|
I had another article ready to go for today, but then late in the day I saw this video and had to post it instead. The other night, at the NHL playoff game for the Buffalo Sabres, the microphone cut out during the singing of the Canadian National Anthem. This is what happened next. I just love that. And how it builds. No further comment is needed. It speaks loudly (in this case, very loudly) for itself. I sang along. We learned the song in grade school, during music class. And no, I didn't grow up in Canada before moving to Glencoe, Illinois. "O Canada" wasn't the Canadian National Anthem yet, just a very nice song honoring the country, along the lines of "America the Beautiful" or "God Bless America." At that point, Canada's National Anthem was still "God Save the Queen." So, a few of the words I learned were slightly different than today. (I learned it with "in all thy sons command," which is now "in all of us command." And also "O Canada, glorious and free", which was changed to "God keep our land, glorious and free." So, I sometimes have to check myself when singing along.) The video went viral through both the U.S. and Canada. This is a news story from Buffalo that sent a reporter across the border to get Canadians' reaction. And this is a morning show in Canada on CTV, as they discuss the video and how they responded to it.
0 Comments
Recently, I wrote about two videos of Peter, Paul and Mary that I’d left myself a note for about a year ago, meaning to post them, but never getting around to. I finally did with the first one, a feature about them on CBS Sunday Mornings, that I posted here. And here’s the other. Peter, Paul and Mary made a lot of specials for PBS. But while this was on PBS, it’s not one of their specials. Rather, it’s from 1987 when they were the guest performers on Evening at Pops, with John Williams conducting the Boston Pops. It’s filled with wonderful music and is actually much more political than one might expect in this setting. This isn’t the full TV show, but just their 35-minute segment. This is the annual reprint of a column originally written on The Huffington Post in 2009. And this year is the 23rd anniversary of the actual event itself, Some stories simply demand repeating. Or better put, demand not being forgotten. This is one of them. And so, once again, here 'tis. One additional word. happily Maurice Cheeks is still in the NBA. He's currently the assistant coach for the New York Knicks. He also had a strong career as a solid player, and was voted into the NBA's Hall of Fame in 2018 -- after the article was originally written -- and is still 16th on the all-time list of assists with 7.392. But though this doesn't count on that list, it may be his best assist of all... April 25, 2009 Oh, Say Can You Sing? A National Anthem to Remember As I prepared to write about an act of uncommon decency by a professional athlete, I realized that calling it that was unfair, that it diminishes what happened, because this was simply an act of uncommon decency, period. That it happened on such a high level and under such a bright microscope might likely stir the heart more, but it's the act itself that is ultimately what stirs us to begin with. Who it was and when it took place simply moves it up the pedestal. Today is the sixth anniversary of Maurice Cheek's moment on the pedestal. There is in the American consciousness for notable performances of the National Anthem at sporting events. Jose Feliciano's evocative singing at the 1968 World Series in Detroit was the first to interpret the "Star Spangled Banner" before a national audience. Because 1968 was one of the most tumultuous years in U.S. history, many at the time were so outraged that it took his career years to recover. Today, the rendition not only seems tame, but one of the most tender and beautiful. (And among the least known. If you've never heard it, do yourself a favor and click here to listen.) Whitney Houston gets mentioned often for her rousing rendition at the 1991 Super Bowl, during the Gulf War. For many, Marvin Gaye's deeply soulful performance at the 1983 NBA All Star is the most memorable. But for sheer emotional joy, it's hard to top what happened on April 25, 2003, before Game 4 of the NBA playoffs between the Portland Trailblazers and Dallas Mavericks. Context only adds to the story. So, once again: This was the playoffs. This is what all professional athletes live for, what their year is about. The regular season is a prelude, an effort to get into the post-season and be in place to win the league championship, to become a part of your sport's history. Everything centers on this. As the start of each playoff game nears, as the roaring crowd is at its highest pitch, as players put on their proverbial "game faces" and the battle is moments from beginning, all external thoughts get filtered out, and focus is completely, solely on their task ahead. The National Anthem, for most athletes, must be one of those external influences. More than most of us, who hear the "Star Spangled Banner" largely on special occasions, professional athletes have heard the National Anthem played before every single competitive game they've played. Game after game repeatedly each season, and season after season, for decades. Relentlessly. As meaningful as the song is, it is also just part of the ritual for a professional athlete, focused on the game, geared up for the game, anxious to start the game. Silent, not singing, maybe not even hearing the music. Waiting for the National Anthem to be played, and finished, so that they can finally start what they're there for. It's likely as much background noise as it is patriotic uplift. And so it must have been as the Trailblazers and Mavericks prepared for their playoff game to start. Stepping out onto the court was Natalie Gilbert, a 13-year-old girl. Just another National Anthem, just another youngster who won a contest, just another two minutes the crowd wanted to get past for the game they were there to see, to start. And she started fine. A little hesitant, since it's a frightening occasion for a child, with a national audience, flashing lights and a military guard. But in her wavering voice, she was prepared. Except that a few lines in, the high pageantry