which I only got because of the crash course in Egyptology that accompanied my LOST immersion last year.

Monster Munch finds the members of the Electric Mayhem ecstatic that the legendary blues musician Howlin’ Jack Talbot will be sitting in with them for this episode. Their enthusiasm soon fades, however, when he is unable to get through a song. Similar in some ways to the first story, it revolves around the growing suspicions that this musical hero may, in fact, be a werewolf. Will the band ever manage to complete a performance with their special guest?

Finally, The Curse of Beaker is a Frankenstein-like story in which Bunsen, never particularly concerned about the welfare of his lab assistant, orders him to place his brain inside a gigantic robot he has constructed. Beaker concocts a clever way to subvert this unpleasant plan, but will the results lead to disaster? This story integrally involves a small creature called a poob, which I don’t ever recall encountering before this book. Were these cheerful furry creatures a part of the Muppetverse all along, or did Langridge invent them? This is a fun showcase for Beaker, and it also affords the entertaining opportunity of seeing the ominous-looking Sweetums in a dress.

Each story contains a hefty dose of Muppet mayhem, and as a result, it all feels a bit chaotic. There’s an ongoing story in each, but we also get regular Muppet Show segments like Veterinarian’s Hospital and the cooking corner with the Swedish Chef. It’s a little odd to see the Muppets in this flat format, but they are just as dynamic as ever, and their expressions are wonderful. Some of them look closer to their proper versions than others, but all of them are easily identifiable. Of course, you’re not getting any audio cues, and that is particularly noticeable during the many musical numbers, but the songs included here are a lot of fun anyway.

Only one of these stories takes place on Halloween, but the creepy holiday is obviously the prevailing theme. This gives the story added seasonal appeal in the fall, but it would be just as entertaining at any other time. Muppet Mash uses horror staples but transforms them into something goofy, much like the Riddikulus charm in Harry Potter. If you have trouble laughing in the face of fear, see if these Muppets might be able to help you out.

Contemporary Artists Take on the Muppets in The Green Album

This Thanksgiving, the Muppets will burst into theaters for the first time in years. It’s a joyous occasion for folks like me who are so fond of Kermit and his chums. In the past couple of years, we’ve seen concentrated efforts to put the Muppets, now a Disney property, more firmly back into the collective consciousness. Expertly executed viral videos have been the primary means of restoring the Muppets to their former glory and demonstrating that they have as much to offer adults as they do kids.

One of the last great pre-movie efforts is The Green Album, a collection of Muppet covers by modern musicians. As I’ve never been much for contemporary music, my familiarity level is pretty low, but this album has the capacity to reach thousands of fans of each of these singers or groups, and even those who don’t know any of the specific artists involved might be curious enough to investigate. It’s a hip experiment that transcends genres, which is kinda what the Muppets themselves are, so it’s quite fitting.

Muppet Show Theme Song - This song, instantly recognizable to anyone who ever saw the Muppets’ variety show, is performed by OK GO, and it’s trippy. Starting with the series of melodious beeps that seem to be designed primarily for dogs’ ears, this band gives us a version of the song that is inventive but not particularly pleasant to listen to. Still, it’s obvious they’re having a lot of fun, and that’s doubly true when you watch the video.

Rainbow Connection - I prefer this track, which starts off with gentle harp accompaniment and birdsong as Weezer’s lead singer slowly sings Kermit’s iconic meditation. Hayley Williams takes over in the second verse, and her rendition is equally heartfelt as the banjo moves into prominence. The two harmonize on the bridge and for the rest of the song, and the result is very pleasing, though I prefer the soft accompaniment of the beginning to the electrified rock sound of the almost-end. The very end winds down with an echoey piano rendition of the chorus that hearkens back to the opening.

Mahna Mahna - This nonsensical song performed by The Fray is pure fun and silliness, as it always has been. The “doo doo doo doo doo”s sound virtually identical, as does the steady percussion. The piano and clapping add a bit of a different flavor, as does the slightly reworked scatting of the beatnik main character.

Movin’ Right Along - Alkaline Trio, a band I’d never heard of before, takes on this Muppet Movie road trip anthem. It’s very heavy on the electric guitar with a bit of piano here and there; there’s definitely a hard rock sound to it. It captures a sense of exuberance and adventure, and the banter makes it extra fun, though it’s a bit too electric for my tastes.

Our World - I’m pretty sure I never heard this song before, but I like it. With the banjo, synthesizer and lovely harmonies, My Morning Jacket presents a song of optimism, singing about all that is good in the world and expressing hope that it is changing for the better. I especially like the heartening “Some say our world is getting too small; I say, with kindness there’s room for us all.” A very nice track that exemplifies Jim Henson’s ideals.

Halfway Down the Stairs - Amy Lee, another artist unfamiliar to me, gives this simple song, performed by Robin and based on an A. A. Milne poem, a rather eerie flavor. I could do with a little less of a techno-ish sound, but her voice is quite lovely, and it still seems like a sweet assertion of finding one’s own place in the world.

Mr. Bassman - This Electric Mayhem song featuring Scooter as an eager fan gets a fun rendition here thanks to Sondre Lerche. I love the plucky bass strumming throughout, particularly at the beginning and end; I’m not wild about the electrified middle portion, but I still like the singer’s enthusiastic tone, which is well suited to Scooter’s excitement. Very peppy.

Wishing Song - In this case, I’m pretty sure I have never heard the song or the performer before. The Airborne Toxic Event sings the song with an angsty edge, and there’s so much distortion at play that it’s hard to understand what they’re singing half the time, but when the words are clear they are nice, and the song comes across as sincere, first bemoaning what is missing from the speaker’s life, then celebrating what is present.

Night Life - This Great Muppet Caper song is performed by Billy Martin and Brandon Saller of the band Atreyu; I’ve never heard of either, but if Saller is in a band named after a character in The Never-Ending Story, his presence here seems to make sense. Honestly, this is probably my least favorite track because it’s just so loud. At one point, one of the guys says, “Hey, you don’t have to play so loud,” and I was really hoping it might quiet down a bit after that, but no dice. I do, however, enjoy the extended drum solo toward the end.

Bein’ Green - Andrew Green, yet another artist unfamiliar to me, takes on Kermit’s other most iconic song, and like Rainbow Connection, it’s mellow and melodious. The mild percussion and banjo are well suited to his reflective vocals that ramble easily over the lyrics. I think my favorite part of the song is when he whistles to the accompaniment of fiddle and banjo. Tied with Rainbow Connection for my favorite track.

I Hope That Somethin’ Better Comes Along - This piano-heavy Kermit and Rowlf song about romantic aspirations gets a nice legato treatment by Matt Nathanson. I’ve never heard of him either, but I really like this rendition. His voice has a pleasant tone to It and, backed by that piano and softly ooh-ing voices, sounds very nice indeed.

I’m Going to Go Back There Someday - Rachael Yamagata get the final track on the album, which is a meditative song from Gonzo as he wonders about his origins. There’s some beautiful back-up harmony here, and the instruments have an appropriately celestial sound to them. I especially like the flute solo toward the end. Again, I’m not familiar with Yamagata, but she has a husky, haunting voice that is well suited to the soul-searching theme of this song.

In most cases, I would much prefer to just listen to the original versions of these songs, but it’s fun to see what modern musicians have chosen to do with these songs. Hopefully, those who are more inclined to enjoy contemporary music will be drawn in by the list of artists but impressed enough to check out the original versions and fall in love with the Muppets all over again – or even for the very first time.

A Witch and a Monster Learn to Share in Cookie Monster and the Cookie Tree

It seems like I’ve been seeing a lot of Cookie Monster lately, from the Occupy Sesame Street poster making the rounds on Facebook – 99% of the world’s cookies are consumed by 1% of its monsters” – to the “delete cookies???” avatar that features a distraught Cookie Monster staring at the computer screen. Clearly he is a beloved figure beyond just his core demographic. Of course, that’s partly because so many adults grew up with this furry blue overeater. His sweet tooth has been getting him into trouble for decades. Recently, I stumbled upon one of his early adventures. I wonder if they knew back in 1977, when Cookie Monster and the Cookie Tree was published, that Cookie Monster would still be so popular today?

In this quirky Little Golden Book written by David Korr and illustrated by Joe Mathieu, Cookie Monster is often identified as the Cookie Monster, which suggests to me that there are multiple cookie monsters but only one in the vicinity. Well, one’s enough; Cookie Monster’s reputation as a glutton precedes him. The story doesn’t actually start with him. Instead, we first meet a selfish witch and her talking cookie tree. When she sees Cookie Monster coming, the witch hastily casts a spell dictating that only those who share will be able to eat from the tree. She cackles at her cleverness, but will it backfire?

All of the characters in this story display negative characteristics of some kind. Cookie Monster and the witch are both greedy. The friends – classic Sesame Street characters Herry Monster, Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, Prairie Dawn, the Count, Grover and Oscar – all are unwilling to take a chance on believing that Cookie Monster might actually be telling the truth about wanting to share cookies. And the tree is just plain ornery, but then I imagine you would be too if people kept plucking cookies off you all day.

Most of the friends Cookie Monster tries to take back to the tree with him aren’t exactly rude, but nearly every one of them laughs, so absurd is the idea that he might share. This seems a bit excessive. Granted, it’s the behavior we need to see in order to set up the ending, but as hungry as Cookie Monster is, he also has a good heart. One of my favorite sketches involves him having breakfast with Ernie, and while he does make a bit of a mess of things, he still has every intention of them both eating. I think he might be a little more generous than this book is giving him credit for.

Still, while it’s fun to see all those established characters, this book is really about Cookie Monster and the unnamed witch and how they are able to come to an understanding. The blurb on the title page describes it as an “educational” book, and the lesson is on sharing, though the silly shenanigans at the end undermine the moral somewhat. The tone of the book is light-hearted and even a bit snarky; Korr is definitely going for humor more often than not. The drawings have a fun retro look to them and are enhanced by the dialogue bubbles coming out of characters’ mouths. The funniest character is the purple witch, whose creaky voice is easy to imagine and who is prone to having temper tantrums. Kids, don’t do this at home.

Cookie Monster has been a part of my life for three decades, and it’s fun to peruse this book and see a slightly earlier incarnation of him. While I don’t think the educational value of this particular book is very strong, it’s still a fun story that does show how selfishness can have unpleasant consequences. And oh, yeah, it’ll make you really hungry for chocolate chip cookies…

Sing Like a Seafarer on Talk Like a Pirate Day

Ahoy, matey! Today be International Talk Like a Pirate Day, created in 1995 and popularized in 2002 by humorist Dave Barry. I’ve found this event amusing since I first became acquainted with it, though I haven’t quite mastered the gift of pirate gab myself. Hence, I won’t be writing a review in Piratese, but in honor of this rather ridiculous holiday, I present my September 19th list of 19 seafaring songs. While only a quarter of them involve actual pirates and there’s a fairly heavy concentration of songs from the Irish Rovers and Celtic Thunder, I hope it goes down as sweet as a goblet o’ grog.

A Professional Pirate - In this song from Muppet Treasure Island, Tim Curry leads a most unsavory crew in a litany of reasons why the pirate lifestyle is so satisfactory. A gregarious song of welcome rather reminiscent of Oliver’s Consider Yourself, it offers the wily Long John Silver a chance to persuade innocent young Jim Hawkins that piracy isn’t so terrible after all. “It’s how you look at buccaneers that makes them bad or good, and I see us as members of a noble brotherhood!”

Blow the Man Down - When it comes to traditional sea shanties, few are more famous than this one. I’ve heard it any number of times at Celtic fests and other singalong occasions, but when I think of it nowadays, what pops into my mind first is the absurd but endearing sight of brainy Sheldon Cooper and his bubbly neighbor Penny using the song to help them mass-produce hair clips on The Big Bang Theory. “I’ll sing ye a song, a good song of the sea, with a way, hey, blow the man down. I trust that you’ll join in the chorus with me. Give me some time to blow the man down!”

Calypso - John Denver wrote this song in the immediate aftermath of his ride on the Calypso, the ship belonging to ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau. It’s easy to tell how inspired he was; it may be just about the most viscerally joyful song in his catalog, and given how happy so much of his music is, that’s really saying something. An exuberant tribute to Cousteau and to aquatic life. “Like the dolphin who guides you, you bring us beside you to light up the darkness and show us the way. Although we are strangers in your silent world, to live on the land we must learn from the sea to be true as the tide, free as a wind swell, joyful and loving in letting it be.”

Candle on the Water - Definitely not a sea shanty, but so rich in nautical imagery that I had to include it, especially since it is one of my very favorite Disney love songs. Helen Reddy’s Nora, a lighthouse keeper, continues to tend to her duties, hoping that one day the ship her beacon saves will be that of her fiancé Paul, who vanished at sea the year before. The lighthouse becomes a powerful metaphor for the flame in her heart that she refuses to extinguish. “A cold and friendless tide has found you. Don’t let the stormy darkness pull you down. I’ll paint a ray of hope around you, circling in the air, lighted by a prayer.”

Captain Hook - My favorite version of Peter Pan is the televised stage musical starring Mary Martin, with the outstanding Cyril Ritchard as the far more hilarious than menacing Captain Hook. A preening peacock of a man, he revels in the tribute he writes to himself, with his pirate crew chiming in on the chorus. “Who’s the swiniest swine in the world? (Captain Hook! Captain Hook!) Who’s the dirtiest dog in this wonderful world? (Captain Hook! Captain Hook!) Captain of villainy, murder and loot, eager to kill any who says that his hook isn’t cute. (It’s cute!)”

Farewell to Nova Scotia - This traditional Canadian dirge most likely dates back about a century, and I’ve heard several renditions, my favorite of which is the wistful, woodwind-soaked one by the Irish Rovers. Songs of emigration are common to Celtic music; this one stands out to me for this list because of the nautical focus of the chorus. “Farewell to Nova Scotia, the sea-bound coast. Let your mountains dark and dreary be. When I am far away, on the briny ocean tossed, will you ever heave a sigh or a wish for me?”

Gilligan’s Island Theme Song - Possibly the most maddeningly catchy theme song in television history. Once this song gets lodged in your head, you’re stuck with the bouncy ballad for life. These seven stranded castaways have such a cushy life that it doesn’t really matter that Gilligan manages to thwart their rescue week after week. Since the millionaire Howells seem to have packed for a three-year tour and there’s nothing that the Professor can’t build out of bamboo or coconuts, they’re set for life. Pretty lucky shipwreck! (P. S. You’re welcome.) “The mate was a mighty sailin’ man, the skipper brave and sure. Five passengers set sail that day for a three-hour tour (a three-hour tour).”

Greenland Whale Fisheries - Peter Paul and Mary sing a stirring version of this 300-year-old ballad detailing a whaling expedition gone awry. I’d never heard it before I got their boxed set five years ago, but it’s been covered by many, including The Weavers, whose rendition is perhaps the most famous. The deceptively upbeat banjo is countered by the melancholy flute in this tragic tale. “Oh, Greenland is a dreadful place. It’s a land that’s never green, where there’s ice and snow and the whale-fishes blow and daylight’s seldom seen, brave boys, and daylight’s seldom seen.”

Heartland - One of Celtic Thunder’s two signature songs, this Phil Coulter chant is a prayer for deliverance uttered by sailors in rough weather. In this way, it’s quite similar to the ballad Home From the Sea, included on a later Celtic Thunder album, but the bouncy folksiness of that song, along with the rescue at the hands of the coast guard, gives it a very different tone than this one, a reverent plea borne of desperation and deep faith. It’s a most appropriate song for the group to open with, since the Gaelic chorus, which translates to “Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy,” feels so Celtic and the stormy situation, brought to life with deep percussion, certainly takes care of the thunder. “When the winds are howling, vigil keep. Shelter us and save us from the deep!”

Into the West - Extensively hinted at earlier in the score, particularly the exquisite The Grey Havens, this is the end-credits anthem of The Return of the King. Drawing inspiration from Frodo’s vision of the West in the novel and the Tennyson-esque poem Bilbo’s Last Song, which imagines Bilbo’s poetic response to his departure from Middle-earth, this epic Annie Lennox song is slow and ethereal. While it deals specifically with the Westward journey that the heroic Bagginses undertake after their labors have ended, the song also uses nautical imagery to speak metaphorically and optimistically of death. “What can you see on the horizon? Why do the white gulls call? Across the sea, a pale moon rises. The ships have come to carry you home.”

Jack Sparrow - I distinctly remember the night six years ago when I was watching Saturday Night Live and saw my first Digital Short. I was blown away by Lazy Sunday, which was just so different and so refreshingly funny. In the video, a couple of geeky guys use hardcore rap to relate their exploits leading up to their viewing of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It’s hilarious and, aside from one extraneous word that seems to have been included mostly so it could be censored, perfectly clean. Andy Samberg and his Lonely Island cronies quickly got more risqué with their videos and songs on the show and off, so when this video went viral on Facebook, I was torn between keen interest and wariness. Interest won out; both were warranted. The main trio’s rapped verses are filthy, both in terms of language and activities described, but Michael Bolton’s random melodic outbursts that turn the chorus into a tribute to Captain Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Caribeean make the wincing worth it. The most entertaining marriage of an epic score and absurd heights of fandom since last year’s I’ll Never Be LOST Again, it proved the perfect way to generate excitement for the fourth movie. “This is the tale of Captain Jack Sparrow, pirate so brave on the Seven Seas. A mystical quest to the isle of Tortuga. Raven locks sway in the ocean breeze.”

Safe in the Harbour - I just discovered this gentle Eric Bogle ballad thanks to George Donaldson’s debut solo album, The White Rose. Written in tribute to the late Canadian singer-songwriter Stan Rogers, it speaks of sailing as being akin to dreaming before using the chorus to craft a metaphor similar to the one used in Into the West. Simply gorgeous. “To every sailor comes time to drop anchor, haul in the sails and make the lines fast. You deep water dreamer, your journey is over. You’re safe in the harbour at last.”

The Irish Rover - This traditional tune from which the Irish Rovers take their name is a calamitous ballad that really should be a most mournful lament. Instead, however, the whole thing feels like a party, particularly the silly section detailing all of the cargo that the Irish Rover has in its hold. I’ve heard this song oodles of times, but nobody whoops it up like the Irish Rovers, who keep listeners on their toes by altering the lyrics slightly just about every time they record it. Never has a shipwreck been so much fun. “We had sailed seven years when the measles broke out and the ship lost its way in a fog, and the whale of a crew was reduced down to two: ‘twas meself and the captain’s old dog. Then the ship struck a rock – oh, Lord, what a shock! We nearly tumbled over. Turned nine times around and the poor old dog was drowned. I’m the last of The Irish Rover!”

The Mariner’s Revenge Song - This was the song that introduced me to The Decemberists, a truly unusual alt-folkie group fronted by Colin Meloy, who mostly writes songs that sound as though they’ve been floating around for a couple of centuries. That’s certainly true of this nine-minute-long whale of a song accompanied by accordion and tambourine and filled with words like “roustabout” and “consumptive.” After the narrator’s “poor sweet mother” charges her young son with the task of violently dispatching the ne’er-do-well who had his way with her, infected her with some foul disease and abandoned her, even Inigo Montoya would be hard-pressed to compete with his blood-thirsty drive for vengeance. Quite a nasty narrative, but oh so grandiose. “We are two mariners, our ships' sole survivors in this belly of a whale. Its ribs are ceiling beams. Its guts are carpeting. I guess we have some time to kill…”

The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything - Since its first episode, one of the trademark elements of the VeggieTales line of computer-animated Christian videos has been Silly Songs With Larry. This particular Silly Song is doubly goofy because it makes its debut in a video that consists of nothing but previous Silly Songs. These lackadaisical pirates would go on to star in two full-screen flops that almost toppled the company, so I guess you might say they accidentally pillaged their own production. Nonetheless, I found the films fairly fun and the concept a hoot as gruff Pa Grape, luxuriating Mr. Lunt and oblivious Larry the Cucumber brag about all the piratey – and, in Larry’s case, just plain weird – things they’ve never actually done. “And I never hoist the mainstay, and I never swab the poop deck, and I never veer to starboard ‘cause I never sail at all. And I’ve never walked the gangplank, and I’ve never owned a parrot, and I’ve never been to Boston in the fall.”

The Voyage - This Johnny Duhan song, famously covered by Christy Moore, is another that I heard first from Celtic Thunder’s George Donaldson. In this tender love song, the speaker likens marriage to a nautical journey, instantly reminding me of LOST’s Odyssean lovers Desmond and Penny, who spend so much of their time navigating the ocean in their quest to be together. While the central metaphor comes close to being mawkish at times, it never crosses the line, at least when sung by such master balladeers as I’ve heard performing it. “I am a sailor; you’re my first mate. We signed on together; we coupled our fate. We hauled up our anchor, determined not to fail. For the heart’s treasure, together we set sail.”

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Up until the Decemberists came along, I found it hard to imagine a seafaring ballad that could eclipse this six-and-a-half-minute-long behemoth. Even in light of that song, Gordon Lightfoot’s electrified ode to the doomed titular ship remains impressive. Inspired by a straightforward newspaper account of the infamous shipwreck that occurred November 10, 1975, it also has the distinction of being the only non-local song I can think of to mention Lake Erie. I saw this song performed from the second row at a concert in 2000, and believe me, it really felt like we were out there on that roiling ocean. I’ll always think of this as the ultimate shipwreck song. “In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed in the Maritime Sailors’ Cathedral. The church bell chimed till it rang 29 times for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

Yellow Submarine - No, it’s not a boat per se, but how could I not include this cheerful ocean vessel at the heart of one of the Beatles’ peppiest, most recognizable tunes? It sure sounds like a wonderful way to see the aquatic world. “In the town where I was born there lived a man who sailed to sea, and he told us of his life in the land of submarines. So we sailed into the sun till we found the sea of green, and we lived beneath the waves in our yellow submarine.”

Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me) - I love that my alphabetization of this list landed me with pirate songs on either end. This song, very much along the same lines as A Professional Pirate, is a celebration of this lawless lifestyle and has served as the official theme song to the Pirates of the Caribbean attractions for upwards of four decades. A very singable shanty that delights in devilish deeds and a perfect way to wrap up this Talk Like a Pirate Day Playlist. “We’re beggars and blighters and ne’er-do-well cads. Drink up, me hearties, yo ho! Aye, but we’re loved by our mommies and dads. Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!”

It took me a while to come up with enough songs for this list, but once they started pouring in, I had a hard time restricting myself to just 19 and had to leave out several great ones, from the Irish Rovers’ mandolin-drenched lament My Boy Willie to the hearty barrel-riding number Rolling Down the Hole from the Rankin-Bass version of The Hobbit. If any of you have favorite nautical songs I haven’t mentioned here, I welcome recommendations. Meanwhile, if you enjoy this type of music as much as I do, I hope I’ve helped you find an appropriate musical backdrop for this most auspicious occasion. I best be shovin’ off fer now, so fair winds to ye, matey, until this time next year!

Let Jim Henson and His Friends Inspire You in It's Not Easy Being Green

Recently, Facebook rolled out its New Profile, an innovation I generally find rather tedious. However, I liked the new segment in the Info section that allows you to list people who have inspired you. I have lots of names to add, but I started things off with a shortlist of inspirational figures that included, among others, Walt Disney, John Denver and a man I associate with both: Jim Henson.

I grew up watching Henson’s Muppets on Sesame Street and later The Muppet Show and the movies that followed. Permeating every Henson project I’ve seen is youthful exuberance, a willingness to embrace one’s inner insanity and a sense that deep respect and affection among those who have very diverse backgrounds is possible. Watching the Muppets at their playful work never fails to make me feel more encouraged about our capacity to truly enjoy life, and to do so while genuinely caring for each other. Indeed, the two qualities seem intricately linked.

It’s Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider is a gift book of nearly 200 pages, throughout which Jim’s daughter Cheryl has included numerous quotes from her father as well as his characters and those who lived and worked closely with him. There are more quotes from him in here than anyone else, which gives the reader the pleasant feeling of absorbing wisdom directly from him. There’s a gentleness of spirit and greatness of vision that permeates the pages in these passages about what inspired him and what he hoped to accomplish with his creations. He saw them as entertainers, yes, but he also hoped to use them to urge people to be more considerate and more focused on similarities instead of differences.

“If our ‘message’ is anything,” reads a quote from him in the last chapter, “it’s a positive approach to life. That life is basically good. People are basically good.” That sense of optimism seems to have rubbed off on everyone around him, and it’s interesting to read their comments and get an idea of how these individuals channeled their creativity in positive directions under his influence.

The book is divided into five chapters: Listen to Your Heart, Dynamite Determination, Together We’ll Nab It, It Starts When We’re Kids and A Part of Everything and Everyone. There’s also an introduction, brief bios of everyone quoted in the book, a list of sources and an acknowledgments section. Alongside many of the quotes are doodles from the notebooks Jim kept over the years. These line drawings are whimsical and aptly demonstrate his playful side.

If you’re a fan of the Muppets, you’ll definitely want to check out this charming little volume. I’d also recommend it to anyone who could use a bit of a boost. Whether you’re feeling creatively stifled or despairing about the state of the world, I predict that reading this book will make you feel more upbeat. Jim Henson always embraced the possibilities. How much richer the world is as a result!

My Favorite Versions of Traditional Religious Christmas Songs

It’s always a pleasure singing traditional Christmas carols in church, around the neighborhood or near our little Advent wreath this time of year. But as much as Christmas music is a communal experience, hundreds of musicians have recorded these sacred songs, giving us many different ways to enjoy them. Here are a few of my favorite specific recordings of various religious Christmas songs.

Angels We Have Heard on High – Having just recently seen Straight No Chaser in concert, I have to award them the honor of my favorite version of this celestial-sounding carol. Jerome Collins puts a soulful twist on the melody, and all those gorgeous voices coming together really does sound like a choir of angels. Throw in the visual element of some crystal blue lighting, and the effect is heavenly. “Gloria in Excelsis Deo!” This one is bundled with Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, and it’s a logical pairing; I always have to stop a minute to think about which song is which. Though it’s the former song that makes the bigger impression on me in this mash-up, both are beautifully done. “Hark! The herald angels sing. Glory to the newborn king!”

Away in a Manger – I consider this the most basic of Christmas carols, the first one that most children learn how to sing. There are two different melodies commonly used; I prefer the slightly more somber-sounding one to the one most Sunday school students cut their musical teeth on, but both are lovely. When it comes to conveying sweet simplicity, John Denver is hard to beat, and his gentle acoustic rendition of the “kid” version gets my vote. For the “adult” version, meanwhile, Anne Murray’s heartfelt recording, which incorporates both piano and guitar and includes a nod at the other melody, is my favorite. “Be near me, Lord Jesus. I ask thee to stay close by me forever and love me, I pray…”

Carol of the Bells - It has no words, and it starts out with God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen. It’s a little unconventional. But boy, do I love Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s electrified rendition of this song, which is one of the harder carols to sing anyway. I prefer clutching my invisible hand bells in my fists and ringing them out in time to the music. If you’re going to go with a vocal version of the song, I do love Straight No Chaser’s version of this one too, with the men using their voices to imitate the sound of bells. “Hark! How the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say, ‘Throw cares away.’”

Children, Go Where I Send Thee – This one isn’t exactly as in the mainstream as most of the songs on this list, and it’s a little funny that I like it so much since I find The 12 Days of Christmas so tedious and really, this song only makes marginally more sense than that one. But there’s something so joyful about it, especially when Peter, Paul and Mary, who introduced me to the song, belt it out along with dozens of choir members. “Children, go where I send thee! How shall I send thee? I’m gonna send thee one by one, one for the itty bitty baby who was born, born, born in Bethlehem.”

Do You Hear What I Hear? – This is a song that seems to be very hard to get wrong. I’ve heard probably dozens of versions of it, and everybody, from Kristin Chenoweth to Bob Dylan, seems to bring their A game to this stirring anthem that celebrates the birth of Christ and expresses a desire for peace at a time when the threat of nuclear war hung heavy in the air. But Vanessa Williams’ version has just an extra something in it that puts it at the very top of my ranking. Her vocals are so clear and soulful, and I just love the exuberant instrumentation and African chanting that comes into play later in the song. Whenever this comes on the radio, I’m completely swept away in the wonder of it all. “Said the king to the people everywhere, listen to what I say. Pray for peace people everywhere. Listen to what I say. The child, the child sleeping in the night, he will bring us goodness and light…”

The First Noel - Clay Aiken recorded a Christmas album that came out just a year and a half after he emerged from the second season of American Idol the runner-up. I was pleased with the album, but my favorite Clay Christmas recording remains this song from the American Idol compilation released late in 2003. The sparse accompaniment allows Clay’s voice to truly shine as he builds toward a dramatic finish. This is one of those songs I’ve always liked but that never stood out that much from the pack. Ever since I heard that recording, it does. “Noel, noel, noel, noel. Born is the king of Israel.”

The Friendly Beasts – I really love the traditional rendition on Peter, Paul and Mary’s Christmas album, with each of them taking a verse and doing his or her best to convey the personality of the animal at hand and the choir helping out on the other verses. Meanwhile, the song, with a reworked melody, serves as a cornerstone on Jimmy Webb’s oratorio The Animals’ Christmas; as the only song on the album that Webb didn’t write himself, it brings an air of familiarity to an otherwise wholly original work for which he recruited the vocal talents of Art Garfunkel, Amy Grant and the Kings College School Choir. “Thus, every beast, by some good spell, in the stable rude was glad to tell of the gift he gave Emmanuel…”

God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen - They call it Comfort and Joy, which really is probably a better title, albeit less instantly recognizable. Simon and Garfunkel never recorded much Christmas music, but for whatever reason, they did record a couple of traditional carols. While it always seemed to me that Silent Night was used for ironic emphasis, with the exquisite harmonies juxtaposed against the far from tranquil news broadcast, this a cappella rendition with the increasingly complex harmonies can be taken at face value. Just a very nice recording. If you miss the instruments, of course, there’s always Trans-Siberian Orchestra… “Remember Christ the Savior was born on Christmas day to save us all from Satan’s pow’r when we were gone astray. Oh, tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy. Oh, tidings of comfort and joy.”

Good King Wenceslas – My brother recently identified this very old ballad as his favorite Christmas song, and we set out in search of a version to play for him before he set out for college again after our little First Sunday in Advent service at the conclusion of Thanksgiving weekend. He didn’t think much of the Irish Rovers rendition we played; it was much too peppy, he informed us, and he preferred versions that really made us feel that faithful page’s pain. But there’s a lot of joy in this song about a warm and generous monarch whose chief concern is the well-being of one of his poorest citizens, so the Rovers’ exuberant version is fine by me. “Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing, ye who now will bless the poor shall yourselves find blessing.”

Joy to the World - This is a wonderfully ecstatic song, but it’s one that’s in danger of getting a little over-the-top, as it does on Clay Aiken’s Christmas album. I prefer versions that show a little restraint before going all-out, and my favorite is Anne Murray’s, backed by some nice Gospel-flavored piano accompaniment and eventually joined by a choir. It works quite nicely and is easy to sing along with. “Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let Earth receive her King!”

The Little Drummer Boy – This gentle song about a little boy who gives the best that he has to the Christ Child is representative of a large sub-genre of Christmas stories, most of which are quite touching. The original Harry Simeone version is nice, but as far as basic versions go, I love the punchy way Bob Seger does it. But probably my favorite version is the odd pairing of Bing Crosby and David Bowie, with the counter-melody in which Bowie dreams of a day when people can learn to get along with each other. At first it seemed a bit of a strange juxtaposition to me, but upon reflection, it reminds me of the passage in Isaiah that concludes with “and a little child shall lead them.” Anyway, a very poignant recording, especially considering how late it came in Crosby’s life. “I have no gift to bring, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum, that’s fit to give a king, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum, rum-pum-pum-pum, rum-pum-pum-pum…”

O Come All Ye Faithful - Art Garfunkel recorded this one for some obscure collection a few years back, and it’s the most intricate, exquisite rendition I’ve heard. It’s a shame it’s rather hard to track down. With simple acoustic guitar accompaniment gradually joined by gentle percussion and accordion, what really makes this stand out is the dense layers of Art harmonizing with himself, especially toward the end. I also have to mention Trans-Siberian Orchestra once again, as their reworked rendition is quite moving, and Phil Coulter integrated the song into Christmas Morning Donegal, the haunting, nostalgic ballad that I’ve come to think of as the Celtic Thunder swan song of powerhouse tenor Paul Byrom. This is a song that tends to inspire the best in musicians… “O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!”

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - I’ve always thought that this Christmas carol had a very Jewish feeling to it, so it seems appropriate for Neil Diamond to take top honors here. His version feels mysterious and solemn, and the pairing with We Three Kings just emphasizes the idea of this birth being a long-anticipated event. “O come, o come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel…”

O Little Town of Bethlehem – There are plenty of appropriately somber versions of this song floating around, but my favorite is the peppy, bluegrass-tinged Prairie Home Companion edition, in which it is mashed up with It Came Upon a Midnight Clear and We Three Kings, which makes a smashing chorus. There are much more traditional versions of each carol readily available, but Garrison Keillor and his band really do a bang-up job on this one. “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie. Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by…”

Silent Night – Now this is certainly a tough one, since it seems almost everyone who has ever recorded a Christmas album with any religious content at all has recorded this song. I love Simon and Garfunkel’s version, and Prairie Home Companion has an unusually bouncy instrumental version that’s a lot of fun. I find the Muppets’ German rendition quite moving. But I think I gotta go with Celtic Thunder on this one, especially since they paved the way for it by recording Christmas 1915, which incorporates the beloved carol. Their version of Silent Night itself is richly harmonic, with an interesting backing chorus, and one of the verses is entirely in Gaelic. It’s hauntingly beautiful. “Silent night, holy night. Son of God, love’s pure light…”

What Child Is This? - This is a pretty carol with a rather melancholy edge to it, largely because it takes the melody of that lovely lament, Greensleeves. I love John Denver’s simple but heartfelt rendition for all the reasons I love his Away in the Manger, and the faint presence of the harpsichord just makes it all the more appealing. “This, this is Christ the King whom shepherds guard and angels sing…”

O Holy Night - I always tell people that this is my default favorite Christmas song. In the month or two leading up to Christmas, my favorite will change on any given day, but if I’m not particularly gripped by anything at the time, O Holy Night is what I always fall back on. But I don’t have a favorite version. Of all the versions I’ve ever heard, the one that affected me most profoundly was a performance by a seven-year-old girl at a long-ago Christmas pageant. No version I’ve heard since can quite recapture that experience. Preferred versions include Josh Groban’s, Celine Dion’s, Straight No Chaser’s, John Denver’s and Celtic Woman’s, but I’m still on the hunt for that elusive definitive version. If anybody has any recommendations for me, I’d be happy to take them – bonus points if it includes my favorite, often-left-out verse. “Truly He taught us to love one another. His law is love and His Gospel is peace. Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother, and in His name, all oppression shall cease…”

So there’s my list. It doesn’t begin to cover all the great Christmas music that I love so much, but it’s a start anyway and gives you a good idea of where my musical tastes lie. Of course, at no time of year am I more likely to embrace new artists than at Christmas; the familiarity of the songs opens a door for me. So I hope this list continues to expand…

Big Bird Is Generous But Impatient in I Can't Wait Until Christmas

December can be a very long month for a kid who’s anxious for Christmas to arrive. That’s just what Big Bird comes to realize in the Little Golden Book I Can’t Wait Until Christmas, written by Linda Lee Maifair.

This vintage Sesame Street book finds the enormous but perpetually kindergartener-ish Big Bird so psyched for Christmas that he can scarcely stand it. What’s sweet about this is that he’s not primarily excited about unwrapping brightly colored packages with his name on them. Instead, he’s beside himself with anticipation over the thought of his beloved Granny - a sweet senior who looks just like Big Bird except for the flowery clothes, the ornate necklace around her neck and the little spectacles on her nose - opening the gift that he made especially for her.

So antsy is Big Bird that every few days, he asks his granny if she wouldn’t just like to come over and open her present early, or at least let him give her a hint as to what it might be. But Granny stands firm, and to distract him, she suggests he participate in a variety of pre-Christmas activities. In this simple story mostly about two people (er, birds), this is where the rest of the Sesame Street gang comes in.

Several of the major Muppets from the show have a place in this book, which is colorfully illustrated by Joe Ewers. Even though the characters are two-dimensional, Ewers does a wonderful job of making them come to life on the page. The only one who looks a little unnatural is Maria, the only human featured in the book. Interestingly, a note on the title page makes a point of noting that Sonia Manzano portrays Maria on the show. She only turns up on one page and looks just a little out of place in this imaginative animated world, but she’s still clearly recognizable.

Of the Muppets, we get to see Snuffleupagus, who amusingly sits on Santa’s lap at the mall as dozens of youngsters of various hues look on, and Cookie Monster, who helps Big Bird make and consume Christmas cookies. Bert, Ernie, the Count and Oscar join Big Bird in his hunt for the perfect Christmas tree, each finding one ideal for himself (except the Count, who’s too busy counting trees). Afterward, they give him a hand in decorating, creating ornaments that reflect their personalities.

This is a cute book that shows children the importance of patience in preparing for Christmas and offers several tips for things that they can do to make the days go by more quickly. Its emphasis on helping one’s friends appreciate the joys of the season is endearing, as is the focus upon giving rather than receiving. Waiting for Christmas may not be easy, but Big Bird, with a little help from his friends and his beloved grandmother, sets a good example.

Bert and Ernie's Greatest Hits Celebrates the Friendship of Sesame Street's Odd Couple

When I was little, I had a Bert and Ernie tape. I thought I remembered it being called E is for Ernie, but I haven’t been able to locate it since my copy disappeared years ago. But I was glad to find Bert and Ernie’s Greatest Hits, which contains most of the songs on that tape. A few are missing - the goofily theatrical George Washington Bridge and Ernie’s hilarious duet with Cookie Monster about breakfast come to mind right away - but the majority of them are here, along with several others that were new to me. Bert and Ernie sketches are often my favorite portion of Sesame Street, so this is a great collection for me and any other fans of the Street’s very own Odd Couple.

1. Rubber Duckie - Almost certainly Ernie’s most iconic song, this cheerful ode to his squeaky rubber duck has long been a favorite of mine and has cemented the yellow fellow’s role as the best of bathtime toys. These days, it’s not hard to find a rubber duck in just about any sort of dress imaginable. But it’s hard to beat the plain old original. Rubber Duckie, I’m aw-fully fond of you, too.

2. All Dressed Up - Bert shares this rather raucous song with the Anything People, who helpfully demonstrate the proper steps to getting dressed, as well as the improper steps. The visual that pops into my head with the gloves on the ears and the coat on the face is quite entertaining.

3. Dee, Dee, Dee - One of two songs on the album in which Ernie demonstrates his proficiency with letters. In this case, it’s the letter D, as in “don’t drop dishes down on the floor.” Fun.

4. Clink Clank - Bert goes all Stomp! on Ernie, turning an array of ordinary household objects into a homemade orchestra. Parents might not be crazy about this one, since Bert encourages children to find noisy objects and join in his concert. Then again, it’s nice to have something so interactive and great to see Bert so enthusiastic about something.

5. High, Middle, Low - A neat tutorial on harmony from Herbert Birdsfoot (the high part), Ernie (the middle part) and Bert (the low part). As someone who loves harmony, I get a kick out of this one, and it would be fun to try to pull it off with a couple of siblings.

6. Imagination - This one reminds me of the Charlie Brown strips in which they spend the afternoon cloud-gazing. It’s very mellow and relaxed, with tinkly music box accompaniment. I wasn’t that crazy about it when I was little even though it’s sung by Ernie, who’s my favorite character, because I found it rather dull, but now I like it much better. Though Ernie does all of the singing, several characters chime in to say what they’re imagining; we hear from Bert, naturally, along with Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Herbert Birdsfoot, Prairie Dawn and Grover.

7. La, La, La - Once again, Ernie has to help Bert out with using letters. This is a funny song that demonstrates the differences between Bert and Ernie’s personalities. Ernie is a little closed-minded in his interpretation of what constitutes a “lovely” L word, though; I, like Bert, think “linoleum” just rolls right off the tongue!

8. But I Like You - One of my favorite books as a kid was one entitled How Joe the Bear and Sam the Mouse Got Together. In this picture book belonging to my grandma, a bear and a mouse desperately want to be friends, but they don’t seem to have anything in common. Finally, at the end of the book, they find something they can share, and none of their differences bother them anymore. That’s the general gist of this song. Bert and Ernie are very different people. But even though Bert doesn’t like rubber ducks and Ernie doesn’t get excited about pigeons, they will always like each other.

9. Pat Pat Patty Pat - Bert leads this little game that is not initially very challenging, but soon his friends join in with suggestions and the Hokey Pokey-ish song quickly becomes exhausting. “Oh, listen to the song that‘s humming in your ear / and you‘ll have more fun than you‘ve had all year...” Ernie, Herbert Birdsfoot, Big Bird, Prairie Dawn, Grover and Oscar the Grouch join in.

10. Up Goes the Castle - Another interactive song, but this one is considerably more relaxing. Ernie instructs youngsters to lie down on the ground, which they may want to do after all the activity of the previous song. This gentle narrative about a castle on a stomach, backed by a lilting flute, is one of my favorite Ernie songs. “And you breathe in, up goes the castle, you breathe out, the castle goes down. / Breath in, high on a mountaintop, breathe out, low in the town.” It’s a lesson in basic biology as well as the value of compromise.

11. Doin' the Pigeon - Bert, who really loves pigeons, has invented a dance to reflect his passion. It’s nice to see him have the spotlight to himself, and his little side comments - “Hip!”, “Too much!” - are fun and endearingly retro. Bert’s singing style on this one is whiny to the point of grating, but it’s an amusing song, even though simply listening to it gives one very little idea of how to actually “do the pigeon.”

12. Lonesome Joan - There are several songs on this album I hadn’t heard before, but this is my hands-down favorite. Bert takes up the bass, Ernie the piano, and some unknown bandmate plays the fiddle on this cowboy song whose melody reminds me of Pecos Bill. Sweet, funny and educational, it demonstrates the importance of being willing to accept help from others when one is learning something new. It’s catchy, melodious and altogether delightful. “Oh, Lonesome Joan, Lonesome Joan, / You don’t have to do everything alone. / You can use a little help. Don’t have to do it by yourself. / / Oh, Lonesome, Lonesome Joan.”

13. I Don't Want to Live on the Moon - My favorite new-to-me song on the album is immediately followed by the one that’s been my favorite Sesame Street song for as long as I can remember. Both were written by Jeff Moss, who wrote a majority of the songs on this album, while Joe Raposo wrote most of the others. In this tender lullaby, backed by guitars, flute and sweeping violins, Ernie reflects upon all of the grand adventures he would love to have but concludes that home is the place he likes best. “So if I could visit the moon, I would dance on a moonbeam and then / I would make a wish on a star, and I’d wish I was home once again. / Though I’d love to look down at the earth from above, / I would miss all the places and people I love, / So although I may go, I’ll be coming home soon...” Gorgeous.

14. The National Association of "W" Lovers - Backed by a piano sounding very much like Prairie Dawn’s pounding accompaniment of many a disastrous school program, Bert croons out his love for the letter W, much to the appreciation of those who have gathered with him to celebrate the joys of that rather cumbersome letter. Bert is in his nerdy element. Without W... “A fine word like ‘waffle’ would turn out just ‘awful!’ Oh, W’s grand as can be!”

15. Dance Myself to Sleep - At first, this seems like it might be another gentle lullaby, but Ernie quickly defies that expectation. When he has trouble falling asleep, instead of reading a book or listening to some relaxing music, he dances himself to sleep - tap-dancing to the accompaniment of brass instruments while a herd of sheep come in and dance poor Bert right out the door. The funniest song on the album, it’s a great way to end the album, as long as you’re not using it to help you off to dreamland; somehow I doubt Ernie’s strategy would work for too many folks. “I gently rock-a-bye myself across the floor. / I turn and then I toss and then I start to snore. / My trusty little bugle helps me spread the news / That I’m tapping to ‘Taps’ and I’m a-raring to snooze!”

Jim Henson’s warmth and humor, not to mention his musical talent, shine through on every song Ernie sings, while Frank Oz is excellent as always as Bert and occasionally Grover. We also hear Fran Brill as Prairie Dawn, Caroll Spinney as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch and Jerry Nelson as Herbert Birdsfoot, a character from the early seasons who I don‘t really remember but who seems like a great pal to the rest of the gang. It’s a wonderful assembly of several beloved Sesame Street characters that celebrates the bond between the best of friends, a bond that holds fast even as they drive each other crazy.

Merry Monsters Abound in Elmo's 12 Days of Christmas

When I was in first grade, my teacher brought in A Sesame Street Christmas on vinyl. I’ve loved the Muppets for as long as I can remember, and I was especially taken with the version of The 12 Days of Christmas that appeared on this album. So taken, in fact, that I begged my teacher to let me borrow it, and she agreed. I suspect I had thoughts of making a tape of the record, though since I can’t ever remember listening to it after that year, I don’t think that happened. And now I have a burning desire to see if I can get it on CD.

Anyway, the Sesame Street edition of 12 Days of Christmas was silly and personalized to reflect the wishes of the various characters. I vividly remember Cookie Monster was the first in the lineup and he got “one delicious cookie”. Thanks to the magic of the Internet, I can look up the other verses, which gives me a great nostalgic rush. Two of the featured characters are Muppets I barely remember, but most are more iconic, and Bert, Ernie, Oscar, Count and Big Bird have especially appropriate gifts to recount: argyle socks, rubber duckies, rusty trashcans, counts a-counting (I guess he’s lonely?) and pounds of birdseed.

The board book Elmo’s 12 Days of Christmas similarly takes the basic structure of the song and uses it as the jumping-off point for a Sesame Street-specific song, with an emphasis on Elmo, who is so very popular with the toddler set. In this book written by Sarah Albee and illustrated by Maggie Swanson, Elmo appears on every page, mostly accompanied by generic monsters, though Grover and Cookie Monster put in appearances.

While the Sesame Street version from the 1970s concentrates largely on the personalities of the individuals involved, this book is a celebration of Elmo’s imagination. On the first day, we have Elmo decorating a tree, a very Christmassy scene. Most of the other illustrations have little to do with the season at hand but are fun to look at. Instead of “one delicious cookie,” we get “two yummy cookies”. “Three French friends” yields monsters in berets and mustaches; “four calling monsters” chat on the phone.

The most unseasonal of the days is seven, on which the monsters are swimming in a kiddie pool. Considering the fact that Sesame Street is in New York City, this is not a December scene. “Eight monsters milking,” which takes place out on a farm, also seems very summery. By the time we get to eleven and twelve, it feels Christmassy again, with “eleven monsters piping” in kilts and bagpipes, perhaps my favorite illustration, and “twelve monsters drumming” in red drummer uniforms.

Albee sticks as close as she can to the original song while still making it Elmo-specific. Nine of the twelve verses contain the word “monster(s)”, and in several cases, that’s the only word that is changed. I would say that the first Sesame Street version is more creative, but I like this Elmo edition better than several other knock-offs I’ve seen. You can easily write a custom 12 Days of Christmas around just about any subject out there. It’s Swanson’s pictures that make this sturdy book so fun for pre-readers, and if they happen to start singing about monsters dancing instead of ladies, this song-that-never-ends won’t make any less sense than it already does.

Elmo's Delicious Christmas Elevates Oscar the Grouch

This is the year that Sesame Street celebrates 40 years at the forefront of children’s programming. While many of the characters from the first season remain well-loved today, probably the most popular Street resident, particularly among the show’s target audience, is latecomer Elmo. Furry, holly-red, high-pitched Elmo is the face of Elmo’s Delicious Christmas, written by Michaela Muntean and illustrated by Tom Leigh, and in some ways the book is about him. But it turns into as much of a story about grungy green grouch Oscar.

This brightly colored book, which is written in prose, starts off with Elmo helping his mom and aunt make Christmas cookies. Elmo loves being able to give them a hand, and he’s excited because this year, he’s also big enough to pass out the cookies at the big Christmas party that everyone is looking forward to. The book shows several different characters readying themselves for Christmas in a variety of ways.

Uptight Bert, jovial Ernie, naive Big Bird, unassuming Herry and the cackling Count are among those who are shown busy preparing for the holiday season. But Oscar doesn’t want anything to do with any of it. Christmas is just another disruption for him. It’s up to his neighbors to inject this Scrooge with some Christmas Spirit. Elmo is determined to find reasons for Oscar to love the holiday, and he helps the others concoct a special surprise for their friend. Like Charles Winchester in my favorite episode of M*A*S*H, Oscar finds himself uplifted by a small act of goodwill and inspired toward generosity for the less fortunate.

Elmo’s Delicious Christmas is a tasty little morsel of a book for the preschool set. Given Elmo’s popularity with the very young, perhaps it would have been a good idea to make this a board book, but the pages are reasonably sturdy as they are. Of course, in a series with so many wonderful characters, it’s a little disappointing when only a few of them make an appearance. It’s nice to see Herry in a rather prominent role, given how little he tends to be seen on the show nowadays. But what about Grover? Snuffy? Telly? What about most of the human contingent of Sesame Street? And, in a book featuring Christmas cookies on several pages, why isn’t Cookie Monster around to partake? Was he left off the guest list for fear he would obliterate the cookie supply before the party really had a chance to get going?

These small complaints aside, Elmo’s Delicious Christmas is a charming little story that urges kindness to one’s neighbors and may just inspire an afternoon of cookie-baking.

My Top Ten Movies of the '70s

The 1970s were just before my time, so I didn't see any of these in the theater, but I easily got caught up in their magic from the comfort of my own home.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) / Pete's Dragon (1977) - Both of these movies are live-action films that creatively incorporate animation.  In the first, it's in a lengthy sequence of the movie that takes place underwater and then on an island, where the apprentice witch played by Angela Lansbury goes with the children under her care and their new acquaintance Emelius, portrayed by the always-amusing David Tomlinson.  A fun film with enjoyable songs, especially Portabello Road, which I always think of when I read about Harry Potter's first trip to Diagon Alley.  In the second, everything is live-action except the title character, otherwise known as Elliot.  He's the most unintimidating dragon you've ever seen, except when hard-luck orphan Pete is in danger.  The movie has a bittersweet ending, but it's mostly happy.  Mickey Rooney, Red Buttons, Shelly Winters and Jim Dale give hilarious performances, and Helen Reddy beautifully sings Candle on the Water, one of my all-time favorite Disney songs.

Fiddler on the Roof (1971) / Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) - Norman Jewison directed both of these musicals.  The first is about Russian Jews trying to uphold honored traditions while facing oppression in the tiny town of Anatevka.  The songs are outstanding, and Topol is excellent as the robust, philosophical Tevye, who is deeply devoted to God and to his daughters.  The second is filmed in the Holy Land, which is pretty neat, though some of the directorial choices are a little strange, like the costumes that sometimes seem more suited to hippies than ancient Jerusalem dwellers and the tanks that Judas imagines trying to plow him down at one point.  Still, the songs are amazing in this unconventional look at Holy Week, told entirely in song and focusing on Judas's perspective. The extremely energetic Carl Anderson is exhausting to watch as Judas, and Barry Dennen makes a big impression in his few scenes as the conflicted Pilate.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) - I enjoyed Tim Burton's remake of this classic very much, but I'll always have a special place in my heart for the original. Gene Wilder makes a wacky, manipulative Wonka, while Julie Dawn Cole and Roy Kinnear are the most memorable child-parent pair as horrendously spoiled Veruca Salt and her cowed father. My favorite character, however, is Charlie's inept teacher, Mr. Turkentine, hilariously played by David Battley. I also love the Oompa Loompa songs and the vignettes at the beginning of the movie showing what ridiculous behavior Willy Wonka's contest has inspired.

Herbie Rides Again (1974) - My favorite of the Herbie sequels, and I may even prefer it to The Love Bug, though I do miss Buddy Hackett's gold-hearted mechanic, Tennessee. Grandma Steinmetz is just as lovable, though, and has plenty of spunk as she stands up to the comically villainous Alonzo Hawk, played by a deliciously over-the-top Keenan Wynn. This movie has nothing to do with racing; it's just Herbie, with some help from some other curiously animated objects and a couple of human friends, helping sweet Mrs. Steinmetz save the firehouse where she has lived for so many years. A very funny movie.

Young Frankenstein (1974) - As is this, though it's a little more adult-oriented. I watched it for the first time when I was about eight, and I laughed myself silly; I watched it again in high school and couldn't believe how many naughty double entendres were in it. They sailed right over my head at the time, which is one nice thing about this movie; kids can enjoy it as a goofy horror spoof and probably won't pick up on the innuendo. Gene Wilder goes from strictly level-headed to demented in his performance as the scientist trying to resist the associations of the family name, and Marty Feldman is a hoot as his hunchbacked assistant Igor, while Peter Boyle, now most associated with cantankerous Frank on Everybody Loves Raymond, makes a sympathetic monster. Usually I'm not a big fan of black-and-white, but in this case I think director Mel Brooks definitely made the right call.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) - Throughout high school, several of my friends told me I needed to see this famous spoof. My English teacher even showed it in class one day, but it was the one day that term I happened to be absent. So it wasn't until after high school that I finally saw it, and I understood what all of the fuss was about. This, too, is full of adult humor, and some of it is more overt than in Young Frankenstein. There are also a couple of scenes, particularly one involving a vicious bunny, that could be traumatizing to youngsters. But as an Anglophile who loves the Arthurian legends, I couldn't stop laughing at the antics of King Arthur and his Knights, and when it comes to sheer silliness, this one gives Airplane! a serious run for its money.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) - Given my great fondness for Winnie the Pooh, I couldn't leave this off the list. This humble Disney masterpiece is a combination of three earlier shorts, in which Pooh gets stuck in Rabbit's front door, Piglet loses his house in a dreadful rainstorm and Rabbit plots to rid the Hundred-Acre Wood of the menace that is Tigger. These cozy tales have only the mildest amount of peril, and they paved the way for my all-time favorite cartoon, The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

Star Wars (1977) - This first installment in George Lucas's trilogy is full of classic characters and scenes. Mark Hamill is an endearingly whiny Luke in the film's early moments, while Carrie Fisher's Leia is bossy and Harrison Ford's Han Solo is cynical. They've all got some growing to do, and their first adventures together help them accomplish that. The trash compactor scene is a compact example of the perfect balance the movie strikes between action and comedy. The special effects aren't groundbreaking anymore, but they still draw us into that world, though not as much as iconic characters like R2-D2, C-2PO, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader.

Watership Down (1978) - "It's about bunnies," said LOST's Sawyer in a concise description of the novel from which this animated film was adapted. But that doesn't really begin to cover it. It's about survival, migration, faith, industrialism and all sorts of other things, and while the characters are most definitely rabbits, they have a lot to say about the human condition. It's a surprisingly dark movie, but it's lovely nonetheless, especially the segment that features Art Garfunkel singing Bright Eyes, a somber reflection on grief.

The Muppet Movie (1979) - The musical buddy comedy assembles all of the major players from The Muppet Show for an adventure explaining how they got together. For Muppet fans, this is a must-see. Full of that great mix of humor and heart that makes Jim Henson's creations so irresistible, the movie also features comedic performances by the likes of Steve Martin, Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Richard Pryor and Orson Welles. And of course, the songs are terrific, especially Kermit's banjo-assisted soliloquy, The Rainbow Connection, the quintessential Muppet anthem.

My Top Ten Movies of the Early '80s ('80-'84)

I like to poke fun at the music of the '80s, but movies are an entirely different matter.  I was a little too young to enjoy these movies when they first came out, but in the decade or so that followed, they became firm favorites that have lasted to this day.

The Empire Strikes Back (1980) / Return of the Jedi (1983) - What would an '80s list be without Star Wars? The second installment traumatized me, but it also introduced Yoda, who I adore and includes the delightful insult, "You stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf-herder!" Most fans seem to list it as their favorite of the series, and it was even referenced in a recent episode of LOST. My favorite, though, is the concluding chapter of the trilogy, with its powerful themes of family and redemption. And what can I say... I'm a fan of the Ewoks!

The Blues Brothers (1980) - Saturday Night Live can be pretty stupid, but this movie based on characters from the long-running sketch show is one of my favorite comedies. Yes, a lot of cars wind up totaled, but there's also a slew of cameos from the likes of Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin and some terrific performances, my favorite of which is the impromptu rendition of the Rawhide theme song. And the madcap adventure has a worthy purpose, as Jake and Elwood are "on a mission from God" to raise money to save the orphanage where they grew up.

Airplane! (1980) - More one-liners and bad puns than you can shake a stick at, and the visual gags are just as rampant. This is one of the silliest movies I have ever seen, but I love it. Some of the jokes are a little off-color, but most of it is just plain goofy, and no matter how repetitive it gets, I laugh every time. Leslie Nielsen and Peter Graves are particularly funny.

The Great Muppet Caper (1981) / The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) - Both of these original Muppet movies are lots of fun. I'm especially partial to the first, which features a jewel heist and some very funny performances from Charles Grodin and John Cleese, but the second is terrific as well and is more in keeping with the established Muppet personalities, since Kermit and the gang are performers rather than reporters. There's also that fun sequence imagining the Muppets as babies, a precursor to the popular cartoon.

Superman II (1981) - I love Superman, and I'm particularly a fan of this movie, in which the world is threatened by the sinister Zod, who has arrived with two cronies ready to do some serious damage. Christopher Reeve is terrific as both bumbling Clark and impenetrable Superman, and his rescue of a child who takes a tumble at Niagara Falls is one of my all-time favorite superhero moments.

Annie (1982) - Don'tcha just love tomorrow? This optimistic musical is fun and cheerful, with the title character's spirit uplifting just about everyone she touches, all the way up to the President of the United States. A great rags-to-riches story with terrific songs and the hilarious performance by Carol Burnett as the tipsy, diabolical Miss Hannigan.

The Dark Crystal (1982) - One of Jim Henson's darkest projects, this film depicts a beautifully imagined world ruled by opposing entities. It's a haunting fable all about sacrifice and balance, with gorgeous creatures and landscapes and occasional touches of humor, most courtesy of the gruff Aughra and the Ewok-like pod people.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) - This pensive film is basically tied with the fourth as my favorite Trek movie. It finds Kirk contemplating middle age while confronting two people he thought were out of his life forever and adjusting to his unexpected role of father. Ricardo Mantalban is deliciously over-the-top as the vengeful Khan, Scotty shows his emotional side after his beloved nephew joins the crew and Spock and Kirk share the most powerful moment in the entire series.

A Christmas Story (1983) / Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) / A Christmas Carol (1984) - It was a great couple of years for Christmas movies. The first is the funniest, a cult classic that is nostalgic but snarky and is my brother's all-time-favorite Christmas flick. The second is the most kid-friendly, an adaptation of Dickens' classic tale that clocks in at under 30 minutes, casting Mickey as hard-working Bob, Donald as exuberant Fred and, naturally, Scottish miser Scrooge McDuck as old Ebenezer. The third, starring George C. Scott, is my favorite straightforward adaptation of the story. It's much more detailed than the Disney version or even the Muppet version, which is my all-time favorite. Scott is magnificent as Scrooge, and David Warner is truly moving as the best Bob Cratchit I've ever seen.

The Karate Kid (1984) - While the second installment in the trilogy is my favorite, I love the first movie too, and it includes most of the truly classic Karate Kid moments, from "Wax on, wax off" to catching the fly with the chopsticks. While it's exciting to see Daniel transform from a hot-headed fish out of water into a karate champion, it's his relationship with the wise Mr. Miyagi that really makes the movie so much fun to watch. 

A Fine Bunch of Movies in 1999 Bring the Century to a Close

I graduated from high school and started college in 1999. In the midst of my busy year, I managed to see a few movies. I'm surprised at how few movies from the year I've seen in the decade since, but I think I got around to seeing most of the ones I was really interested in, and a couple of my favorites of 1999 would easily make it onto my best of the decade list.

October Sky - This movie, based on a true story, introduced me to Jake Gyllenhaal, and it's probably my favorite of his roles so far. Here, he's earnest young Homer Hickam, who dreams of building a rocket, despite the disapproval of his no-nonsense dad, played by Chris Cooper. It's a great family film about overcoming obstacles to achieve one's dreams.

Star Wars: Episode One - The Phantom Menace - Yes, Jake Lloyd was pretty annoying as mini-Anakin, and some of the dialogue was just silly. But I felt like a true dyed-in-the-wool Star Wars geek when I went to the midnight premiere with my dad and brother in the last month of my senior year, and it sure was fun to see my fellow geeks crawl out of the woodwork and announce themselves just before we parted ways. I loved the light-hearted feel of this movie, the gorgeous seascapes, the exciting pod race, the return of old friends like R2-D2, C-3PO and Yoda and new faces like the lovely Natalie Portman, brooding Ewan McGregor and contemplative Liam Neeson. It was a really terrific movie experience. And Weird Al's fantastic American Pie parody, The Saga Begins, makes me even more favorably inclined toward it.

Tarzan - One of the few major animated Disney features of my lifetime that I didn't catch in the theater, this story of a young man raised by gorillas has elements in common with The Jungle Book, but in this case the civilized join the jungle instead of the other way around. Though I find Jane rather irritating, I love her relationship with her dad, which is reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast. The animation is great, and while I tend to prefer character-oriented songs in Disney musicals, the more background-ish songs Phil Collins provides for the movie are terrific, and I always smile when I hear one of them on the radio.

Muppets From Space - As Muppet movies go, this one is a little strange, and somewhat controversial among fans for the unconventional backstory it creates for Gonzo. There are a lot of characters and subplots, and there's not much of an opportunity for the Muppets to demonstrate their musical genius. But it's always fun to hang out with the Muppets, and I know I had a great time when we saw this in the theater. Along with the established characters, I loved the crotchety antagonist played by Jeffrey Tambor as well as the burly bear who serves as his reluctant henchman.

Angela's Ashes - Somehow, I never did read the Frank McCourt memoir upon which this movie is based, but after finally seeing the film a couple years ago, I was reassured that I really need to do that sometime. The movie tells the gritty but inspiring tale of the author's impoverished youth in Ireland and how he escaped his dire circumstances to pursue a teaching career in America. We watched it on St. Patrick's Day, but it's definitely worth a look any time of year.

Pokemon: The First Movie - It's not exactly superior cinema, but I recall this one fondly as an icon of my time with my brother Nathan that year. I was a bit befuddled when he first became obsessed with the Japanese series that was taking America by storm, but he soon got me hooked, and we spent many an afternoon watching the cartoon together. Eventually, he and our neighbor also taught me how to play the rather involved card game, which led to me spending way too much money on supplementary packs whenever we went to the mall. I was a full-fledged fan by the time the two of us saw the movie in the theater, and I reveled in both the cheesiness of the dialogue, especially on the part of demi-villains Jesse, James and Meowth, and the touching message of brotherhood that it espoused. And adorable, electrically charged Pikachu. Sooo much Pikachu...

Toy Story 2 - I tend to be a little suspicious of sequels, especially those put out by Disney. A lot of them aren't really up to snuff. But this fantastic film by Pixar was every bit as good as the first buddy flick that so dramatically introduced computer animation to much of the populace. The first was about two very different characters overcoming jealousy and learning to work together. The second has more to do with the fear of obsolescence and dealing with the changes that come with the passing of time. It's both darker and funnier than the first, and the animation quality is even better.

Galaxy Quest - As a lifelong Star Trek enthusiast, I just loved this film that spoofs everything about the show and especially its fandom. Tim Allen is hilarious as the egotistical actor who played the captain on the Trek-like show a number of years earlier. He and his castmates now subject themselves to conventions and other rather degrading events, since they can't find work anywhere else. Though they're all sick of these roles, they find themselves having to do the acting jobs of their lives when a group of peaceful extraterrestrials welcomes them aboard their ship, seeking aid from the heroes whose adventures they have studied so carefully, believing them to be "historical documents." There's a constant battery of jokes aimed at those who have grown up with Star Trek, so it's ideal for Trekkies who don't take themselves too seriously. Great performances all around, especially the fantastically dry Alan Rickman as the world-weary Shakespearean actor who hates being reduced to a catch-phrase.

The Green Mile - One of my two favorite films of the year. I wanted to see it when it first came out, but it took me a couple of years, in part because the length and Stephen King scared me off. I've come to consider myself quite a fan of King, but I usually can't stomach his stories; I don't do horror as a rule, and King is king in that genre. But The Green Mile hardly qualifies. Yes, there are elements of both the violent and the supernatural here, but mostly it's a contemplative and deeply moral film. Tom Hanks stars as the warden of death row in a southern prison. He and his fellow guards are calm and fair, treating their prisoners with dignity, with the result that they have few problems among their prisoners. But the arrival of a psychopathic prisoner, a sadistic guard and a meek alleged murderer named John Coffee who, despite his enormous size, doesn't seem capable of harming a fly, mark a season of great change for these guards. Moving and thought-provoking with an excellent cast, it's an outstanding film, and after reading the book, I can say that it's one of the most faithful adaptations of a novel that I've seen.

The Sixth Sense - As much as I loved The Green Mile, I wasn't entirely surprised; I'd heard that it wasn't really a horror movie, and I knew that King had written things before that weren't entirely terrifying. But all I had to go on with The Sixth Sense at the time I saw it were trailers that were designed to make it look as creepy as possible. I watched it under duress, planning to bury my head behind my popcorn for most of the movie. But gradually, I found myself drawn in, and by the end of the movie I realized that this hadn't been a horror movie at all. A thriller, yes, but that's an important distinction. I loved the twist ending, the compassionate solution to Cole's problem, the touching relationship between Cole and his mother. But mostly, I loved Haley Joel Osment. I'd seen him before, in Forrest Gump, but I didn't realize it at the time, and anyway his part in that movie was too small to make much of an impression on me. But boy, is he amazing in this movie! With this film, he hooked me for life. Which makes it very distressing that he hasn't been in a movie in several years...

One of these days I'll rent a batch of movies from 1999 and see if my list needs to change a little, but for now, I'm quite content with these selections, especially the last two, which haven't lost any of their luster in the past decade.

Vintage Sesame Street: The Together Book Teaches Comprehension and Cooperation

This morning, my friend Libbie and I went on a treasure hunt. No, we weren't panning for gold or running a metal detector along the beach in hopes of unearthing someone's long-buried valuables. We spent the morning meandering her block sale, hoping for treasures of a more sentimental kind. One of my favorite finds was The Together Book, a Sesame Street Little Golden Book first printed in 1971.

When I was growing up, I loved The Monster at the End of This Book and Oscar's Book, the first starring Grover and the second, Oscar the Grouch. Though Monster came out the same year as The Together Book, I was surprised by the look of the characters, perhaps because Grover pretty much has his book to himself. As one would expect from the title, The Together Book, which was written by Revena Dwight and illustrated by Roger Bradfield, is an ensemble picture book, with many residents of Sesame Street playing a part.

Although none of the characters is specifically identified, Sesame Street fans will have no trouble finding Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, Grover and Cookie Monster. They'll have to look harder for Oscar the Grouch, but he's there. While a few characters, including all of the humans, are absent, some slightly less famous Muppets, like Betty Lou, Farley, Sherlock Hemlock, Little Bird and Herry Monster, make appearances. There are also several, such as a small purple monster in a baby bonnet and a blue fellow with a bushy white beard, that I don't recognize at all.

While contemporary Sesame Street books are very smooth-looking, this one has a rough, sketchy quality to it. The colors are a bit drab, and while the characters are always in full color, on several pages the backdrops are in black and white. This aspect of the illustrations is what most roots the book in the early 1970s. While I'm a fan of smooth, vibrant pictures, I love the retro look of this book, which makes me feel as though I've been transported back to the early days of my favorite classic kids' show.

The structure of this book is very simple. It begins with a question: "What do I have that needs a helper?" There are no quotation marks used throughout the book, but this particular question is repeated four times, from a different perspective on each occasion. Each time, this question is followed by something more specific, like "I have a double-thick malted milk... Who has something good for drinking?" Big Bird, Betty Lou, the purple monster, Ernie and Farley all receive an avalanche of offers from their friends, whose enthusiasm makes up for the impracticality of their contributions.

A note on the title page indicates a dual purpose for this book: to instill the value of cooperation and to encourage logical thinking by having children choose the most practical object for each occasion. On a more basic note, children can name the various characters and the things they carry. It might also be fun to discuss ways in which the other objects brought by the friends might be useful. For instance, while Farley solves Betty Lou's milkshake problem with a fistful of straws, Little Bird's flyswatter could be handy in keeping the bugs away from her delectable treat, and Grover's umbrella could offer welcome shade. Meanwhile, Herry, Big Bird, Ernie and Bert could combine their drum, washboard, pipe and silverware and form a band for some snacktime musical entertainment. It's amusing to guess at what might have inspired each character to contribute each item; perhaps my favorite oddball object is Little Bird's print of American Gothic.

Sesame Street lovers of all ages are likely to get a laugh out of this book, though I suspect that nostalgic adults may be most receptive to it. As is typical for the groundbreaking series, The Together Book combines outright silliness with important lessons, none more valuable than the example of an incredibly diverse group of friends eager to help each other out of a jam.