of the moment got her, and something went very wrong. She totally, thoroughly forgot the words. A young 13-year-old child, standing in front of over 10,000 people, lost. Alone. And that's when Maurice Cheeks showed the kind of person he was. Maurice Cheeks had had a very good NBA career as a player. He played for 15 years and was selected to four All Star games. When he retired, he was the all-time leader in steals and fifth in assists. He averaged over 11 points a game. And then he later became a coach, the position he was currently in for the Portland Trailblazers. It was Cheeks who was responsible for his team, responsible for keeping them focused on the game, responsible for guiding them. But he saw a 13-year-old girl in trouble. And that's when Maurice Cheeks showed the kind of person he was. Immediately. Cheeks always had a reputation in the NBA as a good guy. But he was about to prove it on a national stage. And what happened next - not just with Maurice Cheeks, but eventually with all the jaded players whose minds had been previously-focused on their game, an entire stadium of basketball fans there to see basketball, even the opposing white-haired coach Don Nelson - is just enthralling. The moment is wonderful, but how it builds and surprises is even better. And at the end, this tiny girl looking up at the giant of a man - who stayed around, refusing to leave her side and return to his team - with her face awash with relief, a huge hug, and the clear words mouthed, "Thank you," is all you need to see to why it's hard to top what happened on April 25, 2003, before Game 4 of the NBA playoffs for sheer emotional joy. Six years ago today. The other day I wrote about Jessie Buckley here when she appeared at the age of 18 on a British TV competition show called I'd Do Anything 17 years ago where actress/singers competed to play the role of ‘Nancy’ in a West End production of Oliver! I mentioned that I first noticed her in a small role in the HBO mini-series Chernobyl and was so impressed by her performance that I even recommended her to a producer friend for a starring role in the production he was developing. So, I've been intrigued by her climb since then. Anyway, I came across three videos that complement that earlier article. To begin with, in the piece I noted that she has since won an Olivier Award for starring as ‘Sally Bowles’ in a recent London revival of Cabaret, and also starred in a small film, Wild Rose, (not shockingly, it's completely unrelated to my own screenplay and novel, The Wild Roses...) about a lower-class young woman in-and-out of trouble whose dream is to be a country music singer. She got a BAFTA nomination as Best Actress, and I noted that at the 2020 awards ceremony, she sang the song, “Glasgow,” which had a bit of success in the U.K. Here it is -- I also found a wonderful and fascinating 10-minute featurette that that TV competition show, I’d Do Anything, put together for the journey the two finalists took to reach the last episodes. It’s very well-done with some great behind-the-scenes footage, as well as competition material. You can see how important the competition was to her, how emotional it was for this 18-year-old, how she faced a fair bit of criticism (especially from two judges) – some for sort of funny reasons (like her challenge with a cockney accent, and her being a bit of a tomboy growing up, so when doing plays in school, she usually got the male parts, and so she has some difficult moving ladylike, which she has to work at) – and also seeing how Andrew Lloyd Webber early on got how tremendously special she was, and was a major champion of hers throughout. Finally, in that featurette, Andrew Lloyd Webber talks about how her performance of the song “The Man Who Got Away” (written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin for Judy Garland to sing in the movie, A Star is Born) was “The greatest performance I’ve ever heard a young girl give.” I tracked down that number. Okay, just for you, I’ll throw in one bonus video. In that 10-minute featurette, we see a brief glimpse of her singing “One Night Only,” from the musical Dreamgirls. It’s a song that I like a lot – but also, I saw the show on Broadway with Jennifer Holliday, so it’s particularly memorable to me. And the short clip in the featurette was so good, I tracked down the full version. We have a new one this week. This week's contestant is Thomas Morgan of Sherwood, Arkansas. I could easily hear a hidden song, but couldn’t place what it was. But then, neither could the contestant and host Fred Childe. I did have a guess, but was sure I was wrong, because composer Bruce Adolph said it was actually adapted from the classical piece, and as far as I knew, my guess wasn’t. But -- it turns out I was right!! I had no idea that the song by a very well-known composer was based on another composition. I thought I had a sense of the composer style, but was way off. Your mileage will likely vary.
And it must be noted that not only do we have a new one this week…we have the last new one this week. Host Fred Child announced last year, in October, 2024, that he would be stepping down as host from Performance Today in a year, and that though there would be a new host of the show, he would be retiring the Piano Puzzler. However, because the archive of past Piano Puzzlers will remain online (and since they’ve often had repeats for years), I’ll still post them – if not weekly, to allow for some other weekend audio, then at least regularly. This is nothing more than a montage of clips of a family’s cat that just absolutely, early loves music. And it insists on someone in the family playing at the piano before it will even agree to have breakfast. But its love of music transcends even that, with some fun twists. And its peaceful joy of music is utterly endearing. Particularly fun are the clips of the cat on its back at the keyboard, its eyes close, zoning out and holding its favorite stuffed toy between its paws – with that toy being a stuffed mouse. |
Elisberg Industries gets a commission if you click here before shopping on Amazon.
AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. 
Feedspot Badge of Honor
Archives
May 2026
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed